#((look I just want her to have a silly friendship with the ship computer))
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dimorphodon-defect · 5 months ago
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Movement at the threshold tripped its motion sensors, and Teletraan-I booted up its main monitor.
"The time is 2:34am, local time," The computer intoned as the intruder walked towards its screen bank. "And you are on the schedule to assist with experiment 4X-1zY6 in six Earth hours. Why are you not recharging?"
"Couldn't." Dragonsbane stepped up onto one of the chairs bolted to the floor in front of the main monitor and sat down with her peds still on the seat. "Also, I had more silly questions." The femme let her wings fall into a loose fold behind the back of the chair and propped her chin on her servos with a cheeky grin. "You know. If you aren't tired of me yet."
"I am a repository of knowledge. It is my entire purpose to share that knowledge. Especially to those who are eager to learn" Teletraan-I replied. "Regardless, recharge is necessary to keep your energy at healthy levels. I will answer four questions tonight, and then you will go recharge."
"Five questions." Dragonsbane countered.
"Four questions." If the computer had been able to emote vocally, it may have sounded fond as the femme tossed her hands up in mock defeat. "What is your first question?"
"...what does a turbofox look like?" Dragonsbane asked after several moments of careful thought. "I keep hearing Mirage mention them when he talks about Cybertron, but he never describes them."
"A turbofox is one of Cybertron's native fauna species," Teletraan-I sifted through its databanks and pulled up several images to arrange on its monitor. "As you can see, their appearance could range quite dramatically depending on what environment they had adapted to..."
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hamliet · 4 years ago
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The Girl Who Gets to Have It All: Buffy Summers
So with @linkspooky​‘s encouragement, I have binged Buffy the Vampire Slayer and relived my childhood culture. And, it's a 10/10 for me. Not that it doesn't have flaws, but it's genuinely one of the best stories I've seen, with consistent character arcs, powerful themes, and a beautiful message. It's also like... purportedly about vampires and demons and superpowered chosen ones, but it's actually all about humanity.
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Buffy was able to be a teenage girl, allowed to like the things teen girls are scorned for (boys, shopping, etc), to be insecure about the thing teenage girls are insecure about (future careers, dating, school, parents), and to be a superhero with its good and its bad aspects. The story wasn’t afraid to call Buffy on her flaws (sometimes she got in a very ‘I am the righteous chosen one’ mode) and to respect and honor each of her desires (to be a good person, to be loved, and more). The story listened to what she wanted and respected her desires, giving her the challenges needed to overcome her flaws while also never teaching her a lesson about wanting bad boys or romance is silly or any manner of dark warnings stories like to throw at teenage girls. 
It respected teenage girls--nerdy girls like Willow, jocks like Buffy, lonely wallflowers with trauma like Dawn, and popular/snobby ones like Cordelia, girls gone wild like Faith. It never once reduced them to the stereotypes that were lurking right there: each character was fully rounded, human, flawed and yet with respected interests and goals. This is so rare for a story that I’m still in awe. 
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The story as a whole follows Buffy from 15 to 21, of her as she grows from teenager to adult. She acts like a teenager and grows to act like a young adult, wrestling with loneliness and duty. The adults, like Giles, Joyce, and Jenny, are not perfect either, but neither are they “bad parents” or “bad mentors” necessarily. Joyce in particular says something terrible to Buffy, but she tries to do better, and it’s rare to see a parent in YA stories shown with such nuance. Basically, it wrote the long-lasting adult characters as human beings, too. 
Speaking of growing up, I appreciated how Buffy’s love interests mirrored this. Angel was someone Buffy loved and admired, wanted to be like, but who was always either extreme good or extreme bad, and combined with Buffy’s own tendencies towards black-white thinking, made for a beautiful relationship to help her grow, but didn’t necessarily form a foundation for a long-term partner. Spike, on the other hand... they both saw each other at their worst and were drawn to each other even then, and were inspired to become better because they couldn’t bear to be a person who treated the other person so wrongly. They pushed each other to become the best them they could be, and believed in each other. Also, Spuffy is an enemies to lovers ship for the ages. 
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(Also, most of the other ships were well-done or at least can be understood. Riley was very obviously wrong for Buffy which paralleled Harmony and Spike in being 100% wrong for each other. Cordelia and Xander were a fun ship even if we all knew it would never last, and Willow and Oz were beautiful and cute. But Xander and Anya and Willow and Tara? OTPs. As were Giles and Jenny, the librarian and the computer teacher.) 
That said, it’s not a perfect series. No story is. All of the characters and ships had problematic aspects to them worthy of critique, and the writing is very 90s in a lot of ways. It’s a product of its time, and in many ways it’s good society has progressed beyond some of the tropes/metaphors used in the show. In other way, though, the show was ahead of its time, and in a good way it wasn’t bound by the fear of purity policing with its takes on redemption (many characters would never fly today). 
So, in order of seasons ranked from my very favorite to my “still enjoyed it very much” (no season was actually bad, imo), here’s my review. I’ll also review my top 10 villains in the show, because Buffy does villains very well in terms of the redeemable and irredeemable.  
Season 7:  Yep, the final season was my favorite. 
Overall Opinion: Buffy's finale is literally "f*ck them men, our power is ours" and while it seems cheesy it actually works (also, f*ck in both a literal and figurative sense). The series strongly hit all the themes: love as strength, and redemption. Buffy consistently shows love as her strength--*all* kinds of love. Friendship w Willow/Xander, familial with Joyce/Dawn, romantic with Spike/Angel. These types of love are also never pitted against each other as is so often the case in current-day media. It's beautiful. Also, Spike’s confrontation with Wood was so powerful in terms of exploring forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation: where they overlap and where they don't, and what it means to move forward. 
Unpopular Opinion: I have seen a lot didn’t like the inclusion of Potential Slayers, and while I agree they could have been better incorporated/characterized, it was a great way to show Buffy’s final stage of growing up to be ending her chosen one status and projecting/multiplying her powers over the world. 
Biggest Critique: Kennedy was female Riley--the anti-Tara to Riley’s anti-Angel (by ‘anti’ I mean opposite in every way). Kennedy was annoying and immature. Her role, like Riley’s, was less about exploring her as a character and more about her just being stamped as “love interest: lesbian.” 
Favorite Episodes: Beneath You, Lies My Parents Told Me, Touched, Chosen
Season 6: 
Overall Opinion: I said this on Twitter, but I felt like this was Buffy’s The Last Jedi or Empire Strikes Back moment. It is polarizing and dark, deconstructing the tropes it stands on--but by digging to the core of these tropes, it actually makes what’s good about them shine brighter. Everyone’s enemy was the worst versions of themselves. Giles left Buffy, Willow's struggle to relate to the world led to her trying to destroy it, Buffy hurt everyone through her anger, Xander abandoned Anya at the altar, Spike... yeah. It ages well as an integral part of the story, and the Trio were eerily prophetic. 
Unpopular Opinion: Dawn is a great character with a good arc. A traumatized teen acting out and struggling to come to terms with loss and identity? She wasn’t whiny; she was realistic. 
Biggest Critique: Willow’s addiction coding (I’ll discuss this below) and Seeing Red as an episode. I see the argument for both of its controversial scenes from a narrative perspective: Willow starts the season not grieving Buffy but instead being determined to fix it with magic and needs to learn to grieve, but. Still. Bury your gays is not a good look. For the Spike scene... he conflates sex/passion and violence (”love is blood, children” is something he said way back in season 3), but like Tara’s death, it had more to do with Spike (as Tara’s death did for Willow) than with Buffy’s arc, and as for the actual execution... they really botched that. Did it like... have to go on that long or go that far? No. Also, the framing was good, but inconsistent with the rest of the series (Xander to Buffy in the hyena episode, Faith to Xander and to Riley, etc.) 
Favorite Episodes: Once More With Feeling, Smashed, Grave
Season 3 (tied with Season 5):
Overall Opinion: The opening continuity of Buffy meeting Lily/Anne after saving her life in Season 2 was sweet. The Witchhunt episode had really powerful subtext: stories of deaths that aren’t even true are actually demons that possess the town and convince them to turn against their children in the name of protecting the children. It’s a good commentary on, oh, everything in society. Faith’s character arc was fantastic, and her chemistry with Buffy was off the charts (look, I may be Spuffy all the way, but Fuffy has rights). The finale was satisfying in so many ways, seeing the entire graduating class unite to destroy the Mayor and the school with it, symbolizing Buffy et al’s readiness to move on to college. Oz's relationship with Willow was very sweet and meaningful for a first romance for Willow. 
Unpopular Opinion: I actually don’t really have one. Maybe that the miracle in Amends was earned? I think you can make a decent case that Season 3 is the best written of the seasons, but can only truly be thematically appreciated to its full potential in the light of subsequent seasons (which finish Faith’s arc and deconstruct Buffy’s).  
Biggest Critique: It forgot Buffy killed the hyena guy in Season 1, making her continual insistence that she can’t kill people very ????? 
Favorite Episodes: Lovers Walk, Amends, Graduation Day Part 2 
Season 5, which ties with Season 3:
Overall Opinion: The entire season is about family and what it means, from Tara’s to Buffy’s to the Scoobies. I loved Glory aka Enoshima Junko as the Big Bad, I loved Dawn’s interesting meta commentary on retconning (like, the fact that she’s retconned in matters), and most of my ships are still alive. Joyce’s relationship with Spike is one of the most heartwarming aspects, and Spike’s arc’s desire is clearly highlighted: he wants to be seen as a person. The episodes after Joyce’s death are the most honest portrayals of grief I’ve ever seen, and absolutely brutal to watch. 
Unpopular Opinion: Buffy’s choice at the end seems a deliberate inversion of her choice at the end of Season 2 (sacrifice a loved one to save the world), but it actually isn’t: much like at the end of Season 2 where Buffy skips town because she’s devastated after killing Angel and doesn’t want to sort out being expelled, her mom knowing she’s the slayer, and her own trauma, Buffy’s sacrifice here was as much about her wanting the easy way out of relationships, family, college, etc. as it was about saving Dawn. Buffy’s death is coded as a suicide, which Season 6 emphasizes as well. 
Biggest Critique: Like Season 3, I don’t have a lot to critique here. I wish the suicidal coding had been a little more obvious in Season 5 itself, but also I’m not sure it could have been more obvious; it’s pretty apparent if you pay attention. Maybe also that Buffy and Riley’s relationship failing should have been more squarely blamed on Riley, you know, being insecure and cheating. 
Favorite Episodes: Family, Fool for Love, Intervention. 
Season 2:
Overall Opinion: Heartbreakingly tragic but exciting and revealing at the same time. It asked the viewer interesting questions about redemption and forgiveness and atonement through Angel being honest about his past, and then decided to show us his past now reenacted, challenging us. And still, we saw them save him in a parallel to saving Willow in Season 6 (but Season 2 was tragic because it wasn’t enough, while Season 6 was not). Jenny’s death was agonizing, and the scene were Angel watches Buffy, Willow, and Joyce get the news through the window was powerful. We didn’t have to hear them to get the grief. 
Unpopular Opinion: Jenny’s death isn’t a fridging; it works for her arc too when you consider her history. She worked to save the person whose life she was tasked to ruin, and it cost her her own--yet she still succeeded, because Jenny brought joy and wisdom to the show. Kendra’s death, on the other hand... was because they needed the stakes to be high--but we already knew that before she died. So, her death was useless. 
Biggest Critique: The subtext was Not It. It was essentially “do not have sex. Your older boyfriend will lose his soul, kill your friends, you’ll lose your family, your school, your home, and have to kill your true love or else hell will literally swallow earth.” 
Favorite Episodes: School Hard, Passion, Becoming Part 2.
Season 1:
Overall Opinion: I really liked it; it’s just lower on this list because the others are just better. It’s a great introduction to the series and to its characters, from Giles to Buffy to Willow to Jenny to Cordelia. It has great subtext a lot of the time (for example, Natalie French as She-Mantis is a literal predatory bug who engages in predatory behavior with students). Additionally, it subverts the typical YA trope of two guys and a girl, in which the girl is usually the least interesting character. Buffy and Willow were both fully fledged characters from the beginning with distinct strengths (even before Willow became a witch, as she wasn’t one in season 1 yet), while Xander was the more ordinary of the group. 
Unpopular Opinion/Biggest Critique: Xander’s arc showed its first flaws that unfortunately continued throughout the series: his writing was either very good or very indulgent in ways it never was for other characters.  (cough, the hyena episode, cough, in which he gets to skirt responsibility--and acknowledges that he is skirting it--for something the show will later hold others to account for). Xander’s just kind of inconsistent, which weakened his character over all. (Which is why both his love interests--Cordelia and then ultimately Anya--were good for him: they did not indulge him.) 
Favorite Episode: Witch, Nightmares. 
Season 4:
Overall Opinion: it’s still a good season. It’s a good portrayal of college and the growing pains of branching out, the strains of college growth on relationships (romantic and platonic). It shows us the first hints of Spuffy, giving us some serious Jungian symbolism between Spike and Buffy early on, and does well in establishing Xander/Anya and Willow/Tara as beautiful OTPs. Faith and Buffy’s foiling is fantastic. The Halloween episode was very fun as well. However, it suffers because its Big Bad, Adam, is not all that compelling thematically--yet, he could have been. See, the final battle pulls off the Power of Friendship in a really strong way but notably the season does not end there. Instead, it ends on dreams of each character’s worst fears, continuing what we saw in Nightmares in Season 1. Why? Because it shows us that the characters’ wars aren’t against monsters, but monsters of their own making: their flaws. Adam, as a literal Frankenstein, exemplifies this, but it wasn’t capitalized on as well as it could have been. 
Unpopular Opinion: Beer Bad isn’t a bad episode, at the very least because Buffy gets to punch Parker. It’s not one of the series’ best, obviously, but it does give Buffy an arc in that she gets her daydream of Parker begging her to come back, but she has overcome that desire and her desire for revenge. If we wanna talk about bad subtext in Season 4, Season 2′s Not It sex subtext continues in the Where the Wild Things Are episode in this season; it’s a powerful callout of abusive purity-culture churches, until the fact that the shame creates a literal curse undermines the progressive message it’s supposed to send. Also, the Thanksgiving episode (Pangs) is a nightmare of white guilt and Oh God Shut Up White People. 
Biggest Critique: Riley is awful. Like Kennedy, he had “love interest:normal” stamped on him and that was it. The thing is, he could have worked as an Angel foil, representative of the normal-life aspect of Buffy to Angel’s vampire/supernatural aspect, but the writers never explore this and seemed to even try to back away from that later on. They threw all the romantic cliches at the wall to see what sticks, from klutzy “I dropped my schoolbooks, that’s how we met” to cliché lines that had me rolling my eyes. Do you know how bad a romance has to be to make me dislike romantic tropes? 
Favorite Episodes: Fear Itself, Hush, Restless
Villain rankings: 
Dark Willow, the only villain to be truly sympathetic. While the addiction coding was insensitive and, while unsurprising for its time, aged extremely poorly. That said, Willow’s turn to the dark side after Tara’s death worked well for her character and the story: it was believable and paid off what had been building since Season 1's “Nightmares” episode (Willow’s inferiority complex). 
Glory managed to be genuinely terrifying, and humorous/enjoyable too. Her minions and their numerous nicknames for Glorificus were hilarious, as was her intense vanity. Her merging with Ben--a human being who genuinely wanted to be kind and good--added complexity and tragedy to her role. 
The First. A really good take on Satan. The seventh season as well as the First’s first appearance in season 3′s “Amends” had kind of blatant Christian symbolism, and so the First being essentially Satan works. Their disguising themselves as dead loved ones and the subtle manipulation they used to alienate people was really disturbing and well done. 
The Mayor, who was a terrible person but a truly good father. He provided an interesting contrast to the normal ‘bad dad’ bad guy character, in that he provided Faith exactly what the other characters refused to: he saw the best in her and offered her parental support, while the heroes didn’t and wound up pushing her away. 
The Trio, who were villains ahead of their time: whiny fanboy reddit dudebros, basically. The stakes seemed so much lower than fighting Glory, a literal god, the previous season. But that’s why they worked so well for Season 6′s human themes, and were especially disturbing because we all know people like them. I also appreciated the surprisingly sensitive takes on Jonathan and Andrew, who got to redeem themselves, but Warren did not, and I don’t think he should have either. 
Angelus + Drusilla. I’m ranking them below the Trio because Angelus was just sooooo different from Angel that it was difficult for me to feel the same way for him. He was still Angel, so it wasn’t possible to enjoy his villainy, but he also wasn’t nearly as sympathetic as Dark Willow, had no redeeming qualities like the Mayor, and wasn’t as disturbingly realistic as the Trio. However, the emotional stakes were excellently executed with him as the Big Bad, in that you were never quite sure how to feel and it just plain hurt. Also, Drusilla was a favorite recurring character. She was sympathetic and yet batsh*t enough to be enjoyable as a villain at the same time. 
The Master, who was just completely camp and really worked as an introductory villain. He was scary enough to believe he was a threat, and was funny enough to introduce the series’ humor as well. He was, like Glory, an enjoyable Big Bad. 
The Gentlemen, the one-off villains of Season 4′s Hush who were genuinely terrifying. It’s not as if they got a lot of explanation or any backstory, but they didn’t need it. 
Caleb, the misogynist priest. Fitting with the First’s Christian symbolism, Caleb serving as a spokesperson of all bad religious beliefs felt appropriate. He was also a good foil to Warren--being actually supernaturally powered instead of a wannabe--and to Tara’s family in being full-out evil. I despised him. 
Snyder. Okay Snyder is not a Big Bad like Adam is, but let’s face it: Adam is lame compared to the other villains. But Snyder as a principal? He was so irritating and yet really well used in the series to critique overly strict, hypocritical teachers. Like, we all know teachers like him. I loved to hate him, and his ending was so satisfying. 
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chamomileteainabuttercup · 4 years ago
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18, 20, 39 and 41 for reyrose please? Thanks :)
Nice! I don't get to talk about them all that much (the sequel trilogy turned out so poorly that discussing it just isn't much fun) but I really like to imagine a life they could have together. A lot of this requires ignoring stuff I didn't like, primarily from The Rise of Skywalker. We're going to an AU where Rey is most certainly not Palpatine's granddaughter; she's a "nobody" in the positive sense that she doesn't carry the baggage of being descended from anyone with a significant history. Whatever she does, she's doing of her own accord. Plus, she certainly did not have a romantic attraction or attachment to Kylo Ren. She was simply trying to do what she thought might work to bring peace, despite her natural aversion to him. Also in this AU, Rose got to do stuff that mattered! I don't have many specifics because it would require writing a whole different plot for the movie, but she did!
(oh and the big bad/puppetmaster was Jar Jar, but that's well beyond our scope here)
On to Rey and Rose!
18. What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?
For Rey and Rose a really good date is a day out rummaging through junkyards and pawnshops. Rey is great at finding things, Rose is great at fixing things, and together they find all kinds of technological curiosities that they repair, restore, or refashion into something new. They don't necessarily have a lot of dates as such because they're both pretty busy working with their friends to re-establish peace and democracy across the galaxy, but when they have a day off together that's how they like to spend it. Rather than needing a break from each other, during their busy times they wish they could see each other more, and not be too tired to enjoy their time when they do. (It's like having a partner who's going through medical school, but both ways.) When things aren't so busy but they can't take a whole day to do something nice, they work on their fix-it projects together, share a meal, or have a movie night in with Finn and Poe.
So whether that qualifies as "dating" or not, mileage may vary, but that stage of their relationship goes on four or five years before they decide together to make it permanent and get married.
20. What does their home look like? Their room?
Once things calm down enough that they can have a home of their own and spend a lot of time in it (so a few years on from when they meet, a little after they marry), they buy an old scrapyard and set up Rey and Rose's Salvage and Repair, and live in a house they build at the back of the yard. I'm not sure what planet this is on, and it might well be Tatooine; I'm happy with Rey going to live there but I don't want her to take the name Skywalker. After all, Tico is a good surname, if she needs one, and again, it doesn't have baggage.
The house is by no means beautiful; it's functional and sturdy and designed to largely keep itself warm or cool depending on the climate. Their room is sunny and always a little messy and dusty because neither of them is particularly houseproud, but it's not dirty or chaotic. They always have a few rescue droids around the place that they're rehabilitating - ones that have been abused or badly damaged and need some TLC both to get them running smoothly again and to help them regain trust and confidence. Some go back out into the world to find new jobs and some become permanent residents - one of those is Professor Huyang, who they found on a scrapheap during the alternative third-movie plot I haven't fully figured out, and who helped Rey to make herself a better lightsaber and taught Finn how to craft his own too. Huyang is the closest thing to a Jedi mentor they have - since Anakin's lightsaber was cut in two in The Last Jedi, I wanted a new lightsaber quest to be part of the story, and it was meant to tie in with Finn's Force sensitivity coming to the fore and Rey trying to help him get to grips with it while still learning about it herself.
39. Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first?  When did they realize they were in love?
This is very much a romance that grew out of a friendship which had a bit of an inauspicious beginning. When Rey needs to go on her quest, Rose, having recovered from her injuries, volunteers to go with her so she doesn't have to do everything alone. That's a good reason but it's also a way to get some distance from Finn, who she's realised is in love with Poe, and now she feels mortified about her grand romantic gesture for him. Finn is a Good Boy who's grateful for her feelings although he can't reciprocate, and doesn't want Rose to feel badly but it's not really in his power to help her with that. She needs time to get over the disappointment and embarrassment without having to see him being all in sync and starry-eyed with his extremely handsome and dashing fighter-pilot boyfriend who is all (bites lip) at the sight of him.
To begin with she also feels awkward with Rey, because she's Finn's best friend and also has this whole legendary magical vibe about her that's a bit intimidating - but a few days on the Millennium Falcon with her and seeing the Magic Knight Hero who floats rocks with her mind also chews with her mouth open, and will happily eat a brick of uncooked noodles as a snack, and has the most delightful scrunchy-nosed smile, and is just as much of a greasemonkey and gearhead as she is (and they need to spend a lot of time just keeping the Falcon going, and there's nothing like solving problems together for making friends), and she soon gets over any awkwardness and realises Rey is a kindred spirit.
Both of them are conscious of their liking for each other growing into a romantic attraction, but they're awfully busy avoiding the First Order and fixing their ship in flight and questing for kyber crystals and encountering Jedi ghosts and realising the Falcon's computer with the "peculiar dialect" is sentient and building a new droid body to transfer L3-37 into so she can live again, so it's a bit hard to find a good time to talk about it. At the end of a tiring day they're sitting in the lounge of the Falcon where the holo-chess table is, feeling pretty exhausted, and Rose leans her shoulder against Rey's, and then her head, and Rey takes her hand between both hers, and they sit quietly for a couple of minutes more, each becoming sure that the other feels the same way, before something goes bleep and the lights go off and they have to get up and find what's wrong and fix it.
While Rose has both hands busy with tools, her hair flops over her eyes and she asks Rey, who's holding the flashlight for her, if she can get that. Rey gently brushes it back with her fingers and pauses with her hand on Rose's cheek, and Rose looks up at her, and the first soft kiss is mutually initiated. And at that moment the whatchamacallit Rose is trying to reset gets its act together and the lights all flicker back on very prettily. It is nice.
Incidentally, Rey has no idea Jedi weren't supposed to have romantic relationships or get married. Either Luke didn't know either or he didn't get around to telling her (it's not mentioned in the ancient texts she saved because they predate that rule, which cynical people say really had a political rather than spiritual purpose, preventing the concentration of power in the hands of Jedi dynasties). It doesn't become a problem. Over the years Rey gradually rebuilds a reinvented Jedi Order (one that's a lot less hierarchical and order-y), finding people of all ages with talent that went undeveloped during the dark period, and a few who've had some training and have been living off the grid - like this one little green kid who lives in a flyspeck on the map called Mos Pelgo with his elderly dads who are nevertheless younger than he is.*
41. Are they party-goers? What are they like when they’re drunk? Does it happen often?
The Rebellion/Resistance does love its victory parties and peace celebrations, and naturally they go to a lot of those. There's also Finn's birthday party. Finn doesn't know when his actual birthday is. Poe has picked one out for him and throws him a rager of a party every year. They don't get drunk with great frequency, they're more likely to have a drink or two to relax together and leave it at that, but Finn's birthday party is the annual occasion when they predictably do.
When Rose gets tipsy, she gets very red in the cheeks and laughs till she snorts - it doesn't take much. She's a happy, friendly and cuddly drunk who everyone wants to take care of. Also kind of sweaty.
Drunk Rey can go one of two ways, giggly and silly along with Rose, or feisty and belligerent. Everyone hopes for silly Rey, who won't do anything worse than jump in a pool with all her clothes on. Belligerent Rey wants to prove how much she loves her friends by fighting anyone who she thinks she overheard saying one word against them. Belligerent Rey has to be pushed in the pool to cool her off.
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*I haven't decided why he stopped attending Luke's school before disaster struck and as a placeholder will use "Expelled for drinking ink."
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fizzingwizard · 4 years ago
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Episode 41 was another fun one! It doesn’t seem related to the main plot, but that’s ok because we needed more world-building. And it does give us a bit of character development. Most importantly of all, it’s the DESPERATELY needed Sora-focused episode. And it’s all hers. We really needed this for Sora and I’m really happy with how it went down. It’s a simple, easy to follow story, and yet it was still cute and funny and good for Sora.
My one complaint would be that, though it’s great to see Sora be awesome and see her friends appreciate her, she didn’t seem to have something she needed to “overcome” like Jou and Koushirou, or something she had to prove like Yamato and Mimi. There’s definitely an important theme for Sora which, like the others, is related to her Crest. It just didn’t have the gravitas I felt it needed. It was a much sillier episode than Yamato’s, for instance. (But nowhere near as silly as Jou’s.) Still, overall very good.
Pic of the day:
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A vision of perfection.
More below!
First off, the animation in this episode is really nice. Almost uniform througohut, and some seriously great expressions. CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
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The kids are taking a break (yay!!!! again!! I sweat the producers are reading my blog, HELLO PRODUCERS, THANKS FOR GIVING ME EVERYTHING I ASKED FOR, lol). Taichi and Sora spend it teaching the Digimon to play soccer. Interestingly, some of the Digimon evolve in order to play x’D I guess I can see why Gomamon can’t really play unless he’s Ikkakumon. Plus Tailmon is already Adult level anyway.
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It’s really fun to see how much Sora and Taichi both love soccer and love playing it together. Koushirou has a cute moment explaining to the others how awesome Taichi and Sora’s teamwork is.
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Sora blows the whistle on Tentomon for grabbing her because you don’t do that in soccer. I think this is a little unfair given that Tentomon can’t really kick the ball that well since he’s got bug feet xD
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The whistle Sora has, for some reason, is Jou’s, given to him by his brother so that if he runs into a bear in the woods, he can whistle for help. Lol. That is adorable and hilarious. Still wish it was Hikari’s whistle though
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Speaking of Hikari, she and Takeru are happily engaged in making flower crowns together while Patamon smushes the grass.
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All of a sudden, these weird, veiny meteors come crashing from a huge island floating in the sky, leaving a crater in the field. Could be dangerous!
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Taichi: I’m not afraid. Besides, I’m curious.
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Yamato: Be careful, Takeru.
Takeru: Yeah, be careful, Hikari.
omg too cute
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I mean look at these expressions and body language. It’s fantastic. I love how Taichi looks like he’s trying not to get too close as he pokes the object with a stick and how Koushirou is like hiding behind his computer lol.
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They discover it’s not a meteor, but a fruit. (And look another adorable Taichi face!) Question is, is it edible?
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Agumon: Sure is!
Taichi: D:
no seriously I love Taichi being freaked out by his own partner. Lol. It’s one of the best things about Taichi & Agumon. I ate it up in Tri lol
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So, I expected Yamato to be the downer of the group here along with Jou, but he’s just concerned that the fruit is too small for everyone to share. Aw what a mom.
It’s also pretty funny that, when a floating island appears and a mysterious fruit falls down with enough strength to leave a crater in the ground, the kids’ reaction isn’t to wonder about what’s going on, but to try to figure out how to eat it lol.
At this point they’re just so used to floating islands that it’s lost all novelty. They’re like, “oh, floating island, been there done that”
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Agumon comes up with the obvious solution and Taichi and Sora fly up to the island together to get more fruit. Why only two of them go... is convenience for the episode xD
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But it does lead to some good Sora moments and Taichi/Sora friendship. First, Sora is absolutely adorable. Even Agumon comments that she seems in a really good mood and Taichi can tell it’s because of how much she loves playing soccer. The way Sora talks to him, all fast and excited, is just so cute. You can tell she really loves soccer, especially with Taichi.
This episode kinda made me ship Taiora ;_; it was honestly more Taiora than any one episode in the 99 show...
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Meanwhile, another giant object starts falling off the island towards the rest of the kids, and Palmon makes THE WEIRDEST SOUND. Like SO WEIRD. I think Yamada Kinoko passed out and made this noise while recording or something bahahahaha
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Anyway it’s a refrigerator. Now appliances are falling out of the sky. I don’t understand why it makes the same size crater as the fruit despite being way heavier.
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OMG baby Taichi’s hairrrrrrr I cannot
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Soon they come across Flymon (why do Sora episodes always involved bugs...? This is the third time lol) who’s abducted a very helpless looking Digimon. They decide to help. Agumon gears up his Baby Flame but is stopped by Sora, who realizes that if they attack they might hurt the victim as well. I assume this is meant to tell us that, while Taichi’s brave and a strategist, another pair of eyes from someone like Sora whose first priority is others’ welfare is a big help.
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... except that Sora’s plan for “tackle them” doesn’t seem to me that much better xD It still results in the poor abducted Digimon falling through the sky to her doom... I guess it’s better than falling out of the sky and alsobeing on fire tho
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They catch the Digimon, who is Pomumon and just as pathetic as he looks. Meanwhile they’re being attacked by... Tropaliamon? Tropicanamon? lol I already forgot, a big bird with the ability to MELT ENTIRE FORESTS.
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Pomumon explains that Evil Tropical Bird-mon and his Flymon invaded the island and started turning all the Pomumon into fruit. When the fruit ripen, they eat them. Pomumon is now the only Pomumon who hasn’t been fruit-ified.
Agumon: ... so... does this make me a cannibal?
Taichi: Maybe now you’ll be mindful of what you eat!
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Okay and now the most AMAZING interaction ever, between Yamato and Mimi, and seriously it is a TRAVESTY that they don’t interact directly in the 99 series, I mean LOOK AT THE GOLD WE GET HERE,
Mimi says she hopes there’s fruit or juice in the fridge. Yamato makes an expression like someone just insulted his mother.
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They then proceed to argue over what constitutes “juice” and Yamato’s all fired up about it and Mimi’s just like “lol not listening”
IT IS HILARIOUS. Quality content. Mimato shippers eat your heart out
And... this is all they do for the rest of the episode. bahaha. I DON’T EVEN CARE. I love the idea that they fought over this the WHOLE time and never even opened the fridge. The others just had to listen in baffled astonishment xD
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Taichi and Sora fight Evil Tropical Bird-mon to save the Pomumon, but Taichi and MetalGreymon get knocked into the pitcher plant that turns Digimon into fruit.
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Metla Greymon doesn’t quite fit into the fruit, his horns are really stretching it out lol.
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and asdfghjkkl;’‘ TAICHI GETS TURNED INTO A FRUIT TOO, HE’S A DEFORMED BLUEBERRY, HIS GOGGLES THO, LMFAO
i really shouldn’t be as amused as I am
now... I have to say it - the one thing here is, the show has already played its trump cards like Omegamon and WarGreymon. I am sure they have more in store before the end, but the point is, it’s hard to believe Taichi is struggling against Digimon who seem like they shouldn’t have a chance against him. It’s like, you can defeat DoneDevimon, but not Evil-Tropical-Birdmon? You can escape the influence of Millenniumon’s miasma, but not a pitcher plant?? lol
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Sora gets ANGRY when Taichi becomes Taichi-fruit. Her Crest of Love glows and brings out Garudamon. Taiora fans around the world screamed.
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One way or another, this leaves Sora on her own (yay). And she is a busy girl. She wants to save Taichi first, but Pomumon also needs her help, and Garudamon needs her support while fighting the enemy.
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Pomumon: don’t worry about me! I can fly on my own! *fails miserably*
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Sora’s face says “I just don’t understand this world,” lol
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They are then attacked by Flymon, and Pomumon still pretty much expects Sora to protect him. Sora’s like, “Fine, I’ll deal with Flymon, but you have to go save your friends,” and when Pomumon asks how, she just says “GOOD LUCK” and tosses him away, which honestly made me laugh out loud, you go girl
she’s like QUIT BEING SO USELESS DO SOMETHING ON YOUR OWN and just chucks him
buhahahaha
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Pomumon, despite being useless, is able to free one of his comrades. After a brief discussion about how useless they are, they go to save the others.
I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
think about it every night and day
spread my wings and fly away
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Sora thinks back to yet another soccer game where another student did a foul, I guess, on Taichi, and knocks him to the ground. Seeing Sora get so angry and protective of Taichi - omg, it totally squeezes my heat, gah. And it also makes her look so cool. Not just the girl in the back who comforts you when you fall down - also the one who runs up and tells the bully to back off!
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that hair tho
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Even though he’d been hurt, Taichi encouraged Sora not to quit playing and to win the game. In present time, Sora recalls that instance and uses it to push herself onward:
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At this point, I could’ve gotten annoyed: as much as I loved the Taiora friendship and seeing their teamwork, it’s Sora’s episode, and I didn’t want her to succeed because of “what I learned from Taichi.” However, it’s very similar to Koushirou’s episode, where it was the faith Taichi had in him that gave Koushirou the confidence to find the courage he already had. It’s similar for Sora. Plus, since she’s got the Crest of Love, it makes perfect sense that love for her friend would be a motivating factor here.
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On top of that - the things Sora thinks about Taichi are then echoed by Garudamon, only about Sora. Sora won’t give up because Taichi never does - and Garudamon won’t give up because Sora never does. You can see the chain reaction: friends building each other up through their support and faith in each other. Very sweet.
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buhahahahahaha the freaking taichi blueberry
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I really expected Taichi would be a little more wigged out about having been TURNED INTO A FRUIT,  but once he’s free he’s like “Thanks, now let’s get back to the fight!” lol
to be fair there were only a couple minutes left in the episode, no time for freak outs i suppose
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They save MetalGreymon who goes to back up Garudamon, but then Sora comes up with a plan.
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Of course, it’s related to soccer.
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Obligatory Cool Girl Soccer Star Sora shot
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They kick the ball to lead the Pomumon’s seed? attack directly into Evil Tropical Bird-mon’s mouth. This... seems to be our kids’ favorite play this season, lmao
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While choking on seeds, Garudamon and MetalGreymon launch their attacks and finally defeat him. Yaaaay goodbye weirdass fruit transmogrifying cannibal Digimon bird thing
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Taichi tells Sora she’s awesome T______T It’s soooooooo sweet. My Taiora heart leapt
and my Taishiro heart whispered “he said カッコよかった to her but saves すごい for Koushirou <3 “ lol
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Soooooo cute. MVP
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Garudamon agrees that Sora is awesome
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Ending card
So... the honest truth is yeah, this episode wasn’t necessary for the plot at all, and it would have been nice if it had been. But not all of the others’ center episodes were plot-related either. The important thing was for it to be wholly Sora’s episode and give her some Crest-related development. It did both those things.
I really would have liked a conundrum for Sora to fix, but I think the problem there is, since before now she wasn’t getting attention at all, they hadn’t set much of a foundation for that conundrum. The first time around, it was “oh, Sora is kind, so she wants to help anyone she sees” and there was a bit of personality clash with Yamato. Though it was small, it was a good bit of development and useful for two characters. It also led to Yamato and Sora’s friendship strengthening. With Taichi and Sora, we’ve been told they’re friends and teammates, but have not seen many strong examples of that. And, if there’s a fight between them, it could easily turn into a Taichi episode... that’s what I think anyway. So I guess the focus point for this episode was showing how Sora’s deep love for her friends strengthens her already, and maybe there’ll be more complex problems in the future, perhaps when she gets her next evolution... We’ll see.
Anyway. Good episode. So glad to see this show seems to be pretty solidly back on the rails. We only have like 20 episodes left though, seems like a lot but it’ll go fast.
That’s why I’m a bit surprised to see that next week looks like another not really plot-related episode:
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Takeru and Yamato are going to a theme park. There’s no context for why they’re not with the others, but my guess is Takeru wanted to go and Yamato took him... easy as that xD I guess we’ll see, but I really hope this doesn’t mean the team is splitting up again.
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However, we really do need quality time with Yamato and Takeru as well, so I’m all for this. It’s like the show really has got some self-awareness about how lax it’s been developing characters and relationships thus far and is now cranking it HARD to fit everything in we’ve been missing. Good.
23 notes · View notes
aw-eather · 4 years ago
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Heather Watches Stargate SG1: Upgrades
I have some rare time off and deicded I would like to spend it writing another post because its been a long time and I love this show and it’ll help me be less stressed about life and work!  We all love Upgrades so I thought this could be a fun one to do today! I also just love how much you guys enjoy these posts so thank you for being wonderful  As always, I’ll almost defienitly swear so consider yourself warned. 
Nice shot of the gate
SAM’S HAIR
SHE’S SO CUTE
Tok’ra are starting to annoy Jack and honestly same
“Don’t get me wrong Carter, your dads great, love him like a brother”
What about a father in law???
just a thought
Boys stop gagging over a pretty girl
Ew Daniel thats so gross
“Looks like trouble to me” ew
Sam’s fucking face
She’s so C U T E
Daniel stop flirting with every woman you meet
Anise annoys me tbh
Sorry not sorry
No shit Daniel
Jack is judging SO HARD
I’m actually a fan of the caterpillar on Teal’c’s face. 
I genuienly don’t hate it
Of course it doesn’t work on the Tok’ra. 
Why would anything 
Wow Anise you seem awfully suspicious with how desparate you are to get those bands on our space babies...
Sorry Sam is so beautiful 
like SO BEAUTIFUL
CREDITS
They’re so boring this season no offence 
END CREDITS
JANET
she looks so fucking good omg 
her HAIR
Anise go HOME you’re so ANNOYING 
Jack’s neck I-
Jack and Teal’c fighting is cute
I love their friendship
aw poor Teal’c
he’s out cold 
Jacks hair is messy and cute
Janet is not impressed at all
“I’m sorry”
“no you are not”
“You’re right about that!
fucking Jack making a comment about his strength and Janet’s face I love them
Jack reading super fast and Daniel not being able too is hilarioius to me
Mostly because I dislike Daniel
Lol “want me to read it to you?”
Sam sitting in the dark
Janet visiting her with her messy hair and looking so cute and wonderful
I love her
lemme protect her
she’ll need it
Sam, I don’t trust Anise
Jack chil you’re gonna break the machine 
that fucking beanie
i hate it
Jack broke the ball
I’m quiet during this scene because I Do Not Care TM about Daniel and Anise
Janet looks so annoyed 
and I don’t blame her
I agree with Janet
take them off
ah but they can’t 
janet and hammond are ready to slap anise and I’m HERE FOR IT
Jack might not be concerned Teal’c, but I am
jack what did that punching bag ever do to you, you dork
SAm is WRITING  a BOOK with her new found power I hate her
Sam and Janet are beautiful 
and their friendship could have been beautiful
if TPTB knew how to write decent women
“its just so damn exciting sir” I love him
poor Siler omg
why is it always him
can’t he catch a break
aw they’re all locked up
Steak. 
THEY’RE BREAKING OUT
FUCK SHE LOOKS GOOD
LIKE SO GOOD
AND THEY’RE BOTH WEARING LEATHER JACKETS 
THEY LOOK SO GOOOD
FRENCH FRIES INSTEAD OF POTATOES 
I LIKE THE TASTE BETTER 
SAM STOP 
YOU’RE TOO MUCH
MY TINY COLD HEART CANNOT TAKE IT 
defying a direct order but who cares
Jack there is a large, huge MASSIVE difference between steak and earth
the story about that shot with the pool is always funny to me 
JACK LOOKS GOOD
SO GOOD 
WITH HIS HANDS IN HIS POCKETS AND THE LEATHER AND THE GREY AND I-
he is a geek
Daniel don’t do it
oh he did it
Sam’s even telling him not to do it
bloody hell 
can we have a chat about how hot Jack and Sam are? 
Not make them stupid lol 
they were already stupid, Hammond 
they’re space babies
they’re looking so sory for themselves 
no you can’t Daniel
VERY HUNGRY SIR
more of a scuffle sir
ACTUALLY IT WAS YOUR IDEA... SIR
the fucking sass
the FUCKING S A S S 
ugh
UGH 
I AM SO SICK OF ANISE 
bitch  you brought those arm bands there so they could do stuff for you
the Tok’ra are always out for themselves and no one else
they barely do anything to help the taur’i and it pisses me off
Sam looks so cute
Hammond, every mission is a suicide mission 
sam is SO CUTE
HER HAND-
SORRY 
SHE’S REALLY HOT 
AND ADORABLE
I WANNA PROTECT HER
Thta was a lot of science talk 
aww the little hat 
so CUTE
look at em go
kicking jaffa butt
speeding around the place
HER HAIR 
I CANNOT STAND HER
SHE’S SO CUTE
wow thats a big ship
arm band is no longer working 
surprise surprise it happens in the middle of an important mission 
oh Hammond is MAD MAD 
Anise and you can bugger off
Janet’s face is like “did this bitch really just say what I think she just said”
NO SAM
JACK NO
OH BOY 
OOOOOOHHHH BOOOOOYYYYY
FAM I HATE THEM AND I LOVE THEM
THIS IS HONESTLY HEART BREAKING 
BECAUSE THEY OLY NOW REALISE HOW IN LOVE THEY ARE 
FUCK OFF
I LOVE THEM AND I HATE THEM 
BUT I LOVE THEM MORE 
i got a new computer today and the SOUND QUALITY IS SO MUCH BETTER
Aw Sam woke up first 
lol he wakes up funny 
he’s gonna do anything he can to help her
“you gotta get out of here sir”
“so do you” 
STOP IT YOU LOVE STRUCK NERDS
RUN BABIES RUN 
GET YO ASES OUT OF THERE
Look at that little jump over the rock
they’re in soooo much trouble
the fact these space babies didn’t get court marshalled a mllion times still shocks me 
ouch
that had to hurt
nice camera work
I AM VERY WELL GENERAL HAMMOND
lol 
i fuking love Teal’c 
what a sweetheart
i love him
could be a little less sarcastic to the Tok’ra Jack
I hate them as much as you do but no need to make things worse for yoruself 
this is why they never help you 
cause you are sassy to them
Final Thoughts: 
I love this episode
I love the silly space babies
I love Sam and Jack’s outfits when they go for steak
I love Sam’s hair
A lot
I love Sam in red
its a good colour for her
I genuienly hate the Tok’ra 
they’re useless
Jacob is ok
Martouf is mostly ok
the rest kinda suck tbh
Janet Deserved Better
all in all its a fun episode and I love it and it gives me the giggles which is what we all need right now
So tell me, beautiful people, what is our favourite moment from Upgrades? Lemme know and thanks for reading! 
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First Date
Peter Parker x Reader
Summary: Peter goes on his first date, but it’s not with you.
Warnings: None, just excessive cuteness.
A/N: This is my first Peter Parker story! I hope you all enjoy!! Feedback is always appreciated!
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6:00 am. Your clock displays the numbers quite annoyingly as your alarm blares in your ear. You groan, throwing your arm over your eyes and hitting the snooze button. When the alarm goes off again, you’re about ready to throw the thing at the damn wall, but you get up, scrolling through your phone. 
“Good morning, Y/N”, FRIDAY greets, opening up your curtains, revealing the New York skyline and a too bright sun. 
You cover your eyes. “Ahhh, I’m meltinggg” you say dramatically as you sink back into the bed. After a few minutes, you finally get up, trying to tame your bed-head and throwing on a graphic tee and some jeans. 
When you walk to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast, some of the Avengers are already awake and grabbing coffee or some food. 
“Good morning, sleepyhead”, Natasha greets you a little too cheerfully. You glare at her with your sleep-deprived eyes, and she smirks, whispering “I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed” to Bucky, who just rolls his eyes. You swear you hear her say “tough crowd” before heading out.
You grab a granola bar before grabbing your backpack and mentally preparing to go back to school. Peter waits for you by the elevator, awake and ready for a new day. “Goooood morning, Y/N”, he greets, eyes bright and awake, and he gives you a big toothy smile.
“Good morning, Pete”, you smile. Even though you feel like absolute death (and you can swear your eye bags could touch the ground), Peter’s happy (and cute) mood always got you in a better mood. 
You both walk to your high school, chatting about random things, before you walk up to the dreaded building. You walk up to your locker, which is conveniently by Peter and Ned’s, and grab your things (and perhaps your will to live). Peter and Ned talk excitedly about something, and you actually wonder how it is possible to be this excited at 7:00 am. 
You wave goodbye to Peter as you head to your advanced biology class and Peter and Ned shuffle over to calculus. 
~~
Lunch can’t come soon enough. You walk over with MJ, as you both had a class together before lunch. You see Ned, but frown when you don’t see Peter. “Where’s Pete, Ned?” you ask, setting your tray down.
Ned has a deer in the headlights look. “Icanttellyouthat” he rushes out, shushing you.  MJ cocks her eyebrow in confusion, and you lock eyes with Ned. He tries to look away, but you hold your intense gaze.
Ned finally cracks, looking away from you, making you grin. That tactic always works. “Peter is asking the new girl out on a date tonight, but you didn’t hear it from me.”
Your chest aches when you hear that. You’ve had the biggest crush on Peter Parker for a while now. He made you feel welcomed and wanted at the Avengers when you found out that you could turn invisible and pass through walls. He would watch silly movies with you until 3 am, he would help you with your homework (and you would help him with his), he would be there to make you laugh and smile. 
You swear you have a sour look on your face before you force a smile on your face. “Good for him”, you say, absolutely wanting to vanish right here and now. The rest of lunch flies by. Ned and MJ talk, but you drone them out, your ideas filled with Peter’s date tonight.
School ends a few hours later. You lean against your locker, holding your books close to your chest as you wait for Peter. When he comes, he is grinning ear to ear, and a faint blush paints his cheeks.
He’s so god damn cute, you think as you begin to smile. You then bitterly remind yourself that it’s not for you, and a frown sets itself on your face instead. 
When you start walking back, you start up a conversation.
“So, Pete, have any plans tonight?” you ask, full well knowing his plans, but also trying not to give Ned away.
He blushes again, and you swear your legs almost give out. “Uh, yeah, actually.”
Your stomach twists. “Whatcha gonna do?” you ask, looking everywhere but at him. 
“Um, you know the new girl? We’re going to that Italian place.” You put a fake smile on your face. You love that restaurant.
“Cool”, you state, almost crying out in relief when you realize you’re back at the tower. 
Before you part ways, you tell him a simple “have fun, but not too much fun, Mr. Parker” before practically locking yourself in your room.
You try to get work done at first, but your mind always went back to the date. You finally accepted defeat and opened up Netflix on your laptop. When your computer asks “are you still watching...”, you get up, stomach growling. It must have been around 8 pm, as the sun had set and the New York skyline lit up. 
You drag yourself into the kitchen, immediately going to the freezer and scavenging for ice cream. “Y/N?” you hear someone say. You turn around, spoon in your mouth as you clutch a gallon of ice cream in your hands. Wanda’s warm gaze welcomes you. 
“Hey, Wand”, you greet, opening up your ice cream and diving in.
She scrunches up her nose. “You’re sad, is it about Peter?”
You almost choke on your ice cream, totally forgetting that she could read minds. “No, yes, stay out of my head Wand”, you sputter out, hiding your face.
She gives you a sympathetic look. “Sorry, Y/N, no can do. Do you want to talk about it?”
You’re tempted just to go invisible and walk straight through the wall, but your resolve breaks down as you go sit by Wanda. “I just really like him, ya know?” you say, twiddling your thumbs. 
“I know, it’s practically all you think about”, she jokes, making you crack a smile. A warm silence passes over the two of you before she gets serious again. “Why don’t you tell him?”
You sigh. “It’s complicated.”
“Is it?” she asks, making the gears turn in your head.
Before you can comprehend what she said, you hear the elevator ding and you briefly see a flash before Peter’s door slamming shut. 
You quizzically look at Wanda, who nods her head towards Peter’s direction. “Go talk to him.”
You smile, wrapping her in a tight hug. She was only a few years older than you, but she was like your big sister, so wise and kind. “Thanks Wands”.
You take a deep breath before walking over to Peter’s door. Your knuckles rap on the door, and Peter answers with “I don’t want to talk about it!”.
“Pete?” you question softly, and you hear him shuffle around the room. “I don’t want to talk right now”, you hear him say, and although his voice is muffled by the door, you can hear that he’s been crying. 
Without much hesitation, you walk through the wall. Peter has clearly been crying hard, his hair messy and his eyes a deep red. He tries to turn away from you, but you just sit next to him on his bed.
“What happened Pete?” you ask softly, trying to make eye contact with him. He looks away.
“She stood me up.” Anger bubbles in your stomach. That wretch--, you think bitterly.
“I’m sorry, Pete”, you start, but he keeps talking. 
“I mean, why would I think that she would be interested in me of all people, honestly I’m just so stupid--”
“Stop”, you state firmly. Peter finally looks at you, a little in shock at your strong voice. “She’s a moron, an absolute idiot if she passed up a date with you Peter”, you tell him, the words just coming out. “She’s so stupid if she didn’t see what a great guy you are.” 
Your words catch up to you, and you slightly blush, but you meant every word you said. 
Peter looks at you, a few more tears slipping out. He sees your face, illuminated by the skyline, and his heart starts to beat faster, and he can feel yours beating strongly. He locks eyes with you, leaning closer to you instinctively. 
Before you know it, your lips are touching, and you feel like your heart is about to leap out of your chest. His lips are soft and gentle, and his hand rests on your cheek. 
The kiss only lasts a few seconds, and when you open your eyes, your heart does more somersaults as you see Peter’s eyes so full of admiration and love staring at you. Then, you see his expression turn sour.
“God, I’m a moron”, he says, running his hands though his fingers. Your gut wrenches, expecting him to regret kissing you. You’re almost about to cry before he keeps talking. “After all this time, how could I not see my feelings towards you?”
You give him a confused expression. “What?” you ask, clearly baffled. 
He gives you a soft smile. “You were always there for me. We watched so many dumb movies, spent so much time together. I always saw you in a special way, but I was scared of losing our friendship if I was wrong.” 
Peter gives you a nervous smile. “Please tell me I’m not wrong.”
You grab his hand, giving him a soft look. “You’re absolutely correct, Peter Parker”, you say before molding your lips on his again.
Bonus ending~
“What do you think’s going on?” Sam asks, pressing his head against Peter’s door.
“SHHHHHHHHH”, Natasha interrupts, pressing her head closer to the door. Practically the whole tower is outside of the door, taking turns listening through the door.
Everybody squeals when you open the door, your hand intertwined with Peter’s, Sam falling into the room, and everyone having the same deer in the headlights look.
It’s silent for a bit before Tony exclaims “I ship it!” and walking away, making you and Peter blush furiously. 
248 notes · View notes
delusionalwriterr · 5 years ago
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Resurgence (1)
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Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avengers!Reader
Summary: After accepting a mission from an old friend, you and along with the other Avengers set out to another planet to retrieve a mysterious gem. Little did you know that the gem isn’t the only thing inhabiting the planet and soon found yourselves in a sticky situation.
Word Count: 2.1k
Warnings: slow burn, language, friendship issues, mentions of injuries, death, inaccurate depictions of space travel, angst, fluff
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and any of the other fictional works mentioned.
A/N: I hope y’all like it! Every detail about the mission is purely made up by me so yea HAHAHAH
Prologue | Masterlist | Chapter Two
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“You sure you wanna do this, doll?” Bucky asked as he stuffed a few clothes in his duffel bag. The two of you were in your shared bedroom, packing for the mission. After the uncomfortable phone call with Peter, you gathered a few of the Avengers and relayed to them the details.
The Guardians were initially hired to retrieve a gem called the Resurgentium Stone, but the client refused to disclose any more information about it other than where it was and what it looked like. The gem was located on a planet called Mortvivus which was a few lightyears away from Earth and it was a green, irregularly-shaped stone that was about the size of a golf ball.
After explaining everything, the people who were willing to help you were Steve, Sam, Natasha, Rhodey, and of course your boyfriend, Bucky. Tony opted to stay behind to watch over the compound, but you all know he’s still petrified to go back into space after being stuck there for almost a month.
“I’m sure,” you replied, shooting Bucky an assuring smile. “Without me piloting that ship, who knows where you’ll end up.” you quipped, letting out a laugh which Bucky reciprocated. He then proceeded to watch you as you continued to pack, a dazed look in his eyes.
You halted your actions when you caught him from the corner of your eye and stared back. You drew your eyebrows together, an amused smirk displayed on your lips. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer, Sarge.” you teased, causing Bucky to turn red at the nickname. He cleared his throat and went over to where you were seated and situated himself beside you.
He grabbed your hand and lifted it to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on your knuckles. While doing this, he made sure to bore his eyes right into yours as you felt your cheeks heat up at the sudden gesture. Even if you and Bucky had been together for a few years now, he still manages to make you a blushing mess after doing the littlest things.
Bucky pulled his lips away from your hand. “You know I love you, right?” he asked, still staring at you with nothing but love and adoration in his eyes. “And that I’d do anything for you?” You beamed before nodding your head and giving his lips a quick peck. “I know. I could say the same to you, Bucky.”
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EARTH - 5 MINUTES TO LAUNCH
Soon enough, the six of you were boarding the ship. “Alright, besides Bucky, who’s never been to space?” you asked as everyone took a seat. You looked behind you from the pilot’s chair and saw that Sam’s hand was raised. “Well sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride, birdie.” you teased, making Sam roll his eyes at the silly nickname you always used to get on his nerves.
“Is this thing on?” you heard Tony’s voice through your comms, “Be careful out there, guys.” he said to which Rhodey answered, “We will, man, don’t worry.”
As you were about to take off, you heard him again. “Don’t let anything probe you,” he remarked, causing you to chuckle, “No promises.”
After making sure everyone is fastened to their chairs, you started the ship and took off. At full speed, you drove the ship up and into the sky, driving your body backwards into your seat as you set the thrusters to maximum.
“I just remembered how much I hated space,” you hear Steve mumble, his voice shaky due to the turbulence. A few minutes later, you exited the Earth’s atmosphere and were met with the dark abyss that is space.
“I change my mind, I don’t wanna do this anymore, take me home.” Sam pleaded, drawing a cackle from you as you put the ship on co-pilot, unbuckled your seatbelt, and stood up from your seat.
The others mirrored your actions as you went over to where they were sitting. “If you thought that was bad, wait until we get to the wormhole,” you taunted before hearing a groan from Natasha, “I hate those things,”
“Wait, isn’t that the thing Matthew McConaughey went through in Interstellar where it was all trippy and shit?” Sam inquired, fear in his eyes. Bucky, on the other hand, looked like an excited puppy after hearing the word ‘wormhole’ and turned to you. “I always wanted to go through one of those, please tell me we’re going through one of those.” he pleaded, slightly bouncing up and down. However, the rest of the team were looking mortified.
Bucky never thought he’d be alive during a time when space travel was possible. Hell, he never imagined that he would be able to make it to space, himself! He spent most of his life picturing the day he’d get to see space in person, and here he was staring dreamily out of the window, admiring the view.
You nodded your head before proceeding to explain, “We’ll arrive at the wormhole in approximately two hours, so get comfortable.” You laughed as you earned a collective groan from the rest of the group. “Sorry, guys, but if we don’t use the wormhole we’ll all be at least two hundred years old when we get to Mortvivus.” you explained, shrugging your shoulders as Bucky put an arm around you, a huge grin on his face.
Rhodey scoffed at the sight, “I’m sure that smile is gonna be gone by the time we go through the wormhole.”
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SPACE - 1 HOUR TO THE WORMHOLE
The team was eating their lunch on the table at the back of the ship while you were seated in the pilot’s seat, contacting the Guardians. “Doll, come eat with us.” Bucky called from across the room.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” you called back, your eyes fixated on the screen in front of you as you tried to reach the Benatar. Your leg bounced up and down, something you tend to do when you were anxious, as you waited for someone to pick up and have their face pop up on the screen. You pray to whoever was listening that it wouldn’t be Peter because you’re still not ready to face him after all those years.
It wasn’t until someone picked up the call and Rocket’s face appeared on your screen when you released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. “Rocket!” you squeeked, your voice going up an octave higher as you tried to hide the relief in your voice with excitement. “Hey, kid! Quill’s eating somewhere on the ship so I’m taking charge of it for a while.” the racoon greeted as he sat in the pilot’s chair, a sling around his arm.
You frowned at the sight and leaned in towards your screen. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting or something? You look pretty banged up.” you pointed out. Rocket was the person (or in this case, rodent) you were closest to after Peter. You had this sibling-type bond that you always found comfort in and you were relieved that it was still comfortable to talk to him after years of not seeing each other.
Rocket scoffed as he waved a dismissive hand. “They can’t keep the real captain away from his ship,” he commented, “enough of that. Where are you? You were supposed to call before you left Earth.”
“Right, sorry about that, it kinda slipped my mind,” you replied, sheepishly scratching the back of your head. “We’re on our way to the wormhole, should be there in an hour or so.” Rocket nodded and turned to the tangled pile of branches beside him, “Wanna say hi to (Y/N)?”
A smile broke into your face as you saw Groot squeeze himself into frame. “I am Groot!” he shouted, voice deeper than the last time you talked to him. “I miss you too, Groot!” you cooed. He then returned to playing his game and you turned your attention back to Rocket. “How are ya, kid?” he questioned, leaning towards his screen, his voice suddenly becoming softer.
You answered by giving him a tight-lipped smile before uttering, “Better as I’ll ever be.” Before he could answer, Gamora emerged from behind him. “Rocket, what did I tell you to get some rest— oh, hi, (Y/N)!” she chirped, coming closer to the monitor. “It’s great to see you again, I hope you’re doing well.”
Your heart warmed at the fact that she still cared about you despite your decision of leaving the team. “It’s great to see you too, Gamora. I hope they’re not giving you a hard time,” you joked, earning a chuckle from her.
Just then, another voice came through that made your whole body tense up. “Is that (Y/N)? Let me talk to her,” Peter’s voice filled your ears. You froze when you heard his footsteps approach the computer as you tried your best to think of an excuse to hang up. Fortunately for you, Bucky called you over another time, “Doll, if you don’t come here and eat, Sam’s gonna steal all your food.”
You quickly turned back to your computer. “I gotta go, I’ll update you when we’re near the planet. Bye.” you rambled, swiftly ending the call before Peter showed up. You sighed and stood up to walk towards the table to join Bucky and the others.
You pulled up a chair next to Bucky and started to eat. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you towards his body as he looked at you. His eyebrows were drawn together, mentally asking you if you were okay to which you only nodded in return. “So what’s it like going through a wormhole anyway?” Sam piped up. “The worst feeling ever.” Steve grumbled, taking a sip from his coffee.
Sam snapped his head towards his blonde friend, a dirty look on his face. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been turned into space dust before, but I’m pretty sure it’s way worse than travelling through some space portal.” he retorted, earning a laugh from everyone around the table as Steve lifted his arms up in defense. “Y’all still haven’t answered my question,” he pointed out as he turned to you.
You shook your head as you kept shoving spoonfuls of food in your mouth. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
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SPACE - 2 MINUTES TO THE WORMHOLE
“Everybody’s seatbelts on?” you asked as you gripped the steering wheel of the ship. “Everything is gonna look really weird when we enter the wormhole— your vision’s gonna get distorted, things around you will look freaky, but that’s totally normal.”
Everyone nodded, too afraid to ask anymore questions. “I don’t think any of this is totally normal,” Sam countered, his knuckles turning white due to the death grip he had on the armrests on his seat. You hear Rhodey mumble in agreement before counting down, “Entering the wormhole in three, two, one.”
You dive into the spherical figure as you saw the light around you bend into something more tunnel-like. You were going through the wormhole in full speed as you felt the ship shake violently. “Why did I agree to this again?” you heard Natasha shout through the noise.
Bucky’s eyes marveled at the sight before him. Distorted stars and planets were whooshing past him at the speed of light, his field of view much wider than normal. He was a full fledged astronaut now, he thought to himself. Rhodey looked over to him to see the same boyish grin on his face as they continued to make their way to the other side of the hole. “Disneyland rides must seem like nothing to you,” he commented.
After a few minutes of speeding through space and time, you finally exited the wormhole. You heard Sam release a big huff of air before breathing heavily. “Hold on, I think I left my soul on the other side, go back,” he panted as he clutched a hand to his chest. Steve shook his head as he leaned his head back to rest on his chair, “I’m too old for this.”
“That. was. awesome!” Bucky enunciated, earning glares from the rest of the team and a smile from you. “Good job, babe. Best pilot in the galaxy,” he added, throwing you a wink. You shook your head and focused your attention to what was in front of your ship.
“There it is,” you began. “Mortvivus.”
You shot a quick message to the Benetar, telling the Guardians that you were able to travel through the wormhole successfully and that you were about to land on the planet. With shaky hands, you guided the ship towards the planet and began your descent.
“Here we go.”
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A/N: If you want to be tagged, feel free to leave a reply or just message me! ❤️ Requests are open too ⭐️
Taglist: @thewolfgirluniverse
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rainofaugustsith · 5 years ago
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Thank you very much for the tag @vespertine-legacy​! I can’t remember who has been tagged so @cyrraluu​ @shabre-legacy​ @shimmersing​ @tishinada​ @abbienormal​ @mimabeann​ @dreamy04​ @soulparticle​ @levelofdepth​ NO PRESSURE, only if you want to!  Viri (you know she’s always first because she is)
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-CLOTHING MAKES THE WOMAN-
Do their bra and panties match consistently?  Yes | No | Not applicable (and in Viri’s case they are usually completely clashing neon orange or stripes or smiley faces)
Do they wash their makeup off before going to bed?  Yes | No | Sometimes | Doesn’t wear makeup
Do they wear socks? Yes | No | Sometimes (and just like the underwear, they are usually the most garish yet comfortable socks she can find. After Viri lost her foot, Lana tried to cheer her up by knitting her new socks that were ridiculously bright and would fit her cybernetic foot)
What do they usually wear to bed? Nothing | Undergarments | Pyjamas | Pyjama pants | Tomorrow’s clothes (Viri does like comfortable pajamas but they usually end up being worn to lounge around the house. By the time she actually goes to bed she’s *cough* taken them off)
Their clothes are usually… Stained | Raggedy | Like new | Well worn | Depends (If Viri loves a specific piece of clothing she will wear it until it’s rags, but she also is very sharply dressed when she is working and has to make an impression)
-FINANCES? LET’S SEE-
How do they handle their bills? Sets aside bill money each check | Pays them right away | Pays them last minute | They’re frequently overdue | Paying? Bills? What a concept. (Viri doesn’t like loose ends or owing anything to anyone, so if something’s due she will pay it ASAP if she is able)
Most likely to pay with? Raw currency (or barter) | Check/paper trail | Debit | Credit (the Star Wars equivalent of transfering credits electronically. If she pays by credit she will try to pay it off immediately)
What are they most likely to buy? Food | Clothes | Hobby supplies | Work supplies | Trinkets | Movies | Games | Bills | Spend it on others | Charity | Books | Alcohol | Drugs | Technology (since her Wrath days Viri quietly gives a lot of her credits to T.H.O.R.N. and the charities Vette has recommended for helping former slaves and survivors of assault. She’s also far more likely to buy extravagant gifts for Lana, Vette or other loved ones rather than herself. Unless it’s an antique book in which case...). 
-AN APPLE A DAY-
How often do they get exercise? Frequently, from work | Frequently, from a hobby | Somewhat, from a hobby | Somewhat, from work | Never (Viri spends hours every day exercising, conditioning, sparring and working on forms. She also dances for fun. And there’s that exercise she and Lana always have together...*cough*)
Do they drink? Always | Often | Somewhat | On rare occasions | Never (Viri can get drunk just *looking* at a bottle, it seems, so she completely avoids it)
Do they do drugs of any kind? Yes | Sometimes | No
Do they smoke? Yes | Sometimes | No
What ailments do they have? Blind | Deaf | Physical handicap | Bipolar | ADHD | PTSD | Psychosis | DID | Gender dysphoria | Body dysphoria | Depression | Anxiety | Learning/developmental disability | Asthma | Food allergies | Other allergies | Insomnia | Migraines | Mute | Epilepsy (Viri also has chronic pain)
-EDUCATION MATTERS-
What education have they reached? None | Elementary/Primary | Middle/Secondary | High/Tertiary | College, bachelors | College, masters | College, PhD | GDA | Workforce training | (Viri went to Imperial schools and the Sith Academy from the time she was a small child, and her parents also educated her in their fields of science and math. The Sith sent her to get a degree at the University of Corellia because she was so strong in some disciplines of science. She also reads and seeks out knowledge from anyone who will teach her). 
Do they frequently learn new skills? Yes | On occasion | Only as needed | Not usually (as noted above if you have something new you can show Viri, she’s all ears. Tying knots, learning sabacc tricks, silly jokes, new Force skills, slang she doesn’t know in other languages...anything)
How do they learn best? Visually | By ear | Hands-on | Logically | Socially | On their own Rorjhana
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-CLOTHING MAKES THE WOMAN-
Do their bra and panties match consistently? Yes | No | Not applicable (the Jedi ones matched, but they were drab. Now she wears whatever she likes and it’s usually racy)
Do they wash their makeup off before going to bed? Yes | No | Sometimes | Doesn’t wear makeup
Do they wear socks? Yes | No | Sometimes
What do they usually wear to bed? Nothing | Undergarments | Pyjamas | Pyjama pants | Tomorrow’s clothes (Ror did not have her own room until she was assigned her ship at the beginning of the class story. Once she did, she quickly learned that if she walked around naked or topless, people wouldn’t barge into her space anymore. She’s kept that up because it’s more comfortable and ahem, if she’s not sleeping alone there’s no need for clothes...
Their clothes are usually… Stained | Raggedy | Like new | Well worn | Depends 
-FINANCES? LET’S SEE-
How do they handle their bills? Sets aside bill money each check | Pays them right away | Pays them last minute | They’re frequently overdue | Paying? Bills? What a concept. (Ror tries to avoid even getting a bill. When she was a Jedi she paid everything up front so the Jedi Order wouldn't find out and there wouldn't be a paper/cyber trail. That practice has stayed with her even though she's no longer a Jedi and the Alliance is much more chill.)
Most likely to pay with? Raw currency (or barter) | Check/paper trail | Debit | Credit (Ror never had anything other than raw currency as a Jedi and she had to hide it, since the Jedi aren't supposed to own things. She still has not figured out how to use an account, and both Somminick Timmns and the Alliance have agreed to give her cash.
What are they most likely to buy? Food | Clothes | Hobby supplies | Work supplies | Trinkets | Movies | Games | Bills | Spend it on others | Charity | Books | Alcohol | Drugs | Technology
-AN APPLE A DAY-
How often do they get exercise? Frequently, from work | Frequently, from a hobby | Somewhat, from a hobby | Somewhat, from work | Never (There are some very enjoyable hobbies Ror partakes in...)
Do they drink? Always | Often | Somewhat | On rare occasions | Never (Ror enjoys cantinas. It’s another thing the Jedi banned for her and she feels like it’s an extra ‘fuck you’ to enjoy wine, women and song. 
Do they do drugs of any kind? Yes | Sometimes | No
Do they smoke? Yes | Sometimes | No
What ailments do they have? Blind | Deaf | Physical handicap | Bipolar | ADHD | PTSD | Psychosis | DID | Gender dysphoria | Body dysphoria | Depression | Anxiety | Learning/developmental disability | Asthma | Food allergies | Other allergies | Insomnia | Migraines | Mute | Epilepsy
-EDUCATION MATTERS-
What education have they reached? None | Elementary/Primary | Middle/Secondary | High/Tertiary | College, bachelors | College, masters | College, PhD | GDA | Workforce training | I don’t know | Other (Since the Jedi grabbed her as a young child she's never been to school other than the Jedi Academy. That gave her a high literacy level and a strong handle on the Republic's government and perspective of history, but not much else. Since leaving the Jedi she's tried to read and learn on her own.)
Do they frequently learn new skills? Yes | On occasion | Only as needed | Not usually (Ror is usually very prickly to strangers and doesn’t make friends easily, but if you offer to teach her something or help her learn, you can often reach her and gain her friendship)
How do they learn best? Visually | By ear | Hands-on | Logically | Socially | On their own Ikina
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-CLOTHING MAKES THE WOMAN-
Do their bra and panties match consistently? Yes | No | Not applicable (sometimes)
Do they wash their makeup off before going to bed? Yes | No | Sometimes | Doesn’t wear makeup
Do they wear socks? Yes | No | Sometimes
What do they usually wear to bed? Nothing | Undergarments | Pyjamas | Pyjama pants | Tomorrow’s clothes
Their clothes are usually… Stained | Raggedy | Like new | Well worn | Depends (Iki lives in the Star Wars equivalent of well-worn jeans and T-shirts)
-FINANCES? LET’S SEE-
How do they handle their bills? Sets aside bill money each check | Pays them right away | Pays them last minute | They’re frequently overdue | Paying? Bills? What a concept. (Ikina and Ashara run their own tea house, and they’re acutely aware that they have to cover costs so they budget as closely as they can)
Most likely to pay with? Raw currency (or barter) | Check/paper trail | Debit | Credit 
What are they most likely to buy? Food | Clothes | Hobby supplies | Work supplies | Trinkets | Movies | Games | Bills | Spend it on others | Charity | Books | Alcohol | Drugs | Technology (Ikina reads the trades and if there are new tech toys, she wants them. She also spoils her daughter and Ashara quite a bit)
-AN APPLE A DAY-
How often do they get exercise? Frequently, from work | Frequently, from a hobby | Somewhat, from a hobby | Somewhat, from work | Never (Ikina likes to take long walks. As a slicer she’s at a desk a lot; as an owner of a tea house she runs around a bit more)
Do they drink? Always | Often | Somewhat | On rare occasions | Never
Do they do drugs of any kind? Yes | Sometimes | No
Do they smoke? Yes | Sometimes | No
What ailments do they have? Blind | Deaf | Physical handicap | Bipolar | ADHD | PTSD | Psychosis | DID | Gender dysphoria | Body dysphoria | Depression | Anxiety | Learning/developmental disability | Asthma | Food allergies | Other allergies | Insomnia | Migraines | Mute | Epilepsy (Ikina gets a lot of bad headaches and migraines that probably are not helped by stress and staring at her computer console)
-EDUCATION MATTERS-
What education have they reached? None | Elementary/Primary | Middle/Secondary | High/Tertiary | College, bachelors | College, masters | College, PhD | GDA | Workforce training | I don’t know | Other (Ikina went to school on Miralai up through her Masters and did very well.)
Do they frequently learn new skills? Yes | On occasion | Only as needed | Not usually
How do they learn best? Visually | By ear | Hands-on | Logically | Socially | On their own
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gandrewheadcannons · 5 years ago
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Drabble 1 (angst) (open ended)
I wrote a drabble that’s angsty like I’ve been recently. 
Andrew doesn’t wish often for things. He prides himself on being reasonable. Pragmatic. He’s meticulously organized and often not caught up in frivolous thoughts that would have him desiring for something he could just create with a well-thought-out plan to achieve. He lived very much by the notion of ‘if you want it, go for it’ and liked that about himself. It kept him grounded, kept him level headed. Made it so he could breathe easier when he was anxious. If he stayed far away from wishing then he had less to add to his mix of doubt and insecurities. But right now, very out of character, he found himself sitting alone at two o’clock in the morning wishing.
Ryland had stopped filming hours ago and Shane had retreated to the editing room to work. Andrew had declined working in the same room as him feeling squicked by the copious amount of lip gloss Shane had been smearing across his mouth. He was left to his own devices in the spare bedroom when a picture had appeared across his twitter feed that had stopped him in his tracks. It was an old photo of him and Garrett, something someone had screen grabbed from a video where Garrett’s eyes are twinkling and Andrew’s got a soft smile as he stares at the boy. The person had tagged them both and added a message of ‘soft bois’ with a bunch of emoji hearts. It had been shared and liked a good number of times but it wasn’t the picture itself that had him stopping. He’d seen it so many times that at this point it didn’t surprise him to see the way he was watching Garrett in it.
No, what had him stopping was the top tweet underneath it that read, ‘Im sad they don’t seem to hang anymore…used to ship but now I hope Garrett finds people who can appreciate him. The squad definitely doesn’t’ That tweet had almost as many likes as the original, a list of people agreeing. He hesitates to click the profile and then decides against it, exiting Twitter completely and then opening his messages and scrolling to find the conversation with Garrett. It had been a few weeks since they’d texted and Andrew feels a bubble of guilt building in his stomach fluttering amidst something else that Andrew realizes is desire. He misses Garrett. He could easily admit that to anyone who asked. He didn’t to see him as much now that Shane had moved and Andrew spent the majority of his time here. But what he wasn’t sure that he was so readily able to admit would be the fact that, even though it’s just a brief moment, he wishes more than anything that Garrett was there with him.
Looking around the guest room it feels lonely and isolating with the glow of his phone and computer screen the only lights. Biting the corner of his thumb nail he hesitates as he figures out what to send. It was late and though he knew Garrett was awake he found himself, for one of the first times in their friendship, unsure of how to start a conversation with him. Thinking back to the horoscope Shane had read him he blushes despite being alone with his intrusive thoughts. He knew he adored Garrett. Had always done so from the moment they’d met in person and Garrett had shared his cold brew and spoke excitedly about a puppy he’d seen on the way to meet him.
Garrett was his go to guy for any anxieties he might have, his favorite person to get lost with in conversations, but he seemed so far away as of late. He hadn’t wanted to be a part of the series this time. Had explained it softly to them back in February that he’d rather take time for himself and to be with his family. It had felt like a slow bandaid being pulled achingly from Andrew’s side; the comfort of laughter and ease not being present in the long days of filming for the past nine months. He was tired.
Bypassing the messaging all together he bites the bullet and hits the call button, the screen enlarging with buttons and ‘calling G’ scrolling across the top. He’s about ready to hang up and send an apology text with each uwhen all of a sudden Garrett picks up. It’s loud in the background of wherever he is. Andrew hates that he doesn’t know.
“Hey!” Garrett’s voice shouts loudly. “Give me a minute, I’m trying to go outside.” There’s clinking of glasses and someone shouting as music suddenly blares and then it all fades into a quiet hum like something pulled from a movie. “Sorry!” Garrett sounds breathless and laughs a little. “It’s wild in there. What’s up? Are you okay?” His voice going from laughter to concern, the volume lowering into a normal speaking tone with Garrett’s quick pacing sprinkled into the tone.
“I’m good.” Andrew already feels the constricting in his chest lightening some. “Where are you?” A nervous laugh bubbling over and spilling between his lips as he says, “it’s like…way past a Garrett Watts approved party time.” Garrett lets out a manic laugh and Andrew finds himself craving to see the reaction in person.
“Oh I know! It’s so silly. I really did want to leave like three hours ago but now I’m kind of stuck because I got too drunk to drive back home.” Andrew can detect a hint of slurring to confirm the statement. A drunk Garrett was one of his favorite versions; overly tactile and honest with whoever he was with. Andrew could do with a hug.
“Are you okay? You want a ride?” Being forty minutes away was a stretch of an offer but Andrew found that he was up and walking towards his shoes. He’d drive it if it meant spending one night with Garrett.
“Oh Andrew that’s so sweet!” Garrett coos, “I’m really okay, it’s fine. You’re probably at Shane’s anyways?” Andrew hates that he’s so predictable now. Misses when he was only down the street.
“Yeah I am.” He sighs. From his window he can see one of the driveways with his car in it. “I don’t mind, Garrett. I can come.” He presses further. Garrett makes a booing sound and laughs again.
“It’s fine!” Then he drops his voice. “Actually, can I tell you something?” He trails off like he’s to giddy to contain the giggles that erupt. “It’s so crazy, Andrew. But oh!” He lets out another nervous laughter. “I kind of…maybe met someone.” He’s breathless, slurring together the last of his words into one quick session.
“What?” Andrew feels blank. Garrett had met someone. It wasn’t like this was different. Garrett had met so many people and Andrew had picked him up from countless of dates that hadn’t gone well but the last he’d heard; Garrett wasn’t interested in dating anyone. “Like…a someone?” His throat feels painfully scratchy like if he speaks any louder his hammering heart might claw its way up it and out through his mouth. Pitiful. The best way to describe himself in the moment.
“Yeah!” Garrett is whispering. “His name is Ron. We didn’t even meet through Tinder I just like… kept seeing him at the same diner as me at the same time and we ended up eating together a few times. I thought we were just friends but it turns out he thought we were on a few dates!” Garrett laughs. “I pretty much suck at this.” He admits but he doesn’t sound as despondent as he normally would with the statement. In fact, he sounds more amused.
“Wow.” He’s stilted in his commentary. The hopeful feeling that had warmed his body was slowly drained and replaced with something akin to regret. “How…uh.” He clears his throat annoyed that he feels like crying. “How long?” He wants Garrett to say a week. Wants him to say that he doesn’t think it’ll go anywhere.
“A few months,” Garrett says hastily. “I dunno. We aren’t like…it’s not super serious. But I really like him.” He’s enraptured as he says it.
Nine months of almost no time together save the odd weekday coffee now and then had Garrett in a relationship with someone for more than just a week. Andrew is definitely going to be sick.
“That’s great,” It isn’t. Nothing feels great. Andrew wants to hang up the phone. “Hey, actually, I have to go.” He tries to not let his disappointment seep through his gritted teeth. Garrett doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of his regret.
“Oh.” Garrett's disappointed. “Are you sure?” Andrew doesn’t want to. Wants to stay on the phone with him for hours. Wants to lay on his brown leather couch and watch an obscure western Garrett had found on Vimeo. Wants to drink English breakfast tea as they watch the sun rise because they’d stayed up too late make stupid videos he’d saved into a special file on his hard drive.
“Yeah man, I didn’t know you were out and stuff.” He doesn’t want to be that guy, unsure if he means the one who keeps a friend on the phone during a party or the one who is desperate for that friend to pity him enough to do it anyways. He’s not sure he cares that he’s both.
“I don’t mind, Andrew.” Garrett sounds surprisingly sober all of a sudden. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Andrew nods then remembers that Garrett can’t see him through the phone.
“Yeah.” He lets out a breath to loosen the constricting around his throat. Please stay with me threatens to pour out but he manages to keep it contained. They’re quiet.
“Megan Batoon get another boyfriend?” He knows Garrett is joking but it’s that comment that has him realizing why Garrett had gone and found someone knew. The slight under bite coupled with the reminder that Andrew wasn’t supposed to be interested in Garrett like that.
“No boyfriend.” He can’t bring the joke to life either. “Not her at least.” It falls flat. The noise from the background is completely gone now and Andrew wishes for the distraction of it back. He can hear Garrett’s breathing through the phone, heavy puffs like he’s starting up to say something then thinking better of it. Before Andrew can continue and apologize for whatever weird, standoffish twist their conversation had taken he hears someone calling Garrett’s name in the background. There’s a shuffle and then hushed tones before Garrett is back on the phone.
“Hey man.” He clicks his tongue disappointed. “I gotta go but maybe we can meet up for coffee sometime soon? Catch up.” He doesn’t sound like he had before. Sounds like he’s making an obligation to save whatever it is they have.
“Yeah.” Andrew wants so badly for that to happen and for them to climb back into each other’s space. “I really want to.” He knows it’s just a formality at this point. He only has a few weeks before the first episode drops. Coffee soon was looking like November if they both really tried.
“Cool! Yeah, that’d be good. Talk to you later,” Garrett doesn’t hang up quite yet, like he’s waiting. “Love you.” He tacks on as if he’s embarrassed to be saying it. It’s rushed.
“Love you.” Andrew’s slides out easily as if it was simple. A phrase both of them accustomed to saying. It shouldn’t be so hard. The phone goes quiet and when Andrew finally grows the will to pull it down from his ear it’s just his home screen. His heart sinks at the lack of Garrett.
Sadness envelops him like a blanket as he curls deep into the crevice of the bed with his hood pulled tightly up. Steering clear of Twitter he opens up Netflix on his phone and tries to fall asleep to an episode of The Office, Michael Scott’s antics soothing his mind. His dreams filled with images he can’t recall being real or not, Garrett’s name on the edge of his tongue; a sloshing wave of regret in his stomach. He makes a promise to himself then- no more wishing allowed, developing a plan to fix them before the year was up. It was what he did.
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mlpdestinyverse · 6 years ago
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Destinyverse Q&A
I asked my watchers on Deviantart to send me questions, related to me or Destinyverse, for me to compile and answer for a Q&A! Below the cut is the full Q&A and I hope it’ll be informative about me, my characters, or the Destinyverse universe! c:
Mysticalite:
1. Do any of your characters have any disabilities (I haven’t read all the bios so I might have missed something) if so, who and what do they have?
When it comes to physical, no! Though Destinyverse!Daring Do does have a permanent wing injury that gets in the way of taking off and flying normally (her wing can lock up and impair movement in the air). When it comes to mental (which I think mental illnesses count?); There's Eventide Twister with her general and social anxiety, and Skychaser has his bouts of depression. Then there's one other character who has dealt with clinical depression, and may still have its effects, but well...this isn't the right time to out them. ______________________________________________
2. Does the pony world in your universe have more relation with the human world? Like do more humans come over to the pony world and vice versa? With all video game stuff that involve Nova Spark, it made me wonder, do the humans share their technology with the ponies?
(Note that my answer is based off of Destinyverse headcanons!) There have been fun, silly stories passed around Canterlot City about magic and monsters and highschool students transforming into magical girl human-pony hybrids. But nowadays, people have waved off such stories as one huge school-wide prank or just exaggerated rumors to give Canterlot High and the city an interesting reputation. After graduating Canterlot High, and after magic disappeared (for the most part) from the human world, both Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle agreed it'd be best to keep the existence of the magic portal on the down low. Not that normal humans who have never come in contact with equestrian magic or have never been pulled in at least once can cross it, but...better safe than sorry. A lot of back and forth communication and monitoring of the area around the portal is needed for Sunset or Astral to pass through unseen. Only those with Princess Twilight's permission are permitted to use the portal to cross back and forth.
As for technology! With all Sunset Shimmer has seen and gathered from the human world, the mare has used that knowledge over the years as inspiration to help advance Equestrian technology! Twilight puts her at the head of planning such projects, though they naturally need blueprints and research notes to be approved by Princess Celestia herself before they can start a project and have it produced for Equestria! ___________________________________________________
Craneswoop
3. What kind of technology is available to the ponies from the human world?
Similar to question 2, all advancements to technology in Equestria are human-inspired, but Equestrian-made! And I think it's safe to say magic has been added to the equation to create a unique magi-technology only Equestria would possess (think of how the helicopter blades on Tank's flight gear are run via an enchantment!)
One of the first things Sunset helped introduce were computers and monitors. Naturally an evolution in the gaming industry followed with the creation of consoles and computer games. We also have the creation of CDs and the development of portable music players, which improved the music industry.
There are some ideas still in the works for the topic of technology. For one, what about a development in animation and even TV shows? For some reason I feel like live TV wouldn't be a thing in present-day Equestria (whether because it's still being worked on or...Sunset wants to settle on live radio news broadcasts). Secondly, it'd be nice for there to be a communication device similar to a telephone, but not the complex cellphones/smartphones that humans have. That's an idea being smoothed out!
But one thing's for certain. The human's expansive "world wide web" does not exist in Equestria. Sure, computers - including desktop computers - exist. They're helpful with creating and storing documents and files, digital art, reading discs for computer games, etc. Buuut...Sunset has a new mantra, thanks to her past regrets. ”Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”
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4. I'm sorry if this came up before, but if Dream's parents were both Earth ponies, where did her unicorn traits come from?
It hasn't! I believe one of Dreamaria's grandparents on her father's side is a unicorn! I have a feeling her father grew apart from his own parents for one reason or another, hence why the thought of going to them for unicorn-advice wasn't an option he considered. Dream has no connections to them.
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Jackii-in-the-Box
5. Your characters are beautifully made, but I wonder: Are your characters’ personality and background based on your life, people around you, or both? Or is it just to discover topics through fictional characters?
Thank you so much! And ah geez, this is going to be a long one, I apologize ahead of time. <xD There are a good chunk of characters in Destinyverse that I've handed aspects of my own experiences to. These characters would be Eventide Twister, Monochrome, Dreamaria Flow, Skychaser, and Summer Rush.
Dream, Sky, and Summer have the most subtle connections, don't worry! It ties into the aggressive behavior they've faced in their lives, but to keep it from getting too personal, I'll end that thought there. <:3
Monochrome only has one aspect in particular that I gave them because it's something I struggle with and needed to give form. The chapter "Gallery of Infamy" alone embodies it: a desire to share the things that are important to you with others, especially those that matter most. But when you can't, you're often left with a sense of loneliness. Being able to explore that feeling through Monochrome was pretty freeing. ;w;/
Then there's Eventide Twister, who in all honesty embodies the most aspects in her own way. Specifically, her struggle with anxiety and her plotline with Heather. That's something I don't mind sharing: My ex-friend wasn't Heather. In fact, I've shaped Heather in a way that's made her completely different from the friend I knew. But she was my best friend for many years, whose toxic behavior shaped my anxiety into what it still is today. The chapter "Honesty", while the event that forever damaged me and my friendship didn't play out quite like that, holds heavy references to that event and embodies the emotions I was left with that day. Emotions I had to struggle with for years. But I've gotten better with my anxiety and can function better than I could years ago. I continue to handle my anxiety the best that I can! And everything I've ever learned from my experience, I'm handing over to Eventide. Because even when you're left damaged, without a single bit of closure in sight, you can still heal. You can still overcome your hurdles and build yourself up again. That's what Eventide's character arc is about. And I look forward to sharing what I have planned for her. <X3
There's something almost therapeutic about expressing these internalized experiences and feelings through a medium like this. It gives those things form and provides a way of reaching out and communicating them to others! It's incredible how much reception Eventide's arc received, and seeing others be able to connect and relate to her and share their own personal stories is something I find so, so meaningful. I can only ever hope that being able to see these characters have similar experiences or struggles helps people feel heard or a little less alone...! _______________________________________________________
KannaYui
6. What ships in your NG are endgame?  Like, which ones are gonna be official?  Like Skychaser and Evergreen
While I can't give a direct answer to that, this question allows me to provide a bit of insight, since I'm sure others have wondered this too!
The reason EverSky is so openly canon is because 1. Skychaser, before he was fully developed, was originally created specifically to be Evergreen's boyfriend. xDD Not that he wasn't going to have more to him, but! That's what motivated me to make him! Now he's developed a solid story role! And 2. I drew tons of EverSky before I even started working on Destinyverse, sO, it's out there in the open. xD
For the other endgame ships? I want to avoid outright confirming certain ships for reasons, and then there are others who I'm just not 100% certain with yet (like the idea of Summer Rush and Jonagold!). Just know that while certain things may be perceived as either romantic or platonic (platonic physical affection after all!!), I'm also...not the most subtle when it comes to hinting or enjoying my own ships. <xDD That's your clue! But I have at least established that ChromeTwister isn't endgame, and I confirmed that because hellevenIenjoyit but I don't want people getting upset thinking that's being set up when it's actually not and Monochrome's crush is a thing of the past. ;w; Feel free to ship what you want though!! As long as it's harmless and everyone's respectful of one another's ships (as well as the canon ships), it's all good. <xD _______________________________________________________
Anthony158
7. When we will see Evergreen past arc?
AH, surprised someone's asking for Evergreen! He indeed has his own past arc, and well...I want to say he'll most likely be the last character to get his revealed, BUT it also completely depends on which arcs I feel like working on as time passes. <xD I already feel like I'm jumping around and unable to settle on one character. But admittedly some things still need to be sorted out for Ever's, so! We'll see! _______________________________________________________
Lack-Rat
8. I've got a question/story idea for you. Are enchanted comics that pull you into the story an established form of entertainment in your world or was that one spike got one of a kind?
I had to look back at the episode in question, but it turns out Spike got that comic from a shop called "The House of Enchanted Comics", so apparently there are multiple! I'm sure that it's somepony's unique talent, since I imagine that kind of spell would be a rather complex one for just any unicorn to perform (and it's a rather specific creative approach)! And because it's unique, I don't think it's a form of entertainment everywhere! Since Spike's comic disappeared at the very end of the episode, I almost think these enchanted comics only have a single copy that can be borrowed before they teleport back to its creator! So there's just one very specific shop in Canterlot that provides such magical comics. c: Hope that creator has their form of comic-enchantment trademarked. u m u
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9. On a related note, do you think Nova would ever invent a game console that magically sucks it's players in, either intentionally or accidentally? Given that he's Twilight's son I wouldn't be surprised if he could.
HAH, the thought never occurred to me, but hey! He probably could. uwu As a whole new generation of gaming~ Though it'd have to be intentional and consensual. xD And it'd be way down the line! His present goal is to just create immersive story-driven games. _______________________________________________________
MadnessOfTheMind
10. This may be considered a spoiler but I still gotta ask- Are Pinkie and Sugarsocks gonna have any kids in ur storyline or are they just a little side idea?
For some reason my mind tells me that those two don't feel a need to have any kiddos! >:0 They're just livin the best life with their business and parties~ Caramello from the Cake family is kind of the closest thing they have to a kiddo they can love and spoil. uwu
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11. Also are we gonna get more Everchaser/Skygreen (Evergreen and Skychaser) panic gay horse content in the future or no? Cuz lemme tell ya I do love my chaotic gay flirt horses lol
YOU HECKIN BET YOU WILL, THERE'S S O MUCH I STILL GOTTA DRAW xD I haven't even introduced their future daughter yet. I'll end up drawing stuff about her eventually. ;w; And I personally call their ship EverSky! Makes me think of a beautiful endless expanse of sky.
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12. Also, what was the first nextgen you came up with an idea for, or what triggered you to start developing a nextgen story on Deviantart? I'm curious owo
I was inspired by Lopoddity's next gen artwork!! I was particularly enamored by her royal next gens and basically went "I...want to design...a kiddo for Luna", AND BOOM, WE GOT PRINCE AMADEUS, my first next gen! Princess Lumina followed after. c: From there I already had Dream Flow and Eventide Twister as characters (Eve was an undeveloped OC at the time), my friend had her character Star Chime, and the existence of my royal next gens started forming a story! A cover (now taken down unfortunately) of the song "Ballad of the Crystal Empire" kick-started ideas for an arc of the present-day story. And as more characters joined the cast, my brain exploded with ideas from there. <xD The realization that I could present this story via illustrated stories and art dumps was the final push I needed to start working on it!
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13. I know abt PTX, but are any other characters inspired by celebs or media figures you like?
Nope! In reality I don't actually keep up with a lot of celebs and media figures. <xD Aside from youtubers maybe, but still.
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14. What do you, Mia, personally like music-wise? What are a few of your favorite bands?
I always have a hard time naming genres because I kind of just like whatever songs sound good to me. <xDD But I think a common pattern is that I really enjoy emotionally-charged songs. Probably why I tend to enjoy songs from musicals (Dear Evan Hansen is perfection, fight me)! I also like things with a good beat, piano, strings, and a combination of all those things is mMMMMgoodshit.
For some bands! And singers! I enjoy Halsey, Panic! At The Disco, PVRIS, Rachel Platten, Paramore, and Marianas Trench!
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UsaHunnyBunny
15. Were you nervous about sharing you Pony next gen stuff?
Nah! I was already posting art and stories for other fandoms in the past, so posting for a new fandom wasn't bad! But most of all, I had a powerful desire to get out of my own way and get my stories out there. I have a hard time communicating my thoughts and ideas with people - or finding a place where I can do that - and it was wearing me down, internalizing my own ideas and passions. SO, sharing my stories became my way of communicating these thoughts and feelings and connecting with others!
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16. Out of all your ships, which is your favorite? Parents of next gen/next gen or otherwise!
For canon characters; TwiTempest is my absolute jam. They're so freaking cute; perfectionistic and panicky princess and her cool-headed and secretly soft guard captain. HM. Runner up would be DaringDash. I never actually shipped them until after I paired them together to create Monochrome. Only then did I realize how cute of a couple they could make. Stubborn, blushy fools.
For my next gens: EverSky was my everything for the longest time, but then came another ship. I won't name the ship, partially because of my whole "no confirming" thing, but also because it's a ship that I don't think anyone will be able to fully appreciate or understand until you see it unfold for yourselves. ;w; It'll become obvious with time~
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17. What advice you'd give someone who wants to share their own fun pony stories/ideas themselves?
WELL! SCREW CRINGE CULTURE FOR ONE. As long as you're not copying or using harmful ideas, HAVE FUN AND BE INSPIRED!! Your ideas deserve to be out there! Not receiving much attention at first can admittedly be disheartening, but please don't give up! Keep believing in your passion, keep expressing it and having fun, and people in time will be able to see and appreciate those things! Also remember that it's okay to retcon if you end up finding ideas that work better. c: And one of the best things is that there's no pressure in posting stories 100% in order. You could jump around from character to character, from present day to the past to an event in the future, etc. In the end, just make sure you're having fun. ;w;/
Also, always have something with you to record new ideas! Your phone, a google doc, a notepad, whatever you need to jot ideas down new ideas as they come! From experience, you might think "oh this is an interesting idea, I can remember it for later". NO. DON'T TRUST THAT MY DUDE. YOU WILL LIKELY FORGET AND THEN HAVE REGRETS AS YOU TRY TO CALL FORTH THAT ONE SCENE CONCEPT OR THAT PERFECT LINE OF DIALOGUE but can't. So just be safe and jot down every idea you like, even if you end up tossing it out in the end. ;w;
ANYWAY! It all starts with you, so please, make that move and share your work~ Who knows who you'll end up reaching with your stories!
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18. Are you aware of how wonderfully talented and adorable you are?
*SQUINTS* I'm only including this cause you legit submitted it, but how dare Myansweristhanksbuthush _______________________________________________________
PurplePenumbra
19. Regarding Dream, has she ever met any other unicorn with the same kind of magic as her? Would she like to? And if so, would she be happy to meet them? 
She hasn't! Then again, other than the few times Uncle Serein would take her out of town for an outing or for visits to her grandparents, Dream didn't get out of her town much. Not until she moved to Ponyville! Whether she'd like to meet a similar unicorn is a little MMM complicated. I think meeting another pony with her abilities would at least be a good opportunity to see if she understands the full extent and workings of her magic. >:0 _______________________________________________________
ANONS! 20. Since the last ask reminded me of your mystery dungeon kids: if Eventide, Skychaser, and Dream were a mystery dungeon team, which Pokemon would each of them be and what kind of roles would they take? (tank, ranged, etc)
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Dream Flow would be a shiny Ralts (emotion-abilities and psychic-type after all!) She'd be a ranged battler and healer!
Skychaser would be a Dartrix (no reason other than flying type + the hairstyle, and the hood for Decidueye. Besides, grass type boi would work well with grass type - possibly Roserade - Evergreen Glade~) And Sky would be a mixed fighter! Also have...have you guys looked up birds in hoodies. Please do.
Evie would be an Eevee~ Not only cause name play, but! Eventide's a char of possibilities. Darling's gotta find herself. ;w; While a reluctant fighter, if it means aiding her friends, Eve will do her best to fulfil her role as a close-ranged fighter (with Skychaser staying close to help out when needed). She'd also carry a wing-shaped backpack for the team's items! Evolution-wise? Even with no flying type Eeveelution, I think the most perfect evolution for her would have to be Sylveon~ You can piece together why. <X3 _______________________________________________________
21. Which characters were fun to develop and had the toughest backstory to plan?
Fun to develop? Oh Nova Spark all the way. A character who was originally created for fun and to serve the role of Prince Amadeus's best friend has developed into such a major character and I love him. It's probably why he has the longest past arc out of anyone, and also why I'm really excited to work on it BUT WELL I'm worried about leaving everyone else on the backburner. <xD
Hardest backstory to plan? Dream Flow. I've been developing her for over four years now and I'm still trying to sort her out. Heck I was figuring certain things out for her AS I was writing "Impasse". BUT HEY, I think I've settled on a good amount of Dream's story now! I'm sure I'll be editing some things as I go, but I've got a basic idea for what I want! _______________________________________________________
22. You've shown off kids for a lot of the MLP main cast, and they're all great! But one I've never seen mentioned and it has me curious. Does Starlight Glimmer have any kids? Will they be showing up even as a cameo/background pony?
Thanks! So this answer applies to all next gens, but for me to make a next gen, I need either 1. A ship I'm genuinely interested in! or 2. A character concept I want to design, thus I'll figure out parents that could fit the concept best. Examples would be Nova Spark (TwiTempest) and Beat Mania (VinylOctavia) for #1, and Monochrome and Skychaser for #2.
While a Starlight kid sounds nice, I just don't have a Starlight ship that's won me over. <xD Nor do I have any interesting char concepts I could use for a Starlight kid idea; BUT, the thing about that is that I'm not actively trying to create new character concepts. You see, I seem to have a hard time creating background next gen ponies because my mind likes to go off with ideas for almost every character I create. And with the amount of characters I already have, I really don't think I can balance any more characters in the cast without feeling a need to have them play a role in a main plot or another character's plot. And things are complicated as they are. <xDD SO you won't be seeing any new next gen designs unless I find a new MLP ship I REALLY like, or I think up an idea I really want to pursue! ;w;/ _______________________________________________________
23. Do any of the Destinyverse characters have friends that aren't ponies? Some of them did go to the school of friendship after all. Will we ever see them or have them mentioned?
Yep~! But see, those who have attended Friendship Elementary/the School of Friendship (Nova Spark, Eventide Twister, Astral Dusk and Monochrome) ironically are also the characters who have problems with friendship. <xD So none of them have non-pony friends presently.
As for those who do! Evergreen Glade actually has a Kirin friend who is very important to him. You'll meet him in Evergreen's past arc!
Summer Rush is very personable and probably has made friends with both ponies and non-ponies. ;w; None of them have been planned past being minor background characters, though. Maybe they'll have brief mentions! We'll see!
Princess Lumina has made friends with tons of royals/chiefs from other species! Comes with visiting or receiving visits from representatives/leaders/heirs of the other kingdoms within or outside of Equestria!
And finally Terra Rosa....may or may not have a friend who's not 100% human. Without realizing it. _______________________________________________________
24. They all seem to be around the same age, but who's the oldest/youngest of the Destinyverse crew?/How old is everyone supposed to be in Destinyverse?
Keep in mind these are approximate ages, from oldest to youngest! Princess Lumina is the oldest at 27. Then comes (big bro) Skychaser at 26. Summer Rush, Astral Dusk, and Prince Amadeus are around 23. Monochrome (and maybe Evergreen Glade) is 22. Eventide Twister, Nova Spark, and Dream Flow are around 20. And finally, Venture Gale is the youngest at about 14! _______________________________________________________
25. Will we ever be seeing more of Lumina or Amadeus? Will they have a part in this story?
Certainly! The only reason we haven't seen much of them is because we haven't explored the right characters that are connected to them! c: Which would be Prince Nova Spark and Star Chime (again, a friend's character!)! _______________________________________________________
26. Does Venture Gale read his mom's books? How does he react to them if so? Excited, embarrassed, or something else?
Absolutely~! He's a HUGE fan of his own mom's books! He gets so engrossed reading them, getting to re-experience his adventures in such an awesome light. It's exciting seeing himself as a character! Though he does get embarrassed when his mom adds extra narrative commentary, such as writing that Valor Wind is a fast-thinker, intelligent mind, a brave and honest soul, etc. His embarrassment is also fed by people who are die-hard fans of his character (Not that anyone knows he's Valor Wind or that the stories are real. But anyway, he's also incredibly flattered~)). Surprisingly, unlike Rainbow Dash who gets a HUGE ego boost out of their fans, Ven is a rather humble kiddo. But that's to be expected from the boy who becomes a red-faced bean over the slightest compliment. _______________________________________________________
27. Without spoilers, which Destinyverse character would you say has the biggest regrets about their past? Either in a single event or a long time thing?
Astral Dusk. It never occured to me until I read this question, but regret is a leading theme in present-day Astral's character conflict. _______________________________________________________
28. Who is your least to most fav character to draw in Destinyverse? Why?
Favorite character to draw? Nova Spark I think! I love coloring his gradient hair. Much simpler than hair streaks, and it's very pretty <xDD From there, everyone else so far has been on pretty neutral ground.
Now when I say "least favorite", in this case I mean the char that gives me the hardest time. And that'd be Skychaser, only because of his dang hair. <xD Getting the right curls and shape is WEIRDLY hard, but hey that's the price to pay for luscious hair. _______________________________________________________
29. What's Nova and Monochrome's relationship like?
Hehe~ It's a healthy one, built on trust and a sense of understanding they don't really share with anyone else in their lives. They often find themselves on the same wavelength and constantly have one another's back. If I can choose one word that embodies their relationship, I would choose...loyalty.
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stephtastrophe · 6 years ago
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I watched Speed and Speed 2: Cruise Control the other week and they were both really awesome!
The first one with Keanu Reeves trying to keep the bus going at the same speed, well really Sandra Bullock did it while he did other stuff ... he never drove the bus like I expected or not for long if he did. He found the bomb and did other stuff and then tried to stop that train at the end but ended up going off the rails to save them and also the elevator scene at the start. I actually think the elevator scene at the start was the most exciting part, the bus and train was exciting too but I dunno the elevator bit was quite good too. 
Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock were both really awesome in it and had so much chemistry!~ not surprising since we found out on both their recent appearances on Ellen that they did both have a crush on each other but didn’t do anything about it which is cute and sad but we’ve all been there. Awww, imagine if they’d gotten together and were still together, that’d be cute. But at least their still friends, as he said they might not have kept that friendship if they’d gotten together and if they’d broken up. They did get together at the end of the movie and made out which was hot but it didn’t last in the movie franchise as he didn’t appear in the second for whatever reason.
I wasn’t sure about watching the second one but wanted to because I do quite like Jason Patric and I actually think I enjoyed it maybe slightly more than the original. This time Sandra Bullock was with Jason and their characters were together from the start and she explained she broke up with Keanu because as she said in the first movie repeatedly, relationships born in extreme situations don’t last and it was true. 
I thought the plot and action was kind of more exciting than the first movie tbh with you. I didn’t expect to but I did I think enjoy it more.
Plus Willem Dafoe made for an awesome dying villain who was trying to get back at the company that fired him after he got ill because of the work he did for them. BTW, I Googled it and you can not get what he had from computers if you were wondering and what he used would not cure it which I didn’t think so but I was curious and it got the better of me and literally the number one site that came up said “a lot of people have been asking if you can actually get sick like he did in Speed 2 and the answer is no” and it explained it lol. Now I can’t find the site again and I can’t remember what I Googled but I tried a few things. Oh, found it here when I looked at my internet history. Willem Dafoe was crazy insane and birthed an internet meme from his crazy eyes in the scene where she tried to reel back Jason Patric. He’s just such a good actor. I’d say much better at acting than Dennis Hopper who is more B List whereas Willem is A List. I’ve just never been impressed by Dennis Hopper much (didn’t think much of him in Easy Rider when I saw that either in film class), he doesn’t have much range I don’t think which Willem has in spades. I think they should have cast a better actor as the villain in the first movie tbh and I would’ve liked it more I think. Dennis was okay but nothing more, Willem brought it. He was the better villain by far. 
I just thought there seemed more action in the second one if you ask me. It was really big set pieces, the first had them too but it seemed like this had more I think. It was more explosive. The end where the boat went through the town was insane and so awesome! It was more fun.
Jason Patric also got topless a few times so we got some fanservice which we never got from Keanu Reeves. I love Keanu Reeves but don’t think he was topless in it. Jason Patric is also gorgeous like Keanu and got topless. 
Apparently, Reeves only turned it down because he read the script and thought a ship was slower than a bus lol. Well yeah but it was still an exciting movie and better if you ask me tbh. It seems he thinks Fox blacklisted him for 14 years after because he turned it down. That doesn’t surprise me that they’d be salty after thinking they made him in to an action star. That also says he did Hamlet instead. Gotta be careful in Hollywoodland, you don’t know who you’ll piss of. Not saying they should do things they don’t want to but it was a bit of a silly reason to pull out just thinking it was a slower form of transport still. But whatever floats your boat ... or not lol.
I’d definitely say watch both and see what you think and see if you enjoy the second too as much as I did. Just forget the first had Keanu and roll with the punches and use it as a form of escapism and it’s a good movie in it’s own right just like the first one was. The only connection really is Sandra Bullock and transport. There are some others on IMDb who believe the same as me and the second was better so it’s not just me that thought it had more action and better and bigger set pieces. I also maybe think in this case Jason Patric was better in the leading role of man of action than Keanu tbh.
The second one was also funnier and Sandra and Jason also had good chemistry and were funnier together although she was funny at times with Keanu. It was funny seeing her taking her driving test at the start and end of the movie again too, I like when they mirror what happened at the start. Plus, it was just funny. As someone who just booked my practical for the end of August after passing my theory last week I hope I don’t do as bad as her lol. I don’t think I will. She makes me laugh driving. I’m surprised she passed it the first time, but a lot of times she distracted from talking.
Keanu Reeves and Jason Patric <3
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doux-amer · 6 years ago
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I FINALLY SAW CAPTAIN MARVEL AND I GOT EMOTIONAL WATCHING IT. Okay, calming down now. As a lot of you know, my expectations were low as the marketing was lackluster, I was nervous about certain choices that were made, etc., and even though I avoided any CM chatter, I heard murmurs of mixed reactions...so my expectations were pretty much on the floor when I went to see it. I just hoped it would be fun even if it was okay, but uh...I REALLY ENJOYED IT. It’s not perfect and when I was talking to Alanna, she said people said it reminded them of CA:TFA (it really does in certain ways and I get why they said it, but TFA, for all its cheese and its weaknesses, is one of my favorite MCU movies lol). BUT! I! LOVED! IT! I don’t care about the unevenness because all that fell to the wayside by the sheer, all-encompassing joy I felt watching it. 
This is how I wanted to feel watching Wonder Woman because I adored Diana as a little girl and it didn’t happen although I kept quiet about my disappointment because I wanted people to go support it anyway as it was super important that it did well. THIS THOUGH. I wanted to punch my fist in the air so many times and laugh and hug and hang out with Carol. I JUST. GOD. 
I’ve experienced unfettered happiness and fun before with Marvel—that’s how I felt with The Avengers and with Spider-man: Homecoming. But this? This was the first time I was a fan of someone from the comics before seeing a movie and seeing it come to life the way I so hoped she would. It was extremely special because of that particular element and I got emotional because of it which I didn’t expect. I really felt disconnected to Carol from what I saw in the trailers and was afraid the movie wouldn’t resonate because it would be very white feminist-y. It wasn’t. And that hero on the screen? THAT WAS MY GIRL CAROL. I’m kind of getting slightly misty-eyed writing this. But GOD, I waited years for this and it’s just overwhelming wth!
I’m going to do my usual bullet points. If you want to avoid spoilers, scroll past this long post:
I was turned off by the silliness of the trailers and Carol’s more serious moments came off as unconvincing in them, so I expected not to connect with her. I WAS WRONG. I GOT MY GIRL. I’M WEEPING! She’s emotional! She’s feisty and bullheaded. She can be serious and fueled by anger. She can be fun even when she’s a fierce warrior, but not to the point that it’s distracting! Her humor is very much her own and very much Carol. It’s not witty. It’s goofy. She clearly finds herself hilarious which I LOVED. SHE’S SO DORKY, SMILING AT HER OWN JOKES. 
The movie stayed away from what could have been a cringeworthy white savior undercurrent by making Carol culpable in the suffering of the oppressed. I know the Skrulls are aliens and look like them unlike the other aliens we’ve seen who you can’t exactly forget are played by POC characters, but lbr that narrative is about refugees and...look at current events lmao. As a Kree warrior, even if she unknowingly participated in the Kree-Skrull war ignorant of the truth, she hurt a lot of innocent people. And that’s great! It’s not that she was this pure person swooping in to save the weak or whatever. This is something she had to grapple with once her memories came back and her eyes were opened and she knew she had to make amends.
It reminded me strongly of Tony in IM1 with Obie dealing under the table to terrorists and becoming a part of a corrupt machine without meaning to. It didn’t matter that that was the case; he still felt responsible and accountability became a huge part of his story.
This origin story reminded me of Cap’s, not because of the whole military aspect to it lol but because of how she’s “just human.” Carol never gives up and Steve doesn’t either. They get knocked down? They’ll shake it off and stand back up. I might’ve gotten a little emotional here too which I didn’t expect. Plus she wanted to prove to herself that she could do whatever the hell she set her heart on. The other parallel was the whole fighting for the government/military who end up not being so great and going rogue thing.
It made me sad because we won’t get the Steve-Tony-Carol friendship we so deserve, but lol while the credits were rolling, my sister was like “Yeah, Tony’s going to die” because she’s the obvious successor. Originally she said it was because of his powers when I asked why and then she agreed when I pointed out that it’s not just because of his powers, but in terms of personality and a whole slew of things that reminded me of him AND Steve (it’s like Peter in CA:CW and SM:H). She feels like the linchpin holding the MCU together like them too. 
Like the fact that Carol was the reason for the Avengers’ existence! That was obvious, but that scene where Fury’s typing on the computer and he looks at that photo of her before changing the name of the initiative? HM....I WAS VERKLEMPT.
Also, I loved how they made her get her powers. It wasn’t an accident. No one sacrificed their life for her. She got her powers because of her own actions. She got her powers because she was being a HERO. SHE IS WHO SHE IS BECAUSE OF HERSELF. LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!
Speaking of that, I was surprised by the Mar-Vell plot twist because we all thought that would be Jude Law and I expected Annette Bening to be someone else (who she sort of ended up being anyway) lol. I didn’t mind that they did that. Love that she was Carol’s mentor.
I loved the female relationships. CAROL AND MARIA’S SCENES. MARIA BELIEVING IN HER. MARIA TALKING ABOUT HOW HARD IT WAS FOR HER AS A SINGLE MOM AND A WOMAN IN THE AIR FORCE, BUT CAROL DIDN’T CARE ABOUT THAT. THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THEIR LIFE TOGETHER...BINCH...I MAY HAVE BLINKED OUT A TEAR!!!!! Carol being cute with Monica! Monica urging her mom to be a hero while Maria wanted to watch out for her because she has Monica to think of now, not just herself. Monica being responsible for Carol’s Captain Marvel getup! Carol and Maria getting involved with Lawson because she was their ticket to proving themselves and moving up! 
And yet the movie didn’t get too hammy and heavy-handed with feminism (I hate it when some people write stuff that way because I find it extremely sloppy and ineffective)! We didn’t have to have a female villain just because we had a female lead superhero. We didn’t have to have moments where Carol says preachy lines. That moment where she just raised her eyebrow at the motorcycle dude? Fantastic. She didn’t have to deal with that scumbag. That moment where Yon-Rogg tried to pull a typical Man Move TM by trying to make her prove herself to him (and trying to take ownership of her development and strength)? She didn’t have to be all cocky and say some quip or cheesy af line. She wasn’t even that angry because he’s not worth it. He’s an ant beneath her foot. He’s irrelevant. She just says it straight up that she doesn’t have to prove anything to him, and that was what made that so powerful for me. It resonated because she said it like it was the truth, plain and simple, and it WAS. 
No romance shoved in not because Carol didn’t need no man as a Strong Woman but because there are more important things at stake and honestly, the romance was with her wife Maria her relationships with other humans and the Skrulls were the emotional crux. They’re an important part of who she is and of rediscovering her identity. God...like her relationship with Fury? So well done. It was the buddy cop movie that I so wanted. I loved their jokes and their mutual respect for each other. I love how they became so important to each other and we saw Fury deeply care about someone and showing that. One of my favorite scenes is the one where they’re washing dishes together. 
They also didn’t shove Coulson in too much which I was afraid of. We got to see where Fury started off, a greener one but one who was as compelling because he was so human. We got to see Fury deeply caring about someone and so openly (this is the guy who said, “I'm just an old man who cares very much about you“ to Tony in AoU). It was nice seeing how the whole belief in superheroes thing truly started with the both of them (Coulson had his whole Cap thing, but I feel like this was the moment where he imagined having a hero like that in his own time was possible).
Uh let’s see. I love Goose. I don’t particularly care for animals in movies even though I know people obsess about them, but they didn’t overdo Goose’s part. 
All the little callbacks to the comics! KSD showing up! 
The period part of the period piece wasn’t overdone which I appreciated. Carol typing made me laugh, the slow download and AOL shoutout made me laugh, and damn, the fashion and music? I was over the moon. You didn’t have to go over the top to make us immersed in the 90s. Also, my heart sang when we got Carol on a bike on the open road in a leather jacket. The bliss I felt is indescribable tbh.
Ooh the special effects were good for the most part! Loved seeing her fly and loved seeing her gut ships and destroy missiles. It felt real. Space didn’t feel cheesy af to me which was a problem I had with GotG 1. 
Speaking of flying and punching things, it was so viscerally satisfying to see her do that. One of the things that really did it for me was how she enjoyed her powers. It was exhilarating seeing her fly for the first time (similar to seeing Tony taking out the suit for a test flight in IM1). Her little laugh/whoop of excitement? That’s what it would be like to discover you can fly! That grin when she breaks free of the Kree dampening her powers and she can feel her powers at full force running through her? That’s what it would be like to be at 100% and have all that. I wanted to jump out of my seat and feel what she felt. It made her powers not feel very OTT-overpowered? Carol has....too many powers and is super strong to the point that she’s overpowered, but uh...idk I didn’t have a problem with it here, mainly because of this. 
The post-credits scenes were good too like....WOW, HUH. I watched this in Dolby (my first Dolby experience!) and I GOT EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY THIRSTY OVER STEVE IN A BEARD AND OUT OF HIS SUIT AND A TIGHT WHITE SHIRT!!! I DON’T KNOW HOW I KEPT IT TOGETHER BECAUSE I ALMOST DIDN’T WHICH WOULD’VE BEEN EMBARRASSING. BUT PHEW!!!!!! STEVE? WHAT A *****!!! Thought the scene was nice too even though I wish Carol got better hair. I assume she flew and that’s why she looks so bedraggled, but uhfhghdaoifhas I hated her hair in this and want Carol to get the nice hair she deserves (preferably a short butch cut...thanks. C’mon, Brie wants it too). OH, ALMOST COMPLETELY FORGOT TO MENTION THAT IT BROKE MY HEART TO HEAR HER SAY, “YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHO I AM. I DON’T KNOW WHO I AM” AND TO NOT KNOW WHERE SHE BELONGS. SHE’S NOT KREE, BUT SHE’S NO LONGER FULLY HUMAN NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF HER POWERS BUT BECAUSE OF HER LIFE ON HALA AS WELL. I loved how we saw her journey to accepting that and who she is now and how that was all tied up nicely with her wearing her old leather jacket the Rambeaus kept for her and her new suit as she goes into space. What a great moment and a nice visual cue to a comics cover I really like of Carol wearing her jacket over her suit and staring up at the stars. I feel like trying to find her place and her identity are important to her so I loved that we got that here and we’ll hopefully see more of that.
There are a bunch of negatives here (a bunch of stuff about the Tesseract that go against canon, the Skrulls (makeup, personalities, nerfed powers and threat level imo, etc.), subpar writing and acting at moments, etc.), but I seriously don’t care at all because I enjoyed the ride. My happiness dwarfs every little thing I could have nitpicked. I don’t care!!! I had so much fun! I liked the movie a lot!
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thesearchforspirk · 7 years ago
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1 x 1 : Where No Man Has Gone Before {Subtext Study}
As we’re going in production order (which seems to produce a more linear story) the story of Gary Mitchell and his tinfoil eyes is where we’ll begin this journey into Star Trek subtext. There’s quite a bit in this episode to wade through, particularly of the homoromantic quality, so let’s get started. 
Tellingly, perhaps, our episode opens on our two main objects of study playing their beloved three-dimensional chess. As someone who has been in Spirk fandom for awhile now, I can attest that 3D chess is mentioned as an activity Kirk and Spock engage in together in their recreation hours in about 99.9% of fanfics (logically, the chances of them having recreation hours that overlap with one another is about slim to none, given their respective positions, but a little willing suspension of disbelief never hurt anyone). However, I think we only see them actually play it in-canon in about 2-3 episodes total, if that. 
Still, there’s something significant about the choice of chess as a game for these two to engage in and this particular game’s history as a means of courtship and flirtation. 
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This is also our first indication that Spock adheres strongly to the fact that he’s Vulcan and “without” emotions and that Kirk delights in teasing him about the fact. “Certain you don’t know what irritation is?” Kirk asks, knowingly, with a shit-eating grin after he makes a move that Spock wasn’t anticipating (having already smugly announced he would have Kirk check-mated in his next move). The banter here relies heavily on the natural affection between the two of them, that which the script wants the audience to be aware of. Though Spock alleges to be immune to emotions he is clearly anything but, and yet, Kirk finds an affectionate delight in this fact. He’s allowed to rib Spock a little bit about this without threat of any real offense, indicating a very high level of trust between them.
Certainly this could be the banter of two who are just friends and have no unspoken attraction or romantic interest between them, but talk like this often manifests as flirtation as well. Kirk’s decidedly sultry smirks at Spock (the first of thousands that would proceed them in the next few decades of material) and his huskier tone of voice are interesting acting choices for Shatner to have made if he hadn’t intended to play Kirk as flirty in this scene. 
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As I will often disclaim, I’m not suggesting that the original intent was the same as the interpretation I’m asserting here. What I am saying is that the evidence for a layer of flirtation is there, be it intentional or not, and to not at least acknowledge it is to ignore the obvious. 
Moving on!
Kirk has been attempting to stay alert for any news about a recently heard Earth distress signal (despite the -ahem- distractions). News of said distress signal finally comes in, interrupting this little verbal tango between our boys, and Kirk and Spock rush to the transporter room to find an old-style ship recorder. Spock asserts that due to the damage on the object it’s likely that something happened to the ship (in the vein of blowing up or whatever I guess). The recorder begins transmitting a signal as soon as Scotty starts feeding tapes into the computer and Kirk puts the ship on red alert. 
Enter Gary Mitchell, barely missing the turbolift ride alongside our boys. It’s made obvious right away that Gary and Jim are close from the casual way they greet and chat about ship stuff even under red alert. Gary then turns his attentions to Spock and, weirdly, sort of sizes him up before asking in a more straightforward tone “So, you finished the game?”. Spock nods and moves forward to the doors preemptively while explaining, “[Kirk] played most illogically. His next move should’ve been the rook.” Behind Spock’s back, Kirk grins and makes a throat-cutting motion to Gary to subtly indicate Spock’s obvious loss. 
When I first saw this episode, and each time I return to it after a prolonged absence, I always initially get a sort of antagonistic vibe between Spock and Gary. On my original watch I thought it was going to be some sort of bigotry thing on Gary’s behalf against Spock’s being a Vulcan (which does happen with a different character in a different episode) but that ends up not being the case here. We really have no reason to believe there’s anything antagonistic between them, at least nothing that’s addressed directly.
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(note Kirk’s got another amused, if not sultry look for Spock here)
The likelihood is that Spock’s cold retreat to the turbolift doors is more attempt to escape mention of his chess defeat than anything else. Gary’s once over of him, however, and hard tone of voice might suggest something else. Could be an organic jealousy in the fact that they share a mutual, close friend and seem to be on equal levels of bonding with the same person, but don’t seem to have much in common with one another and occupy awkward spaces beside him, sort of privately elbowing one another for the same category in Jim Kirk’s life. But what is that category, exactly? Is it just one of platonic friendship or something else?
A common argument against Kirk/Spock is the assertion that Jim (specifically) is clearly a lover of women and has never taken a male lover in canon and so must be, therefore, purely heterosexual and uninterested in men. This is a bit of fallacy in an of itself because 1) of course we never saw Kirk take a male lover in any sort of obvious way, this was a show produced in the 60′s for godssake, 2) Kirk’s frequent and, presumably exclusive, taking of female lovers doesn’t necessarily exclude him from being able to find men attractive and enjoy romantic/physical relationships with them, 3) most of the time when Kirk would take a female lover it was to gain something for the purpose of a mission; only rarely was he actually indulging in sincere feeling or attraction. 
All that said, there is an argument that Gary Mitchell might be the earliest precedent and indication that Kirk has taken at least one male lover before and, therefore, has a history of finding men physically and romantically attractive. Due to the attitudes of the time it’s purely speculation based on subtext and ambiguity, but one I’ll explore here as we learn more about Gary and Jim and their history together. 
In any case, I will also add that sexuality is fluid and being attracted exclusively to one gender for most of one’s life doesn’t mean that one may never find themselves drawn to something different at some point. Even if Kirk had never taken a male lover, had never found men attractive in any way prior to Spock, it doesn’t mean that Spock couldn’t have been an exception. I would also assume at this point in earth’s social development that relationships of all kinds between consenting adults are accepted with much more open minds, that any bigotry that might keep someone from indulging in or owning up to a desire would no longer exist. Food for thought. Back to our regular programming. 
The three men go to the bridge and take their respective places. Kirk orders neutral warp at the edge of the galaxy and puts out a ship-wide message that the disaster recorder came from the SS Valiant two hundred years ago, the hope being that more insight will eventually be granted to them as to what happened to said ship. Meanwhile, Spock continues to have no luck with the burnt out tapes. 
The department heads arrive on the bridge as ordered and we meet Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, a psychiatrist that recently joined the crew. Sidenote: if the Enterprise was ever granted a psychiatrist to replace her after this episode (spoiler alert) they certainly aren’t part of the ‘department heads’ club as we never meet them- maybe due to the events of this episode, who knows, but I can at least hope the Enterprise continued to value the mental health of her crew members despite all that. I digress. 
Spock announces that the recorder has finally begun to transmit something and Kirk steps up behind him at the science station because it’s absolutely 100% necessary to the mission. Completely. Because it’s not as if Kirk would probably have been able to hear him fine from his chair or anything. 
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(okay, this one is just me being a bit silly but STILL, really now, Jim)
Dr. Dehner expresses an interest in knowing how the crew of SS Valiant might have fared psychologically under the distress. Gary Mitchell expresses his respect of his female crewmen and women in senior positions of power by openly flirting with her in front of the crew and then, just as openly in front of the Captain, calling her a “walking freezer unit” when she doesn’t reciprocate. He even makes ‘ooo ice queen’ face at Kirk after she rebuffs him. Nowadays that would probably, hopefully, rightfully so be grounds for sexual harassment and something Kirk would’ve had a responsibility to shut down right then and there, but y’know. 60′s. Women in power are scary so we have to knock them down a peg. 
Weird how Star Trek is meant to take place in a more open-minded, less bigoted, socially progressive time in our future, but is still sometimes a product of the generation it was produced in. I love it regardless, of course.
Anyway, Spock begins to relay the spotty transmitted information; apparently the Valiant encountered a magnetic storm and then, for reasons that are unclear, began frantically searching for information on ESP in humans. Kirk asks Dr. Dehner about this and she helpfully explains that some humans can indeed see future events, but that the ability is never very strong. Spock continues that one crewman seemed to have recovered and that was when the frantic search for ESP info began, followed by an apparent self-destruct order from the Captain. Unnerved by this, Kirk orders that they leave the galaxy at warp factor 1.
Unfortunately, a magnetic force field appears right about then and the two women on the bridge grab the hands of the men nearest to them because, obviously, right? 60′s. Gary and Dr. Dehner are struck by the magnetic surges while the rest of the bridges’ control panels get various levels of fucked up. Even still, the Enterprise makes it through the storm and Kirk orders Spock to collect damage reports (with a very necessary and much needed hand on his shoulder, naturally). He then checks on Dr. Dehner (who appears to be fine) and then Gary, whose head he lovingly cradles in his hands.
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(This tender moment only goes on to show us that Gary has spooky tinfoil eyes now!!! Can’t even imagine how painful those archaic contacts must have been for the actor.) 
Upon return from commercial break, Kirk informs the audience that the Enterprise’s main engines and warp drive have been fucked beyond use. He also has Spock checking out Gary and Dr. Dehner’s records for ESP ratings, only to see that they have some of the highest on the ship (these must be old records though because there’s no way those two are 23 and 21 years old, respectively, at the time of this episode- SORRY, BUT TRUE), concluding that this must be why they were shocked and lived to talk about it. Dr. Dehner returns with autopsy results on the deceased, informing that their brains were burned out with the electric shock. She also vehemently defends ESP ability against Kirk and Spock who are suspicious of whether or not ‘espers’ are dangerous. 
Kirk then goes to check on Gary who’s been under medical observation and we’re granted a deeper insight into their friendship.  
Gary somehow knows it’s Kirk before he sees him or allows him to say anything. He points out that Jim looks worried and Jim replies with a knowing smile, “I’ve been worried about you ever since that night on Deneb IV.” Gary laughs and looks down coquettishly. “Yeah, she was nova, that one.” The fact that we have no idea what they’re talking about and that this conversation barely makes any sense of is no real importance. We’re not supposed to understand. This is meant to feel like listening to two friends who’ve known each other so long and so well they’re almost speaking a shared, exclusive language about experiences and jokes only they understand. Gary talks some about his weird eyes and then he goes back to teasing Kirk. Apparently our strapping Captain was something of a bookworm nerd back in his academy days, who knew?? (His bookishness happens to be one of my favorite aspects of Kirk’s character and one that history so often forgets in favor of him being some kind of machoman womanizer- ugh) To this teasing Kirk responds with a blush that would rival that of a school girl with a crush on her teacher.
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(tee hee OH GARY STOP IT) 
Gary mentions how he “aimed that little blonde lab technician” at Kirk probably to distract him from being too tough in his student-teaching position, to which the latter responds with, “You what??!” “Yep. I outlined her whole campaign for her.” “I almost married her!” So, we know Kirk likes the intelligent types as much as he is one himself. Fascinating. (Sidenote: I personally headcanon that the “little blonde lab technician” was Ruth that Kirk ‘sees’ in Shore Leave, but that’s for another episode discussion) Gary warns Kirk to be good to him because he’s “getting even better ideas” now. He also has a forebodingly echo-y voice now to indicate to a wary Kirk that shit’s about to get real.
So, what’s the deal with Jim and Gary? Everything is played rather ambiguously between them, certainly in no small part to indicate to us, the audience, that they’re close and have been for years. To have them discuss blatantly spelled out exposition of their shared past would feel in-organic and I’m glad the Star Trek writers chose ambiguity for this reason. But this ambiguity, plus the sultry way Gary teases Kirk and the affectionate, bashful blushes and smiles he gets in return could easily indicate that their friendship may not be platonic (or perhaps it is now, but hasn’t always been- maybe there was some sexual exploration together at the academy and feelings due to this that Kirk never really shook). There’s subtext enough here to believe so, I think. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide whether or not Gary could qualify as one of the earliest indications that Jim may not be so immune to masculine charms as history would so direly like for us to believe.
Anyway, Kirk returns to the bridge to find Spock watching Gary’s superhuman reading speed that is ever increasing. Spock pointedly asks the rhetorical question, “Is that Gary Mitchell? The one you used to know?”. A rather...knowing question for a being that claims to not understand or experience emotions. Kirk orders a 24 hour watch on Sickbay and all the examinations and tests possible. Gary then looks over at the viewing screen, right at Kirk, as if to suggest he knows he’s being watched.
Back in Sickbay proper Dr. Dehner has arrived to...probably do an examination or something but she’s not coming off as 100% professional. Since she’s being a little bit more receptive now Gary reluctantly apologizes for having called her a “walking freezer unit” and she assures him that “women professionals do tend to overcompensate”. Once again, this has been obligatory misogyny thanks to the 60′s!!! This little song and dance continues between them as Gary changes the readings on his vitals panel and pretends to be dead (just to get Dr. Dehner close to him- smooth, buddy) and recites a love sonnet at random from memory (that was actually written by Roddenberry himself when he was an aviator- the more you know!). 
It’s funny how het flirtation in this show is only different for being more blatant in dialogue and sometimes physicality. The acting choices, reactions, tone of voice, expressions, etc, are pretty much the same when the subtext suggests it’s two men flirting. Just saying.
Lt. Kelso comes in to check on Gary and Gary informs him exactly what’s wrong with the engine. Have you gathered yet that this guy has special powers now? Gee, I hope so, because it’s not as if the show has been making that abundantly clear. 
The Department Heads once again meet in the...meeting room, I suppose, Lt. Kelso showing via a blown circuit that Gary was right somehow. Dr. Dehner is late because she’s apparently in love with Gary now to the point of throwing all sense of professionalism out the window; when Spock points out Gary is transforming into something unnatural, Dehner chides him for not showing more compassion despite those on his planet not having feelings like “we” do. Kirk naturally jumps to his defense and Dehner continues in her tirade, chiding Kirk also for not ‘caring more’ about his close friend. Kirk justifiably reminds her that he and Spock are just doing their damn jobs, lady, JESUS. Also what happened to the professional that wisely rebuffed Gary’s attempts to openly flirt with her in front of her colleagues back at the beginning of the episode? I’m more concerned about Dehner’s changing personality at this point, tbh. 
It soon becomes clear that Dehner’s been withholding information about Gary’s abilities. Her defense for having done this is that maybe a superhuman man would be really great thing, guys, like a better kind of human being. There’s a long, awkward, uncomfortable pause while everyone in the room gawps at the fucked up eugenics bullshit she just spouted out and it’s kind of a glorious moment, honestly. Instead, offers Spock, Gary’s power will likely grow beyond their ability to thwart him and they will become a nuisance to him and who knows what kind of shit will go down then.  Kirk dismisses his Department Heads with the instructions not to tell any of the crew about this. 
Kirk solemnly wanders off to the side, lost in thought and no doubt conflicted about possibly having to watch someone he, well, loves (in what way is up to you) change into a monster. Spock, who can’t seem to go a minute of screentime without himself or some other character reminding us that he supposedly can’t feel or doesn’t understand earth emotions or whatever, stops dead in his tracks and slowly turns around to his Captain. Something has compelled him to stay back and continue talking to Kirk and it certainly wasn’t an order. 
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(the emotionless, stoic Vulcan who can supposedly feel nothing ever looks on concerned for his friend and captain. Does anyone in the crew really buy that no emotions story or-...?)
Spock basically restates what Kirk likely already knows (that Gary is dangerous, duh) and we also hear the first very important, vulnerable use of the name “Jim” instead of Captain. They’re alone, after all, and despite all protestations Spock knows how this affects his friend and cares about that. Deeply, perhaps. Even still, Spock isn’t one for soothing platitudes. He elects instead to remind Kirk of the facts of the situation and when he’s defensively asked to provide suggestions and not just state the obvious, Spock says they can basically maroon Gary on the planet they need the lithium crystals from or they can kill him. No pressure, Jim.
Kirk is upset by all of this so he tells Spock to “get out of here” and Spock insists that those are the choices, whether he likes it or not. “Would you try for one moment to feel?” Kirk rallies back, though he seems more sad than angry. “At least act like you’ve got a heart...we’re talking about Gary...” Spock says that the Captain of the Valiant probably felt the same way- and look at where the waiting got him! Spock also says he thinks he and Kirk probably came to the same conclusion. From the look on Kirk’s face we can assume Spock is right about that.
It’s interesting in this scene that the one thing we already know Kirk finds endearing about Spock -his defensive need for logic in any situation- is the one thing that irritates him enough here to throw back in Spock’s face when he presents the cold hard facts about their situation. However, we as the audience should know by now that the fact Spock was affected and moved enough by Kirk’s mood to stay back and talk to him in private indicates that he does care a great deal. What’s more, that logical perspective, rather than some simpering “poor you” sympathy speech, is exactly what Kirk needed to get his head back in the game and do what needed to be done.
This is the part where I’d go so far as to say Spock has been a better friend (boyfriend, in time) to Kirk than Gary probably ever was. Granted, most of what we’ve seen of Gary thus far has been under the influence of the evil tinfoil eyes, but we do know that Gary was one for toying with Kirk’s emotions to get him to behave a certain way (the “little blonde lab technician”). Gary is even more charismatic than Kirk and one gets the impression he knew what to say to get what he wanted long before the powers. Perhaps Gary was good at telling Kirk what he wanted to hear. Spock tells Kirk what he needs to hear and cares enough about him to bother.
In any case, the decision is made; Kirk will attempt to maroon Gary on the uninhabited lithium mining planet. He, Spock and Dr. Dehner return to Sickbay to retrieve him and Gary has become as cocky as he is powerful. He can read thoughts now so when Kirk asks him what he’d do in this position, Gary says, “Probably just what Spock is thinking now. Kill me, while you still can.” He smiles knowingly as Kirk goes and gives Spock a reproachful, sort of scolding head shake, but no sooner does Kirk come back that Gary strikes him with some kind of electric shock. Was this manipulative little smile just a result of evil tin foil eyes or was this some of a rivalry with Spock resurfacing? Hard to say for sure, as we don’t know much about Gary Mitchell prior to the evil powers. 
Once Kirk is struck, Spock, the emotionless Vulcan who we can only assume has no impulse to act on, jumps quickly into action with his phaser because like hell you’re going to strike the Captain and get away with it. He too is struck.
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(omg so emotionless, you guys)
Gary goes on some more about how powerful he is and how he needs the right world for his ends when Spock and Kirk somehow take him by surprise and restrain him to the bed (despite the fact that he’s supposed to have super perception and strength, but the plot needs to move after all). They also manage to somehow get him to stand up straight for the transporter despite being unconscious but, again, whatever. 
Everyone beams down and Gary is put in a cell while attempts are made to salvage parts for the engines. Gary attempts some carefully worded manipulation on Kirk, recalling the time he intercepted some poison darts aimed at Kirk and nearly died from it, so why should he fear him now? Kirk calls Gary out on his true intentions and the ego that’s grown along with his powers betrays him when he attempts to launch out beyond the electric barrier. The shock drains his power and for a moment he returns to normal.
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As Gary’s eyes return to their familiar brown, he says in a very small, soft, almost frightened voice, “Jim...” and we’re granted a much more vulnerable insight into the depth of his feelings for his friend. Perhaps there was some amount of manipulation to their relationship all along, exacerbated now by the god-like powers, but in this very brief moment we’re allowed to believe that perhaps Gary really did care for Jim in a sincere way as Jim so obviously cares for him. Masterful acting, that.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t last. When Gary’s eyes change back he hisses, “I’ll only get stronger. You know that, don’t you?”. Later, Scotty informs Kirk that the salvaged switchboard fits the Enterprise’s bridge and asks if Spock received the phaser rifle he ordered down. Kirk is confused for a moment until Spock shows up with the aforementioned rifle and he’s angered by this. He stomps over to a corner, followed by Spock who explains his reasoning in that Gary keeps getting closer to escaping the force field. 
“Dr. Dehner thinks he isn’t that dangerous, what makes you right and a trained psychiatrist wrong?” Kirk argues.  
“Because she feels, I don’t. All I know is logic. In my opinion we’d be lucky if we could repair this ship and get away in time.” 
Kirk checks on the now completed self-destruct button that Lt. Kelso has rigged up. He shares a long look with Spock before reluctantly ordering the lieutenant to press the button if Mitchell escapes and there’s no other alternative. 
This conversation between them is interesting because they’re essentially both avoiding the truths of their respective situations. Kirk sounds not unlike Dr. Dehner did when she was arguing for Gary’s innocence; desperate, emotional, smart enough to know better but compromised enough to convince herself differently. Of course, her arguments were fueled by romantic affection and Kirk’s could easily just be that of a strong platonic bond but...the fact that there’s a parallel between them is interesting. 
Meanwhile, the audience should be well aware by now that Spock is quite capable of feeling and acts on those feelings and impulses more than he’d like to admit. I think on some level he and Kirk both know this, so arguing that he “doesn’t feel” wouldn’t really be a convincing argument in this case for someone who knows him so well, if it was meant literally. I think what is really being said here is that Spock isn’t so deeply emotionally compromised by Gary, whereas Kirk and Dr. Dehner are (but not both romantically? Hard to believe). Spock can see and own the difficult truth of the situation where Kirk cannot, or, rather, will not. 
Unfortunately this plan doesn’t work out because Gary becomes wise and takes control of some wires to strangle and kill Lt. Kelso. Back at the cell Dr. Dehner continues to argue that he isn’t dangerous and Gary 100% backs her up on this by electrocuting and knocking out Kirk, and then Spock (who of course tries to shoot him with the phaser rifle after he dares to harm the captain). Dr. Dehner finally joins Gary and reveals that she, too, now has tinfoil eyes. SPOOKY.
Later, the not-McCoy doctor comes to tend to the unconscious Kirk and Spock. Kirk wakes first but asks that the doctor not revive Spock until after he’s left to go after Gary- further evidence to the fact that Kirk is well aware Spock feels and acts on something other than logic, particularly where his Captain’s well-being is concerned; either Spock would try to stop him or come with him for protection, but either way Kirk isn’t risking it. 
Elsewhere on the planet Dehner and Gary are meandering around exchanging awkward dialogue, making the artificial plant section of Hobby Lobby appear around them and eating fruit and drinking water because apparently despite having god-like powers they still need the essentials to survive. Kirk does a poor job of hunting them from the shadows; they don’t need god-like extra perception to hear Kirk stumbling around, knocking over rocks and otherwise letting the whole planet know of what he’s doing. Gary tells Dehner to go talk to him so she can see “just how unimportant they are”. 
The conversation that ensues is the kind that really elevates and defines Star Trek where it is in the pop culture subconscious, one that makes it more than just space people in space doing space things, a layer of complexity that I think has been lost in the translation to the frankly horrific ‘rebooted’ series (my opinion, your mileage may vary). Dehner insists that what Gary is doing is right for her and him and other powerful Espers like them, they are where it will take humanity eons to reach in evolution, but Kirk insists this isn’t true. Though Gary may have ‘god-like’ powers, he still has his inner human frailties and demons that his growing ego won’t resist. A true God needs compassion and wisdom to temper those powers. He begs Dehner to think about this like a psychiatrist would- logically, perhaps? Indeed, Kirk is pulling from that logical need Spock has aptly reminded him of. 
Gary finds them again and physically forces Kirk to ‘pray’ to him while assuring him of his inevitable death. Kirk challenges Dehner in asking her if she likes what she’s seeing, “corrupt power corrupting absolutely”. She decidedly does not and finally strikes Gary with her own powers to stop him. He strikes back and weakens her significantly, but she’s done the same to him and this gives Kirk and opportunity to show off his infamous fighting skills, get his shirt ripped open, and straddle his probable former lover in the sand. Not the first time he’ll have borderline erotic fight like this with another man. In the end, he manages to trap and I guess kill Gary in the burial plot made for him. A strategically placed boulder is all that’s needed to stop god-like powers, I’ll have to jot that one down.
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(there’s no good reason for this picture other than Shatner was a really hot piece of ass back then and I like to appreciate that from time to time)
The fight has weakened Dehner too much and she dies too, as I clumsily alluded to happening earlier in this write up. 
Kirk returns to the ship and adds Dehner and Gary to the list of official losses and ends their service records with the honorable notation that they gave their lives in performance of their duties. Spock, looking concerned, seems to sense the difficulty in this for Kirk and comes to stand silently beside him- a subtle gesture of support and condolence, and it would seem sufficient at that, but then he goes on to assure Kirk that, “I felt for him too” where concerned Gary’s helplessness to the power. 
Kirk seems a little stunned at the confession, but the smirk that follows says that he isn’t surprised and is furthermore pleased that Spock would openly admit what he already knows so well. “I believe there is some hope for you yet, Mr. Spock,” he subtly teases with a private grin and knowing look. Spock smiles too, but not until he’s looking forward where no one can really see, not even his Captain. 
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Certainly there’s a message in this episode about how absolute power needs morality and compassion in equal measure, but there’s also an interesting disparity between Kirk’s two closest ‘friends’. Even before the god-like powers, Gary is very charismatic and knows exactly what to say to make Kirk grin and blush and giggle, whereas Spock is very honest, straightforward, and no nonsense. Gary seems as if he was always emotionally an open book, whereas Spock for many reasons comes across as emotionally unavailable (even if that isn’t really true). 
Assuming that there was perhaps a romantic, sexual history with Gary and Jim, it would be a natural assumption that Gary allowed Kirk ‘close’ to him pretty early on, though I think the genuineness of that relationship is difficult to really call for sure. Certainly there was a strong bond between them that I don’t doubt the honesty of, but I get the distinct impression that Gary probably did a lot in the way of bait and switch, reeling Kirk in and then pushing him back out when it suited him, manipulating him from time to time.
Spock, meanwhile, is the exact opposite. Not very charismatic, tells Jim what he needs to hear rather than what he wants to, insists despite the bond growing between them and the feelings and impulses that he acts on that he can’t feel. Or rather, won’t admit that he does. Perhaps this has created something of a frustrating barrier for Jim, always feeling as if he’s distant from Spock where Gary would let him in so readily. 
However by the end, it becomes clear that despite his insistence to the contrary,  Spock is the more devoted, the more caring, the more dependable ‘friend’, and maybe Kirk has decided he is more than willing to go the extra mile, however long it takes, to help Spock coax down those walls if he so wishes to further their bond...in whatever form that may take. 
Thanks for joining me on this long ass study of Where No Man Has Gone Before. I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts and feelings on the episode, what I’ve made of it, things I may have missed, etc. HMU! 
Join me next time for a similarly long write-up and subtext evaluation of The Corbomite Manuever. 
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romanssippycup · 7 years ago
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Let me tell you a story...
Six months ago...I was at my breaking point. Six months ago I was tired of losing friends. By suicide. By fights. By miscommunication. By abondonment.
Back in febuary, before all I spoke of above happened though I had a rollplay group in the Undertale amino and on tumblr. We were all great friends and they were so hilarious, but things turned sour really quick when the first person commited suicide. I didn’t know there even was a suicide pact between this person and the core founder of our group, then she tried to commit suicide too.
I don’t wanna give the details, but I had lost about three friends. And then I lost everyone else. A big fight broke out in our group of 50. I remember people leaving, heartbroken, devastated, friendships shattering. It wasn’t good for anyone.
I remember sitting on the floor of my room June 10th just sobbing, because everything I had come to love and cherish in that fandom vanished in a few short weeks. My friends. My crushes. Everything.
I remember sitting at my computer scrolling through tumblr and slamming my laptop down angrily. Then opening it back up, thinking of going to youtube and watching a few light-hearted videos. With tears in my eyes, I saw Thomas Sander’s vines pop up. I remember he had always made me smile in the past. I click on his channel, and the first video I see is the “Becoming a Cartoon” video. Let me tell you I had never been so confused before in all my life.
Why was the dad character in a long video? He had a name? What is this egotistical, sassy prince doing outside of a vine? The teacher dude was always kinda hot though. But whose this new emo kid? I was intrigued, so I went through and watched all the Sander’s sides, out of order mind you though. So all the name reveals were spoiled for me. (Accept for Virgil’s, being a part of the fandom then was a real treat.)
But even so, I remember watching “My Negative Thinking” for the first time, and I broke down in tears. This time happy tears. This new series, had made me laugh and cry, and it was something that I could poor my heart into. I rewatched these videos for five long hours, before diving into the fandom.
I started on Wattpad in the end of June before AA parts 1 and 2 with Undeniably Important. The fandom was in a state of turmoil then, because we all knew Anxiety’s redemption arc was coming. I didn’t fully understand the dynamic of the fandom, but I started writing fanfiction anyways. This news series had given me something I had been without for a long time: hope. And gosh darn it I was gonna contribute. 
It didn’t exactly matter to me that I had never written fanfiction for another fandom before this. Before Inknew it I had written 10 chapters of my idea! I loved the characters. I had loved Thomas Sanders from the very beginning in 2013 and still love him to this day. I began loving Joan and Talyn. Then I began loving the Fanders! Everyone in this community is so freaking nice and cool! Just! HOW DO PEOPLE LIKE YOU GUYS EXIST?! JUST HOW?!
Coming from the Undertale Fandom you guys are just like heaven!! You all welcomed me on Tumblr. And I am forever greatful for that! We are all so lucky to live in a fandom where there are hardly any shipping wars, hardly any drama, we all lift each other up. We are LGBTQIA+ friendly. Actually we are everyone friendly. It warms my heart to see this type of community, and its such an honor to be part of it.
I wanted to give so much back to this fandom, that I started an appreciation month for it. It was supposed to be a silly thing, I honestly didn’t think any one would enjoy it. But so many people participated! (I do plan on bringing that back this August) I just feel so unworthy at times to call myself a Fander. Like you guys are just so amazing!!!
Being a Fander for this long, I just feel like I need to give credit, where credit is due.
@what-even-is-thiss I look up to you, like you’re the big brother I’ve never had. I know we hardly speak, but you were my leader by example when I was ace, and even still now. Thank you for being yourself and inspiring me, to be myself.
@thagrinbery My debate buddy! I love you more than words can say. You were one of my first ever friends in this fandom and I always had a lot of fun arguing about...nipples...with you XD. We are going to keep fighting together for the better, Bery. Please continue to be yourself, and don’t change for anyone. Because you are you, and I love you just the way you are.
@cup-of-blue Thank you for being one of my first friends in this fandom! You are an amazing drawer and your sense of humor is hilarious! We don’t talk as much as we used to, but I’d like to change that. Thank you for being awesome! Ilysm friendo!
@prplzorua You were the first fander that I ever admired, even before I was ever in the fandom on tumblr. For your amazing writing skills, and your ability to brush harsh comments off like they were nothing. You were always so strong and confident in who you were. I am honored to know you more personally now as a friend. I love you very much, and keeping beeing yourself. I know we still need to do a collab, and I’m open for it. I’ll message later today friendo.
@anonymous-snake Where are you? I miss you. We used to be such good friends. I know you said you were going to take a break from tumblr...but isn’t three months a bit much? It’s probably just me worrying about you. I hope you are ok and doing well wherever you are. Ilysm and know that people still love you here in the fander realm. Take care friend. We miss you.
@here-to-vent Eyyy Washington State bud! I think about you a lot, even though I know we don’t talk much. I still follow you and stalk you...the good kind of stalk XDEvery once and while just checking to see how you are doing. I wish for nothing but good fortune your way friendo! <3
@toxicsanders/ I know we hardly talk, but your resilience through the hard things that has happened to you through these past couple months has really spoken to me. You always find a way to push through your obstacles, even when life get’s rough. Keep moving forward friendo. You can do it. I believe in you.
@softlogic I know you aren’t in the fandom anymore, but I’ll never forget you and your kindness to me when I was just starting out on tumblr. Although you’re gone, I’ll always remember your words to me.
@justanotherpurplebutterfly You. You inspire me so much. You are just amazing in every way, shape, and form. Your writing skills are phenominal and you are such a sweet and caring person! You gave me hope at the beginning of september when I had none, when I almost left this fandom for good. I just can’t thank you enough for being my Fander friend. I love you very much friendo, And thank you!
@tinysidestrashcaptain How does one explain such an amazing person in words?! Just...how!? She is way too awesome for her own good, and one of the very few reasons why I’m still in the fandom today! We’ve gone through thick and thin together in these past five months! And it still baffles me that this amazing woman wants to be my friend! You are just so hecking awesome! Your writing, your personality, your sense of humor. You just contribute so much to this fandom and we can’t thank you enough for it! I am honored and proud to call you my friend! I love you more than life friendo!
There are tons of people I can mention who have touched my life over these six months, and I know I can’t name all of them! @leesacrakon @evilmuffin @leesacrakon @ts-sideblog @logan-logic @randomslasher  @prinxietys @princey-must-slay @pirate-patton @infinitesimally-patton @organizeddiscord @jiyudreamer @availe @fandomsandanythingelse @romananalogicality @remmythepegasis @pantton-sandacers @pattykrabbies Are all just a few that have helped me through my struggles whether they knew it or not!
 And I’m sorry that I can’t mention all of you, but if you are reading this right now, then this also applies to you! Thank you for makingthe  Fander’s fandertastic! I am human and I can’t get everyone, but just know how special you are. I love you all very much and thank you for saving me and accepting me into this web-connected, amazing, big happy family. <3
Thank you so much. @thatsthat24, @thejoanglebook, @tallykat3
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justanoutlawfic · 7 years ago
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Trying Not To Love You: A Detective Snowing Story
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A direct sequel to You Have More Friends Than You Know. Back then, I thought this would stay platonic, but then I fell in love with this ship romantically. @loboselinaistrash sent me a plot twist prompt for this verse about what would happen if Killian pushed them away when he discovered his feelings and this is the result of that.
Trigger warning for gun violence mentioned, but it doesn't go into too much detail of the shooting.
Also on AO3
Killian walked into his house and heard…nothing. That was odd for him, considering he had a rambunctious 3 year old. Sure, his daughter was in the final stages of recovering from her tonsillectomy, but with Emma over pretty much every day, she was definitely on the mend. Snow and David had insisted to come by to help him out and he was grateful for it. They cooked, help make sure his house didn’t fall apart and especially helped make sure that Alice and Emma hadn’t gotten into too much trouble. They especially came in handy when he had been called into work for an emergency, assuring him that they could handle both girls on their own.
 He headed into the kitchen and found David doing the dishes. He was a handsome man, there was no doubting that. Years of working on a farm had shaped his body in ways that probably some couldn’t realize. He still kept in good shape, besides running around as detective, he went to the gym three times a week.
 Killian quickly shook the thoughts out of his head. He had known he was pansexual since he was 13 and he knew that David was bisexual, but the latter was married. The ship had sailed. Besides, there was nothing wrong with just being attracted to a married person physically right? It’s not like he wanted to be with him like that.
 “Hey,” David’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “I made mac and cheese, there’s some leftover in the fridge. Snow made a salad too.”
“You got Emma to eat a salad?”
“Well…no. But Alice ate it.”
Killian laughed. “Good.” He looked around the kitchen. “Where are the girls?”
“Emma passed out on the couch while they were watching Robin Hood, Snow took Alice to get her ready for bed.”
“I think I’ll go see my little girl before I eat.”
 He headed around the corner and lingered in the doorway of Alice’s bedroom. Snow sat in the oversized easy chair he had bought for the room, way back when it had just been a nursery. Alice was snuggled up on her lap as they read from one of her favorite books, Robin Hood. He knew that they had just watched the Disney movie according to David and yet Snow didn’t mind reading the exact same one to his daughter again. She was so patient and loving, she always looked at Alice with this joy in her eyes.
 Snow was just as beautiful as David was handsome. She had once had long black locks, but after Emma was born, she claimed it was too hard to maintain and had a pixie cut ever since. It suited her face and allowed her eyes to shine brighter. She had a gentle voice and a smile that could probably stop any person in their tracks.
 Killian had read about polyamory in college. He knew it was far different than polygamy and worked in different ways. Sometimes, it meant that the couple had an open relationship and could sleep with others if they wanted. Others, it was having a committed relationship that was equal between three people or more. They weren’t as rare as people would think, but they weren’t exactly very public.
 The truth was, Killian knew he was in love with David and Snow. He had been for a while now, but there was no way he could just bring it up. They’d think he was some kind of freak, suggesting that he could join their marriage. Worse, they’d pity him and their friendship would never be the same.
 Yet, it hurt too much to even be in the same room as them. To have them so close, yet so far. He was falling for them more and more by the day. Alice was growing closer to them as well, he knew she looked to Snow like the mother she never had. When she was a baby and Emma was learning how to talk, she had copied her in calling Snow mama. Killian had panicked, but Snow just patiently smiled and explained that she was just copying Emma. Eventually, Alice got used to calling her Auntie Snow.
 No, he couldn’t allow his daughter to get hurt.
 Nor could he allow himself.
 Snow looked up at him and smiled. “Well, look who’s home.”
Alice’s eyes drifted up and she beamed brightly. “Papa!” She jumped off his lap and ran into his outstretched arms.
He swooped her up and cradled the back of her head with his hand, his prosthetic resting on her back. He had lost his hand when he was mugged in high school and over the years, technology had improved and now he had one that worked nearly similar to a real one, though it’d never be completely the same. “Hey there, Starfish,” he whispered. “How was your night?”
“Good. I ate all my dinner.”
Killian couldn’t help but smile at that. She hadn’t been eating much since the surgery. “That’s good to hear.” He kissed her temple.
Snow rose to her feet and walked over to them, kissing Alice’s head. “We’ll get going. Unless you need anything else?”
He cleared his throat, biting down on his lip, hard. “No, we’re um…we’re good. You’ve done enough already.”
“Alright, we’ll see you soon.”
 She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. To Killian, that would be the last time he’d see her.
David didn’t think much of it when he didn’t see Killian around the station as much at first. They normally worked similar shifts, “Dad shifts” as Leroy Dreamer called them, which meant they could be home for their kids. Yet, he also knew that their boss wasn’t always as understanding and sometimes they worked the less desirable ones.
 Then Killian stopped responding to their texts or phone calls. When they ran into him at the diner, he left quickly. If Emma asked her parents to let Alice come over, he’d have some excuse or another when David cornered him at the station. Alice was a fairly healthy child, how many doctor appointments could she possibly have?
 “Do you think we did something to offend him?” Snow asked her husband one afternoon when Killian had declined their evite to Emma’s 4th birthday party. It wasn’t like him, at all.
“I don’t think so? I mean, we cleaned his house that night after we took care of the girls. We left him dinner. It’s not like we did anything to piss him off.”
“It’s been a month, I’m just getting worried. This isn’t like him. Is he still working weird shifts?”
“No, Weaver told him he had to cut that out. Now, he just works different positions than me. Like, if I’m doing paperwork, he goes on patrol. Or vice versa. We used to patrol together. If we do have to work together for whatever reason, he won’t talk to me.”
“This is just weird. If we hurt him, I wish he’d just come out and say something about it.”
 Their concern turned to anger when Killian finally returned one of their texts.
 It’s nothing you guys did. I just don’t think that it’s best that we’re friends anymore.
 David and Killian had been best friends for nearly 8 years, he and Snow for 4. He was cutting off their friendship for no reason, for nothing. They decided to give up. If he wanted nothing to do with them, fine. They’d take a hint.
 “Mommy?” Emma asked one afternoon when they were at the party store. “Is Alice coming to my party?”
Snow paused, biting down on her lip. She knew that the girls still saw each other at pre-school and would play. As angry and hurt that she was over Killian’s text, she didn’t want to hurt her daughter. “I don’t think so, sweetheart.”
“But Alice said she wanted to come.”
So, clearly Alice didn’t know what was going on either. “I know, baby, but her daddy said they’re busy that day.” She paused again before crouching down in front of her. “You know, you can still play with Alice at school, but I don’t know if you’ll have playdates anymore.”
“Why not? She’s my best friend!”
The defeat in her daughter’s voice broke her heart even more. “She is. It’s just…I don’t think her daddy wants her coming over anymore. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Uncle Killian is acting silly,” Emma said with a huff, crossing her arms over chest.
Snow let out a deep breath and kissed her daughter’s head before standing up. “He is. Hey, how about you help me pick out the favors for the party?”
Killian sat at his desk, knowing that if Weaver walked by, he’d be in trouble. He was using his computer to look at zoo fare and hours for the day of Alice’s birthday. Typically, he’d have a party for her, but that just didn’t seem right this year. She wanted to invite Emma so badly, but that would mean talking to Snow and David, not that they would even want to talk to him. After his text, David had given up trying and was giving him the cold shoulder. Killian didn’t blame him one bit, he was acting like a jerk. He just had to protect Alice’s heart and his own.
 So, he had promised Alice that instead of a party, they’d do something even more fun. She had asked if Emma could come, of course, and it broke his heart to tell her no. He hoped in time that just seeing her friend at school would be enough. It had to be. He figured to make it up to her, he’d take her to the Franklin Park Zoo and New England Aquarium in Boston. They typically visited Massachusetts at least once a year since it was just a 4 hour drive away and those were two of Alice’s favorite places. It’d make a perfect birthday celebration.
 His mind flashed back to Alice and Emma’s first birthdays. They had a combined party for them with all their friends to celebrate making it through that crazy year. Snow’s arm was thrown around Killian, telling him if they could survive this, they could survive everything. They were best friends, they’d raise their girls together.
 So much for that.
 Suddenly, the station’s frequency radio buzzed and he could hear an officer’s voice coming through it. “Detective down, need backup on Mifflin.”
 Killian jumped up with another officer and they rushed to the scene. By the time they got there, the shooter had been taken care of and was in the back of a squad car. Killian walked closer to the sidewalk where he noticed Mayor Mills was in tears. He had never seen her so upset before. She was explaining that there was a sudden break in by her former running mate and that there was a detective that had been the first to respond to the call.
 “Greg would’ve shot me for sure,” Regina sobbed. “If Detective Nolan hadn’t pushed me out of the way, I’d be dead by now.”
 Killian’s blood ran cold and he saw his friend laying on a stretcher, being carried to the ambulance. The man he loved, the man who had been his best friend since their freshmen year of college. The man he had pushed away, to protect his own heart…was now bleeding on a stretcher.
“Someone has to tell his wife,” Weaver was saying to some of the other officers at the scene.
“I’ll do it,” Killian spoke up. “It…it should be me.”
Snow would always remember what she was talking about the moment her husband was shot. She had been so excited that day to hang up pictures of Emperor Penguins that Emma had helped her pick out. They were supposed to be going to an aquarium the following week and it reminded her of Alice, who loved going to those so she could see all the different sea creatures, especially the starfish. She had come to love that little girl and to know that she’d probably never get to hold her again, broke her heart.
 Her door opened and Jasmine, her aide, stepped in…followed by Killian dressed in full uniform.
 “Mary Margaret,” Jasmine said, using the name that only the school ever did (her mother had nicknamed her Snow as a child and it just stuck). “I’m going to take over for a while. You need to go with Detective Rogers.”
 Snow folded her arms over chest and followed him into the hallway.
 “What’s going on? You haven’t spoken to us in two months outside that cryptic text and now you ruin my lesson plan?”
“Snow,” Killian’s voice broke and pain filled his face.
Slowly, she lowered her façade. “What’s going on? Is Alice okay?”
“She’s fine. It’s David.”
 Snow blinked. There was a part of her that had always been preparing for this day. When she had begun dating David, he was a rookie on the force. She had known who he was when she took his name, a police officer. There was a chance of this happening and yet, she never thought it could happen. Not to him. Not when they were happily married, with a nearly 4-year-old.
 “No,” she whispered.
“Snow…”
“NO!” Her voice grew sharper. “You are not doing this Killian…you are not telling me…”
“I don’t know if he’s okay. He reported to Mayor Mills’ house to deal with a break in report…Greg Mendel shot him. He’s being taken to the hospital.”
 Snow’s knees grew weak and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Killian wrapped his arms around her and kept her upright, tears in his own eyes.
 “Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
 Snow was silent the way down to Killian’s car, but clung to him for dear life. For once, the roles were reversed. He had depended on her so many times after Eloise left and for once, he could repay the favor. She didn’t have time to appreciate the irony, all she could think about was her husband.
 The ride to Storybrooke General was just as silent, but she snapped into action as soon as they rushed into the E.R. She ran right up to the desk where Nurse Ratchet sat.
 “My husband, Detective David Nolan was brought in,” she said.
“Have a seat, the doctor will be right with you.”
“I…I can’t take a seat! I need to see my husband! I need to know he’s okay?” Tears streamed down her face. “Did you…did you see him? Is he okay?”
“I’m afraid I can’t give that information, Mrs. Nolan. You’ll have to wait for the doctor, he’s in surgery with your husband right now.”
“Can’t give me that information? I’m his wife!”
“Snow,” Killian rubbed her back. “Come on, it’s not the nurse’s fault. Let’s just go over there.” He turned to the nurse. “Have the doctor come get us as soon as you know anything.”
“Of course,” the nurse said, eyeing Snow who looked on the verge of a breakdown.
 Killian lead Snow to the corner and she began pacing.
 “He’s going to be okay, Snow,” he whispered.
“How can you say that?!?” Snow exploded, ignoring the looks that the people in the waiting room gave her. “He was shot! This wasn’t supposed to happen! He…he promised me it wouldn’t!”
“I know he did.”
“I can’t lose him, Killian.” Her voice broke again. “He’s…he’s everything. To me, to Emma. Oh my God, Emma!” Her eyes shut and she leaned against the wall. “How am I supposed to tell her that her daddy got shot?”
“You won’t.” Killian put his hands on her shoulder. “Because he’s going to make it out of this. We’ll tell Emma and Alice that he just needed to see a doctor, but that he’ll be fine. It won’t be a lie, because he will be. Do you hear me, Snow? You’re not about to become a widow today.”
 He wrapped her back into his arms and as much as she wanted to pull away, she didn’t. She knew that he easily could’ve sent Weaver or Humbert, but he didn’t. He came himself, because he knew she would need him. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his chest for as long as she needed to. Once she calmed down, he got her some water from the nurse’s station and they slid down into chairs. Eventually, the nurse told them where David was having surgery so they could go and wait in the proper waiting area. Killian kept his arm around Snow at all times.
 Three hours after they arrived, Dr. Whale finally came out of the back and lead them into his office. Snow clung to Killian just as tightly, tears in her eyes.
 “The surgery went fine,” Whale said “We got the bullet out of his stomach and we were able to partially remove the other, but he’ll be fine with it inside of his shoulder. He is a very lucky man, if it had gone even just a few inches lower…well, we won’t worry about that.”
“But he’s okay?” Snow asked.
“He’s going to be. He lost a lot of blood and we had to do a transfusion, but he’s out of the woods. He’s stable right now and alert.”
Snow and Killian let out simultaneous breaths of relief. “Will he be able to return to the force?” Killian asked, knowing that’d likely be all David cared about.
“In time. His shoulder is going to require some physical therapy.”
“Good. I know that’ll make him happy.”
“Would you like to see him?”
 Snow nodded and looked to Killian to let him know that he should come with her. Whale lead them down the hall to David’s recovery room. He was hooked up to a few machines and was pale, his shoulder in a sling. Snow bit down on her lip, but moved forward, sitting next to him. She took his hand and felt him squeeze it.
 “You’re okay,” she whispered.
“I’d never leave you,” he hoarsely whispered in return. His eyes flickered open and he saw she had been crying. He attempted to reach up to touch her face, but let out a hiss of pain. They had given him morphine as soon as he asked for it, but it still hurt.
“No, don’t do that.” She took his hand and kissed it. “I’m fine.”
“I must’ve scared the shit out of you.”
“Yeah, you did, but now I know where Emma gets it from.”
He partially smiled and then looked over when he saw Killian lingering in the doorway. “Kian?” The old nickname for his best friend slipped from his lips.
“I responded to the call when it came through that a detective was down.” He looked at his watch. “Look, I should go get the girls from school. I’ll take care of Emma for the night. I’m sure Weaver is going to want to talk to you about what happened, but I’ll keep him off your case until you’re feeling a little better. Mendel’s locked up, so you have nothing to worry about.”
 There were so many things David wanted to say. He wanted to scream at him for shutting them out. He wanted to ask why. Why Killian was doing so much for him after he had chosen to shut them out? But the truth was, the morphine was exhausting him and he just wanted to sleep.
 So, instead, he just whispered, “Thank you.”
That night, Killian distracted the girls. He told Emma that her parents were just handling some adult matters and fixed them some grilled cheese, letting them eat it in front of the T.V. They watched both Lilo and Stich movies, put on a hula show in the living room and for a minute, it was like old times. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed Emma, how much he loved her just as much as he did Alice. Shutting them all out hadn’t healed his heart, it had only hurt it.
 Later on, when he tucked both girls into Alice’s bed, he knew what he had to do. He had to tell Snow and David the truth. Even if it was too late, even if they didn’t feel the same, they deserved that much.
 So, after dropping the girls off the next day and promising Emma that she’d see her mommy that afternoon, he headed to the hospital. David had been moved to a new room to help his recovery and according to Snow, he’d be released within a week. He’d have to rest a lot and he was already starting physical therapy, but was doing well. Weaver had come by to get David’s testimony, but everything after he arrived at the mayors’ house had been a blur. Luckily, Regina had calmed down enough and could give one that would help put Mendel away for a long time.
 “What is going on?” David asked Killian after their half hour of small talk. “Why did you push us away?”
Killian sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I was trying to protect myself.”
“Protect yourself? From what?”
“I…I’ve had feelings for both of you for some time now. At first I thought it was just because we raised our girls together, but in time I realized I had fallen for you.” He sighed once again. “But you’re already together and I was afraid that telling you would ruin our friendship. In the end, I screwed it up anyway.”
 Snow and David looked at each other, but Killian couldn’t read their faces. He waited for them to laugh or to throw him out of the hospital room. To ban him from ever seeing their daughter again. To his surprise, Snow just smiled.
 “And you don’t think we’ve felt the same?”
Killian did a double take. “You can’t be serious.”
“Killian, we’ve had feelings for you, for years. David learned about polyamory in the same class you did. We just thought if we brought it up…you’d think we were weird and that it was all about sex. So, we settled for being friends.”
“Not having you in our lives these past couple of months proved what we thought,” David said. “Being apart from you hurts.”
Killian felt like he was going to pass out. “I can’t…I can’t believe this is happening.”
“We love you, Kian. Always have, always will. And if you’re willing to give this a shot…so are we.”
“I pushed you two away.”
“And that hurt,” Snow said. “But…we get it and we love you. We don’t want to lose you again.”
 Things didn’t start off right away. David was still in the hospital for another week and Killian was helping Snow with Emma. When David was discharged, Snow and Killian took turns accompanying him to physical therapy. But when he was cleared to at least go on a date, they all went out to dinner. And when he was cleared for sex…his first time back at it was his first time with both Snow and Killian.
 They told the girls six months in, expecting them to be confused, but they were just thrilled. And one year to the day that David had been shot, they all stood on the beach in front of their closest friends and family. They couldn’t legally be married, but in that moment, they agreed to love and care for one another as if they were. That was the day the marriage of two, became three. They’d go onto adopt each other’s girls. Nothing could stop them now.
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marveliciousfanfics · 7 years ago
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Tiffany Blue 1/1
A/N: Hi, my name is Kari and this is my first one-shot here. This is just something to get my feet wet. I have several stories planned. I know there are many blogs of fanfics, but one more can’t hurt to follow, right? Please excuse any errors. I have a full time job, so posting might not be often, but hopefully it’ll be good quality.
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“How about yellow?” I suggested to Caitlin on our way to work. I was giving her ideas for the color dresses for the bridesmaids. As Maid of Honor we had to come to a decision soon. Her wedding was going to be in a year and there so much to do.
“Gross, no,” she made a face because I knew she hated the color and I laughed. “Maybe blue?”
Our eyes met and we both said ‘Tiffany Blue!’ and then we laughed together. People gave us looks, but we ignored them. On our way, we passed Alexander Pierce. He was waiting for the rest of the World Council to arrive. Everyone knew they were coming since we all got an email to come to work immediately because Project Insight was going to be launched. Caitlin and I were part of the project, so we had to cut our brunch short to come to work. 
“Have you thought about who you’re going to have as your plus one?” she elbowed me in the rib as we got into the elevator. Others joined in.
I shrugged. “This thing,” meaning Project Insight, “has been my life for years. I haven’t really had a chance to look.” A lie since I was looking at a certain person since he was defrosted, but that was never, ever going to happen.
“If you’d get over your silly crush on that old man, you’d see there’s some decent guys here. Like Rumlow. I’ve seen him check you out,” she giggled.
I shushed her embarrassed by the people hearing. “Ew, no, dude gives me the creeps. Don’t trust him.”
“You can’t judge a person without knowing them.”
I sighed. “True, but…I don’t want to know him.”
We got to our floor and already there was chaos. Caitlin and I turned to each other and sighed. This was our life, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We met at the academy. We went through everything together. We encouraged each other. She pushed me and I pushed her. Our friendship only grew stronger with time and I trusted her with my life. We made our way to our designated area. I placed my earpiece in and cracked my fingers.
“You really shouldn’t do that,” Caitlin said in a sing-song voice, but she always warned me and I never listened.
“I like doing it. It relaxes me,” I reminded her as I logged in. She just shook her head.
We were told to get everything ready for the launch. My job was to make sure no one got through the security system. I was very, very good at my job.
“Attention all SHIELD agents,” were the words that forever changed my world. I turned to Caitlin and we both shared confused expressions. “This is Steve Rogers. You’ve heard a lot about me over the last few days,” Steve continued. Agent 13 was right behind us overlooking that everything was going smoothly. Everyone looked up from their screens and listened.
“Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it’s time you know the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was. It’s been taken over by HYDRA,” there were audible gasps including mine. “Alexander Pierce is their leader,” my stomach rolled. I had met Secretary Pierce and shook his hand. I had admired him. “The STRIKE and Insight crew are HYDRA as well,” I turned to my best friend again and she had her eyebrows furrowed.
Her hand was on her gun that we were taught to use. She and I had decided that after New York it was best to always be prepared, so we were trained in combat. She did better than I did, but I still passed.
“I don’t know how many more, but I know they’re in the building. They could be standing right next you,” Steve went on. Caitlin stood up and I stood up with her slowly and looked around the room. We all started to look at each other with doubt, except for Caitlin. I’ve known her for ten years and I knew she trusted me.
“They almost have what they want. Absolute control,” my mind went to Project Insight and what it could do and it didn’t take me long to connect the pieces. It made me sick to my stomach to think I helped with the project. I had designed the firewalls and I knew they were the best of the best. It was why SHIELD recruited me. “They shot Nick Fury,” the hairs of the back of my neck stood up. I had met Director Fury and worked with him because of what I was doing for Insight. I was sad when I heard the news. He was a tough man, but I knew he was a good man at heart. “And it won’t end there. If you launch those hellcarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them. I know I’m asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it’s a price I’m willing to pay. And if I’m the only one, then so be it. But I’m willing to bet I’m not.”
The tension in the room grew, but no one said anything. Until we heard footsteps and it was Agent Rumlow coming towards Ben—one of the launch technicians. His cold eyes scanned the room and they landed on me. He didn’t bother to give me a second glance, not surprising. He stopped next to Ben—towered over him.
“Preempt the launch sequence. Send those ships now,” Rumlow ordered.
Ben was clearly flustered as would any good person would be. If he had been HYDRA he would have done it.
“Is there a problem?” he asked Ben and I moved my hand to my gun holster slowly.
“Um…” Ben shook his head and all attention was on him.
“Is there a problem?” Rumlow repeated but clearly out of patience.
“I’m sorry sir,” Ben’s voice trembled. He started to breathe heavily. I knew he had anxiety problems, so I was hoping he was not going to have an attack now because I had a feeling Rumlow was not going to go away easily. He made eye contact with me and I pleaded him to be strong and do not launch anything. “I’m not gonna launch those ships. Captain’s order.” I sighed in relief.
Rumlow withdrew his gun and moved behind Ben pointing it at his head. “Move away from your station,” he told him.
Agent 13 moved and reveled her own gun and pointed it to Rumlow. “Like he said,” then everyone started to draw their weapons. I took mine out and pointed it at Rumlow. “Captain’s order.”
This was the first time I had pulled out my gun to anyone, so it was shaking a little. I knew I had guns pointed at me, but there was one that caught my eye. I turned slightly to my left and saw Caitlin pointing her gun at me. My whole world shattered at the sight of her. Her eyes were no longer friendly.
“You picked the wrong side, Agent,” Rumlow said to Agent 13.
“Cait?” I whispered to her in confusion.
“Don’t make me pull the trigger,” she whispered back.
Anger bubbled in me. My best friend worked for HYDRA. All of this time she was bad. And I shared everything with her. I let her meet my family. I met her own family. Did they know? Were they a part of it? Was our friendship a lie?
“Depends on where you’re standing,” Agent 13 said to Rumlow who had pushed the end of his gun to Ben’s head. I couldn’t look away from Caitlin though. She was a sweet person. Who held doors open for other people. Who never spoke a bad word about anyone—even when I wanted to talk shit. Ten years. Had she been HYDRA all this time?
“How long?” the question barely escaped my throat.
“Since we met,” she answered coldly. “You were my mission. Get close. Gather info.”
The more she spoke the more my heart and soul broke.
“Why?” I croaked.
“I was supposed to…recruit you without you knowing,” she shrugged. In a way she succeeded since I did the dirty deed for them. I helped built Project Insight.
I wish I could have asked more, but Rumlow had dropped his weapon and then used his knife to attack Agent 13. Then all hell broke loose. Everyone started to shoot at the STRIKE team. Caitlin shot towards me, but not at me. She hit an Agent coming to my rescue. I ducked to avoid the other shots and started to run away. But it didn’t take her long to catch up with me. She caught me by my hair. I used what I learned and got out of it and in the process landed a punch. My hand hurt like hell, but at least I got away.
The corridors were completely chaos. Agents shooting other agents. A lot of familiar faces trying to shoot me down.
I needed to help, but I didn’t know how. I wasn’t that good at hand-to-hand combat. I was good with computers. I needed to slow down the bad guys. Captain America got that message out at communications, so I knew that would be the place to go. I dodged a lot of people on my way. I decided to use the stairs to get to that level and I heard someone behind me when I was a floor away. Caitlin had caught up to me. My feet pushed me faster, but again I wasn’t fast enough. She caught up to me and just as I was about to open the door, she slammed my head against it.
Everything started to spin and it wasn’t long before the pain kicked up. I noticed my gun had fallen, but she kicked it away from me and it stopped close to the door.
“Can’t let you help them,” she spoke, but her voice sounded far away. God, pain sucked.
“How could you…be doing this?” I said through my teeth. I needed to buy time. “HYDRA is evil!” I was finally regaining some of my senses.
“HYDRA is going to bring order!” she protested back. “You’ve seen the world we live in! Aliens are real. Gods are real and we are not united. Earth should be united to keep ourselves protected. HYDRA will bring us together. You could do some good with us. You are really, really good.”
“You know why I joined,” I glared at her. “You know how I feel about HYDRA. They only wish to have all the power. Power can’t belong to just one group.”
“Don’t dwell on thoughts like that. If I can’t recruit you, then you are the enemy and I will stop you,” she raised her gun to me again.
“Cait, we’ve known each other for years. You’ve met my family,” I only felt the tears after they fell. But I couldn’t wipe them. I needed to talk to her. “Please, you can’t do this.”
Her hand tightened around the gun. Her finger on the trigger. Her eyes held so much warmth once. I had considered her the sister I never had. A part of me knew she was too far gone. But a bigger part of me hoped I could change her mind.
“Your family went through the holocaust, Caitlin, and they only survived because of Captain America. You’re standing here…pointing a gun at me because he sacrificed himself to give us a world without HYDRA.”
“Cut the head and two more will take its place,” she said and it brought chills down my spine. “If you won’t come willingly, I’ll make you.” She tried to punch me, but I was able to dodge it. It seemed the training stuck to me more than I thought. Or maybe it was the adrenaline helping me fight back. I dodged and dodged and blocked. She was a natural whilst I struggled with every move.
Caitlin moved swiftly, but I could tell she was holding back. Maybe a part of her cared for me. I needed to reach that part. She could have killed me already, yet, here we were fighting. I definitely wasn’t a fighter, but I was so happy we had taken those lessons or else I wouldn’t have been able to keep up.
At one point, I was able to kick her gun away and it fell down the stairs. My own gun that was on the ground was the only one left. It was close to the door and between us. We both jumped for it. I held it in my hands as she tried to pull it away. I felt my finger on the trigger and then I squeezed it accidently.
The shot echoed in the stairwell. Caitlin stopped struggling. Her eyes widened a bit and so did mine.
“No, no, no,” I started as she fell to the floor with a gunshot to her stomach. Blood started to come out quickly. I didn’t want to pull it, but during the struggle it happened. Blood started coming out of her mouth. “Cait! Cait!” I screamed and threw the gun to the side and used my hands to cover her wound. I wasn’t sure why I did it. I knew she was going to die. “I’m so sorry,” I sobbed. My hands began to get covered in her blood.
She was struggling to breathe and it was because of me.
The door opened and I looked up to Maria Hill. Her eyes quickly assessed the situation.
Caitlin coughed so I looked down to her again. “Hail…HYDRA,” were Caitlin’s last words as I saw the life leave her eyes.
“Oh God,” I sobbed.
Maria took out her gun and pointed at me.
“Hands above your head. You one of them?” she pointed to Caitlin.
I shook my head as I looked down at my dead best friend. Just less than an hour ago we were planning her wedding. Two hours ago, we were having brunch. We had finally decided on the color to the bridesmaids dress: Tiffany Blue.
“You’re the agent who helped create Insight’s security system,” Agent Hill remembered me.
“On Nick Fury’s order,” I croaked. “I didn’t know I was doing it for HYDRA.”
“None of us knew,” she sighed. “You knew her?”
“She…I…” I thought about her question. Did I know Caitlin? I thought I did. Clearly that wasn’t the case. “I thought I did.” I hoped she knew what I meant.
“Come…we could use your help.”
I looked up to Maria Hill and stood up. My hands still covered in Caitlin’s blood. I wiped it off on my pants and followed her. Not sure what I could do, but I knew that I needed to help stop this. This was the price Steve Rogers was talking about. Freedom didn’t come without consequence. I had made my decision and so had Caitlin. Somehow I had to live with the fact that I didn’t know her, not even a little bit and that I was the reason she was gone. But somehow I was going to go on.
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