#having Feelings about melinda may and her story is not new

[an-inky-fingered-lass]

The story of Melinda May and Andrew Garner, their beginnings and ends, and the life that was built in between.

Sometimes, heroes are monsters. 

Sometimes, monsters are heroes. 

Sometimes, they were both; sometimes, they are lost.

They were more. They were loved. 

Here’s how it began. 

A spy and a therapist walked into a bar— no, really. That probably wasn't quite how they expected their story to begin, either. 

They learned. They grew. They talked, they chose. 

A spy and a therapist built a life together. They knew the risks, and they built something beautiful. 

Long nights, stretches of silence— May taught Andrew about radio silence, once he got his clearance, about going dark, about protocols and contingencies, about — sometimes — all the things she’d already survived. She laughed about it, half-lit in golden evenings; scars rough and shiny and numerous and undisguised, certainty earned and sitting easy on her shoulders. 

[briefhottubcoffee]

Hey so I love spyxfamily, yet I have some issues with the pacing lately. I miss The Forgers like crazy and I am desperate for more Yor content. I suppose that’s what I’m most worried about, she’s not getting fleshed out enough and being used to her full potential. She’s such an amazing character!

That said, I do have complete faith in Endos storytelling capabilities. He’s created a truly amazing story with compelling characters (side characters included) awesome world building, and both light and dark themes. I think, in pointing out the slow pacing and lack of the Forgers recently, we’ve forgotten all the awesome directions the story can take with all the different plot points Endo has set up at this juncture of the story.

I feel like, based on the narrative, the story is about to reach a big climax, a change in the status quo for the Forgers. Exciting things have happened, but nothing has truly changed the status quo, or the relationship dynamics between the main characters. Since we have reached 100 chapters, and the way the narrative is propelling upward, I think we are due for a big shift. Not the biggest, but a change for sure. Just remember all that’s been set up! Here are a few things I’m fairly confident is gonna happen soon to the Forger’s in the story:

Manga spoilers obviously!

- Twilight is going to continue to try to distance himself from the family, because of the Wheeler stuff, but he will be challenged on that and face a work vs family thing. This is a big theme of the series obviously, and it will take a lot to break down his walls. But it will happen.

- Twilight will learn something about Anya’s past. Most likely related to her knowledge of classical language. Perhaps her history with other families or where she is from. I doubt he’ll learn about her mind reading, that would be huge, but I’m honestly kinda hopeful he does because I don’t want Anya to have to hide anymore. Whatever he learns will affect him and hopefully bring him and his daughter closer in the end.

- This means we will finally get the Anya backstory Endo’s been hinting at for a while! Again, I expect this to lead up to a sweet family moment that brings them closer.

- A new Yor arc. We are truly due for one and I don’t think Endo is ignoring her purposefully. It just may take a while to set up because it will be a big climax of the story. Perhaps Garden lore. A big assassination that affects her character or the plot.

- Yor will get closer with Melinda and maybe find out what the heck is going on concerning her relationship with the other Desmond’s.

- As this happens I think Garden will come into play. I don’t think they like the Desmond pro war agenda. Yor may report her findings from Melinda to them or something. This would be a continuation into that one panel of the Shopkeeper when Yor brought up that Loid was interested in their politics. They will start questioning Yor’s husband as well.

- Damian will confirm Anya can read minds, but will keep her secret. Maybe Becky finds out as well. Dimitri will come into play somehow. I would love to see Damian stop bullying Anya so severely and truly start treating her like a friend, while still struggling with his crush.

- Some Authen’s chapters with some information on their backstory. Are they related to Anya’s mind reading stuff?

- We were recently introduced to Chloe! Yuri’s co-worker and potential romantic interest. I think we will see more of Yuri x Chloe. This will hopefully help him in his crazy obsession with Yor lol.

- Yuri maaay become more suspicious Loid is Twilight (a reach I think). He may also start to like Loid more! (an even bigger reach lol).

- BUT I do think Endo is setting up a funny chapter where Yuri has to stay over and Loid and Yor will have to share a bed! That’s been hinted at several times!

- I also think we are leading up to a big moment between Twilight and Yor. Some type of physical affection. (I’d love a hug, but I’ll take some erotic hand holding once they’re forced to share a bed or something) It’s not a reach, the setup is there for a shift in their physical relationship. This will obviously change things between them. Again, Twilight will be confronted with his feelings after the Wheeler arc and struggle with his feelings for Yor.

- Yor is definitely going to realize she is in love with Loid.

- Finally, after the Wheeler arc, Handler gave Fiona some important patient files for Twilight. I think this will lead to a big break for Strix. He may also meet Melinda as Loid Forger in this capacity.

So yeah, based on basic narrative storytelling, we are due for a climax and change in status quo in sxf! I’m excited to see which way the story goes, there are so many different directions. I’m confident some of these points will happen sooner rather than later. Of course Endo could throw us for a huge loop. But he has setup all of these points and it’s bad storytelling to leave them open ended with no closure or shift in the story.

We have to remember Endo is setting up a truly big story! We should be excited about that. I think it’s fine to criticize the slow pacing (and lack of Yor) but I can only hope it is just building to something big!

[jamiedc-they-them]

Marvel OC #1

Aaron Johnson

Fandom: Marvel/Agents of SHIELD

Story: X Marks The Spot (Click here for the link to the story!)

Pronouns: He/Him

Short Bio: A boy born in New Orleans to a gunrunner, then sold off to HYDRA to try keep tensions between his father and them clear, Aaron has only ever known chaos and fighting. After being saved by SHIELD, he's drawn into a much larger and weirder world. He's given a chance to do some good in a life filled with bad. And maybe he'll even gain some friends and family along the way...

Personality: Aaron will have his witty comments, sarcasm being the main one. He's someone who is scared of love, but once you're in his heart, he'll fight tooth and nail for you. Any mistake he makes, he's on his own arse, in a constant state of atonement. He takes a while to warm up to most people. He's always ready for a fight, sometimes even accidentally starting them with his words. He wants a normal life for his friends and a happy ending for them but doesn't believe he'll get one nor deserves one himself.

Relationships with OG Team:

Daisy and Aaron Johnson

Daisy is Aaron's closest connection on the team. Daisy met him in the pilot, both being interrogated by Coulson. She saw parts of herself within Aaron, and so took him under her wing. She's always in his corner, fighting for him in any way she can. She's the older sister this time, she's sworn to herself to do a good job. To be a guiding light for him. She even gifts him her last name, to have him know he'll always have a home with her. In turn, he backs her up, no matter what. Best friends/Sibling Figures.

Jemma Simmons and Aaron Johnson

Aaron's second closest bond. Jemma has always been patient with Aaron. Allowing him to do things on his own time, and respecting his boundaries with needles and some parts of his history. She's always appalled by how Aaron was treated in life, and so does all she can to make him feel loved on this team, even being the first one to call him a friend. Jemma is the more rational and logical older sister. Making sure he doesn't drink too much, and always able to spot the signs of him relapsing. In turn, Aaron is more gentle with Jemma. More forgiving. Close Friends/Sibling Figures

Leopold Fitz and Aaron Johnson

While Fitz and Aaron don't have too many scenes together on their own, they have a solid friendship. While dealing with all the crazy shit they have to go through as a team, Aaron and Fitz ground each other. They talk about media they like, and other simple things to remind themselves of the real world. They tease each other. Ward is the one who calls out their brotherly nature, and neither denies it. Friends/Brother Figures.

Melinda May and Aaron Johnson

When May first met Aaron, despite her trying not to allow for connections, she was protective over Aaron. She comforted him when they both went with Skye to get Mike in the pilot. She hates her maternal side at first, but finds herself leaning into it the more the series progresses. She's got a sharp eye when it comes to him, especially with how he words things. She understands what he's trying to say, even when others don't. In 4a, she even goes behind SHIELD's back to make contact with Aaron, despite what he's done and his running away, to make sure he's at least alive and to try help him find some peace. She understands his self loathing and issues of trusting the self, so she does yoga with him sometimes. She's on a similar path that he's on, one of healing. He's one of her kids, and like hell is someone going to hurt one of her kids. Friends/Mother-Son Bond.

Phil Coulson and Aaron Johnson

Coulson was the first person Aaron ever spoke to in the pilot. Coulson had a professional look and sound to him, but he lets his guard down with Skye and Aaron, they are youngins after all. After bringing Aaron onboard his team, he tries to give Aaron a normal-ish life; comic books, late-night chats, and whatever else he can fit into the time on the BUS. As the series progresses, Coulson and Aaron talk to each other in more of a colleague sense, but anyone a mile away can see the parental love Coulson has for Aaron. He's highly protective of him. He's constantly holding a hand for Aaron to take to come back from his darkness. Aaron is loyal as hell to Coulson, even if he questions him as a leader. Friends/Father-Son Bond

Rebecca Sitwell and Aaron Johnson (another OC)

Rebecca and Aaron meet in "The Hub" episode. At first, they don't take too kindly to each other, but find a respect for one another as the mission progresses. After that, their bond improves, even into a friendship. They have a deep understanding with each other. Aaron shows Rebecca a world outside of SHIELD, and Rebecca keeps Aaron on the straight and narrow. They're good for each other. Even in their darkest moment within Season Three, they still care for each other. Rebecca even breaking the rules for Aaron. Close Friends.

[jamethinks]

Been reading your sxf thoughts & headcanons like a madman & figured I'd spill my thoughts on your ask box.

Sxf version of Russia is probably called Rossiana or Rossania or some shift like that.

While I do see Ewen as gay, I think he'd be a monster lover. The closest thing to that in this universe would be an experimented on child, so I made an oc named Ainsley. He's got yellow cat eyes & sharp teeth. He's self conscious about it, but Ewen thinks it makes him more unique. Yes, he Anya know each other & may or may not have thought the other died.

In regards to no one taking in Yor & Yuri, my thought is maybe there aren't many able bodied people in their village anymore. The young men & women are out fighting which would leave mostly elderly & young children. If there was anyone else, they probably had their own kids & elderly to take care of & probably wouldn't be too keen on taking in others to care for that they're not even related to.

Maybe for Emile's future career path, he can go into entomology (study of insects)? Idk, Ewen had his time to chill with Anya & if Emile gets a chance, I can see the two looking for bugs in the park.

Also I propose Martha gets the same treatment as Jeeves. She's not Becky's mom, but bio-grandma. The previous Mrs. Blackbell was not able to have children, so Martha was an egg donor. It was all very hush hush as Mrs. Blackbell wore clothes to make herself look bigger & Martha was sent away for a "Family Emergency" during the last several months of pregnancy and after to recover. The reason Martha was chosen was because she looked the most like Mrs. Blackbell. Whether or not the current Mr. Blackbell knows, I have no idea.

Speaking of Mr. Blackbell, Anya asked Becky if her dad was the Prince of Darkness or something similar in chapter 36 when they went shopping. Personally I think it might be foreshadowing & Becky did mention their company is designing a new fighting suit of some sort, they're up to something imo.

I've said it once & I'll say it again: Yor, Melinda & Sharon set up a playdate!! That is all.

I think that's everything? I still feel like I'm missing some, but I can come back later.

When you said Ewen was a monster lover, my first thought was that monster was some gay term for a type of guy, and I was like, this shit is getting ridiculous. But it's a fun hc. Maybe I should have them read Frankenstein

Emile studying bugs would be absolutely hilarious. Poor Damian, his dorm is gonna be crawling with them.

Idk how much I like the Martha one but it's creative. I just prefer to think of her and Jeeves as butlers who spent a lot of time with their respective families so they have a bond (plus that opens space for a nice conflict about working class connections to upper class families hehe). That story is close to one I had on my shelf though but for another character

The idea that Becky's dad is Batman is sending me into orbit

[i-believe-in-melinda-may]

When i write things like this i realize the story is becoming more Natasha/Tony/Melinda as a trio rather than just Mel/Nat (and I'm not completely sure i'm mad about it)

A little while after Melinda explained a little about her new family to Yelena is walking into the living area where Tony and Natasha is, Melinda having stayed with Yelena until she fell asleep and checked on Bobbi and Daisy.

“The girls asleep?” Tony asks curious when he sees Melinda.

“Yep, all three girls are sound asleep,” Melinda explains, as she sits down in one of the armchairs.

“Good,” Natasha says, and Melinda can feel her concern.

“Yelena went off okay, she’s a little overwhelmed by everything, but she’s okay,” Melinda assures her.

“Good, good,” Natasha says, clearly relieved, and because Natasha clearly needs a minute Melinda turns to Tony.

“I thought G was teleporting everyone who needed home,” Melinda says, as that’s what she thought.

“Is that your way of saying your want me gone? Because if so Meal Mellie, I’m hurt,” Tony teases, and Melinda knows that he is not actually annoyed.

“You’ll live,” Melinda responds, rolling her eyes. “And you know I didn’t mean it like that,” Melinda tells him.

“I can’t be so sure, I mean, people want to feel wanted Mellie,” Tony tells her, purposely being overdramatic, and once he does Melinda picks up a pillow which she throws at him.

“Does that make you feel wanted?” Melinda asks.

“Yeah, it does, it means you care,” Tony responds.

“How have you two not killed each other by now?” Natasha asks, as from what she has seen Melinda and Tony constantly fight.

“Easily,” Tony responds.

“It may not always seem like it, but we decided a long time ago that no matter what else was going on we’d always be always be on each other’s side, it makes everything we’ve been through, everything that’s our normal, bearable,” Melinda explains.

“Oh,” Natasha says, not completely sure what to say to that.

“For the record G offered to teleport me, but I didn’t want to leave my car here,” Tony explains.

“Is this about your Porsche again? Because you need to get over that, it was eight years ago,” Melinda tells Tony.

“It was brand new!” Tony exclaims.  

“You’re the one who made the dare, what exactly were you expecting?” Melinda asks.

“Not that,” Tony responds.

“G was just involved as me, why doesn’t he get the hard time?” Melinda asks.

“Because G wasn’t driving,” Tony responds, and while Natasha would very much like that story she assumes now isn’t the time to ask so she makes a note to ask another time. “If it’s okay I thought I would stay here tonight and drive to New York tomorrow, there’s a couple of things I wanted to check on,” Tony admits, his voice going from the friendly banter one he was just using to serious.

“Fine with me,” Melinda responds.

“Um, could I stay too?” Natasha asks nervously. “I just want to be here in case Yelena needs something,” Natasha admits.

“Of course you can, I figured you would be,” Melinda admits. “You’ll have to bunk with me though, Tony kicks, and talks in his sleep, so he can have the couch,” Melinda explains.  

“Fine with me,” Natasha responds.

“What don’t I get a vote?” Tony asks.

“No,” Melinda and Natasha respond.

“Fine,” Tony says with a pout. “but in that case you owe me a story,” Tony says.

“What story is that?” Melinda asks.

“What really happened in Ohio,” Tony responds. “And in return I’ll tell you the ways I’ve made Obie’s life difficult in the past month,” Tony explains, knowing Melinda would want to know that.

“Who’s Obie?” Natasha asks confused.

“A cockroach,” Melinda answers.

“Obadiah Stane, his dad gave my Dad the funding Dad needed to start Stark when no one else would give money to the son of Jewish German immigrates,” Tony explains, and Natahsa is shocked to find out Howard, and therefore Tony, are Jewish. “Because of that deal Dad could never get rid of Obie’s father and I can never get rid of him,” Tony says, looking less than happy about that. “What I can do is subtly annoy him,” Tony says, knowing he hopes that one day Obie decides to just quit, but he unfortunately doesn’t see that happening.

“Sounds like you have to,” Natasha admits.

“Thank you! You understand!” Tony says amazed. “Mellie you’ve got good taste in friends,” Tony says with a grin.

“I know,” Melinda tells him, smiling at Natasha, as she can feel how much it means to her to hear that. “Do you want to hear about what happened in Ohio first or do you want to talk about Obie?” Melinda asks.

“Ohio,” Tony answers, and once he does Melinda and Natasha start to explain what happened in Ohio after which Tony talks about what he’s been doing to Obie and the three of them just spend a while talking until Melinda and Natasha finally head up to Melinda’s room while Tony makes himself comfortable on the couch.

[qnewsau]

From the Archives: Out country star Beccy Cole

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/beccy-cole-being-gay-doesnt-just-choose-people-in-the-cities/

From the Archives: Out country star Beccy Cole

Australian country singer Beccy Cole still gets positive feedback from her 2012 coming-out episode of ABC’s Australian Story.

In 2015, QNews interviewed out country star Beccy Cole. In 2023, with 11 Golden Guitars to her name, Beccy Cole remains a proud adornment to Australian music and the LGBTQIA+ community.

First published April 17, 2015 by Jordan Hirst.

Update by Destiny Rogers December 30, 2023.

The original 2016 article

“I think the level of acceptance has been such that I just felt like I was given a great big regional hug!” she told QNews.

At the time, Beccy said she wanted to set a positive example to her then-13-year-old son Ricky.

“I think I might’ve struck a chord with some people in our community in our regional areas who perhaps hadn’t had somebody put up their hand, or feel like they have a community.

“I’ve said this many times but being gay doesn’t just choose people that live in the cities. Someone who grows up in a small town or a station in the outback might not feel they have anyone to talk to.

“The bulk of my audience is in regional Australia where I’ve been travelling for 20 odd years. When one of their favourite singers puts their hand up and says ‘I’m gay,’ and explains what that means, I think it may have made it easier for some.”

Beccy Cole jamming with her 79-year-old mum, uncle, and son in 2023.

Three years after that glimpse into the nine-time Golden Guitar winner’s life, she’s releasing her memoir, titled Poster Girl, and an accompanying album Sweet Rebecca.

To write the book, Beccy locked herself away in a beach shack with diaries, photographs, and her memories.

“I’m absolutely glad I did it. It was harrowing at times because I’m pretty honest in it.

“I think if you’re only going to write all the fluffy stuff then people won’t be interested. You’ve got to say everything that has happened with honesty and not leave any of the juicy bits out.”

The accompanying album, Beccy’s tenth, wasn’t initially planned but came together easily “after writing 85,000 words that didn’t rhyme,” she laughs.

Knowing what she knows now, what would Beccy say to Sweet Rebecca, her younger self?

“I was looking for photographs for the book, and I found this one of me when I was this tiny kid who just looked so sweet! I just wanted to warn her!

“We could probably all have a few words with our child selves. After looking back at my life to write the book I realised that you can’t change anything nor would I want to, if I went back.”

It’s All About Love

Last year Beccy guested on John Williamson’s equal love anthem It’s All About Love. The track got them a finalist spot in the Country Music Awards of Australia’s Vocal Collaboration of the Year category.

“I was so proud. I’ve always been such a big fan of John. For him to recognise that as an issue and for someone like him to shine a light on it in that way was just really lovely. Obviously it’s a matter that meant a lot to me.

“I have a partner and we’re on the road together and there’s a big part of me in that song lyrically as well.”

Beccy has only just wrapped up a string of inland shows with Melinda Schneider, performing their 2014 covers album Great Women of Country, but Beccy said she can’t wait to tour her new material.

“We’ll be hitting the road with Sweet Rebecca and the book for pretty much the rest of this year. I haven’t stopped!

“People say, ‘How long’s this tour been?’ and I say ‘20 years!’ I do love it and I always have. It’s what I was born to do.”

Beccy Cole – Lioness

We can’t get ourselves enough Beccy:

How Beccy Cole proposed to Libby O’Donovan.

Tamworth Country Music Festival’s first Pride float.

Country music star Beccy Cole awarded OAM on Queen’s Birthday.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[ear-worthy]

Make Me Care About Podcast: Solving The World's Problems One Step At A Time

 Don't forget about Bill Gates on Jeffrey Epstein's island of underage sex. Don't forget about his philandering on Melinda, his then-wife. But remember that the Gates's have amassed billions of dollars to make the world a better place. And, contrary to right-wing extremists, Gates has never been part of any grand conspiracy, unless you count the one where we all use Microsoft Office and the Windows OS.

In March, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a new podcast series called, Make Me Care About, hosted by award–winning podcast host and New York Times best-selling author Jen Hatmaker. The13 episodes of the first season are available, and I've listened to every one of them. Based in Seattle, Washington, the Gates Foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.

The podcast feature Jen Hatmaker in conversation with guests from around the world who are solving some of the world’s biggest problems. Listeners will hear stories of health care workers, advocates, scientists, and educators whom the foundation supports through its thousands of grantees, as well as employees, all of whom are working to end disease, poverty, and inequality.

“By investigating innovative but often overlooked solutions to global challenges, Make Me Care About is an invitation for listeners to be inspired by amazing people and their work on world-changing projects,” said Susan Byrnes, chief communications officer at the Gates Foundation. “Through conversations with our partners and experts, Jen shares some of the remarkable stories that motivate our work to create a world where every person—no matter where they’re born—is able to live a healthy life and reach their full potential.”  

Each episode dives into a different challenge.  Topics range from maternal mortality to the importance of iodized salt, the pivotal developmental stage of ninth grade to the impact of malaria on communities around the globe, from poop and outdated toilets to garbanzo beans’ role in tackling malnutrition.

One of my favorite episodes was the one on wastewater. In the episode, host Hatmaker speaks to Supriya Kumar, who is the Program Officer in Global Health in the Gates Foundation. Kumar explains that by testing the sewage in a particular location, health officials can determine what pathogens are in the area and a particular hazard. For example, the polio virus was identified in New York City last year due to surveilling wastewater. Kumar points out that closed-loop settings, like university dorms, were useful during the pandemic, in determining possible pathogen exposure among students. 

Jen Hatmaker wears a lot of hats in her life. See what I did there? She's an author, podcaster, speaker, advocate, educator, and Mother. She is also creator / host of the For The Love podcast, with an ear worthy episode being an interview with standup comedian Nate Bargatze.

As a host, she's first class, asking detailed questions and exuding an enthusiasm for the topics that is infectious.

“I love to share inspiring stories, so I’m excited to be partnering with the Gates Foundation on the Make Me Care About podcast,” said Hatmaker. “Every episode is a real opportunity to connect with some of the most remarkable people the foundation works with. Together, we’ll investigate the deeply important and impactful topics that often get little attention and explore the stories behind some of the most innovative solutions helping us all to live, grow, and thrive.”

“These days, it can be hard to feel hopeful when you check in with your newsfeed,” said Chloe Louvouezo, senior content producer at the Gates Foundation. “This podcast aims to change that. It dives into fascinating developments that don't often show up in the news. It gives people a way to relate to issues that may feel far away and to consider their role in helping others, both in their community and around the world.”

To learn more about Make Me Care About, visit the website.

[daysofourlivesrecaps]

Tuesday, 25 July 2023

Wendy and Tripp are making out on the couch again, so naturally Li walks in and puts the brakes on that. Yet again.

And not for the first time it occurs to me that:

• Li was a top executive at a large company. He was probably bringing in six figures, and surely he has a little stuck away in savings.

• Wendy is an IT professional at that same company. Surely she makes decent money at that job.

• Tripp is a fucking doctor.

• the property values in Salem are ridiculously low. Like “the way your boomer relatives remember it being easy to buy a house” low.

So how the fuck is this living situation still happening?

(Whenever one of my viewing companions tries to apply real-world logic to this show, I threaten her with the spray bottle like she’s a cat poking around where she doesn’t belong. And I believe I may deserve a spritz for this one.)

Li then spends the rest of the episode reminding us about his disastrous date with District Attorney Melinda Trask.

But he continues to have all the screen presence of… when your screen goes dark because you don’t have a screen saver installed. Also I was here for that. It only happened last Thursday.

Trask, for her part, has doubled down on getting dolled up and is waiting for a new date.

But she’s early, and she runs into Sloan, so the two of them chat for awhile.

And while very little new information is exchanged in these scenes either (Sloan is pregnant; Trask tried to bug Li), they are at least interesting because these two performers are great and honestly I just want them to date. Or at the very least continue to be friends.

Because while I absolutely did not want Trask hooking up with Li, I do want her to move out of the periphery and into some stories where she isn’t just the last-minute antagonist. This very thing happened to Sloan not one year ago, and I loved watching it happen. It was like watching Chief O’Brien go from nameless guy driving the ship to chief engineer of Deep Space Nine.

Meanwhile, Eric and Brady compare notes on their respective storylines: Eric with his “Sloan and I are having a baby” and Brady with his “I threatened Kristen with a gun so now this is gonna be a whole thing.”

And that whole thing has led to Belle paying a visit to Kristen to see if she’ll maybe drop the charges.

Which is a ballsy move. Even ballsier: Kristen demanding that they re-revisit that custody agreement that Brady ripped up.

The custody agreement that she used as a negotiating tactic while she was hiding Rachel from everyone in her house. The one that Marlena inexplicably said everyone should just go along with to make this situation go away.

Now we’re just acting like this is an entirely reasonable thing for her to demand! Which is absolutely insane to me. But not in a fun soap way. Just in a “this feels a bit lazy” way. Kristen is a DiMera, for god’s sake. They’re supposed to be these amazingly devious strategists. But Kristen’s only moves seem to be “kidnap Rachel” and “make insane demands until everyone just starts treating them like they’re sane demands.”

AND IT ACTUALLY WORKS FOR HER.

Speaking of non-evil DiMeras, EJ continues to be a supportive partner, despite his nearly universal reputation to the contrary. This time he’s not tied up in the secret room so he can accompany Nicole on her visit to that expensive fertility doctor.

And OH NO, the doctor wants a sample of EJ’s DNA (just a cheek swab, you pervert) so she can rule out potential genetic defects in the child.

Which means someone might finally discover that Sloan falsified that paternity test. More importantly, it means maybe this storyline will finally start going somewhere because seriously, I thought we learned our lesson about running in place with the whole Wendy/Johnny/Tripp fiasco.

Back at the bar, Trask is getting impatient and calls the matchmaker (yes, these people are using a MATCHMAKER. In 20-the-hell-23) to find out when her date is due to arrive.

She is informed that the gentleman in question should be there any time now. And that he’ll be wearing a blue blazer.

And if any moment demanded a GOB Bluth-style “COME ON!!”, it’s this one.

[tzigone]

Very interesting thoughts. I had not thought about wraiths at all, and that is a very interesting way to go with him. The idea of Rick having journals - not as much a fan. Too easy for Fi to get information by finding them. We know he left the magic book with Melinda, but he doesn't seem to have shared any real findings with anyone, though he made no secrets of his paranormal interest.

I absolutely definitely agree about Candy, Ryan, etc. believing her even before she brings Rick back. She has, IMO, been unknowingly raising her "army" along this tour. I think they need to be involved for the story to work. Though their involvement may be limited to using Tad's software (Jack and other regulars having a larger role to play) - someone brought this up (in regards to original plans and such) and technology is so entwined in this show (methods Rick used to communicate, method Fi uses to communicate with other allies) in some ways that some sort of energy to fight the big bad evil that wants to "conquer and subjugate" just works to me. Tech used to combine the forces (of the humans, aliens, Atlateans) to fight that evil.

Fi is the one meant to do that - should that be before or after she gets her father back? She needs to be the leader, and I'm afraid his presence could detract from that. Then again, if Molly and John are on-board, then we already have other adults in play. Still have no idea how the actual final battle goes down.

I don't agree Fi is bad a keeping secrets - she kept Bigfoot a secret just fine. She just doesn't want to keep most of these things secret.

I don't know how much Molly could spend if her addiction is just alcohol - it's a lot cheaper than drugs. But then, one can buy a lot of things while one is drunk.

I never got the feeling her addiction lasted that long (from Chrysalis outline, she didn't expect Jack to remember, so it seems it must have ended when he was still quite young).

If she was worth 10 million, she could have had 300k a year easily on pretty conservative investments (and it would keep growing at that withdrawal rate), so that's upper-middle class (without a job). Unless she invested poorly or panic sold. Could have done that before Rick died, really (1987 stock market crash). So much depends on how much you think she had to start.

Bruce Springsteen apparently earned 56 million in 1987. Now that's gross earnings (before agents' fees, expenses, taxes, etc.). But a third of that (agent and manager alone get 25%-30%) would be 18.67 million, then 2/3 of that to the Phillips is 12.4 million (though agent wouldn't get a percent of royalties, just concerts, I think - tried to look this stuff up, but all the information online is recent, not 40 years ago standards). Knock it down by half because Springsteen was the highest earner of the year so 6.2 million. Knock off another 55% for taxes (huge estimation there), so 2.79 million per year. They had 8+ years as great sellers, but taxes were higher earlier and of course they were going to spend money on things like the house, as you said.

Hell, apparently in 1991, New Kids on the Block earned 115 million. But I remember their popularity among the 5th-grade-set. I expect there was significant merchandise involved.

Do you think the PKB just got forgotten about quickly after they disbanded? Because if re-releases were still being done, they'd still be making money. There are royalties for radio play, too.

I think I put too much thought into this.

I've been looking up medium and long-term health consequences of bone marrow transplants, too - again, something where I have to try to find older information, rather than newer. I may fixate on the wrong things sometimes.

Just odds and ends - feel free to answer what piques your interest and ignore the rest

Money - with 6 hit albums and Rick and Molly writing songs (and I would think owning publishing, since Irene is very good at her job), I was thinking Molly ought to at least have tens of millions of dollars. Though we see nothing indicating that. Thoughts?

Do you have any good ideas on how to incorporate Atlantis/the cheese wheel in the final battle? I'm contemplating a headcanon where Rebecca's families are genetically Atlantean. I just kind of like the idea of her being able to have a world in-sync with aging and have a real life and keep connections and so on.

Any ideas for future careers for Fi, Jack, and Clu? I've thought about urban planning or child psychologist for Jack - something helping people or making the world a better place. Fi could totally pursue tech, as she likes that, but she loves the supernatural and fighting evil. And, with her tech-ness, maybe long-term that could end up with website/channel about those thing while she did some traveling and world-saving. Clu's a difficult one for me - we've seen him try to make a documentary once and I guess John Kane could give him entry into the field. But I'm not sure I regard that as more than a passing fancy.

After the end - original season 3 version: Rick is back from the dead. I know Fi would want the whole world to know the truth of what happened. That would make things very different that our world. If we keep the SW-world outwardly seeming like the real world for the majority, then they are going to have to come up with a story about Rick. Any ideas on what it could be?

TZIGONE!! You have been in the fandom and the forum for years, and your questions always push me to think outside the box. I welcome it! I’m going to try my best to answer all of them.

#1 - One

I’ve actually been working on something like this for a few weeks now! Ned’s comment to Molly about “being back in our old studio” (Medium) made me think of it. It’s too long to put here, and it’s very speculative, but there will be an upcoming deep dive on the success of PKB.

With that said, there’s a gap between Rick’s death and Molly restarting her music career. Chrysalis sort of fills in the blanks that Molly was an alcoholic after her husband died.

She might've spent a lot on her addiction (since we’re not sure how long that went on) and recovery (did she go to rehab?), lived off some of it before working in ads, and maybe doesn’t keep a lot of cash on hand for the sake of holding herself accountable.

Rick could’ve had life insurance, they likely purchased their million-dollar home outright, we mostly hear Ned and Irene discuss money woes (the struggle of putting two boys through college, most of Nightmare, etc.), so Jack and Fi are likely set up, and are we sure Hope Springs High is a public school? The students spent at least three days of their spring break doing a science fair that involved a live performance complete with a buffet line for lunch. That doesn’t seem public-funded.

My conclusion is comfortably upper class because they pinch pennies and are cash poor. Their net worth, not income, might be a few million.

#2 - Two

This one’s a little tricky but here’s what I came up with: in the original s3 Fi is contacted by an alien who is also a teenager with a lost parent and the same thing is happening throughout the universe that had sentient life on it.

The alien that contacts her is from space (above Earth), Atlantis is in the ocean (below Earth), and Fi is on Earth. She is “the destined leader in the fight against evil” … because she is the center. The alien is a teen, meaning it ages, but Rebecca (a possible Atlantean) is also a teenager, but ages slower, and has not lost a parent. Her existence goes against nature.

But as above so below, so – and maybe this isn’t what you wanted but it’s where my brain has gone – does Fi have to, literally, break the wheel to free Rebecca from her immortality and right the universe? Or maybe similar to the Banshee tradeoff Fi gets a compromise that lets Rick live and Rebecca have a real life and remain immortal (or not)?

Rebecca’s family collected artifacts and Carey teased it would be the cheese wheel that finds Fi next time. While researching her father’s death Fi could come across old photos of Molly and Rebecca with the cheese wheel in the background. Fi can’t stop thinking about it and wheelie knows that.

Unrelated: do we think the cheese wheel can roll like Rubber (2010)? I don’t think it would get that, pardon my language, cheesy and it shouldn’t be a gimmick but if it works…

#3 - Three

Jack would make a great child psychologist... or guidance counselor or recovery companion (the Chrysalis ending sort of plays in there). Long-term he could work within the prison system as an educator or even social worker. He has that no-nonsense approach.

Clu is tough! Like you, I don’t put much weight in his film making endeavors. UC Santa Cruz is known for research and public service. Mutiny’s a good example of his compassion, plus he has an interest in surfing, so maybe something to do with oceanic sciences? Not necessarily a biologist (although wouldn’t that be a twist!), but maybe he uses his social skills to do presentations, apply for grants, and get funding for research projects. Aside from s3, which can be excluded or not, we don’t ever see how college *changes* him as he enters adulthood so that leaves a lot of possibilities.

I agree with Fi getting in tech, maybe as a web developer for others (like helping lawyers have user-friendly websites since she practically insults Rachel’s note and research skills in Avatar😆). Through the show we see Tad give her software upgrades that she uses out of their initial, so she could end up working for (with) Tad. She could even expand her blog posts and online journal to a published book. More than Jack and Clu, I see Fi taking on different careers simultaneously.  

#4 - Four

Hmm. Fi WOULD want everyone to know because she’s not good at secrets (like telling the internet about Rebecca), and this is where Fi’s credibility comes in to play. Fi’s time on the road and chronicling her experience means she has “proof” of other supernatural phenomenon that people like Ryan, Candy, James, Rebecca, Claire, etc. could believe and defender her on, even before she helps bring her dad back.  

We don’t know if Rick shared his findings, who with, or kept journals, so, yes, Fi would want to share and have an ally in Rick, but it would ultimately be his decision what to say. The safest explanation, as a writer, would be to play with folklore/the supernatural and, like the show, make up what suits the story.

For instance, wraiths are a supernatural creature So Weird never touched on. When I first learned about them I understood they were only allowed to come back to life after they fulfilled an order/task. Maybe in Rick’s case his task was guiding Fi (Web Sight, Troll, Twin) to save the universe. Other stories have wraiths as the enemy of vampires (!!) who haunt the living - think Molly’s dialogue at the end of Medium, Another World performance in Encore, the ending of The Muse. Rick could be that, a mix of wraith characteristics that still identify him as one, before returning entirely.

That’s pretty out there BUT even Ryan accepted an unreasonable theory. And because of how Werewolf and Lost ended happily, as long as they’re not thought of too hard, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched if everyone accepted the story.

Rick’s return would be akin to Kamilah’s revival after a decade, except he wasn't in a coma, and Laura’s ability to change depending on the time of day, except he would be permanent.

Molly, Jack, the Bells, John Kane, the fans - they all knew he was dead. His every moment would be the proof that what happened, happened. And his return would give credibility to Fi's other findings and the people touched by her travels the same way that their experiences with her would give credibility that Rick’s story should be believed, whatever it may be.  

Hopefully the lengthy answers make up for the lengthy response time. You always ask great questions, and hopefully you got some ideas out of this.

[2-the-moon-and-2-saturn]

The story of Melinda May and Phil Coulson is filled with almost’s. They almost acted on their feelings way back when, he almost fought for her when she found someone else, she was almost enough for him to not leave her behind. Having each other was almost everything they needed to feel whole, and losing him almost broke her into a million pieces. More than once. If one of them were asked when it was that the other managed to have such a tight grip on their heart, they most likely wouldn’t be able to answer. It was something that just happened, but somehow also felt like it had always been meant to be. All the big moments in the span of 26 years made one thing very clear: their relationship was always supposed to land just short of where they both wished it would take them.

Fanfic Title: I Almost Do

Concept: A look on the Philinda missions we never got to see and the evolution of their relationship, from the very start.

Link:

How do you guys feel about this? Pls reblog if u want since I’m a new writer :)

[jilyyall]

Everything Has Changed

One evening on the shore of the Black Lake as they bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun, everything changed. Or, the first ‘I love you.’

They hadn’t been officially dating very long, but they’d shared a few snogs before they started dating – if just about every day since the beginning of the school year counted as a few snogs –  and they had been open and frank about their feelings for each other for weeks before they’d made it official, and she’d known him since they were eleven, so when James was silent all day, Lily knew something was on his mind. She didn’t think he was upset with her; it wasn’t an angry silence. It wasn’t as if he was trying to hurt her feelings or punish her by not speaking to her. That wasn’t something that James would do – it was what Sev would have done, back when they were friends and he thought she had done something wrong and was trying to guilt her into apologizing to him.

Rather, she got the distinct impression that he was wrestling with something in his mind, taking his time mulling it over. It was so rare that he took the time to think things through rather than diving in head first that she let him have the day, the whole damn day, even though it drove her mad. She would even let him have the night, if she thought he still needed it. Tomorrow, however, all bets were off. Her boy was going to get this off his chest, whatever this was.

They were in the Great Hall having dinner quite early tonight, their two separate friend groups sitting near each other, but not entirely together – James sat on Lily’s right, and his friends sat to his right with only Sirius sitting across the table from Remus, two bodies down from James. On Lily’s left sat her friends Mary and Dorcas. The only indication that the two groups were at all connected was how close Lily and James were sitting, hip to hip, shoulder to shoulder, knees knocking, feet tangled beneath the table, even as they turned their heads away from each other to focus on their respective friends.

If he were physically distant, she thought, then she would have worried because anyone who knew anything about James Potter knew that he could not keep his distance from the people he cared about. Be it an arm slung over a mate’s shoulders, fingers threaded with hers or carding through her hair or dancing down her arm or brushing down her side, or the simple disregard for personal space, the boy was incapable of not showing physical affection. She doubted the idea of not touching her or Sirius or Remus or Peter at any given time ever even crossed his mind.

Not ten minutes ago, for instance, he’d walked in with his mates, a dejected Peter tucked under his arm, spotted her seated at the table and sat all but on top of her with nothing more than a graze of his lips to the side of her head in greeting as he continued to devote his sympathetic attention to Peter’s woeful tale of rejection. He’d even had to pull his place setting over in order to maintain his proximity to her. So, no, she didn’t have cause to worry that he was upset with her, or contemplating ditching her or anything of the sort.

Still, she was having a difficult time concentrating on Mary’s story about the Muggle boy her mum wanted to set her up with back home. Instead, she was wondering what exactly could be taking up so much space in James’s head. Currently, she knew, it was Peter’s heartbreak. She tried not to be very obvious as she studied him; none of the boys were paying her any attention. She could hear James’s soft, earnest, comforting tone as he spoke to Peter, told him not to worry about Melinda Sprockett, the pretty sixth year Ravenclaw girl who must have turned him down earlier. It should have comforted her to know that James wasn’t being quiet with everyone. It only made her more concerned that he seemed to be holding something back from her.

“Right, Lily?” Mary said loudly.

Lily snapped her gaze to her friends, embarrassed to have been caught not paying attention. “Er, yeah, of course!”

“I told you she wasn’t listening,” Dorcas giggled as Mary rolled her eyes.

“Yes, I was!” Lily insisted, but she knew she was arguing in vain. She had been caught out, but she wasn’t going to just admit it.

Dorcas wanted to drag it out - Lily could tell by the smirk on her face and the mischief in her eyes - but Mary, sweet, sweet Mary, took pity on her. “I was saying it might not be such a bad thing, you know? There’s obviously nothing wrong with Muggles on the whole - I am Muggleborn; it would just be stressful trying to keep magic a secret.” 

“But do you even want to date him?” Lily asked. 

Mary shrugged. “Well, he’s cute enough, I guess. But I don’t even know anything about him.” 

“Well, it may not be a terrible thing to just have some fun getting to know him; then you can decide if he’s worth potentially breaking the Statute of Secrecy for,” Dorcas said around a mouthful of Yorkshire Pudding. 

“Certainly it’s not really breaking the Statute of Secrecy?” Mary said, looking shocked at the thought. “If you fall in love with a Muggle, there’s got to be some sort of bylaw that says you’re allowed to tell them. Just like the Ministry told our parents about it when we got our Hogwarts letters.” 

Mary looked at Lily as if expecting her to argue with her or confirm that surely it wasn’t illegal, but Lily simply didn’t know. She’d never dated a Muggle.

“You’re probably right,” Dorcas hummed and lifted a shoulder. “I really don’t know much about it, honestly.” 

James’s fingers tangled gently in Lily’s hair and she glanced over at him, distracted, expecting it to have been an unconscious thing he did while still deeply invested in his own mates. She was surprised to find him staring at her, eyes soft and warm and glowing with something akin to awe behind his glasses. There was a small, fond smile on his lips as he let his hand fall from her hair to twine his fingers with hers. 

“D’you want to go for a walk?” he murmured. 

“Sure,” she said, and was about to stand and eagerly lead him away when she noticed the plate in front of him. Before she could say anything else, he was standing and gently pulling her to her feet. “But you’ve hardly touched your dinner.”

He shrugged and began to lead her towards the wide doorway.

Their friends watched them go without a word. Despite the fact that they had both been at least somewhat involved in conversation, there were no protests from either the boys or the girls. Though she hadn’t said anything, she knew the girls were aware that something was on her mind and she suspected that the boys knew much more than she did about what was going on with James.

“I’m not hungry,” he told her.

“What?” Lily couldn’t honestly remember a time James had turned down food when he wasn’t deathly ill or on the brink of collapsing from sheer exhaustion. 

As if reading her mind, he gave her a look as they reached the Entrance Hall and headed out onto the grounds. “I’ll go to the kitchens if I get hungry later. It’s not a big deal.”

Lily let it go, but she still found it rather odd until she noticed how jittery he was. James was never one to sit still, was in constant motion be it a bouncing leg in class or long slender fingers tapping the desk during Prefects’ meetings. But this was a bit more than usual, she thought to herself as she watched him drag his hand through his hair for the fifth time since they’d walked outside. His head was swiveling this way and that and Lily would have worried he was looking for a getaway were his hand not so steady and secure in hers. 

She realized as he gnawed on his bottom lip that he was nervous and despite the fact that she had been so convinced all day that he wasn’t planning on ditching her, ignoring the warm, fond look he’d given her just moments before, Lily suddenly felt herself growing paranoid. What in the world could possibly have James Potter feeling nervous around her? Unless he was planning to break up with her. Or had some other likewise bad news to share.

There weren’t very many people out; it was that time of year where it was beginning to get cold out and the sun was just starting to sink beneath the tree line of the Forbidden Forest so most of the student body was inside. 

James led her over towards the Black Lake, and Lily watched him closely as he cheerfully greeted Martin Greene, his fellow Gryffindor Chaser, who was on his way up from the greenhouses. He didn’t seem nervous as he promised to see the younger boy at their early morning practice the next day, but his hand immediately jumped to his hair when Martin was gone. 

“You’ve been quiet today,” Lily said softly, bumping her hip against his gently as they ambled along the shore of the lake. They had made about a half-circuit by the time she spoke. 

James hummed, and she saw him nod out of the corner of her eye. 

“A lot on your mind?” she asked. She had told herself he could have as much time to process his thoughts as he needed, but he’d invited her on this walk, hadn’t he? He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t want to talk to her. 

“Yeah, I guess.” He sighed, and his thumb stroked along the back of her hand. “Sorry.” 

“It’s okay. You’re allowed to be pensive sometimes,” she assured him. Then that awful nagging worry struck again. What if she was reading all the signs wrong? What if his hand in hers wasn’t a sign that everything was fine after all? “As long as you’re not trying to ditch me.” 

She tried to make it sound like a joke, but she knew she failed when he halted in his tracks and pulled her around to face him. His eyes were wide behind his glasses and his jaw dropped as if nothing had ever shocked him more than that one suggestion.

“What?” he said, still gawking at her. Then, “What?”

“I was only joking,” she lied weakly.

Though his shock had done more to assuage her sudden worry than anything she imagined he might say, she still felt oddly vulnerable. Ever since she had accepted her feelings for him at the end of Sixth Year, she wasn’t used to feeling off-kilter around him. Even before they were officially dating, when they were in that odd will-they won’t-they limbo, she hadn’t felt nearly so uncertain than in that moment.

When she tried to turn away to keep things light, he held her there by the hand, once more turning her to face him. His free hand lifted, stroking her face, cupping her cheek as he stepped closer and peered down at her, that same awed look as before mixing with the confusion. 

“Lily,” he breathed, then shook his head as a bemused smile played on his lips. “Honestly, that’s the farthest thing from my mind. That’s the last thing I would ever do.”

She didn’t try to convince him she was joking, not again, not knowing that he could see right through her. Instead she bit her lip and tried to duck her head, but his nimble fingers on her cheeks kept her eyes on his. She felt her face flush, and she sighed. 

“I’m mad for you, Lily,” he mumbled, and brushed his lips gently over hers. 

“I feel the same about you,” she whispered, but she realized quite suddenly that maybe it was a bit more than that, actually. Maybe she a bit more than fancied the boy before her, judging by the way his silence had nagged at her all day until it had her on the edge of panic, fearing the worst even though she knew, logically, that her fear was unfounded. 

And since when had being single again been the worst possible outcome her brain could conjure? It had only been a few weeks and already she couldn’t imagine her life without James Potter taking up so much space in it. 

He smiled at her soft admission and then let go of her hand to bury both of his in her thick auburn hair. He kissed her, gently again, but much more solidly than a mere brush of his lips to hers. His mouth fit perfectly over hers, moving overs once, twice, thrice, before he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. 

A piercing wolf-whistle broke them apart after what may have been several minutes and they looked across the lake towards the castle to find their friends, his blokes and her girls, gathered near what was widely considered the best tree due to its full foliage and location mere steps from the shore of the lake. It was fairly obvious who had made the obtrusive sound as Dorcas was currently hitting Sirius’s arm none-too-gently. 

Lily looked up at James, surprised to find him looking somewhat disappointed by the arrival of their friends. She couldn’t recall ever seeing him anything less than thrilled to be reunited with his boys regardless of how brief their separation. 

“Shall we?” she asked when he met her gaze. 

He sighed, and his hands trailed slowly down her arms until their fingers were linked once more. “I suppose.” 

They continued on their course, not bothering to speed up despite Sirius’s distant and persistent urging. James tugged her to a halt again just as they were about to round the last little curve of the shoreline, mere meters from their friends. 

She peered up at him, mesmerized by the way the orange glow of the setting sun bathed him. He looked unreal; he looked perfect; he looked like a figment of her wildest dreams.

“I am sorry for worrying you today,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to be distant. I was just… thinking about something.” 

“It’s okay,” she told him again. “I didn’t actually think you were going to ditch me all day. I don’t know why I suddenly got afraid of that.” 

He smiled at her, and there was a slightly manic look to the way his lips curved up. “It’s just that… I got myself all worked up and nervous over it.” 

She laughed at him because, well, she’d already realized that, hadn’t she? Almost as soon as they’d left the Great Hall he’d made it obvious how nervous he was. As he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her just a little bit closer, his expression dead serious, she suddenly realized why he was so nervous. And it was so obvious as well, wasn’t it? Hadn’t she all but come to the conclusion for herself mere moments before? Her breath hitched as he opened his mouth. 

Suddenly, the wild Gryffindor in her wanted nothing more than to beat him to the punch. The softer, more caring part of her recognized that he had been struggling to work himself up to this all day and she had only had a few minutes of the realization, and she couldn’t take that from him. So, she smiled up at him and waited. 

He was quiet for another second, then took a deep breath, and on a sharp exhale said, “I love you.”

Though she knew it was coming, the declaration made her heart sing and a little relieved giggle passed unbidden from her lips. Lily beamed up at him and it wasn’t until she registered the lingering anxiety in his eyes that she realized he was waiting for a response. 

“I love you too, you idiot,” she said with a fond shake of her head. “I can’t believe you’ve spent a whole day stressing about saying three little words to me when it’s so obvious how I’d respond.”

“I’ve fancied this girl for four years and finally got her to date me and she thinks I want to break up with her,” he shot back, but he was grinning now, a mischievous teasing glint in his eyes. “Honestly, and all these years I thought you were clever.” 

She rolled her eyes and he shook his head at her, splitting grin still in full effect, before he slid his arms around her waist, pulled her to him, and lifted her off her feet to swing her around in the air. Lily wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and threw her head back, laughing freely as he made her dizzy with all his spinning. 

“I love you,” he said again as he finally set her feet back on the ground. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” 

“You know it doesn’t make it any more meaningful if you repeat it incessantly,” she teased, but he clearly wasn’t bothered as he lowered his head, his mouth covering hers completely, hands leisurely trailing up her body until one rested tenderly on the side of her neck and the other cupped her cheek. 

He jerked away from her as a stream of water from the lake suddenly shot out and struck him in the side of the head, magically missing her by inches. They both whipped around to see their friends all laughing at them, Sirius’s wand hanging limp in his hand at his side as he was all but doubled over. 

James took several hurried steps away from her, clearly intent on retaliation, before he turned around again, kissed her quickly and with a flash of a grin, and repeated, “I love you.” 

Then he was gone, and was nothing more than a tangle of limbs as he wrestled Sirius to the ground Muggle-style. Remus and Peter stood close by, laughing, as Mary and Dorcas retreated hurriedly to avoid falling casualty to the boys’ roughhousing. They stopped in front of Lily and all three of them watched warily as James and Sirius rolled into Remus’s legs, causing the poor boy to fall on top of them as Peter dashed a few steps back. 

“Boys,” Dorcas said, shaking her head as she watched Remus, usually the most composed of the lot, laugh and throw himself wholeheartedly into the pile of wrestling limbs. 

“So immature,” Mary agreed with a little dismissive sniff.

But Lily couldn’t stop smiling as she watched James play with his mates like children. “Still love ‘em, though.”

[geraltcirilla]

I've seen quite a few people who just seem utterly confused or misinformed by what happened in Endgame and how it affected Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD. So I'm going to try my best to clear the air.

Note: I’ve edited this a couple of times as people provide more information from the movies and BTS that add additional context and a clearer timeline.

Endgame

Endgame revealed Steve went back in time to marry Peggy. He has been her husband this whole time, and the father of her children. The Marvel confirmed this happened in the MAIN timeline, there is no separate timeline that was created because of his actions. Peggy always married Steve. Don't ask me how that affects the rest of the Avengers movies and if an Old Steve had been lurking around this whole time. I don't think Marvel even knows for certain. (There is a theory going around that since Steve already lived all the events in the Avengers and Captain America movies he was simply avoiding running into his younger self.)

Sharon Carter

How does this affect Steve x Sharon? Sharon Carter is Peggy's great-niece, meaning she is the daughter of Peggy's brother's son and NOT related to Steve by blood. I don't think she would have kissed Steve if she knew he married her great aunt, so it's likely when Steve returned to the 1940s he did not reveal his return and assumed a different identity. But this revelation still does make her kiss with Steve pretty gross.

Agent Carter

How does that impact the end of Agent Carter?

Steve went back in time AFTER the events of Agent Carter, so everything that happened in that show is still canon. Agents of SHIELD S7 confirmed Sousa was Peggy's partner in the SSR and helped her form SHIELD, he was one of the original high ranking officers of SHIELD, he was Chief Officer of the Western Region of SHIELD, and he was the first casualty of SHIELD (and therefore the first name put on the Wall of Valor). Sousa is considered a "legend" in SHIELD history.

We do not know what happened with Peggy and Sousa's relationship, but we do know by 1955 (the events of Agents of SHIELD S7) he and Peggy have broken up and are no longer work partners.

The Timeline Breakdown

So Steve "dies" in 1945 in CA:TFA.

Agent Carter season 1 begins in 1946, where Peggy and Sousa first meet as agents at the Eastern Division of the SSR.

Agent Carter season 2 ends in 1947 with Sousa and Peggy starting a relationship, and Sousa Chief of the Western Division of the SSR.

The shooting script for Endgame states the year Steve goes back to is 1949. 

In CA:TWS we see a Smithsonian interview with Peggy that takes place in 1953, and in it she states she is married.

In 1955 Sousa and Coulson have a conversation about how neither have ever been married.

You can easily deduce here that the husband Peggy references in the Smithsonian interview is Steve, not Sousa. At best Sousa and Peggy dated for two years.

Peggy & Sousa

So what happened between Peggy and Sousa?

We know the end of Agent Carter showed the potential for the beginning of a relationship. But neither Endgame nor Agents of SHIELD has outright said what happened. However, Agents of SHIELD has the benefit of actually having Daniel Sousa as a character now. He was taken by Coulson's SHIELD team right before he died and his death was staged. So according to history he died in 1955, but he's actually alive and traveling through time with the team. And with that, we are being fed breadcrumbs about him, his life, and his relationship with Peggy. Now once again nothing has been explicitly stated but we have been given a lot to infer with.

So let me get to the meat of it: I reject the notion that Sousa broke up with Peggy. I think based off certain actions and things he said in AOS it's pretty clear he harbored some unresolved feelings for Peggy in 1955, which is more in line with the dumped person, rather than a dump-ee. When he thinks Peggy has come to visit his division he fixes his hair in a reflection. He seems nervous by her arrival. He briefly mentions liking a certain type of person who fits Peggy's description, and talks about people he wanted to say goodbye to or see one last time (these vague statements were confirmed by the AOS writers to be about Peggy). I just think if he was the one to have ended things he'd be reflecting on it a bit differently.

And if you look back at Agent Carter, historically Sousa has consistently been the one more invested in their relationship than Peggy. In season 1 Sousa has a crush on Peggy, but Peggy is still hung up on Steve. At the end of the season Sousa actually asks Peggy out to dinner and she turns him down. In season 2 Sousa "runs away" to the Western Division of the SSR to escape Peggy and a broken heart. Peggy then has a romance with a man named Jason Wilkes. It's not until the end of season 2 when Peggy is finally open to the idea of pursuing a romance with Sousa, but it was a long road to get there and she wasn't always certain she wanted to. Keeping this in mind, it is more in-character and canon-compliant if Peggy left Sousa, NOT the other way around.

Now this is where y'all are going to hate me, but I think I have the facts on my side here so please don't come for my throat. If we are looking for a reason why Peggy would break up with Sousa, the answer is clear: Steve. The timelines match up. Steve returned to the past in 1949 right after the events of Agent Carter, meaning right after Peggy just started a relationship with Sousa.

Peggy wouldn't pursue a relationship with Sousa in season 1 of Agent Carter because she was hung-up on the memory of Steve. If Steve returned, alive, for her, three to four years after his "death", do you really believe Peggy would turn him down for Sousa? Sousa, who she only knew for three years and had only been dating for about ~2 years (if we are being generous)? There's no way. I'm sorry but it's not happening. It wouldn’t be in-character for Peggy. The Marvel universe had continuously built up Peggy and Steve to be that epic love that can’t be beat (both in the movies AND in the show Agent Carter), and as cute and Peggy and Sousa were, they were simply not comparable to what Peggy and Steve had. 

Now in 1955 when Sousa and Coulson are talking, Coulson says "There was someone. I couldn't stick around long enough to make it last," and Sousa said he had a similar story. Some people have taken this as an admission of guilt that the end of Peggysous was Sousa's fault, but I disagree. First, because Steve returned to the past after he died, as I stated previously he would have hid his identity and his return from everyone but Peggy to preserve the timeline. This is why Sharon didn't know Young Steve was her future great-uncle. So it is very possible Peggy didn't tell Sousa about Steve and Sousa doesn't know why the relationship ended, and by trying to justify and explain it to himself Sousa ended up placing the blame on his own actions or behavior in the relationship. Let's not forget when Coulson was talking about his "someone" (Melinda May) he didn't break up with her -- he died. So it's not like Coulson and Sousa were having a conversations about how they left anyone, they were having a conversation about how they felt the end of their relationships were their own faults.

So I think it is very, very fair to say Peggy and Sousa's relationship ended because she was still in love with Steve. And there's nothing wrong with that. No one is at fault. Sometimes relationships don't work out and it's okay. Believe it or not but there's no villains here.

Sousa and Peggy both got their happy endings, just not with each other. So there’s no bad blood. Everything worked out as it should.

Anyways! The only purpose of my post here is to clear the air, because I've read just about enough posts saying "...when Sousa broke up with Peggy..." and I really don't think that's true or fair to him. Nobody ever said Sousa broke up with Peggy, please leave my mans alone.

Edit: Also, as someone added in the replies to this post, right around the time Peggy and Sousa started their relationship Sousa was West Coast Chief of the SSR and Peggy was about to join Howard Stark and others to form SHIELD in New Jersey. This combo among Steve returning is the perfect storm for a breakup.

[xbladekitkat85]

Do You Remember Now?

Summary: It's Peter's birthday and everyone is planning on a surprise when he wakes up. Except there's a huge problem. Peter's gone missing.

Word count: 4k+

Warnings: Descriptions of violence, swearing, ANGST, mentions of dealing with grief.

A/N: I haven't really written angst before so I don't know how hard it's going to hit. I did tear up at one part while typing so maybe it's a bit heavy???

Peter's disappearance happened when everyone least expected it. It was the morning of his birthday, and all the heroes of the universe were going to be there. It would have been the first reunion in over 5 years where everyone was available to come, Asgardians and Guardians as well. Everyone was going to sneak into Peter's room to wake him up with a collective shout of "SURPRISE!" and pop an unnecessary amount of party poppers all over the room.

Tony peeked inside first to make sure that Peter was still asleep before beckoning everyone inside. But he felt a cold draft flowing from the crack between the door and the doorframe that shouldn't have been possible due to the picture windows.

He entered the room to find the window cut open and various items belonging to Peter scattered on the floor. There was no sign of Peter himself and the excited feeling that Tony had all morning quickly twisted into something he had felt only when Pepper had been taken years ago by Killian.

It was the feeling of debilitating fear.

Tony felt a wave of nausea hit him as various scenarios all ran through his head, each with Peter hurt, scared, or possibly even dead.

Pepper was the first to notice Tony hadn't come to get everyone. He came out of Peter's room after a few minutes more of waiting. But he wasn't acting like the excited father he was only moments before.

"Tony, what's wrong?" She asked, feeling anxiety building up with each second of silence.

Tony turned to look at everyone with a haunted look in his eyes. Pepper recognized it as the same expression he had when he had returned from space after fighting Thanos. Something was horribly wrong, and it had to do with Peter.

"Tony, talk to me. What's happening." Pepper asked gently despite the worry she felt.

"Peter's not there." He whispered hoarsely and turned to look at her. "Pep, we can't lose him again."

Morgan, Carter and Harley had heard what Tony said and they all felt a sharp stab of fear and worry. Morgan felt tears burning in her eyes, and buried her face in Carter's shoulder for a moment to compose herself. Carter held her close and stroked her hair while Harley walked into Peter's room to see it for himself.

Harley looked around the entire space. He checked the closet, the hammock near the ceiling, and the bathroom adjacent to Peter's room to no avail.

"FRIDAY, show me the tower's security activity from 11pm last night up until dad opened Peter's door." Harley requested.

But to everyone's shock, there was no familiar response of, "Sure thing boss." from the speakers throughout the tower.

FRIDAY was out of commission. That meant that somebody had been able to shut down an AI made by Tony Stark, which is no easy feat. This meant someone skilled was behind it and most likely planned the kidnapping with extreme scrutiny.

Nothing about the situation was remotely close to how everyone thought this day was going to go.

"We need to get Friday back online ASAP." Morgan shakily said. "If we are able to access the security cameras, there's a chance we might be able to find a clue."

Carter glanced at Morgan and saw the pain and worry in her eyes, and gently took her hand and squeezed it to reassure her. She squeezed it back to acknowledge his presence.

"Morgan, Harley, and Carter, come with me to my lab. Nat, you reach out to any contacts who may know something. Carol, this is a long shot, but I want you to ask off world allies if they have any clues as well." Tony ordered. "Everyone else start looking around the tower for clues of any sort. If you see anything remotely suspicious, make a note of it."

*Time skip*

Nobody had been able to find a trace of a clue regarding Peter's whereabouts.

Not any of Tony's extensive connections had an idea. Natasha's contacts hadn't heard any chatter about a kidnapping or hostage. Carol came up empty from every person she had asked but that wasn't unexpected.

Morgan had been back to school and Carter was supportive whenever she needed reassurance. But after a month of no news, or leads, she was starting to lose the little hope she had left. Peter would promise her before every mission, that he would come home safe and sound. But this time he hadn't come home. She didn't even know where he had gone.

Harley became fixated on building tracking devices, scanners, homing beacons, anything that could help find his brother. Harley had promised to always help Peter if he was in a pinch, regardless of how annoying he could be sometimes.

Tony had shut himself in his lab to fix FRIDAY and go through everything he could think of that could offer some sort of sign, a clue, a word, literally anything to bring Peter back home. He had invented time travel to bring him back so why couldn't he do something as simple as finding a clue? Peter would probably point out an error in his work that would solve his problem but now that wasn't possible.

Pepper busied herself by concentrating on running Stark Industries. Whenever she got the chance, she would drag Tony and Harley out of their labs to eat meals with her. God knows those two would forget to eat if nobody reminded them that food and water was an essential part of living. Peter would usually take care of that but since his disappearance, she took up the job.

Everyone felt a piece of their family was missing. But nobody said his name out loud, even though everyone thought about him.

It just hurt too much to hear his name knowing that by now he was likely dead. That he was never coming home.

And time would continue to pass, as the pain of losing Peter would too.

Until one day, on a mission, everything changed.

*6 months after Peter's disappearance*

HYDRA had suddenly resurfaced with no warnings whatsoever.

They had set off Tony's alert system designed to warn of threats, and a group immediately suited up. Having HYDRA stirring up trouble was never a good sign, especially since they were supposed to be gone. But as the saying goes, "Cut one head off, two more take it's place."

The team that had gone to check out the threat consisted of the original 6 Avengers as well as Harley, Bucky, Kate, and Wanda. Upon arriving at the location that had set off the alarm, they noticed that another group of people were there as well. One person among them in particular stood out to the OG Avengers. Before anyone could make a move, all the Avengers were suddenly knocked down, and tied up so they couldn't move.

"Hey, I found these guys lurking around. Who are they?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yo-Yo, you can let them go. We're friends. Well, at least most of us are, those three I haven't met. It's alright."

All the OG 6 Avengers felt a cold shock run through their bodies. That voice belonged to someone they thought was dead since the Battle of New York.

"Agent Coulson?" Tony asked in shock.

"It's former Director actually and yes, I'm alive." Coulson replied, as everyone was untied by Yo-Yo.

"There's no way." Natasha said as she stood up. "Fury would have said something sooner. And when were you Director of SHIELD?"

"I'm sorry, Nat, but he meant to keep it a secret from all of you. Me being resurrected." Coulson said with regret in his voice. "Said that if you knew, it would have distracted you from your goal."

"Steve, who is this guy?" Bucky asked in confusion.

Coulson's eyes widened in a very comical way when he noticed who had just spoken.

"Sergeant Barnes. It's an honor to meet you." He said, holding out a hand to shake.

Bucky took Coulson's hand to shake and noticed that his hand was not a real hand.

"Your hand... It's mechanical isn't it?" Bucky asked curiously.

"How much has happened with you since we last saw each other?" Steve asked.

"A lot. And we'll talk about it later after we take care of this HYDRA base. I assume that's why you're all here." Coulson said, gesturing to the other group.

"Yes, well, let's introduce the new members of our teams and then make a plan." Steve said.

Coulson informed his team of the change of plans. Everyone on Coulson's team met up for introductions.

"Daisy Johnson, aka Quake. She has the ability to manipulate natural vibrations as well as generate concussive blasts of vibrating air. Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez. She is able to travel at superhuman speeds within the timeframe of a beat of her heart before she bounces back. Hence the nickname, Yo-Yo. Melinda May, expert martial artist, pilot and empath. Mack, Deke, and FitzSimmons are on the Bus right now. You'll meet them later."

Everyone on Tony's side acknowledged their names and took note of their abilities and powers.

"Ok, for the new faces on our side, we have Barnes, the Winter Soldier, who you already know, Wanda, she's got telekinesis and can read minds, Kate, she's Clint's protege, slash eventual replacement and Harley, my oldest kid, who built his own suit." Tony said, introducing the group.

Daisy leaned over to Yo-Yo.

"Tony Stark has kids?" She whispered.

"How the hell would I know?" She responded. "I'm not the former groupie member here."

Daisy glared half heartedly at her.

"I said it was one time!"

"Not my fault you got drunk and told me that story." She shot back.

"Hey, focus we're not here to argue." May interrupted. "We have a mission."

Everyone quickly formed a plan and they all entered the base.

Yo-Yo ran through the halls to assess the amount of security as well as any potentially dangerous weapons. When she was done, she gave the report to Coulson and Tony so they could split their team accordingly.

"May, Harley, Kate, Captain Rogers, Wanda, and I will be one group. Daisy, Yo-Yo, Nat, Clint, Sergeant Barnes, and Tony will be the other. " Coulson explained. "Dr. Banner will be here on comms just in case. I've synced the signal our comms travel on so we're on the same channel. We're going to be split up, so only call for help if necessary. We have about equal amounts of power on each side, so take advantage of every opportunity if need be. Let's go."

Everyone nodded and headed off with their respective groups to raid the base.

(A/N Tony's team will be written in bold and Coulson's team in regular text to avoid unnecessary writing)

Wanda lead the group through the hallways, with May taking out the first few guards easily. Coulson shot ICER bullets at the ones May couldn't focus on while Harley made sure every guard was unconscious. Cap and Kate ran ahead to scout out the next few corridors and the rest of the group quickly followed.

Daisy knocked down the first wave of guards and Yo-Yo tied all of them up while Nat, Clint, Tony and Bucky advanced deeper into the building. A group of guards wielding batons and handguns immediately appeared in their path, blocking the way. Clint shot arrows into the walls that released smoke to obscure the soldiers vision and aim. Tony took advantage of their disorientated state and used heat signature seeking taser blasts to knock them out.

Cap almost got a punch to the face while he rounded a corner but he leaned to the side, barley avoiding it. Kate quickly rushed in and used the man's momentum to flip him over her shoulder into the wall while Cap recovered and punched another soldier trying to attack Kate from behind.

"Thanks." She said, a bit out of breath.

"No problem. Incoming from both sides, get ready." He replied, standing nearly back to back with Kate.

"You got it, Cap." She said, readying her bow.

He threw his shield at the closest guard while Kate shot multiple electric arrows at the hallway in front of her, effectively creating a bolt of electricity that hit multiple targets. They quickly rotated in sync and they repeated the same attacks as before, with Cap taking out the last of the soldiers in his way and Kate knocking out hers.

Tony watched Yo-Yo as she sped forward to scout the next hallway. He couldn't help but think of Pietro Maximoff, and how similar their powers seemed to be. Of course, Yo-Yo bounced back while Pietro didn't. He just kept going forward and never looked back.

Before he could even blink she had returned to the group.

"There's about a dozen guards outside a set of reinforced double doors." She said. "They're guarding something important."

"That's why we're here though. HYDRA has some weapon or something they plan on using, right?" Daisy asked. "Why else would they have resurfaced?"

"It's never a good sign when there's that much security outside an already pretty secure door." Clint added.

"They couldn't have possibly made anything more dangerous than supersoldiers." Bucky muttered.

"I wouldn't put it past HYDRA to find a way to do it." Nat said. "We got to make a plan. We can't just charge in."

Coulson's group had reached the end of the last hallway on their side. There wasn't anything at all to take as evidence or to destroy.

"It can't just be a dead end." Coulson said in disbelief. "There's gotta be a secret door or something at least."

Harley snorted at his complaint.

"I mean that's would I would have done." Kate said thoughtfully. "There wasn't anything of importance on our side of the base. So it makes sense that there's something we're missing."

Cap walked forward and proceeded to rap his knuckles on the wall.

"Whatcha doing there Cap?" Harley joked. "Hoping the secret door will open if you politely knock?"

Cap had moved to the left wall and knocked on it as well.

"He's checking to see if any of the walls sound more hollow than the others." May interjected. "It's a smart idea. It could reveal a hidden room or passage that isn't visible to the naked eye."

Wanda turned to Harley with a raised brow.

"Hey, can't you scan through walls with your suit? That would make this go a lot faster." She asked sarcastically.

Harley froze and everyone turned to look at him.

"Yeah, that would have made this a lot easier." Coulson said wryly.

"I'll get on it." Harley said sheepishly.

He scanned all the walls around them and eventually started walking in another direction.

"This way. There's a room further this way that I can't see through with the scanner. It seems to be lined with lead, which means x-ray scanners won't do the job. Whatever we need to find must be there." He said.

Everyone quickly followed Harley's lead as he walked down the halls, eventually leading them to where the other group had gathered in front of heavy looking doors. The soldiers that had presumably been standing guard were incapacitated on the floor.

(End of bold/regular text switches)

The entire group was preparing to enter the room they stood in front of. Whatever HYDRA had been working on had to be here. Nowhere else in the building had anything significant and this was the final stop.

The door had a keypad that required a passcode as well as a biometric scan. Of course, they could try using the guards to try to pass the retinal scan but there wasn't any guarantee they had access.  Of course, they had to deal with the code as well. Maybe physical force would work.

Tony scanned the door's material and found that it was capable of taking the strongest hit from his and Harley's suit combined.

"All right, does anyone else have any brilliant ideas on how to enter this room?" He asked "I don't have enough firepower for this door."

Coulson turned to Daisy and nodded his head.

"Do your thing." He said.

She rolled her eyes and approached the keypad to the door and forced the device to open, revealing circuit boards and wires.

"What is she doing?" Harley asked in confusion. "I thought she could blast through stuff?"

Daisy took out a small tablet and hooked it to the keypad, quickly typing out code and breaking through the security.

"You're lucky I still carry a tablet, Coulson. We would have been in trouble otherwise."

Tony was impressed and slightly scared of how fast she broke through HYDRA's mainframe of security. He made a mental note to update his security system as well as FRIDAY's firewalls.

After a couple minutes of rapid typing, the door opened with a hiss of cold air.

"Remind me to change all my passwords on my social media." Harley said to his suit's AI.

"All right, lets see what HYDRA has been working on." Coulson announced. "Prepare yourselves for anything."

They walked into the room and immediately, everyone noticed the change of temperature compared to the rest of the base.

FRIDAY informed Tony that it was 10 degrees in the room and understandably, everyone was shivering.

Tony walked a bit further and then stopped suddenly. He felt his blood run colder than the room itself.

Coulson had said to be prepared for anything but he clearly didn't have this in mind of the things he needed to steel himself for.

"Oh my god." Kate whispered. "Is it?"

"Peter?" Harley asked in disbelief.

Tony's son was in the corner of the room, curled up in the fetal position, and unresponsive to the world around him.

"FRIDAY, scan for any vital signs." Tony asked desperately.

"He's got a pulse, but I believe he may be in a comatose state. He is also dehydrated and malnourished."

Coulson's team didn't know who this Peter was, but they knew based on everyone else's reaction that he was someone who had been missing for a long time.

"FitzSimmons, do you read me?" Coulson said into his earpiece.

"Yes sir, what's wrong?" Jemma's voice replied.

"We need you to set up the medbay immediately. Get an IV drip sufficient for dehydration as well as malnutrition." Coulson ordered. "We also need heat lamps, if you got any."

"Right away sir." She replied.

Steve picked Peter up and everyone followed him out of the base, back to safety.

*Time skip to returning to New York*

Morgan had been in the middle of a meeting for student council when her watch buzzed. Although it wasn't unusual for that to happen, this time it was buzzing in a pattern that meant there was an emergency that she could not ignore.

"May I be excused to go to the bathroom?" She asked the teacher, who nodded her approval.

She grabbed the hall pass and made her way to the bathroom and checked to see what the message was.

The message was from Harley and what he had sent broken down the walls of composure she had been building for 6 months.

Morgan, we found Peter. We're almost back to the tower and mom's picking you and Carter up. We'll tell you more when you get here.

She sank to the floor and started to sob.

How was this possible?

Where had he been?

How was he alive?

Was he still alive?

More and more questions ran through her head and she finally calmed down enough to exit the bathroom without looking like she had just had a breakdown. When she walked back into the classroom she was handed a summons to leave early.

She arrived at the attendance office and Carter was already there, waiting for her with Pepper by his side.

They all hugged for a good long while and they all cried a bit before Happy started to drive to the tower to meet up with everyone.

"Mom? Is he alive?" Morgan asked hoarsely.

She was silent for a bit before replying.

"He's alive but he's in a coma of sorts."

"Do we know why?" Carter asked.

"Dad said it was extensive exposure to frigid temperatures and that the spider DNA caused him to hibernate because of it." She answered.

"Do we know when he's supposed to wake up?" Carter questioned.

"I don't know honey." Pepper said honestly. "We have to hope for the best."

Morgan felt her heart sink in her chest as they pulled into the parking garage.

Everyone got out as soon as the car was parked and rushed to the elevator.

"FRIDAY, take us to the medbay where Peter is." Pepper said.

"Right away miss." She replied.

They made it to the medbay in record time and rushed to Peter's bedside, where he was still asleep.

Morgan almost didn't recognize that it was Peter in the bed.

His face was unnaturally pale and gaunt and he had lost weight, his frame looking thinner and weaker because of it. His hair was longer than she had ever seen it before and was tangled in knots. He had multiple bruises scattered around his body that should have been healed.

Tony and Harley walked into the room soon after and Morgan hugged them both extra tightly as she let out months worth of fear and anxiety in the form of tears.

"Shhhh, Maguna, it's ok, he's home." Tony whispered. "Breathe, you have to breathe."

"I thought he was dead." She sobbed into his chest.

"I know, but he's here now, everything's going to be ok." Tony reassured her gently.

Carter and Pepper joined in the hug and they all comforted each other.

Peter was finally home, where he belonged.

And he was about to wake up from his slumber.

"Hello?" a voice said, cracking in the middle of the word. "Where 'm I?"

Harley turned his head towards Peter so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.

"He's awake!" He said.

Everyone let go from the hug to gather around Peter's bed.

"Peter, are you ok? How do you feel?" Carter asked.

Peter turned to look at Carter.

"Who're you?" He asked confusedly.

Peter looked at all the people standing by his bed.

"Who are you guys?" He asked. "What am I doing here?"

Everyone's hearts collectively sank at his question.

Peter didn't remember anyone in this room. He couldn't recall his family. What had HYDRA done to him?

"Peter, we're your family." Morgan explained shakily. "I'm Morgan, your little sister. That's Harley, your brother, Carter, my boyfriend. That's mom and dad over there. Don't you remember at all?"

Morgan's voice broke as she asked him that question.

Peter looked at everyone's faces, one by one, trying his best to remember them but he couldn't. His memories were blank with a capital 'B'.

"Maybe photos or videos might help?" Carter offered weakly.

"FRIDAY pull up video footage from the folder, Family Shenanigans."

FRIDAY displayed footage from the timeframe that the Avengers were playing pool in the rec room.

Tony was on a team with Carter and Harley and Morgan were on the other. Peter and Pepper were watching them play from the side.

"Come on Harley, you can do better than that!" Tony teased as he put chalk on his cue stick. "Morgan's been carrying your team the whole game."

"No way, I've hit at least half of our balls in the pockets!" Harley protested, even though he knew he was spouting bullshit.

"I've done two behind the back shots and made them, how many have you done?" Morgan piped in, absolutely decimating Harley, the Roast King himself.

Everyone burst out laughing at her comeback and Tony immediately fell to the floor from laughter and pounded his fist on the ground.

Morgan had never seen her dad laugh so hard at something, let alone everyone else, including Natasha, who usually never let more than a chuckle out when she found something hilarious.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON ANYWAY?!" Harley yelled at her over all the laughter.

"That's my sister!"  Peter said proudly, with tears of laughter in his eyes.

Friday played other videos taken during random moments, as well as displaying photos. Everyone took turns explaining what had happened that day and why it was special. Peter asked questions here and there and everyone answered patiently and with extra detail to help.

Eventually, they had gone through the entire folder and Morgan glanced at Peter to see if there was a flicker of recognition at all.

"Do you remember now?" She asked him softly.

Peter had tears in his eyes as he answered.

"I'm so sorry." He said.

Morgan wanted to scream her heart out. He still didn't remember his family. She didn't know if he ever would.

"I've been gone so long, and HYDRA erased my memories. But you guys were able to find me before they could finish the job for good." He said, finishing what he had wanted to say. "I do remember you guys. I can't believe I ever forgot how much everyone here means to me."

Pepper let out a gasp as she nearly tackled him in a hug. Everyone felt a huge weight lift from their shoulders as Peter laughed weakly at everyone's faces.

"Peter, don't you ever scare us like that again!" Harley scolded with tears running down his face.

"That was a shitty thing to do, seriously." Carter said, annoyed but mostly relieved that Peter was back.

"Peter, never forget how much we love you." Tony said, wiping a tear away from his cheek.

"I can't believe you're back." Morgan said, smiling despite the fact she was still crying a bit.

"I'm here, and I won't be leaving you guys like that again." Peter replied. "I mean, I'm bedridden at the moment anyway."

Everyone groaned at his joke before a group hug formed around Peter.

Everything was as it should always have been.

A/N: Here's a little fun fact about this chapter, the part where Morgan roasts Harley is based on something that happened within my family a couple years ago. In my family's version, I was on a team with my cousin and my dad and another cousin were on the other team. The dialogue is basically word for word what happened. I roasted my cousin, and my everyone started laughing, and my dad literally fell to the floor and was pounding his fist on the ground.

Taglist: @frostedgiant

Send an ask if you would like to be tagged in future fics!

[rahleeyah]

I want to start by saying thank you! I'm a long time ao3 and ffnet lurker, but new to tumbler. I grew up with SVU (it premiered when I was 14) and EO was definitely my first 'ship, even if I didn't know what that meant. Finding y'all, it's felt like coming home!

That said, I stopped watching when Stabler left and only since his return have I started to watch again, and also go back and rewatch from the beginning.... I've got questions!

Was Melinda around when Liv was kidnapped by Lewis? Is it possible that through Melinda, Elliot will find out what happened to Liv? Maybe Melinda will say something in passing to him, assuming Liv has told him? I feel like Warner always knew what was up between E&O.

Phoebe. Has Munch met her?? Did anyone mention she looks an awful like a vic Munch had a soft spot for back in season one?!? LOL Or is this one of those L&O Universe things we don't talk about, like how Casey Novak looks suspiciously like a perp they arrested for raping a stripper in season 3?

Sorry this got away from me and became so long. So happy to be here reliving my angst with you all!

Oh my gosh welcome aboard friend!!! I am just absolutely loving how all of us old fans got reactivated like sleeper agents and are finding our way to each other. It is like coming home!!! It's a beautiful thing!!! To come back to these familiar faces, these familiar stories, after so long away... I'm getting emotional just thinking about it lmao

Melinda was, iirc, sort of tangentially around when Liv was taken. Like no longer main cast but still poking her head in from time to time. But she definitely would know and GOD for Elliot to hear about it from someone else???? 🔪🔪🔪🔪 Lmao like. Warner totally knows something was up between them. Liv has been so tightly controlled around him so far I can totally see it coming to that, that she never says a word but someone else does.

I mentioned this to @racethewind10 - good lord what if Elliot ran into Cassidy. What if it was Cassidy who told him, Cassidy who probably resents the hell out of him, Cassidy who was left trying to hold Liv together after she was taken - through the nightmares, through the flashbacks, God through everything - and Cassidy sees the two of them and he just. He wants to protect Liv but he wants to make Elliot hurt too. I may write that lmao

And oh my gosh 🤣🤣🤣I know this show has been on the air forever but there are SO MANY recycled actors it's hilarious. Bless their hearts.

You come and yell in my inbox any time you want friend!!! I'm so glad you're with us 💜

[i8worms]

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Before i start this review i want to state that the book contains sensitive topics such as rape, sexual harassment, bullying, self harm, and suicide mention.

 A/n- i was writing this beforehand but it got deleted and I’m mad, which is why this is rushed. Therefore, if you read this and think, “ damn this is shitty”, just know it could have been so much better if tumblr wouldn’t have crashed on me. I also want to clarify that I’m not a good writer, i don’t want any tips on how to improve my writing (unless i ask) and don’t care too much about my grammar because this is just a hobby account where i ramble about books and random stuff. ( i may come back and correct my misspells though.. maybe) 

 this book has been through hell with me. I spilled water on it earlier, hopefully it doesn’t wrinkle. I’m not going to explain too much of the story because i am not an expert, just a teen with too much time on their hands.

 Going into the book we learn a bit about the main character, Melinda, she is a freshman trying to forget about her past and she really (emphasis on really) hates Andy Evans and is quite literally scared of him. Her parents are pretty average. Her mom is stubborn and is mostly doing work rather than spending time with her daughter. Her father is the same but worse, until later in the story. we also learn that her parents aren’t the most lovey-dovey couple out there and don’t really show emotion well. To top that off Melinda has pretty shitty friends in the beginning of the story. She has pretty bad grades and the only class she seems to enjoy is art. Mr.Freeman is a teacher that the readers will love. He’s kind hearted, passionate and overall the teacher everyone wishes to have. Melinda makes new friends later on in the story, david and ivy. David is a brave and outstanding dude. He is kind to Melinda and really wants to get into Harvard. Ivy is a caring and passionate artist always willing to help Melinda. We learn that Melinda was raped and she had to see the boy who had done this to her everyday at school, Andy Evans (shocker). She finds out that one of her old friends, Rachel, is now dating him and she meets her to tell her what happened. Rachel felt bad when she found out she was raped, but as soon as she found out who had done it, this whore called her melinda a liar and refused to believe her despite being friends since primary school. Then she goes back home devastated, wondering if she had done the right thing. Prom passes by fast and there was one thing everyone was talking about, Andy Evans was a perv at prom. Basically while Rachel and him were slow dancing he tried to make things hot by touching her inappropriately. Rachel being a freshman and Andy being a senior was what made the drama go wild. School was ending and Melinda was waiting on a grade after school when Andy traps her in class. He talks about how he felt humiliating and that Melinda had been lying about getting raped and keeps talking about how melinda liked it. weirdo. he starts getting on top of her and trying to kiss her and Melinda is frozen. Its feels like forever until she stops him by fighting back. Eventually she screams and a group of kids see her and she is able to unlock the door and leave. On the last day she goes to Mr.Freeman’s class and turns in her last work of art, a piece that held a strong place in her heart. she begins to cry. Mr.freeman asks, “you’ve been through a lot haven’t you.” To where Melinda finally speaks up, “Let me tell you about it.” Now obviously she didn’t tell her art teacher she had been raped but we get the point. She had finally spoken up about it. i have never related to a character most in my life. Going through an impacting and traumatic moment happen to you and everyone else is moving on. But you’re stuck, laying behind while everyone goes on. and you’re trapped. grades are low, you’re debating if this will all be worth it. you’re shouting and begging for help, yet no one hears you. you learn to heal without help. but thats the magic in self healing i guess. anyways i really enjoyed this book. Laurie did an amazing job and i will keep this book’s lessons close to me.

 10/10