#sometimes they just lump her with any other hispanic also and

[vexx-the-egg]

One of these days I'm going to bite the bullet and actually draw Flora from Winx club as the full bodied ethnic featured Puerto Rican they were to cowardly to make.

[janeyseymour]

I Would Face My Fears For You

Hi! An anon asked for Mum!Aragon taking care of Kat, so here you go! Enjoy! 

Jane was out of town for four days. Just four days. And on the third day, Katherine Howard was not having it. She was beginning to spiral, and try as they might, no other queen stood a chance in calming down the fifth queen like the third could.

“For the love of God, can someone please handle Kat? She just yelled at me for breathing!” Anne huffed as she stormed to her room.

“Not it,” Cathy got out quickly.

“She already yelled at me today for walking too loudly. I’m not doing it.” Anna opened the front door and left.

That left Catherine of Aragon. The one queen who Katherine was still a bit wary of.

“Kat?” Catherine knocked on the door gently. She heard a small squeak, but nothing distinguishable. “Katherine?” The first queen turned the knob and entered the room. The fifth queen was nowhere to be seen by the plain eye. And then, she saw a lump of laundry slowly rise up and down.

“Kit, I know you’re in here. Come on, I’m not here to yell at you. I just want to see if you’re alright.”

The pink queen slowly unhid herself, revealing tears streaming down her face. 

“Do you want to-” Catherine started.

“-I’m sorry. I’ve been a monster, and I know it,” Howard trembled. “I just,” she trailed off before whispering, “I miss Jane.”

“So do I,” the mighty queen admitted softly. “Do you mind if I sit?”

“You don't have to ask,” the younger queen mumbled, although not hastily.

“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t think I was trying to invade your space,” Catalina explained gently. “I know how that can be sometimes.”

“I-” Katherine paused. No one aside from Jane had ever done that before. “Thank you,” she blushed.

“It’s not a problem. So uh, do you want to talk about it? Or would you rather we just sit here? Or, I could leave if you-”

“Please don’t,” the fifth queen rushed out. “Please stay.”

“Okay,” the hispanic let a small smile spread across her face.

“I just really miss Jane. The other girls are great and everything, but sometimes they can be a bit much. Jane always has this really calming presence to her, and sometimes I need that.”

“I get that. Why do you think your mum and I spend so much time together?”

“Because you’re secretly dating?” The fifth queen had her suspicions for a while but wasn’t brave enough to say anything to the blonde.

“I-I-uh,” the golden queen stumbled over her words.

“It’s okay. Mum’s been happier since you two got together,” Kat assured her.

“Okay. Well, yes- we are dating. But, I spent time with her before that because she’s like the calm before and after the storm. Sometimes, I need that too.”

“Yeah.” Katherine twiddled her thumbs. “I really miss her.”

“So do I. It sucks, right?” The first queen chuckled awkwardly. 

“Uh,” the fifth queen wasn’t quite sure what to say. Catherine always spoke with such regality, and here she was saying that it “sucked” that she also missed the third queen. It also wasn’t common for somebody to let her feel that way. It was always about “thinking positively”.

“It’s okay to miss her, you know. It’s okay to feel things, even the sad.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think we could be sad for tonight, and then when she comes home tomorrow we can both be happy?”

“I think I’d like that,” the pink queen disclosed.

And so, Catherine and Katherine ended up spending the night in the golden queen’s pale yellow room cozied under an absurd amount of blankets. The two were sleeping peacefully when the younger queen bolted upright and stampeded into the bathroom, only to empty her dinner from her stomach.

“Kit? Are you-” Catherine stumbled into the bathroom half awake. When she caught sight of the sweet one on the floor throwing up, she was instantly alert. When anyone was sick, Aragon was on high alert. Now, with the girl’s mother not here to calm her down, she knew she had to be fully awake to handle this.

“What would Jane do? What would Jane do?” Catherine wondered aloud before she figured it out. She quickly tied up the hair that Katherine was holding back before dropping down to the cool tile with her. Rubbing small circles on her back, she whispered sweet nothings to the girl. “It’s okay. You’re okay. Let it out mija,” she let the term of endearment slip without putting much thought into it.

“Sorry,” Katherine muttered. “I’m sorry.” The young woman suddenly looked so small and helpless. 

“There’s nothing to be sorry for mija. We all get sick sometimes.”

“I know, but usually Jane deals with me when I’m sick. I know you don’t like being around people who are sick.” Katherine had a realization. Catherine didn’t like being around people who were sick; she was terribly afraid of sickness. “Oh, oh god,” she stumbled out before racing to her room.

“Kit dear,” Aragon followed her, only to watch the woman collapse to the ground, eyes wide and breaths getting shakier and shallower. It was as if she had seen a ghost.

“I-I-I-” the fifth queen stuttered out, not showing any signs of overcoming the panic attack anytime soon.

Thankfully, the first queen had watched Jane coach Katherine through quite a few of these. Knowing that touching the girl without warning or asking was a big no-no, she refrained from pulling the woman into her arms.

“Kit, can you hear me? It’s Cath. It’s Lina. It’s just Lina,” she offered uncertainly. The younger queen didn’t show any signs of hearing her. “Can I touch you? Hold your hand?” The girl gave a small, timid nod. One might not have even noticed it if they weren’t paying attention. The older queen laid a gentle hand on the other’s. “I need you to try to take a deep breath for me. It’s okay.”

“I-I-I- b-b-but i-i-it’s not!” Katherine’s voice grew loud. “You d-d-d-don’t like s-s-s-sickness.”

“I would face my fear to take care of you, love,” Catalina tried a pet name she heard Jane use so often. That seemed to calm her down slightly. “Come on love,” she tried again. “I need you to try to take a deep breath for me.” The fifth queen took a still shaky but deeper breath than before. “That’s it love. Can we try another?” The two sat on the floor for quite some time before the fifth calmed down enough to speak.

“I’m-” Katherine began to apologize, but Aragon was not hearing any of it. 

“I’m not hearing the apologies Kit. You don’t apologize to Jane.”

“Yeah but she’s Jane.”

“And we’re all more than happy to help you through these things too mija.”

“If you want, you can go back to your room. I can stay here tonight,” the fifth queen mumbled. 

“Is that what you want?” Aragon questioned.

“I-What?” The pink queen was so used to the first queen commanding any room she walked into. It was quite odd seeing her so gentle... so unsure.

“Do you want me to go?” The golden one looked quite concerned still. 

“Not really,” the fifth queen admitted quietly.

“Then I’ll stay. Give me a moment, and I’ll be right back. Get yourself all tucked into bed, okay?” Catalina walked out of the room for a very quickly thirty seconds, returning with a cool rag to lay on the sickly woman’s head. “Here. I don’t know if this actually helps, but I’ve seen Jane do it.”

“Thank you,” Kat let a small smile slip. “Come here Lina.” The fifth queen lifted up her duvet and allowed the golden queen to shuffle under it awkwardly.

“Get some sleep kiddo. If you need me, I’ll be right here.” The first queen positioned herself on her back and closed her eyes. Even when she was trying to go to sleep, she looked elegant. 

“Do you-” Aragon opened her arms, and Kat wiggled into them. “Thank you.” The fifth queen fell asleep, Catherine of Aragon not far behind. The two slept well into the afternoon, something not uncommon for Katherine, but almost unheard of from Catherine.

“Hi loves,” Jane sang as she walked through the door.

“Hey Janey!” Anne grinned as her, Anna, and Cathy kept their eyes glued to the movie they were watching. 

“Where are Lina and Kitty?”

“I haven’t seen either of them,” Cathy replied nonchalantly.

That alarmed the blonde. It wasn’t like her girlfriend to stay in bed all day. She dropped her bags and rushed to the yellow room.

“Catalina?” she knocked and entered the room. “What the-?” She sped down the hallway to her daughter’s room. 

“Kitty? It’s Mum.” The silver queen opened the door and audibly squealed just a bit when she saw her partner and daughter cuddled up in bed together. Clearly, something was amiss though. The fifth queen had a rag laying over her forehead.

“Hi sleepyheads,” she made her voice soft as she woke both of her girls up. “I’m home.”

“Hey babe,” Catherine let out sleepily, making the third queen blush deeply.

“Lina I don’t-”

“She knows.”

“Hi Mum,” Kat smiled, eyes still closed.

“Were you not feeling well?”

“I woke up last night and got sick, but Lina took care of me. Thank you for that by the way.” The last part of her sentence was directed towards the first queen as she gently squeezed her. 

“You did?” Jane looked shocked. “You get nervous taking care of me when I’m sick!”

“Kit needed someone to look out for her.” The third queen’s eyebrow shot up at that, but Catherine shot her a look that said they would speak later- without the queen in question present. 

“Okay well, scooch over.” The two in bed shifted slightly, making room for the blonde. “Let’s get some sleep.”

“So, how did that end up happening?” The two dating were currently sitting at a coffee shop by themselves.

“Kit was having a rough time. I was sent to check on her, which I obviously didn’t mind doing. We were just going to have an ‘I miss Jane’, but then she got sick in the middle of the night. She had a panic attack-”

“She had a panic attack?” Jane sounded a bit panicked herself. 

“It’s okay. I helped her through it. Then, we just went to bed, and stayed there until you found us.”

“Thank you for taking care of my girl.”

“You know I would do anything for any of you, Janey.”

“I know love, and we would do anything for you too. Even Anne.”

“Do you think Kat is really okay with us going out?”

“She doesn’t just curl up to anybody in her bed. Around the house? Yes. On the couch? Yes. But in her bed? Not even Annie has had that honor.”

“Really?” Catherine looked shocked. Maybe the fifth queen wasn’t as wary of her as she thought.

“Really love. I think she’s fine with it,” Jane assured her girlfriend.

When Catherine got sick the next day, Jane and Katherine were right by her side to nurse her back to health. Thankfully, Jane didn’t get sick to the stomach. When the blonde did? Well, that was never a good time.

[fernwehbookworm]

Woke The F*ck Up- Chapter 11

November 30th, 2017

Of course, it couldn’t last. Cadmus seemed to be everywhere. Now it wasn’t just drugs and guns. They were now spreading propaganda. Hate speech against anything and everything. Immigrants to minority citizens to the LGBT community. The city was being whipped into a fury. Protesters took to the streets as elected officials debated equal housing rights which lead to a riot as the right-winged conservatives started throwing bottles and rotting food at the rainbow-colored crowd sitting in the park across the street from city hall with colorful signs held up to display their thoughts.  

Shootings were occurring more frequently in the Hispanic neighborhoods, bullets being traced to high-end weapons that were similar to weapons Kara had turned over to the police from various busted Cadmus warehouses. Cadmus was the embodiment of the ‘Ideal Conservative American’ to the point where Kara was sure they were killing and driving away anyone who didn’t fit into their mold. As a bisexual woman, and James as a black man, Team Superfriends was starting to take this personally. Kara even had Winn sew a pride flag onto her sleeve. When someone got a picture of that during a daytime bank robbery, Power Girl was plastered on protest signs and became the main target of hate speech. Kara felt like she was living in a war zone, trying to find terrorists who want to build a wall and keep everyone out. Kara was growing more and more frustrated at the stupidity of people. They were no longer debating laws, they were debating whether humans should be treated like humans. It made Kara sick. She had to stop Cadmus, it wouldn’t solve everything but it would stop the fan from stoking the fire.

Kara was so busy that she had to hire contractors to do most the renovating when she had planned on doing some of it herself. Winn did manage to install a secret door from the first floor to the basement where their operations were held. He kept the men from even thinking of looking down there.

Days ticked by as Kara spent more and more time in the city, helping the police contain the violence as well as trying to find the source of everything Cadmus. She even skipped on going back to Midvale for Thanksgiving with Eliza and Alex, Eliza still not knowing how Kara really spent her time. Kara just told her foster mother that the gym was taking up a lot more time than she thought. Alex was furious. Her and Eliza had had a strained relationship ever since Kara was adopted. They moved past most of it but the Jeremiah died and Alex fell into drinking, which caused new issues to open old wounds. Kara always acted as a buffer. Alex made sure Kara knew of every awkward detail. Kara was too focused to care too much. She still couldn’t figure out who was in charge of the seemingly ever-expanding group. Only that it was a woman. One that no one ever saw up close. A woman who had an extensive chain of command and rarely got her hands dirty. Always a woman, never a name.

Lena’s tour had four weeks left and Kara’s heart ached to see her. Phone calls and video chatting didn’t help. Kara wanted to hold Lena again. She wanted to paint her. Well, Kara was painting her, and sketching her, and doodling her, any chance she could. Sometimes Kara didn’t even realize it was happening, she would be talking to Winn about something and all of the sudden Lena’s likeness would be on the paper below her pencil. Kara had it bad. She thinks she may love Lena but something was stopping her. That’s a lie. She knows what it is. Kara is a vigilante, who risks her life and jail time daily, and is still keeping it a secret. No, Lena knows she is going to tell her in just a matter of weeks. It's not really a secret then.

Despite Kara’s aching heart, she still missed phone calls and flights, every time she seemed to be caught up in one mission or another, or helping to stop riots before escaping with Guardian from the police. The cops weren't really trying to arrest the two people making a difference but the police chief was determined to bring down all criminals. Lena seemed to be understanding but even Kara was growing frustrated with not seeing her girlfriend and she was surrounded by friends. Kara texted Jess daily to really know what was happening with Lena, she was lonely. When not performing, Lena locked herself away to work on her music. She almost had a whole album recorded, ahead of schedule.

“Damn it, Kara. Again? How hard is it to be on time to the airport?”

“I am so sorry Lena. National City is in an uproar. Whole streets are closed to contain the protests and riots. James wanted an extra set of hands to take pictures and I got caught in the middle of it.” A couple of beats of silence.

“James… You are spending a lot of time with him lately.” It took a second for Kara to comprehend the jealousy underlining Lena’s neutral tone.

“No Lena, god, no. James is just a friend. Even less, he is my cousin’s friend and I do stuff like this for him and he will help with advertising for the gym.”

“Okay.”

“Lena, please believe me. I know you, I know you are thinking that of course, you won't be good enough. Damn it, I hate that’s the first place your thoughts go. But it isn’t true. Lena, I am so sorry this is my fault for not planning ahead. I miss you so much. I hate breaking promises but I am trying...”

“Kara-”

“I was looking forward to seeing you and meeting Sam and Ruby because you always sound so excited when you talk about dinner with them or teaching Ruby to play the piano and-”

“Kara! Shut up! All I said was okay. Yes, I feel a little insecure because this is the fifth flight you missed but also I know I ask a lot of you to put your life on hold there. Just try and make the next one. Now, I have to go tell a preteen that her new idol won’t be joining us tonight.”

“New idol? What do you mean?” Lena laughs

“Ever since she found out I was dating you, she has found every little bit of information on you. Including pirated videos of most of your fights. You should have seen Sam when Ruby told her she wanted to start taking boxing lessons. She literally had no words. It was quite hilarious.”

“And now I feel even worse for missing my flight. I hope she isn’t too disappointed. But please, have fun with them. When I meet Ruby, I will give her a few lessons, with her mother’s permission, of course.” Lena laughs through the line.

“I will let Sam know. And Kara? Please, stay safe. It sounds dangerous there and I worry about you being in the middle of all that.” Guilt washes over Kara. She swallows past the lump in her throat.

“I will. Goodbye, Lena.”

“Bye Kara,” Lena says softly. The line goes dead and Kara sighs as she returns to gazing over the crowd below in the park. She was perched on top of city halls roof. James stood next to her as they watched for signs of trouble.

“Still haven't told her, huh?”

“It's none of your business.” Kara snaps at the man in metal armor.

“I think it is when you go galavanting to another country every other weekend and take phone calls on the job. You are distracted and it's going to get you hurt.”

“Don’t act like some wise sage James. I have been doing this much longer. Hell, the only reason you are here with me is so you wouldn’t die trying to do this yourself. So don’t talk down to me James. Don’t forget, I never wanted you here. You forced your way into this. I was fine with just Winn and I. So stay out of my relationship.” Kara can see James’ eyes tighten in anger behind his helmet.

“Fine. Just, I think there may be a real reason you haven't told her, more than she would be mad. I’m going to the other side of the park. We should probably spread out anyway, there are a lot of people here and that threat wasn’t very specific.” He leaves without another word. Kara keeps her eyes below.

**

Lena hangs up and sighs. Kara knew her too well. That was exactly where her thoughts went. And still were. Her brain knew that Kara wouldn’t lie to her about this. Kara liked her and would be faithful. But missing flight after flight and then it took three phone calls just to get a hold of Kara today alone. It was chipping away at Lena’s barely pieced together heart. She hadn’t told Jess or Sam yet, but she lost her momentum in her music. Her worry no longer allowed the happier music she had been writing to flow out. Each chord felt like a dead end. She walked back into the studio and found Sam at the soundboard. The tall woman spun in her seat to face Lena, her smile faded quickly at the frown on Lena’s face.

“Kara missed her flight. It's just the three of us for dinner.” Lena plops down next to her friend/ producer. Sam scowls.

“Look, I know you like her, but I like her less and less every time this happens. Are you sure she is worth it.”

“She really is Sam. I know how this looks since you never met her.”

“It looks like a pretty girl weaseled her way into your life, received free trips around the world and the fame of dating Lena Luthor and now she is ghosting you because she is over it and got what she wanted.”

Tears prick Lena’s eyes. That is exactly her worst fear with Kara. Sam picked it right up and said it out loud. Lena tried to blink the offending liquid back but it just made it worse. The hot tears escaped. Sam looked over and noticed. She pulled Lena in for a hug.

“Oh geez Lena, I am so sorry. I don’t know why I said that. I mean I do but I know you like her I should have kept it to myself.”

“I-it’s just t-that that is exactly wh-what I have been th-thinking this whole time. I mean, it was so small at first but now, now it feels like it’s shouting in my h-head and I-I don’t know what to do. God, everything was s-so great until she left in Munich.” Lena is actually sobbing. She hasn’t felt like this since college. She feels ridiculous, but Sam is soothingly rubbing her back and she feels safe. After a while, Lena manages to catch her breath again and pulls away, but Sam firmly holds on to her hand still.

“I’m sorry, I haven't cried in… years. I don’t know where that came from.”

“Lena, this is completely normal. Crying is good because it helps you process emotions. If this is a fear you have then you definitely need to talk to Kara about it.” Sam says seriously. Lena barks a watery laugh.

“And if it's true, do you think she would just come out and say it? And if it's not true I’ll just hurt her with my doubt.”

“I just hate seeing you like this. I didn’t really know you before Kara but this Lena Luthor has been great and happy and Ruby loves you. By the way, she asked if she could start calling you Aunt Lena.”

“Really? God, I am going to cry again. Tell her yes I would love that. God, what is happening to me? I used to not have feelings.”

“It’s called being human, Lena. And having a family. Sometimes feelings suck, sometimes they are the best thing in the world.”

“I hate feelings.” Lena mopes. Sam laughs.

“Well too bad. Now, let's get back to work.”

**

December 5th, 2017

They finally had what they needed. The Cadmus Leader would be in National City organizing their next plan. Kara learned this from a scared new recruit as she transported him to police custody in a less than ideal manner. Winn was busy figuring out which warehouse she was actually going to be in while James and Kara suited up. And then they were on the move, Winn directing them through the still bustling nightlife of National City.

Warehouse was a loose term. It looked to be converted into a compound. High fencing with barbed wire. Shipping containers stacked high to serve as watchtowers. Armed men patrolling around the building. Everything was brightly lit and made it hard to find a dark corner to slip in. Winn's newest toy hovered silently by Kara's head. A small drone capable of x-raying through walls and tracing heat signatures. It would relay those back to Winn so he could better direct the vigilantes. With the extra eye in the sky, Kara and James carefully circumvented each prowling, trigger-happy, guard and made it to the roof of the warehouse. Skylights peppered the roof to let in light during the day. Now they shone brightly as the occupants worked to spread terror to the outside world. Kara crouched over one near the center and peered through.

Down below was everything. Tables of what Kara assumed were kidnapped women in their underwear as they bagged drugs for distribution. More men circled them along with the rest of the warehouse. Weapons caches were well guarded. Men and women were training in hand to hand combat and on a shooting range. There were even tables set up to act like an eating area and bunks in rows in a darker corner. In the middle, separated with fencing, and heavily guarded, was a bomb.

“Winn, are you seeing this?” Kara whispers.

“Oh yeah. Scanning now. Give me a second.”

Kara waits and takes deep steadying breaths while James shifts beside her. Part of her wishes she had left the man behind But also she knows she could never handle this alone. Whatever becomes of this she is glad to have back up, even if it is as inexperienced as James. The pair on the roof watches the work below in silence.

“Yup, that’s a bomb. When that is complete it can level at least ten city blocks.”

“Well shit.”

“Kara, if that goes off where it is, most of the surrounding community is Latino or African American. It will kill most of those populations in National City.”

Kara pauses. Thinking. Cadmus was bringing everything to a head. Hate was spreading like a virus and this was literally going to blow it into a nationwide problem.

“Winn, you said when this is complete. So it's not right now.”

“Correct. If it blows right now it should just take down the warehouse. But it will kill almost everyone inside.”

Kara watches the rounds of men. She watches the women working and a man entering the fencing around the bomb. He sets to work. Kara sighs.

“Winn, call Alex. We are in over our heads. Patch her through.” A pause then a beep.

“Kara? This better be good. Do you know what hour it is?”

“Alex, I need you. Actually the whole FBI. Cadmus has officially turned terrorist and I am in over my head.” Rustling through the line indicates Alex probably getting out of bed and dressing.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with that. How am I supposed to get a unit out because my sister the gym trainer told me to.”

“I don’t know Alex! Say it was an anonymous tip or something. Alex, They are building a bomb. One to level several blocks of National City. Men are heavily armed. Captured women are sorting drugs. This is it. Winn, send Alex the address. Get here.” Kara tapes her earpiece and ends the call.

“So, we are just going to wait?” James asks, voice oddly echoey in the helmet.

“Yup. Might as well get comfy.”

After a few minutes, something begins to happen below. Almost everything seems to halt. Doors Kara previously missed, opens. Out of the darkness and into the center of the warehouse, walks Lillian Luthor. Kara recognizes her from an old photo Lena had shown her. The woman is tall and proud. Commanding a room without speaking. A leader. It sends chills through Kara. Lillian says something and then listens to the response from the man working on the bomb. She nods approvingly, then strides towards the front of the warehouse, flanked by much more seasoned looking men. Men who do this for a living, for a life. Kara hears engines approaching and she knows in her gut that it isn't Alex. Lillian is going to escape.

Kara stands suddenly, starling James who had reclined against the slightly sloped roof.

“We can’t let her get away.”

“Let who?”

“Lillian Luthor, the Leader of Cadmus.”

James looks through the window.

“Kara, we can’t take them on our own.”

“We just have to stall until they get here.”

Kara crouches to keep her center of gravity low and strides towards the front of the building. There will definitely be too many guards out front to deal with if she doesn't take a few out before Lillian gets there. A glance in the next window shows that Lillian has stopped to talk to someone else.

At the edge of the roof, just out of the flood of light, Kara peers down. She unholsters the Night-Night gun and aims for the closets man perched on shipping containers. She silently prays the hours Alex spent drilling her on various weapons pays off. Once Alex joined the FBI she wanted to make sure Kara could protect herself, then it became a way for them to bond and spend time together. It slowly escalated over the years to more advanced weapons and targets. Kara had put it on hold though when she started her vigilantism. She takes a deep breath, slowly releases it, and pulls the trigger. A small clicking sound and a small flash of blue in the darkness, the silhouette drops to the ground.

“Way to go, Winn,” Kara whispers.

“Thank you.” He says cheekily. Kara just rolls her eyes and aims for her next target. She empties the clip, making one guard drop after another, before popping in another. Soon no one remains outside the front and not a sound has risen to raise the suspicion of those inside.

Until of course the front doors open and Lillian Luthor begins to make her way to the front entrance and where three heavily armored transport vehicles wait for her. She pauses a few feet out the front door when she sees a man slumped against the wall. The men flanking her draw their weapons. Kara drops behind them and knocks the knee out from one. The other turns and fires but Kara has already rolled away. Shouts from inside. Lillian holds a hand to stop the man from firing again. James drops next to her and holds up his shield.

“Oh good, both of my favorite vigilantes. This will make getting rid of you two so much easier. You have made my life more than difficult.”

“You have been causing panic through the city,” Kara says, the voice modulator changing her voice.

“Oh my dear, we have been restoring order to the city. And soon the country.”

“Order never follows bombs. They just cause death and destruction.”

“It will be a new beginning. A fresh start to build on.”

“You are insane.”

“I am right.” Lillian Looks to the door behind the heroes.

“Kill them.”

The woman turns away and Kara’s attention is diverted to the mass of men. All were armed and armored. Kara and James stand back to back.

“There is too many.” He says through there comms.”

“We just have to stall. Alex will be here.”

A man breaks the standoff and the first punch is thrown. They are too tightly packed for weapons or risk shooting each other. At first, everything goes well. James uses his shield to protect most of his body while smashing the others. Kara drops man after man. But soon their overwhelming numbers separate the pair. Kara is being attacked from all sides, slowly being forced from her partner. One punch hits, then another. A kick throws her off balance. Someone throws her over.r third shoulder and she is outside the ring of bodies. From the ground, she can see Lillian's retreating form. She pushes from the ground to chase the woman down. Mere feet from her, Kara is stopped by a grip of iron pulling her back to the ground. The man stands over her, he looks vaguely familiar but it escapes her how. Kara's vision is blurry from her head hitting the ground.

“You can't stop this Power Girl. Actually, how pretentious is that? What do you say I know who you really are?” Lillian appears over Kara, Kara tries to sit up but a heavy boot is planted in her chest. Lillian reaches down to pull back the hood and remove the mask. She frowns, almost like she ate something distasteful.

“Why if it isn't the little blonde who has been running around with my daughter. Another way for her to disappoint me. I wonder, does she know about your evening activities?”

“She isn't your fucking daughter. And she is not a disappointment.”

Lillian looks amused.

“Oh, so she doesn't know. How wonderful. Kill her, make it hurt.” The last part directed to the man above Kara.

Sirens in the distance cause Lillian to hurry away but Kara can no longer worry about that. The boot over her is gone, just long enough to swing back and hit her ribs. Kara has no advantage. She can't get her feet, can't get away. Kick after kick lands to her sides and stomach. A high kick brings the man's hell down and she hears the snap of her collarbone breaking. He straddles her and brings his hands to her neck. She tries to throw him off but he just headbutts her eye and slams her head back down. Everything is going dark, whether from head trauma or lack of oxygen, Kara isn't sure. Gunfire. Shouting. The night from her chest is gone, but the darkness is still coming.

“...ara!” A muffled yell. It's familiar.

“Kara, please…” it begs.

“Kara you are going to be fine you big idiot.” It's Alex standing over her, but her mouth isn't working. Then there is nothing as Alex’s tear-stained face fades away.

**

December 9th, 2017

An annoying beeping invades the darkness. It becomes insistent, begging to be noticed. Kara tries to open her eyes and winces. She tries to rub at then but her hand is trapped by something, a desperate grip. Kara blinks and looks down. Alex is asleep in a chair with her head on the bed, fingers tightly gripping Alex’s. Her other arm is in a sling. Kara's movements must have roused her because Alex is sitting up a blinking sleep away.

“Kara!” She exclaims.

“Hey…” Kara's voice is hoarse and gravely.

“I ought to kill you but I'm too happy that you are okay.” Alex stands and kisses Kara's forehead. Kara leans into the affection from her sister.

“What happened?” Kara manages to get out. Her sister reaches for the pitcher of water and hands Kara a cup with a straw.

“You were almost killed, that's what happened.”

“Lillian… Did you catch her?”

“No,” Alex says solemnly.

“James is he…?”

“He's fine. That armor took the brunt of it. Although he isn't too happy with you I don't think.”

“So, I guess this means my identity is blown.”

“Yes, and no.”

Kara looks at her sister curiously.

“Kara, I don't work for the FBI. I work for a secret government organization inside the government looking to take down local terrorist groups and our main focus has been Cadmus. They haven't done enough to be classified for our intervention until you called with the bomb information.  But since we were keeping tabs on Cadmus, we were also keeping tabs on you. I did not tell anyone, but someone else found out who you were. My director has made the decision to let you do what you are doing because of how you do it. You are now in one of our facilities and are getting the best care possible. So yes your identity is out, but only to those who already knew.”

Kara goes quiet and stares straight ahead while she processes. That was a lot of information to take in.

“Kara, say something. Please.” And Kara opens her mouth to do so when the television Alex must have been watching before falling asleep catches her attention. Lex Luthor arrested for conspiring with terrorists. Kara grabs the discarded remote off her bed and turns it up.

“Yesterday, with the aid of one Mr. Clark Kent. Another Luthor was put behind bars. Kent's investigation into the Luthor family in conjunction with the police and FBI…”

Yesterday he was arrested.

“Alex, how long have I been asleep?”

Alex winces.

“You had considerable head injuries and several broken bones and your lung even collapsed due to a broken rib…”

“Alex. How long?” Kara asks sternly.

“Four days.” Kara swallows hard, forcing back the continually rising panic.

“Where is my phone?” Kara says forceing calm in her voice.

“I brought it with a change of clothes that Winn packed for me.” Alex gets up and digs in the backpack sat in a table against the wall. She hands the phone to Kara.

Kara turns it on and waits. Two missed calls from Cat. Three from Eliza. A string of texts from Winn. A missed call from Clark. One last ding. A voicemail from Lena. Kara should have left to see her last night. With a shaking thumb, she hits play on the voice mail.

**

December 8th, 2017

Not even an apology this time from Kara. Lena just returned to the hotel from a fruitless trip to the airport when the news broke. Lex had been arrested. Jess was striding around her hotel room fielding calls from reporters as Lena stared out the window. Crowds were forming below in the street. Clark Kent had enough evidence to put away her brother and accuse her mother who had magically disappeared. Lena was the last Luthor standing. She was isolated at the top of her tower and sharks were circling below. She was alone. Lena remembers Kara mentioning that Clark was her cousin. Did Kara know this was coming? Is that why she didn't come? Is that why she began to pull away? The crushing weight of this spiral pressed down on her chest with each passing minute that she didn't hear from Kara.

Why was this so hard? It wasn't this hard when her father blew himself up. She got drunk, got high, fucked a girl, and moved on. Now her walls were gone and she felt each hard word thrown at her like a knife. Each Twitter comment chaffed like she had newborn skin. With her walls gone, her heart was unprotected because the person who protected it was half a world away and hadn't been heard from in three days. It was too much. Lena quickly crossed to the bed where she threw her phone. Jess gives her an odd look while still yelling at whoever is on the other end of her phone call. Lena waits with bated breath as the phone rings. And rings. And rings. Then Kara's sweet voice asking to her leave a message. That almost breaks Lena but then it beeps so she powers through.

“Kara, I just can't do this anymore. I can't have this hope. I needed you here and you weren't. You haven't been here and you won’t tell me the truth because I know you are lying. This was the last time I go to an Airport to pick up only find out you never boarded. I can't need anyone like this. As long as you give me hope then I won't be the person I need to be. I'm sorry to do this like this, but I am glad I got your voicemail because if I heard your voice I know you could convince me otherwise. But we can't Kara. I can't. This is over. Don’t try and come here, don’t try and change my mind. We are just too different, this never would have worked. Goodbye.” Lena hung up the phone in tears.

This whole thing was a mistake. From the moment she let Kara sit down at her cafe table. Kara had torn down all the walls Lena built up to protect herself and now with her brother in jail and her mother wanted, she had nothing to keep the pain out. Then Kara missed her flight again, off doing something with James probably. It was too hard. James was someone Kara should be with, someone good and who was making a difference in the world. Lena had let Kara build her up, love her, and rip her defenses down. Then Kara all but disappeared, leaving Lena raw and exposed. Lena needed to build back up her walls and she couldn’t do that with still having a possibility of Kara. Lena’s next phone call was to Sam.

“Do I need to get a babysitter?” She doesn't even say  ‘hi.’ Damn that mother’s intuition. She already knew.

“Yes. I need a fucking drink. And I can’t go alone.”

“Okay, I’ll find someone for Ruby. Then I’ll pick you up and you can tell me everything.”

One good thing came out of this half of the tour, Sam. And a night at a Sinclair Club conveniently down the street from Lena’s hotel.

**

Sam quickly took up residence at the bar to keep her eye on Lena while letting her do what she needed to do. Lena lost herself in the crowd after two quick shots and a kiss on Sam's cheek. Quickly she is surrounded by hot bodies all looking for someone to dance with. A man saddles up behind her and with a quick glance, Lena decides to allow the attractive man to press to her back. Especially when an attractive blonde presses herself to Lena's front. Both are moving Lena in sync and Lena is suspicious of their intentions because there is no way this was an accident but then the blonde is playing with her hair and Lena doesn't care. It feels good to let go. To let someone make her feel wanted because she hadn't felt that way over the past few weeks. After the song, the guy offers to buy them both a drink and Lena allows the girl to lead her over to the bar. Flirtaive touching happens while they wait. After two more shots, Lena is significantly buzzed. Then more dancing. Another shot.

“Lena Luthor. What a surprise to see you here.” Veronica's silken voice comes from behind Lena. She turns to the woman.

“Well, sometimes you need a drink when your brother gets arrested for terrorism. And after you break up with your girlfriend.” Lena adds as an afterthought. A gleam lights Ronnie's eye and she flicks her gaze to the couple standing behind Lena. They were, in fact, a couple, trying to woo Lena into their bed. Lena had decided to break her rule about threesomes because she needed this.

“You two can go.” They start to protest Veronica’s dismissal but Lena waves them off.

“You know I don't like foreplay.” Veronica states.

“Meet me out front. My hotel is just down the street.”

Lena goes to find Sam and tells her she's leaving. Sam eyes Veronica making her way to the door.

“Your sure you want to do this? With her?”

“I'm sure the sooner I move on, the better.”

“The mom in me is screaming that this is a mistake and I should stop you. But I won't.” Sam looks at her conflicted.

“I'll call you in the morning. Thank you for coming with me. For being my friend.”

“Always,” Sam says. She hugs Lena and lets her go while she pays for her drink and heads home to her daughter.

**

December 9th, 2017

Silence fills the hospital room after Kara plays the message. It was left just hours before. Kara glances at the clock. It would only be seven right now in London. Alex had heard the whole thing.

“Kara, I'm so sorry.” Kara's head snaps up.

“Don't. This isn't over. How fast can you get me to London?”

“Me?”

“You and whatever organization you work for.”

“Kara we can’t…”

“You will. This is the biggest break you have had against Cadmus, you said so yourself. If you don't get me to London then I will have Winn broadcast my suits body camera footage all over the media. Yes, that's right. A camera. That I'm sure you didn't remove until after I was inside this secret government operation or before you said things you shouldn't over an unconscious vigilante.” Alex's eyes widen.

“Are you threatening the United States government.”

“Yes,” Kara says matter of factly. Alex sighs and stands. She leaves but Kara knows she has won. A jet is soon fueled up to fly her to her chosen destination and Winn turns over the video files of the fight and subsequent care afterward. It's faster than trying to fly on her own. But it still leaves too much time to think.

**

December 10th, 2017

Kara knocks on the door. Tears sting her good eye and makes the one swollen shut throb. Her body ached. But she had to come. Had to tell Lena everything. This wasn't what she had planned, nothing was as she had planned. Lena’s heartbroken message still rung in her ears. This wasn't how they were going to end, because they weren't going to. Kara was determined. If Lena knew the whole truth it would be fine. She was just scared and thought Kara didn't care enough. But once Kara showed her the suit in the duffle that was digging into her bruised shoulder, Lena would know that she does. That Kara cares too much.

Movement on the other side of the door pulls Kara from her thoughts and she fumbles in her bag to prepare to pull out her suit. She had rehearsed what she was going to say the whole red-eye flight. Then how she would beg for forgiveness because she lied to the woman she loved. All that dies in her throat as she sees a fading smile on Lena’s face. Her body wrapped in a hotel sheet and her hair a mess. It was obvious what had been happening behind the door and Kara feels a punch worse than the beating she received days before. Fear floods Lena’s eyes and she clutches her sheet closer.

“Kara,” she says softly, as if not meaning to at all.

“Lena, darling, who is that at this hour?” Kara recognizes the silky smooth voice without seeing her face. Veronica Sinclair. And it hurts all the more. Kara shoves the red and blue jacket in her bag and turns back down the hotel hallway.

“Kara!” Lena calls louder, but it doesn't stop her.  Kara just turns the corner and finds the elevator still on the floor due to the late hour. She hears a door slam closed and hurried footsteps but the elevator is already closing. Tears stream down Kara’s cheeks and she hurries back down to hopefully catch the first flight back to anywhere in the United States and away from here.

**

Kara collapses on her couch numbly. She hasn't slept, really slept, in at least four days. Being unconscious doesn't count. She cried the whole flight back and numbly sat through a taxi ride from the airport. A quick text to Alex saying she home and didn't want to talk about it. She closes her eyes and falls quickly to sleep after being so emotionally drained.

Kara wakes to her sister shaking her shoulder and a concerned look.

“Hey,” Alex says softly.

“Hey.” Kara sits up and Alex sits next to her rubbing shoulders and pulling Kara's hand into her lap. Kara rests her head on her sister's shoulder.

“Want to talk about it?” Alex asks  Kara shakes her head.

“No. I just… no. Can you tell me something good? Like you captured Lillian and stopped Cadmus.”

“Sorry no.”

“Okay, well then at least you and Maggie are completely happy?”

Alex stiffens and Kara feels her stop breathing. She looks at her sister.

“Can't tell you that either. We broke up.”

“Oh, Alex no. Why?”

“Umm… well, we started talking about what we want in the future. You know, like where we want to live, and family and stuff. Well, Maggie doesn't want kids. At all. And you know me, I've always wanted to be a mom. So, here we are.”

“When did this happen?” Kara says, putting an arm around Alex’s shoulders.

“The night you called me. We had a long conversation. This was a deal-breaker for both of us. So…” Alex shrugs. Kara squeezes her shoulder.

“How are you handling it?”

“Not well. But I'm glad we had this conversation before we got too serious. I mean, can you imagine the hell it would be if we didn't talk about it before we moved in together, or hell, got engaged. I love her, so this is going to take some time and a lot of tears but I think it was for the best, for both of us.”

“Guess it's time for a sister night then. You pick a movie, I'm ordering take out.”

“No superhero-ing tonight?” Alex teases.

“I couldn't even save my relationship, let alone anyone else.”

When Kara comes back Alex has picked some action movie and Kara plops the bottle of whiskey in front of her sister. Alex's eyebrows shoot up.

“Kara Danvers has alcohol?” Alex peers closer at the label.

“Expensive Alcohol.”

“I bought it for… her. It's her favorite. I was just going to pour it down the drain but I figured now was as good as time as any.”

“For what?” Alex thinks she knows but she wants Kara to say it.

“To get drunk with my sister because we both need this right now.” Alex smiles and pips it open. Kara fetches two glasses.

“Kara you may want a mixer of some kind. Straight whiskey is hard to handle sober.” Kara fetches some sodas before joining her sister.

By the time the food arrives Kara is at least three shots of whiskey in and feeling buzzed, Alex is still fine and pays for it. Kara doesn't even try to follow the plot of the movie, all she knows is that it is loud with lots of explosions and her and Alex can laugh at the cheesy fakeness of it all. This felt good. She hadn’t spent much time with Alex lately, both of them were at fault for it but right now that didn’t matter. Right now she was with her sister, and right now she was very drunk. Her mind was foggy and a warmness was settling over her. No that wasn’t right. She shouldn’t feel warm. Kara felt like she should still be upset. Upset about what? Sluggishly, memories rose to the surface. Lena wrapped up in a sheet, but not because of Kara. Veronica. She was there. Then Kara had left Lena, or Lena had left Kara. One thing was clear, they were over. Kara bursts into tears so suddenly her sister jumped. Alex quickly recovered and pulled Kara into a hug, then Alex pulled Kara on top of her as she eased them both into laying position on the couch. Eventually, Kara cried herself to sleep, cradled in her sister's protective arms Alex sang to her. Kara always wished Alex would sing more. She had a beautiful voice but maybe that's why it made it all the more special. The special lullaby about a red robin fades as the alcohol does its job of pulling Kara into unconsciousness.

[thinkingiswishful]

On Being Half White (or anything at all)

I was born and raised in Orange County, California in 1995 to a white father and a first-generation Vietnamese mother. The first 10 years of my life I lived in a comfortable middle-class suburb called Fountain Valley and was raised by my Vietnamese-only speaking grandmother while both my parents worked.

In many ways, I was culturally raised with Vietnamese traditions of food, religion, language, and manners. Every day I ate my grandmother’s cooking which usually consisted of hastily prepared meals like com tam I’d drench in nuoc mam but occasionally included more time-consuming traditional dishes like pho, goi cuon, and banh cuon. Every night my grandmother would teach me how to recite Vietnamese prayers until I mastered them verbatim. Although I never personally took interest, you’d always hear faint Vietnamese music or TV playing from my grandmother’s bedroom. To this day I get agitated when people don’t take off their shoes in homes (especially mine.)

My upbringing revolved around a generally conservative Vietnamese mother compounded by Catholicism which led to things that may be considered abuse by some family’s standards but was pretty normal in Asian culture (especially for a first-generation family that came from extreme poverty.) I won’t get into details, but years later after seeing how some of my white friends in healthy households were raised by their parents, it probably wasn’t the best for my mental wellbeing and maturation.

My school was so Vietnamese that the last name Nguyen and Tran spanned many pages, for both students and faculty. Orange County is home to the largest Little Saigon in the United States, so South Vietnamese influence is rampant in the community where I grew up. Every week my mother used to make me fetch her ca phe da from a local shop, where I always very anxiously ordered coffee in stumbling Vietnamese. The folks behind the counter knew me and would always smile amusingly at this strange-looking white boy shyly attempting to speak their native tongue.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back, all adults that didn’t know me were always amused at my primal understanding of Vietnamese. My grandmother (almost bragging) would flaunt my understanding to people by commanding me in Vietnamese to do trivial tasks like picking up a random nearby item. They shared the same applauding smile as the coffee shop owner and the same amusement as if I were an aberration. Did they just view me as a white boy who knew Vietnamese? Because certainly they did not view me as one of their own, since I was not like them.

Race was never something I thought about deeply, even when I moved to Texas and was surrounded by more Black people in school than I had ever seen in my life. I followed many social justice blogs when I had a Tumblr back then, and knew racism existed and was bad, but never really understood the complex history behind race in America. Even then, when I was 13 – 18, the concept of race was never a defining factor of my life because I was shielded by my skin. When I moved to Texas, more people mistook me for being Hispanic or [Insert Literally Any Ethnicity Here Except Vietnamese]. But it wasn’t discriminatory. It was more of the same amusement of me not looking completely white and people’s inability to guess my ethnic background. I now acknowledge the privilege of living my whole life passing as a white man in the public perspective. And perhaps in many ways, I am a white a man. No thanks to the failure of public education, I never thought about structural racism (especially for African Americans) and the history behind racism until I was in my 20s and stumbled upon books like, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, The New Jim Crow, Are Prisons Obsolete?, The Hate U Give, Lies My Teacher Told Me, and The Fire Next Time to name a few. My lackadaisical perception on issues like race, gender, socioeconomics, and capitalism were warped by my ignorance, and the more I try to learn about others, the more I also discover about myself.

What does it mean to be biracial in America? Certainly, it carries more weight to a biracial African American growing up in the 60s than it does to a biracial Vietnamese American growing up in the 2000s. Is it even correct to call myself Vietnamese American, or am I just American? I feel as if parts of my Vietnamese culture that were so ingrained in my psyche have fleeted.

I’ve been in Texas for a majority of my life (about 12 years). In those 12 years:

• I no longer lived with my grandmother.

• I no longer lived in a Vietnamese community.

• Most of family lived hundreds of miles away in California.

• Being an only child, I spent much of my time alone.

That’s a long time to grow and lose a part of your identity. Adopting Vietnamese culture when I was a child didn’t feel like a choice but more a part of life. Given the choice in Texas, I shed myself from that life and embraced the lifestyle granted to a mostly white boy living in an upper middle-class suburb. Filling out ethnicity forms went from being 90% “Asian” or 5% “Other” to now where I am unequivocally 100% “Caucasian.”

How did my sense of identity change so drastically in all these years and have I lost a vital part of my heritage because of it?

I’ve never been to Vietnam, but I want to.

I regret not keeping up with the language, which I’ve forgotten completely (other than greetings and counting to 10.)

I regret not visiting my grandmother more often.

(I do not regret abandoning my religion, but that is a journal for another time.)

I feel like I lost the connection I had with being Vietnamese growing up. The closest I can get to rekindle that feeling is through food. I don’t bother ordering food in Vietnamese at restaurants anymore, just to avoid the ethnicity question and the barrage of interrogations that follow. Yes, my mother is Vietnamese. No, I’ve never been to Vietnam. No, I do not speak the language. Yes, I want to visit someday. My parents are still together… It gets old, like having to perform the same tricks for my grandmother in front of random adults.

Still, I wonder. Who would I be without my mother’s side of the family’s influence on my life? Yet, I have no Vietnamese pride. White pride is a joke. And with the current cultural climate and the stigma behind white folks, I almost feel embarrassed to be lumped in with that demographic. It’s hard to identify as anything but biracial, and maybe as the world shrinks smaller, that’s where we are heading anyway. Although racism is still very pronounced all throughout the world, continuing to embrace monoracial status perpetuates stereotypical cycles that I struggle to identify with today being only White or only Vietnamese.  

“It’s natural to ask one’s ethnic mix and I accept that—but I sometimes wonder if people who aren’t half-bloods realize the weight of the stone they’re lifting. If they comprehend the deeper conflict that may arise in those being questioned; if they realize there might be things nobody wants to talk about under there, things that bite and sting and can’t really be understood.”

[wherefancytakesme]

Legend of the Three Caballeros thoughts:

I finished. Honestly overall, it was fun, but I wanna break it up into pros, cons, and my hopes for improvement next season.

Pros- -They throw in a lot of tidbits about different cultures. True, they end up making them a crazy supernatural version of what everything really is (that’s even cooler though kinda), but I’m surprised they knew about specific kinds of yokai, and what the word “eejit” is. There’s one culture in particular they do overlook, but I’ll get to that.

-Sometimes the humor is actually really smart and funny.

-The fact that they’ve said they’re not birds throws me the frick off?? Like, I guess it’s like how Hello Kitty’s not a “cat”, and actually? In spite of it being a joke, that’s a pretty interesting thing to touch on.

-The idea of the story itself is pretty badass.

-In the end, they do sort out everything I was worried they’d forget about; the story remembers where it went and where it’s going (for the most part).

-I know this counts as more culture, but they did end up getting a Mexican to voice Panchito again, so that’s nice.

-The ending was honestly really satisfying.

-Daisy’s nieces are awesome.

-The score is pretty good too (mostly because hearing all those different renditions of the Caballeros’ theme song was pretty great).

-The designs on everything are pretty good.

-I liked the coloring.

-They remembered some of the Don Rosa lore, and some other stuff from old Disney, and that was a fun throwback.

-They did actually mention “Ari” is an Aracuan bird (at first I thought they went “Eh, kids won’t be able to pronounce that.”).

-Speaking of, props to them for keeping the original scream he makes.

-Honestly Sheldgoose and Feldrake’s fighting with eachother was the one bit of cheesy humor I actually enjoyed. Kinda reminded me of the Disney Afternoon shows involving the Disney Ducks.

-The theme song is pretty dang awesome. It’s just their old theme from the movie revamped for an adventure show, but man do they make it work. Did you know the melody of that song is from an old Mexican movie tune called “Ay, Jalisco no te rajes”?

Cons- -I don’t like what they did with Daisy at all. Disney makes her 1-dimensional and mean a lot of the time, and unfortunately this was one of those times. She was never mad at Donald for the right reasons, and when she finally did have a reason, they didn’t address it properly until the end. April, May, and June were extremely smart and cool for typical “girl” side-characters, why can’t she be?

-Speaking of Donald, the mention of him having an anger problem came out of nowhere (for his circumstances in this show at least). His life was absolutely miserable through no fault of his own, so of course that’s going to make him angry. But everyone kept telling him it was his fault and that’s unfair. Then out of nowhere, he actually is irrationally angry at everything. It could have been written better. They kinda had that out-of-the-blue-problem thing with some other chars too. *AHEMXANDRAAHEM*

-This is my biggest personal nitpick. José is from Brazil, which is a Portuguese-speaking country, meaning it’s not Hispanic. Therefore, his name is not pronounced the way it normally is in Spanish; It’s Zho-zay. This show isn’t the only Disney program to make this mistake though. Ever since he came back in the 90s, his name has been pronounced Ho-say, so I guess people have gotten it into their heads that’s how it is. I wish this weren’t the case though, because I don’t believe that literally no one has mentioned this to any execs. I thought an awesome idea of a show like this one would be the one to break the mold, but I guess not. It mostly bugs me because, as I’ve said before, it means you’re lumping in one Latino culture with another just because Mexico is closer to the US. Brazil is the one LA country that speaks a Latino language besides Spanish, guys! Also, he’s voiced by the White Pantera guy; a Canadian imitating a Mexican. Come on, guys, you can do better than that if you already found a Mexican for Panchito! I always felt that if you don’t wanna pronounce his name properly every time, just call him Joe, like they did in the 40s.

-Speaking of José and Panchito, I personally don’t like entirely where they went with their characters in this version. To be fair, I think they’re sort of mashing up different versions of them from other renditions, like Zé in the Brazilian comics and Joe from the 40s films, and Donald from his shorts and the more harmlessly angry version in the kids’ stuff now, but honestly I think I’d like it if they reversed Joe and Pancho’s personalities; if Joe was more adorably derpy and Pancho was more oblivious and flirtatious. That goes for their voices as well. I prefer the higher voiced Joe and the lower voiced Pancho.

-One other teeny tiny thing about Panchito: I wish that signature grito he has in the show didn’t sound so fake. (“Ya-woooo!” Huh??)

-While I’m at it, I can’t say his original last name was accurate (Pistoles isn’t a real word), I can’t say I like how Disney adopted the long-ass name they gave him in House of Mouse either. Gonzales at least is a pretty boring name. Also House of Mouse is the WEIRDEST PLACE to establish canon from (the song where they made up his name is also a bit culturally inaccurate in the first place)...

-Even though sometimes the humor makes me actually laugh, most of the time, it’s far, far too cheesy and childish for me.

-My overall feeling when I wasn’t enjoying the show was that I was sacrificing quality just to see my favorite trio, and that’s not a happy feeling.

-Their songs (or at least the timing of them) weren’t the best, and they bored me a little.

-The follow-up from the first episode could have been executed better; far less like a “Okay we’re here now, cool? Cool”.

-The animation could be better; It’s a little cheap and puppety (can’t blame them though, there doesn’t seem to be much leeway with the staff budget-wise).

-There are some plot holes here and there. Technical ones.

-Little nitpick, going back to the aracuan: His noises could have been better/funnier, apart from the scream which was perfect.

-I’m reeeeeally really tired of the because-they’re-classic-cartoons-and-not-the-main-characters-they’re-dumb-as-a-post-to-what’s-going-around-them thing. I honestly think it’s far funnier when modern shows break that trope and go “Yeah, what’d you think, they WEREN’T going to notice that giant bear running around the restaurant, or hear what the main is muttering?”.

-When you read the show’s bible, you can kind of see where the flaws in character writing are. They’re trying a bit too hard to fit an age group, and are returning a bit too much to the classic cartoons’ characterization. Those were random shorts, with completely different settings, and some archetypes just can’t be done anymore.

-The show hasn’t even aired yet and Disney’s giving it the short end of the stick. As a Wander Over Yonder fan, I know that pain all too well.

-Overall it could be a better show, and for how awesome the idea is, it’s disappointing that they couldn’t make it just as awesome off-paper.

Hopes for improvement next season- -Represent *AHEM* certain characters a bit better. P-L-E-A-S-E be the first Disney show in decades to pronounce his name right at the very least, PLEASE.

-Treat the characters much much better.

-Make every episode as fun and as fair as the finale.

-Make the humor more universal.

-If the writers write something THEY think is cool! It’s not impossible to write kids’ shows that way. All that humor I actually liked? You could tell those were jokes written for THEM!

-If it’s possible, maybe cut out some of the boy-girl romance that seems to be randomly stuck in. Why did independent Xandra need a hot guy in that one episode? (I also feel like Pancho and Joe don’t need no chick.) Nothing unnecessary! Only fun! >:3c

-More cultural tidbits would be great!

-Disney gives it the space to grow, so it can become the show I never knew I needed; The Three Caballeros in a kickass adventure series with everything inbetween!

[anctilbrayen]

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car insurance is a racket

car insurance is a racket, and there’s nothing wrong with it at all. The insurance companies aren’t in business to benefit you, they’re in business to protect their own profits. You should always go to the end of every conversation with get back to the way things were before. Your insurance agency may be able to be helpful to you, however. So, when you start thinking about your insurance company, ask them the question, “What’s the best value for my particular insurance company?” Your insurance agency may be able to answer these questions for you and give you the best quote for the best coverage. You can even talk with someone (like a licensed insurance agent) who can answer these questions and give you the best policy for your insurance company. If you’re like most people, you want to take care of your insurance bills without taking out a loan from your bank. You have to ensure that your policy is paid for in one of two ways before. car insurance is a racket. If you’re a part of a , it’s a scam. This happens, and even if you weren’t with a scam insurance company, or you didn’t do a good job of following the law, you may still be eligible for some low-cost low-cost insurance policies or you can find . The average cost paid a standard car insurance rate for a 40-year-old non-smoking woman with a clean record who lives in Mesa, AZ, is $948.28 per month. The difference is more than double that quoted for a 40-year-old Hispanic. If she gets in an accident, she’ll be able to care for herself and pay for her car repairs. That means she’ll still be eligible for lower monthly insurance rates. In fact, this 40-year-old female driver might not be able to afford insurance on the open market. In any case, it’s hard to argue. car insurance is a racket, if you’re not worried about not having it in the event of an accident, you’d rather not do it. Here’s why: If you’re the victim of a car accident, your policy’s coverage kicks in. If you don’t have collision and comprehensive coverage on your car insurance policy, you’re subject to at least the state’s minimum liability car insurance requirements. In other words, while you can own and operate a vehicle, you aren t required to have comprehensive, or car repair and replacement coverage. Here, you’d get liability coverage for all of your assets. Here are the four ways to mitigate risk and keep your car insurance rates low; You can do this in one of two ways: You can shop for an insurance policy through an insurance company and file a claim with them to get your car repaired. Or, you can request a reimbursement from the car insurance company to fix your car..

Eden Insurance & Financial Services

Eden Insurance & Financial Services, is a leading regional provider of personal lines insurance that provides an array of personal lines products through a network of independent agents across the U.S. Serving residents throughout all 50 states of the U.S., their families, and businesses. Based in Dallas, Texas, and the rest of Texas, the insurance company has the most employees, an and the largest market share in personal lines insurance alone. Because their focus is on personal and commercial lines services, Fitch doesn’t operate in the Texas or California boundaries. To get a basic idea of their coverage, you may want to keep reading. The following is a summary of their policies. They often require that you carry some sort of car or homeowners insurance with them when you drive, but this is usually the wrong policy for the rest of your life and can raise your total dollar number. While they won’t give you a personalized quote to make a decision about coverage, if you’re unsure about what level of.

Recap: Cheapest car insurance in Pennsylvania

Recap: Cheapest car insurance in Pennsylvania Cheapest for low income car insurance in Pennsylvania Low income auto insurance in Pennsylvania Cheapest for high income car insurance in Pennsylvania Cheapest for in Pennsylvania Cheapest for college students in Pennsylvania Cheapest for drivers with a BA in Pennsylvania Looking for cheap car insurance quotes in Pennsylvania Finding cheap car insurance for young drivers isn’t always easy. Many parents or guardians will want to make sure their young kids are protected in the event of an accident. We’ve researched the best parents and car insurance companies in Pennsylvania to help parents make the tough decisions. Here’s how Pennsylvania ranks based on best car insurance companies compared to the rest of the country. Cheapest for young drivers in Pennsylvania For young drivers with good credit in Pennsylvania, the cheapest companies and their average rates are: Pemco: $1,226 per year. Travelers: $1,317 per year. Geico: $1,343 per.

How to Choose a Life Insurance Coverage Amount

How to Choose a Life Insurance Coverage Amount Although the cost of life insurance has increased slightly over the last decade, it has remained relatively constant. A recent rise in the cost of premiums and the overall cost of life insurance coverage over the last ten years has led many consumers to be in a more desperate place. While it’s difficult to predict precisely what percentage of premiums Americans might be paying, many are seeing a dramatic rise in their premiums as their loved ones mature and prepare for the inevitable next financial catastrophe. This rise in life insurance premiums could be due to the natural decline in the cost of life insurance as the loved ones that depend on their family members pass away. When this happens, it will be difficult for most to place an end to this financial burden on their families. But just how much of the premium should be written off by the body of life insurance policies as one lump sum pay out to beneficiaries when the death of an individual is the result of an accident? Is it too much to write down an annual payout to an.

Minimum auto insurance limits required in Pennsylvania

Minimum auto insurance limits required in Pennsylvania’s no-fault state. If you’re pulled over by law enforcement for a non-payment, you can be fined $500 to $1,000 and/or ordered to pay a criminal driver’s license (DDL) until your license is reinstated. However, there is no money in your pocket. If you’re injured, your less license is suspended, and you must file an SR-22 or no-fault claim to have your license reinstated. The state—or in the case of Pennsylvania—also requires your insurance company to purchase “” policies to cover a number of types of claims, as well as to list all insured drivers other than those on a policy. That s the kind of coverage you ll need when you start driving. Pennsylvania is a no-fault state, which.

How to Get Life Insurance Quotes

How to Get Life Insurance Quotes Before you apply to be able to apply and apply for a policy of insurance, you want to make sure you can get your current insurance policy in place prior to completing a application. This process is called . However, if you apply again within 30 days of applying, you will have to provide a new insurance policy. If you take an insurance policy from home, your policy would first have a . And by the time your new policy is issued and your policy is in force, you should have a claim for the full cost of a policy. For example, if your policy includes coverage for an injury and/or death caused by the accident, your policy would cover the full . If you take a policy out on yourself, or if an accident on your own car, you have a couple of options for obtaining a quote for . In most states it is mandatory that you read through your insurance contract to determine when your policy is effective . That way, you can know exactly when the auto insurance.

Alternative car insurance in Pennsylvania

Alternative car insurance in Pennsylvania’s pricier state can sometimes be a great choice. That’s because Pennsylvania’s car insurance rates are largely state-regulated. A few carriers can’t compete with the state’s prices, which is why there’s so much competition among Pennsylvania car insurance companies. So if you’re considering a small or medium-size company, consider taking a look at these Pennsylvania car insurance companies instead: Pennsylvania auto insurance carriers can be seen by Insure.com. Insure.com is not an insurance provider and does not represent any single insurer. When you compare quotes or inquiries about a Pennsylvania car insurance carrier, you might wonder: Why is auto insurance so expensive there? Well, the state doesn’t consider gender or marital status in its definition of “discrimination,” which means an insurance company can exclude non-admitted drivers from the benefits or discrimination because of what they are considered to be: for example, they may exclude.

Cheapest insurance after a DUI in Pennsylvania

Cheapest insurance after a DUI in Pennsylvania?Driving while uninsured can result in fines, potential jail time, and points on your driving record. Pennsylvania also sends a mandatory minimum of $500 licensing to the state, along with suspension of your license if you do not maintain continuous insurance coverage for 10 years. Can I Get a Pennsylvania SR-22 Insurance Policy?An SR-22 provides proof of insurance to the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles when you have been convicted of certain driving violations, such as failed to pay , driving without a license, or driving without insurance. An SR-22 certificate is typically required for the state to reinstate your license after a certain number of years. Once the mandatory license periods are achieved, you can purchase and keep more than one type of Pennsylvania SR-22 insurance. You’ll generally need to provide proof of insurance when you are stopped for a traffic violation or involved in an accident, in addition to your regular insurance. Pennsylvania SR-22 insurance documents are not required for drivers. However, an SR.

Cheapest insurance after a ticket in Pennsylvania

Cheapest insurance after a ticket in Pennsylvania?With over 17 years experience behind the wheel, you may be eligible to enlist the help of insurance companies with a great deal to help you get back on the road fast. Pennsylvania DMV agents will be able to help you find the best rates for auto insurance coverage as well as other laws and regulations. For drivers under 25 with a clean driving record within a state-created auto insurance, Pennsylvania may be one where you can get back behind the wheel with peace of mind. To be eligible, you must be over the age of 25 and have a “good” driving record. This law is designed to help you stay safe on the road so you’re not a burden if you cause a crash. Insurance is an essential part of protecting your family from financial loss, but not all injuries and damage are covered by the law. Pennsylvania allows drivers to choose to pay a surcharge for every year that they drive without having an auto insurance policy. As an added expense, your auto policy is.

Main Types of Life Insurance

Main Types of Life Insurance Policies The insurance policy provisions of the life insurance policies may vary between the life insurance companies, especially if you are a young applicant (50) or have a medical condition. In most cases, the policies will cover you while still between applications and the coverage periods. The following are basic definitions will be included in each policy: Age: The age the life insurance policy will be at or before the age of application. If the policyholder is a student, if one has had a full-time, full-time-year of driving experience, that does not necessarily mean that one will qualify for a premium increase. Family History: The type or number of active members of the married household that will be in the policyholder’s household; this is usually referred to as the marital spouse, or a household of 3 people. If a person owns property that is valuable, or a primary residence which is owned by someone not named on the policy, it may be helpful to.

How to Choose a Life Insurance Policy Type

How to Choose a Life Insurance Policy Type After reading this post, you may be wondering how to choose the best life insurance plan for you and your loved ones. You may be questioning what the best life insurance policy for you is and what is the best company for you. Here are a few things to consider before choosing a life insurance policy. It is important to understand that a life insurance plan will almost certainly pay for the death of the insured. You will be most likely to receive benefits, as opposed to getting them via money you have earned over the years. After considering your total income, you will likely be able to provide for yourself and your loved ones. And since you won’t get any money to pay for things other than funeral costs and other final expenses, even if you didn’t have life insurance, it may come as a bit of hassle. However, a life insurance plan can provide you with financial protection against your needs and expenses regardless of what life throws your way. At , we work with over 20.

[tomans-darlings-au]

I am so so so glad you're not there any more. I hope things are much better now and that you're happier and gods that's horrible. You're a sweet person and I can't believe you went through... I hope life for you is sweet and kind, that you know only happiness, and the worst sorrow you come across is just a fleeting moment and just, I never want you in a position where someone could hurt you like that again.

Oh i’ve been in abusive situations my entire life, like a majority of the authority figures in my life abused their power over me and has either physically or mentally manipulated me to their wills so at this point I was sorta used to it.

Warning: Long Horrid Filled Rant Of Abuse

(If you don’t want to read I’ll leave it at this anon, i’m okay cause of some serious repression of emotions and such. Just kinda smiling through hell.)

I mean I can exactly list the people in my life who did so out of fear that they’ll be nosey asses like they usually are and use my words to create drama again but it’s there and I remember it.

ALL. OF. IT.

FOREVER!

But I mean outside of being afraid of belts because my ex step-father beat the shit out of me a lot as a kid and being afraid of my grandma dying because my dad threatened (non-specifically) to and I quote: 

“Take care of business with people who crossed him.” after she’s gone.

(Let’s face it he might as well have said “I’m going to attempt to kill everyone who pissed me off in life.” Which unfortunately probably now includes me and probably my little sisters mother and maybe my own and maybe his own brother.)

I’m okay aside from that.

And by that I mean I’m moderately sane because I live with my boyfriend who takes care of me and doesn’t abuse in any way. (Seriously this boy genuinely cares for my well-being and honestly sometimes it gets to the point where i’m like “Why the fuck haven’t you broken up with me and kicked me out? Are you like mentally okay?”)

I have nice friends both online and offline so that makes me feel better and coming to terms with some of my abuse has helped me. Honestly aside from sometimes seeing or hearing triggers I don’t really think of my dad to much anymore. I’m more upset about other abuse from family members that took me awhile to accept.

Like I knew my dad was abusive but my boyfriend literally had to tell me that some of my other abuse was not normal especially via my siblings and step-dad.

Like if you think my dad is bad. You’re right he’s an absolute monster and even though he choked me a lot he never left evidence of his abuse really. A lot of his abuse was psychological breaking, manipulation, and fear tactics.

Wanna know what does leave marks?

My ex-stepfather who used to beat the crap out of me and my brother.

And also my brother who learned to physically abuse me too.

My step-dad used the belt and other cruel punishments to get me to conform.

Punishments Endured As A Child (And I’m Talking Young Like Until I Was In The 5th Grade When He Finally Left):

The Belt - Probably sounds ordinary right? Nope, let me tell you the procedure he insisted on. First he would get his belt, next I was instructed to strip my clothes off until I was in my underwear (Which was the only thing I was allowed to keep on.) After that I would be on my knees in a praying position holding onto either a bed or chair and then he would hit me, if I made too much noise he’d continue and tell me to be quiet because if he got in trouble he would hit me more. If I moved he force me down and hit me more too, it was usually the quickest punishment only lasting… Actually idk I was usually in too much pain to figure it out. My legs, butt, and back were usually left with dark bruises for a long time and along with the whipping I was usually grounded too.

The Book/The Corner - I hated these because it gave even more control to my step-father. This punishment had me on my knees back completely straight in the middle of the room (So I wouldn’t lean on anything and cheat) or had me standing in the corner of the room facing the wall back straight and head straight. (Being completely silent in both punishments.) while it seems relatively less painful these were the most torturess considering my step-dad had the habit of making me do this “Until he said so” instead of for a certain amount of time. I would literally be there for hours and if I leaned or made a sound I had more time. I would only be allowed to get up or leave if I had to use the bathroom and if I took too long I had more time on my punishment.

Solitary Confinement - Pretty much what it sounds like in my room (Or bed because when we lived in the shelters it was just one big room) no entertainment, no talking, no toys, no noise just sitting there. I was let out for food but I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone at the table and only looked at my plate of food, after dinner confinement continued. These were generally the longest punishments.

Cocotaso - (I’d like to start by reminding everyone I’m a hispanic boy that grew up in poverty. If I get called white because i’m pale one more time i’m gonna fucking scream). This was just getting it in the head with someone’s knuckles really hard. Pretty much everyone did this to me, especially my brother and step-father. Often times they’d do it hard enough to leave lumps on my head, my step-father did it all the time and the worst is that because of my ADHD I also ended up with Insomnia (Especially after going through the hectic shelter system). My step-father did not believe in mental illnesses and saw my being awake as disobedience, this would often result in a cocotaso and being told to go to sleep before I would face a whipping.

There’s also the time my brother and I fist fought and he literally punched me. The time he held onto my book bag loop and led me around like I was a dog on a leash and practically pushed me into the sidewalk. Oh and the time he called me a slut in front of his friends (I was in like 6th grade). The time he dragged me to his girlfriend’s house while I was sick with a fever, starved me for hours, yelled at me because his girlfriend felt bad for me, and said I wasn’t original/unique/or special in any kind of way, that there was a million people like me and i’m just a really stupid obnoxious kid who got bullied because I deserved it (The last one was when i was in high school and having problems with bullied who stole my things and harassed me constantly.) He’s done other stuff i’m not willing to talk about right now.

The time my sister literally sat on me. She had the habit of pushing me and beating me up a lot and called it playing around.

The time my paternal grandmother called me a demon and said I was going to hell because I said I didn’t want my little sister playing with my old stuffed animals that was literally from a friend of mine that died. (She gave it to my sister even though I had it put away in the top shelf of my closet and when i pulled it away from my sister and she started crying my grandma yelled at me).

There’s the time my step-mother called me a lesbian because of the way I dressed and when I came out as trans she said I was confused and my little sister said she didn’t want another brother (She has 2 other half brothers) she wants a sister and said that if I wasn’t her sister then she would only have 2 brothers and no more. Although I guess that’s not really abuse just soul crushing.

I have other stuff that I can tell about members of my “family” but i’m pretty sure this is enough for some of them to come start drama with me, so I won’t inform you of my other struggles.

I’ll leave with this I remember only traumatizing horrible stuff from my childhood, the few good times are blocked because of all the horrible things. I also have some very unclear blurry memories from things that i’m honestly afraid to try and remember because i’m sure it’s bad too.

I’ve had a long abusive life before moving, this is just the beginning of stuff. If I honestly listed everything i’ve endured you’d be even more horrified Anon. My past is cruel and painful and honestly typing this has me struggling not to cry so excuse my grammatical errors and whatever.

Yeah.