#neither team green nor team black but a third option

[americanprometheuss]

i had an epiphany. a vision. a dragon dream if you even dared to call it that.

rhaenicent but the dance of the dragons never happens, alicent is named queen consort after marrying rhaenyra and rhaenyra is king.

& i know you’re thinking “eros how is this any different than every other rhaenicent au?” but i’ll tell you THIS. rhaenyra is transmasc and had emma d’arcy’s haircut and androgynous looks.

imagine THIS rhaenicent on the throne ruling westeros

[lifeofkaze]

An Art of Balance #23

Orion Amari x MC

Warning: Mention of alcohol (I feel like this is getting out of hand)

Word Count: ~ 2.600

_______________________________________________

Chapter 23: The Morning After

After Rowan had left them, it had taken Lizzie a long time to stop crying. Orion had held her close the whole time, his hands stroking her back with soothing motions. His movements had stopped when she had told him the whole story in between her sobs, but still he hadn’t let go of her.

He had just watched her in silence until she had calmed down enough to think straight. When she had finally gathered enough courage to look him in the face, the sadness visible in his eyes had threatened to tear her apart once more.

“Why did you lie to me?” It was apparent that Orion tried to keep his voice level, but Lizzie could feel the hurt and disappointment ringing in his words. He had said so himself; he had trusted her.

Ashamed of herself, she cast down her eyes and shook her head. “How could I have told you the truth?” she whispered into the darkness surrounding them. They were sitting far from any place the silver light of the moon could reach.

Orion took his time to answer. “I don’t know; I just wish you had.”

Lizzie felt like crying once again, but there was not a single tear left she hadn’t shed already; she felt empty inside. “Me too.”

They had walked back to the Common Room in silence, but it couldn’t have been a greater contrast to the way they had wandered the castle earlier. Where it had been a comfortable silence before, it now hung heavy between them, neither of them knowing what to say.

Lizzie desperately wished for him to say something, anything, to let her know he understood and everything would be okay; but Orion remained silent until they reached the Common Room.

They had been gone longer than what Lizzie had thought; all the lights were extinguished and the fire was burning low in the fireplace, casting the tiniest flickers of light over the few remaining figures sleeping in armchairs or on some of the sofas.

It brought back the memory of another time they had found themselves alone in here in the middle of the night. Lizzie remembered bitterly how much she had hoped Orion would catch on to her words and give her the opportunity to tell him the truth; but he hadn’t and she had been too much of a coward to break both of their hearts on her own accord.

“You should get some sleep now,” Orion told her quietly. He pulled her into a hug and Lizzie closed her eyes as she rested her cheek against his chest, not wanting the moment to end. “Get some rest and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

She reluctantly let go of him as she registered the shift in his position towards the entrance door. “What are you doing?”

He brushed a rogue strand of her hair out of her face as he looked ponderingly down at her. “Both our spirits are troubled with what has happened. Sometimes being alone is the best way to bring order into the chaos of the mind.”

And with that, he left her alone with the dying fire and her burning conscience.

Lizzie felt completely exhausted from both the physical exhaustion of playing Quidditch and the onslaught of emotions raging inside her. She actually contemplated going to bed for a moment, but with all the thoughts running through her mind on repeat, she knew there was not the slightest chance to find sleep anytime soon.

Besides, Rowan would probably be up in their dorm by now. Lizzie shuddered at the thought of confronting her friend over the mess she had created. She knew she would have to eventually, but not tonight. Orion was right; she should probably try to get some rest.

She wandered over to the big sofa in front of the fire place. Brian, the Hufflepuff Keeper, was slumping in an armchair close to it; he was fast asleep, nestling a half empty bottle of Firewhiskey in the crook of his arm.

Careful not to wake him, she pried the bottle from his hands, swaying it lightly as she contemplated her options. The amber liquid inside sloshed back and forth, illuminated by the dim light of the fire.

Lizzie shrugged before she settled on the couch, staring into the flames. It wasn’t like the night could get worse anyway.

The first sip she took had her coughing and grimacing at the sharp taste that set her mouth on fire. The second one was equally as bad. But as she took a third, fourth and fifth sip directly out of the bottle, it finally brought her the comfortable numbness she had been hoping for.

Snuggling deeper into the cushions, she watched as the fire burned out, slowly but surely drifting into a blissfully oblivious sleep.

*

Lizzie woke to an incredibly stiff neck and a mouth dry as parchment. Her head felt stuffy and she tried as hard as she could to hold onto the dream she’d had.

It had been a nice dream; someone had sat beside her in the darkness, gently stroking her hair and covering her with something warm and fuzzy. Her eyes still closed, Lizzie sighed sleepily and snuggled deeper into her blanket. The smell of ginger, patchouli and cilantro brought a dreamy smile to her face.

After a moment, her brow furrowed. This was not what her blanket smelled like; in fact, this wasn’t what her bed felt like either. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes the tiniest bit and glanced at her arm resting next to her head, almost disappearing in a dark brown sleeve that was way too long to be her own.

As the realisation of what she was wearing hit her, Lizzie abruptly jerked upright. She regretted the sudden motion immediately as the Common Room started spinning around her and a searing pain shot through her temples down into her clenched jaws. With a groan, she let herself fall backwards onto the couch and closed her eyes again.

With the pain in her head, the memories of the night before returned to her.

Incredulous of what she had done, she covered her face with her hands as she remembered she and Orion racing through the nightly hallways, their conversation on top of the Astronomy Tower and the way time had seemed to stop as they had kissed. Even now, Lizzie felt the butterflies dancing in her stomach and her heart was beating faster at the memory of how perfect his lips had felt against hers.

But she also remembered how she had watched Rowan’s heart break right in front of her, as well as her bitter accusations; the pain she had caused her friend left her chocked up with a sour taste in her mouth.

Lizzie sat up again, this time considerably slower and untangled herself from the colourful quilt laying across her body; she didn’t even remember getting it before she had passed out. She carefully stood up, gripping the backrest for support as her head started spinning again.

She waited until the nauseous feeling had passed before she gingerly tapped into the direction of the dormitories. She noted how clean the Common Room was despite the raging party going down the night before; she was the only one in the room as well. It must have been already pretty late in the day for no one to be here. Sure enough, the big grandfather clock in one the reading nooks told her it wasn’t long until breakfast would be over.

When she entered her dorm, Lizzie was glad to find it almost empty. Neither Rowan, Penny nor Tonks were anywhere to be seen; only Skye was still lying in her bed, her black and blue mess of a hair sticking up in all directions. Her mouth was hanging open and she was snoring softly.

Lizzie tiptoed over to her own bed and shrugged out of Orion’s coat. The fire in their wood stove must have gone out some time during the night, leaving the room defenceless against the cold from the stone walls. The fine hairs on Lizzie’s arms immediately stood on end at the contact with the cool air.

She missed the warmth of the heavy fabric as she hung it over the end of her bed. Seeing it lying there on her yellow quilt brought back the reality of what she had done, even more forceful than before.

Lizzie stared at the coat Orion was so rarely seen without but in her mind the scenes of last night were playing again. If she concentrated enough, she could still taste his soft lips brushing over her own, feel his breath on her neck. She remembered how his strong hands had felt on her waist, her back, in her hair and had to suppress a shudder as her body started tingling at the memory.

The sensation died in its tracks as her gaze fell onto her nightstand. Between the pictures of her friends, family and the Quidditch team, one was missing. The picture of Rowan and her she had gotten for Christmas lay on the ground between their beds, the glass of the cover broken into countless shards scattered over the floor.

Suddenly feeling empty inside, Lizzie bent down to pick it up; she was forced to grab onto the edge of her bed as another rush of vertigo made the room sway in front of her eyes. When everything had settled again, she saw Mouse had jumped on her bed and gotten comfortable on Orion’s coat. Her green eyes followed the unsteady movements of her owner as Lizzie started looking for her washbag with what seemed like disdain.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Lizzie snapped, “I know I botched it big time, alright?”

But Mouse was already asleep again, clearly not caring very much for the misery of her human.

Shutting the door of the bathroom behind her, Lizzie waited until steam was hanging in the air until she stepped under the scalding hot shower. She tried not to flinch away from the initial feeling of pain as the hot water hit her cold skin but soon found her tense muscles relaxing as she let the water wash over her.

Her friends were always joking about how hot Lizzie liked her shower but she didn’t care. She concentrated on the stinging sensation on her skin as the heat returned to her body. It allowed her to tune out all of her other thoughts. For a few divine moments, she felt nothing but warmth and the release of the tension inside her shoulders.

She relished the feeling of the trickle running down her spine until the water slowly started getting colder. When it became too cold for her to stand, Lizzie stepped out of the shower again, careful not to fall on the slippery tiles.

Her skin was flushed a deep red, making all the cuts and bruises she’d taken back from the pitch even more sensitive. She winced as she wrapped herself in a huge fluffy towel and stepped in front of the fogged mirror.

Lizzie couldn’t help the wry smile forming on her lips as she took in her ghastly reflection. Her wet hair hung around her face that still looked oddly pale, despite the boiling hot water. Her eyes had huge dark shadows laying underneath them, making her look more dead than alive.

Her cheeks blushed as she saw the trace of small red love bites on her collarbone, quickly pushing the thought of how exactly they got there out of her mind. The embarrassment faded as she inspected the huge, black bruise on her sternum, however. It had the shape of a star and the memory of Rowan’s spell hitting her body hurt her more than the rubbing of the towel against her battered skin ever could.

But sulking about what had been said and done wouldn’t help her solve the situation. Although she looked like death and felt even worse, the least she could do was set things right again.

Lizzie quickly put on enough make up to not be mistaken for one of the Hogwarts ghosts anymore and changed into her most comfortable pair of jeans and an old, worn out black sweater that hung loose around her body. She tried pulling her hair up into a pony tail, but the way her hair band pulled at her roots only intensified the pain inside her hammering head, so she just left it as it was.

When she left the bathroom again, she found Skye sitting up in her bed, looking about as fresh as Lizzie felt herself. She was swaying a tiny little bottle with her right hand as if not quite sure whether she should drink its contents or not. It was their own version of a Pepper-Up Potion; Penny had found a way to modify it some time ago. Instead of healing a common cold, it was the girls’ first choice of remedy against a nasty hangover.

Skye tipped the potion into her mouth and closed her eyes as the effect hit. She opened her mouth and blew out the steam that was a by-product of the concoction. She pursed her lips to form it into a ring and laughed as it drifted towards the ceiling.

“Morning,” she greeted Lizzie with a grin, her voice still raspy from drinking and the potion. “What a party, huh?”

Lizzie only hummed in response; she wasn’t in the mood for recounting last night’s highlights. She went over to the drawer where Penny kept her potions and grimaced as she found it empty.

“Sorry, got the last one right there,” Skye grinned. “Damn, you do look like you’d have needed it, Jameson. When did you get so wasted? Last time I saw you- “

She stopped there, suddenly looking at her quizzically. “Come to think of it, where were you the whole time? Didn’t see you anywhere.”

Lizzie avoided her eyes and busied herself with looking for a pair of sneakers in the chaos of her cupboard. “The crowd was a bit too much, I needed some fresh air to think,” she mumbled.

Skye snickered. “You’re starting to sound like Orion, you know.” She fell silent as her own words sunk in and she saw Lizzie blushing despite her best efforts. Her gaze shifted to the brown coat still lying on Lizzie’s bed. Now fully awake, her eyes went wide.

“Jameson, whose coat is that?”

Lizzie grimaced. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she deflected the question as she put her shoes on but Skye wasn’t so easily put off. She swung her legs out of her bed and got up; like Lizzie before, she was wobbly on her knees and had to hold onto her bedpost for a second.

“You’re going to tell me what happened, right now,” she cried as she tried to steady herself.

Lizzie had wanted to leave the coat in their dorm until she found a quiet moment to return it to Orion without anyone noticing. But with Skye on her trail, that was out of the question. With a sigh, she folded it up and shoved it under her arm. Skye was still waiting for her answer, though.

“I’m talking to you, you know?” she complained while she was still trying to get her body under control.

But Lizzie only rolled her eyes. “Sod off, Parkin.”

Without another word, Lizzie left their room and shut the door in Skye’s incredulous face.

[ramajmedia]

Hulk’s Three-Movie Arc Didn’t Fix The Character’s MCU Problems

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has largely failed the Hulk - and even his recent three-film arc didn't fix the long-standing character problems. Both Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and actor Mark Ruffalo have suggested they see Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame as a loose "Hulk trilogy." Feige has always allowed actors themselves to have input into their characters' stories, and he and Ruffalo figured out a journey that they believed would work for the Hulk.

At heart, the Hulk is a Jekyll and Hyde-type character, and the MCU brought these two personas into a head-on collision. In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor was shocked to learn that the Hulk had been living on the planet Sakaar for two years, with the Banner identity completely submerged. When Bruce Banner was finally restored, he was shaken to learn just how long he'd been out, and feared he'd never return if he transformed again. Fortunately, Bruce was proven wrong; the arc took a twist in Avengers: Infinity War when the Hulk turned back into Banner and then refused to come out and play again. The story was resolved in Avengers: Endgame, which revealed that Bruce had managed to work out a solution, blending the two personalities into "Professor Hulk."

Related: What is the Hulk's Future After Avengers: Endgame?

On paper, this has the makings of a fascinating story; indeed, it's drawn from some of the best comics by Peter David. There's just one problem: it didn't come together to fix the issues that have plagued the Hulk since the early days of the MCU.

The Hulk is one of Marvel's most iconic superheroes, a brand almost as strong as the Jade Giant himself. For all that's the case, his big-screen presence in the MCU is pretty muted - and that's mostly due to legal issues. Marvel regained the production rights to the Hulk back in 2005, but the distribution rights still sit with Universal, who have the right of first refusal to distribute any future Hulk films. That wasn't a problem for 2008's The Incredible Hulk, because back then Marvel didn't have a distribution network of their own (all other Phase 1 films were distributed by Paramount). But in 2009, Marvel was purchased by Disney, who has one of the best film distribution networks in the world.

All that means Disney can only make more Hulk films if they offer them up to be distributed by a rival studio. Universal, for their part, seem to have no desire to give up the distribution rights. That led actor Mark Ruffalo to publicly complain about Universal. "I just want to make one thing perfectly clear today that a standalone Hulk movie will never happen," he fumed. "Because Universal has the rights to the standalone Hulk movie and for some reason they don't know how to play well with Marvel." Barring a massive change in corporate strategy at either Disney or Universal, The Incredible Hulk is the only solo Hulk film that will ever be made in the MCU.

This is why the character has exclusively been in team-ups and ensemble films since; Universal's option on the character only goes as far as solo movies. He can be a part of the Avengers or turn up to fight Thor without issue.

Related: Why Marvel Can't Make a Standalone MCU Hulk Movie

Edward Norton had originally played Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, and was expected to reprise the role in The Avengers. Instead, Marvel chose to replace him with Mark Ruffalo. They released a terse statement that they were looking for "an actor who embodies the creativity and collaborative spirit of our other talented cast members," a somewhat snide remark that they never explained. It seems pretty clear the two parties had some serious behind-the-scenes conflicts, possibly connected to Norton's extensive rewrites of The Incredible Hulk's script. Whatever the case, it meant that Marvel essentially reinvented the Hulk again in 2012's The Avengers.

It was a good call, and Mark Ruffalo is generally considered to be a far better Bruce Banner than Norton. What's more, Joss Whedon's Avengers script gave the Hulk quite an entertaining character arc, with Banner learning that the Hulk could be a force for good and actually choosing to unleash him during the Battle of New York. After that, though, Whedon struggled with Hulk in the sequel, 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, choosing a rather left-field romance plot between Bruce Banner and Black Widow, which proved somewhat divisive given it has no comic book precedent and seemed to come from nowhere.

Underpinning the pivots was the unavoidable truth that both Bruce Banner and the Hulk were relatively undefined as characters in the MCU. All the other Avengers had important arcs that Whedon could either draw upon or (quite frequently) ignore; the Hulk was a blank slate. And Whedon only had so much time he could dedicate to the Green Goliath, meaning the Hulk never got the chance he deserved to shine.

That explains the context of the three-movie arc devised by Mark Ruffalo and Kevin Feige. They were aware the Hulk was being under-utilized, but also by now had come to accept the fact they'd never be able to make another solo Hulk film. The resulting three-movie character arc is, therefore, really something of a second-best; and, frankly, it's not a very good one. The basic concept is lifted from Peter David's classic "Professor Hulk" story, which treated the Hulk as a sort of multiple personality disorder, and forced the minds of Bruce Banner and the Hulk to confront one another.

Related: The Problem With Hulk In Avengers: Endgame

Unfortunately, Marvel Studios couldn't match David's story. There's a sense in which that was inevitable; David is a particularly skilled writer, and his Incredible Hulk run naturally focused on the titular character. In contrast, the Hulk was a secondary character in Thor: Ragnarok and part of a massive ensemble in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

While Thor: Ragnarok writer-director Taika Waititi set up the arc fairly well, the third and fourth Avengers films dropped the ball. It was unclear what was going on with the Hulk in Avengers: Infinity War; the Russo brothers spent months fielding questions about why the Hulk was scared of Thanos, which wasn't the story they'd been attempting to tell at all. Editing decisions meant Infinity War's Professor Hulk transformation was cut, and instead the biggest character moment in the Hulk's entire MCU history happened off-screen, with Bruce Banner apparently merging with the Hulk after spending eighteen months in a Gamma lab.

Instead, Hulk's defining part across all the movies was his snap to bring back Thanos' victims, something that doesn't at all rely on any of the journey to get there. The Peter David story was boiled down to its simplest elements, a story that was then told in a remarkably disjointed way.

At this stage, it's hard not to conclude that the MCU has mostly wasted the Hulk's potential; and this is one problem that can't be cracked by eighteen months in a Gamma lab. Mark Ruffalo is believed to have just one more film left on his contract, and - because the conflict between Marvel and Universal is still unresolved - that means he'll be appearing in a final team-up movie. The Hulk's as-it-stands last outing will be as a secondary character, unable to fully get to the heart of his character once more.

Related: Hulk Was Injured In Ragnarok: Is That Why He Couldn't Beat Thanos?

After all, what Hulk story can Marvel tell? In the comics, Professor Hulk worked because it was a deviation from the status quo, a break from the norm that thrilled readers. Neither the Hulk nor Bruce Banner really has much of a status quo in the MCU to deviate from, which is one reason the Professor Hulk twist fell flat. Avengers: Endgame essentially left the Hulk unrecognizable, a brawny being whose mind seems more like Bruce Banner's than a blend of the two, weaker than before and with a permanently crippled arm. The MCU's Hulk could perhaps serve as a mentor to the next generation of Avengers before bowing out, but that's about it. And the Hulk deserved far more.

More: MCU Characters Missing From Marvel Phase 4

source https://screenrant.com/hulk-mcu-problems-ragnarok-infinity-war-endgame/

[9lph9tr0n5s]

Meet Rohan and Valkyrie (aka my take a stand au)

So, everyone in the zootopia fandom has seen all sorts of OC’s, fanships, stories, fanarts and other stuff that would be too much to remember. But, i’ve never seen someone create a fusion OC (even though they exist in other fandoms). So, without further addo, may I present you zootopia’s FIRST fusion character…

ROHAN WILDESAVAGE!!!

This beauty is the merged character of Robyn and Hannah by @crewefox . After eight months of wait i’m finally glad and proud to introduce you all to my OC. what follows will be a bio of her charachter. Then I’ll put a link to her backstory and the whole series of events that led to her birth. Beware that the read more option may not work, both in the app and in the computer

BIO:

Full name: Rohan Marheather Wildesavage

Species: fusion, fox/rabbit hybrid

Fusion components: Robyn Heather Wilde and Hannah Marian Savage

Date of first fusion: 28th of june 20344, Canary Islands

Jobs:

-Robyn: mechanic

-Hannah: radio host and ballet dancer

-Rohan: fitness and MMA trainer

-common jobs: superhero leader, dimensional traveller and peacekeeper

Physical description

-Age: same as Robyn and Hannah

-sex: female

-gender: bisexual with more intrest in females due to Hannah being lesbian

-height: 8.2 feet (around 2.5 meters)

-fur density: soft and smoother than silk, can get winter coats

-fur color: overall ginger with darker spots on the fingertips and the eartips, black eyebrows and tail tip and black and white stripes following hannah’s pattern. Rohan can change her fur color in any possible color scheme: from plain tan, to cream with red spots or patches, to black with yellow stripes (as a chevron) to even purple or shining blue silver

-paws: all have paw pads like a fox, the feet are as long as a rabbit and can stand up digitigrade and both hands and feet posses retractable, sharp claws

-tail: long, wavy, poofy, soft and capable of moving as a third arm thanks to more muscles in it. Rohan usually likes to smack unsuspecting targets to prank them

-Body shape: slender like Hannah with wider hips and strong muscles taken from Robyn

-eyes: right one teal and left one turquoise normally, can be changed in any color like the fur in any combination possible: red, green, pitch black, blue with orange shard… the eyes can also assume a plain colorization

-ears: longer than Robyn’s, slighty wider and capable of hearing further than any other mammal.

-muzzle and mouth: the muzzle lenght is between Robyn and Hannah’s and the nose has a very sharp smell range. The mouth is composed by sharp teeth and a razor buck tooth

-other peculiarities: Rohan can assume a feral form, standing on four legs, or just with her hind paws digitigrade; unlike most hybrids she’s fertile and this fertility has been transmitted to the components; her body is very flexible, but it can’t stretch like plastic

Character

-personality:

Robyn’s side:

-rash: Rohan can trip into dangerous situations without thinking twice, but always manages to get out alright, mostly

-crass: when Rohan is angry or really pissed, she can swear as instant reaction to an insult or a bad comment

-loyal and trustworthy: like Robyn, Rohan is loyal to her friends and, in no case, she can be corrupted or turn with the bad guys. She’s also extremely careful in respecting a promise or keeping a secret

-respectful: despite having the habit to center herself in rare situations, Rohan knows who’s in charge or is the most experienced on something. Many times, she asks for constructive criticism or honest thoughts about a certain subject and acknoweldges when she’s wrong

-hot tempered: strictly related to having a coarse tongue, Rohan has robyn’s short fuse when being pestered, mocked or scolded. This can occasionally lead to a fight when it happens and the one who insulted her heavily won’t go back home without a bruise… or a broken bone

-gold heart: deep inside, she cares about who she loves and is always willing to help for any problem

-energetic: Rohan as a carefree and upbeat personality just like robyn

Hannah’s side:

-empathetic: Rohan, like Hannah, instantly recognizes what somebody else feels and either joins someone in their happy moments or comfort sad mammals

-polite: from Hannah, Rohan has inherited her calm and collected demeanor, which strangely enough, doesn’t clash with Robyn’s short fuse

-focused: Hannah’s focused mind is another trait that distinguishes rohan: she can elaborate a good startegy, study someone from the outside and guessing the inside and never lose track of an individual or lose control of the situation

-clingy: when Rohan gets attached to someone, it’s hard to take said attachment away, and this can lead to rohan putting first him/her than her team if he/she’s in danger, just like Hannah with Robyn

-emotional: while this is mostly a trait taken from Hannah, Robyn has also a tender side: when sad, Rohan can easily burst into tears while trying to keep herself collected and this leads many people to believe she’s a crybaby

-romantic: Hannah’s romantic side shows up in Rohan when being courted by someone; this unfortunately has led to episodes of boys and girls chasing her for a date because they found Rohan “lovable as hell”

Common traits:

-dorky: both Robyn and Hannah are dorky af, so it’s normal to see Rohan being silly in a playful way

-adaptive: wheter the situation is a long wedding or a hard strike againts a crime lord gone wrong, Rohan quickly adapts to the situation and keeps up, just like Robyn and Hannah

-smart: although many see Robyn as a normal C student and Hannah as a top A mammal, both girls are extremely intelligent. Just don’t overestimate her

-loving: is there much to say about this? Rohan deeply cares about anyone and is always available for comforting or cuddling someone

Unique traits:

-tricking: Rohan seems dumb from shallow and small-minded individuals, but 75% of the time she’s just faking; she’s a cunning mammal and this shows in her ability to pull of tricks or turn the tide of a situation in a way neither robyn or hannah are capable of. This seems to be a recessive trait taken from Robyn’s father Nick.

-charismatic: this charismatic side the wildesavage couple has doesn’t show up very often; things change when rohan is in the game: thanks to her charisma, Rohan is a natural born leader, and everybody follows her or ask for her advice; this trait seems taken by both Nick and hannah’s father Jack

Favorite things in groups

-Favorite foods and drinks: everything KFC cooks, turkey meatballs, spaghetti with tomato sauce, masala cod, fried ginger crickets, pepperoni pizza, crispy mcbacon, oven pasta

-favorite movies and TV shows: Enter the dragon, the princess bride, Star Wars: the last jedi, black panther, karate kid, the big bang theory, steven universe, every disney princess movie, fantasia, the incredibles

-favorite games: the uncharted series, the last of us, overwatch, call of duty black ops 3, rise of the tomb raider, destiny 1, Star Wars battlefront 2 (the old and the new one), titanfall 2, horizon zero dawn, GTA 5, team fortress 2, god of war (the 2018 version)

-fandoms: disney princesses, Star Wars (the sequels side mostly), MCU, love stories, Overwatch (not the porn, nor the toxic side)

-favorite music: punk rock music, dancable music, Green Day, Ed Sheeran, Queen, the Pirates of The Caribbean, Star Wars, star trek, back to the future and the incredibles themes, Cole Rolland, Imagine Dragons

General Likes and dislikes:

likes:

-being petted, cuddled or having her fur stroked

-crude humor

-dancing

-being a dork

-topping herself

-being nurturing and kind to everyone

-friends and family

-protecting zootopia for good

-dancing

-comfortable clothes

-travelling

Dislikes:

-bullies

-being pressured

-having a fight with a loved one

-hypocrites

-being harassed just because of who she is

-small minded mammals

-corrupt people

-whoever threatens her city

-heavy junk food

-strobo lights

-nudity in public

-toxic mammals and fans

Family:

Robyn’s side:

-father: Nick Wilde

Occupation: mayor of zootopia

Status: alive

-mother: Judy Hopps

Occupation: police chief of the first precinct

Status: alive

-grandmother: Marian Wilde;

Occupation: former vigilante known as “the maid”, now hero trainer and supporter, mostly for hacking and I.T. professor at the zootopia university

Status: formerly dead, currently reanimated and alive

-grandfather: Robin Loxley Wilde

Occupation: former vigilante known as “hood”, now hero trainer and couple advisor

Status: formerly dead, currently reanimated and alive too

-Grandparents (Judy’s side): Bonnie and Stu Hopps

Occupation: carrot farmers

Status: alive

siblings:

-Ryan, Ronan and Reginald (reggie) Wilde: Robyn’s triplet brothers; Ryan is a laid-back lover of yoga, Ronan is a pro gamer and Reggie is a panmusical mammal

Status: stillborn at the beginning, now brought back to life

-Luna Wilde (Robyn’s half sister)

Occupation: surgeon at the zootopia hospital by day and patroling zootopia by night as the vigilante Andraste

Status: alive

Hannah’s side:

-father: Jack Savage

Occupation: MCB agent (major crimes bureau)

Status: alive

-mother: Skye Winter

Occupation: MCB agent, works with Jack

Status: alive

-known grandparents:

Hannah Savage

occupation: pensionate

Status: deceased then brought back to life

-siblings: none

Others:

-Victoria Todd (luna’s mother)

status: dead, then reanimated

-Alice Kirabito-Wilde (Robyn’s sister in law)

Occupation: videogame and anime reactions youtuber, superhero, quartermaster and weapons assistant

Status: alive

CHILDREN:

After a year Robyn and Hannah adopted their first son Aaron, he wished to have siblings like her moms (who also wanted biological kids on thier own); this was possible through a pregnancy pen: a device invented by olivia dawson and crafted by her and luna which allows two blood drops and a drop of seed of each couple member (gay or hetero) to mix and create full embryoes and literaly plant them into the one who wants to be pregnant, but the “carrier” has to be female; from this union, five kits were concieved and born from robyn as aaron’s birthday gift, who decided to carry on the pregnancy and aaron welcomed to the family his new siblings. Also, after a foster home was shut down due to cruel personnel and heavy mistreating of the orphans, robyn and hannah decided also to adopt two mammals who were unwanted and left without a family. Needless to say: all those children made judy go on cloud nine… and it gave nick a heart attack.

Biological:

-Ash, Sarah, Iris, Dylan and Mitchel Wildesavage (respectively M,F,F,M,M)

Species: fox/ rabbit hybrids

Date of birth: 8th of december 2039

Adopted:

-Aaron Wildesavage (this character is also by crewefox, he was so adorable i decided to keep him in my AU too)

Species: male koala

Date of birth: 31st of december 2033

Adoption date: 21st of december 2038

-Skylar Wildesavage

Species: non-binary otter

Date of birth: 24th of august 2033

-Penny Wildesavage

Species: female black labrador

Date of birth: 15th of february 2032

Both skylar and penny were adopted the 27th of october 2040

Side notes:

-i know dogs shouldn’t exist in the zootopia universe, but in mine they do

-Robyn and Hannah originally wanted one or two kits, but Robyn’s bunny genes let her have five kits in the end 

Since Robyn and Hannah are both superheroes, there had to be Rohan’s superheroine alter ego so, i present you VALKYRIE 

 Now it’s time for the superhero part

SUPERHERO SHEET

Alias name: Valkyrie

Alligned to: team Ceartais, ZPD, MCB, Camelot

Role: leader

Hero suit: red carbon fiber jumpsuit with white parts, a dark red hood and cape made for gliding and flying when necessary, a dark turquoise chestplate, blue and white shin and forearm guards, a blue and white checked mask and a gem storage in the middle of the chest for the infinity fragments protected by a small sheild. The suit itself has tron-like lines as an attire choice. The suit, the cape, the armor plates, tthe mask, the lines and the weapons can change colors into everything and every pattern. The suit itself is resistant to fire, shocks, electricity, cuts and explosives; the problem is that some parts are left exposed and rohan has to be careful to those weak spots

Power level: supermammalian to god-like

Steel blood powers: Robyn and Hannah’s originary power both originate from some nanomachines called “steel blood” which helped them survive a severe case of sepsis and other damages occured during a tsunami that nearly killed them

Robyn:

-healing factor: Robyn’s primary power consists in a powerful healing factor which repairs and wound or damage instantly. This also renders her, and by proxy Rohan, immune to poisoning of any kind, by simple alchol and cigarettes to vast amounts of cyanide in her body. Unfortunately, the more poison enters her body, the more it takes to rohan to process it. Also, the healing process takes more time if Robyn or Rohan are shot to the head. Another good side though is that Robyn and Rohan can survive being grinded, having their head chopped off, being squashed by two walls and being liquefied

-super strength: the steel blood also strengthened Robyn’s muscles, giving rohan an immense physical force, at the point of being five times stronger than robyn normally is

-high jumping: strong muscles and an energic, athletic attitude is the perfect match to jump high. Rohan can jump about

-high stamina: the nanites powered up her whole skeleton and inner system, which means that rohan, and robyn in the first place, can fight for a long time, running over 100 miles, training in a gym for 24 hours straight without getting tired if put under pressure. Eventually in the aftermath of one of those things, Robyn (or Rohan’s) body feel and become more tired than usual and require more amount of sleep to return in shape

hannah:

-faster reflexes and speed: since hannah was blind when she received the steel blood nanites, those should have supposedly healed her sight; instead they went on powering up her reflexes and speed. This makes rohan agile and fast on the battlefield

-ability to become blind and go back to full sight on command: this power was mastered during a time when Robyn and Hannah were left stranded. Hannah managed to get her sight back, but also practiced between shifting in full sight and blind. While seemingly useless, this power can come very handy if someone generates a strong light and rohan can still fight without necessarily closing her eyes, especially if she doesn’t have a protection

-super senses: when Hannah or Rohan go blind, all the other reflexes (hearing, taste, contact and smell) heighten up to compensate the lack of sight. Those senses can become handful depending on the situation

-pulse field generation: Hannah’s trademark power consists in “seeing” while blind. While tecnically what hannah sees is a blank world with no writings or images but just the primitive shapes of her surroundings, the nanomachines allow her heart to generate a pulse everytime it beats that detects all surfaces and objects in five miles. Rohan’s area is wider and can arrive up to 20 miles

-healing factor: Hannah also has a healing factor, but it works slower than Robyn’s. Rohan partially compensates this with a faster regeneration in case of sight or hearing loss

common:

-memory link: Rohan’s memory is made up of all memories from robyn and hannah and her own, which are all stored into a neural, indestructible cloud. If one member loses all memories, just one tap on the body or fusing can make the lost memories come back. By proxy, the wildesavages share rohan’s memories and their own, this means no secrets between the couple in normal life

-feral state: if robyn is shot to the head, all her strenght and speed multiply by nine, but, as the name suggests, the nanomachines while healing the damage awaken her feral instincts, making her a savage beast. If this should happen to rohan, she would turn savage for a shorter time than robyn. Only few mammals and beings know how to tame while savage

infinity gems powers (they’re much more than the listed ones and some must be discovered): after being found out by Robyn and Hannah, six fragments of the infinity gems linked with them and grant more powers. while these powers are mostly used by rohah, robyn and hannah also use them separatly, abeit with less efficiency than their fusion. The fragments after rohan unlocked the infinity state, transformed into full gems

power (red):

-energy control and manipulation: the power gem allows rohan to manipulate all sorts of energy in any form, from kinetic to nuclear, and any way: force fields, power sharing, recharge, power overload…

-laser, maser wave or pulse energy blast: most importantly, rohan can use that enery to mimic and use a certain energy primarly for a laser blast; said power can manifest in a powerful shockwave or a presence that burns and slowls incapacitates everyone near her. Rohan could kill someone with her powers, but she chooses not to unless there’s no other choice, or her foe is unpowered and defenceless. In that case, she uses the power for knockback

-energy and power share: Rohan can gift some of her power to anybody else who needs it to strenghent him or her. This also applies to electronic devices

-maximum power state: when rohan unleashes the full power of the power fragment her body becomes glowing red in color and physically a pure manifestation of energy. In this form rohan is surrounded by energy vamps like a sun and is totally invincible. This form consumes a tremendous amout of energy, leaving her helpless when she stops, so rohan must use this as a last resort

Time (orange):

-time manipulation and travel: thanks to the time gem, Rohan can control time around her and with others. She can freeze a single moment, create a loop, rewind her own time or a recent situation and even age or de-age every living being. With the right amount of focus rohan can also travel through time

-time mastress state: at full strenght, the time fragment turns Rohan’s body orange and magical gears appear. In this form rohan’s time powers are amped up to ridiculous heights at the point rohan BECOMES time itself and is able of creating or erasing some events or a complete timeline. In the aftermath Rohan dissociates temporarly for three hours before her molecules line up

Reality (yellow):

-reality manipulation: the reality gem allows Rohan to bend the primary shape of everything around her at her will, always turning the situation to herself, like a wizard using magic. But if the power is used without limits, rohan could alter reality for a long time before fixing it, thus she has to be very careful when using the reality related powers

-creation of everything: this superpower allows Rohan to do everything she imagines: she can materialize a toy in front of her, turn water to fire of give herself new powers; the only things she can’t do are: copying powers related to the other gems (unless she temporarely gives new powers to other beings) and bring people back from the dead

-illusion and hologram control: rohan can create multiple copies of herself or turn temporarily a place in what she wants to with hard light

-reality bender state: this state renders rohan yellow and the surroundings in an area of 10 meters constantly shape. All the afromentioned powers are strengthened at the point rohan can create multiple universes at once. This state doesn’t consume much energy and it’s currnetly rohan’s most used super form

Soul (green):

-soul dislocation: with the power of the soul gem Rohan can either exit her body becoming a green ghost or force the enemy’s soul to exit the body, leaving both, rohan or the foe, numb and defenseless

-control and power over life: the soul power can also heal wounds, physical and broken morales, temporarely take back the dead as zombies or trap other souls into the fragment

-soul detector: Rohan can discover and make visible all ghosts (souls of dead beings), talk to the and even command them if necessary

-ability to travel to the soul realm: the soul gem hosts a pocket dimension called soul world; here all the souls of the dead live a neverending life of joy. Rohan can enter this world and take whoever she wants without turning them into ghosts and her soul powers within the world increase even more

-soul guardian state: in this state Rohan gets engulfed by green light and has total control over the spirits: she can evoke hordes of ghosts againts her foes, catch easily all souls within a certain range and gradually weaken everbody. The aftermath leaves Rohan internally weakened and unable to move, though she still can see everything happening around her with the same perception as someone in a dream

Mind (blue):

-mind control and other abilities: Rohan’s most basic abilities with the mind gem include: controlling the mind of the weak, shutting their mind down leaving them open for attacks, creating false memories, breaking brainwash and telepathic control on others and reading memories. Rohan is also immune to all mind-based powers; for example, she can’t be brainwashed

-mind link: Rohan can connect minds withan ally and see through its eyes. She can also talk to them in their mind by giving them advices and makes them immune to mind control. Usually though, Rohan uses this tecnique to calm down scared mammals since she can also alter emotions

-memory share: just by touching on the head somebody, Rohan can share her memories to other mammals

-brainstormer state: Rohan becomes all blue by entering this form and becomes able to access all the minds of a single planet she can go into. The aftermath isn’t as bad as the other, but it does leave her with a huge headache that lasts for five minutes after she exits this form

Space (purple):

-teleportation: Rohan can teleport herself in any place she wants. Where she goes depends on her memories of the place, or where she looks at. She can also teleport enemies or teammates away or where she wants too

-ability to control space and movements around: the space gem also allows Rohan to speed up, slow down or stop movements in a maximum area of three miles, usually by bloking foes in mid air or speeding her time up becoming faster from the eyes of the spectators. Rohan has also total control over gravity: she can increase it or decrease it to the point of nullification in a certain spot

-molecular dislocation: Rohan can phase out her molecules becoming intangible; while dislocated phisically, she can’t be hit or touched and can pass through any solid object. She can also phase out her opponents and stick them into solid objects, but she doesn’t use that power very often on normal, powerless criminals since she finds it brutal

-traveller state: Rohan’s last normal final state covers her body in purple light and nullifies gravity in an area of 50 miles. Rohan’s space powers heighten up exponetially at the point of teleporting an entire population on another planet or move planets herself. Rohan can also create gravity wells or black holes and dislocate entire armies. The aftermath leaves rohan intangible for one hour

common:

-immortality: since the infinity gems are part of the universe itself, Rohan and by proxy Robyn and Hannah can’t die in any way. If they should be disintegrated, their bodies would simply regenerate and their aging becomes stuck at the age of 25

-self awareness: this doesn’t mean rohan has total control over her senses, instead, rohan is fully aware she is an original invented fusion character by me, that their components were born from the mind of an irish, bisexual assistant surgeon and that their parents come from a very beloved disney classic movie. In few words, she can break the fourth wall

-SECR (acronysm for supreme energy coalescence ray): rohan can channel the power of the six fragments into a powerful, multi colored beam which can totally erase existance where it hits; she swore to use this power only if the enemy outranks her or in apocalyptic, near failure scenarios as her goal isn’t to cancel life. Rohan doesn’t need to enter the infinity state to use the SECR

-the snap: Rohan’s most powerful move definitively constist into the snap, where rohan uses all six gems and snaps her fingers to make every wish of hers come true. This time the aftermath is a mix of all the other aftermaths of the singular powered state of the fragments: namely, rohan becomes intangible, dislocated in time and soul, physicaly and mentally weakened for eight hours. The only way to carry her to safety is trapping her into an electrostatic box. When the “hangover” effects vanish, rohan wakes up with a giant headache. The snap has a cooldown of a year

-infinity state: even if the snap is indeed powerful, Rohan can enter the ultimate state by unlocking all the ultimate power states of the fragments and combing them. In this form, Rohan becomes totally white in color with gold shades. her powers heighten up to god-like levels and she’s able to use any power, steel blood or infinity based, heightened up, while accessing to every mind in the universe, bending all matter and reality at her own will, moving entire galaxies, controlling time while also having vision of future and past events and powering up every ally, no matter where they are or which species they are, temporarely gifting her powers to them. The aftermath effects are the same of the snap, but the time for the relocation lowers to two hours, and there’s no headache

weaponry, gadgets and arsenal:

-mega nightstick: Robyn uses a titanuim telescopic baton 1 meter long in combat, formed by two nightsticks and two handles which can simply split in two or also form two tonfas with the two handles. When Rohan plays the baton (which becomes 2 meters long with her) and it’s subweapons become harder than diamond. Each stick also has a hidden blade made out damascus steel with a diamond tip in case of tougher opponents

-constructo guns: Hannah’s primary weapons are two guns which can combine into other weapons after their upgrade: for example, a simple machine gun, a shotgun, a grenade launcher, a minigun and a small crossbow. They can also fire traquilizing pellets, laser shots or normal bullets

thanks to the realty fragment both weapons can combine into five other weapons, which also have powered up forms

- a baton with guns on each end; this doesn’t have a powered form, but it can still split and form two tonfa guns

- a javelin with a ninjato-like blade and a double barrel gun where the blade is placed. When powered, the guns spin in a circle and fire faster than a minigun while the blade knocks back enemies up to three miles

-a double sword with the central handle curved, a blade with an axe tip (like megatron’s sword on TF5) and a long barrel for sniping as long as the blade on each sword; normally it can also split up into two blades with curved handles, turn into a hi-tech bow or a giant boomerang. Powered up the guns shoot bullets and laser that pierce through everything, the blades cut even more (but not everything), the bow shoots further, its arrows strike harder and the boomerang locks onto the enemies until it gets them

-a halberd with a giant blade and a grenade barrel on top; this could be considered as a more brute version of the javelin since Rohan uses it for larger opponents. The powered form grants two additionals grenade launcher barrels and allows every strike to cut enemies or generate slices of pure red energy

-a baton that turns into a whip with a flick of the wrist and a double gun separated from the melee weapon unlike the previous four; the baton can let the tip and the rings of it’s whip form exit and let a yellow energy blade come out of the handle while the rings and the tip form a small shield. Powered up, the whip can generate small quakes where it lands, the shield assumes the aspect of a circual saw and the energy blade becomes able to slice through everything

(if you are confused and don’t know what the weapons look like, i can say that for some i got inspired from the weapons the praetorian guard from The Last Jedi wields)

volcano comet: while the nightstick, the guns and their combo forms are more than a match for any enemy, rohan wields a red, double bowed crossbow which can shoot tranq darts, arrows and laser beams at ligthspeed, for sniping attacks

concussion grenades: these grenades developed by Robyn and Hannah’s friend Olivia Dawson, create a shockwave that pushes everyone meters away from the explosion point

hacker spine: in honour of Marian Wilde “the Maid”, Robyn asked to graft into her suit a short-range hacking device which activates only whey she and hannah fuse and allows her to enter the enemies’ computers and devices, thus controlling them or shutting everything down

hyper goggles: Rohan’s domino mask contains many options into her lenses: x-rays, heat vision and ray beams

-fighting styles: boxing, MMA (mixed martial arts), blood ballet (a style invented by hannah which mixes dance styles and MMA), cloak and dagger strikes, teräs-kasi, shien, djem so and yuvo

small side notes:

-when dressed in civilian clothes, rohan sports her gems combined into a single rainbow gem embedded into a jade bracelet

 As for her backstory, the link is here

And there she is; after months of working on her bio i’m finally proud to welcome the first zootopian fusion to the fandom. I hope you like her and if you wish to use her for a story or a fanart, message me first. I may add extra info later.

And to finish, here are the credits:

thanks to @crewefox for allowing me to use robyn, hannah, scarlet, bullet, aaron and other characters (too many to name) and helping me with the correction of the post

thanks to @jafethortiz who made the arts and the coloring

special thanks to  @chickwithdreads and this post for giving me inspiration about the charater sheet

And last but not least, thanks to the whole zootopia fandom, who dedicate a bit of their time to admire the first zootopian fusion character

thank you and see you soon 

the infinity gems, iron man, namor, mister fantastic, black bolt, doctor strange, professor x, the skrulls, the super skrull, the kree and ronan belong to Marvel®

[fk12b]

First love

Balthazar x Reader

Plot: Just having a girl’s talk with Charlie, just gossiping

Main Characters: Team Free Will, Gabriel, Balthazar, Charlie, Special guest star

Prompts: 3 - “Hm… fascinating” & 310 - “We can leave, you know?”

Warnings: A bit of Harry Potter, A bit of fluff, a bit of gossip, annoying Balthazar, the usual.

Word Count: 2418 Words

A/N: Based on this song -> Outlaws - Green Day

You were having a lazy afternoon with your friend Charlie at the Bunker’s living room, watching a full marathon of Harry Potter movies alternating them with the books. You just finished watching The Prisoner of Azkaban and were halfway throw the third book as well.

“Y’know” You suddenly said glancing up from your book “The Prisoner of Azkaban, is one of the bests, it has always been one of my favorites. The movie’s quite accurate too” You simply said.

“What do you mean one of the bests? You meant the best, right?” Charlie looked up from his book and turned in her spot on the couch to face you.

“Oi, come on! Not again!” You rolled your eyes “You know I always have a hard time choosing my favorite because I like the fourth book too” You turned to face her.

“Who’s your favorite character?” She asked you expectantly placing her book on the couch.

“Hum, that’s an easy one,” You said smiling “The Weasley twins” you stated proudly.

“They are two. I said favorite, no favorites” Charlie spoke after clicking his her tongue twice.

“I beg to differ, but,” you said raising your index finger “The twins go together as a pack, There’s no Fred without George as there is no George without Fred” You looked at your friend knowingly.

“Yeah okay, you got a point there. The only times they separated, George was left without his left ear and Fred died” Charlie agreed.

“You had to say it, didn’t you?” You warned at the mention of Fred’s death “We still are in the third book and you had to say that Fred died.” You angrily said tears welling up in your eyes.

“Come on, I’m sorry, His dead broke my heart too” Charlie softened his tone as she felt tears welling up in her eyes too.

“He deserved better” you whispered, “It broke a perfect family” you softly said “I don’t care how many times Rowling apologizes, but I hate that woman so much for killing Fred, and torturing the poor Neville like she did” You continued heartbrokenly.

“Stop you’re gonna make me cry” You friend agreed. And suddenly you both were crying and hugging tightly.

Dean entered the living room to see what you two were up too, and he stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the two of you hugging and crying inconsolably.

“What happened?” Dean said worry evident in his tone, but instantly relaxed when he saw the credits of Harry Potter and the pile of books stacked on the coffee table.

“Come on!” He said rolling his eyes “It’s just a character!” Dean spoke annoyed.

“Shut up!” Charlie and you said in one as you threw at him your books, hitting him in the chest making him leave you alone. You instantly regretted it.

You stood up to pick up the books and returned to your spot on the couch. You dusted your book off and kissed it apologizing for doing such a thing. You loved books and you really treat them with so much deserved care.

You were finishing the fifth book, which you’ve watched all the previous movies and read the books when the boys decided it was time to play some poker. They settled everything on the table behind the couch. Neither Charlie nor you seemed to notice them.

“You don’t know how much I hate that awful Dolores Umbridge” Charlie spoke closing the book and placing it on the coffee table.

“It’s like I can hear McGonagall say ‘Were you ever nice?’” You playfully said “And Dolores answering ‘1985 worst year of my life’” Charlie and you laughed.

“Not all villains wear black and own hellhounds” Your friend joked and you laughed hard at his implication.

“Yeah, they are covered in pink and have a fetish with fluffy kittens” Charlie joined your laugh, making the boys look at each other not knowing what was happening and was so funny.

“You know, Y/N, you never told me who your first crush was” Charlie smirked.

“That’s an easy one” you chuckled “Sean Biggerstaff” you grinned proudly, earning an eye roll from Dean.

“Oh, really?” Charlie chuckled glaring at you.

“I mean he’s cute” you shrugged “And of course, he’s the cute captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team” Charlie laughed.

“Yeah, cute captain, huh?” Charlie raised an eyebrow.

“Oh come on, I was only nine years old when I first watched Harry Potter, and the only thing I can remember from that time was that I had a massive crush on Oliver Wood, like most of the girls in this world,” You said matter of factly.

“I have to admit he’s attractive, though” Charlie nodded in agreement.

“Come on who was your first crush? Hermione? I mean it’s your favorite character. She hooked up with the wrong guy though”

“Ten points for Gryffindor!” She cheered agreeing with the fact of Hermione “And answering your question, no it wasn’t Hermione. Her name was Genna Broderick, sixth grade.” She answered.

“Oh, come on!” you threw your arms in the air “Now, I’m the weirdo! You were supposed to have a crush on another fictional character! Maybe from Hogwarts too.” You said crossing your arms over your chest.

“Okay, I had a crush on Hermione. You happy now?” She said in mock surrender.

“I thought you were gonna say, Ginevra Weasley” You frowned fighting to giggle “You know, she’s a redhead, too” you teased her earning a punch on your shoulder, using the impulse, you moved to pick the water bottle settled on the floor next to you.

The guys by now were flipping out. You’ve almost spent the whole afternoon watching and talking about Harry Potter, boys, and other girls stuff. Dean to say the least was clearly annoyed.

“Hm… fascinating” Balthazar said mixing the cards and dealing some cards.

“We can leave, you know?” Dean said more than annoyed.

“Okay, Slytherin crush?” Charlie asked oblivious to the fact that the boys joined you in the living room.

“Hm... you mean being Gryffindor and having a Slytherin crush or the forbidden love?” You wondered not knowing that you picked certain angel’s interest.

“I meant Gryffindor-Slytherin crush, but I’m all ears to what you have to say about the forbidden love” Charlie sat cross-legged facing you and placing her elbows on her knees giving you all her attention.

“The typical. You fall for the stupid annoying sarcastic sassy angel that clearly makes your life a living hell because you are a human and he’s a powerful angel” you said chugging at your water. Suddenly the boys were finding your conversation interesting, especially Balthazar.

“Wait a minute,” Charlie said frowning in confusion “You love him or you hate him?” She wondered

“Both” you sighed “I mean, I’ve admitted the fact he doesn't want to know nothing about me, because human here, and clearly he hates me, why annoy the hell out of me then? So, I have no other option than to hate him if I want to forget him. Well, in the end, he’s eternal, he would forget me anyways” You explained laying on the couch.

“And I thought Dramione was a love story” Charlie added “Y/N and the angel of the lord” She nodded.

“Soon in your nearest bookstore with 50% more angst” You added chuckling

“Who’s the lucky angel?” Charlie wondered.

“Come on! I thought you knew by now” You simply answered.

“Castiel?”

“No”

“Gabriel”

“No”

“Lucifer”

“No”

“Michael”

“No”

“Raphael”

“I said angel, no archangel”

“Samandriel?”

“No”

“Gadreel”

“Are you fucking serious that you’re gonna name all the angels in the garrison?”

“No way!” She gasped realizing who it was.

“What?!” You frowned sitting up suddenly scared that he might be behind you and have heard everything.

“It’s Balthazar!” She cheered with a smirk on her face.

“No,” you said after a second earning a glare from her “Yeah okay it’s him. Don’t say a word for your sake or else I’ll smite you. I don’t want anyone to make fun of me. I have enough with having to deal with Balthazar”

“So, you love Balthazar then?” Charlie asked you again.

“Of course not!” You lied “He loves no other than his ego” you rolled your eyes at her. Well, now everybody in the room was confused. Except the aforenamed who was more than pissed off.

“Now, I’m confused” Charlie frowned.

“Yeah, I have that effect sometimes” you sassed “People find me weird and confusing. I’ve run out of popcorn, want some more?” You asked standing from your spot and stretching your limbs, in way of changing the subject.

Glancing sideways you caught sight of the boys playing poker and caught certain angel looking intently at you. You froze for a second your heart skyping a beat and forgetting about anything else. There’s no escape from his tease now.

“And bring a coke too” Charlie’s voice snapped you back from your train of thoughts.

“Anything else, her majesty?” You joked, trying to make her repeat what you’ve missed if odds were in your favor.

“That’s it for now. Popcorn and coke, you can leave now” Chalie joked back. You bowed at her lifting an imaginary long dress and left the living room chuckling pretending you saw nobody sitting on the table playing poker and the blonde angel following your moves with a glare you couldn’t decipher.

You placed the bag of popcorn in the microwave and set the timer up to 3:00 minutes and served yourself a glass of Balthazar’s whiskey before leaning on the kitchen’s cold metal counter. Thank your ability to say things you should keep to yourself, but Charlie was your best friend, she should know what’s going on inside your heart. You were that focused on your thoughts that you didn’t notice the blonde angel joining you there. You were raising the untouched glass of whiskey to your lips when you heard him clear his throat.

“You’re blocking my way to the whiskey,” he said annoyance evident in his tone when he was millimeters away from your body.

Scoffing and ignoring him you placed your glass in his hand and moved to the microwave which was ringing loudly. You retrieved the bag of popcorn enjoying the smell of them and took a bowl from the counter and emptied the bag on it. Discarding the pack you placed another one in the microwave before returning to your spot on the counter and taking the glass from Balthazar’s hands.

“That’s my whiskey,” He said in mock annoyance

“I’m sorry haven’t seen a label with your name on it” You sassed taking a sip from the whiskey.

“And?” He said you shrugged in response without looking at him

“Did you mean those words?” He suddenly asked

“Will it change something if I say something?” You said looking up at those blue eyes.

“Will it change something if I say you are my soulmate and I love you too?” He said simply

“Is this another joke?” You frowned at him but he kissed you this time.

“I don’t love you” You answered when you pulled apart.

“You always were such a terrible liar,” He said cradling your face in both of his hands. This time he kissed you more passionately only to be interrupted by the microwaves ringing.

“Shit,” You said softly while moving to retrieve the popcorn and place them in another bowl.

“Well resume this later” He winked at you and with a smile you took from the fridge a can of soda and another of Ice tea.

“You’d better” picking up the bowls and the cans you joined Charlie on the couch again.

“Took you long enough” Charlie greeted you “What were you doing?”

“Waiting six minutes for the popcorn to be cooked” You answered while you place in her hand the soda can

“Twenty bucks he forgets the whiskey” Dean bet

“Twenty-five” Gabriel raised

“Fifty” Samm joined

“Fifty he brings only two glasses” Castiel added

At that moment you heard footsteps approaching and Balthazar’s humming.

“Shit! The whiskey” Balthazar swore followed by two glass clinking making you and Charlie burst into laughs.

Some years later...

“Daddy! Daddy!” Your four years old son yelled, “How you fell in love with mommy?”

“Well, that’s a good story,” Balthazar said to his son while smirking.

“Don’t listen to him. He made fun of me as much as he could and more” you said to your son while you joined them on the library.

“She’s fun to tease” Balthazar whispered to him making him giggle.

“Andy, they’re a couple of liars” Sam started

“We had to put up with your father’s girl talk for so long” Dean continued making the angel roll his eyes.

“And with your mothers complaining too,” Charlie added. Now it was your turn to roll your eyes.

“She made us watch Titanic just to annoy your father” Gabriel added “Your mother doesn’t even like that movie”

“I hate it, to be honest” You chuckled at the memory.

“She’s evil” Your mate explained to his son earning a ‘No, she’s lovely’ from him “Yeah, but she drank my whiskey. One which was rare and expensive” Balthazar glared at you.

“He drank it himself but doesn’t remember because he has memory problems because he’s such a greybeard” Your son laughed at your comment and you stuck out your tongue at your soulmate.

“Besides all the teasing” Castiel continued gaining Andy’s attention “They were made for each other”

“And your father won't admit it,” Chuck said from behind Balthazar making all of you turn to him, except your mate who was looking at you intently with so much adoration and love “but he fell in love with your mother since the very first moment he heard her name” He explained with a smile.

Hope you liked this send me an ask if you want to be tagged. Love Y'all.

[fluasch]

#Queen700followerchallenge

Prompt: „Did you really have to beat him half to death? I mean he was going to give you some answers.“

Warnings: ANGST, attempt of murder, hate result out of a relationship, mentions of break up.

Word Count: 2k

Characters: OC (Blue), Loki, Tony, mentions of the Avengers as Team

Summary: Loki found a way back in Blues life and she’s not amused at all about that.

A/N: This is for @your-highnessmarvel for her #Queen700followerchallenge. I actually plan a whole series around this but writing is hard and I have not enough time. Please enjoy!

It was a cold morning, the fog was thick between the streets of New York. Never the less Blue was wide awake. She ran from room to room; organizing, planning, shouting. Whenever Tony and Steve were on a mission – which was quite often these days – the woman was in charge of everything. Even when they were in the Star Tower Blue still cleaned up behind them. She wasn’t even one who liked to plan everything and manage everyone, no. She lived each and every day after the other. Organizing wasn’t one of her strenghts. It would never be. Still, someone needed to run this place and Blue found herself in this position.

So she rushed from place to place, barely rested. At midday she was completly ruined for the day.

She sat down in her room, strong breathing and feet hurting. Why was she in charge? Most of the team hardly knew something about Blue, let alone her powers. Neither has she been there for long, not even half a year since she walked in this ridiculously big tower right after Coulson. She was a secretary and she is still. She wasn’t in need to presence her powers to the world as for example Tony did.

„I am Iron Man.“ What a silly man to reveal his possibilitys. The world already started to hunt him down. „No thanks.“ Blue murmured as she stood up again to change her shoes into something more comfy. Sneakers were a much better option then heels. She didn’t care that she looked quite… interesting with her outworn sneakers and a skirt and blazer.

Blue tried to sleep a bit before the avengers came back, which would be in two hours, when her phone caught her attention. It shortly lighed up, left a message on the screen. Just a single, little picture left her breathless. Fury rised from her stomach to her head.

It was him, sitting on his couch in her apartement. Ravenblack hair blocked the view to her everlasting PC and there was only a little corner full of the emerald green couch but there was this bright cocky smile of his which showed perfect white teeth. It drove her crazy.

Blue changed into trousers but surely left the blazer on. She knew there would be some asskicking involved, and asskicking in skirts is difficult. But she didn’t care if she would hurt him in blazers or an hoodie.

She left the tower as fast as possibile and took the next train to the Bronx.

At this point, Blue wasn’t only angry. She was in complete and utteral rage. Who did he think he was? Well, yes, he was a god. But being a god didn’t give him the rights to be a dick. He had no right to break into her apartement. He had no right to play with her feelings, rip her apart and say „Uh it wasn’t the plan. I swear I tried to protect you.“ How could he lie to her? With eyes as cold as snow? How could he ever betray her like this.

Her phone rang. Blue wasn’t in the mood for talking. But it kept ringing. „Who the hell-“ She took her phone out of her jacket just to see Tonys name on the screen. For a brief infinty her body stopped working. Her heart ached, her hands clenched and her eyes didn’t saw the phone anymore, just bare black. Then she came back from hell into the train and found herself silently crying.

One single man had the possibility to built her world up only to tear it down again and Blue was left wounded, bleeding and in utter pain. This man, this monster now, was back, waited for her in her so called home and enjoyed himself. She would kill him if she got the chance to do it. If she wanted or not, she would do it regardless of the consequences for her and others. So she wrote to Tony who still tried to reach her.

On the way to my apartment. Try to stop me.

Send. It stopped ringing for a while. Then this annoying sound came back. Blue ignored it.

The train station was not far away from the house she used to live in. She walked. Pretty fast and ignored everyone who was in front of her. She was blind with anger.

The entrance was now in her sight and she started running. The only thing that kept her apart from bursting into thousand pieces was the little chance of satisfaction when her fist would hit his wonderful face. The chance of breaking every single bone in his perfect sculptured body. The chance of hearing him scream with his perfect pitched voice.

She entered the building with racing heart and shaking knees. Her legs worked their way up to the fourth floor where Blue found an open door. The door to her apartement. She slowed  down, silently opened the door enough to enter her flat. Yet he heard her.

„Ah! I didn’t thought you would be here so fast. I have whine for you.“ He called from the living room, which was also the bed- and diningroom. Only kitchen and bath were seperated.

With every word he spat out like gum her anger grew.

And he knew. He knew that she was dangerous and that he maybe would die trough her hands. He didn’t care though. He just wanted to speak and he was so naive that he thought she would join him. That she would just lay down her weapons and listen to him.

„What the fuck Loki.“ With those words she tossed him out two years ago. And with those words she met him again. He didn’t saw her coming, he sat with the back to the door. He was sure he would be superior to her altrough he knew her powers.

A bright smile was on his lips before her hands found the collar of his shirt. She tore him backwards. Whine splattered over the couch and on the walls and Loki found his self on the other side of the small room. His head hurt and his vision was blurry. He now reconized his mistake. Blue didn’t hesitate to beat the darkness out of him. And without darkness, he was nothing. He would simply vanish. That’s when his eyes caught hers. They burned with an hating passion to end him. How where they once lovers?

Loki feared for his life. He tried to stand up, to escape but Blues right fist hit his temples hard. His vision blurred more. She picked him up by his collar once more, held him up on eye level. „How dare you to step into my life once more?“ He didn’t reconized it but she cried. She cried without noticing. Tears rolled down her face. Eyes wide open and swollen. Mouth disorted. Face red. „I thought you’re gone forever. I thought I can be free from this pain. I thought I can forget. The thought of you kept me up every night. The eyes of yours left my stomach burning. The mouth of yours left my brain spinning. The touch of yours left me screaming in fear, anger and loss. And here you are again, exact there where I saw your real self for the first time. Did you thought I can forget that you betrayed me and my whole kind? I will never forget Loki. Never.“ With this words Blue dropped him once again. He fell hard on the floor, legs too weak to bear him.

Blue started to hit him again. Once. Twice. Before the third fist could hit his Body a voice appeared in front of him. A manly voice, full of stress and terror. He didn’t understand what he said but he felt that Blues appearance vanished. And with her his consciousness.

„Did you lost your fucking mind?!“ Tony was furious about the scene he found. Blue beating the crap out of Loki. A mortal beating a god to death. Blue left without a word.

She was thankful that Tony found her fast. Still, the anger remained.

There were agents on the street, people watching. Some took pictures, others just stared and tried to figure out why there were so many men and women in suits. Blue could escape before anyone noticed that she came out of the building. She needed some time off.

Late at night Blue came back to the Stark Tower. She didn’t felt like sleeping so she just stood on the balcony where the Quin Jets started and landed. She was freezing cold and she was shaking but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything anymore. Loki was back and with him all the feelings Blue tried to bury.

„Are you alright?“ Tony leaned at the frame of the large glass door to the bacony. Blue didn’t say a word nor move. She didn’t even look at her friend.

Through the time Blue was with the avengers, worked for and with them, she and Tony grew together even thought the beginning was quite rough. Tony tried to hit on Blue. It was just a joke from him but the woman took it seriously and didn’t spoke to him a whole week. He apologized and they started talking. He was a player for sure but he was able to be serious. And thats what Blue liked about him. Always a bit to sappy but in the right moment he was there for her. Like now.

He started walking towards Blue but she stopped him early. „Don’t.“ It was not more then a whisper of her but it was enough to let Tony stop.

„I… I don’t know if you knew but… Did you really have to beat him half to death?! I mean, he was going to give you some answers. Was it really necessary?“ Tony spoke carefully, trying not to be hit by the left anger for Loki.

Slowly Blue turned around. Tony couldn’t see her face. It was windy and dark and her blue hair was like a wave around her slender face. He remembered that he wanted to ask her where she got her name from. Where her parents just funny or was it a nickname because of her hair? He didn’t knew and he wanted it to ask it right now. There was this opressive silence between them.

Before Tony had the chance to even part his lips Blue started to speak. Sofly, crushed vioce fell from her lips. „He wanted to speak? To explain himself? Did he say that?“

Tony stopped breathing. He heard pain but he also heard danger. „Yes. He wanted to explain why it happened between you two. He didn’t say what happened but I think you know.“ Blues body trembled. „Tell him-“ Her voice broke. Tony heard her breathing, trying to control her voice. He wanted to help her, to hug her and tell her everything would be okay. But he remained where he was. Blue said no and he respected her choice. Even if it plagued him to see her suffer like this. He knew a lot of her secrets, of her losses and her everlasting pain. He saw her cry, he saw her screem and hit the wall and herself. But he never saw Blue like this. Nothing was left from her, not a single spark of personality. Just a never ending storm, eating her alive like vultures eating a corpse.

„Tell him I don’t care.“ She turned her back to Tony, signaling him to go. She wanted to be alone.

So he left with her words echoing in his head. „Tell him I don’t care.“

Whatever Loki did to Blue, Tony would try everything possible that it wouldn’t happen again.

[jesusvasser]

The 2019 Honda Passport Is Logically Thrilling

In the same way I thrill over well-balanced drivers’ cars, I enjoy any vehicle that fulfills its mission and simply makes sense. If a car suits its role like a specialized tool, it can be just as gratifying as a pint-sized roadster or rapier-sharp supercar. Despite routine seat time in hot hatches, pony cars, and pricey transcontinental GTs, a prominent vehicular memory involves an pleasant weekend shuttling friends in a Black Forest Green Honda Pilot, one of the more appealing mainstream three-row SUVs.

So when the all-new 2019 Honda Passport debuted last November, it immediately hit the top of my “gotta drive it” list, despite its debut occurring at the same auto show as a new Porsche 911, a Jeep pickup, and a spectacular Audi concept. Yeah, I haven’t quite figured myself out either.

Essentially, Honda’s newest crossover SUV is a shortened two-row derivative of the three-row Pilot. Honda says the Passport was co-developed with the Pilot, but the company promises up and down the latter model is markedly different from the former; sharing Honda’s Global Light Truck Platform and an identical wheelbase doesn’t do that argument any favors, however. Nor does the Passport’s standard 3.5-liter V-6 engine producing the same 280 horsepower and 262 hp as in big brother.

There are some notable differences between the resurrected Passport and Pilot, though. For one, the ZF-sourced 9HP48 nine-speed transmission is standard across the Passport family, remaining optional on the Pilot. And without the need to accommodate a third row of people, the Passport’s rear overhang is reduced by 6.2 inches and it gets steeper rear glass.

Honda bills the Passport as the most rugged and sporty crossover in its lineup, aimed at the classic “weekday professional/weekend warrior” consumer trope. As such, it is meant to split the difference between soft-roaders like Ford Edge and Hyundai Santa Fe and rock-crawlers like the Toyota 4Runner and Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s even more capable than the Pilot, with 0.8 inch of additional ride height on the all-wheel-drive model, along with a quicker steering ratio, a more responsive brake pedal, and bespoke suspension and anti-roll geometry. These improvements combine with a roughly 100-pound weight reduction to make the Passport noticeably better to drive both on and off the beaten path that the occasionally bobbly Pilot.

Honda’s excellent i-VTM4 torque-vectoring all-wheel drive can send as much as 70 percent of torque to the rear when conditions call for it. i-VTM4 also works with Intelligent Traction Management, which offers four different driving modes to suit the terrain: Normal, Snow, Mud, and Sand. It’s little wonder then that Honda chose the craggy, mud-covered trails of Moab, Utah to launch its most “active lifestyle” vehicle yet. The Passport team has full confidence in the capabilities of its newest midsizer, allowing us free rein on the slick, canyon-riding backroads that were largely sans spotters or speed limits. Each Passport was shod only with the stock factory rubber.

Before I mussed up my test vehicle’s shiny finish with Moab’s Mars-like red dirt, I had a stint on Utah’s absurdly smooth highway tarmac where the Passport proved to offer both pleasantly composed dynamics and a refined ride. Chalk it up to subliminal thoughts from the big “H” grille badge perhaps, but the Passport seems as rock solid as the looming buttes that flank Utah’s Highway 198. The steering electrically boosted and doesn’t offer much feedback, but it is at least nicely weighted, and the brake pedal does indeed feel improved.

The J35Y6 3.5-liter V-6 offers more than enough muscle to scuttle the Passport to highway speeds, but the nine-speed auto still isn’t the sharpest ’box in terms of swapping gears smoothly, although Honda’s refinements have made it passable in this regard. (And frankly, only those who have driven both versions and whose job it is to tell the difference probably will be able to do so.) Honda has a 10-speed automatic in its repertoire that already mates to this engine in the Odyssey, although that gearbox has its own issues in terms of finding the right gear quickly and isn’t offered here. In an effort to shake some of the nine-speed’s reliability problems in early Pilots, Honda reworked it to sometimes start in second gear under light load.

I eventually turned off the glassy pavement and onto a winding 4×4 path that continuously transitioned between slick mud channels and dusty gravel. Toggling between Normal, Mud, and Snow modes with the dedicated console controls is a breeze, but I only deviated from Normal mode when the going got particularly rough.

During a few patches, it did indeed do so. We understandably avoided any trail sections that would challenge a lifted CJ, but still hopped through slow rocky clusters without any problem whatsoever, even when the Passport briefly became a tripod. Though there is no dedicated setting for rock crawling, I was told Mud mode was ideal for these types of scenarios. While active, Honda says response is less aggressive during low-throttle situations but increased during high-throttle ones. Torque is split 50/50, while traction control is reduced to allow for more wheel slip to maintain momentum.

While we crashed through standing mud puddles and fish-tailed through slurries of snow and slime, my drive partner and I casually chatted about, well, whatever. It wasn’t until we arrived at the crest of the spectacular Little Spring Canyon gorge that we realized how composed and uneventful our trip was. Forty-mph sprints down rutted snow-covered paths was no big deal; neither was bouncing over basketball-sized boulders on our way to an outcrop to watch the sunset dip beneath Moab’s rocky horizon. That’s not to say Passport owners should attempt Moab’s Metal Masher or secure a spot in next year’s Baja 1000, but the Honda’s performance is impressive for a regular day-to-day crossover. If I hadn’t traversed them myself in the Passport, there were some sections I wouldn’t have believed such a crossover could have tackled. Perhaps more impressive is how willingly it scrambled over rocky passes with the standard all-season tires; with some proper all-terrains, there are likely few regularly accessible off-road areas you couldn’t conquer.

The cabin is a copy-paste of the Pilot’s, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. The only trim made available during the drive was the cushy range-topping Elite, but regardless of equipment, the Passport is a versatile and incredibly usable daily runabout. It’s down 6.5 inches of overall length on the Pilot, but that doesn’t mean cargo capacity suffers. Without the rear seats raised, the Passport offers 41.2 cubic feet; the number jumps to 77.9 cubes with them folded. Lift up the rear cargo floor, and you’ll find a removable, washable cubby with 2.5 cubic feet of additional storage.

For those to whom crashing around the Utah wilderness is perhaps a bit too rough and tumble, they’ll be pleased to hear the Passport comes with Honda Sensing as standard. This is the automaker’s suite of safety and driver-assistance systems, and includes collision mitigation braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, road-departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control.

In terms of cost, the Passport’s pricing is right on track with its place in the Honda lineup. Expect to pay $33,035 for the entry-level, front-wheel-drive Passport Sport, with $1,900 required to add all-wheel drive to it and the $37,455 EX-L and $40,325 Touring trims. AWD is standard on the range-topping $44,725 Elite. While this might be a smidge more expensive than the Nissan Murano or Ford Edge, Honda is admittedly correct when it points to the Passport’s high level of standard equipment for the segment as justification.

If you like the Pilot but don’t need something quite so big, or if you need a daily livable SUV-type thing that can handle a climb to your Colorado cabin, the 2019 Passport is certainly worth a look. While it may not thrill in the conventional sense, this new Honda delivers the goods by doing its job almost perfectly.

2019 Honda Passport Specifications

ON SALE February 2019 BASE PRICE $33,035 ENGINE 3.5L SOHC 24-valve V-6; 280 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 262 lb-ft @ 4,700 rpm TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic LAYOUT 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, FWD or AWD hatchback EPA MILEAGE 19–20/24–25 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 190.5 x 78.6 x 72.2 in (AWD) WHEELBASE 110.9 in WEIGHT 4,150 lb (est) 0-60 MPH N/A TOP SPEED N/A

IFTTT

[americanprometheuss]

rhaenyra is so “king” by florence + the machine coded

like “i’m no mother, i’m no bride, i am king” and “i need my golden crown of sorrow/my bloody sword to swing/i need my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology”

i’ve been itching to write something about rhaenyra and alicent so badly….

[eddiejpoplar]

The 2019 Honda Passport Is Logically Thrilling

In the same way I thrill over well-balanced drivers’ cars, I enjoy any vehicle that fulfills its mission and simply makes sense. If a car suits its role like a specialized tool, it can be just as gratifying as a pint-sized roadster or rapier-sharp supercar. Despite routine seat time in hot hatches, pony cars, and pricey transcontinental GTs, a prominent vehicular memory involves an pleasant weekend shuttling friends in a Black Forest Green Honda Pilot, one of the more appealing mainstream three-row SUVs.

So when the all-new 2019 Honda Passport debuted last November, it immediately hit the top of my “gotta drive it” list, despite its debut occurring at the same auto show as a new Porsche 911, a Jeep pickup, and a spectacular Audi concept. Yeah, I haven’t quite figured myself out either.

Essentially, Honda’s newest crossover SUV is a shortened two-row derivative of the three-row Pilot. Honda says the Passport was co-developed with the Pilot, but the company promises up and down the latter model is markedly different from the former; sharing Honda’s Global Light Truck Platform and an identical wheelbase doesn’t do that argument any favors, however. Nor does the Passport’s standard 3.5-liter V-6 engine producing the same 280 horsepower and 262 hp as in big brother.

There are some notable differences between the resurrected Passport and Pilot, though. For one, the ZF-sourced 9HP48 nine-speed transmission is standard across the Passport family, remaining optional on the Pilot. And without the need to accommodate a third row of people, the Passport’s rear overhang is reduced by 6.2 inches and it gets steeper rear glass.

Honda bills the Passport as the most rugged and sporty crossover in its lineup, aimed at the classic “weekday professional/weekend warrior” consumer trope. As such, it is meant to split the difference between soft-roaders like Ford Edge and Hyundai Santa Fe and rock-crawlers like the Toyota 4Runner and Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s even more capable than the Pilot, with 0.8 inch of additional ride height on the all-wheel-drive model, along with a quicker steering ratio, a more responsive brake pedal, and bespoke suspension and anti-roll geometry. These improvements combine with a roughly 100-pound weight reduction to make the Passport noticeably better to drive both on and off the beaten path that the occasionally bobbly Pilot.

Honda’s excellent i-VTM4 torque-vectoring all-wheel drive can send as much as 70 percent of torque to the rear when conditions call for it. i-VTM4 also works with Intelligent Traction Management, which offers four different driving modes to suit the terrain: Normal, Snow, Mud, and Sand. It’s little wonder then that Honda chose the craggy, mud-covered trails of Moab, Utah to launch its most “active lifestyle” vehicle yet. The Passport team has full confidence in the capabilities of its newest midsizer, allowing us free rein on the slick, canyon-riding backroads that were largely sans spotters or speed limits. Each Passport was shod only with the stock factory rubber.

Before I mussed up my test vehicle’s shiny finish with Moab’s Mars-like red dirt, I had a stint on Utah’s absurdly smooth highway tarmac where the Passport proved to offer both pleasantly composed dynamics and a refined ride. Chalk it up to subliminal thoughts from the big “H” grille badge perhaps, but the Passport seems as rock solid as the looming buttes that flank Utah’s Highway 198. The steering electrically boosted and doesn’t offer much feedback, but it is at least nicely weighted, and the brake pedal does indeed feel improved.

The J35Y6 3.5-liter V-6 offers more than enough muscle to scuttle the Passport to highway speeds, but the nine-speed auto still isn’t the sharpest ’box in terms of swapping gears smoothly, although Honda’s refinements have made it passable in this regard. (And frankly, only those who have driven both versions and whose job it is to tell the difference probably will be able to do so.) Honda has a 10-speed automatic in its repertoire that already mates to this engine in the Odyssey, although that gearbox has its own issues in terms of finding the right gear quickly and isn’t offered here. In an effort to shake some of the nine-speed’s reliability problems in early Pilots, Honda reworked it to sometimes start in second gear under light load.

I eventually turned off the glassy pavement and onto a winding 4×4 path that continuously transitioned between slick mud channels and dusty gravel. Toggling between Normal, Mud, and Snow modes with the dedicated console controls is a breeze, but I only deviated from Normal mode when the going got particularly rough.

During a few patches, it did indeed do so. We understandably avoided any trail sections that would challenge a lifted CJ, but still hopped through slow rocky clusters without any problem whatsoever, even when the Passport briefly became a tripod. Though there is no dedicated setting for rock crawling, I was told Mud mode was ideal for these types of scenarios. While active, Honda says response is less aggressive during low-throttle situations but increased during high-throttle ones. Torque is split 50/50, while traction control is reduced to allow for more wheel slip to maintain momentum.

While we crashed through standing mud puddles and fish-tailed through slurries of snow and slime, my drive partner and I casually chatted about, well, whatever. It wasn’t until we arrived at the crest of the spectacular Little Spring Canyon gorge that we realized how composed and uneventful our trip was. Forty-mph sprints down rutted snow-covered paths was no big deal; neither was bouncing over basketball-sized boulders on our way to an outcrop to watch the sunset dip beneath Moab’s rocky horizon. That’s not to say Passport owners should attempt Moab’s Metal Masher or secure a spot in next year’s Baja 1000, but the Honda’s performance is impressive for a regular day-to-day crossover. If I hadn’t traversed them myself in the Passport, there were some sections I wouldn’t have believed such a crossover could have tackled. Perhaps more impressive is how willingly it scrambled over rocky passes with the standard all-season tires; with some proper all-terrains, there are likely few regularly accessible off-road areas you couldn’t conquer.

The cabin is a copy-paste of the Pilot’s, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. The only trim made available during the drive was the cushy range-topping Elite, but regardless of equipment, the Passport is a versatile and incredibly usable daily runabout. It’s down 6.5 inches of overall length on the Pilot, but that doesn’t mean cargo capacity suffers. Without the rear seats raised, the Passport offers 41.2 cubic feet; the number jumps to 77.9 cubes with them folded. Lift up the rear cargo floor, and you’ll find a removable, washable cubby with 2.5 cubic feet of additional storage.

For those to whom crashing around the Utah wilderness is perhaps a bit too rough and tumble, they’ll be pleased to hear the Passport comes with Honda Sensing as standard. This is the automaker’s suite of safety and driver-assistance systems, and includes collision mitigation braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, road-departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control.

In terms of cost, the Passport’s pricing is right on track with its place in the Honda lineup. Expect to pay $33,035 for the entry-level, front-wheel-drive Passport Sport, with $1,900 required to add all-wheel drive to it and the $37,455 EX-L and $40,325 Touring trims. AWD is standard on the range-topping $44,725 Elite. While this might be a smidge more expensive than the Nissan Murano or Ford Edge, Honda is admittedly correct when it points to the Passport’s high level of standard equipment for the segment as justification.

If you like the Pilot but don’t need something quite so big, or if you need a daily livable SUV-type thing that can handle a climb to your Colorado cabin, the 2019 Passport is certainly worth a look. While it may not thrill in the conventional sense, this new Honda delivers the goods by doing its job almost perfectly.

2019 Honda Passport Specifications

ON SALE February 2019 BASE PRICE $33,035 ENGINE 3.5L SOHC 24-valve V-6; 280 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 262 lb-ft @ 4,700 rpm TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic LAYOUT 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, FWD or AWD hatchback EPA MILEAGE 19–20/24–25 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 190.5 x 78.6 x 72.2 in (AWD) WHEELBASE 110.9 in WEIGHT 4,150 lb (est) 0-60 MPH N/A TOP SPEED N/A

IFTTT

[jonathanbelloblog]

The 2019 Honda Passport Is Logically Thrilling

In the same way I thrill over well-balanced drivers’ cars, I enjoy any vehicle that fulfills its mission and simply makes sense. If a car suits its role like a specialized tool, it can be just as gratifying as a pint-sized roadster or rapier-sharp supercar. Despite routine seat time in hot hatches, pony cars, and pricey transcontinental GTs, a prominent vehicular memory involves an pleasant weekend shuttling friends in a Black Forest Green Honda Pilot, one of the more appealing mainstream three-row SUVs.

So when the all-new 2019 Honda Passport debuted last November, it immediately hit the top of my “gotta drive it” list, despite its debut occurring at the same auto show as a new Porsche 911, a Jeep pickup, and a spectacular Audi concept. Yeah, I haven’t quite figured myself out either.

Essentially, Honda’s newest crossover SUV is a shortened two-row derivative of the three-row Pilot. Honda says the Passport was co-developed with the Pilot, but the company promises up and down the latter model is markedly different from the former; sharing Honda’s Global Light Truck Platform and an identical wheelbase doesn’t do that argument any favors, however. Nor does the Passport’s standard 3.5-liter V-6 engine producing the same 280 horsepower and 262 hp as in big brother.

There are some notable differences between the resurrected Passport and Pilot, though. For one, the ZF-sourced 9HP48 nine-speed transmission is standard across the Passport family, remaining optional on the Pilot. And without the need to accommodate a third row of people, the Passport’s rear overhang is reduced by 6.2 inches and it gets steeper rear glass.

Honda bills the Passport as the most rugged and sporty crossover in its lineup, aimed at the classic “weekday professional/weekend warrior” consumer trope. As such, it is meant to split the difference between soft-roaders like Ford Edge and Hyundai Santa Fe and rock-crawlers like the Toyota 4Runner and Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s even more capable than the Pilot, with 0.8 inch of additional ride height on the all-wheel-drive model, along with a quicker steering ratio, a more responsive brake pedal, and bespoke suspension and anti-roll geometry. These improvements combine with a roughly 100-pound weight reduction to make the Passport noticeably better to drive both on and off the beaten path that the occasionally bobbly Pilot.

Honda’s excellent i-VTM4 torque-vectoring all-wheel drive can send as much as 70 percent of torque to the rear when conditions call for it. i-VTM4 also works with Intelligent Traction Management, which offers four different driving modes to suit the terrain: Normal, Snow, Mud, and Sand. It’s little wonder then that Honda chose the craggy, mud-covered trails of Moab, Utah to launch its most “active lifestyle” vehicle yet. The Passport team has full confidence in the capabilities of its newest midsizer, allowing us free rein on the slick, canyon-riding backroads that were largely sans spotters or speed limits. Each Passport was shod only with the stock factory rubber.

Before I mussed up my test vehicle’s shiny finish with Moab’s Mars-like red dirt, I had a stint on Utah’s absurdly smooth highway tarmac where the Passport proved to offer both pleasantly composed dynamics and a refined ride. Chalk it up to subliminal thoughts from the big “H” grille badge perhaps, but the Passport seems as rock solid as the looming buttes that flank Utah’s Highway 198. The steering electrically boosted and doesn’t offer much feedback, but it is at least nicely weighted, and the brake pedal does indeed feel improved.

The J35Y6 3.5-liter V-6 offers more than enough muscle to scuttle the Passport to highway speeds, but the nine-speed auto still isn’t the sharpest ’box in terms of swapping gears smoothly, although Honda’s refinements have made it passable in this regard. (And frankly, only those who have driven both versions and whose job it is to tell the difference probably will be able to do so.) Honda has a 10-speed automatic in its repertoire that already mates to this engine in the Odyssey, although that gearbox has its own issues in terms of finding the right gear quickly and isn’t offered here. In an effort to shake some of the nine-speed’s reliability problems in early Pilots, Honda reworked it to sometimes start in second gear under light load.

I eventually turned off the glassy pavement and onto a winding 4×4 path that continuously transitioned between slick mud channels and dusty gravel. Toggling between Normal, Mud, and Snow modes with the dedicated console controls is a breeze, but I only deviated from Normal mode when the going got particularly rough.

During a few patches, it did indeed do so. We understandably avoided any trail sections that would challenge a lifted CJ, but still hopped through slow rocky clusters without any problem whatsoever, even when the Passport briefly became a tripod. Though there is no dedicated setting for rock crawling, I was told Mud mode was ideal for these types of scenarios. While active, Honda says response is less aggressive during low-throttle situations but increased during high-throttle ones. Torque is split 50/50, while traction control is reduced to allow for more wheel slip to maintain momentum.

While we crashed through standing mud puddles and fish-tailed through slurries of snow and slime, my drive partner and I casually chatted about, well, whatever. It wasn’t until we arrived at the crest of the spectacular Little Spring Canyon gorge that we realized how composed and uneventful our trip was. Forty-mph sprints down rutted snow-covered paths was no big deal; neither was bouncing over basketball-sized boulders on our way to an outcrop to watch the sunset dip beneath Moab’s rocky horizon. That’s not to say Passport owners should attempt Moab’s Metal Masher or secure a spot in next year’s Baja 1000, but the Honda’s performance is impressive for a regular day-to-day crossover. If I hadn’t traversed them myself in the Passport, there were some sections I wouldn’t have believed such a crossover could have tackled. Perhaps more impressive is how willingly it scrambled over rocky passes with the standard all-season tires; with some proper all-terrains, there are likely few regularly accessible off-road areas you couldn’t conquer.

The cabin is a copy-paste of the Pilot’s, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. The only trim made available during the drive was the cushy range-topping Elite, but regardless of equipment, the Passport is a versatile and incredibly usable daily runabout. It’s down 6.5 inches of overall length on the Pilot, but that doesn’t mean cargo capacity suffers. Without the rear seats raised, the Passport offers 41.2 cubic feet; the number jumps to 77.9 cubes with them folded. Lift up the rear cargo floor, and you’ll find a removable, washable cubby with 2.5 cubic feet of additional storage.

For those to whom crashing around the Utah wilderness is perhaps a bit too rough and tumble, they’ll be pleased to hear the Passport comes with Honda Sensing as standard. This is the automaker’s suite of safety and driver-assistance systems, and includes collision mitigation braking, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, road-departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control.

In terms of cost, the Passport’s pricing is right on track with its place in the Honda lineup. Expect to pay $33,035 for the entry-level, front-wheel-drive Passport Sport, with $1,900 required to add all-wheel drive to it and the $37,455 EX-L and $40,325 Touring trims. AWD is standard on the range-topping $44,725 Elite. While this might be a smidge more expensive than the Nissan Murano or Ford Edge, Honda is admittedly correct when it points to the Passport’s high level of standard equipment for the segment as justification.

If you like the Pilot but don’t need something quite so big, or if you need a daily livable SUV-type thing that can handle a climb to your Colorado cabin, the 2019 Passport is certainly worth a look. While it may not thrill in the conventional sense, this new Honda delivers the goods by doing its job almost perfectly.

2019 Honda Passport Specifications

ON SALE February 2019 BASE PRICE $33,035 ENGINE 3.5L SOHC 24-valve V-6; 280 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 262 lb-ft @ 4,700 rpm TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic LAYOUT 4-door, 5-passenger, front-engine, FWD or AWD hatchback EPA MILEAGE 19–20/24–25 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 190.5 x 78.6 x 72.2 in (AWD) WHEELBASE 110.9 in WEIGHT 4,150 lb (est) 0-60 MPH N/A TOP SPEED N/A

IFTTT

[s-ephiroth]

Silver Birdcage [Chapter 25]

Greetings. It’s 4 in the morning and I’m having ice cream. I’m also updating my fic because that’s something one should do when one wakes up with a huge craving for ice cream.

Anyway, before I stop making sense. Your casual reminder that we have a suicidal character in this. Also I didn’t edit this because it’s 4 in the morning and I just want to update before I feel tempted to rewrite this entire thing tomorrow or something.

Onto it.

[From The Beginning] || [Current Update] || [Ko-fi]

He listened intently to the sounds as they approached the room, while staring distractedly at the bags he and Cloud brought along with them after leaving Cosmo Canyon; not that much clothing, but enough to be comfortable. Those took a little space out of the third bed in the room, away from the door that would open at any moment then. His shawl was folded neatly near those, along with a certain, charging Cait Sith.

“Yeah, he’s really okay,” he caught Cloud saying outside, “I mean, not okay because he’s dealing with everything that happened, but you get what I mean.”

Safe to be interacted with.

Someone yelled about that not making much sense, in a rather crass way, to which Cloud just laughed and concluded it’d make more sense after they all talked. The sound of his voice like that had something inside Sephiroth fluttering gently.

Tifa chose that moment to reappear from the bathroom.

“Well, it’s time… I guess,” she just said and sat down on one of the beds, doing her best to avoid as much eye contact as possible. He couldn't really blame her when he couldn't bring himself to make much eye contact without feeling weird, either, focusing on anything else — Cloud's warm and familiar voice among the others’ outside, footsteps, shifting around — just so he could find some peace of mind to prepare himself.

Sephiroth felt even less ready for it when the door opened, when the very first person he saw was the heiress of Wutai herself.

She turned around to say something to Cloud but was simply told by someone else to “just get in already,” which she did, calling Tifa’s attention for a quick hello but staying as far from him as possible. For her, it was something to tease Cloud a little with a harmless, unconscious Sephiroth around, but it was something else entirely to interact directly.

With each one who followed and took their places in the room, clearly avoiding to sit in the same bed as him, the little reminders of everything Sephiroth took from them seemed to haunt him even more than they usually did.

The fact that two, different colored Cait Siths were having some sort of family reunion on the corner didn’t help much with setting his mind at ease.

A blanket of silence covered all of them completely for a long moment after Cloud sat down by his side, eerie enough that he preferred to stare at his lap than at any of them. He’d never liked big meetings back in Shinra, nor saw the need for his presence in them. He wasn’t a board member, didn’t have much to add that would please said board members and Hojo was present in most of such occasions. They only made him feel overwhelmed. So longer after, away from that company and in the presence of different people, he still felt as though he would rather drown than have to bear the weight.

Cloud put a hand in his shoulder, effectively keeping him from drifting away any further, and assumed the leading role that anyone else in that room refused to pick for their own reasons.

“So, we’re here because Teef found something in the Shinra manor and because I’m now in charge of an oversized, sad ball of feathers.” He gestured at Sephiroth. “Ask me anything.”

That seemed to lift the mood at least a little bit. Just enough for a few of them to try to disguise any sort of laughter, Sephiroth included.

Cid raised his hand to ask, “Does he still have that long ass sword of his?”

“I don’t know. Sephiroth?”

“I…” He hesitated for a few seconds. While he was associated with Jenova, he could summon it out of thin air if it was needed. But Jenova was long gone, so maybe… “I’m not sure. I haven't tried to call for it ever since I woke up.”

“Try,” Cloud suggested, “To clear out any doubts as soon as possible.”

“...Here?”

He got nothing but a nod and some urging for him to stand as a reply.

That made him even more nervous than he already was, even as he took his distance to avoid any possible accident. Enough people had been stabbed by that blade as it was. To increase that number would be to increase his already countless sins.

He caused Masamune to appear with the same ease he had in the past; the weight of it gradually becoming real in his hand. However, once it was there, something quite… peculiar happened to it. Green light washed all over the blade and changed its shape, darkened the metal while coloring the edges a gentle violet and spreading silver details all over. A wing-like shape formed near the hilt, reminding him of Genesis’ beloved weapon.

Something about it felt… Ancient, in the way the Black Materia had felt in his hand.

“What the fuck?” Asked both Cid and Barret at the same time.

“I didn't do anything.” Sephiroth felt like clarifying, somewhat shocked, himself. “I just… summoned it.”

Something in the air carried a slight fragrance of flowers.

If he didn't know better, he’d doubt what happened, even if it had taken place before his very eyes. He suspected it had something to do with a certain someone handing over a familiar blade to him. Maybe that much was enough to change its very essence, to transform it into something new and to free all of them from the memories associated with its original appearance.

To make it a Cetra Blade.

He didn’t dare mention that, of course, as he realized that particular flower girl was still a sensitive matter for everyone present.

Cloud stood to take a closer look at it with the expression of someone who’d recognized something about that, even though he wasn’t saying anything out loud other than a comment or another about how the new blade seemed to be stronger than Masamune’s or how it suited his style.

Once Cloud seemed to have enough of it, Sephiroth let the sword fade away from existence once more, leaving nothing but dissipating black feathers in its departure.

“Alright,” Cid said once the two of them were sitting again, “so he still has a long ass sword.”

Tifa chose to ask what everyone was wondering about that.

“I suppose that if we take it from you, you’d be able to summon another one, right?”

Sephiroth nodded, though he seemed a little uncertain about that. He grimaced when realization hit him of why exactly she was drawing that conclusion, of a certain Masamune left behind in the Shinra building. He closed his eyes a little pained by that thought. Granted, President Shinra had been someone vile in life, but many people who worked at that place did so out of other options or due to Shinra painting itself for the masses as a good company. Oh, the things he did while associated with Jenova…

“I don’t intend to repeat any of what you saw of me before,” he said a little quieter than usual, “When I came back to my senses and I could see all I did, before Cloud helped, I… All I wished for was my death. Even now part of me still wants it, as punishment for what I took away. Because I understand my existence after all that happened will be a problematic one for myself and for others. But...”

“You aren’t doing that,” Cloud interrupted, “And you aren’t gonna sleep your life away as some sort of ‘closest solution,’ either.”

Vincent, who initially planned to just listen to the entire thing before offering any thoughts, had something to say when it came to that.

“I tried that. I can’t recommend it.”

“We can’t fully trust you just yet,” said Reeve through Cait Sith, “But I don’t think any of us would sit back and watch if that’s how you feel. If Cloud accepts you and if he nursed you back to health willingly, you count as Avalanche. I guess. So we’ll help.”

The entire room fell quiet, processing that. Well, it wasn’t exactly wrong, that. It was just… very unusual. Not that the way the others joined the team was in any way usual to begin with.

“I… thank you. I was going to say that, even if I really wanted to do it, I… I can’t die. The Planet doesn’t accept me because of who I am. It’ll either tear me apart or trap me in my own mind, and I don’t want to go through neither of those things again. So I want to help instead, if I can.”

There was a certain reason why Sephiroth’s eyes ended up on Yuffie as he said that, but it was something he didn’t feel quite ready to talk about with so many eyes on him and so many ideas already popping up among the others about ways he could help without possibly being recognized by anyone who could cause mass panic.

It was a good thing that they were distracted enough not to notice or comment on Cloud gently squeezing his hand and offering him a little smile before calling the others’ attention to the other things they had to discuss.

[investmart007]

The Latest: Trevor Ariza leaving Houston for Phoenix

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/LwgiwH

The Latest: Trevor Ariza leaving Houston for Phoenix

The Latest on the start of NBA free agency (all times EDT):

1:50 a.m.

Trevor Ariza is moving to Arizona.

The Phoenix Suns have lured Ariza in with a $15 million, one-year contract offer, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot yet be signed.

Ariza averaged 11.7 points last season for Houston, and the 33-year-old will likely be looked upon as a veteran presence in a young Phoenix locker room.

Ariza was 0 for 12 from the field in Houston’s Game 7 loss to Golden State in the Western Conference finals, missing all nine of his 3-point tries.

— AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds

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1:10 a.m.

Gerald Green and his hometown Houston Rockets are staying together.

The Houston native has agreed to a one-year deal at the $2.4 million minimum, a person familiar with the terms tells The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be signed until the NBA’s moratorium ends on Friday.

Green averaged 12.1 points last season for the Rockets, who finished with the NBA’s best regular-season record. He had five games of 20-plus points off the bench last season.

— AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds

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1:20 a.m.

Derrick Rose and the Minnesota Timberwolves will be counting on one another next season.

The 2011 NBA MVP has agreed to a one-year deal worth nearly $2.4 million to stay with Minnesota, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said early Sunday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because nothing can be signed until Friday.

Rose appeared in 25 games last season — 16 with Cleveland, then nine off the bench with Minnesota. Rose averaged 5.8 points in those games with the Timberwolves, who went to the first round of the Western Conference playoffs and lost to Houston.

It was Minnesota’s first playoff berth since 2004.

— AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds

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1 a.m.

Thunder forward Jerami Grant has agreed to a three-year, $27 million deal with a player option the third year.

Grant’s agent, Happy Walters, confirmed Grant’s decision in a text message to The Associated Press.

Grant averaged 8.4 points per game last season and shot a career-high 53.5 percent from the field. He became more of a factor after the All-Star break playing behind Carmelo Anthony.

Grant again will join the Thunder’s Big Three of Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

Walters said Grant “is psyched to come back to play with Russ and PG.”

___

12:50 a.m.

Rudy Gay is returning to the San Antonio Spurs.

A person familiar with the terms says Gay has agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal to be back in silver and black next season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be finalized until later in the week.

Gay opted out of the final year of his deal with San Antonio, and wound up re-signing for a raise of about $1.6 million over what he would have made.

Gay was primarily a reserve for the first time last season, his first with the Spurs. He averaged 11.5 points on 47 percent shooting.

— AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds

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12:25 a.m.

Two people with knowledge of the deal say the Dallas Mavericks and DeAndre Jordan have agreed on a one-year contract at roughly the $24.1 million the center was set to make with the Clippers next season.

The agreement comes three years after Jordan agreed to join Dallas as an unrestricted free agent but changed his mind before a contract could be signed and stayed in Los Angeles.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because deals can’t be signed until Friday. Jordan opted out of the final year of the contract he signed when he jilted the Mavericks in 2015.

The one-year deal gives both sides flexibility beyond next season, but is a sign that the Mavericks are tired of rebuilding after consecutive losing seasons for the first time in nearly 20 years.

If Jordan follows through on this agreement, he will leave the team that drafted him 10 years ago. He gives the Mavericks a rebounding and shot-blocking presence they’ve lacked since winning their only title in 2011. Dallas hasn’t won a playoff series since then.

— AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon reporting from Fort Worth, Texas

12:05 a.m.

Chris Paul says he’s staying with the Houston Rockets.

The star point guard wasted no time once the free agency window opened, and has decided to stay put with the team that finished last season with the NBA’s best regular-season record.

Paul announced on Twitter that he has “Unfinished Business” in Houston, which took Golden State to seven games in the Western Conference finals. Paul missed the last two games of that series with an injury, and the Rockets wasted big leads in both of those games.

He averaged 18.6 points and 7.9 assists last season with the Rockets, who went 65-17 led by Paul and newly minted NBA MVP James Harden.

ESPN reported it is a four-year deal that will be worth $160 million.

___

11:55 p.m.

A person familiar with the situation says Paul George is staying with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal’s terms have not been announced. George averaged 21.9 points for the Thunder last season.

ESPN first reported George’s decision.

The move, which can become official on Friday, further validates Oklahoma City’s decision to send a package —including Most Improved Player Victor Oladipo— to Indiana last year for George, who clearly enjoyed playing with Russell Westbrook with the Thunder.

— AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds

___

11:30 p.m.

Will Barton is getting a major raise from the Denver Nuggets.

A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that Barton will sign a four-year deal that — if played to conclusion — would be worth more than $50 million. The final season will be at Barton’s option, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither Barton nor the Nuggets were commenting publicly.

Barton made about $3.5 million this past season, when he averaged career highs of 15.7 points and 4.1 assists.

Barton’s deal is part of what’s shaping up as a major offseason for Denver, which is expected to offer Nikola Jokic a max deal that would pay around $147 million for five seasons. Jokic averaged 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds last season.

— AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds

___

11:10 p.m.

Wayne Ellington is entering free agency hoping for a speedy resolution.

And although he expects calls from many teams, he’s still seeking a return to the Miami Heat.

Ellington set a Heat record with 227 3-pointers last season, even though he was playing mostly as a reserve. He’ll be due a raise from his $6 million salary from a year ago, and that could be a challenge for Miami, which is trying to avoid paying a luxury tax.

“The faster the better,” Ellington said Saturday, when asked how soon he’d like to know his future. “The easier, the smoother, the faster, the better.”

Ellington averaged a career-high 11.2 points last season.

___

10:15 p.m.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin says the NBA’s salary cap and luxury-tax figures aren’t to be overlooked as free agency opens.

The league released its cap and tax numbers Saturday night for the coming season, and they’re slightly higher than some teams may have expected. Plus, cap numbers for 2019-20 and beyond are also a bit more than what’s been projected.

“It’s a really significant amount of money,” Griffin said, in his role as an analyst on NBA TV.

___

10 p.m.

A person familiar with the situation says that Kevin Durant will sign a two-year contract to remain with the Golden State Warriors, with the caveat that the deal will have an option and allow him to return to free agency next summer.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the deal cannot be signed until Friday.

It is a win for the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors on several levels. Not only do they get to keep the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals MVP, but they also get some financial flexibility in the deal.

Durant will be paid $30.5 million this coming season, about $5 million less than he could have commanded if the deal was structured differently. That savings will give Golden State options for other moves this summer.

The New York Times first reported Durant’s intention to sign the deal.

— AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds

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By Associated Press

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