#and also technically i dont have the qualifications they want

[skeletonmaster69]

reading wonderful article on what maritime jobs r like and then the last half is how to become a deck officer...........

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 4, Wave 2, Poll 3

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and round here.

Korra-Avatar: The Legend of Korra

Qualifications:

Korra is not only bisexual, having dated both Asami Sato and Mako, but was and still is disabled by the end of the series. She doesn't magically get better from being poisoned, she's forced to relearn a lot of things: how to walk, how to do things for herself, and even how to fight properly. Her physical disabilities are mixed with extensive trauma and PTSD that prevents her from doing her job as the Avatar throughout Book 4: Balance.

Canonically bisexual, has PTSD, and spent a while partially paralyzed and using a wheelchair.

Bisexual badass who ended up going through about 5038309340 traumatizing events, one of which involved mercury poisoning that had her unable to walk for about a year and left her with lasting PTSD and depression (though again the depression is a little less clear wheras the PTSD was obviously intended to be read as such). There was also her shadow self, but it's unclear whether that was a form of psychosis or a literal spirit. In short, she's bi and has PTSD if you want to stick with the more long term, obviously canon bits.

Propaganda:

She's the Avatar, you gotta deal with it! But, seriously, Avatar Korra was the first onscreen LBGT+ character in the Avatar franchise alongside her girlfriend Asami Sato. While limited in what could be shown onscreen, the two were explictly portrayed as a couple in the 2016 Dark Horse comic "Legend of Korra: Turf Wars". Likewise, her disability never quite went away. She still struggled with trauma, PTSD, and learning how to do things for herself again for two to three years in the time between books 3 and 4 that were shown off in flashbacks during her solo episodes.

She's canonically bi and has PTSD, and disability was an incredibly important theme for her in her show's final season.

i dunno I think i covered all my bases in the qualifying bit but also its 3am and i dont feel like typing more

Anything Else?:

The creators of Korra, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, fought long and hard for their show, including taking a massive budget slash circa book 4 to avoid firing half their staff. Likewise, they took to Tumblr and other social media in 2014 to state firmly that Korra and Asami were both bisexual and in love. Here's a link: https://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace

The qualifications and propaganda paragraphs correspond, @foulfirerebel is the first submitter and also did the ‘anything else?’ section.

Lan Wangji-The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi

Qualifications:

Canonically gay, pretty heavily coded as autistic (esp in the show)

Additional qualifications by @lovewanxian : I would like to add that Lan Wangji also has extremely extensive scarring on his back from getting whipped 33 times and spent an extended amount of time bedridden because of it

Propaganda:

He's an absolute badass - in a series full of morally ambiguous or outright immoral characters, he's one of the only people around to consistently show he's reliable, honorable and strong. Some examples include Lan Wangji defending Wei Wuxian, his love interest and eventual husband, against his own clan and other clans because WWX went against their rules and tried to save innocent people, or LWJ raising WWX's adopted son for years and being a great father and mentor to him. While LWJ isn't *technically* canonically autistic, (not that this word would exist in the setting), he has flat affect, fixates on rules and his difficulty in understanding people's emotions is explicitly brought up and a minor plot point.

[qpr-competition]

welcome to season two of qpr competition!

have you been here before? have you only found this now? regardless, the queerplatonic relationship submissions for season 2 are officially open! i dont have a date on when i will close them yet, but i will add one at some point.

rules:

no real people! also no real world countries, yes theyre "technically not real people" no they arent allowed in

no media that causes real world harm. this rule was added because of Stranger Things, but applies to others as well

the characters' relationship doesnt have to be canonically queerplatonic, but interpretation of their relationship as romantic has to go against canon or has to make canon make less sense. this is a very loosely defined rule, and part of the reason why the "tell me about them" field is required. here is a bit more of me talking about it; if youre not sure that it counts, submit it and explain.

id appreciate it if you consulted the list of season one contestants and their qualification status (based on how far they made it last time + rule 3) before submitting. note that the contestants i marked as qualified are not guaranteed entry

you can submit as many qprs as you want, but please dont submit the same one several times

[the-actual-ocean]

Hello! Ever wonder who does the ocean? That's us! While, technically, we aren't in direct contact with the people who are actually in charge of the ocean, we have assumed the role of keeping it interesting!

Blog, ask, and mod info below the cut!

// We are all minors! Thought I'd add this before the read more.

Feel free to send us asks about what to throw/edit into the ocean! You can simply send us an image or name in the ask box with signatures to specify what format you want the post to be in! they're right below this! and next to those signatures? examples!! of the posts!!

-[Chuck] "An image of a rock, please -[Chuck]." This will have the provided image or description being hastily edited to appear as though they are being thrown into the ocean, or perhaps off a dock!

-[Swim] "adam sandler -[Swim]." This will have the provided image or description being edited into the ocean, and maybe even included a school of said image or description. maybe.

look at him. so majestic in his natural habitat.

-[Amalgamation] "Dany Devito bigfin squid -[Amalgamation]" This will have the chosen subject be horribly amalgamated onto a sea creature or oceanic feature! they will be in extreme pain!

Mod Info:

Hello! I'm the creator of the blog, and you can refer to me as Juno. You can discern my posts from the other mods through my boring, regular writing, and I'll probably be the only one not to swear. I go by he/him, and I will always take the chance to brag about how I got to make that one part of space, or how I have the most squids to my name. I'll also be able to be recognised with my tag, being #{J}.

hello i am the purple one. i called dibs on purple whilst we were coming up with the idea of this blog, so you will be able to recognise me by my colour and tag: #〔L〕. my name is Liv (i am the only one here who has not changed their name because i couldnt find anything that suited me) and i go by she/her, and ill probably mention penguins a lot. i know they dont live in the ocean, but they come here often so theyre like a family friend. i also like manatees, so they might get a few mentions from me, idk yet. im also probably recognisable through my lack of punctuation apart from commas and full stops, so do whatever you want with that information. i also actually spawned in the ocean, so despite my lack of qualification, im allowed to be here as its sort of a form of compensation for the mistake.

Hello. I'm salt, which for legal reasons is not my name but I'm not expanding on that. I'm not sure what happened. I got here by . I go by they/them. It'll probably b quite easy to distinguish me from the others as I use punctuation incorrectly or not at all nd shorten word that don't typically need to be shortened. Another way will probably be my dramatic response to references I understand. When I post, I'll use red and my tag will be #S♣. I also really like sharks. I love sharks. I'm not responsible for them, but I will take credit for them.

[stoic--rose]

going to rate all of these spells because they all piss me off to some extent

Conjure Baked Goods one of the better spells in the game, can be good to get a quick boost in cookies if you need to afford something right NOW. the backfire can be pretty rough though. 7/10

Force the Hand of Fate another pretty good spell, pretty pricey but well worth it if you get it to land. the backfire is borderline nonexistent too, since you dont NEED to click the wrath cookie. id say the real downside of the backfire is the hefty chunk of magic you lose. also, not that great for more passive builds where you're using the shimmering veil or the holobore spirit, but great otherwise. 8/10

Stretch Time kind of whatever spell, since it really only works well in conjunction with another spell or golden cookie effects. and even then, it doesn't make them THAT much longer. the backfire can really fuck you up too, if you have a good thing going. still, its affordable, so you're not losing that much by using it. 5/10

Spontaneous Edifice one of the worst spells by far, too many qualifications needed for the good effect, and a pretty bad backfire. plus, in the late game where all your buildings are over 400, it literally does nothing. WAY too expensive, pretty whatever effect (even in the early game where it does work), bad backfire, who gives a shit. 3/10

Haggler's Charm really reaaaally boring spell. 2% is not a lot, as im sure you can imagine. only lasting one minute isn't that big of a downside, since if youre using this you've probably got an upgrade in mind that you want to buy, but 2% cheaper barely makes a difference. i would say 1 hour for the backfire is pretty rough, but like... you're not really buying that many upgrades in the late game. gets a bonus point for referencing loadsamoney in the flavor text though. also really good for getting the A Wizard is You achievement, since it's the cheapest (normal functioning) spell, so another bonus point for that. 5/10

Summon Crafty Pixies has all the issues i listed with Haggler's Charm, but this one is a little more handy since you're usually buying more buildings than you are upgrades. 6/10

Gambler's Fever Dream i will say, i do like this one, if only for the fact that its extremely gimmicky. i like funny gimmicks, ill admit that. still not all that useful, even for getting the A Wizard is You achievement, since even though it's TECHNICALLY the cheapest spell, it could very easily pick Spontaneous Edifice and eat up half your magic bar. 4/10, bonus point for being funny

Resurrect Abomination yaaaaaaawn. who gives a shit man. wrinklers are not that hard to come by, so i don't really need a spell to summon them. nor do i really care if it backfires and i lose one. 3/10

Diminish Ineptitude this one is actually quite good! really it's only good in conjunction with Conjure Baked Goods or Force the Hand of Fate, but still! if it works, great! go for a spell you wanted to use! if it doesn't, just don't use spells for the next 10 minutes! pretty good overall, just wish the other spells were good enough to warrant using it more. 7/10

feel free to let me know how incorrect my opinions are and explain why some of these are actually good because i want to know what situation would warrant any of these

[terryboot]

missed a call while i was shelving some books and came back to an email asking me to urgently call the principal’s office back but every time i try i get sent to voicemail and ahhhhhhh what the fuck am i being called by the principal’s pa for?? why wont they answer?? jesus christ my anxiety is like off the charts rn

[harley-michaels-main]

ALRIGHT ITS 1 AM I JUST DRANK 32 OUNCES OF PEPSI AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY TOP FIVE FAVORITE ANIME

Five: Jujutsu Kaisen

Even though this anime is rather new, it holds a special place in my heart. I started watching this when I was going through a really rough time and it really helped me get through that time in my life.

I love how serious it is while also having some of the funniest moments. Even when there are characters trying to kill each other, there are just some scenes that makes you laugh.

Not only that, but we actually get to see strong and powerful women in this show whoa re being reduced to fan service or doctors. Dont get me wrong, i love a bit of fan service as well, but the fact that these characters seem to respect themselves so much that even when other characters are talking about their ideal women, it isnt in a shameful way.

Not only that, but each character has a rather interesting backstory and the whole show doesn't focus on one character. Hell Gege knew Yuta had the qualifications of a main character so they made him into one in his own story!

Mappa does such an amazing job animating this, I cannot wait to see what happens with the future season.

Four: Soul Eater

Soul Eater was the first anime I ever watched knowing it was an anime. This used to be my favorite anime but then I read the manga and realized how much of the actual story was made up.

There is so much more that happens in the manga that I would have loved to see animated, but I get that for its time, it couldn't compete. Especially against big names like Death Note and Naruto.

However, there is something just do nostalgic about this show everytime I watch it. The crazy shenanigans between the boys always makes me smile and the constant harassment from Blair is somewhat adorable when you think about the chemistry she has with other characters.

And dont even get me started on the opening. I have it memorized in English and Japanese. Its just do chaotic and I cant help but burst out into song everytime I hear it.

Three: The Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Another anime on the newer side of the spectrum, but I truly love it. Slime is definitely a comfort anime of mine. I have watched it about three times now and i will never stop.

The dynamic characters is so appealing to me and how comedic it tends to be in the first season.

The second season is much darker and has a lot more serious elements, but Rimuru honestly handles things the way a true protagonist should. I dont want to spoil much, but they arent one to make a lot of friends with their enemies.

Another thing I love is that Rimuru is technically NONBINARY. Why? BECAUSE THEYRE A SLIME THAT CAN TAKE AN APPEARANCE OF A HUMAN!!!

I will not lie. There is a major amount of fan service in this show. I know that, but when you see which characters get the fan service, it really just makes you love those characters more.

Two: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

THIS IS MY SHIT!!! I HAVE SEEN THIS SHOW SO MANY FUCKING TIMES I CANNOT COUNT! GOD EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SHOW IS JUST SO FUCKING PERFECT I LOVE IT SO MUCH

EVERYTHING IS GREAT FROM THE ANIMATION TO THE CHARACTERS TO THE SOUNDTRACK TO THE FUCKING DIALOGUE.

This show has helped me through almost every major even in my life. I have learned so much through all of these characters (except shou tucker, go rot in fucking hell)

For literally any show, this should be what you hope to achieve. Not the original series... We dont speak of the original series... Ngl, this probably would have been number one if they didnt white wash the Lioreians.

One: Cowboy Bebop

This show was so fucking amazing that they literally had to create a new genre of anime for it. Every episode had be excited for more. I have such an emotional attachment to all of these characters, especially Spike.

I watched this show for the first time when I was 16. It was right after I had tried to commit suicide no less. I saw myself in a lot of these characters.

I wont spoil it, but if youre going through a rough time in life and you feel like you cant go on, I highly recommend this show. This show was so controversial for its time when the anime community was just watching Inuyasha, Dragon Ball, and Sailor Moon.

And always remember, Whatever happens, happens.

[sciencetynan]

I feel you about the job thing but honestly try applying to jobs you dont ‘technically’ qualify for, often the requirements are more like preferred qualifications. I know it is daunting to do especially given the possibility of them ignoring you but you can at least know that if they do ignore you its not because they dont like you, its because theyre very strict about the qualifications. I recently graduated with a bachelors in neuroscience and had the same experience but I just shotgunned applications even to places where I didnt meet the requirements and eventually got a position. what really helps is if you can find a university or something that does all of the hiring through one site so you only have to upload all your info once then just apply for a bunch of their openings.

I know advice might not be what youre looking for and you just want to vent, in which case its very valid as the current job requirements for recent graduates are Very Dumb, but just in case you are open to advice, try what I said. and good luck, Im sure youll get something. I felt super underqualified compared to people my age and had like no lab experience and no publications or scholarships or awards or Anything to my name and I managed to find something.

I know but with my neurodivergent brain, it feels like I'm being dishonest by applying for a job that wants someone experienced in the Pharmaceutical industry, or who has strong Biochemistry experience, etc when I'm lacking that.

I'd be more ok applying to a job that wants more experience but isn't as specific on the skills or industry experience it wants, but these seem to be the majority right now.

But I'll try that anyways. I'll try to apply for ones that I feel just a bit under-qualified for.

I'm also going to see if I can just contact the Chemistry department of a bunch of universities and just see if they'd have an opening for even a chemical/lab safety technician, just so I can get started doing something at least.

[surprisebitch]

im just gonna vent but i feel old and my birthday is approaching.. like it sucks that when i migrated from philippines to london, i technically had to repeat another year cause they couldnt recognise some of my qualifications. then from london to canada, i did not do enough research nor asked the right questions.. so i ended up doing 3 course a semester cause i thought that was the full load when i shouldve done the math. i also hate the fact my gpa was stellar and i was dumb to not have researched about scholarships nor applied for them. and i think its already been 5 years since i started college then transitioned to university last year.. and i know it's immature to mope about the past. but i wish i was well-informed. like i know people graduate at their own time but im quite exhausted. i wish i had graduated already and have been working already. it also sucks that i didnt really know what i wanted to do then like i went from business in community college then transfered to arts in uni cause i thought i wanted to do econ then back to business. but now im here, i have 54 more credits to go and im deciding to specialise in accounting if i get in cause thats the safe option and something i understand. although its not a guarantee i'll get in since its also gpa dependent but whatever.. if i dont get in, i'll just do marketing which people say is useless. but its something i'd probably excel at

anyway is anyone or has anyone been in the same boat or know of awesome people who are in my shoes? cause i lowkey feel insecure that im like turning 24 and still havent graduated. i know theres nothing i can do about it but idk.. some nice words or encouragement would be nice. im just glad no one really can tell my age and a lot of students i met thought i was their age. but still lol ugh i feel so behind in life. like is graduating by 26 not too late? and starting a career at that age?

[expatesque]

(still that useless degree anon) Well, yes, I've been told that thing about the narrative, but where I live (Spain) they most often than not ask for a specific degree. Like, maybe in theory I could apply to a job in I don't know... archivist, technical writer or something, but they almost always ask for certain degrees (filology, archivitics, economics,...), and no one ever asks for Philosophy. So that's also why I don't know how to find a job.

Ah okay that's fair. So it seems like you may need to move (to the UK specifically I'm thinking) or retrain or get a job somewhere that will hire you and then leverage that experience into somewhere else.

So what's the retraining situation like? Can you get loans or do you need to self-fund. Can you get a job that will help you train (here in the UK the big accountancy firms, for example, will train people up and pay for their qualifications)? Can you work while you retrain?

And what kind of jobs could you get vs what do you want? I usually find that getting the first job is the worst, from there, professional experience matters more than studies. So could you do something you dont love for a year, stick it out and then use that experience to apply elsewhere?

Basically, I'm not sure about the situation where you live, but sounds like you need to think about your options and make a plan. I'm sorry that's not more helpful! It's hard to offer advice about other countries.

+ let's have a sleepover

[flockofdoves]

I totally get ur post in re Gerard and labels but as someone who is neither cis nor het, is it wrong for me to wish they were less subtle about it? Like I wish there was a resounding "heck yeah" when "is Gerard queer/w.e" came up and not a "well they demonstrated attraction to men and attachment to the female gender but they'd rather not label themself so....." Like. There's nothing not queer about saying you don't wanna label urself but I also can't call it queer :(? IDK if I'm making any sense

i get what you mean! i feel similarly sometimes

i think its a complicated thing with like. what is it that motivates some lgbt people to label themselves or not in various ways. i don’t want to be invasive and say people Have to label themselves a certain way because i know its frustrating when people do similar to me. its inherently tricky to navigate lgbt identity in this patriarchal world because literally lgbt identity derives from not conforming to the constructs of gender patriarchy uses to perpetuate itself, so we’re in a weird place of having to navigate our lives and how we describe ourselves and are perceived by others within that same system that can’t give us any real space to begin with.

so with that in mind, even if i personally have somewhat found solace in certain specific labels for gender/sexuality for myself, i really can sympathize with how a common trend for many people is to just not even bother with that.

but then also of course there can be other factors to why people choose to do that, like internalized homophobia/transphobia/biphobia/etc, or using it as a stepping stone for testing out waters before being comfortably open about anything more specific.

and i think a lot of times multiple of those factors can exist at once (not just talking about people who don’t use labels, but the reasoning any one lgbt person navigates their identity any specific way) and thats not even to say people should dissect all that, sometimes nothings really gonna be satisfactory, but one compromise is more appealing/comfortable/safe to live with compared to other ways of navigating stuff.

so with that in mind i always think like, i can’t claim to know whats best for other people but at the same time of course theres been plenty of people throughout my personal life i’ve gotten the sense were lgbt and maybe could benefit from being more overtly aware of it or challenging certain internalized notions they had.

gerard is a celebrity i don’t know personally at all, so its a bit different (although i guess i don’t have access to extensive interviews and live footage of people in my daily life lol. so its a different set of things to get intuition from) and what i tend to think is like. i respect that they are a grown adult further along in life than me and who obviously knows themself better than any fan does. i get the sense they probably at this point in their life have more of a grasp on their own gender/sexuality stuff then they’ve let on publicly (whether that means using more explicit labels or just articulating it more abstractly) i don’t want to disrespect what i see as them expressing publicly stuff they’ve clearly put thought into (they’ve stated they don’t even like labels in other contexts, so i don’t think its entirely fair to chalk it up just to being evasive about lgbt stuff) but also i think its a pretty normal thing for lgbt people empathizing with fellow people they perceive as lgbt (whether that be peers or celebrities) to speculate beyond the surface. i think its fair to speculate that with various things theyve said and done that maybe they will open up further someday (like saying

or how the way they used to go about certain things even if they were comfortable expressing gender/sexuality related stuff in certain ways/contexts, some of it was through a lens that demonstrated some internalized stuff (like for ex. the whole concept of prison) so maybe even if thats not the only or even main reason they don’t label themself, processing that (ofc they might have already! i don’t know them. they def have in some ways comparing recent statements wrt gender vs early interviews mentioning it) could change how they go about stuff publicly)

but yeah, i’m bad at saying things briefly, but i don’t think you’re wrong to wish that they’d be more explicit about it sometimes, or to speculate that someday they might be more open about certain stuff. i feel similarly a lot. basically like. if they’re satisfied where they are now then i’m happy for them. i can’t know one way or the other what their inner life or wishes/comfort with this stuff really is and am not gonna pretend i know whats best for them, but i do know speaking as a fan, it would make me really happy to see them as a celebrity i looked up to in part as a gender/sexuality role model back when i was a tween be more open about it in a way that people would have a hard time denying. they don’t owe that to me of course, that might not be what they ever want to do, but i think its fair to say it could be a possibility, and its okay to be interested in that prospect.

edit: also ftr i think its fine to refer to them as lgbt, thats more of a general classification than a personal label. and even like. casually referring to them as like. ‘functionally bi’ or nonbinary i dont think would be a big deal unless they some day became vocally against that. bisexuality specifically has an interesting history with its use as a term to describe anyone whos actively attracted to any gender vs many people who technically fit those qualifications preferring to personally express that in different terms but not necessarily having that mean they want to distance themselves from bisexual communities/discussions/etc

[thatfanficstuff]

Battle Scars - Chapter Six

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader

Warnings: um...nope

Enjoy!!

***

You pulled your hand from Bruce’s and curled it back into a fist. “I’ve had that scar forever. Don’t even remember how I got it now.”

He arched his brows and gave you a look that said he didn’t believe a word you were saying. “You did not have that scar yesterday. Or even today when you handed Tony his coffee. Don’t bullshit me, Y/N. I’m more observant than most people give me credit for.” He slid off his glasses and tossed them onto a nearby table before crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze never wavered from you as he waited for you to speak.

Finally, you sighed and paced away from him. “I’m not trying to bullshit you, Bruce. I just wasn’t intending on telling anyone. Not for a while, at least.”

“So, you are Tony’s soulmate then?” He dropped his arms and took a step toward you. 

Suddenly unable to speak, you nodded.

“Okay. And you’ve known since?”

“After he was missing. He was doing a press conference and I saw him on the television. Our bruises matched.”

He raked a hand through his already messy hair and huffed out a breath. “And you haven’t told him?”

“What do you think, Bruce?”

“All right, all right.” He gestured toward one of the chairs at his small kitchen table. You sat and he took the one across from you. “Are you planning to tell him?”

You debated for a moment whether to even the continue the conversation before deciding it was too much of a relief to have someone to talk to for you to stop now. If things got back to Tony, you’d just have to deal with it then. “That was my intention when I came here. I tried to get through to him by phone and I couldn’t so I just showed up. They assumed I was here for a job interview and here we are.”

“I don’t suppose you mentioned you were his soulmate when you tried to call?” he asked.

“It’s not like anyone would have believed me if I had. Besides, that’s the kind of news you need to deliver yourself don’t you think?” You leaned back in your seat.

He ran his fingers across the surface of the table as he thought. “All of that aside, why haven’t you told him since then? You’ve had time. He’s been looking for you for a long time.”

Hearing that Tony had wanted to find you made your heart a little lighter. It also made you feel a little guilty. “He has a girlfriend, Bruce. I’m not going to be what breaks them up.”

“Who? Pepper?”

You nodded.

He grimaced. “She’s not really his girlfriend.”

You pursed your lips thinking over everything you had seen the last few weeks. “Are they dating?”

He tilted his head from side to side. “Well, I mean, technically—”

You held up a hand to cut him off. “Technically is enough of a relationship for me. I’ll tell him when the time is right. This isn’t it.”

“How do you know that it isn’t? I won’t tell him if you don’t want me to, but you should. And the sooner the better.”

“That’s enough. I’m not going to let him drop his entire life because of me. That’s not fair to him, Bruce.”

“You dropped yours to come here for him. Shouldn’t he get the same choice?”

***

It took a while before you were convinced that Bruce wouldn’t spill your secret. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to tell Tony. You would love nothing more than to be with him but you didn’t want him to pick you just because you were his soulmate. You wanted him to get to know you as a person first and a soulmate second. Things like that took time.

You were still deep in thought when you left Bruce’s room to head back to your floor.

“Everything sorted?”

The unexpected voice startled you and you found yourself staring at Tony with wide eyes. “Huh?” Well, that was eloquent, Y/N.

Tony straightened from where he’d been leaning in the doorway of the lab. You wondered briefly how long he’d been standing there. His gaze darted past you to Bruce’s door before settling back on you. “Did you get Bruce squared away?”

“Yeah,” you answered feeling moderately guilty for misleading him. “It’s all good.”

He stepped forward as his tongue darted out to moisten his lips. “What did he need anyway? You two were in there for a while.”

You lifted one brow. “We got busy talking. You know how it is.”

He hummed in what you assumed was agreement. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it.” With that he turned and went back into the lab.

You stood there for a moment trying to process the strange scene you’d just been part of until your phone rang. “Hello,” you answered without paying attention to who was calling.

“We need to talk,” came Fury’s deep voice and you instantly forgot about anything else. Why was the director of SHIELD calling you?

***

As soon as you were off the phone with the director, you spent the next two hours making calls, placing orders and issuing instructions. Once you were certain everything you needed done would be completed by morning, you called a meeting in the Avengers conference room.

As the team shuffled in, they fell quiet as they found you waiting for them. Tony and Bruce were the last two to file in. Tony scowled as his gaze fell on you. “I thought this was a team meeting. What are you doing here, hot stuff?”

You arched a brow at the nickname. “It is a team meeting, Tony. Fury thought I could handle this one.”

Steve’s brows shot up. “Would you mind repeating that?”

“Just sit down,” you instructed the science bros. “It’s not that kind of meeting.” You passed a thin folder to everyone at the table. “Fury is expanding the team.”

“Sam Wilson, the Maximoff twins, and James Barnes have all been approved on a probationary basis.” From the corner of your eye you saw Steve sit straighter in his chair as a grin curled his lips. “Sam will maintain his own residence. The twins will be on the floor below Nat and Clint and Bucky will be on your floor, Steve.”

Not everyone looked particularly thrilled with the news you were giving them. “The information in the folders includes what they are required to do to maintain their status on the team. Steve, Bucky requires daily therapy for the time being, would you prefer I bring someone in?”

“Yes, please,” he responded with no hesitation.

You shifted your attention to Tony who just frowned at the folder in front of him. “Tony.” You’d said his name softly but it was enough to get his attention. He looked up with wide eyes.

“Yeah?”

“The twins need therapy, too. Three times a week. And then there are the after mission sessions. Should I see about getting one on staff?”

Natasha huffed a laugh. “I’m surprised Fury didn’t offer to move one in.”

You smiled at that. “Oh, he did. I didn’t think any of you would care for a SHIELD shrink when we can hire our own. Then you don’t have to worry about them reporting back to anyone.”

“See. This is why I like her,” Clint piped up. “Always thinking.”

Tony’s lips twitched for a second before he gave in and smiled. “Hire us a shrink, sweetheart.”

***

With Jarvis’ help it didn’t take you long at all to find the perfect candidate and he was quickly hired. Anxious to share the news with Tony you were talking before he could even acknowledge your presence in the lab. You read off the man’s qualifications and talked about his references and then realized Tony wasn’t commenting on anything you said.

You looked up from you tablet to find him smiling as he looked between the device in his hand and you. It was easy to see that you amused him. Your face heated. “Sorry, I ramble when I get excited.”

“I look forward to exploring that trait of yours in more detail later, but why are you so excited about hiring a team therapist? Or should I not ask? Is he handsome? Are you impressed by the size of his PHD?”

You blinked as your brain tried to catch up with your soulmate’s teasing. He was certainly in a flirtatious mood. As you looked him over, you realized that he had stripped down to a white tank. And coming from beneath it was a bright blue glow. “Um, Tony?”

“Yeah, Y/N?”

You gestured vaguely in his direction. “You’re glowing.” You tore your gaze from his chest to meet his eyes.

His brow furrowed and he glanced down. “I’m surprised you haven’t noticed before. It keeps me alive. Keeps shrapnel from going into my heart.”

That made your chest hurt. What if he wasn’t a genius? Would he already be dead? You sat your tablet down on the table and stepped around until you stood next to Tony, his eyes following you. “Can I see?”

He tilted his head and studied you for a long moment and you wondered what he was thinking. Finally, he emptied his hands and turned on his stool so he was facing you. In one swift movement, he took his tank off and tossed it on the table beside him. “Look all you want, sweetheart.”

You closed the small distance remaining between the two of you, your eyes glued to the device in his chest. No wonder your scar had never faded. This thing had to be inserted inside of him. It was a permanent wound. You reached your hand out to touch it before you caught yourself. “Sorry,” you said, snatching your fingers back just before you actually made contact.

Tony’s warm hand wrapped around yours and he tugged you closer. Your heart raced and you sucked in a deep breath as he laid your hand against his chest. He kept his over the top of it. “It’s called an arc reactor,” he explained. “It not only keeps me breathing, it powers the suit.”

You glanced up at the sound of his voice and swallowed past the lump in your throat as you realized just how close you were to him. “Does it hurt?”

He shrugged. “Hurt like hell at the time. Now, not so much.” His thumb rubbed against the hand he was holding making a tremor shoot through you.

You reached your other hand up and traced one of the many scars that decorated his skin. He hissed in a breath. Your first instinct was to apologize but you resisted the urge and looked up to meet Tony’s gaze. His eyes studied your face as the corner of his mouth kicked up in a grin. “If you’re planning on checking out all my scars, it’s going to take a while. Not that I mind. I just think you should be prepared.”

The two of you leaned toward each other and your eyelids closed as you prepared for the kiss.

“Ms. Potts is requesting that you meet her in your apartment, Mr. Stark.” Jarvis’ voice cut through the silence in the room and you took a giant step away from Tony as you were reminded of his girlfriend.

Your face was warm and you suddenly found yourself unable to meet his gaze.

“Thank you, Jarvis. Impeccable timing,” Tony bit out.

“Of course, sir.”

You couldn’t keep yourself from glancing up. Tony gave you a smile as he put his shirt back on. His eyes stayed locked on yours as he gave instructions to the AI. “Tell Pepper I’ll meet her in her office.”

He stepped toward you, stopping when you took a step back to maintain the distance. He held up his hands and leaned against the table behind him so you knew he was giving you the space you needed right now. “Pepper is not my girlfriend.”

You bit your lip. “It’s not really my business.”

“I think it is.”

You glanced down briefly before looking back up. “Then does she know she’s not your girlfriend? Because I’m not so sure she does.”

His dark eyes studied you but he said nothing.

You cleared your throat and gestured toward the door. “I should go.”

He nodded once. “Just remember, sweetheart, we’re not even close to done here.”

Battle Scars: @i-dontwikeit @thevanishedillusion @amandamartinez3568 @clumsy-hailles @little-nonny @tonystarkismyboy @redfoxwritesstuff @lowkeyofsassguard @sherlocked-whovian-1969 @tori24rose @a--1--1--3 @youclickedthislink @beckastark @confusedhada @nuggeteater-dot-com @bluehuskey2099 @kit-kat-katie99 @sexysamsungl @staringmoony

All the Things: @swanky-batman @rissyrapp20 @startrekkingaroundasgard @spooookyscary @taylordrunkonwhiskey @thewolf-and-thesheep @laneygthememequeen @collette04 @shatteredabby 

[hotshotshitshow]

i guess just because ive been on a roll lately and also oversharing is my lifelong passion i want to verbal diarrhea a lil bit about my own experience of coming to the conclusion that im a lesbian so pls feel free to ignore if u want or whatever i just have Lots Of Thoughts and i just want to get them out. this gets sort of weirdly long winded and shouty and ranty so im sorry. catharsis!

even now i still feel some level of .... idk? shame? regret? i dunno. about the fact that i didnt come to the conclusion that i was a lesbian until i was 25 bc that feels so late to me even though i know for a fact that there are countless other people who came to similar realizations about themselves when they were much older than me.

and ngl there is even a little bit of envy that there are so many kids so much younger than me who seem so sure of their identities (even though i know there are loads of kids who arent sure!!!) and there are moments where i catch myself thinking of myself as “less of a lesbian” because i didnt allow myself to face the fact that i was one until fairly recently ..... and i am still learning so much and trying to cultivate my own identity and just all around see myself as “less experienced” (whatever the fuck thats supposed to mean) than others which undoubtedly is a part of the massive chasm that all my self confidence gets sucked into daily.

but like obviously its not like just BOOM one day i was like “from here on out i am a lesbian now!!!!!!! :)” bc even from a very young age i was always more drawn to women and could not wrap my head around the idea that someday i would have to marry a man and completely idealized my mom’s best friend who was a big burly woman who drove a truck and wore flannels and knew that i wanted to be just like her when i grew up and never ever marry a dude (which in retrospect was sort of weird because my mom usually hates women like that and i grew up with her periodically warning me to “stay away from fucking dykes theyre mean awful ugly women”)

and then the always confusing for everyone period of middle school where i dated a boy for three days before breaking it off because the whole situation gave me more anxiety than i could deal with but i just chalked it up to me being an emotionally immature teen but also being completely obsessed with my best girl friend and wanting to impress her and have her attention all the time and being unable to understand why i was so upset when she started dating some  guy and me just assuming that i was upset because i had a crush on him that id never realized i had before

and then id go home and spend hours online looking up content for my favorite shoujo-ai anime ships and talking with other wlw on the gaiaonline guild forums and asking them questions about how you knew if you were gay or not and if liking almost exclusively girl/girl ships meant you were gay and only being told in response “plenty of heterosexual girls like girl/girl ships!! youre the only one who can tell if youre gay or not!! :)” and just feeling completely confused and alone and having no idea what to think!!!! and then having one day that i remember very specifically where i had a shining moment of clarity for all of half an hour where i thought “i AM a lesbian!!!” and feeling so happy in that moment before my brain took over with the thoughts of “but what if you come across one particular guy sometime...... can’t rule out that possibility” but i knew i really wanted to be a lesbian but just could not allow myself to think i was one

and then fast forwarding up to undergrad where i briefly dated an online guy friend (hi) for like. a month? and then abruptly breaking that off in the worst way possible because i had no fucking clue what i was doing and once again chalked it all up to being emotionally immature and from that moment out identified as aromantic because i figured there was something fucking wrong with me and romance was just not something i could do!!!!! and thinking there was absolutely no fucking way i could be a lesbian and it was completely not even remotely an option because there were certain aesthetic things about men that i appreciated and also never once having had a “proper crush” on anyone or at least not one that i could identify because everyone always talked about love feeling like fireworks and something big and id never felt that for anyone ever so obviously that meant i was incapable of love!!!! so i shoved the whole notion of trying to figure myself out way way way down and didnt look at it for years afterwards 

until i got into graduate school and for some fucking reason my brain decided it was time to dig all that old shit back up and i SUDDENLY COULD NOT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT AGAIN SCREAMS. and feeling more attracted to women than ever even though i always knew that i liked women 

and i still couldnt entertain the idea that i might be a lesbian because even though id been in a very happy relationship with beansly for a few years at that point and knew for a fact i was not aromantic there was still that thought of “Ok But What If You Meet One Guy Sometime”

and this sounds dumb as fuck but it wasnt until beansly straight up told me “if i had to label you id think you were a lesbian” that my brain went “what if theyre right” (TO WHICH I IMMEDIATELY WENT NOPE but acknowledged that the fact that they called me that made me feel really really good) (but kept thinking about that and kept bringing it back up to myself and ruminating over and over and over it) and then even more dumb as fuck i couldnt admit it to myself until i saw a fucking tumblr post that had something to the effect of “a common thing for lesbians who dont know theyre lesbians yet is that they really want to be a lesbian. its ok to be a lesbian” AND THEN I FUCKING CRIED LIKE A LITTLE FUCKING BABY AND HID UNDER MY BLANKIES but the fucking relief and validation my dude but then being presented with a whole new heap of Problems such as “how the fuck do i come out to people. everyone will think i am faking and Not Enough” and just having to deal with the struggle of owning that label and allowing myself to feel good about it and not let my brain convince me that i am somehow unworthy. and i am completely worthy because i love women and not men and thats the one fucking qualification i need to meet so my brain can go fuck itself into oblivion. ive spent so much time worrying over how much of myself i owe to men and holding myself back for a man that does not exist and will never exist and part of why i keep excitedly bringing up the fact that im a huge fucking lesbian is because in my mind its a huge testament to my personal progress and taking ownership over myself and no longer holding myself back over hypotheticals

so yeah anyway at the end of the day i still have so much more growing i need to do and i still see myself as a small shakey little chihuahua with a big mouth but i am a damn stronger person than i was even a year ago!!!! and learning that your attraction and what label you identify with is supposed to make you feel good was one of the best things i ever learned. i just really wish i could have had the self awareness or at least resources that i have now when i was younger and could have figured it out a little sooner. i know it doesnt make me “lesser” and technically i am still a very young person and have my whole life ahead of me but. idk i just wish id had it in me to be more honest with myself sooner. idk how other people can be so sure of themselves when they are so much younger. that just wasnt me i guess

[artielu]

Um not to be like oh look at me look at me, but I just saw you enjoy reading wonder trev fics and I sorta wrote one? (Is it bad to rec your own work? Idk...) it's technically not wondertrev, it's actually with Jim Kirk cause I based it off that one post about what if she lives for hundreds of years and meets him. Idk if that would strike your fancy, but if it sounds like something you'd like it's on ao3 here at archiveofourown ( . ) org/works/11172597/chapters/24940794

Ok you get a soapbox moment.Women, in general, are really shitty at self promotion. We are told it's impolite to point out our accomplishments, let alone simply factually point out relevant background experience.Men do not have this problem. At all. "Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them."https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualifiedAnd this is one of the many reasons men are more often promoted, get bigger and better clients, and get higher wages.So. Do not be coming into my askbox all "pardon me I wrote a fic that is directly relevant to your stated interests, but excuse me if it's weird to point that out." That is not how artielu or Edna Mode roll.Own your awesomeness. Promote yourself. A man would. Stand the fuck up and say "hey, I wrote a fic I'm really proud of that is directly in point to what's you're into and maybe you'd like it too."(Also, I am all fucking in on Chris Pine in Star Trek please and thank you so your fic hits a lot of boxes for me already.)Ladies, please. Do not be shy. Do not feel obligated to be shy. Fuck the patriarchy. Stand in your awesomeness. It's what Wonder Woman would expect and want you to do.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/ajaxs-500-million-football-factory/

Ajax's $500 million football factory

Johan Cruyff, Ruud Krol, Arie Haan and Jonny Repp helped win three European Cups in the 1970s. Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard starred in the eighties before making way for Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf in the nineties.

As well as being some of the most storied names in world football, all were graduates of the Ajax academy — an institution long-famed for its prolific player output and pursuit of technical perfection.

The Amsterdam-based club continues to churn out some of the most exciting talents in world football today.

Frenkie De Jong, Matthijs de Ligt and Justin Kluivert are among the most recent to roll off its well-tuned production line.

In the past, this trio would have formed the backbone of the next great Ajax side.

But maintaining talent has become an increasing challenge with the Dutch league unable to compete with the riches swirling around competitions in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.

Nineteen-year-old Kluivert moved to Roma for 17.25 million euros ($19.54million) in 2018 while De Jong, 21, will join Barcelona later this year for $85 million. A host of Europe’s top clubs are also likely to battle it out for De Ligt, also 19, in the summer.

While players have always moved on from Ajax, Blind acknowledges that the club’s most prized assets seem to leave far earlier than in generations gone by.

There is “the risk that they go in two, three or four years” after being brought through from the academy, says Blind, whose son Daley was a product of the club’s academy.

“That’s very difficult because all the time you have to rebuild the team,” he adds.

Adapting the model

Blind captained an Ajax side that reached back-to-back Champions League finals in the mid-1990s, triumphing in 1995 and finishing runners up in 1996.

That team stuck together for a number of years and included a plethora of academy talent alongside established players like Blind and the Finland international Jari Litmanen.

In the 1970s, Ajax won three consecutive European Cups (the competition that preceded the Champions League) with the likes of Cruyff, Haan and Johan Neeskens in its ranks.

Cruyff, the poster boy for Dutch soccer and its philosophy of “Total Football,” left for Barcelona in 1973, aged 27. But he did so having won 17 trophies in eight years as a first team player at Ajax.

Few of Ajax’s top talents hang around that long now. And for Ajax CEO and former goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, the changing reality has forced the club to adapt.

These days, Ajax offers an elite finishing school for young footballers as well as a pathway to first team football for the most talented. Those who excel can likely expect to be sold for the right price with the next crop of talented young players progressing to replace those who leave.

Other clubs of similar stature and pedigree across Europe — such as Benfica, Porto, Celtic and Anderlecht — have adopted similar models. What they lack in commercial or broadcasting riches they look to close the gap in player sales.

Analysis of UEFA figures by 21st Club, a football insight firm, shows that the percentage of club revenues from transfer proceeds increased from 26% in 2014 to 38% in 2017.

But few have mastered this model as well as Ajax, in large part thanks to the performance of its academy.

“We don’t have the legends, we create them” says Van der Sar, who admits he expects to lose at least two to three players every year.

The main thing for those coming through the system is to “give something back to Ajax” while they are there, he continues. “Win a trophy, make the support proud and of course we know the next step will be to a big club.”

Playing smart

Ajax has chalked-up $566 million transfer fees since the 2000-01 season, according to data on the TransferMarkt website, although not all of those sales related to youth academy products.

Ajax has also looked to capitalize on its reputation for bringing through the very best young players.

In November 2017, Van der Sar travelled to China to announce a five-year partnership with Guangzhou R&F to develop what a club press release at the time called the “best youth academy in China.”

Ajax also opened an office in New York last year which it said would enable it to “positively influence the future of soccer” in the US as well as “connect companies and clubs in the US to the Ajax brand.”

Van der Sar says he would love to have access to the riches available to clubs in other leagues.

But Ajax has had to be more creative in how it operates. The ultimate aim is find advantages the club can exploit to compete with richer rivals — something it has managed to do in recent years.

Ajax qualified for the last-16 of the Champions League for the first time in 13-years this season. In 2017, meanwhile, it reached the final of the Europa League, Europe’s secondary club competition, where it lost to Manchester United.

“I want to bring Ajax back on the world podium and deliver players for ourselves — to win trophies but also to (provide) the next step for (the players),” Van der Sar says.

“Hopefully, as many Ajax players or ex-Ajax players are going to win the Champions League,” he adds. “I’d rather have it with our club. But then if not with a respective big club in other countries,” he adds.

In the shadow of Cruyff

For the likes of former Ajax team manager, David Endt, replicating the qualities that make the Ajax Academy unique is not simple.*

Endt was a product of the academy himself, although he never made a first team appearance. He cites good coaches, the culture of the club and the city that hosts it as vital factors in its success.*

“Many of the trainers come from Amsterdam,” Endt says, where there is an attitude to “be courageous”and go “out and play with conviction.” Others are former players who know what it takes to make it at the club, he adds.

Ajax christened its “School for the Future” in 2015 that allows young players to receive a customized education at a facility on the club’s training ground.

It aims to ensure that those who don’t make it at least have qualifications to fall back on. But it also seeks to produce intelligent students that can understand the way Ajax plays.

The philosophy of the great Cruyff and his preferred 4-3-3 formation with technically adept and intelligent players continues to define much of what Ajax does.

Endt believes what set Cruyff apart from many of his contemporaries as a player was his “out of the box thinking” that gave him the edge on physically stronger or quicker opponents.

And he sees something similar at play in the way Ajax has developed its business.

As a fan, it can be frustrating to see promising talents sold to richer clubs, he admits.

Then again, he’ adds, you have to find a way “to outwit” those who may be bigger and stronger.

[brutalmade-blog]

LONG  OOC  NONSENSE.

IN  SUMMARY  ;     ily  !!    sorry  i  rambled  a  lot  under  the  cut.    pls  continue  to  be  patient  bc  im  a  sickly  smol  but  i  will  be  around.    and  im  hella  chuffed  about  my  achievements  recently  and  i  wanna  Talk  to  u  guys  ooc  and  plot  more  but  pls  be  patient  and  ily  all  sm  and  thank  u  for  all  the  love  and  support  ok.

SO  BASICALLY  MY  PHYSICAL  AND  MENTAL  HEALTH       has  been  v  v  poor  recently  and  i’ve  been  really  struggling.    im  basically  a  faulty  human  being.    i  was  not  born  fully  functioning  which  is  truly  a  pain  in  the  arse.    i  have  autism  spectrum  disorder  and  sensory  processing disorder  which  is  fun.    my  immune  system  hates  me  bc  i  have  diabetes  mellitus - 1 ,    a  generally  poor  and  faulty  immune  system  that  attacks  itself ,    and  something  called  primary  ciliary  dyskinesia ,    pcd ,    or  kartagener’s  syndrome  which  effects  my  ears ,    sinuses  and  lungs.    it  also  creates  depression  and  fatigue.    i’ve  been  recovering  from  pneumonia  which  only  went  away  a  week  or  so  ago  and  i  was  in  a  Lot  of  pain  and  distress  and  there  was  fear  of  partially  collapsed  lung  which  there  always  is  with  pcd.    but  it’s  been  a  bad  and  scary  few  weeks  so  i  haven’t  been  around  a  lot  so  thank  u  v  much  for  ur  patience !!    

also  !    currently  i  am  back  to  sit  my  exams  for  a  levels.    this  is  not  a  huge  deal  but  it  was  a  big  choice.    i  dont  actually  attend  college  and  i  began  working  through  home  schooling  v  young  with  uni  work  and  i  just  really  wanted  to  actually  sit  the  a  level  qualification  through  my  local  college  who  were  kind  enough  to  help.    and  have  it  so  now  im  nearly  20  and  i  did  it  all  on  my  own  and  it  was  a  lot  of  stress  and  work  woo  and  im  v  proud  of  myself  especially  bc  my  health  has  been  so  shit  recently.    my  education  is  another  long  and  boring  story  so  ill  save  it  but  basically  im  Proud  rn  to  be  sitting  the  exams  even  tho  technically  i  am  now  academically  late  for  something  for  the  first  time  in  my  life.    i  just  wanted  to  prove  to  myself  that  i  could  do  it  bc  i  havent  ever  gone  to  high  school  and  im  supposed  to  be  actually  attending  a  proper  university  like  a  normal  person  in  october  and  idk.    im  v  worried  about  my  health  and  autism  bc  i  have  no  family  support  but  im  super  excited !!