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deadpresidents · 3 years

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We Remember: When 9/11 Forged a Genuinely United States of America

Today, we remember.

We remember that the weather was perfect throughout nearly the entire country on that Tuesday morning. We remember where we were when we heard about the first plane hitting the tower. We remember what we thought as the new just began to trickle in. We remember our horror as we watched the second plane hit the South tower. We remember the evacuations -- people running out of our monuments of freedom and democracy, our centers of government and finance, and spilling out on to the streets of our nation’s capital. We remember the dust and debris chasing thousands of New Yorkers through the streets of our most iconic city. We remember the smoke rising from the Pentagon. We remember that impact site in Pennsylvania -- a smoldering hole in an empty field instead of the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building because Americans decided to fight back. We remember watching the towers fall.

We remember the fear, the chaos, the sadness, and the feeling of not knowing what was happening or when it would end. We remember a feeling that Americans were not used to experiencing up to September 11, 2001: the helpless feeling of being attacked as went about our normal lives. We no longer remember what it felt like on September 10th.

Do you remember pointing fingers? Do remember placing blame? Do you remember partisanship? I remember patriotism. Not bumper sticker and window decals. Genuine patriotism. I remember flags and candles and donating water and giving blood and having a new appreciation for first responders. I remember that, for at least one week, we weren’t Democrats or Republicans. I remember that we were Americans. I remember that we cared a little bit more about each other for at least a couple of weeks.

When Democrat Lyndon Johnson was the Senate Majority Leader and Republican Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States, LBJ -- one of the most intense, passionate, partisan political animals in our history -- never attacked President Eisenhower. It wasn’t because LBJ agreed with Eisenhower’s policies. It wasn’t because LBJ was scared. It was because, as LBJ explained in 1953 in a comment that has an unfortunately haunting connection to 9/11, “If you’re in an airplane, and you’re flying somewhere, you don’t run up to the cockpit and attack the pilot. Mr. Eisenhower is the only President we’ve got.”

The only President we’ve got.

We all want to head in the same direction. We all want to move forward. We all want to progress and be happy and healthy and safe. But now, more than ever, our country’s prosperity is crippled by divisive partisanship. As World War I and World War II approached and the world realized that we are clearly connected on a global level, the people who seemed the most out-of-touch -- the people who were wrong -- were the isolationists. In both of those great wars, the isolationists were proven wrong. Yet, in the span of our grandparents’ lives we have regressed to the point where most Americans have become individual isolationists -- not isolationism on a national level, but on a personal level. We’ve tried to disconnect from the people in our own country -- especially if they look, love, or think differently than us. Don’t you remember how powerful it felt after 9/11 to be united? Don’t you remember how we helped each other in so many different ways?

I guess I could be cynical. I guess I could remember the look on President George W. Bush’s face when his Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, whispered news of the attacks in the President’s ear as he sat in a Florida classroom. I guess I could remember The Pet Goat, and the fact that Bush didn’t immediately get up, sprint from the room, and change out of his Clark Kent clothes into the Superman suit. I guess I could remember Air Force One zig-zagging across the country, the only plane in the air besides military escorts and combat air patrols over our major cities. I guess I could remember the surveillance videos of the well-dressed hijackers walking through airport terminals that morning before they turned our planes into weapons. I guess I could remember that the passengers of Flight 93 didn’t actually get through the cockpit door and force the plane to crash into that Pennsylvania field. I guess I could remember our government’s alphabet agencies -- the FBI, CIA, NSA, and everyone else listening in on our world -- being unable to work together and stop the attacks from happening in the first place. I guess I could choose to remember those things, but that doesn’t make me feel better. It doesn’t make 9/11 anything but a success to those who tried to frighten and frustrate and intimidate us through terrorism.

This is what I choose to remember:

I remember that the passengers of Flight 93 tried to get into that cockpit. I remember that their plane didn’t make it to Washington, D.C., and even if they never actually breached the cockpit and physically forced the plane into that meadow in Pennsylvania themselves, they certainly fought back and forced the hijackers to abort the mission that they had planned. That plane didn’t crash into the White House or the Capitol, and that’s not because the hijackers got lost.

I remember driving to the wedding rehearsal for two of my best friends on the Friday after the attacks, feeling bad for them that they were getting married in the shadow of 9/11. I remember being amazed at thousands of people in the streets of Sacramento -- neighborhood after neighborhood, thousands of miles away from any of the attack sites -- holding a candlelight vigil. I remember that it was then, as I drove through the silence of these peaceful vigils, with flags and flames and tears all around me, that I thought, “We’re going to be okay.”

I remember George W. Bush -- a President I never voted for -- who, like all of us, was a bit unsteady with his words in the hours immediately following the attacks as he processed the magnitude of what we were living through. But I remember how he found his footing and found his voice quickly and began to speak for all of us. I remember him returning to Washington, D.C. that night, against the wishes of his government and his Secret Service protection. I remember how this President -- a President I didn’t agree with, a President I never cast a supportive ballot for or whose campaign I ever donated a cent to, a President whose beliefs were diametrically opposed to almost everything that I believe in -- went to Ground Zero and met with the families of those who were dead or missing, and gave them all the time they needed with him.

I remember how that President visited the rescue workers at Ground Zero. I remember, more than anything else, how President Bush climbed on to a pile of rubble from the fallen towers of the World Trade Center, grabbed a bullhorn and began to speak, but was interrupted by the workers yelling, “We can’t hear you!”

I remember that the President -- the only President we had at the time -- shouted to these exhausted, weary, grieving, heroic rescuers, “Well, I can hear you! And the people who knocked these buildings down are gonna hear from all of us soon!” I remember that it was genuine, that there was nothing manufactured about that moment, and that, despite all of his faults and deficiencies, George W. Bush said exactly what those people -- our people -- needed to hear. As the workers chanted, “USA! USA! USA!”, I remember thinking that I didn’t vote for him and I won’t vote for him in 2004, but at that moment he was my President and I was proud of him.

As we look back, we can’t help but think about everything else that has come out of 9/11 -- the interminable war in Afghanistan, the unjust and unnecessary war in Iraq, the humiliating and annoying experience that flying in an airplane became in this country -- but I think about that stuff pretty much every day, and I feel like this should always be a day where we think differently.

So, even if it’s just for this day, I’m going to think about those flags and candles and President Bush on top of the rubble of the World Trade Center with a bullhorn. I’m going to think about being an American -- just like I was in the weeks following 9/11 -- rather than who I voted for or what team I like or any of the millions of things that divide us and can get back to tearing us apart tomorrow like they did yesterday.

I’m going to remember thinking, “That’s my President,” as President Bush spoke to the rescue workers, just as I did a few weeks later when he went to Yankee Stadium for Game 3 of the World Series, strapped on a bulky bulletproof vest under his FDNY jacket, walked to the pitcher’s mound, and with millions of Americans watching on television, with thousands of rabid New Yorkers watching in the stands, and with Derek Jeter’s words of warning (”Don’t bounce it or they’ll boo you”) rattling around in his head, threw a perfect strike.

I’ll remember thinking, “That’s my President,” about a guy I never voted for and didn’t agree with, and I’ll hope that you do that when the guy you didn’t vote for and didn’t agree with says the right words, does the right things, and throws a strike when our nation needs it -- not because you’re a Democrat or a Republican, but because you’re an American and that’s the only President we’ve got. We don’t have to disagree about everything just because we don’t agree about most things, and we don’t have to like everything about one another to understand that, sometimes, we need each other.

What do you remember?

#September 11th #9/11 #September 11th Attacks #History #Personal #Politics #Americans #20th Anniversary of 9/11 #Never Forget #Never Forgot #I Remember #We Remember #George W. Bush #President Bush #Bush 43

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starshipsofstarlord · 3 years

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Perception is Key

Part Two to Hell on Earth

avengers x reader

series masterlist

masterlist

Summary; dread is all you feel as you take up temporary residence in New Asgard. Something big is coming, and you are not the only one that can feel it, but despite that, Thor tries to make you feel safe in his rebuilt kingdom, though all you see is it falling before your knees

Warnings; mentions of death, angst, secrecy

divider by @firefly-graphics

Death, it was a certain doom for all living mechanisms, even Asgard had been demolished by its inevitable demise. Yet here you were, nursing an off handed bottle of ale that came from the gods, whilst you breathed in the salt scent that regarded from the ocean that crashed by. New Asgard, the home of Thor and his brothers in arms, whilst his real sibling was killed by Thanos. It was a shame to see the brave deity in mourning, however, there was nothing that you could do about it. Nothing.

The concept of the end came to all, it was a daunting curse that teased its victims, and pried them into sculpting their own fears of it. But for all the people in the galaxy knew, death could be peaceful; you liked to think that you were the same. A wound cog that did not work for their purpose, a villain that could do some good. And whilst you had never threatened the end of the world, your hereditary abilities sure as hell did. It was another danger to humans and more, thus making you one in regard.

Killing was a route that you didn’t want to take, it was dark, and there was no way back for redemption. Murderers and the bad guys, if they wanted penance, would spend their whole lives trying to make amends for what they did, in exchange for a forgiveness that they would never be granted. And if you did such a thing, as regretting causing exhibitions of death, your father would send for you from the underworld, and have you dragged back down to his bleak halls.

Those heroes would rise, as the ones that you came to know and befriend were brought to bottomless pits of service for Hades, suffering for all eternity as they knelt before the god whom ruled hell. Mother could only prey that he would give up his display of the deceased, he used them like puppets, and it was not a friendly scenic for the next batch of Demi gods that they were planning. You were brilliantly strong, but they would be stronger, as not only would they have the army of warriors behind them, they would be invincible.

Their carriageway into ironic new life, was affecting to you, you could feel it as their existence seared through your veins. There was a war coming, and it was going to be a blood bath, there would be bodies littered on all the planets as they respected their appetites, and they would come for you. It wasn’t silly for you to fear them, they had been around before, it was a rebirth for the ages, a damning revolution that would drain all the breathing from the lungs of species, flushing their external beings into whisperings of blistered remains.

Zagreus and Macaria were coming, pursuing the punishment that was deemed worthy for your scoundrel self, you were nothing more than another revamped version of yourself, raised from the ashes, and taking your overdue time to age. You were supposed to be the cause for the world’s destruction, but they, they would tear every atom down piece by piece, because you were unable to complete your mission of birthright.

Humans, nor other vessels of aspiring and mundane inventions, had the impact of defence to protect themselves from more dominant species. They were simply specks with heart beats in the universe, thumping in their chests as they strived to usher their own planet under the hypocrisy of a dying climate.

“Heimdall once said that Hades had a vision, and he, a seer of all people, couldn’t see how far his faction of thought went. There was no end with his quarrel with the nattering of life, instead, it was competently endless, going on for light years upon light years, straggling the gods into the grand demise. To put it into other words, you are his vision.”

“Well I’m not sure that our Vision back at the compound would be too pleased if I coined his name.” But all joking aside, the air shifted every time that you brought lightness to your words. Continuing, you spoke to Thor, whom had brought you to his evolved demeanour of his homeland, and stole you from the consequences of the violent struggle that you had instinctively conquests upon James Buchanan Barnes. “However, on a more serious note, you are aware of my origin, and the truths that Hades is my father. You know of why he crafted me, but there will be a greater shadow than my foresworn self, and the others need to know of this oncoming riot.”

“We shall tell them, but first; eat.” The god of thunder intended for you to follow through with his kind hearted order, though a heated rumble shook the core of the earth, the energy trembling up your legs. They had been born, sooner than anticipated, and much closer to your break from the ruckus than you had wanted.

“I am not sure we have the time, you felt that cause of apocalyptic foreshadowing, I can tell by the fearful promise on your face. My father will not rest until he has me, a weapon in his hold returned, and to do so, he will tear apart this family, in literal terms, so that I can return to my biological home.”

“Eat.” Thor spoke once more, gulping down the terror that graced his long spanned veins. “If there is to be a fight on earth for the ages, destruction raining down on midguard, then you will need your strength. There is no need to deprive yourself of basic necessities, young warrior.”

Accepting the small loaf from his hand, you watched as the crumbs fled a trail through your palm. Even you appetite was frolicking trauma upon bacteria that swayed in the depths of the bread; the gathered yeast feared you, much like you feared yourself. “I’m going to have to return to the compound, as much as I hate to do so after what I had done, they have to know. And throughout our excursion of informative speech, then they shall have to know of my dreaded secret.”

But what if they already knew?

“A weapon like that...” Steve shook his head as he threw the classified papers onto the desk space he had reserved for his affiliated research. “We have to protect the earth, and if we have to do so from her, then we will have to stretch to any means necessary.” The captain gulped, not pleased as he divulged deeper into this situation with his friend.

Bucky remained shocked from the fleeting threats that had deranged from your form; it was like a curse adorned you, but it turned out, it was just you. Nothing had made you this way, instead, you were born a vigil monster, a daughter of a fraternising god.

“The daughter of Hades... I miss the old days where we believed in one god, and went to church every Sunday morning.” He wasn’t have supposed to have heard Barnes talking, but the figure did as he pressed himself against the wall, his hearing inclined to listen to more.

Peter’s eyes bulged as he was silently affirmed with the truth. He had a web stringing each digression together as he thought of your independence that you had been determined to keep. They were going to tell everyone, swaying their opinions from what they knew, rather than what they did not.

But that made you a legend, a mortal infliction of ancient religion; there must have been more to know. He had to be silent to ensure he didn’t trigger an alert to the super soldier’s enhanced hearing, as the boy that was pursed with a spider bite slipped away, portraying his fawning portrayal of being a vigilante.

His assumed destination that his quiet feet were carrying him too was the library. There’d surely be something useful in the walls of filled shelves, and if there wasn’t, then the internet was a useful friend. As he entered the subjective room for required reading, he saw the Falcon himself, Sam Wilson, seated at a small and solitary table.

Perhaps... no, it’d be wrong to turn him against his close friends... but possibly what was necessary. Peter allowed his doe eyes to scan the various sections. Mythology. Though, all avengers knew that there was some truth to every realistic evolution of belief, though it was usually only a little. But maybe, in your case, there would be more.

Tony had told him there had been an incident, and Peter had believed that Mr Stark was concealing a devise of perception from the rest of the aligned team. It was certainly wrong for him to delve against the ruin of the circumstances, but he was eager to do anyways. Whatever happened must’ve been lined coursing seriousness, and he was afflicted with firm interest to find out what.

Ah, he found something. Adjoined with the abilities he knew that you were capable of, he knew it must have been in regards to you, it just made sense. The spine spoke with integrity, daring anyone to read the biblical novel of fumed remark that raised hell on Earth.

The goddess of invoked, bringer of nightmares and madness, Melinoë.

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 4 years

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Omertà👄7

Warnings: noncon sexual acts (oral); tags to be added throughout series

This is dark!Bucky and dark! Loki and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your father was a bookie and taught you everything you know about numbers. After his death, you were taken on as a bookkeeper for Loki Laufeyson, resident crime boss in Manhattan. But can you keep your place in the background when a man from Brooklyn threatens to drag you to the forefront?

Note: All I can say is your welcome but also I’m sorry ;)

Hope you enjoy it. Thank you. Love you guys!

As always, if you can, please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

You barely slept. You barely had time to. When you left The She-Wolf it was almost daylight. You were tired, sore, humiliated. You didn’t miss the sly look Steve gave you as he let you out the back door. Your stomach turned as you caught a cab and slumped against the leather seat.

It just wouldn’t end. You’d have to deal with Loki that day. You looked in the mirror at the bite mark along your shoulder and the other further up your neck. You pulled on a cropped turtleneck and a pencil skirt. Enough to please your boss while covering up your guilt.

The Attic looked almost haunted as you came up to it. Lopez wasn’t there yet but the door was unlocked. Nothing inside had been disturbed so you assumed Loki had arrived early. Often, he was the first there. You wondered if he ever slept. If he ever did anything but plot.

You stopped just outside the back office and looked at the statue of the woman with the cloth swirled around her buxom figure. The chip in the shoulder remained and in the shadow cast through the windows, she looked mournful. She looked afraid but as you stepped forward and reached for the door handle, she seemed to smile.

You entered and stopped short as you were greeted by an unexpected, though not unfamiliar, face. Thor hadn’t been in New York in over a year, he wasn’t often invited by his little brother. Loki stuck to his city and Thor stuck to his. London was far away so it was unlikely he’d sat through the flight for nothing. It explained Loki’s absence the day before.

“Oh, hello,” He greeted with a grin as he leaned back casually in Loki’s chair. “Early bird.”

“Thor,” You greeted tersely and set your purse down on your desk. “I didn’t know you were in town.”

“A surprise visit. My brother is not so gifted at correspondence and I worry,” He taunted as you went to the safe and went about your daily ritual of setting yourself up. “And how have you been?”

“The same,” You took the ledger and closed the safe with a flick of the dial. You opened it beside the calculator on your desk and sat. “Where is your brother?”

“I am sure he will be along shortly,” He said. “You’ve… changed. I like that skirt.”

You kept from rolling your eyes and slid open a drawer and fished around for a pencil. You checked your phone as you tapped the led point on the book and sway back and forth in the chair.

“You always were a quiet one,” He mused.

“Is that so?” You wondered. “I doubt many could seem anything but with you.”

He laughed, a hearty boom, and glanced at his watch. You ignored him as you went about your work and he began to open and shut the drawers in Loki’s desk, fiddling with pens and other stationary.

When you heard the front door, you were almost relieved. Lopez’s voice sounded from the other room and Loki replied curtly. The latter soon pushed open the office door and sighed at the sight of his brother. He squinted at him and then glanced at you.

“Brother,” He entered. “I thought you were to meet me at the dock.”

“Well, I haven’t much to do in New York and I didn’t want to spend the morning alone,” Thor stood. “So I figured I’d make the most of our time together.”

“I have work to do.” Loki grumbled as he rounded his desk and edged around Thor as he removed his jacket. “I know that is a foreign concept to you but I do not trust my business to trained monkeys.”

“Mmm,” Thor moved aside and strode around the desk. “Certainly, you just have a pretty little secretary to count your money, yeah?”

“Do tell me you did not come here simply to annoy me,” Loki sat heavily and pushed his hair back. “It was a long night and I haven’t the patience.”

“Oh, I think it was a long night for all of us,” Thor peeked over at you and his smirk turned crooked. You frowned and glanced between him and his brother.

“How about you go keep Lopez company? He likes you,” Loki sneered. “The two of you can sell candlesticks together. An enviable sales team.”

“How about…” Thor neared your desk and you sat up, wheeling yourself away from his looming figure. “I tell you where your little bird spent her night.”

Your heart stopped. You furrowed your brow, confused. How could he know?

“You see,” He stepped around your desk and gripped the back of your chair. “You said you were busy so I had to entertain myself,” He hand went to your shoulder as you went rigid. “I found this flashy club down in Brooklyn and I thought I’d put my money to good use and who do I see--”

You stood and tried to shove past him. He grabbed the back of your neck and you struggled with him as he wrestled you around the desk. You grunted as he easily overpowered you.

“But this one,” He dragged you before Loki’s desk and squeezed your neck until you bent. He forced your face to the wooden desktop and held you there, his fingers threatening to crush your neck. “Was sneaking around there. I didn’t see much of her before she disappeared into a private room.” He moved so he was behind you and his hands went to your waist as he rubbed his crotch against your ass. “Escorted by Barnes’ favourite henchman.”

You closed your eyes, mortified. Terrified. Your secret has come undone even quicker than you could’ve imagined. How had you not seen Thor? He was hard to miss. You had been so distracted though, you couldn’t remember much beyond the private room, the velvet couch, and the stage...

It was silent. Loki didn’t say a word as his chair squeaked. The light shifted as he stood and waltzed around the desk. He came up beside you and dragged a finger along your cheek.

“Stand her up,” Loki ordered. Thor grasped the back of your neck again and pulled you straight. You were startled by the slap as it pushed you back against Thor. Loki’s face was livid and pale. “Now, I think we must have a chat. Alone.” He looked pointedly to his brother. “Do go and find Barnes and bring him here. Tell him there was a mistake in his cut or tell him the truth. I don’t care, just get him here.”

Thor laughed and let go of you. The door opened and shut behind you as you held Loki’s gaze. His lip curled and he walked a circle around you. His fingers danced along your ass as he did and he poked your chin as he came to face you once more.

“I’m not stupid but I don’t care that you didn’t have a choice. Whatever he did, whatever he said, you still betrayed me,” He hissed. “So when he comes, you will show him who you really belong to. Who you will always belong to.” He framed your face with his hands and stepped closer. “You can use that mouth like you do so well, but I don’t want to hear it. Understood?”

You gulped and searched his face for any sliver of humanity. What a futile hunt. You nodded and he released you.

“Now, you can start earning my forgiveness by listening,” He backed away. “Sit down. Wait. I am certain he won’t be long. My brother is an oaf but he follows orders well enough.”

You did as he said. You could feel the anger radiating from him. You peeked over at the door and he tutted.

“You won’t get far, we both know that.” He warned.

You sat back and stared at your desk. You picked your nail and the time trickled by like sand in the desert. You heard the shop door and resisted the urge to look over. What would be the point? You weren’t awaiting your saviour, only the man who’d placed you into this predicament.

Thor’s loud voice caught your ear and he was answered by a grumble. The office door opened and the large blonde entered first.

“Not so hard to find,” Thor announced as he stepped aside to let Bucky through.

The other man entered with a third behind him. Steve took the other side of the door as Thor stood vigil by the frame and closed it. Shut in with the four of them, you felt as if you would faint. You forced your eyes down and refused to look at any of them.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Loki crooned. “And I shall do the same…” He snapped his fingers at you. “Darling.”

You raised your head and he nodded to his lap. Bucky sat across from him as you stood and you sensed him watching you, along with the other men. Your feet were heavy as you went behind the desk and Loki pushed himself back and took your hand. He guided you between his knees and tugged you to face him. He grinned at you.

You slowly lowered yourself before him. He let go of your hands and pushed his legs even further apart. You shook your head as the silence turned suffocating. You could tell it was Bucky’s thick breath that whisked from behind you. Loki carefully undid the front of his trousers.

“Alright, so now I think we should discuss…” He paused as he pulled his cock out and you flinched. He stroked himself a few times then grabbed your head. “What exactly this alliance entails. It seems we have different ideas of what we agreed on.”

“Alright.” Bucky scoffed. He sounded amused more than uncomfortable. “Why don’t you tell me what I’ve misunderstood?”

“You get your cut and you stay out of my territory,” He urged you closer until his tip prodded your lips. You opened your mouth and he shoved your head down. He shuddered between his words. “That’s it. You leave my people alone and you don’t mess with my things.”

“Far as I’m concerned, it’s been even. My men are doing their jobs down at the warehouse, I don’t hassle yours or you,” Bucky countered. “So I don’t see the issue here.”

Your mouth made a sloppy noise as you were forced to take Loki past your limit. Your eyes burned and you gagged. It was as if no one even cared and yet you were the focus of the room. You knew that all four men were more concerned with you then the words being exchanged.

Loki eased you back then down again. He guided you with his hand on your head. You heard a purr, was that Steve or Thor? You didn’t care; you couldn’t if you were going to get through this. You closed your eyes and Loki’s next words blurred together as the room faded.

He pushed himself deeper each time he urged you down and every time you nearly choked. His cadence melded into Bucky’s, some words offered by the henchman and then the brother. You could only hear the humiliating sound of your spit and the groans which soon overcame the buzz of words.

“Shit, okay,” Bucky swore and the room returned to you as Loki clutched your hair in his hands. “Look, I get it, you’re jealous but I offered you one of my girls and I can’t help it that she’d rather a real Brooklyn man than… whatever you are.”

Loki held you down so that his cock was lodged in your throat. You could barely breathe around him. You felt the growl before it rose from him.

“She seems happy enough here,” Loki sneered. “Aren’t you, darling?”

You gave a pathetic murmur as you tried not to choke completely but he still didn’t relent. He kept you there and your head began to pound.

“So, I won’t tell you again to keep to your own.” Loki snarled. “Thor.”

You heard movement as the door opened once more. Footsteps followed and faded away as the door shut and muffled them entirely. Loki hummed and began to move you again. He lifted your head only to slam it back down. His voice grew wild and his groans were animalistic as he fucked your mouth.

“Swallow,” He purred. “Like a good girl.”

He sped up and you whined as your head spun. He hammered the back of your throat until it was sore and again, suddenly he stopped. His cock twitched and he wiggled his hips. He came and you tasted the saltiness as you were forced to gulp it down. You slapped his thigh and he finally let you go.

You fell back and barely missed his desk with your head. You wiped your mouth as he made no move to cover himself. He merely rubbed his forehead as he sighed and shifted in his chair.

“Now, you have work to do,” He said. “Though you will have much more to do today than just your numbers.”

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fanfics4all · 4 years

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Painless

Request: Yes / No

Requests are closed <3 Have a nice day/night

Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Word count: 3200

Warnings: SCHOOL BOMBING, CURSING, it’s criminal minds so read at your own risk!

Y/N: Your Name

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(Not my photo, credit to whoever made it!)

Another day at work. Another day of someone dead. I thought as I walked into the office. I saw everyone was already in the round table room and sighed. Another case. I put my stuff down at my desk and walked into the room. I took my seat next to my boyfriend Spencer and gave a smile at everyone.

“Does anyone remember this picture?” Garcia asked, bringing up a picture of a man and a girl looking distressed.

“Hotch and I were there. That’s Principal Doug Gavens. We had to drag him to safety.” Rossi said, making everyone look at him.

“High school bombing in Boise, right?” Emily asked.

“School shooter and school bomber.” JJ said and it triggered my memory.

“A kid named Randy Slade shot three students and then set off an I.E.D. in the cafeteria via cell phone, killing himself and thirteen kids total, but not before posting all his plans online.” I said and Garcia nodded.

“It was one of those “Where were you?” events. My whole campus was glued to the T.V..” JJ said.

“Last night, Principal Givens was killed by a bomb modeled exactly like the old one.” Garcia said.

“It feels like the unsub wants to attack the man who kept the school together after the bombing. It’s a pretty symbolic target.” Morgan said.

“And this week is the tenth anniversary of the massacre.” Hotch said.

“And today is the first day of a four day event to commemorate the bombing at the school.” Garcia said.

“Except commemorating it isn’t enough for this unsub.” Emily said.

“No. He wants to relive it.” Hotch said. We gathered our things and got on the plane. We were all sitting down and going over the case files.

“Perpetrators of school violence are often sophisticated with their weapons. Randy Slade carried his bomb in his backpack. This guy hid his in Givens’ clock radio.” Spencer said.

“Yeah, and progressive. Each one tries to top the body count of the one previous.”

“And they’re loners by default, not by choice. They try to join various social groups, but they get shut out.” JJ said.

“Randy Slade wasn’t a loner at all.” Hotch said.

“The family cooperated fully with us. He was a high-functioning psychopath, straight-A student, varsity wrestler, lots of girlfriends.” Rossi said.

“With an above-average intelligence that made him incredibly resourceful. His explosive of choice was Semtex.” I said looking at the files.

“It’s found at demolition sites, but it’s held under lock and key.” Spencer said.

“Which made us consider the possibility of a partner. Never found one.” Rossi said.

“Slade was too much of a narcissist to share credit. But he was also an impulsive teen, which is what bothers me about this unsub.” Hotch said.

“His sense of control?” Emily asked.

“And the end game that he’s working toward.” Hotch answered with a nod.

“Slade’s pathology revolved around the big kill. This unsub could have done the same if he’d waited for the candlelight vigil.” Hotch added.

“Which means there’s no blaze of glory fantasy here. This unsub has more bombs made, and he’s savoring the anticipation of his next attack.” Rossi said. After we talked everyone moved to their own spots to think and relax before we had the hard work to do. I sat next to Spencer and smiled at him.

“This poor town.” I said and he sighed.

“I know, but the odds are against them in this situation.” He said and I nodded.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean it sucks any less.” I said and he nodded.

“It’s a hard thing to deal with.” He said.

“Yeah…” I sighed. We tried to keep our minds on things that would help us, instead of how much people were hurting right now.

As soon as we landed we dropped our stuff off at our hotel then split up. Hotch and Rossi went to the station with Emily and Morgan. Spencer, JJ and I went to the crime scene. We walked inside and it was a mess, not shocking though considering what happened.

“Okay, so the unsub has to be tied to the school somehow, right?” JJ asked.

“Current student, alumni, family member who lost someone…” I listed off.

“It could be Slade groupies celebrating his hero. He taped nails to the exterior of the bomb, specifically to rip open flesh. That’s a sadistic detail of Slade’s the unsub copied.” Spencer said.

“Except he tricked Givens into blowing himself up. A groupie probably wouldn’t show that much self-control.” JJ said.

“But someone with an ax to grind against the principal would. Maybe he’s a surrogate for the tomenters in high school he can’t punish.” Spencer said.

“Who were yours?” He asked us.

“I don’t even remember.” JJ answered.

“You don’t even remember? Wait, were you one of those mean girls?” Spencer questioned.

“No.” JJ said.

“Valedictorian, soccer scholarship, corn-fed, but still a size zero. I think that you might have been a mean girl.” Spencer said.

“Spence.” I said.

“I was actually one of the nice girls, even to guys like you.” JJ answered and I shook my head. There was no stopping this now.

“Guys like me? I’ll have you know that my social standing increased once I started winning at basketball.” Spencer said, I always forget that he coached basketball.

“Oh yeah? You played basketball?” JJ asked.

“Actually he coached it.” I answered.

“You coached it?” She asked.

“Yeah, I broke down the opposing team’s shooting strategy.” He said.

“Is that why Morgan kicked you two out of the pool last week?” She asked.

“Yeah, it took him three rounds to realize we were hustling him.” I answered with a laugh.

“Huh.” She said and we went back to looking at the crime scene. As soon as we were done looking we got a call about another murder. So we made our way there. The three of us looked around and JJ decided to call Hotch and tell him.

“You’re on speaker JJ.” Hotch answered.

“So, we might have another one.” She said.

“Might?” He asked.

“One of the North Valley alumni was killed in her motel room.” She answered.

“No bomb or gun this time. Looks like he used his bare hands.” I added.

“You got a name?” Hotch asked.

“Chelsea Grant.” Spencer answered.

The next day Spencer and I returned to the crime scene with Hotch. It was good to come back and look at it with fresh eyes.

“The unsub crushed Chelsea’s throat so she couldn’t scream, then he pulverized her ribs, sending fragments of bone into her heart.” Spencer said.

“Principal Givens was high-profile. Chelsea wasn’t. Right now the only thing connecting them is they’re both on the kill list.” Hotch said.

“A list that Brandon kept secret for ten years, but he was in custody when this happened. So the question is, how did the unsub get the exact same list?” I asked.

“Well, we ruled out a partner, but not conclusively.” Hotch said.

“Slade made every part of his plan public. It doesn’t make sense that he would hide a partner.” Spencer said.

“He didn’t want to share the credit. And this weekend is the partner’s best chance to claim it.” Hotch said.

“Let’s go back to the station, we have a profile to deliver.” He said and we followed him.

When we got back to the station we gathered everyone up and we were ready to deliver the profile.

“Partners of dominant psychopaths are usually submissive, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be intelligent or that they’re physically weak.” Hotch said.

“This unsub laid low after the bombing and successfully evaded police and FBI. That took cunning and patience, which he’s exhibiting now with his current murders.” Morgan said.

“We think he fits the loner profile Slade debunked. He grew up in an abusive home, which kept him from forming the normal social bonds in high school.” JJ said.

“We interviewed all the outcasts from back then. How did this guy slip through?” Chief Cole asked.

“Even outcasts eventually form friendships. But this unsub was the outcast the outcasts rejected.” Spencer said.

“Exactly, he won’t stand out in any capacity, and as a matter of fact, most of his fellow students probably won’t even remember graduating with him.” I said.

“And that invisibility is what made him attractive to Slade. This partner wouldn’t steal the spotlight.” Rossi said.

“Slade targeted the cafeteria because most of the names on his list ate there together during fifth period.” Spencer said.

“So his hatred festered when the names on the list emerged from the cafeteria as media heroes. And now he wants to finish the job that Randy started.” Morgan said.

“Emotionally, this weekend is more a high school reunion to him than a memorial. We go to reunions to show who we grew up to be. Often that means changing everything about who we were.” Rossi said.

“Consciously or not, Randy Slade revealed clues as to his partner’s identity when he detonated his bomb. Agent Prentiss will be conducting cognitive interviews to see what the survivors might remember.” Hotch said. We answered a few questions the cops had then went on to try and work out who this guy could be. Emily was with the survivors now working on them.

“So, as you can see from your board there, this kill list is weirdly similar to high school.

“Group on is like the popular kids, prom court, football team, dean’s list. The Heathers, if you will.” Garcia said.

“Kids in Slade’s social circle.” Hotch said.

“What about number two?” JJ asked.

“Uh, mmhmm, that would be the kids from the other side of the tracks, 180-degree difference, kids this close to getting kicked out, Stoners, burnouts, mental cases. Chelsea Grant is on this list.” Garcia said.

“Maybe Slade targeted them because they disgusted him?” JJ asked while Spencer’s phone was ringing. We have been doing a lot of that since we got here.

“But they didn’t threaten Slade’s sense of superiority. He wouldn’t have even cared about them.” Hotch said as we ignored Spencer’s phone.

“So maybe the partner put them on the list. They’d be closer to his social status than Slade’s.” I said as Spencer’s phone stopped ringing.

“Why would the-” Spencer was cut off by his phone ringing again.

“I’m so sorry.” He said, taking his phone out and hung up.

“Why would the unsub list kids that he fit in with?” Spencer asked, putting his phone away again.

“Apparently that’s how this clique worked. The kids in it were meaner to each other than kids on the outside. Garcia, separate out all the kids who got into trouble regularly. Then eliminate the names that the partner put on the list. Now, who’s left that came to the memorial?” Hotch asked.

“Right. Whoever made the list wouldn’t put their name on it. Uh… sir, I think- I think I’ve got him. His name is Lewis Ramsey.” Garcia said.

“Where is he?” Hotch asked.

“Uhh… According to his cell phone he’s at a local bar.” She answered.

“Send it to Morgan’s phone.” Hotch ordered and called him. Morgan brought him in and him and Hotch started interviewing him. Once they were done they told the rest of us.

“You buy it?” Emily asked.

“He fits the profile, and the evidence points to him, but he seems sincere.” Hotch said.

“He’s not the unsub. He was the partner, but look at how Slade added “All the losers in this Godforsaken school.” This capitalization isn’t an accident. Look.” Spencer said and wrote it on the white board.

“L-S-R, Lewis Stuart Ramsey.” He said.

“So Slade named his own partner.” I said.

“Ironically, Lewis’ marijuana addiction saved his life.” He said with a nod.

“Well, that puts us back to our original problem. If the unsub isn’t the partner, how did he get his hands on a list that Slade and Lewis kept to themselves?” I asked.

“The only answer is that part of the profile is wrong. The unsub’s vendetta has nothing to do with the list. Did you get anything from Jerry Holtz?” Hotch asked Emily.

“Only that he mixed up the cell phones that Slade used. It felt like he was making the story up, but I only had a hunch.” Emily said.

“We need to find him now. There’s a connection to the victimology that we’re missing. Whatever he’s holding back might be the key.” Hotch said. We found Jerry, but he was dead. He was killed at the school. We made our way there and Emily met us there.

“Jerry Holtz? How long?” She asked.

“Less than an hour. Security guard heard the commotion, but the unsub was already gone.” JJ answered.

“The only people who knew we were doing the cognitive interviews were the other survivors. The unsub must be part of that group.” Emily said.

“Well, we don’t know that for a fact. He could have been lying in wait.” I said.

“Look, Hotch wants me to go through the victims’ lives and find the overlaps. We can compare their histories with the unsub’s.” JJ said.

“What else do we have to go on?” Emily asked, looking at Spencer and I.

“Spence said the unsub would have broken his hand beating Chelsea to death. Did you notice anyone with a cast on their hand, someone who seemed hurt?” JJ asked.

“No.” Emily shook her head.

“I might know why.” Spencer said and we all looked at him.

“This unsub doesn’t feel pain.” He said.

“You mean he has pain asymbolia?” I asked and he nodded.

“We need to get back to the station. Spencer told them about his theorie and no one understood what he was saying.

“In english for the other people in the room.” Morgan asked.

“There’s a medical condition called pain asymbolia, where patients register harmful stimuli without being bothered by it. They’ve been documented holding their hand over an open flame because their brain doesn’t send pain signals to the central nervous system.” Spencer explained.

“Sounds pretty rare. You sure the unsub has it?” Rossi asked.

“The crime scenes prove it. Once Spencer said it, everything clicked. He displayed an unusual level of savagery towards his victims. And consider this, he smashed through a glass display case, but there were no cuts on Jerry. That means he most likely punched through it as a show of force.” I said.

“Now, the only way the human body could withstand that level of pain is if he couldn’t feel it at all.” Spencer added.

“It must take a major toll on someone’s emotional development.” Rossi said and Spencer’s phone rang… again.

“A significant contributor to our sense of empathy is the way we personally experience pain.” Morgan said and Spencer silenced his phone again.

“And the unsub didn’t develop his sense of empathy because it was cut off. Does every person with Asymbolia have this?” Hotch asked.

“Actually, most feel empathy just fine, which makes me think the rest of our profile is still accurate. Loner, invisible, outcast, boiling rage- Son of a bitch!” Spencer said, pulling out his ringing cell phone and answered it. I notice Morgan trying to hide a smirk.

“Hi! This is Dr. Spencer Reid. I actually can come to the phone right now with a very special message that your mother is-”

“Reid.” Hotch cut him off and he hung up.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I don’t know what got into me. Where were we?” He asked, putting his phone away.

“I’m going to have Garcia check medical records. Uh, what causes Asymbolia?” Hotch asked.

“Ssss- Severe trauma produces lesions on the insular cortex, usually after a stroke but this unsub’s so young, it’s most likely caused by an external factor.” Spencer said looking at Morgan the whole time.

“Like a bomb going off next to him?” Rossi asked.

“Yeah, like a bomb going off next to him.” He repeated at Morgan. Morgan just smirked and Hotch walked off to talk to Garcia.

“I will crush you.” Spencer whispered.

“What?” Morgan asked.

“What?” Spencer repeated and walked off. I looked at Rossi and shook my head with a smirk.

“You two are seriously pranking each other while on a case?” I asked and Morgan just smiled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said and I shook my head again. I swear these two…

JJ and Emily came by a little later with some new information. JJ was rearranging some pictures on the board. We looked on with confusion.

“Recognize the top ten?” JJ asked.

“No.” Hotch answered.

“They were the students that went in front of the cameras after the bombing.” She answered.

“I thought all the surviving students were interviewed?” I asked.

“After the initial aftermath, yes, but these are the kids that went on talk shows, traveled to other schools. My guess is that they didn’t self-select who made the cut.” JJ said.

“Principal Givens did.” Hotch said.

“That’s why the unsub killed him first. He was an outcast who wanted to fit in. Being a survivor should have been his golden ticket.” She said.

“But he was excluded again, and that’s why he’s killing them.” I said.

“Yeah. The rules of high school never changed, not even after a tragedy.” JJ said. Hotch’s phone rang and he put it on speaker.

“Go ahead, Garcia.” He said.

“Hey, listen up. I crossed-referenced student files with medical records. Now, there were six kids that were knocked unconscious in that blast, but only one fit the outcast profile. His name is Robert Adams, and he just used his credit card at a local restaurant, the address of which I just sent you right now.” She said.

“I’m on my way.” Hotch said looking at us. Hotch gathered everyone up and JJ and I stayed back. When they came back Robert wasn’t with them. Hotch had to shoot him, there was no other way this was going to end. Once we got everything sorted we got on the plane to go home. I was sitting next to Spencer, who was resting his head on my shoulder while I read a book. We were sitting across from Morgan and Emily, Morgan was listening to music and Emily was reading a paper. He took his headphones off and we heard Spencer screaming from them.

“Okay, kid, that was cute. But that’s all you got?” Morgan asked him, he was very clearly pretending to be asleep. Morgan’s cell ran and he answered it.

“Hey baby girl-” He was cut off by Spencer screaming coming through his phone. Spencer had a smile on his face and Rossi held up a white napkin.

“Uh-uh. Alright, Reid, it’s on. Just know that paybacks are a bitch.” Morgan said. Spencer just responded with snoring. I shook my head at the two of them.

“You started this Morgan, it’s your own fault.” I said with a slight laugh.

“Of course you’re taking his side, Y/N.” He rolled his eyes.

“Well I am dating him, so yes I’m taking his side.” I said and Rossi chuckled.

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captainscanadian · 4 years

Text

Love Me Blue | Bucky Barnes x Reader (Poornima)

My Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Summary: Perhaps Bucky Barnes should thank his insomnia for being the reason why he met you. But you should thank the Hindu God of Love and Compassion for bringing Bucky into your life.

Word Count: 4500+

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Tamilian!Hindu!Reader

Warnings: MINIMAL TAMIL SONG LYRICS (I’m more than happy to translate!) & TAMIL CULTURE, References to Hinduism, PTSD, Insomnia, Endgame References.

A/N: This is my entry for @bucky-smiles‘s 3K Diversity Writing Challenge! My prompt was to write a fic with a Hindu reader. I decided to write this fic with a Tamilian reader because I am Tamilian. I was born in Sri Lanka and my mother’s side of the family are Hindu. Although I consider myself an agnostic theist, I do enjoy reading the epics of Mahabhrata and Ramayana. @jalapenobarnes & @fafulous, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU, MY CHELLANGALA!

It had been five months since the final battle against Thanos and his army had taken place. With Tony Stark’s demise and Steve Rogers’ decision to return to the past, Bucky Barnes found himself trying to reintegrate into society on his own and to the best of his ability.

Rhodey had been kind enough to offer him one of the spare residential apartments at the Avengers’ compound, and Sam was there to provide him with some counselling for the time being. There had been some talks about a designated therapist being appointed at the facility, but nothing had been finalized about that. It was very much needed though, as all of the heroes had suffered severe amounts of trauma due to the blip. Bucky wasn’t alone in that.

Even when he had a compound full of the earth’s mightiest heroes to aid him in his recovery, Bucky still felt as though he was going through it all on his own. He felt disconnected from reality and unbelievably lonely in this particular battle. Not to mention having to lose the one person whom he had known his whole life to old age. He really was alone in this battle with his own mind. There was no denying that.

While the rest of the team were slowly getting back into going on missions, he could not do the same. He had been fighting his whole life and needed to stop at some point. But it was easier said than done.

Bucky had a much harder time adjusting to life after the blip, considering that he was also trying to cope with more than seventy years of torture along with literally ceasing to exist in a matter of seconds. It seemed as though he could never get a break.

Needless to say, it was a rarity for Sergeant Barnes to sleep through the night. He would wake up in a cold sweat from some murderous nightmare almost every single night since he had fully moved into the compound. Finding himself unable to fall back asleep, he would pace back and forth in his bedroom until the crack of dawn before joining Sam for his usual workout session at the facility’s gym.

It was one of those dreadful nights when he had found himself having woken up from a nightmare. Pacing back and forth in his bedroom for what seemed like hours and desperately in need of some fresh air, he decided to step outside of his living quarters and take a walk around the compound. Being cooped up in his bedroom until the morning did not seem all that helpful to Bucky, so he might as well make use of the quietness of the night and sit by the lake for a few hours in hopes that it would calm down his nerves.

He still hadn’t told Sam about his nightmares, fearing that it might make the rest of the team feel weary about him. The last thing he wanted was for everyone to assume that the Winter Soldier was still buried deep within him. He wanted to forget him and move on with his life in the twenty-first century, even though he couldn’t just walk away from his guilt.

Throwing on his henley over his sweatpants, Bucky slipped into his shoes and stepped out into the brisky full moon night. He walked across the freshly cut grass, his destination being the lonely bench by the water where he would find refuge until the morning. But it wasn’t until he had reached the boardwalk that led up to the gazebo did Bucky realize that he wasn’t the only one who was up at this hour.

He saw the unfamiliar woman huddled under an oversized hoodie who sat cross legged on the bench. A pashmina scarf that was patterned with peacock feathers wrapped around her shoulders as she stared out into the moon’s reflection against the lake.

He stopped for a moment, wondering who she might be. He hadn’t seen her around the compound before, but he did not feel threatened by her presence either. After all, the compound was an extremely private property. Not everyone could easily enter the compound, or stay overnight as this woman was. And if there was one thing that Bucky knew about the occupants of the facility - everyone was meant to be a friend.

As the full moon reflected against the lake, the woman shrugged off her hood to reveal her thick curly hair that had been tied into a ponytail. A sigh escaped her lips as she pulled her scarf up to her neck.

She hummed an unknown tune for a moment before singing rather softly, in a language Bucky had never heard before. Yet he could not deny that she had the sweetest voice on the planet.

Nila malarntha iravinil thendral ulaavidum nadhiyil

Neela nirathu baalagan oruvan kuzhal oodhi nindraan

Kaalamellaam.. Kaalamellaam avan kaadhalai enni

Urugumo en ullam…

Kaatrinile varum geetham

Kangal panithida pongum geetham

Kallum kaniyum geetham

Kaatrinile varum geetham

Bucky’s lips curled into a small smile as he gathered up the courage to approach her, taken over by his own curiosity and certainly in need of a distraction from the reason why he had woken up at this hour in the first place.

The sound of his footsteps approaching had startled you slightly, making you gasp in response and turn around. Your eyes grew wide upon coming face to face with this rather familiar man although you were strangers. If it wasn’t his bright blue eyes or silky long hair that made you recognize him, the moonlight reflecting off of his metal hand certainly confirmed that he was exactly who you thought he was.

Up until now, you had only read about him in books and watched videos of him in the archival footage from the Second World War. Seven years ago, you had seen him on the news when he had been framed for the Vienna attack. But now seeing him in person, you could tell that he was anything but what the news outlets had made him out to be. He was an innocent man who meant no harm, and that made you feel at ease about his presence.

The super soldier froze in his tracks upon gaining your attention, his eyes growing wide at the realization that he had startled you. “Uh… hi.” He gave you a rather nervous smile as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.

“Sergeant Barnes.” You did not realize that you had been holding onto your breath until you exhaled upon saying his name. It was a sigh of relief and gratitude that you hadn’t been attacked by an unknown threat at the witching hour.

“Bucky.” He corrected you as he walked up to the gazebo. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Oh no, it’s fine… I just didn’t think anyone else was awake at this time.” You gave him a small smile as you shifted across the bench to make some room for him. “And I hate to admit that… recent events have caused me to act extra vigilant at times.”

“That makes two of us.” Bucky admitted with a sigh, walking around the bench to take a seat next to you.

You chuckled softly before nodding. “What’s got you up at this hour, Bucky?”

“Just couldn’t sleep.” He told you, not wanting to disclose the truth about his insomnia to a complete stranger. “How about you?”

“Jet lag.” You shrugged. “A few hours ago, I was relaxing on a farm in India. But now I’m in this highly secure compound that’s home to earth’s mightiest heroes. Sleep seems to be the last of my worries at the moment.”

Bucky was growing more curious about you, but he could not help but crack a smile at your choice of words. “Forgive me for not being aware of who you are, but I… I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”

“Oh right, I’m so sorry. I should have introduced myself.” You chuckled softly as you held out your hand for him to shake. “I’m Y/N Y/L/N, former SHIELD Agent and… currently second-in-command to Agent Hill. I’m here to oversee the Avengers while Agent Hill and Director Fury are busy with an undisclosed mission.”

“Hm… you’re the new boss lady that everyone’s been talking about.” Bucky noted, laughing softly as he shook your hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Agent Y/L/N.”

“Y/N.” You clarified, laughing softly. “I’m not sure how a mortal non-enhanced inexperienced human being like myself could ever be the boss of the finest team of superheroes. Just hours ago, I was living a fairly normal life on my family’s dairy farm in South India… hiding out from the harsh realities of the world, milking cows and hand churning butter. But Fury plucked me out of there, threw me on a Quinjet and told me that I was meant for something more than being a milkmaid… which according to him was leading the Avengers. Really puts my life into perspective, doesn’t it?”

He could not help but laugh softly at that, nodding his head in agreement. “Take it from the guy who was raising a bunch of goats in Wakanda before I was yanked from there and into the war against Thanos. After all that I’d been through, you’d think that I would want to stop fighting. And I do… sometimes, I want a normal life. I want to figure out my place here. But one thing I had to learn the hard way was that normal is relative and the best you could do is… try to find your new normal.” Perhaps, Bucky should take his own advice. “What’s the worst that could happen, right?”

“I have to be the boss of War Machine and the Falcon.” You reminded him. “Nothing worse could happen to me.”

Laughing softly, he shook his head. “Honestly, I’d pay to see that birdbrain be bossed around by someone.” He admitted.

But unbeknownst to him Sam had become quite fond of you after the events of the Battle of the Triskelion and he knew a little more about your interest in his supersoldier friends than the rest of the team. You better hope that he wouldn’t try to spill the beans to Bucky in an attempt to embarrass you.

“So, what’s your first order of business as the new lady of the house?” Bucky asked you.

You looked over at him before letting out a sigh. “My first order of business? Give my best friend the farewell she deserved. She sacrificed her life to save the world and no one even bothered to give her a proper funeral. I’ve made arrangements at the local Hindu temple in the city... to do what I can to pray that she rests in peace. She never believed in any of that, but I do.”

The next day, you found yourself rearranging the furniture around your living quarters, which was coincidentally adjacent to Bucky’s. You had set up a shrine for Lord Krishna in the corner of your living room, a few brass and wooden idols that you had brought from home arranged on a shelf along with a few oil lamps.

You were certainly grateful that Director Fury had allowed for you to pack your bags before he had flown you out here, considering that you wouldn’t have been able to live without your idol of Radha and Krishna no matter where you went. You may be a high ranking SHIELD Agent, but you were always a devotee of Lord Krishna before anything else. Being thousands of miles away from home was not going to change that.

A framed portrait of Natasha Romanoff hung in your office, a flower garland hanging around it. A part of you was well aware that she would loathe the fact that you had taken things this far, but you had your own beliefs. She was your best friend, so you would honour her in everything you did.

“Nick’s never been wrong about anything, Nat. I sure hope he wasn’t wrong about me either.” You thought to yourself, hoping that she’d heard you from wherever she was and that she was rooting for you to succeed in this new job that had just fallen into your lap.

Bucky had been sitting in the common kitchen when you had walked in. A smile on his lips upon seeing you enter, he kept his head down on the plate of eggs in front of him. He was not one to make small talk during breakfast and usually kept to himself, but that was about to change momentarily.

“Good morning, folks.” You greeted the team before pouring yourself a cup of coffee and pulling up a chair for yourself between Sam and Wanda. “I was hoping to catch up with some of you before you all went off to do your own things.”

The Falcon smiled as he leaned over to pull you into a side hug. “I missed ya, Y/N.”

“I’m sure you did, Wilson.” You chuckled softly as you returned his hug. “It is good to be back. I was getting pretty lonely without you guys.”

“Mornin’ Y/N.” Rhodey greeted you from the stove as he flipped his omelette and looked over at you with a smile. “You want some breakfast?”

“No, thank you, Rhodey. I just ate at the temple.” You told him with a shrug. “But I do have something to ask you… if you wouldn’t mind, could you round up the whole team for a briefing tomorrow morning? As much as I would love to lounge around, I do have work to do.”

“Will do..”

“So, Fury really did leave you in charge, huh?” Sam asked you with his eyebrow raised. “But why you?”

“Believe me, I’ve been asking myself the same thing.” You admitted, laughing softly before taking a sip of your coffee. “As far as I know, him and Agent Hill are away on an undisclosed mission and won’t be around to oversee the Avengers. For some reason, he trusts me to do that for him.”

“To be honest, I’m glad it’s someone we know and love.” Wanda smiled at you. “We wouldn’t take orders from anyone else.”

“My job’s pretty simple though. I oversee your missions, you report to me. I really hope you don’t put me in a position where I would need to reprimand your asses or have to snitch on you to Fury. I know that the last few months have been rough for all of you… it’s been rough for me too. But we all have work to do so… let’s just… figure out a way to get back into the swing of things, yeah? The least thing I want is to have to be a boss from hell.”

“Yes, ma’am…” Sam gave you a nod before turning over to look at Bucky. “Have you two met yet?”

“Yeah, we have.” You replied, taking a sip of your coffee as you prayed to Lord Krishna that the Falcon wouldn’t spill the beans at that moment. From the look on his face though, you knew he wanted to. “Very briefly.”

“Have you geeked about your thesis like you did with Cap?” He asked.

Wanda almost choked on her toast as he mentioned your thesis. “Oh God… not her thesis.” She shook her head, but you knew that she was enjoying this just as much as her fellow Avenger.

After all, it had been a running joke during your time working with the Avengers to give you shit about your choice of study during your time at graduate school. Tony and Nat were the ones who gave you the most shit about it, and would probably be thrilled to know that their legacy when it came to this had certainly lived on with Sam and Wanda. Perhaps, keeping the joke going would give you all a sense of normalcy, as embarrassing as it was for you.

“Sam, please don’t…” You shook your head, avoiding the supersoldier’s gaze as you took another sip of your coffee. “I just got here.”

Bucky looked over at Sam with a rather confused expression on his face. “What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing!” You exclaimed. “Nothing important…”

“Don’t lie to him, Y/N.” Rhodey scolded you, which was followed by a snicker. “He’s going to have to find out at some point.”

“Come on, Rhodes. You’re not taking their side on this.” You groaned before deciding to give in. As Bucky Barnes had told you last night, what’s the worst that could happen, right? “Fine, Sam… knock yourself out.”

A smirk on his lips as he took a sip of his coffee, Sam Wilson turned over to look at Bucky and wiggled his eyebrows. “Before Y/N joined SHIELD as an agent, she was a grad student at NYU. She taught a history class on the Second World War.”

“She did her master’s thesis on the Howling Commandos.” Rhodey added. “I hate to say it as it is, Barnes, but she’s kind of obsessed with you.”

You felt your cheeks heat up in embarrassment and sunk in your seat. The last time you were this embarrassed, Nat had told Captain America that you were obsessed with him and then tried to set you up on a date with him. “It wasn’t an obsession. It was an academic interest. I’m a published academic and I expect you to treat me as such.”

“She was obsessed.” Sam corrected, causing you to smack him in his arm.

“Hey, watch your mouth. I’m supposed to be your boss now.” You pointed out, rolling your eyes before you took another sip of your coffee.

Bucky finally lifted his gaze from his breakfast to meet your eyes, his bright blue ones gleaming with a slight amusement. “You studied history and then started working for SHIELD?”

“History and politics, actually.” You replied with a shrug of your shoulders. “My father was a diplomat, so I always saw myself having a career in international relations. But that just never happened, so I decided to become an agent.”

“What made you want to become an agent though?”

“My grandmother. She told me that an Indian girl like me was not meant for a career in diplomacy, and that my place was within the household and not the UN. She said that I belonged in the kitchen, serving a husband.” You replied, chuckling softly. “I just became an agent out of spite, to prove to myself that I was actually meant for something more than just being a typical Indian wife. But I stuck around until the very end of SHIELD because I wanted to do what was right. That’s why I’m still here.”

That night Bucky found himself tossing and turning in bed once again. Even if he did manage to fall asleep though, the pitter patter of the rain against his bedroom window had woken him up in an instant and caused him to struggle to fall back asleep. He eventually decided to give up on his attempt to get some shut eye that night and climbed out of bed. He just had to admit that his insomnia was going to get the worst of him.

Stepping out of his living quarters, he decided to head towards the facility’s gym in hopes that working up a sweat would somehow tire him enough for him to sleep it off. But the moment he heard the clashing sound of what seemed like pots and pans coming from the common kitchen, he stopped in his tracks and turned around.

The whiff of melted butter wafted up his nostrils and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He was unsure if anyone at the compound would be up at this witching hour, let alone cooking up a storm. For as long as he’s resided at the facility, he hadn’t really seen anyone cook. Usually, Sam or Rhodey would make breakfast for the rest of the team. Other than that, the common kitchen was rarely used.

But Bucky followed the aroma of butter and spices over to the kitchen to see your sleepless self, much to his surprise.

Dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and an NYU hoodie, you trotted bare footed around the kitchen, your curly hair tied up in a bunch and bouncing on top of your head as you danced around to the music that was playing from your phone.

Avvaaru nokinaal evvaaru naaduven

Kannaadi mun nindru paarthu kondaen

Ondraaga seithida oru nooru naadagam

Othigai seidhu edhir paarthirundhen

In your own little zone as you stirred a pot of what seemed like rice and vegetables, you paid no heed to the supersoldier who stood against the doorframe and watched as you cooked. On the counter laid several platters of multiple dishes that he had never heard of and he wondered how long you had been up if you had managed to make that many dishes through the night.

Edhir paaramaley avan

edhir paaramaley avan

“Y/N?”

You gasped as you turned around to see Bucky standing by the entrance to the kitchen. “Bucky.”

oh.. pin irundhu vandhu ennai

pambaramaai sulatri vittu

ulagunda pervaayan endhan

vaayodu vaai padhiththaan

As you stood there stunned by his sudden arrival, your cheeks heated up in embarrassment yet again. You wondered how long you had been standing there. The song playing from your phone continued on, but as your lips moved along to the words as your eyes stayed glued to his bright blue ones.

Ingu boologam endroru porul ulladhai

indha poongodhai marandhaal adi

But you snapped out of it before the next verse of the song, and quickly turned down your music. “Bucky, what are you doing up this late?”

“Hi… sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.” His lips curled into a smile as he walked into the kitchen, eyeing the platters of food you had laid out on the counter. “But what are you doing up this late?”

“I hate to admit it, but… the homesickness is really kicking my ass.” You admitted, laughing softly before you motioned towards the counter. “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to splurge out on some South Indian comfort food.”

“Hm…” He nodded, looking down at the food and back at you. “Must be hard being back here when you could be relaxing on a farm in India.”

Turning off the stove and removing the pot of your rice dish from the heat, you set it next to the rest of the food on the counter. “Well, it’s not just relaxing though. Yeah, sure it’s quiet and it’s nice to just… take care of your cows and live off of fresh dairy without a care in the world. But the farm was my home, you know? It’s where I grew up, before all of that chaos with SHIELD and HYDRA... and Thanos. The farm was my happy place, but it’s just not the same anymore. It’s not the same without my grandmother… and my father” You admitted, sighing. “Change is not something that I was able to get used to.”

“That makes two of us.” Bucky agreed with a shrug of his shoulders. “It hasn’t been easy… trying to catch up.”

“I can imagine.” You nodded as you cleaned up the kitchen, not wanting to leave behind a mess when Sam or Rhodey came down to make breakfast in the morning. “Then it’s a good thing that you’ve got a history major as your next door neighbor, huh?”

His smile grew wide at your words, and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “I thought you majored in The Howling Commandos, doll. Are you sure that makes you an expert on what happened after the war?”

You crossed your arms against your chest. “To think that I spent years studying your life... only for you to undermine my expertise a decade later.” You shook your head as you laughed. “Come on, I’m going to need some help eating all this food.”

“Uh… okay?” Truth be told, he wasn’t going to assume that you were going to eat the entire amount of food you had made since it did seem like too much food for one person. He could not help but wonder if you had figured out his secret when you had offered to share the food with him. “You know, I’ve never had Indian food before. But Sam’s told me that it’s spicy.”

As you grabbed a few of the platters and set them on a cart so that you could bring it up to your quarters, you turned back to look at him. “I’m sure you’ve had some well-seasoned food in Wakanda though. I can’t imagine your taste buds being completely dead with all of the boiled and unseasoned nonsense that they used to call food back in the forties.”

Bucky snickered at your words as he lent you a hand on transferring the big pot of rice onto the cart. “You can’t trash the food of the forties. It was the Great Depression, Y/N.” He defended, to which you rolled your eyes.

“I looked into your family records, Sarge. Apparently you guys owned a car during the Great Depression… which I refused to believe until Steve was able to confirm when I asked him out of utter curiosity. You must have been loaded.” You pointed out, teasingly. “It’s a shame that all that money couldn’t have gotten you any kind of seasoning.”

“Alright, if you’re going to drag me through mud… then perhaps I might cook for you some time.” He offered. “In return of you sharing this food with me and to show you that I’m not a completely unseasoned man.”

You raised your eyebrow at him as you walked over to the fridge, grabbing the rolled up banana leaf that you had left in there. “If you insist, then I’ll have you know that Wakanadan lamb is out of the question. I’m vegetarian.”

“Good to know.” He agreed as he began walking back towards the door, his metal arm pulling the cart of food along with him. “May I know the reason why?”

“I’m Hindu.” You replied, shrugging. “I don’t eat red meat because my beloved Hindu god, Lord Krishna... was said to be a cowherd. But dairy’s fine though. Krishna loved butter and so do I.”

Having been raised Protestant in the 1930s, he could not help but feel slightly curious about your religion. He was no stranger to the never-ending battle between the Protestants and the Catholics across the pond, something that he had learned after befriending Steve and meeting his Irish immigrant mother.

But he never would have realized that there were much more religions in the world when he was a boy. But now in the twenty-first century, all he could do was learn more about the different people in the world that seemed to have shrunk since the Great Depression. He had learned as much as he could during his two years in Wakanda. But he wanted to learn more, to readjust to life in the twenty-first century. So he might as well start with the woman who lived next door.

#3kdiversity #aj writes #love me blue #poornima #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x desi!reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes fluff

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takenbyheartstrings · 5 years

Text

I WANNA BE YOURS [ p.p ]

part three of the “i lived” series ⏤ masterlist here.

pairing | peter parker x stark!reader

summary | you were in love with Peter Parker. it might’ve seen like a far fetch a year and a half ago, well, if we’re speaking in reality. 5 years ago before the snap. it was a crush, and nothing more. but as time went on after your father passed away, you realised more and more everyday that he was the one. he came by everyday, even if it was for five minutes to make sure, you, Pepper and Morgan had everything you needed and if you were alright. he even bought you a sandwich from the deli on the corner; in other words, he was too sweet for you to even comprehend. a pure masterpiece from the gods above.but you only pictured it in your head. what the reality could be like. you hoped he’d felt the same - even if all he went on about was MJ.who knew Europe could change so much.

warnings | fluff, some angst??? mentions of death.

authors note | i’m late again.

about y/n’s powers | y/n can control the elements on command, if she’s ever upset or angry, the water is trigged by y/n’s sadness and fire is triggered by the anger. Unless she manages to keep those emotions under some sort of control, they can create some destruction.

word count | 1.6k

SONG ⏤ I WANNA BE YOURS BY ARCTIC MONKEYS

You looked down at your ring.... again. You kept looking at it thinking about how it was the last thing your father had left for you. You smiled softly as you walked out of your room, trying to find Betty’s room as she borrowed your USB stick full of movies. She said she wanted to have a movie date with Ned before the carnival. That was almost four hours ago. You kept toying with the ring, as you were met with a full face of torso, and your body hit the ground.

You looked up, Peter standing there with his hand out, “I’m so sorry, y/n, I should’ve looked where I was going.”

“No, Pete, it was me. I keep looking at this stupid ring.” You sighed, as you looked back down at your hand, Peter was still holding it as you looked up at him with a small blush, he disconnected his hand from yours.

“It’s not stupid, It’s far from stupid.” Peter looked down at the hand you had held no longer than a few seconds ago, “Your dad gave it to you, it’s the last thing in the world that should be even considered stupid.”

You laughed as you took a seat back on the floor, but this time it was safely on the stairs. You patted a spot next to Peter as he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you in, making you feel the safest you’d felt in a while.

“What was it like for you?” You asked Peter, “The blip, what was it like?”

“Well, the last thing I remembered was your grip on me, and then I was in a dark place, it felt like I was dreaming, but you know those days where you fall asleep and you don’t dream, it’s just black?”

You nodded carefully, trying not to hit him in the face with your head.

“It was like that.” He muttered in a small tone, like a whisper. “What was it like for you?”

“It was pretty much the same,” You shrugged, “just felt like was being torched in my own mind.”

Peter took a daring move, placing a small kiss on your head making your face a deep cherry red, “You’re okay now.”

The two of you sat there in each other’s arms for a while, as you listened to your surroundings, you were broken out of the trance by Mr. Harrington and Mr. Dell telling you to meet them downstairs in five minutes. You got ready for the night ahead, bracing yourself for the night to come.

“Good news!” Mr. Harrington said cheerily as you were all gathered in the lobby, “We’re going to the opera.”

You looked at Peter as you heard the class give out sighs and words of confusion.

“What happened to the carnival?” MJ asked.

“This is upgrade living guys.” Mr. Harrington smiled, “Come on, the tour company just gave us these tickets... for free! Do you have any idea how much opera tickets cost?”

“No.” Flash sighed, “Because none of us have ever wanted to go to the opera. Ever.”

“Well, I think this is going to be culturally envisioning for us,” Ned spoke up

“Everybody this is maybe going to be the best four hours of our whole trip.”

“Four hours?” Everyone questioned in unison.

“Guys, I think this is going to be really fun. Seriously!” Ned smiled once more.

You walked back into your room as MJ put on a floral dress and you put on a pink one which crossed the back and flowed effortlessly. You walked out as you made eye contact with Harry who was in a yellow shirt and wearing a black pair of pants.

You all walked out to the opera house, “I bet you’re all happy I made you pack a nice outfit!” Mr. Harrington said finishing off his tie.

“Yeah, because we’d rather spend four hours watching the opera instead of going to the biggest party in the world.”

“Hey! Don’t look at me.” Mr. Dell said just as bummed as Flash.

“Parker, Stark, do you copy?” Maria asked in the earpiece, “Palm check, one, two.”

“Beat the rush.” Mr. Harrington said.

“Yeah..” Mr. Dell paused, “The rush.”

“Hey!” Harry said to MJ, “I’ll save you a seat.”

She went to decline but just smiled instead as he walked away and she followed, smiling at you and giving you a thumbs-up as Peter approached you.

“You look.. really.. pretty.” He commented.

“T-Thanks, you look um- you look pretty too.”

“Oh my gosh! Opera glasses!” You heard Betty say from behind you.

“Too bad we can’t use them, I mean If you wanted to use them with me.”

“I mean, I would if we could.”

“Are you in position?” You heard Fury say in your ear.

“No.”

You chuckled. “We’re going right now. Peter, you go first and then I’ll go a little later. In like five minutes.” You told him.

You walked down as he walked out and you pulled MJ aside, muting the earpiece. “I have a bad feeling about this Mysterio guy.” you told her.

“What? Why?” she questioned you.

“Just listen to me. First time fighting, I couldn’t do a single thing to hurt the monster.”

“Okay, but what if it’s like your powers just fucking you over, just like before the blip.”

“It’s not, because I created a path for myself with the water, the monster was the only thing I couldn’t hit.”

“So what’re you asking me to do?”

“I just want you to survey the premises.” You took the ring off of your finger and slid on a fake one. “Keep this on you and please don’t lose it.”

You put a fake ring on, an exact replica. “I’ve got the fake one right here. If something goes wrong. I’ll text you. Just make sure to look where nobody else would look.”

“Okay done, I’ll talk to you later.” MJ smiled, her reporter side coming out of its shell.

You ran out of the opera house putting on your new suit. E.D.I.T.H. wouldn’t work with the new ring, but it was the best hope you had of staying safe, your gut feeling led you south.

A few minutes later, you saw MJ outside, she made eye contact with you giving you a small smile. Her camera in her hand. Soon you were in position.

“As soon as we see something, we’ll radio you.” Peter explained to Fury.

“How’s the suit?”

“A little tight around the ol’ webshooter.”

You laughed louldy, “Peter, that’s gross!”

After a few minutes of waiting, you saw MJ over by the fountain as Fury and Maria both came into sound.

“Energy spiking.” Fury said over coms.

“We have seismic activity.”

“C’mon, MJ, move.” You muttered to yourself.

The Molten Lava burst through the cracks in the stone as MJ ran quickly, before stopping to take a picture of the Molten man standing in front of you all.

“Okay he’s in view, Beck, you know what to do.” You said speaking into coms.

“On your lead, Elementress,” Beck spoke.

Quentin stood in front of it, “You’re up kids.”

“Peter go! I’ll take care of him!”

He nodded as you created a stone path for yourself up to meet his eyes, you channeled yourself, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath, pushing the earth's core, away from the monster and to yourself. Beck fought off the monster as it grew smaller and bigger with every piece of metal it could touch..

“Whatever happens, I’m glad we met,” Quentin said to both you and Peter. You fell out of your trance.

“Beck, what’re you doing?” Peter asked.

“What I should’ve done last time.” He channeled all his power as then flying into the heart of the monster.

And there he was lying on the ground as you fell over him. “Quentin!”

He stirred, still alive as Peter ran over pulling him up from the ground as he sat back down once more, trying to recollect himself.

“So it’s over?” Maria asked.

“That was the last of them,” Quentin explained.

“Not the last threat we ever faced, we need to stay vigilant.” Fury explained. “Hill and I are going to headquarters in Berlin and you should join us.” He said to Quentin.

“Thank you, I might just take you up on that.”

He walked over to the two of you, looking at Peter, “You got gifts, Parker, but you didn’t wanna be here,”

“Mr. Fury I-”

“I’d love to have you in Berlin but you’ve got to decide whether you want to step up or not... Stark chose you- made you an Avenger- made you both Avengers. I need that. The world needs that. Maybe Stark was wrong, was he?” He looked at you, “Y/n? Would you like to come with us.”

“Nope. Peter and I are a package deal, and if you want me. You’ll need to take him with you, I go where Peter goes. We’re a team Uncle Fury, and if you don’t want him. You can’t have me.”

You saw the tears in Peter’s eyes, as Quentin walked up to both of you, “Let’s get a drink.”

“We’re not twenty-one!” Peter yelled followed Quentin.

You felt a buzz in your pocket as you took out your phone out, a text from MJ appeared on the screen as you opened up the message app.

MJ 🤪💛 y/n, I found something

Y/N 😙🤘 what is it?

MJ 🤪💛 just get here as soon as you can

Y/N 😙🤘 i have to go somewhere with Peter and Mysterio.

Y/N 😙🤘 i’ll tell you when i’m about to leave.

MJ 🤪💛 alright, just be prepared for the worst.

MJ 🤪💛 also, just in case you’re worried, the ring’s fine :)

You gave a sigh of relief at the last message before following Peter and Quentin to a small bar.

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authors note | sorry this is really late I have my exams coming up next week and i’m just trying to get as much study in as possible, anyway, hope you enjoyed it! also, sorry it’s really short :/

TAGLIST : (strikethroughs are blogs i can’t tag) @meiiyue @poisoned-pineapple @estate-euphoric @hardyxlove @cyrusandhiscollaredahirts @hollandjmc @blizzbx @spider-manholland @supernerdycookietrashblr @kii-mii @iamanerdnot @watson-emma @roserrys @waterspider7 @brunetteinblack @sweetdarlingholland @capinmerca @constantdisgrace @fosterthe-peter@brckenmemories @loki-helmet @tom-hollands-blog @anditwasjustus@spideylovin @graydolan12@supernerdycookietrashblr @laic2299 @ellesvoid @jackiehollanderr @thedivinepineapple @theolwebshooter @rish0217 @kii-mii @shawnandconnor @danielabetancourth @sabrinaaa056 @my-soul-is-the-moon @ineedabifriend @sltwins @dolan-mendes @delicately-important-trash

#peter parker x reader #peter parker x stark!reader #peter parker x reader imagine #peter parker imagines #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x reader imagines #peter parker x reader one shot #peter parker x reader one shots #peter parker #stark!reader #peter parker x stark!reader #far from home series #tom holland x reader #tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland x reader imagines #tom holland imagines #mj far from home

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destieltropecollection · 5 years

Photo

Destiel Trope Collection 2019 Day 18: High School AU

Superpowers & Hormones | @mattzerella-sticks Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 56870 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - Superheroes & Superpowers, Alternate Universe - High School, Mystery, Miscommunication, Pyrophobic Dean, Mind Control, DCBB 2018 Summary: In a world where everyone is born with amazing abilities, the hope for tomorrow is taught and trained by the great heroes of today at the Academy of Letters. And after a long setback, Dean finally feels ready to attend the famed school – even if it’s only for one year. Still, he plans to have the full experience – from tough classes to lovable friends and even unforeseeable crushes. But nothing is as it seems. Something lurks under the surface, and Dean finds himself tangled in its dark, twisted web. To break free, he’ll have to dig deeper towards the danger. And the closer he gets, the less people he can trust. Balancing superpowers and hormones might be tough, but Dean would rather that then whatever’s waiting for him behind the curtains.

Lollipop | @mattzerella-sticks Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 3840 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - High School, DC Universe - Freeform, Gay Dean Winchester, Nerd Dean Winchester/Jock Castiel Summary: Dean Winchester isn't the most popular boy in his school. In fact, you couldn't get lower on the totem pole than him. But he's come to accept it, even if it means dealing with people like Gordon every time he tiptoes out of the status quo. Making first impressions is hard given that he's known most of his classmates since the beginning. But besides Charlie, he doesn't have anyone in his corner. Except for Castiel, the school's quarterback who transferred to their school last year. But he'd never go for someone like Dean...

It Was Just A Joke | @hefellfordean Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2365 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - High School, Jock!Dean, Nerd!Castiel, Panic Attacks, Fluff and Angst, Summary: Castiel is a nerd and Dean a jock, despite this they are best friends. When Cas is at a party with some of Dean's friends, they try to convince him something awful happened. Basically Dean's friends are dicks, but Dean is a sweetheart and I worship high school Destiel.

I See You | @hefellfordean Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 3113 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - High School, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Jock!Dean, Nerd!Castiel, Depressed Castiel, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: Castiel is a high school senior, who spends his days by himself, convinced that he is invisible and unimportant - until Dean Winchester attempts to show him otherwise.

An Angel's Blade | @writinginthebunker Rating: Mature Word Count: 53809 Main Tags and Warnings: Self harm, explicit self harm, suicidal ideation, Destiel, high school AU, slow burn, suicidal Castiel, abandoned Castiel, dark subject matter, dark themes Summary: Castiel is essentially alone. Abandoned by his parents, ridiculed by his classmates, Castiel finds his only solace in a metal blade and an old pair of headphones. Dean is new in town, intrigued by the broken boy down the street, he surely can't leave well enough alone, especially when he wasn't well enough to begin with.

happy little accidents | @reallyelegantsharkfish Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1990 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - High School, Asexual Character, Asexual Castiel (Supernatural), Demisexual Dean Winchester, First Kiss Summary: The problem is that now Cas knows what Dean’s freckles look like from centimeters away. He knows — however briefly — the softness of Dean’s mouth. He can’t stop wondering what it would’ve been like if Dean had kissed back instead of drawing away and looking at Cas like he’s an idiot.

Thank You | @lemonsorbae Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 8119 Main Tags and Warnings: HS!AU, Fluff, Teacher Castiel, Teacher Dean Winchester, Meddling Kids Summary: In which the students of Benjamin Edlund High School are very invested in the relationship of their two favorite teachers.

Cuddling is Manly | @breathingdestiel Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 46182 Main Tags and Warnings: best friends to lovers, mutual pining, bed sharing Summary: Castiel Novak has just lost a longtime friend, his cat Moon, whom he had since he was nine. After a while he realizes that his grades are slipping and that he has a hard time focusing on studying, all because he used to do it while petting Moon. When his best friend Dean notices that something is wrong, they cuddle together, believing it would help Cas. But what was supposed to be a one time thing turns into a regular cuddling between them, complicating Cas' already complicated feelings towards Dean.

Movie Night | @breathingdestiel Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3373 Main Tags and Warnings: best friends to lovers, smut, pining Summary: Cas is late to a movie night and there is no room for him to sit. Except in Dean's lap.

The Nuances in Flirting | @thebloggerbloggerfun Rating: General Word Count: 3144 Main Tags and Warnings: Friends to Lovers Summary: Based on the tumblr prompt: “HS AU with popular!Dean and popular!Cas, they're those two annoying guys who make funny (but also obnoxious) comments in every single class, and make stupid, flirtatious remarks to each other like "Cas looks pretty hot today guys" or "I'm totally dating Dean, everyone" etc. Only thing is, they're secretly in love, but neither will admit it."

Dark Blue, Dark Blue | @ellen-of-oz Rating: Mature Word Count: 36112 Main Tags and Warnings: Moondoor, High School AU, Gamer Castiel, Gamer Dean, Emo Castiel, Friends to Lovers, Canon-typical Violence Summary: In late 2006, Castiel and Dean are in the same guild and raid team in the online game, Moondoor. They only know each other by their character names: Niteryder and Thorsangel, but they hang out and chat whenever they’re not raiding. Dean is baffled though—no matter how much time they spend talking online, Angel never reveals anything about himself. That’s because Castiel is in hiding. At school he hides behind his emo image and stays as invisible as he can, but online he’s got to be extra-vigilant. He can’t reveal anything about himself to Ryder, as much as he might like to—doing so would risk bringing trouble down on himself and his mom. There’s something about Ryder that makes him easy to talk to, though. But outside of the game, ghosts from Castiel’s family’s past are out for revenge, and going back to Lawrence, KS to visit his friend Meg could put him in danger.

All Those Summer Nights | @babybluecas Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1497 Main Tags and Warnings: alternate universe, inspired by Grease Summary: It was the best summer of Dean's life - spent on relaxing, parties and fun. And most importantly, spent with a blue-eyed boy he met one day on a beach. But the summer's over now, the school year begins, and Dean's left with the memories of his first summer love.

Aesthetics | @hearts-and-thumbs Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 4121 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - High School, Artist Castiel, POV Castiel, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Color Fic, Childhood Friends, Fluff Summary: Dean Winchester's been Castiel's muse since he realized he was in love with him. He's the movement in the shading, and the colours exploding into vibrancy on his page. Unfortunately, they haven't been friends for years and Cas' got about a snowball's chance in Hell of changing that. And besides, it's not just friendship he wants. Dean disappeared years ago and came back different. And really, he's the biggest (and worst) flirt ever. But stranger things have happened.

Sealed lips. Tied hands. | @sternchencas Rating: General Word Count: 10781 Main Tags and Warnings: speaking disability, harassment by a teacher Summary: Dean Winchester doesn't look forward to his first day of school, but it's not because of your usual teenager problems. He would be glad if he had to deal with dates, grades and rumors about his love life. Instead, he struggles even to communicate. In a world where everyone talks in sign language, his hands are tied. He's a happer. One of those weird people who have a hard time figuring out what others say, and can't express what they want to tell. But one good deed might save him because he helps Castiel Novak. A boy who might be just as different and weird as Dean. A boy who understands even when Dean's lips are sealed.

Green Eyes In Sketchbooks | @envydean Rating: General Word Count: 1418 Main Tags and Warnings: artist!Cas, Jock!Dean, Meddling!Charlie, Unrequited Love, two sided unrequited love, Happy Ending, Fluff Summary: Castiel has always liked Dean, and he's always assumed that Dean has just never noticed him. That is until one day Dean does notice him and everything turns itself upside down.

Appreciation | @envydean Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 3002 Main Tags and Warnings: Light Angst, Fluff, sharing food, hand holding, First Kiss, Poor!Castiel Summary: Over in the corner is Castiel Novak. He’s not been at the school long but today he’s all alone; just last week, Dean was sure he saw him hanging out with Samandriel and Andy but today they’re nowhere to be seen. That is until he looks elsewhere and find them laughing at each other on a different table. Dean frowns. The guy doesn’t have his bag on him or any food in front of him. It’s far too early in their lunch break for him to have finished already.

Grammar Games (Series) | @relucant Rating: Explicit Word Count: 29961 Main Tags and Warnings: high school AU, light dom/sub, bottom dean, top cas, english grammar Summary: "Hey, hey," Dean said, propping his feet up on a chair. "Dude, I don't even know your name." Cas blinked up at him, and the tiny heat that the gravelly voice had sparked in Dean's stomach evolved into a full-on tingle. "Oh, uh," he said. "Yeah. I'm Castiel. Cas, if you like." "Cas," Dean drawled. "I do like." He stuck out his hand. Cas raised an eyebrow, but he reached out to shake. "I'm Dean Winchester." "I'm aware," Cas said dryly. "You've something of a reputation." "I'm aware," Dean agreed with a bright grin.

Somebody Holds the Key | @relucant Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1280 Main Tags and Warnings: high school AU, fluff Summary: Cas makes friends.

#destiel #writersofdestiel #destielfanficnet #deancasfanficnet #destiel trope collection #tropes #high school au #2019

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fuckyeahalexedler · 4 years

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Ben Kuzma: Chasing fitness fanatic Sedins could help Edler extend NHL career

"As you get older, everyone expects you to get slower. I feel good. I’m not really looking further than my contract, but I obviously want to keep playing as long as I can." — Alex Edler, Vancouver Canucks veteran defenceman

Endurance and recovery are key components in any training regimen.

For Alex Edler, ramping up a running routine to complement skating drills in advance of the Vancouver Canucks training camp — set to begin on July 13 — has taken on a new meaning.

He knows the best-of-five qualifying series with the Minnesota Wild is going to test his strength, stamina and stride with games every other night. He also knew making the most of the Lower Mainland outdoors during the novel coronavirus physical-distancing restrictions could be a bonus.

Especially when you accept a running invitation from fitness fanatics Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

Edler has a year left on his contract and the 34-year-old Swede would like to emulate his countrymen by extending the competitive career curve. Chasing the Sedins on a vertical mountain trail is a good barometer.

After all, the day before Sedins Week in February to celebrate their jersey retirements, the twins ran a half marathon. No big deal, they have run a marathon. Running six times a week and logging 100 kilometres is part of their retirement routine.

“Every summer, I try to focus a lot on cardio and they asked me if I wanted to join them for a trail run,” Edler said Friday, following a Phase 2 voluntary skate at Rogers Arena. “I said I didn’t know because I probably had no chance of keeping up with them. They said: ‘It’s OK because we just ran a marathon last week and this is more of a recovery week for us.’

“So, I did run but it was really long and hard. It was 20 kilometres up and down and not running all the time, but we were going up Grouse Mountain because they know all the trails up there. I was just trying to stay with them and even trying to catch up to them, but that made it even harder by trying to run and talk.

“I’ve been fortunate to work out with them a lot because of their work ethic and it just rubs off on you. And it was so good for the young guys to see how hard they pushed.”

That experience and career perspective afforded by the Sedins — first ballot Hockey Hall of Fame locks for sure — is inspiring.

Edler vowed to carry on their legacy in the community and be a culture-defining presence in the room. And because he doesn’t want to be one of those 30-plus defencemen who just fades away and proves more of a hindrance than a help, he gamely attempts to match strides with the Sedins, and also works on every facet of his skating with local skating coach Barb Aidelbaum.

“He’s a quiet guy,” said Aidelbaum. “We’ve been skating together since 2014 and I just kind of sat back and looked at what he was bringing to the rink when we first resumed skating two weeks ago. He was mentally free and physically fresh.

“You see that and think: ‘Gee, I hope the other players have used their time as productively as he has.’ He’s a thinker and in a really good place. It took him about 30 minutes our first day and you would look at him and think he hadn’t had the (season pause) break. He felt it in the lungs, but he has done so much work on the technical aspect of his skating, that the fundamentals are there.

“It’s the edges and balance and his drive and positioning. It has been repeated for so many years and you don’t lose that. It’s not quite as easy as riding a bike, but if you show up the first day and you’re set — you’re just ready to go. He’s in a really good place.”

It didn’t happen overnight. It came through observation and application.

Edler was 20 in the 2006-07 season and the Canucks roster sported seasoned blueliners in Sami Salo (31), Mattias Ohlund (29), Willie Mitchell (29) and Brent Sopel (29). The Sedins were 25 and already 80-point producers, so the on-the-job training was not lost on Edler.

And if Aidelbaum could help fine tune the skating, then Edler was going to have a leg up on longevity.

“She’s not trying to change the way you skate, just make small tweaks to be more efficient,” said Edler. “It has been really good for me because as you get older, everyone expects you to get slower. I don’t know how you’re supposed to feel when you’re 34.

“I feel good. I’m not really looking further than my contract, but I obviously want to keep playing as long as I can. We’ve been getting better and it’s exciting and you want to be a part of it.”

The Sedins retired at age 37. Salo and Mitchell called it quits at 38 and Edler’s future depends on health and club direction.

Younger players like Olli Juolevi must be worked into the fold and there’s the ongoing pursuit of Nikita Tryamkin, the curiosity if Brogan Rafferty’s offensive game can translate from the AHL and how far NCAA phenom Jack Rathbone is from playing in the NHL.

Edler suffered a shoulder injury in a collision with Zack Kassian on Nov. 30 and was sidelined for 10 games. His average minutes slipped from 24:39 last season to 22:37 with the arrival of Calder Trophy candidate Quinn Hughes. The rookie’s ascension included quick promotion to the first power-play unit that was ranked fourth when the NHL season was paused March 12.

Edler ranked third overall in blocked shots this season and of his 33 points (5-28) in 59 games, 26 came at even strength. He also took a team high 26 minor penalties.

Edler’s best value this season may be in what awaits the Canucks.

Jay Beagle leads the club in post-season experience with 85 games and won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals. Tyler Toffoli (47 games) and Tanner Pearson (34) won a Stanley Cup with the Los Angeles Kings, while Edler (65) and J.T. Miler (61) have considerable game experience.

However in the top-six mix, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser have yet to play a post-season game. Same for third-liners Adam Gaudette and Jake Virtanen.

“Who knows what it’s going to be like with empty stands, so it might be even more important to try and lead the way and use my experience,” said Edler.

“The Wild have some veterans who have been around and have playoff experience. It’s definitely going to be a hard series and a tight series, but we have a good chance.”

Edler has two young daughters and is vigilant with COVID-19 safety protocols in the city and province. He’s also wary of how they’ll be applied at the Western Conference post-season hub in Edmonton. There is some trepidation among players and opting out of post-season play is an NHL option.

“They’re working hard to create a safe space for us and there’s no doubt that everything that can be done is being done,” said Edler. “There’s uncertainty for the whole world, but it’s obvious we have to create a safe environment for everyone. And if we can’t, we can’t play because that’s priority number 1.

“Everyone is in a different situation. Some may have health things going on, something in the family or just what kind person you are. The virus has been hard to predict and it’s the right thing to think about health and family first.”

(July 3, 2020)

#vancouver canucks #canucks #alex edler #henrik sedin #daniel sedin #july 2020 #article #text

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sponfawn · 5 years

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MTH - Rowdy Bros (part 2)

Continuing from part 1, I'm not going to do every interaction in every chapter, but I'm going to analyze interactions in some key scenes.

* He knows how to use it/Lonesome when you go

In chapter 5, the scene with the team of school shooters happens. We get a lot of new information regarding the Boys' priorities, general lives, and interactions. Some of the info isnt surprising, since we know they work for an evil corporation, but it does give more explicit insight into their experiences. The Boys are completely unconcerned with the hostage situation - Brick is just annoyed, Butch is excited cuz there's a surprise with guns and even impatiently asks if the gunmen will shoot Brick or what, and Boomer's reaction is very nonchalant and relaxed.

Boomer acts like they're people he's just met (tho not new friends). Hes familiar, laid back, and just talks to his brothers like he normally would, as if the gunmen aren't of any significance at all. When one of them tells him to get on the ground, he literally just pouts back like a little kid and says no. Brick literally only decides to help cuz Blossom so desperately needs him to. From the exchanges with the gunmen and each other, we see more clearly what the Boys have likely done. Boomer can tell from a glance what type of gun the guy near him is carrying, all 3 of them know what the human brain looks like outside of the body (with disturbingly casual responses to the idea of it), and a bit later Brick instantly field strips one of the guns. They're familiar with identifying and handling advanced weaponry, and are clearly desensitized to extreme and traumatic levels of violence at 17 years old. But the most important thing that we get from this scene, I believe, is the dynamic that the Boys have.

Brick knows that due to their heroic duties, the Girls will be vigilant for their opportunity to strike, that they automatically will prioritize taking down the shooters to save the hostages, and that theyre perceptive enough to follow Blossom's lead in a split second. He know that his brothers don't have that same motivation, and is concerned that they won't get the message. But all he has to do is say, "Boys", and they snap to attention, Boomer prompting him for directions. All he says is, "help" - hardly an order - but they immediately understand and are ready to jump into action as soon as they get the signal. Brick can say what he wants about their lack of dilligence and obedience, but Boomer and Butch are on it when it comes down to testy situations. Butch still ends up collecting a bunch of guns and shooting various gunmen, and he's not as efficient as Brick would like because of his manic enjoyment of violent/dangerous situations, but he is ready to throw down for Brick at the drop of a single word. Putting a pin in this as well.

* beach episode! - we’ll still have the summer after all

Pretty early on in this chapter, Butch’s raging jealousy makes its first appearance (upon finding Brick and Blossom interacting alone on the beach). Because he works through his emotions with physical activity, he starts the (series of) iconic volleyball games. After the game between Blossom and Buttercup ends, Boomer and Butch try to get Brick to play a game with them. In the struggle between Brick trying to escape and his brothers trying to drag him to the net, he slips out of his shirt and all of the girls present flip their shit. As expected at this point, Butch, but also more surprisingly Boomer, becomes jealous, as well as the rest of the guys present. When Butch realizes that even Buttercup finds Brick attractive, he goes as far to say, "you're not allowed to find my brother hot!" After Brick declares hes going swimming, some of the guys say “girls suck”, to which Butch bitterly replies, "no, Brick sucks." He holds a ton of animosity and resentment towards Brick, certainly more than Boomer generally expresses for him. Yet, soon after, when the fighter aircraft attacks, Butch is the first to join Brick and pull up by his side when he yells for the others to pull back. After he orders Butch and Boomer to keep the aircraft flying at the same altitude and lead it away and then back towards him, Boomer is the one who asks what he's doing, Butch says nothing. After Brick rips out the aircraft's embedded computer, Blossom begins to examine it. He asks if she has any use for it, and as soon as she says no, he says "Butch, fire", and Butch immediately destroys it in her hand. He responds as quickly as if Brick had pushed a button to fire a laser. It's automatic, and he knew exactly what Brick wanted him to do, with no further explanation. It's also interesting to me that Brick didn't order Boomer to do it. While it may have been coincidence, I also want to put a pin in this thought.

After the Boys go home, and Brick finds out that Darius took over and they have to stay another year, he tells his brothers. And this time it's not Butch who sticks around, but Boomer. After Butch has already left, he helps Brick get blankets and a pillow for the couch, tries to cheer him up. He wants to go, but he knows Brick's emotional state is fucked up and he seems to actually care about him in that. After Brick tells him to leave, when he closes the front door, Boomer can't hold his smile in anymore cuz he's finally free to go back and see Bubbles. I think this is the first time when we see Boomer concerned about Brick, in terms of his emotional well-being. I would say his behavior still has an air of obligation about it, but it tells us that he cares about Brick and is loyal to him, in a way that is otherwise rarely shown.

* bonus chapter: Imperfect boys with their perfect lives

This bonus chapter is short, but it does reveal some things about our Boys. The first thing we find out is that the other field agents at JS genuinely like the Boys. They refuse to let Penny hire movers, insisting that they help. Later, they gather around and laugh as Butch chugs a gallon of coffee. Another detail of note, is that before they attend Townsville High, the Boys seem to have a slightly more amicable, normal (on the surface) sibling dynamic. Brick is still a grumpy pissbaby, complaining about how Darius wants them out, and he threatens to strangle them after they almost cause the Girls to discover them in the movie store. But he lets the Boys do what they want within reason. Boomer tries to lightly cheer him up, and even Butch seems to try to improve his mood, saying that once Brick is in charge of JS he can wipe Townsville off the map. In other scenes in other chapters, the Boys still joke and pick on each other like siblings, but I think that perhaps due to the toll Townsville takes on Brick’s mood and stress levels, along with Boomer and Butch’s growing relationships with the Girls, their dynamic is more strained. At JS, things were generally going according to Brick’s plan, and we’ve seen how an improved mood can change Brick’s entire demeanor and behavior towards them - going so far as to shorten Butch’s punishment by a week. In Townsville, I imagine he’s in a chronic bad mood, even for Brick standards.

* hey there Mr blue, we’re so pleased to be with you

The scene I want to talk about in chapter 7, is when Brick sacrifices Bubbles to the black blob that Him deployed. Again, we see Butch’s automatic loyalty to Brick. Buttercup is choking Brick, when Butch whacks her away.

When Blossom rebukes him for protecting Brick, Butch repeats that she’s not his leader, that she shouldnt even think about giving him orders (and we’ve seen how immediately responsive he can be to orders that Brick gives). Even when Buttercup, his best friend, tells him to move he is resolute, taking a fighting stance. We know that he’s reluctant for things to escalate, watching Buttercup carefully, as he tells Brick to explain quickly. But his resolve never visibly wavers. Meanwhile, Boomer doesn’t move an inch to protect Brick. He’s simply in shock, over what happened.

When Brick comes up to him, Boomer does something that we haven’t (and that likely Brick hasn’t) seen him do before. He directly questions Brick’s actions. In the scene with the aircraft, he asks Brick what he’s planning to do. But it’s because he wants to know what the plan is, not because he’s accusing Brick of making a bad or questionable decision. In this scene, he is showing outward disapproval of what Brick thought was the best decision. And not only that, he (a literal employee of Evil) is questioning how Brick (a verified supervillain and coworker in the industry of Evil) could do that to Bubbles, a superhero. No wonder Brick is unsettled, Boomer is expressing dissent, and suddenly has morals in regards to a superhero.

* Monday broke my heart

Chapter 9 has 2 important scenes that I want to discuss: interactions between his brothers and Brick the day after his date with Blossom, and some interactions at Robin's party. After the date, Brick is miserable. He doesn't sleep at all, he doesn't eat, he doesn't shower, he just hunches over the kitchen table all night. His brothers, who feel much better about their nights, try to cheer him up at least half-heartedly. Boomer is the one who asks if he's eaten, if he wants or needs anything. Butch encourages him to take a shower. After he finally does, they burst into his room, joint in hand. Boomer tells him to cheer up, Butch says "don't suppose you're gonna tell us what's up", and they just spend time with him, passing the joint around. It's scenes like this that I really treasure regarding the Boys. None of them are very communicative or vulnerable with others, and only Boomer seems to have much emotional intelligence in terms of self-knowledge and caring about others' feelings, but both Butch and Boomer do try to be there for Brick, in the ways that he allows them to be. It's easy to forget that between the ribbing, resentment, and abusive discipline.

Unfortunately, it's not even a week later (on a Friday, after several miserable days of Blossom basically ignoring him, and of trying to convince himself it's just adolescent hormones) when Brick turns his own emotional unrest against Boomer. He accuses Boomer of letting Bubbles get to him too much, of listening to her too much, and not having his priorities straight. He tries to order Boomer to break up with Bubbles, even threatening to make it more difficult for Boomer when they return to their jobs. And while he makes some good points about some of the unhealthy aspects Boomer's relationship with Bubbles (like fixating on her at the expense of his own interests and personal time, and becoming overdependent on her), he is absolutely projecting his own feelings and priorities onto Boomer. I think in a way he's worried about Boomer getting hurt like he is hurt, assuming it's inevitable and that it's just due to some distracting hormones.

He doesn't want Boomer to be "trapped". But it's still really very much about himself. He doesn't want Boomer to "drop everything [he's] doing if she so much as utters a word", and throw away everything Brick's been working for. He wants Boomer to do what he hopes he would do in that situation.

This exchange sends Boomer flying to Bubbles, and in their conversation, he reveals some very important aspects of his motivations, and his relationship with Brick.

Boomer is not invested in Evil. We've seen his more passive nature compared to Brick and Butch, and his active efforts to try to be good for Bubbles, something Brick would probly never even consider. Brick obviously makes the calls, and Boomer goes along with it cuz he literally has nothing else to do. His motivations so far have been his loyalty in emotional attachments, and lack of moral conviction. But recently, those things have been changing. Now he has someone he loves who reciprocates in a clear, communicative way. And that same person is teaching him what being "good" means, and asking him to change. In contrast, Butch goes along with Brick out of loyalty to a degree, and also cuz where else is he going to be able to get out his aggression and superpowered physical need for destruction and violence? Where else is he going to be able to handle dangerous weapons, and have enough money to self-medicate? Especially since, by himself, he's doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his reliability or ability to think on his feet.

Getting back to the scene, Boomer is venting about Brick wanting him to break up with Bubbles. And he frantically rants about how Brick is the leader, Butch is the tough guy, and he has nothing. How he's the runt, that the only thing people ever remark about him is that he's the stupid one, that his brothers don't need him for anything. That the one thing that makes him special is his music gift, but even that isn't really his. He's got some serious self-esteem issues, especially in regards to his brothers. Bubbles tries to calm him down, and Boomer ends up Bubbles about the Boys' job. Again, in their conversation, we get a little peek into his inner world, and his relationship with Brick:

Here we see that Boomer still cares about Brick, and still feels a sense of brotherly obligation to him. But I think he's pretty much done in terms of long term loyalty. I think he'll always care for Brick, but he's deciding in this moment that he won't always follow his lead, there's an expiration date. It'd be really interesting to see how Brick reacts to that when the time comes. I'm gonna put a pin in this thought as well.

Just before the party, Blossom and Bubbles go over to the Boys' apartment to give Boomer a haircut. As Blossom's beginning to cut his hair, Brick enters the apartment. After Brick asks what the they're doing, and Blossom says she's cutting Boomer's hair, Boomer makes a point of showing another act of defiance. He addresses Brick, making sure that he can see him reaching for Bubbles' hand - a silent, but pointed rebellion against Brick's previous orders to break up with her.

At the actual party, the infamous truth or dare game plays out. The part I want to talk about is when Buttercup kisses Brick on a dare, and Brick and Butch's subsequent interaction. As Brick goes back inside, Butch is waiting behind the door, glaring at him.

Brick glanced at him and frowned. What?”

Butch just stared at him, fuming.

“What, Butch?” Brick sighed.

“You're a fucking dick,” Butch spat, shaking his head, and shoved past Brick as he went back upstairs.

Brick's initial reaction, reads as confused. His second reaction is tired, exasperated, and I feel like he's just like "ugh what now". Like this is a repeated issue, where he doesn't know why Butch is mad at him. And this to me just demonstrates a continuous utter lack of understanding, in terms of Butch's perspective, and a surprising lack of pattern recognition for Brick. The only reason we've seen for why Butch is ever pissed at Brick, is due to jealousy. His reactions and behaviors are pretty damn consistent. But Brick just doesn't connect the dots, whether cuz of his issues with analyzing emotions, or cuz he was lost in thought. Either way, he fails to realize how attached Butch truly is to Buttercup. He doesn't see that it's not just Boomer (and himself) who's "trapped" by one of the Girls. And to be fair, Butch himself doesnt know it, but for someone who declared that he knew Butch and Boomer, he really doesn't know shit about Butch's internal experiences. This point of resentment and bitterness on Butch's part is a good jumping off point to go into a quasi-conclusion built from the many scenes I've put a pin in.

Butch is deeply loyal to Brick. We see this in many scenes. During the incident with the mama monster and her babies, Butch tells Blossom, "you ain't my leader". He says this again when defending Brick against Buttercup and Blossom in chapter 7. At the beach, Butch executes orders without question, and without hesitation. At a single word, he immediately eyebeams the computer in Blossom's hand, almost as quickly as if Butch was a gun and Brick had pulled the trigger. And all of this is in spite of the deep-seated jealousy and resentment Butch holds for Brick, the fact that he treats Butch like crap, beating the shit out of him over disobedience, and the fact that Brick is a controlling killjoy. So why is he so unquestioningly loyal to Brick? I think one aspect is that he obviously cares about his brothers. Yeah Butch makes fun of them, and gets mad at them sometimes, but that's what siblings do. Regarding the abuse, he has literally said that the reason Brick is so hard on him is cuz "he deserves it" (chap 3). This is a common mindset in abuse victims, and Butch is no exception. This next reason doesn't necessarily have much evidence, so its more of a headcanon, but i think he's also aware, to an extent, of how Brick has taken care of him and Boomer. He knows Brick got them out of Him's grasp, knows he's basically why they have a job with JS at all, why they've had good income. He's not the most analytical, but he's observant of others' moods, emotions, and behavior. We've seen him be so with literally everyone in the hallway when the Boys first attend school, with Blossom and Brick, with Buttercup, Mitch, etc. He acts like a dumbass, but he's not stupid. I think he sees how Brick has had his back (at least against outsiders), and this is a contributing factor to his loyalty. There's also the fact that siblings often fuck each other over, and still love each other and remain loyal to each other. As much as theyre atypical siblings, they're still brothers.

In contrast, Boomer seems to not be as unconditionally loyal to Brick. He tries to be there for Brick, particularly in terms of emotional support, but he is more inclined to ask questions about orders, and when it came to Bubbles he's even willing to outwardly show defiance against Brick's judgement. Ultimately, Boomer is very emotion driven. For loyalty, he needs to love and be loved. He loves Brick, and I think Brick loves him too. But Brick is not exactly demonstrative in his brotherly affection, and I think Boomer needs that. He craves and needs recognition and affirmation. Brick recognizes that Boomer is emotionally driven, but doesn't realize his emotional needs. And that is where Brick fails as a leader. Brick doesn't recognize the need for different leadership styles, based on the needs of his brothers/team. And that is why he's going to lose Boomer eventually. To someone who reciprocates and demonstrates their affection for him.

* Tried to stick a dead body inside me

This last part is on Chapter 10, with particular focus on the symbolism in the Vortex. I've already basically outlined my theories on this in relation to the Boys' dynamics in a post (link in the reblog), but I'll briefly summarize. The actions that happen in the Vortex, as well as the different positions of the Boys, is very important in regards to their relationships with each other. Boomer is at the lowest place, reflecting his lack of self-worth compared to his brothers. He stands at the bottom of a deep pool. He's alone in the cold, dark depths of the water, and the only way out is up. Brick is in the middle, standing on the floor around the pool. He has more freedom of movement than Boomer, and can make more choices. But soon he finds that he's swallowed up by rising waters as it floods outside of its designated area, disregarding boundaries, unable to be compartmentalized. It reflects his loss of control over his situation/environment, his inner turmoil, and relatively recent inability to simply contain and subdue his emotions. Butch is at the highest point, on a fence with Buttercup, feeling free and at peace with her at his back. Because he is literally "on the fence", with Buttercup on the other side, I feel like he might be (subconsciously) reevaluating where his loyalties lie - with Brick, or with Buttercup. It's worth noting that he is only able to be at that height when she is with him. As soon as Brick moves through her as if she's not there, Butch is eviscerated and pushed backwards off of his perch. And the culprit responsible for cutting him open and pushing him off the fence, forcing him "back in his place" or "back in line", is Brick - the one person Butch always seems to lose to (in his mind at least). This also reflects how Brick uses violence to discipline Butch and keep him in line, and that he tries to use that punishment as a way to regain control (since he unknowingly uses Butch's insides to pull himself out of a situation he couldn't control).

Going back to Boomer and Brick, Boomer is the weight dragging Brick down, reflecting Brick's view that Boomer is the runt, and also more recently, a liability due to his attachment to a certain blonde, blue-eyed Powerpuff Girl. Boomer sees Bubbles and her nurturing, loving care for him as a way out of the dark isolation he feels at the bottom. And that's the way he feels with his brothers. He's left behind, alone and cold, Brick and Butch far above him. But he has no hope that they will help him up. It's only Bubbles who seems to see him down there, and altho she doesn't help him either, she does inspire him to gather the strength to pull himself up to grab hold of her.

The symbolism honestly conveys their current relationships with each other, and their internal experiences, in such a concise and creative way that it gets me every time.

TL;DR

Butch is extremely loyal to Brick in an automatic and unquestioning way, despite all the resentment he has for Brick. But I theorize that that may be changing, very slowly, due to Buttercup. He genuinely cares about his brothers, even tho he rags on them a lot and isn't demonstrative or expressive about it. He seems to internalize the idea that he deserves violent consequences for misbehavior, and I wonder how much of his self-destructive behaviors are linked to that.

Boomer is loyal to Brick, but it's not quite as ingrained as Butch's loyalty. Bubbles is heavily impacting his loyalties, partly cuz, generally speaking, Brick and Butch make him feel worthless while she makes him feel wanted and loved. I think he knows his brothers care about him to an extent, but he has emotional needs that they arent willing or able to fulfill. He and Butch are closer than he is to Brick, and I think he understands Butch better than Brick does at least.

Brick is much more emotionally driven than hed like to admit. It influences what he allows his brothers to do, and how he enforces discipline on them. He's pretty typical in terms of thinking that his abuse and manipulation is justified or acceptable. I think he actually wants what he thinks is best for his brothers, but it's very tied to what he wants and thinks is the best path. He projects a lot of his wants and issues onto them. I don't think he's ever imagined a future where they weren't a team. Despite his emotional nature, he lacks emotional intelligence and doesn't understand or know Butch and Boomer nearly as well as he thinks he does. He knows their behavior extremely well, but not the inner processes and motivations that drive that behavior. And I think that's gonna trip him up.

#sbj more than human #rowdy bros #part 2 #its a super long one #im sorry #i wouldve broken it up #but i felt the points i was trying to make #might be more confusing if i broke it up

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honeybunchesofposts-blog · 5 years

Text

Solace Part 2:Meeting: Rafael Barba x Author!Reader

Word Count: 1484

Warnings: None, Rafael being adorable. As before Hadley helped me with some major inspo for this story and I couldn’t thank her enough @miamorbarba

Summary: So, you’re at gala for a fundraiser, Rafael and his SVU detectives are at the same gala. They all recognize who you are, but the detectives aren’t quite sure why you’re there. Only you and Rafael know the real reason you arrived.

Olivia Benson and her team didn’t have the slightest clue on what type of person you were, except for your name and face littering the shelves every time you released a new novel. What they were trying to figure out now was why you were dancing and dazzling the dancefloor at the same fundraiser Rafael had invited them too.

The fundraiser, donors, and creators, were all deeply invested in helping victims of sexual assault re-adjust to living in the world, with a non-profit support team.

Rafael being the more vigilant one of the relationship watched as his co-workers and equals eyes’ glaze over your form and watch as you made the simplest entrance of the night. The elegance you walked in was feigned by you hold onto the bar, railings, and tables whenever you could. Only Rafael could tell, being the only one in the building who knew you tripped over air and up the stairs.

The alias of your books was so well thought nobody assumed it was a fake name, but Rafael knew yours. It was almost a game to him, both of you knowing so much about each other, yet acting like you didn’t have a clue in the slightest who the other was. For a moment your beau wondered if this was how you would react if the beautiful relationship you two had built crumbled? Would he be able to glance casually across the ballroom floor to see you smiling with another man and know for certain that you weren’t really investing your time into some snob from Upper Manhattan?

“Barba, isn’t that the hotshot author that Sonny’s sisters are always gawking to him about over the phone?” Finn casually glanced at Rafael before looking back at you.

“Yes, it is. That’s Anabelle Leigh,” Rafael was the only person aside from your family who knew this pen name had credit belonging to the poem ‘Annabelle Lee’ by Edgar Allen Poe, “she’s a brilliant author and most of her books center around relevant political and social issues. Well, this new series does, she also has fantasy books, sci-fi books, and even a couple books of poetry that most people don’t know about.” Rafael spoke, shaking the hand of a DA who had walked over with a smile plastered on her face. Wiping his hands on his coat afterwards, he looked up to see Amanda with a smirk on her face.

“You seem to be a pretty big fan of her,” Rollins sipped from her glass of champagne, “how many of her books have you read?”

Rafael shrugged as he downed the dregs of his scotch, “I’ve read every book that was a best seller. Right now, that’s six.”

Olivia turned to Rafael, still looking at the author who was on every bookshelf in the country right now, seemed out of place at a fundraiser like this, “Why is she here? I understand her books cross boundaries like sexual harassment and assault, but why is she here?”

“She donated 75% of her royalties from her last book to three different foundations and this was one of them. It’s been the most money this foundation has ever received. The best part? She didn’t even want credit for it.”

“Well,” Sonny started and Rafael could have sworn he noticed a slight blush covering the young man’s cheeks, “she looks absolutely fantastic tonight.”

Rafael barely stopped from choking on his breath, when he stood and motioned toward you across the room, “Would you guys like to meet her?”

“Yeah, I think that would be nice, wouldn’t ya’ll?” Amanda stood beside Rafael, Fin following her lead. Rafael started moving across the room towards you, trying not to gain momentum as he neared. It was almost as if you could feel Rafael behind you, as you politely ended your conversation and turned toward him and the team.

“Mr. Barba, how have you been tonight? I didn’t see you arrive.” A genuine smile fell across your face as Rafael stepped forward and you kissed each other’s cheeks, Rafael stepping back with your lips stained on his left cheek.

“Miss Leigh, I was just telling my colleagues about your donation to this foundation.” Rafael gestured to the team behind him as a blush rose to your cheeks.

“Please, call me Ana or Anabelle,” Turning away from Rafael, your smile brightened again, “you must be Olivia Benson.” Olivia took your extended hand and shook it firmly.

“Thank you for writing about subject such as this and making them less of a stigma in the public eye.” Olivia gave a smile before Sunny stepped forward.

“Your work is amazing. ‘The Broken Heart Sonnets in 4 Parts’ is my favorite poem by you, and my younger sisters are obsessed with your work.” He shook your hand that wasn’t holding on to the bar as your blush from earlier intensified.

“Um, thank you. I just write from the heart, I really wasn’t expecting to become a world-wide best seller. Thank you all for supporting me.” This was a virtue you had more work at than Rafael, you never hesitated in being humble.

You took compliments graciously without disregarding them, but always made them relate to the program, idea, or person that gave you the idea. Rafael always thought he would find someone just as boastful as him, instead you were as humble as his mother, the shyness when someone gave a compliment, the blush that followed after and when you ran your fingers through your hair. Rafael swore he had stars in his eyes staring at you.

Glancing down at the gold watch Rafael had bought for your birthday, your eyes widened. Rafael’s eyes flitted down to the leather one he adorned on his wrists as he noticed the time. It was 9:30, and because you were you, Rafael knew you didn’t eat anything but a few hors d’oeuvres floating around. Rafael also knew you had already ordered your post-mates, adding on top of everything, Rafael also knew it was bad etiquette to leave this early at an event like, you however, didn’t care.

“I am so sorry to leave like this, but I have a deadline, and I really need to pop out of here,” A tight lipped smile formed on your face as you shifted your weight between your feet, already reaching down to slip off your heels before you had even made an exit. The height drop made you shorter than everyone surrounding you, even your beloved boyfriend, “it really was a pleasure to meet you all, and I hope we can meet again in the future.”

Walking from the team and hurrying out the side door, you pulled your phone out and sent a text to Rafael. -I ordered burgers and concretes from Shake Shack. I’ll have the food and wine ready by 9:45, I expect you home no later than 10:15-

Rafael knew it was a 15 min drive from where he was to your shared apartment. Looking up from his phone to the team, he rolled his eyes when Liv pointedly glanced at his cellphone.

“More work Rafael? You’ve been in the office more than usual. I know this case is bothering you-”

“Olivia, I’m staying until 10:00. Then I’m going to go home avoid him,” Rafael directed their attention to his boss leaving the building, “while I climb the stairs to my apartment that is directly across from his and avoid everyone until Monday morning.”

“Sounds like a good plan, but Sunny looks like he’s going to pass out at our table, I think now might be a good time for all of us to make an exit before the people here notice detectives asleep at an event as important as this.” Olivia picked up her coat, noticing the rain that had started falling, pulling the fabric tight against her body as she pictured the November air along with the partnered rain.

Finn smacked Sunny on the back of the head before hoisting the young detective out of his seat, Amanda following Olivia’s lead as she helped escort Sunny out, stopping to wave and smile at Rafael.

-The next time she smiles at you, I’m going to make her my new antagonist in the book-

Rafael rolled his eyes at his phone before sneaking out the same side door you used. Heading further into Upper Manhattan, he couldn’t wait for this case to complete, so he could really introduce you to the team.

#rafael barba imagine #rafael barba x you #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba #law and order imagine #law and order: special victims unit #law and order svu

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no-error · 6 years

Text

Did you say angst?

Read some angsty klance fics

Poor boys <3

!PART 2 HERE!

Space

Missed

Lance isn't the best or brightest. He isn't the funniest or most likeable. Lance doesn't command attention, he has to fight for it.

Lance's friends are geniuses. Top of the class, prodigies.

Despite this, Lance knows he is loved. Lance loves his friends. And he knows they love him just as much as he loves them. He is needed.

19,072 words AO3

Talk It Out

Keith had noticed for quite some time now that Lance wasn't being his usual self. He had waited for someone else to say something and approach Lance about it - but no one ever did. So once they got Shiro back, he decided that he wouldn't wait any longer and make him talk.

Lance doesn't want to talk about it. At all. Not with Keith, not with anyone else. But somehow, one way or another, Keith gets him to open up. And Lance's reward? A new boyfriend.

10,955 words AO3

3 years gone

Lance and Keith have been dating a little under three years now. On a mission, Keith and Red crash. Keith ends up losing his memory. He doesn't remember who he is or anything about the team or Lance's and his relationship.

21,959 words AO3

Cut It Out, Restart

“Sorry guys,” Lance’s voice is clear now, like the static that lives in the earpiece of Keith’s headset is holding its breath too. “I guess you’ll have to find a new Red Paladin after all.”

Someone leaves, someone comes back and war is tough, but we are tougher.

15,073 words AO3

Three Little Questions

Everyday Lance went to each of his teammates and asked them a question. Everyday Lance was turned away by all but one of them. They didn't know what they were doing to Lance and only one person was going to be able to fix it.

5,548 words AO3

Find Yourself (And Be That)

The one where Lance crashes on a Planet after a mission, can't contact his team, his insecurities strike, he losses his bond with Blue, he saves an entire planet, wins a war and he finds his self worth along the way.

8,574 words AO3

Drastic Measures

Lance is struggling with his insecurities and fears that the team doesn't need him. But their true feelings become clear when Lance literally sticks his hand into a life or death situation.

8,679 words AO3

The Simplest of Plans

Lance is badly hurt, he needs to get a message to his team to let them know that he and Blue are down but how can he get to his communicator when he is in so much pain?

5,600 words AO3

Reach out for you (break these walls)

Keith is trying to make himself smaller, to bury his head deeper in his knees, and Lance’s heart freezes in his chest. Anger dissipating like an exploded firework, Lance lets his hand fall limply to his side, mind blurring with static. When he tries to speak, nothing comes out but a choked noise, so he tries again.

“Keith,” he breathes. “Keith I’m not going to hurt you.”

9,139 words AO3

Leave Me Alone (don't leave me alone)

Lance groans in pain, holding his injuries.He thinks he'll black out from the impacts but it's not before he feels time melt; the way it always does when he knows something's gone horribly wrong.That's when he starts to feel hot.His head is burning with a throb that lets him know how fast his heart is beating.His fingers feel hot for other reasons as they now clutch the skin between his ribs just above where the bottle first struck.The heat is liquid.It's thick.It's blood.

The paladins find out that most of Lance's scars aren't from battles against the Galra, but instead from the battles he fought before Voltron.

4,705 words AO3

torn wires

When Lance falls apart after a devastating mission, the team has to try and pull the pieces back together.

14250 words AO3

Heroism Gets You Killed

Five times Lance McClain recklessly risked his life to prove his worth to his teammates, and one time they showed him he had nothing to prove.

15,428 words AO3

What Keeps Him Whole

Lance struggles in space. He knows that he is doing good by being part of the Voltron team, but everything is just constantly moving, difficult, and unrelenting. He's tired. He doesn't know what's keeping him going anymore.

6,398 words AO3

his own worth

In the middle of the conversation, Lance stops talking and no one notices. It’s not like he had been leading the conversation, for he hadn’t been, but somehow the fact that his lack of input or opinion isn’t noticed tightens the grip loneliness has on his heart. He looks down at his food, his face burning, his throat tightening up.

6,270 words AO3

The Skies Are Black But Our Hearts Are Made of Gold

Lance knows for sure Keith doesn't like him. Not as a friend, nor family, and definitely not as a life long partner.

He's content that he's at least dying with knowledge of that.

So he watches Keith's mercilessly sword fall upon the gang of soldiers, leaving a blood bath in his wake.

He thinks he's beginning to understand why Keith hates him so much.

He doesn't want to deal with a mess like this.

A mess Lance left behind.

5,495 words AO3

Silence Speaks Louder

He still turns up for meals and training and annoying people every once in a while, but he's more subdued, from tiredness, he's less talkative, from lack of wanting to, and he's better at training, due to training an extra three hours a night sometimes.

Lance becomes more and more depressed as the weeks go on, but nobody mentions it, they don't even seem to notice aside from the fact his obnoxious personality has taken a backseat as Lance isolates himself.

5,325 words AO3

I'm With You

Lance pinned the whole mission down to four huge missteps:The first was in sending Keith with him.

6,372 words AO3

we'll make it, you and me

"Keith, if we make it out of this alive, I'm going to kiss you."

6,421 words AO3

Leaving For Good (Letters from Lance)

"Dear Paladins of Voltron (and Coran),

If you're reading this, then that means you've forced your way into my bedroom and discovered that I'm no longer in it. It means that you found my computer, and noticed that I left something behind for you. I'm sorry that I couldn't leave something bigger, better, worth your time and effort, but I'm not very good in that area. I don't know how to be... enough."

15,694 words AO3

Why don't you see me?

When Lance was a little boy, he was never noticed. He was invisible. So lance made up a game! It usually went like this: “Mom, (insert utterly ridiculous statement here), goodbye!” “Ok honey, be careful.” And then silence It went on like that for years, at least until he was accepted into the Garrison at the age of 14. The Cuban got his 15 minutes of fame, and then he was sent off. Now, Lance finds the same things happening, so he changes the rules just a bit to make things a bit more…. Physical.

6,183 words AO3

Inessential

“Gotcha,” Lance breathed as he hit the target dead center. He wasn’t called their sharpshooter for nothing and he aimed to keep that title.

He took another deep breath, closing one eye and lining up to hit the next target when a sharp, stabbing pain erupted in his gut, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to fire off to the side, missing it completely.

6,088 words AO3

A/B/O

Vigil

Omega's aren't an impossible puzzle but they treat him like one.

6,512 words AO3

Modern

(I'm Not) Better Off Without You

(Series not completed 9,952 words 2 works)

“So you think I deserve to be happy?”

“Yes! Lance, that’s all I want for you.”

“Then why did you break up with me?”

“I told you, I-”

“Because you made me so happy, Keith. You made me the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I didn’t care that you didn’t want to cuddle a lot or talk about sappy shit. I didn’t care that you didn’t like pda. All I cared about was being able to just be with you.”

5,936 words AO3

Hurry up and come back

“I like you”

This isn’t how Keith planned on spending his Friday night, chilling in on a couch playing Mario Cart with one of his closest friends. Not like this, with Lance’s face beet red and looking at him straight in the eyes..

Looking for... Something. He don’t know what. But it’s something he can’t give.

17,147 words AO3

Just a Joke

“I think I’m going to kill myself,” he announced. “I know that finals are a stressful time, but that doesn’t mean you should joke about something like that,” Shiro scolded mildly.

Lance’s chest tightened and he forced a smile.

"Yeah, you're right. Poor joke."

6,937 words AO3

Happier

Lance can't just stay and watch Keith move on. It's selfish, he knows, but he isn't strong enough to stay. Solitude doesn't hold anymore charms for Keith now, not since Lance. And especially not since their break-up but why can't he find someone who wants him back? What does it take to be happier?

14,082 words AO3

Panic Attack

Keith made sure Lance didn’t know how much of a difference he made in his life. Lance didn’t need to know that he was the only thing that made Keith happy, he didn’t need to know that the days they had class together were always his favorites, he didn’t need to know Lance made him feel like he could finally be better, be normal, for once. No, Lance didn’t need that presure. But then one day Keith goes to class and Lance completely ignores him, and maybe he should have told him after all.

Lance was having a hard enough time in English without being distracted by the gorgeous boy sitting next to him. Keith. Smart, shy, but still completely badass. And Lance had it bad for him. When he starts failing the class Lance decides he needs to pay more attention to Professor Coran instead of Mr. Mullet Man. After all what could go wrong, he would pay attention to him again after he started passing. Right?

5,988 words AO3

Of Heroes and Hellfire

It started with a house fire.

Which, admittedly, made things sound a hell of a lot more dramatic then they actually were. Lance had seen plenty of house fires these past few months.

He was a firefighter, after all.

But then again, the fire wasn't the part that was out of the ordinary. That was Keith, or what he learned the name of the infuriating yet attractive policeman at the scene was.

Because that was the first time they met.

Lance wanted to save people, so he became a firefighter. Keith wanted to save people, so he became a police officer. This is the story of how they fall in love.

12,329 words AO3

Hold on, please

“Shut up. It’s still me hanging out with Plax and the term ‘date’ was implied,” Lance bragged, “so, help me choose an outfit.”

Keith stomach did an uncomfortable flip when Plaxum’s nickname was dropped into the conversation.

Or: Keith has a crush on Lance and suddenly his world is falling apart when he hears Lance has a date.

6,940 words AO3

Icky (this fic made my face look dumb)

A little bit of pining in their life

A little bit of sickness by his side

A little bit of happiness is what they need

A little bit of depression is what I see

A little bit of angst in the sun

A little bit of crying all night long

A little bit of comfort there he is

A little bit of you that makes me your man

Fic in which Lance McClain goes to a coffee shop everyday and Keith Kogane falls harder with each visit.

Lance has some really bad allergies.

8284 words AO3

#klance #klangst #angst #langst #vld #fanfic #fanfic list #lance mcclain #keith kogane #voltron #my list

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douxreviews · 5 years

Text

Legends of Tomorrow - ‘The Eggplant, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’ Review

“Mikey! Mikey, Stop!”

Legends continues to ramp up the action as it moves into the final phases of its too short fourth season, and on the way makes the most important statement about relationships that's ever been uttered on genre television.

Have I mentioned how much I love this show?

One of the most consistently impressive things about the way Legends of Tomorrow tells its stories is the way that they're able to take what should be standard, if not cliched, plot set-ups and somehow turn them into something unexpectedly fantastic. Last year, Zari's turn at reliving Groundhog Day gave us the amazing 'Here I Go Again'. This week we get that thing that genre shows love to do wherein one character physically enters another character's mind in order to 'save' them from whatever has caused them to fall unresponsive, and therein finds a world built almost entirely of visual metaphors that help them work through a bit of character development before we get back to the season's larger plot.

So, yes. It's essentially Sara Lance as Willow Rosenberg in 'Weight of the World'. With the small difference that Ava, our Buffy-surrogate in the set-up, is actually able and willing to have a profoundly frank and adult discussion with her inside the, for lack of a better term, 'dreamscape'.

And really, I know that this gets mentioned in these pages a lot, but that's the greatest strength that Legends of Tomorrow has; the way that all of the characters are allowed to behave like rational and emotionally available adults, despite also being time travelling superheroes. It's sure as hell that none of us saw that coming, back in the Vandal Savage days.

Case in point, look at the way that they completely skated past the obvious 'everyone but Ray blames Nora for Hank's death' plotline here. That was obviously what we were being set up for back at the end of 'The Getaway', and yet within the first couple of scenes this week we have the Legends find out that Nora is on the Waverider, she says 'I swear I didn't kill Hank', and Constantine essentially responds, 'Yeah, we totally already figured that out. It was actually fairly obvious, and just the tiniest amount of follow-up on our part established what was really going on. We're totes good, Nora.' And everyone immediately gets on the same page on the issue, because they're all behaving like reasonable adults. That is huge. That just doesn't happen on television.

Even Nate only needs to take the smallest of moments questioning whether or not Nora is guilty before he processes what he's being told and accepts it, and that's the one instance in which they could have legitimately gotten away with a character responding in a destructive way because he was responding emotionally to his father's loss. But they didn't go there, and it cannot be overstated what a positive and refreshing example that is to see.

It's particularly clever of them, because of the way that they pulled the rug out from under us at least twice this week regarding the heavily foreshadowed Nate/Ray schism that we were all bracing ourselves for. Nate finds out that Ray has been harboring the woman he thinks killed his dad, and he responds by listening to what his friend is telling him, accepting what he's being told, and reaffirms their friendship. A little later on we see him accidentally punch Ray in what we assume is going to be the beginning of their 'Civil War' style breakup, only to immediately get ahold of himself, apologize, and embrace his friend. An apology that Ray accepts without hesitation, I might add, because Nate's actions were both completely understandable under the circumstances and immediately apologized for.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the world's greatest ever example of positive male friendship. I'm starting to believe that if we can just get enough people to watch this show, we might actually find a way to counter toxic masculinity. Wouldn't that be nice?

All of which is a roundabout way for me to get to the point that I've been growing to realize that it's really the character relationships that make this show. Witness, for example, the curious level of kindness that Constantine shows to Gary when he wants to hold vigil for Ava. Gary, by rights, should be pure dorky comic relief. Constantine, as a character type, exists almost solely to deflate that kind of comic relief character. And yet when push comes to shove, John goes to Gary's D&D nights. John cares about Gary. That's a nice detail. Similarly, it's notable the way that Mick is willing to help out Zari in something as trivial as crafting sexy text messages to Nate. Mick of even two years ago would absolutely not have been doing that.

Which brings me back to my initial point as regards that important statement about relationships. After a truly enjoyable series of sequences in the 'evil purgatory Ikea', Ava and Sara have some incredibly frank and direct talk about their relationship. And during that talk, they're both so amazingly emotionally available to one another and so willing to be vulnerable with one another. I honestly cannot think of a healthier relationship on television, ever. Not in the sense that they don't have problems, because they clearly do, but in the way tat they're willing to acknowledge them, and admit when they're in the wrong. It's messy, and it's real, and I love every second of it. And just when I think it can't get any better, Ava says;

"Let’s be honest, neither of us needs anybody. But you are who I want."

Yes. That. A million times, that. Can we amplify that message about a billion times, until it drowns out all the rom-com 'I need you to complete me' bullshit? Because that would be wonderful.

Be more like Nate and Ray, people

So what have we learned today?

To stop including this section in the reviews, because trying to condense a logically consistent universal rulebook of how timeline changes work in this fictional universe is absolutely nothing compared to what we should be learning from the character relationships. Also, clearly no one involved in the show is worrying about it.

Everybody remember where we parked.

This week the Waverider pretty much stayed where it was in Washington D.C., 2019. At least, it logically must have been sine Zari could send texts to that year, and Ray bounced back and forth between the ship and the Time Bureau.

Sara, meanwhile, went to actual literal purgatory to rescue Ava's soul. Purgatory, in this case, being an obvious Ikea knock-off called 'Megastor', complete with umlaut.

Quotes:

Ray: "Hey Sara! Great news. Hank was killed by a demon!" Nora: "'Great' was not the word he was looking for."

Ray: "She’s not a liability. She’s a survivor."

Sara: "You two are with me. (To Zari) Woman the ship."

Gary: "Conspiracies, embezzling, paper trails. I feel like Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich."

Nate: "If this is my dad’s mistress I’m gonna jump out a window."

Sara: "Ava, if you check out, you die." Ava: "Well that’s kinda on the nose, isn’t it?"

Charlie: "Being honest, wind powers- just not that scary." Mick: "Yeah, you’re like a magical hair dryer."

Nate: "Yeah, hi. We’re looking for Mr. Uh… Mr… T."

Zari: "I don’t even know why I’m talking to you two about it. You don’t even date humans." Mick: "Love’s love."

Nora: "I know how hard it is to watch someone you love become a demon." John: "Yeah, well too bad there aren’t any Beebo’s around to hug it to death."

Mick: "Here. Use words. It’s erotic, but vulnerable."

Bits and pieces:

-- Yes, I realize that they were actually in purgatory, where her soul was currently stuck, but all the semiotic rules at play here clearly were working on the understanding of 'dreamscape'.

-- So apparently Neron wanted Ava's body to host somebody called Tabitha, I assume she's his demon girlfriend.

-- The trope of the bad guy having a favorite whistle-tune so that we can identify what body he's jumped into later is super clichéd and tired. I still didn't see it coming that he'd end up in Ray though.

-- You should absolutely never pay less than $800 for a mattress. Under any circumstances.

-- It's not clear what actually happened to Nora in that ritual. Are she and Ray going to end up as Tabitha and Neron? I'd be down for that.

-- Absolutely nothing about Hank's magical creature zoo makes sense, and he certainly wouldn't have needed a demon's help to set it up. I hate everything about that plotline, with the exception of Mikey T, who is awesome.

-- Zari, Charlie and Mona giggling about texting boys shouldn't have been charming, but was completely 100% adorable.

-- Dirty secret time, I adore assembling flatpack furniture. Honestly, it's my favorite thing in the whole world. I'm not kidding.

-- The effect of aging and de-aging as the sat on the mattress was really nicely done. A very clean low tech solution which worked well.

-- I'm actually really surprised at how quickly Mona has begun feeling like a natural part of the team.

A really good episode with a lot of really positive things to say about adult relationships, both romantic and otherwise. I just wish it hadn't involved the stupid magical creatures zoo plot, because it's stupid and muddies the waters as to what Neron actually wants to accomplish.

Three out of four flatpack dressers.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

#Legends of Tomorrow #Sara Lance #John Constantine #Ray Palmer #Nate Haywood #Zari Tomaz #DC Comics #Legends of Tomorrow Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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lycorogue · 5 years

Text

Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 3 – Character Arc Events)

Hello yet again! Ready for the next part of Willow's introduction? I'm telling you, when I first started working on this, I did NOT intend on Willow's entry surpassing 30pgs single spaced within a Word document, nor did I expect it to take a week to write up and edit! Thankfully, the epic document was easy enough to break down into 6 parts for slightly easier consumption. I wonder if my other characters will be as detailed....

Anyway, how about a quick recap before I keep going? This is part of a multi-post series I started here on Tumblr about a month ago. A means to introduce you guys to my main OCs.

In Part 1 of this series, I talked about why I'm doing it in the first place, as well as explain the real-world influences that helped me create my two story worlds of Gyateara and Glitches.

Part 2 of the series talked about the inspiration that birthed each of my four main Gyateara characters.

Part 3a did the same, but for my four main teenage Glitches characters.

Part 3b then talked about the Glitches main supportive cast of six adult characters; each one originating as a canonical X-Men character.

Earlier today, I moved on to Part 4 of this series: the official introduction of my characters, one by one. I started off with my most present character: Willow Driver. In Meet Willow: Part 1, I shared Willow's background, gave an overview of her personally, and talked about her powers. There were also some lovely pictures to showcase what she looks like.

In Meet Willow: Part 2, I discussed her main relationships.

Part 4 will showcase the other artwork I created for Willow, as well as two cards @chibisunnie created for me that feature Willow.

Then, in Part 5, Willow is showcased narratively with a series of scene samples and shorts.

Finally, Willow’s introduction is concluded in Part 6 with a couple videos of wrestling intros we created for Hubby's WWE13 video game. It will be a fun closing post for this mini-series about Willow.

Now, getting back to this post (Part 3), I'm going to discuss Willow's main story arc events, as seen thus far in the X-Future play-by-post game she originated in. In truth, I haven't played Willow since 2017, so I had forgotten just how eventful her X-Future life truly was! At the end of this recap of her life, I'll also talk about how any of these events will relate to my intended opening character arc for Willow in Glitches.

So, hopefully you have a snack and a drink, because this ended up being 10gs long in my word document. It may take a minute or two to read. Once you're ready, go ahead and check below the break to see what Willow has been up to in X-Future, and how it will transfer to Glitches.

X-Future:

Most of the early events I had already talked briefly about in Part 2 of Willow's introduction, as I discussed her main relationships.

She was at Colossus Academy from the ages of 13 through 15, but when Colossus and Jubilee were killed on mission, and the Academy was shut down, Willow transferred to the Xavier Institute along with her close friend Marge, her surrogate younger brother Hedge, and her pseudo-girlfriend Penumbra. They were a tight clique, but she quickly grew attracted to Chayse, formed a rocky friendship with Lia, and found a playful flirt-buddy in Devon.

She was pushed hard by the faculty at the Xavier Institute, and held to a higher standard than she was used to. This forced her to shape up, mature a little, and stop pranking/bullying others as much. She became closer to Devon, and focused using her powers to mostly prank and tease him and William.

Devon couldn't really hide his attraction to Willow, despite her teasing, and she soaked up as much of the attention as possible. She also tried to ignore her feelings for Chayse, who was dating Lia at the time. Instead she leaned more towards her feelings for Devon, much to Penumbra's dismay.

Willow noticed William's straight-laced and overly conservative personally, and put it on herself to get him to loosen up and act like the 17yo he was. She falsely believed he had a crush on her, so she routinely teased him with sensual images. She thought he was riled up because he, a nearly-18-year-old, was trying to resist his attraction to her, a 15-year-old. She didn't realize he actually got so worked up because she was genuinely annoying him.

One day there was an accident. William was practicing unsupervised as he pushed his powers to their limit. He ended up passing out when he teleported too high into the atmosphere, and plummeted to his death. Willow and Lia joined forces to lead a vigil and build a statue dedicated to William's memory. Willow then realized she thought of William as a brother, as she remembered her own estranged brother. She regretted her treatment of William, and toned down her sensual illusions to tease people. She didn't give them up completely, but she certainly used them more as a means of flirting with those who positively responded to them, as opposed to using them to tease and prank as she had done with William.

Life evened out for a few months, getting back to some sort of normalcy within the school. Then came the day that Devon went to Willow to confide in her. He was on a mission to recruit a new kid for the school, and he had run into The Brotherhood. The leader of the organization, Pyro, told Devon, who was abandoned at a church orphanage while only 4months old, that The Brotherhood could help him figure out who his parents are. Devon had turned down the offer, knowing the Brotherhood to be a terrorist group trying to rule over humanity, as opposed to the X-Men's goal of cohabitation. Devon couldn't get the offer out of his head, though. Trying to help Devon clear his mind, Willow suggested he try out his first Danger Room session. Cyclops offered to run the session, and went to the control room; leaving Devon alone in the DR. Willow moved to an observation deck, assuming watching Devon's first DR run would be hilarious.

Instead, it became something that would haunt Willow for the next couple of years. Devon was put through a generic rescue mission training, in which he had to recover Penumbra. Upon freeing her, Devon was promptly knocked out in a surprise attack. Willow was horrified as she watched the Danger Room transform to look like the school’s infirmary, making Devon believe he was outside the simulator when he awoke. Devon was then told of a mission he needed to go on, and Willow desperately tried to signal to him that nothing he was seeing was real.

While on this “mission,” Devon was paired up with Willow's friend Marjory (Marge). They were separated from the team and confronted by Pyro, who again offered Devon information about his past. All he had to do was “get rid of” Marjory. Devon wrestled his teammate, put her into a sleeper hold, and knocked her out. He discretely checked that he didn't kill her, and then swiped her phone, hoping to use it to contact the X-Men with a location once Pyro brought him to Brotherhood HQ. The simulation didn't last long enough for Devon to execute his plan, however. Cyclops shut the simulation down, declaring Devon a failure of his loyalty test, and instantly put Devon on probation; resulting in him getting limited access to X-Men records and withholding information on who Devon's parents are.

Willow was beyond pissed at the deception, not fully grasping the irony of her anger. She viewed Cyclops a villain for his manipulation, and stormed off to cool down. She intended to check in on Devon later that night, but she never got the chance. Devon had decided he would prove Cyclops wrong by following through with is Danger Room plan, but in real life. He'd infiltrate the Brotherhood, find out about his parents, and then lead the X-Men to the Brotherhood stronghold to take the organization down. He wrote a letter of apology and gratitude to Headmistress Kitty Pryde-LeBeau for giving him the opportunity of joining the school. He wrote another letter of apology to Marjory, in case she truly was in the DR with him instead of a simulation. He wanted her to know that he never meant to hurt her. Finally, he wrote a farewell letter to Willow explaining why he had to leave, and his plan for coming back. As proof that he intended to return, he left Willow his prized possession: his customized lighter. His only means of creating fire that he could then manipulate with his powers.

Before anyone realized Devon had gone, and/or found his letters, the school was attacked by a large energy blast. The energy blast created a major explosion that collapsed the school. Chayse and Gambit were able to read the energy change around the school soon enough to give almost everyone enough warning to get to the safety bunkers below ground. There were still some casualties, though, and Willow feared that Devon was among them. The faculty wouldn't let the students leave the bunkers as they did headcounts and looked for the missing. Drifting to the Astral Plane, Willow watched the clean-up and rescue crew pulling bodies from the rubble. She was relieved that none of them were Devon, but devastated to discover young Hedge's body among the deceased. She swore vengeance on whomever attacked the school.

A few hours later, security film revealed that Devon had run from the school campus an hour before the attack, although the actual attack wasn't caught on cameras; they were all damaged by the energy surge.

Most at the school suspected that Devon was somehow involved; signaling to The Brotherhood for the attack. The fact that the faculty knew Devon was the son of two Brotherhood members, and that he had been in and out of juvenile detention centers for the past five years didn't help matters.

Willow decided that Devon was a traitor, and his was the face she'd picture whenever she thought of revenge for Hedge. She spent the next two years hating her former best friend and crush; picturing ways to torture and punish him for Hedge's death. She also hated Cyclops for his deception, although she understood why he did it. The whole experience showed her, from an outside perspective, what her own powers do to people, and her use of them to pull pranks dropped significantly.

Around the same time as the attack on the school, Chayse's best friend Nix was abducted from the school's infirmary. Chayse had a lead on where Nix could be, and desperately wanted to follow it. Cyclops was chosen as an escort, and Willow his teammate. Lia wanted to go as well, but her earth/magma manipulation powers were too valuable for the fortification of the school's foundation and bunkers, so she was ordered to stay behind to help with reconstruction. Nix's girlfriend Annika also stayed behind, working with her mother Rachel Grey to try to find any other hints on Nix's abduction.

Willow and Chayse spent most of that summer running around Europe, following faint traces of clues to Nix's location. On a mountain range in Bulgaria, their search came to an abrupt end when they came across an experimental facility. While searching through the building, Chayse believed he heard Nix call out to him, but there was an explosion shortly after. Chayse had to decide between Nix and Willow, and decided to phase Willow to safety. Having pushed his powers to an extreme he never tried before in order to save Willow, Chayse collapsed from the strain. The explosion had also separated them from Cyclops, so Willow was left alone to fend for both of them for three days before they were rescued. When the trio went back into the building to see if there were any possible survivors, the facility was in complete ruins, and charred remains rested where Chayse thought he heard Nix call to him. The DNA sample they took revealed that it was indeed Nix. Their search was complete, and Chayse had failed. Annika wouldn't believe them, though, claiming she still felt the psychic link she had with Nix. When everyone tried to tell her she was in denial and grieving, Annika left to prove that Nix was still alive.

Willow helped Chayse grieve over the next few weeks. Between that moment of vulnerability and the months of being each other's companions, the two became incredibly close. They both felt sparks, but both assumed it was simply a product of traumatic events – Willow's near-death and having to nurse Chayse, and Chayse's grief over Nix – and assumed the feelings would fade again. Chayse remained faithful to Lia, and Willow became even more flirtatious with just about every other student at the school.

The next year went fairly smoothly, mostly focused on rebuilding the school, grieving the students they lost, and continuing their trainings so they would be strong enough to take down The Brotherhood. During this time, Willow became Lia's new roommate to replace Annika. This allowed the two of them to get fairly close, and soon enough Willow, Lia, and Chayse became the big power-trio on campus: The Three Musketeers.

Then, while protecting a new recruit coming to the Xavier Institute, Chayse was attacked by a new Brotherhood member. He managed to defeat the Brotherhood, and get the recruit back to the safety of the school, however, he was badly injured: two spiral electrical burns to his chest. While Chayse was in the infirmary, Willow realized how much she truly cared for him. Not wanting to break up a happy couple, she decided to keep her distance while Lia stood watch over her boyfriend.

Chayse was hurt that Willow didn't visit while he was injured, and confronted her about it. Eventually, Willow admitted to her feelings, and how she had them nearly the whole time she had known him. Chayse confessed his feelings as well; they never truly waned after their mission to rescue Nix. Willow refused to be the reason he broke up with Lia, though, and told him they needed to stop hanging out. Chayse admitted that he and Lia were drifting lately (a fact Lia ended up not realizing), and that he couldn't ignore his feelings for Willow any longer. They agreed that Chayse had to break things off with Lia, and that they'd allow her time to grieve the relationship before Willow would start dating Chayse. She didn't want to rub her relationship in her roommate's face while Lia was still healing.

While on the subject of healing, Willow then checked on Chayse's chest, and was confronted with two healing spirals that would be scarred there. Chayse told Willow of the attack, and described the assailant: a man about 19 with the same silver-white hair and aquamarine eyes Willow had, and went by the code name Screwdriver. Willow was dumbfounded to discover that her brother had powers, had teamed up with The Brotherhood, and had attached Chayse. She didn't want to believe any of it. Picking up on how overwhelmed Willow was, Chayse left her to process everything.

The next day, Chayse went to break things off with Lia. She was so devastated by the news that she lost control of her powers, nearly burning Willow with a fire blast, and forcing Chayse to strain to use his powers to help her regain control. Chayse wasn't healed from his brush with Screwdriver, and fainted under the effort. Willow stayed by Chayse's side as Lia rushed to get help. The two of them had a fight in the infirmary waiting room as Chayse was taken care of. The fight ended with Lia running out of the building to hide by the river that ran along the border of the school's estate (more about this in Lia's intro in 2 weeks).

Chayse recovered fairly quickly, and he and Willow walked on eggshells for the next couple of weeks while Lia recovered from her heartbreak. As Prom neared, Chayse asked Willow to be his date. Trying to extend an olive branch, Willow asked Lia and a couple of other girls on their floor if they all wanted to go dress shopping and get ready together. Lia, now infatuated with two newer recruits Lincoln and Ripley, agreed to the group Prom-prep party. Willow and Lia still had a rocky relationship, and Lia still hated to see Willow and Chayse together, but they were at least civil and attempted to be friends.

At the prom after-party, hosted by one of the students - a former Irish pop idol - the Brotherhood attacked. They were again after the recruit Chayse had saved from Screwdriver. Shawn had already killed the mutant Dazzler, who was there to perform at the after-party, and then he set his sights on Chayse. He quickly picked up that Willow cared deeply for Chayse, and so Shawn focused on killing his sister's boyfriend in front of her. Willow, being protected and carried away by a fellow student, slipped into the Astral Plane in order to try to create illusions to distract the Brotherhood long enough for the students to escape, as well as have enough power to mentally attack Shawn to slow him down and protect Chayse.

In the end, Chayse was able to take down Shawn on his own, but Screwdriver was whisked away from the battle by his teammates before Chayse could properly capture him for transport to the X-Men. Meanwhile, Willow's illusions made it look like the Brotherhood's target was killed in the crossfire, rendering their mission complete. Just as the students were going to call themselves the victor, Chayse noticed the same energy signature he felt just before the school collapsed two years prior. He alerted Willow via telepathy, and she relayed the information to the other students. They ran for cover as she used her telekinesis to hold the building together long enough for everyone to escape. The strain of using her powers so much that night, and lingering on the Astral Plane for so long, left her unconscious the next day.

Shortly after recovering, Willow's world was rocked by a new arrival at the school. A man with silver hair in his early 20s. A man who had come from the future, and one who looked an awful lot like an aged up Chayse. Soon enough, it was revealed that this man – Sebastian – was Chayse and Willow's son. He was from an apocalyptic future where an organization called Challengers of Heaven took over the whole planet. Sebastian and is fiance Brianne - who was originally from the present, but was thrown into the future via a wormhole - came to the present to try to stop the Challengers, who had also sent warriors to the past.

Sebastian was excited to spend time with Chayse, who had died when Sebastian was about five. Meanwhile, Willow was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was going to have a kid with Chayse, and that she would be known as one of the Great Protectors; the last of a resistance against the Challengers.

As Willow continued to recover from the prom after-party, and tried to cope with finding out about Sebastian, Lia was in charge of an escort mission. During the prom after-party, Lia managed to capture the Brotherhood member Trish. Lia was the only one who couldn't be burnt by Trish's pyrokinesis, so she, and a few other students that had signed up as X-Men junior recruits, were assigned as prison escorts for Trish's transfer to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. The mission went horribly wrong. A relatively new student, who went by the code name Psyke, had betrayed everyone to The Brotherhood. The terrorist organization managed to kill most of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents, and Psyke killed a student who believed himself Psyke's best friend. The Brotherhood also managed to rescue Trish from the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. The only victory the X-Men had on that mission was three Brotherhood members defecting. Lia had run into Devon while he was there to rescue Trish, and he instantly switched sides to help Lia and the X-Men. His pseudo-girlfriend Nyssa followed suit, as did Devon's best friend Zeke. The former Brotherhood trio even rescued Lia from a new villainess who called herself Agony; a mutant who has the ability to transfer the pain and physical damage she received to whichever target she picked. So any time Devon would punch Agony, Nyssa would feel the connection as if Devon had punched her instead. That sort of thing. She has far more powers than just that, but those will relate more to Lia's intro, so I’ll talk about them then....

Upon arriving back to the Xavier Institute, Lia vouched for Devon, Nyssa, and Zeke, and asked for them to be accepted into the school. The trio was vetted by the local telepaths, and were put on probationary student status. Willow was NOT a fan, however, and instantly attacked Devon the second she saw him. Chayse had to peel her off of Devon to stop her from knocking him out, especially since Devon was just accepting her hatred and punishment, and likely would have allowed her to beat him unconscious.

There were a lot of arguments between Willow and Devon as he tried to find his place within the Xavier Institute again. The main conflict between them became the premise of the collaborative story “Please, Let Me Explain” that Devon's creator Ronoxym and I started working on YEARS ago. (We need to get back to that story...).

Shortly after Devon's return, Chayse and Willow had their own encounter with Agony. They were off to recruit a mutant, but their mission went south the second they landed at their destination. They quickly realized they were sent to the same portion of Bulgaria where they lost Nix. The very mountain range the facility was on rose above the valley they landed in. Chayse, already suffering from PTSD, instantly dropped to the ground and became catatonic. Telepath and team leader Emma Frost almost instantly realized that the PTSD flashbacks must have left him vulnerable, and he was attacked by a powerful telepath. Chayse was stuck in some sort of mental trap, and Willow needed to enter his mind to rescue him while Emma looked for the attacking telepath. It was tricky, since Willow never astral projected herself into someone else's mind before, but after a couple of tries, she succeeded. While in Chayse's mind, she saw him tortured by Nix; screaming about how little Chayse must have cared for anyone if he let Nix die and abandoned Lia for Willow. Willow quickly stepped in to try to protect Chayse and reassure him he had done nothing wrong. When Nix retaliated against Willow, Chayse came to his senses and rescued her. That was when it was revealed that Nix was actually Agony, astral projected into Chayse's mind, just like Willow, but cloaked in the image of Nix. After a quick battle, wherein Agony failed her attempts to mentally attack Willow, the duo incapacitated Agony, and Emma created a means for the three of them to escape the mental trap Agony set for Chayse.

Once back to the real world, Agony physically attacked; attempting a sneak attack to stab Willow through the shoulder blades. Chayse stopped Agony, and knocked her away. Willow then attacked Agony, knocking her to the ground, only to watch Chayse fall to the ground as well. Any injury inflicted on Agony would also happen to Chayse. To further prove her point, Agony stabbed a barbed spike through her own palm, and Chayse's hand went limp and began to bleed. Willow and Agony tussled a bit more, before Willow accidentally stabbed one of the barbed spikes into Agony's side in a take-down tackle. Thankfully, Chayse phased at the last second, transferring the pain of the stab, but the injury couldn't be transferred since he didn't have a solid form at the time. With Willow distracted in making sure Chayse was alright, Agony slipped away, vowing to not underestimate Willow next time.

After patching Chayse up, he, Willow, and Emma made their way to a Bulgarian prison where their recruit was being held. After a tense prisoner exchange, they got the new recruit Nodya to safety and flew back to the Xavier Institute.

To try to help Willow relax after so many emotional and physical shocks, Chayse took her to Japan for her 18th birthday; spending two weeks on the other side of the world. The trip didn't go exactly as planned, though, since they experienced some fairly open mutant discrimination and hatred. Chayse was even attacked while trying to defend Willow against an anti-mutant threat. Chayse managed to win the fight, barely, and they spent the next three days holed away in his mother's summer home in Japan (where she was trained by Wolverine, once upon a time) while Chayse recovered. The majority of the trip was lovely, though, and Willow appreciated both the distraction and the time away with her boyfriend (and future baby-daddy).

Returning to the school refreshed, and seeing how much effort Devon truly put in trying to make amends with the school, Willow's hatred for him faded. He didn't really do anything terribly unforgivable, and he had suffered just as hard over the past two years: thinking he had abandoned his friends to die. The Brotherhood wasn't actually at fault for the attack, and so Devon had also spent two years looking for revenge for the death of his found family. Devon and Willow never got back to the same level of closeness they had before he had left, but they slowly became friends again.

Then, a few weeks before the summer break ended, Nyssa started receiving letters from her estranged family. She had been disowned simply for being a mutant, but her parents realized how much they missed and loved their daughter. They asked for forgiveness, and begged for a chance to make amends. Nyssa mostly ignored her parents' pleas, but then she received a letter from Trish stating that she was with Nyssa's parents, and vaguely threatened their lives. Nyssa couldn't leave her parents to that murderer, and so she decided to go stop Trish. Devon insisted he'd come as well, since Trish was clearly after him that whole time anyway. They asked the X-Men for help, but there was a delay (for some reason that I can't recall... lack of intel?). Nyssa and Devon couldn't wait for the X-Men to be ready to go in for the rescue, so they went on their own. After a long battle with Trish (another story I've written but still need to polish before publishing online), Nyssa and Devon were killed. Turned out Nyssa's parents were already long dead, and all the letters about making amends were written by Agony, who had partnered up with Trish for this bit of sport.

Willow grieved the loss of her friend, unbelieving that he was truly gone this time. (In truth, Devon was revived, has amnesia, his mutation gave him a new default face, and Devon now lives in a mutant safe-house as he tries to remember who he is; no one knows any of this though.)

As the summer came to a close, and everyone once again grieved the loss of student lives (real safe place, the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.... >_> ), Willow was rocked by another development. She had gone to Chayse's room one day, to discover him missing and the room ransacked. There was a note that Chayse had received, which told him to go back to the destroyed building the prom after-party was held in. The note's author, who turned out to be Agony, offered up information about what had happened to Nix all those years ago if Chayse agreed to meet.

Willow gathered up Lia and Zeke to try to help track Chayse down. They managed to get to the destroyed building shortly after Chayse. Agony originally mocked Chayse, but when he attacked her, she was rescued by a man made of ice and dressed in a monastery robe. The man called himself Boreas, and he could control winter weather – creating a frozen tundra on the building's lawn despite it being early September in New York state. Chayse instantly recognized Boreas as Nix; his DNA somehow altered to remove his telekinetic powers, but his ice manipulation powers enhanced to Omega level. Another body had its DNA manipulated to match Nix's, and that was the body Chayse had recovered from the facility two years prior. Willow raced to Chayse's side to help him as Boreas cried out for vengeance for being abandoned, and attempted to kill Chayse. Pissed that Chayse had backup, Boreas used a massive arctic wind to knock everyone away from them. He then created a maze of magical ice; the same thing he had used to help Trish escape S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

Chayse was alone with Boreas, and knew his only option was to fight his former best friend. He hoped that once he incapacitated Boreas he could bring the man to the Institute, and have Nix be restored. Willow, Lia, and Zeke were all separated from Chayse in the maze – and Zeke separated from the girls. They rushed to try to get back to him, but Agony managed to corner Willow and Lia, cutting off their advancement to Chayse. Avoiding a two-on-one fight, Agony welcomed into battle Boreas' main ally, his partner Judgment. She was a woman in her early 20s, dressed in battle armor, and resembling a warrior angel as flame wings erupted from her back. Judgment declared Lia her opponent, and Agony happily detained Willow. Before anyone could react, Agony used yet another power no one know about, and encased Willow in an orb that forced her onto the Astral Plane.

Willow and Agony battled, and Willow managed to get the upper hand at one point, threatening to stab Agony. Unfazed, Agony simply stepped into the knife, spraying blue blood all over Willow. The blood then paralyzed her, trapping her stiff on the “ground” of their battle field. Once fully incapacitated, the blue blood spilled off of Willow, and formed into a blade within Agony's hand, leaving Willow vulnerable to Agony's killing blow. At the last second, the three copies Willow made of herself earlier in the battle lunged towards Agony, stopping the attack. Agony was startled that the copies moved of their own accord and independent of each other, the doppelgangers Agony created earlier in the fight could only mirror her movements. It was then that Willow discovered that the illusions she made on the Astral Plane were actually psy-weapons, which meant Agony disbelieving the illusions didn't dispel them. As the three Willow copies wrestled Agony, the dagger fell from her hand and shattered. Terrified by the sight of the blade breaking, Agony quickly retreated, and wished Willow luck in escaping the Plane Agony had put them in.

As Agony vanished within a blue orb, the landscape changed to a faded image of their battleground; gray and barren. The only thing Willow could see was a large blue crystal in the distance. The paralysis gone, she ran towards the crystal, and spotted the silhouette of a woman sleeping inside it. Finally, Willow got close enough to discern who the woman was: Willow herself. Upon that realization, Willow was brought back to the physical plane, the ice walls of Boreas' maze still up, the growls of battle around her, and her physical body locked comatose within a blue crystal right where she was when Agony forced her onto the Astral Plane.

Willow was still astral projected, as if she were a ghost on the physical plane. However, she was locked; not on the Astral Plane, and not truly on the physical one. She couldn't interact with anything, and couldn't communicate with anyone, despite how hard she tried. As if she were watching a TV show she couldn't control, Willow was forced to watch Lia finish her battle with Judgment, who had turned out to be Lia's friend and former roommate Annika; Nix's girlfriend who had volunteered to join the same villainous group as him, simply to stay by Nix's side.

In a cruel play, Judgment pretended to be Annika again; confused as to what had happened. As Lia ran to comfort her friend, Judgment held her close, and then used telekinetic powers to throw six adamantium spikes at Lia. Even in Lia's obsidian form, adamantium was the toughest substance on the planet, and they could rip right through her. Lia, in survival mode, dodged out of Judgment's death grip. She still was struck in the face, legs, and arms. Two spikes even ripped straight through Lia's shoulders like bullets. Already bleeding out pretty badly and in pain, Lia then noticed that in dodging the spikes, she condemned Judgment to be struck by them instead; all six impaled in the woman's torso. Willow was helpless to stop any of it.

Judgment collapsed into Lia's arms. She teased that Lia was capable of killing someone after all, and then passed out. Lia screamed for help, and the ice walls fell. It wasn't clear if Judgment had died in Lia's arms, but shortly after, her body vanished within a blue orb, just like Agony had done to escape the Astral Plane. Boreas escaped the same way as well. Chayse then rushed to Lia's side, with some assistance from Zeke. Once Chayse was certain that Zeke could care for Lia, he ran to the crystal that had encased Willow. He tried to phase her out of it, but the crystal reacted with violent electrical shocks, badly burning Chayse's hand. Zeke got to one of the motorcycles they had used to get to the ruined building, and sent a distress signal while Chayse tended to Lia's wounds.

Willow tried to call out to them, but her telepathy didn't seem to work. She tried to run for some help, but she was tethered to her physical form, incapable of going more than 20ft (6m) from her body. She screamed again for help, and Zeke responded to her; surprising her since she didn't realize he was a telepath. Chayse causing the electrical reaction from the crystal managed to create a microscopic crack that allowed Willow's telepathy to leak out slightly; catching the attention of other telepaths within that same 20ft radius she was locked within.

At the Institute, Chayse and Lia's wounds were taken care of. Chayse was released later that day, and Lia a few days later. Willow, on the other hand, was stuck with her body; trapped inside the private room in the infirmary for a week. Finally, when no one else could figure out how to get Willow out of her crystal, they called in the Sorcerer Supreme: Pixie. She was shocked at the massively advanced spell – one that she had only heard rumors of previously – and tried a few spells of her own. She was able to dispel the crystal, and trap it for further examination to see what kind of sorcery they were fighting against. Finally free of the crystal and the infirmary room, Willow went off to freshen up, have a few arguments with Chayse and Lia over how they overburden themselves as if they were the world's lone protectors, and then Willow blew off some steam at a new parkour training park Deadpool had built. She ran into a couple of new recruits, worked out on the parkour course for a little bit, and then headed back to the school in hopes of getting back to whatever her normal was.

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Like I said at the beginning, Willow has gone through way more than I remembered. And it's the points that I remembered that will make it to Glitches. Mostly because they were the most impactful on both Willow as a character and me, as a “reader.”

First and foremost, I don't want to get into the complexity of time travel in Glitches with everything else I'm trying to balance. So Sebastian and Brianne won't be making their way to Glitches. However, they MAY make their way into their own side-story at some point, but that's probably a couple decades into the future, especially at the rate I'm going....

Things with Nix and Annika are a bit too complicated as well, plus Nix/Boreas and Annika were created by other players (although, Husband came up with the Judgment persona for Annika after Nix's player came up with Boreas). Nix and another character – Lucas Kinney – will most likely become an amalgamation; one of the glitch children Matteo rescues when he tries to break his sister out of the experimentation facility. I can go more into this when I introduce Matteo.

Similarly, I don't know if I'll have the William plot exactly. Again, mostly because I don't own William, so I'd have to create a replacement character, and I'll most likely have to discover a new reason for Willow's grief over him, her realization of that brotherly connection she destroyed, and her adjusting how she uses her powers; assuming I have her still be a callous prankster at first.

While the Japan trip is sweet, we never actually role played it, so I don't see the over-all impact on Willow's arc, so that's also gone.

So, what bits are staying? For me, these are the key parts of Willow's development:

Willow's dual attraction to Chayse and Devon.

Willow becoming best friends with Devon, only to feel betrayed when he runs away to find out more info about his past.

I'm still trying to decide if the school will again be attacked by a third party so that Willow ends up hating Devon, blaming him for the attack, and vowing vengeance for Hedge's death.

Since Devon's DR run, his running away, the school being attacked, Willow's self-hatred for “pushing Devon” to betray them, as well as her hatred towards Devon, and then their subsequent reunion makes up soooooo much of Willow's arc in-game, I feel it NEEDS to be in Glitches in some shape or form.

The real trick is either convincing Ronoxym to allow me to write Devon/co-author Glitches with me, or I’ll have to create my own Devon from scratch...

Willow discovering her brother Shawn not only has powers, but has also joined The Brotherhood (Called The Virus in Glitches) and wants to kill her and their parents.

Seeing the interaction between Shawn and Devon would be interesting

Shawn will just be “turned evil” by his childhood; no additive of being a psychopath needed (I'll leave that to Trish).

Shawn will still be discovered via his attack on a new recruit for the school. I'm debating if I want it to still be Chayse, and Willow finds out after-the-fact, or if she is there for the first interaction...

While not necessarily a prom after-party, I do want an off-campus gathering to be attached by The Virus in order to capture one of the students. That way Lia can show off her badassery with her one-on-one with Trish, and Willow can still prove her usefulness by using illusions to throw off the attackers into thinking their target is dead. Also, that was her greatest showcase of her telekenetic powers, and it also showcased the downsides to Willow having to be on the Astral Plane in order to fully utilize her powers.

Willow's interactions with Agony; a means for her to push her mental powers, and a foil as Agony has similar powers of manipulation/illusion.

Hubby originally headcannoned that Agony was actually Jacob's first child before meeting Meryl and having Shawn and Willow. Which is why Agony and Willow have similar power sets. It seems a bit weird, however, that Shawn's powers wouldn't match those of his sisters, nor did it seem logical that both of Willow's siblings were murderous psychopaths that loved to torture and torment, but Willow wasn't like that after seeing how much her powers truly hurt others. So, I'm still debating if I want to make Hubby's headcannon official.

Willow being trapped within the crystal after a battle with Agony. It would be interesting to have the time to fully explore that experience, and the grief her friends suffered while trying to break her out of it.

------------------------------

You good? Everyone caught up? You can take your pee-break now.

Makes sense that this kept me so long to write up and edit down, no? Anyway, thank you guys SOOOOO MUCH for again indulging me and sitting through all of that! You all amaze me!

Next up: Part 4 - Images. Who’s ready to see all the different versions of Willow I’ve collected throughout the years?

#writing #LycoRogue writing #OCs #Meet My OCs #Meet Willow #long post #Glitches #Willow Driver #Willow #Willow's backstory #Willow history #X-Future plot #X-Future vs Glitches #series post #7 out of ?#updates every other Sunday #LycoRogue original

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flyingmintbunnnyandfriends · 5 years

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Long Voltron Post Incoming

Okay peeps. Just finished up the last season of Voltron and oh boy do I have a few things to say to the third grader that wrote it. Before I even get started on why it was terrible, let me just say, it was horrible. The plot was lost in the flashing lights and disjointed cutscenes, the focus was completely shifted to a single character making every one else fade into the background, let me not get started on the FORCED romance, and yes, I admit the fight scenes were well executed, all things considered this DOES NOT EXCUSE the poor representation and the lies that we were told. So. Let’s not get all gung-ho just yet. While terrible overall, this season was not a total loss. Bringing back the old paladins, showing just what the warriors of old can still teach the new Paladins and passing on a bit of their wisdom to the next generation was beautiful; just watching them interact was awesome, and it was a genuine plot twist to see their consciousnesses being trapped within an insane psychopath. The final battle was exactly how it should be, one on one, a mech fight to determine the fate of everyone involved. The Acolytes were utilized well, a good setup to the final big bad. Similarly, I enjoyed the use of the Alteans on both sides of the war, as unwilling/unknowing pawns and then true allies to the forces of good. Just. Kinkade. Adorable bab. AND THAT SUNSET SCENE. Honestly probably one of the most romantic moments of the show, regardless of whether or not you ship it. Now that that’s out of the way....OH MY GOD WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT??? OOOhhhh boy where to begin on this flaming trainwreck. Let’s start with....pushing aside literally every other character in the series to focus on Allura! There were SO MANY plot points that were skipped over or never mentioned again that could have made this so much better. Where was Galra Keith this season? Other than a fleeting moment where he got so angry his eyes seemed to go Galra for a split second there was literally nothing to prove that his transformation last season even happened! It is never brought up, and it would have made an amazing scene to see the fearless leader of Voltron pushed to his absolute limits, forced to revert to his ‘other’ self in order to pull out a win...I know, it’s not all about Keith. Okay then, how about...Shiro? Yeah, Shiro. The one who supposedly lost the love of his life to the Galra invasion of Earth. Adam. Remember him? The one he was crying over? That Adam? And then Shiro suddenly gets together with someone we know nothing about? And we’re supposed to be okay with that?! WE DON’T KNOW HIM. How did they get together?? Yeah, Curtis? He’s a funny dude. Good guy. Excuses nothing. How about Pidge? We get to see her bantering with her mother, which was great, loved it. We also see her in monumental pain following the destruction of Olkari...and no one mentions it. They don’t take the time to tell her ‘it’s okay’ or have a heart to heart...she was given no closure. Hunk, sunshine boy. He got the least bad ending of the lot. Got confirmation that his love for cooking wasn’t just a side thing, that it wasn’t meant to be brushed aside. He was bringing people together doing what he loved to do! Also Sal. Happy he got brought back, honestly. And platonic Hunelle? The best. Not to mention his rock girlfriend saving the day? Even better. And then...Lance. Oh Lancey boy. What did they do to you, my poor baby? You deserved so much better...Lance is my favorite character, hands down. The happy go lucky, always dependable, self-sacrificing pretty boy who deserves the world and expects nothing in return...they RUINED you. What HAPPENED Dreamworks!? Who is this mopey, depressed, utterly dependent on another person...thing you replaced my baby with? Lance was never meant to be used in this way! Lance was the Soul of Voltron, the one who broke tension, who made everyone feel better, even at the expense of himself. Who gave over and over again and was still light hearted and friendly, brushing off anything negative and always seeing the bright side of things? Who sought out validation in the form of competition, always offering his help...the one who remained vigilant and protective, even against Lotor’s silver words and ‘Shiro’s’ endless aggression against him...THAT is Lance. Not this...sniveling shell of a person. He’s Voltron’s right hand! The one who supports the leader and gives his thoughts and opinions! Who is respected and listened to! Where did that go?! Keith trusted him enough to lead the team in his absence...and in this season? Nothing! He was talked over and ignored just like when Keith left to the Blade. Talk about a step in the wrong direction. Speaking of Keith and Lance...KLANCE IS CANON KING. There’s dozens of metas out there spilling essentially the same thing, but now it’s my turn. Let’s start with what we knew before Season 8. Lance would be someone’s first choice. Allura would have no endgame. Lance would not be a rebound. Whoops, screwed that one up, didn’t you? Also. Lance’s endgame was supposed to be SLOWBURN. SLOW. BURN. Does anyone know what that means? Hey writers, do you know what that means? Because if Season 8 is any indication, I think you need a dictionary!! After six seasons of completely ignoring and at one point insulting (see the ears comment) Lance, and then the whole Lotor deal, we’re expected to believe that ALLURA is the slowburn? When they literally went from date to Lance being her living shadow? WHAT? Speaking of Lotor...we are led to believe that Allura and Lotor are Soulmates, they complete one another. They know each other’s pain, and can depend on one another. Yeah, he goes off his rocker just like dear old dad...but who didn’t see that coming? And immediately after this the mice snitch about Lance’s crush. So what? She decides ‘why the hell not?’ and falls into his arms?! THAT’S THE DEFINITION OF A REBOUND, DREAMWORKS. But you know who doesn’t do that? Keith. You know who sees Lance at his lowest, and accepts him? Keith. Guess who listens when Pidge and Hunk refuse to? Keith. Keith has always listened to Lance, even in the beginning when he rose to the challenges Lance offered. Keith trusts Lance explicitly, completely, and without a second thought. When leading Voltron, Keith automatically follows Lance’s ideas, never speaking out against him, going along with even the most inane ideas like who gets to ride in what Lion, without a fuss. Keith, the hot head, offering no argument. Hmm. Interesting. Lance is the one to comfort Keith during the disappearance of Shiro, and Keith is the one to come to Lance when Allura is unconscious and hurt because of their actions. These boys have seen each other at their absolute lowest, and instead of taking advantage of this, they support and comfort each other however they can. And do I need to bring up all the romantic moments they had? Do I need to did out all those Bonding Moment memes? This pair have had more intimate moments than every other ship in the entire show. Rainbows, the colors of the bi flag in the background, all the romantic subtext...the way Keith’s eyes go all soft and unguarded when looking at Lance, how he lowers his guard and teases Lance, being as gentle as he knows how? How he is the ONLY ONE IN THE SHOW to not only accept but encourage Lance to be himself, that people should love him as he is, instead of Lance forcing himself to change? Or how about how Lance LITERALLY CALLS KEITH THE FUTURE WITH THIS DOPEY, LOVESTRUCK LOOK. The SAME ONE he gives Allura. The same one he uses when talking about Keith to the Yupper, when no one will hear? THAT look. The one that says ‘Yeah, I could be just a little bit in love’. To my knowledge, they tried to destroy Klance because some of the fandom doesn’t know how to chill, and honestly, we kinda deserved that. Some people are just terrible people that think threatening people is funny. But the rest of us? The ones who kept to ourselves and let people ship what they wanted? We have to bear the hatred of the rest of the fandom, who think we’re the same scum that don’t know how to behave. I’m not. Ship what you want, it’s no business of mine. But Klance is the only endgame that actually makes sense! (Besides Hunay, but that’s a precious ship that should never be questioned). Klance is the classic rivals-to-lovers trope, the one that draws people in and makes them want more, to see that happy ending the two deserve. Together. And instead, we got forced hetero romance. And yes, I do mean FORCED. Allura never ONCE said ‘I love you’. NOT ONCE. That doesn’t seem right, does it? The relationship between Lance and Allura was unhealthy at best. It’s not a fairytale romance about a princess and a pauper. Not even close. Lance is reduced to being ‘that guy’. The one who exists only to cater to his girlfriend’s every whim and question nothing. That’s it. That’s what they made him out to be. And it’s sickening. She pushes him away several times, even after they’re together, and he just takes it. That’s not how love works, people. Even without the Klance goggles on, that’s just not love. Love is being partners, equals, finding perfection in your partner’s flaws and growing together. And who do we see that from? Klance. From bickering rivalry, to trusting each other with their lives, from ‘you’re not my leader’ to ‘I’d follow you anywhere’. THAT is love. THAT is special. THAT is a slowburn. And THAT is what we should have gotten. But we didn’t. Because we were baited. That’s all there is to it. Despite all this, there IS still hope. Just because Allura was his ‘first love’ doesn’t mean that she’ll be the only one. Because someone is still waiting. Someone who is ready to support Lance, put his feelings before their own. Someone who has always put Lance first, to the point he left so that Lance never had to question his own worth. And that is Keith. THEY BELONG TOGETHER OKAY? Besides...now that Lance is part Altean and Keith is part Galra they’re gonna have a LONG TIME to figure it out. Because Galra and Alteans live long lives. Who else are they gonna spend it with other than each other? In all, I was disappointed in the final season. It should have been great, the big finale to cement it’s place in history...instead, I’ll never watch it again. I was let down and lied to, plain and simple. I still ship Klance, probably always will, but my time in this fandom is done. After the humiliation suffered because of bad writing and toxic fandom wars, it just wasn’t worth it. We were queerbaited into believing Klance actually stood a chance, that it would be everything we wanted...and instead we were left to burn. Way to go, Dreamworks. You ruined a good series. That last season was pitiful. So many plotholes never addressed, characters left to rot, questions never answered, and all the lies. For all of you that liked the final season, I applaud you. You are a much better person that I, it seems. Keep KICKing Klancers.

#voltron #keith kogane #lance mcclain #takashi shirogane #allura #blade of marmora #krolia #bad writing #rant

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celestriakle · 6 years

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I keep getting people who ask me what podcasts I listen to, what they’re about, and which I recommend, SO. Please note: these are solely my opinions, and your taste may differ from mine.

If you ever want more recommendations, check out Radio Drama Revival, which features all sorts of shows, singular and serial, and interviews with their writers and creators.

(This list is regularly updated. Last update 10/31/21.)

Top 3:

Archive 81: Dan is hired to organize some tapes about a very strange apartment building. Really ramps up in season 2. Horror. Good characters, interesting worldbuilding, intriguing plot, good voice acting, the best sound design of everything I’ve listened to so far. The whole package, really. (Ongoing.)

The Magnus Archives: An archivist for an institute of paranormal research reads aloud witness testimonials that turn out to be connected. The most tightly written podcast yet, perfectly paced, amazing use of framing device, fascinating world-building, wonderful slow-burn character development. Pay attention to the details in this one. (Completed.)

The Penumbra Podcast: There are a handful of stand-alone stories, but the two primary ones are a medieval-adjacent fantasy featuring knights facing monsters and a scifi detective noir story. Good breadth, and all the stories are fun and interesting, the characters endearing. Really excellent dialogue and genre play. (Ongoing.)

Great:

Alice Isn’t Dead: An anxious trucker is looking for her missing wife. Done by the Nightvale people but nothing like it. American Gothic variety horror. Lovely descriptions, a good protagonist, an interesting world, well-paced. (Completed.)

The Bunker: A black comedy about three guys who survived the apocalypse broadcasting a radio show to the wasteland. The episodes are long, but clearly and easily segmented for easy listening. Does an excellent job building up the world and characters and maintaining its bleak humor throughout, while going in depth on its themes and the chosen topics of each episode. (Completed.)

The Bright Sessions: People with powers in therapy to learn to cope with them. Contrary to what one might expect, this isn’t about superheroes, but the way it handles healing and growth and relationships are fantastic. A satisfying ending. Very character-driven. Sequel series are now available on the feed as well. (Completed.)

Caravan: Two best friends are on a camping trip together, when one falls into a midwestern fantasy world. So much fun, the characters are full of charm and heart, and the voice actors portray them well. Another heartwarming whisperforge work, funny too. Mildly NSFW. (Ongoing.)

The Deep Vault: In the near future, a small group escape the apocalypse by taking shelter in a legendary abandoned bunker, but they’re not alone. A 7-ep miniseries made by the same people who did Archive 81, and they’re able to develop their cast and the relationships in it quite effectively in the short span given. A fast paced adventure great for a long drive or quiet afternoon. (Completed.)

The Far Meridian: An agoraphobic young woman wakes up to discover her lighthouse is teleporting around. Gentle surrealism with a focus on story. Even the one-off characters are charming, and there are well-written latino characters everywhere. (Ongoing.)

Girl in Space: Just a girl, in space, taking care of a star with only a glitchy AI for company (for now). The girl’s very charming, and the AI is one of my favorites I’ve seen written. (Ongoing.)

Gone: A woman wakes up one day to discover she's the last person in the world. No apocalypse, everyone's just... gone. Very, very strong voice in the protagonist; she's rough and fascinating. Incorporates a mental health angle often neglected in these types of stories. Another season was promised, as season 1 ends on a cliffhanger, but it hasn’t yet materialized. (Abandoned.)

Greater Boston: In an alternate Boston, the Red Line railway becomes it's own city, and the ramifications of that. A story about community, with the focus on a group of people dealing with the aftermath of a single man's death. Both deeply emotional and very, very funny. There are cheese robots, Atlantis, and guinea pigs. A delightful and very well woven wild ride. (Ongoing.)

Kalila Stormfire’s Economical Magick Services: A pleasant slice-of-life record of a young witch’s attempt to start a business. It takes a little to get going; I didn’t get much invested until episode seven, but ever since then, it’s continually ramped up. The final season especially is a delight. The crossover specials are very fun. (Ongoing.)

Liberty: In a distant Earth colony colony, there is the city of Atrius ruled by the dictatorial Arkon, and outside are the cannibalistic Fringers. Three stories in one. Critical Research, the first and roughest, follows a crew of Atrians going out and studying the Fringers. Tales of the Tower are is an anthology of horror stories aired by the Atrian government. Vigilance is an Actual Play story where the players are Atrians trying to track down three missing persons for community service, and get stuck in a deeper conspiracy. All of them are excellent, amazing soundscaping, good VAs, and intense writing. Vigilance and Critical Research are over, but Tales from the Tower is still ongoing. (Ongoing, but has several completed stories.)

The London Necropolis Railway: A short listen about a railroad that ferries the souls of the dead. A ghost dodged their train and one of the ticketers needs to chase her down. Short episodes, exciting, funny and fun. (Ongoing.)

A Scottish Podcast: A self-absorbed asshole tries to get rich by starting his own supernatural podcast. A parody of The Black Tapes and its ilk. Hilarious and a solid plot. (Ongoing.)

Startripper!!: An alien office worker buys his dream car and quits his job to go have adventures and live his best life. Genuinely the happiest, most feel good podcast I’ve heard. An absolute pleasure. (Ongoing.)

Uncanny County: An anthology series about strange events happening in a backwater town. Mostly has a goofy, off-beat tone, so it’s all good fun. Stories range from a couple that moves into a a house with a bathtub that reduces aging to a couple trying to get over the husband’s fear of clowns by staying a clown hotel. The stories are connected by place, but there’s no overarching plot; it’s just good fun. (Anthology.)

Welcome to Nightvale: The community radio show for the small desert town of Nightvale, where every conspiracy theory is true. You probably know this. WTNV is credited with kickstarting the new age of audio dramas for good reason: it's weird and wonderful with expansive storylines and amazing characters. I first discovered it back in 2015, but dropped it and didn't revisit it until now, five years later. Even with every other show I've heard, even with its own massive backlog, it still holds up with the best of them, still evoking new emotions and unveiling new secrets. WTNV is still very much an amazing podcast worth listening to. (Ongoing.)

The White Vault: An international repair team goes up to a base in Svalbard and becomes trapped by a storm after making an amazing discovery. Arctic horror. Novel framing, excellent suspense, good sound design and voice acting, a well done show. Uses actually international VAs. (Ongoing.)

Within the Wires: Tales from another world told first through relaxation tapes, then museum guides, then a government official’s notes to his secretary. The delicate unveiling of the world, and the complex relationships depicted through these restricted forms is absolutely masterful, allowing a deep understanding in spite of hearing only one voice. It starts off very strange and surreal, but it’s worth listening through that initial bump to get to the meat. (Ongoing.)

Wolf-359: The crew of a deep-space outpost begins receiving a series of strange transmissions. A sci-fi classic in the podcast community for good reason: beautifully plotted, excellent emotional arcs, a cast of characters I loved in their entirety. (Completed.)

Wooden Overcoats: A comedy about two competing funeral homes in a tiny village. Absolutely hilarious. Each character has their trope, but they are never bound by it and all are allowed to grow and develop beyond it. (Ongoing.)

Good:

2298: In a dystopian future where human lives are guided and curated by the Network, resident 24 is haunted by a beautiful golden bird. A modern take on a Big Brother-style dystopia. Quite short, but fun. Connected to the canon of Girl in Space. (Completed.)

36 Questions: An estranged married couple attempts to reconnect by asking each other 36 questions that are supposed to help people fall in love. A musical, only 3 episodes long. Very good, excellent sound design, and this podcast would easily be in the great category if it weren’t for the ending, which I found unsatisfying. (Completed.)

Ars Paradoxica: A scientist accidentally sends herself back to the ‘40s and gets picked up by a military organization and tries to use their resources to get herself back to the present. One of the earlier audio dramas, so it’s a little tropey, but it existed before many of those tropes were established. I’m still listening through! (Completed.)

Beef and Dairy Network: A comedy podcast that made me laugh! The news from a fictitious network, like if Nightvale was about beef and dairy exclusively. Enough plot and fun to keep it fresh, that it really only wears down after 40 or so episodes. (Ongoing.)

The Bridge: The caretakers of Watchtower 10 on the largely abandoned Transatlantic Bridge are all there for a reason. There are frightening things in the water, and a wealth of stories. A little spooky, but not really horror. Big lovable cast, a good format, and several interesting plot threads to put together and follow. (Ongoing.)

Gal Pals Present Overkill: A ghost tries to figure out how she died and navigate the afterlife in a very haunted park. Sweet, does very interesting things with ghosts as a concept. All girls, everyone’s gay, that latina representation I always crave. (Ongoing.)

Kane and Feels: A pair of PIs (Paranormal Investigators) investigate a trail of subconscious strangeness. A very beautiful and surreal story that blurs the world of reality and dreams. Lovely prose and aesthetic. Episodes release extremely sporadically with no clear season breaks. (Ongoing?)

King Falls AM: Two guys host a radio show in a little town full of strange happenings. A similar premise to WTNV executed quite differently. Charming but underwhelming for the first 50-ish episodes, then ramps up sharply and becomes very intense and very good. (Ongoing.)

Lesser Gods: In a post-apocalyptic future after which humans lost the ability to reproduce, the final five youngest on earth attempt to cope with and solve a murder after one of their ranks dies. Like a YA novel in the best way. Very flawed and complex characters. Episodes stopped coming midseason. (Abandoned.)

L I M B O: A dead man meets people from his past. Manages to bring to life several interesting characters in a very short time, though it leaves questions. Connected to the canon of 2298. (Completed.)

Mabel: Live-in caretaker for an elderly woman won’t stop leaving voicemails for the woman’s estranged granddaughter and discovers many strange things in the strange house. Very narrowly got edged out of my top three, but still very good. Gothic horror. Great use of format, well-paced, mellifluous writing and good music that makes it a pleasure to listen to in sound alone. (Ongoing.)

Middle:Below: A man with the ability to travel to the spirit world helps ghosts move on. Very cute and quirky and sweet. The cast’s charming, and the ghosts they deal with are interesting, and there’s still quite a number of mysteries about the world. (Ongoing.)

Outliers: An anthology collection rather than a narrative, each story tells the tale of a lesser known British historical figure. Well-written, well-acted--mostly--with a bonus of some learning on the side. (Completed.)

Passage: Two skeletons on a lifeboat from a ship that supposedly vanished a century ago washes up on the shore of a small town. A mystery miniseries, only 7 episodes long. Half the reason I listened to this is because it takes place in the PNW. A good mystery, an enjoyable quick listen. (Completed.)

Pleasuretown: A western about a small desert town that got wiped out, and the stories of all the inhabitants who used to live there and the strange supernatural encounters they had. It weaves together beautifully with top notch sounds. Starts out very white/male/cishet, but the stories get more diverse and inclusive as the podcast goes on. It’s episodic enough that the stories are enjoyable on their own, but the large overarching story thread never got resolved. (Abandoned.)

Radiation World: A boat full of strangers on a quest discovers a bunker full of people who survived the apocalypse and they help each other out. Shenanigans ensure. Incredibly fun and funny with a great plot and series of twists. The ending implied another season was planned, but there are no major questions left, so it stand on its own. (Completed?)

Station to Station: A researcher is looking into the circumstances of the disappearance of a beloved coworker no one seems to remember. Sporadic update schedule has made this one a bit hard to keep track of. (Ongoing.)

Alright:

Bubble: A hipster human colony that lives in a bubble on a foreign planet occasionally deals with monster attacks. A comedy that knows its type very well: I have an intimate understanding of the people it’s poking fun at, and that made it at once incredibly fun and also hard to listen to. It implied there would be a second season, but one hasn’t yet happened. The first season stands alone well, however. (Completed?)

Big Data: Seven thieves steal the seven keys to the internet to try to take it down. Each individual heist is really interesting and fun with a great thief, but the frame narrative left me wanting. The ending implied there was going to be a sequel series, but one never materialized. (Completed?)

Congeria: A detective searching for a missing girl gets caught up with cults and murderers. A well produced podcast, well acted and well plotted, this is perfect if you love hardboiled detective stories. Honestly, this is only in alright because it’s not my usual genre. It was just a heavy listen. (Completed.)

The Dark Tome: A dark fantasy podcast where a troubled young teen reads a magic, potentially evil book that sucks her into another world and allows her to witness stories. Very much has the feel of a YA novel. Each stories within the frame are written by different authors, so episode quality varies. (Ongoing.)

Deadly Manners: A classic murder mystery at a grand house party. It was enjoyable, the characters reasonably fun (with one massive racist/homophobic/antisemitic exception), but the whole thing still felt very run-of-the-mill nevertheless. (Completed.)

Dreamboy: A depressed musician gets caught up in a conspiracy surrounding a dream and a killer zebra. Honestly, that synopsis isn’t even the half of it. This podcast is incredibly strange (and explicitly NSFW) but quite fascinating. Also, it has fabulous musical numbers. (Completed.)

Empty: Several humans and an AI wake up on a colony spaceship alone, with no memory. Interesting characters, a new favorite AI, but their season finale was more of a cliffhanger than a finale that wrapped up anything. (Abandoned.)

Hadron Gospel Hour: A comedy podcast about a scientist who broke the universe, his everyman sidekick, and the supercomputer helping them fix it. It’s episodic, and there are standalone shorts in it that are funny. Some jokes haven’t aged well, to put it kindly. At least one episode contains a racist joke. The seasons posted are complete, but the overarching plot never finished resolving. (Abandoned.)

The Infinite: The last surviving member of a deep space exploration mission receives a mysterious signal and contemplates if it’s worth chasing. It preceded many of the more popularized space operas and says many of the same things as them. (Completed.)

Janus Descending: A research team of two get killed while on an expedition to an alien planet. Told nonlinearly. There’s so much here that’s good, but the main characters are afflicted with a whole lot of stupid that diminishes the effect. (Completed.)

Joseph: The Revenge of Opus: A far future scifi story where some dude saves the world and the girl. I'm writing this about nine months after first listening, and honestly that's about all I retained. I remember it being fun, and having very excellent sound design, but the story was very predictable and thus forgettable. (Completed.)

LifeAfter/The Message: A pair of discrete podcasts on the same feed. The Message is about a team of scientists trying to decipher a sound that triggered a pandemic, and LifeAfter is about an FBI agent offered a chance to reconnect with his dead wife through an AI. They were both interesting, though The Message hit uncomfortably close to home, since this is being written in Nov 2020. LifeAfter had a stronger plot regardless, though the likability of its protagonist is questionable. (Completed.)

Magic King Dom: One of the few survivors of an apocalypse grows up alone in Disneyland. Cute and well produced, but the pacing is very fast, and Dom’s characterization stretched my suspension of disbelief. Connected to the canon of Girl In Space. (Completed.)

Misadventure by Death: A trope-aware person is hired to take care of an almost certainly haunted house. The writing feels a little amateur at points, but it’s enjoyable and had decent pacing so far. Updates stopped coming midseason. (Abandoned.)

Tides: A xenobiologist who has been stranded on an alien planet that’s regularly soaked by a large tidal wave. It’s acted well enough, the sound is good, and the premise is good along with the dialogue, but a bit too much time is spent on the visual descriptions of alien creatures and the pacing of the main plot has yet to catch up. (Ongoing.)

What’s the Frequency: Something strange is happening with the radio, and two detectives are on the case. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a fan of avante guarde storytelling methods, and unfortunately, this podcast makes plentiful use of them. It took several episodes for me to grasp a basic idea of which characters were which and what the basic plot was, due to nonlinear narrative, unclear characterization, and similar sounding VAs. In spite of this, the charm of the characters I did grasp and the bits of plot I put together kept me interested and listening. (Ongoing.)

Not Recommended:

The Angel of Vine: A hardboiled PI attempts to solve a grisly murder. A very generic example of its genre, it doesn’t bring anything new or interesting to the table. Just boring.

The Black Tapes: Reporter looks into the unsolved cases of someone who disproves the paranormal for a living. Season one was fantastic, but they start to lose it in season two; the pacing and focus go astray. Season three is worse, and then the finale they put out was one of the most disappointing endings I’ve endured in years. It was bad enough I don’t intend on looking into their other productions, Rabbits and Tanis.

The Blood Crow Stories: S1 is about a malicious entity that haunts a ship, but each season is different. I listened only to s1. If you like villains who get away with all their plans perfectly and face no challenge from the protags whatsoever, then this podcast is for you. The villain is also incredibly overwrought to near laughability and relies on gore and shock value for its fearsomeness. The rest of the cast is alright, but nothing special. Uncomfortable interactions with the creators sealed my decision to not proceed with the other seasons.

Everlasting Beholders: Some aliens attempt to influence an alternate Earth. The changes made are uncomfortable, and it’s a bit hard to follow. Supposedly it connects to Empty, but not in a way I could figure out. It was never finished.

Organism: An alien of some sort learns about the world. Slow, simplistic, boring, with a very strange twist ending.

Ruby and the Galactic Gumshoe (2020): A scifi noir that's a new adventure in a series started in the 80s. Honestly, I loved the narrator and the soundscaping; the feel of this show was amazing. However, I don't recommend it solely because one of the characters is a deeply racist caricature. Ruby has a hi-tech car with an inbuilt AI described as a "big black genie", and whenever he speaks, it's with a thick Indian accent and "mystical" language.

Spines: Amnesiac survivor of a cult ritual tries to find out what happened and where her missing soul mate went by interrogating people with weird powers. Horror. The world is cool, the imagery is very cool, the story is reasonably interesting, but the voice acting is bad. Both voices we hear deliver all their lines, even ones that sound as if they should be deeply emotional, in the same flat, disinterested, apathetic, tired monotone. Not only that, but the pacing and narration destroy any sense of suspense this epic story should have.

Subject: Found: S1 was about a bigfoot hunter, and s2 was about a murderer who loved to kill women. The second story is very much not my thing--especially in light of how s1 treated its main female character--so I only listened to s1. As mentioned, the main female character, the protagonist’s wife, gets her needs constantly deferred or invalidated in favor of her husband’s as part of the story, but he’s the hero so of course he gets the girl. The plot choices that aside are very strange, a bit nonsensical, and the voice acting, main couple aside, is bad.

Dropped:

(Not bad! Just not to my specific tastes.)

Alba Salix, Royal Physician: A grumpy witch tries to keep a kingdom healthy with the help of a fairy and unwilling apprentice. Comedy. I loved Alba, but I’m extremely picky with comedies, and this one wasn’t enough for me to keep with it.

Aqua Marianas: I couldn’t finish the first episode thanks to poor audio quality. From what I heard, it also seemed a bit tropey.

Control Group: A historical fiction about a woman committed to a mental institution for a crime she didn’t commit. I can’t handle this sort of horror; it’s too dark for me.

Counter Worlds: An anthology told audio book style, with narration, which I simply can’t focus on.

Darkest Night: A horror anthology with the frame narrative of a mysterious, suspicious organization doing research into memory. Rather gruesome. Very mainstream sort of horror; some episodes were good, but others indulged too many misogynistic tropes for my taste.

Hector Vs The Future: There was a laugh track and I didn't like that. I didn't make it very far in.

Herbarium Podcasts: A collection of miniseries. Honestly, I can’t even provide an accurate synopsis. My audio processing issues made listening to more than five minutes of this impossible; the inconsistent audio quality was way too distracting and broke my immersion.

Inkwyrm: Intergalactic haute couture. Everything about the concept of this podcast spoke to me on a fundamental level, but I couldn’t even get through all of episode one. The characters didn’t appeal to me, and the sound quality isn’t great. I couldn’t understand the AI character they introduced. When I skipped ahead to see if the audio quality got better, it didn’t, and just like with Herbarium Podcasts above, poor audio is a dealbreaker.

Love and Luck: Two men in love discover they’re witches, told through voicemail. Really, my problem here was just that I wanted more angst. They’re very happy and loving and they work through every relationship problem they have very quickly, and I just plain wanted more conflict and struggle.

Otherverse: Broadcasts from another world where aliens are subjugating humanity. Enjoyable and interesting enough to keep me subscribed, but nothing special. It’s all a little basic, and the audio quality leaves something to be desired. Got bored and the update schedule got sporadic, so I dropped it.

Palimpsest: A girl moves into a haunted house and attempts to cope with the death of her sister. This podcast improved as I listened. The voice acting is solid, but the writing and audio editing in the first few episodes felt very overdone. They picked up as things progressed, and the ending downright surprised me. Season 2 switched protagonists, and the new protag had such a poorly done accent, I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be Scottish, Irish, or Southern, and that bothered me too much to continue listening.

Poplar Cove: They made an asylum joke within the first five minutes of the first episode and that’s a hard no from me.

Sable: From the episode I listened to, this podcast appeared to be about urban legends and monsters, but admittedly I don’t know much. This podcast is told audiobook style, with a single narrator also performing the character voices and no sound effects. I have a very hard time focusing on those sorts of tales.

Saffron and Peri: Comedy podcast about a fairy godparent school. As mentioned previously, I’m extremely picky with comedies and none of the characters pulled me in, so I dropped it.

Tales of Thattown: Effectively, it’s Welcome to Nightvale in the south. Yet another comedy podcast that failed to strike a chord with me, though the creator’s a sweetheart.

Thrilling Adventure Hour: A series of standalone stories. No real complaints; the couple stories I tried just didn't catch my interest.

Tumanbay: A historical fiction podcast surrounding citizens of the imagined city Tumanbay, based on the Mamluk empire in Egypt. Honestly, I'm n the fence on if this should be in my outright "Not Recommended" category. Everything about the production quality was good; the voices and story were interesting. However, this podcast is written and produced by two British men who profess they invented Tumanbay as a separate place because they thought adhering to historical accuracy would be too restrictive and difficult. Little things like the escaped slave who used Slave as his preferred name, or the fact that the more intelligent/cerebral characters all had British accents, while the more brutish ones had Middle Eastern ones, when this is supposedly an entirely Middle Eastern area, got under my skin enough to make me drop it.

Tunnels: A mystery podcast inquiring about a mysterious series of tunnels under a town. The format and tone are rather closely modeled after The Black Tapes, and as I ultimately wasn’t a fan of that, I elected to drop this.

We're Alive: A surviving the zombie apocalypse story. Supposedly, another major pioneer in the rise of modern audio drama. But I didn't realize until I started that the protagonist was a soldier, and I don't care for soldier stories.

Violet Beach: Strange time shenanigans happen to teens when the sun sets purple. The monologues it’s told through tend to meander, and lackluster VAs and no sound design made it especially hard to focus, so I dropped this.

Zoo: An FBI agent attempts to solve the mystery of a traveling zoo home to a variety of cryptids. Lower production value than most other podcasts here and occasionally makes strange choices, but develops its plot steadily and does some interesting things with its premise. Unfortunately, the developments weren’t enough to keep my attention on the long term, so I made the tough choice to drop it.

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