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austinsastrology8991 · 1 year ago

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Secrets from > PLUTO < that he told me

Pluto is dark. And its hard to understand him. He is your shadow; he hides from you and you hide from him. But your both watching each other very closely >

> 1 > The brighter something is > The darker the shadow. You cannot expel darkness, you can only accept it. Evil things exist and they always will. NO matter how hard you try to remove something with 'evil eye' or try to fight the good fight; whatever your fighting will always exist and the ever prevailing fight of; 'good vs evil' always will prevail. But everyone seems to forget that the darkness resides in everyone as much as their light does too.

> 2 > Rules don't exist; but we think they do. Rules funnel everyone in similar directions > When you see a rule you are forced to go in certain directions in order to avoid 'breaking the rules' but by not breaking the rules you are 'following the rules' and this makes you go in certain calculated directions (set up by people in power/social constructs) in order to avoid trouble. Or out of frustration you purposefully break them; so rules have a much greater pull on all of us then we all want to give them credit for. Also the mere concept of a law or principle defining how we must live; makes us all compromise into the laws of that are governing us. And thus; we are all products of our environments; of the rules we were forced to obey. Social constructs, government laws, or issues of any sort affect your free will, and whilst you can do whatever you want; there are many punishments awaiting you, which inevitably will affect your overall happiness/contentment because when you thought you could do anything; you realise you are very restricted and you compromise far more often than what you would like to admit.

> 3 > The more you front; the more your showing us who you are > When it comes down to it its actually very difficult to fool anyone. You may have the hang of it; but if you meet someone who also knows how to fool others; you will both stick out like a sore thumb to each other. And well once the jig is up; and the perception of yourself falls as it always does. You will feel like a pathetic person, and so it is almost always worth telling the truth; the longer you lie, the darker the dark becomes. To you and to others. and it will make the shadow work far more difficult to overcome. Embody your light as much as your dark and you will not be afraid of yourself let alone others; and you will not feel the need to 'front' > 4 < The more you prove yourself to others, the more you proved you are trying to prove yourself and rarely did you prove what you wanted to prove. You simply approved yourself as someone willing to prove themselves

> 5 >"When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you" > I love how everyone thinks they are better than one another, because we can point out certain flaws that maybe we are avoiding; to pretend we are better than the other. But your ratchetness is just as ratchet as another, or worse. Does that make you a worser person? well maybe. But that should make you feel pretty stupid for calling other people ratchet. People need to be told what is correct and what is not; but it simply doesn't matter most of the time, because that person usually is very aware of how destructive they are, because its hard to ignore the messes you create, and sooner rather than later, they will find their karma; so why intefere? work on yourself and become an example, don't adopt someones elses kids when they are already rebelling their real mothers.

> 6 >No one can or will hurt you more than who or what you love > your enemies may sting but if your love one hurts you, as no one knows you better than them, when they strike it will hurt. And sometimes you cannot recover a relationship because you 2 have hurt each other too much. Enemies will piss you off, but truthfully fighting enemies is good fun. Fighting love ones is a whole nother ball game and that is a far more plutonian thing. Sometimes it is necessary to hurt those we love so they learn a lesson, but far more often than not ; you both will cause irreparable scars that will leave a sore spot in both of your hearts. > 7 < You are equally as powerful and as powerless as you believe to be. Your flaws are as real as your strengths; and the longer you deny your strength or your weakness, the more it will sting when the realization hits that you are both. You are not worse or better than anyone, and the more someone pretends they are one or the other, the more pathetic they are. Regardless of which form they choose to show. > 8 < You can't blame anyone. Only yourself. If your the vessel of your destiny than everything that passes you is just the current; and you will have a difficult time arguing with the laws of nature. Learn to accept what you are and what is around you, and then you will discover ways to manipulate it. Do not try to educate something that is immovable, but allow it to pass you; in a respectful manner, that is true power; allowing something to exist and not let it interfere with your sense of being. Because you are able to be apart of the dark > notice how any light on in the dark is a magnet to everything that is awake in the dark? > 9 > "The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest" - dark lives in the shadow of light, and because of this many times over when your fighting darkness its when you feel the most powerful; and its because you are actually embodying a more darker aspect of yourself, as you also embody a stronger 'light' within; "dont you know you can only get as high as you fell?"

I don't want to talk about my pluto; I'm just discussing what pluto means to me. There are so many places you can find him, these are just some places I've found him.

#pluto #astro community #astrology blog #astrology notes #astrology observations

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centrally-unplanned · 12 days ago

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Wack question but do you think an increase in artworks from AI that aren't necessarily that creative or original results in the overall diminishment of creativity or originality we as a species have?? To me it seems the bar would remain the same?? Talented people will keep creating good/original works regardless of whatever tools (AI or not) they're using innit.

I would first say upfront "way too contingent to tell!" - the technology is too new, and the pipelines for "art" too insanely diverse, for anyone to make an actual, solid prediction. Not to mention the word "creativity" doesn't have a single meaning. Just getting that out of the way.

To provide some ~thoughts I think things will probably be fine because of a sort of "conservation of effort" that goes into things; when you find you can radically reduce the time it takes to do one part of a job, you do often reduce the amount of net time on the job; but just as often you increase effort in other areas because now you can. So if we make some arbitrary assumptions about AI art getting better and more controllable in its output, you would almost certainly see a higher % of "images of art" on your feed or w/e being AI art. Based on your definition, that might be less creative than the past. But you will almost certainly also see a net increase in the number of webcomics! Combinations of many pieces of art & text, with the art in particularly being very time consuming to make, now much easier to do so your previously "eh if I get time" webcomic idea can now surface. Again based on your definition that is a definite increase. Dynamics like this will abound in creative industries - from that lens art will shift but not reduce.

However, I do think there is an argument for a creativity reduction. Commercial art is generally made by large teams of creatives & non-creatives, and this comes with a lot of compromises by everyone involved as they push and pull. And a lot of times the financial side of things would ideally want to make "the most marketable thing", but can't really implement that vision because they need the creatives who execute on board and they have their own zany predilections as artists. You can very frequently see in "new" artistic fields that early on, some really crazy shit gets funded because only like 50 guys can make video games or anime or w/e, and you just sort of have to do what they say. Over time that fades as production grows and lots of new trained staff emerge and the people involved become relatively "replaceable", and so balance shifts to the financers. All relative ofc, other dynamics are going on here as well.

Here you can see AI art as a sort of accelerant of "optimized" art - by making the art much easier to make, commercial ventures can more effectively "force" a production to be exactly what they want it to be. It lowers the bargaining power of artists, who typically do want to do more adventurous things. Again relative ofc, plenty of indie arthouse business types and staid, workhorse artists exist. But still, I could see a world where commercial art becomes more predictable as production pipelines get better at "tamping down" on the human variation in the product.

Again do I think that will happen? No clue, tech is way too young, and a bunch of other stuff will happen too. Just some ideas to watch for.

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messier-47 · 1 year ago

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RE7, RE8

A study of Ethan Winters cause I love him as a character and he's so fucking weird? definetely interesting.

I've taken a few liberties about his character

RE8 is so fucked up.

I hate it.

Okay, so Resident Evil games have this entire set up/scheme that they religously follow. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it, right? RE7 was different because it was a FPS with a very intimate horror setting. It relied solely on horror and not just the adventure side of most Resident Evil games. RE8 was crafted exactly like a typical Resident Evil videogame which isn't bad but Ethan made the difference.

Ethan is "a regular dude" given the motive "save my daughter" with the added emotional turmoil of "my wife is dead". Kinda sounds familiar right? it's almost in parallel with RE7.

"My wife's been missing for 3 years" -> "i just my wife get murdered"

"I must find my wife" -> "i must find my daughter."

So now we have Ethan's entire emotional state and motive to go forth into dangerous scenario to base videogame off of. However...all too quickly everything gets way out of hand. In RE7, the presented story is something understanble and maybe even relateable to Ethan's understanding of the world. He went into the deep swamps of Louisiana and there's a crazy murder family who'd been snatching victims (this is without the explanation of mold which is later revealed to him). Now he walks into a european village and there suddenly werewolves? steampunk man with metal powers? marionette witchcraft? hunchback of putrid mutant? evil seraphim? this is way out of his league of understanding!

And yes, he had some form of military training and was in some form of witness protection program? However there's a BIG difference between "yeah I survived Louisiana madhouse that just happened to be a mold hot spot, afterwards getting military training" and then Leon Kennedy level of bullshit bumfuckery. speaking of Leon, RE8 was odd because it kept treating Ethan as if he was Leon!

I don't mean the "Ethan Winters your reputation proceeds you" or how RE8 was just a reordered version of RE4 with some diverse bossfights, it was the "let's treat Ethan like the heroic character" when...he isn't. RE8 would have been so much better if Miranda and the Lords weren't so concerned over Ethan's appearance. What if Miranda and the Lords were going about their business getting ready for the ceremony when suddenly there was "some guy" who starts culling their army reserve?

Ethan's character in RE8...is pretty bland in comparison to RE7. Again, it's probably because he's a "quiet" man who doesn't really talk to the camera about what he knows, what he's thinking or feeling. RE8 is so big and momentous that it sorta drowns him out as a character with agency. His dialogue isn't as rich, his choices are very guided towards an endpoint, and...even the shit we do see makes Ethan out to be more heroic than what we've seen in RE7.

It's...odd? and maybe this is just bais and opinion at this point but Ethan Winters is a character ill-fitted into the protagonist role of RE8. Whereas Chris Redfeild, Leon Kennedy, and Jill Valentine could all be fitted into heroic roles and imagery like King George and the Dragon, David and Goliath, and Joan of Arc, Ethan was never a character to lead an epic journey. He's more of a "silent hunter"? idk, keep having the image of a slow and steady persistence hunter, verses...whatever the hell the other heroes got going for them.

Really, the storyline of RE8 is ill-suited for Ethan. Can't say I don't understand, a videogame is often just a videogame so the story is compromised to better fit the gameplay. and because it's so bad, I'm really tempted to do a RE8 rewrite fanfic out of pure spite but lmao ain't got enough braincells to spread across two fandoms when i'm already invested in one.

So we go up against the 4 Lords before we have a face-off against Miranda. The segment in Lady D's castle...was awkward in a character development sense. Ethan heads into the castle over and over against cause it's the biggest building around and thus the most likely to have his daughter, except even with the Duke's hints and encouragement, Ethan's motive was really shaky. Why? Because was he in the castle to save his daughter or to kill vampire ladies? would've been better if that part of the game was more dedicated to "run, hide, and investigate" with the sisters trying to hunt for him just like later Lady D would do. Instead we have multiple mini-boss fight scenes before we see the cradle and remember why we're in the castle in the first place. then we fight+defeat Lady D. Which is weird? Okay, so game mechanics Lady D just happens to find you after you kill her 3 daughters and start tomb-robbing. However...story wise it's weird because your PRIME motive is "find my daughter" so why go on killing spree? why the heroics?

we go to Duke and finally get our mission to find/build master key and also collect daughter parts from the 4 Lords.

We go to Beneviento's house which was a WASTED OPPORTUNITY for some character exposition. CURSE YOU ETHAN FOR BEING A QUIET MAN!!! We got to hear Mia talking to herself throughout her pregnaucy and honestly without the added context of "Mia was confronting the truth about both Ethan and her baby being mold people" ...i would have thought all her dialogue was due to a hard pregnaucy. This could have been prime real estate to expose Ethan and Mia's relationship, how they healed after RE7, their thoughts about building back their marriage, their fears and even the doubts about having a child. but we get NOTHING from Ethan! Was the monster baby a representation of Mia's fear? Ethan's fear? or was it just a monster? IDK! this part was so good horror wise but storytelling it SUCKED!

the Monreau segment was so lackluster. It was just a RE4 reference except more gross with acid and boogers everywhere. Ethan is able to get ahold of his daughter piece and for some reason he found pity for Monreau's weeping? He definitely stopped to listen to whiny fish baby's tantrum which I find really odd because...why??? He never showed much sympathy so why now would he stop to listen to "Miranda wants her baby back" speech? unless it was only meant for a game mechanic which i'm getting sick and tired of because it's just shit writing at this point.

We go get to reunite with Chris and get some answers as to what's going on but really Chris? you're gonna look the same man who UNTRAINED and COMPLETELY IGNORANT managed to clear an entire bioweapon's mold infestation BY HIMSELF and try to say "stand down" and expect obediance? yeah, your brainwashing military training ain't that strong.

Then we get to Karl's segment and... honestly why? why was Karl even interested in Ethan? Ethan doesn't have extraordinary abilities other than "fuck you" levels of adrenaline and perseverance. So why did he want Ethan on his team as he reblled against Miranda? Heh, almost understanable why Karl/Ethan is a thing because i can't think or anything other than pure lust probing Karl to make his offer. Karl is a bioweapon engineer, having built an army of cyborgs and is probably the only person in the village who know how cellphones actually work. Oh, as he had magnet powers so why does he want/need Ethan? In order for Rose to be reliably handled and managed? she's a 6 month baby, not even potty trained, wtf?

then chris comes clean about everything and Ethan uses tank to defeat mutant Karl with some moves pretty sure Leon Kennedy would be proud of cause they were pure bullshit.

Ethan finds out about his own mold problem and ugh you can't convince me the whole "Ethan knew he was going to die so might as well sacrifice himself" was just add to trigger the fuck out of Chris who'd seen his friend in RE5 die in an incredibly simular way. Very dramatic, heroic scene. Very "i face god and walk backwards into hell"

All in all...RE8 was a videogame. Forgiveable? Yeah, cause it was never meant to be a story. the problem here is that whilst all Resident Evil games are literally video games and makes compromises about characters, their development arcs, their stories so that it's more about the game than an actual narrative, RE8...was just a game with a cobbled together story with no care to the actual characters.

And it wasn't just Ethan who got the short end of the stick. Chris Redfield was casted into an anti-hero role and Mia was a forgotten SUPER SKETCHY character throughout. Uuuuuuggggghhhh at this point i'm just raging against a video game instead of doing an indepth character study. sorry gang

#ethan winters #resident evil #chris redfield #re8 #re8 village #character study #long post #rant incoming

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woodaba · 1 year ago

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I Still Like Tyranny

i replayed tyranny after getting a bit tired of seeing that Other Big RPG recently, and to my delight, i thought it was still good, for the most part. it represents the kind of breadth and scale i value most in these kinds of games: less an enormous field of markers and possibility, more a dark forest of snares and traps, always one foot away from stepping into a nest of vipers.

for those unfamiliar, tyranny is a game about playing a middle-ranked officer in a conquering army in a bronze-age fantasy society, managing a civil war between two factions within the army. you work for the villains, carry the authority of villains and most of your conversation options will have you speaking just like a villain.

tyranny is smart. despite this being the selling point of the game, it's acutely aware that most players will take this as a challenge - as statistics and statements from multiple developers, including obsidian themselves suggest, almost everyone who plays these kinds of games plays a Good character - and try to defy the stated premise try to claw out some form of heroism in this awful world. knowing this, tyranny carefully and methodically pushes back against attempts to be an honorable and noble person within the role of the fatebinder. it dangles the carrot of self-preservation and gratification to lure you away from the path of righteousness, to ask you to make one compromise - just one, just now - in the hopes that will lead to a better future that has already been closed off from you. it never lets hope die completely - not till the very end - even though you can have completely ruined any chance of defiance with the sixth click of the mouse button after character creation.

each playthrough, i have tried to rebel against kyros, to join the indigenous population and beat back the obviously evil invaders, and until now, i have failed, tripping and falling down a slippery slope that begins with attempted nobility, drops further into compromises and justifications stacked one after another, and ends on a world little different than how it began, save the markings of my boot-print upon it. this time, however, i succeeded: i negotiated an alliance with the rebels of the tiers and forged a true resistance against Kyros the Overlord, and ultimately, i think i found the experience a little wanting.

it's not that it's disappointing, but rather that it's the opposite: i think it lets me rebel too much. tyranny is fun when you play it as a cackling supervillain, but what it excels at is making you a spineless coward, abusing legal loopholes to make meager gains without damaging your power and authority, to be a lickspittle for as many factions as you can to curry favor among them, to do one thing and say the other, to act as a CRPG protagonist so often does, in ways utterly tinged and made sharp by the nature of the premise. at its core, tyranny is a game about how the state and the law will twist and morph whatever actions you take to be in its benefit, to incorporate criticisms and spit them back out, to take rebellion and absorb it into its mass, to take hope and erode it's convictions until the flames only burn for what the state wants them to burn for.

there's little of that to be found in the rebel path, sadly. bereft of the central power of the premise, you're mostly playing a normal CRPG about uniting the tribes against a greater threat, only with your character being a bit more of an asshole about it. this would be fine if the game maintained its fantastic ending - often mischaracterized as empty and unfinished, the slow zoom out of the map to show that all that you have done has been anticipated and accounted for within the system, that whatever gains you have made, whatever you have done, all of it will amount to naught in the end, to be swept away in the tide of history by a force that is Bigger than even the almighty CRPG Protagonist can survive. but it doesn't, not quite - you can hurt Kyros in this ending, not entirely, not completely - and still in a way that makes clear that this is within the scope of Their design, but I think that is too far, too supplicant to the player's need for power and gratification.

when i first finished it, i wondered if the rebel path was simply fully subtractive from the experience, but with further thought, i don't think that's the case. as much as i think it is strictly weaker than the scarlet chorus and disfavored paths, i do think there is value in it's existence - not to play, but to know it exists, to strive for it, and ultimately fail. i don't play tyranny to win - as much as i think the gameplay is better than many give it credit for, i don't think it's strong in the ways that the more traditionally driven games in this genre are strong. i don't play to escape the forest of traps: i play to try, and fail, to be caught in my own compromises and contradictions, to fall into that nest of vipers, and lose myself in them.

#video games #rpg #review #tyranny

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nexus-nebulae · 2 months ago

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What would you consider to be middle class then and what are some tell tale signs someone is middle class in your opinion? I feel like the lines are so blurred sometimes

I dunno. As far as I'm aware, recently it's pretty much been agreed upon by most people who know more about economics than me that currently, the middle class pretty much no longer exists, more and more people finding themselves lower and lower class-wise (I actually got an ad just this morning for Kamala Harris' campaign saying she intends to start rebuilding the middle class; i hope so that sounds nice. also proposing hard caps on medication prices god i hope so).

Middle class America (from what I know, which is always flawed, i am not an economist) is pretty much the suburban model. You're able to support your needs as a person or family (whatever size that may be) and often don't need to make large compromises on purchases. It's not quite like, gated community, HGTV cookie cutter house, HOA type living- that's more upper middle- but usually you're not renting your home and you might have a spare room or an office in your house. You can afford a good enough computer and phones, you probably have at least one gaming console (though sometimes for those you have to wait until a discount or sale). You probably don't have to work multiple jobs to support the household, or there's enough people in the household working one job each that it works out. You're able to support yourself/ves and don't necessarily need to rely much on community/governmental resources (in fact, I'm fairly sure it gets more and more stigmatized to do so the more well off you are. which probably contributed to the death of community in america tbh)

From what little I know about economics, the middle class is a fairly new thing- coinciding with (or causing) the rise of the suburb and the nuclear family model, if I'm thinking right. And a lot of the time, the lines are blurred, as depending on a lot of factors they can move and shift over time. There are legal definitions for some, which you can find online calculators for, using a few factors like your household's income and housing costs- though it might not always be accurate to how well you're meeting your needs. Inflation plus stagnant wages over the course of quite a few years has been causing the middle class to shrink more and more. To me it honestly feels like there's six class distinctions that make sense to me right now: poverty or inability to support the home at all (which should never exist imo), lower class which is mostly struggling but still functioning, lower middle where it's not as constantly stressful but you're still not comfortable, upper middle HOA types, upper class influencer/celebrity/ceo types, and then the 1% (which also shouldn't exist imo) . Hopefully Americans start to agree on how to make stuff economically better soon and actually put it into action.

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cidthesquid · 7 months ago

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Fashion Dreamer Update-Better than ever! #3

[Previous Post] [First Post] [Next Post]

Quite a bit has changed since my last post.(1/29)

If you've been playing, what do you think Of Fashion Dreamer? *Let me know in the comments!) ...Anyway, Back to my thoughts on the game!

So when I last checked in a few months back, and I mentioned that while I liked the game overall, it felt a bit lite on content. I was also worried that the limited time events or 'fairs' were the only thing keeping the game interesting. Well the game has seen some changes since then, the first of which being adjustments to goals for the fairs:

Previously, each of the tiers would require you to do the same task anywhere from 1-3 times, and with the small handful of task available, This made them feel VERY repetitive,

The newest event has greatly reduced the number of challenges needed for each reward tier, making them much less daunting of a task. I'm sure some would argue this means people can 'speed through them' and complete them too quickly. But honestly, I just see this new setup as more realistic for casual players like me, as before I almost felt forced to through together low effort (or just plain bad) outfits just to meet the goals.

If they wanted to make a compromise, maybe let people run through the task list a second or third time after completion for additional rewards, such as extra outfit recipe items. Iit's kinda silly that we only get 'One' of each of the fair items, it means, they just sit in my inventory unused, as I won't be able to figure out how to decorate my one use rare item. But regardless, I'm still glad to see the game updated with new fair, and new items! (even if 'offline mode' is still very much an afterthought)

---- And for the next big change:

We can Actually save and display our favorite outfits! I forget what this feature is called, but this 'look book' style feature, is really fun. It's not just a great way to store your outfits, but it also remembers what muse was wearing it!

It has different sections, so you can keep things organized, and you can even change the background and pose, making it a great way to show off your various outfits! --- I've been having fun jumping back in from time to time, here are a few of the outfits I've made for others recently:

And I've done a few for my own mues as well:

But yeah, I just wanted to post an update to mention that I'm still really enjoying this game, even if I don't play it a ton. Just as I mentioned last time, it REALLY needs to make offline a viable option for more than just 1-2 hours of fun, but that would be hard with how the game currently designed.

Photo mode, and the photo egg also feel a little restrictive, I really feel like opening up the camera adjustments would really help allow for more creatively. I often find the camera bumping into the ground, or locking rotations, keeping me from getting the shot I want.

And as much as I love the photoEgg it feels like the setting are more locked off than in the standard drone cam. But luckily, all this is stuff that can could be fixed with an update, and they've already shown they're willing to make improvements over time. So I'll keep checking in, and completing fairs, as I've said, this game is not style savvy, and it's not those p2w fashion games you'll find on the app store. This game's emphasis on community is something unique, and I can't wait to see how it evolves over time!

--- Thanks for reading! I had a lot of fun making this, so I hope you had fun reading it as well. As always, all comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome! You literally can't bother me, unless you go out of your way to be a jerk, so post whatever you want to say!

#syn sophia #fashion game #style boutique #new style boutique #fashion dreamer #nintendo switch

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lyranova · 2 years ago

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Hello! For your new ask game, can I request 1, 7, 14, 18, 19, 27 and 44 for Vanzel? If I should have only chosen one number, sorry, you can choose 🥰

Hiya anon! No worries you can choose as many numbers as you like I don’t mind 😁, I never put a limit as to how many numbers a person can choose because…where’s the fun in that 😆? So please feel free to choose as many as you like 🥰!

1. Describe their first date.

I feel like their first date was spontaneous 😆! Like I just imagine Vanessa coming up to him after the SE and BB’s had a joint mission together, grabbing him by the arm, and telling him that they were going to celebrate a job well done at some restaurant and when he asks if the others are coming to she just winks and says “Guess you’ll have to find out.” and so he just…goes along with it 😆. In Nozel’s mind it’s just the two of them celebrating a job well done, but eventually he realizes that this is more than meets the eye, and that Vanessa actually took him out on a date without directly telling him it was a date 😆.

That’s just how I imagine their first date being lol!

7. How often do they say “I love you”?

Hmm I feel like they both say it at least once a day! Vanessa probably says it a little more than Nozel, but that’s because she’s a little more affectionate than he is. But I think Nozel developed this habit as a child right after Acier died, he would recall how he didn’t tell his mother that he loved her the night before she passed and before Vanica attacked her. And he’s regretted it ever since. So in order to never repeat that mistake he always tells Vanessa that he loves her before she goes on a mission, or before she leaves, or before she falls asleep.

14. Do they enjoy PDA, or are they more private with affection?

I think they’re a bit of both 🤔. Vanessa enjoys PDA while Nozel prefer’s private affection. But, as the two are together for a while I feel like they compromise on it. Vanessa tones down the PDA and will express herself more in private, while Nozel tries to be more open and comfortable with PDA and will try to express himself more in that way!

18. How do they care for each other when one of them is wounded/sick?

Hmm, I feel like Nozel would get the best of the best medical team if Vanessa was wounded or sick. He would soare no expense in taking care of her, and once he was assured that she would be alright, he would take care of her to the best of his ability as she healed/got better (I imagine he’s pretty clumsy at taking care of someone since he hasn’t done it before 😆!).

Vanessa would probably consult Owen on how to best take care of Nozel if he was sick/wounded, she would ask Charmy to make some of her best recovery food, and would ask Finral to help take her places so she could get supplies to help Nozel heal/get better. Like Nozel she would probably be a little clumsy at it at first, but she would get better at it as time goes on and would do whatever she could to help him recover!

19. Do they wear each other’s clothes/jewelry?

Oh 100% Vanessa wears Nozel’s shirts, coats, etc! I can just imagine the first time Nozel saw Vanessa wearing one of his shirts, his eyes probably went wide and his cheeks turned a bright red 😆! Her wearing one of his shirts probably unlocked something in his brain that he didn’t realize, so now he kind of encourages her to wear his clothes, which she doesn’t mind, since all his clothes are pretty comfortable to lounge around in 😆!

27. How do they say “I love you” non-verbally?

Nozel would probably do littles things for Vanessa to try and show her that he loves her. I still HC Nozel as “Acts of Service” in his love language so he probably cleans up after her, or makes the bed, or even rearranges her wine collection to make it easier for her 😆! While Vanessa shows her love for him by giving him gifts or physical touch (such as hugging, holding his hand, that sorta stuff)!

44. Do they cuddle often? Why or why not?

I think they do! I think Nozel would be a bit unsure of cuddling at first, but the more he and Vanessa do it the more he finds that he really enjoys it! Now after they’ve been together for a while Nozel will initiate cuddle sessions, especially when it’s been a tough day. And Vanessa doesn’t mind, she actually really enjoys it herself 😁!

#asks #anon🌟#vanzel #nozessa #vanessa x nozel #nozel x vanessa #nozel silva #vanessa enoteca #ship ask game #thanks for asking 💕!

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cagenewman · 2 months ago

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No weekend spiral necessary, I promise you. For once, we actually just have a normal, regular Newman Family weekend ahead, we can sleep in tomorrow and everything, It's supposed to rain in the morning, that's as good of an excuse as any other to hang out in bed for a little while longer, right? I hope so. I just wish I could have been less of a mess when he was still here, you know? Speaking of raising that little girl, I did drop a text to Rafael, just to find out if that was something he could help with. He can, and said that he can get it started any time, so. I'm really good at tormenting you into loving me, when you think about it. As a kid, as a teenager, as a full grown adult… Oh, I don't pay for the storage unit. I restored the owner's home years ago, and he was so happy with the work that he literally gave me two lockers in his unit and told me that it was grandfathered in. You just have to know the right people. No, I just… I don't know, dreams change, and our life is a lot different now than it was when we were kids and you used to lay in the bed of my truck with your head on my chest. Do you think that Cordelia, teenaged Cordelia, do you think I'd still be the man of her dreams? They're not shriveling, you're so dramatic, you make it seem like you're fifty. I probably did, and then I went and did the crazy thing and bought a ring and I sort of skipped a few steps, and now I'm circling back. I know you're not. And I know that I'm very lucky that you are patient enough that you haven't given up on me. I don't want to miss out on a window, either, I just… want to make sure we're okay, that we're ready. What if -- can we compromise? Talk about it more often, get through the wedding, the football season, give these kids the best holiday season they've ever had, and then… if we feel good. If we feel it's right. Try? Nah, I know, and he's kind of a lot like dad in that way, he was always at the farm, always working hard, taking care of us kids. I try not to push, you know? I get that. You didn't want to get hurt again. And I am sorry for that, I never meant for you to feel that way about relationships, I was a dumb kid, I wasn't thinking about how much it would stick with you, fuck you up, you know? I didn't think about how much it would fuck me up, either. No. I didn't even like her that much. She was really pretty and hooking up with me was sexy and taboo for her because I was working for her dad. It was the only time that I ever fucked up, as far as being careful. I think I liked the danger, the excitement, I got caught up in it. Honestly? I don't know. I don't have a number, it wasn't one of those things where I was keeping score or trying to rack up a body count, I was young, I was attractive, I was good, and I didn't miss a single opportunity. She was texting me a few weeks back about strippers. So I'm pretty sure she likes you better than me, anyway. But we'll let her get whatever photos she wants this time around, and I promised they'll get better placement on the walls, even. Yeah, he can go in as receiver if he wants, but if they end up having a high scoring game like that the rest of the season, he could play fourth quarter, too, when they pull first string, and that would be really good experience for him. JD won't let them get too stressed out, he's a good guy, he'll keep an eye on both of them, you know?

Good, I'd be worried if you didn't get it, and we've been married six months now. I'd have to wonder who did I marry?! That's not a spiral I'm looking to go on this weekend. He would have been proud of you for so many things. Settling down, running a business, starting another family business, taking in and raising another teen to give him a shot at his dream and a great scholarship, raising a little girl as your own, keeping the family together with the help of your brother. There's so much he'd be proud of. Well, given he was that much older, I don't think I would have ended up ever having a crush on your brother, if I'm honest. Maybe if you hadn't come along and pulled my hair and tormented me into loving you, but I guess we'll never know. Storage units work too but those you have to pay for, where as if we build you pay it once and done. Yes, you are the man of my dreams, is that really so hard to believe? Even if I'm absolutely stuck with you not that I've got this ring on my finger. I mean... it's a crawling slow pace, my eggs are shriveling up as we speak... I'm just saying! I feel like I heard let's talk after the holidays before? Didn't you say that last summer too about waiting till after the holidays? I promise, I'm not trying to be difficult, but -- there is part of me that is worried the longer we wait, the more chance that it's not going to happen due to time, due to it being harder to get pregnant with older age, and those worry me. Guess I don't want to miss out on our window of time... Well you've foiled my plan, now I don't know what I'll do because you'll probably tell your brother my big plan and I'm screwed! Guess as long as he's happy that's really all that matters. Think I'm in the mindset I just also don't want him to miss out on anything because he feels like he can't go out and have fun because he's on the farm. Well, after you left, the idea of commitment really was broken, I didn't trust the idea of relationships. If you could leave, if my parents could be who they are, I couldn't trust anyone again. I could date, I could have sex, that was easier. I had needs like you said, but I didn't want complications, I didn't want messy. So, had you not had Colton you don't think there would have been a relationship with his mother? A lot of sex? How many we talking here, Newman? Don't worry I will talk to her, less likely to kill me, or I think so anyway. Just think it'd be good to have multiple and let her enjoy. Also, think we should look to hire a videographer. Well, we couldn't have brought her or it would have defeated the purpose of getting married in secret. They played amazing, starting the season off with a win, can't do much better than that. I don't think he minds, it's not like he doesn't get play time in another position while he has backup to Shawn to keep him in shape and everything. I will say I won't let that coach stress them sick over eventual scouts though, I can absolutely kick his ass if needed. I know they mean well, and it's important but just want to make sure they don't go overboard with school just starting.

#talking with cordelia

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curseofaphrodite · 2 years ago

Text

Two of Hearts

daemon targaryen x reader | deck of cards part 2/3,

series masterlist | summary: night time visitors often come with complications

Late into the night, you heard knocks on your door. There were persistent and rough, so you already knew it wasn't going to be your handmaiden. With curiosity getting the better of you, you pulled it open.

"Hello," Daemon tilted his head to one side. He didn't appear drunk, and he smelled fine, but something about him said he was intoxicated.

"What do you want?" you asked cautiously.

"I sensed you weren't sleeping and thought we could have a party of our own."

"Be serious."

"I am," he nodded towards your room. "I have much to talk about with the future queen. All politics, of course."

"I'm — Daemon, you can't be this stupid," you sighed. "I am not going to bed you. It's foolish you'd even think I would."

He blinked. "Who said anything about bedding?"

"I don't know what you think about me but I'm not going to be a whore. And if I am, it won't be for a prince who has more tantrums than a 12-year-old."

His puppy dog eyes immediately turned blank. Fear crept inside, because you knew you had finally annoyed him. You preferred him to look actually furious instead of whatever the hell he was doing now.

His right hand reached upwards quickly, grabbing your chin with an unfamiliar softness. While his touch was firmly gentle, his eyes said otherwise.

"Disrespecting me is disrespecting the court," he said sharply, forcing you to look at him. Your heart started hammering for more reasons than one. To add more bad luck, you heard footsteps in the distance.

"Someone's coming," you hissed, not wanting to be seen together in a somewhat compromising position.

"I bet it's Alicent... or maybe Viserys—"

Rumors, rumors, rumors. They had more power to destroy you than fire. You had learned that quickly even before coming to Westeros.

"Now's not your time for games," you said, gritting your teeth. Then you did the only thing you could. You grabbed him by his collar and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind him as quickly as possible. He let go, but he seemed just as surprised as you.

"You can't be that scared of Viserys!" Daemon laughed, but there was a genuine question behind those words.

"I'm not scared!" You plopped down in your bed, looking out the window with a frown. "I just don't know what I'm doing here."

"Don't play clueless. You're here to get the Iron Throne, as foolish as it seems."

"Why?" your eyes turned to him, determined. "Why is it foolish for someone like me to get the throne?"

"You're not a Targaryen. You'll never be a Targaryen."

"Are you calling a war against my house?"

Daemon walked towards the table, then took the chess board which you had brought from your home. You had no one to play it with, so it remained useless. Until now.

Wordlessly, he arranged the wooden figures, then drew himself a chair so he could sit next to you. You frowned.

"Make a move," he asked, nodding towards the pieces. You hesitated before pushing a pawn forward.

"Your house is reputable," he murmured, lost in the game. "But it's not enough. When worst comes to worst, dragons are what people fear. Not the rulers."

"I'd still be a better ruler than you. And certainly Viserys."

Daemon used his horse, so you did the same. The game passed in silence for a while, like he was contemplating more than just the strategy.

"You would be a better queen." He stated finally, looking up. But right as he said that, he also took your king.

Son of a bitch.

-----

He returned the next night. And the next. And the next.

To be transparent, Daemon did have a plan. He would think of the sweetest of things to say to you (anything to fuck up your wedding), yet words failed him every time.

It wasn't because he chose not to say it. He simply couldn't. He'd open his mouth and he'll already know what you'd reply if he called you beautiful. He already knows how you'll laugh if he compares your smile to a winter's moon. He knows you won't fall for any of his tricks.

Simply said, he knows you know him. So he resigned to chess games and talk of books, all of which only made him more restless.

Little by little, Daemon Targaryen found himself losing the act he wrote for himself.

-----

A WEEK LATER.

-----

The door seemed to be mocking you.

No matter how many times you've considered knocking, you couldn't bring yourself to do it, nor could you walk away. It was all a blur of wondering if you were crossing a line you'd already crossed. You were contemplating everything wrong you ever did in your life, from birth to where you were standing.

Then, out of the blue, the door opened loudly, startling the life out of you.

"I could hear your existential crisis from inside," Daemon said, his voice monotone. Despite the late hour, he was fully clothed. His white shirt and messy hair stood out against the candlelight. He smelled of sand, making you wonder if he was out by the sea again.

"I—" you coughed. "You haven't come to my room for days."

He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize I was obliged to."

"Daemon," you sucked in your breath, wondering just how awkward this conversation was going. "You're the only fr-acquaintance I have in this palace."

"You can say friend."

"Fine then. Friend."

He sighed. "The rumors were getting more complicated. I couldn't tell every person I saw on my way back from your room that I was merely teaching you how to play chess. it sounds unbelievable even to me."

"Since when have rumors stopped you?" you challenged, glaring. "Do I remind you that they're going to spin stories regardless of the facts anyway?"

"Do you really want a chess partner so much that you're willing to lose every night?"

"I'll win one day," you said, glad to sound light-hearted again. "And like I said, I've grown to like your annoying ass. You're one of the evilest men I've encountered in my life, but you're just as entertaining."

"Well then, it'd be rude of me to not invite you to your jester's room." He said, stepping aside. "Which reminds me, I have a particular book you'd love. It's about a queen trapped in a high tower."

"Let me guess, a prince saves her?" you asked, walking inside. Your eyes didn't miss out on anything. His room was different, with a large silver bed and more windows than you can count. Everything appeared regal and expensive, but all of them were just as messy.

"A dragon does." Daemon left the door unlocked, as if it could give you extra reassurance. You internally rolled your eyes.

"Sounds very Targaryen."

"The book is supposedly a Targaryen artifact too."

"Supposedly?"

"I stole the book from the vault when I was 9 years old. It bore the family crest and looked important so I figured what's the harm."

You laughed. "Did you really?"

Maybe you imagined it, or maybe your laugh had something to do with how his eyes suddenly softened. You felt butterflies just by the thought.

"Don't believe me? Check the cupboard. The book's there."

You wandered across the room until you reached where he was pointing at. You pulled it open and saw a mess of decoratives inside; from goblets to jewel-studded rings.

"Don't you ever clean?" you asked, looking for the mysterious book anyway.

"I don't think the servants know this is my room. Who could blame them, I'm hardly even here."

"Yes, I forgot you like to spend your time in others' rooms," you teased, wondering whose room he had been in the last few nights. You were almost tempted to ask.

"I truly am sorry if you were led to think I was mad at you. Forget the rumors, I just didn't want to disturb your duties. You're undoubtedly busy." His voice grew more grave, if that was even possible.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"The wedding's in three days." His voice came from right behind you. His body was pressed up against yours, and his hand reached over your shoulder to get to the higher shelf.

"The book is up here." He said for clarification. But you didn't move, didn't reply, didn't even take the book from his hands as he lowered it. You simply stood there, registering his words and his warm breath right beside your neck.

"The wedding preparations are done so I'm not busy," you whispered. Why did it sound like you were apologizing?

Daemon put the book back and slowly circled your waist with his arms. It was purely affectionate, and that made you want to hug him and cry. He rested his head in the crook of your neck, taking his time to answer.

"It's a wonder how Viserys gets everything I want. The throne, and now you." He said, and you didn't know what was softer — his touch or his words.

You groaned. "Stop that! Stop acting as if I'm anything more than an unfortunate liability for your throne."

"That's the irony in it," he pressed a kiss against your neck and you melted into a puddle inside. You were dead and resurrected back to life when he dragged his lips across your skin. "We're both traitors. I'm a liar so you can't trust a word I say so if I ever truly love you, you won't believe it anyway."

"Because it'd be a lie."

"I will plead with you just once." He turned you around, cupping your jaw. He stared intently, bravely — as if he was about to do something he never did. "Just once I will beg. Don't marry him."

"Daemon—"

"Please." He went down on his knees, holding your hands instead. He wasn't even looking up at you, like that would cost him plenty. His voice was shaky and he knew this wasn't just an act. He would never humiliate himself for his tricks.

He was truly desperate.

"I can't back out of the wedding. Viserys would call a war on my house. My family—"

"I know you won't say yes but hear me out, humor me for a minute," He clasped your hands tighter. "We could run away, I don't want the fucking throne. I want you—"

"I have to go," you said firmly, fighting back the sudden urge to kneel beside him and never part. "I shouldn't have come."

You pulled back and he let you go, wide-eyed and surprised. He stood up and watched as you walked off. He followed halfway, then upon realizing you were indeed gone, he slammed the door shut.

"Fuck!" He yelled, kicking the nearby table.

It didn't help. His shoulders started to shake, he was breathless, and before he knew what was happening — he started to cry.

------------------------

next, final part will be out soon! itll end happy i swear 😭🤌

-----------------------

taglist: @eexphoria @sebastian025 @cecilyjmorgenstern @lilitheal @imnotyourbcbe @loveandlewis-reads @mariamyousef702 @1-800-isabellapotter @skywalkerr27 @ohhh-boo-tiful @paula-lkr @purechaosss @andrea-np @makaramosss @snixx2088 @ephemeralninon @wulfriedxanthene

#daemon targaryen x reader #daemon targaryen x you #daemon targaryen x fem!reader #daemon targaryen fluff #hotd fanfic #hotd x reader #astoria writes #imagines #angst

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elliebean714 · 2 years ago

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Hello again!! So I was just doing some thinking and something popped in my head...

Emily x reader x Matt!!

Matt needs someone who has time and patience to take care of him as much as he takes care of others! And Emily needs someone that can stand her girl talk and understand her fashion!! I can be that person!!!

Sorry got excited, uhh please, and thank you 🦋💘

Yeyy!! Emily is my favourite girl!! (Well second. My heart belongs to Ashley 🥺💕) But Matt deserved better than her, let's hope thats you💀 sorry this took so long and is so short, I've had a lot of writers block lately. Please forgive me😭 I'm working on your other request right now, shouldn't be too long 🙏

Matt Taylor x GN!Reader x Emily Davis

Headcanons

Fluff

Pre-Game

Okay so you'd probably have to be the mediator in this relationship💀

You'd have to remind Matt to stick up for himself and that his feelings matter.

And you'd have to remind Emily to be nicer and to appreciate Matt more

Sorry Em but Matt deserves better😭✋

Whenever Matt is feeling down or emotionally needy you'd be there for him, holding him, kissing him, just talking to him, cus we all know Em won't be💀

Whenever Emily is in a really bad mood you'd be the only one able to calm her down, paint each others nails, let her do your make-up, or just chat about what's bothering her

You being there would probably make Emily less likely to cheat with Mike.

Because she genuinely loves and respects you and she doesn't want to hurt and betray you.

If Matt and Emily ever had a disagreement, the first thing you'd do is ensure Matt won't just back down to do whatever she wants

The next thing you'd do is try to find some sort of compromise they can both agree to

The most important thing would be to make sure Matt is happy and is not just going along with whatever you say to avoid the conflict

Because you're the loving and supportive partner you are, you'd go to every single one of Matts Football games

Showing up in his letterman jacket

Screaming his name in support 😭💖

You and Emily go on shopping trips verrryyy often

Completely spoiling each other

Buying each other clothes

But she's always the more stylish one😭

Overall, you'd be the mediator in this disaster of a relationship💀

Video Games And Characters You Can Request

Request Always Open 🦋

~Elliebean714

♤♡◇♧☆♧◇♡♤♡◇♧☆♧◇♡

#matt taylor until dawn x reader #matt taylor x reader #until dawn matt #matt taylor until dawn #matt taylor #matt x reader x emily #matt taylor x reader x emily davis #emily davis #Emily davis until dawn x reader #emily davis x reader #until dawn emily #Emily until dawn

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these-detestable-hands · 11 months ago

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Response took way longer than intended because I ended up going to bed before writing it, but here it is!

1. Education and control

No, I haven't watched that, but I have read some of 1984 and that kinda reminds me of part of the book when they say kids often get their parents arrested cause they were taught different things in school.

Yeah I think a very effective way of portraying very disturbing things like forced sterilization and eugenics is just to have it be shown as extremely normal and casual.

"How was your weekend?"

"Jane and I went to the townhall to see if our request for having a kid got approved but they denied it again"

"Aw man that's horrible, I'm so sorry"

"eh, whatever, I never thought we'd get approved anyway. I'll have to find out about a pet instead"

"I hear cats live long"

"A cat it is then"

(idk, example I just thought of)

2. Mentally illness

Yes yes yes!!!

I think maybe Brandi's OCD is on the milder side, but she got diagnosed with severe purely because of her political leanings. Maybe some well respected people in Odeda have mentall illnesses too, but have never been diagnosed so that they can continue to have kids and share their opinions. So it's not even against ND people, it's against leftist ND people.

3. Mentall illness and Lewis

YES!!!

Lewis fully and blindly supports Volker, initially thinking Brandi is some insane freak but quickly realizing he was wrong and that she's actually very sweet, caring and a delight to be around. He thinks it's an honest mistake until he learns about how common it is for people with milder mentall illnesses/disabilities to get a severe diagnosis just so they can be denied basic human rights.

God-king side note: yeah, he's naaasty. He envies the respect and admiration historical rulers in Odeda has and wants to be like them but better. A conclusion he thinks is logical is that he should then be immortal so he can rule forever.

3. Education 2

Man I really need to make a Benedict for Volker, he needs a slimey advisor!

Yeah I was kinda thinking misinformation already, but you went into so much detail! :)

Kids in Odeda will be taught democracy is bad and that mentally ill/disabled people should reproduce or marry because their gene pool is evil and crazy and should instead be wiped out.

4. Prince Maurice

Once I make the teachers, then I kind of want to write a short story about them because I have many fun ideas! Maybe just 5000 words about their day to day life and when they got executed.

It could be fun, but I have some important things that come first so it probably won't be until after Christmas.

5. Compromise

Oh no you're right! That's bad, I want people who consume the story to either be torn between Ira and Edith, or to at least pity Ira's situation if they agree with Edith.

And yea! The teachers had a great influence on Maurice, he'd be happy working in a bookstore or as a hat maker while someone else rules the country. He doesn't hate the idea of ruling and would be fine doing it if there were no better options, but there are better options!

Yes I really don't wanna tear Odeda asunder.

Anyway again, I saw what you answered to my ask, but I just prefer the vibes of square enix games. I haven't played fe13 so I can't say if it's silly or not, but I don't like the artstyle. I much prefer octopath/triangle strategy's sketchier artstyle and on average darker tone with a more fleshed out magic systems and cooler fictional religions. Really, it's just vibes. I love the octopath/tristrat aesthetic and I love fire emblem's too, I just prefer the former.

Ok so the idea for dear emperor is that in schools (elementary school, not higher education) kids are treated like crap and are taught nationalist propaganda. They're at an era where people are vaguely aware it's propaganda so everyone dislikes the royal family a little. Basically, the school system is just absolute trash because the royal family keeps trying to change it to turn kids into hardcore monarchists.

Ira never attended elementary school because he lived out on a farm. He attended a military school and later a college, but those were both in adulthood so he didn't get the horrible treatment and abuse of elementary school.

Because of this, Ira cannot understand Edith's desire to change the school system either. All he attended was college and he's best friends with Volker, so he doesn't understand how Volker's family could've created such a horrible school system when they seem to be such nice people.

Because Ira missed out on this universal experience of going to school, he's alienated from part of Edith's views and refuses to see it her way because he's too stubborn in his belief that Volker is perfect

Sorry for my tardiness!

Ah, so an elementary school that keeps having to revise the syllabi to prop up the national narratives du jour? And yet everyone knows that it's just propagandist rewrites. It's historical revisionism based entirely on which narrative helps the royal family (instead of new evidence and interpretations uncovered by continuous historical studies and findings; these are two kinds of historical revisionism)!

Very interesting! I can totally imagine that. In fact, I don't have to imagine. Such a thing is happening in (some states in) the U.S., India [1] [2] [3], Japan, and even my own country. China has its own whole thing. And the Philippines has its own thing, and... really, I kinda wonder which country isn't guilty of this, haha. (I suppose the more pressing issue is the severity of it.)

But this makes me wonder about the degree of freedom in Volker's country. How free are the people to criticize the government?

Have they been free before, but are now less free? My anecdotal impression is that losing a right you used to have often generates way more resentment and urgency to act than never possessing that right, to begin with. The latter is usually a lot more slow-burning than the first as social movements.

Are there other countries around Volker's Country by which information, knowledge, and ideas trade? And I do mean free trading of ideas/the freedom of ideas. While social movements can be homebrew for sure, seeds of ideas have to come somewhere, and across history, these ideas are often cosmopolitan in nature. They are not "grown out of one person or a few in a local and never escaping it to other areas." Instead, ideas are traded across regions, cities, and countries, and they altogether build something grander that can then also be spread to other parts of the world—before assimilating and adapting for local needs. I ask, because Brandi specifically touts democracy. Whence did it come? The best and most viable ideas are built by many instead of one, so I kinda wanna know how an idea like democracy comes to thrive in Volker's Country. (Is it via some books? Some manifestos from far-away land? Some salons within the country?)

There are probably other questions that can flesh out this particular aspect. Why I thought about it is this: the target of these nationalist ideas is children first and foremost, right?

When nationalist revisions happen in education, the ones who shout the loudest are the adults who know what's up. Because these adults can read the curricula, compare it to their own realities/experience/history, and realize it's crap. Kids, however, are statistically less predisposed to do so. They are young and less experienced about the world than an adult. They may also be sheltered from reality—not a fault, because children are supposed to be sheltered in some ways for their development anyway (ex: who the fuck thinks it's good to expose children to war or backbreaking labor?). Their own history is also just starting to grow, being young and all.

However, since you mentioned "everyone knows the education system is trying to make kids hardcore nationalists," I assume that "everyone" does indeed include the kids themselves.

And how would these kids know that their education is shit? The most plausible way I can imagine is "because most of the adults around them tell 'em about it." But for most adults to be able to talk about these things would imply a certain degree of freedom of speech. After all, if only a few kids knew that their education is crap—because their parents told them behind closed doors or because they saw some events with their own eyes—then it wouldn't be "everyone," innit?

Hence my question above!

So yea, just some asides I couldn't help but pursue for a bit hahaha. I hope it's useful for your worldbuilding or plot planning somewhat!

-----

Back to Ira and Edith!

Yes! I think the backstory you give makes a ton of causal sense!!!

Of course Edith would think of education reform! She was once its recipient, and therefore easily projects her lived experience under the system to the the kids of today. She knows the stakes of education because she's been through it. That awards her the necessary sensitivity—or at least, it gives her the potential to be sensitive.

I also like how Ira's personal relationship with Volker while studying influences much of his reluctance to "demonize" Volker.

There is a bit more stuff in your lore that can also add to why Ira doesn't want to see Volker as bad! You might have already known that while conceiving Ira's backstory (he's your baby after all! Hahahhaha), but just in case you missed it:

First, the military school. If I had to imagine a place where the most cynical anti-establishment people and the most diehard patriots will be spawned, I'd think a military school too. Patriotism directed either to the ideal of "the motherland" or to the ideal of "the ruler/royal family" is kinda required to be drilled into all soldiers because it will be important for their job.

Second, Ira's transformation from an illiterate kid to a literate soon-to-be governor. I can imagine how someone will see this transformation as a second wind worthy of gratitude. Imagine never knowing you could be good at art until someone gives you the chance, tutors you, supports you... and then finally awards you a position to do this secret talent you never knew existed in you. I imagine that is how Ira could feel, and it's only logical that he would then feel grateful and a sense of "I owe you." And why wouldn't it be directed to Volker?

Coupled that with Ira's own relationship with Volker's nephew: I assume, for now, that the young prince is a lot more noble and open-minded than his uncle despite also being a recipient of the current education system. Ira could then justify that there is no need for extreme/large-scale/sweeping education reform if the same system could produce someone like This Young Prince. "If the system is so bad, then why is This Young Prince coming out of it pretty good? Clearly, the problem is just Volker losing his touch with reality. The fault is a few individuals and not the system."

This will oppose Edith and Brandi's foundational stance, right? "The fault is in the system, beyond just a few individuals."

----

Honestly, I really wanna know how are you gonna resolve this tension between Ira and Edith now! Will either one of them have to be sacrificed for the other person's cause? Will Edith have to remove Ira for her goal? Will Ira have to remove Edith for his goal? Will they cause a civil war? Will there be a compromise?

Such exciting scenarios!!!

What an exciting story you have there, π!!! GAH

I gleefully await more Dear Emperor lore from you, brutha!!!

KEEP 'EM COMING!

#Dear emperor and Lyndis

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spamtonology · 3 years ago

Note

tell us somethin about spamton you haven’t previously discussed here

Hm, I generally like a prompt else my brain draws a blank.

I've talked about his infantilization before and there is still a lot to go through regarding that aspect.

There's a very common trope, which is giving Spamton a bath or making him take a bath.

It makes sense, and it's generally pretty smart to offer someone like him a bath, since he's been living on the streets for so long. Baths and showers also relieve stress as well!

However, the problem lies in the execution, in this case how the ubiquitous bath/shower scene plays out in fanfiction.

You do have cases where he takes a shower by himself without any help, which is good! He can do this, he would not have forgotten how to bathe, it's just been some time. Then, you have the opposite, where Spamton is being given a bath or shower.

Usually a reader insert or Swatch, this person assumes the role of authority and pushes him into taking a bath, often with disregard to his complaints and sometimes being rough with him. Bonus points if the Acid Theory plays a role.

What is the problem with this? it is infantilization/dehumanization of his character: Treating him like a baby or feral animal who cannot consent and must be forced into taking a bath he desperately does not want.

To push this further, helping him with every single step of taking a bath is also an issue, why can't he just scrub himself, and dry himself? There is an exception to be made when the situation calls for it e.g. Spamton is injured/incapacitated in some way and as a result cannot physically move in a way that would allow scrubbing and drying. Most fanfiction I have seen seems to not use this particular situation anyway in favor of treating him like a cat, for whatever reason.

There is nothing in the game itself that would indicate Spamton having any aversion to bathing/showering, so I think one of the reasons it comes up is due to his present homeless state, and the popularity of the Acid Theory. Another is that it is actually a fairly popular fanfic trope in some circles to give characters, in the same or similar situation as Spamton, a bath.

That is not to say I don't want to see this kind of scene anymore. I've seen Spamton shower scenes be pulled off incredibly well such as in our favorite fanfiction Steppin' Out, where he has a realistic breakdown and epiphany to his current situation while he takes a shower on his own accord.

My fanfiction also includes a shower scene, but in a medical setting, so some things have an exception here, but there's also subversion.

He is offered help with showering by a nurse, and turns down the offer, claiming he can do it himself. The nurse understands this, and respects his choice; he only needs help with undoing his hospital gown since the way to open it is on the back and hard for him to reach. The nurse stays outside the bathroom door in case of any emergencies, while Spamton showers himself.

The whole time, he is treated as any middle-aged patient would be, no more and no less.

It's not perfect, but it is slightly better than some examples I have seen in fanfiction.

The other problem I have is the inclusion of the acid theory in regards to him taking a bath. I will say I do not have PTSD so I cannot accurately estimate why warm, clear water would be equal to boiling, lime green acid at all, but...Apparently it can? I also do not see why he would throw a fit over it, either.

If the character never knew that Spamton has trauma associated with acid, they can apologize for the mistake and come up with a compromise. If the character already knew, and therefore did not care about the consequences...I think that's considered abuse.

#spamton

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chasingpj · 3 years ago

Text

𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

pairing: leo valdez x gn reader

summary: five ways he says i love you through his actions

warnings: implied nudity and s*x, discusses food and eating and nothing else, i think. oh, and maybe some typos

category: headcanons

love letters/notes

leo is a busy boy

he's always picking up new projects so he can spend all day in his workshop or the forges with his siblings

when you guys live together, he leaves small notes on the refrigerator for you

they're always short, saying simple things like "i love you" and "i miss you already"

for the love letters, he'll leave them in random places for you to find

if you're a big reader, i can see him hiding it between the pages of your book

one day, you pick up your book to read, and the note falls on your lap

it's a love letter written on a piece of blueprint paper; there’s a little bit of oil smudged on the side of it

he got distracted while he was working on something because you were the only thing he could think about

his love letters never fail to make your heart flutter

sometimes they make you cry

he's quite sentimental

leo always tells you he does better writing down his feelings than he is saying it out loud because he can organize his thoughts better

you know that leo has a hard time with that because of how he grew up

when you guys have an argument, which isn't very often, he writes his feelings down on paper

he's always quick to apologize if he did something wrong, and the notes help him form the apology that you deserve, and you're quick to forgive him

once, you were super angry after an argument, so you locked yourself in your shared bedroom

you needed to calm yourself down

the both of you much too angry and stubborn to make a compromise

as your recollecting yourself, 40 minutes in, a folded piece of paper slips from under the door

the letter has teardrop stains, and the ink is slightly smudged

on the paper, it's all his thoughts written out in the best way he can explain them

after reading what he wrote, you quickly deemed that whatever you were fighting about was silly, and you guys made up

you love his spontaneous notes so much that you do them back

you guys have a game of who can find the most creative hiding spot for your notes

one time you found one tapped to the inside of the toilet cover

you found it hilarious

you throw folded post-its with messages in his tool belt

he finds them during the day while he's working on something

after you joined in on the fun, he scatters notes in random places, and every few days, you find a new message hidden somewhere randomly

they're just so sweet; there’s never a time where they don't make you smile

gifts

this is a given

it's not a leo headcanon if gift-giving isn't included

he would make you things like roses from scrap metal to literal furniture

if you have a lot of jewelry, he will make you a cute jewelry box

if you're a big book reader, he'll make you bookcases to support your book collection

he's always giving you little trinkets that he made with leftover materials from projects

he loves making things for you and gets upset when you decide to buy something from ikea instead of asking him

"babe, why would you buy that? I could have just made it for you!"

when he's on his way from returning on his quest, sometimes he'll find something that reminds him of you in a store, and he'll buy it

when he has the money for it, he'd buy you a star :(

says that he spent even more money to buy an extra bright star

because "you're the sun in my universe"

brb gonna cry

also, he'd gift you a bond bracelet

you know, those bracelets where every time you tap on it, it makes the other person's bracelet vibrate

the both of you get anxious when one of you goes on quests, so the bracelets bring the other person who's at home comfort

because when you tap back, at least he knows you're alive and vice versa

one of the best gifts you've ever received from him was your engagement ring

he made it himself

he took so much care and effort into making it

imagine leo forging your wedding ring himself??? i'm in spain with no s

he was so nervous that you wouldn't like the style, so he had piper casually bring it up to you

piper was so nonchalant about it that you didn't even think twice about the question

the ring has the prettiest gemstone or diamond (whatever you prefer)

you cried so hard when he told you he made it himself that you couldn't even say yes to his proposal clearly

he makes both of your wedding bands too

he carves a saying that's dear to the both of you on the inside

this is nothing to do with anything but imagine when you guys have kids, he makes animals out of pipe cleaners for them i'm gonna cry, brb pt 2

overall, whether he makes the present himself or not, he puts a lot of effort and care into it

every gift has a meaning and a place dear to your heart

cooking for you

leo is canoningly a good cook

he loves cooking for you

and you love eating what he makes

he's usually busy on the weekdays, so he cooks on the weekends

you guys always joke that he'd be the cutest househusband

you got him an apron for Christmas as a joke gift one year, and he wears it all the time

there's something so charming about him wearing an apron with a funny saying like "Mr. Good Lookin is Cookin" or with like a ripped out shirtless guy in front of it

you giggle every time you see him wearing it

oh, no matter how many times you've seen it, it's still so bizarre when he takes out hot trays from the oven with his BARE hands

everything he makes tastes amazing

he makes all kinds of food and is always trying something new

if you tell him what you’re craving, he’ll cook it for you

once he woke you up to ask if you wanted ribs… it was 3 am but like, of course, you wanted some

unless you're vegetarian or vegan, sorry, HAHA

often though, he does make Mexican food

it reminds him of when his mom was alive

he always has some story to share

every time he makes caldo de pollo (chicken soup), he always talks about how his mother would make it in the summer and that when he was little, he would always complain about eating hot soup in hot weather

you know he doesn't notice his constant telling of this story, but you don't mind

it's so bittersweet when he talks about his mom

through the cooking of his traditional food, you feel closer to him and his late mother

the memories he shares with you makes your eyes sting with tears

especially when leo says how much he wishes that esperanza could have met you

sorry, that was a little emo

also, leo usually wakes up earlier than you

he knows you're a sleepyhead, so he'll cook breakfast for you

so that when you're running around in the morning trying to get dressed and your things together

you never leave the house hungry because there's always a tupperware filled with breakfast, and if he has enough time, he'll fix you something to take for lunch too

if you come home late from work or school, he'll make dinner even if he's tired to surprise you

so many times you've come home from a shitty day at work or school, and the small table where you guys eat your meals is all set up with your favorite food

leo greets you by peeking his head into the hallway from the kitchen, tossed curls, cheerful brown eyes, and a bright grin

"I hope you're hungry," he says, despite knowing that you are hungry

and then you guys talk and laugh together over a delicious meal

compliments

leo's really observant

he notices when you’re in a bad mood, even if you try not to show it

he also notices when you change little things about your appearance

if you get a haircut or you get your nails done, he'll comment on it right away

especially outfits

if you buy something new, he'll complement it

imagine standing in front of the mirror, looking at yourself in your new outfit

leo comes behind you, his hands coming around your waist

he'll pepper kisses on your neck, a soft hum leaving his lips as he meets your eyes in the mirror

"is this new, mi amor?" he asks, hands running up your sides

once you affirm that it is a new dress or shirt, he'll smile and tell you how beautiful you look in it

maybe says he'd rather see it off of you wink wink

there's never a day where he doesn't compliment you

he thinks you're the prettiest person in the world

you've caught him staring at you lovingly plenty of times

he's just asking himself how did he manage to get someone as beautiful and amazing as you

you always squirm under his gaze and playfully ask what is he looking at

"you're so pretty, mi amor. I can't help it."

AHHH!!!!

alongside the endearment of mi amor, he'd always call you bonita and hermosa

you're so sweet to him, and he can't help but tell you how much you mean to him every chance he gets

surprises

leo is an acts of service kind of guy

i think he'll spontaneously do things to make you happy

if you've been busy studying for finals or just beat up from a day at work

he'll draw you a bath

or he'll cut up some fruit for you and leave it at your desk

he randomly buys you flowers

he never needs an occasion to buy your flowers

it'll be a regular tuesday, leo just happened to walk past a store with flowers displayed in the front, and he thought about how bright your smile would be if he showed up with a bouquet

I feel like he's pretty introverted, enjoys being at home with you

the both of you are pretty broke for a while, so a lot of dates were at home

leo made the most of it

you guys will have nice dinners at home

he'll set the table nicely, set the mood with candles

he'll redecorate the space so well you feel like you're at an actual restaurant

and of course, his food is amazing

breakfast in bed is another thing he'd do for you unsolicited

especially if you guys had a looong night wink wink

you're woken up by his still groggy voice, fluttering kisses on your cheeks

you open your eyes to see he's set a tray with your favorite breakfast on top of the bed

the two of you will eat breakfast together, which usually leads to you staying in bed for the rest of the day

just enjoying the warm cocoon your sheets create around the both of you

overall, he's super observant and caring, and he goes the extra mile to make sure you're happy because he knows you do the same

anyways, does anyone know where I can get a leo?

masterlists taglist: @nct127bee @minamisulemisa @yanfeisluvr @cartocns @Slytherclaw-kitten @idk-bye-no @percysbluehairbrush @Hermioneswifeee @quteez @drayshadow @ashookykooky

#my writing #leo valdez #leo valdez x reader #leo valdez x you #heroes of olympus #heroes of olympus fanfic #heroes of olympus fanfiction #leo valdez imagine #leo valdez one shot #leo valdez fanfic #leo valdez fluff #leo valdez drabble #leo valdez headcanon

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kj-1130 · 3 years ago

Text

Nothing For Me

Part 7

Main Masterlist

Part 6|Part 8

You and MJ’s relationship continued to grow as time went on.

As she started her first year of high school, you worked on yourself, wanting to be good for her.

Overtime, you learned how to process and deal with things better. You focused on yourself and your developing relationship with MJ and needless to say, things started to look up.

The ‘present but not really present father’ thing didn’t affect you as much as it did, but it was still there. It was one of the only things you hadn’t fully processed and to be honest, you didn’t think you ever could.

Your father is there, and has been aware of presence for almost a decade. And not once has he given you any type of consolation or love like a father should. You would think after Pepper was getting more involved in his life and forcing him to clean up (most of) his act, he would open his eyes and realize that a whole human being was living with him, waiting for him to realize that they were supposed to be relying on him; not an AI built in the comfort of their room.

But nope. Absolutely nothing changed. If anything, things got worse.

He was away more often, focusing on the Avengers. Or he was with Pepper, the new love of his life.

You tried not to linger on the situation often, knowing it would only lead to pain in your chest. So you just stuffed it in the back of your mind, hoping one day that the pain would just lessen all together.

About two months ago, you and MJ had decided to make things official after going on your first date. At first you talked about how fast the two of you were going, but Michelle simply said ‘we’ll be u-haul lesbians then.’ That was the end of the conversation.

Currently, you and your girlfriend were facetiming. You would’ve made the trek to her house but she was about to study and you both knew that you’d distract her. Plus the two of you were due for some time away from each other considering the fact that you’re at her place almost everyday.

“Okay, so I found this recipe the other day and I’m just now remembering it.”

MJ looks at you confused, “Okay?”

You roll your eyes playfully.

“I wanted to try it with you. After my ban from your place has been lifted.”

“It’s not a ban,” she chuckled.

“Well, it sure as hell feels like one ba-” “Mr. Stark has arrived with a guest,” M.I.A cut you off.

“Who is this guest?”

“Secretary of State, Thaddues Ross,” the AI replied, pulling up pictures of the man.

“Hey M, I’m gonna call you back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she nods, looking a little concerned. “Take all the time you need. Let me know if everything’s okay.”

The two of you give your goodbyes and you ask M.I.A to pull up the live footage from the conference room.

“Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an un-payable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives… but while a great a=many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word “vigilantes”, is what you first hear when you start watching.

Immediately your eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?” Natasha asks.

“How about ‘dangerous’?” he replies. “What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

The secretary activates a screen behind him which begins to play the previous battles the Avengers and SHIELD have fought in.

“New York.”

He clicks a button, footage of chitauri, shooting guns, and Hulk smashing plays.

“Washington D.C”

A new video appears, showing the insight helicarriers firing at each other with chaos following.

“Sokovia.”

The frame changes, showcasing the terrified citizens that were on the flying piece of land.

“Lagos.”

“That’s enough,” Steve interrupts.

Ross nods in response and begins his speech again.

“For the past four years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That’s an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution.”

He places a thick document on the table and slides it across to Wanda. As the team slides the book to each other Ross starts talking.

“The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries… it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”

“The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place,” the Captain begins. “I feel we’ve done that.”

“Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?” There was a momentary pause as the two men’s eyes met. “If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes… you can bet there’d be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is middle ground.”

At this point, you’re walking out of your room after transfering the feed to your tablet and making your way to the elevator.

“So, these are contingencies,” Rhodey states.

“Three days from now,” Secretary Ross begins. “The UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.”

Natasha speaks up, “And if we don’t come to a decision you don’t like?”

“Then you retire.”

The elevator stops and you look up seeing the Secretary walk in with someone behind him. You give him a subtle disgusted look before turning your attention back to the security footage.

As the deathtrap descends, you can feel his eyes lingering on you.

“Can I help you?”

“You’re a little young to be an intern.”

“You’re a little old to be looking at me like that,” you shrug, swiping away from the video on your tablet as you feel him looking over your shoulder.

Ross gives an awkward chuckle and furrows his eyebrows. When you reach the bottom floor, he gets ready to step out and places a hand on your shoulder.

You look at him like he’s lost his mind.

“You seem like a good kid. Be sure to make good choices.”

Raising an eyebrow, you refrain from saying what you want to say. You lift your hand and gently take his off of you.

“Don’t touch me,”

Once he exits, you hear the chatting start back up.

“Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor,” Rhodes told Sam. “Which is one more than you have.

“So let’s say we agree to this thing,” Wilson starts. “How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?”

“117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you’re just like, ‘No that’s cool. We got it.”

“I have an equation,” Vision announces as you get back on the elevator.

“Oh this will clear it up,” Sam mutters.

“In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.“

“Toaster oven’s got a point there,” you mumble, stepping back on the metal deathtrap.

Steve asks,“Are you saying it’s our fault?”

“I’m saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict… breeds catastrophe. Oversight… oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

“Boom,” Rhodey says.

You see Tony lying on the couch, quite relaxed, contradicting the tense atmosphere.

“Tony,” Nat starts. “You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal.”

“It’s because he’s already made up his mind,” Steve explained.

“Boy, you know me so well,” Stark starts, getting up and rubbing the back of his head. “Actually I’m nursing an electromagnetic headache,” he pauses to grab a mug of coffee. “That’s what’s going on, Cap. It’s just pain. It’s discomfort. Who’s putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?”

Tony puts his phone in a basket and taps the screen. An image is projected of a smiling young man.

“Oh, that’s Charles Spencer, by the way. He’s a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn’t want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn’t go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia.”

He pauses for a second as the team soaks in the information.

“He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.

“There’s no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I’m game. If we can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary-less, we’re no better than the bad guys.”

“Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don’t give up,” Steve rebuttals.

“Who said we’re giving up?”

“We are if we’re not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame.”

“I’m sorry. Steve,” Rhodey blurted. “That-that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we’re talking about. It’s not the World Security Council, it’s not SHIELD, it’s not HYDRA.”

“No, but it’s run by people with agendas, and agendas change.”

“That’s good,” Tony starts. “That’s why I’m here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing.

“Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don’t let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

“If we don’t do this now, it’s gonna be done to us later. That’s a fact. That won’t be pretty.”

Wanda finally speaks up, “You’re saying they’ll come for me.”

“We would protect you,” Vision promised.

“Maybe Tony’s right,” the redhead speaks. “If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off--”

“Aren’t you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?” Sam interrupts.

“I’m just… I’m reading the terrain. We have made… some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.

“Focus up,” Tony says. “I’m sorry, did I just mishear or did you agree with me?”

“Oh, I want to take it back now.”

“No, no, no. You can’t retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case-closed--I win.”

From what you see, Steve stands to leave abruptly.

You then walk out of the elevator, tablet still in hand with the footage up. The captain walks past you just as you turn the corner and spot the team.

“Someone’s upset,” you hum.

You walk past everyone towards the fridge and grab a water bottle.

“Anyway, that was very childish. And kinda stupid.”

Inquisitive looks are thrown your way and you hold up the tablet awkwardly as you plop down on a chair.

“I was watching you. I kinda do that a lot. It’s not as creepy as it sounds.”

You open the bottle and take a sip.

“What are you doing down here kid--”

“Ahhh,” you interrupt. “Don’t call me a kid. I haven’t been a child for years.”

“Just answer the question,” Tony snaps.

“I like to stay informed. No one tells me anything and while you think that these private meetings only affect you, it doesn’t. It affects me too. You may not remember I’m your child but several people do. And that puts me in danger. So yes, I listen to your conversations to make sure it’s nothing I need to worry about.”

An awkward silence washes over as you gulp down more water.

“Anyway, I was just riding up and down the elevator waiting for you guys to finish. That Ross dude is kinda creepy by the way. But you’re really considering signing that thing?”

“Not you too,” your father mutters.

You let out a laugh and everyone looks at you strangely.

“Is this funny to you?” Rhodey asks.

“Yes,” you stop laughing abruptly. “I find it hilarious that this is the same government that was ready to drop a nuke on the city during the Battle of New York not giving a damn about a single civilian that was still in the area. I find it hilarious that this is the same government that lets thousands of children and women of color go missing and not do a thing about it. It’s funny that this is the same government that let HYDRA, Red Room, AIM; all that shit grow right under their nose. It’s funny because this government is the same one that uses taxpayer money for dumb ass projects and unnecessary military funding instead of using it to fund shit that helps the civilians they claim they care so much about. I mean how can you not find this situation amusing?”

“Look,” Tony attempts.

“I’m not finished,” you challenge, looking him dead in the eyes. “This government don’t give a damn about y’all, especially not the three of us,” you say, gesturing to yourself, Sam, and Rhodey. “We’d be booted out of this country before you could even blink if they ever got the chance and you know that.

“I don’t know why y’all are so adamant on gaining the government’s trust when they don’t give a flying fuck about you or these goddamn civilians. All they care about is power. They don’t care how many civilians come up missing or die in some tragic accident. It doesn’t matter what happens. When they see someone becoming richer or smarter or more powerful than they are, they will do anything to shut that shit down.

“I don’t understand how you can’t see that. And maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s just me and my experience,” you pause, catching the gaze of every person in the room with hard eyes. You take a deep breath and try to calm down. “Sign it if you want to. Think about how many lives you’ll lose then.”

You stand from your spot and walk into the open elevator, ready to get to the comfort of your bed.

It had been two days since the initial meeting and you were currently sitting on Michelle’s bed watching her read.

“You’re really pretty,” you muttered out of the blue.

You saw your girlfriend’s cheeks develop a subtle red tint as she mumbled back a ‘thank you, and continued reading. You groan and gently pull the book out of her hands.

“Hey,” she quietly protests.

“Please,” you pout, holding your arms out as an invitation.

MJ fondly rolls her eyes before lowering herself onto you. You hummed contently and squeezed her before planting a kiss on her cheek.

She surprised you by turning her head and giving you a lingering kiss. That one kiss soon turned into something more.

Michelle gently pushed you onto your back and straddled your hips. Bending down she kissed you once again, her lips gliding with yours.

This continued for a few minutes, taking small breaks in between to breathe. You don’t think you could ever get enough of her and hoped that she was feeling similarly.

You kissed until your jaws hurt. The euphoric feeling still lingered as MJ rested her forehead against yours, trying to catch her breath.

“We should do that again sometime,” you mumbled.

Your girlfriend nodded in response, giving one more chaste kiss to your lips before dropping to your side.

“Tomorrow,” she said after glancing at the clock that read 10:47.

“Guess I’m spending the night then.”

“I have no problem with that.”

The next day, you were awoken by beeping from your phone. Once you were fully aware of your surroundings you picked up the device and read the notifications that M.I.A sent through. Scanning through them, you sat up with urgency and played the video.

“A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna. More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda’s King T’Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Bares, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations.”

Carefully removing Michelle’s arm from around your waist, you stand up and move to the corner of the room. You press the contact and hold the phone up to your ear.

“Nat what the fuck is going on?”

You hear the woman sigh on the other side of the phone. “Look, just… stay wherever you are.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever. I want answers, Nat.”

“(Y/n),” she says firmly. “Calm down and go back to whatever you were doing. Right now, this does not concern you and I would like it to stay that way. Do you understand me?”

There was some silence, before you let out a forced chuckle.

“Okay, whatever. Bye.”

“(Y/n) c’mo--”

You disconnected the call and gently tossed the phone onto MJ’s desk. “You sound stressed.”

Turning around to face the bed, you see Michelle sat up and leaning against the headboard. You nod slowly and crawl your way up towards her.

“I am.”

You feel her hand take hold of your clenched ones and she rubs them, causing you to relax slightly.

“There was a um, bombing at the--the um… signing thing. And no one wants to tell me what’s going on, so,” you end the sentence, shrugging.

MJ’s head drops onto your shoulder and you let her cuddle close.

“They told me to stay where I was. So hopefully we can get something good out of that.”

There was no response and you thought she had fallen back asleep, but you were proven wrong when your girlfriend started getting up.

“C’mon,” she instructed, holding her hand out when she saw the look of confusion on your face.

Taking her hand, the two of you made your way to the kitchen.

She turned around and grabbed your shoulders.

“We are going to make some breakfast… or lunch whatever. And then we are going to binge watch until we can binge watch no longer. Alright?”

You nod your head, chuckling and then got to work.

It had been days since you last heard from anyone. No updates from Natasha. M.I.A even told you there hasn’t even been a great deal of movement in the compound. Today you decided you would head back.

When you arrived it was quiet. As you walked down the halls you heard distant chatter and followed it.

Turning the corner, you were surprised at what you saw.

“What the hell happened?”

The two men turned to look your way, but you were given no answers.

Tony had bruises on his face and he looked more tense than usual. Rhodey had some sort of tech on his legs.

“You fought them. You fought them all, didn’t you?”

Both men looked away and avoided your gaze.

“You didn’t even listen to what I said. This is what the government does. I tried to tell you, but you didn’t even fucking listen,” you ranted, your voice slightly raising.

“Us breaking apart wasn’t the government. Most of this is on some guy th--”

“Well the government allowed it to happen so I’d say it is their fault!”

You turned to your father with pleading eyes.

“Where are they, Tony?”

“Kid, they’re criminals now, I don’t--”

“Stop calling me that! I’m--I’m not some kid. I’m not your kid,” you let out a frustrated breath. “You--you couldn’t talk it out? Like mature adults? You just had to go assert your dominance somewhere--in what? An--an airport? Some vacant lot? You just had to fight. Do you not know how to communicate?”

You looked at the two men, shook your head, and brushed past them.

Just when things were alright.

“(Y/n)?”

“What M.I.A?”

You were currently laying in your bed trying to control the tears that were begging to fall from your eyes due to the amount of overwhelming shit you had been hit with. You talked with MJ for a little while and while it helped a bit, you honestly were still feeling like… well shit.

“There’s a package for you.”

Furrowing your eyebrows, you head down to where the mail is usually placed, get the package with your name on it, and head back to your room.

Grabbing a pair of scissors, you cut the tape and open the box. Inside was a letter and a phone.

Hey sweetheart.

It was Natasha’s handwriting.

I’m sorry. I really am. We all are. I wish things wouldn’t have ended this way, but they did and we can’t really do anything about it now.

I listened to what you said. I listened and I tried my best to understand. I don’t think I ever wanted to sign the accords in the first place. The only reason I did so was so that we could stay together. So that I could stay with you. This team is the only family I’ve had in a long time. The fact that that stack of papers could end that scared me.

I just kept trying to convince myself that signing the Accords was the right thing to do; anything to keep this team together. Anything to keep everything from falling apart.

But the more I thought about it, I realized. You were right. Everything you said. This government doesn’t care. And if the government doesn’t care like they’re supposed to then we need to. People need the government, but they don’t have it. They do have us though. And they always will.

I love you. I didn’t say it enough and I don’t know when or if I’ll ever get to tell you that again. You are so precious to me and I’m sorry I couldn’t stay. If you ever need anything, you can always give me a call.

You wiped your eyes and gently picked up the phone. You held it in your hands for a moment before setting it down. You folded the letter back up neatly and placed both items in the top drawer of your nightstand.

You laid back down on your bed with less tears on your face.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

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