#does anyone even know who Rosen is....

[dotchi18]

Yan!Cowherder x Reader General Headcanons

Adam, as The Oldest of the Rosen Brothers is basically the head of the family. You always see him out and about for every important meeting or event, as him and his youngest brother Sonny are the faces the public thinks of first when asked about the Rosens.

Covered in scars. As soon as he realized he couldn't get harmed like a normal person at the horns of a bull, he's been the protector of the ranch hands that help him herd the cattle by pushing them out of the way and letting himself get gored or trampled. (Notable scars is one large scar on the left side of his face from under his jaw up to his temple, and two gigantic webbing scars on both sides of his torso from being torn open on more than one occasion.)

Because of this he has a more than stellar reputation amongst the ranch hands because they either have seen him protect someone or has been protected by him.

Smokes cigars in his downtime, using a special blend from the Farm that his mother had created. It gives off a red smoke, knows how to blow it into shapes like rings and hearts. Made rings for the amusement of his little brothers, hearts for when he met his Darling and wanted to impress them.

Meeting Darling can happen in any number of ways. They could be one of his ranch hands that came in for the summer, or they could be a traveler looking to set up roots somewhere to find his village, or they could even be someone who's been a part of the town since birth, but it's something that hits him like a bolt of lightning. Whether you were a ranch hand he had a particular fondness for, or the child of a shopkeep in town, he treats you warmer than others until it strikes him that he does this because he likes you.

A way into his heart is by treating the things he cares about with care as well. Acknowledging his family or enjoying time with him or his cattle is a good way into his heart. He practically raised his younger brothers and despite any accidents that happens with his cattle, he knows they don't mean real harm and loves them very much. (His favorites are dairy cows he raised from birth that are named Missy, Pancake and Butter. (Short for 'Pad o' Butter'))

Has a bit of a jealous streak when he considers Darling his. You're his future spouse, there's no need for anyone to be unnecessarily touching you or hanging around you unless they're family.

Is very dexterous with a whip. It's used to help lead cattle where they need to go, so he has to be careful with it. He can snap a rose off it's stem and hand it to you, or give a warning lash right next to the ear of anyone testing him. He never misses.

Has long red hair that he typically ties back, loves it when his Darling braids any part of it, even if it's just a lock near the front, or his whole braid, doesn't care if you do it poorly, it's artwork to him.

In his line of work, he has to put down predators with varying frequency, he isn't averse to death, though he is particularly cautious when his Darling is involved, not wanting them to see him in an ungentlemanly way, which is hard when he's putting down an animal with his bare hands.

He wants his Darling to be his partner, and wants them to see him in the same way he sees them, as an invaluable part of his life.

[bardic-tales]

Intertwining lore and original work

I have been thinking more on the similarities between Bianca and Sephiroth this morning. Actually, I sort of woke up thinking about them.

In the newest lore drop, and not even getting into the character of Alissa since I tend not to participate in theory crafting, we now know that Sephiroth had spent his childhood in isolation, had visions of Jenova (Lucrecia) which I think is due to the Jenova cells influence. When I picture the influence of Jenova, I don't see a being who has a conscious. Maybe, she once did, but I feel like she is more like a virus now. So, the virus seeks out vulnerability, fear, and anything that it can exploit so it's host is weakened to its influence. The virus then gets its claws in.

As for Bianca, she also gets vision due to influence. Due to the demonic blood within her -- even when it is suppressed -- she often dreams of the Abyssal Realm and Asmodeus. While Sephiroth 'dreams' of his mother Jenova (Lucrecia), Bianca often dreams of fire and bloodshed, as the demonic cells within her tries to awaken on their own.

Like Sephiroth, her early life was spent in total isolation with her caretaker being her father, much like Hojo was Sephiroth's. I tend to believe Hojo was in charge of EVERYTHING to do with his 'prized specimen and Shinra let him. Sephiroth was supposed to be their peak SOLDIER, even if he didn't like the idea and despised everything that came with it. Biana doesn't trust easily, either. Bianca also was forced to move every six months from one seedy hotel after another, as her stepfather David tried to remain one step ahead of the cult.

Then, at 15 - 16, they both had a traumatic experience that followed them into their early adult years: murdering Rosen with Sephiroth and Krista with Bianca. They both internalized this and refuse to let anyone close.

Neither had a stable upbringing, but it does explain some of the decisions I made in Fantasy Worlds Collide with the two. Maybe, Bianca should make him some pumpkin soup? 😭

tagging some fellow mutuals: @themaradwrites @littleshopofchaos @serenofroses @megandaisy9 @watermeezer

@nightingaleflow @prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen @chickensarentcheap

@seastarblue

[hughiecampbelle]

first and foremost, i wish you a speedy recovery! congrats with 10k <3

preferences: the boys series, any character you want. i usually gravitate towards men and morally questionable characters, but everything is up to you :)

1. physical: im 21, 5'5, slim, no tattoos, black short hair, i have glasses and i usually wear casual dark clothes, like really not flashy at all. really like going around with a backpack full of stuff for every occasion

2. personality: im agender asexual. basically im trying to logically analyze everything around me, so i end up being 'i told you so' person with negative eq. but really, im told im pretty kind to the people around me. i like interacting with my friends but i get tired quickly from it, so i self isolate a lot. i have a negative worldview. i'm prone to anger and control it poorly. i dont have grand goals in life, no ambitious, i dont strive for more because i dont care, im really only attached to life through the people whom i idolize and if anyone opposes me, my ideals and especially people special to me, i defend them relentlessly, im really only stubborn about them. and well, since my main interest is russian politics, i am really passionate towards russian opposition, so the hate towards the government, violence, dictatorship, censorship, apolitical people who dont care etc etc applies.

3. hobbies: consuming/analyzing new information on anything that interests me at the given moment; linguistics, computer games, drawing, writing, cooking, birdwatching, joking.

4. favorites: book – solaris by stanislaw lem; movie – tenet (2020); game – deus ex mankind divided; song – vertigo by edwin rosen. i like sci fi a lot

thanks in advance ☃️

You're the only person in Butcher's life who can tell him "I told you so". Coming from anyone else, it would set him off. He'd come back at them with quips and jokes and even some harsh words, but when you're the one saying it, all he can say is "I know, love". You're the one who keeps him (mostly) level headed

Despite the both of you being stubborn, you agree on a lot of things, especially when it comes to Vought/Homelander. The both of you would do anything to stop them. Anything. Your Russian opposition bleeds into an opposition towards Vought and Supes in general. It might not always be the best thing for everyone, but if it's the right way to take them down, you're willing to do it

Butcher loves that you like analyzing new information. You're the best on the team for catching things no one else did, seeing the smallest obscurities and inconsistencies in Vought's story. You're always finding something they could have missed. Your attention to detail is what's gotten them out of trouble on more than a few occasions

He appreciates your commitment to the people you love. He's been fighting this fight, first for Becca, then Ryan, now you. You're linked together through love and appreciation and understanding that you're committed to one another no matter what. Though he doesn't always feel deserving of it, you make sure he knows you'd never leave him. You'd never turn on him

Butcher was never really good with words, so he's pretty amazed by your writing. When he does try to talk things through, it all comes out wrong. It's jumbled and cynical and taken the wrong way. The fact that you can make your words malleable and work right and also sound pretty blows him away. Even his compliments come out wonky, but you've been together long enough to know what he's trying to say, what means

I hope you like it my love!!!! Xoxoxo💜💜💜💜💜

Want to request a ship?

[the-consortium]

The Winged Creature

Continued from here, because post got too long: https://www.tumblr.com/gibmirrosen/723627410169430016/rosen-awakens-completely-to-their-surroundings

@gibmirrosen

Anyone who knows how much Fabius hates to be touched, how much he deliberately keeps away from human closeness and warmth, would be surprised that he does not react with resistance when this creature in its nascent stage tries to embrace him and Herik with its arms, which is not quite successful yet, because although Rosen has already gained some height, they are still one and a half heads short of Fabius and another half as much short of Herik.

The flying skins still dripping with nutrient solution leave sticky traces on the lab coat, but Fabius doesn't even flinch. Instead, he takes the opportunity to check the healing process on the skull, to which he has added several delicate new organs, to give Rosen a chance to develop echolocation or infrasound detection. So while Rosen's head rests against his shoulder, he holds them in place and the chirurgeon takes a few samples and surveys any growth.

For all his cold professionalism, Fabius' grip is not unkind or cruel.

But definitely not comparable to the animal intensity with which Herik expresses his joy at the successful first step. He does not flinch from the touch either. The bird-Astartes is clearly more expressive than Fabius. Although he too uses the proximity to quickly inspect Rosen's flight skins, he still finds the time to express his satisfaction with some shrill sounds and to fluff his wings with visible satisfaction.

Fabius briefly lifts Rosen's head with both hands under the long jaw and turns it back and forth, the chirurgeon shines a light into the creature's eyes and Fabius observes the pupil reflex. Meanwhile, with other arms of his chirurgeon, he has attached some sensors to Rosen's skull, small enough not to interfere even when hunting.

Only now does he answer Rosen: "Yes, I did that. And the interim results are promising. The calculated growth rate is 87% correct and I am satisfied with that for the moment. Now you will collect data for the next step. For that Herik will go hunting with you. But first the basic things."

He pushes Herik away from Rosen and points to the open area in front of the tank. "Show me some movements that seem natural to you."

[miasmat]

for the oc ask post: 🌹📙 ⭐ 🌸 for Seth? 👀

🌹 How easy is it for them to connect with others and make friends? On the flip side how easy is it for them to make an enemy of someone? Are they the kind of person who hangs around the food table at a party and never talks to anyone or are they the type who can talk to anyone?

Seth remained reclusive after his embrace, he doesn't go out of his way to make friends with other kindred but he can carry a conversation when there's an opportunity. Most of the time he is simply disregarded by kindred, seen as Beckett's student he is being left out of the conversation until Beckett invites him into it. (One time even being addressed as Beckett's ghoul, even though the kindred clearly knew better.) However, despite that, Seth is the type that can talk for hours on end with people he trusts.

📙 What kind of subjects (of conversation, of discussion, in school or whatever) does your OC find interesting or engaging or that they can talk for hours about? What kind of stuff do they just find fun?

Seth is fascinated by medicine, when he was attending the university he was especially interested in illnesses and their effects on human bodies. Now with the knowledge of the whole supernatural underworld, this curiosity extended to curses and all sorts of ill-wishes that come to fruition with any form of magic. As well as, due to his main form of 'work' being archeology while accompanying Beckett practically everywhere he goes, he also picked up that, he likes learning about the Kindred culture (and seeing that proud look on Beckett's face when Seth manages to notice something faster than he does). He still enjoys walking around at night, taking walks through cities they stay in, and feeling just normal like he did when he was alive once in a while.

⭐ What is your OC afraid of? Any crippling phobias or some such? How do they act when scared and what helps them calm down? Does anyone ever find your OC scary? Why?

Just like he was in life, after being embraced he is afraid of loneliness, he tried to fit in with the Camarilla, then Anarchs, then the Pyramid with other Tremere but something was always off and that feeling was always stuck in the back of his head that he didn't belong, didn't fit in, always an outcast. He recognizes himself as a weaker vampire, constantly being in presence of such a powerful kindred as Beckett. He is wary of other kindred, especially if he knows they have a certain reputation, i.e. a strong dislike for his clan. Seth gets jumpy when he's scared. He gets very irritable and almost paranoid. What helps him the most is either finding a small space for himself to calm down or, most effectively, having Beckett by his side, you can hardly feel afraid when you have a man with the experience of your lifetime multiplied by 10 watching your back.

🌸 What does your OC’s voice sound like? Their laugh? Are they good at singing? Do they have an accent?

Some time ago I was looking for a song for an animation I wanted to make, and felt like this voice matches Seth quite well. It's from Ricky Rosen's yt but I found out the video has been deleted so I'll link his channel.

I imagine his voice to still sound pretty young, matching his appearance. He's in the middle-higher range, depending on how much emotion he expresses when talking (and he tends to get hysterical often). His laugh is the type that just rips out of his chest, it's bubbly loud and infectious. The one you turn your head to to see what you're missing out on. Despite the example being a song lol I don't imagine Seth can sing really, his voice is sweet but he can't control it to carry a tune for anything else other than some soft/slow songs

Thank you for the ask, I love talking about Seth sdjghfsghdjf

[mysticonsheadcanons]

My Thoughts Of Some Lines From a Behind-The Scenes Video

I watched this clip early on (before episodes 25-26 were released), and I imagined that some of the lines were from a deleted episode. While I like what they did better, and it was entirely me just jumping to conclusions, I thought I'd put my thoughts where some lines fit in this imagined "deleted episode".

The lines that caught my attention were them talking about the map to mount Tyranus, as well as "we're not saving the realm until we get some answers", "this is awesome. Our first quest." and "She may be short, but that dwarf can jump." I will be going in order of when I thought the lines would appear in the episode.

The first of this is "we're not saving the realm until we get some answers." I imagined that Nova Terron or some other person the Mysticons didn't trust (as I've mentioned earlier, I had a feeling the Astromancers would be evil, so them not being trusted wasn't that outlandish) were about to send them on a mission. Arkayna, and perhaps the other Mysticons, weren't sure about going on the mission, and wanted answers. This is kinda close to what happened, as Arkayna was demanding answers for something.

The second line is "This is awesome. Our first quest." I thought that Zarya was just excited about going on a mission. And while it did seem odd that Zarya was excited, given how she felt about working with Arkayna and Em, she did seem happy about the powers, so maybe that played a role. And before anyone mentions it being related to her and Arkayna being twins, it's possible that I've watched this before Arkayna having a twin was revealed (I forget exactly when), and even if I did think they were twins, I did not expect Zarya to be so happy about being twins that she'd mention this being the first quest as sisters.

The third one is the part where they talk about the map to Mount Tyranus. I thought that part of their mission was figuring out where to go, and they found a map that would lead them to where they had to go. While this could have been before the "until we get answers part", they seemed enthusiastic, while at least Arkayna had doubts. However, this was the closest, as they did get a map to Mount Tyranus. Granted, it was an easy line to guess. One thing I noticed was that they changed who mentioned it was Mount Tyranus, as Evany Rosen (Em's voice actor) recorded that line in the behind the scenes, but Malvaron said it in the show.

The fourth line, and the one I was farthest from, was "she may be short, but that dwarf can jump". I thought that, during their quest, Em does a jump that impresses Zarya, making her say that. Granted, I didn't expect Em and Piper to use Choko as a basketball (or I suppose, portal bag ball), or for Choko to like it.

Overall, I think the lines fit great where they were in the show. However, it would be cool for them to have had a true "getting to know you" quest, like the one I thought the lines came from.

[angrennufuin]

part 3 of the ranking meme ask from @lodichi!

[part 1: best hair][part 2: best dancer]

ranking meme: Worst Kisser

Struggled with this one because of the assorted Special Circumstances of these characters and me being an easily-embarrassed romantic, so I divided them into categories based on experience. You can choose your own adventure from there.

Team "Never kissed anyone and don't know how": Asa, Silence, and Hongyan Asa and Silence don't have anyone they WANT to kiss, currently; Hongyan does but I'm not sure he even knows what kissing is. Impossible to judge who would give the worst first kiss! Asa and Hongyan are feral critters and I think they would go for a headbutt/bite if kissed unexpectedly: Hongyan understands he wants to do something romantic with the wizard, but would get confused and combust if they kissed him, and Asa investigates the world teeth-first. Silence does not observe a lot of real-life kissing because her mom keeps her relationships out of the house, so her idea of a good kiss is just an opera-stage smooch. She might actually think you're supposed to put your thumbs over someone's lips before you kiss them, I fear.

Team "have kissed but seldom/only once/not recently": Rosenrot, Aysel, and Nee Nee, as I've mentioned before, lacks much practical experience that is not hate-makeouts with an academic rival or reading shitty wizard bodice-rippers "for research;" she just started dating Oz a few weeks ago in-game, I think? Rosen has either never been kissed or only been kissed once and has been thinking about it ever since, but more in a ???? way than a !!!! way. Aysel has had a few of what she would call "flings" but hasn't been seriously involved with anyone yet; she's at least kissed enough people to be competent at it. No one in this group really quite gets "the big deal" about kissing, but give them time ;)

Team "it's the century of the fruitbat* of course i know how to kiss": Linmir and Sûl *whatever year it's supposed to be in their respective canons Main difference here is interest. Linmir is established as being a fantastic kisser; loves it, has done a lot of it and will do a lot more, takes the time to learn what her partner enjoys and adjust accordingly, would kiss for hours if you let her. Sûl is technically better at it than Linmir, having had 1) a lot more practice and 2) a vested interest in being as good at various forms of physical intimacy as possible. She's much less interested in kissing for its own sake, however! It is part of her job, therefore she is good at it. She has about as much emotional connection to it as she does to dancing.

[kudosmyhero]

Daredevil (vol. 1) #70: The Tribune

Read Date: November 22, 2022 Cover Date: November 1970 ● Writer: Gary Friedrich ● Penciler: Gene Colan ● Inker: Syd Shores ● Colorist: {uncredited} ● Letterer: Sam Rosen ● Editor: Stan Lee ●

Reactions As I Read: ● Gene Colan and Syd Shores are a dream team when it comes to art. ● This issue is 52 years old and the rhetoric being spewed by the Tribune is still being spewed today. ● I like that they're taking a deeper look into the court side of Matt's and Foggy's lives, but I'm not sure how accurate it is. I know, big surprise, right? I mean… it does show weeks going by, which is accurate. The part that gives me pause is, doesn't the district attorney have the power of whether or not to prosecute a case? It's obvious that Foggy and Matt know these kids are innocent and that any "evidence" is circumstantial and sparse.

Synopsis: Far right motion picture star Buck Ralston has made an appearance on Hollywood Boulevard to speak to a crowd about his perceived lack of patriotism in America. After engaging Karen Page in a debate on Patriotism to the level of extremism, Buck Ralston leaves to plot how to get back at the "pinkos" he perceives are ruining American society.

While in New York, DD becomes involved in controlling a riot which has broken out at the New York Hilton between the police and protesters during the Vice President's visit to the city. While back on the west coast, we learn that Ralston is taking the law into his own hands as the costumed judge, jury and executioner known as the Tribune and has his goons round up hippies that he finds treasonous and executes them with his energy blasting gavel.

Tribune has some of his men plant explosives at the Hilton in New York in hopes that hippies will be blamed, hoping it will "wake up" America, however this plan is made complicated with the involvement of Daredevil. While DD fails to stop the bomb from detonating, he prevents it from hurting anyone, even though one of the protesters checking on DD gets arrested.

The young men arrested on a bum rap (dubbed the "New York Three") regarding the explosion, get the attention of Tribune who plans to go to New York to execute them, while Foggy and Matt prepare to (begrudgingly) represent the city in court and prove their guilt, even though both feel that the New York Three are innocent.

(https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Daredevil_Vol_1_70)

Fan Art: Avacados At Law by ParallelPenguins

Accompanying Podcast: ● Josh and Jamie Do Daredevil - episode 09

[senatushq]

NAME. Trivia ( Josephine Sok ) AGE & BIRTH DATE. Prehistoric & Unknown GENDER & PRONOUNS. Female & She/Her SPECIES. Aspect OCCUPATION. Candle Maker FACE CLAIM. Elodie Yung

biography

( tw war, fire, burning ) Her first world ended in fire, and she was born anew from its flames.

Devastation swept upon the first Eden once the seraphim rebelled, the holy war destroying everything that it touched.

A family, a father, a sister, a brother,  a love, a daughter, a son: these are the things that Trivia lost in the fire before losing herself to it. The screams have long faded, the desperation dulled with the eternity that lies between her current self and her humanity. The flickers of the flames remain, burned on the back of her eyelids and to be remembered every time she closes her eyes.

She had rosen from the ashes, a moment and an eternity after the destruction, something unlike what she had been. Even now, she does not know why her, why the Crossroads had chosen her, but they had. Her soul had been wandering in the space between time and beyond, when it was struck with an energy unlike any other she had felt since. A cosmic force beyond her knowledge, a gift beyond her dreams. It turned her, changing her beyond the limits of humanity, granting her gifts that she had not understood.

Reborn in the same place she died, Trivia found herself in a new world where her family’s existence was swept into oblivion. A world where she no longer belonged, a world that was not hers.

A world that she still loved, despite the loneliness it welcomed her with. A world that loved her, and the magic she now possessed. Magic that came to her as easy as breathing, wonder that delighted the mind and awakened the body.

It was unlike what the eladrin could do, unlike what anyone could do.

It was hers, and only hers.

Loneliness embedded into her very being, loss covering her as a mantle, the kindness of her first life untouched by the devastation of her death.

The new version of humanity Ulthar and Titania created was not unlike the last, violent yet kind, lethal yet nourishing. A reflection of what she had lost, and lovely for all that looking at them filled them with grief.

Granting one of the lonely, one of her kindred, a minute sliver of her gift had not been planned, but she would never grow to regret it, despite everything that would come to happen. For the longest time, witches were the closest thing she had to a kindred spirit, like her but not quite.

Then came Keket, then came Remus. Kindred souls she cradled on her palms, kindred souls that did not deserve the ending they had received. Keket, young and suffering by the will of Trivia’s former queen. Remus, whose job had yet not been done and who deserved more than to be killed by his brother’s hand.

She had been called a Goddess, an Enchantress, a Sorceress, a Hag and more. The truth was simpler and yet complicated nonetheless. She was the Keeper of the Crossroads of the Otherworld, the guide of those she could find. Be it to the afterlife or to life, she could guide the hopeless and the hopeful, the lost and the wanderers, and so guided them she did. She guided Keket back to her world after healing her, turning Remulus into someone that could survive what was yet to come. Kindred, they became, but she could not stay for long, not when her duty tugged at her senses with every breath.

The cycle repeats itself, the helping and the returning.

It is a cycle she doesn’t mind repeating.

personality

+ kind, forgiving, patient  – acerbic, self indulgent, nosy

played by ori. gmt. She/her.

[finiffy]

Funny thing abt the flightless folk people, this AU has wrapped me in so much I took one of those random bird quizzes for entertainment and now I am an ostrich

Now who gets kiwi, penguin and emu wings I wonder...

Not sure at the moment...but there has to be someone with those kinds of wings. Maybe Rosen, I feel like that fits him

[worstloki]

Top Forty Thor-Being-Thor Moments from Thor 1

just absolute dumb*ssery that this 7yr old kid’s life goal is to “hunt down the monsters and slay them all”. I’ll go easy on him here and let the Thor/Loki expressions do the talking because of “...just like you did Father” but seriously can his hands even fit around a sword handle??? this kid isn’t even punching the air right??? if there was a sword in his hand he would’ve cut his head with the way he’s moving???? pure tiny-himbo energy here just look at that >:o face he’s making. contrasts very nicely with Loki’s ‘,:|. 10/10. such a baby idiot.

“the jotuns must pay for what they have done! they broke into the weapons vault! if the frost giants had stolen even one of these relics!” thor. thor please. can you even name one of these relics. thor. hey thor. thor. shut up. “well, what would you do about this?” odin asks him. “march into jotunheim! like you once did! break their spirits! so they’ll never try anything like this again!” wow okay so we’ve fast-forwarded by like a thousand years and thor is still going on about genocide. huh. that’s funny, i thought loki was the genocidal one. hmm. i also just realized that the loki exclusive clip gives loki the same hairstyle thor has here so do what you will with that information.

0/10. horrible. terrible. i dont care how angy thor is about not getting to kill some jotuns or become king today this very instant, that is a tremendous waste of food. an absolute fool. how can he just remorselessly throw the bread to the floor. if loki stabbed him when he was 7 he would deserve it for this table flip alone. what a privileged white *ssh*le.

loki came skulking around a corner and suggested not to go to jotunheim and not only did thor not suspect anything but he also then went on to decide to go to jotunheim. 10/10 himbo material. 

if tumblr didn’t have a picture limit i would put every instance of thor smiling in this list because look at that stupid smile. he’s such an idiot. 11/10. this is the thor content i’m here for.

“I have no plans to die today” thor says with the stupidest open-mouthed smirking smile ever captured on film. right after he also told heimdall not to tell anyone they’re gone. he’s literally planned to strand them on jotunheim. thor’s grand plan was to strange themselves on jotunheim and also start a fight. i repeat: thor’s plan was to successfully slay all the frost giants and not need to return until they’re all gone. what an absolute d*mb*ss. this is getting ridiculous. this was originally a top-ten-thor moments list but i’m not even twenty minutes in so i’ll have to extend the list. thor. thor are you listening? thor, you’re such an idiot.

“HOW DID YOUR PEOPLE GET INTO ASGARD?!” thor you sweet sweet summer idiot, please, i am beggin,g you,, learn to rea,d , a room,, literally everyone else who came with you is regretting it, there is complete silence and only the rumble of the opposing king is meeting your “I AM THOR, SON OF ODIN”s, please, please take some notes from Loki, or, you know, literally anyone else in the room, since everyone is asking you to get out of this realm while you still can,

thor’s stupid smile makes an appearance after he gets called a princess and decides to fight a whole realm over it. you know what? thor is a princess. he’s the prettiest princess in all the lands. what’s thor gonna do about it? is he going to fight me too? I hope he does the stupid grin first. minus 15 points for the sexism. thor is a complete and utter sadistic fool who needs to get a hobby. seriously, he’s 1500 years old and still going on and on about slaying all the frost giants. boi, i hate to break it to you, but your dad is not the best or only example of greatness out there. i don’t think your dad even qualifies as an example of that. 

“THEN. GO!” 🥰 ahh yes, just thor thingz 🥰🥰 like when one friend has had his arm burnt 🥰 and another friend has been impaled and needs medical attention, 🥰🥰 and all the rest of your friends are yelling for you, 🥰 and your brother is telling you they must go, 🥰 and you decide to buy everyone time by laughing maniacally and killing more frosties because you care for them and dont find joy in destruction like a loon 🥰🥰🥰 

THIS is the iconic Thor moment that makes my day whenever I think about it. Just Thor, an absolute bumbering 6′6′’ giant boodlusting dummy sees Odin and just decides to yell “FATHAA!! WE’LL FINISH THEM TOGETHAAA!” as if the last thing Odin told him wasn’t “no, thor, we’re not going to do anything to the frost giants, do not go after them and try to kill them all.” 11/10 d*mb*assery right here folks, I couldn’t ask for Thor to be more of a fool. This is PEAK Thor energy. Look at that face. I feel like Thor spends half this movie with his nostrils flared. I love it.

okay i gotta give thor credit for rightfully calling odin “an old man and a fool” but also there was not even 1 frame of the scene where Thor had a decent face so now all i see is >:O >:| >:o >:[ when i watch that scene. yelling at odin was great, not yelling at odin after he HUAERGHed at loki was less great, but to be fair it’s thor and he is the definition of Peak D*mb*ss. 

thor literally GROWLS and starts yelling “HAMMAA?? HAMMER??” over and over. He was hit by a van, he fainted, he woke up and started growling. I don’t know what else there is to say about this.

“you dare threaten me? puny human?”. so. uhh. basically. Thor knew she was threatening him? He KNEW she had a weapon? instead he made a face and started yelling as he tried to walk his way closer????? thor you complete and utter dum dum. you frickin hairball-for-brains. im not even surprised darcy tasered him. with that kind of face, i’d taser him too.

when you wake up in an unknown place to a person smiling at you without a stupid smile, the first step is always to attack first and ask questions later 😌😌😌 (but seriously thor you imbecile why didn’t you ask where you were instead of throwing multiple people around the room and getting your butt needled. you clueless buffoon. you’ll remain a clueless buffoon if you don’t listen to anyone.)

just a quick recap but thor was knocked unconscious by a van and these people kidnapped him aboard and the next scene we see him in he’s checking himself out in  mirror after presumably changing right there in the open?????? these are the things that make thor thor. any other character and i’d question it so much, but this is thor, and i truly believe this is in-character for him. just change in the open because why not? thor is a beefcake and that’s his only redeeming quality and he knows it. 10/10 thor moment. 

I am now convinced that Thor saw Jane and “5k van-hitter to lover slow-burn height-difference himbo-scientist trope” flashed through his mind.

“but no more smashing!” Jane says, and then Thor proceeds to check her out and smile unlike an idiot and like a douche. was this his version of flirting???? i’m not one to decide, but yes, yes it was. He threw a cup to the ground and broke it, and she’s getting mad at him and berating him about it, and he’s liking it. y’all i’m sorry to break it to you like this, but thor has a canon fetish. i am so, so sorry.

im DYING. THAT ISN’T EVEN A KISS, HIS MOUTH IS OPEN. he SMUSHES his mouth around her knuckle???? WHY. I can’t keep noticing things like this. send help. please. Jane’s response makes so much more sense now; she’s laughs for a solid 3 seconds and shakes her head and is like “uhh, thank you? ahaha,” and then she keeps looking back longingly when walking away. they are doing this in PLAIN sight of EVERYONE. Darcy and Erik are standing RIGHT THERE, and Thor is doing weird things to her with his mouth. I’m out. I am done here. goodbye. 

return of the stupid smile AND the douche smile in quick succession through the entire trip. their entire dialogue is peppered with innuendo. “I’ve never done anything like this before. have you ever done anything like this before?” “many times, but you are brave to do it.” “I have nothing else to lose.” “ah but you are clever, far more clever than anyone else on this realm.” “realm? rEaLm?” “you think me strange?” “yes” “good strange or bad strange?” “I haven’t decided yet.” I AM DYING OVER THIS. plus, we get Return Of The Himbo with Jane asking after Einstein Rosen bridges and Thor is like “uh, actually, more like a rainbow bridge 😜🤪” i feel so sorry for jane here, didn’t know how much of a d*mb*ss Thor was when signing up for this van-trip and knuckle-sucking 😭😭😭 i also no longer have questions about how the trip that SHOULD HAVE BEEN A HALF-HOUR ONE turned into one that LASTED TILL THE SUN WENT FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY TO SETTING by the time they arrived. I have no questions. please. I don’t want to know what they were doing in that van. please no. don’t make me think about it.

thor’s plan had 3 steps and they were 1. give jane his jacket 2. walk in and get his hammer 3. fly out. that was literally his plan. he had the first “I have a plan. attack.” moment in the MCU. pure concentrated 0-brain-cells energy right here. how can you not stan this king of d*mb*ssery. look at him, flaunting his big boy muscles. he’s about get his hammer and fly out, like he just told jane with a trademark stupid-smile.

crop-top hair-mop thor is my favourite thor. the way the entire fight scene parallels a hamster in a maze only exemplifies the thor vibes for some inexplicable reason.

“you’re big. fought bigger.” + Thor douche-smile + subtext from earlier + rolling around passionately in the mud = not a happy me. 

I swear i’m not making up this romantic subtext but it’s barely even subtext. the entire scene leading up to Thor’s attempt at lifting the hammer is actually filmed erotically. I’m not kidding. First there’s a shot where Thor pulls aside a hamster-cage-wall blind which mirrors a shower-curtain, and THEN he walks around the hammer while smiling douche-ly at it, we get a few close-ups to his face which are shot from angles slightly lower than himself, giving him an aire of superiority, plus the music adds to this, he reaches out for the hammer’s handle with a mud-covered arm in the rain, in non-slow-motion slow-motion, and he wraps his arm around it, like, he fully twists his arm, unecessarily sexually, around it as he grabs the hammer. This is not okay. On the plus side, it makes the movie much more entertaining,, on the down side,,.

im not going to call Thor dumb for not knowing he’s not worthy. im not going to. because odin literally whispered the enchantment to mjolnir after he’d thrown thor to midgard. it is very funny watching thor grunt in frustration though. he starts yelling because he couldn’t lift the hammer and just lets himself get caught. like, dude, get a life, go buy a new weapon from the store, seriously. he mourns for the hammer on-screen longer than he does for loki. he also looks like he’s in far more pain here. he becomes catatonic and unresponsive after this, but when loki dies he’s already feasting the same afternoon. 10/10 dum dum thor material. never change thor, never change. (that’s code for please change, thor, please,)

thor trying to establish dominance wherever he goes is the funniest thing because at this point he’s being a complete asgardian *ss about it and it’s reaching points of pettiness never seen before. side note: he is possibly flirting with selvig too. maybe. i’m not saying anything happened, but Thor’s openning lines when bringing him home carried over his shoulder are “he’s fine, not injured at all,” followed with an apology to selvig, and an explanation to jane which consisted only of “we drank, we fought, he made his ancestors proud,” and then he puts the man to bed and before he falls asleep erik says “i still don’t believe you’re the g*d of th*nder, but you ought to be,” so... your choice, i guess...

thor’s got his trademark stupid smile and stupidly takes jane’s life’s work notebook and starts doodling in it about trees. the last time his father told him this story about Yggdrasil was when he was 5 and he clearly hasn’t payed attention to any lesson about anything since and it shows so so much. thank you thor. very insightful knowledge you’re passing on hear. ‘i come from a world where [science and magic] are one and the same,’ ok great, now elaborate on that please. oh, right, you can’t because you’re thor, my bad, 20/10 thor behaviour. he couldn’t even doodle nicely. all his lines are wobbly. epic art fail. i wouldn’t trust him near my sketchbook with a 2B pencil.

THIS is thor’s realization face. in case anyone was interested in what ‘dawning truth’ looked like on him. 😰😪 THIS is the face of a thinker, of a man betrayed by his own beloved brother for unprecedented reasons. look at the nuance in his expression. 😩😩😩 so many emotions, I can’t even count them all 😩💯😪

stupid smile and “do not worry my friends, i have a plan,” he says, “i’ll just try and abuse the fact that Loki’s super selfless and kind and has no self worth to my benefit as i have countless times before which is exactly what he’s rightfully angry about this time,” he doesn’t think to himself because that is NOT the smile of someone who is thinking... like, at all. +10000 points to gryffinthor. the d*mb*ssery really jumps out.

“im sorry bro for whatever i did and whatever you’re blaming me for as an excuse to do this, im sorry bro, but you’re disturbing innocents that i don’t really care about but you’re the one making a scene in front of them so why don’t you admit you won’t kill me and are just having a temper tantrum and we move on? hmm?” and then he proceeds to get slam dunked in the face with a metal arm like yEAAAA BOI that’s what you GET for going up against the SENTIENT LAVA-SPEWING metal-man ya absolute dunderhead clod. thunderhead clod? yeah, that. he’s just so dumb, your honour, please, you must understand, the victim pleads guilty on all charges of d*mb*ss and d*mb*ss alone.

I can NOT describe the emotions I feel knowing that Thor is suck-kissing Jane’s knuckles. Like, his mouth is literally jelly-ing it up against her hand. There is suction there and it shows when he is placing and removing his mouth. I promise that’s what is happening. I’m not any happier than you about this. I regret everything. This is why Loki should be what is focused on and not Thor; Thor’s going around trying to frick frack everything in sight even if it’s just Jane’s hand. He’s maintaining eye contact with Jane while he licks her fingers. Why did I decide to rewatch this movie. 

i’m only adding this in as a thor moment because of how desperately and badly they kiss. seriously. 2/10 kiss. im not surprised jane broke up with him. they look like two actual seals fighting over an actual grape. while i’m here i’m going to criticize every fic ever that decided thor is an experienced gentle lover. what were y’all on when watching this movie. thor can and will f*ck literally everything in sight and he won’t even do it well because he is the peakest of peak d*m d*m. look at this man. look at his face. that is the face of an absolute himbo idiot, and it’s the face of an absolute himbo idiot who knows it. he’s been stranded on earth for 2 days, max, and his flirt-count is at 69 people because his name is one letter away from thot. i bet his terrible use of a pen from early means he writes his ‘r’s like ‘t’s and he doesn’t even care. 1000/10 thor moment. doesn’t get much more romance-thor than two individuals smooshing their faces together after some finger sucking. that finger sucking is gonna leave jane simping for years. and that’s true love babey. <3

“I’ll handle my Brother!” Thor says, as if Loki didn’t send a metal-murder-bot that quite virtually killed him less than ten minutes ago asdfhkhsdgsdjf Thor, you horrific himbo you, Loki’s weapon of choice is literally throwing knives he will literally kill you before you enter the room if he’s on his game and wants you dead which he just proved he would do and you’re just gonna???????????? jog on over to him????? Thor??????????? bruH???????????? buddy??????? pal???????? you really wanna go 1v1 the brother you very clearly underestimate and know nothing about????????????????? im loving the confidence, but, no.

Loki: “you literally can’t stop this from here.” Thor, immediately: “i’m going to hit it with the hammer and see if that works” and then it does in fact work later... technically speaking, even if it ends up causing chaos destruction and death and loki falling off the bifrost 😔😔😔 but Big Brain Thor is the Biggest Brained Thor!!! The plan worked!! in a messy-Thor-ish way, but it did!!!

“you can’t kill an entire race!!!!” Thor yells, teeth gritted, as he faces his brother, his coward pacifist brother, who has suddenly decided he wants to join the age-old family tradition of realm-destroying, when this is supposed to be Thor’s dream, Thor’s, not Loki’s. How dare he, Thor thinks to himself, fist clenched around Mjolnir in anger, the pain of the handle pressing against his palm perhaps the only thing preventing him from lashing out at this thought, that’s my planet of monsters to slay, he should go get his own! Loki hits Thor across the face with the back-end of his spear. “Now fight me,” Loki says, but Thor, well, Thor cannot fight, as he remains stunned that of all things Loki would dare steal his life’s ambition, and he is sent sprawling backwards across the observatory, slowly but surely sliding to a stop despite his catatonic, very symbolic silence.

the elegance, the poise, i see your time on earth has made you no less graceful, Thor. the simple magnitude of this sprawl. the spread of the arms. the turn of the feet. this is not a dude, this is a man.

sometimes your brother starts vehemently talking about he’s gonna kill the race of monsters and about how he’s only ever wanted to be your equal and about how he’s not your brother and never was and sometimes you just have to say “this is madness” instead of addressing the issues or asking for any of the  deets 🔥 👊💯😩

Loki is whipping Thor’s butt. Both literally, and metaphorically, Loki is whooping Thor’s d*mb*ss. Earlier he knicked Thor’s face, now he’s just pushing Thor around, he uses the spear as a pole and later kicks Thor’s face by kicking vertically up, and Thor, bless him in all his blond golden muscled glory, doesn’t think anything is up with this, gosh he’s such an absolute utter idiot

sometimes your brother laughs way too much and also cries too much in a fight and there are also too many of him so you just need to blast lightning so you get a shot at all of them 😌😌😌 and then put your magical infinitely-heavy hammer on his chest 😌😌😌 but it’s okay because Thor left holes in Loki’s container 😌😌😌

now THIS is the meat to Thor’s funny bone, just the pure unadulterated humour that is Thor saying that there will never be a “wiser king” or a “better father” than Odin, it cracks me up every single time without fail, just the way he says it with a straight face and— what do you mean he wasn’t joking

look at Thor’s stupid smile as he asks Heimdall to spy on jane every single day while conveniently never asking after Loki ever. This is Thor’s face in mourning after he attended a feast after everyone was celebrating after Loki’s death. Look at his stupid smile. I love him your honour. He’s just,, he’s just so frickin stewpeed, just Thor being Thor, just the purest of d*mbest of *sses. 

[eppysboys]

Are there any reliable books/sources on John's last five years that are easily accessible? The only book I've gotten most info from his latter years is the Philip Norman one but I'm well aware there's lots of stuff Norman's keeping from us

To be honest, I think everything that has been published about John's Dakota years has been considered controversial/unreliable in one way or another. It's either considered sanitised propoganda or trashy gossip. I can really only list what has been published and give a general thought or two, but I can't say what is more reliable than the other without showing my personal bias about what is true and what is less true. It's possible to read a book without believing everything in it, of course!

Skywriting by Word of Mouth is a collection of stories and drawings by John, released posthumously. It's worth a read, not necessarily because it reveals too much, but it's just fun to read what he was writing in those last few years.

In Lennon's Garden by Michael Medeiros, who worked for John and Yoko as a gardener for their indoor plants. You can read snippets of it on his website here. Nothing controversial as far as I can see?

The Last Days of John Lennon by Fred Seaman. Fred was John's personal assistant from 1979 and through to the end. Controversial, not really even for the content (as bleak as it is), but because of the Seaman vs Ono battles over the years that have put a stink on the book. I won't get into it, but it's worth mentioning, though I'm sure most people are familiar with it. I've only seen bits and pieces of it, but I think it seems to be one of those books with a big nasty reputation that might underwhelm you when you actually read it.

Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon by Robert Rosen. I literally know nothing about this book, except that I always laugh a little when I see the cover. Genuinely, though, I never see anyone talk about it. Supposedly written using John's personal diaries as a guide. Maybe look around, see what reviewers/beatle blogs say about it, and you can decide if it's worth looking into.

The Lives of John Lennon by Albert Goldman. If any John Lennon book were to have flashing red lights around it, it'd be this one! :p Dives deeply into the Dakota days the way no other author ever has....is he using reliable sources? Sometimes. Is it an exhaustingly bleak read? Absolutely. I really can't tell you how much more/less truth there is compared to the 'official' narrative of John's final years, I'm just eppysboys! (hello, nice to meet you). It's cartoonish at times, and entertaining in a horrible way. If you have a dark sense of humour you'll probably enjoy it.

Dakota Days: The true story of John Lennon’s final years by John Green. No, not that John Green, John Green the tarot reader for John and Yoko. The parts I've read are wattpad fic material. Here's a review of it, for a laugh. Whatever truth there is in the book is buried underneath poor bland and impersonal writing. Goldman uses him as a source for his exploration of the Dakota years.

Memories of John Lennon by Yoko Ono. A collection of memories of John from other artists, as far as I can tell. I haven't read it and don't even know if there's that much about the last five years compared to the start of the 70s.

....and Prisoner of Love by Peter Doggett has been cancelled and will never reach the shelves :)) A shame, given that Doggett does have a good reputation as a biographer and obviously poured a lot of work over the years into the book.

Hope that helps, anon!

[poetrusicperry]

the poets and their fav marvel characters/movies !!!

ok honestly i have no idea if any of this makes sense lol but i hope it’s comprehendible. also i have not had the time or resources to watch any of the new mcu era, which is why i didn’t include any of it. and if you have any other ideas of which characters and movies the poets would like comment them bc i want to see what you guys think hehe !! <3 sending love and hugs to anyone who needs it (and anyone who doesn’t, too)

neil: neil adores comic books. he used to sneak them when he was younger, taking breaks from his summer school homework to read them (he has a stash in his room that his father still hasn’t found). there is no doubt in my mind that neil wouldn’t be head over heels for spiderman, are you kidding ?? most definitely tried to climb walls or hang upside down when he was little. desperately wishes he could come up with his own chemical equation for web fluid. he’d completely immerse himself in the fact that there are three different eras to depict and analyze, too, having a very heated debate with charlie and meeks about who the best spiderman is. also really wants to reenact the upside down kiss with todd

neil’s fav movies (he can’t pick a fav) would be: the og spiderman, the amazing spiderman, and spiderman: homecoming (likes spiderman: 3 purely for shits and gigs)

todd: i feel like todd really likes comics (would spend his summers collecting them and reading in his room while his parents took jeff to sports camps/summer camps). he’d love scarlet witch because todd really loves to see her character growth through the films (coming to understand her powers and utilizing them accordingly), and also just admires how badass she is (”she’s so powerful and she doesn’t even know it until she faces hardship. oh, i love her so much”). upon hearing this explanation, neil couldn’t contain a smile because todd doesn’t even realize that he’s the exact same way (’: todd also likes bucky because he’s “so cool” and his metal arm is “sick” hehe (and he really loves the bond that bucky and steve have)

todd’s fav movie would probably be captain america: tfa because he likes seeing young steve rogers of course, but also because todd admires his strength (sees himself in pre-serum steve and hopes that one day he will become his own version of post-serum steve (: ). also like avengers: aou bc that’s when he’s really first introduced to scarlet witch (watches the post-credit scene from captain america: tws just to see wanda and pietro)

charlie: charlie never really read comic books, but he loves the mcu !! first of all, charlie can’t decide anything ever, so why would picking his fav superhero be any different; peter quill, iron man, or black widow. he’d like peter quill because “he’s unapologetically himself and completely hilarious,” and would absolutely dress as starlord for halloween at least once (probably more than once). as for iron man, charlie just likes how cool tony stark is and how he invented a suit that could fly (”there are so many likable qualities about him !!” he’d say, to which cameron would reply, “like what, the fact that he’s a womanizer, a pompous ass, or that he’s seemingly too smart for his own good ?” and charlie would just smirk, “all of the above”). for black widow, it’d be pretty simple (“she’s so badass. i can’t tell if i want to do her or be her”). claims his honorary mentions would be korg, rocket, and groot

charlie’s fav movies are guardians of the galaxy vol. 1 and vol. 2 because they’re “fun.” likes thor: ragnarok because it also has fun vibes.

meeks: meeks LOVES comic books to begin with, and collects them avidly, but dr. strange and the entire idea surrounding his powers/strengths ?? the ability to bend time ?? if that doesn't sound right up meeks’ alley, idk what does. there are clearly a lot of things that meeks will geek out over unapologetically, but dr. strange is one of those things that he just will not shut up about, ever (”it’s just so AWESOME”). desperately wishes that sling rings were real. also gushes with todd about bucky’s metal arm, going off on a tangent about the science behind the “rigidity flexibility ratio.” can also go on for hours about the quantum realm (:

therefore, meeks’ favorite mcu film is dr. strange and he would be completely eager and buzzing for dr. strange in the multiverse of madness. also likes antman (:

pitts: also a comic book geek hehe. and i'm sensing that pitts really likes thor. thor is pretty much just a dorky, goofy tall dude (like pitts, just with... a lot bigger biceps LOL). finds a lot of the same things funny in the movies that thor laughs at. getting into thor gets him into norse mythology, where he’d spend hours searching for/reading books on it at the welton library (meeks would have to come find him because he’d been gone for that long). wishes he could grow facial hair that nicely, and even attempted to once, but charlie shut that down real quick HAHA (”i'm not going to stop making fun of how ridiculous you look until you shave”). becomes a huge einstein rosen bridge geek, learning all there is to learn about that (and norse everything).

pitts’ favorite movie is thor: ragnarok (”it’s the best out of the three”), and he really doesn’t enjoy thor: the dark world (almost has a vendetta against it, “why did they feel the need to dye his beard and his eyebrows ??”)

cameron: surprisingly knows a lot about comics and the mcu ? his fav character is captain america due to steve rogers’ unflinching morals and standards (cameron began to to veer a teeny tiny bit away from cap, though, when he began to rebel in captain america: civil war, but he still loves him). really likes the historical aspect behind captain america (wwii and the 1940s). he and pitts absolutely had a meltdown when steve lifted mjolnir and almost got kicked out of the movie theater for their reaction (”NO FUCKING WAY, NO FUCKING WAY !! I KNEW IT. PITTSIE, I KNEW IT !!” which is super uncharacteristic for cameron, but he doesn’t fuck around when it comes to cap). got in an actual argument with charlie after captain america: civil war arguing that tony was in the wrong (”steve was doing the right thing because he was following his moral code !! even if he was breaking rules, it still made sense,” and charlie would just laugh, “you say that, but i was just following my moral code when i made the phone call to god and you didn’t find that funny,” “you’re an idiot, charlie”). also really likes nebula bc he relates to her in the fact that she never felt like she belonged/fit in.

his father served in wwii, so captain america: tfa has a really special place in his heart (he’s seen it so many times he can cite the movie as it goes along)

knox: knox knows the least about superheroes/comics, but still likes to tag along to the movies when the poets go to a premiere. he really likes black widow (”she’s just really pretty, okay?”) and hulk (”he just smashes stuff, HAHA ! how awesome is that ??”). even though he’s not very knowledgable about the mcu or marvel itself, he loves to listen to meeks about everything. almost always asks questions throughout the entirety of the movie (”knox, shut up, we’ll explain after it’s over !!”). thanos really freaked him out tbh; the idea of something like the snap happening dialed his whole “carpe diem” thing to eleven lol. 

knox’s fav movie is the first avengers because the amount of conflict isn’t as bad as the other avengers movies (”i like seeing them work together, it makes me sad when they argue and disagree).

[dothwrites]

#76 Awkward IT!Cas and CEO!Dean

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#76--Nobody thinks what I think (Dean Smith/Castiel)

---

“IT help, this is Novak.” 

“Hi, this is Becky Rosen from Smith’s office.” 

Castiel freezes at the perky voice. Even though he’s just a lowly IT grunt, he does keep up with the news of Sandover Bridge and Iron. He knows all about the unlikely promotion of Dean Smith to CEO, over the heads of several, possibly more well-qualified, candidates. He hasn’t caught a picture of him, but the rumors are that he was too young for the position, that he’d gotten it through networking and not through his merits. 

Meanwhile, Becky’s been talking and Castiel has to struggle to catch up. 

“--so if you can send someone up to take a look, that would be wonderful.”

She hangs up before Castiel can ask her to repeat herself, which might be for the best. Then at least he can get away with the facade that he’s not a complete idiot. Her last words hang in his head--send someone up. Rosen wants someone from IT to take a look at their new CEO’s computer. Castiel wants it to be anyone else but him. 

He looks at his best friend, willing him to be free. “Sam,” he hisses, twisting in his chair. Sam Wesson ignores him, which might mean that he’s on a call, or it might mean that he’s just being an ass. “Sam,” Castiel hisses, more urgently, punctuating the name with a pencil tossed towards the larger man’s back. 

Sam turns around, his mouth twisted in playfully amused irritation. “Problem?” 

“Smith’s office just called. They want someone from IT to go upstairs.” 

Sam’s eyes flick up and down. “Well, it looks like you fit that bill.” 

Color floods Castiel’s cheeks. “I can’t go up there!” He’s fine over the phone, when the meat of most of his conversations consists of Have you tried turning it off and then back on again? Having an actual conversation? In person? Not so much. Sam is infinitely more suave than him, capable of holding a normal conversation with a normal person for at least three minutes at a time. He would be perfectly fine to go to the CEO’s office and not get fired. 

“Look, Cas, normally I’d be there for you, but I’m working on this.” Sam twists to show Cas a tangle of spreadsheets, all of them with complex coding. “They’re trying out a new program in accounting and asking us to work through the kinks. You go. It’s probably something you could do over the phone, but new CEO wants to throw his weight around. Ten bucks says he won’t even be in the office.” 

With that, Castiel is sent upstairs. He brings a small briefcase along with him, unsure of what he’ll actually need. If he’d been paying attention to Becky, then he might know, but that would mean that he was an actual person with actual social skills, so that was always a long shot. 

He presses the button for Floor 20, the top floor of the building. This is the floor reserved for the CEO, complete with his office, conference room, and personal bathroom suite. For all Castiel knows there might be a gym up there too; rumor has it that their new CEO is a stickler for a morning workout. 

The elevator opens, revealing a sumptuous waiting room. Behind a desk which dwarfs his, sits perky blonde woman. No one should be able to smile that widely at work. 

“Hi,” Castiel says, his hand raised in an abortive wave. “I’m Cas Novak, I’m here from IT.” His pale yellow polo screams his department, and his hand hangs awkwardly in the air. 

Becky grins at him, one perfectly manicured nail pressing down on the intercom. “Mr. Smith? IT is here.” A garbled reply comes through the intercom and Becky smiles at him. “You can go on in,” she tells him, gesturing at a door which probably cost more than his monthly salary. There’s something encouraging in her smile, like going into the CEO’s office is something that Castiel can do. 

Castiel takes tiny little steps towards the door, waiting for a hurricane to possibly hit the building, making computer troubles the least of anyone’s worries. He’s not lucky enough for that to happen, so he knocks on the door, wincing at the noise his knuckles make. Too loud? Does it sound like he’s trying to beat his way in? A gruff voice bids him to come in, and Castiel obeys. 

He walks into a room which has more square feet in it than his office. There’s a bar in the office, with a mini-fridge, stocked with waters and energy drinks, a small table for private meetings, a seating area with a loveseat and chairs, and a desk which looks as though it function as a raft, in the event of the office flooding. And behind the desk...

Castiel usually doesn’t call other men beautiful, but it’s the only word which describes the man behind the desk. 

Despite his unfortunate fashion choices (blue and white pinstripes do not go well with red suspenders, not that Castiel can make any judgments; he himself is dressed in a pastel usually reserved for Easter parties and nurseries), Castiel can already tell that his boss is indeed a stickler for the morning (and maybe afternoon and evening) workouts. He has broad shoulders and the fabric of his suit doesn’t hide the muscle underneath. Castiel spends a long moment lingering over his hands, with their clean, neat nails and thick fingers (there are quite a few uses he could of for those fingers). To top off the whole package is a face with a jawline strong enough to crush titanium, full pink lips, and large eyes with full lashes. He can’t be but a few years older than Castiel, if that, which makes him astonishingly young for his position. 

The man (Mr. Smith, his boss) finally offers a cautious, “Hi?” 

Castiel licks his suddenly dry lips. “Hi,” he says, then remembers that this is the man who is worth billions and who has power over his literal job (and therefore his living situation and eating situation). “I’m, uh, from IT? There was a problem?” 

Mr. Smith blinks at him for a long moment, and Castiel wonders how he could have possibly screwed up so soon. Then he gathers himself and gestures towards his computer. “Yeah. I got here first thing, and it won’t turn on.” Castiel chances a surreptitious look to make sure it’s plugged in and comes back with inconclusive results. “Think you can do something about that, Steve?” 

Heat floods Castiel’s cheeks. He hadn’t really looked this morning when he grabbed at his nametag (he hadn’t really looked when he grabbed for a shirt, a fact of which he is almost painfully aware of now that he’s standing in front of Mr. Smith), and of course he’d grabbed the joke. 

“Castiel,” he mumbles, and immediately regrets it. What does it matter that Mr. Smith knows his name? He’s never going to see the man again, so really why does it matter? (He wants to hear that lovely, deep, gruff voice say his name, his full name. Just once.)

“Your nametag says Steve.” Castiel knows the look that’s starting to spread over Mr. Smith’s face. It’s the one that he’s seen all of his life, the one that says Uh-oh, now I’ve gotten myself into a conversation with this freak, how can I best extract myself from this situation. It hurts, much more than it should, to see Mr. Smith start to look that way. 

“It was a joke,” Castiel mumbles. Warmth spreads down his neck, sparking a nervous little sweat. “My name is apparently difficult for people, so they gave me this tag to make things easier.” 

Mr. Smith’s mouth purses. “Well, that’s a douchey thing for whoever to do. Cas-tee-ell.” He lingers over the tee, rolling it on the tip of his tongue, and goosebumps prickle on Castiel’s arms. “It’s a mouthful, but it’s not hard.” 

A different kind of warmth suffuses through Castiel. It starts at the center of his chest and slowly spreads outward, like the eggnog that he had last Christmas at the company party. It’s tingly at the edges. 

“Well, that’s not what everyone else thinks,” Castiel says, to try and diffuse the heat flooding through his body. 

“Yeah, well, nobody thinks how I think.” Mr. Smith keeps his eyes focused on Castiel’s face. There’s something intense in his eyes, and for once, Castiel finds himself on the uncomfortable end of a staring contest. “‘S why they gave me the gig in the first place. ‘Innovative ideas’ or something like that.” He chuckles, and there’s something bitter in the sound. “I don’t think they realized that I have maybe one good idea every couple of years.” 

“I don’t think that’s true,” Castiel blurts, before he can stop himself. He has no real basis of comparison for his statement; he knows next to nothing about Mr. Smith. “I just mean,” he stammers, “that if you start doubting yourself, then you’ll never know what you can do.” 

The advice rings as hollow coming from his mouth as it did coming from the mouths of every advisor and guidance counselor he ever had. Mr. Smith’s mouth twists in a sardonic little smile. “Supposed to breathe new life into this company, and I can’t even get the damn computer going.” 

“Oh!” Suddenly remembering the reason he’s in this dream of an office, Castiel moves forward. “I can probably help with that.” 

He steps in close to Mr. Smith (too close if his sudden blush and recoil are any indication) and fiddles with the mouse and monitor. The screen remains dark, which Castiel is almost glad to see. At the very least, it tells him that Mr. Smith isn’t an idiot. He follows the cords and finds that at the very least, the computer is plugged in. He kneels under the desk, sorting through the various tangle. 

“Ok, the person who put this together is an idiot,” he murmurs, tugging at a cord. 

“I put it together.” 

A cold spike of fear jolts through Castiel. Why, why, why does he always speak without thinking? Why can’t he be like a normal person, who had a modicum of tact, why can’t he manage to hold it together in a conversation long enough to interact like a regular person? Why is he such a disaster of a person? 

He bashes his head on the top of the desk as he scrambles out from underneath it. He glances up at Mr. Smith (tries not to concentrate on the visual aspects of this particular scene: him, on his knees underneath the desk, Mr. Smith, on his chair, looking down at him with a smoothly amused expression). “I’m sorry,” he says, hopefully in a garbled amalgamation of the English language. “I didn’t mean to...”

“Calm down, Cas, it was just a joke.” Mr. Smith’s face turns apologetic. “Apparently not a funny one.” 

Relief floods through Castiel, at odds with the throbbing pain in his head. “I just meant...the person who set up the computer did it wrong. The wires are shorted out.” He rubs at the back of his head as he glances back down. “It’s a simple fix, shouldn’t take me more than five minutes.”

“Oh.” Mr. Smith’s mouth (Castiel really shouldn’t be staring at Mr. Smith’s mouth so much, has Mr. Smith noticed how much Castiel has been staring at his mouth? Is Mr. Smith aware that he has a mouth which is very stare-worthy?) drops in a frown. “So quick?” 

“Well like I said,” Castiel grunts as he shimmies back under the desk, “it’s a quick fix once you realize what you’re doing. The person who set this up was probably just trying to go too fast and made a mistake. Or something. Who knows.” He doesn’t want to throw a member of his department under the bus, but he doesn’t want to lie to Mr. Smith either. 

“No, I just mean...” Mr. Smith taps his fingers against the desk. “Listen, do you want a cup of coffee or something?” He gestures towards the gleaming coffee machine on the counter. 

“I don’t know.” Castiel stops working and pokes his head out from under the desk. “I don’t want to be late.” 

Mr. Smith laughs. The sound is round and rich. It fills the room and sends little sparks of delight dancing down to his fingertips. “Who’s going to narc on you? You think you’re going to get in trouble with the boss?” 

“I mean...I guess...” Castiel can’t help but smile at Mr. Smith. 

“Come on, Cas. Give me a break here. Have a cup of coffee.” 

“I’m really glad you got the job,” comes tumbling out of Castiel’s mouth. Which is bad enough, but then comes, “You’re much better looking than Mr. Adler.” 

A dreadful silence hangs over the room. Castiel hopes his words will fade, but they linger between them like skywriting, scrawled in neon. His brain decides to come back online now, with thousands of worst-case scenarios. 

Mr. Smith fires him for sexual harassment. 

Mr. Smith presses charges against him. 

Mr. Smith ensures that Castiel Novak never gets a job anywhere in the industry ever again. 

Castiel ends up homeless and alone, ridiculed by everyone, and has to move in with Gabriel, possibly ending up working as a production assistant in Gabriel’s porn company. 

Then Mr. Smith laughs. It’s not a mean sound; it’s delighted. He pinches at the bridge of his nose, still laughing. Even after the sound fades, his shoulders still shake with mirth. When he opens his eyes, Castiel thinks there are actual tears in them. 

“I mean, that’s a pretty low bar to set, but I’m glad that I made it over.” Mr. Smith chuckles. He’s still laughing as he makes his way to the coffeemaker. He pushes a few buttons, then leans against the counter. “Stay for coffee, Cas. Please,” he adds as an afterthought. 

Castiel thinks of his tiny cubicle, crowded together with dozens of other small boxes, in a stifling environment screaming with the sounds of computers and copiers. He thinks of Mr. Smith’s smile, the strange kindness in him, the thoughtfulness with which he said his name. 

“I can stay for coffee, Mr. Smith.”

Mr. Smith turns around, one eyebrow raising at the formality. “Call me Dean,” he says. 

Castiel turns the name over in his head several times. It’s simple, direct, yet oddly complicated. It suits the man in front of him. 

“Hello, Dean.” 

---

[echoghost1]

Future Problems update!

Yeah I finally got around to posting the second half!

And I used the DannyMay 2021 prompt Frozen to do it!

Story Summary: The Fenton's were brilliant scientists on the cutting edge of Astrophysics and Engineering. They decided that the best way to study the theories of their field was to build a practical model. Today was the first day they would be activating it and Danny couldn't be more excited to be there with them.

AU: Instead of building a portal to the ghost zone, the Fenton's build an artificial wormhole.

Total Word count: 3,653

Chapter word count: 1,895

You can read it on AO3 or down below!

Falling.

Down? Backward? Up?

He didn’t know. There was no way to truly tell.

There was no up or down here. There was nothing here but falling.

Or was he floating? Flying?

No. He couldn’t be flying. That implied some level of control.

He just kept falling.

He wondered if he would fall forever.

With nothing there to stop him, the laws of motion seemed to suggest that yes, he would just keep falling.

Then an odd thought popped in his head. A flicker of hope.

He had fallen into the wormhole. Into an Einstein–Rosen bridge.

A bridge.

A bridge connected two places. It meant there was another side.

He wasn’t just falling. He was going somewhere.

But where?

“Rosey? I wanna go home. Take me home.”

There was no answer. No sign that anyone or anything had heard him at all.

He just kept falling.

Falling.

================================================

He wasn’t sure when he had fallen asleep. Or why he had woken up either. All he knew was that he was awake.

Everything seemed the same. He was still alone. Still here. Still falling.

Although something did feel a little different. He was falling, yes, but it was more forward? He hadn’t turned around, at least he didn’t think he had. He wasn’t even sure if that was possible.

But this felt more like forward than backward.

He wasn’t sure why. Or how. Or if it was even real. It could just be in his head.

Maybe he just went to sleep and lost his mind? Did it work like that?

Or maybe he lost it a while ago and just now noticed. Like when you set down your phone and walk away but don’t notice you forgot it until you want to use it. Except with his mind instead.

That sure sounded crazy.

Maybe he lost it when he fell in? When he hit his head it just fell out onto the lab floor.

He giggled at the thought, “Rosey, we gotta go home. I think I left my brain behind.”

He gasped as a new idea struck him, “Maybe that’s what broke my tether? My sanity snapped backward in time and created a paradox that led to me losing it and falling in here.”

He laughed at the ridiculous notion until it started to sound less ridiculous.

Something had come out of the portal and that’s why he was here. He heard it.

He had ducked so he didn’t get hit by it.

Maybe he should have just let it hit him.

He might still be there if he had.

“Rosey, please.”

Then something was different.

There was something where there used to be nothing.

It was just a spot. A darker little dot in the distance.

There wasn’t one there before.

It grew.

Or maybe he really was falling forward?

The dot was too big to be a dot now.

It was a hole?

It was A Something in The Nothing. Did it mean there was A Someplace?

Was he going somewhere?

“Are we there yet?”

The hole was massive now. It had edges. Sharp edges.

Familiar edges.

He reached out. Could he touch it?

He felt something. A breeze? A shift in gravity?

He fell.

Forward.

Down.

Landed.

“Ow.”

He lay on the ground for a second before it kicked in. He was on the ground.

Ground!

He sat up and saw that yes, that was a tile floor beneath him. He wasn’t falling anymore. He had arrived.

But where?

He looked up and saw the lab.

He cocked his head to the side in confusion. How did he end up back where he started?

Or maybe he hadn’t?

It was dark. All the lights were off except for the few small indicator lights on the control panels.

No one was there.

Where did they go? Why did they leave?

He didn’t want to be alone down here.

He walked over to the changing station to remove his gear, but his clothes were missing. Why did they move his stuff?

He really didn’t want to spend any more time in the bulky gear, but he couldn’t just run around in only his boxers.

Luckily his dad had a spare outfit. The only thing he even bothered to put on was the shirt, which looked more like a dress on him.

He sighed and tried not to think about that little detail. He was at home and all he had to do was go upstairs and change. It was fine. No one but his family would see him.

Totally fine.

Nothing to be embarrassed about. He was definitely not embarrassed.

He wasn’t lying about it either.

He made his way up the lab stairs and hesitated. Where would they be right now? What time was it anyway?

He opened the door and stepped into the kitchen.

Empty.

Where was everyone?

He walked into the living room, his bare feet against the linoleum was the only sound.

The living room wasn’t empty.

There on the couch, curled up with a book and a hot cup of tea was his mom. Mom?

Was that his mom? She looked… different.

But who else would that be? He didn’t know that many red-headed adults.

“Hello?” his voice cracked as if he hadn’t spoken for a while. Maybe talking in a wormhole wasn’t his best idea.

She looked up and dropped her book. She placed the mug on the coffee table with a shaky hand and slowly stood up as she stared at him.

Why was she just staring at him?

“Danny?” she asked as if she didn’t expect to see him. As if she was staring at a ghost.

“Yeah?”

She came over and took his face in both her hands, “You look exactly the same.”

“Why would I look different?”

She searched his eyes and either found what she was looking for or didn’t find it. Either way, it had to be what prompted her next question, “Who do you think I am?”

“I was going to say mom but now I’m not so sure.”

She bit her lip and yeah that wasn’t his mom, was it?

“Um, Danny,” she asked clearly already regretting her question before she even asked it, “How long do you think you’ve been gone?”

“A few hours?” he guessed.

She visibly winced.

He tried again, “A day?”

She recoiled even more.

“Days?”

She brought her hands up to her lips in a mock prayer gesture.

“Oh my god, just tell me! I’m clearly not going to guess anytime soon.”

She dropped her hands with a long exhale of a sigh, “Where do I even start?” she asked herself before looking back up at him. “You might want to sit down for this.”

“I’m fine.”

“Danny, just sit down already,” she ordered.

He rolled his eyes and did what she said, “you sound just like Jazz.”

“You have no idea who I am, do you?”

“There’s an easy way to fix that.”

“I guess there is.” she sat down next to him and took his hands in hers. “The reason I look like mom and sound like Jazz is,” she took a breath and just looked at him for a moment.

Like she was trying to memorize his face.

“It’s because I am Jazz.”

He blinked.

Once. Twice.

That didn’t make any sense. Jazz was only two years older than him. She might act like an adult but she wasn’t one.

He shook his head. That couldn’t be right.

“That doesn't make any sense.” He tried to lean away from her but she held fast.

“It makes sense if you know how long it’s been.”

He looked at her, really looked. Tried to find a lie. To see if that really was his sister.

“How long?” he asked unsure if what she was saying was true, but not seeing any reason for her to lie about it either.

“Ten years.”

He just stared at her. It felt like time had stopped. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. He just was .

Was he falling again?

Had he ever stopped?

“Danny?” Jazz asked. She sounded far away.

Ten years away.

“Danny! Look at me!” she gripped his shoulders and the change of position shook him out of his horrified trance.

“Where are mom and dad?” Ten years was a long time. They weren’t dead were they?

“They just went to the store. It’s okay. They’ll be back soon.”

She pulled him into a hug and he just collapsed into it.

She waited until he had calmed down again before she said something other than calming words. “You know, it’s kind of funny that you came home today of all days.”

He pulled back and leaned as far into the couch as he could, “Why’s that?”

“Because today’s your birthday.”

“It wasn’t my birthday when I left.”

She smiled, “no it wasn’t.”

“So does that make me 15 or,” he thought for a second then realized how easy it was to add 10 to his age, “or 24?”

“You know, that’s actually a good question.” she joined him in relaxing into the couch, “I don’t think we can get away with calling you 24 because you still look so young.”

“Lame.”

“Do you want to be a 24-year-old with a 14-year-old body?”

“Good point.”

“Also, do you want to get dressed before mom and dad get back?”

“Yes!”

“Well, everything is still in your room.” Jazz said as she gestured toward the stairs.

“Aw sick!” he jumped up happy at least something was going to be familiar.

================================================

Danny and Jazz were back on the couch while she was showing off her scrapbook and catching him up on the things he missed when the front door opened.

Their mom had just dropped the keys into the dish by the door and stopped in her tracks when she finally looked into the room.

She just stared and was soon joined by her husband. They both stood in the doorway and looked at the impossible sight of their long-lost son sitting in the living room.

He wasn’t sure what to say at first. Just saying ‘surprise’ didn’t seem like the right thing and only saying hello didn’t seem to be enough.

He stood up and walked around the coffee table but stopped halfway into the room because they still hadn’t moved.

He looked back at Jazz and hoped she might know what the right thing to do was. She had always been smarter than him and she was older now, so she should know more.

She looked just as confused as he felt.

Were they mad that he was away for so long?

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get home.”

He looked up when he heard the groceries hit the floor. His mom rushed forward and pulled him into a hug. “Oh Sweetheart, we’re not mad. Just surprised to see you.” She pulled back and cupped his cheek in her hand, “You look exactly the same.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Jazz said the same thing.”

“It’s great to have you back, son, but I have so many questions and I’m having a hard time not just asking them all.”

“Oh Jack,” his mom lightly scolded with a playful pat on his shoulder, “I think science can wait.”

“Yeah, I heard it was my birthday!”

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 12, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

As expected, this morning the House Republicans removed Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney from her position as conference chair after she refused to stop speaking out against the former president for instigating the January 6 attack on our Capitol and the counting of electoral votes for President Joe Biden. The Republicans ousted her by voice vote, which meant that no one had to go on the record for or against Cheney, and the Republicans kept the split in the party from being measurable. It also ensured that she would lose; she has survived a secret ballot vote before.

Before the vote, Cheney allegedly told her Republican colleagues: “If you want leaders who will enable and spread his destructive lies, I’m not your person; you have plenty of others to choose from.” After the vote, she went in front of the cameras to say that she would lead the fight to reclaim the party from Trump, and said: “I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again goes anywhere near the Oval Office.”

After her ouster, Trump Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn (NC) tweeted ““Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye Liz Cheney.” The former president echoed Cawthorn: “Liz Cheney is a bitter, horrible human being. I watched her yesterday and realized how bad she is for the Republican Party. She has no personality or anything good having to do with politics or our Country.”

After convincing his caucus to dump Cheney and embrace Trump, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters: “I don’t think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election. I think that is all over with.”

This was a breathtaking statement. McCarthy himself challenged the certification of Biden’s win, and just last week, Trump made a big announcement in which he called the election of 2020 “fraudulent.” The Big Lie animating the Republicans today is that Trump, not Biden, really won the 2020 election.

But McCarthy is not alone in his gaslighting. Yesterday, in the Senate Rules Committee markup of S1, the For the People Act protecting the vote, ending gerrymandering, and pushing big money out of our elections, Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said: “I don’t think anyone on our side has been arguing that [voter fraud] has been pervasive all over the country.”

The false claim of widespread voter fraud is, of course, exactly what Trump Republicans have stood on since the 2020 election. It is the justification for their voter suppression measures in Republican states, including Texas, Iowa, Georgia, Florida, and, as of yesterday afternoon, Arizona.

In today’s House Oversight Committee hearing on the January 6 insurrection, Republican lawmakers in general tried to gaslight Americans, as they tried to paint that unprecedented attack on our democracy as nothing terribly important. Although 140 law enforcement officers were injured, five people were killed, more than 400 people have been charged with crimes, and rioters did more than $30 million worth of damage, Republican representatives downplayed the events of the day, insisting that they were not really out of the ordinary. Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA) said that calling the attack on the Capitol an insurrection is a “bald-faced lie” and that “if you didn't know the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit…."

CNN later called Clyde’s remarks “absolute nonsense.” Even the definition of insurrection Clyde quoted—“an organized attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country usually by violence”—showed the attack of January 6 to be an insurrection. And, as lawyer and CNN analyst Asha Rangappa noted tonight on Twitter, at his second impeachment trial even Trump’s own lawyers did not dispute that the events of January 6 were a violent insurrection. The record is clear.

Republican lawmakers like Clyde did, though, echo the former president’s interview on the Fox News Channel in March when he said that when his supporters went into the Capitol they posed “zero threat” and were “hugging and kissing the police and the guards…. A lot of the people were waved in, and then they walked in and they walked out.”

The former president appears to be continuing to exercise control over his underlings. Former Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller provided testimony at the House Oversight Committee hearing, and what they would not say was revealing. Rosen refused to answer questions about whether Trump asked him to try to overturn the 2020 election. Miller’s prepared remarks had included a sentence that said “I stand by my prior observation that I personally believe his comments encouraged the protesters that day.” In his testimony, he omitted that line, and later tried to walk it back, trying to draw a line between people who marched on the Capitol and those who broke into it.

But with Cheney and her supporters now in open revolt, and with news about the Capitol attack dropping, and even with more information coming about the ties between the former president and Russia, will Republican Party leaders manage to sweep everything under the rug?

Today, at a hearing on domestic extremism today before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas both testified that the most serious domestic national security threat in the U.S. right now is that of white supremacist gangs. “I think it's fair to say that in my career as a judge, and in law enforcement, I have not seen a more dangerous threat to democracy than the invasion of the Capitol,” Garland said. “There was an attempt to interfere with the fundamental passing of an element of our democracy, the peaceful transfer of power. And if there has to be a hierarchy of things that we prioritize, this would be the one we'd prioritize. It is the most dangerous threat to our democracy. That does not mean that we don't focus on other threats.”

For his part, President Biden is refusing to get sucked into the Republican drama, instead focusing on the country. Today an advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the Pfizer vaccine for children as young as 12, and the CDC signed off on the recommendation, making it easier to reopen schools in the fall.

Today Biden met at the White House with Republicans McCarthy and McConnell, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), to try to hash out an infrastructure plan, although the Republicans have said they will absolutely not consider raising the corporate tax rates from where Trump’s 2017 tax cut dropped them. It was the first time McCarthy and McConnell had visited the West Wing since Biden was elected.

It was in the context of visiting the president that McCarthy tried to say that there was no Republican questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election (although, of course, more than two thirds of Republicans currently believe in the Big Lie). “We’re sitting here with the president today,” he told reporters.

Will today’s gesture be enough to make swing voters forget the party’s wholehearted embrace of the former president? Shortly after House Republicans removed Cheney from her leadership position, nine out of 14 voters in an Axios focus group said they would be willing to vote for a Republican in next year’s congressional races. But of those, 8 said they would not back any Republican who supports Trump’s lie that he won the 2020 election.

—-

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON