#everything russians claim they care about or want to protect

[vaxxman]

Oh I'm sad to see people didn't like comic 7, I thought it was very well done.

This isn't an invitation to an argument, I just want to say my opinion because I'm seeing a lot of people criticising the last chapter.

We got a lot of answers and everything that seemed conveniently placed for plot was completely in the scope of how the previous stories have worked before. I thought it was funny that soldier lived in a cave of Australium. It's just as convenient as Medic having a deal with the devil and the mercs being unable to die. Or Grey Mann having a daughter who no one wants to punch in a fist fight. Or Sniper's parents coincidentally being involved with the sinking of New Zealand.

I think it was a very good choice to not let the mercs do anything plot driving in this chapter, because this conflict was never a conflict that could have been ended by the mercs. They wouldn't even have cared, heh. We've known that everything was carefully orchestrated by the Admin, so it could only have been resolved by those who are part of the bigger conflict. Hence Miss Pauling, the Admin and Saxton do most of the plot. Everyone else already had a lot of screen time in the previous chapters, but none of their stories were truly contributing to the actual conflict at hand, so the story can't come to an end until we actually see the person who's been pulling the threads actually come to terms with what she was doing. I'm very happy that her ultimate plan turned out to just be a pointless act of revenge, since we've all known from the start that the gravel wars are pointless. This is just one more dimension deeper into how pointless it is.

Managing to resolve the story and making sure all characters receive a happy end the way they did was more than I had hoped for comic 7. But just to summarise how I think everyone received their peace of mind across all comics:

1. Sniper: Finds out he's adopted -> figures out his step parents were his true family after all

2. Spy: Really wants to tell Scout that he's his dad -> actually manages to say the words, even if he wasn't honest with his appearance

3. Soldier: Delusional hater of commies -> marries a Russian woman and stops claiming racist things, because Zhanna as a person was more important to him than whatever he believed about Russian people. Still weird, not with less delusion but genuinely a sweet father and husband. Exaggerated and maximally silly way of how to actually change people's racist opinions in real life.

4. Scout: Upset that he can't get laid and thinks he has to be More Man -> glows up by becoming a dad who steps up and is less preoccupied with getting the girl of his dreams. His kids are what matters to him now and he becomes like his mom

5. Heavy: Worried about his family in Siberia -> his sisters show him they don't need him to protect them all the time and everyone moves to America so he can be with them. His sisters get to live freely.

6. Engineer: Is involved with the conflict since his grandpa, and is contractually unable to stop it -> tells Miss Pauling to sink all Australium in a trench so this never happens again

7. Saxton Hale: Wants to go back to the time when he was still actively doing things, gets his company stolen -> gets his company back but realises it doesn't make him happy. Leaves his company and joins Maggie again because fighting alongside her was what he's always wanted since we got glimpses of his past

8. Miss Pauling: Thinks the Administrator has a great plan that desperately needs her -> learns the plan was nothing at all and decides on the spot to end it by not giving Admin any more Australium because she realises she has been feeding into the conflict

Medic, Demoman, and Pyro never had a personal conflict to resolve. Medic had his moments to shine by sabotaging TFC and being in hell then coming back. Demoman had his arc with his liver leaving him and defeating the robots due to the alcohol in his blood. Medic scooped out parts of his brain to keep him unquestioning about his eye. Pyro is just a very simple character, and I say that with no judgement at all. Pyro is happy with arson, but also with a Dalmatian as their pet.

Everyone is still friends with each other and have their own little families. They come together to celebrate Smissmass at Scout's place. I think Saxton's last line "or do you want to live forever" was so well placed, being a nod to the meme from Expiration Date, as well as pointing out that, obviously, things have to come to an end we should embrace that ending when we see it's time.

And as always. If anyone doesn't like that any of these things, we are still free to make our own stories and reinterpret characters.

[redjaybathood]

Evacuation from Hirnyk, Donetsk region, 09.09.24

Source

[megxplryxb]

Someone to Save You

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Mostly fluff, slight mention of death (Billy), mention of violence (evil Russians), no use of y/n, set in Season 3.

Notes: Short fic that’s been unfinished in my drafts for far too long and I got tired of seeing it sitting there judging me.

"I guess we're gonna have to find new jobs now huh?" Robin laughs anxiously, brows raised, eyes wide as she tries her best to lighten the mood while you both sit in the back of an ambulance watching on as Hawkins finest attempt to extinguish the flames currently engulfing what remains of the Starcourt mall. It was clear the two of you were still visibly shaken up, trying to come to terms with everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours and a part of you wondered if you were still tripping from the drugs you’d been injected with earlier because there was no way you had actually fought a monster like creature from another dimension back in the food court, let alone gotten kidnapped and held hostage by an army of Russian soldiers.

The sound of sirens echoing throughout the parking lot made you wince as your head pounded in agony from the beating you’d taken at the hands of the guards during their unsuccessful interrogation of yourself and Steve. Looking down to inspect yourself, you see your Scoops uniform covered in blood and vomit, your legs and arms covered in cuts and bruises and the bottom of your lip split wide open, making you wonder how the fuck you had actually managed to make it out in one piece.

It was only supposed to be for fun, trying to translate that stupid Russian code. Something to do to pass the time during your shifts at Scoops Ahoy, a form of entertainment in between having to serve bratty children and stuck up parents their ice cream. It wasn’t meant to end up with you and Steve being beaten to a bloody pulp or with the mall burning down and it certainly wasn’t meant to end with the death of Billy Hargrove. Unfortunately, there was much more going on beneath the surface of Hawkins, Indiana than you could have ever imagined and somehow you’d managed to get yourself directly caught in the crossfire.

"Yeah, it looks like it." You eventually mutter, not really listening to your friend as she rambles on about how the government was going to cover all of this up, long zoned out, too focused on your handsome coworker to care about any cover up story.

Your eyes had been glued to Steve Harrington since the paramedics helped him to another ambulance across the lot to get checked out. Dustin Henderson was standing by his side as always, refusing to leave his friend and hero alone. His face and presumably his body were badly battered after the punishment he had taken during your time in the Russian base, trying his best to protect you and keep you safe. Steve had pleaded with the guards to let you go, promising he’d tell them everything they wanted to know once they guaranteed your safety but you refused to abandon him and in the end, you both suffered the consequences until Robin, Erica and Dustin had come to your eventual rescue.

Watching Steve get knocked unconscious had absolutely terrified you. His lifeless body unresponsive on the floor as you screamed for him to wake up, to move, to do anything just to let you know he was alive. When he finally came to, you wrapped yourself around him, sobbing uncontrollably into his chest with relief when he mumbled that he was ‘ok’, even managing to tease you for being a blubbering mess over him when you always claimed to hate him.

It was true, you did hate him back in High School. Couldn’t stand him or his shitty friends and the way they believed they were actual fucking royalty. But then you graduated, hoping to forget the trauma of Hawkins High, got a job working in Scoops Ahoy and to your utter horror, Steve Harrington was behind the counter wearing a god damn sailor outfit that didn’t even fit him right. Of course, Robin tried to tell you that things were different now, that he wasn’t the same asshole from school. His ‘King’ title long relinquished and his trust fund completely confiscated and in your eyes, it was karma and karma was a bitch. Admittedly, you were also a bitch, refusing to believe he’d actually changed his ways, giving the cold shoulder, throwing a harsh comment whenever the opportunity presented itself. It’s not like he didn’t deserve it and Steve too gave just as good as he got, annoying you on a daily basis, ruining every possible chance you had of a date when someone tried to ask you out, spilling ice cream on your uniform and just making a total nuisance of himself around you.

It’s only when his Dad arrived into the parlour one evening to collect him that you really felt sorry for Steve. His BMW had been in the garage and his Dad walked in, tossing him some clothes to change into before he left the mall, not wanting anyone to see his son “looking like an idiot”. You don’t know why seeing Steve being ridiculed and humiliated by his own Father mad you angry but it did. You could still remember the look on Steve’s face when it happened and a part of you wanted to defend him, to pull him into you and hug him but that would have been weird back then. So you decided to give him a break after that night, finally getting to know him after a longer than usual shift, both of you stuck cleaning up after a birthday party and you realised Robin was right. He had changed. He was kind and sweet and somehow he had six kids who absolutely adored him and the longer you were around him, you couldn’t help but start to adore him too.

“It’s okay to admit that you care about him, y’know?” Robin whispers, nudging your shoulder, shaking you from your thoughts of Steve. “Dingus is a good guy and it’s pretty obvious he cares a lot about you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Robin.” You laugh dismissively, trying to avoid the conversation completely because maybe you weren’t fully ready to admit your feelings to yourself yet.

“Oh please! You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re totally into each other.” She states but you shake your head defensively, hoping it was too dark for her to see the tints of pink on your cheeks.

“No, it’s not like that. I mean, Steve could barely stand to be around me a couple of weeks ago. There’s no way he has actual feelings for me.” You assert but it does little to dissuade Robin who’s had a front row seat to your constant bickering over the last couple of months and while it seemed like you both truly despised each other at the beginning, it became clear to her that you and Steve were hiding behind your real feelings and the last few days only made it all the more obvious.

“Come on, I’ve seen the way he looks at you, the way he gets totally jealous every time Jason Carver comes in to flirt with you. He tries to act like he doesn’t care but his face gives him away every time. Not to mention how happy he was when you fell asleep on his shoulder in that damn elevator, poor guy couldn’t stop gazing at you.” She chuckles as Erica walks towards you both.

“You’re talking about Harrington right? Dustin said he’s totally in love with you and since I’ve spent the last twenty four hours stuck with your insane asses, I’m inclined to agree with him.” The younger Sinclair smirks, folding her arms. You try your best to ignore them both, reverting your gaze back towards the direction of Steve who’s already looking right at you. Dustin is pointing your way, speaking passionately and although you can’t hear what he’s saying, you assume it’s about you because Steve quickly slaps his hand away before rolling his eyes at the younger boy.

“See?” Robin nudges you again. “He keeps looking over here. Just go talk to him, please? Put us all out of our misery.” She begs, giving you puppy dog eyes as Erica whistles at Dustin to call him over, giving him a small thumbs up as he grins widely and starts to make his way over.

“Why do I feel like I’ve just been set up?” You grit your teeth, glaring at your friends.

“Maybe because you have been.” Robin smiles sweetly, shoving you forward as you begin to walk towards Steve. Your stomach twists as you get closer to the boy, hoping you don’t look as anxious as you feel. If everyone else could tell you had feelings for him, wasn’t it likely he knew too?

“If you came over here to tell me I look like shit, you're too late, Henderson already beat you to it.” Steve jokes, looking at you through his one good eye, the other badly swollen as he holds an ice pack to his face, wincing a little from the cool contact.

“Relax Harrington, you’re still annoyingly pretty. I just wanted to make sure you were doing ok.” You say, taking a seat beside him on the edge of the ambulance as he scoots over for you. "Besides, it’s not like I can talk right now, I'm sure I don’t look much better.” You sigh as he scans the injuries on your face, hating himself for getting you caught up in all of this mess.

“Nah, don’t worry. You’re still beautiful .” He smirks, his bruised face still achingly gorgeous in the night sky as you both lock eyes, sitting in silence for a moment before you finally remember to breathe.

Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington had just called you beautiful. You— the girl he once claimed to hate. The girl that used to drive him utterly insane in High School. Shit, in the few short months you’ve worked in Scoops Ahoy with Steve, you’ve heard him use many terms when talking about other girls, ‘hot’ ‘cute’ ‘pretty’ but he’d never used the word beautiful. Did he really think you were beautiful?

“I think you’re still high, Steve.” You blush, placing a strand of hair behind your ear as he shakes his head.

“No. For the first time in a while, I think I’m seeing things pretty clearly actually.” He affirms, too confidently for a guy who looks like he’s just gone ten rounds with Muhammad Ali.

“I’m not sure how that’s possible when you can’t see out of one eye right now but okay.” You giggle and he laughs with you.

“Come on, you know what I mean.” He playfully bumps your shoulder to grab your focus. His caramel eyes moving to your lips before looking back at you again and suddenly there’s a familiar tension in the air between you that you’ve refused to acknowledge before.

“Do I?” You ask, your voice barely above a whisper as you take the ice pack from him, holding it to the side of his face soothingly.

“God I hope so.” He breathes out, lifting his hand to cover yours. You can sense that he’s nervous and you almost want to laugh at how insane this all seems. The thought of Steve Harrington being nervous because of you would have been comical a couple of months ago but here you are, wanting nothing more than for him to kiss you stupid.

“I’m really fucking sorry for getting you guys mixed up in all of this.” He mutters, a guilty look across his face as he lowers his head.

“Hey, no. None of this is your fault Steve. Nobody could have known what was going to happen.” You try to comfort him but he can’t help feel slightly responsible.

“No, I should have known the reason those Russian’s came to Hawkins. I should have known that thing was back. God I’m so stupid!” He spits with anger in his voice, throwing his head back.

“You’re not stupid Steve.” You say softly, gently placing your hand on his thigh.

“Come on honey, you can say it, s’not like I don’t already know.” He half laughs and you hate that he thinks of himself that way, that he thinks you think of him that way.

“I don’t think that Steve, I never thought that. An asshole? Yes. Selfish? Hell yes. But not stupid, never stupid and after actually getting to know you—the real you and not the person you pretended to be in High School, I can safely say I was wrong about who I thought you were.” You admit, finally finding the courage to reach for his hand and intertwining your fingers with his.

“Oh yeah? What changed your mind hmm?” He asks, grinning as he turns his body fully towards you, rubbing his thumb over the delicate skin of your knuckles.

“I’m not sure really, maybe seeing how good of a babysitter you are, how protective you are of all your kids. That might have had a little something to do with it.” You tease as he chuckles with you. “Only a little huh?”

“Well, it might also have something to do with you saving my life. Trying to sacrifice yourself so they’d let me go. That was really brave Steve.” You whisper, trying to stop yourself from getting choked up.

“And it was really stupid of you to refuse.” Steve replies, immediately wiping away the tear he can see trailing down your cheek.

“Hey, if we go down, then we go down together. That’s the Scoops Ahoy! policy remember?” You remind him as he shakes his head at you, cupping your face, caressing the apples of your cheeks. “I don’t know what I’d have done if something bad happened to you. Every time they touched you, every time they even looked at you— god I wanted to fucking kill them.”

“Careful Harrington, it almost sounds like you care about me.” You breathe out, hypnotised by his full pink lips as you realise they’re inching incredibly closer to yours.

“Shit honey, what gave it away?” He smirks at you, finally closing the space between you as his lips gently meet yours in a warm embrace. You can hear the wolf whistles from across the lot, both of you laughing into the kiss as your friends cheer you on and you can’t help feel like a kid playing spin the bottle for the first time.

You eventually break apart when the medic coughs awkwardly, mortified that he’s had to stumble across a make out session as you both try your best to hide your embarrassment, your cheeks flushing bright red.

“Alright Mr Harrington, from what I can see, it looks like you’ve got a bit of a concussion there. I know you mentioned your parents are currently out of town so I think it might be best if we keep you in overnight at the hospital tonight.” The man says as you watch Steve sigh heavily.

“I’m sure I’ll be ok by myself, I’m not really the biggest fan of hospitals sir.” He admits, swallowing hard and you can’t help but be mad at his parents for once again being absent when he needed them.

“I’m really not comfortable with you being alone tonight Mr Harrington, I’d rather you come—“

“He won’t be alone. He can come stay with me, I’ll look after him.” You interrupt, taking Steve’s hand in yours, squeezing it reassuringly. His head turns to you immediately, eyes glossy and mouth open in awe of your kindness, he feels like his heart is going to explode.

“Are, are you sure?” He mumbles, blushing as you kiss him on the cheek.

“Of course I’m sure, I owe you for saving my life. Maybe it’s time, you let someone save you.”

[bluedalahorse]

posting a Heart and Homeland letter (Sara writing to Simon)

Anyone want some alternate universe 1808 Sara Eriksson?

For some reason, even after everything, this part of Heart and Homeland feels like the right thing to post tonight.

I pour a lot of myself (my fears and insecurities especially) into Sara when I write her, and this is one of her letters where that’s definitely true. This letter in particular was written when someone at work lied about me in an attempt to get me in trouble. This then became part of a pattern of bullying. That’s what inspired the anecdotes about Felice’s little sisters, and Felice’s mother.

There’s also a lot here about Sara expending energy to try and navigate social situations, and trying to do the “correct” things to survive. At the same time, she seems to want things for herself, but is afraid to express that. And… boy do I feel that.

I even feel the part where Sara talks about it being too cold to go outside and have time to herself, because that’s definitely true this week. It’s been FRIGID here. And I am someone who needs the outdoors (albeit the urban outdoors) pretty often.

So posting this feels kinda vulnerable. But it also feels like the right thing to do. And it’s nice to know that my words can communicate all this, even if work doesn’t leave me enough spoons most of the time to write the way I want to.

~

December 8, 1808

Dear Simon,

I do not know how much longer I can keep doing this. I cannot sustain myself anymore. If you were here you would probably try to calm me; you would speak to me slowly and gently until I did not feel quite so jumbled inside and then you would smooth down my hair where I tugged it all out of place. If it weren’t so cold I would climb to the top of a tree in the Ehrencronas’ garden and write you there. It is easier to imagine you encouraging me when I am somewhere high up and alone, rather than somewhere on the ground surrounded by others’ jeering and all the snares of conversation.

To be truthful, it has been an extraordinarily difficult time to be a governess. At least people spoke less about Crown Prince Erik today. Does that sound awful? Do not misunderstand me. I’m certain that I do feel sadness for the Crown Prince, somewhere, but I cannot find it or display it on my face the way people would want me to. I haven’t done anything as bad as the time I started laughing at Farmor’s funeral. I thought Pappa would murder me then but it is not my fault that the minister kept accidentally calling Farmor by the name of her twin sister and perhaps because I was nine years old and wicked I found something funny about it. Fröken Ehrencrona cried such beautiful tears when we were talking about the attack on Kastellholm one night—the kind of tears that made me want to hold her hand protectively, which I did—but Simon, everyone expects me to do something equally tender-hearted as Fröken Ehrencrona and I do not know how. I can only sit there, quiet as a loaf of bread on the table, waiting to be sawed at.

Överste and Överstinna Ehrencrona are rightfully concerned about a Russian invasion. They do not speak of it in front of the little girls, but Sofia and Agata are intelligent enough to sense what is kept from them and enact such rebellions against being lied to. Because they feel they cannot challenge the authority of their parents, I am now their target. Neither of them sits still for lessons and I am constantly interrupted mid-lecture. Three days ago, Sofia put jam in my hairbrush and claimed it was to punish me for future wicked deeds—but it was my only hairbrush and now I am forced to untangle my hair with my fingers. Worse yet, yesterday Agata broke the spine on the atlas in the library and tried to put the blame on me. She insisted to her mother that I am always looking at the maps (I am, but I am careful with the Ehrencronas’ books) and related some fanciful story about how I was planning to steal many more books and also her mother’s jewelry and run off forever. She and Sofia said that I would do such things, since they had heard in town about Pappa being a criminal, and of course these criminal tendencies run in families. I don’t know what I would have done were the eldest Fröken Ehrencrona not there to defend me against her sisters’ accusations. She had seen Agata break the book and brought the truth to light. How I adore her for it! She was the very personification of justice. But why must I always be haunted by Pappa, wherever I go? What will it take for me to break free of him, Simon? Perhaps you and Mamma are right to take so much care with my dowry chest, since a marriage, however unlikely, would at least bring me under another family’s protection. That may even be why some call it a hope chest… for some it represents the hope of escape…

The younger girls seem to have settled into a more compliant, if somber, mood today, and are again attempting to be sweet-tempered with me. We worked all morning on charity baskets for the widows and children of fallen soldiers. (I do hate making baskets for widows. Not the charity, but the way it makes me worry about losing you.) Sofia and Agata read aloud to their mother in French and German at midday, and you could see how proud she was with their improvement. She praised me for it, and at first my heart felt lighter to hear it. Then she said—I will write it word for word— as you know, Sara, a good governess may seem invisible, but you can find her in the accomplishments of her pupils. 

Simon, I know you’ll say she meant it as a compliment and I know she did, but it almost brought me to tears of rage on the spot. By chance I was able to excuse myself shortly after and went to cry beneath the back stairs, where I promise you I wasn’t seen. I cannot appear weak, Simon. I can never appear weak in front of anyone again. I cry about my own selfish problems in private but I cannot seem to cry over the tragically dead Crown Prince Erik. And for Överstinna Ehrencrona to call me Sara like I was some servant in the kitchen! Perhaps she really does see me like that, and you would remind me that the scullery maid does not deserve it either.

I don’t want to only be visible in someone else’s accomplishments. I want to matter to someone and I want someone to matter to me and I want to kiss someone at least once in my life and I want to travel the world on horseback and I want

At least there is my friendship with Fröken Ehrencrona. She is so kind and generous in a way that makes me feel less lonely. We really can speak to one another about so much. Now, do not grow jealous, dear brother, for you still come first in my heart and always will. More than anything I wish that you and I were not separated and that we did not have to grow up and live apart. At times it seems to me that the happiest arrangement would be to live forever with you and Fröken Ehrencrona and Fröken Ehrencrona’s horse, all of us rich and pursuing what we wish. You would be permitted to bring your childhood friends Rosh and Ayub and perhaps your new friend the Kristiansson boy, since—I am pleased to hear—you have grown so intimate with him during your first months at school. I would also permit Fröken Ehrencrona to invite her friend Fröken Madeleine Eld of Stockholm, as they are quite fond of one another and are always corresponding. Let us imagine this unconventional gathering for just a moment longer, and hold it carefully as one might hold a newborn baby, before we dismiss it as the childish fairy tale that it is. You must go to war, I must be a governess forever, and Fröken Ehrencrona must marry. I am sure we will all find a more mature happiness in fulfilling our social duties.

Lest you think I have grown too bitter by the end of this letter, rest assured that I feel somewhat soothed after writing you and giving vent to my insecurities. Furthermore it comforts me to know that I will see you at church this Sunday. With Pappa gone to the city, I will even visit Mamma with you after services. I suppose it will be nice to speak with her face to face again when it is so challenging to write her. I hope Pappa never comes back home. You also do not need to burden yourself with walking me back to the Ehrencrona estate afterward. You must get back to school on time, and as long as I have a lantern I am more than capable of walking myself through the forest. After all, I have often navigated myself through such terrain, both awake and in my dreams. Take care of yourself until I see you again. 

Your own sister,

Sara

[katyspersonal]

Also I want to apologize for my xenophobic language (when I resent "Westerners" for various ideological and/or simply human/emotional problems). It is seriously fucked up to apply hostile mob mentality to the nationality, especially coming from me who so often rants about compassion and not breaking people into categories.

In the end I see I lack emotional intelligence to apply my own pain and negative experiences to other people to predict how they will feel and be careful, yet I claim that I have it and hold it over those I oppose ideologically and emotionally. Many Russians fallen for homophobic and nationalist propaganda fir example but I still feel hurt when someone generalizes us, don't I? Because "if it doesn't apply to you personally you won't feel hurt" logic does not work. Everyone sees themselves as a part of this or that group and at least a little bit will want to protect it, and feel threatened by such statements. White people who aren't racist are still hurt hearing how whites are only good for more racism and should extinct, cishet people who support queer people are still hurt hearing how they are dumb and harmful, etc.

But what I just described is similar to resenting Westerners isn't it? So, I ended up talking and thinking like people I oppose. It is always the same thing of fighting beasts uncarefully and thus becoming one. It is a risk everyone faces when they feel strongly about something and I should not act like I am immune to common human flaws entirely.

I think in some way I gave up and figured there was no point to even try to choose my wording because "people that want to make me an enemy will still find something bad even in the most polite wording, so why care?" but despair is not a cool, sympathetic thing reserved for intellectual elite or something. It is bad, dark evil that rots the person and destroys the bridges and harms everything around that is still alive and full of hope. Despair is also not an excuse for xenophobia.

[irenethewoman]

Mrs.Shelby-Chapter 9- Gift

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April 1920, Birmingham

John called us to the Garrison pub, claiming there was a matter to announce. He said he was going to marry Lizzie Stark. I don't want to comment on this. Everyone's a whore; we just sell different parts of ourselves. Those were Tommy's words.

Lizzie Stark is a good person; at least she knows gratitude. She took care of Martha before she died, and even after, she often visited Martha and John's children.

But John is a Shelby. How can Thomas Shelby's younger brother marry a whore? What does that mean for the future of the Peaky Blinders? What has happened to the Shelbys? Love runs deep, and for the sake of love, people throw everything away.

"Tommy, can you understand?" John pleaded with his brother. "You have Diana, and I deserve love too."

...Why should I care? I am Lady Vanessa from Chelsea, and would it be embarrassing for Tommy and me to be together?

At this moment, Finn rushed in, saying we had been robbed. The Lee family made it clear that they are also a bunch of bastards.

As I flipped through the ledgers, reconciling the lost property, Tommy found a pair of pliers on the table in the meeting room.

"Don't move! There's a hand grenade here," he warned.

Listening to their stories about the "jokes" on the battlefield, I was stunned. Still, I quickly responded, "No, there isn't. Otherwise, we would have been blown up when we came in."

"The bullets they sent only have my name on them. They want to kill me."

...Alright, what bullets? Tommy kept this from me again.

I watched him run out of the betting shop, seemingly knowing the location of the bomb.

I looked down at the ledgers. Money can be earned again, but things more precious than money are irreplaceable. If we want to replace Billy Kimber, we cannot afford a setback and let the Lee family take advantage. We must negotiate and become a tight unit.

Tommy returned, having found the bomb in his car.

He listened to my thoughts and nodded. I asked if he wanted me to accompany him.

He remained silent for a moment and shook his head. "The Lee family knows I have a beauty with me, but they don't know you."

"So what?" I frowned at him. I didn't understand. I just wanted to help him bear more, and besides, we were going for negotiation, not war. What's so scary about them knowing who I am?

Tommy shook his head and gave me a teasing kiss. "Can you... uh, smoke less..."

Tommy went to the outskirts market, and I accompanied Polly to find Ada.

Poor Ada, pregnant and living like a rat in the dark basement. Love? If this is love, I'd rather not.

Ada gave us the address of one of Sean's associates, a life for a life.

Since Ada left home, this was the first time I had seen her. She had changed from the lively girl of those years into a thin woman with a bulging belly. Her face was pale, and her eyes rolled around like a frightened quail.

"Don't torture yourself just because you hate Thomas," I squatted down, trying to persuade her gently. "And Thomas has done a lot for you and Sean, even though he sometimes seems annoying, he loves you. Go home."

I tried to persuade Ada to go home for rest, but she firmly refused.

It was raining heavily. I tightened my coat and stood in Tommy's garage.

Finally, Campbell arrived.

I handed him a note with Chapman's address. "This is Stanley Chapman's residence, and he has £200 from the Russians."

Campbell reached out to take the note but I dodged. "Use it to exchange for Sean."

He nodded. "You have my guarantee, Miss Turner."

Guarantee? Who would believe your guarantee? I raised an eyebrow.

His eyes betrayed him; he seemed to see me as a little animal that could be played with. He probably thought I was a gentlewoman protected by Thomas, harmless and innocent.

I didn't bother to correct his mistake. Let him see the consequences of his prejudice.

He asked me to pass a message to Thomas, asking him to hand over the weapons as soon as possible, and made a series of threats.

"Your spy, Grace from Garrison Pub," I spoke as he walked away. "Quite useless."

I watched Campbell stop in his tracks, turn around, and look at me.

We silently confronted each other.

"Miss Vanessa," he called me by my title.

That's right.

Despite scoffing at the news of "grandfather looking for me," I still managed to contact the informant who came from London. My grandfather, David Barton, was in poor health, his only son had already passed away, and he wanted me to return to be his heir, inheriting his factory and vast wealth. He even offered to help me inherit the title of Baroness—even though my younger brother George was still the current heir.

My grandfather went as far as seeking Churchill's help to communicate with me. Although I was indifferent to inheriting the wealth, I felt a bit emotional seeing the news of my grandfather.

In the face of the upcoming war, the support of such a wealthy old man would be a great help to the Shelby family. So, I decided to return to London temporarily.

I briefly talked to my grandfather on the phone, but the most important thing for me was to find information about the Russians.

The Shelleys sent a car to pick me up.

I drove my car and waited at the entrance of the Garrison. I planned to tell Thomas about my temporary departure to London and also to ask him about the Russians.

But Thomas seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Tommy," I called his name, but he only gave me a cold look.

"I'm leaving for London. Grandfather asked me to inherit the family business," I said softly.

This time, he finally looked at me seriously. "When?"

"As soon as possible. I'll be back after handling the family affairs. It's just a temporary return."

He didn't say anything. I could feel the chill in his eyes.

"I need to know more about the Russians. Do you have any information?" I continued.

He finally spoke, his voice indifferent. "We're dealing with them."

That was all he said.

I left Birmingham without saying goodbye to the others. As I boarded the car, I took one last glance at the Garrison, hoping that when I returned, everything would be fine.

However, fate had a different plan for me. I didn't know that my temporary departure marked the beginning of a series of unpredictable events.

As I stepped into the car, I could feel a storm brewing on the horizon. Little did I know, the storm would change everything.

[3-heartstyle]

Llorona's relations w/ The Donquixote Family

For the most part, she's the only member of the crew that Doffy forced her to join. Her role of the crew is their treasurer because of her background of being a jeweler. Layla's "loyalty" is rooted in her fear of dying but she still has a bit of fondness for some members.

Doflamingo

She is absolutely terrified of Doflamingo

Won't look into his eyes since the first escape attempt gave her the tear tattoos on her face

She's aware that the only reason he wants her in the family is because of her devil fruit

Tries to avoid him as best as she can but it's difficult since he seeks her out

In Doffy's perspective, he has a sense of nostalgia of owning a slave as a celestial dragon

Mix in his mommy issues and you get uncomfortable interactions

Corazon

She's so confused by this man, they might be friends?

One moment he's cold and distant then suddenly he's attentive and surprisingly sweet???

Hates the fact that he hits the kids but knows she can't stop him

When it's just them together he shows that he has a sense of humor and can get her to laugh

Her reflexes have gotten better with his clumsiness

In Corazon's perspective, he knows he can't get her out without Doffy hunting her down so he tries his best to make her life less miserable

He finds her normalcy comforting and seeks her company when he's tired of everyone else

He does freak out internally when he realizes he fell for her and tries to hide it (beats himself up out of guilt)

Giolla

She finds her very... Eccentric...

This "friendship" is very much just her agreeing to Giolla's taste in art and crafting her "unique" taste of jewelry

Llorona does appreciate that there's another woman in the group

There is a hidden feeling of resentment towards her since it was Giolla's decision to take her in

In Giolla's perspective, she adores having another artist in the group

Loves having to pick out her clothes (with Doffy's input) and dresses her up like a doll

Appreciates the helping hand in taking care of the children

Senior Pink

She finds him one of the most normal out of everyone

At some point she pinpointed a romantic man underneath that hard boiled exterior

Teases him endlessly and likes to offer advice even if he won't take it (he keeps it cool through it all)

In Senior's perspective: finds her to be too fragile to be in the family, both mentally and physically

He only protects her if it's dire, he'll never let anyone in the family break his demeanor

He does go to her in designing the engagement ring for Russian

Diamante

She finds him extremely irritating

His constant prying and accusations of her relations with Corazon is one thing but also pursuing her? Annoying!

She uses his ego against him to leave her alone but it'll just be temporary and he'll be back at it again!

Diamante's perspective: he likes his women feisty and since her husband is dead it's fine to flirt (like he'd cared anyway)

But he has noticed that Corazon tends to be softer with her, if he's going to claim her then he has to have his fun first

Trebol

Disgusting! Revolting! Hates him and is loud about it

Everything he says gets on her nerves and causes her to lose her composure

Hates his power too! Reminds her of frogs (she hates them too)

Trebol's perspective: finds her outbursts amusing

Only sees her as a source of entertainment and as a weapon

Lao G

She finds him a bit odd but not off-putting

He kind of reminds her of her own grandparents

She enjoys his company and often spends her time just chatting away

His sudden bursts of energy when it comes to the letter G does surprise her from time to time

Lao G's perspective: a soft hearted young lady, maybe too soft hearted

Enjoys the company and finds her to be a well member of the family

Gladius and Pica

She feels like she's walking on eggshells around those two

Knows they're very destructive when they're angry and tries to avoid that as much as possible

If something riles them up, she'll try to calm them down (it never really works)

Gladius's perspective: he finds her bearable until she tries to butt in to calm him down

Pica's perspective: thinks of her like any other member, hasn't caught her laughing at his voice so she's safe for now...

The kids

She adores them!

She enjoys their company and raising them helps fill in the void of losing her son

But feels terrible that they're part of this crew and what they do to them

She wants them to leave and live a normal life but doesn't want to be left alone with these pirates

Baby 5's perspective: loves that she can be of use to someone so nice! Another girl in the group that loves romance too is wonderful to have

Buffalo's perspective: loves having her around! She's so nice and gives them ice cream when they're good

They both never want her to leave :)

Law

She saw her son in Law's eyes for a moment and it freaked her out

Kept her distance for a bit to avoid breaking down in front of him

It broke her heart hearing his story, she thought she has a chance to heal with him only to find out he'll die too

Tries to have Law get close with the other kids so he won't feel lonely

Law's perspective: he assumed that she avoided him because of his disease and hated her for it

When she stopped and tries to be nice with him, only confused and irritated him

Only tolerated her kindness since she's the only adult that doesn't harm the kids

[jackie-of-all-spades]

Oh my god you sound like a pompous ass with a fixation on Jews. Piss off.

Alright a nice and timely bit of hate, from I'm guessing either Spacelazarwolf or Slyandthefamilybook, but who knows and it doesn't really matter.

Here is a breakdown of everything that just happened. I came across a post denouncing antisemitism by someone I follow. A good message save for the fact that it was essentially worded

"If your not Jewish agree that antisemitism is bad as if this conversation took place in a bubble, or you suck"

I then agreed that yes, antisemitism is bad, but refused to pretend any speech occurs in a bubble free of the context of the world around us and the events that transpire in it, soooooo, while yes antisemitism is bad maybe we should also have a discussion about how a particular state in the middle east is attempting to turn the multiple Jewish denominations, and multiple Jewish ethnic identies as well as that state into a Monolith so that criticizing any constituent part of that list constitutes criticizing the entirety.

(I'll admit my initial response was a little more wise ass in tone than it probably needed to be, I don't responde well to posts telling me to "say what I want you to only then shut up")

The response I then received for wanting to also talk about the Israeli state trying to turn the diaspora into something like the monolith that neo-nazis and antisemites paint them as when they say "the jews", and how that is probably a bad thing likely to result in more of the antisemitism that they were asking people to condem as that far right government carries out terrible actions; was, "shut up forever" before i was blocked or it was deleted. Not exactly sure which since I can't look at spacelazarwolfs blog who I'm guessing blocked me, though I think that response was from sly. Regardless the response was essentially

No, I don't want to, shut the fuck up and never talk to me again

So, not exactly the response I'd expect from someone who was genuinely just trying to promote awareness of the growing problem of antisemitism.

As for your charge there anon about me having a fixation on jews. I don't, i do have a fixation on history though the thing I care about is the dual rises in both Identitarianism, and the violence that historically follows a push of that mindset. Whether that's white guys attacking and assaulting people with Hispanic names or dark skin in my country, the use of Russian Nationalism and pride for defeating the nazi's being used by putin to try and claim land and eradicate an ethnic minority, or ethno-religious nationalism from the Israeli state widening the definition of antisemitism to use it as cover to do the very same thing to its neighboring ethnic groups that the states founders wanted a state to be protected from ever experiencing again.

Conversations don't happen in a bubble... those that try to force a conversation to occur in a bubble have an agenda, and I've found, It's usually one that historically you should be wary of because they are trying to hide something.

And with that. May those pushing antisemitism get punched in the face as all Nazi's and antisemites should, and may Palestine be free and it's people find justice.

[news-of-the-day]

5/23/23

Talks about the debt ceiling continue with little progress, and a default is looming come June. With Republicans holding the House, they want to use their position to reign in spending and are demanding a cap on future budgets. Another sticking point is requiring work for benefits (medicaid, food stamps, financial aid, etc.). There are other smaller issues, like releasing money sequestered for COVID, defense spending, and more oil drilling.

Russia and the Ukraine have been fighting for the city of Bakhmut for a long time, and Russia has claimed victory, although the Ukraine says they're still in and the Wagner mercenary group hasn't agreed with the win. Two Russian groups fighting for the Ukraine pushed into the Belgorod region of Russia to attack. It hasn't seemed to do much damage and Russia claims it has repelled it.

Fighting also continues in Sudan. After long standing leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019, power was shared between two individuals, Lt. Gen. Abdel al-Burhan and Lt. Gen. Mohamed Dagalo. who control two completely different armies, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Facing internal and international pressure to return to civilian rule, tensions between al-Burhan and Dagalo grew as they had to determine things like who who would subordinate to whom in the new power structure. Last April, suddenly the RSF attacked several SAF bases and since then it's been a mess with hundreds of civilians dying and hundreds of thousands fleeing, especially since a lot of the fighting is taking place in the capital, Khartoum. Attempted ceasefires have been brokered, but neither side is paying particular attention to them.

Trump appeared virtually in court over his trial for the Stormy Daniels payout, so the judge could issue a protective order on evidence, i.e. Trump or his lawyers cannot discuss evidence that isn't already public knowledge. Judges are known to put in such orders, but in this case it was prevent witness intimidation. Both the judge and the DA have received death threats already.

AZ, CA, and NV made a historic deal over the Colorado River. To put it quite simply, the river is drying up and will probably run out if nothing changed. Considering it nourishes over 40M people and provides irrigation for some of the US' most fertile land, this is a massive problem. The three agreed to decrease their intake by 13% in exchange for $1.2B in federal funds. This isn't enough to stop the problem however, but it's a move in the right direction.

E. Jean Carroll is seeking an additional $10M against Trump in her defamation case. Carroll sued Trump over her claim that he raped her back in the 90s. (It was too late for a criminal trial, but NYS briefly allowed civil sexual assault trials to proceed.) Two weeks ago the jury agreed with the sexual battery claim and awarded her $5M, and the defamation case is continuing. Forgive me, I am about to geek out because defamation lawsuits fascinate me. Although we recently have had two high profile verdicts (Alex Jones, FOX/Dominion), they are very hard to win, particularly if the plaintiff is a public figure because they need to fulfill the "actual malice" standard: i.e., the defendant said the statements knowing they were false or with "reckless disregard" with the truth. So for example, I write these posts and I may make a false statement. I don't mean to, sometimes I do poor editing, or I didn't understand the issue properly, or the source I got the information from may have been incorrect. It's unlikely anyone would win defamation against me since everything I write is researched and in good faith. In the FOX/Dominion case, it was pretty obvious after sifting through FOX's internal communications that they didn't care whether Dominion voting machines were rigged or not, they wanted to boost their ratings against OAN and Newsmax, and so brought on contributors who made baseless claims against the company. As for Carroll, I think she has a decent shot given that she won the civil lawsuit over the assault itself, so now Trump's ad hominem attacks on her would make him more liable. Of course this is all going to appeal, so we'll be hearing about it for a while.

1) BBC, The Hill 2) NYT, Al Jazeera 3) WSJ 4) Washington Post 5) Reuters 6) Politico

Thank you for your kind words while I was on break. I can’t cover everything I missed, but I’ll try to provide context for the latest news.

[the-firebird69]

Peter Navarro, second ex-Trump aide to be prosecuted for contempt of Congress, faces trial Tuesday | CNN Politics

This is simple s*** this is very clear I wasn't trying to get out was is not even applicable who cares if he claims privilege or not is what the committee said and it's the Senate he can claim privilege up and down the River and the article says he claimed privilege and they weren't paying attention I didn't pay attention back to that either cuz they put it down in The Notebook is Julia noted that he's claiming he doesn't have to cuz he's a president or worked for and they don't care and they told him it does not apply here because of the severity of the crime and it's ridiculous because the presidential privilege to other things does not apply to you messing with the election and yeah I swear all we messed with the election because it was so ruskies is what you have to do and nothing has been mentioned about that at all that's all you can do and then it becomes a mess and you don't believe it but it would what was your involvement with the Russians feel like crap through a goose cuz you're a traitor and so is your boss is Massa here Trump's the fag.

Zues

This person doesn't understand it and he's going to go to court and look like a blueberry idiot. Anything since it's about executive privilege it is worth it too is lawyers do too they're a bunch of boners it has nothing to do with the executive privilege it was declared and it was they were told that it is meaningless by the committee and they announced it and recorded it and moved on with everybody else different you're not and you can bring up the topic and say it protect you but you have to have a reason for using privilege it's just like him using campaign finance money for his defense on cases that are not related to campaigning and he can be brought up in federal charges for that I don't know if you're going to see any correlation I'm telling you because it's annoying s*** he tries it on everything and I catch him on everything and it's threatens with it and says nothing for you or him except gets your stuff taken there's some kind of dupe and he's a dupe and you won't acknowledge it and you're going around scoffline walking the American system telling people off and you don't have any cars it's just ridiculous what do you mean you can be ridiculous of course you can cuz you're running to court screaming that he did say this and they know he said that you look like assholes.

I also want to say this is my husband and me but I started to comment above and I will say I can't stand this guy at all this is what he and his idiots are doing and try to distract people but what it is and they go in and the judge convicts them and sends them to jail and it look like assholes

Hera

This is pretty bad I heard about this too we're hopping in the fact that I evokes presidential privilege and nobody listens is not really what it is I did it and they said it doesn't apply it is because they say so he's right why it's privilege what what are we snotting those kids it looks horrible you have to argue something it's privileged because we can't disclose it that's something but not nothing you can't revisit an argument and have an argument about nothing it sounds like people are choking me out on purpose and getting rid of themselves because they suck and really there's a lot of that with our race and he says no he's just a stupid person and I do get something you are holding off and you're not answering the subpoenas and you thought it was something it's different than it was something and that's probably your defense your defense is I thought we had executive privilege and in the emails you can see that you did and her friend says thinking it doesn't mean anything but it might to the court and he says it probably won't but he's going to go ahead and use it it's like a little kid acted oh I didn't know that and then the adult world that doesn't matter. He went through a red light oh I didn't see it and I still give you a ticket it's amazing how it works here. I see the analogy and I get it and we go through red lights all the time and say it doesn't matter especially bothering him it's the dumbest thing I've ever seen and he says you're getting killed they're putting it right in your head and your brain is coming right out of it so I should probably stop doing stuff like today of all this plans and stuff to bother me I do understand something like this hovering chick and they shoot me for that because it's treason I have to be there he says to intercept but what I'm doing is so damn vile and annoying I have to figure out something I ruined my position it's actually true it doesn't care about my mental status everybody around here suicidal occasionally but there's some things wrong here you being under the impression doesn't make any sense because it doesn't mean anything I know he's arguing the point I invoked it because I thought there's something wrong with the election and it was being tampered with my foreign power and I didn't say that part it says you have to like have people with proof and it's going to lead down a dark path right back to me he says and I think it will and it's probably 10 minutes into nothing at all and that's why I didn't say anything so is this f****** loser saying it for it looks like Gray Davis that could be one thing this baby s*** it's juveniles and parade this in front of the people and it's horrible and there's a lot more of it when that came from

Trump

[navnae]

In my head Erica becomes Steve and Eddie’s favorite child (and biggest shipper).

Eddie already loves her because she’s a pro at dnd and after that one game he was already open to inviting her to play anytime. Both of them have this playful banter from time to time which really shows Erica warming up to him despite her denying anything even close to that. Overall they enjoy each other’s company and their chemistry is unmatched. Steve automatically having a bond with her due to the whole Russian situation, he’s grown to love her just as much as the other kids. Erica would never say it out loud but one day after everything had happened she pulled Steve to the side and thanked him for protecting all of them. She has a lot of respect for the both of them because they’ve looked out for Lucas when things wasn’t looking to good and anyone who cared about him was okay in her book.

As much as we have established that Erica cares about them too she won’t shy away from telling how dumb both of them are. Immediately she notices how they look at each other like their hearts are going to explode, the way Steve’s body tenses up when Eddie’s around, how Eddie purposely leans into Steve’s space. Erica could literally feel the tension in the room whenever they where together. She couldn’t stand how they couldn’t get in their heads that they’ve fallen in love and something had to be said. Steve kept saying that Eddie wouldn’t even give him the time of day if he asked him out or Eddie would say Steve had other options so he wasn’t going to try to be one of them. Erica rolled her eyes every time she heard those words because none of it was true. While both of them are looking at each other like sad puppies and avoiding eye contact when one of them looked in the others direction Erica already made up in her mind that she’s had enough.

“Okay. I think it’s time for both of you to come clean already, this whole Romeo and Juliet bullshit is driving me insane.” Erica blurts out. Steve and Eddie looked at each other with wide eyes.

“What are you talking about?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah.” Steve chimed in.

“Jesus Christ… I’m talking about how you two like each other obviously.” Erica says without any hesitation. Steve was already on the verge of denying her claim even though she was right. Eddie started panicking he didn’t think he was that easy to read.

“Are you crazy? We don’t like each other like that, we’re just friends Erica.” Steve said firmly trying to kill this conversation as fast as possible.

“He’s right. It’s not like that.” Eddie agreed with Steve’s statement. His chest ached knowing that he wasn’t being completely honest and it was killing him.

“Last time I checked friends don’t look at each other like that.” Erica announced with a smirk on her face as the the two boys shared a confused expression.

“Like what?” They asked in unison.

“Like the way Lucas looks at Max and the way Max looks at Lucas.” Erica folded her arms while smiling because for once both of them were speechless. Steve and Eddie were blushing messes at this moment, they didn’t want to look at each other just in case they got the wrong idea but that was far from truth. They met each other’s eyes for a split second before looking at Erica in complete shock. The last thing they expected was for her to read them like books on a shelf, with a laugh coming from her she turned the other way to walk out the room, “idiots.”

[dnvrsmedia]

I Meant Every Word I Said

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!reader

summary: reader comes back from a mission and involentarly spills the truth on how they feel about their crush on a certain redheaded assasin.

word count: 1185

genre: fluff

warnings: sugestive themes but no smut

masterlist / ask box

you do not have my permission to repost my material and claim it is yours. that is plagerism.

likes and reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed.

You wracked your brain trying to figure out what went wrong as you stumbled out of the quinjet feeling lightheaded and dizzy. It was a simple recon mission at an abandoned Hydra facility. Nothing that you haven’t done millions of times previously. You thought that everything had gone well until now. You managed to get your ass inside and up the elevator.

The familiar ‘ding’ caused everyone relaxing in the livingroom to turn their heads. The woozy and unsettled look didn’t go past these highly trained individuals, more specifically Natasha Romanoff.

“Hey! How was the- Y/N are you alright?” Nat cocked her eyebrow in a questioning manner. You took one wobbly step out of the elevator.

“Is it just me or is everything spinning really fucking fast?” You slurred out before collapsing to the ground. Before you fall, you feel strong arms wrap around you.

“My hero.” You used the last of your strength to lift your mouth next to Nat’s ear, brushing your lips on to her soft skin. You try to seductively speak but end up sounding like you were about to have a life-threatening stroke.You passed out before you could see the faint blush and look of concern that washed over the former assassin’s face.

You wake up in the med bay with a groan. The pressure of someone’s hand in yours warrants you to open your eyes out of curiosity. The (assuming) once warm cloth, now lukewarm, slides down your forehead as you lift your chin. Surprisingly enough, the cold exterior-redheaded- Russian spy is clinging on to your hand as she naps in the chair at the side of your bed. You try to move once more but a wave of dizziness hits you like a semi-truck prompting you to groan even louder. That groan wakes up the redhead besides you. Within seconds she was standing by your side.

“Hey tough guy,” she flashes you her ever so infamous smirk. “You feeling okay?” She squeezes your hand. You oddly take the hand that is in yours and kiss her palm due to a wave of confidence that you previously never had around the spy.

“How could I feel anything else but bliss when I’m around you,sweetheart?” As soon as the words fell out of your mouth you felt your face heat up as did Natasha. Being this bold was completely out of character for you. You were the shy nerdy type that always had your nose in some book or geeking out with the science bros about some new statistical anomaly. Like oil in water, you and confidence did not mix. At least not until now.

“Excuse me?” Nat looked at you both shocked and painfully flustered. Normally it was Natasha that made you blush crimson.

“You heard me, princess. You know you are painfully beautiful. If I had to die I wouldn’t want to die anywhere else but between those thighs.” You smacked your mouth shut after that horribly explicit confession you just made.You didn’t think it was possible for Nat to get this flustered or flustered at all, but your incompetence to keep your mouth shut seemingly broke her.

Nat stood there opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water.

“Nat I am so sorry I don’t know what is coming over me-” As you apologized Banner barged through the door.

“We ran some tests and think we found some sort of truth serum found its way through your body, Y/N. To make sure, can you remember walking through some area with maybe some broken air pipes or did you accidentally kick some sort of gadget that could have released this sort of thing?”

You tuned out almost everything Banner was saying to you as you ogled the stunning woman in front of you.

“Every single part of you is perfect and I wish I had the balls to ask you out.” You dreamily sighed as you pulled Nat on top of you on the bed. Nat let out a little yelp as she fell on top of you.

“Now this is something I could get used to.” You looked up horrified at the woman on top of you as she giggled into the crook of your neck.

“I think that answers the doubts you may have Dr.Banner.” Nat laughs as she looks back at your embarrassed demeanor. Banner nods and scurrys off to presumably get the antidote.

“I like having you in my arms, Natty. It makes me feel like I could protect you.”

Natasha’s heart melts. Not only at the nickname that only you are allowed to call her, but you want to protect her. She has never had someone want to protect her and she's willing to open up to that feeling with you. Natasha looks into your eyes in admiration.

“Fuck it.” She whispers as she cups your cheek. This kiss was everything you could have imagined and more. It was intense and sexy but that lustful feeling turned into her wanting to prove how much you mean to her. It turned sensual and full of care. You two would kiss forever if you could, but it was interrupted by your coworkers.

“You owe me twenty, pay up bird brain.” The familiar voice of Tony Stark makes the two of you separate. You look over to see Clint begrudgingly taking a wad full of cash from his wallet and smacking down a wrinkled twenty dollar bill into the hands of the billionaire.

“You couldn't have gone on the mission next week!” Clint groaned but shut up quickly when Nat shot him a glare. You just laughed.

“Be nice Natty.” You teased and kissed under her ear. You lifted her face back to see the red on her cheeks darkening at the use of the nickname in front of your friends.

“Yeah, Natty! Be nice-” Clint says but is quickly sent to the ground with the use of the redhead’s widow’s bite. You gasp and turn to your new lover. You lift your head to her ear and speak.

“Don’t be a brat, sweetheart.” This time, you confidently pull away as the woman on top shudders.

“I- I don’t know what you mean. Banner, Where is that serum?” She awkwardly coughs and slides off of you so that she is sitting next to you opposed to directly on top as you chuckle at her visibly being uncomfortable in comparison to her normal calm and cool exterior.

“Oh I already gave Y/N the antidote when you were asleep. I have no clue why she is still acting like this.” Banner shrugs. Now it’s your turn for your face to heat up.

“Okay I can explain! Everything said before Banner came in was involuntary!” You feel like your face was the seventh ring of hell. Of course Tony and the others happened to find all of this amusing.

Everyone seemed to find this hillarious, but you couldn’t read Natasha’s face.

“But you meant every word you said, right?”

“Right.”

“So...my thighs, huh?”

She cheekily smirked as you groaned.

[gotnofucks]

Lover’s Quarrel

Pairing: Steve x Reader

Summary: You have the powers to resurrect if you’ve been murdered, and a jealous Steve Rogers indulges heavily in your abilities. He would not let you steal his best friend, that was for sure. So what, if your rivalry regularly caused fire and harm to public property? You just couldn’t let the other win. 

Words: 4.3k

Warnings: Smut, enemies to lovers, violence, killings and murders (but reader cannot die, it’s weird. She has some sorta powers that help her revive when she’s been murdered), language, 18+ ONLY

A/N: Is this crack fic? Idk. Maybe?

The sixth time Steve killed you, you decided he needed to be dealt with in a similar way. It doesn’t matter that he cannot come back from the dead like you. He just needed to go. You were tired of him offing you every time he felt threatened by your existence. But this was the last straw. He had pushed you off the Quinjet while flying home from a mission and you’d fallen into the lake and drowned. You would NOT recommend dying that way.

Bucky had dragged out your dead body and watched over you as the blessing of the necromancer worked its magic over you and brought you back to the world of the living. The first words out of your mouth as you spewed out water were, “I am going to kill your best friend and you can’t be mad at me for that.”

Bucky, far too happy to have you back – poor guy still mourned every time you died – ignored your comment and pulled you into a hug. He’d never quiet gotten used to seeing you die. You patted his back, muttering a few there-there’s until he was calm enough to press quivering kisses on your head and temple.

“You need to stop dying.” He said into your hair, holding you close.

“I would not be dying if your best friend didn’t murder me every time! He is a menace, Buck!” You cried in exasperation. The said best friend was watching you from a few yards away, and he rolled his eyes as your words reached him. He scoffed loud enough for you to hear and you sharply turned your head to glare at him.

“You!” You shouted, quickly standing up and marching over to him. “You rascal!” And then you pried out your wet shoe from your feet and threw it at his stunned face. Unfortunately, it didn’t hit his face but smacked against his chest, leaving the wet print of your soles against his far too tight t-shirt. He gaped at you open mouthed before baring his teeth in warning.

“Oh god, every time you come alive again, you’re even more awful than before!” Steve shouted, and then just because he is fucking drama queen, he threw out his hands. You sneered before turning to look at Bucky meaningfully, the most obvious ‘see what a dick he is’ look on your face.

Bucky shuffled uneasily, caught between your quarrel once again. He came behind you and gave you his jacket to wear to shield you from the cold. And just like that, your anger melted a little. Somehow, with his steel blue eyes, Bucky Barnes could sooth every wound you’d ever had. Even those given to you by Steve Rogers.

“I am so sorry. I should have seen what he was about to do. I wouldn’t have ever let you fall had I known.” He apologized and you swore your heart physically quivered. You pulled Bucky into a hug, hiding your face in his chest, savoring his arms coming around you to hold you tighter. You could have stayed in his embrace forever, but it was an annoyed groan that ripped you both apart.

“Is there any way you can stay dead a little longer?” Steve asked, breaking your moment. “I mean, I’ve tired a bullet and knife and water and poison. What can I do that you’d be gone for just a little longer?”

He was worked up, a red flush creeping on his face and neck. Pacing, he was muttering, and you wondered for the millionth time how Bucky could be friends with him. He was just so extra! You wanted to tell him to shove a stick up his ass, along with the one already there when he turned swiftly like the wind and threw a dagger at you. A metal hand caught it before it could hit you and you were pulled into the warmth of Bucky’s body quickly.

“Steve! Cut it out.” Bucky yelled, glaring at Steve. “You will not kill her again. I don’t care if she can come back alive again. You won’t hurt her.”

With that, he dropped the dagger on the ground and walked away with you. Unable to resist, you looked over you shoulder and flipped Steve off. Fucker could kill you a hundred times and yet he would not be able to do anything. As far as you were concerned, Bucky was as much your best friend as his. And if Steve Rogers couldn’t control his jealousy without trying to behead you every time he felt you were stealing Bucky from him, you would just have to make his death look like an accident.

“I don’t think I need to tell you that you can’t kill him either?” Bucky said teasingly, his eyes soft and fond. “I need you both to survive.”

You groaned, bumping your shoulder in his and snuggling into him as a cold breeze hit your wet clothes. He could read you like an open book.

“You are no fun Barnes.”

There was rubble and fires and shrieks. Natasha was yelling in Russian as she ran about with a fire extinguisher and Clint crawled out of his vents to help Bruce out who was turning a dangerous shade of green. Tony was sitting in the ruins of his kitchen, his mouth half open as he spied on the ensuing battle in the middle of it.

Sam was using his shield to push Steve away who was shouting curses that had probably not been invented yet. Bucky was holding you back by your middle, yelling in your ear to calm the fuck down but all you could think of to do was smacking Steve’s face with that chair that was currently on fire. You suppose once everyone was calm, you’d feel guilty about your part in destroying the Avengers kitchen but right now that wasn’t important.

What was important was that Steve had tried to kill you. Again. He had actually thrown a fucking grenade at you. You barely had the time to kick it away where it exploded in the kitchen and then Steve was on you, calling you a bitch in all the 9 languages he knew.

“Calm the hell down, Steve!” Sam yelled, struggling to keep Steve at bay from you. You were glad to see that Steve’s nose was busted. That will teach the bastard to ‘look down his nose’ on you now.

“She pierced my ears! The fucking bitch pierced my goddamn ears!” Steve yelled. Even you had to admit, the golden hoops looked amazing dangling from his ears. Just perfect.

“You are lucky I didn’t stick a knitting needle in your eye Rogers!” You sassily replied, “The only reason you’re still in one piece is because I promised my best friend that I wouldn’t hurt you.”

The muscles in Steve’s arms tensed and Sam groaned, barely keeping his own footing. A dark shadow seemed to have crawled over Steve’s face, turning the blues of his eyes an angry shade and had you been a weaker person, you would have trembled. This was the face of someone who had stood against armies alone and came out victorious. But for all you cared, he could kiss your ass.

“He is MY best friend. Mine. Not yours, not anyone else’s. Bucky Barnes is mine and I will kill you a thousand times until it sinks in your thick skull!” Steve growled. You scowled, a scathy remark bubbling on the tip of your tongue when you suddenly stopped. Why say when you can show? So, looking Steve directly in the eyes, you went limp in Bucky’s arms, turned around and cupped his face. And then you kissed his cheek.

Steve let out a strangled cry behind you, but you focused on Bucky who was blinking in disbelief at your audacity. And so, just for the heck of it, you kissed his other cheek. And then his forehead.

“Bucky Barnes, you are my best friend and always will be!” You said, hugging the life out of him. You heard Steve break away from Sam, heard Bucky yell out a curse and holding you protectively as his jealous pal came rushing to claim him. And all through that and the chaos that ensued later, you just smiled broadly.

Tony was giving a lecture, and he sucked. He gesticulated too much for your liking, and you really didn’t like how he kept emphasizing things by looking pointedly at you. It wasn’t even that much of a big deal, and even if it was, it was not your fault. Like every other time, the only person who could be held responsible was the blond super soldier sitting beside you, wearing the same shade of annoyance on his face as yours.

“I repeat” said Tony, his hair askew, “we do not use Friday to settle idiotic, absolutely ridiculous personal vendettas!”

“You have Friday tell you how pretty you look every day!” You countered and Tony slammed his hand on the table.

“Because I am!” He huffed. “You, on the other hand, stopped a mission in the middle to ask Friday who had a higher score! I mean, what the actual fuck? And what score?”

Steve had the decency to look at least a little sheepish. You however didn’t put up with any of that nonsense. It was his idea anyway, and you wouldn’t take the fall for him. Not when Tony looked murderous like this.

“Rogers bet me he’d take down more enemies than me. We only asked Friday to keep a count. I had literally nothing to do with it.”

Tony turned the ire of his glare at Steve who was too busy giving you a dirty look. He was just pissed you won, and that Bucky had spent the entire ride back tending to your wounds rather than Steve’s. It wasn’t your fault his jealous ass always threw a fit whenever he saw you and Bucky together.

“You said the team could use Friday as we saw fit.” Steve said, though he did look a little guilty. It wasn’t like him to lose command and control. Even when he’d been Captain America, he had never let anything rattle him. Not until you had come prancing in his life and stealing his best friend.

“I said the team could use Friday, not stop everything in the middle of a high risk mission to see who has a bigger dick.” Tony said, and then he just collapsed in his chair. Poor guy had been working too hard to carry the team forward, and in that moment, even you felt guilty. Your rivalry with Steve shouldn’t have to affect everyone else, not when they had been so welcoming and loving to you ever since you joined.

You walked over to Tony and dropped a kiss on his head, caressing his hair. “I am sorry Tones. You won’t have more trouble from me.”

Tony looked at you as if seeing an angel. He looked at you as if you were the solution to all his troubles. Despite every furniture of his you’d broken and set fire to, he was so grateful to have one sane voice between them. Cupping your hands, he looked imploringly at you and asked, “Really? You’re gonna stop fighting with Steve?”

At that, you solemnly nodded and patted his hand gently. Poor him and the poor team going through hell because you and Steve couldn’t settle your differences. It was obvious what had to be done.

“Of course I will” You said magnanimously, because of course you were the better of the two. “Steve just needs to find another best friend and there won’t be any reason to fight anymore.”

If any of them had been drinking water, they would have spit it out. Since they didn’t, they just kind of choked on their saliva and sputtered at you in absolute disbelief. Tony actually looked betrayed and Steve seemed to have licked a lemon, if the look on his face was anything to go by.

“She” He said, voice thick with contempt, “needs to go away. We can launch her in outer space or somewhere from where she can never return. You know why? Because Bucky is my best friend. Since we were yay high!” And he raised his arms a foot off the ground to show just how high.

And just like that, the moment was gone. Rogers opened his mouth and any goodwill you had had went poof. So, you did the only reasonable thing any sane person would do right now and that was to flip him off and call him a pig. You knew he was inching to strangle you; you could see his fingers twitch. A part of you was anticipating it, for Bucky would never forgive him for killing you again. Just as he would have lunged at you, push Tony out of the way and did you away for good, Bucky burst into the room with the expression of a cantankerous 100 year old grandpa who had had enough with the world.

“For fucks sake! Just shut up you both!” He yelled and paced the room. His eyes were bloodshot and hair disheveled, a clear sign that your rivalry was taking a heavy toll on him. Steve opened his mouth to say something when Bucky raised a finger to shush him. “No no no! You listen to me you oblivious, utter moronic fucklets!”

Your mouth dropped open. Bucky never cursed at you. He had never called you a fucklet before.

“You two need to stop. You hear me? You need to STOP!” He raked a hand through his hair before kicking the ground in frustration. “I can’t eat. I can’t sleep! I can’t fucking breathe without you both arguing over who is a better friend to me. So, here’s an idea. Instead of fucking me over in the middle of your sexual tension, why don’t you find a room and fuck each other? Because I tell you now, I cannot fucking take it!”

Silence sat pregnant in the room. You blinked at Bucky. Steve blinked at Bucky. Tony blinked at Bucky. And Bucky didn’t blink at all.

“That – uh – what?” You said, eloquent as ever. “That is so stupid.” And you laughed awkwardly.

Steve glanced at you and then stammered, “What? That – I haven’t – that has nothing to do with it. She and I – what?”

You both found each other’s eye, quickly looked away and just became silent. The tension in the air was suffocating you, and a terrible heat was settling in your stomach. Without another word, you walked out of the room, muttering about how ridiculous the whole idea was. The three men watched your exit, and a moment later, Steve left too, still very much in disbelief.

Tony and Bucky sighed, sitting across from each other and just taking in the fact that the elephant in the room had finally been address. A moment later, Tony began drumming on the desk, looking up at the ceiling.

“I couldn’t have put it any better myself.”

You felt antsy, as if staying one more moment in your room would drive you mad. You kept jerking your legs and arms, a weird restlessness in every action of yours. What the hell was Bucky saying? The sheer nerve to imply that you…you and Steve had some sort of feelings for each other. You hadn’t heard that kinda crap since you nursed your nephew who’d had diarrhea.

The only reason you and Steve fought was because you wanted Bucky. He was supposed to be your best friend, and clearly it was his inability to decide who he preferred more that had led you here. And to pretend, on top of that, that it was you who was at fault was just ridiculous. As if you’d touch Steve Rogers with a ten foot pole.

But…would you? You suppose he couldn’t be that bad to touch. He did have gorgeous eyes that got all dark and dilated when he fought with you. And his breath hitched when you got him mad and he bit his lip to stop from cursing you and he flushed a very becoming shade of red that started from his cheeks and disappeared down the neckline on his tight shirts that –

Holy fuck!

The realization rocked your world. What the hell? When you thought about it again, it seemed as if you’d just described Steve being aroused. Did you really fight him and got him mad to stimulate yourself? Oh god. Bucky was right. You wanted to fuck Steve.

This wouldn’t do. This wouldn’t do at all. You quickly changed into your work out gear and rushed to the gym, intent on sweating out whatever feelings you might have for Steve. After all, nothing says fuck you like imagining someone’s face on a punching bag and just going to town on it. Thankfully, when you arrived the gym was empty.

You’d been working on your stretches for only a few minutes when your worst nightmare entered the gym. He probably had the same idea as you and froze the moment your eyes met. His blue eyes narrowed at you and you stood up straight. You hated Bucky for putting the thought in your head. Now all you could think of was tackling Steve to the ground and fucking him senseless. You still wanted to beat him, but in a very different way.

As Steve entered, his eyes fixed to your form, you decided it was time to leave. After that fiasco in front of Tony, you didn’t think yourself capable of talking to Steve. Staying alone with him was something you didn’t trust yourself with. So you picked up your bag and started for the door when his voice stopped you.

“Running away? Am I to believe that there is something that finally scares you?”

Anger, red hot anger simmered under your veins when you turned to face him again. He had a mocking smirk on his face that made you grit your teeth. His eyes, dark and challenging beckoned you to him, but they didn’t hold resentment there either. Something between you had changed today. The very air around you was different, thick with tension and apprehension that had your nerves tingling.

“Scared?” You scoffed, dropping your bag on the matted floor and walking until you stood right before him. He towered over you in height, but he’d never been able to actually look down at you. “Me, scared of you? You wish Rogers.”

One corner of his lips lifted up, and he put his hands on you. One hand hooked around your waist and pulled you closer, the other trailing a finger down the side of your face to your neck, following the path down your arm until his fingers intertwined with yours.

“Oh, I so do wish” He whispered and his lips met yours. You rose up on your toes, mashing your body against his and mapping the planes of his body with your palms. The smell of his sweat and soap surrounded you, your arms coming to hold him around the shoulders as he hitched you up so you could wrap your legs around him.

Like everything in your relationship, the kiss was explosive. You didn’t melt against each other like people do in books; you collided like two warring armies intent on conquering the other. You collided like night and day, basking your surroundings in the dawn and dusk of your lust. Steve took your bottom lip between his teeth and bit down, smiling as you shamelessly moaned.

“What do you say?” He asked, pushing you against the wall, his hardness digging between the heated center of your legs.

You pulled him closer, letting your lips trail over his jaw and neck before you branded him with a quick bite. “You’ve always been so aggressive Steve, let’s see you let loose some other way. I sure do hope you fuck better than you fight though, or I’ll just be disappointed.”

Steve growled, kissing you again as he ground his cock against you, trapping you between the wall and his hard body that prevented any escape. Your hands slipped under his t-shirt, meeting the firm muscles on his abdomen that rippled under you. He pulled back just enough to allow you to remove your clothes, his own being flung sideways without any care.

Even before, you’d never thought of Steve as anything but beautiful, but now, seeing him in all his glory, you could only look him up and down in appreciation. He was trembling slightly, as if holding himself back with effort, his eyes not leaving you for a second. You both looked at each other, naked and unashamed before frantically coming together. His hands were everywhere, squeezing your ass and thighs as his lips pulled at your breast.

Your fingers rolled his nipples softly until he moaned, and then you pinched them. He jerked under your touch, kicking the back of your knees so you collapsed down, and he covered your body with his. Anger, arousal, lust and longing, all emotions built together in a storm of incoherent desire that had you both rolling over each other, fighting for dominance and power. Steve pinned you down with effort, holding your wrists in one hand over your head as he gave a smug smile to you.

“Will you finally surrender today?” He asked, positioning his cock at your entrance that was drenched. You would have loved to taste him, to have him taste you, but as of now, all you wanted was for him to slide inside you. You hungered for him, burnt for his touch. For years you’d been left wanting, and now with the prize so near, you weren’t about to wait any longer.

“The only surrender today will be yours.” You whispered sweetly before slamming your head against his. Steve jerked hard in surprise, allowing you the opportunity to free your hands and roll over him. You sat on his pelvis proudly, his throbbing member right underneath you and as he blinked at you, stunned, you rose up over his tip and slowly sunk down.

Steve groaned as your wet channel fell like velvet heat along his shaft. You had never been so full before. He stretched your limits, as he had always done, and you decided you very much preferred rendering him speechless like this under you than your usual punches and throws. His hands dug into your waist, helping you bounce on his cock and you threw your head back at the feeling.

It was a beautiful ache, one that took your breath away. As you rolled your hips and clenched down there, Steve’s voice rose in appreciation and you grinned. You finally had the golden boy at your mercy. You fucked him, changing your pace to punish him, never letting him up. For every time he killed you, you bit on his lips and neck, marking him. It was punishment and cherishing, a culmination of feelings you didn’t understand.

“Touch me.” You brokenly said, and his fingers found your nub. The slapping of skin, the sounds of debauchery and the smell of sin filled the air. You leaned over him to meet his lips, the heat in your gut bubbling until you snapped and came atop him, falling blissfully. It was one moment of weakness and the world titled, Steve having finally pushing you on your back.

“You’ve always been strong, because I’d hate to break you when the fun has only just begun.” He said and thrust into you hard and fast. He was an animal in heat, a man possessed, and you didn’t mind one bit. You met his every thrust with a raise of your hips, you clawed at his back until he bled, your lips tasting of the salt of sweat and tears and desire. He brought you impossibly closer, looking right into your eyes as he took you.

For the life of you, you couldn’t look away. You couldn’t get enough of his grunts and moans, of the breathy whispers of your name that slipped between curses, of the way his lashes would flutter over the dark blues that kept your eyes captive. He had you completely in that moment, mind and body; and for some reason, his gaze felt infinitely more intimate than his cock that was currently spearing you open. You keened in pleasure, whimpering as he touched your overly sensitive clit and had you coming again.

A minute later, he twitched inside you, his warmth flooding your core and you sighed. You laid entangled and sweaty, both of you spent and tired and yet completely overtaken by the urge to be closer still. To think this is what you’d both missed for all these years.

“So, what do you say, still feeling aggressive?” Steve asked and you looked at him with a grin that you couldn’t have suppressed had you wanted to. Oh yes, some battles were never meant to end, but they sure could be altered to meet new demands.

“With you? Always.” You replied, kissing him deep until he couldn’t think of anything but you. “Just remember one thing.”

“Oh yeah, what?”

“I am still a better best friend to Bucky. I did fuck you to keep him happy after all.”

Steve frowned darkly and before you could blink, he was over you, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I think this time I’d fuck some manners into you.”

“I think this time you should actually put your back into it. I did all the work before.” You taunted and he dived at you.

Meanwhile, in Tony Stark’s office

“Friday, what’s the score?” He asked smugly, offering Bucky the packet of blueberries. Bucky was sitting with his feet on the desk, a small smile on his face.

“I am afraid I am not at a liberty to say Boss.” Friday replied. If the AI could blush, she would.

“Seems like they are at an impasse.” Tony suggested, and Bucky shrugged, licking his lips.

“Well, some things never change.”

[charlotte-of-wales]

H&M Documentary Review: Episode 5

(my commentary in italics)

- Meghan says she felt alone a lot during her childhood and always wanted a big family so when she was pregnant with Archie she was excited that she could give him that (through the Royal Family I mean). Claims she did everything she could to make the family like her and be proud of her.

- Videos of Sandringham 2018 and scarfgate lol

- Harry claims the palace wasn’t willing to protect Meghan and the media noticed that *insert all the times the palace defended her against negative stories and all the time royal reporters claim the palace asked them not to run certain stories*

- Meghan “I wasn’t just being thrown to the wolves, I was being fed to the wolves”. Does she not realize those dramatic and clearly rehearsed lines come across as anything but genuine?

- Meghan talks about Thomas Markle again. Says his interviews talking about the family after the wedding were embarassing to the family and that she reached out to “Her Majesty” asking for advice on what to do and eventually Elizabeth and Charles suggested that she write him a letter (has this been confirmed before, that it was their idea? I find it hard to grasp why they’d suggest something that could so easily be shared with the media like a letter but I digress)

- Meghan also implies the letter would be stolen if she sent it directly to her father so she sent it to her business manager in LA first. Claims the signature from whoever received the letter did not match her dad’s handwriting. 

- Harry and Meghan say they wanted to take legal action against the Mail for leaking the palace since the start but the Palace wouldn’t let them hence them searching for private lawyers

- Their lawyer claims she has seen evidence that the Palace briefed against Harry and Meghan to the media to suit other people’s agenda.......I’d love to see that evidence girl for a LAWYER to be making these claims without proof is rather crazy

- They are now saying Meghan was used as a scapegoat by the Palace to make negative stories about the other royals go away

- Videos of them (including lots of Archie) in Vancouver in the Russian oligarch’s mansion

- while in Canada, Harry claims he called Charles and suggested they move to Canada full time in order to still support the Commonwealth and the Queen.....but I thought the Commonwealth was the Empire 2.0?

- Meghan says the royal rota is based in London so they wouldn’t care about what they were doing.......ingenuity (not to use a worse word) at its finest

- She then says “you guys can be in the front pages of all the papers, you can have it exactly the way you want it. and we can just go about doing the work in the name of the Queen” by you guys I guess she mean the royals and we, her and H. This is lowkey shady but also royals need the papers to talk about them doing the work in the name of the Queen to get attention for their charities, which means the Sussexes would still need to have some sort of relationship with the media. Going around Vancouver visiting charities and being shush about defeats the whole purpose. 

- Harry: “if you want us to go and do things on behalf on the Queen. we’ll go and do it. And we’ll pay for it ourselves. We don’t want to be dependant on any taxpayer funding. You get us, and you’ll get us for free?” WITH WHAT MONEY ARE YOU PAYING FOR IT YOURSELVES??? Yall stayed at some random shady dude’s house in Vancoucer and used public security provided by Canada AKA TAXPAYER FUNDED. That would never work, unless they were doing something similiar to what they are doing now. Which is precisely why I’m assuming Queen Elizabeth II and Charles were not having this plan. 

- gosh the lack of braincells is crazy.....Harry now says they wanted to remove the public funding because it would take the media’s claim to printing stories on them go away. Not how it works love.

- Harry says the palace signed off on him and Meghan moving to South Africa but The Times leaked the news, so the plan was scrapped because it became public debate. (it would become public debate anyway when they announced it + it makes sense to release pieces of information like this to see what the public is thinking so the leak could have been a good thing but oh well)

- Interesting. Harry says that if their move to Canada didn’t work they were willing to let go of their Sussex titles.....why are you still using them then??

- Harry says the Queen wanted to see him and Meghan when they came back from Canada and told them she wasn’t busy. Right before they got to the airport, Harry was told he couldn’t see her because she was busy. He called her and she said she was told she’d be busy all week. The implication here obviously being that they tried to keep her away from him and, once again, he sounds quite angry when he says it. They keep trying to sell this narrative that Elizabeth was this naive innocent thing being used as a puppet by Charles and William and it’s sad. Plus.......Harry, buddy, she is literally THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND. She could very well be unexpectedly be busy. 

- Meghan: “his dad say put it (their plan to move to Canada) in writing. And he did, and just five days later it was on the front page of a newspaper. “ Harry openly said the palace leaked the news.

- Meghan *once again* talking about their wishes to keep supporting the Commonwealth and for the first time they talk about their role as President and VP of the Commonwealth’s Trust........when they were shitting on the existence of the Commonwealth two episodes ago. Got it. 

- Harry said that with their instagram statement announcing they were stepping down, he didn’t blindside the Queen and he would never do that because he has so much respect for her. Says these discussions went on for months and months. *sure did but were the Queen, Charles and William aware of your statement? Did they agree to the terms y’all decided? No, huh?

- Harry and Meghan were angry she wasn’t invited to the Sandringham Summit because she is “the mother, the wife and the target”. 

- Harry: “I went in with the same proposal that we already made publicly”. HOW DO YOU NOT SEE WHATS WRONG WITH THAT STATEMENT???? HOW IS THIS NOT BLINDSIDING THE ROYALS????

- Harry complains about not being allowed to do the half in/half out thing. In his own words, to be able to have their own jobs while also working to support the Queen. 

- whoop there it is, the bit about William. King behavior (wish someone recorded the yelling bits, for science)

- gosh I’m bored how am I only half way through

- interestingly enough....Harry defends the Queen by saying her main goal was to protect the institution and that’s what she was taught. Says she will follow whatever advice she’s giving regarding the Sussexes as if this woman doesn’t have a working brain of her own and hasn’t been doing this job for decades. 

- the bs Harry is saying about the family is so much worse than I thought god

- “I think, from their perspective, they had to believe that it was more about us, and maybe the issues that we had, as opposed to THEIR PARTNER, the media, and themselves, and that relationship that was causing so much pain to us” calling the media the royal family’s partner is WILD

- Harry says one of the saddest parts in all of this is the break of his bond with William and William has chosen the institution’s side. 

- THE HYPOCRISY OF THIS MAN, complaining about William putting out a joint statement with Harry’s name saying that William did not bully him out of the family because he never agreed on it WHEN HE RELEASED A STATEMENT ON INSTAGRAM ANNOUNCING HE WAS STEEPING DOWN FROM THE FAMILY THAT THEY NEVER AGREED ON 

- “in four hours they were happy to lie to protect my brother and yet, for three years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us” my brother in Christ YES THEY DID MANY TIMES (also William is literally the heir????)

- the way they edited this doc made this whole thing seem so petty because it’s almost like Harry saw the palace protecting his brother and said “yeah?” and left in retaliation like a child

- oh my god, the white man got tired of lecturing us on racist and started us on misogyny. Go on, king, keep telling us about things you have 0 knowledge on x

- gosh all these two do is sit around in other people’s homes

- talking about bots and online hate

- this one woman saying that by targetting “symbols of social justice” it tells other people to stand down???? girl

- footage of them meditating and crying over this audio of someone telling them they are not who the media says they are I’m uncomfy

- lots and lots and lots of pictures of them at Frogmore Cottage during their farewell tour and why even bring a professional photographer along??? so odd?

- Meghan “until that last week in the UK I rarely wore color  why are we still talking about this yes you did

- they say they would come home after engagements in the farewell tour and think they could do this forever. They both say they miss the British public but not the press.

- Meghan says on the plane back from the farewell tour, a crew member kneeled next to her seat and said “I appreciate everything you did for our country”. She says it was the first time someone noticed the sacrifice she made. Meghan says she tried so hard but it still wasn’t good enough and she still didn’t fit in.

- oh yikes pictures of the Waleses’ Carribean tour, including the fence pictures

- Harry: “anyone inside that system, whether it’s my family, whether it’s staff, whether it’s PR, whoever it is, have already miss an enormous oppurtunity with my wife and how far that would go globally” I see Harry missed the lesson on tokenism when he was taking his ‘white savior and racism 101′ crash course. That’s what you’re describing here, buddy, to use a woman of color to prove a point. 

- by the way, they’re talking again about the disconnect between most people in the Commonwealth (mainly black and brown people) and the Royal Family. They talked about Barbados and how many countries should follow etc. (again I can’t miss the irony in H&M getting these clearly anti-monarchist to talk in their docs because the only reason they even got a doc or a platform in the first place was because of the family)

- “their departure felt like the death of a dream” the dramatics goshhhh

- Harry complaining about the palace removing their security but.....I thought you didn’t want to live on taxpayer funding? I thought you could pay for everything yourself? What’s the issue bud?

- episode ends with them talking about covid, and fears of the border being closed which led them to LA.

They somehow manage to make this more boring and yet more frustrating with each episode? Anyway can’t wait to get this over with lol

[nyx-aira]

My Hero

Requested by anon

Summary: You come home injured from a mission and Melina takes care of you.

A/N: I just want her to hold me and tell me that everything is gonna be alright. I just love her so much, is that too much to ask?

TW: mention of violence, injuries

PSA: Do NOT copy, steal, translate, plagiarize, republish, etc any of my works on Tumblr or any other platform. Also, do NOT claim any of my works as your own. All of these works are either requests I’ve gotten that people have wanted me to write or original ideas I’ve had for works. If you happen to take inspiration from anything I’ve written and want to write something inspired by that, please a) ask me first and b) IF I say yes, credit me as inspo in your post by tagging me and link whatever work of mine that inspired you. Thanks.

PSA c/@ynscrazylife

"Oh darling."

You stumbled through the door, clutching your ribs that were definitely broken, just wanting to lay down and forget the pain.

Melina rushed to your side, catching you before you could even stumble fully into the room.

Your mission had gone wrong and you had to retreat as there were to many guards protecting your target. Not before they could give you a thorough beating and you had to drag yourself back home.

You felt Melina wrap an arm around you she she held you close to her, checking you for any fatal injuries as she was swearing to herself in Russian. All the while she was trying to sooth you, pressing kisses to your hair as she pulled it to the side and that was when she saw the stab wound.

"Hush, my love, all will be fine."

Melina maneuvered the two of you to the bathroom where she made you sit down on the counter while she searche for the first aid kit that you had to use more often than not.

She gently helped you out of your tac suit, soothing you when she pressed down on a pretty nasty bruise or cut.

When she finally got the suit off of you she sucked in a sharp breath. Your whole torso was littered with bruises and cuts and of course there was the stab wound at your left shoulder that was bleeding like a bitch.

Melina tried to keep a neutral face but it killed her to see you in so much pain. She swore to herself she would find whoever did this to you but first she had to tend to you.

"It's gonna be alright, my love, I promise."

There wasn't much she could do about the bruises so she focused her attention on your shoulder.

Cleaning the wound was the easiest bit. It wasn't too deep that you needed to go to the hospital but Melina had to stitch it up.

She tried to ignore your whimpers as the needle first entered your skin but it wasn't working. Your pained groans and the vice grip you had around her arm were almost enough to break her but Melina knew she had to finish.

Pressing a kiss to your shoulder she bandaged it and cupped your face, looking at you with pure love and adoration.

"You're so strong for me, my darling, you're doing great."

Leaning forward Melina pressed a kiss to your lips, wrapping her arms around your waist, careful not to hurt you any further.

You melted into her kiss, all the pain and tension forgotten as soon as her lips met yours.

Melina cradled your face as she poured all her love in this kiss, wanting to whisk your pain away, lock you up so no one could harm you anymore.

She knew that this was impossible but she swore to herself she would do anything to protect you.

Breaking the kiss she brushed away a stray peace of hair and pressed a kiss to your nose, making you giggle.

A mischievous glint in her eyes Melina leaned forward to plaster kisses all over your face. She kissed your cheeks, then your nose and your forehead.

Smiling at you she pressed one last kiss to your lips she let go of you to grab a wash cloth to clean your cuts, squeezing your hand in comfort as you hissed in pain.

"Hush, I'm almost finished, you're doing amazing my dear."

Luckily the cuts weren't too deep so she just used an ointment that helped prevent infections and bandaged your cuts as well, pressing a kiss to your cheeks when she was finished, praising you for being good for her.

Helping you down from the counter, Melina wrapped an arm around you to hold you close, walking out of the bathroom and into the hallway.

The two of you made your way to the bedroom and she gently laid you down, sliding in behind you and pressing a kiss to your shoulder, pulling you close to wrap her arms around you.

"Sleep my darling, I will watch over you."

With that she flipped the lightswitch and the room was pulled into darkness.

You shuffled closer to Melina, turning around so you were facing her, burying your face in her chest as you instinctively wrapped your arms around her, her body warmth and the hand brushing through your hair lulling you to sleep.

Melina pulled you even closer as she closed her eyes and fell asleep, arms wrapped protectively around you.

"I got you, my love, I'm here now."

There was no one who could hurt you when she was by your side.

Your hero.

Your saviour.

Your lover.

-----

Taglist:@escapetodreamworld @midnight-lestrange @ynscrazylife @procrastinatingsapphictrash @ineffablebean @cliint @wlwlovesreading @satxnsupreme @ycfwmalise14 @lilian-maximoff @scarjo-wife @booklovinbi

[jasontoddssoulmate]

I made an account for the sole purpose of this TUA fic concept

I’m a sucker for those “the characters read the books/watch the series” fics and I’ve read a little for TUA but I just had the idea:

The Hargreeves kids watching the two seasons but instead of just the seven of them, their birth mothers are brought in to watch as well

Maybe have the birth mothers family (if they have any) watch it with them 

This happens before everything. Before Ben’s death, before Five’s disappearance, before they even have their names. The kids, One through Seven, are brought in. Maybe when they’re old enough to get the gist of what’s going on, but before they’re 13.

These 6 young women are brought in (because I adore that Luther and Five being twins is canon in the comics and I love the mention of it), and they’re confused because maybe The Umbrella Academy isn’t internationally well known so the kids are familiar but they can’t put the name to the face. Not until they introduce themselves, anyways, and suddenly they’re face to face with the baby that they gave away years ago.

Maybe a few of them regret it, maybe they tried to forget it, maybe they spend so much of their time thinking about it or maybe they’re overjoyed that their baby seems to be doing so well. 

But their names. 

There’s just so much about them that doesn’t feel,,, so right? Maybe that’s not the word for it but they’re too polite sometimes, their casually cruel treatment towards their sister isn’t normal and the way that they simultaneously act entitled and inferior towards each other isn’t suppose to be as normal as the kids make it out to be. 

All in all, the women are confused and maybe a bit wary of their casual usage of powers among each other that’s normal to the siblings as much as it is abnormal to the birth mothers. 

But communication is easy since each child learned their own mother language as well as the language of their siblings birth place and then some which only seems to remind the women that holy shit these kids are technically rich because of their father

The Hargreeves though? They’re confused and wary as hell. They may not have been introduced as The Inaugural Class of The Umbrella Academy yet (or maybe they have considering what your timeline is) but they’ve been training for most of their life and the situation is baffling. Here are these random people that they’ve never met before (at least to their knowledge) and they’ve never had to go outside to interact with others, not really at least. 

So it makes sense that they go for polite but threatening. They maybe decide unanimously that the weaker willed ones like Four, Six and Seven are discreetly protected behind their older (in spirit) siblings, One, Two, Three and Five. 

But they’re no real threat, its obvious in the way that the Hispanic woman uses such an endearing term like “mijo/a” and the way that the Russian woman has an ever present smile on her face and such a sweet disposition that reminds them of their littlest sibling and hey her eyes look just like Seven 

So after a while, they’re more open to being relaxed. Not Five though, he’s always been just a little paranoid and being a 58-year-old in a 13-year-old body never had anything to do with it. So he’s got a harsh personality but the Danish woman doesn’t seem to be deterred. He kind of reminds her of her older twin brother who acts so harshly, but who she knows loves her so much.  

So here are 7 siblings and 6 women and maybe family that was there for the women when they needed them the most. And maybe the person(s) behind this decide to be kept anonymous but they oh so want the children to get to know what being cared for is like. Maybe these women get to know the consequences of their actions or the children learn that the one who birthed them had their reasons. And it’s no excuse but it’s also not their fault. Both parties should be able to feel what they feel because it’s a complicated and maybe painful situation. 

The children lose their respect for their father every episode. Even One, who they all know cherished the favoritism but it doesn’t get in the way of his horror when he finds out that he used to lock Four in the mausoleum, still does if the flashbacks are anything to go by because not Four, not the kindest and brightest of their siblings. 

And when they learn of Seven’s powers and the reason why they are never present, they are understandably upset. They feel rage and disbelief that she had such a crucial part of herself ripped away at such a young age, because they know that their powers are like another limb. They’re born with it and they grow up with it and they were able to live their life with it so they feel rage. Rage that Seven had been so violated. Rage that the Seven they know isn’t really the Seven she was suppose to grow up to be. The Seven they knew as toddlers was sweet towards them but had a mean protective streak a mile wide that could never be controlled, not even by their father. The Seven they know now is so meek and desperate for attention. The Russian woman looks the most devastated as she thinks of the baby girl she got to hold for only a few hours before she was whisked away by a rich old man who is turning out to be the monster that one often hears about in television. 

But the women? They watch as the children in front of them, maybe a little damaged and emotionally constipated but so obviously protective and caring for each other, grow to be the grow ups in the screen above them that grow up and grow apart after so much tragedy. 

They watch as seven eventually becomes five. 

How Luther is sent to isolation for years and he goes along with it in a bid to continue to please their father.

How Diego continues to rebel because he wasn’t able to growing up but also maybe because he wants to spite his father, no matter how much he protests that he could care less what his father thinks.

How Allison goes through a divorce and loses her parental rights to even see her daughter due to her dependence of her powers that leaves her devastated. 

How Klaus is an addict who desperately wishes to get rid of the ghosts that have followed him all his life. 

How Five disappears only a little while after their current timeline.

How Ben was brutally killed by his own powers, never getting to grow up and become his own person. 

How Vanya can’t seem to do anything but go through the motions of her life, maybe having a little hope that she’ll be seen this time around, but is quickly squashed from Diego’s disparaging comments and the casual dismissal of her from her living siblings. 

They watch all this, and feel sadness and rightful anger that their babies lead the life of ex-child superheroes. The life of abused children. The life of children who had only each other. 

But was it really enough? Was it enough to know that they loved each other but had a hard time showing it and owning up to it due to fear of their father? Due to the constant comparisons and the way Sir Reginald had them turn on each other. 

But they knew it was enough. They see it in how Diego waits for Klaus to drive him around even after he had expresses annoyance beforehand, in the joy on Allison’s face when she sees Klaus again after so long, in how Five makes sure to check up on Klaus after his kidnapping, on Luther’s face when he apologizes to Vanya after realizing his own misgivings, in Ben’s task of continuing to follow his brother around even when it pains him and in Klaus trying to comfort Luther after he finds the unopened correspondents. They see it in the support they show Vanya as she goes to check on Harlan.

It had to be enough to know that after all they went through, they still care for one another and at the end of the day, would protect one another just as they were as One through Seven. 

So they watch what would be the Hargreeve’s kids misadventures, they watch as they grow together and grow apart just to grow together again, much stronger than before. 

They express sadness and disbelief when they see where Five ends up, they get mad when Leonard throws Vanya’s pills away, they grieve when they learn that Ben is dead, they’re embarrassed but find it hilarious whenever Klaus cracks an inappropriate joke, they become protective when there’s allusion to Vanya having sex, and are rightfully ready to throw down with Leonard as they watch their littlest sibling get gaslit into believing her family hates her as he nitpicks all of her interactions with her family. 

But just as they express their feelings over what happens to their family, they feel an immense amount of exasperation towards their older selves because so much could be fixed if they only talked to each other. 

They watch and despair over the missed opportunity that is Leonard in the same house as them just as they find out what his role is in the apocalypse.

Four tears up as he watched Klaus and Dave’s reunion be undone after all the heartache. 

Seven cringes when Vanya dismisses Five’s claims that he had been stuck in an apocalyptic wasteland and suggests that he’s gone crazy after his stint with time travel. 

Three feels her heart drop to her stomach as the flashback shows what becomes the moment that she faces the hard truth that come with her use of her powers.

Five feels himself flush in embarrassment as he watched two version of himself in the future, one that looks not much older than he does currently, go through paradox psychosis. 

Six feels frustration and a fierce grief that leaves him confused because he’s still alive he’s not dead, but I don’t have much longer. 

One feels horror as he watches himself hurt his siblings one after the other with a sense of helplessness because this isn’t me, I wouldn’t do this but I already did, why would I hurt my siblings, I’m Number One I have to be the one who protects them- 

The women, on the other hand, see themselves in their children. 

The French woman sees how her daughter and granddaughter, it seems, both look like a carbon copy of herself and her own mother. 

The Danish woman sees herself and her twin brother in Luther and Five. Sees her own personality reflected in Luther and her brothers personality in Five. Sees how her twins care just as much for each other and their siblings as herself and her brother do each other.

The Hispanic woman sees Diego’s fierce sense of justice that leaves others in the dust, and sees herself as she fought to keep her boy but ultimately lost him just as Diego loses Eudora. She thinks to herself like mother like son and bitterly laughs to herself but she’s so grateful that Diego had a mother who cared for him just as she cared for him because she often though about him and always made sure to commemorate his birthday. 

The German woman can’t help but see herself in her boy. Can’t help but see her little brother in him. Can’t help but see her older brother in him. Because Klaus is so joyful but he hides his pain behind a mask like her younger brother, he’s so loving towards his siblings like her older brother, and so nonsensical like herself. So like herself, down to the curly hair and the addiction. Even if she was able to overcome it with support from her family, it pains her and leaves her in despair to see Klaus and can’t find fault in those he had around him because she sees how much they try and sees how hard the Hargreeves find expressing emotion is to others. 

The Asian woman sees how sweet and shy her youngest is and thinks only of her oldest, who reminds her so much of him and can only despair in seeing that he didn’t live as long as her oldest had. She can only ask herself why her children don’t seem to be able to see themselves to adulthood but can only be grateful that even in death he has someone with him.

The Russian woman knows that her husband sees her in little number Seven, in Vanya, no matter how little that is. Maybe their personalities aren’t so similar because Seven is shy but she’s got the sweetest heart and so clearly loves her siblings. She has the same smile that she has and her little doe eyes remind her of herself when she was younger. She’s so small next to her siblings, just like herself. 

So they see themselves in these kids, these grown ups. But so do the Hargreeves. 

They see how Luther looks like what the Danish woman would look like as a man and how Five looks exactly like a younger version of the Danish man who introduced himself as the woman's older brother. 

They see how Two has the same skin tone and facial structure as the Hispanic woman. 

They see that Allison looks exactly like the French woman and see the same in Claire. 

They see Four’s curly hair and slim build in the German woman. 

They notice how Six shares the same dark hair and lower facial features. 

They see Seven’s eyes and smile and short stature in the Russian woman. 

So maybe they don’t know them well enough to see what the women see, but they grow to see it overtime because they spend so much time there, in this suspended room in time.

The women insist on getting to know them and vice versa. They insist that they have to talk about their feelings and assure them or gently scold them, depending on the reason, for what they feel because god do these children need to learn how to talk more about their emotions in a healthy way.

They get closer to the children and start to really see their childish side. They all fight over the silliest things, and become pouty when attention isn’t being drawn over to them. They crave physical affection, even Five who won’t admit that his maternal uncle patting him and One of the head made him feel all gooey inside. They make faces towards foods that they don’t like and still prefer junk food over real food. 

So maybe it’s harder to let themselves act like children because they’re being conditioned to not “be childish” but even then they have their lapses in control. Four enters a state of panic after being reminded of his time in the mausoleum. One feels overwhelming guilt when he sees how Luther hurts Klaus and reminds himself that he’s the one that needs to protect them, as the leader and self proclaimed older sibling. Five feels himself cry for the first time in a long while when he sees how his siblings act towards him in the future and realize it hurts him deeply because he knows that he’s messed up their lives a lot but can’t they see that he only want to keep them alive, he doesn’t want to see them die again, he can’t-

But instead of being shamed into controlling their emotions, they are comforted and reassured. Four’s birth mother helps ground him and counts his breathing with him to keep him from falling further into his panic. One get’s reassured by his birth mother that his future self isn’t his current self. That everyone in the room has seen just how much he cares for his siblings and knows he would do anything for them. The twins uncle gives into his urge and hugs Five, whispering in a hushed tone that it’s okay to cry, to let it all out. He whispers that his older siblings are being idiots and if they knew just how much their actions were hurting you, they wouldn’t hesitate to apologize and hug you too. His words only make Five cry harder. 

So they are cared for and allowed to be themselves fully and can be childish to their hearts content. And their birth families watch on in amazement and adoration. 

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I have so much more that I’ll probably add later, but basically I want them to be cared for, allowed to care for each other and learn to express themselves better. I want to see them get to have a good relationship with an adult and if possible their birth mothers. 

Pls share links and stuff if you get inspired, I’m not much for writing fanfic but I really do want to see something like this. I’d read the shit out of it. I have so much more that I want to add but I’ll probably do something about it later.