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#.realistically probably not the first time he's verbally expressed the want to go home but
hoofpeet · 1 year
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<;--previous ... Reunion gets fucked up by the hell portal
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suckerforcate · 1 year
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Kathryn Janeway x Chakotays younger sister reader
Maybe Janeway has feelings for r but wont express them verbally because of her age like she feels too old for r. Maybe doesn’t even notice that Chakotay and r are siblings so when she hears r ask Chakotay out pulls back from r until confronted and r says she was practicing asking Janeway out on Chakotay because she was so nervous and wanted it to be perfect.
Chakotay being the biggest wingman alive for his little sister and best friend
Misunderstanding
Pairing: Kathryn Janeway x Reader, Chakotay x younger sister!Reader
Word Count: 1880
Warning: None
A/n: I really loved this idea, and it's my first time writing for Kathryn so I hope you like it and I did the idea justice!! I know it's probably not very realistic that they've been on the ship for four years together and nearly no one had a clue that they are brother and sister, but that was the only plausible way to do this. So 🤫 just ignore that. And ai also know that Chakotay and Reader have a very big age difference but my brother and I have that too so it is possible. <3
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Honestly since the first time you had seen her, she had made your heart flutter. But, she was your Captain. That was an undeniable problem. And also you were quite sure that she would never want to go out with you. So it took you four, yes four, years to get your ass up and be bold enough to ask her out.
Even though that was just semi-true. Yes you had decided to ask her out but still, you were nervous. Very nervous. So you were walking a hole into the mess hall at three in the morning. You couldn't sleep and if you had a problem, your brother had one too. So to his delight he sat right in front of you, just half awake. Listening to you rambling about your crush on the Captain.
"You know what? You are going to practice on me and first thing tomorrow, you will ask her out. I'm tired of you always crying about her to me. Honestly this has to stop, (Y/n)." You knew he was right, he was most of the time. He stood up and walked to you. Standing right in front of you, you just had to laugh. This was so ridiculous.
"Ok, sorry. Sorry, don't look at me like that. You can't deny it's ridiculous." He agreed and smirked at you.
"Ok, so. Kathryn, I wanted to ask- Oh, no that's horrible. New try, Captain, would you like to-, Oh god I can't call her Captain. I'm asking her out. Kathryn, .... Would you like to go on a date with me?" Chakotay smiled at you and hugged you.
"You see, that wasn't so hard. No come on, back to bed. You have to work in the morning." You nodded and left.
------------------
She couldn't sleep. Again. And why was that? Because of you. She just couldn't stop thinking about you.
For the past year or so she had started to take a liking to you. Before that she had never been really aware of you. But then she went on an away mission together with you, and unfortunately it went longer than anticipated, because Tuvok couldn't beam you up. So you spent some time together on the planet and talked. She learned that you were really funny and from that day on she couldn't shake her mind off of you. Not even at night.
She would like to go on a date with you very much, but as always she struggled a lot with her position as Captain and the unspoken rule of not dating Crewman as a Captain. But was that rule really necessary 40 thousand light years from home? That's a question that often plagued her mind.
Actually it didn't matter. She just knew that even if she would look over that rule, she wouldn't have a chance with you. She was way too old for you. There was an age difference of about twenty years. No sane 25-year old would agree to a relationship under those circumstances. You were so beautiful, you could easily have every Crewman you wanted. So why her?
These thoughts were keeping her awake nearly every night, because to be quite frank, she was extremely lonely.
She knew sleep wouldn't come soon, so she stood up and made her way to the mess hall to get a coffee and sit down a bit. She didn't think anyone would be there as it was three in the morning and any sane person was asleep or at their station. So when she stepped in and saw your back turned to her, she was a bit startled.
At first, she didn't even see Chakotay, she just heard that you were talking to someone.
"... Would you like to go on a date with me?" Just as she was about to turn around she saw Chakotay approaching you and hug you. Oh god, she shouldn't have come here. This was a stupid idea. She turned on her heel and left.
No, Kathryn. You will not cry. You are a grown woman. You are the Captain for fucks sake.
But just as the door of her quarter closed behind her a few stray tears fell down her cheek.
--------------------------
Easier said than done asking Kathryn out. You haven't seen her once for the whole day. Which was hard considering you worked on OPS. And the same went for the day after that and the day after that and... Yeah, for a long time.
This wasn't like her at all. She always tried to be close to the crew. Cared for everyone equally and always wanted to seem as close and trusting as a normal Crewman. As far as that was possible being the Captain. Not talking to the Crew for several days straight was very unlike her.
The strange thing was just, that the next week you had a different shift and everyone told you that she was back on the bridge. Everything back to normal.
You had to admit that was suspicious. But the thing that really made it clear to you was, that she always turned around immediately, if she saw you anywhere. No matter where. She saw you, she was gone.
And you had no idea why. You hadn't even asked her out yet.
After two weeks of not even seeing her, you had enough. This was straight up ridiculous. Where you in kindergarten? No, you were grown women. It couldn't be so hard to talk about problems.
So after your shift you went to the Captain's quarters and after hearing a soft voice calling you inside after the door chime, you entered. As she saw you Kathryn jumped up and straightened her shirt.
"Lieutenant (Y/l/n), how can I help you." You rolled your eyes at that. You knew that what you were about to do was highly inappropriate, but formalities wouldn't bring you far in this conversation.
"Oh, please drop the formalities. We both know they are out of place." Her eyes widened at your boldness. In all the years on ship, no one had ever talked to her like that. Not even Chakotay. She was so startled, she was speechless for a second.
You stepped forward and leaned on her table. You looked at her a little amused that you actually made Kathryn Janeway speechless.
"Cat got your tongue?" Kathryn seemed to find her speech again at that. She took a chair, put it in front of you and sat down.
"I hope you know, (Y/n), that your behaviour is highly inappropriate." At least she dropped the Lieutenant.
"Yes, I know that. But probably not any less inappropriate as avoiding your Crewman for two weeks straight." You raised an eyebrow at her and waited for her response.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Kathryn gulped, as she knew exactly what you were talking about.
"Come on, Kathryn. Don't play dumb. I haven't seen or talked to you in over two weeks. Whenever we are in the same room, or you even just lay eyes on me, you flee so fast I can't even say Hello. This is not normal behaviour and I would very much like to know what has caused it."
"I assure you, you are imagining things." You sigh at that. She wanted to play? Ok, you could play. You took a chair and sat down properly directly in front of her. Your knees nearly touched hers.
"I will not leave before you haven't told me the truth. And I promise you, I don't have a problem with making us both miss our shift." Kathryn rolled her eyes at your stubbornness. There was no way out of this.
She looked down at the floor.
"It's stupid." It was so quiet you nearly hadn't heard it. This was very untypical for Kathryn.
"Kathryn, I can assure you, if it causes this sort of reaction from you, it's not stupid. Please tell me, I don't want to do this anymore." She shifted uncomfortably on her chair.
"Well, I... I may have had a crush on you since that away mission last year. But I heard you ask out Chakotay a few weeks ago, and I know you would never want to date me. So I thought if I avoided you I'd hurt less, and I could get over you." You were shocked. That were a few too many information at once. Wait, ask our Chakotay. What?
"I didn't ask out Chakotay, what are you talking about?"
"Yes you did. I heard you in the mess hall. You asked him out, and then he hugged you." You nearly burst out laughing at that. But as Kathryn looked at you angrily you fell silent immediately.
"I most definitely didn't ask Chakotay out, he's my brother!"
"He's what?" Kathryn was completely perplex at that. How did she not know that.
"Yes, he's my big brother, and I was simply practising on him. I had woken him up in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about you. And he helped me practice, because I wanted to ask you out on a date the next day. And then you avoided me." Your voice got quieter and quieter to the end, but Kathryn had heard you.
"Pardon?" You looked at her. You knew she had heard you, she just couldn't believe it.
"You have me heard right. I meant every word. Why would you think I wouldn't want to date you?" Kathryn looked down again.
"Well first of all, I'm the Captain. I don't know many people who would like to date their Captain. But mainly, because I'm about twenty years older than you?! Why on earth would you want to date me?" Slowly you understood that Kathryn Janeway was actually insecure. That's the last thing you would have imagined.
You slipped off your chair and kneeled down in front of her. She looked at you.
"Hey, please don't say that. Why would I care about your age? You are fierce, strong, intelligent and so, so beautiful-" at that she slightly shook her head in denial and looked away. You grabber her chin between your fingers and forced her to look at you.
"Look at me please. Yes, you are beautiful, you are so pretty I could lose my mind. Your smile radiates warmth and love. You're elegant, you're sexy. Hell, you're sexy."
"You believe that?"
"Of course. Have you seen yourself?" She had to shyly laugh at that. She hadn't heard something like that in a very long time.
You smiled, your eyes frequently falling to her lips. You looked her in the eyes, questioning look on your face. She understood what you asked and slowly nodded. Her chin still between you fingers, you directed her face closer to yours and gently kissed her. You could feel her grin against your mouth.
"So, no missing your shift needed." She turned on Captain mode to scold you, but you quickly washed that away with you comment.
"Well, I don't know how long this will take." You started gently kissing her neck and took her shirt out of her trousers.
"(Y/n)!" She had to laughed at your face.
"What?" You smiled at her innocently before continuing undressing her.
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bigskydreaming · 3 years
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Doing some writing today off and on between errands and work, and jumping around various Kings of the Sky installments, specifically Dick, Jason and Cass stuff, so probably gonna post snippets from a bunch of them as I go. 
(Kings of the Sky is an AU that goes canon divergent from the point of Jason calling Dick for advice for dealing with Bruce after the Garzonas case and where things end up going dramatically different from that point on. Including Jason not dying, being part of his own lineup of Titans between Dick and Tim’s, Dick being adopted not long after the Church of Blood incident, Cass being the third Wayne kid to be taken in and adopted and with Tim and Duke being next and then Damian coming along later once they find out about him. This is basically my ‘the family’s alright’ AU with largely ‘Good Dad Bruce’ except for Dick and then Jason yelling some sense into him about the other, respectively, in the first two installments, just FYI).
Anyway, this bit is from a story called “In Their Shadows Grow Trees Of Good and Evil,” set about a year after Cass has been adopted, when she and Jason are both sixteen and Dick’s twenty-one. Also just FYI, because canon has never been specific about what ways Cass is neurodivergent due to the comic-book style ‘rewiring’ of her brain so that she could learn to speak later in life, I tend to go with her being dyslexic and having aphasia. She sticks exclusively to sign language and being a silent presence in her costumed personas, so that there’s no chance of people connecting the dots between Black Bat and Cassandra Wayne, as she mostly speaks verbally in her civilian persona and doesn’t hide her aphasia. The reason there’s not likely to be any obvious signs of aphasia in the snippets of her I post is because I wait until I complete something to choose words at random to replace with aphasia-born mixups, so its more realistic and I’m not gearing her dialogue towards deliberately placed moments. Just in case you were wondering.
In Their Shadows Grow Trees of Good and Evil
“Hey Todd,” sneered an exquisitely obnoxious voice. “Why’s your sister so fucking weird?”
Jason sighed the sigh of a soul a mere century into its eternity of damnation as he rose from the lunch table he’d been studying at and crammed the rest of his books into his backpack. Then he pasted a cheerfully bland smile on his face and turned around, geared for academia warfare (teenage prep school edition).
“Hey Craig,” he said brightly. “Why’d you come out of the womb so ugly your parents had to tie a piece of steak around your neck just to get the family dog to go near you? Mysteries abound.”
The advancing junior slowed a step, momentarily rocked by his truly impressive return volley. The grimace Craig’s already gargoyle-esque features twisted into made his face even more unpleasant to look at than usual, which was quite the feat. Jason would have applauded if just looking at it hadn’t already turned him to stone.
But the bargain basement basilisk kept on towards him rather than turn tail and skulk off to pop his emotional blisters, so Jason sighed a sequel to his first one. Looked like it was one of those days where Craig felt up to powering through. Guess someone had eaten their self-esteem Wheaties that morning. Joy.
“You think you’re pretty hot shit, don’t you, Todd?”
Jason shrugged. “I mean, to be honest I kinda have a one track mind, so right now I’m mostly just thinking about punching you in your mistake.”
“My what?”
“Your face,” Jason elaborated with exaggerated patience.
“Huh?”
“Oh my god, I’m saying your face is a mistake. See, its not as fun when I have to stop and explain it to you. Ugh, you ruin everything.”
He neatly sidestepped the older boy as R2-Dumbass stayed frozen, smoke coming off of his internal CPU while trying to catch up. For a second Jason thought he was home free, but then he remembered the universe fucking hated him so haha, sucks to suck. Also, a small crowd had gathered to witness the verbal jousting match, and nothing invigorated an asshole like Craig more than an audience of like-minded peers. So there was that too.
“Whatever. Laugh it up all you want, you little shit,” the junior rallied. “But just remember, mocking your betters will never change the fact that you were born street trash and you’ll be street trash until the day you die.”
Honestly? Not his best effort. Jason almost felt bad using any of his good material. Seemed like overkill at this point. But he did have a strict Scorched Earth policy to maintain, so.....
“Yeah but my dad could buy out and ruin your dad so that means I still win, right?”
He smirked as the barb landed and Craig’s face set into a sunset vista of strangled purple and furious red. Bam. Direct hit.
“Listen, you - “
“Oh for fuck’s sake, it was rhetorical,” Jason interrupted. “I don’t actually care what you think even a little bit. Nobody does. You don’t matter. Please go be irrelevant elsewhere, you’re fucking dismissed, you loser.”
“Speak for yourself, charity case.” Oh goodie, Craig’s backup singers had finally arrived. Now if only he could remember to care enough to learn their names in the first place. Seriously, who told the extras they could have lines? “All the jokes in the world can’t change who and what you are.”
Jason shrugged and continued nonchalantly up the hill to where his sister was standing with arms crossed, staring down at something on the other side.
“True genius is never appreciated in its own time,” he tossed back over his shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll be immortalized in song eventually.”
The mob of morons deigned to let him go without further incident. Though he suspected that had less to do with his scathing wit and more to do with him being headed towards Cass. She was immaculately presented as always, wearing the Gotham Academy uniform like she was born to it despite hating its uncomfortable stiffness every bit as much as he did. But that was just Cass for you. 
For all that she still struggled at times to engage verbally or speak up in social settings, her mastery of body language remained without peer. She could chameleon-camouflage her way into matching poise and posture with anyone - a skill that had allowed her to walk into school on her very first day with her head held high as though she owned everything in her sight. Exuding so much Queen Bee Intimidation Factor even the other hive queens were afraid to approach her  themselves. Sending forth their drones to try and woo her into an alliance, only to see her remain oh-so-casually above it all, a slightly contemptuous smile adorning her lips.
Basically, she scared the shit out of their classmates without them having anywhere close to a true understanding of why, and Jason was outrageously jealous. Rude. Unfair. Why did his siblings always get all the cool toys when all he had was his rakish charm, scintillating intellect and debonair.....nah, who was he kidding. He was fucking awesome. 
“Sup, sis,” he said, cresting the hill to stand beside Cass. “Just FYI, I just took a popularity bullet for you, which means you owe me your dessert tonight. Its a family rule that’s totally a real thing and definitely not something I just made up right now because Alf is making chocolate soufflé.”
She made no acknowledgment and remained stock still, a Colossus at Rhodes peering down into the shifting shadows of the parking lot below.
He peered down as well, though with absolutely no idea what they were looking at. Solidarity, yo.
“So are we staring fixedly at anything in particular, or should I just pick my own spot and commit?”
His humor was totally wasted on her as always. Instead of laughing and telling him what a lovable goof he was, she just inclined her head in the direction of a blonde girl where she was standing next to the driver’s side door of a Mercedes-Benz, dictating final commandments to her peons before departing. Well, probably. Jason was just guessing, based on his own body language reads, and like, general disdain for literally everyone at this school that wasn’t related to him.
He made a face. An extra special one reserved just for this classmate in particular. “Ugh, Madison Dunleavy? She’s the worst.”
Cass raised a cool eyebrow. “I thought Craig Hendricks was the worst.”
“He is. They’re both the worst. Its a hotly contested position here at Gotham Academy.”
She rolled her eyes and nodded back down at the Queen of Air and Darkness. “So. You know her?”
“Nope,” Jason said. “Come to think of it, I’ve actually never seen her in my life. No idea who that is. Can’t help you, sorry. Shall we go home?”
The Eyebrow of Inquisition speared him with clear intent. Who the fuck needed words when you could pack the Encyclopedia Britannica into a single facial expression?
Jason sighed gustily. 
“I had a slight altercation with her freshman year that led to her declaring her undying enmity for me until the end of time. The word nemesis may or may not have been thrown around once or twice. I can’t recall.”
The Eyebrow of Inquisition lowered nary an inch. Ugh, she wanted more? Why did everyone in his family hate privacy, with the obvious exclusion of himself when snooping through Cass and Dick’s rooms for blackmail material, which was actually intel-gathering and thus another matter entirely.
“Okay so basically what happened was my first week here I overheard her talking shit about me and not even twenty minutes later she was pretending to kiss my ass in homeroom, like probably because of Bruce, y’know? So I just busted out laughing and told her to fuck off and die and she has inexplicably loathed me ever since.”
Avoiding further Eyebrow Inquisition-ing, he made a show of peering around aimlessly. When the silence extended and it was clear Cass was absolutely not going to break first, Jason waved a hand in dismissal and took to peering oh so casually at his fingernails. "I suppose I was less tactful back in those days.”
He chanced a look up, finally, and saw his sister’s eyebrow had somehow managed to mighty morphin power ranger its way into a configuration evoking both judgment and disbelief, with the latter perhaps aimed at the idea he was significantly differing in the tact department these days either.
“I don’t love the implications your face is making right now,” he told her.
She ignored him, because of course she did. 
“Does she know Dick?” She asked instead. Jason shrugged.
“I mean, maybe? She’s probably seen him around at one of those stupid galas we have to go to, and actually I think maybe she has an older brother who was either in Dick’s grade or like, one above or below it? I don’t know.”
Now both eyebrows were doing the dance of disbelief. Okay, so maybe that was poor situational awareness on his part, since it wasn’t like Gotham Academy was a big school with a ton of other kids and also he’d only been in the same class as Madison for like over two whole years, but whatever. There were extingent circumstances.
“Look, she’s a total snob who’s always looked down on me and in return I willfully ignore both her existence and that of everyone and everything even tangentially related to her. Its called equality, Cass.”
She pursed her lips and went back to the peering, because of course in the mind of Cass it made total sense that the Grand Inquisition didn’t need to be followed up by any explanation on her part, what the hell. Like was he supposed to have inferred it?
“What’s this all about anyway?”
“I heard her talking about Dick earlier,” she said without peeling her eyes away from her personal recon mission. “I don’t know what she said though, I just heard her say Grayson, and then I was busy looking at what her body was saying. I know it was about Dick because she shut down when she saw me. And I didn’t like the way she....looked....before that happened. The way she was talking. It was.....”
Jason frowned but held back any follow-up questions while he waited - with total patience because he wasn’t an absolute cad, thank you very much - for his sister to find the word she was hunting for. It was a major source of frustration for her, that whatever neural map her brain followed put body language and spoken language in totally different regions of her brain, separated by a fairly great divide. Meaning she usually had to make a conscious choice to focus on body language or conventional languages - whether verbal or sign. But it tended to be one or the other; she’d yet to master taking in and comprehending both forms of ‘language’ at the same time. And none of them had quite figured out how to convince her that she wasn’t actually missing anything when she chose to focus on one specific form of communication - that she was still observing far more than most people ever would.
“Proprietary,” Cass settled on at last. She nodded her satisfaction with her choice of word, and Jason waited a whole two point five seconds before sticking  his whole foot in his mouth.
“Proprietary?” He asked with a scrunched nose as he weighed that for possible context and implications. “You sure?”
She glared. He winced. It was a whole thing.
“Yeah, I know, sorry, sorry, I heard it the second it was out of my mouth. We don’t actually have to experiment with the legitimacy of if looks could kill.”
Cass rolled her eyes, but eh. That could’ve gone worse.
Jason swiftly redirected attention anyway. Discretion is the better part of valor, after all.
“So. The Queen of Air and Darkness was talking about our big bro, and her mood was.....proprietary, huh?” He recapped while digesting the info like a boss. “Well. Definitely not loving that, I gotta say. Hold please.”
Pulling out his phone and pulling up his most recent texts, he began typing furiously.
“What are you doing?” Cass asked.
“Texting Tom,” he replied, because duh. Hah, now it was his chance to have the answers that should be patently obvious and thus make with the ‘are you kidding me’ when she asked obvious questions she should know the answer to! How do you like them apples, sis?
“Why are you texting your boyfriend right now?”
Jason rolled his eyes, because fair is fair, but never ceased texting for a moment. Time was of the essence here, probably. Well, maybe. Okay probably not. But it’d still been like half an hour since he and Tom had last texted and that’s a very fucking long time in teenage years.
“To be our getaway driver tonight, obviously.”
She stared at him. He didn’t look up, but he could feel it anyway. He was very intuitive like that.
“What?”
Jason heaved another sigh, one keyed to tones of ‘oh my god, do I really have to spell this out,” exasperation. He was just racking up the bonus points here. It was really too bad this wasn’t an actual competition he could actually win and this was all just pettiness taking place wholly in his own head. Lame. 
“Well, clearly we now have to go snoop in Madison’s house aka lair to see if its actually a house or a full on lair. Because she’s either a creeper or like, legit evil, and its important to know which one before we proceed, because obviously we can only bust her for being a weird creeper about our brother as Jason and Cass, whereas if she’s legit evil, that’s gotta go down as Robin and Black Bat. I’ll handle the snooping, you’ll take look-out, but we still need a wheelman and that’s why I’m texting Tom. This is all very mission-oriented, okay. I’m a professional.”
“Right,” she affirmed, while sounding anything but convinced. “Why don’t we just tell Bruce?”
Without looking up or breaking stride, he said: “I’m going to give you til I finish typing this sentence to figure out what was wrong with what you just said. Remember that we are talking about hypothetical danger to our brother, and also Bruce’s idea of a proportionate response to any of his children being in even hypothetical danger. And also our brother’s idea of a proportionate response to Bruce’s idea of a proportionate response. Look, you’re still new so I’m gonna need you to just trust me on this one. Its gonna be a no on telling Bruce without further intel.”
Cass said nothing in response to that, which meant that she was conceding the point and recognized the wisdom of his words. Or maybe that she was just gonna go ahead and do what she wanted anyway and just wasn’t bothering to fight about it, but it was probably that first thing.
“Well you better not just make out with your boyfriend all night,” is what she said at last, and that got his attention reeeeeal quick like.
“Umm. Wow. Okay. So, first off, you’re not the boss of me and who I make out with and when, so jot that down. And second, now I’m definitely going to make out with my boyfriend extra hard, with the exception of when we are actually on our recon mission because as previously established, I am a professional. And also, again, you’re not the boss of me.”
Jason ignored her Eye Roll With Extra Emphasis, and instead just held up his phone to Text With Extra Emphasis, as he read along with what he was typing.
“By the way babe, we have to make out extra hard tonight,” he said, tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth while he dragged out his dictation with the kind of focus that usually led to Bruce asking why he couldn’t apply as much intensity to training as he did to pettiness. “Cass has suddenly decided she can dictate terms to me and I need to shut that shit down ASAP, so thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter. Smoochies and other gay stuff to the best boyfriend ever.”
Jason frowned as a response pinged back seconds later. 
TheCatsMeow: ....the things I put up with for the sake of your weird family dynamics.
TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: Yeah, yeah. You’re a saint among were-panthers. Must you mock? Why can’t you just tell me I’m pretty instead?
TheCatsMeow: Sorry. Let me try again. OMG you’re so pretty Jase how did I get so lucky xoxo.
TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: No. Its too late. It feels forced and unbelievable now. You’ve ruined it forever.
TheCatsMeow: Got it. From now on I will only tell you that you’re repulsive and hideous.
TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: I’m breaking up with you.
TheCatsMeow: But after I help you with your mission tonight.
TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: Obvsly. I’m a professional. Why do people keep forgetting this?
TheCatsMeow: And also the making out to spite your sister.
TheOnlyRobinThatRocks: Yeah we should do that first too. I mean we already penciled it in.
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onlysarah235678 · 3 years
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A Little Bit Part 19
Pairing: Billie Dean Howard x female reader
A/N: Hello there! This one was a little more fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it.  illuminated-blue’s gif goes really well with this one. ❤️
Warnings: annoying people, mention of death at the end, and wound cleaning.
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You and Billie end up going to that one restaurant you’d visited when you were hopping around town trying to avoid people. You are glad to be going back because Milo had loved it and you were starving. You are seated quickly and both you and Billie laugh as Milo makes a friend from a nearby table. He plays with the lab while you and Billie get comfortable. You smile when she hands you one of the waters that the waiter brought a few minutes ago.
“Here, dear. Drink. Let me know if we need to leave, okay?”
You smile widely at Billie’s thoughtfulness before nodding in agreement. You take a sip of the water before looking around with a sigh of relief. It’s so nice to be out again, and being with Billie and Milo is just icing on the cake. You look back at Billie watching as she eyes you carefully before glancing at the menu. You know what you’re getting, but that doesn’t stop you from looking. Billie doesn’t bother with that yet. She is more concerned about you.
“Are you excited to go back to work?”
This question surprises you, and you look up suddenly before shrugging noncommittally. You are excited to go back to work because sitting around all day isn’t for you. Sure, you like being with Billie and Milo, but you became a vet for a reason. Despite loving Milo like he was your child, you really needed to see other animals too. You smile at the thought and nod in confirmation before taking another sip from the glass in front of you.
“I am! I miss the pets and keeping busy, but I have to admit it has been nice to spend time with you.”
Billie smiles at this before she glances down at the menu in front of her. She’s never been here before, but when you mentioned that you liked it she figured she’d give it a try. It was a little more out in the open than she liked to be, but so far no one was paying them much attention. She found it hard to pay attention to much of anything else when she was around you. She had really enjoyed these past few days having you and Milo stay with her.
“I’ve enjoyed it too, Y/N.”
You smile at this before glancing behind you to check on Milo who is still playing with the other dog. You laugh before shooting Billie a questioning look. You’re only half kidding with what you ask next because part of you is worried that you’ve overstayed your welcome.
“Are you sure you’re not sick of us yet?”
Billie smirks at the thought of growing sick of you and Milo. She had to admit that sometimes Milo could be a little high maintenance, but she enjoyed every moment she spent with the two of you. It seemed so easy with you, and although she knows the current situation isn’t exactly realistic, she can’t help but wonder what it would be like to have you around all the time.
Billie shakes her head about to disagree with you when your waiter comes back with your drinks. You smile excitedly because you haven’t had an actual drink in a while, but you were feeling better today so you decided to go for it. You were also celebrating since it was the end of the week and you had yet to fall down again. You made a note to knock on some wood later before turning to Billie as she orders her dinner. You smile absentmindedly before taking a long sip from your drink. Billie watches with an amused smile as your waiter leaves after taking your orders.
“Feeling better?”
Billie’s teasing smile makes you laugh in embarrassment, but you don’t hesitate to nod before you place your already half empty glass on the table. You turn to bring Milo back towards you since he is kind of in the way, and you smile as he moves quickly to sit next to you, his head already in your lap, sniffing for food. You push him away before offering a verbal response.
“Definitely. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”
Billie smiles at this before taking a sip of her own drink. She eyes Milo when he comes to stand next to her looking for food. Billie simply pets him before shaking her head. She can’t help but smile when he whines a little before just lying down next to her. You smile at this and you’re too busy looking at Milo to realize that Billie’s shooting you an adoring look.
“Well, you deserve it after the week you’ve had, Y/N.”
You nearly laugh at this but you manage to hold yourself back and just smile instead. You can’t think of anything more relaxing than what you’ve done for the last week. You’ve just been sitting around all day doing nothing but spending time with Billie and your dog. You honestly couldn’t think of anything better.
“The week I’ve had? All I’ve done is sit around and spend time with you and Milo. Not exactly taxing, Billie.”
You watch as she smiles at you before you realize that this isn’t exactly what Billie meant. You don’t bother to change your answer because you still feel like you’ve had a pretty nice time off.
Billie shakes her head before clarifying her meaning. “I was mostly referring to Sunday, but I’m glad you haven’t had a miserable time.”
Billie smiles as you blush slightly before shaking your head at the thought of how much of a ‘miserable time’ you’ve had with Billie. Sure, the first couple of days were a little rough, but your headache hadn’t bothered you in hours and you were glad to be out with Billie again. Not that you didn’t enjoy your time alone with the medium, it was just nice to feel normal again. Not sickly and stuck indoors.
“Not at all. I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Billie smirks at the way you say this and she raises an eyebrow as she watches you get lost in thought. She can imagine what you’re thinking of because her mind quickly goes to certain moments alone with you. Billie doesn’t get to dwell on them long before you’re speaking again. She looks up just in time to see you smile cheekily, and she has to resist the urge to throw something at you. The chips in the middle of the table look like a good option.
“With the kittens of course. They’re my favorite part.”
You have to stop yourself from laughing when you see how Billie’s expression changes to one you recognize immediately. You looked away because now wasn’t the best time to humor those thoughts. Instead, you finish up your drink before you smile apologetically at your girlfriend before reaching out for her. She moves her hand away last minute and you pout before trying again.
“Aw Billie, I was kidding. You know you’re my favorite.”
You smile victoriously when Billie accepts your apology and takes your hand with a sigh. She runs her nails over the back of your hand before you turn it so your palm is facing up. You shiver slightly and have to stifle a laugh as Billie tickles your palm. She smiles at your adorably ticklish nature before releasing your hand to reach for her drink.
“I have to bring them back to you soon, don’t I?”
You are too busy feeding Milo a treat that you’d brought with you to follow Billie’s question. You look back to her with a frown before what she said registered and you nod enthusiastically. The kittens are finally old enough to get their first round of vaccines this week. You have no idea what your schedule looks like, but you will make sure to find time for them when you can.
You and Billie talk a little about her cats before your food arrives. You can’t help how excited you look, and Billie doesn’t even try to hold back a laugh at your childlike glee. She knows how you feel about food, but she supposes that it’s food and just the fact that you’re out again that’s making you so happy. She doesn’t let herself feel bad for keeping you at home for so long, but she is glad to see you like this again.
“You’re adorable, Y/N.”
You smile at Billie about to say something sarcastic when something over her shoulder catches your eye. Your smile disappears and you drop the chip in your hand as you groan under your breath. Billie frowns about to turn around to see what you’ve spotted, but she doesn’t get the chance. You sigh in defeat, moving Milo so he’s under the table before putting on the fakest smile you can muster. Maybe she’ll get the hint.
“Claire. How are you?”
It took Billie a moment to recognize the name. She turned to see the brunette standing behind her and her frown immediately deepened. It didn’t take Billie long to realize that she wasn’t going to like this interaction at all. If not for the reasons you’d given her in the past, then just the way that Claire was looking at you now was enough for Billie to decide that she didn’t like her.
Since she heard about your hospital visit, Claire had been trying to track you down. She’d called into your work only to be told that you weren’t going to be in for the next week or so. She knew where you lived from the various stories about you in the news, but she didn’t know which apartment. She’d harassed the front office enough that she was banned and despite hanging around for almost a full day she never saw you.
She had almost given up trying to find you when she realized that you probably weren’t even home.
You were with Billie.
Claire hadn’t wanted to run into the medium, or really see her at all, so she waited. She waited for almost a week before she followed you here. It had taken a while to gather the courage to confront you, but now as she stood beside you, she was glad that she hadn’t just gone home.
“It’s nice to see you alive and well, Doc.”
You stiffen as you watch Claire move closer to you and rest her hand on the table just inches from yours. You don’t fail to notice how she completely ignores Billie, and you turn to your ticked girlfriend before looking back to Claire. You’re not in the mood for whatever this is, and you are going to make sure that Claire knows that. You don’t appreciate that she’s ruined a perfectly good outing by showing up and you try your best not to snap at her as you respond.
“It certainly is. Have you met Billie Dean? Billie this is Claire, she works at the pet store I go to.”
You sincerely hope that Claire could take the hint and leave you in peace. However, as you watch the brunette barely turn toward Billie who somehow looks even less impressed, you feel any hope you had slip away. Claire instead turns more so she’s facing you after throwing a perfunctory look over her shoulder.
“Yeah, hi. I just wanted to check on you. I heard about what happened.”
You sigh in annoyance before responding quickly. You don’t say that you’re fine because you’re not. You’re a little miffed and you want this to end now.
“It was just a little concussion, I’m all better now.”
You ignore Claire as she starts speaking again. You vaguely realize that she’s going on about how concerned she was and how glad she is, but all you can focus on is Billie. She’s shooting you an incredulous look that you assume is a result of your description of your injury. You just shrugged before shooting her a smile that she rolls her eyes at. You see her look down briefly before reaching for what you assume is Milo under the table. You’re glad that he’s stayed put and you sigh before meeting her gaze again. You’re about to say something to cut Claire off when you feel a hand on yours. You know it’s not Billie’s because you’re looking right at the blonde and she’s petting Milo and sipping her wine. Her gaze moves down to where Claire’s hand covers yours, and that finally makes you realize that you haven’t responded.
“Well, I’m glad that you’re feeling better.”
You barely hear the end of what Claire says before you move to stand up. You mostly wanted to move your hand, but  for some reason you stood and now you had to do something. You smile before moving around the table, not looking away from Billie who is frowning slightly in confusion. You just smile wider before you reach Billie’s side and sit down next to her. Now Billie is between you and Claire, and you feel like you can breathe again.
“Yeah, I have Billie to thank for that. She took good care of me.”
You get settled in your chair before leaning in close to Billie. Despite the fact that it brings you closer to Claire, you don’t really think she’ll reach over Billie to get to you, you are immediately comforted by the close contact. Claire’s bold, but not that bold. She seems to pause for a second before she does something that really shouldn’t surprise you. She sits down in your abandoned seat before reaching for your drink. Your mouth falls open and you’re glad that you finished it because Claire just frowns before putting it down.
Your patience is gone at this point and you sigh before squeezing Billie’s arm so she doesn’t snap. You felt her tense and you didn’t want her to be the one to tell Claire off. It should be you.
“Did you need something, Claire?”
You sound as ticked as you are, and you’d feel bad about it if this was anyone else. However, it’s not and this was probably the 12th time you’ve had to keep yourself from commenting on something rude that Claire has done. For this reason, you don’t feel much sympathy as the brunette in front of you frowns before looking to your food. You don’t have time to speak up again before Claire is smiling and shrugging casually.
“Yeah, Doc. I was going to ask if you wanted to go out sometime. You know on a real date?”
You can’t help but smile at her question and even as you feel Billie sit up next to you, you let out a laugh. You know that your reaction is weird. You should be pissed by what Claire is insinuating, like Billie, but you just find it hilarious. Your laugh seems to stop her and she frowns in confusion as she looks to you before you manage to sit up with a sigh. You see the smug look on Claire’s face, probably due to the fact that she got a reaction from Billie, but that didn’t really matter. You weren’t going to let her have the satisfaction for long.
“Thanks, but I’m more than happy here with Billie.”
You squeeze Billie’s hand under the table as you say this, but you don’t feel her relax which you don’t like. Your attention turns to Claire though once you hear her sigh heavily before leaning back in her—your chair. She crosses her arms over her chest before finally looking to Billie. There are a lot of things that she’d like to say, to accuse the medium of but she doesn’t. She isn’t sure what you see in her. She’s a hack who thinks too highly of herself, and you deserve better than that.
“Are you sure? I can show you a better time. Like you deserve.”
You scowl and open your mouth to say something a little meaner, but Billie beats you to it. She clenches her fist and glares at the brunette across from her. She doesn’t know much about her, but Billie can’t help but wonder where all of this cockiness comes from. Clearly, she can’t take no for an answer.
“What Y/N deserves is to be respected. Which means when she says back off, you back the fuck off.”
You hold your breath as you watch Claire tense at this and glare at Billie in return. You sigh in defeat, but you nod in agreement with what Billie’s said before saying the last thing you’re willing to about this.
“She’s right Claire. You don’t respect me enough to take no for an answer, so even if Billie wasn’t in the picture, you wouldn’t be either.”
Despite the mood changing drastically from Claire’s unwelcome visit, you and Billie stay for an hour or so longer. You don’t move back to your seat. Instead, you move your food to your side and get yourself a new drink that you finish way too quickly. You sigh before turning to Billie with an apologetic look.
She hasn’t said much since Claire left. You did most of the talking which you couldn’t help but worry about. You know that Billie’s upset and you can’t really blame her, but you’re still nervous. Billie was already stressed out by the interview airing tonight, now this? You frown as you reach out for Billie’s hand that’s resting on your thigh.
“I’m sorry she showed up, Billie. I never would have thought--.”
Billie shakes her head, cutting you off before she sighs in defeat. She has to admit that she was still a little annoyed by the rude interruption to their dinner. She wouldn’t have thought that you had to deal with things like this happening. She didn’t think that Claire was so bold. Then again, you had said that she’s done something similar at work and whenever you went to the pet store.
Finally, Billie finds her words and she tries to smile before squeezing your hand.
“You don’t have to apologize for her behavior. I didn’t realize how persistent she was.”
You smile wryly at this before nodding in agreement. You mention how often Claire has bothered you and Billie feels her anger return full force. Why couldn’t people take a hint?
“She’s still young. Hopefully she’ll get a clue.”
You don’t notice how Billie’s mood has soured until she scoffs a few seconds later. She doesn’t want to imagine what it will take for Claire to get a clue. She drains the rest of her drink with a scowl at the thought. You stop with your fork halfway to your mouth when Billie empties her glass and your eyes widen a little before you put it down. You turn to Billie, not quite sure what to say, but you just go for it hoping you don’t make it worse.
“It’s okay, Billie. I think you scared her off.”
Billie Dean shakes her head before speaking up in a tone that immediately had your attention. You frown despite what Billie says to you.
“No, it’s not okay, Y/N. People shouldn’t treat you like that. Not her and not-.”
Billie trails off, mentally cursing herself for letting that last part slip. She hadn’t planned on mentioning Doug because you’d already made up your mind. She didn’t want to argue about it despite not really liking your decision. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like you’re going to let this go, and you shoot Billie a questioning look.
“What? What were you going to say?”
Billie doesn’t answer immediately and instead reaches for Milo’s treats. She feeds him one and watches as he catches it midair. Billie smiles slightly before turning back to see you frowning.
“Not Claire, or assholes like Doug get to treat you like that. You deserve much better, Y/N. I mean that.”
You smile appreciatively before kissing her in thanks. You pull away sooner than you want, but you’re in public and you are still a little on edge from Claire popping up. So you just smile before moving a stray hair behind her ear with a sigh.
“You know, thanks to you, I’m starting to believe it.”
This time Billie kisses you and you laugh when Milo tries to get in on the action. He wasn’t finished begging for treats and he has his front paws up on the table before you realize what he’s doing. You push him down before shooting him a glare while Billie simply laughs. You roll your eyes but accept another kiss from Billie with a smile.
You eventually pull away before looking around you briefly. You saw Claire leave so you’re not worried about her, but you still feel eyes on you somewhere. Instead of focusing on this you decide to turn back to your girlfriend with a cheeky smile.
“Still, if we run into her again, I want you to punch that bitch in the face, Billie Dean.”
Milo leads you through the neighborhood excitedly on his last walk of the night. It’s almost 11 and you and Billie got back from the restaurant a while ago. You had been glad when Billie seemed to leave her worry behind and return to her normally calm self by the time you arrived home. You left her to go check on the cats and you and Milo were wandering around aimlessly as you thought about what the rest of your time here would look like.
You plan to leave Sunday because you really should get back to your place. You need to get ready to work Monday and that includes making sure that you have food to eat. You are going through a list of things that you need to do when something surprises you and Milo. You jump and then curse as Milo pulls free and runs after whatever just jumped out of the bushes.
“Milo, no! Wait!”
You aren’t completely surprised when he doesn’t listen to you and you groan in annoyance before taking off after him.
Billie is downstairs waiting for you to come back when 11 o’clock rolls around. She sighs before looking to the television with a frown. She’s not going to watch the interview, and she hopes that you don’t want to either. Billie reaches out for Bit when she hears the front door open. She lets Bit rub up against her hand, but she soon flees when Milo comes running into the living room. He’s a mess and Billie’s surprised by the sight of him covered in dirt and leaves.
“Milo, what did you do?”
Billie looks up when she hears you groan loudly before you appear around the corner. It takes you a minute to get your shoes off and you finally sigh in relief before heading to where Billie is waiting. She stands immediately when she sees you and you wince in anticipation as she gasps in surprise.
“Y/N! What happened?”
You, like your dog, are covered in dirt and small cuts from where you’d fallen a couple of times before diving to catch your dog. You stiffen, but don’t protest as Billie’s hands go to your shoulders, and she leads you to the couch. She takes a good look at you and sighs when she notices that you’ve scraped your palms and some of your knuckles pretty badly.  She looks to you again for an explanation, and you sigh in defeat before mentioning how Milo had gotten away from you.
“Milo decided to chase a stray cat through some bushes and out of the neighborhood.”
Billie’s eyes widen before she turns back to Milo who is lying at your feet. He is licking his paws but seems fine while you look a little worse for wear. You sigh as you sit up slightly before realizing that you hurt your knee falling too. You hiss in pain and Billie immediately looks over you again before she sees your stained pants.
“Did you hurt your knee?”
Billie is really just asking for clarification because you’d already said that you’d fallen. Still, you nod before muttering something under your breath that Billie doesn’t hear. You shoot Milo a look before sighing in realization. You probably need to get cleaned up. You don’t get to say this; however, because Billie beats you to it as she glances upstairs.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, sweetheart.”
You hiss under your breath as you hold your hand out to Billie. You’re sitting on her bed still in your dirty clothes as the medium gets her supplies together. You watch as she grabs the hydrogen peroxide and you cringe in anticipation waiting as she grabs some gauze.
“This might sting a little.”
You just nod before holding your hand out to Billie and she takes it in hers before carefully cleaning your knuckles. You hold your breath and don’t let yourself curse at the pain. You jump slightly though and Billie just shoots you a sympathetic look before kissing your forehead.
“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’ll be more careful.”
You shake your head and manage a smile before releasing the breath you’d been holding. Billie had been careful and you were just a wimp when it came to injuries. You say something to this effect and Billie rolls her eyes at you as she finishes putting on your band aids. You sigh in relief before thanking Billie for the help. You take a look at your hands before realizing what comes next.
“I guess I need to get undressed, huh?”
Billie just smiles before looking at the clock. It’s nearly midnight, and Billie is a little worn out from her busy day. She wants to make sure you’re taken care of first, so she just nods before turning to leave.
“That’s probably best. I’ll be back in a minute, okay?”
You just nod because you’re finally starting to feel your exhaustion set in. The adrenaline of chasing after Milo and getting to him before he ran into traffic had worn off and now you were just tired. You stifled a yawn as you stood up started to take off your pants. You stumble slightly and groan in annoyance before you manage to get them off. Your breath hitches as you bend your knee and pain shoots up your leg. You curse Milo again before finding a pair of shorts to wear.
You’re dressed and sitting back on the bed when Billie comes back a couple of minutes later. You have your leg stretched out and you’re examining the growing bruise on your knee. Billie’s eyes widen and she hurries over to take a better look. She moves to sit next to you before resting her hand on your calf.
“Oh, Y/N. That looks like it hurts.”
You can’t deny it but you try to as you just shrug and mention that you’ve had worse. Which isn’t a lie, but that doesn’t make your knee throb any less. You think about what you could do to treat it before remembering how much you drank earlier tonight. So instead of medicine you settle on ice, and Billie is right there with you. She leaves you to clean the minor cuts as she hurries downstairs to get some ice.
You shift on the bed before trying to clean your knee, but you immediately realize that it hurts more than you thought it would. You just clench your teeth and bear it, and by the time Billie’s back you have it cleaned and covered. You smile at her before taking the offered icepack that Billie brought. At least you try to, but Billie shakes her head before motioning for you to sit back. You do as she says and lie back against a pillow so you’re more comfortable. Billie holds the icepack over your knee with a questioning look, and you just nod before tensing slightly. Your breath hitches at the cold, but you say nothing as Billie holds it to your knee with a sigh.
“Is there anything else I can do for you, sweetheart?”
You smile before shaking your head. You’ll be fine, you just need to rest and not run around anymore. You turn at the sound of Milo running down the hall you wait until he pushes open the door before sighing again. You look him over and don’t see that he’s hurt himself, but you didn’t really expect anything else. He just ran a lot and then came to a very sudden stop when you managed to step on his leash.
“Milo, you little shit.”
Milo just wags his tail as he comes over to lick your hand. You scratch him briefly before looking to Billie with a sigh. You know it’s late and you’re tired, so you imagine that Billie is too.
“You didn’t hit your head, did you?”
Billie speaks up before you can, but you just shake your head. You had made sure that you didn’t and at the expense of tearing up your hands you’re glad that you hadn’t. You shake your head, not really sure if your headache is from the fall or the alcohol before patting the bed next to you.
“Want to join me?”
Almost half an hour later, you are surprisingly still awake. Billie fell asleep a while ago, but she hadn’t even made it under the covers. She slept with her head in your lap and you gently ran your fingers through her hair as your mind wandered to next Saturday.
The 10th.
You never really cared much about your birthday before. Sure, you liked cake and you didn’t complain about presents, but it wasn’t something you made a big deal about.
This year you were determined to do the same. It was honestly going to feel weird and different no matter what you did. It was the first birthday you wouldn’t be celebrating with family. The first one without your dad.
You quickly think of something else before that train of thought gets you in trouble. You sigh as you glance at your phone. It’s 12:30. You really should sleep. You stifle a yawn as you put your phone back and try to get comfortable without disturbing Billie. You’re almost asleep when you realize that you didn’t watch Billie’s interview.
You decide it’s probably for the best given how upset Billie was afterwards. Instead, you just lie down and pull Billie closer to you. The next interview has to go better for her, right?
Part 20
Tag list: @madamevirgo​, @illuminated-blue​
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alirhi · 3 years
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How I'd have done TFATWS pt 1
Okay, I am such a whore for positive attention that, yes, it literally only takes one person expressing interest to get me to do something lol. So, for the lovely @goblin-tea, here is how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier would have gone for Bucky if I'd been a writer on the show!
Also, shoutout to @gunshou, who popped up showing support when I was in the middle of writing this lol 😘
Episode 1: New World Order
I actually love how most of this episode was handled; it's what drew me into the show in the first place, and gave me such hope for the rest of it. Most of the changes that I'd make here are pretty minor, tbh.
I'd specify the setting in some way for Bucky's nightmare. Obviously, since he was there and knows what happened, when, and where he was, it wouldn't be like the setting changes in movies where they slap a big, bold title card over the scene. Still, I'd probably open with a brief establishing shot showing the city skyline or something; some identifying feature so that viewers can work out where this happened without needing a direct statement from Marvel (note: if you need to directly address your audience to clarify something from within your story, you're a bad storyteller). What year did this take place? I show technology from the time; perhaps a dated cell phone in someone's hand. The point is to establish where and when The Winter Soldier killed RJ Nakajima, without detracting from the emotional impact of the scene. Why does it matter? Because we should know why. Why is Bucky dreaming about this particular incident? Was it his last mission before the events of CA:TWS (a theory I see frequently repeated but with no evidence to back it up)? Was it earlier on? Is RJ only on the forefront of Bucky's mind because of his (unhealthy, but we'll get to that) friendship with Yori? How long has Yori been suffering under the weight of his grief?
I would not have had him crash through the wall, btw. As cool as that shot looked, let's try to remember that The Winter Soldier was a ghost story for 70 years. Ghosts don't leave giant gaping holes in hotel walls. I'm not saying brazen wholesale destruction is out of character for him (obviously not. I've seen CA:TWS lmao. many times. this moment lives rent-free in my brain:
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found on google without credit; pls lmk if it's yours so I can credit.
but you don't become a "ghost story" if you always leave that much evidence, ijs)
I'd leave the terrible therapy session alone. That scene was beautiful. Beautifully shot; I loved how claustrophobic it felt, and it really did a wonderful job of showing how Bucky felt on the spot, scrutinized, almost put on display for this bitch woman. This scene establishes Raynor as clearly wrong, and an unprofessional mess, and Bucky calls her out on it. I fucking love that!
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lmao gods, I love his painfully awkward forced smile... Guys, this episode is fkn great. (betcha weren't expecting so much praise from me, were you? 😂)
"You're free." "To do what?"
👆👆👆 In my show? That would have more of an impact on Bucky's arc. That question would be one of the underlying issues moving his whole story along. Twice in this show, he's told that he's free, but no one addresses what he's free from, much less what he's free to do next.
It's a minor thing, but when Yori tells Bucky to ask Leah out? I'd have Bucky do more than just shake his head in silent horror. Not much more, just something that matters to me as someone who's worked in the service industry for many, many years and dealt with too many creepos: Bucky would flat-out say "she's at work! that's harassment, Yori!"
Yori can still stomp right past that boundary, and Leah can still smile and agree. I just really want someone to verbally acknowledge that you don't fucking ask someone out when they're at work. Ever. Bucky cringing and apologizing puts the power of the conversation back in Leah's hands; it gives her an out to politely decline if she's not interested, and just laugh off Yori's flirting on Bucky's behalf as a senile old man being silly, so I'm actually fine with how this scene turned out. I just would personally have gone that extra inch there for the idiots in the audience who don't get Bucky's subtle "wtf" reaction and why Yori's suggestion was so bad. If someone's livelihood depends on being nice to you, keep your goddamn distance. Flirting with them or asking them out when they're at that big of a disadvantage and have virtually no power to say "no" is harassment.
Here is where I'd make one more subtle change, too. When Yori sees the mochi and is reminded of his son, and tells Bucky about his death, I'd just slip in a time frame. "x years ago, my son was..." blah. (Guys, it really bothers me not knowing when that scene took place rofl can you tell?)
One complaint I've seen a lot online about this show is how it's a bit murky on just how well known Bucky is in-universe. He can walk around Brooklyn with more or less total anonymity, but he's also recognized as "an Avenger" (when he was never actually technically in the group)... but honestly? I think it's actually pretty realistic. Just because someone's famous doesn't mean every single person on the planet knows who they are and what they look like well enough to instantly recognize them on the street. People look different in photos than in person, and pre-Blip, Bucky had the complete Jesus look - long flowing hair and a full beard. In TFATWS he's a little scruffy, but not this:
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Sebastian looks like about 10 different men from one moment to the next just irl with a change in haircut, lighting, expression, whether or not he got enough sleep the night before... 😂 I don't really find it hard to believe that people not expecting to bump into an Avenger would have trouble seeing Bucky post-haircut as anything other than just another attractive white guy.
Anyway! Sorry for the segue lol. On to the date!
Earlier in this very same goddamn episode, it is established that Bucky can remotely operate a car with a tablet. This is not a technologically-inept geezer. This is a 30-something nerd who loves new technology, who, yes, is facing a brave new world and a whole lot of new technology, but has never shown any issue picking it up. The crappy flip phone he handed Raynor earlier? a burner to keep her out of what little personal life he does have (we never see it again in the real show, anyway). The "tiger photos" line? Stays, not to show Bucky's floundering ineptitude with technology, but as a little nod to his bisexuality. (don't like it? don't wanna see Bucky as bi? go watch the show and read Skogland's borderline-offensive interviews. This isn't "how I would pander to a homophobic audience" it's "how I would have written it." the "Bucky is bi" interpretation is super fucking common and has been since TFA so bite me 😁)
Tiny nitpick, but I'd also have the Battleship boards actually set up properly lmao. What even was that? Anyway...
I don't think I'd have Leah get all ranty about Yori and RJ. That's not first date talk, for one thing. For another, let's ease up on the beating Bucky and the audience over the head with that one incident in a single episode, shall we? Instead, I'd have her stick with the date questions - she asked his age, asked about his family; I'd have her follow it with questions about what he does for a living (giving us a chance to not only actually have that question answered for us - how the hell does Bucky keep himself from being homeless? lol - but also set up...)
He shuts down a little when she starts asking about his past; she's innocently curious, just trying to get to know him, but he's flinchy and deflects with questions about her. The date is awkward, but doesn't abruptly end with him running away lol. He walks Leah home, like the old-fashioned gentleman he is, goes home, himself, and end on him grimacing in his sleep, in the clutches of another nightmare: not as much detail as the RJ murder scene, we see disjointed, disorienting images of fluorescent lights glinting off of machinery, the occasional shot of Bucky writhing in the chair, a shot of that damned notebook (to remind the dumber audience members why Raynor's passive-aggressive notebook thing was so triggering for him), and we hear echoes of a couple of the trigger words, and Bucky's screams.
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Okay so I read this tumblr prompt list and then I was gripped with the need to write this fic. (It’s also on Ao3)
Title: It’s the Water Words: 2,238 Rated: General. No canon-typical violence. Summary: Waking up to a continual dripping noise early in the morning wasn’t Spencer’s idea of a good day off. Especially given the rarity of a guaranteed day off and the fact that the dripping wasn’t from any of his taps; Morgan had come around and fixed something about washers in them the last time he visited.
No, this dripping was because of the apartment above him, and it had been happening long enough that walking through on what was a nice, plush rug was now like stepping on a thick carpet of moss after some heavy rain.
Briefly, Spencer considered a life of actual crime starting with the upstairs neighbour, then he’d consider annoyances on a case by case basis after that.
I.e. Spencer's apartment floods and before he actually can consider murder he leaves and meets Luke instead, fluff and a bit of pining ensues.
After spending what felt like hours picking up the books with water damage alongside anything else that found its way to the lower status of ‘floor’ in his home, Spencer decided enough was enough. He’d let everything dry the way it was set out, but he had to get out of the house.
The thought of going to the library didn’t help; he had the books he wanted right here, and seeing different versions of them just because his were all wet now wouldn’t help his mood. So for the first time in a long time, he left the house without a set direction.
He found himself at the park and ended up sitting down. There weren’t chess tables at this park, which would have served as a nice distraction. Instead, he tried to push thoughts of his neighbour apologising profusely out of his head as he laid beneath the shade of a tree.
He’d been there for about forty-six minutes before he heard his name being called, and his heart fluttered when he lifted his head and opened his eyes to see Luke strolling towards him. Roxy was on a lead beside him, well-trained and not pulling just as Spencer would expect.
“First time seeing you here, you okay?” His smile softened a little bit as he seemed to notice Spencer wasn’t in as good a mood. “You look a little down.”
“Yeah, my apartment flooded and I just, I had to get out.”
“So you decided to come to the park?”
“I didn’t actually know where I wanted to go, but I ended up here.” Luke held his gaze for a moment before moving to sit behind him, making Roxy sit on his other side away from Spencer. Spencer smiled when he noticed what Luke had done, and put his head back down with an arm behind his head as a pillow.
They’d been talking for a while before Luke mentioned being hungry. He almost looked offended when Spencer said he hadn’t eaten anything yet, and only said ‘wait there’ before leaving for a few minutes.
He came back with two crepes in hand, and water bottles tucked under his arm. Spencer perked up at the sight of the sugary food, and Luke shook his head upon seeing it.
“I knew you’d like these. It’s not a breakfast I’d recommend, or even normally get for someone else, but I’ve made an exception for you.”
“Do you buy breakfast for people often?”
“For people I’ve dated, sure.” Spencer hid his smile behind the crepe Luke gave him, the thought of this being an impromptu date causing his stomach to flip. While Spencer thought about it, Luke watched him, his ever-present smile growing.
“Have you ever made breakfast for someone?”
“No, generally I want the people I’m eating food with to be able to make it through the meal.” At Spencer’s raised brow, he shrugged. “I’m not much good in a kitchen.”
“That makes two of us.”
“What excuse do you use to hide the fact you can’t cook from your partners?”
“I haven’t had much need for an excuse, but also you can tell by looking at my kitchen. And my impressive takeout menu collection.”
Luke laughed, shaking his head. “Oh? I feel like you’re a creature of habit, I’m surprised you’d have a large collection.”
Spencer’s nose wrinkled. “Well, I had to find the good ones first. Now I guess I do just pick from a select few. Regardless, I look like I’m more spontaneous than I am, I think it works in my favour.”
“You don’t need to be spontaneous to lure people in. We have enough spontaneity in our line of work, I’d say.”
“So I just need to find someone in our line of work, you’re saying?” Instead of responding verbally, Luke just stared at Spencer while Spencer wondered if maybe this is what heart palpitations felt like. Realistically he knew it wasn’t, but he didn’t have another name for what it felt like.
Just when it looked like Luke would respond, Spencer cut in.
“Can I uh, have one of those water bottles, please?” It was Luke’s turn to raise a brow, and Spencer ignored it to ask about Roxy instead, knowing she was a subject Luke could talk about for days.
Spencer spent the rest of their time at the park very aware of Luke’s motions and words. How he gestured more when excited and it was probably due to his being able to use sign language. How he was most excited talking about Roxy, and would alter between gesticulating and patting said dog. He’d tell anecdotes and then listen to Spencer’s facts and infodumping. Spencer realised he had it bad when, too focused on what Luke was saying and doing, he took too long to respond and there was just silence while the two stared at each other.
Saved again from another possibly awkward moment then, it started to shower lightly. The two hadn’t noticed the fluffy clouds darkening slightly, gathering more mass in the sky above them. Luke laughed and stood up, Roxy coming to attention beside him.
“I wake up in bed, and there’s water everywhere. I try to escape it and it rains, and now there’s water everywhere again.” Spencer ran a hand through his hair as he watched the rain darken the sleeve of his sweater as he held his arm up in front of him.
“Pretty sure there’s no leak at my house, maybe you could come over for a bit? Just to get out of the rain, if you’re not ready to go home yet.” Spencer wasn’t ready to leave Luke yet, but he wasn’t going to share that. Instead, for a minute he let himself feel anxious about going to Luke’s house for the first time, then nodded and followed Luke’s lead.
While the trip from the park to Luke’s house was relatively short, the rain got heavier in that direction, and the two were almost wet through by the time they reached the house. Luke had Roxy shake herself before they went inside, but she still shook herself in the entryway when Luke went to go get a towel for the three of them. Spencer wrinkled his nose, thinking about all the germs and wet dog smell she had the potential to spread around. To spread onto him.
“Dr Reid, are you mad at my dog?”
Spencer startled and looked up to see a grinning Luke and laughed self-consciously, shaking his head.
“It’s the Reid Effect, makes me uneasy near animals sometimes.” Luke nodded, passing him a towel before trying to dry the dog. Spencer left his shoes and wet socks at the door and stepped into the living room, casting his eyes around the room that was much cleaner than his own. Even before it was flooded.
“You profiling me, Spence?” He felt a little warm at the nickname coming from Luke and shook his head.
“No, just looking. Your house is a lot less cluttered than mine.” Wondering if it was really doing anything, Spencer was patting down his clothes with the towel as he moved around the space.
“Well, it wasn’t too long ago that I moved.” Spencer squinted a little, disbelieving. “Alright, maybe it’s been long enough to get some new things, but we’ve been busy, haven’t we?”
“I think you could live here for another year and hardly accumulate more things.”
“You’re profiling more now, aren’t you?” Spencer laughed, humming in agreement as he started drying his hair. He wanted to keep looking around, but he was caught by the sight of Luke; he’d draped the towel over his shoulders and was scrubbing his hair with one end of it. He let his eyes follow the flexing of muscle in the man’s arm before forcing himself to look away in case Luke noticed.
“Well, maybe a little. I’m kind of jealous that it looks so nice, but I couldn’t keep my house like this with my book collection.”
“Yeah, maybe the place needs a little clutter to feel more homely.” Spencer had been looking around again, but turning back to Luke he noticed the man staring at him. “Let me get you a change of clothes? You’ll freeze as you are.” Spencer nodded, accepting clothes Luke picked for him. Luke had left Spencer in the main area then, only coming out when he’d changed his own clothes and received the all clear from Spencer.
Spencer held back a sigh when he heard a laugh from behind him. Luke had come out of his room and was now leaning against the doorframe with a wide grin. Spencer did sigh then; he was tired from dealing with his soaked apartment, angry that when he tried to escape it the fates saw fit to direct a sunshower his way and get his clothes wet. And now here he was, in the house of the man he’d been trying not to fall for for the last god (and Spencer) knows how long, and he was laughing at Spencer seeing the ill-fit of clothes for a more masculine body on his small frame.
He’d dealt with that sort of thing enough throughout his life, both before and after starting with the BAU. He didn’t really have the energy to face it now. He frowned and started to roughly pull off the loose shirt before realising he was essentially stripping in front of Luke.
He could feel the heat of angry embarrassment warming his face and neck, but confusion joined the emotions roiling around in his head when he saw that same confusion mingled with concern in Luke’s expression.
“Hey, are you okay?”
He pursed his lips, trying to figure out what was going on outside of his own mind. Unable to properly gauge the situation, he settled for a part of the truth.
“I think I look stupid; these clothes are too big.”
Luke stared at him for a moment before walking towards him. He hesitated a few times, his mouth opening and closing without a word before he seemed to settle on what he wanted.
“Are those your own thoughts, or things you’ve heard before?”
The embarrassment rushed up again, and Spencer ducked his head as his frown deepened. 
“One leads to the other often enough, don’t you think?”
“That’s a pity, because I like seeing you in my clothes. I think you look cute. Did you think I was laughing at you for looking stupid before?” Spencer’s continued silence was telling, and Luke put a hand on his shoulder.
“Spencer, I know I can’t undo damage from the past with just a few words, but if I could please know I’d do it in a heartbeat, sincerely. You don’t look stupid, okay? I like it. I really do like you in my clothes.”
Sensing that Luke was being genuine, Spencer now felt stupid because of his outburst, and the embarrassment hadn’t gone away either. His voice was quiet and his eyes were still firmly focused on the floor.
“Sorry. It hasn’t been a good day for me. Well, some it has.”
“Glad to be of service.” Spencer chuckled and finally looked back up to Luke. He was closer than Spencer expected, and he swallowed.
“I-I uh-. Thank you for the clothes, they’re nice. They smell nice.” Luke was beaming now, and Spencer was getting whiplash from his own emotions. In an effort to try and hide how revealing that admission felt, he was about to dive into a spiel about fabric softener when Luke placed both hands on Spencer’s shoulders.
“Spencer, if I were to say I’d like for today to be considered a date, how would you feel about it?” Spencer wet his lips with his tongue before trying to speak, nodding.
“I’d uh, I’d like that. Yeah.” Before he could add more, Luke pulled him into an almost crushing hug. He responded in kind, his arms coming up around Luke and his hands pressing the place between Luke’s shoulder blades, fingers curling in the fabric of his shirt. 
“This wasn’t what I thought would happen when I took Roxy for a walk today, but it’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a while. Well actually, I wanted to ask you on a date and then go out for one, but this works.”
“And you said we didn’t need spontaneity.” Spencer felt Luke’s laugh through his own chest, close as they were, and couldn’t stop himself from pressing his lips to Luke’s shoulder.
He’d flood the apartment himself if it meant he could do this every day; be in Luke’s arms and wrapped in his scent, giddy.
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shiversdownyerspine · 3 years
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6. Kittenish
It’s dangerous to go alone, take this. ;)
Over a period of a week or two, life wanders on at a languid pace with only a couple of notable interruptions. The kittens have settled in quite nicely, and their personalities have started to shine. Adoringly nicknamed Thing 1 and Thing 2, the two older brothers had given you such incredulous looks, with Oscar looking nearly offended to which you laughed and quickly explained these names are temporary until something else sticks. Well...hopefully. You added that last part as you disguised amusement with uncertainty, watching as mild horror returned to their faces.
Secretly you wanted to see if the thought of bestowing such unfitting names to the kittens would inspire the three men, but even if that proves unfruitful, you're confident you'll think of something. Strangely enough, or perhaps not so strange at all considering it's you, you're tempted to name them after pasta. Long skinny noodle cats that they will one day be, it kind of fits. Hmm.
A tiny body hurdling itself around the corner of your coffee table just to scramble under it interrupts your current train of thought; Thing 1 has proven to be a firecracker and adventurer extraordinaire, getting into anything and everything with no sign of fear or hesitation. Once he gets going, he'll be in crazy mode for a while, nothing can stop him. There is seemingly no end to his energy.
Thing 1's sibling comes scampering around the same corner after him. Thing 2 is fairly mellow, but has a hidden switch. He can go from perfectly calm to bouncing off the walls without much warning or reason, and then just as suddenly he's plopped down on the carpet like nothing even happened. He is more cautious as well, preferring to test the waters before gingerly wading out into the unknown.
Thing 2 inspects the tiny paws of his brother that bat this way and that under the table, just out of reach. Losing interest, or perhaps momentarily distracted, he decides now is the time to turn the side of your sofa into a torn mess. Up on his hind quarters and ready to shred, he looks you in the eye and...his bad behavior is thwarted when Oscar lifts him up in a single hand. Bringing the fuzzball to his face, he tuts quietly and delivers the miscreant to his scratching post. You lean down to wiggle your fingers in the carpet to lure out Thing 1, who will gladly be tempted with the chance to destroy.
Oscar has been really good with them, even getting up early in the mornings now and then to assist you with feeding and bathing and whatnot. The strangest thing happened around the time he started doing this; one morning after feeding the kittens and returning to the kitchen, you had set about to grab up one of your freshly baked Strawberry Turnovers. Otto and Oscar were preoccupied with their own breakfast, but offered you nods to wish you a good morning when you entered the kitchen. Still sleepy, instead of verbally responding you offered your own ever so serious good morning nod, earning amused sounds from the two men. Noting Axel's missing presence, you chalked it up to him starting his morning with a quick shower.
Wandering over to the steaming oatmeal cooling on the stove, you ladle a couple big dollops into your bowl before adding a splash of milk to cool it down. With you sufficiently distracted, Oscar slunk out of his chair to creep up to your back with mischievous intent. The whoosh of air that left his lungs as Otto lunged and yanked him back, practically slamming the younger back into his seat, was almost enough to shift your focus. But since sleep had unfortunately remained elusive to you, your alertness had been dealt a blow. 
So when you turned around to find Otto contentedly chewing a pastry and Oscar sprawled out strangely in his seat, you weren't quite sure what to make of it. You looked between the two before slowly taking your leave to enjoy your breakfast in the garden as usual. Otto started helping you with the kittens as well after that, you swear the man became your shadow whenever Oscar is around. It's a good coincidence though, as all three men have proven to be good company when they're not suspiciously questioning you. Although you must admit, with the new rules set into place and the three abiding by them, you're finding it easier and easier to open up to them.
As a matter of fact, a couple days earlier when Axel had asked you about previous work you had done before the Commission, you had found it almost effortless to answer. You had even added some technically unrelated information without thinking about it; after you left the orphanage, you had been provided for by your guardian, seeing as you were still too young to look for work. The omission of said guardian's name wasn't pushed, you reckoned it probably didn't matter all that much to the assassins. 
The small town near your home had a fairly expansive farmer's market, and after seeing all manner of items and foods displayed you had tinkered with the idea of on one day becoming a seller. A good amount of your time was spent planning it all out; your main products would have been baked and home-canned goods, as even from a young age you had such a sweet tooth. Although with your fondness for gardening, you wouldn't have been surprised if you had included flowers eventually. 
Realistically the threat of your ability being discovered complicated things quite a bit, so you had pondered if made-to-order goods would be a better option. Hopefully you wouldn't have been out in public too much if you chose this line of work, baking in private and delivering the goods to your customers. Maybe even having someone pick up and deliver them for you? You had kind of liked the idea of having your home be your own little bakery.
When Otto asked how long you'd been selling your baking for, you admitted it had only been for a short time. A couple of people who had seen you around town had actually commissioned you for some cakes and treats and had spread the word, but before you could really dive into the role, the Commission agent had approached you and your baking had been pushed to the side. 
You don't really regret it all that much. After the orphanage, you had developed the habit of visiting the animal shelters in town. Fearing a wayward bite might give you away, your visits had been understandably rare. You had been seriously considering fostering when the agent made you an offer.
Quietly, you ponder for a moment the negative aspects of being under the Commission's thumb; you had been given a half-assed set of rules that you were to follow, basic drivel except for annoying little details you can guess are related to your ability; you were not allowed to travel, any effort to spend a prolonged period of time outside the vicinity of your home had to be approved first. Initially you had scoffed at their feeble rules, after all, this was practically what you already did to keep your ability hidden. You had accepted long ago that you were destined to be a little hermit.
It was only after recently accepting their terms that, when you had trekked to civilization to stock up on some much needed items like food and animal care products for future tasks, you had truly felt the leash tugging at your neck. As the hours passed and you made your way from shop to shop and carefully perused their selection for your necessary items, you could not shake the feeling that you were being watched. And followed. 
Realizing that the 'prolonged period of time' was much shorter than you had discerned, you finished your shopping as quick as you could and headed home. You decided in the future to cut your trips short and only buy what was the utmost essential. The added risk of distraction caused by your mysterious stalker resulting in an accidental injury also served as incentive to make yourself scarce. Good grief though, it wouldn't have killed them to be a little more specific with the rules they set in place for you.
Thing 1's deceptively sharp claws and fangs prick your skin as he wraps around your ankle, snapping you back to the present. With a sharp, 'No!' and a clap of your hands, the offender releases you immediately and stares you down. Ears tucked back and tail lashing, the baby considers challenging your authority before the movement of his own tail distracts him and he decides the appendage is to suffer for his unsettlement. 
You chuckle, shaking your head as Thing 1 twists and twirls in an attempt to capture his own tail. Picking him up, you deposit him carefully on the couch in hope of luring the kitten to nap. Repetitive squeaking has you peering over your shoulder to find Thing 2 ambling away from the scratching post in favor of demanding the attention and affection of the eldest brother as Oscar watches on with a grin. The older man scowls, but you all know better.
He had been quite aloof in the beginning; when the babies had arrived and the men had visited them in your bathroom, Thing 1 had immediately tried to climb up Otto's pant leg. You had fiercely fought the urge to express just how adorable you found the situation, for the kitten's paws were absolutely itty bitty when compared to Otto's fingers as he carefully detached the tiny claws from the fabric. Thing 2 had remained shy for a while, watching quietly, only to decide to toddle up to Axel and investigate him. The little Siamese kitten had decided that this man was the most interesting thing. At all times.
The assassin hadn't really reacted, but a couple days later when you had brought the babies out to explore the living room you had caught him rubbing a finger against a tiny fuzzy cheek. The ticklish caress of a knuckle teasing under your chin brushed the surface of your mind but dissipated just as quickly before you could determine why your cheeks suddenly felt a little warm. You shook the thought from your mind. Given how another time you had caught out of the corner of your eye the man picking up Thing 2 to save him from Thing 1's rough housing, it was evident that someone has a soft spot.
Relaxing next to you on the sofa, Otto blinks in surprise when the tiny terror climbs onto his thigh to wobble out on to his knee and sit quietly. Surveying his kingdom, no doubt. Perhaps he’s looking for signs of the other cats stowed away in your bedroom to give them a needed break? You must admit, you’re rather happy to say you're no longer as concerned about your cats interacting with the babies. Pumpkin still prefers to keep her distance but Butternut adores them, to the point that she has taken it upon herself to clean and carry the babies around.
A couple hours earlier, Otto had been the one to catch her mothering them. He had pointed it out, reaching for you. The large warm palm that rested on the small of your back had given you the strangest feeling, like someone was flipping your stomach like a pancake in a skillet. 
With some difficulty you shoved it to the back of your mind and beamed at the man, commenting that you had hoped Butternut would be a good influence, but didn't think she'd adopt them outright. The warmth in your belly rippled when he smiled down at you, thumb sweeping back and forth so gently that you must have imagined it. You really need to get more sleep.
In the quiet of the evening, a brand new interruption to the usual routine occurred; you had been running a little late with dinner preparations as Thing 1 had decided to hide away, perhaps sensing that it was time to go back in their bathroom for the night. While you searched the living room and apologized that dinner might be a bit delayed, Axel had unconcernedly sauntered in to the kitchen, donned your colorful pawprint covered apron, and got to cooking. Delighted, you teased him not to burn down your kitchen, to which he responded that if anyone would be turning your home into kindling, it would be Oscar. Oscar's indignant shout tickled your funny bone something awful.
As you cleaned up after a lovely fish dinner, as a way to thank the eldest sibling and possibly encourage a repeat, the ‘shunk!’ of a tube in your cabinet nearly made you jump out of your skin. The Commission had finally gotten in touch with the Swedes, taking the initiative to explain the lack of missions and prolonged downtime. You listened intently as Axel read aloud.
It would seem there were changes on the horizon; as your home would be acting as their base of operations, this gave the Commission a chance in the future to implement a new experimental technology that would allow their agents to go to the time their target resided in without the use of a briefcase. Apparently the increasing misuse and destruction of the cases had sparked alarm and a new method was being looked into. 
Instead of a briefcase, a sort of 'rendezvous point' was to be accessed once your agents had gathered sufficient intel and were prepared to neutralize their target. Following any unforeseen developments or challenges presented by the mission, they would find the 'rendezvous point' to your home would still be accessible if they chose to regroup and rethink their strategy. 
That was it. Nothing more to satisfy your curiosity or appease your concerns; what exactly would allow these time jumps, what were the parameters, the restrictions? The chip that was imbedded in each and every one of the Commission's agents, did that have something to do with it? Certainly it would be a lot harder for a chip in one's body to be stolen or lost, possibly less costly as well compared to the briefcases? Did the infinite switchboard play a part? If an agent decided to go AWOL, would they even be able to access the 'rendezvous point' anymore or would they be cut off? You just didn't have enough information...
Shaking off the speculations, you look at the metaphorical glass as being half full. Some explanation is better than none, after all. Thoughtful, you mention that seeing how any mission or assignment is so sparsely worded, you're rather surprised the Commission would put in a little more effort to this message. Axel cocks his head, quietly considering. 
From what you understand, the three men living with you are some of their best assassins, so maybe that offered certain perks? Like extra sentences? That earns you some loosely amused squints and scoffs before Otto interjects, mentioning freedom and traveling, how the three are given a lot of leeway both on and off missions. They're free to do nearly anything they want, so long as it doesn't jeopardize the mission.
Dishes all collected in the dishwasher and cycle started, you grin cheekily, remarking, "Nearly anything? Goodness, how nice that must have been..at least..." 
Words trailing off, the brothers watch confused from their seats as you wander around the table, clearly intent on getting ready for bed as was customary. Pausing under the entryway, you finish your sentence.
"..until the Commission felt you all needed a slap on the wrist and a babysitter."
There was a moment of silence and utter shock, an absolute stillness before you broke it by earnestly wishing them all a goodnight.
As soon as the word left your lips, Hell was unleashed. The scandalization on their faces and the clamor of chairs scooting across the kitchen floor had you scurrying to the safety of your room with a bright bubbling laugh.
You should probably watch your back the next couple of days.
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gallavictorious · 4 years
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I loved Gallavich in 10x08 but struggled quite a bit with them in 10x09 and 10x10 (even if I personally loved the brawl proposal), partly because Mickey's behaviour in regards to Byron makes me cringe so hard, and partly because we don't get a proper explanation for how Ian goes from ”how do you know you love me” to ”and if you let me...  “ and this bugs me.
However, never let it be said that I'm not ready to do whatever interpretative work needs to be done  for my favourite couple to make sense, so here it is:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Episodes.
(Disclaimer: I'm just now watching season 10 in its entirerty and you guys have been at this for a while. If you've heard it all before, please be patient with a newbie who just really needs to sort through her thoughts and emotions.)
Now, I know that many fans would have preferred Byron to actually like Mickey, and I've seen pre-episode 10x10 takes where people theorized that Byron, rather than list all the ways Mickey sucks would list all the way he soars, thus leading to an eavesdropping Ian's realization that he needs to be with Mickey forever. And while that would have been very sweet in its own way – I am myself very much here for more people appreciating Mickey – I think it would ultimately have been far less realistic, for two reasons: 1, Mickey was never going to treat Byron well, and 2, Ian's reservations about getting married were never rooted in a lack of love for Mickey.
Mickey's cringe-worthy treatment of Byron stems from him trying to perform two different roles at the same time: he strives to be demonstratively affectionate whenever they're in front of Ian, but this reads as fundamentally false becuase this is not how Mickey normally shows affection. But Mickey's usual mode of loving communication is both far less overt than this, and thus less fit for the purpose, but also something he would never allow Byron to experience, because Mickey being loving is largely tied to Mickey allowing himself to be vulnerable, to be open and himself, and since Byron is not someone he trusts, or even respects, that's never going to happen. I'd argue that Mickey chooses Byron exactly because he perceives Byron as ”weak” and so someone he can use for his own means without Byron putting up a fight about it - but at the same time, associating with this ”weakness” actualizes all of Mickey's internalized ideas about strenght, manliness, South Side, etc, which leads him to revert back to his extra special thuggish behaviour in order to continually establish dominance and distance himself from the more effeminate homosexuality Byron represents. So, he treats Byron rather nastily, while at the same time employing conventional means of demonstrating affection whenever Ian's around, which serves both as a means to show oh god, how very very much in love with Byron he is, and as a means to always maintain a distance from Byron himself. Which is actually very realistic, given what we know of Mickey, but makes for a whiplash watching experience, and yes. Cringe.
And I'm pretty sure Mickey isn't even trying to fool Ian here: he doesn't expect Ian to believe that he has suddenly fallen in love with someone else. (So again, the unconvincing declarations of love on Mickey’s part serves a purpose here; they’re unconvincing on purpose, if maybe not alway consciously so.) This is an act calculated to provoke a response, becaue he needs Ian to prove something to him, to fight for him. (This bit, about Mickey needing a grand gesture rather than words have been discussed by many others in more articulate ways, so I'm not going to dwell on that.)
But regardless: everything Ian overhears Byron say is true (well, apart from the dumb bit – but I think Byron can be forgiven for not getting that, becaues I doubt Mickey made any effort at all to put his smarts on display, and our boy sure does act dumb from time to time). So why is hearing Byron say it enough to spur Ian into the grand gesture Mickey is looking for? Sure, we all get really pissed when hear others talk smack about the ones we love, but Ian's reluctance to marry was never rooted in Ian doubting his feelings for Mickey, so realizing that ”oh, I need to beat this one up because he's mean to my man” can hardly be the catalysator here. Actually, I don't think it is the catalysator – it just paves the way for the moment that is.
Bear wih me for a while:
That Mickey believes that it's Ian's feelings for him that waver isn't hard to understand: Ian has left him, multiple times, and considering how hard he went for the ”if we love and trust each other the maybe this decision isn't that hard” I absolutely get that Mickey, when Ian backs out, comes to the conclusion that Ian does not, in fact, love and/or trust him, at least not enough. But Ian does, and he verbally reaffirms that throughout these and the previous episodes. Does his insecurity, then, stem from an uncertainty that Mickey will be able to love him throughout his highs and lows? This is what he tries to tell Mickey when the whole promise rings thing fall apart, and I get that it pisses Mickey off, because hasn't Mickey already demonstrated, again and again, that he will stick by Ian, no matter what? Is Ian really so dense and insecure as not to see that?
I actually think that Ian absolutely knows that Mickey will stand by him through thick and thin, and this scares him because what if he develops into someone that Mickey no longer can love but feels obligated to stay with anyway? Ian hates being helpless; Ian hates being a victi; Ian hates feeling indebted to people because that implies he can't take care of himself, and I think that nothing terrifies him more than being a project, or being someone people stay with because they pity him or worry that he can't take care of himself. The issue here, I think, is that he doesn't trust Mickey to leave.
Why this would would be a bigger problem than it already is if they were married I don't quite get, but marriage typically speaks of a stronger and more formal committment and so is even harder to break up from, maybe? Hm. This part I haven't quite figured out yet.
Anyhow. Ian's problem is that he is scared that Mickey will stick with him even when Mickey really would rather leave, Mickey's problem – apart from him being pretty nasty to Byron – is that he wants a Grand Gesture and Proof of Love from Ian, because just expressions of love doesn’t cut it with him. This, I think, is not the proposal, but the fact that Ian shows up with a fake date. This obvious attempt at making Mickey jealous is enough to prove to Mickey that yeah, this means something to Ian too. Particularly since it comes right at the heels of Mickey experiencing a moment of true fear, when Ian announces his new partner: what if this is real, what if Mickey took things too far, what if he fucked this up? But then he sees Cole (who is, btw, awesome) and he sees Ian's face, and he knows exactly what Ian is up to. I think it was fiona-fififi who noted that they both realize that they'll be going home togheter this evening, even though they also have to go through the movements of a proper reconciliation. I tend to think of this as Mickey knowing they're going to make up, because he's prepared for that now, but Ian doesn't know it, yet. Mickey's just waiting for the opportune moment, and he's probably feeling a bit insecure, too, because how do you make the first move after all this?
But then, when Ian tops the whole thing off by beating up Byron (which Byron really didn't deserve, becaue after what Mickey put him through, he has earned the right to badmouth him – even if he is a coward for not just making Mickey leave), yeah, that's Mickey done for, that was all he needed. When he walks over to the pile of bodies, going ”hey”, that's an overture of peace: at this point, Ian doesn't actually need to propse to win him back. That is already a done deal.
I think Ian knows this too. I actually need Ian to know this too, because otherwise it will forever feel like he agreed to something he really didn't want just to have Mickey back, and this doesn't sit right with him. But then the question remain – why the fuck did he propose? What changed, that he suddenly felt confident enough in Mickey's ability to leave that he felt comfortable formalizing their union?
Maybe it's the simple fact that Mickey did leave. When he felt himself unfairly treated by Ian, he did leave and hooked-up with someone else. Admittedly and obviously in an attempt to get back at Ian, but he stubbornly stuck with it through Ian's various attempts at getting him back. Mickey is utterly in love with and devoted to Ian, but he's no wiltering flower: he will stand up for himself, and if he feels like he's not being treated right, he sure as hell will make certain Ian hears about this. Seeing Mickey standing there over him, returned only now that Ian has satisifed his need for proof of love, I think this is what Ian finally gets. This, in combination with feeling on a very deep and visceral level that he never wants Mickey to walk away and have to return again, is what prompts the proposal.
And hey - maybe he's still not completely sure about this whole getting married business, but he is sure about Mickey, so he's prepared to take the leap. Mickey may be rough in a lot of ways, but he's perfect for Ian in a way that no one else has ever been, and that's worth taking a chance on.
Anyway, this is what I think I think at the moment. Maybe I'll think something else in a while? Do you have thoughts? I'd love to hear them.
TL;DR Everything that happened in 10x09 and 10x10 actually makes sense and are in character, but should I really have to work this hard to get that?
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franticlittlegeek · 5 years
Text
Let me preface this by saying: This is not a personal attack on you if you love Nesta.
After spending a decent amount of time in this fandom I’ve noticed that Nesta Stan’s can be awful to people who don’t like her, I’m not saying that everyone who likes Nesta hates on anyone who doesn’t I’ve just seen a lot of hate been dished out over and opinion of a fictional character.
I admit, I don’t like Nesta.
That’s my opinion, please respect it and I’ll respect yours. I don’t need to hear/read all the things you love about Nesta. I can guarantee you, I’ve heard them all before and have still come to this conclusion myself. At this current moment my opinion can not be swayed.
I’ve created a list of many of the main reasons I dislike Nesta Archeron. No I didn’t do it to bash her character, no i didn’t do it to try and sway people over to the other side, no I didn’t do this as a personal attack, etc.
I simply wrote this list so that the Nesta stans can at least understand where the people who don’t like Nesta are coming from, instead of calling them ignorant, close-minded, etc. (all insults I have seen delivered to anti Nesta fans)
Read this or don’t, I don’t care. I just wanted there to be something for people to read so we may all better understand instead of jumping to hate others. I’ve seen multiple people being hated for expressing an opinion and honestly I’m sick of it.
1. It is heavily implied ( at least in my interpretation) that Nesta has been treating Feyre horribly since they were children, as in before their mother died and they lost all their wealth. It is inexcusable to be that mean and awful to someone, especially your sibling, for no reason ( At least, no apparent reason)
2. She disregards everything Feyre does as unimportant or not good enough. Nesta knowingly spends any extra funds on luxuries for herself instead of necessities for Feyre. Feyre busted her ass when she was a teenager just to keep her family safe and cared for, Nesta completely disregards this.
3. Despite treating her father horribly, she is still his favourite child. This really has nothing to do with her but it just rubs me the wrong way.
4. I would agree that Nesta being rude and standoffish to the other characters in the novel could be viewed as a coping mechanism and a side-effect from her upbringing, however it seems to me that Nesta goes out of her way to treat people who have been nothing but kind to her horribly. Rhys opens up his home to her, Cassian tries to help her, Feyre trying to befriend her sister, etc. she treats all of the previous characters maliciously when there really is no need too.
5. The whole scene when Feyre sees her sisters for the first time after turning High Fae. Nesta is openly degrading and bashing Feyre for something she had no control over and would have died without. Elain, while being skittish and afraid, still makes an effort to sit next to the very people she was taught to fear, because she’s her sister. Nesta does not give this same courtesy.
6. In addition to the previous point, many people probably say things like “At least Nesta opened up her home to them!” But she really didn’t. Feyre got them that house through Tamlin. Nesta did nothing to claim that as her home besides live in it.
7. I’m going to get a lot of hate for this one but, Nesta does not deserve Cassian. Now this one is less factual and more opinionated. I’ll respect your opinion on this but please respect mine. As I see it, unless their is a huge character shift in Nesta (and I mean huge) I can’t see their relationship being anything but Cassian helping her, Cassian giving things to her, Cassian supporting her, Etc. I can’t honestly see a relationship between them where Cassian isn’t giving nearly all the effort and getting next to nothing in return. Cassian has problems of his own, things he needs help and support with and I can’t honestly see Nesta giving that to him.
8. One thing I see a lot in Nestas defence is the fact Nesta thought about going across the wall after Feyre was taken. But Nesta only thought about it and ultimately decided that saving her sister was not worth endangering herself. And I’m not saying that Nesta should be a selfless character, but I personally don’t believe Nesta thinking about helping Feyre serves as a reedeamable quality.
9. I also don’t want to say Nesta should be a perfect character, devoid of any flaws. None of the characters in this series are flawless, it’s one of the things I love about them. With that being said, Nesta has next to no reedeamable qualities, other than her love and protectiveness over Elain.
10. Nesta is not “misunderstood” she is not “misguided” she is abusive. While there may be reasons contributing to her abusive behaviour, this does not lessen the severity and excuse it. An abusive person is abusive, regardless of what caused them to behave that way.
11. A very common defence of Nesta is that “If she was a man every one in this fandom would love her!” Which is complete bullshit. Yes her behaviour towards drinking and one night stands would likely be more accepted but her abusive nature wouldn’t be. Both Tamlin and Nesta emotionally abused Feyre. Both Tamlin and Nesta verbally abused Feyre. Both are ABUSIVE. And yet Tamlin gets major hate (as he should) for these behaviours and this is not translated over to Nesta. Say what you want about this but you cannot convince me that Nesta is treated differently by the fandom for any reason other than she is the woman and for some reason many people don’t believe women can be abusive in the way men can.
12. So many people hate Rhys for not being overwhelmingly nice and open for Nesta. Nesta abused the love of his life for the years. Why should he show her any love when she’s been nothing but horrible to most, if not all, of his family. AntiRhys is quite often bullshit based on people trying to make excuses and coddle Nesta.
13. Nesta is a grown adult and should act like it. She throwns hissy fits and tantrums like a teenager and can’t seem to do anything by herself. If Feyre was not there to help her Nesta would have been dead a long time ago because of her unwillingness to do anything for anyone.
14. I won’t deny that Nesta has issues, she is obviously struggling with depression and PTSD and there is nothing wrong with that. That being said these are not excuses for abusive behaviour.
15. “The IC slut shamed Nesta!” They really didn’t, Feyre at the very base of it all is concerned and worried about her sister, despite how horrible Nesta was to her. And are we not going to mention Nesta slut shaming Feyre for sleeping with Isaac?
16. Nesta isn’t some Strong willed Badass, most of Nestas power over the other characters comes from tearing them down. Nesta isn’t strong, strength is not hurting someone to prove you’re better.
TL;DR- Nesta is abusive.
I am aware many of these points are essentially the same thing. They all root back to the same thing after all, Nesta is abusive.
I don’t need people to agree with me, frankly I don’t care, I’m just so sick and tired of people forgiving Nesta for unforgivable behaviours.
I know Nesta is going to get a redemption arc and it sickens me, why not give one to Tamlin too! And Eris! And Keir! And Ianthe! And every other abusive prick in the series!
I’d also like to clarify I am NOT Antisjm or antiACOTAR, I personally love Sarah J Maas and the ACOTAR series and I think that it’s more realistic to have abusive characters.
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angstmatsuscenarios · 5 years
Note
Suuji had a very tense verbal argument, and after that, they both avoided each other as much as possible, and only talked to each other if it was to start another fight
I strayed just slightly from the original prompt because I was having a hard time writing Suuji fighting and making it feel right, but I hope you like this! It’s based a lot on the “Punishment” skit from s2.
Realistically, Ichimatsu knew it wasn’t his fault--he could only afford so much cat food each week, and the more cats showed up the less food they each had to eat. Still it had been steady for awhile, the same six cats appearing in the alley every day he went to feed them. He’d become attached to each one of them, seeing them almost as his own even though he couldn’t officially keep them as pets. 
One cat in particular, a ginger-colored kitty he’d named Momo, seemed especially attached to him as well. She always curled up close to him when he sat with the cats, sometimes crawling right onto his lap for a quick nap and purring contently as he stroked her fur. She was gentle and sweet, not a bit skittish as the other cats sometimes were, and whenever he prepared to leave she would follow after him and butt her head against his leg for more attention. It made him happy, though his heart also ached knowing she couldn’t come home with him.
And then one day, out of the blue...she was gone. Only five cats lingered in the alley that day, waiting for their meal. At first Ichimatsu thought she was just hiding, even though she never usually did, and told himself not to panic even though an anxious feeling clenched at his heart. But as he fed the cats and played with them, she never showed up. By the time he was prepared to leave, she still hadn’t appeared, and Ichimatsu suspected with a sinking sensation in his stomach that he’d probably never see her again.
He wasn’t stupid. This had happened with other cats before, and he knew what it meant. Something might have happened to her--in the best-case scenario, someone could have brought her home and adopted her. Worst case...something bad happened to her that he wished not to contemplate.    
Whatever. No matter what happened, it was unlikely he’d ever see her again. And the thought made his chest ache and his heart feel hollow.
Ichimatsu dwelled on it the rest of the day. He was quiet, not talking to his brothers unless spoken to first, and even then he was curt. They were used to this sort of behavior and didn’t question it...all except for Jyushimatsu, who was far more attuned to his immediate older brother’s feelings than anyone else—sometimes even Ichimatsu himself.
Jyushimatsu waited until everyone had gone off to do their own thing before approaching Ichimatsu, who sat huddled in a corner of the living room, curled up in a ball.
“What’s wrong, Ichimatsu-niisan?” Jyushimatsu asked, in a gentler voice than he usually used.
At first Ichimatsu hasn’t wanted to talk about it, but Jyushimatsu could be persistent...and, well, maybe he’d feel better if he spoke up. He inhaled and then exhaled slowly before speaking.
“I’m being punished.”
“Eh?” Jyushimatsu tipped his head to the side, regarding Ichimatsu with confusion.
“Today was a good day. Mom got us treats from the store, I found an extra hundred yen in my wallet I didn’t realize I had...which means something bad had to happen to balance out the good.”
“...ah.” Jyushimatsu nodded slightly, though his expression had clouded over some. “What was it?”
“....Momo is gone.” Ichimatsu had told Jyushimatsu all about the cat before. “She never showed up for her food today. Whenever a cat disappears, they never show up again.”
“I see.” Jyushimatsu pressed his hand to his mouth thoughtfully. “But how is it a punishment…?”
“Because I’ll never see her again.” Ichimatsu frowned. “Isn’t it obvious? Something terrible could’ve happened to her. Maybe she was stolen, maybe she got sick and didn’t make it. Who knows? I never will.”
“But maybe it’s a good thing—maybe it means a good loving family found her and took her home,” Jyushimatsu suggested, ever the optimistic one.
“But unless I know for sure, I can only assume the worst.” Ichimatsu sighed heavily. “I just don’t know why I’m being punished this way, with something happening to Momo...it’s not fair to her if she suffered too...why couldn’t fate make me suffer a different way, like stubbing my toe or getting caught in the rain?”
Jyushimatsu didn’t say anything for a long moment. When he spoke at last, in a gentle tone, it wasn’t what Ichimatsu expected to hear.
“Ichimatsu-niisan...don’t take this the wrong way, but...maybe your punishment theory is kind of ridiculous?”
Ichimatsu snapped his head up, straightening his spine from its slumped position. “Excuse me?”
“You’re always saying you get punished for good things happening, because of the whole balance of the universe...but isn’t it possible these things can just happen, with no reason?”
Ichimatsu scowled at that. “What do you mean? You know it’s true. Nothing in my life ever goes well without something bad happening to put me back in my place. That’s how the whole shitty universe works. It’s balance.”
“I just don’t think the universe is out to get you, like you keep insisting.” Jyushimatsu sounded a little less patient this time, after hearing Ichimatsu’s snappy tone. “Why can’t you accept bad things happen and there’s nothing that can be done about it but deal with it?”
Ichimatsu clenched his hands into fists. “Because unlike you, I can’t see the world as all sunshine and rainbows—bad stuff does happen, and it sucks, and it ruins the good things. Because it’s supposed to.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way! And it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for me!” Jyushimatsu exclaimed, jumping to his feet and glaring down at Ichimatsu. His smile had quickly been replaced by a frown. “But it’s nicer trying to be happy than be a doll of darkness and think everything is out to destroy my day!”
Ichimatsu balked at that—Jyushimatsu had never called him that before, even when the others had. He squinted angrily at Jyushimatsu, suddenly seething, though the rage was mingled with just a little hurt.
“I had a bad day, Jyushimatsu—I don’t need to deal with this shit if you aren’t going to try and help me.”
“I did try, but you didn’t listen!”
“No, you didn't listen!”
Before either of them realized what was happening, they were screaming at each other, spouting off accusations—Ichimatsu blaming Jyushimatsu for not being sensitive enough, and Jyushimatsu arguing that Ichimatsu was too pessimistic for anyone’s good. It was hard to focus on who was saying what and why after awhile, their heated voices overlapping each other’s and becoming louder until Osomatsu and Karamatsu finally showed up to check in and intervene.
The older brothers tried to ask what was going on, but Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu couldn’t explain without starting to yell at each other again, prompting Osomatsu and Karamatsu to split them up and each try to calm them down. Somehow Osomatsu managed to get Ichimatsu to breathe normally and stop feeling like he was going to boil over with his anger...but just barely. 
Inside, Ichimatsu was a shaky, confused mess. He and Jyushimatsu hadn’t had a fight like this in ages, since they were kids. And although part of him wanted to try patching things up right away, just to get rid of this weird feeling pressing down on his chest, another part of him still fumed. Jyushimatsu had said some terrible things too, things that were unwarranted when all Ichimatsu needed was some comfort. And Ichimatsu refused to be the first to apologize.
Jyushimatsu hated arguing just as much as he did. Surely, he’d be back any second to make amends.
But he wasn’t. Instead the two brothers didn’t see each other again until dinnertime, and they wouldn’t look in each other’s directions or speak to each other once during the meal. At bedtime they didn’t say goodnight to each other, and for once were glad they slept on opposite ends of the futon. 
 The other brothers noticed the rift between them, how cold they acted around each other, and it was unsettling to them. No one knew how to fix it, and figured they’d work it out on their own, they way they always had with their fights.
But it was hard for everyone to see the two brothers, the closest friends ever, not speaking to each other.
—————
Days wore on. Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu continued to avoid each other, and act distant when they were in the same room together, barely acknowledging each other’s existence. The other brothers became more concerned, and tried to get them to speak, but neither would budge.
Ichimatsu didn’t know why it had to be so hard, or why he didn’t want to talk to Jyushimatsu first. It wasn’t that he liked being in the middle of a fight with him—he hated it, it made him feel sick inside. But he still wanted Jyushimatsu to approach him first.
At least, he thought he did. Truth be told, after having some time to cool down, Ichimatsu realized he had said some nasty things too. And he had to admit he didn’t think Jyushimatsu would ever intentionally hurt his feelings either. Still...he didn’t know how to talk to Jyushimatsu now, what to say to make things better. So he didn’t, even though it felt awful.
One afternoon Ichimatsu sat on the back porch, thinking, trying to come up with a way to fix everything. He was so lost in thought he didn’t notice anyone joining him.
“Ichimatsu?”
Ichimatsu jumped at the sound of Jyushimatsu’s voice. “Jyushi, I—“ he began, still not sure what he was saying, but when he turned around to face his brother he stopped short and could only gaze in astonishment at him.
Jyushimatsu stood there, cradling a cat in his arms—a familiar ginger-colored cat. Momo.
“Look who I found in the park,” Jyushimatsu said quietly, with a little smile. “She was following me home. I think maybe she thought I was you.”
“M-Momo….!” Ichimatsu stood up quickly, and Jyushimatsu carefully transferred the cat from his arms to his brother’s. Ichimatsu cradled her close, gently stroking her fur, and she purred and nuzzled herself against his neck. “I thought you were gone…”
“She must’ve got a little lost,” Jyushimatsu said. “But look, she came back to you! She didn’t want to stay away…” His voice trailed off, and became softer as he added, “And uh...neither do I.”
Ichimatsu peered up at his brother, momentarily distracted from the excitement of his cat returning. “I guess we should talk.”
“Ichimatsu-niisan...I’m sorry I said what I did, about your punishment theory being stupid...I could’ve been a lot nicer about it. I just didn’t want to see you beat yourself up and think you don’t deserve to have good things happen to you without bad things happening too. Life can be happy sometimes, if you let it be.”
“I know...I guess that’s just hard for me to believe.” Ichimatsu glanced down at Momo, then back up at Jyushimatsu. “I’m sorry, too. I never should’ve said you didn’t understand because you’re happy all the time...I know you’re not, it’s just easier for you to see the bright side, which is a good thing.”
Jyushimatsu peered at Ichimatsu hopefully. “Does that mean everything’s okay again?”
“Yeah...I mean, if you’ll forgive me.” Ichimatsu gave him the smallest smile, which Jyushimatsu returned wholeheartedly. 
Momo purred loudly then, as if to chime in and say she was happy with this turn of events too. Jyushimatsu reached out and gently petted her head.
“You know...you say there’s a balance in the universe, that there has to be bad stuff to balance out the good stuff. That you have to be punished if too many good things happen at once,” Jyushimatsu noted suddenly. “But maybe...maybe the opposite is true, too. Bad things can be rewarded with good things. Momo disappeared, and we had a fight...but now, she’s back, and we made up.” He beamed at Ichimatsu. “That’s balance too, isn’t it?”
Ichimatsu considered this--maybe Jyushimatsu had a point. It was so easy to constantly focus on the bad, rather than the reverse of that. But it made sense, didn’t it…? After all, here they were, all together and getting along again. Ichimatsu couldn’t have asked for anything better than that. 
“I think you’re right, Jyushimatsu.”
Maybe the universe wasn’t always so cruel, after all.
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The Dark Knight Rises: Film Review
The real world threats of terrorism, political anarchy and economic instability make deep incursions into the cinematic comic book domain in The Dark Knight Rises. Big-time Hollywood filmmaking at its most massively accomplished, this last installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy makes everything in the rival Marvel universe look thoroughly silly and childish. Entirely enveloping and at times unnerving in a relevant way one would never have imagined, as a cohesive whole this ranks as the best of Nolan's trio, even if it lacks -- how could it not? -- an element as unique as Heath Ledger's immortal turn in The Dark Knight. It's a blockbuster by any standard.
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The director daringly pushes the credibility of a Gotham City besieged by nuclear-armed revolutionaries to such an extent that it momentarily seems absurd that a guy in a costume who refuses to kill people could conceivably show up to save the day. This is especially true since Nolan, probably more than any other filmmaker who's ever gotten seriously involved with a superhero character, has gone so far to unmask and debilitate such a figure. But he gets away with it and, unlike some interludes in the previous films, everything here is lucid, to the point and on the mark, richly filling out (especially when seen in the Imax format) every moment of the 164-minute running time.
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In a curtain raiser James Bond would kill for, a CIA aircraft transporting terrorists is sensationally hijacked in midair by Bane (Tom Hardy), an intimidating hulk whose nose and mouth are encumbered by a tubular, grill-like metal mask which gives his voice an artificial quality not unlike that of Darth Vader. What Bane is up to is not entirely clear, but it can't be good.
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Although it's only been four years since the last Batman film, eight years of dramatic time have elapsed since the climactic events depicted in The Dark Knight. Batman and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) have been in suspiciously simultaneous total seclusion, much to the consternation of loyal valet Alfred (Michael Caine), who, upbraiding his boss for inaction, accuses him of “just waiting for things to get bad again.” They do, in a hurry. But in the interim, Gotham has scarcely missed him, as he's publicly blamed for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent and hasn't needed him anyway since organized crime has virtually disappeared.
Bruce begins being dragged back into the limelight by slinky Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a spirited cat burglar who lifts his fingerprints and a necklace from his safe while pulling a job at his mansion. It was always a question how this ambiguous feline character (never called Catwoman herein) would be worked into the fabric of this Batman series, but co-screenwriters Jonathan and Christopher Nolan, working from a story by the director and David S. Goyer, have cannily threaded her through the tale as an alluring gadfly and tease who engages in an ongoing game of one-upmanship with Batman and whose selfishness prevents her from making anything beyond opportunistic alliances.
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Commandeering the city's sewers with his fellow mercenaries, Bane begins his onslaught, first with an attempted kidnapping of Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), then with a brazen attack on the Stock Exchange, which, at the film's 45-minute mark, has the double effect of luring Batman out of hiding and bankrupting Bruce Wayne. The latter catastrophe forces the fallen tycoon to ask wealthy, amorously inclined board member Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard) to assume control of his company to squeeze out Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn), who's in cahoots with Bane.
Nolan has thus boldly rooted his film in what are arguably the two big worries of the age, terrorism and economic collapse, the result of which can only be chaos. So when virtually the entire Gotham police force is lured underground to try to flush out Bane, the latter has the lawmen just where he wants them, trapped like animals in a pen waiting for slaughter. And the fact that Gotham City has, for the first time, realistically used New York City for most of its urban locations merely adds to the topical resonance of Bane's brilliantly engineered plot, in which he eventually takes the entire population of Manhattan hostage. Nolan has always been a very serious, even remorseless filmmaker, and never more so than he is here.
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Inducing Selina to take him to Bane, Batman gets more than he bargained for; physically, he's no match for the mountainously muscled warrior, who sends the legendary crime fighter off to a literal hellhole of a prison, with the parting promise of reducing Gotham to ashes. Seemingly located in the Middle East, the dungeon resembles a huge well and has been escaped from only once, by none other than Bane, who is said to have been born there and got out as a child.
Here, as elsewhere, there are complex ties leading back to the comic books that link characters and motivations together; with Bruce and Bane, it is with the League of Shadows, which occasions the brief return of Liam Neeson's Ra's Al Ghul, last seen in Batman Begins (in 2005). A solid new character, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's resourceful street cop John Blake, is a grateful product of one of the Wayne Foundation's orphanages. Many of the characters wear masks, either literal or figurative; provocatively, Batman's mask hides his entire face except for his mouth, the very part of Bane which is covered. This is just one of the motifs the Nolans have used to ingeniously plot out the resolution to their three-part saga, which involves at least one major, superbly hidden surprise.
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While Bruce Wayne languishes in the pit rebuilding his strength for an escape attempt, Bane spectacularly and mercilessly reverses the entire social order of Gotham City: 1,000 dangerous criminals are released from prison, the rich are tossed out of their uptown homes, the remaining police hide out like rats underground, and a “people's court” (presided over by Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow) dispenses death sentences willy-nilly. With virtually all bridges and tunnels destroyed, no one can leave the island, which is threatened by a fusion device, initially developed by Bruce and his longtime tech genius Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) as a clean energy source but now transformed at Bane's behest into a nuke, which he promises to use.
Some of the action scenes, such as multiple chases involving the armed motorcycle Bat-Pod (mostly ridden by Selina) and the cool new one-man jet chopper-like aircraft called The Bat that zooms through the city's caverns like something out of the early Star Wars, have something of a familiar feel. But the opening skyjacking, the Stock Exchange melee and especially the multiple explosions that bring the city to its knees -- underground, on bridges and, most strikingly, in a football stadium -- are fresh and brilliantly rendered, as are all the other effects. The film reportedly cost $250 million, but it would be easy to believe that the figure was quite a bit more, so elaborate is everything about the production.
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But the fact that all the money has been put to the use of making the severe dramatic events feel so realistic -- there's not a hint of cheesiness or the cartoonlike -- ratchets up the suspense and pervasive feeling of unease. One knows going in that this film will mark the end of Batman, at least for now and as rendered by Bale and Nolan, but for the first time there is the sense that it could also really be the end for Batman, that he might be sacrificed, or sacrifice himself, for the greater good.
Needing to portray both his characters as vulnerable, even perishable, Bale is at his series best in this film. At times in the past his voice seemed too artificially deepened and transformed; there's a bit of that here, but far less, and, as Bruce becomes impoverished and Batman incapacitated, the actor's nuances increase. Caine has a couple of surprisingly emotional scenes to play and handles them with lovely restraint, while other returnees Oldman and Freeman deliver as expected.
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Bane is a fearsome figure, fascinating in his physicality and blithely confident approach to amoral anarchy. With the mask strapped to his head at all times and his voice altered, Hardy is obliged to express himself mostly through body language, which he does powerfully, and at a couple of key moments his eyes speak volumes. All the same, the facial and verbal restrictions provide emotive limitations, and his final moments onscreen feel almost thrown away; one feels a bit cheated of a proper sendoff.
Hathaway invests her catlike woman with verve and impudence, while Cotillard is a warm and welcome addition to this often forbidding world. Even though Nolan and Bale have made it clear that The Dark Knight Rises marks their farewell to Bruce Wayne and Batman, the final shot clearly indicates the direction a follow-up offshoot series by Warner Bros. likely will take.
PHOTOS: The Christian Bale Directors Posse: 6 Auteurs Won Over By the Actor
As before, the production values are opulent and sensational; nothing short of the highest praise can be lavished on the work of production designers Nathan Crowley and Kevin Kavanaugh, cinematogtapher Wally Pfister, costume designer Lindy Hemming, visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, editor Lee Smith, composer Hans Zimmer and sound designer Richard King, just for starters.
The only conspicuous faux pas is a big continuity gaffe that has the raid on the Stock Exchange take place during the day but the subsequent getaway chase unfold at night.
Nearly half the film, including all the big action scenes, was shot with large-format Imax cameras and, with both versions having been previewed, the 70mm Imax presentation that will be shown in 102 locations worldwide is markedly more vivid visually and powerful as a dramatic experience; the normal 35mm prints, while beautiful, are somewhat less sharp.
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Despite all the advanced technology deployed to make The Dark Knight Rises everything it is, Nolan remains proudly and defiantly old school (as only the most successful directors can get away with being these days) when it comes to his filmmaking aesthetic, an approach indicated in a note at the end of the long final credits: “This motion picture was shot and finished on film.”
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hcs on how dr1 boy deal with being sick?
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Being sick is never fun, but writing about it could be.
Let’s do it.
Get Well Soon: DR1 Boys Editions
Makoto Naegi:
-He gets sick every now and again, not enough to be a concern but enough to annoy him every time he feels it coming on
-He usually doesn’t get anything severe that requires any strong medicine or anything. Normally he just catches a cold or has a fever, typical kind of stuff 
-Since what he usually gets is so mild, he normally tries to take some cold medicine and push through the day as normal, though it’s usually pretty obvious when he’s doing this though
-More coughing, a bit more tired, a little less excitable, etc
-He does sometimes over do it when he does this though, as he’ll still spend time with a friend if they ask in favor of getting actual rest (Either because he feels he can’t say no to the person in question for whatever reason, or because he can’t get a proper no out in time before he’s dragged into whatever nonsense is being asked of him)
-He’ll usually sleep off an illness within a few days though, which at least makes up for frequency of it
Leon Kuwata:
-Doesn’t get sick too often. When he does though he tends to act like it’s the end of the world (Even though it’s just like… a cold or something)
-”I’m DYING over here guys!”
-He’s the kind of guy that’ll also milk it for as long as he can
-As in he’d try to get away with missing school or anything related to baseball in favor of doing other, more ‘fun’ things for as long as he could realistically get away with it
-Totally faked being sick when he was a child (And maybe still does on occasion)
-Most people know when he’s trying to just get out of stuff by this point, so they usually don’t buy it
-Can cause him a bit of trouble when actually, for real gets sick though, with people not believing him about it
Chihiro Fujisaki:
-If there’s some kind of illness going around, chances are good that he will catch it
-Poor guy just doesn’t have a very strong immune system
-It’s another thing he kind hates about himself. Because to him it’s just another ‘weak’ thing about himself that he wishes he could fix
-Staying up until the early hours of the morning working on programming projects probably has never helped him in that regard 
-Definitely is always super obvious when he’s sick or is in the process of coming down with something. He just gets that look about him
-His friends help make sure he recovers well. He feels guilty about relying on them so much or burdening them, but they’re more than happy to help
-…Even if it means fighting with him about being in his computer so late into the night
Mondo Oowada:
-The definition of ‘toughing things out’. 
-Daiya used to help him when he’d get sick when they were younger, but since then, he hasn’t really figured out what to do for himself, so he just kinda… ignores it
-He’s usually a lot more irritable when he catches some kind of bug, usually a little sore as well.
-What sets him off the most is when someone points out that he looks under the weather and/or they suggest taking something for it
-Views taking medicine for it as a weakness and avoid it because of that mindset. 
-Super hypocritical when it comes to talking to others about it when they’re sick though and encouraging them to take something to feel better (especially with his female classmates)
Kiyotaka Ishimaru:
-If there is anyone in the 78th class that takes great pains to keep from getting sick, it is Kiyotaka Ishimaru
-After all, he has to be a good example! Allowing himself to fall ill and have to miss class would be a poor image to send to those around him
-But even he can succumb to illness every now and again.
-Usually happens when he pushes himself too hard or has a lot of stress that he’s been trying to push through without any help (whether it’s school, stuff with his classmates, or something with his family, that kind of thing)
-He doesn’t get sick often, but when he does, he’s OUT. Not at all helped by his tendency to try and still keep going on like normal
-It’s extremely difficult to convince him to actually get some rest so he can properly recover, and one that takes several people and constant promises that any missed assignments will be brought to him promptly once the day is done
Hifumi Yamada:
-Kinda similar to Chihiro in the sense that he often stays up way too late working on a personal project, though he’s a little better off than him
-Most telling sign that he’s sick is that he’s way less energetic
-Like, he doesn’t shout nearly as much and doesn’t seem as enthusiastic about things
-Usually doesn’t mind getting sick though (provided it’s not super bad of course) because it gives him more time to get more inspiration (Ie: watching anime)
Byakuya Togami:
-He will deny he is sick forever, no matter how obvious it is that he is
-He also doesn’t get sick all that often, but is hit hard when it does happen
-Too prideful to ever ask for help, though he often gets it anyway, whether he wanted it or not. He’s lowkey thankful for it, but would never show it ever
-Touko is especially more than happy to help him when he’s sick, He’s annoyed of course, but at least she’ll usually be quiet when shes asked, so he puts up with it
-He somehow gets even bossier when he’s sick, but also a lot quieter. There’s less snark verbally coming from him when he isn’t feeling well
-Still just as prominent through the expressions he gives everyone though. The snark is just felt rather than spoken
Yasuhiro Hagakure:
-He’s whiner when he gets sick, kinda like Leon. 
-Though whereas Leon’s is more dramatic for the sake of drama, Hiro actually thinks he’s dying 
-Goes to WebMD ALL. THE. TIME.
-He also probably looks up strange home recipes to try and fight off some kind of sickness instead of just taking the cold medicine like a normal person would
-He usually tests them out on someone else though first
-Spoiler alert: It’s almost always Makoto, who then winds up sicker than he was before
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eric-raleigh · 5 years
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All the odd numbers ^^
ULTIMATE CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE 
hoooooooooooooboy. LOL You and your ‘go big or go home’ complex. XD (j/k ilu)
1. What words or phrases do they overuse?Hm. He’s not stuck on one particular word or phrase. He does tend to overuse sarcasm though. 
3. Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?Eric has always considered himself to be fairly optimistic, but also a realist. The introduction to the Saviors took a heavy toll on his optimism and he wasn’t able to find a silver lining in anything other than the fact that he and Aaron were still alive. After Aaron got the shit beaten out of him, there were no more silver linings, and Eric feared that if they stayed, they would die.
5. What bad habits do they have?Worrying is probably Eric’s worst habit because it usually ends up getting him into a situation where he winds up doing something stupid. The end result is that the situation blows up in his face or he winds up getting hurt (physically and/or emotionally).
7. How do they display affection?A smile, a look, a touch, a soft kiss, resting his forehead against his lover’s. His affection can even be as simple as him asking about someone’s day, or taking a genuine interest in them to show he cares about them.  
9. Strongest character trait? Weakest character trait?His kindness is probably his strongest trait. He’s the type who would share his last bite of bread with someone else, no matter how hungry he was, just so they wouldn’t go without. He can be a little impatient at times, which leads him to being somewhat short and less cheerful than usual.  
11. How do they react to praise? How do they react to criticism?Eric is not one for the limelight, so praise makes him uncomfortable. He’ll usually brush praise off with a “it’s nothing” or deflect the praise onto someone else if there was a joint effort. He’s never been very good at taking criticism, either, and it can deflate him quite a bit. There’s nothing wrong with being show how to do something different or better, but if someone is criticizing him personally, it can pretty much ruin his day and drag him down. He’ll get very quiet and withdrawn until he gets over it.
13. What are their biggest secrets?Eric shares everything with Aaron, so he really has no secrets. The only time he really doesn’t tell Aaron what he’s thinking is when he starts wanting to leave Alexandria behind after the Saviors come into their lives. He knows it’s selfish of him, and he knows Aaron would be disappointed in him for thinking it. When the topic is broached just before Aaron leaves on a mission to find Father Gabriel, he knows he was right in not sharing that thought with Aaron, as his partner criticizes it, leaving him feeling even more guilty for thinking it.
15. When was the last time they cried?This depends on threads, but in every timeline of events, it’s after Aaron walks away, leaving him beneath the tree. He knows it’s the last time he’ll see Aaron, and it was killing him to not show how scared he was, how sad he was, or how much pain he was in for Aaron’s sake.
17. What was your character like as a baby? As a child?Eric doesn’t remember being a baby, but he remembers stories from his parents about never wanting to keep his diaper on. He was a good kid, respectful and hardworking (whether it be school or chores). He was kind-hearted and loved being outdoors. His love for music and playing instruments was instilled early in his childhood, and his parents were always encouraging him to learn new things.
19. What is their best childhood memory? What is their worst childhood memory?Best childhood memory is summertime in the mountains in Tennessee. Catching fireflies, camping down by the creek with all the other kids. Worst childhood memory...probably when he realized he was the only gay kid in his little ecovillage. Watching boys and girls pair off and start dating was hard for him. Looking back now, he’s pretty sure there were a couple of other LGBTQ kids in his community, but they either weren’t sure yet of their sexuality or just kept it secret.
21. Are they in a relationship?Very much so.
23. How do they respond to a threat?It depends on the seriousness of the threat, but usually the response manifests first in his expression, which will range from “the f--k you just say to me?” to “I am mentally stabbing you with a thousand knives.” If it’s a physical threat, if Eric can walk away, he will. If he has to fight back, he will defend himself.
25. What is their choice of weapon?The knife he carries at his hip. He finds it easier to weld than a gun and more effective. He’s a decent shot with a gun, but at least with a knife he knows he can put someone down instead of just maim or slow them.
27. Where do they go when they’re angry?Somewhere where he can be alone and decompress. He needs time to walk away from an argument or a situation so he can think about it and not respond in anger. If he’s not given the option to walk away and cool down, the situation is likely to get worse because he will lash out verbally.
29. Who or what is your character’s guardian angel?His grandmother, Ida Mae. After she died when he was in college, Eric has somehow always felt her presence in the more trying moments of his life.
31. What are their religious views?Eric has a more agnostic approach to God and religion. Maybe something’s out there, but maybe it isn’t. He appreciates the bits of the Bible that say love is the most important of all, and that you should always love your neighbor. It isn’t until the dead start to rise that Eric starts having a crisis of faith--wondering why, if God did exist, he would allow such suffering, and if the dead had come back, did that mean there was no heaven or hell. Of course, he wasn’t moved enough by this crisis to really do anything serious until the war with the Saviors when he decided it might actually be time to start praying. Not for himself, but for Aaron and their friends.
33. What do they think hell is?Hell is having the rear tire of a car rolled over your ankle with roamers trying to make you a meal.
35. If they could call one person for help, who would it be?Aaron. Wouldn’t even be a thought in the matter.  Unless the person he was calling the help for was Aaron...then, in that case...Daryl.
37. What is their greatest regret?Not making his way back to Tennessee after the outbreak to find his family. He and Aaron had actually been headed towards the place Eric grew up when they came across Rick’s group. Deciding it was more important to to help the group, they agreed to go back to Tennessee another time. They never made it back to Tennessee...
39. What is their idea of perfect happiness?A long life with Aaron.
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Well, well, well.
@erasermic-aus​
Looks like henry and windy are at it again. Lets give them hell shall we.
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Mmm look at that delicious hint. Alright you know the drill lets look at obvious stuff first. 
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1: We’ve got a recording microphone. Specifically based on the shape it looks like we either have a condenser mic (specifically a large condenser mic) or a Ribbon microphone. Knowing what we do about Present Mic canonically (He has a radio show) we can assume this Mic also has a radio show (or a vlog, we’ll get to that later) which means he’s probably using a Ribbon Microphone given that they’re said to have the most natural sound and are usually used for recording human voices. 
But we can take this further. 
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Hizashi’s Microphone is a mounted mic on stand... obviously (they help with audio quality). And he appears to have a pop filter on the front (basically it makes audio not sound like shit or in the words of an expert: “One of the simplest recording gadgets is the humble pop filter... positioned between the vocalist and your microphone to block plosives – those percussive P and B sounds that cause annoying low frequency bumps.”- a random fucking website, I did this research myself, I’m not sighting it if I don't have to.)
2: Red eyes. Now Hizashi canonically in the Bnha comics has read eyes, it was changed for the show... for atheistic reasons I guess? This isn’t some measly one off, because Windy and Henry aren’t sloppy. Lets take a look at what versions of Mic have green eyes. The mad hatter. Waiter Hizashi. That's it... there aren't that many full color pictures of hizashi with his eyes colored/open. 
But lets look at who has red eyes. God’s Abomination, specifically when it’s villain mic and hero eraser. (there's no fully colored version the other way round so I’m just sort of assuming his eyes are green when it’s hero hizashi and villain eraser, would make my job soooo much easier being able to draw that conclusion) BUT NOPE I can’t make that clear decisive cut of red means evil, because guess what... HERO MIC HAS RED EYES IN SCREECH’S AU.
But you know what we do know. 
Mic isn’t a hero. Henry told us as much. 
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Odd emphasis on not there... implies he’s a villain. But we wont rule out civilian yet.
Now we get to talk about this:
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Firstly, that one eye visible one eye not is a fucking trope in the art world. 
Want to know why?
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Nah, I’m joking it’s been around a lot longer than him. But the glasses glare and the one eye is a very common theme. Don’t believe me?
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That hiding one or both eyes on dangerous characters thing? Also a fucking trope. 
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Want a list of popular anime character with only one eye showing??? I have one!! https://www.ranker.com/list/best-anime-characters-with-one-eye-showing/ranker-anime Want a whole fucking page about it? https://www.animecharactersdatabase.com/tags.php?id=1085 Here's the data base!!!
Want videogame examples? Undyne (undertale), Sans (undertale), Garry (Ib)! The list goes on!
And doing something with a character’s eyes is always a trope! Character got possessed??? Guess what you can change the eyes to clue your audience in! You’re character just went fucking feral? SLITTED PUPILS ARE THE WAY MY DUDE. Aizawa Shouta just activated his quirk? Zoom in on them eyes, change color and do a weird color fracture. 
Super powerful character has eyes flash? Totally normal, robot character’s eyes change color when scanning? One eye changes color?
Heterochromia is also super common. 
This implies that Hizashi is dangerous, since it’s not happening before a fight as far as I can tell, it just implies he’s a dangerous man and not to be messed with. 
Also remember how I mentioned vlogging? There is the off chance Hizashi is blogging and that’s why his attention isn't on his microphone. Or he could be looking at photos,  or something... maybe a kidnapped and tied up Aizawa... who knows. 
3: Now lets look at that dialog. 
“He was amazing!” We can infer that the he in this situation is probably Aizawa... though it could technically be anyone. But we’re going to stick with Aizawa. 
He was amazing? Well sounds a bit like Hizashi talking about Hero Aizawa, having seen Aizawa on patrol or even having fought him. One this is for sure, this is probably an obsessive mic. The sort that fixates on Aizawa or the like. Seems to me like a villain obsessing over a hero. Now, subtler details. 
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1: Lets take a look at this background. That’s glass right there which means this isn't Hizashi’s house, this is a recording studio. And Hizashi is either the host or is being interviewed, and we can rule that out due to the fact his feet are up and it’s fucking rude to do that if your being interviewed. 
Now this could also be a police interrogation room, but the chair lends to it not being so, as does his posture and the mic itself. No this is a recording studio which means Mic defiantly has his own show.
Not only that, he’s a public figure. And probably a villain!
2: Hand guestures are something distinctly Hizashi. As someone who speaks with their hands the same way he does, expressing with hands isn’t just a thing for other people, you move your hands by yourself, reminding yourself to put on socks with motions, etc. But that, that's an odly specific position. 
Now talking with your hands is a common phenomena, books have been written about it, it allegedly conveys strong leadership and the like... however it’s also a trait sociopaths and psychopath are known to mimic in order to endear people to them. Now let me put up a sociopath/psycopath checklist (The tests are very similar and I didnt feel like doing both) and lets look at Present Mic as a character.
GLIB and SUPERFICIAL CHARM — The tendency to be smooth, engaging, charming, slick, and verbally facile. Psychopathic charm is not in the least shy, self-conscious, or afraid to say anything.  A psychopath never gets tongue-tied. They have freed themselves from the social conventions about taking turns in talking, for example. ✓ Hey, look Charm? Never gets tongue tied... hmmm
GRANDIOSE SELF-WORTH — A grossly inflated view of one’s abilities and self-worth, self-assured, opinionated, cocky, a braggart. Psychopaths are arrogant people who believe they are superior human beings. ✓ This one is a little harder to check off, because he’s not nearly as self centered, but cocky? yeah... yep, so he gets half a point here.
NEED FOR STIMULATION or PRONENESS TO BOREDOM — An excessive need for novel, thrilling, and exciting stimulation; taking chances and doing things that are risky. Psychopaths often have low self-discipline in carrying tasks through to completion because they get bored easily. They fail to work at the same job for any length of time, for example, or to finish tasks that they consider dull or routine. ✓ I dunno if you’ve met Hizashi, but this fits in rather well.
PATHOLOGICAL LYING — Can be moderate or high; in moderate form, they will be shrewd, crafty, cunning, sly, and clever; in extreme form, they will be deceptive, deceitful, underhanded, unscrupulous, manipulative, and dishonest. ✓ If he’s a villain he checks this easily. Especially if he’s a public figure AND a villain. 
CONNING AND MANIPULATIVENESS — The use of deceit and deception to cheat, con, or defraud others for personal gain; distinguished from Item #4 in the degree to which exploitation and callous ruthlessness is present, as reflected in a lack of concern for the feelings and suffering of one’s victims. ✓ See above
LACK OF REMORSE OR GUILT — A lack of feelings or concern for the losses, pain, and suffering of victims; a tendency to be unconcerned, dispassionate, cold-hearted, and non-empathic. This item is usually demonstrated by a disdain for one’s victims. Ehhh… I really need to see more of this version of Hizashi to determine that. 
SHALLOW AFFECT — Emotional poverty or a limited range or depth of feelings; interpersonal coldness in spite of signs of open See above.
CALLOUSNESS and LACK OF EMPATHY — A lack of feelings toward people in general; cold, contemptuous, inconsiderate, and tactless. Once again see above
PARASITIC LIFESTYLE — An intentional, manipulative, selfish, and exploitative financial dependence on others as reflected in a lack of motivation, low self-discipline, and inability to begin or complete responsibilities. Nope.
POOR BEHAVIORAL CONTROLS — Expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal abuse; inadequate control of anger and temper; acting hastily. ✓ Acting hastily? Yep.
PROMISCUOUS SEXUAL BEHAVIOR — A variety of brief, superficial relations, numerous affairs, and an indiscriminate selection of sexual partners; the maintenance of several relationships at the same time; a history of attempts to sexually coerce others into sexual activity or taking great pride at discussing sexual exploits or conquests. Cannonically this would make sense but we wont check it.
EARLY BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS — A variety of behaviors prior to age 13, including lying, theft, cheating, vandalism, bullying, sexual activity, fire-setting, glue-sniffing, alcohol use, and running away from home. Dunno yet.
LACK OF REALISTIC, LONG-TERM GOALS — An inability or persistent failure to develop and execute long-term plans and goals; a nomadic existence, aimless, lacking direction in life. This man wanted to be a radio host. That's not a fucking stable job Hizashi. This is poor planning. ✓
IMPULSIVITY — The occurrence of behaviors that are unpremeditated and lack reflection or planning; inability to resist temptation, frustrations, and urges; a lack of deliberation without considering the consequences; foolhardy, rash, unpredictable, erratic, and reckless. ✓ No duh
IRRESPONSIBILITY — Repeated failure to fulfill or honor obligations and commitments; such as not paying bills, defaulting on loans, performing sloppy work, being absent or late to work, failing to honor contractual agreements. ✓ if He’s a fucking villain.
FAILURE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OWN ACTIONS — A failure to accept responsibility for one’s actions reflected in low conscientiousness, an absence of dutifulness, antagonistic manipulation, denial of responsibility, and an effort to manipulate others through this denial. ✓ if He’s a fucking villain.
MANY SHORT-TERM MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS — A lack of commitment to a long-term relationship reflected in inconsistent, undependable, and unreliable commitments in life, including marital. Nope
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY — Behavior problems between the ages of 13-18; mostly behaviors that are crimes or clearly involve aspects of antagonism, exploitation, aggression, manipulation, or a callous, ruthless tough-mindedness. Dunno yet
REVOCATION OF CONDITION RELEASE — A revocation of probation or other conditional releases due to technical violations, such as carelessness, low deliberation, or failing to appear. Dunno yet
CRIMINAL VERSATILITY — A diversity of types of criminal offenses, regardless if the person has been arrested or convicted for them; taking great pride at getting away with crimes. …..✓
Let me spell this out for you, Hizashi is displaying an oddly exaggerated handmotion, even for the most exuberant of hand talkers. (Generaly talking with your hands never gets outside of a box, here I’ve drawn the box on mic for you.)
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The larger box is where most people talk and people why are shy or have been bullied/are self conscious of their hands talk in the smaller box. 
He as a character ticks of most of a psychopathic checklist and if he is indeed a psychopath he could have learned that hand motion endear people to you. Now I’m not saying he is a psychopath, most people tick off at least 4 of those boxes, I’m just saying it’s possible. 
3 yep that eye is still confusing me, he defiantly seems like he’s looking at something and the more I look at that smug expression the more I think it’s Aizawa tied up and gagged in a chair with his own capture weapon glaring at him.
4: That's a nice chair. That's a nice chair. Not interrogation I guess. But something about that chair irks me. 
Alright nitpicky now. 
Posture:
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That's not fucking relaxed posture. That’s posturing to give of the air of being relaxed. Mic may have been relaxed when he crossed his legs but those arms are not relaxed. Look at the stiff angles. That’s a man who’s up to something. 
And lastly, no, no I could not figure out what kind of shoes Mic is wearing, and I don't think it’s relevant.
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cards-onthetable · 5 years
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I'm feeling a little bad for Jamie
(More thoughts from our Aussie friend!)
So as I told you I'm still yet to see episode 18, (it supposedly airs Thursday but channel 10 sucks so it may not). I have been irritated (massively) by this season and the Jamko working together farce, as you know. But from following you guys it seems this episode really pissed people off.
From the snippets I have given in and watched, I agree with the thought that Jamie could've and should've chosen his words better. FYI in that restaurant scene I actually felt Eddie was rude to the waitress but I'm told that is probably just a reflection of cultural differences so I decided to let that go.
However I'm curious why Jamie has irritated you all so much because I think at times Eddie has used similar tone etc with Jamie. In episode 14, Eddie tells Jamie to "cool it" at the dinner table. I recall watching that and thinking she just treated him like a child (in front of others no less). Sure the Reagan brothers were butting heads but Eddie's tone in that scene irritated me. I wouldn't care if Eddie had squeezed his thigh to say hey calm down, but I didn't like the verbal tell off. I would equate Eddie's 'cool it' with Jamie's 'cut it out'. But for me Eddie did it in public.  Jamie was in a public place, but presumably they did not know others in laundromat.
(I disagree, I don’t see anything disrespectful or out of line in Eddie’s tone during that scene. She and Jamie had just had a private discussion on the topic so they knew each other’s points of view. Then when the dinner table discussion got out of hand, Erin stopped things and Eddie jumped in too. Her telling Jamie to “cool it” and then saying “hey, you too” to Danny didn’t come off as disrespectful to me whatsoever. In general, during those ~tense~ family dinners, I tend not to read into anyone’s tone too much because the frustration is usually two-sided and ~justified~ (unlike Jamie’s unwarranted reaction to the softball thing). It was no different than any of the times Linda reeled Danny in during dinner, and not inappropriate in context.)
In episode 12 again at the dinner table Eddie said, "I like him. I hope you turn out like him". It came across to me as a little bit bitchy. The tone was kinda “I'm joking, but yeah I'm really not and you know it Jamie.” I understand that again, his communication about the wedding was awful, (I still can't believe a wedding costs 100k btw) but I just felt like Eddie belittled him a little bit. (Again, the dinner table back-and-forth doesn’t really bother me or strike me as disrespectful/bitchy/etc. I’m actually happy when Eddie feels comfortable enough to ~act like one of the family~ at dinner.)
Then professionally in episode 16 at the very beginning where Eddie walks in to find Jamie in an argument with his subordinate and she immediately inserted herself into the conversation with "what the hell is going on here". It made me feel that Eddie has no respect for Jamie being the boss. (WHY ARE THEY WORKING TOGETHER AGAIN)? That shit just would not fly here. If I'd been Jamie I would not have been so cool about that. While professionally I would remain calm, at home I would have lost my shit badly with a partner of mine interfering at work. If I were Jamie, I'd have been livid. As an aside, this scene was also irritating  in the sense that we are meant to believe nobody knows they are screwing, YEAH RIGHT!!! (Somewhat agree here, but I mostly blame this on a poorly written way to involve Eddie in that conversation. When I first watched the episode I rolled my eyes @ Eddie involving herself at all, but didn’t necessarily think she did it in a way that would be worse than any other way for her to insert herself in the conversation, if that makes sense lol. But I can see how she comes off as not respecting Jamie’s authority.)
 EDDIE CLEARLY WEARS THE PANTS IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP which is perfectly fine. I'm not one for life has to be ruled by a man, but while Jamie should be in charge professionally (and usually is), Eddie is definitely in charge at home. Which makes it even more irritating to me that they are having Eddie play meek and mild in some episodes to make me wonder where old Eddie went and make Jamie the arsehole. If Eddie feels comfortable to belittle Jamie in front of family and colleagues, it is total rubbish to then suggest she'd refuse to try out for softball because Jamie expresses himself poorly. (Talk to me more about how you see Eddie as wearing the pants in their relationship. In the past, when Jamie was an adorable lovesick puppy with an impossible crush, sure. But lately ????? The inconsistency is nuts, you’re right.)
I'm not trying to attack Eddie here, I just find it interesting that so many people have been furious with Jamie over 'softball gate', whether it be on your blog, the BB twitter or facebook pages. I think season 9 would have benefited by having more scenes of Jamko at home (or you know, NOT HAVING SEASON 8 END WITH THEM BECOMING ENGAGED WITHOUT EVER DATING). More balance of 'church and state' may have shown their relationship in a better light. Instead we get them basically at family dinner and arguing at work or in a restaurant arguing about work. I'm ignoring mini golf because well, don't we all wish we could ignore that? (Ugh Yes preach.)
Also I really wonder how much of Jamie being tightly wound is the losses he's had in life or the weight of the family expectations. To me Jamie sets very high standards for himself and if he feels he fails in those standards he really struggles. I'm just thinking that is rooted in childhood. Frank seems to regard Jamie as most like himself and as such Jamie has a lot to live up to. If Frank cut Jamie some slack maybe Jamie wouldn't be so emotionally repressed. For eg hey Frank did you even consider telling Danny he was wrong in episode 14? Nope you left it to Henry. Even then, that seemed to be because the Reagan family name might be tarnished if Jamie actually held Danny accountable for insubordination. I don't care that Danny shot someone, I care that Danny always has and always will get away with giving his superiors grief because he's Danny. Jamie would have been suspended and has been in the past seasons.
(This relates back to conversations from this week about Jamie’s need for therapy, or at a minimum his need to acknowledge all this unspoken baggage everyone insists he has. (I’m slightly skeptical; while I agree the foundations are there, I don’t give the BB writers enough credit to think they’ve developed the character of Jamie Reagan deeply enough to actually consider how his various traumas would manifest in his daily life and relationships. Like their characterization is much more shallow and not that nuanced/complex). But this is why I’m interested in @fixomnia-scribble’s potential rendition of Jamie’s conversations with his therapist (and why I only want to see Jamie’s conversations with his therapist in any such fic, with nobody else involved, lol).)
Oh and hey I was thinking BB writers were being morons with this whole season but I've realised I'M THE MORON because I still kept watching it. SPLIT THEM UP PROFESSIONALLY AND MAKE IT REALISTIC. I'M BEGGING YOU BB. I have other thoughts about the wedding and season 10 but you shouldn't have to read them all. 
the grump from Down Under.
P.S. The wedding pictures gave me a laugh but hey I say put Jamie in a kilt and knee high socks cos I know how you feel about knees. 😛 (THIS WOULD BE AN IMPROVEMENT OVER THE BIB TIE TBH)
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myouki · 5 years
Text
Heat of the Moment: Alternate Ending - Decision
Credits:
Goth: @nekophy
Palette: @angeutblogo
***
Goth was woken by the sound of the doorbell. He blinked muzzily, taking in the familiar sight of the living room as he sat up from his position on the couch. He looked toward the clock on the wall, barely making out the hands in the dim evening light. It had only been maybe an hour since he got home.
Must have fallen asleep...
The doorbell went off again, pulling him back to the reason he was awake. Pushing off of the couch, he clicked on a light, yawning and stretching as he tromped over to the door. Grabbing the handle, he opened it to find his 'boyfriend', Palette, waiting on the other side.
"Hey Goth, I have something I need to talk to you ab-," Palette began, only to switch gears at the small skeleton's appearance, "... uh, are you okay?"
"Huh?"
"Your clothes are messed up and you look like you're crying," Palette supplied.
"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine," Goth adjusted his cloak and rubbed the sleep from his face as he explained, "I crashed on the couch after getting home from work and I just woke up."
"Rough day reaping?" Palette asked, his mouth pulling into a sympathetic smile.
"Yeah," the small skeleton sighed, "A coastal town got hit by a hurricane. Dad needed extra hands to handle the sudden volume, and even then there wasn't much time for a break between collections."
"Oh, that does sound rough...," Palette rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his starry eye lights toward the ground, "I should probably come back another time and let you rest..."
The hooded monster grabbed his hand before he could turn to leave, "No, you can stay. I'm already awake, and I could use the friendly company since mom's visiting relatives and I doubt Uncle Pap will let dad get out of documenting a reaping this largescale, so he's probably going to be stuck filling out paperwork until later tonight... now there's something to look forward to when I get older."
The taller skeleton chuckled as Goth rolled his eye light, accepting the invitation inside and finding a seat on the couch. Palette laid his right hand against his pants pocket as the smaller closed the door, "So what did you want to talk about? Usually, you text me if you have a question."
Palette didn't answer, his eye lights darting around, his sockets furrowing as if he were trying to figure out his words. Goth sat next to his companion, quirking a socket at his odd behavior.
Palette's always been pretty open about expressing himself. Why would he be so quiet now?
Goth probed softly, "Is everything alright? Did something happen?" He received a nod, but no verbal response.
A guessing game? That's new.
"Alright... something you need to tell me in person, but are having a hard time talking about...," Goth muttered, crossing his arms while tossing around the multitude of possibilities. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for his thoughts to take a negative turn.
Did I do something? Is he mad at me? He doesn't look mad... he looks conflicted. Nervous. What would he need to say to me that-
... wait... is he breaking up with me? That's it, isn't it? After four years together, he's finally figured out he doesn't love me. That's why he's suddenly so quiet. He doesn't know how to say it without hurting my feelings...
A hand on his arm startled him. Palette was watching him with a quizzical expression, "Goth? Are you sure you're okay? You look like you're crying again."
Goth rubbed his sockets with his sleeve, rubbing more vigorously when they came back damp. "Yeah. I'm good. I...," he took a breath to calm himself before he continued, "I'm a big monster. I can be mature about this, and it's alright. I... I understand."
Palette quirked a socket, "You do?"
Stars, a nap sounds really good right now... just curl up under the sheets and never come out again.
"I do," Goth confirmed, trying not to let it show how much the words hurt to say, "You said four years ago you would give 'us' a shot and that things might not work out. I always knew that this was a trial run kind of thing... and you've... you've found your answer. I enjoyed our time together, but if you don't feel comfortable being... together anymore-"
"Wait, what? No!" Palette interrupted, waving his hands frantically, "No, that's not what this is about... well, it kind of is, but it's not-... agh!" The skeleton clenched his sockets, knocking his hat askew as his hand scraped along his forehead.
"Look, the thing is...," Palette took a breath, looking at Goth but not quite meeting his eye lights, "I have found an answer. Four years ago, you said you loved me. I didn't know what to say because I had no concept of love to work off of... so I asked you to show me. And this is the conclusion I've come to.
"Love is smiling, laughing, and making memories that leave your soul feeling warm. Accepting someone at their weakest moments and helping them grow to be better while knowing it's okay to accept that same help in return so you can be better too. Talking openly without fearing judgment or ridicule. Being able to have a fight, but working through it toward common ground and still finding things you enjoy about each other.
"Love is sharing your time. Making plans for the future and always seeing the other as part of that plan. It's missing each other when you're apart and reveling in the reunion. Wanting to see those you care about smile, wanting to wipe away the tears, wanting to chase away the pain.
"Love is looking at that someone, and being able to say without hesitation that there is no one you would rather share your life with."
Goth quietly listened the whole time, not moving an inch. Everything Palette said sounded right and encompassed the main points of what he himself viewed as love.
Partway through his speech, the starry-eyed skeleton shoved his right hand in his pocket, seeming to fiddle with something inside, and Goth had to fight to focus on Palette's words and not to let the motion get his hopes up.
It can't be... it's too good to be true. He probably just found a small stone or something. I know he likes playing with objects while he's talking...
"Back then, you said you loved me and that you didn't want a future where I wasn't there, and all I knew was that I hated the idea of losing your friendship," Palette said with a tentative smile, pulling a curled fist from his pocket and staring at it, " Now, being able to finally understand... I don't want a future where you're not there either.
"To me, that's love."
Palette opened his hand. Goth's eye light dilated at the tiny black satin box resting in the skeleton's palm. He felt like he forgot how to breathe as the box was opened, revealing a gold band lined with tiny white diamonds. His gaze rose to meet his boyfriend's as the taller skeleton turned toward him, ring box in hand.
"Goth... would you be willing to share your future with me?" The monster proclaimed. The hooded skeleton slowly took the box from Palette's waiting hand.
The box is real... his words are real... this is real...
Goth launched himself toward the other, clutching the box while wrapping his arms around their neck, knocking their hat off from the force of his hug as he breathed, "Yes."
He repeated the word softly into Palette's shoulder, over and over, as if the world would shatter if he stopped.
Eventually, Palette wrapped his arms around him as the shock wore off, quiet laughter rumbling in his chest. He whispered, "Good... I'm glad. I've been trying to figure out how to tell you for... a little more than a month?... but I was worried if I didn't say it right after all this time, you would reject me. So... thanks for waiting for me, Goth."
Goth opened his mouth to reply but was startled by the front door swinging open, revealing a worn-looking Reaper, exhausted from a full day's work. A glance through the doorway to the starry sky outside showed that the couple's talk had lasted far longer than they realized.
The elder took one step inside, stopped, and stared dazedly at the sight of his son hugging Palette on the couch. The silence was broken as the cloaked skeleton slowly inquired, "Uh... someone want to fill me in on whatever this is?"
Well, that answers the question of who we're going to tell first.
***
So, did I fool you? 
The previous ending was meant to be more open-ended since most of my stories tend to end with them together. I saw it as a more realistic ‘maybe they will maybe they won’t, let the reader decide’ ending... but I like happy endings, and let’s be real: most people probably read ‘Alternate Ending’ and assumed something bad would happen. 
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity~
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