#sam who watched old war movies with him

[kayvalencourt]

Watched Creature Commandos recently

Can you tell who my favorite character is.

[bcacstuff]

🚨 [This story contains major spoilers from the season seven finale of Outlander, “A Hundred Thousand Angels.”] 🚨

In seven seasons of Outlander, Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) have endured enough trauma to last multiple lifetimes. While they have always found their way back to each other and the family they’ve created together across centuries, Claire and Jamie, now in middle age, are perhaps more aware than ever about what they stand to lose.

“Jamie is very much aware of his mortality. He’s talked about it multiple seasons, about his nine lives, and he’s right at the end of them,” Heughan tells The Hollywood Reporter in a joint interview with Balfe about the season seven ending. “He didn’t want to be involved in this [Revolutionary War], but his choice now is that he has to be involved to protect those he loves. I think [Jamie and Claire] are aware that they can’t exist without each other and they’d rather not. So what does that mean for the future? I think if one loses the other, then I don’t know if there’s much hope for them.”

Despite that bleak outlook, Claire and Jamie have reason to be hopeful heading into the eighth and final season of the fantasy historical drama. In the season seven finale, as Claire recovers from being shot again and undergoing a life-saving surgery at the hands of Denzell (Joey Phillips), she and Jamie discover that their first daughter Faith, who they believed died in childbirth, had actually survived and was the mother of their new ward Fanny Pocock (Florie Wilkinson) and her late sister Jane (Silvia Presente), who Jamie and his biological son William (Charles Vandervaart) were tragically unable to save from captivity just days earlier.

That shocking cliffhanger — which was not in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels — sets up the final 10 episodes, which Balfe and Heughan have already finished filming. Given that the show has remained a constant in their lives for 11 years, the actors, who both became producers during the fifth season, admit they are still in the early stages of grieving that loss and figuring out how to fill that new void.

“I’m reading a lot, I’m writing a bit, I’m watching so many movies at the moment — all of these things that I just didn’t have time to do,” Balfe says. “I feel like as an actor, when you’re working, you’re on output mode all the time, and it’s so important to feed your soul as well. I want to take my time, wait and do things that really mean something to me.”

Below, the actors behind one of the most beloved TV couples of all time open up to THR about the evolution of their onscreen and offscreen relationships, how they chose to play the key moments from the latest chapter of Claire and Jamie’s love story — and the one genre they would love to collaborate on in the future.

***

Having played Claire and Jamie for over a decade, what new layers were you able to find in the playing of these characters in the seventh season?

SAM HEUGHAN Jamie’s gone from being this tempestuous, impetuous highland warrior with very little responsibility to becoming a laird, and now he’s responsible for not just his men in battle, but everyone on Fraser’s Ridge. He’s essentially a landlord or a clansman. But what I think is really interesting as well is that over the past couple of seasons — but this one in particular — Jamie realizes what he’s got to lose. I think now he realizes he can’t have a life without Claire; he knows that life isn’t worth living without her. I guess being more fragile is what’s interesting about him, which I think comes with old age as well. He’s not as hotheaded, he’s definitely more experienced, and with age comes perhaps more insight into mortality.

CAITRÍONA BALFE Seasons five and six were such a huge shift in who Claire was. Going through the attack and then the ether storyline, it wasn’t like [she became] two different people, but Claire’s whole structure and her coping mechanisms had to change. In season seven, it was this tentative rebuilding of who she was, which was really interesting because I feel like up until that point, there was a lot of compartmentalization — she would do things, but it was put away in a box and she wouldn’t really deal with it. In season seven, there was a maturity to her, but it came with this new layer of vulnerability, especially the beginning of the second part. I think it just made everything much more porous and much more fragile.

As you’ve played these characters from their earlier adult years into middle age, how have you found ways to deepen the palpable sense of intimacy and chemistry between them?

BALFE One of the things that Sam and I were very interested in working out and exploring was this difference in intimacy. People talk about the passion of Claire and Jamie, and that is always a through line, but it can’t feel like those first throes of lust. You want to find something that has more depth, more maturity and more nuance. So we didn’t want to be chasing something that we had done in season one; we didn’t want to be always trying to replicate that. We wanted to find new ways of doing it — and we did.

We had those conversations for most of the sex scenes, and we had chats with the writers about how to find those intimate moments when they’re in conversation and when we see them working out issues in their marriage. It was really important to us to develop that as the seasons went on because sometimes, there’s a call from the fans, and they want to see those sex scenes, and they want the passion. And we want to give you that, but we want to give it to you in a more honest way.

HEUGHAN I think you’re absolutely right. Over the years, they’ve both had to accept each other and their failings, and all these things that have happened either together or separately. And it can’t be like season one because XYZ has happened, so therefore, who’s this character? Who’s this person in front of you now? If anything, they’ve become more understanding of each other, and I think that comes with just playing these characters over time when they’ve been assaulted and lost and found each other again.

BALFE There was a vulnerability to them in the beginning because everything was so new and they didn’t know if they could trust each other. As we were in the mid-seasons, it felt like they had really come into their own — and there was a strength. In the later seasons, there was this new and very different vulnerability. With the precariousness of life that they were experiencing, there was this whole new set of fears and vulnerabilities that came up. That wasn’t something that I expected or imagined would happen, but it naturally happened that way.

Lord John Grey (David Berry), left. Starz

Caitríona, grief is already a tricky emotion to play, but you had the added challenge of having to make the audience believe, even if for a little bit, that Claire had really lost Jamie in episode 10. How did you want to play the different stages of her grief?

BALFE It was really tough, because I feel like there is that sense of, “Does anyone really believe that Jamie Fraser is dead?” But you have to go for it. I had just lost my dad, so the last thing I wanted to do was go into work and feel these feelings. It was not my favorite couple of weeks at work. I worked really hard with the writers to craft a bit of a journey, and there was that [line] that I held on to as well: “I would know [if he died]. I would feel it.” She feels betrayed by herself because she feels like it should feel differently. So there’s the anger and the disbelief that comes with what it feels like when you can’t even trust your own emotions.

And then, of course, the added implication of Lord John Grey [David Berry] was a curveball. (Laughs) David Berry was an amazing scene partner in those scenes. To do intimate scenes with somebody other than Sam — usually all my stuff is with him, so it was like an added unknown territory. But what was also good was we approached it in a very different way to how Sam and I approached things. Sam and I have this shorthand — it’s very organic, and we don’t have to plan out things as much — whereas David likes to [plan]. I’m glad he did because I was quite lost about how we were going to achieve it, but I think in the end it worked quite well.

Claire’s grief-stricken hook-up with John — during which they were both picturing Jamie — has to be one of the most shocking moments of the series. How did you justify Claire’s actions in that moment for yourself?

BALFE I suffer from a real need for things to be logical, which drives the writers crazy, because for me to be able to play it, I need to be able to understand the journey. I think in the final edit, things are quite cut up and it’s not as linear as how we played it. But I think it was great that David and I found a linear journey into it so we could understand that [moment], because it’s also two people who are drunk.

When you’re drunk, there isn’t always logic, but there has to be those moments of, how do you get from A to B? How do these two people who aren’t sexually attracted to each other, who don’t have a history together, go from being alone, drunk and in pain to then being together? So it was finding that shared pain, that shared anger. Lord John was almost needing this kind of consolation in the beginning, and then it’s just the anger and the passion — and it had to come out in some way. So that’s how it happened.

But I think that morning after scene — that gorgeous story that Lord John had and the insight into his life — is so much more intimate than the stuff before. The intimacy the next morning is where you really see these two people form this bond that isn’t sexual, but it’s a friendship and a deep understanding of each other, which I thought was quite beautiful.

In episode 12, Jamie makes his feelings about Claire and John’s entanglement clear in a long, heated sequence where Jamie and Claire are working through their own emotions in real time. How did you each approach that fight?

BALFE Well, Sam had COVID. Do you remember? (Laughs)

HEUGHAN Yeah! It was certainly very challenging. In some ways, it was [shot] like a play, but I think we shot one direction, then I came down with COVID. I think quite some time later we shot the rest of it, and we shot it in two sections because it moves all around the house. I suppose [that sequence shows] why this couple are still together. They manage to work through it, to hear each other and to communicate despite Jamie’s stubbornness, anger and jealousy.

BALFE But neither are wrong, really. This was a situation that is so unusual and unique, so it’s totally understandable why Jamie would be so upset and angry, but it’s also totally understandable why Claire would defend herself. I think what’s great is you get this tension of these two people who ultimately love each other so much, but they’re going to stand their ground. I think both Sam and I relish when we do get to do scenes like this. There’s certain days when you’re on a show and you’re just sitting at a table and somebody’s passing somebody coffee, and it doesn’t necessarily feel like the most rewarding acting day. But when you get big scenes like this, you really feel like you have to work hard, give it your all, and make it work.

Sam, do you think Jamie could ever bring himself to forgive John?

HEUGHAN I think what Jamie did [to John upon learning what happened] — is it justifiable? No, from [the viewers’] point of view. But for Jamie, probably. But what he did to him is horrific and certainly has broken their bond. John Grey comes back and does justify it, and I think we hope that they will become friends again, but I think it’d be a lot for them to get over. Jamie is going to have to admit his wrongdoing, and I think that’s probably the hardest thing for Jamie to do. It’s certainly put a rift in that relationship, and I’m sure for Claire and John Grey as well, it’s also a pretty weird situation. (Laughs)

In episode 15, Claire gets shot in the battlefield and Jamie desperately searches for any kind of way to save her. Sam, how did you want to play Jamie’s inner turmoil?

HEUGHAN Jamie has always been in control in situations, and I thought it was really interesting in the script that he loses it and he’s lashing out. I think the only other time where we’ve seen him like that is when he lost Murtaugh at the Battle of Alamance. I think that moment was close because Murtaugh was his godfather, a father figure to him, but this is even bigger. It’s like, “How do you react in that moment when your universe has just imploded?” I didn’t want to plan it; I just wanted to go for it and see what happens. I think what’s cool about the writing and the space I got in the performance was that he’s not Jamie. He’s out of control, and he’s pleading with everyone, with God. He knows he’s on the edge of losing his entire universe.

How did you react, then, to Jamie’s decision to write his notice of resignation using Claire’s blood on the back of one of his soldiers?

HEUGHAN Look, it’s a really hard one to get your head around. It’s a book moment, and even in discussing the practicality of that [moment], we were talking about “What is the way to write on this guy’s back?” and we realized it’s actually very difficult. But I think it’s just sheer desperation; it’s a moment where he’s completely at a loss. I think he can’t work out how to get his message through to these people, and he just goes for the nearest thing. It’s a really dark idea. It’s amazing that after eight seasons — well, seven at this point — that these characters still surprised us as actors, and there’s so many times we’ve had these book moments where I’m like, “Jamie wouldn’t do that. Jamie knows better.” And then, I’m like, “OK, let’s see what happens.” And actually, you get this really dramatic moment which is shocking, and I think that’s what makes Outlander perhaps still resonate.

Caitríona, on the flip side, what was it like for you to play the aftermath of Claire getting shot?

BALFE It was very funny because they were very concerned about how comfortable I would be lying down for that long, and I was like, “Guys, I’m going to be lying down. It’s going to be very comfortable!” But they made a prosthetic for my stomach so they could do the operation. Look, I’ve never been shot. You can watch things, but sometimes we joke about it, like, “Am I just playing my version of what I’ve seen other actors do in movies?” (Laughs.) But you have to trust the director and everything that’s going on in the scene and go with it. I’m not going to lie: I don’t mind playing sick and half-dying. (Laughs.) You get to let other people do all the hard work, and you just get to lie there and moan a bit. But the set was amazing. When you have all of those things around — and Sam was incredible in those scenes — it makes your job very easy.

After they’re unable to save Jane in the finale, William has a heated confrontation with Jamie about William’s late birth mother, and William ends the conversation with the line, “I will never call you father.” The hurt on Jamie’s face is obvious, but what is going through Jamie’s mind in that scene?

HEUGHAN Jamie’s never been able to be a father to William, and I think he’s always wanted to be — from a distance. Here’s a moment where Jamie doesn’t really know how to be a father. He’s been a father to other people. He’s got so many surrogate sons — from Fergus to a bunch of people that he’s brought into this extended family that he’s got — but with William, it’s a really tough one. I think it’s great because you can see Jamie and his son are very similar; they both have that fire in them. And without giving away spoilers, it’s definitely something that plays out a lot [going forward].

But it’s also interesting because he is John Grey’s son in a lot of ways. He’s been brought up by John Grey, and that adds another dimension to that trio’s relationship. Jamie has all this pride, hurt and longing that he could be [Jamie’s] father, and also jealousy that John has been his father but also thankful [at the same time]. Certainly, it’s going to be a tough one for [Jamie and William] to both overcome their pride.

Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and his biological son William (Charles Vandervaart). Starz

In the final scene, Claire overhears Fanny singing “I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside,” a 19th-century song Claire sang to her and Jamie’s first daughter, Faith. After learning that Fanny and Jane’s mother was also named Faith, Claire now believes that Faith wasn’t actually stillborn and had somehow lived to have children of her own. How does that set up their journey in the final season?

HEUGHAN It’s a huge moment for them to find out that their daughter potentially lived, and now they have this grandchild in their life. It’s a great cliffhanger — one that I think book and non-book fans are going to be surprised by. I think it was beautifully done with the song. It’s interesting because even playing [Faith’s death] way back in season two, we played the truth of it; we had no idea ourselves. So it was a shock for us as actors reading it and learning about it, as it was for the characters. I think the thought process for Jamie is, “How is it possible?” The elation, the happiness that, actually, it could be possible. And then, who is this young girl in front of us right now?

BALFE I just love it when you are given a scene and you read it, and it’s like, “Ooh, that’s really good.” But in the playing of it, when the hairs on your arms are standing up, it’s pretty brilliant. Florrie is so amazing. Every time we have a scene with her, you’re just so blown away by how brilliant she is. It’s such an interesting cliffhanger because it just opens up this whole other world of questions, which leads us so brilliantly into the next season. I think for Claire, it’s like her heart stops, her heart breaks and her heart sings — all at the same time.

You’ve seen each other through just about everything in the 11 years that you’ve worked together. Looking back, how has your working relationship evolved over time, and what do you think has stayed the same?

HEUGHAN (Laughs) That’s a cool question!

BALFE Well, I think our childish sense of humor has stayed the same.

HEUGHAN I was going to say our humor, silliness. When we’re in the shit and it’s a tough day, or we’re in the dark and it’s cold, we’ve always had each other. I’m very fortunate to have spent so much time with such an amazing person and also managed to laugh a lot as well. But what’s changed, Cait?

BALFE I think when we first started, the job was our lives. We lived it, breathed it. Our schedules were so insane. We really didn’t do much of anything else. I think as we’ve gotten older, our lives have gotten so much busier and you have obviously a wealth of experience to fall back on with your character. So it’s not that we’re not as invested as much, but the show isn’t just the only thing going on. I think, in that way, maybe our approach to things is slightly different. Would you agree, Sam, or no?

HEUGHAN Yeah. It’s not sustainable to be all-consumed by something for that long, but in some ways, perhaps having a bit more space or a life outside of it, it also influences the work itself. We’ve just both grown over time, and I guess it’s depressing but also an amazing opportunity that we’ve got to live with these characters for so long.

What would it take, then, for the two of you to work together again? Maybe in a more modern story without wigs or period costumes?

BALFE I’d love to do a comedy with Sam.

HEUGHAN Yeah, that would be a lot of fun. And as you said, yeah, no wig. Well, actually —

BALFE The wigs would be alright. No corset for me.

HEUGHAN I’d wear a corset, so maybe there’s the comedy right there.

BALFE I’ll wear your wig. There you go!

***

All seven seasons of Outlander are now streaming on Starz.

[winterzxsoldierz]

War Child

Part one

Bucky Barnes x (Fem) Reader

Avengers x (Fem) Reader

Warnings: Blood, mention of deaths, other creepy hydra shit, bad language words (lol) and a lot more other warnings, so be prepared.

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Clint Barton (Sometimes) Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner (Sometimes) Thor Odison, Loki Laufeyson, Peter Parker, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Bucky Barnes, Yelena Belova, Arnim Zola,

Description: You're a hydra experiment or had been one since you were young, For years you lived within the cold walls of Siberia and when you finally get free, faces from the past and demons come out to haunt you Reader is an enchanted superhuman, she has the super soldier serum giving her, super speed, super strength, a healing factor, fast metabolism, endurance, strong lung capacity & etc, she also has both fire and ice magic. The time line in this will review the past and present. Reader can look anyway you want. Her soon love interest will be Bucky. Authors Note: Please know that none of these characters belong to me, they belong to marvel, Y/N is your character of choice. also your thoughts will be orange, Bucky's thoughts will be blue and the others will be purple

Avengers tower present 9:34 am Avengers pov

Gathered around table enjoying breakfast and conversation sits the avengers, everyone seems happy, Bucky and Loki bantering with one another about who can do bad better, Steve acting like a mom and Tony being the overgrown brat, Wanda, Natasha and Yelena talking quietly amongst each other in sokovian, then there's Peter, Pietro, Sam and Thor arguing about how many bad guys they can beat in a fight, like family they're fun and chaotic. Everything seemed to go quiet when the leather jacket wearing, eye patched man walks in with a file and flash drive, the atmosphere once relaxed and playful now tense and serious, as all eyes land on the director Nick Fury. "Hope i'm not souring the mood." he says his tone, dripping with his usual uncaring sarcasm. "Anyways." he continues, "We have a problem, a big one, a loose cannon hydra related one." He sets down the file on the middle of the table and Bucky is the first to grab it, the minute he opens it, the color from his face drains, there it was a whole section dedicated to you, a ghost is what you are, one he was made to train when he was The winter soldier, a deadly weapon is what you became, just like him, but unlike him, he was captured, but you, you were born and raised into a hell, and turned into something so deadly.

Steve looks at Bucky and raises a brow in concern and curiosity, Steve pauses debating whether he should say anything but he decides to anyway, "Hey Buck, you alright, you look a little pale." Bucky snaps out of his current thoughts and glances at Steve and the rest of the team and he swallows, a shaky sigh leaving his lips and he says "I know her, i knew her." Every member of the team gives each other looks before nodding and taking turns to look at the entire file and Sam speaks "So where do we start?"

Italy present

Your Pov I arrive back into my rented apartment, after getting some needed food and water, i knew my time here in Italy was running thin but there was something about this place i liked, i couldn't get comfortable though, it was only a matter of time before the devil came knocking. After heating up a simple tv dinner, i sit on the small couch in my living room watching the old school box television, it's on the news channel, the headlines read "Avengers strike once again saving over a hundred innocent civilians from a hostage situation with the terrorist group known as HYDRA." A sigh leaves me and i start eating as i change the channel to a cartoon, it wasn't one i've seen before, it was a blonde with really long hair and a pretty purple dress, now interested i continue to watch the movie and finish my dinner, soon i set my plate aside and just watch tv, i was enjoying the movie more than i'd like to admit. Berlin 1953 (Past & your nightmare) "Papa, i don't understand what you want me to do, you little voice trembles as you look up at the man in front of you, he stare you down and pats you head, his German accent thick as he speaks, "In time, you will learn to master the gift i have given you my child." a grin spreads on Zola's lips, to you it seemed innocent but only if you knew it was anything but innocent.

Your Pov (Present) I jolted awake in a slight sweat, my eyes dart around the room, weariness and confusion etched on my features, i thought i was back hom-there, but i'm in my living room, i'm in Italy, i swallow and wipe my forehead with the sleeve of my sweater and i stand up, my steps are silent on the wood floors as i walk into the kitchen, i fill me a glass of water and gulp it down as if i was a man stuck in the desert. my hands are shaky as i set the glass down and stare at the dark curtained covered windows. "He's gone, no longer here." i tell myself and i make my way to my bathroom, a shower was much needed to calm myself.

Berlin 1954 (Past & Bucky's nightmare) "Soldat! you're back with the stuff." Zola hums in approval and takes the metal case from the winter soldier, he snaps his fingers for the soldier to follow him and the soldier complies without question. Zola leads the soldier into the lab, for a moment the soldier tenses, he didn't think he had another procedure today but then his eyes falls onto you, a girl strapped down onto a table asleep, he blinks, he couldn't tell if it was worry, or surprise but he manages to school it like he was taught, the soldiers eyes follow Zola as he pulls out the bag of super serum, it was a cheap one, not to affective but it'll still work, just not like his, the soldier watches as Zola sticks it into an IV like bag and he watches as Zola stick the IV into you and slowly the serum makes it way to your skin and finally it slips into your blood stream making you jolt in pain and cry out.

Avengers tower (Present) Bucky's room Bucky's Pov His eyes snap open quickly and they dart around, checking for any signs of danger or anyone one at all, nothing it's all silent except for his racing heart and his own breathing, his brows are furrowed as he recalls the nightmare, that day, the day when Karpor made him bring that serum to Zola, that day where your life would change for ever and not for the good, a wave of guilt floods through Bucky as he thinks about that day, how he just watched, and stood there as that evil son of a bitch gave you that serum with no remorse as he hurt and changed you drastically. Bucky knew he had to find you, hell he knew you were lost and confused like he was and like he had steve, you'll have him.

Let me know what you think, i will definitely be making different parts to this story, i'm pausing my other story to work on this one since i had this longer and like this better. Part two is being worked on so stay tuned.

Tag list: @sapphirebarnes i know you wanted to be tagged in my other post but i'm keeping that on hold right now, so i hope you like this one just as much.

[shadesslut]

a father's malice, pt. 4

Pairing: (Ex-Gf!Ethan Landry x Fem!Reader x Chad Meeks-Martin)

Content Includes: (Angst, blood)

Summary: Ethan goes to the one place he feels accepted

Masterlist

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The noises of chattering college kids made Chad’s knee bounce anxiously. Even in his dorm, he could hear the loud conversations his suitemates were having. Harsh white lights made his head hurt, and the plastic chair he sat in at his desk caused his lower back to ache. He didn’t look like it, but he hated being around new people. He never really had a best friend since, well, not since Wes. Only a handful of circle jerk assholes who only tolerated him for his looks. For a year he’d been on edge, so that’s why when a curly-haired brunet entered the room abruptly, he jumped.

He looked nice enough, but still, Chad was cautious. The brunet jumped as he saw Chad. He was easy on the eyes, nice looking. He held a cardboard box and wore a beat-up Jansport backpack. 

“Hi.” He croaked out, his voice straining. Chad nodded at him, and the brunet awkwardly shuffled closer into the room. He looked at Chad’s bed, then his, and set his box down on it, dust slowly puffing up. “Guess this is my side,” 

Chad swiveled back in his chair, taking a deep breath as he stared at the chipped surface of his wooden desk. He closed his eyes for a moment, inhaled, exhaled, and stood up. He put on his chipper smile, eyes not quite matching. He stuck out his hand to the other boy. “I’m Chad, it’s Ethan right?” 

Ethan let out a breathy laugh of relief and nodded. “Y-Yeah, Ethan.” He responded, taking Chad’s hand in a firm shake. Chad’s eyebrows furrowed as he confusedly reacted to the rough, strong hands Ethan had. And for a split second, he had hope of making a new friend. 

—

It was almost nine, and Chad had finally reached the point of relaxation with Ethan that he stopped checking his phone for texts from Mindy. He learned a little about Ethan; he liked old cheesy movies like Star Wars, he loved ketchup, and he had something in common with Chad. 

Home didn’t have a lot of good memories.

Chad had set his laptop on his desk, which now sat towards the middle of the room after two hours of Ethan and Chad rearranging the furniture. Their beds pointed towards each other, and every so often Chad would check to see if Ethan was watching the movie playing. 

“So do you know anyone that goes here?” Ethan asked before stuffing his mouth with a handful of fries. Chad readjusted in his position, putting his arm under his pillow as he laid on it. 

“My sister Mindy, and our friend Y/N.” He answered, purposely not mentioning. Sam and Tara. “She’s on the third floor.” 

Ethan nodded, returning his gaze back to the movie. “I got a sister too.” He mumbled. Chad lifted his head up at him.

“Really?” 

“Yeah, she’s back at home.” 

Chad hummed softly. “Close with her?” 

Ethan smiled to himself, reconciling childhood memories of playing with his sister. “Yeah, she’s older than me. Really like, protective of me y’know?” 

At this point, neither of the boys were watching the movie. Only quietly admiring each other as they asked each other questions. “That’s how I am with my sister.” Chad stated.And maybe that’s how they’d be with each other. Ethan smiled at his comment, but it quickly faded. 

They sat in silence for a moment, their breathing matching the other’s. Ethan huffed as he sat up on his bed, making Chad slightly sit up. “Where you going?” Chad asked. 

Ethan smiled defensively at him, and then he pointed towards the bathroom door. “Gotta take a leak,” Chad snickered at his answer, checking his phone. Ethan laughed as he jumped off his bed, eyes widening at the sound of a metal object clanking onto the floor. Chad immediately sat up, looking at the source of noise. 

A push-button blade sat on the tiles of the floor. Chad tensed, but he just brushed it off as his anxiety pushing his buttons. Ethan, however, looked incredibly nervous. “It was my dad’s,” Ethan coughed out, bending over to retrieve it. “He gave it to me cause y’know, New York! Crime!” 

Chad laughed nervously, but Ethan didn’t give him time to answer, quickly stepping inside the bathroom. Chad didn’t think too much of it, he never expected Ethan to be the type of guy who could practice self-defense, let alone stab anyone. But you know, maybe he didn’t know the guy. 

—

Chad had truly considered Ethan to be his best friend. Even after one of the Ghostfaces stabbed him with the same blade Ethan had dropped that first night in their dorm, he still felt that way. Ethan was his best friend.

It hurt him more when Tara confirmed his suspicions of Ethan in the hospital after. Nine stab wounds to the chest, internal bleeding in his organs, and the one thing that hurt the most was finding out who Ethan really was. He let Y/N spend the night in his room that night, and even though he knew she probably knew about his feelings for Ethan, he felt safe with her.

She told him she was pregnant, and then she asked him if they'd stay friends. Chad didn't have to think to answer.

It was weird; falling in love with Y/N while still having feelings for Ethan. It was weirder helping her raise her and Ethan's son, but at the end of the day it helped him sleep at night. On Chad's worst nights, when he watched those old cheesy movies Ethan liked, when he wore one of Ethan's shirts, thinking of Y/N and Ollie helped him fall asleep.

After awhile, he'd had enough. He turned his love for Ethan into hate, and maybe that wasn't the healthiest option, but it was the one that felt the most good.

When he burned Ethan's shirt he wore to bed, he told himself never again. Never again would he open up to Ethan.

—

It was late, Ethan was tired and irritated, sitting on the dusty wooden floors of the bookstore. Mary held a mug of coffee in her hands, matching pajamas hugging her skin. Ethan’s hands ran through his messed up curls. 

“I’m sorry, again, I know this has been weird.” Ethan apologized for the umpteenth time. Mary straightened her posture and adjusted her glasses. He’d been there for two days, ignoring the buzzing of the incoming calls from Y/N and Chad. 

“I just didn’t know where else to go.” 

“Did she kick you out?” Mary asked softly, trying her best to hide her smile. “I didn’t get the chance to ask you, since you know,”

Ethan stared blankly at his shoes. 

“You’ve been crying on my couch for the past few days.”

Ethan sniffed as he threw his head back, resting it on the bookshelf behind him. His eyes were teary, and he choked out a sob as he shook his head. “I’m too dangerous to be near her, near my kid.” 

Mary listened quietly.

“I’m scared I’m never gonna change. I’ll always be this, this monster. I hate that I have so much malice in me; everyone I see that has the slightest chance of hurting them, I just wanna hurt them.” Mary leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees as she listened carefully. 

“I think up ways,” He started, voice shaky. “Ways to get rid of people, and ways to hurt them.” 

“What’s wrong with being a monster?” Mary asked, interrupting him. Ethan jerked his head towards her, looking for an ounce of unseriousness; it was not there. There was a lingering feeling in the air, something uneasy. Ethan stared at her as if she was the most unique thing. There was no sign of uncomfortableness shown on her face, not even a twitch at the corner of her lips. 

“I know you were the one who bailed me out.” Ethan stated, ignoring her previous comment. She blinked, trying to fathom what he was saying.

“How did you-”

“I put two and two together.” He interrupted. “When you showed me your shrine, and when you didn’t ask about me being released. It was you, right?” 

She slowly nodded, Ethan following after. 

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you Ethan.” She admitted. She swallowed nervously as she waited for his response. It was a remark Ethan should’ve felt safe with, but his worry only grew. He knew what he was, what he did, and yet Mary treated it like it was as miniscule as a robbery. Ethan dryly chuckled. 

“I really don’t, Eth.” 

Ethan’s fingers twitched, and his brows furrowed. Only two people were ever allowed to call him that. 

“I think you only wanted justice for your brother. There’s nothing wrong with that. I would’ve done the same thing if I were in your shoes. I think you’re really special.” Mary continued to rant, not having a clue that Ethan was fuming not five feet away from her. 

He stayed silent as she talked, and his hands itched to reach for the push-button blade in his back pocket. He wouldn’t know who his victim would be, him or Mary. 

“Maybe it would’ve been easier if she died, you know?”

“What did you say?”

Silence. Silence took over both of them as Ethan stared, eyes wide at her. His eye twitched as he physically held himself back from leaping over to her and stabbing her. “I just mean- I know you tried to kill her, I saw the photos. Wouldn’t it have been better for you if you didn’t have the burden as well?”

“‘Burden’? You mean my son?” Ethan seethed through gritted teeth. He started seeing red again, just like earlier that night. Red, hot emotions coursed through his veins as he thought about Ollie, as he thought about Y/N, as he thought about Chad. No one else mattered. It was only them for Ethan. He knew he would hurt anyone who hurt them. 

“I didn’t mean that.” 

“I shouldn’t have come here,” Ethan muttered as he stood up. He stumbled a bit as he fully stood up, Mary was quick to stand up alongside him, helping him keep steady. Ethan jerked his arm away from her, stomping away towards the door. He had his hand on the door handle before Mary stopped him. 

“W-Wait, I’m sorry, don’t go.” She pleaded, placing her hand on his wrist. Ethan breathed heavily as he looked down to the contact. He slapped her hand away, barely opening the door before he felt her hands reach for the knife in his back pocket. He didn’t have time to react, before she swung the blade and stabbed herself in her thigh, lightly squealing as she did so. Ethan’s eyes widened at the action.

“What the fuck?” He yelled at her. Blood seeped through her pajama pants as the knife stayed plunged in her leg. She lightly smiled as she stared, feeling her adrenaline rushing through her. 

“If you leave, I’ll tell them you did this.” She threatened. The probability of them believing her over Ethan, knowing what he’s done, was more likely. Just because of that, Ethan had no care of what he would do in that exact moment. He lunged towards her, tackling her to the floor, causing her to grunt in pain. She kicked and thrashed as Ethan pinned her down, yanking the knife out of her thigh. She screamed in pain, not realizing the extent of what Ethan would take. 

A surge of emotions, familiar and unfamiliar, flooded Ethan’s mind as he raised the knife above his head. He saw Y/N on the floor below him, bloody and beaten. He saw Chad spewing out blood from his mouth as he cried. He hated it; he used to love the feeling killing gave him, but now, it only reminded him of all the hurt he caused the two people he loved the most. He let out a defensive yell, fully ready to swing the knife down into Mary’s soft, tender throat.

He hesitated. For a split second he hesitated and he saw Y/N again. Her teary eyes looking up at him on the ground, shirt stained with dust and blood. She was back in the theater, and so was Ethan.

“Do it.” She whispered. 

His confused expression put his mind in a haze. A tear rolled down his cheek, running down to his neck. He felt soft, alluring hands run up his back. He slightly turned his head, gasping hoarsely as he heard Y/N’s voice repeat the command in his ear. 

“Do it.”

She snaked her hand to his jaw, turning his head back to look down at Mary. He let out a choked sob as his eyes hovered over Mary. Chad’s screams echoed through his head, and Y/N dug her nails into Ethan’s shoulders. 

Mary laid there, on the dusty floors of the bookstore, knife punctured in her chest. Her once feminine and white pajamas are now stained with crimson. He sobbed and thrashed his body away from hers. The echoing of Y/N’s whispers and Chad’s screams made Ethan cover his ears with his palms as he banged one of his fists against his forehead. 

He sat in that same position for thirty minutes before leaving. He told himself he’d take care of her body the next day, but right now, for his own sanity, he needed to see Y/N and Chad. Make sure they were alive, just in case. 

Ethan was met with an obvious “I’ve been crying for two nights straight” Y/N after knocking once on the apartment door. Her eyes were red and puffy, yet she was a sight for sore eyes for him. Immediately he was met with a cautious, but loving embrace. 

She didn’t ask him anything, not where he was or what he had done, but somehow, deep down she knew. Chad was in her bed, with a solemn expression.  Maybe the old Ethan would’ve seen red at the sight, but all he wanted to do was jump in the bed and sleep. 

They didn’t ask about the small blood stains on his fingertips. Nor did they ask about why Ethan’s hands shook as he lifted the covers. He laid in between them, looking over at Ollie’s crib to see him peacefully sleeping. Resting his head back onto the bed, he felt Y/N curl up next to him. 

The fear and worry left his body as he felt her, really felt her, for the first time in a year. Ethan slid his hand near Chad’s, causing Chad to look at him. 

“I’m sorry.” Ethan whispered to him, moving his hand back. Chad grabbed his retreating hand, and  he held it in his own. 

“It’s okay.” He responded before closing his eyes again. Both of the boys’ hearts heated slightly faster, knowing the exchange wasn’t about Ethan’s touch.  He’d do better, he told himself. He’d do better for them.

(Taglist: @onlyreadz @lloyd907 @hearts4meeks @emitaylorsverson @depressedseaweed @athenalive @b3bybunny @aliciacat20 @whoaitsbibi @fallinforhappiness @Dabbin22 @leyla-1905 @sflame15-blog @i-love-milfs2 @zerodotzer0 @ahalliwell5 @gabbylovesreading @wishyouwere-sober @leaveitbythewave @itsnotino @elltheawkward @writinganything @buffhoshi @reysdriver @asapkyndall @champomiel @afro-hispwriter @ggothfirlcliquee @dellykins88 @halforangecuts @an0nymous-sm4t @yookayyo @arabellasolstice @justanotherkpopstanlol)

(a/n: Also if your name is in bold above, I am unable to tag you! If you still want to be tagged DM me or comment so I can find a way to tag you:) )

[aziraphales-library]

Hello and thank you for being a great source of fics! I read a super sweet outsider AU that included Crowley singing Abba songs and I need more! Are there any Abba themed fics you would recommend to us?

Hi! Here are some fics featuring ABBA songs/references, and a couple of Mamma Mia! fics...

The Stars Were Bright, My Dear Boy by not_joeys_secret_account (T)

It’s 1977 and Aziraphale and Crowley go to see Star Wars in the theatre, and, surprisingly, Aziraphale has never heard of ABBA

And Everything Is You by acetonitril (T)

Once a week, Crowley joins the local pub's karaoke night to sing an ABBA song. Aziraphale doesn't know about this. This is the story of Aziraphale finding out. Also, there's a bunch of students who might or might not be involved.

How You Thrill Me by ingafterdark (E)

There were three things Crowley would remember about this movie. The deception-driven chaos, the blastedly delightful musical numbers, and the idle weight of Aziraphale’s hand on Crowley’s thigh, which grew ever-more insistent from about the half-hour mark. Or: The night in the South Downs when a certain Angel debauched a certain Demon as Mamma Mia! played in the background.

I Believe In Angels by Raphaela Crowley (T)

Crowley and Aziraphale travel to a Greek island under false pretenses. Aziraphale's a bit worried about the morality of the situation, while Crowley just wants that blasted ABBA song to not be stuck in his head any more. Sophie S. wonders if the father she's never known is Sam Carmichael or just some guy in sunglasses named Anthony Cowwley.

One Look And You're Hypnotized by quiltedspacemittens (T)

“What are you doing in Greece?” Aziraphale asks, with distanced politeness, as the silence between them stretches a moment too long. Crowley ambles, one step behind him. “’M here on business. Supposed to tempt some poor woman to engineer a decades-long inheritance and property tax evasion scheme. Something about her ex-boyfriends.” “I see. And she’s on Kalokairi?” Kalokairi, Greece, 1977. One moustachioed demon on business, one clean-shaven principality on holiday, and one island in need of a little divine intervention. A Mamma Mia!-themed Tony fic written for Stayin' Julive aka Tony Month. Hypothetically updates every Wednesday in July. Title from "Angeleyes" by ABBA.

dancing queen (guaranteed to blow your mind) by Quilly (T)

Warlock has a secret, and it's that he invited three former staff members from his estranged parents' household to his wedding in the hopes that one of them is the one Nanny is still in love with. Crowley is just wondering what entity he pissed off to make three of his old flames show up the day before his adopted kid's wedding.

Do You Like ABBA? by Matcha_Tea_and_Other_Delights (T)

“I heard there’s going to be a meteor shower tonight.” The boy tells Aunt Lilith. “Oh?” She says in response, still a little unfamiliar with some of the earthly phrases and customs. “Yeah, stars falling from the sky and you get to make a wish, it’s great. Might stay up in my room watching them for a while.” Aunt Lilith looks up at the sky too, this time with an odd sense of woe coloring her features. “Falling stars, huh?” Or: Seven years after the events of Not-mageddon, things start to gear up for the Second Coming: Supreme Archangel Raphael would sound the alarms, a flight is boarded, as a swarm of locusts envelope the Earth. Everything is destroyed, with nothing left standing. The End. …yeah that’s not gonna happen. For starters, Satan is missing. Or or: Like the ones before them, it’s up to an angel and a demon to try and stop the world from ending. Third time’s the charm isn’t it? (Basically, what if Good Omens 3 went like this?)

- Mod D

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 11/12/2024

this one's a bit short. i am now thirty and still unemployed (ten months this week) ://// if you enjoy the tuesdayposts and are not maxed out on your charitable donations for other causes (american healthcare access, healthcare access in other places, war relief, any number of other good causes) i am going to be $300 short for december rent. here is my paypal.

listening

listening to a lot of pete seeger, for my health. there are about one zillion recordings of Old Man Atom, all ever so slightly different. it starts off as a perky gee-whiz-science! tune and continues frog marching the listener along in an increasingly jaunty manner. it's

Then the cartel crowd put on a show To turn back the clock on the UNO To get a corner on atoms and maybe extinguish Every darned atom that can't speak English Down with foreign-born atoms! America for American atoms! I hold this truth to be self-evident That all men may be cremated equal!

it's very depressing to listen to early anti-nuclear protest songs and realize they hold even more true today! song's a bop tho!

-

reading

the feds nabbed someone allegedly related to the semi-dire Snowflake data leaks that have been ongoing throughout the year (Santander Bank, AT&T, Ticket Master, Neiman Marcus, etc).

this guy has been a real thorn in krebs' side for a year or so and participates in some of the worst corners of the internet, which explains the adversarial nature of the writeup. i read through the whole thing going "yeah this guy is Very annoying but why is krebs so mad at him" and then got to the bottom section about other activities. italicized OH moment in real life but bad.

-

watching

continuing noirvember with The Maltese Falcon (1941, dir. Huston).

The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 American film noir in which a San Francisco private detective deals with three unscrupulous adventurers, all seeking a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette.[3] Written and directed by John Huston[3] in his directorial debut, the film was based on the 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett and is a remake of the 1931 film of the same name.[4][5][6] It stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade, Mary Astor as his femme fatale client, and as villains Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet.

i have two really snotty thoughts to get out of my brain: the modern letterboxed reviews like "i liked this but the homophobia ruined it" weak. all of you are WEAK.

and

i appreciate the work of the tumblrinas trying to queer this story in a more 2020s friendly way. however. sam spade canonically calls someone a slur for using cologne that he deems too feminine. the noir detective series you want is Philip Marlowe, who is at least homophobic in interesting and less physically violent ways.

anyway! gorgeous gorgeous movie. mary astor goes toe to fucking toe with bogey in every scene. a very frantic and frightened woman who is one jump ahead of the pathway crumbling behind her at all times. but she takes the jump and makes it! every time! except for the most important one!!!

-

playing

having a normal one with 12 hours of powerwash simulator

new genshin update rapidly approacheth. there's a lot happening in this screenshot. accidentally careened right past this npc, with one bullet for the poor low-level slime in the background, floaty blue pet in tow. the npc wanted me to deliver something to her sister who is visible under the big tree in the background. i love early area spaghetti code.

-

making

deep cleaned my house again bc i had people over for my birthday, which was a very lovely and very drunk evening of star wars on in the background while we played trivia. not how i expected to enter my thirties! i am not in the life circumstances i expected to be in my thirties, i do not have the life i expected to have in my thirties, etc. feeling a little maudlin and need to do crafts about it but also all the crafts in my home are not quite right!

[animentality]

I'll never forget when they made Captain America so gay for his childhood best friend that they had to desperately back peddle the next movie by throwing in some random generic hot blonde lady who dry humps Bucky in one fight scene and then makes out with Captain America for another scene before never ever being mentioned in any fucking marvel movie again.

It was also funny because she was the niece of the girl he used to wanna bang.

That he literally met at that old bitch's funeral.

Like genuinely hysterical.

They should've had him hooking up with Peggie's hot granddaughter. Why the fuck not, right, if you're gonna be weird about it anyway?

You already had him literally picking up a new chick at the funeral of the chick he used to be into.

They should've just showed Captain America mowing through DC pussy like a married Republican senator, actually. Except I will generously say that Cap would at least pick girls of legal age.

I will also remember the hilarious scene where he made out with the niece of his former love interest because it has Sam and Bucky nodding approvingly and bro fisting as they watch.

They should've gone a step further.

Captain America makes out with three chicks, and then he gets in the car and they're like yooo brooo that's some fine ass pussy you got there, and then they all headbutt each other and high five, grab some brewskis.

Yeah.

That would've been better.

No homo the movie.

Hilarious because Cap was already starting a civil war just for the sake of his best friend, like.

you understand that adding a hottie for him to kiss for five seconds wasn't gonna no homo that.

you had to go farther.

[3months2mordor]

On Hobbits and Existential Dread

or Why “The Scouring of the Shire” is the True Climax of The Lord of the Rings

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Or more accurately, there lived a human who had been in hard COVID quarantine for six months and certainly felt like a hobbit, what with all the staying inside and eating second breakfast and trying her best to ignore the world, which seemed in the summer of 2020 to be spiraling towards something unknown. And she, well I, was packing for college. On an impulse that I cannot explain except to say that I had previously binge watched all the movies in my seemingly infinite quaran-time, I packed a large red volume of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings with the intention to read it over the course of the semester.

What began as a simple personal challenge to read a chapter a night instead of doom scrolling on Twitter became a profound experience not only in terms of discovering that my parents were right in saying the book was actually really good, but also in realizing that the Hobbits, in their edenic Shire perched on the edge of a world about to enter catastrophe, were more like me, more like a lot of us, than Aragorn or the Elves or Dwarves or Men who people Middle Earth. And here is why the chapter at the very end of the last book where the Shire is nearly destroyed is so very, very important.

Tolkien takes careful time in his books to establish the attitudes and habits of his hobbits who live in pastoral harmony in near complete isolation from the rest of the world. They are content with what they have and don’t have the greed that drives Dwarves to dig, or the ambition that drives Men to war, or even the worship of nature that drives Elves deep into their forests to protect them. They build their hobbit holes, smoke what is definitely pot, and eat and drink heartily. They care little for news of the outside world and tend their fields instead. That’s it.

But the world does not cease to exist just because they want it to. It never does.

As Gandalf warns in Rivendale, “We are sitting in a fortress. Outside it is growing dark.” (Part 1 Book 2 Chapter 1).

Regardless of how much the hobbits might ignore the coming of the Dark Lord Sauron and the existential threat that is his attempt to control the world, it will not go away. They will not be safe from the darkness just because they want to be and they have a supply of candles in the cupboard. And so, at the start of the story, evil comes to the Shire in the form of the Black Riders and Frodo, our hero, must leave to keep the Shire safe from the forces of darkness. Still Frodo is just a hobbit, albeit a brave one. So he laments to Gandalf, “I wish it need not have happened in my time” and Gandalf replies “So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” (Part 1 Book 1 Chapter 2).

I feel this quote more deeply every year. A deep childish wish for things to exist as we expected them to be, but a solemn and more mature knowledge that Gandalf is right. That our time has already been given to us. All that we have left is what we do to make that time matter.

But back to Frodo, who takes a good seventeen years to heed this advice, but eventually sets off on an adventure to save the Shire which, spoiler alert, ultimately saves the world. Along the way people despair and seem to lose hope. Theoden, recovering from a spell that robbed him of agency and clearsightedness, cries “Alas! That these evil days should be mine, and should come in my old age instead of that peace which I have earned” (Part 2 Book 3 Chapter 6). Even Sam, in his darkest hour thinking he has lost Frodo for good, groans “I wish I wasn’t the last. I wish old Gandalf was here, or somebody. What am I left all alone to make up my mind? I’m sure to go wrong” (Part 2 Book 4 Chapter 10).

Yet despite it all the One Ring is destroyed and the King returns and good wins. Everything is set right and our heroes get a chance to rebuild the world rather than watch it crumble. They get to go home.

Now this is a fine story and one I desperately needed amongst all of the *everything* going on in 2020. However it is not the ending that stuck with me. For you see once Frodo and his companions return home, the Shire is not the same place they left it.

The Shire, in their year long absence, has descended into a despotic police state run by a wealthy, privileged hobbit who stays in his hole rather than try to help his people as Men, who tower over the hobbits, and are specifically and on multiple occasions called bullies, abuse their power. They use their strength to take food and (let’s face it) weed from the hobbits, desecrate their land with deforestation and pollution, and create a state of fear and paranoia that anyone could be taken at any moment to prison without trial after only a mere whiff of seditious behavior. The world has come to the hobbits and they are so paralyzed with fear that they are unable to do anything other than sit in their hobbit holes and keep their heads down, hoping that they and their families will make it through.

Now, Frodo and his companions, having seen the change that can be wrought from people who stand up to bullies and fight to make a difference, see the state of their home and immediately understand the despair their friends and neighbors have fallen into because they too have felt it. These are the hobbits who faced thousands of orcs and rode in battle and walked to Mount Doom with only each other to lean on and they know how deeply despair of impossible odds can affect someone. But they have also learned that that despair is not inevitable. They saw the Ents on their last march when Treebeard said it was “likely enough that we are going to our doom… But if we stayed at home and did nothing the doom would find us anyway, sooner or later. That thought has been long growing in our hearts; and that is why we are marching now” (Part 2 Book 3 Chapter 4). They saw the Rohirrim ride to battle against impossible odds because it was the right thing to do. They saw even the most pitiful Gollum play his part in saving the world. And they saw the Eagles fly in to help carry the day.

There’s always hope if there’s something worth fighting for.

And so, back in the Shire which was not the Shire they knew but still the one they love, the four heroic hobbits do what had once seemed impossible: they get the hobbits, in their apathy and terror and existential despair, to stand up and fight. And it’s hard, and people die, and it gets worse before it gets better, but in the end the bullies are run off and the hobbits are victorious and they begin to rebuild, not just their homes but their forests and their relationships with each other too.

The hobbits, and me really, wanted to curl up in their holes and hope the world would go away. And sometimes, God, that seems like it’s the only thing you can do when darkness is spreading far on the horizon and it keeps creeping closer but isn’t here yet. But Sauron is not the scariest thing in this book. Tolkien’s real villain was the fear and despair that can paralyze you to stay in your hole until the Shire is burning around you. Yet even the most comfortable and secure hobbits have to stand up and face the world because if we don't, no one else will.

There is a reason Frodo is able to see the mission to the end. And it’s not that he’s exceptional in the way other heroes are. No. In fact it is because he is unexceptional and unambitious and also uncompromising that the deed is able to be done. He, like the hobbits he helps at the end of the series, has to get up and work to fight the evil that hurts people every day. And Frodo doesn’t save the hobbits of the Shire; they save themselves. Then they rebuild. They grow things again, not better, not the same, but they have to go on living. And, I don’t know, I needed to realize that.

We aren’t Aragorn with a throne and a legendary sword and a destiny to be king, we aren’t the Elves with their centuries of knowledge and skills, we aren’t the Dwarves with their mountain holds to hide in. Heck, we’re not even Frodo, or at least I’m not. There’s no way I could handle a walk that long. We’re the hobbits. We see the existential wave of dread and terror that is coming and our instinct to hide from it, to hold it off as long as we can and then silently accept it when it comes. Because what can one little halfling do against a thing like that?

But even the hobbits of the Shire stand up eventually. Even hobbits can take that dread for a bleak future and turn around and create new life. There’s a reason why the symbol of the Shire returning to peace and throwing off the yolk of oppression is a tree. The bullies cut down Bilbo’s old one and it can’t come back. But Sam plants a new one anyway and hopes it will grow.

I’m reading the Lord of the Rings again before this election as I did last time. But this time I’m not alone. I’m reading it with friends. I marked passages like the ones above that made me think but also ones that made me laugh because there is joy in amongst the shadows and if we cannot find those moments it’s hard to keep looking for the light. In rewatching The Two Towers film the other day I was struck, as I usually am, by Sam’s speech at the end of the movie, based on one he gives in “The Stairs of Cirith Ungol.” I think it bears quoting in full.

Sam: It’s all wrong By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to, Sam?

Sam : That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.

Hobbits are remarkable people, Tolkien says, and I hope we are too. I hope we can get through this by raising up our own Shires full of hobbit warriors to face the world and not lie down and give up. Because if everyone did that there would still be a One Ring and Sauron would rule forever.

But we have to save the Shire. It’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. We have to believe that. I have to. I will do my part to make sure it does, but first I have to believe it’s possible. We have to take that existential terror and turn it into righteous fury because we have seen what a shadow can do and we cannot let it spread again. We have been there. But we will not go back again.

[justanotherperson1]

Apparently Sam died between the third and fourth movies, and Optimus saw it/had to watch himself fail to protect him. When Op startles back to life in Cade's barn he says things along the line of "No, no!" and "Run, Sam!". And in the fifth it's hinted to that Sam is dead, the old dude being the last of the Witwickens. Etc.

Anyways, not me thinking of the angst possibilities of Bay OP looking at Jack from TFP and remembering Sam and how he failed to protect him, dying at the hands of his own kind just because he knew the bots.

Sam.

He was just another name added to the long list of beings who died for him.

That’s what Optimus kept trying to tell himself.

Yes, Sam was the first human he had met, and like most he encountered, his time was cut short by non other than himself. How was the boy any different than the thousands that had died in Chicago? The countless unseen bodies to have gone cold, much like the numberless faceplates he had watch draw still apon Cybertron?

Even with the sentiment echoing in his aching processor, he couldn’t help but think of the beaten and bruised adolescent, spattered with his own blood carrying the Allspark into chaos, into uncertainty with a courage that could not be shaken. The boy who had pressed the cube into Megatron’s chest saving his life. The boy who stood for his kind when others of his own turned on him, that same unshaken confidence glinting in his youthful eyes.

The boy who, too, lost his warmth in his servos. His body becoming slack like a baby bird who simply had nothing left to give.

Optimus couldn’t help but think of the boy as another, Jack, partly hidden behind the frame of his counterpart accepted the Prime’s Keycard to Delta Sigma.

Another young boy being sent into endless chaos with nothing but his legs to carry him and a sliver of determination to hold on to burning in his own youthful eyes.

His Delta Sigma was raided during the war, blasted to splinters.

Now Optimus simply prayed, for the sake of himself, his younger self, the boy would still have something to find. That things could be better here.

But by Primus, he hoped above all else he did not watch himself seal the fate of such a familiar face.

[ussgallifrey]

(She Moves With) Shameless Wonder | 29

✦ Summary: Your badge clearly said SHIELD consultant, so you weren’t entirely sure where Fury was getting this whole make you an Avenger idea from. But you had a feeling it might have something to do with the recent discovery of an artifact at the bottom of the Arctic Sea.

✦ Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

✦ Warnings: Canon divergence, dialogue taken directly from Captain America: Civil War and the Marvel Civil War comic, domestic Avengers, language, official team movie nights, political discourse, references to human trafficking and kidnapping, violence.

✦ Word Count: 7.7k

✦ Playlist: Here

✦ Cinematic Soundtrack: Here

[Master List]

Grabbing a handful of M&M's from Pietro’s offered bag, you hum in consideration, giving your answer at last, “No, I think I see what you’re saying.”

“Thank you!” Natasha sighs in relief.

Tony scoffs from his position on the loveseat. He’s got one leg hanging off the side and the other bent at the knee as he tries to balance a half-finished smoothie on his chest.

“No, I’m clearly a Will-type.”

You can’t help the immediate retching sound that escapes your lips as you sputter, “You are so not.”

“I mean, I can kinda see it?” Rhodey suggests from the armest beside Tony. He just happened to be in the area today and who could say no to Chinese takeout and a movie when Stark was footing the bill?

Beside you, Steve tilts his head. His eyes, darkened in the low light, squint at the screen across the room.

“No, no. We have to be honest with ourselves here,” Natasha placates. “If Tony is anyone, it’s Jack. I mean - ”

As if to explain herself, you all find yourselves watching as Jack performs his daring escape from Norrington and the redcoats. Your eyes follow the pirate captain as he goes sailing on the rope.

“Yeah, I see it,” Steve agrees as the pirate runs across the bridge, getting shot at by Norrington’s men.

Which is followed by a rumbling agreement amongst your fellow movie-watchers.

“Fine, fine,” Tony grumbles, sitting up to run a hand through his hair as he glances around at the rest of the team. “Then tell me this, who else is supposedly dashing young Mr. Turner if not moi?”

You, Clint, Natasha, Rhodey, and Sam almost unanimously say: “Steve.”

With a groan of exasperation, Tony raises his hands in defeat, “Come on!”

“Okay, hear me out,” Natasha points with her drink at the TV. “Boyish charm, protective of the girl he’s had a crush on for ages - ”

This is met with a general hum of approval, though you don’t entirely see how that fits the bill for Steve. The supersoldier in question has his face turned away, occupied with his phone from the looks of it as the bluish-white light of the screen has his face lit up in odd angles in the otherwise darkened room.

“- jumping into a fight he may or may not be able to handle.”

“Total misunderstanding of how the world around him works - you know, with the pirates and shit,” Clint adds with a laugh.

“Awww, come on,” you call out, wrapping your hand around Steve’s left arm, giving him a squeeze of reassurance. “Lay off the guy. He’s nearly a centenarian!”

At last, he turns to look down at you, a smile blooming across his features, as he turns off his phone.

“That’s rich coming from the thirty-five-hundred-year-old sitting next to me.”

“Hey!” you accuse, removing your hand to smack him across the shoulder instead before your eyes travel across the room to the source of your disdain. “Romanoff, I thought I swore you to secrecy on that!”

“Beggars and choosers, Seven,” she grins with a wolfish smile as she tosses a piece of popcorn into her mouth. 

Damn spies. She had pulled that little tidbit out of Dionysus when he was into his fifth glass of wine during your birthday party last year.

“Captain Rogers would take on a new meaning entirely,” Vision contemplates from the island counter.

Wanda nods in agreement beside him as she finishes decorating the sugar cookies she has been working on for the better part of the afternoon.

“If Steve were to grow a beard and wield a cutlass, he would look the part.”

“A beard?” you question as you glance up at the supersoldier. “I can’t picture you with a beard.”

Steve absently rubs at his chin, smooth and stubble-free as always.

While Will begins dueling with Jack in the blacksmith’s shop, the lights in the living room suddenly brighten - leading to several groans of annoyance - and a sharp alarm rings out twice before FRIDAY jumps in.

“You have a Priority Three from Agent Hill, sir.”

The otherwise carefree expressions of the team seem to sober at once as Tony hits the pause button and stands.

“Right, conference room A, FRI. Patch her in.”

Wordlessly, the rest of you deposit your snacks and drinks and get up to follow Stark down the hall to the designated meeting area. Pietro moves to join you, but you put a hand on his shoulder and push him down.

“It’s okay. Stay here.”

He has that look on his face again, but Steve has his hand on your right elbow and he’s gently tugging you along, “We gotta go.”

Offering the teen a final look, you join the rest of the team. Wanda glances up from the cooling racks of cookies, while Vision merely watches the team disappear around the corner.

Though you enjoyed the carefree days at the Compound, you were all too aware of the fact that it was not the norm. 

FRIDAY's alarm interrupted many dinner nights, training sessions, and otherwise obligation-free evenings. Whether it was sightings of an ex-HYDRA operative shooting up a mall in Virginia or the mention of a scientist experimenting with old Chitari weaponry, you were all too used to the call for the Avengers coming in.

Hill’s already on the screen when you enter the room behind Steve. Tony has a holographic map up and two videos running on a loop. You study the city names and the topographical blue-lit mountains to get your bearings.

“This seems like a SHIELD thing, co-director. Not really an avenging thing.”

“Well,” Hill balks. “I thought this one might be of particular interest to you. This operation is just another in the latest stings we’ve conducted across the Midwest this past month.”

Taking a seat at the table, between Sam and Clint, you stare up at the flashing array of pictures from previous sting operations. There’s images of weapon cases, shootouts with masked gunmen, women. A lot of women in various states of well-being.

Tony taps on one picture in particular, enlarging it.

“Not to mention, we’ve been picking up on this more and more frequently.”

It’s an emblem of a snake. Coiled at the tail, standing upright with two visible fangs. You tilt your head to the side, studying it. Trying to remember where exactly you’ve seen this before.

Steve shares a pointed look with Sam before his gaze shifts over to you.

Oh, that’s where.

“Looks like a HYDRA knock-off,” Clint comments.

Steve nods, voice low as he says, “I was thinking the same thing.”

After their two-week-long mission in Texas, Steve had become very well acquainted with that symbol. Though it hadn’t been as graphically pleasing as this new emblem was. When he had discovered a trove of weapons caches in an abandoned storage warehouse, that image had been spray-painted onto the pallets.

Looks like whoever this group was had seriously upgraded since their last encounter with the Avengers.

“It very well could be,” Hill agrees. “Wasn’t their motto about lobbing off one head and another appearing? This could be a branch of some sort. Either way, the reason we’re calling you in tonight - ”

There’s a security feed of a hotel entrance, black and white, typical grainy quality. A woman, maybe early 20s at most, exits the building, says something to the doorman, and moves to the backseat of a waiting car.

“That’s Olivia Nichols, daughter of Jeffery Nichols - CEO of Horizon Global, a multinational corporation that has dealings all over the world. She was supposed to be en route to the airport to meet up with her friends for some kind of bachelorette party. The fact is, she never arrived. And this showed up two hours later in her father’s inbox.”

A cellphone video of a young girl, Olivia, tied to a chair, screaming into the camera appears in the hovering hologram above the conference table.

“Ransom?”

“None.”

Sharing a weary look with Natasha, you both stare at the girl’s panicked face.

“And we’re being asked to handle it because… she’s someone of importance?” Tony questions, voice calm as he flips through Hill’s transferred files.

“Well, that’s part of it,” Hill admits. “We’ve had eyes on a group operating about forty miles south of Las Vegas. Tonight, two truckloads were brought in. One might have had Olivia Nichols on it. The other…”

A final video pops up.

Two faceless guards have their hands on some boxy-looking gun. On the security camera, they aim it at a stack of wooden pallets. But instead of a simple bullet being discharged, a sharp white wave of energy shoots out from the muzzle.

“That’s Hammer tech. Son-of-a-bitch,” Tony grunts, scrubbing a hand across his chin. “Okay, so… kidnapping, illegal arms with extreme military-grade components in the hands of two-bit criminals. Is that about the gist of it?”

“Our insider says they have plans to cross the border tonight. And that they’ll have help.”

A final video appears. In it, a handful of SHIELD special ops agents are knocked out by a man in a dark combat suit. His face is obscured by a mask. The bullets do nothing to stop him as he surges forward and squeezes the neck of an agent to the point of decapitation.

“And one superpowered individual to wrap it out. Wonderful,” Rhodey comments.

Steve drums his knuckles on the table for a moment, a pensive look in his eyes as he studies the multiple videos and pictures.

“Do we have any more information on that individual?”

Hill shakes her head, “This is all I’ve got for you, Captain.”

With a nod, he glances over at Tony who remains silent for a moment as he also looks over the images.

“Right. Wheels up in ten. Hill, send the coordinates over to FRIDAY, we’ll talk when we’re up in the air.”

As you all exit the conference room, headed down to the armory to equip yourselves and suit up, you’re immediately met by both Wanda and Pietro.

“Uh…”

You shoot Steve a look as he goes to leave. He’s immediately at your side, arms crossed as he looks down at the two teenagers.

“Where are we headed?” Pietro asks brightly, bouncing on his heels.

“You? Nowhere.”

“Come on,” the boy groans. “It’s been over a year, we have been training every day. We can help. Let us come this time.”

“You know we can’t do that,” you settle.

Wanda’s eyes flash from you to Steve.

“We fought Ultron, for fuck’s sake - ” Steve flinches as the boy pushes forward with his speech. “We can handle ourselves.”

Placing a hand on the supersoldier’s shoulder, you take his place. This was not the first time you had heard this argument and you sincerely doubted it would be the last.

“We understand that. But you both know it should have never happened. You two were too young and untrained to be anywhere near a threat like that. It’s on us. Your safety is our responsibility. And, I’m sorry, but that’s one thing we’re not willing to risk.”

Pietro glares up at you with a dark look in his eyes, rage bristling along his fingertips.

“You’re going to keep training and you’re going to get better each day. And one day, you will join us in the field. But that day is not today. Now please, we need to go. Vision will stay here with you.”

“We don’t need a babysitter,” Wanda bites as she turns on her heel and walks away.

Pietro stares at you both for a moment more before he disappears in a flash, back down the hall toward the kitchen. Though you doubted that was his final destination.

Turning to look up at the supersoldier, you sigh and give a roll of your eyes.

“Let’s go.”

Steve rolls to the side, using the shield to cover his head as an electrically charged coil comes slamming down on top of him. He can feel the currents surging across the vibranium, but it’s muted compared to the wave of pain Natasha had just suffered.

Sweat soaks his uniform as the unnaturally hot temperatures of the Mojave make him swelter, even in the late-night hour.

“Tell me you got a bright idea up there, Tony.”

Stark soars past, blasting his repulsors at the masked criminal. The man merely turns around and sends his nearly thirty-foot-long coils up at the Iron Man who just barely avoids them.

“Uh, working on that.”

He chances a glance over in your direction. While they maintained the man’s attention, you and Clint had slithered away to deal with the cargo containers. One of which likely contained the missing woman.

Standing back onto his feet, he sends the shield flying at the silent fighter. It slams into his chest but seems to only send him back a foot or so before he’s slinging his electrical whips at the supersoldier once again.

One manages to coil its way around his arm and it burns. The surge of voltage ignites his blood - tears sparking at the corners of his eyes, a scream retching itself from his throat as he tries to fight it.

And then it’s gone in a breath as Steve collapses to his knees.

Sam slams into the masked man, feet first, knocking him completely off-balance.

“Got you, Cap,” he calls as he flies past for a second run at the guy.

Shoving his fist into the ground, Steve pushes himself back up once again.

“Okay, think I might have something here,” Tony calls over the comms. “It’s going to require a live bait for it to work though.”

With a sigh, Steve straightens his posture before asking, “What do you need me to do?”

When the fight is done with, and the supersoldier is sitting on the metal bench on the back of the quinjet, he finds relief in your worried eyes.

“Seriously, Rogers,” you chastise as you dab an alcohol-soaked cloth at the nasty cut above his left eye. “I leave you alone for one minute - ”

“About twenty, really.”

Your hand pauses as you fix him with a particularly heated look.

Steve offers you a crooked smile in return. With a shake of your head, you get back to cleaning him up.

“Twenty minutes, then. And look what happens to you. Were you always this reckless?”

Unable to stop the chuckle from happening, Steve looks away with a sheepish expression.

“Worse, probably.”

You make a humming noise as you go to grab one of the bandages created by the combined efforts of Stark Industries and Dr. Cho that can stitch together lacerations in the span of thirty minutes. They had been truly handy these past few missions out on the field. Mostly with Steve being the one in need of them.

“I’d believe it,” you murmur as you press down on the edge of the dressing to seal it to his skin.

When you back away to return the medical kit to its rightful organization, Steve sits up on the bench, watching your meticulous handiwork.

“How are they?” he questions.

Your body tenses for just a moment before you place the kit back in the cabinet next to the bench.

“They’ve all seen better days,” you admit.

While the team handled the guards and masked criminal - who had managed to get away, though Sam and Tony were currently flying after him - you and Clint had uncovered not a single container of weapons. Instead, you found thirty terrified women huddled together in the back of one of the shipping containers.

“The agents are getting their statements now. Most of them said they signed on to do a cash-under-the-table make-up trial. I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but that’s what I overheard.”

Based on the vacant expression on your face, Steve knows there’s far more to it than what you’re willing to say.

You had both dealt with your fair share of trafficking rings, prisoners, and HYDRA hostages before today. Steve didn’t have to ask to know what things you had likely seen when discovering the women.

When the hostages are safely secured in SHIELD’s hands and the quinjet is back in the air, they get a comm in from Tony. The masked man, apparently, disappeared about ten miles north near Mountain Pass - likely hiding out in one of the old mine shafts until the area was clear.

“Okay, we’ll get the word out,” he says from behind the controls.

A gentle hand on his shoulder has him glancing up to see you, your face already in your phone.

“I’m letting Agent 47 know now. They’ll get teams to set up a perimeter around the town. He won’t get far.”

As you continue typing, Steve gives you a nod before returning his attention to the open skies ahead of them.

Natasha subtly leans her head over in his direction, her eyes never leaving the match in front of them both, as she says,

“Twenty on Seven?”

Steve scoffs, watching as you gather Clint’s wrists together in one hand and pull him up and over your shoulder before bodyslamming him into the mats.

“It’s not really proper betting if we’re both betting on the same person, Nat.”

She hums in return as if to say fair enough, as the pair continue to watch the two of you spar.

He’s leaning on the edge of the mat, peering between the ropes as Clint uses his folded bow like a spear, slamming it onto your shoulder before going for a close-quarters jab to your abdomen.

Steve knows you’re holding back for Barton’s sake. Likely Natasha and the archer also know this fact. But you’re acting like you’re giving it your all.

His eyes become transfixed on the flexing of your biceps, the heaving of your chest as sweat rolls down your neck - dangling on your pendant before falling into the sweet divet of your breasts. It’s not very often that you dress in such a way - a dark sports bra and leggings, similar to what Natasha dones during training - but today it’s your outfit of choice. And Steve is definitely noticing.

He can feel the flush of heat near his ears and cheeks, as well as the rapid beat of his heart as you move around the ring like a gladiator. You flash him a smile as you charge at Clint, tackling him around the torso as you slam him into the ropes.

“OH!” Steve cheers.

“You got this, Clint,” Natasha calls out behind the clap of her hands. Though she immediately leans back over to the supersoldier and mutters, “He’s going to whine about this for days.”

With a laugh, he returns to singing your praises. Cheering you on as you corner the archer once again.

“Come on, we’re buddies, right?” Clint plays, eyeing an escape near your right side as he wipes the sweat from his brow.

“Co-workers at best,” you return with a wild smile as you capture his left forearm in your hand, twisting him around your back.

“That hurts, Seven.”

You let out a breathless chuckle as your hands find purchase on your bare hips.

“No, that actually hurts. What the hell did you do?”

At his concerned voice, your body language changes in an instant as you lean down to look at his wrist, “Are you okay? I swear I didn’t - ”

Clint lets out a triumphant hah as he latches his hands around your neck and physically pulls you up and over his body, slamming your back into the mats behind him. You’re on your feet in a second, crouching down low as you fix him with a predatory look.

“Ooh,” Natasha whistles. “Now you’ve awoken the God.”

“Oh shit,” he stumbles back.

You’re on top of the archer, pinning him down with your thighs and hands. Steve can’t make his gaze move away from the arch of your back before his eyes slowly travel down lower and lower.

“Sorry, Captain Rogers. Miss Romanoff. Mr. Barton. The Goddess Athena.”

Steve pulls away from the ring as he looks up at the ceiling where FRIDAY’s voice has come from. You’re off of Clint, offering him a hand as Natasha joins the supersoldier’s side.

“What is it, FRIDAY?”

“Uh… sir is requesting the team’s presence in Conference Room 2B. He says to tell you that Secretary… Dickless is here, Captain Rogers.”

His eyes move over to Nat.

He hears Clint’s wheezing laugh behind him, followed by your soft chuckle, as the archer manages out, “It’s true sir. This man has no dick.”

“No more Ghostbusters for you,” you say.

“Come on, it’s a classic.”

As Clint and Nat move ahead together - Steve hears her murmur something about needing to work on his footwork - you linger behind with the supersoldier. He turns his gaze on you, but you seem to be focused on the hallway ahead.

“What do you think this is about?” he inquires as the others move ahead through the double set of doors leading up to the stairs.

You pause for a moment, working over your thoughts.

“The SRA if I had to hazard a guess.”

His brows furrow as he stares down at you, “I thought Stark said those were dead on arrival?”

“Nothing in politics is ever truly guaranteed. Best case scenario, it’s an intimidation tactic. I mean…” you resume walking, Steve’s just a step behind you. “The guy’s been after Bruce ever since New York - before New York actually. He might be trying to pull a power move to make us give up his location.”

Steve lets that thought mull over for a moment as you head up the stairs, side-by-side.

Tony’s set up the meeting in the room furthest away from the main living space - right near the entrance to the residence building. And when he enters behind you, he lets out an internal breath of relief when he notices that the twins are not in attendance.

They shouldn’t - would never - be anywhere near the Secretary of State.

Ross is speaking with one of his aides as everyone finds a seat at the conference table. He wedges in next to Sam, while you find a spot between Natasha and Tony. You lean back to say something to the billionaire, careful to keep your words low - too low for even Steve to hear.

“Should I be worried?” Sam asks.

Steve turns to look back at his friend.

“Why? Do anything illegal lately?” he attempts a smile.

Sam shakes his head, “Man, our whole existence has basically been one act of defiance after the other.”

When Ross steps up, silence settles across the room. Steve immediately fixes his expression to be one of unmoving stoicness. He had faced down drill sergeants and SHIELD directors before. He knew how to school his features.

“Five years ago,” the Secretary starts. “I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turns out it was the best round of my life because, after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the army had never taught me. Perspective.”

Steve catches your eye from across the table.

“The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt.”

He immediately senses the but to that sentence as he crosses his arms.

“You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives but while a great many people see you as heroes…”

There it is.

“There are some… who would prefer the word vigilantes.”

Natasha, never missing a beat, asks, “What word would you use, Mr. Secretary?”

He looks up, fixing the woman with a look, “How about dangerous?”

The man takes a moment to stare each of them down with his gaze. Steve can sense the physically unrestrained disdain he has for them all. Prejudice was not so easily hidden.

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

As the Secretary moves to the side of the table, the projector behind him lights up with a display. Steve has to restrain the roll of his eyes as he prepares himself. The man made a presentation. God help them all.

A black and white map appears with yellow labels. Without even reading them, Steve knows exactly where this is headed before a clip of Tony flying away from a Leviathan appears.

“New York.”

Rhodes looks away as a cellphone video of the Hulk jumping from a tall building down to the street - near the cameraperson - takes over.

“Washington D.C.”

Sam’s posture is rigid as a video of one of the hellicarriers crashing into the Potomac plays.

“Johannesburg.”

The Hulkbuster suit slams into the ground before the Hulk knocks it off-screen.

“London.”

A surge of Iron Legion bots swarms down upon the city as you slam the Abomination into the side of a museum building, fire sparking in the background.

“Sokovia.”

The city is ablaze. Dark black smoke chokes out the sky as drones of silver bots attack the civilian populace. A woman’s decapitated head -

“Okay,” he bites. “That’s enough.”

Ross, looking entirely pleased, nods at his aide to turn off the presentation.

“For the past four years, you’ve operated with unlimited power and no supervision - ”

“FRIDAY,” Steve turns in his seat as your voice, calm and steady, calls out, “Play archival clip A7 Rio de Janeiro 8.”

Without a word in return, a video appears on the projector behind Ross - who, if looks could kill, Steve assumes the entire room, the projector included, would be in flames.

A security camera quality video shows a team of armed guards outside of a building, firing at a creature. There’s an explosion before the screen goes dark.

“And A7 Culver 4,” your voice has the bristles of rage stemming from it now as you cross your arms over your chest.

Another security camera. A long glass hallway, smoke grenades. 

“And Culver 5.”

An exterior shot of armed men on a grass lawn, firing at a college campus. Large sonic cannons and tanks.

As you settle back in your seat, Tony perks up from the end of the table.

“And hey, FRI, while we’re at it, do you have anything from Harlem on the night of… oh, let’s say… June 4, 2010?”

Ross’ face turns so incredibly red that Steve almost believes a second heart attack is imminent as clips from the Dual of Harlem play out behind him. You had told him all about that particular mission; the clean-up process of securing the Abomination.

As you share a smile with Tony, Ross slowly attempts to gather his composure - straightening his tie.

“You know, since we’re playing out this trip down memory lane,” Tony smirks. “Figured fair was only fair since you and the SOCC were operating within sovereign borders, correct?”

“That was a military operation sanctioned by the US Government,” Ross warbles.

“Oh?” you question, straightening in your seat as you rise to the occasion. “Shall I have FRIDAY bring up the files for Operation: Buster as well?”

“Also a sanctioned operation. Whereas this team is not.”

“By the way, who exactly invited you here? I’m not in the habit of giving out invites to government officials who enjoy sniping my armor from me,” Tony questions with a tilt of his head.

“I did.”

Steve and the rest of the team turn toward the door as Hill walks in. Dressed in her usual tactical suit, but with her hair down, the co-director of SHIELD moves into the conference room. Standing opposite Ross near the front of the table, she keeps her hands behind her back and her chin high as she refuses to meet even one person’s gaze.

Settling his hands on the edge of the table, Ross regains his previous speech back from your hands.

“Unless you would like to bring up videos of you and the god Thor destroying this great city…” your silence lingers for a moment too long, allowing the Secretary to continue. “As I was saying, this is an arrangement that the government and many governments around the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have the solution.”

Steve stares at the heavy booklet that his aide hands over to Ross.

“The SRA; the Superhuman Registration Act.”

The legislation is passed from Clint to Rhodes then Natasha. Down the table, it goes before it lands in front of Steve.

114-23: The Superhuman Registration Act stares back at him.

“Approved by fifty-four Congressmen and women it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization.”

Steve’s gaze lands on Tony. That was more than what the billionaire had claimed. Apparently, the Democrats were more than willing to jump the aisle. 

“Instead, they’ll operate under the supervision of a government panel. Anyone wishing to use their powers in an official capacity will register with the government. They’ll go through the proper avenues of training and testing before they can be allowed out in the field to defend the people of this country.”

“Just this country?” Steve questions as he raps his knuckles against the book before passing it along to Tony.

“Allied nations, of course,” Ross supplements.

Steve, unable to keep his mouth closed now that he’s opened it stares up at the Secretary as he says, “The Avengers were formed to make this world a safer place. I feel we’ve done that.”

Ross immediately counters, “Tell me, Captain. Do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of thirty-ton megaton nukes - ”

Before he can respond, you chime in, “The Virgin Islands.”

With the man’s attention turned on you, you offer him your sneeriest smile.

“I just spoke to them yesterday. They’ve been enjoying a thoroughly wonderful vacation in one of your territories.”

The Secretary clears his throat, signaling to his aide.

Your secretive smile curves further as Steve catches your eye. Clever girl is what he wishes he could say to you.

“Compromise,” he restarts as he moves back to the head of the table. “Reassurance. That’s how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.”

Rhodes looks down at Tony before he addresses the Secretary, “So, there are contingencies.”

“Three days from now, this piece of legislation will be up for a vote in the Senate. After that, the House. Talk it over.”

Having apparently said his fill, Ross and his aide move to leave.

Clint looks back at the Secretary as he retreats, “And what if we come to a decision you don’t like?”

Ross pauses near the door, by Tony’s chair.

“Then you retire.”

Nodding at his aide, the two disappear into the hallway.

“Don’t let the door… smack your stupid ass on the way out,” Tony mutters to himself, dragging a hand down his face.

“How’s it going, Maria?” Clint chatters as he kicks his feet up onto the edge of the table.

Steve turns his attention back to the co-director as she saunters over to the table.

“It was necessary.”

“Inviting Thunderbolt Ross to our house? That was necessary?” Tony questions with a biting tone. “Thanks for the memo, by the way. Minutes before it happened.”

He feels his fingers tightening into a fist on the table before he forces himself to relax his hand.

“While you guys have been galavanting around the world, mission to mission, I’ve been trying to rebuild SHIELD from the ground up. Do you know what kind of measures I’ve had to implement to get the government to trust us as an official entity once again?”

“Once Insight went to shit, you had the country in an uproar - screaming at their senators and representatives, demanding we get disbanded. But then I’d just be handing over control to the Army. And… I think we all know how well that went over…”

Her gaze moves from the table to the door in which Ross had just exited.

“A little compromise with them is going to lead to us still being able to function in any real capacity. The next time aliens decide to attack New York, we’ll actually be able to handle it instead of having a higher government panel choose to nuke the city. That’s why I brought Ross in.”

“So… instead of us getting to decide when and where we need to be, we’ll have... who exactly doing the deciding?”

With a sigh, Hill looks from Tony to Steve, trying to maintain their gaze.

“This is a way to get your foot in the door to negotiate your terms. Stark, you know all about that.”

Seeing that she’s still not garnered an inch of trust, she pushes on, “I did this to give Ross the impression that he’s got the power here. But, come on, you guys have two Gods on your side. That’s more than enough to sway things in your favor.”

“Our favor, or SHIELD’s?”

Steve raises his head as you fix Hill with a bristling look.

The co-director straightens her posture, smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles on her suit.

“Both. It’s mutually beneficial legislation.”

Movement from across the table catches the supersoldier’s eye. You push yourself away from the table, ignoring Natasha’s worried eyes and Tony’s words of complaint.

“Agent Seven,” Hill uses her commanding tone to gain your attention like you were just another soldier who would just fall in line at the snap of her fingers.

While your brow is raised in question, you merely cross your arms and stare at the co-director.

“I’m sorry. I thought these were human affairs. As someone who is in fact in-human, I don’t think it’s necessary for me to sit here any longer and hear bull spew from your lips.”

Hill recoils before schooling her features, “You might not be human, but you do choose to live here amongst us and work with us.”

You shrug your head to the side, “That can always change.”

And then you’re out of the room before the woman can even form a rebuttal.

“Smooth,” Rhodey grimaces as he turns in his chair to look at the rest of the team.

Steve watches your retreating form, your steps hurried as you disappear down the hallway. Without much more thought, he’s up and out of his chair.

“Captain Rogers.”

He turns, offering her an equally neutral look, “Yes, co-director?”

“Steve,” she attempts instead, trying to play to his humanity like it wasn’t the oldest trick in the book.

“Hill. Don’t try and play politics with me. We need to stay above this stuff or we get Washington telling us who the villains are. I’ve seen it happen before and I’m not interested. If you’ll excuse me,” and then he’s out the door, going in the same direction you had.

He can hear someone call his name, Natasha he thinks, but he’s at a half-jog now, trying to catch up to you.

But Tony’s faster as he speeds around the corner - a hand reaching out to stop the supersoldier before he can get much farther than the end of the corridor.

“Hey, look - ”

Steve turns around, gaze sharp and posture rigid.

“Whoa, at ease. What I was going to say,” Tony sighs, raking a hand through his hair, “before you decided to run off was… we’re all on the same page here, Rogers. Fuck Ross, fuck the SRA. We’re not gonna have Yoko come in and try to split up the band.”

Steve blinks, “What?”

“Yoko… as in Ono? Oh, for fucks sake I thought you already covered this. Beatles, circa ‘69. The Let It Be album. Trust me, you’ll get the reference eventually. Point is! We’re sticking together in telling Hill to suck it, alright?”

“Got it,” he mutters, gazing down the opposite end of the hallway.

“Right, just wanted to…” Tony reaches out, lightly tapping his shoulder once, twice, before he backs off. “Go and find your girl, or whatever.”

“She’s not my - ”

But the amused look on the billionaire’s face keeps him from finishing the sentence.

Because while you might not technically be Steve’s, most people would assume that wherever you were he likely wasn’t far behind. In every sense but the literal, you were Steve’s girl. Even he acknowledges that now.

The hallways filter off into three directions: the stairs to the lower levels - your quarters, the hall that leads to the living space and kitchen, and the third which splits off toward more empty meeting rooms and offices.

You were too worked up to go where the twins might be located, which nixed the first two halls. He ducks down the third instead. Glancing into each room he passes, but finds them to all be darkened and notably empty. 

“FRIDAY?” he calls out. “Do you have a location on Athena?”

“The Goddess Athena is not inside the Compound at this time, Captain Rogers.”

“Not inside the…” Steve mulls, glancing around the hall.

But then his eyes land on a final set of doors that lead out to a small garden area. It was a part of the building that had seen little to no use since Tony opened the Compound up to them all.

But Steve pushes open the door anyway. The stone-lined patio is also devoid of one particular goddess. However, his eyes travel over to a dark-stone-lined path that wraps around the corner of the fenced-in patio space. Having never ventured out this way himself, he’s actually sort of surprised to see you sitting on the edge of the covered dock along the river.

He doesn’t keep his approach quiet, giving you time to tell him off - to tell him to go away. But you don’t say a word.

You’ve got your leggings pushed up to your knees as you dangle your bare feet into the water. Tiny goosebumps cover your arms and neck as he draws near, dropping down beside you on the wooden deck.

“You have an uncanny habit of finding me, Rogers.”

Your voice is soft and lithe in the cool air of the early summer day. The clouds overhead are a subdued gray, thick rolling waves against an equally dull sky. The right kind of weather to match the conversation they had all been dragged into, he surmises.

“More of a hobby.”

Your eyes meet his and a half-smile graces the curve of your lips as you briefly take him in.

Removing his own shoes and socks, Steve slowly rolls the cuffs of his pant legs up high enough before he too eases his feet into the cool murky waters of the Hudson. With his hands folded in his lap, he watches the river flow past, allowing that lingering bit of silence to last a few minutes more.

But, eventually, he can’t help himself.

“What do you make of it?”

Your wary eyes meet his before you focus your attention back to the river.

“Whether they’ll happen or not?”

He gives a half-hearted shrug, “I suppose.”

You lean back, your hands splaying out against the wooden boards behind you, “I suppose there’s a higher chance now than there was before. If it gets through the Senate and eventually the House, you’ll just have to hope that Tony works his way with Ellis to dispel disaster before it hits.”

“We will?”

Your expression seems to say oh, caught that, did you? While Steve’s own brow furrows.

“Like I said, I’m not a permanent resident of this country. I could come and go and never be truly affected by any law they put in place.”

“Leave the team? Just like that?”

Before annoyance can cloud his mind, your left shoulder bumps into his right.

“I never said I wanted to. Just stating a fact. This whole bill… it’s a human issue, Steve,” your eyes meet his gaze. “It’s none of my business, really.”

Heaving a sigh, he drops his hands on either side of his body, feeling the smooth grain of the wood beneath his fingertips.

“And if I asked you what your true opinion on the SRA is?”

“I would say…” your hand seems to move to the pendant around your neck as your fingers draw circles over the locket itself for a few quiet beats. “That I could see some merits with it, in all honesty.”

Drawing one foot out of the water, you bend your leg at the knee as you turn to face him.

“Don’t get me wrong, with the right administration behind the wheel this could be a genuine good thing to enact. But the wrong government… well, then you get things like Insight.” 

With a sigh, you twist your fingers together. Steve can’t help himself from reaching out a hand to stop the motion. 

A bubble of laughter escapes your lips as you allow him to entwine your left hand with his right. Despite the amount of work you do, the fighting and sparring, your hands are smooth beneath his touch. Warm, despite the chilly air.

“I think… it wouldn’t hurt to have some sort of oversight, to keep things in check at times. I mean, there’s the entire Iron Legion debacle. Or… if we were to send Wanda and Pietro out now. You and I both know they need more training. If there are more people out there like them… I can’t imagine if they were just allowed to be out in the world with whatever powers they might possess with little to no combat training. It’d be like…”

Your free hand gestures outward as you try to think of the right analogy. Steve gets lost in the exasperated curl of your lips.

“Like… sending out your boot camp cadet for D-Day, you know? And honestly,” your voice grows soft, more somber in tone as your fingers tighten in his hold. “Ross had a point. Thor, Bruce, me - we are like nuclear warheads in the wrong place. We’re a destructive force never meant for the likes of humanity.”

“Please don’t say that,” Steve implores as he forces you to meet his eyes. “I mean it.”

With a nod, your eyes remaining on his, your hands tightening into an enclosed grip, you say, “Sometimes, it would be good to have someone keeping things in check. Even on a small scale, like… deciding who would be best equipped to handle a mission and who would be better to have on standby. Or, god, I don’t know. Not having two Gods entering a foreign country to threaten security guards for intel might be a good idea.”

Yeah, even Steve will admit that wasn’t the height of their crowning achievements. He lets the cool water rippling around his calves and feet settle him down to a point that his thoughts won’t be construed as angry.

“While I understand that,” he begins. “I just can’t see this working in our favor, at all.”

Giving a solemn nod, your hand slips from his hold.

“Even in a liberally-minded president’s hands, anything can be turned in the blink of an eye. Freedom disappearing overnight in the name of national security.”

Images of Project Insight play out in his mind. SHIELD had targeted millions across the country with their play at securing public safety. Every member of the team, the President, and millions of civilians of varying ages and creeds. Though it had been taken over by HYDRA, Fury had originally green-lit the project. That had been his solution for the attack on New York.

And now, after four years, this was the government’s solution to, well, them. The Avengers Initiative.

No, Steve wasn’t going to sit by the wayside and let the team be touched by the same people who had tried to nuke Manhattan, who had chased Bruce across the world, or who had tried to take the suit from Tony.

“You’ve got that face again.”

The supersoldier blinks, taking in your smile. Your eyes seem more radiant in the sunlight now as you begin to laugh.

“What face?” he questions with a quiet chuckle.

“The face you get whenever you plan to do something incredibly stupid.”

Steve shoves at your shoulder and you actually allow him to push you back. But then your right hand dips into the river and suddenly he’s got a spray of water in his face. And then he’s drawing his own legs out of the water and he’s crawling after your retreating form as you kick back at him with a high-pitched series of giggles, but he wraps his arms around your knees. And then he’s dragging you toward him, your body prone and your chest heaving as you recline against the deck.

Your hair is splayed outward around your head and your cheeks are tight with laughter as you settle him with a warm look and god he should just do it, just lean his lips down and capture your lips finally, fucking finally after all of these years.

“Oh, Rogers,” you sigh - your hand lifting up to ruffle his hair.

Steve ducks his head into your touch, eyelids fluttering as your fingers dig in.

“What am I going to do with you?”

Leaning his head down, his lips almost coming in contact with your very close and very warm chest, Steve mutters, “I could think of a few things.”

Your hand stalls and he wants to kick himself for saying anything at all, but as he lifts his head, he finds your easy smile, and all other thoughts seem to fade away as you huff out a breath, your knee shoving into his abdomen.

“God, you’re heavy.”

Knowing the moment for anything has long since passed him by once again, he plays the usual teasing card as he winces at your sharp kneecap.

“Okay, okay, I’m going. I’m going.”

As you sit up, smoothing your hair away from your face, and as he stands back up to offer you a hand of help, your sparkling eyes meet his gaze.

“Not too far, hopefully.”

As he clutches your hand, helping to pull you up to your feet, your body just a breath apart from his, he mutters, “Never. That’s a promise.”

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

[stardewremixed]

🎆 Fireworks Headcanon 🎆

(And subsequently Independence Day ones since this is 4th of July where I'm from).

Alex- not really a big fan but would toss around the gridball on the beach while waiting for them to start. Super nostalgic about the picnic though. Used to do that with his mom. All the favorites (and Granny doesn't disappoint). Carries the basket out and helps her setup and even tries to get Grandpa George in the spirit by asking about his old war stories.

Abigail - loves them and would raid her dad's secret (illegal) stash to get the big ones to set off with Sam. Drags Seb into her shenanigans. Ends the night with a big bonfire on the beach, telling scary ghost stories. Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Not this gal.

Elliott - Earlier in the day, he's a bit annoyed by the sudden appearance of so many people on the beach. He wanders off to contemplate a poem about patriotism and glory. Might crack open a pale ale at the Stardrop before heading to the waterfront. He is a romantic so of course, he loves fireworks! Preferably in a little boat out in the ocean, away from the crowds. Maybe stealing time with Farmer (or if not in a relationship, with Leah).

Emily - has a little fireworks dance! Magic! Trying to pull Haley outside to enjoy but her sister won't budge. Emily is passing out little flags to her friends and neighbors. And she's decked out in patriotic colors, handmade bandana and hair bows and all.

Harvey - is too busy treating the idiots who set off fireworks and got burned to really enjoy them. Might start some "sparks" of his own if Farmer comes to drag him outside to enjoy. *wiggles eyebrows* They are far more exciting than fireworks (and something about these fiery lights in the night sky is romantic... or at least that's what someone once told him). Absolutely sipping wine coolers once he's off duty.

Haley - smoke messes with her hair and makeup and clothes and no... that would be a hard no. But she does enjoy holiday sales earlier in the day, stocking up on her favorite treats, athleisure wear, and cosmetics.

Leah - She's moderately interested in fireworks, and may feign more interest for the sake of Elliott. Wanders off into the forest to enjoy quiet. In honor of the "rebel spirit," she skinny dips in the Cindersap Lake and embraces "one with nature" vibes.

Sam - loves them! He's probably setting off the big (illegal) ones. Don't tell Lewis. Organizes a beach volleyball game, pulls in Seb and Abi, Alex, and maybe even Penny, but promptly gets distracted when he remembers he's supposed to rehearse for the official town ceremony. He also plays the national anthem (rock ballad style, of course), and tears up every time.

Maru - will try and explain all the scientific properties to you - how fireworks actually work. Robin will remind her not to bore you to tears. Demetrius is so proud of his little girl. What else is new? The smoke bothers her eyes a bit though during the actual show so she may just turn in a bit early.

Sebastian -gets dragged into shenanigans with Sam and Abigail. Slinks off to steal a smoke on a dark corner of the beach. Ducks out early to go watch old movies in the cool of his basement. It's too noisy and hot out there anyway. He would, however, be up for snuggles.

Shane - meh! Sells them at JojaMart. Would toss around a gridball with Alex first for kicks and giggles. Could prove his superiority in a hot dog eating contest. Probably burns off an eyebrow trying to set a firework off for Jas (and plays it off like it's no big deal).

Penny - enjoys them, but is busy trying to corral Vincent who wants to get too close and Jas who's a little scared (and upset about Shane being injured). Earlier in the day, she gets pulled into Sam's beach volleyball game. It's a good opportunity to wear her cute orange bikini. While she's always nervous about showing skin, today she's feeling a bit braver.

[rayssion]

Let's chat about Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard!!

So not me saying 'tomorrow' then proceed to delay that tomorrow for as long as possible, not my fault though! Each time I decide to write the review people just be like "oh, look at her, she seems at peace, let me just go.... Annoy her" that's my family summarised btw.

But yeah, we're finally here!

First off, the general rating for me is 4.5 for the entire series.

Now let's talk about somethings:

As a matter of fact, there's nothing I hate in this books like wth why dose it have to be this good??? Which translates to: I'm just going to fangirl, that's it, just FANGIRL.

I also want to establish that I didn't know not even a single thing about Norse mythology before reading these books. I didn't even know what Norse meant guys, I'm hopless like that. And even after they explained them a little my brain is still stuck at the "they're fancy vikings" setting lol I'm sorry.

So my whole Norse "knowledge" comes from, you guessed it, how to train your dragon🤡. It's bad, I know I know, yet it's still a start right? Like dude I never watched any Thor movie before (in my defense, it's not horror, and I enjoy horror) so just to put it simply, I don't know shit about Norse mythology.

Which is good btw!! Me not knowing anything about the mythology is actually good to measure how much Rick is good at explaining things that are totally new.

The first book took me two days to finish because it's like an introduction, so there were many new words and terms that my small brain couldn't keep track with, so I suppose you can really enjoy the series as a reread more than first time reading. Guys, it took me days to learn how to pronounce ginunngagap. So unless you already have a background on Norse mythology (not jumping into the books like stupid me) I feel like one's can't see the books true potential.

Alright, so we laid the ground about me being an uncultured swine, now we have the writing: we got the classic Rick's first person pov writing style that he went for in the original series pjo. But I got to note that it clearly improved, I can see that he was trying to step out of narrator Percy's shadow as he wrote mcga and toa, seeing that he wrote Magnus as an oblivious kid who's trying to stay out of everyone's business as much as he can, and he wrote Lester with no heroism in him whatsoever at the start. So clearly he wanted something to add contrast and volume to his universe and that's quite good. He achieved his goal with toa much more than in mcga in my opinion. Magnus, as lovely as he is, still finds time to roast people the good old Percy Jackson way, in other words you can see the resemblance between the two characters at some points. (I didn't include tkc because for me, Sadie and Carter are like Percy devided into two people, the fierce rushy personality went with Sadie, and the trying-to-pretend-to-be-calm-so-as-to-improvise-a-plan personality went with Carter, yet the two of them can be be snarky at their times).

To be Frank with you guys, not much of a character development happens during the books, I mean yes, Sam stands against her dad, and we get Amir into the picture, but yeah that's it. I guess the character who got the most change was Randolph, we love a little remedy arc at the end.

Oh other thing I like to point, Muslims don't call mosques you know "mosques" we call them Masjids (Masjid, sing.) I see it's a little slip but I prefer if it never happened, because mosque actually means "house of mosquito" so, yeah.

We also have the matter of Sam's hijab, I'd like to say that's not how being a hijabi works but I don't want to start a religious war here. Let's just say, you don't just wear your hijab when you want and not wear it when you don't want. What's the point then, if I can easily just go with my head uncovered? But we're not having this conversation, most of you won't be interested in this anyways.

And another thing! I've seen all these fanarts of Alex in the wedding dress (because I'm a sucker for Alex) and I wanted to point out, Alex was disguised as Samirah, Samirah is Muslima so her wedding dress would be, you know, Muslim friendly? Idk. But yeah, it should at least be ancle lengthed with high neck and long sleeves and the veil must be thick to cover her hair, like a hijab. Also it should be wide/big a little not clenching to her body. Just a little advice for artists there :).

Now that we spoke about Sam, can we talk about Alex? Tbh I like, knew nothing about genderfluidism(?) before this book (I read it on some blogs here on Tumblr and I imagined something totally different so I'll spear you my pathetic story) so it was nice learning new things with Rick. Like bro, in my head Alex is mostly a boy yet when I rant to my aunt I mostly use she/her. It confused the heck out of me during the first chapters actually. But I'm proud to say that I FIGURED OUT THAT LOKI WAS HER/HIS MOM LIKE BY MYSELF WAY BEFORE THE BIG REVEAL SO YEAH I'M HELLA PROUD.

I love Alex. Nothing else to say, I'm infatuated.

And yet if I'm infatuated with Alex then I'm fucking ready to die for Magnus at any given time! The boy is just so adorable!! He's so sweet even if he's being sarcastic like I just want to kidnap him and keep him in my pocket forever! I wanna hug him and pat his back, ruffle his hair and kiss his forehead because he deserves it! I just love him guys! Everything about him is just so endearing even if he was being a coward he's still lovely! I know I'm not making any sense here I just want you to know that I'm head over heels for him. Also I wanted to say that one of the things I really admired about his character is that he's never the fighter, I love how everyone else would be plunging into the battle and he'd just stand there waiting for either a chance to bargain with the enemy or an injury that he must heal. I love how Rick went out of the line this time and chose a god that, tbh, we'd never hear about him on regular basis. Like in pjo we had our protagonist Percy, son of Poseidon who's one of the big three, tkc we have Carter and Sadie channelling the power of Hores and Isis, major gods and Hores is the king or the gods, hoo's heroes are kids of the Olympians and Apollo is like, an Olympian god himself. So it was a nice turn to have Frey a neutral god who's concern is to live in peace, having our protagonist's main power to be healing or like disarming people, nothing big or fancy, yet it fits so much! Like my boy just wants to live a simple quite life (with a transgender genderfluid partner if possible and practically canon gay parents) even when there's an enemy he's like "can't I just go stand there and then a miracle happens and I don't need to fight them anymore?" Gosh I love him.

Magnus and Lester are just so relatable and so average-human-coded that you can't help but love them!

And I liked how most of the characters are also lovable, like the whole floor 19? They're just the best family and I'd be so delighted to spend eternity with them (till Ragnarok at least) I really love their dynamics. And then we have Blitz and Hearth and oh boy how much do I love hearth! I was like that's my soulmate out there pretty much since he was introduced. I'm not joking guys, these people out there have one of the best found families ever.

I also wanted to note that I'm kind of a sucker for villains like especially those who are antihero much. So, confession time, I kinda liked Luke back in pjo, I liked Set in tkc, and like Apollo himself I might simped once or twice for the emprors. The thing I wanted to say is! First book I like liked liked Loki, ngl till the end I found him fancy. Like if he wasn't so much interested in Ragnarok and world ending and whatever I might even put him with my favourite characters. Like, why do villains have to be hot?? If you don't want me to simp then don't make them hot! (What am I doing guys, I must seek help wtf)

Another topic, people would be oohhh percabeth omg omg and I'd be awww big sister Annabeth is the best! Like have you seen those Annabeth and Magnus scenes??? Bro let me tell you I'm fucking dead, like they're the best cousins out there, like that's so cuttee!!

This's a p.s actually but I wanted to say another thing, about the ending of the ship of the dead, yes it was emotional, yes I teared up. But don't you guys feel like there's much more to it? Like I'm sorry but how could we not return to the fact that Magnus can talk to birds now (Disney Princess™)? Or how in the first place can he talk to them, hearth himself doesn't know if his father had the ability. Speaking about fathers, the visions that Magnus saw about Alex's father, are we just going to pass them like they never happened? Guys idk I feel like there are some plot holes that might be left intentionally (hopefully for a next book sometime) and I also feel like there's something wrong with the gods, like the last scenes we had with them, I might be paranoid but I really feel like Frey was hiding something. Anyways yeah, that's what I wanted to add.

So this barely covers anything from the feelings I had reading this series (because I'm a sensitive bitch who visibly tremble and scream while reading fluff) but yeah, I must hurry up a little, so next thing we have is a couple of screenshots I took cuz why not? Some of them might even be out of context but I like it.

So I was going to post them in different posts and tag them here and Tumblr just said NO ") so yeah ig.

Hope you guys enjoyed this review (which is me basically simping as always) I'm like 100 pages into tsats now, hopefully I'll come back to talk about it soon.

Have a nice day/night♡!!

[mrsstruggle]

The Lost Child - Chapter 34 // Teen Wolf x Marvel AU

Summary: Y/N Stark was taken from her family when she was three years old. It's fifteen years later and her family believes she is dead. Then how is she living in Beacon Hills?

Warnings: Language, Mentions of Death/Injury/Grief/Torture, Possible Grammar Mistakes (please let me know if there is anything else)

Pairings: Derek Hale x Reader, Steve Rodgers x Bucky Barnes, Bruce Banner x Natasha Romanoff, Vision x Wanda Maximoff, & More To Come

Previous Pairings: Tony Stark x Pepper Potts, Scott McCall x Allison Argent

Words: 5.5k

Note: Sorry this is so late!

Additional Note: While this is a Teen Wolf x Marvel AU, not everything is true to the shows/movies/comics. I had to change things for the story.

One Last Note: Y/N was adopted by Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. I did this so more people can see themselves in this story.

***I do not own Teen Wolf or Marvel or any related characters. This is a work of fanfiction and is meant for entertainment purposes only.***

Masterlist

The Lost Child Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

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Everyone was quiet as they made their way through the woods toward the hunter's safe house. The only sound that could be heard was the crunching of leaves and sticks beneath their feet. Y/N knows it's wrong, but she wishes she was Allison right now so she wouldn't have to deal with everything.

Stiles doesn't like the silence but it's taking everything in him to break it. He's worried that if he starts talking then he won't be able to stop. He's also not sure if he wants to accidentally piss off anyone who's in charge of protecting his life.

As much as he's annoyed at everything that has happened and that has come to light, he also can't help but have a little fanboy moment inside his head. He's about to head into battle with the Avengers. The last time they stormed a place he had been sidelined. Now, he's walking through the woods, about to go into a little war with the hunters, with the Avengers suited up next to him. It's like a dream he always had but also mixed with a nightmare he always had.

He watches Y/N from the back of the group as she and Chris lead them to the safe house. He doesn't like that he's been paired with Liam and Peter, but it could be worse. He could be paired up with Peter Hale. He wouldn’t make it out alive if that were the case.

"Are we almost there?" Peter Hale asks.

"Why? Do you have somewhere better to be?" Scott questions.

"Yes. I was thinking about asking your mother out again."

"Wait, what?" Sam looks between Scott and Peter, confused about what he just heard. How old is this guy and why does it seem like he only hangs out with teenagers? He knows Peter is Derek's uncle, but he also dated one of these kids' mothers?

"Ignore him." Derek rolls his eyes at his uncle. He just wants to get this over with. He's tired of having to deal with the Argents and the Avengers. He wants to go home, wrap Y/N up in a warm blanket, and not leave their bedroom until they have to. This past week has caused him too much stress and he's over it.

Y/N comes to a stop and waits for the others to stand around her, "We'll split up here. Remember, Sam, Bucky, and Malia, you'll take the right side. Kira, Natasha, and Wanda, you'll follow them but then split off to the north side. Scott and Steve, you're going to the left side. Stiles, Liam, and Peter, you'll follow them. You're in charge of killing the Anuk-Ite, so good luck with that."

Chris takes off his backpack before unzipping it and holding it out to everyone, "Everyone take a walkie-talkie. I'm sure these aren't as advanced as some of you are used to, but they'll do. I've already set them to the correct channel but it's channel 7 if you mess it up."

"Radio in if you feel the Anuk-Ite so Stiles and them know where to go. He has the mountain ash to kill it so don't try killing it yourself," Y/N says while everyone grabs a walkie-talkie. "Also, radio if you need help. While we have an idea of what we're up against, there could be more and some of you have never had to fight these types of creatures before. They are very different from your space aliens."

"Anything else?" Stiles asks.

"Yeah, don't die."

"How are you not a motivational speaker?"

"Okay, let's go before they do this for another twenty minutes," Scott says, walking away from the group to the left where Y/N told him to go. Steve presses a quick kiss to Bucky's lips and murmurs something under his breath to him before following Scott.

"Radio in when you're in place!" Y/N yells out to Scott.

The rest of the Avengers watch as Y/N and Stiles lock their pinky fingers and promise each other they won't die. Y/N doesn't know it, but she's done that since before Pepper gave her away. Anytime they'd go on a mission she'd make them promise they were going to come back. She believed that pinky promises were a binding promise and that there was no way you could break them. It's little things like that that let them know that the girl they knew is still there, just a bit different.

"One last thing," Y/N sticks out her hand toward Chris. Chris pulls out a bulletproof vest from his backpack and hands it to Y/N. She quickly pulls it over Stiles' head and straps it around him before he has a chance to protest. "Just in case."

"Why have I never been given one of these before?" Stiles scoffs.

"Just be grateful you're getting one now. Now go."

Chris, Derek, Peter Hale, Tony, and Y/N watch as the others run off to where they're supposed to be.

"What else do you have in that bag?" Derek asks, eyeing the backpack in Chris' hand.

"You don't want to know," Chris zips his backpack up and puts it back on his back.

"We're in place." Scott's voice rings out of their walkie-talkies.

Y/N sighs as she tries to mentally prepare herself for the fight ahead, "I think I could sleep for a week after this. I'm surprised I haven't gotten a call from my boss yet saying I'm fired for being gone for so long. I swear I didn't have this many vacation days."

Derek moves to stand in front of Y/N to meet her eyes, "I'm sure they've seen the news and will understand why you haven't been in for a while. Scott said Melissa was covering for you so I'm sure it's fine."

"I'll have to get her something nice for covering for me this long."

"And she'll tell you that you don't owe her anything." Derek pulls Y/N close and presses a kiss against her forehead. He knows how stressed she is about everything because he's also stressed about everything.

"We're in place." Bucky's voice rings out from the walkie-talkies.

"How do you want us to get into the house?" Y/N turns to Tony at his question. She almost forgot the others were there with her and Derek.

"We need to wait until everyone has lured out as many hunters as possible then we fly in," Y/N says.

"You can fly as well?" Tony's eyebrows shoot up in shock. Did he miss something in the files Hydra made about her? Can werewolves fly?

"No, you'll have to either carry me or I can get on your back."

Tony goes to respond but Kira's voice cuts him off as it rings out through the walkie-talkies, "We're in place."

"Okay," Y/N looks around at Chris, Derek, Peter, and Tony, "you ready?"

Chris tightens the knife holders on his thighs and double-checks the gun in his hand, "Ready."

"Ready," Tony says as his suit builds around him.

"Can we finally get this over with?" Peter asks, inspecting his claws.

"I'm going to climb up into a tree until I think it's time for us to hit the house. You should do the same." Y/N says, looking at Tony. "I'm their biggest target and if they know where I am then they'll forget about the others. We've got to hide a bit first."

"I'll follow you," Tony replies.

Y/N looks back at Derek, "Be safe and kick some hunter ass. I love you."

"I love you too," Derek says before pressing a hard kiss on her lips, as if he's scared he won't see her again.

Y/N pulls away and walks over to the nearest tree, "You know what to do babe!"

Derek, Chris, and Peter watch as Y/N starts to climb up the tree and Tony flies up into the one next to her. Derek waits until he can no longer see her figure before transforming into his beta form.

"Now we can get this over with," Derek says, letting out a loud roar to let everyone know it's time to go and to let the hunters know they're here.

---

Steve tightens the shield around his arm before looking up at the sound of a roar.

"What was that?" Peter asks, looking around making sure nothing is coming at them. He's dealt with a lot of weird things being in the Avengers, but he's never heard something like that before.

"That was Derek," Stiles states.

"You stay here and wait for someone to radio you," Scott tells Stiles, Liam, and Peter.

"Where are you going?" Liam asks.

"We're going straight towards them. Let's go." Scott nods at Steve to follow him.

Steve huffs a bit in frustration as he follows Scott. He doesn't enjoy being told what to do from a teenager. If it was Y/N here, he would follow without question. She might have been gone for 15 years, but he'd still trust her with his life.

Scott slows as he gets closer to the safe house. He can already hear a few hunters loading their guns and sharpening their knives. He listens to their panicked voices as they talk about the roar they heard and how they know they're being attacked. If he focuses hard enough, he can also hear Stiles, Liam, and Peter bickering behind them.

"Let's stop here. We don't want to get too close." Scott says. "We need to lure them out here." Scott tries to count the number of hunters standing outside of the house in front of them.

"I got it," Steve states, throwing his shield out toward the hunters. The shield hits three hunters, knocking them to the ground, before coming back to Steve.

"That's one way to do it," Scott mumbles, watching as the hunters look their way. He quickly ducts behind a tree as the hunters slowly make their way towards them.

Steve ducts behind another tree as they wait for the hunters to come closer. He can hear the ground crunch behind him letting him know where they are. He waits until he can see the end of a gun before jumping out and knocking the hunter back into two others.

That's when all hell breaks loose.

Scott jumps out from where he's hiding as all eyes are on Steve, throwing the hunter closest to him into a tree—knocking him out. Bullets start to fly as Steve and Scott attack. Scott is surprised he hasn't been hit by any bullets yet as he knocks out another hunter.

Steve throws his shield toward the hunter's legs, the vibranium metal breaking their knees and shins as it hits them. He quickly knocks them out as they hit the ground one by one. It's not long until they've taken out all the hunters that attacked them.

"Is that it?" Steve asks, knocking out the last hunter.

"I doubt it. The others must have the rest of the hunters distracted or the rest of them haven't left the safe house." Scott says, looking around for other hunters.

"We should move in," Steve says, moving towards the safehouse before Scott sticks out an arm to stop him.

"Not until we're told too."

"There's no one over here. We should move in."

"Not until Y/N tells us too."

Steve doesn't understand why they can't just move in. They easily took out the hunters. He doesn't understand why they were acting like they were going to be a challenge. The hunters are down on their side, and they have a clear shot toward the safe house.

Scott's head quickly turns as he starts to smell something in the air, "Do you smell that?"

"What?" Steve doesn't know what Scott's talking about.

"It smells like..." Scott's voice trails off as his eyes widen as he looks behind Steve.

Steve quickly turns around to see four large creatures standing behind him. They look like men wearing bones and an animal skull for a mask. "What am I looking at?"

"Berserkers."

---

Sam and Bucky are standing back-to-back as they fight off the hunters around them while Malia holds off more of them.

"How many of these guys are there?" Sam asks, slamming another hunter onto the ground.

"I don't know but they're pissing me off," Bucky says. His arm comes up to block the bullets being shot at him from a hunter on the ground. He rips the gun out of the hunter's hand and knocks him out with a quick kick to the face.

Bucky turns to find another hunter to attack to see the hunters fleeing from them.

"Why are they running?" Sam asks.

"Something's coming," Malia states, her eyes closed while trying to listen to her surroundings.

Bucky tries to listen and see if he can hear what she hears. He closes his eyes for a second. It sounds like something is running toward them. He opens his eyes and stares into the woods in front of him. Something is charging at them.

"Get down!" Bucky tackles Sam to the ground as a deer jumps out from the trees and almost tramples over them. It runs past them almost as quickly as it appeared. It looked rabid.

"What the hell?" Sam mutters, staring at where the deer ran off.

Bucky looks down to where Sam is in his arms from when he tackled him. Disgusted, he scrambles up off the ground and away from Sam.

"Did you smell that?" Malia asks.

"Robo boy's cheap cologne? Yeah, I smelled it." Sam says, wiping the dirt off his suit as he stands up from the ground.

"No, the deer. It smelled like fear."

"Fear?" Bucky asks. He thought that something was running at them but what if it was running away from something? He slowly pulls out his walkie-talkie while his eyes dart around. "We found the Anuk-Ite."

"On our way," Stiles' voice rings out from the walkie-talkies.

"Are you sure?" Sam questions Bucky.

"Yeah, I'm su–" a pained scream from the woods cuts him off. He pauses, his head whipping toward the sound.

"Bucky! Buck!" someone is screaming out for him. He moves to run into the woods, but Malia moves in front of him to stop him.

"What are you doing?" Malia asks.

"Do you not hear someone screaming?!" Bucky yells, angry that she's preventing him from finding whoever's yelling for him. He swears it almost sounded like Steve.

"The only person screaming right now is you," Sam says.

"What?" Bucky looks between Sam and Malia. Can they not hear what he's hearing?

Sam stares at Bucky for a second before realizing what's happening, "Close your eyes! Close your eyes now!"

"Why am I closing my eyes?!" Malia yells, her eyes now shut tight.

"It's the Anuk-Ite. Whatever happens, don't open your eyes."

Sam, Bucky, and Malia stand still as they wait for something to happen. They're hoping Stiles gets here soon to kill the thing.

"How could you?" Bucky quickly whips his head around, his eyes still shut tight, as Steve's voice whispers in his ear. "Why?"

"I don't understand..." Bucky whispers, confused about what's happening.

"I told you to finish him." Bucky's head whips around again. He knows that voice. It belongs to the man responsible for turning him into the Winter Soldier, Arnim Zola.

"Buck...no," Steve's voice whimpers. "This isn't you."

"You have your orders, soldier! Kill him!"

"No!"

"You can't stop him, Steve. He's no longer the boy you used to know. He never will be. He has always been the Winter Soldier, and he always will be."

Bucky's closed eyes tighten as he repeatedly mutters to himself, "This isn't real. It's not real."

"Buck..." Steve's voice is quiet. Bucky can feel a soft hand caress his cheek. It feels like Steve.

"I'll do it." That sounds like Y/N's voice but harsher. It sounds like when she was pretending to be under the hunter's and Hydra's control.

"Ah, my perfect soldier. Always ready to do what you're told." Zola's voice sounds closer than it was before.

"She's not your soldier," Bucky growls. Y/N will never be Hydra's soldier.

"I think you're forgetting who you are. Let me remind you. Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Daybrea–"

"Shut up!"

"It's who you are! Now, finish your mission!"

"No!" Bucky is trying to remind himself that this isn't real but it's getting harder too.

"Let me." Y/N's voice is now coming from in front of him. "Just admit it. You couldn't save yourself, you couldn't save me, and you couldn't save Steve."

"Wh-what are you talking about?"

It goes quiet. Maybe it's over?

As Bucky brings a hand up to his face to wipe away the overwhelmed tears that were slowly falling from his eyes, he hears someone being stabbed in front of him. His body goes rigid as he hears someone start to choke—possibly on their own blood.

"Hail Hydra," Y/N's voice whispers in his ear.

Bucky quickly opens his eyes toward the ground in shock and confusion. His eyes move slightly in front of him to a knife sticking out of someone. Not just someone. He'd recognize that uniform anywhere. Steve.

Bucky's eyes shoot up to Steve's face only to be met with the glowing purple eyes of the Anuk-Ite. His body immediately turned to stone.

"Buck, you still good?!" Sam calls out, unaware of what just happened. He can't hear Bucky, but he can hear Malia. She sounds like she's apologizing to someone until she goes quiet. "Malia?"

"Malia?!" Sam can hear someone yelling for her.

"Uncle Sam?! Uncle B?!" Peter rushes into the area where Sam, Bucky, and Malia are. Liam and Stiles run in behind him.

"Oh my god..." Stiles stares at Malia's frozen figure. She looks like a statue from Medusa's lair in the Percy Jackson movie.

"Please tell me you're real?" Sam asks.

"The Anuk-Ite's gone," Liam says.

Sam opens his eyes to see Peter staring at a Bucky statue. Stiles and Liam are also crouched down next to a Malia statue.

"What happened?" Peter turns to look at Sam.

"I-I don't know. One second it was here and now it's not. I'm not even sure when this happened." Sam gestures to Bucky. Why didn't the Anuk-Ite go for him? He could hear Bucky talking to someone—most likely whoever the Anuk-Ite wanted him to talk to—and he could hear Malia, but nothing ever happened to him.

"Now what?" Liam asks.

"They still need people attacking on this side," Stiles says. They need people to weaken the hunters from every side.

"I can still do it but I don't know if I can do it alone," Sam states.

"I'll stay," Liam volunteers. "I can help on this side while you two get the Anuk-Ite."

Stiles looks hesitant but agrees, "Make sure nothing happens to them." Stiles looks between Malia and Bucky and wonders how much longer he has before their current state is permanent.

"Where do you think it went?" Peter asks.

"I don't know."

---

"What the hell are these people?!" Nat yells out, barely missing the edge of the blade that swipes at her.

"They're Oni!" Kira yells back. She's trying to hold off four Oni while Natasha and Wanda fight the other three.

"I thought we're supposed to be fighting hunters?!"

"I thought the same thing!" Wanda yells.

Natasha ducks as one of the Oni swings their sword at her. She's able to remove the sword from the Oni's hand as the sword lodges itself in the tree next to her. Nat quickly pulls the sword away from the tree and watches as the Oni pulls another sword out of nowhere.

"We're going to die here." Nat mumbles, readying herself to continue fighting.

As Kira blocks the Oni's swings, she can see the glint of a weapon coming from within the trees behind them. "I think the hunters have finally decided to join them!" She hears something firing.

Wanda and Natasha turn to see several hunters running toward them. Most of them seem to be carrying guns while the others seem to be holding knives. Nat can count about thirty hunters.

"You guys take the hunters! I've got these guys!" Kira yells at them, her eyes starting to glow.

"You sure?!" Nat asks.

"Go!"

Wanda and Natasha break away from the Oni and charge toward the hunters. Nat throws the sword in her hand on the ground and pulls out her Glock 26s. As the hunters start to shoot at them, Wanda uses her powers to rip a tree out of the ground and throw it through the group of hunters — knocking several to the ground.

Nat ducks behind a tree as bullets fly past her. The bullets slowly come to halt as she reloads her guns. She can hear footsteps getting closer to her. It sounds like five different people are coming toward her. Nat puts one of her guns back in its holster as she takes a deep breath.

As the tip of a hunter's gun comes into view, she grabs the front of the assault rifle while throwing her elbow into the hunter's face. He lets go of the gun as she knocks him out with the butt of her Glock. Adjusting the assault rifle in her grip, she turns and shoots down the other four hunters.

"I thought we weren't supposed to kill any of them?!" Wanda yells out to Nat.

"I don't remember agreeing to that!" Natasha yells back.

Wanda throws another hunter back as she watches Nat take down more as well. Looking back at Kira, she notices a glowing figure around the young girl as she fights off the Oni.

Kira can feel her anger and frustration growing as she continues to fight. She can also feel her control starting to slip. The fox spirit around grows bigger and bigger the longer she fights.

As she feels a blade cut through her right thigh, her fox quickly grows before launching itself at the seven Oni. A blinding light shoots out as the Oni are killed, hindering the hunters. Kira can feel her fox getting more powerful with each Oni it takes out.

With her back facing the light, Natasha uses the distraction to shoot down the rest of the hunters. Looking over at Wanda, she can see her crouched behind a tree blocking the light with her hands. As the light disappears, she turns around to find Kira kneeling on the ground and no Oni around her.

"What happened?!" Nat yelled toward Kira.

"I killed them!" Kira yells back, pressing down on the wound on her leg as it starts to slowly heal.

"Why didn't you do that earlier?!"

"I don't really have control of it!"

"Did you have to kill all of them?" Wanda asks Natasha, looking at all the dead hunters behind them.

"Did you want me to wait until they killed one of us?"

Wanda rolls her eyes at Nat's response. She could've put them all to sleep but it's too late for that now. She walks over to where Kira is now sitting on the ground.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. My leg should be good in just a minute." Kira replies.

"I wonder if everybody else also has to deal with more than just hunters?" Nat mumbles, sitting down next to Kira.

---

Sitting up high in a tree, Y/N watches as Derek, Peter, and Chris battle the hunters down below. She can hear her radio go off and Scott's voice asking for help. It takes everything in her to not jump down and help after one hunter's knife gets a little too close to Derek's throat.

"Is this what you deal with here in Beacon Hills?" Tony questions, watching as more hunters seem to come out of nowhere.

"Yeah, but hunters have always been the least of our worries," Y/N replies, her grip tightening on the tree in anger as more hunters appear. She could easily use her powers from here and take them out but then Kate would know where she is.

Tony feels at a loss for words. Watching the hunters down below, he can't believe this is what his daughter has been with. He doesn't know why this didn't hit him before. He was so caught up in everything else, he hasn't taken a step back to notice how calm she and her friends seem to be about everything.

Since the Avengers have been in Beacon Hills, they've dealt with hunters, Hydra, and more. He knows to an extent what Y/N dealt with when she was with Hydra, but what else has she dealt with?

Friends of hers have apparently died and he has no idea why. Was it because of hunters? Was it because of something else they've faced? Or was it something that has nothing to do with this little world she lives in?

Tony stares at Y/N as he thinks of something to say. He has so many things that he wants to say and so many questions he wants to ask but now is not the time.

"I can practically hear you thinking from here," Y/N looks up and locks eyes with Tony. "I know you have a lot of questions and so do I. I don't really know how long you're going to be here in Beacon Hills, but I'd like to start over after all of this is done."

"We can stay as long as you want. You can come back with us too...i-if you want. I-I mean I know you're a lot older now, but we kept your rooms the same as you left them. Well, we have a cleaner that cleans them once every two weeks."

"Rooms?"

"Yeah, one at the compound and one in our old home. We haven't lived there since you...disappeared. I still kept it though just in case."

"Even after you thought I was dead?"

"You're not the only person we've known to be presumed dead to still very much be alive. I didn't want to give up hope. No matter how little it became."

Y/N doesn't know what to say to that. She looks back down to watch the others fight off the hunters. Most of the hunters are down so now is a good time to get to Kate.

"We should go now," Y/N looks back at Tony.

"How are we doing this?" Tony asks, not sure how to carry Y/N.

"Can I just get on your back?"

Tony flies off the tree and hovers in front of Y/N with his back turned toward her, "Let's go."

Y/N pulls herself away from the tree and climbs onto Tony's back. A small smile appears on her face as it reminds her of the piggyback rides her dad, the sheriff, used to give her all the time as a kid before they lost her mom. As Tony takes off toward the safe house, she wonders if Tony or the others ever used to carry her like this when she was younger.

Y/N holds on tighter to Tony as he crashes into the middle of the house. Once Tony has landed on the ground, she hops off his back and surveys her surroundings. They landed in what appeared to be the living room but there was no one around. There's no one shooting at them, charging at them, or even watching them. They are completely alone.

"Why is no one here?" Tony asks, his blasters ready just in case.

"I don't know..." Looking around Y/N can see weapons and ammo everywhere. On the wall, she can see pictures of herself and all her friends. There's even some of the Avengers. There's a large blood stain on the floor but there is nobody. Whose blood is it?

It's also quiet. Too quiet. If she listens in, she can hear the others fighting, but it's quiet in the house. Kate must be hiding somewhere. If there's one thing Y/N knows about the Argents, it's that they love a good basement moment. That's probably where Kate is hiding out. And if she's hiding then she knows she's outmatched. She knows they're losing.

As she turns to look at Tony, a body flies through the living room window. Y/N jumps back and is ready to attack until she notices who it is.

"Isaac?"

Isaac groans in pain but makes no move to get up off the floor, "Hey Y/N."

"H-how? What?"

"Scott told me everything so we came to help."

"We?"

As Isaac goes to answer, a girl with a crossbow steps through the broken window, "Isaac?!" She starts shooting toward something Y/N can't see.

"Braeden?"

"Who are these people?" Tony asks Y/N.

"He's a friend and she's..." Y/N pauses as she thinks of a way to describe who Braeden is, "she's a friend of Derek."

Isaac snorts, "Yeah, a friend."

Y/N kicks Isaac's arm at his comment, "What's happening out there? How'd you go through the window? Why haven't you got up?"

"I can't really move."

"What do you mean?" Y/N crouches down next to Isaac in concern.

"We aren't the only ones who know a kanima apparently."

Y/N rolls Isaac onto his side and looks at the scratch on his neck. She can see some of the venom still dripping from the wound.

"Who else has been affected by it?" Y/N asks, laying Isaac back down on his back.

"Scott was protecting a guy on the ground with a shield when I found them," Braeden replies, walking over to them.

Tony curses under his breath, "Should we help them?"

"Kira and two other girls are currently helping Scott."

Y/N turns her head to the broken window as she hears a loud roar. It sounded like Scott but she's not sure.

"Is it just the kanima they're fighting?" Y/N asks.

"No, there's Berserkers as well. Four of them."

Y/N stands up and looks at Tony, "Stay here and help them. I've got Kate."

"You're not going alone," Tony states. He's not going to abandon his daughter. He's here to protect her.

"They need your help more than I do. If the kanima takes more of them down, they will all be dead. Help them."

Tony hesitates for a moment before agreeing, "Fine, but then I'm coming back to help you."

"Fine. I'll probably be in the basement. At least that's where I'm assuming she is."

Tony looks like he's going to hug her for a moment before flying out through the broken window. Y/N can hear when he finds the others.

"So that's your dad huh?" Isaac says with a small smirk on his face.

Y/N rolls her eyes and huffs, "Shut up." Her radio sparks to life and she can hear Chris Argent calling for Stiles. The Anuk-Ite must be near them. Y/N turns to Braeden, "I've got Kate. Make sure he stays alive."

Y/N flicks her claws out as she checks all the doors to see if any lead into the basement. When she opens the fourth door, she sees stairs leading down into another room. She walks down slowly until she reaches the bottom.

Looking around, the stairs seemed to have led her to a hallway instead of a room. There are four different doors, and she doesn't know what's behind any of them. There's a long ugly rug that runs throughout the middle of the hallway. It looks out of place in the modern-looking hallway.

She's about to open the first door when she notices the end of the rug is flipped up as if someone tripped over it. That's when she notices something behind it. Moving the rug with her foot, she finds an escape hatch.

Y/N bends down and opens the hatch. Not seeing anything dangerous, she jumps down into what seems to be a tunnel. Looking down at the ground, she can see a single set of footprints leading away from her.

She follows the footsteps until she gets to the end of the tunnel. She notices a small ladder leading up to another hatch. Y/N climbs up the ladder and slowly opens the hatch. It takes her a second to realize where she is. She's next to an old lake her mom used to take her and Stiles to during the summer.

Climbing out of the tunnel, she looks around for Kate. She knows she's here, but she can't seem to see her.

"Kate! I know you're here!" Y/N yells out.

As she moves to look around, a bear trap snaps around her right ankle. Screaming out in pain, Y/N falls to the ground.

"I was wondering when you would show up, but I'm surprised you showed up alone." Y/N whips her head around to see Kate slowly walking up to her with twenty other hunters and two Berserkers behind her.

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

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[noirgasmweetheart]

Hotel Berlin (1945)

This might be the most underrated War Era movie I've seen yet.

Both the theatrical trailer and the DVD cover advertise it as a corny exploitation movie. It's nothing of the sort. It's as sincerely written and acted as "Casablanca," with far more direct references to the Jewish people, and specific concentration camps.

I legitimately ordered the DVD just to see Peter Lorre as a disheveled angst-ridden scruff-muffin; I had no idea the character was going to be so compelling, or the rest of the movie equally so. Several other characters also exploded beyond the old clichés I was expecting. The movie appears to be building towards a predictable, cheesy love story, but...doesn't. Another character who at first appears one of the most despicable opportunists in the movie...isn't. And the movie's nuanced look at an indoctrinated population being carpet-bombed while their tyrannical, antisemetic leaders flee to save their own skins is uh...timely, to say the least.

I'm sure it helped that I watched this movie during a rainstorm at night, which is the way to watch it. The timeliness of a story about

Spoilers Below!

Faye Emerson deserved that top billing.

According to IMDB, Andrea King was originally to be billed as the film's female lead, with Faye Emerson billed as a supporting character. When Emerson married the son of President Roosevelt, she was given top billing over King, to capitalize on her new fame. I find that ironic, given that by the end of the movie, Faye's character Tilly has, against all odds, proven to be the film's true heroine.

Introduced as a materialistic Nazi informer, dating SS officers and betraying a hiding resistance fighter just to get herself some new shoes, Tilly's reality turns upside-down when she learns that the lover she thought she'd lost is still alive. After an emotional breakdown over what her despair let her become, she defends her boyfriend's mother against a Nazi officer, and delivers the most powerful speech in the movie. It is her character who finally mentions the Jews out loud, after an entire movie and an entire genre dancing around the subject.

I've recorded the scene from the DVD and uploaded it to YouTube:

"Go on shoot me, arrest me, have me killed, I don't care! Why should I. I loved Max Baruch and you sent him to a concentration camp! You hung a sign around my neck saying I loved a Jew! And you paraded me down the street. They'll hang something around your neck someday, and it won't be a sign!"

Corny Romance is Just a Red Herring

My stance that Emersen deserved that top billing in no way negates Andrea King's marvelous performance as the film's faux female lead. Though we are warned right from the start that her character, movie star Lisa Dorn, is a Nazi and a master manipulator, the film plays her as the straightforward love interest for much of the film: helping the hero partially out of the hope that he'll save her in return, seemingly building a genuine admiration for his heroism...then completely subverts expectations by revealing her to be exactly what she she was introduced as: a Nazi collaborator out to save her own skin.

I was genuinely afraid at the end that the hero would find himself unable to shoot her, and we'd see her tearfully declare her love for him, and end with him forgiving her. Not so. She argues pathetically, trying to excuse her betrayal and convince Richter that she loves him, and he doesn't fall for it. Richter sees Sam Spade's "I'll be waiting for you," and raises him two gunshots.

Peter Lorre like we've never seen him before

Okay, maybe we have seen Peter angsting around and wobbling drunkenly a few times before. But this was the first time I saw him directly address the issues that so closely affected him (and his costars of course) in real life.

Peter Lorre died before talk about the Holocaust really became mainstream. But the emotion behind the lines he delivers as the self-hating German professor speaks volumes. The gleeful smile he wears in his first scene, while saying that the bombing is only what the Germans deserve; his bitter sarcasm about the achievements of German science in the concentration camps, and wondering where all the "good Germans" are now; his breakdown when Richter tells him of a mutual friend's murder at Dachau. Much like his frantic escape attempt in "Casablanca," Peter likely didn't have to fish too hard to dig up the needed emotions for these scenes.

This is also the closest I've ever come to seeing Peter cry.

Other PL fans have lamented that his role was too small. I agree that I'd have loved to see a hell of a lot more of Koenig, but it's not like many of the other characters had much more screen time, which all the different storylines running at once. Aside from maybe Helmut Dantine and Andrea King, most of the important characters probably only have a handful of scenes tops.

Edit: That said, knowing he had scenes indicating how he joined the resistance that were cut is very frustrating.

But the fact that Peter's character not only lives to the end as one of the heroes, but gets to read President Roosevelt's uplifting speech to the German people, definitely counts for something.

That speech packed a powerful punch for me, at a time when I sometimes need reminding that indoctrinated civilians in war zones are still individuals, and can't be lumped with their dogmatic leaders. I don't doubt for a minute that President Biden took inspiration from Roosevelt for how to address the Palestinian people in regards to stopping Hamas.

The Fugitive

I suppose I should also mention the film's lead: Helmut Dantine as Martin Richter, the German anti-Nazi resistance fighter who escaped Dachau Concentration Camp. Helmut Dantine played Jan, the Bulgarian husband in "Casablanca." The controlled desperation with which he gambled at Rick's roulette wheel as Jan serves well for his fugitive resistance fighter in this movie. The fact that Dantine was actually imprisoned at Rosserlaende Concentration Camp for his anti-Nazi political activism at age 19 no doubt also helped him in the role.

My only complaint is the makeup and costuming department failing to help him look the part. While Paul Henreid got a scar and a white streak of hair for Victor Laszlo, Dantine is done up to look like a particularly slick, clean movie star, standing out in a cast of disheveled and weary looking people. One could interpret this as a symbolic way of singling him out as the hero, but I found it distracting. I am not throwing shade on Dantine's acting abilities or natural looks, just how the people in charge had him presented.

I'm unsure how to close this review.

It's getting late and I have some more clips to upload, and cake to eat. "Hotel Berlin" is up there with "Casablanca" on my personal list of unironically great old movies. Professor Koenig is on my list favorite Peter Lorre characters, and I have a handful of new favorite actors.

I'll just finish by saying that this guy in the barrette looks noticeably like Robert Picardo, if maybe a "stretched out" version thereof. Voyager's EMH hanging out with a holo-Peter Lorre in one of Tom Paris's noir programs is something I never knew I needed.

[verdemoun]

I wonder how different gang members initially reacted to how much they were remembered from their outlaw days.

Arthur, Hosea and Dutch were probably considered the greatest, but Javier, Bill and Micah would have a bit of fame, right?

Poor Kieran, Molly, Sean, and Lenny were probably only mentioned in Arthur’s journal, their epic lives lost to time and reduced to footnotes.

The VDLs are sort of remembered like the Dalton Gang. That is, if you say 'van der Linde gang' in passing conversation people will know you're talking about outlaws in the old west, but very few people could actually name a single VDL. They also fall into the bracket of their tales being so legendary that a lot of people don't realize they were an actual gang, and there's a lot more fiction than fact in surviving stories.

That being said, during the Golden Age of Westerns, a lot of films were based off the tales of the VDLs. The MacSummers household are very guilty of sitting down with a few beers (and/or a bong) and watching these movies on the weekends, cackling at how wrong the characters are.

Their favorite is Red Dead, which was a 50s film that followed anti-hero John Marston hunting and gunning down the members of his former gang: Micah Bell, Javier Escuella, Bill Williamson and Dutch van der Linde, for redemption inspired by a nun named Sister Abigail, who held him in his arms and comforted him as he was dying after being mistakenly shot* by police as he killed Dutch. Horrendously inaccurate, but the action scenes are great.

Of the members of the gang remembered, it is John, Dutch, Hosea and Bill. This is thanks a later, critically acclaimed film, Williamson Territory, which sees the og VDL gang at war with the Williamson gang following the Act 2 death of Hosea at the hands of Bill. It is somehow praised for its historical accuracy for including the feature of lesser known members such as Arthur, Charles, Sadie, Seth and Norman.

Johnathan Pearson, grandson of Simon Pearson and current owner of the Pearson Delicatessen in Rhodes, is actually an avid vanderlindonian, which is what the forum community of obsessive amateur historians (autistic men in their 40s) call themselves. He is very proud to be a descendant of a confirmed member of the VDL gang and uses it to win internet points in arguments with other forum members.

Despite Johnathan Pearson being obsessed with the VDLs, he is yet to realize that any of the VDLs are actually the VDLs. When his son Sam bought home Isaac and Kai Bell for playdates, he was too impressed by Kai being a direct descendant of Amos Bell, brother of Micah Bell, to notice that Isaac's extended family are literally the VDLs.

[lovestuckyhatemarvel]

Apologies, but I’m about to over analyze a very old meme in the middle of the night because I can’t sleep. And I’m about to talk about the lord of the rings movies more than the books because even though I’ve read the books, I’ve watched the movies more. Also, the meme is about the movies, so leave my tired ass alone.

So I kind of hate the fellowship at 100% vs 99% strength meme because I’ve seen people talk about it seriously and I think that’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the way the characters function in the story. Like I’m sorry but if you think any single character in the fellowship is more important than the others instead of just a personal favorite, you’re just textually wrong. And this is about to get long so brace yourself. But also if you hate long things, why the fuck are you here?

Aragorn and Sam are spectacular characters that are necessary to the success of the mission but not disproportionately to the whole. Because the whole is the point. The fellowship is the point. Even Boromir, whose direct actions are arguably the least due to dying early, has long reaching effects even after his death. If Boromir was never there, things don’t go the same and may not even go as well long term. Does Aragorn even accept his role as much or as quickly if he doesn’t have Boromir’s dying breath calling him his king? I’d argue no. However I will admit that this character is the one I have the least arguments for other than ‘trust me, bro’ and ‘that’s my baby, and I’m really proud’ while exhausted.

I feel silly even pointing out what Gandalf’s impact is since he’s the reason the journey can even start to begin with. Without him, Frodo gets a weird ring from Bilbo and then dies before he’s 50 because he treats it like a random trinket and is the easiest target the Nazgûl have ever tracked. Gandalf also saves the entire fellowship from the Balrog and is the reason King Théoden becomes available as an ally instead of being God’s crustiest hindrance. In general, the intricate removal of Saruman’s direct impact requires a wizard. Also, if he’s not there, who gets that world’s greatest grandpapa mug I made?

Legolas and Gimli are married so I’m talking about them together. Beyond the fact Gimli almost becomes Galadriel’s favorite side ho, the two don’t have a ton of solo story beats in the movies. However, what they lack in specific moments they make up for by being absolute monsters on the battlefield. Aragorn can’t do most of the shit he does without my gay uncles backing him up. There are literal battles that would have failed and in a war where they’re already outnumbered and outmatched, you actually can’t afford more loss.

Merry and Pippin are eternal besties so they’re also getting talked about together. Initially they’re treated as comic relief and at times even a hindrance in the movies, but they do step up. The Ents go to war because of Merry and Pippin. And the Ents are necessary for dealing with Isengard. Take them out and the war still has an orc factory that can just overwhelm the war with numbers alone. They also have direct impacts on Gondor and Rohan in ways I’m too tired to get into. Also, Pippin sings like an angel even when a gross old man is eating in grossest way possible. Talent. He has the range.

And now we’re down to the main crux of serious arguments I’ve seen. Sam and Frodo. Both of them ring bearers. Is Sam way more important than Frodo? Absolute not.

So Sam is arguably an amazing character, but don’t get it confused. Sam would have never volunteered to take the ring to Mordor, didn’t actually handle the ring’s direct influence well, and also would have gotten rid of Gollum.

Because psych!!! This next part is actually about how Gollum, Frodo, and Sam are three sides to a triangle you can’t remove any part of lest it falls apart completely! Take that, M Night Shyamalan, there’s a new mediocre and fully telegraphed twist in town!!!

Frodo has the initial willingness to take the ring to be destroyed and endures the ring better than literally anyone else. Basically everyone else either gives unhinged talks about what they’d do with the power before they ever touch it or they touch it for 10 seconds and go full Rick Astley. Frodo carries it for days and even wears it a few times before he sees Galadriel and is still capable of trying to give it away. That in itself is extraordinary and cannot be understated. Like that’s the willpower of a god. Put some respect on that.

Frodo, because of his connection to the ring and awareness of its impact, desperately wants to believe Gollum can be saved. After all, that means that he can be saved, and so he does everything in his power to keep Gollum around and get him better. This means they have a guide and when it comes down to it, the reason the ring is destroyed at all. Because Gollum is the one to ultimately, if by accident, destroy the ring. You need Frodo to carry the ring and get Gollum there, you need Sam to get Frodo there, and you need Gollum to destroy it.

And another plot twist that’s not a twist at all at all, but while there’s no part of the fellowship that you can remove and still win, the fellowship itself cannot succeed without 1246885356 other moving parts. Elrond, Arwen, Galadriel, Théoden, Éomer, Éowyn, Faramir, Treebeard, Grima fucking Wormtongue, and dozens of others, some who don’t even get directly named in the trilogy, are all important. They’re all necessary. And there are even more moving parts in the books. Pour one out for my very good friend, Forest God Tom Bombadil. He’s not dead, I just think him and his trees would like a drink.

The point of the whole goddamn thing is that no one can do this mission alone. None of them. Yeah, not even Sam or Aragorn. It’s a fellowship and it’s about that connection and that community. There are themes.