#archie has one because FIRE

[thankskenpenders]

Help me out here: Why is there so much Ian Flynn hate going around lately? I thought everyone loved that he was contributing to the games. Now suddenly they aren't. I guess that's par for the course for this series but I don't get it. He isn't perfect but I like what he's done. Am I a weirdo?

Ian Flynn has always had a lot of fans, but any creator putting their work out there is going to have detractors as well. That's just the nature of being an artist. To some extent, it's no big deal. He's not a perfect writer. Nobody is! I consider myself a fan of his work, but I've criticized plenty of individual writing decisions from him on here.

But Ian doesn't just have critics. He has his own obsessive hatedom. And the specific nature of Ian's hatedom is... interesting.

A decade ago, Ian was only the guy writing for Archie Sonic, meaning any debates over his work were quarantined within that tiny niche of the larger Sonic fandom. Only people who kept up with the comics month to month had any real reason to have an opinion on the guy, which means we're talking about merely thousands of fans as opposed to millions.

Within that group, he had some haters. You had the people who were mad about story changes made during his run, particularly things like ancillary characters getting killed off (although over the years we've learned that most of those were editorial mandates from Mike Pellerito). You had the people mad that Ian didn't push their favorite ship, with feuding SonAmy and Sonally fans claiming that he was CLEARLY biased towards one or the other. You had the people who just really, really liked one of the previous writers way more - usually Penders, as hard as that may be to believe today. That sort of thing. Pretty normal comic fandom type stuff. Again, it comes with the territory.

Unfortunately, many of those haters only got worse over time, morphing into reactionaries who constantly try to incite Comicsgate type culture war bullshit.

There are people still mad at Ian for making Sally bi and pairing her with Nicole instead of Sonic in the later Archie comics. There have been elaborate MS Paint red string conspiracy boards explaining how people like Ian and Jon Gray have apparently been destroying the franchise from the inside for years by Making Sonic Woke. (Jon gets dragged into this because people are still mad about him drawing The Slap 20 years later. Yes, really!!) There was an unhinged change.org petition trying to get Ian fired, specifically from people who were mad that the Freedom Fighters aren't in the IDW comics. There was even a very sad little fan campaign from these people trying to get Sega to move the Sonic comic license away from IDW and over to Udon, because they thought Udon would bring Sally and Bunnie back and also make them sexy again. There's a lot of this.

(Unfortunately, Penders has also exacerbated this by gossiping about Ian on Twitter and giving these fans ammo, but that's a whole 'nother discussion.)

The thing is, for years, people who only played the games or watched the cartoons had no reason to pay attention to any of this. Now, though, Ian isn't just writing for some weird spinoff comics that only the super nerds read. Now he's writing comics that are canon to the games, and ALSO some of the games themselves, and ALSO consulting on other tie-in media like Sonic Prime, and ALSO writing the official Sonic encyclopedia, and ALSO serving as part of the new Sonic Lore Team at Sega. And on top of all this, he's got an increasingly popular podcast where he fields questions about his work on all of these things, which serves as one of the fandom's main windows into creative decisions being made behind the scenes.

As a fan of Ian's work, it's been really cool to see him rise in prominence. But the dark side of this is that his obsessive haters from the Archie days now have WAY more of a potential audience of their own. Now, every Sonic fan has to have an opinion on Ian. What this frequently means is that you'll have the Comicsgate types taking things Ian writes or says out of context, attempting to get more of the general fandom to yell at the guy.

Unfortunately, there are a wide variety of Sonic fans who take the bait:

You've got hardcore fans who disliked basically any recent piece of Sonic media and are looking for someone to blame.

You've got the people who are concerned about the sanctity of Sonic's canon, who shoot the messenger any time Ian mentions a new retcon from Sonic Team on the podcast - or any time he even mentions the THOUGHT of changing anything about the canon, as we saw recently with the Sol Dimension nonsense.

You've got people who romanticize some sort of mythical artistic vision that Sega of Japan supposedly has (or had) for the franchise. To many of these fans, American contributors like Ian just don't "get" the heart of the series and are trying to turn Sonic into something different. (This "heart of the series" tends to be some mix of Japanese instruction manual lore, the cinematics from Sonic CD, the OVA, and/or the games written by Shiro Maekawa, depending on what Sonic media the fan in question grew up with.)

You've got fans of specific characters or ships who pin the blame for how their faves are depicted entirely on Ian - most vocally fans of Shadow, even though the root problem is that Sonic Team hasn't known what to do with Shadow since 2006. At best this stops at regular old criticism, but at its worst this devolves into claims that Ian has an agenda against certain characters.

You've got fans annoyed by a perceived over-emphasis on comic-original characters in the IDW comics, ignoring the obvious facts that these characters exist because the game cast is so tightly controlled by Sega, and also, you know, that people just like the IDW characters and want more stories about them.

You've got a LOT of discourse over IDW's Sonic being a hero who tries to give his enemies second chances, as if half of Sonic's closest friends aren't already former villains and rivals. Honestly this is very transparently just reheated Steven Universe discourse lmao

You'll also see people who just think they could do Ian's job better. They can't believe that THIS GUY is the American fan working on all these Sonic projects, when clearly THEY understand the characters and lore and themes SO much better than this charlatan.

All it takes is for someone in one of these categories to be unhappy about some recent piece of Sonic media, and for them to come across an out of context quote or comic panel that rubs them the wrong way, and suddenly the leftist Zoomer Sonic fans will join the latest dogpile on Ian alongside the reactionary Comicsgate types who are mad at him for Making Sonic Woke.

In general, when fandoms get upset, they tend to want a scapegoat. A person or two to point a finger at and go "THAT's who ruined the thing I love!" This tends to be based less on reality and more on which contributors are the most visible online. You'll sometimes see teenage and adult fans of children's cartoons single out a storyboarder who's particularly vocal on Twitter, blame them for every story decision they don't like, and harass them off the platform out of a sense of retribution for their favorite ship or whatever. Failing that, fans might choose to blame every nitpick, down to individual lines of dialogue and frames of animation, on a showrunner, just because that's the name they associate with the show. And unfortunately, when it comes to Sonic, Ian is now arguably the most prolific and outspoken contributor on the English speaking internet, and therefore a common scapegoat.

Some of the things I've seen Ian blamed for are truly wild. A lot of people have claimed for YEARS that he's just lying about the existence of creative guidelines and restrictions from Sega - or, as fans call them, The Mandates - even though they're just an inherent aspect of working on a licensed property. Others claim that The Mandates are real, but somehow Ian's fault. A vocal minority of fans have convinced themselves that Ian is the sole reason the Freedom Fighters don't exist in the IDW comics, even though Ian says he's been pushing to bring them back since day one.

Sometimes you'll see people say he ruined shit he didn't even work on. A few weeks ago on Twitter I saw someone claim that Ian had written a rejected script for Sonic Forces in which Tails died. I could not find a source for this for the life of me. As far as I can tell, the rumor seems to have been born from an alleged leaked script for Forces with margin notes from Aaron Webber that criticized the way Tails was written, and also an old tweet where Aaron joked that Tails would die in an upcoming episode of Sonic Mania Adventures. These merged into "Aaron Webber criticized a draft of the Forces script in which Tails died." How'd Ian get dragged into this? Who fucking knows!

It's all just a big game of telephone. All it takes is some asshole to make something up about Ian on Twitter or YouTube or a DeviantArt journal or some forum, and at least a couple people will believe it, and then it gets repeated as fact. Again, this used to be contained by the niche nature of the Archie Sonic fandom, but now there are WAY more people who are receptive to this shit.

It's just sad to me that Ian tries to be so open and honest about his work, to try to explain the rationale for certain things, to keep fans looped in on the direction the franchise is headed, and this just gives the Flynnspiracy types more quotes to take out of context and try to paint him as the devil. If it sounds like I'm being overly defensive and dismissing his critics, man... some of the things I've seen people say directly to him are just unbelievable. People will send paragraphs-long angry screeds in to his podcast that completely tear him apart, and he has to sit there and be like "Well, that's your opinion, and you're entitled to it." People literally pay for special guest interview episodes where they just rapid fire complaints about his writing at him directly to his face. I don't know how he does it. I would snap.

All of this over Sonic the fucking Hedgehog of all things.

I don't know how to wrap this up. Engaging with fandoms online is very tiring, which is why I tend not to do it. Things like this are too common. I guess, just... remember that making art collaboratively is a complicated thing. The people involved are generally trying their best given the circumstances, but they're only human. They make mistakes. But please treat them like humans. Criticism and dogpiling are not the same thing.

[suffersinfandom]

Controversial opinion (?): the Kraken Era wasn’t all that dark.

There’s a lot of meta and fic out there that portray Ed as a bloodthirsty, hyperviolent monster, and when that portrayal is challenged, the rebuttal is usually along the lines of, “I’m just doing what canon did. Did you even watch the show? It's racist, not me!”

I did watch the show, and honestly? I went in expecting far worse based on meta and fic I read during the hiatus. When I see people say they didn’t think Ed did enough to redeem himself or that he went past the point of no return, I just don’t understand.

I already went into this in my way-too-long meta about Ed and abuse, but I do think it bears repeating (in a shorter post) because it seems like Ed’s actions -- more than the actions of any other character -- are scrutinized and discussed outside of the context of a comedy about pirates. There’s tons of casual violence in Our Flag Means Death. Sometimes the violence is even funny! 

So what does Ed actually do in the first episodes of season two?

We see Ed directly harm someone twice in the first two episodes: first on the wedding boat, and then when he shoots Izzy in the leg. Kind of unimpressive numbers, yeah? I'd expect more out of a heartbroken Blackbeard.

The first instance involves Ed shooting a man during a raid. That man has a sword through his chest before Ed fires, leading me to believe that Ed’s still following his season one pattern of keeping himself a step removed from murder (technically, the sword killed that guy). We also don’t see the murder happen; the man tumbles offscreen before Ed shoots. This makes the action less brutal. If the writers wanted us to be appalled by Ed’s violence, we would’ve gotten a graphic kill or several.

And the second instance is Izzy. Ed shoots Izzy in the leg after he suggests that the shitty atmosphere is because of Ed’s feelings for Stede. Hot take, maybe, but I don’t think that was entirely out of line. Ed’s feelings for Stede are not the only problem; a significant chunk of the problem is Izzy. Izzy called in the navy and led to their capture. Izzy threatened Ed back into the Blackbeard persona the last time Ed tried to talk things through, and that was without an audience of potential mutineers.

We’re also told that Ed has taken more of Izzy’s toes between seasons. This isn’t cool -- bosses definitely shouldn’t be asking for their employees’ toes -- but there is a precedent for it. In season one, Ed told Stede that he used to feed people their toes for a laugh (yuck). For a laugh. This, to me, implies that it’s not a huge deal. It’s certainly not completely unexpected pirate behavior, and it seems more lenient than a keelhauling or a whipping. I think both of those things would've felt far more gruesome and dark.

As far as violent actions go, that’s not a lot. Like, numerically.

Things get darker in S2E2 when Ed becomes increasingly desperate for someone, anyone, to send him to doggy heaven. He’s unhinged and working his way up to a murder-suicide before he’s stopped. He hacks the wheel right off of the ship and threatens to shoot the mast. He orders Archie and Jim to fight to the death. He ignores anonymous crewmembers as they’re swept overboard in the storm. This is bad! It’s self-destructive and selfish! But it's also tragic and human and understandable.

In my opinion, the worst thing Ed does in these episodes is force his crew to do violence for him -- not because it’s violence (again, they’re pirates), but because the violence hurts them. THIS is what traumatizes them. Their trauma flashbacks are scenes of them hurting others, not of Ed hurting them directly. Ed didn’t physically torture his crew (with the exception of Izzy, and that’s complicated). His crime was driving them to do one violent raid after another, killing and plundering without any joy or theatrics. Ed feels trapped in the role of Blackbeard -- the role that he’s been desperate to escape -- and, in his heartbreak, he opts to trap his crew with him. 

Yes, Ed is messed up in the first two episodes of season two. I don’t blame the crew for almost killing him; it’s what needed to be done. I think that Jim, Archie, Frenchie, and Fang had every right to want Ed gone after Stede’s return. 

But I don’t think that Ed was a super violent monster who tortured his crew and murdered his way through his breakup. He engages in very little onscreen violence, and the person that most of his violence is focused on -- Izzy -- is the same person who told him to be violent. I think that anyone who says that Ed’s actions in the first part of season two are extremely dark is either looking at them out of context, misremembering what actually happened and just recalling the dark tone, or working with some kind of motive.

In conclusion: Ed is a man who, at his very darkest, was still operating pretty firmly within the bounds of "stuff pirates do" (but not stuff Ed has historically done, presumably).

Also look at him. Thank you.

GIF by unearthlydust

EDIT: Read the reblogs for some amazing and more nuanced additions!

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

He is not the end-all-be-all to William that people keep making him out to be.

People are not making him that, it's William who is making him that!

If Kate can make a speech about Heads Together without mentioning Harry's name when he was definitely part of it then what's stopping William from doing the same?

Heads Together...you mean the charity that Kate dreamt up herself and onto which Harry only cosigned?

Please, anon. Tell me: how many times has William made Harry the center of his universe?

Because the examples you, and/or the anons who think like you, keep citing actually have bigger significance:

The Windsor Walkabout: William put country and his late grandmother's memory before himself.

Reposting birthday wishes: KP was following royal protocol. If they gave 40th birthday greetings to Meghan, they're going to do it for Harry.

Mentioning Harry in a recorded interview with other people present: WIlliam acknowleding Diana's influence and work to teach them about their privilege for helping others.

#Kategate and all the wild conspiracy theories: That had nothing publicly to do with Harry and William's choice not to have KP intervene had nothing to do with Harry.

So tell me. Fill me in. You're claiming to be the expert here, so you share your evidence. Cite your sources. When has William made Harry the endgame? When has William prioritized Harry over his wife and children?

Was it the time that William let Harry make all the decisions about George and Charlotte? (That didn't happen. What actually happened was that William confronted Harry and told him that George and Charlotte weren't his responsibility?

Was it the time William allowed Harry to visit Kate after her shocking hospitalization and cancer diagnosis? (He didn't and Harry told everyone that William wouldn't take his call.)

Was it the time that William confided in Harry about Kate's cancer diagnosis? (He didn't; Harry found out the same time as the rest of the world.)

Was it the time that William refused titles and styles for his children because Harry's children didn't get them automatically at birth? (That didn't happen.)

Was it the time that William/KP leaked how Meghan made Kate cry? (Because if William was prioritizing Harry, then he would've buried that story.)

Was it the time that William rescheduled his and Kate's garden party with the cousins so they could all go to Harry's Invictus Games thing? (That didn't happen.)

Was it the time William demanded the BRF let Harry and Meghan into the official procession for the 2020 Commonwealth Service? (Because that didn't happen. That's what Harry wanted - he wanted to be in the official procession and by William and Kate sitting down, they refused to give Harry want he wanted.)

Was it when William decided not to announce his own program in conservation and environmentalism after Harry announced Travalyst? (That definitely didn't happen.)

Was it when William declined to be in a heirs photo without Harry and Archie included? (That didn't happen.)

Was it when William moved his family back to central London from Norfolk because Harry was lonely and missed him? (That didn't happen.)

Was it when William forced Kate to reschedule Charlotte's christening so Harry could be there? (That didn't happen, and Harry missed the christening because he was seconded to Australia.)

Was it when Wiliam wanted Harry to be one of his kids's godfathers, who cares what Kate wanted? (That didn't happen; Harry isn't any of the kids's godfather, which is quite a statement to make. Neither are Pippa and James godparents for the matter, anyway.)

Was it when William cleared house and fired his entire press office because Harry had concerns they were leaking to Dan Wootton? (That didn't happen, and later, William actually promoted the person Harry accused of leaking.)

So tell me, anon. When, where, and how did William make Harry the end-all-be-all to his future monarchy?

[lumiilys]

Please consider the following:

Stede and Ed have finally settled in to the inn, it doesn't need any more major repairs and is starting to look quite cosy. Everything is going great!

One day Stede becomes very ill, to the point that he can't get out of bed or take care of himself properly. Ed is running himself ragged trying to take care of him on his own, not sleeping properly because he keeps waking up to check on Stede, terrified that something is going to happen to him while he sleeps. He isn't even able to go out and get supplies because he's terrified that something will happen to Stede while he isn't there.

Eventually food starts running low and Ed knows he'll have to make the long trek to town to get more and he's stressing the fuck out over leaving Stede alone like that.

After nearly a week of the illness the crew shows up unexpectedly, wanting to surprise Ed and Stede and congratulate them on their home. Except when they arrive they are greeted by an incredibly stressed and exhausted looking Ed who breaks down when he sees them.

Lucius (despite the fact that he and Ed haven't made up properly yet) is the one who takes him off somewhere quiet to calm down and explain what's going on. (I think that even though Lucius is still really hurt by what Ed did to him, he's had some time away from him to work out some of his feelings and he also recognises the severity of the situation. He still cares about Ed deep down and he was the one who was there for Ed at his lowest in s1 after all! Also i just miss their friendship!!)

Ed explains everything, how scared he feels that Stede is going to die, how alone he felt from not being able to ask anyone for help.

The crew, of course, immediately steps in to help so that Ed can finally get some rest. He knows Stede is in good hands with them.

Jim and Archie make the journey to the market in town to get some supplies, Roach takes over the cooking... Everyone finds some way to lend a helping hand!

After a few more days Stede starts to improve, he is finally able to get out of bed and wobble into the living room where he is immediately plopped into Ed's arms on the sofa by the fire. He gets lots of cuddles of course but he is also far less isolated in the living area than in the bedroom and is able to listen in on everyone's conversations and jokes.

The crew dotes on both of them until Stede has fully recovered <3 xoxoxo mwah

[areyoudoingthis]

you're genuinely missing out if you don't read stede as having a funky superpower that protects him from the horrors of the world when he's being true to himself and deserts him when he tries to emulate the idea of a man the world wants to impose on him.

he defeats the badmintons without trying because they're bullies and they're just plain wrong all the time. they attack everything that makes stede lovely: his tender heart, his love of soft things, his beautiful body. they mock him and they hurt him and they die for it practically without stede having to lift a finger. the narrative avenges him.

he bewitches ed body and soul without realizing he's doing it, just by being himself, because he's funny and sweet and he gets ed's love for the bit and he's the first person who's happy to join in on his silly games. also because he's kind and generous and an absolute bitch, and because he makes ed feel safe to let down his armor around him, which is the thing ed wants most in the world. and so ed rescues him from the firing squad, because stede's unwittingly earned his devotion.

he turns the crew's opinions about him around in a few weeks by telling them bedtime stories and doing the voices for them without shame, like they're his kids. he comes up with fun activities for them, encourages them to talk about their feelings and offers to share his books with them (not his clothes tho. he's silly and oblivious and a spoiled only child after all). so by the time the british show up they've started thinking maybe things are better this way, maybe stede's showed them a better way of living (olu knew all along because he's soft and smart too), and they rally to defend him.

he defeats a much more skilled and experienced swordsman by thinking on his feet and being whimsical, throws izzy off his game by smacking him in the ass with his sword instead of stabbing him because he knows he can't win, so he comes up with a tactic that has the most chances of success for him in the moment.

he rescues the crew from zheng's ship by knowing about chamomile (sure, jan) and being the congenial towel guy. he rescues the crew and everyone else again from ricky and his goons by making them play dress up, and it works!!!! (minus that one exception, you know). he has the situation under control with ned's gang within minutes just by listening and paying attention to the way they feel about him and his treatment of them. he knows exactly what to say to turn them around, compliments hellkat maggie so deliciously because he's a charming bastard at all times.

but he's lost the magical protection of his whimsical stedeness by turning against himself by the time he's picking a fight with zheng. he's spinning with unresolved trauma and heartbroken and probably exhausted and hangover by the time she tries to poach olu, jim and archie, and then she insults ed (not cool, girl), so he lashes out. he's not defending or protecting anyone this time, not his crew nor ed nor himself. zheng isn't a bully or a villain, she hasn't attacked anyone, only accidentally hurt his feelings. he's lost sigh of the goal that's driven him since the beginning of season 1. there's no ed by his side and he isn't running towards him, he's not working to make a nice, safe world for the people he loves either.

he felt attacked by low the previous night for not measuring up to the ideal of a man and a pirate that's constantly being dangled in front of him, and he triggered his most painful memories by killing him the way he did and then refused to deal with them, chose to overcompensate and throw himself wholly into pursuing that ideal instead. and this is the price he has to pay: his crew wants to leave with zheng and she humiliates him in public and kicks his ass (very cool, girl). every trick he tries to pull fails, like a wizard that's been cut off from his magic.

it's not until he's reorganized his priorities the next morning and he's back to being stede that things turn around for him (but not until he's near ed again, zheng still has to rescue him from the two british soldiers he tries to ambush). and even then he's not a perfect fighter, can fend for himself but needs help to pull his sword out of that one guy so he can run towards ed. and it's so important that he needs help and that he gets it. it's been stede against the world his whole life, and now he finally has allies and friends and a lover who will support him and fight for him.

[archieimagines]

Imagine ranting to Din while he repairs the Razor Crest.

finally, it’s written! this request has been sat on my list for a while, so to those who requested it, thank you for your patience! requested by: @ackermanbitch​ and an anon! written by: archie support me on ko-fi!

this is inspired by @yournewwriter‘s gentle prompts: moving you by the waist.

If there was one thing you could do, it was talk.

At first, Din hated it. He hated how you’d walked into the Crest like it was your home when he was only offering you a lift to a nearby system, he’d hated how you’d talked the whole time… and he hated how he’d accidentally grown fond of you.

He became glad to offer you a temporary place by his side when your situation shifted and you needed a residence, but there was no way he was expecting you to stick around for this long and still have so many stories to tell.

Somehow, tuning into your rambles both passed the time and helped him focus. He could fly easily with your words taking up a different space in his brain, and all the hours felt so much shorter, like he’d been travelling the universe beside you. You somehow kept him cheerful and engaged, even in the tough times. You had a natural knack for knowing what kind of story to tell, how to echo and fix his moods with your own experiences, which gave him an outlet for his own emotions. 

And that’s how it was right now, his mood utterly foul as he worked on repairing the Crest after a sticky run-in, but his scowl was placed on hold. Or at least, directed to Mr Narvo, your old, snail-esque colleague in that restaurant on Corellia.

“I swear, I hadn’t done a thing wrong. The order was correct, I did everything to match what the stupid customer had asked for, but he really just-- You know what?” You wandered by him as you talked, frustrated and pacing as all the irritation from working at that restaurant came right back. “I think he’d decided that it would be a bad day for me already. He slithered in and just knew he was gonna try and get me fired.”

You paused your pacing, facing the beskar-clad warrior as he retracted an arm from inside the ship’s panel.

“-And he just kinda blinked at me. You know that eye thing?” Your hands, which had been flapping around animatedly, lifted to hold invisible spheres above your head. “Like the antennae lean forward and just look at you and squint and- honestly it’s so annoying because I can feel how he’s judging me but like? At least my eyeballs aren’t half a metre above from my head, right?”

“Right,” came Din’s voice as he dipped into a toolbox, proceeding to reach back into the side of his ship and twist some valves. His voice was a dry monotone, but he hadn’t once told you to shut up yet, so that was all you needed to continue your spiel.

“Right! So I just- I don’t mean to be rude, but I kinda do- I couldn’t keep it in, okay?” Din halted your pacing and handed you the metal tool, reaching into the Crest again. “… I told him to go stick his eyeballs in the dishwasher.”

Din paused. He turned to look at you. You were almost sure he’d tell you that it was a low blow, or that it wasn’t worth such a threat, but his modulated voice rose with a question. “And did he?”

“Wh- No, Din. Why would he-“

He shrugged one shoulder, stepping away to rummage in the toolkit once more. “That guy was purposely villainizing you, day after day. The least he could do would be-“

“If the universe was a decent place he’d be blinking bubbles, I know,” you chattered on, wandering once again. “But unfortunately, the universe is horrible, Narvo is still out there terrorising colleagues and-“ You stopped dead, peering down at the helmeted man, busy with his tools. “He got me fired.”

Din stopped his hands, visor raised up at you. Of course you couldn’t see his expression, but you didn’t need to as his disbelief met your ears. “It worked?”

“I know!?” You toyed with the tool, the weight falling from hand to hand, gripping it with each as if to decide which hand would better suit hitting Narvo in the eyeball with it, mouth running a mile a minute all the while. “He went straight to the manager, clearly he’d been building up some bullshit case of all the things I’d apparently done wrong— which I always had a particular reason for, by the way, and they were never even against the rules—”

The irritation still buzzed in your veins, even if it was months ago. What started as your attempt to take Din’s mind off the frustration from a damaged ship had turned into a surprise therapy session that seemed to uproot some sort of inferiority complex, and now you were just airing out your issues without even being aware of Din bustling around you.

“Like, I’m a good worker, you know? I take pride in that because I actually care about what I put into the universe, I strive to make this shitty place better for the people, unlike Narvo. He was just there to feed his own-”

Gentle hands on your waist had you startled, and your gaze shot up to the visor, eyes wide and an unmistakable heat to your cheeks. He’d never touched you like this before.

You couldn’t help leaning into his hold, heart beating like crazy-

A gentle pressure from one hand had you stepping aside, and then it was gone.

He leant past you, reaching into the metal hood of the ship. You’d parked right in front of it without even noticing, far too wrapped up in the fury of your tale.

“Keep going,” he spoke, and you fumbled to find your words again, fiddling with the tool in your hands.

“Wh- What was I saying again?”

A gloved hand reached back to take the tool from your hands. “He was just feeding his ego by preying on you. It’s better to keep away from characters like that.”

Your stride finally came back to you and the story continued in your mind, but the sure flutter in your chest was going at full force. “Right, I learned that by now.”

“You want me to put a hit on him?”

You scoffed. “Din, please. …But if we stop off at Corellia, he’ll shit himself when he sees me with a Mandalorian.”

A soft breath of laughter, so quiet you almost missed it. “Then that’s our next stop.”

[sassyfrassboss]

So I have been following along quietly for a few months now. Not gonna lie, pretty burnt out on all of this. Pretty much at the point where the BRF needs to shit or get off the pot when it comes to Harry and Meghan. Strip the titles and give the US Gov a strict ultimatum, the UK or THEM. Take them off the royal website and shut down any and all connection to them for good.

I will tune in if there is a divorce. No way in HELL would I miss that. Especially since I have been dying for one since May 20, 2018.

As for the new book and Omid once again showing his true colors...yeah we all knew that was going to happen. I knew in advance this book was going to be a total dumpster fire and a pile on Kate. Don't need insiders or a psychic to tell me that...

However, it never crossed my mind he would claim Kate was one of the royal racists. I truly didn't think he, nor Meghan, would go that low. But alas, I was wrong.

I figured he would call out Charles as one of them but I thought he would claim William was the other.

Remember also, Meghan claimed that there were MANY conversations held regarding Archie, although according to Harry this was before Meghan was even pregnant and Meghan was never part of these conversations.

Back in 2018 before the wedding, we all know Kate was pregnant with Louis. Now I can see Harry inquiring about Kate's pregnancy and what it was like to prepare himself for future fatherhood. I can also see a conversation happening in regards as to who this potential baby would take after looks like since George looks like Mike Middleton and Charlotte looks like William. Heck, this conversation could have happened before he even proposed to Meghan.

What I can see happening is a casual conversation between Harry and Kate being mentioned to Meghan where Harry says "yeah we talked about what the baby would look like" and Meghan turning that into it being racist. Then over time the exaggerations begin and the next thing we know, Meghan has claimed on Oprah that skin tone was brought up and she was there...even though later corrected her saying it was before she was ever pregnant and she wasn't there.

So that's my thought on that...

As for Omid...

The biggest issue with him denying that he NEVER wrote the names of the royal racists and that it was a "translation error" is something he got right from the book of Meghan. Deny till you die or until they actually find proof you're lying.

Omid has already been caught lying under oath and he got a free pass. He is taking a page out of Meghan's book and expecting people to forget that he is a habitual liar or that he "misremembered" what actually happened.

However, we have the actual translator coming out and saying that the book she received included the names and that she did NOT mistranslate the book. All this woman needs to do now is show her copy of the manuscript she received (hopefully she still has it) and we have proof once again Omid lied.

Guaranteed though he will claim that the publisher must have been the one to change the manuscript and he is innocent...

Which either scenario leaves him without credibility or any future jobs because no publisher or network will touch him after this...

[rayslittlekitten]

Grumpy Old Man

A/N: Okay, so this is my first little Joel Miller fic. This was inspired by episode 3 +5. Just a fluffy little thing. Hope you enjoy!

Rating: G

Word Count: 974

Pairing: Joel Miller x GN! Reader

Plot: Your partnership with Joel evolves.

Warnings: None

You don’t think you’ve ever seen Joel not grumpy. It’s his norm. You can’t tell if it’s an old man thing or he’s just always been perpetually acutely miserable even before you met him. Either way, you find it adorable. And when you tell him that, the corners of his mouth dip down even more and at that point, you don’t know if he’s flirting with you or just emphasizing his discontent.

Joel is not an affectionate man and doesn’t really say or share much. You’ve tried to talk him to open up, but he quickly shuts down the conversation as soon as it gets too personal. You never really know what he’s thinking, but you always notice the little thoughtful things he does for you. Aside from protecting you, making sure you’re fed and have a safe space, he also has his own language of letting you know he cares in other ways.

You notice he usually gives you a bigger portion of food, especially if it’s something you like. Food is hard to come by so you always feel bad when he does that, but you would feign you've had enough to eat so you let him have the rest.

Every now and then when you both go scavenging, if he finds something he knows you'll appreciate, he'll throw it in his bag and gift it to you at a later time even though he's always told you to only take what's useful because you should travel light. To him, anything useless regardless of how small it was, was just wasting precious space.

Says the man who found a stash of worn out Archie comic books, which you once mentioned you enjoyed reading growing up, and quietly shoved them into your backpack when you weren’t looking, probably while you were asleep when he kept watch. He doesn't feel an obligation to you nor distrust you, but for his peace of mind, there are some nights he feels safer keeping an eye open.

Another time, you had found your worn down boots replaced with a newer pair.  Joel apparently found a decent pair your size and swapped them out with the ones you've been trekking everywhere with for a while. The rubber soles were thinning and the one was only staying on the bottom of the shoe because of duct tape. When you made a joke about them not being your favorite color, he said he had checked and that was the only option.

You thank him every time for the small gestures, but he always just grunts and brushes them off or changes the subject. The man of a few words sure says a lot through his actions and tonight is no different.

The temperature had dropped drastically and there wasn't much to keep warm except for two dinky little sleeping bags. A fire was out of the question, not wanting to draw any attention. Joel didn't seem so keen on the idea at first, but he had suggested to use each other’s body heat to stay warm. This is the first time the two of you have ever been so physically close together, aside from that one time he pinned your body against a concrete wall and clamped his hand over your mouth to quiet you to avoid being caught by FEDRA when a trade between your crew and his went sour because you all were at the wrong place at the wrong time. FEDRA had raided the abandoned, decrepit building that was once an elementary school and everyone scattered and ran, but you and Joel were the only ones who escaped as far as you both knew. Joel doesn't take on strays, but having already been acquainted, the two of you stuck together ever since to increase your chances of survival.

It was a bit awkward at first, as the both of you have always remained platonic and only saw each other as allies but you'd be lying if you said there isn't some tension between you two. The more time you spent with him, the more you started looking at him differently, and sometimes you think he senses a change as well, but it's hard to read Mr. McMoodypants.  Whether it's human nature, convenience, or just having no one else but each other, this partnership seems to be breaching companionship.

You're both snug inside a large sleeping bag that he merged together with the two. Your backs are right up against one another which seems silly since it defeats the purpose of keeping each other warm, but he could still be crabby about that comment you made about him being adorably grumpy. Trying to get into a more comfortable position, you turn over and curl up behind him. You rest your hand on his waist and feel him stiffen underneath it for a second. After a few seconds, you feel him grab your hand to bring it up to his chest. His fingers interlace with yours and you press yourself closer to him, basking in the warmth his back is radiating. You can feel his heart slowly beating beneath his cozy flannel.

"Who knew the grumpy old man has a warm heart," you joke.

Joel lets out a deep sigh and ignores you.

After a few quiet moments, you check to see if he's still awake.

"Joel?"

"You're a few words away from getting kicked out of this sleeping bag so choose your next words wisely," he responds, staying in the same position.

You can't help but smirk. He's as grumpy as he gets.

"Good night." You strain your neck to give enough reach to boldly plant a kiss on his cheek before finally settling in.

A few seconds later, Joel surprisingly brings your hand up to his lips and kisses your fingers, his beard tickling you.

"Good night." 

[stevethehairington]

begin again au where eddie is a singer songwriter who moves to new york with his singer songwriter boyfriend, who recently got "discovered" when his song was put in a movie.

said boyfriend has an affair with someone on his team from the label, and eddie dumps him on the spot and stays with chrissy for the night because he has nowhere else to go.

chrissy drags him to a local dive bar for an open mic night, and she pushes him to get up onstage where he sings one of his newer songs.

it gets a lukewarm reaction from the crowd, barely any reaction actually, but eddie doesn't care. it's whatever.

except, as he's slumping back onto his stool, he's approached by this guy. this beautiful beautiful guy who sort of looks a little worse for wear and absolutely, definitely is drunk because he starts going on and on about how incredible eddies song was and how great his voice is and how he hears things, hears whole arrangements, and that's what he heard with eddies song. he tells eddie he's a music producer, that he wants to sign eddie.

eddie doesn't believe him. tells him he doesn't want to be signed anyways.

this guy — steve, his business card says — accepts the rejection, and leaves. but then when eddie himself finally decides to leave the bar, steve's outside, like he was waiting for him. here he admits that he couldn't actually sign eddie even if he wanted to, and explains how he basically just got fired from his label and that's how he ended up at the bar, drinking himself into a stupor.

they hit up another bar together, and get to chatting some more, about music, about their careers. and at the end of the night, steve proposes signing eddie again, tells him he can make it happen if he really wants it. eddie makes a promise that he'll call steve the next day to let him know what he decides.

the next day rolls around and eddie calls. he tells steve's he's in. so steve picks him up and steve takes him to his label and he has eddie play for his boss — who tells steve he's just not into it. steve pitches they get eddie in the studio, get him some back up instruments to really get the full vision he heard in the bar, find someone who will produce it and then give it a new listen with fresh ears. his boss tells him they don't make demos, so come back with a real one yourself and we'll talk.

steve's disappointed by that, but he's not going to let that discourage him. he and eddie get coffee after and steve's thinking a mile a minute, tells eddie fuck that they don't need a demo, they don't even need a studio. all they need is eddie, his guitar, and the city. they'll record outside, right here in the city — a whole album, every song in a new location.

and eddie — he fucking loves the idea.

they get chrissy to help with the recording, and they comb the city for musicians. they find gareth on the drums, jeff with his bass, archie with his guitar. lucas with his cello, erica with her violin. robin with her trumpet. dustin with his keyboard. one by one they fold them into this project, add them to their band.

they record in alleyways, on rooftops, in parks, in the subway, all over the city. they use the background noise to their advantage. they make fucking magic with it.

along the way, of course, eddie and steve fall in love.

when they finish the album, they meet with steve's old boss again, who loves what they've done. eddie demands he give steve his job back and for a bigger share in the deal. but steve's boss isn't down for that, as great as their album is.

when all is said and done, eddie decides he doesn't care if he's been signed or not. he decides to distribute the album online for $1. steve calls in a favor from an old friend, an old journalist friend who's known for her honest music reviews, who has a pretty big following because of it, and she — nancy — helps promote the album. she gets the word out, and they release the album.

and it does fucking incredible.

and it's all thanks to steve. and the beautiful record they created together. the beautiful journey they went on together.

in the end, eddie doesn't care that this whole thing didn't work out the way he'd hoped it would at the start of this all because, well, he's had the fucking time of his life making this album, and he's made so many friends along the way, and he — he's fallen in love. and it's the best thing thats ever happened to him. steve is the best thing that's ever happened to him.

he couldn't be happier.

[crow-aeris]

My take on the Pokemon/Batman thing

Listed here are Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Jason, and Tim! Damian, Steph, Cass, and Duke will be listed in a second part

Bruce: He's a RICH mf, so his pokemon, especially those he's has since childhood, are all pedigree

Growlithe/Arcanine | "Ghost" - Bruce was gifted Ghost by his parents for his sixth birthday. He named the growlithe "Ghost" after the Gray Ghost, a show Bruce and Thomas Wayne watched when he was younger

Eevee/Flareon | "Blaze" - Bruce finds an eevee during one of Gotham's coldest winter. The eevee was crouched over his owner, who had died from hypothermia. Bruce, as Batman, contacted the authorities and they took the eevee to a shelter (ig?). Later on, the eevee escapes the shelter, evolves into flareon, and hunts Bruce down-refusing to leave his side. (The eevee elvolved into flareon because he never wants to see another person suffer from the cold.) Blaze joins Batman on patrols, especially during the winter, where he huddles up next to those in need until Batman can reach them and direct them to safety.

Riolu/Lucario | "Valor" - Bruce receives an egg while training with the LOA, which hatches into a Riolu, whom Bruce names Valor. Valor helps locate victims and people in need before guiding Bruce to them.

Absol | "Omen" - Bruce finds Omen, or rather, Omen finds Bruce during a Gala. The absol was rushing around, trying to warn people of danger while the elites were trying to call security to have the absol removed. Bruce saw Omen and remembered their ability to predict disaster, and pulls a fire alarm to force everyone out of the building. Soon after, a bomb goes off and everyone escapes safely. The absol follows Bruce home and refuses to leave, thus forcibly becoming a member of Bruce's party.

Aegislash | "Rex" - A gift given to Bruce by Ra's al Ghul, almost a promise or acknowledgement of sorts. Rex hovers behind Batman on patrol, watching his back and protecting him against attacks

Honorable mentions: Ampharos (a beacon of light admist darkness), whom I wanted to include, but decided not to. Umbreon (because angst), but I decided flareon would be better. Dratini (elegant af and cool-looking), but didn't really fit the story I wove.

Alfred: He worked in the british military, so his pokemon would mostly be centered around that era

Fletchling/Talonflame | "Sprite" - Alfred was given fletchling when he was but a young lad living in Brighton. He called the fletchling "what a spritely lad", and so the fletchling- now a talonflame who's gone through war with him- only responds to Sprite/Spritely

Blissey | "Madame" (Missy by the Batkids) - Alfred found Blissey at the manor's doorsteps soon after Bruce lost his parents. He'd expected the pokemon to leave soon after, but the Blissey stuck around. Alfred called her Madame as a joke, but the name stuck around. She can usually be found following Alfred around the manor while doing chores, or helping in the cave after patrol

Sobble/Inteleon | "Lad" - Alfred found a sobble during war times, and he felt bad for the lad. The sobble stuck around, and Alfred never found it necessary to leave the sobble behind, and so it eventually evolved into Inteleon and helped Alfred in his soldier days. Eventually, they all retired, and so Lad helps his trainer around the manor, and indulges the children whenever they ask Lad to shoot an empty can or something. This is another case of accidentally naming a pokemon, because the name "Lad" just stuck

Slurpuff | "Buttercream/Butter" - A gift given to Alfred by an old fried. Butter helps him bake and cook, and can also help detect lies! Butter is beloved by all within the household

Minccino | "Argentum/Archy" - Alfred found Argentum abandoned while on a grocery trip, and took the little guy in. Archy helps Alfred clean around the manor, and loves to fuss over the kid's rooms and hair (especially Tim's)

Honorable Mentions: Sinistea, because i was REALLY tempted to make a HAHA BRITISH joke, Drampa, because HAHA OLD.

Dick: Our favorite circus boy!

Pidgey/Pidgeot | "Skyler" - Skyler was the chick of his parents' Pidgeots, and she trained alongside him basically since birth, and she was there with him when Dick's parents died

Poplio/Primarina | "Poppy" - He was given poplio during his time in the circus, and he named him poppy as a pun! When Poppy evolved into Primarina, it was right after Dick found out about Jason's death, so it was... an experience

Zorua/Zoroark | "Monsieur Fox/Foxy" - Dick found Zorua while in his tenure as Robin, and the pokemon just stuck around. The name Monsieur Fox started as a joke, but Dick shortened it to Foxy when zorua refused to respond to anything else. Foxy helps alot during undercover/recon missions, and the other batkids would occasionally ask to borrow him for a mission or another

Eevee/Espeon | "Amy" - Dick helped Bruce rescue Amy from a pokemon trafficking thing, and Blaze adopted the eevee before ANY of them had a say. Amy evolved alongside Dick, the pair growing together into Espeon and Nightwing [insert something poetic and symbolic]

Honorable mentions: Chatot, because have you SEEN dick? He's a chatty little fucker as robin, and Chatot would make him that much more insufferable. Swablu/Alteria because I think dick deserves a dragon-dancing, party-sweeping alteria 😔

Jason: Our favorite dead robin :3

Vulpix/Ninetales | "Annabeth" - Jason found vulpix when he was younger, just before Catherine died. She would try and defend him whenever Willis got violent, but the man's Kingler would easily overpower her. Jason named her Annabeth after his personal hero, Annabeth Chase :3

Eevee/Glaceon | "Belle" - Jason found Belle rummaging in a trashcan. He felt bad for her and took her in, naming her after Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Belle evolves into Glaceon in the winter after Jason's death. She sat in the snow, refusing to come inside until she evolved into Glaceon (this highlights the fire/ice duality between Jason and Bruce, and how after his death, Jason grows colder towards Bruce and their ideals and way of controlling crime differs so drastically that it resembles fire and ice)

Honedge/Aegislash | "Alexander" - Jason received a shiny honedge as a "gift" from Talia. In order to be allowed to keep it, Jason had to convince the pokemon of his worth, fighting alongside it until it evolved into Aegislash. He named it Alexander after Alexander the Great.

Zorua/Zoroark | "Marley" - Jason receives a hisuian Zorua a year before he returns to Gotham as red hood. He accepts him partly as a taunt because Dick has a zoroark, but Jason's zoroark was a ghost type (A once-departed soul, returned to life in Hisui. Derives power from resentment, which rises as energy atop its head and takes on the forms of foes. In this way, Zorua vents lingering malice. -Legends Arceus. Departed soul? Dead? Get it, Jason? HAHA). He names his zorua after Jacob Marley, from a Christmas carol (Because not only is Jacob marley a ghost, has a J name, but also comes back to warn Scrooge to change or else little timmy will die (telling bruce he has to change before TIM will die (omg i'm a genius)))

Honorable mentions: Leafeon was my first choice when it came to Jason's eevelution, but it didn't really match. Next was houndour/doom because i wanted Jason to meet it while on the streets, but decided otherwise. And then a shiny magikarp/garydos, but decided against. Same with tyranitar and garchomp. Sure, they might be cool and powerful, but i don't think Jason would actively take in pokemon especially after his death, the only exception being Marley. Plus, those pokemon are typically seen as angry and uncontrolled, and I wanted to depict Jason as more cunning, sharp- a strategist willing to get his hands dirty rather than a brainless brute who ONLY wants his dad's approval

Tim: Another rich mf!

Vulpix/Ninetails | "Aurora" - Tim gets Aurora, a shiny vulpix, as his first pokemon, a gift from his parents after their trip to japan. (You bet your ass Aurora and Annabeth have met before, which is why Annabeth refuses to fight Aurora, even when Jason orders her to. the two vulpixes use to sneak out at night and play together :3)

Eevee/ Umbreon | "Selene" - Tim wanted to be just like his heroes, and begged his parents for an eevee. They decided to give him a well-bred and pedigree shiny eevee (their son deserves the BEST). Nyx evolves into an umbreon while he and Tim were chasing after robin with a camera, and Tim decided to change her name from Silver, to Selene

Munna | "Remmy" - After Brucequest and his time after Ras and Paris, Tim gets horrible nightmares. Dick gives him a munna to try and help Tim sleep better. He was initially distrustful, but after a while, he grows to accept her into his life. He named her Remmy after REM sleep

Archen/Archeops | "Iggy" - Tim finds a plume fossil while working with Ra's. He revives it before evolving it into Archeops. They work together to catch criminals, with Archeops chasing it down on the streets while Tim pursues from the roofs.

Noibat/Noivern | "Mya" - Tim finds an injured noivern as Robin, and nurses it back to health. He tries to release him into the wild, but the noivern came back, and Tim couldn't find it in him to abandon the little guy. He names him Mya, short for Myotis, the genus for bats

Honorable Mentions: Altaria, becuase i ALSO want him to have a sweeper, but sadly no. I debated on giving him Zorua, but I felt like it was getting repetitive, and decided against it. Corvidknight too, but i thought it wouldn't have matched

As mentioned above, next part will include Steph, Damian, Cass, and Duke :3

Here's part 2!

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

When we see Ed react with violence, it's almost always because of real or threatened violence against people he cares about.

When he killed his dad, we're shown his dad hitting his mother - that was, in the framing of the show, very much set up as Ed's final straw. When he punches Izzy in s1e9, it's while Stede is standing in front of a firing squad directly because of Izzy's actions. When Izzy is confronting him in s1e10, Ed lets it go so long, continuing to try to de-escalate even after Izzy has told Ed he should've let the English kill him and he'd be better off dead - it's Izzy mocking him by saying he's "pining for his boyfriend," mocking not just Ed but Stede, too, that finally gets him angry enough to retaliate. When Ed shoots Izzy in s2e1, it's because Izzy had the absolute gall to blame Ed's self-destructive spiral on "his feelings for Stede Bonnet." When Ed kills the English officers during s2e8, it's his very obviously thinking about Stede in danger that pushes him to go retreive the Blackbeard outfit and take it up as a symbol of protection, now, rather than violence.

Ed, generally speaking, is pretty slow to anger. Almost every time, we see him attempting to de-escalate a situation before he gets visibly angry. But the one thing that will get him angry consistently is hurting people he loves, or trying to use his love for them as a way to mock him.

And I'm thinking about how, when Ed's decided to commit suicide, when he's decided he's going to try to get the crew to kill him, the first thing he does is try to make Jim and Archie fight and goads them about how "all love dies!" Because, to him, that's a death-penalty level offence. That's what would get him to kill him.

It says so much about Ed, that the worst thing he can think of is making someone hurt someone they love.

[keelt9]

Chapter 10 (Final)

A/N: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. 🧡

I’ve been thinking about an epilogue but I don’t know, I don’t want to mess up anything, so I’ll keep that in mind.

I’ll write to you soon.🧡

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Masterlist

The fireworks it's my item on the photo wall. Now every photo on my wall, metaphorically or literally has a firework on it.

"Ready?" Mom softly knocks my door perking in it. 

It's the conference game for the championship, Joe didn't have to ask if I was going to be there or not. 

"Yes, one second." I just revealed new photos for my wall and my favorite by far is the one his mother took from us playing under the moonlight in his parents backyard, a lot of snowballs.

Archie it's definitely at the limit of his excitement. Joe insisted we must watch the game from the box, so each second Archie expanded his smile. By the half of the game the Bengals were up by a touchdown and my throat feels pretty sore already.

All week Joe has been fully focused and still makes his time to call me from time to time, both of us have been busy with work lately.

"There you are!" Leah raises her phone, a picture of me chatting with Joe in his warm ups appears on the screen. "Joe Burrow's girlfriend on the field in a lovely moment."

I chuckle because the photograph took pretty well the angle of my kissing his lips as he pulls me by my waist.

"Joe definitely will want that." Mrs. Burrow hugged me with a proud smile.

The last quarter was a cardiac one; Bills came closer to them leaving them the Bengal up just for one point and our faces speak for ourselves, we're dying of nervousness.

A turnover of B.J let them keep the ball for the rest of the quarter, if the OL kept him covered he would work to increase the difference of points. Joe scanned the field with urgency feeling already tackles over him, he threw a dime finding Chase but with our bad eyes it seems he didn't get the ball before fall.

"I can't see." I hid on Peter's shoulder covering my eyes, hearing the awful silence.

>IT GOT HIM! First and goal for the Bengals. 

The crowd in Paycor turns wild; when I lift my eyes, Joe is totally fired up, he just has to do what he knows, be him.

The final score light on 31-24, they're the Champions of the AFC one more time; in the box screams and claps couldn't wait. Neither I, who runs down to the field, can't wait for him.

As I reached the field a lot of family and friends were coming too. Among the crowd cameras and reporters I found Joe congratulating Zach, by the time he opened his eyes I was already waiting for him.

"Babe!" He let his helmet go down and lift me in a big hug. "You did it!" 

He breathes in on my neck as I close my eyes feeling so distant the noises and cameras of us. 

"Go, I just want to hug you but people are waiting for the champions." He chuckles, kissing me deeply.

"Don't you dare to move from here." He said point where I'm standing. "Love you!"

Seeing him standing with a trophy however looking for me in the crowd confirms, some risks are totally worth it.

Pam surprised me with balloons falling from the door, a cake in her hands and a loud “Happy birthday!”

“Make a wish!” I close my eyes blowing the candle. “Yeah.” Pam leaves the cake on my desk and hugs me softly.

“Thank you.” I hug her and I see the bag on my chair. “Pam.” 

“Open it. I hope you like it.” I took the bag immediately and I knew what it was.

“Oh my, you don’t have too.”

Months ago when we were doing our Christmas shopping I saw an old camera in an antiquity store. I refused to buy it because the shoppings was left me without money but Pam has a good memory.

We chat a while before we have to come back to work about my plans for the day and if my family is coming.

“You’re parents?” I shake my head. My parents want to come but in 3 weeks I have a Monday off so I decided to go home for the weekend. “Peter is out of question, kid in the school. Joe?”

After the loss of the Super Bowl, Joe decided to spend that week alone. He explained to me right now, not even from himself is the most nice company and doesn't want to ruin my birthday. That’s the issue, the SB, turns out to be a weekend before your birthday.

“Joe is busy with all the post things game.” I tried not to sound concerned but Pam knows me well.

“Still mad?” Pam sits one more time. 

“It’s not mad, he has been a little too hard on himself.” The knock on my door interrupted our talk.

In the door appear a big bouquet of flowers and a balloon, and an amazing writer holding them.

“Happy birthday!” Lucy enters pulling her boyfriend who is holding a box with a big ribbon on the top of it. 

“Lucy! I thought you'd come until next week.” I stand for she and her boyfriend wish me a happy birthday. 

“I am, this is a small…” She thinks in her words. “Stop.” 

Her boyfriend laughed and explained she didn't want to miss my birthday even if it’s just for giving me a hug.

“I hope you like it, if Lucy gave enough time, I could do something better.” I open the box inside an embroidered sweater with my favorite colors. 

After all it seems it’s going to be a good day. “It’s fantastic and the flowers, perfect, thank you so much.”

Claire orders me that if I don't take the day of my birthday at least I should go home earlier and rest, but Lucy warns me about something she will bring and I want to progress in all I can. By 7 pm, I found Claire leaving the office too. She scolded me about not leaving earlier, and still she wished me a happy birthday.

“I’m talking seriously Y/N, the food will arrive at your apartment. I’ll know if you don’t go right there.” Claire “threatened” me with her cellphone while walking to her car. “Don't make me take away your promotion.” I giggle, waving my hand to the other side of the parking lot.

As I get in the elevator I keep replaying the video of Archie singing me a happy birthday as my brother plays the piano and Nora signs along with him too; at the end Archie walks closer to the camera holding it blowing a kiss, “I love you aunt” was the last thing you could hear.

Probably I should do what Claire told me and leave earlier for rest; my neck is really tense, while I walk to my apartment I grab it and move in circles trying to make it more loose.

Inside a warm light it’s in the middle of the hallway, as you walk closer you can see it’s a cupcake with a candle.

“I’m sorry that is not enough, right?” Joe appears in one of the doors of the bedroom, puffy eyes sing that he probably hasn’t slept well. 

I choke my head and open my arms. “Isn’t even necessary, I understand.” Joe sighs deeply. “However, I don't mind a birthday hug.” 

Joe chuckles and lifts me in one big hug, hiding his face on my neck. “Happy birthday babe.” He whispered to me.

"I need that photo." After a long days of endless activities Joe finally has a day of rest before another week of meetings and talks begins.

"That's mine, sorry." I show him the new pictures on my wall, especially the one of the warm ups of the Championship.

It’s late at night, Joe had me next to him, my legs over his lap. In a quick move he tried to take the photo of my hands so now I'm completely under him. 

"Ok, ok, god, you're heavy! But one condition." He narrowed his eyes. 

"Anything." A mischievous smile makes him choke his head, grabbing my things as he sits back with me in his laps.

"No! It's not that! Oh my god!" He clicked his tongue. "Be serious with me.”

Joe shakes his head and nods. "Don’t be so hard on you." Joe grabs my face pulling out foreheads closer.

"I love you." He kisses my lips then looks straight to my eyes; I see his blue eyes full of love. 

I kiss his forehead. "I love you too.” I take a deep breath grabbing his face. “You know I do anything for that smile right?" 

"Yes ma'am, now give me the photo." I laughed and gave him the photo winning a breathless kiss.

The next morning Joe was surprised about the fact I actually didn't take a day off for my birthday not before and of course not after it.

“But it’s your birthday.” I’m searching my blazer in the closet as he follows me like a lost puppy. 

“Was, it was my birthday.” I found it. “I have to go, but hey, in 3 weeks I have a day off and I’ll be Cinncinati, ok?”

I give him a peck before going. “No, no, no, wait.” He grabs my hand. “Are you sure? I mean…” He tosses his hair. “I have to go this afternoon, I was expecting to celebrate…”

“I promise, now I have to go or I’ll be late.” I check my watch. “Love you!” I scream before closing the door Joe pouting waving his hands.

Like Lucy promised, as soon as she “officially” came back, she entered my office with papers of multiple colors in her hand; she said she had a lot of ideas but nothing clear, so she was hoping for a helpful eye. That’s how I spend 3 weeks between Lucy’s work and a few manuscripts I have to deliver to Claire.

“Anyway, I’ll be a call away, ok?” It’s my last call of the day. “Yes, Lucy, I got it.” Pam enters her purse on her shoulder ready to go. “Ok, bye.”

I laid back in my chair hearing Pam giggle. “Are you leaving today?” I move my finger, yes.

I bought my ticket for the middle night, hoping to spend a little bit more time with Joe but out of the blue he has to do his chek ups out of Cincinnati, he expects to be there in 2 days.

“My bags are there.” I point to the corner of my office, Pam laughs. “I’ll call a cab after going to dinner.”

“Let’s go, this is on me.” Pam stands grabbing my bags. 

In the elevator both of us realize this is the first time she and I take an extra day at the same time. 

“You think Clare is going to be fine?”  Pam asks, we look at each other and chuckle.

By the morning, I have 6 hours of sleep and a stomach growling. When I go down I see my parents making breakfast.

“What are you doing here?” Mom scoffed at me moving around the kitchen.

“Good morning to you.” Dad laughs taking out from the oven bread for sandwiches. “The coffee shop has a little issue.” 

I look at them, dad nods and clarify. “We’re painting so it’s been closed for a couple of days, nothing serious.” 

Mom put a plate with fruit in front of me. “What are your plans for the day?” I sit turning around in the stool.

“I was expecting to have a full day with my boyfriend, then go to have dinner with Leah but apparently they’re busy.” My days off aren't going as I plan. “So nothing, do you have something in mind?”

My parents look at each other like they’re in trouble. “You have plans, right?”

“Mrs. Carmichael, invite us to domino night, so we’re hoping…not it’s ok we can cancel it.” I shake my head, I don’t want to ruin my parents night.

“No, please go, I’ll find out what to do. Tomorrow we can spend the day together.” My dad kissed the top of my head. 

“We hope that.” I narrowed my eyes, they probably had plans too.

My day passed watching old films, cleaning my old room and sleeping from time to time; my parents were ready to go around 9 pm, arguing about something in the coffee shop.

“You should check it before closing.” Mom complains coming downstairs.

“I’ll go and meet you with Mrs. Carmichael, don’t worry.” Dad tried to calm her but her eyes only scream more anger.

I roll my eyes. It seems I finally have the chance to do something else. “What happened?”

Mom sighs. “Your dad forgot the keys of the house in the coffee shop and guess what? Yes, from the car too.” 

Mrs. Carmichael doesn’t live more than 2 blocks away, so her anger must be because they have to wake me up to getting in. 

“It’s all right, I will go for them, besides I want to have dinner outside.” Mom was about to complain. “I’ll go change and go, don’t worry.” 

I ran upstairs and didn't give them time to replay something. “My keys are on the table next to the door!” 

As I get down from the cab I notice the curtains down but still, a glimpse of light, if dad leaves the light on and mom finds out, he will be in trouble. I shake my head and giggle as I walk to the door.

But there were no bright lights on as I think, it was a new type, small light bubbles hanging in the ceiling, and a few papers too. As I walk closer the bubble lights help to see there aren't papers hanging on the wall, it’s actually polaroids.

“What the…” I grab one and turn around, the photo is me and Joe, laughing with the Christmas tree at our back. The second one I grab it’s us in pjs watching movies on his sofa. The third one is a selfie he took, me at his back reading some papers.

Then a soft music is heard on the piano, “Enchanted”; at the window Joe is sitting there playing the piano, above him three small light bubbles hanging from the ceiling. He turns slightly, smiles at me and turns back and keeps playing until the last notes.

I clap for him as he recalls sitting with a slight tremble in his hands. 

“Beautiful.” I raise my sight seeing the ceiling cover with photos. “All of it.”

Joe chuckles. “Even so, I’m hoping to get my favorite one soon.” 

“Is it not here?” I narrow my eyes, he shakes his head pointing to the back, at the other side of the coffee shop.

“There is a peek of what I want. The one with the red ribbon.” I smile at him walking where he’s pointing.

On the way I saw a lot of photos I had never seen before, some taken by him and others, probably a good contribution of friends and family.

I see the red ribbon. “This one?” Turning around to face him, he nods. 

In the photo, I can see Joe in a jewelry shop looking at something in the glass cabinet, full focus.

“Mhm, new diamonds?” I don’t understand. “Hey, I love how that sunglasses looks on you.” 

I take a closer look at the photo, slowly noticing the details. “No…This is not, rig…”

I see what he wants me to see.

Joe is standing in front of me with a black velvet box biting his lips; my hands start to shake as any coherents words come, just mumblings keeping my fingers stuck to my lips. 

“Joe?” He giggles and opens it, inside there is a ring that emits a soft golden glow.

The band is simple and elegant with clean lines, at the center a captivating tanzanite sparkles, its blue-violet hues shifting with the light. .

“Will you marry me?” I cover my face sitting on the floor, he laughs and sits in front of me too.  

I asked him with tears in my eyes. “What should I do?”

Joe shuggers his shoulders. “A yes will be an amazing answer.” I look at him, he chuckles. “But it’s your choice after all.”

I hug him so tight as he extends his legs for I can sit on his lap, feeling his heartbeat so fast, it just feels like being at home, safe and protected.

“Are you going to put it on my finger or what?” I laugh and split slightly, facing him. “Yes, I will.”

In Joe's face appears a side to side smile and a tear roll from his face, he grabs my hand and puts the ring on kissing my lips, in a tender way.

“This fits perfectly.” I said to him looking at my new ring. 

“Thank god because Chase was pretty judgy that day.” Both of us laugh. The idea of him and Joe searching for a ring is hilarious.

“I actually didn’t mean the ring.” He narrowed his eyes. “Well, I got a promotion, in which Claire said I can work remotely if I want too.” His eyes are bright. “Don't be over excited, I still have to go to the office frequently.”

He grabbed my face and kissed me one more time. “So, Joe Burrow, will you be my home?”

Joe bites his lip, tingles his finger with mine. “Always.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Almost forgot, any request, it’s now open.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

This is a response to the precious anon, who may be new to royal watching or mayhave forgotten how things went down in real time when meghan and Harry were still working royals.

(If you, RTA, this is unnecessary, then please feel not to publish this. I do not mean to step on your toes here)

1. Sara Latham - At the time of Archies birth, it has been widely reported, and both H&M have confused thsleves, that no one knew anything at all about the how or when. They kept it a secret from their teams as well. They only told some members of their team once he was born and they were all safely back at FrogCott. Reportedly, Sara Latham only knew after abt 6hrs after he was born. And they gave orders to tell the public that she was in labour. While the news about her being was being broadcast, the media and sussex team got to know that the baby had actually been born and they were already back home. We all saw the confusion play out in real time.

At that time, there was a huge panic bcz it have looked like the couple had deliberately recieved the media, public and their teams. This may be bcz they were worried about security and leaks. But curiously, Gayle king and her team (US media) were in London at the time to cover this. So they at least knew. The Sussexes had made a deal with them that they would be giving them an exclusive breaking news.

During the panic, when the palace gpt to know that the baby announcement was planned to break on US media, they stepped in and stopped it. They vetoed Meghan's wishes and made Harry do the birth announcement himself, alone infront of the stables.

This is where Harry made a gaff and infamously said he didn't know yet whom the baby looked like because "babies change so much in two weeks". Again, I and many others saw this in real time. It was quickly edited by the next day (apparently)

Sara Latham had to take the blame and fall on the sword and became a scapegoat. The couple blamed her and did not take any responsibility for the way the news broke. Agreeably, they were busy with the parents. But Sara had to deal with the media and most people in the know felt bad for her for the way she was treated and thrown to the wolves.

It wasn't much of a palace-susseex misunderstanding because the couple had long planned to do an exclusive relveal with Gayle and had even arranged for a photocall at Windsor. This again was vetoed by the palace, and 1 cameraman and 1 British reporter along with 1 American was the compromise reached. This is the white coat dress Windsor photocall that happened.

2. About the way Meghan spun this in the Oprah interview - She, as is her habit, trying to clap back at the criticism she recieved for the way they handled the birth story.

You also have to remember that Sara Latham was one of the women who were bullied and filed a complaint against her. She was part of the sussex survivors club and participated in the bullying investigation. She was also probably really treated badly, to the extent that the Queen absorbed her in her own household as a compensation after being fired post megxit.

So, Meghan in typical Meghan fashion was throwing her team underbus for mishandling the situation. It'sy person opinion that a lot of what she said about the royals and her own team was because she was officially called out by them. She was getting back at them and blaming them for her failures.

3. Archies security: Both his parents had round the clock RPOs. So it wasn't about security. It was about securing his HRH Prince Archie of Susses title before megix to gain maximum clout once they reached Hollywood. Again, this reportedly vetoed by the palace. He already had the best security. And after megxit, he would continue to have security as long his parents have security, which they do to this day. Harry's old RPO from his royal days still works for him. He is often seen in pictures with HnM. He was also seen him the Canada pics. So Archie did have security.

They offered to let him use his secondary title but Meghan threw a fit because she thought it had the word "dumb" in the name. She did not get what she wanted. So she then spun this as racism in Oprah.

She said herself, they could have changed the protocol and tradition for him because he was the first biracial grandchild, but they didn't want to do that. As in,she expected them to capitalise on his biracial heritage for PR brownie points like she wanted to use. When they did not listen to her, she said it was racism to get back at them.

Thanks for chiming in!

[forpiratereasons]

okay I'm with you the "forgiveness does not have to be earned" thing but I think you're missing what the show is telling us: Izzy becoming part of the crew happens before 2x4-5. Jim says "he's our dick" in the first episode! Fang is heartbroken when he's shot! The narrative suggests that he's advocated for their interests with Ed, and he saves them by stopping Ed from firing a cannon into the mast. This strikes me as more of a narrative about community/solidarity than one about unearned grace.

ah no worries i see where you have misunderstood me. i agree that there is, at the very least, solidarity between izzy and ed's crew in eps 1 - 3. of course, the "he's our dick" line comes because archie has asked why jim and frenchie even care about izzy who seems like kind of a dick - archie doesn't know him and doesn't really care about him and is kind of baffled that anybody does, so you know there's still quite a bit of distance between the crew generally and izzy. i think izzy feels responsible for them more than he feels like he's a part of them - "we cannot let this crew suffer any more for our mistakes." so his relationship to the crew is still very much dependent and tied up in his relationship with ed. this also plays into the crew's treatment of izzy versus ed - izzy is a lesser source of conflict to the crew specifically and they also didn't have as much of an emotional connection to him prior to the kraken era, so his position lacks the feeling of betrayal that ed's has. but yeah sure i agree that there's a level of solidarity there.

in ep four though, izzy is separate from the crew. physically, even - he's hanging out at the forepeak with the unicorn figurehead getting smashed. he's not included in ed's crews cleaning of the deck, and he's not included in stede's crews attempt to cheer up ed's crew. he hides in his room alone and when they knock on his door he shouts and tells them to fuck off and says they're harassing him.

this is why the note and leg scene is so good. it's the crew extending a hand to someone who hasn't earned it, and telling him he has a position among them - as a figurehead, no less. they see izzy and what he needs (a leg and a purpose) and they give it to him. that's about the crew deciding what kind of crew they'll be. he takes it. that's about izzy deciding to join them.

so when i say that the crew accepts izzy into their fold in eps four and five, it's different from what was going on in eps 1-3 for three reasons: 1) it's collective, from both ed and stede's crews, now united and from a position of safety, and 2) izzy's no longer viewed as being aligned with blackbeard by the crew and/or by himself, and 3) izzy is physically and emotionally separated from the crew at the start of ep four.

as far as community/solidarity over unearned grace - i guess i disagree that these are that kind of distinct as concepts? community always involves a level of unearned grace.

the point is that it's in extending grace to izzy that the crew forms their community - their acceptance of izzy, who has now separated himself from the crew, into the fold is what drives them to work together and become a cohesive unit - and establishes its values - if you need help, we will help you, if you need kindness, we will be kind, if you need purpose, we will give you purpose.

that's growth, baby!

[masterhallmark]

You know, we all talk about how Maxie and Archie hate eachother...but do you know who else ORAS Maxie would despise?

Mr. "HuMaN sPiRiT iS bAd" Cyrus

In ORAS and Masters EX, Maxie firmly is all about humanity's accomplishments and spirit. He is very pro-human. In the latter game, he has a ton of quotes praising things like cities, technology, etc as proof of all the things humanity can accomplish.

"The beauty of city lights glimmering in the night is a triumph of human innovation and ingenuity."

"There is justice in fighting an old friend if it is to pursue your own ideologies."

"I'm the leader of Team Magma, an organization dedicated to finding paths upon which humanity may stride freely forward and evolve."

And then this whole monologue in Omega Ruby where he complimens the player's determination and believes people with strong spirits are the key to humanity's future:

"Hmm. Though you are but a child, your eyes tell me of your fierce determination. My heart is pounding in my chest... Yes, I think I can see why my lowly Grunts could not stand one minute against you. I am called Maxie. I stand as the head of Team Magma, a noble organization whose goal is to propel humanity to even greater heights of progress and evolution. Indeed. And you are one of the young persons who may shape our society's future. Considering that fact, I believe I shall educate you in the ways of the world. The land... It is the stage upon which humanity stands. The land exists so we humans might continue onward and upward, stepping into the future... For us to continue growing and evolving, humans require a grand stage upon which to stand. A land upon which we can stride forward... A land we can explore...develop...exploit... This is the basis for the growth of all human endeavor. That is why we, Team Magma, must increase the landmass of the world! Believe that this will lead to a future of eternal happiness for humanity... And consequently for all life!"

Now imagine him meeting Cyrus while Cyrus is ranting about how human spirit is bad, humans constantly screw up because of human spirit, people with strong wills are weak, and a world without human spirit would be better because humans are incomplete.

Maxie is throwing hands, setting Cyrus on fire, and possibly using this as an opportunity to show off the cool obsidian knife he made with an obsidian chunk he found by Mt Chimney....OK, maybe he wouldn't IMMEDIATELY resort to violence, but he WOULD decide Cyrus is Team Magma Enemy #1.

[whumpbug]

hello friends! ヾ(^ ^ゞ i decided to share some of my ocs in preperation for @whump-kia's whumperless whump event! i love hero/civilian dynamics so there will def be some of that during the event! these guys are gonna be put through the WRINGER.

anyways, on to introducing these boys! short n sweet character intros under the cut! ( ๑˘ω˘ )

(also heres the link to the picrew i used if anyone wants it!)

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simon guevara

age: 23

height: 6'1"

description: simon is your standard exhausted med school student. he is a diligent worker and very very smart but he’s also….. very sarcastic. he's reserved and introverted and also very blunt. he doesn’t take shit from people, and says it how it is which can make him come across as asshole-ish, but he’s really not. hes actually very caring and sweet, but it takes quite a bit to see that side of him. of course, archie has and though simon acts like he doesn't like patching archie up, he secretly enjoys spending time with him..

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archer (archie) schultz

age: 23

height: 5'8"

description: archie is THE golden boy. he is peppy and sweet (though he can be snarky with Simon) and has such a big heart with such big emotions and he just. he’s such a good person. he is also a vigilante! he has a Typical vigilante backstory in which he Was Exposed To Chemicals As A Kid And Now Has Heightened Senses And Strength Blah Blah Blah but even if he didn’t have these abilities to be a vigilante, he’d definitely be doing everything in his power to help others.. he also has questionable self-preservation (so does simon but hes more sneaky about it) look here to learn more about his powers specifically!

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their dynamic!

basically, these two boys were like.. acquaintances with each other during undergrad. they never spoke much, and obviously simon didn’t know archie’s secret identity. that all changed when one day, archie was severely injured during a pretty rough fight and literally couldn’t get home, so he picked the closest apartment and collapsed on the fire escape in front of the window.

obviously, it ended up being simon’s apartment who was… very confused. he took in this random person, patched him up, realized it was archie from school and from then on he kind of became archie’s personal nurse (great practice for med school, everyone at his program was shocked at how quickly he picked up suturing) and also his closest friend (possibly more….. but that's neither here nor there) 

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thanks so much for listening to me ramble about my special boys! i hope you enjoy seeing them being whumped as much as i enjoy whumping them! if you have any questions or prompts, please send them in because nothing makes me happier than people being excited about blorbos i created! (≧▽≦)