#goes in the tag so i can always refer back to this moment of genius here

[kohakhearts]

tonight's anipoke rabbit hole (actually something i've been largely contemplating since i started rewatching the os, but i've been contemplating it Even More tonight LMAO) is the does gary oak is ash's childhood best friend (established) discussion, which...maybe it's because i already knew the direction of their arc when i went back to episode one, but i think i actually disagree with the notion that episode one presents a continuity error, i.e. that it suggests gary doesn't know ash. to save you all from my ramblings i put them under a cut but tl;dr this is a hashed out conversation i'm putting my two cents into for no reason other than that i can and i want to.

i will say that like...takeshi shudo's novelization does kind of contest my reading here, but it doesn't explicitly say ash and gary don't know each other, either. (iirc, what it actually says is that ash knows gary sort of peripherally and has the impression of him being A Bit Of A Jerk, because he comes from a family of local celebrities and it's inflated his ego - which also debunks the childhood friends thing, just in a different way. all things considered, this does make it pretty clear to me that ash and gary were not originally intended to be childhood friends however the head writers of the silver league arc were part of the team from the beginning or at least fairly early on in the os, so. take that as you will.)

i say this in reference to both the original and the dub, but there are some interesting language nuances that get cut out of the dub because they...obviously don't make a lot of sense. but i was doing my rewatch with the dub, so let me talk about that first. 'cause i actually watched the scene a couple times trying to decide if it really did feel like it challenged the childhood friends thing. and...i don't think it does?

the first line gary says that makes everyone say he doesn't seem to know ash is "well, you must be ash," which. yeah. okay, that'd be a pretty weird thing to say to a guy you already know, but i have one (1) strong thesis here and it's this: that's just how ten year olds are, lmao. the second thing he says (regarding how late ash is) is "at least you get to meet me." that one...okay, fair enough. now i'm starting to sound like the crazy one for saying This Proves Nothing. but you can't tell me ash's response to this isn't straight-up weird, ok, because he just kinda c: and goes "gary?"

this is...a poor translation, for the most part, but i'll get to that in a second. even watching this with no knowledge of the original, that call and response kinda feels like someone playing along with a bit. there's no way that he knows this guy's name just from the cheerleaders he literally bowled over to get to the lab. it's clear he already knows it from somewhere else (and following with the novelization, it's definitely the family of local celebrities thing, although that same novelization stipulates that gary doesn't even attend school in pallet town, so this is all around just a really Absurd series of events - that's why i love it so much, but still).

anyway, then gary says "that's mr gary to you" and ash's c: turns into a o: he's like. flabbergasted lmao. and he only reacts again to be like whaaat you got your first pokemon???

the rest of their interaction is just "can i see your pokemon" and "sucks to suck, sucker," so not incredibly noteworthy other than that ash goes from, like, weirdly polite with his little "um, excuse me" to when gary fucks off and he's suddenly pissed.

so in my efforts to like, dig into this more, i found that fan subs don't...completely translate the intention here, either. mostly i only got to thinking about this tonight because i was making a Joke and i pulled up a scene from this episode and it happened to be this one. for whatever bizarre reason, my choice to download Every Episode Of The Pokemon Anime led me to downloading japanese raws, not the dub. but that's beside the point. i actually sat down and listened to this scene with no english subtitles, and i was like. wait. i think this fits my thesis. let me explain.

(it all started when i noticed that when gary goes from addressing ash to addressing the crowd around them, he switches from using the pronoun "boku" to using "watashi," which probably is meant to show that he's trying to come across as Serious and Mature. i have not watched all of gary's episodes in japanese, but i've watched enough to know this is pretty irregular. i thought it was really silly, especially when...put in context.)

SO, in the japanese version, that whole "at least you get to meet me" bit isn't there - that was the translators' attempt at working around something untranslatable, because the actual progression after ash bumps into him here is something like:

>you're satoshi, aren't you? >yeah, it's satoshi-san >or should i say satoshi-kun?

which is...where the nickname comes from, obviously. and it's why he gets that Look on his face...you know the one

(this whole scene is very expressive and i love it, lmao)

even in subs, this is a weird thing to translate, so most people seem to emphasize the reference to ash's tardiness, like in the dub. but it misses some of the character beats laid out here, unfortunately. the satoshi-kun to ashy-boy pipeline is very complex. the shortcomings of the english language and all that.

anyway, gary's next line being "that's mr gary to you" does imply something about honorifics, but when ash just calls him "shigeru," he actually says "hey that's shigeru-kun to you," which doesn't suggest that he's telling ash off for being too chummy with him, as a stranger, so much as he's trying to say hey, we aren't friends, make some distance. because the next thing he says is something to the point of "you're supposed to be my rival, but you're already falling behind."

then the polite little "excuse me" of the english dub is actually ash saying "shigeru-kun?" which does seem awfully polite of him, but then he immediately drops it in his next line and just refers to him as "shigeru" again, so i maintain that it literally feels like he's just humouring gary here a bit lmao.

also worth noting, when gary drives off, ash in the dub says "i'll show you," but in the original just repeats the word "rival," looking very Worked Up.

also, just in general, i do think some of gary's lines here are like...pure exposition. he tells ash he's professor oak's grandson because the audience needs to know it. that doesn't really mean that we as the audience need to - or even should - assume it means he thinks ash doesn't know it, because he clearly does. i mean, he knew his name. that probably speaks for something, lol.

anyway, back to my thesis: this literally just reads like classic "first day of middle school" fuckery. gary oak is literally displaying symptoms of 12-year-old girl syndrome and ash is playing along because that's what pals do, right. like all i'm saying is that these two entered sixth grade and gary suddenly was like hey you can't sit beside me anymore and ash just kinda shrugged and was like haha ok, you're so quirky, and then only later when he heard gary shit-talking him realized hey wait a second, you're a bitch, we aren't friends anymore (and if this feels like an exaggeration, i work with children in this age bracket and believe me when i say i wish it were shdfhjdk).

in conclusion? yeah, the childhood best friends thing makes perfect sense. did they have a fight before this scene? has it been Years? no. gary just woke up and decided to start shit one day. most compelling relationship of the century, if i'm being honest.

ADDENDUM: when professor oak sees ash, he says something about "thats right, there were four people scheduled to see me today," but gary already seemed to know ash was going to be there, which leads me to believe they have at least enough of an established relationship for gary to know becoming a pokemon trainer was a goal of ash's and he had in fact gotten his license. because clearly professor oak didn't give him that info!

#taylor.txt #taylor watches anipoke #*meta #...I GUESS?? i don't think im saying anything someone else hasn't already said before #but in case you needed more more reasons to believe that gary is the funniest character in this whole anime #im here to offer you some #anyway. good night #gary oak #goes in the tag so i can always refer back to this moment of genius here #and so anyone who follows me can easily find it and know im NOT normal about him </3

[theshelbyclan]

Hi! So maybe a little random but you mentioned before something about writing for Enola Holmes and could you maybe just write me a short piece with Enola and Sherlock and maybe him tickling her? I really love how well you write the wholesome family stuff 😊😊

Hi! I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d be the right one to write this one, but a decided to try it anyways, because who can refuse such fluff? Just before I do, maybe check out @astheskycries (I hope you don’t mind me tagging you) for more very similar to what you asked for. Or @cas-kingdom for all the Henry inspired fluff? Hope I did your idea some justice after all 😊

———

Enola sighed deeply, “I already told you, I know I’m right.”

“Clearly not,” Sherlock answered swiftly.

“If he really had been away for two weeks, then why would he not have left his dog with the landlady, as he always does? Explain that to me, my genius brother!”

“Because,” Sherlock took a deep breath and tried his best to keep his face in check. In truth, he loved nothing more than playing these deductive games with his little sister. She’d become quite the formidable counter player in his absence. “Because he left suddenly on a Wednesday. His landlady goes to visit her sister on Wednesdays, everyone knows that.”

“But he didn’t leave on a Wednesday!” She pointed an accusing and fiery finger at him, “He left on a Tuesday, hence the curtains.”

He frowned. He hadn’t thought of the curtains yet.

“There’s a flaw in your reasoning,” Enola remarked triumphantly. “There’s something you’ve missed.”

“I have not,” he almost sulked, “It is you who has missed something. Forgotten about the pie already, little sister?”

“Oh, but that’s nothing. That just means his brother came up from the country.” Enola waved a disinterested hand, “It is you who has missed the blatant obvious.”

“Which is?”

“He’s a man who craves adventure. He is a lawyer, as you mentioned, but one who will only take up cases that lead him into danger. He’s in need of money, did you not see the state of his shoes? Still, he takes cases that don’t pay him as well as they should, but he takes those that require him to visit dark alleyways and grubby little pubs. He is, as I said, a ruffian at heart.”

“A ruffian. Really?” Sherlock scoffed.

A smile formed on Enola’s face, “I’m not surprised you missed it, but I of course did not.”

“And why did you not, but you presume that I did?”

“Well, we’re very different, you and I.”

Sherlock sat down and played a few notes on his violin, absentmindedly, “Indeed, we are.”

“I have mother’s disposition, and am more wild of spirit…”

“…which almost got you hanged!”

“whereas you are more like…”

Sherlock’s head shot up, “I sincerely hope you aren’t referring to…”

“Someone we are both very well acquainted with.”

“Enola…” he warned.

“Mycroft.”

Her brother sprang from his chair and called out, “That is a grave insult, young lady!”

Enola let herself fall down in her brother’s chaise longe, “I’m afraid it’s true. You have no appetite for danger nor fun. Just like him.”

“I’m sorry?”

And for a moment, Enola feared she’d actually gone to far and she had really hurt him. She stared at him and waited.

Sherlock looked down, but his expression betrayed no emotion. After a while, he said, “When you were little, you and I used to laugh together at Mycroft’s expense. You often stole his important papers and I’d make up riddles for him to solve, in order to get them back.”

Enola didn’t remember much about her older brothers, but this bit of information did awaken some memories, and she suddenly felt a warmness towards this one in particularly.

“He’d become furious of course and shout and stomp about the house in anger,” he continued. “And sometimes you’d steal my work too…”

“But you never got angry,” she finished. “You would just play with me.”

Sherlock nodded and walked over to his sister, “I did however chase you all around the house and in order to get my work back…”

Enola’s eyes widened.

“I’d do this!” Suddenly he dove down and started tickling Enola. She shrieked and tried to get away, but it was no use. “Sherloooooock!”

“Ah, not so clever now, are we?” he grinned down at the mess of hair and limbs and drilled his thumbs down at her ribs, which had a particular satisfying effect.

“Hahahaha, I, haha, amahah, not, aaah, a child anymohahahare!”

Moving his hands down to her stomach, Sherlock frowned, “Really? I hadn’t noticed. Seems to me you haven’t changed much at all.”

Finally, after what felt like forever, he stopped and Enola breathed heavily, “Neither have you, brother.”

He stood up straight and fixed his waistcoat, back to his nearly impossible to read face, “You used to think I was fun.”

She tried to tame her hair a little, but not with much success, “Alright, maybe you still are.” Because however much her dignity had been hurt in the process, Enola enjoyed her brother like this immensely.

“Unlike Mycroft?”

Enola smirked, “Unlike Mycroft.”

“Good!” Sherlock walked away abruptly, “That’s the fun handled, now for the danger. I have a case and I would appreciate your help with it.”

“Oh?” his sister sprang up expectantly, “And does this involve any dark alleys or seedy pubs?”

“Indeed it does, dear sister,” he smiled over his shoulder, already halfway out the door, “Follow me. The game is afoot!”

#enola holmes #enola x Sherlock #sherlock holmes #sherlock fanfic #sherlock fandom #sherlock imagine #sherlock x sister #henry cavill #tickle fluff #tickle fic

[incoherentbabblings]

Hi!

I love your content, your love for TimSteph, and I was actually going to ask what you love so much about them. I, for extra credit for English, decided to write an analysis of Stephanie (and why I love her so much), but I just got into comics, and cannot really put my feelings for her in words ... which is odd, considering how much I love her and writing. Also, I was going to do a section on why TimSteph is narrative genius, and I needed help elaborating on that too.

Could you help me out, please? Thanks!

(I feel the need to mention that I have read quite a lot of comics with Stephanie in them, though not all. I'm not much of a comic book fan, but I'm really interested in the Batfamily!)

I'll be very happy to write out bullet points that you could talk about, and feel free to go through my ask and I'll babble/TimSteph meta tags for anything that you think may be worth discussing in your own words - there's like four or so years of stuff there to spark your brain.

HOWEVER!!!! Keep in mind though that much of what I have written is half based on textual evidence and half me just writing what I like/wish would crop up in canon.

For example, yes I like to draw comparisons between Tim being cold and Steph being warm, moon and sun and so on, but there's genuinely nothing in text to hint as this being an actual character trait or symbolism. If anything Tim's stated to be warm several times, more than Steph.

So, and I am sorry to be so blunt, but if I take your request in bad faith for a moment, don't use either directly or indirectly what I've written for your work. Especially without actually going and reading the arcs I talk about. A lot of the time it doesn't hold up under genuine textual scrutiny, and we want to be good academics here! There's Death of the Author and then there's me making crap up because I want to include it in a fanfic. Not the same thing! My blog is called IncoherentBabblings for a reason after all!

I will therefore say this: If you want to write about Steph as a character, I would use the below video as a point of reference. Using the below, you can then go into why she resonates with you the way she does, or why her relationship with Tim is so interesting to you.

If I were you: focus on her dynamic character development: cynical to idealistic. And use three points in her publication history to do this: her introduction in Detective Comics, War Games, and Batgirl. I am sorry to recommend War Games as something to read but it is important to her character. Use the Stephanie Brown Wiki to help!

That lends itself to a biography of her character, a look at her motivations and values, her role within the batfam, and so on. You can also use this to make comparisons with her peers, specifically Tim moving in the exact opposite direction development wise; Babs and Cass in their approaches to Batgirl; and the other Robins through her similar character progression as Dick, which in turn allows her to be a good mentor to Damian, and finally how her character arc runs perpendicular to Jason's. Does that make sense?

Anyway, let's get going! If I were to write an academic piece on Stephanie, these are the main points I would work through. In other words, this is what I would do. You probably will not need nor want to go into this level of depth, and you will want to make it much more personal about why she resonates with you, which may be different to why I love her. So don't worry about touching base with all of them. This is like... 10,000 word essay level stuff. And don't get overwhelmed. I've taken your request far too seriously is all.

Again, I can't write it for you! You gotta do the reading and writing I'm afraid.

...But I still wrote 1,500 words anyway. Gosh darnnit.

Steph’s Character Development

Always keep three points in her character history in mind – her aged 14/15 in her introductory arc in Detective Comics, her aged 16 in War Games, and her aged 18/19 in her Batgirl run.

How does she change? How does she grow as a character? What events caused these changes? Compare that angry 14-year-old trying to choke her father, to the 19-year-old crying happily on the roof. A lot happened between those two points! Outline the main plot beats.

Steph's Role as a Batfam Character:

Protagonist or Antagonist: Supporting Protagonist

Static or Dynamic: Dynamic (think of her character development - angry to alturistic; she softens in her life outlook and in the way she treats others as the years go by)

Minor or Major: Minor and we all mourn that fact :(

Foil or Symbolic: A foil to Tim Drake (and to a lesser extent the other Robins, specifically Jason Todd)

Importance of the character/Position in Society: Fourth Robin, third Batgirl, own superhero. Tim's girlfriend, Cassandra's best friend, one of many of Bruce's 'children'. Initially introduced just as a one-off character for a small arc in Detective Comics, brought back with the intention of being a supporting character to Tim Drake, and eventual love interest. Eventually gained enough popularity on her own terms to support her own solo comic, but has since returned to a supporting role. The character she supports, at the end of the day, is Bruce Wayne.

Motivation

What influences their decisions?: Stephanie's dynamic characterisation comes in here. Compare her motivations during her introductory arc, versus why she does what she does in War Games, versus why she dresses up at Batgirl - Stopping her father, getting Batman's approval, need for redemption.

What do they value?: Values emotional openness, vulnerability, second/third/fourth chances.

Goals/Hopes/Dreams: No long term goals/hopes/dreams in the domestic sense... Continue to be vigilante. Be respected by her peers. Continue to improve self worth through deeds. Graduate college?

What are their views: Views the justice system and police as corrupt, but still trusts in the inherent goodness of people. Focus is usually on the individual, rather than societal or structural.

Actions

Behaviour, Attitudes, Impact on Story and other Characters, Internal Struggle (Wants versus Needs): This is why I think you are best to look at three points in her story - Intro Arc, War Games, Batgirl. Focus on her Wants versus Needs - Steph's take a very long time to align, but they finally do in Batgirl.

Character development is usually driven by the conflict between what a character wants. The plot forces them normally to confront the fact that what they want is not gonna work out, and what they needed instead takes priority.

Everything usually goes tits up for Steph when she is in the driver's seat of the narrative because what she wants from a situation is rarely what she actually needs to happen. See every time she seeks Bruce's approval. She wants it. She absolutely does not need it. And only as Batgirl do we get that acknowledgement, which coincides with her being at the healthiest point in her life emotionally. Look at what she wants as Spoiler during her introductory arc, as Robin/Spoiler during War Games, and then as Batgirl. Why is she so unhappy in the former two? Why have her wants finally aligned with her needs with her time as Batgirl?

Character Traits

Personality: Cynical but perky. Sardonic but sincere. Think about how she changes over the time. This can be attributed to her different writers, but - for example - is there a universe reason for why Batgirl Stephanie is so much more socially awkward than Spoiler Stephanie?

Strengths & Weaknesses: Link these two together because Steph is a very good example where her strengths as a character can simultaneously be a weakness. Her determination can lead to her making ill conceived decisions. Her empathy can lead to her putting her trust in the wrong people. Her forgiving nature can lead to her being taken advantage of. Her temper, whilst landing her in hot water, can also just as often get her out of it.

Relationships

How do they interact with others: Focus on which characters pop up in all three arcs – Steph and her parents; Steph and Bruce; Steph and Tim. I am chucking Cass out the window here, sorry Cass, but if you’re focusing on these three arcs, Cass doesn’t really fit in.

How others view them: Conditional love/affection from her father and Bruce. Unconditional love/affection from Tim and her mother (though both are not without serious pitfalls).

How they view others: Stephanie has explicitly never loved her father. She has also never explicitly hated him either. What does that say about her? Look at her changing closeness with her mother. What changed between them, and again, what does that say about Stephanie? Crystal got sober, supported Stephanie through her pregnancy, Arthur was removed from their lives, Stephanie makes a conscious effort to be closer to her after returning ‘from the dead’, though continues to lie consistently to her. Stephanie admires Bruce, whilst also right from the get go insisting she does not answer to him. She never quite lets go of wanting that approval.

How does society view them: Her outsider role within the Batfam. She never quite belongs, and at points her closest relationships are actively discouraged from seeing her. Which Tim specifically never entertains. This outsider nature bites literally everyone in the butt during War Games. Her outsider status is still in place by the time Batgirl concludes, due to its largely self-contained nature as a book, but this is less being an outsider more having earned to right to operate independently. Trust has been given and earned.

Dialogue

What does she say and how: A teenage girl in New Jersey from a working class background has a very distinct voice. She does not mince words, nor does she hide what she is feeling. If she is happy, she will say so. If she is annoyed, she will say so. What she won’t do is ask for help when she needs it, due to her background formulating a need for her ‘to do things on her own’.

Think of famous/important Steph quotes from the three arcs I keep talking about – the excuse me if I don’t jump when you bark, the I really was part of the legend, the only variable you can control is yourself. These show how Steph views others and herself.

When I was writing I Would Have Loved You, I literally made a spreadsheet where I have picked out what I think are pertinent quotes from every New 52 issue featuring Tim or Steph along with a synopsis that explained what they were up to/what the main theme of the issue was. Not saying you should do the same because I’m just that goddamn anal when it comes to this sort of stuff, but the point is – look for quotes by/about Steph which highlight the above things we’ve talked about. You have thirty years to go through!

Author Intention

What purpose does this character serve?: A character that young female readers could get attached to – the every girl/girl next door archetype or a character that young boys could have a crush on – the kind of girl who’s into the same sort of stuff as you, I think Chuck Dixon once said of her, from her initial appearance. Fodder for Bruce and Tim’s man pain in War Games. Batgirl it’s a combination of filling the void for a female lead solo character in the batbooks, but also tonally taking on a much lighter and self-contained book that new readers could jump into very easily, directly compared to the more lore heavy Batman, Detective Comics, and Red Robin books.

What is the author trying to communicate: Steph’s character shows that determination can only get a person so far, a support system and doing things for the right reasons (again remember that want versus need argument) is the only way a person will genuinely succeed.

What is her main theme?: Balancing cynicism and idealism – doing acts for the right reasons, and discovering what these reasons actually are.

...

Is this even usable for anyone but myself? Possibly not!

Still... Go write! And good luck!

#ask and i'll babble #stephanie brown #tim drake #timsteph #dc #anon i am sorry if i misconstrued your intentions #but i hope if nothing else this helps you verbalise why you like steph and timsteph by extension #good luck for your writing!

[hobixboo]

Autumn Leaves Appreciation

PREFACE

There are four themes for this month’s Words By Bangtan: Self-fulfilment, Memories, Festival, and Victory. Once again, while I am sure there are plenty of other words spoken and/or sung by Bangtan that conveys this message, I am going to be focusing on the song “Autumn Leaves (Dead Leaves)” from their 2015 album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2. This is just a paper expressing my appreciation for the themes and messages in the song, and so if my thoughts and connection seem confusing, I apologize. As before, I will try to stay as formal as possible and if anyone has any challenges to what I am going to say in this paper, please reach out to me.

Kennedy (Ken)

@hobixboo

Autumn Leaves is a song produced by SUGA (and Slow Rabbit) and was released in their 2015 EP, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 2. It could be that the most beautiful moment in life is youth since the album is a part of the Youth Trilogy, but it is also possible that the most beautiful moment in life can happen at any moment, even in the present (a very important theme to be talked about in this paper). My mention of SUGA being the producer of this song is important to the meaning of the song, whether intentional or not, the connection still exists.

Min Yoongi was born on March 9th which makes his birth flower a larch. In RUN BTS episode 99, when talking about Yoongi’s birth flower, the larch, they obviously bring up that it reminds them of the song “Autumn Leaves/ Dead Leaves” (00:06:01). At first, I was confused as to why they brought up the song Autumn Leaves. Since I don’t know Korean, I thought it was just because Larches are deciduous conifers; plants that normally shed in Autumn. It was not just because larches are literally “autumn leaves” but because in Korean “Larch” translates to 낙엽송. 낙엽, meaning falling leaves (which happens during autumn), and 송 which is konglish for “song”. The joke seems to be that it was fate for Yoongi to make a song about dry, autumn, falling leaves. According to Genius’ title description of the song “the actual title, “고엽 ” (ko-yeop), literally meaning dry dead leaves, is not a commonly used word. It sounds very formal, and very gloomy, and reminiscent of few dry brown dead leaves remaining at the end of autumn”. The term reminiscent was used so naturally, I looked more into that word as well. To reminisce means to indulge in enjoyable recollections of past events. Revisiting memories for the purpose of improving current mood and gaining optimism is what the song Autumn Leaves is about. The song is also about being able to go back in time, before you completely lost every bit of yourself so that you can enjoy that time, because in the present you may be barely holding on, like leaves on a tree before the end of autumn.

The song uses the connection that leaves have to a tree and almost personifies it to refer to a relationship that a person may have with most likely a significant other (indicated by the terms of endearment: “baby”, and “my/ this love” in the post-chorus). It is unknown who the significant other is but using the context that BTS has made this song, it’s possible that ARMY being an endearing significant counterpart to the lives of BTS, might be the relationship that is being referred to here, but this can have many other interpretations such as general relationships between people or the relationship within oneself. Despite the interpretation of who the speaker may be talking to, the lyrics express how hard it is to hold on given the inevitability of falling.

The reason I say falling is inevitable is not only because all leaves fall eventually in Autumn but because in BTS’ 2017 hidden track song “Sea”, there is the repetition of “wherever there’s hope, there’s despair” (doolset). Although the majority of the song pleads to not leave and to not fall, to hold onto positivity even if it is fading, Namjoon acknowledges that “my love must fall in order to rise”. I could connect this to the theme “Self-fulfilment” because this line could be saying that some relationships might need to be broken in order to improve oneself but again, the “love” being referenced in the lyrics could depend. Could the love talked about be their love of youth? Is it that letting go of the baggage from youth could make you more prosperous? While there may be hope that holding on can turn out to be worthwhile in the end, there will always be despair to tag along, but it may be more straining and stressful than letting go.

The most obvious connection that Autumn Leaves has to the Words By Bangtan themes is to the theme “Memories”. It is a word used explicitly in the lyrics (“inside my memories I become young again”- RM) but the idea of a memory is said implicitly as well (“The subtle (ambiguous) difference from how it was before”- SUGA). The song is not just about memories, but more so, positive memories that come from a particular season: Autumn Nostalgia. Nostalgia, as defined by David Ludden, is the “bittersweet emotion we experience when we think back to a past experience that was better than the life we’re currently leading”. It is possible that the fall season serves as a “retrieval cue” to bring about feelings of nostalgia (like the weather changing from hot to cold or the smell of pumpkin spice in the air). The reason I say Autumn Leaves is more positive in its recollection of memories, despite the lyrics talking about a lack of strength to hold on, is because the lyrics acknowledge that the past was better. With lines such as “I can’t catch you anymore”, “your words and expressions that become cold… our relationship is fading”, “Compared to before, tonight is much quieter”or “I want the you that wants me again”, the speaker is longing for the relationship that was warm and full of life, like the season before (relationship again being left up to interpretation (ie. longing for a self that is more full of life, whose words were less cold towards others, etc)). While remembering that there are good things in the world (and in yourself) is a good thing, it is not what Namjoon is saying we should let go of (since those memories can be self-fulfilling).

I believe Namjoon is saying not to dwell or hold onto things you know you are supposed to eventually lose. We shouldn't let our past, whether good or bad, stop us from living in the present and making new beautiful moments. This could also be why the last line of the chorus is saying “Don't go far away” instead of just “Don’t go away”. It accepts that one may have to leave but as long as they don't go far, they will be able to return. By revisiting memories and not getting caught up in them, one may be able to catch themselves from hitting the ground and completely shattering. Nostalgia can be a good thing if it makes you happy when you are feeling low, but being stuck in an unchangeable past, or on a “branch that does not shake”, one may “constantly fall on their own”. All nostalgia can do is “dampen sadness” momentarily but life still goes on. Even if life were to continue on as bad, it won't be as bad (Ludden) and like the lyrics suggest, even if you fall, you won’t fall far.

It is almost as if after acknowledging that one may need to fall in order to rise again, the repeated “never fall” at the end takes on a new meaning. Towards the end it seems more self-encouraging, almost to say “even if the present is difficult, never let yourself get to the point of shattering. Remind yourself of the most beautiful moments of your youth, but don't stay there”. With a message like this, it makes more sense as to why the song was included in the Young Forever Compilation album but also why it was placed as the second to last song on the original album (House of Cards being the outro surrounding what happens after this realization in Autumn Leaves). Right before the end of youth, BTS are reminding others (and themselves) that while youth may be over, and trials in life may seem like they are getting worse, never fall and keep yourself together a little more (House of Cards) as there is another season to look forward to.

#autumn leaves #BTS #HYYH #bangtan #words by bangtan #Wordsbybangtan #Visualization #sea #lyric appreciation #Larch #Youth #nostalgia

[seaofthemind-art]

The “Abuse” Trope in MCU Spider-Man Fan Fiction: Part 1

[Edit Note: This first post completely missed my point, and as such is now being continued in "Part 2". I have made several edits and additions to this post for coherence between the two.]

I became interested in these tropes partly due to what seemed to be its abundance within the fandom. Re-reading several stories recently led me to consider how this trope has been handled in the fandom, its variations and ways that it has been turned on its head, as well as stories ideas that have not been explored yet to my knowledge.

Within the "Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)" category on AO3 there are several overarching areas that would come under the trope of abuse.

To put it in context, on the 26th October 2020 there was 28,637 works in the category; this included 626 stories tagged as "child abuse", a total of more than 2% of the stories. Of course, as we well know, tagging on AO3 is not consistent: there will be "abuse" stories which do not use this tag, whilst the tag may also be referring to a range of characters' situations (ie: Tony's childhood, Flash's backstory, OC characters). However, for these posts I'm going to look at stories related to Peter's experiences.

For all the "popularity" of these stories in the fandom, it is just an example of what are wide spread tropes across media. TV Tropes lists several related tropes including Abusive Parents and Foster Kid, showing that it is not only this fandom in which it is common.TV Tropes also makes a good point in its Sliding Scale of Parent-Shaming in Fiction, in that: what one person classes as abusive behavior may be perfectly acceptable to another.

Major Plot Categories

One of the common targets for this trope is "May's Abusive Boyfriend", which seems to have grown in popularity in the last year as Endgame has provided a convenient set-up for this trope:

the second law of thermodynamics by extraordinarythings

"It happens the same way it always does. (It's just discipline. It's not that bad. It's fine, Peter is fine, he'll be fine--). Except he really isn't fine, and Tony knows something's up, and Peter's house of cards is falling apart, and so the story goes."

Who Saves The Hero by CamelotQueen

“May brings home her new boyfriend. Something about him makes Peter feel nervous, but he makes May happy. And if May's happy, then Peter is happy. Then it escalates.”

Fear all else but never me. Please. by Webtrinsic

“May's new boyfriend proves himself to be a grade A-asshole when he decides to abuse Peter. And that doesn't sit well with Tony at all.”

i get by (but it’s eating me alive) by Livinei

““Do you not want to be home?” Tony starts. “No.” Tony considers for a moment. Peter’s never not wanted to be home. Not before… Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t know a lot about David. Peter doesn’t bring him up a lot, and when he does then he’s not very eager to discuss it for long. Tony hasn’t gotten an impression that Peter’s particularly fond of the guy, though.”

The Homes We Make by iamq

“Peter Parker isn't the type of boy to run crying to Tony Stark because he can't handle a punch. Michelle Jones and Ned Leeds aren't the type of friends to ignore Peter's rapidly declining health. Eugene "Flash" Thompson isn't an idiot.”

to this day by hopeless_hope

“It's months before anyone realizes May's boyfriend abuses Peter. The effects are lasting.”

Promotions Aren’t Always A Good Thing by Agib

“When May gets a new boyfriend, Peter's okay. When Carter moves in, he can deal. When May gets a promotion so she works days and Carter works nights, Peter finds it harder to deal. When Carter starts abusing him, he begins to feel crushed by the weight of it all.”

The Black And The Blue (All That It Takes Out of You) by Buckets_of_Stars

“David wasn't a person Peter would ever want to be around, but with him being May's new boyfriend and all, it makes it harder and harder to avoid him. But it was fine, May was happy and of course, Peter still has Tony. But that was before the hitting started. Before David spit neglectful words in his face and the spiderling begins to question his very worth.Tony, on the other hand, is not having it.”

Vertigo by GalaxyThreads

“Coming back from the dead wasn't nearly as awesome as TV made it out to be. Peter's learning this on the go. And it really doesn't help that May's new husband absolutely hates him. And that May is pretty ignorant of that and him now. But it's all fine. Really.”

Your Heart Changed (mine stayed the same) by @loboselinaistrash​ [WIP]

"Peter Parker is back but 5 years into the future and the world has changed. Peter goes home with May only to find she had moved on, with a husband and two kids. Peter struggles to find his place in this new family with a strict step uncle, the longer he's there the harder he finds it to stay on his good side, uncertain if May will believe him."

A Peter Parker Problem by @spagbol99​ [WIP]

"Peter comes back to find May has a husband and a kid. A new family he has to fit into. But he has done it before, he can do it again. The only thing that feels solid is Tony: the Blip and fatherhood have mellowed him and Peter loves the bond they have now. He knows Tony would be there for him through anything. But Tony needs to focus on his own recovery - not small time Peter Parker problems. When things at home take a turn for the worse, Peter decides that he'll handle it himself. He is Spider-man. He's been to space and fought aliens. He can get through anything. After all, if May is happy, he is happy, right? Right?"

--

This premise has been turned on it's head by a couple of authors with the straight opposite of this trope in "May has a new boyfriend who is decent (and confused)":

The Secrets We Keep by @euphoric-melancholyy​

"May has a really awesome, loving boyfriend who's just a little confused as to why she lets her teenage son stay out til 1 every night and sleep somewhere else every weekend. Also, he’s friends with Tony Stark? Chris - May’s new boyfriend - feels like he’s missing something here."

A Good Kid  by kuragay

"Ricky thinks that May's an exceptional woman, and he thinks that Peter's an exceptional kid. But there's no denying that the Parker household is full of mysteries, and most of them are centered around Peter and his supposed internship with Tony Stark."

--

Then there has also been several stories changing the abuser, such as in the concept of "What if May (or Ben) is the abusive carer?":

Brooklyn by @hailing-stars​ [part of a longer series]

"After leaving Peter with Tony and months of no contact, May shows up in Peter's life again, interrupting Tony's plans to adopt him. Peter has to decide who he wants to live with, but soon learns the decision may really not be his."

Parker Luck by CreepyLittleLullaby

"He never met one, he got left behind by the other, the next one died, and the only one he had left was pushing him away. And he doesn't know what to do. Peter really has rotten luck when it comes to parental figures. No matter how hard he tries. Parker luck will always prevail."

Please, Understand by jipseebree

"When Aunt May discovers that he's Spider-Man, something inside her snaps. She starts to abuse him and he deserves it, doesn't he? After all, people have died because of him. People who wouldn't have died if he was a better hero."

Spiders hunt alone, anyway by karma_is_a_turtle [WIP]

"Ben’s death hits the Parker family hard, May worst of all. May Parker struggles to cope with her husband’s death and her nine-year-old nephew grows up learning how to pick up her slack."

Always Silent, Peter Darling by LlibLo

“After a traumatic experience at age 6, Peter Parker hasn't spoken a word. Most blame it on the fact that he witnessed his Uncle die in a horrible fire, this is only partly true. Now, almost 10 years later Peter is given the chance to finally speak, but will he take it? Or is the fear of his Aunt to much for him to take that chance? Either way, Tony Stark can tell something's not quite right about the kind hearted May Parker.“

It’s All Just Static In My Head by Blue__Dreams

“And then May was shot. Foolishly, childishly, Peter hoped Iron Man would swoop in and save the day again. He hoped and hoped and hoped. And Ben drank and drank and drank. As Ben grew worse, and their fridge grew empty, as Peter’s face became more bruised, and his powers grew, Peter realized, you can’t depend on superheroes. So Peter created his own hero - Spiderman.“

 I told you I had issues by Bergen            

“Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and right now, a little exasperated. Because some guy is swinging around New York, shooting webs and making trouble, Fury is breathing down his neck, and his latest intern took off with his coupon for a free coffee.“

--

Another focus for the abuse trope are the "Skip Wescott" stories, which take their concept and the character from a one-shot from the comics. @irondadfics​ has a good rec list for this. Many of the stories take it further than the comic that inspired them, and within the fandom it has also become common to see it re-mixed in variations of “Abused by Other Person of Authority” AKA: Babysitter/Teacher/Foster Carer/etc.

Although Skip is a common character for authors to use when they need a character as the abuser who isn't a complete original character, both original characters do appear as well as other characters from within the MCU.

The Third Option by Uncertainty_Principle

“Ben and May divorced before Peter’s parents died, so when Ben is murdered Peter goes into foster care. It takes just a tiny taste of superpowers for Peter to decide he doesn’t want to put up with his horrible foster father anymore—the streets are infinitely more appealing. All he wants is to be Spider-Man anyway.“

take a look at me now, there's just an empty space by @lyssismagical

“As much as Peter does want to disappear to his bedroom and avoid the awkward attempts at a one-sided conversation or inquiries about the life Tony’s read about, he craves the closeness to another person. The last time he felt properly close to someone was May. Every home in between had people who tried or people who didn’t, either way, it never felt the same. He was just another mouth to feed, another set of house visits and questionnaires from Elaine, another troubled kid under their roof. He was never treated like a human being, like a kid.“

Like A Flame That Flickered Out Too Soon... by @mysterycheerio

““He did this to you?”. Peter nodded. “And this is why you haven’t been talking?”. Another nod. Tony left the room in a hurry. Peter didn’t know where he went. Pepper knew. Rhodey knew. The whole damn neighbourhood around Stark Mansion knew, his yells were so loud.”

The Education Complication by Buckets_Of_Stars

“When young Peter Stark was diagnosed with Asthma, he was given two very important rules to always follow: 1. No long distance running. 2. Always have your inhaler with you. But when a new Gym Teacher with a hatred toward Iron Man gets hired, the 13 year old is going to find that following these two simple steps has never been more difficult.”

--

This is just a selection of the stories which can be found on AO3, from which it should be already clear that these cover a wide range of treatments of the subject.

Across all the categories, the reactions of characters to the abuse is varied; as well as some notable omissions in the range of stories. 

This we will look at in Part 2.

#fan fiction #fan fic rec #story ideas #mcu #irondad #fanfic recs #spider-man #fan fiction reviews #tropes #now a multi-part discussion #too much time reading fan fiction

[iinfortunii]

rules: code of conduct.

BEGIN.

Before we start, I would like you to have certain things in mind when approaching me ooc. I am very shy and quite awkward, which results in me not being much of a talker; however, I will always try my best to be friendly to whoever wants to approach. I dislike pet names so please do not use them with me unless we are very close. There will be times when I'm just exhausted, so my wording could sound rude/aggressive, to which I apologize in advance -I never mean to hurt people’s feelings. I also reserve the right to interact with WHOEVER I want, and pestering me about it will only get you blocked.

Updates will be made as required.

I. BASIC.

A. This blog is: Selective / Independent / Canon Divergent / NSFW / Mutuals only / Singleship / Mostly iconless / Multiverse / AU, Crossover, OC, and Multimuse friendly / Vaguely affiliated with the OP RP fandom.

B. I am a very slow rper for many reasons —school, family, my ever-fluctuating mood —and I would appreciate it if you refrained from pestering me for replies. In return I offer as much patience as necessary. Think of this blog as low activity please.

C. English is not my mother language so I apologize in advance for any mistakes made.

D. I track the tag #iinfortunii, although mentioning me works just as fine.

E. Constructive criticism is always welcome but anon hate will be immediately deleted. I have no problems if you disagree with my portrayal, but it doesn't give you the right to harass me.

F. Mun and muse are both over 18, so there are chances that heavy content will be present; however I won't be writing smut. I can roleplay anything before or after the act if requested, but the moment things get far too explicit, I'll do a fade-to-black. I ask of you to not lie about your age or else you’ll be blocked indefinitely.

G. This is a heavily headcanon-based blog, and changes are likely to be made as more information is revealed about him, though I reserve the right to adjust the new information according to my interpretation of Deuce or simply ignore it, which is why I’m canon divergent.

H. If you'd like to turn an ask into a thread, you can turn it into a new post, or reblog from me, as I won't be using the Tumblr asks anymore due to the problems that come with formatting and such.

I. Ask box is open for everyone ic or ooc, but you aren't allowed to turn it into a thread and nor I will reply to it if we’re not mutuals. Please don't push me, because I won't hesitate to block.

J. No godmoding —only a minor is allowed if it moves a thread forward —or metagaming, please. Don't kill Deuce either, unless plotted beforehand, and most importantly, don't hold your muse back.

K. Discord is available for mutuals upon request.

L. Just because I write something it does not mean I condone it. Please have this in mind and again, do not pester me about it. Any and all nsfw matters will be tagged accordingly. There will be triggering topics present, and you can know more about this on the section below.

M. DO NOT involve me in drama or call-out posts. I’m heavily against both things. On this note, you’ll never see me rebloging a call-out post. This culture is so damaging and toxic, and I firmly believe no one should play the role of the judge for the good of the community just because you had issues with someone or don’t agree with the things they roleplay. Talk things privately, be mature about it, hard-block the person and move on. I am also very aware that a lot of people have done things that can’t be excused, but I like to believe that people can change for the better. If you try to drag me into it, I'll hard block any and all people involved indefinitely.

II. TRIGGERS.

A. They will be tagged as trigger tw, trigger / and trigger cw.

B. I do my best to stay up to date with my mutuals triggers. Your comfort is way more important to me than you might think, so never be hesitant to approach me via IM, (anonymous) ask or stop following me.

C. Triggers that are likely to appear, although some more than others: violence || blood || death || drugs || abuse || knives || body image || medical equipment || suggestive content || etc

D. I have no triggers, so you are free to go wild with your content. I only ask you remember to tag your nsfw (both written and visual), please.

III. INTERACTIONS.

A. Deuce won't like everyone. He might/will make wrong assumptions about your character. He will insult and bite back. He won't always be nice to those he likes. He does many things that serve his interests. You, as the mun, have no reason to take it personal, because I'm won't follow someone I don't like; if you DO take it personal however, and decide to rouse drama, then I'll be hard-blocking you. Goes for me as well —I have no reason to get angry for any of the things noted above.

B. My bonds page displays the relationships that have been built over time, not necessarily through interaction alone but over plotting as well. Refer to it for more information.

C. Interactions with OCs related to canon characters will only take place as long as said OCs have a detailed about page. Personally, I'm not interested in the idea of an OC being blood-related to my portrayal, so I apologize in advance.

D. Formatting isn’t a big thing across my blogs, save for the small text. Please don’t mix either sup/sub with small text when writing with me, as I have eyesight problems. Don’t use colored text either.

E. Non-romantic pre-established relationships are allowed! Just make sure to talk it out with me first, yeah?

01. Spade / Whitebeard pirates (canon and original characters alike that i am MUTUALS with) will have a pre-established relationship as long as the other mun is comfortable with such idea, though that relationship will be limited to merely crewmates, unless discussed otherwise.

F. You don’t need to match my writing length as long as I’m given enough to work with. If something about my reply bothers or doesn’t work with you, let me know and I’ll re-work it.

G. I really enjoy plotting scenarios or talking out about the relationships my muse could have with other muses, so hit me up if you’ve got any ideas! I’ll try to do the same!

H. Mun does not equal muse, so don’t go assuming I’m a jerk simply because Deuce is an asshole from time to time. I’m set on the idea that I’ll give people the same treatment they give me —which is always nice and kind. Kudos to everyone for this ♡

I. I don’t use a threadtracker because I rely on my memory (terrible mistake, I know), but I try to draft people’s replies as soon as I see them. If by any reason it seems like I lost it, then please let me know / send me a link with it and I’ll be deeply grateful.

J. I don’t do nor reply to greetings starters for matters of my own comfort, so I ask of you to never expect a starter or a reply from them.

IV. SHIPPING.

A. Singleship, with the spot taken by daadzi, which means Deuce is no longer open for romantic relationships.

01. Under no circumstances, I will accept more romantic relationships once the spot is taken. That being said, I won’t discourage your muse from falling for / hitting on him, although I ask you to understand he will never respond with the same interest or will never react gently if he’s pushed too far.

02. If my shipping partner is comfortable enough, I'll interact with duplicates with the condition that the relationship is strictly platonic.

B. Constant interaction, mutual interest, and chemistry are a must for the sake of better communication (both ic and ooc, preferably).

C. Please do not approach me if you wish our characters to have either a: one night stand or friends with benefits type of relationships. It won’t work out due to the nature of Deuce’s personality, and for that I apologize.

E. My ship has its own tag so you're free to block it if you don't want to see it on your dashboard. In addition, I'll also tag those posts with only the ship name for this very purpose.

F. Please do not force ships on me.

V. CELEBRATIONS.

A. First off, I am absolutely terrible at keeping up with dates, and to be frank, I am not the biggest fan of celebrating, which is why I think it’s necessary to say I won’t be partaking in any holidays, not even Deuce’s birthday (not that he has one, to begin with). Obviously I will still reply to any gifts received, and will send out things in return —you know, common courtesy.

B. I won't be sending out birthday gifts every year, and I might write drabbles for people once in a blue moon; it doesn’t mean they will be done for the specific date though, so please be patient.

VI. REASONS TO NOT FOLLOW BACK / UNFOLLOW.

A. Too much drama / call-outs / vague posts / sexual content.

B. Content makes me uncomfortable.

C. You are a personal blog without a visible rp sideblog. Please make sure it's easy to find.

D. You do not have a proper tag system.

E. Your blog doesn’t have a rules and about pages.

F. You lack the manners to deal with people respectfully.

G. I have no interest / lost interest.

H. I'm constantly / only used as a meme archive.

I. Other reasons may apply. I will soft block so we can both cease following each other and avoid any potential awkward situations. I won’t make a fuss if you decide to unfollow so I expect the same courtesy.

VII. ABOUT BEATRICE.

She is not a real person. Her concept as Deuce’s (toxic) pseudolover is my creation and was somewhat inspired from the real life Beatrice Portinari. Do have in mind that Deuce doesn’t talk about her so your muse can’t simply approach him and ask about her unless they can go through his memories / read his mind / any capability alike or he speaks about her, though it won't take a genius to figure out that she's a product of his imagination.

You can read about her by clicking here -link to be added.

She serves as a lie to shield himself from the internalized homophobia he deals with up until meeting Ace.

NOTE: As stated previously, Mun =/= muse, but I too have been dealing with compulsory heterosexuality for far too long, so I'd like to apologize in advance for projecting a bit of that into my portrayal. I'll work so that this part makes sense with what we've been given from Ace's novel.

VIII. MISCELLANEOUS.

A. I will never force people to follow me, so if by any reason you have to unfollow/block me, please go ahead. Your comfort matters and have every right to do what you must to ensure your wellbeing. With that said, I will not tolerate and will immediately hard block if you try to police my content.

B. I do not follow back immediately, and it can take me from a few hours to several days to follow back. Do not take it personally if I choose not to.

C. If I follow it’s because I am interested in interacting. I only ask you to be patient because it might take me a while to gather the courage to send something to your inbox or talk to you.

D. I have. ZERO knowledge about medicine. Don’t expect me to go full force and try to be 100% accurate, because I won’t.

E. I practice reblog karma (send a meme to someone if I’m rebloging it from them). If you see something you’d like to reblog but have no intention in sending something yourself, then please reblog from the source.

IX. FINISH.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! As you might have noticed, there’s no password to send. Make sure to check the psa tag for any updates, or don’t hesitate to send an ask if there’s anything unclear! I do my best so as not to post too much OOC posts, but sometimes it just happens. If it's nothing important, then I'll erase it whenever I have the chance/remember.

Keanu Reeves vc: You’re all breathtaking!

#pinned post. #long post #❝ —talking nonsense ; ooc #❝ —off to new adventures ; queue #ooc. #queue. #[ this is a very long post btw ]

[thesimonkshow]

My thoughts on Folklore

This is about to be a long ass Taylor Swift post, so strap in for the ride.

I along with many others were going about their business (looking at Adam Driver gifs) before my phone alerted me to the notification that Taylor Swift was releasing her eighth studio album Folklore the very next day. Chaos everywhere, my sleep schedule went out the window as I went into the Swifties tag to see how everyone else was dealing with this news. So I eagerly awaited 2PM (Australian time) for the album to drop and after a few listens (sleep got the better of me through my first listen due to my previous sleep schedule), I eventually picked out some album highlights.

The 1 - I love how freely she’s cussing on the album (a point that will be reitriated throughout), and I know Gossip tabloids and casuals will be shooketh because they’d think Taylor & Mr. Alwyn have ‘broken up’ due to Taylor’s personable lyrics but this gave me Better Man vibes. Remember when the Bridge said ‘You might have bern The One if you were a Better Man’ and this is basically that without the angsty fire.

Cardigan - I LOVE how Alternative Folk fits Taylor’s voice, it sounds like she’s telling us a story and we are entrapsed by her. It also works perfectly with the love triangle songs, which I had to understand a bit through a few listens.

The Last Great American Dynasty - The moment I saw this track, I knew it would be epic. I pictured her taking the piss out of the Trump family, but what I got was an awesome song about the woman who owned Taylor’s Rhode Island house and the antics she got up to. I love the descriptors she used when describing the weddings and the party’s Rebekah & Bill had and especially the bridge of antics Rebekah got up to later in her time. The ‘And then it was bought by me.’ Part of the bridge, I love a good twist!

Exile - OH MY LORD. When I saw Skinny Love Bon Iver on this album, I knew this would be something and low and behold it was. The concept of the man in exile in her intro caught my attention but seeing it up close and personal was amazing. The vocals interlaced with each other was perfection, especially as Taylor responds to Bon Iver. I really connected it to the struggles of Seth Rollins in the latter half of 2019, how he seemed to be exiled from the WWE, how his initial opponent Kevin Owens was having his flaws disregarded to drag Seth down, the ‘Always Keep Fighting’ shirt that he wore (raising money for mental health chairties) adding insult to injury for Seth, who had even briefly deactivated his twitter to clear his headspace following attacks/death threats from a fellow wrestler’s fan base. ‘I gave you every sign’ rings true here, the man was struggling and no one seemed to care.

My Tears Ricochet - My WWE ass was happy to see another Wrestler reference after The Man. So this was an interesting look, but I got another story that intrigued me, a man having been involved in a tumultous connection with the songs narrator showing up to her funeral to save face. Listeners drew parraells with the recent Masters drbarkle with Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Records with whom Taylor was once signed to, and I have to say it’s a good perspective to take.

Mirrorball - This one took a while but I ended up loving the fact she could sing from a Mirrorball’s perspective and still make an epic song. I loved the part about always fitting in with the crowd because at functions/discos where mirrorballs are used, the lights will change to fit the mood and being a reflective surface, Mirrorballs will reflect the colour change.

Seven - This was a nice ditty about a past friend Taylor once had. I really loved the line ‘Please picture me in the weeds before I learned Civility’ it gives a more sophisticated parraell to Never Grow Up.

August - This is the second in the love triangle songs, and I loved the storytelling aspect as Taylor paints the picture of an affair that Summer Nights would quake in it’s boots if it heard about it. She sweeps up the adience in the Mistresses POV, showcasing the sweetness of love and the sting of toxcisity.

This is me trying - Where are those who said Taylor Swift plays the victim in her songs? Because this is for them. Taylor states in this her regrets of wasted potential, broken relationships etc. at the end of the day no matter how many awards she has, records she breaks, or money she possesses, Taylor Alison Swift is a human being, and we should give her boundries to grow and flourish.

Illicit Affairs - This track title also intrigued me, and whilst it does what the title says, and discusses the highs and lows of the secret passions of mismatched lovers, the second verse & bridge stood out to me the most. The way Taylor’s voice went up on him in the line ‘Leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him.’ Drew my attention as she later did the same thing on the word high, this had to mean something. And given that we don’t know the narrators gender, this could also be a song about a closeted gay man who’s found love but is struggling to accept this relationship. Whereas the bridge reminded me a lot of the Adam & Hannah breakup in Season 4 of Girls in the episode Sit In where Hannah denounces Adam’s nickname of kid, which he had called her by since the first season, with the episode before that showing her heartbroken that Adam has gotten a new girlfriend behind her back and thus turns into a mess locked in her apartment for a day and two nights. it was a heartbreaking part of the show, one that shifted it into a new era for better or for worse, and the entirety of this reasonated with me.

Invisible String - Around this point was where melotonin kicked in for me on my first listen, so I’ve heard this less than the other songs, but I love how it discusses her relationship with Joe & how for better or for worse, he is hers. It continued the theme with them on Lover of not having a great picturesque love, but having ups and downs like any couple.

Mad Woman - The calmer sister of The Man, she won’t throw big production and actions around, she can take you down with words alone. The track stings brutally as Taylor takes down sexism as it exists in our world today, and even sadly paints a visual of how it must have been for women back in the day fighting for equal rights. ‘Does a scorpion sting when fighging back?’ Line was annother connection, as I was reminded of Vanessa Ives from Penny Dreadful and how the animal symbology that stuck with her was a scorpion, used to great effect in the Season 2 finale in a confrontation with Lucifer’s makeshift doll of her. The chorus line ‘And you’ll poke the bear till her claws come out, and you’ll find something to wrap your noose around’ stuck with me on my listens, and really shows how men will strike and then run away saying ‘it’s a joke, she’s hysterical’ etc. the part about women loving to hunt witches also reminded me of a Doctor Who episode called ‘The Witchers’ and also reminded some listeners of how Demi Lovato took Scooter Braun’s side in the Licencing debarkle, in fact in the first part of the bridge, the song also has a double meaning. It’s also about the state of affairs following Taylor’s songs being stolen from her. The part in the bridge about the wives knowing about their Spinster husbands having affairs and not wanting to show their anger for fear of being outcast like the titular woman is angsty but so lyrically genius.

Epiphany - I had to listen to this a couple of times but once I realised what it was about, I was in shock. This is about her Grandfather Dean who she mentioned in the intro who fought in a war. The song paints the war setting with the helmet, the flesh wound and the rifle within the first few words, and I especially loved the line ‘And some things we don’t speak of.’ because it talked about how some soldiers develop PTSD from their experiences, yet don’t want to discuss them for fear of being perceived as weak. Also the outro beat sounds like a radar scanning for a plane, and the beat of the drum sounds like bombs exploding, really adds to the War theme.

Betty - This is the final track in the love triangle story as it tells the story of James as he fights to earn back Betty’s love after he has an affair with Inez. The eventual pitfalls of Illicit Affairs have come for Inez which causes her to tell Betty of their affair, which is a nice link. This songs gives a classic Greese/Christine/Cheesy 80s Film meets Trixie Mattel vibe which I loved. I also loved the callbacks to August & Cardigan, along with the casual F bomb droppings.

Peace - This is another sweet love song for Joe which calls back to Cruel Summer, Cornelia Street & Dancing With Our Hands Tied as Taylor struggles with the connection she has established with Joe, and contemplates escaping, but eventually knows she’ll stay. How the entire world will be on them, but she’ll be by his side through it all. Similar to Invisible String but different all at once and a perfect penultimate track to lead to the last song.

Hoax - The sweetness brings us to the double edged sword of a closing track. Giving a shattering realisation that love can be tricky at times, the references to Call It What You Want ‘I am ash from your fire’, The Archer ‘You know the hero died so what’s the movie for?’ & ... So It Goes ‘You knew you won so what’s the point of keeping score’. Taylor loves Joe so much that when they fight it’s as painful as when she became Pop Culture Enemy #1 back in 2016. But no matter what, she says herself ‘Don’t want no other shade of blue but you. No other sadness in this world would do’ relationships are always painful, there is no happy endings all round, but there is still love to be found.

All in all this is an incredible album & @taylorswift you have created magic and I hope you know that myself & all the Swifties are so proud of you for flexing your writing skill and crafting such a stunning album.

#Taylor Swift #folklore #TS8 #Surprise Album #Taylurking #Bon Iver #Seth Rollins #Monday Night Messiah #WWE #Doctor Who #GirlsHBO

[pies-writes-and-more]

PIES’ FIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAY 2020

So I’ve never done one of these fic recommendations lists before but I really want to share some of the amazing work that I’ve read this past month! I’ve definitely read a whole ton more but I was dumb and didn’t think to like draft this list and then just keep adding to it... so I’m just attempting to go through my tags LOL please be patient with my dumbass. 

NOTE: Since I only started doing this recently, a lot of my recommendations are gonna come from a lot of my mutuals but I’m always open to hearing more about other fics!!! If you’ve got an incredible fic that you are super proud of or if you think that I should read something you’ve read, PLEASE SEND IT TO ME! I’m really big on StevexFem!Reader, BuckyxFem!Reader, WandaxFem!Reader, CarolxFem!Reader, and Stucky fics!!!

If you do end up reading these fics, please tag me if you reblog them or comment on them!! I’d love to see your guys’ reactions :) 

ANYWAYS THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE HAVE CRUSHED MY HEART WITH AMAZING FICS, RUINED MY IDEALS OF WHAT LOVE IS, AND/OR BROKEN MY HEART WITH ANGST ONLY TO REVIVE IT WITH SOME FLUFF. I love you all so very much.

PS. if these links dont work for some reason, please let me know so I can update this list because I was very distracted halfway through making this so it might not be perfect!

1.Walpurgis Night by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “In which Steven volunteers to find a long-lost princess of Starkerbürg. (Fairy Tale AU)” I have no clue why this fic is not given more goddamn attention because holy shit yall, I have never been so grasped by a fic before. If you love medieval/fairy tale type things, you will love this fic. And if you don’t, you’re gonna love it anyways because @anika-ann​ writes SO. FUCKING. WELL. 100% fluff and love.

2. Abs Aren’t Always the Answer by @its-not-captain-america​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “Steve asks Y/N what girls are interested in, trying to impress her. Several shirtless pics later it’s not working.” Y’all want hilarious shit??? What about Steve Rogers always trying to take his fucking shirt off because he has the DNA (and the body) of a stripper? JK that’s not the actual reason but this fic is so funny, I died reading the first 700 times (and the 701st time too... and every time after that). 100% hilarious.

3. Challenge Accepted...? by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader ”Steve’s never been good at quick decision-making when it came to his own safety. After one particularly horrible experience, you find a way to remind him every day to think twice the next time he’s faced with a tough choice. He is not amused.” Steven Grant Rogers you stupid dumb hoe lol. That’s all I’mma say about this fic because it speaks for itself when you read it haha. Banter is iconic in this fic. 100% hilarious.

4. A Matter of Trust by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “You and Steve get to go to a mission together after a while; free drinks, partying, dressing-up nicely, stealing blueprints, the usual. You might even enjoy this as a couple.“ This time it’s Y/N that’s kindof a stupid dumb hoe but like that’s okay because when Y/N is a stupid dumb hoe, it’s not as stupid or dumb as when Steve does it. There’s a bit of a carry on between Challenge Accepted...? and this fic! So I would suggest reading that one first and then this :) 100% hilarious.

5. For a Smile by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “You see him run past every morning. So you smile, because he looks like a nice person. How could he not be when he smiles back and the world stops for a while to pay respect to such beauty?” So you know how Disney movies totally screwed over some of our perspectives of how guys were gonna come and sweep us off our feet? Yeah. This fic did it too. I’m still waiting for my fairytale fucking moment like this fic but if it never happens, I’ll settle for just reading this over and over again LOL. 100% F L U F F and LOVE.

6. Grease and Pearls by @anika-ann​​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “All you know is uptown; fancy clothes, expensive cars, jewellery outshining one’s personality and exhausting dinners with family acquaintances and business partners. Your life is all planned out; one day, you’ll marry Howard Stark’s son and you’ll be the golden couple adored by press.” This 3-part series slayed me. Like honestly, I’ve never been so torn apart before. Y’all lucky that if you read it, you get to read all 3 parts right away whereas I had to sit and wait for my heart to be torn apart and then stomped on. (Jk anika i love you you know that). Super amazing thing I love about this fic: it’s got links to the dresses that Y/N wears (super cute btw) AND it’s got two different endings so you can decide!!! 100% ANGST and 100% FLUFF? At the same time??? Because of the two endings?!?!?!? NOTE: part 2 got some steamy smut in there so 18+ readers only. I had to take a cold shower after reading it like goddamn.

7. Be Alright by @kayteewritessteve​ ​| Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “Steve goes through a bad breakup, but a sweet voice and a friendly smile helps him realize he can begin again, and that he definitely should.” God this fic. I can’t with this fic. It’s based on the Dean Lewis song Be Alright, which is already one of my favourites, but this fic, ugh, Kaytee knows how to hurt you that’s for sure. It’s so pure and so wonderful. 100% SAD but like it gets better promise.

8. Cold Feet by @anika-ann​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader

“After two months of dating, you’ve come to a conclusion as exciting as well as a bit irritating: Steve Rogers is a perfect man. He simply has no flaw.Or does he?” Mother. Fucking. Adorable. I dunno if there’s anything else to say except that anika really knows how to make me wish I was Y/N adsoifhosd. 100% F L U F F

9. Hot Chocolate by @vodkaxtonic​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “Steve gets sick and Y/N takes care of him, which involves a lot of Steve’s whining, hot chocolate and cuddles.“ Steve Rogers is a little shit who won’t just accept that he’s sick and needs to be taken care of BUT IT’S SO CUTE AND THIS FIC IS THE BEST!!!! 100% FLUFF!!

10. Home by @evanstush​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “It’s been 2 years since the last battle and it’s now Morgan’s 7th birthday, and well, Tony being Tony, he prepared a small party for her little girl, inviting everyone from the team, including you.” Hnnnggg this fic. Okay so. I love @evanstush​ with all my fucking heart because she’s always been so supportive of me and my fics. That being said I WAS NOT EXPECTING HER KIND ASS TO HURT MY HEART LIKE THIS. But again, it’s okay because it’s got fluff guys. 50% ANGST and 50% FLUFF. Well like it’s 100% both but like I have to split it haha.

11. Cocktails by @writeyourmindaway​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “ ~i really don’t know what to write i’m sorry~ DRINKS!” That’s okay, darling, I’ll write the summary you. HILARITY. WONDERFULNESS. THE WORD BLOWJOB WRITTEN SO MANY TIMES AND IT’S FUCKING GOLD. This is so funny i love it haha. This fic killed me. I should’ve seen it coming (hehe) but i didn’t lol. 100% HILARIOUS.

12. Unadulterated by @writeyourmindaway​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader No summary for this one but again, I shall do the honours haha. It’s part 2 of ‘Cocktails’ and this one is just as adorable and hilarious as the first part! Steve is a cheeky little soft boi and the flirting just makes me feel all sorts of ways <3 100% ADORABLE.

13. Water Wars by @writeyourmindaway | Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader “The team finds a new way to unwind” I love fics where you just see the team get to be normal people!!! Plus haven’t we all thought about how the Avengers would are in a water fight? Is that just me? Don’t have to fantasize about it now because @writeyourmindaway wrote it for you :D 100% FLUFF.

14. Slow Like Honey by @heli0s-writes | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “The gossip that buzzes around in the teacher’s lounge is that sweet, sensitive, divorcé Steve Rogers is hot-for-teacher. His daughter’s first-grade teacher, to be exact.” I binged this whole fucking series. 8 parts of PURE. EVERYTHING. I have never so badly wanted a happy ending in my fucking life. This is an amazing series with so much love put into it, you can tell. I really can’t explain this fic because you really need to just go read it to know how amazing it is. NOTE: Part 4, 5, and 8 have some serious love smut in there so 18+ readers only please. UGH. I love this fic so much. I will continue to keep daydreaming about it and thinking about it all the time. God I love me some Dad!Steve. 50% FLUFF and 50% ANGST (which seriously tore my heart out like I cried).

15. You Make My World Spin by @anika-ann | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “After the Battle of New York and all the mess Tony gets involved in later, Pepper believes he is in a need of an assistant slash tech genius. Enter you. While Tony is not amused by Pepper’s idea at first… he soon warms up to you.” So many insanely wonderful references in this fic, it’s hilarious. Also, Tony being a little shit LOL. Such a hilarious fic!!!! 100% AMAZINGLY HILARIOUS.

16. If You Stumble... by @anika-ann | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “If you stumble…make it part of the dance. In which you ask Steve what your date would look like if you lived the forties. He decides to show you instead. There are few flaws, holes to see through to glimpse beyond that illusion. But what life would be besides boring if everything was perfect? Perfect dress. Perfect date. Perfect gentleman…?” So my dumbass was so excited to read something that anika put out that I didn’t realize this was part 2 of a 3 part series lol I’m dumb yes I know. Anyways, this is part 1 so please don’t be like me and read the first part LOL. ANYWAYS, this was so fucking wholesome. This is definitely one that I need to read again and fully read in order (she’s got part 3 on her AO3, I believe) but ugh. I love the idea of Steve dating in this century, comparing things to how things were done in the old days ufglasodfhsd. I love it. Amazing. 100% FLUFF (I think because well my dumbass hasn’t finished but this part was fluffy :3)

17. @wxstedhexrt‘s poems | Read Them Here! | Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes I don’t think Destiny ever gave me a summary of these but (and Destiny, please correct me if I’m wrong in how you want these to be portrayed!) I believe they’re poems written throughout the whole Steve and Bucky timeline. She’s used the Winter Soldier’s words and turned them into a gorgeous set of poems. 100% My favourite thing in the whole fucking world. 

18. The Lonely Tree by @sarahwroteathing​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “You have a favorite tree which you make sure to pass every day on your way to class, but one day you find you’ll have to get used to sharing it with a friendly art student.” Holy shit guys this 15 part series was so amazing. It’s 100% PURE FLUFF and PINING and gorgeous. Holy shit. Like I screamed reading the whole goddamn thing. Amazing writing by an amazing human being with some awesome humour haha.

19. @sinner-as-saint​ responding to an anon request? Amazing. | Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader Request: May I just spice up your day with the thought of best friend/roommate bucky being jealous when you bring someone home HOT. AS. FUCK. Holy shit. It’s such a short little list of things that Bucky would do but ugh. I was dying reading it. I love me some jealous Bucky smut. 100% angsty fluff? With smuttiness ;) 18+ readers please!!

20. @alloftheimaginesblog​ prompted fic | Steve Rogers x Reader (I could be wrong here but I believe the gender of the reader is never specified? But the ring is a woman’s ring so?? @alloftheimaginesblog​ pls correct me if you want!) Prompt: Finding an engagement ring in one of their drawers. So fucking fluffy I needed a cavity filled after ugh. I loved it so much it was just a gorgeous piece of writing. Steve is a little piece of poop for not hiding that ring better I mean come on, you’re telling me you couldn’t have punched a hole, put the ring there, and then cover it up with like a cabinet or something??? jk i still love you steeb. 100% fluff!

21. Laser Tag by @stargazingfangirl18​ | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “You play laser tag with your boyfriend Steve and his best friend Bucky. Since you’re just a plain ole civilian, you gotta use what non-Avenger skills you have to avoid losing. Hint: those skills involve Steve and kissing.” Iconic. Everything. Wonderful. There is nothing I love more than Steve Rogers being a little sucker for making out with his girlfriend even when there’s a competition. 100% fluff!!!!

22. Under the Rainbow, Draga mea by @binkysteebnpewter​ | Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader I don’t think there’s an official summary ( @binkysteebnpewter​ pls correct me if I’m wrong) but my summary is this: GAYNESS <3 I love me some wlw content so when I saw this pop up on my dash, I couldn’t NOT read. It’s soooo good. This is a Social Media AU and the amount of meme usage in there I- it’s fucking wonderful. It’s still in progress though so you guys will have to pine after this relationship with me. I FUCKING LOVE IT. 100% GAY LOVE <3

23. A Fic in which Peggy Carter plays wingwoman because these two idiots are in love with each other but they can’t see it so our Queen needs to throw it at them by @1she1hulk1​ (please note I made this title by myself because I don’t think there was a title LOL @1she1hulk1​ lmk if you want me to change this xD) | Steve Rogers x Fem!Reader “the plot is bacially you and Steve go to see Peggy and she tells Steve to finally make his move” Peggy Carter is a fucking Queen and she knows that Steve is falling for you, because he just won’t stop fucking talking about you LOL. Anyways, this is a super cute fic!!!! Please go give it some love because this human being who wrote it doesn’t think she’s a good writer?????? Crazy. 100% FLUFF!!!!

OTHER FICS THAT DESERVE MENTIONING!!!!

So because this is my first recommendation list on this site, I know I’m definitely missing some amazing fics that I’ve read but never saved (I’m a terrible person I know). So I’m just gonna add them in this list here because they deserve love and attention too!

@wxstedhexrt​‘s poetry. Period. End of story lol. JK. So the ones that I’ve read that are on Destiny’s tumblr aren’t all fandom related (besides the one that I posted above) but they’re still really amazing. I’ve never felt so captured by poems before (mostly because i’m stupid and don’t understand a lot of poetry). Ugh anyways I love her poems so much so please go check them out! CLICK HERE FOR BEAUTY <3

Alright so I know a lot of you guys know @kayteewritessteve​ but if you don’t, she’s this super amazing writer with INCREDIBLE series. (CLICK HERE TO SEE HER FULL MASTERLIST). But one of my most favourite series by her, and one of my favourite series of all time, is: If Only You Knew “You arrive home one day to find a wedding invite for two of your best friends from high school. You knew this day was going to come eventually, but even with that said, you weren’t prepared to return home. At least not after 7 years of avoiding Buckhannon, West Virginia. Or rather, avoiding him; your ex-best friend and the secret love of your life. But maybe it was finally time to face your past, to face him and everything else that happened on that horrible night.”  This 18 (plus an Epilogue) part series will literally have you screaming at your screen being like WHY YALL CANT JUST TELL EACH OTHER HOW YALL FEEL?!?!?!?! 75% angst (because Kaytee likes to hurt us) and 25% fluff BUT the fluff is SOOOOO worth it so it’s like 100% angst and 200% fluff (i was never a mathlete). NOW since, we’re on the topic of Kaytee’s writing, I’d also like to mention: Love and War  “In a harsh medieval world, you set out on a perilous quest that will lead you onto a forbidden land. A land ruled and controlled by a ruthless Warlord King, one who does not look favourably upon trespassers of any kind, and punishes all with an iron fist. You may not know exactly where this quest will end, but what you do know is you will forever be altered by it. And that knowledge alone is what truly terrifies you the most.” so I read this while Kaytee was writing it about a year ago and holllyyyyyy shit. Okay. So. Listen. Fantasy? Check. Romance? Check. Amazing writing? Well it’s Kaytee so yea obviously check. I want to list more things but I don’t want to give it away! This is a 15 part series (plus an Epilogue and Outro) but it goes by so quickly once you’re stuck and waiting for more!!!! 

#pies recommendations #pies may recommendations #fic recommendations #steve rogers x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #i need some good carol fics #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #wanda maximoff x y/n #reader insert fics #and some poetry by destiny #because destiny is the fucking bestiny #steve rogers x y/n #i love all these fics so much

[darkestwolfx]

Hyperspeed - Re-Review #51

So, Scott’s back! He’s obviously been making the most of that vacation time Virgil mentioned, or maybe sorting out things for Tracy Industries? Who knows, choose what you like, but he’s back in blue!

And it’s another high-speed, runaway train (of sorts). He get all the best jobs, doesn’t he?

And hello to you David Tennant (aka Tycho Reeves, billionaire inventor), thank you for joining us in this great episode of TAG looking very like yourself.

Is anyone else getting 10th Doctor vibes? All we need now are his 3D glasses and the look is complete. Really though, they even put him in blue!

So this is the Hypercar - it’s like the next addition to the monorail or the underground (evolved obviously, the underground is redundant by 2060). It’s even faster than FireFlash apparently. That’s saying something.

Now, let’s meet Gertie Bunson - the next annoying reporter to grace TAG with her presence. Really, let’s just stop writing in reporters hey? That’s an idea right there.

“An excited crowds awaits the arrival of the very first Hypercar, which should be here any minute now! Isn’t that right Tycho?”

“Less than a minute in fact. We’ll be pulling to Nightbridge Station in sixteen seconds. Hmm, that’s two seconds early.”

A whole two seconds? To most people, that would go completely unnoticed. Two minutes on the other hand, that we tend to notice. Two seconds? I’m not a clock watcher.

“Here they come now! This is where Tycho and his guest will be arriving- whoa! Wasn’t it supposed to stop?”

Well, if you hadn’t asked that, Gertie, we might never have guessed that was the intention - you know, always try and cover your mistakes.

And then - in very 10th Doctor fashion - Tycho starts rambling on (like all great scientists apparently do) about the size of bugs. Oh, but, did we mention they’re still speeding up? Oopps.

Time to make that call, I think.

John is clearly taking his turn for vacation time now as Grandma’s at the desk doing a spell of monitor duty. At least it keeps her out of the kitchen!

“If anybody can catch up to you it’s us!”

Yep! Now we get to see them try. Love high speed chases me.

“Boys, sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep with an early morning emergency, but these people need help.”

“Time to fly.”

“And I’ll try to work out what has gone wrong with this amazingly brilliant design!”

Sleepy? Wake up as quick as you like, Scott, but ideally before you pilot One, and ideally before the Hypercar crashes. Gosh, really, what has that boy been doing since ‘Long Haul’?

“Closing in on the Hypertube now. Any luck figuring out what’s gone wrong Brains? Brains?”

“Uh, I think your friend may be a tad... starstruck.”

A tad? Brains is literally frozen starting with blinky eyes.

“I’m your number one fan!”

“Well Brains, if you ever want to meet Tycho in person, we better to figure out how to stop his car.”

And then Brains does the sciency bit with a whole lot of praise thrown in. It’s like the opposite of an episode featuring Langstrom Fischler, no negative vibes here please.

“I’ll be able to rescue you after the hypercar makes a water landing.”

“No!

“Absolutely not! We’re travelling in a vacuum.”

“Hitting the atmosphere at mach eight would be like-”

“-slamming into a brick wall.”

Nice try, Scott, but it seems like you’re on delivery boy duty. I love Brains and Tycho finishing each other’s sentences.

I can’t believe this screenshot is like nowhere over the internet! Seriously Gertie being blown away by Thunderbird One’s landing due to her own stupidity is absolutely class entertainment.

“We’ve been told to evacuate the platform as Thunderbird One lands, but we’re not gonna miss a chance to bring you this thrilling live shot of- whoa! Let’s move back a bit shall we?”

It’s like Ned Cook (TOS) reincarnated. Or maybe he finally married, or had a sister we never knew about.

He looks so happy! Honestly though, I would too if I could have a friend like mini-MAX. I want one.

“If you check your sash, you’ll find a new tool of your own.”

“Thanks Brains, but what does it- Whoa!”

“Meet Mini-MAX.”

“Brains, you always surprise me.”

“Just one question. How do you expect your hypercar to catch up with Tycho’s?

“I don’t expect to catch them. I expect them to catch me.”

“I’ve begun to question the merits of this plan!”

You and me both Tycho. I know Scott lives for a bit of speed and danger but this is a new one. 

“You must go faster Scott!”

“Kinda already knew that Brains.”

Tycho is a smart man. I would have strapped in as well.

“Good job! How did you make it go faster?”

“I’m not exactly sure.”

“I’ll try and figure out what you and Mini-MAX did. It may lead us to the problem.”

Now look at Mini-MAX holding on for dear life!

Good idea Brains! Let’s check in with Tycho and the others in their Hypercar, shall we?

“Bet you didn’t know you’d be getting a demonstration of our Collision Protection System, ey?”

“I feel like a balloon animal.”

Where as I saw this, and instantly my brain went;

It’s the Michelin Man!

No, seriously, it is, and he says hello;

And during these testing times, there’s something for everyone. You can join his lockdown running classes;

Or something steadier and calmer, like his yoga classes;

Feel the zen!

Or there’s even dancing classes!

P.S. Wait until we get to the end of the review, I swear this is where Brains gets his moves from. You’ll see, trust me. (And if you’re new to the Re-Review Series, my brains wonders a lot so... and if you’re not new to it, you should have expected to see this).

Right, back to impending doom;

“Tycho, so nice to finally meet you! Virtually at least.”

“Oh, impressive invention!”

It’s like Brains gets to achieve his dream meeting! That little mechanical hand is never getting washed.

Mini-MAX is great, really, I want one, but I’m with Scott here;

“Uh, guys, sorry to interrupt but uh, imminent doom?”

I called that!

“Right.”

“RAD.”

“Tycho’s design appears to be perfect. So the problem must have been a manufacturing error when the car was built.”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing. If the throttle is working, one of the plasma plugs must have machined improperly.

“Oh no.”

“Ah, a couple of bad plasma plugs should be pretty easy to fix.”

You obviously weren’t listening to Brains crucial “oh no” there Scott.

“Fixing them is the easy part, but reaching them is next to impossible.”

“The plasma plug assembly can only be accessed from outside the car. Specifically, underneath it.”

“Got ya.”

I love Mini-MAX clipping Scott to the train. I would trust Mini-MAX over my own self any day.

“Looks like a fun place to hang out.”

What is it with Scott and ‘hanging’ out? This does not look like my idea of fun, thank you very much. I would like to keep myself upright, and maybe in one of those comfy seats feeling like a balloon animal. That sounds appealing whilst the world falls apart... if you need me, I’ll be waiting out with the collision protection system and the Michelin Man.

Joke, I’ll be here working and writing the Re-Reviews! I would now like a balloon animal though...

“Dropping even a single bolt would be catastrophic!”

“I don’t think that’s going to be hard to remember Brains!”

At least we’ve graduated from ‘Runaway’ where Brains insisted Scott take notes. That would be a little impossible here, after all. The notepad would be blown away!

Borrowed just a few of Virgil’s power tools there, did you Scott? Best return them all in once piece or he might ruin your portrait too. I know he got Tycho’s from the control station, but I couldn’t resist the chance to reference ‘Inferno’ here. Whist we’re on the note of references, here’s another ’Brink of Death’ (TOS) situation.

I love our contest winners;

“That was Grandpa. He loves to go fast.”

“I do!”

“And you don’t?”

“Honestly, we’re just lucky I have thrown up yet.”

I’m with Tycho this time. Oh seems appropriate. I love that we’re breaking stereotypes here (something TAG have done pretty well at in general). You don’t have to be young to love a bit of speed.

“I probably want to replace these one at a time then huh?”

“Yes, and very carefully.”

Oh, uh, what were you saying about remembering? First the drill nearly went down and then- wait, down goes the plasma plug!

“Nice catch!”

Mini-MAX to the rescue.

“One more twist and we’ll finally be able to slow- down!”

Or not. You just had to say it.

I think Brains should have got on the phone to EOS - she knows all about hacking high-speed methods of transportation.

“Why would the speed increase at random like that! If the controls aren’t making the car go faster, then the only way it could be accelerating is... oh no! Tycho, one of your formulas has a small error.”

“Impossible! My calculations were perfect.”

“I thought so too.”

“No! That should be metres per second squared! Oh how could I be so foolish!”

“Even genius’ make mistakes.”

There goes that Scott Tracy trait of forgiveness and acceptance again. I do love it when they show moments like this. Of all the brothers, Scott is the best at staying calm and talking to people, reassuring them that things aren’t always black and white. These scenes were always building towards something, and we’re going to see the real test in the next episode. To do a job like this you have to be selfless, but Scott is almost self-sacrificing (well, the whole family is in a sense), but remember with Kat, for example, Scott had no reason to stay, but he did. It’s just him, and this is an excellent follow through.

“Yes, but my mistake is going to destroy us all! There’s no way for us to stop.”

“Let’s just take a breath and slow down so we can think this through.”

“Slow down...”

“Yeah, that’s the idea.”

“No, slow down! We don’t have to stop the car we just need to be in a slower vehicle that won’t vaporize when it’s hits the atmosphere! Oh, you’re a genius! Right the vehicle will need to be fast enough to reach us with enough thrust to slow down in time.”

“Brains, we need Thunderbird Four inside the Hypertube ASAP. And put it in there backwards.”

The man with a plan is on a roll again!

Cut back to Gertie Bunson reporting again, and a nice little reconstruction on Thunderbird Four’s traditional launch sequence, because Thunderbird Four has arrived! A submersible out of water.

And now we go from Scott Photo Central to squid screen time!

“Um, are we sure this is a good idea?”

Maybe not Gordon, but let’s launch before anyone answers you.

“Bad idea!”

And then you can answer yourself! Great times.

“You’re losing speed, Gordon!”

“Don’t worry, Brains. If I can see it, I can catch it.”

You know, I am jealous of how good an aim every member of this family has. I am rubbish at catch.

“Welcome aboard.”

Gordon steadying Scott is like brilliant. We need more moments of these two for sure.

“It’s working. We’re slowing down.”

“But will it be enough?”

And there go the hypercars... exploding.

“Virgil, they’re loading into Thunderbird Four, get ready to show them a way out.”

“FAB.”

And because you’ve got to get a daily dose of Virgil in there;

“Let’s hope you guys make a slower, gentler exit.”

“Hey, I’m nothing if not gentle! Brace for impact!”

We’ll ignore the oxymoron there.

“We made it! We didn’t burn up!”

Yeah, just give away to the poor civilians that you weren’t expecting to survive, Gordon. That’s really reassuring.

“Did you guys have a plan for how to land this thing?”

It’s Gordon and Virgil, Scott. There’s always a plan. Even if it’s a little improvised or thrown together at the last minute.

“Um, kinda.”

Just another mid-air catch of Thunderbird Four, nothing special to see here, folks.

Who am I kidding? Bring in the applause! We’ve seen this move in ‘Extraction’ and ‘Clean Sweep’ and Virgil never gets it wrong. Takes talent.

“Everyone ok?”

“Can we do that again!”

“No thanks.”

Yeah, I’m with Tycho again. Just watching it made my head spin.

“Big thanks to International Rescue for saving our lives.”

“And for the thrill of a lifetime.”

Nice to get a thank you in there for once.

More high fives! Is there a gif set of the TAG high fives yet? Keep them coming I like them. Nice happy moments, high fives. Brains has basically just got his dream come true!

Of this I have no wordable description, and it looks like Grandma doesn’t either.

Do you see?

Look at Mini-MAX! He’s like a robot version of a dog. I really want one, and I’m sad we never see him again! Bye Mini-MAX!

“I did - finally - get you to London.”

“Thanks, but um... how are we getting back to Tokyo?”

“Oh... yes, uh... Scott?”

Yeah, just turn to our ideas man. He’ll always come up with something. It’s a little like TOS ‘Cry Wolf’ here, where Scott lets Tony and Bob ride in Thunderbird One. He’s a crowd pleaser, this one.

“Want to go for a ride?”

“Wow!”

“Oh um, that would be great I guess.”

“Now, tell me about those engines.”

That smile of Tycho’s as they walk to Thunderbird One - goodness I love how much is contained in that single expression.

Oh, but don’t forget Gertie! Desperately trying to get her scoop - very Ned Cook. Maybe she’s his daughter? I don’t think I entertained that possibility earlier...

“Scott Tracy, any chance we can get a quick interview?”

*Engines start... deliberately*

“You know what? Nevermind. Another time. Maybe.”

What gave it away that he didn’t want to talk to you?

This ending scene is one of my favourite, little sweet moments. After an epic rescue like that, this was needed.

Well, let’s look to Monday for the final episode of Series 2! I can’t believe we’ve already made it this far. We can tell something is coming though - the end credit music had a slight variant to it. The musical score in this series really was on point.

#Thunderbirds are go #Hyperspeed #darkestwolfx #Re-Review series #David Tennant #10th Doctor #Doctor Who #BBC #ITV #CITV #Scott Tracy #Mini-MAX #Brains #Tycho Reeves #Geek Central #Gordon Tracy #Hyper car #Virgil Tracy #Grandma Tracy #Gertie Bunson #Speed #Support your fanfiction authors #Rasmus Hardiker #David Menkin #Kayvan Novak #Sandra Dickenson #TAG #TOS #Inferno #Runaway

[hydra-holiday-trash-party]

Hydra Holiday Trash Party 2019 Gift Exchange Masterpost

We’re swimming in fresh, hot trash my friends, and you’re the ones who made it possible. Thank you, darling dumpster denizens, for your tags, tropes, and titillation.

Please enjoy the lovely feast of garbage that has been laid out before you, and we’ll see you for more trash in 2020!

“[Art] View of Bondage” by Sealcat for ladivvinatravestia (chose not to use archive warnings) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Hydra Trash Party, Bondage, Rope Bondage

What Steve found out at this mystery room in a Hydra Facility

“before you wake” by Hydra_Trash_Gal for MercurialTenacity (rape/non-con) Jack Rollins/Brock Rumlow, Bucky Barnes/Jack Rollins, Dehumanization, Hydra Trash Party, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Somnophilia, Nipple Play

Jack has a complicated fetish and Brock wants to watch. The Asset sleeps through it.

“Broken Toys” by Juane_Chat for Defiler_Wyrm (rape/non-con) Bucky Barnes/Grant Ward, Alexander Pierce, Hydra Trash Party, Bondage and Discipline, Object Insertion, Dehumanization, Identity Issues

Alexander Pierce calls in Grant Ward to correct a listless Asset, a mission neither of them dares to fail.

“Control” by Mercurial Tenacity for Aquariusgarbag (chose not to use archive warnings) Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Hydra Trash Party, past trauma, obedience, under-negotiated kink, domme Natasha, Sub Bucky Barnes, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Face Slapping, Cunnilingus, Panic Attacks, Hopeful Ending, Injury, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery

“Cap needs backup,” Bucky says, trying to shrug Natasha off. “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll really appreciate it when you bleed out on the floor.” Bucky gives her a look, to which Natasha just raises her eyebrows. “I’ll hold you down if I have to.” It’s unfortunate that Bucky is still looking at Natasha when she says that, because it means she undoubtedly sees every microexpression he makes on his journey from yes, to can’t want that, to pretend it never happened. That’s the trouble with spies. Can’t hide a damn thing.

“Fit to be tied” by buckybleeds for buckys_barn (no archive warnings apply) Jack Rollins/Brock Rumlow, Bucky Barnes, Hydra Trash Party, Hydra Husbands, Shibari, Overstimulation, Mildly Dubious Consent, Cock & Ball Torture, Bondage, accidental crafting genius bucky barnes

Bored on a mission STRIKE Alpha decides to test the limits of the Winter Soldier’s skills. Turns out he could totally be an IG influencer if he were into that kind of thing. Thankfully he can also help Jack and Brock with the kind of thing that they’re into.

“Follow Me Down (into darkest deep)” by emptydistractions for Juane_Chat (graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes/OMC(s), Brock Rumlow, Hydra Agents, Hydra Trash Party, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Creepy Brock Rumlow, Gang Rape, Face-Fucking, Face Slapping, Forced Orgasm

It was supposed to be quick - just in and out to see if they could find anything salvageable. The base was supposed to be abandoned. Hydra was supposed to be gone. Rumlow was supposed to be dead. But you know what they say about the best laid plans.

“geological time” by seinmit for glorious_spoon (rape/non-con) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Fuck Or Die, Top Steve Rogers, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Hydra Trash Part, Shock Collar, Raped during rape recovery, Past Brainwashing, Past Rape/Non-Con, Trying to Comfort One Another, Self-Sacrifice, Torture, Some Victim-Blaming/Self-Blame on Bucky’s Part, Bad Guys Made Them Do It, Unaroused Victim

“They would grow up grappling with ways of living with what happened. They would try to tell themselves that in terms of geological time it was an insignificant event. Just a blink of the Earth Woman’s eye. That Worse Things had happened. That Worse Things kept happening. But they would find no comfort in the thought.” - Arundhati Roy, from The God of Small things

Bucky knows that HYDRA doesn’t need a reason to make Steve rape him.

“Growth Opportunity” by buckybleeds for BookofOdym (graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con) Hank Pym/Steve Rogers, Brock Rumlow/Cynthia Mercer, Full Rectal Prolapse, Macro/Micro, Size Diference, Guro, Blood and Gore, Vomiting, Rape, Sex Pollen, Hydra Trash party, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Might actually be worse than the tags, Read at your own risk, Proceed with Caution, Hurt Steve Rogers

Steve Rogers and Hank Pym get trapped in a box full of sex pollen that makes their sizes go haywire: The Musical

“Happiness in Slavery” by HaniTrash for theletterelle (rape/non-con) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes/Brock Rumlow, Alexander Pierce, Jack Rollins, Hydra Trash Party, Rape/Non-con Elements, Restraints, Hurt No Comfort, No Happy Ending, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Hydra sex dungeon? Yes please!

Steve is captured while on a mission and wakes up in a very uncomfortable position, surrounded by some very familiar people. Apparently HYDRA knows it can’t break his body, so they set out to break his spirit instead. And as it turns out, even the great Captain American can be broken.

“an honest liar, taking on heavy fire” by dragongirlG for BrighteyedJill (rape/noncon) Hydra Agents/Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Brock Rumlow, Isaac Murphy, Natasha Romanov, Hydra Trash Party, One Bar  Prison, Come Shot, Sex Games, Predicament Bondage, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Touching, Hand Jobs, Overstimulation, Humiliation, Dehumanization, Collars, Leashes, Aphrodisiacs, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Protective Bucky Barnes, Identity Porn, Bittersweet Ending

Steve is captured by the HYDRA STRIKE team after the fight on the highway in DC. He wakes up trapped on a one bar  prison, forced to participate in a come-shooting game that he never agreed to play. The Winter Soldier wins Steve as his prize, putting on a show of fucking him before unexpectedly helping him escape.

“a hymn called faith and misery” by glorious_spoon for TiaNaut (graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con) Scott Lang/OMC(s), Scott Lang & Steve Rogers, Torture, De-Serumed Steve Rogers, Restraints, Escape, Hydra Trash Party, Whump, Concussions, Hopeful Ending

Scott wakes up chained to a wall in an underground cell, and it only goes downhill from there.

“Imprints” by buckybleeds for ladivvinatravestia (rape/noncon) Bucky Barnes/Brock Rumlow, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Hydra Trash Party, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Spanking, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering

When Bucky’s programming is triggered while raiding an abandoned HYDRA base Steve learns about how the soldier was bonded to his new handlers.

“in his limbs and joints also” by Aquariusgarbag for thefilthiestpiglet (creator chose not to use archive warnings) Bucky Barnes/Sam WIlson, Bondage, Leash, Hydra Trash Party

Sam and Bucky in Wakanda and after

“Mr. Self Destruct” by Defiler_Wyrm for seinmit (rape/non-con), Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes & Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes/OMC(s), Bucky Barnes/Hydra Agents, Sex Addiction, Unsafe Sex, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Sex Toys, Comeplay, Facials, Fucking Machines, Fisting, Large Cock, PTSD, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Top Steve Rogers, Gangbang, Gang Rape, Flashbacks, Dubious Consent, Extremely Dubious Consent, Memory Loss, Communication Failure, M/M/M, M/M/Other (the other is a fucking machine), Sexual Fantasy, Hypothetical Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes, Clubbing, Rape Aftermath, References to Drugs, Steve Rogers has a Great Big Dick, Hydra Trash Party, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Aftercare

He’s not sure if HYDRA put this hunger in him, or if he’s always been like this, but the Winter Soldier (mission alias: James “Bucky” Barnes) has a need he must fulfill - whether it be in the back room of a club or in his room with a marvelous Machine - in spite of the terrible memories that tend to take over in the moment. He’d really prefer it if his handler Captain Rogers, would step up to the plate to feed him...and given the chance, “Bucky” will do anything he can to have it that way. Or: Bucky is addicted to dick but often suffers flashback when getting his fix; strangers, Tony, and Steve all help out in different ways.

“No One Could Save Me But You” by Anonymous for HaniTrash (rape/non-con) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes/Brock Rumlow, Steve Rogers/Brock Rumlow, Hydra Trash Party, Hurt No Comfort, No Magical Healing Cock, Knife Play, Bucky Barnes’s Metal Arm, Depersonalization, Self-Esteem Issues, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, No Happy Ending, Additional Warnings in Author’sNote

Brock Rumlow is delighted to be able to see Steve and Bucky reunited.

“Objects Contain the Possibility of All Situations” by BrighteyedJill for buckybleeds (graphic depictions of violence, rape/noncon) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Improvised Bondage, Bottom Steve Rogers, Triggers, Conditioning, Blood As Lube, Hurt No Comfort, Hydra Trash Party

When a trigger phrase gives the Asset explicit orders to violate Captain America, what the Asset does and what’s been done to him begin to blur.

“On the Ropes” by buckybleeds for The_Reverend (graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con) Hydra Agents/Steve Rogers, Alexander Pierce/Steve Rogers, Winter Soldier/Steve Rogers, Brock Rumlow, Jack Rollins, Hydra Trash Party, Bondage, Non-Consensual Bondage, Predicament Bondage, Gags, Rape/Non-con Elements, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, HTP is its own warning, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Hurt Steve Rogers, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Branding, Chastity Device

Steve never made it out after the fight on the bridge and Pierce decided to work out some frustration in a team-building exercise. (much horribleness follows)

“Only Pain - An Artwork” by Lasenby_Heathcote for emptydistractions (rape/non-con) Bucky Barnes, Art, Hydra Trash Party, Rape/Non-Con Elements, Face-Fucking, Blood, Torture, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

Bucky suffers at the hands of HYDRA ~ an artwork

“Out on a Limb” by thefilthiestpiglet for Sealcat (rape/non-con, graphic depictions of violence) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark, fuckpotato, Hydra Trash Party, I looked at the field and said ‘we need some Steve fuckpotato’, Rape/Non-con elements, hydra holiday trash party, hydra fucks steve nonconsensually, steve fucks bucky consensually, it’s mostly a recovery fic

Steve is missing and Bucky may be a half-recovered former weapon of HYDRA, but he is going to do whatever it takes to get Steve back in one piece. He doesn’t quite manage that last part, but Steve’s not letting that stop him, so why should Bucky?

“Self Calibration” by The_Reverend for teejcandraw (rape/non-con) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Brock Rumlow, Alexander Pierce, Hydra Agents, Sam Wilson, Dubious Consent, Gaslighting, Self-Gaslighting, Hydra Trash party

The asset needs a handler. It’s not torture if you do it to yourself, right?

“So Search and Destroy” by the letterelle for AgentMal (rape/non-con, graphic depictions of violence) Bucky Barnes/Phil Coulson, Nick Fury, Melinda May, Jemma Simmons, Interrogation, Psychological Torture, Nonconsensual Fondling, Nasogastric Feeding, Suicidal Thoughts, Hydra Trash Party, (actually more of a SHIELD Trash Party this time), Face Slapping

Bucky Barnes joined up with HYDRA, betraying his country and his Captain. Phil Coulson is going to make him pay.

“used-up” by Anonymous for dragongirlG (rape/non-con) Steve Rogers, Fanart, Bondage, Gags, Crying, Creampie, Rape Aftermath

“we are not born for ourselves alone” by teejcadraw for Lasenby_Heathcote (graphic depictions of violence) Bucky Barnes/Brock Rumlow, Steve Rogers/Brock Rumlow, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied Sexual Content, Gaslighting, Hurt/Comfort, Scarification Dubious Consent, Hydra Trash Party, htp is its own warning, recreational stun baton use

Steve and Bucky both have memories they’d rather leave behind. Rumlow made sure at least one would be permanently ingrained.

“What We Give You” by AgentMal for Hydra_Trash_Gal (creator chose not to use archive warnings) Jack Rollins/Brock Rumlow, Bucky Barnes, Hydra Trash Party

Rumlow and Rollins have a little fun with the asset after a mission.

And that’s all, Folks! 24 wonderful works to sustain you for a while!

You can see the full collection Here, and please follow us on Tumblr for announcements about any future Exchanges!

[danny-darkness]

you clearly know NOTHING about homophobia. look up "anti sodomy" laws. none of them EVER condemn penis in vagina sex.

Hello anon. I actually have no idea what you’re talking about, but that obviously makes two of us, because you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about either. 

So, let’s go through this one point at a time. 

To begin... “you clearly know NOTHING about homophobia.”

Firstly, that’s a massive assumption to make about someone you don’t know. It’s also utterly incorrect. I’ve been called ‘faggot’, ‘homo’, ‘queer’, ‘freak’ ... etc etc etc in anonymous comments on here so many times I’ve lost count and I no longer waste my time responding to them. I’ve been told things such as ‘your blog should be banned’ because I ‘have no moral standards’ and apparently I am ‘normalising’ homosexuality. Laughingly, many of these comments were the result of me posting photographs of flowers and tagging them with things such as ‘oh look, more flowers! I’m gay, what did you expect!?!’ Yeah, I know, I was really pushing the ‘gay agenda’ with that one! Others were because I wrote a long, supportive reply to an anon who was struggling with coming out as gay to their family. One of those claimed ‘whats worse is you use your photos to make them [the children] admire you and then you preach your faggot filth’. As back-handed compliments go, that’s a particular favourite of mine. :) Others still were in response to comments I’ve made in which I’ve mentioned I’m gay, comments in support of other gay people, etc etc. The list goes on, and that’s just on here. 

In the world away from tumblr (yes anon, there really is one!), I’ve been openly gay since I was in my teens. I’ve been physically and verbally attacked for it so often that while I’m still saddened by people’s behaviour, I’m no longer even remotely surprised by it. 

I grew up in one of the less salubrious areas of London. While there were open minded people who were accepting of everything and everyone, sadly they were far more of a minority than the one I found myself in the moment I came out as gay. More often I encountered ignorant, violent, cowardly people who derived some sort of sick pleasure from discrimination. Racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, discriminatory bullies. Recently a group of men on a London bus attempted to make two gay women kiss one another. When the women refused the men beat them up. Sadly the only thing that makes this attack stand out from any of the many others that happen every single day was that this one got some news coverage.I get called ‘faggot’ so many times I’m surprised my dog doesn’t answer to it (maybe he’s not read any Pavlov). I can move the bridge of my nose from side to side because it’s set that way after being broken so many times by people punching me in the face (for being openly gay). I’ve been spat on for holding my boyfriend’s hand. I’ve had to leave a restaurant and several pubs, not because of the way my friends and I, or my boyfriend and I were behaving but because those yelling insults at us were frightening the other patrons and the staff were less afraid of throwing us out than standing up to them. My motorbikes and my car were vandalised so many times it was cheaper for me to rent a garage than to keep paying for repairs to the bodywork. 

That’s just some of it. There’s more; there’s much more, but I’ll spare you the rest. What I’ve said there should be enough to give you a general idea of how much NOTHING I know about homophobia, firsthand. 

I work as a counsellor. Many of my clients are similarly discriminated against. Many are going through far worse than anything I’ve mentioned here. Despite your assumptions regarding my lack of knowledge of homophobia, one of the things I’ve learned about it and about any form of discrimination is that it says far, far more about the person doing the discrimination than it does about the person, people, or group who are being discriminated against. Discrimination is a hate-crime that cannot be justified. I’ll say that again.

Discrimination is a hate-crime that cannot be justified.  

It is one thing to have an opinion (even if that opinion is a negative one); it is a whole other thing to feel the need to use that opinion to make others unhappy or afraid simply because of their sexuality, their gender, the colour of their skin, etc etc. To do so is to spread hatred and fear, and more hatred and fear is the last thing society needs. If you can’t offer acceptance, then you’re the one who’s lacking in understanding, empathy and decency; you’re the one who ‘clearly knows NOTHING’ about homophobia or any other form of discrimination. If that’s the case? Please do everyone (yourself included) a favour and if you’re truly unable to let go of your hate, at least keep it to yourself.

Moving on... “look up anti-sodomy laws.” 

I don’t actually need to; I have done, many times, for a variety of reasons. What’s your point? 

And you finish with... “none of them EVER condemn penis in vagina sex.”

Anon, were you drunk when you wrote this? Are you really of the opinion that this wonderful piece of contradiction proves whatever it is you are attempting to prove? 

“look up anti-sodomy laws. none of them EVER condemn penis in vagina sex.” 

Oh. My. God. Where do I even begin? Probably with stopping laughing, because it’s making it difficult to type.Ok... so, sodomy is (by definition of most dictionaries) anal sex. (Anal sex between men and women, men and men, etc etc.)   It can also refer to oral sex and can even be expanded to include bestiality. To sum it up: sodomy is any sexual act that is not engaged in for the purpose of procreation. It is not specific to homosexual men. I am definitely a homosexual man and I have never felt the need to get it on with my dog, or any other animal, for that matter!   

So (and I can’t believe I am having to explain this to you), obviously it is not going to include penis in vagina sex UNLESS it is possible to prove that the penis in vagina sex in question is not for the purpose of procreation, ie to beget or generate offspring. (That means having babies, by the way.)

Your brilliant piece of ‘logic’ there is like saying ‘look up the laws on drunk driving. None of them EVER condemn walking home drunk.’ No shit, Sherlock! 

So um... thanks so much for that brilliant bit of insight you felt the need to share with me, Anon. My life is so much richer now. I see the error of my ways, and it’s all because of your genius. 

Thank you so much. 

PS: what exactly did I do to deserve you sharing your wisdom with me? Honestly, I feel as though Ghandi just came back from the grave to have a deep, meaningful and spiritual conversation with me.

Was it because I said that if I dated a transguy it wouldn’t make me straight? If it was could you take your utter stupidity and your transphobic hatred somewhere else, please? You might have more luck with people who are more stupid than you (if you can find any, of course) or with other transphobes who are so relieved to find idiots that agree with them that they’ll overlook your IQ and welcome you into the fold.  

Thanks again Anon, (I always appreciate a good laugh!)  Have a good night.

#Anonymous

[guiltyunicorn]

Well...any of you--less than handful of humans--that may or may not be reading or viewing my posts still...particularly those of you who still have stuck around this platform after the anti porn sensory....I am, shall I say; “straight up not having a good time bro...;” The only “best friend” I have ever truly had and held with my borderline tendencies for over 11 years...has indeed come to an end. Unfortunately my superhero/role model and highest in regard human; whom I have forever referred to as “my Platonic Life Partner(PLP) and thus that crazy improbable bff of mine for as long as I can remember....has ENDED. While my instability comes as no surprise the particular dextroamphetamine addiction by this idol of mine is what comes as the largest surprise to myself and to anyone who knows this genius... Olivia has always been the oddest ball in the bank (this was my best attempt at coming up with the snazziest idiom I could for all intents and purposes...) but with her bizarre but brilliant idiosyncrasies this human was MY human. I will give you some backstory; she and I were genuinely the least likely of friends possible. I; a former cheerleader and transfer to this random performing arts high school as a result of my basically stalking (groupie style I shall say) favorite drama/English teacher we shall refer to him as Mr. G) and she a brilliant but shrill transfer into the 11th grade as well--both odd --but attempting tour hormonally charged best..to fit in. She and I, while we wouldn't know it just yet....went to the same Shakespeare summer camp at the same times....which would be our first run in among fate. Actually in an absolute coincidental seeming literary device...I JUST found out that I fucking kid you not this sherif assisting me into this strange (but very kind) motel voucher act of kindness was by Sherif Shakespeare...to whom at the front desk I literally uttered the words “is that a joke?” of course to which he denied immediately but once I explained the bizarre literary foreshadowing of also let out a guffaw This girl and I were absolute opposites in every single way first and forever. She was a hissy introverted cat, while I was an (albeit often) obnoxious golden retriever puppy. (I shed way too much blonde hair as well as literally ALWAYS being STOKED to see you whether you be a dear friend or/and new stranger) Not a brag whatsoever and often my largest weakness...a quality I am quite proud of  no matter how many times it bites me in the ass...Livie and I were each other’s person! No matter what--through thick and thin...When any vapid jock (which in my search of validation socially in which I was enamored by) Many of those times being my impossibly wild and unscrupulous times that at moments, even my own family, could no longer handle/decidedly emotionally support me in the most basic of ways...Livi was different; she always gave off a confident understanding vibe of my mental health issues reciprocating my infallible love, support and downright forcibly pushing her to be her most fun self...while she (in my best possible interest) slapped sense and reason into me whenever...(I often derailed off these tracks) This was a quality I genuinely always saw as the perfect Ying to Yang quality...I was the most innocently intended extrovert (as goes of course my subjectivity of this story complete with my inherently biased words(while obnoxious).... meaning all the best but lacking structure and thus often the most toxic of individuals-and then her; an introvert that desperately needed someone nearly as headstrong as she in order to even her out into social norms and “let loose...”.which is what--if only--thing I served for her. I was her shitshow and she was my genius idol/intellectual master to my grass hopping/unsure shadow. However as the first encounter I had with her on her “dextroamphetamine” which in this moment of accountability; I will admit I was likely a strong peer pressured influence on....believing this infallible idol of mine, could never do anything but good so I realize now--toxically contributed to! This time I came to her, a mess as always but no new substances just feeling abandoned and emotionally unstable(the usual issues I relied on her wisdom for)...but this time was different... My first night I spent here in the middle of this  tiny “footloose” esq town here in Utah...no one knew who this ‘”best friend” of mine even was...at this obscure “kick back”I had been fortunately tagged along to...I’d even often spoken with her current roommate only to hear that--even with her EXPENSIVE double degree from one of the TOP liberal arts colleges in the world--she was making less than Los Angeles minimum wage in this desert(ed) town to nowhere....liked by few, fired even recently and now paying her extremely minimal bills by part time tutoring.... As I am typing this I must say; I began this manifesto with full rage and hatred for this (former) best friend of mine...but as I type this I believe my mother has a point and that this seemingly perfect specimen I have always looked up to seems to be unraveling and this above all breaks my heart more than anything. I guess there are no guarantees whatsoever in this world which is depressing as hell but a minor relief to me, a random Californian, stranded in Utah as a result of a kerfuffle with whom I idolized and could see no flaws within for literally over a decade... Watch who you love closely, and make sure you are truly there for a new med journey because even the best of us are susceptible to functional addiction. Happy Holidays to all. I love you all and blame no one but myself foR my choices and lack of scrutiny of the shift in personality of my who my truest best friend I have ever had the pleasure of calling mine. #RIPtothatrelationship  #adventuregram #Carolinecalloway #betrayal #love #chronicles #honestdiaries #vulnerability #happyholidays #iloveyouall #happyholidays

#BFF

[j-j-ehlby-writes]

Meet Me at the Chalet || epilogue.

Eventual pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Jenessee Borosi)

Word count: ~2.5k

Summary (I suck at these): Jenessee goes on a solo vacation after the release of her first novel. She got a little more than she bargained for when she gets snowed in with her biggest celebrity crush.

Warnings: Just fluff

night one. || day one. || day two. || day three. || day four. || day five. || day six. || last day. || one year later. || epilogue. || bonus. ||

To say these past two years have been hard would be an understatement. After we met up again, we stayed for the rest of the week to talk and figure out the most important details of this relationship we were entering into. Many hours of serious talks and making up for lost time, we jetted off and have been together ever since.

Being with him has been the most challenging but rewarding time of my life. I’ve also never been so terrified of losing someone before so I try and spoil him as often as I can to show him I appreciate him. After a long day of filming, I have a home-cooked meal ready for him as well as a cup of his favorite tea. I give him shoulder and back rubs if he’s stressed. Small gestures to show him how crazy I am about him.

Tom has also treated me like I’m the most special person in his life. He spoils me with small gestures as well as extravagant ones such as taking me to Norway for my birthday to explore my Norwegian roots and baking brownies for finishing the last book in my series. He’s been there for me for everything, to when I got overwhelmed while writing my books to similar situations we found ourselves in years before. They don’t happen very often but having him there for every single bad moment has made a world of a difference. He always shows me that he’s here for the long run, no matter what the world throws at us. He has truly become my rock, my confidante, my love, and my life. He is my best friend and the love of my life. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have him.

After leaving the chalet, we flew to London to meet his family. My nerves were already on edge, but I was more worried about meeting Bobby. I was never a huge dog person, having grown up with cats. Don’t get me wrong, I like dogs. They’re too precious for this world and we don’t deserve them. He quickly became my baby though after meeting him. He was easy to love, just like his daddy.

When I did meet his family though, they welcomed me with open arms. They were elated to finally meet his “famous author girlfriend” who “stole our Tom’s heart.” They were getting tired of him only talking about me, our week together, and how he couldn’t wait to see me again. He was thoroughly embarrassed but I assured him that my best friend went through the same thing. They also loved the fact that Tom finally brought someone home. I was surprised how well I got along with them. It was more shocking that they had all read my book and loved it, wanting to know what else I had planned (apparently Tom made them all read it when he saw them after we met). 

And because of the series finally being finished, I’ve decided to reveal myself which is the reason why I’m backstage at Ellen. I told my agent when I first hired her that if I were to ever relinquish my anonymity I would want to do it on Ellen’s show. When my agent called the show, they were thrilled. 

So now I’m here, freaking out about the whole thing. Thankfully, Tom is here being the rock I need right now. He hasn’t left my side the entire morning. He made me breakfast, he held my hand on the ride over here, he sent me encouraging smiles when I glanced at him from the make-up chair, and now his arms are secured around my waist as I stand backstage. I’m just waiting for the show to start. I briefly met with Ellen, only adding to my nervousness. She raved about my books, having read the backs of all of them. Her joke broke some of the nervous tension but as soon as she left and a PA came in telling me I needed to take my place, it was back.

 “I’m so nervous, I’m shaking! I hate being the center of attention and I hate public speaking. Why did I decide to do this again?” I ramble, hearing Ellen’s monologue in the background.

“Because my darling, you deserve to be recognized. Your books are phenomenal, and everyone needs to know who the creative genius behind them is.” He placed a kiss on my temple. I tried taking a few deep breaths.

“I wish you could go out there with me,” I whine. “This would be so much easier if I had your hand to hold.”

“I know, love. However, I am looking forward to being the one backstage for once. I can be the proud boyfriend watching my love’s success.” His pride is beaming off of him in waves. Usually I’m the one filled with pride for him on the sidelines. It’s odd being on the receiving end but having someone being proud of me is an indescribable feeling.

“One minute, Miss Ehlby.” The PA warned. “Just walk out and around the chair, greet Ellen, and then take a seat.”

“Break a leg, darling.” He gives me a kiss before I hear Ellen.

“My first guest has just released the final book in her coveted book series that includes ‘Deny’ which she published with two different endings, not telling anyone. They created such pandemonium that she’s been the most sought after author to interview. She’s remained anonymous, using a pseudonym to stay out of the spotlight. Today she is finally ready to come out of the shadows. Please welcome J.J. Ehlby.”

The music started playing and the PA motioned for me to start walking. I followed the light out, doing exactly what the PA told me to do and what I’ve seen countless celebrities do every time I watched the show with my mom. I greeted Ellen with a hug before sitting down on the nice white chair so many famous people have said they’ve peed on.

“Hi J.J.!” She greets again when the audience and music have quieted down.

“Hi Ellen!” I smile back.

“Thanks for being here. I know you could have chosen any other show to do your first interview but clearly you chose the best.” The audience laughs.

“I did choose the best. I told my agent years ago that my first interview had to be on your show whenever I decided to throw my anonymity out the door.” The more words I said the more comfortable I felt. It doesn’t feel like I’m in front of hundreds of people and one of the funniest and kindest people in the world.

“So, why don’t you tell us about yourself? No one knows anything about you except you’re a great writer.” She asks the first question I was prepared for. I was given a list of questions she would be asking so I could know what was coming.

“Well thank you. That’s why I wanted to publish using a pseudonym. I wanted to be able to have my professional and private life be separate until all of the books I had planned came out. With the last book in stores now, here I am!”

“How did you come up with the pseudonym?” Question two.

I explain it the same way I did to Tom all that time ago, “My initials actually. With my name being Jenessee Julia Lynette Borosi, I wanted to still have it be connected to who I am, but not so close that people could easily figure it out. So it became a play on my initials, J, J, L, B.”

“That’s clever,” She comments. “I never would have guessed that.”

“Thank you. I thought so, too.”

“Let’s get to what everyone has been talking about since your books came out. You published two different endings.”

“I did.” I admit, smiling evilly to myself.

“And you didn’t tell anybody.”

“Nope! That’s what initially drew the publishers in. I had posted it online which somehow gained their attention. It wasn’t popular online due to it not having any references to vampires, werewolves, or any sort of fanfiction. But when they contacted me they told me they liked both endings that I had in mind, so I told them that I wanted to do both and not tell anyone. They were immediately on board. No one had ever done anything like this before, so I thought, ‘why not?’”

“And you did a sequel only for one of them?”

I nod, “Yes. With one of the endings, it was finite enough to where it didn’t need one. But the other ending left it open-ended on purpose so that I could write a sequel to it.”

After a few more questions about the books, she asked the one I was most anxious about, “Since you write about love and falling in love so well, do you have that in real life? Do you have that kind of love in your life?”

Tom and I haven’t been very public about our relationship. Only posting non-descript and non-identifying pictures of the other and we never tag the other. We were waiting for my identity to be revealed before we go public. It’s been more fun that way. The fans go nuts for every single picture Tom posts. Everyone wants to know who I am. It’s also given us a chance to get to build our relationship outside of the media. We’ve been very sneaky. It’s tiring but exhilarating at the same time.

“I didn’t while writing the first and second books.”

“But you do now.” She states, not questions.

“I do, yes.” I can’t help the smile on my face as I think about my love backstage watching this. He’s talked about me on a few occasions. After his first interview about the “Chalet Girl,” everyone has asked about it. He did give an update after we officially got together, but he obviously didn’t give any details as to who I was. I’ve always felt giddy knowing he was proud of talking about me. I could imagine that’s how he is feeling now.

Ellen teases me about the instant smile causing my whole face to go red.  “What’s his name? How long have you been together?”

“His name is Will. We’ve known each other for three years and have been officially together for two.” Tom and I decided to use the names we first gave each other to the media so no one would suspect anything, just like when we used them.

The rest of the interview went by smoothly. She asked a few more questions about my books and then surprised the audience with a signed copy of my first book.

The next day Tom and I headed to Burbank from Los Angeles so we could tape an episode of the Late Late show. We were going into it like we hadn’t met before so we could shock the world by revealing that we were actually together and have been for a while. Tom wanted to go public with our relationship on James’ show because that’s where he made his first interview about me and he’s sentimental. He’s all about things coming full circle… such a romantic man I’ve got.

We headed to our separate dressing rooms and taped our “intro” video a while later then we moved onto the actual interview portion. We sat on the blue couch, me being the closest to James, then Tom. We were told someone else would be joining us later for a different segment. He sat a safe distance away from me so no one would think anything was going on.

“Welcome to the show, J.J.!” James greets me.

“Thank you! I’m excited to be here.” I cross my legs at the knee and relax into the back of the couch.

“And good to have you back, Thomas.”

“Thank you, sir. It’s great to be back.” He’s also leaning back with his ankle crossed over his knee. He looks like an absolute snack and there’s nothing I can do about it… stupid interview.

James went on to ask me basically the same questions Ellen did yesterday, bringing up her interview a few times. I repeated my answers trying not to sound like I rehearsed them a million times beforehand. He’d also asked me about my boyfriend, like Ellen did.

“Speaking of lovers, Thomas, how are you and your ‘Chalet girl’? How long has it been now?” James asks Tom, segueing into his portion of the interview.

“We are wonderful. We celebrated two years together this month.” And what an amazing anniversary it was. We traveled to Italy where we indulged in so much pasta and pizza. We also each tossed a coin into the Trevi fountain and took a tour of the Sistine Chapel. It was absolute perfection. I didn’t want to come back.

“So, I take it you’re still pretty infatuated with her.”

“Oh James, I’m more than infatuated with her. She’s the love of my life.” He confesses, sending me a quick glance. “I fully plan on making her my wife someday.”

We’ve talked countless times about our future: where we would want to get married and who we want there, where we want to raise our 2-3 kids, where we would want to retire to if we ever were to- everything and anything that our future may hold. I’m so excited for that time. I’d marry him tomorrow if he asked.

“Am I ever going to meet this lucky girl? You’ve been so secretive!”

“You already have.” He promptly gets up, plopping down right next to me. He wraps his arm around my shoulders before grabbing my face and kissing me. 

“What?!” James gasped. “You two?!” He motions between us with the largest grin on his face. “She’s your ‘Chalet girl’?”

I stare at the man who I have fallen more and more in love with every day for the past three years. He looks at me with such love, devotion, pride… This wonderful man has shown me that I am worthy of love; worthy of his love. That I deserve this and so much more… and I truly believe I do now.

I bury my face in his neck as he answers, “As I mentioned before, she’s so much more than that.” His hand intertwined with mine on his lap. “I don’t know what I did to deserve an incredibly kind, funny, strong, independent, breathtakingly beautiful woman such as her in my life, but I’m the luckiest man. I really am.”

If my heart could fly, it would soar…

bonus...

Permanent taglist: @elusive-beauty @drakesfiance @im-a-slut-for-an-accent @fantasy-is-my-reality @hiddlephile @naniky

Taglist is CLOSED

#tom hiddleston #meet me at the chalet #mmatc #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston x you #tom hiddleston x ofc #tom hiddleston imagine #tom hiddleston x female!reader #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom hiddleston fic #tom hiddleston series

[lamptracker]

FIC: Spy vs. Spy (part 4/?)

Part 1 * Part 2 * Part 3

FIC: Spy vs. Spy (part 4/?) (I don’t know how many parts this will be but it definitely won’t be a 21-part epic like Tea Shop Girl)

Pairing: Spy!Harrison Osterfield/Spy!Female Reader

Overall Summary: Harrison Osterfield, one of Britain’s top spies, keeps getting thrown into missions with rival spy (y/n). Can they work together without killing each other? Or will something more develop?

Part Summary: Harrison and the reader are almost caught while doing surveillance at Cervelli’s hideout; the reader comes up with a quick cover-up plan.

Warnings: Swearing, some kissing but no smut (at least not yet...)

Tagged: @itstabata

@purelyfictionallife

@deleteidentity

@peterspanish

@mindless--thinking

“I hate doing surveillance,” (y/n) grumbled, leaning back in the passenger seat and resting her feet on the dashboard. “This is a vast misuse of my talents.” She opened up a bag of gummy bears, popping one into her mouth; she offered the bag to Harrison, who silently declined with a shake of his head.

“I don’t like it any more than you do, (y/n), but it’s important.” Harrison peered out the car’s tinted windows at the seemingly-abandoned warehouse, watching for signs of Luca Cervelli and his associates. Their latest job was to watch the warehouse (that they’d found thanks to the tracker they’d planted on him) and try to get an idea of his daily schedule. They’d been sitting there for three hours, and… nothing.

(y/n) sighed, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “So,” she said quietly. “Do you want to talk about the other night?”

She was referring to the charity ball, where they’d been assigned to plant the tracker on Cervelli. They’d had to pose as husband and wife; they shared a slow dance and very nearly kissed before spotting their target.

Harrison exhaled slowly, puffing his cheeks out slightly. “I don’t… not really. It’s just… the lighting, and the music, and the champagne, and...”

“Right.” She nodded and stared out the window again.

Harrison cocked his head to one side in confusion.

“You alright?” he asked. “You’re usually not this quiet. I’m honestly surprised you’re not telling me to go jump up my own ass and die right now.”

(y/n) smiled softly at him. “Well… to be honest, I… uh-oh.”

“What?” Harrison peered out of her window; a large, angry looking man was walking out of the building and in their general direction.

“Oh, no.”

Harrison’s heart dropped as a sense of dread washed over him. “Oh, shit,” he said, “we’re about to be found out. What do we do?”

“I’ve got this.”

Before Harrison could even formulate his next thought, much less a plan to get out of this predicament, (y/n)’s lips were on his.

He stiffened in surprise for a moment - what is she doing? In the middle of a mission, really?? - but then it hit him. Our cover ID is just a couple making out. She’s a genius. She’s completely loony, but she’s also a genius.

Harrison melted into the kiss as she moved into his seat, straddling his lap. He slid his hands around her waist and up the back of her shirt, gripping her tightly as her lips moved softly against his. He groaned, involuntarily bucking his hips upward slightly; her tongue darted between his parted lips.

Just as her hands made their way into his blond curls, someone knocked on his window.

Harrison rolled his window down and looked at the man, smiling sheepishly at him.

“You guys have been parked here for awhile,” the man grumbled, “and this is private property.”

“We’re sorry, sir,” Harrison replied. “It’s just, I really needed to make out with my girl. Couldn’t wait until we got home, you know how that is.”

(y/n) giggled. “He’s so naughty, can’t keep his hands off of me.” She scrunched up her nose playfully at him before attacking his lips with hers again.

“Hey!” The man banged on Harrison’s door angrily. “You have about ten seconds to get the hell out of here. I better not see you here again, you understand me?”

“Of course.” Harrison patted the man’s shoulder as (y/n) slid out of his lap. “We’re sorry to bother you.”

The man snorted as he walked away. (y/n) quickly buckled her seat belt as she smoothed her hair down, and Harrison drove away.

“Well, that was…” (y/n) said.

“Yeah.” Harrison continued driving, refusing to take his eyes off the road.

A long, awkward silence permeated the air of the car before Harrison finally spoke:

“I planted a microphone on him when I patted his shoulder,” he said. “Tom developed one, it’s super-sensitive but barely detectable by the human eye. When we get back to the apartment we should be able to hear everything.”

“That Tom is the smartest person I’ve ever met,” (y/n) replied. “He should really consider working for the agency.”

“I’ve talked to him about that. He’d rather keep working for himself, likes the freedom.”

“Can’t say as I blame him, then.” (y/n) lit a cigarette as she stared out of her window.

“So,” said Harrison, again breaking the silence. “We gonna… talk about that?”

(y/n) took a long drag off of her cigarette. “I don’t want to talk about it any more than you wanted to talk about the other night. It was just to keep ourselves from being discovered. Nothing more.”

“Right. Nothing more.”

“It’s always about you, isn’t it? What you want, what you feel. I’m surprised you haven’t found a way to make the Royal Wedding about you too, ya selfish prick.”

Harrison chuckled. “There she is. There’s the (y/n) we all know and pretend to tolerate because Management pays us to.”

“Whatever,” (y/n) sneered. “You’re just upset because there’s nothing more, aren’t you?”

“There’s nothing more, (y/n), trust me.”

“There’s something more, isn’t there?” Tom asked quietly as (y/n) excused herself to the bathroom; he was getting the microphone turned on and ready for them to listen.

Harrison scoffed loudly. “Of course not. It’s just, I haven’t dated anyone in ages and… I don’t know, it felt good to just kiss someone again. But that could be the ‘haven’t gotten any in awhile’ coming out.”

“Well, you need to sort it out before someone gets hurt, I… oh, here we go. I’m picking up something.”

The “something” was what sounded like water running and then a man sighing in relief.

“Oh, great, we just got to hear a mobster taking a piss,” Harrison grumbled; (y/n) walked back into the room.

“Without me?!” she exclaimed in mock-offense.

“Shut up, (y/n), we’re listening for something.”

(y/n) pulled up a chair, listening intently with Tom and Harrison.

“You know, what, Luca, I’ve about had it with this. You said we’d get a big payday out of this last job and I haven’t seen a dime. I have every mind to slit your throat right now.”

“Patience, Carlo, patience. After this job tomorrow we’ll all be sitting pretty. Do you have the schematics?”

“Of course I do. Confederated Bank building, guards at all the entrances except this one. We sneak in through that door, we blow up the door to the vault, we grab what we can before the alarm goes off. With all of us we should clean it out in thirty seconds, tops. We’ll be out of there by the time anyone notices anything’s off.”

“Great work, my friend, great work. Also, try to figure out who Rachel Stevens is, I have been racking my brain for three days but I cannot remember her.”

“You got it, Luca.”

“You got all that, right?” Harrison asked Tom, who nodded.

“Yep. Recorded it and everything. I’ll send it to you and you can send it to Cumberbatch.”

Harrison smiled and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to work for the agency?”

“I’m sure. And… there. Enjoy.”

“Oh, Tom, you’re the best!” (y/n) exclaimed, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek; Tom’s cheeks turned pink and he giggled shyly.

Harrison scrunched up his nose as he felt his chest constrict. What was this feeling that came over him all of a sudden? Could it have been… no.

But as (y/n) and Tom gave each other a friendly hug, he felt it again.

Was... was he jealous?

#harrison osterfield #harrison osterfield fanfiction #harrison osterfield imagine #spy!au #spy vs spy #tom holland fanfiction

[baronessblixen]

Not sure if this is the kind of prompt you'd like, but I trust your fluffy genius! Sooo... my prompt is that their now 8 year old daughter comes home from school upset one day. Turns out the other kids in class were making fun of her because her dad is "old". How would 64 year old Mulder handle that one? ;)

Sorry it took me so long! It was extremely hard to write and I’m not sure how it turned out. I hope you like it anyway. Earlier today @frangipanidownunder tackled the same prompt. Everyone go read that one as well! Tagging at @today-in-fic

An angry thumpannounces her arrival. The backpack bangs against the wall and Mulder is up inan instant – she knows she's not supposed to throw it, or anything else, insidethe house. They had to state that rule, as well as every other one, veryspecifically. Because the youngest Mulder knows her way around the rules.

"KatherineMargaret Mulder, you know that-" The full name treatment is what Scullyusually does. Mulder, they all know it, is more or less useless in serioussituations. The girl, just about to storm off, stops and stares at him. She hasher arms crossed and looks like a tiny version of her mother. Except for thedarker, longer hair and his own stubborn chin.

"I have myreasons!" She yells and stomps off into the living room where she plopsdown on the couch. Mulder follows her, quietly amused. Scully tells him thatshe's all him, going off at every chance and at the slightest inconvenience. Ifshe's like this at eight years, what are they in for once she becomes ateenager? He chuckles; he can't wait to find out.

"Care to tell mewhat happened, peanut?" Mulder sits across from her in one of thearmchairs they bought a few years ago. Jackson pointedly called them 'oldpeople furniture' when he first saw them. That earned him an eyebrow from hismother, but the children still jokingly call them that.

"Daddy, are youold?" Mulder is glad he's sitting down. That's one question he didn'texpect. But their daughter is not one to beat around the bush. She talks a lot,always has, and speaks her mind. Always. Another thing Scully tells him shegets from him.

"Am I old?"He asks just to make sure he's understood her right. Katie nods.  

"The kids atschool say you are. They say you and mommy are old. Like grandparents old. Whatdoes that mean, dad?" He's feared this conversation for years and he'shoped he still had more time. Katie stares at him with her curious eyes. She,unlike him, is not worried; she just wants to understand. A few years backwhile at the store, another mother referred to him as Katie's grandfather. Whenhe corrected her, both of them blushing, he felt old. Never in his life had hefelt as old as that moment. It passed, was forgotten when Katie, still atoddler then, giggled and squealed. But every once in a while, when someonelooks funny at him, when they pause and swallow hard once they find out who heand Scully are, how old they are, he remembers.

In the early days ofthe pregnancy when uncertainty and fear ruled their days and nights, he andScully imagined moments like this one. All the what if's. What if somethinggoes wrong? What if we're too old to do this? What if we can't keep up with ourchild? What if one of us… even now, years later, Mulder doesn't want to thinkabout it. There was another what if, one he doesn't want to think of now as helooks at his daughter. What if we're not going to have the baby? They spokeabout it exactly once. It was a Sunday, sunny and friendly. Scully was sick, sovery sick with morning sickness, and he uttered the words as he rubbed herback. What if, Scully. They looked at each other then, tears and doubts sharedwithout a single word spoken, knowing that it wasn't a possibility, not really,not for them. No matter what the circumstances.    

"Daaaad."Katie's eyes grow big and impatient; she doesn't have the time. She can't wait.Not for dinner, not for her birthday and most of all not for an explanationfrom her old man. There's that word again: old.

"It'scomplicated, Katie." She groans and throws herself against the couchcushion. "It really is." Mulder tells her and puts a hand on herknee. Try again, her eyes seem to say to him, not good enough.

"You do know howold your mother and I are, right?" Katie thinks about it for a moment andhe is certain can see her count in her head, then nods. "Do you know howold Josh's parents are?" The boy is her best friend and Mulder knows thathis parents could almost be his children. Almost. Katie shakes her head."What do you think? Are they as old as I am?" He holds his breath,waiting. Katie furrows her brows, stares him up and down, examines him.

"I don't know. Josh'smom is home a lot like you, but that's because of the baby. Josh's dad is badat baseball and soccer." Mulder suppresses a grin; this is not the momentto make fun. "Is he older than you are, dad?" Katie's question isgenuine, but for the first time he sees the spark of something else in hereyes. Uncertainty, he thinks. He wishes Scully were here. He might be good atbaseball and soccer, but right now he feels useless. He's 64 years old. He cando this.

"No, honey. I'molder than him." Much older, he thinks, but doesn't say it. Confusionwashes over Katie's face and she stares at him, still waiting. As the pregnancyprogressed, Scully would remind him to take it one day at a time because theydidn't know what might happen tomorrow. But with each passing day, Mulder beganto feel more and more thankful. It was a second chance. He watched Scully'sstomach grow and he recorded every little change. He was there for everydoctor's appointment, held her hand through the first sonogram, through thefirst test results – everything. This time he was there for it all. A bittersweetsensation knowing what he'd missed the first time. When Jackson came back intotheir lives Scully was four months pregnant. One night Mulder found their sonin the living room browsing through a baby catalogue. He looked up sheepishlyand Mulder sat next to him, neither of them saying a word for the longest time.'It's too late to buy a crib for you, but there's a bed for you here always. Welove you, Jackson, and you're part of this family.' That was that. In the end,it was a second chance for all of them.

"So you are old?"Katie reminds him not to get lost in his thoughts and memories, but to be herein the now. He nods. He wishes he wasn't. Oh, how he wishes Katie had comealong ten years earlier. Mulder still dreams that Jackson grew up with them,free from pain and terror, and that Katie was born a few years after herbrother. A picture perfect family. He wakes up from that dream, always. Theirlife, their real life, is good; of course it is. He wouldn't trade it foranything in the world, now. He and Scully are, against all odds, healthy. Shemakes him have regular check-ups and if he's reluctant every once in a while,she just gives him a look. She's right. They have plans in check, financial andotherwise. If anything were to happen to them, Jackson would get custody. Allthese things loom above them just like heart attacks, arthritis, dementia. Hedoesn't want to think about it, wants to just live. For Katie's sake he has tothink about all of it. They've been lucky until now. So very, very lucky.

"Does that meanyou can't play baseball with me anymore?" Katie's voice breaks, soundsimpossibly young. Mulder engulfs her in his arms, holds her as tightly as hecan. She sobs into his shoulder and he rubs her back soothingly.

"Don't worry aboutthings like that, Katie. We just played baseball this weekend, didn't we?"She nods against him and wipes her nose on his shirt. "See? I'm not tooold to play." But he remembers falling asleep watching a movie that night.When it happens to Scully, even after all these years, he just smiles. She'sbeen falling on asleep on him for 30 years. He's used to it. His own exhaustion,the little aches and pains, are newer to him, but even they feel familiar now.There will come a day when lifting a bat will cause too much pain. When histhrowing arm will give in. He just hopes that it happens once Katie is grownand no longer interested in playing. He knows he will do everything in hispower to make it so.

"As long as youcan play baseball, dad," Katie wipes her nose again before she looks athim, "you're not too old. I'll tell everyone tomorrow. They got it allwrong." She assures him and he smiles, thanks her with a kiss on her cheek.It should be him taking the fear off her mind, not the other way around. Mulderopens his mouth, ready to say more, when the front door opens. Katie jumps up,accidently kicks his shin, and runs towards her mother.

"Mommy!"Mulder hears as he rubs his throbbing shin. "Daddy and I were just talkingabout how old you two are." He chuckles from his place on the couch. Amoment later, Scully's head pops around the corner and Mulder forgets time andspace looking at her. No matter his age, no matter her age, this has neverchanged; it never will. Right now he doesn't feel like he's 64 – and shedoesn't look like she's 61, ever. When he's with Scully, he doesn't feel old. Helooks at her and sees his whole life.

"Are you allright?" Scully asks him, amusement swinging in her voice. He nods.

"Katie kicked myshin by accident. I will be fine."

"Oh, I was soworried for a moment." Scully says and walks over to him. She leans downto him and kisses his lips softly. "What was that talk all about?"Her voice is softer now, quiet. Katie is in the hall, talking to herself,mumbling about homework. Mulder loves listening to her, but Scully's gaze isinsistent.

"She asked me ifI was old. I tried to explain, but… you know." She nods, seems tounderstand.

"We knew thatmight be an issue one day."

"I thought oneday would be much later. Or never."

"You always wantto believe." He receives another smile, another soft kiss. "How didshe take it?" Before he can answer, Katie strolls back in. She's grinningfrom ear to ear and crawls into Mulder's lap.

"Mommy, guesswhat! Daddy is not too old to play baseball!" She exclaims in a bubblyvoice. Scully gives him a serene look; maybe he hasn't completely screwed this up.She smiles at her daughter, tries to tame a strand of stubborn hair by tuckingit behind her ear.

"That's the mostimportant thing, isn't it?" Mulder decides that it really is, in the end.  

#i wrote a thing! #not exactly baby fic as the kid is older #but it's *that* baby #dad mulder #msr #xf fanfic #my writing #my fic #agentelmo

[hanalwayssolo]

Sad Songs for Lonely Lovers

A/N: Saved this last because............ this one really struck right at home. Also, song reference is Ghost by Lianne La Havas.

Anyway. May I interest anyone in some Iggy angst?

(ETA: Tagging some precious humans because tbh one of the many reasons I reclaimed my fuel to write again is at some point I’ve read their writing, so. Hi! *waves* @hypaalicious @louisvuittontrashbags @eternallydaydreaming2015 @nifwrites @cupnoodle-queen)

You and Me and The Bottle Makes Three: Noctis | Prompto | Gladio | Ignis 

Ignis has never been a fan of surprises.

Most of his closest friends can attest to this, including you. He makes a business out of anticipating the worst-case scenarios; he detests feeling helpless and having no idea whatsoever on what to do next. Planning is his forte, and he greatly prefers having different plans and strategies available at his disposal, from Plan A until all the letters of the alphabet have been consumed.

So when he sees you on his doorstep at precisely two-fifteen a.m. rain-drenched and rather buzzed, all his wits fail him.

“Sorry for coming over unannounced,” you bite your lip, hair sopping and pasting on the side of your face, shivering from the cold.

“You’re soaking wet,” Ignis bewilderedly points out the obvious before he snaps back to attention, “Come in, please.”

He hastily ushers you inside his apartment, and you kick off your boots caked in mud in the entryway. You pad along in your socks, trailing behind Ignis. You notice that he’s wearing his usual choice of sleepwear—a white cotton shirt and a pair of gray sweats. You suddenly feel a pang of guilt for waking him up and unnecessarily causing him trouble.

“Let me get a towel and a change of clothes for you real quick,” he paces hurriedly before he disappears into the first room in the corridor, and you follow suit.

It’s a room which was once also yours, but now, it’s just his. You watch him shuffle along the drawers, the very same you both ceremoniously bought together as the first piece of furniture to replace his ragged old one. The smell of wood, pine, and coffee that blends and wafts the air continues to unearth a lot of memories you’ve worked so hard to bury over the past month.

If you’re being honest, you didn't want to be here. This is admittedly the last place in Eos where you want yourself to be. But this has been a long night and you were so desperate and helpless and you had to swallow your pride so you can survive in one piece — passing out in the pavement, especially in the middle of this storm, isn’t particularly a genius idea.

After all, who in their right mind would want to pay their ex-boyfriend a surprise visit at an ungodly hour, right?

“Found it,” he announces. “Here’s your clothes and a towel. You can change here—”

“I’m surprised you didn’t throw this out,” you cut him off, recognizing the band shirt he hands over to you. It’s yours, and it’s one of your personal things that you have yet to retrieve under his care.

“I ought to return that to you at some point, along with your other clothes,” he looks away, adjusting his glasses. “I just—”

“Never found the time,” you both say in razor-sharp unison. The words left a lingering leaden echo. For a fleeting moment, his eyes latches on to yours, and you break away.

“Well then… I’ll leave you here to change,” he heavily exhales and offers a gentle smile. “Join me outside once you're done, I’ll make your favorite latté.”

“Iggy, you don’t have to—”

“Please. I insist,” he looks at you and he smiles again, and something in your chest stings. Ignis steps out and closes the door behind him, and you're left to your own devices.

You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to suppress the good days that once was. But your head is a dick and amplified by liquor, and it mocks you with an unbearably vivid montage reel of all the ghosts of your memories with Ignis.

You remember the first time he kissed you, softly and sweetly, and told you that you tasted like strawberries.

You remember the first time you made passionate love that you swore he might break the bed.

You remember the first time he asked you to move in and your heart throbbed in excitement.

And you remember the first time he told you that he needed some space.

You shake your head and aggressively blink back the tears. You move to the bathroom and discard your denim jacket, pull over the dress that clung heavily in your skin, and toss them in the basket… shit. I don’t live here anymore, you uncomfortably thought, and you quickly make a mental note to let Ignis know that you’ll personally take care of your bearings.

You wring the water out of your hair, dry yourself with the towel, and take your fresh change of clothes. You return to the bedroom, and you study the room that you already had memorized. Nothing seems to have changed; the books in his shelves are still arranged the way you remember it. There’s also that photo of him with Gladio, Prompto, and Noctis perched over at his reading table… and a photo of you and Ignis, his arms wrapped around your waist, both of you looking exquisitely happy.

The stinging pain in your chest now radiates ten-fold.

All things considered, the breakup was mutual. Painful, but mutual. When Ignis asked for his space, you knew he meant I need to detach from you indefinitely so I can focus on my job, which eventually felt like an indirect translation of I need some time to review this relationship. Of course, this is Ignis you’re talking about — he had a clear-cut vision of his priorities and his duties that you thought it best to step down  from his growing list of things to worry about and make his life easier. You were rational; no hard feelings.

And rational as you are, the both of you remained good friends. He still sends you his usual food recommendations from time to time, while you reply with curated playlists you thought he should listen to at work. You both are in good terms, and all should feel better.

But then, you can also be utterly irrational, just like now. You're an emotional mess, a whirlwind of bottled up insecurities and fury and all things ugly.

Because deep down the darkest corners of your heart, you didn’t want to let him go. The day you left, Ignis never said a word. He didn't do anything wrong—he just didn't do anything. He just watched you pack your bags and leave.

Everything in his life remained unchanged; except you’re no longer in it. He goes on in his daily life, while you suffer in silence.

He let you go, when deep down you were waiting for him to do something, anything, to make you stay.

You take a deep breath and heave whatever’s left from the fragments of your courage (and not to mention your pride and dignity) as you push the door open and make your way to the living room. Against the backdrop of the pelting rain, a soft, soulful music drifts away, one which you instantly recognize.

Don’t tell me you need me, I’m estranged And I’m overaged, the trouble it may be  There’s still a part of me that has to know What you have to say

It’s the song in one of the playlists you made for him, and you wince again at the memory of it.

“Hey,” you approach Ignis over his tiny makeshift bar, trying your best to look fine as you gingerly sit on the stool. He peeks at you over his shoulder, and he briefly returns to busy himself pouring your cup of coffee. “By the way, I wasn’t sure where to put my wet clothes, so I placed them in your laundry basket for the meantime—”

“It’s fine, I’ll take care of it,” he slides the cup to you over the counter. “Here you go.”

“Iggy, thanks—but wait, I can’t let you take care of my laundry,” you timidly protest.

“You’re in my flat, and you’re my guest, so allow me to be of service—”

“But, I—”

“No buts.” He warmly smiles, and Ignis takes the seat next to you. There’s no point in pressing further; you knew that once Ignis seals a sentence with a smile, it’s as good as a done deal.

You take the cup of coffee Ignis made for you and savor the warmth in your hands. You take a sip, and gods, how you’ve missed his coffee.

How you’ve missed him.

Always with the ghosts of us in tow Stuck somewhere between a friend and foe Round and round we go

“So,” Ignis clears his throat as he begins, “I trust that you appearing here at this gods-forsaken hour has an interesting story behind it?”

“Well,” you tuck your damp hair behind your ear and set the cup back down, fingers circling around the rim, “I was supposed to go home but it started raining and I lost my umbrella and my train card at the concert. And then I remembered we—I mean, you live nearby so I thought maybe, um… I’m really sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he reassures you, his attempt to dispel your worries. “You’ve had a rough night—”

I should have told you, yes, I’m to blame Oh, I took the blame, turned it into a serenade Oh, the mess I’ve made

“No, I mean—I’m sorry,” your hands begin to tremble, and you chew your lip to control yourself from crying. “For everything.”

Wide-eyed, Ignis immediately understood the gravity of your words. “No, none of what happened to us is your fault—”

“Iggy,” you breathe his name; he’s now standing in front of you, so close and only inches away, his eyes tinged with pain. “Then why didn't we try harder?”

You look at him with eyes searching and you let the question dangle heavily between the two of you, the silence deeply saturated with regrets.

Looking for a life beyond the end Stuck somewhere between a foe and friend Round and round again

And just like the day you left, he doesn't say a word. All you can hear is the hollow sound of your own heart breaking for the second time.

“Okay, shit—I shouldn't be here—” you scramble clumsily to your feet as you wipe your eyes as the tears stain your face. “I’m really sorry for taking your time—”

And in one sweeping moment, Ignis interrupts you with his body, his arms pulling you against his chest. You thought you’ve forgotten, but your body remembers his so well that try as you might to stay afloat and fight against the feeling, you sink and you melt in his warmth.

“Don’t go,” he weakly begs, his usual cool voice betrayed and fractured with remorse. “I… I’m sorry. I was a fool for letting you walk away that day. I can’t have that again—not this time. Not ever.”

He whispers, longing and pleading, something he should have said the first time you decided to leave.

“Stay.”

#final fantasy xv #ffxv #ff15 #ignis scientia #ignis scientia x reader #my writing #tw: alcohol mention #among the 4 this one is the fucking heaviest #since i've been avoiding alcohol i think i ate a pint of ice cream when i wrote this shit out #and having to read it again i'm............... gdi