#and it's not like i hate stina or anything

[svtellify]

no bc i was a little confused with linh’s choice in friends like???

#stina??? #maruca sure whatever she was biana's ex bff #and marella is cool ofc #and it's not like i hate stina or anything #i mean we'll see i haven't psychoanalyzed her yet #but like #there's no connection??? #when did linh start hanging out with them??? #instead of like #biana and dex??? #do i remember nothing or were they hanging out #bc this felt like it came out of nowhere #stellarlune spoilers #kotlc spoilers

[lovinpelova]

salty | j. fleming

summary; arsenal win against chelsea, jessie isn't too happy about it. [SMUT]

listen to: agora hills - doja cat

the ball fell to your feet as jessie gave it away, your instincts taking over and your legs ran as fast as they could towards chelseas defense. looking for an option and seeing stina was far behind with frida trailing on the right side of her, you decided to go for it.

"don't you dare!"

jessie yelled as she finally caught up, tugging on your shirt lightly in a duel for the ball but undoubtedly failing, you dribbled past her with a nutmeg into an opening before your foot connected with the ball perfectly towards the bottom right. watching it curl towards top bins as your girlfriend got to you a second too late, knowing it went in before it even left the ground and sighing in your ear as she watched you run away to celebrate with your teammates.

the game was now 3-1 to arsenal with one minute of injury time left to play, the whistle being blown a couple seconds late as you screamed in joy. this was your first piece of silverware with arsenal in a while, so jessie could understand why it meant so much to you, especially considering you'd scored to give your side a bigger lead. you high-fived and hugged all the chelsea players before even thinking about celebrating with your teammates, saying they played well and would do better next time.

you eventually reached your girlfriend and looked into her eyes for any indication of how she was feeling, seeing sadness and a little bit of anger.

"you played well jess-"

"did you have to fucking nutmeg me?"

she asked bluntly whilst high-fiving you, giving you a quick hug as you laughed at her anger and watched her walk away to her teammates. she'd let go of it in a couple hours time when you got home after her- but for now, you had to go get drunk with leah and katie.

--------

"jessie? i'm home baby!"

you called out into your shared apartment whilst taking off your shoes and coat, placing your belongings on the kitchen counter beside you as your girlfriend stormed towards you. you grinned at her, picking up the medal that hung around you neck and moving it left to right, laughing when she followed it with her eyes like a dog. okay, maybe you could be a bit mean about it when you won against chelsea, but she played for one of your biggest rivals in the clubs history- could you be blamed?

"i'm not a fucking dog, stop doing that. i'm not a loser either, chelsea should have won."

"the scoresheet says otherwise my love."

you retaliated, taking off the medal and putting it with the rest of your belongings as you watched jessies lip curve up in a scowl for a moment, she grunted and took another couple steps towards you before pushing you into the counter and kissing you harshly. if jessie was anything, she was a bad loser. she tended to stay salty and defensive about it for a while and then refuse to admit she lost when she calmed down from her emotions.

right now, she was defensive. and judging by the way her lips were moving against yours and hands were gripping your waist, she was furious about the loss. chelsea had a reputation of winning all the finals they got to, reigning champions of the super league and even getting to beat manchester united in the fa cup final, so what was so different about arsenal with the continental cup?

"i am not a loser."

she growled against your lips as she pulled away, watching the way your eyes slowly opened to realise she'd shocked you beyond belief. jessie was normally soft and shy, even in bed whenever you asked her to be rough she'd still be too scared of breaking you or something, so this side of her was something new. and you loved it.

"yeah? wanna show me how much of a winner you are then?"

you teased whilst fidgeting with the collar of her shirt, both of you still in club kit with your hair tied up but jessie didn't care. as much as she hated the arsenal red she couldn't fault how good you looked in it.

the canadian picked you up with your legs around her waist and started walking towards your bedroom, her lips moving desperately against yours. you could tell she needed this. to forget about the loss and mistakes she'd made, she needed a sense of euphoria - a different type of high - and she needed it now.

if that happened to be sourced by you moaning out her name in pleasure all night long, who were you to deprive her of what she wanted?

jessie put you down on the bed and tugged her shirt off, throwing it across the room as she climbed over you and watched you take yours off, her pupils dilating even more whilst her hands trailed up your torso. her breathing grew heavier as she seemingly got lost in her thoughts, the way her stomach and chest were heaving up and down affecting you in embarassing ways.

she snapped out of her trance when you let out a small whine at the sudden slow pace, accepting the smirk she gave you and pulling her down to continue making out like you were both in heat. her hips started to grind against yours slowly as she gripped your ass and waist shamelessly, moving her lips down to your neck and chest whilst leaving marks behind. she moved down to your stomach impatiently and bit down hard, smiling at the hiss you let out as her hands tugged down your shorts and underwear, too impatient to bother with the struggle of removing your sports bra.

"you gonna stop being cocky if i fuck it out of you?"

she moved your legs to rest over her shoulders, kissing up the inside of your thighs and sucking to leave the occasional love bite with her hands gripping your thighs.

"gonna have to find out aren't you?"

you countered, hands moving to her hair and shoulders for a sense of release when she eventually did start fucking you- and that she did. her tongue dived into you like she'd been starved for years beforehand, sloppily licking up your arousal before she started flicking it quickly over your clit just the way you liked. jessie smirked as she looked up at you, hearing you moan out in surprise with your back arched and fingers tugging at her hair- god she loved it when you pulled her hair whilst she ate you out.

she wrapped her lips around the sensitive bud and started sucking, watching you writhe under her before moving further down towards your entrance, not waiting a single moment to dip her tongue inside and moan at the taste of you.

"ohh, tastes so good babygirl. already drunk off you."

she moaned into your pussy shamelessly whilst pushing her face further into you, not caring about how the dirty talk was unusual for her and deciding to continue her movements. she pulled one hand up to rub her thumb over your clit at the perfect pace whilst her tongue worked itself in and out of you, listening to the way you responded to her manhandling with a sense of pride filling her. she didn't care about losing the match anymore, she cared about making you cum all over her face.

jessie nuzzled her face into you further as you moaned out her name with a plead for more, quickly pulling her tongue out and moving it to flatten against your heat, trailing it up to your clit before she took it into her mouth and started sucking harshly again. she moved her hand towards your entrance and pushed a finger in without warning, listening to you whimper at the sudden intrusion as she pushed in a second finger soon after.

her fingers quickly curled towards your g-spot and began abusing it, the canadian grunting in annoyance when you bucked your hips as it took her mouth away from you when they fell back onto the bed. she moved her other hand to hold your waist down so she could properly move her fingers deeper into your heat, moving her head up to be level with yours and holding your hips down with her own whilst her hand went around your neck.

"stay still or i'm gonna leave you here like this."

you nodded your head in response as she sped up her thrusts, moving in to kiss you sloppily with yourself trying to kiss back. your orgasm was impending and jessie could feel it, the way your walls were clenching around her fingers tighter with each thrust telling her as she peppered kisses along your collarbones and moved her hand to massage your waist gently whilst she talked you through it.

"c'mon baby, you wanna be a good girl right? you gonna cum for me? make me a winner? gonna be my good girl, aren't you?"

"yes jessie- gonna, god i'm so close. m'gonna cum for you, so good."

you whimpered out in response to her praise as she moved her thumb to rub over your abused clit again, the extra stimulation making you fall over the edge and onto her fingers as she continued to talk you through it just the way you liked her to.

"attagirl, that's it princess. makin' me a winner, hm? so good to me baby, keep goin- just like that, there you go."

"jessie-"

you tried to speak, getting cut off with the aftershocks of your orgasm hitting you hard, especially when she licked your arousal off her fingers right in front of your face. breathing heavily and looking up at her, you smiled at each other, both apologetic.

"i'm sorry for being a dick about it."

"i'm sorry for not taking the loss well."

jessie spoke softly, leaning down to kiss you gently as you gladly kissed back, her hand holding your face as yours dragged themselves up her back whilst you moaned at the feeling of her muscles underneath your fingertips. the canadian smiled into the kiss and pulled away to grin at your blush, shaking her head at you as you shyly smiled back before she rolled onto her back and pulled you onto her waist with a passionate kiss, obviously intending to be a winner again.

#jessie fleming #woso smut #jessie fleming x reader #woso x reader #jessie fleming smut #jessie fleming imagine #jessie fleming fanfic #chelsea wfc #chelsea wfc x reader #chelsea womens #chelsea women #canada womens #canada women #canada wnt #woso #woso community #woso imagine #woso fanfics

[chaotic-toasters]

It's Different With You

Frida Maanum x Reader

------------------

"Y/NNNN," Frida whined quietly. "Y/NNN- Y/NNN—"

"What, Maanum?" You groaned, rolling over to face your girlfriend as she poked at your sides. "It's too early."

"Morning, elskling," she smiled, wiping the frown off your face with a kiss to your jaw. "It's 10:30, and I missed you. I've been up since eight."

You rubbed your eyes. "But I'm right next to you?"

"I wanted to talk to you," the Norwegian blushed as you reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Besides, we have to get ready for training."

You pulled her into you, wrapping your arms around her and burying your head i to her neck. "No. Sleep."

"Elskling—"

"What time is training?" you murmured.

"At 11:45, w—"

"What time is it now?"

"Ten thi—"

You grunted. "I only need twenty minutes."

"But babe—"

Your girlfriend's protest fell on deaf ears. You were already asleep, snoring into her neck like a baby.

------------------

"Hey, Katie, hey, Stina," you smiled at your's and Frida's best friends as you walked into the changing room, hand in hand. "How's it going?"

"Good, thanks," Katie raised her eyebrows. "Had some fun last night, Frida? Ye' look tired."

"N-no!" Frida stammered, hiding her face into your shoulder. "I just—"

"She woke up early instead of sleeping in like a sensible person," you snickered, setting your stuff down in your cubby. "Now she's tired."

"Be quiet," Frida complained, smacking you on the back of the head. "I needed time to get ready."

You looked at her strangely. "Why? You look pretty as it is."

Kyra fake gagged. "Get a room."

"You're sweet, Y/N," Steph smiled approvingly, side-eyeing Kyra. "Ignore this little pest, her single ass wouldn't know what love looks like."

"Hey!"

-----------------

"Elskling! Elskling!"

You jolted at the sudden yelling, head whipping around to where your girlfriend was charging straight at you. "Frida? What's the matter?"

"Be my partner!"

You were a sucker for that face. Her eyes wide and innocent, dimples on full display as she grinned.

"Okay, okay," you agreed, kissing the top of her head. "Come on, my love. Don't keep the gaffer waiting."

As the two of you passed the ball back and forth, working on first touches, Frida started talking about what she and Stina had been up to over the weekend.

You totally zoned out, half-focusing on the ball and tunnel visioning at Frida. Some of her blonde hair had fallen out of its ponytail, perfectly framing her face and making her look even better than usual. She used her hands as she talked, muscles flexing in her training top as you shamelessly ogled her.

"-abe? Babe?" Frida snapped her fingers in front of your face. "Are you listening?"

"What? Yeah," you shook your head, blinking rapidly as you realized everyone was taking a water break. "I was just thinking about something."

The Norwegian squeezed your hand. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

You practically melted, hand shaking as you grabbed your water bottle from the cooler. "Y-yup."

"Oi! Lovebirds! Kyra's right, get a room!" Katie shouted. "Disgustin'!"

"As if you don't do worse with Caitlin!" You fired back. "She asked you a question the other day and you almost fainted."

Katie tackled you to the floor. "This is slander!"

You wrestled about, pulling her into a headlock. "It's only slander if it's not true. But it is."

She growled, trying to wriggle free. "Yer' a little shite, Y/L/N."

"No I'm not!" You scoffed. "Frida, tell her I'm not!"

Frida said nothing, averting her eyes.

"Frida!"

--------------------

"You're so mean to me, Frida," you whined, sitting down in your cubby. "I compliment you all the time and then you don't back me up."

"I'm sorry," she pressed a kiss to your lips. "I still love you."

You grunted. "Hmph."

"I love you," she kissed you again, pulling you closer. "I love you."

"Y/N, what have you done to Frida?" Stina joked. "Frida hates PDA. She didn't even want to hug her exes in public when they dated."

"I don't know," you smirked. "Frida, what's with the sudden change?"

Frida blushed, mumbling, "It's different with you."

Your shit-eating grin grew impossibly bigger. "Want to share with the class?"

Frida's face turned even redder. "No."

"Are you su- OW!"

Frida glared at you, hand dropping from the back of your head. "Just because I love you doesn't mean I won't smack you for being stupid."

You sulked. "Awww."

Does this make sense? I think not

#frida maanum #lia walti #arsenal wfc x reader #arsenal women x reader #leah williamson #kim little #katie mccabe #lotte wubben moy #caitlin foord #Frida maanum x Reader

[gunnerfc]

🎄WOSO FICMAS: Dec. 19 - Stina Blackstenius🎄

Stina Blackstenius x Reader (Arsenal & USWNT) | WC: 751

Dec. 19 prompt - getting snowed in

-> all translations from google!

-> woso ficmas masterlist can be found here!

You were excited to be spending Christmas in Sweden with Stina and her family, having spent the last Christmas in America with your family. The two of you have spent the past two days packing, wanting to make sure you didn’t forget anything essential or anyone’s presents.

You planned to leave for the airport in the morning, wanting to arrive in Sweden a few days before the holiday to have more time to spend in the country. With packing done and bags by the door ready to go bright and early, you and your blonde girlfriend both exhausted from running around all day decided to go to bed a bit earlier, opting to get as much sleep as possible.

It was around 6:30 am when your alarm went off, signaling it was time for you to get up. With a tired groan, you reached for your phone, trying to turn the annoying alarm off. You smiled down at your sleeping girlfriend, hating to have to wake her up.

You lifted your hand to move a piece of blonde hair from her face, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on her forehead before whispering her name a few times. Your smile grew as you watched her eyes finally flutter open.

“god morgon min älskade (good morning, my love),” you whispered, your voice still heavy with sleep.

“god morgon älskling (good morning, darling),” Stina whispered back, sitting up to give you a quick kiss.

The blonde sat up fully to stretch her arms before getting up to go get ready for your day of travel. You watched her the whole time, You're sure you looked like the human version of the heart eyes emoji. When the bathroom door closed, you picked up your phone to double-check your check-in time at the airport. Instead of a flight confirmation, you were met with a cancelation, the reason saying “weather-related cancelation.”

With wide eyes, you shot up from your bed, moving to look out the window. Pulling back the curtains that kept the light out, you were now looking at the ground heavily coated in snow and it continuously falling from the sky with no sign of stopping.

“Babe!” you shouted, eyes still wide in shock over the amount of snow that had fallen while you were asleep. You had checked the weather the night before, not seeing anything about potential snowfall. The bathroom door flew open, your girlfriend’s eyes just as wide as yours.

“Vad?! (what?!)” Stina’s voice full of concern.

“I don’t think we’re going to Sweden,” you mumbled, eyes still trained on the white-covered yard.

You heard your girlfriend mutter a quiet “what” as she walked to the window, coming face to face with the snow. You held up your phone to show her the cancellation of your flights. These fights were found last minute and with no idea of when the snow would be melting, you doubted you would be spending Christmas in Sweden after all.

As you watched your girlfriend’s eyes scan your phone, you saw her bite her lip in an effort to stop tears from forming in her eyes. You pulled the phone from her hands, tossing it on the bed and pulling the blonde into your arms.

“Jag är ledsen, älskling. (I’m sorry, darling/babe.)” you said softly, knowing how much Stina was looking forward to going home for the holidays with you.

Stina pulled away from your body, giving you a small smile and a whispered “it’s okay.”

The Swede moved to get her phone from where it was plugged up on her nightstand, leaving the bedroom to call her family to let them know about the change of plans. You could hear the sadness in her voice as she spoke over the phone. You might not have been able to go to Sweden for Christmas but you were determined to bring ‘Christmas in Sweden’ to London.

You spent the rest of the day googling different Christmas traditions and even texted your other two Swedish Arsenal teammates to get their opinions. You spent the rest of the days leading up to Christmas making sure that your girlfriend felt at home as much as possible. And when Christmas morning rolled around, you made sure to get up first to video call Stina’s family. It wasn't the same as actually being in Sweden but Stina was grateful for the effort you put in to cheer her up. The two of you could always go next year.

#woso x reader #woso #awfc x reader #swewnt x reader #stina blackstenius x reader #stina blackstenius

[darkchocolatedimples]

keeper characters as things my friends and i have texted!

i'm cleaning out my phone and found wayy too many screenshots

———————————————————

sophie: i've almost got keefe convinced that storks drop off babies

sophie: this may or may have not incited a breakdown 3:30 am but i've almost done it

———————————————————

keefe: i'm at the mall with biana she's looking for shoes i'm looking for hot people

———————————————————

sophie: how does one develop insomnia in level 2? don't know but i'll call it endurance training

———————————————————

fitz: shut up you simp for my sister

dex: i'm proud

———————————————————

dex: HOW IS A DEAD PERSON GONNA BE TRAUMATIZED

———————————————————

keefe: i think i kissed my pillow once when i was 12 or 13

keefe: you know, 70 years ago

keefe: when we still lit things with candles

———————————————————

sophie with mallowmelt: rock bottom tastes better than it sounds

———————————————————

dex: idk what it's like to pull a girl i was the one pulled

———————————————————

keefe: bro my brain waves feel like a siren

keefe: yk what i mean

fitz: i do not

———————————————————

dex (with braces): imagine loving someone

dex: ...

dex: who has braces

———————————————————

keefe after sending a picture of himself: omg whos the stylish one i wanna meet him

biana hyping him up: me too he seems so hot wtf

———————————————————

sophie: YOU WANT PROBLEMS

sophie: ILL GIVE YOU SOME

fitz: this doesn't sound good

———————————————————

alden: i'm taking a samoa

biana: okay they're five bucks

alden: what no discount? i'm your dad

biana: six bucks

———————————————————

keefe: i just have the need to be the hottest smarted person in the room at all times to make myself feel valid

———————————————————

dex: i just wasted 20 mintues of my life on a koala i will never get to see

———————————————————

fitz: i'm in a whole foods crying by the bobo's toasters

———————————————————

marella: 420 what's your emergency

———————————————————

biana: ur so bagelicisous

———————————————————

marella: shut up band kid

dex: shut up lesbian

———————————————————

marella: i hope sometimes when the guys at our school are getting a little too cocky they remember that there are literal 2d drawings pulling more bitches than them

———————————————————

sophie: projection>>>having problems

———————————————————

biana to keefe: sugar baby would look so good on you

———————————————————

biana: i love being able to hit men's booties knowing they can't fight back

———————————————————

dex: british people (derogatory) what tf is beans on toast

———————————————————

keefe: i WILL breathe more air than you

tam: is this a threat

———————————————————

dex: this be lookin a little homosexual 🫣

biana: ^us when we see keefe and fitz

———————————————————

sophie: kmsing 🤭🤭🤭🤭

———————————————————

biana to fitz: hate to break it to you, you don't like her, you like the boy you think she has a crush on

———————————————————

grady: maybe getting older is...beginning to like and appreciate bananas

———————————————————

kenric and jolie: i hope i'm important enough to be the main character from my grave

———————————————————

sophie: lmao why should i care about anything i'm 15 and i eat chocolate 🤷‍♀️

———————————————————

keefe: just bc you know you're making me sweat shake and shiver doesn't mean you can or should use that to your advantage (please do) like what the fuck

———————————————————

fitz: i'm not that much of an asshole

dex: this is untrue

———————————————————

dex: good news! no more cannibalism. bad news, beastiality?

———————————————————

keefe about sophie: the way we're twinning

keefe: she drinks red bull and cuts bangs at 2am i impulsively get stitches with no thoughts in my head bc i think its cool

———————————————————

stina: currently about to fight this seagull will update

———————————————————

dex: i wouldn't mind a shorter guy actually if they're too tall i'm gonna have to break their knees to kiss them

biana: that's the fun part! like glowsticks 🤩

#kotlc incorrect quotes #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc #dex dizznee #linh song #tam song #biana vacker #sophie foster #fitz vacker #stina heks #councillor kenric #jolie ruewen #grady ruewen #marella redek

[queenie-blackthorn]

FINALLY, ive finished 25% of exile, the second book in the kotlc series. here are some thoughts i had :)

tags: @aylin-hijabi, @that-multi-fandom-hijabi, @tastetherainbow290, @nerdy-girl3791 (im tagging everyone who asked to be tagged in my notes for book one, but lmk if you wanna be tagged too / dont wanna be tagged anymore)

first off, why are second books in a series always the ones that take the most time / are harder to start? ig it could be that we've already established the worldbuilding n main characters, but its still that dragging stage between *where you already know mostly everything in the universe* and *where the climax builds up in anticipation of the "final battle" or the beginning of the third act, usually*. nothing to do w the book itself, just an observation

second off, alicorns are so much more important than being just "another species to save", im sure of it. theres wayyy too much of the council getting involved n talk abt how alicorns are sooo important. to anyone whos read percy jackson it kinda reminds me of the ophiortaurus (bessie) from sea of monsters, who seemed to be a recurring animal side character who turned out to have a lot of significance to the very universe they were in. im expecting smth similar, why else would everyone go to such lengths to ensure alicorns dont go extinct? or maybe im overthinking it lmao but what gives it away is the heckses literally tryna kidnap silveny-

speaking of the heckses, who the fuck tries to steal an alicorn. stinas parents are the whiniest bitches ive ever seen, and im a fifteen year old girl. like cmon ive seen some drama queens over the years, but those two- also, fucking stina. i mentioned before that i hope to see some character development w her, so shes not just the boring one-dimensional mean girl thats prevalent in literally every piece of media thats come out since mean girls w regina george. clearly not yet, tho, but im waiting on it (if it does not happen i will be majorly disappointed)

also, delving into theories now. its kinda far-fetched, but, was brant w the black swan ? i mean, it would add up pretty decently. it would explain why his guilt for jolies death runs so deeply (since grady rlly rlly seems to believe that the black swan killed her) because he would be with the literal organization that killed her. it would also explain reeeeaaaaalllllyyyy well why he recognized sophie. the fact that he knew her was wayy too emphasized to mean nothing. idk JUST A THEORY, its not based off of anything other than it would fit nicely w everything else.

but also if grady is so adamant that it was the black swan, and (hypothetically) brant is w the black swan, then would it be improbable to assume that he killed her? which would explain the guilt even MORE. but then again, he does seem to love her, so that last part is added very tentatively. (maybe he killed her by accident... but then would the note to grady three days before her death just be a coincidence? im sure that has some deeper meaning.)

maybe it wasnt the black swan who sent those notes to grady...

to end on a funnier note: alicorn poop. sophie faceplanted into alicorn poop. it happens to all main characters, it always has to be someone walking in at the worst moment. i thought id be the vackers w keefe who show up n embarass her, but who better than the council to get humiliated in front of ? i dont hate sophie i just laugh at her pain

i think thats all for the 25% mark, im gonna keep reading today. im gonna go to my grandmas house so maybe i can get a couple hundred pages in !!!

#kotlc #kotlc thoughts #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc exile #first read #first time read #silveny kotlc #kotlc silveny #silveny #stina heks #stina kotlc #kotlc stina #brant kotlc #kotlc brant #brant alger #grady ruewen #kotlc grady #grady kotlc #sophie foster #sophie kotlc #kotlc sophie

[lucawrites11]

re arsenal v city:

i am a die hard gooner til the day i die but will i be wearing a city shirt and cheering against my own team? yes. (i feel less guilt ab buying the shirt because it’s a roord 23/24 3rd shirt and it looks sick af)

anyways i hate chelsea and i want to see emma hayes trophyless. jonas and his fuckall tactics have screwed us all season, the girls deserve a rest and some need more minutes and so i want child labor fc in and emma hayes and chelshit out x

i totally agree especially on jonas' tactics and you mentioned the word tactics which is a mistake because now i am going to torture all of you with my unsolicited opinions of the formation that a fully fit arsenal should be playing or even a not fully fit arsenal and jonas is a fucking idiot for not doing it.... more under the cut because i don't need to torture you all with the long post analysing why exactly jonas' tactics are so shit

Jonas' tactics are the classis, basic bitch of all formations: 4-3-3 typically looking something like this... (a mock-up combining the last couple of seasons and what i'd think he might do with a fully fit squad)

and there are so many problems with this and most of them if not all of them stem from his too fatal tactical flaws: a chronic lack of rotation and refusal to give youth a chance in the squad, a stubborn-ness and bias towards english players, a clear bias towards his favourite players even when they aren't in form or fit and a complete and total refusal to play anything other than a 4-3-3.

(if you are wondering why russo + stina isn't working too well in the last few games it's because he's making them play it in a 4-3-3)

what do these problems cause?

a lack of rotation + his clear biases: over-worked players, unhappy players and INJURIES

this shows most in his clear centre back preference in the last few games being leah + lotte but that doesn't work too well. they are too similar as players but that is not a bad thing. it means it's perfect for rotations especially because leah williamson is quite injury prone. one game on, one game off for each of them. especially when they can pair up well with codina, catley, ilestedt in that centreback so the other option CAN ALSO BE ROTATED. which would REDUCE INJURY

again, this shows with his midfield choices. kyra is a central midfielder and a defensive midfielder but he decided she's just defensive. he has one ONE purely defensive midfielder and that's lia walti. kyra is more like kim little, can play any midfield position and then there are two purely attacking midfield options in pelova and maanum (who could play defensive if absolutely necessary) THEY ARE ALL GOOD ENOUGH TO FUCKING START BUT HE DOESN'T ROTATE then he uses them as super subs and expects them to fucking fix everything JUST START THEM. it would also again PREVENT INJURY. there is a reason kim and lia are constantly injured. THEY ARE OVER FUCKING PLAYED. JONAS CAN YOU HEAR ME!!! FUCKING ROTATE

again, in the nine. there are options: russo, blackstenius, miedema and foord can all play really well and quite frankly mead if forced also the kids: little viv and michelle can do that

then the wings. WHY DO YOU KEEP PLAYING FOORD WHEN SHE'S STRUGGLING lacasse was the best scorer at benfica for so long she was SO good. PLAY HER. ROTATE THE WINGS. i am honestly shocked caitlin hasn't had a more serious injury. foord, lacasse, mead, MCCABE and russo can all play the wings

the only thing i have no problem with is the full back choices

now the problem of the 4-3-3.

jonas has said on multilpe occasions that his tactics is playing a 4-3-3 and possession football because he is the most basic bitch on the planet. it's like he has never heard of fucking creativity. seriously someone get him some, IT'S KILLING ME also a fashion sense because i am still traumatised by the shit-coloured gilette under the blue suit 🤮🤮

anyway the actual problem with it. he uses it to force the world's best striker (miedema) out of position and into a 10 and then cries when they don't score. he has bought about five nines and only uses one with no decent 10 and cries when they don't score. maybe jonas YOU ARE THE FUCKING PROBLEM

i swear to fuck arsenal fire him and hire carla ward, i think she could do such a good job omg.

what formation doing i think a fully fit arsenal should play?

4-4-2 (with rotation)

goalkeeper:

rotate it (buy mearps) and then you have three starting goalkeepers you can rotate based of the game and the style of keeper needed. if you are playing a team that scores from set pieces and headers, you want manu. a game where you need a ball-playing keeper and you want sabs. if you buy mearps, she's best for a team that loves a quick counter or lots of shots in open play

centreback pairing:

no CB should play two matches in a row at arsenal unless there's an injury crisis because there is so much talent competing for that spot. the top four: williamson, wubben-moy, codina, ilestedt and then catley and katie reid can also do it in rotation if necessary and reid as a sub.

and unless there is an injury crisis, wubben-moy and williamson should NOT be on the pitch at the same time. they are too similar. i can't say what partnerships are best but a decent manager will find it out and create two amazing centreback parternships of lotte/leah and ilestedt/codina that can be used interchangably to rest players and prevent injury especially if there's uwcl

left back:

this should be a purchase priority for arsenal. a cheap third option as opposed to catley and the wildcard (mccabe) whose position can be chosen out of a hat and she'd still play it well. it's unreliable but strong atm with two good options that can rotate just in the case of injury, it's a lot on one player and we saw this at the start of the season

right back:

weinrother, fox, mccabe. the options are strong. no notes. just ROTATE THEM.

the midfield pairing:

so there just needs to be one more defensive midfielder and one more attacking midfielder. imo the best combo at the moment for me is little and walti. the experience and the talent is unmatched but THEY CAN ROTATE. i want to see a combo of pelova/maanum/cooney-cross as a secondary midfield pairing to switch out the matches like the centreback pairings to rest players. they would also be good sub options for each other and can be chosen based on the style of play of the oppostion. pelova, kyra, maanum are better when there is a need for speed or fast counter-attacking whereas little and walti would be better for a deeper defense but they could all do anything

the wings:

just rotate between lacasse, foord, mead and hurtig if she comes back and if not, buy another winger and play them in the rotation. at least one winger needs to be subbed in a game and imo none of them should start two games in a row so they can REST

the strikers:

in the nine, there is so much choice so why not play two? it literally makes so much sense especially when the pairings available work like they do.

russo + miedema would be the best. both can drop back and grab the ball interchangably and both know how to cross and finish. i would love to see that link-up develop

russo/miedema + stina, russo/miedema can drop back and stina can lead the line and BOOM goals. it's not hard JONAS

then you can also rotate with the kids. take notes from barcelona. they know how to win shit.

in conclusion, jonas is terrible. get him out. hire carla ward.

#lucas asks #arsenal wfc #wsl #woso #carla ward #jonas eidevall

[dreaming-of-the-end]

2: a lesson in forgetting, and being forgotten

A/N: Second chapter of “the art of running away (the disaster of returning)“ Fitz pov time!! Comments and reblogs are better than Fitz crying!

Warnings: swearing

Links: [ao3] [wattpad] [masterpost] [prev chapter] [next chapter]

Tags: @an-ungraceful-swan @seulgibabes @gay-otlc @fruity-fintan-fortythree @synonymroll648 @bookwyrminspiration @skylilac @song-tam @gaslight-gaetkeep-gayboss @abubble125 @rainy-nights-and-fairy-lights @kamikothe1and0lny @arsonistblue @daphneisntreal @lemon-girl-in-devil-town @istanrandomfandoms

Keefe ran away.

To a place he can not follow.

Fitz isn't exactly sure what they expect his reaction to be. Sophie stares at him like she's waiting for a bomb to explode. Biana worries her lip with her teeth, a habit she'd broken years ago, and Dex twists his fingers into knots until the knuckles turn white.

"He's gone?" Tam leaves out the word they are all thinking. Fitz hates him for it: he wants to tell him to say it. Remind everyone that this happens all too often. He is rewarded with a dull glance up, eyes widening in mock surprise. "Typical."

This is the part where he becomes a tea kettle and starts screaming.

But Fitz just says, "Let him stay there." His insides twist tighter than Dex's hands. He doesn't think he remembers how to breathe.

"I think he doesn't want to be found this time," Sophie admits. "Last time, we only knew where he was because I hitched a ride. This time, there's no way to know."

"Good. Let him stay there," Fitz repeats. His throat chokes on itself, but Biana's giving him the look that means his face has gone into a mask again, cold and stony, poster child of sculpted stone. "The Forbidden Cities? God, I've told him about being there enough. Alvar's told him enough. He knows plenty. He'll be fine without us."

Without me.

But they've been without each other for a long time, haven't they? Fitz thinks they've been playing hide and seek, lost and found, ever since Keefe left the first time and took a chunk of his heart with him. They've never had the conversation about its safe return, and so he continues with a hole in his heart and the missing piece too close and too far away.

"Fitz—"

"I agree," Wylie says, hands folded behind his back, eyes stormy. "He can always light leap away at any danger." He's perhaps the one who knows Keefe least, and maybe this is why Fitz feels a sudden surge of anger. Who is Wylie to decide Keefe's not worth saving? Agreement feels laced with poison to him, every word an insult and his saving grace.

Maybe he didn't mean it.

But there are nods now. So Fitz nods, forces a smile on his ice-cold face. "He doesn't need us." He's trying so hard not to let his bitterness leak through.

Sophie, he knows, isn't fooled. Not Biana, either. Tam meets his eyes and shakes his head like he knows the push and pull of the maelstrom whisking his lungs around his body, the nausea rising in his throat. But no one says anything. They can't find anything that doesn't call him a liar.

He ran away from you.

"How do you know where he is?" Stina is the one to ask the question, fingers twisting in the loose curls past her shoulders.

Sophie hesitates. "He... he left me a letter."

Another sting, another fire in his head.

He is a liar. Perhaps to himself, because he knows that this time, the cowardice had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the danger of newness and the violence of terror. All of Keefe's worst fears.

I know you, Fitz will say when he sees him again. So why does it feel like you've forgotten everything I ever was?

...

Fitz digs through his bedsheets, under his pillow, under the mattress, inside his pillowcase, fingers flying desperately across gold-trimmed navy blue.

His desk sits in disarray, every drawer spilled out across the carpet he's checked under, every pocket of every item of clothing turned inside out to check for anything, any acknowledgment of his existence. Of his importance.

His bathroom is spotlessly clean, as always. There is no space to hide an envelope. No place to hide a letter.

The fire builds with every moment. Nothing, nothing— Fitz rips the sheets from his bed in vain, the mattress empty—nothing.

He left him with nothing.

Fitz lets himself erupt, punching the wall hard enough to make him leap back, cradling his fist. He needs something broken that isn't him. He needs to be fixed. He needs to be fixed. Keefe needs to be fixed. Everything is broken.

His pillow explodes behind him with a pop, sending brightly colored feathers fluttering all through the air, and Fitz whirls to face it.

He hadn't realized he was outward channeling. His hands shake a little, and he's not sure whether it's from the effort or from all the feelings forced down his throat. He swallows hard.

Fitz sits carefully on his bare mattress. Keefe used to sprawl out on it like he owned it, fingers barely brushing the headboard as he flung them back past his head and mussed his hair a little more—but that doesn't matter anymore. The bed is empty.

He doesn't know why he thought Keefe would care enough to leave him a letter. He would have taken a note like the ones he remembers reading about in human books during younger library visits: Gone fishing. Be back in a few hours, maybe a century. When the world has moved on without me. Moved on from me.

What a fucking coward.

#summer's writing #keefitz #keefe sencen #fitz vacker #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc fanfic #kotlc fic #kotlc writing #angst #angst without a happy ending #alira(taor) #a lesson in running away (the art of returning)

[when-wax-wings-melt]

Roisin’s Reading Rumble: ROUND THREE @camelspit​ @arson-anarchy-death​

SO sorry for the big paragraphs my adhd brain can’t read them either. I also barely proofread and wrote this thing in two sittings. So. My bad if it sucks and also my bad if u can’t tell bc you can’t read it. I bolded to help but if it makes it worse. oops.

Final wordcount: 1612

Preview: Misattributing Dex’s drive to make a name for himself and prove people wrong to pure selflessness takes away these parts of his character that show the elves still have the “human” need to be wanted. It’s thematically important for the characterization of elves as “more” or “greater” than humans, but it’s also essential to Dex as an individual.

Without further ado:

DEXTER ALVIN DIZZNEE

From Dex’s introduction, where we learn he’s a prankster and the child of a bad match, to his most recent scene learning about Rex’s talentless status, he has been shown to have the flaws and complexities that fandoms love to skip over. The most populated form of content for Dex remains the “cinnamon roll” or “the boy who deserves a cover and more page time” rather than focusing on when he does appear—and most appearances add more evidence against the former portrayal. He lives as a living manifestation of the inequality and prejudice the Lost Cities hold beneath their polished veneer—the rest of the main cast serve to highlight this in different ways, but Dex was the first to rip the blindfold from Sophie’s awed eyes. Traits such as social awareness, intense jealousy, desperate ambition, and sullen anger make up Dex’s character right alongside all the sweet selflessness the fandom prefers, and erasing them is a huge discredit to his complex and hard-earned development as the series progresses.

The KOTLC wiki in particular tends to place Dex on a pedestal that little canon evidence backs. Even the description of his character, which supposedly is unbiased and moderated, reads “Dex Dizznee (Dex Diz-nee) is a deuteragonist in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series and a amazing, strong and intelligent friend to Sophie and the team always doing his best to help out.” While none of this description is inaccurate—Dex is, after all, very intelligent and strong in resolve and courage, consistently working behind the scenes to help his friends—it leaves out several key aspects of his character. Portraying Dex as simply a great helper and a wonderful friend erases his narrative importance and drops him into the role of one of the gnomes at Alluveterre—no less important to the battle, but far less important to the plot and themes of the work as a whole. Another description from the wiki reads: “He is considered a kind, intelligent ‘cinnamon roll’ by the fandom and is always trying to prove himself when it is unnecessary by pushing himself to create gadgets using his talent because of his selfless nature.” Once again, the description moves from complimentary to completely erasing key motivations and desires that highlight the importance of his character in the narrative as a whole. The fandom considering him a cinnamon roll motivated entirely by his selfless nature wipes away the combination of pride, ambition, and need for attention and acclaim that drives Dex to accept tasks and jobs from the Council he hates, form vendettas against the Vackers, and constantly succumb to an often selfish competitive streak.

Dex becomes Sophie’s friend because he’s a loner like she is, and to showcase the darker elements of the Lost Cities such as matchmaking and multiple birth prejudice. In his very first appearance in the series, Stina and Vika Heks accuse him of using a balding serum on Stina, claiming that “‘‘[they] won’t need to [prove anything]. They’d expect nothing less from a bad match!’” (KOTLC). Sophie goes from new caretakers on a fantastical animal sanctuary, new magic school, and crystal palaces straight to some of the worst the Lost Cities has to offer— and Dex carries this responsibility with him for the next few books. As Sophie makes friends with the Vackers and Keefe, the elves with seemingly perfect lives, Dex remains there as a glaring reminder of the ugliness of her new world. By erasing that, a fundamental part of his character that influences every single relationship he has is destroyed. Dex finds it hard to befriend Fitz, Biana, and Keefe not because he’s socially awkward (as other parts of the fandom suggest) but because they represent the success he craves, which his family has been systematically denied.

Another essential Dex Dizznee trademark that fanon interpretations constantly forget is his selfishness, his ambition, and his consequential jealousy. Fanon portrayals of Dex as selfless and endlessly kind erase his true need to be the best at everything, even though he doesn’t seem to have the natural talent that Fitz and Keefe have. In Everblaze, he drops his morals and overlooks his hatred of the Council in order to work for them making ability restrictors, a job that places him in a place of honor and prestige. The idea of being recognized for his natural talent blinds him to the true target of the restrictor: Sophie. “‘They wouldn’t be controlling everyone,’ Dex argued. ‘Just the people who need it.’ / ‘And who decides that?’ Fitz asked. / ‘The Council, obviously. What?’ Dex asked when Fitz cringed. ‘I thought your family was like, the Council’s number one fan club.’ (Everblaze). The Council’s praise for his abilities inflates both his ego and his inherent need for recognition or success. The concept that his motivation for endless creation and gadgets comes from his selflessness or self sacrifice isn’t true because his motivation is to gain acclaim, fame, and apologies for thinking less of him. He wants fame and acclaim that his family has been denied. He wants to prove the Hekses and everyone like them wrong.

Later, when he becomes one of the youngest Regents on Team Valiant, Dex accuses Stina of wanting to be a part of the team only for a title, and she throws the same accusation back. “Dex didn’t deny it. And the intensity in his eyes made Sophie realize how much this opportunity had to mean to him.” (Legacy). What Stina and Dex have in common in this moment is the need to prove that their talentless fathers, bad-match parents (since Vika and Timkin should have been a Bad Match) don’t define them, and more importantly were judged incorrectly and with prejudice. Dex’s understanding of inequality ties into his motivations for wanting success—both a positive, when he wants to prove his parents’ marriage didn’t harm anything, and a negative, when he overlooks that same inequality in order to prove the haters wrong.

This ambition moves into jealousy when someone achieves something he failed at— for example, when he meets Tinker for the first time. Tinker is an adult and far more experienced at the type of invention he wants to succeed in, but after so long of being told he’s a true prodigy of technopathy and being useful to Sophie and the team, it hits a sore spot. “‘Is this a better solution than what you were planning?’ Tinker asked Dex, with no bravado in her tone. Only curiosity. / But Dex still wouldn’t look at her as he nodded. And his sigh was somewhere between a grumble and a harrumph. / ‘You have a competitive streak, don’t you?’ Tinker noted. / Sophie and Mr. Forkle both said ‘yes’ while Dex said ‘no.’ / ‘I’m not being competitive,’ he argued. ‘I’m allowed to be annoyed that I got replaced’ (Flashback). Effortless success rubs him the wrong way because he has had to work so hard to overcome stigma, discrimination, and his own doubt to succeed, while people like Tinker appear to have to have the same natural talent that bothered him about the Vackers. Misattributing his drive to make a name for himself and prove people wrong to pure selflessness takes away these parts of his character that show the elves still have the “human” need to be wanted. It’s thematically important for the characterization of elves as “more” or “greater” than humans, but it’s also essential to Dex as an individual. Why does he want this? Because he wants to help Sophie, or because he wants to prove to the world and himself that he can have this?

While all these flaws (jealousy, selfishness, sullen competetiveness) make Dex who he is, they don’t make him a mean person, and certainly not a bad character. He was the first friend Sophie ever had (Fitz truly does not count) and also the one to help her acclimate. He grew from his jealousy, selflessly staying behind the scenes to develop new gadgets to help his friends in their battles. He took steps back and learned how to place blame: not on Keefe for sensing Rex would be talentless, but on society for the way his brother would be treated. But viewing these positive things as the whole of his personality and ignoring any flaws he might have is a huge disservice—these flaws are what makes him interesting, a developed character. There is no such thing as a “sweet cinnamon roll” character in KOTLC, because making a character only good and never flawed is objectively bad writing, and makes for uninteresting dynamics.

Readers wouldn’t be interested in Dex if he never lashed out, never reacted negatively to Sophie, never had his own wants and desires that didn’t always correspond to what the narrative needs. He’s self punishing constantly over his mistakes, not forgiving himself for Fitz’s stabbing in Neverseen or for the ability restrictor. He’s jealous over Fitz, Biana, Keefe, Stina, Tinker, and Sophie’s success and power. He wants to succeed and is (or used to be) willing to place that need above the needs of his family and friends. And he also learns that Fitz and Biana are not their legacy. He cries over his brother’s future, and assures Keefe he would never blame him. He works with Stina and explores new methods of technopathy with Tinker and encourages Sophie to step into an official leadership role. Erasing any of these traits or experiences steals part of who he is and where he fits into, an unfair and inaccurate reading of the series as a whole.

In conclusion: The Dex wiki page is an atrocity, and someone who isn’t me (because I don’t have the energy 💖) needs to fix it.

Bonus:

[id: a post by A Fandom User on 7/2/2021 reading “Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. I come on to check my cinnamon rolls age, and I see this TREASON. Who - who called him a pussy? How is he always constipated? Someone, someone who truly DEEPLY loves this cinnamon rolls need to revise this. I would, except 1) I don't know how and 2) I wouldn't do it properly. Please fix this. Please. ~Humble Follower of The Cinnamon Roll King“.

 A reply by SaladmanOfSokeefe5 on 8/8/2021 reads “I have fixed this mistake -Humble Follower of The Cinnamon Roll King“ /end id]

#summer rambles #im vaguely normal about him so this might not be as good as the fitz and alvar one. oops #i DID spend hours on it tho!!! #so giving it a read would be nice to me #dex dizznee #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #roisin's reading rumble

[gay-otlc]

Tma/Kotlc AU (incomplete)

So, I'm never gonna finish this, but the 800 words I did write were pretty good. And now I am posting them.

@aphelea @solreefs @xanadaus (i didn't get past season 1 so it's spoiler free) @ anyone else who is in both fandoms, I don't remember

Prentice is Jon, Tiergan is Martin, Cyrah is Sasha, Juline is Tim, and Sophie is Jane Prentiss (funky worm lady <2)

Uhhh content warnings for canon typical worms and canon typical worm sex

Without further ado

Prentice: Well, this statement is obviously fake.

Cyrah: (amused) You can't just say that abouteverystatement.

Prentice: All of them sound so fake! Listen to this. "I was stalking my weird neighbor who ate paper and then she turned into a completely different person. But conveniently, no one else noticed that Biana is 'Not!Biana' now." 

Cyrah: Maybe it's real.

Prentice: You would think, if some malevolent entity were to take over Biana's life, they would be thorough enough that no one else noticed. Or if they were sloppy enough that Stina Heks could give a statement about her, someone else would have noticed. 

Cyrah: Maybe they're very good at making sure only one person notices, and no one else. Maybe I'm Not!Cyrah and you have no idea.

Prentice: That's not funny.

Cyrah: (jokingly eerie voice) I am possessed by the Wraith! Everything about me has changed. I love math now! The horror, the horror! 

Prentice: That's really not funny.

Cyrah: Maybe you're Not!Prentice. (bad imitation of Prentice's voice) I trust every statement I read, I hate garlic bread, and Tiergan is my best friend now!

Prentice: That is not what I sound like.

Cyrah: Don't be ridiculous, that's exactly how your voice sounds. Why would it take the Wraith possessing you for you to like Tiergan, anyway? He's not that bad.

Prentice: I don't know. He just gets on my nerves. He's completely unqualified for this job and his handwriting is theworst so I can never read his reports and-

Cyrah: And he's cute?

Prentice: Listen, if you're not going to help me organize these statements, you can get out of my office.

Cyrah: Okay, okay. (pages flipping) This statement isn't supposed to be funny but it is. Imagine you're Maruca Chebota and some shady dude delivers a coffin to you, so you use it as a coffee table for a year. You don't report it to the police or anything. It's just your coffee table now.

Prentice: See what I mean? There's no way that really happened. 

Cyrah: How are you gonna work at the Loki Institute and still be a die hard skeptic?

Prentice: I'm just special, I guess.

---

Juline: Have you read the worm sex statement?

Tiergan: ...the what?

Juline: The worm sex statement! Did I stutter?

Tiergan: No, I have not read that. What the fuck.

Juline: Oh. Well, basically, the statement is by Fintan Pyren. He was flirting with a guy named Bronte and while they were talking he found out Bronte was recently attacked by someone who matches our description of Sophie Foster. Then they had sex. Then Bronte exploded into worms. The end.

Tiergan: ...wow. Okay. Does Prentice think it's real?

Juline: You know him, he doesn't think any of these statements are real. I think it is, though. You can't make up shit like that. 

Tiergan: Yeah, it sounds too weird to be fake. I'll do some research into this Sophie Foster worm person.

Juline: (sarcastically) That sounds really fun.

Tiergan: I am not getting paid enough for this shit.

---

Prentice: Where's Tiergan?

Juline: Awww, you're worried about him?

Prentice: What- no- I- (clears throat) I wanted to know if he'd done any more research on the death of Jensi Babblos. 

Juline: Which one was that?

Prentice: The one who was afraid of spiders.

Juline: Right. Anyway, he said he was going to check out Jensi's old apartment, but I haven't heard from him since.

Prentice: Hmm. I'm not surprised he can't be bothered to come in to work today. Or even finish his investigation.

Juline: Maybe he was attacked by worms. 

---

(door slams open)

Prentice: Tiergan, please, I'm in the middle of something-

Tiergan: I was attacked by worms!

Prentice: ...that's unfortunate.

Tiergan: No shit. The Loki Institute might want to install a worm security system.

Prentice: A worm security system? What, exactly, does a worm security system entail?

Tiergan: Fire extinguishers.

Prentice: Fire extinguishers?

Tiergan: The worms were attacking my house, so I defended myself with a fire extinguisher-

Prentice: You defended yourself with a fire extinguisher? 

Tiergan: I panicked, okay? And it worked. 

Prentice: Fine. The Institute can get more fire extinguishers. You think Foster might attack this place?

Tiergan: There's a chance. I haven't seen her in a while, but she might still be following me. I don't think she likes me very much.

Prentice: (muttering) Well, the worms and I have something in common.

Tiergan: What?

Prentice: Nothing. Thank you for letting me know. Is that all? 

Tiergan: Yes.

Prentice: Great. You can go now.

---

Tiergan: I don't think Prentice likes me very much.

Cyrah: (with fake surprise) Oh my god, really?

Tiergan: What did I ever do to him?

Cyrah: He's just kind of an asshole. Why do you care if he likes you, anyway?

Tiergan: ...no reason.

Cyrah: Are you going to go write sad gay poetry about him in your notebook?

Tiergan: (clearly lying) No.

#what a wonderful ending. tiergan writing sad gay poetry #tma/kotlc au #that is all that will ever be written. might publish my outline later #we'll see #anyway yeah. lmk what you thought i guess

[faggot-friday]

In Every Shade of Purple // Sophiana

written for @constant-sapphic-breakdown's birthday gift!!! Art will be posted later btw

summary: Sophiana wedding !!!

trigger warnings: swearing, sex mention. lmk if there's anything else

other notes: they/them demi biro Sophie, ae/aer lesbian Biana, it/its afab Keefe, he/him afab Fitz, xe/xem Dex, she/her Amy, she/her asexual Stina, genderfluid Maruca (uses he/they/ce near the beginning, and then they/she near the end). Dex x Keefe x Fitz, implied four horsegirls. I drop my url. Harli hates them but there's puns. This is literally pure fluff lol

word count: 1.7K

......

Sophie tugged on their tie and swallowed. “I’m so fucking nervous.”

Amy elbowed her. It was gentle by Amy standards, but it was going to leave a bruise by Sophie standards.

“Relax, Soybean,” she said. “You’ll be fine.”

“What if I trip on the way?”

“Then get up and make sure you don’t crinkle this suit. It cost a fortune. You really went all-out.”

“I just want it to be perfect.”

Because if it wasn’t as perfect as ae was, then what was the point?

Amy rolled her eyes and moved towards the full-length mirror, admiring herself. “I don’t usually wear suits like this, but dang, I look sexy.” She pursed her lips and examined herself from every angle.

Dex placed one hand on Sophie’s shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “You’ll be fine, Sophie. I can guarantee it.”

“What if ae backs out? What if ae thinks we’re just platonic buddies?”

Dex laughed. “I promise you, Soph. Ae loves you romantically as much as you love aer, also romantically.”

Sophie looked up at xem. “How can you be certain?”

“I can see it in aer eyes every time you enter a room.”

Sophie smiled slightly. They could imagine it. It was cute. Then again, everything about Biana was cute.

“Are you ready?” xe asked them.

Fitz did up the final button on his jacket and smiled teasingly. “You better be. You’ve been talking non-stop about this for weeks.”

Sophie laughed. “I’m not ready. But I’m going there anyway. Not much of a choice. It’s all paid for.”

“There’s that can-do attitude,” Amy said sarcastically. “Hurry up, or ae’ll leave you at the altar.”

“Ae won’t leave you at the altar,” Dex reassured them upon seeing their pale face, shooting a glare at Amy. Amy held up her hands in surrender, not looking at all sorry. “But we do need to hurry.”

“Should I tuck in my tails?” Sophie pulled at the tails of the suit jacket.

“You don’t want everyone to think you’re not weird,” Amy said. “That’s basically lying. Dex, gogogo. You’re first.”

Dex kissed Sophie on the forehead. “You’re gonna do great.” Then xe left, Fitz following with awkward finger guns directed at them. He went red and moved away faster.

“Geez, Dexter, this isn’t a spelling bee,” Amy said. “Alright, girlboss. Off you go.” She pursed her lips. “Not a girlboss. A gayboss.”

“Gaslight gatekeep gayboss?” Sophie laughed.

Amy handed Sophie the bouquet. “Gaslight gaetkeep gayboss. Ha! Puns!” She pushed Sophie towards the door. “Now, get out there and gayboss. Kiss some women!”

“Kissing women is something I can’t fuck up in, at least.”

Amy left Sophie with a muttered “you’d be surprised” and a lot of scared thoughts before they were standing in the sun, facing Biana and aer lot.

……

Keefe held a dress up against its body. “I think I look hot. Do you think I look hot?”

“Yes,” Fitz said, at the same time Biana answered, “I think we should change the colour a bit.” They looked at each other.

“You shouldn’t even be here,” Biana said to him.

“I’m your emotional support sibling,” Fitz said. “Here for any hugs you could ever want.”

“You’re bony.”

“And you just stand there stiffly. The perfect blend of pain and uncomfortableness.”

“Lighten up, Vackers,” Maruca said. “Biana, do we really have to wear dresses?”

“We offered to all of you to be either on Sophie’s side with the suits, or my side with the dresses. And you chose accordingly.” Biana looked at her. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Feeling masc right now,” Maruca said. “He/they/ce. And when I’m more masc, I feel… bleugh, in dresses. You feel?”

Biana didn’t get much dysphoria, which was something that seemed to constantly confuse aer brother, who had loads. “Nope. I do not feel. Nor do I understand your dysphoric struggles.”

“I feel,” Fitz said. “And yeah, it’s painful having to do that. I’m sure we can get a suit for you and choose which side you’re on.”

“You can swap with Amy, if you need to be over there,” Biana suggested.

“Or you can go naked,” Stina said.

“I’m not going naked,” Maruca said flatly.

Keefe picked up another dress and compared them. “You want to see Maruca naked? That’s a bit gay.”

Stina didn’t show any sign of embarrassment. “I don’t get off on nudity. Or anything, for that matter.”

“Ah, right. Sorry. I will not allow my allosexual ignorance to show again.”

“Good.”

Biana laughed.

Keefe turned to face the overall group. “The one on the left or the one on the right?” It held each up as it spoke. “The one on the left I think is prettier, but it also shows off quite a bit of cleavage, and I don’t want to take Sophie’s gaze away from the wife-to-be.” It winked. “This other one is more my colour, but it has lace. Lace, Bee. Do you know —”

“Yes, Keefe, I know about your issues with lace,” Biana sighed. “Wear the one that shows your tits. Sophie’s not going to be looking at you.”

“Dex and Fitz are,” Maruca muttered. Fitz’s face went bright red, and he tore his eyes away from Keefe.

Keefe didn’t look at all ashamed. “Well, it’s their rights as dating me. I’d stare at their tits, too, if they had any.”

Fitz’s face returned to its normal colour. “You know not-binding gives me dysphoria.”

“I do know that. I wasn’t shaming you for it.”

“Sure sounded like it.”

“Keep your bickering for when I’m not here,” Biana sighed. “You’re gonna make my ears bleed.”

Fitz muttered an apology. Keefe didn’t look ashamed. Keefe never seemed to be ashamed of anything.

“So, what colours are we going for?” Stina asked. “Like, I know we’re all in blue, but what about that lot? And the whole thing? Is it just all blue?”

“That lot are in red,” Biana supplied. “And… we have an idea of the whole thing. But it’s all hush-hush.”

Keefe wrapped its arms around Stina’s neck and pressed one finger to her lips. “You heard the woman. Hushies.”

Stina slapped it.

……

Sophie watched Dex and Fitz walk forward. Fitz’s face went bright red at the sight of Keefe in its dress. Sophie didn’t feel the same. They’d gotten over their fleeting crush on “the Keefester” all the way back in middle school. Also, tits in general were kind of average. Demisexual moment, they supposed.

Amy gently (Amy standards gentle) shoved Sophie forward. They stumbled slightly but straightened quickly, making sure no one had seen. Their adoptive parents, Grady and Edaline Ruewen, waved at them. Grady was crying. Edaline poked her tongue out cheekily.

Sophie stepped forward, trying not to stare at Biana in aer dress too much. Ae was… ae was breathtaking. Ae was also not even attempting to hide the fact that ae was staring. Maruca (who was wearing a pronoun pin on their dress that said “they/she”) reached around Keefe and gently punched aer, saying something Sophie couldn’t hear. Ae smacked them back.

Sophie stumbled three more times and fell flat on their face once more (was the walkway thing really that long? How did they overlook that design flaw? They hate walking), just as they had feared. Take that, Amy. Imagine being wrong.

Sophie stepped up next to Biana. Keefe rested its chin on their shoulder.

“Hi,” it whispered as the ceremony started. “I like how you put Biana’s lot on your side. Contrasting the blue with the red.”

Sophie shushed it. It pulled back and mussed up their hair.

They read out their stuff. Biana told the story of how they met. Sophie hated that day. All they wanted was a haircut, but noo, they had to have the prettiest girl they’d ever seen as their hairdresser and accidentally make the entire interaction NSFW. They were acespec, for goodness sake!! How could they slip up like that!

Sophie, like the cringe-fail nerd that they were, announced they had a poem, before proceeding to read out a limerick. They wouldn’t be able to remember the limerick later, but they would remember the way Biana’s eyes lit up as ae doubled over laughing.

The ceremony continued with more talking Sophie didn’t pay much attention to. Keefe nudged them after the limerick and praised them to the skies. Quietly.

“You look nice,” Biana said towards the end.

“Thank you. You also look nice,” Sophie responded

Biana nodded. “This is a little awkward.”

Sophie nodded. “Oh, by the way, you still owe me a blowjob from when we first met.”

Biana let go of Sophie’s hands to cover aer mouth, but Sophie could still hear aer laughter. “Sexually attracted to me, are you, Foster?”

“No, but maybe one day. I thought it was funny.”

“It was a bit. Not gonna bang me on our wedding night?”

“We can watch gay movies instead.”

“I might be allosexual, but that sounds so fucking good.”

Sophie smiled.

“And now,” the officiator said, “you may kiss the —” she paused. “Shit. Bride? Groom?”

“Depends who you’re talking to,” Sophie said. “If you’re talking to me, you could say wife. Biana’s female.”

“I’m talking to aer, though. And you’re nonbinary, right?” Sophie nodded.

“Well, is there a neutral term for bride or groom?” Dex said from beside Amy.

“I’m only here because you’re paying me,” the officiator said. “I literally have no clue.”

“You may now kiss the… lesbian?” Biana suggested.

“I’m bi,” Sophie said.

“You may now kiss the bisexual person doesn’t have quite the same ring to it,” Keefe piped up.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Stina muttered. “Shut the fuck up and kiss already! I want my vodka.”

“Yeah,” the officiator said, staring at Stina with a frown. “That.”

And Sophie laughed, and Biana laughed too, and then Sophie leaned down slightly, shut the fuck up as Stina had so kindly phrased, and kissed aer. And ae kissed them back.

“I love you,” ae murmured against their lips. And Sophie responded in the same starstruck tone, winding their arms around aer waist, as Dex cheered, and Amy told Stina she could have her vodka, and Maruca muttered “finally” and went off to find their other partners, and Grady cried harder, and Keefe shouted “bit gay, innit”, and confetti and glitter exploded around them, coating them both in every shade of purple.

And neither of them had ever been happier than they had in that moment.

#sophiana #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #happy birthday to jordi and your art is coming soon!!!

[amandayetagain]

what are your favorite kotlc ships and characters? and what do you like abt them?

Keefitz is the epitome of childhood best friends to lovers. I usually hate this trope, since I could never see it with my childhood best friend, but it drew me in. So much angst. So much history. You know how some guys have guy friends they practice making out with? Well they were that for each other and they liked it. But they didn’t say anything, which is why there’s so much damn pining.

Fedex is peak enemies to lovers- however one-sided. The scene in Neverseen is very close to my heart. (You know the one) They also have the added unfortunate first impression to shake things up.

Sokeefe has something so pure about it. I don’t know how to explain it, but they’re middle c. They always come back to each other, even if they don’t know they’re doing it. They’re comfortable, reliable, with equal possibility for both dark and light. My favorite canon ship.

Kam brings the salt. They clash, and when they do, sparks fly. It’s not quite enemies to lovers, but rivals. Hesitant friends, even. They have an understanding they can’t have with anyone else. Mostly because of their similar experiences, and the ways they deal with them. They have the best banter.

Sophiana perseveres. They’ve been through a lot. Emotions have run high, even with only their friendship. Think the wenclair divorce scene for when Sophie finds out (from Stina) that Biana befriended her because Alden told her to. Think Sophie’s paragraph-long descriptions of how stunningly beautiful Biana is. I love them.

My favorite characters are Stina, Biana, and Keefe.

I relate to them a lot. Biana’s confidence, how she wears her makeup not just as armor, but because she likes it. Stina’s drive and low tolerance for bs. Keefe’s gifted kid burnout and weakness for brown eyes.

#Let’s just ignore how it took me literal months to answer this #Amanda gets an ask #Keefitz #fedex #sophiana #kam #sokeefe

[bookwyrminspiration]

Who do you think has the best character development in the series? Personally I’m voting for Stina but there are lots of other characters with some really good development.

I had to take a few minutes to think this over because there are so many characters who have developed in such interesting ways!! Also, the "best" character development is very subjective. For me, I find the journey of self-acceptance and forgiveness that Dex's character goes on to be one of my favorites.

He started out determined to prove to everyone around him that he was worth something, but once he manifested, the big thing he could shove in everyone else's faces, he kept it hidden. He thought his technopathy was lame and wanted something else. So he's starting from a pretty low place in terms of self-image despite how much he fights back against anyone else who sees him that way.

Then his secret is revealed against his will and he's thrust into this world where everyone else finally accepts and values him, working directly for the council. It's all the praise and attention he's ever wanted. He's in the in group now, part of things and contributing and valued and special. But it turns out it's not what he wanted, that he's been used to hurt people close to him and suddenly this acceptance and praise from everyone else is worthless and he doesn't want it anymore. He doesn't want to be drawn in so easily by something so simply

So we see him start to work on things on his own, making the twiggler and breaking into the records despite what the Black Swan says because he knows his ability better than they do. He knows what he can do. And we can see this evolve over the course of the series, his confidence in his ability growing. He's a little unnerved/upset when it turns out he's still got more to learn and he's working alongside Tinker, but it became a positive. he's gotten to a point where he has complete faith in the final results of what he makes and knows how useful his creations are to everyone else (panic rings, hidden caches, gadgets for everyone), which is a huge shift from how he was like "technopathy is stupid and I'm never going to tell anyone about this ever."

There's also his whole development from hating the Vackers to being fairly good friends with them. They're a representation of everything he isn't and everyone who hates him, and he can't keep himself from despising them in the first few books. He doesn't want anything to do with them and is openly unpleasant, yet forced into proximity and relations via Sophie. Then throughout the series he comes to realize that it's not doing either of them any good, that hating Fitz doesn't make either of them happy and it hurts the people close to him. The horror over almost killing him really solidifies it and he learns to move on from that hatred.

So when you say best character development one of the people I think of is Dex! I love how his character has changed and how his attitudes have matured towards himself and others. There's no right answer though, so I think Stina's a valid vote as well!

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #quil's queries #dex dizznee #kotlc character analysis #nonsie #he was such an innocent yet angry person at the beginning #and now he's a lot wiser #and I think that's neat :) #he's not the only character whose development I like. i happen to like many characters #but I haven't talked about him in a while so #long post

[bookofmirth]

17 and 24!

thank youuuu sorry this got long, I am enjoying not having a shit ton of grading atm

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

Yes! Here is my list of books I liked more than I expected to:

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

The Manningtree Witches by A.K. Blakemore

Revelator by Daryl Gregory

Deadline by Mira Grant (I know I like her writing, I just didn't know the series would turn up to 11)

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Riverine by Angela Palm

Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls by Nina Renata Aron

24. Did you DNF anything? Why?

Yes, I DNF'd a lot more this year than I usually do. I just had no patience for books that I wasn't into, even if I felt like in other circumstances, I would have enjoyed them. I think that was a theme for me personally, this year - I Marie Kondo'd my life.

I'm going to give the reasons I DNF'd because I think that's fun.

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi - I cannot stand her writing style, I wouldn't have bought this book but it was in Illumicrate and I didn't want to skip my first month of my subscription and I thought hey, maybe Past Leslie was wrong. I can give Mafi another chance. Past Leslie was RIGHT.

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne - this gave me "I went on vacation to an 'exotic' locale and connected with 'the natives', these are all the spiritual lessons it taught me, a white woman" vibes.

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin - I hate when books try too hard to be shocking.

Learwife by J.R. Thorpe - I actually might come back to this one, it was just pretty dense and I wasn't in the right space for that style of writing.

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li - 100 pages in I couldn't tell the characters apart :(

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht - I might return to this one also. I couldn't get invested in the characters but then a week or two later I found myself thinking about it. So it's not goodbye forever, just goodbye for now.

Technically I DNF'd Bands of Mourning because I almost threw my book across the room when Wayne thought about someone breasts, again. But I read 250 pages so whatever.

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo. I just couldn't get into it.

Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis. I can't even remember. I usually like her books but this was not it.

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo - much like Manhunt, it was trying too hard.

How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell - so much pretentious blah blah blah.

End of year book ask

#booklr #ask meme #ask #santababysteve

[queenie-blackthorn]

50% into kotlc, here are some thoughts ive had since the 25% mark :D

@aylin-hijabi @that-multi-fandom-hijabi sorry for tagging yall a lot lmao

first thing that comes to mind thats plot-related n not character-related is prentice. he was exiled 12 years ago, same age as sophie. its so obviously not a coincidence. tho i wonder whats up w him n tiergan (idk how to spell lmao i feel like thats wrong)

also, i wonder just how strong sophie is. like, the way she knocked fitz into the wall ??? thats her not knowing the full extent of her powers. i have a feeling shes always gonna be one of those main characters whos extremely powerful but constantly throughout the series she finds new abilities she has. kinda like percy jackson

im also realizing how stupid ill seem if im just overanalysing everything and my guesses are too far-fetched or too deeply thought out to really mean anything lololol

moving to character-related, i adore dex. he seems kinda spiteful tho ??? esp towards fitz. thats prolly bc the vacker family is apparently rlly famous n shit n meanwhile dexs parents were a bad match. still dont rlly get what that means. i feel like theres more to him. also his crush on sophie is adorable

KEEFE. nothing, just... keefe. havent seen much but from what i HAVE seen, hes hilarious. i remember aylin mentioning that hes like leo valdez in that theyre both hot, funny, and traumatized... still waiting on the 'traumatized' part. she also said hes less major in this book n more major in the second book, so maybe ill find out then

midterms are gonna go wrong just wait i just know it

biana seems acc genuine in wanting to be friends w sophie. but there was one point when she was talking to sophie n there was smth like a glare for a moment ?? idk kinda sus to me. maybe im overthinking it cause i cant think of a possible motive

marella seems cool. in the art, shes absolutely gorgeous, but so is everyone in this goddamn book. also notable that the first time i saw her name i misread it as 'redneck' 💀💀💀

stina is a bitch. nothing else to say, except that she looks terrifyingly like me? except different eye color n i wear glasses loll. i hope to see some character development cause i personally hate the trope of "token mean girl" in books (like drew tanaka or zoya nazyalensky) cause theyre so one dimensional n boring (although zoya does become majorly more likeable throughout the grishaverse books, im hoping to see the same in stina)

irrelevant but the amount of times sophie is ending up in the infirmary reminds me of a roleplay w my friends from like three years ago oml the nostalgia (cause there would at all times be at least one character in the infirmary injured or nearly dead bc we needed that drama to keep the rp going LMAO)

overall, theres not as much to say as there was at the 25% mark. (i feel like theres more i wanna say but i cant think of anything.) prolly cause since then, the book has mainly been abt learning abt the elves' world n culture. i think by the 75% point im gonna have a lot more to say, n then ill post the final update thingie when im 100% done w the book

ill be 75% done in 89 pages, but the last day of midterm is tomorrow, so god knows how long thatll take me :') i promise to try thooo

oh also galvins a bitch but i feel like she has trauma fsr idk shes just giving

#kotlc thoughts #kotlc #first time read

[synonymroll648]

(I'm also not a huge fan of OCs in fics, but I didn't want the whole gang to be working there and I didn't want any if the adults in the series and there aren't really any kids who would be teens while they're in their 20s cannonballs so I had to, but they're OK I hope [you are also my friend <3<3]) Here goes:

Sophie took a deep breath. “I can smell the bakery from here, and we’re still another block away.”

Fitz grinned. “Hey, anything you want on the house.”

Sophie shook her head. “Absolutely not. I’m already moving into your apartment, I'm paying for food.”

“Nope. I refuse.”

She started to argue, but Fitz gave her his best puppy dog eyes.

“Fine,” she sighed defeatedly. She’d just sneak in a whole bunch of money into the tip jar then.

They walked in the front door. A blond, forest green eyed boy was juggling apples while a redheaded girl with lime green streaks in her hair that matched her eyes and Marella, ever the adult, tossed apples into the circuit. A boy with red curls and brown eyes was standing on a barstool having a heated conversation with a brunette woman Sophie's age who towered over him. Another woman their age with espresso bean colored skin and dark brown hair with blue and purple braids slapped the boy in the leg with a washcloth lightly and said something that made him begrudgingly get off the chair. Jensi was sweeping up what looked like ice, and a boy with light brown hair was petting a ladybug that had flown onto their wrist.

Fitz cleared his throat, and they all stopped what they were doing and looked at them.

"Hey boss," the blond boy juggling apples said. "How's it going?"

Tam came out of the corner holding a clipboard with a notepad and his 'Assistant Manager' pen. "I hate them all so much. Can we please fire them?"

"What happened?" Fitz asked.

"Jensi and Maruca and Blue are fine, but the rest of them have been running around and yelling and overall causing chaos, and now I have a headache."

"Okay," Fitz said, keeping his voice down to not make his head hurt worse. "You did a great job making sure no one died and that this place didn't catch on fire. I relieve you of your duties. Go take some Tylenol and sleep in the storage closet."

Tam grumbled about the place falling into shambles without him and sat at a table, taking his notepad out of the clipboard and brandishing the pen.

"Ahem," the redheaded girl said pointedly.

Fitz sighed with a smile, glancing to Sophie like 'Here we go.' "What's up?"

"Who is she?" the girl asked, gesturing to Sophie, eyebrow raised. "Is she working here now too?"

Fitz smiled. "No. I forget you guys haven't all met her yet. Team, this is Sophie."

The teens started "oh" ing. The tall brunette elbowed the redhead, and they grinned at each other.

Fitz smacked his face. "Guys."

Sophie tilted her head at the tall brunette. "Hang on, I know you. You're Stina, right?"

"Um, yeah?" Stina answered in a tone that implied Sophie was an idiot.

"Didn't you and Marella fu—"

"Sophie!" Fitz said quickly. "There's children."

"My bad. But didn't you guys date and things ended not so greatly?"

Stina shrugged. "We're all good now."

"Yeah," Marella said. "That was in high school. Now I've got Linh, and Stina and Maruca are bound to happen any day now, especially if Fitz keeps putting them on the same counter schedule."

Stina smacked Marella, blushing bright red.

The girl with the blue and purple braids was also blushing, but she had a small smile as she and Stina glanced at one another, blushed deeper, and looked away.

"So, I know Stina, Marella, Tam, Jensi, and I'm guessing she's Maruca," Sophie said, pointing at each of them.

The redheaded girl from before said, "Yup. I'll take over from there, then. My real name is Francine, but it's dumb, so call me Frank, or I'll gut you. The idiot who was juggling the apples is Chase, the red-headed dude is Fred, and the third guy is Blue. Their pronouns are he/they/it and sometimes she, so respect it, or I'll smack you."

"Frank," Blue protested, face pinkening.

Sophie smiled. "Hey, it's all cool. My whole family is queer in some way or another."

"Really?" Blue asked hesitantly.

"Yep. I have four parents, all of them bisexual and married to each other. Two of my parents, Grady and Edaline have one biological kid; a daughter named Jolie, who is a trans woman in her early 30s at this point and is in a v-shaped marriage with her wife Vertinia and her husband Brant, who are best friends with each other. My other set of parents, David and Emma, have one biological kid; a daughter named Amy who's a year older than me and is a lesbian and getting married to her fiancee Mindy soon. My brother Keefe is two days younger than my sister Amy, he was adopted from an abusive household when I was 10, and he's also gay and dating my best friend Dex, who is also Grady and Edaline's nephew. That was slightly weird at first, but Keefe only thinks of our parents, sisters, and myself as his family, so neither of them consider it incest. I myself was adopted as a baby with no clue who my biological parents are, I'm the youngest of my family, and I'm bisexual. I mostly use she/her but sometimes I feel more she/they or they/them, and I'll tell you when I want to be called they/them, so don't be nervous about asking me how I feel or sticking with she/her. Plus, Marella's been one of my best friends since pre-k and is practically family, and she's also super gay."

Blue had originally been standing behind the counter, but he must have slowly crept their way out from behind the counter. It hesitantly stuck its hand out. "Nice to meet you."

Sophie shook their hand with a warm smile. "Nice to meet you too, Blue."

"So, introductions aside," Fitz said, "Tam, Jensi, Blue, Maruca, feel free to take a break. The rest of you, clean up your messes. I'm going to be in and out for the rest of the day, so when I leave, Tam is in charge."

They all moved around, but Sophie swore she heard Frank mutter, "Why am I never left in charge?"

'didn't you and marella fu-' SENT ME OH MY GOD. IT'S 10:23PM AWSERGERGEFBRHDEFBER I HAD TO COVER MY MOUTH AND FALL BACK ONTO MY BED FOR A FEW SECONDS. also the 'oh'ing as soon as fitz introduced her. yeah. yeah <3 also poor tam. my guy better be getting paid well

#if you want critiques i can help you out but if you don't that is 100% fine /gen #ask #presidentroarie