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frobin · 3 years

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Random consideration: there is an online legend about Oda can change story events if someone on the web/fans guess the thing. So... what do you think about this topic? It can be really valid? If yes, even for whatever eventual not-canon ships? I don't know, because ships are just a very side element in the story, and not like main events of the storyline. (And for my opinion, for Jin:be father topic, I could agree with who said is for the age, maybe. Anyway, I will ship FroBin forever).

Hey anon! Thank you for your question!

Maybe Oda really made Jinbe the dad because of age. right now Oda and Jinbe have the same age (46). He has two children who are (if the internet and my math are correct) 15 and 12 years old. So may it’s not unlikely? If he connects with Jinbe he would rather see him as a dad than a grandparent or a weird uncle.

Now, to the rest... I have to say sorry for answering so late but as of right now I’m writing parts of my answer and I literally pulling my hair because I really try to make sense of the whole situation and trying to understand the intention of a 46 year old japanese man. And this is long again so sorry about that. Anyway...

I have heard about that. I remembered something about Oda not reading Fan Theories and now I googled once more. Apparently this is the newest Information:

"Oda once said he will change OP story if it coincides with fan theories. But according to TV show today, Oda will never change his plan about "final chapter" even if a fan theory hits the nail on the head. Oda said in 1999 that he had already decided final panel and chapter."

https://twitter.com/sandman_AP/status/1352851201478418432?s=20

I don’t think Oda is actively browsing the web for OP content ( how would he have time to) but he gets fanmail with questions and suggestions. And considering that over 4 million people are One Piece fans... one of them has to get it correct eventually. Trying to avoid any similarity with any fan-theory is IMPOSSIBLE.

And I do believe that Oda knows how he wants One Piece to end and won’t change that, no matter what.

As for the details in-between........ I wouldn’t say Oda is not prone to be a Troll and sometimes downright an ass towards his fans. XD Never out of malice but because he thinks it’s funny.

I’m also sure he will never focus on romance in the manga, but since love is an important part of life it will come into play now and then. Classic romance (?) more with side-characters (Roger/Rouge, Sai/Baby5, Bege/Chiffon) than with main (Strawhats) but still possible.

He may very well edit less-important plot lines if they don't change the ending.

That also includes, that I absolutely think it’s possible that the Strawhats will have romantic involvement at the end of the story. At the moment it is never in the focus, except for plot reason (Whole Cake Island for example, though that is an entirely different topic) but absolutely possible.

Because the Strawhats boning each other or maybe someone outside of the crew will not change the story. It has no influence to anything, except if it’s on a higher scale, like if Luffy really suddenly married Boa Hancock. That would influence the political outline of the world.

Meanwhile Pauli/Iceburg or Noland/Cagara or Bartolomeo/Cavendish have literally no influence to the story (anymore). And I don’t think I have to start on things like other rare pairs or even OC-ships.

That being said, and having more stuff in mind, I wouldn’t put it past Oda to actually focus more on Jin/Bin.

Why? Well...

we had so many interactions between Robin and Franky after the time skip that it was almost ridiculous. In every single arc we see them fight alongside each other. We had strong romantic tropes portrayed with them:

Their meeting after the timeskip (Sabaody Archipelago)

Franky having his head in Robins lap (Punk Hazard)

Wearing the same shirt (Dressrosa)

Finishing each others sentence (Zou)

Franky offering Robin a ride and her answering with a heart (Wano)

And the moment the internet exploded when Robin was holding Frankys face. Which yeah, only a Colorspread and not canon yadda yadda

For now let’s gloss over all the other moments that showed that they cared for each other.

... so many.

Anyway what I want to say is that Oda had declared “All the Strawhats are in love with adventure.” and “I won’t focus on romance.” but is seemingly showing a connection between Franky and Robin, that made one think that he might actually be aboard the ship even if the fandom itself is rather silent and small.

Meanwhile when Jinbe appeared (in the timeskip) he was instantly a hit. His popularity then rose thanks to Fishmen Island Arc. And again I can’t blame anyone. On the other hand Franky always had a hard stance. This was recently shown again because is the lowest ranked Strawhat in the popularity poll.

One (Oda) might come to a conclusion here:

Maybe people don’t like Franky and so would dislike FRobin. But since Oda also seems to enjoy grown up relationships (?) maybe he thinks Jinbe is the only reasonable replacement? -> It could be a tactial decision.

Maybe he really changed his opinion and personally likes one more than the other. He was a FRobin supporter but now likes JinBin more? It wouldn't change anything for the story and there wouldn't be any harm -> It could be a personal decision.

Maybe he fears that he put too many hints in the manga and now has to paddle back? Because let’s be honest, until the colourspread with Robin putting her hand on Frankys face... the FRobin fandom was on the backburner. And so he wants to throw out some Red Herrings. -> Again a tactial decision

Maybe he never inteded to make it romantic and it is actually all just friendship. Subtext is something many authors use without being aware of it. (Just ask anyone who is a lesbian!Nami fan. They have good points.) -> A mistake from the very beginning.

And you can use these same thoughts for every other non-canon ship.

Please take everything of this with a grain of salt because I try to understand the intention of a man who is more than 10 years my senior and from a culture I can’t even start to try to comprehend (sometimes I don’t even get my own culture), who is the head figure of a money-making machine. So it’s hard to tell what else influences his decisions.

My interpretations are influenced by my own experiences and knowledge which is big and vast but also stretched very thin.

Last but not least I want to make clear that any speculation is really the same as asking a crystal ball. In the western fandom we have only few people who can even slightly try to give an insight to the whole thing and they (smart enough) keep out of any shipping discourse.

tl;dr: I don’t think Oda will change the ending. But I do think that he is willing to change minor plotlines and so yes I think Oda might change couples for any possible reason, as long as it does not change the ending, and he does not even has to choose a good reason because in the end they are his characters and he is free to do whatever he wants with them.

#FRobin #One Piece Meta #One Piece Analysis #One Piece Shipping #One Piece Storytelling #long post #text #ask #if in the end it turns out that Franky is gay and just friends with Robin I'll drink a lot #Not because I wouldn't accept that but because I got it SO wrong #Should I make videos of some of my postings?#kon #Anon

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thefemalejamespotter · 3 years

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I'm gonna write a timeline for James and Regulus' relationship because I'm ✨bored✨

So, I don't really need to go over much when they were younger; you know, James and Sirius made friends and a year later he met Regulus, they didn't speak much and when they did Regulus was always quite rude and arragont towards James blah, blah you know the story.

James has been asking Lily Evans out from his 2nd year all the way up until his 4th but it seemed he'd started to give up on it. This confused the marauders slightly, as they had no idea why but didn't mid to much- as amusing as it was at times, it did get quite boring watching James ask Lily out again and again and again and... Again.

It's roles round to Regulus fifth year and James' 6th and Regulus knows that it's not long before he'll have to get the Dark Mark on his parents orders, even though he so desperately doesn't want to.

One night he finds himself walking round the castle and ends up in the astronomy tower.

James knew all about what had been going on with Sirius, after he'd left that summer and he was really worried about Regulus. He was looking at the marauders map, and saw Regulus up in the tower so he went there. It was a very short and awkward conversation that ended in Regulus snapping at James and telling him to get out.

After that, they ended up meeting in the astronomy tower every night. Well, Regulus would go up there to get some peace and James would come and bug him, partly for fun but mostly because he was worried about the other boy.

One night, when Regulus was sat in the window seat and James was sat talking to him, Regulus snapped at him over something and James just laughed. He took hold of Regulus' face and asked him; 'when will you just admit that you've fallen in love with me?' Regulus, angry and embarrassed yelled at him for such stupid accusations, but then he realised something. Why was it that he went to the astronomy tower every night, when he knew James would be there to annoy him? Why did he not go somewhere else instead? Why was it that every morning at breakfast he would stare across the hall at James? Why was it all he could think about in his lessons was James bloody Potter?

The two end up kissing, and in the heat of the moment... Something more happens.

After that happened, they decided to have a friends with benefits type of thing, or at least that's what James calls it. Regulus still refuses to say they were anything more than fuck buddies- 'your not my friend James, and your not my boyfriend because I don't have feelings for you. At all.' (I also imagine that after the first time they slept together Regulus told him; 'I don't like you. And I'm not gay.' and James laughed. That's not important but it's funny.)

So, you know they continue their late night meet ups where sometimes they'll just talk, or sometimes they'll do... Other things. It eventually gets to a point where sometimes Regulus would find himself being pulled into a broom closet at random, to be snogged by James. And sometimes he'd find himself pinned against a bookshelf in the library, with butterflies in his stomach and a blush creeping up his neck- but it's not like he's on love with James or anything!

This continues for a while, and to be honest they have quite a toxic relationship at this stage. Regulus will still snap at James and tell him he hates him, but that's because of ✨internalised homophobia✨ and he feels like him shagging James I mean, being with James is wrong even though deep down he knows there's nothing wrong with it. As a result, it makes both of them feel cr@p but even so they continue to do it.

A few months later, and James finally cracked- he and Regulus got into a huge argument, and it wasn't pretty. James ended up yelling at him, and after lal the trauma he's been threw, it made Regulus flinch and pull out his wand. James felt absolutely awful, and they talked things out. It was also the first time Regulus had hugged anyone since he was 7 years old, when he buried his leg and Sirius gave him a hug to make it better. During that conversation, James also admitted that he'd grown real feelings for Regulus and Regulus finally admitted to both James and himself that he to wanted to have a real relationship with James.

So, as well as being pulled into broom closets to shag I mean kiss, they also went on secret dates and were just adorable. They obviously kept their relationship a secret because they didn't want anyone finding out because Walburga and Orion would go ballistic to find that out about Regulus, who still was just very awkward and worried about what people would think. They also had a feeling that Sirius wouldn't be a fan of their relationship... And they were right.

And BAM! all of a sudden it's the summer holidays, they sucked, Regulus was... Well, lots of sh!t happening there and James was missing him but happy to hang out with Sirius for the time.

And again BAM! we are back at Hogwarts, and the two boys are so excited to see each other, because they missed each other and just even more adorable couple things.

So, it roles round to the end of September (James' 7th and Regulus' 6th) are by the black lake together, they've just had midnight picnic for a date and now they're just looking at the view. James turned to Regulus, and for the first time said he loved him. He assured Regulus that he didn't have to say it back, but Regulus did anyway and they shared a very passionate kiss.

But then... Oh then. A loud shout interrupts them and they turn to see Sirius charging towards them, with Remus chasing after him. Sirius is fuming that James would dare lay a finger on his baby brother, and tries to hit him. Luckily, Remus was there to hold him back until he calmed down. Then he told James to *insert swear word here* off and then stormed away. Regulus was really upset about it, but James assured him it would be fine.

Fast forward to the next day, and Sirius just completely blanks James. Ignores him, doesn't talk to him which goes noticed by all the other gryffindors who are very concerned about the two. Remus hasn't said anything about it to either of them, but is constantly trying to get Sirius to talk to James again, meanwhile Peter's stuck in the middle like- screw this.

Eventually, James decides to confront Sirius, but it just ends in a huge argument. James tells Sirius that he's in love with Regulus and Regulus feels the same- they're devoted to each other and trust each other, yadda, yadda, yadda. Sirius gets even angrier and yells at James; 'oh yeah? If he trusts you so much, has he told you about what happened over the summer?'

James, slightly baffled, runs off and finds Regulus who's with Barty and Snape. He drags Regulus off to the bathroom and demands that Regulus rolls up his sleeves. When he refuses, James grabs his arm and does it himself to reveal the dark mark. They get into a massive fight, that ends in James breaking it off with him. He goes back to the dorm and bursts into tears. Sirius apologizes for both being a bit of a d!ck about their relationship but mainly because of what Regulus had done and comforted him.

Later in the year, James ends up asking Lily out for what he promises will be the last time in this life and she says yes. They go on a few dates and fall in love, they leave Hogwarts, get married- you know the story.

Then, a few years later they get a very teary phonecall from Sirius explaining that Regulus was dead. He had no idea what happened, but he was gone. Lily was obviously extremely upset for Sirius, and understood how hard it must be for him- she hadn't spoken to Petunia in years but the idea of losing her was unbearable. Even so, she was slightly confused to why James had gone so pale and teary, and even more so when he went upstairs to the bathroom and didn't come back down again for half an hour. She put it down to the realisation he had about the war, little did she realise James had lost the first and only man he'd ever loved.

I gotta put it out there, he does love Lily, like she wasn't a rebound or a comfort to losing Regulus, he did love her but a part of him still loved Regulus and always would.

I hope you liked this timeline, despite the depressing ending!

I'm going to be writing a fanfic on it very soon on wattpad, I've already got a couple chapters ready to be posted if you're interested. (My account on their is woofstar)

#harry potter #marauders era #james potter #regulus black #jegulus #lgbt #james x regulus #regulus x james #marauders headcanon #young marauders #angst #sirius black #remus lupin #the marauders #the marauders are all queer

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supercorpkid · 3 years

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How Maya Met Your Mothers.

Supercorp, Kara Danvers x Daughter!Reader, Lena Luthor x Daughter!Reader

Word count: 2730.

You’ve always known the day for Maya to meet your moms were closer than further down the line. That’s a fact. You had asked for too much self-control from Kara, not to follow your girlfriend around everywhere (and you are not even sure if she didn’t try to at least get a peek). But, yet, you had expected you were going to have a little more time than this.

Jamie and Maya came over your house for a study session. For real. When Jamie mentioned that you all should study together for next week exams, at first you thought it was a joke. But then Maya got super interested in having you teaching her physics, so you agreed.

You don’t know why you all ended up at your house. Actually, you kind of know. Maya’s parents hate the Luthors, so you can’t go there. Jamie’s house is a little bit further away and they would probably get tired of walking before getting there. Still, you feel like you haven’t fought back enough. You should’ve.

Although, being fair to yourself, you couldn’t possibly know there was a storm coming to National City that would literally make it impossible for you three to leave the house for hours. So, while there was a storm raging outside, you were looking at the clock, hoping, praying, wishing that Kara and Lena got held up at work.

Which could be true, using all the logic in your body. The rain is so strong, Supergirl will be needed for sure. There are probably people stuck in cars, or maybe there’s a flood in someone’s house, maybe there’s a poor kitten stuck on a tree in the rain. There’s gotta be something. And Lena is probably stuck in her office unable to leave. You breathe out, calming yourself. If Lena doesn’t leave her office early every day, she is definitely not leaving today while a storm rages on.

But when the clock strikes five, your heart beats fast, you raise your head from your book and you hear a whoosh of air, that very familiar one. Steps on the front door. And please Rao, let it be robbers, assassins, let it be Lex fucking Luthor out of jail with a big rock of kryptonite, but not your moms. Please. Please.

But is Kara who first walks in. Pink trousers, even pinkier shirt, dripping wet. And not far behind, Lena walks in. Suit all ruined, ponytail glued to her face, also dripping everywhere. Your heart stops for a second, when you look up from the kitchen table where the three of you have settled.

“Wow, it’s so crazy out there! Good thing we flew-” Kara finally notices a face she doesn’t know. She quickly puts her glasses back. “Here on a car.”

Good Lord.

“Hey, I don’t think we have met!” She comes closer, ignoring Lena’s protests about making the entire house wet. She raises her hand at Maya, who shyly takes it.

“Maya.”

“OOOH!” Kara sounds like she just got electrocuted. She is almost jumping in place when she realizes what that means. “It’s nice to meet you! I would love to say that she-” She looks at you with an inquisitive expression. “Told me everything about you, but she’s definitely going through a phase of secret keeping.”

“Momma!” You growl hiding your face in your hands. Maya just chuckles softly at that.

“Aren’t we all?” Jamie intervenes, sensing your embarrassment and you take one hand out from your face to look at Kara pulling the chair in front of you.

“Kara!” Lena calls her from the front door. “Don’t you dare get my chair wet. Come over here, you can embarrass our daughter after you’re dry.”

“Or never.” You add. “You also can embarrass me never.”

“I’ll be right back.” Kara says, completely ignoring you, as she makes her way to the laundry room with Lena, so they can get dry clothes.

“I’m sorry.” You drop your head, trying to hide the blush creeping up your face. Maya puts her hand on your chin and makes you look at her, giving you a smile.

“Stop that. It was really cute.” Maya says, and you gaze into her eyes, almost forgetting everything and everyone. If it wasn’t for Jamie.

“Nope, it was embarrassing. And just you wait until aunt Lena comes here.” Jamie adds and you drop your head again, growling louder.

Lena decides not to play into the ‘let’s embarrass our daughter’ game. And you’re very grateful for that.

“Hey.” She just says while passing through the table. And you breathe relieved. Until she stops with a tiny smile. No, no, no. Keep walking. “Hello Maya, I’m Lena. The scary mom.”

“You wish.” Kara comes from behind her. Hair is still dripping wet, but all changed into more comfortable and dry clothes. She pulls out the chair and sits in front of the three of you, trying to look intimidating. “I’m the scary one.”

“She’s really not.” Jamie whispers in Maya’s ear, and you put your head on the table, banging your forehead ever so slightly so you don’t make a dent in it.

“Would you stop, please?” You complain. “We’re trying to study.”

“BOOOO!” Kara puts her hands in front of her mouth turning to you. “You’re no fun.” Then she proceeds to look at Maya. “So Maya, how old are you? What’s your sexuality? Where do you see yourself in five years? And most importantly, how do you feel about Supergirl?”

You snap your head at her at the sound of that.

“Because in this house we’re Supergirl stans.” Kara adds, making Jamie laugh out loud, and you grunt louder.

“Oh, I’m-” Maya thinks about it for a second.

“You don’t have to answer any of that.” You look at her and she smiles at you.

“It’s ok, babe.” She turns back at Kara. “I’m sixteen, I’m pansexual-” That makes Kara squeak in excitement. “In college, hopefully. And yes, Supergirl is cool. But, um, I like Superkid better.”

“WHAT?” You look at her, eyes wide open, mouth agape. She doesn’t know you’re Superkid, and she likes her better than Supergirl? Is she the perfect girl?

“Well, ok, don’t freak out, but…” She looks at you and holds your arm, squeezing it gently. “I kind of have a crush on Superkid.”

“You do?” It’s all you can say.

Kara is practically jumping on her seat, ready to stand up and spin you around in excitement. Lena is trying very hard to hold back laughter (she’s failing, by the way). Jamie is literally cackling next to her. And you’re there, looking red, but also happy.

“Why is this funny?” Maya looks around at the reactions. “She is hot.”

“Oh no, dear, we’re not laughing at you.” Lena says, knowing the situation doesn’t look good. “It’s just, you know, she is the Supergirl of your time.” She shrugs. “I, for once, had a huge crush on Supergirl when I was younger.”

“Wait. What?” Kara stands up, looking worried. “You don’t have it anymore?”

“Well, no, honey.” Lena smiles, putting her arms around Kara’s neck. “Now I have you.”

“No!” You yell to stop what you know it’s coming next. “That’s too much. There are people here.”

“We’ll give you guys some privacy.” Kara tilts her head with a devious smile. Holding Lena by the waist, leaving you guys behind.

“I’m sorry again. They’re not usually like-” You start, but Jamie cuts you off.

“She is lying. They are always like this.”

“It’s ok.” Maya gives you a butterfly kiss that barely touches your lips, but makes you smile either way. “Besides, I find your momma completely fascinating.”

“Funny. So does she.” You can hear Kara gasping somewhere in the house and you hold a laughter. She is such a dork!

Your moms are gone for a while, during that time you three go back to study. Kara comes in sometime later on her phone.

“Yes Alex, she’s not lying, she is actually here studying.” Kara points the camera to the three of you, and Jamie crosses her arms, annoyed. You just wave hello.

“You thought I was lying?” Jamie complains.

“I never once saw you studying with your cousin, forgive me for assuming you were being a rebellious teenager.” You hear Alex’s voice on the other end of the phone. “But I see there’s a new addition to the group.”

“That’s Maya.” Kara whispers on the phone like you all can’t hear her.

“Oh.” Alex stays silent for a few seconds and then you hear. “Hey, I work for the police. You just think about breaking my niece’s heart.”

“Oh my God, can you all stop?” You grunt looking at Jamie for help, and she stands up going to Kara and grabbing the phone from her hand.

“Can you come pick me up when the storm gets better?” Jamie asks and she walks to the living room with Kara following her closely.

“Again, I’m really sorry.” You look at Maya with pleading eyes. “I know you probably want to run away, but please, don’t. My mom is probably going to try to scare you, but we’re all very much harmless.” You smile a little. “Except for Jamie’s mom, she is terrifying.”

“Trust me, I’m ok.” Maya looks furtive around, and puts her hand on your cheek, coming closer to kiss you. “I get why they’re so protective. I mean, just look at this cute babyish face of yours.”

“She can call you babyface and I can’t?” Kara walks in the kitchen with Jamie not far behind, making Maya jump in her seat and get as far away from you as she can, without leaving her chair.

“So, Maya.” Lena walks in the kitchen too, and you’re already hating her tone. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“Um, I should call my mom first.” She stands up grabbing her phone, and you point to the living room so she can have more privacy. She leaves and you look at your moms on the other side of the counter.

“Stop looking at me like that.” You stand up, putting your books away. “I couldn’t possibly know a storm would hit National City making impossible for her to get away from you two.”

“Hey!” Kara defends herself. Lena only raises her eyebrow. You look at Kara, turning her head to the living room, and you poke her.

“Do not listen to her private conversation!” You demand and you look back at Jamie, also organizing her school materials.

“Yeah, aunt Kara. Don't use your super hearing, aunt Kara. Bad, aunt Kara. Yadda, yadda, yadda.” Jamie says and you furrow your brows at her. “What, she only does what she wants anyways.”

“Momma!” You’re almost jumping in front of her and she looks down on you. “That’s not ok.”

“Kara, stop messing with her.” Lena says from behind and Kara gives you a mischievous smile, like she wasn’t really listening, just pretending to. “Are you sleeping here tonight, Jamie?”

“Only if the storm doesn’t stop.” Jamie comes to the counter and looks at the food in front of Lena. “Oooh, are we having the famous Lena Luthor’s ‘throw everything in a casserole and see what comes out’ dinner?”

“You were way nicer when you were a kid.” Lena blinks once, looking annoyed and Jamie holds her laughter.

“Sorry, aunt Lena.”

“Hey, so, is it ok if I stay a little longer? My dad is still stuck at work because of the storm.” Maya asks, coming back to the kitchen and you look at Kara. Kara looks at Lena. And it takes them a whole ten seconds to finally go like “um, yeah, sure.” Which almost makes your heart stop.

“Why don’t you three go to the living room while I-” Lena looks at Jamie, defiant. “Throw everything in a casserole and wait to see what will come out?”

“Oh God.” You grab Jamie’s wrist, and put your hand behind Maya’s back. “Let’s go. They’re being awkward.”

“You’re awkward.” Kara mumbles under her breath and you’re glad you only heard, because of your super hearing.

You’re on the edge of your seat the entire time. Maya and Jamie are talking, laughing, taking pictures, and you’re there awkwardly pretending your mind isn’t somewhere else. What are they planning? Obviously, Kara has done enough of embarrassing, but what about Lena? Is she actually going to let it slide? That doesn’t sound like her.

Kara calls you guys back to the kitchen a while later. You know Lena wasn’t going to throw everything into a casserole and hope it works, but after Jamie joked about it, it was exactly what she did. She puts the food in the middle of the table, and raises one eyebrow at Jamie.

“You first.” Then she uses her tone that sends shivers down your spine.

“What is happening?” Maya whispers in your ear, and you look at her feeling like you should apologize once more.

“They’re challenging each other. It’s silly.” You whisper back, aware that only Kara can hear you.

“I can’t stop watching.” Maya mouths at you, and you smile. Lena and Jamie still haven’t broken eye contact and no one is moving.

“Go on.” Lena pushes it closer to Jamie, who gulps and finally serves herself. Everyone is staring at her while she puts the first bite on her mouth and chews silently. She shrugs a while later.

“It’s actually pretty good.” Jamie says with a smile, making everyone breathe out, and Lena rolls her eyes, finally sitting on the table. She then turns to Maya.

“Please. Girlfriends first.” She uses the same tone, and Maya’s eyes almost pop out of their head, before she shakes her head agreeing and serving herself.

The food is not all bad. It could be a lot better if she wasn’t trying to scare everyone off. But is edible and a lot better than anything Kara can make on her own.

“So, Maya…” Kara starts again and you already feel your heart is going to beat out of your chest. “What’s up with the hate for the Luthors?”

Great. Just great. Awesome. Thank you, momma.

Maya chokes on her food, surprised by such a blunt question, and you want to dig a hole on the floor and disappear in it.

“Oh, um. I don’t hate the Luthors, ma’am.” She manages to say. “My parents are not, um, fans. Because of that time Lex tried to control everyone. You know-”

“We know.” Lena breathes deep, looking exhausted. “Trust me, we know.”

“But I know you did amazing things for the world, and every time you work with Supergirl the world is saved, so…” Maya smiles, and you make heart eyes at her. She is so amazing. “I’m sorry about my parents. Not everyone can see past such a small thing as a last name.”

“Oh.” It’s Kara’s response.

“You don’t have to be sorry.” Lena says with a smile directed at her, and you see her features softening. “I just want to make sure my daughter is not being judged with the same standards as my crazy brother. But you know her, so I don’t think you can.”

“I really can’t.” Maya looks back at you, making you blush. “There’s no one in this world like her. She needs her own standards.”

“Aw.” Jamie and Kara say together, making you blush harder.

The dinner goes smoothly after this. It’s pretty clear Maya won your moms over. You always knew she could. No, you didn’t know, but you expected. No, you didn’t expect, but you hoped. And she did.

When dinner is over, there’s only a light rain outside, so Maya’s dad picks her up right after. Lena and Jamie make up over ‘the best dessert Lena ever cooked”, and you look around happy. Kara comes close to you and kisses your temple.

“I like her.” She says matter-of-factly.

“Oh, is that why you were trying to make her run away?” You raise one eyebrow at her and she chuckles softly.

“We’re not a normal family, baby.” She tells you, looking at Lena and Jamie laughing on the other side of the counter. “She has to get used to it now. It only gets weirder.”

“You’re weirder.” You bitch grin making Kara laugh.

She’s right though. Your family is weird. But it’s yours, and you love it as it is.

Notes:

@itzyourgirlnat prompted them being stuck in a storm together. My best buddy @hermen0404 helped me with some ideas. Thanks to you both.

#supergirl #kara danvers #lena luthor #supercorp #kara x lena #kara x reader #supercorp daughter #supercorp fanfic #supercorpfamily #lena x reader #reader insert

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sepublic · 3 years

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Starkiller Base was unnecessary

Re-watching The Force Awakens, and… It’s occurred to me that, even more than I initially thought, Starkiller Base is a genuinely useless, pointless part of the plot that’s just shoehorned in for the sake of arbitrarily raising the stakes, in a blind attempt to redo the Original Trilogy while one-upping it at the same time; Taking pot shots at the original Death Star’s ‘absurdity’ to try to make Starkiller Base’s destruction feel more ‘involved’ and ‘sensible’ with having an inside job to sabotage and blow up key components, yadda-yadda; Almost feels like the writers are punching down at the Original Trilogy in a vain attempt to look more clever and ‘self-aware’, without considering how reckless power-scaling doesn’t work (Which we see once more and somehow even worse in The Rise of Skywalker).

The thing about why the Death Star works is like… It’s relevant. It has build-up. We’re introduced to it from the start, the entire story revolves around destroying it; R2-D2 is important because he has plans to the Death Star, Vader is seen chasing Leia because she had those plans. It all comes around to and circles back to the Death Star, we have a sense of what it is from the start, there’s build-up. You NEED the planet-killing machine for the climax of A New Hope, because the only reason to go there is because, surprise- The Death Star IS there, it just arrived right besides Yavin IV!

But Starkiller Base… When you watch the movie, it just pops in out of nowhere, amidst the pre-established plot threads. Without any prior context or build-up, we’re just suddenly treated to a shot of this huge, mechanized planet, and then Hux almost casually drops that the ‘superweapon’ is ready, and then suddenly it’s firing and blows up the Hosnian System. The Death Star is justifiable because it’s the first of its kind, Starkiller Base is the third. In canon and Legends, there’s a lot of side-material going into the sheer enormity and horror of the Death Star, the amount of manpower it takes to construct such a thing, its formation is treated with gravitas; And yet something WAY bigger and more advanced comes out of nowhere, from a group even less powerful than the Empire?!

Again, you need the Death Star, it’s why the rebels are being chased, it’s why Leia was captured, it’s why R2-D2 meets Luke and then Obi-Wan, bringing up the Rebel journey; It’s why Luke’s aunt and uncle die, it’s why there’s no Alderaan and instead the Death Star itself to capture the protagonists when they arrive there. But Starkiller Base is pointless- The plot is about BB-8 because he has the map to Luke Skywalker, it’s about finding Luke through BB-8. Starkiller Base is just so casually dropped for something that should be so much bigger than the Death Star in the narrative… And likewise, we don’t need it for anything.

Is it to prove to Finn that the First Order is dangerous, that he can’t just ignore its destruction? The thing is, he already has Rey’s capture to motivate his participation. Starkiller Base could not fire, but Finn would still help the Resistance infiltrate, because Rey would still be captured. It’s not needed for Poe and the Resistance to arrive on Takodana, because they came for BB-8 after getting that message, the Hosnian Cataclysm totally unrelated. You could argue it gives the Resistance an excuse to fight back against the First Order in the film’s climax… But that does not justify creating another superweapon, much less one as implausible and redundant as Starkiller Base.

Like, maybe the writers wanted to REALLY return to the status quo, so having the New Republic be devastated was a requirement… But was it really? Just have the New Republic continue to be ineffectual, it’s even a plot-point in side material that its military is embarrassingly small; So just say the Resistance IS the full extent of that military! You still get an underdog situation. And again, if you really want to forcibly cut off any support for the Resistance… You don’t need a giant superweapon to one-up the Death Star. Just have the First Order demonstrate its traditional military power, by having a fleet invade the New Republic’s capital, unexpected, able to waltz in because everyone is so incompetently lax about these rising fascists; And with recent real-life events, it only makes more disturbing sense.

Instead of getting a pointless superweapon, have a bunch of Star Destroyers attack Hosnian Prime and take it over, show a montage of destruction and civilian death, etc. This still establishes the danger of the First Order and how it’s quickly decapitated the New Republic and left it in shambles, setting the stage for the underdog conflict; But you don’t have to rely on something as absurdly over-the-top as Starkiller Base, which has no build-up to its unprecedented firepower besides “Oh yeah this exists” and then watching it fire and finding out firsthand.

The death of trillions with the Hosnian System is senseless violence both in-universe and from a narrative, writing perspective… And again, this arguably establishes the First Order as a threat better, because they don’t need to rely on a superweapon; And even after The Force Awakens ends, the audience still knows that they have access to an entire fleet… Whereas with Starkiller Base, that threat is lost by the end of the film and thus made redundant. The scene could become even more disturbing if we straight-up see some civilians on Hosnian Prime welcome the First Order, adding additional world building that helps explain why the First Order was able to develop, how it got support- And again, being topical to what happens today. It connects with canon lore about the First Order’s supporters in other worlds (such as Coruscant), and could even be a callback to liberty dying with thunderous applause in Revenge of the Sith! We could still have the people on Takodana react in horror, through the Holonet’s broadcasting of the coup.

Of course, this is Star Wars- And what’s more iconic than thrilling space battles and trench runs? Sometimes you want sci-fi fun and stuff for the sake of it, nothing wrong with that, that’s always important too… But again, you don’t need a giant super-laser to have that. Just make up something else; Like Starkiller Base is the planet that the First Order has taken over. Perhaps they intend to launch a bunch of new Star Destroyers, or are about to finish production of a whole new batch, which would make things even worse. Instead of destroying a superweapon, you could have the Resistance crippling the factories that finish these Star Destroyers- There’s your trench run! Have them blow up a power plant that’s running the factories, instead of a thermal oscillator. There’s still a victory at the end, and while the threat is far from over, time has been bought- And it makes the First Order’s immediate retaliation in the next film more sensible, adds to the idea that every second, every bit of progress helps, you gotta take what you need… Even an extra day to prepare and evacuate is a miracle that furthers the underdog motif.

Plus, with a batch of Star Destroyers that need to be stopped- There’s still the need to rescue Rey. The Resistance still needs to cause damage at the First Order’s base, and Finn is still needed to infiltrate and lower the shields, while taking advantage of this operation for himself and Rey. Most importantly, you don’t get a contrived superweapon that only adds to the bland, carbon-copy standard of the Sequel Trilogy; And perhaps best of all, we don’t have to see Ilum retroactively bastardized and destroyed, with Starkiller Base’s identity revealed AFTER we see it get blown up… The legacy of the Jedi and its history is not further destroyed with the loss of this sacred planet of kyber crystals.

And that’s better, because this trilogy about passing the torch, seems as insistent as Kyle Ron, the villain, on interpreting this theme as utterly wiping out all traces of the past, and leaving nothing for the next generation to work with. Which, I’m not surprised at a corporation thoughtlessly razing and salting the earth in selfish disregard for those who will need and use it afterwards, but still. And while a star that burns brighter than most thanks to its heart of Kyber IS a neat concept that could be worked with, especially with what Chirrut Imwe says, in addition to the motifs of flames of rebirth and the Phoenix… It’s not something that justifies the further eradication of Jedi history and effort on a level that even the Empire didn’t go, just to arbitrarily raise stakes with yet another uninspired superweapon.

Like, the Duel of the Fates script and its concept of a device that blocks off all inter-galactic communication is MUCH more interesting, clever, and innovative than the Death Star Lite, and it hits closer to home in this age of internet and mass communication; In contrast to the Death Star, which fit more in its time as a criticism of the stockpiling and development of nukes, and how that tapped into the public’s fear at the time of nuclear Armageddon. And a device blocking off intergalactic communication provides good reason for why the Resistance doesn’t have the full might of the New Republic behind them, because they can’t even communicate to collaborate, and it adds to that idea of people made to feel ‘alone’ or whatever and thus isolated, so they can’t band together and rise up. That adds to Rey feeling alone, and makes Poe and Zorii’s discussion at the end of the trilogy that much more meaningful… Not that the Sequel Trilogy was planned to consider the latter, of course.

(Actually, I wonder if it’s possible to cut Starkiller Base’s superweapon scenes from the film. Like a cut where any references to its superweapon, and the scene where it fires, is cut out; I think the film might still work that way.)

#star wars #the force awakens #sequel trilogy #starkiller base #ilum #meta

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temunitu · 4 years

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Since we mentioned sweet 03 Splinter, how do you feel (u don't have to go into extreme detail if u don't want too) about 2017 (Is it 17? Idk the weird one before Rise) splinter? My personal opinion is that he seemed like a pretty skilled teacher but as a dad...? Idk. I didn't like how he dealt with certain thing or sometimes hit the turtles. But that's just me and i haven't watched it in full lol. Hope u don't mind the ask.

Ah yes, 2012 Splinter! (Thanks for the ask! I love getting these :D)

So I'm certain anyone who's followed me for a while already knows the 2012 series, Tales of the TMNT, is on my bad side for a number of reasons. One of them is Splinter and his treatment of his sons.

There's LOADS of counter points people can make to this post. I am going to ignore all of them.

Ok so! Splinter, the all-wise, understanding, father/sensei of the turtles. He's tall, he's bad ass, he's got a sweet beard. For a while he was one of my favorite characters, even after I started to dislike the show as a whole.

Then I started analyzing his behavior, and... yikes.

First of all, it's strictly uncool how he hits his kids, especially Mikey. They all do, which sucks. No one seems to think it's bad or damaging to abuse a family member. He doesn't stop any of the others for physically or verbally abusing each other and even joins in sometimes.

Secondly, his backstory. Basically, he and pre-Shredder are in love with the same woman, yadda yadda... Hamato Yoshi/Splinter neglects her and his newborn daughter in favor of leading the clan. The clan must come first! The clan, the clan, the clan. He does squat diddly during the fight with Shredhead to save his family, doesn't even search the wreckage for potential survivors (AKA Miwah/Karai).

Thirdly: He continues to put the clan, even though he's no longer part of the clan, ahead of his new family, the turtles. He tells them it's their destiny to take down the Shredder, instead of, oh idk, doing it his McFreaking self??? He's got the skills! He could've done it! Why did he put that on his sons and drag them into his stupid grudge against Oroku Saki when he could've done it himself??!

Fourth: His teaching techniques were also really... stupid too. Sometimes they worked or made sense, but one episode in particular is bugging me. The Pulverizer Returns (I think?), where he forces them to swap weapons with each other and then takes them away?? And by the end, they learn nothing??? Great technique, Splints...

Fifth: He BLATANTLY favored Leo over the others. It's no wonder Raph hates Leo so much. Making Leo the leader "because he asked," my ass. Sir, that's your favorite child. To be fair, Leo thought/thinks you're a god so like... he probably just enjoys the worship from his kid, which still ain't good.

TL;DR He's obsessed with the clan that he abandoned long ago, he's holding a grudge against the man who just wanted a better life for Tang-Shen and Miwah and who rescued his daughter when he didn't, and he forced his adopted sons to deal with his own past instead of stepping up to do it himself. He favors one son over the others, ignores and even joins in when his sons abuse each other, and his teaching doesn't even teach his students anything. All in all, -10/10.

#this is why i hate tmnt 2012 #ask #anon #thanks anon!#tmnt 2012 splinter

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vydante · 4 years

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Restart | Avengers x Male! Reader | 11

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Avengers x Male! Reader (romantically: multiple)

Plot: Dr. Strange said there was only one possibility of winning the battle against Thanos.

But when (Name) is forced into the past and into his younger body, he’s suddenly given the chance to start over and prevent the future from happening again.

So which route are you going to take? Are you going to risk the future and take preventative measures, or live life with the Avengers for the next 4 years, knowing what will soon come?

A/N: Different format this time, taken like a video log, though it’s mostly dialogue.

[Action: enter folder titled ‘Project Renaissance’.]

...

[Enter Password: |]

[Enter Password: 1R0NM4NSU|]

[Enter Password: 1R0NM4NSUXXAP3XRUL35 |]

[Action: enter.]

...

[Password Accepted.]

[Accessing…]

[Enter folder name.]

[Action: “video logs”.]

[Searching…]

[Folder ‘Video Logs’ found. Would you like to play from the beginning?]

[Action: “Yes.”]

...

[Playing… “uh i don’t know name it whatever you want”, date created: 10-23-2013.]

...

“Is this thing on? Hello? Hell-o?”

The video feed shows your lone figure in your lab. It’s dark outside as the timestamp in the corner indicates that it’s half past midnight. You’re sitting directly in front of the camera, dressed in pajamas but no signs of fatigue anywhere.

You visibly huff, but only mirth flickers through your eyes as you look directly into the camera. It doesn’t last long as your eyes travel over to the camera feed and now you’re just looking at yourself as you begin to talk.

“Alright, so uh. Yadda yadda yadda, I planned to manually enter and type all of this out, but… I thought why not record it all in a log along the way? Fun, huh?”

You trail off on that thought, mumbling something about ‘well, that’s what my therapist said, anyways. Ah, wait, I don’t have her yet… mm, should probably look into that…’.

“Anyways, this is day one of Project Renaissance, or as it’s also known as, Project Get-Our-Shit-Together-Before-We-Get-Our-Lives-Rocked-By-Thanos.”

You shrug nonchalantly, but to the keenest of eyes, there was a stiffness in your posture when you mentioned Thanos. It was brief, but present nonetheless as it quickly dissipates from your shoulders.

“And, we don’t have to worry about any of this being leaked or whatever, because this is all on my sweet DAHLIA’s servers! Say something to the camera.”

“Something to the camera,” a dull female voice spoke up from the ceiling, Australian accent thick.

“Charming,” you purse your lips as if to hold back a smile, “Anyways, where was I…”

“Oh, yeah- Renaissance. So this is gonna be a long, long project with a bunch of other mini-folders inside.”

You swiped your hands across the air, slicing through as blue holograms appeared in front of the camera. There were already dozens of folders, but the camera catches only a few of their names.

‘Firecracker’, ‘Thunderpants’, and ‘Accords’ are some that are visible.

“I just wanted to get on base with what we have so far, but it’s not much considering it’s, y’know, only day one.”

You mumble something incoherent away from the camera before gazing back up on the camera feed, not quite looking directly into the camera itself. To the left of you, there’s a hologram of a checklist that you occasionally glance through as you resume speaking.

“Main objective of this project: prevent Thanos from decimating half of the universe, preferably killing him in the process. Side objectives: keep the Avengers together, current members optional, new members in need nonetheless. Contenders in another file.”

You glance at the checklist.

“Current objective: locate and capture Barnes, codename Winter Soldier, and any other Winter Soldiers, and sift through S.H.I.E.L.D.’s database for traces of HYDRA.”

“Sidenote: we, ah, started the search yesterday- for Barnes. So far, it’s… Not really promising. I, uh, initially gave the timeline to find Barnes a few days max, but man, I’m starting to doubt that…”

You sigh, scratching at your arm irritably.

“Whatever…” you mumbled.

“Anyways.”

“I, ah, I don’t know for sure what I want to do with Barnes, but considering that I’ll probably have more than ample time to think about it, I’m not worrying about it too much. As for his triggers…”

You glanced at an adjacent folder, almost contemplating.

“I know of one person who can help, but I’m not exactly putting too much hope for that one. So.”

“We might have to resort to B.A.R.F. when it’s ready. DAHLIA, who- who was on that case again?”

“Mr. Quentin Beck and his team, doll.”

“Ah, yeah, Beck. Cute, tall, big ole’ eyes?”

An image hologram pops up in front of you, presumably of Quentin Beck.

“I don’t know about ‘cute’, but in essence? Yep.”

You ignored DAHLIA’s apparent judgment in your taste in men.

“Gotcha. Well, there’s that we can resort to if need be. Um…”

“Well, as for HYDRA, that’s… That’s a whole ‘nother can of worms right there.”

You sighed, and this is the first inkling of exhaustion you’ve shown so far. You deflate a little bit and spend the next few minutes staring at something behind the monitor in silence. You’re deep in thought before your phone buzzes.

Then, the video feed cuts off.

…

[Video end. Selecting next in queue…]

[Playing… “okay don’t do that weird thing where you record everything i say and make it the title, please dahlia anyways uh i wanna name it uh huh um shit dahlia i swear to god stop doing that”, date created: 11-02-2013.]

…

“Wow, alright, I was watching the last log last night and man did I literally got nothing done. I mean, it was the first day, but still! Still, I fucking…”

Your voice trails off as you walk away from the screen, holding what appears to be a big box filled with papers and envelopes. You set it down in the far corner of the lab, still talking but your words are unintelligible as the microphone is too far to hear anything.

“... And yet here I am, just- ugh!”

You dropped your body onto the chair and plopped right in front of the screen. Your hair is disheveled, undersuit still on. There’s a bruise forming on your forehead, but you don’t really seem to care about your messy appearance.

You pointed a lazy finger towards the corner, a small grin as you try to line it up with the camera feed.

“That’s fanmail- apparently someone has been neglecting to read those… It’s me, I’m someone.”

You chuckle to yourself.

“Mm, I’ll read myself to sleep later, probably hang all of it up on a mural wall somewhere. Or the ceiling, that works too. Anyways. Just went on a, shall I say, self-imposed mission. It was, ah, to look for Barnes.”

You sheepishly smiled.

“‘Was followin’ a lead from DAHLIA, a potential hit marker, but- it was just a- a barely running base. Nothin’ new, but- it’s nice. To fly and- and fight in the suit every now and then.”

You shake your head.

“Not the- the current one. The nanite one. It’s- god, I miss it, you know?”

Your eyes glaze over, a faraway glint in your eyes as you paused your ranting. This goes on for about 24 more seconds before you started talking again, voice smaller.

“I did this thing, with dad. After the whole, um, Accords bullshit. He- we would get into our suits- the newer models, and just… Go at each other. No repulsors, no nothing. Just raw, brutal punches in the suit. No holding back, no making sure the other one’s okay after a good blow… Just… We just hailed on each other, you know?”

“I mean, obviously we weren’t trying to kill each other, but sometimes it… It felt close, y’know? Nothing personal, but… It was primal, sometimes. Sometimes he’d knock my jaw a little too loose and all I’d ever see would be red… It was wild, I’ll tell you that.”

“But- we only did it here and there, considerin’, y’know. He’s-... He was getting older, and I was… getting busier.” You sighed. “No one knew about it either; god knows how Rhodey or ma’ would react to us- just- beating the shit out of each other.”

You smiled, though it looked more like a grimace.

“It was fun, though. Get the frustrations out. Work on our weaknesses. Show no hesitation. It’s…”

There’s a sudden hollowness in your eyes as your face shifts, an expression years older than you were currently. Haunted, almost. You shake your head, whatever traces of your former self now gone as you smiled- though, there was nothing genuine to that smile at all.

“... Not important. Anyways.”

You shifted in your seat, clearly uncomfortable at the stagnant air despite being the only one in the room.

“So yeah. HYDRA. I took out everyone at that base. Nothing left. Downloaded whatever they had, wiped it, then burnt it to a crisp. The usual, nothing new, nothing important…”

You shrugged, “It’s harder to get the Avengers to look the other way when I’m doing these solo missions. I’m pretty sure Natasha’s getting sus about this… Nothing tied to me, but. Still.”

“But yeah, DAHLIA’s sifting through the information right now.”

Your eyes shift to the left, presumably a screen with said findings loading in.

“So-o... There was… There was that.”

You paused, trying to gather your thoughts when your eyes flickered.

“Ah- but to continue to the last log; HYDRA… Man. HYDRA, HYDRA, HYDRA. Always a pain in the ass.”

You scowled.

“I thought it was gonna take me a little longer to sift through the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, but surprisingly enough, it was… Kind of easy to sort out HYDRA and Not-HYDRA.”

You scratched your head in confusion.

“Back a couple of years ago- or, well, in… Next year, actually. June? Well- Team Cap is gonna go haywire on S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA and Project Insight and basically dump all that good-good, and we,” you noted with an oddly bitter tone, “were left to clean up the mess they made. And, well, it exposed a lot of active field agents. Shit, man.”

You scrubbed your face with your hands, which were marred with fresh scratches and burn marks. It’s unclear where they came from, but you don’t seem bothered by it.

“So many agents were killed in that stunt. God…”

Your voice is muffled, but still audible.

“There was one agent… Codename Acai. Sweet gal, ‘cording to her co-workers. Little unhinged, but she got the work done. She… She was undercover in North Korea for a few years. Got busted by the data dump. And…”

“God, they just…”

You sighed gruffly, refusing to look anywhere near the camera.

“It was rough, finding her body. Kept looking for her even months after the whole Ultron bullshit. By the time we got to her, it took us months to I.D. her body- even worse? North Korea already had her death listed as suicide under her fake name. Bullshit! Parts of her was missin’, how the fuck is that a suicide?! Both feet, gone. Her sternum was nowhere to be found. How- I just…!”

You gritted your teeth.

“I just don’t understand what they were thinking when they pulled that dumbass stunt to release all of that- that sensitive data…! I thought- oh, maybe, maybe, HYDRA had already corrupted a large part of S.H.I.E.L.D., that’s why they did it!”

“But no! No- do you know how much of S.H.I.E.L.D. was infected? How much?!”

You pinched your fingers together and squinted at the camera with a visceral smile.

“6 percent. That 6 percent accounted for a majority of the higher-ups. Not lower field combatants. Not the technicians. The higher-ups.”

“6 percent of S.H.I.E.L.D. was HYDRA,” you hissed, “yet they still endangered the other 94% active and non-active members! Fuck- it was a miracle! A miracle, that we got to any of the agent’s family that had been documented before HYDRA or anyone else could!”

“It’s a miracle that the Bartons even made it- and we didn’t even know about them until Ultron! It’s just-... Fuck!”

Growling, you knocked your head against the metal table in front of you. The camera shakes a little bit.

“God, Romanoff, what the fuck were you thinkin’? You were supposed to keep them in check, not… Not be so goddamn stupid!”

You growled under your breath, taking a moment to breathe. You lifted your head up with a neutral face and exhaled.

“Whatever. What’s done is done. I’ve- I’ve had years to simmer over it and I’m- I’m not. Angry. I swear I’m not. It’s done, it happened. But. Hopefully in this timeline… It won’t happen. Not like that, at least.”

There was a peculiar glint in your eyes as you started reaching into one of your cabinets.

“And I know just how to stop it.”

You raised your eyebrows with your eyes closed, reluctant to repeat what you had already said.

“Again, sifted through S.H.I.E.L.D. for HYDRA. Got the information. And it is all. In. Here.”

You pulled back up to reveal a small black USB flash drive. There’s nothing of interest to it on the outside, but it’s what’s inside that really, really counted.

“This bad boy has all the shit that HYDRA’s been skeemin’ all up in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s system. I- well.”

“I actually have 2 of these, but, ah. One’s already on the way to ole’ Saint Nick.”

You brushed a hand through your hair. It’s grown quite a bit and in need of trimming.

“Because if there’s one thing I know for sure about S.H.I.E.L.D.? Nick ain’t apart of HYDRA, no matter how much of a scumbag he is. And, really… I’d like to think I trust him to handle this situation properly- more so than anyone else but me and my dad. Obviously, dad can’t- he can’t ever know about… About this.”

Despite referring to the USB in your hands, your words were heavy nonetheless. It wasn’t just the flash drive you were referring to.

“So Fury’s getting the other bad boy. Worth millions, and 2 of a kind, too.”

“Well, I sent it to the bastard. Hopefully, he doesn’t trash it, or whatever. Soon.”

You hummed. Setting the USB down on the table, you made direct eye contact with the camera and posed with pouty lips. You threw up a peace sign ironically and grinned.

“Well, that’s that. Oh, and Clint vomited on Steve’s clothes yesterday. Not important, but funny nonetheless. Deuces!”

…

[Video end. Selecting next in queue…]

[Playing… “dahlia we don’t have the fucking time for this get the damn suit”, date created: 11-29-2013.]

…

“Hi.”

You’re still in your school clothes that day, a simple sweater and sweatpants. Your letterman is hanging on the back of your seat for going to the robotics competitions your school had.

The timestamp also indicates that you had just gotten out of school too- though, it is considerably dark outside. Snowing that day, most likely. And still is, probably.

“So, uh. Fury got the message, I think.”

You spun around in your chair, knees up to your chest.

“Usually we’re getting harassed by him every now and then to do missions, but Natasha just came home yesterday sayin’, like. ‘Fury’s put my mission on hold’, or something.”

“He doesn’t know I sent it to him, I think. But. Thing’s’re getting pret-ty serious now, huh.”

You shrugged.

“Well, whatever. I didn’t come here to talk about Fury, though. I came here to update on, ah, a few things.”

“I know I haven’t touched base with- well, you,” You gave the camera a saucy wink, “about a lot of my projects so far. So, here are a few that I’ve been thinking of implementing.”

A picture is pulled up from your desktop. It’s an aerial shot of a brunet talking to his friend, both of a juvenile appearance. There’s another picture, a 3D generated image of a red and blue suit.

“So. Peter Parker.”

Sigh.

“I… really, really, really don’t want him to be involved in any of this. No superhero bullshit, no nothing.”

“He’s young. He doesn’t- doesn’t need to be involved with this mess. I just… I just want him to have a normal life.”

‘One I never got to have; one he’ll never get to have,’ goes unsaid, but you continued on.

“But… By my reasoning, I am… Hypocritical in my justification.”

You paused, frowning as you look at the picture long and hard. When you speak up, your voice is noticeably quieter.

“He was just as old as I was when I started this whole Apex mantle thing. Hell, he might’ve been older. Will be older. And quite frankly, I can’t stop him even if I wanted to. He’ll still do it, still go out and fight and just-...”

“He’ll do it unsupervised, and that’s what scares me the most.”

You mumble under your breath, “He reminds me too much of… Me. Young, dumb, and reckless as all hell.”

You shook your head and pulled up another file. This one’s a text file, and it’s detailed enough to go on for pages and pages, but clearly there’s more to be added.

“So, what I’m hoping to do is… Start an internship program. Start- start him early. The sooner, the better control he’ll have over his powers. The better experience he’ll get. And, of course, with the additional benefits of, well. Being in an actual internship program.”

“What that will intel? I don’t know. But I think… I think both the students and SI can- can benefit off of that.”

“So, that was one of my projects. Another one is about, well.”

You swallowed hard for this one.

“Extremis.”

You held your hands up as if trying to halt the camera- even the viewer- from freaking out.

“Listen, look, I know, I know- ‘oh, Extremis is already stabilized, oh, why mess with it even more, oh, just leave it alone it’ll make you explode into a thousand firecrackers, oh’- I get it. I know.”

“But… Listen to me.”

“I really, really do think Hansen was onto something with Extremis, no matter how evil and fucked up it is now. It… With a little bit of love and care, I really do think it can help. Maybe not- not on a mass-production scale- or for commercial use, period- but still.”

You licked your lips, eyes flickering to a picture of you, Tony, and Rhodey eating ice cream on your desk.

“I… It can be a last resort type of thing. It- it has the potential. So, so much potential.”

You chuckled to yourself.

“Well, it’s not like you- whoever else that isn’t me that’s watching this- can convince me otherwise. Don’t worry, no live subjects. No evil scientist bull, just… Just trust me, please.”

It’s unclear who exactly you’re referring to, but it’s as if there’s a specific person you’re trying to plead with despite knowing that no matter what, this footage- along with the rest- will be forever condemned to rest in the grave that is DAHLIA’s protected database.

“So, yeah. Working a little bit on Extremis. Um, I wish I could say that the next projects are more- light-hearted, but. Not really, no.”

“I’m… Well, there’s no easy way to say this: I’m thinking of filing a class-action lawsuit on Ross.”

And with that bombshell of an announcement to the camera, the Avengers alert rang across the building.

“Fuck- DAHLIA, end it- put me on comms!”

…

[Video end. Selecting next in queue…]

[Playing… “i am so mad i didn’t think about this before dahlia change the mission objective”, date created: 12-18-2013.]

…

...

“Would you believe me if I said I completely forgot about these whole video log things?”

Your back is turned to the camera, completely shirtless and hair dripping wet. You’re texting someone, and you’re typing a little bit furiously. The camera catches the other person sending a cat picture. You huff, but turn your phone off and set it to the side.

“So. Ross.”

You shake your head.

“Sorry to drop a bombshell like that on you,” you quietly address the camera, “then disappear on a mission, but-”

“There’s nothing concrete now. Just- it’s just an idea. I think…”

“I think Bruce would like it. There’s- there’s a lot of dirt on Ross. So much shit that can get him life, too. Maybe even death if we play our cards right, but… I want that bastard to suffer. And quite frankly, if I can get rid of him now, the better the Avengers will be in the future.”

You rolled your shoulders, a satisfying crack echoes from you and you grinned for a moment, before smoothing your face out into something more neutral. You leaned back in your chair, and take a breather.

“So, uh. It’s been… Over a month, I’d say? Since I started these whole video logs. Um… No traces on Barnes. It’s…”

You glance up at the ceiling with a pained expression.

“It’s frustrating as hell. You’d think, with access to a majority, if not all of the satellites and cameras and whatnot, we’d find him easier…”

“It’s like he’s not even doing anything, at all. No missions, no assassinations or whatever… Nothing. Nada. It’s like… It’s like he’s not even being deplo-”

You paused. It’s clear that the gears inside your head are turning. You narrowed your eyes, a smile threatening to break out as you reached towards the camera buttons.

“Sonnofabitch.”

…

[Video end. Selecting next in queue…]

[Playing… “i won’t let history repeat again starting with him”, date created: 12-29-2013.]

…

...

“So. I’m, uh, major update.”

Unlike the previous video logs where you were in your lab, this one is different. The camera is a lot closer to your face and from a bottom perspective as you hold the camera.

You’ve got part of your helmet, chest plate, shoulders, gauntlets, and presumably your boots still on as your steps are heavy and clanking. There’s blood smeared across your forehead. You’re slightly out of breath as you glance at something outside of the camera’s perspective.

Around you, the view is shaky and it’s unclear where you’re walking. None of the interior decors indicates that you’re in the tower- in fact, it’s barren and empty.

You glance down at the camera view.

“Remember the last log? Well, I uh, sort of had an epiphany, if you will.”

You continue walking, but you’ve reached a door mechanism. You punch in some numbers and continue talking as the doors open wide.

“It was strange, that I got no hits of a Winter Soldier stalking around anywhere. Sure, he’s a trained spy and killer, but no one’s that slick- not even Natasha, as much as she thinks otherwise.”

You’re in an elevator now, catching your breath slightly as you drew your eyebrows together. There’s a dinging noise, indicating the floors you’re ascending- or descending, as it’s unclear what story you’re on.

“It was like there was no Winter Soldier; at least, no active one.”

“That got me thinking. He’s- what- from the 20’s? He should’ve been, say, early thirties, so 31? 32? At the time he went missing, anyways. But the thing is… Even in the future, the man looks barely in his late thirties. Barely.”

You tap your feet impatiently, boots echoing in the small space.

“But he’s been the Winter Soldier for, what, almost 70 years? Shit don’t add up.”

“So, while he’s practically responsible for so many goddamn murders, he’s probably not always… Awake. Active. I was thinking, shit, if he ain’t up and about right now, where the hell is he?”

“So I did some more digging. Found a Winter Soldier file in S.H.I.E.L.D.- er, HYDRA’s database. There’s… A bunch. Of the Winter Soldiers, I mean. But none of them were- was Barnes. Just a bunch of knock offs.”

You glance up at the floor indicator. The camera shifts and the numbers blink downwards.

-3… -4… -5...

“But I found something interestin’. There’s a- a list. Of HYDRA bases. Had no idea what they were for, but I took a hot guess.”

“One of them was Siberia. First one I went to- no Barnes. A bunch of other Winter Soldiers, though. The failed ones.”

“I…”

There’s a moment of hesitation, unsure if you should say what you’re about to say.

“I shot them dead.”

The ball drops just as the elevator dings, doors opening as you stepped out with a confidence that doesn’t match the remorse in your eyes.

“It’s. Look, I know it- that’s fucking. Insane. Inhumane. Murder. I don’t care. It’s- it’s too goddamn dangerous, having them- alive! I don’t know if there was any- any redemption for them.”

“But in the end, they- they were willing soldiers for HYDRA. The best, even. Anyone who- who willingly works for HYDRA… I’m not too sure I can trust them.”

You growled.

“Shit, I trusted Maximoff… And look where that got us.”

“I’m not fucking risking it with them.”

You shook your head, face smoothing out so it’s only the stressed wrinkles on your forehead that’s present. Your eyes soften minutely so.

“But for Barnes… There’s a chance. He’s a goddamn POW, and… If Shuri succeeded in getting rid of the trigger words, then there’s. A. Chance.”

��And… I’m willing to take that risk with him.”

The camera shifts, staring directly at the underside of your jaw. You cough and recalibrate the camera so it’s at a better angle.

“Anyways.”

“I… I went down the list. Of the bases? I didn’t- didn’t infiltrate them per se. It’s too risky- a majority of those bases are major ones. So I just… Snuck around. Looked at the infrastructure for anything that remotely looked like a certain Winter Soldier would be in.”

You stopped walking, now staring directly at something behind the camera. Your lips are pressed in a grim line.

“And I hit the jackpot.”

You should be happy about it if you took those words out of context, but your expression is far from it. Guilt, pity, and an earthly weariness mares your eyes as you huff.

“Everybody, say hi to Mr. James Buchanan Barnes.”

The camera view flips, and in the front stage center is a big chamber, similar to that of a hulk play box. But while it is smaller, the glass is noticeably thicker. In the corner, outside of the chamber, is Mark 22 standing eerily still with its glowing eyes trained on Barnes. It’s in a neutral stance, but it’s clear that it won’t hesitate to incapacitate the soldier if it came down to it.

And on the furthest wall inside the chamber is Barnes, slumped on the ground with a pool of water around him. He’s wet as well, but unconscious. He’s in his military tactical gear, too, though there are no weapons visible on him.

The microphone picks up your sigh.

“I… I don’t know what to do with him. I- I saw the fucking- freezer they kept him in, but. It was a quick operation- I had no time to get the damn thing out without them- HYDRA- noticing me. So. Guess that throws out the plan to keep him- frozen like a popsicle until further notice.”

Barnes twitches slightly, and his fingers move. There’s an audible grunt, and your breath hitches as you swerve the camera back on you. Your eyes are wide, and you throw the camera a nervous grin that’s more akin to a grimace. In the background, your suit whirs to life.

You gave a nod to the camera.

“Wish me luck.”

…

[Video end.]

[Play again?]

Masterlist

Tagged: @unsolvetheheckoutofit, @tonystanktheirondad, @ludwigvonbaethoven, @fabledxmystery

#male reader #male!reader #x male reader #male reader insert #avengers x male reader #Avengers #reader insert #Bucky Barnes #bucky barns x reader #bucky barnes x male reader #winter soldier #restart

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ask-prime-starscream · 4 years

Text

Siege Review Episode 1

I can’t get this out of my head, so there we go: I’ll review the series so I can finally move on and do the things I actually planned to do.

While I’m no fan of the Siege toys (too much kibble, same boxy body type for everyone, not very poseable, absolute no buy for me...), the character models are easy to look at. They aren’t overly bright or hard to make out like in RiD or Cyberverse (gotta call that the R’lyeh effect). I think Bumble Bee here looks pretty good! It’s as if I could pat his head.

But this isn’t cute Bumble Bee the eternal scout who somehow is also Optimus’s strongest fighter. Yeah, seriously. The way he kicks even high ranking Decepticon aft easily in recent series, he should be Optimus’s right hand bot. HOWEVER, being mute usually turns Bee into a toddler, so I guess mentally he isn’t fit for the job...

But as I said, this isn’t the usual Bee, this is edgy Bee! He can talk! (Thank Primus!) He doesn’t want anything to do with either side because they both suck! (Understandable.) He collects energon just for the money! (Uhm...) ... By the way... what is money even worth here in this dystopian, pile of junk world? Shouldn’t energon be the one thing anybot wants? Or spare parts? Relics from the past? Bee, what do you even want to buy? We don’t know, but if I was him, I’d try to get a spacecraft together and leave this garbage planet!

While edgy Bee has to deal with his client, the not very survival-approved Autobot Wheeljack, they get caught by the seekers. And there he is: Jerkfire, commander of the seekers! Jerkfire is really great with keeping his troops’s morale up. He slices Starscream’s arm off as teaching lesson (Starscream needs to respect his authoritah!!) and... brings up his own bots against him that way... uh... WHAT AN IDIOT! (At this point Wheeljack, who really wants to sell the Autobot cause to edgy Bee, could say something like “Wowie, if this is how Decepticons treat each other, it’s hardly surprising we don’t want to surrender and be assimilated by you!” But he doesn’t. After all this is still Starscream’s arm which got sliced off and everybody’s meta knowledge tells them that Jerkfire is actually the good guy, therefore... eh, rather crack a joke at Starscream’s misery.)

Then Megatron shows up and he is really imposing, you can almost hear the menacing smacking of his Overlord lips! What he wants though, is not to kill the Autobots, he rather wants them to join his cause while Starscream is more the genocidal kind of guy. Jerkfire on the other hand probably wants to make them prisoners of war, I assume. He never outright tells what he wants.

Wheeljack doesn’t wanna live in Megatron’s Cybertron and spouts the “Freedom is the right of every living being, yadda yadda” stuff and at this point it would be interesting to know why Megatron’s rule would be so bad for them. Cybertron looks as gloomy as if it was thrown into the Jupiter, but that’s the fault of both factions. I guess, Megatron is bad because once more our meta knowledge tells us so. We never see enslaved Autobots being worked to death. Something that used to happen to Decepticons. We just see Megatron wanting the war to end and the Autobots refusing to surrender which will lead to their extinction.

Optimus Prime rolls out before Wheeljack and Bee get executed and fights the most pathetic fight against Megatron. Their boxy, kibbly bodies make them already sluggish and clumsy and here it’s as if we’re watching two turtles lying on their backs. At least they can hit though, unlike Cyberverse, and there is no stupid slow-motion like in RiD.

Because Optimus can’t do shit, Elita has to save all of their asses. Elita looks a little bit like a ladybug and never transforms throughout the show.

“We have no chemistry.”

I also find Optimus’s and Elita’s relationship to be very... cold. She is usually nagging for him to do or not do this or that and he is dismissing her. She is not his equal. Unsurprisingly she is like “fuck this, I’m outta here” at the end of season one.

Inside the Autobot headquarters, Optimus talks to Ultra Magnus.

Mags: I think this war is lost...

O.P.: But we still alive.

Mags: We got to eat though...

O.P.: Hmmmmmmmmm... (<-- 90% of his replies)

Meanwhile, edgy Bee takes a look at the junk pile headquarters and can’t wait to leave. Optimus tries to recruit him, but edgy Bee doesn’t want to join the losing team. Elita wants to execute Bee then and there, but Optimus is against such Decepticon methods.

Somewhere else in some kind of stadium, Megatron releases some Decepticon propaganda to the masses and everybody claps. Even Starscream who got his arm replaced. Jerkfire rams into him and asks, if he wants to lose that arm too. Bruh!

What a bullying asshole.

After that, Jerkfire tells Megatron that his seekers are out there hunting Autobots (because sometimes he is cool with killing them all) and Starscream rightfully claims that Jerkfire sucks at his job. Jerkfire is pissed, but Megatron reveals a tiny boner for Starscream’s arrogance (and that’s the only thing mattering about the entire show to Megastar shippers, lol!)

Well, and that was episode one!

#War for Cybertron #Siege #Spoilers #Spoiler

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scary-mostaccioli · 4 years

Note

OKAY I HAVE A WHOLESOME REQUEST BC MY MIND IS REELING: After your “NPC that’s easiest to romance” post it hit me with a thought™️. Dating Simulator AU for the creeps? What are their characters types and how does romancing them go, etc. you can only write for one or two, and pick whoever you want! I just thought it might be cute — 🌊

»okokok fuck yes this is my SHIT. So this may be a little messy haha

Also i am so fucking sorry this is so long. I got excited but I did cut out some sO. -Honey

Dating sim AU

I'd imagine the dating sim would start off all fancy and routes start out with a branching path where you have the options of like: »Proxy« »Freelancer« »Mansion«

But you can't really tell which option is which.

Youll end up with one of the three branches and be kinda stuck with the characters and then you can pick the character off through there.

Proxies (Includes Hecate-)

So we got the types: Crackhead, Reserved, Standoffish/Ass, and Mildly Infuriating™

The branching story revolves around who the MC gets shoved off on when on a mission (which is dictated by previous dialogue options).

Toby/Hecate are likely the ones that most people go for because they have the most entertaining options. Toby'd be teasing masky and your three options would be like »"...Do you mind being less annoying?"« | »"Can you guys just...not."« | »"Oooooooh shit-"« | »*Snarky agreeing remark*«

Toby's the easiest to romance (of the proxies) if you choose all the obviously for him options.

Though he'll call you a useless dumbass with a laugh the best way to get to his heart is pure snarky comments back to him.

Toby's route revolves around laughing at his jokes and supporting his injuries along with making jokes with him and encouraging him to think about his past-- even if he cant remember it.

Bad ending is Toby stabbing the MC in the back after he wasn't able to kill his target and they got away (Due to MC in the first place)

Normal ending is default proxy ending. They return to the cabin with no discernible chance in relationship as the MC is still treated like a pet.

Good ending has them returning to the cabin and Toby begging to 'keep them' while pointing to MC. He'll insist hes joking and the end of the route as it ends with a cliche kiss scene.

So Hoodie right. Hoodie is the second easiest to romance.

He's the reserved type that scoffs at the antics from the corner, though he doesn't say much in protest of things.

If the MC gets shoved off on him it would be a lot of silent movements as the MC and him get stuck in a deadly situation. He ends up saving her and in the midst of her thanking him he'd say his first words she'd hear him say, "You're welcome...now stop thanking me."

The MC would likely have a lot of chances to encourage him to talk. The correct dialogue options are harder compared to Toby's as bugging him too far can actually fuck you over.

The route culminates in them both getting lost at night time abd being forced to talk and watch the stars.

Bad ending can only happen in the middle of the story. MC gets killed by threat.

Normal ending is default proxy ending.

Good ending results in Hoodie returning to the Cabin with MC, being clearly more possessive of them as he doesn't allow anyone to touch them. and make sure they're ok.

Masky is on the harder scale to romance.

His options aren't entirely clear... sometimes he needs humor other times he doesn't.

He seems like a normal tsundere™ but its more of a route where you actually have to pick options that end up earning his respect.

Getting on his route isn't hard, but the route itself is.

Badgering him about his past is not the way to go. It would fuck up any player...but not mentioning it at all fucks stuff up too.

Somehow, in his route he'd have an episode, that would be the climax.

Picking right options to get out of that situation and earning his respect before talking about his past and why this shit is happening as he takes off his mask to smoke under the cover of a ditch is where the crisp dialogue happens. Also tells you your gucci.

Bad ending actually results in masky's death.

Normal ending is default proxy ending.

Good ending is ~relationship~

Hecate's route is just as popular as Toby's but...it makes no fucking sense half the time. Most players would fail her route and sit in confusion.

She develops through both lost memories and humor. Finding the balance between when to be serious with her and when to continue joking is the key, though it is quite hard.

Her route would revolve around a murder. The MC is already spooked she's with a ghost, set aside the murder.

The hardest part of the route is sometimes the MC must actually be mean to Hecate to get a point across.

Hecate would remember something, which is when the route would take the bug turn and you know you're on the right track if you succeed.

The good ending is Hecate genuinely caring for the MC. This is shown through protecting them, making sure they’re okay, and caring for their wellbeing as well as how they feel.

Normal ending is Hecate acting somewhat nicer, but it’s more on the borderline of a neutral and platonic feeling toward the MC.

Bad ending is Hecate killing the MC in order to regain another memory of her past.

Freelancer

Achieving the freelancer route requires the MC to escape the mansion, so it's kind of the secret routes (Though Ill only put Janes here so this post doesn't kill everyone)

Upon meeting Jane the MC would beg her to help them yadda yadda.

The route would mostly be Jane attempting to get the MC to safety out of the woods as they run from all the creeps and proxies.

As Jane's route is a secret route, the responses are more difficult

You would learn about Jane's interests in finding Jeff (You'd def have the option as an MC to mention seeing Jeff in the mansion or not.)

The route would definitely end with a partnership in attempting to find the mansion and complete Jane's goal.

The bad end would just be Jane watching as the MC gets killed.

The normal ending is Jane getting the MC out of the woods and they never see each other again

This route would have loads and loads of fluff.

'Pure screeching about how cute the route' is kind of route. Though the tension and likely jumpscares often break that.

Mansion

The mansion is where you originally arrive, so its the easiest to want go stay. (Ill only do Jeff and BEN here)

Ben's route is medium difficulty, but is straightforward if you know what youre doing. Dont feed into his narcissism and play games with him (you have to beat him at a minigane to complete it, though).

His good ending is through doing those actions, and results in him protecting the MC.

His normal ending is the default ending for the mansion. The MC gets thrown out when whatever is keeping her in there leaves.

The bad ending happens by feeding into his narcissism. He traps the MC in a game to be his personal play toy. He develops an intense obsession with her.

Jeff's route is just pure pain.

The dialogue options are super specific. You cannot mess up with one answer or you're done.

He doesn't seem to have a set personality to go along with. He makes fun of the MC he fucks with the MC, he pretends to care about them-- and its really hard to know which is which.

The bad ending for him is just murder. The only thing the MC can hear as they bleed out is Jeff going, "Oh shit...I dont think I was supposed--"

Normal is default.

Good is Jeff insisting the MC doesn't leave. There's no real romance throughout his route, but he insists that the MC should stay in the mansion, for no sensical reason.

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majicmarker · 4 years

Note

why did you dislike 'the hating game?' (haven't read it; i'm just curious)

AAAUURGGHH okay. OKAY. it’s been a hot minute since i read it, so i’m going off strictly memory here — i am thinking of doing a reread, for the record, but chances are high that’s just going to remind me of/reinforce my initial bad impressions — BUT —

(oh god, this became an essay so fast, but to be fair to myself i’m coming off a depressive episode and almost everything in this world pisses me off, so this is just where we’re at. and, yeah, i’m really picking this shit apart, no doubt, but I've always owned up to being an enormously picky reader, so we’re off to the races here, i said what i said, etc., etc, ad nauseam)

you know what, i’m gonna preface this with the One Thing I remember above all else about this book. i am 100% sure this wasn’t the intention but, oh my god, the one thing i will always remember is how lucy (the heroine) refers to one of her superiors as “Fat Little Dick.” dude’s actual name is richard, he’s short and annoying, blah blah. this is supposed to be funny, and i — much as i’m a fan of vulgar humor, lord, i’ll tell you about my favorite shows and movies sometime — find it so incredibly off-putting, that it’s the first thing I think of whenever i see this book mentioned. the immaturity of the nickname doesn’t bother me so much but it’s like, the fact that it’s meant to be clever that irks me. it’s just... gross, to me. this is really individualistic, but i can’t talk about this book without bringing this up because, for me, it set the whole tone for what i was about to read. this is the humor of the whole book, it falls cringingly flat to me, and that means a lot when it comes to a romantic comedy.

in that vein... look, there is seldom an occasion in which i enjoy first person. this is completely a personal preference, so it’s not a point i hold against this book in particular, but i just... i really gave this book a shot, despite being immediately turned off by the style. first person runs rampant in romance and like, that’s fine, i do have a couple i enjoy and, anyway, it’s not a dealbreaker for me and overall it doesn’t actually speak to the quality of the work. like i said, total personal preference — but. but. it depends on how you write it, and i just didn’t see the merit of it here. I think we would have benefitted from dual pov, even if both sides were written in first person.

a nitpick, perhaps! and tbh this particular detail might be suited to a larger discussion of narrative structure dependent on genre, but! in this case i just don’t like it and we can go from there.

MOVING ON.

lucy has no friends. what the fuck is that? she’s twenty-something and, as far as her character reads, quite sociable. even if she was some awkward mess (like, hey, me too, y’all should’ve seen me in my twenties), she’d probably still have, like, one person she could confide in, and yet... nada. (this is what i recall, anyway. as i said, it’s been at least a year since i tried this book out, so maybe i’m forgetting someone, but from what i remember, this fact stood out to me almost as plainly, painfully, as the “Fat Little Dick” gag.) i’m pretty sure all she has in this world is her job, her weird crush on josh, and her smurfs collection. also, she’s short. that’s cool, but it’s not a personality, and any which way i don’t need to be reminded of it every page.

on a broader scale, i, personally, find lucy and josh both profoundly unlikeable. lucy is irritating and, if she were a friend of mine, i’d tell her to her face that she needs to get her shit together because this is ridiculous. and josh is just, an asshole? imo. he’s every other guy i’ve met at a bar who pretends he’s really into his personal development but at the same time he won’t go to a therapist. so, like, what’s the point? he’s dull at best, and i’m not surprised robbie amell’s been cast for the film adaptation (last i knew of, that is). and the thing is, like, in romance, the characters need to be likeable. you’re rooting for their personal lives; there is no “greater good” or whatever else at play here. all i care about are these people and, in this case… i can’t deal with them. if this was YA, absolutely, yes, i’m here for it. but, again, these characters are whole-ass adults. i don’t necessarily expect your life to be together at this point — mine certainly isn’t — but have some self-awareness, for the love of god.

ON THAT NOTE, the book’s focus is on these twenty-something romantic leads, but it reads so juvenile. meg cabot’s high school romances have more self-awareness and depth than these career-oriented Adults. don’t get me wrong — i’m all for relatable, for insecure, for the identity struggles that really shape your twenties, because oh my god, do I Get That, but this was just all so… god, it reminds me of the stuff i’d write in junior high. it’s like what i imagined it was gonna be like to be a grown-up. this is probably personal preference all over again, but it doesn’t read authentic to me. it’s shallow, and sexual without being really, actually emotional. i’m seeing the lust, but i’m being force-fed the love.

and, before i drop without precedent the whole “career-oriented” thing that the plot itself seems to have done — the professional, essential, conflict is never resolved. spoiler alert, i guess, but the conflict hinges on the love interests being up for the same promotion, but we end the book with the male lead quitting and taking a job elsewhere — so his career is stable, right, but the job that’s been waiting in the wings this whole time? your guess is as good as mine as to who gets it. much as i disliked this whole Thing, by the end i still hoped lucy would be offered some professional satisfaction, but we never actually find out.

and, listen, i don’t remember any of the sex scenes. i know they’re in there, but i have zero recollection because they’re boring. gratuitous, maybe, but that’s only if you believe some of the book’s naysayers. i guess i’m a naysayer, too, but it’s not because the sex stuff made me take up a confessional booth for ten minutes (no shame, i’m just saying, from experience, most priests don’t care if you read erotica, okay, they’ve heard it before and frankly they just wanna go home because it’s ten A.M. on a saturday and already they could use a shot of jack in their coffee),

but if y’all know me, you know i love a good sex scene. what i’m getting at here is that, like, these ones just slid off my radar like melted butter. not good melted butter, either. (this is a bad metaphor, maybe. but the point is that i don’t remember them and i don’t even care.)

i guess, on the whole, the tone here doesn’t land for me. it’s just not real, it feels so forced, so wannabe funny and edgy and relatable, but none of those hit quite right. when i first read it, i recall thinking sometimes that “alright, this isn’t bad,” but then i had to deal with “Fat Little Dick” again, or i was constantly reminded of other things — lucy is short, josh is hot, they hate each other, no scenery is described in a way that i can actually picture it, yadda yadda — or else i was subject to quite a bit of body-shaming. that shit was casually sprinkled all over the place, which was both irrelevant to the story, to the characters, and it was just obnoxious. this sort of casual bigotry happens in romance all the time and, like, i’m over it, so i’m gonna point it out every time i try something new and it crops up.

when this book was rec’d to me, when i saw all the accolades, i thought i was in for some new, fresh, revolutionary read — but then it wasn’t actually… anything. “sometimes it was sort of funny” is the best thing i can say about it, and that’s the best thing i can usually say about most other romances i’ve tried in the last couple years, so i’m not seeing the distinction here, i don't see anything special. i legitimately do not know why this book in particular is so popular. like, there are romances out there that i Hate, poetically, with the fire of a thousand suns, but at the same time i understand why they hit the bestseller list (yet another Discussion all on its own). but this one? i’ve got nothing.

i’m tentatively considering doing a reread. as i mentioned earlier, but this is probably only going to reinforce everything i don’t like about it, which means eventually i could perhaps give you a more comprehensive answer as to why i so thoroughly Did Not enjoy this book. but, like, who even wants to read that shit? ireally don’t mean to be an asshole about this, but I Don’t Get It, and some of it legitimately pissed me off (the body-shaming, lucy having no friends, both of which are entire Essays onto themselves) — and it’s that second thing i’m not gonna apologize for. in case anyone wanted an apology, but… too bad.

anyway, in the meantime, i hope this answers your question well enough. it’s actually probably Too Much. but i’m bored and lonely, so i’m gonna go off like a firework best i can, whoops.

#long post #y'all I am legit sorry if the read more link doesn't cut it #anonymous #ask

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adrenaline-roulette · 4 years

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He’ll save every one of us Chapter 7

Brian May x Reader Preview: “Oh, I bet it’s carollers!” “It’s you.” You frown, “Yes its me. Don’t look so thrilled.”

Chapter seven: How many keys do we have now?

A heavy dusting of snow clung to your hair as you trudge upstairs towards Brian’s flat, your arms filled with shopping bags and boxes of assorted weights. Had you gone overboard with Christmas shopping? Perhaps. But it wasn’t really your fault, not entirely. Mary had been with you all afternoon, and she kept pointing out little things in every store, and you just had to buy them! And of course then there were the Christmas decorations, five of the bags you now carried were filled to the brim with decorations alone! Mary had offered to help you carry everything home, though had quickly changed her mind the moment you both made it outside, and into the snow. You couldn’t blame her for wanting to rush home, it was freezing cold, and neither of you had dressed appropriately for snow, that and also if she had helped you get everything to Brian’s apartment, she would then have to go all away back across town to get to her own home.

Finally, you make it to the front door, shaking your head like a wet dog to throw the snow off. With your arms full, and straining, you kick the door with the toe of your boot, unable to use your hand to knock, or to retrieve your key from your bag. “Oh, I bet it’s carollers!” You hear Roger squeal from inside the apartment, before the sound of his running feet barrel towards the door. The door swings open and the grin on Roger’s face falls the instant his eyes fall on you. “It’s you.”

You frown at the blonde over the top of your purchases. “Yes its me. Don’t look so thrilled.” You tease, as he steps to the side of the doorway, allowing you entrance to the apartment. Navigating the clutter that lay on the floor, you find a clear space of floor near the sofa where you deposit the bags and boxes, standing up and stretching your arms out above your head. They had begun to cramp from staying in the same position for so long, and the relief you felt from no longer carrying such a heavy load was incredible. Making your way to the kitchen, you pour yourself a glass of water, turning around to glare at Roger, who had begun snooping through the bags. “Oi, get away!”

Roger backs away slightly, hands falling to his sides in defeat. “I just wanted to see what you got for Brian is all.”

“Yeah right, you’re looking for something that screams ‘Roger Taylor’ not ‘Brian May’.”

“Well, I’ve gotta make sure you got me something nice! I do deserve it after all, I’ve been nothing but charming to you since the day we met!” Roger grins, his bright blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Who says I got you anything at all?”

Roger had crouched back down to search through the bags once again, but your comment however did catch his attention, and he looked up at you with a pout. “You did get me something didn’t you?”

Placing the now empty glass in the sink, you fold your arms across your chest, and lean back against the kitchen counter. “No, I didn’t.” Roger looks about ready to cry as he stands up from the bags, placing his hands into his front pockets. “I’ve still got more shopping to do though. Your present may still be on its way.”

“I hate you sometimes, you know that right?” Roger grumbles, though it’s obvious he’s teasing. You had spent long enough around him now to pick up on when he was messing around. There was the slight crease between his eyebrows, and the quirk at the corner of his lips, the tell-tale signs that his words held no merit.

You wave your hand dismissively. “Yes yes, I know, I’m the worst, you hate me, yadda yadda yadda… Now tell me, where’s Brian?”

Roger follows you into the kitchen, hoisting himself up onto the kitchen counter, swinging his legs so his heels kicked against the cabinets beneath the bench. “I’m not entirely sure, he went out an hour or so ago, said he’d be back before dinner though, so I doubt he’ll be too much longer.”

You nod your head softly, sucking your lower lip between your teeth. “Okay, well I’m gonna go hit the shower, and try and thaw my fingers. I’m pretty sure they turned blue at one stage walking home.” You chuckle, shuffling your way out of the kitchen, making a pit stop at the shoe rack by the front door and kicking your boots off there.

“If Brian comes home while you’re showering, do you want me to send him in to see you?” Roger calls, and you can hear the cheeky smirk coming through with his words.

“Shut up you kinky little shit.” You grumble, heading further into the apartment, and away from the drummer.

“So is that a yes or no? Shower sex is the best sex!”

“Roger I really need you to stop talking about and thinking about Brain and my sex life!” You practically shriek, a blush forming on your cheeks. It was hard to tell if Roger was suggesting sending Brian into the shower with you because he was a tease, or because he knew what you and Brian had done in that very shower only last week.

Opening the second bottom drawer of Brian’s chest of drawers, you pull out a pair of shorts, and a sweater, along with a bra and panties. Brian’s bedroom had gone from hosting only a few of your essential items a few months ago, to now housing practically everything you own. All your clothes were either in drawers, or hung up on one side of the closet, with Brian’s on the opposite side. Artwork that you used to have hung up on your bedroom walls in yours and Bree’s apartment, now lined the walls of Brian’s room, alongside his own posters and images. When you had first entered his bedroom, there was only the one, night stand which of coarse sat on his side of the bed, there was however now a second, which sat on your side, with a lamp, alarm clock, a few books, and a scented candle all resting on its surface. The bookshelf, that too was now an entirely different story. Your books from home now lined the shelves alongside Brian’s, and scattered among them were framed photos, some of the two of you, others of Queen, and a few of you and Bree. It was safe to say that you had made yourself at home here with Brian and Roger in their home, all the while still paying weekly rent for the apartment you once shared with Bree. The topic of where you lived was one that rarely came up in conversation, it was either ignored entirely, or tiptoed around.

Your friends and family all knew where to find you these days, and it wasn’t at your actual address, though no one could blame you for not wanting to stay there, especially not alone. It had become an unspoken rule, that you would spend your all your time here, everyone expected it these days. And you know for a fact, that the moment you walked in carrying decorative cushions for the bed, Brian and Roger knew that you wouldn’t be leaving any time soon. However your living arrangements weren’t exactly official, your name was only on one rental agreement, and it wasn’t for this apartment. Though you know, just as well as anyone, that this was your home now.

**********

The hot water removed the sting of ice which had settled deep within your bones, you hadn’t realised just how cold you were until you stepped under the spray of the shower head, the feeling of water droplets practically melting you. Rinsing off the last few remaining suds of conditioner from your hair, you step out of the shower wrapping a towel around your head like a turban, and a second towel around your torso. The steam from the shower had fogged up the mirror above the sink, and you wipe it away with your forearm, reaching for your moisturiser to apply over your face, completely unaware to the conversation that had taken place at the dining table.

**********

“Okay, so you need to sign here, I’ll sign here, and Y/N will sign on this line right here.” Brian explains to Roger, pointing to each line respectively while wielding a pen at Roger. The blonde nods, and carefully takes the pen from Brian’s hand, scribbling his signature on the dotted line.

“What took you so long anyways? You met up with the landlord for lunch, I expected you to be home hours ago!”

Brian smirked, as he took the pen back and signed his own name on the second line. “I had to find a gift box, and card. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find something that’s not Christmas themed this time of year? I went to probably ten different stores, just to find a card that didn’t have a Christmas tree on it! I also had to get another key cut for Y/N to put in the gift box.”

“She already has a key though, why get a second?”

Brian shrugged lightly, producing the new key from his coat pocket, and placing it carefully inside the pale yellow gift box, securing the lid with a purple ribbon. “I want this to all feel official, plus I can’t just let her open an empty box.”

“Couldn’t you have just left the box, and gotten the card instead?”

Brian glares across at Roger, quirking an eyebrow at him. “When you ask someone to move in with us, you can do it however you want to. But I’m doing this my way.”

Roger takes a step away from Brian and the table, swinging his arms by his sides. “Okay, but how will the landlord react when we eventually leave this place and we hand over six keys, as opposed to the original two we were issued with?”

“Well, he knows that there will now be a third key, it’s just the extra three that may cause an issue…”

The sound of the shower turning off causes both men to look toward the bathroom, Brian quickly turning back to the table, folding the documents into thirds, and slipping them inside the card, before sealing them in an envelope. “Hey Y/N, do you mind coming out here when you’re finished?” He calls, his voice echoing off the hallway walls.

His answer comes in the form of you creaking the bathroom door open, and shoving your hand out to perform a thumbs up. A waft of steam billowing out of the bathroom.

“Bloody hell, how much hot water did she use?” Roger gasps, eyes growing wide at the mist. “I swear to God, if there’s not hot water left when I go for my shower, I will take my name off those new rental agreements.” He grumbles.

“Don’t be so petty Rog, I’m sure there’s plenty of hot water left for you, princess.” Brian sighs, rolling his eyes at the cranky drummer.

**********

The knitted sweater you had selected from the drawer falls to your mid-thigh, the garish combination of pink and green wool was likely the most obnoxious article of clothing you owned, yet also the most comfortable. And seeing as it had been a gift from Roger after one of his and Freddie’s days working at Kensington, you felt obligated to wear it Infront of him at least once. Tossing your clothes into the laundry hamper in the bedroom, you head into the kitchen, finding Brian and Roger already there, sitting at the table, waiting for you. “Hey Bri.” You grin, wrapping your arms over his shoulders, and pressing a kiss to his temple.

Brian turned to look at you, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close to him. “Hello my love.” He smiles, tilting his chin up as you lean down to press a kiss to his lips. He always felt warm and safe, and the lingering taste of tea on his lips always caused you to grin, this right here, this was home. Roger clears his throat, making no effort to hide what he was doing when you and Brian pull away to look at him. Roger simply smirks, taking a long sip of tea from his chipped mug. Brian uses his hands on your waist to turn you, before pulling you down to sit on his lap, reaching into the middle of the table for the envelope and box. “This is for you.”

“Bri, it’s not Christmas, or my birthday for that matter… Is this an apology gift? What did you do that you need to buy me an apology gift for?” You gasp, turning on Brian’s lap to look at him, eyes wild.

Roger can’t help but laugh, shaking his head in mirth. “You’re such a drama queen Y/N, calm down!”

“I know it’s too early for Christmas, which is why this isn’t your Christmas present. Can’t I just give you a gift because I love you?” Brian grins, using the hand still resting on your hip to rub soothing circles through your sweater.

“Well, I suppose so…” You smile softly, taking the items from Brian, placing the box on the table, and working to open the envelope. You drag your nail under the fold, ripping the paper, until you can retrieve the card. the card is packed with stacks of paper, and you tilt your head to the side in curiosity. “What is this Brian?”

“Open it and find out.”

Finding Brian to be not so forthcoming with answers, you do as he suggests, and unfold the stack of papers, your eyes scanning through the tiny text on each page. It’s not until you reach the final page of the rental agreement that you understand what is happening. Right there, beneath Roger and Brian’s signatures is space for a third tenant’s signature, your signature. “Holy fuck… Holy fucking fuck… Is this real? Are you sure, both of you?”

“You practically already live here Y/N! It’s only fair that you start paying rent too!” Roger chuckles, swirling the last of his tea in the bottom of his mug.

“Well yeah, I know that. But, this is a big deal, I mean, I know I haven’t been to my apartment in forever, but if I sign this, I’ll have to end the other rental agreement. If you all get sick of me, I won’t have anywhere else to go, this will be my home…” You trail off, as you feel Brian’s grip on you tighten slightly. He leans forwards and rests his chin over your shoulder, his curls tickling your neck.

“Y/N, I want you to live here, I love waking up with you every morning, and knowing that when I come home at night, I get to end the day with you in my arms. Signing this won’t change anything between us. Roger will continue to bother us and interrupt our alone time as he already does, and I will continue to steal your shampoo, while both of us pretend that I don’t.” The rumble of his laughter emitting from his chest and against your back.

Your bottom lip is clenched between your teeth as you read, then reread the forms in front of you. It was one thing to live here the way you did now, with no official agreements, and no lease keeping you there. Signing this would change all of that, and the idea of more change scared the hell out of you. As if sensing your trepidation Brian rests his palm over the pages, taking special care to conceal the signatures. “You don’t have to sign right away if you don’t want to Y/N. Or you don’t have to sign at all if that’s what you want.” He begins, though stops as you rest your own hand over his, your fingers curling over to clutch at his own.

“Do you have a pen?” Your words a practically a whisper, though you’re close enough for Brian to hear, a smile playing on his lips.

“Course I do.” Reluctantly he moves his hand out from beneath yours, before searching through his pocket for the pen he had used earlier for his own signature. Holding it out for you, his chocolate eyes watch your every move like a hawk.

You’re not sure what you expect when you glide the biro across the dotted line, perhaps a Mariachi band to burst through the door, or a banner to drop for the ceiling, all to congratulate you on moving in with Brian and Roger. “I suppose this makes it a bit easier to explain all of my purchases today then…”

“What do you mean?” Brian smirks, taking the pen back and placing it once again in his pocket, where it will likely stay until he next washes the jeans he was wearing.

Turning slightly on his lap, you look over to the mountain of bags and boxes, all still sitting on the floor, and remarkably untouched by Roger. “I figured you were all lacking in the festive department, so I may or may not have bought as many Christmas decorations as possible.” You shrug, watching Roger grin from the corner of your eye. “It occurred to me on my way home, that it was one thing for me to move my things into your bedroom. But an entirely different thing to completely decorate an apartment which I didn’t actually live in. Now that I’ve signed this however, I can decorate as much as I want!” You declare triumphantly, pointing at the now signed documents on the table.

Brian just shakes his head, long hair moving to curtain his face as he looks at the floor. “How much did you buy? And where is it all going to go?”

Roger jumps in, pointing an accusing finger at Brian, a glare settling over his blue eyes. “Firstly, who cares how much Y/N bought, there is no such thing as too much Christmas! And secondly, if you don’t stop complaining, I will personally assist Y/N in decorating the Red Special in little Santa Claus stickers.”

Your eyes go wide and mouth dry as you take in what Roger had just said. “Bri, I promise you, I had nothing to do with that outburst. Up until just now, Rog didn’t know what was in those bags!”

Brian sighs, before the sound is overtaken by a low chuckle, lifting his head to look at you once again. “Thank you Rog, I’ll keep that in mind.” Roger seems to accept this, and pushes away from the table, taking his now empty mug into the kitchen. “Well, I suppose the right thing for me to do now, is to offer my assistance in helping you decorate.”

Your eyes sparkle as you grin at Brian, leaping off his lap in a hurry, dancing on the spot as you wait for him to stand. “Oh wait! Shouldn’t I open this first?” You gesture the small box still sat on the table, having gone untouched.

“If you would like to.” Brian smiles, handing the box to you, before standing beside you, resting one large palm over your shoulder.

The ribbon finds a home on your wrist, as the lid of the box is placed back on the table from where it had come. Gazing down at the box, you can’t help the burst of laughter which erupts from within you. “Oh Brian…” You chuckle, the silver key nestled amongst pink tissue paper. “I already have a key.”

“I know, but I thought this would be nice. But now that you have reacted the same way as Roger did when he saw it, I’m thinking I have made a mistake.”

Tilting your head to the side, you regard Brian with a warm smile. “I love it, this is all amazing Bri. And besides, this new key is nice and shiny, my current one looks like it’s been run over by a car a few times!” You place the key back in its box for safe keeping, making a mental note to swap it out for the old one before the night is over.

Making your way to the pile of bags with Brian hot on your heels, you hum quietly, crouching down as you begin to pull out packages upon packages of Christmas decorations. “So I found this darling wreath, which we simply have to put out on the door!” You hold the wreath up to show Brian, who had begun sorting through on of the other bags, pulling out tinsel and baubles. The wreath is no bigger than a dinner plate, covered entirely in fake pine tree fronds. Scattered throughout are tiny red Christmas berries, with little leaves attached. Gold glitter had been dusted over the entire wreath, allowing it to sparkle under the light. Finally, a large red tartan ribbon was tied intricately in a bow in the centre, tying the whole thing together. “What do you think?”

Brian pauses his unpacking and looks over the wreath, nodding his head in approval. “It’s a far cry better than the hand drawn wreath Roger stuck up on the door last year!” He smirks, before taking out a silver sparkly star, covered in multi coloured fake gemstones. “I see a tree topper, but no tree. Too lazy to buy a tree while you were out?” He teases, ducking out of the way as you throw a balled-up bag at his head.

“Don’t be an ass. I had plans for going tree shopping with you tomorrow, but maybe I’ll take Roger with me instead.” You stick your tongue out at him, a smile threatening to spoil your silly expression.

Carefully Brian replaces the star in the box he had taken it from, moving on to open more. “I know a little farm a bit of a ways out that sells really nice Christmas trees. It’s a bit of a drive to get there, but it’s a family run business, and they always have the most beautiful one’s to pick from.”

“That sounds lovely, let’s do it.”

Brian grins, standing up with a long garland, made of the same fake pine as the wreath, with baubles in a repeating pattern of red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, all tied with gold ribbon. “I suppose I should put my height to good use and hang this up somewhere?”

You gaze up to see what he was talking about, before nodding vigorously. “That would be great, I’ll get started on these lights.” You grin, holding up a bucket full of teardrop shaped colourful lights.

**********

An hour later, and the interior of your apartment looks as if a Christmas bomb had exploded, every inch of the small home had been covered in tinsel, baubles, lights, and garlands, and all of this was before the tree! As you hung the final strand of tinsel around the curtain railing, you step back to admire your and Brian’s handiwork, clasping your hands together before you. “This looks amazing! Damn we make a good team!”

Brian walks up behind you, snaking his arms around your waist, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. “I must say, it does look rather spectacular.” He grins, taking your hand, and twirling you in his arms so you stand chest to chest. “Our first Christmas together and you’ve already decorated as if you’d been living here for years. What will happen next year?”

You tilt your chin up, locking eyes with your tree of a boyfriend. “Just you wait, I’ll have a live action nativity scene set up, we’ll have a Christmas tree in every room, and Santa will be set up in the bathroom”

At this very moment, Roger decides to poke his head around the corner from the hallway, looking at you with a great deal of curiosity. “I’m putting my hand up now for being bathroom Santa!”

“I would pay good money to see you dressed as Santa, Rog.” Brian smirks, wrapping his arms tighter around you, feeling you laugh against him.

“Oh, actually wait, quick question. Does Bathroom Santa have to behave appropriately? Or do I get to be naughty?” The blonde asks, a worried look crossing his features.

“Roger Taylor! Stop trying to destroy the joy that is Christmas with yoru sleezy Santa!” You cry out, face red from laughing.

For once, Brian jumps to Roger’s rescue. “To be fair Y/N, you’re the one who came up with the idea of bathroom Santa.”

You groan loudly, flopping your arms to your side in defeat. “Fine, everything else stays the same, but bathroom Santa will now be replaced by kitchen Santa.”

“Oh cool, that means I can be boozy kitchen Santa instead! That’s even better!”

You almost scream at Roger for that comment, but you don’t get the chance, your frustration being put on hold due to someone knocking on the front door, that was newly decorated with your wreath. “I’ll get it.”

Making your way over to the front, you can hear Brian and Roger trying hard to conceal their giggles, though they are doing a terrible job. You unbolt the front door, before swinging the door open, eyeing the person on the other side up and down. “Whatever you’re selling, we’re not interested.” You deadpan, before swinging the door shut in their face.

Reread chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six

My Masterlist

#brian may x you #brian may x reader #brian may fanfiction #queen fanfiction #queen band #Roger and reader a friends #sass #christmas #Christmas chapter #we're free from the angst now #cute #fluff #love #sweet #soft #moving in #decorating #swearing

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wombtangclanaz · 4 years

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“Not everyone can be Russ”

So I’m not really sure where to start a whole ass blog but since my rants are constantly triggered by random content I see, I'm gonna stick to what I know and not try to psych myself out and delay this blog further. So we’ll jump right in. I have to shoutout Kato on the Track for always validating the things I think I'm learning on my own, and for packaging those lessons into words that make sense and that I can share with others. If you’re not familiar with Kato, Dame Mec, DJ Pain, Sound Advice, Music Entrepreneur Club and so many other local platforms/people of the sort, you really playin yourself, PERIODT. These guys really care about layin it out for you in a meaningful way which takes a lot of work. so WATCH AND LISTEN. So, between yesterday and today, Kato posted a few short videos talking about the subjects we are about to explore. Until I can figure out how to attach said videos, go watch them on IG @katoproducer. The one posted today is titled “Not everyone can be Russ” and I feel that on SUCH a spiritual level. If you’re familiar with Russ at all, you can probably kinda guess what this is about. For those not familiar, Russ is a rapper/song writer/producer/author etc etc etc. who has gained some big recognition for his blueprint as an “independent” artist. I personally don't really listen to Russ or closely follow his career, however his relevance in the industry is undeniable. if you watch any interview with Russ, its clear he's garnered fame by figuring out how to be an independent powerhouse, more or less. (Admittedly, the technical “BUSINESS” side of the industry is still something I lack a lot of knowledge in cause it involves politics that can be annoying, however I'm always tryna find people to teach me more things. If this is you, tap inwardly) But basically, the point Kato is trying to make is that its not necessarily better to be doing EVERYTHING yourself with zero out-sourcing/collaboration. We see this A LOT on applications for Tucson Hip Hop Festival (shoutout THHF fam I love you guys) It seems like young artists are quick to tell us about how they rap AND PRODUCER/WRITE/RECORD/ENGINEER all their own music in their closet. it seems to be a point made to try to impress, when really it can be a red flag. This might be just my opinion, however I have a lot of conversations about this with the mentors I keep close to me and they seem to share my sentiments. The problem with doing EVERYTHING yourself is that it can quickly create a “master of none” situation. The beautiful part of todays music industry is that the technology to do the basic things yourself and is mostly free and at your fingertips. Every kid with an iphone5 can make a rap song. This is one of the reasons that hip hip is one of the most popular genres in the world right now. With popularity comes intense levels of over-saturation. You have to focus your talents and efforts and TIME. If you’re a rapper SLASH producer, ask yourself which one you're more passionate about, which one would be devastating to leave behind? Now, this doesn't mean you’re forever disqualified from making beats in the future or trying your hand at rapping. I think a big factor in a hip hop career these days is TIMING. Take note that Russ released 11 albums and 87 singles CONSECUATIVELY AND FREE OF CHARGE before he really got meaningful recognition with Soundcloud. Not to mention the fact that producers and DJ’s are more recognized and showcased as separate entities, locally and nationally. A big reason is the fact that social media made branding so easy and mostly free. Now, if you’re someone who just likes to experiment and create music and try your hand at rapping, DO NOT LET ME DISCOURAGE YOU. Everyones gotta figure things out, its important that you’re exploring and creating DESPITE everything. Consistency is key. Do not let me dictate your dreams. HOWEVER, if you're looking to take the next step and actually pursue a career, this is advice you may want to take to heart. It sounds counter-intuitive but the best way to gain success as an INDEPENDENT artist is COLLABORATION WITH YOUR PEERS. Another point Kato makes is how up-and-coming rappers are immediately trying to work with artists or entities 3-4 steps ahead of them. Theres many rappers who try to afford themselves the PRIVILEGE of skipping necessary steps in their career. Most notably the LOCAL step. I see so many rappers following this romanticized narrative of being an INDEPENDANT artist, fuck a label got it out the dirt do it all on my own yadda yadda, but are so quick to bash or dismiss their local scene that they have yet to even explore, all the while on social media spamming every single major record label and tagging every legendary rapper they can think of in every single irrelevant thing they post. I can't make any sense of that honestly. I CONSTANTLYYYYYYY have kids reaching out to me sayin they wanna legitimize their local scene, PUT ON for their city, put their state ON THE MAP, help build their community, PUSH THE CULTURE, be socially active and change lives etc etc etc. and have never been to a SINGLE local event (even as a supporter), can't name a SINGLE leader or influential person in their hip hop community or a SINGLE local rapper they admire(who aren't just one of their homies). I LOVE that energy and passion. but without the KNOWLEDGE of what's going on around you, and the people laying down the roadwork for you, you look low-key disrespectful and very under informed. I mean, this is quite literally the bane of my existence. If you're involved in organizing shows or events or platforms on any level, you know how many people will hit you up to be on every single show/festival but HAVE not and WILL not ever attend or support otherwise. I'm sorry but there's no other way around it. I can speak for the whole state when I say that there are locally conscience artists that quite literally “put on” for their community every weekend and have for years and years. if you message me on IG for coverage on my platform and we have 2 mutual friends, THATS A HUGE RED FLAG. There are many experienced and talented people around you who want nothing more than to provide opportunities and support to pass the torch to the next generation. Its okay to reach out for support and ask for help as long as you’re worthy of it. Dame Mec always says that if you’re reaching out to someone ASKING for something (no matter how small) you gotta make sure you’re working JUST as hard or ALMOST as hard as the people you’re reaching out to. “CLOUT” does not exist if you’re actually worthy of the support, it just comes and it lasts longer. Building in your local scene can really boost the longevity of your career and helps you find “success” in unexpected places. And maybe i’m the one romanticizing now, but asking for something should not be your first contact with said person. Your local networking, knowledge and SUPPORT OF OTHERS should not come solely from YOUR OWN desire for success, wealth or influence. It should come from your utter love and uncompromising passion for HIP HOP and every avenue of culture that goes along with it. You should already be attending hip hop events and having hip hop experiences, not because you decide you're a rapper one day, but because its the thing you enjoy the most and absolutely cannot see your life without it. Sometimes I let myself get annoyed by the lack of knowledge and lack of willingness to learn that I see plaguing hip hop today and I always remember what one of my homies/mentors always says when I wanna talk shit; “their heart just isn't in it” (Pike obvi) and that's just so damn true. If your heart isn't in it, everyone around you is gonna figure that out way before you do. Don't let your ego ruin your career before you even have one

#hiphop lilgueratherapplug womeninhiphop azhiphop tucsonhiphop localrappers hiphopheads

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singingwordwright · 5 years

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My 3x20 Malec prediction (warning for potential book-based spoilers)

So, I still haven’t had a chance to go through my big mega-speculation post and tally up my hits and misses. There have been a lot of moments where I got fairly close to the mark but wasn’t entirely accurate (frex: Alec’s DID make a deal with Asmodeus to get Magnus’s magic back and it DID result in Asmodeus escaping his banishment, but undoing the banishment wasn’t actually Asmodeus’s price for restoring Magnus’s magic or the result of the Malec separation.)

Still, going into the finale, I have a suspicion of how it’s going to play out, so I’m going to document it to see if any of it pans out.

For those of you who are new and don’t really know me, this is just a game I play with myself, not anything I take very seriously. I don’t mind being wrong when it happens, except for those times when I feel like it would have made a better story if I’d been right (Robert Lightwood, I’m looking at YOU.) Sometimes I hit it precisely on the head (I predicted Magnus’s deal with Asmodeus after 3x07 aired) and sometimes I’m WAY off the mark (*sigh* my whole Aldertree/Sebastian theory.) Take it with a grain of salt.

Under a cut for potential book-based spoilers.

So, 3x20 is titled “City of Glass”, which is the title of one of the books, and I think we need to take some of our cues from there where Malec is concerned. Obviously, they’ve already had their Alec-coming-out-via-big-public-snog moment back in season 1, but there’s another semi-iconic Malec moment we haven’t seen play out on the show, and I think this is where we’ll get some variation of it.

The good news is, I’m pretty sure Malec are going to reconcile BEFORE what would have been the s3/s4 hiatus, had the show not been cancelled. They weren’t going to leave us with Malec broken up, thank God.

We know from the promo that demons are going to attack Alicante, probably because Jonathan manages to open the rift to Edom with the Morningstar blade.

When demons attacked Alicante in the book CoG, Magnus and Alec were estranged. They encountered each other in the midst of the chaos and reconciled while fighting demons together. It’s where Magnus tells Alec he loves him for the first time, i.e. “you stupid Nephilim, yadda yadda yadda”

I think we’re going to that battlefield reunion in this episode, and it’s going to be all sorts of fun, because by the time it happens, Asmodeus will have revealed his ulterior motives to Magnus, Magnus will have put together all the pieces and realized what Alec did, and if he does call Alec a “stupid Nephilim” (which is not actually a line I’m in love with and I sort of hope we don’t get it because it will probably feel shoehorned in like a lot of the iconic book moments they’ve been trying to force this season) it will probably be for 1) thinking Magnus would choose his magic over Alec and 2) being a dumbass for giving Asmodeus his way out of Edom.

So they’re going to argue and hash it out and reconcile while fighting off demons, and then we’re going to get a battlefield proposal. Possibly not intentionally, possibly Alec just blurts it out that he had wanted to marry Magnus, but either way, it’s going to be GLORIOUS.

And then it will be agony, because Magnus will be taken to Edom, either by force or by sacrificing himself because it’s the only way to seal the rift (I really hope by force, because I’m tired of Magnus sacrificing himself, y’all.) We know from BTS shots of filming the last two eps that he’s in Edom with Lilith at some point, and we know from the season promo that there’s a moment when Alec is kneeling, looking at the sky, devastated, so I think that’s the cliffhanger we were going to be left on.

But yeah. Battlefield proposal. You heard it here first.

#shadowhunters #malec #sh spoilers #sh s3b #s3ep20 #speculation

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yoyo-inspace · 5 years

Note

13, 27, 33

EDIT: tried to post these before but apparently I drafted it instead. Whoops. Sorry @bounding-heart!

Saving 13 for last because then I can put it behind a Read More for spoiler reasons!

27. Top 5 brotps

These were the first ones that came to mind and I’m kinda sad there aren’t any female friendship BrOTPs on the list, but I’m tired and I can’t be bothered to wrack my head for any more.

1. Donna & Ten (Doctor Who) They have to this day remained one of my favourite TARDIS teams. They’re an absolute joy to watch together, even in episodes I don’t like that much. I’ll forever be sad about how it all ended - somewhere out there I’m sure there’s a timeline where they really did end up traveling together forever. Also, Catherine Tate and David Tennant together anywhere are an absolute powerhouse.

2. Teal’c & Jack O’Neill (Stargate SG-1) I think one of Stargate’s strongest suits have always been how they truly managed to build believable relationships and specifically friendships (and found family) over the course of the show. And the relationship between Jack and Teal’c is definitely evidence of that. They’re just so good together, and they care so much about each other. The moment Teal’c proves where his loyalties are and O’Neill is immediately going to stand by him through everything, because that’s the kind of person Jack is. And likewise for Teal’c, he’d do anything for O’Neill. They have such a unique understanding of each other, and I honestly think it’s one of the strongest relationships in the show.

3. Greed & Ling (Fullmetal Alchemist)This is one of those relationships where I kind of read it multiple ways depending on what mood I’m in, but for now, let’s come at it from the BrOTP angle. A lot of the best relationships that I love are about people who improve each other in different ways, and compliment each other, especially in BrOTPs. These two certainly do. They’re also surprisingly similar in many ways, and they push each other to be the best versions of themselves (which takes a bit longer for Greed than it does for Ling, but he gets there in the end).

4. Sam & Daniel (Stargate SG-1) I did say Stargate has some strong friendships, didn’t I? So they get TWO entries on this list. I know, a little unfair, but it’s my list, so my rules. Sam and Daniel are like, almost literally siblings in my eyes. They bicker like siblings, take care of each other like siblings and they support each other like it as well. I wish the show had shown their friendship even more honestly, but it’s one of my favourites to explore in fanfics and such. Also, I will forever be bitter about the fact that Sam is the only one who didn’t get a visit from Ascended Daniel. #Rude

5. Lee and Iorek (His Dark Materials)Sometimes, a family is a man, a hare and a bear in a balloon, alright? Look, we don’t get much of these in the original book, though even the little we get always point out how much they care about each other. And then we got an entire book ONLY DEDICATED TO THEIR AWESOME FRIENDSHIP. Considering how difficult it is to win a bear’s trust, imagine how hard it is to gain a bear’s friendship and loyalty. Lee’s special like that. Even if Iorek has his own special way of honouring it.

33. Top 5 episodes

Of everything ever?! Well, that’s not difficult or anything. Here I actually gave myself the rule of one episode per show. Because otherwise it’s IMPOSSIBLE.

1. Black Sails 4x09Yes, the Black Sails finale is amazing, and nearly took this spot. But in many ways its the epilogue to what actually culminates in this penultimate episode. Everything happens in, constantly. It does not let you rest, because even when things are still, you’re worried about the character. It’s a masterfully written, directed and acted episode, across the board, and one of the strongest episodes the show has - though it of course has the benefit of building on everything that came before it.

2. Heaven Sent - Doctor WhoI knew this was going to be on the list. My absolute favourite episode from one of my absolute favourite shows. Like the episode above, it’s brilliantly written, directed and acted - except the acting is done by a single person. And yes, this is one of those episodes I can watch over and over again and still enjoy it just as much if not more than the first time. As Rachel Talalay said - it’s poetry in the form of an episode, and I think that goes for all three of those aspects (acting, writing, directing). The music is also incredible. It has it all - as well as for me one of the most compelling emotional hooks in Doctor Who.

3. Hard Times - Good OmensThis might only be on here for recency reasons, but bear with me. I thought I knew just what to expect from the Good Omens TV show. This episode certainly threw me for a loop in the best possible way. While I can’t really speak quality wise, it’s definitely my favourite episode of the show, and no, not only because I’m a massive shipper, though that’s certainly a part of it. I just also love creative story telling and television making, and this episode does both. Having the intro halfway into the episode? Brilliant, love it. Juxtaposing their growing friendship with the break-up at the end? Great. Also period costumes. Period costumes everywhere.

4. Meridian - Stargate SG-1It’s certainly not the best episodes of Stargate, and I don’t even know if I can say it’s my absolute favourite at any given time, but it’s definitely an episode that had and has a huge emotional impact on me, and one I keep returning to even when it breaks my heart. I do think the acting in it is superb, and it’s a wonderful closure for a character (which also opens up to new possibilities). But how it makes me cry.

5. Sakura and the Final Judgment - Cardcaptor SakuraI knew I wanted some kind of anime in here, but it’s difficult. Anime have shorter episodes, their storyline endings or build-ups usually play out over multiple episode. I couldn’t pick just one FMAB episode, I’d have to pick ten if I wanted to represent a full part of the story. But I wanted to have one, and so I took another one that had a huge impact on me. That is the season finale of s2 of Cardcaptor Sakura, and really, the ‘end’ of that part of the story. Sakura cheering herself on in the face of failure, herself coming to support her, her using her ‘spell’ of simply saying that everything will be alright, because of how much she believes that. Let’s just say this one hits home a lot, and it encapsulates so many of the reasons why CCS has meant so much to me.

Honorable mention: Probably something from the upcoming HBO show, I can already say that with confidence.

ALRIGHT, TOP 5 DEAD CHARACTERS COMING UP. Will contain spoilers for: Harry Potter, xxxHolic, Fullmetal Alchemist, The Book Thief.

13. Top 5 dead characters

1. Albus Dumbledore - Harry PotterNo matter what people might think of Dumbledore, fact remains that I have never cried as much or as long for the death of a fictional character. I do love him, flaws and all, and when he died, I was literally inconsolable for the entire evening. My dad read that chapter to me and had to sit and like hug me for an hour or something. I was bawling. I know we’re not ranking top death scenes or anything, but I think not even I was prepared for how strongly I was going to react to it, but it does indicate how much that character meant, and still means to me.

2. Van Hohenheim - Fullmetal Alchemist While on the subject of Problematic Father Figures, here’s one more. God, Hohenheim makes me cry. Just. Everything about him. He tries so hard where it really matters and still he can’t quite seem to get there. He was, in so many ways, a tragic victim of circumstance, who never thought he’d learn to love again. I have so many headcanons about him and Trisha, but honestly, what we get from them is absolutely phenomenal on its own. And in the end, he could be there for his boys, even if he couldn’t keep his promise to Trisha. I have a soft spot for immortal characters who end up finding the will to live again through fleeting human lives, alright? (Also, Hohenheim suffers from glasses flare syndrome, where even if he’s crying or happy, no one will know because of his impenetrable anime glare).

3. Severus Snape - Harry PotterYes, yes, I know, problematic character, yadda yadda. Don’t want to hear it right now, alright? Tired of having to dedicate an entire paragraph defending my reasonings for putting Snape in just about anything. To sum it down, it’s a character that means a lot to me, he’s dead, and that’s why he’s on this list.

4. Yuuko Ichihara - xxxHolicThe Space-Time Witch herself. Isn’t it awkward when you die and then your boyfriend just happens to be so powerful that even when he just, humanly enough, wishes for a moment that you’d still be alive, he accidentally brings you back to life, and then you both have to spend the rest of your lives trying to pay for that mistake and all the lives it affected because it kind of fucked up the space time continuum? And at the same time you manage to be an absolute powerhouse of a character? Because she is. Yuuko might not be alive, but she lives life to its fullest even when she’s not.

5. Rudy Steiner - The Book ThiefI mean, I did say earlier that Dumbledore is the character who’s death I’ve cried the most for, and that’s true. But this book is definitely the BOOK where I’ve cried the most. I can just open a random page and start bawling. Every character who dies in that book could technically make it on to this list. I did almost put Hans on, but honestly? Rudy is part of the heart and soul of that book, and his death feels so much more of a robbery of life. I love him, that little boy with the lemon-coloured hair. “How about a kiss, Saumensch?”

#bounding-heart #thanks for asking this was so much fun!!#not going to tag all the fandoms #there's a lot of them

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deniigi · 5 years

Note

Hello! Just about to sit down and read your newest fic, so excited about it! I had a question for you (you very well may have answered this already, so sorry in advance!), but do you have advice for writing? Advice in terms of getting start, plotting out stories, helping get the creative juices flowing? I have all these ideas but seem to lack the drive to get things written out. I know the best advice is to just write, but I'm having a horrible time starting. What do you do in those moments?

Hello my dear!

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. The lord has blessed me with a head cold and ruined all my plans of productivity for the day, so I can finally answer this ask! I’ll talk a little bit about both how to get started with a story and then some little things that help me motivate myself.

I have started a tag for writing advice here: http://deniigi.tumblr.com/tagged/writing-advice

This is going to be a long post, sorry mobile users.

I am going to preface all of this with the understanding that I am technically a professional writer in terms of like, a handful of ways, but I have absolutely zero training in creative writing, so take everything I say with a grain of salt!

So, I personally find that, on the whole, that psychological hurdle of getting started comes a lot from the anticipation of the kind of response a story will get (how many hits, how many comments, how many kudos) in addition to a bit of anxiety or fear over theloss of sustained interest in that story (by yourself and/or by your audience). I find that this can be alleviated by really, truly internalizing the understanding that you are allowed to write your work however you damn please, for whoever you damn please.

There will be work you write for others, and there will be work you write for yourself. Not all work needs to be published; sometimes, it is really nice to just write shit for yourself; it is a plus for humanity if you decide to share it with others, but you do not have to do that.

Furthermore, I would like to present you with this:

This is what my current folder for under fire looks like. And you might notice that there are almost always multiple drafts per chapter. Yes, I did in fact rewrite chapter four 5 fucking times, you bet your ass I did. And I’m not ashamed of it. I think the story is better for it. And that’s the important thing here: you do not need to produce a perfect draft the first time around. You will not produce that perfect draft. Accept this. Embrace this. Embrace it and your cat at the same time to really ingrain it as a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Liberate yourself from the pressure of needing to produce the perfect, most right draft and you may find starting the piece overall to be a much easier, more pleasant experience.

And along with this beautiful, uplifting spiritual advice, I also bring a practical thought: when it comes to getting started, a lot of times, people feel like they need to set the stage, yadda yadda yadda. Ha. No. Fuck that.

That’s a surefire way to bore the shit out of yourself. Start right in the middle of a scene that captivates you if that’s what you want to write. It’s a free platform. No one’s gonna arrest you if you stick Spiderman upside down in trash first thing. They might even applaud you actually, because you didn’t make them slog through some of that ‘It was the evening of the 25th and it was cold out in the streets” bullshit we all learned from Dickens.

Alright. Now let’s talk about actually getting started making words appear on paper.

So, from my knowledge there are generally two ways that folks write creatively. You have what I’m going to call the planners and then you what I’m going to call the monsters (I call them this entirely affectionately, I’m sure there’s a better word for these folks, but I don’t have it atm, all I have is a headcold). Planners are folks who sit down and work out their major plot points, who write outlines, and who create the scaffolding of their work before they set out on their magical journey. I think of these folks as architects.

And then you have the monsters and these are those fuckers who just sit down and write stream of consciously like the heathens all our high school teachers tried to teach us not to be.

I am both a planner and a monster. And a lot of that depends on the length of work I’m going for. I have never in my life planned a one-shot, for example. I just attack that as it is. I follow my heart, if you will. But when it comes to longer chaptered fics, I really do think that some outlining is super helpful.

You might find it useful for one-shots, though, I dunno. Maybe give it a try and see what happens?

The two main fics I’ve done proper outlines for are Inimitable and under fire and I actually find outlining to be immensely helpful in psyching me up to write the story (I go through and re-read my outlines when I start to lose interest or diverge too much from the plot outlined there in the actual writing. 9 times out of 10, re-reading gets me stupid excited to write all over again) and it also helps me keep momentum going throughout the plot.

Here’s a pic of some pages of under fire’s outline.

Physically writing the work is really important for me because it forces me to only put down key points/feelings/ideas I want to include, whereas typing gives me far too much room to get lost/distracted by extraneous detail. And since my handwriting is a teacher’s worst nightmare and I cross out shit and write huge with emotion, I’ll give you a little bit of what the middle page here says:

Miles-

there’s something thrumming

vibrating in his ears wherever he goes

-closes his eyes and somehow enters blackness- emptyness (Stranger Things style)

beat

“help.”

–BACK - everything is gone

closing his eyes doesn’t bring the space back

–it makes him panic. He doesn’t know why. His heart is pounding. He’s sweating He has a horrible feeling of doom.

beat

its gone.

he goes home anxiously. Pretends everything is normal.

his neck crawls

So basically it’s less of a formal outline and more of a collection of stream of consciousness feelings and screenplay directions which I’ll flesh out in the actual story.

Personally, I love writing these kinds of things because they get me pumped for the story I’m about to tell. I get to write out the key scenes and work through all the hard parts first, and then, while I’m writing, I work through the little fun details and banter and I have to write to figure out how we get from one scene to the next and I love the challenge of having to fit those pieces together. I very rarely stick strictly to my outline, (as anyone who is currently reading under fire can tell you right now), but I do try to stick to the main plot points in it and my writing is certainly better for it.

So yes. Outlining is very good, but it is even better when you do it to some kind of music. I listened to What’s Up Danger from the Into the Spiderverse soundtrack on repeat while I wrote this outline to kind of transfer some of the relentless pace conveyed in that song to the piece’s plot.

I highly recommend using music to set the mood of your piece while/before you write a piece of any length. It helps get you in the right headspace (excited or somber or angry) to write. You need emotion to write creatively. You can’t just make that happen sometimes; you need a little help.

A couple other things which might help:

1. Leave your house or the space you’re normally in. Go to a cafe and find a nice corner and have a think and a try in there. Sometimes moving to a different space helps you escape cyclical thinking patterns.

2. Write what you want to read. Don’t bother writing for other peoples’ interests; that’ll just bore the shit out of you all over again.

3. Find an atmospheric mood sound to listen to on Youtube or smth (I personally like Rain on a Car Windshield for slightly somber fics, but you might be into ocean storms or dripping caves or whatever).

4. Heat your feet. I don’t know why but I am entirely unproductive when my feet are cold. Maybe this one is me-specific, but whatevs. Heat the feets!

5. If you’re still having trouble just sitting down and pounding the story out, that’s okay! Maybe it’s not ready to be written yet. Maybe you’re not in the right headspace yet. Sometimes that’s just how it is. One story makes its way out in like, a hour, and the next one takes like, months to finally be written. We all work at different paces. We all write for different reasons.

It might help to figure out why you want to write a story before you write it. Like, if its for attention, it’s gonna be hard as hell. But if there’s an idea that you feel like is important or if there’s a mood you’re trying to work yourself into or out of, then that might be a little easier. For example, I wrote a piece called make it work which is about Fogs finding his motivation to be a lawyer and fight for justice when Kavanaugh was confirmed and I felt super helpless in the face of our present justice system. That story kind of wrote itself and it needed to be written, I feel, not just for me, but for others who were feeling just as helpless.

Writing is catharsis in that way. Maybe you just need to find out what you need to wring out of your soul.

Sorry that got very metaphysical. But I do want to stress that getting started and ending a story are the hardest parts of writing them, so you are definitely not alone if you feel like you’re ramming your head into a wall here.

I hope something here helps you, my dear!

#fic #writing advice #fanfiction #managingmischiefsince1988

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amigolupus · 5 years

Photo

I got the inspiration for this image from listening to Vague Hope - Cold Rain from Nier Automata. There’s just something in it that make me think of how miserable Mullet Stan’s ten years of hell must be, and how this probably isn’t the first time this has happened to him.

Also, here’s a fic under the cut!

Title: Whiteout

Character: Stanley Pines

Words: 2088

Summary: After getting roughed up and left for dead because of a failed con, Stan ponders the state of his life. So pretty much just a regular Tuesday for Stan Pines.

Cold.

That was the first thing that he noticed as consciousness slowly returned to him. It seemed like his body was wrapped in a cocoon of cold. The second thing he noticed was the feeling of something wet and sticky all over his body.

And then, the third thing that hit him was the pain.

To say that the pain blossomed was an understatement. It was more like liquid fire had flowed out through his veins. He wanted to cry out, but long-honed instincts told him making too much noise would be a terrible idea, so he just settled for a pathetic hiss. Not that he could shout if he wanted to, really. His throat felt too dry and he could taste iron in his mouth.

Where was he anyway? And why was it so cold? ...More importantly, who was he? Stetson Pinefield? James Oakley? Sean Spruceteen? Nah, none of those felt right.

Memories started to trickle back, and along with it came shame. It was like having slime spread out and tarnish a clean surface.

He remembered who he was, and it was somehow much worse.

He was Stanley Pines. He was a professional grifter who lived out of his car. He had tried to pull off a con, but had gotten caught. As he was trying to get away, he had slipped on the icy ground and then the goons were on him in an instant. He was then almost beaten to death and left alone to die, which was more merciful than if they tried to “interrogate” him.

So not a new experience for Stan, really.

Stan tried to open his eyes, at least to figure out where those goons dumped him, but one of his eyes felt like it was caked with blood. Hell, he was pretty sure he could feel himself bleeding in lots of places. Those bastards really didn’t hold back, did they?

He opened the eye that was still somewhat fine and instantly regretted it. His vision swam so much and the only thing he could register was blinding white. Stan winced and waited a few minutes before trying to open his eye again.

There was snow everywhere. It didn’t seem like he was anywhere near civilization. Did those bastards seriously just dump him outside of town or something?

Though it could be worse, Stan mused, as he flashed back to a car trunk and suffocating darkness.

So what now? He didn’t think he could move in his condition. Just trying to breathe already felt like a tall order. He hoped that was just cracked ribs and not something more serious. Maybe he could rest and get some strength back, at least before he froze like a popsicle.

But while his body just wanted to take it easy, Stan’s mind was racing and going over his latest failure. He’d thought for sure that he could pull off a heist. He hadn’t expected the building’s doors to use those newfangled keycards that meant there was no lock to pick. Or for the “inside man” he’d seduced to let him in the building to be more loyal to his employers and turn Stan in. Stan wasn’t sure what irritated him more, that technology was screwing over the noble art of lockpicking, or that he was past his prime and his looks weren’t enough to charm anyone anymore, or that his plan this time was so damn sloppy.

Moses, was he really this badly off? Was Stan Pines already outdated by the times, doomed to fall off the crazy game called life?

Well, what did you expect? Once a loser, always were a loser.

So what if he was? This was just a temporary setback. He’ll make it big next time, he was sure of it.

You mean like the last hundred times you said that exact same thing?

Stan tried to cut off that train of thought, he really did. That was a well-worn and familiar road, and it never led to anywhere good, but still...

He looked around, hoping to find something, anything, to distract himself. His eye caught a hint of yellow. It was a tiny flower peeking out from under the snow. He didn’t know what it was called, though he bet Ma knew. Heh, stupid little thing was still growing in this frigid weather.

Stan tried to come up with something sappy. Like...there was beauty in something struggling to survive under harsh conditions. Or that there was something hopeful about it yadda yadda yadda.

What his stupid brain told him was that the flower looked incredibly lonely in a sea of white. That it was only a matter of time before it got buried under the snow.

Well, shit.

He didn’t need these thoughts creeping in, not now of all times. He tried to fight it off, but the cold was making him so tired.

Why do you even bother struggling anymore? This is the perfect resting place for you.

Because that’s quitter talk, and Stan Pines was no quitter. Because if nothing else, Pa taught him to be a fighter, to be able to take some licks and then get back up again.

Oh really? A real man would never let himself get beat up like you did. A real man would never be such a huge disappointment. You know what you really are? An animal. Hell, at this rate you’re as good as roadkill.

That’s... Stan’s heart clenched at the thought. What else could he say to that, really?

The only thing that ever comes out of your mouth are just lies anyway, you miserable little thief. You’d be doing us all a favor if you just disappeared already.

It’s true that he’d thought of that, but to just fade away when he hadn’t made his mark yet?

What mark? You mean your terrible criminal record? Besides, it’s not like anyone will miss you if you’re dead.

That’s...that’s not true, isn’t it? Sure, he seemed to have a knack for making people hate him, but at least Ma would be sad if he was gone, right?

And you think having to hear that you’re “doing fine” over and over is doing her any good, Mr. Personality? Your mother can smell bullshit a mile away so you know she knows what’s really up. Her hair’s turned white by now thanks to worrying over your sorry hide.

How about Shermie then? It’d be a shame if he never knew his other older brother.

What’s a real shame is that you think we’d even let Shermie know about you. Do you seriously think we’d burden him with the knowledge that he’s got a thug of a brother lying and stealing his way around the country? Do you even think Shermie would ever want to know about the shame of the family?

Ford... Well, that was useless. Stan already knew what Ford thought of him.

Did you really think I’d miss the person who ruined my life, Stanley?

Stan could taste familiar bitterness and loathing in his mouth. Ford wasn’t the only one whose life was ruined that night. Where was Ford when he needed his support?

Now why would I ever choose to stand with someone who sabotaged me?

That one stung, because Ford honestly thought Stan would actually do something like that. Why didn’t he believe it was an accident?

Even if it were, that doesn’t matter because you still ruined my chances, Stanley. You always were determined to be a millstone around my neck, weren’t you?

Stan shivered, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the snow. He knew he’d been holding Ford back before, but he’d been trying to change that. He’d been doing his best the last several years to raise some cash and prove he could be half as good as Ford, so didn’t that count?

And look where that got you; bleeding out on the snow like some manner of wild beast. Tell me, was it even worth it, Stanley?

Well...

You know you deserved this, don’t you Stanley? Every terrible thing in your life you brought upon yourself.

He did, didn’t he? In the end, what did he even had to show for himself?

Then you know the right thing to do.

Yes, he did. Stan let out the breath didn’t even know he’d been holding.

A smile tugged at Stan’s lips as he felt the cold sink in. This was it. He was finally going to do something right, just this once. Why was he even hesitating to let go in the first place?

...

Coward.

...

Are ya seriously just gonna lie down there like the loser everyone says you are?! Get the hell up, you cowardly piece of shit!

...Stan frowned. Couldn’t the voice just leave him alone and let a guy die in dignity?

Dignity, my hairy crack! We ain’t going away anywhere, numbnuts. We’ve been through this stupid song and dance over and over again and believe you me, we can’t afford to croak it here.

Why the hell not?

For one thing, we’re in Bugfuck, Booniesville, and I dunno about you, but we could at least pick someplace better to die than this.

...Fair. And what’s your other point?

For another thing, we still haven’t apologized to Ford.

Stan scoffed at the thought. He’d thought about apologizing to Ford thousands of times, had replayed conversations in his head over and over again. But for it to actually happen?

One thing Stan was certain of was that he didn’t want to be the one to end up begging Ford to let him back in his life again. It felt too much like admitting that everything was his fault, even if he sometimes felt it was. So his plan had been to stay away until Ford asked him to come back.

And, well, he doubted Ford would ever want to talk to him again.

But how can we be so sure of that?

Because he hates me more than anything else in the world.

Yeah, so what if he does? That doesn’t mean Poindexter could carry a grudge for all his life.

Of course he can. I ruined his life.

We totally did. But there’s always the small chance he’d change his mind. ‘Side, are we gonna be fine not knowing if he could ever forgive our pathetic hide?

...No, I wouldn’t. I’d want to know for sure.

Exactly. It’s like one of Sixer’s nerdy science theories he’d always ramble on about, the Shatner’s Pussy or whatever. You know how it is. Something’s locked inside a tin can, and the only way to know if it’s a cat is to open it with a can opener. So unless we see the can getting opened, we don’t know for sure what Ford’s got for us.

So what, I’m just supposed to survive and wait years and years until Ford finally decides he wants to talk to me?

We both know the answer to that.

...

Well, shit.

Pulling from scraps of strength he didn’t know he had, Stan grunted as he gingerly moved his arms until his fingers found some purchase in the snow. Stan grunted as he slowly pushed himself upwards while his muscles and nerves felt like it was on fire. It was only then that he registered how much the snow was tinted red from his blood.

Stan hoped he was lucky enough that lying on the snow had frozen his wounds shut but he wasn’t holding his breath. He just hoped he still had some thread and needle in the Stanmobile. He really didn’t want to have to staple his wounds shut again.

Getting up to his feet was a challenge on its own. His vision swam while his legs felt weak and wobbly. Stan had to stand in place for several seconds just to steady himself. When he thought he was ready, Stan took the first step forward.

Stan took another step, and then another, his boots leaving deep gouges in the snow. He had no idea where he was, so he picked a direction that he thought would take him back to town. He figured that if the goons that beat him up thought he had died, that’d mean they wouldn’t expect him to come back for his car now.

And then Stan could finally say goodbye to this stupid joint.

After that? Who knows.

The only thing Stan knew for certain was that he had to keep going, no matter what.

#gravity falls #stanley pines #stangst #stan pines #mullet stan #my art #amigo writes #tw: blood

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