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serendipitys-lie · 5 years

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Daughter of the Village Chief// H.H. x Female Reader Pt. 1

Warnings (throughout story): Slight mentions of sexual things, sexual misconduct, rape, and cuss words.

Wow so lowkey this is kinda bad and there’s not a lot of Harry in this right now but this is more of a intro chapter and a setting up the story chapter to what’s to come! If anything confuses you feel free to dm me. I also take requests so please feel free to ask as well :)

Summary: Being the daughter of Moana did have its perks from time to time. The ocean who once was a friend of hers had now grown to be a friend of yours and you wouldn’t have known what you would’ve done without it. However one day might come to pass where you will need to know the truth about your past. The real truth. Because all though you had been swimming with the ocean and talking to tefiti all your life, being at auradon was about to change everything and bring the biggest twist to your life, that your mom might not even be your mom and that a certain pirate was soon to be someone to love and not to hate.

“28.... 29..... 30!”

Suddenly light, light everywhere as you took your hands off your eyes and took in all the sights to see.

You were currently in a game of hide and seek with your favorite friend, the ocean.

“Hmmmm I wonder where you went ocean....” you began, sarcastically looking around. “Maybe..... there! Got you!”

Pointing at the water, suddenly the ocean seemed to rise up and nod in response. You laughed at the body of water, clearly it having no where else to hide every time so you were always destined to win.

“Alright how about best 50 outa 100?” You asked, tying up your H/C locks up.

“Yeah I don’t think so little one”

You froze at the voice already knowing who it was.

“Hey Uncle Maui! I was just about to go to bed I swear but isn’t the sunset just so beautiful? haha...”

You tried so hard to stall your time but your Uncle always could see through just like he could with your mom.

“I’m sorry Y/N,” he began. “You have a big day tomorrow remember, first day at a great school with great new people! Better than being stuck on this small little island village for the rest of your life! Now come on, you need to be in bed right now so you can wake up early tomorrow and wish everyone bye.”

The new school he was talking about was in a kingdom called Auradon, meaning that the school was obviously fit to be called “Auradon Prep” run by a King named Rolland and his wife. You wanted so desperately not to go, you weren’t a princess or elegant at all! You were adventurous, outspoken and the daughter of the village Chieftess, yet you would have to fake a smile and go anyway to please your mother and make the village proud.

You sighed and bid the ocean goodnight returning to your cot and resting for the next day.

When the morning did come you made sure to wake up extra early to do all your favorite things on the island for a final time. You helped Hei Hei escape a crazy cook, played tag with Pua, hide and seek with the ocean, and had a lovely girl talk with Tefiti to whom you poured your heart and soul out to.

It was soon time to leave and You hugged your mother tightly, tears pouring down your cheeks. You really would miss the island, a friend as much as the ocean and much more, a home.

Saying your goodbyes to everyone, a black limo then pulled up, the royal car to Auradon. Out stepped a young boy, no older than you, who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen. He smiled a bright smile at you, the creases of his eyes going up in the process.

“Hello I’m Ben!” He exclaimed. “I’m the soon to be future king of Auradon. It was my idea to invite you to join our school, I’m trying to branch out to more students from around the world and you just happen to be the first person I chose! I’m really glad you’re joining us and I hope we can get to know each other some more and become good friends!”

He stuck his hand out for you to shake smiling all the while long. Shy and like a small child, you hid behind your mother slightly peering over at him. You couldn’t help but stare into his eyes. You saw something in them, almost longing, as if in for a friend. You swallowed any ounce of fear you had and walked forward towards him grabbing his hand and watching his smile somehow increase even more.

“I’m Y/N. I hope we can become good friends too.”

~~~~~~~~~~

About three to four years later and here you were. A young woman, sprawled all over her bed, studying for a stupid final that was going to kill her.

“Ughhhhhh” you groaned out in frustration.

“Come on Y/N it’s really not that hard I promise!” said your roommate of almost three years now Lonnie. She was a beautiful girl and was one of your closest friends. Being the daughter of Mulan gave her excellent agility and intelligence as well.

“I know it’s not but it’s just... UGHHH!!!” You screeched in annoyance and anger at the problem on the paper.

“Knockity Knockity! How are my favorite princesses doing?” you heard a voice say, looking up at the doorframe to see it was only the new king and your first ever friend, Ben.

“Ok one im not your favorite princess for sure, and two Y/N is the daughter of the Chieftess! Not a princess.” Said Lonnie knowing how annoyed you’d get whenever someone confused the two.

You slowly perked up from the bed at the sight of Ben. You never got to see your best friend due to all of the new duties he had and all the new students he had to deal with.

“Ah Mr. Bennie Boo! How can we help you?” You said teasing him with the nickname his ex Audrey used to call him and his current girlfriend Mal, who kept it alive.

“Haha funny” he began, “hey I actually wanted to ask you a personal question Y/N/N...”

“Oh sure! Of course! Lonnie can you give us a sec?” You asked your brunette friend with apologetic eyes. She simply nodded and smiled leaving, probably going to find her crush Jay and talk with him more.

Ben took a seat next to you on your bed and suddenly became serious.

“Y/N... it’s about Mal. Something has been off with her lately and I don’t know what! I’m asking you because she seems to trust you a lot and tell you everything and I just need to know what’s happening... am I doing something wrong? Is she not happy with me?”

It was true, you and the VK kids had gotten very close when they arrived at Auradon. At first they seemed to hate everyone but because you guys could relate very well with both feeling new to the place and since you weren’t so girly they eventually almost took you in as a VK yourself.

You assured Ben it was nothing and told him to give Mal some space. Yes you knew what she was going through but couldn’t just give away all her secrets to him and betray her trust. You just told him she was going through things and needed to think alone.

He sadly smiled but agreed with your advice, talking a bit more about how life had been treating both of you before he had to return to more kingly duties that awaited him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

About two hours later and you were still having no luck in studying for the stupid final that awaited you. Because Lonnie had decided to bring Jay to your shared room to talk and giggle, rather loudly might you add, you simply moved your self to Mal and Evies room thankful no one was there so there would be silence.

Yet not even two minutes after you got there Carlos arrived with duke in tow ready to chill and play around with the dog. When you had first met the VKs you had to admit you had an adorable little crush on him but now... now it was so much more. You began twisting your hair around your finger from the ponytail it was in nervously but tried to remain calm none the less.

“C-Carlos” you began, “as amazing as you are and as much as I love duke I’m really trying to study! Do you think you and duke could possibly play at the park?” It hurt to ask that as the truth was you really didn’t want him to leave but you just needed to study. Little did you know it hurt him a bit too.

“Sorry, I promise to be a good boy and listen to you ahaha” he said getting ready to leave but coming over for a hug before he did so.

“Atta boy! Good boy!” You said playfully giving him a hug and a nice, gentle rub on his head. This definitely earned a small content sigh from the boy but he simply played it off as nothing more.

“I’ll see ya later Y/N/N!” he exclaimed now happy and ready to play with duke. You chucked to yourself and prepared to continue studying when not even ten seconds later Mal came bursting in hyperventilating.

“FUCK STUDYING ITS NEVER GONNA GOSH DARN HAPPEN!!” you swore frustrated at this point but then immediately softened as you saw one of the closest friends you had here burst down in tears. You immediately ran to her side and engulfed her into a hug which she returned sobbing all the way.

“Mal, Mal! Girl are you ok?! What’s wrong? What happened!?!” You asked bombarding her with multiple questions.

“I don’t belong here” she sobbed. “I just wish I could go back to the isle, I can’t be the perfect princess they want me to be...”

you knew you shouldn’t have said it but you were desperate to make your friend happy. You’d do anything to see her smile... even if it meant it could hurt Ben in the process...

“I can take you there... follow me”

~~~~~~~~~~~

And now you were here, at the edge of Auradon overlooking the sea and the isle of the lost sitting on it.

“How are we supposed to get there? This is stupid Y/N.... you don’t have any transportation at all, any magic, nothing! We’re just standing here on the sand and it’s itchy and cold!!! Why did I ever agree to this....” Mal ranted upset and over the whole situation already.

“You’re right I don’t have a vehicle, I don’t have magic, or pixie dust, or a mermaid tail or nothing. I’m an ordinary person. But I do have one thing. I have an old friend...” you stated, satisfied with your answer and began walking towards the water. Mal rolled her eyes thinking you had completely lost it, waiting for your feet to hit the water when suddenly they didn’t and you were walking further and further out and the water around you was retracting more and more.

“Woah....” she gasped amazed at what was happening to her friend.

“Hey... long time no see huh?” You said meekly at the walls of water surrounding you. A mass of water rose higher above you, getting close enough to where you could feel drops on your face, and it nodded.

“Ocean... I know I haven’t spoken to you in a while and I miss the island and you and Tefiti and Mom and Maui and...” you stopped, realizing you were ranting and paused for a bit before continuing. “I need you to help me and a friend cross. We need to get to the isle. I know you might feel forgotten for all the years I never spoke to you but I really need this old friend... I always thought about you and really have wanted to talk! I just haven’t had so much time but I love you and I need this... I promise... once it’s all over I’ll come back and we can play hide and seek like the good old days haha...” you finished with teary eyes and a hopeful smile.

Mal watched in amusement at the sentimental scene playing before her. The mass of water inched closer to you and sucked up your

H/C locks into a swirl of water as if to playfully tease you. You giggled and took that as a “yes” and an “I forgive you” urging Mal to edge near so you both could cross.

After introducing the two you had made it closer to the isle and one more step closer to Mal’s happiness. What you didn’t know however was it was also one step closer to revealing who you truly were.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you were wandering on the shore of the Isle with Mal you began to discuss more of a plan to everything. After bidding farewell to the ocean you both would go to dizzy tremaine’s salon and give Mal a new doo and you some new “blending in” clothes. It was really the only way to not stand out in the giant crowd of thieves and beggars.

When you had finally arrived at the place Mal shared a long over due reunion with the little girl and introduced you to her. She was quite kind to you despite it being the isle and gave you a bunch of leather outfits covered in spikes to make you fit in more. To add a finishing touch she let your hair down, letting some natural curls fall all around you. You thanked her thousands and told Mal you were going to go out and explore to which she warned you to be careful and then let you leave.

~~~~~~~~~

Among many annoying sketchy shops you came across while wandering the isle you found something that drew you to it. A voodoo shop. One that could tell things about you that you didn’t even know.

You couldn’t understand why but next thing you knew you were walking inside the green door to the very sketchy shop. As you looked around you saw a very young girl who looked about dizzys age. Once she saw you a smile spread to her face.

“Hello miss! Step right up! Have a seat! I can tell you things you’ve needed to know your whole life” she said with a gleam in her eye. And so you did. You sat in the seat at the red clothed table and watched her intently.

“Pick a card any card!” She exclaimed. “You can’t see the card but I will. I’ll read whatever facts are on the card about your life.” You knew there was no way any of this could be true but you just simply nodded and picked a random card anyway.

“Well miss lets see... Definitely not a princess but definitely not a VK either so more in the middle. Daughter of a Chieftess I’m guessing huh?” She asked. You nodded again.

“Well” she continued, “you like the water and the ocean is a friend of yours. You are really close friends with a certain group of VKs and a certain King may I add. and.... woah! What do we have here! Some family history and drama!”

“W-what? What is it?” You began more curious and curious to know what could possibly be wrong with your family.

“Honey have you ever asked about your father?”

“N-no” you responded. You had always wondered about that. Your mother never seemed like the type to settle down or fall for a guy but yet you were still here somehow.

“Honey I hate to break it to you,” she started. “But your mother isn’t your mother. Your real mother had you and couldn’t keep you and so she tossed you in a basket into the sea. The ocean washed you up on the shore of the island of your mother and that’s where your mother adopted and raised you.”

“W-what!?? But then... who are my real parents! What happened what....” you couldn’t think straight, your mind was a mess of thoughts.

“You’re mother was a kind soul. A Native American named tiger lily born and raised on Neverland. She was a daughter of a great chief as well and fell greatly in love with a man. Eventually this man broke her heart and left her for another girl leaving your mother devastated. When he finally wanted to have some fun again he... I’m so sorry.... he raped your mother and created you... Tiger lily in fear that he would find you and hurt you sent you away to where the ocean saved you.”

You could not breathe! Everything was getting tighter but you just had to know one more thing.

“Who... who was the man?”

“They call him.... Peter Pan.” And with that you were out. You slammed some money on the counter and ran, running as far as you could away from everything. Tears began to spill down your cheeks, the world feeling all too small. You despised your father.. how could he? And how could your mother never tell you? What was happening?!??

You were so focused on every new thought swimming in your head you didn’t notice someone was walking in front of you and you crashed right into them.

#harry hook imagine #harry hook #decendants #disney #disney decendants #decendants 2 #captain hook #what am i even doing #imagines

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malbrockway-archive-blog · 6 years

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Chatzy :: Belonging

Who: Marjorie ( @marjorielimehouse ) and Malcolm ( @malbrockway ) When: Six months ago Where: Rural Evangelical Church; Crownsville Warnings: Religious Homophobia Summary: While attending a church function, Marjorie and Mal have a discussion about the kind of upbringing they want for their son.

Malcolm: It's a lovely day for a church potluck, and the whole congregation seems to have turned out. Most are gathered over by the food; the ladies bedecked in their Sunday best trading local gossip while the men talk business. The children are engaged in a boisterous game of tag, laughing and squealing as they carry on. Malcolm watches in quiet solitude, his chair parked beneath the shade of an old oak tree. He doesn't want to be here--truth be told he only came so that Mark wouldn't be the only child in attendance without their father there--and he's counting down the minutes until he can leave. A flicker of movement catches his attention from the corner of his eye, and he turns his head to spot Marjorie. "...Hey Marjie," he greets softly. "Why aren't ya' over with the others?"

Marjorie stood among the church ladies and she liked them, generally. She really did but ever since she got divorced, they were strange around her. They didn't approve of it, she knew and no one understood why they divorced. She was glad that they didn't though, because if they knew about her sexuality, things would be even more awkward and really, she wasn't strong enough to stand up to them if they were negative about who she was. She didn't want to feel the shame she felt years ago anymore, but she did, even though they hadn't said anything. She knew what they thought. The same as her father. She had only come because she believes church is important in Mark's life. He has friends here, people treat him nicely and he has learned to speak a few words from the other kids and the sermons. She'd still be glad to be out of here, though.

She looked over at the oak tree and saw her husband. Even after all they'd been through, she still loved him in a platonic way she'd much rather be around him than the other mothers, so she walked over to him and smiled at him. "Hey, Mal." She told him as she walked closer to her husband. She still wasn't used to having to look down at him. "I just... I ain't got that much in common with them. Besides, ya' know they've been treatin' us weird after we split. I only come to the social church events for Mark." She told him and glanced at her son, talking to a child who looked quite puzzled. Mark didn't realize that people didn't understand what he was saying, so he just talked on in sounds that didn't sound like words at all. The kids didn't mind though, they just nodded and then helped him play the game they were playing. It was nice to see.

Malcolm: She steps near, and for an instant he thinks he catches a whiff of her perfume on the breeze. For all that he’s changed, these past few years have been kind to Marjorie and Malcolm muses, not for the first time, that she still looks as pretty as the day they wed...right here, at this same little country church. Back then he’d stood a head taller than her. Now, he’s looking up to meet her eyes. “Fuck ‘em.” Mal supplies evenly. He knows all too well about the gossip that spreads like wildfire through small towns like theirs; about what the church ladies whisper about at their Bible studies and why they hide their sneers behind their hands whenever he or Marjorie share a pew during services. “Sometimes I wonder why we even bother comin’ here anymore...” It’s only a half truth--his gaze shifts to where Mark runs, laughing gleefully, as he plays with the other children--he knows damn well why. “They don’t know nothin’, Marjie. I ain’t never said a word about the real reason we split, they’re just judgin’ ‘cause judgin’s what they do.” He shakes his head, “One of these days Mark’s gonna’ start hearin’ it. I don’t want that.”

Marjorie chuckled at her husband's swearing. Something she rarely did. "They ain't particularly my type." She told him, a small smile on her face. She didn't want her sexuality to be this big, bad, serious thing. She wanted to be able to joke about it, though she wasn't sure it would work, she wanted to try anyway. She shrugged at his next comment. "Mark loves it and the ladies do treat him nicely." She said and sighed. "And well, I mean, I come to church on Sundays anyway, so it would be weird not to stay after. Then their tongues would really start wagging." She told him and crossed her arms, as she was slightly chilly. "Thank you, for not sayin' anything. A lesser man would have, to get back at me. I appreciate it, Mal." She told him honestly. "And as for Mark... I think it'll be a while before he really catches on that they don't like us and when he does ask, you know once he learns how to sign better... I would like to explain, you know... why and everythin'. If he wants to know, ever." She said, not sure if her ex-husband would agree.

Malcolm: He shoots Marjorie a look, brow furrowing ever so slightly, but does not dignify his ex-wife’s joke with a response. While he supports her and has accepted the reality of her sexuality, even years later that wound is still just a little bit too raw for him to make light of it so casually. “I know he does,” Mal concedes, deflating a little. Mark’s sense of belonging here is about the only reason he hasn’t told half the congregation to go pound sand. “There ain’t nothin’ t’ get back for, Marjie, an’ I ain’t gonna’ throw the mother of my only child t’ the wolves. You don’t owe me no thanks for doin’ the bare minimum required t’ be a decent human being.” In truth, the consensus around the gossip-mill seems to be that Marjorie left him because of his drinking problem back in those days, and Malcolm is content to let them believe it. “--We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. He’s got enough t’ wrap his head around in this world...I just wanna’ let him be a kid for now, y’know?”

Marjorie cringed as her joke was ignored. She didn't mean to hurt him, she just... didn't want who she was to be something bad but to him it was. That kind of hurt, but she understood it at the same time. She stood next to her ex-husband and placed her hand his shoulder. "Well, I am still really thankful for you not telling anyone about it, even if to you that doesn't mean a lot, it does to me." She told him, squeezed his shoulder slightly and then let go again. She wished that she could still hug him, sometimes, but their relationship had changed so much. From friends, to husband and wife and now co-parents. Hugging just wasn't really what they did anymore. "Of course, I wouldn't just dump all of our issues on him. I was just... telling you what I wanted to do. You're free to disagree, Mal and we can talk about it. I ain't got no problem with that." She told him, with a sigh and was a bit surprised when Mark looked over at them and a beaming smile appeared on his face. Maybe it was because he missed seeing his parents together and that sort of saddened her.

Malcolm: The gentle weight of Marjorie’s hand on his shoulder takes him aback; he’s become so accustomed to the absence of physical affection in his life that it borders upon uncomfortable, and though he does not shrug her off he is relieved when she lets go. “Yeah. Well. It ain’t my secret t’ tell.” He swallows thickly, shifting in his chair to put another centimeter of space between them. “I ain’t sayin’ I disagree, Marjie. I just disagree right now. That boy’s too young an’ innocent for puttin’ our baggage on his shoulders. Yours or mine. He’s already got more’n he should.” Mal catches Mark’s big grin in the distance about the same time that Marjorie does, and feels a familiar weight on his chest. “...He’s the only little one here ain’t goin’ home with his momma’ an’ daddy both.” It isn’t an accusation, but a hint of bitterness tinges his voice.

Marjorie looks at him moving away from her and isn't sure why he does that. Does he hate her, and was she unaware? Was he disgusted by her, now that he knew about her sexuality? She didn't know, and even though she wanted to know she didn't dare ask. "I agree Mark's too young now... I-... It don't matter, we'll deal with it when it comes." She said, feeling quite a bit of resistance from him to talk about how to approach their son's potential questions about their divorce. She wasn't going to push Mal, not now. She looks down at him, at his comment and it cuts her deeper than he probably intends it. She doesn't want her son to be more different than he already has to be because of his condition. She feels like the most selfish person on the planet. It was her that choose to leave. Malcolm nor Mark had asked for it. "Don't... I... I get it, it's my fault. You don't have to rub it in, Malcolm." She said, the hurt evident in her voice.

Malcolm: He heaves a quiet sigh; words of comfort on the tip of his tongue not quite making it out. Marjorie isn’t his to comfort anymore, and he’ll be damned if he’s going to sweeten a hard truth to make it more palatable for her where their son’s well-being is concerned. “I ain’t tryin’ t’ twist no knives here, Marjie, but you don’t get t’ stick your head in the sand an’ pretend it ain’t so. It don’t really matter who’s fault it was, the point is it happened, an’ now he’s surrounded by kids an’ families who ain’t nothin’ like him an sooner or later he’s gonna’ realize it.” He tears his eyes away from Mark, turning his full attention back to Marjorie, “Maybe we don’t got no business bein’ in this crowd no more.”

Marjorie swallowed and shook her head. "Sure you ain't tryin' to twist knives." She said, not convined at all. She shook her head at her husband's words. "He's already different, Malcolm and he'll be different all his life. What is our crowd then? Divorced parents of children with diabilities. We can't hide away our son, nor can we hide away who we are. He loves us... maybe all he wants is a bit more time with both his parents, but this church - even though the people aren't always the greatest - is like a second home to me. I belong here, and Mark likes it here. It isn't perfect, but I ain't cutting this out of his life." She said, calmly but she was convinced. "I ain't hidin' away, and neither should you. We are who we are, and if we just keep bein' us, they'll come around."

Malcolm: Mal frowns, utilizing every last ounce of his self control not to roll his eyes. “Well our crowd sure ain’t hardline Evangelicals who swear from the pulpit every Sunday we’ll be burnin’ in Hell for divorcin’; an’ that ain’t even takin’ into account the real reason why. In case you didn’t notice, there ain’t exactly no rainbow flags flyin’ ‘round these parts.” One hand pushes back through his tangle of dark brown curls, “They’ll come around?” Malcolm echoes, one eyebrow quirking upwards in clear disagreement. He huffs softly, “Marjie, I grew up in this church. My momma’s been the dang Sunday school teacher goin’ on forty years. I know these people, I know what they think an’ what they say...an’ trust me, ain’t none of ‘em comin’ around.”

Marjorie turned to him and breathed hard through her nose, trying to stay calm. "I like my church, and I ain't giving it up. I am a Christian and I like going to church; this church." She said, getting quite riled up. "I don't care if the people in it judge me, I don't need no rainbow flags. I just want the church that I've been comin' to for years, and I want to raise my son in the faith I was raised - right here. If you don't like it, that is fine. Then don't come. You ain't got to protect me no more, Malcolm. If they want to call me names or treat me differently, after our divorce or when they find out about me, I'll deal with it." She ranted, just getting mad at him trashing her church and the people in it. They weren't perfect and she knew that they were being judged and gossiped about, but she loved the nostalgia and the comfort of the church and honestly, who was he to tell her where she could and could not be? It was a church, not a rave.

Malcolm: He quiets as it becomes apparent that he’s struck a nerve--whether she would believe it or not, it hadn’t been his intention, but he won’t apologize for being right. “Marjorie, you’re a grown woman who ain’t my wife no more, so if you wanna’ come here an’ pretend they ain’t sneerin’ behind your back that’s your decision,” Mal flicks his gaze over toward where Mark is playing with the other children and back again, “...But it ain’t all about you. I respect your opinion on the matter, but I’ve got every bit as much right t’ dictate where I want my son goin’, who he’s around, an’ what he’s bein’ taught.” Shaking his head, Malcolm fixes a serious look upon his ex-wife. “This ain’t it.”

Marjorie narrowed her eyes and then, took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. They needed to be rational human beings. "What do you propose then? That we change denominations?" She wondered, not really sure what Malcolm saw as an alternative. She was raised evangelical and while some things she did, and her identity, went against the Bible she still found a lot of comfort in her faith and she was uncomfortable with the idea that her son would be taught something else than she believed. "Besides, are you goin' to control everyone he's around when he's with me? I wouldn't put Mark in harms way. He isn't being wounded here at church, he is a happy little boy. I am not takin' him to a dangerous place." She defended herself.

Malcolm: "Maybe,” Mal says with a shrug. “If that’s what it takes. Different church. Different denomination. Different fuckin’ religion...I ain’t sure.” He’s treading on uneasy ground, even for him--for all his bluster and dark humor Malcolm has always been a devout believer and a dutiful Christian. “Damn it, I ain’t never said nothin’ like that--I know you’d never do nothin’ t’ hurt him, ever--I just...” Frustrated, he finally just blurts candidly, “Marjie, I don’t want him bein’ brought up in a church that’s teachin’ him t’ hate who his momma’ is.”

Marjorie 's shoulder's fell at his last words and sighed, looking down at the ground. She couldn't say she hadn't thought about it. She just didn't think it was fair that she'd have to give up a faith, a denomination that she was so comfortable with and that felt right for her just because she'd discovered that she wasn't heterosexual. She nodded slowly. "I appreciate that Malcolm... But the only denomination that is lgbt friendly, really, is the episcopal church... I don't know if I believe all that anglicans believe... and I mean, it's just unfair that just because of who I'm attracted to, I have to change churches..." She said and sighed. "What do you propose then?" She wondered, just wanting to hear him out.

Malcolm: “I dunno, Marjie.” Malcolm replies defeatedly. There’s a world-weariness about him these days; more than the bags beneath his eyes or the frown lines creasing his face, and for a moment he lets it show through. “I really dunno’. Might be a process, us havin’ t’ go the ‘ol trial an’ error route an’ just see what works for our--” ‘Family’, he almost says, but catches himself, “--situation. But speakin’ from experience, as a little boy growin’ up in this here congregation, it ain’t a good place for learnin’ t’ tolerate an’ accept what’s different. I want better’n that for Mark. He deserves better’n that.” Mal’s gaze fixes upon Marjorie’s left hand; now bereft of the wedding ring she’d worn for so many years before their divorce. “I ain’t never asked you for much, Marjie, but I’m askin’ for this.”

Marjorie: sighed and looked back at the church ladies, the old church and felt an ache in her heart. She loved it here... but maybe Malcolm was right. Maybe they should move on. "Alright... alright, let's try it but I wanna do it together. As a family, because even though we ain't married anymore, Mal... We'll always be Mark's parents and that makes us a family. So can we? I'm sure Mark would love that." She told him, her voice soft, almost pleading.

Malcolm: He follows Marjorie’s line of sight to the gaggle of women gathered over by the dessert table; his own mother and sister-in-law among them. He and Marjorie leaving this church will not go over well with them, he knows, but it certainly won’t be the first time he’s disappointed his family. “Ain’t like we gotta’ be strangers here,” Mal submits gently; a softer side of his usual gruffness that he seems to reserve only for his ex-wife. “But maybe it’d do all three of us some good t’ broaden the horizons a little bit, y’know?” He nods, taking a deep breath, “--Yeah, I guess we oughtta’ do it together for Mark’s sake.”

Marjorie nodded at him and sighed. "Yeah, maybe it's time that we have really start a new chapter of our lives, maybe with a new church that isn't as... narrow-minded." She said, trying to see the positive side of this all. She looked at Malcolm and smiled. "For Mark's sake and for our sake." She added, wanting them not be judged either. They were both looked at differently since they divorced.

~FIN~

#marjorielimehouse #[chatzy :: marjorie & malcolm :: 002]#[past interaction]#tw: religious homophobia

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inceptionbigbang · 5 years

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The day has come! The Second Round of Fic Claims for the Inception Big Bang is here. It's a second chance for you to work on any fics that you missed on the first round, and a chance to take on a secondary project.

Claims will work on a similar way to the last round, but we will give priority to fics that haven't been claimed and to artists that couldn't get any of their choices on the first round.

Fics have different numbers for my own organisation, to separate the rounds. Make sure you send the right numbers!

Without further delay, here they are:

21. When dreamshare is first developed, no one has totems. They've always gone into dreams for short amounts of time and always with another person, so there's no chance of someone forgetting their reality. Mal's friend Pip has consistently been pushing the boundaries of dreaming, and one day she decides to go a later deeper without Mal. When Mal wakes up, she realizes that Pip is still asleep and she has to go down after her where she basically incepts Pip with the idea of totems.

Gen

General audiences

No content warnings apply

22. Arthur is a flight attendant. Eames is a passenger.

Arthur/Eames

Teen and Up – Mature

No content warnings apply

23. Arthur learned a long time ago that he was special, and no else could see the strings.

Or, ‘everything is still the same, but Arthur can see Red Strings of Fate’ AU.

There are moments when Arthur thinks he needs to tell Eames about the strings. Owes him the truth, he thinks, Eames deserves to know. Other times – well.

Eames knows enough, and he has secrets of his own. Arthur is allowed this one.

Maybe someday it will come up on Sunday brunch, or something.

“Oh yeah, by the way, I can see red strings that I’m pretty sure are tied up to being literal soulmates and we have one. Get it? Tied up hehe. Anyway, no pressure or anything. Love the sex.”

Yeah, Arthur, that would go lovely.

Arthur/Eames

Teen and Up – Mature

No content warnings apply

24. Eames on vacation after inception and stumbling upon Arthur; floppy haired, tanned and just completely the opposite of how Eames has ever seen him before.

Hawaii looked good on him, no better than good...

Arthur/Eames

Teen and Up – Mature

No content warnings apply

25. When Eames first moved to America, he was at a loss for things to cook. He wasn’t used to the supermarkets and ingredients he needed were expensive. So he Googled food bloggers and found Arthur’s blog. The weekly updates keep Eames going in his boring office job. It takes him a few months before he gets the courage to comment but it’s all downhill from there. Eames is lost with Arthur’s sardonic commentary and when Arthur’s next recipe is one Eames requested, he knows he’s in bad.

Arthur/Eames

Teen and Up – Mature

No content warnings apply

26. Arthur and Eames meet as trust fund teens in a Manhattan private school. Eames is a new student who's just moved from overseas, and him and Arthur hit it off immediately. Friendship turns to a whirlwind summer romance, until Eames is forced to move back to London. They meet again many years later when Arthur has to kidnap Eames for a job.

Arthur/Eames

Teen and Up

No content warnings apply

27. Arthur is in love with Eames, and he's pretty sure Eames is at least interested in him back. Only problem? Arthur is ace, and not at all sure how Eames is going to react to that. But Arthur's going to talk to him about it, because the alternative is to lose even his friendship with the forger, and that's just not on.

Only the team is also determined to set the two of them up. Will that end up being a wrecking ball to Arthur's fragile attempts at making things work with Eames?

STORY OUTLINE:

Arthur is ace, and no one knows. When Eames invites Arthur to join him for Christmas, Arthur panics and says no - and spends the whole of Christmas regretting it. The team comes back from Christmas break, and everything is awkward. Arthur knows he has to say something or ruin his relationship with Eames forever, and he's going to do that at the New Year's party where Eames will hopefully be in a good enough

But unbeknownst to him, he's not the only one who's realized something needs to happen. Cobb, Ariadne and Yusuf agree that an intervention is in order. And when better to set their two friends up than at New Years? Get them kissing and surely the tension between them will resolve itself.

What could possibly go wrong?

At the New Year's party, Ariadne suggests playing a game of spin the bottle. Arthur is less than enthused, but Cobb and Yusuf both back up the idea. They play a few rounds before it lands on Eames, whom Ariadne dares to make out with Arthur.

There's an awkward beat before Eames moves to do it. Arthur reacts by freezing and shying away physically. Eames takes this a rejection and leaves the room. Arthur sits there, frozen, and then leaves too.

He goes to the bathroom and breaks down, blaming himself for being so stupid and backwards. Eames hears him, and comes in and comforts him. Once Eames realizes what the problem is - that Arthur is ace - he promises Arthur that it doesn't matter to him, he just wants to be close to him. Cue happy end credits.

Arthur/Eames

General

No content warnings apply

28. A songfic featuring Aubrey by Bread, studying Arthur and Eames and what their relationship might have been like before the Fischer job. The characters aren't going to resemble fanon (Arthur's closed-off persona and Eames's flirtiness). I'm going to try to expand more on what Nolan gave us during the movie (Arthur's straightforwardness and Eames's aloof/cold personality). Basically, Eames is distant and Arthur chases.

Arthur/Eames

Side: Dom/Mal

Teen and Up – Mature

Graphic Depictions of Violence*

* There might be a torture scene, but I'm still debating on whether or not I want that in the story.

29. This is an academia AU! Arthur is a struggling young professor trying to find his niche, Eames is the mysterious colleague he keeps (inadvisedly!) hooking up with at conferences.

Arthur/Eames

Mature

No content warnings apply

30. A fic about arthur and eames and their first meeting in the military to all their other meetings in the criminal underworld of dreamshare. not that long, i'm aiming for 2.5k or maybe 3k if i can. i wanted to focus on their totems and how eames could use forging as a totem (because if he can't forge then he must be awake, right?) but he has a totem just in case. and arthur has a totem (the die from the movie) that he uses a lot more except when he happens to be taken and tortured for some secret or another and the only thing that convinces his brain that he isn't dreaming is the way eames stands when arthur aims a gun at him? if that makes sense....

here's a little bit of what i have written so far:

he’s more surprised at the lack of surprise he feels when eames digs a poker chip out of his desk. its blood red with gold and white accents, worth five thousand dollars at the particular casino it came from, disregarding the fact that it was arthur’s shitty first and last attempt at a real world forge after he participated in a poker game eames held on base many years ago and realized half the chips in the set were fake, pocketing a one thousand dollar chip to use as a reference.

“our totems match,” eames murmurs, flipping the chip over his knuckles with a concentration a bit too intense for something he could do in his sleep (ha).

“match how?” he asks, sipping a glass of orange juice, freshly squeezed because eames wanted to use the electric juicer. he's tempted to pull out his die from his pocket and roll to see it land on five, even though he knows this isn’t a dream.

“i have something that you made, and you have something i made. also, there’s some significance with the number five.”

Arthur/Eames

Side: Dom/Mal

Mature

Graphic Depictions of Violence*

*I put the Graphic Depictions of Violence just to be safe but i think it's less than what's shown in the film? because it's supposed to be like an after-torture scene where arthur is like "ouch i'm super hurt and drugged and don't know if i'm dreaming" but again i don't think it's any more graphic than the film at least. might keep that tag just to be safe though idk

31. There was a small lake behind Arthur's house. The following night, he sat at its edge and stared at the moon's reflection in the water.

See something you like?

Arthur turned. A man was sitting next to him.

"Hello," Arthur said. "Thank you for helping me get home last night."

The moon smiled. "How did you know it was me?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. He picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water, watching the waves ripple the reflection. "How can you be here and there at the same time?"

The moon leaned back on his elbows and stared up at the sky. "Same way I can be in the lake and the sky at the same time."

Arthur frowned. "That's not the same thing. The lake's just reflecting the light from the moon. From you."

The moon turned to smile brightly at him. "Well aren't you a smart one, hm?" He leaned in and whispered, "I'm a reflection, too. We all are, at the end of the day."

Arthur thought about that. It didn't make sense, but that didn't mean it was wrong. He looked up at the moon in the sky, then at the moon sitting next to him.

"My name's Arthur," he offered. "What's your name?"

The moon looked at him strangely. "Eames. You can call me Eames."

"I'm going to be an astronaut, Eames," Arthur said. "Then I can come and visit you in the sky."

Eames smiled again. Arthur wouldn't have thought the moon liked to smile. "I would like that very much," Eames said. "Very much, indeed."

Arthur/Eames

General – Teen and Up

No content Warnings Apply

*This fic is a canon AU and will ultimately include the events in Inception.

32. It’s a follow up story to Cat Person.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11040948

First story summary:

Arthur misses his cat and would very much like to get another. He gets Eames instead.

Arthur/Eames

Teen and Up

No content warnings apply

Set in the Star Trek Universe

33. Haunted House AU. Arthur’s working at a popular horror maze escape place to make some extra money over the summer. It’s far from his dream job—making minimum wage crouching behind dark trap doors and chasing random couples and tourists—but at least he gets to vent his frustrations about his coworkers (who are, frankly, driving him insane day by day) by literally screaming at customers. Then there’s Eames, who finds haunted houses boring, overrated, and not the least bit frightening, but is willing to humor a friend (Ariadne?) by accompanying her. But an encounter (and some painfully obvious flirting) with the cute guy under the ghoul mask is enough to make him want to come back again, and again, and again—

FEATURING:

- Cobb as the owner/boss and the only guy who actually takes his job seriously. He probably squints a lot because sunlight genuinely hurts his eyes lmao - Mal as his wife, who used to be an actress but left to start a business with Dom. Super sweet and kind of protective of their employees. Plays the main ghost. She’s terrifying. - Yusuf doing their costumes and makeup!!!!

- Arthur getting the job in the first place because his screams are so full of rage (let! him! rest!)

- Eames blowing all his cash on haunted house admission fees so he can flirt with Arthur (who plays different roles on different days, maybe? but Eames can always recognize him, even under the masks/makeup)

- he’s not trying to be creepy, he just wants to ask if he can see him outside of work/get his number—but something always goes wrong before he can

- Arthur being frustrated because Eames is a) distracting, and b) not easily scared, which doesn’t look good for his job. And it annoys him because he has a track record of being able to freak out anyone. He takes it upon himself to make him scream at least once (I haven’t decided how he does, but he does, eventually. Eames probably jokes about screaming with something other than fear, but i am too babey to write any sexytimes)

- maybe??? mild h/c?? Dumbass Drunk College Students coming in all wanting to prove to their friends that they're the Alpha Male, picking a fight and being super violent/rowdy/destructive, + arthur getting hurt/generally kind of shaken up; that’s the first night he lets eames really talk to him outside of the job, maybe even lets him take him home (i dont know if im including this scene for sure but..perhaps)

- Ariadne getting them banned from the haunted house after reflexively slapping Arthur in the face with a rubber snake (Cobb takes the ‘no touching the actors’ rule seriously—especially after what happened^). Eames thinks he’s lost his chance for good, but Arthur finds him outside and finally makes the first move :)

Arthur/Eames

General – Teen and Up

No content warnings apply

Ok folks, the next fics are or may eventually get explicit. Minors, we love you guys! Stay safe.

34. Arthur is an undercover narcotics officer posing as a high school senior. Eames is his teacher, who is taken with Arthur and who feels terrible for lusting after a student. Arthur takes down the bad guys, saves Eames' life, then they smash (after Eames finds out he's a fully grown adult person).

Arthur/Eames

Explicit

No content warnings apply

Eames is (shamefully) interested in Arthur, who he thinks is 18 and also his student.

35. Summary: Eames hasn't seen Arthur in almost four years.

Pseudo- Winter Soldier AU.

There's no response from Arthur, no recognition in his eyes. No banter, no teasing – a coldness that would leave any lesser man with severe frostbite.

"... Arthur?" The words sound so raw, so gutted in Eames’ mouth. "Are you-" are you alive? Are you dead? Am I dreaming?

He reaches for his poker chip.

But before he can trace the ridges for the familiar grooves, a shot rings out loud like a crack of lightning.

And the last thing that Eames sees is Arthur and how he always remembers him: in his whip-black suit and a smoking gun in his hand.

Bang.

A single bullet tears through Eames' temples, and he is ripped open, pain lighting every nerve in his body like a pinball machine – and he prays to god that this is merely a dream so he can finally wake up.

Arthur/Eames

Mature – Explicit

No content warnings apply

36. Pre-movie: Dom and Mal are a dominant/dominant couple who want to find a sub they can play with together. Arthur is interested in trying to fill that role.

Arthur/Dom Cobb/Mal Cobb

Mature – Explicit

No content warnings apply

BDSM, dominance/submission, bondage, spanking/flogging, roleplay.

37. Arthur has a goldfish which, long story short, he has convinced himself he only needs to keep alive to prove he is not a hot mess. Except now it’s not looking so good and has a weird sore on its side and he doesn’t know what to do but he can’t just let it DIE. So he takes it to the vet and is scoffed at and told it is a feeder goldfish, they cost less than a dollar, just get a new one.

Two vets later and he’s at the end of his rope when he meets Dr Eames, whose dog is introduced as his PA and goes on all his rounds with him. Dr Eames doesn’t even question it, just starts the exam and tells Arthur to pet the dog and start at the beginning while he works.

Arthur/Eames

Teen and Up – Mature - Explicit

No Content warnings apply*

* Discussions of parental death.

38. “Taxiing an injured delivery boy around the neighbourhood to help him complete his remaining orders had not been a contender on Eames’ list of potential scenarios for the night. Instead of the morose teenager bleeding onto the synthetic leather of the passenger seat, and the short stack of pizza boxes sliding to and fro across the backseat, the Brit had rather imagined his rental car would serve far more nefarious purposes tonight." -- Essentially, Pizza Delivery Porn Guy Crack A/E AU. Aim: comedic tone with bowchikkawowow.

*Arthur isn’t the teenager. He is a customer who ordered pizza.

Arthur/Eames

Mature – Explicit

No content warnings apply*

*There is mention of a traffic accident - no detail, but it might not be someone's cup of tea. Also, not yet at the sexual scene so don't know whether I'll stop at M or go to E.

39. Eames is working with Arthur the first time in a long while, only now it seems that he has a huge crush on Arthur. He doesn't know how else to get rid of the crush and he really can't concentrate on the job when he's thinking about Arthur all the time, so he asks Arthur to have sex with him, to get the crush out of his system. Arthur agrees surprisingly easily and sex is great, but afterwards Arthur doesn't seem happy and Eames' crush is worse than ever. The more Eames tries to get rid of his crush, the more it sticks, and the less Arthur is talking to him. After the job, Eames has some time to think and he realises that maybe neither of them really wanted for him to get over Arthur. He goes to see Arthur to talk to him about it, but they end up kissing and stuff as well.

Arthur/Eames

Mature – Explicit

No content warnings apply

40. In the court of the vampire supreme Saito, ambitious human noblemen Eames and Arthur battle for the coveted position of favorite bestower. Winner takes life everlasting.

Arthur/Saito

Side: Arthur/Eames

Arthur/Dom Cobb

Eames/Saito

Explicit

Graphic Depictions of Violence

Bloodplay, Extreme Sadomasochism. Possible Necrophilia

If you've got any questions, send them our way!

#inception big bang #inception big bang 2019

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 5 years

Text

Finstas make online dating so much more complicated

In our Love App-tually series, Mashable shines a light into the foggy world of online dating. It is cuffing season after all.

I will never again let someone I'm dating follow my finsta.

That's a sentiment that countless finsta users have when establishing emotional boundaries. In relationships built on intertwined online and in-person interactions, it's often a point of contention.

If you haven't been initiated into the bizarre world of niche memes and astrology tag posts, a finsta is a secondary, private Instagram account used to keep snarky screenshots, rant about your personal life, and post (mostly) risqué selfies that would leave the family members who follow your main account absolutely appalled. Finsta followers are usually a highly curated selection of close friends who wouldn't judge you for your bizarre one-night stands, validate you when you're feeling yourself, and support you when your mental health dips.

If a single group text represented only one circle of friends, then a finsta would be the overlapping portion of a Venn diagram. Friend groups don't always overlap, but on your finsta, you can access all of their unrelenting support on one platform.

Finsta really does teach you a lot. You find out who cheating, who hoeing, who got played and who depressed etc. Need help making a life decision? Ask your finsta, need help on an outfit?? FINSTA

— Tashie🌻 (@_NatashaMarie_) January 31, 2019

But when it comes to romance, deciding whose follow requests to approve can get hairy.

I personally have had a finsta for longer than any relationship I've been in and allowing a partner to follow it ended in disaster. In my case, I forgot to block the now ex from my finsta after we broke up. I posted a screenshot from a funny Tinder conversation with someone else weeks later. I woke up to a seething late night call from the ex, who was furious that I was on a dating app and even more enraged that I posted about it on the not quite public, but not quite private platform.

SEE ALSO: Which dating app is right for you? Use this guide to figure it out.

The whole debacle made me wonder if anyone should ever let their significant other follow their finstas. When I put out a call for thoughts on it, people were passionate about maintaining boundaries between the person they're dating and the content they post in private.

Caroline Long, a college student in Boston, said she rejected her boyfriend's follow request about a month into their relationship.

"If there's life news or drama I'm posting about, he's usually the first to hear about it anyway," she said. "And I've had my finsta for a while so there's some old, old posts about former boyfriends and issues that I'm sure wouldn't be fun for him to peruse."

my finsta b like -here’s a picture of my ass -let me expose my mental illness -now ima broadcast my depression episode -look @ my titties -this meme was funny

— 𝓒rybaby 𝓛ynn ✧ (@xbasedxgoddess) February 6, 2019

Online dating expert Julie Spira says couples with finstas don't necessarily need to share the accounts with each other for a healthy relationship. As long as you're not going out of your way to hide anything, Spira believes having a private space to vent is fine.

"When you're in a relationship, there are always things that you share with your close friends that you just might not share with your partner," she said during a phone call.

Finstas are appealing because they allow for vulnerability when there's an insurmountable pressure to be perfect on social media. Sydney Smalls calls her finsta a "little safe space," which is why she's hesitant to approve her boyfriend's follow request.

"It's where I'm the most honest version of myself online so I only trust a few people with what I write about," the New York-based production assistant explained. "Even though I trust my boyfriend it would just be an added level of pressure for some reason."

Many share her view; although they feel supported by their partners, the finsta users who shared their stories with me said that they would censor their posts if their partners followed them.

When I was convinced someone was ghosting me, for example, I turned to my finsta to talk through it. An army of close friends analyzed screenshots down to the timestamp and deliberated in the comments, concluding that although ghosting was a possibility, I should suck up my pride and double text. In the end, I had nothing to worry about — the support network I had through my finsta convinced me not to sabotage a new relationship, and all I had to do was literally communicate. But if I had let that person follow me, would I have asked for advice in the first place, or would I still be wallowing in my own anxiety?

Overheard in bar last night: Girl 1: I let him see my finsta so we're basically never gonna date Girl 2: oh ya that’s the kiss of death

— PAZ (@pazpaz) February 24, 2018

Finstas are like a semi-public diary for soliciting advice and rationalization and inviting someone you're actively dating into it might make you less inclined to seek out that advice. The private accounts are a valuable space to talk out issues beforehand so you can approach your partner with a reasonable level-headedness.

"Having a space for myself ensures that I'm being honest about what's upsetting me," Long said, elaborating on why she doesn't let her boyfriend follow her. "And how I'm getting from Point A to Point B. Not that I'm dishonest with my boyfriend, but I don't feel as obliged to cater or censor finsta posts for a certain audience."

For Danika Frank, a writer in Los Angeles, using a finsta to separate herself from the people she dates keeps her codependence in check.

"So it was good to have a space, a place where I could dissect my own thoughts away from them," she said. "Even if I was stressed about something relationship-wise, I could break it down on there before bringing it up to them."

Philadelphia college student Mal Sary, who went through a break up while she and her ex were still living together, said having a non-physical space to get away helped her through it until she could find somewhere else to live.

"Instead of yelling at my ex, I just used my finsta to channel a lot of my anger," Sary said.

In addition to having a defined place to put their thoughts in order, the people who don't let their significant other follow their finsta felt like they didn't have to because their relationships were already healthy enough. Although Smalls' boyfriend doesn't follow her private account, she doesn't turn to her finsta to complain about him when they have issues in their relationship.

"When I'd have problems with my ex, I'd just post about it and hide it from him and let it build," she said. "This time, I just talk directly to [my boyfriend]. It kinda feels disrespectful now. I don't want to talk about him behind his back [because] I know he wouldn't do that to me."

Jeung Bok Holmquist, an artist in Madison, Wisconsin, adds that their partner doesn't follow their finsta, but that doesn't give them a pass to complain about him.

"I guess I only wouldn't [allow a finsta follow] if I was actively talking about my partner on there, but I also shouldn't be talking shit about my partner in private," they said. "So then that's just a clear sign of a bad relationship!"

𝓷𝓮𝔀 rules of dating: 1st base: liking and unliking someone’s post 2nd base: “nah u don’t have to venmo me” 3rd: get called an asshole on their finsta homerun: a retweet

— vinay (@mumblecomic) January 10, 2019

That doesn't mean that not allowing a romantic interest to follow you ensures smooth sailing. Nothing you post on social media is truly private. Anything can be screenshot, passed through the screen grapevine, and end up hurting everyone involved. But do people have an obligation to break the trust of following a friend's finsta to protect another friend's feelings?

Evy Oliverio, who works at the United Nations in Beirut, was seeing someone who encouraged her to follow his finsta, until she DM'd him and realized she was blocked. Their mutual friends still followed him and could see that he wasn't interested in her anymore, but didn't tell her. She later found out that he had promptly started dating someone else "for real" after "months" of telling her he "wasn't ready."

"We had enough mutual friends who knew about him dragging me through metaphorical dirt," Oliverio said. "And yet none of them would be like 'Ev, this is happening.'"

Spiro, the relationship consultant, is cautious about breaking that trust. Even though it may be hurtful to mutual friends, if someone invites you to their finsta then you have a "digital moral obligation" not to share what they post.

"Either you're in something that's private or you're not," Spiro said. "I love the fact that this is small and intimate, but I think there needs to be spoken and unspoken rules of what you do and don't share."

Despite the moral obligations, Oliverio notes that finstas are still public, even if your account is set to private, and she'd rather step in than see a mutual friend be hurt.

"You allow who you want to see it but the fact that someone else besides you 'sees' your truth, it's no longer private," she noted, acknowledging that it doesn't justify sharing secrets. "I do think that if you and I have a mutual friend and on their finsta, they start dragging you, I'd tell you. And secondly, hold them accountable."

At the end of the day, finstas are yet another aspect of how the internet muddles dating. But that doesn't mean that finsta users shut their partners out of their secret accounts entirely. For Valentine's Day last year, Holmquist made their boyfriend a zine with drawings from their finsta posts when the couple first started seeing each other. As long as there's open and honest communication between a couple, finstas shouldn't be an issue, they said.

Spiro says it's "almost distrusting" when someone insists on following their partner's finsta.

"I think trust and communication is something couples engage in every day but that doesn't mean that they're on a third-party text or phone call every time they're communicating with somebody else," she said. "You need to have your personal life, and they have their personal life, and you need to have your communication together."

I, for one, value the tightly knit support network in my finsta over any potential partner's insecurities. If a partner asked me to give it up, I'd probably dump them and immediately post about it on my finsta.

Even if it makes dating more complicated, I wouldn't trade it for anything.