#also i think i think this cause denis is 25 which is slightly more reasonable and to me they are a package deal

[muirneach]

i keep thinking felix is older than he is because i’ve been watching him for like five years now so i’m like yeah he’s an established guy he’s probably in his late 20s right. no he’s only 23. insane.

[teacupcollector]

I Tolerate You... (Sherlock x Reader

Main Masterlist

Fluff Promptlist

Summary - Ever since meeting Sherlock everything seemed to be to be going great. Your life was spiraling upwards but so is your feelings for the great detective. When Molly’s jealous words get the better of you. Your insecurity seems to push Sherlock more in your direction causing another stepping stone to some thing greater and something more then just a friendship. Anon Requested: 7 and 27 from the Fluff Promptlist

Ever since John moved out you have taken his place. You are now tasked on going everywhere with Sherlock but you don’t mind. Problem is, is the slight age difference. He didn’t get your humor especially the slang that you use on a daily bases since you went back to college. 

You dropped out at 20 but now a few years later here you are again. Sherlock was really good when it came to certain assignments, like chemistry, or math but that isn’t the only thing he is good at. He has a great mind and sometimes it is hard to keep up. Unlike John he took time to explain his thought process to you. You didn’t know why though you weren’t anything special. Just a college student who has to much time on their hands. Mycroft seemed to think the same for a time. Yet he has never seen Sherlock treat any other woman this way. Mycroft is the only one who can see how taboo this partnership is/can be. He could tell that Sherlock had no idea of your affections and vise-versa/ There is a good 10 years between you but the chemistry between the two of you is strong. Mycroft decided to give you a chance. He had many tea meetings with you when Sherlock was out. He confronted you on your feelings which you proceeded to deny but once he swore to secrecy you began to spill the beans. “I mean I don’t know if what I feel exactly is “love” but I know I feel strongly for him...”  Mycroft sat and listened before asking. “What made these feelings come about?” This caused you to pause. “I know everyone says this but he really is brilliant, but I don’t want him for that reason.” You pause again trying to gather your thoughts. “He is very... I don’t know the term... accommodating? Sweet maybe? He doesn’t make me feel bad about myself.” You say dragging your thumb along the rim of your cup. “He doesn’t make me feel like a college drop out though I know he deduced it from the start he didn’t point it out... And you know Sherlock he will take any opportunity to show his brilliance.” Mycroft looks at you before saying. “What stops you from pursuing him?” He asks and you shrug. “I am to young for him... I am 24 about to turn 25 and he is in his mid-thirties.” You let out a sigh. “And I know I am way to childish for him. He would probably want someone more his age...” You say. Mycroft begins to interject but you continue to speak. “I mean. He must have deduced that I liked him... He just doesn’t want to say anything. I don’t blame him though. I would rather be here and stay his friend then not be here and lose what we have...” Mycrofts eyes seem to widen. “You really care for him don’t you...” You nod. 

“Yeah... Honestly I don’t know if I would still be here if it wasn’t for him. He showed me that set backs don’t determine what a great mind can do.” You look up at Mycroft “ In Sherlocks case it may be social cues or understanding certain emotion. For me?” You set the tea cup down and place your hands in your lap. “For me it is my lack of motivation... He gives me that motivation. He inspired me to go back to college. I dropped out when I was 20. I was 23 when I met him and here I am nearly 25 and I am already at the top of my class.”  Mycroft shifts slightly. “That is truely inspiring (Y/N). I am glad my brother has done some good but I will say he can be quite oblivious.” Mycroft stands up grabbing his umbrella and hanging it over his wrist. “That may work out in your favor because so far I believe he hasn’t caught on to your affections.”  He walks over to the main door and turns back to you. “If something does become of you... You have my blessing.” He says with a nod before exiting. You feel heat come to your cheeks when you hear the door in the floor bellow slam shut.

As of right now you are sitting in front of him as he looks through his microscope in the morgue lab thing. He was spewing some facts on a current case when he notices that you weren’t adding anything to the conversation. He looks up at you and you just continue to stare. “Has my excellence rendered you speechless?” He asks with a smug look on his face and you groan. “No dude you have fuzz in your hair.” You say and lean over and pretend to remove something from his hair. In reality you just wanted to run your hair through his magnificent curls. “Why do you insist on calling me dude? You sound more American by the day.” He says and you laugh. “I am American dipshit.” Sherlock only rolls his eyes. “And insanely vulgar as usual (Y/N)...” “Just admit it! You are so in love with me.” You say. This causes you to let out another ugly belly laugh. If your eyes weren’t closed you would have noticed Sherlock’s slight smile before he continued with his work while you continue your math homework. Suddenly the door opens to see Molly who you have come acquainted with, yet she seems a little standoffish. You feel her look between the two of you. “Hey Molly!” You say and she gives a strained yet polite “Hi.” You continue your work. “You know a lab is no place to do college work.” Molly says as she walks up next to Sherlock. He doesn’t look up from his work but he says. “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you Molly...” He says in his regular monotone voice. You both look shocked. “Why would I be jealous of her!” Molly exclaims. “She is just some college student! She’s ju-” “She is just a woman who receives most of my attention.” He says turning toward her  “That is what makes you jealous Molly and your vibe is off putting now please.” He waves her off and Molly has a shocked look but she quickly rushes off while saying “You are even using her terminology...” Sherlock goes back to writing his notes when you speak up. “She is right you know... I am just a college student.” You say fiddling with your pencil. Sherlock pauses and looks up again. “Like... I don’t understand why you chose me as your partner in solving crime...” You say and begin packing your things. “You are feeling insecure. You shouldn’t let things people say get to you.” You pause in your packing and look up at him. Sherlock stands up and moves around the table and stands in front of you.

“I can’t really help it Sherlock... I mean why should she be jealous. She is a beautiful woman who is way closer to your age a-” “Why would your age affect how I feel?” He asks looking down at you. You have yet to meet his eye. “And what do you feel Sherlock? I am just some college drop out looking for redemption...I am nothing special...” You feel Sherlock place a hand on your shoulder. “Plus you don’t feel anything. Well for me at least. You always said sentiment was a weakness... And you also sa-” “I know what I say (Y/N)!” He exclaims causing you to jump and look up at him. “Sentiment is a weakness.” He says and your face falls. “It’s a feeling and I am not use to it. I’m not use to you.” You look confused and go to say something but he covers your mouth. “Let me speak... I am not good with words and I need to get this out.” He says and uncovers your mouth. He places both hands on your shoulders and sighs. “I am not use to you as in... I am not use to the feelings you give me... I... I don’t know the feeling it’s just.” He pauses for a moment and paces away from you his back facing you. “I know... I feel... I… I tolerate you… That is the only way I can describe it. I know it isn’t the chemical imbalance of love at least... at least not yet but I-” “I love you too Sherlock...” Sherlock's posture straightens as he turns around. You walk up to him and smile. “I know you don’t understand it yet and you don’t have to say it back but... I will be here waiting for when you are ready.” You say and he nods. “Thank you (Y/N)...” He leans down and kisses your temple. “I really... I really appreciate that.” Your face was beet red which caused a smirk to come over his face but overall this was the best moment you will probably have your entire life. It is sad that someone was there watching you waiting to ruin it.

[angelkurenai]

Imagine Pedro being teased and questioned about how close he is with you, Gal’s adopted sister, and trying his best to hide the fact that you are actually dating.

“So, Gal, I am going to direct this question mostly at you but of course anyone can get to answer. I actually wanted to know your opinion about it.” Conan said, as Gal herself nodded her head with a smile.

“Oh, please, with pleasure.”

“There have been several photos, and I do not mean just from paps or professionals. Even you on your personal instagram posted a few. Which, to say the least, broke the internet as we all saw.”

“Yeah uh truth is my instagram wasn't working for several hours afterwards and I thought it was just me but then I kept asking others and got the same reply from everyone! Turns out, we caused a blackout of sorts.” Gal laughed, admitting to it before looking away in embarrassment while the rest of the cast nodded their heads as if almost giving her a a playful glare, even through the screen of the computer.

“And the reason behind that, who would have thought, a couple photos!” Jimmy nodded his head “Your sister, your adopted sister (Y/n), came to visit you on the set of Wonder Woman 1984. It was, for lack of better words, a historic moment not just for instagram who crashed because of the popularity of the photos but also for comic book fans worldwide. It was the closest we could get to a Marvel and DC crossover.”

“You say that because she was in her costume in some of them yeah?” Gal asked with a bright smile, always loving to talk about her little sister as Conan nodded his head “Yes, it was (Y/n)'s idea and everyone knows it, I can never say no to my little sister. Plus, she was right; we had so much fun fooling around in our costumes! I had more fun than I've ever had on a set of a movie before. And, yes, I almost always enjoy the movies I'm in, but this one- this one was truly something else! We- almost everyone, I think, played along as we acted as our characters and filmed some scenes just for laughs. I really really hope they make it into the bloopers somehow.”

“So you're planning on taking down youtube next, I see. I see.” the host nodded his head with playfully narrowed eyes, seeming all suspicious and making everyone laugh.

“No, no I swear! I don't want to!” she said in between laughter “We all had so much fun and an amazing time on set and in front of the cameras, playing superheroes that it would be incredible for the fans to see! It's- Really, it is kind of an unofficial crossover that should make it to the internet at least!”

“I'll have to-” Patty spoke up “I'll have to give it to Gal, she is right. (Y/n) had this amazing idea and creative at the same time because she had a small plot in her mind and lines and everything concerning the set. We all did a small setup and filmed it and, honestly, it came out to be real good!”

“Patty is no even exaggerating and Gal is certainly right. We had so much fun filming that small crossover, and (Y/n)'s ideas were brilliant! Fans will definitely love it!” Kristen said in addition.

“She truly is an incredibly talented, smart and creative person, besides an absolute darling. So kind to everyone and sweet, we all couldn't get enough of her. And-” Patty raised a finger “I will say it here once more because Gal has heard it before: the fastest we've filmed a scene in this movie. And it was all thanks to how professional she was, it was truly incredible!”

“Well, I can't ever deny it, my little sister is the biggest star there is! Oscars or other awards aside, she proves how great she is on every set on her own!”

“And you are definitely her biggest fan, as we all can clearly tell.” Conan pointed out with a small laugh “Speaking of, I think we do have someone who could only be described as your main rival on that sweet stop of being your sister's number one fan. Someone who hasn't been shy about expressing his admiration about (Y/n) but who has yet to utter a word.” Conan looked back up from his papers and said someone almost felt his heart jump in fear and nervousness, hoping that at least nobody noticed that he was indeed being silent for a reason “Pedro, you're being uncharacteristically quiet about this one, especially for something that caused Instagram to crash within thirty minutes of the photos being uploaded. I'm not- I'm not used to this from you. Come on, talk to me. Say what's on your mind.”

“This is oddly- I'm getting strange deja vu vibes here. Must be cause of that one time I visited a therapist. Long story short, it was only one session for me and about hm at least 25 for him. I heard he's still going to a therapist now.” he shrugged casually, earning laughter from everyone. He chuckled slightly himself, glancing over the screen of his computer while trying his best to keep anything from showing on his face even more so his smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I mean-” he cleared his throat “Ah man, what else can I say? The ladies have spoken, and they've said exactly what- I believe anyone that gets the opportunity to work with (Y/n) or watch her movies would agree she is one of a kind.” he shrugged softly with an adorable smile “Besides, it feels like anything I say is just going to be used against me, so I- I better keep on silently observing. That does seem like it's the safest option here.”

Pedro's laugh was more of a nervous if not awkward one, but he was pretty confident it was just no different to how he would usually laugh away questions he didn't want to answer in interviews. Most celebrities did the same, he wouldn't be the first nor the last, so he didn't expect Conan to insist any further. He didn't want to push his luck, he had been really successful (if not blessed after all these close calls) with all these online interviews to not have everything revealed by accident, so now especially with the current topic, he didn't feel like messing things up. He loved this privacy, he didn't want to lose it not yet, he wanted you and this all to himself for now. And he wanted the story of how you met, of how over that one month and a half on set he felt himself fall in love with you.

And yet... Yet, he was probably a weak man, a man who couldn't help but indulge even if he knew it could probably get him in trouble. You were worth it, though, you were worth all of it and as you were his weakest spot and so indulge he did. He slowly chewed on his lower lip and he so subtly looked over the screen of his computer.

His eyes fell on you, still splayed on his bed, book in one hand and steaming mug on the nightstand – your nightstand on your side of the bed, the thought of which made his heart flutter inside his chest – hair slightly messy, that oversized Mandalorian shirt on, which you'd gotten all excited amongst many many more fandom related toys a couple months ago and couldn't wait for him to see. A shirt which had, inevitably, ended up being taken off you barely ten minutes later starting from him stealing kisses and leading to the two of you making love till the very morning in between endless giggles. The pup you'd gotten – the both of you – not so long ago made a small noise drawing your attention for a short moment as you kept petting him, the both of you too tired to do anything else after an exhausting day of playing. Pedro couldn't complain, although he'd been a part of it he had mostly spent time filming everything even if you hadn't been the one to ask him to, he couldn't help it.

It was something that the both of you decided on and although you hadn't said it out loud, you both knew and at least Pedro hoped, that it was the next step, a very important one, in your relationship besides you moving in with him. To be responsible for another living being together was, if not a test, at least a way to see how well you could cooperate. And, if he could say so himself, you had been doing great so far.

“Good morning, darling. Here for morning kisses? Yes? Come up here.” your giggles were able to warm him more than the sunlight coming through the window “Ooooh someone really loves mommy, don't you?”

And then your words set his entire being alight. Or more specifically that one particular word.

“Well-” he stretched a bit, his arms finding your waist again to bring you closer and cuddle with you “Who doesn't love mommy in this house?” he couldn't help it as his smile turned into a lovestruck grin “Morning, mi amor.”

“Good morning, darling.” you pecked his lips “And don't worry, mommy loves daddy back, enough to make up for the rest of the world.”

As if reading his mind, you chose to look up from your book at him, smiling as you held his gaze for a good few seconds. So much love was evident, even in those few seconds, he could almost feel his own heart burst. Yet another reason for him to control his reactions from showing just how much on high on happiness and love he was. You shook your head, eyes wide as you heard Conan speak again, you playfully mouthed to him “Focus!”

As subtly as possible he tried to clear his throat and taking the mug of coffee that was beside his computer, he took a sip and decided to focus on it as much as he could. Until the subject changed, at least.

“...Wise man. I feel you, so don't worry I'll leave you to it.” if only he knew the big sigh of relief Pedro tried to hold back as Conan continued “It's the tactic I follow 99% of the time when I'm out with my wife, just smile and wave kind of thing. Alright-” he nodded his head in thought “Alright, well, let me ask you all something else. You keep saying in front of the cameras and talking about this small crossover, but I assume she must have been around for longer than that, yes?”

“Yes, yes she was there for at least a month, a month and a half I think. She was on vacation, after being done with filming, and she decided that before heading home that she'd come by and visit us. It was meant to be for a short period of time. She loved the place... the people, perhaps, how could I know for sure?” she shrugged not looking innocent in the least bit, earning a few laughs.

“Anyway-” she cleared her throat “And you see before she knew it, before we all did, one week turned into two turned into three and so on. It-” she chuckled “She was around on set and with us on all those beautiful locations we were in. And while we were all working and walking around with purpose and the need to finish this scene with so much pressure on- on our shoulders and she was just sitting around with a iced coffee or tea on her hand, sunglasses on and phone on the other hand looking she didn't have a single care in the world. It kind of made everyone a little bit jealous to be honest.”

“A little? Cause I sense that there's more than you're letting on, Gal. Come on, spill the tea.”

“Alright more than a little.” she laugh “I mean, it wasn't all the time, of course. Just the first couple days mostly but you can imagine how it was. It seemed like she did it on purpose sometimes.”

“Twistin' the knife even deeper, that's what she's best at. Oh I know!” Conan nodded his head “I'm actually afraid to invite her on the show because I fear how bad she'll roast me. Andy-” he laughed “Andy is the only one who has the most fun during those interviews.”

“I know right? Boy you tell me!” Gal exclaimed “That little shit. I adore her to no end but I really had the hardest of time when she was around. She just had to make comments on everything she could, especially when I was acting. I couldn't stop laughing sometimes, but nobody got mad at her. It was always my fault somehow!”

“I mean she's just so sweet, how could we be mad at her?” Patty added.

“She messed up so many of my scenes!” Gal pretended to be angry but her smile gave it away “But it's true, I couldn't even be mad at her. I don't get to see her that often, because of the work we both do, so I would give anything to have my sister with me like that every other chance I got. Even if I got all the blame for it, there's nothing I wouldn't do for her, you understand.”

“Aw that's- that's incredibly sweet, actually. It's- that's the exact opposite of me and my brother so no I can't really understand to be honest, but alright.” Conan laughed “Well, then, you really got your chance this time, right? You had the opportunity to spend all this time with her. When you were not working of course.”

“I...” Gal trailed off, her smile turning into a mischievous one but the rest of her expression trying to remain innocent, and failing at it because she truly wasn't even trying “Well, I would say yes. And I would agree with you. And I would even ramble about the wonderful two months I spent with my sister... If that had been the case. If I had really seen her for more than a week total, then yeah I would say that.”

“Wha- P-Pardon me?” Conan blinked in surprise “Didn't you j-just say your sister was with you on set for about two months? Or have I been in a parallel universe all this time and I just now came back to our reality?”

“Oh no it's very much our reality but I also did mean what I said. My sister was on set, and I did see her quiet often. But did I spend almost all of my free time with her? Did she spend hers with me? Nope. And that-” again with a far-from-innocent shrug “That is probably the only question I can answer. What she did? Did she have fun?... Who she was with? I wish I knew. What I know is I wasn't the one closest to her on set.”

“So you're telling me, (Y/n) was on set full of people she didn't really know, and you, her sister, barely spent any time with her? I'm gonna assume the rest of you didn't spend more time with her compared to Gal, right?” he asked and got nods from everyone, well, everyone who had their eyes on their screen and therefore looking at Conan, because there was still one that would avoid eye-contact even through the screen “Well, then, who was closest to her on set, if not you?”

“She, well-” Gal paused, smile all too sweet as she added “There could be someone...”

Said someone who couldn't even look up from his mug of coffee, as if it was the most interesting thing in the entire world, and didn't dare say a word for fearing of messing things up; even if his silence spoke volumes as it was. A silence which was... even more intense than before. Even more... real. Probably because it wasn't just in his head, probably because it wasn't just from his part.

Blinking several times, he slowly raised his head to look up from his mug and at the screen of his computer. Only to be met with the eyes of the rest of the group staring at... well, they were staring at the screen of their own computers but for some reason – a reason which he knew all too well – he felt like all eyes were suddenly on him. And they probably were. Because Gal was being nice about it but almost everyone had noticed how much time you had spent with Pedro during those almost two months. You had just met back then so they didn't imply anything back then but now... now they could just as well do so.

“I-” he laughed and he hated how nervous he sounded “Is it time to talk about my character?” he asked almost shyly, nearly praying on the inside that they would say yes and let him change the subject “Well, Max Lord is a guy who-”

“Are you trying to change the subject there, Pedro? One can wonder why.” Conan narrowed his eyes “Come on, don't be shy. Share your opinion here, or maybe your personal experience. Since I am assuming you do have one?”

“Yes, Pedro, why don't you share your opinion with us?” Gal raised an eyebrow, small smirk on her lips “You've been particularly interested in that drink the past couple minutes apparently.”

“I-” Pedro paused, before shaking his head with a laugh “This is going to be a long interview. I can tell.”

[shihalyfie]

The paradox of the relationship between Takeru and Hikari

The issue of the relationship between Takeru and Hikari has been a question of interest since the series first aired, and especially after 02, which prominently depicted them constantly hanging out together and clearly having some kind of relation to each other...and yet, strangely, very rarely having a real heart-to-heart or even talking to each other much at all. The constant juxtapositions of them standing next to each other all of the time in both the series and in external media, combined with the fact they’re so associated with each other in terms of being Adventure returnees and with Digimon partners with similar evolutions, makes one almost mentally geared to associate them with each other, and yet we never really get to hear what they think about each other in the entirety of Adventure or 02′s running.

Part of this is because Takeru and Hikari are the two most “difficult to read” characters in the 02 team -- Hikari because she compulsively suppresses any selfish or negative feeling she has, and Takeru because he covers up his problems with a smile and pretends everything is okay, until it’s not. And, as it turns out, that “gap in communication” exists between the two of them as well; in the web of 02′s relationships, it’s a strange mix between being “comfortable around” each other, and yet not truly knowing each other...

Disclaimer before we continue: With some exceptions related to unambiguous canon depictions, I try to write my meta about relationships between characters in such a way that both shipping readings and non-shipping readings are possible in most cases, and my main reason for this is that I very strongly believe that even if you do ship the pair in question, it’s rather reductive (and not very fun) to stop an analysis at “anyway it’s because they’re in love” or something and not go any further. If you don’t care for Takeru/Hikari as a ship, I hope you can take this analysis as-is, and if you do happen to ship it, I hope you can take my analysis of the gaps in their relationship as “things they would have to consider and overcome for such a relationship to be possible” (i.e. a possible fanfic prompt?) and not me trying to dismiss the ship as inherently possible or impossible.

A second disclaimer: A lot of the important key points below are heavily dependent on how they were presented in the Japanese version of 02, especially in regards to the key 02 episode 13. The American English dub took a very large number of liberties with a lot of the below aspects, so if you are reading this with only that version as a reference, please be aware that there may be significant differences for the sake of avoiding confusion.

Hikari didn’t get to spend much of the series with the rest of the Adventure group, having been a “latecomer”, but once she enters, it’s rather interesting how much Takeru doesn’t socialize much with her. Granted, part of this was because of the circumstances -- there was a lot to be done, and Hikari had a cold relapse not long after they’d entered the Digital World -- but you’d really think Takeru would be interested in at least socializing with someone who’s actually his age, and yet we don’t get any real depiction of doing so outside of discussing important matters. It’s not to say that they never had any kind of conversation offscreen, but by the time we get to the end of Adventure, we have zero scope of what they actually think of each other.

By the time we get to 02, it turns out that this is probably by design.

First of all, we very quickly learn that the two of them did not keep up between Adventure and 02 -- they’re meeting each other again for the first time in a long time, and the last time they did meet was when they were much younger (probably their last meeting being the one depicted in the flashback in 02 episode 27). This is understandable considering that, up until the beginning of 02, Takeru lived in Sangenjaya and not Odaiba, meaning that it wasn’t like they’d have opportunities to meet up much in real life either, but the point is that this is how little contact and how little involvement they’d had in each other’s lives up until this point.

So, once the plot of 02 kicks off and the two of them become active as Chosen Children again, the two of them end up hanging out a lot. So much that Daisuke starts accusing them of having something between them. And the two of them never say anything to really firmly deny him, which of course only makes him more confused and upset, until 02 episode 17, when the concrete connection between them is established to the rest of the 02 team, and it’s properly disclosed that they were part of a whole adventure back in 1999 together.

Takeru knew Hikari before, and she’s still the one he knows the best out of this team, and on Hikari’s part, Takeru understands the nature of “being a Chosen Child” in ways the others don’t, and both of them had that formative experience that the others don’t understand. But 02 is a series that’s not only about relationships, but also about the differing nature of relationships -- it’s true that, having known each other well beforehand and also being all-around decent people, the two of them would certainly have an extra level of investment in each other’s welfare, but...

In 02 episode 13, we learn that as much as Takeru knows Hikari, he doesn’t really know her, and on Hikari’s part, she’s still incapable of communicating the extent of her thoughts so that he can.

The conversation between Takeru and Hikari behind the school in this episode is the first time we get to really see an opportunity for the two of them to bare their actual emotions, but nothing that can be called a "conversation" is had between them. Hikari is still plagued by a compulsive desire to not be a burden to others, including the idea of “burdening” her brother, and, when Takeru finally prompts her on what’s going on, she says nothing that properly clarifies what she’s going through, nothing but a cryptic mention of the “sea”, a statement that she "might be going away”, and a reference to her brother having always protected her beforehand. Takeru takes it as a sign that Hikari’s become overly dependent on Taichi, and snaps at her angrily -- a persistent symptom of him being unable to regulate his emotions properly -- and, unable to handle it, runs off awkwardly, leaving her alone to eventually be taken away. Later in the episode, Takeru reflects that he’d basically just doomed Hikari by his own actions, and with his last words to her having been something awful.

Ultimately, some degree of progress is made in that Hikari realizes that Takeru reaching out to her earlier makes him someone she should be reaching out to for help -- in the end, nobody in the 02 group had yet been able to reach out to her emotionally because of how closed-in she was, and the only people she truly trusted with her feelings up until that point were Taichi and Tailmon. So in other words, Takeru is another person she can finally “trust” with her feelings and welfare. But while Takeru is finally able to connect to her in some sense with this, when the two finally close off the episode and return to the real world, everything ends in complete silence. They do not say a single word to each other. They’re getting by with a sense of “inherent trust”, and their disconnect was resolved with that alone this time, but this problem hasn’t been fully solved yet and will be rearing its ugly head again by the time we get around to the Jogress arcs.

And so the two of them return back to their “comfortable with each other” status quo -- but, again, 02 is a series that portrays relationships in a very multi-layered and multifaceted form, and being comfortable around someone still doesn’t necessarily merit emotional closeness (for instance, Ken was pretty clearly indicated as being “comfortable” and straightforward in terms of working with Miyako in 02 episodes 25 and 33, but there’s no doubt that Daisuke’s the one who was more properly addressing the things he emotionally needed most at the time, which could arguably be said to be exactly why Ken was having a hard time adjusting to him at first). We see them “go off together” to do...completely mundane and practical things, like discussing why they’re still able to come to the Digital World in 02 episode 22, or trying to have their Digimon partners evolve on their own in 02 episode 24 -- they’re not having any kind of emotional heart-to-heart, they’re just there.

When you look at the wider picture, you can see that Hikari and Takeru’s relative comfort around each other at this point is largely because they’re still not comfortable being alone with anyone else yet. So far, they kind of had a bonding (not really bonding) session back in 02 episode 13, and they hadn’t had anything of the sort with anyone else, and they’re still the only people who understand certain things relevant to the adventure in 1999 that the others don’t. They’re both still ridiculously closed-in and guarded, and not trusting anyone with their feelings -- they can’t even trust each other with their feelings -- so they’re getting by on hanging out with each other because it’s either that or go off to be completely alone. As the two most “emotionally isolated” people in this group, there’s a wall between them and the others, and that wall is only slightly thinner between each other -- and you can even imagine that they’re willing to hang out with each other because they won’t be bothering that wall and causing intimidation.

And by the time we roll around to 02 episode 31, we learn that, this whole time, nothing has improved. Takeru sees that something is going on with Hikari, but does and says nothing -- perhaps because he’s not sure what to say, perhaps because he’s afraid of lashing out at her again, whatever it is -- but he can’t and won’t speak to her nor address her feelings.

In the end, the person who does establish that ability to “communicate” with Hikari is not Takeru but Miyako -- an aggressive, in-your-face, overly honest person who gets straight to the point and refuses to hold back, whose messy personality causes Hikari to become assertive in handling her and allows Hikari to finally vocalize one of her truly sensitive feelings, and who’s able to use her immense emotional sensitivity to identify what Hikari needs and break through to her.

But just because Miyako ended up being the person Hikari needs to move on past this issue does not mean Takeru’s role wasn’t important, nor that Miyako coming into Hikari’s life means that all of her relationships are inferior or pointless -- rather, a recurring element of 02′s portrayal of relationships is that everything has a ripple effect, and that “opening up” one person’s heart allows them to open up to others as well (see how Daisuke reaching out to Ken eventually helped him reach out to the others in the group, how even in this very same episode Miyako expresses that this experience helped her understand Ken better as well, how Daisuke’s experiences end up giving him a healthier relationship with the rest of the group, how Iori and Takeru’s Jogress ordeal helps them both become better at reaching out to Ken...). Unlike how they’d both closed off 02 episode 13, Hikari and Takeru end this one by talking -- with Hikari’s newfound confidence from her dealings with Miyako allowing her to more openly speak what she’s thinking with Takeru.

One thing you might notice is that after 02 episode 31, Takeru and Hikari are never seen going off on their own together for the rest of the series -- because, again, their “latching” onto hanging out with each other at the exclusion of anyone else was because they were that isolated from everyone else, but not anymore! Hikari starts to hang out more with Miyako as the two of them become more comfortable hanging out after the events of said episode; after all, Miyako had come to understand the real reason why Hikari “keeps so much inside” and that she needs to actively reach out to her, and Hikari is able to properly trust Miyako with her feelings, meaning that now that Hikari is starting to open up, she doesn’t need to fall back on her “truce” with Takeru to get by. Which ends up leaving Takeru rather alone for the following set of episodes. Well, seemingly alone, but...

...he’s not truly alone, because this is also where Iori realizes that there’s a lot more going on with Takeru and that he needs to make a proactive effort to understand him, and it doesn’t take long for Takeru to realize what Iori’s doing (especially when Yamato tips him off that Iori asked about him in 02 episode 35). Once again, very much unlike Hikari, Iori is straightforward and to-the-point, and is much better at cutting through all of the complicated layers Takeru puts up in an attempt to cover up his emotions.

The rest of the series has them in significantly more emotionally tense situations than before, and while the fact they end up spending the rest of the series with their respective Jogress partners instead of each other is partially sheer pragmatics, it’s also how the two of them start taking a more active role in actually checking on the others’ emotions and communicating with them in regards to their feelings. This is a huge deal -- compare this to back in 02 episode 13 when they were practically the only people willing to have this kind of serious, emotional conversation with each other -- and said attempt at a serious conversation exploded in their faces. (The other time one of them had made an attempt at something vaguely resembling a heart-to-heart during that time was 02 episode 11, which also resulted in Takeru blowing up explosively.) But here they’re capable of communicating clearly and openly and making their positions known in a way that gets through to their respective Jogress partners’ issues, without being stifled by anything.

But, again: just because they don’t “go off together” anymore doesn’t mean they stopped being important people to each other or comfortable around each other -- it’s just that now they’ve stopped wandering off together for the sake of blocking themselves away from others, and no longer trapped in this strange, paradoxical relationship of knowing-but-not-truly-knowing each other they had all the way back in 02 episode 13. The relationship they had back then was something built off of coping mechanisms, and not something you could truly say was healthy, not when their communication was stilted and Takeru had snapped at her so badly -- but both of them learning to open up more and be more honest with their feelings means that they may well have an actual healthy dynamic going forward.

And for all it’s worth, we learn that they’re still on very good terms by the time of Kizuna, getting breakfast together in the opening -- but it’s left ambiguous if their reason for doing so like this was because they still have a penchant for particularly hanging out together, or whether it was just circumstance because they were free to get breakfast after the Digimon incident (they act independently for the rest of the movie). Moreover, their relationships with the others in the 02 group are still going strong, because as per the drama CD, Takeru’s happy to hang out with Daisuke like it’s nothing and actively join in to reach out to Iori (it’s said Daisuke was approaching Iori “first” despite Takeru being there, so both of them were hanging out independently and decided to pick up Iori together), and Hikari comes in with Miyako, expressing a very firm intent to hang out with her for their trip, and ultimately it’s established that them not being with the rest of the group at the time of the movie was sheer scheduling circumstance and not necessarily them going out of their way to operate away from them.

So in other words, whatever relation you can say they have at this point, or their ability to get along, is not based on them falling back on each other as an unhealthy coping mechanism of silence, but one carried out in a more genuine manner.

[satansjit]

Reflections on the Color of My Skin

By Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

My colleague had other encounters with the law that he shared later that night, but his first story started a chain reaction among us. One by one we each recalled multiple incidents of being stopped by the police. None of the accounts were particularly violent or life-threatening, although it was easy to extrapolate to highly publicized cases that were. One of my colleagues had been stopped for driving too slowly. He was admiring the local flora as he drove through a New England town in the autumn. Another had been stopped because he was speeding, but only by five miles per hour. He was questioned and then released without getting a ticket. Still another colleague had been stopped and questioned for jogging down the street late at night.

As for me, I had a dozen different encounters to draw from. There was the time I was stopped late at night at an underpass on an empty road in New Jersey for having changed lanes without signaling. The officer told me to get out of my car and questioned me for ten minutes around back with the headlights of his squad car brightly illuminating my face. Is this your car? Yes. Who is the woman in the passenger seat? My wife. Where are you coming from? My parent’s house. Where are you going? Home. What do you do for a living? I am an astrophysicist at Princeton University. What’s in your trunk? A spare tire, and a lot of other greasy junk. He went on to say that the “real reason” why he stopped me was because my car’s license plates were much newer and shinier than the 17-year-old Ford that I was driving. The officer was just making sure that neither the car nor the plates were stolen.

Among my other stories, I had been stopped by campus police while transporting my home supply of physics textbooks into my newly assigned office in graduate school. They had stopped me at the entrance to the physics building where they asked accusatory questions about what I was doing. It was 11:30 p.m. Open-topped boxes of graduate math and physics textbooks filled the trunk. And I was transporting them into the building, which left me wondering how often that scenario shows up in police training videos.

We went on for two more hours. But before we retired for the night we searched for common denominators among the stories. We had all driven different cars—some were old, others were new, some were undistinguished, others were high performance imports. Some police stops were in the daytime, others were at night. Taken one-by-one, each encounter with the law could be explained as an isolated incident where, in modern times, we all must forfeit some freedoms to ensure a safer society for us all. Taken collectively, however, you would think the cops had a vendetta against physicists because that was the only profile we all had in common. In this parade of automotive stop-and-frisks, one thing was for sure, the stories were not singular, novel moments playfully recounted. They were common, recurring episodes. How could this assembly of highly educated scientists, each in possession of the PhD—the highest academic degree in the land—be so vulnerable to police inquiry in their lives? Maybe the police cued on something else. Maybe it was the color of our skin. The conference I had been attending was the 23rd meeting of the National Society of Black Physicists. We were guilty not of DWI (Driving While Intoxicated), but of other violations none of us knew were on the books: DWB (Driving While Black), WWB (Walking While Black), and of course, JBB (Just Being Black).

None of us were beaten senseless. None of us were shot. But what does it take for a police encounter to turn lethal? On average, police in America kill more than 100 unarmed black people per year. Who never made it to our circle? I suspect our multi-hour conversation would be rare among most groups of law-abiding people.

As I compose this, about 10,000 chanting protestors are filing past my window in Manhattan. And because of the intermittent looting and related violence, the curfew for this evening has been pushed earlier, to 8 p.m., from 11 p.m. in the preceding days. The most common placard was “Black Lives Matter.” Many others simply displayed the name George Floyd, who was handcuffed face-down on the street with a police officer’s knee on the back of his neck, applied with a force of at least half the officer’s body weight, resulting in his death. Curious irony that NFL star Colin Kaepernick offered a simple demonstration of care and concern for the fate of black people in the custody of police officers, by taking a knee during the Star Spangled Banner before football games. (One media outlet mangled the moment by describing him as protesting the national anthem.) The outrage against his silent act of concern for a national problem persisted through the 2017 season when, as a free agent, he went unsigned by any team to continue his livelihood.

So, we went from a peaceful knee to the ground to a fatal knee to the neck.

The way peaceful protesters and the press are being shoved, maced, tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, and tackled in the streets of our cities (when the police should have focused on arresting the looters) you would think the protestors were doing something illegal or un-American. But, of course, the U.S. Constitution has something to say about it:

Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom … of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Which amendment was that? The First Amendment. So, the founders of this nation felt quite strongly about it, empowering one to declare that protesting for redress of grievances is one of the most American things you can do. If you are the police, pause and reflect how great is the country whose Constitution endorses peaceful protests.

What do we actually expect from our police officers? To protect the peace and arrest the bad guys, I presume. But also, to be armed with lethal force that they can use when necessary. That part clearly requires training on how and when to use (and not use) the power of your weapons. The rigorous Minneapolis Police Academy training lasts 4 months. The slightly more rigorous NYC Police Academy lasts 6 months.

Yet to become a certified pastry chef at a prestigious culinary academy requires 8 months. The perfect croissant demands it. So maybe, just maybe, police recruits could benefit from a bit more training before becoming officers.

In 1991, Rodney King (age 25) was struck dozens of times, while on the ground, by four LAPD officers, with their batons, after being tased. The grainy 1990s video of that went media-viral, inducing shock and dismay to any viewer.

But I wasn’t shocked at all.

Based on what I already knew of the world, my first thought was, “We finally got one of those on tape.” Followed by, “Maybe justice will be served this time.” Yes, that’s precisely my first thought. Why? Since childhood my parents instilled in me and my siblings, via monthly, sometimes weekly lessons, rules of conduct to avoid getting shot by the police. “Make sure that when you get stopped, the officer can always see both of your hands.” “No sudden movements.” “Don’t reach into your pockets for anything without announcing this in advance.” “When you move at all, tell the officer what you are about to do.” At the time, I am a budding scientist in middle school, just trying to learn all I can about the universe. I hardly ever think about the color of my skin—it never comes up when contemplating the universe. Yet when I exit my front door, I’m a crime suspect. Add to this the recently coined “White Caller Crime,” where scared white people call the police because they think an innocent black person is doing something non-innocent, and it’s a marvel that any of us achieve at all.

The rate of abuse? Between one and five skin-color-instigated incidents per week, for every week of my life. White people must have known explicitly if not implicitly of this struggle. Why else would the infamous phrase, “I’m free, white, and 21” even exist? Here is a compilation of that line used in films across the decades. Yes, it’s offensive. But in America, it’s also truthful. Today’s often-denied “white privilege” accusation was, back then, openly declared.

The deadly LA riots associated with the Rodney King incident are often remembered as a response to the beating. But no. Los Angeles was quiet for 13 months afterward. Everyone had confidence, as did I, that the video was just the kind of evidence needed to finally bring about a conviction in the abuse of power. But that’s not what came to pass. The riots were a response to the acquittal of the four officers in the incident, and not to the incident itself. And what is a riot if not the last act of helpless desperation.

The 1989 film by Spike Lee “Do the Right Thing,” which explored 1980s black-white-police tensions in Brooklyn, New York, ends with a dedication to the families of six people. Eleanor Bumpers (age 66), Michael Griffith (age 23), Arthur Miller (age 30), Edmund Perry (age 17), Yvonne Smallwood (age 28), and Michael Stewart (age 25). All are black. One was killed by a white mob. The rest were unarmed and shot by police or otherwise died while in police custody. All deaths occurred within the 10 years preceding film, and all occurred in New York City. None of the police-induced deaths resulted in convictions, as continues to be true for 99% of all police killings.

We know of these events because they each ended in death. But even so, back then, it was just local news. Was this just NYC’s problem? I asked myself. But for every police-related death anywhere, how many unarmed victims are shot by police and don’t die, or are wrongfully maimed or injured? Most of those cases didn’t even make the local news. But if you lived there, you knew. We all knew. For what it’s worth, NYC now has the lowest police-caused death rate per capita among the sixty largest cities in the US. Is it that extra two months training in the Police Academy?

The corrosion and ultimate erosion of our confidence in the legal system in cases such as these, even in the face of video evidence, has spawned a tsunami of protests. With sympathetic demonstrations across the United States and around the world. If the threat of prison time for this behavior does not exist—acting as a possible deterrent—then the behavior must somehow stop on its own.

Some studies show that the risk of death for an unarmed person at the hands of the police is approximately the same no matter the demographics of who gets arrested. Okay. But if your demographic gets stopped ten times more than others, then your demographic will die at ten times the rate. I suppose we first have to get the bias factor down to zero, but then there’s still the matter of police killing unarmed suspects, white people included.

I talk a lot. But I don’t talk much about any of this, or the events along this path-of-most-resistance that have shaped me. Why? Because throughout my life I’ve used these occasions as launch-points to succeed even more. Yes, I parlayed the persistent rejections of society, which today might be called micro-aggressions, into reservoirs of energy to achieve. I learned that from my father, himself active in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s.

In a way, I am who I am precisely because countless people, by their actions or inactions, said I could never be what I am. But what if you don’t have this deep supply of fuel? What becomes of you? Who from historically disenfranchised communities, including women, LGBTQ+, and anybody of color, are missing—falling shy of their full potential because they ran out of energy and gave up trying.

Are things better today than yesterday? Yes. But one measure of this truth is a bit perverse. Decades ago, unarmed black people getting beaten or killed by the police barely merited the local news. But now it’s national news—even breaking news—no matter where in the country it occurs.

So how to change all this? Organizations have surely assembled demands for police departments. Here, I offer a list of my own, for policy experts to consider:

Extend police academies to include months of cultural awareness and sensitivity training that also includes how not to use lethal force.

Police officers should all be tested for any implicit bias they carry, with established thresholds of acceptance and rejection from the police academy. We all carry bias. But most of us do not hold the breathing lives of others in our hands when influenced by it.

During protests, protect property and lives. If you attack nonviolent protesters you are being un-American. And you wouldn’t need curfews if police arrested looters and not protesters.

If fellow officers are behaving in a way that is clearly unethical or excessively violent, and you witness this, please stop them. Someone will get that on video, and it will give the rest of us confidence that you can police yourselves. In these cases, our trust in you matters more to a civil society than how much you stick up for each other.

And here’s a radical idea for the Minneapolis Police Department—why not give George Floyd the kind of full-dress funeral you give each other for dying in the line of duty? And vow that such a death will never happen again.

Lastly, when you see black kids, think of what they can be rather than what you think they are.

Respectfully Submitted

Neil deGrasse Tyson — trying hard to Keep Looking Up.

Copyright © 2018 Neil deGrasse Tyson

[unforth]

Could you elaborate on the parallels between the Scorpion and his dad and WKX and Purple Danger? I find that thought really interesting! <3

Oh my god you're asking me for meta? No one asks me for meta!!! Getting this made me so happy, thank you! And yes, I'd be delighted to!

Lemme preface this by saying: I have not read the book, and I've only seen episodes 1 through 27, and while I do know some spoilers for past what I've seen, I don't know everything, and I obviously can't speak to changes in dynamics that may happen past what I've watched.

So, I noted in this post that I felt like I'd just gotten slapped in the face by the parallels between Zhao Jing, and his relationship with Xie-er, and Wen Kexing, and his relationship and Gu Xiang. Specifically, the lines in episode 26 that caught me were these:

And the contrasts and similarities that they drew to these scene from Episode 24, which I watched yesterday:

(all screen caps are by me - I won’t have more screen caps just cause I really don’t have time to hunt them all down, I’m sorry, but the first two were easy to grab, and the second two I’d already taken cause that scene really got to me yesterday).

These lines, coming only two episodes apart, seemed like a really stark and deliberate effort to show a connection in the attitudes of Zhao Jing and Wen Kexing. They've also got some similarities in the childhood/history that got them to this point: Zhao Jing's family was fallen from grace, as was Wen Kexing's. Both are noted as seeming different from the "regular" people around them - Wen Kexing, it's explicit; with Zhao Jing, it's more how others seem to behave around him. It's harder to get a sense of Zhao Jing, since his own self-report is so dubious and the flashbacks we get to the Rong Xuan era are all given from the perspective of different unreliable narrators, whereas Wen Kexing's memories seem fairly intact (well, water of forgetfulness aside) and match the other remembrances we get of the same scenes.

With those similar, dubious foundations, they both resolve from a young age to take revenge for the perceived slights committed against them - and both have decided that regardless of who the specific instigators are for their suffering, they have no compunction about involving innocents as a whole. Zhao Jing wants the power he feels has been denied to him, and sets about conspiring to get that power. To achieve that, he sets about on a course that involves lying and using literally everyone who can help him. Likewise, while I'm still definitely missing some damn important of Wen Kexing's backstory (starting with, who protected the dog for him, and how he went from "kid getting regularly beaten by the previous ghost king" to "adult who is said to have literally eaten the previous ghost king"), he also clearly sets out to gain power through whatever means he can, and to survive, though from the get-go, his goal is essentially the inverse of Zhao Jing's: Zhao Jing wants to lift himself up, and sees nothing but virtue in doing so; Wen Kexing wants to bring everyone else down, and knows he's damned through-and-through for it.

(They're parallels, not matches, just to be clear! It's not that I'm saying everything is the same - on the contrary, it's the differences that makes it so intriguing).

Now, then, at some point relatively early in this entire process, each of these young men found a child. Given that Xie’er and Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishou are of the same generation, presumably they’re all around the same age - 27 or so - and also presumably, the previous generation were all in their late teens to early twenties when they had their own disastrous round of adventuring. So, if Xie’er is, say, 25, and Zhao Jing was probably around 20 (since he was one of the younger folks in the flashbacks), and 20 years have passed, and Xie’er was probably around the same age as child Wen Kexing when he was found? (I don’t know, and I don’t know if that’s ever established, sorry) So around 7? Then we’ve Xie’er being adopted by Zhao Jing and Wen Kexing being adopted by the Ghost King, each almost exactly 20 years ago. Presumably, also, Zhao Jing marries...drat, I can’t remember her name...was it Li Yao or something???...right around the same time - hence why Xie’er would think of her as a mother. Anyway, sorry, I’m really tired and I just lost the thread slightly, but the point is: a 20-or-so-year-old Zhao Jing finds a young Xie’er; and a few years later, a likely-early-teens-aged Wen Kexing finds a toddler Gu Xiang (because Wen Kexing is 27 now, and Gu Xiang is I’m guessing around 18, and she’s likely 3ish when Wen Kexing finds her, so that’d make her 3 or 4, and him 12 or 13). 

And here’s where the parallels really show the essential differences between these men, despite the areas of commonality in the hate they hold toward the world and their desire to see the world brought low.

Because, given a small child, Wen Kexing’s immediate, clear thought is: I will never let this child experience what I have been through. Now, he’s busted, and he’s crazy, so from that point of view, he still does her harm: she thinks of murder as nothing (as does Xie’er) for example. But even in that, the motivations are different. Gu Xiang says it herself after she kills the beggar and Cao Weining confronts her about it: if a person is out to harm her, if a person even might harm her, isn’t she justified in killing him? If that isn’t the quintessential Wen Kexing lesson right there, I don’t know what is: “Gu Xiang, you don’t kill because I tell you to, and you don’t kill for fun, and you don’t kill for no reason - but the moment, the very instant, you have a reason? Don’t hesitate, because if you do, you’ll be the corpse, not them.” Everything Wen Kexing teachers Gu Xiang is with the aim of helping her survive in the cruelest environment in the world, one that has flayed him and raked him over the coals over and over and over again. Further, despite the hints I’ve seen so far that he has early allies at Mount Qingya (Tragicomic Ghost has been shown to at minimum pity him, and find him an odd curiosity), Wen Kexing entrusts no one else with the most vulnerable creature who has ever come into his life (well, aside from that adorable puppy, which I have the bad feeling is going to be shown to be horribly murdered before his eyes, possibly by his own hand to prove a point...that would be thematically appropriate...). He gives Gu Xiang the tools to survive and fight for herself, even against him, and when she even begins to suggest she might prefer to be somewhere else - when he sees evidence of her finding happiness - he does everything he can to encourage her joy, support her happy ending, and free her. Wen Kexing is Gu Xiang’s father, in every useful interpretation of the term - she may call him master, and others might call her his maid, but their relationship is tender, encouraging, mutually supportive, and loving. Wen Kexing wants what is best for Gu Xiang, even at the expense of his own comfort and happiness, because he cares for her that essentially and deeply - and she likewise goes out of her way to protect him more than once.

MEANWHILE.

Given a small child, though I haven’t yet seen any flashbacks to when Xie’er was little and I don’t even know if there are any, it’s really obvious that Zhao Jing instantly goes, “how can I best use this to my advantage?” Instead of setting about to build this child up to be a functional adult who can stand up to the challenges that threatened to crush Zhao Jing’s life, Zhao Jing deliberately sabotages Xie’er’s ability to function as an independent unit. He teachers Xie’er to kill, not to protect himself, but on command - to kill because Zhao Jing says so, who Zhao Jing says, on even the merest whim, and is so successful at doing so that Xie’er has even less respect for life than Zhao Jing does (which was never much to begin with). Further, while we know that Wen Kexing will kill to protect Gu Xiang, Zhao Jing never so much as lifts a finger to do his own dirty work, and has zero compunction about throwing Xie’er under the bus when he suits his ends. In 27, he flat out says - “if you keep acting like this, and kill the Gentle Wind Sect, you’ll ruin me - which means I can never let you stand next to me in public.” He says this when he knows that Xie’er craves his approval and that one of Xie’er’s most cherished objects in all he’s done is to reach a point where he can stand at Zhao Jing’s shoulder as an acknowledged heir and successor and proudly say, “yes, I did all those things to help my father, because I’m a good son.” Further, Zhao Jing is constantly abusive and manipulative. When Xie’er does what Zhao Jing has trained him to do, on command (like a dog? more parallels??), Zhao Jing praises him, touches him kindly (and when else do you think Xie’er is ever getting touched kindly? Nothing like the casual and appropriate physical intimacy with which Wen Kexing and Gu Xiang shoulder bump and interact) and tells him how precious he is. The instant Xie’er steps a toe out of line, Zhao Jing denigrates him, threatens to take away that which Xie’er most wants (acknowledgement), scolds him, calls him a fool, says he doesn’t understand. Zhao Jing calls Xie’er his son, and insists that Xie’er call him yifu, and the world may even see that way - though they hardly can, since Zhao Jing refuses to be publicly associated with Xie’er - but they couldn’t be less related when compared to Wen Kexing, who allows all to see him call Gu Xiang his servant even as he flagrantly, publicly, repeatedly treats her as his child - culminating in the speech he gives Cao Weining when he gives permission for them to wed.

Everything Wen Kexing does, as fucked up as some of it is, is done with the aim of building Gu Xiang up into a strong, independent, functional adult who is less stained than himself and capable of pursuing happiness in the world.

And everything Zhao Jing does, all of which is equally if not more fucked up than what Wen Kexing does, is done with the aim of tearing Xie’er down, making him a powerful tool - a trained dog, if you will - and a dependent person who can be deployed on an enemy and must be kept permanently off-balance so that he never ever is an independent, functional adult - and, to help ensure that, he deliberately orders Xie’er to commit depraved acts that guarantee that Xie’er is more stained than himself, and therefore incapable of finding happiness in the world.

Anyway, I could probably go on, but I gotta leave to drive my kid to school and run a couple errands, but, in conclusion: when Zhao Jing said, “the world has failed me, and I shall do the same to the world,” and it became clear to me that he and Wen Kexing essentially share (or at least shared) the same core goal, I was struck by a lightning bolt about the parallels and contrasts between them as people, and them as father’s, and here you go.

Hope this is coherent, I’m really sleepy and in a rush. :D And I hope it answers your question!

(Also dear everyone: if you reply to this or add to it in reblogs I ask that you please respect that I’ve only seen to episode 27, and not rip me apart for things I haven’t seen yet, and try to avoid giving me spoilers? I know a few - or at least I think I do - like I know all the Major Character Death stuff - but I’m sure if you’ve seen the whole series you can spot places where you, dear reader, know things I don’t, and I’d ask that you not ruin those places for me, because I’m watching as fast as I can - about one episode a day - and I’d rather find out for myself. Thank you!)

[bruciewayne]

stars hide your fires

stevetony, steve-centric, light angst, mostly fluff, 2k

Steve’s ten, and he’s known Bucky for a week.

They’re on his balcony at night, his first sleepover.

“The stars mean you can make a wish,” Bucky says, pointing up.

“What do you wish for?”

Bucky grins. “Can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.”

It sounds logical to Steve, so he looks up and wishes that he and Bucky are friends forever, he wishes that all the things wring with him go away so he can play with the rest of the kids at recess and for the first time in his life, he really appreciates the stars. He makes his wishes and tells Bucky that the stars are pretty, and he, in turn, tells him about all the constellations he read about in his Pa’s book.

They carry on talking until they fall asleep, leaning on each other, warm in the summer eve.

-

Steve’s sixteen, halfway to handing Charon his silver coin, and staring out the window next to his bed. He hates the hospital with a passion, he’s spent far too much of his life stuck in here while his mother works just to keep him alive, and, not for the first time, he considers just giving up entirely, what’s the point, afterall, in a guy who has to fight all his life just to stay alive. According to the doctors, he’ll probably be dead by 25 anyway, 30, if he’s lucky, and he doesn’t want the next decade of his, and his Ma’s life to be spent just barely living. 

He wishes to the stars dotted across the clear, dark skies that he has a quick and painless death, and for it to come fast, he wishes for his Ma and Bucky’s happiness - Lord knows he can’t give it himself. 

He wishes and wishes and wishes and when he wakes up he knows for certain that God doesn’t exist. If He did, would He make Steve suffer so? Would He make his Ma suffer because of him? If he asked his Ma, she would tell him the story of Job once more, and tell him to have faith, and that’s how he knows that his Ma is so, so much better than him - she doesn’t give up, even when he’s been on his death bed so many times Hell is probably sick of it too (there’s no denying, no matter what Ma and Bucky say, he caused the people he loved to suffer, he’s going to Hell.).

He wakes up to the sun in his face and his Ma smiling down at him, relieved.

-

He’s eighteen and drunk, lying on top of his apartment building. He wants to see the stars, but the skies are cloudy, he wants to drink more, but the bottle’s empty and Bucky refuses to get more (it’s not like the stores are going to be open this late anyway). 

He wants his Ma back.

The God he was taught about wouldn’t let a person like Sarah Rogers predecease someone like him, if He really existed, and everything still went the way it did, Steve thinks he would deck him again and again until all his bones were broken, and God would probably just laugh.

He imagines it, staring blankly up at starless, cloud-covered skies, speaking aloud, wishing for things that won’t come true.

He does the same the next day, and the next, until the week blurs together into one hazy mess of drinking and grey skies and tears

It’s a week after and he’s on the roof again, halfway through the bottle, when the sky starts crying with him. It’s devastating, loud, crashing against Steve and the cars below and the metal of the hang-overs of the stores, and Steve knows that he should go inside, lest he catches his death, but he can’t bring himself to, and just stays there, for hours probably, until the storm clears, and he’s probably sick, but finally, finally, he can see the stars, bright and glittering against the midnight blue sky.

He doesn’t wish for the impossible again.

I wish Ma rests well, God, if that’s the only thing you’ll ever do for me, let her rest well, please.

-

He’s twenty-one and they’ve declared war, and Steve can’t do anything about it, because he’s too damn weak, useless to even fight for his country. Those nights he wishes to the stars that he could do something, anything.

-

He’s twenty-five when a wish finally comes true, in the worst way possible.

They tell him that he’s doing something for his country, but he’s not. They’re using him as a performer, not a soldier.

He spends the nights wishing he could do more, be more, be enough.

And it’s not wishing that gets him away from it, it’s him actually doing something, it’s him who changes it, says ‘fuck you’ to General Phillips in the nicest way possible that doesn’t get him a dishonourable discharge.

He creates a team, a group. He gets to be so much more than he ever wished for.

They sit together in the firelight, making lewd images out of the stars, laughing and joking despite the horrors of the day, telling stories. They sleep next to the dying embers, under the stars, and for the first time, Steve Rogers isn’t unbearably lonely, nor is he a detriment to his peers, for the first time he thanks the stars (he’s given up on God entirely., but the stars are a nice replacement.)

-

He’s twenty-seven when he wishes again.

He’s in a blown-apart pub in Europe, wishing he could get drunk, wishing he was better, faster, smarter. Wishing and wishing and wishing until he’s so damn angry and sad he may as well be drunk.

He’s twenty-seven when he crashes the Valkyrie and dies, in the Arctic’s ‘summer’, when it’s months and months until the pole will see the stars.

-

He’s still twenty-seven, but it’s seventy years later, and aliens fall from the sky.

He’s twenty-seven (and also ninety-seven) when he thinks he sees his first falling star. Not a star, really, but a man in a metal suit. As he falls, he wishes that he lives. 

It’s the first wish of this century that comes true.

Once again, he’s incredibly lonely. The team he’s been told to lead are fine, they’re ok, good people, strong people, but they’re not friends, Steve isn’t one of them, the way he was with the Howlies, Steve’s their CO, and they’re not in the trenches anymore, so there’s no real reason to make friends.

He spends a lot of time training, and at SHIELD, probably not enough sleeping, but he can’t-- he can’t wake up again and lose what little he has all over again. So he spends his nights stargazing.

The stars don’t change even though he can’t see many of them, the constellations he learned about so long ago, are still in the same place, though the man in the metal suit, Tony Stark, son of Howard, only in genes, really, and not much in anything else, tells him that they’re in a slightly different place, because of something called ‘red-shift’, but not enough to make it really significant.

“Unless you’re an astrophysicist,” Tony finishes, with a swig of his scotch, leaning over the railing parallel to Steve.

He’d pretty much ambushed Steve, he’d been on the roof, smoking, stargazing, when Tony had come up. He doesn’t hate it. 

“Just a soldier,” Steve replies, smiling slightly, and Tony finishes the glass and goes back in after patting Steve on the shoulder, and Steve smokes two more cigarettes before he too tries to sleep.

The next morning, Steve finds a book on constellations, their origins and meanings, on his nightstand.

-

He’s twenty-eight, but sometimes he’ll joke about being ninety-eight. 

Somehow, one of his favourite pastimes becomes stargazing with Tony. They’re equals now, not just him and Tony, but him and all the Avengers, and the new century isn’t as lonely as he once thought.

“Don’t you ever get bored?” Tony asks one night, looking up from his tablet.

“Of the stars?”

“They never change.”

Steve runs that over in his mind. He doesn’t go on the roof every day (turns out, sleeping is  far more enjoyable when ice doesn’t flood one’s bones), and not for that long, but whenever he does, there’s half a chance that Tony might join him too, five minutes later with paperwork and two steaming mugs of coffee. A couple months ago, Tony put an actual table up here, and some chairs, he’d claimed that it was for himself, because his bones no longer enjoyed standing around in the cold, but Natasha had made a whip noise when Tony had mentioned it.

“They never change,” he parrots, as his answer. Tony harrumphs and glares at his tablet and Steve laughs, then laughs harder when Tony looks up to glare at him.

“What?” Steve says, still laughing, “You get tired of wishing?”

“You’re a five-year-old, Rogers,” Tony grumbles.

“Better than being fifty-five,” Steve quips, raising his eyebrows at Tony pointedly.

“Ohhhh FUCK you, Rogers, I’m younger than you!”

“You’re fifteen years older than me!”

Tony’s quiet for a second, processing that for the first time.

Finally, he says, “Nah.”

Steve looks at him in disbelief, “Nah?”

“Nah.”

Looking up at the sky, Steve wishes aloud, “I wish Tony believed he’s middle-aged.”

Tony grins at him, brighter than all the stars in the sky put together, “Won’t come true,” he says gleefully, “y’said it out loud.”

Steve, unable to think of anything better, grumbles back, “I’ll say you out loud,” which doesn’t have its intended effect at all.

“Oh yeah? You’ll be screaming my name huh?” Tony says, in that tone that makes Steve think, maybe he’s not just joking.

“You’d want that, wouldn’t you?” Steve says, matching his tone, teasing with an undercurrent of... something.

Tony just mutters something under his breath, which sounds suspiciously like “What am I gonna do with you, Rogers,” but Steve pretends that he has normal hearing and carries on with his drawing. The quiet isn’t lonely this time.

-

He’s thirty. Or a hundred.

He’s lucky.

He’s out of the city far enough that pollution doesn’t matter and he can see all the stars, properly and clearly and he makes a wish - something rare for him these days - and does something foolish.

And his best friend kisses him back.

-

Steve Rogers is thirty-one and, once again, halfway to handing Charon his silver coin, and there’s many things Tony’s willing to do for Steve, give him as many things as he wants, but this isn’t something he wants to fund, not if he can help it.

The doctors told him that he’s probably going to wake up, but not for at least a day, and he just has to go outside, the sight of Steve connected to so many tubes and machines, barely able to breathe on his own is too much for him. He stumbles out of the medbay to the elevator that’ll take him up to the roof.

He’s not a religious man, Howard had believed in science and science only, and his mom had told him that she’s been raised Catholic, and sometimes, in times of trouble, she’ll pray. He remembers seeing her clutching a cross pendant sometimes.

So he wishes on the stars instead, like Steve, regardless of how illogical wishing and praying are, fundamentally, but Steve had taught him that it meant hope, and by God, Tony could use all the hope and faith he could get. 

He doesn’t dare say his wishes aloud, lest they become untrue, but stares, unblinkingly, at the night sky until his eyes are burning and he’s run out of promises and wishes he can make

-

They’re on the roof again, under the stars, again, and Steve makes another wish. He doubts it’s his last one, but it’s the only one he knows with a minimum of a hundred percent certainty is entirely futile, because he knows the outcome, because he knows what will happen, he knows that he doesn’t need to ask the ineffable forces above for help, but he wants to, just in case.

Tony says yes before he even gets down on one knee.

-

They don’t get married under the stars, because that’s utterly absurd, and Tony refuses to be mugged on his wedding day, but they do dance, long after everyone’s left, in the starlight. The sky is clear and beautiful, but neither groom looks up, nor cares, nor dares to look away from his husband, they have all they could ever wish for, after all.

happy steve bingo masterpost

[bobasheebaby]

100 Buffy Prompts

I had a lot of fun compiling this list. I was cracking up more than once and now I want to binge Buffy. If there is a show you want let me know because these seriously help me shut of my brain during this covid hell.

1 “NAME, your mouth is open, sound is coming from it. This is never good.” – Buffy Summers

2 “I just want to be alone and quite in a room with a chair and a fireplace and a tea cozy. I don’t even know what a tea cozy is, but I want one.” – Buffy Summers

3 "They were supposed to be my light at the end of the tunnel. I guess they were a train.” – Buffy Summers

4 “I don’t know what’s coming next. But I do know it’s gonna be just like this – hard, painful. But in the end, it’s gonna be us. If we all do our parts, believe it, we’ll be the one’s left standing.” – Buffy Summers

5 “I don’t handle rejection well. Funny, considering all the practice I’ve had, huh?” – Xander Harris

6 "Just because you’re better than us doesn’t mean you can be all superior.” – Xander Harris

7 “I’m leaning towards blind panic myself.” – Rupert Giles

8 “Since the picture you just painted means that I will never touch food of any kind again, you’ll just have to pick it up yourself.” – Rupert Giles

9 "With all the rubbish people keep sticking in my head, it's a wonder that there's room for my brain." – Spike

10 "Oh, I don't know. Looking in the mirror every day and seeing nothing there...it's an overrated pleasure.” – Angel

11 "Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping, waiting, and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir. Open it's jaws, and howl. It speaks to us, guides us. Passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have?" – Angel

12 "Anyway, for real now, I'm gonna ask you something, and you gotta promise you'll be honest and not spare my feelings just 'cause I could kill you. You promise?" Faith

13 "You gotta give me something to do. There's no way I'm sleeping. Don't you need anyone dead? Or maimed? I can settle for maimed.” – Faith

14 "You know, I honestly don't think there's a human word fabulous enough for me.”- Glorificus

15 “I’m cookie dough. I’m not done baking. I’m not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I’m gonna turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing, and maybe one day, I turn around and realize I’m ready. I’m cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat m — or enjoy warm, delicious, cookie me, then that’s fine. That’ll be then. When I’m done.” — Buffy Summers

16 “Seize the moment, ’cause tomorrow you might be dead.” — Buffy Summers

17 “The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live.” — Buffy Summers

18 “No weapons. No friends. No hope. Take all that away and what’s left?” “Me.” — Angelus & Buffy Summers

19 “Don’t you have an elsewhere to be?” – Cordelia Chase

20 “God! What is your childhood trauma?!” – Cordelia Chase

21 “Gee, can you vague that up for me?” – Buffy Summers

22 “I laugh in the face of danger. Then I hide until it goes away.” – Xander Harris

23 “I don’t know what your problem is, what your issues are. But as of this moment I officially don’t care.” – Xander Harris

24 “You’re really campaigning for bitch of the year, aren’t you?” – Cordelia Chase

25 “I mock you with my monkey pants!” – Oz

26 “Funny how preparing looks an awful lot like sitting on your ass.” – Spike

27 “That’s fairly freaksome.” – Oz

28 “Do you have any tact at all?” – Giles

29 “I’ve known you for two minutes and I can’t stand you.” – Spike

30 “Great. Now I’m gonna be stuck with serious thoughts all day.” – Cordelia Chase

31 “You didn’t happen to take a lot of drugs, did you?” – Willow

32 “I’ve seen honest faces…they usually come attached to liars.” – Willow

33 “Can I be blind, too?” – Xander

34 “Gee, I hope I’m not interrupting anything really depressing.” – Riley

35 “And you just accepted that? I only said that because I thought that’s what you wanted to hear.” – Anya

36 “This is the crack team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed.” – Spike

37 “We’ve got to face it, we’ve changed. Well, not you—you’re still sadistic and self-centered.” – Giles

38 “Sometimes the most adult thing you can do is ask for help when you need it.” – Giles

39 “Did everybody have their Crazy Flakes today?” – Xander

40 “Do you love me?” “What?” “Do you?” “I love you. I don't know if I trust you.” “Maybe you shouldn't do either.” “Maybe I'm the one who should decide!” — Angel & Buffy

41 “Six a.m.!" NAME cried. "I know that's a number on my clock, but I've never actually been awake to personally witness it!” — Xander

42 “Bored now.” — Vampire Willow

43 “We’ll go be heroes.” — Spike

44 “You have a plan?” “I am the plan.” — Giles & Buffy

45 "Strong is fighting. It's hard and it's painful, and it's every day. It's what we have to do. And we can do it together." — Buffy

46 "I make it through this and the next thing and the next thing, and maybe one day I turn around and realize I'm ready." — Buffy

47 "You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. NAME, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live, for me." — Buffy

48 "Make your choices. Are you ready to be strong?" — Buffy

49 “Weird love’s better than no love.” — Buffy

50 “The who having wha with huh?” — Buffy

51 “Whatever you choose, you’ve got my support. Just think of me as… as your… You know, I’m searching for supportive things and I’m coming up all bras. So, something slightly more manly, think of me as that.” – Xander

52 "A lot of things that seem strong and good and powerful, they can be painful." Angel

53 "To forgive is an act of compassion, NAME. It's-it's... it's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it." — Giles

54 "In the end, we all are who we are, no matter how much we may appear to have changed." — Giles

55 "I don't have time for vendettas. The mission is what matters." — Buffy

56 "I don't want to protect you from the world. I want to show it to you." — Buffy

57 "Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?" — Buffy

58 "Recognizing power in another does not diminish your own." — Joss Whedon

59 “Out. For. A. Walk… Bitch.” — Spike

60 “You can’t see the stars, love. That’s the ceiling. Also, it’s day.” — Spike

61 “Is everyone here very stoned?” — Spike

62 “I feel safe with you.” [Chokes] “TAKE THAT BACK!” — Dawn & Spike

63 “I love you.” “Oh, my god.” “Hey, no. Look at me. I... love you. You're all I bloody think about... dream about. You're in my gut... my throat... I'm drowning in you, NAME. I'm drowning in you.” — Spike & Buffy

64 “Just... give me something. A crumb, the barest smidgen. Tell me maybe, someday there's a chance” “NAME ... the only chance you had with me was when I was unconscious.” “Oh, wha-“ [screams, then shouts]  “What the bleeding hell is wrong with you bloody men/women? What the hell does it take? Why do you bitches torture me?” “Which question do you want me to answer first?” — Spike & Buffy

65 “You can't deny it. There's something between us.” “Loathing. Disgust.” — Spike & Buffy

66 “Could do without the laugh track, NAME.” “But it's so funny. I knew... before you did. I knew you loved the NAME. The pixies in my head whispered it to me.” — Spike & Drusilla

67 “Damn right I’m impure! I’m as impure as the driven yellow snow.” — Spike

68 “I love you.” “No, you don’t. But thanks for saying it.” — Spike & Buffy

69 “This with you, it’s wrong. I know it. I’m not a complete idiot.” — Spike

70 “You always hurt the ones you love, pet.” — Spike

71 "When I say ‘I love you,’ it’s not because I want you or because I can’t have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I’ve seen your kindness and your strength. I’ve seen the best and worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are." — Buffy

72 "I’m just gonna go home, lie down, and listen to country music. The music of pain." — Buffy

73 "I have feelings for you. I do. But it's not love. I could never trust you enough for it to be love." — Buffy

74 "Weird love's better than no love." — Buffy

75 “People don’t fall in love with what’s right in front of them. People want the dream — what they can’t have. The more unattainable, the more attractive.” — Buffy

76 "Trust is for old marrieds, NAME. Great love is wild and passionate and dangerous. It burns and consumes." “Until there's nothing left. Love like that doesn't last." — Spike & Buffy

77 "This isn't some fairy tale. When I kiss you...you don't wake up from a deep sleep and live happily ever after" — Angel

78 "I love you. I try not to, but I can't stop" — Angel

79 "If I may suggest, ‘This time it's personal.’ I mean, there's a reason why it's a classic." —Oz

80 "Well, to the casual observer, it would appear that you're trying to make your friend NAME jealous, or even the score, or something. And...that's on the empty side. See, in my fantasy, when I'm kissing you, you're kissing me. It's okay, I can wait." — Oz

81 "NAME’s our friend...except I don't like him/her.” — Xander

82 "What am I gonna do? I think about sex all the time! Sex ... Help! Four times five is thirty ... five times six is thirty-two ... Naked girls. Naked women ... Naked NAME ... Oh, stop me!" — Xander

83 "Man, NAME! My whole life just flashed before my eyes. I gotta' get me a life!" — Xander

84 “NAME. You're really campaigning for bitch-of-the-year, aren't you?” “As defending champion, you nervous?” — Cordelia & Buffy

85 "Tact is just not saying true stuff. I'll pass." — Cordelia

86 “Oh please. Like shame is something to be proud of.” — Cordelia

87 “I’m going to give you some advice: get over it.” — Cordelia

88 “Oh, and you’re welcome.” — Cordelia

89 “I’m not a sniveling little cry-NAME. I’m the nastiest guy/girl in PLACE history. I take crap from no one.” — Cordelia

90 “I think it. I say it. It’s my way.” — Cordelia

91 "I don't like spiders, okay? Their furry bodies, and their sticky webs, and what do they need all those legs for anyway? I'll tell you - for crawling across your face in the middle of the night." — Willow

92 "I don't want danger. Big 'no’ to danger.” — Willow

93 "Let's get this straight. I don't understand it. I don't wanna' understand it. You have gross emotional problems. And things are not okay between us." — Willow

94 "NAME, I got so lost." "I found you. I will always find you." — Tara & Willow

95 "But you like him/her, and when you think about him/her, you get that good down-low tickle, right?" — Faith

96 "You hurt me, I hurt you. I'm just a little more efficient." — Faith

97 "Just relax ... and take off your pants." — Faith

98 "I am, you know." “What?" “Yours." — Tara & Willow

99 "I don't have time for bondage fun." - Buffy

100 “It's fine, I don't need to be snuggled.” — Willow

[clintbartonswife]

Family is the best gift

Pairings: Avengers x Reader Summary: You’re shocked to discover that most of the Avengers have not had a proper Christmas for years - if ever. You set out to fix it. @panicfob xmas #20 : Family dinner Notes: sappy fluff, giving them the happiness they deserve, CACW didn't happen, I did way too much research into random stuff for this masterlist  ||  25 days of xmas masterpost  ||  part two 

When you first joined the Avengers, a year after the Ultron fiasco you could see that you were entering one big dysfunctional family. There was no denying that they loved eachother, but they lacked basic trust in their relationships, as if they expected everything to fall apart at any second.

Really, you shouldn't have been so shocked that they didn't have a proper Christmas. 

It would’ve been fine (okay, not fine but you were trying to not be so dramatic here) had they only missed Christmas for the few years since the team had started, but no.

For Tony, Christmas was a time were he showered people closest to him with his wealth. At first you’d been annoyed by this, that is until you figured out the reason why: his shitty parents. Instead of spending time with his son in the holidays, Howard would throw expensive gifts at him before leaving to a fancy party with Maria, leaving Tony alone with Jarvis at home. That shit was not gonna fly with you.

Steve and Bucky, whilst celebrating Christmas with their family, had lived during one of the worst financial times in America’s history. Not to mention that since ‘waking up’ Steve hadn’t celebrated a single thing - birthdays don't count as he had to be literally forced out of his room by Tony every year. When Bucky joined the picture you knew you had to do something for the brainwashed assassin, hoping that maybe the experience would bring him some happiness.

Clint - the circus runaway with an abusive dad, a brother that abandoned him and a bag full of mental issues obviously didn't have such a good childhood, holidays pushed aside in favour of training so that he could escape the next lashing from Trickshot.

Similarly, Natasha’s time with the Red Room left her with a less than stellar childhood. Instead of hot meals surrounded by loved ones she survived years of cold training, lacking empathy and care. When she finally escaped their ranks holidays were obviously not at the top of her list.

The newest arrivals: Pietro and Wanda had it slightly better, living a poor but happy life until … that happened.

Sam, Rhodey, Thor and Vision were just along for the ride, with not-so-tragic childhoods (after all Vision was only shy of a year old) but part of the dysfunctional family nonetheless.

So, when the whole team was called out on a mission a week before Christmas you knew what had to be done. 

The first step of your plan was getting out of the mission, which was a hefty task in of itself. Thankfully you were known to be accident prone, so could easily explain how you had mysteriously twisted an ankle the night before leaving.

Once everyone had gone, you called on Heimdall to send Thor to you. This was the part that you were the most skeptical about, yet within half an hour the blond god had landed on the roof, bringing you into a large hug.

“Lady y/n! What occasion caused you to summon me?”

“Well, you always say that you’d love to learn more about our traditions so I thought you’d like to be here for Christmas”

The god grinned luminously, striding in to the common area with shining eyes.

“Another midgardian tradition! I would be honoured to attend this Christmas celebration”

“Great” you chuckled, directing him to the kitchen, “I’ll start by teaching you about the food”

Thor watched enraptured as you moved around the kitchen, preparing the meal so that it was ready to cook before the team arrived home. 

“What else goes into this celebration?” Thor asked, clapping his hands together.

“Decorations”

You led him to the cardboard box full of ornaments, revealing the bright colours with a smile.

“Aha! These remind me of a celebration that us Asgardians have. During the winter solstice we have Yuletide” Thor explained, picking up a wreath out of the box, “we celebrate my father and the Wild Hunt with a big feast that the whole town is invited to”

You nodded, helping Thor put up the decorations as he gave a quick history lesson of his people.

“What I don’t understand though,” he said, turning to face you, “is the significance of the tree. Is it supposed to represent Yggdrasil?”

“Ah, no. I don’t think that it has one meaning, as every religion seems to attach its own. Christianity sees it as a sign of everlasting life with God, while Pagans use it to represent the spring to come. It’s really up to the owner of the tree to see it how they like”

“Fascinating”

“Ms y/n, the team have completed the mission. ETA an hour and a half”

“Thank you FRIDAY, I’ll start putting the food in the oven”

The groans of the team were the first thing you heard as the doors opened, followed by the ‘oof’ of the sofa cushions as they launched themselves onto them.

“What smells so good?” Sam mumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

“Yeah - Wait - Who decorated?”

Nat was interrupted by Thor, who extravagantly strode into the common room with a wide smile.

“Merry Christmas! Lady y/n and I have made a Yuletide feast for you all”

“Thor?”

“Feast?”

You sniggered quietly, sticking your head out of the kitchen to talk.

“Get your asses to the table so we can feed you. I’ll be damned if y’all miss another Christmas on my watch”

Confused, but seemingly excited, they all dragged themselves to the dining table, watching with wide eyes as you placed the food down.

“I shall get the turkey” Thor announced, looking pleased with himself at the shocked expressions of his teammates.

“This looks amazing, thank you” Clint grinned, already loading his plate with potatoes.

“I don’t know what to say” Tony admitted softly, eyes conveying all the gratitude he wouldn’t say out loud. You just gave him a smile, nodding in understanding.

“I just wanted you all to have a good Christmas. It is a few days early but I know Sam’s going home for the holidays and I didn’t want him to miss it”

As Thor returned with the turkey, a small sound of shock was heard from the two super soldiers, their eyes locked on a dish set in front of them.

“Is this-?”

Steve trailed off, exchanging a glance with Bucky before directing his gaze to you.

You nodded, “I asked FRIDAY what kind of dishes you would’ve had in the 30s, I tried to make it as accurate as possible but some of the ingredients weren’t available-“

You were cut off as Bucky stood up, tugging you into a hug, expressing his thanks.

“It’s really no problem” you beamed, “I just wanted to make everyone feel at home. I also tried making some chicken paprikash for the twins, just in case they didn’t like anything else”

“Everything looks lovely” Rhodey assured, pulling out the seat next to him and gesturing for you to sit, “now sit down so we can all start eating”

You bit down a chuckle as you did as he said, eyes scanning across the table as you did so.

Natasha was silently bickering with Clint over the last of the potatoes, winning as she smacked his hand with the serving spoon causing him to lose his grip on the dish.

Next to her, Sam, Bucky and Steve were all in deep conversation -most likely the two were reminiscing while Sam listened - as they tucked into their food.

The twins were hesitantly trying the stuffing, unsure, whilst Vision explained what was in it.

Tony, Bruce and Rhodey had started some conversation about quantum physics as they ate their chicken, pausing every now and then to enjoy their food.

Which left you and Thor.

“I think we did a pretty good job” you said, smiling at the blond.

“Indeed we did!” He cheered, raising his eggnog in agreement, “and I do like this beverage. Another!”

“Thor no!”

“Sir would like to remind Mr Thor that on Earth we do not smash glasses once their empty”

________________________________________________________________

@patzammit​  @xxloki81xx​  @geeksareunique​  @bangtan-serendipity​

[justlightthefirstspark]

United vs Chelsea - Conti Cup Semi Final - 29/01/2020

So the line up and bench for this one was interesting. Aimee Palmer was cup tied for this one, having already lined out for Sheffield United earlier in the season, Ella Toone is currently serving a 3 game suspension following a (questionable) red card vs Spurs, and both Kirsty Hanson and Leah Galton are out injured, which led to a very sparse bench, and pretty much the same XI as vs City. Lauren James started in place of Jane Ross, which was very clearly a good idea.

First half:

This game was a little cagey to start with, but ultimately a lot better than Saturday’s showing vs City. LJ had a decent shot around 6 mins, after some great build work from Groenen.

Abbie’s constant back passes to Earps returned, as did my anxiety. To be honest, Earps never looks completely comfortable to be on the receiving end of back passes so I don’t understand why the majority of that back 4 insist on playing that way so often?

Aside from those back passes, I though Abbie had a really good game. At least until she was forced off injured deep into the second half. She played an absolute stormer from the first whistle, and she was literally everywhere. Had a decent chance to get the first goal too around the 25 minute mark, very unfortunate to have that header go straight at Telford. She really, really redeemed herself after that performance vs City at the weekend.

‘27 - some Wales on Wales crime. Sophie Ingle booked for an almighty challenge on Hayley Ladd. Fair enough, the way Hayley fired herself into Ingle may have made it look more than it was. Entertaining tho. I’m also gonna take this opportunity to confess that I may be a little bit (a lot) in love with Hayley Ladd. I gotta be honest, I didn’t really know much about her before she signed in the summer, but she’s really, really great. I feel like she’s kinda underrated a little bit? Anyway, I genuinely don’t think this girl feels any pressure, like at all. A little bit like LJ I guess. She just gets her head down and does her job - calm and cool 100% of the time. I would very much like her to stay forever. I’m definitely gonna have to start watching more of this Wales team aren’t I?

‘34 - Earps with a cracking save. I feel like she’s more of a shot stopper than anything else, her distribution can be a little off sometimes, but she did really well to deny Chelsea there.

I think James and Arnot linked up quite well last night, especially around the 40 minute mark, unfortunately Lizzie was called just offside. She’s really impressed me (whenever she gets a shot) this season tbh, I hope she manages to get herself in the XI more often from now on.

‘42 - Jess Sigsworth pulling double shifts again. She’s constantly down around that back four, helping out and sometimes doing other people’s jobs for them and I’m kinda terrified that she’s gonna run herself into a brick wall at some stage? Like I think it’s fairly clear that we need to reinforce and add depth and quality defensively but I also think it’s pretty clear that Jess isn’t the answer to that particular problem, as impressive as her drive and her work rate is.

‘43 - United should have been clear and away on the counter there. There was an earlier challenge from Ladd (I’m pretty sure) that the ref took an age to make up her mind on, and by the time she decided to call it back, Groenen (again, I’d have to rewatch to be 100% certain) was up and over the halfway line on the break. Annoying af.

Halftime:

Tbh I thought United did really well to not have conceded and to still be in the game at the half. The first half as a whole was pretty decent, Chelsea ultimately had the better chances and were the slightly stronger team. I just wish we could have taken the few chances we had in the first half and made something from them, Telford isn’t the world’s best keeper and I feel like we could have tested her more and I was kinda disappointed we didn’t.

Second half:

‘47 - a fairly decent (surprisingly. It’s no secret we’re pretty piss poor at set pieces) from Zelem resulted in Amy heading just over, which hurt my soul. (I wanted her to score so bad youse have no idea)

‘52 - Arnot had a decent chance, and was 100% in cause Telford came about 82739 miles off her line, but unfortunately it was cleared away. (Sidenote: I HATE when keepers come off their line and out of their box like that, even opposition keepers. It just really shits me out. Anyway)

‘53 - a decent Chelsea opportunity goes wide. I saw somewhere (twitter probably) that it took a deflection, but I’d have to rewatch to be certain. FA Player get your shit together and upload the game so I can double check challenge 🙄

The game really started to come to life around the 50 minute mark. Both teams had decent chances within about a minute of each other, and United’s intensity really stepped up - they came out guns blazing in the second. Both teams pressing and passing really cleaned up around this time too.

‘61 - decent chance for Sigsworth. Angle was just too tight, but I think the build up was massively overworked. She passed it off the Zelem who held it for a little too long imo, before sending it back to Jess who lashed it into the side netting. Think Jess could have made something of it first time but hey, what’s done is done now.

Game started to get a little scrappy heading into the last 20 mins - back to the rushed and mismatched and intercepted passes of the first half.

‘70 - Chelsea free kick saved well by Earps.

‘71 - Goal - Chelsea. Really tight angle, just about squeezed home. Really good work from Mjelde in hindsight but I feel like Earps could have saved that one. I hate to blame her entirely but she really should have done better with closing that one down.

‘72 - almost an instant response from United. LJ had a fantastic chance to equalise but unfortunately scorched it over the bar. I’m not gonna lie, I expected a little better from her there, but I understand the urgency.

‘73 - pretty soft yellow for Sigsworth

‘74 - Ross 🔁 Arnot.

Seemed like all the wind was sucked out of United after that goal, approaching the 80 minute mark. Most of that intensity and urgency was still kinda there and evident in small bursts, but was mostly lacking.

‘80 - United forced into a change. Harris (don’t talk to me) 🔁 McManus. Abbie took a bit of a blow around 20 minutes in, committing a challenge she was ultimately booked for. Fair play to her, she played through it, but she was definitely struggling for a while there. Apparently she was on crutches after the game, so I hope it’s nothing too serious. Also interested to see what Casey does with that back 4 if she’s out for a while. Amy obviously goes back in and CB but it would appear Martha is higher than Ökvist in the pecking order, which is annoying. I get that Casey is more defensive minded and might not want to play two more attacking FB’s at once (Ökvist & Smith) but Martha... 🤐

‘84 - James had a great ball in that forced a corner that - you guessed it - nothing came of

‘85 - Earps had a great block to deny Chelsea a second (and really and truly kill me off)

‘88 - Harris decides to try her luck from a little way out. It was a decent shot to be fair, given the circumstances, just couldn’t get the dip it needed and never really troubled Telford on it’s way over the bar.

4 minutes at the end of the 90 but United couldn’t get anything to stick, which was massively unfortunate.

Two semi final defeats in a row is absolutely gut wrenching, and very hard to take, but last night taught me a lot about this team. I personally thought that this game was miles better and such an improvement on Arsenal away last season. They were much better all round, in every position than last weekend vs City. To come so close against the 3 best teams in the league 5 times now and walk away with nothing is hard, and I feel so bad for those girls. They give their all everytime they step out on that pitch, and they deserved more. This week in particular. Seeing them all in literal bits at the final whistle nearly broke me tbh.

But it’s becoming more glaringly apparent as the season goes on that we are in desperate need of a more clinical, stone blood killer up top. I’d also be open to giving Mikalen a run in goal to prove herself - I think Earps has been a bit off lately.

Galton and Hanson were massively missed last night, and I think we could have done with Toone as well, but oh well.

I had my issues with the ref as well last night, I have to say. I thought she handled the knocks and (most of) the bookings correctly, as well as the penalty shout (which was not a penalty, sorry Jess) but she missed a clear foul on Jackie (59 mins) as well as a clear tug on Arnot (64 mins) in the second half. I also thought LJ was very lucky to get away with just a yellow for her foul on Ingle at the end of the first half, looked a little more like a red to me 😬

Hopefully Galton will be back for Sunday - she absolutely tore Reading to shreds the last time out and I would very much like to see more of that 🔥, but I’m kinda worried about that midfield trio too. The last thing we need is three defeats on the bounce, but they must be dyinggg cause they literally never, ever stop.

I know this one is a little later than usual and the format is slightly different too, but I was watching the men (for some reason) as well, and it was kinda hard to keep track of two games at once lol. Plus I just wasn’t really in the mood to try and to this last night. Also - if anyone has critiques or corrections or questions about my opinions or anything else pls don’t hesitate to drop them in my ask and I’ll edit things and answer whatever as best as I can ✌🏽

[mdelpin]

The Red Dragon - Chapter 25

AO3 | FF.Net | Tumblr: Ch1 | Ch24

I try to make it through my life, in my way, there’s you I try to make it through these lies, and that’s all I do

Just don’t deny it Don’t try to fight this, and deal with it And that’s just part of it

If you were dead or still alive I don’t care, I don’t care Just go and leave this all behind ‘Cause I swear (I swear) I don’t care

I Don’t Care by Apocalyptica

Chapter 25

Natsu landed on their field, feeling the wetness of the morning dew on his talons. He flexed his injured wing, wincing slightly at the remaining tenderness. He’d refused to let Atlas heal it completely, not wanting to lose the stitches that Gray had put in. His uncle had yelled at him for it, insisting one of these days his misplaced sense of romance was going to get him killed, but Natsu didn’t care. Every time he looked at those stitches, they filled him with hope. They felt like a hard-earned victory.

It didn’t matter to him that Gray didn’t know it was him he was stitching up. Natsu had almost given himself away several times, the situation as disliked as it was familiar. It had reminded him of the life he’d left behind, of jobs taken together, and of Gray’s fierce yells demanding Natsu be more careful as he tried to patch him back together. This had been even truer once his regeneration had slowed down.

The important thing, and it was something Natsu carried in his heart, was that Gray had helped a dragon. Not because the dragon had asked but because he’d wanted to. Because he’d felt it was the right thing to do.

Natsu knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up yet, he wasn’t particularly sure that Gray even liked Fukou that much, although there had been a few moments in their strange relationship where he’d thought maybe he had started to get through.

He looked up at the sky impatiently, urging the sun to come up already. Neither Igneel nor Atlas had been much help when he’d asked them about how he might have managed his temporary transformation the previous year, but the one theory they’d had was that it was somehow related to the summer solstice. They’d said many magical ceremonies were held on this day because of the high concentration of ethernano in the air, and the fact that he had reverted back to his dragon form at the end of it certainly seemed to lend credence to that idea.

He paced the length of the field several times, needing to do something while he waited for the sun to finally begin its rise. He was worried last year had been a fluke, but he was just as terrified that it wasn’t. Regardless of what happened, he would have to make some decisions today. His time was running out, he could sense it.

Natsu had felt an overwhelming change in their bond on his flight back from Drak Aast, and it had terrified him because he didn’t understand what it meant. It was what had kept him so distracted. The fear and dread that Gray might have finally had enough of him and his excuses had stolen his breath, much like a punch to the gut. Even though he knew it was well deserved.

He’d been so focused on trying to interpret Gray’s feelings that he hadn’t bothered to pay any attention to where he was flying. A careless mistake he had paid for dearly.

Natsu stopped in his tracks as he began to feel something, a sensation so small it would have been easily dismissed had he not been looking for something like it. It tingled and spread throughout his body, covering him in a golden glow before slowly transforming him.

He bounced on his heels, delighted to be back in his human form, but frowning at his arm, which bore the telltale marks of stitches. He was annoyed that he hadn’t thought to bring any gauze but ultimately shrugged it off, it was the least of his worries.

After everything that had happened since he’d left Talos to protect Igneel, Natsu was determined to do things right this time. He wanted to spend as much of this day with Gray as he could, grateful for the opportunity, no matter how small to be able to spend time with him. To shower him with all the love and affection he deserved for putting up with all his crap. To help combat the loneliness he’d felt from him when he’d spent time with him as Fukou.

Natsu had never planned for that to happen. Had actually made up his mind that the best thing for both of them was for him to stay on Drak Aast permanently, regardless of how it might affect him. Had the dragon attack occurred just one day later, he would never have found out about it until it was too late.

He’d been sitting on his ledge when he’d heard Anna’s scream and smelled the intruding dragon. Had sensed Gray’s proximity and that had been enough to get him moving towards Talos, determined to protect his mate at all costs from any further dragon-related trauma. He got there just in time to witness Gray’s reckless rescue and realize that Erza was in danger.

He’d honestly thought that would be the end of it, had even agreed with Igneel that he should stay away, but then Gray had searched him out, and Natsu had realized he was being given an opportunity he shouldn’t ignore.

Out of all the dragons, he was the best equipped to help Gray. He knew him like the back of his hand. He could let him insult him, abuse him, and, in the end, maybe get him to some sort of understanding. It’s not like he’d had anything to lose, and if he was honest with himself, he had done it for himself too. After all the fights he’d had with the renegades for the last few years, it felt good to have positive interactions for a change. To have kids calling out for him in joy rather than yelling in fear.

Natsu began walking towards the town, not wanting to waste a moment of the time fate had given them. He hoped that Erza hadn’t scheduled Gray to work, but in all honesty, he didn’t care what they did as long as they were together.

He tried to prepare himself for what he knew must be coming. Of course Gray would be angry to see him waltz in like he hadn’t disappeared without any explanation the year before. He expected that, knew his mate had every reason to feel that way. Especially when he had remained silent for another year. No matter how patient or understanding Gray might be, it was a lot to ask of him to just overlook Natsu’s actions. Especially when Natsu knew he’d just have to leave again when the sun set that evening.

Whether he admitted it to himself or not, Natsu harbored the hope that now that Gray had spent some time getting to know him as his dragon self, it would help his mate realize that he was the same no matter what form he took. Maybe they could still have some sort of relationship the rest of the year, but that required Natsu coming clean.

He knew it would have to happen eventually, and he wanted to do it, he really did. Gray deserved to understand the truth of their situation, but Natsu just couldn’t take the idea of Gray hating him. Even if it was probably for the best, he knew that if Gray rejected him a third time, he wouldn’t be able to handle it, and all the words he wanted to say died in his mouth.

If Gray was entirely out of his life, what was left for him?

And if he accepted him as he was now, what kind of life would that be for him?

o-o

Natsu had become somewhat lost as he walked through the streets of the village, amazed by how much it had grown and changed in the last four years and trying to find his way to Gray’s apartment, heart heavy but hopeful for the best.

He’d flown over Talos plenty of times, but he’d never really paid much attention. The refugee camps were gone, replaced by colorful houses with small yards. The business sector had also expanded quite a bit. As he walked through it, he noticed there were a large number of people up and about, sweeping the streets, hanging decorations, or setting up colorful booths. They were singing or humming as they worked, and their mood proved contagious. He wondered what they were getting ready for.

He found himself in front of Gray’s apartment sooner than he was ready for, staring at the front door, his heart beating wildly in his chest while his stomach felt like he might be sick at any moment.

He’d been here many times before they’d gotten together, but it had been years since he’d set foot inside. He could smell the scent that was uniquely Gray, and a sheen of sweat spread across his body. He had no idea what kind of reception he was going to get. He’d almost gotten up the nerve to knock on the door when he heard an unexpected voice behind him, and it was not kind. In fact, it sounded furious.

“Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Natsu tensed even more at those words. Shit! Gray must have told Lyon what had happened. It made sense, as far as he knew, outside of the dragon slayers Lyon was the only one who knew that he and Gray were a couple. Natsu turned to try to speak to Lyon, but he never got the chance as he felt Lyon’s fist connect with his jawbone.

“Ow, what the hell, Lyon?” Natsu complained, his right hand immediately moving up to try to rub some of the pain from his jaw.

“You’ve got some nerve showing up here after what you pulled,” Lyon growled. He was already moving in for a second punch, and Natsu didn’t bother to move away. Just pulled his arms up to block.

He hadn’t tried using his magic last time, and he was worried it might be unstable. He didn’t want to hurt Lyon, and he’d certainly taken harder hits before.

“I get that you’re mad, but don’t you think if there were any way I could be here with him, I would?” Natsu entreated, trying to keep himself under control, deeply aware he was the one in the wrong.

“What could be so important that you would leave him like that?” Lyon kept at him, his voice getting progressively louder after every question. “Do you have any idea how hard it’s been for him with you gone? Not knowing if you were alive or dead? Are they really more important to you than he is?”

“Of course not!” Natsu snapped, trying but failing to keep the frustration out of his voice. There was no one more important to him than his mate. “I’ve already told you, I couldn’t be here.”

Before Lyon had a chance to reply, another voice from his past asserted itself, but at least this one sounded happy to see him, “Natsu? Is that you?”

He was assaulted once again, but this time in the form of a tackle hug from Erza. “You’re back!”

“I was so worried!” Erza was practically vibrating with excitement, completely missing Lyon’s animosity. At least her arrival had made the ice mage back down. She finally let go of Natsu long enough to look around. “Where are the others? Are they back too?”

Natsu shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, it’s just me.”

“Why is that?” Erza puzzled, “Didn’t they want to come back?”

Natsu could almost feel Lyon’s glare physically assault his body, and he tried to ignore it before his instincts called on him to deal with the perceived threat. He should have realized last time that the draconic instincts were much closer to the surface than they had been before the war, he needed to be careful.

“M-my mother?” Erza asked slowly as she tried hard to remain strong and in control of her emotions, but Natsu could already smell the tears that Erza was holding back.

He knew Erza hadn’t seen her mother in over five years, and there really wasn’t much he could tell her. “She’s with Belserion, I saw her recently, and she’s doing well. She’s in charge of all the remaining dragon slayers,” Natsu told her with a reassuring smile.

“The war is mostly over, but there is a faction of renegade dragon slayers that are still fighting us,” Natsu explained as best he could, knowing Erza needed answers perhaps almost as much as Gray himself. “Most of the remaining dragons have been relocated, but the slayers are with them to help fight against any possible surprise attacks. Our stronger fighters are trying to remove the renegades magic so they’ll cease to be a threat. Only then can we all finally come home.”

Erza relaxed visibly, and Natsu took a moment to really look at her. She looked a bit older, but something about her had changed. Did she look... happy?

“You look different, these years have been good to you,” Natsu complimented honestly.

Erza’s cheeks crimsoned, and she punched Natsu on the shoulder, making him laugh. “I got married,” she mumbled.

“You what?” Natsu asked in mock shock, wanting to tease her a bit. He’d missed Erza and all his other friends, even Lyon, whom he knew he owed a great debt to. “Who’d be crazy enough to marry you?”

“That would be me,” Lyon replied dryly.

“Finally made a move, huh? I’m glad, I always thought you two would be good together,” Natsu smiled at them.

So Lyon had finally managed to get his act together, good for him. He felt a stab of jealousy at the two of them for having it so easy, but he didn’t really mean it. Natsu was glad they had found happiness in each other, it was all he’d ever wanted for himself and Gray. He was sick of fighting and hiding. He just wanted the life Igneel had always told him he could have, but it was outside of his reach.

“Does Gray know you’re back yet?” Erza asked, ignoring her husband completely, “He’s been miserable ever since you left, you know.”

Natsu deflated, his guilt surfacing once again. He’d done that to Gray. “Uhm, no. I was just about to knock when Lyon got here. What’s going on today, anyway? It looks like you guys are setting up for something.”

“Remember that festival we were going to have to boost morale a few years ago?” Natsu nodded, and Erza continued, “We’re having it today. A festival for the red dragon who has become our town’s protector. It was the kids’ idea, and we decided to humor them.”

Natsu was shaken and also incredibly touched. “A red dragon?”

“Yeah, even Gray tolerates him, if you can believe that,” Erza laughed, “I never thought I’d see the day when that would be possible. Lyon calls him Gray’s guardian dragon. Anyway, we’ll have to catch up later, Lyon, and I need to supervise the setup. Tell Gray he can have the day off.”

Erza waved as she walked away, dragging Lyon behind her. He hadn’t stopped glaring at Natsu for a second, and now Natsu was back to staring at the door. He heard a noise and was keenly aware that Gray was standing on the other side. He took a deep breath and hoped for the best.

“Gray?” Natsu called out, “Can we talk?”

“Go away, Natsu,” Gray replied from the other side of the door, his voice sounding muted. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“I--I don’t have a lot of time,” Natsu answered truthfully, “Please, can we talk?”

“The only way you’re coming in is if you promise to tell me the truth,” Gray said firmly, “No more running away.”

Natsu remained silent, considering the things that Lyon and Erza had just told him about how his mate had been doing in his absence and adding them to what he already knew.

“If you can’t agree to that, then you might as well go, cause I’m done.”

Natsu could hear him walking away from the door, and with a sinking heart, he realized Gray was serious. It was worse than he had feared, he wasn’t running out of time, he was entirely out.

As he stood there, thinking about what he wanted to do, he felt it. Anger, sadness, worry, confusion, hurt, it was all coming from Gray, and Natsu made his decision at long last. It was time. He couldn’t knowingly hurt his mate, it wasn’t just his instincts screaming at him anymore, it was the right thing to do.

Okay, you win. Natsu addressed Gray in his mind. Just please let me in.

The door opened after a few moments, and Natsu stepped inside, instantly soothed by the way everything smelled of Gray. It helped to calm his frayed nerves, and even though he knew the conversation was doomed before it started, he stubbornly held on to the hope that Gray might understand.

A lot had changed inside the apartment. Natsu supposed it made sense, Gray would have wanted to make it his own once Lyon had moved out. He followed Gray to a couch in his living room and sat down, taking a moment to examine the apartment. This could have been their life. A little place just like this somewhere, where they could leave everything behind and just love each other. It was all he’d ever wanted, and they’d only had it briefly.

Natsu felt the need to touch Gray somehow, to hold his hand or hug him, but he could see from the way Gray looked like he was about to snap at any moment that it wasn’t a good idea. This wasn’t about him anyway, this was about finally giving Gray what he needed regardless of consequences.

“What would you like to know?” Natsu asked somberly, his eyes darting to examine Gray’s before looking back down at his hands.

“Everything. What’s going on? Why did you leave last year and why did you wait a whole year to come back? Are you in danger? What happened in the war?” Gray kept asking question after question, barely breathing before adding more to the growing list.

“Can you slow down? I can’t remember all of those,” Natsu interrupted him, already lost amidst all the questions.

Gray stared at him, his midnight blue eyes boring into Natsu with a gravity they’d never held before, “Just tell me the truth.”

Natsu wasn’t at all surprised to realize he was more scared at this moment that he’d ever been while facing Acnologia.

He thought about all the things he could say, but there was really only one thing Gray needed to know to decide whether he was done with him or could find it within himself to accept Natsu as he was.

He sighed and began, “I told you the truth a long time ago, but you didn’t believe me.”

Gray wrinkled his brow and remained quiet for a while, trying to figure it out on his own, but ultimately he looked at Natsu blankly, “What are you talking about?”

Natsu’s heart throbbed with the need to touch Gray’s face one last time, but he knew he didn’t have that right any longer. He wasn’t ready for it to be over, he never would be. The thought was so overwhelming that his tears flowed before he ever had a chance to stop them causing Gray’s armor to chink just enough to reveal his concern and fear.

“Natsu, please, just tell me,” Gray reached for him and wrapped him in a tight embrace, rubbing circles on Natsu’s back and kissing his head before releasing him.

“I’m a dragon,” Natsu said quietly.

“Not this again,” Gray protested, instantly annoyed, “I thought you were taking this seriously.”

“Gray, I’m a dragon,” Natsu repeated more forcefully, “The day we met, your scent called to me, and I flew off in your direction. I was caught in the tree cause I changed back in mid-air and fell.”

“This is stupid, and I’m not laughing,” Gray replied stubbornly.

“Igneel and Atlas aren’t my dragons, “ Natsu continued in a monotone, “They’re my father and uncle. My mother was a woman by the name of Porlyusica, she was a healer in this town. I was never a dragon slayer, I only pretended that to be able to hide among the others. I had my magic before, remember?”

“Don’t do this!” Gray yelled, covering his ears, “If you want to go, just say so, but don’t fucking lie to me! Not about this.”

“Gods, I should have never hidden it from you, I just-- I love you so much, and I was so tired of being alone,” Natsu couldn’t really continue talking any longer, the force of the anger and resistance to his words destroying him. So he communicated the rest of what he wanted to say through their bond. I’m so sorry, I never meant to hurt you.

“NO, I refuse to believe it,” Gray’s voice shook as he demanded, “Prove it. If you’re really a dragon, show me.”

“Alright,” Natsu replied, shoulders slumped in defeat as he stood up. He moved to the kitchen where there was a door that led to a small back yard with Gray following behind him silently.

He opened the door and made his way outside, not wanting to destroy Gray’s home on top of everything else. Once he changed back, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to return to his human form again until the following year, but Natsu owed it to Gray to show him the whole truth.

He called on the familiar magic to change himself back, but nothing happened. Natsu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just like when they were young, he wasn’t able to change in front of his mate.

He kept trying, feeling Gray’s eyes on him, and he wanted to scream at the injustice of the situation. He was trying to do the right thing, and whatever magic had changed him into his human self would not let go, and probably wouldn’t until sunset.

“I can’t,” Natsu finally accepted defeat, “I won’t be able to until the sun sets, something to do with the ethernano in the air.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Why the hell would I lie about this?” Natsu snapped, lashing out at Gray in his frustration, “Do you think this is easy for me?”

He tried to think of how else he could prove to Gray that he was speaking the truth and with increasing dread realized there was still one last truth left to tell. One that he had conveniently forgotten, and regardless of how his mate felt about dragons, this truth was not one that would be easily forgiven.

Gray remained where he was, arms crossed in front of his chest as he leaned against the building’s exterior wall.

Natsu bowed his head as he tried to work his courage up to do what he had to. He called some fire to his hand, wanting to make sure he had access to his magic before he made an even bigger fool of himself. His hand was soon covered in flames, and he quickly released them.

He thought about the spell he’d learned from Atlas, the one they’d been using on the renegade dragon slayers after they withdrew their magic. It removed their memories of ever having had magic. It was a nicety of sorts, but Natsu had used it for a much different purpose. One designed to protect not only Gray and the truth he hadn’t been able to handle back then, but himself as well.

It had the unexpected side effect of allowing Natsu to spend time with Gray as a dragon, which had been a double-edged sword. In the end, he’d only been postponing the inevitable. He should have just stayed away as his father had suggested. He thought about telling Gray that he was the red dragon that he’d spent time with but decided not to. Maybe that way, Gray would at least have some good memories of him.

“Gray, there’s one last thing I have to do,” Natsu said as he slowly walked towards his mate.

“Last thing?” Gray scoffed, “What are you talking about, we haven’t even started talking yet. You promised to give me answers.”

“I know, I’m about to,” Natsu replied, standing in front of Gray and looking at the love of his life one last time. “I need to touch your forehead.”

Gray shrugged, not giving the request much importance. He stood still as Natsu placed his left hand on his forehead and began chanting a spell, Natsu’s fingertips glowed with a bluish light.A small blue magic circle appeared in the air, instantly sinking into Gray’s head, entering his brain and unlocking the memories that Natsu had kept contained.

“What’s this?” Gray sounded confused but soon remained quiet as he slowly started to recover the memories Natsu had kept from him. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and Natsu had no chance to feel anything through their bond as Gray immediately punched him in the stomach as hard as he could manage, knocking the wind out of him. Natsu fell to his knees with a thud.

“You fucking bastard!” Gray yelled in outrage.

Natsu couldn’t find it in himself to protest. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Gray asked, eyes wide in disbelief and body tensed in an obvious struggle to restrain himself, “Get out.”

“But Gray--”

“GET OUT!” Gray screeched, quickly molding an ice blade and getting into an attack stance.

Natsu got himself up and nodded, making his way to the door. He looked back one last time to find Gray staring back at him, face still composed, but Natsu could see the cracks in the hard lines of his features.

He couldn’t remember ever feeling this worthless before. He’d managed to break Gray’s heart and, in doing so, broken his own as well. Natsu opened the door and closed it silently behind him, hurrying to let himself out of the apartment and Gray’s life forever.

He would leave in the morning. It was time to go after Acnologia. With him gone, the rest of the renegades should fall easily. Natsu would free the dragons or get himself killed in the process. He was okay with either outcome.

A/N: I wrote most of this chapter over a year ago, it seems crazy that it was that long ago! When I was plotting out this story I had a bunch of sources of inspiration. Much of Gray’s personality in this story (as well as some of the events) is inspired by the song I Don’t Care by Apocalyptica. I’ve always liked this song but it just clicked for me for this story, if you’ve never heard it give it a listen. Natsu’s song will be in the next chapter although I think many fans of this ship might have already figured out what it is. (I’d love to hear guesses in the comments :) )

Although Gray kicked him out this is obviously not the end of their story, I promised you a happy ending and there will be one, but having your memories taken from you is a horrible betrayal no matter how good your reasons might have been at the time. Bright side, Gray is getting his memories back, so expect to get a little more insight into things that happened between them in the next chapter which should be up next Saturday.

@ao3feed-gratsu​

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup.

Poll of the week

After an attack on a Saudi oil facility last Saturday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo swiftly pointed the finger at Iran, and on Sunday Trump tweeted that the U.S. was “locked and loaded.” Although administration officials denied that Trump’s tweet referred to an impending U.S. military strike against Iran, the rhetoric from the White House has nevertheless made the possibility of an armed conflict between the U.S. and Iran — which about half of Americans expect “within the next few years,” according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in May — seem more likely than before.

And a SurveyMonkey poll conducted earlier this week found that only 13 percent of Americans support a U.S. military response to the attack on Saudi oil facilities. The poll, which didn’t mention Iran specifically, also found that about half of Americans felt the U.S. should either remove itself entirely from the situation or limit its response to condemning the attack and possibly sanctioning the perpetrators.

But while the SurveyMonkey poll suggests there’s little public appetite for U.S. involvement in Saudi Arabia’s response to the attack, a survey conducted in June found that the use of military force in Iran may be one military intervention that the U.S. public could get behind, especially if Americans perceive Iran’s nuclear capabilities as a threat. In that survey, which was released earlier this month by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 70 percent of respondents, including 82 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of Democrats, supported using U.S. troops to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. And as you can see in the chart below, there’s a lot more support for sending troops to Iran than to other parts of the world, including Iraq, Syria and China.

I spoke with Dina Smeltz, the lead author of the survey and a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, about why Amercians seem more willing to commit U.S. troops to stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons than to other causes. “If Americans perceive a threat to our own country or to an ally, they are willing to support the use of force,” Smeltz said. “But if they see it as an internal matter abroad [or] not a direct threat to the United States, they are more reluctant.”

And it’s entirely possible that Americans perceive the attack on Saudi oil facilities as an issue that doesn’t directly endanger the U.S., but believe that Iran’s nuclear capabilities are a threat. Iran has denied that it was behind the attack, but that’s not the only recent sign of aggression. Iran has been taking steps to upgrade its nuclear infrastructure, publicly violating the 2015 nuclear deal that the U.S. helped negotiate and then abandoned in 2018, and Americans may perceive Iran’s pursuit of nuclear capabilities as a threat. Additionally, Smeltz told me that if the Trump administration portrays the Saudi attack as a direct threat to the United States, it could help shore up support for a military approach.

But while the Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs poll might seem to indicate that an overwhelming majority of Americans are ready to go to war over Iran’s nuclear capabilities, it did find that support dropped when specific types of military interventions were proposed: In response to a question that asked respondents what strategies they’d favor if Iran withdrew from the nuclear deal altogether, 51 percent said they’d support conducting cyberattacks against Iran’s computer systems, 48 percent said they’d support airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, and 40 percent said they’d support sending troops to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities — all significantly lower than the 70 percent that said they supported sending U.S. troops to Iran to stop them from obtaining nuclear weapons.

And there’s another reason to think that this poll may have overstated overall support for military intervention in Iran: The Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs asked about Iran in the context of other military conflicts, whereas a July poll from Fox News asked about military intervention only in Iran. The Fox News poll found that far fewer Americans — 53 percent — favored military action to stop the development of nuclear weapons. When asked about the discrepancy, Smeltz said the true answer is “probably something in between the two.” She added, however, that regardless of whether the real number is closer to 40, 50 or 70 percent, messaging from the White House or the media characterizing Iran as a threat could drive up support for military intervention, especially if “a big chunk of the population is already willing to support the use of force.”

At this stage at least, Americans still prefer a non-military approach to Iran: According to the Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs poll, 81 percent of Americans said they either “somewhat” or “strongly” support continuing diplomatic efforts to get Iran to stop enriching uranium if the country withdraws from the nuclear deal, and 78 percent said they somewhat or strongly support tighter economic sanctions. A Gallup poll conducted in July also found that a majority of Americans preferred that the U.S. rely on economic and diplomatic efforts rather than military action — although 42 percent told Gallup that the U.S. should take military action if diplomatic and economic measures fail.

For now, the administration seems to have decided against immediate military action, and on Wednesday, Trump announced tighter economic sanctions on Iran in response to the attack. But Trump has not entirely ruled out using military force, and if he were to exercise a military option against Iran, the polling we have so far seems to indicate that it may not be very popular — but that could change if the administration can convince the public that Iran’s actions are a threat to the United States.

Other polling bites:

57 percent of Americans view segregation in schools as a “very” or “moderately serious” problem, according to a Gallup poll released this week. Of the four policy proposals Gallup offered as methods of reducing school segregation, the most popular option was establishing more regional magnet schools (79 percent of respondents said they were in favor). The least popular option, with 43 percent in favor, was requiring districts to bus students to neighboring schools to increase schools’ racial diversity, a policy that became a flash point in the first Democratic debate between Sen. Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden.

YouGov and FairVote teamed up to simulate the Democratic primary under a ranked-choice voting system. The system asked voters to rank the candidates by preference (with the ability to rank 10 of 20 candidates or just the five candidates with the highest polling averages). The candidate with the fewest votes was then eliminated and his or her votes redistributed to each voter’s next choice. This process is repeated until one winner remained. In the first-round tally of the five-candidate version of this poll, former Vice President Joe Biden led Sen. Elizabeth Warren 33 percent to 29 percent, but after eliminating and redistributing according to ranked choice, Warren led Biden 53 percent to 47 percent. Unfortunately for the Warren campaign, that’s not how the Democratic primary works.

Following the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, in August, the National Rifle Association’s popularity has taken a hit: Less than 50 percent of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of the organization, according to a Gallup poll. This is only the second time in the last 30 years that the NRA has been this unpopular. However, much of its current unpopularity is due to Democrats and independents turning against the organization, not a shift among Republicans, who largely hold positive views of the organization (87 percent had a favorable opinion).

In the week following the third Democratic debate, Warren seems to be continuing her steady rise in the polls, though Biden maintains the lead. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released on Tuesday showed Warren increased support from 19 percent in July to 25 percent. That’s in line with other initial post-debate polls as well, including the FiveThirtyEight/Ipsos poll and Morning Consult poll, which both found modest gains for Warren since the debate.

Afghanistan’s national elections will take place on Sept. 28, five months after their original April date. According to a July 2018 Gallup poll, only 19 percent of Afghans are confident in the honesty of their elections, the lowest among the countries that Gallup polled in South Asia. In that same poll, 91 percent of respondents said corruption is widespread in the Afghan government.

According to a Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation poll, roughly 7 in 10 teenagers said the effects of climate change will cause “a moderate or great deal of harm” to people in their generation, which is slightly higher than the percentage of those 30 or older who said the same. What’s more, 24 percent of teenagers have engaged in climate change activism, either attending a climate change rally, contacting a public official or participating in a school walkout to raise climate change awareness, which The Washington Post described as “a remarkable level of activism for a group that has not yet reached voting age.”

The long-anticipated storming of Area 51 — a Facebook event in which 2.1 million users indicated they planned to raid a highly classified military base looking for aliens — is today. A Gallup poll from earlier this month reveals that a third of U.S. adults believe that prior UFO sightings have actually been alien spaceships. Another 16 percent say they have seen something they thought was a UFO. To boot, 68 percent of Americans believe the government is withholding information about UFOs — so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the raid finds.

Trump approval

According to FiveThirtyEight’s presidential approval tracker, 42.1 percent of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 53.7 percent disapprove (a net approval rating of -11.6 points). At this time last week, 41.6 percent approved and 53.7 percent disapproved (for a net approval rating of -12.1 points). One month ago, Trump had an approval rating of 42.2 percent and a disapproval rating of 53.7 percent, for a net approval rating of -11.5 points.

Generic ballot

In our average of polls of the generic congressional ballot, Democrats currently lead by 6.8 percentage points (46.8 percent to 40.0 percent). A week ago, Democrats led Republicans by 6.6 points (46.4 percent to 39.8 percent). At this time last month, voters preferred Democrats by 6.3 points (46.2 percent to 39.9 percent).

Check out all the polls we’ve been collecting ahead of the 2020 elections.

[originaljediinjeans]

MCU Rewatch: The Avengers (2012)

I cut out a lot from the individual character metas but it’s still pretty long and IDK how to summarize, maybe just read the bolded text for some of the juicier points

LOKI: Unpopular opinion, I do not believe that Loki was directly mind-controlled by Thanos. I don’t care if it’s “canon.” However, there is no denying that Thanos hurt and tortured Loki. Whatever he went through, it was bad enough that Loki agreed to cooperate. But Loki thinks he 100% deserves a planet to rule of his own after being kicked out of Asgard when he was the “rightful ruler”. (Who thinks that when they’re being mind controlled, really?) He must have done some real persuasion to convince Thanos that he could bring him the Tesseract and that he would not fail. But even then the Other is really hard on him. Loki is doing someone else’s bidding and he knows it. And he tugs at the leash. But he’s “come too far”--been tortured too much--to fail.

Loki as the villain of this film is perfection. And the scene with Natasha blows me away every time. The montage during his speech just syncs with it perfectly. Poetic cinema, as they say, but in the most literal and professional sense of the phrase.

My headcanon ever since the first time I saw this movie is that Loki can read the minds of Midgardians. Even if Barton told him everything (which I might not sure is even possible), Loki being slightly psychic is still cooler. Loki in this movie is freaking SCARY. (but that’s why he’s great, give Tom Hiddleston an Oscar already, Hollywood what is wrong with you?)

Who is the Other? He kind of reminds me of the Mouth of Sauron in LOTR. Is he another sick, twisted sycophant who believes in Thanos’ cause? Of course. He is proud to represent Thanos, and what’s more, acting creepy and giving people poetic threats is his way of doing his job: intimidating people into cooperation. Well, not like it matters much. I laugh every time I watch GOTG and Ronan kills him.

Coulson’s murder made Loki a murderer

I love Loki but I still want to punch him for what he did to Barton and Selvig and not to mention Coulson and just doing lots of bad things for bad reasons and I hope when I do punch him that it hurts, I don’t care if he’s a fictional character I’m going to punch him

THOR: Asgard must have some kind of dope intelligence system. They knew about the Chitauri–they didn’t know where they were from or who they were working for, but they knew enough and Thor knew enough to figure that he’d better get Loki before it got out of control. Also, the rest of the universe knows that one  paramilitary organization on a small planet was experimenting with an Infinity Stone a really powerful energy source to use as a weapon. So Thor going to Midgard isn’t just about getting Loki: it’s making sure that a world under Asgard’s “protection” isn’t overrun by an invading army. And don’t forget, Thor has officially designated himself the Earth’s protector–he’s willing to share that responsibility with the Avengers, after these events. Willing enough to go search the universe for answers about the Infinity Stones. Maybe after Infinity War he regrets that.

Thor admits to Coulson for being embarrassed for himself and his people because of all the destruction and chaos Loki has caused

The moment when they’re in New York and Thor and Steve are taking a break–that’s when they bond. Other people see Steve Rogers as a mere wooden soldier but Thor recognizes a kindred warrior spirit. Thor and Steve’s friendship is criminally underrated and has a heinous lack of screentime.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: I have to admit, on this viewing Steve’s characterization seemed a little wooden to me. But it makes sense if you keep in mind that Steve is under stress about being in a new place and time. 

I’ve always liked Steve’s uniform in this one, even though it’s not very popular or not as “cool” or practical as some of the others. What I dislike, though, is the helmet. The more it’s off, the better.

Steve actually doesn’t deal with stress that gracefully 

I hate to say this, but Steve walks away from this movie with a deep-seated mistrust of Tony Stark and it’s only going to get bigger and get worse

I can’t help thinking of this famous saying: “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, rather than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

All of the above considered, Steve Rogers went through a lot of crap during the War. And it wasn’t all just fighting Hydra. He must have led the Commandoes on other not closely related missions, too. But he’s been in a lot of different situations. He knows how much bad there is in the world. He knows what kind of people want to take over the world. That’s why he isn’t taking crap from anyone. 

And even if Steve isn’t psychic he sees right through Loki. Steve and Loki don’t get much screen time together but Loki knows how Cap feels about him and it bugs him. And that’s why Steve is so pushy about wanting Tony and Bruce to stay on task because he knows Loki and Loki’s accomplices are up to no good and they need to stop it 

Cap actually has been on some pretty bumpy plane rides.

I agree with the fandom that it is unfair that someone as young as Steve (only like 25 years not counting the ice) is pushed into a lot of leadership positions. But he gets called on to lead because he has that wartime experience. He knows how to lead a team, he knows how to fight battles of all sizes. And being a leader, Steve knows when and when not to trust the people in charge. I think Tony takes a cue from him when he deals with Loki.

IRON MAN: Between Iron Man 2 and when Avengers opens, Tony is actually Living his Best Life(TM) with Pepper and the fact that the events of this film ends it forever kills me. 

When he sees the portal open and the Chitauri coming out, the response “Right–army” sounds cute but he’s genuinely terrified. He’s already bruised from his brief encounter with Loki when he literally flies into the Mark 7.The longer the battle goes, the worse it gets.

The Nuke: Tony made his fortune building/designing weapons and then he stopped when he saw that they were being used to kill innocent people. The government ordering a nuclear strike on Manhattan is horrifying to him. He figures out a good way to get rid of it and stop the Chitauri. He doesn’t let go until he’s absolutely sure that it’s over, regardless of the cost to himself.

Summary: Tony goes from being in a good place to a bad one. There are some things even shawarma cannot cure.

Tony already knows Bruce Banner’s history and has studied his scientific work. Tony already knows about all the crap that Banner has been through. Tony relates to what Bruce has been through. He validates both the Hulk and Banner. The science bros are actually a really big deal and they mean a lot to me. 

I am so glad Pepper was in this movie and I am so glad that Pepperony exists so help me if the Russos kill off Tony in Endgame–

Steve and Tony really almost got into an actual fight in that lab scene. They really did. 

I never got the line “We are not soldiers” until this time around. He’s referring to those airmen in Afghanistan who died in vain to protect him from the terrorists that kidnapped him. He doesn’t want to think that of himself, or anyone else of the Avengers, or even Coulson. I wonder if maybe to an extent he can’t deal with the guilt or the mentality of going to war. Golly, figuring that out is a gut punch.

THE HULK: I don’t really feel like there’s much to say about Bruce this time around. Except that I’m so proud of him for actually going to Calcutta and helping people who needed help. I’m glad that SHIELD wanted him for his expertise and not just the Hulk. He is happy to be used for his knowledge. And meeting Tony Stark was probably the best thing to ever happen to him. 

Even the Hulk cares about Tony–the Hulk likes Tony Stark/Iron Man better than he likes Bruce Banner.

BLACK WIDOW: Natasha has a legitimate fear of the Hulk and it’s actually kind of incredible that she did get past that. If there was something in this film about Natasha’s fear versus the Hulk that was supposed to be continued in Age of Ultron, bad writing killed it. Either that or there wasn’t enough exposition.

There’s an implication, with how Natasha is the first of the big 6 shown, how she’s asked to go find Banner, that Fury and Coulson kind of looked to her as a leader or co-leader for the Avengers. Would her responsibilities include bringing and keeping them together? Yes.

Natasha still thinks about the big picture during the battle. She knows that her teammates have limits. She knows what they’re up against. 

I think she does get kind of scared when she’s riding the Chitauri chariot thing and she’s trying to control it. It’s not an easy task and there’s also speed and the risk of falling.

Clint and Natasha’s relationship is amazing. It’s one of the best things about this movie and it’s a travesty we don’t really see this again in the MCU (holding out hope for Endgame). They talk and fight and work together like they’ve known each other for years. She looks up to him because he helped her change her life. And now he looks to her because she saved his.

HAWKEYE:  I just…need more Clint Barton in my life. Seriously he is so cool. Like he really needed a stand-alone movie in Phase 2. He just deserved better period and by that I mean more screen time. Maybe it wouldn’t have worked for him to have been in Cap 2 but he needed something.

COULSON: Agent Phil Coulson is the heart and soul of this movie. 

The Stark Tower visit: Pepper calls him “Phil,” she notices that he looks shaken (even though it’s hard for even me to tell). She asks Phil about the Cellist and Tony offers to even fly him out to Portland to see his SO–do you know how much plane tickets cost that is huge. It is more than safe to assume that Phil has kept in touch with Tony and Pepper and even come over to hang out. Like enough that Pepper can read his moods. Good grief Pepper must have been destroyed when she found out.

Despite the initial bureaucratic unfairness, what if Coulson has kept in touch with Jane and Darcy? Maybe been a liaison to SHIELD for them. Did he suggest to SHIELD that they recruit Selvig?

Coulson is naturally a friendly person, and Thor is comfortable enough with him to talk about his concerns about Loki. Like they are friends. Like THOR WATCHES HIS BROTHER STAB AND KILL THE SON OF COUL, CHAMPION OF MIDGARD, AND HE WILL LIVE WITH THAT FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE. 

If Steve Rogers thought he’d escaped the Captain America fans boy was he wrong

But more importantly, Captain America is Coulson’s hero and Steve knows it. When Coulson dies, Steve knows that it was because he was trying to stop Loki and that Coulson was a good man.

Do you see why I want to/am/should be writing fanfiction about Coulson?

Coulson also knows Nick Fury very well. I would go so far as to say that on a certain level they are like brothers, even. Gosh they better get quality screentime in Captain Marvel! 

Of course Coulson has known Clint and Natasha for years, maybe even as long as they’ve been at SHIELD. You hear the concern in Coulson’s voice when he tells Nat that Barton’s been compromised. It’s redundant to say this but it’s audible. He knows what Clint means to Natasha. He’s probably one of the 5 people who know about Clint’s family, maybe Phil is friends with Laura. And it’s implied that he has a personal relationship with Clint. 

TL;DR Phil Coulson genuinely cares about the Avengers individually and as a group. He probably knows about Steve, Tony, and Banner more than they know each other by the end of the film. He knows that they’re the only real line of defense. He knows that the guys and Nat are capable of doing great good. He believes in heroes .Nick Fury tells them as much in his pep talk and for dramatic effect he uses the cards. Subtext: Coulson cared about you guys. He believed in you. And he wanted you to go kick Loki’s butt. Phil Coulson just really cares about people no matter how well he knows them. And I love him for it.

NICK FURY: Knowing what we know now--because Coulson and Fury will be in Captain Marvel which takes place 15-ish years earlier--Coulson and Fury in this movie already know that there are bad ETs and they play rough. Even after the Chitauri are finished, Fury knows that this is just the beginning. He may have even suspected that Loki didn’t get that army on his own. That explains why Nick Fury asked the World Security Council to approve Insight. And the Dark Elves in Thor TDW may have made it more urgent.

You have to keep in mind, though, that Nick is under pressure from the Pinheads on the World Security Council and Hydra sleepers working under him

Nick is no stranger to pressure, however. He knows what he’s doing. 

“I was playing something even riskier.” Riskier than weapons because people with superpowers can’t always be controlled or at least do what you want or even ask. Riskier because he suspects (rightly) that they won’t always get along. And that if they do disagree they may turn on each other. Riskier because people with superpowers cause destruction, sometimes more than they can fix. But always less than they prevent if they can do their job. 

The events of Civil War may not have been that surprising to him as he watched from a distance wherever. He may have been quietly rooting for Cap. Or even worked with the Secret Avengers...where was I?

(Not that he doesn’t love Tony)

I actually appreciated Nick more on this viewing

Nick Fury is, in fact, the Main Character of The Avengers. We just didn’t realize it until now.

SHIELD AND MISCELLANY: I may need to watch this movie again soon because the peanut gallery that is My Family made it kind of hard to watch

But one of my brothers suggested why not have Cap hook up with Maria Hill? I admit it’s intriguing but they don’t actually have that much interaction in this film or in CATWS. Ships have sailed on more shallow waters but I don’t think this one floats for me.

The soundtrack is perfect, a great blend of dramatic epic themes with spy movie beats, with some chilling backdrop music to set a sinister tone for Loki.  Alan Silvestri’s best work.

THE AVENGERS THEME MUSIC IS MAGNIFICENT, IT DESERVVES AS MUCH ATTENTION AS THE STAR WARS THEME 

Infinity Stones do what they want. 

Infinity Stones are also connected and that might be important in Endgame.

This is still one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Still one of the best movies ever made period. Granted, you have to have seen the other movies for it to make any emotional sense but The Avengers is a masterpiece. Every character interaction has weight. Every detail is connected. The storytelling here is matchless. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it as fact. 

Age of Ultron was just so “bad” that the rest of y’all forgot how good The Avengers is.

I would love to see this movie on a big screen again one day. Maybe a summer drive-through. It might be the only MCU movie besides GOTG that would be appropriate for that.

Jane Foster isn’t stupid y’all. She would have figured out something was up when SHIELD shipped her to consult at a remote observatory. The moment she saw Thor on the news her suspicions would be confirmed, when she heard about Coulson and Loki she would be even more hurt and confused about why Thor didn’t even at least look her up to say hello

The Original 6 Avengers are bonded in a way but they’re not really a family. 

Actually they are but they aren’t at the same time, it’s hard to describe. Even when they spend more time later and build a working relationship they aren’t quite the family some of them think they are. Some of them are part of each other’s families but they’re not really a solid unit. Age of Ultron and Civil War split them along the subgroup lines that are already there.

Eric Selvig looks like a mess when he comes out from the mind spell. Is he ever okay again?

The guy who found Banner in the abandoned hangar may have seen aliens before.

While Thor opened up the MCU to “other worlds” it was really The Avengers that established that there was an entire UNIVERSE beyond where the Avengers were from--beyond even Asgard and its conquests--full of worlds that had lots of alien races--and plenty of them could pick a fight with a puny blue planet of people with relatively primitive technology if they wanted to. I think GOTG establishes that most don’t. But some still do.

I really don’t think there’s anything to compare with being on a movie set where Robert Downey Jr has been turned loose.

I still think Loki should have had that drink and I hope he did

Coulson might one day forgive Nick Fury for doing what he had to do--but those trading cards were in near-mint condition. Sheesh.

Well, that’s down to ten pages from around what could have been sixteen.

[kob131]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZiQAq_nf1s

“Could have expanded on the ideas surrounding the character but you just couldn’t do that, Rooster Teeth?”-

Look man, I get getting angry about a character you like being killed off-

But for fuck’s sake, keep the creators out of your bullshit.

0:24 See the thing is-

If you take a look at numerous things surrounding the show and how the show actually treats them: Expectations are almost completely out of the CRWBY’s hands.

This isn’t like what happened with The Last Jedi were the creators purposefully built up what their predecessor did only to completely dash them-We had people making theories about and treating the shattered moon as this huge plot point when no one makes any mention of it and it’s basically there to look cool. And then when the unimportant background object was given non-earth shattering reveal, people bitched at the CRWBY. So unless you can show beyond a shadow of doubt they did this with Adam (which you’ve failed to do twice before): All I’m going to do is throw you in the same bin as the Yang fans who insist that she has no flaws.

1:13 Wanna note here this spider tank is smaller and weaker looking than the Paladin from Volume 2 (the same one that Team RWBY had troubles with until Yang punched it out full force with her Semblance). Looking being the operative word because assumption is the same thing Eruption here is basing his argument on so if he tries to bring up the Paladin being outclassed later on then the Spider Tank is logically even more outclassed.

Also of note:

The Spider Tank does not have Aura.

Adam absorbs a full three second blast.

And Adam is not shown taking a hit once.

These are all important factors.

1:23 Same expectation for Yang surprisingly, to the point she was considered a Mary Sue pre Volume 2, Episode 10. There we established Yang isn’t as powerful as she seems due to her anger, recklessness and lack of finesse in her fighting style. This shows that weaknesses in these characters can be established after their establishing moments since we had never seen Yang faced with a situation like this before. Again, keep this in mind.

1:53 No actually. Two of three things you stated are not established here. Adam is not established as a leader due to this being a two man operation PRECISELY because it’s a two man operation. Because of this, Adam is not shown leading anyone and in fact is portrayed as Blake’s equal as he almost never gives her orders. Nor is he presented as caring about the WF as he never expressly shows concern or dedication to the cause. He only seems to care about blowing up a train full of humans. 

If anything, he is established a powerful combatant with a bloodlust against humans. That’s all. 

3:02 *holds up a finger*

Unreliable Narrator.

It’s a trope where the person giving the information isn’t exactly reliable and thus the information isn’t that good. Reasons can range from lies to insanity to personal bias. Personal bias, like say an abuse survivor glorifying their abuser because of mental damage. 

In order for me to take Blake’s words as you do at face value, you have to prove this is inconsistent behavior for an abuse survivor. 

Not to mention the fact that you ignore an important bit of context: Adam approved of and helped carry out a plan to destroy not just Beacon but Vale as well. Both of which contain a fair number of Fanaus. He makes no attempt to warn Fanaus ahead of time nor does he seem to care about them.

4:40 yes and I’m sure Adolf wouldn’t want to waste German soldiers on a Jewish cause.

The issue here is that you focus on the word ‘cause’ whereas the narrative could be focused on the word ‘human’. A racist psychopath wouldn’t waste time and resources helping someone who they are racist against.

4:48... And you showcase a clip where Adam clarifies ‘human’, meaning it barely has anything to do with leadership and everything to do with racism. … Why?

5:08 Once again, the same traits can apply to a racist psychopath sending people to die for his own selfish reason rather than some leader. You have not shown anything to disprove the first interpretation (which is the one you arguing against as you think his character was changed.)

5:25 Really? It didn’t become shaky when Blake contradicted the idea of Adam being someone reasonable when she expressed concern and FEAR over the fact that Yang acted slightly like Adam? It didn’t become shaky when you never proved Adam being a leader and only proved him being racist? It didn’t become shaky upon reflecting on all this as the only reason you think Adam is a leader is because of Blake, someone who has reason to be an unreliable narrator especially with her actions in Volume 3?

I think we’ve been riding on a completely different set of trails this whole time.

5:33 >Not romantic >”my mentor” >Same show with Arkos in it

Yeah, either show me proof it's platonic or this was a case of Schrodinger's Relationship where it can be both things at the same time due to a lack of information, only to be defined when given solid proof.

5:45 Once again, I refer to Adolf Hitler who acted like his actions were a revolution himself. And I don't refer to Adolf for no reason, Adam display all the classical examples of a racist sociopath like Hitler did. Hell, he was one Mein Kampf quote away from being a more blatant Nazi Expy than the Daleks.

7:05 Except that Yang’s power level was cemented before this with the destruction of the Paladin, a feat FAR greater than Adams previous feat, only to be defeated by someone who never showed that level of strength (Neo) by acting around her and taking advantage of Yang’s weaknesses. This cements a very simple idea: Power is not everything. Yang was shown to be more powerful than Neo but Neo was far more skilled and was able to work around Yang’s Semblance and anger issues. Not just that, but Adam is once again NEVER shown to take a hit from Blake OR Yang in this whole fight so his DURABILITY is undefined.

So you’re basically applying DBZ logic to something more like JoJo in nature. Not really anyone’s fault here but yours.

8:05 Except not really.

Blake said Adam was misguided. Illa acts misguided.

Blake said Adam fell off the slipperly slope. Illa acts her descent.

Blake said Adam was these things. Illa IS these things.

This like saying Raven’s character was retconned because Taiyang described her differently, never mind how Taiyang has an inherent bias for Raven/would have a reason to lie.

Illa exists because she is what you deluded Adam was. Once again, no one’s fault but your own.

8:10 And you know...Illa doesn’t contradict a single thing stated about her unlike Adam who contradicted EVERYTHING stated about him...by Blake...his abuse victim...

You uh, wanna rethink your arguments now? Cuz you’re sounding less like someone who knows what they’re talking about and more like a RWDE poster.

8:40 You know, aside from the fact that Sienna denied him what he wanted and stood in his way...like Blake...a Fanaus...and former partner/lover.

Wow those arguments just keep getting more and more flimsy. Wonder if we’ll get to the point where I can just quote the show to disprove you.

9:01 Like say, trying to kill the Runaway Blake or the Belladonnas or, I dunno, THE HUNDREDS OF FANAUS THAT LIVED IN VALE/BEACON WHO HELPED TRY TO KILL WITHOUT REMORSE?

See how each of Adam’s actions makes him look more and more self centered, almost as though he’s breaking down and losing the mask he’s portrayed himself as?

9:45 Wrong.

Here’s where we get to the fundamental misunderstanding you have about Adam.

Why does he want to hurt humans? Because they hurt him.

Why does he want to hurt Blake? Because she hurt him.

Why does Adam work for the WF? Because it benefits him.

Why does Adam believe in Fanaus Supremacy? Because it benefits him.

Adam’s character never changed. It never made this dramatic shift you keep hinting at. He was always this way. All his actions have the common thread of benefitting himself whereas the character you think he is would have some kind of self sacrifice for his people.

But that’s only half the story. I’ll get to the other half when you do.

10:17 *raises eyebrow*

… Do I even need to bring up things like the KKK and the Nazis, who were both groups of people in VASTLY greater numbers that were manipulated and used by manipulative people without any real rational reason because people are not rational? Hell, want a better example? BLM is an organization of people who do terrible things because they feel oppressed, nevermind how that doesn’t excuse their actions nor that their leaders care more about their own selfish desires than anything meaningful.

Your argument doesn’t work, history disagrees with you.

10:26 So are all known dictators and tyrants: That doesn’t mean Adam was a misguided revolutionary.

10:43 No it just didn’t exist. He was never the character you made him out to be, your disappointment is the result of nothing more than buying into an illusion. And I can’t blame anyone for that but the person who willingly did that. I don’t care how sad you are: You fail because of your own flaws.

10:56 No, nobody but Adam stans felt that way. No one said that but people who refused to accept the idea that Adam wasn’t what they thought he was. It's the same damn bullshit in regards to Raven: It’s not the writers fault you hyped yourself for something they contradicted. If you want an example of hyping up a character aspect then abandoning it: Look at how cinder was portrayed in Volume 4 and how the sympathetic angle was abandoned in Volume 5 onward. THAT is the fault of the writers. Not this.

11:31 Except-

A. Adam was never in it for anyone but himself as his previous actions with Vale/Beacon can attest.

And B. Blake directly says that the change was only temporary and we can see that such extremity only leads to creating the opposite. Adam was created as the result of Jacques’ opportunistic and psychopathic actions, making Adam opportunistic and psychopathic. And we can see this in our world: white supremacy as a whole was on it’s last legs a few years ago and it was on the verge of becoming as arachic and out dated as monarchies and slavery. But when extremists yelling about how awful white people are as a whole and being violent extremists rose up, white supremacy resurged. Why? Because those hurt by the first group became extremist themselves due to how people gravitate between extremes. And the first group only existed because of the older form of the second group being douchebags in the past. 

Adam works not as a revolutionary but as a cautionary tale of how self sustaining this cycle of hate is. Eventually, Adam would have caused Fanaus racism to spike right back up and give those racists a strawman to point to, just like what happened at our doorstep.

12:57 No, Sienna is portrayed as opportunistic and power hungry and Adam is giving a sadistic smile at the praise. There is no ambiguity here: Ghira is and was portrayed as in the right and Adam/Sienna were portrayed as and are in the wrong. You’re ignoring context. AGAIN.

13:47 Says the guy whose trying to discredit everything Adam related post Volume 2 and would have every reason to willfully misrepsent the scene to support his argument, nevermind how he hasn’t proven a damn thing.

14:29 And just because you say it doesn’t make it so, especially considering a loot of people found Adam interesting again after this short AND this finale.

15:00 No, he’s always been 100% for himself. It’s just that Blake is an easier and more recent target than humans.

15:53 And yet he overcomes her, like the Fall Of Beacon. Forgot that part eh?

16:04 Nope.

The development with Yang was never her strength but rather her tactics. Thing is, we never see Adam use tactics in a fight. We never see him think or strategize in fights. And his style reflects someone who fights with power alone. Meanwhile, Yang has developed from Volume 3 with her training because Taiyang taught her that she can’t just power through everything in sight and has to THINK her way around thing. This being demonstrated by tripping up Taiyang, prioritizing the long ranged bandits in her Volumee 5 fight, letting go of her arm in the Haven fight and here by not feeding Adam’s Semblance and instead waiting for an opening to strike him down and disarm him (you know, like Neo did in Volume 2.)

The show directly said this, you have no excuse Eruption Fang.

16:30 No you just overhyped the boss and made it look tougher than they are. you basically hyped the Minotaur from SMT4 as Matador from SMT3, despite the latter being tougher than the former.

17:01 ADAM. IS NOT. THE FANAUS.

BLAKE is the representative of the Fanaus.

Just as Jacques isn’t the representative of the humans, WEISS is.

Stop trying to make Adam look like the only Fanaus involved in the conflict.

And even THEN: Adam IS Morally grey. Just not the ‘misguided revolutionary’ you made him out to be.

Remember when I said that Adam is selfish being only half the story? Well, Adam is selfish BECAUSE of his brand. Why? Because that action symbolizes how he lost his agency and his innocence a long time ago, now seeking control over other people through either tricking people into following him or abusing them until they listen, because he lost the control he once had. Because the branding scarred him so deeply it changed him as a person. But because of his obsession with control over others, he’s stuck in a mentally immature state. He’s just a scared child trying to get back at the people who hurt him and get back SOME semblance of control that he lost, nevermind how he hurts others because a child never thinks about such things.

He isn’t a misguided revolutionary, he’s a victim of abuse and racism that defined him before he had a choice, so he now tries to rob others of choice to feel better.

It’s the same thing Nazi Germany went through in regards to WWI’s aftermath, where their economy tanked and they became hungry and cold so they sought out anything to make themselves feel better, even if the option was a manchild of a dictator.

And that’s why this is no one’s fault but your own, Collen. You were given a morally grey character as you say you were promised: You just threw a fit because it wasn’t 100% what you wanted.

18:07 And just because someone is evil doesn’t mean they cannot be pitied or understood. You are denying complex writing for your headcanon.

19:10 No you’re just salty and denying it.

19:41 and yet you ignore the bad decisions Adam makes on his path through life, deciding to be violently, giving in to his abusive urges, deciding to be selfish and deciding to hurt other people for his own benefit:  basically preaching what the show said except worse in every regard.

20:08 You say as every ‘inconsistency’ you try to list is more evident of you ignoring facts right in front of you just to make yourself feel better than an actual inconsistency. I would have given this to you except by going through all this bullshit and spewing all of this, I’ve come to learn that Adam was never inconsistent and that the only fault was not portraying Blake’s symptoms of abuse more clearly.

20:12 And this si where we’re stopping because I swear, this one line makes me wanna smack you upside the head.

Adam didn’t ‘die’ in Volume 3. Your Adam NEVER EXISTED. He was never real, he was just an illusion built on misinformation and denial of reality. And yet instead of reflecting and thinking about Adam’s actions and trying to see if there’s a connecting thread, you decide to stomp your feet, flail your arms and insult everyone else, even the creators, just because you didn’t get what you wanted.

Either accept it or let go.

[c-atm]

Snow day Prompt: Bittersweet meeting *p1*

“Looks like it'll be a big storm. Don't think the others are coming today.." The seventeen year old stated as he looked at the start of snowfall.

Part of him wanted to leave as well but his pride as club leader president wouldn't allow him, you never know who might need some assistance or help in this school, which is why he created the 'Crystal gems'.

From student counseling to school events to setting parlays between students, the Crystal gems goal is to make every Diamond high student as smooth as possible. Which is why they, for the most part, butt heads with student council every so often.

The SC feels that the CG overstep their boundaries at times. Though they cannot deny the good they have done. Even if their methods come off as questionable. It's less animosity and more of a rivalry between the two on whose better for the school. Still they get some funding from the treasury cause they are an official club, that get results.

“Universe..Shouldn't you be heading out?”  a gruff voice called out to him. He turned to see  three girls standing in the hall, looking in.He gave them a small smile before taking a seat on the club rooms sofa.

“Awe...You're worry about me Jasp, That's sweet of you cuz.”

The girl in question scoffed lightly as she hid her small smile under her orange scarf. Tall and muscular but also very feminine, with wild white hair, gold contacts and faded brown skin with white  stripes of vitiligo; which only made her more exotic.Her name’s Jasper, vice president of the student council and his younger cousin.

Behind her stood two others. A slender woman of average height and a swimmers build. Her ocean colored hair and dark sand colored skin, with striking eyes as blue as her namesake Lapis lazuli. She was the secretary of the  student council and scuba team Captain.

The last part of this trio was small and shapely, just braking five feet, five-three with her gravity defying, greenish-blonde hair, a natural light tan, her infamous goggles over some of the brightest green eyes you'd ever seen. The student council treasurer and fire cracker, Peridot.

all three were dress in the standard academy  uniform( White blazer, yellow blouse, pink tie and blue skirt) under their wool, leather  and down coats, respectively.

“Joking aside, she's right Steven..We're supposed to be getting a few feet through the night. It's best if you head home now, before it gets worst...We’d wait for you, if you want.”  The bluenette suggested with a small smile.

“Tempting, but I still have some work to finish, beside you never know who might need some advice.”  Lapis’s smiled faltered a bit at his refusal.

“Told you, he'd say no. Him and Boss are both the same.” Peridot sighed exasperatedly

“So, the President still here as well? That works in my favor, there something i wanted to discuss with her.”

The three girls looked as Steven to rub his chin and a small smirk appeared on his lips. While Peridot grinned, almost cackled; Jasper sent Lapis a apologetically knowing glance, who in responded in a slight wave. Jasper cleared her throat before walking up to Steven,her left hand open and free, her right held the keys to her car.

“Your keys, give’em here Steven.”

Steven would have argued a bit, but the fact that she used her ‘family’ tone and gave him the look she always did when she was worried about other, left him no resistance. He dug into the back of his slacks and produced a key to his motorcycle with a small pink lion plush on one of the chains.  The two exchanged keys, before Jasper headed to the locker in the far left and grabbed three helmets and some goggles from it. She passed the green one to Peridot, a blue to Lapis and kept a large orange one and the goggles for herself.

“Don’t stay too late Steven…”

“And you don’t go too fast on lion…”  He turned towards the other two “Make sure she don’t break 25, just because it’s not that bad yet and I had the tires redone for the season, dosen't mean your perfectly safe.”

Lapis and Peridot gave their word, despite Jasper protest of being a responsible driver. A protest that ended shortly after Steven admitted to trusting her with his ride, making her feel a bit smug.

“Alright guys, we should head home before we all have to load up in Jasper tuna can of a car.”  

Jasper growled at Peridot’s comment before giving her cousin a quick one armed hug, Not to be left out; Peridot gave the young man a quick friendly hug causing the tallest girl to roll her eyes and Steven to chuckle.  He blushed when he heard Peri whispered something into his stomach and the sly look on her face didn’t help. He shook his head as she broke the hug and basically skipped out of the room once again joking about Jasper car when she was a good ways away, causing Jasper to chase after her. Lapis  and Steven looked as the two took off, when they heard Peri yelled.

“MAKE SURE TO TAKE THE PRESIDENT HOME AS WELL, GOOO~OOD LUU~UUUCK!”

“I better go before she kills Peri.”

“Yeah,that’s a good idea. Get home safe, Lappie.”  Red face and head down, Lapis delivered a weak trembling punch to the boys stomach.

“You rejected me already, so save that charm for her...I’m rooting for you”

With a small kiss upon his cheek and a wipe of a tear, Lapis ran to catch up with Jasper and Peri. Steven shook his head with a sigh as he turned around and laid on the couch.  He watched as the snow lightly fell, with a peaceful look, dozing off as he did.

It was a melodic sound. A familiar one as well, he’d recognize it anywhere on earth. A simple feminine humming from his left. He turned towards it and saw a indian-american woman of his age sitting on the loveseat. Pad and pen in hand and headphones over her head; humming to a song on her mp4.

That natural walnut skin, shiny black eyes; long  curly brown hair that flowed like a waterfall that cute slightly pointed nose and those small yet full lips. She was a bit taller than lapis, curvier than Peridot; and strong...not Jasper strong, but a fencer and athletic build.  She sat, one leg over the other, in an alternative school outfit (pink blazer, yellow skirt,blue shirt, and pink tie). The Student President of Diamond Academy, tennis and fencer all star; Connie Maheswaran.

“That uniform fits you very well.”

“Why, thank you” Steven shocked and red face allowed Connie arched an eyebrow and smirk at CG leader. Steven sat up with a stretch and a crack of the neck.

“Time?”

“Only fifteen to five.”

“So..30 minutes, see you made yourself comfortable; Ms.President.”

“Was waiting for my best friend to wake.” Connie pulled her head phones down to her shoulder as she watch him get up and walk behind her and gave her a small hug, which she returned  by squeezing his left bicep.

“Tea?”

“ Green, please.”

Giving her a smile the seventeen year old released his hold, a bit reluctantly, before going to the mini fridge getting two bottle of spring water, four  tea bags from a nearby locker; and turning on the electric tea kettle that Pearl, one of the club members; brought for the room.

“So really what brings you to the room? And how long have  you been here?”

“No reason. Just making rounds saw you here in this nice warm room, decided to come in for a bit. I’ve only been here for about 10 minutes. Is that ok?”

“All are welcomed, but you get special privileges; like this tea.” Steven pointed to  the kettle with a smirk. Connie place three fingers on her blouse and gasp in exaggerated fashion.

“Talk about the V.I.P treatment.” She sent him a half smirk. “You wouldn't be trying to get something from me, Right Mr, Universe.”

he let use a low chuckle as he handed her a mug, and sat back on the couch. “Now whatever gave you that idea?”

“That chuckle for one, and the fact that you left a list of funds proposals on the table.”

“I swear they are all needed.” The pace of that statement caused the president to arched an eyebrow and pursed her lips.

“Uh-huh and what pray tell, does these items have to do with your club activities?”

“As you know, our club was main goal to ensure that our fellow students have a pleasant  school life...Which we have done very well.”

“Methods aside..Sure.”

“Negotiations doesn't always work with words alone..sometimes games need to be played, parlays need to be made-”

“Classrooms need to be close off, dances need to be unofficially hosted; disguises need to be worn.”

“We always brought the costumes back in pristine condition” Connie stone face made him sigh. “ok, working condition.”

“and the fighting?”

“Oh, like you never used your skills outside of an match.”

Connie shrugged, a small toothy grin on her face. “The S.C does double as a disciplinary committee.. You guys don't.”

“Fair enough,  but you can't argue that we have gotten results-”

“Steven,I'm not going to deny your proposal for these items... Though, I don't  know why you don't talk to the headmaster themselves..you are related after all.”

“No way. Last Thing I need is people thinking I am privileged.

“....Just choose some soon, ok?”

the spontaneity of the statement and tiredness of her voice aroused suspicion in him. He scooted over and patted the cushion  next to him. She took the lifeline quickly as she sat beside him, leaned on his shoulder and grasped his hand, he did nothing but intertwined  his fingers with hers.

“You doing ok, President?”

“Just tired of talking shop, is all. Been planning the winter formal and been dealing with disputes between clubs.”

“You could send some of those disputes over here.”

“and have Jasper be on my case..no thanks, I choose peace... but the dance we could use a little ---.” Connie growled mid sentence, facepalming as she did.“No.. No more talk of S.C. work.”

Steven looked on with a smirk at her antics. “Sorry..So how has things been with you, personally? Still dating that Jeff guy?”

“Wow...weeks since we really spoke and that the first thing you ask, wait... how did you know I was dating...ANYONE?”

“He did come to us for advice...Though I was sick for that week. Garnet took control of that one…”

“and…”

Steven looked at her and rubbed the back of his head. “ On my day back, I caught you two giggling and such afterschool..You wasn't were we usually meet up for our ride home. I saw you two and was quick to figure what was going on.”

“Oh… Steven, I'm so sorry I-”

“Hey, No problem you don't have to tell me everything..I mean he's your boyfriend… you have, nothing to be apologetic about. Heard he's a good guy…” Steven glared and his voice, chilling “He IS a good guy..right?”

“I guess? We were only together for a month before I broke it off.”

“Ooo..May I ask why?”

Connie shrugged with a sigh. “Wasn't actually  attracted to him, but I figure I'd give the guy a chance. He has good ambition, wanting to go into film and such a nice guy but...just no real spark between us.”

Steven nodded. “It's like that sometimes”

“True...I'm mad at you though.” Connie playful pokes called the bigger teen to laugh. “Six weeks and no hang out, no rides on lion; no games night” What started off as jovial and teasing, ended serious and cool. Connie frown was pronounced and her eyes sharp. “and why? cause some guy that didn't even last a whole month…”

Steven glared back just as hard. “You didn't  exactly try to talk to me too much either.”

Connie growled slightly at this before sighing..this was not what she wanted. “You're right..I wanted to talked to you, but something happened…other than jeff”

“Oh..and what was that?”

“You rejecting Lapis…”

[matthew-can-gray-my-gubler]

Plot: y/n challenges Spencer to relay facts while he fucks her. Word count:1517 A/N: REQUESTS ARE OPEN It'd been a long day for Spencer,not because work was tough, he was used to that, but because you had decided to rile him up for the entirety of it. Spencer had never been a possessive or even a really jealous boyfriend when it came to other people flirting with you because he knew your heart belonged to him, but when it was the other way around there was little he could do to fight off that pit in his stomach. So when both of you were tasked to stay at the Florida main office to help with the profile and you decided it would be 'fun' to flirt with the lead detective let's just say he wasn't okay with that. Watching you flirt with the detective in Florida and not being able to tell him to back off made his blood boil and his fists clench on instinct. Watching you caress his muscles and laugh at what was probably a lame joke made him wanna fight the guy. Watching you shamelessly push out your butt to the detective as you bent over to pick up something you dropped made him want to keep you bent over and make you scream, but watching you suck "innocently" on one of those godforsaken lollipops that Garcia insisted on giving out and direct your eye contact to that detective made him want to fuck you until there was no doubt in your mind that you were his. It wasn't the poor guy's fault, Spencer knew that you were flirting with him to make him jealous, but the things you made him want to do to people you flirted with were not good. You knew what you were doing, flirting with that detective in front of Spencer to get him going, the lollipop, the bending over, the laughs and caresses, you knew exactly what you were doing. Spencer liked to believe that he wasn't possessive but he was, you knew from experience. Of course he would never admit it in public or even to your face but in the bedroom, that was a different story. Last time you'd riled him up the way you were doing at the moment, the bruises on your hips from him holding you flush against him stayed behind for weeks reminding you of the fun. Just thinking about it made you have to tightly clasp your thighs together. The entire car ride to your hotel was silent, neither of you daring to speak. The elevator ride to your shared room was full of sexual tension your finger tips aching to reach out and touch him. Feel his skin on your skin, his lips on your lips, aching to just feel him, his presence, his touch. Hearing the click of your hotel room door as it unlocked was like music to your ears because you knew that the moment that door shut behind you the fun would ensue. "You've been a bad bad girl you know that right y/n" Spencer growled in your ear his hot breath sending a chill all the way down your spine and directly to your core. "I don't know what your talking about", you spoke feigning innocence as your knees trembled eager for what was to come. "Don't play dumb with me y/n", Spencer spat feigning harshness causing you to let out a low groan. "What you were doing with that detective didn't go unnoticed, " Spencer said as his lips hovered over yours ever so slightly denying you the kiss you so desperately craved "the way you caressed his biceps and let your hand linger for longer than necessary, pretended you were attracted to him? You know exactly what that's been doing to me". "What are you gonna do about it pretty boy" , you quipped in an attempt to maintain the little control you knew you had. "I'm gonna let you squirm", he said trailing one of his hands slowly down towards your core. Gently he ghosted his obscenely large hand over your jean clad center in an attempt to tease you. Thinking you could be sneaky you bucked your hips forward in an attempt to gain even a minimal amount of friction only for your hips to be slammed down against the wall by Spencer's other hand. "Fuck that's gonna leave a bruise", you breathed feeling achey but loving the feeling of having Spencer be rough. "It probably won't,depending on the amount of tough skin tissue you have on your body", Spencer chided as he began leaving a trail of wet kisses down your neck and made his way to the dip between your breasts. "You're being such a smart ass right now since I'm the one being teased but let's see how you do when it's your turn", you panted feeling the effects of Spencer's advances heightening your pleasure. "Oh" Spencer hummed sarcastically as he finally let his hand rest fully on your center and causing you to let out an involuntary moan. "I-I'd l-love ...oh god...to see you spout...Jesus fuck...bullshit facts like that when....mmphm....you're inside me", you moaned as Spencer began to move his thumb in light circular motions denying you the rough friction you yearned for. "Is that challenge", he questioned halting his movements entirely. "So what if it is" you taunted taking that opportunity to catch your breath and compose yourself. Unfortunately you didn't have much time to do so before Spencer had swooped you up in his arms and carried you to the table in the center of the room. In one quick chain of events he had your back pressed against the mahogany surface with nothing but your panties on. "So you're just gonna leave those on are you?", you jested a hint of playfulness lacing your voice. Spencer moving your panties to the side and positioning himself at your entrance being the thing to make you shut up and brace yourself. Slowly Spencer pushed his cock into your wet core allowing you time to adjust before speaking again "don't make a sound or I stop", he said his voice more of a low growl than anything else. If felt like hours before Spencer decided he could begin to move but when he finally did you swore you were close. "When...fuck...you orgasm, your body produces quadruple...ah...the usual amount of the bonding hormone oxytocin...meaning that....ahh god...you're more likely to develop....holy shit you're so...fuck...tight...feelings for the person...jesus...you're having sex with", Spencer sputtered as he pumped into you and punctuated each word with a moan or groan. "Spence...I'm close", you breathed watching a glint of mischief flash in Spencer's eyes and before you knew it he'd flipped you over ,dick still in between your thighs, and was pounding into you mercilessly from behind. "You know", Spencer began as he slowed his movements, "the average woman only needs around 8 minutes to orgasm I want....fuck...to see if we can beat that time". His words set your skin on fire and brought you ever closer to your release. Saying that Spencer was pounding into you mercilessly was an understatement as each thrust was faster and harder than the last making you throw caution to the wind and be as loud as you wanted. "levels of self-control...mmphm...decrease during orgasm, while the area of our brain related to 'moral reasoning' also dips...god...which would explain why you're still screaming even though I told you to be quiet", Spencer spoke loudly and breathlessly making sure you could hear him over your obscene moans. "Spence...spence....I'm cumming", you whimpered as your frame began to shake and Spencer took a fistful of your hair tugging harshly and used it as leverage to thrust into you deeper fucking you through your orgasm. "Seventy per cent of women have faked an orgasm...", Spencer began as he moaned feeling your tight wet walls clench around his cock. "Surefire ways he can tell it's real include retraction of the clitoral hood just before orgasm, a racing heart, dilated pupils, vaginal muscle spasms, arched feet and stiffened nipples." he said as his hands made their way from you hair to your breasts. "A woman's orgasm can last any where from 25 to 30 seconds", He said ,fingers rolling your nipples, as he thrusted into you a few more times and released himself inside of you. "5 minutes and 35 seconds, not bad", he panted as a chuckle escaped your lips. "I can't believe you actually kept count you dork", you sighed, as Spencer pulled out of you and turned you to face him. "you're mine, and I'm yours, do you get that", Spencer spoke softly as his forehead came to rest on yours. "I do", you said equally as soft. It wasn't an I love you, but it was enough. Deciding things had become heartfelt enough Spencer suggested you ought to get cleaned up and offered to share the shower with you to "save some water" which you immediately agreed to. A/N: I'm really really really sorry I haven't been as active as I would like to be school has been kicking my ass. Hopefully you enjoy and if you do/did please leave some love like and reblog (I sound like a YouTuber I'm sorry lmao) and I hope you guys have a wonderful rest of your day/nightxX