#scarlett definitely would volunteer

[redheadarcher]

“she missed you a lot.” scarlett says, referring to the white cat who, now that bucky’s here, has completely forgotten about the redhead's existence, which she was completely ok with—she was bucky’s cat, after all, of course she’d like him more. “but she behaved very well, only scratched me once, and that was all my fault anyway.” she says in a light tone, eyes still focused on alpine before casting a glance at the man.

"how are you ?" she questions, having a hard time reading his expression and body language. usually she was good at that, but it was more complicated when it came to bucky, or her mother, or anyone on their level. “how was the mission ?” she didn't know if he was going to say something about it, but she tried anyway. “and when are you going to let me go with you on one of them ?”

@w1nterwolf gets a starter !

#scarlett definitely would volunteer #to pet sit alpine whenever #she got a chance lol #anyway i hope this is okay ! :) #if you'd like something different #just let me know ! #w1nterwolf

[romanoffsbish]

A Chance Encounter: Dinner, and a Movie... Star

Scarlett Johansson x Fem!Reader

A Walk in the Park (Previous)

Warning: Angry Scarlett, Grief, Dead OC!Child, Depression ™️

Put it under one Natasha tag for exposure, hope it doesn’t offend like the Bucky ones do. 😳

Ever since meeting you at the park just two days ago Scarlett's been unable to get you off her mind, and the thoughts are completely all over the place. One second she's swooning over you and the way you made her heart feel lighter with every giggle, or the loving glance you'd cast towards all present children. She thought you were stunning, and she loved the way that you were entirely too easy to fluster, the happy news that you're single was just a bonus.

Then the next she's pacing around her room, engaging in a matter of mental gymnastics on as to why you'd been a volunteer at her daughter's school for the last four years if Angie had only been there for a years time. Deep, like really deep down she'd known you weren't some crazed stalker, but that same gut feeling she has about you has led her astray three separate times, and now she's justifiably paranoid.

———

"Mommy! I'm ready to go, and I even got Carson dressed too, I put him in that cute sailor creeper and now he's playing in his walker. Are you ready to go yet?"

"Yes my love, I'll be downstairs in just a few minutes, make sure you grab the pie from the fridge." She shouts through the door, then she finishes her look up before heads downstairs, deciding that worrying won't give her answers that only you have, and she's itching for them.

—

"Mama!!! Ri-Ri is coming over soon!"

"Yes she is, so tell me then honey, did you clean your room?"

"Yes! I cleaned it, and I even made my bed." She beams, and you smile right back at her while also making a mental note to go see the mess that is definitely her "made" bed before the company arrives.

"I'm so proud of you angel, go ahead and watch your cartoons and when you hear the knock on the door come get me."

"Okay mama, I love you!" She says as she throws her arms around your legs, and you rub her back with the hand that's not stirring the contents in the pot, and return the sentiment.

You'd weighed out your options for dinner, and after discovering the blonde beauty doesn't eat dairy, but her daughter devours it you decided to make a baked pasta dish, and created a smaller dish with her altered, vegan portion. Being the overachiever that you are you'd even boiled a potato for the baby; throwing half of it into a blender with the remaining scraps of chicken, and the medley of peas and carrots. Then you settled everything into the fridge, deciding that you'd bake it sometime after their arrival instead of just having it ready.

"Mama! They're here!!"

You finished washing the last counter off just as your daughter called out to you, and your phone dinged with a "motion detected" notification from the Ring camera on your front porch.

"Go ahead angel, let them in."

Angie sprung off the couch, hand making quick work of the locks, you stood behind her with a nervous smile as this is your first time hosting a celebrity in your house, and an intimidatingly beautiful one at that.

"Ri-Ri!"   ....  "Gi-Gi!" The girls squealed in sync, and after sharing a hug it was apparently your turn because the shorter blonde was slamming into your body without much of a warning.

"Hey there Riley, long time no see."

She giggles at your obvious joke, then once she steps to the side you look up to greet your remaining guests. To say you were stunned would be the understatement of the year, all three kids are dressed rather casually, but Scarlett was clearly dressed to impress, and you were left to wonder if she'd no longer been planning to stay for dinner and was just accepting free childcare.

Her hair was down in beach waves that fell right above her shoulders, and she decidedly kept her makeup light but the red lip definitely caught your eye. The shade perfectly matched her halter dress, and the jewelry she'd selected accentuated her slender fingers perfectly. Once she had quirked her brow in amusement you regained your senses, reaching out to take the pie, but instead coming back with an eager baby, which honestly helped to ease the rising tensions as the both of you wildly giggled.

"Mama, are you going to show her the special room full of her face?"

Well... Tensions were rising once more, and this time there was a thicker layer of uneasiness mixed within for your guest.

"Jelly... You have to think before you speak silly, you're going to make her think I'm crazy." You teased your daughter, who only tilted her head in confusion, then shrugged her shoulders in absolution before taking off with Riley's hand in her own.

"Well, I was going to throw dinner in the oven, but now I feel I should show you my collectors room to ease your mind, promise there isn't a shrine of prints of your face."

Even with the uneasiness gnawing at her she still feels she can trust you so she slots her hand with yours, allowing you to guide her towards the massive lounging room to the side of the living room.

"Oh." She snorts, looking over the room, and her heart is put to ease when all she finds is a massive array of collectors item's for The Black Widow, amongst many other Marvel characters, and there's even an entire corner dedicated to Pokemon, and all things spooky.

"Yeah." You awkwardly chuckle out, hand releasing hers, and she is quick to move around the room feigning interest in your vast variety of collectors items.

"So, you're a nerd..." You vaguely catch the whispered realization.

"I'm on a date with a nerd..." She further clarifies, and you're quick to gasp, so that's why she's so dressed up...

"I'm not a nerd..." You grumble.

"You so are though." She chuckles, hand holding up and observing the flocked Pikachu Funko in a comforting amusement, but then her face falls when you respond.

"If I'm a nerd then so is Riley, over half of that card collection was gifted by her." You muse, walking around the room and bouncing the baby on your hip all while failing to miss the way the blonde stews in a sudden switch up of emotions.

The anxiety induced anger truly clouds her judgement here, because how is it that you know such things about her daughter, things that she herself doesn't even know, and not only that but why are you so close to her that she's specifically gifting you cards. You're an aide three days a week, surely there were other children around for you to get close to, and what's the coincidence that you'd befriend her daughter while having a clear affinity for Marvel, and apparently her former character.

"This was a bad idea."

You still in your spot, wondering how you'd missed the sudden change in the atmosphere, and when you do face her your heart begins to hammer rapidly within your chest at the sight of her furious expression aimed at you.

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I don't think you should be in my daughters class anymore, matter of fact maybe I'll see about getting you barred from the school all together."

"Wait, Scarlett what's the problem, what even happened?"

"Why the hell are you so close to my daughter? More importantly, why did you work at her school all these years when you've only had a kid enrolled since last year? This whole situation has felt off for me, and I tried to overlook it because you seemed kind, and for Riley's sake, but now it's just all becoming too eery." She seethes, voice consistently rising, and you're just grateful for the kids loud music upstairs.

Oh... You do everything in your power to keep composed, but you can already feel your lungs stuttering, and your limbs going numb.

"It's not whatever you think it is, I promise I can explain, but please just sit down, and I'll go grab what I need to so that I can show you."

Everything is screaming at her to run out the door, to snatch her son from your arms and to never look back, but the clear signs of despair behind your glazed over eyes tells her to at least hear you out, and she'd be lying to say she wasn't curious about it all.

"Okay." She calmly replies, a far cry from her previous notion, and her anxieties lessen even more when you set a displeased Carson in her lap.

Once you exit the lounging room your whole entire body trembles while you head up the stairs. This will be the first time since his memorial service—so nearly two years ago, that you'll have entered his bedroom, or even looked through the box of memories past, and if not for sparing Riley the heartbreak of losing her ties to your family you'd have just let her leave thinking this poorly of you.

As you open the door you're thrown into a fit of coughs within the same instant, a cloud of dust having swooshed directly into your face. Then after the coughing subsides it's a never ending stream of tears, if you just close your eyes it's like you can still smell his unique mix of scents. He'd always smelled like a mix of cinnamon, white bar soap, and the outdoors which was a perfect display of his day to day life.

Nostalgia gripped at your heart when you saw the family photo that he cherished sat upon the bookshelf, and in a brutal show of irony there was a massive crack directly down the center of the glass frame. Not wanting to keep Scarlett waiting long you grabbed the box from off the rocking chair and made quick work of exiting. In all actuality though you needed out of his room, you were one moment away from collapsing in on yourself, the entire situation having proved too much for your heart to bare.

Scarlett nearly jumped out of her seat when your far more frazzled form returned to her, and it increased the itching beneath her skin, but a familiar book on top of the box had momentarily calmed her nerves.

"Um... So, the reason... Fuck.. I'm so sorry.." Your fluctuating tone startled the baby, and he immediately started crying, and when she really looked at you she could tell you'd been doing just the same thing, and her entire standoffish demeanor softened at the sight of you appearing so broken.

Scarlett immediately moved herself to the floor to be level with you, and Carson quickly fussed his way out of her hold, then crawled over to you in search of a mutual need for consoling. With shaky hands you pulled him against your chest, allowing him to nuzzle himself against you, and the comfort he provided you seemed to help you with the process of explanation.

"Um..." You tried, but when the words failed you, you instead opened the yearbook from Josh's Kindergarten year, and her eyes zoned in on your pointed finger.

"Joshua Valdez..." She reads, and a lightbulb immediately goes off in her head, she vividly remembers the little boy that her daughter proclaimed to be her best friend from the start, and her eyes sting at the moment of haunting realization.

Then before she could continue to connect the dots on her own you flipped the page to show the class activities throughout the year, an adorable photo Scarlett's vaguely familiar with floods her view.

Joshua—your beautiful baby boy with the sweet as honey green eyes, and dangerous dimples was smiling wide and holding a plotted plant in his hand, and Riley was stood there with her tiny hands over her mouth in surprise. Then directly beside it was the both of them on the ground, Josh miraculously holding the pot in the air with a bewildered expression on his face with Riley atop of him in a suffocating hug.

"I took those..." You suddenly mumbled, Scarlett's glossy eyes full of pity looked up to meet yours full of despair and you were quick to drop your gaze from her own because it was all just too painful to feel.

Next thing you pull out is a scrapbook, you file through it and stop when you found the section you were looking for, and you silently turn the book to her while holding her son that much tighter in an attempt to keep the burning tears at bay for at least another minute or so.

Scarlett notices the dated album, and realizes at the time of this birthday party she would've been on the press tour for Avengers: Endgame, and that Riley's father most likely aided her in the whole entire process, and she'd been left in the shadows of it all. Riley's smile never faltered in a single photo, Josh's was much the same from when they were playing on the bouncy house, or eating pizza, and it only grew while opening his gifts.

He'd been in the special chair with Pikachu ears suffocating his curly brown hair, and to no ones surprise, directly at his side—literally in the same seat, was Riley aiding him in opening the gifts. The final set of photos was a sequence that showed her getting up, then handing him a massive bag that Scarlett's sure she funded. Her daughters giddy expression gnaws at her already aching heart, and when she sees him pulling out the Pokémon memorabilia she understands your earlier commentary.

The silence around the both of you is far too consuming, you begin to lay out a few other keepsakes you'd found worth seeing, and once you found your voice again you elaborated on the photo album topic a bit more.

"His favorite was Magikarp, which at face value is a useless Pokemon, but if you wait it out with the tiny orange fish it becomes a powerhouse. He'd always been a fan of the underdog trope, never allowing people to pick on the easy to target kids, and always encouraging them to be great. He was so enthusiastic about it too, he'd tell me all about it when he came home on days I was off, and it always warmed my heart to see his passion for other's happiness, and he was just so incredibly kind. The best little boy a mom could dream up, and oh boy, the way he loved his little sister... He was perfect, and I'm not just saying that cause I was his mama..."

Everything about this situation pains her, being a working mother has never been an issue for her, and that's totally valid, but she never realized just how much she missed when away, it's like she's watching her daughters life unfold before her eyes and she's not even there. Then there's the far more heartbreaking fact that she just took what was meant to be a date, and turned it into a heartbreak festival, forcing you to face something she's not too sure you were ready to face, and it hurts her even more knowing you only allowed her to break you like this for the sake of her daughters happiness.

"Y/N, I'm so sorry, God I am beyond ashamed of myself for putting you in such a position. Never in my life had I even considered such a possibility, but I should've known better than to just assume the worst of you."

"It's okay."

"It absolutely is not okay, honey, you don't need to accept the apology, but I do hope you know that I mean it..."

"It is though Scarlett, you were just protecting your cubs, and if it was reversed I would've done the exact same thing. I promise I'm ok."

Silence falls once more, but this time it's clarifying, and Scarlett finally notices that you'd gotten her son to sleep once again, without doing anything outside of cuddling him, and it has her softly smiling your way.

"There's no sun." She notes, and your furrowed brows lead her to point to the sleeping baby.

"Oh, yeah.. I didn't want to hurt your feelings at the park, but babies tend to love me. I've actually been deemed the baby whisperer amongst my friends."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm. The secret is feigning a lack of interest. If you just ignore the baby all together, they'll do everything in their power to gather your attention, it's proven foolproof for me thus far and continues to do so."

With careful movements you're able to transfer the baby onto the indoor hammock, then as you return to clean up you see Scarlett continuing to look through your photos.

"He's beautiful..."

"He was, wasn't he?" You correct her, speaking of him in the present tense is too confusing for your heart, so you have to remind yourself of the brutal reality.

"I'd always hated never getting to meet him." She admits, finger tracing over a photo of the best friends sharing their ice creams with a three year old Angie, and the memory fondly replays in the back of your mind.

"He honestly loved you, you were his best friends mom—Riley always talked about you whenever she could, and you were also one of his top three superheroes." Your sincere proclamation really just makes the guilt of the situation worse, but she's not going to put that on you.

"Only top three?" She feigns offense, and your honest giggle had her smiling from ear to ear, and all she wanted was to hear it again.

"What can I say? As sweet as the kid was he loved himself a good Hulk Smash, and he was always so entranced by Wanda's magic."

"All is forgiven..." She teases, and then quickly crawls over the memorabilia when she sees your body trembling with sobs.

"Hey, it's okay honey, I got you..."

"I-I miss him so much."

Scarlett hums against your temple, and continues to rock your already shaking body while you hopefully find the chance to let it all out.

"That day, when I got the call... I was supposed to be there, but my job wouldn't stop pestering me to work some overtime. So I'd sent him off to school with his Deda, and he left with the brightest smile on his face, and I remember that hug he gave me—it was so tight, as if the world was already aware of what was coming." Your voice cracked as the suppressed memory haunts the front of your mind.

"I didn't even send him off that morning with my normal 'I love you,' he died without hearing the three most important words a child should never go without hearing. One minute I'm making my four year old lunch, the next I'm racing off to the hospital because of some freak accident with a baseball bat that landed my son in critical condition in the ICU."

Scarlett watches the unwavering, and completely unfair guilt swirling beneath your gaze, but for the time being she says nothing. Her surprisingly strong arms just hold you tighter as your bodies shakes never stop.

"My precious baby got his wings decades too early, and now I'm supposed to just live on like everything is okay... A mother isn't supposed to bury her son, it's not meant to be like this, but those beautiful girls upstairs needed me so here I am, putting up the good fight..."

Your words hit her like a ton of bricks, because even the thought of losing her children hurts her beyond measure. What really throws her off though is just how incredibly broken you obviously are, and just how easy it'd been for you to have hidden it for all this time. It really dawns on her how focused on everyone else's grief you'd been that you never been made tot process your own.

"He knew you loved him Y/N, something tells me you told him frequently enough that he had no choice but to believe it to be true. I'm really sorry, and I know it sounds cheap, but I truly am heartbroken for you—you're also right hon. A mother's never meant to bury her child, and I'll curse the world with you for being so cruel. I'm so glad you're here, giving it the good fight, because I'm personally looking forward to getting to know you. I'm also eternally grateful for you and everything you've done for my sweet girl over the years, and for looking out for even when you had every right not to. You're clearly an angel sent from up above..."

Scarlett laid a gentle kiss to your forehead which in turn caused you to giggle at the strange feeling of her lipstick transferring to your skin, and she soon followed suit at the sight of you with her lips on you.

"Thank you Scar..." You simply whisper, having nothing else really to say in the moment, because processing all of it was too heavy a burden for your already struggling heart.

"It's honestly my pleasure Y/N, because holding you close is actually really nice."

"Wait. So, is this is a date? I promise you that I don't usually cry on the first one, I tend to save that for at least date number three." You joke, trying your best to cover the underlying panic in your tone because had you actually realized she meant it at the park you'd have been far more prepared.

Her raspy laugh warms your entire body, and you find yourself melting further into her embrace as the softness in her eyes works wonders to mend your heart.

"Yes Y/N, this was indeed a date, that's why I was so dressed up, but now I want to say it wasn't. Because you're right again, no first date should come with tears, so we'll just say no. Right now, we're just two mother's bringing their kids together for a playdate, and then next Saturday we'll be out on a date of our own."

Your body instantly relaxes at her quick solution, and you shift to be a bit more upright in her lap. You share a beat of silent, up close observation before she's clearing her throat.

"So, shall we go fix dinner now? Preferably before the girls come searching for us and find us in this compromising position that will leave them to ask so many questions we'll never have a chance to escape again..."

"Yes, we shall..." You giggle, and help the woman up off the floor before leaving her behind to tend to Carson while you work to pull yourself together a bit more to get the show back on the road.

Date or not, you definitely refuse to sit across from the stunning woman in your tracksuit, with your 'Kiss the Chef' apron still on..

—

Dinner was nearly done when there was a knock at the door, so you made your way over to see who it could he as the blonde continued to toss the salad she'd just thrown together. Carson's currently attached to your hip, having woken up shortly after you left the lounging area and been displeased to find you missing, so now he's holding you hostage—you're certainly not unhappy though.

"Wonder who that could be, it's already so late at night, and I had no messages on my phone." You bounce off of the babbling infant, who knows nothing of which your saying, but he certainly wants in on the noise.

Far too preoccupied by the smiling infant you'd overlooked the peephole, and instead swung the door open to meet your unexpected guest. Face and mood falling at the sight of the unwelcome face stood in shock before you.

Well fuck... This was most certainly unexpected...

———————————

4,002 Words

2/5–This one was rather loaded, and I hope not too heartbreaking...

This was made in honor of my personal Joshua, who really was the best big brother. He however loved Charmander and their evolutions.

Mine is Squirtle obvi 🤪

#natasha romanoff #scarlett johansson x you #Scarlett Johansson x reader #scarlett johansson x female reader #scarlett johansson imagines #scarlett johansson fluff #scarlett johansson angst #scarlett johansson x y/n #scarjo #scarlett x y/n #scarlett x you #scarlett x reader #scarlett x fem!reader #natasha romanoff x female reader

[sadrockandwaltzes]

Clue Question

Spoilers

Was Mr. Green actually gay?

*He said he had to keep it secret because of his gov't job

*he told them he had a wife only when the police came in, to shut them up from saying that he's gay (even if it was a lie he wouldn't have wanted the rumor to be floating around, so this doesn't support anything)

*Mr Boddy didn't act weird about him being there or act like he didn't recognize him, which means he was one of the blackmailees

*in most cases blackmail requires photos, for claims like that, which means that Mr. Green would've had to fake it if it wasn't true, wouldn't he? But no one would be able to say whether or not they were real in that case

*he volunteered to say what his blackmail is, so perhaps the real thing he was being blackmailed for is different. Following Mr. Boddy's apparent desire to shame them all for crimes, I feel like cheating on one's wife with a man is ranked higher than simply being gay. Mr. Green said he feels no shame (about being gay) but I think for cheating he really should, and why else would he volunteer for a lesser crime if he didn't feel ashamed?

*Wadsworth had the blackmail list though so he presumably would know if the man was confessing to a different crime than what he was being blackmailed on

*unless Mr. Green was in cahoots with Mr. Boddy, but why would that make sense?

Just a bit confused on that is all. My other question was simply how Scarlett could be blackmailed for doing her job..? And does her job really pay enough to cover the costs of blackmail?

I assume the film really was just trying to say that he was straight, but the deal with the blackmailing is just throwing me off. If it weren't for that, I would definitely think he is

Not to mention he chose the one crime that would make people leave him alone (and keep them from noticing what he was up to or where he was) and make him seem inconsequential and harmless, so they wouldn't be keeping an eye on him out of fear either

#clue 1985 #clue movie #Mr. Green #movie commentary #movie questions #plot holes #spoilers

[saedii-gilwraeth-simp]

Can we have some more of the Modern au please

Hell yeah. also can you tell I know nothing about sports?

~~

The buzzer goes off loud in the gym and it's like the whole room goes silent, everyone watching and waiting with bated breath. It was the final for the uni's women's wrestling team after weeks of competing.

The trophy sits shiny on a pedestal away from the mat where the final match had just started and everyone knew it.

Tyler, Kal and their friends were sitting in the stands in rapt, watching Saedii and her competition circle each other. Saedii grins through her mouth guard and the air goes sharp right before both girls go audibly crashing into one another, both pushing.

Tyler catches Saedii shifting to the left right before Saedii’s opponent goes crashing to the mat before she even knows what happened. The ref counts it and just like that, their university has another trophy. Tyler jumps from his seat with a cheer and pumps his fist. Saedii stands from the mat and politely shake hands with her opponent before her eyes find Tyler in the crowd.

Seeing her loved ones int he crowd cheering for her, her jersey stretched across Tyler’s chest, she grins.

~

“oh, god, why, Jones?” Saedii says and Scarlett just grins instead of answering, throwing the door to the karaoke bar open. Everyone else follows willingly but Saedii is only pulled n by Tyler’s hand and wry smile.

The inside of the bar was covered in fluorescents that had Saedii wincing but Scarlett pushes though and guides them into a room with seating and a karaoke machine and screen on a stage.

Kal smiles awkwardly at Saedii and shrugs and she shrugs back. At least she had her brother, who had just as few “stupid fun” experiences as she did.

To everyone’s surprise, Zila was the first to grab the mic. She just lifts a shoulder and says quietly.

“Volunteer now or Scarlett will force later,” Scarlett doesn’t deny the accusation, just grins and cheers Zila on as she gives an awkward rendition of some song Saedii thinks is Coldplay and then promptly sits back beside Nari who wraps her arms around her girlfriend.

Eventually everyone has had a turn including awful renditions of Get It, Get It (Scarlett), Space Girl (Nari), Wonderwall (Kal), Rocket Man (Auri) and finally, Tyler’s version of Total Eclipse of the Heart that has Saedii in tears holding back her laughter.

And then, unfortunately, everyone’s eyes turn to her. She groans in dissatisfaction but gets up anyway and begins to flip through the book of sings until her eye catches on one.

“This is for Kal, whose teenage years made it so I don’t even need to read the lyrics to sing this song,” Kal looks at her in confusion and she grins sharply before hitting play.

The first note of Welcome to the Black Parade and everyone groans.

~

“You know I’m really proud of you for today,” whispers Tyler into the dark and Saedii frowns.

“For winning a wrestling match. I could do that in my sleep,” she says and he shakes his head.

“No, for getting out of your comfort zone. And for giving me ammo over Kal for his emo phase,” Saedii snorts.

“Thanks and you’re welcome.”

“And sorry that I actually recommended the karaoke bar to Scarlett to hear you sing,” he says quickly and she blinks, working through what he said.

“Oh you ass!” she says, pushing his shoulder and he laughs.

“I regret nothing.”

“I’m gonna kick you out and you’ll have to walk back to yours and Kal’s in your boxers,” she say and he smirks.

“You and I both know you like me in my boxers way so much I wouldn’t even make it to the door,” he says and she rolls her eyes.

“Cocky bastard,” she says, turning her back to him. He shuffles closer and wraps his arms around her.

“You love it.”

“I do, but I’m never singing again.”

“Hm, we’ll see... oof,” he groans as her elbow hits his stomach but he smiles because he knows she definitely didn’t throw it as hard as she could.

~

Saedii would be a karaoke champ you can’t prove me wrong 

#aurora cycle #saedii gilwraeth #Tyler Jones #scarlett jones #kal gilwraeth #auri o'malley #zila madran

[itsallyscorner]

Being a High School Student on A Marvel Set

Pairing: Marvel cast x teen!reader

Warnings: none, does crying over a math question count?

💭.

You were one of the younger actresses on set.

Though you were just a few years younger than Tom Holland.

Being a high school student and balancing your acting career was pretty difficult, not gonna lie.

Your days would consist of schooling in the morning on set, by mid afternoon you would have lunch, film your scenes for the day, take a break and do some homework, and then shoot some other scenes before calling it a day.

Everyone was aware that you had school from 8am till 1pm, so the cast made sure to not bother you around those times or make too much noise near the area you were having school.

Everyone except Robert followed that rule, but for a good reason. He would check in around 12pm and bring you some little snacks.

“Hi, sorry, she hasn’t eaten since breakfast.” He would say to the teacher that came to set everyday.

“Gotta make sure she’s got enough fuel in her body, don’t mind me.”

Oh yeah, Robert made sure you had a space on set just for your schooling. It was like the Downey Village tent but smaller. He even had a box full of school supplies in case you ran out.

The tent had windows so sometimes the other cast members, (Evans, Mackie, and Hemsworth) would peek in and make silly faces at you or wave. The gesture would make you giggle and it definitely made your schooling hours more fun.

When you’re done with school everyone would greet you.

“About time you joined!”

“How was school, kid?”

“Did you have a good day at school?”

The cast would make sure you’re not stressing over school so much. If you’ve been cooped up in the tent all day, someone would ask you to accompany them to craft service or a walk around the set so you could have some fresh air. Also for a mental break.

It would usually be Sebastian, Elizabeth, or Scarlett. They always made sure you were taking care of yourself mentally and physically.

If Benedict or Tom Hiddleston were on set they would mediate with you. I just feel like they would like meditating, Robert too.

One day they found you face planted into your Geometry textbook, sniffling and they heard you whimper.

“(Y/n), sweetheart what’s wrong?” Evans and Mackie were the ones to find you.

You removed your head from the textbook and wiped your tears with your sleeves.

“The math question. I’ve been doing it over and over again and it’s WRONG every time.”

“You’re crying over a math question?”

“I DON’T GET IT AT ALL”

“Why do I need geometry anyway? It’s not like I’m going to find the angle of my pizza before eating it.”

Anthony would shut your textbook and the two men would take a seat on either side of you.

They would calm you down before opening the textbook again and helping you.

“It’s ok to not get it on the first try. You’ve just learned this, don’t be so hard on yourself.” Chris comforted you.

“You could ask any of us for help, all of us are willing to help you.”

Chris would volunteer to help you on math questions. He was actually good at math, apparently it was one of his favorite subjects in school.

When he would get questions correct in a row he would mumble, “Nailed that one too, I still got it.”

Anthony would try to help you as well helping Chris explain the questions, “I told y’all, I studied math in high school.”

Whoever was free would help you to the best of their abilities.

You would turn to Benedict or Hiddleston to help you with essays so they would sound proper.

They were amazed to see how organized you were when it came to your work and being on top of things.

You would take naps on set. Sometimes on your chair. Most of the time it was on someone’s shoulder or lap.

Since you’re on set, you couldn’t go to prom. You didn’t even have a prom.

Tom (Holland) heard how upset you were about not having a prom and mentioned it to the others.

They surprised you with your own prom on set after a short day of filming (Which were purposely short, because the Russos were in on the surprise.)

Scarlett and Elizabeth had a dress ready for you to wear.

Tom gave you your corsage since he was the one who gave the idea of throwing you your own prom.

Everyone was dressed nicely, including the crew on set.

It wasn’t something you expected and you ended up crying.

“NO DON’T CRY!”

“Aww honey, you look beautiful!”

“Group hug!”

You danced with everyone. The moment made you realize how much you were thankful for your Marvel family.

They even threw your graduation ceremony and party.

Like it was literally a full on ceremony, led by the man himself, RDJ, and had appearances from Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Feige, and the Russos.

Everyone was taking pictures of you and your diploma, they were a bunch of proud aunties and uncles.

As a surprise they flew your family out to see you.

Again, you cried. You’ve missed them so much. They thanked everyone on the cast and crew for helping you graduated and being there for you.

Of course the cast brushed it off because they would do anything for you. You were family and their baby.

When you enter college (IF you wanna go to college) they would do it all over again.

Because they loved you:)

This shit made me soft I want to cry.

#marvel #mcu #avengers #marvel cast x teen!reader #marvel cast x reader #chris evans x reader #rdj x reader #sebastian stan x reader #tom holland x reader #robert downey jr x reader #anthony mackie x reader #Scarlett Johansson x reader #elizabeth olsen x reader #elizabeth olsen #Scarlett Johansson #chris evans #sebastan stan #robert downey jr #rdj #anthony mackie #Tom Holland #marvel cast

[softestavengers]

Outnumbered (avengers cast x reader)

Hi!! First of all, I love your writing it’s AMAZING. I was hoping to request a fix where the reader finally gets to go to a reunion with the avengers cast (like evans, Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, Lizzie, Scarlett,etc.) this would probably take place for whenever covid is no longer an issue. And with everyone together in one place a big tickle fight ensues with the reader being the main target 😊 not sure if you right for the actors or just the characters but just thought I’d send in this idea. Thank you so much!

I’m SO sorry this took literally forever!! I’m sorry if it doesn’t include every single cast member, I’m still learning how to write with multiple lers/lees! I hope you enjoy!

~

“So, what you’re saying is, you actually missed us?”

You could hear the teasing grin in RDJ’s voice from behind you as you stood at the kitchen counter, pouring yourself a small glass of red wine. You rolled your eyes playfully, spinning on your heel to face him. 

You were overjoyed to finally have this reunion with your best friends. With over a year of quarantine and a vaccine finally being distributed, the COVID-19 pandemic was finally finding its way to an end. And with it, isolation began coming to an end as well.

“I guess.” you hummed, taking a sip of your wine. You thought about your next remark before swallowing. “But I don’t miss Evans scaring me all the time, that’s for sure.”

From the living room, you heard Evans bark out a laugh. “You never get used to it!” he yelled back, folding one leg over the other as he lounged back on the couch.

You shook your head and strutted into the living room, eyeing the fully occupied sofa where Tom and Anthony sat next to Chris Evans. “Move over and let a gal rest her legs, will you boys?” you asked, pouting slightly.

“Only if you say you missed us.” Tom gave a cheeky smile, taking a large gulp of his wine.

“Holland, you’re supposed to sip it, you unholy swine!” you proclaimed, setting your glass down on the coffee table so you could cross your arms. Everyone began to snicker at your sass.

“Who gave him alcohol?” Anthony piped up. “Someone get this kid a juice box.”

“I’m 24!” Tom protested, glaring over at Mackie. “You’re an ass.”

“Whats a girl gotta do to find a seat around here?” you groaned, turning to the other couch where Scarlett and Elizabeth were perched. They both immediately scooted in opposite directions, leaving a space in the middle for you.

“See? The ladies always have my back.” you glared at the boys, sulking as you sat between the two girls. “Where’s Sebby?” you asked, suddenly noticing Sebastian’s absence.

“Probably on his phone on the toilet.” Tom giggled, pantomiming typing on a phone and pretending to be engrossed in it. Evans slapped his shoulder.

“If you guys aren’t busy talking shit, maybe I’ll join the party.” you heard Sebastian Stan himself proclaim as he appeared at the hallway entrance. “And y/n, you know I hate being called Sebby.”

“But I haven’t seen you in ages, Sebby!” you retorted, unable to hide your grin. “This quarantine had my memory a little rusty. Perhaps yours is even worse, considering you’re canonically 106 when you’re Bucky.”

“Watch it.” he warned, pointing at you. “I’ll still get you.” he took on a threatening tone.

You raised an eyebrow challengingly. “I’m not scared of you.” you sassed, folding your arms across your chest. You could practically feel the playful tension that began to fill the room. On your right, Scarlett barked out a laugh.

“Oh y/n, you must never learn.” she shook her head, wrapping an arm around your shoulders casually. She leaned close to your ear and whispered “Everybody in this room knows something that could end you.”

At her words, you felt your stomach drop and heat rise to your cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” you mumbled, though you knew you were already defeated. Especially when you glanced up to see Sebastian stepping towards you with a menacing grin. 

You felt Lizzie wrap her arms around you from the other side. “You don’t, do you?” she feigned shock, resting her head against your shoulder. “I think she needs a reminder, don’t you guys?”

You could feel everybody’s eyes on you, your heart pounding in your chest, and the burning in your face. You knew exactly what was coming, and yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to protest. It had been such a long time since..

“You know what happens when you cross us, y/n.” Sebastian snapped you out of your thoughts, and you immediately began to squirm when he lifted his arms and began to wiggle his fingers threateningly. Elizabeth’s grip on you instantly tightened, and you found yourself stuck.

“W-Wait!” you gasped, letting out a squeal when Scarlett’s fingers began to ghost over the side of your neck. You shrugged up your shoulder, but she only responded by switching to the other side.

“Oh, now you want to protest?” RDJ suddenly spoke up from the other side of the room, his face remaining stone cold as he spectated. “It’s no secret that you practically beg for this every single time.”

“Exactly!” Seb exclaimed, his fingers gripping your sides and squeezing ruthlessly. “It must have been so hard for you, having to wait for this for so long!”

You shook your head, giggles bubbling through your gritted teeth. “Y-You’re all crahahazy!” you cried, still squirming in Elizabeth’s grip.

“Crazy?” Evans suddenly gasped from behind the couch, nearly making you jump out of your skin. He must have snuck back there whilst you were occupied with your other three assailants. “How rude of you!”

You shrieked when you felt his fingers dig into your shoulders, your hands immediately flying up to shove at them as you shrunk back against the couch, squeezing your eyes shut. “Stohop! I hate all of yohohou!”

“Poor baby y/n,” Elizabeth’s voice crooned in your ear. “I can’t imagine the torture it must have been, needing tickles for so long but having no way to get them.”

You swore you could feel your entire body heat up at her words, and you screamed when she suddenly began blowing into your ear, and Sebastian’s menacing fingers switched to your knees. You kicked your legs about in a fit of laughter.

“STOHOP! NOHOHO!” you choked out, now thrashing desperately. Four people tickling you at once was almost too much for you to handle. Almost.

“But you loooove it!” Evans exclaimed from behind you, his hands moving down to shake his fingers into your ribcage.

“TOHOM! HELP MEHEHE!” you reached out to someone, anyone. “ANTHONY!”

Both men glanced at each other, the same grin crossing their faces.

“No thanks.” Anthony folded his arms behind his head. “I’m having a good time with Holland over here.”

“Sorry y/n.” Tom shook his head. “I don’t want to fall victim to those creeps.”

“Keep that kind of talk up and you will.” Sebastian glared back at him, making Holland raise his hands in surrender and roll his eyes.

“GUHUYS!” you screamed. “I CAHANT BREATHE!”

Slowly, the tickles began to stop. You felt Elizabeth’s grip on you loosen, and you immediately jumped off of the couch, collapsing onto the floor and taking in huge gulps of air. You buried your red face into the carpet, unable to look at anyone.

“Now look what you guys did! You broke them!” RDJ exclaimed, gesturing to you. 

“I... I-I hate you guys.” you huffed, slowly sitting up. You dusted yourself off, regaining your composure. “Now, who’s first on my revenge list?” you glared at Scarlett, Elizabeth, Chris, and Sebastian. 

“Not it!” Chris exclaimed, raising his hands. You narrowed your eyes at him.

“Thanks for volunteering.” you grinned, advancing towards him.

“WAIT! I’M INNOCENT!” Chris exclaimed as he took off across the house, with you hot on his heels.

You had definitely missed this. Though, you could never admit it.

#avengers cast fic #avengers cast tickle fic #sfw tickle fic #marvel tickle fic #marvel tickles #sfw tickle #tom holland #chris evans #scarlett johansen #elizabeth olsen #RDJ #anthony mackie #sebastian stan #scarlet writes #lee!reader #ler!chris #ler!scarlett #ler!elizabeth #ler!sebastian

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

The Importance of Antiheroes

By Brooksie C. Fontaine (me) and Sara R. McKearney 

Few tropes are as ubiquitous as that of the hero. He takes the form of Superman, ethically and non-lethally thwarting Lex Luthor. Of Luke Skywalker, gazing wistfully at twin suns and waiting for his adventure to begin. In pre-Eastwood era films, a white Stetson made the law-abiding hero easily distinguishable from his black-hatted antagonists. He is Harry Potter, Jon Snow, T’Challa, Simba. He is of many incarnations, he is virtually inescapable, and he serves a necessary function: he reminds us of what we can achieve, and that regardless of circumstance, we can choose to be good. We need our heroes, and always will.

But equally vital to the life-blood of any culture is his more nebulous and difficult to define counterpart: the antihero. Whereas the hero is defined, more or less, by his morality and exceptionalism, the antihero doesn’t cleanly meet these criteria. Where the hero tends to be confident and self-assured, the antihero may have justifiable insecurities. While the hero has faith in the goodness of humanity, the anthero knows from experience how vile humans can be. While the hero typically respects and adheres to authority figures and social norms, the antihero may rail against them for any number of reasons. While the hero always embraces good and rejects evil, the antihero may do either. And though the hero might always be buff, physically capable, and mentally astute, the antihero may be average or below.  The antihero scoffs at the obligation to be perfect, and our culture's demand for martyrdom. And somehow, he is at least as timeless and enduring as his sparklingly heroic peers. 

Which begs the question: where did the antihero come from, and why do we need him?

The Birth of the Anti-Hero:

It is worth noting that many of the oldest and most enduring heroes would now be considered antiheroes. The Greek Heracles was driven to madness, murdered his family, and upon recovering had to complete a series of tasks to atone for his actions. Theseus, son of Poseidon and slayer of the Minotaur, straight-up abandoned the woman who helped him do it. And we all know what happened to Oedipus, whose life was so messed up he got a complex named after him. 

And this isn’t just limited to Ancient Greece: before he became a god, the Mesoamerican Quetzalcoatl committed suicide after drunkenly sleeping with his sister. The Mesopotamian Gilgamesh – arguably the first hero in literature – began his journey as a slovenly, hedonistic tyrant. Shakespearian heroes were denoted with an equal number of gifts and flaws – the cunning but paranoid Hamlet, the honorable but gullible Othello, the humble but power-hungry MacBeth – which were just as likely to lead to their downfall as to their apotheosis.

There’s probably a definitive cause for our current definition of hero as someone who’s squeaky clean: censorship. With the birth of television and film as we know it, it was, for a time, illegal to depict criminals as protagonists, and law enforcement as antagonists. The perceived morality of mainstream cinema was also strictly monitored, limiting what could be portrayed. Bonnie and Clyde, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Scarface, The Godfather, Goodfellas, and countless other cinematic staples prove that such policies did not endure, but these censorship laws divorced us, culturally, from the moral complexity of our most resonant heroes. 

Perhaps because of the nature of the medium, literature arguably has never been as infatuated with moral purity as its early cinematic and T.V. counterparts. From the Byronic male love interests of the Bronte sisters, to “Doctor” Frankenstein (that little college dropout never got a PhD), to Dorian Grey, to Anna Karenina, to Scarlett O’Hara, to Holden Caulfield, literature seems to thrive on morally and emotionally complex individuals and situations. Superman punching a villain and saving Lois Lane is compelling television, but doesn’t make for a particularly thought-provoking read. 

It is also worth noting, however, that what we now consider to be universal moral standards were once met with controversy: Superman’s story and real name – Kal El – are distinctly Jewish, in which his doomed parents were forced to send him to an uncertain future in a foreign culture. Captain America punching Nazis now seems like a no-brainer, but at the time it was not a popular opinion, and earned his Jewish creators a great deal of controversy. So in a manner of speaking, some of the most morally upstanding heroes are also antiheroes, in that they defied society’s rules. 

This brings us to our concluding point: that anti-heroes can be morally good. The complex and sometimes tragic heroes of old, and today’s antiheroes, are not necessarily immoral, but must often make difficult choices, compromises, and sacrifices. They are flawed, fallible, and can sometimes lead to their own downfall. But sometimes, they triumph, and we can cheer them for it. This is what makes their stories so powerful, so relatable, and so necessary to the fabric of our culture. So without further ado, let’s have a look at some of pop-culture’s most interesting antiheroes, and what makes them so damn compelling. 

Note:  For the purposes of this essay, we will only be looking at male antiheroes. Because the hero’s journey is traditionally so male-oriented, different standards of subversiveness, morality, and heroism apply to female protagonists, and the antiheroine deserves an article all her own.

Antiheroes show us the negative effects of systematic inequalities (and what they can do to gifted people.) 

As demonstrated by: Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders.

Why he could be a hero: He’s incredibly charismatic, intelligent, and courageous. He deeply cares for his loved ones, has a strict code of honor, reacts violently to the mistreatment of innocents, and demonstrates surprisingly high levels of empathy. 

Why he’s an antihero: He also happens to be a ruthless, incredibly violent crime lord who regularly slashes out his enemies’ eyes. 

What he can teach us: From the moment Tommy Shelby makes his entrance, it becomes apparent that Peaky Blinders will not unfold like the archetypical crime drama. Evocative of the outlaw mythos of the Old West, Tommy rides across a smoky, industrialized landscape. He is immaculately dressed, bareback, on a magnificent black horse. A rogue element, his presence carries immediate power, causing pedestrians to hurriedly clear a path. You get the sense that he does not conform to this time or era, nor does he abide by the rules of society.

The ONLY acceptable way to introduce a protagonist.

Set in the decades between World War I and II, Peaky Blinders differentiates itself from its peers, not just because of its distinctive, almost Shakespearian style of storytelling, powerful visual style, and use of contemporary music, but also in the manner in which it shows that society provokes the very criminality it attempts to vanquish. Moreover, it dedicates time to demonstrating why this form of criminality is sometimes the only option for success in an unfair system. When the law wants to keep you relegated to the station in which you were born, success almost inevitably means breaking the rules. Tommy is considered one of the most influential characters of the decade because of the manner in which he embodies this phenomenon, and the reason why antiheroes pervade folklore across the decades.

Peaky Blinders engenders a unique level of empathy within its first episodes, in which we are not just immersed in the glamour of the gangster lifestyle, but we understand the background that provoked it. Tommy, who grew up impoverished and discriminated against due to his “didicoy” Romany background, volunteered to fight for his country, and went to war as a highly intelligent, empathetic young man. He returned with the knowledge that the country he had served had essentially used him and others like him as canon fodder, with no regard for their lives, well-being, or future. Such veterans were often looked down upon or disregarded by a society eager to forget the war. Having served as a tunneler – regarded to be the worst possible position in a war already beset by unprecedented brutality – Tommy’s constant proximity to death not only destroyed his faith in authority, but also his fear of mortality. This absence of fear and deference, coupled with his incredible intelligence, ambition, ruthlessness, and strategic abilities, makes him a dangerous weapon, now pointed at the very society that constructed him to begin with. 

It is also difficult to critique Tommy’s criminality, when we take into account that society would have completely stifled him if he had abided by its rules. As someone of Romany heritage, he was raised in abject poverty, and never would have been admitted into situations of higher social class. Even at his most powerful, we see the disdain his colleagues have at being obligated to treat him as an equal. In one particularly powerful scene, he begins shoveling horse manure, explaining that, “I’m reminding myself of what I’d be if I wasn’t who I am.” If he hadn’t left behind society’s rules, his brilliant mind would be occupied only with cleaning stables.

However, the necessity of criminality isn’t depicted as positive: it is one of the greatest tragedies of the narrative that society does not naturally reward the most intelligent or gifted, but instead rewards those born into positions of unjust privilege, and those who are willing to break the rules with intelligence and ruthlessness. Each year, the trauma of killing, nearly being killed, and losing loved ones makes Tommy’s PTSD increasingly worse, to the point at which he regularly contemplates suicide. Cillian Murphy has remarked that Tommy gets little enjoyment out of his wealth and power, doing what he does only for his family and “because he can.” Steven Knight cites the philosophy of Francis Bacon as a driving force behind Tommy’s psychology: “Since it’s all so meaningless, we might as well be extraordinary.” 

This is further complicated when it becomes apparent that the upper class he’s worked so arduously to join is not only ruthlessly exclusionary, but also more corrupt than he’s ever been. There are no easy answers, no easy to pinpoint sources of societal or personal issues, no easy divisibility of positive and negative. This duality is something embraced by the narrative, and embodied by its protagonist. An intriguingly androgynous figure, Tommy emulated the strength and tenacity of the women in his life, particularly his mother; however, he also internalized her application of violence, even laughing about how she used to beat him with a frying pan. His family is his greatest source of strength and his greatest weakness, often exploited by his enemies who realize they cannot fall back on his fear of mortality. He feels emotions more strongly than the other characters, and ironically must numb himself to the world around him in order to cope with it.

However, all hope is not lost. Creator Steven Knight has stated that his hope is ultimately to redeem Tommy, so by the show’s end he is “a good man doing good things.” There are already whispers of what this may look like: as an MP, Tommy cares for Birmingham and its citizens far more than any “legitimate” politicians, meeting with them personally to ensure their needs are met; as of last season, he attempted a Sinatra-style assassination of a rising fascist simply because it was the right thing to do. “Goodness” is an option in the world of Peaky Blinders; the only question is what form it will take on a landscape plagued by corruption at every turn. 

Regardless of what form his “redemption” might take, it’s negligible that Tommy will ever meet all the criteria of an archetypal hero as we understand it today. He is far more evocative of the heroes of Ancient Greece, of the Old West, of the Golden Age of Piracy, of Feudal Japan – ferocious, magnitudinous figures who move and make the earth turn with them, who navigate the ever-changing landscapes of society and refuse to abide by its rules, simultaneously destructive and life-affirming. And that’s what makes him so damn compelling.

Who needs traditional morality, when you look this damn good?

Other examples: 

Alfie Solomons from Peaky Blinders. Tommy’s friend and sometimes mortal enemy, the two develop an intriguing, almost romantic connection due to their shared experiences of oppression and powerful intellects. Steven Knight has referred to Alfie as “the only person Tommy can really talk to,” possibly because he is Tommy’s only intellectual equal, resulting in a strange form of spiritual matrimony between the two.

Omar Little from The Wire, an oftentimes tender and compassionate man who cares deeply for his loved ones, and does his best to promote morality and idealism in a society which offers him few viable methods of doing so. He may rob drug dealers at gunpoint, but he also refuses to harm innocents, dislikes swearing, and views his actions as a method of decreasing crime in the area. 

Chiron from Moonlight, a sensitive and empathetic young man who became a drug dealer because society had provided him with virtually no other options for self-sustenance. The same could be said for Chiron’s mentor and father figure, Juan, a kind and nurturing man who is also a drug dealer. 

To a lesser extent, Tony from The Sopranos, and other fictional Italian American gangsters. The Sopranos often negotiates the roots of mob culture as a response to  inequalities, while also holding its characters accountable for their actions by pointing out that Tony and his ilk are now rich and privileged and face little systematic discrimination.

Walter White from Breaking Bad – an underpaid, chronically disrespected teacher who has to work two jobs and still can’t afford to pay for medical treatment. More on him on the next page. 

Antiheroes show us how we can be the villains. 

As demonstrated by: Walter White from Breaking Bad. 

Why he could be a hero: He’s a brilliant, underappreciated chemist whose work contributed to the winning of a Nobel Prize. He’s also forging his own path in the face of incredible adversity, and attempting to provide for his family in the event of his death.

Why he’s an antihero: In his pre-meth days, Walt failed to meet the exceptionalism associated with heroes, as a moral but socially passive underachiever living an unremarkable life. At the end of his transformation, he is exceptional at what he does, but has completely lost his moral standards.

What he can teach us: G.K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not tell children that the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” Following this analogy, it is equally important that our stories show us we, ourselves, can be the dragon. Or the villain, to be more specific, because being a dragon sounds strangely awesome.

Walter White of Breaking Bad is a paragon of antiheroism for a reason: he subverts almost every traditional aspect of heroism. From the opening shots of Walt careening along in an RV, clad in tighty whities and a gas mask, we recognize that he is neither physically capable, nor competent in the manner we’ve come to expect from our heroes. He is not especially conventionally attractive, nor are women particularly drawn to him. He does not excel at his career or garner respect. As the series progresses, Walt does develop the competence, confidence, courage, and resilience we expect of heroes, but he is no longer the moral protagonist: he is self-motivated, vindictive, and callous. And somehow, he still remains identifiable, which is integral to his efficacy.

But let us return to the beginning of the series, and talk about how, exactly, Walt subverts our expectations from the get-go. Walt is the epitome of an everyman: he’s fifty years old, middle class, passive, and worried about identifiable problems – his health, his bills, his physically disabled son, and his unborn baby. Whereas Tommy Shelby’s angelic looks, courage, and intellect subvert our preconceptions about what a criminal can be, Walt’s initial unremarkability subverts our preconceptions about who can be a criminal. The hook of the series is the idea that a man so chronically average could make and distribute meth.

Just because an audience is hooked by a concept, however, does not mean that they’ll necessarily continue watching. Breaking Bad could have easily veered into ludicrosity, if it weren’t for another important factor: character. Walt is immediately and intensely relatable, and he somehow retains our empathy for the entirety of the series, even at his least forgivable.

When we first meet Walt, his talents are underappreciated, he’s overqualified for his menial jobs, chronically disrespected by everyone around him, underpaid, and trapped in a joyless, passionless life in which the highlight of his day is a halfhearted handjob from his distracted wife. And to top it all off? He has terminal lung cancer. Happy birthday, Walt.

We root for him for the same reason we root for Dumbo, Rudolph, Harry Potter: he’s an underdog. The odds are stacked against him, and we want to see him triumph. Which is why it’s cathartic, for us and for Walt, when he finally finds a profession in which he can excel – even if that profession is the ability to manufacture incredibly high-quality meth. His former student Jesse Pinkman – a character so interesting that there’s a genuine risk he’ll hijack this essay – appreciates his skill, and this early appreciation is what makes his relationship with Jesse feel so much more genuine than Walt’s relationship with his family, even as their dynamic becomes increasingly unhealthy and Walt uses Jesse to bolster his meth business and his ego. This deeply dysfunctional but heartfelt father-son connection is Walt’s tether to humanity as he becomes increasingly inhumane, while also demonstrating his descent from morality. It has been pointed out that one can gauge how far-gone Walt is from his moral ideals by how much Jesse is suffering.

But to return to the initial point, it is imperative that we first empathize with Walt in order to adequately understand his descent. Aside from the fact that almost all characters are more interesting if the audience can or wants to empathize with them, Walt’s relatability makes it easy to understand our own potential for toxic and destructive behaviors. We are the protagonist of our own story, but we aren’t necessarily its hero.

Similarly, we understand how easily we can justify destructive actions, and how quickly reasonable feelings of anger and injustice swerve into self-indulgent vindication and entitlement. Walt claims to be cooking meth to provide for his family, and this may be partially true; but he also denies financial help from his rich friends out of spite, and admits later to his wife Skylar that he primarily did it for himself because he was good at it and “it made (him) feel alive.”

This also forces us to examine our preconceptions, and essentially do Walt’s introspections for him: whereas Peaky Blinders emphasize the fact that Tommy and his family would never have been able to achieve prosperity by obeying society’s laws, Walt feels jilted out of success he was promised by a meritocratic system that doesn’t currently exist. He has essentially achieved our current understanding of the American dream – a house with a pool, a beautiful wife and family, an honest job – but it left him unable to provide for his wife and children or even pay for his cancer treatment. He’s also unhappy and alienated from his passions and fellow human beings. With this in mind, it’s understandable – if absurd – that the only way he can attain genuine happiness and excel is through becoming a meth cook. In this way, Breaking Bad is both a scathing critique of our current society, and a haunting reminder that there’s not as much standing between ourselves and villainy as we might like to believe.  

So are we all slaves to this system of entitlement and resentment, of shattered and unfulfilling dreams? No, because Breaking Bad provides us with an intriguing and vital counterpoint: Jesse Pinkman. Whereas Walt was bolstered with promises that he was gifted and had a bright future ahead of him, Jesse was assured by every authority figure in his life that he would never amount to anything. However, Jesse proves himself skilled at what he’s passionate about: art, carpentry, and of course, cooking meth. Whereas Walt perpetually rationalizes and shirks responsibility, Jesse compulsively takes responsibility, even for things that weren’t his fault. Whereas Walt found it increasingly acceptable to endanger or harm bystanders, Jesse continuously worked to protect innocents – especially children – from getting hurt. Though Jesse suffered immensely throughout the course of the show – and the subsequent movie, El Camino – the creators say that he successfully made it to Alaska and started a carpentry business. Some theorists have supposed that Jesse might be a Jesus allegory – a carpenter who suffers for the sins of others. Regardless of whether this is true, it is interesting, and amusing to imagine Jesus using the word “bitch” so often. Though he didn’t get the instant gratification of immediate success that Walt got, he was able to carve (no pun intended – carpentry, you know) a place for himself in the world. 

Jesse isn’t a perfect person, but he reminds us that improving ourselves and creating a better life is an option, even if Walt’s rise to power was more initially thrilling. So take heart: there’s a bit of Heisenberg in all of us, but there’s also a bit of Jesse Pinkman. 

The savior we all need, but don’t deserve.

Other examples:

Bojack from Bojack Horseman. Like Walt, the audience can’t help but empathize with Bojack, understand his decision-making, and even see ourselves in him. However, the narrative ruthlessly demonstrates the consequences of his actions, and shows us how negatively his selfishness and self-destructive qualities impact others.   

Again, Tony Soprano. Tony, even at his very worst, is easy to like and empathize with. Despite his position as a mafia Godfather, he’s unfailingly human. Which makes the destruction caused by his actions all the more resonant.

Antiheroes emphasize the absurdity of contemporary culture (and how we must operate in it.)

As demonstrated by: Marty Byrde from Ozark.

Why he could be a hero: He’s a loving father who ultimately just wants to provide for and ensure the safety of his family. He’s also fiercely intelligent, with excellent negotiative, interpersonal, and strategic skills that allows him to talk his way out of almost any situation without the use of violence.

Why he’s an antihero: He launders money for a ruthless drug cartel, and has no issue dipping his toes into various illegal activities.

Why he’s compelling: Marty is an antihero of the modern era. He has a remarkable ability to talk his way into or out of any situation, and he’s also a master of using a pre-constructed system of rules and privileges to his benefit.

In the very first episode, he goes from literally selling the American Dream, to avoiding murder at the hands of a ruthless drug cartel by planning to launder money for them in the titular Ozarks. Despite his long history of dabbling in illegality, Marty has no firearms – a questionable choice for someone on the run from violent drug kingpins, but a testament to his ability to rely on his oratory skills and nothing else. He doesn’t hesitate to engage an apparently violent group of hillbillies to request the return of his stolen cash, because he knows he can talk them into giving it back to him. The only time he engages other characters in physical violence, he immediately gets pummeled, because physical altercation has never been his form of currency. Not that he’s subjected to physical violence particularly often, either: Marty is a master of the corporate landscape, which makes him a master of the criminal landscape. He is brilliant at avoiding the consequences of his actions. 

It’s easy to like and admire Marty for his cleverness, for being able to escape from apparently impermeable situations with words as his only weapon. He’s got a reassuring, dad-ly sort of charisma that immediately endears the viewer, and offers respite from the seemingly endless threats coming from every direction. He unquestionably loves his family, including his adulterous wife. As such, it’s easy to forget that Marty is being exploited by the same system that exploits all of us: crony capitalism. The polar opposite of meritocratic capitalism – in which success is based on hard work, ingenuity, and, hence the name, merit – crony capitalism benefits only the conglomerates that plague the global landscape like cancerous warts, siphoning money off of workers and natural capital, keeping them indentured with basic necessities and the idle promise of success.

Marty isn’t benefiting from his hard work in the Ozarks. Everything he makes goes right back to the drug cartel who continuously threatens the life of him and his family. He is rewarded for his efforts with a picturesque house, a boat, and the appearance of success, but he is not allowed to keep the fruits of his labor. Marty may be an expert at navigating the corporate and criminal landscape, but it still exploits him. In this manner, Marty embodies both the American business, the American worker, and a sort of inversion of the American dream.

In this same manner, Marty, the other characters, and even the Ozarks themselves embody the modern dissonance between appearance and reality. Marty’s family looks like something you’d respect to see on a Christmas card from your DILF-y, successful coworker, but it’s bubbling with dysfunctionality. His wife is cheating on him with a much-older man, and instead of confronting her about it, he first hired a private investigator and then spent weeks rewatching the footage, paralyzed with options and debating what to do. The problem somewhat solves itself when his wife’s lover is unceremoniously murdered by the cartel, and Wendy and Marty are driven into a sort of matrimonial business partnership motivated by the shared interest of protecting their children, but this also further demonstrates how corporate even their family dealings have become. His children, though precocious, are forced to contend with age-inappropriate levels of responsibility and the trauma of sudden relocation, juxtaposed with a childhood of complete privilege up until this point.

Conversely, the shadow of the Byrde family is arguably the Langmores. Precocious teenagers Ruth and Wyatt can initially be shrugged off as local hillbillies and budding con-artists, but much like the Shelby family of the Peaky Blinders, they prove to be extremely intelligent individuals suffering beneath a society that doesn’t care about their stifled potential. Systemic poverty is a bushfire that spreads from one generation to the next, stoked by the prejudices of authority figures and abusive parental figures who refuse to embrace change out of a misguided sense of class-loyalty. 

Almost every other character we meet eventually inverts our expectations of them: from the folksy, salt-of-the-earth farmers who grow poppies for opium and murder more remorselessly than the cartel itself, to the cookie-cutter FBI agent whose behavior becomes increasingly volatile and chaotic, to the heroin-filled Bibles handed out by an unknowing preacher, to the secrets hidden by the lake itself, every detail conveys corruption hidden behind a postcard-pretty picture of tranquility and success.

Marty’s awareness of this illusion, and what lurks behind it, is perhaps the greatest subversion of all. Marty knows that the world of appearance and the world of reality coexist, and he was blessed with a natural talent for navigating within the two. Like Walter White, Marty makes us question our assumptions about who a criminal can be – despite the fact that many successful, attractive, middle-aged family men launder money and juggle criminal activities, it’s still jarring to witness, which tells us something about how image informs our understanding of reality. Socially privileged, white-collar criminals simply have more control over how they’re portrayed than an inner-city gang, or impoverished teenagers. However, unlike Walt, Marty’s criminal activities are not any kind of middle-aged catharsis: they’re a way of life, firmly ingrained in the corporate landscape. They were present long before he arrived on the scene, and he knows it. He just has to navigate them. 

Just like our shining, messianic heroes can teach us about truth, justice, and the American way, so too does each antihero have something to teach us: they teach us that society doesn’t reward those who follow its instructions, nor does it often provide an avenue of morality. Even if you live a life devoid of apparent sin, every privilege is paid for by someone else’s sacrifice. But the best antiheroes are not beacons of nihilism – they show us the beauty that can emerge from even the ugliest of situations. Peaky Blinders is, at its core, a love story between Tommy Shelby and the family he crawled out of his grave for, just as Breaking Bad is ultimately a deeply dysfunctional tale of a father figure and son. Ozark, like its predecessors, is about family – the only authenticity in a society that operates on deception, illusion, and corruption. They teach us that even in the worst times and situations, love can compel us, redeem us, bind us closer together. Only then can we face the dragons of life, and feel just a bit more heroic.

Other examples:

Don Draper from Mad Men. A similarly Shakespearian figure for the modern era, Don is a man who appears to have everything – perfect looks, a beautiful wife and children, a prestigious job. He could have stepped out of an ad for the American Dream. And yet, he feels disconnected from his life, isolated from others by the very societal rules he, as a member of the ad agency, helps to propagate. It helps that he’s literally leading a borrowed life, inherited from the stolen identity of his deceased fellow soldier, and was actually an impoverished, illegitimate farmboy whose childhood abuse permanently damaged his ability to form relationships. The Hopper-esque alienation evoked by the world of Mad Men really deserves an essay all it’s own, and his wife Betty – whose Stepford-level mask of cheerful subservience hides seething unhappiness and unfulfilled potential – is a particularly intriguing figure to explore. Maybe in my next essay, on the importance of the antiheroine.

#my writing tips #writing tips #tommy shelby #peaky blinders #walter white #breaking bad #jesse pinkman #bojack horseman #don draper #writing advice #antihero #the types of antiheroes #long post for ts

[leossmoonn]

ok but imagine stefan as a single dad to twins and you were there mother but something supernatural kills you, and then stefan takes care of your children 🥺

thats so— thanks for making me SAD ANON

nah jk i love this concept

the first few months without you and with just the twins are hard. caroline had to help him a lot with taking care of the twins. (we’ll name ‘em scarlett and sawyer)

stefan was in a deep depression for about a year. you were the love of his life, after all. it wasnt only caroline who helped out, but she volunteered the most out of everybody. it helps that her and (someone from your family side) are the kid’s god parents.

stefan gradually grew out of the depression, finally going to therapy and gaining control of his life. he started to be more involved with his kids, which he felt bad that he had missed like a whole year of their lives, but ever since he got back on his feet, he’s always tried to make up for it. (and hes def done more than enough)

i just imagine the kids asking about you when theyre a little older - like 6 yrs old - and stefan sits them down right before bed and tells them stories about you. like your guys’s first date, how cool and badass you were fighting off supernatural being. how amazing and caring you were. how good of a friend you were. how much he loves you. and he tells scarlett and sawyer bad things about you too, like your flaws and he’s honest bc he wants them to know that you weren’t this perfect person, and that was okay.

he keeps pictures of you and him on his desk, and he hung up every picture of you and the kids that he has. (lets say you died when the kids were like, 2).

he also wears the jacket you gave him everyday. once scarlett is old enough to like start actually caring about jewelry, he gives her your necklace. and with sawyer, he gives him your artwork (lets say you were a very talented painter and musician) and sawyer hangs your work all over his room. sawyer also developed your musical talent and he plays the songs you wrote, honoring you.

stefan turns out to be an amazing father. its definitely not easy, especially when the kids go through their teenage years, but theyre a close-knit family.

and you’re watching from above (like on the other side lol) with lexi everything stefan’s doing. and you’re so so so proud of him and your kids. and stefan definitely knows you’re watching over him :)

oh and stefan definitely like falls in love again and guess who it is? caroline! lol. but the kids already see her as a mother figure and stefan never really had feeling for her until she started helping out and it just developed over time. so they started dating when the kids were in high school (rough transition lol) and the kids were kind of rude to her bc they were loyal to their mom, but stefan sat them down and was like

“look, i’m not gonna say “your mom would want this and whatever” bc i dont know what she would want but, i do know that i have to move on. i love your mother, i’m always going to. no one can beat her, but i think it’s time for me to try and move on. find happiness again and c’mon, you guys love caroline. you two used to calm her mom when you were babies even. so please, respect my decision”

and sawyer agrees, and it takes scarlett a little while to come around but by the time of caroline and stefan’s wedding, she’s so happy for them and loves the two together.

and like i said, youre watching them and youre proud of stefan for moving on. ngl you were kinda hurt but like you knew this day would happen, lets be realistic lol. and you wouldnt have anyone else be stefan’s wife. you know caroline will take care of stefan :)

ahhhh this made me so soft wldkekwebfjr

stefan concepts masterlist

#stefan concepts #depression mention #anon <3 #ask #stefan salvatore #stefanconcepts

[bella-spil]

The Burning Question

Summary: You and Bucky play a game while everyone else is away.  It ends different then either of you expected. 

Warnings: Dirty talking, cursing, adult topics, TONS OF FLUFF. 

If this gets popular, I wrote stories that continue from this, so if you like it, I will post the others!  This also my first fanfic, so let this get popular!  

Word count: 3k

You had become an avenger two years ago.  You were discovered by Tony Stark during one of the Avengers missions.  They had infiltrated a HYDRA base that kept popping on the Avenger's radar for the high temperatures that were emitting from the building.  You volunteered to be experimented on since you had no friends and no family, and you thought you had nothing else to live for so why not be experimented on.  HYDRA put a serum in you similar to the Winter Soldier's but you also got the power to control fire.  You could fly, breathe and control fire to your will, and also had enhanced speed, agility, strength and fighting skills.  Tony, Nat, Steve and Bucky discovered you in an ice bath since you could overheat from your powers.  They immediately rescued you and nursed you back to health and trained you to become an Avenger.   

During the process, you had become close friends with everyone, especially with Nat, Steve, Sam and Peter.  You also developed feelings for Bucky since the moment he rescued you.  You loved everything about him, physically and emotionally.  But you didn't want to tell him fearing that it might damage the relationship you had with him.  After hiding it from him for two years, you knew you had to tell him soon.  And today seemed like the right time to.

Today was proving to be as boring as ever.  It was pouring outside, and you could hear the thunder from your bedroom.  You left the windows open because you always liked to look at the lighting, how it looked so chaotic, yet graceful.  You had your hair messed up, flayed out all over you and you were wearing a thin oversized T-Shirt and pretty revealing shorts.  You were sitting on your bed listening to music at 10pm when you heard something.  You could barely hear it and weren't sure if you were hallucinating, so you ignored it.  Then you heard the sound again, this time louder and realized someone was knocking at your door.

"Come in!" you shout over the music.  

Then a certain Super Soldier enters the room, in a white T-shirt and boxers.  His hair was lying on his shoulders, messy as always.  He leaned against the door for a minute, clearly unsure if you wanted him to enter or not.  You and him were friends, but not as close as you wanted to be though.  You talked during missions and when you and him were in the same room, but Bucky never just wanted to come into your room.  

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Oh yeah sure sorry!  Here, come sit!"  Then he plopped down on your bed.  

"Whatcha doin?" 

"Listening to music, there's nothing to do since nobody is here," you answer.  All of the Avengers were out.  Tony, Wanda, Sam, Vision and Clint left last week to go out on a mission in Wakanda and they weren't going to be back for another month.  Steve and Nat went on a separate mission a few days ago to Budapest to follow a lead they obtained on Brock Rumlow, and they were going to arrive the day before the other team came back.  Peter was still in school in Queens and spring break started on the day Steve and Nat were getting back, and he wasn't going to waste anytime in Queens.  He was coming straight up to the Compound.

"Yeah, pretty boring being all alone." he responded.

Suddenly, you have an idea, the best idea you have ever had.  You realized you and Bucky were alone, so this was the perfect time to tell him.  But you didn't want to tell him flat out, so through a game, like 50 questions, would be creative, fun and a lighthearted way to tell Bucky exactly how you felt.

"Hey I have an idea, do you want to play a game?  Since there's nothing else to do." you ask as you turn off your music.

Bucky becomes interested.  He only had short conversations with you, but he likes spending time around you.  So what better way to do that then play with you.

"Sure.  What did you have in mind?"

"Wanna play fifty questions?"

"Sure.  What are the rules?"

"Well, the rules are pretty simple.  You basically ask the person a question about anything, from personal to weird to funny.  The game is supposed to let you learn more about the other person.  The only major rule is that if you're unable to answer a question, you have take off a piece of clothing."  You smirk after you finish explaining.  Bucky lets out a quiet chuckle.

"I might be naked by the end of this, Y/N,"  Bucky sighs.  "Do you wanna go first?"

"Sure," you said.  "What's your favorite color?"

"Black.  What's your favorite animal?" he asks.

"A snow leopard.  Your favorite song?" you respond.

"Probably September by Earth, Wind and Fire."  he answers with a laugh.

"I can see why," you chuckle.

Bucky smiles back at you, partly annoyed.

"Oh, be quiet doll." he scolded playfully.  You blush at the nickname since he has never called you "Doll" before and you also think it's cute.  You think Bucky doesn't notice the slight shades of pink spread out on your cheeks, but he does and thinks it's adorable.

"What's your favorite movie?" he continues.

"5 Feet Apart.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you go?" 

"Romania seems pretty cool, with all of the castles and vampires and stuff."  Then out of nowhere, he tries to scare you.  It doesn't work since you are very hard to stare, but you just laugh at his foolish attempt while he sighs in embarrassment. 

"Go before I laugh any harder." you say, trying to stop yourself from laughing too much.

He giggles before he asks you his question.

"If you could live in any decade, which would you choose?" he asks.

"Either the 40's or 80's.  They seem like interesting decades," you answer.

"Any other reason for the 40's?" he smirks at you and raises his eyebrows.  You give him a glare in return, but that was one of your reasons for choosing that decade.  But you were definitely not going to tell him.

"Screw you Barnes!" you hit him playfully on his right arm and he doubles over in pain, obviously faking it. 

"Oh the pain!  The pain!  How could you do this to me?  I thought we were friends!" he howls.

"I thought you were the Super Soldier, not a baby," you tease him.  Then he lets out a laugh and sits back up again.

"It's your turn." he reminds you.

"Oh sorry.  Umm...  how old were you when you had your first kiss?" you ask.

He gives you that smirk again, just to mess with you.

"Any reason for that question, doll?" he asks.

"Answer my question, then I'll answer yours."

"Fine," Bucky sighs.  He looks down as he answers you.  "I was ten.."

You were shocked at first, but then gave him an applause.

"Wow, I know you are a ladies man, but dang man!  The ladies love you." you tease him.  He does a little bow and then laughs.

"How old were you?"

"I never had mine," you say.

Bucky got confused.  Why wouldn't you out of all people never have your first kiss?  You were smart, beautiful and amazing.  Any guy would be lucky to have their first kiss with you.

"What? Why not?" he asks, clearly confused.

"You can't ask two questions in a row, Bucky," you said, clearly trying to piss him off. 

He looks down, trying to compose himself.  Then he lifts his head up slowly, and looks at you with puppy dog eyes.  It's as if he is looking into your soul and you can't help but me mesmerized.

"Please?"  He begs like a kid asking for candy.

"You know I can't refuse those pretty eyes," you smile back at him.  Bucky blushed and laughed in return.

"Well, I just never found the right person, ya know?  Also, I don't think my powers will help that much."  You stop and you flick your hand like a match and your hand lights on fire.  Bucky and yourself sit there, in a trance by the fire in your hands.  You put the fire out with another wave of your hands.

"Ok Bucky, my turn.  Who is your celebrity crush?" you ask mischievously.  You knew Bucky was a very private person and was most likely to not answer, so the thought of him undressing in front of you was making your stomach do flips.  Bucky stares at you, in awe that you asked him that.  He rolls his eyes and looks at you.

"You went there," he said.

"Oh I did," you quip.

He sits there, knowing you want him to take off his shirt.  But he was a very determined person and knew he wasn't going to be naked before you were.

"I'm not going to undress that quickly doll, but good try." he adds, and you both share a quick laugh before he continues.  "Look, I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone, especially Sam.  Steve doesn't even know this."

"Well, I'm honored Bucky and I won't break your trust," you mock.

He looks down again and starts to blush.  "Scarlett Johansson," he mumbles.

"Awww!!" you say.  "That's adorable!"

"Yeah, yeah," he rolls his eyes.  "Who is yours since you wanted to know mine so badly?" he adds with a smirk.

You groan in annoyance and Bucky looks at you, thinking he has this in the bag, but he knew you were a fighter and you would never give up that easily.  

"You little shit," you groan.  Bucky just sits there, smirking at you. 

"It's Sebastian Stan.  Just don't tell anyone Buck, please?" you beg.  He smiles at the nickname.  Only Steve called him that, and hearing it come from your mouth was refreshing.

"I promise I won't, doll.  I'm not that type of person.  Your turn again."

"Why did you come to my room?  And why did you choose to stay and play?  Normally, me and you aren't the closest of friends and you aren't the most talkative person.  I don't mean to sound rude.  But it's nice talking to you and being able to have a conversation that lasts more than five minutes.  I love learning more about you and seeing this side of you." you say and you blush at the last sentence.  

Bucky has to sit and think for a second about what he is going to say.  

"Well, there are a few reasons.  For starters, I couldn't fall asleep and I knew you were awake since I heard the music playing.  Second, we have been alone here for a few days and it's nice to have someone other than Steve to talk to about everything.  Third, you are my friend and I would never refuse you.  And lastly, I enjoy spending time with you and being around you in general."  he answers, slightly embarrassed.  You blush at the fact that he likes being around you and talking to you.  

"Aww, thanks Bucky." you gush. 

"Anytime, doll," he said.  He paused for a few seconds and started to smirk.  Then the smirk turned into a smile which turned into a chuckle.  A few moments later, he started laughing uncontrollably.

"You good there?" you questioned him.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  I just came up with a question I know you won't answer.  Haha!"

"Oh god.  Just say it." you sigh with a roll of your eyes.

"Ahh, ok.  Out of everyone on the team, who would you like to hook up with the most?" he asks and then starts laughing again.  Your mouth drops in disbelief.

"You asshole!" you shout.

Bucky keeps laughing, unphased at what you called him.       

"C'mon, you gotta answer, unless," he adds with a sly look at the end.  

"Fine, you win." you sigh and you start to put your hands under your shirt.  

Bucky rubs his hands together and licks his lips.  You take off the T-Shirt, revealing a black, lacy bra underneath.  Bucky stares at you, but in a completely different way.  He isn't looking at you like he normally does.  This time, he eyes you with lust.  His eyes burn into yours and side back down to your chest, eyeing you like you are his last supper.  He bites his lip and it sends a shiver down your spine.  He stares at you for a while, like he is under a spell and you start to mess with him.  You move your hands, playing with your hair and then slowly move them down from your neck to your chest.  He licks his lips again and moans quietly so you don't hear the satisfaction leaving his lips.  

"Like what you see, Buck?" you ask with an edge of seduction in your voice.  Bucky realized what he is doing and has to snap out of it.  He doesn't want to make the moment uncomfortable so he plays it off like nothing happened.

"Huh? What? Oh yeah, I'm good.  Was that your question?" he asks with a hint of sarcasm.

You knew he didn't hear what you asked him, knowing well that he was checking the crap out of you.  But, you secretly enjoyed him looking at you like this.

"I guess," you said.  "It's your turn again."

"What body part do you like the most on me?" he slyly asked.

"Well, to be honest there are a few," you reply.

"Care to share?" he said, interested in what you had to say.  

You had a ton of favorites, but your favorite was the one you would never tell him.

"For instance, your beautiful blue eyes.  Your amazing smile, your silky hair.  Your protective arms, mostly the metal one," you add and you notice little patches of pink popping up on the Winter Soldier's face.  "Your god-like abs and strong pecks and those thighs of betrayal."

You both laugh at the name of his thighs.  Bucky mostly notices the fact of how unashamed you are, and it definitely makes his heart flutter.  

"I'm glad you noticed them," he says, patting his thighs with pride.

"Well, I mean how could I not?  They are so big and they bulge out of your pants.  Sometimes I think they might rip!" you laugh.

Then, another devious question forms in your head.  You knew Bucky has a history with the ladies, and you knew he would never in a million years answer the question about to leave your lips.  You start to laugh, this time super loudly.  You roll back on to your pillows and curl up into a ball.  

"Oh, I have a great one!" you say, laughing at the same time.

"Don't be so sure," he said.

"Oh but I know you won't.  Hehe.  How many girls have you hooked up with and out of all of them, how many have you regretted?"  You are barely able to ask the question as you can't stop yourself from laughing.  

You look up and see Bucky giving you the death glare, and it makes you laugh even more.  He sighs and gets up, standing on the end of the bed.  He bit his lip at you again, and then you see his fingers glide along the hem of his shirt.  Then his fingers went underneath the shirt.  As he pulled off his shirt, he grunted and looked back at you.  As he was standing at the end of the bed, you thought this was a dream.  You couldn't believe he was standing there half naked.  

He looked like a living sculpture, his body chiseled to perfection.  Each muscle on his body was a work of art.  His abs were the first thing that caught your eyes, they looked to good to be real.  Your eyes lingered there for a bit and then moved up to his right arm, which had veins peeking out.  His arm was so big and it looked bigger than the metal one, and that was saying something since you knew how powerful that was.  You stared at his body for an uncomfortable amount of time and Bucky liked how your eyes lingered at each part of his body.  You can feel your skin burn up and have to breathe to try to cool yourself off.  Then Bucky did something he would have never done in front of any other girl.  He started to flex all of his muscles.  He made sure you looked at all of them, even the ones you didn't notice.  You cheered him on, clapping whenever he posed at a different angle or whenever he moved.  

"Welcome to the gun show doll!" he announced.

"Woohoo!  Yeah Buck, work it!" you cheered.  You both laughed and he continued to bulge out his muscles.  He stops when you throw your shirt at him and usher him to get back on the bed.

"Did ya like the show, doll?" he asks, clearly knowing you enjoyed the hell outta that.

"Was that your question, Barnes?"

"No, but just answer," he sighs.

"Oh yeah, I definitely enjoyed that.  It made my day for sure." you said, completely honest and shameless.

"I knew you would," Bucky blushes and bites his lip, which causes your cheeks to burn up and blush again.

"Ok, my turn.  Who is your closest friend on the team?" Bucky asks.

"After tonight, it's you, Bucky.  I don't know too much about anyone else, but after learning more about you and spending time with you, you earned that spot."

"Thanks doll," he said.

"Anytime, Bucky Barnes," you reply.  Bucky blushes at the fact that you called him by his full name.  It sounds like honey coming out of your lips.  "Your turn, Y/N."

"Who is your crush?" you ask, praying to god he would say you.

Bucky blushes at the question.  He liked you for the longest time that liking you was clearly an understatement.  He loved you.  He loved you to the moon and back.  It was so obvious to everyone on the team, but you failed to notice.  He liked since the moment he laid eyes on you, those two years ago when you were laying in the ice bath.  He wanted to tell you the moment he saw you, but he wasn't the best with words and didn't know how to.  He also didn't want to put your relationship at risk so he hid it from you.  But he wasn't the best at doing so.  He often made little gestures or said certain things to hint at it.  But now he knew it was the time to tell you.

"You, Y/N.  It's been you since the moment I saw you.  I knew you were special and the one I was meant to be with.  You have no idea how hard it has been keeping it from you.  You make me feel more alive then I have in years.  You make me feel so happy and amazing.  And I know whenever I'm with you I feel this way.  You have no idea how fucking amazing, smart and beautiful you are and I wish you saw yourself the way I see you."  He was looking down as he said this with his eyes closed.  He was too embarrassed to look at you and you were fine with it.  You were smiling so hard your cheeks were hurting.  You were crying tears of happiness, but your cheeks felt like they were on fire, so no tears were showing up on your skin.  But then Bucky continued what he was saying.

"But I understand if you only want to be friends.  I respect that and it's totally coo-" 

You lean into him, grab his chin and pull his lips into yours. You latch on to his lips and give him a searing and passionate kiss.  You poured all of your feelings for him into it so he knew exactly how he felt.  Everything around you guys dissolved into thin air.  You and Bucky felt like you were in heaven and you both didn't want to leave.  You couldn't believe how soft and plump his lips were and they felt amazing against yours.  You kissed forever, but you and him were running out of air and had to break the kiss.  As you separate, you can feel steam radiating off of you.  You looked into his eyes and saw something you had never seen before.  You saw happiness and joy, something that was new to you and you blushed even harder.  

Bucky felt the best he felt in a long time.  He was trying so hard to not jump up and do a happy dance.  As he looked back at you, he felt warm, loved and cared for, something different and he loved it.

"So, how was your first kiss?" he asked, trying to be funny.  You laugh at his comment.

"It was magical, special and something I will never forget.  You are the best, you know that?" you gush.  Bucky stares at you and doesn't want to look away, fearing he might lose you.

"I love you."

You stare at him, completely in shock at the words that left his mouth.  You have to rewind the moment in your head to realize he actually said that.  His words catch you both by surprise and he sits there with regret written all over his face.

"I am so sorry, doll.  I just got caught up in the moment," he rambles.  "I shouldn't have said that, it's way too soon.  You don't have to respond or say it back, I completely unders-"

He gets cut off again as you put your finger on his lips to shut him up and it works like a charm because he went dead silent.  You place your other hand on his head and run your fingers through his hair.  He loves when you do this and you earn a small groan out of him.  You both stare at each other intensely, taking in every feature on your faces.  You notice how beautiful his icy blue eyes are while he takes in your joyful smile.  

"I love you." you reply.

Bucky had to do a double take himself because he couldn't believe you said it back to him.  He looked at you with hope and pride and he smiled.  He was overjoyed that you said those three special words to him and it made his heart soar.  Bucky was over the moon that the girl he had fallen for loved him too.

#fandom #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes #marvel #love #winter solider fanfiction #fanfic #WinterSoldier #fluff #bucky fluff #bucky fucking barnes #winter solider x reader

[timeladyjamie]

The Trials and Tribulations of Love - Chapter 1: The Awakening

AUTHOR’S NOTE on Feb 5th, 2021: Hey, welcome to my story which is a product of love and my longest written story to date (and still ongoing). While I’ve posted this on other sites like A03, Wattpad and FanficNet, I’ve decided to share it here on Tumblr as well. I hope you enjoy my crazy wild ride of passion. You can always check out more about my story and the characters on @katherineofknighton​ which is the blog for the story. 

DETAILS ABOUT THE STORY: Guy of Gisborne is after her because she is the former sheriff’s daughter, and Katherine of Knighton is giving him the time of day at her sister’s request. They didn’t expect to develop genuine feelings for each other, but they have. How will this affect Katherine’s relationship with her sister and Marian's relationship with Robin Hood?Follows Seasons 1,2 & 3 with twists before going Canon Divergent.

Pairing: Guy of Gisborne/Original Female Character & Robin Hood/Marian of Knighton

CHAPTERS: Two || Three || Four

Word Count: 1,791

CHAPTER 1 - The Awakening

1192

Robin of Locksley and Much had just returned back home from the Crusades in the Holy Land. Things had changed since they left five years ago, and the men were just finding out how much it had. They went to visit the former sheriff and his daughters, Marian and Katherine.

Marian was betrothed to him before he left for the crusades. Despite starting out as nothing more but an arrangement, the couple's feelings began to grow for each other. Katherine had watched it blossom day in and day out. Katherine wasn’t very fond of the Locksley boy, but could see how much her sister cared for him. Even now when she was acting cold towards him for leaving her behind to fight in the wars.

“I can’t believe the nerve of him!” Marian huffed, “Showing up here after five years thinking he can just flash that smile and I’ll give in. Especially after leaving me waiting on him.”

Katherine sipped from her cup. “But you’re glad to see him again, are you not?”

Marian briefly smiled before trying to hide it. “No.”

Katherine just glanced at her father, both sharing a knowing look, before looking back to Marian. “Sure. Whatever you say.” She knew better. It was obvious to see Marian still had feelings for Robin, even if she was still hurt by him leaving.

“He will be at tonight’s feast.” Edward informed.

“Really?” asked Katherine. “He looked like he was pretty much against it in today’s meeting with the Sheriff.”

Marian cleared her throat. “He has reclaimed his lands once again. As Lord of Locksley he must attend, just as we must do the same.”

Katherine noticed the smile on her sister’s face returning once more. “I’ve never seen you so excited for one of the sheriff’s parties before.I think I know the reason why.” she teased.

Marian gave her sister a look, causing a chuckle from their father.

___________________________________________________________

NOTTINGHAM CASTLE

Arriving at the castle, the sister’s were linked in arms as they spoke to each other. Coming upon the dining hall, the girls quickly spotted Robin. Marian began to make her way towards him, but was stopped. “Marian.” It was Sir Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff's right hand man. “Might I have the pleasure of your company?” he asked.

She looked shocked, not quite sure what to do before glancing at Robin and then her sister. “I believe my sister, Katherine, would enjoy the pleasure of your company.”

Katherine looked wide eyed at her sister before smiling at the black knight. “It would be an honor, Sir Guy.” Just as she linked arms with him, Guy gave a smug smirk to Robin and Katherine narrowed her eyes at her sister, recalling the familiar way she had volunteered Marian to be betrothed to Robin instead.

Sitting down next to Guy at the table, Katherine watched as her sister and Robin interacted with each other. Something seemed to worry him deeply, but she didn’t pay too much attention to it. Marian would take care of it.

“Is your sister and he...?” Guy asked, indicating a betrothal.

Katherine shook her head. “They were. Not anymore.” She let out a sigh, feeling that insecure feeling eating away at her again.

Of course he was attracted to Marian. Even if they were twins, Katherine had always felt the lesser of the both of them. She supposed it was because of her own doing, or maybe it all began when she started seeing her sister getting closer to the Locksley boy which resulted in  spending less time with her.

Despite the insecurity she began to feel with her sister and the dislike she had for Robin, she still cared for Marian deeply. They would always be there to support each other - even when it came to the company of men.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the way the Sheriff's deputy was looking at her - as if trying to read her. He could tell she was bothered by his question. “And what about you, my lady?”

“It is just me. I live with my sister and father of course.” Katherine replied, picking from the feast in front of them. She avoided eye contact with him. It was uncomfortable having all the questions on herself and her sister. With the current company she was in, Katherine knew she would have to choose her words wisely and play by the game.

There was an awkward silence between them before she decided to change the subject. “I’ve told you some things about me, now what about you, Sir Guy?” she finally looked into his blue eyes, giving a warm smile. “Tell me about yourself.”

He was surprised, being taken off guard slightly by her sudden interest in him. Guy licked his lips, trying to find something to say. “I’m the Sheriff’s deputy.”

Katherine giggled after sipping some wine. “And the best one I know if I must say. The sheriff is lucky to have you by his side.” If there was anything that pleased men, it was having their ego’s stroked.

As expected, there was a brief smirk on his face before it became serious again. “Thank you, my Lady.”

“There must be more to you than just being the Sheriff’s second-in-command. What about your family?” Katherine asked.

This seemed to be a wrong step as she watched the look on his face harden. But yet, his eyes seemed to show something different. Was that a sign of vulnerability? He looked cold and rough, but his eyes showed the truth underneath his facade.

“It is just me.” He replied, echoing her earlier words. “I-I lost my family long ago.”

Katherine knew that she had to carefully tiptoe around this dangerous area she had found herself in. She almost wanted to provide him comfort, reach out her hand towards his, but wasn’t sure if that would be the right move. Instead, she offered words of comfort. “I believe they would be proud to know the Gisborne name still lives in you.”

He nodded, once again surprised by her kindness. If only she knew the truth of all the terrible things he had done in order to get where he is now. Everything he had done to keep the name of Gisborne as one with respect and honor. Would she still be so kind to him?

“I suppose it is my turn again.” Katherine chuckled, wondering what she could tell him.

Her thought process was interrupted by the sheriff calling attention to everyone. Katherine looked up to see her sister and Robin were no longer in the room. She felt a bubble of worry before focusing her attention to the sheriff.

_______________________________________________________

KNIGHTON HALL

Once returning back to Knighton Hall after the banquet, the sisters and their father were surprised by a knock at their door. They quickly let Robin and Much inside before the sheriff’s men saw them. Sitting around the fireplace, the company began to speak with each other. “Forgive me, I could not welcome you before.” Edward said.

“How did this monster become sheriff?” Robin asked.

“I did not watch my back.” Marian and Katherine looked to each other sadly, standing beside their father as he spoke. “Prince John gives out the shire in his brother's absence. My bid was not accepted.”

“What can be done?”

“I can do nothing. I’m watched, and I must think of my daughters. When I do speak out, no one listens. Robin, it is down to you my friend.”

“What can we do?” Much asked.

“Play Nottingham’s game. Speak to the lord’s. Slowly you can turn them. Do not make the same mistake I and others have made and make your decent public. Consolidate your position quietly.”

Robin sighed. “I do not have time. Tomorrow I’m told of the hanging of four of my peasants.”

Edward equally sighed back. “It will be the long game I’m afraid.”

“Will and Luke Scarlett cannot wait. Benedict Gallons, Allan-A-Dale-”

Finding it hard to hold back any longer, Marian began to speak. “You must let them die. It is a test. Fail it, and there will be consequences.”

“Perhaps.”

“Definitely. This is not a game.”

Both Edward and Katherine stopped her. “My daughter speaks when she should not. But she is right, you have no choice, Robin. Hide your temper and bide your time until you can act decisively...or kiss your lands if not your life, goodbye.”

Katherine could see the troubled look on his face and she thought for the first time in her life, she actually felt sorry for him. Even if she didn’t like him, there was no denying she held sympathy for him.

He didn’t deserve this. And Katherine knew she would be hearing all about it from Marian once the men left.

____________________________________________________________

“I think he’s going to do something rash.” Marian said, sitting on her bed in the room the sisters shared. “I just have this feeling.”

Katherine was changing into her nightgown, a smirk on her face. “Is it because of the connection you both share?”

A pillow went flying to her face. “As if. He is just a fool.”

This prompted a chuckle from her sister. “You’re right about that.”

It was silent for a bit as the sisters got into their beds and thought over the events of the day. Marian thought about Robin’s return and the danger he would possibly be in as Katherine thought about her sister with worry and the time she had spent with Sir Guy.

Being reminded of that, her brown eyes suddenly narrowed at her sister’s blue ones, getting her attention. “What?” Marian asked.

“I still haven’t forgotten what you did to me at dinner, offering me up to Sir Guy as I did with you to Robin.”

She rolled her eyes. “What was I to do? He wanted company and I thought you could handle it. Besides, it’s payback for doing the same to me back then.” Marian smirked.

This caused Katherine to jolt up, laying on her elbow. “When father announced that he was thinking of having one of us betrothed to Robin, I thought you would be able to handle him better. Was I wrong in thinking so?”

Marian chuckled. “No, you were not wrong.”

“Besides, I’ve never really liked him.” Katherine gave an annoyed look.

“And why is that?” asked Marian, sitting up in her bed.

Was it the smug smile that would be on his face every time he looked at her? Maybe his dry sense of humor which didn’t appeal to her? Or maybe, just maybe, because of the fact that every time he looked at Marian, there was no denying that spark in his eyes.

The look of absolute joy and love she could only imagine someone would feel once they found the one: The person who was made for them.

Katherine knew right away that person wasn’t her, and she didn’t mind. At least not until all Marian would talk about was Robin or when he started joining them in the activities they would do.

It made the feeling of not belonging grow more and more. All she had known was her place by her sister and father’s side. And now, with Robin coming into the picture, Katherine had begun to question where she belonged. And then Robin ended up leaving for the crusades, leaving Marian in a state of worry and despair. It was hard watching her sister’s heartbreak day in and day out, waiting for the return of the man she loved, but he hadn’t come back.

“Katherine?” Marian asked, causing her sister to break free from her thoughts.

“Because he is who he is. And because he hurt you when he left.” Katherine answered, reaching out to take her sister’s hand in hers. “But since he is your fool, I will help support you, even when you try to hide your feelings for him.”

She gasped, letting go of her hands. This caused Katherine to chuckle before Marian started joining in.

“How dare you.”

“No, how dare you.”

It was silent for a bit before they spoke again. “How did it go with Sir Guy?” Marian asked. “I didn’t stay long, but it looked as if the both of you were getting along well.”

Katherine shrugged, not thinking too much about it. “We spent the time asking each other questions about the other and then enjoyed the feast. Nothing more.”

“So, no thoughts or opinions on what kind of person he is?”

She looked confused. “Should there be? Besides working for the sheriff and doing his dirty work, there isn’t much else to say. I was only getting to know him thanks to you.” Katherine reminded her sister sharply. But yet, she began to recall that brief glimpse of vulnerability from him, that look that made her want to reach out and comfort him. She had never expected such a side from him of all people.

“Very well.” Marian said, laying back down on her bed.

Katherine followed suit. “Good night, sister.”

“Good night, sister.”

Marian blew the candle out.

#bbc Robin Hood fanfiction #The trials and tribulations of love #my fanfiction #here I go sharing my stuff on here *squeals with nervous excitement*

[iheartsunset]

Papa Louie Prudence HCs

(Nobody asked for these, but I gotta show love to my 8 year long favorite character)

Edit 9/23/20: Sorry I didn’t realize Pickles was a girl, last time I’ll ever listen to the forum lmao anyways I’m about to fail a test tomorrow even though I’ve studied nonstop, but that’s probably just how science goes

-Prudence Carmichael-Wagner is 22 years old and lives in a fabulously rose colored loft in Tastyville. She doesn’t plan to leave her job at the Pancakeria any time soon, but she is studying hard to become a veterinarian. She is the half sister of the famous Rudy Diamond; the daughter of Arugula Bank’s owner, Anselm Wagner; and his ex-wife, Lola Carmichael, the headmaster of Eclair Academy. Prudence has a strained relationship with her emotionally manipulative parents who care more about her achievements than her wellbeing and tried to avoid them whenever she can. Prudence’s mother loves dropping by her loft unannounced, which makes Prudence upset and anxious.

-Prudence can mostly be described as a kindhearted socialite with a strange obsession with the color pink. She is very hospitable and doting on everyone around her, making her seem like more of a mother/older sister figure. She also carries assorted sweets and mints in her purse for both emergency consumption and to cheer up anyone who’s sad. Prudence does also have a habit of panicking at first under pressure, but has learned to adapt very quickly. Prudence also loves to volunteer and help those less fortunate than her. But call her a dumb blonde and we’ll see how many teeth you have left afterwards (as a result of either her purse or Rudy’s fist).

-Her and Rudy were born on the same day only a few hours apart. Many people joked that the two were twins due to their shared birthday, blonde hair, blue eyes, and close relationship. However, she didn’t know that her father and Rudy’s mother, Carla, (his chief financial officer) had an affair that led to Rudy being born. After this was found out by Lola, Carla’s reputation was ruined and she relocated with Rudy to Powder Point, much to Prudence’s dismay. After reuniting years later when the Cheeseria opened, the two found out about the affair and realized they were siblings. They share a close bond now, but still have terrible relationships with their parents.

-As previously stated in Cooper’s headcanons, she is in a polyamorous relationship with him and Taylor. She met Taylor at their shared night school and met Cooper at their shared workplace. While her feelings for either of them weren’t very strong, Taylor’s heartfelt confession made her fall for both of them hard, thus starting the third most wholesome relationships in Flipline’s history (Penny and Alberto have the top spot filled and second place is definitely Olga and Edoardo). She loves to buy them roses or chocolates and see how flustered they both get when they’re delivered. Prudence’s parents definitely don’t approve of this relationship, but she actually doesn’t care this time.

-She and Trishna’s parents were very close in business growing up, so they both quickly became best friends, along with Rudy. She is three years younger than them and is still stuck attending high school. While Trishna isn’t too close to Rudy anymore, she and Prudence still hang out and text all the time. If Trishna is somewhere, then Prudence is probably nearby or at least on the phone with her. Trishna also offers Prudence discounts at Fashion Flambé, but Prudence always declines saying that it feels weird to not pay the full price if she didn’t have any coupons.

-Prudence was given Pickles as a gift from her father. However, he said that she could only keep the dog if she would have good grades and continued with being a debutante, meaning most of her effort was for Pickles’ sake. When she earned a C on a test, Pickles was almost taken to the pound, but she quickly entered them in a dog show to make up for her “mistakes”. The dog show started out as sort of survival, but Prudence continued doing it since she and Pickles actually enjoyed it.

-She and Trishna both attended Croquembouche Preparatory Academy along with Alberto, Penny, Joy, Roy, and Mindy. Prudence was notably crowned prom queen her junior year, all around tennis and cheer star, student body president her senior year, and salutatorian. She also joined multiple clubs. Unbeknownst to her classmates, having to keep up with these high expectations from her family and teachers almost broke her from the stress. However, a pep talk from Vicky allowed Prudence to drop many clubs and sports and take it easier in school, much to her parents’ dismay.

-Allan has thought that Prudence would play a very good Sandy, but Prudence can’t really sing well. She would, however, make for a good Elle Woods (as in the movie version) or any kickass Barbie protagonist (which is all of them, I stan Barbie). Prudence can dance amazingly, but she just doesn’t fit Cha Cha’s sassiness and overall nastiness. She’s a great cheerleader, so she’s a good fit for Patty Simcox, but then again Patty also sucks, so looks like Prudence is just a background dancer.

-She thinks of Johnny as her father, Hank as he other father, and Vicky as her mother. She also considers Trishna, Scarlett, Utah, Clover, Nevada, and Mindy her sisters. Chuck, Marty, and Greg are her brother figures. Rudy is also thought of as her brother, but he’s also her actual brother, so it’s actually very accurate.

-If you smell pickles on the bus, it’s because Prudence opened her big ass jar of them and started eating it. I personally hate pickles, especially when people eat them on some sort of vehicle. Sure you can eat pickles ain’t nothing wrong with that, but I’m not tryna smell pickles when I’m trying to get to school.

-Prudence is a master at fashion and makeup. However, she mostly wears simple cropped shirts and jeans everywhere for comfort. Her only standout accessories are her purse (since she carried Pickles in it) and her bow (she had to find some way to be twinsies with pickles, and she wasn’t wearing no dang collar).

-She and Maggie are both queens and often converse about how to maximize their joint slay. They also love finding examples to disprove the dumb blonde stereotype.

-She likes to get the good dog food for Pickles, but she sometimes gives her some pickles or vanilla ice cream. Cooper and Taylor spoil her with other types of human food when she’s away, though. Not chocolate or any of that kinda stuff though.

-Prudence likes to sit in the stands and drunkenly cheer really loudly for Cooper and Taylor, which actually encourages them even more. Dang they’re just all so cute together like aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

-She basically lives at the mall and salon, earning her closer relationships with their workers. She and Kaleb like to drink tangerine pop together and she always gossips with either Mindy or Vicky. Sometimes she takes Cooper and Taylor to get their nails done together. Taylor prefers his nails in ultramarine with white flowers while Cooper likes a classic French manicure better.

-Rudy can’t dress for shit and neither can Johnny, so she tries to help them both out together outfits better. They’re very close to her, but none of them take her advice and she is very sad. She hates flannel, but whatever makes him happy, she guesses.

-My favorite girl and has been for most of my life. I love her so much.

#flipline studios #papa louie #flipline #my hcs #prudence #prudence’s parents suck #prudence and rudy are siblings #i love i love i love her #prudence is barbie now #distinguished bi prudence

[swanqueeneverafter]

Sins of the Past Pt.2

The Fields of Dun Broch. (Merida stands in a field alongside David and Kristoff.) Merida: "Look at this. (Hands Kristoff a dead wheat stalk:) Every single ear has died. We’ve received reports that it’s the same throughout our lands. I rode through this valley only yesterday. The crop looked healthy enough then. Our farmers can't explain it." Kristoff: (Examining the stalk:) "No disease could have done this overnight." Merida: "What could kill all the plants other than a disease?" David: (Looks around:) "It is not killing all the plants. The trees and hedges around the crop fields are unharmed. Unfortunately, you can’t eat trees and hedges." Merida: "It’s only killing plants we can eat?" David: "It appears so." Merida: "So if it’s not a disease, it must be magic. It seems we truly are cursed." Storybrooke. Mayor's Office. (While Emma stands rocking Maria in her arms, Regina has called Will Scarlett into her office.) Will: "I already said I was sorry, it's not like I meant to do it." Emma: (Scoffs:) "Well first of all, you never apologised and second-" Regina: "Knocking my wife over in the street while running to win a bet is not something I'm prepared to take lying down." Emma: (Sensing Will is about to make a joke:) "Don't. Trust me, just don't." Regina: (As Will promptly closes his mouth:) "I swear, if my niece wasn't in love with your sister, you'd be nothing but a pile of ashes on the floor by now." Will: (Straightening his jacket, casually:) "But since that practically makes us family, you can't be doing that." Regina: "No. No I can't. But what I can do is have you make amends for your actions." Will: "Well hey, (Turns to Emma:) if you want me to kiss it better for you, I'm more than willing to-" Emma: (Cutting in:) "That's not what we had in mind." Will: (Smiles:) "Pity. (Sighs, turning back to Regina:) All right then, what do you want me to do?" Regina: "We'd like you to accompany Ella on her journey to Wonderland." Will: (Relieved:) "Is that all? No problem." Emma: "Across all areas of Wonderland. Parts that didn't make it into the story books." Will: (Eyes widening:) "Y-you want me to take her to... No, no I'm still a wanted man down there. You'd be signing my death warrant. (To Regina:) I'll take the pile of ash option before I go there again." Ella: (Entering the room:) "Please, Will. (Will turns to face her:) Henry and I, we've looked for my mother all over the realms with no sign of her. I know she's out there somewhere. (Moving closer to him:) I know how long it took you to find your way back to Alice. All I'm asking for is the chance to be reunited with someone that I love. Won't you help me?" Will: "You don't realise what you're asking, none of you. (Looking around the room, sighs:) All right, I'll do it. If your mother's out there then of course I'll help you find her. (Ella pulls Will into a huge hug, which Will returns until he sees the looks on the faces of Ella's would-be mother in laws. Pulling away, clears his throat:) Of course, I'm gonna have to ask Tiana before I can go anywhere." Ella: "Oh, I already asked her, actually it was her idea." Will: (Flatly:) "Oh, good."

Regina: "Then it's settled. No time like the present." Will: "N-now?" Emma: "Unless you've changed your mind about option A?" (Will shakes his head.) Ella: (Smiling:) "Oh this is going to be so great. I'm so excited." (Will allows himself to be pulled from the room as Emma watches them go with amusement.) Emma: "You know, (Turning back to Regina:) you're still pretty hot when you go all 'Madam Mayor' on people." Regina: "Why thank you 'Miss Swan'." Emma: (Bites her lip:) "Don't start." (At that moment the phone rings and, after giving her wife a flirtatious smile, Regina answers the call.) Regina: "Hello, Mayor Swan-Mills speaking. What? Where? Oh for god's sake. I'll be right there." Emma: (As Regina hangs up:) "Problem?" Regina: "Of the Charming variety. Come on, I'll explain on the way." Kingdom of Valencia. Marketplace. (Chef Vincenzo and Gwynne the maidservant are buying supplies in the marketplace.) Chef: "Look, I know a hook-up from your boss isn't the smoothest thing, but... I don't care. Because, truthfully, I think we could be great together.” Gwynne: "But love isn't meant for people like us." Chef: "Oh, I beg to differ." (Taking Gwynne's hand, the pair proceed to dance together through the marketplace.) Chef: ♪ If I could share my life with you ♪ ♪ Just think how happy we'd be ♪ ♪ We'd share our hovel built for two ♪ ♪ Complete with vermin for three ♪ (Gwynne chuckles.) ♪ We could while away each hopeless day ♪ ♪ Comparing open sores ♪ ♪ Yes, life would blow, but much less, though ♪ ♪ If I could share mine with yours ♪ Gwynne: “No, I can't. It's impossible! (Chef moves to turn away, disheartened when Gwynne pulls him back.) ♪ If I could share my life with you ♪ Chef: ♪ Admit it, it would be nice ♪ Gwynne: ♪ We'd share one cot, one chamber pot ♪ Chef: ♪ Plus trench mouth, tapeworms, and lice ♪ ♪ We would have a dozen kids ♪ Gwynne: ♪ And maybe one won't die ♪ Chef: ♪ And the plague ♪ Gwynne: ♪ The runs ♪ Chef: ♪ Invading huns ♪ Both: ♪ Just think how time would fly ♪ ♪ If you could share your life with me ♪ ♪ I'll Cherish every foul breath ♪ Gwynne: ♪ The filth ♪ Chef: ♪ The rot ♪ Gwynne: ♪ The leprosy ♪ Both: ♪ The painful, lingering death ♪ ♪ Thank the Lord our life expectancy ♪ ♪ Is merely thirty two ♪ Gwynne: ♪ Yeah, it might be sweet misery ♪ Both: ♪ To share what's left with yo-o-o-u ♪ Chef: “So, me, you, dinner tonight, my place. You bring that pretty little smile of yours, and I'll supply the rest. (Gwynne nods and hurries away. To himself:) Yes!” (Turning, Chef bumps into a creepy looking man.) Jonas: “Please, we seek King Richard. Where can he be found?” Chef: “I…” (Jonas presses a seal into Vincenzo’s hand.) Jonas: “We have urgent business with the King.” Chef: “I’m sorry, any business you have with the King will have to be pursued through the usual channels. (Chef looks at the seal:) But this is the seal of the House of Tregor. Where did you get this?” Jonas: “It does not belong to me.” (Jonas turns to a woman, who pulls back her hood.) Catrina: “It belongs to me.” Chef: “My Lady.” (Vincenzo bows.)

Storybrooke. Granny's Diner. (Ella and Henry talk about heading back to Wonderland.) Ella: "I just know my mother is still out there. Now with Will as our guide through Wonderland I can't wait to resume the search." Henry: (Hesitant:) "Well, if anyone knows the secrets of Wonderland, it's definitely Will... or Alice for that matter." Ella: "Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" Henry: (Takes a deep breath:) "Do you really think this is the right time for us to drop everything and continue looking for your mother? I mean we were barely saving any money with three jobs between us and now-" Ella: (Nods:) "I know, I know. But this is my family we're talking about, how can you ask me to-" Henry: "Woah, wait. I would never ask you to stop searching for your mom. I just think that maybe the time isn't right for 'us' to start the search again." Ella: "What are you saying?" Henry: (Taking her hand:) "I'm saying I love you and I think you should absolutely go with Will to Wonderland." Ella: (Frowning:) "Without you?" Henry: "Ella, I can't quit working right now. I'm trying to build a future for the both of us. To put a deposit down on a house of our own." Ella: "You know I don't care about those things." Henry: "But I do. I want to be able to provide for you, for our family, both future and absent." Ella: "Are you sure about this?" Henry: (Nods:) "Go find your mom, I'll be right here when you get back." Elsewhere in Storybrooke. (The Charmings, Robin Hood and other volunteers are working to help the people of Dun Broch.) David: "We've set up tents in the woods and surrounding areas." Emma: (Handing Maria to Snow:) "Exactly how many people is this?" David: "Around half. Queen Guinevere and Lancelot have offered to shelter the rest, but given Dun Broch and Camelot's history..." Snow White: "Not everyone was receptive to the idea." Regina: (Nods:) "So Storybrooke has the lion's share." (Running a hand through her hair, Regina walks away from the table, a concerned look on her face.) Emma: (Following:) "Hey, 'Gina, wait up. This is not the end of the world. So it might be a little cosy around here for a little while." Regina: "It might be a long while unless Merida can lift the curse on her land." Emma: "Well, she is a queen, it's not like she hasn't faced challenges before." Regina: "Yes, but no-one as far as I know has ever been stupid enough to kill a unicorn. Who knows what challenges Merida may have to face." Emma: (Shrugs:) "Sucks to be her, I guess."

Regina: "Excuse me?" Emma: "Oh come on, you can't tell me you're not just a little excited by all this." Regina: "By what, Storybrooke being inundated with refugees?" Emma: "No, think about it. Henry and Ella are headed to Wonderland, so we finally have the house to ourselves for awhile and, on top of that, there's a new curse." Regina: "So?" Emma: "So? Regina, for once we have nothing to do with what's going on. We can just sit back and watch how things work out." Regina: (Thinks:) "You want us to do nothing and let someone else lift the curse? (Emma nods:) So you want us to become your parents?" Emma: (Raises an eyebrow:) "I want to use this opportunity to show people that they don't have to come to us all the time to solve their problems. That they can do things for themselves. Ever since we united the realms of story, people have been coming to us to defeat the latest snow monster, gorgon or wayward god that threatens them." Regina: "Because our magic is the most powerful in all the realms." Emma: "Yes, but if Merida succeeds, it just might mean that our time as heroes can finally come to an end." Regina: (Finally catching on, smiling:) "You're talking about retirement?" Emma: (Smiles:) "I think we've earned it, don't you?" Regina: "Well I can't say I haven't thought about it." Emma: (Knowingly:) "Mmhmm. Although, if you're worried about us turning into my parents, you could always join me behind those trees over there. (As Regina glances back over her shoulder:) I'm pretty sure they wouldn't approve of what I have in mind." (With a sultry smirk, Emma walks past Regina deeper into the forest. Running a hand through her hair once more, Regina spares the gathered mass of people one last look before following her wife into the forest and out of sight.) Storybrooke Heritage Park. (Mulan and Xena are sparring with Ruby and Gabrielle watching on.) Mulan: "You're mine now, Warrior Princess." Xena: "You know what, Sweetie? You talk too much." (The sounds of swords clashing and various battle cries travel up to the hill on which Ruby and Gabrielle are sitting.) Ruby: (Wincing:) "They do know this is supposed to be for fun, right?" Gabrielle: "Oh, Xena likes her fun to be on the rough side of things. She says it gets her juices flowing." Ruby: "Not just hers though I'll bet." Gabrielle: (Her cheeks reddening:) "No comment." Ruby: (Laughs:) "Are you blushing?" Gabrielle: "No, I... I just don't usually talk about my private life with anyone but Xena is all." Ruby: "Mm I can understand that. There couldn't have been many chances to talk with other women on the road, huh?" Gabrielle: "Not unless you count barmaids or psychotic blonde warriors trying to kill either of us, no." Ruby: "I bet you're glad those days are over now." Gabrielle: (Inclines her head, considering:) "For the most part. Xena and I have never really been homebodies, although I think Xena's finally showing signs of wanting to slow down a little. (As she says this, Xena performs a perfect triple mid-air somersault, knocking Mulan to the ground with two feet to the chest before landing with a flawless back flip:) Or maybe not."

(Riding on horseback, Merida arrives calling for Mulan.) Merida: "Mulan! I need your help." Xena: (Steps forward as Mulan picks herself up off the ground:) "Anything we can do?" Merida: (Shaking her head:) "No, I need someone I can trust." Gabrielle: (Walking alongside Ruby:) "No offense taken." Merida: "Sorry, I... I need the help of my former mentor." Mulan: "Why, what's happened?" Merida: "Dun Broch is cursed and as Queen I need to make amends before it can be lifted." Xena: "Sounds like quite the problem." Ruby: "There must be something we can do?" Merida: "Aye, there are refugee camps set up at both Storybrooke and Camelot, they need volunteers to look after the sick and the elderly while I do my damnedest to lift this curse. (Offers her hand:) Please, Mulan, there's no time to lose." Mulan: (To Ruby:) "Go on, help the villagers, if we need you, we'll know where to come find you." (With that, Mulan takes Merida's hand and allows herself to be pulled up onto the horse before riding off into the distance. Twirling her sword a few times in frustration, Xena sighs, then walks past Ruby and Gabrielle to take a seat on a nearby tree stump. Exchanging looks, they follow Xena with Gabrielle taking a seat beside her.) Gabrielle: "So, should we go see if your medical skills can be put to good use?" Xena: (Casually checking her sword for signs of damage:) "Hm? Oh, sure. I mean it's not like I'm doing anything else important now am I?" Ruby: "Well, helping those in need is kind of your thing, right?" Xena: (Looking to her briefly:) "Of course." Gabrielle: "Are you all right?" Xena: "Never better. Who wants adventure in their lives anyway, right? Certainly not us anymore." (Watching Xena walk away, Gabrielle smirks up at Ruby before standing.) Gabrielle: "The tougher the warrior, the more they pout when they aren't invited to play." Xena: (From a short distance away:) "I heard that!"

Kingdom of Valencia. (After dropping a customer off in his cab, Henry takes a moment to stretch his legs and decides to walk around Valencia feeling a little down.) Henry: (To himself:) "Once upon a time I was the Author, now I'm not even a decent writer. I have no magic, no real discernible skills. I can sword fight but I'm not the best. So what then? Am I destined to be a cab driver all my life? (Sighs:) Honestly, I have no idea what I am. (Notices something:) Oh! (Stands watching a blacksmith at work.) ♪ If I were a jolly blacksmith ♪ ♪ What a happy guy I'd be ♪ ♪ I would do all kinds of blacksmith stuff ♪ ♪ In my blacksmithery ♪ ♪ I would hit the thing with the other thing ♪ ♪ Till I made a different thing ♪ ♪ If I were a jolly blacksmith ♪ No, I'm not feeling it. Besides, I'd get filthy. There must be something better. Ooh! (Henry walks over to a market stall:) ♪ If I were a friendly farmer ♪ ♪ Wouldn't that be, oh, so sweet? ♪ ♪ I'd be planting greens and lots of beans ♪ ♪ And other things to eat ♪ ♪ Then I'd plant some eggs, then a couple pigs ♪ ♪ Then a yummy chocolate cake ♪ No, that's not right. Besides, any moron can plant a cake. I want to be special, needed, liked. I've got it! (Arrives at the beer stall:) ♪ If I were a merry brewer ♪ ♪ That would be a grand career ♪ ♪ I would pick the grapes and peel the grapes ♪ ♪ And stomp them into beer ♪ Damn it! (Sighs:) I don't know how to do anything. ♪ If I'm just a jolly nothing ♪ ♪ What am I supposed to do? ♪ ♪ Don't know where to go ♪ ♪ Don't know how to fit ♪ ♪ Don't know who to even be ♪ ♪ If I were a jolly ♪ ♪ Tailor ♪ ♪ Juggler ♪ ♪ Barber ♪ ♪ Wet nurse ♪ ♪ Cesspool worker ♪ Ugh, what difference does it make? ♪ I would still be me ♪

Meanwhile In Storybrooke... (At the exact moment of her son's existential crisis, Regina Swan-Mills can be found against a tree thoroughly enjoying herself. Cradling her wife's head and balancing with one leg over Emma's shoulder, it is all the mayor can do to keep her cries of ecstasy as quiet as possible. That is until both women hear a branch snap somewhere nearby. Scrambling to their feet and trying desperately not to fall over each other, both women stand ready for whomever or whatever is coming their way. Staring at the place where they’d heard movement, they watch astonished as a strikingly beautiful yet haunted looking woman staggers out from behind a tall oak tree.) Storybrooke Campsite. (Having joined Snow, David and others distributing food to the refugees, Queen Guinevere turns at the sound of a commotion coming from the tree line. When first seeing Emma and Regina emerge in a disheveled state, most people's attention returned to their own business as this sight was a common one in and around Storybrooke. Upon seeing the woman following behind them however, Guinevere's reaction causes everyone to stop what they're doing and take notice.) Guinevere: "Morgana!"

#sq #swanqueen #swan queen

[ohholyfanfics]

Happens in Vegas Part 2|N.Horan

Last chapter: the idea

Scarlett happily took her seat as she turned her head to be greeted by Willy sending her a rather goofy look. Holding her giggle, she pulled her cheeks in making a fishy face as he let out a loud laugh causing Sophia to scowled him. It wasn’t long before the whole lot was seated and comfortable in their first-class seats, Scarlett allowing a few of them to use her sky miles, while Niall had so generously promised to help pay for those who couldn’t afford it, which really only happened to be one person out of the group.

“Do we have any plans after we land?” Rick called out from side her on the left as Deo spoke up somewhere in front of her.

“Yeah, sleep.”

It was clear to say the excitement of the trip had died down a few hours into the almost eleven-hour flight, Scarlett managed to finish the piece assigned to her three hours in. It wasn’t long before the group had spilled into small portions discussing all the things that would be done, and all that should be done while in America.

“I most definitely think someone should do that zipline thing Scar mentioned in her article,” Willy mumbled as Scarlett popped her head out of the little pod she was nesting in. Giving her a cheeky wink, he chuckled.

“Wanna volunteer?” she teased as he rolled his eyes shaking his head.

“What about you Scar any speical request while in the states?” Deo asked while sneaking a glance at Niall who hadn’t spoke a word to the girl since they boared the flight. She shurgged her shoulder’s as her eyes held a glint that had the brunette’s mind in a frenzy. 

“Just a few pints here and there.” 

“Maybe you’ll find yourself a decent block.” Deo noted as she shrugged her shoulders. She most certainly hadn’t had the best look in the romance department as of late, and maybe a few good hook ups will do her some good. 

“Maybe, we never know.” 

“Who knows darling, you knight and shinny armer could be on this very flight.” 

Sophia couldn’t help the loud snort that came out, as her eyes caught Deo’s. She knew very well what he was trying to do, and as much as his efforts were much appericated he was most certainly going about it the wrong way. It wasn’t that she was suppose to find out about Niall’s little delima but after a few pints and few slip ups, she had witnessed him spilling his drunk soul out to Deo and Willy at a holiday party. 

“Don’t listen to them babe.” 

“I never do.”

Five Hours down, everyone had settled back into their own pobs. Deo, Willy and Sophia mastering so mega plan in getting the two together. Kimmy and Allie were slurgging on as much of the free boze they could grab their hands on with Ricky. Scarlett hand managed to be sucked into some strange American sitcom playing, and Niall was too endulged in his work to even notice the rest of the group around him. 

“You know Ni, the point of a vacation is to not work.” 

He looked up to be greeted by those same pair of green eyes that had managed to be clouding his thoughts for the past hour. The same pair that was making everything a bit more harder to consitrate on. 

“Just trying to get a bit ahead.” 

“When was the last time you went on a trip?” she asked with a soft smile.

“Two weeks-” 

“That wasn’t business related Niall.” Scarlett giggled softly as his cheeks flushed. She took his silence as an answer to her question, she clearly didn’t have any doubts that his last trip was the one they had taken last year together to Mexcio. “Have some fun Ni, forget about work for a few days and let loose. I’m sure that little party animal that I met back at UNI is in there somewhere.”

“Is this you’re way of telling me to take what happens in vegas stays in vegas lital?” 

“I’m not saying anything Niall, all I’m saying is you work hard, and you deserve to let loose every so often.” 

“Promise you won’t let me do anything stupid?” 

Her heart stopped for a moment as her eyes caught his and a warm feeling flashed through her. Her cheeks no doubt a flush colored as she nodded her head. 

“I can’t say it won’t happen but I’ll try.” 

“I promise not to let you do anything stupid either.” he chuckled softly as gave her a smirk. “Wouldn’t want our little princess to come back hitched with some random stranger now would we?” 

“Guess not.”  

“So it’s a deal?” 

“Deal.” 

Stepping foot on American soil was unlike any other for the lot, the hot sunny weather a complete opposite to the dark gloomy British weather. Scarlett couldn’t have been happier with her outfit choice as she wiggled her newly pedicured toes.

“Can you believe we made it?” Kimmy mumbled as she fixed the straps of her bag. Scarlett nodding with a soft smile.

“Let the fun begin.”

#niall horan #niall horan imagine #niall horan imagines #niall horan fanfic #niall horan fanfics #niall horan blurb #niall horan blurbs #niall horan one shot #niall horan one shots #niall horan oneshot #niall horan oneshots #niall horan x reader #niall horan x you #niall horan x y/n #niall horan x oc

[wizardessheart-sideb]

[Image ID: Chibi Klaus in front of a purple diamond background. It’s in the style of the event “BeWitchingly Spooky. /End ID]

I hummed to myself as I finished sewing some trim onto a Halloween banner. Sure, this was definitely last minute, but things had been so hectic that planning and getting things done for the Academy's Halloween party. I hadn't had much time to sit down and work on decorations. Which was bad, considering the party was in a few hours. I made a knot and cut the excess thread. Time to go bring this downstairs to the auditorium.

As I walked over there, I couldn't help but remember past parties. When we'd both been students, even though he was always so busy, Klaus had made time for me. I still don't know how he managed to balance Prefect duties and being a boyfriend; sure, we worked together a lot, but he was still always so swamped with work. There were a lot of nights I'd fall asleep on the couch in the Prefect's office waiting for him to finish work. And when holidays came around, he was working even harder.

And now this year would be our first Halloween away from each other I guess that's what happens when you become adults. It's harder to see each and you aren't guaranteed to spend holidays with each other. I can't say I really enjoy that, but I guess it's something almost everyone has to go through. If only Klaus had gotten today off. Or I hadn't been tied up with Halloween party stuff. Then maybe we could've spent at least a part of today together.

“Yay, the banner's done!” Caesar called out as I slipped into the auditorium.

“Yeah. Sorry it took so long,” I told him as I handed it over. As I looked around the room, I realized Caesar and I were the only ones there. “Where's everyone else?”

“This is the last thing we were waiting for. I volunteered to stay behind and wait while everyone else gets ready for the party,” he explained. “You go get ready.”

“Are you sure?” Why would I need to get ready for a party? Does he think my makeup's bad and I need to go reapply it?

“Yeah, I can put this up on my own.” I thanked him and hurried over to the dorms. Caesar has a good eye for aesthetics. If he thinks I need to go freshen up, I know he's right. A couple of students were wandering around in costume and my stomach dropped. My costume. That's what Caesar was talking about. How could I have forgotten a costume?! This was Halloween, how could I have forget the most important part of the holiday?! Maybe Amelia had something I could wear, or maybe Scarlett. The drama club ran out of costumes, so there's not anything I can borrow from them. And Hisoka probably doesn't have anything I could wear and even if he did, I -

A Magic Note flew straight into my face and I spluttered, grabbing it and pulling it out of my mouth. I quickly unfolded it and read the text. It was from the dorm mother, saying I had some packages delivered. I was confused. I hadn't ordered anything. I hurried to my dorm room and found a bouquet and cardboard box on my desk. The bouquet was a mix of orange and darker than blood red roses. There was a small card and I quickly recognized the wax seal on the envelope. I ripped it open and eagerly read the message:

'Bunnyhead. Don't overwork yourself tonight. I'm sorry we can't spend the day together and I can't make sure you don't overdo it. I went ahead and bought you a costume so you don't have to worry about that. And I'm sure the flowers will be a nice decoration in your dorm room; I know you and Amelia love doing over the top decorations. I love you and happy Halloween. Klaus.'

I sighed a breath of relief. Klaus really thinks of everything, doesn't he? I put the flowers in a vase and propped his card up against the vase. Even if we were apart, I'd still be thinking of him. And I'm sure we'll get to see each other soon.

#klaus goldstein #wizardess heart #bewitchingly spooky

[amandajoyce118]

Friday Five: This Is A Black Widow Post

I know a lot of people aren’t thrilled with Black Widow simply because of the actress that plays her. And while I agree that Scarlett Johansson shouldn’t have taken on some of the role she has in the past, robbing women of color of what could have been their big break, Black Widow is one of my favorite comic book characters. So, this week, in honor of her part of the Avengers: Endgame puzzle, my Friday Five is built around her.

That being said, there will be spoilers for Endgame here. I’ve managed to go a week without posting/reblogging anything other than images/gifs from trailers. I’ve got this tagged as “Endgame Spoilers,” so if you’ve read al of this and blown past the tags, and you get mad at me for being spoiled at that point, it’s on you. You’ve been warned.

Here we go.

Five: The Black Widow Movie

There is a Black Widow movie on the way. A script has been drafted, rewritten, and people have been cast. It’s supposed to start filming this year - June, in fact. It seems pretty clear at this point that it’s going to be a prequel. Rumors have everyone from Taskmaster to Yelena Belova appearing in it. But you know what would be great? A Red Room movie. An actual prequel set when Natalia Alianova Romanova ended up in the Red Room and became the Black Widow, giving an up and coming actress the chance at a big role. Instead, rumor has it set in the late 90s/early 2000s before the events of Iron Man take place. Here’s hoping we get to see Natasha recruited to SHIELD since she was an agent for about a decade before she made her MCU debut in Iron Man 2. I mean, I’d also love to see what happened on that oft-mentioned Budapest mission with Clint Barton too, but I won’t hold my breath on that one since Hawkeye is getting a Disney+ series and Black Widow gets a movie.

Four: Where Are The Other Black Widows?

One thing that has long bothered me about the MCU is that we never see evidence that other Black Widows exist. In the comics, Natalia ends up becoming one of the best students after a difficult start. Initially, she’s horrible at everything and the leaders are set to wash their hands of her. Thanks to a bored Enchantress (as in, from the Thor comics), she ends up trying to escape and showing how tough she really is. She doesn’t make it out, but the teachers and military officials see the potential in her and invest more time in her training. There are 29 other girls in her Red Room class though. And we know that, at the very least, the precursor to the Red Room exists in the MCU thanks to Agent Carter and Dottie Underwood. Now, I know that because she hasn’t been the focus of any movie yet, we haven’t learned a lot about her background. The only person who’s crossed paths with her in the present who she talked about seeing in the past was the Winter Soldier. Even the potential of their being another Black Widow out there hasn’t been addressed as an Easter egg, and I’m curious why not. Where are they? Is the MCU going to go the route of her having to kill everyone else to be considered a graduate of the program? If so, where’s the new generation? I have a lot of questions about the Black Widow program, clearly.

Three: She Couldn’t Walk Away

Okay, here is where the more spoilery stuff starts if you ignored my warning and kept reading. You’ve been warned again.

One of the things I loved that Endgame did is leaving Natasha as the one holding down the Avengers fort five years after the snap. Captain America is probably the one we all would have expected to be stubborn and not let go, right? Tony was able to build a new life, and Steve found a new way to help people. Everyone found a way to adapt to the new world they were living in, even if they didn’t like it. But Natasha, she decided to live at the Avengers compound and stay in contact with everyone - world government leaders and aliens alike - to make sure someone was still there to stop the bad guys. In the scene where she has a conference call with Okoye, Carol, Rhoadey, and Rocket you can tell she’s desperate for there to be something she can fight. She wants that earthquake (which is likely an Easter egg, but we’ll talk about that another time) to be something important. She wants to get her hands dirty. And I love that the woman who was a spy, who always followed orders, and who always found a way to sneak around the truth, is the one holding on tight to being an Avenger and not letting go. I love that even when Steve tells her that maybe they don’t need someone sitting in the compound and coordinating schedules, she can’t accept that. She’s finally something other than a spy in the narrative, and I think that’s a great note for her to go out on.

Two: It Had To Be Them

The teamups for the time travel portion of the movie were really interesting to me. Nebula and Rhoadey - both people who had machine parts to help them survive, but also both people with extensive combat experience and completely different personalities, out to stop a single thief. Rocket and Thor - likely paired up primarily for comic relief, but also because Rocket was probably the only one willing to handle Thor’s guilty conscience at that point since everyone else was on board with the plan, but Thor was still stuck in his depression with seemingly no way out. Captain America, Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Hulk - the most power heavy teamup, but also the one that had the most obstacles to get through is, of course, the one that not only loses a stone, but takes the long way around to get it again, and it’s also appropriate that Captain America and Iron Man get the biggest nostalgia filled trip.

Then, of course, the reason for me writing this at all is that they pair up Black Widow and Hawkeye for the sacrifice mission. I want to know how that was decided. Nebula knew that someone had to die at Vormir, even if she didn’t know all of the details. Did she look at this group of people and go, yeah, which part of this group loves one another the most, and suggest them? Did Natasha and Clint volunteer for this part of the mission when they heard there was murder involved because they have the most “red in their ledgers” at that point and thought they were going to kill someone else? Or did Natasha get paired with him because she was the only one willing to wait five years to find someone everyone else thought had become a serial killer? I want to know how that decision was made.

From a writing standpoint, of course, I know how that decision was made. No other teamup would have worked for Vormir. There is no one else in that group who has the relationship that Clint and Natasha have. At the point the movie takes place, they’ve known each other for at least 20 years. He recruited her instead of killing her. She saved him from being brainwashed. She was the only person he trusted to know his family before the events of Ultron. They were partners. Now, up until the reveal that Clint had a family, would I have thought they were romantic partners? Yep. But the two of them as platonic soulmates works for the events of the movies. Other than his family, Natasha is easily the person Clint cares about most in the whole world. He’s also the first person Natasha is able to think of as family, so I think it’s easy to say the reverse is true as well. No other members of the Avengers team left have that bond. The people they were bonded to (Rocket-Groot, Steve-Sam-Bucky, Nebula-Gamora, Scott-Hope, etc) were all gone. The sacrifice had to be one of those two characters. Once you know it’s them going to Vormir, you know one of them is stuck.

One: Can She Come Back?

The language regarding the Soul Stone is pretty deliberate. You’re exchanging a soul for a soul, giving up that which you love. There’s a lot of talk about the exchange not being undone, but… look, this is a comic book universe, and there’s definitely some wiggle room here. I mean, what happens when the Soul Stone is returned to the dominion of death? (Also, side note: How do we think Cap reacted to seeing the Red Skull was the one he had to return an Infinity Stone to? I would have liked to see that scene.) If the stone is returned, and this a soul is given back, shouldn’t one of the souls taken be released? Wouldn’t that make sense? Why couldn’t Cap, on his trip to return Mjolnir and the six stones, say, “hey, since I brought this back, can you give me something in return? I’m readily giving you this soul. Why don’t you go ahead and give me Natasha’s back?” It doesn’t lessen the sacrifice because Clint still was forced to let her go. In theory, he never used his Pym particles or time travel GPS to go back to 2023 since he decided to live out his new branched timeline life, but someone else could have. Or, you know, there could be a Natasha flying around in space for nine years hanging out with aliens. Or, maybe the Red Room cloned her like they did in the comics, and there’s someone other there with her memories walking around still living the spy life. Who knows?

That’s it for this week! Avengers: Endgame Easter eggs will hopefully go up at some point this weekend if you’re interested in them.

#black widow #natasha romanoff #natalia romanova #endgame spoilers #avengers endgame #friday five

[agentem]

I saw Endgame again

Boy it is long.

1. I saw Sharon! A couple of users had messaged me that is is among the “missing” photos in the beginning but I hadn’t seen it until today. Her photo is backwards, facing Steve Rogers on the right side of the screen. Like he cares.

2. When Steve runs outside to see Captain Marvel arriving with the Benatar, Pepper is standing still. Was she waiting outside all 22 days? I really want to know what Pepper was doing during ALL of this movie.

3. The camera is on Steve for “we lost a part of ourselves” and I think he did. I don’t think his heart was in this one.

4. Natasha lead the Avengers while the guys were off with their terrible coping skills. So who is in charge now that she is gone? Rhodey is the most senior, I think?

5. How does Rocket know what a Build a Bear is? He has been on Earth for 22 days. Was that a place Thor took him after Wakanda?

6. Miek is blob form when on the couch, then when we see him again, he’s got his knives for hands and robot body. I don’t know why this makes me happy. It just does. I also like to imagine a movie about Stephen Strange contacting everyone during the 20 minutes or so between Banner’s snap—which seems to be the one that brought people back—and when they dramatically show up to fight Thanos. It would involve Valkyrie swearing a lot and trying to find a Pegasus.

7. Is mellow Hulk just an imitation of Taika?

8. Hulk is eating Ben and Jerry’s in the “do you want to go to space, puppy?” scene. Is it the one Wong mentioned last movie?

9. The internet told me Professor Hulk is the weakest version of Hulk. I have seen him lift entire cities in cartoons so I kept wondering why he couldn’t keep the debris off Rocket and Rhodey at the end. Is that why? Or is having Giant Man burst up just as all the portals appear, simply, cooler?

10. When Ebony Maw attempts to strangle Nebula, Gamora’s hands go for her weapons. Idk. I started to cry.

11. I wonder about Steve “getting a life” at the end. Because earlier Natasha said she would get a life if he did first. Does that mean that she must return to have a live now, yes? Like I understand the movie logic, that she is the only one still Avenging, still doing the job. She is the one with hope and is happy they are going time traveling when everyone else is grim. I get that Hawkeye wants to die, that is why he volunteers for the time travel experiment. So she thinks she is giving him the chance he gave her. But I still don’t like it as a message that men’s feelings are like the most important thing that a woman should die for.

12. There is no question 12.

13. I was also thinking about how weird the shot of dead Nat is. It recognize that it is a mirror of Gamora in the previous movie. But why...do we need to see their dead bodies? Why are they posed? It made me think of this creepy sexy dead women photo shoot. I will definitely not look as pretty as Scarlett or Zoe when I die. They just had little spray of blood. Instead of their skulls completely crushed or whatever.