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27dragons · 4 months

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New Year Countdown: Dec 21

You know what I really love? An arranged marriage fic. It's just. So good. So have some Dreamling arranged marriage. Don't try to make sense of the worldbuilding,; if I let myself think about it for more than 2 minutes I was going to spend three hours on the background and forget to actually write something useable.

Dec 21 - Dreamling - Arranged Marriage - Fairy lights

Dream ducked around a corner, away from the masses of guests his parents had found it necessary to invite to the wedding. They all wanted to congratulate him, and he was having a harder and harder time not responding with a demand that they produce some evidence that he was, in fact, fortunate.

An arranged marriage, in this day and age!

He’d known better than to argue with his father about it, though, so he’d had as little to do with the entire thing as he could get away with. He’d only met his new husband for the first time the previous afternoon, at the rehearsal. Dream had contrived to sit at the far end of the table from the man at the dinner, and then excused himself to his rooms immediately after the main course.

But he hadn’t been able to avoid the wedding itself, of course. He could only hope that his parents interpreted his flushed face as a new spouse’s excitement and not the towering fury he was suppressing.

The man was attractive enough, Dream had to concede that. But a handsome face could overlay any number of flaws -- only consider Desire, who was as spiteful as they were elegant.

Dream had no wish to learn Robert Gadling’s opinions of the match, or what he expected of Dream and their marriage, or even if they had a single thing in common. This entire thing was a farce, and Dream only wanted to go home and be left alone to mourn his life of contentment and books.

No one had noticed him missing yet. Or if they had, they assumed he’d just ducked off to the restroom. Maybe he could escape for an hour.

The hallway led away from the reception, ending in a set of double doors that overlooked a garden.

The garden was empty, it being entirely too cold for strolling outdoors, but it was decorated with fairy lights in case someone might want to look out a window.

Despite Dream’s feelings about the entire situation, the lights were pretty. He pushed through the doors and stepped out into the garden.

The frozen air was bracing; he drew a deep breath, feeling the cold burn in his lungs, then let it out again and watched the misty puff of condensation swirl up into the night. When the last wisps of his breath had disappeared, he began to walk, the twinkling lights filling his vision.

Halfway down the garden, he could no longer hear the noise of the reception, and he felt a fraction of tension ease from his shoulders. There was a bench there, under a cherry tree that was probably lovely in the spring, but at the moment was just a spread of bare branches clawing at the sky.

Dream sat, looking up through those branches at the lights and the stars.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there. Long enough for the last of the residual warmth to have seeped away from his suit coat by the time someone said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone else was out here.”

Dream blinked the stars from his eyes and turned to see-- Well, of course it was Gadling, wasn’t it? He turned his face back up to the sky. “Were you looking for me?”

“No,” Gadling said. “I try not to push in where I’m not wanted. I’ll leave now, if you like, only -- you look a bit chilled. Can I offer you my coat?”

Dream started to refuse, then realized his teeth were on the edge of chattering. “Thank you.”

When Gadling handed it over, it was still radiating the man’s own heat. Dream pulled it around his shoulders. “You may stay.”

He hadn’t intended it to come out so imperious, but Gadling merely smiled and sat at the other end of the bench. “I caught a glimpse of the lights and I wanted to come out and see them. They’re pretty.”

Dream glanced at his husband sidelong. “Yes, Mr. Gadling,” he agreed quietly. “They are.”

“Maybe,” Gadling added, “we can have something like this in our house?”

“That would be nice,” Dream said.

Gadling smiled a little. It was a small smile, but it creased lines by his eyes that suggested he smiled and laughed often.

That might be good, Dream thought. There wasn’t much laughter in his present life.

“And perhaps eventually,” Gadling continued, eyes fixed on the lights and not on Dream, “you will consent to call me Hob, like my friends do.”

“Are we to be friends, Mr. Gadling?”

Gadling’s smile faded, and he looked sad, a little. Wistful, perhaps. Dream wasn’t particularly adept at reading people, but Gadling’s eyes were gentle, perhaps even kind. “I would like that,” Gadling said. “If you should find me worthy of such an honor.”

Dream was still furious that he’d been pressed into this marriage, of course.

But perhaps... Perhaps he was not angry with Robert Gadling.

#my writing #countdown to 2024 #the sandman #dreamling #arranged marriage au

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bethanydelleman · 9 months

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@redwooding added on another already very long post:

ANOTHER set of questions, which people can ignore or answer: what the hell, Ward sisters? One, about as lazy as a human being can get; one, a truly nasty person, who deserves the purgatory to which she has been consigned; and one, a disorganized slattern. Is this a function of birth order? Their marriages? (Nine kids? Anyone would be overwhelmed. Get off her, Lieutenant Price!) Inborn personalities?

I think it is a mix of personality, circumstance, and birth order.

We know Lady Bertram and Mrs. Price are very similar in disposition, so it's not just the toll of having nine children:

Of her two sisters, Mrs. Price very much more resembled Lady Bertram than Mrs. Norris. She was a manager by necessity, without any of Mrs. Norris’s inclination for it, or any of her activity. Her disposition was naturally easy and indolent, like Lady Bertram’s; and a situation of similar affluence and do-nothingness would have been much more suited to her capacity than the exertions and self-denials of the one which her imprudent marriage had placed her in. She might have made just as good a woman of consequence as Lady Bertram, but Mrs. Norris would have been a more respectable mother of nine children on a small income. (Ch 39)

Mrs. Price was also most likely woefully unprepared to be at the very bottom of the gentry class. She doesn't know how to work efficiently, she doesn't have a housekeeper and butler helping her keep the servants organized because that didn't make up part of her education or expectations in life: "always behindhand and lamenting it, without altering her ways; wishing to be an economist, without contrivance or regularity; dissatisfied with her servants, without skill to make them better, and whether helping, or reprimanding, or indulging them, without any power of engaging their respect."

Mrs. Norris, despite her obvious faults, is better able to adapt to circumstances than either of her sisters. She is active and efficient, probably from birth. She is intelligent and economical enough to save a good deal over her years, but the uselessness of her economy makes her into a miser: Having married on a narrower income than she had been used to look forward to, she had, from the first, fancied a very strict line of economy necessary; and what was begun as a matter of prudence, soon grew into a matter of choice, as an object of that needful solicitude which there were no children to supply.

I take from this that if she had had children, she would not have ended up like she did. Instead of saving for something, she makes the saving itself into her object of affection. A similar thing is explored in Silas Marner by George Eliot. Silas becomes a miser because he has nothing to make money for, so the money becomes his love.

There is also definitely a birth order effect, as Lady Bertram, the middle sister, blindly defers to her elder sister. Mrs. Norris is a controlling elder sibling and Mrs. Price a classic rebellious youngest.

Lady Bertram fell into the situation she was suited for, and becomes a very lazy baronet's wife. Mrs. Price is entirely unsuited by disposition to her lowly station in life and therefore struggles considerably. Mrs. Norris married lower than she wished, adapted, but fell into the temptation of greed due to a lack of children/something sensible to do with her money.

Whatever morality or principles that they may have had as young women seem to have worn away over time. There is very little positive good in any of them.

Another blog post about the Ward sisters here.

#the ward sisters #mansfield park #jane austen #mrs. norris #mrs. price #lady bertram

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ursafootprints · 11 months

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Okay okay I've got my doc for YNYD open in another tab as we speak but allow me this brief interlude for hornyposting; dubcon of the fuck-or-die variety:

Peter and [insert your favorite selection of Avengers] are on some space mission and Peter gets hit by some kind of [curse/alien tech/insert horny plot contrivance here] that at first seems to have no effect, so the team cleans up the situation and gets back on the ship, business as usual

but then over time Peter starts to feel off, a little over-sensitized and hot under the collar, until it escalates to a full-blown fever and brainfog and FRIDAY starts sending alerts about his vitals

blahblahblah FRIDAY is able to dig through some alien resources and determine that Peter's been hit with some kind of fuck-or-die effect that was originally used in like, fertility/cycle-of-life-and-death rituals and he needs to ingest the ~seed of life~ or his body will shut down in t-minus 15min

after delicately clarifying that the ~seed of life~ is a euphemism for come, Tony-- who can immediately see that there is not enough time here to waste on moral qualms or searching for alternatives-- sticks his hand down the front of his pants and gets to work, and after confirmation from FRIDAY that it seems these rituals were usually Group Events by necessity and some dithering and hand-wringing, the others reluctantly follow suit

tl;dr Peter winds up dazed and come-stupid at the center of an Avengers circle-jerk, too out-of-it to do anything more than lick the come off of their fingers after they've finished

(and then, because I'm me and I can't just leave it at the porn:)

the aftermath once Peter's brainfog clears is Very awkward, especially as FRIDAY explains that the effect will continue to ebb and flow in Peter's system until it burns itself out, so he'll keep getting to that point of life-threatening fever and heart rate without a steady diet of, well,

so after making sure that Peter's okay, the adults are kind of just hashing it out over his head-- okay, to make it less sexual/invasive maybe they can treat it like the medical thing that it is, jerk off into a medicine cup or something behind a door and then hand it off to Peter, they can make a rotation/schedule to make sure it never gets that bad again once they're able to get a sense of how often Peter needs it, would it be better to have a few people who don't participate so it doesn't affect his relationship with ALL of them or would that just make it feel weirder/more personal with the fewer people who do participate-- with the last train of thought being directed not-too-subtly at Tony because everyone knows Peter already has a huge crush on him and this development seems a little Problematic in regards to wires getting crossed there-- etc. etc.

until Peter finally speaks up, totally embarrassed but unable to hold it in, and is like. "I get it and no one has to do anything they don't want to just because I'm the one that's sick and oh my god I'm so sorry but can we just do it the normal way, please don't make me lick shots of jizz out of medicine cups, that would feel so much worse and grosser than just, just,"

and everyone freezes up, because. on the one hand, of course they want to respect Peter's comfort and make things as least-traumatizing for him as possible, but also what are the ethics of letting your junior varsity teammate blow you so he doesn't die,

"We, uh. We're gonna have to talk that one out, Pete," Tony says, strained, and he knows which way he's leaning, he wants Peter to be comfortable-- but after earlier, after how startlingly easy it was to work himself up to Peter's glazed-over expression and parted lips and pretty pink blush, he's a little worried that maybe it's not just Peter's comfort that he has at heart.

#starker #half-baked ideas #nff

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the-badger-mole · 2 years

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Don't you think your'e a little harsh on Mai? Just because the worst of her parents' or Azula's abuse happened off screen doesn't mean it didn't happen

Actually, since it's a visual medium, it's really important that we see what Mai went through. It's true that in real life, it's hard to tell just from looking in from the outside when someone is being abused, but when you're dealing with storytelling, and especially storytelling in a visual medium, it's very important to show what a character is going through, especially when it's building up to major character moments. Without showing Mai being repressed by her parents, or actually being afraid of Azula, her abrupt change of sides looks flimsy and weak.

Compare Mai's introduction to Ty Lee's (in the exact same episode!!! Did you remember that they were introduced in the same episode, because I sure forgot) We don't know that Ty Lee's parents were abusive or neglectful, per se, but we know immediately that she felt she needed to run away and join the circus so she could build her own sense of self. We see immediately that she fears Azula (and with good reason). We know that she didn't want to join the hunt for Zuko. And all of that development only took about...what? 5 minutes of screen time? We didn't need to have her being pushed around in every episode after that because the storytelling was tight enough and impactful enough that we know that Ty Lee both fears Azula and felt stifled at home. Ty Lee's moment in The Beach felt more honest than Mai's (and Azula's tbh) because the show had already established Ty Lee's motivations and feelings.

Meanwhile, Mai's family life is fine -certainly it's the most stable in the show- she just didn't want to move for her father's job, which in itself is pretty relatable, and I don't know why they didn't just stick with that. She is openly disrespectful to her parents in a way that doesn't suggest her behavior has been overly policed. She even runs with the guards when they think her family has been attacked by resistance fighters, which suggests her parents know she can fight (and more than likely paid to have her trained because those knives cost money). She wasn't afraid of Azula at any point of her time in the show, either. If the writers wanted us to believe Mai, then they needed to give us more than that contrived moment of vulnerability. They showed us that Mai was a strong, independent girl who went along with Azula because she wanted to, but then tried to tell us that she'd had a rough life actually. It wouldn't have taken long to to establish her as feeling repressed and trapped. It didn't need to be anything as horrifying as showing us Zuko's Agni Kai. Like I said, they did it for Ty Lee in like 5 minutes, which leads me to believe that Mai's Tragic Backstory™️©️®️ was made up at the last minute to justify her sudden betrayal of Azula for a cause she didn't believe in for a guy who I truly, truly don't believe she ever really loved and certainly didn't actually know (because she kept shutting down all of his attempts to open up to her). It wouldn't have even taken that much to establish Mai feeling reluctant to follow Azula or feeling repressed. Have her parents actually try to silence her- and I mean actually silence her, not try to cheer her up over a situation that none of them could immediately change. Have her not immediately agree to go with Azula. Heck! Have her change her clothes. I know I've been harping on the clothing thing, but changing clothes is such an easy way to show a character freeing themselves from repression.

(Tangent: Also I think that Mai's esthetic is at least half of the reason why people love her character so much, even though what she's wearing doesn't seem like it's at all out of step with what the rest of the Fire Nation elite wear. Including her mother!!! Ty Lee's outfit is more counter cultural than Mai's.)

Let me reiterate, in real life, no victim of abuse is obligated to behave a certain way or film their abuse in real time or otherwise prove to the general public that they went through what they went through, but the rules for characters in a story are different. We are with them in whatever moments the writers show them in. So that means it's important to see them going through their struggles, if those struggles are going to inform their development. Writers cannot just have the characters announce that they went through things that completely contradict what we saw on screen. Especially when they've proven they know how to effectively establish a character in just a few minutes.

It sucks that Bryke and Nick went so far out of their way to force an ending that didn't make sense, that they screwed up so many characters. Instead of ending with no ship or with Zutara, the People's Choice, they decided to treat Mai in a way that ultimately made her look more despicable than when she was a straight up villain.

#atla #anti mai #anti maiko #a lil' bit of #zutara #at the end #ask the badger mole

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artbyblastweave · 2 years

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So there’s this thing in superhero stories where (due to the anthropic principle) all the superheroes have useful and combat-viable powers. Otherwise the story would be boring. A lot of post-modern cape things try to justify this high level of uniform competence and power by advancing the practical (but really boring!) idea that there’s a wider bell-curve of superhuman power within the setting, where the principle cast is near the top, and that the vast majority of superpowered people just have incredibly weak, dumb or even self-destructive powers. BNHA, X-Men, Wild Cards, and The Boys all play with this to a degree. It is often framed as a “realistic” take on powers, although what’s actually happening is that it just maps to the familiar real-world idea of talent being on a curve. Superpowers work any goddamn way the writer wants them to.

Now, sometimes it works with the narrative. For X-Men, the idea that the vast majority of mutants are essentially people with weird skin conditions or chronic medical conditions or whatever, carries an enormous amount of water for the “oppressed minority” metaphor. And in The Boys, the fact that a ton of people who take watered-down compound V wind up with “powers” like an exploding head or eye beams that melt the users own eyes is thematically on point, because the whole goddamn series is about how corporations will throw countless people into a meat grinder in order to get a handful of shining idols they can market to hell and gone.

But a lot of the time, the “useless power” trope and the “lol so random” power tropes are just kind of annoying for me. Like, if you’re infected with an alien virus that gives people superpowers, and you get the superpower to change the color of wallpaper, fuck you! Whatever gave you powers has a coherent understanding of the concepts of “color” and “wallpaper” and “change,” a better power was absolutely conceptually possible here! It feels, I dunno, contrarian, almost!

And now, as with so many of these posts, we come to something I love about Worm. Worm doesn’t do this! There are no useless powers. Every single Power is in some way viable in a fight! If a power doesn’t seem particularly useful, one of four things is going on. Either the power is explicitly broken (Oliver) the cape hasn’t figured out the intended expression of their power (Parian, Jack, Kid Win, Bakuda via Word of God ), the cape is sitting on an utterly terrifying intended expression of their power (Regent, Parian, Panacea, Crucible, Egg) or the power itself is more of a resource thrown into the mix to start a fight (Dinah, many many Tinkers and Thinkers.)

A super common trope with “Useless Powers” is the use finding some off-the-wall niche application, which lets the character with the useless power “cheat” and hit above their station by being really clever, thus Showing Them All. Which feels a little contrived when the “random” power is so specifically useless only by authorial fiat. Not a problem with Worm! In the handful of situations where the characters do find that niche application, their ability to do so was baked into the setting’s cosmology, and their previous failure to do so reflects on their character and their mindset and is, like, actively additive (thinking of Kid Win here in particular.) Feels a lot less like the author is shadowboxing, I guess?

Edit: I miscited the Bakuda bit. Ignore that

#worm #wildbow #parahumans #the boys #X-men #wild cards #thoughts #meta #worm meta

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 3 months

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Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 24, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JAN 25, 2024

The dust is beginning to settle after last night’s New Hampshire primary. Former president Donald Trump won the Republican primary with 54.3% of the vote, netting him 12 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley came in second with 43.3% of the vote, garnering her 9 delegates. Other candidates together took 2.3%, but none of them won any delegates.

There has been a lot of noise today about whether the New Hampshire results spell good news for Trump or bad news. While the result keeps him in the front spot for the Republican nomination, I fall into the category of observers who see bad news: more than 45% of Republican primary voters—those most fervent about the party—chose someone other than Trump.

As David French pointed out in the New York Times today, Trump is running as a virtual incumbent, and any incumbent facing a challenger who can command 43% of the party faithful is in trouble. President Gerald Ford discovered this equation in 1976 when he faced Ronald Reagan’s insurgency; President George H. W. Bush discovered it in 1992 when he faced a similar challenge from right-wing commentator Patrick Buchanan. While both Ford and Bush went on to win the Republican nomination, they lost the general election.

More important than opinions or history to indicate what the primary indicated, though, is Trump’s apparent anger about Haley’s showing. Politico’s Playbook noted that he “rage-posted” about Haley’s speech after her strong finish with posts that lasted far into the night. Ron Filipkowski noted that at 2:19 this morning he was still at it, posting: “NIKKI CAME IN LAST, NOT SECOND!”

In addition to attacking her from the podium, Trump appeared to threaten her when he warned her about “very dishonest people” she would have to fight. He said she was not going to win, “but if she did, she would “be under investigation…in fifteen minutes and I could tell you five reasons why already. Not big reasons, a little stuff that she doesn’t want to talk about, but she will be under investigation within minutes, and so would Ron have been, but he decided to get out.”

The tactics Trump might have been suggesting became clear this afternoon, when the chair of the Arizona Republican Party, Jeff DeWit, resigned after a recording that appeared to show him trying to bribe Arizona Senate candidate and fervent Trump supporter Kari Lake to stay out of the Senate race was leaked to the press. The tape itself was clearly contrived to show Lake as if she were in a campaign ad, defending Trump and America, but it includes DeWit’s pleas for her to stand aside for two years, presumably while the Arizona party regroups with less extremist candidates, and his request that she name her price.

This sordid story reflects a problem in the state Republican parties as MAGA supporters have tried to take over from the party establishment. In Arizona, challenging the 2020 presidential election—remember the “Cyber Ninjas” who audited the Maricopa County vote?—ran the finances of the Arizona party into the ground. Lake has continued to insist, without evidence, that the election was stolen, and she and other MAGA activists have called for purging the party of all but the Trump faithful. The recording positions Lake as a Trump loyalist fighting against party operatives.

In his resignation letter, DeWit claimed the recording had been “taken out of context” and said he had been “set up.” He noted that Lake has “a disturbing tendency to exploit private interactions for personal gain,” calling out “her habit of secretly recording personal and private conversations. This is obviously a concern given how much interaction she has with high profile people including President Trump,” he added. “I believe she orchestrated this entire situation to have control over the state party,” he wrote.

DeWit said he had “received an ultimatum from Lake’s team: resign today or face the release of a new, more damaging recording. I am truly unsure of its contents,” he wrote, “but considering our numerous past open conversations as friends, I have decided not to take the risk. I am resigning as Lake requested.”

It seems clear the Trump team is eager to consolidate power behind him no matter what it takes, especially in the face of what appears to be his weakness. Rising authoritarians depend on the idea they are invincible, so being perceived as vulnerable—or as a loser—hits them much harder than it does a normal political candidate.

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel—who was recorded on November 17, 2020, pressuring two Republican officials in Michigan not to certify Joe Biden’s electors in a county he won by 68% and promising the officials to “get you attorneys”—has urged Haley to drop out of the race. Traditionally, party chairs stay neutral in primary contests. Tonight, Trump posted a threat to donors: “Nikki ‘Birdbrain’ Haley is very bad for the Republican Party and, indeed, our Country…. Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them and will not accept them.”

For her part, Haley has vowed to stay in the contest. While observers point out that there is very little chance she could actually overtake Trump, it’s also true that either Trump’s obvious mental lapses or his legal troubles could knock him out of the race, in which case she would be the most viable candidate standing.

Curiously, what happened to Trump in New Hampshire was what, before the election, pundits suggested could and maybe should happen to President Joe Biden: a challenger would show that he was weak going into the 2024 election.

Instead, despite dirty-trickster robocalls in a fake Biden voice telling Democratic voters not to show up vote for Biden, he appears to be on track to win 65% of the vote as a write-in candidate—he wasn’t on the ballot—while Representative Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson, who were on the ballot, together appear to have garnered just under 25%..

On Monday, Miranda Nazzaro of The Hill reported that the creator of ChatGPT banned a super PAC backing Phillips for misusing AI for political purposes. Billionaire Bill Ackman, who has been in the news lately for his fight against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, attacks on former Harvard president Claudine Gay, and threats to media outlets that pointed out plagiarism in his wife’s doctoral dissertation, donated $1 million to Phillips’s super PAC.

There was other good news for the Biden camp today, too. Sign-ups for the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, have surged by 80% under Biden, with a record 21 million people enrolling this year. Trump has promised to get rid of the program, saying that “Obamacare Sucks!!!” and that he will replace it with something better, but neither now nor in his four years in office did he produce a plan.

Biden also received the enthusiastic endorsement today of the United Auto Workers union, whose president, Shawn Fain, had made it clear that any president must earn that endorsement. Biden stood with the union in its negotiations last year with the big three automakers, not only behind the scenes but also in public when he became the first president to join a picket line. “[Trump] went to a nonunion plant, invited by the boss, and trashed our union,” Fain said, “And, here is what Joe Biden did during our stand up strike. He heard the call. And he stood up and he showed up.” “Donald Trump stands against everything we stand for as a society,” Fain told the crowd.

More news dropped today about the damage MAGA Republicans are doing to the United States. A report published today in JAMA Internal Medicine estimates that in the 14 states that outlawed abortion after the Supreme Court’s June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, 64,565 women became pregnant after being raped, “but few (if any) obtained in-state abortions legally.”

Finally, Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan of Punchbowl News confirmed this evening that although MAGA Republicans have insisted the border is such a crisis that no aid to Ukraine can pass until it is addressed, Trump is preventing congressional action on the border because he wants to run on the issue of immigration. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told a closed meeting of Senate Republicans that “the nominee” wants to run his campaign on immigration, adding, “We don’t want to do anything to undermine him.” “We’re in a quandary,” McConnell said.

Jennifer Bendery and Igor Bobic of HuffPost reported that Trump today reached out to Republican senators to kill the bipartisan border deal being finalized, “because he doesn’t want Biden to have a victory,” one source said. “The rational Republicans want the deal because they want Ukraine and Israel and an actual border solution,” Bendery and Bobic quote the source as saying. “But the others are afraid of Trump, or they’re the chaos caucus who never wants to pass anything.”

“They’re having a little crisis in their conference right now,”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Mike Luckovich #Atlanta Journal Constitution #Heather Cox Richardson #Letters From An American #do-nothing congress #US House of Representatives #border politics #war in Israel #war in Ukraine #bipartisan border deal

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appalesbian · 4 months

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ show us some more👀

Eeeee this is so fun, thank you for the ask! Okay, so I’ll talk a bit about my fic She Showed Me that Apple (And I Got Weak) (discussion here will be relatively tame but the fic itself is explicit, so please be mindful of that!)

So this fic started brewing in my brain when I was stuck in traffic one day. The song Long Way from Tupelo by Paul Thorn comes on and I’m jamming. Essentially, it’s the story of a guy whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, he meets a beautiful girl whose house is the only one for miles, they bang, the girl’s mom comes home and sends the narrator on his way. It occurs to me that with Korra and her aversion to driving/cars, this could be a fun situation to put her in. Asami’s the beautiful stranger, bingo bango.

I start writing the fic and I’m just not feeling it. It all feels a little too perfect, a little too unrealistic, a little too classic-p*rn-scenario if you will. And while there’s nothing wrong with a contrived setup for a sex scene (I would be a massive hypocrite if I said otherwise lol), it wasn’t feeling that interesting to write or read. I’d started feeling really bored and frustrated with the fic and I stopped working on it for a while.

Then one day, I wanted to start writing again, so I looked up live versions of the song to hopefully knock something loose in my brain. A version that I find starts with the singer explaining that the story behind the song is actually a story that he read in an old issue of Penthouse or something in that he found in the woods when he was a teenager. And suddenly it all made sense to me. Of course it’s predictable, of course it’s all too easy— that’s the whole point. The story is too perfect because it’s a fantasy. It would never happen that way because it’s not. real.

So then I start trying to think about how to work that into the fic when I remember this incredible comic. (I’d also had an incredibly tender EXTREMELY detailed sex dream about a random coworker a few nights prior that made work very awkward the next day). And it all comes together for me— Korra’s dreaming. Her brain is coupling together her beginnings of feelings for Asami with the kind of schlocky bodice-ripper novel plotlines that would have informed how she’d heard people talk about sex.

I know the reveal that Korra was dreaming was controversial— some people really didn’t care for it and were not afraid to tell me so! But for me it was the only way that the narrative made sense or felt compelling. Besides, there is nothing that I love more than a baby gay panic angst moment (especially when we already know that it’s going to work out for Korrasami in the end.)

#asks #lilrobinbird

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sayitaliano · 6 months

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Hii!! So, i came across the frase 'architettano piani' that, according to google translate, means to make plans. Is that correct? Also, another question: if architetto is architect, would the fem form be architteta?

Thamkss⚘️

Ciao!

Yes the translation is correct. "Architettare piani" is an idiomatic expression that can also be translated as to plan/make plans: architettare = to plot, to plan, to scheme, but also (to a point) to make up... An architect "plans and builds/contrives" buildings so that's the same with plans: you study/plot them and make them/scheme them.

When it comes to the feminine version of jobs, the situation is kinda complex cause not everyone is okay using them and there is no fixed rule to make them as we're "making them up" these days basically. Many of the professions that mostly come at the masculine, were made so because there were little-to-no women doing them. But ofc with the *light* emancipation we gained in the recent years, this problem arose. Therefore, we have been introducing also the female version of some professions that once didn't have it: I wrote something here, you can check that post if you'd like to know more. Anyway to answer you, "architetta" is the correct feminine version of "architetto" and it's used and accepted (also legally) in certain areas and by certain professionists. But some women architect rather to keep the masculine "architetto" anyway as it also refers to the profession and not necessarily to the person doing it (and it's confirmed here too).

BTW This situation is not only related to this specific job but also to others: sometimes changing and adapting to a new "name" can get difficult so it's probably a matter of time for some. But once you dig deeper in the problem, you can see how it also makes it a little more complex when you need to refer to other correlated things like how do you call their office/consulting room/working room (eg. "aprire uno studio di architettura" =to open an architecture working room, is fine for everyone but "aprire uno studio da architetto/a" changes as you can refer to the person, the office itself and the profession so basically...???)... in the end is a matter that occasionally may give headaches to us too lol but on a general level we tend to use the feminine version of professions in many casses especially when referring to the person doing them (hoping it's their gender of choice anyway) like on TV you may often hear "la ministra" for a woman minister.

(Dunno if I have been clear today my ability to express myself is below zero in whatever language, sorry... just let me know)

#it #italian #langblr #italiano #italian language #italian langblr #language #languages #parole words #traduzioni #italian grammar #italian professions #grammatica italiana

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randomeeveelutions · 1 month

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5. What is the most difficult thing about writing your current muse?

I'm the Captain Now.

For brevity's sake I'll avoid discussing any of the guys I RP exclusively on Discord and go over like the main three I do on tumblr! Soooo

With Rind it can be a bit tricky trying to find a good transition between her snarky and rude personality that she takes when she first meets new people and her nicer, more trusting self that has a good sized soft spot. She isn't going to start off an angel, but there's should be some way to give her a little ray of hope so any new muses she meets don't immediately write her off as a lost cause. There's also the whole thing about talking pokemon. It isn't an issue in PMD Verse/Fantasy settings where the animals and creatures just talk and its normal, but in normal verses I just like to... Ignore that issue and hope no one notices lol

Mint is a weird character in that her usual situation is quite remote. As in, if you're meeting Mint your character has to contrive a reason to be exploring a jungle. Unless she gets kidnapped, moved, or bonds with someone over the course of a thread that's just where she is.

Galacta Knight has a mean personality and a lot of trust issues to deal with. I'd like to write some more of the old knight defrosting but I'm afraid it can be a bit of a process and the last thing I'd want my character development to be is a chore for the other player. Kind of similar to Rind actually, but Galacta is a walking threat to life itself while Rind is a plucky kid who eats newspapers sometimes. They are not the same haha

#outofevolutions #asks;#((holds up all my mean and rude characters. dont you just want to love them?#((they dont need anger management classes when theyve got snuggles

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sunskate · 30 days

Text

RD -

Olivia and Tim skated in an early group and looked good - they look more comfortable in the RD than the FD - their highest base value this season with all level 3 steps. good for him ☺️ Kaitlin and Jean-Luc, KMT and Trennt in his Leafs jersey came to watch them - stayed for a bit but were mostly on their phones except for O/T

Luca Lanotte tried to loud clap to get the audience going for his team - i really wish coaches wouldn't do that - let the skating speak for itself. it feels like a lack of confidence in them or the coach inserting themselves into the situation. clapping for an element done well is one thing, but clapping into the silence is distracting more than anything

Koko have improved- they're skating bigger, too. you sometimes hear people say teams don't improve past a certain point, but it's not true. i never noticed their Ghostbusters costumes are distressed with green goo lol

36 teams, and only one with a deduction - 24 teams with all positive GOE. they work so hard and so many did really well. Bratti/Somerville were looking good and then 😢 slowed down it looks like he might have hit the back of her boot and then toe picked? i felt so bad for them. interesting that the judges from Spain and Slovakia gave them PCS like the fall didn't happen, while Poland gave them 6.75 in SS and along with a few other judges dropped them hard

i loved seeing the Czech teams live - they are very fast, the Taschlers especially cover ice, and i'd love to know how their technique is different from what IAM/O do. the Taschlers 💔 - it looks like she has a split second to look down and put her blade on his boot, and somehow she didn't get a foothold and slipped. maybe it was safer for it not to go up than for her to fall off mid-lift, but 😭

Hannah and Ye were great- they've grown a lot since August. they got their levels - only Piper/Paul, Olivia/Tim and CPom had higher BV - they tied with R/A and the Ukrainian team, Holubtsova/Bielebrov - i would have had them above the Mrazeks. hopefully their GOE and PCS will start to rise after this competition, because they were impressive-- first year seniors and 14th!

R/A's guns n roses live is high energy, big - kept seeing her sister around and having to look twice if it was Allison

CPom - they did SO well - i had been thinking this whole time her new dress is green - i think the yellow notes in the beige material made me see green instead of blue - i did wonder at one point why the accent color on Anthony's didn't match - it's probably just me who didn't put this together lol their skating just feels substantial, and they have beautiful unison and unity as a team

and LaLa are so rhythmic and sharp in this program - they can flow and hit the accents at the same time, which not many teams do. they're hearing the tempo. they can skate so specifically to the beat. you can see the music in their movement, which is the best - i love them so much. i think it's partly that, plus the flow and someone mentioned their speed of rotation that makes them look so fast on a screen. live, they are fast, but not quite as much as it looks on a stream

Madi Chock uses her arms and hands very very skillfully and beautifully. i still get taken out sometimes by how her speed increases and edges are deeper when he's pulling or pushing her vs when she's moving on her own. but they have great timing with each other. was it 90+? idk 😬

G/F i could rave about their skating skills some more lol

after hearing Carol Lane talk about how she intentionally choreographs "hits" - unusual movements or accents that are supposed to grab the audience - in this case those little hops G/P do - into the programs, it started to feel slightly contrived and the vertical motions a way to distract from how Piper's carriage isn't the best. i still like it, even the belly flops, but maybe a little less than i did?

5 hours of ice dance ❤️

#the event's been taken down from the ISU youtube #maybe bc of prince #and peacock's replay is gone #but yle areena w a vpn

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spotsandsocks · 2 years

Text

Bee Careful What You Say

911 fic

Teen 3K

Read on A03 Bee Careful What You Say

Eddie’s been watching the whole thing unfold so he knows what’s happening. Hen’s only just arrived and it’s easy to imagine how you’d be confused by all this so her question is hardly surprising.

“What..what is he doing?”

His friend’s resigned tone of long suffering pulls Eddie’s attention away from Buck, but only for a moment because he needs to keep an eye on the situation and step in if things get dangerous.

His focus returns to the goal of keeping Buck safe because while Buck’s tall he’s not quite tall enough for what he’s attempting to do. Eddie chews on his lower lip nervously as he watches.

Buck’s stretching up as far as he can go, almost on his tiptoes and Eddie’s trying to keep his attention fixed on the OSHA violations occurring and not the strip of skin that’s been revealed by Buck’s shirt rising up as his arms reach higher.

“It’s stuck Hen! It needs help.” Buck calls down over his shoulder answering her question without actually telling her anything useful.

Another weary voice joins in, “Do I even want to know?” Eddie risks another quick glance backwards and it reveals that Chim has also arrived now with Ravi.

Ravi looks confused, Chim less so but then he has known Buck longer.

“It’s not like we don’t go on rescue missions every day” Buck says, voice a little strained by what he’s doing, he’s still far too precariously balanced for Eddie’s comfort.

Then Buck reaches out again, stretching his arms, shirt and Eddie’s nerves to their limit. Eddie winces, worried about an imminent disaster, he takes an unconscious step forward hand twitching ready to reach out when Buck suddenly exclaims loudly,

“Ahah! Got him!”

He turns around and looks down at the small crowd he’s drawn, the smile spreading across his face is triumphant. He’s very clearly delighted with himself, blue eyes seek out and find Eddie’s and when they meet the smile widens just a little. Eddie allows himself a few seconds to bask in the glow of that then breaks the moment by rolling his eyes before he reveals too much about himself.

“Although” Buck says “you know ‘him’ isn’t really right for bees because… “

“Buck!” Bobby’s voice captures everyone’s attention, “Get off the furniture…” he sounds exasperated but not surprised at what he’s seeing. He doesn’t even ask what Buck is doing standing on a table and holding a glass jar topped with a piece of paper.

Buck grimaces guilty and steps down onto a nearby chair, Eddie reaches up quickly to steady him when he wobbles before breathing more easily once he’s safely on his own two feet again.

“Hey there, no need to get cross with me, I’m helping!” Buck lifts the glass up so he can talk to the tiny buzzing creature he’s just rescued and starts to head towards the stairs. Eddie follows because that’s just what he does.

In fact these days Eddie contrives to spend most of his time somewhere close to Buck, he’s pretty sure everyone but Buck has noticed. He’d been sat next to him when Buck had first noticed the bee, fruitlessly bumping itself against one of the higher up windows trying to get outside.

As soon as he’d seen the little frown form on Buck’s face he knew just what was coming and sure enough Buck had jumped up to help it. It’s 100% Buck and just one of the many reasons he’s head over heels in love with him.

Now Buck has his bee secured and is on the way to set it free, oblivious to the looks he’s getting as they walk through the firehouse.

“Eddie look, he’s got so much pollen on him. Maybe I should take a photo for Chris.” he looks momentarily perplexed as to how he can manage that while holding his glass and keeping the piece of paper he has over it in place.

Eddie rolls his eyes again and whips out his phone. “Hold still” Buck ignores the resigned tone and rewards him with another smile for his cooperation. “You’re the best, Chris is gonna love it. What should we call him?”

“Buck, you’re letting him go in a second.” He studiously ignores the warm feeling spreading through him at Buck’s casual use of ‘we’

“Yeah you’re right” Buck agrees, then on the next breath he adds “he looks like a Brad to me or maybe a Joe, definitely not a Steve though?”

“He looks like a bee.” Eddie can’t hold back the bark of laughter but he tries to keep some of the fondness out of his voice. Buck’s holding the jar up to his face intent on the contents so he doesn’t see the look that goes with the laugh, which is probably a good thing all things considered.

“You know you’re getting some pretty odd looks.” Eddie comments glancing around at his fellow firefighters.

“I don’t care, poor thing was trapped, he’s had a hard day at work getting all that pollen and then he got stuck in here with us. Least I could do, easiest rescue I’ve done today.”

The lack of instant agreement from Eddie that bee rescue is now included in the LAFD’s job description draws Buck’s full attention, a frown and the start of a lecture,

“You know Eddie bees are very important…”

“I know, I know ” he nods, holding up his hands to appease Buck “you've told me before.”

“Yeah” Buck takes a deep breath, “but do you know how many wild plants depend on bees?”

Actually Eddie does because he listens when Buck talks so he answers confidently “95% and 75% of crops.”

Buck’s little ‘oh’ of surprise shouldn't make his stomach flip like that but it does as does the flash of his tongue and teeth worrying his lip before a shy smile tilts one half of his mouth upwards “ ok, yeah, that’s right but did you know that's like three..”

“Out of four mouthfuls of food that depend on bees.” Eddie finishes for him in a sing song voice.

Buck stops so suddenly Eddie ends up ahead of him. He turns when he realises Buck’s no longer keeping pace and instead is now frozen just staring at him. Eddie raises his eyebrows in a silent question and gestures towards the doors.

Buck's eyes narrow as he studies Eddie as if he’s trying to work out a puzzle, then he says “And they’re smart, scientists taught them to play…”

“Football, I know, you showed me the video.” Twice in fact. Buck’s always showing him things on the internet. He spots the speculative look in Buck's eye as he lifts the glass up higher and squints at his bee and Eddie thinks that train of thought needs to be shut down immediately,

“No. Don’t even think about it Steve wants to be free.” He can’t keep the grin off his face, he knows that will annoy Buck and as expected Buck gives him a look, obviously aware he did it on purpose.

“I said he’s very clearly not a ‘Steve’ Edmundo!”

Buck starts walking and talking again but only after Eddie pulls a face at him, “bet I never told you about the ‘waggle dance’ though.”

Eddie doesn’t comment this time because Buck has decided it would be helpful to demonstrate his version of the ‘waggle dance’ which means his hips are doing very interesting things as he walks ahead of him and Eddie’s temporarily lost for words.

Thankfully Buck doesn’t notice his 404 error moment , another thing Buck showed him on the internet then had to explain when he didn’t get it.

Buck continues to chatter away “I like bees, I think you should plant some wild flowers in your garden, help them out even more. Do you think Chris would like to do that? I could help.”

Eddie’s pretty sure Chris would be happy to do just about anything with Buck. He’s not the only Diaz who feels like that either.

They’ve reached the outer doors now and Buck removes the piece of paper he’s holding over the top of the glass, setting Brad or possibly Joe but definitely not Steve free.

The bee lifts into the sky and is gone in seconds.

Buck looks very pleased with himself, he nudges Eddie in the side, “I think he waved” then he grins at him, bright and happy and dear God Eddie is just so stupidly in love with him it hurts.

Everything about this man is everything he wants. He can’t look away.

“You are ridiculous.” but he thinks it might sound more like ‘I love you’ if Buck’s paying attention to his tone rather than his words.

And maybe he is because now there’s a sight flush on his cheeks and he does that thing that always melts Eddie’s heart; his chin dips down and with lowered eyes and a soft chuckle, Buck says “I know, but you love me anyway.”

His breath catches in his throat and his brain short circuits, it must do because without his permission treacherous words slip directly from his heart to his lips.

“I do. I really do.”

The truth in his words is obvious. He knows that immediately not because Buck’s head jerks up or because his eyes widen with surprise. He knows it because he heard it himself, love dripping like honey over a handful of words that just told Buck everything he’s been trying to hide.

Buck opens his mouth and Eddie experiences a moment perfectly balanced between hope and fear. It only lasts for a moment because Buck never gets to speak the words that will break his heart or make it whole because the bell goes off, which is a blessing or maybe a curse. Eddie isn’t going to find out anyway because he turns away from Buck and runs to the trucks.

On the way back from their regrettably brief call he keeps his eyes resolutely fixed on the window to avoid looking at Buck. He chooses to ignore the small amount of cheating taking place whenever he uses the reflection to catch a glimpse of him. Buck has a familiar expression on his face, it’s the one where he looks like he’s working out a puzzle.

Oh God, he’s thinking about things and Eddie squirms in his seat at the possibile implications of that because Buck isn’t stupid. Buck is going to work it all out very soon. He flits between wild optimistic fantasies of Buck returning his feelings and his more prosaic fears that he’s managed to ruin everything they have together.

He blames the bee. It’s hard to believe that after so much careful, quiet pining and longing he’s been brought low by a bee, a bee called Brad of all things. Even though Brad ruined everything Eddie can’t help but smile at the memory, it’s just one of many he has of Buck being Buck, one more thing to add to the list of reasons he loves him.

He’s startled out of his thoughts when the firetruck stops. Extremely aware that he can’t avoid the problem he’s created forever but willing to try as soon as the truck parks he’s off, leaving Buck in his wake.

He makes himself busy somewhere quiet towards the back of the firehouse and waits for the inevitable.

As expected it doesn’t take long for Buck to find him; he has his back to the door but a quiet ‘hey’ from behind has his jaw going tight and knots in his stomach. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He can’t turn around yet, he knows the gentle tentative expression that goes with that tone. Buck’s going to be kind about this and that might hurt more than anything else.

“Eddie?”

This is it then. He allows himself another moment, another deep breath, to steady himself before he turns to face reality, ready to allow Buck to let him down gently.

Buck’s leaning against the wall, arms folded, his lip caught anxiously between his teeth. He looks good, he looks thoughtful.

The first thing he says is, “You knew all my bee facts.”

Eddie doesn’t reply straight away, that’s not how he’d expected this conversation to start but if Buck wants to talk about bees that’s fine by him. He’d rather talk about bees than his unrequited love.

“Yeah I did” it’s the truth, thanks to Buck he knows a lot more random facts than he used to.

Buck pushes off the wall and starts moving forward slowly and Eddie’s pulse definitely doesn’t jump at that. He swallows unable to look away.

Buck says “I was thinking about it on the way back. It’s not the first time.”

He’s right about that too, it isn’t.

Buck looks right at him, locking their eyes together “You pay attention to me. You always listen to me, whenever I’m doing or saying something.” Buck eyes narrow again mildly confused “No one else does that Eddie. Why do you?”

“I like your facts.” He wants to add ‘I like you’ but he’s not brave enough.

The crease between Buck’s eyebrows deepens, he’s even closer now and how did that happen? The sudden reduction in space between them makes his heart rate pick up again, if he doesn’t get it under control Buck will be able to hear the damn thing soon.

“You know Eddie” Buck says thoughtfully “l think maybe I haven’t been paying attention properly.”

Eddie agrees with that and he’s been very thankful for it. Now Buck’s onto him and he’ll understand exactly how Eddie feels about him. It’s a disaster. Damn Brad.

He steels himself for the kind but firm rejection coming any second.

Buck worries at his lip again, his nose wrinkles up and even with his heart breaking Eddie thinks that’s adorable.

“Before… What you said earlier, you, you didn’t mean it right?”

Eddie blinks, again Buck’s surprised him. He’d broken their intense eye contact to say that and the way he’d asked had sounded…well he can’t quite put words around it but something about it stirs a ember of hope in his chest.

Buck’s looking at his feet now his earlier confidence gone for some reason.

“You couldn’t have, not… not like that” there’s a pause and his eyes lift up to find Eddie’s again this time with a question.

“Did you?”

Buck looks back down almost at once but Eddie stares, he always pays attention to Buck and now isn’t any different. Buck’s voice is full of oh….oh. It sounds like hope, like he wants Eddie to say…yes?

The world shifts on its axis as Eddie realises that maybe Buck’s been hiding things too.

“Like what?”

His hand reaches out, he hadn’t really decided to do that, it just happened. His fingers brush against Buck’s and are met by warm skin, the other man’s fingers twitch then hold onto what he’s offered.

It must make Buck braver because he continues,

“Like you know, like you really did, you know .. … love me” Buck stumbles through the words without looking at him once.

“Why wouldn’t I mean it?“

Bucks eyes stay deliberately downcast “Because…Because things like that don’t happen to me.”

Eddie moves again, the hand not holding onto Buck’s tilts his chin up so their eyes can meet.

“What if I did… mean it like that?”

The blue eyes that he can’t look away from are wide and Buck’s voice is barely audible.

“Did you?”

His lips touch Buck’s, the only answer he’s capable of right now.

A heartbeat of fear is followed by one of relief so strong it could take him out at the knees if Buck’s hands hadn’t settled on his hips, tight and warm, holding him up and pulling him closer, if his lips weren’t soft and warm and returning the kiss he’s finally found the courage to share. Buck’s kissing him back with just as much love as Eddie feels for him and it isn’t like he’d imagined because he’s never dared to do that but it’s perfect.

Buck’s face is between his hands and he swallows all the soft sounds he’s making and gives back his own as they finally stop hiding from each other.

The kiss ends with foreheads resting against each other and nothing but the sound of their breathing in the space.

Eddie breaks the silence.

“Will you come home with me tonight?”

Buck’s head moves up and down, Eddie smiles and presses another kiss into the side of his mouth, Buck chases his lips and more time is lost.

After those kisses end he has another question for him.

“Will you stay?”

He means forever but he doesn’t say it out loud, not yet, he’ll save that for later, one confession per day is quite enough.

Another nod and another kiss.

That kiss is interpreted by a loud voice calling out “Buck? Buck!”

It’s Bobby calling, it reminds them where they are. Buck straightens his clothes with a sheepish grin and backs away.

“Better go, might be another bee that needs rescuing.”

Eddie watches him turn and jog away, calling out to Bobby as he leaves.

He hopes there are no more impromptu rescues, one bee had him declaring his love, the next one might lead to a proposal and when that happens, he smiles at how sure he is that it will happen, bees called Brad, Joe or Steve will have nothing to do with it.

Well probably but with Buck you can never bee too sure. Eddie chuckles at his terrible pun, Buck would appreciate it, Chim or Hen would probably throw something at him. One more another reason he loves him and later when they’re home he plans to tell him each and every one.

“Eddie!”

That’s Buck voice, “Hurry up I need your help out here, you’re not going to believe it Brad’s back!”

Eddie sighs.

“I think he missed me!”

By the time he gets there Buck’s found another a jar and is marching to Brad’s last known location. Eddie follows him because that’s just what he does. What he’ll always do.

Come see me on AO3

Read on AO3

#911fic #911 fic #evan 'buck' buckley #eddie diaz #911 on fox #myfic #ao3 buddie #buddie #911 fox #buddie fic #spotty scribbles

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monsterkissed · 1 year

Note

☼: how i came up with the idea and ☾: how i thought people would respond to the fic, for BNGN!!

the anime's ridiculously fun adaptation of the kc vs metallica fight has a lot to answer for, basically (cut bc i spent Far too long talking about writing things)

so VA was my first ever jjba experience, i watched it with my partners bc they had been baiting me with the pretty men ruthlessly, and it's v fun to talk ab in that way that things that r both v fun and kinda flawed r fun to talk ab, so i was getting back into writing fic after a Ludicrously long spell of writer's block and having a fun time with that. and bc doppio in particular does not get a lot of screen time but spends all of it being rly fun in a particularly compelling way (he's a horrible little amoral crime man but he's also an anxious disaster weirdo, which makes him v fun to watch in a way that imo a more straightforward baddie wouldn't be) he was one of my favourite chew toys. so u can add bngn to the list of humanity's crimes that can be attributed to the phrase "wouldn't it be funny if..." bc i thought it would indeed be funny to shove him into the bucci gang, but my partners correctly pointed out that he would just try to kill them, which obviously would srsly hamper the comedy potential. so i had to find a way to make him Not Do That

my preferred way of approaching writing problems like this has always been the mia fey method of plot contrivance: don't ask "why would they do that", ask "why would they have to do that" and the entire initial outlining process (most of which i did in a single v boring night shift) was looking at all the stuff i wanted to do and trying to answer that question. originally it was just going to be a bunch of snapshot drabbles following the vague plot beats of "doppio stuck in the bucci gang" (remember, i had been writer's-blocked for Years and had absolutely no confidence in my ability to do a multi-part project of any real weight) and would be mainly light and comedy with a v barebones plot. but my horrible brain kept niggling those little questions. ok, dop doesn't have kc and the boss isn't in his body anymore, but he could just go back to passione, right? so why can't he do that. why can't diavolo just come back to him. if the boss is "gone" then why don't bruno and co just go home. what does everyone else think about doppio, little weirdo that he is? sure, it'd be easier if they all just basically liked him, but wouldn't it be more Fun if there was friction? it would be easier if he could just talk diavolo into being their pal, but wouldn't it be more Fun if he can't? ("easy solutions are usually less fun" is another of my writing philosophies that i think u can probably pick up on after a while lol. i like to cause problems on purpose. and then you have more fun questions to ask! if doppio can't just come clean to the gang and the boss won't just be nice and make friends, what situations have i forced them into bc of these immovable barriers? why does doppio have to come clean, and why does diavolo have to reveal himself are two questions that have only just been answered in the fic now, 30+ chapters in lol)

and the longer i was chewing on these things the more i was thinking about VA itself and the themes in it, because "these things have to happen" is actually a plot point in the original. the whole tragedy between bruno and giorno had been a big thing while we were watching it, bc they both have just some excellent fights and a really interesting relationship to me, i think in terms of jojo+jobro pairs it's the strongest narrative arc we got until p7 in terms of the central two and their reasons for coming together and fighting together being deeply entwined in the plot and themes. you can't rly talk about VA for any length of time without running up against questions like "what does it mean for someone else to bring your life meaning" and that applies to a lot of the villains as well! so if doppio was gonna be in the crew then it made a lot of sense to draw some parallels there and dig into those relationships as well, and from there everything just kind of naturally problematised itself. what does it mean to live and die for someone in a universe where death is canonically predestined? if i've come in with my funny joke au and now those characters aren't dying anymore, what does that actually mean for the weight of all of those concepts? if doppio and bruno don't die, haven't i kind of undermined one of the things about them that made them so resonant to me? if they can't die for the things that gave their lives meaning, then that kind of undercuts that meaning, doesn't it? it might sound morbid to say, but death is a big way of expressing love in VA (this happens in other parts of jjba ofc, but VA feels rly enamoured with that concept in particular) and i found that if i cut off the latter half of the story it lost a lot of punch, and at this point i was too deep in the weeds and i really, really wanted Punch.

i had seen quite a few fixit fics in the vein of "either GER or some other powerful time stand goes back and undoes all the Bad Stuff and everyone lives and it's fine" and u know, that's chill, u see those in p much every fandom. in fact u see that in actual original fiction sometimes, but something ab it always made me kinda sad in those? you see the characters struggling and pushed to their limits, sometimes bringing out the most fascinating parts of their characters, and even tho we don't want them to end up sad it usually felt kind of frustrating to turn back the clock and lose all of that. and the older i got the more it bothered me philosophically, too, bc okay, in the prime timeline everyone lives, but that other timeline Happened, right? all the stuff they endured hasn't actually been Erased, we saw it, it was as real as anything else in this fictional world. and all of this is swimming around in my head next to things like an extended joke about the word "narcolepsy" and "i think tiziano should wear a suit" and "trish should kill".

so i sat down on my boring night shift and after a slight hiccup (i wanted scenes of doppio's "normal" life and backstory, but i didn't want the whole first third of the fic to be that before we even got to the actual Plot, which i eventually realised i could solve with the flashbacks) i wrote my outline, chronologically, from "how does doppio physically end up with them" through every key event i already had floating in my head, and along the way everything just clicked? that is the fun thing about creating problems for your characters: the problems themselves solve other problems. "why can't doppio just go back to passione > because passione is also in revolt" solves "why can't bruno and co just go home > because they're targetted by them" and "doppio can't come clean > but someone in passione can out him". people have told me that the pacing is very good which tbh is remarkable considering the Length, but i think it comes down to that part of the planning. whenever i encountered any difficulty i just looked for ways to push the characters Harder until they did interesting things lol. once i got to the end i went back over it so that i could flesh out the earlier parts with all the later info i now had down and drop more foreshadowing and foundation-laying, and it's Really fun to see ppl notice those on rereads

and i did not think it would be all that popular! the ships are not the big VA superstars and the main character is a minor villain who isn't exactly getting a nice fun uncomplicated redemption arc and, again, it's a Beefy fic (tho a lot moreso than i originally projected...) with a Beefy plot. the main ship stuff is a big focus but again, not really in a way ppl r necessarily Looking For in their shippy content. low on pda and normal romance, big on the more troublesome aspects and less-than healthy parts. and that's before u even get into the weird meta pomo nonsense (again, something i scribbled in the outline margins all "oh this would be fun" that in the end totally Consumed me). i thought people would like the flashbacks, being more straightforward cute character/relationship stuff, but not really get into the plot or the present events.

i think it is safe to say i underestimated my readership. the support and the people reading and rereading this monster, showing up to updates and getting hype, and the people making fanart?? of my weird complicated meditation on what it means to rewrite a narrative??? it's been genuinely amazing and honestly the entire thing has been worth it just for the people i have met through it. i never imagined anyone would be as glowing over it as people have been. it is Wild to me whenever anyone mentions talking ab this with other people, like i wrote some kind of Real Story that human beings discuss with each other?? genuinely it knocks me out every time, and i love everything from the most scribbly notebook doodle of a scene or character to the pages of theorycrafting to the people just pointing out their favourite lines.

i am v glad my partners bullied me into watching the weird poses-and-punches anime to look at the pretty men.

#jjba #writing #long post

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