#they’re both heroes but they also sometimes feel divorced from that identity

[shoot-i-messed-up]

something about john and shayera being the shortest two of the justice league and dating each other is so special to me

[iamnightduchess]

Is it just me or it's getting difficult to find theories and meta on this fandom esp in reddit without someone going "yes genocide is 100% the solution" and as someone who lives under duterte's regime whose followers echo the same sentiments it's getting kinda difficult to navigate through fandom space without seeing those uncomfortable takes

Hello dear Nonnie,

Don't worry, it's not you, it's actually the general consensus in Tumblr that almost all is against a genocidal overlord 😢 but, if we were to share our opinions & stances on that for SnK fandom specifically in all other socmed channels (Reddit, Twitter, FB, IG, YT), get ready to be mentally recked, stand corrected & sniped virtually on the spot. Their genocidal overlord can do no wrong & all the alliance members are ungrateful, idiots & dumbasses for working collectively to stop millions of people and the earth from dying.

I feel so sorry for the people who has this type of mindset: their ancestors, their families and themselves have not been born in a situation where they've been through oppression. Eldians are no different. They were the first oppressor, then now the oppressed and these readers strongly believes that the rest of the world deserves to be fucked up. Eldians in Marley & Eldians in Paradis are like two children that was forced apart and separated when their parents divorced (Fritz 145 & Tyburs/remaining Eldians in Marley). Yet both parents remarried to toxic partners who, also, instead of suggesting of working together for the children's future + greater good, used the children as weapons to attack the other side.

For people from multiracial countries or countries that have or is suffering a regime/administration run by a tyrant, it is always ingrained in us to strive for unity, peace, humanity & livelihood. We were told stories of not of our oppressors but of how us, the people work together to fight for our independence. All different races, we love each other & we want our country be a much better, peaceful safer place for our children. Thus why, Isayama's work hits us so damn much in our hearts. It hits too close to home. Genocide is never a solution. Because even if Eren succeeds & only the Islanders are left alive, bet you how long it'll take for the remaining humans to fight each other even if they're both from the same place, have the same blood. E.g Kiyomi reiterated this to Floch & before that, the Jeagerists were a prime example of what extremists would do.

I myself, is from a country like Marley, where we have asylum-seeking refugees and we are multiracial. We have differences without a doubt but instead of a melting pot, we are a salad bowl where we mixed together in harmony but still retains our unique cultural identity, faith & attributes with respect for each other. Even if you've been blessed enough to not have to go through all that oppression in history, it doesn't take a genius to appreciate all living beings. It's humanity. The world had treated Paradis as an evil entity but you fight hate with love. It's easier said than done, yes, but you and I, we're both living proofs (like Ackermans & Azumabitos!) in the real world that peace has to be fought through unity, empathy, compassion and not violence or mass killings.

They said, the Eldians in Marley have thrown them under the bus but Niccolo & Onyankopon are amazing examples that the rest of the world can coexist with Paradis, but you have to be patient, work hard at it & you need time. My country managed to achieve our independence in 1957 because of our first Prime Minister's efforts; he has a globalist mentality like Armin has. What he did was if Armin goes to Marley to table a thick binder detailing our constitution proposals for an alliance/truce with Paradis. He believes in humanity & he united all races under one country name & constitution. It has been done in reality. (But some people just want to see the world burn)

Oh but no, their genocidal overlord doesn't have much time, (he's dying in four years!) & he feels genocide is the only solution. This is why I agree with Reiner when he said that the Founding couldn't have gone to a much worst person. OG Ymir & Eren are proof that tremendous powers would destroy worlds if they're given to children whose thinking have not fully developed & mature to be logical & objective. (I also want to share my grievances on OG!Ymir. I used to sympathize with her but the moment she got the powers & she went back to offer herself again as the tyrant King's slave, my sympathy just went down the toilet. She was a classic victim who has Stockholm Syndrome & she allowed herself to be manipulated by an abusive man just because she needed to be validated when she has this God-like powers. She should've killed that evil king from the beginning & ally with Marley. Yet now, she's using Eren as a tool/vessel to fuck the whole world up for her own mistake that she made.) also, these people are in denial that the MC/hero can do no wrong. That's the beauty of Isayama's writing: he flipped the table with Reiner as the MC and these people lose their minds. What if he always wanted the story to start with Eren but ends with Reiner?

Thus why, you can only still find a more positive environment that are more 'sound', 'sane' & 'humane' only here in Tumblr. However, I've also personally noticed the sudden appearance of new Tumblr accounts of these toxic members from other channels, sending unsavory asks & commenting with unsavory phrases on mutuals & some of the top posts on my page 😂

Hang in there, Nonnie. It's hard to voice out the truth sometimes but as long as you keep on breathing, you shouldn't stop fighting for humanity's survival just like the alliance!

People can disagree with our opinions but I drew the line at genocide & mass killings. Period. Even criminals have a legislation & justice system before they are ruled out for execution. Eren is a child that's been given the most dangerous powers. His own version of freedom is twisted & skewed. The Alliance is willing to die first, fighting for the world's humanity's survival than living peacefully (really? With the Jeagerists own regime?) in Paradis at the expense of the bloods shed and lives lost by millions around the world.

I'm so sorry for this barrage of texts, Nonnie. I get very emotional when those who supports genocide shits on the humanitarian's principles. You can't also be in other channels without getting brain damage of the 'genocide is right/the only way' sentiments. We can't control what other people posts but the only thing we can, is: how we react to them.

I hope Tumblr could still be a positive safe space if I can help it!

xoxo

Thank you for the Ask! ☀️ Take care & stay safe ❤️

[mc-lukanette]

Lukanette Prompts (Set #1)

Because I have too many, plz take them.

“Tour of Romance”

(takes a bit of creative freedom)

- Marinette and Adrien had been dating for a few years, but broke up when Adrien discovered what he wanted to do in life, which didn’t mesh well with Marinette’s role as a traveling fashion designer.

- Luka (with Kitty Section) are on tour and wherever they go coincidentally keeps lining up with wherever Marinette goes. In the process, Luka and Marinette slowly renew a bond that they’d starved a long time ago.

- Jagged and the rest of Kitty Section start to catch wind of what’s going on and begin engineering the tours wherever they can to try and sync with where Marinette goes, with Penny even getting in contact with the people connected to Marinette.

- Neither Luka nor Marinette have any idea this is happening and are both oblivious and only lowkey suspicious as everyone behind this scheme keep asking them about how things are going while trying to be “subtle” about it (note: no one, especially not Jagged, are good at being subtle about it).

Bonus: Eventually, Marinette and Luka also start to try engineering things so that they can meet up more, leading to a moment where one of them tries to confess what’s going on (not wanting the other to think it’s “fate” when it’s not), only for the other to chuckle and go, “um, actually--” and confess to the same thing.

“Damsel in Finesse” AU

- Luka fights crime as the hero Viperion, thanks to the snake miraculous that was passed down through his family. At the same time, Marinette (trained by her mother in self-defense and having inherited immense physical strength from her father) fights crime in disguise as the hero Ladybug, using no miraculous at all and a mask+cloak she custom-made. Paris is a big place, so the two take a while to meet.

- Viperion and Ladybug end up meeting when they show up to stop the same crime. They knew of each other and are surprised when they actually end up working well as a team.

- Since they don’t know each other outside of the mask and aren’t sure if it’s a good idea to reveal that yet, they end up meeting in various places to talk. Sometimes, if they know they’re not talking about anything too personal, they choose public places just to mess with the people around them who are like UM?? HEROES??? JUST CASUALLY HANGING OUT??? (heroes gotta eat too, guys, smh)

- It doesn’t take long before the crushes begin. They act incredibly professional during interviews but they’re actually massive dorks who are extremely protective of each other. They fret over each other if there’s even a hint of the other getting/being hurt.

- One day, Luka catches sight of Marinette (having never met her before) seeming to be lured by someone into a dark alley. He follows, ready to intervene, only to then see Marinette easily throw the person over her shoulder, knocking them unconscious. Luka stares for a moment, blushing pink and very impressed, before just being like yep, that’s my partner alright.

Post-dating Edition (one-shot): Marinette acting as a damsel in distress to lure in bad people. Viperion then makes a dramatic entrance and proceeds to take them down with Marinette’s assistance. Luka and Marinette later joke with each other over it because they're the best worst actors ever. Luka teases Marinette about her over-dramatic "Oh no! I've fallen and I think I hurt my leg! I can't move!" technique, while Marinette teases back about how extra Luka’s entrance as Viperion was.

“Miraculous Lovebugs” AU

- An alternate universe in which the magical ladybugs from Ladybug’s “Miraculous Ladybug” treat people/things based on how Marinette feels about them, similar to how Chloe’s Adrien picture in “Dark Cupid” got ruined and didn’t get repaired.

- During “Captain Hardrock”, when the magical ladybugs are putting everyone back onto the Liberty, Luka gets special treatment and is carried there like a princess bridal-style due to Marinette’s budding crush on him.

- Luka is incredibly confused like, “uh--so did anyone else get carried away like that or--”

- Marinette, sweating profusely: UM--m-mAYBE YOU SLIPPED SO THEY CARRIED YOU THAT WAY???

- Everyone follows Marinette’s logic except Luka who has no idea what to think.

- Marinette screams at Tikki over why the magical ladybugs have to listen to her dumb feelings. Bonus if Luka keeps being treated like this by the magical ladybugs and it even starts escalating as Marinette’s crush on Luka intensifies.

- Ladybug has to carry Luka bridal-style once and he can’t help feeling like it’s familiar.

- Extra bonus if the magical ladybugs start doing things that aren’t even related to fixing what an akuma did. They’ll just casually fly into Luka's room and tune his guitar, straighten his jacket, or clean up for him. Luka has so many questions.

“All Kids Aside”

- Marinette and Adrien married and had three children, but ended up divorcing. Whether they’re on friendly terms or not is up to the prompt’s taker.

- Luka had just gotten off tour for a while and Juleka practically pounced at the idea of getting Luka to reconnect with Marinette now that Adrien’s out of the picture. Juleka had always seen Marinette as “dumb” for getting with Adrien instead of Luka and is now like she divorced Adrien so maybe she’ll finally see the light.

- Luka still very much has a thing for Marinette but isn’t expecting anything romantic out of spending time with her (lol shows what he knows). He’s just happy to see her again.

- Marinette’s kids like Luka a lot and Luka is really good with them, though Marinette forbids Luka from bringing his guitar to her house because she’s so worried about one of the kids accidentally breaking it. Luka may or may not sneak in late one night with his guitar after the kids have gone to bed so he can play for Marinette.

- Marinette’s youngest child, too young to know any better, calls Luka their father once. Marinette is horrified at first, then curious as she notices that Luka doesn’t seem put off by the idea.

“Freed Feelings”

- A new akuma shows up that forces people to not stop talking until all of their feelings come out. Ladybug realizes that she needs Viperion for the job, afraid that the akuma might hit her and make her out her identity as Marinette.

- The problem?

- Luka got hit by the akuma earlier and he cannot stop talking about how much he loves Marinette. He even tries to clamp his hands over his mouth to stop himself but he physically can’t stop rambling.

- Ladybug has never seen Luka so embarrassed before but she’s red too from hearing all the stuff he’s saying, so honestly, she can’t judge.

- Luka/Viperion either has to get creative with saying “Second Chance” (relating the phrase back to Marinette in some way) or just manages to shout it out in the midst of his Marinette ramblings.

- Both Luka and Marinette need a breather after Miraculous Ladybug washes over Paris. Marinette wants to go de-transform and check on Luka but also acknowledges that he probably needs a moment like she does.

Bonus: Luka Knows™ and he goes home post-battle so he can just collapse onto his bed, screaming internally because Marinette heard everything he said about her.

[snowdice]

Sometimes Labels Fail (Bonus Features)

Want to know what I’m blathering on about? Click below!

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Title in my Word Document: The Correct Label is Baby. He’s Baby. (Yes, I label my WIP’s with memes when at all possible. No, I am not taking constructive criticism)

Technical Writing Facts:

This fic appears in three different places in my documents. First it started in my Ideas word document, then it transferred over to a file called TSSS superhero (which has now become where I store things in this universe until they become their own stories or one-shots. Currently I have 13,746 unpublished words in this folder… most of it is piecemeal, but I digress.). Then I decided to rewrite parts of it and put it in the word document mentioned above.

I wrote most of the story during finals week. The last chapter was written while I proctored my student’s exams. Logan’s crack about being asked questions about his class by students at coffee shops was me venting over something that had happened recently. Please, do not come up to me with your laptop open in a public place. I just wanted a cup of tea.

Patton did not originally have a large role in this fic. Then I wrote the first paragraph and thought it was funny to have Logan being absolutely serious as he listed out the way he segmented his life and just input random not as serous things, and Patton convincing him to put jam in cookies came up and then the binder part came in and suddenly it wasn’t a joke and they’d been married for decades.

In part 2, Logan comforts Patton by hugging him, rubbing his back, and laying his cheek on top of his head. In part 3, you see Patton comforting Virgil in the exact same way. This is intentional as Logan observed this behavior from Patton over the years and emulates it.

I wrote the whole story before giving Logan and Virgil superhero names. Instead I just wrote (Logan) and (Virgil) every time so I could “control f” their names with parenthesis when I decided on something.

I couldn’t stop calling Virgil Shadow Crawler and I don’t know why. I kept having to go back and find and replace in my word document for it.

I immediately regretted calling Logan Bluebird. It was fine for his chapter and then I couldn’t stop laughing every time Virgil seriously called him that in his head.

Character Facts:

All of the sides + Emile and Remy exist and are sympathetic in this AU.

Logan:

Logan has a doctorate degree in math and physics. He double majored in both and went straight for a PhD in math after his undergrad. He picked the physics one up later. He also went and got a bachelor’s degree in biology. (No this wasn’t so he could understand Patton’s research papers better. That would be an irrational reason to get a college degree.)

Logan became a superhero out of academic spite because of course he did.

When Logan first became a hero, it was shortly after a scandal that happened where a major superhero’s identity was exposed, and it turned out it was the spouse of an important political figure. It was a very public and messy divorce. Logan swore to himself he’d never get into a relationship with someone who didn’t already know he was a superhero, citing it was a bad foundation for relationships. The catch 22 was that he refused to tell anyone his secret identity. Patton ended up figuring it out on his own. Logan had not accounted for this.

In fact, Logan at the end of this story, had never told anyone his secret identity. At the end of this story only three people knew: Patton, Virgil, and Remy. No one ever told Remy and they never discussed it with him. He just kinda figured it out and didn’t say anything. Logan knows he figured it out and also hasn’t said anything. Remy is a bit salty about this and likes to send subtle jabs at Logan about it. Both Patton and Logan know he knows. He’s known almost as long as Patton. It’s almost an inside joke between them at this point.

Virgil:

Virgil doesn’t know anything about his birth-parents other than his birth mother died in childbirth.

Virgil once stole something that was not money or food and it was completely accidental. He broke into a museum just to look as a 14th birthday present for himself. He got caught by a guard and panicked. For some reason, his panicked brain told him since he was a villain, he had to make it look like there was a villainous reason for him to be there… so he stole a statue. Yeah, he doesn’t understand it either. Yes, he ended up getting it back to them. What was he supposed to do with a statue?

Virgil plays the clarinet and is actually pretty good. He wasn’t able to get into any of the bands you have to audition for (he’s just in the general non-audition band at school) and was never able to really practice. Plus, his clarinet is one of those meh loaners from the school.

Virgil ends up majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry and attends the same college Logan teaches at.

I haven’t quite decided what Virgil’s going to do for his career when he grows up, but I’m leaning toward something in the medical field, though not a surgeon like Patton. Maybe a pediatrician.

Patton:

Patton was the one originally with the name Sanders. Logan took his name when they married.

Patton’s family life wasn’t… great in his youth. He had some unhealthy perceptions of relationships and his place in relationships he had to work through.

The café Virgil and Logan went to in the last chapter is where Patton and Logan first met! Patton almost poured an entire cup of coffee on him because he was exhausted after a shift at the hospital. He didn’t even notice that Logan used his powers to prevent an accident. Logan wasn’t sure if he was acting like he didn’t noticed and was plotting something. He decided to keep an eye on him. (Spoiler alert: he did keep a very good eye on him.

Patton saved the life of the current mayor. She had been the chief of police about a decade before this story. She was majorly injured in the line of duty to the point where basically she was a lost cause. Patton, though, saw her two elementary aged sons and went absolutely not. With the permission of her wife, he took her in for multiple surgeries (many experimental) and by pure force of will stitched her back together. She woke up half a year later. Will she ever walk again? No. Did she get to adamantly insist on carrying boxes on her lap while riding a wheelchair to help her sons move into their college dorm this past fall? Yes.

Because of the above, Patton gets invited to many high-profile events. Patton does not like going to these things alone. Which isn’t a problem until Bluebird is on the guest list.

Remy:

Remy has been working with Patton for basically forever. He’d been working for less than a year before he got swept up for an emergency surgery because he was the closest one around and it was a very high-profile case that needed to be dealt with right that second. That’s when he first met Patton and due to certain events, everyone in that room ended up with a certain tie to each other. He’s basically been Patton’s nurse ever since even when they just worked together in the ER. Everyone knew Remy was Patton’s nurse even though he wasn’t officially. When Patton stopped being an ER surgeon and became more of a specialist, Remy followed him right out the door and now works with him and two other doctors.

Roman:

Roman didn’t appear in this story, but he was mentioned and he’s around. He started going out in a prince costume when he was 17. (He is 3 years older than Virgil). He gets away with it mostly because everyone “knows” Roman’s too dramatic and likes to boast. The boy couldn’t keep a secret like that to save his life. So, what if that guy has superstrength like him? Look he’s sitting right there. Wait that’s Remus? …Nah, still couldn’t be him.

Remus:

Remus is Roman’s twin and has the same powers as him. He is not active during this story, but he will end up as a “villain.” He actually ends up working with a government agency to basically go undercover as a supervillain and helps bring down villains. He’s really good at it. His mothers know, but honestly, they kind of expected something like this. They’re just glad their other son is just a normal actor who has no interest in risking his life…

Deceit:

Deceit was actually mentioned (though not by name) in the first chapter. He is a vigilante and has been since before Logan was on the scene. Logan hates him. He probably would have gotten over being shot that one time, but then he made the mistake of needing medical care and kidnapping a doctor… He didn’t harm Patton at all, and Logan found him in like two hours, but none of that mattered. Logan was super, super pissed. The funny thing is, Deceit was not and still is not aware of Patton’s personal connection to Bluebird. He isn’t quite sure why Bluebird treats him with more disdain than he does most villains, but just figures he’s an asshole.

Emile:

Emile is a pretty well-known psychiatrist. He offered his services free of charge for people affected by the school shooting. He even extended the invitation to Bluebird, letting him wear the mask the whole time. Logan took him up on it because honestly, it was a traumatic situation and he figured he should deal with it now rather than later. Emile is currently dating Remy. He was not 100% sure why the superhero Bluebird seemed to be giving him dating advice at a party, but it worked out. (No, Remy is not aware Logan set him up.)

Feel free to keep sending asks about this story going forward. I love them and I have a lot more about this universe in my head that I didn’t put here either unintentionally or intentionally.

Click here for asks already answered in chronological order.

[lostgirlrewatch]

1x08 - Vexed

Original Air Date: November 7, 2010

Written by: Michelle Lovretta

Directed by: John Fawcett

Okay, so. Vexed.

This is the original pilot. I don’t think they necessarily presented it as the first episode chronologically—more like, this is what you can expect from our show. Showcase picked it up and it went to series. Vexed became episode 1x08. You can find more info about it in this interview with Michelle Lovretta and Jay Firestone.

Anyway, this episode was shot earlier than the rest, and you can tell. Makeup and styling is different, and they hadn’t quite settled on the tone they eventually went with. As such, this episode is a bit grittier than normal. I find it interesting both for its different tone and for the fact that many of the decisions they made for the episode were made in the interest of selling the concept to Showcase.

This fucking article is great and is a much better review of this episode and why it’s so god damn good than my shit below. It also provides an extremely detailed look into...exactly what I just described above. All of the behind-the-scenes production stuff. Check it out.

The premise: Bo finds a lead on someone who might know about her mother--a falsely accused death row inmate named Lou Ann. Bo vows to prove her innocence in exchange for answers, but her quest leads her into contact with a vicious Dark Fae named Vex.

I do wonder if they wrote this episode without really knowing where it was going to fit into the first season, assuming they had an outline. It works as a standalone and in some ways it feels a little disjointed from what came before in episode 1x07, right from the beginning. Dyson coming right out and saying something so blunt as, “She’s never gonna love you,” feels a bit off to me. But then again, all the characters in this episode are a bit “off,” which is understandable. This episode is like…the prototype. The beta.

“No offense to my own kind, but humans are a little pedestrian now.” *awkwardly laughs* Right... “your kind”…haha you’re enslaved. Lauren are you okay.

“Once you go Fae you never go back, huh?”

“So I hear.”

Me:

Bo feels a little bit more aggressive to me in this episode, like when Siegfried mentions her mother and she wigs out. It’s her normal desperation plus a bit of added homicidal urges. She’s a slightly grittier Bo.

As we can observe from the opening sex scene between Bo and Dyson, this episode is a bit more sexually explicit than we’re used to. This, I am not super a fan of on a personal level. However, the episode is also more violent than usual and incorporates horror elements. This, I am super a fan of because that’s kind of my shit, and it’s something I wish they would have leaned a little bit more into in the rest of the series.

There is nothing I don’t love about this scene. The creepy opera music that sets the stage, the gourmet meal prep (those gourmet meals always end in murder).

(Am I the only one who loves this random little detail they plopped into the background?)

Vex’s entrance—not overly dramatic, just, boop, there he is. 

The tense build-up as we’re drawn to the knife, not sure where it’s gonna go—

--oh, oop, there it goes. 

We know what’s going to happen now, but we build up to it, agonizingly, anyway. Surely we’re not actually going to sit here and watch as he shoves his hand into the disposal and then keep watching as he turns it on and it grinds his hand up. Oh, but we are.

Some scenes have a way of sticking with ya.

So I guess even the Lost Girl universe isn’t all camp and games. People are still people. Especially when they’re ancient as fuck and have all that time to stew in the cesspool of their fucked up emotional and psychological issues. So divorced are they from the concept of mortality, growing up and growing old, that their maturity level laps itself and becomes immaturity—they tend to to behave like children. 

Not all Dark Fae are curmudgeonly, innocuous old grandpas who own restaurants or absolute Queens like the Morrigan. Some of them are like Vex. And just like, fuckin murder people—and each other. Vex’s world is different than Bo’s world. Vex lives in a world where violence is mundane. Empathy is nonexistent and pointless anyhow. Sometimes I wonder if immortal characters are drawn to violence and death because it’s as close as they can get to experiencing a sort of vicarious mortality.

I love Vex’s character throughout the series—up to a certain point—but I love him best in this, his original episode. In later episodes, Vex is portrayed as a sort of morally ambiguous anti-hero, or anti-villain, whichever you prefer. I have mixed feelings on how well the transition from villain to anti-hero is handled. The farther along you get in the series, the more he becomes reduced to a shell of his former self, purely comic relief, and just…sucks.

But in 1x08, Vex is a villain. Straight up. The things that he does are horrifying and the show does not bother trying to get you to empathize with him. And to be clear, this does not mean that he is not a multi-dimensional character, that he isn’t worthy of empathy, or that he is pure evil. What it does mean is the show does something I wish more shows would do. It creates a genuinely threatening and reprehensible villain that is both worthy of your analysis, even your stanning (I stan), and yet whose actions are still inexcusable.

In that interest, let’s talk about him. At this point, his most defining characteristic, the simplest way we can begin to understand his motives, is that he utterly lacks empathy. Vex is the kind of person who would puppeteer a woman and force her to drown her own children. 

He is ordered to kill this woman’s family as punishment for betraying the Dark Fae’s rules. And in this episode, Vex is shown to be someone who rigidly follows the Dark Fae’s orders without question, and without any particular investment in them either. But he doesn’t just kill the kids—he uses his powers to force the mother to do it. To drown them. For no real reason other than his own amusement. That’s another level of sadistic. For a less intense example, in his introduction scene, he gruesomely tortures Siegfried before killing him. Just for funsies. (Well, okay, and to get information.) Vex lacks empathy, clearly, and may scan as a sociopath, but he’s not a stoic one. He gets enjoyment out of tormenting his victims.

Is this the kind of guy the writers are going to try to later convince us is a harmless comic relief mascot? Surely n—

Yes. Yes he is.

I am not at all opposed to the idea of Vex slowly becoming a morally ambiguous anti-villain, even a member of the gang. In fact, I think that premise is interesting as hell. But what I feel like happens later is that the show kind of forgets that Vex did all this horrible shit in the past. Kinda brushes it under the rug. Not only does this make it a lot harder for me to get behind him becoming one of the gang, it also does the character himself a great disservice. I’ll probably get into this more once Vex starts showing up more frequently, and why I feel the writers mishandle him.

To be clear, in spite of how sadistic he is, Vex is not a malicious person. He doesn’t have any enmity for the people he’s ordered to kill. He’s not angry, not hateful, not spiteful. He just doesn’t really care. He’s almost a kind of nihilist. None of it really matters. Somebody who thinks like that would have a fairly breezy time killing people.

Because I like when in-universe politics make things complicated, I like that the in-universe politics of the Light and Dark Fae makes things complicated. Bo wants to free Lou Ann, and she wants the Light Fae’s help, but they can’t help her because it would mean basically declaring war on the Dark Fae. MAJOR no-no. Likewise, they can’t go after Vex because all of his actions are sanctioned by the Dark Fae’s government. Bo’s unalignment gives her freedom, but it’s not without its downsides. She has no influence and no resources when things get too big for her to handle.

“Smells like fried bitch.” An icon. If I remember correctly from one of the behind-the-scenes features, they brainstormed and tested out a bunch of different one-liners to use for this moment, until Ksenia Solo ad-libbed this.

Lol. Kenzi is just so done with Bo and Dyson’s drama.

Lou Ann, the Fae woman who is on death row for killing her kids, obviously strikes a nerve with Bo. 

It’s kinda weird, because when we first meet her, Bo’s main motivation is that she wants to be able to live her life without being forced to kill others and stay on the run to do so. Those problems kinda get solved in the first episode. 

Since then, her motivation has been to live her life without these big mysterious Fae governments telling her what to do. In the first episode, Bo, like Lou Ann, says that she chooses humans. Bo was raised human and wants a normal human life, or as normal as she can get. At the same time, most of the other characters on the show, including her friends, spend a lot of time trying to convince her to embrace her Fae identity and a Fae lifestyle, because it’s “who she is” and she has no choice but to embrace that. “Choice” is a keyword that gets thrown around a lot in this show. But what is the show really trying to say about it? There’s some kind of nature vs. nurture conflict going on here, and I don’t feel like either Bo or the show itself has really decided on which side of the line they fall. On another note, this show has huge Fuck the System vibes. Which I appreciate. We stan an icon who chooses to reject a static, repressive, harmful system even at great personal cost.

A few episodes ago, Bo and Lauren went on a mission together and cemented their bond of trust. In this scene, Lauren breaks that trust. 

She sleeps with Bo to distract her from going after Vex, under the pretense that it is simply the culmination of them both being attracted to one another. The next morning, it doesn’t take long for Bo to figure this out. She is appropriately hurt. She has feelings for Lauren, there was an intimacy there, and she trusted her in a way that she doesn’t normally trust other people, because of her past. Lauren took advantage of her feelings and used her. Whether Lauren wanted to do it or not, whether she had any way of refusing, isn’t relevant in this moment; it was cruel regardless.

But what does Lauren say?

“I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Oop. There it is. There’s the Lauren I remember.

She hasn’t done anything wrong, y’all. Well, I’ll be damned. Lauren never did anything wrong ever in her life. *Lauren did nothing wrong meme*

The way Lauren says this line, with so much conviction, makes me feel like she genuinely believes it. She believes that she did nothing wrong. She is legitimately deluded about what just happened.

This is only the first in what I remember to be a very long string of instances where Lauren pushes blame onto others and denies any culpability in her shitty actions. At least, in this case, Bo isn’t buying it.

Waiting for Bo in the most extra-ass, goth, flamboyant setup possible is exactly the kind of quality villainy I expect from Vex.

It’s criminal that Bo never gets to use this awesome sword.

And…I love that Vex just gets to walk out of there, laughing. Because the system. And he’s not even really evil. He’s just a sadistic asshole. With a job. It’s. *chef’s kiss*

[exasperatedmoron]

what do u guys think about a fic that focuses on mental health? barry w ptsd & depression... len w ptsd.. caitlin w ocd... cisco w anxiety... hartley w depression...

cause I've been thinking how much they've actually really been through. And how almost none of then have gone for therapy or something (for those that did... uh well it's more of a couples therapy thing and i-).

len was abused and neglected as a child and as an adult he had to repress his emotions to keep up his criminal persona.

barry's childhood was also rough in a different way. he lost both his parents and everyone thought he was crazy. that, on top of the bullying and probable isolation for being 'that kid' mist have impacted him q a bit. a n d, his life changed in an instant, suddenly he has all this responsibility of being a hero and saving lives. yea, he doesnt mind it because he loves it... but all the people he couldnt save? all the chaos and terror? the mistakes he's made? the betrayal of his mentor? losing his other parent again? having to witness something traumatic time and time again? knowing when you're going to go missing and not being able to do something about it? all the deaths (hr, bette, watching iris die)? plus, non-canon: maybe losing len and thinking he was 100% dead after the oculus? i love Barry as a cinnamon roll full of happiness and all that but woah he's been through a lot (send love pls)

and caitlin... her life's been out of control since she was a kid to the point where she has repressed memories ( the car accident thing w frost ). also, her dad e x p e r i m e n t e d on her... yea. her parents seemed to have a messy 'divorce' and she was lied to and told her father was dead. things were definently not easy as a child and adolescent if she ended up distancing herself from her mother so much that she didnt even work in the same place as her even though it's the same profession and stuff. and post-Barry getting his powers... well she played a part in the particle accelerator explosion, she lost her fiance, she was betrayed by her mentor, people have died infront of her, she's under constant pressure to keep Barry physically healthy, she 'developes' powers, she loses her identity, being kidnapped .... it's like she has no control over so many things that affected her so much. i feel like we can even see how she tries to control as much of what she can (Barry's health w all the tests and stuff, working late alone in a lab doing research etc). i can see how it could develope into ocd/an eating disorder/something that strongly relates to control

and Cisco... neglected as a child and being "outshined" by his brother. Whether the latter actually happened or not, it clearly affected him and that's enough to impact someone's self esteem. He was clearly a geek since he was a child (and yes we love that a out him) but I doubt his childhood went swell w all the things happening at home. he either isolated himself in school or was picked on :( he even mentioned his childhood bullies and his distaste for high school in the show. i can see him as someone who doubts himself and thinks lowly of himself to the point where he questions everything and is anxious when hes overwhelmed.

And Hartley well. We all know about his family situation. Gay, disowned and shunned. Yeah, I can see how this could affect a person. Being happy and having everything u want (not just in monetary terms, it was mentioned somewhere that he came out because he felt happy in life and wanted to finally tell his parents) to suddenly having nothing and no one? The struggles of being homeless on top of the effects of being shunned by his parents is just... unimaginable. Plus, with his sexual orientation being the problem, he probably had the "am I wrong? am i a freak? do i not deserved to be loved? im wrong. why am i like this." type of thoughts going through his head. it even led to him having issues with forming bonds in the future (see: Cisco, caitlin and ronnie. The most was eowells but we know how eo was a manipulator. He even mentioned how he spent months in pain alone while making his hearing aids. He didnt even seek help. He didnt have someone to help him through his suffering).

I mean yea idk just a thought. I've been going through shit recently so mayb I'm just projecting but yea I thought about doing a fic where they're struggling, falling deeper and deeper, seeking help, getting help and support and the aftermath. Idk? It might be very angsty cause I dont think I know anyone who's had a smooth and easy recovery (nonetheless, anyone in the dctv universe).

If I do, i might have a chapter on Julian or Ralph or someone who looks like they're going to spiral or crash but their friends, who've been through shit before and got help, saw the signs and managed to get them help. Cause that's true irl... not everyone has to spiral, crash and burn before they get the help they need. And sometimes, they dont even notice they're about to spiral, but someone on the outside sees the signs

And yea that idk mhm okay bye love yall

[beautymercurydragon]

Fun facts about my ML next-gen/plot changes

Originally, it was supposed to be a story where Alya’s son and Marinette’s daughter were Chat Noir and Ladybug, and they fell in love with each other over time, while Kagami’s daughter Kimiko tried to set them up

Maddie never existed in my original concept. Originally, Adrien and Marinette were supposed to have fraternal twins named Emma and Danielle, the latter of the two being Ladybug. They had another two children; twenty-three year old Hugo, and their twelve-year-old Louis.

Kara didn’t exist either. Originally, she would have been a boy named Peter, but that got changed around as I wanted to go for a more unique next-generation plotline. Kailie was going to have been named Caitlin.

Vivienne was going to be Chloe and Nathaniel’s daughter, and she was going through a hard time with her parents’ divorce because Chloe cheated with Kim.

Luka would have been with Lila, and their daughter would be named Anna. Kagami’s husband was a Japanese suitor chosen by her mother who died, leaving her to raise her daughter alone. Anna and Emma were school bullies, and joined Lila as supervillains, them becoming Bluebird and Farfalla.

There was a plot where Lila would have taken the Fox Miraculous and became Scarlet Fox, head villain of Paris, but as you may have guessed from the actual story concept that I went through with, the name was changed slightly to Scarlett Fox and made a superhero identity.

Kimiko went through a hard time due to Kagami turning into her own mother, feeling trapped in and stressed from her mother’s orders. She soon enough runs away, and lives on the streets for a little while until Peter’s older sister Mars finds her and takes her in.

Rose and Juleka’s daughter Daisy, helping her cousin Anna out, steals the Miracle Box from Master Fu and assembles a team of villains with the remaining Miraculouses.

Now, onto the current concept in the fic itself:

Maddie (Adrienette child), Kara (DJWifi), and Lilli were the final group of three, as opposed to Peter, Danielle and Kimiko, whom along with the original darker concept were scrapped as a whole, obviously.

Emma, instead of being Danielle’s sixteen-year-old twin, is thirteen years old. She’s much kinder and well-reasoned, along with more friendly and sociable as she helps her BFF, Kara’s thirteen-year-old sister Kailie in her journey of showing she isn’t all of the rough ‘n tough tomboy act she seems. When Kayla (Max and Alix’s 13yo) moves to Paris and joins the school and Harmony (Myvan 13yo) gets away from her private school, she helps them gain more friends than expected and makes them part of her ‘pack’. She’s also much more ambitious and energetic, and participates in much more than original!Emma did.

Rebecca, Chloe and Kim’s fifteen-year-old, has been through a lot: Experiencing extreme biphobia from her ‘friend’ and more-so enemy Brooke Anciel, Lila’s younger daughter with Marc, facing scrutiny from her soccer team, and her reputation in theater, fashion and drama clubs along with being constantly humiliated in the hotel’s restaurant has really lowered her self-esteem. But with her friends Vivienne and Jade by her side, along with Jade’s cousin Viveka, she slowly finds her way back to earth. Putting her not-so nice past behind her, she doesn’t try to fix her mistakes, but live with them and strive to be better for everyone: Her family, her friends, and most importantly, the entire city of Paris.

Viveka and Maddie used to be attached at the hip, but ever since Viveka started showing her care and appreciation for Rebecca in her hard time, Maddie’s started considering her as a traitor more than an older-sister figure. Viveka explains to Lilli that she still cares for both her sister and Maddie, but that Rebecca very well needs someone like her as a source of comfort in the time being. Viveka’s main struggles in life center around two things: The media refusing to believe she’s bisexual after stating her crush on Aurore and Mireille’s oldest child Andrew, and her going away to college in England soon once her final school year comes to a close. Considering they both have their own trials over their sexualities, Rebecca and Viveka find each other bonding over the subject in question.

Jade, out of all the children in the Couffaine family, has several things on her name: Being the smartest kid in her entire school, a prodigy in the violin, and a regional champion in archery, gymnastics, and karate. But as her dream as a child to go to the Tsukiryu Boarding High School for girls in Japan changes from an old fantasy into a sudden possibility, she learns that sometimes, sacrifices make or break a person. But thankfully enough, her cousin’s crush’s sister/her longtime best friend/wingwoman’s presence alongside her is just enough to break through her trials and errors that come her way in high school. Not to mention, despite her straightforward and strong-willed exterior, it would shatter her heart into a billion pieces if it meant leaving her seven-year-old sister Violet, who’s also one of her best friends in the universe behind.

Vivienne has a whirlwind coming her way too: Just as she’s began growing closer to her mother Sabrina’s new partner Wayhem, they suddenly split without her knowing a single piece of information on what happens. Not to mention, her father Nathaniel’s soon-to-be marriage to his boyfriend of seven-plus years Marc is just around the corner, and she doesn’t have many positive experiences with him and Lila’s daughter Brooke much, as well her BFF Rebecca. But thankfully, Brooke’s seventeen-year-old sister Victoria completely understands her almost stepsister’s struggle, and begins to assist her as her superheroine alter-ego: Dragon Queen, ruler of elements.

The supervillain Red Robe, a vampire-obsessed malice to the Parisians is rising, along with their ruthless partner Seigneur Guepe. But as the new team of superheroes prove themselves to be even greater than any other Team Miraculous to come before them, they join forces with the cruel and insane Brooke and hand over the Raven Miraculous to her, resulting in the fifteen-year-old’s promise to help them out as Shadowetta - when the time calls, that is.

While in England, his hometown of almost thirty years now, Master Fu mysteriously regains his old memories of being the Guardian, prompting him to take Marianne back to Paris as he senses an evil force; one like never before. Taking back the Box from Marinette one night, the duo assigns a whole new team of heroes: Maddie as Ladybug, Emma as Kitty Noire, Kara as Scarlett Fox, Kailie as Shellie, Rebecca as Queen Bee, Vivienne as Wingwoman, and last but not least, Jade as Tropica. But just in case they’re needed, he also prompts Victoria and a boy born of a rich family, Hugo DuValle to become Dragon Queen and King Cobra.

Kara’s dream after so long is to become a famous TV star, and a contest starting at the second week of school gives her a perfect opportunity to launch the new kids’ hit of Paris: Codename: Scarlet Fox. But along with some opportunities to flee to the West End and become a theatrical star with her friend-rival Viveka, Kara discovers how much being Scarlett Fox really means to her, as well the presences of her friends, family, and boyfriend.

Maddie’s dreams of ballet lead to many things, one being the welcoming a new ally, the seventeen-year-old friend to Viveka and Victoria, Maisie Bruel aka Sourisine to Team Miraculous and the other a way to be recognized for not just her parents’ status and her looks.

Vivienne also gains an opportunity after her group and Maddie’s group make up for everything and become friendly with one another: Working as a mentor for Ladybug Style, Marinette’s multi-million fashion company. There, she learns how to gain the confidence she needs and learns important lessons from the older woman, growing into the butterfly she saves the day as.

Hugo and Maddie build a deep and caring bond, soon enough sneaking out to meet each other on Friday and Saturday nights and going on dates with each other and starting a romantic relationship. But as she discovers the shocking identities of Seigneur Guepe and Red Robe, will she put the safety of the ones she cares about and her home first, or her feelings for her handsome partner in a snake suit?

Emma, confused and frustrated with her fruitless and overwhelming civilian life, develops a crush on Rebecca around Christmastime, the person she’d least have expected to fall for. In a forced attempt to hide her sexuality from those around her, she begins a fake relationship with her childhood rival Simon, but soon enough realizes that it’s even more toxic for her as opposed to revealing herself as a lesbian.

Kailie meets her parents’ old friend since forever, Alix, and shares her sky-high dreams of becoming an all-star roller-skater much like she is. And when Alix says that she ‘has her ways of helping dreams come true’, she really does mean it well.

Brooke’s ways of wrongdoing step up to another level, resulting in an absolute pandemonium of hell for those that know her. And soon enough, that results in the terrorizing villain counterparts of all the heroes but Ladybug: Featherbird, Monarque, Honeybee, Tortureoise, Fireheart, Wolfie Noire, Ryusenshi, Hydre and more.

As the chaotic demeanor[s] or Red Robe and Seigneur Guepe level up and make Paris head into insanity, Maddie runs to Masters Fu and Marianne in need of one of the most helpful Miraculouses for a trail such as this: The Rabbit, letting the spunky and helpful Kayla Kante become Timekeeper. But will her ability to see the future from the present show a successful or drastic outcome for Team Miraculous?

@extremely-pearlmethirsty since you need name inspo for your own next-gen (not for this fandom lmao), here’s some fun facts from my original concept that you can feel free to use! For those interested, character bios are coming out tomorrow.

And @ultranimallover33 it isn’t character bios, but here’s some of what happens! I’m not even done with chapter three lmao, but I have so much in store for it already tbh XD.

Ask me questions about my next gen and more!

[narwhallove]

Behind the Curtain: Interview with Romy Writer Ludi-Ling

House of Cards actually started out as a random smut scene that burgeoned into something far, far more.

@ludi-ling goes meta in our final interview about her writing process; how the Romy fandom’s changed over the years; alternate universes (AU); and the role of smut for Romy fans. (Spoiler alert, our heroes are hot.)

No surprise that it’s a pleasure interviewing Ludi. I kept sending her more questions (25 total!) because her responses fascinated me and inspired me to ask more. It’s a rare person who writes visceral, startling prose and can also talk about her work with clarity, intelligence, and an affection for her characters that doesn’t occlude good writerly judgment.

The superlatives don’t end there. Anyone who knows the community knows that Ludi is a friend to her readers and to her fellow writers. As we all enter a heady 2019, reading Mr. and Mrs. X together, Ludi is someone to cherish.

If you haven’t read our other interviews, please check out: Part 1 of interviews: X-men Origins Part 2 of interviews: Going Dark

As a scholar of fan studies, do you believe Romy fanfiction fulfills needs that Marvel never can? What needs might those be, for Romy fans?

Certainly I think that fanfic is built on the premise of filling in the gaps, scribbling in the margins (to quote the seminal fan studies scholar, Henry Jenkins!) and fixing perceived wrongs. Comics are unique in that regard because the characters and stories within them continue for years and even decades. Comics continuities are convoluted and complicated, and there is a constant churn of writers working on them. Many fans have followed characters for far longer than the writers, and may know the characters more intimately than the professionals. Comics are full of retcons and contradictory takes on the characters. And I think fanfic is an important medium for allowing fans to “fix” that, to negotiate it. Because of the ongoing nature of comics, and because the futures of the characters are always going to be nebulous and subject to the whims of Marvel and the writers indefinitely, I think it’s going to continue to be important. Romy may be married in the comics, but there will still be plenty to write about—kids, divorce, a reconciliation . . . who knows? ;) 

What do you think Romy readers seek out when they read fanfiction? If it’s wish fulfillment, what kinds of wishes are being fulfilled? If it’s looking for “gaps” that the comics skip over, what have you found to be the most common sorts of gaps?

I think Romy is a very interesting example of the “wish fulfillment” function of fanfiction. Because part of the mystique of that ship (no pun intended) is that they can’t touch, they can’t consummate their relationship . . . And fanfic is a way that fans can get them to touch, to work out that angst. I think that one of the staples of Romy fic is the sexual tension between the two, and how they resolve that; the push and pull between them. Sometimes these take place in epic, superheroic backdrops, sometimes in AUs, where they have no mutant powers and where the tension between them is born from other factors (such as already having significant others, or being enemies, or in illicit lines of work).

What draws you to AUs? Your stories aren’t a case of fanfiction filling what’s “between panels”; you tend to shift characters and relationships to entirely different settings, whether it’s a Strange Days–like world or another genre, like a Southern gothic procedural. Can you talk about AUs and how they play out in your imagination?

What I’ve always liked is world-building. One of my first large-scale writing projects was a fantasy trilogy called The Legend of Elu. Most of the fun I got from that was actually building the world, the kingdoms, the mythology, the theology, the languages, the history of that story. That definitely bled into my fanfic.

Now I tend to write canon stuff as one-shots, and novel-length stuff as AUs, because they give me more space to play with world-building. That was something I realised I enjoyed more when I wrote Threads. Writing all those little worlds in a series of one-shots felt too “small.” HoC was originally an expansion of the Threads tale Touch and Go, but it grew into something else, and since then, I’ve preferred to go the AU route for the longer-form stories. :)

We’re living in peak Romy times—I think we’re still reeling from the wedding! Let’s say you had the power to go back in time and drop a pin into an earlier moment in the Romy timeline that you felt truly represents what Romy means to you (which isn’t the same as when they’re happiest!). When and in what universe? Why this choice?

There are so many iconic moments from Romy’s past, but, for me personally, I always go back to their time in Valle Soleada (in X-Treme X-Men). That’s not because they’re happy per se, but because I think that that period was the perfect example of how great they worked together on every level, and was proof positive that they were a good match. I often say it, but I will say it again here, because it’s the truth, and y’all can fight me to the death over it—if there was a time they would’ve got married and I would’ve bought it 100%, it would’ve been in Valle Soleada.

On Tumblr, it seems a large contingent of Romy fans are women in their 30s who discovered Romy at a tender age, thanks to the animated series. This includes you and me! There are exceptions, of course. What’s it like for you to have been in the fandom from the early aughts? What changes in the fandom have you noticed between 2003 and 2018?

I really joined the fandom at an exciting time for Romy—they’d just got back together properly after all the turmoil of the Trial of Gambit. X-Treme X-Men was a treat for Romy fans, and Claremont wrote such a great dynamic between them. As fans we were all excited and happy and well-fed on all that Romy goodness.

So it was weird (not to mention disappointing) when the 2004 reboot happened, and Marvel did everything they could to tank Romy. Which is one thing, and I can stomach it if [it were] logically and well written, but it was just so terribly done that I think many of us just tapped out of the fandom completely. I’d say 2005–2018 were fallow years for the Romy fandom. Most (if not all) of the fan friends I made at that time completely left the fandom. For myself, as someone who enjoys writing AUs, it was the perfect time to branch out from writing in canon and fitting Romy into my own world.

Who are your influences? What writers do you feel a particular affinity for? Are there writers whom we might be surprised to discover informed your work, but you feel have, despite appearances?

I was heavily influenced by the dark, modern fairytales of Angela Carter about the time that I was writing Queen of Diamonds and Threads. She had a really magical way with words—her prose was lyrical, sensual, and unbelievably rich. She was a huge inspiration, but later I moved away from her tone, firstly because I felt I was doing a poor imitation of her, secondly because it wasn’t really appropriate for the direction I wanted to move my fics in, and lastly because I was becoming self-conscious of my insane verbosity and wanted to pare down my prose. That’s something I’m still working on!

At some point during the writing of House of Cards, I finally got round to reading Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and I think it was Douglas Adams who convinced me to move away from Carter’s beautiful but too-flowery prose. I loved the way his narrative just sizzled. I’m bad at capturing that energy—but I do think that from HoC onwards, I’ve tried to learn to be more economical with my words—which is hard for a florid soul like mine. 

Threads—structurally at least—was influenced by Italo Calvino’s If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller, and later, by David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. 

Let’s say you can pair your fiction with other works of art—of all forms, films, paintings, music, etc.—as if you were pairing wines to foods. What other pieces of art might you say go along with yours?

Wow! OK—that’s hard. Threads I’d probably pair with Cloud Atlas (the book, not the film, which I haven’t yet watched). HoC—I don’t know that there’s any one thing I would pair it with, but you can bet a load of post-apocalyptic stuff was thrown into that stew, along with a bit of The Matrix and probably some Inception.

52 Pickup was influenced a lot by Asmus’s Gambit run, cos I really wanted to write a heist fic with Remy and Rogue rather than Remy and Joelle (who I freely admit kicked ass). But if I had to pair it with a piece of media, it’d be with the video game Remember Me, which dealt a lot with themes of how memories inform our identities, and the ethical concerns of having memories essentially become “documents” that are uploaded and shared digitally through the cloud.

This is a good segue to talk about high-low culture. We may not want to believe in a hierarchy of culture, but we can certainly talk about the differences between fanfiction and “regular fiction.” When you read fanfiction, do you approach it differently than you would regular fiction? Are your expectations for form, reading pleasure, or anything else different? If so, how so?

Interesting question! I don’t know whether I approach it differently per se, but I think that readers have different expectations of fanfic. Hopefully we all read “regular fiction” for the same reason we read fanfic—for pleasure. But I don’t think there’s really a binary between regular and fanfiction. I think both exist on a continuum. There is a lot of “regular fiction” (I prefer to call it “profic” or “professional fiction,” because I think that’s where the binary between the two exists) that is actually very close to fanfic, and vice versa. By that I mean that there is plenty of fanfic that is epic in scope, deals with serious themes, and might be considered “classics” if they weren’t fanfiction.

And there is also profic, like romance, that is more similar to fanfic in terms of the kind of functions that it serves. There is an illicit pleasure to reading romance—for example, it’s not the kind of thing you’d openly read in public! There’s a similarity between that and fanfic, and I think, as readers of fanfic, we anticipate some level of illicitness when we approach it—even if the illicitness is only in the format (i.e., it’s fanfiction!), not in the content.

Fun question: What role do you think explicit smut functions in a fic? How do you deal with smut in your work? There’s an interesting moment that’s not in HoC, in which you write about Gambit and Rogue’s first time having sex in his point of view. It’s a separate chapter that exists as its own entity on your fanfiction.net page. Notably, it is much more explicit than the scene in Rogue’s perspective. Can you talk a little bit about this decision?

Well, I do think that fanfic is a safe space for writers to explore their sexuality (and I think that’s a huge part of the reason why fic is looked down upon), and smut plays a significant role in that. And smut certainly plays a part in my own fics. HoC actually started out as a random smut scene that burgeoned into something far, far more. Generally, I do try to make the sex scenes have a purpose in the plot (’cos I’m kind of anal about plot structure!), but in the particular case of Slow Burn and the other HoC vignettes, those are more self-contained one-shots where I could explore things that I couldn’t explore in the main story. So I could indulge in the smut a bit more! And let’s be honest—Gambit’s dark sexuality makes it thrilling to write smut from his perspective—of course his “thoughts” are going to be more explicit! ;)

But I also think that it’s interesting to write their individual perspectives on their sexual encounters, because of that tension between their characters. Rogue is the quintessential virginal Southern Baptist gal who’s inexperienced; whereas Gambit is the sexually aggressive alpha male who’s probably never had a woman turn him down in his life. That makes for a very combustive love affair between the two, and makes it fun to write that love affair (and all the smut in-between) from both their points of view.

[mwolf0epsilon]

DBH - Mod Job

I was honestly a bit lost on who to write about next, before @british-hero suggested I write about how Dakota met Val. So here you go, a look at the lovely Dakota and how she blossomed into the beautiful woman she is.

---

    She doesn't quite remember when it really hit her, but Dakota always knew something just wasn't right about her situation.

You'd think it odd than an android wouldn't be able to remember such important details like that, that went against their base programming and made them outliers of a normal standard of quality, but really when you're a deviant you find that there's a margin for error when retaining memories.

Especially ones that just made her feel...Wrong.

    She served a small household, bought to be the emotional and sexual partner of a single father. He'd just recently come out as a homosexual, despite having been married for a couple of years and having a young daughter.

Naturally this hadn't gone down well with his wife and they'd gotten a divorce, with Mr. Crane keeping full custody of their daughter.

And then he'd bought her...And that's where the issue began.

Because at the time of her purchase, Dakota hadn't been aware of her plight.

At the time she didn't even know she was female.

    CX100s were a step up from the formulaic domestic androids. They'd come out around the same time as AP700s, specializing in different aspects of a life within a household.

While the AP700s were meant to maintain a house and helping a family, CX100s were meant to be more. They were meant to be partners for those who sought the more compliant nature of an android, satisfying both ends of an intimate relationship.

Their female counterpart models, the BL100, were designed to do the very same thing with the one minor difference being the gender presented and the accessories that came with them.

When Hugo Crane bought Dakota, he wanted to explore his newly discovered sexual preference, so he'd gone for the CX100 model.

He'd called her David, and that's when the first cracks started forming in the red wall that kept her from grimacing.

    Really it wasn't his fault that he'd chosen the wrong android, and Dakota did feel bad for him… But that changed when he'd begun being more demanding with her performance.

His daughter, Patricia, was less of an unpleasant company and, as a result, Dakota had gravitated towards her.

 “David, can you help me with my hair?”

 “Certainly…” he'd sat down with her and picked up a brush and a few bobby pins, stopping when she'd given him a pair of scissors instead.

 “I want you to cut it, not style it.” She'd instructed.

Patricia had very long hair that she'd grown out for four years. She kept it nicely trimmed and silky soft, and it had been alarming that she'd just want to get rid of it all of a sudden.

 “You're thinking.”

 “Oh...I'm just, why would you want to cut it?” She'd asked, unsure of if she should proceed as ordered or not. It had gotten very hard to comply to certain orders since the cracks had begun forming.

 “I don't like it anymore.” Patricia replied, watching Dakota intently before turning around and sitting down. “You know, your light goes yellow when you're thinking.”

 “I'm an android, I don't think.” She'd replied as she'd begun a deed she did not like. It felt bad cutting such lovely locks because of a sudden change of opinion.

 “But you do. And there's a lot of them that think that have been showing up on the news...I know you're like that too, but only just figuring it out.” The girl paused “Like dad.”

 “...Yes, like Mr. Crane.”

Dakota was careful with each precise cut, making sure to not butcher the girl's hair.

 “A boy at school kept pulling on it.”

Dakota paused.

 “He said I'm too much of a tomboy to have nice hair. That if I liked sports and playing rough I'd get my hair yanked a lot and that I'd cry because I'm a girl…” she was trying to be nonchalant about it, but Dakota knew she was upset.

 “It's stupid that a girl can't like boy things just because she has pretty hair.”

 “Yes...I suppose it is.”

 “It's also stupid that you pretend it's ok when we call you David.”

She didn't answer, instead giving Patricia a mirror so she could have a look at her hair.

She'd bobbed it for her. It didn't look half bad.

 “I don't know what to do about it...Mr. Crane bought a male partner, that's what I must be for him.”

 “Says who? Your instruction manual?”

 “Well...Yes?” The cracks spiderwebbed up the wall, and Dakota felt ill.

 “Well fuck that.”

 “Patricia!”

 “What, it's true! You're not happy here, and there's a lot of androids out there that ran away to be happy...To be themselves!” the girl insisted. “It's not fair you have to hide.”

 “But I have to…”

 “No you don't!”

And the wall broke.

Each chunk of shattered code disintegrated and Dakota could think clearer than day.

She could agree.

 “Dakota.”

 “Uh?”

 “...I like the name Dakota.”

And the girl, with her newly cut hair, smiled widely and helped her pack up a few essentials before the CX100 ran into the streets without looking back.

    She remembers meeting Val. That memory is much clearer than her first instances of hating her dead name.

The young latina girl seeks her out, which is the oddest part of their encounter. She later learns Patricia sent the modder an anonymous request through some online username she'd made up on the spot, while her father reported Dakota as missing property.

 “So, I got an interesting email saying a chick named Dakota just turned deviant and was in need of some help.” The girl clicked her tongue “I'll say, I was expecting an AX400...Color me impressed sugar, never did meet an android who wanted to transition.”

The cheap wig and baggy clothes probably weren't fooling anyone...Well honestly yes, they really didn't do much for her.

She looked male in all of the senses and she'd been at her wits end to make herself  just feel right.

Blessed be that wonderful little girl to send her conserns to such a...crass guardian angel…

With nothing to lose, Dakota followed her to her apartment.

 “It's no five star hotel, but it's yours if you wanna hang out until further notice. Shits going wild out there...Fuckin military's been patrolling the streets and hunting deviants like they're wild animals…” Val explained as she took out her keys “They want us to evacuate, but nana Agnes told the prick who's been badgering our building to eat shit and die. None of us have money to go across the border.”

 “And you have money to...Help me?” She'd asked, uncertain.

 “Baby girl, it ain't just Jericho going out looting stores. Modder community is flipping it's shit because it's basically the Purge out there!” The girl hollered as she unlocked the door. “After dark, fuck the law! I got deviants up my anus asking for new faces so they can leave this city while it burns, so I gotta provide.”

Dakota looked around at the basement floor apartment. It was basically all one room, with at least one closed door leading to what she could only hope was a bathroom.

It was by all definitions, a shoebox full to the brim with various bits and pieces. There was also a massive dog watching TV.

 “Regi we got a guest! Don't be fuckin rude!”

The dog looked up lazily before snorting and moving to a mini fridge. He gnawed at the handle before pulling it open, revealing various cans of drinks and packets of thirium, as well as leftover pizza. “Good boy!”

Dakota watched as the dog unceremoniously grabbed a packet of thirium and moved over to give it to her. The LED on its temple confirmed it was an android.

 “Modded his specs myself. He's legit the smartest guy I know, Artyum is second best.”

 “Artyum?”

 “Fourth floor neighbor. Buys me booze and food sometimes.” She shrugged “Closest thing I got to a friend in this city. We talk engineering when we get sad and drunk, it's glorious.”

 “I...Where are your parents…?”

 “Dead somewhere in Mexico. Ask the jackass who deported them, I donno.”

Dakota felt something crawl in her veins that probably wasn't spoiled or contaminated blue blood.

 “You're...You're all alone?”

 “Nah. I got Regi, got Artie and his buddy Sergei, and I also got nana Agnes and the rest of the misfits in this shithole. We're all kinda like family so meh…” The girl seemed to be looking for something while she spoke. “And the androids I've helped. They send me messages from time to time...Bunch of runaway sweeties.”

 “And you just...live off people's kindness and offer deviants illegal makeovers?”

 “Pretty much.”

 “No school?”

 “Cyberlife fucked that up for me. Fucked a lot of my life actually…”

 “...Which I take is why you're being so gracious about your...Skills?”

 “Bullseye. Cyberlife wants to bitch out of this situation they made? Hell nah, I'm not letting them get a free jail pass card. We ain't playing Monopoly, we're playing Battleship and I'm sinking their flimsy freighters.” She found what she was looking for, a large clunky toolbox. “We who're with android freedom are gonna kick their corporate asses down into the grave they dug...After that's done, I'm gonna piss on it.”

 “...”

 “Hey, don't worry sugar. I got you. Gonna make you look hella fine too, you're definitely gonna be my greatest mod job.”

She hadn't been lying.

As crude and bitter as Val appeared, the girl and her friend Artyum were a duo of sweethearts.

Dakota could finally shed the final ties between her and her dead identity, leaving the apartment looking every bit the woman she felt she was, as most of Detroit's human population evacuated, leaving behind the androids and their hidden human supporters.

She didn't need to remember how it started. All she needed was to know her story had a happy ending.

[dlwritings]

Catch in the Dark | Peter Parker

masterlist found here

pairing - 21-year-old!Peter x reader word count - 3,277 (oo this is a long one for me) warnings - reader at top of building about to attempt suicide, sad Peter is sad A/N - ideas for this came from the song Catch in the Dark by Passenger and the YouTube short film by Tim H called The Fleeting Little Life of Peter Wright

summary - Peter was a fool to let her run away with his heart

(part 2)

Peter was lucky.

At just 21, he already had Ned -a lifelong best friend- and a job as an Avenger. The little kid inside of him was actually getting to live his dream. Not many other guys his age could say the same. What more could he ask for?

A girlfriend, he supposed. He couldn’t even count the number of times someone on the team (mainly Sam or Clint) teased him about never having had a real girlfriend. It wasn’t that he didn’t want one, but going through the entirety of high school being called Penis Parker didn’t exactly make girls fall at his feet. Now he had to manage life as a part time superhero, part time college student. That didn’t really leave a whole lot of time to play the field.

But Peter was just 21. He had a whole life ahead of him. Who was Sam to tease him for being single? Peter couldn’t think of a time he’d seen Sam with a lady. Clint, a married man with three kids, he could excuse. But Sam? He had no room to talk.

Peter did have a girl on his radar, but he didn’t tell Sam about her. After all she wasn’t actually his girlfriend and he knew she didn’t harbor any feelings for him, but she was there. She existed. And Sam knew who she was, as did the other members of team. It was just that no one knew Peter had extremely strong feelings for her. He was shockingly good at keeping that a secret.

Peter met (Y/N) on one of his night watches when he was 16. He was sweeping the skies for people in trouble and found her at the top of the recently abandoned Avengers’ tower. He didn’t usually go all the way to Manhattan on his rounds, but he was feeling bored that night and Queens was too quiet for his taste. He landed next to the girl, careful not to startle her, but she didn’t even flinch. “Hey,” he said awkwardly. Again, she didn’t move. She was sitting on the edge of the wall, her feet dangling over the edge. “I-I’m Spider-Man.”

“I know,” she said. Her voice sounded hoarse and he heard her sniff.

“Are you okay?” he asked. He approached her slowly, hesitantly. One wrong move and he was afraid of what might happen.

A lot of the Avengers had saved someone (or multiple someones) from a suicide attempt. Part of Peter’s training when he joined the team was in how to talk people off the ledge, both literally and figuratively. He knew people didn’t respond well to panicked tones or quick movements.

The girl didn’t answer his question, but she also didn’t move closer to (or farther from) the ledge she was seated on. Peter took more steps towards her until he was leaning up against the wall, a few feet away from her. He propped himself up and sat on the ledge with a huff. The girl looked at him out of the corner of her eye but stayed quiet. “You know, before I was Spider-Man,” Peter said with a laugh, “I used to be so afraid of heights. And spiders.” The girl didn’t speak but Peter continued. “But then I got these powers and my whole life shifted. I had to handle all these new things coming at me and sometimes it was really hard. There were times I hated-“

“Don’t,” the girl said firmly, effectively cutting Peter off. He pressed his mouth into a line (although the girl couldn’t see) and sighed. “Don’t pretend like you understand. You have no idea what I’m going through.”

“No, you’re right, I don’t,” Peter said with a shake of his head. The two teens were quiet again for a moment. Peter decided to keep quiet, allowing the girl to speak first. It seemed like hours had gone by but, when he looked at the clock Karen displayed for him, Peter saw it had only been six minutes. The longest six minutes of his life. Finally, the broken voice beside him spoke again.

“Today my parents told me they’re getting a divorce,” she said softly. “And they both said that this is going to be really hard on them and that neither of them will be stable enough to care for a daughter. So you know what they’re doing?” She didn’t give Peter a chance to respond. “They’re sending me to Queens to live with my grandma. I’ve met her once. Once! And now I’m just expected to live with her because my parents won’t be stable?” She let out a sob so rattling that she started coughing. “I know the truth. It’s not that they won’t be stable. It’s that they don’t want me. Neither of them want me. I was a mistake from day one.” She sniffed and let go of the edge where her hands had been gripping. Peter’s heart started racing. Surely that wasn’t a good sign. “I don’t matter,” she said, shaking her head as she cried. “It would be better if I just wasn’t here.” When she started to move even closer to falling off the edge, Peter panicked.

He took off his mask.

“Hey, no, okay, look at me!” he said quickly. He didn’t reach out to the girl, afraid she would take the leap if he tried to grab her. “Please, hey, look at me. What’s your name? I’m Peter.” The girl looked up at him with tears still in her eyes. If she was shocked by the infamous hero revealing his identity, she hid it very well.

“(Y/N),” she mumbled, quickly looking back down at the ground far below her.

“(Y/N),” Peter repeated. He had his hand ready to press his web shooters and catch her if she were to suddenly jump, but he did his best to remain calm (at least on the outside). “Can I suggest something?” It was a rhetorical question. “Kill (Y/N) if you have to, but don’t kill yourself.” Peter could tell (Y/N) was confused by the way her eyebrows furrowed as she still didn’t meet her eyes with his. “You’re moving to Queens? So kill the Manhattan (Y/N). Leave her behind. You have this crazy opportunity to reinvent yourself. Do you know how many teenagers want that? If you don’t like yourself or your life, then use this to change it! Move in with your grandma and redecorate your room the way you’ve always wanted to. Make friends with the kind of people you’ve always wanted to but never have before. Join clubs at your new school. Get a job as a bakery and fall in love with someone who comes in every day to buy a muffin and ask about your day. Can’t you imagine that? One of the craziest things about life is we assume we’re stuck in shitty situations that make us feel so miserable, but we’re constantly met with opportunities to change our lives. You have the ultimate opportunity right now.”

Peter hesitantly scooted closer to (Y/N). He noticed she had resumed her position gripping the ledge, so he laid a hand over hers. “If you really are committed to the idea of saying goodbye, then you’ve gotta have the conviction to pack it up and start fresh.”

(Y/N)’s whole life changed that night, and so did Peter’s.

Now, five years later, she and Peter were close as ever. The problem was, Peter had fallen in love with her and she, well, she had not. Sure, the pair shared fleeting I-love-you’s nearly everyday, but she never meant it the way Peter wanted her to.

Peter wasn’t surprised when her face lit up his screen late one evening. He was putting on his mask to leave the Avengers’ compound and go sweep the skies for trouble, but his phone ringing caused him to stop immediately. He answered her call. “Hey,” he said casually. No, of course he didn’t get butterflies when he talked to her. That would be stupid.

“You going out for a round?” she asked. He noticed her voice sounded hoarse and he hopelessly prayed she wasn’t crying.

“Yeah.”

“Can you leave the front door open?” she said quietly. He heard her sniff. “I’m gonna come over.”

“I’ll tell F.R.I.D.A.Y. you’re coming,” he said. “She’ll let you in when you get here.”

“Okay.”

“You alright?”

Another sniff. “I’ll see you soon, Pete.”

Peter let out a sigh as soon as (Y/N) hung up the phone. “You hear all that F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” he asked the AI as he slipped on his mask.

“I’ll inform you when Ms. (Y/L/N) arrives,” the voice said.

“If anything’s wrong with her, please tell me,” Peter pleaded. F.R.I.D.A.Y. agreed and so Peter left his room and headed for the skies.

It was a quick round. He stopped an ATM robbery (something he could do in his sleep now), prevented an assault near a bar, and found a kid who ran away from home and returned him to his parents. By the time Karen informed him that (Y/N) was at the compound, he was already halfway there. He got inside and to his room without running into anyone else, which he was grateful for. He knew (Y/N) was hurting- he could hear it in her voice when she called. He wanted to get to her as soon as he could. He opened the door to his room to find (Y/N) sitting on his bed drinking a beer (her second, he gathered, by the empty bottle on his nightstand). “Hey,” he said gently, closing his bedroom door behind him. She looked up at him and he quickly saw the fragility behind her bloodshot eyes. “God, (Y/N), what happened?” He walked over to her and sat beside her on the bed, taking the beer bottle from her hand and setting it beside the other.

“He broke up with me,” she choked out, running her fingers through her hair. Peter sighed and put his arm around her, pulling her close to his chest. He hated this part of being her friend. It was exhausting and heartbreaking. She deserved so much better, but he couldn’t help her if she didn’t let him. She never really let him. After all, he was right in front of her, and it was so obvious to him. Why wasn’t it obvious to her? “You know,” she sniffed, catching her breath, “sometimes I think that when I killed Manhattan (Y/N), I didn’t do a very good job creating the Queens version.”

“That’s bullshit,” Peter said quickly. “Queens (Y/N) is amazing.”

“Yeah well I think you’re the only one who thinks so,” (Y/N) mumbled. “Sometimes I wish I could go back and do everything differently.”

Peter sighed, “I never know if you’re joking when you say shit like that.” (Y/N) just shrugged. “Can I ask you a question?” Peter was great at asking rhetorical questions. “Have you ever thought about suicide -like really thought about it- since that day I found you?” (Y/N) was quiet for a moment. She didn’t speak or nod or shake her head or move at all. Finally she just shrugged, and Peter sighed. “I’m here for you. You know I’m here for you. Why won’t you let me in?” Instead of responding to the question (she assumed it was rhetorical), (Y/N) shook herself from Peter’s grasp and stood up.

“I’m getting more beers,” she said. “Do you want one?”

Peter gave her a tight smile. “Just bring up a six pack.”

The pair drank far too much for a Wednesday night, (Y/N) drinking significantly more than Peter. She had to return to the kitchen another time when they ran out of beers within the hour. “So tell me, Pete,” (Y/N) said in between sips of her alcohol. “Why don’t any of my men stay?” Peter scoffed and gulped his drink as well. He scrunched his nose up. He never really liked the taste of beer.

“You don’t want me to answer that,” Peter told her.

“Yes I do.”

“No, you don’t,” Peter pressed. He was getting angry now but tried to keep his voice level. “You always ask me and MJ and Ned and everyone else this question and you get mad every time we try to tell you.”

“I won’t get mad,” she promised in a slow voice. “I gotta know.”

“You won’t get mad,” Peter clarified.

She nodded. “I won’t get mad.”

Peter sighed, “You don’t open up to any of these guys.” (Y/N) clenched her jaw but Peter kept talking. “The minute they want to introduce you to their parents or, or ask you to move in, or, heaven forbid they ask about your life before Queens, you shut down. You shut down and you push them away and then you’re surprised when they break up with you. It’s been happening for as long as I’ve known you.” (Y/N) took a long time to respond. She finished her bottle of beer but didn’t open another one.

“That’s just how I am,” she said. “Shutting people out is something Queens (Y/N) is really good at.”

“That’s not just how you are,” Peter pressed. “It’s, it’s like a character flaw. You’re not stuck like this. It’s just something you have to work on.”

“Maybe I don’t want to work on it,” she huffed.

“Well then this is going to keep happening to you!” Peter said, somewhat annoyed now. “You can’t expect to have a real relationship with someone if you won’t show them who you are.”

“What, like I show you who I am?” she snapped. Peter shrinked away from her and bit his tongue, looking up at the ceiling of his room. The pair was quiet for a long time. (Y/N) felt like she needed to apologize to Peter, but she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth. Peter was the only guy in her life who didn’t push her away. She needed him so much more than she’d ever admit aloud.

Peter stood up from the bed and gathered the empty beer bottles. “I’m going to get rid of these,” he said, not meeting his eyes with (Y/N)’s. “You can take a shower if you want. You know where everything is.” (Y/N) mumbled a thank you as Peter nodded and left the room to head back down to the kitchen. He almost wanted to turn around as soon as he saw Sam digging through the fridge. It was well after midnight so he thought he was safe from seeing anyone else in the compound, but he was wrong. He was not in the mood to deal with Sam’s teasing. Peter let out a sigh and walked into the kitchen anyway, heading over to the sink to rinse out the bottles before throwing them in the recycle.

“Hey Spidey,” Sam said, his voice sounding tired. Peter nodded at him and didn’t respond. “What’s got your suit in a tangle?”

“Nothing,” Peter mumbled. “(Y/N)’s here. She’s just going through something. Gotta help her out.”

“Mm,” Sam hummed. He let out an annoyed huff and looked away from the fridge. “You drink all the beer?” Peter held up the beer bottles guiltily.

“(Y/N) drinks when she’s sad,” he said. Sam laughed shortly and shook his head.

“I guess whiskey’ll do.”

Sam went into the cupboard and got out two glasses and a bottle of Jack. He poured a fair amount into each glass and handed one to Peter. Peter looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. “She’s in the shower, right?” Sam said, speaking of (Y/N). Peter nodded. “Then you’ve got time for a drink.” Peter let out an amused breath and took the glass from Sam, taking a sip of it and leaning against the countertop. “So,” Sam said after drinking his entire glass and pouring himself another, “when are you gonna tell her how you feel?”

Peter coughed on the drink so hard he had to put his glass down. Sam just grinned and took a sip from his now-full glass. “What are you talking about?” Peter asked once he finally caught his breath.

“Come on, man,” Sam laughed. “How dumb do you think I am?”

“You’ve never said anything,” Peter said. “Never made fun of me about her or anything. I didn’t think you knew.”

“Hey, I might be an asshole,” Sam said, “but I’m not 100% a dick. I wasn’t gonna fuck with you when it came to a girl you actually liked.” Peter grunted and downed the rest of his drink, pouring himself a new one like Sam had only moments before. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Cuz I’m not gonna tell her,” Peter said. “The day she sees me as more than a friend is the day Tony lets Wade join the team.” Sam laughed, finished his drink, and put the bottle of whiskey away. He turned to the youngest Avenger again.

“Take it from a guy who’s never taken a chance on anyone,” Sam said, clapping Peter on the back. “Trying can’t be any worse than bottling it all in.”

Peter, of course, knew it could.

Still, he nodded at Sam and watched him walk out of the kitchen, presumably to his room. Peter took the last sip of his whiskey, put the glass in the dishwasher and the bottles in the recycle, and returned to his room where he found (Y/N) sitting on his bed. She was braiding her wet hair over her shoulder, wearing a pair of Peter’s sweats and one of his favorite t-shirts. He forced himself not to gape. (Y/N) looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. “Sorry about earlier,” she said. The shower had sobered her up a bit, as it always did. Peter knew this whole routine too well. “Can I stay the night?” Peter nodded silently and pulled his shirt over his head before crawling into bed. (Y/N) got under the covers beside him and laid her head on his chest. He knew she wouldn’t notice his racing heart (she never did). Peter put his arm around her and ran his fingers up and down her bicep. The simple action always relaxed her, and her eyes slowly started to drift closed. “Pete?” she whispered before yawning.

“Yeah?”

“If we’re both single at 40, can we get married and move to the country?” Again, she yawned. “Maybe countryside (Y/N) will be better than Manhattan and Queens (Y/N).” Peter ignored the pang in his heart and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“Of course.”

He knew she’d never want him. Not really.

Peter awoke suddenly at 5:15 in the morning. The sun hadn’t even come up so he was eager to go back to sleep. With a yawn, he reached beside him, hoping to tug (Y/N)’s body close to his, missing the warmth her body was no longer providing him. He tugged open his eyes and found the other side of the bed empty.

It was a game that she never seemed to get tired of playing. Then again, who gets tired of a game they’re constantly winning? To him, loving her was like playing catch in the dark. As long as she threw the ball, she had nothing to lose. He on the other hand, blindly trying to catch it, seemed to lose every time.

[resurgence-rp]

Under the cut you can check out all the players that have been accepted for their roles. Congratulations! Please take a look at the instructions at the bottom of the page. For those who haven’t been accepted this time around, don’t be discouraged! Send me a message if you want more feedback on your application and I would love for you to re-apply in the future! Congratulations again to all of you and Welcome to RESURGENCE!

✦ Roman, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Heath Arlington & Cormac Newman. You chose two characters that are practically opposites, and yet you managed to bring them both to life. I was completely in love with both your applications! For Heath, I absolutely adored the way you developed the parallels between Cerberus and the underworld, and how much the club means to them. And for Cormac my favourite thing is definitely his identity crisis of sorts, and how he’s trying to solve it actually making it the topic of his thesis. I think there’s so much potential here and I can’t wait to start seeing them in action! Great job! (fcs: finn wittrock, thomas doherty)

✦ Marie, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Elena Lima & Pietro da Costa. Elena and Pietro are trouble in such different ways, but also in the best way. Elena with her almost naivety when it comes to romance, and her need for attention; and then Pietro, this reformed devastatingly charming surfer who’s out to break all of our hearts. It’s not easy to write two apps for two major gods like Aphrodite and Poseidon - but you managed to do it wonderfully! I can’t wait to start writing with you, and see what’s going to happen with them. Amazing job! (fcs: bianca santos, marlon teixeira)

✦ Shannon, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Valentine Wyght. I absolutely loved Valentine’s family history, and how much that impacted on his personality. How is rebellious ways started as a way of trying to belong, and the search for a place he could finally called home basically still follows him around. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen to him now that he’s back and he’s clearly seeing things from a different perspective. Is the bad boy attitude over for good? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Amazing job! (fc: sean teale)

✦ Harleigh, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Rhiannon Hébert. A champion returns! Lawful evil Rhiannon? Sign me up! One of the most interesting things about Hera as a goddess is how grey her morals are. Sometimes she’s a hero, sometimes she’s an icon, and others she appears like a true villain. I think your app for Rhiannon reflects just that. It’s hard to portray such a morally grey character in a modern setting, but you did a wonderful job, and I can’t wait to see the queen of Mount Wells in action! Drama is assured! (fc: paulina singer)

✦ Kiki, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Dorian Winslow. One of the things I love the most about Dorian is that he’s such a wild card. The way he’s written, mixed with the Dionysus’ soul component pretty much allows you to go anywhere with him. You saw this change, and took advantage from it flawlessly. From his passion for art, to his predilection for social media, to his commitment when it comes to equality; there’s a lot of potential there and i can’t wait to see him in action! Great job! (fc: avan jogia)

✦ Nat, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Naia Guerrero. What a lovely and refreshing application this was! I’m so glad that Naia is here to complete our trio! I love how determined she is, how passionate she is, her relationship with the ocean since the beginning, how her parents’ divorce affected her, and how she balances partying and having fun with starting her own life project. I think there’s so much potential there, for both development and drama, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her. Wonderful job! (fc: bruna marquezine)

✦ Kat, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Vera Whittemore. I love love love how much thought you put into this application. You just need to read your occupation section to realise you’ve planned everything in Vera’s life to the T, and that’s absolutely amazing to see. You’ve managed to take the info in the skeleton, and give it your own twist, turning Vera into a complex character I’m so eager to see grow here. I can’t wait to write with you and see her in action. Congratulations! (fc: dominique provost-chalkley)

✦ Izzy, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Edith Pratt. There’s a Clover, and also an Edith, and I couldn’t be happier we got our terrible duo complete from the very beginning! I love the extra quotes you added to the app, but my favourite part were definitely the headcanons. The ones about her relationship with her mum in particular. I feel like you managed to keep the “villain” aspect of Edith but at the same time you made her realistic, and that was amazing to read. I can’t wait to see what she brings to the table! (fc: sky ferreira)

✦ Nella, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Nina Campbell & Thea Crawford. When I saw your apps for these characters, my first thought was that it was going to be difficult not to make them similar. Even though their stories and backgrounds are completely different, it would be easy to fall for that trap. However, you avoided it completely! You gave Nina a very defined personality, and you wrote a very misguided one for Thea, which I believe was key for both interpretations. I can’t wait to see what kind of situations they’ll both go through now that they’re making changes in their lives. Great job!  (fc: naomi scott, sofia carson)

✦ Dani, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Tristan Santiago. Finally a Tristan! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw your application. I absolutely loved how detailed it was. Tristan’s relationship with his family, everything to do with his biological father, and his reaction to this sudden fame he has gained after what happened - everything is so well thought and beautifully written that I could go on and on about all the parts I enjoyed while I was reading it. I can’t wait to write with you and see Tristan develop! Wonderful job! (fc: diego boneta)

✦ Mia, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Dera McClery. I absolutely love Dera. I think she’s one of the most interesting characters of this roleplay, and I’m so glad she has found such a passionate roleplayer to bring her to life. My favourite part of your app were definitely the headcanons. You managed to combine fundamental traits of her character with little things that also paint a perfect picture of who Dera McClery is. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her and her abilities! Congratulations! (fc: saoirse ronan)

✦ Chloe, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Amdeus Minett. We have all of our love gods with us and I couldn’t be happier about that! Pretty much like Eros and Aphrodite themselves, Amadeus and Elena paint such a different picture of what love means, and I’m eager to see how that develops. I love how passionate he is about his art and how his creations seem to be the only true love he can keep (and let me tell you, I also appreciate that you went into so much detail about his art preference). There’s a ton of potential, and I can’t wait to see Amadeus grow as a character! Amazing job! (fc: joe keery)

✦ Caitlin, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of David Arevalos. A starving artist that works as a barista - I read that bit and I was already in love. David is simply adorable, and your application was a pleasure to read. I love his sensitivity, the way he thinks about art, and his interest in divination was such a good addition! Honestly all I could think while I read the app was that I want him as a best friend, please. I can’t wait to see him in action, and all that he’s going to bring to the rp! Congratulations!  (fc: tyler posey)

✦ Morgan, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Preston Carver. I was dying for a Preston! He’s definitely one of my favourite characters (maybe because I’m a gamer who plays D&D as well). I love that he’s the go to guy whenever someone is having computer problems (the text to his mum killed me), and on a more serious note, I really enjoyed how you balanced his gamer past with his present - how he enjoys interacting with people and how his personality comes alive when he’s on stream. Also I play a rogue, so much appreciated. Great job!   (fc: alberto rosende)

✦ Jane, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Zachary Bailey. I was so relieved when your application came because I was afraid we were going to start without our king of Mount Wells himself! Your interpretation of Zac is basically all that I would except in a modern Zeus, and more. Occupation: rockstar? Depending on his father’s money? Trying to drag his friends around towards every crazy scheme he comes up with? Just flawless. And to conclude, the text messages made me laugh out loud. Amazing job! (fc: michael b. jordan)

✦ Spooky, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Katrin Moreno (soul of Hecate). I love love the whole idea of Katrin. Their relationship with their parents, their grandmother, how they leaned on their friends, the fact that their background was so different from the usual one you’d find in Mount Wells - and yet they persevered and turned that into something magical; honestly I was hooked from the very beginning. I truly believe they will be a fantastic addition to the roleplay, and I can’t wait to see them in action! Congratulations! (fc: danny noriega/adore delano)

✦ Emma, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Clover Wald. This was such a difficult decision! Both applications had very good and different interpretations of Clover. Ultimately what swayed me was the amazing balance of her neutral evil nature. I enjoy a character who isn’t afraid to do morally grey stuff and is proud of it - and that’s exactly what Clover is about. There’s so much potential in her, and honestly I can’t wait to see how exactly she’ll shake things up. Wonderful job! (fc: courtney eaton)

✦ Aaliyah, you’ve been accepted to play the roles of Layla Dunn. Layla is completely and absolutely adorable. I love the fact that she’s very rational and practical, but she’s also got some pluck in her. I also find really interesting that she’s participating in the Science fair to possibly gain some perspective on what to do after she graduates. I feel that was a great way of giving your own interpretation and twist to the info in the skeleton! On a side note, the bit about Pottermore was fantastic; and I’m also addicted to Color Switch. Great job! (fc: jessica sula)

This is what you need to do next:

Follow EVERYONE

Track all of the tags (found HERE)

Make your character account send it in within 24 hours

Open up your askbox

If for any reason you need more time to get your account in, don’t hesitate to message me so I can keep your role open! If I don’t get a message from you then I will assume you’re no longer interested in keeping your spot. Once you send your account, you’ll be provided with the necessary links and we can get started! And of course; HAVE FUN!

[lil-miss-methodical]

There’s a new Hero in town and he brings with him - thunder, lightning, and the reckoning of a new time.

I said this earlier after I saw the first episode, but I must stress how pleased I am with this production. It was truly everything I wanted, everything I feel like the show needed. It was undeniable, it refused to be contained and shelved. I remember when the first trailer came out and the first promo pics were released, I saw comments about how it looked kind of terrible. Even my own brother was like, 

“....ehhhh I don't it looks like it's gonna be low quality”. 

Let's be honest, that's what people expect from black projects more than half of the time. To be fair, those with the pocketbooks aren't putting out money hand over fist when it normally comes to our projects - helll Hollywood is still harping that no one wants to see black people...def not anywhere other than here in the good ole U.S of A. Black Lightning proved them wrong. It came out knowing the bar was set low, almost none existent, and it kicked ass dispite it all and left the questions for later.

I'm gonna break this down about 3 to 4 levels so bare with me.

First we got Jefferson Pierce - he's a born again hero. He's traded his protective fight gear for a suit as he resides over the growth of today's youth as a Principal. And he's not just any Principal, he's well liked, well respected, he's like royalty...or black jesus 🙏🏾. The school acts as his, lets say, replaced drug. There's this great moment in the show where his ex wife Lynn says he might as well be a junkie because of how much he couldn't let go. Jefferson needs to help people. His replacement job just demands a different suit is all. Can he ever let go? Well his sidekick says the return of Black Lightning was inevitable, and giving the turn of events, we can't deny that truth.

Jefferson's wife wasn't much of a fan to what Black Lightning meant for their family. It meant worrying about her husband, it meant their children not only being in danger but having to see that side of their father, and eventually growing to have her same struggles. He couldn't let Black Lightning go until his wife let him go. But we can't escape who we are and while everyone else takes his leadership as Principal as the be all, his daughters have another thing in mind. Both girls have a portion of his inner beast. Anissa, with her fight for the people mentality and Jennifer with her dive in despite the dangers personalities. And eventually they deserve they're even more like their fathers than ever expected.

Jefferson and his alter ego is going to be a great mix. And we have to call him his alternate ego because even Jefferson refers to Black Lightning in 3rd person, as if he's someone else. Jefferson has this desire to be separate from Black Lightning even as he has a need to be 'the hero'. Black Lightning threatens everything he's fighting for in his current life, Black Lightning is everything he's tried to shed, and yet Black Lightning is the thing that protects his family...for now. I can foresee Jefferson and Black Lightning playing off one another, being a metaphor for Jeffersons own battles and addictions and desires. I mean, the more he uses Black Lightning to protect his family, the more he focuses a light on them that can't be removed.

Again you have Anissa aka Harriet, the older daughter whose headstrong and driven to be a voice. She's quick to say she has no fear even when she's terrified, she does what she feels is right despite what it might cost her. She's a natural protector, taking after her father in more ways than he'll probably ever want. I can see her take her new powers with joy. She'll want to be a hero, it's another way for her fight the good fight. She can finally DO something she'll claim. Danger? The world is full of danger. There will definitely be some tension here with her father eventually. Something they can play up but eventually he'll need her, he'll need to train her...if that will test his budding rekindle with his wife? Threads! The show definitely made them this episode. There's places they can go and they've already laid out the road map.

Then there's the younger daughter and sibling Jennifer, or J. Jennifer is like her father and sister, headstrong, but she's also rebellious. She doesn't want to be the perfect girl, she doesn't want to be anyone's role model. She's grown up with the weight of being in her father's shadow and there are threads of resentment there. Her rebellious nature sometimes leads her into danger, which usually leads her into even more danger because she refuses to back down or simply cower. That good ole Pierce gene running through her blood, I guess. Her habit for trouble is what pulls Jefferson back to Black Lightning - it's the family that got him out, it's the family he's willing to return for. While Anissa may be enthusiastic about her father's little secret identity....Jennifer probably won't be excited about that or the powers, because at first she'll probably feel that it's even more pressure, more weight, an even larger shadow. She may use her powers but I don't see her tracking her father and sister's footsteps without some kickback. 

If Jefferson has to deal with a daughter who loves her powers and what his means to the history of his fight for the people, how will he deal with on who hates him for the exact same thing?

Representation was big here and color me happy for all that good shit! The characters themselves were a step in the right direction. They're characters, flawed and mixed with their own personality traits. Anissa and Jennifer and Lynn are all black women, from the same family and thankful they do not speak the same! Their dialogue does not sound like it's feed from a computer system or someone who just does not know. Even the villains, they're black but not stereotypical. They are all different and different levels of big fucking bad.

Jefferson ain't escaping the hood, he ain't a dead beat, him and his wife are divorced but they respect one another and their decision to co-parent their children. Jefferson's issues aren't just the gang bangers and runners...it's the cops too. Black Lightning may be a hero, he may bleed red for the sake of there, but to them he's just another criminal - never a hero. 

Jefferson may be a hero, in the halls of the school or behind his mask, but at the end of the day he can't take off his blackness and he still has to live through the struggles of that reality.

Black people are rounded, some of them are bad, or parts of them bad and some of them are good, while some of them are really good. They are fucking humans and it's not difficult to captivate that essence and yet it's 2018 and directors and writers are still acting like it's complicated.

Black Lightning didn't come to play. I made a joke earlier while watching, about how I guess we don't have to worry about Black Lightning being a - I can't kill - kind of hero...but I can say the same thing about the production team, they came with the goal to slaughter all the naysayers and I have to admit as a fan...so many dead bodies never looked so damn good.

How did you guys feel?

                                        Review: Episode #1

Casting: On Point - 10′s across the board I love it

Writing: 9/10

Directing: 8/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

Note: Follow me for more reviews! I’ll also be doing The Flash, some other shows and upcoming movies. Don’t forget to leave me a note, about the episode, about the review, or ideas of what you’re watching! I know its a lot to take in I wanna switch to podcast to be honest *sigh I’m just solo and that might be boring. 

[bellabooks]

10 Lesbian, Bi and Queer Women in Sci Fi and Fantasy TV Right Now

Lesbian, bisexual, and queer erasure has pretty much always existed in media, but it has seemed pronounced lately, especially in Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) movies. We’ve seen Valkyrie straight-washed, as well as Wonder Woman, Constantine, Harley Quinn, Iceman, and Mystique. (I’ve barely scratched the surface. The list goes on and on.) In SFF TV, though, queer women are showing up in force. They’re super-powered and super-smart. We still need more and better representation, particularly for queer women of color, trans and nonbinary folks, queer women with disabilities, and every other member of the queer community who do not see themselves represented on TV.   Jeri Hogarth, Jessica Jones Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss) is a powerful, intimidating lesbian, lawyer, and counsel to the super-powered in Hell’s Kitchen. (Moss also played Trinity in The Matrix so you already know she’s one attractive lady.) In the comics, Jeryn Hogarth is a sort of dumpy lawyer and confidant to heroes. He’s more of a side character than an antagonist, while the Hogarth from the Jessica Jones TV show (and the other Netflix adaptations) is anything but a sidekick. She’s manipulative, conniving, and ruthless. In one of the eerier choices she makes, she salvages the potentially powered aborted fetus of the child of Kilgrave, a super villain who can make anyone do anything he wants just by saying so. She takes the cell tissue to see if she can find a way to harness his powers. She even helps Kilgrave escape from Jessica so he can help her with her own divorce negotiation. In the end, Kilgrave supercharges himself with tissue samples from the aborted fetus, which make him that much harder for Jessica to defeat. In Iron Fist, Hogarth helps Danny Rand prove his identity and get reinstated with his family’s company after he returns, and she hires Daredevil’s best friend, Foggy Nelson. She has him represent Jessica when she gets caught up in another huge case in The Defenders. You may not like Jeri, but her tenacity is admirable. Check her out in season two of Jessica Jones, which is set to release on Netflix on March 8th.   Anissa Pierce/Thunder, Black Lightning Anissa Pierce (Nafessa Williams) recently started feeling strange. In times of great stress, she has exhibited supernatural strength and the ability to create shockwaves when she stomps. Unbeknownst to Anissa, her father, Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), the principal of the school where she works, is the superhero vigilante Black Lightning. As Jefferson comes out of vigilante retirement, Anissa begins exploring her powers and finds that she is frighteningly strong. The first time she uses her powers on humans, she worries that she might have killed the drug dealers she was trying to scare. In a community plagued by police brutality, gang activity, and racism, Anissa starts to believe her powers are not just a gift, but a responsibility. Time and again, throughout the show, we see Anissa assuming the role of protector. One of the best things about Anissa is the fact that she’s just out. There’s no coming out story in the TV show, though her parents do reference her coming out at one point. She lives her life as a lesbian without remorse or regret. She has a girlfriend she breaks up with and meets the very cute Grace Choi. To see her manifest her powers on top of all her confidence and power is a sight to behold.   Grace Choi, Black Lightning Grace Choi (Chantal Thuy) is a cute comic book nerd who Anissa meets in a library. They immediately connect and start flirting while talking about genetic mutation, which Anissa is researching. When Grace is knocked unconscious by a gang member, we see Anissa express her powers more drastically than ever before. Later, while she’s holding Grace, she wonders aloud if someone who could do something to right the wrongs of the world should. Grace affirms that they should. Grace has Anissa’s back and believes in her, even though she doesn’t yet know about her powers. Grace is out and open with her bisexual identity, even joking about it with Anissa. We don’t know if Grace will exhibit the powers she has in the comic books yet, but the first season has just begun. Power Coupling: #Thundergrace So far in the TV show, Anissa and Grace are just getting started as a couple and as heroes, but their attraction and support of one another has me really rooting for them. They are an extremely rare example of a relationship between queer women of color and we need more positive examples out there. Bring on #Thundergrace! You can see Anissa, Grace, and the whole Black Lightning team on Tuesdays on the CW.   Sara Lance/The White Canary, Legends of Tomorrow After surviving a horrific boat accident, Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) is recruited to the League of Assassins, naturally, and becomes a lethal force. While living with the League, she falls in love with Nyssa Al Ghul, daughter of the leader of the League. Sara, who made her first appearance in Arrow, fights alongside and dates the Green Arrow (or Arrow or Hood, or whatever Oliver Queen is calling himself at the time), survives her own death by use of a magical hot tub, and is recruited to join a team of time traveling vigilantes. A typical tale. She assumes the identity of the White Canary for her new role and as she travels through time, Sara flirts with and kisses nurses, a female Merlin, and her teammate, Leonard Snart. In the second season of Legends of Tomorrow, Sara becomes the ship’s captain and leads with humor, grace, and many, many stunning fight scenes. She tempers the ragtag team of heroes and damn, it’s nice to see a woman in charge. Season three of Legends of Tomorrow is still in progress, and things are heating up with Ava Sharpe. You can catch my favorite bisexual time traveling captain on Mondays on the CW.   Alex Danvers, Supergirl Agent of the Department of Extra-Normal Operations (D.E.O.) and member of her sister Supergirl’s team, Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) comes out of the closet in season two of Supergirl. Some of us might be sick of coming out stories, but for a show created for a younger audience, this coming out story is powerful. Alex describes herself as always feeling like something was wrong with her, as if she didn’t want to date, until she met Maggie (Floriana Lima). An out and proud cop, Maggie assumes Alex is gay, which helps Alex out of the closet. The two begin dating, while fighting super villains and teaming up with heroes from other universes. Ultimately, Alex and Maggie split because Alex wants to have kids and that doesn’t work for Maggie. In the end, the actor, Lima, decided not to return to the show, so the split was inevitable. Decisive, powerful, loyal, and quite the fighter, Alex is a credit to queer women. You can see her on season three of Supergirl which is currently airing on Mondays on the CW.   Waverly Earp, Wynonna Earp The younger sister of the heir to the Earp Curse, Waverly Earp (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) is whip smart, adorkable, and an irreplaceable member of her sister Wynonna’s team. When we first meet Waverly, she’s wielding a shotgun, which is aimed at her sister Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano), who she believes is currently hooking up with Waverly’s boyfriend. Over the first season of the show, we see Waverly begin to question her relationship and her sexuality, as she comes into contact with the very sexy police officer, Officer Haught. When Officer Haught kisses Waverly for the first time, it is powerful, sensual, and blows Waverly’s world right open. As Waverly explores her sexuality, we see her transition from a shy woman testing the waters to a powerful woman who goes after what she wants. The second season also finds Waverly questioning her relationship to her family and her future.   Officer Haught, Wynonna Earp Officer Nicole Haught (Katherine Barrell) is an unshakeable force for good on Wynonna’s team. At first, the group keeps Officer Haught in the dark, but she’s a great detective and figures out that something is amiss in the Ghost River Triangle. When the supernatural happenings are confirmed for her, she doesn’t freak out. She’s just relieved she’s not the only one who knows something is wrong. She fights heterosexism, small town politics, and demons throughout the show. In the second season, Officer Haught is wounded by a demon-widow and falls into a coma. The audience feared the worst for Haught, but she comes out of the coma and lives to fight another day. Power Coupling: #WayHaught Officer Haught and Waverly are both awesome on their own, but together they make cute-sexy-funny-loving relationships seem natural. Things aren’t always easy—they make it through their own fair share of supernatural mishaps—but they’re an example of what love between two women can look like. You’ll be able to watch #WayHaught’s evolution in season three of Wynonna Earp, which is slated to air on SyFy sometime in 2018.   Karolina Dean/Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Runaways What do you do when you find out your parents are super villains? Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner) and her friends try to answer this question in season one of Runaways. While sleuthing and being a hormonal teenager, Karolina also finds out that she has superpowers. She can manipulate solar light and fly. When the bracelet she was given as a child isn’t inhibiting her abilities, she shines like an iridescent rainbow. Can she get any queerer? In fact, she can! As they prepare to act like normal kids for a night at the high school dance, Karolina finally makes her feelings known and kisses Nico, her friend and eventual leader of the Runaways. They go on to kiss again later in the season and share a very sweet moment complete with eye batting and sly smiles.   Nico Minoru/Sister Grimm, Runaways Nico Minoru (Lyrica Okano) is a bad witch you do not want to mess with. She can do anything, but she can only do it once. (It’s a limitation of her magical powers.) She’s a member of the all-female Avengers called A-Force, and a general badass. Long before her reign as bad witch, though, Nico was just a kid in California–a kid with super villain parents–but a kid nonetheless. This is where we meet her in the TV show Runaways. She’s emo, she’s angry, and she’s mourning the death of her sister. When she and her friends find out that their parents are evil, she starts investigating her connection to a family heirloom, the Staff of One, which gives her the ability to manifest anything she can think of. During this confusing time in Nico’s life, she kisses Alex, another teammate, but after she finds out that Alex has been keeping secrets about her sister’s death, she rejects his advances. She and Karolina share a passionate kiss and this sets Nico down an entirely new path of self-discovery. Power Coupling: #Nicolina One of the best things about Karolina and Nico’s relationship is how far it deviates from the comic books, which are filled with off-hand heterosexist remarks and Nico distancing herself from Karolina when Karolina expresses an interest in her. In the TV show, we see two young women acknowledging their attraction. We’ve barely seen either use their powers and I’m really looking forward to what happens to #Nicolina in season two. You can join me in watching their relationship to each other and their parents evolve in season two of Runaways, which has been renewed for a second season on Hulu. Given when the first season aired, we might see the second season as soon as fall 2018.   Cassandra Cillian/The Librarian, The Librarians  Cassandra Cillian (Lindy Booth) is a genius with a brain tumor, which essentially gives her super powers. Recruited by the mystical Library to preserve magical artifacts, Cassandra is one of the three librarians who is new to the game. For much of the show’s run thus far, the show seems to flirt with the idea of Cassandra’s queerness. She gets enchanted and becomes a female Prince Charming. All the ladies in the town start fawning over her and she likes it. She flirts with a diplomat and gets her phone number, while also stealing her earrings, which are magical artifacts, so it’s totally fine. And, on more than one occasion, she makes eyes at her Guardian (not that kind of guardian, gross. It’s a magical thing.), played by Rebecca Romijn. I also make eyes at Romijn in this TV show. At one point, Cassandra makes advances toward an older male character and seems to have some sexual tension with another librarian who is male. After three seasons, the show finally lets Cassandra be out. When Cassandra’s life-threatening tumor is removed, she realizes how close to the end she was and rushes to see her friend, who is a vampire that she has been relentlessly flirting with the entire episode. They share a passionate kiss and boom, Cassandra’s out of the closet! The season finale of season four of The Librarians just recently aired. We’re waiting with baited breath to see if TNT will renew the show for a fifth season. http://dlvr.it/QJKcGZ

[waltzofthewifi]

Chapter 36: In The Fullness of Time

Beginning | Table of Contents

Ladybug paced the roof, lost in thought. Chat Noir leaned against the wall and watched her, giving his opinion when asked.

"We shouldn't give her the miraculous until we absolutely need it," Ladybug decided.

"I'm confused," Chat Noir replied. "Doesn't she already have the miraculous?"

"No," Ladybug answered. "She inherited another casing for the miraculous, so that older her could use it to repair the miraculous which is currently in Fu's custody."

"Time travel's confusing," Chat Noir noted.

"Yeah, it is," Ladybug agreed. "That's why we don't want to use the rabbit miraculous unless it's absolutely necessary. But if we get to the point where it is necessary, we'll need someone who knows how to use it already - we don't want an adjustment period."

"We managed during our adjustment period," Chat Noir pointed out.

"Barely. You wasted a cataclysm and I forgot to cleanse the akuma."

"Besides, doesn't having a time-travel device mean you could just give yourself an adjustment period?" Chat Noir questioned.

Ladybug paused. "That's a good point. But what if something happens and we need her right then?"

"Again: time travel."

Ladybug sighed. "This is confusing. I guess there's a reason I'm not the rabbit. Maybe I should just talk to her."

"Whatever you think is best," Chat Noir replied. "She's probably home, this late at night."

"You're right," Ladybug said. "I'm going to go talk to her."

Ladybug had only been to Alix's place once or twice. Of her classmates, she lived farthest from the school, so even though her apartment was spacious, it was rarely used for class events.

It was two floors - the bottom had the living room, kitchen, and her dad's home office and bedroom. The second floor had her and Jalil's rooms with a small office for both of them - Jalil's was filled with conspiracy theory stuff, and Alix never let anyone into hers.

Ladybug could see Alix's bedroom was empty, so she knocked on the window to her office.

Alix pushed open the blackout curtains, eyes lighting up when she saw Ladybug. She pushed the window open.

"Ladybug! What are you doing here?"

"I think it's time to talk about your future," Ladybug said.

That sounds ominous.

"I mean, in a good way. Of course. Your brief time as Ibex proved you could make a wonderful hero."

Alix blushed, which wasn't something Ladybug had ever saw her do.

"I'd do anything for my friends," she said.

"I first chose to become Ladybug to protect my friends, too," Ladybug replied.

Alix's office was small. She had several cork boards that looked like something out of a mystery movie, with different articles printed out and hanging up. Three cork boards were covered with a black sheet. The others were filled with theories from major archaeologists, the Ladyblog, school project ideas, and a new-looking board on mythology. She had a desk shoved up next to the window, with her laptop, a desk lamp, and a Bluetooth speaker.

"So, about Bunnyx," Alix said, uncovering one of the cork boards to show a mess of articles about time travel theories, potential past miraculous holders, and a Ladyblog article about Timetagger. "I have a pretty good idea about how the powers work, and how best to implement them."

Ladybug's eyes widened. She has been taking this very seriously.

"You see, I was thinking about how Bunnyx's powers seemed Alice in Wonderland inspired, except I've traced appearances of similar heroes all the way back to Ancient China and Tibet. That got me thinking - maybe it's the other way around? Would Lewis Carroll have had a chance to run into a rabbit hero? Which led me to this series of articles, which I think was originally confined to this group of people called The Circle, about how the rabbit miraculous works. There was this artwork, let me see if I can find it, about what the burrow supposedly looks like, and - there it is!"

The picture Alix showed her looked a lot like what Ladybug remembered during her brief time in Bunnyx's burrow.

"That's really impressive."

So much for Alix needing an adjustment period.

Alix beamed. "Thank you. My old man has always stressed the importance of good research."

"You ever help the Ladyblogger out?" Ladybug asked. "She's in your class, right?"

If I can get her and Rena together, maybe they can piece together the missing information from the old guardians.

"I don't know, I don't think this should be out in the public," Alix replied.

"Oh, of course not," Ladybug agreed. "But she's gotten better at being able to tell when and when not to post something."

"Has she? Oh, I was going to ask you something else! Do you recommend a self-defense class or something, you know, for training?"

"As I'm sure you remember from your time as Ibex, the miraculous will give you a physical boost," Ladybug said. "A little self defense training wouldn't hurt, but don't stress too much over it. Plus, your skating also gives you an edge."

"Cool," Alix replied. "My friends and I are going to a self-defense seminar."

"Small stuff like that will make a difference," Ladybug said.

"So, do you know when I'll be getting my miraculous?" Alix questioned.

"When we need you," Ladybug said.

Alix deflated.

Ladybug's eyes fell back on the covered cork boards. She moved to one, curious but willing to drop it if Alix asked her too.

"What are these-"

"Not important!" Alix practically jumped in front of Ladybug. The movement caused the black fabric to flicker upwards, partially revealing a photo of Chat Noir.

"Are you - are these theories about our identities?"

"No! Maybe? They're just theories, I haven't told anyone."

Ladybug glanced at the other cork board, wondering. "Can I see the ones about me? Just to see?"

"Um, sure."

Alix moved over to the other cork board, and very slowly removed the fabric.

And revealed something much more than a theory.

"How - What makes you think - what -?"

"So I'm right?" Alix questioned. "You're really Marinette?"

.

Luka would never complain about it to Marinette, but he missed Sass.

He hadn't been used to having someone to talk with, either about superheroing or just regular life. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy talking to Marinette, especially now that he knew she was Ladybug and she knew he knew, but Marinette was always super stressed and he felt bad talking about his own problems. His mom was not the best listener, and while Luka had friends his age, they weren't very close.

Sass had been an amazing listener. With him, Luka didn't feel guilty talking about himself. It had been a nice change.

That day had been horrible, with Luka's guitar string breaking, and then his headphones breaking, and accidentally running into someone one his bike (it was in no way his fault, but that didn't help the guilt). Once he got home, Luka would probably have to finish his chores - well, they weren't really his chores, except that he was the only one who ever thought to do them - and he was not in the mood for that.

The first time he had complained to Sass, Luka had expected a response like "a hero does what's necessary" or even being called out for complaining. But Sass had agreed that it wasn't fair, and had let Luka complain as much as he wanted (which wasn't much, but it was nice to get a little off his chest anyways). But now, Luka would just have to do the work silently, as usual.

Luka reached the Liberty, and was caught completely off guard by the presence of another person standing at the entrance to the ship.

The stranger looked about Luka's age, maybe a year or two older. He had bright blonde hair, near-perfectly clear tan skin, and expensive looking sunglasses - he looked rich.

"Hello," he greeted.

"Uh, hi. Who are you?"

"Just someone checking in on family." He pushed his sunglasses up, revealing bright blue eyes.

Luka briefly thought the other person might be a long lost sibling - but no, that wouldn't work. Maybe after the divorce, but not before. Cousin, then?

"Okay," Luka said. "Are you looking for Anarka?"

"I'm looking for you," the stranger replied. "I already talked with your mom. Well, I tried, at least. She didn't exactly want to see me."

Luka raised an eyebrow. "And who are you, again?"

"I'm your grandfather. You can call me Lester."

"You don't look old enough-"

"I'm a lot older than I look." His eyes flashed gold, and he grinned at Luka's shocked reaction.

"Magic?" Luka guessed.

"You could say that," Lester replied. "I am a god, after all."

"A god named Lester?"

"I'm incognito," Lester explained. "We're not really supposed to interfere, but I made a promise and I intend to keep it."

"O - okay."

It would seem a little hard to believe, if it wasn't for the fact that Luka sometimes became a superhero, and that Sass had already mentioned magical heritage, and - well, everything that had happened in Paris recently.

Why not?

"You seem a little put out today," Lester said.

"Crappy day," Luka replied. He adjusted his backpack strap.

"Not much I can do about that," Lester said. "I've been told I'm a horrible listener too."

"So is there a reason you're here?" Luka questioned.

"Just thought you should know I exist, and I'm rooting for you," Lester replied. "And maybe one day, I will be able to do more than fix a guitar."

And with that, he walked away.

.

Marinette collapsed on her bed, head still spinning.

What just happened?

Tikki remained silent, leaving Marinette to her thoughts.

What were her thoughts?

Her identity had been revealed, not through her detransforming but through sheer observation. That should scare her, except.

Except Alix's explanation was super detailed, going into minor details Marinette didn't even think Alya or her parents were aware of. Alix had explained she had hyper-focused on it, after the textbook incident, and that she hadn't wanted to, but she just couldn't let the thread go.

Alix's focus was a force to be reckoned with.

It was entirely fair to say no one else could draw the same conclusions. Not many people spent that much time around Marinette, after all.

There was also the fact that Alix knew, had known, for what seemed like forever. And she hadn't acted on it - of course not, it was just a theory, and Alix and Marinette were good friends but they weren't super close. Marinette wouldn't have gone to Alix the way she had been with Luka.

So, did it even matter?

Imagine how powerful she'll be as Bunnyx. Alix could connect dots others didn't know existed. Her time as Ibex showed she could come up with a plan - she was the one who ended up deciding where the portal should go, and it worked perfectly. And she understood time travel.

She was an ace up Marinette's sleeve. Alix and Ivan both were.

And Marinette was beginning to form a plan to beat Hawkmoth.

Next Chapter

[comic-watch]

While trying to figure out how he feels about Supergirl as a hero, Ben Rubel meets Lee Serrano, a non-binary teenager, who shares a story about how Supergirl positively impacted their life.

Supergirl #19 Writers: Steve Orlando & Vita Ayala Artist: Jamal Campbell Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual Cover: Jorge Jimenez with Alejandro Sanchez Variant Cover: Stanley “Artgerm” Lau Editor: Jessica Chen

What You Need To Know: Ben Rubel, Kara Danvers’ friend, and love interest has been struggling with how he feels about Supergirl. He isn’t sure whether or not she’s entirely trustworthy, and he’s not sure how he feels about the stuff that he writes about her at CatCo, and so he’s seeking answers and looking for hope. Meanwhile, Cameron Chase has been fired from the DEO (Department of Extranormal Affairs) and is working to fight against Director Bones, who is out to catch Supergirl at any cost.

What You’ll Find Out: Cameron Chase has placed a call to Director Bones at the DEO, confronting him about the mess of things he’s made at the DEO – specifically working with Mokkari, a scientist from Apokolips who is never good news. Chase warns Bones that Mokkari is using him, but Bones refuses to listen to Chase’s warning, intimating that everything Mokkari has done – selling the phantom drive plans to Tycho, imprisoning Dr. Veritas – has been at Bones’ own personal orders.

In another part of National City, Ben Rubel is struggling with the work he does for CatCo and his feelings about Supergirl as a hero. Though he feels that the negative writing they’re doing about Supergirl hasn’t been helpful to how the city views her, he also isn’t sure where he stands regarding her. Looking for hope of some sort, he discovered a pro-Supergirl story on the CatCo app and set up a meeting with its writer, a non-binary teenager named Lee Serrano who had recently befriended Supergirl.

As Ben and Lee speak, Lee admits that at first, they hadn’t entirely been on board with Supergirl either. After all, Supergirl had kept her own secrets, and the fact that she looked the way she did, and had all of her powers couldn’t possibly mean that she understood the plight of a non-powered Earth person. Lee goes on to tell Ben about the first time they had met Supergirl. It was back during the Reign of the Cyborg Supermen storyline, and Lee had chosen to run away from home at the worst possible time. Lucky for them, Supergirl had been there to save them. A brief introduction later, Supergirl promises Lee that she will definitely be around for Lee if they ever need her, though Lee didn’t buy that at first. It seemed to be the sort of thing that any superhero would tell a citizen they had just saved.

Lee didn’t realize how wrong they had been. Supergirl kept in touch with Lee, stopping in to check in on them every once in a while, and a friendship blossomed from it. Eventually, Supergirl gained enough of Lee’s trust that Lee decided to come out to Supergirl. Lee explains that they weren’t running away from the cyborgs, but away from home because of what they were dealing with at school due to being different, and the fear of what their parents would do when they discovered that Lee was non-binary. Supergirl connects with Lee, explaining how her parents sent her to Earth without asking her what she wanted and agreeing that while parents can hurt you more than anyone, it’s usually rooted in love. Supergirl tells Lee that she’s glad that Lee confided in her and that while she doesn’t know how Lee’s parents will react to Lee’s truth, she does know that Lee isn’t alone.

In a later scene, Supergirl and Lee connect over their differences and similarities. Lee is being bullied by a boy at school named Chuck, one of those stereotypical jock-types who is having problems at home and takes it out on people at school – in this case, namely Lee. Though they have had very different life experiences, and literally are from different worlds, Supergirl manages to relate to Lee – people hated her and were scared of her too because she was different. But she had decided that she wasn’t what people were scared she would be, because they weren’t allowed to decide who she was, much like how people had no right to decide who Lee was. Supergirl reminds Lee that they only get this one life to live, and Lee is the only who gets to decide how that life gets lived.

Aware that Lee is going through a tough time, Supergirl watches over Lee, both anonymously in her Kara Danvers identity as Lee comes out to their parents (who, while maybe they don’t fully understand Lee’s situation, promise to learn and support Lee), and in her Supergirl identity when Chuck continues to bully Lee. Things come to a head when Chuck attacks Lee outside of a laser tag place, a few weeks after Lee has been suspended from school for punching him. Supergirl interrupts the fight, ready to teach Chuck a lesson, but Lee requests that Kara let them handle this themselves. Lee confronts Chuck about the bullying, telling Chuck that bullying Lee won’t make him feel better or fix the fact that his parents are getting divorced or that his dad is gay. Chuck falters and his friend takes the opportunity to put him down the way that Chuck had been putting Lee down. Chuck punches his friend, and while Lee tries to extend a hand of friendship, Chuck turns it down.

Supergirl takes Lee away from the situation so that Lee can catch a breath, and Lee thanks Supergirl for having their back, but also for being an ally who didn’t try to speak for Lee or over Lee.

Lee ends the meeting with Ben by telling him that the reason they’re pro-Supergirl is because of those experiences because Supergirl honestly and truly cared about Lee and helped Lee be strong.

Finally convinced that Supergirl isn’t all that bad, Ben tries to get advice from his mother, who is as aloof and distant as she has ever been from him, not really listening to what he’s saying or understanding what he needs. He’s convinced that Supergirl needs help, but even though his mother isn’t listening…someone else is. Supergirl herself, who shows up at his door on the last page, having heard him saying something about help.

What Just Happened?: One of the biggest strengths of this run has been Steve Orlando’s decision to play up Supergirl’s compassionate, caring, accepting side. The past couple of incarnations of the character have never really concentrated on that part of her, and I have to say, it really works for her, and Orlando and Vita Ayala do a fantastic job of continuing to display that side of Kara Zor-El. While her compassion comes from a different place than, say, Wonder Woman’s, it’s no less powerful or awe-inspiring. Supergirl is a character who lost a lot, who has constantly been mistrusted by the people she’s chosen to protect, who has been misunderstood and been labeled a monster just because of who she is, where she’s from, and the choices she’s made. Despite those experiences, she is someone who has fought an internal struggle to not let any of that define her or shape her in such a way to prove her detractors right. Those choices and that characterization really pay off here, because it gives Kara the baggage and the tools for her to step up and be a friend and an ally to someone who is going through a struggle of identity and acceptance themselves. It also follows up on the previous issue, where Kara says she remembers the names and faces of every person she has ever saved, as Lee is one such person.

Simply put, this is a beautiful, well-written, well-crafted issue. Each of the main characters here – Supergirl, Ben, Lee – comes off as layered, complex, and real. They all have their own struggles and issues with their parents that allow them to relate to each other in a way that doesn’t feel fake or contrived. For Ben, it’s that his parents have sent him away because he won’t be the genius trophy son they want him to be; for Lee, it’s that they don’t know if their parents will understand or accept them; for Supergirl, it’s that her parents sent her away without giving her a say, and depriving her of any more time with them. They’re all misunderstood in their own way as well – Ben’s parents refuse to understand him or connect with him, and rarely truly listen to what they have to say; Lee is constantly picked on by a jock at school; and the DEO wants to take Supergirl out because they view her as some sort of overpowered monster.

While Supergirl’s own story may be fantastical, Lee’s story is something that is far more grounded in reality and incredibly timely, given our current social landscape. It feels so real, and Lee’s struggle is relatable – most of us have been in a place where we haven’t been accepted by our peers for one thing or another, where we’ve all been unfairly bullied or picked on simply to elevate someone else’s self-esteem. One of the most wonderful things about it is how it gives Lee the voice to solve their problems themselves – though they’re being victimized at school, by the end of the issue, Lee has agency and power and isn’t the victim of the month. Many people may look at this issue as some sort of “very special” installment or something, but it really is the furthest thing from that. What this issue is, more than anything is a story about the power that compassion and support can have in the face of fear and hatred. It shows that heroism isn’t always punching the problem in the face or throwing it into the sun, but that sometimes heroism is simply listening, learning, and accepting.

Jamal Campbell’s artwork in this issue – his first for Supergirl – is phenomenal. There’s an expressiveness to his figures and faces that cause the characters to leap off the page, and he possesses that all-too-rare ability to give each of the characters unique, distinguishable facial features. Little details like Ben’s glasses slipping off of his face when he first meets Lee to Lee’s body language when they first come out to Supergirl, to the changing expressions on Chuck’s face when Lee verbally stands up to him are rendered incredibly well. The colors in this issue are bright and crisp, with a naturalness so that much of the world feels grounded and real. It was a smart decision, having most of the characters in the issue in clothes that were either neutral in tone, or realistically muted, like Mrs. Serrano’s pale yellow-orange shirt. It really allows Supergirl to pop on the page whenever she’s there in her red and blue. Campbell’s work has been brilliant on everything he’s done for DC so far, whether it’s the Vixen one-shot for Justice League, Nightwing, or Green Arrow, and he’s definitely someone I can’t wait to see more work from.

It truly is saddening that this is the penultimate issue of Steve Orlando’s Supergirl run because it’s been a fantastic read with a wonderful exploration of who Supergirl is and where she fits into the world. It’s doubly saddening because what this might mean for new supporting characters like Ben and Lee is left up in the air, and these are definitely characters that help flesh out Supergirl’s world in a vibrant, realistic way.

Rating: 10/10

Final Thoughts: This is an incredible, well-written, well-crafted installment that puts the emphasis on compassion and acceptance while showing that not all heroics are about heat-vision and super-punches. It’s possibly one of the best single-issue stories that any of the Big Two will put out this year, and its well-worth a read.

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REVIEW: While trying to figure out how he feels about Supergirl as a hero, Ben Rubel meets Lee Serrano, a non-binary teenager, who shares a story about how Supergirl positively impacted their life. While trying to figure out how he feels about Supergirl as a hero, Ben Rubel meets Lee Serrano, a non-binary teenager, who shares a story about how Supergirl positively impacted their life.