#they only shared a 30 sec scene

[gimpyhair]

Listen, Romy will always have the first place in my heart. But you know what 97' pairing intrigues me? Remy and Madelyne.

Not in the sense that they belong together, but more as a post-breakup, comforting each other, living through the same thing, angsty rebound thing.

Madelyne says her Dashing Cajun line, they have a few drinks, Rogue and Erik have their dance, Remy leaves, Madelyne is worried about him, she finds him in his room, they talk about how they are both heartbroken and you know the rest.

They have sex but are picturing Scott/Rogue instead. They are both aware that they are not thinking of each other, but they don't care because this is what they need at the moment. You know, angsty hook-up

What's good about liking them as a side pairing is that their universe gets vaporized right after, so there's no real impact to your OTP. Just two ridiculously attractive people having a one-night stand after a bad breakup 🤷

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Brinkwhump Linkdump

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TUCSON (Mar 9-10), then San Francisco (Mar 13), Anaheim, and more!

Once again, I find myself arriving at the weekend with a giant backlog of links, triggering a linkump, the 15th such dumpage, a variety-pack of miscellany for your weekend. Here's the previous editions:

https://pluralistic.net/tag/linkdump/

Let's start with the latest incredible news from KPMG, the accounting and auditing giant that is relied upon as a source of ground truth for a truly terrifying share of the world's economy. KPMG has a well-deserved reputation for incompetence and corruption. They first came on my radar in 2001 when they sent a legal threat to a blogger for linking to their website without permission:

https://memex.craphound.com/2001/12/05/reason-4332442-not-to-ask/

The actual link was to KPMG's corporate anthem, which remains, to this day, a banger:

https://web.archive.org/web/20040428063826/http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/uknewsita/http://anthems.zdnet.co.uk/anthems/kpmg.mp3

Don't miss the DJ remixes (and the Nokia ringtone!) that the internet thoughtfully provided when KPMG decided that it didn't want the world to know about "Our Vision of Global Strategy":

https://web.archive.org/web/20011128153057/http://corporateanthems.raettig.org/

Now all this is objectively very funny, a relic of the old, good internet from one of its moments of glory, but KPMG? They were already enshittifying, even in 2001, and the enshittification only intensified thereafter. Nearly every accounting scandal of the past quarter-century has KPMG in it somewhere, from con-artists selling exhausted oil fields to rubes:

https://www.desmog.com/2021/06/03/miller-energy-kpmg-auditors-oil-fraud/

To killer nursing homes that hire KPMG to audit its books – and to advise it on how to defeat safety audits and murder your grandma:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/09/dingo-babysitter/#maybe-the-dingos-ate-your-nan

They're the architects of Microsoft's tax-evasion plot:

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-irs-decided-to-get-tough-against-microsoft-microsoft-got-tougher

And they were behind Canada's dysfunctional covid contact-tracing app, which never worked, but generated tens of millions in billings to the government of Canada, who used KPMG to hire programmers at $1,500/day, plus KPMG's 30% commission:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/31/mckinsey-and-canada/#comment-dit-beltway-bandits-en-canadien

KPMG's most bizarre scandal is literally stranger than fiction. The company bribed SEC personnel help its own accountants cheat on ethics exams. The corrupt officials were then given high-paid jobs at KPMG:

https://www.nysscpa.org/news/publications/the-trusted-professional/article/sec-probe-finds-kpmg-auditors-cheating-on-training-exams-061819

I mean it when I say this is stranger than fiction. I included it as a plot-point in my new finance crime novel The Bezzle (now a national bestseller!), and multiple readers have written to me since the book came out a couple weeks ago to say that they thought I was straining their credulity by making up such an outrageous scandal:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865878/thebezzle

But all of that is just scene-setting (and a gratuitous plug for my book) for the latest KPMG scandal, which is, possibly, the most KPMG scandal of all KPMG scandals. The Australian government hired KPMG to audit Paladin, a security contractor that oversees the asylum seekers the country locks up on one of its island gulags (yes, gulags, plural).

Ever since, Paladin has been the subject of a string of ghastly human rights scandals – the worst stuff imaginable, rape and torture and murder of adults and children. Paladin made AU423 million on this contract.

And here's the scandal: KPMG audited the wrong company. The Paladin that the Australia government paid KPMG to audit was based in Singapore. The Paladin that KPMG audited was a totally different company, based in Papua New Guinea, who already had a commercial relationship with KPMG. It was this colossal fuckup that led to the manifestly unfit Singaporean company getting nearly half a billion dollars in public funds:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/24/incredible-failure-kpmg-rejects-claims-it-assessed-the-wrong-company-before-423m-payment-to-paladin

KPMG denies this. KPMG denies everything, always. Like, they denied creating "power maps" of decision-makers in the Australian government to target with influence campaigns in order to win contracts like this one. Who knows, maybe, this one time, they're telling the truth? After all, the company whose employees gather to sing lyrics like these can't be all bad, right?

The time is now to lead the way, We share the same the idea That may win by the end of the day. Our strength is here to stay. Identity, one energy, One strategy, with sympathy. These are the words that will lead us into a new world.

https://everything2.com/title/KPMG+corporate+anthem

You may find it strange that I'm still carrying around the factoid that KPMG once threatened to crush a blogger for linking to its terrible corporate anthem, but that's just my "Memex Method," which helps me keep track of literally everything that seemed important to me through most of my adult life:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/09/the-memex-method/

One of my favorite quips from the very quotable Riley Quinn is that "leftists are cursed with object-permanence" – that is, we actually remember what just happened and use it to think about what's happening now. The Memex Method is object permanence for 20+ years worth of stuff. A lot of those deep archives never see use, but there's a surprising number of leading indicators buried in the stuff that happened in years gone by.

Take James Boyle's 2014, XKCD-style comic about the experience of driving a notional Apple car:

https://www.thepublicdomain.org/2014/11/07/apple-updates-a-comic/

Apple, it turns out, spent the next decade working on just such a car, and while that car has now been canceled, Boyle's comic correctly anticipates so much about the trajectory Apple's products took. It's uncannily accurate – real "don't invent the torment nexus"/"cyberpunk was a warning, not a suggestion" stuff:

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/torment-nexus

But no matter how many times we insist that the torment nexus shouldn't be created, the boardrooms of end-stage capitalism continue to invent them. Take HP, the poster-child for enshittification, edging out even KPMG in the race to turn everything into a pile of shit. After years of tormenting people to punish them for wanting to print things, HP has announced a new service that so mustache-twirlingly evil that it lacks verisimilitude:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/hp-wants-you-to-pay-up-to-36-month-to-rent-a-printer-that-it-monitors/

Here's the pitch: HP will sell you a printer that you don't own. In addition to paying a monthly fee for your ink – which you pay no matter whether you print or not – you will also pay a monthly fee just for having HP's printer on your premises. You are absolutely, positively forbidden from using third-party ink in this printer, and must use HP's own ink, which sells for about $10,000/gallon.

But while you aren't allowed to use this printer in ways that are bad for HP's shareholders, HP is absolutely free to use the printer in ways that are bad for you. When you click through the signup agreement, you grand HP permission to surveil every document you print – and your home wifi network more generally – and to sell that data to anyone and everyone.

What's more, HP reserves the right to discipline you with punitive credit-card charges if you disconnect this printer from the internet, on the basis that doing so makes it harder for them to spy on your printer.

I'm sorry, this is just more torment nexus shit, the kind of thing you'd expect to drop on Apr 1, not Feb 29, but I guess this is where we are. I can only conjecture as to whether HP's businesses strategists are directly taking direction from my novella "Unauthorized Bread," or whether they're learning about it second-hand from a KPMG consultant who converted it to Powerpoint form and charged $1,500/day for the work:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/

All of this cartoonish villainry is the totally foreseeable consequence of a culture of impunity, in which companies like HP and KPMG can rob, cheat, steal (and sometimes even kill) without consequence. This impunity is so pervasive that the exceptions – where a rich criminal faces real consequences – become touchstones: Enron, Arthur Anderson, Theranos, and, of course, FTX.

FTX was arguably the largest-scale corporate crime in world history, stealing more than $10 billion dollars, mostly from rubes sucked in by hype and Superbowl ads. When news that FTX founder and owner Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted of fraud and was in for a lengthy prison sentence made a huge stir, because criminals like SBF usually walk away from the wreckage with their hands in their pockets, whistling a jaunty tune.

One of the very best commentators on cryptocurrency scams generally and FTX/SBF in particular is Molly White, whose Web3 is Going Just Great feed is utterly indispensable. White's newsletter, "Citation Needed," dives deep into the wrangle of SBF's sentencing:

https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-52/

Bankman-Fried's parents – prominent law professors at top law schools – helped brief the court this week on their son's punishment. According to them, SBF faces 100 years in prison, but should be sentenced to 5.5-6.5 years at the most. Why? Because he is a vegan, who is not greedy, and feels remorse, and cares for individuals (recall that SBF presented himself as the avatar of the batshit "effective altruism" philosophy while privately admitting that he used this as a smokescreen).

The most bizarre note in the 100-page filing is SBF's mother declaring that her son is an "angel of mercy," apparently unaware of the grisly meaning of that term:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_of_mercy_(criminology)

America's prisons are a travesty and I wouldn't wish them on anyone, but that's not the argument SBF's parents are making; rather, they're arguing that their special boy doesn't deserve the treatment America metes out to poorer, less white people who merely steal hundreds or thousands of dollars. A crook who steals ten billion should be handled the way a casino handles a whale – with concierge service.

The problem is, there are so many of these remorseless, relentless crooks that there's no way we could scale up that white-glove treatment when we finally round 'em all up and make them pay. Writing for The American Prospect, Maureen Tkacik tells us about the ransomware attack that shut down America's pharmacy system last month:

https://prospect.org/health/2024-03-01-zoomer-hackers-shut-down-unitedhealthcare/

The attack brought down Change Healthcare, part of the monopolist Unitedhealth, which serves as the "pharmacy benefit manager" to a vast swathe of American pharmacies. PBM is one of those all-American finance scams, a middleman garlanded with performative complexity put there to make you feel stupid for asking why independent pharmacies all have to pay rent to this malicious, unaccountable – and now, manifestly incompetent – gang of crooks.

Tkacik's breakdown of this scam – and how it rendered Americans' ability to get the drugs they depend on to go on breathing – is characteristically brilliant. Tcacik is fast emerging as my favorite Explainer of Scams, a print version of John Oliver or Adam Conover. You may recall her work from my post last week on how private equity has taken a wrecking ball to America's hospitals:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/28/5000-bats/#charnel-house

I always try to finish these linkdumps with some upbeat news to carry you through the weekend, and this week brought two genuinely wonderful – and totally underreported – pieces of amazing news.

The first is that Starbucks has sued for peace in the war against its workers' unions. Hundreds of Starbucks stores have unionized in recent years, but not one of them had a contract. Instead, Starbucks had waged dirty war on their own workers, from denying gender-affirming care to unionized employees to simply shutting down whole stores after they voted to unionize:

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/14/starbucks-union-company-threatens-that-unionizing-could-jeopardize-gender-affirming-health-care.html

But the workers held fast and after years of this, Starbucks has caved, promising contracts for all unionized stores and an end to its campaign of terror against workers seeking to unionize more of its stores. In a postmortem for Jacobin, Eric Blanc rounds up "seven lessons from Starbucks workers' historic victory":

https://jacobin.com/2024/02/starbucks-sbwu-contract-bargaining/

This is the kind of listicle I can get behind. According to Blanc, the Starbucks unions won by deploying worker-to-worker organizing, a tactic that many of the new unions that are shaking up formerly impossible-to-organize jobsites are using (Blanc has a book about this coming from UC Press called "We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Unionism Can Transform America," so he should know).

Other tactics that made the difference for Starbucks unions: new digital training and support tools and partnering with established unions for support and infrastructure. Blanc also calls out the success of "salting" – the venerable but largely disused tactic of union organizers applying for a job at a non-union shop in order to organize it.

Blanc also mentions government policy, including the outstanding work of NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, a shrewd and committed tactician whose understanding of the technicalities of labor law have let her push for bold measures. For example, in Thrive Pet Care, Abruzzo is arguing that when a company refuses to bargain in good faith for a contract with its union, she can step in and order them to honor the terms of a contract at comparable unionized competitors until they produce a contract of their own:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth

Abruzzo is one of several smart, competent tacticians in the Biden administration who are working to kneecap corporate power. Another is Rohit Chopra, chair of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, who just announced another bold, important initiative that will help Americans fight corporate corruption and get a fair deal:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-03-01-public-option-credit-card-shopping/

Chopra is taking aim at credit-card comparison sites that purport to show you where you can get the best deal. If you're an affluent person who doesn't carry a balance, this might not matter to you, but if you're an average working stiff, high interest rates can gobble up a massive share of your paycheck. What's more, credit card margins are higher than they have ever been:

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/credit-card-interest-rate-margins-at-all-time-high/

The most expensive credit cards come from the big, monopolistic banks, but you wouldn't know it from the leaderboards produced by Credit Karma, NerdWallet, LendingTree, and Bankrate. All of these sites take bribes from the big banks to list their credit cards above those offered by credit unions – who are typically 10% cheaper than the big banks' cards.

The new CFPB rule prohibits this fraudulent ranking, but the Bureau is going even further. They're using their administrative powers to force banks to report their rates to the Bureau, which will publish them on a publicly funded, neutral website – what David Dayen calls "a public option" for shopping for credit cards.

This policy makes a perfect bookend to the last CFPB initiative I wrote about here: a rule that forces banks to allow you to transfer your account to a rival with a couple of simple clicks, importing all your history, payees, and everything else you need to switch to a better bank:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/21/let-my-dollars-go/#personal-financial-data-rights

Combine that ease of switching with reliable information on which banks will give you the best deal and you get something that will directly transfer millions and millions of dollars from giant, wildly profitable banks to low-income people who've been tricked into paying them punitive interest rates.

So that's it, this week's linkdump. I promised you I'd end on a high note, and I did it. The world may be full of all kinds of terrible things, but workers and regulators are scoring big, muscular victories in battles where the stakes are real and important. Have a great weekend – we've earned it.

And remember!

The time is now to lead the way, We share the same the idea That may win by the end of the day. Our strength is here to stay. Identity, one energy, One strategy, with sympathy. These are the words that will lead us into a new world.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/02/macedoine/#the-public-option

Image: Stacy (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/notahipster/4402860361/

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[persy-r-bozo]

My Moms Adventures with Dhmis-

i Was talking to a friend today and i suddenly remembered that a few years ago i made my mom watch Dhmis (Web) with me. before i was even half confident to even make a tumblr account.

And then i realized that Dhmis tumblr would maybe get a giggle from this.

i was wondering if i should tell this. then i remebered my mom shares silly story's about me on her facebook. so this is revenge of the silly stories now. so here we go.

-From what i remember-

CREATIVITY: is when I realized that she was probably the Key demographic Becky and joe were going for tbh. She went from "This is weird.." to "This is weird in a fun way!" to " D: " Real quick. it was like those fake reaction channels from 2014 but in real life. it was crazy.

TIME: She got suspicious of tony real fast. She Also gave Roy a face that i could only describe as a face you'd give someone before crossing the road to avoid them. also!- She isn't a big fan of the trio. she found them creepy, she feels bad for them! but she also wouldn't get within 30 feet of them either.

LOVE: Guys lemme tell you. SHE IS SHRIGOLDS #1 HATER She hated him the moment he flew on screen. She was cussing him out and giving him the stink eye every time he spoke. She still talks about how much she hates "The creepy ass butterfly" to this day

COMPUTERS: She was jamming on the computer song fr. cant blame her it is in fact a banger. like she was worryingly looking at the screen while also bopping her head along. and when reds head exploded she froze and said "DID HE JUST FUCKING DIE!!!?" in the same vain as marks "WAS THAT THE BITE OF 87!!!?"

HEALTHY: She was confused and quiet most of the time here till THE SCENE. where she openly gasped and went "whhhAAAAAATT THE FUCK!!??????????" Jaw AGAPE, Eyebrows FURROWED. and then the end scene, She put her hand over her mouth and watched red walk away from the phone as the credits rolled and- "HE ATE HIS FRIEND??? WHY?" "They forced him too" "HUH? WHAT? THEY FORCED HIM TOO EAT HIS FRIEND? HIS FRIEND IS EATEN! ATE! GONE!" if DHMIS is mentioned in any conversation her first words will always be "THEY MADE HIM EAT HIS FRIEND!!!" Even is she hears it across the room. she will yell it.

it happened a few days ago actually! in the car.

"They made him eat his friend!!"

DREAMS: She was still in shock over duck getting canned. she was the most confused by the surrealism of dreams. Common questions from this episode "So is the bird dead dead? or dead like the clock made them dead?" "Is the mop in the real world? or a mop man world?" and "Why is he (Yellow guy) So upset?"

My answers: "I don't know. its kinda up to the viewer" "I don't know. its kinda up to the viewer" "safe to assume he's having a rough day."

Anyways, when red started pushing buttons and all the old teachers popped up it was "No! there all awful!" then shrigold popped up for a sec and. as said before - she's shrigolds #1 hater- so it was "NO! GET THAT BITCH OUT OF HERE!!" And she was quiet, making concerned faces at Roy. Confused face at the end. and shocked silence as the credits rolled.

Her final thoughts: "It was interesting to say the least, not my full cup of tea but i can understand why you like it, its very artsy and weird and speaks to you in that way. . Its like visual artists version of going to a underground concerts mosh pit, Crazy yet exhilarating. you never know what's going to happen next!

Tv Show?: she wants to see it but at the same time doesn't, Its an odd limbo. and she doesn't have a VPN. so she's going to hold off till further notice.

Funny names for characters she has.-

(Yellow)" Yellow Boy" "Noodle Boy"

(Roy)"The ugly squiggly one" "His dad" "Methhead puppet"

(Red) "Mop Man" - i still call him this too this day lol.

(Duck) "Bird boy" "Bird Dude" "Borb" "The friend who got Eaten"

(Shirgold) "Bitch Butterfly" "Creepy ass butterfly" "Cult Butterfly".

Every other object has been deemed "The Fucking _____" Example "The Fucking Steak."

Except for Larry the lamp.. i was given a Larry lamp from Esty on a birthday once, and he has helped us though multiple blackouts sense. so Larry's cool but He's on thin ice

[bitimdrake]

rereading nightwing (2011) #30 and god i have. so many thoughts about it. And also I still cannot get a coherent hold on it.

This post is really just a mess of me rambling for myself and spewing thoughts out, so I'm putting it under the cut and read at your own discretion and curiosity.

first off, we basically only talk about the middle part, but this comic is actually three sections and it's. bad?

it's just so awkward. This is a transitional issues, but it's not even a well executed one. It's not even a mediocre one. It's very blunt and inconsistent in abruptly shoving the story forward to make way for a Grayson status quo.

The three sections all have different styles and very different tones, but they are also directly related to each other. So it's not like they work as three different vignettes sharing an issue. But they also don't make a particularly cogent whole.

And they definitely do not come even close to the kind of satisfying ending you'd typically want to see at the end of a run.

Like: the first section is Leslie recounting to Bruce how she ran into Spyral. A section which, you will note, does not include our lead and title character in any way, nor is it remotely emotionally relevant or meaningful to him on first read, nor is it remotely related to anything in the run previously. It's a Batman Inc scene that got lost and landed in the wrong issue.

And then the second section (Bruce fights Dick until he agrees to go undercover) and the third (intro to Grayson with Dick doing international crimefighting to lure in Spyral recruitment) are plot-wise directly connect and yet. Could not be more at odds.

sec. 2 Dick has a very bad time being pushed into this by Bruce, and he hates it, and the whole thing is very violent and dark and grim, and Dick ends the section saying things can never be the same between him and Bruce.

and then sec. 3 Dick has a classic inner monologue about who he is and where he's been, that includes how Bruce saved him from being an angry, revenge-obsessed kid, and how he loves his family and is defined by being a legacy. And shows zero concern at what he's doing except a mild mention that after the Crime Syndicate he wanted to go back but he couldn't.

are you seeing what i'm talking about here. are you seeing how this is technically a continuous plot, but on every other level makes no goddamn sense

anyway let's talk about dick and bruce, but first specifically about Bruce because I still do not get him here

"get him" does not mean "agree" (or even "empathize") but literally just get it. Even when I fucking hate him I have at a basic level understood what was going on in his head previously. I do not now.

Bruce was already abusive ofc, but the thing that really threw me off the first time I read this--and that still feel jarring--is how completely different this is from any of his previous violence towards his kids.

He's not suddenly lashing out in a moment of high emotion. He waited for Dick to be ready and laid out the rules (non-rule) of the fight. And it's not even about some deeply personal matter that he's getting emotional over. Yes, Dick's recent brief death is a key part, but mostly Bruce is monologuing about the danger of this one random secret organization.

The whole thing is so planned, which is never something I've thought of his previous physical abuse, and it feels fucking awful.

It also just feels so irrational. And not in a "people who are very emotional make questionable decisions" way, but in a "I'm genuinely struggling to understand how the character got here way"

Bruce is upset that he recently watched Dick die. No question there. And so he....wants to send Dick undercover with Spyral?

??????

Like I can try to explain this as some variation of the classic 'push people away so caring about them won't hurt me again', but that's really not how it feels? It doesn't track. Bruce has pushed Dick away plenty before, and he does it by some combination of explosive anger, complete emotional shutdown, and literally telling Dick to leave. But like. This is not that. He's instead ensnaring Dick in a long fight and longer conversation and telling him not to leave, but to go do something specific. And it's not even really pushing him away!! Because Bruce is still asking Dick to do a thing for him, under his control! No. wrong vibe. Explanation rejected.

Second attempted explanation: section one of this issue ends with Leslie telling Bruce that, because of super Spyral interrogation powers, she might have revealed his identity and can't even remember. So Bruce is deeply troubled by that, and Dick's identity was just revealed to the world which compounds things ("you let them give your secrets to the world"), and now he is deeply concerned with figuring out what Spyral knows/stopping info from spreading and sending Dick to handle that.

I also hate this explanation. It feels dumb. Ridiculous priorities. (also, boy, it does not paint Bruce in a good light. but the bad light it paints him in is an all new one.) Ugh.

I really really just cannot create an explanation for Bruce here that feels coherent with my understanding of him, and I hate that.

And my understanding of him is of him as an abusive father!! So imagine how inexplicable this must feel! But this is the wrong kind of abusive father for what he's been before idk i don't even know if i make sense anymore

new thought time

for the first ~2/3 of the fight, I was thinking that on reread, I could kinda see how some very dumb and oblivious writer would not see how horrific and abusive it would be in the end:

Two characters are disagreeing, and one is going to convince the other by the end. So it's dramatic, and makes the art reflect the story, to have them spar as they're talking! Both script and art are a spar!

Bruce is trying to ~prove Dick will never break~ so it'll be fitting for him to fight Dick, and then call it off when Dick indeed proves he won't give up an gets the upper hand!

Misjudge just how violent the fight will come off. Write panels where Dick is on the ground looking up/being beaten by Bruce/getting injured, because you're going for the classic structure of the hero getting their ass kicked at the start before turning things around later on, but accidentally make those too pained.

blah blah blah, completely overlook the fact that these two are father and son with the power dynamic that implies, and fail to tune the dialogue so that you don't realize it seems less like Bruce is convincing and more like he's coercing

and maybe, theoretically, a writer with real bad instincts could think this would be less horrific than it is

...I thought for the first chunk of the fight, still trying to come up with a rational explanation for this scene, even if only a Doylist one

EXCEPT

Towards the end of the fight, Bruce literally says he knows he's hurting Dick, "my family," and calls Dick "my boy" and then punches Dick in the face so like. I'm sorry you can't do this by accident. If you wrote this by accident you are simply too stupid to be alive and I refuse to believe you can exist.

so anyway I don't have a Doylist explanation for this either :/

they really did just straight up have bruce beat up his son and have said son literally say it could never be the same between them after this, and then were like. yeah :) this is fine :) back to bruce solving crimes as batman :)

FINAL SECTION: random assorted things that make me mad

right before the fight when Alfred can't get into the cave and Bruce, who planned this, lies about it being a malfunction he's fixing

alfred tries to ask if he's alright after "master richard's... the boy's passing". Quote Bruce "Dick was never a boy." (this would make me want to slap him in the best of circumstances but I just want him dead)

the beat early on where Bruce gets a good shot in and Dick is sitting, and he pauses to ask Bruce what's really going on, and Bruce kicks him in the face

genuinely just the number of panels in this that are Dick on the ground, Dick getting punched/kicked/hit, Dick slamming into some solid piece of the environment

Dick keeps questioning this idea and bringing up new points and then just outright asking how Bruce can do this to him. And literally never once does Bruce reply to any of it.

Literally the entire fight Bruce spends monologuing, completely ignoring everything Dick says, as if he's not talking at all.

The only thing that Bruce does respond to is how Dick is doing in the fight. He breaks his monologue to commend Dick on fighting well, but not even once gives the tiniest acknowledgement that Dick is also saying things.

Just the fact that Dick "wins" by dropping down to Bruce's level of violence.

when bruce says the "we fall so we can get back up" and Dick says, no, someone pushes us and we get up to push back, it's fucking sad. I think this is meant to be his victorious moment of turning the tides, but it's upsetting to me! That Dick "it's about catching people when they fall" Grayson has been pushed to reject all of that and is now only talking in terms of fighting!!! I don't like this quote I judge anyone who uses this as a great quote representative of dick grayson, sorry, it's not, it sucks

Dick cracks his head on a railing owie

as soon as Bruce gets properly decked and hits the ground, he calls the fight off :) Because this proves to him that Dick won't break in Spyral, of course, and confirms his stupid plan will work :) and definitely not because Bruce can dish it out but can't take it :)

unreal how much I hate him

And finally! Amidst all of that, amidst all the blood and violence, the single moment that made me most want to shove Bruce through a woodchipper!

"I know I'm hurting you. My family. I'm making that sacrifice. Because I don't give up. I don't give in."

shut the fuck up you fucking martyr hurting your family is not sacrificing shit

man, I really did start this post with story analysis and a genuine curiosity to find sense in chaos. My primary emotion was the fervor of solving a story like a puzzle. But now I am simply going to kill.

[ailtrahq]

In a recent revelation, on-chain researcher BoringSleuth has connected the dots between the meteoric rise of the meme token Shiba Inu and SBI Holdings, Japan’s largest digital bank conglomerate. The researcher’s deep dive into the financials and strategic moves of SBI Holdings suggests a potential orchestration behind the scenes. BoringSleuth’s revelation began with a cryptic equation a few day ago: “SHIB = SBIH = SBI Holdings, Japan’s largest Digital Bank Conglomerate.” In today’s Twitter (X) thread the on-chain sleuth delved into the timeline of events that led to the rise of Shiba Inu. “On July 1st 2020, SBI Group invested $30 million USD into B2C2 for an uncontrolling Interest, just 30 days before the token SHIB was launched on the Ethereum blockchain,” BoringSleuth stated. This investment is significant because B2C2 is believed to be the workplace of SHIB’s anonymous founder, Ryoshi. As Bitcoinist reported, the on-chain sleuth claimed in a research published last week that the anonymous founder of Shiba Inu, Ryoshi, is a combination of two individuals: Ryo Suzuki and Tsuyoshi Maruyama, both former advisors to B2C2 Group. Interestingly, B2C2 Group is the current market maker for Robinhood, whose wallet at one point accounted for over 25% of the total SHIB supply. SBI Holding The Mastermind Behind Shiba Inu? At the beginning of his remarks BoringSleuth highlighted that despite a significant donation of SHIB tokens to Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, the token didn’t experience any significant surge in volume or price in the early days after its inception (August 2020). However, the dynamics changed once “the chess pieces were in place.” BoringSleuth pointed out that during the summer of 2020, SBI Group was primarily recognized in the Crypto community for being the largest institutional holder of XRP. With XRP facing regulatory challenges and a lawsuit from the SEC, SBI Group made a strategic move by purchasing 90% of B2C2, a UK-based Crypto liquidity and trading firm. “In January of 2021, SHIB liquidity pools were drastically beefed up. In May of 2021 SHIB saw a massive price surge when Buterin announced he was donating 10% to COVID charities and burning the other 90%. SHIB had its moment, skyrocketing in price. A well played and well-timed story,” he added. The researcher then posed a critical question: “How do I know SBI group, or B2C2 even held any SHIB?” He answered by revealing that SBI Group indeed held SHIB through both of their Crypto entities, making it one of only 11 Crypto Assets they handle on both the SBI VC Trade platform and the Bitpoint exchange. BoringSleuth’s analysis of SBI Group’s financial growth is particularly striking. According to SBI Group’s 2023 Investor Presentation, in the 20 years leading up to 2020, SBI Group never held more than ¥6 Billion in assets. In 2023’s report, they booked ¥22.3 Billion in assets. In 2019, they registered an unprecedented profit of ¥52.5 Billion, marking an increase of approximately ¥7 Billion from their 2015 figures. Advancing three years, SBI Group’s profits soared sixfold to ¥367 Billion. This surge elevated their Earnings Per Share (EPS) to nearly ten times its previous value within a mere three-year span. While SBI’s revenue saw a 44% year-over-year growth in 2022, their gross profit astonishingly multiplied by eight times. The researcher therefore asks the question: How could a well established, 23 year old Organization, with 87 different companies stretched across 24 different countries around the Globe, all of a sudden grow their Profits by >800%, after experience relatively flat to slighly up growth for 21 years? Drawing a conclusion from the data, BoringSleuth stated, “They experienced growth like this because they sold worthless meme bags to holders who bought into the hype. I know many people that bought and lost. Who didn’t lose? SBI Group and their shareholders.” While BoringSleuth’s revelations have stirred the Crypto community, it remains if

there is any reaction from SBI Holdings or the Shiba Inu development team around anonymous Shytoshi Kusama. At press time, SHIB traded at $0.00000763. Over the next few weeks, a directional move for Shiba Inu could be in the offing: will the price perform a bullish breakout as a result of a triple bottom or a sharp dip due to the pending descending triangle. SHIB triple bottom or descending triangle?, 1-week chart | Source: SHIBUSD on TradingView.com

[theonlil]

So I started watching The Mandalorian season 3. ep 1

I am bracing myself after the train wreck that was Boba Fett but I'm hoping that maybe they dont want to fuck up a very popular series.

Firstly I'll admit i was very afraid of the cinematography as Boba fett vomited in some of the scenes but here everything is in frame and in shot. Again only ep 1 but i will call it out it if i see it because it was awful in Boba Fett and disney can do better. But ahem... yes... good to see some descent camera work.

However we seem to be back into pointless scenes that do nothing but add run time. Honestly if you can't write a 45 min length show. DONT. I refer to the scene with the robot. Why did we need 2 repair scenes? this could have all been done with the little repair guys. (who we will likely never see again, or if we do it will be for a 30 sec cameo)

The scene with the other mando's seemed utterly pointless as his quest to redeem himself was given to him when he was dubbed an apostate. Now i appreciate that maybe people did not watch boba fett and need a catch up but that could have been done through flash back (disney could have litterally re run that footage) or when he was talking with the magistrate explained his situation and new quest.

The pirates!! Honestly I had to laugh as it seems they are trying to piggy pack of the success of the clone wars cartoon nostalgia. It worked with Asoka because Jedi plot line (and we know she survived order 66) and I dare say it worked with Boba Fett because Fett worked with the bounty hunter before (and for all Boba Fett's faults the western aethetic worked so well here). But the Pirates were mostly an Obi-wan thing so it feels forced onto Din.

Finally Bo Katan. Now I aint a lore buff so wont say much but season one we were introduced a rival character who was dripping with ambition and she looses it off screen. What a god damn waste.

Overall the episode jumped about so much with forced action scenes it felt more like a kids action flick than a 45 minute sci-fi episode. seriously cut out the mando scene -which seemed to only show him as an action hero which, we know and have had 2 seasons to know that- condense the repair the droid scene and use that extra run time to stick to important plot points. Maybe dramatise the Bo-Katan scene more. For example they could show Din as confused that there is no mando fleet at this empty castle. Maybe an old retainer share the woe of his mistress' fall from grace. (but they are probably not doing that so they can hype the Bo Katan spn off series).

Honestly i'm not expecting much from this series. They are going to have to make every disjointed element of this episode relevent to his quest for attonement. The robot, the pirates, and Bo... and make it feel natural. But i think the pirates are just going to be there for run time filler action scenes.

welp lets see where this show goes and hopefully i can like star wars again.

[sewer-sermon]

hi hello its 3:30 AM and i am physically about to fall over anyways this fuckin post [(tumblr dot com)/arowanaprincess/721886431053758464?source=share ] reminded me of your post [(tumblr dot com)/poryphoria/718433397277638656/thinking-abt-thematics-i-personally-think-project]

sure hope the links dont fuck themswlvs over. anyways

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm trying to figure out what parts of madcom are what and. i think everything related to project nexus. madness prpkect nexus the game on steam with a funny little storyline. meta-wise. i think it is a tragedy (heavy quotations on that) because it did not have to end that way. if only phobos had listened. if only hank had stepped down.

and i think. at some point. at some part of project kobold, it locked itself firmly into the fact it had to end that way. with all the preliminary preparation, integration behind the scenes, everything. at some point it’s just a speeding train and gonne is riding it to its conclusion. it is a machine (geddit) with no failsafe and the off switch is long broken. had to end this way, only way it could ended

dichotomy of meat and machinery, too, because people are messy and weird and could well have changed their minds, and the machine is tireless towards whatever end it works towards. you can (you could’ve, can’t anymore) change people’s minds. you cannot stop whatever clockwork force you meddled with once you are tangled enough

idk what my point was meant to be. i’m gonna collapse now

please drop a something in my askbox if the links broke ill try to resend them btw

SORRY BOUT THE DELAY, was in a vc when i saw this & needed a sec to properly gather my thoughts once i got outtie

but GHOUGGHH GOD IF THIS DOESNT FUCKIN BEAT ME TO SHREDS!!!!! i fucking LOVE parallels this shit drives me INSANE DUDE AAVVHH. (VERY VERY GLAD YOU SEE ALL THAT AS A TRAGEDY TOO, BTW. madcom as a whole and phobos and hank r literally textbook "doomed by the narrative" tragic motherfuckers and every time i think about them i step one inch closer to the deep deep chasm of insanity)

not much else to say on the matter other than i think this is a really fucking cool read on things and im generally super fucking fond of your takes on this series & please please god you or anyone at all can ALWAYS feel free to toss stuff like this in my ask bin box bc i find it SO ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL EVERY TIME this made my night :}}}}}}} !!!!!!!!!!

TALK TO ME ABOUT MEDIA ANALYSIS ILL KISS YOU ON THE MOUTH

[wanderingwomanwondering]

Buddie - 505 Dinner Meta

**I don't have many gifs for this post because I don’t make them myself. I'm sorry about that. The timestamps will hopefully make it easy to find the moments I'm referring to throughout the scene.

Dinner begins at 30:45 and lasts for about 3 minutes but SO MUCH happens in that short time, which is typical for 911, especially where Buddie is involved. I focus a lot on the on-screen and off-screen looks between Buck and Eddie as well as their dialogue. I mention Bobby, Hen, Maddie, Chim, and Ravi but I focus on Buddie of course. Here are my thoughts on the Firefam Dinner scene towards the end of 505.

31:19 to 31:22 Ravi asks if he's in Buck's seat. Eddie looks at Buck as he approaches the table, then at Ravi, and then looks toward the salad while laughing. Eddie's laugh here really stuck out to me. On the surface the laugh was probably just Eddie reacting to all the tension between Ravi and Buck during the shift but it also felt deeper than that, like an 'AS IF you could take Buck's seat at this table'.

31:33 to 32:34 Buck stops the meal to talk to everyone. As soon as he says there's something he wants to say to *all* of them and starts to take his seat next to Cap, he looks DIRECTLY at Eddie. His facial expression is so serious and sad. It seems to scream that of all of them, Eddie is the one he'll miss the most and Eddie is the one who he knows this news will hit the hardest.

31:35 to 31:37 Eddie looks up from the salad to listen to Buck. His face is so full of questioning compared to Hen who is also in the shot. It's so obvious that Hen is just listening and waiting to see what's what, but Eddie caught Buck's tone and is like, what exactly is this about my love? He and Buck really do talk a lot so it's clear from his face that he doesn't know what's coming and wants to know, preferably now.

Eddie then stops preparing the salad to give Buck his full attention. I really don't think Eddie likes that he does not know what this is about because he crosses his arms immediately and tilts his head to the side. He's not in focus on camera but he's back there feelin' some type of way about being in the dark on this. This seems meaningful because with others he tends to look open and attentive, waiting patiently when they start to share something. But with Buck they are in love close so he would have expected to be the first to know about something like this and he doesn't.

He's listening but part of me thinks he's not worried or taking it too seriously on some level because he knows that Buck would have actually talked to him FIRST if this was really going to amount to anything.

31:45 Buck says "you guys mean so much to me". Again he looks at Eddie FIRST, who is off camera, before then looking to Hen.

31:57 to 32:00 Eddie says "wait, what?" and looks genuinely caught off guard and mildly irritated. He then breaks eye contact with Buck to look at Hen, which underscores his confusion. He also starts with his 'well that's ridiculous' face which pretty much lasts for the rest of the conversation. Buck is looking at Eddie for this whole interaction, until just after he notes that "it's a lot of change". Buck's is clearly just as wounded by his decision to transfer as the rest of the Firefam. While he's looking at Eddie, his facial expression is begging Eddie to understand. It's the sweetest and saddest face ever. The camera is on Cap at that time but Buck's face while out of focus is still clearly visible.

32:08 to 32:10 Buck notes that Ravi is ready to fill his spot and the camera pans to Ravi and they chose to put Eddie in that frame, out of focus. We can still see that Eddie has his arms crossed still and is having NONE of it. His face is pure King Shit and I am not taking criticism at this time. Eddie is firmly in this-is-ridiculous-and-im-gonna say it territory. The camera then cuts back to only Ravi while he talks to Buck for a sec.

32:12 to 32:16 Ravi is confused and thinks Buck means Chim's spot. I know this is a Buddie post but I want to highlight Buck's laugh when Ravi thinks he means Chim's spot. Remember, Chim is family through the 118 AND Maddie. I think it's meaningful that he laughs because it has a 'that's adorable, but no' vibe. Eddie is the one he trusts to stand in Chim's place because like Chim, Eddie is family in at least two ways for Buck. Ravi is cool, but not family in the same way. Like at all.

32:16 to 32:19 Buck notes that Eddie is taking Chim's spot in his grand plan for his exit and Eddie thoughts written ALL OVER HIS FACE. He holds off on saying that's crazy and instead looks to Hen like 'is that okay with you because it's NOT okay with me'. the assumptions this beautiful idiot is making are K*LLING ME'.

32:20 to 32:22 When he says Ravi is replacing him, Buck has the sweetest little face. I think he thinks of himself the way he thinks of Ravi. An adorable fuck up who's learning and doing his best to be worthy. Oh Buck, you're hard on yourself sometimes but I forgive you.

32:23 to 32:30 Eddie asks "who replaces me". It feels like what others have noted...He was trying to make Buck laugh. He succeeded of course. I think Eddie wanted to diffuse the tension of the moment for Buck, and himself a little too. He didn't know what to expect from this conversation when it started and he felt it was a ridiculous proposal on Buck's part...but he also recognizes that Buck is a grown ass man who can make horrible decisions like the rest of us, especially when he's hurting. So, I don't think Eddie was seriously worried by this point in the conversation. He own bits of tension melted from here on. Also, hell yes, Eddie is irreplaceable in Buck's eyes. He left that to Cap to figure out in his half-baked plan to free his loved ones from the misery he feels he brings. I'm so glad the Firefam is helping him work through that nonsense.

Also, I think Eddie asked the question to show the holes in Buck's plan. To crack Buck's sense that they/Eddie could do this without him. The laughter created space for Cap to clarify some things and help Buck see that nobody is mad and nobody is blaming him. To that end, I think Bobby AND Eddie being at the heads of the table is important. They are the two main people in the scene managing/supporting Buck as he works through the feelings that caused him to start this conversation in the first place.

32:31 to 32:33 Eddie doesn't have a line here but LOOK AT HIS FACE. He uncrosses his arms, takes an exasperated breath, looks at the salad he'd like to eat now that this issue is mostly in hand, and leans back in his chair, processing. I know we joke that Eddie was totally unbothered during this scene but...while it's true that he's not melting down or taking the drama too seriously, he does have an emotional horse in this race!! We know that Buck and Eddie are bonded. They are super fucking close. Ride or die. That means WHEN BUCK IS IN HIS FEELINGS EDDIE IS TOO. He hid it fairly well during the dinner but he was taking Buck's temperature, ACTIVELY ASSESSING HOW CONCERNED HE ACTUALLY NEEDED TO BE. Eddie is a total King, and the King was handling his business: Buck. Buck is always Eddie's business.

32:38 Buck says that they don't know that Chim is coming back and the camera is on Buck and Bobby. (Bobby's face here made me lol.) Then the camera switches to just Buck over Eddie's shoulder (32:40)! There is no reason for that other than to capture Eddie shaking his head 'no' as Buck proceeds to blame himself for Chim being gone and everything not feeling the same without him.

32:43 We see Eddie looking so sad for Buck and also very aware that he's not wrong in terms of everything being changed and different. I think it's meaningful that Hen and Eddie are in the shot together. I know we don't have a ton of options here because they are a small team overall. But having Hen and Eddie seated this way shows that them being partnered at work now EMBODIES the issue that Buck is raising. Nothing is the same. He's not with Eddie and Hen is not with Chim. I also think it's meaningful that Eddie and Hen are not seated side-by-side. That's a partner thing and there are no true intact partnerships on the team anymore in this new (temporary) phase.

32:55 to 32:57 Eddie tells Buck that he told Chim that pursuing Maddie was "the right thing to do". Can we talk for a second about how big this is for Eddie. It's basically him confessing that he feels he should have gone after Sh*nnon, despite the shitshow that was their marriage. Even if Eddie is moving toward Buddie, I do believe he has some regrets about how things went down in his marriage and just before Sh*nnon died. Mostly because Eddie is conscientious and always trying to do what's right/expected of him, for better or worse. But that's a post for another day.

33:02 to 33:05 Everyone told Buck that they each had a part in encouraging Chim to leave to find Maddie, and after hearing them he just says "Oh". When he says that, you can see Eddie nodding like 'yeah, like I said, this isn't on you so stop with the guilt my love'. I just think it's so cool to see how differently invested Eddie is. Others are just explaining and sharing and telling him to chill. Eddie's nonverbals are SCREAMING for Buck to really hear them/him, stop spiraling, and eat your damn peas!! His struggle is Eddie's struggle. Eddie NEEDS Buck to be okay.

33:12 to 33:15 Here we get Eddie's famous line, "You're stuck with us." This line is everything y'all. It dovetails so sweetly with Cap's message that Buck belongs and has to stay with them. Eddie's facial expression when he says his line is also unbearably heartwarming. He brushes his hands together too like it's a true and done deal. No ifs ands or buts about it. Eddie looks adorably satisfied and final in his sentiment. His final gaze at Buck is a kingly request that Buck just accept and embrace his/their love for him.

Eddie's line gets at so many of Buck's fears and insecurities in a visceral way. Using the word stuck to show that Buck is joined to them/Eddie is an unbreakable bond and THAT BOND HOLDS even when Buck himself is trying to pull away because he feels guilty and unworthy. Eddie's words show that their bond is stronger than Buck's struggles and fears. They/Eddie cannot and will not leave him in his darkest hours and they/he will be there to celebrate and rejoice in Buck's highs too (like the promise of Maddie and Chim's return). Makes me wanna cry!!

Shortly thereafter they get ready to eat for real this time, and Ravi says that they are all weird. I'm like dude, you don't even know the half of it but this peculiar collection of weirdos is about to be your family too if you let them...now shut up and eat your dinner cuz.

Thanks for hanging in there with this long ass meta/commentary.

[deafblindshorty]

Poe and Rey’s Underrated Friendship

I noticed that not a lot has been said about Poe and Rey’s friendship in TROS and related EU materials. That’s probably because it’s not the main focus, which I sort of understand. There are a lot of subtle moments of their friendship (even some hints towards a romantic relationship). Some of these points come from @greysmartwolf’s tumblr, others come from a discord server.

Disclaimer: I am not diminishing or minimalizing Finn’s importance to both Rey and Poe, but if it seems like it, then I’m sorry. That’s not my intent.

Let’s start from the beginning: Rey and Poe have a LOT of parallels throughout the trilogy (some of the same scenes, the same lines, they both face their past in TROS, they both blame themselves for the Resistance dying at Exegol, they almost gave up but two Rebel veterans gave them pep talks, etc). So, they have quite a bit in common including their love for flying and droids.

Also, about the age difference, age really doesn’t matter in Star Wars. Han and Leia are 13 years apart, Wedge is about ten years younger than Norra, and Snap is 16 years older than his wife Kare (He could be her father!). Huge age differences exist in other fictional materials set on our Earth- Brooke Taylor and her late husband from Legally Blonde are 34 years apart, Remus and Tonks from Harry Potter are 13 years apart, an old soap opera supercouple (Doug and Julie Williams from Days of Our Lives) are 20 years apart. As for friends, Will from Glee is in his 30s and is friends with a few 19-20 year olds and Sue who is in her 50s is besties with a 19/20 year old, 30 year old Launchpad from Ducktales is friends with 10 year old Dewey. So, 19/20 year old Rey being friends or dating 32/33 year old Poe isn’t that crazy or farfetched.

According to the TROS Visual Dictionary, Poe left BB-8 with Rey so she won’t feel lonely (and that’s probably also why BB-8 is with Rey on Tatooine). 

Poe was the first man Rey met whom she didn’t physically attack upon meeting him, and also smiled when they introduced each other. I don’t recall her smiling that wide whenever she was with Finn or Kylo.

They get along well in Poe Dameron #26-27. Poe was even a bit flirty with Rey.

It was Poe’s idea to build a Jedi training course for Rey in Star Wars Adventures, so Poe understands the importance of Rey’s Jedi training.

Rey understands what Poe went through with Kylo ( Poe also calls them ”Torture buddies!”).

When Poe, Finn, and Chewie return from the Fortress of Hothitude (I can’t remember what that planet is called. lol), Poe was so happy to see Rey. The way he walked up to Rey, his smile and his hands on hips. He badly wants to impress Rey. Alpha male!

And right after that, they have their only argument throughout the entire film. Poe and Rey quarrel in TROS was because they both didn’t listen to each other. They really only fight over the Falcon and BB-8. They both care about each other a lot, don’t blame each other in anything (except the Falcon being on fire and BB-8 missing a disc) and admit when one of them was right in argue (but prefer not to tell about that). Then Rey ends up smiling at him and Poe ends the argument by complimenting Rey (”You’re the best fighter we have. We need you.”). Also, Poe is the only one whom Rey talks to with sarcastic smile. Also, also, that argument is meant to parallel Han and Leia’s many arguments. Han and Leia argued every five minutes throughout the entire Original Trilogy, and they ended up together!

After sinking in the sand tunnels, Poe catches Rey and holds her bridal-style for a sec to steady her and was worried about her.

“He thought of protesting, of asking how Rey could possibly know which equally unremarkable direction was the right one. But Poe had learned that when Rey said things that way, her face determined, her voice unwavering, a fellow ought to just follow.” -TROS novel Poe knows Rey well. He knows when he must just shut up and do what she says. It kind of reminds me of Anakin telling Padme “Don’t worry. I’ve given up trying to argue with you.”

Poe taking the dagger from Rey in the novel and it felt like a weight has been lifted from Rey’s shoulders. It’s almost like he knew that would help.

The sand snake- I’ve never seen Poe so scared. But he is not afraid of that snake, he’s ready to combat it. I mean, he piloted the Falcon without fear into the mouth of a giant worm! Poe is afraid that snake could hurt or kill Rey. Poe wants to shoot that snake and pull Rey back, and he almost does that. And Rey amazes him again! And Poe sighs in relief when the snake calms down and slithers away.

In the novel, Poe didn’t scream “Nooo!” or “What have you done?!” when Rey “killed” Chewie. Poe knows there is no scenario in which Rey would harm her friends consciously. He most likely knows about her dark visions (Rey tells BB-8 everything, who obviously tells Poe all important stuff). Poe is not mad at Rey and doesn’t make her explain how that happened. And honestly, if he did do that, then he’d be a huge hypocrite, since he accidentally caused the deaths of the bombers in TLJ and the soldiers on Crait, which is why Poe was gentle with her. Rey understands Poe. His usual anger. They both have a huge responsibility. The Resistance on Poe and Jedi legacy on Rey. And she was ready to hear his anger, but he didn’t even plan to lay into her.

Rey likes that Poe can steal speeders and she finds his past interesting. Rey was really interested in Poe and Zorii’s past connection and Poe felt a bit smug when Rey was able to beat Zorii (He said “Don’t Dja’kanka” because he was afraid Rey would slice Zorii in half before she could help them). According to some audio book excerpts, when Rey was thinking about Poe’s past or his criminal skills, her voice was mysterious and nonjudgmental. Finn wasn’t happy to find out Poe was a spice runner, while Rey was completely fine with that, it seems she even liked that

After the Spice Runner reveal, as they traveled a snowy passageway, Poe glanced over at Rey, who was silent and frowning, lost in her own thoughts. Or maybe she was focused. Sensing something. 

When Rey rushed off to look for the dagger on Kylo’s star destroyer, Poe didn’t stop her and trusted her feelings. Poe knows when he must just follow her instincts. He learned to read her.

Look at pain in Poe’s eyes after Finn’s words. Poe wants to be closer to Rey, he wants Rey to trust him more. But Finn and Leia were still closer to Rey than Poe was. “Perhaps, she didn’t want to put the rest of the team in danger, but they had already signed up for that by joining the Resistance.” (TROS junior novel, Poe)

"She’s out there, heading toward the Death Star. Her skimmer keeps tipping over – it’s damaged. What the heck is she thinking?” (TROS junior novel, Poe) Poe is so worried here. And angry. Now he’s mad at Rey, but later he will be angry with himself for losing her.

“Rey’s nobility masked an impulsiveness that might doom them all – and as highest-ranking member of the team, Poe felt responsible for not curbing it. He had flunked the leadership test yet again.” (TROS junior novel) Poe blames himself, not Rey.

“Maybe there was something the general could do. During the battles of D'Qar and Crait she and Rey had shared beacons. Maybe there was a way she could reach out to Rey or Rey could reach out to her.” (TROS junior novel) Poe planned to find Rey!

So, Poe doesn’t think Rey abandoned them and doesn’t resent her for leaving. If he did, he’d be a big hypocrite here, too, since he abandoned his father, who was dying from a poisonous Lurker bite in Free Fall for the Spice Runners.

Poe trusts Rey and knows she can take care of herself. That’s why he didn’t rush after her like Finn did.

“Poe didn’t have his usual pre-battle swagger. He seemed distress. “What’s waiting for her out there?” he asked Finn.” (TROS junior novel) Poe worried about Rey so much! That she’s somewhere alone and they won’t be with her there.

Poe was incredibly relieved when Rey was revealed to be alive (and he was also worried about Rey when he found out the Emperor wanted her alive).

The way Poe takes Rey’s hand is special, it’s pure tenderness, and the way he rubs his thumb over her knuckles tells everything. Poe loves Rey more than friend. Also, Rey pinches Poe’s elbow with a hope, like she tries to reach him. And when Poe does the same, she happily closes her eyes and pinches him again.

Poe and Rey also acted so jealous of Finn and Zorii respectively. Poe kept asking Finn what he was gonna tell Rey when they were sinking in the sand. On Kijimi, Rey couldn’t stop thinking about what Poe’s past with Zorii was.

So, usually, men tend to date women who remind them of their mothers (Take Harry Potter for example! Ginny looks a lot like Lily Potter.). Rey and Shara Bey (Poe’s mom) look similar and they’re both brave, adventurous, and great pilots.

Men also tend to date women who remind them of their exes. Rey also looks similar to Zorii, plus they are both cagey, kept secrets, both love to argue with Poe, but they care about him, and are extremely loyal.

TL:DR. My point is that Poe and Rey are actually good friends and would be a great couple. Disney/LF were just a bit more subtle about their relationship. 

[sterekreversechallenges]

Sterek Reverse Bang 2021: Updated Timeline, Sign-Ups Now Open!

TIMELINE 

Nov 15th, 2020 - Sign-ups open. Sign-up via Google form. 

Jan 17th, 2021 - Art due; sign-ups close 

Jan 21st, 2021 - Prompts go up for viewing 

Jan 23rd, 2021 - 7 pm UTC - Claims round 1 

Jan 24th, 2021 - 7 pm UTC - Claims round 2, if there is any art left, or multiple claims round if there are any authors who haven’t been able to claim a prompt yet. 

Jan 25th, 2021 - 7 pm UTC - Claims round 3, if necessary and until all art has been claimed. 

Jan 31st, 2021 - Check-in 1: Teams must confirm that they have made contact and are good to collaborate. 

Feb 14th, 2021 - Informal intra-team update: Writers submit an outline of 200-500 words to their artist for comment.

March 14th, 2021 - Check-in 2: Teams must confirm that they are on schedule to post. Writers will receive a link to a Google form for submitting their drafts. Drafts should be 80 % done with any parts/scenes that are not yet complete outlined. 

Mar 28th, 2021 - All collaborations posted to the Mod Account.

April 1st, 2021 - Moderated posting starts and runs until all collaborations have been posted.

Rules and Expectations for all Participants 

Sign-ups open November 15th via Google Doc. 

By signing up to participate you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the rules. 

While the mods will send out reminders, it is your responsibility to meet the Sterek Reverse Bang deadlines. If you have a true emergency regarding the deadlines (failure to plan is not an emergency), please contact the mods. 

Communicate with your partner within 48 hours of your claim being confirmed. Mandatory partner check-ins should be met. This is meant to be collaborative and fun. 

Participants must be 18 years or older. 

A Discord account is necessary to join. 

Participants need an email address that they check on a regular basis. 

Any questions, issues, or disagreements should be taken to the mods. 

RULES for ARTISTS 

 In the regular reverse bang round the following types of art are accepted: 

painting/drawing (traditional, digital, mixed) 

mood boards 

fanvids (min 30 sec) 

original gif sets (min 6 gifs) 

>> All art will be uploaded through a Google Form. PLease keep in mind that Discord has a limit for file sizes. If the piece cannot be uploaded to Discord directly, it has to be hosted in a way that doesn’t reveal the identity of the artist. 

>> In the spirit of anonymous claims, no watermarks, signatures etc. are permitted! If you are worried about art theft, you can add “Sterek Reverse Bang” as a watermark. Signatures may naturally be added for the final posting with the fics.  

>> Artists can submit up to three pieces. 

>> Art must not have been published before, been a commission, or be associated with a fic at the time of claims. 

>> When you submit your art, it should be finished. You may of course keep working on it until posting.

>> You may choose to create more art for longer fics but this is not a requirement.

RULES for WRITERS 

>> Minimum word count for fics in this challenge is 5k. Artists have the option to offer more art for longer fics. 

>> Artists’ prompts need to be followed unless writer and artist agree to do something else. 

>> Squicks and triggers have to be followed without discussion. 

>> Authors may not demand or request changes to the art. The artists may offer to do this, but that is up to the discretion of the artist. 

>> Fics must be in English. 

>> Submitted drafts must be typed and be in a standard document form (.docx or Google Drive). iOS extensions or photos will not be accepted. 

>> Writers must follow the check-in dates including sharing a 80% completed draft with the mods (check-in 2). 

>> All fics should be posted in their entirety on the submission date. 

>> You must tag for any of AO3’s major warnings and use appropriate tags, including the Sterek Reverse Bang tag. 

>> All fics need to be beta read. If you need help finding a beta reader, you can ask on Discord. Mods for the bang will not assign beta readers. 

Like a regular Bang, a Reverse Bang is meant to be a collaboration between artist and writer. Think of your artist like a partner in your creative process and follow the sharing guidelines that we have laid out in terms of sharing outlines and drafts. Everyone has their own creative style, but do be willing to listen to the input from your artist as you write. One of the joys as a writer is having a collaborative partner to bounce ideas off of and talk through your WIP. Your artist will probably love to be part of this process. 

Please be gracious about all pieces and remember to keep all discussion about the art and what you want to claim in #strb-writers-chat. Flailing and praising is permitted in #strb-general, but please refrain from mentioning any specifics. Artists are very anxious about their art getting claimed and we don’t want to add to any fears about any piece of art not receiving the attention it is due.

SUBMITTING PROMPTS 

>> All art will be submitted using a Google Form. [link coming soon]. 

>> Be ready to give the following information when submitting art: 

title of art: 

rating of art: 

highest rating the fic can have: 

any warnings (you must warn for archive warnings!): 

main pairing (obviously Sterek for this bang, but e.g. if you’d be ok with a second main pairing or changing your main pairing if your art permits): 

acceptable background pairings: 

short description of art/ prompt: 

likes: 

dislikes: 

eligible for multiple claiming: 

willing to make more art: 

willing to make more art for longer fics: 

Keep in mind that the more detailed the prompt, the fewer the people who might feel up to fill it. Also, be aware that cross-overs can be difficult as well.

CLAIMS 

>> Art prompts will become available for viewing in #strb-prompts-and-teams on Jan 21st, 2021. 

>> Prompts will be numbered - this number will be needed for claims. 

>> Claims will be on Jan 23rd, 2021 - 7 pm UTC (Universal Time Coordinated - takes care of time zones as well as winter times). 

>> Claims will take place in a Google form that will be posted in Discord #strb-claims as soon as claims open. Only registered writers can make a claim. 

>> Claims will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. Claim confirmation will be sent from the official mod email (sterereversechallenges@gmail.com). 

>> All claims have to be kept confidential until claims are over. Please be respectful to artists and conscious of their feelings - nobody likes to hear that their piece is bad, unpopular, or left over. 

>> Authors will submit between 3-10 choices in order of preference. 

>> If there is any art left after the first round, there will be as many rounds as needed to get everything claimed. If there are authors left, art eligible for double claiming will be put up again for authors to double claim. Second round in either case will be on Jan 10th at 7 pm UCT. 

POSTING 

Open posting or moderated posting is still up for discussion.

>> Open posting: every team posts sometime between April 1st and April 11th 2021 on the day of their choice.. 

>> Fixed posting dates: all collaborations are posted to the Mod Account by March 28th, 2021. Moderated posting will then start on April 1st and run until all collaborations have been posted.

Art should be embedded in the fic or be linked, depending on the preferences of the team.

Teams will:

make a master post on Discord in #strb-gallery, using the pinned format template. 

add the fic with the art or a link to the art to the AO3 collection. 

voluntary: submit a post to the challenge tumblr at sterekreversechallenges.tumblr.com using the same format as for the master post in #strb-gallery 

Teams are of course welcome to also make posts on any platform of their choice to promote their work and the bang.

DROPPING 

>> Should any participants drop before claims, no harm done, no worries.. 

>> Should any participants drop out after claims without a very good reason and extenuating circumstances, participants may not be allowed to take part in the next round. In any case, talk to your mod! There is usually a solution, both for the person dropping and the person remaining in the bang (e.g. finding a pinch hitter).. 

>> Should a team wish to drop out by mutual consent, they may do so, but may not post their work as part of the Sterek Reverse Bang Collection.. 

COMMUNICATION 

The STRB is meant to be a collaborative effort between artist and writer. Part of the fun of the process is working with another creative person to make something new in the Sterek fandom. With that in mind, we have a set of things you should be talking about with your partner.

Artists and writers are free to decide mutually on how much contact they wish to have and in how much detail they wish to collaborate. However, as this is a bang based on art prompts, artists and writers should collaborate on the plot, unless the artist choses differently. Minimum Requirements:

>> By Jan 31st, 2021 (=Check-in 1): Talk to your artist/author partner and exchange: 

Names and pronouns

Account names (AO3, Tumblr, Discord)

Best way to communicate

How much do you want to communicate/ how much interaction are you looking for?

Time zones

Are there any times/dates when you won’t be available?

Any general ideas you have

>> By Feb, 14th 2021: Writers submit an outline of 200-500 words to their artist for comment. 

>> By March 14th, 2021 (=Check-in 2): Fic rough drafts due. Rough drafts need to be 80 % complete of the projected final word count. Any scenes that aren’t finished need to be outlined. Writers will share their rough drafts with their artists and submit them to the mods via a Google form that will be sent out closer to that time.

Apart from sign-ups, the bang will be run via Discord, i.e. a Discord account is necessary to join.

By submitting this form you acknowledge that you have read and understood the terms and conditions and consent/agree to the challenge rules listed above.

Sign-up now: https://forms.gle/HM6y6zC9FwDY8RaT9

[shakespeareanwannabe]

Strange Comforts

Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia x OC

Summary: A sequel to ‘Protective Instincts’ and a prequel to ‘Best Laid Plans’ (I wish I could link them here but I’m still figuring that stuff out). With T-minus 10 weeks to go before the baby arrives, Pope discovers that it’s the little things in life that bring the most comfort. *This one’s not based off clarke’s wonderful headcanons, but it’s set in the same universe so that’s where the credit goes!*

Warnings: Pregnancy fic, swearing, references to smut, references PTSD, references to therapy

A/N: Hi everyone! This is part three of who-knows-how-many of my Dad!Pope series. I’m still looking for a series title, and I’m trying to figure out how to create a masterlist for this so I can put them in order for y’all. I hope you enjoy! I loved reading your comments for the last two! Please let me know if you want to be tagged in future installments!

***

“…and, unless someone else wants to share, I think we’ll wrap up for today,” the kind-eyed therapist addressed the group of veterans, shooting a small glance towards Pope out of the corner of his eye.

True to his word, Santiago had been attending group therapy sessions for the last six months, his first session taking place exactly a week after Bex had told him the good news. Will had highly recommended this therapist, having gone to see him himself when his fiancée had left him, and hoped he could shed some light on Pope’s issues so that he wouldn’t walk out on his pregnant girlfriend next time things got hard.

And Pope had been attending the sessions. Listening to what other veterans said, the issues they were going through, it helped. Sure, both Frankie and Will had been fairly vocal about the problems they ran into while trying to adjust to civilian life, and Pope knew that Tom had had massive difficulties when they forced him to retire, and Benny’s issues were plain to see even if he didn’t talk about them, but those were his friends, his brothers, his family. They had all seen the same shit, so, clearly, they would have similar issues. But hearing random strangers, Marines, and Rangers, Navy and Military and Air Force men and women speak about seeing IEDs everywhere, and drinking to forget, and panicking at the sight of blood was…strangely comforting. The only problem was that Pope could never bring himself to speak.

He wanted to. God knew he wanted to. He needed to be okay. For Bex and the baby, for Frankie and Charlie and Mateo, for Benny and Will, for Molly and the girls, and, most importantly, for himself. So he could stop feeling like a major fuck up in every aspect of his life, so he could feel deserving of the life he had inexplicably been blessed with. But whenever he would try to open his mouth, he froze. How could he possibly talk about the shit he had done in the name of freedom? Was there a way to talk about his instincts shutting his emotions down without coming across as a cold-hearted bastard? Why did his tongue stop working whenever he tried to talk about how deathly afraid he was of screwing up this baby’s life, Bex’s life, their life together as a family? How deathly afraid he was that he had already screwed up Frankie’s, Will’s, and Benny’s lives? How he had nightmares of when Tom had died?

Santiago used to think he was a brave man, but now he felt like a coward. He could face down armed sicarios and terrorists without batting an eye, but he couldn’t talk about his emotions to save his family. It was complete and utter bullshit in his mind.

“Alright everyone, I’ll see you next week,” the therapist dismissed the group and Pope shot to his feet, beelining towards the coffee station.

Everyone else stood around talking, chatting about their daily lives or the weather or whatever, but Pope focused on mixing his coffee. He used to take it black, but then Bex started teasing him that only psychopaths took their coffee black, so he started mixing milk and sugar in instead. He liked it, but he needed it to be perfect.

“You actually drink this swill?” the therapist came up behind him and chuckled.

Pope cracked a smile. “I’ve had worse.”

“Haven’t we all,” he murmured. “Question Mark.”

Santiago shook his hand. “Pope.”

“You’re Ironhead’s friend, right?” Pope nodded. “Damn…he’s told me some of the crap you guys have been through. Sounds like holy hell.”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“Shit, man. No wonder you don’t talk during these meetings.”

Pope felt himself flush. “I mean…you know…”

“Hey, it’s fine. This is a no pressure situation. You just had me curious is all. Either you get people who don’t stop talking, or people who never talk in these sessions. But you…you always look like you want to talk but think better of it.”

Pope shrugged. “It’s like you said. Holy hell. Got used to not talking about the bad stuff.”

“So, what changed?”

Pope smiled softly, his eyes taking on a far-off look. “My girl’s pregnant.”

“Congratulations, man,” Question Mark slapped him on the shoulder.

“Thanks…” Pope shook his head slowly, sadly. “I almost screwed it up. Hell, I’m half convinced that I did, and this is all a dream. But when she told me…”

Question Mark was already nodding. “All of your training went haywire? Started imagining the worst?”

Pope cocked his eyebrow grimly. “Basically.”

The therapist nodded understandingly. “I get that. Same thing happened to me when my wife got pregnant with our third. Despite the other two being great kids, something about my last tour made me think that I’d screw the pooch with the new one. Checked myself into a hotel for a few days and drank myself silly until my brother-in-law showed up and told me that my kids were asking about me. That sobered me up pretty quick.”

Pope grinned grimly. “It was my buddy Catfish for me. Called me and reamed me out, and if Ironhead has told you anything about Fish, you know that he’s not the type at all. But it shook me enough to get my ass back to my house and beg for her forgiveness.”

“But you still sometimes think it’s all a dream?”

“I always thought guys like me don’t get the happy ending.” Pope sipped his coffee and shrugged. “But I’ll take it and run with it. She’s the best thing in my life. I’m not gonna let her down again.”

Question Mark smiled and dug into his pocket, pulling out first his wallet, then his card from his wallet. “Listen, Pope. I know how it can feel trying to talk to a room full of strangers. It sucks sometimes. If you ever want to chat, just one on one, give me a call. I’d be happy to help.”

Pope sucked in a deep breath and took the card. “Yeah, man. That would be great. Thank you.”

“No worries, man. Just, do me a favour?” Pope nodded. “Remember that you deserve this, okay?”

With a final clap on the shoulder, Question Mark moved away and began chatting with another member of the group.

Pope guzzled down the rest of his coffee and threw out the cup, heading home after a successful session.

***

Bex giggled to herself at the soft sounds of cursing and arguing emanating from the spare bedroom as she stirred the pitcher of lemonade.

Frankie, Benny and Will had come over to help Pope put together the furniture for the nursery and, based on the echoes she was hearing, it was not going particularly well. She had abandoned her rocking chair in favour of making the team refreshments after Benny had let loose a string of impressive swear words in two different languages. At approximately 30 weeks pregnant, laughing as hard as she did while listening to Ben swear himself blue in the face just made her have to pee, so she dismissed herself knowing that if she didn’t she would have to endure a lifetime of teasing.

“Just a sec!” she called out as the doorbell rang.

Slow and steady footsteps descended the stairs as a call of “I got it, babe!” echoed down the hall. Rebecca came around the corner with her tray of lemonade and potato chips as Pope handed over a few crisp twenty-dollar bills to the pizza delivery guy.

“Thanks man, you have a good day,” he smiled as he closed the door.

“Mmm, what’d you get?” she inhaled deeply. She’d gotten pretty lucky with the cravings so far, but she would not deny that pizza sounded pretty damn good.

“Got us a meat lovers, got you a pepperoni and pineapple since I know you’ve been on a sweet and salty kick lately.” Pope opened the smaller box to reveal the steaming, cheesy pizza and Bex felt her mouth begin to water.

“Have I told you today how much I love you?” she asked, placing her tray of snacks on top of the pizza boxes Pope was holding out to her.

He smirked at her, his eyes drifting up and down her body slowly. “You told me several times this morning, but I’ll never stop you from saying it again.”

Rebecca felt herself flush at the memory. Those second trimester hormones had hit her hard and seemed to be lasting a good long while, and Pope was certainly not complaining. His girl was stunning. She was always stunning to him, but that primal part of his brain told him that she was even more stunning when she had a belly full of his baby. Her bump was prominent, her tits were bigger and more sensitive, her skin was glowing, and that alpha male voice inside his brain crowed every time he woke up to her beautiful face and growing belly that it was all because of him. He had knocked her up and, thank God, she had decided that she loved him enough to want to raise a family with him. She was achy and uncomfortable, but she loved him and wanted his kid, and that meant more to him than he could ever say. Luckily, with the influx of hormones the past few months, he had been able to show her instead.

He watched as she slowly climbed the stairs, taking care to stay a few steps behind her just in case.

“How’s it going up here anyway?”

Pope groaned. “I don’t get it, baby. I can field strip any gun you put in my hands blindfolded. All of us can. How the fuck is this stuff beating us?”

Bex giggled softly as she entered the nursery and absorbed the scene in front of her. What she wouldn’t give for her phone right now so she could take a picture. Benny sat in the middle of the floor, looking like he was about to cry; crib pieces scattered around him. Will was leaning against the wall with a tired hand over his eyes, a half-assembled dresser beside him. Frankie was sitting in her abandoned rocking chair, cap pulled low over his eyes. He looked like he could be asleep, if only his leg wasn’t bouncing up and down anxiously.

“Soups on, fellas,” Pope announced, prompting the team to abandon their projects for paper plates piled high with pizza slices and tall glasses of lemonade.

Bex smiled fondly at her family as Pope, Benny and Will sat against the far wall underneath the bay window, the three men examining the assembly directions for the crib like they were preparing for a siege.

Frankie held out his hand to offer her the rocking chair but she shook her head. “If I sit in that thing any longer, I feel like I’m gonna turn into a grandmother instead of a mom.”

Frankie cracked a small smile. “Fair enough…” he scanned the room quickly before meeting her eyes again. “Do you want me to go grab a chair from the kitchen?”

Again, she shook her head. “The floor is good, Frankie.”

“You sure? I can—”

“As long as you promise to help me up when I inevitably need to pee, I’m positive,” she chuckled.

“You got it, kid,” Frankie held her hands to help her gently lower herself onto the hardwood floor before throwing himself down beside her. “How ya feeling?”

Bex shrugged as she bit into her deliciously sweet and salty slice of pizza. “You know, I’m actually alright. I know I’ve gotten pretty lucky, but I thought this whole pregnancy thing would be a lot tougher.”

Frankie nodded kindly as he chewed on his own slice. “I remember how Charlie was when she was pregnant with Mateo,” he reminisced. “Couldn’t sleep more than ten minutes at a time, constantly had to pee, had to wear these ugly compression socks. She handled it like a champ for the first 30 or so weeks, but by the time he was finally ready to make his entrance, we were both ready for her not to be pregnant anymore.”

“Yeah, she mentioned that,” she murmured. When Frankie had raced over to calm her down after Pope had left, one of the first things he said was that he and Charlie would be there for them, no matter what. And they had been. Charlie in particular had been Bex’s lifeline. She had been so kind and understanding, helping Bex get set up with an OB/GYN, lending her pregnancy and parenting books, and just letting her bitch and cry whenever she needed a female shoulder to cry on. “She said she got to a point where she would’ve given anything to just get Mateo out.”

Frankie nodded. “Oh yeah,” he sighed. “The week before he was born, she was not sleeping. Her emotions were all over the place, she wasn’t hungry, she couldn’t sit still, and she would get angry at me for the littlest things. It got to the point where I didn’t recognize her anymore, you know? Like, where did the woman I love go?”

Bex reached over and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. “That must’ve been tough.”

Frankie shrugged. “Like I said, she handled it like a champ. And I sure as shit wasn’t about to complain when she was in labor for the better part of three days.”

Bex whistled lowly. “Three days…Jesus…”

“I’m sure it won’t be that way for you,” he backtracked quickly, playing with the back of his cap as he ducked his head. “I dunno the statistics or anything but…”

“Hey, hey, Frankie, chill. It’s okay.” She pulled his hand away from his hat and ran her hand up and down his arm. “You feeling okay, Frankie? You seem…on edge.”

Frankie looked across the room at his brothers, deeply entrenched in the assembly directions, before sighing. “She’s pregnant again,” he whispered.

A bright smile crossed her face. “What? Oh my god, congratulations!” She reached out and wrapped her arms as best she could around his shoulders.

“Thanks…” he sighed.

“Do you…did you not want another baby?” she asked, confused at his dismal attitude. Frankie had been the one to talk Pope off the cliff, telling him how great fatherhood could be. And it was clear through his interactions with Mateo that he was an amazing father. He was one of those dads who flourished under the responsibilities of parenthood, who saw taking care of their child as a joy and a privilege, not as a job or as babysitting. If there was one thing Rebecca knew for sure, it was that Francisco Morales was a family man through and through, so she was a little surprised at the dread in her friend’s eyes. She had expected Frankie to be more…enthusiastic about having a second baby.

“Of course, I do, Bex, I just…” Frankie groaned, doffing his cap for a moment to run a stressed hand through his hair before redonning it. “I’m making jack shit right now at work, and Mateo is almost three, and the pregnancy was so rough on Charlie last time…I just…I can’t let my family down.”

Charlie shuffled herself closer and wrapped her arm around Frankie, leaning her cheek on his shoulder. “You won’t…” she murmured softly. “Yeah, this kid was unexpected but you and I both know your wife. She wouldn’t be having a second kid if she didn’t want one. Plus, you both know what to expect now. Hopefully she’ll have an easier time this go around, but you also know the signs and what kinds of questions to ask. And yeah, Mateo is young, but that’s okay. You guys can start teaching him responsibility early and, if they both end up being too much, call Benny to take Mateo.” Frankie cocked his eyebrow and Bex laughed. “Well, I was gonna say call Santi, but we’re gonna be a little busy ourselves. Benny’s energy can match a three-year-old easily though.” Frankie chuckled and wrapped his arm around his best friend’s girl. “As for money,” Bex shrugged. “I know Santi could use some help managing the security firm. He wanted you to partner with him anyway, and he’s still holding out hope that you’ll join him, so why not?”

Frankie nodded slowly. “I could help him out a couple of days a week and still teach flying lessons. Yeah, that could work. I’ll talk with him and see what he says.”

Bex chuckled as she shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not gonna be much of a conversation, Frankie, trust me. He’s been hoping you’ll take him up on his offer. Don’t tell him I told you, but he’s missed working with you.”

Frankie smiled softly as he watched Pope grab Benny in a headlock while Will shook his head slowly. “Yeah, I missed him too.”

Bex shifted again and Frankie stood, gently helping her stand, recognizing the signs immediately. The two watched the MMA fighter and the security firm director wrestle on the floor for a minute before Will was able to separate them.

Bex turned to Frankie and smiled. “If you really missed him, can you do me a favour?”

“Anything for you, kid,” he smiled back at her.

“Stop fucking around and help them build the damn furniture please. I know you put together all of Mateo’s furniture on your own, so please, put them out of their misery.”

Frankie’s loud bark of laughter startled everyone. He wrapped his arm around Bex and gave her a quick squeeze. “Sure thing, kid. Hey, idiotas! Let’s get moving. We want this stuff ready before the baby’s first birthday, okay?”

***

Pope sighed contentedly as the golden rays of the setting sun illuminated the dust particles dancing in the air. These moments were quickly turning into his favourite nightly ritual.

The radio droned lowly as he sat in bed, dressed in a pair of shorts, with Bex sitting reclined against his chest. He had just finished applying coco butter to her skin, and now his hands were resting gently on her belly, waiting for their kid to make their presence known.

Bex took a deep breath, allowing the air to escape through her lips as she cuddled further down into bed, resting her head just above her boyfriend’s heart. She loved these moments too, when it was just the two of them. No museum breathing down her neck, no art classes to teach, no security emergencies calling him away from her. Just the two of them, bonding with the baby that was nestled safely within her.

Sometimes, Santiago would talk to the baby when they sat like this. He’d tell stories about his childhood, about their relationship, about the kid’s future aunts and uncles. Sometimes, he would play classical music on his phone and direct the speaker towards her belly. Sometimes, he would talk to her, sharing his thoughts and fears, tell her about the things that he wanted to do with their kid when they were old enough. Most of the time, he would just hold her in silence and wait for the kid to kick or roll inside of her so he could feel it.

“The nursery looks really nice, babe,” she mumbled drowsily, wincing slightly as her skin bulged out against Pope’s palm, the outline of a tiny foot appearing for a brief second.

“That’s all you, sweetheart,” he replied, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple as he soothed his hands up and down her swollen stomach. “The Hundred Acre Woods theme is stunning.”

Originally, Rebecca had wanted a jungle theme for the nursery, but Pope had borderline begged her to do something else, literally anything else, that wouldn’t remind him of crouching in the Colombian jungles next to Tom the day before everything went to shit. So, he hadn’t complained when she announced that she was going to Disney-fy the kid’s room with a mural of the Hundred Acre Woods and all of Christopher Robin’s friends.

“I made it pretty, you made it functional,” she yawned, shifting slightly to lie on her side, her left arm wrapping around his side as she nuzzled into his chest.

Pope snorted. “Yeah, once you convinced Frankie to stop being a prick.”

Under Frankie’s direction, all of the furniture was put together in less than an hour. The solid oak crib, dresser/changing table, shelving unit and rocking chair pulled the room together nicely, and the white bassinet sat in the corner of their bedroom, waiting to be put to use.

Rebecca smiled sleepily. “Not my fault you three didn’t notice that the one dad in the group was sitting around twiddling his thumbs.”

Pope grinned down at her. “We make a pretty good team, huh baby?”

She lifted her droopy eyes to him for a moment and smiled brightly at him. “Forever and always, my love.” She ran a gentle hand over her belly and sighed happily. “You’re stuck with me now.”

It suddenly struck Santiago how badly he wanted that to be true. What wouldn’t he give to wake up next to this beautiful woman every day? To be allowed to love her and spend as much time in her presence as possible? To raise their child together and be a family? To grow old with her by his side?

He ghosted his hand down her side and gently picked up her left hand, running his thumb over the knuckle of her ring finger as she drifted off to sleep.

“Not yet I’m not, mi amor,” he whispered. “But I want to be. If you’ll have me.”

He gently shifted them down the mattress, curling up behind her and resting his hands lovingly on her belly as he settled in to sleep, taking comfort in the knowledge that everyone he loved was safe in his arms that night.

Tags list (open): @darksideofclarke, @writefightandflightclub, @eternallyvenus, @rae-rae-patcha

[multifandom-stranger]

Rain With a Chance of Sweet Drops

Genre: Soulmate au, fluff

A/n: Hiiii a small story to keep y’all fed. I’ve been so so lazy and feel awful about it. I suggest you listen to these while reading: Sanctuary by Joji, I’m closing my eyes by potsu, A while by a[way], and Cutie by haroinfather. Or this playlist that has those songs and more.

I wonder why it is what it is? Why an umbrella? Seems so dumb and common. You thought to yourself as you sat inside the small coffee shop across from your friend Haechan. It’s raining today so... maybe today is the day...

“-llooo? Earth to Y/n! You really have a talents for zoning out, you know?” You finally gain back full focus on your bestie after a hand was practically shoved into your face. “Stop thinking about it too much.”

“About what?” You scratched at the back of your neck timidly as you ended the very particular train of thought you were on completely.

“Your partner. Your staring at your mark so what else could you be thinking about.” Haechan smirked and leaned down to take a sip from his iced Americano with a mischievous grin.

You lived in a world of everyone having their heart on their sleeve. Literally. Everyone was born with a small mark on their wrist, similar to a birthmark that developed into a select few images, letters, symbols, etc. Once you met your special someone there’s supposedly and instant sense of attraction wether you know you share the mark or not. The symbol ties into how you meet or fall in love. When you meet them and gain a connection the color of it will appear. Some people have hearts, a meaningful word, or even a specific place. But you were left to ponder over a stupid umbrella seemingly tattooed on your wrist.

“I can’t help it! How are you not curious about finding ‘the one’?” You looked down at the simple shape of a cartoonish umbrella once again before glancing over to Haechan’s wrist, adorned with a triangle, ish shape. It was all black. Rather odd really. Most people could tell what their mark was but he was at a loss. You couldn’t imagine how he felt.

“Honestly, I couldn’t care less. Isn’t the whole point of it to be fate and all? Trying to think about it logically makes no sense at all.” Plucking his drink swiftly from the table with one hand at the top he leaned back and eyed you with it almost up to his mouth again. “Just let things take their course Y/n. It’s more fun that way.”

“I guess your right. Thanks man.” The hesitance was still slightly present in your voice but nonetheless he had a point.

“Wanna hangs out with me and a group of friends this weekend? Small dorm party. Only cool kids allowed. You in?” His eyebrow quirked up curiously as his tone raised for the question.

A party sounded like something you needed at this point, even if you gut feeling was that it spelled trouble. Just like your bestie said, you needed to ease up and live a little. “Screw it, I’ll be there. What time?”

“It’s at the Nu Chi Tau frat house. I’ll pick you up at 8:30.” He leaned over the table suddenly, farting all up in your face with a stern look. After a second that seemed to pass ever so slowly he spoke out again. “You better not flake on me!”

“I won’t, I won’t I promise!”

~•Time Skip•~

You currently are sitting at the doorstep of this stupid frat house, abandoned by your friend and no ride home. You venue well could walk but there was one complication to that plan. Rain. Horrible, intense rain. People inside were using it as and excuse to keep the party going but you’d shyer you real quick as soon as the one person you really knew (Haechan) ditched you to leave with someone. Wasn’t his style really, so it really has you confused and alone. Trying to push your pity party along and over to the side you focused on the splash and plop of the heavily falling water from the heavens. The house had and overhang for you to chill on, godsent in your opinion, where you started to pace about and pray that the rain stopped soon.

“Have fun lover boy!!” You whipped you head around to see the door fly open and someone get shoved out onto the porch harshly. Before you knew it a small click, barely audible over the thrumming of the rain was heard. The lock you had presumed. Still slightly scared from the uproar you were left to stare at the strange boy who now was sitting there in his knocked over position hand over his forehead. He looked hella stressed out as he rubbed at it and then munched his nose with a sigh. One thing worth mentioning was what you swore was a red hue to his cheeks and even ears, yet you still couldn’t make out his face from you stance. Wait, this dude just took a pretty good tumble. Shit, do something you loser! “Uh, hey are you okay? You landed on your hands pretty hard to catch your fall there.” You approached him cautiously as he got up, still looking down as he brushed his knees off with his hands a bit.

And then he looked up with a smile. As dumb and cliche as it is, time moved slower for a moment. This mystery boy was both the cutest and most handsome person you’d ever seen. How both worked you had no idea but here he was, living proof it was possible. His eyes were almond shaped and had a certain twinkle, his slightly pouty lips upturned into a playful grin, and his jawline was both rounded and pronounced at the same time. He sure was a looker. Staring! You’re staring at him! You yelled internally as his slightly pinkish cheeks were now accompanied by yours and you looked down to his knees that peeked out of his ripped blue jeans. No scratches there, good.

“Yeah, I’m all good I think. Jerks though it would be funny to lock me out, but at least I’m not alone.” He had lifted his hands in a casual shrug type of gesture when you saw that he had a nasty scrape on his palm, just like you had suspected. Without quite thinking you reached out and grabbed his hand to look at the damage.

“You did get a cut. Aw, I looks bad too. One sec,” while cupping his hand above yours the other reached into your back pocket to fumble for a bandaid. You were quite the clutz so you always had them on hand.

While you took your moment to retrieve the remedy, the boy was left to stare down at your hands meeting. Yours was so warm, especially in contrast with the cool dew seemingly spreading through the air from the rain. It was so gentle as well. You barely held his hand at all and yet it was effecting him so much. But most importantly he saw your wrist. That’s all he needed to be brave enough that when you handed him the bandaid he look your other hand as well.

“Hey, I’m Na Jaemin. It’s really nice to meet you and all but I think you need to take a look at something.” He have you that childish smile once again and you could just feel your heart tense up for some reason. It was so precious. That plus the added bonus of the simple yet sweet contact from your hands holding slightly was enough to leave you a bit flustered. You were to shy to look at exactly what he was getting at.

“What do you mean? Look where?” He simply chuckled and let you other hand with the bandaid still in it go slowly, as if he didn’t want to have his hand leave that spot.

“Ah! Ow... Ya know, my other hand really hurts too. Could you maybe put the bandage on for me?” His voice had a certain sing song quality to it joined by a rather obvious tone of whining. He sounded like a little kid trying to get something without saying just what it is to trick their mother. It was oddly charming in it’s own way even if it was whining.

“Um, sure. Are you sure you don’t need to go back inside? We can knock-“

“No!!” He paused and cleared his throat a bit to regain composure. “I mean, it’s fine I’m sure. Thanks though.” Kinda awkward as well. Cute. You were surprised at the boldness of your own thoughts. You undid the packaging on the bandaid and placed one sticky side with care over his skin to line it up over the wound. As you ever so gently slid your finger over it to stick the other side you froze in place with shock.

Umbrella.....CODE RED! This is not a drill, I repeate this is not a drill. We have an umbrella mark on the wrist! You looked back and forth a million times, eyes flicking over the two marks again and again as Jaemin chucked at how cute you were. As you continued your antics you thought to yourself, Not like they’ve changed colors yet. I-I mean I have seen someone else with an umbrella but nothing happened.

“You’re pressing into my cut a bit cutie.” He chopped up after staring down at you as if he had found a precious diamond in the rough. He was starting to get the whole ‘instant attraction’ thing. He didn’t even have your name yet and he felt like he could just spend the rest of his life with you from then on. It was both weird and comforting in it’s own way.

You jumped back a little and rubbed at the back of your neck. It was a nervous habit, but you don’t particularly feel nervous. It was more calm, but still had your heart racing. It was a promising sign in the least. “I-I’m Y/n. It’s nice to meet you Jaemin.” You looked back up to him and finally returned his smile with your own. You hadn’t felt so genuinely happy or smiled to full-heartedly in what felt like forever. You were starting to hope this boy was the one because well, he was so sweet and kind and funny and playful.... and you just met him!

“Glad I can put a beautiful name to the face now. Nice to need you too.” He sighed and looked down to see the mark on his wrist still filled in pitch black. Brushing aside the thought that it was odd he took a seat at the steps, next to where you had been before and patted next to his spot. “So what brought you out here?”

You plopped down next to him happily and sighed as you wrapped your arms around your knees and rested your head atop them. “Got ditched my the only person I knew at the party. Not really my kind of scene if I have no one to hang with so I just wanted to go home and go to bed buuut,”

“But the rain right?” You both giggles at how he finished your sentence with perfect timing.

“Yeah, the rain.” You looked over to Jaemin to be met by his charming gaze. There was a comfortable beat of bliss in that moment before you leaned back with a smile. “Now I have someone to hang with at least.” As you slid your hand back you felt something brush against it. It was kinda cold and felt odd. You looked over your shoulder to see a small red umbrella left there on the deck.

“Jaemin, look! An umbrella...” as the last word left your mouth the syllables slowed as you realized this really could be it. Hell, if this isn’t a sign I don’t know what is. You picked the umbrella up with a grin and a small laugh. “Looks like we lucked out!”

“Yeah, I think we did.” Another wave of a comfortable moment of sweet silence and adorning eyes passed over the two of you again before he snapped out of it and took the red thing from your hand in a flash. “You live on campus, right? I can walk you home if you’d like. It’s late and all so,” He let out a small hum before going back on his thoughts. “Actually, non-negotiable. I’m walking you home.”

You let an audible “Huh?” that had him chuckling at you once again. He opened the umbrella up and tipped I out into the rain before looking back to you with a smile. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. It’s not too far.” You took a few eager and bouncy steps to meet him under the umbrella with another full fledged smile spread out across your face. “Thank you Jaemin.”

You two set off for the maybe two minute walk tops happy with small chatter and lots of laughter and smiles. You were tempted to get closer, but shoulders brushing and all was just toooo cliche. It’s just too much this is fine for now. Unbeknownst to you Jaemin saw you shoulder getting dropped on and was having none of it. Without hesitation he wrapped his free arm around your shoulder and gave you that heart melting look once again. “You can’t just be all quiet about small stuff like that when there’s a much better solution like this” He nudged you closer playfully and you decided to be bold and lean into his shoulder a bit.

“Okay, I promise I’ll keep it in mind for the future Mr. Gentlemen.” You took your turn to nudge into him with a laugh and relish in the moment. Things just felt so natural and comfortable with Jaemin already. This had to be the real deal.

“Here it is.” You said with much dismay. You didn’t want your time with Jaemin to end. Especially without knowing how to talk again or meet with him. You both faced each other under the tiny shield of the umbrella, the calming taps against both the roof of your dorm and the ground adding to the moment. “Thanks again Jaemin but um-“

“One sec. Gotta check something.” He pulled your wrist up gently with his own that had the mark to show a now brilliant red umbrella upon both your wrists. Once again, Jaemin didn’t need anymore confirmation. Without any reservation he pulled you in for a kiss. It was as if the sound of pattering rain had dulled, the slight cold had disappeared, and everything was right. He pulled away, keeping it short and sweet yet full of passion and feelings. You were left to reach up to your lips with a small smile before beaming up and him and leaning in to steal another small kiss, this time placed upon his cheek.

“Hey soulmate, I’m Na Jaemin. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

[assembledherethevolunteers]

Tequila

A/N: Hello all! My job has been incredibly slow, so good news for me, I can actually get some writing done! I’ve decided to do some songfics. The first one I’m doing is ‘Tequila’ by Dan&Shay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j8afmT-bLM) with Rami! 

Pairing: Rami Malek x fem!Reader

Summary: You and Rami Malek dated in college, but when things started to blow up, the two of you couldn’t keep it together. 5 Years later, something jogs his memory of you. 

Warnings: Angst, Cursing, Open Ending (is that a warning?) 

Taglist: @astrovcly @queenlover05

“Tequila shots!” Joe proclaimed, putting the four shot glasses on the table. The other three men groaned.

“Joe,” Ben began with an eye roll.

“It’s your guys’ fault. You left me up at the bar alone,” Joe responded, handing the shots to each of them.

“Alright, alright,” Gwil chuckled as he took his glass from Joe.

Rami didn’t say anything. He just stared at the glass. He hadn’t drank tequila in about five years. And there was a reason.

“Y/N!” Rami called when he found you. He slid his hands around your waist and you turned around to face him with a smile.

“One more drink and then we should head up to our room. What do you think?” You ran your hands up his chest and winked. Rami nodded enthusiastically.

You turned back to the bar. “Can I get two tequila and sodas? One with a lime?” You had to yell to the bartender. You swayed along to the music as you waited for your drinks. Rami pulled you close and pressed a kiss to your neck. He was so in love with you. If only he could…

“Rami?” Joe asked, almost nervously. “

Rami shook his head and. He must’ve zoned out.

“Yeah, sorry. Shots, huh?”

“You alright, mate?” Ben frowned at him.

“Totally fine. Let’s do these,” Rami finally grabbed his shot and held it in front of him, waiting for a toast. The other three exchanged glances, but brought their glasses to Rami’s.

“To us, guys. Nobody else I’d like to be pretend rockstars with,” Joe proclaimed.

“Here here,” Gwil agreed.

Ben and Rami made noises of affirmation before all four of them threw the shots back.

And did that shit burn.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with yoooou!” You sang along, drunkenly swaying to the rhythm. You grabbed the bottle of tequila off the counter and took a pull.

Rami chuckled as he watched you.

The two of you were on spring break your senior year of college. Instead of going some place warm like most of your friends, the two of you had decided to go skiing in Colorado. The two of you had even splurged and gotten yourselves a suite.

“Rami, don’t make me drink alone,” you pouted at him and then held out the bottle to him. He took it and took a drink as well, the tequila hitting him now. The two of you were just shy of drunk when you’d gotten back to the room and then had continued drinking some of the liquor that you’d brought with you.

“Ram, will you promise me something?”

“Anything, love.”

You grinned and went into the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” Rami called after you, starting to move towards the room.

“No! I’ll be out in just a sec!”

Rami heard a drawer close and watched as you emerged from the bedroom, holding something behind your back.

Rami smiled at the sight. You’d changed into a t-shirt from the Chi Omega/Sigma Phi Epsilon mixer that the two of you had met at sophomore year. It was still big on you, and came to half way past your thighs that were covered with a pair of boxers that you had stolen from at some point in your relationship. Your hair was still curled from the night out on the town. You still took his breath away, even after almost three years together.

“You’ll always love me, right?” You asked.

“Of course.”

You finally pulled what you’d been hiding behind your back out and Rami burst out laughing.

“A Bible?”

“Yes! I want us to swear we’ll never leave each other! Right now!” You held the Bible out to Rami.

Rami stepped right up to you and placed his right hand on the Bible.

“I swear that I, Rami Said Malek, will never leave you.”

You beamed and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Another round?” Gwil looked around the table.

“Let’s do it!”

“I’ll help you,” Ben jumped up. He and Gwil walked up to the bar.

Joe looked at Rami with a concerned frown. “Dude, what’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You seem…off tonight.”

Rami shook his head. “I’m fine,” Rami drained his beer as he saw Gwil and Ben come back with their beers. And…

“More shots!” Ben held them up. Rami saw the clear liquid again and groaned internally.

“Alright, tell us what’s going on. You look like somebody just kicked your dog.”

“Joe, stop, alright? It’s nothing.”

Joe held his hands up in surrender. The men threw back their shots, but then Ben picked up the badgering.

“Rami, is something wrong?”

Rami rolled his eyes. “Nothing! Jesus, you guys are more annoying than my mother.”

“We’ll let it drop if you just tell us what’s wrong.”

Rami looked at the three of them. They had all become like brothers during filming. They all looked genuinely concerned about what was bothering him. He hadn’t talked about it in so long…

Rami tried to be quiet as he came inside your shared apartment. He knew he was late, but the director kept making them do the scene over and over again. He couldn’t just leave. He was already preparing for the argument the two of you were bound to have when the lamp flicked on.

You rubbed your eyes and squinted at him until your eyes adjusted. You hummed and stretched.

“Sorry, baby, I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Let’s go to bed,” Rami gave you a soft smile, thinking that maybe tonight could go without a fight. Maybe the two of you could just go to bed. He would be happy to take you.

Then you looked at your phone.

You frowned at it and then looked at him.

“It’s nearly two AM, Rami,” your voice was annoyed.

“I…I know. I just…”

“You told me you’d be home not later than midnight. And that was an ‘exaggeration’,” you used air quotes on the last word to remind him that he was the one that said that.

“Sugar, the…”

“Don’t you do that,” you spat. ‘Sugar’ was what he called you when it was just the two of you, usually when you were being intimate.

Rami sighed, raised and dropped his arms in defeat. “What do you want from me, Y/N? An apology? I’m sorry I’m so late. It truly wasn’t supposed to last…”

“This long,” you finished with him. “It never is. Never,” you turned away from him and folded your arms around yourself. “Let’s just go to bed.”

“Wait, can we talk about this?” Rami was hoping that maybe if you yelled at him for a bit you could make up and you wouldn’t be so mad at him.

You turned back towards him and you didn’t look mad. You looked tired. Not just because of the time. You seemed tired of the conversation the two of you were about to have.

“Talk about what, Rami? How you’re late? Again? How I waited up for you, again? How things have just totally changed all of a sudden?”

“I finally have a steady acting job and what? You’re upset about that? I thought you of all people would be happy for me!”

“I am! I am happy for you, but I…I don’t know if I can keep up.”

Rami stared at you. “What does that mean?”

Tears came to your eyes and you tried to blink them away. You’d been thinking about it for a while now. The two of you barely saw each other anymore. And when you did, you were fighting.

“I…I mean…maybe…this life just…I…” You couldn’t pick a sentence and go with it.

Rami’s expression hardened. “I come home late a couple of times, and now you want to leave?” His voice was colder than you had ever heard it.

“It’s not just that!” The tears in your eyes had started to fall. “ It’s the late nights, the people stopping us in the street,your new attitude you have, the new so called friends you have!”

“Oh, so now you hate my friends!?”

“Those new assholes that are around all of a sudden are not your friends! They’re using you!”

Rami shook his head with a humorless chuckle. “Alright, babe, you know what? We’re both tired. Let’s just…”

“NO!” Suddenly you were fuming. He’s the one that wanted to hear what your problems were. These were them. “You wanted to fucking talk about it, let’s talk! Why do you think they’re your friends now, huh? They wouldn’t give a shit if you weren’t an actor!”

Rami stared at you as if you’d slapped him. “Wow, Y/N, just…fucking wow. You think that little of me, huh?”

“What’s not what I said.”

“No, no, you just said that people who are around me only like me because I’m an actor. That must mean you, too, right?”

It was your turn to feel slapped.

“You’re kidding, right? Jesus, Rami, I’ve been with you since COLLEGE!”

“You know, you weren’t complaining about my ‘asshole’ friends when we were going on trips with them. It was all fun and games until it was inconvenient for you, huh? Now you just have nothing to do but sit at home and wait for me and…”

“When did your ego get so fucking inflated?! Do you honestly think that I just wait…”

“No, but if I’m even ten minutes late you’re down my fucking throat!”

“Two hours is a hell of a lot different from ten minutes! Sami’s noticed it too, by the way!”

Rami’s face fell completely and then his voice was deathly quiet. “You and Sami have been talking about me?”

“We’re worried about you,” your voice softened, hoping that he would listen if you did that.

“Worried?” Rami scoffed and his eyes seemed to burn with fury. “You’re jealous! I’ve finally made something of myself and I don’t need you around anymore!”

That took your breath away, and not in a good way.

“You don’t…” your voice broke for a moment. You cleared your throat. You hoped in the quiet Rami would realize what he said and take it back. No such luck. “Fine, Rami, if you don’t need me around, I’ll just go.” You pushed past him to put your shoes on.

You were mentally preparing to tell your sister why you were going to show up at her place at 2:30 in the morning when you felt Rami grab your wrist.

“Sugar, don’t go, I…I’m sorry.”

You ripped your hand away. You wanted to forgive him, but the look on his face and his tone of voice when he said it... You knew he actually believe it. He didn’t need, or want, you around anymore.

“I’m gonna go,” you whispered, slipping your shoes on. You didn’t notice Rami had moved in front of the door.

“Y/N,” you saw tears swimming in his eyes. “I didn’t mean it! Of course I need you. Baby, please,” Rami fell to his knees wrapped his arms around your waist. “P…please, don’t go.”

Your tears continued to fall as you ranked his fingers through his curls. You knew it would be the last time.

“I have to,” you unwrapped his arms from you and stepped around him, walking out into the mild New York night.

Rami wasn’t sure how much later it was, but he finally got up off his knees. He walked over to the freezer and pulled the bottle of tequila out and took a long pull. Then another. And another.

“She didn’t come back after that. Sent her sister to come get her stuff. Her sister gave me a letter,” Rami drained his beer. The whole table was silent now. “A fucking letter basically telling me how much of a son of a bitch I’d been.”

“Mate,” Ben tried to begin, but Rami held his hand up and shook his head.

“She was right. I’d changed. I talked to Sami and Jasmine, they’d seen it too. I didn’t mean to. It just…happened.”

“Come on, man,” Joe clapped Rami on the back. “We all change.”

Rami just shook his head again.

“Who needs another one?” Rami held up his empty beer bottle. Everybody said they needed one, so Gwil went up to the bar with Rami to help carry the drinks.

“Have you tried to reach out to her?”

Rami sighed. “No, last I heard she was still in the city, still working as a nurse.”

“Do you know which hospital?”

“Haven’t tried to figure it out, to be honest. She wanted to walk away. I don’t blame her.”

“But you’re clearly still hung up on her. She might feel the same way about you.”

“I appreciate that, but she shouldn’t. She should be with somebody who…”

“Can I get a vodka soda with a twist, please?” A voice from down the bar carried over.

Rami would know that voice in his sleep. He turned towards the voice and saw your profile. His heart started pounding in his chest. You hadn’t noticed him yet. He watched as another bartender made you your drink. Since when did you drink vodka?

You thanked the bartender, told him to add it to your tab, and started to walk away. Rami felt almost a magnetic pull to follow you.

“Rami?” He heard somebody (Gwil?) say behind him, but he didn’t care. He followed you to a table with about four other women, but Rami didn’t look at them. His gaze was fixed on you.

Finally (FINALLY), you turned around and met his eyes.

You nearly dropped your glass. You hadn’t seen him since…well, in person. You watched everything he’d been in. Every interview you could watch on TV and Youtube. You couldn’t help the sense of pride that always swelled in your chest when you saw him. There was also sorrow. You missed him like hell. You missed him so much it ached.

“I…I thought you’d moved back to LA,” you whispered, not sure if he heard. It was the first thing you could think of to say.  

“I did, I’m, just in town for a press junket,” Rami’s voice was equally as quiet. You were both sure the other could hear your heart trying to beat out of your respective chests.

You nodded, head still slightly swimming with the confusion of seeing him. You needed a drink. You took a long pull from whatever was in your hand. You didn’t taste it at all, but it helped slightly.

When you did that, something caught Rami’s eye. On your left hand. It sparkled, even in the low bar lights. His heart stopped. You were…married. For some reason he felt like his world was crashing down. Not knowing either way was alright, but now? To have it shoved in his face that you were married? It broke his heart all over again.

You noticed Rami fixate on your ring and you hid it behind you. You weren’t sure why. The two of you had been broken up for years. Why did you feel guilty?

“A…are you married?”

“This is her bachelorette party!” One of the women exclaimed, clearly already enjoying herself a little too much. Another woman who had known you and Rami quieted her down.

“I…um…I’m getting married. Next month,” you replied sheepishly.

Rami stared at you for a long moment, his big blue eyes boring into yours. Almost like he was waiting for you to explain yourself.

“Wow. That’s…wow. Congrats,” Rami fixed a stiff smile on his face. He maybe a great actor, but you could tell it was fake.

“Thank you,” you offered him a small smile.

“I um…I should get back to my friends,” Rami offered lamely.

“Oh,” your heart longed for you to reach out to him. To hold him. To run your fingers through his overgrown curls. God, you hadn’t seen it grown out like that since college. “Um…yeah, okay. It was really good to see you.”

“Yeah, you too,” Rami’s smile changed to something more sorrowful, but at least it was genuine this time.

Rami turned and walked back to the table.

“Dude,” Joe whispered.

“Yeah,” Rami took his beer that Gwil had brought to the table and drank about half of it in one go. 

On the other side of the bar, you watched Rami interact with his friends. He seemed…mostly happy. Good for him.

“Did you really date him?” Kelley, one of your bridesmaids that you’d worked with the past couple of years, asked you.

You looked at her and sighed. “Yeah, I did. For a while. He’s…he’s how I ended up here. We were living together and he was filming…”

Danielle, the only one that had known you and Rami together, put a soothing hand on your arm.

“I can’t believe you LIVED with him!” Marci shouted. Marci had enjoyed more alcohol than anybody.

“Sh,” you hissed at her before looking over at Rami’s table. You knew he couldn’t hear, but when you looked over there, you were met with Rami’s stare again.

He was looking over at your table. You all seemed to be enjoying yourselves, but then you looked over at him. His heart rate increased again. You turned away quickly.

You took a shot that had been brought to the table.

“I…I have to go to the bathroom,” you told nobody in particular and stood up.

“Want one of us to come with you?” Randi, your soon-to-be sister-in-law, asked.

“No, no, I’m good,” you told her and walked towards the bathroom. You really wanted some time to collect your thoughts.

Rami watched you get up and walk away from the table. He shouldn’t do it, he knew he shouldn’t, but the alcohol was making him less in control of his impulses. He quickly stood and followed you towards the general direction of the bathrooms.

“Where are you going?” Ben asked him,but Rami didn’t respond, he just followed you.

You were about to step into the bathroom when you felt somebody grab your hand and spin you around.

“Hey what are you…?”

“Y/N,” Rami stared at you, his eyes tracing your face.

“Rami,” you breathed out. He was so close to you you could feel his breath on your face.

“I…I know it’s too late, but for what it’s worth, I’m really sorry.”

“Sorry about what?”

“The way I was acting that lead to us…our…the fight.”

You noticed that Rami’s hand was still around your wrist. You wondered if he could feel the uptick in your pulse (he could).

“I…um…d…didn’t handle it well either.” Had Rami gotten closer? You were pressed up against the wall and Rami was nearly pressed against you. “I’m sorry too.”

Rami’s eyes just continued to look over your face. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Maybe he was just committing it to memory. All he knew was that he couldn’t look away.

“Y/N, I…I know I can’t…I can’t change anything. And, I see that you’re happy with this…new guy,” Rami started.

“His name’s James, he’s a doctor at the hospital.” You don’t know why you felt the need to explain to Rami who he was.

“James, huh? Well, he’s a lucky guy,” Rami knew he should pull away. He shouldn’t be leaning into you more. He shouldn’t be thinking about taking you back to his hotel room and trying to make up for that fight.

“I um…I…” you gulped. It was taking all your control not to grab him and kiss him.

Rami gave you a smirk. He sort of hated how happy it made him that you were still a little nervous around him.

“Y/N?”

Rami jumped back and you both looked down to see Randi staring at you both.

“We uh…should probably get going,” Randi’s voice was hard.

“Yeah, of course. Rami and I were just catching up.”

“Alright, well, I think that’s enough of that. We should get going.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” you smiled at her, hoping she would go away.

“We’ll be waiting,” she turned around, leaving you and Rami alone again.

Rami looked at you and raised an eyebrow.

“I…um…I should really get going, Ram.”

“Yeah, I…uh…I should probably go too.”

But neither of you made a motion to move.

“Well, bye,” you offered him your hand.

Rami looked at your hand then back up to your face. “Really? A handshake?”

You chuckled and opened your arms. Rami fell into them and held you close. It felt like coming home. You could smell his cologne a feel all of his warmth. It made you miss him even more.

“I’ll be in town for a couple more days. The Waldorf,” Rami whispered in your ear before he pressed a kiss to your temple. He pulled away and gave you a smile. A real one. One that made your heart melt. “Maybe we’ll see each other later on, Sugar.”

You bit your bottom lip and nodded at him. Him using that nickname just wasn’t fair “Yeah, maybe.”

Rami walked away and you watched him, trying hard not to chase after him.

You walked over to your table and Randi looked you up and down.

“So, how was he?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The two of you looked VERY close is what I’m talking about.”

You rolled your eyes and pulled your coat on. You were not going to get into it with her.

“Nothing happened, Randi. Let’s get going. Marci looks like she’s about to pass out.”

You weren’t wrong. Marci’s head was on the table and she was groaning.

“Let’s get going.”

You all stood up, Kelley and Danielle supporting Marci. You cast one more glance at Rami’s table, they all seemed to be looking at you. You quickly looked away and Randi grabbed your arm, pulling you out of the bar and into the waiting car.

“Thank you, ladies!” You called to Danielle as she helped Marci up to their apartment.

It was just you and Randi in the car now (Kelley lived just a couple blocks away from the bar so she was dropped off first).

“So, now that it’s just us, can I ask you a question?” Randi turned to look at you in her seat.

“Sure?” You were pretty sure she was still drunk, but weren’t about to argue.

“Are you going to leave my brother for that actor?”

“Wh…what are you talking about?” You started sweating.

“Look, Y/N, you’ve been with my brother for almost three years. You’ve never looked at him the way you were looking at that guy. And I’ve seen you two in a LOT of different…situations.”

“Randi, I…”

She held her hand up and stared at you hard.

“You still love him. I get it. Just…let James down easy, okay?” 

When Randi said ‘him’, you weren’t sure if she meant James or Rami.

“No, no, I’m not…”

“Next stop,” the driver turned back towards the two of you.

Randi gave you a small smile, then leaned over and gave you a kiss on the cheek. “Love you, not matter what,” was all she said before she got out of the car, paying her portion of the fare, and then going inside her apartment building.

“And where are we taking you tonight?”

You paused and thought about it. You should go back to your apartment, go to sleep, and just wait for Rami’s new movie to come out to see him again.

“Miss, I can’t go anywhere if you don’t tell me where to go.”

You opened your mouth to say your address, but what came out was…

“The Waldorf Hotel, please.”

[thevioletjones]

The Ian & Mickey Show

Week 9

Timestamps

3:33-4:54 - Ian wakes up hugging a pillow, presumably missing Mickey’s absent body. There’s a loud rumbling and an embarrassingly clown car-ish honking outside the house waking everybody up. It’s Mickey making a grand entrance on that sweet mint green Vespa scooter, and (very horribly and stiffly) “making out” with this unfortunate looking tiny twink named Byron (they def picked the most pretentious name possible for this interloper). Mickey is for sure putting on a big show for Ian that’s like 30% revenge, 70% pettiness. At first, you would think Mickey just paid some rando to act a part for a little while, but I guess Mickey is just conning this lil guy. Mickey grabs his ass in front of Ian, boasts about the guy’s “super tight asshole,” and casually strolls past him to get into the Gallagher house, because I guess he’s still staying there. And also, Ian’s leg is broken, but we knew that, cuz Cam. {For a better scene, keep the video rolling past the 4:54 mark and ogle Jeremy Allen White naked in the shower. It was his turn this week I guess. You’re safe, Cam.}

6:37-8:20 - Ian eats breakfast with Liam & Carl, and they discuss Mickey’s being off with the other dude, and it’s clear that Ian thinks Mickey is just lashing out and once it’s out of his system, he’ll just come back. Lip and his baby mama and her crazy Trumper aunt are in the scene as well. They all concur that in Lip’s words, “Ian left Mickey at the altar,” but Ian doesn’t see it that way. He honestly thinks they were gonna get married for the wrong reason. His contradiction and ambivalence is honestly the only thing that feels realistic about all of this mess. 

13:30-14:36 - Mickey continues needling Ian very broadly and obviously about how great this Byron kid is and how much sex they’ve been having, and even implies he’s a Koch, which is silly. Mickey goes so far as to claim he’s in love with this guy (they met last night) and says he’s moving in with him. It’s dumb-o. 

18:35-20:58 - Ian somehow just now discovers that 50% of all marriages end in divorce????? That’s been true for so long now, even someone the show is now painting as kind of an idiot (but not half as big of one as Mickey is) would know that stat. It’s just more EXPOSITION. Anyway, he’s hanging out with Liam in the kitchen, and Debbie comes in. Ian tells her that: “Mickey’s a punk, and he’s decided he’s gonna fuck other people if I don’t marry him.” She says Ian’s just scared, and he should marry Mickey to make him happy, even if it does end in divorce eventually. Ian’s all, “I’m not scared,” but not even Liam believes him. Ian invites Liam to go run an errand, and they steal Trumpy Aunt’s wallet on the way out.

28:06-28:54 - OMG, small Byron has that bright Disco Overlook Hotel area rug from Ikea that I really wanted to buy some years back adorning the floor of his tiny loft. Sad face. Anyway, Mickey barges in and throws his garbage bag of crap everywhere and says he won’t share the bed, Byron needs to sleep on the floor. Says some lines about when he wants his dinner served, and how they’ll only have sex when Mickey wants to, and obviously he’ll top cuz this dude’s “basically a chick,” which is a funny line, tbh. ALSO, this pretty much proves they haven’t even actually banged, since they haven’t even discussed preferences. Lol. So yeah, Mickey is using this kid for anything and everything he can, cuz he found a big ol’ sweetie pie pushover (that’s maybe a little bit afraid of him). 

33:50-34:36 - Ian makes Liam try on engagement man-rings, because: “Mickey has freakishly small hands.” They’re at the Alibi and combing through the jewelry a shady hawker is selling. Ian buys two rings on Trumpy Aunt’s credit card. 

42:53-44:52 - I really miss Ian & Lip scenes, tbh. I used to love their brotherly friendship. Some of the old magic feels back in this scene, idk. Ian tells Lip he’s gonna go propose to Mickey. Lip asks him why, and Ian says it’s cuz he loves him, but then after a pause says that Debbie told him to. Even though Ian wants Mickey back, he also clearly wants Lip to talk him out of marriage, which he kind of does (for now). Lip says he should do it one day, after he figures out why he doesn’t want to now. 

47:06-51:10 - A genuine FOUR MINUTE scene! Ian shows up at Byron’s place (where’d he get the address tho???) and Mickey’s been hanging out there for like a handful of hours maybe, but this lil dude just wants him GONE already. Lmao. He clearly knows who Ian is and practically runs into his arms in a grateful hug, saying, “Oh, thank god, PLEASE take him back!” Ian is like wtf, and waits as this guy calls Mickey “honey” and says he has a visitor. Mickey makes another big show implying impending sexy times, grabbing at a very not into it Byron as he retreats up the stairs. Mickey seriously greets Ian like, “What’s up, bro!” I meeeean... Anyway, Ian I guess decided in transit that he’s not gonna propose, he’s just gonna say these are “promise rings” and has some line about how: “Gallaghers and marriage don’t mix well, but a Gallagher keeps his promise.” Since... when??? Like... Frank??? And... what??? Lol... Mickey’s not buying that shit either. He makes a good point about Ian not even wearing his “promise ring” on his finger, but around his neck instead (someone caught a Sex & the City rerun where Carrie carries that rock on a necklace, cuz she’s def not sure about marrying Aidan), where no one can even see it. Ian says he’s not saying “never” to marriage, and Mickey counters that he’s actually saying that he doesn’t love Mickey enough right now. And then he says he’s got Barry anyway, and Ian has to correct the name, which is a nice touch, I’ll admit. And then comes Cam’s best bit of acting on this show in like Y-E-A-R-S. I always thought he did best when he was in depressed/manic mode, and that comes through here when Ian actually gets to the heart of his real fears about committing fully to Mickey, which are of course that he doesn’t trust himself and doesn’t think Mickey should be tied to him and all his crazy bullshit. He doesn’t understand how Mickey can know for sure that he loves him. All that internalized shit is stuff I can easily actually relate to, and this is really the first 100% truly honest moment we’ve had between IxM in all of season 10. I hope we get one or two more by the end. I don’t really completely buy Mickey’s reaction being, “When you get over the ‘I’m not worthy of being loved’ shit, gimme a call,” because he is the fucking KING of not thinking he’s worthy of being loved! That's always been a huge component of who he is, and how I always write him to be, personally (always struggling to think of himself as worthy of anything good, particularly love, among many many other internal struggles, obvs). He also knows exactly how low Ian can get on his down-swings, and since we know from s5 that Mickey likes taking care of Ian, I just don’t think he’d treat him this way. I’m not saying he would give in, but we would see some softness come through. A lighter touch. Anyway, Ian looks super sad as he walks away, but then he spots Barry’s Vespa in the alleyway and gets his own bit of petty revenge (on the wrong person) by pissing in his gas tank, cuz Shameless!

Episode Tally: 8 scenes. 13 mins 10 secs.

[chaotic-lesbian-things]

Announcement - ‘Star Wars: Inheritance’

Hey there! 

Due to the extremely disappointment sequel trilogy I have decided that I’m starting a project called ‘Star Wars: Inheritance’ which is me attempting to answer the question “What if Disney and Lucasfilms actually cared about the fans instead of just milking them for money?” Help is required, artists, fans, beta readers, beta writers, alpha writers (co-authors), illustrators, website managers etc. Scroll down for more. You can leave ‘permanent’ roles whenever you want.

PLOT IDEA:-

The story will be primarily posted on Archive Of Our Own, and will be divided into ‘seasons’, like a web series like The Clone Wars (only written instead of animated). The series will pick up 5 years after Return Of The Jedi, featuring characters from the Original Trilogy (eg: Han, Luke, Leia) and Sequel Trilogy (Ben Solo, Rey, Poe Dameron, Finn etc.) but with context. Cameos by Rebels, The Clone Wars, the Prequel trilogy and  the novels will also be made.

The ending will be a happy one with the force being balanced, open threads from all of canon closed, a fitting fairytale ending after a lot of suffering, adventure, angst and character growth. Each character will have its arc although the protagonists remain the same. The story will end sometime around  TFA/TROS. Several time jumps will be made.

NOTE:-

This is a story to be written by fans. A personal attempt to heal and a bold statement to poor filmmakers who have destroyed a fairytale started 43 years ago. But, most importantly, this is a story for all of the people who work on it as well as read it to enjoy. It provides us closure that canon couldn’t.

ROLES:-

1. Plot Pitchers:

Requirements: Extensive knowledge of canon and/or Legends (EU). Preferable access to novels.

This role is an attempt to make it as canon as possible. More canon than canon. Mention of sources (Wookiepedia links) would be helpful, but not necessary.

Even if you aren’t very proficient with the above but you feel like you have good ideas, DM me. You will be credited. If you simply have a good idea but don’t want to be involved in the long run, just message it to me.

2. Artists/ Illustrators:

Requirements: to be a digital artist/illustator

Concept art has been selected, digital artists required.

The kind of work includes drawing certain scenes from the story, as well as the headers/ covers for it. You can choose what you want to.

This is not a permanent commitment, unless you want it to be. THERE IS NO MONEY INVOLVED (because the initiator is a broke minor). 

If you want to be involved for the long run, dm me.

3. Video Editors/ manip creators:

Requirements: Video editing software, Video editing skills

Things like the opening scrawl of each season, small 10-30 sec (more if you can manage) videos of the characters (in later seasons) etc.  Please DM me if you are interested.

4. Beta Reader:

Requirements: basic grammatical skills

Each chapter will be needed to be read and suggestions can be made.

5. Social Media Account managers:

Requirements: Tumblr, Instagram or twitter. (other social media are welcome but not compulsory)

You need to create a new account on the web platforms. These accounts will share/rt/rb/post everything about this project. The Account name is to be ‘Star Wars: Inheritance’. dm if interested.

6. Website creator/manager:

Requirements: knowledge on creating a website. Managing it.

Starwarsinheritance.com? Starwarsinheritance.net? 

For more details, please dm me.

7. Co writer(s):

Requirements: Writing skills. Experience with Ao3. Team spirit. 

At max, two more people are needed. The work load can get too much for one author to produce quality chapters every week. The contents need to be agreed by all the authors. We’ll try our best to include all points.

Please apply for this role if you are REALLY serious about this. DM me.

8. Beta Writer:

Requirements: Writing skills. Experience with Ao3. Team spirit. 

You can add your own two cents to it but it will need to be approved by the main writers before being published.

NOTES #2:-

If you DM me I will provide you with the relevant information, and a link to the discord server where we will discuss this in detail. 

If you are in for permanent roles, please be committed to this. This fic needs 20 min to 3 hours or more of your time every week depending on your role, and it could possibly go on for a year or more. If at some point you need to quit, issue a notice so we can find someone else.

As of now, there is no money involved in any way. This could change, but right now all you get is personal gratification, comments, kudos and hits.

This is not an overnight project, it will need at least a month’s work before publishing, after our team has assembled. 

The first responders will get the role, as this needed to start 200+ days ago (after TROS).

Lastly, I realise that this is a very demanding project for which you could possibly never get paid. This is an attempt to rekindle a dying fandom which was fanned too fast and hard by corporate gold-diggers a.k.a Disney/lf. 

This was a glorious fandom before it was divided and ruined. save your story, save your fandom. Please spread the message.

[cryptoevent]

Bitcoin breaks $40,000 and sets its sights on a new all-time high, ETH fees spike as a new price record is set, and Elon Musk really loves Dogecoin.

Published every Saturday, Hodler’s Digest helps you stay on top of all the week’s important news. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulatory highlights, highlights, predictions and more – the week at Cointelegraph in one link.

This week’s headlines

  Bitcoin sees $50,000 less than a month after the price of BTC broke its 2017 record.

Bitcoin is showing signs of a new rally after passing the $40,000 resistance zone, fueling hopes for a new record.

It will be very important for Bitcoin to stay above this level in the near future. This comes days after MicroStrategy exposed more than 1,400 companies to Bitcoin.

According to Michel van de Poppe, analyst at Cointelegraph Markets, BTC’s strength means that its market dominance is being restored at the expense of most altcoins.

He added, “However, an apparent break above the historical record of $42,000 should take the price of bitcoin to $50,000.”

Bitcoin has crossed the $40,000 mark for the first time in 23 days, but this time market sentiment is much calmer and the derivatives market is not as overheated.

Some establishments took advantage of this week’s blowout to take money off the table. Ruffer Investment, for example, made a $650 million profit after doubling its cash flow in just two months.

With the Ethereum price reaching $1,750, the royalty of the Ethereum network has reached its highest level ever.

ETH set new records this week, moving closer and closer to $2,000.

After trading at $1,756.51, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency has fallen slightly to $1,672.99 at the time of writing.

This record is due to the intense interest in theFi components, many of which use the Ethereum network as a backbone. Expectations have also been driven up by the launch of CME Group Ether futures.

There is only one problem: the price of gasoline is rising. This week, transaction fees rose so much that some exchanges no longer accept gas.

Blockstream’s developer, Mr. Grubles, fears that this could affect the proper functioning of DeFi protocols: “This is a legitimate crisis. We will have to stock up on popcorn to see how Ethereum will fare”.

“Welcome” – DOGE rises after Elon Musk returns to Twitter … to force the coin

To some extent, the rise in crypto prices can be attributed to Elon Musk. For reasons unknown, the richest man in the world is obsessed with Dogecoin.

Tesla’s CEO caused quite a stir this week when he shared a fake photo of him dressed as Rafiki from “The Lion King,” with Simba inu shiba on top of his face in the famous scene where the cub is held aloft on “Pride of the Rock.”

Musk helped DOGE get off the ground this week, but the comments he made in a club discussion about bitcoin did not have the same impact as last Friday, when BTC jumped several thousand dollars because Musk added #bitcoin to his Twitter bio.

During a conversation at the club, the billionaire reportedly said, “I’m late to the party, but I’m a Bitcoin supporter.

This week, a new study looked at Musk’s tweet six times about BTC or DOGE, and concluded that his comments caused price spikes and a “significant increase” in trading volume.

But an article in the Blockchain Research Lab warns, “While Musk’s behavior and communications may be considered positive or fun (and thus perhaps uncritical), similar studies have already shown that negative tweets can also have a negative impact on financial results.”

The rage to win: XRP price drops 50% after reaching its highest level in two weeks

XRP was the subject of a commercial frenzy last week, with an 86% breakthrough after it became the new focal point of r/Satoshistreetbets, a spin-off of r/Wallstreetbets.

The pump came while XRP’s legal troubles showed no sign of stopping, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confronted Ripple later this month.

On February 1 at 8:30 am (Eastern Time), the Telegram and Discord chat prompted people to buy XRP en masse, but as expected, the pump ended in tears. Within two hours, Altcoin fell by almost 50%…. , scaring off new investors.

Keith Waring tweeted, the coin dealer, “Although the $XRP army will be aggressive if you warn them about the elephant in the coin’s escrow form, I can’t help but feel sorry for those who bought at .75c today. X R (I)P”.

PayPal offers encrypted payments to merchants, limited exchanges on Venmo

PayPal revealed that its crypto commerce service has “exceeded expectations” since its limited launch in the United States.

The payments giant now plans to focus on encrypted, chain and digital currencies in 2021, with a “significant” investment in the new entity. According to the company, those who bought Bitcoin ended up putting twice as much money into the system as before.

After an “excellent response,” CEO Dan Schulman said that crypto will be offered as a funding source later this quarter when users store at one of PayPal’s 29 million merchants, and that a “full roadmap” of new services will follow.

In November, PayPal took a big step toward digital assets by allowing its U.S. users to buy cryptocurrencies directly through the application. US-based customers are limited to $20,000 per week. Since then, the volume of cryptocurrency transactions on the platform has reached record levels, peaking on January 11 with $242 million in transactions.

Winners and losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin stands at $40,776.40, Ether at $1,676.86 and XRP at $0.44. The total market capitalization is $1,218,786,711,013.

Among the top 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin players of the week are UMA, 0x and PancakeSwap. The first three altcoins of the week were lost against HedgeTrade, ThorChain and Fantom.

For more information on cryptocurrency prices, don’t forget to read Cointelegraph’s market analysis.

Most memorable quotes

  “After a record year in 2020, when it grew by more than 300%, Bitcoin is expected to remain strong in 2021 as more individuals – and large institutional buyers – enter the market.”

Jesse Cohen, Senior Financial Analyst at Investing.com.

“While Musk’s behavior and communications may be considered positive or fun (and thus perhaps non-critical), similar studies have already shown that negative tweets can also have a negative impact on financial results.”

Lennart Ante, co-founder of the Blockchain Research Laboratory.

“If one tweet can increase the cap on the Bitcoin market by $111 billion, another tweet can erase a similar value.”

Lennart Ante, co-founder of the Blockchain Research Laboratory.

“Welcome.”

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla

“We have also seen an exceptional response to our cryptocurrency launch…. The volume of cryptocurrency transactions on our platform has far exceeded our expectations.”

Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal

“The economic climate for Bitcoin could not be better right now.”

Duncan McInnes, co-manager of Roefer.

“Despite the aggressive $XRP army warning you about the elephant in the room escrow form, I still can’t help but feel sorry for the people who bought at .75c today. X R (I)P”.

Keith Waring, coin image marketer.

Predictions for the week

  The CIO of BlockTower Capital estimates that there will be another 9 to 22 months of “bull run” in cryptocurrency.

With the new optimism surrounding the operation of Bitcoin, the question inevitably arises: how long will the bull last?

According to Ari Paul, Blocktower Capital’s Chief Information Officer, we have at least nine more months.

He said, “There is a continuous and dizzying rotation going on here. BTC omhoog, dan wanneer BTC een adempauze neemt, ETH en enkele grote kapitalisaties (en in die modus, DeFi blue chips), dan kleine kapitalisaties, flush en herhaal. Of course, you can add a 30-60% correction for fun”.

On the question of how Bitcoin will behave, Paul added, “In terms of price, I think BTC ends a bull run between $100,000 and $400,000 and the alts do better.”

FUD of the week.

  The Guggenheim CIO is under fire for changing his position on BTC.

Scott Minerd’s apparent shift from bullish to bearish, and vice versa, on both sides of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing regarding his $500 million investment in the BTC is raising eyebrows on social media.

Guggenheim’s CIO made headlines after stating that BTC would see a “complete correction to return to the $20,000 level” – later adding that there was insufficient institutional support to justify a price above $30,000.

A few days later, Minerd stated that bitcoin could reach $600,000 in the long run because of the scarcity and value of gold.

Some people on Twitter were not impressed. Economist Alex Krueger wrote, “Remember, Guggenheim wants you to sell #bitcoin so you can buy cheaper. They tried to scare the market into lowering the price to $20,000 when they think it’s worth $400,000.”

New class action lawsuit against Robinhood raises allegations of oligopolistic manipulation

It has been a full week since Robinhood, a stock trading application, took off following GameStop’s trading restrictions.

A class action lawsuit has been filed because this radical decision deprives customers of the opportunity to profit from the volatility of GME shares – by manipulating the share price.

Meanwhile, some reports have indicated that Robinhood is delaying its planned IPO to focus on fighting a public relations disaster. Other media outlets have questioned this claim and claimed that the IPO is proceeding as planned.

It is also reported that Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev will testify before the Financial Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives about the company’s role in the recent volatility.

Robinhood, a stock exchange app that has been popular for millennials, is facing a new class action lawsuit after it recently temporarily suspended purchases from GameStop and other “gift stores” through its platform.

  Polish crypto exchange employee in artificial coma after armed attack

An employee of a Polish crypto and gold exchange has been put into an artificial coma after an armed attack.

On January 22, the offices of FlyingAtom in the city of Olsztyn were attacked. The masked attacker managed to escape with gold worth about $120,000.

The suspect was subsequently arrested in connection with the incident, and police thanked him for his assistance.

The best features of money

  Is it time to shine? Crypto should take a chance after the GameStop drama.

The GameStop pump could encourage some amateur investors to finally learn about DeFi and its benefits.

  The only way to enable the execution of the blocking chain is to enter consciousness.

Inactive transactions can help keep the BeCeFi active so that the sector can continue to develop and increase its relevance.

  R/ Wall Streetbets vs Wall Street: harbinger of the DeFi explosion?

Was the Robinhood stock market app the culprit in the GameStop saga? “In a decentralized trading market, no one would have that kind of power.”

Related Tags:

eth price, cryptocurrency prices, bitcoin stock price, eth to usd