#screaming at the “came out on top” line... the writers definitely did that on purpose and it makes my brain go brrr

[molinaesque]

Astarion: I think he likes us. Tav: I like him, too. But I'd never say it to his smarmy face. Raphael has a crush on Tav and tries real hard to act cool about it.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I thought about WandaVision

Y'know, it's kind of crazy to think that it's been over a year since we've been given any content involving the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios announced so many great movies, on top of new TV shows that actually impact the story, way back in the summer of 2019. But then 2020 happened. Resulting in everything, and I mean everything, we were promised getting pushed back for another year. So, when it was finally announced that the series WandaVision was, at last, ready to be released, fans were both excited as well as skeptical. Because the first thing that would reintegrate us back into this franchise would be a show about how two Avengers are stuck in a sitcom. It might be new, long-awaited content, but it also doesn't sound all that interesting. Could a story involving two characters who have yet to stand on their own be enough to carry a brand new adventure? Well, for eight whole weeks, fans were given that answer. And personally, I will admit that WandaVision might have been better than anybody could have ever expected...for the most part.

(Final spoiler warning if you haven't seen the show yet)

WHAT I LIKE

It Just Goes: This is easily the best way the series could have started. We are given no context about what is going on. We're just shown that Wanda and Vision are currently stuck in a sitcom, and that's it. By making it a mystery, fans are given this sort of interaction with the series as they find clues and come up with theories about how and why this happened. Sure, some assumptions were more far fetched than others (did people think Mephisto was confirmed just because of one misinterpreted line involving the Devil?), but it still makes the show a ton of fun to watch. Plus, even when we're given answers, it's only tiny pieces of the puzzle. We're always given a chance to figure out the bigger picture, resulting in an image that is, I'll admit, somewhat satisfying to see. Just as long as you ignore the crybabies who get upset that their favorite theories turned out to be wrong.

The Homages are on Point: I also love how straight the cast and crew play with the idea of two superheroes being stuck in a series of sitcoms. Everything they use fits in the era each sitcom takes place in. With things like camerawork, set design, special effects, acting quality, tropes, and even theme songs, everything works as a proper homage than just having two episodes in black and white and the rest in color. Each new sitcom that Wanda and Vision are rebooted in feels so genuine, to the point where they seem like they could be actual shows that could have existed. Seriously, my dad showed me stuff like The Dick Van Dyke Show when I was a kid, so trust me when I say that the very first episode nails the style that it's honoring. Not only is it charming as all forms of hell, but it also works in making these moments when characters break from the spell (get it) all the more jarring and even disturbing at times. Because when you're so keen on watching what seems like a fun and cheesy sitcom, you feel a bit unsettled when a character suddenly acts in a way that's a tad foreboding. Still, it's fun to watch and is easily the central hook for what makes this show work.

The Comedy: The homages also nail the comedy that came from each type of sitcom. The jokes fit with each period, from the cheesy and charming 50s to the cynical and dry 90s and early 2000s. It's another thing the writers play straight with, and I think it works. The only jokes made by most stories like this are just pointing out that these serious characters are stuck in a silly sitcom. Instead, the writers tell jokes that work for the period it's in, and it is all genuinely funny if you're used to those types of goofs and gags. If you didn't laugh, that's because the comedy isn't trying to reach out to you. It's reaching out to the people who actually watched these types of sitcoms. Or, in my case, the type of people who had their parents show them these types of sitcoms. And even then, I still think there are these lines and deliveries that are still funny even if you don't get the joke. For example, there's this brief moment with Vision and a toy baby that got a genuine chuckle out of me for how absurd it was. I wasn't expecting to laugh that much, but on top of the many surprises this show gave, being funny was definitely one of them.

“My husband, and his indestructible forehead”: He...hehe...hehehehahahaHAHAHAHA! AH! HA! HA! HA!��

*Slowly starts sobbing*

>Squeaks<

I see what you did there.

Paul Bettany as “Vision,” “Vision,” and Vision: Can we give Paul Bettany a round of applause for basically playing three different characters, each with their own varying levels of emotions and purposes? Because goodness gracious, this man is a champion! I've seen tons of people praise Elizabeth Olson for her performance as Wanda, and to be fair, she does do a fantastic job...aside from one blatant issue (which I'll get into later). But as great as Olson is, Bettany still deserves some credit. Throughout most of the series, he has this level of comedic-timing that I didn't even know he was capable of, by going ham or just having a dry wit. Seriously, was someone going to tell me that Paul Bettany can be funny, or was I supposed to find that out for myself? On top of being hilarious, Bettany delivers such raw emotion that none of us would have ever expected from this character. That screaming match “Vision” has with Wanda shows the very first time that any version of him has ever been angry, and Bettany does a great job at making that moment as jarring as it needed to be. And that's just from playing one version of the character! I didn't even talk about how he nails the naive yet still wise Vision from the flashback in "Previously On" or the cold and robotic "Vision" from "The Series Finale." Bettany has range, and WandaVision is a great show that proves how. One just needs to have the right amount of vision to see it (HhhhhhhhhhhHA!)

Developing Wanda: But as great as Paul Bettany, and to a lesser extent, Vision, is, Wanda Maximoff is clearly the star of the show here (And yes, I know that it's Wanda who's the character and Elizabeth Olson is the actor, but...I'll get into it!). If WandaVision has taught me anything about these Disney+ shows, it's that we are finally going to get some long-awaited development to characters that are starved from it. And Wanda definitely needed it. Don't get me wrong, Wanda was great in past movies but wasn't that compelling of a character. Here, trust me when I say that the opposite is true. 

We are given a deep dive into not only Wanda's morality but also her psyche. The writers really play around with how scary Wanda can be. As well as questioning if Wanda has the capability of being evil. Because, yeah, what she did was not right. True, our "heroine" was going through some rough s**t, but that doesn't excuse the amount of torture Wanda put the people of Westview through, no matter how unwittingly. Just look at that scene where everyone grills Wanda about what she's doing to them, not only pleading for whatever compromise they can get and even begging for her to kill them instead. That is dark! That is the darkest concept the MCU has ever offered, and the ending of Avengers: Infinity War exists!

But, while it doesn't entirely excuse everything, there is a reason why Wanda did all of this. You see, throughout WandaVision, Wanda goes through the five stages of grief. It all starts with denial as she pretends to live in a sitcom that she created where Vision is alive, and they get to even have kids together. Soon comes anger when she destroys anything and physically harms anyone that tries to bring her back to reality. Next, there's bargaining as Wanda strengthens her hex and expands it to keep outsiders out and keep Vision in. This leads to depression as the weight of all of Wanda's actions finally sinks in, and she's forced to realize the damage she's causing. Until all of it ends with acceptance, as Wanda finally, finally, gets to say goodbye to Vision. Something she never really got when Thanos ripped the mind stone out of Vision's forehead. It's both incredible to watch as it is fascinating. Wanda, through the course of her own little spin-off series, just went from a decent character to one of the most intriguing to dissect in the MCU. And we have this show to thank for it.

The Commercials: These commercials offer three things.

They're more homages to classic television, each product and filming for each one honoring how commercials looked in each era.

They offer more of an insight into Wanda's psyche as we see how each commercial shows bits of her history, regrets, and deepest desires. You see all of the above in the Lagos' paper towel commercial.

There are neat bits of foreshadowing of what's to come, like how Hydra Soak ends by saying it's for "your inner goddess" or how the 90s commercial ends by saying Magic isn't meant for the weak.

With all of that, these commercials are as fun to analyze as they are disturbing as hell.

The Dinner Scene: This was the moment it was clear that WandaVision wasn’t going to just be fun and games. The second that "Mr. Heart" starts screaming at Wanda about why she and Vision came, it becomes clear that the whole wacky scenario our heroes are in isn't as harmless as we all thought. And when "Mrs. Heart" playfully tells her husband to stop it when “Mr. Heart” starts choking, only to desperately scream at Wanda to stop it, audiences begin to piece together that the people of Westview are prisoners--no--victims. As for Wanda? She's the unknowing dictator forcing them to do what she says. And it was this scene that I knew I was going to really enjoy this show.

The Blip Scene: And it was this scene that made WandaVision skyrocket into top-tier MCU territory! As much as I love Spider-Man: Far From Home, I will admit that making a joke with the concept of something like the blip might not have been the best move. But showing the chaos of everyone coming back all at once? On top of showing the confusion that a person would have from being told that a five-second nap was five years? Yeah, that's more in line with what we want.

Returning Characters: Not only was I surprised by the fact that these pretty minor characters in the MCU made a return at all, but I was also shocked to find out they work better in this series than they did in their respective movies. First, there's Monica. Not only is she reintroduced as a brand new hero (with, admittingly, confusing superpowers), but she also works as the anti-Wanda. Both characters had someone they care about dearly die without getting a chance to say goodbye. The difference is that Monica doesn't have the abilities Wanda does and is instead forced to quickly accept that her mom is dead and won't come back. She even admits that she would bring her mom back if she could. But that just makes Monica the perfect person that Wanda needs. A person that understands where she's coming from and tries to convince Wanda to do the right thing, no matter how hard it is. Monica's methods may have been a tad bit sloppy, but she is still ten times more intriguing than that little girl who screwed around with the color scheme on Captain Marvel’s suit.

Then there's Jimmy Woo, who is both funnier here than in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and actually shows signs of being a competent FBI agent. A step up, I might add, from the hilariously incompetent character we saw in his previous appearance.

And also, Darcie is here...and still slightly annoying...but at least she still has a couple funny lines here and there! Which is more than I can say with Thor and Thor: The Dark World.

In my opinion, it's a good move having these characters with pretty small roles in vastly different stories make a return. It shows that they are not limited to their one little corner of the MCU. And that they can branch off into taller tales that suit them perfectly. It's pretty cool, and it makes me wonder what other small characters could make a triumphant return.

Billy and Tommy: These two are...fine. Billy and Tommy give me Zach and Cody vibes sometimes, the kids playing them do a decent job, and they both offer some great emotional moments. The problem is that out of the list of characters that WandaVision introduces and reintroduces, there's not much to talk about with Billy and Tommy. Honestly, the only reason why I briefly mentioned that I like them is that I don't want dozens of people crucifying me for not saying anything about them. I don't hate them, but I don't much care for them either.

Evan Peters as Quicksilver: Although I would have loved it if it was Aaron Taylor-Johnson who made a return, seeing Evan Peters in a good Marvel movie again is more than worth it. He plays a much more fun version of Quicksilver while still nailing the sibling relationship the character has with Wanda. In a way, it's a lot like how Marvel cast J.K. Simmons as J Jonah Jameson at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It's admitting that no one could have played the character better than this one actor and briefly making fans happy in the process. While also not doing something crazy like having it be the exact same Quicksilver from the X-Men movies. Only f**king idiots would believe something like that...

...

...But hypothetically speaking, let's say some people were stupid to believe that. While making an outrageous claim that the writers "lead them on to doing so." In which case, I will say the same thing that one would say when friend-zoning someone: "Nobody led you on to s**t. You were just too busy focusing on what you wanted to see instead of what you needed to see."

Because there was no evidence that it was the same Quicksilver other than the fact that it was the same actor. And, hypothetically speaking, if there were dozens of crybabies who were upset about it not being the same Quicksilver, then I have so much more respect for this character being nothing more than a boner joke. Because you did this to yourselves...hypothetically speaking.

Retconning Wanda’s Powers: ...I'm ok with this. Retcons happen all the time in the comics, as well as in movies and television. It's just a matter of making the retcon believable enough where there are few holes in what you're telling people. As for Wanda apparently having magic this entire time, but the mind stone amplified her powers? I can buy that. Besides, it's an acceptable excuse to make Wanda as powerful as she is in the comics (from what I've been told), so like I said, I'm ok with this.

“I can’t feel you…”: ...That's fine. I didn't need my heart anyway.

“Vision’s” Talk with “Vision”: Forget the horrible CGIed battles. I want more of this!

Now, I put both Visions in quotation marks because while they're both the same character, they're also...not the same. Which is, funnily enough, what this scene is: A philosophical discussion between two versions of the same android about what makes them both/neither the definitive version. One may look the same, and the other may be the same body, but neither "Vision" really is the true Vision. However, the fact that these two stop their fighting so they can have this discussion in the first place helps secure that while different, they are still the same. It's a thought-provoking discussion, and it is ten times more interesting to watch than Wanda and Agatha's CGI fight in the sky. Although it is kind of odd that White-Vision just peaces out the second Hex-Vision gives him a reboot. But hey, that's for the future movies to deal with.

“Thank you for choosing me to be your mom.”: >Deep inhale<...Girl.

Wanda Saying Goodbye to Vision: >DEEPER INHALE< HOOOOOOOOOOO BOY! I did not expect this much emotional turmoil from f**king WANDAVISION!

Joking aside, this is a well-handled scene. It's incredibly emotional to see these two characters say goodbye to each other as their arcs come to a close. "Vision" peacefully leaves knowing who he is in the world, and Wanda can finally start moving on as she gets to say goodbye to her one true love. It's as bittersweet as it is beautiful.

WHAT I DISLIKE

MCU logos flashing in every episode: You know how CinemaSins has this bulls**t excuse about how the MCU opening logo wastes time to get to the good stuff? This is the only instance where that's applicable. Because the opening logo was cool to see again for the first episode, but having it play in every single one after breaks the immersion when trying to binge the series. It's for a couple of seconds, sure, but after a while, it does get pretty annoying.

Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch: Now, to be clear, I have no problems with Elizabeth Olson's acting ability in this series. She juggles being funny, heartbreaking, and threatening so well that I am likely to laugh and cry with her as I am to s**t my pants while in her presence. Elizabeth Olson does a great job with this character. The problem? Well, in the comics, Wanda Maximoff is Roma, and Elizabeth Olson...isn't. This means that WandaVision, and the MCU as a whole, has a bad case of white-washing.

I could go on about the issues this brings, but I am not as educated about this subject, and all I know is just stuff that seems like common sense. For instance, I believe it is more than reasonable to hire an actor of a specific race or ethnicity for a character who is of a that same race or ethnicity. But that is as far as my knowledge and personal stance goes, and to expand on it would be too much of a risk because I have no right to criticize the representation of something I am not a part of. So instead, I'm going to point you to @earnestdesire‘s blog and Jessica Reidy’s article on the subject. They do a great job at discussing the issues with Olson’s Wanda and pointing to the issues the MCU has in representing Wanda and Pietro's representation in the comics. And they do it in a far better way than I ever could have. So check them out to truly see why, despite doing a great job, Elizabeth Olson should not be the person donning the suit.

It Was Agatha All Along: AND I STILL F**KING HATE THAT!

I know, I know, I am in the minority on this one. And I still don't understand why! To me, Agatha has all of the problems that Hans has in Frozen. Sure, there are hints if you pay more attention during a few select scenes that are slightly questionable. Like how she refers to Wanda as "the star of the show" or coincidentally shows up with a dog house for Sparky. However, much like how Frozen didn't need a villain like Hans, WandaVision didn't need a comic book villain like Agatha. The story was perfectly passable as a personal conflict involving Wanda's grief where the only obstacle was the director of S.W.O.R.D. and his agents. There is nothing Agatha adds to that.

"But she helps Wanda find out what happens!" Yeah, but Monica could have done the same thing by actually breaking through to Wanda and calmly asking what happened. From then on, they could have worked things out together by having Wanda retrace events that transpired through the information that Monica knows as well.

"But Agatha helps Wanda realize what she's doing is wrong!" So could Vision! He could have shown up, did that mind-meld thing to the townspeople, and Wanda would finally learn what she was doing was wrong through the person she trusts the most.

"But Agatha helps Wanda learn that she's the Scarlet Witch!" Ok...but did that need to happen in this series? Because when you think about it, when the central conflict is all about exploring Wanda's grief, throwing in this narrative about becoming the Scarlet Witch has little to do with anything. Meaning that if you cut it from the story, little would change other than cutting a CGI battle that everyone agrees is the worst part of the series.

The most Agatha adds to the story is a secondary conflict that could easily be cut, and the overall quality would stay the same, if not better. And that is a problem. Agatha needs to add to the central conflict in a way that no other character could have. Like, give her a reason to be involved in Wanda’s life that goes beyond feeding off her magic and leading Wanda to her destiny. Because as is, even if you argue that Agatha is a good twist villain, she's a villain that really didn't need to be here.

Director Haywood: But as much as I don't like Agatha, I think we can all agree that Director Haywood is the worst villain in the MCU. Because one issue that Haywood has is a lack of motivation. For instance, why does he try so hard to write off Wanda as this supervillain? It was never explained, and for something so bizarre and crucial to his character, I feel like it needed to be. It would be passable if he was motivated out of fear and ignorance, but Haywood goes so far as to misedit security footage to prove his point. And I don't get why.

Is he sexist?

Did Wanda not show up at his kid's birthday party?

Did he secretly want to use Vision as a sexbot and didn't want Wanda to get between them?

I don't know, and I'll never know.

Plus, on top of having no motivation, Haywood is just forgettable. Agatha may piss me off to no end, but at least I'll remember her. I honestly forgot Haywood's name half the time, and I'm willing to bet that you did too. Case in point, his name isn't even Haywood. It's Hayward. And in the off chance that you didn't even know about that misspelling just proves my point about how forgettable Hayward is. While it's one thing to be hated, it's another to be forgotten. Because that just means that you left so little impact that you aren't even worth getting upset about.

------

And that is what I thought about WandaVision. If I had to base this off my usual score, I'd have to give the show the same 7/10 that everyone else gave it. Because there's a lot that I love, but the stuff that I hate is so problematic that it takes the WandaVision down on a couple of notches. It's still a fantastic series with a solid story, a great message, incredible acting, and phenomenal character development. It's just that not everyone is going to be willing to tune in as much as you might think.

[septiembrre]

Rio Headcanons

Tagged by the wonderful @foxmagpie

What are your headcanons about Rio’s family? Siblings? Parents? Lifestyle growing up?

I really love the idea of Rio having been raised by a supportive, healthy, loving, beautiful nuclear family. I personally have imagined him with siblings -- sisters! Cousins! I think his respect for women and their power has to come from somewhere and it’s probably a matriarch. He has a strong handle on parenting and I think he must be modeling his own caregivers... 

But, @foxmagpie pointed out the black & white vintage photos in his closet...  Obviously, I had seen them but I just understood them to be like my family’s own old photographs. I had thought -- they’re just his ancestors, probably his grandparents or bisabuelos. But, then I realized there’s no sign of sisters, any siblings or of his parents in his apartment.  The Good Girls set design team loves a ridiculously terrible photo prop (hello old Dean/Beth family photos) and you know they would have been down to make the same thing for Rio... but alas. All we have are those photos of Rio + Marcus, an ambiguous baby picture and the black & white photo and it’s probably intentional. 

I come from a small, atypical Mexican-American family structure myself, but I feel for him. I always headcanoned that he had a dad who had died when he was a kid or a teenager and that maybe his mom was still around and involved in his & Marcus’ life. But, quizas no? 

I’m curious about how much Beth knows now about Rio’s family structure from Rhea. She knows Rhea’s a single mom, and her co-parent was out of the picture for a spell. But, I think Rhea would have also mentioned involvement or support from Marcus’s other set of abuelos/her former in-laws? 

So... who were Rio’s caregivers? His grandparents? No sisters??? We should all collectively DM Manny and ask him to share his own Rio backstory headcanons. Haha, watch -- the show is totally going to ret-con this in Season 4. 

It’s interesting overall how the writer’s deploy family world-building for the characters. Dean’s mom is the only one on-screen -- and Dean’s parents overall have gotten more build out than any other family history combined (wild!). I know that’s influenced by them casting Jessica Walter who is phenom, but expanding out the family histories is such a rich area for the show creators to play in if they choose to go there. All of our main protagonists have deceased parents. I think it’s been a choice on the show to play into a lack of safety net and support for the women. For better or for worse, Beth, Ruby & Annie are at a point where they are it for their children.  

That being said -- I would love to meet Stan’s parents! And I would love to get information about Rio’s coming-into-crime especially as a parallel to Beth’s experience. It’s the parallel we would all want and the parallel we deserve. (Dear show, Stop with the Boland family parallels, PLEASE! If I have to hear about Dean’s scummy dad one more time--). 

But, yes, I’m very invested in Beth & Annie’s, Ruby’s, Stan’s, and, of course, Rio’s families and hope we get to see more characterization unfold over the next seasons.

What are your headcanons for Rio and Rhea’s relationship? How do you think they met, at what point did Rhea learn about his work, was Rio in love with her, etc.?

I’m so curious about what attracts Rio to people/his love interests. It’s becoming clear what attracts him to Beth...  But, I wonder about has attracted him to others. 

While Beth & Rhea are both moms (haha, and beautiful, and well-endowed with the boobs), that’s in the present time on the show -- Rio was attracted to Rhea before she was a mom. I wonder what he looks for? What did he see in Dylan? 

Hmmm. 

What are your headcanons about Rio’s and Mick’s relationship? Did they meet through crime? Are they lifelong friends?

I want them to be childhood friends!!!! I want that so badddddd!!! 

Oh, god, can you imagine a flashback to them young in crime?! Like late teens or early 20s? Ha, as a parallel to the Beth + Ruby scene/origin story? I would die. DIE.

Do you think Rio’s been arrested before Beth got him arrested in 1.10? When, and what for?

Ha, I don’t think he’s been arrested for anything significant.  He’s plenty sanctimonious about keeping his name out of everything. 

If Rio weren’t a crime boss, what jobs do you think he’d be good at? Why?

I mean he’s probably great a math, phenom at managing a huge team/multiple business ventures, and super charismatic. What couldn’t he do? 

I think he was probably pushed to crime because of lack of opportunity for MOC and the need for money. This does make me think he came up poor. But, I think he stayed in crime because he’s so good at it, and likes the flexibility, the creativity, the $$$, and the power. 

I think he could go legit and still be pulling in decent buck with all of his business fronts but he doesn’t choose to. 

What are Rio’s hobbies outside of work and Marcus? What do you think he’d get up to on a day with absolutely no responsibilities?

He’s obviously an art heaux. The real question is WHAT’S HIS MEDIUM???? If he actually produces art like the abstract stuff up in his house, I would scream. I can see him being into photography when the mood strikes him and he has time. #hipster

I like the idea of Rio taking cooking classes in some sort of exclusive, foodie way (1:1 with a chef, or a compa who is a fly line cook). 

We know he plays tennis and I also imagine he boxes and works out at the type of high-end gym I could only dream of. It probably never smells of sweat, and all the machines are top-end, brand new. I mentioned in a post a while ago that I wasn’t sure if I wanted Rio to be my boyfriend, my bff, or to adopt me -- and I stand by it.  

Who do you think Dylan is to Rio (a friend, an associate, someone he was dating?) and why?

I do lean towards friend/associate/some one he’s fucked. Rio was very handsy with Dylan’s person. Obviously, in real life Manny & Adelfa are married, and I think they were leaning heavily on that intimacy in the scene. 

But Rio also didn’t kiss Dylan? Which leads me back to -- damn, Rio. You were fronting so hard. Like... that was high-school-level showmanship. 

What do you think Rio’s goals for the future are?

I think he wants to be his own boss, I think he likes being at the top of the food chain, and I think he wants to stay in crime because he still sees opportunities. 

I’m so curious as to what his $$$ bench marks are?

Beth’s are current financial security and probably college for all of her little ones. So what it for Rio?

- College for Marcus? 

- Inheritance for Marcus?

- Inheritance for all of his (nonexistent) family?

It has to be more than that. He’s already hit these benchmarks based off of the status symbols in the show (the G-Wagon, the quality of furniture in his loft, Rhea’s offer of maybe like a $5-10k check to Beth. Beth’s not family!).

What do you think Rio is bad at (cooking, dancing, singing, etc.)? How come?

I don’t think he can bake.

I also don’t seem him being good at boldly lying to people? It’s definitely not his style. He’s more of a lying by omission type of person. I don’t see him being able to spin a tale like Beth, but he also doesn’t have her white privilege/whole suburban mom aesthetic. 

Hm, I haven’t rewatched the show in a minute but I think the only time we’ve seen him boldly lie is to Beth -- when he lies about the nature of their relationship. Haha, and he’s really bad at it. Maybe this isn’t the fairest thing to judge him on. But, I think his lying relies on purposeful silence. 

Why do you think Rio is drawn to Beth?

I think Rio was drawn to Beth because she’s a survivor, she’s scrappy and she’s smart. I think he’s drawn to how quick she is on her feet. Beth has limited awareness but she can be really good at navigating what’s going for her and leveraging it for her gain (and Rio’s). I think he’s also been drawn to her because she’s a parent, and she can be really brave (I would say reckless!! Beth, stop endangering yourself!).

Beth’s also like absurdly beautiful. Christina is ethereal and they try to make her ... frumpy or something in the show. But... we have eyes. And Rio certainly has eyes for her figure, and her face, and like all the attributes and isn’t shy about letting her know. 

Why do you think Rio didn’t kill Beth? Was it their past, his present feelings for her, because he needed her business? Some combination?

I think Rio sees a kindred spirit in Beth and at this point (post-Season 3), she’s in his life now. Despite all that she’s done to him, he seems completely unable to extricate himself from her. I think this due to his present past feelings for her. The business is a bonus, a front if you will. 

In Season 2, there were these questions for Beth about whether all of it was real -- if she meant something to Rio, if Beth could walk back all of her crimes so far and retreat into anonymity. In Season 3, we know that Beth can’t let go of crime, and that she’s capable of the same dark deeds as Rio, and we know that Rio did care for her, cares for her still apparently because he’s very much in his feelings. Those Season 3 picnic table scenes? Wow. 

Ah, can you believe these two are going to like... have some sort of development in their relationship again? Obviously, it will be full of strife and conflict. But isn’t it wild that we have another Brio sex scene in store for us one day? Jenna Ban’s comment, “You don't go from having the hottest sex of your life to wanting someone dead without conflicted feelings” is just the BIGGEST TEASE.  How are our bbs going to be intimate with each other again? 

OKAY THIS ENDED UP BEING SUPER LONG. Jeez... If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for engaging with my headcanons. Lmk what you think :-) 

[themoonthestarstheplanet]

Courage Of Stars Snippet

(This is a small snippet of my ‘Courage Of Stars’ Transformers series that follows Original Characters; Altair Prime, Moonbean, Drax and Honeypot as they try to solve their problems and find their place in life after Cyberton’s Fall. THIS snippet focuses on Autobot Jolt and how he sees the ‘Nexus’ around him and how he interacts with the people living there. 

Following characters; Jolt, Moonbean, Songbird, Daybreaker (Mentioned), Armsmaster (Mentioned), Faultline (Mentioned), Optimus Prime (Mentioned), Nova Prime (Mentioned), Altair Prime (Mentioned), Prima (Mentioned), Solus Prime (Mentioned), Megatronus Prime (Mentioned), Nexus Prime (Mentioned), Onyx Prime (Mentioned) Primon (Mentioned), Guardian Prime (Mentioned), Vector Prime (Mentioned), Alpha Trion (Mentioned). 

Songbird Belongs To @wolfsrainrules and @north-peach. Moonbean, Daybreaker, Armsmaster, Faultline and Altair Prime Belongs To Me.

Pinglist; @vice-virtue)

"Fleet Admiral!" A young femling called, catching his attention. He turned to look, saw Moonbean doing so at the corner of his optics, and watched a young, pale blue with dark almost Allspark blue highlights stumble to a stop a few steps away from them. 

She was pretty, not in the spark dropping way that some femmes had before their decrease in numbers but in the way she held herself. Soft, excited and happy. Her field bubbled with positive emotions that stretched out to envelop his own. 

He doubted she was aware of it, as she only had optics for the seeker beside him. Moonbean's lips twitched, telling him that she too had been subjected to the little femlings field. 

"You know my name, Songbird." She said gently, her denta curling slightly. 

Songbird, the femme, blushed a dark blue that spread across her faceplate and her cooling fans kicked on. "Fleet Admiral!" She said again, her fans turning off as she shook herself from her flustered state. 

Moonbean sighed, and because he was close to her he could feel her field flicker with resignation and a small amount of fondness that caused him to smile. 

"Yes?" 

"The Rarities are finished, ma'am!" The grounder femme said, throwing her hands in an untidy salute that screamed rookie. "Armsmaster and Faultline have finished updating them, the rooms are ready for use again." Songbird grinned, field bursting with joy. 

She was cute. And very bubbly. He thought to himself, amused. But, what was 'Rarities'? He hadn't heard of them before. At least, not that he could remember.  It might have been something from before the war, however. Jolt’s memories of those cycles were hazy at best and nonexistent at worse. It hadn’t helped that he had only been just reaching the age of youngling when the war had been kickstarted instead of the hushed whispers and rumours. 

"Oh?" Moonbean inquired, moving past the small grounder with a wave for him to follow. He did, curious over what they were talking about and where they were going. "Anything else?"

Songbird nodded, bouncing on her pedes as she walked between them. "Yup! Armsmaster said he made a few adjustments and stuff, Faultline called him a perfectionist and kicked him out, so he went off to sulk somewhere. Probably with Seafire." She looked over at the seeker pointedly with a small, teasing smile. 

Moonbean huffed, a small sound that somehow managed to carry her amusement, and shook her helm. "Of course," she said dryly. "What adjustments?" 

"He made them bigger, like the real ones, so it's easier to see them even if others are already there." 

"You've already played around with them, haven't you?" Songbird shot her superior an overly innocent look, causing both of them to snort. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She answered, convincing no one.

“I’m sure,” Moonbean answered. They moved down the corridor, passing by a couple cybertronian’s that nodded or saluted Moonbean. 

That came to a stop at a large blue door that Songbird opened and stepped inside, Jolt and Moonbean following behind her.   

The room was large, overly so with high ceilings that could probably have space even if Daybreaker stood on three clones of himself. Sitting in the middle of the room was twelve altars, one of them was covered in a large grey tarp that hid the name etched on the plague from view. 

Jolt hummed and after getting a nod from Moonbean walked closer to the altars. He squinted at the plagues and read the old glyphs there with a feeling of anticipation in his tanks.

PRIMON. One read in ancient cybertronian. FOREFATHER; FIRST OF THE PRIMES, it said underneath a small symbol of a planet.

It was curious, for it to have read of a cybertronain so ancient that the only mentions of him were in the recordings and documents of the Original Primes, and even then it was only in the letters between Alpha Trion and Vector Prime that they had managed to salvage that had even mentioned him.

PRIMA, the next one said and like the first, a large sword with the words Star Saber inscribed on it sat above the rest. VICTORY; ONE WHO LEAD OTHERS INTO LIGHT.

NOVA. He read the next one, his symbol small, almost unseen but undoubtedly of a telescope. CURIOSITY; HE WHO BROUGHT OTHERS AND MADE THEM INTO ONE. 

It was of the Primes, the first ones. The ones who had made Cybertron from the ground up, made their society and rules, traditions and others.

GUARDIAN. TRANQUILLITY; HE WHO BROUGHT BOTH THE GOOD AND THE BAD. A circle of flags, one with Cybertrons main symbol, another for Caminus. Antila. Paradon. Velocitron. Archon. Neutronia and a few others he didn’t have the name for but could guess were colonies. 

Cybertron colonies. He looked over the words and it hit him a moment later what the Prime had wanted when he lived. Equality and Unification. 

VECTOR. STABILITY; THE ONE THAT SOUGHT BALANCE BEFORE ALL ELSE. An hourglass half-empty-half-full, fitting for the guardian of time and space. 

ALPHA TRION; EFFICIENCY; HE WHO THOUGHT OF NONE BAR THE NEXT. A quill was next, amusing in its accuracy as Optimus had always called his older mentor an avid writer. 

SOLUS; COURAGEOUSLY; SHE WHO MADE THE OLD INTO THE NEW. Of course, Solus Prime’s symbol was that of her Forge, frighteningly detailed and realistic. 

NEXUS; IDEALISM; ONE WHO SEARCHED FOR PEACE IN WAR. Nexus Prime’s symbol was baffling, a shield that was marked and dented yet still usable even if it looked worse the wear.

ONYX; TEMPTATION; HE WHO BROUGHT HIS FATE UPON OTHERS.  Large wings, spreading to both of the edges of the altar. It was the largest picture he had seen on the monuments and if what he knew of the Prime was true, oddly fitting for the beast.

MEGATRONUS; STRENGTH; HE WHO BROUGHT BOTH FEAR AND COURAGE TO ALLIES AND FOES ALIKE. Underneath his words were visible even if his symbol was not, four large claw marks disfiguring the picture from view that he couldn’t make heads or tails of what it was. FALLEN, LOST HIS WAY FROM THE CORE OF THAT WHICH THE EVERTREE GREW.

ALTAIR; WISHFUL; THE ONE THAT LIVES IN THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. Even more oddly, Altair Primes symbol was of three things, a circle, a square and a thin line that looked like a sword.

On the last one, covered by the trap he could make out just the slightest of writing. It seemed to call to his spark, seeping into his every joint and wire, warming his frame and leaving him in awe. And even though he could not see it, his optics seemed to light and glow a bright Matrix blue like never before.

OPTIMUS. It said, neatly etched into the smooth metal beneath the Autobot faction symbol. HOPE; HE WHO IN DARKNESS, BRINGS THE GREATEST OF LIGHTS.

It was just words, glyphs of a Prime, it shouldn’t have had him venting heavily and feeling weak in the knees, nor feeling like his spark was about to burst with how much it had swelled up. There was a feeling that rushed through him, powerful and relaxing in equal measures. It was an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time, and even when he had never had he felt it to such extent. 

Hope.

He stared wide optic at the altar for an unknown amount of time and felt small, but not weak nor insignificant almost in a sense, protected and loved. It was something he could not name, it was a feeling that seemed to curl through his whole body and almost, it almost seemed to strengthen his frame.

“The altars have a purpose besides being a monument,” Moonbean interrupted him, breaking him from the foggy daze like trance he had been trapped in. He turned to look at the femme as she watched Songbird scutter over to the altar with Nova itched onto it. She was smiling, soft and at peace, in a way that he hadn’t ever seen her look like. 

It was nice. She definitely looked beautiful when she smiled like that. Her sharp features and piercing optics softening and making her look more approachable, to him at least. 

“Or for us to see what they looked like.” She continued. Songbird pressed something on the altar, close to the symbol - it probably was the symbol - and the top of it lit up, frizzily and sparking for a few seconds before a holograph appeared. A mech was made out of the pixels, he was tall, towering over Songbird and even though it should have been terrifying it wasn’t. He was black, with white legs and arms. Large with two wheels on both hands and feet and his biolights were a bright orange-yellow that came from his lower chest and kibble sticking from his shoulders. 

The strangest thing about him was the long, rotary blade-like kibble that extended from his shoulders-to-forearms and beyond his possible reach unless he was really, really flexible. The blades looked like helicopter rotaries but at the same time, they didn’t. 

“The response you got from Optimus Prime’s monument is normal.” She said. “The others get different reactions to the Prime the bot in question has the closest ties too.”

“Closest…?” Jolt wondered. “Then, who is the one you’re closest too?”

Moonbean’s smile dropped, not disappearing completely but not as content and happy was before. “Altair.” 

He nodded, watching her with considering optics. Wishful, huh?

[thatonegirljessy99]

Gongjunim (1/2)

Summary: You fall for Yoongi. Only problem? Your Namjoon’s little sister. Oops lol

Requested?: Yes! By @soulpunker58

Word count: +3.2K

Warning:Teasing, Fluff??

A/N: I AM SO APRRY I HAVEN'T POSTED ANY WRITING! I'VE HAD MAJOR WRITERS BLOCK BUT I PROMISE THE NEXT PART OF LONGING TO FEEL LOVE IS COMING THIS WEEK! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS! Also, credit to whoever created this gif. Sorry I don't know who made it. Anyways enjoy!

He had your mind spinning as he cupped your cheek sweetly and kissed you softly under the tree outside your house. His lips were so soft making butterflies burst into a frenzy in your stomach.

“I love you so much princess...”

“Oppa... I was so scared you wouldn’t feel the same way and I would make things...”

“Weird?”

“Yeah,” a giggle escaped your lips as you looked up at his grinning face before turning towards the darkness of the night hearing something.

“Y/N!”

“Present!” you scream standing up before being pulled back down to your seat.

The class busted into laughter as you looked around embarrassed, biting your lip awkwardly as your best friend sighed behind you.

‘Second time this week… fuck’

“I know Miss Kim, nice of you to remind me that. But I was asking if you could solve the problem on the board. If you aren’t paying attention I can always deduct participation p-“

Before the professor could even finish his sentence, your eyes were already scanning the board to analyze the problem and solve it faster than what most students could in the class.

‘Deduct participation points my ass’

“5i over 7 minus 4i would have the top and bottom multiplied by 7 plus 4i leaving the new equation for the denominator to be 49 plus 28i minus 28i plus 16. Once simplifying the denominator, you would have 35i minus 20 over 65 which would turn into 35i over 65 minus 20 over 65. So, you final answer in standard form would be negative 4 over 13 plus 7 over 13i.”

The class fell silent as they looked at your professor work out the problem on the board only to find you were right, as per usual. You were the youngest person in the class, math having always been your strong suite, and you were the only student that was known to have to switch classes when it came to math. Normally it would just be the teachers switching classes, but you had to go up stairs to the advance senior classes when it came time. Currently you were taking college algebra with a professor that loved to call out anyone he thought wasn’t paying attention. Which was you most of the time, but that is not the point right now.

“That is correct… please just look at the board next time Miss Kim. Or at the very least please take notes,” the older man sighed going back to teaching his lesson to the rest of the class.

-

“You are by far the biggest queen of bullshit I have ever met in the history of this school,” Sunny laughed as you guys walked out of the class and headed to the lunch room,” You were so far gone and yet you were able to make him shut up for the second time this week. I think you could set a school record for how many times you just bullshit your way through class. Now tell me what you keep day dreaming about. And I will not except anything less than the full story.”

“Honestly, it's some cheesy shit that you would see on one of out dramas. It’s me outside of my house with some guy that calls me-”

“Princess! Hey! How's my favorite girl?” a voice from behind you called out before you felt a long arm wrap around your waist to pull you close to his side.

A chill ran down your spine when you looked up to be met with that signature gummy bear smile that made your heart melt in a second. By now you would think you would be use to it from how often you saw this smile, but nope!

“Oppa! Aish! Stop it! Your being embarrassing!” you blushed pulling away from your brothers' best friend.

You’re not sure when your little school girl crush started for him but sometime during middle school you started to feel your cheeks heat up whenever the tall boy looked at you for too long or gave you a compliment out of the blue. Which for you came more often that you needed it to. Especially around a certain someone you should be blushing around.

“Tch, why do you have to be so mean to oppa. I’ve called you that since you were a baby,” Yoongi smirked letting go of you and bowed towards your best friend,” I remember calling that loser Bambi from how much she tripped in dance class.”

Sunny rolled her eyes and pulled Yoongi down to her height by the ear as she glared into his soul. In hindsight Yoongi would be smart enough to know not to say something like that to a girl like Sunny. But of course, he wasn’t, and now you were here.

“Mmm, don’t forget lover boy, I might be short but I’m still your senior one year and am top of the dance department on the girls end. So! Unless you’re my Hope, don’t ever fucking bring up my dancing again, got it Min Yoongi!” Sunny practically hissed through her forced smile at the cold face of Yoongi who was trying his best to not show exactly how scared or in pain he was.

Normally you would have understood if someone would have said that she was over reacting, but as students at the Conservatory for the Fine Arts of Seoul, Sunny had earned the right to be snippy with anyone that had something to say about her dancing. Just to get into this school was mission impossible but to stay in the school was a whole other level of stress. All the students here were considered the future of their industries respectively. Sunny was number one in the girl's department of dance, number two in the whole department. But that changed every other term since she and Hoseok interchanged spots whenever testing came around.

But the friendly competition didn’t hurt their relationship. Only Yoongi who didn’t know when to shut his mouth.

“Hey! Hands off the best friend,” your brothers voice boomed from behind the three of us as we got to the lunch line making me grown just from pure instinct.

Oh look, that person you definitely should not be blushing around!

“Oh, calm down, he can still use his other ear to hear his voice crack mid-way through a song,” she smirked letting go of Yoongi's ear finally.

Seeing Yoongi get ready to say something to her, your hand went to his wrist catching his attention as you smiled shyly at him making his cheeks flush before looking away as he rubbed his ear and walked over to your brother.

“Mmm, if only you could see how whipped you have him. I don’t think I have J-Hope wrapped that tightly around my pinky,” Sunny snickered in a low voice handing you a tray before starting to serve herself some food,” imagine if Rap Monster found out that his little sister had his best friend completely brainwashed.”

“Shut up.. It's not like that between us. I’ve known him before either of us got into the conservatory. He’s like a brother to me,” you started, feeling your cheeks begin to flush as you scooped rice into your bowl and covering it with chicken curry.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save that for someone who believes it,” Sunny chuckled waving off your denial as she turned to smile at you,” but no one would ever believe either of you if they saw you two together, ma cherry.”

A deep sigh escaped you lips as you looked at your friend with a smile of pure amusement.

“Ma chérie... please remind me never to practice my French on you,” you laughed wrapping an arm around your best friend as you two walked to your usual round table.

As you two sat down you were quickly joined by Hoseok and Yoongi, both of them having two soda cans on their trays. Of course, then being followed by Namjoon who sat between Sunny and Yoongi.

“So how are my favorite girls?” Hoseok grinned as he placed a soda can down in front of Sunny, pecking her lips sweetly before taking a seat and winking at you.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t start flirting on my girl in front of me,” Sunny glared playfully at the bunny faced boy, elbowing him softly before beginning to eat the kimchi she had served herself too much of on purpose.

“Can both of you losers not hit on my little sister, please? I don’t need her being corrupted by you two weirdos,” Namjoon rolled his eyes while taking a long drink, Yoongi looking at you kindly before handing you the extra soda can he had brought to the table.

Smiling at Yoongi, you took the can and opened it before giving a side glance at Namjoon. It was not the first time he had made this type of comment, nor would it be the last as far as everyone could tell. To Namjoon you were still that 6th grader that was auditioning to get into the same school as him. You are the girl that goes from school straight to your house and practiced and did your homework and you have only one friend. Or at least that was probably what he thought as since he didn’t know about the times you went out to a few house parties here and there.

“Wow, you got her a drink and not me?” your brothers voice snapped you out of your small trance you had not noticed you had fallen into.

“Aish, Namjoon! Leave him alone. He’s just being nice. Unlike you, Yoongi actually cares about your little sister. You should be nicer to her. Poor thing is going to die single if your keep being such a helicopter parent,” Sunny snorted feeding Hoseok who nodded as he chewed through his mouth full of kimchi.

“Mm thanks for that kind reminder of my lonely impending death,” you grumbled getting a spoonful of rice and curry into your mouth.

Yoongi chuckled rubbing your back as you slouched forward not wanting to talk about your relationship statue. Or lack thereof relationship.

-

The rest of the day went by as ordinarily as it got. You went to your music classes, vocal performance, music theory, piano practice, dance practice, and your advanced classes, later waiting at the front gate to go home with Namjoon.

By now it was seven in the afternoon, many students still being inside studying and doing class work. It was a long school day but that was the price all of you were willing to pay in order to be the best of the best. After all, there was a reason why you had chosen to sell out your childhood for a shot at being a star.

As you waited, leaning against the wall, you couldn’t help but groan when you over heard a small group of girls that was in your dance class gossiping and giggling as they walked past you on their way home. All you could hear them talking about was the new kid in your class, Jungkook. Or as all the girls had begun to call him, Kookie. Why? Because “that Kookie could be my snack.” Gross. So fucking gross. Yeah sure he was a pretty good dancer, and your new partner for this first quarter, but it never ceased to disgust you how quickly girls in her class could fall for a guy just for his looks.

From: RM

Forgot to tell you I had a study group after school. You can head home or come to the library if you want to wait for me

Looking down at your phone as it went off, you quickly typed an answer just so he knew you had seen his message before letting a small sigh escaping your lips.

You start making your way down the street towards your shared apartment a few blocks down from the school looking up at the sky. It was funny to you how you basically never got to see the sun during the week anymore. Well you and all of the other student that lived in your district. Many of the students from the conservatory lived within the same area because the school didn’t provide dorms and many of the students came from many different parts of South Korea just to be a part of this place.

As you made your way up the stairs that lead to your building you noticed some fluffy mint locks that had been the result of someone buying the wrong hair dye and a blue and yellow jacket you were used to seeing in your house.

“Yo, yo, yo, Agust D,” your yelled running up to Yoongi and bumping him with your shoulder playfully making the guy readjust his glasses, "What up homie?”

Realizing who it was and what you had just said, Yoongi's face looked pained as he laughed and turned to look at you in amusement. After seeing you do this some many times you would think that he would be used to this cringy act but he was pretty sure he would never stop dying inside when you tried to act like what you thought a rapper acted like.

“Gongjunim, how about we make deal and you never do that ever again,” he laughed shaking your hair with his hand to mess with your hair, knowing you would just swat your hand at him to stop.

“Aw, but I’m just trying to be as cool as Agust D,” You chuckled fixing your bag on your shoulder before getting it taken from you by Yoongi as you two walked side by side up the road.

“You know I hate being called that right?” he asked giving you a side smile as he rolled his eyes,” if you're going to call me anything other than my name call me Suga. You know I like that a lot more when you call me Suga.”

“But all the girls at school call you it. ‘Oh, Agust D is so cute’ ‘no he’s sexy’ ‘have you seen his body roll, I literally die’. Oh, and my absolute favorite ‘have you heard his voice? I bet he could say some nasty things while he makes me forget my name',” you said mimicking the girls you had hear saying throughout the school on a normal basis.

“Oh, come on gongjunim. You know I wouldn’t have eyes for any of those girls. They love Agust D, I want someone who loves Yoongi,” he chuckled looking up to the sky only to feel a water droplet fall on his now,” hey why don’t we go into my house and you can have a drink with me.”

“Fine but let me just text Namjoon that I’m going to be out.”

“Mmm was he expecting you home?”

Shaking your head, no you two began to run up the rest of the stairs where there was a small building entry as rain began to pour over you. Quickly rushing into his living room as soon as he opened the front door, you both laughed at how soaked you had gotten in the short span of time and how both of you now looked like a mess. It wasn‘t the first time you two got caught in the rain but it had been a while so the feeling of running through it together brought back old memories of when you were both younger.

“How long has it been since we danced in the rain?” his voice chimed as he looked at the door and then back at you with a soft smile.

“Remember the dance from Trouble Maker I did for my audition?” You asked leaning back against the wall.

“Yeah, that was three years ago.”

“That was the last time I danced in the rain,” you mused looking down at the water spots on your shirt from running through the rain,” I have to dance it again with some guy from my performance class in two weeks.“

“Some guy? I heard that you got partnered up with Jungkook-“

“Please don’t remind me. Every girl is crazy about him in my year and we’re all two years older than him,” You groaned rolling your eyes before looking over at Yoongi,” Don’t you just love how the conservatory has high school and college students all in the same place.“

“You know they do it based on your level. And you only have one year left before you get to audition in front of all the companies and pray that you make it big, but until you get to join me on stage lets change into some dry clothing before you get sick in that outfit,” he chuckled placing a hand on the small of your back, leading you back to his bedroom.

“Shhh, what your brother doesn‘t know won’t kill him princess,” a smooth voice cooed into your ear as you giggled nodding.

His hands had been all over you as you two danced against each other and now he was leading you back to another room. It wasn‘t long before you got inside the room that your back was slammed against the wall, his lips on your neck, your hand in his hair. He was like a damn drug and you couldn’t seem to get enough.

“How the hell is it that you act like a child when I change in front of you, but I have never seen you bat an eye when those girls from your year flirt with you wearing practically nothing,” you smirk leaning against Yoomgi after downing your shot of soju.

You two had gone through three bottles of sake by now and you had gone from sitting across from Yoongi to almost sitting on his lap from how close you two were. Yoongi's arm was around your shoulder as he chuckles and shakes his head putting a finger your chin to make you look up at him.

“Damn you and that stupid smile,” he chuckled causing you pout as his smile widened at you.

“Y/N, you’re always dressing so cute to school, how am I supposed to see you as anything other than pure,” he teased poking the tip of your nose only making you frown.

“I’m not pure oppa... In fact, I can show you exactly how much I have changed since we were kids,” you whisper as you straddle his lap and moved his hands to your hips,” those dance classes are good for more than just dancing on stage.”

Biting his lip, Yoongi can’t help but check you out as you begin to move against him, grinding your hips onto him only causing his hands to begin to explore under the oversized shirt you had on.

“You’re my best friends' little sister... this is so wrong,” Yoongi hummed closing his eyes as you begin to kiss his neck, making him groan slightly as he felt your teeth graze the skin right below his ear and then pull on his earlobe.

“You’re not stopping me...” your voice cooed into his ear before a knock on the door interrupted your moment.

“Yoongi! Y/A-ah! It’s pouring out here! Let me in!”

“But that is...”

[theconservativebrief]

Over the weekend, liberals did their best to make ‘#MyWhitePrivilege’ trend on Twitter, as documented by Townhall.

The left-wing fetish for victimhood and oppression is nothing new. However, the anecdotal stories which were shared for the purpose of affirming the existence of so-called white privilege came crashing down in the face of cold, hard facts.

Everything You Need to Know

The ridiculous #MyWhitePrivilege campaign was comprised of tweets in which white liberals claimed to have experienced situations where they were treated favorably because of their skin color.

See for yourself:

Was caught trespassing in someone's backyard (due to Craigslist housing scam) and didn't get the cops called on me, no weapons were pulled, was invited in the woman's home, had a calm conversation. #MyWhitePrivilege (*white pretty female privilege)

— Hayla Stewart (@Haylabobayla) March 31, 2019

Because of #MyWhitePrivilege I was able to run through 3 different credit cards at the same register, all with different names, at a Target in Florida. I made my purchase using my father’s card. The clerk waited patiently as I sifted through my wallet.

— Tina (@TinaterraTerra1) March 31, 2019

Apparently, the people who tweeted with this silly hashtag didn’t realize that there are many factors which impact the outcome which one has in life. Being white does not automatically grant someone these amazing privileges which minorities do not have.

The woman who admitted to being caught trespassing in a backyard may have been shot if a man were in the home or if the woman who found them happened to be a different person. Likewise, a person of any color could have used their father’s card without having any issues at Target.

The Real Privilege is Money

One of the most interesting things about this attempt to make white privilege a real thing is the timing of it all. This conversation came right after Jussie Smollett faked a hate crime, yet managed to get off with no charges and have his record sealed. This is a feat which represents real privilege: money.

Privilege is America is definitely real. However, the left tragically fails to realize that privilege comes from money, not the color of one’s skin. Smollett obviously had friends in high places who were able to cut corners and get him off despite his criminal acts. This is something which often happens when one knows the right people.

Had someone with less money, white or black, staged a hate crime against themselves, they would rightfully be in trouble with the law; only, the charges against them wouldn’t magically vanish as they did with Smollett.

Next time liberals want to scream about white privilege from the rooftops, they need to remember the Smollett case.

Liberals on twitter are really trying to get this #MyWhitePrivilege trending the SAME week Jussie Smollett had charges for staging a hate crime dropped?!

Seriously. You couldn’t pick any other week?

— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) March 31, 2019

I lie about Trump supporters beating me up in downtown Chicago and then scam out of 16 felony charges. #MyWhitePrivilege

— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) March 30, 2019

What do you think about this fiasco? Let us know in the comments section down below!

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Gabrielle Seunagal is a full-time writer. Some of her favorite subjects to write about include politics, cybersecurity, and current events. When Gabrielle is not advancing her writing career, she is reading, traveling, or studying martial arts.

via The Conservative Brief

[seriouslyhooked]

Just a Taste (A CS AU) Part 4/10

AU where Emma and Killian are contestants on the Great American Baking Show and all twelve contestants hail from Storybrooke Maine. In this AU Emma is a book editor by day, while Killian is an architect who just moved to town a few months prior. Expect baked goods, flirtatious interactions, a little drama and a whole lot of fluff with a guaranteed HEA for Captain Swan. Rated M.

Part One Here, Part Two Here, Part Three Here

A/N: Week Four means dessert week for the characters of ‘Just a Taste’, but it also means something fun and light for us readers – a Halloween special that pits all our characters in costumes and by extension, into momentary alter egos. Expect lots of CS fluff and interactions with Emma and her friends that are cute and fun.

To say that the production team had gone over the top for this week’s segment was an understatement, and Emma could do nothing but marvel at the intricacies of the decorations within the big white tent this beautiful Saturday.

All of the foliage and beauty adorning the world outside was brought to life in the contest space as well and then supplemented with tons of festive paraphernalia. Though it was still technically a week before Halloween, the network had decided to highlight the thematic elements and everything was reflecting the holiday right down to the contestants themselves. That’s right - today Emma and the others weren’t just baking… they were baking in costume.

“To have been a fly on the wall during the meeting where they assigned us all these outfits.” Belle’s words reached Emma’s ears as they were all filing into their opening spots for the first shot of the day. Emma had to agree, that the thought process on most of these costumes was bizarre, but she at least had gotten lucky with her getup, some of the other’s hadn’t been as lucky.

“I don’t remember any Disney Princesses having a red dress,” Belle added as she looked Emma over and Emma informed her that she was Princess Buttercup from The Princess Bride. Both Belle’s and Mary Margaret’s faces showed understanding then and they glanced over Emma’s shoulder to Killian.

“That would make our friend Killian a Dread Pirate named Westley.”

Emma nodded, and couldn’t help the bit of a blush that washed across her face. This was another way for production to make it about the two of them being an item, but Emma and Killian could manage. Besides, this was one of Emma’s favorite movies, and Killian looked really good as a pirate. He’d also decided to hijack the costume a little bit in an attempt to remove some of the blatant couple-ness. He’d somehow managed to swipe a hook, presumably from a Peter Pan themed costume in the back, and was wearing a black leather jacket that added a kind of modern edge. All in all, it was working spectacularly well, and every time Emma cast a glance his way, she was thrust into some very dirty fantasies, cameras and lights be damned.

“What is it about me in particular that screams ‘vampire seductress?’” Mary Margaret asked, genuinely curious and expressing a bit of discomfort at her day’s outfit. She looked great, very cool and otherworldly, but it was a strange choice, Emma had to agree.

“Probably the same thing that tells people I would ever want to be a Victorian Era zombie slayer.” Emma muffled her laughter as she looked once more at Belle’s outfit. It’s not that her friend looked bad per se, she just looked so frilly and yet was expected to wield some sort of revolver thing to kill the undead. “I mean how are we supposed to move around in these. At least it’s a baking show and not like a physical race. But still, these sleeves are a fire hazard.”

“How do you think Regina will like Robin’s get up?” Emma asked and the three friends lacked any sort of discretion as they turned to the man in question and acknowledged the biker costume he was currently rocking. It was the complete opposite of his usual single dad, good guy clothes, and honestly, Emma highly suspected their famous female judge would approve.

“Alright everyone, the judges are making their entrances. We of course want honest reactions but…” Tink pushed her glasses further up her nose and fidgeted slightly on her feet.

“But don’t poke too much fun or the Golden Goose’s ego will get tarnished. We know, Tink, no worries. My new Victorian Era alter ego is very aware of how to repress, repress, repress.”

Emma bit back another giggle at Belle’s seemingly never ending sass when under this white tent and Tink smiled, looking a little relieved that it was Belle specifically who said that. With the assurance, the small woman was able to set things in motion for Liam and the judges were brought in donning some really entertaining outfits as well that were no doubt contractually obligated. Granny was currently Sherlock Holmes, Gold was dressed in his usual clothes, but had zombie makeup on (much to Belle’s satisfaction, who whispered something about her first twenty first century zombie kill) and Regina was a fifties girl, with a baby pink sweater, a poodle skirt, and pigtails.

“Oh my God, do you think they did that on purpose?” Mary Margaret whispered about Robin and Regina’s costumes, but Emma shook her head. She doubted that Liam would dare to alienate a judge who was contracted to the show long term for the possible intrigue. It could be really bad for the show if people thought there was something going on between a judge and a contestant during the competition. Besides, why bother more people than his little brother and the woman who loved him?

There’s that word again, Emma thought as she shot a quick look to Killian who merely nodded and gave her a grin. God, that cocky look with the outfit was really going to be trouble for Emma. All of their work to keep their attraction away from the cameras (which wasn’t really working great, since most of the audience was still ‘shipping’ them, whatever that meant) was possibly going to be undone by this outfit alone. If Emma could keep her hands off of that leather, she would deserve a serious reward.  

“Bakers, welcome to week Four of our Bake Off which as you know is Dessert week. As you’ve no doubt gathered we’re changing things up. Some shows are going green, but we’ve gone scream.” The terrible pun from Graham got a load of groans from contestants and judges alike that was probably exactly what the writer’s had wanted. Still, it was Ruby’s reaction, scripted or otherwise, that took the cake. She patted him gently on the arm, a little condescending, something that was only amplified since she was rocking a killer Wonder Woman costume.

“Alright honey, no need to hurt yourself. You, me, and the American public can all agree, I say the punch lines and you keep looking pretty…” And boy did he ever. Graham looked less like the lumberjack that he was attempting to be and more like a 3-D version of some hot male model from those calendars that killed with housewives. “Now let’s get to it. Today’s starter challenge is to make a molten dessert, however you may like. All that you need to have is a baked outer crust and something ooey and gooey in the center. The rest we leave to you.”

“Bakers, if you will please man your stations,” Graham instructed.

They all made their way swiftly to their spots, and when they did, Ruby and Graham gave the official count down setting them all off on their way to creating their first Halloween treat of the day. For Emma, this first round was an old faithful, one that always served her well in the past – triple chocolate molten brownies. She was only making one notable change to the recipe, and that was to temper her own white chocolate so she could color it orange. That counted as Halloween themed right? It would have to.

The morning’s bake went by pretty well with no noticed sabotages from a more subdued Catherine (who was dressed as what Emma was guessing was a drunk starlet or a spring breaker who had seen better days). Still, when the group stood in front of the judges, tensions were high. Melted centers were not an easy thing to come by, and a baker ran all sorts of risks when they tried to make one. The sauce could melt into the cake or cookie base itself if cooked too long or at too high a temperature (as it had with Lance’s blackberry filled vanilla cake), but could also stay too thick to be considered melted (like with David’s caramel confection). Today, both outcomes were unacceptable.  

“I thought the hosts made it pretty clear that we were looking for a melted substance, Mr. Nolan, not a pudding. Do you know the difference?” Gold spat out.

David bristled only slightly at the words before grinning at Gold and giving a joking reply that if a lawyer knew how to do anything it was spin. Maybe he hadn’t achieved the objectives of the challenge, but he’d challenge anyone to go against him on taste. When Granny and Regina sided with him on that, Emma could have sworn Gold went red, even if it wasn’t visible from underneath the crazy costume makeup he was wearing.

The judges moved on, taking note of all the remaining bakes, and while Emma’s was definitely a hit, it was Belle’s mini monster skillet cookies that stole the show. Filled with peanut butter sauce, and composed of a dough base that incorporated oats, chocolate chunks, m&ms and about another dozen treats, they were delicious, and definitely on Halloween theme. Emma had managed to steal one of the left over cookies and was mid mind-blowing bite when Killian came up beside her.

“Seems I’ve missed out on the morning’s favorite.”

The gravel in his voice only further fueled the charge between them and shot straight to Emma’s heart. The lilt in his voice had her whole body reverberating with warmth. She did something that he didn’t expect though and smiled, offering to share her mini skillet with him. Handing him an extra spoon, she invited him to try a bit, and though she was glad he liked it, she was a little jealous at the sound that came past his lips when he tasted the treat. She kind of only wanted him to make that noise for her baking, or her in general.

“That good, huh?” Killian licked his lips playfully but then pulled closer, so close that his whispered words left a warm air tickling Emma’s ear and setting another flutter coursing through her.

“Everything tastes this good to a starving man, and I have neither had the spoils of your baking, or my hands on you this morning. I am by all definition’s, starving.”

Emma thought back to last night, and regretted the second part of his statement. She had missed him, but they’d decided to cool it, if just for one night since the town’s influx of tourists were watching eagerly to see if they were or were not a couple. The whole town knew of course, but thanks to their loyalty, it hadn’t leaked to the larger public, at least not yet. Honestly, though, Emma didn’t give a damn if they did find out, it wasn’t worth spending her nights away from Killian.

“I think the drought should end, don’t you?” Emma grinned wickedly and the hope in Killian’s eyes was so apparent it almost made Emma feel bad for reaching past and offering him one of her brownies. The way his face fell had Emma wanting to reach out and kiss him, but instead she played with the hook on his hand. That was innocent enough right? Then, sure that there were no cameras trained on her face she whispered: “Tonight, my house.”

With that, Killian made another sound of vigorous approval of Emma’s brownies and was off, back to his own station, leaving Emma alone once more for only a moment until the hosts were speaking to them once more and instructing them on what today’s test would be.

Their task this week was a tiramisu cake from Regina that required not only precision in the face of all of the redacted instruction, but also working with chocolate to design suitable Halloween inspired adornments.  When the bell rang for them to get started, Emma immediately moved through the parts of the recipe she knew. She’d made this treat before a few times, and while she wasn’t an expert, some things she definitely remembered, like how the slices of cake needed to be extremely thin, and how they all needed to be soaked in the coffee/espresso mix.

“You know, Emma, if they decide to hand out extra points at the end of all this for the person who gets the least mess on their costume, you just might win.” Ruby’s compliment as she made her way to Emma’s station with Graham and a cameraman made Emma smile a bit and then look down at her red dress. It was in fact, still pristine, and without the assistance of an apron or anything. Quickly, Emma took a look around to the others, and realized that the same couldn’t be said for many of the others. Lance and Belle in particular both seemed to be struggling with that objective.

“I hardly think they’d take that into account, but here’s hoping right?”

“Speaking of costumes, you are the iconic Princess Buttercup from The Princess Bride. Are you a fan of the story?” Emma bit her lip at Graham’s comment but nodded and responded that she was. “For those of our viewers who might not know, the story centers on a princess and a stable-boy turned pirate who fall in love.”

“Well there’s a lot more to the story than that, but yeah that’s a big part of it.”

“Funny that one of our other characters then is dressed like the pirate from that story.” Emma felt a blush creep to her cheeks but then looked past the judges to Killian and tried to put forth a jesting vibe.

“Really, I think that’s a pretty loose interpretation of Westley.” Ruby, who had tensed up a bit at Graham’s question chimed in.

“Yeah, I mean really what we’re looking at is a hot Captain Hook. If there were no perms and waxed mustaches, and a new found affinity for leather of course.” Emma grinned at that and looked back to Graham.

“Can’t really argue with that assessment, and since there is no hot Captain Hook in The Princess Bride…” Emma trailed off.

“You both realize that all I’d have to do is steal that hook from Killian, and your argument would be out the window,” Graham professed and Emma and Ruby looked at each other and both shrugged.

“You could try that, but if I know anything about our town’s newest citizen, it’s that he’s not likely to let a pretty boy lumberjack like yourself steal anything of his.”

Before either of them could understand fully what was happening though, Graham made a sprint to Killian’s table as if to get the item in question, but with grace and poise, Killian picked up the hook from it’s spot on his table and quickly put it back on.

“Ah, Graham, you should know better than to mess with a man’s hook.” Graham was a little out of breath but he smirked back.

“To be fair, you’re an architect, so I wasn’t anticipating you’d have such a sense of pirate duty.”

“And that, my friend, is why you’ve come up short.”

Emma could hear the interaction between the two of them and was standing with Ruby, holding back laughter but this was the last straw. Both women were now giggling, and even though Emma should really be working on her bake, she couldn’t seem to care. That lack of desire to retreat only increased when Killian turned to Emma and winked.

“Something new to add to the ‘things I didn’t know about myself’ list…” Ruby began, “I am weirdly into Captain Hook.”

Emma shook her head and laughed once more before forcibly removing Ruby from her station so she could get back to her bake. As it was, the distraction didn’t take too much time away form Emma’s ability to present something to the judges, but still, there was no denying that the scene that had just unraveled would be heavily featured on the next episode. Emma intended for that to be the only bit of ‘will they / won’t they’ footage this weekend, so she threw herself back into the competition head first, only coming back up for air when the timer buzzed once more.

“Alright everyone, time is up, time is up! Bring your bakes forward and await your fate. Muahahaha.” Ruby’s evil laugh was something Emma had heard once or twice before, but clearly very few of the others ever had, including Graham, who for a moment was nearly paralyzed with a mixture of shock and fear.

“Remind me not to cross Ruby, because I would happily live the rest of my days never hearing that again.” Killian’s comment pulled a smug grin from Ruby who then flipped her hair.

“My favorite’s her wolf howl,” Mary Margaret said with a smile on her face. “It sends chills down your spine it’s so real.”

“Perhaps another time, I think Graham’s scared enough as it is.” David’s comment had all the contestants and Ruby alike looking to their other host, who was indeed a little paler than he had been a moment before.

“Right – well… we’re kind of on a schedule here people, so let’s get going.” Graham’s not so graceful segue was still humorous, but everyone had mercy and kept from laughing and soon enough the desire to do so was gone as one by one the judges filed in. On the plates before them there was a real assortment of styles for a tiramisu, some were far and away better than others (like Tiana’s that not only had perfectly even layers, but amazing skeleton chocolate work) while others lacked any sort of cohesion.

“This one looks like it was hit by a truck and then someone attempted to put it back together.”

Gold’s harsh censure was over the top because it didn’t look that bad, but tiramisu was actually drooping all through the middle, and there was some excess liquid leaking out on the side. Lance though seemed pretty indifferent to the scrutiny. Maybe it was his background as a sheriff’s deputy, but Emma gathered it was more his personality.

Lance Knight was a force to be reckoned with, sure of himself in a kind and quiet way and Emma had heard him openly dislike very few people. Gold though, was one of those few, and when Emma ran into Lance during the past week, he’d called the man big headed and cold hearted. To Lance, owning a successful baking restaurant empire meant nothing if Gold was a bad guy. Though Emma couldn’t say for certain, she would bet that Lance was thinking along similar lines right now and that was why he didn’t care about the criticism.

“I think this cake suffers from a lack of uniformity, though I would say the tastes are there. People underestimate the difficulty of layering a cake like this. It’s not for the faint of heart.” Regina’s words though not complimentary were also understanding and far warmer than gold’s while Granny simply shook her head looking at the sight before her.

“Maybe they do things differently outside of Storybrooke, but around here, if someone brought that to a party, we’d all still eat it. Don’t matter the look of a thing. It smells good, tastes good, and someone worked hard to make it for us. That’s enough for me.”

On and on they went down the line, until finally ranking the bakes. Unsurprisingly Tiana came in first with Emma and Mary Margaret close behind, while the bottom of the bunch included Lance, David and Catherine. Once the judging had commenced, the cameras were shut off, the production for the day broken down some and all of the contestants were allowed to finally take off their costumes.

Emma had never been so glad to take of an outfit in her life as she was with this dress, but there was something niggling at the back of her mind. She would have really, truly enjoyed getting to take the hot pirate costume off of Killian. She couldn’t put her finger on why, all she knew was that Killian in all black with a little more edge and a dab more danger was really working for her. Needless to say then, that when she left the confines of the big white tent for the day and found Killian wearing black jeans, a black tee and that same leather jacket, with his hair ruffled from the slight breeze and that glimmer of desire in his eyes, Emma was very excited.

“You cut quite the figure in that dress today, Swan.” Killian said as he took her hand in his and Emma leaned into it, coming to stand closer with him.

“You didn’t look so bad yourself.” He chuckled at that and brought his other hand to her hip, pulling her closer so she was flush against him.

“Come now love. There are no secrets between us. You and I both know you rather liked the look of me as a pirate.” Emma gulped, her throat suddenly dry and her body practically pulsating with need.

“I more than liked it actually. I’ve had ideas of your potential pirate tendencies since week one, if you remember.” Her words hung between them as she brought her own hand up to trace the place where his open jacket met the thin cotton beneath and she watched his muscles tense under the perusal of her fingertips.

“Emma, love, I highly recommend that you let me take you home, for try as I might, I hardly think I can resist you much longer.” Emma pressed her lips to his ever so softly and just as he was about to deepen the kiss she pulled back, smiling.

“Then lead the way, Captain.”

The low growl that came from Killian as he made their way back to his car filled Emma with a rush of emotions that made her almost dizzy. In this moment she felt both incredibly turned on and undeniably happy, something that always seemed to come hand in hand when she was with Killian. It was this divine swirl of emotions that had that small internal voice whispering about love once more, and though she didn’t say the words, she truly did feel that she loved Killian, most ardently.

………………

The next night, after another full day of filming, Emma and Killian were together once more, this time with some of their friends, trying to decompress after a long day. Their Sunday had been anything but relaxing, and among those in attendance at tonight’s impromptu gathering was Lance, the person who the judges had decided to send home. Where others in the past had been saddened or disappointed though, Lance was only relieved. Though he couldn’t tell anyone his fate until after the episode aired, he seemed eager to let everyone know.

“The guys at work have been teasing me mercilessly, and in all honesty, I wasn’t cut out for a world where everyone knows my business. Besides, now I’ll never have to see Gold aside from the finals, and God willing he won’t come anywhere near those of us who were disqualified.” They all raised a glass to that, for it would definitely be a positive of leaving this race early.

“I really did think Robin was going to punch him in the face earlier though.” Mary Margaret’s comment was agreed to across the room, for in the final moments of judging, Gold had made a tasteless remark about Regina when she complimented Robin’s donut display, and Robin had all but spit out a cutting remark about good manners and how to speak to a lady.

“Can you imagine a fight breaking out under that tent today though? They made the challenge ‘Dawn of the Doughnuts’ and if Robin had thrown that punch, you know all hell would have broken loose.” Emma looked at Belle and smiled.

“And by ‘all hell,’ you mean you would have been chucking doughnuts, loving the excuse for a food fight.” Belle considered for a moment and then nodded.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean.”

The others laughed, and Emma appreciated the way that their long, grueling day was ebbing away through the laughter and banter of her friends. Equally helpful though was that she was currently wrapped up with Killian on the couch, his arm around her waist, and her head tucked into his chest. She felt warm and happy and safe and that was definitely something to be thankful for.

“I’m just glad that the whole costume element is behind us,” David said and Emma could understand that.

While yesterday’s football player ensemble had been easy enough, David had been selected for the part of Prince Charming on today’s set. While he’d looked dapper, and Emma had noticed the appreciative glances of Mary Margaret to him more than once, it also looked pretty stiff, and as soon as the cameras were away (and even a little before) David had been adamant that the outfit was itchy. He now had the red scratches along his arms and legs to prove it too.

“No worries, knowing my brother there are bound to be more forms of torture in store.”

Emma felt Killian tense even as he made the joke to the others. While their friends laughed, Emma could tell Killian was a bit sensitive about his brother’s actions during the filming. Killian originally believed that Liam would be sticking to the no-drama, limited personal expose feel of the original franchise. With each passing week, that hope was tarnished more and more and when the episodes themselves aired, it was clear that the focus was on getting people invested in contestants instead of in the show and the food. Still, while that was frustrating, it was workable, and in a few more weeks, this would all be behind them. For now though, Emma ran her thumb across Killian’s knuckles as a gesture of support and he bent down to kiss her on the crown of her head.

“I still can’t believe he stole six of Emma’s left over donuts! I wanted one, they were fantastic.” As she said the words, Ruby looked as if Liam had made the gravest of offenses by grabbing the remaining half dozen of Emma’s ‘Charlie Brown Sugar and Great Pumpkin’ doughnuts. Maybe if Ruby had been denied a doughnut, Emma would understand, but Ruby had eaten three of the treats herself.

“They were so good! I couldn’t believe you didn’t win star baker.”

Lance’s words were touching, for as someone who didn’t often eat the baked goods Emma made, he was almost an untested pallet. In the end though, Emma had been thwarted for the top spot by Tiana and that was more than okay with her. Tiana had grand ideas of opening her own café some day, and winning this could make all the difference for her. For Emma, it would just be a display dish in her home. There would be no quitting the day job she loved to bake full time.

“Emma will rally, make no mistake of that.” Emma shoved playfully at Killian’s arm for his comment but still smiled. When their eyes caught once more, the teasing fizzled out and was replaced by a spark of attraction that set in her chest and wouldn’t let go.

“That’s probably true. But not tonight, I’m beat.” It was easily the most transparent excuse to get out of there so she could be alone with Killian, but Emma stuck to her guns, and rose from her seat. Not a second passed and Killian was rising with her.

“Allow me to escort you home, love.” The silky smooth tone of his words made Emma shiver even as she heard Ruby’s muttered joke.

“I think it went without saying that he was taking her home.”

Belle nearly spit out her drink and Emma barely bit back her own laughter. In the past something like that might have embarrassed her, but with Killian it really didn’t, for even if she didn’t want all of America knowing about their relationship, she definitely wanted to tell their own little world of people. Quickly Emma bent down to her friend and whispered back.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have your own pirate… but I bet if you called a certain lumberjack, he wouldn’t mind taking you home either.”

Ruby turned the same shade as her namesake and Emma knew she had stumbled upon a budding attraction. What Ruby would or wouldn’t do about it, was up to her friend. For Emma, the path was clear – always follow your heart, and by extension, always follow the love. So she did just that, and it led her, unsurprisingly into Killian’s waiting arms.

Post-Note: So, I toyed with the idea of having the story earn its M rating this week and then opted to save it for a later date. I have an emotional trajectory for the story (trust me, it stays fluffy) and earning the M makes sense about two chapters from now. Until then, hope you guys are satisfied with the plethora of desserts and the banter back and forth of our characters this week. I also want to thank you guys so much for your continued support and enthusiasm for the story. It means a lot that so many people are responding to the fic, and I hope you all continue to enjoy! Until next time!

[thisiswhatwereupagainst]

FIVE UNDERAPPRECIATED CHARACTERS (and five runners up)

A few caveats before we begin. Firstly, the difference between underused and underappreciated. An underused character is one that the writers haven't done much with at all. An underappreciated character is one that fandom doesn't pay much attention or give credit to despite what the writers have done with them already as is that should warrant more attention. Secondly is that this list is biased as fuck. The only person on it who isn't one of my special favorites is Moira MacTaggert. I tried for that not to be the case, but the fact is, the Marvel Universe is really, REALLY big, and there are soooo many characters that I can really only get to know a specific few. And so of course the ones I know best are the ones that I know have done stuff that should be more widely appreciated by fandom. So if your under-rated favorite isn't on here and you think they deserve to be, it's not that I looked at them and said "what a loser" and deliberately left them off, I just probably don't know who they are and what they accomplished to deserve to be on this list. I'm sure that the characters who deserve to be on it could fill a book. That's why I just put "five underappreciated characters" instead of "top five", because I don't think these are objectively the TOP underrated characters, they're just five of the ones that I know and like best. Thirdly, my definition of "underappreciated" is based solely on what *I* have seen of fandom in *my* experience with it...and I am not someone deeply involved in fandom. I largely stay out of it, only venturing in when looking for info on a preferred character, or just happening on stuff by chance. So I might be totally wrong in how I've gauged the popularity level, or lack thereof, of a character. Thus, one or more of these might actually not be "underappreciated" at all.  Which, hey, would be great! Anyway, on to the list...

FIVE UNDERAPPRECIATED CHARACTERS

- Moira MacTaggert: If you're imagining a sexy young American CIA agent, stop it right now. I'm talking about comics Moira. Comics Moira is around Charle's age, very Scottish, and she is actually DOCTOR MacTaggert, a world-renowned leading geneticist whose area of specialty is mutants. She's badass, she's smart, she calls Charles out on his shit when no one else does, she has dark issues of her own, and she goes after a kelpie with a giant gun. She's a longtime ally of the X-Men, she lives at the mansion and forms a relationship with each team member of the time, and even forms/leads her own team of X-Men on Muir Island (the site of her research center) when it appears the original team has been killed. Moira debuts at an early point in the comics, and is an important player in numerous stories for years to come up until her death at the hands of Mystique, but not before she discovered the cure to the Legacy Virus, saving the lives of countless mutants. If you remember no one else on this list, remember Moira MacTaggert. - The Hellions: During the 80s when Emma Frost was still a villain, she ran a school of her own and the Hellions were her teenage proteges. They were rivals to the New Mutants, but with the exception of Empath and maybe Roulette, not evil at all. They were just mutant kids that Emma had gotten to before Xavier did. Some of them formed friendships with the New Mutants, and their clashes were more like contests than real battles. They all had distinct personalities, most of which were quite likeable and interesting, but were never used to their full potential. They might have had big futures ahead of them, but when the 90s came along, they were all wiped out in a mass slaughter (except, ironically, Empath, the one character I don't think anyone WANTED to survive) which prompted Emma Frost to join the X-Men, as she felt her future students would have a better chance of surviving if she were with them. While the Hellions are still beloved and mourned to this day by a small but devoted number of comic fans, their fascinating and unique personalities make them worthy of so much more remembrance. - Destiny: I see more fanart of Mystique and Azazel than I do Mystique and Destiny, and I think that's a damn shame. Azazel was just a dude who knocked Mystique up. Destiny was a woman she had a lifelong relationship, never leaving her side even when she grew old while Mystique stayed young. Historically, same-sex relationships in comic books and other movies were used to show how evil and depraved a villain was to engage in such a thing, but Mystique's love for Destiny was used to humanize her instead. While they could never actually be called lovers on-panel, they pushed the envelope as much as possible for the time, living together and even raising an adopted child (Rogue) together. How is fandom not all over that? God knows there's a fuck ton of fanart of Charles and Erik raising the latter's kids together, and that didn't even happen! But she's more than just Mystique's wife or Rogue's mother. She's an enigmatic but influential force in the Marvel universe who affected all of the X-Men even long after her own death. She was far less malicious and malevolent than the rest of the Brotherhood, yet her predictions are what steered their actions. Did she really want to achieve their cause of mutant supremacy? Or was she manipulating them to shape the future in a larger way? And the diaries she left behind recording her visions both predicted and moved plots in the 2000s, making her a more important character post-mortem than she was alive. She's also neat in that not only in that she was one of the first LGBT mutants (and represented positively, no less, despite her villainy) but also in that she wasn't a hot sexy villainess, she was an elderly woman and neither she nor her relationship with another woman was sexualized at all. That's very rare. It's even more rare to see older gay people represented; the 'face' of the LGBT community is typically portrayed as people around 30 or less, seldom over 50. Therefore, I think she deserves more recognition both in terms of being a diversity milestone and for just who she was and what she did. - Fabian Cortez: Yes, there's a little personal bias here, but I really do think Fabian deserves more spotlight in fandom than he gets. This dude showed up at the beginning of the 90s, expertly manipulated the retired Magneto back into villainy for his own purposes, then orchestrated his death for the same reason, framing humanity for it. He then used Magneto's image as a martyr to gather a cult called the Acolytes that numbered far more than any incarnation of the Brotherhood ever had. They were vicious, they were bloodthirsty, and they did anything Fabian said. Fabian manipulated heroes and villains alike, attempted to sway Quicksilver to his side. When that failed, he became his nemesis of the era, and during Blood Ties he even kidnapped Quicksilver's daughter to hold hostage as he deliberately plunged the nation of Genosha into a bloody civil war. After the return of Magneto and addition of Exodus, Fabian loses his badass status and gets put more in a "Toad" role as the slimy subordinate who is abused by his superiors as he secretly schemes against him. But while he ceases to be important in the OVERALL story, he remains important in relation to Magneto and Quicksilver, as there's obviously still a lot of animosity between them. This animosity remains right up until Magneto kills him once his use for him runs out. So, what makes Fabian Cortez unappreciated? Well, when's the last time you met a fan who knew who he is? Did you even know who he was before you read this blog? He's a major player for the first half of the 90s, then attached to a major player through the next half (and one that is IMMENSELY popular in fandom), yet no one knows who he is. Even fans of Magneto and Quicksilver, whose stories he was very important in during the entire decade, don't know this guy. Then there's his personality. Fabian is the WORST and it's AMAZING. It's not just that he's a manipulative liar who will do anything for power, it's not just that he abuses and even sacrifices his followers for his own gain, it's not just that he's a major egomaniac, he's also a tremendous sexist and tremendously thirsty, with goals of forming a harem. He even causes a 15 year unexplained mystery because he was staring at a woman's butt! He's threatening and competent, yet at the same time, utterly hilarious in his sex-crazed misogynistic pompous cowardly assholery. He also has some fantastic lines, such as MY WILL BE DONE SO SAYETH ME in the animated series, and telling Quicksilver that he scream his name very well. He's also in some hilarious scenes, like vanishing even faster than QUICKSILVER can see when Quicksilver says he has explaining to do. Seriously, if you don't recognize him for his importance to plot as a villain or for his role as an enemy to Magneto and Quicksilver, recognize him for his epic doucheyness and epic hilarity. - Kwannon: If you love Psylocke, you need to love Kwannon, or at least know her, because everything Psylocke is today is due to Kwannon. In both the 90s cartoon and the X-Men movies, Psylocke has always been depicted as Asian, but in fact, she's not---Kwannon was. And in many regards, she was who Betsy has been since. You see, Psylocke originally was a well-mannered little lady from England. Her time with the X-Men made her want to be a fighter very much...and she got her wish when she was body-swapped with Kwannon, a Japanese ninja assassin, in order to save the latter's life. The swap was done by the Mojoworld villainess Spiral, but arranged by Japanese crimelords Mastu'o Tsurayaba and Lord Nyoirin. Once it was done, each of them attempted to manipulate the two mentally confused women into both their loves and personal weapons. The swap also resulted in their minds merging to a degree as well, so that they absorbed skills, memories, and personality traits from each other. For Psylocke, she gained Kwannon's ninja abilities, and a much more brutal personality. The latter was only exacerbated by her rage at how she had been used and victimized, how her agency had been taken from her to the point her body literally was not her own, of what these men had done to her. This was the beginning of the Psylocke as we know her now. As for Kwannon, she suffered an identity crisis. Thanks to absorbing some of Betsy's memories during the swap and the manipulating lies of Nyoirin, she believed herself to be the REAL Betsy Braddock, mentally as well as physically, and accused Psylocke of being an imposter. Due to their scrambled psyches, this could not be worked out for some time, and it was not until the time that Kwannon was on death's door with the Legacy Virus that she was finally able to realize the truth of who she was and what had been done to her. She perished in the white body of Betsy Braddock, while Betsy lived on in her Asian body, which is now the appearance most associated with her today. Kwannon deserves to be remembered both for what Betsy gained from her, and as a character in her own right.

FIVE RUNNERS UP

These are the characters that I think deserve more recognition for whatever reason, but also aren't truly what I would call underappreciated either . Sebastian Shaw: Sebastian Shaw has been a big name in the comics fandom since his first appearance, and for very good reason. He's a major baddie, and he's very good at it, though admittedly he's never managed to top his first story. Poor guy peaked too early. But he's still managed to be a pretty cool villain, and a fairly consistent one, though his role wanes more with every decade. Still, he's always been at least B-list in fandom. Maybe not everyone's favorite, but at least everyone knows who he is, what he does, and the basic reasons why he does it. The evil billionaire who just wants more money and power and will do anything to get it isn't new or original, but Shaw does it very well, and with a mindset that makes him more realistic than the stock stereotype and with a flair very distinct to him...also, he takes his shirt off every chance he gets and it's hilarious. He's great, and even fans who don't love him have generally still recognized his importance as a good villain. But with the rise of movie fandom, that's changed. The movies have far overtaken the comics in reach and popularity, and while I don't think that's a good or bad thing, it does mean that now most people think Nazi Kevin Bacon when they hear the name Sebastian Shaw, who has nothing in common with comics Shaw. The fact he hasn't done any proper villainy in the comics for like ten years doesn't help. And I think Shaw deserves better. He's not a sympathetic villain, he's not even a particularly complex one, but he's interesting in his own way, and he's both threatening and fun. Threatening because of his ruthlessness, how he uses political and economic power as much as punches, his willingness to throw all of mutantkind under the bus for his own gain, and his incorrigible perseverance. He's also got a pretty fleshed-out past which could easily have been used to make him tragic to the point of cliche, but isn't, which I find neat. He's not tragic in the SLIGHTEST at all, actually, he's so self-interested and awful it's kind of hilarious. And he has some great dynamics with other characters. So, why would I only make him a runner-up? Because I think that while he's not getting as much credit as he used to, and that he does deserve a little more spotlight, he's not totally deprived of it either. There are still plenty of comic fans out there who know he is, and who say, yeah, that dude was pretty cool. He's not as big a name as he used to be or as he could be, and he probably is never going to get out of Movie Shaw's shadow ever again, but he's hardly forgotten either. I think if the comics find cool new things to do with this fucker, he'll start gaining back some of his former glory from the classic days ASAP in fandom. He's a character in All New All Different right now, and they do seem to have SOMETHING planned with him, so here's hoping! Madelyne Pryor: As with Shaw, the rise of the movie fandom overtaking the comic fandom has made her name more obscure, but lots of comics fan still know her. But I think the underappreciation factor is that many only really know her as the Goblyn Queen, the insane villain, the evil ex-wife, the Jean Grey clone gone wrong. The fact that she was good guy character for six years, and even a member of the X-Men in addition to their friend, goes forgotten. Before she was the Goblyn Queen, she was just Maddy, and she had a lot of adventures with the X-Men where she was a hero, and a strong character in her own right for reasons that had nothing to do with being Jean's clone or Sinister's creation or the rest of that stuff. I think that the original Maddy, the real Maddy she was at heart before everything went so wrong, needs to be remembered too. But I've never seen so much as a single piece of fanart where she wasn't in her villain garb. That said, I can't call her underappreciated altogether just because one aspect of her is overlooked. Many fans still know who she is and recognize the tragedy of who she became, even if they don't really know who she used to be, and there's a lot of sympathy for her in comic fandom to this day...and skimpy fanart, of course. Haven: Haven is a big-time favorite of mine, that's no secret. Other villains, I love because they're nasty, but Haven, I love because she's good. She's really, really good. And while I've seen villains who are good people before, I've never seen a villain that was a pacifist, and who not only never harmed the heroes, and barely even threatened to, but even healed them and helped them and rescued them. It's a really unusual decision, and a risky one (TV Tropes says she was killed off because readers refused to root against her) and it can be interesting to the point of distressing to read her comics, because it gets really hard to tell who should be seen as the bad guy. Because in spite of all the bad things we're told that her cult is doing offscreen, all that's shown onscreen is the heroes attacking a gentle compassionate woman who doesn't want to fight and doesn't hurt them back even though she could. It's such a unique dynamic, and brings conflict not only to the story but the reader. Haven also brought other unique ideas to the scene as well. For one thing, she wasn't a mutant herself, but her unborn child was, and she could access its great powers (hence why the Adversary probably chose her) That's a really neat idea, and it also puts her in a unique position of not really being human or mutant but sort of both, and having lived half her life as one, half as the other. She brings up the perspective this gives her at one point, and I really would have liked to see that expanded on. Another thing I'd liked to have learned more about is her books and lectures; in addition to being a supervillain and a charity worker, she was a best-selling author and lecturer who promoted mutant/human peace. Even though she's little-known to fans, she was apparently pretty prominent in-universe, and I think having a voice in the mutant/human debate that for the first time wasn't white, male, and Western was neat. I would have liked to know more about her perspectives and arguments and how they compared and contrasted with those of others, from Graydon Creed to Professor X himself, and how the public viewed her. Also, she's just endearing. Again, TV Tropes says that fans of the day refused to root against her, and I can see why. She heals the sick, she feeds the hungry, she cares for orphans, and she tells X-Factor she loves them. How do you bring yourself to fight someone like that? It's easy to stand against bad guys who are mean and nasty, who doesn't wanna punch Fabian Cortez in his smug gross creeper face, but Haven creates the dilemma of making the heroes (at least some of them) very reticent to apprehend her or even believe the accusations against her. It's a much more complex setup than is typical, and as I said, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it anywhere else. The fact that the reader finds out she's not really doing this of her own free will (though the heroes never discover this) makes her all the more sympathetic. Ultimately, though, I don't think she counts as truly underappreciated because that word implies she deserves much more recognition than she gets, and I think she simply wasn't major enough to the story to warrant that (unlike, say, Fabian Cortez, who was VERY relevant). And unlike the Hellions, I don't think she had potential to go on to become a lasting character. Her story could only end one of two ways. Either she died tragically (as she did), or she was saved from possession and went on to live a normal life as a normal human. Either way, she would be removed from the scene. I guess they could have had her stay on as part of the team or something like that but...I can't see that happening at all. What would she even do? And would she want to? I mean, can you seriously see HAVEN as part of a government strike force? No way. Haven simply is not cut out to be a major character in an action comic, and once you take away the Adversary forcing her into conflict, she's out. And she just...didn't do much while she was in. Consequence of refusing to hurt anybody, I guess. I think she's definitely worth looking into for fans who are interested in seeing an unusual type of character like her, but she's far from being a "must-know" little-known. Zaladane: Magneto's family has been a point of interest in canon and fandom for a long time, and the rise of the movies has only increased that. There's fanart GALORE of the Magneto clan, most prominently him and the Maximoffs but also Polaris, Speed, Wiccan, and Luna (Magda and Anya tend to be forgotten...) And now there's a kid named Nina from XMA, apparently? And yet, there's nothing to be seen of poor Zaladane. Few people even know who she is, let alone that she is almost certainly a child of our favorite iron-controlling helmet-head as well, or at least was until recent continuity changes fucked up that possibility. So, who was she? She's a sorceress from the Savage Land that the X-Men faced as a foe more than once. On one occasion, she kidnapped Lorna Dane aka Polaris. She revealed that her real name wasn't Zaladane, it was Zala Dane, and Lorna was her long-list sister. She then proceeded to use a machine to transfer Lorna's magnetic powers to herself. Lorna had no memories of Zala and dismissed her claims of sisterhood as a crock, but Moira MacTaggert confirmed that the machine required that the two people in worked on be genetically related in order for the transfer to take place. In other words, Zala was indeed related to Lorna, either as her sister or some other connection. Not content to steal the powers of Lorna alone, Zala later went after Magneto, and successfully took his as well using the same machine. So, if the machine requires the people involved have similiar genes, to be family, to work...and she could use it on Magneto....it follows he and she are related as well. And if Zala is Lorna's sister...and Magneto, as we now know, is Lorna's father...well, the math does itself. Zala is Magneto's daughter too. Though Zala must surely have worked this out, she never mentioned it to him, and Magneto killed her without ever knowing their likely connection. Unlike many X-villains, she has yet to make a resurrection. This all went down during the 80s and 90s. During the 2000s, writers who had either forgotten Zaladane or simply didn't care made alterations to Lorna's history that make any relation between Zala and Magneto impossible. But me, I think that could be easily explained---just say she came from another universe! She sure wouldn't be the first alt-dimensional child of a character to come to 616, and it might help explain how the hell she got to the Savage Land, as well as why Lorna had no knowledge of her.I think Zaladane should get more attention because, well, Magneto's other kids get so much love. However, there's really nothing about her besides her potential pedigree that makes her stick out enough that I think she's truly "unappreciated" aside from this. Hence her only having a runner-up status. Shinobi Shaw: There's really nothing important about Shinobi. He wasn't in any big stories, he didn't do anything major, he barely did anything at all. Calling him "underappreciated" would in no way be justified. There is no reason he deserves appreciation and recognition. But you know what? He's funny. He's really, really funny. He's ridiculous, and that's my entire reason for reading him, and I think the outlandish shit he manages to get up in his 20something issues of existence is enough that he bears warrant as an honorable mention. There's no real reason you NEED to know who he is, but I think you'll be get a lot of laughs if you do look into him. He's basically the Emperor Kuzco of D-list X-villains, and I wouldn't have him any other way. Seriously, bless this vain selfish lazy wine-loving bisexual idiot, I love him so much.