'Ello, friends! The fast went okay, and I lived! So now I can continue to torture Marella-
I mean, um, share this great story with you! Haha.
Wow! Chapter ten already- can you believe it? Probably.
rusticmountainview: Aww, thank you!
Council of bobs: Oh, why thank you! Though I don't need the bodyguards- I have a Shady Black Belt Protection Squad ™.
Abubble1: Haha, that would be ridiculous. That is a cute image, but remember, Marella is absolutely tiny and Linh is quite a bit bigger. I'm picturing Marella as like 4'9" while Linh is about 5'3", so I don't think Marella's clothes would fit Linh. Marella wearing a hoodie stolen from her future wife, on the other hand...
girlonfire: ;) The nickname A-dot-fan actually comes from Hamilton! Dear Evan Hansen, what to say to you? You tell such lies, your cast has Conner's name. When you sang the song "Words Fail" you cried and it broke my heart. I'm dedicating every day to you, non-fangirl life was never quite my thing. When you sing, you knock me out, I fall apart, and I thought I was so smart. I don't know where that came from. I'm also terrible at singing. Please ignore me. Oh no! The robot didn't really exist- it was simply you hallucinating in your final moments! Safe at last, I eat my banana. SINCERELY GAY IS WONDERFUL! And Peggy to you too. Aww, thanks! I like talking to you through reviews too.
MarellaIsTheBest: No problem! I am an early riser... I rise in the early afternoon. XD. Yeah, I think it's a rule that you have to capitalize the Hair. Yeah, poor students. Alina deserved it, though.
MidnightBunnyy: ;)
Fitzphieistrash: Yeah, that is cannibalism. Also... I said in the prologue that Sophie didn't exist. How did you expect Sokeefe to happen?
[Trigger warning for mentions of homophobia. I don't think it's too bad, but just to be safe.]
Enjoy!
The next day brings one of the most wonderful things in the world- a weekend. Marella sleeps until slightly past noon, woken up only by the impossibly bright sunlight streaming through the window. She takes her time with the transition from sleep to wakefulness, but finally emerges from the bed, brushes her hair, and changes into- guess what- flannel, before making her way downstairs.
When she walks into the kitchen, Tam and Linh are so engrossed in what sounds like a debate that they literally don't notice her eating the deadliest weapon. She means, a banana. It takes a lot of very exaggerated and slightly concerning throat clearing for those to notice her.
"Marella! Hi!" says Linh, finally pausing her conversation to acknowledge Marella's presence. One would think Marella would be used to this by now, but no, her jaw still drops upon seeing the Hydrokinetic. She struggles to pick it up off the floor.
The conversation with Dex probably made it worse. May he be cursed with the power of a thousand bananas. After acknowledging her crush on Linh out loud, to another elf, it's become a lot more... real. And acknowledging her lack of having a chance made that a lot more real too.
"I was starting to wonder whether you were dead," Tam says in a monotone. He doesn't look up from the muffin he's eaten.
"I like sleeping in," defends Marella. Something about Tam makes her feel like he's threatening her, even if he's doing nothing to actually make her think that. Still, she kind of gets the impression that he knows about her crush on his sister. The sister he's very, unbelievably protective of, in fact. And he doesn't like it. "So, um, what were you guys talking about that's obviously more interesting than me?"
"I'm sorry we made you feel-"
"She's joking, Linh." Tam rolls his eyes. "Though she's also right."
"Tam!" she scolds. "What has Marella done to you?"
"Um... invade my house, probably almost set you on fire at least once, oh, and worst of all, introduced me to Sencen."
"You had a two minute conversation!" exclaims Marella.
"And those were the worst two minutes of my life. He's completely insufferable, and obnoxious, and-"
"Hot?" Linh asks, raising an eyebrow.
Both Marella and Tam look like they're going to strangle someone, or explode, or possibly both, but most likely for very different reasons. The Shade is clearly upset his sister is suggesting that he might have a crush on Keefe Sencen, and especially mad that she might not be completely incorrect. Marella, on the other hand, doesn't like Linh thinking of Keefe as hot. Or thinking of any boy as hot. Or anyone, other than Marella, which would never happen (body temperature excluded). So, Marella is upset at Linh finding anyone hot.
Come on, Marella. She's obviously into boys. And Keefe is probably hot. For a boy. Who she likes. If she has to like a boy, Linh could do a lot worse than Keefe.
All three of them seem to want the subject changed, and Marella is more than happy to oblige. "So, you never actually told me what you guys were talking about."
Linh nods and runs her hand through her long hair. Marella wants to do the same, and has to stuff her hands in her pockets to refrain. (Ah, pockets!) "So, Bidi brought a newspaper from the Lost Cities, and we were discussing the article on the front page." Biting her lip, she gives the paper to Marella, who scans the headline.
CONFUSED TEENAGE HOPEFULS STAND TRIAL FOR RIGHT TO BE ON EACH OTHERS' MATCH LISTS.
Hayley Quint, a sixteen year old Mesmer, and Shoshana Ozu, her close friend, went to the Matchmakers together three days ago with an impossible request- "We want the chance to be on each others' match lists."
Marella's eyes widen. This article- it's about people like her. Girls who like girls. And it can't end well for them. Her stomach sinks as she quickly reads the rest.
Matchmaker Ceri Glaser was confused, and pointed out that both girls were, of course, female, and therefore could not be together. One of the matchmaking goals is, of course, proliferation- the increase of numbers for our species, and it is clearly impossible for two girls to reproduce.
"But we love each other," said Ozu, her hand intertwined with Quint's.
Glaser explained that they did, in fact, love each other, in the way best friends do. Their platonic affection is so strong that they mistook it for romantic feelings, but were in reality just confused.
"But we're not confused," Quint argued. "I've known for years that I like both girls and boys, long before I met Shoshana. And she's had crushes on lots of boys too, but describes how she feels about me to feel exactly the same."
Knowing that there would be no reasoning with the two girls, Glaser denied their request to have girls on a girl's match list, and sent them home, thinking that would be the end of it.
It wasn't.
Ozu used her parents' status in the Nobility [see their reaction to what happened to their daughter, page FOUR] to secure an audience with Councillor Oralie. The Councillor agreed to a tribunal.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of people came to watch these two friends defend their case. Ozu did most of the talking, explaining how she and Quint met, became friends, and eventually fell in what they thought to be love. "Humans," she said, "Are ahead of us for becoming a better society, at least towards people like me. Girls who love girls- we're called lesbian. Boys who love boys are gay. People who love both are bisexual, like Hayley. But no matter what, love is love. The humans have realized this. They celebrate love. And when humans are better than elves, we know there's a problem."
Of course, this statement sparked outrage. Humans are disgusting, filthy creatures, and can never be compared to the majesty of elves! After a long, telepathic debate, the two girls were sentenced to Exillium. Some of the audience booed at this ruling, but most cheered.
Just before Ozu and Quint could be taken away, Quint screamed to get everyone's attention. In tears, she explained how she fell so in love with Ozu that she just had to have her, no matter how wrong it was. When Ozu rejected her, because she only liked boys (as she should), Quint turned to Mesmerizing to win her affections. She'd planned to keep that up forever, but couldn't wrongfully send the girl she loves to Exillium. Ozu's demeanor suddenly changed, as though the Mesmerizing had been lifted, and agreed with Quint's words.
Hayley Quint is set to enter Exillium at the start of next week, while Shoshana Ozu will undergo Washing in order to forget these horrific events.
Eyes sparkling with tears, Marella folds the newspaper back up and hands it to Linh. "That's... that's awful, what they did to those girls."
"You think so?" says Linh, and Marella's mind starts to race with oh mallowmelt what if she doesn't agree what if she thinks these girls deserved what they got what if she doesn't like gay people what if she think's they're disgusting and wrong and- but her face morphs to a sad smile. "I'm glad you're not the type to hate people for who they are."
Marella swallows a lump in her throat. Talking is impossibly hard. What are words? She doesn't know them. "I... um... yeah. Not the type. It's... the girls can't choose who to love... but we can choose not to hate them for it... so we shouldn't. Love is love?"
To be honest, that mostly sounded like gibberish to her, but Linh nods along, so hopefully she did something right. "Do you think Hayley was lying to get Shoshana out of trouble, or just finally confessing? Because we definitely know she's bisexual, but this wouldn't even be the first time a Mesmer abused their powers to make a girl love them, so... do you think Hayley's one of them?"
"No, I think they were dating for real," Marella says. It's a little easier to talk now. A little less nerve wracking. "She probably Mesmerized Shoshana into agreeing with her."
"Definitely," agrees Linh. Even Tam nods. "Now, for the harder question- do you think those girls should have stayed quiet about who they were?"
"That's what we were arguing about when you came in." Tam takes another bite of his muffin.
"Well..." Marella stays quiet for a bit, thinking. "I don't know. Their lives would definitely be easier if they didn't tell anyone, if they just chose not to get match lists and stayed single, keeping their relationship a secret. But an easier life doesn't necessarily equate to a better one."
"No, but it definitely can," argues Tam. "Some things are worth struggling for, I get that, blah blah blah. But when one girlfriend's mind is wiped and the other has been banished, maybe that's a little too much struggling. At least if they had chosen easy, they would still be together."
Linh jumps into the argument. "They would be together, but they would live in constant fear of getting caught. And it was bound to happen eventually. Elves are immortal. They had an eternity for it to happen. It would have. At least now, they can live authentically and without being afraid. People shouldn't have to be afraid to be themselves."
"No, but we can't just make people change their minds so no one has to be afraid! And even if they're living in fear, they're fearing the consequences instead of facing those consequences."
"I don't think people should have to hide who they are," whispers Linh.
Marella's lips part. It would be so easy. Linh has given her the most perfect opportunity there is. And she already knows Linh would accept her. If Linh accepted those strangers, why not Marella? She doesn't have to tell Linh which girl she likes, just that she likes them in general. I agree, she would say. I'm done with hiding. I'm... I'm lesbian.
She can't predict what exactly Linh would say, but it would be positive. Maybe she'd get a hug. Maybe, just maybe, she'd get a "me too."
Okay. That's dumb. Just tell her, don't expect her to be gay as well. She's probably just an ally.
"I agree," Marella says. Making words seems about a million times more hard. "I'm..."
Say it. "I'm lesbian." It's two words. Four syllables. It'll take like two seconds, then it'll be over with. Just say it.
"I'm..."
Tam remains expressionless as always, but Linh tilts her head to the side slightly, lifting her eyebrows. Her eyes widen, giving Marella a clearer view of the irises. Silvery blue. Beautiful. Perfect.
Say it.
"I'm..."
"But people shouldn't have to come out until they're ready," interrupts Tam. "If those girls weren't ready to tell people this thing they've been forced by society to keep secret for so long for fear of being shamed, they shouldn't have had to tell anyone. They shouldn't have felt obligated to let people know because they wanted the chance to get married someday. Gay and lesbian and bisexual people should get to keep it a secret as long as they want. Especially since it's not really anyone's business who they're interested in dating, so no one actually needs to know."
Linh nods. "That, I guess I agree with."
Marella's posture relaxes. She doesn't have to feel bad about not being ready yet. When people found out before she was ready last time, she set the place on fire. Perhaps she should not do that to Tam and Linh's house.
I don't have to say it.
"Marella, you were saying?"
"I'm... really sad this happened to those girls."
I one hundred percent agree. Say it with me, kids:
PEOPLE! ! ! SHOULD! ! ! NOT! ! ! HAVE! ! ! TO! ! ! COME! ! ! OUT! ! ! UNLESS! ! ! THEY! ! ! TRULY! ! ! WANT! ! ! TO! ! !
No outing people! Absolutely none. Nope. Nuh uh. Never. And don't guilt people into coming out either. Especially in a potentially unsafe situation.
I especially agree with Tam's last sentence- it's not really relevant to people's lives! Coming out for people under the trans umbrella is a completely different experience. People in that situation want to come out because they want their pronouns and identity known, acknowledged, and respected. People come out as not heterosexual/romantic because queer culture has actually just turned it into this big thing: The Closet ™ and Being Out ™.
But it doesn't. Fricking. MATTER! "Hey Mom, hey Dad, I'm here to tell you I enjoy looking at girls, admiring them from afar, and hoping one of them eventually wants to date me. This is very relevant information and is definitely worth facing judgement and discrimination for you to know this." NO! Why would you need to do this, other than the fact that queer culture has made it the norm?
Here is a situation where it makes sense: "Hey Mom, hey Dad, I'm dating a person of the same gender, and I hope you're okay with that."
That's okay! Since it actually affects someone's life and would be relevant information. I wouldn't want to invite a girlfriend over for dinner or go on a date with my girlfriend and have my parents be like "Hey sweetie, is that your vErY cLoSe FrIeNd!?" So I'd tell them in this scenario. But only when this hypothetical girlfriend actually exists.
And this situation makes sense too:
"Do you have a [opposite gender]friend yet?"
"Actually, I like [own gender, or multiple genders.]
Someone assumed, and you're correcting them. People shouldn't assume, but if they do, correcting them makes sense. Way more sense than just telling someone out of the blue.
Again, don't EVER come out in a potentially unsafe environment.
If you do want to come out, though, National Coming Out Day is the eleventh. Just remember: If someone assumes you are straight, it is not your responsibility to correct them. It is THEIR responsibility to reject heteronormativity.
Wow. This turned into a complete PSA. Sorry. But this actually is important.
Anyway...
1) I don't know if elves actually have newspapers, but just roll with it.
2) Hayley Quint and Shoshana Ozu are my own characters. If anyone wants to borrow them, just ask first and give me credit.
3) Yes, Hayley's name is a shoutout to Hayley Kiyoko, Lesbian Jesus. Good job to anyone who caught that!
Okay, I'm going to leave before this A/N becomes longer than the actual chapter. Heed my rants on coming out, stay safe, and please review!