#wanting to make a name for herself I guess?

[aeniiverse]

ENEMIES IRL, GIRLFRIENDS ONLINE

Synopsis — You can't stand Karina. She's your worst enemy. But in the virtual world, she’s your perfect girlfriend, your confidante, and your sweet escape. The only problem? Neither of you knows that the other is secretly behind the screen. Now, with two worlds about to collide, how long can you keep up the charade?

Contains — fluff, enemies to lovers, online dating, light cursing, minor physical contact (hand grabbing/kissing), secondhand embarrassment (karina tripping over a chair), mutual pinning, rushed

WORD COUNT — 3.6k

A/N — this has been in my drafts for a while, bull dozing with fics today 😭🗣️ for context they were a bit suspicious when their girlfriends had the same name as their enemy (I’m just too lazy to write those extra stuff >3<

Karina wasn’t even trying today.

Well, that wasn’t totally true. She was trying, trying to ruin your day, the way she usually did, because it was practically tradition by now.

It didn’t even take effort anymore. She just showed up, said something obnoxious, and you immediately looked at her like you wanted to punch a hole through the floor. Easy. Natural.

Today’s opportunity came when she spotted you at your locker, shoving notebooks into your bag with a frustrated scowl. God, you made it so easy for her sometimes.

"You know," Karina drawled, sauntering up with all the arrogance of someone who thought the hallway was their personal runway, "for someone who acts like they have their life together, you have the organization skills of a dying goldfish."

You whipped your head around, ready to fire back something scathing but then she glanced down at your planner.

Her brain short-circuited.

Because the truth was... your notes weren’t a disaster. They were actually stupidly neat. Color-coded. Perfectly labeled. Pages full of careful handwriting, clean lines, tiny sticky notes poking out like little tabs of responsibility.

Karina opened her mouth, intending to keep roasting you.

Instead, she heard herself blurt:

"Ugh, I hate that you’re actually good at that. It’s... impressive, I guess."

The second the words tumbled out, she felt the ground disappear from under her.

You stared at her like she’d just confessed to murder in the middle of the hallway.

Karina could practically see the confusion flicker across your face the way your brows lifted slightly, the way your mouth opened like you wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.

Panic took over.

"I mean," Karina said hastily, flapping her hands around like a malfunctioning robot, "it’s not that great. Like. Barely acceptable. Whatever."

You rolled your eyes with an exaggerated groan and slammed your locker shut. "Jesus Christ. You’re exhausting."

And then you brushed past her without another word, your backpack swinging dangerously close to her side as you walked off down the hall.

Karina stood there, frozen like a statue, brain absolutely screaming inside her skull.

"What the hell was that," Karina muttered under her breath, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes like she could physically erase the last two minutes from existence.

Complimenting you? She complimented you? That was basically treason against herself. Against everything she stood for.

She wasn’t supposed to notice things like your handwriting. Or how focused you looked when you were organizing your things. Or how your stupid hair caught the light when you turned your head.

None of that. Absolutely not.

Karina stomped off down the hall, nearly mowing down a group of freshmen, her mind stuck in an endless screaming loop.

"I can’t have feelings for her," she hissed under her breath, dragging her fingers through her hair. "That would be cheating. I have a girlfriend. Online. A very real, very important girlfriend."

A girlfriend who she texted every night before bed. Who called her "babe" and sent her dumb memes and told her she was cute.

Someone who didn’t make her want to rip her own hair out in rage and confusion every time they interacted.

...Right?

Karina shook her head like she could physically knock the thoughts out.

No. No. No.

She didn’t like you. She hated you. That was the foundation of the universe. If she started liking you now, the world would probably implode.

Maybe she was just malfunctioning. A temporary brain glitch.

Maybe if she ignored it hard enough, it would go away

She tried to focus during her next class, but her brain had other plans.

The teacher was explaining something about chemical bonds, and Karina was busy reliving the scene in her head, cringing harder with every second.

Your face when she said it.

The way you paused, almost like you didn’t know if you should be flattered or insulted.

The way you looked back at her, suspicious but... curious.

Karina slumped down in her seat, letting her forehead hit the desk with a soft thunk.

Her lab partner side-eyed her but wisely said nothing.

Lunch was somehow even worse.

She sat with her usual friends, poking at her food without any real appetite, zoning out so badly that Ningning had to physically throw a grape at her forehead to get her attention.

"Earth to Karina," Ningning said, leaning forward with a mischievous glint in her eye. "You’ve been staring at your mashed potatoes for ten minutes.

What’s up? Secretly plotting murder?"

Karina grimaced. "No. Worse."

"Spill."

Karina considered lying. For about three seconds.

Then she groaned and dropped her head onto the table. "I accidentally complimented her."

There was a beat of silence.

Then laughter. Loud, unrelenting, evil laughter from all sides of the table.

"You what?" Ningning choked out between cackles.

"It wasn’t even a good compliment," Karina grumbled into the table. "It just slipped out. I said she was... impressive or something. I don’t know. I blacked out."

Giselle wiped tears from her eyes, still giggling. "Bro, you’re doomed."

"I know," Karina groaned. "I can’t believe I said it. I can’t believe I think—"

She cut herself off before the words “I think she’s actually really pretty when she’s mad” could escape her mouth.

God.

She was so doomed.

After lunch, Karina wandered through the rest of her classes in a zombie-like daze.

Every time she tried to focus on her work, her brain betrayed her replaying your face, your stupid confused frown, the way your voice sounded when you called her an idiot and walked away like you weren’t secretly a little flustered too.

By the end of the day, she was ready to drop out of school and join a traveling circus. Anything to escape the mortifying reality of her existence.

Karina kicked a pebble down the sidewalk as she trudged home, hoodie pulled up over her head to hide from the world.

Maybe she could just ghost you from now on. Avoid you until the end of time. Sure, it would make school life incredibly inconvenient, but it was either that or risk accidentally flirting with you again. (And she was terrifyingly aware of how close she already was.)

Karina shoved her hands deep into her pockets, scowling at the ground.

She couldn’t have a crush on you. She had a girlfriend. She was in a relationship.

Even if it was just online... it still counted.

Right?

But then her mind, evil and traitorous, whispered:

But what if she’s even better in real life?

Karina groaned out loud and picked up the pace, practically speed-walking down the street like she could outrun her feelings.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

Tomorrow she’d go back to being normal.

Tomorrow she’d totally not think about how you looked when you rolled your eyes or how her heart had stuttered a little when you brushed past her.

Tomorrow.

(Probably.)

The night was quiet, the kind of calm that only a late evening could bring. You sat on your bed, phone in hand, still feeling the lingering awkwardness from earlier that day. Karina had complimented you sort of but then she immediately tried to backtrack. “I hate that you’re actually good at that. It’s... impressive, I guess,” she had said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. But there was a weird hesitation before she scrambled to cover it up with, “I mean, it’s not that great.”

You had rolled your eyes, annoyed, but also confused. Karina was always sarcastic, always throwing out jabs like she was trying to keep her distance. But something about that moment didn’t sit right. She didn’t usually throw compliments like that, and it stuck with you more than you cared to admit.

Now, as you scrolled through your phone, you tapped out a message to Karina, who had no idea you were talking about her. You leaned back against the headboard, trying to shake off the unease that had settled in your chest.

“Ugh, this girl I hate acted super weird today. It was lowkey suspicious. One minute she’s all sarcastic, and the next she’s complimenting me like we’re friends or something. Is that normal?”

The little typing bubble popped up almost instantly. “You won’t believe what happened today. I accidentally complimented the devil incarnate,” Karina's message read. You snorted. Of course, she was ranting about you, and you had no idea.

Karina took a bit longer to Send another message and you imagined her pacing around her room like she always did when she was annoyed or deep in thought. “Ugh, don’t remind me. I honestly don’t know what came over me. I can’t have feelings for her. Not when I have a girlfriend online... That would be cheating, right?”

You chuckled at her dramatic tone, even though you had no idea she was talking about you. “It’s almost like you’re losing your touch, Karina. You used to be so good at pretending you didn’t care. Now you’re out here giving compliments like some softy.”

Her reply came quickly, as if she’d been waiting for the chance to snap back. “Shut up. I don't even like her. She’s... annoying. But you’re right. I shouldn’t be nice to her. That’s how she wins.”

“Yeah, exactly. She probably thinks you’re all buddy-buddy now.” You rolled your eyes.

You set your phone down for a second, thinking about your day. Karina’s weird compliment, the way it felt like she’d almost meant it... It stuck with you more than it should have. It was annoying. She was just Karina, the girl you couldn’t stand, and you couldn’t let her get to you.

But then your phone buzzed again, pulling you out of your thoughts. You looked at the screen. Karina had sent another message.

“I feel like we’d get along better in person, y’know? It’s been two months...” Her message made you pause, and you leaned forward, rereading it.

“What do you mean?” you typed back, even though you already had a guess. “Are you saying we should actually meet up?”

You could almost feel her hesitation from the words that followed. “I mean, why not? We’ve been talking for two months now. Isn’t that enough? We could just... grab coffee or something.” She sounded almost nervous, a little unsure of herself. You liked that side of her.

You had to admit, the idea of seeing her in person, after all this time, was tempting. But you didn’t want to seem too eager.

“Well, it might be nice. I’ve been wondering what you’re like in real life. Maybe we’d actually get along even better in person,” you texted. “No pressure though.”

You were lying to yourself a little. The truth was, you were dying to meet her, to finally see who she really was. After all this time, you felt like you knew a lot about her, but at the same time, nothing about her was as real as the image you’d built in your mind.

Her typing bubble popped up, and you waited, heart pounding a little faster than it should. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I could actually use a break from all the... online stuff. It feels a little weird talking like this all the time and never meeting. But, uh, how would we even meet?”

You thought for a moment, trying to keep the suggestion light. “What if we just met at a café or something? It’s no big deal, just a chill hangout. We’ve been talking for so long... I don’t know, seems like it’s time to finally meet.”

You waited for her response, tapping your fingers on the screen, pretending to be casual when your heart was racing. What was she going to say? What if she backed out? Or worse, what if you saw her and didn’t feel the same connection?

You didn’t have to wait long. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do it. Just... don’t expect anything too crazy, alright? It’s just a meetup, not a date, or whatever.”

You smirked at her message. Of course, she’d try to play it cool. “Sure, sure. It’s just coffee. No big deal.”

“Right. Just coffee,” she replied, and then added, “But, uh, can we not exchange real names or photos? We’re mystery girlfriends for a reason, right?”

You laughed out loud at that. She was right, of course. You had both spent two months carefully hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. Neither of you had shared real names, pictures, or anything too personal. It had been part of the fun.

“Yeah, I’m not about to break the mystery girlfriend vibe,” you typed back. “But I’ll see you at the café, then?”

“Yep. See you there. Just don’t be weird about it.”

You chuckled and put your phone down, your heart still racing a little. The idea of finally seeing Karina in person was both terrifying and exciting, and you weren’t sure what you were more nervous about. But it didn’t matter, because the date was set. Tomorrow after school, you would meet her, and things would never be the same.

The next day felt like it dragged on forever. You couldn’t focus in class, couldn’t stop thinking about the upcoming meet-up. Would Karina be just as snarky in person? Would she look the way you imagined her? Or would she be totally different from the version of her you’d built in your head?

When the bell finally rang, you grabbed your things and rushed to the café. The anticipation built with every step. You reached the door and paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before walking inside.

The cafe was quiet for a moment, the soft hum of background chatter filling the air as you approached the table. Your heart was pounding in your chest, your nerves making you jittery. You hadn’t expected to actually feel this nervous about meeting her. But as your eyes landed on Karina sitting at the corner, scrolling through her phone, everything froze. Then it all clicked. The same Karina online was the same Karina in real life. The one you thought you absolutely hated with your heart.

She looked up and for the briefest second, you saw the color drain from her face. Her eyes widened, and before you could even say anything, she bolted.

It all happened so fast. One second, she was there, and the next, the chair at her table was knocked over, hitting the ground with a loud crash. The customers around you glanced up in confusion, some trying to stifle their giggles. You just sat there, stunned, processing what had just happened. Did Karina really just... run out of the café?

Before you could think it through, your feet were already moving. you dashed out of the cafe, your pulse racing. You barely registered the cold air hitting your face as you pushed open the door, eyes scanning the street for her.

She was fast, but so were you, and soon enough, you spotted her just ahead, her back to you, her movements stiff and hurried. Without thinking, you quickened your pace, reaching out to grab her wrist and stop her in her tracks.

Karina flinched at the touch, pulling her arm back in a hurry, her eyes darting around, not daring to meet yours. You stepped in front of her, blocking her way, your breath coming out in short bursts. “Karina, what the hell? Why did you run?”

She refused to look at you, her voice barely a whisper. “You weren’t supposed to be you...”

The words made no sense. You were confused, genuinely concerned, and yet there was this strange vulnerability in her posture that made your chest tighten. This wasn’t the Karina you knew the sarcastic, confident girl who never showed an ounce of weakness. This was different.

“Karina,” you said, softer this time, trying to get her to meet your eyes. “What’s going on?”

But she just shook her head, her shoulders stiff. Whatever this was, she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. And for the first time, you weren’t sure whether you should push her or let her have the space she clearly needed.

The silence between you both stretched on, and you stood there, wondering what would happen next.

You stood there in the street, the tension between you and Karina thick enough to cut with a knife. Her back was still turned to you, her shoulders rigid, and every moment she remained silent only made the confusion swell inside you. What the hell had just happened? She’d literally run out of the café, and now she was acting like she was too embarrassed to even face you.

“Karina,” you called again, your voice firm. “Why did you run?”

The words came out of her mouth before she could even think, rushed and raw, almost like they were coming from somewhere deep inside her, a place she’d tried to bury for far too long. “I thought... I thought I hated you,” she blurted out, her tone shaky and uncertain. “But I liked you online. I liked you so much it made me feel guilty because I thought I was starting to like you in real life too and now you’re the same person, and I don’t know what to do.”

Her words hit you like a punch to the gut. You stood there, completely stunned by her admission. Karina was spiraling, completely embarrassed by what she’d said, and in that moment, she tried to step around you again, as if she could just walk away from it all and pretend it hadn’t happened.

But you weren’t going to let her. Not this time.

You reached out to her again, grabbing her wrist gently but firmly to stop her from walking away. Her body tensed under your touch, but she didn’t pull away. “Hey,” you said, a soft laugh escaping your lips. It wasn’t mocking, just overwhelmed by the absurdity of the situation. “You’re such an idiot.”

Her eyes shot to yours, wide and confused, as if she hadn’t expected you to respond like that. “What?” she murmured, still avoiding your gaze.

“I liked you too,” you said, your words coming out easily now, like you’d been wanting to say them for longer than you realized. “Even before I knew it was you. And yeah, I guess I hated you a little too, but it was more like I hated how much I... liked you.”

Karina’s breath caught in her throat, her face flushing a deep red as her eyes locked onto yours for the first time since she’d run out of the café. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words never came. Instead, there was a long, charged pause, one where neither of you knew exactly what to do or say next. Her chest rose and fell quickly as if she were still struggling to breathe, and in that moment, you both felt it the weight of everything unspoken between you, the tension, the closeness.

Before either of you could chicken out or let the awkwardness swallow you, you leaned in. It was almost instinctive, like your body had made the decision for you, and you couldn’t stop it. You pressed your lips to hers, the kiss soft at first, like a question, a testing of waters neither of you had dared to explore.

Karina froze for a split second, her body stiff, before she finally relaxed into it, kissing you back with a desperation that you hadn’t expected. It wasn’t perfect. It was messy, uncoordinated, but it felt... right. Like this was the thing both of you had been waiting for, but hadn’t known how to take the first step. It was raw and full of feelings neither of you could articulate in words. Every second of it was electric, and as you pulled away, you both stood there, breathless and flushed, staring at each other.

Karina was the first to speak, her voice uncharacteristically small as she mumbled, “This doesn’t mean I like you at school.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, the sound light and carefree as you teased her, nudging her shoulder with yours. “Come on, girlfriend,” you said, a grin tugging at your lips as you grabbed her hand and started walking down the street, your fingers intertwined in a way that felt surprisingly natural.

Karina huffed in protest, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she gave you a sideways glance, her face still flushed and a little sheepish. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” she muttered, but there was no conviction in her words. Her fingers tightened around yours, betraying the soft smile on her face.

“You don’t have to be ready,” you said with a shrug, pulling her along a little faster. “We’ve been doing this ‘I like you’ thing for two months now. No going back.”

She gave you a half-hearted glare, but there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. “You’re lucky I like you too,” she said, her voice quiet but soft.

You squeezed her hand, grinning like an idiot as you walked down the street together. It was awkward, sure, but it was also... exactly what you both needed. And even though Karina still had that slightly uncomfortable look on her face, you could tell she was starting to relax, starting to let herself enjoy this new chapter with you. You weren’t enemies anymore, not in the same way at least. And who knows? Maybe this whole thing was just the beginning of something more than either of you had expected.

But for now, as you walked side by side, both of you awkwardly giddy and still trying to process everything that had just happened.

[lllivia]

Dating Lottie Matthews

warnings: precrash!Lottie, fluff, nsfw (under cut), sub!top!Lottie

❃ you meet Lottie at a party after you notice her smoking alone on a balcony "what kinda girl stands all alone at a houseparty?"

❃ she furrows her eyebrow and looks down at you smiling. "I guess I just couldn't handle all of the sweaty drunk people inside"

❃ you spend the rest of your night together just talking about everything I guess. It was almost like you'd known eachother forever.

❃ writing your number on the back of her hand you say goodbye at the end of the night - her adorable face pouting when she realizes you actually have to part ways (she could talk to you for days on end).

❃ she has to refrain from calling you as soon as she wakes up the next morning, it was lonely living in such a big mansion - basically by herself at that.

❃ trying to be cool about it she goes to wait a few hours before reaching out. And being the clumsy girl that she is, she doesn't think about the ink on her arm before stepping into her shower and accidentally scrubbing it off.

❃ Her expression when she realizes what she had just done turning into pure horror and despair - what the fuck was she supposed to do now?? In all of the hours of chatting she never even managed to catch your name.

❃ you don't meet again until a couple months later at another party. Lottie spots you as she walks in with some of the yellowjackets team, her eyes immediately going wide before she rushes over to where you're sitting on a couch just looking around at the other partygoers.

❃ "it's you!" the smile on her face is as wide as it's ever been but she tries containing some of the excitement as to not scare you off.

❃ Little does she know you're just as excited to see her. "what happened to calling me?" You tease slightly.

❃ well she finally called you the next day. And she kept calling every night after that - spending hours talking to you as she twirled her hair and kicked her feet in the air.

❃ God she could already feel a huge crush developing, and it only continued to worsen the more you hung out. Cute picnics in the park, dinner "dates" (where she ALWAYS insisted on paying - going as far as getting slightly heated if you argued) and dancing in hidden jazz clubs were all things that started being a regular for your weekend.

❃ you were actually the one to kiss her when it finally happened. It was one of your usual friday nights in her huge mansion and you were sitting at her dining table after she had insisted that she wanted to cook you dinner.

❃ you get caught up in the moment, Lottie twirling around and singing to herself (and you) while she stirred the tomato soup was an intoxicating sight - so no one could really blame you when you suddenly stood up on your tippytoes to softly lay a kiss on her lips.

❃ she had never reacted to something as quickly in her life, her arms immediately wrapping firmly around your waist as she kissed you back with passion and pure need.

❃ at that moment she decided you were the best thing in her life - and she intended to keep it that way until she was old and grey.

❃ the next party you go to together, but you try not to be too obvious because you never know who you can trust. Welllll - scratch that, because you get caught by Jackie making out in a bedroom.

❃ she slowly starts introducing you as her girlfriend to the girls on the team - puffing her chest out with proudness when Van says you seem perfect together.

❃ staying over at her place everytime she feels the weight of her parents not being present, or when the shame of her meds start going to her head making her paranoid and insecure. But you always reassure her that you would stay with her through it all - the good and the bad.

❃ her favorite thing ever is the moments you spend alone together, specifically late nights where you lay in her bed together and just talk like you did the first night you met while some insignificant 80s romcom plays in the background.

❃ her new winning signature when the yellowjackets win becoming secretly winking at you - making all the guys (and girls) think that she wants them, even though she would only ever look at you. Also stealing an extra heated kiss before every game for "good luck".

❃ treats you like a queen and does anything to keep a smile on your face (she literally buys you a weekend trip to Paris for your 6 month anniversary.. So yeah, she's that extra).

— nsfw —

❃ a week after your first kiss she wakes up sweating and panting from an intense wet dream. It was insane that you could basically reduce her to a 12 year old hormone driven boy.

❃ she can't sleep after that, just lazily rubbing her cunt while she looks at a polaroid she took of you. Oof, that dream was something else.

❃ the next day she's slightly ashamed to look you in the eye when you meet up, because she can't stop thinking about the dream (your naked body spread open under her while you're begging for her touch..).

❃ you end up asking her if she's alright when she won't stop staring and fidgeting. Her adorable ass immediately telling you what she was thinking about - desperately asking for your forgiveness like she'd committed some kind of horrible crime.

❃ you can't help but giggle right in her face, how could she be so cute and dumb at the same time? Anyways, after the giggles die down you lose some of your confidence and turn more shy. "We can.. Yk, reenact the dream or whatever.. if you'd like"

❃ the way her jaw drops onto the floor is hilarious - well you don't have to ask her twice. She immediately gets to work peeling your (and her) clothes off.

❃ the experience was about 1000 times better than her dream. The way you pleaded and rode her fingers could make her shiver just thinking back at the moment even months later.

❃ she can get pretty desperate sometimes. Occasionally when you're busy doing something - like homework (working on becoming an academic weapon) she would basically come crawling up to you just begging for you to give in. "Please y/n, just let me eat you out... You can even continue doing homework at the same time!" ...Safe to say your journey towards being a grade A student was hard when Lottie's alluring presence kept distracting you.

❃ certified fucking munch, that's all I have to say. Ask her to go down on you and she's jumping for joy - practically doing backflips and salivating.

❃ lowkey has a worshiping kink. She loves treating you like a goddess (we all know where she has that from) while she licks every crevice of your body. She's a goddamn freak.

❃ getting caught once by Shauna while Lottie's riding your face. Safe to say you got your own entry in her journal (she's literally traumatized... But also lowkey curious).

-

a/n: Ahhh someone already requested a part 2 for the Nat headcanons - so lmk here too if y'all want more of Lottie 🙏

MAIN MASTERLIST

[lavandulawrites]

(Not sure if this was asked before, hope u dont mind) im a bit tired of the 'always weak Reader'. Like, why is the reader always so weak? The other characters always more strong- its not fair at all. So i wanted to ask, would u love the tought of the Reader finally being more stronger then characters? (Yandere's, of course.) for once, Reader is hard to catch, better at everything whether attacking running and etc, maybe even playfull like bratty but not rotten and actually kind to others- chaotic personality i guess.. Maybe it can be somehow inspiration to you. I hope u have a good day :3 (and please dont mind my bad english)

This is a very good question, anon.

I do get why many authors make the ‘reader’ weak. There may be serval reasons as to why such as: it may make writing ‘reader’ easier as they don’t have to have a strong personality (after all docile characters don’t necessarily need too much thoughts to them to make it work), if we are talking about a yandere context it may make the yandere seem more intimidating, it may be a preference by the author. After all we all have our own preferences. It would be extremely boring if everyone agreed on anything. I personally don’t mind weak ‘readers’ at all.

I personally hate the overly bratty/ bitchy/ rude ‘readers’ and I find them annoying (I’m thinking of the stereotypes, like Wattpad and etc.). I think it’s extremely frustrating how a female character almost always has to be physically strong and a ‘badass’ in order to be considered a ‘strong/ powerful woman’. I think that a female character is 100% able to be considered strong without being a warrior with non-feminine qualities. Being a strong female lead is not about how many men she can kill or how much she bench presses, it’s about being true to herself and being kind without letting others step over her (not saying that women can’t be physically strong obviously). She needs to stand her ground and not let anyone ruin her dreams hand her belief in her self.

I think the new Snow White movie is a good example. They made her be a strong leader who doesn’t need a romantic relationship. Which is in itself nothing wrong (I love a strong leader), but it’s too contradicting to the original story. Yes, Snow White was no fighter, but she was kind and helped everyone around her. She didn’t let the dwarfs boss her around, but instead lived in harmony with them. Is she the best example for a strong female lead, no, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t.

My point is that I’m so incredibly sick and tired of seeing these ‘strong female leads’ that are only considered strong if they act ‘manly’ or is a fighter. Katniss on the other hand is a strong woman, but it’s not purely for her fighting abilities. It’s her morality and mental strength that makes her powerful. (I really do love Katniss and I think she is definitely one of the best female leads).

Little Women is also another great example. The sisters are all so different, but at the same time extremely strong in their own accepts.

And remember a weak character doesn’t mean she can be strong. That is a misconception that irritates me. Take Yui from Diabolik Lovers. Many people call her weak, but I disagree. In the games her personality really shines through and it’s impossible to say that the isn’t a strong female lead.

So will I make ‘reader’ or [Name] a strong female lead? The answer is yes, but not necessarily the way you might think. There are many ways to make a character string that isn’t just purely physical strength and that’s extremely important to remember. Robin is a strong female character and it isn’t because of her physical strength.

Will [Name] be a feminist? Absolutely. I would never make a female character that isn’t a feminist.

Anyways, I hope I answered your questions anon and I hope you have a great day as well!❤️

If anyone has any other questions about Astralis Desires, please let me know! I will be happy to answer them❤️

[beritybaker]

Call Me Hot, Not Pretty

Rating: T | Word Count: 3,489 | CW: Suggestive Situations, Accidental Flashing, Internalized Misogyny, Mentions of Homophobia/Lesbophobic Behavior | Tags: Genderswapped, Lesbian Steddie, Mutual Crush, Cheerleader Steve | ao3 For @steddiesportsau week five. Prompt: Cheer.

As she walks into the gym, Eddie knows what everyone is thinking. She can see it on their faces, and in the way they lean towards each other to whisper behind their hands.

"The Freak? What the hell is she doing here?"

Really, she doesn’t mind. She’s always liked being the Freak. It fuels her sense of superiority, because every time some stuck-up priss tries to put her down, Eddie rolls her eyes and reminds herself that most of those girls’ boyfriends have met her out back of the football field, taken one look at her tattoos and fallen hook, line, and sinker for her nonexistent “hot stuff discount”—probably while picturing her making out with another chick, judging by the disgusting number of them who have suggested a threesome at some point. The fact that she could steal a man from any one of them if she wanted to is part of the reason she’s here.

She’s gonna prove that’s not the only way they’re outmatched.

It started a couple days ago, when Jeff first noticed the flier hanging outside their homeroom. Mid-conversation, he snatched it down from the wall, held it out to Eddie, and teased, “Here’s something for you to do, if you’re so bored.”

She read what it was advertising and wrinkled her nose. “Not funny, dude.”

“I’m serious!” he protested, though he was very much not.

“Fuck you, man. I’m not a cheerleader. Pretty sure they don’t even let lesbians try out.”

“Eh, you’re probably right,” he said.

Eddie narrowed her eyes, wary of his tone.

“You’re no athlete,” Jeff went on, shrugging. “Probably best for your ego if you steer clear of any kind of sport.”

At this, Eddie scoffed. “Cheerleading’s not a sport.”

“Is that so?”

“All they do is stand on the sidelines and wave their arms around. What kind of sport is that?”

“Don’t they do pyramids and stuff, too?” Jeff pointed out. “Gymnastics, acrobatics…that sort of thing?”

“I mean, I guess,” Eddie huffed. “But most of it is just looking pretty in a skirt. How hard can that be?”

So here she is at cheerleading tryouts. To prove a point.

She feels just as out of place as the other girls think she is, but she’s not about to give them the satisfaction of looking nervous. She strides over to the sign-in table and says, “Eddie Munson, reporting for duty.”

Chrissy Cunningham, Duchess of the Junior Class and next in line for the Hawkins High throne, glances up from the list in front of her. “Okay, Ed”—she does a double-take—“Eddie Munson?”

“Uh, yeah,” Eddie says. “I signed up on the board in the cafeteria.”

Chrissy’s eyelashes flutter rapidly as she blinks in amazement.

When she doesn’t say anything for a while, Eddie prompts, “Are you gonna sign me in, or what?”

“Right. Uh…yeah. Sure.” She looks back to her list, makes a checkmark next to Eddie’s name near the bottom, and manages to regain her composure to point at the bleachers and say, “You can wait over there. Stevie’s running late, but we’ll get started soon.”

Eddie suppresses an eye roll and bites her tongue to keep from muttering something like Oh, is the captain too busy blowing Tommy H in her car to make it to her own tryouts on time? Instead, she just says, “Thanks.”

“I’m Chrissy, by the way.”

“I know.”

Chrissy quirks an eyebrow. “You know?”

“We’ve met before.”

“We have?” She giggles. It’s something Eddie is used to hearing from other girls when she walks by—only there’s no malice or ridicule in it. Chrissy actually sounds a bit anxious, like she’s worried Eddie might be offended. That’s a nice change, at least.

“Sure,” Eddie says, deciding that talking with Chrissy is as good a way as any to pass the time until the squad’s captain bothers to show up. Chrissy had been sweet as a sixth-grader; maybe she beat the odds and stayed sweet.

“There’s no way. I would’ve remembered.”

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Middle school talent show? 1980?”

Chrissy stares quizzically for another moment, then it seems to dawn on her. “Oh my god, you had a band! Corroded Coffin, right?”

Eddie grins. “We’re still tearing the roof off my friend’s garage.”

“You were good. I’ve never seen a girl play guitar like that,” Chrissy gushes. “But what in the world are you doing here, if you don’t mind my asking? Cheer doesn’t really seem like something you would be into.”

Shit. Eddie bites the inside of her cheek. She feels kind of bad lying to Chrissy while she’s being so nice, but she doesn’t have another choice. She shrugs and says, “Just wanted to try something new, I guess.”

“Don’t you graduate this year?”

“Well, yeah. I’m supposed to.” Really, she was supposed to graduate last year, but she’s not gonna bring that up.

“So why—?”

“Sorry I’m late!” a voice calls out from the double doors behind Eddie, and the improvement in her mood from finding a friendly face dissipates.

“What’d you get detention for this time?” one of the other girls quips.

Stevie grins, and goddammit, Eddie hates that. She hates how pretty Stevie Harrington’s smile is. “Talked back to Mr. Wyman. You know the temper on that guy.”

“Again?” Chrissy says, an exasperated laugh escaping her.

“Well, what was I supposed to do? He wouldn’t shut up about how ‘easy’ girls had it a hundred years ago, when men did ‘all the work.’” Stevie rolls her eyes. “I had to remind him we couldn’t even vote when he was born. Shit-brained old fart.”

Despite herself, Eddie snorts.

It draws Stevie’s attention, and that smile—straight teeth in a crooked frame of pink lip gloss—makes another appearance, though her perfect brows also knit together, puzzled. “Eddie Munson, right?” she says.

Eddie very nearly takes a step back in surprise. “You know my name?”

“’Course I do. A Queen should know all her subjects,” Stevie jokes. The annoying thing is less the words themselves and more the way she somehow makes them sound self-deprecating. “I don’t get what you’re doing here, though.”

“She wanted to try something new,” Chrissy parrots.

Stevie’s smile widens. “You’re trying out?”

Shit. Oh shit, oh fuck. Abort mission, abort mission, ABORT—

“Uh, yeah,” Eddie’s mouth says, without her permission.

“That’s great! To tell you the truth”—Stevie lowers her voice and leans a little closer, so that only Eddie can hear her—“I’ve been getting kinda tired of seeing the same old faces around here.”

Stevie’s bright, fruity perfume reminds Eddie of the candy she always sneaks in at the movies. She has to hold her breath to keep from getting overwhelmed by it, so she doesn’t have a response to Stevie’s conspiratorial murmur.

Thankfully, she doesn’t need one. Stevie’s already backing away, putting her bag on the floor next to Chrissy’s table, and calling out to the room at large, “Alright, everybody! Come on down here. I want to explain how this is gonna go to all our newbies.”

She leads the crowd of cheerleading hopefuls—mostly freshman and sophomore girls, but with a few boys scattered among them—to the middle of the basketball court. Eddie stays at the back of the group, putting as much distance between herself and the captain as she possibly can.

“Okay. So,” Stevie says. “I recognize a lot of you guys from last year, though I’m excited to see some newcomers, too.” Her gaze rakes over the crowd, and Eddie swears they lock eyes over another girl’s shoulder, though she quickly looks away. “Some of you may remember how tryouts went before, but I want to let you know things are gonna be a little different this year.”

A murmur ripples through the crowd. Stevie ignores it.

“We’re not doing any individual cheer trials this time around. I don’t really think there’s any point to it. We’re supposed to be a team, right? So you’re all gonna try out as a team, with the rest of us.”

The other established members of the squad, who stand behind their captain in a rough line, exchange skeptical looks that seem well-rehearsed, but they don’t protest.

“We’ll be in little teams, though,” she clarifies, and for the love of all things holy, she’s gonna have to stop it with that fucking grin if Eddie is gonna walk out of here with her pride intact. Stevie turns to Chrissy, who stands beside her with the sign-up list. “How many we got?”

Chrissy counts her checkmarks, then answers, “Sixteen.”

“Hm. Okay.” Stevie purses her lips, presumably as she tries to mentally divide the number into the eleven existing team members. It’s even worse than her smile, Eddie thinks, the way she pushes out her lips and makes them look extra plump. Finally, she claps once and says, “Okay! Got it. You four can go with Monica, Becky, and Lauren…”

Stevie continues assigning candidates to her teammates, waving her arms to point out the girls she’s indicating. Eddie sees the speeding train heading for her right before it hits.

“…and the rest of you can go with me and Chrissy.”

Eddie swallows. She’s doing this on purpose, she reasons. She can’t fathom why, but she’s sure Stevie Harrington is trying to make her drop dead right here in the gym. Then she has another idea, one that makes her heart race: Maybe she figured out why I’m really here, and she’s trying to make me suffer for belittling her precious “sport.”

Steeling herself, Eddie joins Stevie and Chrissy, along with three other wannabes. They start by stretching, and at first it brings Eddie back to her cynical motives. The idea of limbering up before something that’s bound to be less physically demanding than a jog across the parking lot feels downright ridiculous, and she suppresses yet another eye roll as she bends over to touch her toes.

Stevie sits on the floor and spreads out her legs. She leans to the side, nearly putting her nose to her knee as her fingers curl around the arch of her right foot. Eddie finds herself staring at the gentle curve of Stevie’s calf, the moles scattered across her inner thigh…

She rises to switch sides, and Eddie’s mind goes completely blank when the movement causes the hem of her shorts—Goddammit, why does she have to wear them that short?—to ride up a bit.

Eddie can’t help the gasp that escapes her when she catches a glimpse of blue cotton, and a puff of dark hair peeking out from under it. That makes her avert her eyes, her cheeks on fire. The underclassman next to her eyes her suspiciously.

“Is something wrong, Eddie?” Chrissy asks.

Uh, yes. I just saw Stevie Harrington’s bush. “No, everything’s fine.”

They continue warming up in relative silence. Eddie manages not to perv on Stevie any more. It’s actually pretty easy, considering her mind is racing with the implications of what she saw.

She hadn’t pegged Stevie to be the kind of girl who lets everything grow wild. In fact, she’s seen her plenty at the pool, in that lifeguard bathing suit with the high-cut leg holes. All summer long, she was smooth as can be, with an even tan and all those beauty marks dotting powerful-looking arms and legs.

But now, only a week into the school year…

Eddie snaps her brain back to the task at hand with some difficulty as Stevie says, “I think it’s best if we get to know each other a little bit first. Who here’s been on a squad before?”

The three other newcomers raise their hands, but Eddie keeps her arms crossed.

“We were all on the team in middle school,” one of the girls explains. She’s got this snooty air about her that embodies everything Eddie’s ever understood about cheerleaders.

“Good. Okay. So what sort of roles did you guys play?”

“I’m a flyer,” the same girl says, smug. “These two were just bases.”

It takes every bit of self-control Eddie has left to keep from muttering something derisive under her breath.

Stevie arches an eyebrow, then turns to the other girls. “So you guys are the strong ones, huh? Nothin’ wrong with that,” she chuckles. “Might even say you’re the most important part of a jump.”

The snooty girl’s expression is priceless. Eddie has to press her lips together. When she glances at Chrissy, she looks like she’s having a similarly hard time not smirking.

“I’ve never been a flyer. Too much junk in the trunk, you know?” Stevie goes on, slapping her own ass.

The urge to laugh at the snooty girl’s stricken look passes in an instant, as soon as Eddie hears that sound. She chews on her lip, begging her mind to reject the image of Stevie’s cheeks jiggling in her shorts even as it starts to burn itself into her memory.

Suddenly, Stevie turns to her. “I bet you could be, Munson. Willowy thing like you…I bet I could pick you up and throw you all on my own.”

Jesus Christ in a rowboat, this is not what I signed up for. The glance Eddie gives Stevie’s biceps is completely involuntary, and she hopes after the fact that it flew under the radar. But Stevie’s smirk is positively evil, and it tells Eddie one very important thing: she noticed.

In a voice far too suggestive for her to be using in public—let alone in this situation, let alone on Eddie—Stevie quips, “You wanna try it?”

All at once, it’s too much. Eddie’s surprised she lasted this long, if she’s being honest. She forces herself to meet Stevie’s gaze and says, “Okay, you can stop that. I know what you’re doing.”

“Oh, you do?” Stevie’s voice is as sultry as ever. She doesn’t even have the decency to drop the act and have a little mercy.

“Yeah. And I’ll leave. This was a fucked-up idea, anyway.” Eddie turns on her heel and marches to the exit, grabbing her things on the way. She no longer cares about the point she was trying to make, nor the bet she’ll be losing to Jeff; as far as she’s concerned, buying him ice cream every day for the rest of her life is better than standing around getting teased by the prom queen.

She hears conversations trail off as she passes each of the other groups, but Eddie doesn’t look back. She’s laser-focused on the double-doors, knowing the parking lot is just on the other side, and she won’t have to feel their eyes boring into her back anymore.

The doors are in reach when she hears Stevie call out, “Eddie, wait!” followed by running footsteps.

Eddie moves faster. She doesn’t need to hear about why she shouldn’t have showed up just to be a bitch, or about how she should stop judging books by their covers if she wants anyone to do the same for her. She shoves through the doors and makes a beeline for her van in the corner of the lot, determined to throw a Rainbow tape into the deck and turn the volume up as loud as she can stand while she speeds home. Maybe Wayne already left work, she thinks. Hopes.

She’s only a few steps from the door, though, when she hears it fly open again, and Stevie’s voice says, “Eddie, seriously. Stop!”

Eddie does stop. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, then lets it out on a heavy sigh.

“What gives, Eddie?” Stevie asks. “One minute you’re all for ‘trying something new,’ and the next—”

“You don’t have to do that anymore, alright?” Eddie snaps, whirling around. “I was wrong. I admit it. Cheerleaders don’t have to be snatches. It only took you and Chrissy, what…fifteen minutes to convince me? But you did. So I’m going home.”

Stevie visibly deflates. “What?”

Eddie’s eyes squeeze closed again, because if there’s anything more dangerous than Stevie’s smile, it’s the injured look that crosses her face. “There’s no point giving me those fucking puppy-dog eyes, either. You were nice to me, and then you figured out what I was doing here, and you made me pay for it. I don’t blame you. It was s shitty thing for me to do.”

“Eddie, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

She cracks her eyes open. “You don’t?”

“No. But I would love it if you could explain yourself,” Stevie demands, putting her hands on her hips.

Eddie looks at the asphalt in front of Stevie’s bright-white sneakers for a moment before confessing. She tells Stevie about Jeff joking around with the flier, about her dismissal of cheer as a sport and the way she’d bet him an ice cream cone every weekend for the rest of the semester that she could make the team with minimal effort, despite not having an athletic bone in her body. Eddie even tells her that she should’ve known the plan was doomed as soon as she saw Stevie smile, because she knew she wasn’t going to be able to disappoint someone with a smile like that, even if her anti-conformist principles were on the line.

The longer she talks, the deeper Stevie’s frown becomes. By the time she’s done, there’s a heavy crease between Stevie’s brows, and her shoulders have started to slump forward.

A solemn beat of silence follows the end of Eddie’s story, then she mumbles, “So like I said. I’ll just go home now.”

Before she can turn away, Stevie’s soft voice stops her. “You thought I was flirting with you…to punish you?”

“Yeah. I mean, I deserved it.”

“Eddie, that wasn’t…” Stevie takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, you did show up here with a pretty shitty attitude, if you’re telling me the truth. But I didn’t notice, and I wasn’t messing around. I mean, sure, I was laying it on thick, but don’t you kinda have to do that so the other girl knows you’re flirting and not just being nice?”

Eddie stares. “You…what?”

“We see how well that shit worked out,” Stevie grumbles.

“You were…actually flirting with me? Like, actually?”

“Well, yeah,” she says, like it should’ve been totally obvious. Like the Queen of Hawkins High herself would ever bother with the resident loudmouthed dealer who started a D&D club her sophomore year. “You like girls, right? It’s not like you try to hide it. And you’re pretty.” A little bit of her smirk returns, though it’s subdued now, with a twinge of melancholy. “Hot as hell might even be more accurate.”

“But…you…?”

“Had a thing with Nancy Wheeler last year. Didn’t work out, mostly because we were both still figuring out how serious we were about girls. But, uh, I am. Serious, I mean. The only other member of the squad who knows is Chrissy, but I figured with you around…well. Maybe I could make some more progress there.”

“Wait, is that why you were so excited to see me here? You thought if the team could accept a weirdo lezzie like me, you’d have a shot at them accepting you, too?”

Stevie’s cheeks are bright pink. “I guess that was part of it. I helps that if you were on the squad, I would get to spend a lot of time with you.”

She folds her arms, and Eddie isn’t sure whether she’s aware of just how nice her boobs look pushed up like that, but she can’t be totally ignorant of it. Sure enough, when Eddie yanks her eyes away from Stevie’s chest, red-faced, she finds that incredible grin making a comeback.

“You could still come back in there, you know. The girls will understand,” Stevie says. With a bit of a growl that makes Eddie shudder, she adds, “I’ll make sure they do.”

Eddie swallows. “So if I go back in for tryouts…”

“And take it seriously. Can’t emphasize that enough,” Stevie puts in.

“Right. If I do that…then it might mean spending a lot of time after school with you?”

“We could carpool,” she says, wrinkling her nose playfully.

Eddie raises her eyebrows. “Do you even know where I live?”

“Well, no. But I’m all about sleepovers.”

The possibilities fly through her head: the two of them in matching skirts and sweaters, making out in the back of Stevie’s beemer after a football game; Stevie helping her tame her curls enough for the standard high ponytail; learning an acrobatic stunt or two, and having an excuse to let Stevie put her hands on her right in front of everybody…

Most importantly, she’d get to see that smile up close, every goddamn day.

She tilts her head and looks up bashfully through her lashes. “I guess I’m gonna go try and be a jock now.”

[kendrysaneela]

I agree with everything you’ve said here. And I think it’s impossible to know Helena’s true character until we actually see her by herself unsurveilled unmasked making decisions of her own volition. (I think the closest we’ve gotten to seeing Helena when she’s not masking is when she’s watching the kiss over and over again but considering she looks around to like check if she’s being watched while doing that so she’s still masking a bit and still probs on a security camera) but yeah we literally have no idea what Helena’s true character is cause we’ve legit never seen her truly unmasked and then even the one decision we see her make of her own volition (to sleep with Mark) was initiated by Mark (he kissed her first and came into her tent) so even that wasn’t fully her making a decision she just went along with it. We can make guesses of her character based on Helly’s actions but Helly doesn’t have Helena’s cult conditioning so we still don’t really know what Helena’s character truly is. I don’t think she’s mostly bad or mostly good I think she exists somewhere in the middle more of a moral ambiguity.

And yeah in terms of Mark I don’t think she knows him well enough yet and has spent enough time to be in love with him yet. I think she feels a devotion and a curiosity towards him and a need to be near him because (i assume) he is the first person she ever felt love from. But she also understood by the end of the ORTBO it wasn’t for her it was for Helly. Which is why she went and tried to replicate it for herself outside with Outie Mark.

And in terms of Lumon I do think she wants to get out of there but yeah as you said. Leaving a cult is very difficult if you have no connections on the outside. Not to mention she’s probably famous so that makes it harder. And we know from the Lexington Letter Lumon doesn’t hesitate to kill people who try to leave or expose them. Tbh I agree they would’ve gotten rid of her already if they felt one of the other heirs were good enough. I think her being the only legitimate Eagan is what’s keeping her alive. But I also think there’s another side to the coin. Helena may not have much executive power but I do think her name gives her some power. She tried to use that power with Mark even her lie about being head of the company her saying they’ll make sure the OTC never happens again etc. If she leaves Lumon she could lose all that power. And I think because she’s grown up with such little autonomy a lack of power terrifies her. Which I think is another reason she hasn’t left. She likes what little power she has by having the last name Eagan.

A lot of the discussion I've seen over Helena Eagan either frames her as "an evil liar who pretended to be her innie and stalked mark to manipulate them and gather information for lumon" or "a poor precious baby who's trapped and wanted to be her innie so bad she tried to become her and fell in love/became obsessed with mark"

and to be honest I think both arguments are pretty shallow. I think it's something more complicated and I don't want anyone to forget the ways helena's showed innocence OR the ways she's been an antagonistic force.

like, she obviously did look down on the innies, didn't have respect for their autonomy, and went along with her father's will and she should be held accountable for all that. and yes, she's also a victim trapped in a cult, but that doesn't make her a baby. We need to take her seriously because for all we know she could have done much worse. I don't think we have to water down characters or come to premature conclusions in order to love/appreciate them. It's okay to say we don't completely understand a character and still be able analyze them. The nuance is what makes helena so compelling!

I have a lot of things to say and I WILL make a full post breaking down all of helena's appearances if people will hear me out lol

[cicada-candy]

I get the sense that Nina is gonna haunt the next season.

[explosionshark]

Alright - up to chapter 23 now

A lot of stuff happened that wasn't gay but was plot important: Rachel accidentally bound Nick to her as a familiar (BIG NO-NO, THAT'S DEMON MAGIC AND TECHNICALLY ENSLAVEMENT), she also met and learned the name of the demon that attacked her and now they have a weird arrangement where he won't attack her, Rachel lead the FIB in a raid on Trent's compound to look for a murder victim and found a mutilated corpse alright but. Things are screwy. She's on the outs with the FIB for now

Frustrated, she comes home to find Ivy playing a baby grand piano. Just to make her more swoon-worthy, I guess

Rachel tries to talk to Ivy about what happened, but Ivy's being really evasive.

Lots from Rachel examining the nature of their relationship. How they want different things from each other, if she's using Ivy in some way and if Ivy is playing the long game to be with her. It's very fraught and sexually confused push-pull

LIKE. IT'S REALLY NUTS TO ME HOW OFTEN RACHEL FINDS HERSELF QUESTIONING HER OWN SEXUALITY BUT IN A REALLY REALLY SHALLOW WAY. Like. Here wait there's more--

Rachel and Ivy begin speculating on what type of creature Trent might be. Rachel lays out her case for why she thinks Trent is an elf, a species that was supposed to have gone extinct in a plague event decades ago. AND AGAIN

Teehee am I turned on by throwing myself into danger or because I made Ivy proud of me? GIRL WHY NOT ADMIT IT'S BOTH????

Alright baby The Good, The Bad and The Undead re-read starts HERE and NOW with another insane Rachel/Ivy moment courtesy of Rachel's chapter 4 exposition dump

"might be slipping into an area I didn't want it to go" FUCKING IF ONLY!!! MY LIFE WOULD RULE RIGHT NOW IF THAT HAPPENED BUT IT DIDN'T SO HERE I AM INSTEAD

Anyway arguing with your stupid rat bf about how he's threatened by your hot bisexual and super super horny for you roommate #justRachelthings

[maddieandangel]

Had a weird Hollow Knight-related dream a couple days ago, so I decided to draw a major scene I remembered from it dgsgshf

More context will be in the tags, for those interested!

[immortalsins]

the end of exams has been the biggest goal for me to get to for a couple of months but now it's here i'm realising everything is still awful even if i don't have to study for hours on end

[newtness532]

i think you need to ask how much of a story can you change before it stops being the same story

[the-pale-goddess]

Why has no one told me that Midnight Rain by TS is literally about Tiffany & Brian from Drunk Lord Ethan AU……..

[hauntingblue]

Robin being scary collection

Kinda love how her eyes turn like mihawk's...

Luffy hitting crocodile with his blood will never not be hard af

Luffy ily part 746

Nami is asking Vivi to come with her and see all the world together.... I know it

Luffy and sanji in here.... Dumb of Ass and Kind of Heart (interchangable)

[robocops-a-christ-allegory]

Ok I dont think the Barry ending was actually ambiguous guys I think we know where everyones at.

[light-wrath-paradise]

I love characters who are manipulative in one way or another but rarely or never lie.

Especially scrumptious when there IS a clear reason for them choosing this tactic.

In other words shout out to Solas Dragon Age and Henry Miller DSAF specifically. Trying to think of more hoes like that but the thing is that I mostly remember the ones I've analysed.

Or like I can think of two more characters but for them I believe it's just circumstantial? Like one of them seems to simply...not consider lying and he doesn't need to because 90 % of the time he frames what he's saying as a hypothetical. And now that I think about it he does lie sometimes. I think he just genuinely doesn't consider it as his go-to tactic, I don't think he avoids it on purpose. And the other guy lies like...twice and also doesn't seem directly opposed to it, it's just that most of the time it was enough for him not to tell the whole truth. And that's easier than making up a lie. I don't think he has a special reason either.

But yeah anyway shout out to characters who avoid lying on purpose. Show me more of these hoes immediately.

[tomoccher]

neeko is still our online persona. really she's just us when we dont know who we are, like the blind eternities from the MTG world. we prefer to be called by the name of whoeveres fronting tho, being called neeko and referring to the body as neeko was causing lots of disconnect i think. still love the lizard, will keep her forever. need to make a squishy bouncy vtuber model to stream with of her. shes the only visage we could really settle on. she's kind of an OC at this point lol....

[aizenat]

There is this girl I went to hs with and the nicest way I can say this is this girl was smart but not particularly so, and had a high sense of self despite being remarkably average. Again, that's the nicest way I can say that. She also got very triggered whenever I was better at her than something (in all fairness, she was like that with anyone better than her, but my friend caught her shit talking me once when I was the only person in my English class to get an A on my Catcher in the Rye essay--something I expected simply because I'm a writer, was then, and I never once got anything less than A on an essay my entire hs career--and that pissed me off particularly because my writing is the ONE thing in this world I can truly say I do better than most people).

Anyway, I learned a while ago that she moved to Boston, and she was associated with Harvard in some way. Without getting too into it, she works there in the weirdest and most random department (not as a professor or anything meaningful or prestigious, which will make sense in a second), doing basically admin shit it seems. I was curious because she's still listed on their site and it says she's been there for like eleven years. I was wondering if she ended up going there as a student in something, but without a linkden or something, I couldn't see. But every time I googled her name and the school, the only thing that came up was her staffing position. No information to indicate she was a student.

Which is funny. I looked up to see if you can go to Harvard for free if you work there, and the do have a reimbursement program, but you'd only get like 75% of fees back, so you'd still have to come out of pocket. And this is an IVY, so that's going to be pretty. And considering what she does, I can't imagine it paying that much where she could easily afford it. Maybe she does take classes and is slowly working her way to some kinda degree, but I doubt it. I feel like she'd at least be able to brag by now given how long she's been there (the site fucking says when she started lol).

Either way, the reason this is funny to me is because she was never even close or talented or impressive enough to anyone let alone college admissions to get into a school like Harvard (I know for a fact she didn't get in in hs lol), and transferring into schools is typically easier, she didn't get her degrees from there according to the site. So I just lowkey find it funny because the closest she'd ever get to Harvard is not as a student or even as someone brought in to teach, but by getting some admin job and sticking around long enough to get her picture on the school's site. She looks so proud in her Harvard shirt, thinking she finally "made it" but never in a way that would actually impress everyone.

It just all feels very fitting for her. In the right spaces to be around more impressive people while being overwhelmingly mediocre her own damn self lol.