#their group hinges on all of them liking each other and being friends

[remusawoooo]

you try too hard to fix fanon and end up with "remus is actually ugly pathetic weak smelly no one likes him really and don't understand why cool charismatic alpha jock model students james and sirius talk to him" likeeee can we be normal for a second 😭

[threeacttragedy]

Entry 9: The One Where You Choose Your Own Brazilian Adventure

My planned post – the “In Dedication of JVN” one where I fangirl over Jonathan Van Ness and what a fun and interesting piece of the Lukola puzzle he is – was derailed today because I was once again asked about Brazil. Well, more specifically, I was asked about whether I thought we were ever going to get those steamy, hopefully X-rated pictures, from Brazil. There’s pictures?!

In truth, I thought we’d collectively squeezed that grapefruit dry and left the rind somewhere between Italy and the Glamour Awards.

Alas, here I am writing about Brazil.

It’s funny because I’ve never thought much about Brazil. I know, I know! How could I possibly type those words without my nose growing six inches in front of my face? Well, it’s because it was always Australia that intrigued me. More on that later…

So why exactly do we believe there are pictures from Brazil? And, why do we think they are going to prove some kind of hot affair between Luke and Nicola? This theory is likely fueled by rumor; rumor born from how Luke and Nicola behaved towards each other while they were in Brazil.

I thought it would be fun to play a little game of “Choose Your Own Adventure” to determine if we’re ever going to see these alleged pictures. And, yes, I will be a very sarcastic bitch when doing this.

Before I start, though, I want to give a quick shout out to my dear friend, whom I shall call The-One-Who-Drops-Random-Pics-Into-Our-Group-Chat-and-Lets-Us-Sweat-Over-Them-for-Atleast-Three-Minutes-Before-Finally-Explaining-Them. She was a wealth of information about Brazil and even had a nice mother-daughter chat with me about the significance of a clean-shaven face (pardon me for never having dated a bearded man, which is odd because I find facial hair quite attractive).

Now, gather ‘round and I shall give you a little prologue to our adventure!

I’m sure most of you already know all about Brazil. In fact, many of you are probably self-described experts at this point. But, for those who are new here, let me go ahead and light the candles and set the ambiance for you. 

On May 19, Luke and Nicola were shuttled off to do their beach photoshoot in Brazil. You know, the one where Nicola was walking the dogs; Luke was strumming the guitar; Nicola was being all girlfriend-like fixing Luke’s jacket; Luke was gazing up at Nicola at the pub while she was touching his neck; and then there was that moment when we all thought they might kiss. Yeah, all that plus Luke’s scruffy face from the week prior suddenly appeared clean-shaven. Apparently, you can never be too “Casual” when you’re headed down south (pun intended – as was that Chappell Roan reference). And, about now is where I’ll “insert disclaimer that this is speculation only.”

The following day, we had the actual premiere. I’m not sure what those two were up to before the premiere but both were un-fucking-hinged by the time they made it to the red carpet. We had angel-face Nicola looking up at Luke like he had created the universe and Luke answering Nicola’s Little Red Riding Hood vibe with one sexy ass Big Bad Wolf persona. I mean, the bits and bobs that came out of Luke’s mouth that day! “There’s a carriage downstairs.” “I mean, in this heat, all I’m thinking about is when we didn’t have to wear clothes ‘cos that would be quite nice right now.” “I mean the show is proof that it is [okay to kiss your friends].” With Nicola whispering back, “This is true.” Then there was Luke taking that mic without taking his eyes off Nicola. We had Luke helping Nicola put on her bracelets because – God forbid! – she let go of him for 30 seconds to do it her fucking self. And, let’s not forget about the two of them holding on to each other behind that woman’s back (I’m sorry, I don’t recall her name and I’m too lazy to look it up – mainly, because I’m certain most of you don’t really care about that other woman).

We were also given snippets of Luke and Nicola at the premiere afterparty, looking like two people who, at a minimum, enjoyed each other’s company. They greeted fans outside the venue and, as they walked away together, Nicola seemingly put her hand on Luke’s lower back as if to guide him in the right direction (go ahead – let your imagination run wild – it’s a great opening for a FanFic).

Then, throw in the beach walk with the giant security guard; the interview where Nicola was wearing the fluffy pink skirt and the two of them talked about Chappell Roan’s “Kaleidoscope” (seriously, those two were listening to that song together?); Nicola couldn’t stop giggling about the “meat” of the Carriage Scene; and Luke appeared perhaps a smidge too interested in Nicola’s answer about what she looks for in a man (which fit perfectly into Luke’s “Like, how nice is it when someone notices, like, your kindness or your sense of humor?”). And, we can’t ignore them seemingly sharing a tea cup and Luke reaching for Nicola’s spoon after she’d sampled a dish. Don’t even get me started on over-analyzing Luke’s “manspread” that day.

Let’s also not forget about the rumor portion of this Brazilian escapade – because that is what fuels the sexy hot pictures theory and the central plot of our storied adventure.

Rumor has it Luke and Nicola spent a lot of time with each other in Brazil.

By themselves.

In one or the other’s room.

On the beach.

By the pool.

There were also rumors of them making out in the hotel hallway.

The only evidence we have of any “alone time” are some pictures that were dumped on X of them dining together alone, without any other members of their team.

Now that the backdrop has been set, let’s go on my little adventure.

During the summer between my 7th and 8th grade years, I was bored out of my mind. I grew up in the countryside. No neighbors. No sidewalks. No cable! Just fields, wooded areas, and my two sisters, both of whom had no interest in entertaining me that summer. My mother suggested I read. After boredom had dug itself so far into my being that I was left with no choice but to read, I finally ventured over to the bookshelf and grabbed the thinnest book I could find. It was a “Choose Your Own Adventure.”

If you don’t know what a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book is, then you (and your children) are missing out. Basically, you play the role of the protagonist and make choices to determine the outcome of your story. Sometimes you make the right choice and survive; other times you make the wrong choice and get turned into a little mouse that may or may not be eaten by a cat.

Here we go.

As the protagonist of our story, you are:

THE EMPLOYEE

You’re an employee of the hotel Nicola and Luke stayed at while in Brazil. You have sworn to maintain the privacy of hotel guests; you’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement of sorts to protect the privacy of guests, especially since you have access to VIP areas. You can be a housekeeper, a watchman, a concierge, a seven-foot-tall security guard, whatever tickles your fancy. Doesn’t matter – you’re all bound by the same provisions to protect the privacy of the hotel’s guests. But, in this story, let’s say you’re the housekeeper because – what’s that old saying – the only person who knows everything going on in the house is the maid?

You’re cleaning Nicola’s room and you find lots of signs of a man being in the room. In fact, you find a coat that looks exactly like the one Luke was wearing the night of the premiere. Oh my. As you’re leaving, you see two people making out in the hallway – headed straight towards the room you’re just leaving!  It looks like Nicola and Luke. What do you do?

Choice A: Well, you’re a pervy housekeeper so you pull your phone out and start taking pictures. I mean, those two are so into each other, they don’t even notice. You then run and play show-and-tell with your friends because you can’t keep a damn secret. Unfortunately for you, that gossip spreads faster than lice in a preschool, and hotel management tracks your ass down because, guess what, your friends can’t keep a secret either. So, congratulations on being fired. You’re meeting with the lawyers is first thing in the morning. Oh, we also need your phone and the names of all your friends.

Choice B: You respect the privacy of Nicola and Luke and simply turn and walk the opposite direction. Taking photos of them never even crossed your mind! But, damn, what a good story to tell your bestie when you get home, even if you don’t have “receipts.”

THE VIP GUEST

You’re a random guest staying at the hotel. In fact, you’re a random VIP guest staying on the same floor as Nicola and Luke. When you checked in, you signed a non-disclosure agreement. I mean, you want your privacy protected, too! And, heck, NDAs are thrown out like candy these days. You’ve seen so many at this point, you don’t even bother to read them.

You take the elevator up to your floor and, as you step into the hallway, you’re confronted with – goddammit, there’s two motherfuckers all over each other! The guy is trying to slide his key into the door, but the woman’s dress is so awkwardly large, he can’t seem to find the right slot! You realize the people look a lot like those two stars from Bridgerton, and your best friend, Effie, is a huge fan! What do you do?

Choice A: You can’t believe Effie is missing out on this excitement so, of course, you pull your phone out and start taking pictures!! I mean, that NDA you signed didn’t even cross your mind three minutes later when you were forwarding the pictures to Effie! And, because you can’t control what Effie does, she forwards the pictures to all her Bridgie buddies. The next morning you awaken to find the pictures all over X. Oopsie. You feel slightly guilty, and a bit peeved at Effie – but only until you’ve had your morning coffee.

Choice B: You take people’s privacy very seriously. Well, maybe you don’t take it that seriously, but it would be too difficult to dig your phone out of your handbag to take pictures. And, to be honest, Effie is the huge fan, not you. Plus, it seems the guy finally got that door open and damn, based on the sounds of it, he's unlocked something magical. Oh well. You’ll call Effie in the morning to tell her your story, if you remember it.

THE RANDOM STRANGER

You’re a random stranger taking an evening stroll along the beach. You love the sound of the ocean. It’s so peaceful…the sound of the waves… Ugh, what is that noise?! It sounds like – shit, it is! – two people snogging in a cabana about 10 yards away from you. Wait a minute – is that? Yeah, you think it could be! I mean, you were just at the Bridgerton premiere last night! What do you do? Without hesitation, you pull out your phone!

Choice A: You creep behind an umbrella and zoom in as close as possible with your camera! I mean, shite! You can’t believe this! How long have you been filming?  Probably longer than necessary but who cares? Suddenly, you feel a presence behind you, perhaps a seven-foot-tall presence, and you slowly turn around. Fuck! Who’s this guy?! He takes your phone, drops it to the ground, and stomps on it, shattering its insides.  Asshole.  You bend down to pick up the phone, but the man taps your shoulder and shakes his head, “No.” Well, umm, yeah, I guess you best be leaving.

Choice B: You use your camera to zoom in on the couple. Snap! Snap! Snap! Then you get the FUCK OUT OF THERE! You tell yourself you don’t look suspicious at all, even though you’re practically running and your heart is about to pound its way out of your chest! Oh, thank God, you’ve made it to your car. You start it up and, like I said, YOU GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE! You get home and take a look at the photos! Goldmine! So, should you drop them on X? Maybe be a little see-you-next-Tuesday and try to sell them to Nicola or Luke’s teams? But, hell, you don’t even know where to start with that! Or, should you just pocket them for your own pleasure? You tell me….

The End.

Yes, I am absolutely being a facetious little ass! The above scenarios were for (the most part) my own entertainment. I mean, there are so many situations where these alleged pictures could exist (these playful ones don’t even scratch the surface). But, do the pictures exist?

If we’re being logical here, you would think that, if anyone in the general public were in possession of these alleged sexy-time pictures of Luke and Nicola, or had seen them, it would be all over social media at this point. I mean, ALL OVER. So, what can we deduce from the fact that they aren’t?

That the pictures probably don’t exist. Don’t shoot the messenger! Seriously, watch where you point that thing!

But, let’s say pictures did exist. Who is the most likely person to dump them on, say, X? The hotel employee, the VIP guest, or the random stranger? I would place money on the random stranger, followed by the VIP guest. The hotel employee, who probably has the most access to VIP guests but the strongest legal barriers, would be the least likely to photo dump. What is the likelihood that someone from one of these three groups – for example, a random stranger – (a) had pictures of Luke and Nicola, (b) didn’t drop them on social media, and/or (c) didn’t share them with someone who dropped them on social media?

I’m all for a good conspiracy theory but I find this one to be a hard pill to swallow.

Maybe one person can act as a lockbox for this kind of secret, but when you start including more people, the ability to keep something (like illicit photographs of two celebrities) out of the public eye diminishes rapidly.

Remember what Benjamin Franklin said, “Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”

Unfortunately, this quote is incredibly accurate. The general public cannot keep secrets.

If the pictures exist, they are most likely in the possession of Luke and/or Nicola’s team (of lawyers). So, unless they’re going to sneak them on to X for giggles (I mean, it’s been known to happen), you’re probably never going to see them – and that’s assuming they even exist.

However, if you’re the housekeeper from our first adventure and you happen to have some candid photographs you’re just dying to share, just find yourself a printer – one that cannot easily be linked back to you – and print them out. Then, “accidently” drop them at the feet of someone who knows exactly what they are, and then give them enough time to take their own photos of them and send them to their best friend’s brother’s sister-in-law’s third cousin’s wife’s neighbor, who could drop them on X for us. I mean, you should be golden with seven degrees of separation.

[br7ght]

I want to be yours (and yours only) Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

summary: Ona learns about Lucy's ex-lover who just so happens to be one of their teammates. Ona wants to make sure that Lucy knows that she doesn't like to share, or so she thinks.

warnings: dom!lucy, sub!ona, shower sex, jealousy, make-up sex, inappropriate use of the shower head, oral sex, fingering

pairing: lucy bronze x ona batlle

word count: 4,000 words

SMUT 18+

based on this ask, once again @occasionallyaurora pulling through <3

Ona had never felt so angry and riled up in the entire time she had spent with Barcelona. The team were tightly knit together, all intensely close and this meant that there was usually no room for jealousy, but she was finished just choking it down and ignoring it. She was seen as easy going and gentle, but usually the strong feelings she had, she was too ashamed to let them turn into anything bigger than a petty comment or a bit of silent treatment before giving in.

She had been dating Lucy for five months, growing close ever since the World Cup, and while it wasn’t officially announced to the rest of the girls, Lucy could barely keep her hands off of her, so it became quite transparent within the team that something was going on between them. Ona frequently coming into the locker rooms before training, dark marks etched into her skin and Lucy’s smirk as the rest of the girls questioned her about it made it quite obvious who had done that to the seemingly innocent woman.

There was a barrier though, one of Ona’s old teammates from Manchester United had transferred to Barca during the last January transfer window, the same woman who she knew was rumoured to have had a long-term fling with her girlfriend. The team loved her, apart from Alexia and Jenni who were clearly way too touchy to just be friends with her. The training session today couldn’t have been a better example of this. Ona caught the three of them making fleeting touches against each other, Alexia’s hand always finding its way onto her hips or on her ass, alongside Jenni always sandwiching herself next to her, never taking her hands from her body when they were close. That wasn’t the problem, Ona didn’t care at all about what Alexia and Jenni were doing with any of her teammates, but every time they were close to each other, she would find Lucy staring at them, her eyebrows furrowed and her gaze locked between them; a face that couldn’t be better compared to than a jealous ex-girlfriend.

Ona stormed off after training, avoiding the team catch up at the end of the session, and hiding herself in the locker room bathrooms as she just listened to the girls talk until they all eventually left together. She heard someone still walking around the room and she knew it would be Lucy wondering where she was, knowing that she was to drive them both home. Lucy hadn’t even seen Ona slip away from the group as she’d been too busy engaging in conversation with Alexia and Jenni to even notice her girlfriends rising anger. She heard her footsteps still, a locker squeaking on its hinges and Ona knew that she had to come out now, knowing exactly what she was going to say as she’d been planning it silently in her head ever since she sat down.

As soon as she slid the lock open, Lucy heard her and turned immediately to meet her gaze from across the room. “Where have you been mi amor?” She asked, the glowing smile on her face dropping as Ona didn’t smile back, continuing to walk towards her in the most intimidating way she had ever seen the younger woman.

Ona used her strength, shoving Lucy against the lockers hard, her back slamming into the metal, a gasp eliciting from the back of her throat. She was startled, not knowing what to make of it, but she knew she could feel a shock being sent down to her core.

“I saw you acting all jealous around Alexia, Jenni, and their ‘plaything’ today, Lucia.” Ona lets out, her voice breaking instead of coming across in the angry tone that she had planned all along. “You look at them like it’s buy one, get one free.” The taller woman didn’t even know how to reply, she knew that Ona was aware of her history with their teammate, but she didn’t think Ona would ever be jealous over her, not when Lucy was so sure that she made the younger girl know that she was her only priority. “Do you want to be with her, does Ale and Jenni being all over her make you jealous?” Ona almost spits these words out, Lucy stood eyes widened at the comment, not knowing what to make of her girlfriend’s assumptions.

“Princesa, no, I’d never lie to you and maybe there is something tiny that twinges when I see her with Alexia and Jenni, but nothing that would compare to seeing you with someone else.” Lucy stated, her voice serious but gentle, noticing how high-strung her actions had made Ona and instantly feeling a wave of guilt as she replayed back her behaviour, understanding where the freckled woman was coming from. “I’m so sorry if I’ve made you feel this way.”

She reached out her hand, cupping the smaller face that melted into her hold. Ona plants a kiss against the side of her palm instantly calming the tensions between them. “I just want to feel like I’m yours and that I don’t have to share your attention with her.” She pleaded, but it didn’t sound desperate, it sounded more like a demand and Lucy was eager to comply, wanting nothing but her girlfriend to know that despite her complex and messy past with a lot of people Ona had to come into contact with, there was no one she had ever felt this way about in the same way she felt about her.

“What can I do, cariño, anything. I’ll do anything.” Lucy meant it, there was no lies behind what she was saying, and Ona knew that she really would do anything that she asked of her. “I don’t know what else I can do to show you that you’re the only one.”

“Fuck me like I’m yours Luce, show me that I’m yours.” She lets out, a smile swiped across the anger on her face from before, feeling instantly relieved at Lucy’s calm and gentle response, not wanting to do anything that would hurt her in the slightest, not unless Ona asked of course.

“Don’t ask for what you can’t handle princesa.” Lucy smirked; her lips clasped together, face burning red as she felt the arousal pool between her legs at Ona’s words. Her soft tone that she spoke in always making everything she asked for sound so much more attractive.

It was merely a few seconds before Lucy was dragging her by the arm towards the showers, pulling her into the cubicle with intense desperation, locking it behind her. Ona was gasping against her lips that were barely connected with hers, but once they fully collided there was nothing that was going to stop them now. The heat that they emitted when they kissed was unlike anything either of them had felt before, the way their hands unashamedly groped each other’s clothed bodies was laced with an intense desire to just have each other all the time.

Lucy grasped Ona’s training jersey she was yet to change out of, pulling it over her head and throwing it over the door of their cubicle, ridding her of all of her clothing, barely taking a moment to gaze at her muscular body until there was nothing left on her. Ona was reciprocating the favour through laboured, frustrated breaths, pulling Lucy’s shorts down and placing them over the door where the rest of her clothes were sat.

Once they were both naked, their lips were on each other’s again. Lucy’s tongue swipes against Ona’s bottom lip, pleading for her to give in to her advances which she does instinctively. Allowing Lucy to explore the inside of her mouth was moan inducing, the way her tongue would slide against the younger woman’s, knowing exactly how to make her weak at the knees, pleading with her hips as they rolled against her body. Lucy had Ona’s back pressed up against the cold wall of the cubicle, her hand pressed firmly against the back of her waist, holding her body as close as it could be to her own.

The taller woman turned the knob of the shower, the heated water beating down on them both, streaming down their faces as they kissed even deeper than before, Lucy feeling her girlfriends’ hips rolling involuntarily against her thigh, barely making contact but it was enough of a signal to know that teasing was the exact opposite of what she needed.

Lucy brought her hands from her waist, kneading Ona’s perky breasts against her palms, the small streaks of water aiding her in her goal of quickly hardening her nipples so she could play with them between her fingers. As soon as she swirled her fingertip against the hardened nub, Ona’s lips attached themselves to her neck, pulling the skin between her teeth with frustrated immediacy. Lucy winced at the sensation, her head throwing back and allowing Ona more space to work with, knowing that she wanted to mark her up as a result of the jealousy she had brought out of her.

Lucy pinched her nipple hard, making her moan, muffled against the crook of her neck as she darkened the marks, she was working on up the length of Lucy’s neck. “That's it, mark me up, make sure everyone knows that you’re mine.” She lets out, Ona continuing to comply with the request, every few nips of her skin and she looked to admire the artwork she was creating, marking her territory as her own.

“Make me yours Luce, please.” Ona mumbled against her collarbone, the mixture of Lucy switching her fingers with her mouth, lapping at her nipple before taking it into her mouth and sucking loosely against the nub, and the water beating down on them driving her into a sense of desperation that needed to be taken care of.

“I’m going to make you feel so good my pretty princesa.” Lucy promised, parting Ona’s thighs with her spare hand, the other trailing up her chest. She tried to work her up, dragging her fingers through the shorter girl’s folds, her wetness immediately soaking up her fingers as she whined against Lucy’s light touches. She knew not to waste too much time, dipping the length of her digit inside Ona and relishing in her echoing moan that carried throughout the room. Lucy’s neck was burning but she knew Ona needed to see her marked up in a moment of role reversal, usually wanting to be the one with the souvenirs from the night before.

Ona’s whining and squirming was something Lucy was used to handling, using her strength to show her that she could always get what she wanted when she was in control. Lucy was thrusting into her now, adding a second finger into her entrance and watching down at Ona’s reaction to the quick stretching she felt that made her catch her bottom lip between her teeth in a desperate attempt to remain as quiet as she could. Ona was seeing stars, her chest rising and falling in honest lust, her legs beginning to shake at the feeling of Lucy pumping harder into her.

“Look at you take my fingers cariño, why would I want anyone else when I have you looking so pretty when I fuck you,” Lucy praised, placing a kiss against her forehead in a gentle response to the rough movements of her wrist. As the water continued pulsating over their bodies, Lucy knew what would make Ona certain that she wanted nobody else but her. “Can I try something with you?” She asked and Ona nodded, she always did, she never even asked anymore as she was confident in the fact that Lucy knew her body better than she did, she spent enough time getting to know it in such detail that she trusted her in the moments of vulnerability that they shared.

Lucy continued thrusting her wrist, curling her fingers, and brushing up against her walls, stroking at her sensitive spot. She took the showerhead from the holder, messing with the temperature until she found the perfect heat, changing the pressure to a smaller, stronger stream of water rather than the rain setting that was beating down on them before. Ona was looking in awe at Lucy’s brain ticking as she adjusted the shower that she held in her hand, secretly hoping that she was going to do what she was thinking.

When Lucy took her focus off the shower and diverted her gaze back to Ona’s face, she gently aimed the showerhead to direct the flow of water against her clit, still continually thrusting into her. As soon as the water pulsated against her bundle of nerves the sinful moan that escaped Ona’s lips was one that she couldn’t hold back despite the semi-public nature of this act they were committing together. Lucy kept her fingers curling against Ona’s spot, hitting it harshly with every thrust of her fingers, holding the showerhead in place so it was continually stimulating her so intensely that she could feel her legs trembling, unsure as to whether she was even going to be stood up by the time she reached her inevitable climax.

“Fuck Lucy. I’m all yours.” These words made Lucy quicken up her movements, really roughly fucking into her cunt now, desperate to watch her girlfriend chase her release as she could see it build behind her closed eyes and open mouth.

“Then come for me Princesa, show me why you’re all mine.” Lucy growled softly and Ona’s determination to earn the praise that she had just been awarded with was clear as her arms loosened from around Lucy’s neck and she grabbed the showerhead, pushing it closer to her clit and holding it milometers away from her, the water gushing harshly against her bud, the sensation on the border of being too much but the quick build-up of her high was addictive. Lucy let out a moan of her own as she watched Ona chase her release, a smile curling the edges of her mouth as she let her hold the head against herself, her hand now gripping the back of her thigh to keep her stood up properly.

Ona’s orgasm rippled intensely over her body, her entire form shaking and jerking as Lucy let her ride out the intensity of the climax, hearing her name strung in the back of her throat at every thrust encouraging her to work through the arm ache and satisfy her girlfriend how she needed. Lucy captured her lips in a kiss, taking the shower head and resuming the previous pressure before hooking it back onto the wall, letting her freezing body take in the heat as she worked into the mouth of her whining girlfriend.

Ona’s kisses became needier again as the aftershocks of her orgasm calmed, almost immediately being ready to go again. Lucy had trained her up to be able to take her again and again until she was finished using her and this silently making the taller woman regret ever being jealous over Alexia, Jenni, and her previous flame.

“It’s my turn to remind you what you have now, mi amor.” Ona teased, her voice seductive in itself minus the view of her orgasm ridden body dropping to her knees, kneeling up against Lucy’s toned thighs, her hands instantly gripping her nails into her skin, determined to leave more marks than just the ones littered on her neck. Ona hooks her leg over her shoulder, gazing at her glistening folds, gulping at the sheer amount of arousal that had pooled between her legs from watching her orgasm against her hand. She nips against Lucy’s thighs, clearly not finished with marking her territory, the skin between her legs way more sensitive, but each time Ona painted her mark against her it just increased her desperation to grind herself against the other woman’s tongue.

Ona sticks her tongue out, laying it flat against Lucy, the low and raspy groan she let out making her relish even more in the taste of her. Once her hands fell in Ona’s wet hair, tugging her nails into her scalp, encouraging her to find her clit with her tongue, immediately swirling it around her bud in the way she knew would make Lucy into a groaning mess above her. She was drowning beneath the shower, the water mixing with Lucy’s arousal when it hit her tongue, but the sensations of everything was just spurring Ona on.

“You’re so fucking good. I would never want anyone before I’d want you.” Lucy admitted with transparent honesty. She looked down at Ona on her knees, looking sympathetically at the way the shower was dripping down her face, barely able to catch her breath without inhaling the water that was drowning her out. Lucy breathed slowly through the long licks through the length of her slit, taking the showerhead from the holder and moving it out of the way of Ona’s face. “Hold this in place for me Princesa.” Lucy demands and Ona obeys, moving her tongue from the taller woman’s folds, letting the water gush against her clit in the same way that she had done for her.

Lucy moaned, the sound basically replicating Ona, the water pressure against her bundle of nerves providing a sensation so unique that it was forcing high pitched groans to leave the older woman’s lips. Ona had never heard her so worked up, her lips clasping together as she made use of her position, driving two fingers straight into her entrance, feeling her knees buckle underneath her shoulder at the overwhelming feeling.

“Continue what you were saying before.” Ona pleaded as Lucy’s chest was rising quicker, laboured breaths turning into strings of tumbling moans falling from her lips.

“I only want you Ona. Just you.” It was hard for her to form a sentence with the pulsating pressure of the water hitting her clit consistently while her entrance was being stretched hard by Ona’s fingers, thrusting up against her g-spot watching in arousal at her girlfriend coming undone by the second. “You’re my pretty girl, no one’s going to change that.” Ona moaned at the words, finding Lucy’s inner thighs between her lips again, darkening the marks that were already there, with a few nips Lucy’s legs were trembling under her tongue.

Ona knew not to stop or change anything when she became silent, usually as a response to her orgasm brimming against her touches. Her breathing hitched immediately and her hips grinded against the jet of water pushing intense pressure against her clit, and Ona gasped when she felt Lucy’s inner walls clench hard against her pumping fingers, physically feeling her body fold at the sheer force of her climax.

“That’s my princesa.” Lucy let out, catching her breath as she pushed the shower head away from her pulsating clit, signalling Ona to meet her at her lips, wanting to taste herself against her girlfriend’s mouth. “Let’s get you all dry, you’ve done enough mi amor.”

Ona happily gathered their clothes, letting Lucy drape a towel around her shoulders, sitting her down on the bench in the locker room. She was determined to get her all warmed up, even grabbing her hairbrush, and stroking the prongs through her wet curls, ridding her head of any tangles from her hands being wrapped up in them a few minutes ago. Ona was humming gently at each touch and Lucy knew she was needy again already.

Lucy caught a glimpse of her body underneath her towel in the mirror across the room, gasping as she looked at the way her skin was littered with darkened marks. Ona giggled, her thighs squeezing together as Lucy’s fingers trailed up her bruised neck, not even wanting to look at the mess of bruises between her thighs where Ona had been making a trail. “I think you’ve proven your point.” Ona’s cheeks flushed pink, nodding slightly as she looked up at her girlfriend with doe eyes, not wanting to beg to be fucked again after the last session only just finished, but this is what Lucy loved about them together.

“Open up for me then, I know you need more after you’ve dropped to your knees for me like that.” Lucy grazed her tongue against the husk of her ear, eliciting a gasp from Ona who instantly obliged her request, slightly embarrassed at how she was already dripping for her. Lucy perched next to her on the bench, her nipples showing through the gap in her towel as she leant her arm over Ona’s body, gently stroking light touches against her wetness. “I think this should convince you that you’re all mine.”

Lucy grabbed her thighs, pulling Ona over her lap. Her legs opened wide as she straddled over Lucy’s hips. Lucy snakes her hand between their bodies, letting Ona sink down onto her fingers. Ona’s body moving uncontrollably as she started to ride her fingers with such desperation that Lucy was convinced that the shower hadn’t even happened.

“I’m all yours, just me.” Ona moaned against the crook of Lucy’s marked neck; her forehead unable to hold itself up as she grinded her hips against Lucy’s perfectly positioned fingers. Ona was grasping a hold of the hooks attached just above the benches, trying to keep her body fixed focus on Lucy’s thrusts.

“Yes, princesa, this is what you get for being mine.” Lucy praised, readjusting her hand so her thumb could brush up against her clit, knowing that with a few strokes Ona would let go of her release and come hard against her hand. Again. She was right, as per usual, as Ona stopped bouncing over Lucy’s lap, allowing her girlfriend to thrust into her instead, keeping herself grounded so she could feel her brush against her sensitive spot. “That’s my girl, ride it out on my fingers.” Her possessiveness had Ona close to finishing already. 

She was moaning Lucy’s name again, luckily enough for them the entire building should be completely barren by now, but anyone left inside definitely knew about the ongoings of the Barcelona changing rooms this evening. Ona’s moans and gasps were spacey as her body let her climax take over her movements, announcing to the building that she was about to orgasm again. With one swipe of Lucy’s tongue across her hard nipple in front of her face and she collapsed in pleasure, the sweet sound of ecstasy bouncing off the walls.

“Okay, you’ve convinced me.” Ona let out after a few minutes of recovery. Lucy pulling her body into her own, sharing one towel now as the younger girl snuggled her head into the others grasp.

“You’re my only priority, always.” Lucy said with confidence, not a single regret coming to mind as Ona shared her body warmth with her, the feeling of their temperatures combining into one was an ultimately intimate romantic exchange.

“I mean, I understand.” Ona admitted, biting her fingernail as Lucy smirked at her before she could hide her embarrassed face, “She is hot, isn’t she?”

“Ona!” Lucy laughed, but nodding with her as she knew she had done her job well if Ona could joke about her ex-girlfriend’s appearance.

“I certainly wouldn’t mind watching you with her.” Lucy was too stunned to even respond, but her cheeks flushing bright red must’ve been the biggest giveaway of them all. She felt a sense of pride at how Ona was acting after their session, just showing how their communication had led them into this state of understanding, even if it was just Ona messing around.

“I think I’d want to see something different happen if this ever came true.” Lucy grinned, furrowing her eyebrows, and watching as Ona spread an evil grin on her face before they both erupted into pure laughter, sharing this moment between one towel, skin on skin.

“I think you’d have to be the one to ask her.” Ona continued playing into the joke, both of them however slightly curious about the mock fantasy they were creating in their heads. Lucy had her hands in her freshly brushed hair, tracing patterns against her scalp and twirling her hair through her fingers as they laughed innocently together.

“I guess we’d have to invite Alexia and Jenni too then. I don’t think we want to be the ones to home wreck that relationship.”

 “Like a two-for-one special.”

[andy-wm]

hey andy, loving your posts recently; was wondering what your take is on why jikook chose to film their trip and share it with fans instead of just traveling on their own? any thoughts?

Hey Anon, thanks for the ask and your kind words :)

I have a few thoughts on this actually!

After a conversation with my semi-ARMY, BTS loving, ride or die Jikooker (with caveats) bestie (yes, it's complicated but I fully support their right to choose a safe place in (or not in) this fandom that serves them as an individual 💜), I took a moment to think about how often Jimin and JK get to spend time together.

(Tldr: not often, so they take what they can get)

I think their choice to share their trips with us hinges around a few things -

Contracts, MS rules, group hiatus, ARMY, schedules, and (hopefully) themselves.

BTS renewed their contracts not too long ago and those contracts would have specified certain obligations and opportunities for each member, in line with the planned group hiatus and MS.

It looks like, with the new contracts, they all signed up for heaps of individual projects. Everyone seems to be doing at least one album, a live performance, a documentary, a guest appearance/collab, an episodic format media project, and perhaps some sort of idol-ajacent work like endorsements (or maybe in Joonie's case the MOMA docent recording.)

I assume this series is their combined episodic media project box being ticked.

Why would they choose this and not a series like Jinny's Kitchen, or Suchwita?

Working independently on their own projects for the previous year would have meant their schedules didn't necessarily align too often. Although I have no doubt they would have made time to see and support each other (Jimin going to Qatar as an example), it would have been hard to be apart when they're so used to being together.

Seeing that they had the option to take a sanctioned trip together as a couple best friends, it makes sense that they did that instead of filming a scripted /directed program in a studio with other random cast members and more schedules to try and work around.

In all honesty, the likelihood of them getting the chance to get away together on a personal trip would have been slim, i think. No time for that!

Assuming I'm right about the contracts, if they didn't take this opportunity, they would both have been involved in other projects to meet their obligations. More schedules, more time apart, more energy spent interacting with random strangers (we know they don't love that).

Three trips away together! What a boon!

And all they need to do is be themselves.

They have done so many similar projects - Now series, Bon Voyage, ITS, and even JK's GCFs... This is relatively easy for them. Plus it's a 'tried and trusted' format that ARMY loves.

And they're so used to having cameras around them, and they know the staff so well, that i don't think the presence of a film/support crew would have significantly detracted from the fun they had.

The time they spent together would have been a blessing, especially before they knew the were successful in the companion bid. And speaking of that, they could not have had these trips unless they were work-related due to MS regulations.

They still have this bizarre idea we might forget them. Hilarious, right?

We all know that the reasons they do these programs are first financial (keep those army dollars rolling in) and second, fan engagement.

Reality type shows are the best for an authentic connection to these guys, and we love that. We don't need much more than them being and doing and exisiting, for us to be happy.

Just quietly, I dont think Hybe really realise how easy we are. I'd watch jimin scroll on his phone and occasionally laugh, or yawn, or eat a snack, and I'd find it endearing and a worthwhile use of my time.

In summary, this series is a gift for us, and easy money for Hybe, its a win-win.

And if Jimin and JK have fun and get time together, its a win for everyone.

💜🏕💛

[piratefishmama]

Beware The Thorns | Part 9

Robin Buckley made it her job to know things about people in Steve Harrington’s life. That was something she’d always done. Ever since they’d been bound to chairs back to back in a basement, ever since Steve had goaded, pushed, and insulted their captors, spitting vitriol, forcing them to focus entirely on him leaving her with barely a scratch, a sore jaw from where one of them had slapped her across the face but that was it.

Steve had been hospitalised for over a week with his injuries.

And in that time, the senior Harringtons had laid waste to the entirety of the group that’d held them captive, and had forged an odd little friendship with Buckley&Buckley, a P.I husband and wife duo who were endlessly grateful for Steve’s sacrifice to ensure their daughters survival.

A friendship that continued for years after the senior Harringtons passed their empire onto their son in their passing.

She wasn’t even supposed to be there, she’d taken it upon herself to investigate something to prove that she could. To prove that she was ready to join her parents in their work. Wrong place, wrong time. But it gained her Steve, he was worth the nightmares.

Which was why she spent her Monday morning going to a coffee shop she didn’t actually enjoy on the east side of the city, drinking overpriced black ‘artisanal’ sludge, which usually she’d be an advocate for, fuck Starcucks an all that jazz, but this place?

Dumpster fire masquerading as a ‘hip new coffee joint’, ran by a douchebag in a beanie with a moustache that didn’t fit his somewhat misshapen potato sack face shape.

All to meet with one very pretty young lady, who seemed to actually enjoy the coffee the shop served.

“I need to know where he’s going to be.” A very pretty lady, who held her coffee cup to pursed, painted red lips, bright blue eyes on Robin’s face. “And I need to know if he’s already locked down a new client, I’m assuming these are things you’ll know… as his friend.”

“Mmnnn, I mean. You’re not wrong.” She took a sip then placed her cup back down on the cork coaster provided. “I do know where he’s going to be, and I do unfortunately know his hook up schedule, but what makes you think I’m going to tell you any of it? As his friend, it’s kind of my job to keep that information on lockdown, isn’t it?”

Robin liked Chrissy. She’d always liked Chrissy, same as Robin always liked Eddie, they had similar vibes. Wearing a mask of thorns to protect the pretty petals from those who’d do them harm. She didn’t know how they knew each other, didn’t know enough about Eddie to make assumptions as to where they’d met, but Chrissy was the closest thing Eddie had to a best friend, as far as Robin knew.

Chrissy was the only friend that Robin could get to without it immediately getting back to Eddie. Eddie’s little game friends, Gareth, Jeff, and Dougie? They’d tell him the second she reached out, would sound an alarm and she’d never get anywhere near him, claiming they were ‘being good friends’, but Chrissy was smarter by far. Chrissy was just enough of a best friend, to know when Eddie happened to need something that he didn’t want to admit to needing.

Just enough of a best friend to be able to tell him he was being an idiot, and not just immediately side with him.

Like Eddie’s very own Robin.

“It is, but I’m hoping that I’m right in the fact that he’s probably been miserable since he ended things with Steve, right?” It all kind of hinged on that. On Eddie’s real feelings behind his little mask. “Steve’s pretty miserable… it’s depressing”

“So miserable he’s sent you out to track Eddie down? Or are you doing this sniffer dog bit on your own initiative?” Robin opened her mouth to reply, but Chrissy continued as if she hadn’t asked a question, asking another instead, “what makes you think he’d be miserable?”

“Which question am I answering here?”

“Mmmmm second one please.” Chrissy took another sip, so nonchalant. She had an energy about her that Robin felt strangely familiar. A countenance Robin had only ever seen in one other person.

“I know he was acting, I know there are sides to Eddie that Steve never saw, that Eddie never let Steve see—”

“Like all the sides of Steve that Eddie never saw?” Robin tensed, brow furrowing “oh unclench, Robbie, the Cunninghams and the Harringtons go back generations, pretty sure Steve and I would have wound up in some stupid arranged marriage had the Harringtons not been against it.” Robin didn’t like not knowing things, why did she not know that? How had she missed Chrissy of all the potentials to have told Eddie about Steve’s life? How did she not know that Steve ought to know Chrissy? “I never said anything to Eddie and I don’t intend to, but… why should I let Eddie be dragged into such a messy life? There’s so many fish in the sea, Robin, why should I let my best friend be dragged down by a shark?” At least now Robin knew why Chrissy’s personality, her eerie calm felt so familiar.

She was Steve in prettier packaging.

“I’m at a disadvantage here, aren’t I?”

“Oh very much so, but you’re very cute so I’m letting you off.” Robin blinked once in surprise, then did her best to quell the pleasant buzz that thrummed through her veins at the not-so-subtle compliment “Please answer my question, why should I give you what you want?”

“He… Steve… He loves him, Chrissy… Steve has done bad stuff, don’t get me wrong, he’s done awful things to people, but I’ve never seen him like he is whenever Eddie’s around. It’s like he’s drowning in the dark and Eddie’s just… a light at the end of the tunnel, an if Eddie loves him too, which I think he does… why should they be apart?”

“And now the real reason, not the Hallmark movie one?” Chrissy raised a brow in boredom.

“I… I don’t know, Chrissy. I don’t know. I don’t. I’m running on best friend fuel. Steve needs him, or at least needs closure from him, and as his best friend I’m duty bound to try and get that for him. I’m sure you don’t love Eddie’s job. Right? He wouldn’t have to do any of it if he just—”

“Gave up his freedom and all the work he’s put in to establish himself in his field for a slim chance at happiness with one of the most dangerous men in the city?” Chrissy leaned back in her chair, one leg crossing over the other as she crossed her arms over her chest, coffee cup left to rest on the coaster.

“Better the devil you know though, right? Wouldn’t you rather him be with someone you know won’t hurt him… than with someone you don’t?” Chrissy’s eyes finally left Robin’s face, dipping down to the right as she thought about it.

Eddie wouldn’t be alone for long, he’d find a new client, he’d be on someone else’s arm, and he’d continue his life unchanged with a risk of being hurt.

Or… or he could have what he wanted.

Chrissy knew what Eddie wanted. They’d spent more than enough evenings on his couch with ice cream mooning over Steve Harrington and while she’d have loved to tell him that he was trash, he was a monster in sheep’s clothing… he just wasn’t. So she’d kept quiet.

She let Eddie pine away for a life he could have if he took a chance, never telling him why he shouldn’t.

“What if this new client wouldn’t hurt him?”

“Let’s be real Chrissy he’s probably already planned on reaching out to Tommy to fill in the gap in his schedule, you and I both know what kind of trash heap Tommy Hagan is.” An easy cash grab that’d probably make Eddie feel like shit. “Do you want to risk Eddie’s happiness on a what if, or do you want to tell me where he’s going to be so Steve can be there and sweep him off his feet?”

In retrospect, Robin should have probably been suspicious when Chrissy sat up straight, when she looked at Robin as if she was assessing her, and she definitely should have been suspicious when, with a short “Alright then,” Chrissy plucked a pen from her bag and a little notepad, and jotted down an address and a time. But with a small victory in her hands, and a front row seat to Chrissy’s perfectly perky… ponytail retreating for the door with their business concluded.

She really wasn’t thinking all that hard.

[gingiesworld]

Nightmare

Agent Maria Hill x GN! Reader

Warnings : Fluff. Angst.

18+ MINORS DNI

It was extremely early in the morning when Y/N was trying their hardest to get ready for their mission quietly, not wanting to disturb a sleeping Maria.

Y/N was the head of an Elite Military Squad who worked alongside SHIELD on occasion. Especially since they had joined the military as they graduated high school. Meeting Maria on their excavation of New York. Helping out with the local police force as the Avengers tackled Loki and closed the portal.

"Y/N?" Maria slurred sleepily as Y/N took a deep breath, fastening their boots as they sat at the edge of the bed.

"Go back to sleep baby." Y/N cooed as Maria sat forward, wrapping her arms around Y/N and hugging them from behind.

"You know I like saying goodbye to you." Maria whispered as she kissed their neck, making them smile at the term of endearment.

"I just thought maybe this once you could miss it." They chuckled as Maria shook her head no.

"You know why I do it." Maria mumbled as Y/N sighed.

"I will be home in a few days." They told her as she just nodded, releasing them from her grip. "I love you Maria." They kissed her softly before they stopped in the doorway.

"I love you too Y/N." She whispered as she watched them disappear. Afraid to fall asleep as the nightmares would come forth and she can't deal with them. So after hours of contemplating, she decided to get ready and head into SHIELD HQ.

"You're not supposed to be in today Hill." Fury told her as she gave him a nod.

"I just want to keep tabs on something." She told him as he smiled.

"Elite Squad." He stated as she nodded, he then beckoned for her to follow into the room, seeing the body cam footage of each of the members of the squad. Hearing the gunshots, screams and shouts of the people in the surrounding area. "They are approaching the main building. Hopefully they will catch Azabi without a hitch."

"Doesn't he have ties with Hydra?" Maria asked him as he nodded.

"We are tying up all of Hydra's known associates. Making sure they can never rise again." Fury told her as her eyes remained on the screen.

"We need to breach." She heard her partner's voice through the speakers. Watching as one of them planted C4 on the door before they all took cover. Watching as the explosion rang through the air as the door flew off the hinges. Shots being fired from beyond the door at the squad, luckily they had managed to find adequate cover to provide fire of their own.

"Cover fire." She heard another voice, she recognised him being Y/N's best friend, Tim. Watching as Y/N was the first one to run through the doors.

It felt like hours until they reached Azabi. Seeing him in a room on his own and a smirk on his face.

"Do you really think this is the end?" He sneered as the other two cuffed him.

"For you? Yes." Y/N stated as they moved out. "We've got the package. Heading to the rendevous point."

The gun fire continued as more of Azabi's loyal followers came to his aid. Y/N and Tim being those at the front of the group as they provided gunfire. Shooting their way through until they were clear.

"We're 5 clicks out." Y/N spoke as the two moved to the back. Making sure their was no followers behind them. The sound of the chopper filled the desert, taking their attention from the roaring engines that were approaching. "Tim!" Y/N yelled as they ran towards him. Azabi already on the chopper as the other's provided cover fire.

"You should leave." Tim told them as they shook their head no.

"Never leave a man behind, and I won't lose my best friend." They groaned as they helped him to his feet. "Beside's you have a baby on the way." Y/N struggled as the shots were being fired from each way. Completely ignoring the bullet that tore it's way through their back. With some help, they managed to get Tim on the chopper before climbing on themselves. Y/N smiled as Tim was getting checked out by the medic on the team as they soon started to feel the pain.

"Y/N?" Tim questioned as he watched them. Maria's heart dropped at the sight of them. They were pale and sweaty. "Y/N?" He tried firmer as Y/N shook their head.

"I'm ok. Probably just a scratch right." They smiled as Tim watched them with worried eyes.

"Check them out." Tim ordered their teammate.

"But you." He tried as Tim shoved him towards Y/N.

"I said check them out." Tim ordered as the medic nodded and reluctantly went to Y/N. "I won't lose my best friend." It wasn't until they started to cough up some blood.

"I need to see Maria." They whispered as Maria grabbed one of the headsets that were already patched through to the team.

"I'm here Y/N." She spoke frantically, they smiled at the sound of her voice.

"You should be home resting. Or with Nat." They told her as the two of them chuckled. "I'm not going to make it." They told her as she shook her head as she held in a sob.

"Yes you are." She told them sternly as they groaned. The medic trying to stop the bleeding.

"I'm not." Their breaths becoming labored as their lungs filled with blood. "I won't make it back to base."

"Please." Maria begged as Y/N coughed uncontrollably.

"I love you Ria." They told her. Using her old nickname.

"I love you more doofus." She cried as she watched Y/N smile as they took their last breaths. The headset falling from her as she rose to her feet. Heading out of the room with Fury on her heels.

"Hill!" He called after her as she just carried on walking. Somehow making her way home and to their room. Picking up the shirt they had removed in the early hours of the morning as she held it to their nose. Her heart beating painfully in her chest as she ached for their comforting arms around her.

--------

Maria woke to a start, a cold sweat dripping down her body. Looking to see their side of the bed empty. Her eyes soon heading to the sound of the toilet flushing and then the tap running.

"Are you ok Ria?" Y/N asked her as she nodded as she took a deep breath. "Nightmare?"

"I watched you die." She whispered as they wrapped their arms around her.

"I'm still here." They told her as she held onto them like her life depended on it. Her hands soon finding the scar.

Since the mission, Y/N had retired to SHIELD HQ, helping with training the new recruits. Especially since Maria was so close to losing them on their last mission. Hell she thought she did lose them on that last mission. But they were lucky to head to the base just in time to get treated and saved. Although the coma and the wait was agonising for Maria, but right now she couldn't be happier. Being in the arms of the love of her life. Hearing their steady heartbeat and feeling their warmth.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Was I the AH for making a joke no one told me they didn't like?

This happened back when I was 12.

I was pretty... not popular, but friends with a lot of semi-popular figures in a certain fandom. I know you aren't supposed to be on social media until you're 13 and all that, but it was a good while ago [2019ish] and I was a kid who never made friends IRL.

One of my friends [16, I think?] had a delusion [it was a diagnosed disorder they had and told me about, if I remembered I would tell you, MAYBE OSDD but I think it was something else] that they were one of the characters from the show the fandom was about.

I had other friend groups into the same show, and I would often make jokes "pretending" to be one of the characters [usually just posting a memed up version of a screencap and mimicking the speech pattern of the character], which would land well and make them laugh, so I saw no issue using this joke around the friend with delusions [who I'll call Lucas]. I only did it twice.

The first time I didn't notice anything different, but the second time they started treating me like this character [who I later learnt but didn't know at the time Lucas recalled having memories of being in a romantic relationship with]. Lucas was the only person I knew who had these types of delusions, so I didn't know what to do and just went along with it until they, uh... "snapped out of it", I guess?

Soon after, I was added to a group chat with a few other people. All of them were 16, except for who we'll call Dawn, who was 12 or 13, and who was the leader of their whole group. I'll call the other people Rosa [someone who I had gotten in a huge argument with before for a reason I don't remember but I think she started it and I overreacted, if this was about that it'd probably be YTA or ESH, but I apologized and we didn't really talk anymore], and Nate [someone who I hadn't ever talked to outside of a large group setting]. Lucas was also there in this group chat.

They were staging an... intervention? They were basically making me explain my actions and were telling me how I was a horrible person for "tricking Lucas into thinking I was this character". Lucas wasn't very responsive to the situation, and I was pretty sure Dawn was the one who orchestrated the whole thing and roped Lucas into it, maybe as a confidant or something like that. Rosa brought up how awful I was to her before, and how she never forgave me even though I thought she did. Nate also brought up how "aggressive and violent" I was, citing one of the only times I had talked to him [which I thought was just a funny way to greet someone, akin to like "*knocks a door off its hinges and it explodes everywhere, I take several minutes trying to put it back together but it clearly isn't done well* Hi guys"], using a screenshot he had taken MONTHS prior and had been saving for that moment, he told me.

I was supposed to go out shopping, so I couldn't keep on checking my phone without my parents getting suspicious of me. I was also hyperventilating and kept on having to take breaks to make sure I didn't freak out. I kept on trying to reply to things in chronological order, and they were getting more and more progressively upset. I told them the first part about my parents getting suspicious, and one of them even told me that "your parents should know what kind of sick fuck you are, maybe then you'll understand your actions." Eventually, we DID go shopping, and I couldn't reply for several hours.

When I got back, Dawn and Rosa had made several call out posts on their social media each, and I had several DMs from other people about it. I couldn't read the posts, and all I did was deactivate my account. I couldn't post art I had done online until about a year ago, couldn't even think about the show until a few months ago when my friend wanted to try it out, and I still can't go onto that social media platform because it makes me so nervous and I can't breathe, afraid that someone will recognize me even now and "expose me". Lucas wanted to keep in touch, but they were a bit clingy and only came to me when they were having mental breakdowns. I couldn't handle the constant reminders, so I eventually deleted their number.

Note: while I am very safe about my identity online, these people [at least Dawn, since she said how old she was before me and even showed pictures of herself in cosplay online before, she WAS very 12] did know what age I was [I had lied about it before then to other people].

I still feel really bad about this, and I was wondering if I really was being an asshole. Maybe I was just being biased because I was the one being persecuted? I don't know. Maybe I was the AH because I was suffering from the horrible illness sweeping the nation called being 12 years old?

I'm sorry if this is a little silly, but I'm 17 now and this is still a part of my past I'm ashamed of.

Could you tag this post "12 year old confrontation" so I can find it? Thank you. Sorry, again.

What are these acronyms?

[ipatrichor]

dead boy detectives agency episode two thoughts

why does the cat king serve so much cunt. girl who asked. AND THEN HE TRANSFORMS INTO AN EVEN CUNTIER OUTFIT. WHAT ARE U DOING HERE?? WHO ASKED????

girl why does edwin keep having homosexual flashbacks of the cat king. that's so funny. *gets flirted with by the cat king* hope this doesn't awaken something in me <- edwin rn

idk how i feel about him tbh. like on the one hand it really skeeves me out when someone flirts with a person, registers they're not interested, and keeps pushing anyway, but on the other hand i appreciate the cat king backing off & providing an alternate solution when edwin is clearly uncomfortable with being openly propositioned. he'll still hit on people who Do Not Want to be hit on but he does not coerce sex!! so. yknow. at least there's that?

NIKO MY BELOVED NIKO she's so funny and endearing. i love that she can see the guys now, it seems like she'll be sticking around/part of the gang which i'm very happy for!!! also it seems the pink lights were not in fact lesbianism. sad! oh well the episode was fun and the pixies were done so creatively plus they're funny

crystal putting herself at risk like that.... my girl. i do think what she said to charles about only saying it to trick the sprites wasn't necessarily Untrue in that she was saying it to them For that reason, but i also think it's something she's really feeling. that was too genuine and too quick to have been pulled from nowhere, especially with the context of her earlier conversation with niko. i don't think she really believes that she has nothing and no one, but i think she's afraid she has nothing and no one and that's what she pulled on for that trick.

i noticed something earlier in the episode that made me smile. so edwin was talking about detective work and getting a little smug and bitchy in a fun way, and charles was just watching him with this smile on his face- it made me very happy! they're friends and charles likes when edwin prattles on about something, instead of putting up with him or something stupid. idk i just like their dynamic and how real it feels that they care about each other

also it sure has been established that charles makes impulsive decisions without thinking the consequences through. im sure that's fine and will never come up again 👍

the magic shop was fun! love that this man establishes that he uses to be a walrus and now isn't anymore bc of Backstory and the boys simply cannot gaf. they have shit going on man they don't have time for the kind of backstory lore they probably hear all the time given they run in supernatural circles

esther... what can i say about esther. um she scares me 👍 the scene at the end where it's implied she's dismembering her crow? gross! like well done don't get me wrong the sound design made me deeply uncomfortable, but gross

also she is right that monty has a very cute face. i would not trust that man but he does have the face of a highschool freshman i would give directions to the library or encourage during rehearsal. absolutely diabolical to hinge your evil plan on a face that cute!

what else... i really like the dynamic between the four of them. i think niko is a nice addition to help balance things out so it's not all crystal & edwin sniping at each other while charles tries to mediate- which is fun don't get me wrong and i don't want the bickering to go away, but niko opens up a lot more possibilities and i look forward to seeing how her addition affects the group dynamic. or she stays a minor character they helped out and im wrong about the ending implying she joins the group LOL but we'll see! hope she stays an important character i love her, just maybe with fewer threats to her life please haha

as for a favorite character... it's so hard to pick everyone is delightful especially the main few, but if i Had to narrow it down... charles or niko? UGH but i love crystal and edwin too 😭 girl this is impossible they're all so compelling

i don't think there have been any characters i particularly dislike, actually. the little girl with the jellyfish was a bit off-putting for some reason (something about the way she talked? idk man she just threw me off a little no idea why) and the cat king is on thin fucking ice depending on how he deals with rejection (my aro ass Cannot take people acting like they're entitled to someone's affection. he backed down on the sex thing so he's fine for now but i have my goddamn eyes on him)

OH WAIT CRYSTAL'S DEMON EX. nevermind fuck crystal's demon ex all my homies hate crystal's demon ex. girl imagine getting so upset about being dumped that you Steal Your Ex's Memories. could Not be me that's such a pathetic attempt to stay relevant in her life 😭

ANYWAY im having a good time!! i really enjoy this show haha, im excited to see where it goes from here. charles not having an afterlife assignment bc he never crossed over is really interesting, i'd love to learn more about his & edwin's pasts and how they ended up detective-ing together

[figs-and-cigs]

Saw some posts recently about Metamour relationships. One person was feeling pressured to date their Meta. Another person shared they didn't like their Meta and wanted to cancel going to an event their hinge was planning purely to avoid having to interact with the meta. Someone else wanted a relationship with their Meta and was frustrated that they didn't want a relationship with them. Another complained that they felt their Meta was over involved with her relationship with the hinge, creating rules that affected their relationship.

My thoughts. You are never obligated to have a relationship with someone you do not want a relationship with. Period.

I think one of the more annoying things I see is this idea of throuples and closed polycules being the "ideal" poly relationship. Everyone is in love with everyone! Together forever with rainbows and butterflies. In my experience most poly relationships don't look like this. Most individual relationships evolve individually and there are varying involvements with Metamours.

Kitchen table Polyamory is often described as more intimate polycules in a sense that the entire polycule can have dinner together with deeper levels of connections -romantic and platonic. Everyone has equal say in decisions for the polycule. While Garden Party Polyamory is where all individuals CAN interact on a variety of levels, may get together for events and activities, but each individual relationship stands on its own and only the individuals have say in their individual relationships. I've found that Garden Party Poly is more common than Kitchen Table.

Example. I have friends who live together. A wife, her husband, her husband's girlfriend, and her boyfriend. They all run the household, are involved in financial decisions, and childrearing. While they aren't all dating (husband and boyfriend aren't involved, boyfriend and husbands girlfriend aren't involved) they function as a kitchen table polycule. They're also open, each of them have relationships outside of this group - those relationships are more garden party. Those other relationships interact with the polycule or each other at events or for activities but don't have involvement in major decisions outside of the individual relationships.

Naturally there are a few things to consider with Metamour. Love is limitless but time in limited. For my relationship, my husband and I have reserved Saturdays as our "date night". It's worth noting Saturdays are usually when social events in the community are also scheduled. My partners know that I cannot make individual plans with them for Saturdays, however they are invited to any community events scheduled - whichs means they will likely see me with my husband, and be put in a position to interact with him. While I'd hope and expect everyone to be cordial, I don't expect my partner and hubby to become best friends. Their relationship is not my business or responsibility. How much they interact is between them. I've had partners who never met my husband, and I have partners who see him every week at meet up and most Saturdays for events.

In the situation where a partner wanted to cancel going to an event because they didn't want to interact with their Meta - I think there's a lot of grey area and questions to be explored. They aren't required to attend events with people they don't like. In this case however, it was the mutual partner's birthday party. To me, it'd be a question of how important the event is to their partner vs. how important it is to them to not be in the same room as their Meta.

While it seems like a worthy and admirable goal to have everyone interact and be friends - this should never be a requirement. Recognizing you are not obligated to have a relationship with anyone, means your meta is also not obligated to be in a relationship with you. This can obviously suck and can feel like rejection, but there can be plenty of reasons why an individual prefers a more parallel poly approach. It could have to do with time, the spoons and energy it takes to have even a friendship, or maybe you just aren't there cup of tea. Just like in romantic relationships, acquaintances and platonic relationships are decided by each individual in them.

With that in mind, you should NEVER feel pressured to date your meta or anyone you don't want to date! Period. If you have a partner who demands you date their partner - this is a red flag for unicorn hunting. No relationship is worth keeping with such a controlling stipulation.

Which means in the last case of rules and couples privilege the same thought applies. The individual shared that their Meta was making rules that affected their relationship with the mutual partner. Things like when they're allowed to spend time together, how often they can text, what they're allowed to do when going on dates. Here's the thing to recognize though - the mutual partner was agreeing to thing stipulations. The meta is allowed to make all the requests they like, but if your partner is agreeing to them and putting blame on the meta - the partner is at fault. The only people responsible for you relationship is you and your partner.

While my husband and I agreed that Saturdays are our nights - I explain to my partners why that's the case (babysitting schedule). I also make it clear this is something I personally choose to enforce, not something my husband it imposing on our relationship. Sure the distinction is based on symantics - but if my partners can't live with this decision and how it affects our relationship it's ok for them to decide the relationship isn't for them. Blaming my husband or couples privilege doesn't help anyone though.

In the situation described, it is the hinge's responsibility to manage the relationships he has with both partners. Allowing one partner to dictate his relationship with another partner is entirely his fault. He's the one giving privilege to one relationship over the other - and maybe there's good reason for that - unfortunately the other partner will have to decide if that's something they want to put up with. Of course everyone would hope the hinge would create firmer boundaries around things like his autonomy to text, or where and when he takes his partner(s) on dates.

My husband/primary partner has very little involvement with my other relationships. His input only extends to decisions that would affect our relationship. With scheduling, it often means on of us has to solo parent for a night. Sometimes it has to do with budgeting as our finances are intertwined. Neither of us are likely to go on a long trip with a partner for these reasons. But those are person boundaries just as much as they are agreements we've made. He also has varying levels of friendship with my partners. Some he's hung out with at events without me, a few he's only been acquaintances with, some he's never interacted with at all. It typically depends on what my other partners are comfortable with first, followed by how they connect at an event or based on personalities.

In short, I think my main point is - you can't force relationships to happen, nor should you.

[fiannalover]

The thing about Athrun and Kira is. They are, as defined by the narrative, other characters, authorial intent, the fucking first ending song, everything, the most important person in each other's life and the one they're most willing to listen to and be understood by. This is a position in which they hold each other equal to their love interests and, in Kira's case, his biological sister. Even the gag comedy shorts bother to make clear Athrun is as important to Kira as Lacus.

You cannot ignore this.

You can, of course, read this in many ways, as a bisexual polycule (it's Really Easy to do so), repressed gay (but why do Lacus and Cagalli like that) and of course, Platonic. But this reading is not insignificant, in or out of universe. Amato/heteronormativity is Very Much a relevant Cosmic Era thing, with constant references to the PLANTs' declining birth rates and 1/4th of Athrun's Destiny Arc being about how he, as a man, has no support group while Cagalli is busy with Everything, and how people keep reading his actions of Caring For Other People as romantic advances. If you read them as friends, you are supporting platonic bonds being as strong as romantic ones, which last I checked remains a radical statement that we were all agreeing with.

SEED is about avoiding extremism, questioning your role in society and what you want to truly do. The entirety of SEED hinges on how much Athrun and Kira care for each other and that they want to be on the same side again. No matter which way you look at it, they say Something, and it is intentional. Recognize that and figure out what they say for you.

[jokerislandgirl32]

I was looking at Violet's reference sheet and saw that she used to dislike Aviva. Can we get some backstory on why she disliked Aviva as well as how Violet, Zach, and Aviva became cordial with each other again? Thank you!

Thank you for the ask, anon! I am sorry this took me a while to get to, but I absolutely love this question, so thank you so much for sending it. This is a very long response, so strap in for the ride, lol. You can find trigger warnings below and the full response below the cut.

Tw for mentions of bullying, infections, anger and resentment, kissing/ making out, childbirth, labor, hemorrhaging, bleeding, past character death, and near death experiences.

Violet first met Aviva when she attended summer camp when she was 12-years-old. Zach and Aviva were 17 and 16 respectively, and they both served as camp counselors, each having a cabin/group of campers to watch over. Aviva happened to be the counselor in charge of Violet’s cabin.

Image Link

Aviva initially came to Violet’s rescue when Violet first arrived at camp because she accidentally ran into Zach and he was livid with her. Zach fumed over the incident the entirety of the first day he and Violet met until Aviva informed him of Violet’s intelligence and the circumstances surrounding her parents death (having been informed of this information via Violet’s paperwork and her aunt Amy). She did this in an attempt to help him not be hateful toward Violet, and it in fact worked, but not in the way she intended.

Zach ended up being drawn to Violet like a magnet: he felt a connection to her because of their shared losses. He’d just lost his father a few months before coming to camp, so he figured that she would be the perfect person to talk to to help him heal, but he also he knew with her intelligence that she could be the one to help him create his first Zachbot. So, Zach struck up a friendship with Violet starting their second day at camp. 

Due to the friendship between Zach and Violet, Aviva became wary of Violet. She became convinced Zach was a bad influence on her, and caused her to believe the lies that were being told to her about Violet by Violet’s cabinmates. Violet’s cabinmates were 5 extremely rude, hateful, vindictive, and nasty girls who hated Violet for having “taken” the place of one of their friends who had come to camp the previous year but had been denied reentrance the year Violet came. 

They worked together to make Violet’s camp experience miserable: lying about her doing illicit things, bullying her, and physically harming her. Aviva never caught them doing any of these things to Violet, and, since the girls had been to camp the previous year without any issues, on top of knowing Violet was close with Zach, Aviva believed the girls over Violet. 

Image Link

The final straw for Violet with Aviva came when the girls purposely caused Violet to get an infection. Violet was too scared to confront Aviva about their actions, so she and Zach treated the infection on their own as best as they could without alerting Aviva or the camp nurse. Violet almost died in her sleep from an extremely high temperature, and it took Zach nearly ripping the cabin door off it’s hinges to get to Violet and carry her to the nurse himself because Aviva refused to believe Violet was really as sick as she was. 

Violet was admitted to the hospital and Zach didn’t leave her side, Aviva felt remorse for not believing Violet, and she tried talking with Violet to apologize for not believing her, but Violet was tried of the entire situation and told her off, “all summer long, you’ve complained about me not being a good sport, and not trying, and not caring, and causing problems…you’ve told me it’s because I’m friends with Zach, and I don’t know what I’m talking about…because I’m just parroting him…but now you see that’s not true, now you see they lied to you…you were supposed to be there for me, you were supposed to encourage me and help me grow, but you just pushed me away and chastised me…”

“I needed someone who was compassionate…who understood I was struggling because of losing my parents, but you didn’t care about that…you only cared about yourself, your reputation, and your other precious campers. The one who did care was Zach…and you hate him so much that it made you hate me too…I don’t know if I can ever forgive you for that. Just because he’s my best friend doesn’t mean I’m him, but you could never see that…”

Image Link

Another component in this equation is that although Zach and Aviva were enemies, even in summer camp, they had the hots for each other. Zach and Aviva had much of the same relationship we see in the show back then, but it was also a love/hate relationship at summer camp. They didn’t officially date or anything at camp, but they had flirtatious tension between them that resulted in Zach having a crush on Aviva and both of them making out with each other/being touchy feely with each other on many occasions.

Violet knew of this and although she didn’t recognize it at the time, she had a crush on Zach and was jealous of Aviva. Zach and Aviva’s “escapades” stopped when Zach caught her making out with another guy, his childhood friend Chris Kratt. At this point Zach’s hatred toward Aviva became cemented. He wanted nothing more to do with her romantically and solely viewed her as an enemy and rival, but Violet did not believe this, and this also fueled her dislike for Aviva. 

Aviva and Violet continued to be on poor terms once Violet started working for Zach/started dating/married Zach. Violet initially kept her true identity a secret (having gone by her middle name at summer camp and having looked very different as a child), but when she revealed her identity to the Wild Kratts team, Aviva attempted to apologize for her actions against Violet. This did not help, however, because Violet still couldn’t find it in her heart to let go of the past. 

Image Link

But…Zach, Violet, and Aviva do become cordial again because of…Varina! Violet goes into premature labor with Varina on a day Zach’s attempting to steal the Kratts technology/create an animal powered invention (I haven’t figured out which yet, just that he’s up to his villainous antics). Unknown to Violet she was in active labor the entire day, and in the middle of the showdown…Varina decided she was ready to arrive!

Aviva and Koki help to deliver Varina in the Tortuga, with Aviva doing the majority of the work (we know Koki can be squeamish, so she’s probably more emotional support). I’ll spare the grizzly details, but it’s a very dramatic moment, with Violet and baby Varina both nearly dying in the process. After Varina is born, the Wild Kratts team get them to the hospital where Violet is rushed into surgery and Varina is rushed to the NICU. 

Once arriving to the hospital, Zach is a blubbering mess over the entire situation, blaming himself for everything. Aviva pulls him aside and calms him down, leading him to have a change of heart, “you saved them, you could’ve let them die, because of me…because of the things I’ve done…you could’ve gotten even with me for all the horrible things I’ve done…but you didn’t…thank you…”

Aviva: “Of course we helped save them, all life is precious, that’s what we’ve been trying to tell you for years, Zach. Animal or not, enemy or not, every living creature deserves to live a happy and healthy life.”

Zach: “Maybe it’s the shock talking…but I don’t think I want to be a villain anymore…I want to be better…for Violet, for our daughter…”

Aviva: *beaming from happiness* “If you really mean that, Zach…I’m proud of you.”

Image Link

Once Violet is in recovery after the surgery (she had a hemorrhage, and they had to stop the bleeding), she asks for Aviva to come to her hospital room alone. Violet takes this opportunity to bury the hatchet with Aviva, “I’m sorry that I never said this before now, but I forgive you for everything…I hope you can forgive me for what I’ve done to you too…you saved our daughter, and I’ll forever be grateful to you for that. You’re not a bad person, Aviva…you never were, and I’m not either…we’re just both…”

Aviva: “Stubborn? Strong willed? Pigheaded?”

Violet: *laughing*, “yeah, you can say that again.”

If you made it to the end of this congratulations, I know I went overboard, but this ask took control of me or something, lol. I hope this answers your question, anon!

[liberxi]

We will be waiting faithfully, in case you are ready to share three ideas with us…

Alright, since you asked (and since I like talking about my writing way too much haha) I’m going to share some of my thoughts about the future of the 12th grade AU. All of them contradict each other and neither of them will ever be written, so please keep in mind that they are not canon in any way. Every reader’s guess is as valid as mine, so if you decide to read this, don’t let it influence your own headcanon! Also, given the fic this is obvious, but there is a discussion of sexual themes under the cut.

SCENARIO A: The Toxic One

Gerard and Frank actually move in together when they go to college as planned.

Things seem to be better now, because Gerard is more stable being away from his family and the peer pressure of his old friend group.

However, he still relies heavily on outside validation, because he is very insecure, which means he easily jumps on positive attention. It only takes a couple of weeks until he cheats on Frank for the first time.

Frank is obviously heart broken, but we all know that Gerard can be extremely convincing. He doesn’t even try to act remorseful, but tells Frank honestly that he loves him and that the sex with others doesn’t mean anything, which – in a way – is true. He talks Frank into opening their relationship, and Frank agrees, because they just moved in together and all of his plans for the immediate future hinge on Gerard and he is not ready to give up on it, and he knows that what they have is special and he knows that at least Gerard won’t leave him. He also knows that the relationship will be a lot more open on Gerard’s end than on his own.

Their relationship continues and it’s definitely still rocky. Gerard has a hard time fitting in at college, making friends, keeping up with his classes, etc. and he naturally takes his anger out on Frank. He is not as violent anymore though, so Frank accepts that as an improvement.

After a while on campus, Frank actually starts making friends, specifically other queer kids. In a way, he has an easier time fitting in at college than Gerard does and Gerard kind of resents him for it. Frank strikes up his first good friendship with another gay guy and there might be a bit of sexual tension between them, too, and he does his best to keep his friendship secret from Gerard, because he knows even though they are technically open, he will be punished for it. Even if Gerard won’t outright say so, he’ll make Frank feel bad about it and he’ll find other excuses to take his anger out on him.

One day they meet though and Frank is convinced he’ll be punished, but instead Gerard is the most charming motherfucker imaginable. He ends up actually seducing Frank’s friend into a threesome that leaves Frank feeling miserable. Afterwards, he acts all innocent like “I thought you liked him and I was doing you a favour!”, but Frank knows that it’s actually punishment and that Gerard simply won’t allow him to have anything of his own, because he wants Frank to be completely dependent on him.

Later Frank finds out that Gerard has stayed in touch with his friend behind his back and is hurt again, but Gerard immediately breaks it off in a “see, I would do anything for you, I’ll never talk to that guy again only so you’ll feel better!” way.

Frank’s friend actually approaches Frank to inquire about Gerard, because even though they only hooked up briefly, he noticed that Gerard is into power play and he’s worried about Frank. But after the threesome, things are so awkward between them, that Frank can’t be open with him and gets pretty defensive on Gerard’s behalf. Because it’s one thing for him to be critical of Gerard, but he doesn’t feel like anyone else has that right, because they don’t know him the way Frank does.

Frank’s friends start worrying about him more and plan an intervention. Things between him and Gerard have been so tense lately, that Frank is close to breaking down and asking for help, but then Gerard sends him the sweetest, filthiest message and when his friends see it, they conclude that Gerard is actually a lot different around Frank than around anyone else, open and vulnerable and they conclude they don’t have to worry about him. And Frank doesn’t know how to explain that Gerard actually knew exactly what he was doing with that message and that he uses his vulnerability to manipulate, but he can’t say any of that without sounding paranoid.

So he goes home to where Gerard is waiting for him all sweet and welcoming. And Frank realises he will never let him go. He will always give Frank just enough love and tenderness to make it impossible for him to leave, because he needs Frank, because Frank is the only one who can handle him at his worst. And Frank makes his peace with that, because it might not be the love he deserves, but at least it means Gerard will never leave him either.

Now, this story is pretty dark and I trashed it before even finishing the original fic, because I felt like it did not do justice to the character growth they already underwent. What would have interested me in this plot is mostly the interaction with outsiders to a toxic relationship. In 12th grade, Frank is already an outsider without much of a support system to being with and therefore an easy target. So I was interested in exploring the ways in which Gerard would make sure that he would stay isolated as they changed their social environment in college. But again, while I think that is an interesting question, the fic itself already outgrew that scenario.

SCENARIO B: The (Relatively) Healthy One

This one would be set about two years into the future, during which they didn’t stay in touch at all. Frank has gone through a lot of therapy and he has a boyfriend now, with whom he is in a healthy and stable relationship. He has some trouble with intimacy, but his boyfriend is very understanding about it.

Then pretty surprisingly, he runs into Gerard at some art school exhibition one of his friends is participating in. Gerard is rather shy, but Frank immediately pulls him in for a hug. He feels ridiculously relieved to see Gerard and it just feels right to be close to him again and he knows that’s messed up, but it’s like he has become this big scary thing in his past that he kept running from and facing Gerard actually makes him feel safe, because he no longer has to be scared of just that, and it’s all very messy and complicated.

They sneak out for a smoke and have a very honest conversation. Although they haven’t spoken in so long, Frank feels like they still have this thing going on where they can just be open with each other, because they get each other. Gerard asks him honestly if he messed Frank up, because he’s been worried about that all this time. Frank tells him just as honestly that it’s difficult in his relationship, because he tends to get panic attacks, especially during physical intimacy. It’s the first time they actually use words for what happened between them. At the end of 12th grade, they are both able to finally acknowledge the abuse that took place, but they still don’t call it that. This has changed now, at least Frank is more open about it, and although it obviously pains Gerard, he makes a point out of listening, because he owes that much to Frank.

After that, they also reflect on the more positive aspects of their relationship and they talk about their regrets. Frank says that he regrets not telling Gerard that he loved him at a point where he might have said it back and Gerard tells him that he probably wouldn’t have said it back anyway, even though that’s how he felt. He also confesses that he regrets never eating Frank out and Frank gets really flustered by that. Gerard asks if he even likes it and Frank owns up that he doesn’t know because he never tried before and they end up talking about his sex life some more. He admits that part of the problems with his boyfriend are due to his ptsd, but that his boyfriend is pretty vanilla at the same time and that it bothers him. He always liked Gerard’s rough treatment and just because he’s been through some shit doesn’t mean he is unable to decide what he can handle now. Gerard is absolutely scandalised that anyone would have the chance to give it to Frank good and just not do it and that gets Frank even more flustered.

He invites Gerard to a gig he is playing soon, but Gerard tells him that he doesn’t really want to see him. He confesses that he can’t stop thinking about kissing Frank and he doesn’t want to try being his friend when Frank has a good relationship going on and it might just complicate things. Frank is sad, but he has to admit that Gerard has a point, because he is also attracted to him in a way he does simply not feel with his boyfriend.

They part, but a week later, Gerard shows up to his gig anyway. Frank realises how much he has changed. He is no longer the centre of attention in his friend group, but fades into the background and seems more shy, but also a lot calmer in general. He’s actually wearing a skirt to the concert, showing that he’s more comfortable with expressing himself these days and less worried about people’s opinions of him. He tells Frank that he changed his mind and that he did want to support him as a friend and not stay out of his life for selfish reasons.

Frank asks him to come along drinking with his friends and things quickly turn awkward, because they stay so close to each other and clearly have such an intense chemistry that everyone mistakes Gerard for Frank’s boyfriend and Frank constantly has to go “ahaha, no, that’s my ex actually, my boyfriend is over there”.

It’s clear that the situation isn’t feasible in the long run, but they try to become friends. They hang out a lot and tell each other stuff very honestly. Other than Frank, who really craved a stable and supportive relationship after what happened with Gerard, Gerard has decided that he’d be better off on his own. He’s sleeping around occasionally though and tells Frank about it, which basically drives Frank crazy with jealousy and want. He’s so head over heels for Gerard again, that he eventually breaks up with his boyfriend.

He basically just wants to jump Gerard’s bones immediately, but Gerard insists that they take it slow. They actually go on a couple of dates and do the actual dating thing they never got to do in high school when things were so messed up. Eventually, they sleep with each other and it isn’t vanilla at all, but very consensual and Frank finally feels good about what they have.

This one is the healthiest take, since they actually become friends first and learn to communicate instead of trying to solve everything through sex. They also acknowledge everything that went wrong in the past and are both relatively stable, even though it’s clear that Frank has found his footing a bit better at college, where he has picked up music again and build a solid friend circle. Gerard is more at terms with himself, but also more introverted and clearly still depressed. It’s still something that they share though and that makes their relationship so genuine.

SCENARIO C: The Dramatic One

This one follows a three-act structure with 12th Grade being the first part! The second part is set about two years into college and follows a similar premise as Scenario B. They run into each other again after not having had contact in all this time and the attraction is instantly mutual again. Gerard is now in his Black Parade era.

Frank has carved out a nice life for himself at college, build up a friend circle and he is sharing an apartment with Ray, who is not too happy to see Gerard back in his life again. Gerard on the other hand is still quite unstable.

Gerard has gotten heavily into the bdsm scene in the meantime, and he specifically explored his own submissive side more. He’s actually quite hesitant to get back into it with Frank, because he doesn’t trust himself. During their first times together, he gets Frank off, but keeps his own clothes on. Later, they start exploring things more, and especially when Gerard is upset, he asks Frank to hurt him. Their dynamic is definitely different now and Gerard has learned a lot about consent in the meantime. They both switch, but their sex can mostly be described as consensual, but not safe or sane. Ray will often enough come home to noises that make him believe his apartment will one day be an actual murder scene, but he gave up on trying to fix whatever messy thing they have going on.

Whatever it is, their sex life is actually bomb, but that’s pretty much the best thing about their relationship. Gerard is struggling with a serious drinking problem. It doesn’t turn him violent, but often enough, he’ll just pass out next to Frank. He still does that thing where he tries to run away from his problems, he switches courses, projects, friend groups, etc. Sometimes, he will also just disappear for days or even weeks at a time, but Frank has learned to know that he’ll blow up if he doesn’t let him go and he always comes back. They fight a lot and although their fights aren’t violent, neither of them is especially happy in the relationship.

They try to take a desperate road trip together like old times to patch things up, but they have to accept that they aren’t really able to help each other. Gerard gets a scholarship for an art program in a different part of the country and he takes it, running once again and hoping that things will get better elsewhere. They break off all contact.

The third part is set about 10 years after 12th grade. Frank has been in a happy, stable relationship for years and just got engaged to his boyfriend. There is just one problem. That last, desperate road trip he and Gerard took when they were 20 to fix their relationship? Yep, they got hitched in Vegas and never bothered to get a divorce.

Frank now has to explain to his fiancé that he needs to get a divorce first and at first, he is amused. But then he figures who Frank is married to and starts freaking out a little. The thing is, Frank has told him about his first love Gerard and all the good times they had together. He also told him about the abuse he experienced in high school and the messed up relationship he had in college. He had, however, never made it clear that those people were in fact all one and the same. His fiancé is naturally questioning Frank’s sanity, because how could he be so fond of someone who hurt him that badly?

Anyway, Frank is dead set on getting married and leading a happy life with his boyfriend, who is nice and boring and stable. He has no idea how to contact Gerard, who just disappeared from his life, but he manages to get in touch with Mikey, who tells him that Gerard is now living in LA as a comic book artist. He is very nervous about calling Gerard, but he does and it’s surprisingly easy to explain the situation and Gerard doesn’t make it a big deal. He promises to come up to New York soon to sign the papers.

They meet at a diner. Gerard is now in his Danger Days era and Frank is quite honestly blown away, but hey, he is engaged! He hands the papers to Gerard, who is very nonchalant about it and wants to sign them immediately, pointing out how they were just kids and all that, and Frank is hurt that it seems to mean so little to him. So he calls Gerard out on it and asks him to not act that indifferent. Obviously neither of them got the divorce so far, because they were still kind of attached to each other and weren’t able to let go of the last thing connecting them. And Gerard puts down the pen and is like “you are right, Frankie, I do care. Let me meet him at least before I sign, so I can tell you are in good hands”.

Frank is hesitant but also kind of relieved about the delay, so he asks Gerard to come home with him to introduce him to his fiancé. And obviously, this is where things go to shit. Gerard is charming and a flirt and Frank’s fiancé is kind of into him and takes the whole thing a bit too lightly, half joking that they were married after all and that maybe they’d feel better about letting it go if they banged it out one last time. He definitely noticed the tension between Frank and Gerard, but clearly didn’t expect to set off an explosion.

Frank and Gerard start fighting immediately. Frank’s fiancé is shocked, because he doesn’t understand that for them, arguing and violence and sex are weirdly tangled up and he thinks he actually triggered something dangerous. Their fight is really just a struggle for dominance though and Gerard quickly gets the upper hand. They did this so much in college that they easily fall back into it and Frank basically goes under deep pretty much instantly. His fiancé freaks out, because he’s never seen Frank like this before and Frank realises that he put him off by letting him see too much of the “real mess” he is, which he kept hidden from anyone but Gerard in all these years. He has a panic attack that his fiancé also doesn’t know how to deal with. Gerard could easily swoop in and tear up their whole relationship, but instead he gives Frank’s fiancé very clear instructions on how to care for him and leaves before anything serious happens. His fiancé cares for him and calms him down, but he is obviously shaken.

Once Frank has it together again, he finds the signed divorce papers on the table and realises that Gerard has run off once again. He tries to patch things up with his fiancé for another day, but there is obviously something wrong. He wants to break up with Frank, because he realises how much Frank kept hidden from him in their relationship, about his past, about his preferences, all that stuff. His arguments are actually pretty reasonable, but all Frank hears is that his biggest fears have come true, that someone has seen him for who he really is and deemed him too much and unworthy of love.

His fiancé packs his bags and leaves and Frank is absolutely devastated, his mental health going to shit and he knows that he can’t be alone. He calls up Gerard, although he does not expect him to pick up, because disappearing is the one thing he’s good at. He does pick up though and Frank just says “he left me” and Gerard cancels his flight back to LA and shows up on Frank’s doorstep without hesitation.

He moves in without further comment, just getting Frank through the worst of it, making sure he eats and showers occasionally. Frank is convinced he’ll leave after a couple of days, but Gerard only goes home briefly to pick up his art supplies and more clothes and it becomes clear that he will stay as long as Frank needs him to, even though staying too long in one place and with one person isn’t his strong suit.

They just live together, so Frank doesn’t have to be alone. They are not really dating or sleeping with each other for the longest time. It basically mirrors the final part of 12th Grade, where Frank leaves with Gerard without question, because he needs him. And here we finally see Gerard doing the same – staying without question because Frank needs him.

Of course they eventually start having sex again, but it’s slow and weirdly natural. Frank is finally over his heart break enough to talk about it. He tells Gerard how he only ever wanted a family and that boring commitment that Gerard never seemed ready for and that it was more about that sense of safety than about the person, and he thought he finally found it, but apparently, it’s just not meant for him, because he’s too fucked up and doesn’t know how to be happy, etc. And Gerard just tells him that there is no need to get divorced after all and just for the time being, they already are a family.

Frank keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop though, because he knows Gerard and he knows he won’t stay. Eventually, Gerard tells him he has to go back to LA for his job and to his apartment, and Frank braces himself to be left behind. But then Gerard asks him to move with him. His apartment is bigger than Frank’s, he is a studio musician and will get more gigs in LA anyway and there is nothing holding him back. Frank is confused, because asking him to move into his space is very unlike Gerard. It means he’ll give up his retreat, so he won’t have a place to run to anymore, if Frank becomes too much and Gerard tells him that he’s finally done trying to get away.

He also tells Frank “I love you” for the very first time. He never said it during 12th Grade and not during their relationship in college either. Frank points that out and Gerard says “yeah, because the words are a promise and I didn’t want to give it unless I was finally sure I’d be able to keep it”.

They are definitely both fucked up in this and both feel like no one else would ever be able to put up with them, that’s why neither of them got the divorce in the first place. It’s not necessarily healthy, but by the end of it, they have matured enough to finally get more comfort than hurt out of each other’s brokenness.

[eemcintyre]

I am getting real tired of the modern, technology-driven notion that everyone has to be constantly available to everyone in their life.

Like, if it's an emergency I will be there for you 100%, but I have now had multiple friendships/relation-ish-ships end (all with men btw- coincidence...?) because I didn't text them back right away, every day, multiple times a day.

Am I the only one who thinks that this is, at best, ridiculously needy, and at worst, ridiculously entitled behavior?? This level of clinginess and insecurity (that somehow is my responsibility to reassure???) is a huge turn-off.

Not only do I think it's important and healthy for everyone to be comfortable spending some amount of time alone with their own thoughts, but I *especially* have always needed a lot of solitude and independence (idk maybe it comes from how controlled I was as a child and how few friends I had, but that's a whole other tangent right there). I require room to do my own thing, and while I love my friends and they are important to me, I'm not totally dependent on them and every ounce of my happiness and self-worth doesn't hinge on them. Honestly, the more someone tries to cling to me and rein me in, the more I feel compelled to distance myself. I need to know that I am free.

Anyway, this seems to intimidate a lot of people who are immature and not secure in themselves and are still suffering from unresolved past trauma that they are projecting onto me. They find it intimidating that even though I can want someone in my life and like or love them, I don't need them in it to survive because I am ultimately comfortable with myself and know my value enough now to not compromise who I am just to keep them in my life. They find it scary and foreign that I don't need constant reassurance and don't have the energy or will to provide it; that I can be content doing my own thing. Aka me having my own separate life in addition to our relationship and enjoying alone time = I don't care about them at all.

I need someone with the maturity, emotional intelligence, and self-esteem to realize that not everything is about them- I have more than one person in my life, I have a job, I have hobbies, etc., and even just because I am not busy at a point in time doesn't mean that time is *free* time. That is recharge and contemplation time.

I have even, against my better judgment, tried compromising my own boundaries to accommodate these people's insecurities and needs, and it didn't work. It's never enough. Also why does it always have to be me who compromises and makes the changes, and not them? Why don't they have to try and work on themselves to become less dependent on others and more secure? Why is it me who always has to drain all of my energy with forced, ingenuine conversation and interaction and trying to heal the past issues of other grown adults that they are projecting onto me?

I'm sick of my boundaries being disrespected. You are valid if it mentally drains you to be in constant contact with other people, and you are no less of a kind, caring person and good friend or partner for being that way. Like, it has nothing to do with you; I just recharge from spending time alone where I can think and exist without being observed or obligated to entertain others; being able to do exactly what I feel like, analyze my thoughts, or enjoy the quiet. Honestly, most people who require more contact (to a reasonable and non-codependent degree) are valid too; I just think both groups need to either compromise equally in relationships or seek out people who are more like-minded rather than existing in constant strife trying to change and/or make each other understood.

I know that I am a good, kind, friendly, and generous lady who brings a lot to the table, and I am sick of trying to convince people of it. If they want to leave because they can't handle physical and mental personal space, then no hard feelings at the end of the day but they are absolutely welcome to. I'm tired of letting people guilt and disparage and try to change me when I'm not doing anything wrong.

[bigmetalbastard]

This election has done something to me that I find odd but somehow exactly right. It has kicked my compassion into overdrive. I like to think that I'm a good person most of the time, that I truly do care about people and the world around me. And I definitely do. But my ability to empathize with and care for others has become immeasurable in the last two weeks.

I went to the mall after my craft show ended today, and while sitting in the food court eating my lukewarm Popeyes chicken sandwich I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of life around me. This place was packed to the gills with families, and friend groups, and people of all ethnicities and cultures. All of them just enjoying their time.

It made me so happy and at the same time I felt just a twinge of sadness. A drop of bittersweet melancholy in my little pool of joy. Seeing everyone there made me wonder how anyone, at all, could look at a scene like this, where people were laughing and in good spirits, taking care of one another, and being with one another, it made me wonder how they could hate something like this.

Why are these people deserving of your anger, your hatred, when all each of us truly wants is to live? What about these people living simple lives and loving it makes you so afraid of them? Why does your happiness hinge on their suffering? Why can't you just live and let live?

I know you're afraid of losing control, but that's the way of things. We don't always control everything, and sometimes that's for the best. I know you're scared, I know what it's like to see the world change around you and not be able to react. And electing this dunce was your way of fighting back, and for that I pity you.

This is the thing you fear most, that despite it all, through the rage, and hate, and war crimes, I will never hate you the way you hate me. I feel sorry for you, and no matter what you do or think of me, only death would stop me from being kind to you and giving you grace.

I know it's funny to romanticize a foodcourt like this but when the world feels so dark I'm going to squeeze every last ounce of beauty and joy from anything I can find. It was a beautiful day today. I made 300 bucks that I didn't have yesterday. I made some new artist friends. I got a reasonably well made Popeyes combo meal and walked around a crowded mall filled with laughter and joy. I watched a movie on my couch with my cat on my lap.

I spent my day filled with love, and hope, and compassion, and I'm going to do the same fucking thing every day I get the privilege of waking up.

[jacksprostate]

Explanations for each creature from that poll (Part 1):

Firstly, about half knew one creature (I'm curious which!) and a quarter only one. A few knew most, and one knew them all. Very interesting!

Organism #1: Brachiopoda

In the post I said this isn't a bivalve(clams, mussels, oysters, a group which is relatively close relatives with snails and octopi), and that's correct! But essentially, it's an example of convergent evolution. Learn to filter feed really well, become hard and immobile. It's a strategy that pops up a lot. It has something called a lophophore. Thats essentially like a curtain of tentacles around its mouth. What's WEIRD about it is this lophophore is an extension of the coelom. Aka, the internal body cavity. As opposed to a dedicated organ; it's like if the space where your guts are processed stuff instead of your guts.

Beyond that, brachiopods are extremely common in the fossil record. They were very badly affected by the Permian-Triassic extinction event (P-T event, also known as The Great Dying, aka the worst extinction event so far because the entire ocean acidified), but have since recovered — albeit slower than their convergently evolved distant cousins, the bivalves.

How to tell the difference between a brachiopod and a bivalve?

The correct way is to say Brachipods have dorsal and ventral valves (shells), while bivalves have left and right valves. Which is kind of useless unless you're a huge nerd. I mean, you can still see it in the lines of symmetry a bit, but. Firstly, some brachiopods don't have closely connected valves at all (called inarticulate), so you know those are brachiopods. For the articulate brachiopods, they often have a gap or hole in the hinge for their stalk. Between that and the general shape, I find that easiest.

.

Organism #2: Platyhelminthes

Specifically, this is a hammerhead flatworm! Remember the coelom I just mentioned? The body cavity? Yeah they don't have that. They have no circulatory or respiratory organs... No blood vessels, no heart, no lungs. Everything has to work through diffusion! This is why the hammerhead flatworm is so amazing, because not only is it very large (which is hard to do when you're relying on diffusion) it also lives on land (which is hard to do when you're relying on diffusion). Unlike cnidarians (jellyfish, corals, and friends), they DO have specialized digestive and excretory systems. Since they rely on diffusion, large flatworms have branched guts that go all throughout their body so what they digest can get to all their cells! They use something called protonephridia to manage the toxins in their body — these are essentially proto-kidney cells.

Despite being very similar to another group called Acoelomorpha, who are sort of the base for all other bilateral animals, newer research thinks they're from later in the evolutionary tree and just retroactively lost a lot of what had been developed (such as a coelom and most organs. Wild)!

Free-living flatworms are often very small and cute, though there's larger ones like the hammerhead and the spanish dancer. Unfotunatelt, flatworms are very medically relevant: flukes and tapeworms are both specialized types of flatworms.

.

Organism #3: Siphonophores

Siphonophores are really cool! They're a type of cnidarian (jellyfish, hydrozoans, corals, sea anenomes, gorgonians). You know cnidarians as "those assholes in the ocean that sting me" mostly. Well siphonophores are notably really good at that.

In Cnidaria, you have the coral and sea anenome-like things (Anthozoa) and the jellyfish-like things (Medusozoa). Anthozoans don't really have a mobile stage in their life, while medusozoans do! Medusozoans go in between an asexual, sessile (immobile) polyp form, and a sexual, mobile medusa form (imagine what you normally think of when you imagine a jellyfish).

Within Medusozoa, there's (roughly) two groups. The ones who decided to emphasize the medusa form are called Scyphozoa, and are your true jellyfish. They still have that polyp form, but spend a lot of time in the medusa stage of their life and invested in it evolutionarily.

The ones who invested heavily in the asexual polyp stage are called Hydrozoa. They still have a medusa stage, but it's often extremely reduced, to basically a freefloating gamete. Here's some usual hydrozoans/hydroids:

Small, mostly an asexual clump of polyps. They're usually colonial — a bunch of clones, but connected through the gut. Fire coral is actually a hydroid which developed a calcium skeleton, and not a true coral!

What's really interesting is siphonophores are actually hydrozoans — they're very very unusual. They're those asexual polyps, they're a colony — but instead of the clones being identical, they specialize!

These are called zooids. They're akin to how we have specialized organs, like lungs, our livers, etc. Except. Each zooid is an entire clone of the original organism. They're all identical. But as part of the colony, they restrict and focus their development in certain ways. It's like if you were attached to another person, but they developed to just be a liver.

Most siphonophores are repeating sequences of certain zooids, mostly propulsion and digesting zooids. That's how they get so long. They have a very nasty sting, and thankfully most float down below where people normally go. However, there's a few that don't — notably, siphonophore's own atypical specimen, the Portuguese Man 'O War! Also known as a Blue Bottle. Pictured below.

It looks a lot like a normal jellyfish medusa, like from scyphozoa! But you can see, it doesn't have that very round shape. The big sail is actually one zooid, the tentacles are other zooids, it's all zooids! It's an entire colonial animal, as opposed to a true jelly, which is just one.

Since the siphonophore is made up of clones, do we call it a group of animals? Generally, no. Due to the specialization involved with zooids, we treat the entire creature as one animal. Many individuals, one organism. Admittedly, it's still very strange. Colonialism is actually very common within cnidaria, as it serves to help cope with the lack of specialization opportunities due to not having an internal body cavity (and thus stuff like mesoderm). That said, even some animals with mesoderm and body cavities have evolved colonality, though I can't think off the top of my head of an example with such a degree of specialization of each zooid like siphonophores have.

.

Ending the post here for now, and I'll add the other organisms in subsequent reblogs. I hope this inspires interest in biology and evolution for you and lets you know about things you would've never even realized as possible!

[betweenlands]

hey. remember when Legundo said that a lot of the chaos on this server has been Viking's fault? that they'd only have peace and quiet if they got rid of him for good?

let's go over some major conflicts and put that theory to the test, shall we?

(under a cut. this gets long.)

Fix, Kill The Thief: Legundo is the first person to escalate, demanding he steal something in return for "borrowing" the gold blocks. Fix gives him the painting but can't resist the urge to twist the knife from there. Legundo responds by killing him on-sight the next time they meet, reinforcing Fix's belief that everyone's out to get him. We get the spiral of "if someone hires me i need to still show i have the upper hand" that leads directly into Kill The Thief, and also into Shadow being hired to assassinate Jamie.

Nukeri and the wing-stealing threat: This one was just Shadowmech, I think. (Though Legundo is frequently pretty brusque with Nuke, for what it's worth.) Also Nukeri later ends up unable to fly during S2 as a result of jumping into the Void to find his friends, but that one's also kind of solidly on the Oracle.

Jamie, pre-Void: Legundo suggests Jamie become queen. When her leadership becomes questionable and her behavior becomes erratic, Legundo immediately turns and begins assembling a group to sneak into the stronghold, convincing them that the dragon has to die. Jamie and her court attempt to stop them, first by trying to explain their actual motivations and then by force. When the dragon dies, Jamie ends up being right about something horrible happening, as she literally explodes.

Viking, part 1: The dragon's death results in Viking becoming tangible. He starts off as friendly and seemingly well-adjusted but quickly becomes obsessed with getting the grand prize of a Legundo IOU, ending up having to deal with Taneesha and her hiding her taxes in the process. He steadily loses his hinges after this but remains friendly until people start directly pushing his buttons, with perhaps the sole example to the contrary being pitting Legundo and Fix against each other (telling Legundo to help him steal the diamonds and Fix to stop Legundo from doing Something during the exorcism).

Various forms of tax evasion: A lot of people do this in a lot of different ways, because the diamond tax just kind of sucks. Taneesha tries and fails to frame Fix and gets snitched on by Fix, Legundo attempts to clog the system with unenchanted diamond pickaxes, Viking frames himself to take the fall for Taneesha, Shadow's a hired gun for the queen and is therefore just having a good time.

Jamie, post-Void: So, remember when Jamie exploded because the dragon was killed? Turns out she's evil now! Possessed by the Void, Jamie attempts to start a cult and in general funnel her power as queen towards accomplishing its goals. Good thing Legundo knows an exorcism ritual and has found the diamonds to seal all that chaos energy into!

Fix, ritual diamonds: Yeah, it turns out Fix still has that urge to steal, and -- seemingly unrelated to Viking's request to stop Legundo from messing up the ritual -- steals the diamonds on the ritual platform, releasing a bunch of chaos energy and causing the apocalypse in the process. He didn't exactly know this would happen -- he was told they shouldn't be moved but wasn't told why until after he'd already stolen them. Anyway, the Oracle curses him and he's a genie now.

the Blood Moons: Are a direct result of the released chaos energy. They also may have caused something with Shadowmech to go haywire as he's currently a silent murder machine.

POOPA: Formed by Grady and Mongo. I'm gonna be honest, I don't know their exact reasoning other than potentially to try and sell more of Mongo's beetroot, but either way, Legundo clearly doesn't like them even if he's willing to bribe them. The IOU forms separately as another way to stop them and Legundo is either roped in or asked to join depending on your point of view.

Taneesha's Void stuff: Turns out Tan's still a little bit Void-possessed and/or something with the Blood Moons affected her as well! She's now got urges to kill -- urges that Legundo chooses to test by sending her on a solo mission alongside Joy to see if someone dies. Someone (Joy) does. He continues to observe until she starts trying to blow things up with End Crystals. This is also the point at which Viking gets involved...

Viking, part 2: The reason Viking wanted the ritual diamonds is to do a ritual of his own that would hopefully bring his and Taneesha's memories back -- worth noting, Viking also didn't know that moving the diamonds would cause the apocalypse. Taneesha and Viking are close, and when Tan opens up to him about her urges to murder, Viking does his best to support her -- his idea of "support" is a little skewed, considering he shoots an End Crystal and causes her to explode Legundo, but he definitely had reasoning behind it. Besides -- he doesn't quite trust Legundo.

IOU, part 1: Back up a few steps to POOPA. The gang attempts to find a stronghold to set IOU's base in, and it turns out there's one right under the desert that Fix built for Legundo, near where Joy's parked her van. Viking attempts to get to work on building out a version of the stronghold room that looks like the original room and keeps the portal closed, as Legundo very specifically says to not open the portal. Joy and Taneesha don't get the message, and not only open the portal but also destroy the portal frame blocks, leaving Viking scrambling to try and fix things as they proceed to attempt to gaslight him into thinking it was his fault. This goes... very poorly.

IOU, part 2: Viking attempts to seek out Legundo to explain what happened with the portal before Joy and Tan can flip the script, but Legundo's mad about his stuff going missing (it was in a box a little too far away from the place he died for him to notice) and basically shrugs off Viking every chance he gets. They get to the stronghold, and Tan and Joy appear to have broken the other blocks of the portal -- at which point Viking gets extremely frustrated, attempts to explain the situation to Legundo, and Legundo mutes him. Anyway, turns out that Joy and Tan had built a fake room to try and trick Viking into thinking they'd broken the rest of the portal, and he goes a little ballistic after all this, at which point then Legundo pulls Taneesha aside to ask her for help with putting Viking to rest permanently.

Whoof. That's a lot of summary. So. What have we learned?

Well... there's a person at the center of all the chaos, alright. There's definitely one person that consistently sets things into motion and lets things escalate when he could very easily step in, even escalates things himself in some cases, either intentionally with some justification or just by letting his emotions get the better of him.

Legundo had Fix steal that painting, strongarmed him into being a thief for hire. Legundo nominated Jamie as queen and then tore her down as soon as she posed a threat. Legundo rallied as many people as possible to kill the dragon because he didn't want to listen to Jamie, in the process both releasing Viking and making Jamie become evil. Legundo ignores POOPA until they start getting nosy, then pays them off while still letting them exist, then joins an organization dedicated to destroying them. Legundo sends off Joy on a mission with Taneesha, fully aware the latter has murderous urges and may try to kill her, because he wants to double-check.

And now, Viking's gotten a little too much power from sources outside Legundo's control, and all of a sudden Legundo's not just scared of him anymore, no, Legundo wants him gone.

Hm.

It's almost like someone's trying to create a power vacuum, a series of faulty leaders like dominos, and setting himself up as the person to solve it -- the only person that can bring that peace and quiet to the overworld.

It's almost like someone was sent here to conquer the overworld to begin with, by any means he deems worthy or necessary.

I'm sure that's nothing to worry about. He means well for his people, after all. Follows their ideals. Leads through power.

I'm sure there's no sayings about what absolute power does to a person.