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sparkletastic-cookiedough · 1 year

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Is Beetlejuice really Autistic, or am I just projecting really hard?

Ah yes, the character of my hyperfixation- Beetlejuice. He’s a demon that I’ve read way too much fanfiction about.

One thing I’ve seen come up a good handful of times in reading my Beetlejuice fanfiction is the concept of Beetlejuice being autistic. As an autistic person myself, I am intrigued by the idea. Perhaps some sort of autistic coding might be responsible for why I relate so heavily to these characters.

The first one I came across was “Meltdown” from nonbinarytaylorswift - It’s an absolutely amazing work of fanfiction by the way, I legit cried, better autistic representation than published books, go give it a read.

And that is not the only one. Searching “Beetlejuice Autistic” in AO3 comes up with 22 results. That’s a lot of fics made by different people who very strongly project autism onto Beetlejuice (and also Lydia).

The wonderful thing about fanfiction is how we can shift and stretch the characters and plot to suit our own needs. Consider how many hurt/comfort stories there are that delve into very specific issues, ones that the author may even explicitly state are personal for them. It’s wonderful and I absolutely respect it. We project our own problems onto these characters and then project the solution. Who needs therapy when we can just imagine a fictional character giving us positive self–affirmations? (Plot twist, arguably reading and writing these stories helps reinforce those positive vibes, which makes them good for the mental health).

When it comes down to it, get a large enough fandom, and there’s probably going to be some autistic people projecting themselves into fanworks. Plus with hyper fixating on a certain show or character making neurodivergents more likely to engage in fanfic and art and whatnot? It’s pretty much a guarantee that there’s going to be work claiming one character or another is autistic, and let’s all project really hard onto it.

Which is all great. I want to make it really clear- even if the canon work doesn’t reinforce the idea that your character is autistic (or lgbt or neurodivergent or anything else), it’s completely fair that you create work depicting them as such.

But I wanted to investigate this a bit closer. Is there an argument for Beetlejuice being autistic in the work itself?

Consider the many people who work on creative projects. Tons of creatives will confess to shoving themselves into a character in some way. I’d argue it’s hard not to put your own experience into a character, even if only for the reason that well written characters will delve on truths about us as humans that cut deep into most people who view them. Writing a story about love might entail that the writer ends up harkening back to their experiences with love. If you boil a character down to their most basic struggle, it turns out you can relate to them.

For Musical Beetlejuice, his motivation is becoming visible. He wants to be seen. He wants to interact with the world. (And wouldn’t you know it, Lydia also has this struggle). So how does that relate to universal human truths or whatever?

Well, I think that most people can probably think of a time where they weren’t seen, taken seriously, or something like that. People have felt completely alone at times in their life. We’ve all felt ignored, shunned by the world. Woah, these characters are relatable to the audience? Who would’ve thought.

Relating to a character’s struggles doesn’t necessarily make them autistic. Turns out, I can project my issues on to a similar feeling without it being the exact same thing.

But I still feel like there’s something very autistic about Beetlejuice, and one of the people responsible for the character might be responsible for that as well: Tim Burton himself. Allegedly, he might be autistic. I don’t want to cite anything here- most of the top sources claiming he’s autistic are ones I don’t respect. (One of them uses functioning labels, many cite asperger's syndrome despite that not being the correct term anymore, and so on) It’s not a claim that’s been confirmed by a diagnosis, but I also don’t think a confirmed diagnosis needs to exist. (not going to get into the whole diagnosis debate right now). The point is, a lot of stuff he makes ties to struggles that an autistic person might deal with. I mean, the misunderstood outcast who’s very different from the rest of the people around them is the main character in… most Tim Burton films. It’s a relatable trope, but one that kind of rings true for autistic people.

Social connections are hard for autistic people to make- usually harder than neurotypical people. I, and many other autistic people like me, struggle with socializing. It’s one of the diagnostic requirements for ASD. So a story about a person who has a lot of difficulty navigating social environments would be relatable to me. That misunderstood outcast? Yeah, that’s me.

These protagonists aren’t usually just weird. Usually there’s a reason behind it: maybe their closest relationship is with a corpse, maybe they exist in a boundary between human and inhuman- some sort of almost-monster figure, or maybe they just have interests that no one else has or understands. (Can you name the different Burton protagonists that these each apply to? Hint: they could all refer to more than one). It makes sense from a story perspective- the audience should probably have a reason for why a character is rejected from society. The thing that makes it so autistic is that these people are rejected for seemingly no fault of their own, for a reason that doesn’t make a lot of sense.

It’s a very sad point of social outcast: they will never belong to the main in-group. They can try, but it never ends up working- thus instead they have to accept both their identity as an outcast, and the thing that makes them unique.

Beetlejuice (musical version) is a bit of a twist on that idea, in that it’s others that learn to accept them, rather than learning to accept themselves. This is especially true for Lydia’s arc- her dad learns to respect who she is as a person, instead of trying to change her into the image of the daughter he wants. The movie, we sort of get that? It’s more like she meets people who respect her for who she is. The movie isn’t as neat in tying off the story arcs. Or maybe I’m just bad at watching movies.

But there’s more that makes (musical) Beetlejuice autistic than the social outcast angle.

One of the things that I’ve seen brought up when talking about this is how the character’s body language can contribute to that sort of reading. I’m treading a bit carefully here, because a lot of Beetlejucie’s body language can also be described as “inhuman”, and talking about how non-human characters work in terms of neurodiversity allegories is a whole other discussion, one that delves into the various problems with those readings.

But aside from that, I also want to offer my own interpretation as an autistic who enjoys watching stuff: it’s exaggerated expression.

One of the problems with me watching a lot of films for my film classes is that I have trouble with subtle emotions. Stuff other people can pick up on in movies I’ll pick up on differently. “A bit sad” isn’t a facial expression for me, it’s a sound cue, it’s a lighting cue, it’s body language, it’s movement. When a film wants me to rely on a character’s face, dialouge, actions, and the story to pinpoint how a character is feelings and their internal motivations, I can struggle a bit. That being said, there are films that I really enjoy watching. If I don’t need to rely on half of the cues to tell what a person is feeling, I like the film more. Arguably the stuff that gives off the best cues? Animation and musicals.

People don’t move like that in real life. But by disconnecting the film from what is real, we move into something that I can enjoy quite a bit. So if you look at an image from a musical, and put it side by side with an image from a hyper-realistic drama, the musical has a completely different method of expression. It might be expressing the same emotion, but it feels super different.

So this overly-expressive style is something I can understand, but it’s also something I can do. It’s very uncanny for people who meet me in real life- I sometimes slip into a method of self expression that can seem very off to a normal person. I might pace back and forth and dramatically monologue about how my boss is a jerk- yes I have actually done this. It’s difficult to analyze my own behavior, but from what I understand, it’s there. I have very expressive emotions, even if they don’t express in a “normal” way.

So that’s kind of an explanation on the behavior and body language aspects to the character being autistic.

But even considering the genre, Musical Beetlejuice is especially autistic.

Consider the fact that he’s really socially ignorant. He doesn’t seem to pick up on normal social cues at all - or if he does, he doesn’t acknowledge them. He’s easily tricked in “Creepy Old Guy”, and again “tricked with love” by Juno near the end.

It’s sympathetic. It’s ignorance. It’s an autistic character.

But whether or not you agree with me on if Beetlejuice is autistic, that’s fine. Perhaps his character was influenced by autistic people (Tim Burton or otherwise), or maybe I’m just projecting into things that are common for people overall. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I intended on just talking about the trope as it appears in different works of fanfiction, but instead I got distracted and just wrote several pages on character tropes or something. Anyway, go read some autistic beetlejuice fanfiction.

#a really big drabble #beetlejuice #beetlejuice the musical #autism #I read way too much fanfiction #media tropes?#Tim Burton #forgive me I wrote this at 2 am

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dyketubbo · 2 years

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i think maybe one of the most depressing things as an aspec lesbian to go through was the popularization of the sunset lesbian flag during a time where exclusionism was at a peak. the creator seems to have a reputation where people believe that the aphobic claims were fake or debunked

but. as someone who actually saw the aphobic posts made by her (which were very easy to find through simply searching ace on her blog) and all the snarky comments she would make to those who brought it up, along with using the term cishet ace even when people told her it wasnt good to say and having a generally "okay FINE whatever" attitude about it all, it really stinks that so many people bought into the belief that aspec people just. lied about it? or were just trying to take away from lesbians by talking about how hurtful it was to see the most popular design be made by an at-the-time aphobe?

people knew why the lipstick lesbian flag was harmful, but didnt seem to care about the flag the medium article maker (lydia) connected to it, one of which i think is honestly a more thought out flag than one thats just. the lipstick lesbian flag plus the butch lesbian flag put together. not to say it isnt a pretty design but. plphp. not to mention all the other lesbian flag designs that were shoved aside out of an idea that it was "too many" or that the sunset flag was the only valid option

im sure the creator of the sunset flag has changed by now, its been years and while it still exists exclusionism isnt at the all time high it used to be (even if the effects are still heavily felt today). but. it still stings, that so many people were willing to throw aspec people under the bus all for a pretty flag. even aspec people nowadays still think that the claims were lies all along. always gives me a bad taste in my mouth whenever i see the sunset flag now.

i guess maybe thats why i always opt to have dyke be at the forefront of my identity with my pride icons usually being any other flag related to my labels. i still love the alt lesbian flag designs a lot, especially the sappho poem one, but theres nearly no one who knows about it anymore, with the sunset one taking the precedent all because it was more recognizable and people didnt care enough about aspec people then.

just sort of stinks as an aspec lesbian now who had kept such a close watch on the discourse because of how much it meant to me. i wonder if people still talk about it at all

#mask mews #personal #okay to rb

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wexarethewalkingxdead · 1 year

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doginthecorner: @doginthecorner

Daryl is careful as he settles into bed, he doesn’t want to hurt her anymore then she already is. Once he’s settled he pulls the quilt up over them both, making sure she’s covered and tossing an arm up over his head with a sigh. “No problem.” He mutters, sighing heavily as his muscles begin to relax. He’s more exhausted then he’d previously thought and it won’t take much for him to fall asleep.

“‘course I’d pick the bed.” he snorts. “But i’m the person an’ he’s jus’ a dog.” Besides, it wasn’t like Dog would stay on the floor very long. If history was any indicator he’d have wiggled his way right into the middle and spread out. “’sides, damn dog’ll be up here soon as we’re asleep anyway. Kids’ve spoiled ‘im rotten.” Not that Daryl did much to dissuade them, those years in the woods had been hard on Dog as much as him, besides there were worse things then table scraps.

“Carol, I ain’ never gonna leave ya t’ deal with this shit alone.” He whispers, looking over at her. “Those kids ‘r fine, they uh - Aarons got ‘em fer the night. Little ones anyway. Lydia’s… I let ‘er take a watch shift.” He didn’t much like the idea of her on the walls over night, but it was better then having her lurk around here all night and letting her anxiety fester like he knew it would. Though they weren’t related, that kid was too much like him for her own damn good. “‘sides, in the mornin’ they’ll be real happy t’ see ya.”

Carol smiled when she realized that Daryl did have a soft spot for Dog after all. She knew that she'd make room for him as soon as Daryl's mind was distracted enough to let her. The dog was every bit a part of him as the kids were, and she knew he liked to keep up appearances to make it seem that he wasn't that important to him. Everyone in the communities knew differently. "You're just getting soft in your old age," she teased and laughed a little. She winced when it hurt more than she would have liked.

She shifted slightly so that she could look at him. Her blue eyes filled with unshed tears as she nodded slowly. "I know. I just hate that they had to stay somewhere and not in their own beds. It can't be easy with all that's going on and Michonne not being home, too."

"Maybe I'll feel up to making them pancakes or even french toast," she mused softly, knowing that she wouldn't feel any better than she did right now. In fact, she suspected she'd feel even worse. Her eyes closed slowly as one of the tears slipped down her cheeks. "I have a lot to make up for to everyone." When she opened her eyes, she shifted her head slightly so that she wasn't looking him in the eyes. She didn't want to see the truth in his eyes that she'd messed things up. She just hoped that it could be mostly repaired.

#t; so let me just give up #.echoes [carol]#doginthecorner #.editor [beta]

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unknownuser19970330 · 1 year

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Tar (Rant)

A great character analysis if you are more into characters than the plot of the movie. The character is likely heavily influenced by many traditional powerful men, such as Harvey Weinstein. I find it very fascinating that they decided to make her lesbian and a sexual predator, the reduction of power dynamic with her being a woman makes it extra fascinating and creates another layer of intricacy and complexity within her character. If Tar’s character has simply been a man, the movie would lose its flavor a little and become a plain criticism but having a woman as a sexual predator and having women students as the prey brings a fake sense of equality in a way but continues to demonstrate the perpetuating power that is held by someone of high SES. Having her to work in Thailand is a fascinating plot choice as well given white people’s colonization history and even to these days white people abuse their privilege and power within Thailand and other Asian countries. Also having that scene where she goes to the massage parlor and she was able to select a woman message parlors from like 20 women was also very interesting I wonder why the director decided to put that scene in it. Is it because it again demonstrates how Lydia Tar has came from the bottom of being selected as a woman back when she was a young conductor? And once she got the power she decided to abuse it and internalized the power play, and that scene made her remember how she was likely being chosen and selected as a woman?

why did they decide to include Petra as a part of the plot? Is it to allow the portrayal of cancel culture and induce empathy within the audience or simply wanting to add the complexity within the character? It was also interesting with Sharon’s dialogue about how Petra is the only non-transactional relationship Lydia has ever had in her life and also how Lydia used Sharon to understand the rules of orchestra and in a way I wonder if Sharon was ever abusing that power dynamic as well. Possibly Lydia is simply repeating the power dynamic and the same system that she was previously in. And also the cinematography, I love how the camera angle films the orchestra in relation to conductor Lydia Tar, it is such a direct and visual way of demonstrating the power dynamic. The conductor has the power has the control as to how the performance would flow, she even has the control of every single orchestra member. And I also wanted to talk about the ending, her narcissistic tendency truly remained consistent. It started from the denial and distortion of reality in relation to the reports that were filed against her, she assumed that she would go to the states and come back to Berlin as if nothing has ever happened, and even in the last scene she was conducting for an entertainment ride (Idek what it was) she continued to act so prideful. The movie was a lil long tho feel like it could have been shorter

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yellow-side-things · 2 years

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"Love, Victor"

Dear friend,

"Love, Victor" had been on my watchlist for quite some time but I haven't watched it until a couple of days ago and let me tell you: I'm very glad I did. I just need to get these thoughts off of my mind, otherwise I'm going to combust:

1) First and foremost: "Love, Victor" is way more realistic and authentic than "Love, Simon". The latter is by no means a bad movie, it's just now that I have a comparison Simon's coming out is depicted picture-perfectly and very cliche, when in reality it isn't always like that. Coming out is the one thing, dealing with the aftermath the other. People are not always as accepting and tolerating as you'd like them to be.

2) I like that multiple issues make up the show which makes people relate on different levels: Most importantly homosexuality in a religious household that is also heavily influenced by culture (especially older generations). Emotional and mental trauma of children of mentally ill and unavailable parents (e.g. Felix and his with depression dealing mother and him having to take care of her, Mia and her neglecting dad, Lake feeling worthless and ashamed of her body because her mother trimmed her on diets from a young age). This one may be odd but the fact that Victor and his siblings cannot properly speak their mother tongue - I can kinda relate...

3) I really like that it takes Isabel a long time to come to terms with the coming out of her son and that she doesn't accept it after one oder two episodes. It makes it more real.

4) Felix and Lake were cute together but they reminded me too much of Stiles and Lydia in Teen Wolf - The "loser" gets together with the popular girl. Although they didn't have as much screen time, I think Pilar and Felix would make a great couple and I'm very excited to see more of them in season three!

5) Honestly, Mia got on my nerves for the majority of the time but in the end she just feels lonely and wants to be loved. The love she can't find at home she searches for in other places. We all just want to be loved, so I do understand why she acts the way she does (at least sometimes...).

6) I do understand that it must have felt very embarrassing and humiliating for Benji that Victor found out about his past as a teen alcoholic, especially on his birthday and on a get-together with his parents. However, confronting Victor in terms of him being new to all the "gay-stuff" and considering him a burden is just hurtful. Yes, they were both very vulnerable and hurt in that situation and again, yes, in such situations you say things you regret afterwards but still. There was most likely someone leading Benji through that stuff as well when he first came out. Words stick with people and you can't take them back. You may apologize afterwards but in the moment of speaking those words, a tiny bit of truth resonates.

7) Rahim is a very cool character and I like how comfortable Victor feels around him, particularly because Rahim can relate to him on a level Benji can't, which is coming out to very religious parents. And I must admit, I've felt more tension between these two than between Victor and Benji, especially when they sang "Holy" together. However, I find it sad that Rahim literally pops out of nowhere. He makes his first appearance in the sixth episode which makes it seem like they wanted to squeeze him in. If only he had been around since the beginning of like season 2 and then became more important each episode. But this way it's like, "Yeah, let's just add him because the first love isn't meant to work out all the time."

8) I think it's beautiful how Adrian reacted to Victor being gay. Adults always have that fear of disturbing children when telling them certain things, things that - in their way of thinking - "don't conform to the norm". But sometimes you don't have to be that terrified. Children have that beautiful way of taking many things with such an ease, you'd be surprised. And that ease slowly but surely transfers to Victors parents (especially his mother) and they start to come to terms with their son's homosexuality because it's not a phase; that's just who Victor is.

9) The scene that made me cry the most was when Felix showed up with his social worker in front of Victor's apartment and broke down in Isabel's arms. He really needed a motherly hug and the song playing in the background intensified the moment. It's so impressive yet sad how good he was at keeping this major part of his life (the situation with his mother) a secret from his best friend who literally lives in the same building. He hid his sadness and sorrow so well by constantly acting like the funny friend, which by the way is a response to emotional trauma.

10) Last but definitely not least: Why make such a big fuss about telling the entire school you're gay? You don't owe anyone an explanation. Like, why do you even feel the need to tell them, it's none of their business? Just tell your loved ones and that's it... We live in the 21st century, can we please just normalize that there are other sexual preferences other than being straight? Especially older generations: I know it's different from what you know and what you were taught but please try to loosen up a bit.

Needless to say, there are many more things and scenes making this show so special and important but these are just some of the things I've thought about a lot.

Just because I feel like it here are some song recommendations from "Love, Victor":

- "Heaven Is a Hand to Hold" by Duncan Laurence

- "Somebody to Tell Me" by Tyler Glenn

- "Brave" by Riley Pearce

- "Holy" by Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper

- "Two of us" by WRABEL (this song hasn't been released yet but AHHH, I NEED IT. NOW!!!)

Lots of love <3

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dalishious · 2 years

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Hi, Lydia! I've been reading all your posts and your outstanding marvelous piece about Indigenous Coding in the Elves of Dragon Age. So, definitely, I don't think I'm the one who should or can write about Lavellan since I'm a white person whom ancestors were responsible for first large-scale act of genocide of the modern era, among other despicable things...

However! I'm here to ask you about which Inquisitor origin do you think suits best to the whole DA:I plot. Always felt it is Lavellan because the way everything is somehow related to the elves, even though all of them are valid.

I hope I'm not bothering you! Thank you very much for everything you share with us. I love reading every word you've written about Dragon Age universe <3

There's no reason you can't write about Lavellan.

I think all origins are suitable for DA:I, though I have always felt the story favours humans, since it's so heavily Andrastian. Yes things are often related to elves, but it is written as if the protagonist is an outsider to such.

#ask

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super-unpredictable98 · 2 years

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The Newest Werthamner | Misfits AU

Pairing: Nathan x Lydia (OC - Hard Candy’ verse) Word Count: around 1,6k Warning: Strong language, childbirth

(Masterlist)

"Is it weird that I kinda miss community service?"

I passed the ball to Nathan, we were both playing soccer in the main hall while the others did various activities.

"No, I think that's why we're here, right?" Simon said. "This is kinda like our spot."

"Yeah, all those life-threatenin' situations were good t'keep us on our toes and- oh shit!" Nathan muttered. "Lollipop, don't freak out..."

"What?" I looked around, searching for whatever it was that made him so nervous.

I immediately understood when I turned and saw Marnie standing there, looking at her phone. What the fuck was she doing here again?

"Who's that?" Nikki asked.

"That's her, it's Marnie," I sighed heavily.

"Maybe we should go..." Curtis got up.

"Yeah, maybe we can just hang at the rooftop," Alisha tried to cheer me up. "Get a guitar and..."

Before she could even finish, Marnie groaned as a waterfall came down her legs. I pinched the bridge of my nose, beyond frustrated. Wasn't there a better moment for this to happen?

"Did she just piss herself?" Nathan winced.

"No, her water broke..." I whined. "Would it be too unethical to just call an ambulance and leave her here?"

"Lydia," Simon gave me a stern look. "I know you're better than this."

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea..." Nathan shrugged. "It's not like we can do anything to help."

"Olivia!" Marnie called, desperate. "I think my baby is coming!"

"It's Lydia," I corrected as I walked towards her.

"Sorry, I'm terrible with names. And faces."

"That's funny, me too," Nathan snorted.

"Shut up, wanker!" Kelly punched his shoulder.

"Ouch! Was what that for?"

"Can someone call an ambulance?" I turned to them.

"Leave it to me," Alisha grabbed her phone.

"Come on, let's lay down," I held Marnie's arm, cursing the moment I suggested we meet up there for old time's sake.

Nikki took a few cushions from the couch and placed them on the floor, making an improvised bed. My gaze kept moving back to Nathan, he didn't take his eyes from me, his thick eyebrows furrowed.

"Thank you," Marnie whimpered. "You're being so sweet."

"Do you have any idea how far apart your contractions are?" I asked.

"No... Am I supposed to?"

"Do you know Lamaze?"

"No, is he famous or something?"

"Forget it," I shook my head. "Just... Curtis, can you time her contractions, please?"

"I'm proud of you, Peanut," Simon nudged my arm.

"Thanks, Si... Alisha, the ambulance?"

"They said it might take a while, there's a bit of snow..."

"Snow? It didn't snow all week and today had to be the day?" I cried.

Nathan snapped his fingers at me and whistled, asking me to come closer and dragged me to a corner.

"What's up?' I whispered.

"Nothin', just wanted to say I love you," he gave me a tight hug. 'You helpin' her is actually very nice, I don't think I'd do the same in your place."

"I'm doing this for him."

"Who?"

"Junior, he's a wonderful child, so sweet."

"You really like him, do ya?"

"Yeah, I guess I do."

——————————————————

"Where's the fuckin' ambulance, mate?" Kelly shouted at the phone. "We've called two times!"

The hours were passing quickly, no sign of the bloody ambulance, the snow was only getting worse and so were Marnie's contractions.

"Oh, Jesus..." I groaned as she squeezed my hand once more, screaming like a banshee. "How long has it been since the last one?"

"One minute," Curtis checked his watch.

"Fuck! Does anyone know anything about delivering babies? I think this is happening right now..." I looked around, hoping that one of my friends was secretly an obstetrician who just committed a crime for shits and giggles.

"Hot towels," Simon got up, but quickly turned back. "We haven't got any..."

"Wow, so smart, Si!" I shouted angrily. "Can't believe we're related!"

"What's happenin'?" Nathan tried to poke his head to take a look at the downstairs situation.

"Stay away from her!" I uttered with gritted teeth.

"Don't look, you prick!" Kelly punched him once again.

"I'm not lookin', I swear! I promise you, Lyddie..." he backed off nervously. "I just wanna help."

"Do you know how to deliver a baby?" I questioned.

"Not really," he leaned back.

"Then stay there!"

"I'm scared, Lydia," Marnie cried. "Is my baby gonna be okay?"

"I will do everything I can to make sure he is."

"How do you know it's a boy?"

"Just a wild guess... Can't believe I'm gonna have to deliver my boyfriend's ex future wife's baby," I rubbed my eyes.

"I'm what now?" she stared at me confused.

"Nothing, just keep breathing, do you feel like pushing?" I ran my sleeve over her sweaty forehead. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like my cunt is being ripped apart!" she screeched, pulling me in by the collar.

"I'm no expert, but that sounds normal," Nathan looked at me pointedly.

"You should take a look," Alisha said. "To see how it's going."

"Me?" I gasped.

"Well, you're the one she seems to trust," Nikki pointed out.

"Marnie, do you mind if I..." I gestured towards her bottom half.

"Go ahead," she panted.

I don't have any words to describe what I saw, it was at the same time the most beautiful thing in the world and the most terrifying.

"Ok, that's definitely a baby's head... Who would've thought a vagina could be so many different colors? Purple was not on my list of possible skin colors," I fought not to faint. "You need to push, alright? Can someone get me a pair of scissors?"

"What? Do you wanna tear me open?" she freaked.

"No, it's for the umbilical cord, don't worry, I won't hurt you..." I huffed, trying not to gag.

"Just forget how much you hate her!" Nathan covered his eyes and tapped my shoulder.

"You hate me? What have I done?" she frowned.

"Technically nothing..."

I thought for a moment, it was really not her fault that the timeline went the way it did. Right now she was just a single mom giving birth to her son, in need of my help, vulnerable, in pain, and lonely.

She has been nothing but nice to me, she backed off when Nathan said he had a girlfriend and never tried anything weird. Why did I hate her?

"Here," Nikki handed me a pair of scissors and I nodded to thank her "I used my lighter to sterilize it."

"Alright, just a couple more, okay?" I tried to look at Marnie reassuringly. "You're doing great."

I have no idea how I was able to do it, but I delivered a baby. After a couple of pushes, Junior came into my arms, his cries echoing all over the hall.

"Is he okay?" Marnie sobbed, probably a mix of pain and emotion.

"He's perfect," I smiled as I cut the umbilical cord and used the scissors to stop the bleeding the best I could. "Can I get a blanket or something?"

Simon handed me his flannel and I wrapped little Junior up before handing him to his mom. She looked at him full of love, I guess I forgot that she was a mom too, that she chose to keep him and give him everything even before meeting Nathan.

I took a deep breath before crumbling on the couch. Nate held me and kissed my temple as he rocked me softly.

"That was badass, Lollipop... I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little turned on right now."

"Really? Me pulling a baby from a fanny did it for you?"

"Oh, Lydia, what do I do? What do I do?" Marnie called when the baby started to cry again.

I sat by her and took him in my arms, remembering all the times I cared for him when he was sick, all the times we played together and watched the same movies over and over again... And when he would look at me with those big green eyes and tell me he loved me, that I was his favorite person in the whole world.

"I don't care if Monday's blue, Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too. Thursday, I don't care about you, It's Friday, I'm in love," I sang quietly, to which he immediately stopped and stared at me.

"How did you do that?" Kelly asked.

"He loves The Cure, if he's ever fussy, just play Friday I'm In Love, Just Like Heaven, or Six Different Ways and he'll stop." I handed him back to his mom. "Also he has a shellfish allergy, so never let him eat it."

"Can you tell all this just by looking at him?" Marnie watched me dumbfounded.

"Intuition..." I chuckled.

"The ambulance is here," Curtis looked out the window.

"Just a tad late, am I right?" Nathan mocked.

"Before I go..." Marnie took my hand. "You were the one who brought him into the world, so you get to name him."

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes, it's only fair."

"You know what? I think his name should be Nathan... It suits him, it means gift of God and as far as I know, everyone with this name seems to be one."

I looked at my Nathan, he smiled tenderly, almost incredulously before kissing me. As cocky as he was, he never seemed to believe my compliments, at least not the heartfelt ones.

The paramedics came in and got everything ready to take Marnie to the hospital.

"Thank you so much, you're an angel," she turned to me as we made our way outside.

"It was nothing..."

"I feel a little weird, like there's another one, do you think I could be having twins?" she held onto her stomach.

"Don't worry, it's just the afterbirth," I explained.

"Afterbirth? What's that?" Nathan put an arm around my waist while opening the door with the other.

"The placenta... What would you idiots do without me?"

Tag List: @elliethesuperfruitlover @firstpersonnarrator @holidayspirits @seanfalco

#misfits #misfits nathan #misfits fanfic #nathan young #nathan young x oc #hard candy #nathan x lyddie #robert sheehan character fic

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forthisone · 3 years

Text

Thoughts on Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 so far Spoilers up to S4E8, the episode I’ve just watched.

Fair warning: This kind of went from me trying to explain why the show feels wrong for me now in a measured way, to a full on rant wall of text. This is maybe something that should be a diary entry more than something that should exist publicly, but fuck it.

This is all just my opinion. I know some people have problems with S4 (like me) and some people are finding it an improvement on S3. Everyone finds their own things to connect with on this show, different people have different experiences--it’s a very hard-hitting show and it affects people in different ways--and my perception of the show will be different to others. I just wanted to get my thoughts down before I read too much other analysis of what other people think. This season I’ve felt myself in a cycle of feeling uncomfortable about most of the content, and then reading what other people think, feeling like I’m wrong to be feeling how I’m feeling, and somehow giving it all another chance, finding the caveats that allow me to keep watching. There’s like... one scene in twenty that I find satisfying, and the clown in me keeps watching. But I’m finding myself feeling more and more disconnected from this show that I used to love. Especially now that I’m heavily invested in another show that I actually find satisfying.

Trigger warnings for all the topics that come with watching this show, including sexual assault. Also lots of angry language from me!

When I watched Seasons 1 and 2, I really valued the show. It was painful to watch, of course. But I thought the story was important and there were elements of hope and love and goodness amongst the bad that were ‘worth’ the pain of watching it for me.

Now I just roll my eyes all. the. damn. time. All I can imagine when I watch is the writers wanking themselves off creating new situations of torture for the characters, turning these human characters into caricatures to play out their images. I don’t really feel like they actually care about the arcs anymore, they just want the same cycle on repeat. I don’t know what I expected for Janine but to see her back at Eye HQ, probably about to become a Handmaid again, and for the scene to somehow feel like it’s focusing on Lydia’s pain? Makes me feel sick.

Also seeing the Waterfords being applauded... making that the legacy of June’s testimony...ugh. I understand maybe why they did it, they’re shining a light on all the misguided right-wing bs that exists in society today. How there are people in the world who find ways and reasons to support these kinds of monsters. I just... it was such a climactic moment, right? For June to finally testify against Fred? For him to face his charges? And it ends up being a victorious moment for him and Serena? Fuuuuck that. I hope it’s temporary and karma comes around for them but I’m so almost done with this show that I don’t really care any more.

side rant: How fucking unrealistic was it that they even let Fred speak to June in the courtroom. And let him go on. Give me a fucking break. And also that they just let her walk away...?

I feel weird criticising anything June does because who am I to judge how she deals with pain for what she’s been through, right? But again I just feel like... it’s a fictional story. It should have a purpose, right? I don’t understand what the writer’s intentions are. Are we meant to be disturbed by her actions (with Emily? with Luke?) I think so? I don’t understand what the end goal is with how they are writing her? Am I just a perfectionist that wants happy endings for everyone and people to heal in unrealistic ways? Maybe. I didn’t expect it all to be plain sailing once she got to Canada... of course not, but I don’t like how she’s dictating how other people deal with their own trauma, like she’s some kind of therapist. I want people sitting in a room and crying and going through shit together and connecting. I don’t want endless shots of people staring into space and talking about ways they’d like to kill people. I totally get that they are all dealing with trauma, that they are not perfect people, but I just don’t like how they are painting what June does to be the right thing and not just the actions of someone who is hugely traumatised and needing help herself (and seemingly not receiving it currently)? Again, I repeat: it’s not what June is doing that I have an issue with, but the way it’s framed in the show as some kind of victory, or the “right thing”. I don’t get what they’re trying to do.

The fucking PINNACLE of this for me was the ending of S4E1 where they have June hand Mrs Keyes a murder weapon in front of her rapist and say “make me proud” and there’s never a question, there’s not even a NOTE, that maybe this isn’t how this situation should be dealt with. That maybe having a minor kill her rapist and then climb in to bed with June covered in his blood and tell her “I love you” (iirc) as the ending note of the episode isn’t healthy. This is the sick feeling that has been in my mouth since the beginning of S4 and I think it began with this scene.

Lydia. What the fuck even is Lydia’s storyline, beyond just wanting to keep Ann Dowd on our screens? She feels unworthy or like she has to prove herself or something. We get it. I don’t give a shit. She’s a monster who didn’t even have a backstory that made me understand on some level why she is the way she is. Why are we focusing on her pain over Janine? WHY.

Moira. To be honest Moira is the best thing about this show for me currently. She’s making me able to cope with it, because she keeps saying the things that I’m thinking in her scenes, and I’m so grateful for it, because it makes me feel like I’m not going crazy to be hating some of the things I’m seeing. Samira Wiley is a delight to have on the show.

Luke. I feel like... he’s a character that, in my opinion, they are getting right. His scenes don’t feel jarring to me (in terms of what the character is doing). That’s not to say that I don’t find some of his behaviour jarring, but I feel like... he’s not a caricature, he’s still a human character that has flaws and redeeming qualities. I think OT is playing the scenes really well. Of course it’s fucked up that he went to the trial without June’s permission. But I feel like Luke would do that. Especially when June isn’t talking to him about any of it, and he feels like he needs to understand it to make sense of the impact it’s having. Of course he’s ludicrous to suggest they can just “move on”. But he’s a human who desperately wants June back, the way he remembers her, the memory he’s been clinging on to her for 7? years and is in denial that that can’t be any more. I don’t have to think the character himself is perfect to still find the scenes interesting and content that I appreciate because it’s scenes that explore the complexities of human relationships. Societal expectations of husbands and wives. Exploring that. The pressure on women to feel like they have to produce children or they are a disappointment. Representation that you can be sexually assaulted by someone who is your girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband and not only by dangerous strangers in dark alleyways. That that could happen (to a man, too) and that they could choose to stay with her/him. That they couldn’t feel like they could talk about it (because who is there to talk about it with?)

Lawrence. Again it just feels like he’s on our screen for no purpose other than to include Bradley Whitford in the show. I don’t understand what his root motivation is, or what his goals are in what he is doing (does he want Gilead to continue? does he secretly want to bring it down? I’ve got no idea). I really have no interest in his character other than the fact that Bradley is a good actor and I think it’s interesting to watch him.

Rita. I’ve enjoyed her scenes too. I don’t really have much to say about them because I haven’t had a problem with them, only that I wish she was in it more, perhaps to bring out June’s human side a bit more. Their reunion in hug in the last episode was one of my favourite moments this season, because they can relate to each other on a level the others can’t. They lived in the same house.

Emily. Again, I feel the same way about her as I feel about Rita really. I feel like they just dip into her character on an occasional episode and go “tick. we’ve focused on Emily this episode. let’s move on.”

Nick. As you may or may not know reading this, my involvement in the THT fandom has largely been as a Nick/June shipper (you can go back in my nick x june tag to see this). When I talk about “elements of hope and love and goodness amongst the bad that were ‘worth’ the pain of watching it for me”, I’m really talking about N/J. So I have a lot of feelings about Nick. I could go on a whole rant here (narrator: she ended up going on a whole rant here) about how I wish Nick was acknowledged more, how I feel like his writing (when it actually exists) this season has been weird, how I feel like he’s no longer the character that I loved from Seasons 1 & 2. I think what it boils down to is, that they fucked Nick up for me (personally) when he went from “just a driver” to a Commander. I didn’t find it realistic and I don’t think it’s what they had planned for him, I think they’re just making it up from season to season and this is NEVER more apparent than with Nick. How he’s gone from washing Waterford’s car and an Eye for Pryce to apparently “leading the battle in Chicago”. And I’ve gone through weeks, months, years, of discussions with other Nick fans about this, some of whom feel the new backstory is still valid for him and makes sense, some who don’t. Some who can justify his scenes this season, others who find it jarring like me. Again, it’s a personal thing and I want so badly to love this character but honestly I feel like he’s either just neglected (most of the time) or he’s a character they just use to create storylines for other people with no real care or consistency for his own arc (edited to add: also I think they just use him to create this false sense of tension: “is he good??? is he bad???”, when anyone who paid even an iota of attention to him in the past knows he has THE SOFTEST HEART IN THE WORLD and would never betray June). He hasn’t even mentioned his daughter in two seasons (only in a discussion prompted by June in 3.06). THAT is not the Nick I know from Season 2 who cried as he held his daughter for the first and only time. I WANT THIS CHARACTER BACK. I don’t trust the writers with his story any more and it makes me sad and it makes me less invested. And I’ve felt like this since the beginning of Season 3. That’s not to say I’ve hated all his scenes but... there’s just not enough good content for me to still be invested at this point. Scenes like the bridge scene in Season 4... the display of emotion in that scene was clear but in the context of the rest of the show, I didn’t buy it. If you want me to believe that June still feels strongly enough about him that she’s going to run romantically across a bridge to him into his arms like a scene out of The Notebook or The Bodyguard, then maybe have her speak about him to ANY CHARACTER, or any voice over, once she gets to Canada (and I don’t really include the one line mentioning him to Nichole). Because otherwise, that bridge scene just feels like pandering to me, again it just feels like boxticking (”let’s keep the Nick/June fans happy”) and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m still grieving for the Nick/June scenes from Seasons 1 and 2 that felt so much more authentic to me than the bridge kiss, because they had context and they weren’t a sidenote, because Nick actually appeared more than once every 3 episodes.

Am I done with my rant? I think I’m done with my rant.

#the handmaid's tale

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valleydean · 3 years

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sometimes i do stop and think how weird it is that i’m a lesbian but put so much of my focus on m/m fics, and i DO have a lot of f/f ships that i care about, i just don’t have the need to have fic about them.

for me personally, when i have a desire to read/write fanfic of ship, there’s a perfect storm of three things happening: 1. intense sexual/romantic chemistry between the characters 2. i heavily identify with one or both 3. it’s currently NOT canon.

most f/f pairings don’t tick all three. willow and tara from btvs had a lot of chemistry and i related to both, but other than fix it fic for tara’s [spoilers redacted], i don’t have the urge to alter their story. it’s already all there.

allison and lydia from teen wolf had chemistry, and never got together but i feel so removed from them both, and it’s difficult to want to read about people i just simply don’t relate to.

and as for lack of chemistry, thats most non-canon f/f interactions for me honestly. casual physical and emotional intimacy is so normalized between women, that it rarely reads as anything other than platonic to me. it’s not as often charged the way it feels when men break that intimacy barrier between each other.

yeah, i think that's really interesting, especially the last thing you said but i'll come back to that.

i feel like what you said is also true for me. like, using dean and cas as an example because it's who i mostly (exclusively, in recent years) write about... it's not so much about altering their relationship because, like you said, they're one of those pairings that has intense chemistry and they especially fulfill the partner/spouse role for one another within the context of the show to a degree that any argument for the opposite can be shot down almost immediately lmao. so for me, it's kinda like.... about exploring their emotions for one another in aus and then filling in the "canon" gaps. and yeah i mean, i relate a lot to dean so i like to explore myself through him as a character. and i care about cas and want more for him that what he was given by the writers of the show (thee most character of all time)

but going back to your point on f/f ships - i feel the same because, especially in recent years, f/f ships are more likely to be canon than not, so the satisfaction of seeing that relationship played out on screen is already there. and that's because lesbianism has always been more widely "accepted" in society than m/m relationships, because, to be frank, two women together fulfills the male gaze. that's really what it comes down to. so - this is a tangent but - media today is all about f/f relationships because it checks off two boxes: queer and female. and i'm NOT saying f/f relationships aren't extremely important to show in media!!! because they ABSOLUTELY are - but it's also the media having their queer cake and eating it too because lesbianism is "safer" to depict than gay men or bisexuals or any other sexual identity. they still very much shy away from m/m relationships that go beyond subtext because it is still harder to sell to the public (read: straight men.)

but anyway!! yeah, there's always the societal norm that you talked about regarding how women are platonically "allowed" to be affectionate with each other, so any f/f chemistry can also be read as platonic. whereas, it's different for the depiction of men in the media. and while i think it's very important to show male relationships with affection and openness and emotional vulnerability, a lot of times, writers will more lean into queerbaiting and exaggerate the intimacy in male friendships to a point where it becomes exceedingly homoerotic. (to use destiel as an example again - and i've said this before - gay subtext is only viable for 3-5 seasons of a show. not 12. after a while, subtext builds up and just straight up becomes text to a point where these two dudes actually being revealed as being in love is the only possible outcome for their stories. but destiel is also a pretty rare case. but we still see instances of subtext becoming so exaggerated and leaned into that it gets pushed into the realm of text in other pieces of media, too.)

and btw, i feel the same way about hetero relationships in media - but it's in a way that's almost opposite from canon f/f relationships and non-canon m/m relationships. because like, a girl and a guy pick up a pencil at the same time and i'm expected to believe it's true love right off the bat! there doesn't have to be any romantic subtext or chemistry or, in fact, friendship between two straight characters first. they don't have to prove anything. BUT, if they are just friends, they have to prove THAT (and then a lot of times they end up being romantically involved anyway)

it's just interesting to see what relationships are "allowed" in media and what are "taken for granted" and what has to be "proven." and yeah, it's interesting to explore all of that in fanfiction and to see where exactly the disconnect is between an audience and the piece of media's intent with those relationships.

i don't think i answered your ask very well and i kinda went off on my own tangent lmao buttttttttt good talk

#ask

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normal-thoughts-official · 4 years

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"nothing is more white fan culture than obsessively consuming white dude shows, acting like it's a shock when they hate women/gays, but never engaging w other media bc your truest kink is proximal privilege mixed with shit to be self righteous about" -from a tweet and it sums up spn, but also many other fandoms, really well tbh

YES!! YES!!! THAT'S EXACTLY IT!!!!!!! and like u said not only spn and not even just in white dude shows, i see this tendency very clearly even - or maybe especially - in shows that actually are diverse

it's the same thing with tog fandom the obsession with bi booker (the one relevant character other than the straight up villains who is actually straight-coded lmao) despite the fact that tog has a canon queer couple and two heavily queer coded characters, plus a black woman with no hints to her sexuality/gender identity that could be hced as queer just as well, yet never is. and the bi booker hc thing gets to the point where i've seen "tog + text posts" style posts and others where booker was the oNLY character to get queer-related posts. the ONLY one. despite us having FOUR actually queer characters. f o u r. and him being the only one who has absolutely nothing pointing to queerness

or with sh fandom and that infamous "sh pride edits" post that gave more attention to the straight characters than the canonically queer ones, lmao, going as far as literally not mentioning the canon wlw to focus on clary and jace, who are very obviously straight in-text, and other minor white straight characters (the straight characters of color obviously didn't get the same treatment as their white counterparts). or the hype over latino alec, who is very obviously white, and that literally ignores headcanoning, like, izzy and maryse, the ones actually played by woc at least, as latinas as well. and of course i'm not even gonna mention how the actual latino characters are treated by the same people who nut all over themselves at the idea of latino alec. and we all know that, as racist as sh is, screen time has nothing to do with this, cuz lack of screen time never stopped this fandom from obsessing with lydia, max, or underhill, all characters that have considerably less screen time than raphael. and i'm pretty sure max and underhill have less screen time than even bat. i mean, for starters, bat had an actual struggle shown on-screen. neither of the other three can say the same

or the b99 fandom which (problematics of the show aside) loves and adores the idea of bi jake, but rarely ever talks about rosa, the canon bi character. or even the canon gay couple, which one would expect would get a lot of attention, yet is rarely mentioned

and i could go on, but my point is that yes, even in fandoms for pieces of media that actually are diverse (with varying degrees of handling that diversity well) the fandom as a rule always picks the ones that aren't to obsess with and project diversity unto, even queer fans. and it's so obvious and plain to see it's honestly almost insulting

#salt #discourse #anti sh #anti b99 #anti tog #anti sh fandom #anti b99 fandom #anti tog fandom #ask #anonymous #anti spn #anti spn fandom

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fmdxsuji · 3 years

Text

restructuring task #1: changes (+5 tracker points)

assuming your muse has changed in some way, be it internally or as a result of a change of the external factors around them, how is your muse different? these can be as small as an opinion on a song they hadn’t released previously or as big as a major change in their background. // wc: 250

suji has gone through very little changes when it comes to her background. she still is born in birmingham, still doesn’t feel like she belongs, still has very overbearing parents who wanted both their children to become mathematicians or something. nevertheless, i did decide to rename suji’s sister because i don’t know what i was thinking when i decided to name her cheryl! her sister’s now named lydia but still has the korean name of sumin. i’ve also given her an official job so lydia works at some trading company. suji’s relationship with lydia wasn’t as bad as i made it out to be in the beginning and while her older sister still had some kind of resentment over the fact that suji managed to escape their parents’ controlling lives, the grudge didn’t last eight years like it did in suji version 1.0. however, the conflict between her parents and suji still exists as they’re still not completely approving of their daughter being an idol.

other than that, suji remains even less changed than hyeju does when it comes to her personality and attitude. she’s still a complete professional and believes in keeping up with a reputation that’s given to her since that comes with the job. she still loves writing in her diary and jotting down lyrics here and there. she’s still a hopeless romantic that dreams of fighting the right love one day, and she’s still quite sweet as ever when it comes to her interacting with others!

what does your muse think of their company and their group? // wc: 295

as odd as it may seem, she doesn’t actually have that many problems with gold star as a company. there are times when it becomes apparent that the company is still rather new (seeing that it was formed in 2009), but she thinks that their ceo having been an artist herself plays a lot into how management works. there’s times where she does feel like she’s genuinely heard by the executives even if that may be a naive thought to have. nevertheless, she understands gold star is still a business at the end of the day, but she knows that about her line of work. she also wouldn’t be surprised if gold star decides to drop equinox one day if they stop bringing in money. suji simply understands how this business works, and she knows that she’s merely a pawn in the middle of all of it.

equinox, on the other hand, she cherishes a lot more. she does see debuting as a sort of escape from her old life back in england so there’s a lot of underlying appreciation for the group. while she may not be super tight-knit with all her members (keeping this vague since things haven’t been thoroughly plotted out just yet) she still hopes that the group can continue to release music together. she thinks equinox is quite unique in the industry with how much variety their discography has, and she would like to keep that label even if it means releasing songs as bizarre as zimzalabim. with her solo promotions becoming more and more frequent, people may think she’s lost any kind of attachment she has to the group but that’s completely false. at the end of the day, she’ll continue to prioritize the group over her own activities.

is your muse on their first contract or their second? if they’ve renewed, what were their feelings around that at the time and what were their hopes for their second contract? if they haven’t renewed, what are their current thoughts on the end of their eventual first contract? // wc: 274

just recently, suji renewed her contract with gold star as equinox has recently passed their seventh year mark. truthfully, resigning with gold star wasn’t all that difficult because her mind was made already. she doesn’t have any personal problems with the company, and she believes she’d been given a lot of opportunities during her years there so there weren’t any specific reasons why she wouldn’t sign with them. sure, she had some minor complaints here and there (in title track decision making at times), but nothing big enough where she was leaning towards not resigning with them. the decision of the other equinox members were quite important, however, because she would have liked to continue promoting as equinox even after the seven years. she’s thankful that the rest of her members have agreed as well.

if there’s one thing she might hope for, it’ll most likely be related to music. she’s been quite lucky so far that the company had been quite trusting of her abilities to write her own music though there has been some tight leashes on her to release a certain type of music after her first solo mini album did very well. however, those leashes have been beginning to get loosened, and she’s hoping it stays that way because she’s been wanting to explore some different sounds herself. she’d also appreciate if they were more organized when it came to notifying her of her solo releases because there have been times where she was given a date that was only about a month and a half away which isn’t nearly enough time for her to come up with satisfying results.

what are your muse’s goals and motivations? // wc: 261

ultimately, suji simply hopes to continue to be able to release music. of course, ideally she’d be able to continue her career with equinox as far as the group takes her because that’s not a decision she can make on her own. however, she’s also aware that idol groups aren’t meant to last forever. when the day comes that the group eventually comes to an end, she’d want to continue staying in the industry somehow. she sees artists like lyn and baek jiyoung who continue to release music and do well, and she hopes that she can be able to have a long career like that as well. if that doesn’t work out, however, she’d like to stay behind the scenes and continue to write music. all her goals do involve music in some way as that’s what she doesn’t fail to continue to be passionate about.

her motivation mostly comes from people who leave comments about how much comfort her music gives them or how much they enjoy listening to her voice. without sounding too cocky, suji does think that she’s a pretty good singer, and she’d like to continue to use it to help others out. it’s also why she thinks she does well with traditional ballads because most of those involve minimal instrumentation and rely heavily on solely her voice.

while she doesn’t dream of leaving some long legacy with her name, she hopes that even in the future, people will listen to her music and remember her as someone who gifted them with good songs and performances.

what is one conflict, internal or external, that your muse is currently dealing with, has recently dealt with, or will need to deal with in the future? // wc: 294

currently, her biggest conflict is, funnily enough, getting over a heartbreak. she had confessed to a long term best friend about her feelings towards him and then she got ghosted so she’s still in a what is going on kind of phase. of course, she’s using this time to write music that hopefully can continue to come out (as they were points claimed), but she’s very focused on writing songs right now as that’s all she can focus on. that and of course equinox promotions as tiki taka promotions ended not too long ago.

there’s still the problem with her parents too. they’re not as intense as famed 1.0 suji, but there’s still some lingering conflicts involving them. since it’s been seven years since equinox’s debut, they’ve stopped hoping that suji returns to england and go back to being a student or whatever, but both sides (meaning suji and her parents) are sort of unsure how to bridge back this gap that’s formed between them. it’s like the physical distance between them has also caused an emotional one to form, and suji’s not sure how to go back to being her parent’s daughter if that makes any sense. it’s something i hope to continue to explore and eventually solve just as i did back when suji and her sister resolved their problems.

something less minor that’s been on my mind is how overworked suji has been since 2020 with the music she’s released (mostly my fault when it came to managing her claims). she’s not a complete workaholic anymore as she’s grown to learn how to manage her actual life and her professional life, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t ambitious about her career. she could potentially be getting sick in the future physically.

if your muse has established career claims, what are their thoughts on their career so far? if they do not, how do they feel about not having individual activities yet? what would they like to do in the future, if anything? if they don’t have ambitions for individual activities, explain why. // wc: 374

suji’s established career claims are in the following categories: music, variety and creative claims.

music seems almost straight forward seeing that she’s equinox’s main vocalist. it made sense to give her some solo ost’s especially since she has several chart-topping ones that were claimed with points. main vocalists having ost’s even as rookies seems to be a typical thing. most of her ost’s are emotionally driven one of suji’s strongest points is how well she can deliver emotion through her singing, and it’s also why i decided she gets a lot of ost offers to this day! she loves singing ost’s because it’s pretty low effort, and the recognition that comes with one that’s attached to a popular television drama is quite a lot. some people might not know who suji is but they would know one of her ost’s.

variety was an easy way for gold star to get suji’s name out there. while she doesn’t have any fixed roles with her established claims, she’s been on several things here and there. the most notable appearance is probably her problematic man guest role because it fit into everything that the company ever wanted for her image. the smart label that’s been put onto her only got emphasized even further with her one-episode guest appearance. suji doesn’t think she’s the best at variety shows but she’s not shabby either. a lot of times, she ends up becoming the center of jokes and she doesn’t mind since she knows somebody has to take up that role. shows where she has to interact with regular people are oddly comforting to her, and she’s been praised before at being great at interacting with others.

creative claims was also another sort of definite choice for suji. she’s always been interested in writing music and now her self-written solo debut makes more sense since she’s had the experience before by participating in equinox’s songs before. none of the title tracks, but she’s had a hand in their b-sides. the catalyst track thrown in there was mostly to show her experimenting with sounds that wouldn’t work for herself. a push to step outside the box most likely started by some of her other songwriting friends and mentors within the company.

#famedrstask1 #( ♡ * // headcanon. )

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tw-anchor · 4 years

Text

33. Olivia and Lydia vs. The Darach

Anchor

Stiles Stilinski x Original Character

Episode: 3x09; The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Word Count: 7,103

Warning(s): Mature language, canon violence + gore, attempted murder of main character, kidnapping, sacrifices

Author’s Note: Sorry for not updating in a while. My Gram is in hospice and I haven’t been into writing. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please make sure to reblog, like, and let me know what you think!

Masterlink in Pinned Post!

Olivia had only been to Peter's apartment downtown once before, and that was to bring over a polite welcome-home casserole that he probably didn't eat. Now, she had business to attend to. She had questions for Peter. Questions about herself and Lydia.

Only a half-hour before she made her way downtown to talk to Peter, she left Lydia in her bedroom after a couple of bad hours. Lydia and Olivia had been going out for ice cream with Allison before they went back to their house for a girls' night, when Lydia drove them to the school. Not only had Lydia been drawn to the area—just like she had the night she found the body at the pool—but Olivia, herself, had felt the same thing as Lydia.

She just didn't know if it was because she and Lydia shared abilities or because she was so connected to Lydia due to their shared DNA or relationship. Her only option for answers was to go to her father.

"All right, tell me again what happened," Peter blinked the sleep out of his eyes; it was around one in the morning when Olivia knocked on his door and woke him from a deep sleep.

"Lydia found another dead body," Olivia repeated herself. "What ever your bite did to her, it led her to the body and I felt it to. Now, I know you bit Lydia for a reason. That's why she was able to bring you back with that ritual. I want to know what she is and how it's affecting me."

Peter sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead, exhausted. "Okay."

"I want the truth," she said firmly before he could begin. "No changing the story this time."

"All right, fine," he agreed. "To start off, you have to know what your mother was. Grace was eighteen when she inherited her abilities. She was a banshee."

"A banshee," Olivia repeated in slight belief; she hadn't known that banshees were a real thing. They weren't even in the Argent bestiary.

"A wailing woman, harbinger of death, same thing. They're not really like the Irish myths. They don't attach themselves to a family line, and their echoes don't cause death, either" he informed her. "Only females can be banshees and their abilities are inherited from their bloodline."

Olivia knew what he was getting at. "So, Mom got her banshee abilities from Nana Lorraine and because Uncle Thomas is a male, he passed it down to Lydia."

Peter nodded. "Exactly. The only reason you're not a banshee is because the werewolf genes you got from me. Anchorams are rare, very rare, but there have been two recorded instances before."

"As results of a banshee and werewolf union," Olivia assumed.

"Yes. You're neither werewolf nor banshee, but instead you have some abilities of both," he crossed his arms over his chest. "Instead of predicting just anyone's death, you're connected to your pack—that's the werewolf part of you. That's why you knew Boyd was going to die."

Okay, that made sense. It also explained the screams that came out of her when her pack members were in deep trouble, like when Erica had her seizure from the kanima venom or when Mrs. Argent was trying to kill Scott. It was the banshee side of her.

"So, that's how I'm connected to Lydia."

"Banshees are drawn to each other. And you're related to Lydia, which gives you two a deeper connection. On your own, you wouldn't have felt the dead body tonight, but because you were with Lydia, you did."

"But I can hear her scream even if I'm far away," Olivia pointed out. "That night when Boyd and Cora were out of control, I could hear her scream from the public pool. I screamed with her."

"It might have been because it was the first time her powers really came through," Peter said thoughtfully. "I mean, other than the time when I got into her head."

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him, wishing he hadn't brought that up. It still infuriated her that he took advantage of Lydia when she was in such a delicate place.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Sorry," he apologized without meaning it. "Everyone is different, though, and since you're, what, the third Anchoram in history, some things we're gonna have to figure out as we go."

Olivia nodded. She realized that. It was just hard to comprehend. She hadn't even gotten to the bottom of her collection of abilities, and already she had a lot. It was a little daunting to know that she had more to learn to learn about her abilities, along with honing them.

"Okay," she said finally. "Can you tell me more about banshees?"

"Sure thing, sweet pea."

"So, I can find dead bodies," Lydia scoffed as Olivia pulled into the school's parking lot. "You know what, I can already tell that this banshee thing is gonna be a pain in the ass."

"You can do more than that, though," Olivia reminded her while parking next to Stiles' Jeep; it was empty, but she knew—thanks to his text message—that he was going to eavesdrop on his dad, who was supposed to be talking to the principal before school started. "You'll experience something like me, like the whispers or the warnings in your head."

"Yeah, and you handle those so well," Lydia grumbled.

"I know I don't, but they also help," Olivia stated firmly. "I know when my pack is in danger and it helps because most of the time, I have a warning and we can stop whatever is supposed to happen. You'll know if someone's dying, Lyds. What if you're able to stop it?"

They got out of the Olivia's new car—courtesy of the insurance company and Peter, who wanted to spoil her instead of being a good parent—and started making their way up to the school. Olivia was supposed to meet Stiles by the main office but she wanted to make sure Lydia was okay before she left her.

"I guess you have a point," Lydia conceded finally. "It's just a little..."

"Scary?" Olivia offered; Lydia nodded. "I know. But I'm gonna be there for you, Lydia, I swear. You don't have to go through any of this alone."

Lydia sighed and pulled Olivia into a tight hug. "I love you," she rubbed Olivia's back; Olivia awkwardly patted her back, making Lydia laugh. "I know, I know. No PDA."

"It's okay," Olivia assured her as they parted. "I love you too, by the way."

"I know you do," the corners of Lydia's eyes crinkled as she studied her cousin and the awkward face she was making. "You know, the fact that you can only be lovey-dovey with Stiles is really disappointing."

"That's not true," Olivia said adamantly. "I'm lovey-dovey with you, too. I just don't like showing my affection for people out in public."

"It's the Hale in you," Lydia shook her head with a smile. "All right, you're released. Go on and meet Stiles."

"Thanks," hurriedly, Olivia kissed Lydia's cheek and ran away from her, waving teasingly. "Love you!"

She knew that her show of her love would amuse Lydia. It was the only reason why she did that. She had to make an exception for her person.

Outside of the main office, Stiles hid behind a pillar. His eyes were sharp and his ears were perked as he spied on his father, one of his deputies, and the principal. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear much. In fact, the only thing he did hear was Noah excusing himself from the conversation when he locked eyes with Stiles.

"Hey!" Stiles frantically pulled his backpack up over his head as he rushed to get away from his dad; unfortunately, Noah was pretty quick for a man in his forties. "Hey, hey, hey, back it up," he sighed and turned to face his father. "I know what you're thinking. I know you've got all these ideas about patterns and people dying in threes—"

Stiles cut him off. "Dad, they were murdered," he then corrected himself. "Sacrificed, actually."

"I've got half the state, including the FBI coming in on this," Noah told him. "They're not getting away with killing one of our own."

Stiles almost deflated at his father's words. Up until then, he hadn't thought about just who was sacrificed. It was Deputy Tara. She had been Noah's right-hand woman ever since he was elected to be sheriff, and she was a big part of Stiles' life after his mom died. She used to bake him cookies and helped him with his homework when he was having trouble. She was a good woman.

"Dad, they killed Tara," his voice was shakier than he cared to admit. "You know, how many times did she help me with my math homework when I had to wait at the station for you?"

Noah inhaled deeply and Stiles could see the sadness in his eyes. "Just, uh, get to class, okay?" he nodded behind Stiles and greeted Olivia, who Stiles hadn't even noticed had walked over to them. "Hi, Olivia."

"Hi, Sheriff," Olivia waved at him politely.

Noah went back to his conversation with the deputy and the principal, leaving Stiles and Olivia to themselves.

Olivia gave him a sympathetic look. "How are you feeling?"

"Not the greatest, but I'll live," Stiles took her hand and locked their fingers together.

"Well, if you need to talk, I'm here," she promised him, letting go of his hand and ignoring the pout he sent her to wrap her arm around his waist.

"What happened to no public displays of affection?"

"I'll think I'll make an exception for just today."

"Just today?" Stiles stopped walking and when she tilted her head up to look at him, grinned down at her.

"Just today."

"Well, then I better make the most of it," he remarked before ducking his head and slamming his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. She easily returned his affection but when he attempted to slip his tongue into her mouth, she pulled back. "Sorry, too much."

"A little," Olivia laughed. "Come on, we have English and I don't want Ms. Blake to tell on me to Derek."

"Would she really do that?"

"God, I hope not."

"Idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes; all tools the writer uses to tell their story," Ms. Blake stated as she walked around the classroom. She paused in between Olivia and Lydia's desks, glancing down at Lydia's drawing of a tree. "Lydia, I wasn't aware you had so many hidden talents."

"You and ever guy I've ever dated," Lydia smirked up at her, causing Olivia to snicker.

"Oh," Ms. Blake was surprised by her reply. "um, well, that was an idiom, by the way. Idioms are something of a secret to the people who know the language or the culture..."

Olivia did not like the meaningful look that Ms. Blake gave her, Stiles, Scott, and Lydia. They all knew that she knew about werewolves—she was there when Boyd died, after all—but they didn't need her to act like an amateur and blow the big secret by acting nervous.

"They're phrases that only make sense if you know key words," she continued. "Saying 'jump the gun' is meaningful only if you know about the starting gun in a race, or a phrase like 'seeing the whole board.'"

"Like chess," Stiles offered.

"That's right, Stiles," Ms. Blake smiled down at him. "Do you play?"

"Uh, no," Stiles shook his head. "My father does."

Ms. Blake smiled at him again and faced the rest of the class. "Now, when does an idiom become a cliché?"

Olivia raised her hand to answer and Ms. Blake gave her the go-ahead.

"When you say the idiom too much," she reported. "It's like saying, 'it's raining cats and dogs,' Eventually it'll catch and more people will say it. It's an overused idiom."

"Great answer, Olivia," Ms. Blake grinned at her and then went on with her lesson.

Once Ms. Blake was far enough away that they could whisper to each other, Scott leaned over in his seat to speak to Stiles and Olivia. "I think I can get to Ethan. I'm pretty sure I can make him talk."

Olivia scowled at the mention of one-half of the alpha twins while Stiles asked, "What do you want to do that for?"

"The druids are emissaries, right?" Scott pointed out. "What if the Darach was an emissary to the alphas?"

Olivia pressed her lips together in agreement. "You've got a point."

"Thank you," Scott grinned at her and then turned to Stiles to wait for his response. "So?"

"So, I can't believe that we've gotten to the point where a sentence like 'what if the Darach was an emissary to the alphas?' actually makes sense to me," Stiles huffed. "Second of all, we're gonna have a huge problem getting to Ethan."

"What's that?"

"Going through Aiden," Stiles stated matter-of-factly. "Ever since he's been back at school, they're always together. How are we gonna separate them again?"

Eyebrows furrowing, Olivia tried to think of something that would distract Aiden. She didn't like the guy whatsoever, so the only thing she knew about him was that he liked to hook up with Lydia in Coach's office.

Wait.

"I have an idea," she spoke up. When the boys looked at her curiously, she nodded toward Lydia, who was still concentrating on her spooky drawing of the tree.

Feeling eyes on her, Lydia looked up at them and sighed, "What now?"

Just staring at Ethan's face made Olivia want to slap the shit out of him. Normally, she would think that she'd be somewhat friends with Ethan. But with the situation they were in now, she doubted that she would ever want to be. She didn't see what happened with Boyd, but Isaac had given her some details. She knew that Ethan and Aiden had picked up Boyd's electrocuted body and dropped him onto Derek's claws. She knew that they watched as Derek's claws ripped up his internal organs, and she knew that they walked away without a care that they had left a teenage boy dead behind them.

However, at least she wasn't joining Stiles and Scott in order to talk to Aiden. She didn't know if she could even look at his stupid smug face without attacking him. She didn't even care if he was ten times stronger than her. Ideally, she'd be able to calm his ass down and then Stiles or Allison could get the drop on him. Lord knows that Scott wouldn't.

"Why are you even talking to me?" Ethan asked, his eyes flitting between the three of them. "I helped kill your friend. How do you know I'm not gonna kill another one?"

Olivia gritted her teeth at his words and when he looked at her toward the end of his question, she stiffened. Stiles did, too. In fact, his temper flared at the way the alpha talked about Boyd and how he had the audacity to look at Olivia, like she hadn't been affected by Boyd's death.

"Are you look at her? Are you threatening her?" he snapped at him, standing up straight and stepping closer to Olivia. "You know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to break off an extra-large branch of mountain ash, wrap it in wolfsbane, roll it in mistletoe, and shove it up your fucking ass, you absolute dick—"

"Okay, Stiles," Scott cut him off nervously, while Olivia gently grabbed his arm and reached through their tether to calm him down. She loved that he was willing to stand up to an alpha to protect her, but she didn't want him to get hurt. "Woah, we get it."

Stiles gave Scott an irritated look and wrapped his arm around Olivia's shoulders, exhaling deeply as his anger started to concede.

"Look," Scott looked back at Ethan, who had been staring at Stiles blankly throughout his whole rant. "We're talking to you because I know that you didn't want to kill Boyd. And I think that if something like that happened now, you wouldn't do it again."

Ethan shook his head shortly. "You don't know what we owe them, especially Deucalion," he told the three of them. "We're weren't like Kali and Ennis when we met him. We weren't alphas."

"What were you?" Scott asked.

"Omegas," Olivia frowned at Ethan's answer; he and Aiden really didn't deserve any sympathy but she was going soft and couldn't help but feel a bud of it. Being the type of omega that had a pack—not ones who chose to be by themselves, like Derek had been—was said to be horrible. "In actual wolf packs, omegas are the scapegoat; the last to eat, the one who has to take the abuse from the rest of the pack."

Stiles raised his eyebrows. "So you and your brother were, like, the bitches of the pack?"

Olivia hid the smirk that threatened to spread her lips and nudged Stiles as Ethan gave him an annoyed look. "Something like that."

"What happened?" she spoke up instead, wanting to know how he and Aiden managed to make it into the alpha pack.

"They were killers," Ethan shook his head in disgust, which Olivia found to be ironic. "I mean, people talk about us as monsters. Well, they were the ones who gave us the reputation. And our alpha was the worst of them."

"Why didn't you guys just fight back?" Stiles brought up a good point. "Form Voltron-Wolf, you know, and kick everyone's asses?"

"We couldn't," Ethan stated flatly. "We didn't know how to control it back then."

"Deucalion taught you," Scott realized.

Ethan nodded. "And then, we fought. We took down the whole pack, one-by-one," his voice got a little vicious. "and by the time we got to our alpha, he was begging for his life. We tore him apart, literally."

"What about your emissary?" Ethan shook his head at Scott's question. "They're all dead? Kali and Ennis' too?"

"All of them except for Deucalion's," he confirmed.

"You mean Ms. Morrell?" Olivia gave him a pointed look and then paused as her mind seemed to leave her body and then zap right back into it. "Oh, my God."

Cora...Cora...Cora...

"Livvy, are you okay?" Stiles asked as Ethan grunted in pain.

"What's going on?" Scott asked both of them.

"My brother's hurt," Ethan answered at the same time as Olivia told Stiles, "Something's wrong with Cora."

It didn't take long for Stiles to put the pieces together; Cora and Aiden were obviously fighting somewhere nearby. "Where are they?" he asked as her eyes flashed back in forth between purple and blue. "Babe, you gotta focus."

"I...I," she stammered before she was able to pass through into Cora's tether and find out where she was. "They're in the boys' locker room."

The four of them took off into the empty hallways, trying to get to the boys' locker room before any more damage was done between Cora and Aiden. Luckily they weren't far from Coach's office and they made it to the locker room just in time to see Aiden whip Cora in the head with a fifty-pound weight.

"Stop, stop!" Olivia shouted as Scott and Ethan took a hold of Aiden on each of his arms. She didn't bother visualizing the anchor that she put on him, she was too angry about him hurting her cousin that it came easy to her.

Aiden's wolf features immediately melted away, calming down in his brother's hold.

"You can't do this," Ethan reminded Aiden as Olivia and Stiles knelt down by Lydia beside Cora's injured body.

"She came at me!" Aiden shouted. He would have growled, but Olivia's hold was still over him.

"It doesn't matter! Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. You can't touch him, Cora, or Olivia."

Stiles placed his hand on Olivia's back and glared up at the alpha twins. "Get the fuck out of here."

It looked like Aiden wanted to argue but Ethan wouldn't let him. Without a word, the twins left the locker room. Olivia hardly noticed, she was too focused on her cousin and the huge wound on her head that was pouring blood.

"She's really hurt," she said softly. She looked at Stiles and Scott and asked, "Can you help me get her up?"

Once Cora was up on her feet, Olivia escorted her over to the sinks. She got some paper towel and dampened it in order to wipe the blood off of her face. Cora was not pleased with her cousin's hovering and grunted a few times when Olivia cleaned the wound.

"Stay still," Olivia got some antibiotic cream from her bag and gently smeared it over the wound. "You're such a bad patient."

"Shuddup."

"Are you okay?" Scott asked Cora.

Lydia scoffed. "She doesn't look okay."'

Cora gave Lydia an irritated look and carefully pushed Olivia away from her. "I'll heal," Almost immediately after she took a step away from the sink, her legs weakened and she faltered. She would have fallen if Scott wasn't there to grab her and keep her steady. "I said I'm fine."

"Stop being so stubborn," Olivia sighed and wrapped an arm around her waist. At least Cora would let her help.

"Do you realize how suicidally crazy that was?" Stiles pointed out sternly. "What were you thinking going after them?"

"I did it for Boyd," Cora snapped back at him. "None of you were doing anything."

Olivia sighed. "You know that's not true, Cora."

"We're trying," Scott added.

"And you're failing," Cora addressed all her ire at Scott, Stiles, and Lydia. "You're just a bunch of stupid teenagers running around, thinking that you can stop people from getting killed, but all you do is show up late. All you really do is find the bodies."

"Cora, shut up," Olivia's voice had hardened as she turned and carefully dragged her cousin out of the locker room, not hearing Stiles' comment about the both of them definitely being part of the Hale family. "I know you're grieving and you're angry and hurt, but you can't say things like that to them."

"Why not? It's the truth."

"You shouldn't say it because we're trying our hardest to figure this out," Olivia stated, annoyed. "And I get it, I can feel Boyd's loss, too, but you can't take it out on people who are doing their best to help you and the whole town."

Cora let out a drawn-out sigh and winced when a flash of pain went through her head. "I'm not apologizing," she said stubbornly.

"That's fine. Just give them some slack."

"Hey!" they heard Stiles call from behind them; he was soon at their sides. "Do you need a ride?"

"Um, yeah," Olivia nodded. "I can leave my car here and pick it up later tonight."

"Sounds good."

Halfway to their journey to Derek's loft and after three attempts to make contact with Derek, Allison called them. She informed them that she and Isaac had been searching her dad's desk and found a Celtic knot that was labeled with each group of the sacrifices. She listed the groups of sacrifices that had already happened and then the two that had yet to come.

"Philosophers?" Olivia asked in surprised. What exactly did that mean? There were a lot of occupations or people that could easily fit into that category. It would be someone like Plato, or a teacher, or a scientist, or even a really smart person. But, at the same time, how did Deputy Tara fit in that category?

"And guardians," Allison added; that made more sense in Tara's case since she was a police officer. "which after last night, has to mean something like law enforcement. Stiles, you have to tell your dad. Tell him whatever you need but you have to get him to believe. Tell your dad, warn him."

"Okay, okay, okay," Stiles said quickly, his mind racing a mile a minute. "I know."

Olivia ended the call and looked at her boyfriend, seeing the anxious look on his face. "You're gonna tell him right?"

"I have to," Stiles nodded. "but I'm gonna need both of your guys' help."

Olivia nodded and took his hand from the steering wheel, squeezing it tightly. "Whatever you need."

Olivia watched from Stiles' bed as her boyfriend paced back and forth, trying to come up with something to tell his dad. Personally, she had never gone through telling a parent about the supernatural world and because she was pretty sure that Natalie had some sort of knowledge about it—and she was in deep, deep denial that Olivia and Lydia were a part of it—she wouldn't really need to. She couldn't put herself in Stiles' shoes properly and it annoyed the crap out of her because she wanted to be there for him like he was always there for her.

"Okay, okay, okay," Stiles murmured under his breath. "Yes, okay...No, no..."

"Stiles?" Noah cleared his throat.

Stiles quickly faced his dad. "Dad, I'm sorry. I'm just...I'm trying to...I'm just trying to figure out how to start here."

"Hey," Noah said sternly. 'I don't have this kind of time."

Stiles blew out a heavy breath, causing Olivia to speak up encouragingly, "Stiles, just start with the cases."

"Right, right, the cases," Stiles nodded jerkily and looked back at Noah. "Okay, um, for the last year, you've had all these cases that you couldn't figure out, right? I mean, all the murders involving Kate Argent, and then Matt killing all the people who drowned him, and all these murders right now. It's like...it's like you've been playing a losing game."

Noah stared at him, unimpressed. It was clear that he didn't know why Stiles was going through his "failed" cases. "Stiles, the last thing I need right now is a job performance review from my own son."

Stiles rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I know," he looked over at his dresser in order to pull his thoughts together and spotted the chess board he and his dad would play with from time to time. "Okay, see, but that's—that's just it, Dad."

He hurried to his dresser and grabbed the chess board, which folded into a case to keep all of the pieces together, and then set it on his desk. "The reason that you're losing the game is cause you've never been able to see the whole board," he opened the game and tossed out all the pieces. "I need to show you the whole board."

While Stiles carefully labeled each and every chess piece with sticky tabs, Olivia let Cora lean against her. She made sure that she didn't fall asleep, but soon she was swept up into an episode. She could hear Lydia screaming and it took all of her control—and biting down on the inside of her cheek—to make sure she didn't scream too (she didn't realize that it would have helped Stiles convince his dad that the supernatural life was real until afterward).

Noah did not look over at her—and therefore, did not see her purple eyes—because he was too concentrated on watching Stiles label and explain each supernatural creature and the names of his friends that matched up with them. By the time Olivia was pulled away from Lydia's tether and back in control of her mind, Noah was sufficiently caught up.

Well, kind of.

"Scott and Derek are werewolves," he said flatly, looking across the desk at Stiles.

"Yes."

"And Kate Argent was a werewolf?"

"Hunter," Stiles corrected him, pointing to the piece where he labeled Kate with a purple tab. "That's...Purple stands for hunter."

"Allison and her dad are hunters, too," Olivia told him, leaving out the part where they were supposed to be retired. If Mr. Argent and Allison were retired, then normal grandparents would be working overtime.

"Yeah," Noah gestured to Dr. Deaton's piece. "and my friend, Deaton, the veterinarian, is a kanima?"

"No, no, he's a druid, okay?" Stiles stated. "Well, we think."

Olivia and Cora exchanged a look. They didn't really think that Dr. Deaton was a druid, they were 99.9% positive that he was one. Then again, Olivia could see why Stiles said what he said, Noah could only handle so much.

"So, who's the kanima?"

"Jackson," Olivia responded, thinking of her friend; she missed him.

"No, Jackson's a werewolf."

"Jackson was the kanima first, and then Peter and Derek killed him and he came back to life as a werewolf," Stiles explained. "Now, he's in London."

Noah frowned. "Who's the da-rack?"

Stiles corrected his pronunciation. "It's da-rock."

"We don't know who the darach is," Olivia piped in.

Stiles pointed at her in agreement. "We don't know yet."

Noah blinked at them. "But he was killed by werewolves?"

"Slashed up and left for dead."

"We think."

Stiles pointed at Olivia again. "We think, yeah."

Noah sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "Why was Jackson the kanima?"

"'Cause sometimes, the shape that you take reflects the person that you are."

"And what shape would an increasingly confused and angrier-by-the-second father take?"

"Uh, that would be more of an expression like the one you're currently wearing," Stiles replied nervously.

"Yeah," Noah heaved himself off the chair and started toward the door.

Stiles scrambled out of his, too. "Dad—Dad, would you wait?" he begged his father. "I can prove it, okay? Cora's a werewolf and Livvy's an anchor. You ready?" he asked Olivia and Cora; they nodded and Olivia helped Cora stand. "All right, Dad, just watch this, okay?"

Olivia didn't know if Noah managed to see any sign of their supernatural nature or not. Cora's name popped up in her head and she was dragged down to the floor when Cora collapsed.

"I wished you would have answered my calls," Olivia muttered to Derek as they sat side-by-side in the hospital waiting room while Cora was being examined and placed in a room.

"I know, Ollie," Derek replied softly. "I'm sorry."

"I don't understand why she's not healing. She should have healed by now."

"We'll find out why she's not," Derek assured her and squeezed her hand. "I already called Peter. Hopefully he knows something we don't."

"Hopefully," Olivia sighed; her phone started vibrating in her hand. When she was that it was Scott, she excused herself from Derek and walked over to Stiles, where he was talking to Melissa. "Hey."

"Hey, is Stiles with you?"

"Yeah, hold on," she waved to Melissa silently and grabbed Stiles' arm, pulling him into an empty hallway; she put him on speaker. "Okay, you're on speaker."

"All right, it's philosophers as in teachers," Scott told them hurriedly. "Allison and her father just found Mr. Westover."

"That makes sense," Stiles glanced at Olivia. "Tara, she wasn't always a cop. She used to teach middle school."

"Then the last one's gonna be another teacher."

"There's close to a hundred teachers employed at the high school," Olivia pointed out worriedly. "There's even more at the middle and elementary schools."

"And they're all headed home," Stiles added.

"No, no they're not," Scott said after a few seconds of silence. "They're all going to the recital."

"Fuck," Stiles cursed in annoyance. "All right, I'm gonna go talk to my dad."

"I'll borrow Derek's truck and head over there now, Scott," Olivia took the call off speaker as Stiles walked away to find his dad. "I'll only be a couple of minutes."

"Okay, but Liv..."

Her eyebrows furrowed at the worry in Scott's voice. "What's wrong?"

"I talked to Morrell. She told me that the alpha pack wanted me because I'm supposed to be a true alpha."

"A true alpha?" she repeated in disbelief. "Wow, Scott."

She was impressed; true alphas only came around once in a while and the fact that their own Scott was going to be one was special.

"Yeah, but that's not the only thing she told me," Scott sighed; Olivia braced herself for more news. "She told me that the alphas want you, too. She said that anchors are rare and you have powers you haven't even untapped. Deucalion thinks you be a good addition to the pack."

Shit, shit, shit, shit...Olivia cursed herself. Why did I have to be a rare species?

"Well, that is not good," she breathed nervously before collecting herself. "but we can deal with it later. We need to stop the darach before someone else dies."

"Yeah, we do," Scott agreed. "All right, I'll see you in ten."

"Okay, be careful."

"You too, bye."

The recital had already started by the time Olivia arrived at the school. A storm was brewing overhead and the faint music she could hear coming from the auditorium made the environment even more eerie. She ran through the parking, wishing that she hadn't worn heels that day, and rushed into the building.

She got to the lobby but stopped right in her tracks outside the main part of the auditorium, her gaze taking on a purple tint. An indescribable feeling flashed through her body and then she moved, letting whatever the feeling was take her where she needed to go. It was like the time that Derek had been shot with the wolfsbane bullet and she was led on autopilot throughout the school until she found him.

Lydia...Lydia...Lydia...Lydia, Lydia, Lydia...

She found herself in the English hallway, automatically making her way to Ms. Blake's classroom in a daze. She stopped just outside of the classroom when she heard Lydia and Ms. Blake talking.

She didn't take time to listen to what they were saying. She stormed into the classroom but was immediately airborne. Her back hit the wall painfully and she was risen until her feet were a couple feet off the ground. She was stuck and she was useless.

"Glad you joined the party," Ms. Blake—no, fuck that, I am not giving her any respect by calling her anything but her stupid first name! –smirked at her. "I was wondering when you would come for her."

"Let her go," Olivia snapped at her, her eyes darting to Lydia, who was terrified and staring at her with wet eyes. "What do you even want with her?"

"Nothing special," Jennifer shrugged. She flicked her hand toward a chair and Olivia flew to it, slamming against the hard, wooden back. "You, on the other hand..."

Olivia was unable to move as Jennifer used duct tape to secure her hands and legs to the chair. When she was finished, she picked up a small wooden dowel and started wrapping a length of strong cord around it. She was making a garrote.

"What are you doing?" Lydia whimpered, still fighting off unconscious from the hard hit she took from Jennifer when she first walked into the classroom.

"What's necessary," Jennifer stated. "I'm still surprised none of you seem to get that. You call them sacrifices but you're not understanding the word," Olivia rolled her eyes at her dramatic monologue. "It's derived from the Latin 'sacrificium', an offering to a deity, a sacred rite. A necessary evil."

"Oh, shut up," Olivia groaned, hoping to get her attention away from Lydia. "I'm pretty sure that killing fifteen innocent people isn't necessary."

"You know, on the outside, you appear so tough, emotionless," Jennifer stood from her crouched position in front of Lydia and sauntered over to Olivia. "but I know you're afraid right now. I know you're afraid all the time. This shell?" she poked Olivia in the cheek. "Well, it's all an act."

"Who cares if it is?" Olivia hissed right back at her.

"Oh, I don't care. I was just taunting you before I kill you and your precious cousins. The useless ones, I mean," Jennifer grinned maliciously. "I think I'll keep Derek around."

Olivia harshly snapped her jaw together, speaking through her clenched teeth, "Stay away from them."

"I would but I won't," Jennifer giggled. "See, you were my target. Deucalion wants you and you're powerful. If I kill you now, he won't be able to use you against me."

Olivia's heart started to race and her own name was starting to be repeated over and over in her head. Scott had to know that Lydia had disappeared and that she never made it to the auditorium. She had to stall so he could get there. "So, you're doing this to go up against the alpha pack?"

"Correct. Let's just say that you don't know the alphas like I do," Jennifer twisted the garrote in her hands and stepped behind Olivia. "And because they currently don't know my plan, I think Lydia is going to have to go, too. She knows too much. First, she can watch you die."

"No, no, no," Olivia said frantically, locking her scared eyes on Lydia, who stared fearfully back at her.

"Stop!" Lydia whimpered. "Stop, stop!"

Jennifer didn't stop. Before she could fully press the garrote against Olivia's throat, she forcefully tore the duct tape around her right hand and slipped it between her flesh and the cord. She gasped as the cord dug into her fingers. "Lydia!"

As if they had rehearsed, Lydia let out the loudest scream that had ever passed through her lips. Olivia screamed only a second later, unable to fight the urge that came from Lydia's tether. It was kind of weird, warning people of your own death.

Olivia's scream died out first and then a couple seconds later, so did Lydia's. Jennifer dropped the garrote from her hands, letting it hang on Olivia's neck, and walked over to stand in front of Lydia.

"Unbelievable," she gasped, studying Lydia intently. "You're a banshee. A wailing woman, right before my eyes. You're just like me, Lydia. Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it."

"She's nothing like you," Olivia spoke up fiercely, her voice hoarse.

Jennifer shrugged, the comment not bothering her. "It's too bad, though, and too late," she walked back over to Olivia, taking her place behind her and picking up the garrote. The garrote pulled tightly around Olivia's neck, making her choke. "One last philosopher."

Olivia couldn't breathe. There was no room for her trachea to move, causing her to suffocate. It was almost as if she could feel her throat being crushed, causing her to panic and squirm around in the chair, kicking her feet to try to fight back.

Olivia...Olivia...OLIVIA, OLIVIA, OLIVIA!!!!

"Stop, stop!" Lydia shouted frantically, choking on her tears as she watched Jennifer pull out a knife from her person and hold it up to Olivia's throat; the second part of the three-fold death.

"Drop it!" a new voice joined Lydia's.

With Jennifer sufficiently distracted, the garrote dropped from Olivia's neck. She took in a deep breath, her throat sore inside and out. Something urged her to look over at who had interrupted Jennifer, but she recognized the voice. Noah had ran into the classroom, gun cocked and aimed right at the darach.

As soon as she laid eyes on her boyfriend's father, Jennifer whipped the knife that was going to be used on her at him. It lodged itself into his shoulder so forcefully that it splayed him flat on his back. Noah wasn't technically in her pack, but he was someone Olivia cared for very much; that meant that she knew he was in danger, but he wasn't going to die. She couldn't explain it, but there was a different between the whispers that warned her of a pack member in danger and then the ones that warned her of the pack member's death. Noah was okay, for now.

Jennifer turned back to Olivia, intending to finish what she started, but a roar filled the room. Scott had arrived, his werewolf features fully on display as he snarled at Jennifer. He lunged at her, but Jennifer easily dodged each of his blows. She was more powerful than him and the way she sent him flying across the room and into a pile of desks proved it.

Olivia didn't know exactly what Jennifer did to him, but it was obvious that she did something else to him. Scott was spitting up blood and hitting desks that didn't weigh much didn't seem like it would do something like that to him.

She whimpered through the pain in her throat, "Scott!"

Her attention was dragged away from Scott as Jennifer slid her desk across the room and right into the door, slamming it closed. Before she could even wonder why Jennifer had done that, she saw Stiles' head pop into view from the small window at the top of the door. He was slamming his whole body against it, but with the weight of the desk, it wouldn't budge. He couldn't get into the room.

With Stiles and Scott taken care of, Jennifer focused on Noah, who had grabbed his gun, got to his knees, and aimed it at her.

"There was a girl," he said tiredly as Jennifer took slow steps toward him. "years ago. We found her in the woods, her face and body slashed apart. That was you, wasn't it?"

Jennifer glared at him. "Maybe I should've started with philosophers with knowledge and strategy."

She closed in on Noah and he pulled the trigger, shooting in her in her right thigh; Jennifer simply shook it off and continued on to him. "Healers," she grabbed him by the knife in his shoulder and held him high in the air, the blade slicing through the fleshy part of his shoulder. "Warriors..." she ripped his badge off of his shirt and crushed it with her fingers. "Guardians...Virgins..."

"God, leave him alone!" Olivia shouted to the best of her ability as Jennifer placed a wet kiss against Noah's mouth. Jennifer's face warped into a horrifying figure and screeched while she grabbed Noah and flew toward the windows. "No!"

Jennifer had disappeared with Noah. Scott had woken up from whatever daze Jennifer had put him in and the force that was shoving the desk against the door had disappeared. While Scott had rushed toward Lydia—on Olivia's insistence; the redhead was unconscious from the blow Jennifer had landed on her—Stiles rushed into the classroom and to the windows.

"Dad?" there was no answer to Stiles' call and it hit them all like a punch to the gut. "Dad?!"

(Gif is not mine)

#teen wolf rewrite #stiles stilinski x oc #stiles stilinksi x reader #teen wolf #stiles stilinski #teen wolf fanfiction #stiles stilinski fanfiction #stiles stilinski x original character

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