#god... I need new people. I can't stand anyone who can't accept having me and only me.

[sxrpxnt-k1ng]

Pissed off. Honestly.

[s10127470]

My X-Men Hot Takes

As I'm sure many of you who have been following me have seen, I'm a pretty big fan of The X-Men.

However, I do have some reservations with them.

And with their ongoing resurgence in mainstream popularity, I've decided to share my hot takes/unpopular opinions I have on the team.

Admittedly, I have some takes that are pretty commonly agreed by a majority of X-Men fans.

But still, I have a lot that would probably piss a lot of them off.

So without further ado, let's get started.

-Mutants have become less interesting/The X-Men have WAY too many characters.

This is basically a two-in-one, but I decided to do them together since they essentially connect with each other.

Mutants have just become a lot less interesting due to the writers keeping them largely huddled together in recent years.

What made mutants so cool was that they were widespread and that not all of them were connected to the X-Men.

Which just made the world feel a lot bigger and fleshed-out.

But over the last few decades, Marvel has developed this mindset that EVERY mutant needs to be connected to the X-Men.

Hell, it was the reason for arguably the worse thing to happen to the team.

This unfortunately has led to the issue of the X-Men just having.....way too many characters.

Like, remember when there were spin-off teams?

X-Factor? The New Mutants? X-Force? Excalibur?

Even though those teams are still around, they have the issue of being too connected to the X-Men now.

And this need to have all mutants to be connected to The X-Men, has lead to another major issue with mutants....

-Retconning mutant heritages.

Over the last decade, Marvel has infamously went out of their way to retcon the mutant heritage of several mutant characters who weren't all that connected to the X-Men.

The most infamous examples being in the case of The Maximoff Twins and Franklin Richards, the latter of which was the most notable example of a mutant that's not connected to the X-Men.

Once again, this makes the world feel somewhat smaller and makes the mutants a lot less interesting.

-For the Love of GOD! Stop with the romance/relationship drama!

Romance/relationship drama is one of the hardest parts of writing.

Largely because it's rarely ever done particularly well and often become incredibly annoying and usually makes the people involved look pretty bad.

Usually since it relies on stuff like cheating, infidelity, unfaithfulness, etc.

Which anyone with more than two brain cells would know isn't a good thing...

It's even worse when they try to make these actions actually come off as good and acceptable.

Which like....

But anyway, since the X-Men are essentially glorified soap operas, you better believe they have romance drama!

It's one of the best/worst examples of this I've seen in media.

They have it all!

Cheating. Unfaithfulness. Infidelity.

And since we're talking about the X-Men, we can't forget about their staple....

Love. Triangles.

Seriously, nobody in the X-Men are all that faithful to each other....

Except for Gambit weirdly enough.

But anyway, please just keep these guys in actual fucking stable relationships.

I cannot take ANOTHER FUCKING love triangle....

-The treatment of Magneto.

I like Magneto, but even I have to admit I cannot stand how he's been treated in recent years.

Over the last few decades, there's been a lot of favoritism towards him.

And I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, it's borderline dick-riding.

Like, if we're had to make a list of the most dick-roded characters in the fiction.

Magneto would be at least in the top 5 alongside Bakugo, Severus Snape and even The Joker.

A lot of this comes from people believing that his mindset and actions were actually justified.

Leading to the infamous phrase that was founded by incel Quinten Quire....

*sigh*

"Magneto was right."

As you could tell, I'm hate this phrase.

For two reasons.

It's been ran into the goddamn ground. Like, I've frequently check out the X-Men subreddit, and I swear, I still seen people saying that Magento was right. Even on Twitter, I see this! Which, after seeing it and hearing it so much and so often, you can't help but just go....

2. It's led to this habit of writers constantly painting Magneto as this savior who's always in the right and that his mindset and methods are truly the way to go for the sake of mutantkind. This also led to the effect of trying to make him seem like he was always secretly a good guy. Even retconning events from the earliest X-Men stories such as him stealing missiles from the base and saying that he was actually doing this so that the X-Men actually had an enemy to fight. Like, prior to all this, Magento was depicted as being a villain. Even when the legendary Chris Claremont took over and gave him more depth and made him a sympathetic villain, he was still depicted as being kind of a terrible person who has done legitimately terrible things. What really made Magneto such as great villain was that he was a tragic one as well. Not just because of his backstory, but because of the fact that he became the very thing he hated: a bigot who wants to subjugate an entire group of people, no matter what. But in a way, I know this is gonna sound insane, Magneto is even worse than the Nazis! They were trying to subjugate a group of people, he's trying to subjugate an entire species! They needed an army and forces to do all that, he doesn't. Magneto is literally a one-man army. Now don't get me wrong, they're both REALLY bad. But remember, Magneto is literally threatening like, half the life on the planet. And although him finally becoming a good guy was the way to go, I'm still not a fan of it. Largely because he never really gets a redemption arc. We never see him actually show any regrets towards his past actions, or realize that he was wrong. Because they did, then he wouldn't be right. And GOD FORBID Magneto could be wrong about anything. I'm sorry man, but you're never gonna be him....

-The mutant metaphor has become a bit of a problem.

Now this gonna be a real controversial one.

The mutant metaphor, while obviously well intentioned, is not exactly good....

99% of X-Men fans reading this:

When you really think about it, it doesn't really make much sense.

For starters, there's the obvious aspect about how most super-powered beings in the Marvel Universe tend to get a pass, but there's just no exceptions with the mutants.

Despite the fact that to the eyes of the average civilian, most of them could qualified as a mutant.

There's also the fact that having the mutants being a stand-in for minorities is kinda awkward given that most of the core members (not all of them mind you) are primarily white....and American.

I do think them being a stand-in for social outcasts does work, but even that's kind of an issue given that many of the core X-Men are incredibly and conveniently attractive.

Like, don't you dare even try to deny it!

I've seen you people simp for these guys!

So have I!

But the reason I say the mutant metaphor is problem is because there seems to be this mindset that this is all the X-Men are good for.

Just being an allegory, and nothing else.

And in all honesty, that's just incredibly restrictive from a writing standpoint.

Heck, if any of you've read my X-Men fanfic series, "X-Men: The Mutation", you'd probably noticed that the mutant metaphor, while there, isn't as present as most other adaptations, or even fanfics of the X-Men.

And that was because I wanted to focus on other aspects of the team and didn't want them to just be a walking allegory.

-The Fox X-Men films are not that good.

While the reception of these films seem to be mixed nowadays, I've never really cared for these films.

Since I'm among the group of people who actually look at adaptations as, well, adaptations, as such, the X-Men films are quite pitiful.

The films never captured the appeal of The X-Men.

That being The X-Men themselves!

Like, The X-Men are literally an afterthought in their own film franchise.

Largely thanks to Fox constantly focusing on one member solely and hardly anyone else.

First it was with Wolverine, and then it was with Mystique.

There's also the fact that they hardly pulled from source material, largely because they were embarrassed by it.

Like, they were not being subtle about that at all.

Do I need to even play that line again?

The only films in that franchise I would consider good would be the Deadpool films.

Because....

They were actually good

They wore the comics on their shelves rather than being embarrassed by it

They were the most disconnected from the X-Men films

Speaking of which, this franchise is infamous for its absolute clustefuck of a continuity.

You know things are not that good when they can't even keep a consistent timeline.

-The characterization of Cyclops.

Just like with Magneto, I really like Cyclops, but I'm not a fan of how he's been written for nearly 20 years.

Yeah, I'm not exactly big on Revolutionary Cyclops.

Apart from the fact that he emerged during the X-Men's roughest era, there's also the fact it's had quite the effect on any discourses surrounding the character.

Fans seem to believe that Cyclops can only be portrayed as a revolutionary in all forms of media.

Literally nothing else.

Hell, it's so bad that people are already begging for '97 Cyclops to become a revolutionary!

Look, I get that Cyclops wasn't too many people's favorite, specifically during the early years.

And the Claremont era didn't exactly do him too many favors since he would be slowly phased out along with the rest of the original X-Men.

But I feel like he really came into his own during the 90s.

Plus, '97 and Evolution Cyclops showed that Cyclops doesn't have to be a revolutionary in order to be a. engaging and interesting character.

There's also a few more issues that's arose from his characterization.

The last near 20 years have really highlighted Cyclops' skills, to show why he's the leader of The X-Men.

I get that you want to show that he is a competent fighter and leader.

However, it's gotten to the point where fans seem to believe that Cyclops can beat anyone in general, no matter how crazy powerful they are, with his ridiculous amount of plans and back-up plans.

Starting to sound familiar?

There's also that fact that fans and even the majority of X-Men writers seem to believe that Cyclops always has to suffer just to be interesting.

Essentially, he suffers the same exact problem as another major Marvel character.

And just like what people have said about him, Cyclops constantly suffering has gotten incredibly repetitive and stale.

You can only do it so much before it starts to become boring and tiring.

And lastly, him being the leader of all mutantkind and the one to unite them all....

I don't like this.

He should be ONE of the leaders, but not THE leader.

Is there literally no one else that could co-lead?

Also, with him being the leader and unifier of mutantkind.....

I wouldn't say it's white saviorism or a Messiah thing, but it does feel somewhat adjacent to that.

I kinda feel like all this was done as a form of compensation for how much of a punk the character has been portrayed as in just about every major X-Men adaptation of the last near quarter century.

Bar a few exceptions....

-COLOSSUS IS NOT A PEDOPHILE!

So over the last few months, some fans have discovered about the infamous age gap between Colossus and Shadowcat during their early years with the X-Men.

Colossus was like 19 at the time, while Kitty was 13 to 14.

Which, for anyone that isn't asking to be on a list, isn't good.

However, people have taken to claim that Colossus is actually a pedophile.

But here's the thing people seem to forget.

He was written by John Bryne.....

For anyone who doesn't know, Bryne is infamous among comics for his habit of pairing underage girls with grown men.

He did this with Mr. Fantastic and The Invisible Woman, revealing the latter met the former when she was 12 years old and he was in college.

He had Superman kiss a 14-year old on the lips.

And perhaps most infamously of all, having Peter Parker lock lips with Mattie Franklin, a 15-year old.

While he himself was not only in his mid-20 around this time, but also still a MARRIED MAN.

(Fun Fact: This was one of the earliest attempts of Marvel trying to get rid of Mary Jane for.....obvious reasons)

(Also, I hate this panel with every fiber of my being. And I typically I don't like to wish death upon people, but I'm making an exception. Bryne needs to get drug out into the street and shot, because I'm starting to think he may possibly be the EDP445 of comic writers. Like, you can not write this shit and not expect people to notice a pattern and raise a few eyebrows)

But besides that, it seems that since the 2000s, they've quietly retconned all this (for obvious reasons) to have Colossus and Shadowcat be much closer in age.

The Summers Family Tree has become a problem.

Just about everyone knows that the Summers family tree is an absolute mess.

Like, there's only so many alternate reality children, alternate future children, and clones that you have before it seems to become old and tiresome.

There's also Mister Sinister's famous obsession with them.

Like dude, I understand that they're powerful.

But like, are just not any other powerful mutants you could be obsessed with.

What about Storm?

Iceman?

Hell, what about Magneto and his kids?

The treatment of Xavier.

This is basically the opposite of how Magneto's been treated.

Whereas Magneto's been depicted as a secret hero, Xavier's been depicted as a secret villain.

I get that Xavier is not perfect, but the dude has been so villainized over the last 20+ years and revealed to have done a lot bad things, he might as well be called Satan.

And frankly, it's become tired.

Like, how many times have they done the "Xavier has done something terrible" shtick now?

The most recent was in The Fall of X.

At this rate, why is he even still here?

Since he's apparently never done anything good for anyone, he should just leave already!

There's also the fact that apparently his dream was always bad and never what mutantkind needed.

And to that I must say.....

While he may have not approached it in the best way, his goal was far more noble and frankly, what mutants really needed.

Showing that humans and mutants can peacefully co-exist with each other.

Maybe not all of them, but still, being able to show that it is possible.

And in general, this would be a future where everyone wins.

Whereas Magneto's, wouldn't.

This would be the most obvious in the case of the humans.

But even for the mutants, there would be a bit of an asterisk for them.

Magneto has proven he's not as accepting towards all mutants as he lets on.

Like remember Toad?

He fucking hated him and treated him like shit!

The X-Men and their relationship with the much greater Marvel Universe needs to change.

To wrap this all up, we'll be talking about a big one.

Ever since the 2010s, the X-Men comics have become infamous how they characterize other major heroes of the Marvel Universe.

That being.....not in a flattering light.

Most of these guys are portrayed incredibly poorly, not acting like themselves at all.

The only exception to this is Spider-Man.

But then again, he gets written with more respect in every other title than his own.

This is obviously done in order to make the X-Men look good.

Plus it's pretty apparent there's a great bias towards them.

But however, I think this has the opposite effect.

All it does it make the X-Men look like egotistical, self-serving assholes who would gladly screw people over (no matter how disastrous) if it meant they got to survive/thrive.

"Yeah! I love seeing my favorite heroes being portrayed as selfish cowards!"

There's also this....

These panels are from the X-Men relaunch, and they've been quite infamous for....obvious reasons.

And apart from that, it just makes the X-Men also look like self-victimizing douches.

Basically saying that they're the only ones suffering, and that nobody else in the entire damn world knows what it means to struggle.

And as you can tell, they'll usually say it to people of color.

You remember that panel from Ultimate Spider-Man when Spidey cursed out the X-Men and called them out on their bullshit?

Yeah, can we get that for these versions?

They really deserve it.

Also, I recently saw a comment that said that X-Men comics are the only place where white writers can fulfill their fantasies of yelling at people of color and then cry about how THEY'RE oppressed.

And after seeing these panels, I wholeheartedly agree.

Well that's all I have for now.

These were some grievances I've been having with the X-Men for a while now, and I wanted to finally get them out.

I really hope that anyone who reads is able to respond to this in a civil manner and possibly not call me a racial slur.

But I guess we'll have to wait and find out.

I have a few more of these, but these were the ones I could only do for now.

And I'm planning do something similar to this for undoubtedly the biggest Marvel character of them all.

But until then, I'll see you guys around.

[mahoushoujotechsupport]

hey its time for episode 4

starting off with one of the funniest fucking scenes in this whole show with suletta just fucking hauling ass right out of there after guel just surprise proposes to her

just want to juxtapose this with her wild feelings speech in 17 about buying rings and wearing the prettiest dresses

this shot just reminded me of a random detail from the manual for chuchu's demi trainer - it says earth house can't afford their own demi trainers so chuchu's is a modified older version because thats the best they could do.

suletta pilots a demi trainer during the whole field test thing so like... does she own or have a demi trainer loaned out for school use or something? i honestly forgot chuchu pilots her own suit in this scene cuz i had just accepted that the demi trainers for practical exams etc were like just there for the students to use whenever

i know this was like probably the easier way to write suletta becoming friends with earth house but lmao why didnt she just ask miorine from the start to help for the makeup exam. baka suletta.

suletta please.

till will forever go down as bestboy in the series tbh. like someone needs to write a fic where he wingmans for suletta while nika does it for miorine

suletta, you naive little baby

there really was absolutely no reason for miorine to get all handsy and possessive here lmao like she could just stood infront of suletta or even right next to her and still had the same confrontation and warning about the other houses being bad news

the 2nd light novel picking up from here and highlighting miorine's jealousy over el4n during this whole arc is perfect lmao

kinda fun to speculate on how suletta saw miorine during the beginning. like she was completely surprised miorine didnt belong to a house. suletta's so awkward and socially inept she couldnt tell she was dealing with the one other person at school who was equally socially inept

i feel like there's a lot of frames i never paused on to read like this one lol. i never realized suletta got so many questions wrong. well "wrong" cuz reading through her answers it almost sounds like she just didnt give the benerit group approved answers lmao kinda like when you get stupid training stuff at work and they're just chockful of anti-union propaganda

never forget the first time we saw miorine's room

i know so many people don't really care about the class conflict in ad stella, but god, i wish they really hadnt dropped the ball on this. like in the 1st cour they had something really good here

obligatory shot of chuchu's dads

miorine rembran will not let anyone insult her woman

does anyone know what this gold gate/door thing was supposed to be? after the second school shooting, there's a shot shown where it's the only thing left standing in that area and i dont think ive ever seen anyone talk about it before

see like even this is good re: class politics. like its not this cut and dry all spacians are evil capitalists thing. mercurian miners were pretty much lured out by the benerit group to be exploited for their labor and then left to dry once a cheaper source for permet was found. bless the fic writers who've turned that into appalachian town suletta because it's such a perfect analogy

suletta mercury literally got decked in the face and we all just focused on the chuchu punch

imagine miorine sitting with her in her room just helping her ice her face

by the way how excited do you think suletta was to call someone senpai just like in her fair use mangas lmao

ok all set with episode 4. ive gotta say, it is super jarring to go back to these slice of life school episodes after everything we've been through in the second cours. like yeah that was kind of the point in having the first half of the series have pretty much no stakes since these kids are about to be thrown into war

you know for all the complaining a lot of losers did when the show started about this not being a "real" gundam series, the only difference between watching suletta's journey versus say amuro's... is that we got to see suletta's life before everything got wrecked. with amuro we just immediately start off at the point where Everything Goes Bad

[pink-tonic]

A New Week and New Drama🔪

Previous

Next

All Chapters

Warnings: Ayato imagines killing Kizano, but he doesn't do anything to him

Text message labels:

Bold - Ayato

Red text - Info-Chan

When I walk into school, I'm met with even more talking than usual.

"Oh my God, did you hear?"

"Is he really back?"

"I went to his performance, and it was amazing!"

The chattering dies down as people leave the locker area, but I'm left confused about who they're talking about.

I met up with Taro in the courtyard, and we set at our usual bench.

"Have you heard who's back, Ayato?" Taro asks me once I take a seat.

"No."

"It's Kizano."

"Who?"

"I was expecting that answer from you. He's the leader of the drama club, and he came back from a recent play he stared in. My sister went to it, and she really liked it."

Taeko went somewhere...

I always expect her to stay inside, I didn't think that this would happen. Who did she go with? Where was it? Was everything okay?

I really didn't consider this at all.

I should've taken better care of her, but I've been so caught up with eliminating Amao that I forgot to protect the one I love the most.

I won't let it happen again.

"Are you still with me, Ayato?" Taro asks with worry.

"Yeah..."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The day goes on as usual. I ended up seeing Taeko and (Y/N) this time around, unlike last Friday.

I really have gotten sloppy with taking care of Taeko. I need to keep a watchful eye on her from now on.

It's lunchtime now, and I leave my class to go to the courtyard with Taro. As I walk out of my class, I see a boy with purple hair walk past me with a group of students following behind him.

"Darlings, you must quiet down. I know you all missed me, but I must go and eat now," he says to the group of students as he walks down the stairs.

That's him, huh?

He seems snobbish, but as long as he doesn't try to go after my Senpai, he'll be safe.

Hopefully, I can confess this Friday since Amao is out of the picture. I found out that after the incident, he moved schools. I doubt he'll have time to pursue Taeko at this point.

As I walk down the stairs, my phone vibrates. It has to be Info. When I reach the last steps of the stairs, I take out my phone and check it.

I was right. It's Info.

You need to know something.

What is it?

Kizano is your next rival.

Did I really just jinx myself? I thought he was too full of himself that he wouldn't have room for anyone else, but I guess I was wrong.

How did you find this out?

I'm just at the right places at the right time

I can't help but roll my eyes. How is she everywhere? I shut off my phone, but another vibrate stops me from putting it away.

Don't be quick now.

Why?

I have extra information.

Tell.

Kizano isn't just fixated on Taeko. He has a history of being someone who doesn't date for long. Taeko will just be a phase, but you need to be the one to make him realize that sooner than later.

An idea immediately pops up in my mind: Match making. I should match Kizano with someone else, but I have to get close to Kizano before I match-make him with someone.

I decide to follow Kizano around until he is alone. When he enters the drama club, most of his fans leave to go eat their lunch.

I walk into the club, and I see Kizano standing in front of a mini set, practicing his lines.

He notices me walk in and stops. His attention is all on me.

"Hello, darling! Did my marvelous acting bring you here? You can sit and watch. I am in need of an audience."

I accept his invention and sit down on one of the nearby chairs. Once I sit down, he starts to perform from the start.

I don't pay much attention to his performance, but instead, I'm planning on what to do after he stops. Should I just ask him straight away if he needs help, or should I build up his trust?

I see Kizano take a bow, and I take it as my que to start clapping.

"How did I do, darling?" He asks me as he goes to grab a bottle of water from a nearby table.

"I thought it was amazing, but what are you practicing for?"

"Since you decided to watch, I'll tell you, but you must not tell another soul, got it?"

I nod my head.

"I need you to use your voice, darling."

I want to roll my eyes, but I work against it. I respond with a small 'promise'.

"Good! The drama club is working on our own rendition of Alice in Wonderland! I'm taking the role of the Queen of Hearts, but in this case it would be the King of Hearts," Kizano lets out an airy chuckle, but his laugh slowly dies down, "but we are having a few troubles. We're having a hard time making the costumes. It would be rather nice to have someone who could help us."

"I could help," I tell him. Once the words leave my lips, I can see a smile spread on his face.

"Really, darling? That would be wonderful! I'll give you what you need, but I expect everything to be done quickly," he orders me.

I see Kizano put his water bottle down and go behind the set. When he is out of view, I can't help but let out a sigh. It's one made out of frustration, but I've come too far to give up.

Kizano comes back and gives me everything I need. He gives me a list of materials, sketches of how the final products should look like, and measurements for each of the costumes.

I give him a nod before walking out of the clubroom. After I leave, I'm left with a new dilemma. How am I going to do this? I don't know how to sew, so I need to find someone who can.

I wonder if that boy is still there?

I go over to the sewing room and slide open the door. Inside of the sewing room, I see a boy with messy brown hair located in the corner of the room.

I put everything down on a nearby table. I then go over to the boy and tap him on the shoulder.

He jumps at my touch and looks up towards me.

"Y-yes!?" He stutters out with a look of surprise on his face.

"I need your help," I tell him, "I'll help you with anything, but I need your help to sew."

"O-okay!"

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"These are just marvelous! You have outdone yourself, Aishi!" Kizano exclames as he looks at himself in the mirror, admiring his red cape and suit.

"Thank you," I tell him, accepting his compliment.

"I greatly owe you one, Aishi! How about I give you front row tickets to the play?" Kizano proposes to me.

The gears in my brain turn with intensity at the thought of sabotaging the play. I can't help but imagine the screams of horror coming from the audience as they see one of the stage lights fall atop of Kizano's body and crush him.

But I can't. I can't kill anybody until the time is right. I need to be passive if I want to have a chance with being with my Senpai.

"How about becoming friends?" I offer instead.

"Friends? I don't mind that as long as you can be a good one to me."

"And how can I be a good friend?"

"Well, you see," Kizano starts off, "Almost all the roles in the play are filled up, key word: almost. I still haven't been able to find the perfect Alice. No one who has auditioned is able to capture her presence. I hate to admit it, but I'm getting desperate. I don't care if it's a boy or girl, I just need the perfect Alice!"

Kizano goes on to tell me the requirements for someone to be considered Alice.

And I can't help but to think of a certain someone...

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"I need your help."

Taro looks up at me with a look of confusion on his face as he packs up his things.

"What is it, Ayato?"

"I need you to talk to (Y/N) for me."

"Why? Isn't he your friend?"

"We got into a fight, so we aren't on good terms."

Taro lets out a sigh, "Fine, what do you want me to tell him?"

"I talked with Kizano today, and he needs someone to play the main lead in his new play, and I think (Y/N) would be the best one for the role," I explain to Taro.

"You talked with Kizano? Well, I'll help you, but how do I do it?"

"Just tell him to go to the drama club tomorrow, I already told Kizano about it."

"Got it."

[casualaruanienjoyer]

hello!! i saw you are accepting scenarios and i would love if you did one for flojean :)

Hello! Than you for sending in a request! This one was a bit though, since I don't know Floch as well as other characters! I hope I nailed it for you!

Before Shiganshina

Well, this is certainly NOT what Jean thought he would be doing the night before the mission to retake Shiganshina.

He was going to have a shower and turn in early for the night. So then why is he now making out with Floch in his bed?

To understand that, we need to go back to earlier that night.

...

Jean steps out of the shower, panting. He prefers his showers hot, burning almost. Jean was one of those people. But this one was even warmer than usual. He'd been in there for god knows how long, thinking. Pondering. There was only one thing on his mind, and that was Floch Forster. That cocky new recruit who's been giving everyone trouble. And out of everyone he was giving -Jean- the most trouble.

He sighs, wiping the mirror to gaze at his own reflection. He's a mess, wet hair sticking to his forehead and cascading down his nape. He's recently started growing out his hair and it's currently in its awkward phase. His face is flushed and he can't quite understand his own expression.

Why on Earth was he thinking of Floch at a time like this? Sure, Jean knew that even though he liked girls like Mikasa, he also had a thing for guys. Anyone, for that matter. He's not confused about his attraction towards a guy, but why did it have to be -that- guy?!

To Jean, Floch came across as overly confident, determined and a bit intense, and Jean liked that, as much as he hates admitting it. There were moments where Floch flirted with him, but he chose to ignore in. This was not the time for flings. Jean had to be focused on his job 100%.

He sighs again, wrapping a towel around his middle as he opens the door to leave. The corps only had a limited amount of showers and everyone knew that Jean would take the longest. So when he finally leaves the room he almost bumps into Armin, who looks pretty fed up. "You done now?"

Jean mutters and apology and continues down the hall. Their room was at the end of the corridor, but before he could reach it-

"H-hey!"

He gets pulled into another room, then pressed against the door as it closed behind him. It's dimly lit in here, and there's nobody else but-

"Floch??" Jean hisses, hands pinned to either side of his head. Floch was extremely close to him, as close as Jean sometimes imagined he'd like him to be. His knee was pinned between Jean's legs to keep him in place.

"Hello Jean~" Floch smirks. "Are you happy to see me?". He's out of uniform, wearing a loose shirt and slightly baggy trousers. Jean sighs, closing his eyes in annoyance. Why now??

"Floch, I need to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow." But Jean's anxiety betrays him and his voice breaks in places.

"Ah but it's too early for that, no? It's only 8pm." He chuckles. "I thought we could have some fun before tomorrow, what do you think?"

"You cocky bastar-" but Jean stops when Floch lifts a finger to his lips. "Shh, we need to keep quiet, ok?"

This guy!! Who does he think he is??

"Let me go" he says, and Floch releases him. But Jean doesn't move. His fists clench so hard that Floch takes several steps back when he notices them.

"Oh? I thought you wanted to go to bed, Jean~" Floch smirks. "So, why are you just standing there?" His hands rest in his pockets.

"Shut up" Jean whispers.

"What was that?"

"I said shut the fuck up!" Jean repeats, louder, stepping towards Floch. "Do you like playing with me like this??" He looks around the room. "And where's everyone else, anyway??"

"Oh don't worry, I had everyone leave the room for a while. They were veerryy understanding of my request...wanting to spend an hour with you, alone. Who wouldn't, am I right?".

"YOU TOLD THEM WHAT??" Jean hisses, moving towards Floch, now mere inches apart. Floch flinches, fully expecting to be punched in the face.

That was indeed Jean's intention, so then why does he instead grab Floch by the collar of his shirt and pull him in a surprisingly gentle kiss.

A few seconds pass, and he pulls away. Floch has a shit eating grin on his face.

"Oh, Jean~ was I your first kiss? How sweet."

"Shut up." Jean commands, towering over Floch. His brows furrow and his words come out in a raspy, almost demanding voice.

"And lock the door. You have 30 minutes."

💜This fic is now on Ao3!

[edapparently]

I Need Help With This Story

Ok, so: Quickly, for those who need context, I've been coming up with story ideas based on the premise of my persona character and my OC Cabins (robot filing cabinet (don't question it)) exploring the galaxy and doing surveys of various planets And I came up with this new idea and I've revisted it a couple times and I can't get off the fence about how I feel about it No one really reads the stories I make anywhere I post them, which is fine, but I'm desperate for feedback on this one cause I'm not an experienced writer and I don't want this to be shit So here it is, the basic premise of the idea I had, please help me I am begging

Surrendered Destiny:

Cabins and Ed are assigned to survey Palvon II, a planet with a hostile and volcanic surface. So they must stay at a research station that stands over the planet like an oil rig. Whilst there, Ed encounters someone from his past that he is reluctant to talk about.

They begin the survey and discover a humanoid skull buried in the volcanic ash, they bring it back to study and it psychically links with Ed by blinding him with a flash of light from its eye sockets. Essentially stealing his sight. This triggers an army of alien skeletal warriors to emerge from the ground and begin attacking the station.

The researchers speculate that they are part of the planet's ancient mythology, of an undead King that feeds on people's anxieties and fears to fuel his army of evil and ultimately requires a sacrifice to continue his life by dawning the skull of a chosen one as his head.

The researchers believe Ed is the next chosen one, which he accepts. But Cabins won't stand for it and points out that it has no reason to target him. But he's corrected when Ed admits that the person from his past was involved in an incident years ago that left him with trauma and that the King could have used that. Ed wants to leave and save the others from going down with him, but Cabins demands they find a new idea.

It's too late, however, as the skeletal warriors break through their defences and take Ed down to the planet's surface during the chaos. Barely able to survive in the toxic atmosphere, Ed's last thoughts before passing out are of twisted calmness. He doesn't feel the panic or the fear anymore because he is about to die. "It's all going to be ok" he thinks "it's all going to be over soon..." before passing out.

The skeletal warriors suddenly freeze in their tracks, the dread and anxiety that was fuelling them now gone, they collapse into stray pieces of bone. Back into the ash.

When Ed wakes up, he's been dragged back into the station to safety and has regained his vision. Cabins says that he must have gotten over his fear to defeat the warriors and congratulates him. But Ed has to admit that all he did was accept death and was even comforted by the thought of it arriving. Cabins is obviously distressed by this and attempts to comfort him. But Ed still can't shake the feeling that he was supposed to die as the duo leave and wonders to himself if he'd ever truly considered how valuable his life actually is... Any feedback/critism, positive or negative, is welcome God knows I need it Any notes anyone can give are appreciated Thanks for reading my crap <3

[alexdelray1]

Taigen x Mizu

I'm making an AU (Alternative universe) because I have no idea for canon.

I hope you like it :)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Another day, another training session.

This is the life I've been living since I joined the karate club. For 7 years. There are only guys there, which makes it better for me.

I'm 17 now and it's getting a bit boring. I'm the best in the group and I win every fight. At first it was satisfying, but now it's just the norm.

-Taigen! Do you want to teach me this move that I still can't learn during today's class?- Riku ran up and asked me with a smile.

-Which one? - I asked, but Riku didn't answer because the Master called us.

-I have an announcement! - The Master said. Everyone quickly ran up and stood in line in front of him.

-Yes Sensei-sama! - Everyone shouted and bowed.

-Today we will have a new student. Don't worry. She knows a lot more than you and you will probably learn from her. - The Master said.

Wait! Her? A female??? No! A woman? She supposedly knows more than me? Maybe from them, but from me? Definitely not. Not from me.

-Everyone welcome Mizu. - The Master ordered and we stood up from the bow.

-Hello. - I heard a female voice. A girl our age came out from behind the door to our room. Black hair, quite tall, athletic and her blue slanted eyes. Oh. So half Japanese. It's not that rare now, but I've never really seen someone of a different race in person.

Mizu stood next to the Master with a more bored expression on her face.

-Mizu trained very hard. Although she's more of my help in teaching you. I haven't been in the best shape lately. I hope you'll learn a lot from her.- The Master said. And then I saw the black stripe on her. Surprise.

-Yes sensei-sama!- we shouted back.

-Now you have to practice your moves with each other. Mizu will watch over you. She can take you all down. I'm not joking.- The Master said and left the room. Mizu's gaze said it all.

Everyone started to line up in pairs. Every time they lost, they had to change partners. First, I fought Riku and won. The next people also lost to me. Mizu was looking at us at the same time. Let her see how I win.

-Taigen, how do you do it, bro? You win against anyone.- Kenji asked me and hung on my shoulder.

-Work and talent. You too will be able to do that someday.- I said with a proud smile.

-I bet you can knock this chick out. - Kaito announced. This caught everyone's attention. Even Mizu.

Fighting her will be easy. Maybe I can teach her some moves and she will admire me.

I approached Mizu with a slight smile.

-I challenge you to a duel Mizu. - I said loudly so everyone could hear. The girl first looked irritated that she could no longer look at others and exhaled with a slight smile.

-So be it. I accept the offer. - she replied.

We stood in the middle of the room opposite each other. Everyone was looking at us.

We bowed to each other and it began.

-Come on Taigen!-

-You got it Taigen!-

-Show us the honor of our club!-

To end this quickly and get to the 'Oh Taigen, you're so strong' part I dealt the first punch to her stomach.

…

…

…

Why am I on the floor?

-Oh my God! She knocked him down in a second!-

-How is that possible?!-

-You see Taigen. Master warned you.- said Mizu standing in front of me.

-Once again! I need a rematch!- I announced and stood up.

-No problem.- said Mizu.

We stood opposite each other again. We bowed.

Now I dealt her a punch with my leg to the side.

-AAAAAAAAHHHHH!- I screamed when Mizu took my leg and threw me on the mattress behind her.

-Oh shit.-

-How is that possible?-

-She's almost at the level of the master.-

-Hahahahahahahaha!- we heard male laughter at the door. It was the master!

-I knew that as soon as Taigen heard about someone stronger than him, he would have to fight. That's why I invited my best student here.- said the Master and approached us.

-Your student? But she was never with us, Master.- Kenji argued.

-Mizu is my adopted daughter who I've been teaching since the same moment as you, but Mizu is much more durable and stronger. Mizu was supposed to teach you to have more respect for women, not to judge by appearance, and to punch you in the balls.- explained the Master.

-Ohhh….- everyone exhaled.

TIME SKIP

For the rest of the lesson, we learned from Mizu and fought among ourselves.

-Mizu, I'll wait for you in the car. - The master said to Mizu. The girl mumbled okay while putting her things in her bag.

-Why are you looking at Mizu, Taigen? - Riku asked me.

-Nothing. - I replied with a blush and looked away from her.

-Maybe ask her out on a date until she runs away from you and to talk to her next time you'll have to get to the master's house. - Kenji said. I saw that Mizu had already left the building.

I ran and saw that she was about to open the car door.

-Mizu! - I shouted and ran to her.

-Hm? - she looked in my direction.

-Do you want to meet up and practice with me sometime? - I asked with a slight blush.

-Have my number. Call me when you want to practice. - she said with a slight smile and gave me a piece of paper. She got into the car and as it was about to drive away she winked at me.

-TAIGEN IS A SIMP! TAIGEN IS A SIMP!- the boys started shouting as they were leaving the building.

-IT'S NOTHING TO DO WITH SHE'S STRONGER THAN ME, YOU IDIOTS!- I shouted back.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I hope you liked it ;)

[nereidprinc3ss]

Hi!! First things first. Dybmn part 6 was a masterpiece. Fanfiction is a form of escapism for a lot of people, yes, myself included. It's part of what makes it so fun! But it can also promote a lot of unhealthy practices or unrealistic expectations. So, seeing that section about Spencer saying that he didn't want to promote associations with negative emotions and sex made me feel so warm and fuzzy. Healthy sexual conversations like that are so important, and I feel like we never really have them unless we have a, God forbid, negative experience and then have to figure out why we feel that way. And even though it is in no way your responsibility!!! It made my heart so so so so happy to see <3. Can't wait for pt. 7 <3

Secondly! If you're still accepting requests for undercover! Reader and Spence~ I love that video of MGG with kiss marks all over his face. So maybe they're sharing a hotel room on the last day of a case, a little restless, and decide to play a silly game of truth or dare, leading reader to cover his face with kisses in her new lipstick?

Whether or not you have time to or want to do my request, I hope you see the first part of my message and acknowledge how amazingly talented you are. And what a wonderful person you are in general. I also want to thank you for your reblogs of Palestinian families/children who need help. It literally brought tears to my eyes seeing you do so. Love you so so so so so so much. Be well <3 Be happy <3 Pace yourself <3

Xoxox- Gossip Girl

ahhh ily you are sooo kind!! i know i kind of backtracked all that with spencer breaking in to her apartment again lol but the point of it all still stands and I agree w spencer but for narrative reasons….. he is contradicting himself juusttt a little bit

as for the reblogs it is literally the least i could do, ik im just a fanfic writer lol but if i have any platform at all it would be a shame for me to not use it. i don’t expect that i’m going to save the world with my reblogs but it’s important to me and i don’t want anyone to be confused about where i stand.

thank you for your kindness!! XO

[confessionsofcalling]

I am troubled at the moment.

Someone who I love very much made the decision a year or so ago to be done with the church. They felt that is had caused them simply too much hurt and I am support them wholeheartedly. If our church was not the place they felt safe to worship, then it was not a place they should feel obligated to stay.

However, one of the major events that lead them to this decision, also hurt be tremendously. What was done to them was also done to me. And so I struggle talking about it because inevitably the conversation can be one-sided. We are different people at different stages and with lots of different experiences before this event, and so of course we are going to react differently. That doesn't mean one of us wrong, and certainly does not mean there is less love between us.

However, what troubles me is that when the conversation moves towards problems in the church, problems I talk about a lot, write about in academic settings and want to change - my integrity, however indirectly is called into question.

I truly love and respect anyone who feels like they cannot fight for a better church will still attending a church.

But I also love and respect people who for a while host of reason cannot or won't leave their churches and instead work to create positive change from within.

Both have merit, both have yeilded important shifts in church culture and Christian thinking.

But in all this, when I'm feeling invalidated in my experience, desiring for the many nuances of this situation to be acknowledged, I can't help thinking about the woman caught in adultary.

When the religious elites and others were quick to condemn the woman, Jesus wanted to help her and heal her. He said to the people "you who is whout sin cast the first stone" and no one could. They left with heavy questions on their hearts. And jesus, the only one qualified to throw a stone, do not. He called the woman out of her sin and into new life.

I feel so strongly that we as people struggling with the church can be seen on both sides of this story. Often, we are fighting for safety and acceptance in church and are met with the powerful casting their stones. Other times, we are casting stones at those we feel aren't up to scratch, aren't as righteous about a cause as we are, without knowing Thier full story, without being able to see the grey area, without being about to see mercy, love and forgiveness even for those we disagree with.

The church has a long and dark history. And churches today still uphold negative power structures and harbour spaces for abuse. We must do better. But I can't help but ponder how we do that better. How we stand up for wronged and oppressed without abandoning eachother in the process.

There are no easy answers and I am only one woman in a sea of many Christians grappling with Thier position in church as marginalised people. But the church can't be irredeemable. No one is beyond redemption because of Jesus ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

Between me and my loved one, there might not be a way to reconcile our different feelings about how we have been treated. But we love eachother all the same, and when we come to a disagreement, I pray we can work through it, because we have that foundation of love.

I pray too that our churches, might face up to their wrongs, and build better foundations on God's unfailing love, that we might learn to hold different things in common, while promoting a better culture of safety. Difficult changes may need to take shape. But I hope we will take Jesus teachings seriously, and not fall into the dangerous cycle of us Vs. them, that so often halts major cultural change.

[countlessrealities]

Truth Serum + Evil Morty, what are your plans for the Citadel now that you've teamed up with your counterpart? Do you still plan on going back to your original plan?

Truth Serum Time || Accepting !

Much to Morty's dismay, he is forced to admit, at least in the privacy of his mind, that the question is harder to answer than he would like for it to be. Once upon a time, before he was elected and during the first period of his presidency, the answer would have been obvious.

A sound "yes", spoken in an unwavering tone. It was what he had been dreaming about for as long as he has memory. Freedom, the chance to be more than just a stupid kid or a tool. The chance to prove his worth and to open all the doors he could reach, without anyone standing in his way.

He had always craved to be free, to be something without being part of someone else's life, to dictate his own fate. He had always thought that this couldn't be achieved inside the Curve, that the only way was the one that led out of it.

Now...things have changed. Not just because he has discovered new ways to get what he had though impossible in that corner of the multiverse, but because of the two people who have so unexpectedly become part of his life.

"I..."

His first instinct is to lie. To say that nothing has changed. Not his goals, not his plans, not his feelings. And yet, for some weird reason, he finds that he can't stop the too truthful words that fall from his lips against his will.

"It would depend on what other me wants," is what he ends up saying, which, in itself, is a bigger admission than he can afford. "We haven't talked about it. That's the unspoken deal, to carry on our shared plans and leave together, but...Being President of this glorious monument to Rick's ego hasn't turned out to be what I was expecting."

He likes being president. He likes the power, the respect, the obedience, the loyalty he gets. He also likes what he can do with all that, how he can be the one to reshape what once was just a creation to make a god out of the crazy, pompous bastard who has poisoned his life.

This is no longer the Citadel of Ricks, this is his Citadel. Or, more precisely, it could be. He just needs to want it.

"I've always lived with some rules, believing certain things. Meeting other me, discussing plans and strategies with him, getting truly involved in this project that should have been just a facade...It showed me that, maybe, my beliefs weren't fully corrected or properly founded."

He has met his counterpart's second-in-command, a Rick who is anything but what a Rick should be, especially when it comes to Mortys. Ricks don't care about Mortys. Then why is there one of them, standing by his other self's side, proving him that the opposite is possible?

And then there is his own second-in-command. The Rick who has started it all, turning him into what he is today. Torturing him, damning him, breaking him beyond repair. The same who has been the one thing Morty has wanted to be rid of forever, the same who has been the one thing he hadn't realised he couldn't be whole without. The man who had once rip everything from him, consumed him till there was nothing left, and who is now bowing to his will and whms, eagerly and freely.

Proving him wrong about everything he has been led to believe during their previous coexistence.

"Let's say that I want to see just how far I can go, how much I can achieve and change before the moment to pick the true ending comes. I still have the intention to go through with my original plans, but...perhaps my decision isn't as set in stone has it had been."

And that's already a much bigger admission that he would normally allow himself to make.

"But, at the same time, I want us to be together in our decision. Other me and I. We're one and the same, we should share the same ending. It wouldn't feel right in any other way."

{ @mcltiples (Evil Morty) - mentioned }[[

[fcb-mv33]

daniel stans: max B-A-D! needs daniel to repair his PR image and make him likable.

daniel stans: lando B-A-D! -insert conspiracy theory of your choice about how he's talentless and only outperformed daniel due to favoritism-

daniel stans: oscar B-A-D! hope he flops for sealing my amazing, talented baby waby's seat!

then there's me, hoping he just decides to retire and get into commentating or something because he can't even go to a team as a 3rd driver without his stans spreading toxicity everywhere he goes.

and frankly, I'm just going to say it: i know other max fans get frustrated at the way checo fans talk about max. trust me, i don't like it either. but as someone who supports both red bull and mclaren, trust me when i say daniel's fans would be much worse.

lots of dts converts who legitimately believe daniel was better than max and had to leave red bull because they were needlessly favoring max (basically the same shit you hear about lando and mclaren), lots of people who genuinely believe every other driver is evil and needs goofy daniel to teach them how to be good/fun people, lots of people who were literally willing to put their entire fucking moral code aside and harass the social media admin of a mental health charity because "oh my god, you allow mclaren to promote your charity when they just fired my fav multimillionaire driver? you're absolutely useless!!!" also like, checo fans will make shit conspiracy theories about max needing favoritism to win or beat his teammate or whatever, but Dan stans take conspiracy theories to a whole new level. most of the shit you've seen about how lando got into f1? completely inaccurate, started by a salty dan stan who couldn't accept him being outperformed.

like I do think, especially if the frontrunners are closer and checo doesn't improve his performance, red bull should look into replacing him, but trust me - replacing him with daniel would do NOTHING for the toxic teammate (remember, he left because he couldn't accept being 2nd driver to begin with) or the toxic fan dynamic the team is already dealing with.

You really just dropped the best anon I’ve gotten and dipped oh my god😭😭

But I agree with all of this. The amount of people who are saying how Daniel being back is going help Max for his image and show him how to be fun again is literally a joke. If people watched red bull content over Sky Sports they would see that Max is literally so fun, so nice and so chill when he’s around people he is comfortable with. The Lando and Oscar thing I agree with too, neither have done anything wrong at all. Oscar got a seat he deserved and Lando was racing which is what he is there to do yes McLaren fucked up calls for Daniel but that isn’t Lando’s fault and the amount of people wishing Oscar the worst season ever are just fucking annoying and constantly commenting under his posts are fucking weird.

I don’t mind Dan being here for PR honestly I don’t overly car but I wouldn’t want him in the car cause of his fans who have in all honestly turned me off him. They shit on Max, Christian and red bull so much, saying how now they have to support them, I’ve seen some people saying how they want Max or Checo to get sick but Dan left he did that. Like look I’m glad he’s happy and he’s content with his decision but he isn’t the driver, he is there to drag in the views but I’ve already seen people commenting under Max posts “give us Daniel” and all that shit and honestly the thought of just reading all of it is annoying. There was an article about how Max wants to do his own sim time and people were jumping to abuse him cause they interpreted it as him not wanting Daniel to do it…like tf.

The thing with DTS did really annoy me cause Daniel must have known that Max was being unfairly treated but he was getting the best coverage cause he was portrayed as the fun, happy driver and anyone who upset him deserved to be abused. At least Max stands up for the others who got fucked over as well, he doesn’t ignore it. Like he is a grown ass man who has not preformed and as you said the social media admin got abused for literally nothing and it will always be funny for me to see them and other talking about mental health when they abuse Lando and Oscar and every turn.

I think he should have never left Renault and he fucked up and now he’s back because he didn’t want the Haas seat cause he doesn’t want to be at the back but he also doesn’t want to be second to Max??? Like right now he isn’t a first driver personally I think for a top team. If Checo got dumped then I’d prefer to see an actual red bull youngest take it tbh. Daniel coming back into this team is for PR and that’s all I can see it being, I can’t see him being a number 1 in a top team and I can’t see him being number 2 with Max unless he drops the ego

[thebeginnersguide-mkg]

"Thank you, Azalea."

"Indeed. It is time to give up the ghost."

"You came to me as a lover, and I came to you as an executioner, my sun. And you did not know until the end. But… gods, I am sorry that we did not find each other in a kinder universe. One where I did not kill you, or Meena, or…"

"I do not anticipate apologies with words will mean anything. You all deserved better, and you will get your just deserts. To Zach's point - allow me to speak on that."

"My purpose is not to change the order of nature - no, I will rebalance it."

"I can rebalance it. When I claim the Heart, I can give Mother Nature the voice she never had. Across the entire multiverse. I do not exactly know how that will manifest until I claim the Heart, but my wish… my deepest desire is to become Enough to stop anyone’s planet - anyone's - from experiencing the world ending as mine did. Too soon."

"Then, I will send you all home."

"Dear friend - hold my hand?"

It's all over. Balance is restored. It's time to go home.

And with your friends in tow.

We're at the end of the road. A road of many that took you here. A road that now stands out, strongly gazing into beautiful, infinite space. With unlimited horizons in front of you. It's been a long and confusing journey that's taken you here.

But, to state that as if it were some grand realization would be as useless as to ignore the odds you've overcome, to really make it to something that can be called, the end.

To learn, is to grow. To live. Perhaps, the real beginner's guide really is the friends you made along the way. To survive, to live, you need other people. And as hard as it can be to understand in the darkest moments, you need struggle, as well. Conflict can push you to be better, but it can push you too far too many times, as well. But here, as you stand no longer alone, whoever you are, you know that any direction you now choose to go…can be forward.

There's been death here, and life as well. You've lost, and you've found. You've learned more about yourself than you could ever have possibly hoped, or feared. And you've been given new viewpoints. You've had to accept, easy or not, how large the worlds truly are.

At the end of the day, perhaps there is no good, or bad. Perhaps, there's no use in labels, when real crimes, and real acts of heroism, do exist. But even going that far, the only things that are truly real are actions, and the judgments you make of them.

There are things in the multiverse you've never considered, and never thought real. Reality is just a state of mind, and a matter of opinion, of course. You've learned in your time here. You're a beginner, no more.

You've learned that you have to protect those you care about, no matter what.

You've learned not to let your past stop you.

You've learned to embrace who you were, all along.

You've learned to stay bright.

You've learned that even what is lost, can be restored.

You've learned you can't stop searching for the truth.

You've learned that who you are, can be fluid, and you'll figure out who it is eventually.

You've learned you're not the only you, and that's okay.

You've learned you're not the only you, and there's nothing wrong with that.

You've learned everyone can have a purpose.

You've learned that the world is much bigger than you saw, and wider as well.

You've learned it's okay to let people in.

You've learned sometimes, you just have to be yourself, even if people don't get it.

You've learned that others can accept the dark isn't so scary, too.

You've learned you can always come back.

You've learned never to judge too harshly, but to not stop yourself from believing in what you know to be true.

You've learned to trust your instincts, sometimes, above all else.

You've learned that a curious mind is rewarded.

You've learned to let the love of a friend never fade in your mind.

You've learned that there's always someone new who can understand.

You've learned that you're not alone.

You're here, now. At the end of it all. As Game Master sits in her wagon at Xertz's side, and Puzzle Master flits around the scene offering his own last goodbyes, you look into the shining sky in front of you once more, and perhaps wonder what the purpose of this all way. Did so many really have to die, just to learn a lesson? Was there another way this could have gone? Was there a point, to all this? Is there a point to anything, going forward? Was there ever a point, in the past?

There are many questions you can ask, but you don't have to ask what's next, for you know that, right now. You get to go home, or somewhere else. You get to explore, and you get to live, if you wish. You'll get to see new spaces, now. New places, and new faces. You get to make your own future, and experience things you could only have once barely dreamed of.

You look around at these familiar faces, knowing some you'll see again, and some you'll never cross paths with once more. But, what's the most important, is that you know you have the choice on what you want to do next. With the tech they've promised you, you can see any of each other once more, whenever you'd like. But you know, as life knows itself, some of it you see, and some of it you pass. But you know, truly, that those you wish to see again, you won't have to be apart from.

Now, truly, you can go anywhere. You can go, and travel, and see, and live.

You can see what the world truly has to offer, and you can see parts of yours you've never gotten the chance to, as well.

You've got family at home, most likely. And you've likely had family you haven't seen in eons, either.

They have much to learn, as well. Will you tell them what you've been through? Will you return simply to the way things once were, and let this all fade as a dream?

You can decide that.

And you can teach, as well. Now, your life is forever changed. For better, or for worse. There's a whole universe outside for you to understand now.

When you eventually return home, if you choose to do so, you'll get to rest. And you'll get to sleep. But when you wake up, you'll still be you. And you'll have all the time in the world.

You can do whatever you wish, now.

You don't need a guide anymore.

You are truly free.

The universe may be cold and unforgiving.

But you're not.

MM reveal by Charlie and Knightly Escape by Knightly Ending by Star, Knightly, and Charlie

[griefpersevering]

the ripples they cause

Read on AO3 🕷 Playlist 🕷 Buy me a cup of tea ☕

Chapter Twenty-Two: Drive It Like You Stole It

Notes:

Hello everyone!! Three things about this chapter - it's longer than the other ones (by a lot), it's the reason why I've added the graphic depictions of violence warning, and it's from Kate's POV! You can find more information and detailed warnings in the chapter notes :D

Sneak peek:

Kate and Yelena arrive to the VIGILante late.

In her defense, Lucky's more to blame than Kate. Unfortunately, Yelena refuses to accept the excuse of 'my dog threw up on my bed because I fed him a spicy pizza by accident'.

The fact Kate cleaned all that up in fifteen minutes is a miracle.

Times Square is always busy, especially at night, but the crowd that has gathered there tonight is huge. The screens illuminate the hundreds of people in a haze of neon colours, and Kate catches sight of a few famous faces among them.

Several vigilantes have gathered at the top of the red steps, watching over the civilians who are there to support them. Parked at the bottom of the stairs is a carpenter's table, which has a large poster advertising badges dangling from the front.

"So many people care about this Spider-Man," Yelena says, surveying the area.

"He seemed nice when we met him," Kate replies. "But it's not just about him — it's about all of us."

Both of them are wearing their superhero outfits, but neither brought their weapons. (Or, at least, Yelena said she didn't. She probably lied.) The police are loitering around the edges of the gathering, waiting to swoop in and arrest anyone who risks getting too rowdy.

"Do you think anyone will recognise us?" Kate asks.

Yelena raises an eyebrow. "I doubt it."

"I want to see if they have a badge for us," she insists, grabbing Yelena's wrist and tugging her through the crowd. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"We're supposed to be here all night. There's no need to rush."

The table is manned by a very stressed out teenage boy. He runs a hand through his slicked back hair as his previous customer walks away with their goodies, but a woman steps up to buy a badge before Kate reaches him.

The woman shakes her head, her short curly hair bouncing with the movement. "I can't believe I'm doing this. Do you have any Punisher pins?"

"Yep," the boy says. "They're all five dollars."

"That's steep."

He rolls his eyes. "All the proceeds go to charity," he says, in a rehearsed tone that suggests this isn't the first time he's had this conversation.

"Fine." She pulls out her wallet and hands the money over, and he passes a badge with a skull on it back to her.

"Madani, I didn't know you cared," a man says, strolling up to her. Kate does a double take when she recognises him, but the two disappear into the crowd before she can approach them.

"Was that the Punisher?" she asks, stunned.

"There's a ton of vigilantes here. Even Pepper Potts showed up," the kid behind the stall says, pointing to a group of three standing across the square. She isn't here alone; her daughter is holding onto the hem of her coat, and the man accused of stealing the Stark Technology is by her side.

"I told you we wouldn't be the only superheroes here, Kate Bishop," Yelena says.

"Oh my God!" the guy says. "I thought I recognised you guys! You're the new Hawkeye and Black Widow, aren't you? I'm Flash, it's so cool to meet you guys."

"Always nice to meet a fan," Kate says, elbowing Yelena. "Do you have any badges of us, by any chance?"

He points to two pots of buttons next to each other. "We have these generic Hawkeye and Black Widow ones."

Kate picks up one with a purple bow and arrow on. "We'll take one of each."

"You're paying for both," Yelena says.

"I always do," Kate sighs, handing Flash the money.

She attaches her own badge to her shirt before leaning over to pin Yelena's to her lapel. Yelena stares down at it for a moment, an unreadable look on her face, before running her thumb over the red hourglass.

"This is cheap plastic," she complains, but there's no venom in her tone.

Continue reading on AO3!

[leaveharmony]

Need to get some thoughts down, Veilguard endgame spoiler-heavy musing courtesy cut because this is a stupid website that shoves things in tags if you just use a proper name in the text.

Preface: I actually don't hate it. I don't hate how they did it, anyway, I hate that they did it at all, but I cannot deny the efficacy of the emotional gut-punch, which left me flat out sobbing all the way through the endgame and ready to go full humpty dumpty on that fucking egg, but also, perversely, reluctant to.

My problem, and why I'm concluding that the council made a stupid decision I'm free to disregard, is that it really only works once. Once you Know, or think about it at all, it kind of comes to pieces.

Solas put the whammy on Rook, right. She doesn't and cannot know that Varric is dead, ok, fine, accepted. Fade fuckery, lil blood magic, god of lies (depending on the story).

(One of) the issue(s) is that every fucking body else does know he's dead. Neve and Harding watched him die, same as Rook did; I honestly cannot remember if in the Reveal flashback Neve was still dragging the body or just staggering behind without it, but undeniably, they both knew Varric was dead the whole time.

Why the fuck didn't anyone else?????

Harding canonically still writes "Charter" the Inquisition spymaster and several of the other members. But Tir'Shae (Lavellan) made no acknowledgement whatsoever about his friend's death. Dorian (in this case Tir'Shae's husband of a decade because if nothing else, team Pavellan stays winning) doesn't act like he's lost a friend, and they still have the sending crystals, so if Shae knew, he would as well. Maevaris, one of Varric's actual family members, refers to him in the present tense and is not visibly or verbally concerned or in mourning, in spite of the fact that she's standing across the room from Dorian, who would know because Lavellan did because Charter did because Harding did. Morrigan doesn't acknowledge it either.

Nobody asks where Varric is or what happened to him or why Rook's suddenly heading up the team; obviously this is because if they did the entire fuckery Solas pulled would unravel.

"Where is Varric, anyway?"

"Oh, he got a little banged up at the ritual site but he's hanging in there, he'll be right as rain in no time!"

Cue Neve and Harding, exchanging concerned glances in the background because their leader is apparently just...either telling a bald faced lie for no apparent reason or actively suffering some kind of delusion. Which would be worrying! Because they know Solas is in her head (sort of)! There would be a follow up discussion! Neve wouldn't be the sort of person who would balk at delivering sad news if she thought it was necessary. But if this discussion happened...Rook just doesn't remember that either? Or Rook is hallucinating half the conversations she has with Shae and Dorian and Mae and Morrigan and ...basically everybody she meets who knew Varric?

It has to be one or the other, either Solas scrambled her brains so hard she can't even notice other people actively talking about Varric being dead, which would be extremely concerning to the rest of the team (who routinely walk in and find her talking to an empty infirmary bed, remember), or literally nobody else saw fit to notify any of the relevant parties RE oh yeah PS Varric murdered, details later. Nobody tells his family, his friends, his business partners, Bianca is never waiting outside an eluvian to put your head on a spike (which she absolutely would have been if she knew). Hawke?? Who's Hawke, never heard of her. Acting viscount Aveline is now viscount Aveline but hell, she doesn't need to know that.

And what the fuck happened to his body???? Again, cannot remember if they hauled him along in the reveal flashback but like...we don't have a service, we don't have a funeral, we don't have a grave. If they went back to the ritual site and found he'd been eaten by darkspawn or something wouldn't that have been a hell of a lot more upsetting for Harding than it seemed to be? If they did bring him along, where is he? Is Rook talking to a corpse the whole time in the infirmary? Does nobody wonder why they go in there and Rook's like...left a bunch of orange slices haphazardly dropped on the bed and the floor and the body because she thought they were sharing one? Did they cremate him? Where? When? If they held a funeral why doesn't anyone else know about it? We had time to start a book club but not time to pop by a chantry?

Why isn't anyone checking on Rook? Like I get that everybody is going through it and she's Team Leader but wouldn't that make it even more imperative to make sure she wasn't, I don't know, suffering massive brain damage or being puppeted from the fade by the idiot who put them in this situation? Neve's hard as nails, sure, but she's also quietly a softy, she'd at least wonder how Rook was coping. Harding would. Harding should be more upset as well! Lucanis is an all-time put-others-first-to-shove-away-his-own-emotions champion, sure he never knew Varric, but like...he'd know Rook lost someone. Emmrich would talk about it. Bellara would relate to it! These are not hard-hearted people, and it would be...like it's not only bizarre they don't seem to care if Rook is coping or in denial or actually losing her mind but it would be actively detrimental to the team's efforts if she was.

Like Lucanis completely bottling his own grief and his own trauma to avoid being a ~burden~ is concerning enough that Rook brings it up with him, you're telling me he wouldn't reciprocate that? The guy who's worried Neve doesn't eat enough fresh fruit wouldn't think that maybe Rook's cheerful steadfastness and her lengthy, chatty visits to an empty infirmary might be related? Taash has the whole line about Mythal dying before Solas could tell her some things and it fucked him up, but they can't twig to the fact that Rook would be suffering the same way and just...doesn't seem to be at all?

It just doesn't add up. And I don't feel like Varric dying was necessary enough that I have to do the work that would make it make sense.

So idk... if you can't beat 'em join 'em; I'm with Rook. It was a non-fatal wound and he's recovering upstairs. He's in his jimjams, he's working his way through what appears to be the Dread Wolf's collection of terrible romance quarterlies. My concession is he'll walk with a cane now. That would be pretty hot. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Removing All The Unbelief

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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

+ John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die.’”

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

VERSE OF THE DAY 

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

+Luke 8:49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

‭‭=========================

** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM BELIEVING IN GOD

I AM NOT BOTHERED BY THE TRICKS OF THE ENEMY

I AM STRONG

I AM WAITING

********************************

THOUGHTS:

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

  It's sometimes hard to deal with bad news; honestly, I remember the last time I had terrible news; it seemed as if everything had frozen, and my ears seemed to have stopped listening. I was so frozen in time, it seemed. The more the person spoke, it seemed like my body had gone rock hard, and no matter how hard I tried to listen, I couldn’t hear, and the hair on the back of my neck just stood up; bad news is tough to deal with, and it's no right or wrong way to accept it or to hear it.

All we can do is when we get bad news is depend on Jesus to help us separate what we need to hear, and to be honest it seems like prayer even drifts from us when we are in this state, because that what the enemy wants us to do, but we must draw closer to Jesus during times like this.

  Today’s verse is about a man named Jarius. He had a daughter, and he had come to Jesus to seek healing from of his daughter; he pleaded with Jesus to come home with him, and he said my daughter is 12 years old and was dying Jesus didn't say anything; he followed him out of the door towards his home on the way there he kept getting stopped,and one of the situations that stopped him was a lady that was bleeding she believed if she could just touch Jesus, she would be made whole, When we BELIVE this is one way we show our love for him when we trust in him . and both these people trusted in Jesus for what they needed from him. 

  Verse 50: "But when Jesus heard what had happened, he told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.”

    Jesus knew that when Jaruis was told his daughter was dead, his faith might be become wavy, but we have to stand on the lord; we have to stand on that he will heal and touch and bring forth everything we need,  so Jesus continued to his home, Jesus will keep going and moving in our life as long as we trust the process, imagine if Jaruis truly relied on the synagogue leader that said your daughter is dead he would’ve missed out on his blessing believing in man.

Jesus pressed on even when Lazarus died he pressed on he told them to removed the stone. They did, and he commanded him to come out; Jesus is asking us today to come from amongst the ones who are doubting him because when we are around other people who doubt, we start to doubt because the spirit of doubt and unbelief moves fast from one person to another person just like confusion. 

  Verse 51  When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the little girl’s father and mother. 52 The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but he said, “Stop the weeping! She isn’t dead; she’s only asleep."

   See, this confirmed what the holy spirit just said: he wanted the people who were weeping out of their homes; he wanted those who were full of doubt out of their homes. When you are around people who are filled with disbelief, they will have you second guessing God, and we can't second guess God; we must stand . Jesus told them what they couldnt see , Jesus is speaking to us today he’s saying you’re successful , you’re filled with joy , you’re free from this or that but we must accept it ,Do you accept what Jesus is saying to you ? 

  Mark 5:40 But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.

Jesus looked at the crowd and told them to leave he went to the child and and told her to get up , we are allowing the enemy to beat us down with his words ,we are allowing the enemy to take over situations that he shouldn’t be in at all ,because we allowed him to speak in our ears thats why we must be careful of who we speak to and who we let say words to us .

*** Today remember words have attachments and if we aren’t careful those words can cause us to have unbelief that we can’t shake. Don’t allow what people speak to control you mentally speak against the schemes and traps of the enemy. God wants us to be prepared for any and everything the enemy tries to do to us . Don’t allow the enemy to trick you with his words stand strong in Gods words and DON’T ignore Him, and stay strong in the lord ! ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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

PRAYER

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

Heavenly Father we thank you for today ! We ask that you forgive us of our sins , we want to start off by thanking you or allowing us to hear the word and dwell in your presence. Lord we want to humble ours and submit to you . We want to be more like you , lord help us to not lose our trust in you because of what we see , lord help us to stand firm in you , lord a lot of times we allow situations and people to fluctuate our belief in you and what you can do in your life we ask you to help us be strong we ask you to help us to stay firm and unmovable and you, Lord, we thank you in Jesus mighty name amen

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

REFERENCES 

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

+ John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me

+ Luke 8:50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well

+Genesis 15:6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

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

FURTHER READINGS 

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

Deuteronomy 4:1-49

Luke 6:39-7:10

Psalm 68:1-18

Proverbs 11:28

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

[n1k1tty]

kiss me ! part 1

jake was definitely head over heals for your cold personality, and he wasn't going to let anyone take you. but heres the problem: he couldn't find a single way to keep a conversation with you. despite your scary demeanour, jake decides to man up and does everything out of his will to get you.

fluff, jake x reader, (not proofread)

jake was frustrated to know that many guys have been after you the second you stepped in that classroom doing the bare minimum.

hearing ‘wanna grab lunch with me?’ here and there somehow always made him ball his fist to prevent himself from being a problem. yet again he couldn’t blame other people for wanting to ask you out either. he even sometimes wished that you had rejected him so he could move on. although of course he didn’t really mean that.

because now he was wandering around the school looking for you while he was on a “bathroom break” during his soccer practice. he knew you always liked to stay at the school rooftops admiring the view while listening to music. not like he was stalking you or anything...

you turn your head to look at the person at the door "you again? when are you going to leave me alone? pervert" you scoff, kicking the little pieces of rocks as you avoid jakes eyes. it was almost the millionth time you've seen jake this day, and it was always for the same reason, to piss you off, well more like ask you out --which still pisses you off.

you weren't one to believe in love, or maybe just not yet. because you weren't even sure if you were capable enough to love someone. even the thought of having to be so sweet and touchy with each other grossed you out, and of all people, jake especially knew that. so why was he so determined to get you to fall in love with him?

you weren't one to believe in love, or maybe just not yet. because you weren't even sure if you were capable enough to love someone. even the thought of having to be so sweet and touchy with each other grossed you out, and of all people, jake especially knew that. so why was he so determined to get you to fall in love with him?

"hmmm maybe never?" jake chuckles at the sight of you rolling your eyes "then i'll move schools --countries if that's what takes for you to leave me alone" as you turn around and face him, eyes widened at the thin space between the both of you "and maybe i'll find you"

you raise your eyebrows "well that's borderline criminal act" you wander off "now sim jaeyun i think it's best for you to leave before you add up to my anger --i mean you already are. but wouldn't that be horrible?" jake's eyes follow you as you drag your feet "not really" he states "you're hot when you're mad"

you scoff out of disbelief, hitting him hard on his arm, looking away almost immediately as you trying to hide your heated face "shut up before i'll push you off this building" letting go of the grip you once had on his collar, "alright, alright sorry ma'am. but if you're really mad for whatever reason, come with me. i'll take you to a place" he suggests, offering his hand for you to take "you should be happy. i normally wouldn't even consider letting anyone know about my spot" he shoots you a grin

you take time trying to consider his offer, but as much as you don't want to stroke his ego about convincing you to go with him, you really needed something to release your anger "as long as you shut up about this" you give him a side glance "no promises" he sends a wink your way "ugh, fine"

he gently takes your hand as he drags you out of the school "can you jump over the wall?" jake looks at your flustered face "....no..?" you answer, making a line with your lips, causing him to let out a small chuckle "okay cutie, i'll help you up" you cringe at the nickname "call me that again and i'll break your neck" you step on his knee as he tries to boost you up "yeah that's right, keep going"

but as jake looks up he couldn't help but feel flustered, looking away "i made it!" you pant, hands resting on your knees as you wait for jake to come up as well. but after a few seconds of not hearing him, you call out his name, peaking your head over the wall "jake? i swear to god if you leave me out here i'm killing you"

"n-no i didn't leave you" he stutters, trying to collect himself from being a flustered mess "then come up here! the sun is setting, you wouldn't want to miss it"

"y-yeah it's just that i uh, i saw.....your....you know?" he explains, his hands not knowing what to do "you saw my what!?" you shrieked "no no it's okay i looked away!" he reassures you "ugh, just- just come up here!" you yell, already walking ahead as you try to cool down your heating face "so pink aye?" jake jokes, catching up to you

"SIM JAEYUN!" you yell, kicking him on his ass "ow! okay sorry!"

jake was resting his head on his hands, watching as you play with the small puddle while watching the sunset, not even an hour in, jake panics as he sees the amount of missed calls from riki "oh shit! my soccer practice!"

--

the following days after that, almost everything remained the same, jake continuously teasing and flirting with you, you getting in trouble for the littlest things, never coming home until the latest of the hour. but yet again, almost everything remained the same

you were now in denial of your feelings towards sim jaeyun. it would hurt too much of your pride to actually admit it, because after all, you've always told sim jaeyun you hated him.

you groan "jake, there's a reason why i'm failing english, okay? just accept the fact that i'm the worst" you bury your head on the pages of your book, seated across jake at the back of the library "i didn't even ask for you to help me! i simply just asked for your notes that just happened to have a first grader's hand writing" he scoffs, a little taken back by your sudden insult on his hand writing "thanks? i know you didn't ask for help, i just wanted to do this with you so that you don't get detention for not knowing proper english" he explains, handing you another sheet of paper with an 54 circled on the right corner "seriously y/n? 54? come on, one last set of questions and i'll take you to the new cafe just across the street"

and almost immediately, you bring your head up, grabbing the pen and taking the set of questions. making jake giggle "y/n, just say that you like me, you know i'm not going to reject you-- ow!" you smack him on the head with the pencil "that's absolute nonsense!" you whisper with a harsh voice, digging your face on the note book as you try to cover the little smile you had on your face

i think it was safe to say you got 4 out of 10 right, causing you to almost have a mental breakdown at the library "i can't do this sim" you groan "i think you just need a break yeah? wanna head to the cafe?" jake stands up to pack your stuff, giggling at the sight of your head still buried in between the pages of the book "c'mon y/n" he kneels beside you "get up, let's go to that cafe"

you've never felt your pride hurt as much as this did, having to show jake how bad your were at english, him having to tutor you without you asking for help, and jake bringing you to the cafe even though you weren't even remotely close to getting at least 6 right

and you weren't exaggerating when when you say jake had to drag you all the way to the cafe "hi! what can i get for you today sir?" the girl says, the obvious heart eyes she has for him pissing you off even more "hi yeah i'd like to have a caramel machiatto" he responds politely, smiling at the obvious glare you held at the girl, poking out your tongue after she was called by the manager, an old lady replaces her "anything else for your girlfriend--" before you could correct her, jake immediately speaks up "she'll have (drink)"

he smiles at the old lady before paying "i'm sending you money later whether you like it or not" you roll your eyes "and i'll send it back" he holds your waist as he leads you to a table, causing your heart to beat 10 times faster "yeah? well i'll send it back to you again! i'll keep doing it until you die!" he scoffs at you "as if!"

--

even after multiple attempts of trying to make jake ask you out, the boy who you thought was so smart couldn't take a single hint at all.

but in jake's defence, you were a little bad, considering how bad you were with boys, he vividly remembers that one time when you were trying so hard to make him jealous by talking to other guys. he even laughed as you struggled to keep up with a conversation.

or that other time when you tried to hold his hand just to do something romantic just for once but ended up letting go because he wouldn't stop teasing you about it. he still took your hand, yet he never asked you out still.

"you okay darling?" your mother asks, taking a quick glance at your droopy form leaning on the counter as you wait for her to finish cooking "is it a boy?" she teases, making you perk your head up "i knew it!" she gives you an endearing smile as she gives you a plate with eggs on it, a heart shaped ketchup placed on the top of the egg "mom!" you whine

"okay fine, it is a boy. but don't tell dad" you whisper, smiling once she zips her lips "what's his name?" she asked, tilting her head as she leans on the counter in front of you "jake"

"jake?! i love jake! you should invite him over sometime" she squeals "he's a nice guy, i'm sure he wouldn't hurt you, so what's bothering you?" you sigh, taking a sip of the water "he likes me, it's like the whole world knows. but he just keeps on flirting with me and never actually tries to ask me out" you pout, aggressively taking a bit of the scrambled eggs, making your mother chuckle "oh baby, i'm sure it'll happen soon. just give him some time! unless if you're that impatient, then maybe you should try considering to be the one who makes the first move" she walks away, heading upstairs

no, as much as you hate it, that would hurt too much of your pride. so you decided to wait.

--

summer just had started and you couldn't even explain how much you hated the heat. staying under the shade 70% of the time whenever you went out with jake and his friends "guys! i have an announcement" jay yells, you were currently over at jay's house, just having a little party with just the 8 of you "my father booked us a trip to hawaii"

"WHAT?!"

part 2

— HEY 👵🏽 so i decided that this would be a multiple part story bcs i didnt want it to be too long!

i haven’t written the second part yet, but hopefully i’d have it done before tuesday

feel free to ask if you want to be tagged once the second chapter is out!

this has been n1k1tty! see ya!