#but that's because he's juggling 4 different roles right now

[clowndensation]

SO i just found out that the manager of my company has expressed his "sincere displeasure" with my manager which is. insane. like oh are we about to fire a second manager for not living up to whatever pin the tail on the donkey ass expectations you decide to apply to a role that you fundamentally don't understand, because after all this time you STILL don't know what we do. is that what we're doing now.

[swiftiethatlovesf1]

Unspoken Melody p.4

Hi guys, here's a new part of the story, if you've missed part 3 here it is :) If you want to read more of my stories, here's my masterlist.

Two drivers, one unforgettable concert, and a chance encounter with a pop sensation that leaves Oscar questioning everything he thought about music—and maybe even himself.

The hum of activity surrounded you as the McLaren team went about their day. While Lando and Oscar were busy with practice sessions, Zak and a few others had been kind enough to keep you company. They explained more about the intricacies of the sport, their roles, and even let you peek into some of the operations. It was a fascinating world, so different from your own, yet equally fast-paced and demanding.

When Lando finally returned, still buzzing with post-practice energy, he walked straight up to you with a cheeky grin. “Alright, pop star. Lunchtime. You’re joining us.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t,” you said quickly, raising your hands. “I don’t want to intrude—”

“Not intruding,” Lando interrupted, waving off your protest. “I invited you. That’s kind of the opposite of intruding.”

Before you could argue further, he turned to Oscar, who had just arrived and was in the middle of sipping from his water bottle. “Right, Oscar? YN should totally join us for lunch.”

Oscar blinked, caught off guard, and then blushed slightly as he nodded. “Y-yeah, of course. That’d be nice.”

You hesitated for a moment, but their genuine enthusiasm won you over. “Alright,” you said with a smile. “But if I’m crashing, I’ll just sneak out quietly.”

“You won’t be crashing,” Lando said, leading the way. “Trust me.”

The three of you settled at a table in a quieter area of the motorhome. The spread was modest but appealing, and as you dug in, you found yourself quickly at ease. Lando, ever the entertainer, kept the conversation lively with his jokes and stories, while Oscar added his own dry humor that caught you off guard in the best way.

“So,” Lando said after a while, leaning back in his chair with a playful smirk. “What about your personal life, YN? When you’re not dazzling audiences or wandering around motorhomes, what’s the rest of your life like?”

You laughed. “It’s probably not as exciting as you’d think. My schedule is all over the place—shows, recordings, rehearsals. It’s a lot of work, but I love it.”

Oscar nodded thoughtfully. “It sounds intense. Do you ever get time for yourself?”

“Sometimes,” you admitted. “But it’s rare. What about you two? What’s life like outside the track?”

“Not much to tell,” Lando said with a shrug. “It’s either racing, training, or trying to get Oscar to come out and do something fun.”

Oscar rolled his eyes but smiled. “I’m not that boring.”

“Debatable,” Lando teased before turning to you. “Anyway, we’re both single, so it’s not like we’re juggling much else.”

Oscar nodded, a faint blush on his cheeks. “Yeah, no time for relationships. The schedule’s too crazy.”

You smiled warmly. “I’m sure you’ll both find someone wonderful when the time is right. You’ve got plenty of charm—well, Lando’s is debatable, but still.”

Lando gasped in mock offense, making you and Oscar laugh.

“What about you?” Oscar asked after a beat, his tone genuinely curious. “Do you have someone in your life?”

“I do,” you said with a nod. “I’ve been with my boyfriend, Mark, for about a year now. It’s tough to match our schedules, but we make it work.”

“That’s nice,” Oscar said, his expression softening.

“It is,” you said, smiling. “Though, I have to tell you something funny. When I told him about Lando inviting me here, he thought it was because you were flirting with me.”

Both of them froze, their eyes wide. “What?” Lando exclaimed, his voice a mix of shock and amusement.

“Yeah,” you said, laughing. “He was like, ‘Are you sure he doesn’t have ulterior motives?’ And I had to reassure him you were just being friendly.”

“That’s insane,” Lando said, shaking his head. “I mean, you’re amazing, but I’m not trying to steal you from your boyfriend!”

Oscar, meanwhile, looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or worry. “That’s… really unexpected,” he said, frowning.

You waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. He’s just protective. But I told him he had nothing to worry about.”

Lando grinned. “Good. Because, for the record, I just think you’re cool, and I wanted to show you how awesome our world is.”

“I appreciate it,” you said sincerely. “It’s been an amazing experience so far. And now I’ve got two new friends, so that’s a win.”

Oscar glanced at you, his smile soft. “Yeah. Definitely a win.”

The rest of lunch passed in a blur of laughter and conversation, leaving you feeling unexpectedly lighthearted. The paddock, you realized, wasn’t just about the thrill of racing—it was about the people who made it all come alive. And today, those people had made you feel right at home.

[tinytalkingtina]

WIP Weekend

It's been a few months since I've done one of these. With the couple spicy events I was participating in concluding, time to come back to WIPs that have been giving me some trouble. Would love a distraction right now, so let's go! Updates

So about that sixth and final chapter of Soaring Symphony...yeah I haven't touched it in a hot minute whoops. I have a general idea of how I want it to go but haven't been able to motivate myself to do it. Hoping to finally get over the hump and start writing it again this weekend

Juggling two different fics set in the Running with the Devil role reversal track star!Eddie and metalhead!Steve universe: -The first is a 4+1 showing how Eddie rose in popularity over time, from the summer before high school to another party his senior year (and is kind of turning into a study on his friendship with Tommy and Carol, having fun with little-annie figuring out where everyone's heads are at during this timeline). -The second picks up right where the first one left off, with Eddie at his wit's end knocking on Steve's door after failing to outrun his gay thoughts.

Rules: Send me an emoji in an ask, and I'll send you 3-5 sentences and/or paragraphs from that WIP!

🐲 Witch and Dragon Steddie Chapter 6

🏃Role reversal 4+1 aka track star eddie character study

👟Role reversal fic "Can We Talk"

Enjoy a snippet from "Can We Talk" below:

“Hey, can we talk?” Eddie asked, unsure of what exactly he was doing on Steve's doorstep. With a nod, Steve let him in. Driving over, Eddie had half-convinced himself the person opening the door would be the towering mocking figure from his dreams. But the Steve who answered his knocks wasn’t wearing his boots; he stared sleepily at Eddie without the need to look down. Stripped of his usual layered outfit and accessories, he looked…vulnerable. Softer maybe, younger too. “I don’t usually deal at home, but I don’t need any neighbors sticking their fucking nose in my business and calling the cops this time of night,” he said, running a hand through his mussed-up hair. Eddie fought the urge to push down the cowlicks as Steve continued to mutter about rude neighbors.

“I’m…not here 'cause of weed.” His nerves finally gave out and he glanced downwards. That was a mistake, because his eyes landed on Steve’s completely bare hands. Oh G-d, he had tan lines on his fingers. Lines that had Eddie swooning like some heroine in those paperback romances Carol was always reading. He needed to stop staring it had been too long, Steve would notice. Maybe if he’d gotten something remotely close to a good night’s sleep anytime in the past month, Eddie might have stopped himself. But as he stared at those fingers, he felt the last threads of his self-control fray and finally snap. He grabbed onto Steve’s wrist and held on for dear life. “Woah, uh Munson, you okay there?” Steve didn’t pull away. “I—just…” He wasn’t letting go. Why wasn’t he letting go? “Eddie?” Steve knelt down, staring up at Eddie with sincere concern. Not a sneer anywhere to be found. Oh G-d, he looked— “Don’t punch me, please.” Eddie whispered. Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed Steve’s face and smashed their lips together. The taste of cigarettes and mint flooded his mouth. And for one blissful moment, his mind went completely silent.

No pressure tagging a few people to play too! (And if you see this and didn't get tagged by all means feel free to play too, happy to tag folks in the future :D) @little-annie @runninriot @augustjustice @solarmorrigan @dreamwatch @hairstevington @vthx

[spaceorphan18]

My Season 3 Diatribe

for @wowbright who gave me a platform that I really didn't need but took anyway. ;)

The thing about Glee was that it started with a woman being fake pregnant for thirteen episodes and then ended the season with a baby being born while Bohemian Rhapsody blared in the background. It was weird and crazy and insane and just edgy enough that it was being talked about but not too niche that it couldn't find an audience. It also hit in the sweet spot of the Obama years when, as a nation, we could get on board with being a little different and a little crazy.

Ryan Murphy is both a genius and insane at the same time. I'm not really fond of him, and I think his tendency for going big sometimes obscures the nuances of really good storytelling. But he knows how to make a loud statement. And Glee was that loud statement.

And then it got big. Too big. It got more money, an awards, and the national stage, and then all eyes were on it. And Ryan Murphy got tired because that's also Ryan Murphy - being distracted by American Horror Story where he could be abstract in the way his brain really wanted to go. And so, new writers were brought in, but having all eyes on it meant you had to dial it back, and the new writers didn't jive the same way, nor could they really juggle all of the new network notes, ballooning cast, mandates of the Glee project and responsibility for now having to be a 'role model' for all the new outsiders who were hanging on.

The show was once about being an awkward kid in the 80s. And then it was forced into becoming a mouthpiece for the changing times of the 2010s.

And that... doesn't work.

The funniest thing is way back when... after I had stopped watching the show for a while, Season 3 is what brought me back. I did think, for a moment in time, that I liked it better than Seasons 1 or 2. I can't exactly tell you why. But The First Time is when I fell in love, and maybe you feel connected to something when you fall in love with it that you can't really discribe.

And I hated Season 4. and I was listening to a podcast of the day (Those of you who remember Lima Heights Adjacent?) and the group of people were talking about how, with all of its faults, Season 4 was at least NOT Season 3. And I was confused because at the time - I much preferred Season 3. Because my favorite couple was at least a couple back then -- because the cast was people I liked. Because the episodes were easy to digest and the structure of it, while being bland and predictable, fit into a nice, uniform way of storytelling.

And then time moved on, and I left my twenties, and digested the entire story (the second half, with all of its faults, does not get the recognition it deserves -- despite it falling apart at all times) and got a lot better at critical analysis and media analysis and being open to the ideas of others and just... shake my head.

When you look at the whole, Season 3 isn't AS bad as I make it seem sometimes. There's a good chunk of it, right in the middle, that is... more watchable than what's at the beginning and end.

There is, however, a laundry list of reasons why it's not good -- from questionable story telling choices to dulling the edge of a more biting comedy to just not being able to service all the characters it has in a satisfactory way. They botched Santana's story, which had been set up nicely in season 2. They threw in guest stars and special episodes to throw off that they didn't really know what to do with the story other than praise Rachel Berry and get those kids winning nationals and graduated. They took Kurt and completely neutered him in a way that went against everything they had built him up to be in the first two seasons. And so on and so on and so on.

But I suppose most egregiously -- they played it safe and it was no longer interesting.

I don't fully understand why people love it so much. But I will say - part of the reason might be why I liked it at the time. There's a huge influx of newer fans always coming to the show. And like Klaine, Brittana (which has a following unlike it ever did when it aired) remains together and having the most screen time in Season 3. All the original characters are around, and the story structure, if nothing else, is secure and sound and plays out exactly as its supposed to. Rachel Berry gets the crown, Will gets the teacher of the year, and they all win nationals - hell, even Sue gets a baby. Cue the music and roll credits.

To each their own.

Season 4 comes next with its awkward new characters and its break ups and its wild ups and downs. And then season 5 with its grief and queer in a way that's not accessible but fuck it who cares and season 6 that just wants to go back to the beginning and end it all like the weird creation it was when it started. And as complicated as all of that is -- it's not as digestible as Season 3. I like the afterwards better. But I understand that some people won't. It has, after all, taken me years to get to this level of appreciation.

Who knows how people are going to look at it in ten, fifteen, fifty years. I'm sure, as streaming shows continue to go on and on and on and nothing dies any more, it'll take on different tones and different meanings.

Maybe this time around - those people just need that comfort.

I can't tell you.

But it won't ever be my favorite. And that's fine. As always, ymmv.

[artandshid]

Family Matters Part 4

~Damn it’s been awhile yall, i’m sorry. I found this in my drafts and decided to finish this part, time can only tell when the next part will be. Life is crazy and I’m busy, and as much as I love writing, I sometimes forget that I do and I take a little break. But I hope people can still enjoy my writing and if you haven’t read the other parts, they’re in my masterlist.

“You’re just letting him waltz back into your life like nothing happened?” Steve exclaimed loudly.

You close your eyes and take a deep breath. You know deep down you’re doing the right thing. Maggie deserves to know her father. And she deserves to grow up with her father in her life. But you don’t appreciate people in your life making you second guess what so best for your daughter.

“I’m letting him into her life. Because this isn’t about me or you or Eddie. It’s about my daughter. Five years from now, I don’t want people teasing her about her father and her having questions that no child should have. He’s a good guy, we both know this, deep down he’s a good guy. And maybe he wont be as present in her life as other kids father, but he could be another person to love her.” You scream, defending yourself and your decision, you see Steve soften up. Because he does know that deep down Eddie is a good guy, but he’s finding it hard to forgive for what he did to you and Maggie. “And not sure if you noticed Steve, but I don’t have much family. Sure I have my friends and you guys are wonderful, but Maggie doesn’t have grandparents in her life right now. At least if Eddie is present then she could have Uncle Wayne. I don’t appreciate you making me feel like an idiot for doing this when all I’ve been doing for the past 4 days is kicking myself in the ass for possibly making a mistake”

You take a seat on the couch and put your head in your heads, already feeling a migraine coming along. Steve comes over and wraps his arm around you and draws circles on your shoulder.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt. You’re like a sister to me and that little girl is my first niece and I don’t want her to grow an attachment to him that his lifestyle can’t cooperate with.” He tells you his fears.

“Steve I appreciate that and everything you’ve done for me and for her, but I have to give her a chance at having a relationship with him. And if she gets hurt then I’m happy to know that you’ll be here to help her stand again. And worst case scenario, he leaves her and she still has the support system she did before him. Best case scenario, he lives up to promise and she has two father figures.”

“If you think this is best for her than I support this decision the whole way.” He says and kisses the top of her head. “Also next Friday, I have a date” Your heart drops next Friday is your overnight shift at the hospital, “but I already asked Robin, she said she will watch her.” Your heart slows down to a normal pace again.

“Thank you.” She says before Steve heads out the door.

————————————————————————————

Eddie sits across from y/n at the Denny’s in the town over from Hawkins. They wanted absolute peace for this conversation. They didn’t want any interruptions from anybody they knew.

“So when can I meet her y/n?” He asks you giving you puppy dog eyes.

“I haven’t decided yet, Eddie. I feel like I need to know what your plans are and what role you plan on having in her life.” She explains quietly.

“I plan on playing the role of her father.” He tells you seriously and you scoff.

“That’s not for you to decide, that’s up to me right now, thank you.”

“I’m not trying to argue with you y/n, but I plan on being there for her the same way a father would and should be.”

You sigh, “I’m happy to hear that, but what about when another tour opportunity comes up? How are you going to juggle being a father and being a rockstar? It was too much before what makes it any different now?”

“Honestly I’ve thought about this already. For the time being me and the boys could just do gigs on the east coast or even just in Indiana, that way I’m always close. And Maggie would come before any gig.” He tells you and grabs your hand.

“Eddie, I’m so happy to hear that.” You say and squeeze his hand. “And, even though me and him are just friends, Steve is a part of her life and a big part of her life. That isn’t going to change just because you want to be a part of her life now.”

“I understand, I love that she has such a huge support system, I just wish I got my head out of ass earlier. I could’ve been here the whole time.” He says and you watch as a tear falls down his face.

You reach over and wipe it off, “Me too Eddie, me too.”

“I want to do anything I could to make it up to you and especially to my daughter. I love you so much and I hate that I was stupid enough to forget about all of that.” He says basically sobbing now and you can tell that he’s sorry, but you’re still hurt. You still have cuts from your past relationship with him that can’t be healed by just an apology from him. You need action and even then that may not be enough.

“Eddie, I don’t think I’m ready to hear that right now, I’m sorry, but we can work out the details about visitation and everything at a later time. I’m willing to let you back in her life because she deserves to know you and have a relationship with you, but as of right now, our relationship is limited to learning how to coparent and make a strong support system for Maggie.”

He looks slightly wounded at the fact that you guys can’t even be friends right now, but he truly understands that this is all his fault. His gratefulness towards you for allowing him to fix his mistakes is enough for him right now.

“Y/n I completely understand, and now that we’ve set the boundaries and everything, I’m ready to make this right. Thank you so much.”

You smile at him as the waitress sets your food down on the table. The rest of the night was pleasant, a little awkward because where you guys stand right now isn’t ever what your relationship was, so neither one of you know what topics to bring up and what topics are appropriate so small talk was taking over the booth. Both of you hated it.

[consanguinitatum]

David Tennant's Obscure Performances: His Involvement with Read Not Dead (pt 4) - The Insatiate Countess

And here, my friends, is the fulfillment of my promise - the last of the four threads about David Tennant and his involvement with the Read Not Dead (heretofore called RND) project at Shakespeare's Globe. This will concern the second of the two unattributed plays David did for RND and is the last of the two never-before-talked-about-in-the-fandom plays he did with them. If you feel like you need to catch up on the first three parts and understand a little bit of the history behind the Read Not Dead project before continuing with this one, go here for the first part about Edward III, here for the second part about The Fleer, and here for the third part about What You Will. Then come on back!

With all those links out of the way, we can continue with the last of the four plays - and the second one which I believe new to the David Tennant fandom.

When we last left our intrepid Scots thespian David T., he'd just wrapped up a staged reading of John Marston's What You Will for the RND. He had managed to fit the reading in between the April-May 2002 and the July-August 2002 runs of his then-current hit play, Lobby Hero.

Between then and November of 2002 (the next time he stepped on the Bear Gardens stage to do another RND staged reading) David had been seen on a number of other projects. In 2002 alone he'd been featured on an episode of Foyle's War and in the short film Nine And 1/2 Minutes by Josh Appignanesi. Lobby Hero had got him noticed; his star was on the rise. He was getting busier (and he'd get busier still when his next two plays, 2003's The Pillowman and 2005's Look Back In Anger, as well as his seminal role as Peter Carlisle in 2004's Blackpool, would catapult him into the public consciousness.) And - of course! - Doctor Who was also barreling down the pipe. But all that was still in his future.

David Tennant in (clockwise from top left): Foyle's War, Nine And 1/2 Minutes, The Pillowman, and Look Back in Anger

No, for right now it is Sunday, 10 November 2002, and we're along for the ride as David arrives at the Globe for the morning's balls to the wall rehearsal of the Tony Bell-directed John Marston play, The Insatiate Countess, before getting on stage at the Bear Gardens Theatre. We don't know whether David signed up for this one (or any of them, for that matter)! If so, he received his script a few days before, but if he was drafted at the last minute he would've received his script only hours before taking the stage that afternoon! Either way, he was surely up for it.

In the previous thread on What You Will I spoke about playwright John Marston. But this play - The Insatiate Countess - is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Marston started writing the tragicomedy in 1608 and had the first act and part of the second written before - oops! - he was thrown in jail. Following Marston's imprisonment, the play languished for a while, and when Marston was released and took holy orders he wanted NO part of finishing it. Two other writers took it upon themselves to finish the draft: actor William Barksted, and Lewis Machin. This multi-authored approach caused significant issues - the other authors juggled the names of the characters, for one - and suffice to say, it really isn't a "finished" play in the way we'd envision the meaning of the term. It finally got published in 1613.

Scholars have had a lot to say about the play's provenance, and there are many different editions of it. It's also widely studied because it's been acknowledged as highly unusual for its time - since it shows female characters driven explicitly by sexual desire.

According to UK Theatre Web, The Insatiate Countess is "a play dripping with innuendo from its very first lines [as] sexual obsession leads to murder as Isabella, widowed Countess of Swevia, wastes little time in remarrying before running off with another man. And then another. And yet another." And, as is usual for plays of this period, there is also a second comic plot going on. "Meanwhile, two new brides coolly frustrate their husbands' wife-swapping attempts at revenge."

So...if the uniqueness of The Insatiate Countess has intrigued you and you'd like to read (one version of) a full text of the play, you can find it here:

That link will take you to the version of the play used during the RND performance reading.

But back to that staged reading. When RND staged it in November 2002, they stated "it was the first performance of the complete play - tragic and comic plots together - since the 17th Century." David played the role of Rogero, Count of Arsena and Massino, later Isabella’s lover. The actors all donated their time to the project for free.

And here (again thanks to the Globe Archives) is the cast list from the digitized programme for the 10 November 2002 performance:

In February 2020, the Shakespeare Institute Players (their student theatre company out of Stratford) performed The Insatiate Countess, by William Barkstead and Lewis Machin, from a draft by John Marston." There appears to be no full version available online, but here is a short snippet of it if you'd like to take a listen:

And with that, my patient listeners, we wrap up the history of David's four interactions with the Shakespeare's Globe Read Not Dead project, which brings dead plays to life. While David did only four plays, the Read Not Dead project continues to this day.

One last postscript: the performance of The Insatiate Countess was recorded - as were all four of David's staged readings with RND - though I haven't listened to it (and sadly, the archive notes the start of the audio is cut off.) You can listen to the recording of the performance and others from the series, as the recordings are archived in the Globe Archive and Library in London. Access to the archive is available by appointment only for professionals and academics affiliated with institutions of higher education.

I've listened to Edward III and The Fleer, but have yet to hear What You Will or The Insatiate Countess. On my next trip to London, I'll be sure to make time to listen to both - even though some of the audio is missing on both of those, that's all right. I'll listen to them anyway!

I hope you all have enjoyed traipsing with me down the memory lane of David Tennant's works at the RND. 'Til next time!

[dsudis]

12 and 16 for the fanfic writer's asks!

12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

I am definitely susceptible to both! Having someone interested in and excited about a story makes me a lot more eager to work on it, and that sound of crickets chirping will convince me that it's not worth it (although it can take longer to get through with some stories than others--a lot also depends on how excited and invested I am in a story or idea myself, naturally).

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

So one reason I feel slow as a writer sometimes is that I can pretty much never just write one thing, unless it's very short. I'm always juggling several, and trying to force myself to focus on one thing rarely works well. So I'm currently working away on the next chapter of When Two Become One, and a followup to England and Nowhere (Never and Always) (and thinking about what other followup(s) I might want to write), and the next story of Never Refuse You, and the smol/de-aged Dream story, and what was meant to be a quick little PWP that is dragging its feet, and after a chat with a friend tonight I'm rotating a new kinky Dreamling idea in my brain...

Anyway! Here, I'll share a bit from Chapter 4 of When Two Become One, in which 1489 Hob gets a slightly different reaction despite being very fundamentally the same 1489 Hob we know and love...

Dream asked Hob what he himself had been doing, this hundred years, and after airily summarizing what must have been decades of his life as "soldiering, mainly" and "a little banditry here and there" he began to speak about his new line of work. "It's called printing," Hob said, as if the mass reproduction of text were not the most exciting development this part of the world had seen in hundreds of years, as if it had not figured in the wildest dreams of the brightest minds for generations. "Don't need to be a guild member, not yet," Hob went on, as if the sheer attainability of the work mattered more than the wondrousness of the development he was playing a role in. "Never be a real demand for it," Hob went on, full of the confidence of a man who was utterly wrong, "and it's hard work, but--" Dream entirely lost the end of whatever absurdly idiotic thing Hob was saying, caught up in the horrible realization that, one the one hand, his husband was as foolish as he was cheerful, and very literally on the other hand, the black flecks visible here and there on Hob's well-scrubbed skin were ink. These were the marks of stories that had gotten quite literally under Hob's skin, because he was engaged in the most important, beautiful work anyone on this continent was doing in this century. Dream wanted to kiss him so badly it hurt--and if he did, then Hob would stop talking. Hob had trailed off into silence and was watching him with wide eyes, a flush starting to rise on his clean-shaven cheeks.

[Fanfic writer ask meme questions here!]

[plounce]

as someone whos played ffxiv for almost 8 years now i gotta say its SO exciting to see youve started playing. i really enjoy seeing you talking about trc and kurofai (unfortunately i know absolutely nothing about xmen so it goes right over my head) and so im excited to see any thoughts you have about the ffxiv story and characters!

HEEHEEHEE. most of my ffxivposting has been in a thread on my twt priv, but after the recent botslaughter im gonna try and move it over here.

im at the beginning of stormblood. here are my thoughts:

as i said previously, in ARR i was very meh on alphinaud. i have a grudge against his ARR va (due to critical role), i was like "WHY are we starting a PARAMILITARY ORG", and i was kind of like hey. im playing a 6ft tall elf lady with a huge axe. you fancy little twerp dont boss me around. the end of ARR was soooo crazy and good though, really kicked the plot into gear for me, and those cutscenes were like WHOA!! OMG THE GUY FROM THE BEGINNING CUTSCENE... and in heavensward he became my little boy. because he basically reversed all the things i didnt really like about him. new VA. constant regret and shame about the crystal braves. and everyone was like awww hahaha youre a nice little boy. and he is. he is a boy. and he's polite. and he got a new outfit that covered his midriff, which i appreciated.

minfillia... im sorry. her VA was so insanely bad. and i never really DID anything with her that made me feel attached to her. she felt very bland and generic. i was like okay cool 👍 see ya. i also think her outfit was so blaaaahhhh like it gave me girl next door final fantasy character, NOT leader of an NGO, which would have been more appealing to me.

y'shtola: one of my mutuals is constantly posting her very cute WoL/yshtola fanart and i thought i would like a bit more than i presently do... i like her! i just feel like she hasnt gotten to do very much that isnt going "hmm.. aether." i think it's delightful that she shares a VA with sera from dragon age. bitches with bangs 4 lesbians

urianger: when i first saw urianger i was aghast. i was like. PEOPLE ARE HORNY FOR THAT THING? but now that ive seen more of his shb/edw outfit im like aha i see. you have gender. you're either like "do not perceiveth me" or "dripping with gold in a lightweight backless gown". i really enjoyed his undercover outfit with the WoD. i don't think he did anything wrong. he was like "yeah i did lie to everyone and help manipulate events to send minfilia to a different data center. i feel absolutely awful about it, i wish my trolley problem principles had not made me deceiveth thou all, i am a horrible villain, pray do not feel compelled to forgive me" and i was like nah youre good 👍 like she isnt DEAD. plus he always tried to help me a little bit when he could. i like his funny voice. i like how in ARR he was voiced by fenris dragonage. take those goggles and hood off again mx tism

tataru: if lalafells didn't look like that. i would be shipping my WoL with her. i think she is so cute and fun and a delight. she is a joy. my girl JUGGLES!!!!! she makes OUTFITS!!!!!!!!! she has A KETTLE WITH A FANCY NAME!!!!!!!!!! and she works so hard. im so glad she got to come with us to ishgard. she is my joy. my light...

thancred: i have heard tell that he really leaves behind his initial lothario characterization, and i really have not seen it in forever, which made ARR thancred perfectly fine to me. i was prepared for him to be much more egregious. i wish i knew him a bit better before he got possessed. i was like oh okay! yeah i guess i havent seen him in a while. which made me sad because i love possession storylines i think they are so juicy. his ponytail and rattee (like a ratstache but a goatee) are funny to me. thancred nakey images were funny. there was a moment towards the end of hvw when he came back and i talked to him in ishgard between convos with nobles and he said stuff that was very commiserating and i was like okay i have decided you and my WoL are complaining friends. sipping the haterade together. i think he's like 5'7". like with alphinaud, the character development in this game has really surprised me with how effective it feels. i look forward to seeing him grimly yet compassionately fail forward even more. and to be a single dad. aforementioned mutual (who i know through klapollo) is into thancred/urianger so im also looking forward to confining them into the yaoi compartment

cid: HE IS MY FRIEND :) i love how he's a short king. i like how he was simply like "fascism and imperialism are bad. i am going to go fight against it by building big airships :)" no qualms no struggle just knew what was right and went and did it. he's like a gay older coworker who you go out for drinks with sometimes and invites you to barbeques. i enjoy him and nero's turbodivorce saga.

alisaie: i completely forgot to do all the bahamut raids in ARR so when she showed up post-hvw i was like oh it's time for the girltwin! and she was like "oh we've worked together already :)" and i was like oh god. we only had one conversation. oops. so far i think she's a delight. i have heard that she's a bit of a lesbo. good for her. love that she gets a sword and she gets to be the mean one of the two twins. i cant wait for her little red jacket. looking forward to more >:)

krile: have not seen much of her so far but i LOVE how she has a cloak with cat ears, so cute. LOVE how she teases alphinaud. im like yes... shared character history... quite fun...

ysayle: I LOVE YOU DRAGON ELSAGARD I LOVE YOUUUUUU BIIIIIIIIITCH... I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU. i love her style. i love her political convictions. i love her gap moe with the moogles. i think my WoL had a crush on her. i think it's messed up that during the scene where the WoL and alphinaud are prying the eyes off of estinien, she touches alphinaud's hand. she should be touching MY HAND!!!!!!!!!!!! all love to haurchefaunt but I BONDED WITH HER.

estinien: i know many people like estinien. every time he spoke a word at ysayle i felt like a barking like her guard dog. DONT YOU SPEAK TO MY GIRL IN THAT TONE YOU BROODYBOY SMELLMAN. SHUT UP. i assume he softens up now that he is retired from All That. i thought his relationship with alphinaud was very sweet - i liked when he taught alphinaud how to gather firewood. i think my WoL only tolerates estinien because alphinaud is so attached.

haurchefant: i was still barely reading dialogue in ARR when he was introduced. so he showed up and was like OMG HI AGAIN BESTIE!!!!!! and i was like oh! that man! one of my friends is gaymarried to him so he's like my gay brother-in-law. i am a lesbian and my WoL is also a lesbian so we were hagging/tyking (dyke tyke) out with each other. the facial animation on the WoL when he croaks was astoundingly good. i call him horsey

aymeric: well he certainly is competent, principled, and nice. one of the more handsome elezen men in the game. i know he's implied playersexual so i really need him to stop inviting me to dinner because i have had conversations with dude friends like that before and it is so painfully awkward. i think it is great that he committed fratricide AND popecide. wahoo!

lyse: i really enjoyed yda. yknow. i thought she was such a fun cockney karate bimbo. i didn't know she was lyse. i've heard about lyse. and how she is conspicuously the only blonde blue-eyed ala mhigan. and how she is a source of some of the collar-tugging politics in stormblood. sigh. so. i am now burdened with her.

raubahn: I LOVE RAUBAHNNNNNNNNNN I LOVE HIMMMM i love how he has a small adult son. i love how he is trying so hard. i love how he is so righteous and hardworking. the misery lolorito and ilberd put him through during hvw made me so mad on his behalf. when lolorito was like "oh, how we laughed at how upset you were!" i was like RAUBAHN. HE IS THE PERFECT HEIGHT FOR YOU TO JUST PUNT ACROSS THE TOWN SQUARE. PUNT HIM RAUBAHN. YOU DESERVE IT. and i love a one-armed king. kurogane swag

lucia: i think she is cool and fun. hahaha dont potentially be in love with aymeric queen youre so hot and cool and butch

matoya: SHE'S SO COOL. I LOVE HER DESIGN. HER VOICE ACTING. AND HER RUDENESS. AND OF COURSE THE FROGS

moenbryda: i thought she was so fun and cool. i was like cool!! new character!! big funny woman i love it!! and then near bluefog she dished about her childhood a little and i was like... is that a deathflag. and it was :(

okay thats all the npcs i can think to have anything to say about.

i was pleasantly surprised by the way that lalafells are not the lolibait/shotabait i had grimly prepared for them to be. they are just short funny guys for the most part. moving past that, i then got slammed into by the giant brick that says "BEAST TRIBES". i heard that the new writer has made their writing a lot better (apparently the alliance leaders acknowledge that they have been basically been doing genocide on these sentient beings, which is helping me push forward through stuff)! i do their quests really regularly because i like helping them out. i would really love to see someone with more expertise on the subject write about the presentation of indigenous peoples in ffxiv, because i think that there is a lot going on that is vital to critically inspect.

i have to go eat dinner now. but i will try to post more thoughts on here as i have them >:)

[sohotthateveryonedied]

so i’m trying to write duke and i don’t think i’m writing him right. how would you describe his personality because with don’t trust fanon lmfaooo

(this was only supposed to be a paragraph or two i swear to god)

1. first things first, duke is a hardcore gryffindor. don’t let the yellow color scheme mislead you, okay. and while most of the time he’s depicted in fanon as “omg this family is crazy and i’m the only sane one,” it’s actually pretty much the opposite? if anything, i think the other batkids would be like “oh finally, someone who can match our level of chaotic energy. HEY DUKE WANNA BUNGEE JUMP OFF WAYNE TOWER—” and an hour later they’d all be in the batcave getting lectured by bruce for leading poor sweet innocent duke astray when really he was already planning on doing that this weekend.

listen, this is the kid who once jumped off a bridge to escape police. this is the dude who decided to fight criminals while they’re still eating their wheaties at 6am in a bright yellow suit. and while duke seems to be the best at following bruce’s command at the moment due to having been trained by him most recently compared to the others and is still figuring out how to be a hero, i’m positive that if bruce weren’t here to guide him, duke would be running around gotham taking down criminals anyway. i mean, he literally did do that with the “we are robin” kids. plus there was the whole thing when he was like ten years old and decided “i am going to singlehandedly stop the riddler in my light up sketchers and pikachu backpack. try and stop me.” 

duke is headstrong and has a strong drive toward heroism. he’s an extremely enthusiastic and passionate person in general, and i try to capture a little of that when i write him, even with mundane things like trying to beat his siblings to the last cupcake. 

2. another thing i noticed is that duke swears like a sailor in comics? seriously, this boy could give jason a run for his money with how many “@#!%” speech bubbles there are. i don’t know if this is just a trend the writers added in the comics i’ve read of him, or if it’s a genuine trait throughout every comic he’s in, but that’s something to make note of when writing dialogue for duke. after all, he did grow up in the narrows, so it makes sense that he’d use a lot of swearing and slang in his everyday vernacular.

3. i would also make a point of noting that duke is fairly young compared to the rest of the batfamily, being the second youngest after damian. duke is still a teenager in high school, and he acts like it. he’s got homework and friends and is eager to make a difference in gotham, trying to juggle everything and make it all work somehow. he’s stubborn and doesn’t give up easily, so it’s important to write him as someone who is trying to save the world while also struggling with finding time to study for his next math test. he's human. he doesn’t get to dedicate all of his time to fighting crime like cass or jason might be able to, since duke is still a mostly normal teenager with teenager problems.

4. and don’t forget that unlike the other batkids, duke still has two living parents. sure, they’re jokerized and might not ever be the same again, but they’re alive and that’s what holds him back from letting himself get as close to the waynes as he wants to. duke won’t be calling bruce “dad” anytime soon, and i think he’d have some internal struggle over stuff like holidays and birthdays with the waynes, remembering what his parents are missing out on and wondering if joining the wayne family is a betrayal to them. duke is very conflicted over this, even if he doesn’t say it directly. stuff like ducking out of movie night early or feeling a bittersweet pang during thanksgiving dinner makes sense for someone in his situation. 

(i usually ignore that aspect in my fics because i want duke to just be adopted and part of the family already, but not everyone does that, and that’s perfectly fine.)

5. honestly, duke is such a caring individual and we as a fandom need more of him being a shoulder for people to lean on because he’s?? so soft?? duke can be so sympathetic and rational when it comes to emotional problems. it seems like duke internalizes every bit of advice he gets from the people around him and uses it to inspire others and help them through their own problems. as tough and hotheaded as duke can sometimes be, he really is good when it comes to emotions.

6. duke is a smartass. he will 100% use sarcasm against any and every authority figure he meets, usually just for the hell of it. 

7. he’s very frank in general, usually the first to be like “okay full disclosure, we’re about to die right now. that sucks. anyway—” in a situation. he’s honest and tends to be upfront about his fears/anxieties, usually for comic relief, but i think it still counts.

8. okay i have to add that duke is also kind of a punk? he and jason have a lot in common because of this: they both grew up in one of gotham’s worse areas (jay in crime alley and duke in the narrows) and they’re both highkey deliquents. duke has no problem getting into fights or talking back to authority figures, and it’s gotten him in hot water on more than one occasion. it’s why he kept getting moved around the foster system before bruce took him in because no one wanted to keep him.

9. he’s also gotten so close with the other batkids and we love to see it!! duke calls cass “sis” and treats damian like the annoying little brother he never had and i adore every second of it. we haven’t gotten a lot of interactions between duke and the others aside from training and stuff, but he and jason have the whole “punk kid who got adopted by batman and is baffled by how rich people live” going for them, so they can bond over that. and duke is a thinker like tim, so they can hang out and do puzzles or play chess or whatever it is that smart people do. (and duke and steph are BESTIES i don’t care what anyone says.)

10. most of all, duke is still learning how the whole hero thing works. he’s young and he’s trying his best, but he also makes mistakes. he will be impulsive and screw up, and he’ll try and merge the lessons batman’s taught him and that his parents taught him and that other heroes teach him until it all makes sense in his own mind. duke isn’t experienced like dick or even damian, so he’s going to be lagging behind for a while until he grows until the role he’s made for himself.

other miscellaneous details to include: 

- duke is dating izzy, who used to be part of the “we are robin” gang with him - he used to live at the manor and now lives with his cousin jay, but honestly i just have him living at the manor in everything i write because i like it better that way - he can control shadows and light now! what a king! - duke secretly writes poetry and is good at creative writing in general  - this:

- duke is super smart?? he figured out that agent 37 was dick grayson without even trying?? i’m so proud of him - his biological father is this supervillain called gnomon so now duke has got four parents: his mom, his dad, his supervillain dad, and bruce (plus selina if you count her as the batkids’ stepmom, which i do) - jason calls him “narrows” and i love that

- and, lastly, the most important panel in the history of comics:

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - April 4

Happy Easter and RDJ Day and all that. My kids were out of town this week so I read a LOT--some of which was different ships so it’s not included here. Anway, enjoy and remember to leave kudos/comments if you like something! 

**Indicates my recent favs 

~*~ 

Iron chef by MemoryDragon (MCU/5K) 

Natasha has a broken leg, Tony is in the kitchen cooking, and Steve has a crush he's not sulking about. Chicken soup must be good for the soul, right?

***the meet cute by by iam93percentstardust (MCU/10K) 

Steve isn't entirely certain how he keeps ending up paired with Tony but as long as Tony keeps looking at him like this, he's not complaining.

Or 5 times Steve and Tony had to act like they were in a rom com for the mission, 1 time they got it horribly wrong, and 1 time they got it wonderfully, beautifully right.

only human by giraffewrites (CW AU /11K)

 When Flash takes things too far - pushes Peter too far by mentioning his fathers and what happened, Peter can't take it anymore.

Or, an au where after civil war, Steve was put in prison, Tony has a hard time facing his feelings, and Peter just wants to see his pops.

drive you home by orphan_account (Kidfic/11k) 

Steve has been making extra money as an Uber driver. One night, a very, very sleep deprived dad gets in the back of his car.

peter’s stars by IronPengu, parkrstark (kidfic/175k)

 Steve and Peter lose their apartment and are kicked out on the streets. Steve has to juggle between jobs to earn whatever money he can, take care of his son while resfusing to let him realize how much they're trouble in, and keep them warm and safe on the city streets in winter.

So, he really doesn't have time to date the billionaire that flirts with him everyday as he buys his cup of coffee. Even if he did, he can't let himself fall for the man. Because if he knew that he lived from a backpack and showered in a public bathroom there's no way he'd still want him...right?

**buy you a mockingbird by jadedoll (kidfic/29k) 

Babyfic! When Tony unexpectedly becomes a parent, his world view drastically changes. And changes. Then it changes again. And then again.

dear to me by sylvalum (Comics/6k) 

Tony has made peace with the fact that Steve will never love him back, except then a half-asleep Steve tells him that he loves him, swiftly launching Tony’s third existential crisis this month.

And the Avengers have a baby now, which is shaping up to be the fourth.

full disclosure by memorydragon (Identity porn/8.6k) 

Steve Rogers wants to know more about his best friend online, but Iron doesn't believe in full disclosure when it comes to his own weak points.

***tony stark vs the heteronormative agenda by sweatervest (MCU/11k)

 Nat leans her hip against the table and folds her arms. “Short of making out in public, I don’t think anyone will make the jump to ‘they’re dating.’”

Steve glances at her and then over at Tony.

Nat follows Steve’s gaze. “You did make out in public.”

“Steve never got his Time’s Square victory kiss,” Tony protests.

--

Or, five times the general public was determined to believe Steve Rogers and Tony Stark were just close friends, and the time Tony made sure they knew otherwise.

christmas holiday by scifigrl47 (MCU/20K) 

It's a Christmas wedding, and a Christmas honeymoon. Even if it's a little more complicated than that.

that which we call a rose by blossomsinthemist (PWP/4K) 

“Right,” he said. “Don’t stop. I gotcha.” He leaned forward, his knee pushing Tony’s armor-covered leg out wider, bending his knee against the wall, and his hand came up, leather-covered palm pushing at the back of Tony’s neck, over the metal edge of the neckpiece, against the soft skin just under his hair, and squeezed, holding him down. “I’m going to make you take it, buster,” he murmured, and his voice, his breath, was soft against Tony’s skin, warm against his hair. “I’m going to hold you down, right here, Shellhead, and push into you, and have you. You want that, fella? You like that?”

Written for Day Twenty-Three of Kinktober: Against a Wall.

mayhem dressed in a suit by StarSpangledBucky (PWP/7K) 

Tony openly blurts out about his sex life with Steve during a press conference. Steve isn't happy as he watches it live on TV. His anger results in Steve driving to the venue, where he follows Tony into the bathroom and fucks him stupid. Tony doesn't complain, because angry Steve is the kinkiest thing Tony has ever dealt with. And by the next day, Steve gets payback by making Tony cry on camera.

the push you need by KandiSheek (BDSM/7.5k) 

Steve keeps seeing finger-shaped bruises on Tony's face. He isn't sure what it says about him that he wants to be the one to put them there.

***more complicated than a smash and grab by iam93percentstardust (Oceans 11 AU/72K) 

Steve Rogers wouldn't describe himself as an honest man. A good man? Well, that depends on who you're talking to. But an honest one? Never.

Three years after Steve is framed for a crime he didn't commit, he returns to the international thieves community to find that it's been decimated by the same man who framed him. Furious and thirsting for revenge, he starts putting together a team to help him ruin the man who ruined their lives. But if he's going to run the biggest con in the Western Hemisphere, he's going to need help from his ex-partner. The only problem is, Tony used to be more than just his partner and the last time they spoke had been in an explosive fight just before Steve was arrested.

With the stakes higher than they've ever been before, will Steve convince Tony to forgive him in time to run the perfect con? Or will he shatter Steve's heart and walk away again?

***lord, what fools these mortals be by iam93percentstardust (Actor AU/72K) 

Famed director Phil Coulson brings Shakespeare’s beloved play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to Broadway. This production though comes with a twist: a brief but passionate love affair between the faerie king, Oberon, and his attendant, Puck. In the roles of the two star-crossed lovers, Coulson casts America’s darling Steve Rogers, fresh off his third Academy Award, and Broadway royalty, Tony Stark. Steve quickly finds himself falling for the quick-witted and sarcastic actor but Tony is dating the stage manager. Unwilling to come between the seemingly happy couple, Steve steps back but all isn’t right behind the scenes and Tony may need him when everything falls apart.

[easilydistractedbyfanfic]

easilydistractedbyfanfic's writing update, October 2022

Hey there! Gonna make a pinned post of the stories I'm currently juggling. Title, order & rating potentially subject to change. Most of these are Raven/Murphy from t100, but fair warning that I’ve started writing Riven/Musa from Fate: The Winx Saga and I could see myself writing more. So we’ll see. 

I recently posted my 65th story so that feels like a big deal - yay me!

Better Than Revenge, Explicit - Raven wants to get revenge for being cheated on by flaunting a relationship right under Shaw's nose at the upcoming gala their firm throws every year, and she wants to fully sell it so Shaw will realize what a mistake he made by cheating on her. If Murphy plays along, she'll make it worth his while. Only, pretending to be all over Murphy comes a lot more naturally than she expected.

This was supposed to be 4 chapters and 3 are currently posted. I’m an idiot so it’s going to be more chapters.

Dance With Me, Mature - Murphy never thought he'd be a ballet dancer, but after a hockey injury, it was his last shot at making it out of Arkadia. Raven has been in dance classes for as long as she can remember and she fell in love with ballet. She’s worked her ass off to be the best and now she has a chance to be a principal dancer in Charmaine Diyoza’s new company. The only downside? She’d be paired with John Murphy, resident bad boy of ballet

This was also supposed to be 4 chapters and 2 are currently posted. Let me repeat - I am an idiot & it’s probably going longer. I’ve got over 8k not yet posted on this one.

Personal Trainer AU, Explicit - Raven always used working out as a way to distract herself from her emotionally distant & alcoholic mother, and years later, all her efforts have turned into a career path as she's running her own successful business as a personal trainer. Usually her clients trend towards middle-class new moms who want to get back into shape after having kids, but Raven isn't complaining - she's made a lot of friends that way even if her bank account isn't flush. But then one day she gets a call from an intimidating Hollywood agent named Echo, who wants Raven to whip alcoholic actor John Murphy into shape for an upcoming film role. Privacy is key - Murphy has recently gotten out of rehab and Echo says this role will be his entree back into the Hollywood elite if he doesn't screw it up, and maybe Raven's ticket to a bigger clientele too. First problem: Murphy's the most difficult client she's ever encountered. Second problem: she identifies with him much more than she wants to, and it's stirring up a lot of her own emotional past. Third problem: the more time they spend together and the more open they become with each other, the harder it is to stay professional, since she's pretty sure she's falling in love.

College Couples' Experiment AU, TBD - Murphy & Raven are poor college students who each see a flyer for paid research opportunities, but it's for couples only. Maybe they're long-time friends or have only just met - either way, fake dating hijinks ensue when they decide to pair up to earn some needed cash.

In addition, I have an old KM prompt I still want to write and a Red Sun Eclipse fic, and I know I need to update/finish both A Simple Plan, Let Me Forget About Today Until Tomorrow, and of course, I truly have not forgotten about Only Then You'll See even though it's been a million years. And because I'm difficult like that, I've got a long-term, much thought about, very obsessive story I've wanted to write for ages that I'll call Space Pirates (maybe not what you think), and a few more ideas for the If One Thing Had Been Different Collection. Whoops. I'm busy for forever, so stay tuned! Also if you're curious about any of these, feel free to shoot me a message! Thanks very much to my regular and new readers - you're a huge reason why I'm still writing!

[sugar-petals]

Age hierarchies impact social interactions in SK so strongly I always wonder how group dynamics would change if they were in a different order. All this to say: maknaes yoonjin and hyungs taekook especially live in my mind rent-free

yep, hierarchy is central. let’s do the thought experiment:

if jin was in the maknae line: he’d have the popularity he deserves. as a cheerful hyung, it sadly always feels like he’s caught between chairs and gets very one-dimensional images. as per their dynamic (not their looks, jin does appear his part), it feels implied that namjoon is the eldest hyung, while jin would work well with the maknaes. his role and importance would’ve gained more visibility if he was 3 years, 4 years younger. 

if joon was in the maknae line: bts would not exist. a lot of the dynamic depends on his age and experience and prior skill. but say it was the case: he could live out his suppressed ‘cuter’ sides a lot more. these shoulders carry the entire world. it’d be soothing to know he’d have a role with less constant stress and angst. yet at the end of the day, bts discography would be way, way different. yoongi would be the central writer, hoseok the leader, ‘love yourself’ wouldn’t be a thing. the group concept would be a lot rougher around the edges, they wouldn’t have rebranded and likely not gone international. if joon was only 2 years younger, i’d not be writing this right now, and you wouldn’t be reading it. today is the only time i’ll say something like this: mr and mrs kim, thank you for not judiciously waiting and having a child later, the entire planet changed because of it. imagine if the same RM was born in 2002 and things developed the same way. bts would only debut this year.

if suga was in the maknae line: looks-wise, sure, but personality-wise: that’d be hella strange lol! imagine maknae agust d. gosh, no damn way, we’d not have the mixtapes if he was any younger. the group deliberately started out counting on him as the composed and secluded senior producer that gladly takes the burden off the highspirited talents in the limelight. he wouldn’t appear as a maknae in his habits except he’d be a bit more chaotic. yoongi would probably be bickering so hard with the hyungs 😂

if hobi was in the maknae line: ironically people would take him a lot more seriously and it’s not an unfitting role. visually, too. but on the other hand: he might not be in charge of choreography so i guess bts would have fallen apart and never achieved their famous performance style. also, they would have no leading figure with gravity since it’s not RM, not him, not yoongi. out of the current maknaes only jimin could realistically juggle all the social back and forth as a hyung but at debut, that wouldn’t have worked out. bts is only bts because of the one and only that is namjoon with hoseok as the informal leader, the one to get everyone in the mood and shape.

if jimin was in the hyung line: it’d be good on his esteem because he enjoys that role, but othertimes he’d be sad he had no guidance or person to cling to. the position = perceived honor would be good but not what comes with it: so it’s better he’s the oldest maknae. he looks like it, he feels like it. that’s the better balance. libra, you know.

if tae was in the maknae line: it’d be more responsibility than his freedom-thinker character is made for, not at debut and not now, but it would suit his serious side. he’d likely be a rapper since he’s a baritone, i am sure. then again, he’s not a producer type, it would’ve made bts collapse fast if the hyungs were not a hands-on songmaker circle with underground experience. the rapline has got to be the most industrious in the studio. 

if jk was in the maknae line: he’d only be half as teasing but i don’t think he’d be in the group in the first place lmao! if RM would have been underage and not the leader, and jk came along almost fully settled? jesus. his maknae status is responsible for his entire talent development. bts would have no such a center since they didn’t form him into their perfect amalgamation/epitome. jk’s popularity also depends a lot on being the youngest and physically energetic/cute-looking so if he was 28 like jin right now or went to the military respectively it’d be pretty world-upside-down.

TLDR: the age setup now has been and still is the more advantageous overall except for jin. if you ask me, a lot of his hardship and mistreatment stems from that incongruency.

[notallthosewho-wanderarelost]

Hawkeye 1x04 spoilers

Further random thoughts on Hawkeye episode 4 because why not. Also some Black Widow spoilers below.

No cut cause I’m on mobile, sorry.

Loved Kate bringing Christmas stuff and movies so Clint can celebrate. That sequence was adorable. Plus you can tell she feels bad that he’s stuck in New York because of her and is trying to make it up to him as best she can.

Clint teaching Kate how to aim a coin with that little round ornament was a great scene. That is, after all, what Clint’s real talent is. Not just archery, but the fact that he can use anything as a projectile. Now thinking about the Avengers Assemble episode where Clint’s in the tower alone, Zemo comes in trying to take it over, and Clint uses everything available including a slice of pizza as a weapon. That’s a great episode.

The marker thing was really funny. Although very much a thing CLINT would do in comics, not Kate. They really did just swap their roles and personalities around for this show.

The Grumpy Cat sweater! Yes. (I wish Coulson could see this, we know he’s a Grumpy Cat fan!)

Speaking of shirts- the Laika shirt made an appearance! Interesting that they gave it long sleeves as the original in comics was a short sleeve t-shirt. I think we have pictures of Hailee filming in a different location with that shirt on, so I’m expecting to see it again. :)

We got a closer look this episode and that is definitely a menorah in Kate’s aunt’s apartment. 🤔

The “Thanos was right” mug is funny but in a way that makes me mad. I hate that it feels accurate that people would be like that.

I like that Kate figured out Clint was Ronin, and she didn’t judge him for it. That was a great scene.

Got emotional when Clint talked about Natasha AND THEN HER VOICE PLAYED AND WE GOT NAT FLASHBACKS AND I CRIED. Loved hearing from Clint about how they met though. And poor Clint having those flashbacks. He’s clearly not okay.

Eleanor saying Natasha’s name when she was talking to Clint about how she doesn’t want Kate working with her though. Ugh. Leave her name out of your mouth, lady. And Eleanor is super shady? I have a feeling she’s working with Kingpin. (Or whoever else is behind the tracksuit mafia, but signs are really pointing to Kingpin imo.) Can’t decide if Kate having an overbearing-but-villain mom in the MCU is better or worse than the negligent-but-villain father she has in comics. Though, wasn’t there a reveal that her mom was secretly alive and also a villain? Guess Kate qualifies for Runaway membership lol.

I keep thinking that it’s weird that they got rid of Kate’s sister, but I guess they didn’t want to juggle another character and aside from the fact that it was at her wedding that Kate first become a hero, her sister is unfortunately kind of inconsequential.

Kate is really not close to her mom and it shows. She was not having it at all when her mom tried to tell her what to do. Just like the first episode when Eleanor wanted her to wear a red dress and she wore a black suit instead, only more serious now.

It’s kind of funny that Eleanor didn’t comment at all on the dog Kate suddenly has. But also kind of sad, like she doesn’t even care that her daughter has a dog now.

Kate being excited about LARPing and thinking the LARPers were cool was so wholesome. I really hope they give that lady her bag back.

Clint and Kate are going to get their final costumes from LARPers, I LOVE IT AND THAT’S SO ON BRAND.

Alright. The big one. YELENA SHOWED UP THIS EPISODE. YESSSS. Kind of hilarious that she shows up at the most inopportune moment to try and kill Clint. And Clint saying that “someone hired a Black Widow assassin.” Does that mean Natasha told him that the Red Room survived their purge and there are other Widows out there, or did he just recognize Yelena’s moves and equipment and connect some dots?

I’m wondering if this means he’s going to stumble across Valentina and/or the nascent Thunderbolts team while looking into where Yelena came from, or if he’s going to try to find out where this “hired” assassin came from and find absolutely nothing because Yelena is mostly going after him because she wants to as “revenge” for Natasha’s death. Not going to lie, the latter would be hilarious and I’m voting for that. Though Clint was a Thunderbolts member in comics at one point, so they may go the other route so he somehow winds up on the team? (Via blackmail because of his Ronin activities perhaps? Total shot in the dark there.)

I said this in tags already somewhere, but Kate not taking the shot on Yelena paralleling Clint’s story about the shot he didn’t take on Natasha makes me want to see them be superhero best friends who get into the craziest situations together. Kate gets into situations like she always does, while Yelena makes fun of her from the sidelines because that’s what Yelena does, and then she jumps into said situations in the nick of time to help Kate out because we know Yelena enjoys doing crazy death-defying stuff for fun. (The avalanche being “a cool way to die,” Yelena saying that the reunion to take down the Ref Room “was fun” as her last words before taking out Dreykov’s helicopter suicidally, she gets a kick out of these things and I love it.) It would be such a fun dynamic! Give me the crazy adventures of Yelena and Kate please!!

...Wait, I just realized, they both have dogs! Lucky can meet Fanny!!!

I’m now imagining Kate and Yelena roadtripping across the country with both of their dogs and getting into crazy superhero situations trying to take down small-time villains/gangs the entire time. Or small-time villains/gangs with one bigger villain behind them. (Madame Masque? Let’s make it Madame Masque please.) Yelena makes fun of the amount of stuff Kate packed to move cross-country (it’s everything she owns because she’s done with New York) and teaches her spy skills, while Kate teaches Yelena Americana pop culture stuff and appreciates the amount of pockets in her clothes. They can be on their way to LA. Obviously they stop in Ohio and visit Nat’s grave, and the house they lived in. They end up starting the MCU version of Hawkeye Investigations in LA at the end, only it’s a team effort so it’s Hawkeye and Widow Investigations. They bicker a lot about whose name gets to be first. Maybe it could be a running joke and they turn it into a competition that Kate somehow manages to win at the last minute. Someone write this fic please

To finish off, I feel like it’s worth pointing out that at the end of the episode Kate still has the watch, and Clint took the Ronin sword from Jacques earlier in the episode. I feel like both of those things are going to be important.

[thequietmanno1]

Thelreads, MHA 244, Replies Part 2

1) “OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE, NOW HAWKS IS HERE AS WELL?

WHO ELSE WANTS TO HOW UP TO SAVE ENDEAVOR? KOICHI,  YOU THERE AS WELL? YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR CAMEO AT THE MAIN SERIES? THIS IS YOUR CHANCE BOY”- Endeavour thought he was the hero, when really he was the damsel in distress all along, having multiple groups fighting over him.

2) “Yeah, too fast in fact, dammit dude, first you steal Bakugo’s new dad and now you steal his fun? When will you stop targeting Bakugo, I wonder.”- When Bakugu can move fast enough to catch him and turn him into friend chicken for the aforementioned grievances. He’ll appreciate the challenge in doing so.

3) “oh god no Todoroki is having a gay panic™ moment, please calm down boy, the chicken is already dating your brother, don’t eye him like that, he’s too old for you anyway.”- Befitting his status as the youngest Pro hero out there, Hawks is only 23 years old, by which time he’s gotten powerful enough and skilled to not only become a top-ranked hero- with the implication that he could possible take the number one spot if he put his mind to it- but also a government spy and double agent when not doing those tasks. You can see why a guy like him would want a world where heroes have free time, with his schedule so full from juggling so many different jobs at once, whilst still being on the young adult age range.

4) “oh yeah, that might be a bit tricky with all the surveillance that he’s under, and now I do hope that you two had some sort of secret code for this situation.

no wait, Endeavor didn’t knew that Hawks is a undercover double-agent, right? I can’t remember, goddammit, I don’t think he knew the details at least?”- Endeavour doesn’t actually know about Hawks’ double-act role- which would have made things mighty awkward between them after the Hood fight if he’d known that Hawks was somewhat involved in that, and why Hawks had to apologise to him mentally rather than verbally- but Hawks is not in the process of bringing him into the loop, even if he doesn’t quite understand the full circumstances. It’s actually somewhat heartwarming, because as far as we know, Endeavour is the only hero who’s being allowed to grasp the full circumstances here, as Hawks has severed all direct communication with the commission by now, when all it would take is somebody saying the wrong thing to blow Hawks’ cover and the element of surprise against the PLF, showing how much hawks trusts him and has faith in him, despite, or in part because of, the dire situation. 

Hawks seems the be the only person who has unquestioning faith in Endeavour as a hero, even if he’s unaware of his sordid past, placing him in a position of trust on his behalf and showing his more vulnerable side to him during that conversation before Hood showed up. Hawks comes across as somebody who’s long since leaned the adage ‘conceal, don’t feel’ with how he hides his true thoughts and puts on a joking mask for others, or a serious mask when the situation calls for it, never allowing his poker face to crumble even for a moment even when placed in high-stress situation like Dabi forcing him to kill a fellow hero to gain his trust, despite the implications we get here that he genuinely does regret the act and wished he could have avoided it. Being honest with Endeavour is something he’s likely not done with anybody else in a long time, and the fact that he’s relying on that honest conversation they had to tip Endeavour off shows that he trusts him in a deep level, that he knows Endeavour isn’t the kind of man who will ignore the signs and can be trusted to help him when he needs it most even if he doesn’t say it out loud.

5) “Well Hawks, you knew this was his turf and you knew how much of a workaholic he is, the chances of crossing paths was extremely high, if you weren’t planning to meet him then you did done goofed this time.”- Two eyes staring out of the panel, one organic, one electronic, overseeing all that Hawks says and does and metaphorically looking over his shoulder all the time, Hawk’s feathers cutting across the panel like black prison bars, showing how metaphorically caged he is by his duties ad the role he’s cast himself in. Despite, or more likely because of, his deep desire to live freely and do whatever he likes, Hawks is the hero who has the least about of freedom in the story, caught between two opposing factions in the Commission and the PLF, both of who are likely using him as a valuable, but ultimately disposable Pawn.

 His friendship with Endeavour takes on another aspect when you realise that it’s likely genuine on Hawks’ end, as one of the few things he’s been able to enjoy as part of his role, and the fact he turns to Endeavour now when metaphorically cornered rather than an agent of the Commission is probably both because Endeavour’s easier to coincidentally meet and the only person Hawks fully believes can save him.

6) “Also, Midoriya’s infamy continues to chase after him, he can’t escape his past, he’ll always be the finger-buster, with his loyal sidekick, the hand-crusher.”- Midoria is one of the nicest members of class 1A, but he’s more publically known for his acts of carnage and destruction, whereas Bakugou is the most volatile one, and yet has a reputation as somebody with outstanding skills and results, but a poor attitude problem. Izuku needs to participate in more public rescues if he even wants to have people be glad to see him on the scene, rather than both villains and civilians alike having an ‘oh crap’ reaction to his appearance.

7) “Oh okay, fuck me then, I got it all backwards- Well, kind of, I was right on the latter part, you really can’t afford put Tokoyami in danger, but unexpectedly, you did hire him back to your agency. Well, you do need to keep up the appearances, you need to make it seem like everything is normal after all.”- Hawks did enjoy mentoring Tokoyami in his own way, by playing the trickster mentor archetype and then giving him more practical advice when Tokoyami showed improvement on his own initiative with his ‘Black Ankh’ move. If the circumstances had allowed he’d probably be fine with teaching Tokoyami how to hone his black fallen angel moves more and some tricks for mid-air combat, which doesn’t seem to be something that’s widely taught given a lot of the heroes we’ve seen so far don’t have much full-on flight capabilities. 

Endeavour mainly makes do with not falling with his flames’ thrust and even Uraraka uses her anti-gravity more as a ground-based weapon in close-combat rather than a means of locomotion, so Hawks’ expertise to Tokoyami would be invaluable, but if he doesn’t get in bed more with the PLF, everybody’s gonna get blindsided by their revolution, so Tokoyami has to be put on the back burner. The fact he easily remembers him though does show that Hawks had fun teaching him, given all the sidekicks he must have, as well as what Tokoyami told him about his classmates to recognise them by their description alone.

8) “Also, to be honest I don’t even know if Hawks knows that Bakugo was under the wing of BJ or not, I think that reaction was a bit more along the lines of “that kid is watching me like a fox ready to rip a chicken to shreds just for the hell of it, and frankly, I’m getting a little worried about it””- If Hawks easily remembered Tokoyami, then it’s likely he’d also remember Tokoyami’s classmates, especially the ones closely linked to the hero he murdered, given his supressed guilt over it. Hawks is probably struggling to find a way to say ‘sorry’ to Bakugou without giving the game away that Best Jeanest’s disappearance isn’t him on vacation or something, or letting the watching PLF know that he’s remorseful for his actions, and thus not likely loyal to their cause. In the end, the only thing he can do is what he’s always done- hold it in any say nothing with a smile on his face.

9) “Oh? Trying to convey a message to him while under surveillance? Trying to pass this as just recruiting another hero for the cause? I do believe that Redestro would be quite thrilled to have the current top hero serving Shigaraki as well.”- I think the MLA members are putting far too much stock in the brainwashing effects of spreading Destro’s ideology about. Just because it’s effective on the weak-minded masses to bolster their ranks, doesn’t mean it will affect the strong-minded top-ranked heroes the same way. The fact that they’re willing to allow Hawks to spread the good word shows that they’ve completely bought into his excuse that he’s a true believer, and the think about cults is that once you’ve got somebody paying lip service to their ideology, the true believer’s fervent faith means they’re also willing to overlook how suspicious his actions are, so their own recruitment tactics make them less liable to pick up on any abnormalities with hawks’ behaviour.

10) “Oh, you managed to sneak a few encoded messages into it as well? Nice, although now its a matter of how long it will take Endeavor to realize what you mean- that is, if he even notices that there is something wrong.”- Endeavour is a smart man, but given Shoto’s issues with understanding Metaphors, which he possibly inherited from the old man, it’s possible this method of subtle messaging could fly right over his head

       (MHA ch 243) 11) “but it served to show that, like I said, he was expecting this to happen, he was counting on it, but he’s ready for it regardless.”- Of course, this is dependant of the recipient of said code being smart enough to get the hint, and I think Hawks is worried he’s being a little too subtle for Endeavour here…

12) “Don’t worry Hawks, he definitely will notice that something is off, just give him time to read the book and he’ll figure things out.”-

Hawks: (Frantically waggling his eyebrows at Endeavour when passing him the book)

Endevour: Is there something wrong with your face? Hawks: (Internally screaming) It’s just an itch. But anyway, enjoy the book! Endevour: Thank you, but I’ve been given some books on parenting from my son, Shoto, that he insisted I finish reading before anything else… Hawks: (Further internal screaming) No, it’s fine, take your time…

13) “A-HA! I knew it, he did say that before! And Endeavor remembered it, also he remembered that you looked really cheerful when dreaming about this future, and that is definitely not the expression that you had when talking about it right now, which is weird, since this is supposedly a chance to make your dream become reality- oh yeah, he’s already in, he already noticed there’s some fuckery going on, and I believe he also realized that you can’t talk about it directly, if you’re being this cryptic.”-  Now we just have to hope that Endeavour also realises that if hawks is acting like this when they’re technically speaking in private, he’s being monitored in some fashion, and now is a really good time to bring his poker face to bear before anything else…

14) “Hawks is a good spy, he made use of everything he had to fly under the radar and pass on information to his side, now it’s all on Endeavor’s hands.

…

God help us”- Hawks’ decision to bring Endeavour into the loop seems based more on his personal preferences than anything else, along with the fact that Endeavour’s the only one who knows the real him enough to get when he’s acting suspicious. This is all a heartwarming show of faith in Endeavour’s capabilities and strength of character as a hero, but it’s all based on the supposition that hawks hasn’t greatly overestimated Endeavour…. @thelreads

[robininthelabyrinth]

Three Gates - on ao3 (for content warnings check Ao3) - on tumblr: pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6, pt 7, pt 8, pt 9

- Chapter 10 -

Everyone did believe that Meng Yao had been robbed in love. It even got to the point that Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen – both somehow taken by surprise by it, he had no idea how, given that it was so obviously the result he was aiming for – spent a great deal of time behind doors trying to make sure Meng Yao didn’t feel bad about it, which was very nice, if unnecessary, of them.

He assured them that he didn’t mind the gossip at all, but, well, if they were offering to spoil him…

More importantly, Wen Ruohan believed it, too, just as he’d hoped, and his belief that Meng Yao belonged to him was shored up to the point of being nigh-unbreakable, just as Meng Yao had intended. His comments on the subject, made in a small break during a Discussion Conference when Nie Mingjue was enduring a lecture from Lan Qiren, were sticky sweet and suffocating and revolting to the point that it tested even Meng Yao’s well-practiced façade.

Interestingly enough, Wen Ruohan didn’t seem to be jealous of the relationship, or even to mind its existence, as Meng Yao would have expected given his now years-long obsession. Unfortunately, he also didn’t stop his usual antics – which probably formed part of the basis for Lan Qiren’s lecture, come to think of it. He seemed to regard it as little more than a childish lark, a passing whim scarcely worth noticing; as if it didn’t matter what Nie Mingjue did because he knew, or thought he knew, how everything would end.

It was, Meng Yao reflected, the sort of thing that would drive a lesser man up the wall with rage.

Wen Ruohan did express a mild curiosity as to how far things between Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen had gone, but luckily was just barely self-aware enough not to ask the supposedly jilted Meng Yao to find out more details for him.

As a result, Meng Yao was able to nod along with his recruitment speech without having to swallow back too much bile.

“You’ve always been very kind to me, Sect Leader Wen,” he said, his voice as sincere as he could make it. “I find that I’m often overlooked, given my status, though of course Sect Leader Nie’s needs must come first…”

“That is not necessarily true,” Wen Ruohan hummed. “You are just as worthy as he, with as many needs; are you not human, too? Why should you be the one overlooked?”

“Qinghe Nie values strength of arms,” Meng Yao demurred. “And mine is – lacking. There can be no comparison.”

“It must be difficult to be somewhere where you don’t fit in,” Wen Ruohan said sympathetically, as if he had any notion of such a thing. “Especially when you know there are places where you would fit in much better, if only you had a chance.”

Meng Yao heaved a sigh. “I have long ago given up hope of – other places,” he said, dropping obvious hints with his body language that the hope was merely dashed, not gone. “One should be content with one’s place.”

“Never be content with anything,” Wen Ruohan told him, his own voice slightly more sincere than usual, and it might be the only honest thing the man had ever said to him. His own personal motto, no doubt. He dropped his hand on Meng Yao’s shoulder. “Perhaps you should make more time for yourself – there are some areas in Qishan where you could go night-hunting to earn some glory, and I think you would find the game there to your liking. Especially, oh, around the end of the month?”

Meng Yao allowed himself a small victorious smile, and let Wen Ruohan think that he had convinced him that he had wanted the recruitment all along – a perfect catch, after years of setting out lures.

“That sounds like an excellent suggestion,” he said, and even meant it. “My skills have grown rusty, staying in the office so much…though I only fear I do not know the way. You know that Sect Leader Nie does not trust me at the border.”

He did, of course, but what would be the point of sending him there? Meng Yao’s skill was in logistics and management; while that was useful in active battle it would be utterly wasted in patrolling their well-armed borders to help pep up morale. But it was easy enough to make it appear to be a slight.

“You are capable of doing anything you put your mind to,” Wen Ruohan said encouragingly. “But you are right in acknowledging limits, and should not fear to turn to – capable guidance, when you find difficulty in finding your own way.”

Meng Yao lowered his eyes, full of triumph – for real, this time. “I am honored that Sect Leader Wen is willing to instruct me.”

Wen Ruohan patted him on the shoulder again, then went off his own way. Meng Yao turned to do the same, and abruptly saw Lan Wangji standing in the distance, looking out a window at the sky; it gave him a start, wondering if the younger man had seen. Hopefully not, or at least he’d hopefully know to keep his mouth shut – Meng Yao would have to go feel him out later.

The work never ended, he thought to himself with a sigh, and returned to Nie Mingjue’s side before his sect leader broke something trying to keep his mouth shut while talking to Lan Xichen’s uncle about righteous conduct, a subject on which the Lan sect seemed to think they had the final say and on which Nie sect principles were wildly and fundamentally different.

(Lan Wangji seemed to act the same as always when Meng Yao talked to him later – which was to say, virtually expressionless except for whatever it was that Lan Xichen claimed he could read in his posture, and still hilariously distractable with news of Wei Wuxian, who he’d met for all of a few months during the lessons in the Cloud Recesses that Nie Huaisang had finally passed – and that was a relief. The less Meng Yao had to think about what he was doing when he wasn’t actively doing it, the better.)

Getting permission – and publicly – to go out night-hunting was easy enough, since Nie Mingjue actively enjoyed slaughtering evil beasts for the good of mankind and thought that everyone else did too; he only needed to casually mention that it had been a while since he’d had time to go out to stretch his legs and Nie Mingjue immediately suggested that he go out on a night-hunt.

Convincing him not to come along with was slightly more difficult, especially when he mentioned that he’d heard some whispers of a demonic presence near the border with Qishan – Wen Ruohan was certainly demonic enough, in Meng Yao’s opinion – but with his position it wasn’t difficult to juggle the paperwork schedule to ensure that there was far, far too much work for Nie Mingjue to accompany him.

Arranging that Lan Xichen come to visit shortly before he left was an extra perk that Meng Yao included for both of them – for himself, getting to spend a wonderful day in the presence of someone infinitely more relaxing than Nie Mingjue, and for Nie Mingjue, getting to spend time on paperwork with someone infinitely more sympathetic than Meng Yao, who truly enjoyed the process of comparing long lists of received goods with each other to see if something was missing.

He’d miss Lan Xichen’s departure due to his night-hunt, but that was good, too – him going off to an atypical night-hunt would be understood by the majority of the cultivation world as a huffy retreat to avoid having to see his former lover and his superior together, and no one would think twice about it.

Once it was all set up, it was only a matter of waiting.

Wen Ruohan was confident in him, Meng Yao knew, and rightfully so: if he’d really been the person he’d been displaying in his presence since childhood, Wen Ruohan’s tricks would have snared him without question. A fool with an endless pit in his heart, greedy for affection and too stupid to be able to realize that no amount of glory would satisfy that greed, cunning but having no heart to see the bigger picture…dumb enough to agree to go meet Wen Ruohan, but smart enough to demand a measure of trust before he did.

A measure of trust – like the guide he’d insisted on.

Like the identify of whoever it was that had been so-cleverly dropping off all those letters, over all those years. Whoever it was had to have a considerable position in the Unclean Realm since the time Lao Nie had been in charge, and corrupted by Wen Ruohan since way back then; someone who had the freedom of the interior parts of the fortress, someone trusted, with good enough martial arts to avoid being spotted even when Meng Yao was specifically looking to identify them.

He’d run some tests and confirmed to his satisfaction that it seemed to be the same person each time, so there was only one high-level spy he needed to be concerned about – there were others, of course, but Meng Yao knew about those, and what he knew he could manage.

Or, well, Nie Zonghui could manage, he supposed. Nie Zonghui was technically the one in charge of managing personnel, or at least he was whenever he wasn’t stuck on some type of body-guarding duty – while they hadn’t shared classes due to the age gap between them, Nie Zonghui being older, Meng Yao knew that they’d had all the same ones, preparing them for much the same role. Between the two of them as advisors, Nie Zonghui was better suited for fighting and advising on situations involving imminent death, and they'd generally divided the work accordingly, but he was more than competent enough at managing spies and Meng Yao had handed the job off to him with great satisfaction. It worked very well.

Well, as long as Nie Zonghui didn’t turn out to be the traitor, anyway.

Meng Yao sincerely hoped he wasn’t. Nie Zonghui’s hobby was learning saber forms, and he spent all his free time on it to the point that he made Nie Mingjue’s training schedule look reasonable – Nie Mingjue was still the more powerful of the two, but only because he had ridiculously high cultivation for someone his age.

(That high cultivation had made his position as sect leader secure and allowed him to earn a name and a title and respect throughout the cultivation world, but Meng Yao wasn’t the only one that worried about how Nie sect cultivators died of qi deviation once they got too powerful. But Nie Mingjue was fairly stable for the moment, despite his rapid advancement, and Lan Xichen had devoted himself to trying to find a way to keep it that way – Meng Yao thought he might allow himself some room to hope.)

It turned out that the traitor wasn’t Nie Zonghui.

It was Wu Bixian, one of the army commanders, which was not quite as bad but only slightly.

Wu Bixian was from a smaller sect very close to Qinghe, a part of the Nie clan by marriage to one of the closer cousins. He was a good warrior, a tolerable commander, and had once had the occasion to save Lao Nie’s life in their youth together – he had been in a position of trust for a long time. He was wealthy, in the way most members of the Nie sect were with the sect’s treasury at their back and night-hunts to their name (Nie Mingjue’s comment as a child that the money ran free and easy once you started night-hunting wasn’t wrong) and he had a good wife, a few children, a saber of his own, moderately strong cultivation that was slowly gaining in strength…He had never shown any interest in acquiring more power than he had, no lust for domination, nothing like that.

He seemed content.

He was one of the ones that made snide comments about Meng Yao’s mother and had initially tried to refuse to take Meng Yao’s orders, even the ones that came straight from Nie Mingjue, until Nie Mingjue had personally told him to cut it out or else accept a demotion in favor of someone who could follow orders, but given how early the letters had started landing on Meng Yao’s desk, his betrayal must have happened far earlier than that incident and could not be the inciting factor.

Meng Yao had no idea what sort of things had Wen Ruohan offered to turn him, but whatever it was, he hoped Wu Bixian had enjoyed it while it lasted because he was going to kill him.

“It is kind of Commander Wu to take time out of his day to assist me,” he murmured, lowering his eyes to hide his rage even as his voice remained sweet and gentle.

“Sect Leader Nie wanted to make sure you were safe,” Wu Bixian said, and for half a second there Meng Yao wondered if it had been some sort of terrible miscommunication because he could see Nie Mingjue doing that, but then Wu Bixian continued, “I thought it would be good for someone like you to have a proper guide to teach you.”

If he had used anything like that language around Nie Mingjue, he wouldn’t have been allowed to come help, and that meant that Wu Bixian was in fact the right contact.

“I will follow in your footsteps,” Meng Yao said, still playing cautious. He saw a smirk steal over the other man’s face, smug and arrogant, and they left without another word between them.

With Commander Wu with him, finding a place to cross the territory line into Qishan without being spotted was easy – and worrisome, of course – and it wasn’t long before they arrived at the forest glade where Wen Ruohan was waiting for them.

His retainers had already set up a place for them to take tea, with him sitting above and them below, and even his traveling chair resembled the throne to which Wen Ruohan believed himself to be entitled.

Before they left the woods, Wu Bixian elbowed Meng Yao in the side, hard. “None of the backtalk you sometimes give Sect Leader Nie,” he instructed. “You ought to count yourself as very lucky that Sect Leader Wen has come himself to meet with you – he puts a high priority on the affairs of Qinghe Nie.”

That meant that Wu Bixian thought himself better than Wen Ruohan’s other spies in other territories, which were probably only good enough to report to a Wen disciple, or maybe Wen Xu if they were especially prominent.

Arrogance was good. Meng Yao could use arrogance.

He knelt in front of Wen Ruohan, giving him the deference he longed for – he’d only ever knelt to Nie Mingjue once, when he’d sworn an oath to him as part of becoming an official disciple of the Nie sect, and it had been outrageously awkward for them both – and Wen Ruohan smiled.

“You made a wise choice,” he said. “Qinghe Nie will not remain standing and independent for much longer. Only those that realize the truth will have a chance to influence the future.”

“Sect Leader Wen’s strength is undeniable,” Meng Yao said, because his mother taught him how to say the words that men wanted to hear. His mother as she used to be, before Sisi came back into her life and made her happy – his mother, who now spent some time being mistress of Qinghe, some time traveling, some time merely visiting other places with Sisi at her side; his mother, who asked him if he was happy with Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen, who accepted his answer and sought to aid him as much as she could; his mother, who loved him, well if not always wisely. “I do not wish to be on a sinking boat when I could join the rising tide.”

There was a bit more of that, mostly mutual ego-stroking and puffery, but finally Wen Ruohan got to the point: “What is it that you want?”

“My rightful inheritance,” Meng Yao said, because it was the safest thing to ask for. He didn’t really care if Wen Ruohan got rid of Jin Guangshan, after all, and Nie Huaisang’s reports hadn’t been especially positive in regards to Jin Zixuan – Wen Ruohan would probably just disinherit him in favor of Meng Yao, and leave him alive to cause Meng Yao too many problems to have time to rebel. And it was much safer than asking for anything else. “The venerable Sect Leader Wen is above such petty matters as gossip, of course, but he undoubtedly already knows…my father…”

“The Jin sect is a pearl of great value,” Wen Ruohan said lazily. “Do you think your service can justify such a reward?”

“I am sure of it,” Meng Yao said, full of confidence.

“And there’s nothing else you want?”

Meng Yao hesitated, having not anticipated that question the way he had others, and Wen Ruohan laughed to see him. “I told you before not to be content,” he said with a smile Meng Yao did not trust. “You have chosen wisely to trust in the power of the sun, and in the heat of its rays, from the ashes of the old ways, too stiff in their rules to change, you will be rewarded with your heart’s desire.”

Meng Yao smiled. “I await your excellency’s benevolence with eagerness, to give me light where I have been blind.”

He bowed and took his leave, heading back to Qinghe with the heads of some fierce corpses to show as the results of his hunt – Wen Ruohan was thoughtful, in some ways – and left Wu Bixian behind to discuss further matters to which Meng Yao was still too new to hear: an excellent people management stratagem to whet Meng Yao’s jealousy of Wu Bixian’s position, while also assuaging any concerns Wu Bixian had regarding his primacy.

The second he was out of sight, he pulled Chiwen out of the qiankun pouch he’d tucked into his sleeve – sabers generally disliked small places like that, but Chiwen had always been extremely understanding of the indignities one had to suffer to achieve greatness – and threw him down, leaping on top of him and hurrying forward at break-neck speed, and even so he only just barely managed to catch Lan Wangji before he disappeared back into the woods.

(He hadn’t realized that Lan Wangji was suspicious at first, despite him having coming willingly to the Unclean Realm alongside Lan Xichen and being even less social than usual; it wasn’t until that very morning, when he’d murmured some denial about having plans for the day – and Lan Wangji always had plans for the day – that Meng Yao had realized that he might need to keep an eye out for a tail.)

Lan Wangji was stiff as a board, his hand already sliding to Bichen on his waist; Meng Yao ignored it.

“You need to go back to the Cloud Recesses,” he said. “As soon as possible.”

Lan Wangji paused. “Why?”

“Because Wen Ruohan is going to burn it down,” Meng Yao said flatly. “The Lan sect doesn’t have the ability to stop him, but if you go now, you can pack away your sect’s most valued treasures and hide them away somewhere safe before they do.”

“Why?” Lan Wangji asked again, still wary, only this time he meant why are you telling me this.

“Because you have to make sure Lan Xichen isn’t there,” Meng Yao said. “He’ll hate it and he’ll fight having to run away with every ounce of will he has, but he can’t be there – or else everything will be so much worse.”

“Sect Leader Wen told you?”

“He all but promised me Lan Xichen as a prize for my cooperation.” Lan Wangji flinched, and Meng Yao nodded grimly. “Make sure he has a safe place to go. The Nie sect will come to your aid, nominally, but the real purpose will be to make it seems as though the Wen sect has defeated two Great Sects in one blow – it will be devastating to the morale of the smaller sects, and convince many of them to just give in to Wen domination rather than fight back...listen, come up with whatever reason you have to in order to convince them, but don't explain where you learned of the information. You understand?”

Lan Wangji nodded slowly. “You plan to spy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Meng Yao said, because he was far beyond planning at this point. But he knew, as Lan Wangji might not, that the elders of the Lan sect would never listen to Sect Leader Jin's bastard son or Sect Leader Nie's aide, so recently jilted in love - they weren't like Nie Mingjue or Lan Xichen, who would understand. “Listen, empty the Library Pavilion in advance, wait until they’ve started burning the other buildings, and then set fire to it yourself. If you defend it as if it’s full, maybe you can convince the Wen sect that they’ve done more damage than they really have.”

He shook his head – he’d been hoping to have more time, but the winds of war always came more swiftly than hoped. “Good luck, travel fast, and above all tell no one.”

[multiverseforger]

Edit

In November 2013, Marvel Comics announced that Kamala Khan, a teenage American Muslim from Jersey City, New Jersey, would take over the comic book series Ms. Marvel beginning in February 2014. The series, written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Adrian Alphona, marked the first time a Muslim character headlined a book at Marvel Comics.[2] However, Noelene Clark of the Los Angeles Times noted that Khan is not the first Muslim character in comic books, which include Simon Baz, Dust and M.[3] The conception of Kamala Khan came about during a conversation between Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker. Amanat said, "I was telling him [Wacker] some crazy anecdote about my childhood, growing up as a Muslim American. He found it hilarious." The pair then told Wilson about the concept and Wilson became eager to jump aboard the project.[4] Amanat said that the series came from a "desire to explore the Muslim-American diaspora from an authentic perspective."[5]

Artist Jamie McKelvie based Khan's design on his redesign of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel and on Dave Cockrum's design of the original Ms. Marvel.[6] Amanat requested that the design "reflected the Captain Marvel legacy, and also her story and her background."[7] Amanat stated that Khan's costume was influenced by the shalwar kameez. They wanted the costume to represent her cultural identity, but did not want her to wear a hijab,[8] because the majority of teenage Pakistani-American girls do not wear one.[9] Amanat also stated that they wanted the character to look "less like a sex siren" to appeal to a more vocal female readership.[8]

Marvel knew that they wanted a young Muslim girl, but stated that she could be from any place of origin and have any background. Wilson initially considered making her an Arab girl from Dearborn, Michigan but ultimately chose to create a Desi girl from Jersey City.[10] Jersey City, which sits across the Hudson River from Manhattan, has been referred to as New York City's "Sixth borough".[11][12][13] It therefore forms an important part of Khan's identity and the narrative journey of her character since most of Marvel Comics' stories are set in Manhattan. Wilson explains, "A huge aspect of Ms. Marvel is being a 'second string hero' in the 'second string city' and having to struggle out of the pathos and emotion that can give a person."[14]

The series not only explores Khan's conflicts with supervillains but also explores conflicts with Khan's home and religious duties. Wilson, a convert to Islam, said "This is not evangelism. It was really important for me to portray Kamala as someone who is struggling with her faith." Wilson continued, "Her brother is extremely conservative, her mom is paranoid that she's going to touch a boy and get pregnant, and her father wants her to concentrate on her studies and become a doctor."[4] Amanat added,

As much as Islam is a part of Kamala's identity, this book isn't preaching about religion or the Islamic faith in particular. It's about what happens when you struggle with the labels imposed on you, and how that forms your sense of self. It's a struggle we've all faced in one form or another, and isn't just particular to Kamala because she's Muslim. Her religion is just one aspect of the many ways she defines herself.[2]



First appearance of Kamala Khan from Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Scott Hepburn

In the series, Khan takes the name Ms. Marvel from Carol Danvers, who now goes by the alias Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel writer Kelly Sue DeConnick revealed that Khan actually made a brief appearance in Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) saying, "Kamala is in the background of a scene in Captain Marvel 14 ... She is very deliberately placed in a position where she sees Carol protecting civilians from Yon-Rogg."[15] According to Wilson, Khan idolizes Carol so when Khan acquires superhuman abilities, she emulates Danvers.[14] "Captain Marvel represents an ideal that Kamala pines for. She's strong, beautiful and doesn't have any of the baggage of being Pakistani and 'different,'"[4] Wilson explained. "Khan is a big comic book fan and after she discovers her superhuman power – being a polymorph and able to lengthen her arms and legs and change her shape – she takes on the name of Ms. Marvel," Amanat elaborated.[16] Khan is one of several characters who discover that they have Inhuman heritage following the "Inhumanity" storyline, in which the Terrigen Mists are released throughout the world and activate dormant Inhuman cells.[17]

In the series' first story arc, Khan faces off against Mr. Edison / the Inventor, an amalgam of man and bird. Wilson created the Inventor to be Khan's first arch rival in order to mirror Khan's own complexity. Wilson characterizes the Inventor, and the overall visual look of the opening story arc as "kooky and almost Miyazaki-esque at times", owing to the art style of illustrator Adrian Alphona, which balances the drama of the threats which Khan faces with the humor of Alphona's "tongue in cheek sight gags." During the storyline, Khan also teams-up with the X-Man Wolverine against the Inventor. Because Wolverine is dealing with the loss of his healing factor during this time, Khan is placed in the position of having to shoulder much of the responsibilities, as Wilson felt this was a role reversal that would subvert reader expectations that Wolverine would take the lead in such a team-up.[18]

At the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International, writer Dan Slott announced that Khan would team-up with Spider-Man beginning in The Amazing Spider-Man #7 (October 2014) during the "Spider-Verse" storyline. Slott characterized Khan "the closest character to classic Peter Parker,"[19] explaining, "She's a teenage superhero, juggling her life, making mistakes, trying to do everything right."[20]

Beginning in June 2015, Ms. Marvel tied into the "Secret Wars" crossover event with the "Last Days" storyline, which details Khan's account of the end of the Marvel Universe. Wilson explained, "In the 'Last Days' story arc, Kamala has to grapple with the end of everything she knows, and discover what it means to be a hero when your whole world is on the line."[21] In the storyline, Khan rushes to deal with the threat in Manhattan. However, Wilson revealed, "She will face a very personal enemy as the chaos in Manhattan spills over into Jersey City, and she will be forced to make some very difficult choices. There will also be a very special guest appearance by a superhero Kamala—and the fans—have been waiting to meet for a long time."[22]

In March 2015, Marvel announced that Khan will join the Avengers in All-New All-Different Avengers FCBD (May 2015) by writer Mark Waid and artists Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar, which takes place in the aftermath of "Secret Wars".[23] A second volume of Ms. Marvel starring Khan by Wilson, Alphona and Takeshi Miyazawa is also debuted following "Secret Wars" as part of Marvel's All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative.[24] Amanat said,

By the time this new launch comes around, it will have been almost two years since the premiere of Ms. Marvel—and boy, has Kamala Khan been through a lot since then. She's been slowly coming into her own, dealing with the challenges of navigating adulthood and being a super hero. But her training is over now and it's time for the big leagues; the question is can she handle it? ... As much as Kamala has a right to be there—it's still a bit of a culture shock. Dreaming of being an Avenger and then suddenly being one is a lot to take on for someone of her age. So, she'll be a little awestruck, a little overly ambitious.[25]

In March 2016, Marvel announced that Ms. Marvel would tie into the "Civil War II" storyline by releasing a promotional image illustrating a rift between Khan and Danvers.[26] "While "Civil War II" may have initiated this rift, we've known for some time that Kamala would eventually need to separate herself from her idols. Her journey centers around self-discovery and identity, and a part of that exploration includes separating yourself from those you put on pedestals. The rift between Carol and Kamala doesn't really have to do with right and wrong. It has to do with growing up and realizing that you perceive the world differently from even the ones you love," Amanat elaborated.[27]

In July, Marvel announced that Khan will join the Champions, a team of teenage superheroes who split off from the Avengers following the conclusion of "Civil War II". The team, featured in a series by writer Mark Waid and artist Humberto Ramos, consists of Khan, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Nova (Sam Alexander), Hulk (Amadeus Cho), Viv Vision, and a teenage version of Cyclops. Waid said, "The first three are the kids who quit the Avengers proper. That was an easy get. Those three, in and of themselves, form a nice little subteam. Their dynamic is great. They all show up in each other's books, and even though they have their arguments and stress points, clearly they're good together."[28]

In August, Khan made an appearance in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #10 by writers Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare. In the issue, Khan acts as a mentor to Moon Girl (Lunella Lafayette) who is also a young Inhuman that suddenly came into her powers. Amanat stated that Khan sees much of herself in Lafayette and by teaching her, Khan learns much about herself.[27]

In November, Marvel announced that Khan will join a new incarnation of the Secret Warriors in a series by writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Javier Garron that debuted in May 2017. The team, formed in the wake of the "Inhumans vs X-Men" storyline, also includes Quake, Karnak, Moon Girl, and Devil Dinosaur. Rosenberg stated that there is some conflict and friction amongst the team members explaining, "Ms. Marvel and Quake are really fighting for the soul of the team in a lot of ways, while Moon Girl will continue to really do her own thing. They will all be tested and challenged, they are superheroes after all, but they are going to do things their way."[29]

In March 2017, Marvel announced that Khan would team-up with Danvers in a one-shot issue of the limited anthology series, Generations by Wilson and Paolo Villanelle. Wilson stated that the issue would explore Danvers' and Khan's mentor–student relationship, but "at its heart, [it] is about growing up, and a big part of growing up is discovering that your idols have feet of clay – and forgiving them for their flaws as you gain an adult understanding of your own."[30]

In December, Ms. Marvel began the "Teenage Wasteland" story arc, as part of the Marvel Legacy relaunch. Wilson said, "Since the events of 'Civil War II', there's been friction between Kamala and her mentor, Captain Marvel. In this arc, we're exploring how complicated legacies can be when they're passed from generation to generation ... She's questioning a lot about herself and her mission. Her friends end up stepping into some very important—and unexpected—roles. So in a sense, the arc is really about a bunch of chronically under-estimated teenagers who pull together to fight evil."[31]

Ms. Marvel #31, the 50th issue of Ms. Marvel featuring Khan was released in June 2018. To mark the occasion, Marvel brought in additional collaborators for the issue including writers: G. Willow Wilson, Saladin Ahmed, Rainbow Rowell, and Hasan Minhaj; and artists: Nico Leon, Bob Quinn, Gustavo Duarte, and Elmo Bondoc.[32]

Beginning in March 2019, Khan headlined a new series titled, The Magnificent Ms. Marvel, written by Ahmed and illustrated by Minkyu Jung. Wilson stated that she had been planning her departure from the series for over a year, stating that she originally anticipated that the series would only last for ten issues and was excited by the fact that she had written 60 issues. Ahmed said the new series will have much wider scope, "while still maintaining that intimate tone that people have loved about it."[33]

In July 2020, Marvel announced that Khan would star in an original graphic novel, published in conjunction with Scholastic and aimed at younger readers. The book will be written by author Nadia Shammas. An illustrator has not yet been named.[34