#traumatized widows club

[lazysoulwriter]

mourning through joel - pedro pascal.

I got a few requests for this same situation, so here it is! - for all of joel miller's widows.

---

You were not okay.

Tears streamed down your face, hot and aggressive, as you sat hunched under a blanket like a dramatic Victorian widow. The screen had gone dark a minute ago, credits rolling silently, and yet you hadn't moved. Not an inch.

Pedro’s voice came gently from behind the couch. “Bebita?”

You sniffled. “Don’t talk to me.”

He paused. “Is this about—?”

“Joel’s dead, Pedro. He’s dead,” you wailed, voice cracking like it was your own father who just got beaten to death by a golf club. “And it wasn’t even dignified!”

Pedro slowly came around, kneeling in front of you like he was approaching a wounded animal. “I know, cariño. It was rough.”

You stared at him, bottom lip trembling, tears pooling in your lashes. “He deserved a second chance.”

“I agree,” Pedro said, nodding solemnly.

You pushed the blanket off your face just enough to breathe dramatically. “Like—to have a family. A real one.”

“Yeah.”

“Kids.”

“Totally.”

“A dog. A retirement plan.”

Pedro smiled, soft and amused. “Sure.”

You inhaled like you were about to make a groundbreaking point. “To get laid, Pedro.”

He blinked. “Pardon?”

“To. Get. Laid.” You grabbed a tissue like it was a dagger, wiping at your snot with flair. “He was a sad, traumatized DILF with a heart of gold. And he never even got laid in peace!”

Pedro covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. “I mean—he and Tess—”

“She didn’t count! That wasn’t post-character development Joel! That was pre-tenderness Joel! The world owed him some cathartic post-trauma sex!”

Pedro lost it, finally letting out a laugh as he sank to sit on the floor beside your feet. “You’re really grieving, huh?”

“I’m inconsolable.”

He leaned his head on your knee and looked up at you, his hand finding yours under the blanket. “If it makes you feel better… I’m right here. Alive. Very real. And very, very down to fulfill any…uh, DILF-based fantasy needs.”

You hiccuped a laugh through your tears. “You’re so annoying.”

“Also, pretty sure Joel would want you to stop crying and maybe, like, make out with me a little in his honor.”

You gave him a deadpan look. “Pedro, I’m in mourning.”

“You said it yourself—he deserved to get laid.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “We could make it symbolic.”

You let out a short, choked giggle that turned into another sob. “God, I love you so much, it’s stupid.”

He brought your knuckles to his lips, kissing them gently. “I know, cariño. I love you too. Even when you're snot-crying over fictional versions of me.”

---

[fictionfromthevoid]

Bucky Barnes x ex-red-room-agent! reader headcanons:

A/N: Some of my thoughts about how it would be like if Bucky dated an ex-red-room agent because I think it would really fit. I might write a part 2 that plays during the events of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier when I have rewatched the show. Because it's been a while since I've last seen it.

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

like Natasha you grew up in the red room as part of the black widow program

after a failed mission you got captured by SHIELD, Natasha convinced you to join SHIELD

you meet Bucky a few months before the beginning of the events of The Falcon and the Winter soldier

You meet when you both run to help some kids who where being robbed by a gang or something like that

You both are intrigued by each other's combat skills, both asking each other about it and receiving the same answer "long story I'd rather not tell"

You invited him for a drink at a nearby bar that night and you two had a great time talking and laughing and silently agreeing to not ask about each other's past. At the end of the evening, you exchange numbers

You are the one to ask him out first. Which is fortunate, because he wouldn't have done it. Even tho he liked you he was still too insecure and felt like he didn't deserve something like romance at the moment.

You had not much experience with dates that weren't set up for a spying mission or an assassination, so you two simply got drinks at the same bar again.

After that, he took you on a lot of old-school 40s-like dates.

Walks in the park, 'going dancing' where he realised that clubs are vastly different now than what he remembered

when you were out one evening it started raining horribly and since you were close to Bucky's flat you two sought shelter from the weather there.

He made the both of you tea and you sat on the floor (he didn't have much furniture) and spent the night talking. That's the first time you tell each other about your past.

You realise that you have a lot in common.

You both are so happy to finally have found someone who understands again.

He lost Steve, you lost Natasha - you both lost the only people who could understand your life

You spend the whole night talking until you both fall asleep on his living room floor.

This is also the first time you see him having a nightmare.

You talk it out and comfort him. He falls asleep again in your arms.

Not long after that, you make your relationship official

He asks you, all 40s style, with flowers and all, to be his girlfriend. You think it's incredibly cute but also incredibly funny and you might laugh at him a little

when his past is haunting him, or when he has had an especially bad nightmare he calls you. You either come over and comfort him or you talk it out over the phone.

You teach him about your culture and introduce him to the Russian community in New York, where you live.Even though your childhood in the red room was traumatic, you are still Russian, and you still think your culture is beautiful, regardless of the government.

When you find out that he speaks Russian you are thrilled

Because speaking to the person you love in your native language is just a lot more intimate. English will never touch your heart as much as your mother tongue does.

You start speaking in Russian more often. Soon you two mix the languages

He will ask something in English, you answer in Russian or you start a sentence in English and finish it in Russian

When other people hear you speak they are always VERY confused

But you two think it's amazing that you can communicate in both your native languages

You are the one who convinces Bucky to go to therapy

In the beginning, you accompany him to the sessions since he doesn't feel comfortable talking to anyone but you about his problems

But slowly he trusts his therapist more and more until he eventually doesn't need you there anymore

You still often drive him there and pick him up, since a therapy session can sometimes leave you feeling pretty shattered

[crossover-enthusiast]

EXPLAIN YOUR CULT IDEAS AS MUCH AS YOU'D LIKE MY DEAR FRIEND

-📺 (ceaarl/gang-with-hatz)

YAYYYY THANK YOU SO MUCH @gang-with-hatz

(under cut bc. This got really long)

Okay so I already made a post about my ex-cultist Mr. Wonder theory so I won't go into that here, HOWEVER-

I'm going to ramble about this specifically because guys. Guys you're missing the prime angst with John's wife guys-

First I'm gonna get Actor out of the way tho

This one is mostly on vibes + clothes, plus him being the only character in SM 1 to not have any sort of major significance as of yet. Also him being a movie star goes with a lot of the cult having jobs/occupations related to things kids like, if Actor's in the cult his movies are prolly meant to target the older teens/adults instead

Also his eyes do the funny when he gets spooked by Ooga Booga in the first episode

Like genuinely Why Is He Built Like That

OKAY NOW ONTO JOHN'S WIFE

John and Lila have a lot of parallels: traumatized widows with a single child. Hope is dead, and John blames himself. Skid has frequently brushed with death in part due to Lila's irresponsibility. They both have a friend who's dumb and reckless but ultimately cares about them

So logically, this would mean that Lila's husband and John's wife would also have parallels, and if Skiddad's part of the cult, then...

I will absolutely admit this was just a silly crack theory/AU-- until I saw her photo from the ARG. It's just incredibly striking to me that the first photo we see of John's wife, the first acknowledgement of her period, has her with her eyes out of frame, not visible, just like Skid's dad. Her clothes, too, a cyan jacket with a dark green shirt and gold hairbands. It just screams cult to me

I'm not saying she was like, the cult's co-leader or anything, but I think she's involved, somehow. Imagine the absolute crushing irony there too, that John has spent so long trying to find out and stop the people that have taken his daughter, his home, his life away from him, only to find that his beloved wife was one of them. That'd just be soul crushing.

Also while I'm yapping I want to briefly touch upon Rick and Frank since I included them here too

I don't think Frank's in the cult. His literal entire thing basically goes against the cult since he actually gives the kids back... eventually. HOWEVER, I've been really warming up to the "undead Frank" theory, particularly the idea that the cult revived him ala Frankenstein's Monster to use him for their own purposes, but Frank still had his own mind (either metaphorically or literally) and fucked off because he didn't want any part of it (I would also like to thank @nonbinaryshotgunman for giving me that idea)

TLDR: he knows the cult exists, but doesn't know the members or what they want

Now for Rick... genuinely there's two ways I see it: either the comedic route where he joins the cult in the last episode as a "job", or the more serious/character focused route where he's a former cultist, and his depression and apathy stem from his time in it

I've just been thinking about it and like. He's worked for Evermore. He's worked at the Candy Club, which we now know is owned by the Candy Dealer. He's worked at the mall, which is a hotspot to sell Happy Fellas, which may or may not be connected to the cult. The only job Rick's had in the show itself so far that is 100% not connected to the cult is when he worked at the theater, and Radford more than likely helped get him hired

Somehow someway Rick keeps getting jobs that are in some way connected to the cult. I feel like it has to mean something. Plus again, main associated color is red, cult colors. Something I also find super interesting is that his toy counterpart in the SM 4 credits has gold rims on his shirt, which aren't actually there in his normal/casual outfit, implying his original design had them at one point but this got changed sometime before the TT merch ad

Okay I'm done yapping (for now). Thank you again SO so much I LOVE just talking about theory shit

[beekeaper]

CBS WATSON THOUGHTS

First things first: I decided not to read any other people's opinions about the show until I formed my own

Some theories to check out after the first episode and the rest of the season for me to have some fun with:

Some considerations:

- From the same producer of Elementary:

This is a guarantee that Watson is in good hands. Elementary has the best-written version of Watson, Lucy Liu's Watson is not an extension of Holmes or an accessory to the narrative, she has her own individual plot, she is a detective as capable and good as Holmes, they complement each other, orbit each other, the Holmes & Watson dynamics in Elementary is beautiful, the companionship, friendship, trust and love between them (CANON). THE BEST

CSB will have an excellent new Watson for sure.

In defense of Elementary

In the trailer, we can already see Watson's kindness, care and empathy, as well as his determination. How dear he is to his patients and his team. Very in canon.

- a medical show:

Both Doyle and Joseph Bell were doctors, so if the show is going to focus on the medical aspect, it still makes sense. As valid as it is to compare it to House, H&W "in real life" were doctors, so it's okay if they're not detectives. (X)

Theories and speculation:

- Holmes is a doctor.

The clinic is named after him. Like House, he was a “Diagnostician”, he will be more like Dr Joseph Bell who occasionally, being a doctor, sometimes was consulted by the police on some cases. My bet would be that Holmes was also a doctor, and had some cases with the police as well, more in a forensic way.

- The Irregulars

Just like in House, Watson has his own team. Would they be Dr. Watson's Irregulars? One of them may be Wiggins

- Watson wrote a few books

I don't think this was the first one Watson wrote.

It's either fictional or it's Holmes' medical cases, assuming he was a doctor.

- The Fall

Watson jumped after Holmes into the waterfall. I believe he is the first Watson to do so.

Either Holmes really died and Watson will find him in the water OR there is no body and it will be Watson's main plot throughout the show whether Holmes died or not.

Characters

Diogenes Club? Is Mycroft a woman in this version?

The old man wearing the beret (?) appears a second time in the trailer, with Watson. They smile and talk. And who else would wear such a specific kind of HAT if not Holmes himself?

I can't see shit but I think it's a beret, or this old man it's Holmes or Moriarty.

Moriarty will also have a part in the plot, based on his point of view of what happened. (X)

Need it? No. If it is a medical plot, it could place Milverton as Holmes' enemy.

Doyle wrote Moriarty in the story to kill Holmes, it's not like it was something super developed. Did he traumatize H&W? Yes, but there are more interesting criminals to explore and be used as Holmes' enemies. I'm tired of Moriarty

In the book, Holmes says that the type of criminal he hates the most are blackmailers; CAM traumatized the hell of BBC Sherlock and the public (me), is one of Granada Holmes' best films, and can be use in the subtext to explore various aspects of the canon and theories.

Elementary failed a lot with Moriarty, probably because CBS couldn't afford Natalie Dormer, but despite that, we had a replacement for Moriarty who was Odin Reichenbach, who served blackmail, betrayal, conspiracy, threats and almost destroyed Holmes and Watson's reputation. Maybe the new Moriarty will be really good this time.

Maybe Moriarty is also a doctor, or who knows he runs the pharmaceutical industry.

Other considerations:

At first I thought it would be a classic "we are not going to see Holmes’s face or hear his voice until the very end" but after watching the trailer again, I'm going to bet on flashbacks. Even though it's the best adaptation of all, it's going to be hard to sell the series without Holmes appearing at least sometimes. But also, no need to be like CW Arrow

Delusional me:

THEY WERE MARRIED, WATSON IS A WIDOWER, Mary is just a friend, and I hope they are not absurd cases like House. 🕯️

[winchestergirl2]

December Reading Recs

Thank you to all the incredible writers here on tumblr, who provide us with these fantastic stories and thank you to everyone who interacts with these fic recs posts to help spread the love for these writers.

Happy New Year everyone, and happy reading!

To show some love and appreciation to all the amazing writers here on tumblr, here are all the fantastic fics I've read this month. 💖

Many of these fics and blogs are 18+ only, and NSFW please heed the author's individual fic warnings and requests regarding no minors. I am not responsible for your media consumption.

2023 Reading Rec List

Supernatural

Sam Winchester

Take Me Back Series Chapter 3 | Epilogue | @kaleldobrev

Authors Summary: After making a deal to bring you back, Sam doesn't see you until years later when your paths cross during a case

The Widow Timestamp: I Love You @pink-sparkly-witch

Authors Summary: Sam tells Y/N that he loves her for the first time. This is basically PWP.

The Widow Timestamp: Marry Me? @pink-sparkly-witch

Authors Summary: It’s almost Christmas, and Sam has an important question to ask you.

A Blacksmiths Hands @sams-sass

Fall For You @justagirlinafandomworld

Authors Summary: You don’t always go flying through the air. But when you do, there is one Winchester who is always there to catch you. Or. A series of times you and Sam fell over each other. And Dean’s there.

Imagine Walking Your Dog With Sam @imagineteamfreewill

Dean Winchester

Smoke Eater Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | @zepskies

Authors Summary: Dean Winchester is the cocky, but well-respected Lieutenant at Firehouse 25. He leads by example, but he’s also known to break a few hearts. He’s starting to crave something he’s never had, though. Something stable. Something real. 

That’s when he meets you, on a truly terrible day, trapped in a rickety old elevator.   

The One That Got Away Epilogue @pink-sparkly-witch

Authors Summary: Childhood sweethearts, Dean and Y/N, are very much in love with each other. When she accepts a full scholarship to an out-of-state college, she finally gets to leave behind her traumatic childhood and abusive father, but it means leaving Dean behind too.

Over a decade later, Y/N returns to Lawrence, Kansas, and finally tries to heal the only wounds she has left… the psychological and emotional scars her father gave her and the heartbreak she endured by Dean Winchester, the one that got away.

Just Thought You Should Know @smellingofpoetry

Authors Summary: It was just one of those drunk calls until it wasn't anymore.

Christmas Boredom @soaringeag1e

Screw Consciousness @kaleldobrev

Authors Summary: Taking a nap with Dean after a long drive

Strangers @smellingofpoetry

Authors Summary: They were just two strangers, dancing in the middle of a club.

10 Inch Hero

Boaz Priestly

Black and Blue @lipstickandwhiskey

Authors Summary: You can’t help your feelings for your friend, but maybe some jerk will give you a push in the right direction?

Pondering Fate While Ignoring The Obvious @impala-dreamer

Authors Summary: Priestly has got it so bad for Tish that he can barely see past the end of her... well, her back end, anyway. He's love sick and forever rejected, constantly stuck inside his own head. When a new girl in town starts messing with him, he quickly loses his cool...

Unique and Brightly - Colored @crashdevlin

Authors Summary: You don't like Priestly's new look and you really don't like the reasoning behind it.

Smallville

Jason Teague

Miss Professor @zepskies

Authors Summary: Jason has to make a decision. You, or Lana Lang.

The Boys

Soldier Boy

Memories Are All I Have @kaleldobrev

Authors Summary: You’re all Ben thinks about while he’s in Russia

From Russia With Love @kaleldobrev

Authors Summary: You’re the first person Ben goes to see after escaping from Russia

House

Robert Chase

Kiss and Tell @iwritefandomimagines

Authors Summary: after endless mutual pining, you and chase finally hooked up over the weekend. you agreed to keep it a secret while you figured things out, but it doesn’t last long with the team around.

Dark Angel

Alec Mcdowell

Not So Lonely Christmas @daughterofcain-67

Authors Summary: You’re beginning to grow accustomed to doing things by yourself now that you’ve moved away from family, but your friends at Jam Pony seem to forget that Christmases after moving to a brand new area can often result in being alone during the holiday season… and Alec won’t stand for it.

Bullseye @zepskies

Authors Summary: Alec’s tired of being ignored. Whatever you’re reading can’t be as interesting as his company, now could it?

Chicago Fire

Matt Casey

Untitled Imagine @deanstead

Authors Summary: Imagine: Matt looking for his captain jacket and finding it on you

Any Fandom

Unamed Male (Choose your own)

Midnight @kittenofdoomage

Authors Summary: New Year’s Eve brings a surprise at the end of a crappy year.

[mermaidsirennikita]

they're doing a trans rights readathon over on IG 3/21-3/31

so here are a few quick recs for books I've loved starring trans + nb leads! not as many as I'd like, but I figured I'd offer

to be clear, I am a cis woman, and I apologize if any of these miss the marks in terms of representation; several of these authors are openly trans or otherwise nonbinbary, but I don't want to imply there is a monolith at work here

A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander, trans hero, m/m. Historical Romance. An eccentric nobleman finds out he has to marry (a woman) by his birthday or lose his estate; he hires a proper, starchy valet, only to find that he is very, very into said proper, starchy valet.

Chef's Choice by TJ Alexander. Contemporary romance, t4t m/f. A trans woman loses her job, then gets offered an opportunity by the heir to a megarich French family of culinary legends: He'll pay her a looot of money if she pretends to be his girlfriend as he accomplishes his family's esoteric generational cooking challenge. Much food, much FRAAANCH, much snarking until they fall in loooove.

Triple Sec by TJ Alexander. Contemporary romance, poly triad nb/f/f. A recently heartbroken bartender gets asked out by a hot lawyer lady, only to find out that hot lawyer lady is poly and has an open marriage with her aloof, artistic (hot) spouse. What begins as a hinge situation gets more complicated when our bartender realizes she... may also.... be into her new girlfriend's wife.

For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes. Contemporary romance, trans heroine, m/f. An experienced kinkster hooks up with a man she meets at the local club, only to find out the next day that he's the new higher up at her company...

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall. Historical romance, nb4nb. A genderfluid bon vivant get roped into helping her ex capture the attention of the hot new castrato soprano in town... only for said soprano to be much more into our lead than her ex.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. Historical romance, trans heroine, m/f. Years after faking her death at the Battle of Waterloo to live as her true self, a woman ends up coming back into contact with her old best friend, now a traumatized shadow of himself, and he doesn't recognize her... at first.

Rules for Ghosting by Shelly Jay Shore. Light paranormal romance, trans hero, m/m. A doula who can see ghosts gets summoned to work at his family's funeral home again after his mom leaves his dad for a friend. His flirtationship with a hot funeral home volunteer/neighbor is complicated by the fact that one of the ghosts he sees happens to be his new crush's dead husband.

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian. Historical romance, nb/m. A marquess finds out that his new friend—who he's incredibly attracted to—is not the man he thinks he is... or a man at all. Not exactly, at least. And that's just the beginning.

The Prospects by KT Hoffman. Contemporary romance, trans hero, m/m. The first openly trans player in the Minor Leagues gets thrown off his game when he has to play against a former friend who fell off the face of the earth when he blew up. But you know what happens when rivals are cute...

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. Contemporary romance, nb/m. A sommelier ends up on the same European food and wine tour as their ex, which leads to a "haha it's fine we're so over it now" bet in which they compete to see who can hook up with the most people over the course of the tour.

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa. Historical YA romance, trans hero, m/m. A YA retelling of Pride and Prejudice in which Oliver Bennet must deal with (on top of his ordeal of having to dress like a woman) the fact that snarky Darcy is the absolute WORST. Or... is he...?

A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell. Historical romance, trans hero, m/f. A botanist widow ends up in a long-distance bicycle race alongside a rakish former artist who really isn't the commitment type.... but boy is he hot!

His Valet by S.M. LaViolette. Historical erotic romance, nb/m. After years of being infatuated with her master, a valet goes undercover as a lady in order to conduct a "get it out of our systems" affair. Which turns out to be even more complicated than it sounds, somehow.

[edgyandoverzealous]

MCU Watchthrough Masterlist

The beautiful @kittypryde2013 was getting me, into the mcu, we're going through in chronological order, so no spoilers please! Also spoilers for following rated shows/movies below the cut. I know the media is hella old still "">_< Also this is my rating/line up of it so far!

Characters Rankings :

1. Steve Rodgers (My husbanddd)

2. Vision

3. Black Widow (my wife <33)

4. Wanda

5. Falcon

6. Hawkeye

7. Tony (Iron Man)

8. Daredevil (Also my husband)

9. Nick Fury

10. War Machine

11. Thor

12. Gamora

13. Rocket

14. Star Lord

15. Drax

16. Groot

17. Hulk

18. Captain Marvel <we'll get to her later

Movie Tier-List

S tier: the best of the club

- Captain America 1st avenger

< amazing loved everything about it

- Iron Man

< I love seeing a rich man humbled and thrown around to do good, rip cave inventer man I loved you and cried like a baby

- Iron Man 3

< Tony gets cucked and again I love watching Tony get thrown around he's a pathetic Lil guy and I love him. Plus he momentarily father's a child around Christmas, and gives him hella gifts. Ptsd, as someone with diagnosed cpstd, is bad, poor dude I'm sorry, and I feel like it was good representation. PLUS PEPPER IS A CERTIFIED BADASS and there's robot on robot on robot fighting action. It's frankly a masterpiece.

- a funny thing happened on the way to thors hammer

>It was Phil being Phil I love Phil and I'd have his babies

- Captain America winter soldier

<will have own separate rant)

- Guardians of the galaxy vol 2

<Yondu's death always makes me cry like a fucking baby.

A tier: a good superhero movie

- The Avengers

< they somehow messed up black widows and captain America's character a little bit, but I'll excuse it cause 1) loki was there 2) Tony stark got run through the wringer and I genuinely love seeing him thrown around like a ragdoll. It's adorable and amusing. 3) it was genuinely so good and Hulk was recast and now bearable. But as my gf says 'They're all white I guess'

- The consultant

<Tony was sent in to purposefully fumbled a deal

- Iron Man 2

< realy good brother was going through the wringer in comes War Machine! Woo!

- Guardians of the Galaxy

<was alright I forgot how bi coded starlord is which is funny because Chris Pratt is kinda walking garbage. Also it was very sweet and heroic of Srarlord to save Gamora.

- Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D S1

<will have own separate rant

- Daredevil S1

<will have own separate rant

B tier : mediocre but still willing to watch again

- All Hail the King

< Actor pretending to be a terrorist leader gets jailbreaked, kidnapped, and brought to actual terrorist leader. It was interesting and funny in a ironic kinda way.

- Avengers: Age of Ultron

< not as good as Winter soldier or the last Avengers movie. Tony and Bruce? creates an AI Ultron who is his daddy's son to be fair. Weird Bruce/Natasha thing that apparently ended just as abruptly as it began. Natasha's writing was wack and there was plausible reference to her being a monster for not being able to have children which is crazy... Wanda and Pietro (rip) are introduced properly, adored their dynamic. Unfortunately everyone was super weird to this 16 year old kids who were hella experimented on and traumatized their whole life. Vision is also introduced and I love him and his pure curiosity to the world around him and his quippy personality.

C tier: mediocre but good-ish wouldn't watch again tho

- Thor

<not a fan of cosmic plot lines, and had somewhat l boring side plots.

- Thor: A Dark World

<not a fan of cosmic plot lines but hey there's loki and brotherly bonding over being mama boys occurs and it's kinda sweet and humanized loki. I was bitter after Coulson's death and I hated the crazy Scientist that ran nakedness through stonehedge for being alive. Also the side plot of this movie was awful and horrendously boring imo.

D tier: fuck you in particular (fails as a movie big time)

- Captain Marvel

< own separate post is up, my beloathed, captain marvel

- Item 47

<boring plus main character in it is a nazi.

F tier: would have rather been at work

- The incredible hulk (nothing incredible about it, made me the incredible sulk)

<was like watching wet peices of cardboard interact.

[lirational]

Who's the local folklore? 🤔

Slight rant under the cut

I don’t know whether a version of this that is familiar to my primarily English-speaking followers exist, but basically, where I live, there is a certain folklore taught in 90% of local language classes for elementary schoolers.

The gist of it is:

Once upon a time, there lived a boy and a widowed mother in a village. They are poor, but they are happy.

One day, the boy, as a grown-up, asked whether he can go to the city to change their fortunes. For years upon years, there were no letters. Fast forward to the future, the mother is now elderly. She heard of a merchant ship coming to their little village, and she went to the harbor, hoping this time, her son was in it.

The son was, but for some reason, rejected the mother with harsh words until she cries. The mother was furious, and cursed the son, turning him into a rock.

The TLDR moral is: don’t be an asshole. However, this particular traumatizing folklore is usually used as a threat (religious country things, welp) for when a child is doing something that is not bad, but their parents personally disapprove, such as refusing to be their piggy bank in the future, refusing to change their dream job to something their personally like, and so on, often comparing themselves to the oh so slighted mother in the story above despite, hey, they’re not a 10/10 parent objectively.

TLDR: local folklore taught to most people at elementary school grade is often used as a psychological club by certain types of parents.

[up-risingrp]

Timeline

1831 - Sebastian Shaw forms the Hellfire Club as a way to keep mutant property and ideals aligned

1931 - Dr. Abraham Erskine begins experimentation to create a super soldier for the United States Military

1940 - Howard Stark forms Stark Industries and aligns himself with the US Military for the Second World War.

1943 - Steve Rogers is injected with the super soldier serum

1945 - Steve Rogers and the Howling Commandos take out Johann Schmidt. James Barnes is lost during the fight. He is saved by HYDRA and experimented on to create the Winter Soldier

1949 - Howard Stark and Peggy Carter launch the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics division (SHIELD). They are unaware that former Nazi spies infiltrate SHIELD to form a secret second division of HYDRA within the division

1961 - Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr are brought together by the FBI with the influence of the Hellfire Club to bring a team of mutants together and protect the world from the potential of a new world war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Charles becomes paralyzed during the Bay of Pigs.

1963 - John F. Kennedy is assassinated. It is rumored that a mutant was the cause of it and Erik Lehnsherr is arrested and held at the Pentagon. This is considered the first major incident of a mutant being held by the US military and sparks underground discussions on the dangers of metahuman kind. 

1973 - Charles Xavier, Logan Howlett, and Hank McCoy break Erik Lehnsherr out of the Pentagon in order to keep Raven Darkholme from assassinating Boliver Trask, one of the main champions of Registration laws being drafted. They stop Raven from her assassination attempt.

1982 - Charles Xavier starts the Xavier’s Institute for Gifted Youngsters. It is not well known for many years, usually acting as a safe haven for mutants who are pushed out of their work or home life.

1991 - Howard and Maria Stark are assassinated by the Winter Soldier

1992 - Tony Stark inherits Stark Industries, led by Obidiah Stane until Tony is old enough to run it himself. Stark Industries heavily shifts towards machine weaponry under Stane’s leadership.

1995 - Nick Fury begins drafting what will later become the Avengers Initiative

1997 - After a traumatic event, Jean Grey is brought to the Institute and becomes Xavier’s youngest student and starts the push to rescue younger mutants from their home lives.

2005 - During an experiment with the bio-tech enhancement force of the US military, gamma radiation turns Bruce Banner into the Hulk leading him to disappearing to avoid being turned into a weapon

2006 - After a surge of her powers, Amara Acquilla creates an island off the coast of Africa. She names it Genosha and claims it for mutant kind. Thanks to many other mutant help, the island becomes inhabited by mutants looking for a safe place and becomes the new headquarters of the Hellfire Club.

2007 - Following the horrific deaths of his wife and child in Poland, Erik Lehsherr moves to Genosha and starts the Brotherhood. Meant as a group of mutants against the humans becoming involved with mutant control

2008 - The X-men are first brought together by Charles Xavier. He cities the need for an undercover group of mutants sent on missions to bring other mutants to safety. The original team includes Warren Worthington III, Jean Grey, Scott Summers, Hank McCoy, and Bobby Drake. 

2010 - Following a mission, Natasha Romanova is deprogrammed through the help of Clint Barton. She leaves the secret Russian program of the Widows to join SHIELD as the Black Widow

2012 - During a weapons demonstration, Tony Stark is captured by the Ten Rings and during his captivity creates the first Iron Man suit to escape. When arriving home to Malibu, he begins to work on a more high tech version and starts to hunt down his weapons in the hands of the enemy. At a press conference following Obidiah Stane’s attack, he outs himself as Iron Man 

2013 - The House of Congress drafts the first bill outlining the need for regulation of metahumans and human bodysuit weaponry technology. The Iron Man suit is included in this bill. The bill dies on the House floor.

2014 - Thor, prince of Asgard is sentenced to Earth and stripped of his powers by his father, Odin. The Asgardian technology, the Destroyer is sent by his brother Loki to attempt his destruction when he regains his powers.

2015 - Steve Roger’s frozen body is found in the Atlantic Ocean and brought back to SHIELD headquarters. When realizing he is not in the right place, he finds out that over 70 years have passed since he went down to stop the Tesseract from being stolen.

2016 - SHIELD begins experimentation with the Tesseract following the events of Thor and the Asgardian technology.

2017 - The Avengers Initiative is invoked after the Tesseract begins to become unstable from experimentation. A portal is opened creating the ability for alien invaders to attack New York City. The Avengers including Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, and the appearance of Thor manage to save New York City with Tony Stark flying a deadly missile through the portal and seeing what lies beyond Earth.

During this battle, Charles Xavier forbids the X-men from intervening as SHIELD has looked the other way when it comes to mutant activity and is concerned that should they become involved and allow the general public see their powers, they will not be looked at favorably. This causes rifts in the X-Men as well as mutant kind in general.

The Department of Damage Control (DODC) is created in order to help clean up the mess left behind after the Battle of New York, a jointly funded project between Stark Industries and the United States Government.

2018 - Talks of Registration spark up once again in Congress and many laws are drafted on the need for regulation of metahumans. All laws die on the floor of the House and Senate.

2020 - For years following the Battle of New York, Tony Stark has been working on an Artificial Intelligence that would serve as a shield around the Earth. When the AI goes off the tracks, Ultron is created. 

The Avengers assemble again including the new recruits of Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, and Sam Wilson. With this group, and the eventual defection of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, they are able to destroy Ultron but not without destroying Sokovia as well. During the fighting, Pietro is killed while saving Clint Barton.

Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, and Victor von Doom leave on a SHIELD-sanctioned trip to space prior to the events of Ultron.

2021 - Following the events of Ultron, emergency action is taken and the first Registration Law is passed. This requires all metahumans to enter into a database with their powers noted. Bodysuit weaponry is heavily monitored and is strictly forbidden except for the permission granted by the US military. 

SHIELD is effectively shut down due to their involvement with Ultron and metahumans. The DODC takes up the duties of enforcing the Registration laws and absorbs many of the former SHIELD agents.

The Metahuman Advisory Council or MAC is formed after the legislation passes as a way to give insight to Congress about metahuman rights and abilities. The original members of MAC include Charles Xavier, Reed Richards, Steve Rogers, Hank McCoy, and Emma Frost. 

On the other side of the world on Genosha, the Metahuman Alliance of the State of Humanity (MASH) is formed spearheaded by Erik Lehnsherr with other members including Warren Worthington III, Amara Aquilla, Sebastian Shaw, and the unlikely appearance of Natasha Romanoff.

Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm return from space after being hit with a cosmic storm. Their spacecraft crashes, and the four are picked up by the DODC for further studies. Victor von Doom is assumed dead, but a body was ever recovered.

2022 - On top of congressional and military restrictions on the use of metahuman powers, registration laws are passed requiring minors to be registered. Charles Xavier offers to take on the mutants whose abilities are considered dangerous, making the executive decision that all mutants living on in the Institute will register without complaint. Tension mounts amongst its residents and the remaining X-Men. 

Natasha Romanoff finds Yelena Belova. She manages to deprogram Yelena. They are the only two living widows outside of General Dreykov’s direct control.

2023 - Justin Hammer and Aldrich Killian have joined forces to create weaponry for the DODC to use against metahumans. There have been whispers that one of them is building on Trask’s old work on the Sentinel program. Those whispers also include William Stryker’s name.

Scott Summers has left the X-Men and moved to Genosha to create his own group of X-Men for those not interested in following Charles Xavier blindly. Jean Grey has stepped up to run the Institute while Charles works with Congress.

The Avengers are currently in shambles with some for the Registration laws and others vehemently against.

Illegal street teams are starting up, people are fighting back against the Registration laws even though to be caught would mean being branded as a metahuman.

[daydreamerdrew]

Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

Black Widow: Pale Little Spider (2002) #1-3

These issues were published across April 2002 to June 2002, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were written by Greg Rucka, drawn by Igor Kordej, and colored by Chris Chuckry.

This series starred Yelena Belova and, while she’s referenced as Yelena compares herself to her, Natasha Romanoff does not make an appearance in it. Very little has been established about the Red Room at this point so I was surprised by how this story went directly to making what would be sexual undertones to these kinds of female spies very overt. The story is based around Yelena investigating the murder of her mentor and father figure who had trained her since she was 15. That he had been killed at a sex club is really uncomfortable for her and she’s unable to hide her disgust, but she perseveres in maintaining her image of him as a great man. Then she learns that the reason he visited the sex club was to be hurt by and then get to fuck a woman he had pretend to be her. While this recontextualizes some of her memories of him, she still tries really hard to do right by him. I honestly felt bad for her. Her prudish nature is tested as she’s exposed to some very extreme things, all of which repulses her. When asked if she’s a lesbian she says, “I’m not… anything.” The climax of the story is her fighting and ultimately killing without hesitation the woman who was pretending to be her, who had gotten too far into the role and thought that she deserved to be called the Black Widow. This culminates in Yelena accepting that she is the Black Widow when she’d began the story thinking that she wasn’t because she hadn’t quite reached the marks achieved by Natasha. This is signified by her wearing her Black Widow spy outfit, which is tight black leather pants and a crop top, all of the time rather than the bulkier and weather or setting-appropriate clothing she’d been wearing when she wasn’t active as the Black Widow before. This also culminates in her superiors thinking that she’s fit to be considered the Black Widow as it turns out they orchestrated the whole thing as a test. The book ends on the note of them acknowledging that she’d be upset if she ever found out they’d manipulated her, but that it was no matter because they could always make another Black Widow.

I thought that it was interesting that this followed-up Black Widow (2001), which was co-written by Rucka, another story where Yelena fought someone who looked like her. That story had had Natasha kidnap Yelena and have them both undergo plastic surgery to look like each other to teach Yelena a lesson about them both being tools to be used, which Yelena was intensely disturbed by and called a rape and her soul being stolen. Something about the situation that particularly upset her was that Daredevil pretended that they’d had sex together as part of the scheme. Even being kissed by him before the insinuation that they’d had sex was really upsetting. Also, the first and final scenes of that series were Yelena ignoring a call from her mother trying to set her up with a man.

Wolverine: The Origin (2001) #1-6

These issues were published across September 2001 to May 2002, according to the Marvel Wiki. All were plotted by Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas, and Joe Quesada and scripted by Paul Jenkins. All were penciled by Andy Kubert. There was no inker, instead digital colors by Richard Isanove were applied directly to the penciled artwork.

This was one self-contained story that covered Logan’s adolescence. He gets his claws at the end of issue #2 and becomes a loner at the end of issue #6. I was particularly intrigued by the approach to Logan’s memory and what is instinctive to him. The circumstances that prompted the change in him were traumatic and afterwards he’s not immediately confused, but then he doesn’t recognize a friend he’s known for years. He’s also distracted by his enhanced senses and thinks that what’s happened was only a bad dream. Then he doesn’t like being out in the cold and wants to go back home, not remembering why he can’t. After that point he speaks very little and is described as that he “seems unaware of where we’re going, what’s happening, or even who he is.” Later it’s said: “He seems so distant.. as if he’s trying to understand what’s happened to him, and yet block his memories of it at the same time. Could it be that his mind has been injured as a result of what happened to his poor, dear father? I wonder if his brain is trying to heal in the same extraordinary way his body does.” It’s revealed in issue #6 that he had such a little understanding of what had happened that he thought he was the one who killed his father.

In issue #4 Logan successfully hunts a deer despite not ever having been taught how, describing it as “an urge.” It’s speculated: “You burn with a desire to be someone other than yourself. Is it because of what’s happened to your body, I wonder? Or is it something more.. have you truly forgotten who you once were?” Prior to developing his mutation Logan was a particularly frail and inept child. When Logan changed his mother says, “You are not my son! You’re a monster… an animal!” His grandfather says, “This beast remains connected by blood, much as it pains me to imagine it. But I shun the revolting thing as I would shun a rabid animal.” A character sympathetic to him says that he’s “something more and something less than human.” In issue #5 Logan is depicted hunting a dear with a pack of wolves. He’s said to disappear in the mountains with them for days at a time. There’s a scene of him looking wistfully out a window at the wilderness. This is described as that “he goes to be with his other self” and the conclusion is that “there’s a dreadful creature inside that boy, just waiting to show its face to the world.”

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #258-259

Within the main The Incredible Hulk book I went from January 1981 to February 1981, according to the Marvel Wiki. Both issues were written by Bill Mantlo and penciled by Sal Buscema. Steve Grant assisted with the plot of issue #258.

Colonel Glenn Talbot, who’d gone rogue in issue #257 with a giant robot called the war wagon to try to kill the Hulk despite Congress defunding Gamma Base, got closer to the Hulk but didn’t quite reach him in these issues. And Rick Jones, who’d gone to the Avengers to ask for their help in finding the Hulk, was told no in issue #258 because the Hulk was in Russia and them going after him could cause an international incident, though he was also told that they’d help once the Hulk returned to the U.S. And in issue #259, with the assistance of a disc jockey who was a fan of his music, Rick sent out the message that the Teen Brigade was back in business, though what exactly he wants them to do hasn’t been explained yet.

Iron Man (1968) #82-85

With this batch of Iron Man issues I went from October 1975 to January 1976, according to the Marvel Wiki. Issues #82-83 were written by Len Wein and issues #84-85 were plotted by Len Wein and then scripted by Roger Silfer. Issue #82 was penciled by Herb Trimpe and inked by Jack Abel. Herb Trimpe drew the layouts for issues #83-85 and then Marie Severin inked and finished the art for issue #83, John Tartaglione for issue #84, and Kim Seong Hwan for issue #85.

In issue #82 Tony is meant to cohost a charity party in his apartment for the Iron Man foundation with Iron Man. In order to pull this off he attends as himself and Happy Hogan wears the Iron Man armor.

In issue #85 Tony changes his armor, which he’d previously carried around in an attaché suitcase, so that he only has to wear a form-fitting piece under his clothes that when activated extends to cover his limbs and head. It looks like he still has to take the time to take off his clothes, though.

Timely Publications:

the Captain America stories in Captain America Comics (1941) #1

This issue, which contained 4 Captain America stories, was published in December 1940, according to the publication date reported in the U. S. Copyright Office filing. These stories ranged from 7 to 16 pages.

The first story (written by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; penciled by Jack Kirby with Joe Simon) was Steve’s origin story as Captain America and begins in an unexciting way with the president introducing demoralized army generals to the head of the F.B.I. who reveals to them that they are in the process of creating the first super-agent to fight against spies in the U.S. army. Nothing is explained about Steve’s past other than that he had volunteered for army service earlier that day but was turned down because of being in “unfit condition.” Bucky becoming his sidekick happens in that very same story when, after a montage establishing Captain America as an accomplished hero, Steve’s regiment’s mascot says that he wished he could meet Captain America and be like him and then that evening walks in on Steve changing into his costume. Steve says that because they’re sharing the secret of Captain America’s identity they’re now partners.

There was also a text story, which was possibly written by Martin Bursten or Joe Simon, that described: “Private Rogers stirred uneasily in his cot. His hand mechanically slid over the bed next to him- he was reassured- his young admirer, Bucky lay there, sound asleep. The soldier turned noiselessly on his cot, smilingly remembering that Bucky was there because a kind hearted Colonel of an indulgent government just could not let such devotion as Bucky’s go unrewarded.”

I enjoyed when Steve and Bucky’s cute interactions emblematic of them being an adult superhero and a kid sidekick. There’s a bit in the third story (written by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; penciled by Joe Simon with Jack Kirby) when Steve and Bucky had to attend a lecture by an admiral and Bucky complains, “But I want to go out and chase crooks, and…” Steve admonishes him, “Shh-h! The admiral’s coming on now!” Later Steve asks him, regarding going after a crook, “Think you can handle a man’s job… Bucky, m’lad?” Bucky’s response is: “Sure I can- What do you think I am- a baby?” In the fourth story (written by Ed Herron; penciled by Jack Kirby with Joe Simon) Steve uses that it’s Bucky’s bedtime to get away from police officers in order to change into his Captain America uniform, which Bucky goes along with, but after Steve’s changed he says, “On second thought… I better handle this alone! Wait here, Bucky!” Bucky’s response is: “Aww- Gee!” There were also multiple instances of Steve coming in to save Bucky at the last moment from a criminal overpowering him. Bucky’s personality in general is entertaining and made the stories much more appealing than they would have been otherwise. There was another moment in the third story where a criminal had the upper hand on Bucky and he exclaimed, “My kingdom for a beebee gun!”

Fawcett Comics:

the Captain Marvel stories in Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #54

With this issue, which contained 5 Captain Marvel stories, I finished the classic Captain Marvel appearances in February 1946, according to the issue cover date. These stories ranged from 7 to 12 pages.

The story “Station WHIZ Goes Television” (written by Bill Woolfolk; drawn by C.C. Beck) began with Billy being nervous about being on TV for the first time. He doesn’t get the opportunity to do his screen test, however, because he’s interrupted and has to transform into Captain Marvel right before it and then the director is much more interested in testing Captain Marvel. It’s found that Cap has a great singer voice and he’s made into a “crooning sensation” over the radio. He’s very unhappy with this. At one point Billy walks into a store playing one of Cap’s records and says, “I know what Capt. Marvel would like to do! So I’ll do it for him.. Blaaaattt!” For blowing a raspberry at his music, Billy then gets punched in the face by a Captain Marvel fangirl. Cap complains, “Women leaving their husbands! Girls running away from home! All because of me! That isn’t all! I’ve even received letters from women threatening suicide if I refuse to marry them!” But Sterling Morris tells Cap that if he doesn’t do his upcoming TV appearance, then his fans might wreck the studio in anger. Cap says, “Then I’m ruined! I’ll have to go on being a crooner for the rest of my life! Sometimes I wish I were dead!” Fortunately for Cap a jealous has-been singer sabotages his television performance and Cap has to transform back into Billy who expertly saves the broadcast with an impromptu news report.

[quasi-normalcy]

Let's get into it:

I don't think we really know anything about the backstories of most of the TOS crew other than Kirk (genocide survivor; watched half his crew get killed by a Dikironium cloud creature), Spock (estranged from his family), and a tiny bit about McCoy (divorced, not that that's really "traumatic"). SNW later establishes that Uhura's parents died in a shuttle accident (I think they got that from the novels), but the rest of the crew is a blank slate in terms of backstory.

On TNG: Picard (shitty home life, abusive father, later elaborated on Picard's series into a literal gothic melodrama complete with suicidal mentally ill mom (ugh.)); Riker (mother died young, father was a dick, on his one from age 15); Data (planet destroyed by his brother; abandoned by creators; forgot his early life; went 26 years before he got his first friend. Not really traumatic though, on account no emotions); Worf (family annihilated by Romulans); Troi (domineering mother; dead father; dead older sister she never learned about until adulthood); Crusher (widow; parents killed in childhood; also that whole "generational alien sex ghost" thing we're not supposed to talk about). Geordi, though, explicitly had a good childhood (notwithstanding talk in the writers' room of retconning him to be a literal Rosemary's Baby)

On DS9: Sisko (watched his wife die at Wolf 359; that whole prophetic birth thing (ugh.)); Kira (child soldier during an attempted genocide); Bashir (basically rewritten by his own parents); Quark (everyone loves Moogie, but she is a pretty horrible mother); Odo (medical experiments); O'Brien (war-related PTSD); Dax (repressed serial killer memories); Garak (there's literally an entire novel about how shitty his childhood was)

On Voyager: Janeway (no trauma that I recall); Chakotay (ex-terrorist; I guess his home planet was taken over by Cardassians? They never really say); Torres (abandoned by her father; resentful of her mother; resentful of her own biology and cultural heritage); Paris (shitty father); Neelix (genocide survivor); Seven of Nine (holy shit, just everything that's ever happened to her). I can't recall Tuvok having had anything traumatic in his past, but I very much interpret "Meld" as showing that he's kind of a psychopath at heart and only a razor-thin veneer of logic prevents him from being a serial killer; Harry Kim had a happy childhood, notwithstanding an attempt to give him the "Rosemary's Baby" backstory that the writers had originally intended for Geordi (almost like even in the 90s, the writers couldn't think of how to develop characters without giving them trauma); Kes...had a childhood that lasted, like, a month or two, so it might not count

On Enterprise: Um...yeah, okay, I don't know this one as well. Archer's dad died before his ship could be built, which is...bad, I guess. T'Pol...um, I guess she went to that jazz club one time and it freaked her out. Reed's parents seemed awful in that very "upper-class British" way. Um... Yeah.

On DIS: Burnham's family was killed by Klingons, and then her school on Vulcan by blown up by terrorists, so, you know...trauma two-fer, I guess; Saru was from a species that was being systematically culled before puberty; Tilly's mom was neglectful; um. Book had an abusive dad; Adira saw their lover killed in front of their eyes; Owosekun was disowned by her luddite commune for joining Starfleet. Um. Airiam lost her husband and all her skin in a shuttle accident; Bryce (or maybe Rhys? I don't remember) was in a hurricane as a child; Rayner's planet was occupied by the Breen; probably some of the other bridge bunnies exposited trauma at some point during the fourth season, I don't remember

On Picard: Hoo-boy. Raffi was right about the attack on Mars, but lost her family and developed a drug problem because of her obsessive conspiracy theorizing; Rios had his father figure enact an illegal order and then kill himself in front of him; Elnor had his father figure abandon him (what the fuck, Jean-Luc); Soji's entire life was a lie, except her twin sister (who was killed); Jurati...actually seemed to have a pretty good childhood, but made up for it by having an incredibly traumatic present; Shaw has oodles of survivors guilt over Wolf 359; Jack Crusher, Jr....doesn't actually seem to have had anything particularly bad ever happen to him, but still acts entitled to run around with a giant chip on his shoulder (god I hate him); and then there's added trauma for established characters, like: Picard left Starfleet and bears the weight of the Romulan supernova; Troi and Riker lost their son because of the synth ban (and then, according to season 3, Troi telepathically suppressed Riker's ability to mourn (ugh.)); Seven of Nine was betrayed by her lover and had to mercy kill her adopted son; Crusher...got pregnant and randomly decided that her traumatic backstory was so overwhelming that she simply had no other choice but to keep her son from his father and ghost all of her friends (ugh! ugh! ugh!); something is implied to have happened to Worf, but they never said; Geordi...still doesn't really seem to have a lot of trauma, though the official tie-in materials say that he was in charge of Utopia Planitia when it got bombed. [Okay, so maybe there's a bit too much trauma on this series.]

Lower Decks: Mariner lost her best friend; Rutherford had his entire life deleted by an evil admiral; Shaxs has so much PTSD from the resistance that he'll go spare on anyone who even mentions Bajor; Billups has a shitty mother who keeps trying to trick him into have sex; um...that's kind of it.

Prodigy: They're all child slaves, first of all. On top of this, Dal was sold by his other mother figure (and doesn't even have parents); Rok (had to play the monster in an arena as a small child); Zero (separated from their hivemind; Jankom was an orphan sent off on a sleeper ship; and then woke up before everyone else and had to ditch the sleeper ship; Gwyn was raised to be a weapon by a cruel, domineering father. Murf seems to radiate peace, though.

Strange New Worlds: Pike knows his future is kind of crappy; Una lived her entire life hiding what she was; La'an was bullied for her family connections, and then had her family ate by Gorns; M'Benga, Chapel, and Ortegas have war trauma; and then there's the previously mentioned stuff with Spock and Uhura.

So yeah; going through it, I think that the only clear outliers in terms of trauma are Picard (way too much of it) and Enterprise (not enough).

#1214

Why lit of character in Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek Strange New World have mostly all a traumatic past? Next step: how to make an interesting character without a traumatic childhood or a traumatic past?

[ilianquisition]

slams a $20 on the dash. someone make a Grace, stat. I need Curran to interact with her.

[novas-fic-recs]

bucky barnes fic recommendations

my welcome post

my favourite fics and headcanons about the wonderful bucky barnes! none of these were written by me, so make sure to give lots of love to the amazing writers who did write them! this will be updated as i find more.

silent girl + the winter soldier by @kinanabinks

summary: after a traumatizing event, you aren’t the friendliest or most talkative of people. bucky understands, and in turn becomes the one person you soften your hard exterior for.

seceret santa by @buckybarnesandmarvel

summary: the team decides to do a secret santa… of course you get the one person you’re in love with

secret girlfriend by @jenwritesstories

summary: steve thinks bucky has been acting weird lately, and after asking him what's going on, he takes matters into his own hands and follows him.

bucky barnes hcs by @b6cky

summary: what the title suggests

hc: peter's science fairs by @golden-barnes

summary: you and buck are like parental figures to peter parker and you have a little tradition before and after his science fairs.

theatre by @loving-barnes

summary: a bucky fic inspired by the avengers musical in hawkeye.

rain therapy by @stardustdreams-andcaffeine

summary: the line between friends and lovers is impossibly thin, yet somehow the hardest line to cross. it’s a line that you and bucky just can’t seem to break, but it’s nothing one of tony’s infamous parties can’t fix.

differently by @tweedlydumbtweedlydoo

summary: you treat bucky differently than the other avengers do. 

who's she? by @itsapeterthing

summary: when sam gets injured during a mission and isn’t able to go to a hospital, bucky brings him and natasha to his own home to get cared for by his girlfriend, y/n, who he’s been keeping a secret.

confrontation by @imgoingtofreakoutnow

summary: you and bucky have been together for some time now, so hearing he got himself arrested (again) makes you panic, to say the least

mr. barnes, teacher aide of the year by @soulgazingwithbucky

summary: your brooding avenger boyfriend becomes a regular visitor in your classroom.

dating bucky barnes by @beyondspaceandstars

summary: what the title suggests

the widow by ↑

summary: what bucky dating a widow (from black widow) would be like

midnight blue by @cupids-crystals

summary: two resident insomniacs find company in the quiet hours of stark tower

bucky barnes as your boyfriend by @bonky-n-steeb

summary: what the title suggests

secret book club by @starks-hero

summary: bucky’s got a new book and he just can’t seem to put it down.

right a wrong by ↑

summary: you, sam and bucky get to work repairing sam’s family boat. turns out the boat isn’t the only thing in need of fixing. but with help from you and sam, bucky figures some stuff out.

welcome to new york by @lives-in-midgard

summary: reader moves to new york to start a new life and meets bucky there....

restoring a legacy by @alisonsfics

summary: you are there when bucky finds out about the “new cap”

the forever third wheels by @witchywithwhiskey

summary: it's the weekend of your town's annual valentine's day carnival and you go with your group of friends, though you can't help but be sad you don't have someone special in your life. your friend, and fellow third wheel, bucky barnes makes it his mission to give you a valentine's day you won't soon forget—and show you how special you are to him.

knock by @biisexualemma

summary: bucky and you never get along, but he walks in on you needing help.

[imagining-in-the-margins]

Spencer POV Fic Recs [SFW]

Hey friends! Someone requested recommendations for SFW fics from Spencer Reid’s POV. I’ve collected all the fics me and the lovely people of my Discord could find. I hope this helps!

GN!Reader Fluff

Spoonful of Sugar by @reidgraygubler: Spencer stays home from work to take care of his partner, who’s sick with the flu.

Kiss Them, Or Keep Them by @/reidgraygubler: Spencer loses his best friend, but has a secret gift to bring them back.

GN!Reader Angst

Better Off Without Me by @sassymoon: This is the end of a relationship that was the best thing he ever had, and it’s time to say goodbye.

Week From Hell by @/reidgraygubler: Spencer has one hell of a week after he has nightmares and a close call on a case.

Fem!Reader Fluff

Java Jive by me: Spencer and Emily take a break at the local coffee shop and she makes an understandable mistake about barista Reader and Spencer’s relationship.

Pumpkin by me: Spencer can’t handle how cute Reader’s southern accent is.

Serendipitous by me: Spencer’s pretty sure Penelope mixed up his blind date.

Prickly Pear by me: Reader tries to hide her body hair from Spencer. It doesn’t end well.

Not Your Backup by me: Spencer!POV. Following JJ’s confession, Spencer admits she’s more like a sister to him. Spencer and JJ argue about JJ’s unwarranted jealousy of his girlfriend.

Impromptu 3AM Meeting by @andiebeaword: Spencer learns the woman he’s falling for has a teenage daughter.

Side by Side by @foxy-eva: Spencer is mesmerized by Reader on their first date and is surprised that she apparently feels the same way about him.

Different Dialects by me: Autistic!Reader. Spencer is trying to tell Reader he likes her, but it feels like they speak entirely different languages.

Funny Thing Fate by me: Autistic!Reader is tipsy and lost in D.C. when she spots a man she thinks might be able to help.

Porcelain by me: Autistic!Reader has a meltdown in the cafe. Luckily, there is a Dr. Reid nearby.

Baggage Claim by me: Autistic!Reader is having a hard time at the airport.

Act Your Age by me: Platonic. Reader was recently released from being held hostage for several years, and for whatever reason, she’s taken a liking to Spencer.

You are My Destiny by @/reidgraygubler: Spencer meets a girl at a club. She convinces Spencer to dance with her.

Look at My Son by @/reidgraygubler: Spencer has a heart to heart with his newborn son while his wife sleeps.

Buttercup Bakery by @/reidgraygubler: Spencer meets the woman of his dreams at JJ and Will’s wedding, but misses the chance to get her number.

Lonely Moonlight by @/reidgraygubler: Spencer left his partner and ends up regretting it.

Fem!Reader Angst

Rib Cage by me: Spencer realizes Reader is the one, but it might be too late. He has to find her.

Forbidden Fruit by me: When Professor Reid falls in love with a student, he learns why Adam choked on the Forbidden Fruit.

Passing in the Night by me: Spencer learns about Reader’s feelings too late and loses his own battle as a result.

I Won By Loving You by @sassymoon: Reader is terminally ill and is saying goodbye to her loved one.

If I Could See Me Now by @andiebeaword: Spencer hits his head. Next thing he knows, he’s talking to himself … from 15 years ago.

Handle with Care by @foxy-eva: Spencer tries to be there for his wife after a traumatic experience.

Partial POV

Defining Family by me: [Fem, fluff] Spencer finds out he’s a dad… to a twelve year old girl. Your twelve year old girl, who just broke into the FBI.

Dead Air by me: [Fem, fluff] Professor Reid is hesitant to be a guest on his old student’s true crime video series, but is surprised to find it’s not so bad.

Moonlight by me: [Fem, Angst] Spencer tells Reader’s boyfriend how she really feels.

Sleepless in Quantico by @/andiebeaword: [Fem, fluff] Spencer is a widower. His son wants him to be happy. Spencer’s son and his therapist conspire to get him on a radio show to talk through his grief. Reader is one of the listeners. 

A Lettered Confession by @/andiebeaword: [Fem, Angst] Spencer is in love with Reader. He confesses his feelings through a letter.

Everything I Want and More by @/andiebeaword: [Fem, Angst] Spencer believes that Reader is head over heels for another guy. He has no idea the guy she’s in love with is actually him.

No Expectations by @/andiebeaword: Reader is in love with Reid. He’s fallen for a woman named Maeve. While trying to save her, Reader makes a choice.

Wanna See Something Beautiful? by @/andiebeaword: [Fem, Angst] Spencer has been in prison for months now. After he chose to take her name off the visitor’s log, Reader decides to start writing Spencer letters. Eventually, he writes her back.

Wish I Could Take it All Back by @/andiebeaword: [Fem, Angst] Spencer gets his usual coffee, only to follow the girl to an NA meeting

[multi-lefaiye]

hehehe ty all for the encouragement <3 tagging @astral-runic @wherearetheplants @invaderskoodge and @albatris b/c y'all replied directly hewwo <3 and ofc @skitzo-kero hewwo <3

anyway okay so sad people wip is a concept that floated into my brain a while ago and didn't get much development and ngl i almost scrapped it entirely,

BUT yes!!!!! so sad people wip can best be summed up as: a group of strangers, who have each reached rock bottom in various ways, end up becoming each other's closest friends and support system and help each other find reasons to keep going.

now i'm going to list the new cast below, as well as explain the premise in a bit more detail <33

picrew used: [link]

content warnings (please tread lightly if any of these may be an issue! no pressure to read even if i've tagged you here): mentions of drug addiction, suicide, cancer/terminal illness, car accidents, and toxic romantic relationships.

premise in more detail: four strangers come to the same building on the same day with the intent of ending their lives. however, none of them ended up going through with it, because in the end having other people there made them all reconsider. the group ends up keeping in touch and becoming friends, helping each other find reasons to live and cope with living in the hell world.

and now,the characters!

Angel De Santis - he/him

Angel has recently been dumped by his long-time girlfriend AJ, who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Without her, he's lost his main support system, and he's been floundering. He's also slowly starting to realize that this relationship was not as healthy as it seemed to him at the time.

Phoebe Ross - she/her

Ross is a recovering drug addict who recently relapsed after a year and a half of sobriety. She feels as though she's let everyone down and is terrified to face her loved ones after, and part of her believes that she'll never be able to get back up again and that she's ruined everything for real this time.

Dr. Scott Wells - he/him

Scott is a successful surgeon at a local hospital whose life was recently upended by a traumatic car accident. Unfortunately, his wife and daughter did not survive the accident. Now, Scott is struggling to put his life back together without the people that were most important to him, all the while dealing with his own trauma following the incident.

Ezra Navarro Álvarez - they/them

Ezra is a recent widower whose wife passed away after a long battle with cancer, leaving them alone to raise their young son. Unfortunately, their wife's family has started a long, painful, drawn-out custody battle with them, insisting that Ezra is unfit to be a parent. Though Ezra is fighting for their son the best they can, they're starting to lose hope, and they've had no time to grieve their loss on top of everything.

and now,,,,, the actual title,,,,,,, currently the working title for sad people wip is Twelve Stories Club. very dark humor title but this is a dark humor wip

[disturbedbydesign]

The Widow and the Wolf - Chapter 3

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x dark!exWidow!reader

Summary: After Natasha Romanoff took down the Red Room, the former Widows scattered to the wind. Raised to be a killing machine and released into the world with nothing and no one, you decided to use your newfound autonomy to take down the bad guys of your choosing. But now Natasha is riddled with guilt for leaving you on your own. She wants to recruit you, rehabilitate you, make you part of a team again. But the rest of the squad has reservations, and no one is more against you than Bucky Barnes.

Warnings: Graphic violence; Mentions of domestic violence, rape, pedophilia, human trafficking, child sex trafficking; eventual Dubcon (not Bucky); eventual smut; slow(ish) burn enemies-to-lovers. [More warnings will be added as necessary but these are the Big Bads.] 18+ only, no minors.

If you prefer to read on AO3, you can do so here.

Chapter Three

If you had a home, it would be Bucharest, even though you despise the place. It was the first place you went when you got free, because you know he’s here somewhere, conducting his evil machinations from the shadows, shielded by layer after layer of vile men across the globe doing his dirty work. There are plenty of men out there deserving of your particular brand of justice, but no one more so than the Viper. Sometimes you think that, if you can just find him and take him out, you might be able to move on—try to make a normal life for yourself, whatever that looks like. You don’t allow yourself to think about what will happen if you finally achieve your life’s goal and it’s still not enough for you.

You remember everything about the day you learned of the Viper’s existence. You were just 7 years old, one of many little girls packed into a shipping container. You had no idea how long you’d been in there or how long you would be in there. It smelled rancid, and there was never a moment of quiet. Most of the girls were screaming or crying, but a few (like you) were silent, just observing. You don’t know who sold you from your orphanage and shipped you off to Dreykov and you never will. What you do know is that you had no family to miss and no one to miss you, so you didn’t understand what the others were so upset about. From the very beginning, you adjusted to life as a Widow almost effortlessly, which is its own form of tragedy.

Others, though, they were stolen away from people who loved them. This seemed a foreign concept to you when you heard about it from the tiny, sobbing girl huddled next to you in the shipping container—the girl who told you about the Viper, the girl who would become your first and only friend until Dreykov took control of all of your minds. Once you were given the serum, your memories were locked up inside your own heads—none of you could have talked about your past lives even if you’d wanted to. Your words were not your own. You didn’t know what was real and what was planted there. Sometimes you still don’t, and nothing terrifies you more than that.

You have no idea how many little girls the Viper funneled to Dreykov over the years, but it was probably a decent amount. His real bread and butter had always been sex trafficking, and he’s still doing it—on an even larger scale if your intel is correct (which, of course, it is). But he won’t be operating for much longer, not now that you’re so close you can almost taste the venom. You were barely 8 years old when you decided you would kill him, and now you have your chance. You are so close, closer than you’ve ever been, but he keeps slithering out of your grasp. And so you’re in Bucharest, again, looking for answers, again. But you have other business, too—almost as important, if not more so.

You head to the safehouse on the outskirts of the city. The building doesn’t look like much on the outside, but you’ve made sure the inside is comfortable enough for the women and children who live there. The matron greets you at the door and you hand her this month’s envelope, which contains enough cash to feed everyone for the next two months, keep the lights and the water on, and some extra to fix the plumbing issues that have been plaguing the building since you bought it.

The building can house about 40 people comfortably—it’s not nearly enough, and you’re determined to create as many safe spaces as you can, but it’ll do for now. For now, you have to select your charges according to a very strict criteria: they are all women and children (and the children of women) who have been bought and sold by the Viper. Some of them escaped on their own; some of them had assistance from you and the very few people you trust in the city. But all of them have suffered, and all of them have information that you need. Individually, it’s not much, but the more women you talk to, the more pieces of the puzzle you have to work with.

Besides for the cash drop, today you’re here to see the newest resident: Irina, a 19-year-old beauty your Bucharest contacts had managed to snatch from one of the sex clubs. Irina was delivered to the Viper at 12, and her life since then has been an endless nightmare that you can’t think about for too long without feeling physically ill. She’s sitting by the window in the living room, cupping a steaming mug of tea, when you approach her. You walk towards her slowly, and when Irina looks over at you, there is recognition in her eyes even though you’ve never met.

“You’re the Widow,” she says.

“Not anymore,” you reply. “But if that’s what you’d like to call me, go ahead. May I sit?” She gestures to the seat opposite her and you settle in for a chat. “I’d like to ask you some questions, Irina. Is that ok?”

“The others told me you’d be coming.” She speaks softly, her voice hoarse from screaming or crying or both. “I know what you’re trying to do. You’ll never catch him, you know.”

“I disagree,” you say, “but I need more information.”

“Alright,” she agrees, “if you think it will help,” and you begin the gentlest of interrogations.

Irina tells you that for the first several years after she was taken, she hadn’t heard anyone mention the Viper. She thinks that a lot of the girls probably knew about him or came directly from him, but no one would talk about it because it was too dangerous or traumatizing (or both). Things were different at her last club, though. When you ask her how many of the girls at Delirium knew about him, she tells you that several of them had passed through him somewhere along their journey. One of them—one far too young to be working there—even admitted that she’d been with him only two months earlier.

Finally, after all this time, you’ve got a clear line from point A to point B. You feel it in your bones that Delirium holds the answers, that if you can just get in and poke around a bit, you’ll be able to find him. You take Irina’s hands in yours and thank her for her help, and then you hear it: heavy footsteps coming down the hall. No woman or child in the building weighs enough to make a sound like that, and no men are allowed on the premises. You know who it is before you see him.

*****

Bucky watches you enter the building from his position on the roof across the street. His contact had told him that there were whispers of a Widow safehouse at this address, though no one would dare set foot within 10 blocks of the place to find out. Bucky doesn’t believe the rumor, though. He knows you work alone, that you pride yourself on it. He assumes this is just one of many places where your targets meet their ends, and he knows enough about Bucharest to know that there are a lot of men in this city who fit your modus operandi.

Still, something is off. It’s not an empty building. There have been women and children coming and going all morning, and nearly all the apartments seem occupied. Why would you choose to do your dirty work in a place with so much activity, with so many innocents around? That seems not only impractical but beneath even you. He’s lost in these thoughts, checking each window with his binoculars, when he settles on a beautiful young girl staring out the window, looking desperately sad. She turns to look at someone he can’t see, and then he sees you emerge from the shadows and take a seat opposite her.

There’s a softness to your face—a gentle kindness—that knocks the wind out of him. Bucky can’t take his eyes off of you, analyzing your body language and facial expressions to try to figure out what the hell is going on. This is the last thing he expected to see, and he tells himself that this woman must be hiring you for a job—except the woman is nothing but a broken child and doesn’t look like someone who would be taking out a hit on somebody (and certainly not someone who could pay for one).

It’s unnerving, watching you this way, and Bucky is no longer sure that what he’s doing is right. There’s something about your interaction with this girl that makes him feel like a voyeur, witnessing an intimate moment that he should not be seeing but that fascinates him nonetheless. Still, he’s here, you’re his mission—albeit one he took upon himself—and he needs to finish it. By this time, Natasha and Steve are almost certainly on their way, and Bucky needs to get to you before they show up. He went rogue and committed to this plan; now he just has to execute it. He’ll deal with the consequences later.

Bucky makes his way across the street and around the back, where children’s toys litter the small yard of weeds and dirt. When he gets to the back door, he notices that it isn’t the usual ancient rusted lock that one finds on the old buildings in this neighborhood; it’s brand new tech. There’s a pretty decent security camera setup around the building, too.

What the hell is this place?

Bucky has two choices: he can rip the door off the hinges, or he can scale the building and climb in the open window on the top floor. You’re going to be homicidally pissed either way, so he might as well not destroy any property—you may be a monster, but the other tenants here look like civilians, and he doesn’t want to sacrifice their security in his quest to bring you in.

Bucky makes it into the building and weaves his way through the hallways. Along the way, he runs into a few women, and each one of them freezes when they see him. They are shocked and deathly afraid—a look he knows far too well—and they scurry back to their apartments and lock the doors. With his hair cut short, baseball cap pulled down, and leather jacket and glove hiding his prosthetic, it doesn’t seem possible that all of these women would immediately recognize him as the Winter Soldier. That’s what it feels like to him, though, and it’s a gut-punch sensation he does not like at all.

When he gets to the sitting room, the girl you are with has the same look of terror, and for a moment, so do you. But you snap back to yourself quickly—having gone from soft to terrified to hostile within a span of about 15 seconds. Before he can react, you stomp towards him, grab him by the jacket, and hiss, “Not here.”

Bucky hears you speak to the girl in Romanian, “Don’t be afraid, Irina. He’s a friend,” although he knows you think him anything but.

The second you get him into the hallway, you’ve got your knife to his throat. Even with your cold blade nicking his skin, Bucky fights the impulse to disarm you. He doesn’t want to fight you. He knows that he’s intruded on something here, though he doesn’t know what, and he actually feels guilty. He could break you in half if he wanted to, but he lets you pin him to the wall—lets you feel like you’re in control.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” you growl.

“You know why I’m here,” Bucky replies, but he doesn’t know—not really, not anymore. “What is this place?”

“It’s somewhere safe,” you say, “or it was until you showed up. No boys allowed, Soldat. Time to go.”

You catch him off guard when you flip him around and throw him through the nearest door, and before he can regain his balance, you kick him straight through the window and into the yard two storeys below. The fall is nothing to Bucky, and he knows that you know that, but it certainly made a statement. He looks up at the broken window he’d just crashed through and sees you peering out with a satisfied smile on your face.

Bucky calls up to you, “I just want to talk.”

“Bullshit,” you snap.

“I mean it,” he says, and he actually does. “You can pick the place.”

He watches as you consider his offer, weighing your options—you obviously don’t trust him, but it’s clear that the sanctity of this location is important to you. Now that he’s violated it, you can’t just let him wander off. You agree to meet with him that evening—in public, at a club in Old Town.

“Come alone, Soldat,” you call down to him, “and if you tell anyone about this place, I’ll throw you out a higher window.”

Bucky tries to hide his tiny smile but he knows you see it, just like he sees the little quirk of your lip just before you disappear. He hoists himself off the ground and brushes himself off. When he turns to leave, he sees a little girl holding hands with her mother. He has no idea how long they’ve been standing there, but the girl is pointing and giggling at him.

The little girl asks, “What happened to him, mama?”

“The Widow’s bite,” she replies.

*****

“He’s not going to hurt her, Natasha,” Steve says as he prepares the Quinjet for landing.

“She might not give him a choice,” she replies, strapping herself in. “What the hell was he thinking coming here alone?”

“I don’t know,” Steve says. “There’s something about this girl that’s really gotten under his skin.”

Natasha looks at Steve, asking the question with her eyes she wouldn’t dare say aloud, and he picks up what she’s putting out.

“He’s not the Winter Soldier anymore. All of that programming… it’s gone. You know that. He’s just Bucky now.”

Natasha nods in agreement, but a part of her still has questions—not whether the deprogramming worked, she knows that it did, and she trusts Bucky with her life. No, Natasha’s concern is what is going on inside Bucky’s head. He was doing well, he was adjusting, he was finally ok, but the existence of you seems to have triggered something in him that the words never had. The words made him cold and empty and ready to comply, but you—you make him think, and Natasha knows how dangerous it can be to dwell too much on things you’ve left in the past.

When Steve and Natasha arrive at Bucky’s old apartment, it’s empty, but there are small signs of life—the indent of a head on the pillow on the floor in the corner, an apple core just starting to brown. He’s been there, and recently. Natasha and Steve don’t know who he would still have contact with in Bucharest, so they are left with nothing to go on. Bucky knows how to cover his tracks, and he left them just enough crumbs to get them to Bucharest but not enough that they could find him when they got there.

“He wants us to trust him,” Steve says, “to wait for him to bring her back here.”

“I can’t just sit around waiting for something to happen, Steve. I have a really bad feeling about this.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Steve asks.

Natasha sighs and looks out the window. “I have no idea,” she replies, and that’s when she sees it: a piece of graffiti spraypainted on the wall of a building down the street—a coiled snake ready to strike.

The memory hits Natasha like a freight train. She knows that symbol. She knows what it means. She knows exactly who you’re looking for and it seems absurd to her now that she hadn’t thought of it before.

“Let me make a call,” she says. “I think I know why she’s here.”