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dontcare77ghj · 4 years

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Tree

Steve x reader x Bucky x Sam

Reader POV

The year was 1516, it was all hallows eve, and you were standing at the edge of the wood near your village.

You were waiting for your lover to arrive with a horse so the two of you could elope. Neither of your parents approved of your relationship, but you wouldn't hear of it.

You were in love with this man, and you desired to be his. You wanted to be his wife.

So, the two of you had made a plan. You would steal a bag of silver and gold from your father, he would take a horse, and the two of you would marry without your family's consent.

The moon was at its highest point, and you were beginning to feel scared. It was all hallows eve, a full moon, you standing in front of the woods, and your lover was nowhere in sight.

There was a loud crack behind you that caused you to jump. Your head snapped behind you as you tried to see what had made the noise.

Your eyes were desperately scouring the wood when a sharp pain exploded in your back.

You let out a loud scream, hand attaching itself to the area as you whipped around to see your lover standing there with a knife.

"Henry?" You whimpered, jumping back as he slashed at you once more. Without a second thought, you rushed into the woods.

You stumbled several times before you decided to kick off your shoes, throw your coin purse, and hike up your long skirt. You could hear Henry behind you screaming your name as you dashed to the left and fell down a hill.

You rolled down the long slope, branches, and prickles scratching your face and arms as you let out small cries. As you reached the bottom of the hill, you laid there for several seconds as Henry's yells dulled into silence.

The pain in your back startled you back into reality, and you had to press your hand to your mouth to silence your cry.

You needed to find help.

As you attempted to stand, your legs gave way and caused you to go tumbling to the forest floor. You tried to stand twice more before abandoning the idea and crawling forwards.

You couldn't say for how long you crawled along the forest floor, but it was a while before you conceded and stopped. The reality of what had happened crashed down on you as you laid, bleeding on the trunk of a tree.

The full moon was shining onto your face as your blood dripped onto the exposed roots of the old tree.

"I don't want to die." You whispered aloud. "I don't want to die. Not like this." You said to yourself, to the moon, to the forest as your eyes closed and your head fell back against the tree, and you fell from the world.

You didn't die.

When you awoke the next morning, there was a loud humming noise in your ears as you made the trek to the edge of the forest.

As you made it to the edge of the wood, suddenly your legs couldn't move. You tried for hours, ran through the majority of the woods, trying to find a way out, but every time you made it to the edge, you were unable to move.

The humming in your ears followed you as you somehow made it back to the tree where you had woken up.

Do not cry. A low voice said into your mind. The sudden appearance from the voice startled you and caused you to jump upright.

"Who said that?" You called, spinning in a circle. "Who's there?"

I am in front of you, young one.

"The tree?" You murmured to yourself. The voice was silent as you reached forward and pressed your hand to the trunk of the tree.

You gasped as sparks traveled through your arm and throughout your body. The humming in your ear turned into loud shouting, and then you were gone.

As it turns out, on that fateful all hallows eve, something happened to you. As you laid dying, your blood mingled with the roots and soil of the tree. This, combined with the full moon, had intertwined your spirit with the tree.

You were a part of the tree, and it a part of you.

This is why you could understand not just your tree, but the other trees of the wood. And they could hear and listen to you too.

It was also why you couldn't leave the woods. You were as bound to the earth here as your tree was.

In the beginning, you had tried to keep track of your time here. Counted out the days and weeks, but soon it became too hard, and you lost track.

Be careful, young one, you could fall. The tree chided as you walked along the thick branches.

"I am always careful." You grinned, lightly hopping to another branch. "Besides, I have had much practice."

You have had much practice in falling. The tree teased you.

"And that practice has left me an experienced climber." You shrugged. You had just climbed to the top of the tree when you witnessed something fall from the sky. "What was that?"

Perhaps you should investigate.

Without another word, you jumped from the tree and began to race towards the crash.

As you got closer, you slowed down and hid behind a tree. From there, you could see what appeared to be a large pile of scraped metal in a heap behind three men.

Two of the men were laid unconscious while a blonde was attempting to help one.

You should go and help them.

"I don't believe that would be a good idea." You whispered.

You are scared. The tree acknowledged your fears. My dear girl, you have no need to fear these men. I sense no danger from them.

"Are you sure?"

I am sure, Y/N. Go and help them.

"Of course." You nodded before moving out into the open. "Allow me to help you." You said to the blonde, startling him.

"Who are you?" He demanded, grabbing a circular disk from beside him.

"My name is Y/N. I mean no harm. I merely wish to help your friends." You said, raising your hands. "Your friend needs yarrow root." You nodded to the brunette. "I just want to help." You repeated to him.

"Please, help us." The blonde's resolve crumbled after a second.

You rushed into action, finding the root quickly and mashing it into a paste with the knife from your belt.

As you coated the brunette's wounds, the blonde was making a splint for the man with darker skin.

"Steve." The blonde announced, causing you to look up from your work.

"Pardon?"

"My name. My name is Steve. Thank you for helping me." Steve told you.

"Of course." You nodded. "The three of you are going to need shelter for the night." You said, noting the darkening sky.

"Where can we find shelter?" Steve asked.

"You can stay with me." You told him. "I live close by."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Steve breathed. "I can't carry Sam and Buck at once, though," Steve added more to himself.

"Another thing I can help with." You smiled, jumping up and moving to the closest tree. Pressing your hand into the bark, you closed your eyes and passed on your need to it.

Suddenly a large section of bark from the trunk of the tree slid from it and landed gently at your feet.

"Do you think we should carry them or drag your friends back to my home?" You asked, turning to the shocked blonde.

"Your home is lovely." Steve complimented you as you gathered a handful of apples.

"Thank you." You smiled, handing him an apple, and taking a seat beside him. "The trees donated the woods, and I gathered the ferns and leaves myself."

"How did you do that?" Steve questioned you. "Get the tree to do that? And all this?"

"It's very complicated. I'm not even sure how it works, precisely myself." You murmured, looking down. "A long time ago, I was attacked and bleeding out. It was all hallows eve, and my blood mixed with this tree's life force. My spirit is a part of this tree, and this tree is a part of me. I awoke after my death to find I was connected to not only this tree but the rest in this forest." You explained to him.

"My ma used to tell me stories when I was a kid. It was mostly Celtic mythology, but it sorta sounds like you're a Dryad." Steve told you. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"It's okay. It was a long time ago. At least, I believe it was. Frankly, I lost track of time many moon cycles ago." You said.

"What was the last year you remember?"

"It was 1516 when I died."

"Y/N, it's currently 2018," Steve informed you, causing you to drop your apple in shock.

Sam, Steve, and Bucky had been staying with you for two full moon cycles. The metal they had crashed, a jet Sam told you, was entirely unsalvagable meaning, they couldn't call their team for a rescue.

The nearest town was apparently seventeen hours away, and Sam and Bucky were too injured to walk.

You didn't mind having guests for many reasons. One being you hadn't been in contact with another human who had good intentions for years.

To have people who had been outside these woods, to talk to was a dream come true.

You loved their company more than you could admit. You and Steve would talk about mythology, books, and stories for hours on end. You and Bucky would about your shared interests in nature and in animals until the sunset. And you could listen to Sam explain the outside world and what had happened since your death until he lost his voice.

But they would also listen to you. When you'd explain what you could do, how you'd spend your days, and what life was like when you were alive.

"I can't believe you've never had a burger before." Bucky shook his head as you and Steve picked blackberries.

"To be fair, growing up, we weren't the wealthiest. We were well off and could occasionally afford something from the butcher but not often." You said, smiling as Steve threw a berry at Sam.

"We have to find a way to get you a burger," Sam said, looking at you from where he laid with Bucky. "Maybe you could come with us when we find a way home."

"I couldn't. I can't leave the forest." You shook your head.

"Seriously?" Sam questioned you.

"I tried to leave, but I can't move past the edge of the wood." You told him. "My tree is bound here, and so am I."

"Jesus." Bucky whistled lowly.

"I'm not complaining. I love my life here. I love the animals, the land and the trees. But it does get very lonely here. Before the three of you, I hadn't seen people for fourteen moons."

"Where did they go?"

"They tried to destroy the forest. Men began cutting down trees with these electric contraptions. I could hear all the trees screaming, but I hid until they started cutting my tree." You said, lifting your head and showcasing your neck. "The second they cut into my tree, I began to feel the pain it did."

"What happened to them?"

"I frightened and angry, and it was as if the forest came to life." You said, looking down. "I don't know what I did, but none of those men came out alive." You added, lightly tracing the scar on your throat.

"That wasn't your fault. You lost control. It happens to the best of us." Steve assured you.

"They still died by my hand. It is still an accident I caused."

"Do you regret it?" Bucky asked you. "Do you regret what you did?"

"Every day." You nodded. "I regret what happened to them every day."

"Then that's all you can do. All you can do is look back on your mistakes and regret them." Bucky told you. "Take it from me as someone who has made many mistakes over their lifetime." He said, causing you to nod.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, Steve carry me back to the treehouse," Sam said, reaching his arms out to the blonde. "I think it's time we try to cook for Y/N."

The boys had officially been in your forest for three months. The three were all healed up but were still staying with you.

"Bucky, no!" You shrieked as the man wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you off the ground.

"Come swim with us, doll." Bucky grinned, walking you over to the lake where Steve and Sam were waiting.

"I swear, Bucky." You began before being tossed into a waiting Sam's arms. As you sputtered up water, Bucky stood on the bank laughing hardly. "I'll give you something to laugh about." You grinned, flicking your hand, causing a branch to whip Bucky into the water.

"Okay, okay, I give!" Bucky shouted as Steve and Sam howled with laughter. "You win!" He surrendered.

The three of you spent hours in the lake until you were all pruney, which is when you all moved onto the shore.

"If you could have one thing, what would it be?" Sam asked randomly as the four of you gazed at the clouds. "I'd kill for one of Stark's smoothies."

"A dragon," Bucky said immediately.

"Ma's soup," Steve responded.

"What about you, Y/N? If you could have one thing in this world, what would it be?" Bucky asked after you remained silent.

"I want to have love." You said without looking away from the sky. "I think I stopped believing it was a real thing after Henry for a long time."

"And now?" Steve asked. "What do you think now?"

"I think. I think I'm a fool. Looking back, what I had with Henry was never a good relationship. I was foolish and naive when I was with Henry, and I don't think I even knew what love felt like then." You said, turning to face him.

"Do you feel it now?" Bucky pressed you.

"I do, and I think I understand the difference between being in love and loving something. I love the trees. I love my woods. I loved my family." You began, biting your lip when you paused.

"And?" Sam asked, rolling over to face you. "What's the difference?"

"It's nothing important. Ignore me." You told him.

"Doll, we want to hear what you have to say. It's important to us." Bucky told you.

You took a deep breath as you sat on your knees and faced the three who sat up.

"I love the trees. I love my woods. I loved my family. But I think I'm in love. I think I'm in love with the three of you. I don't the same way about those things that I do about the three of you are. Everything I feel about each of you is so deep and raw, and it frightens me.

And it also frightens me that I'm feeling all these things for each of you. Because I don't think I could choose, and I know that's wrong. And I'm a sinner and a harlot for the thought of it but,-" You began to rant only to be cut off by Steve's finger on your lips.

"Breathe, Y/N." He chuckled lightly. "What you're talking about does not make you a sinner or a harlot."

"On the contrary, what you're proposing is something we would be more than okay with," Bucky told you. "The three of us are already in a committed relationship, and we've been talking about asking you to join us."

"What?" You whispered.

"Y/N, I know this is very different from the teachings of your time, but what your discussing is normal now. Men can be with men, women with women, and multiple people can be in a relationship." Sam explained to you.

"Were you kidding about me joining you?" You asked, looking between the three men who all smiled at you.

"Not at all," Sam said, and suddenly he was leaning towards you. Just as his lips were about to connect with yours, there was a loud whirring noise above your heads.

"What is that?" You yelled above the noise.

"I think it's our team!" Steve yelled back as a jet landed in the clearing. You watched apprehensively as a door opened, and two women and three men exited the quinjet.

"You're alive!" An older man cheered, swaggering forward.

"How did you find us?" Steve asked as the four of you stood to greet them, you sticking to Sam's side.

"Tony hacked into a lot of satellites." The redheaded woman said, embracing Bucky, then Steve stopping as she spotted you. "Who's your friend, boys?"

"This is Y/N." Sam introduced. "She's the only reason any of us are alive. Y/N, this is Natasha."

"It's very nice to meet you." You greeted, sticking your hand out to the woman.

"Thank you for keeping our friends alive," Natasha said, shaking your hand firmly.

"No trouble at all."

"With these three? I doubt it." One man snickered, receiving a smack to the arm from the other girl. "What do you three say? Are you ready to return to the real world?"

You shared a look with your boys at this.

"Your lady friend can come too if she wants." The first man offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but I can't leave the woods." You smiled weakly at him.

"Huh?" A blond man said, scrunching his eyebrows at you.

"She's bound to the land," Bucky explained.

"She's a Dryad. Her soul is connected with a specific tree here." Steve added. "She can't leave it."

"It's okay, boys. Go." You told them. "Others need you more than I do."

"But Y/N," Sam started. "We don't care about them, not as much as we care about you."

"Sam, you need to go. All of you. You save the world. It needs you more than you think. If you were to stay here and something were to happen that you could have fixed, I would feel guilty. And so would you. You have to go home."

"We'll come back and visit," Steve said after a minute. "All the time."

"Steve, you actually want to leave?" Bucky asked him, surprised.

"No, I don't want to, but we have to. We all know it." Steve reasoned with his partners.

"We'll visit every month. We'll be here so often you'll want us to leave." Sam promised you.

"I don't think I could ever get mad at you." You said, hugging each one of the men before pushing them towards their friends. "Go. Save the world."

"We'll be back. We promise." They said as they boarded the jet. You waved as the door closed and it began to make loud noises once more.

"It's not like I'll be going anywhere."

We can all see what you're doing, young one. Your tree said as you deposited another pile of blackberries in your home.

“Getting ready to make another berry spread? Yes.” You nodded.

You’re not fooling any of us, young one. You’re in pain, you just won’t admit it.

It had been four days since your boys had had to go back home. And you had been doing anything and everything you could to keep your mind off them.

“I miss them.” You sighed, sitting on the ground. “I miss them so much.”

It is understandable. You love them but they promised to return, that is something.

“It is.” You nodded, leaning your back on the wood. “I hope they come back soon.”

The sun had shifted another place in the sky when you heard the loud rumbling of a jet. At first you merely watched but as it began to land you rushed to your feet to greet them.

“I missed you!” You sighed, throwing yourself into Bucky’s arms

“We missed you too, doll.” Bucky said as Sam stole you into his arms.

“It’s so good to see you, Y/N.” Sam said, squeezing you gently before passing you to Steve who also enveloped you in his arms.

“What are you all doing here? Not that I’m mad but it’s only been four days.” You said, pulling back from them.

“I know but it took us four days to come up with this and get in contact with these two.” Bucky said, gesturing to the two men behind you.

“Y/N, this is Loki and Thor. They’ve agreed to help you if you want them to.” Steve introduced you.

“How can you help me?” You asked, cocking your head to the side.

“We cannot unbind you from your tree but we can move it.” Thor informed you. “My brother will preform a stasis charm and it will put both you and the tree into a state of sleep.”

“This will allow us to move you and your tree back to the compound. You can come with us. See the outside world again.” Sam told you.

“Are you kidding me?”

“No. This is real, if you want it, you can come with us.” Steve said.

“So what do you say, baby doll? Will you come home with us?”

“Yes!” You cheered, pulling Steve, who was the closest to you, down to your height and kissing him passionately. You quickly did the same to Sam and Bucky before hugging the both Thor and Loki. “Thank you! Thank you so much for this!”

“It is no hardship.” Thor assured you, patting your back gently.

“Come on, doll. Let’s get to your tree and get you two home.”

Non-reader POV

“Y/N! Are you out here?” Sam called as he, Steve and Bucky entered the wooded area of the compound.

The four of them had been together for three years and they were all incredibly happy together. Y/N had left a note for the boys in their shared room reading merely come find me.

“Oh doll!” Bucky called as they closed in on her tree. “Where are you?”

“Boo!” Y/N cheered, jumping from a branch onto Steve’s back. “I win.” She smiled at Sam and Bucky.

“You sure do, doll.” Bucky chuckled, taking Y/N down from Steve’s back. “What’s going on, doll?”

“Well, I’m not sure if you remembered, but it’s been three years since we met, give or take a week and I’ve decided we have to celebrate.” Y/N smiled. “So I made us a picnic and it’s up there.” She pointed to her treehouse.

“What did we do to deserve you?” Sam asked, pulling her closer to kiss her.

“Do you want my list?” She teased as they pulled apart. “I’m kidding! Now come on, the foods getting cold!”

The four stayed in Y/N’s tree for the rest of the night and well into the next day. The tree that was more responsible for their relationship than anyone admitted.

Remember all Taglists are open as are requests.

Taglist @rvgrsbrns @smilexcaptainx @hopingforbarnes @starlingelliot @piper-koko-barnes-rogers @jelly-fishy-babie @skeletoresinthebasement @agent-barnes40 @reann-loves-sebstan @skadikh @summergeezburr @buckybarton03 @sunshinepower17 @bindythedemon @natasharomanoffismywife @keenmarvellover @bbybarness @storiesbystarlight @buckybarnesplumwhore @bromieeeomieee @marvelmenarebeautiful @nikishadow @pauloonig @abyssiniapleasant @beautybyfire @officalmarvelbaby

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tanzanite-zircon · 4 years

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Collabwithmyself Chronicles: Phoe-nix Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Just an Average Day

“Put on your Sunday clothes,

There's lots of world out there

Get out the brillantine and dime cigars

We're gonna find adventure in the evening air

Girls in white in a perfumed night

Where the lights are bright as the stars!

Put on your Sunday clothes, we're gonna ride through town

In one of those new horse-drawn open cars

We'll see the shows at Delmonico’s

And we'll close the town in a whirl

And we won't come until we've kissed a girl!”

The Hello Dolly show-tune definitely does not describe the current state of the Earth. The beautiful shades of blues, greens, browns, and whites of the entirety of Earth have been dulled to a murky brown. The atmosphere surrounding the planet is littered with satellites and other space debris. Once you actually penetrate the pea soup-like smog that drapes the landscape, you can make out the outlines of the beautiful mountains … of trash … if you squint. Buried under and surrounding these mountains are decommissioned wind turbines, nuclear power plants, factories, telephone and power lines, and long abandoned cities and buildings. A truly depressing and eerie sight to behold.

The bubbly show tune and the sound of wheels crunching paper, glass, metal, and plastic are the only sounds that can be heard within the sickening silence of the abandoned street as Phoenix skates his way through the pathways, carrying Trucy on his shoulders. Phoenix was wearing dirtied, light brownish-orange jumpsuit with grey sleeves and gloves, had black accents on his arms, and black boots. He also had a pair of goggles resting in front of his spiky black hair that aided him whenever a little, or big, dust storm ever picked up. Trucy had brown hair tied up into a side ponytail and was wearing a little black dress with gold buttons, white gloves and boots, a light blue cape, and a red ascot tied around her neck. Trucy looked like a magician, as she was programmed to know magic tricks in order to entertain children. Trucy had started to come with him to work after a few months of becoming a little family. While she couldn’t really help with compacting and sorting trash, she did keep him company and help find new trinkets to add to their collection back home. Since Phoenix was the only Fen-10 unit with a ‘soul,’ the rest were not much for conversation.

Once arriving at his destination, Phoenix knelt down to let Trucy, who was carrying the small, portable cooler they had for storing new treasures, off as Phoenix removed his backpack-slash-trash compactor and placed it on the ground. He glances at his surroundings, seeing the huge skyscrapers of trash cubes he and his fellow Fen-10 units created over the centuries. Despite many of these trash towers being taller than most of the abandoned buildings, he and the other androids barely made a dent in the sea of trash. This task has only been harder ever since the last Fen-10 broke down nearly three centuries ago. Phoenix couldn’t help but give out a sad and tired sigh as he gently rubbed the side of his face where a noticeable scratch lied. He turned back to the section of trash and fastened his gloves.

“C’mon Phoenix, just do a few more cubes and you’ll be done for today,” he whispered to himself. With Hello Dolly still blazing through his portable radio, Phoenix scoops two armfuls of aluminum cans, paper cups, and other miscellaneous pieces of trash into his compactor and starting it up. The loud sounds of the machinery crushing the trash muted out the song until the trash cube came sliding out once the machine was done. All that was left was to carry the cube to the stack and do it over again, and again, and again. As he and Trucy trekked up the already very tall structure of trash cubes, Trucy noticed a new treasure.

“Hey daddy,” she chimed, “look at this!” Trucy pointed to a silver disk that was lodged within one of the trash cubes as Phoenix began to tug it free. The two androids stared at disk, trying to figure out what it could be used as, when it began to reflect the light of the sun as it began to set, shimmering within its light.

“Wow, it’s so pretty,” Trucy stated in awe, “Can we keep it?”

“Heh, I don’t see why not,” Phoenix replied, “But it looks too big to keep in the cooler with the other things we found. I’ll carry it in the compactor until we get home.” With that, Phoenix places their newest trinket into his compactor before turning off his radio.

“I think this is enough for today,” Phoenix tiredly sighed, “Let’s go home sweetie.” Phoenix put his backpack back on and helped Trucy and the cooler up onto his shoulders. He then activated his retractable skates and carefully made his way back down the newest trash-scraper. The size of this paled in comparison to the others that Phoenix had created over the many years. Countless mountains of trash have been made by Phoenix over the years, and it look that there would only be even more in the future.

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The trek back home gave the two androids the full tour of the abandoned city that they lived in. They once again passed the huge Buy N Large Ultra Store that they have become all too familiar with. The store was absolutely massive and used to carry practically anything a person could need or want. It was as a great place to find supplies, tools, or just fun treasures to take home. The android family then passed by the gas station with one too many pumps and then the bank, which had many ATM’s and had the ground littered with abandoned currency. There was even a speaker that was still playing the Buy N Large theme song, as it was solar powered like Phoenix. Next was the ‘hall of advertisements,’ as Phoenix would playfully call it. Nothing but BNL advertisements of varying products and sizes as far as the optics could see. Phoenix and Trucy then made their way up a broken-down escalator, making their way to the monorail system. Phoenix paused as he approached the rail, checking to make sure it was safe to continue. His demeanor saddened as he knew that they would soon be approaching ‘the graveyard,’ the sight where hundreds of other Fen-10 units broke down. It was always hard to come this way, seeing basically himself lifeless. His daughter knew this all too well.

“Will you be okay Daddy?” she softly asked, “We can go a different way.” Phoenix snapped out of his thoughts and turned to her.

“No, it’s alright,” he replied, “This is the fastest way home. I just … need a moment.” He took a deep breath and gently shook his head.

{Just take it slow Phoenix. You’re going to be ok.} Phoenix squeezed Trucy’s hand, letting her know that he was alright. He then reactivated his skates and carefully made his way along the rail. The deactivated androids soon came into view. Large piles of Fen-10 units surrounded the monorail system, with each droid caked in rust and dust. Phoenix tried to focus on the rail or at the sunset, trying to avoid seeing what he would look like if he ever went offline. Suddenly, just when they reached a patch of solid ground, Phoenix’s deteriorating treads finally gave out. Both androids began to feel the quick, shaking movements of Phoenix’s broken treads unevenly traveling on the path. Phoenix carefully came to a stop to check on Trucy and the condition of his treads.

“You alright Truce,” Phoenix asked.

“I’m fine Daddy,” she replied as she slid off her father’s shoulders. Phoenix lifted his ped to inspect the damage, only to groan in frustration at how bad it was. There was no way to fix these treads with the tools back home, they were completely destroyed beyond repair. He needed a new pair to tread boots. His optics then landed on an offline Fen-10 unit slumped to his left, with a pair of tread boots in perfect condition. Phoenix looked between his destroyed boots and the unit’s boots. Phoenix sadly sighed and looked at the downed unit with guilt.

{… I’m sorry}

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After switching the boots, Phoenix and Trucy got back on the rail that lead them back to their bunker. Taking equipment or parts from the other Fen-10 units was always difficult, but sadly necessary. The factory where Phoenix was built ran out of parts practically in the first or second century. The plans, equipment, and supplies needed to recreate the parts Phoenix could need were lost or destroyed. This left Phoenix with no choice but to use the countless androids that littered his home. Since there were so many and the droids were built with durability that would make a cockroach jealous, Phoenix practically had an endless supply of equipment and parts that he would ever need. Even though they were never really ‘alive,’ he would always feel a bit guilty after taking the parts. He took some comfort knowing that Trucy will not have to deal with that. The local Tru-3 factory still has parts and they were able to secure the plans and equipment if Trucy ever needed new parts. The android family carefully continued on the rail, passing by abandoned apartments and destroyed factories and equipment, before finally coming to the downtown transit station. As Phoenix skated on the terminal floor, he passed an automatic advertisement that displayed exactly how the human population left the Earth.

“Too much garbage in your face,” the voice asked, “There’s plenty of space out in space! BNL Starliners leaving each day. We’ll clean up the mess while your away.” The advertisement had four individual screens, each showing a different scene when Phoenix moved passed them. The first was just an animated growing mountain of garbage, the second showed the BNL Starliner, the Axiom, soaring past the Earth, the third screen showed two Axioms taking off from their docking points, and the fourth one displayed about six Fen-10 droids doing their jobs as another Axiom takes off in the background.

{I guess it’s more like “I’ll clean up the mess while you’re still away” these days.} Phoenix and Trucy made their way to the end of the platform and pushed through the exit terminal gates. Just then, another, larger screen appeared above them with another advertisement of the Axiom.

“The jewel of the BNL fleet, the Axiom,” the voice exclaimed, “Spend your five-year cruise in style! Waited on 24 hours a day by our fully automated crew while your captain and auto-pilot chart a course for non-stop entertainment, fine dining, and with our all-access hover chairs, even grandma can join in the fun! There’s no need to walk! The Axiom, putting the star in executive starliner!” This advertisement showed hundreds of humans being pampered in a number of ways by all kinds of androids, be it by massages or by cooking hibachi-styled meals. It also showed the captain at the time and his android auto-pilot. Phoenix was always put off by the auto-pilot. He had slicked back grey hair, striking yet cold red and black eyes, and a stern face with noticeable wrinkles, making him look very old. It was almost as if that android could see right through your hardware. Phoenix’s paranoia about the auto-pilot android was interrupted by the image of the CEO of Buy N Large, Shelby Forthright, appearing on the screen.

“Because of BNL, space is the final fun-tier,” Forthright cheered as he waved to another Axiom taking off into the stars.

{I just wish you all would come back from that final fun-tier.}

______________________________________________________________

After a few more minutes, the android family finally arrived back at their bunker. It was set up on an abandoned, half-finished highway with a few deteriorating cars and construction vehicles in front. The bunker was designed as a place where Fen-10 units could power down after work, but Phoenix and Trucy made it into a suitable home over the centuries. Phoenix gained a good knowledge of machinery, electronics, and energy from reading books and downloading memory files, which helped him set up a small, yet sufficient home. Phoenix was able to fix the solar panels on the outside of the bunker to power everything in their home. They had working lights, heating and cooling systems, mechanics, and even an entertainment system with a DVD and VHS player, iPod that functioned as their television screen and sound system, and a few gaming systems. Phoenix was even able to repair a transceiver and screen that was capable of communication with a person in space if it linked with the other signal code. While they have never been able to reach anyone in space, they could still use its screen for their gaming system. Phoenix pulled up to a control panel, allowing Trucy to a lever that activated the door to their bunker. As the door slowly began to open, the sun’s light shown on the multitude of treasures they have collected over the years, be it a chandelier made from miscellaneous junk, a birdcage full of rubber ducks, or even a collection of clocks of varying types and sizes.

{Home sweet home.} Phoenix grabbed a power strip and flipped its switch, activating the lights in their bunker. Phoenix’s mood brightened as he stared at many treasures that he and Trucy collected over the centuries. Each item was a cherished memory he shared with his daughter. Phoenix helped Trucy off his shoulders before zipping off the top part of his jumpsuit, revealing the white undershirt underneath, and tying the sleeves around his waist. Phoenix began to hum the Hello Dolly show-tune as he strolled over to the entertainment system, taking the copy of Hello Dolly on VHS out of a decommissioned toaster to continue watching from the night before.

To say that phoenix loved Hello Dolly was an understatement. While there were other movies or shows that he and Trucy could watch, Hello Dolly had a special place in Phoenix’s core processor. The joyful music, lovable characters, and mesmerizing dance numbers always helped Phoenix and Trucy cheer up after a long day of trash sorting, treasure hunting, and seeing how badly the world keeps deteriorating. Moreover, this was her favorite musical. The favorite show of the Phoenix’s first and only human friend before every person evacuated the planet.

Phoenix placed the tape into the player and adjusted the large magnifying glass over the iPod’s screen, making the image of the town’s people in the scene bigger to see. With the familiar tune playing in the background, Phoenix and Trucy began to sort their new treasures, starting with the silver disk. As Phoenix turned what now appeared to be a hub cap from a car, he turned to look at the screen and took notice of the hats that the towns people were using in their dance number. Phoenix began to turn the disk above his head, mimicking the choreography of the scene.

{Well, that’s one thing we can use this for.} Phoenix placed the disk into one of the many shelves that lined the wall of the bunker. Trucy then opened up the cooler to take out the other treasures they had found throughout the day. Inside the cooler was a spork, a Rubik’s Cube, a hand-powered mixer, a light bulb, and an old BNL lighter. Trucy took out the spork and Rubik’s Cube, admiring the strange objects she found near the Ultra Store earlier that day. She placed the cube in a section that also housed one of her father’s art sculptures, which was a red clay heart with a spiked dog dollar around it on a spring. Trucy then moved to the section next to it to place the spork, trying to decide on whether to place it with their collection of forks or spoons. She eventually decided to put it in between the collections, as it was a fusion between the two. As Trucy placed the spork in its section, Phoenix pulled out the BNL lighter.

“What made you want to take this Trucy,” Phoenix questioned, “We must have nearly one hundred of these things by now.”

“Oh, it has something in it” Trucy replied, “I heard liquid inside when I picked it up. The others we have are empty. What do you think is in there?”

“I’m not sure,” Phoenix declared, “I don’t remember reading anything about these in our books or memory files. Let’s just put it with the others we found for now.” Phoenix moved to the end of the shelf and pressed the lowest button on its control panel, making the Ferris-wheel like mechanism begin to rotate the shelves until it reached the one with their collection of lighters. After placing the newest lighter in with the others, Phoenix’s audio receptors picked up a familiar sound. That song was playing again.

“And that is all, that loves about.

And we'll recall, when time runs out...”

Phoenix was always captivated by this song and scene. Seeing the two humans sweetly sing to each other, intertwine hands, and stare lovingly at each other made Phoenix’s core processor swell with happiness, but he also felt hints of jealousy and sadness. Phoenix let out a quiet sigh, surrounded in love and loneliness that Trucy managed to hear. She looked over to the screen, and anticipated her father’s next action.

“That it only,

Took a moment,

To be loved...

Whole...

Life...

Long.”

As the song began to end, Phoenix intertwined his own hands, mimicking the two humans on screen. There is was. Her father always held his own hands whenever he watched that scene. The scene was beautiful, but it also unintentionally rubbed what the two characters had that her father didn’t: Love.

This was not to say that Phoenix did not love her, extremely the opposite. Ever since Phoenix found her in the landfill her original ‘family’ left her in and re-activated her, he has been the greatest father she could ever ask for. He was always thinking of her and would do anything for her. He helped her recover and cope with her feelings of abandonment, shared with her everything he knew about the world, and would always make time for her for whatever she needed. Phoenix loved her with every ounce of his processor, no doubt about it.

But this was a different type of love. The two characters shared a romantic type of love, and her father did not have someone to share that kind of love with. He would try to hide his sadness over this from her; he did not want her to believe that their bond did not make him happy. Trucy understood how he felt, she did not have someone to share this kind of love with either. While she didn’t feel that strong of a desire for romantic love, probably due to her programming, she could see that her father wanted to experience that kind of love for himself, and not just watch it from movies. Trucy slowly walked over to her father and placed her hand on his arm.

“Daddy,” she carefully whispered. Phoenix slightly jumped at her touch. He looked over to her and then his hands, slowly separating them.

“I’m doing it again,” Phoenix softly mumbled, “I’m sorry Pumpkin, I …”

“Please don’t apologize Daddy,” Trucy reassured as she cupped her father’s face, “It’s not a bad thing to feel sad over this. You told me years ago that we have to feel what we need to feel. So please, if you need to feel sad, don’t hide it. Not even for my sake.” Phoenix held Trucy’s hands and gently pressed his forehead against hers. He knew that she was right. He shouldn’t be ashamed of his emotions. She’s not a naïve little android; she has changed and grown over the centuries. He shouldn’t be afraid to feel sadness around her, but he practically conditioned himself to in an attempt to spare her from feeling any undeserved guilt. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and cupped her face.

“What did I do to deserve the world’s most perfect daughter,” He softly asked.

“Saved me from becoming one of the many trash cubes you have to make,” she jokingly replied. Phoenix couldn’t help but giggle at her clever comeback. He hugged her close as they turned toward the screen, watching the two characters walk off, hand-in-hand. Phoenix hugged Trucy tighter as the sadness and jealousy seeped back in. Trucy placed her hands on her father’s, staring up at him to see what he would do next. Phoenix sighed and turned his head towards her.

“Trucy,” he began, “I know that you already know this, but I love you. Without you, I’d be so miserable here. But … I wish we weren’t the only two beings left on Earth. I wish we didn’t have to do the same things all day, every day. I’m so tired of cleaning and making trash cubes. I’m frustrated that I’m the only Fen-10 unit still working. I’m angry that I was the only one alive. I hate that there is still so much trash left, and we have to take care of it ourselves. I wish that the humans were back. I wish that there were other androids we could interact with. I wish that…”

“Easy Daddy,” Trucy interrupted, “Don’t overload your processor. Just take it slow.” Phoenix’s voice was getting faster and higher in pitch. Anymore and he might have needed to change his voice box. He took a deep breath to collect his thoughts.

{Easy Phoenix, you don’t have to say everything on your mind right now. Like Trucy says, take it slow.}

“… I want more out of life Truce,” he continued, “I don’t want to sound ungrateful for what we have now. Having you with me, collecting treasures together, making art, … it does make me happy. You make me very happy. … But that scene … it reminds me of what we could have … or what we never may have.” Phoenix knelt down to be at eye level with his daughter, placing his hands on her shoulders. He tried to speak again, but his melting pot of emotions made him stop to think about how he should say what needs to be said. However, Trucy caught on to what he wanted to say.

“I feel the same way Daddy,” Trucy revealed, “I love going with you to work and treasure hunting, but … I also want to do more. I want our lives to change.”

Change. Change is something that many people often fear. After all, fear is the result of not knowing something. But when you have been doing the same things for centuries, you might welcome a change of pace with open arms.

“I want to do the things that the humans in the movies can do,” Trucy added, “I want to meet people. I want to go on picnics, go to the beach, travel the world. I want an ..”

“Adventure,” Phoenix interjected. Phoenix gently sighed, feeling a weight lift off of his shoulders after sharing his frustrations, and remembering that he does not need to hide anything from his daughter. He couldn’t help but quietly laugh at how he fell for the cliché plot of hiding his true feelings to spare another’s; one of the curses of having a human ‘soul’: you have human flaws and make human mistakes. Phoenix pulled Trucy into a gentle hug.

“Truce, I really am sorry for hiding how I’ve been feeling, but I’m happy that you finally got it out of me,” Phoenix apologized, “I should have known that you were feeling the same way.”

“I’ve been hiding it too Daddy,” Trucy replied, “I was worried that I would hurt your feelings if I told you how I was feeling about this.”

“But this …. This is good. It feels good to talk about this. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk to each other about anything like this anymore. Trucy … if you ever feel unhappy, frustrated, or anything, never be afraid to talk to me about it. And I promise to do the same.” Trucy wrapped her arms around her father’s neck, tightening their hug. Phoenix felt his core processor swell with relief and happiness, knowing that the unneeded burden of hiding their true emotions was lifting. He knew that it would take some time to break this habit, but they took the first step. With more open talks and support, they can and will cope with their situation.

{An adventure would be nice. It would be great to do something else, go somewhere new … Wait a minute! Somewhere new!} Phoenix straightened his posture as an idea entered his mind.

“I think I know a little adventure we can have,” Phoenix exclaimed, “There’s a section of the city that we haven’t gone to, not even once! I think it’s called Sector 358, South-West from here. I’m supposed to finish Sector 174 tomorrow, but how about we skip it and go there instead!” Trucy looked up at her father in surprise and excitement.

“Really, a new sector,” Trucy thrilled, “You really mean it?”

“Of course. I’ll still be doing my job, but we’ll have a change of pace. What do you say?”

“Y-yeah! That sounds great! Think of all the new treasures we can find! This is gonna be awesome!” Trucy began to pace around the bunker, happily listing all of the new things she and her father could do and see. She began to speak faster and her voice raised in pitch. Phoenix waved her down and then spoke.

“Heh, take it easy Pumpkin! Now you’re gonna overload your processor. But, I’m glad your excited. Why don’t we plan out what we can do at the sector while we finish sorting our new treasures?” Trucy took a deep breath and calmed her excitement. She then joined her father by the cooler, trying to find a fitting place for the hand-powered mixer.

________________________________________________________________

The sun had finally set and the night sky began to sparkle with the lights of the stars … is what one would see if the smog wasn’t blocking the atmosphere. Phoenix and Trucy had finished Hello Dolly and placed their new treasures in their collection. Trucy was on top of the bunker trying to catch a glimpse of the stars while her father was carefully banging the cooler on the ramp of their bunker to clean out the dirt and dust from the day.

“Hey Daddy,” Trucy called, “The smog is clearing a bit! You can see the stars!” Phoenix looked up to the sky as a grin grew on his face, joyful to see that his daughter was right. It was a small hole in the smog, but it was enough to see the silvery dots speckled across the black darkness of space. The beauty of the sight made Phoenix couldn’t help but think back to the song “It only takes a moment.” The soft lyrics and melody did fit the sight of a calm sky well. Phoenix pulled out a tape recorder and pressed the play button. The song, which Phoenix had recorded earlier began to play as Phoenix continued to stare at the night sky. Phoenix sighed as the beauty of the song mixed perfectly with the calmness of the shimmering stars.

However, the song was only able to play the first line as the smog once again covered the sky. The sound of the song was then replaced with the blaring siren of Phoenix’s alarm system. Phoenix stiffened and gasped at the sudden change of sound and quickly pulled his goggles over his eyes to see what and where the danger was. Phoenix’s line of vision fixated directly in front of him.

[WARNING! LEVEL 3 DUST STORM APPROACHING!

SPEED: 249 MPH

ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME TO CURRENT LOCATION: 30 SECONDS

SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!]

“Oh no,” Phoenix quietly gulped before turning to warn Trucy, “TRUCY! SANDSTORM COMING IN FAST! GET INSIDE, QUICK!” Trucy quickly sat up upon hearing her father’s cry and scrambled to her feet. She quickly climbed down the bunker’s side ladder and sprinted into the door. Once she was safely inside, Phoenix flipped the switch on the power strip to close the door. Phoenix and Trucy moved to the back of the bunker, watching the door slowly close. They hugged each other and held their breaths as they saw the storm quickly approach. Once the door finally closed and locked, they let out a sigh of relief.

{These storms are getting more and more common. No matter how many we face, it never gets easier.} Phoenix and Trucy stayed silent for a few seconds, listening to the wind blow around their bunker and the song. Trucy was the first to notice that the song was still playing and began to giggle at the unfitting music after narrowly escaping the dust storm. Trucy’s giggles alerted Phoenix to the song and he couldn’t help but laugh along with her. As he pressed the off button, Trucy let out a yawn. She pressed the button that held her cape together and checked her stats. Her energy was low.

“Heh, it is pretty late,” Phoenix chuckled, “We should get some sleep. We’ve got quite a day tomorrow.” Phoenix and Trucy made their way to the very back of the bunker to their beds. Phoenix was able to hook up Trucy’s charger to her cot so she could be charged when she went to sleep. Trucy removed her cape, gloves, ascot, boots, and pulled her hair out of the pony tail while Phoenix completely removed the top part of his jumpsuit and pulled off his boots. After Trucy settled into her bed, Phoenix strolled over to tuck her in.

“Good night sweetie,” Phoenix cooed as he kissed her forehead.

“Goodnight Daddy,” Trucy yawned. It only took a few seconds for Trucy to power down and fall asleep. Phoenix softly smiled as he made his way over to his cot and pulled the quilt over his body. Phoenix stared up at the ceiling, letting his body relax after the long day.

{Just an average day. … With a few changes.} Phoenix closed his eyes and allowed himself to power down, letting himself drift off to sleep.

________________________________________________________________

Author’s Note

Man, I did not mean for this to take so long.

As you can see, this au follows the story of the Disney and Pixar movie Wall-e. If you have seen the movie, then you know around 85% of the story’s plot. If you have not seen this movie, then this will contain spoilers for it. But I am adding new scenes to the story to keep it interesting, so I hope you all continue to enjoy it.

The scene with Trucy and Phoenix in the bunker was difficult to write. I wanted to write that scene in a careful, honest, and respectful way. Being someone who suffers with depression, I know first-hand how important it is to one’s health to talk about one’s emotions and feelings. If you are struggling with your emotions and how you feel, please talk to someone you trust or seek out a therapist or councilor. And if you know or see someone struggling with this, please help them in the best way you can. You could save a life. Your feelings and mental health matter, always remember that.

So, can you guys guess which Ace Attorney character is Auto? If you remember what Auto does to Wall-e near the end, then you should get your answer.

And who is this mysterious woman that Phoenix befriends? Who is the woman that Phoenix has the highest regard for? See the next chapter to find out!

#collabwithmyself #collabwithmyself chronicles #phoe-nix #ace attorney #wall-e au

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koalas-koalas-everywhere · 5 years

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Regarding Vulcans and autism

Since why the hell not make it a series with recognizable titles that will make it easy to look up and create links for if I ever make enough of them for it to be worth it. Disclaimer: it might be hard to understand what I’m getting at without reading the other posts since this isn’t supposed to be, like, a comprehensive analysis on how one is like the other.

Thing is, as an Aspie woman, I can see perfectly well how Vulcans expressing nothing but neutrality gets twisted in reception and interpreted as smugness/disdain, and autism (or at least Asperger’s, I am sorta more knowledgeable about one than the other) does tend to include self-awareness issues that leads to feelings of superiority and/or inferiority, and with the most recognizably “autistic” (either explicitly or through coding) being the Sheldon Coopers and the BBC Sherlock types, the assumption that anyone like them in some ways will follow in others (heck, might be why pop culture has accepted Holmes as an asshole at all, since he wasn’t that bad in the stories but he WAS smart and eccentric and every once in a while disdaindful of the people whose jobs he did better than them) is not unexpected.

The problem’s not really there because I actually have faith that we could have talked about it and raised awareness of not only this case, but also made people question why seeing a smart(er), seemingly cold but all-around just neutral characters or races made everyone raise their hackles to such a degree, assume that they’re actually mostaken about their skills (literally have seen people go “but what if Vulcans only think they’re some of the best scientists around bc they’re supercilious assholes and it’s just not true”)and wrong about life in general. Don’t get me wrong, I do get the impulse ever since Star Trek (2009), but, well, that’s just the thing, that’s where the problem is. Because we could have talked about it in fandom and be friends about it, but now there are TWO official canon sources that depict the Vulcans as intolerant, xenophobic, racist, ableist hypocrites, and not only is it harder to argue with actual canon telling you that you were right about your worst assumptions, but now you’ve seen them be actually WORSE than you first thougt, and to your faves, and in such a way that none of their positive/redeeming qualities (say, being all of that stuff sorta kinda messes up the whole IDIC thing, but it wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t doing it out out of malice, but out of ignorance and genuine misunderstanding, and if the only members who were shown to be sorta kinda decent weren’t at least partly from a different species (u.s., uh, I mean, us) and/or implied to have been influenced by a different culture) were shown. In fact, those good qualities, such as their pacifism, reverence for life, belief and respect for diversity, their curiosity and constant push for knowledge that probably wouldn’t let them just let a kid fall by the wayside becuase he was dyslexic (“there is no other wisdom, and no hope for us, but that we grow wise”), their deep attachment to their morality that’s even more important to them than to be liked by the other members of the Federation COUGH COUGH AUTISM MUCH COUGH COUGH were the first to be dropped in favour of what’s anathema to all of this, the last one in particular was turned on its head so it wasn’t that they used their logic to arrive to the most compassionate and fair choice, and it had to be logic since emotion would resist a sacrifice in a way logic won’t, making logic the compassionate choice (as they saw it, I don’t think it’s universally true, but also not universaly false), but that they were mich more willing to let people suffer and to look the other way and not be affected at all because, I don’t know, they mistook logic, which is a tool, with efficiency, which is a goal, I’d guess.

They lost the best things about them because freaking J J Abrams decided to make movies about a franchise he didn’t even like and then, even though all of it could have stayed in a parallel universe were, as many have proposed, Vulcans were worse because the Kelvin accident led people to know what Romulans looked like earlier so THEY were worse and everyone was just an asshole to each other, but then Discovery took a leaf out of his book and used his version of Vulcans and even changed old characters to fit this new version better (Sarek doesn’t disagree with Starfleet because of its bellicosity [you can’t even argue that he still disaproves of violence because he spent the worst part of the war following General Cornwell around and idk commiting mind crimes] or because he sees it as a rejection from Spock [since he says he’ll keep his distance because it’s what Spock would want and what the fuck even was that?] and he’s a cold bastard who’d take a child to a completely different culture than the one she’s used to purely for superficial beliefs and even then he’ll still prioritize his more Vulcan son, Amanda doesn’t think Vulcan’s is a hard but better way [and honestly she wouldn’t be justified to] so since she can’t be staying because of her children since they’re being mistreated, she must be doing it because of Sarek which is just so feminist, you guys, and ok, I better change topics before this becomes an “everything that’s wrong about Disco with a sidenote of everything that’s not objectively wrong but I still didn’t like”, but also, Vulcan brains can literally lobotomize themselves while dealing with trauma, don’t you think they’d take mental health seriously?) so now it’s canon in the original universe, too. Even with Enterprise (which, to be honest, I haven’t watched, I’ve only learned what was going on with Vulcans from Memory Alpha and the recounting might hace left events and/or the essence and implications of the plotline out), the tomfoolery was supposed to be Romulans infiltrating the government and twisting Surak’s teachings, all of this is supposed to be how things vecame after they got his katra back and went through the Reform.

And this got long, but the thing is: it’s not just about the Vulcans. It’s about the fact that some of the worst assumptions made about them were recognizable at least by this one Aspie as, among other things, a neurotypical’s response to an autistic trait and a long history of negative autistic coding, and now they’ve been confirmed by canon, so instead of having a nice discussion and maybe a bit of disk horse about this, we’ve gotta deal with the fact that now some people feel legitimally repelled by and resentful of Vulcans (insofar as any emotion applies to fiction) because they are now the bigots and oppressors - now it’s not a one episode race of black&white and white&black people ridiculously pointing at the obvious differences between each other, but Vulcans who have said and done bigoted things many people have been exposed to during their lives, and if they were ever willing to give them, and by extension us, a chance, now it’s ruined. I am not, of course, saying that if you hate Vulcans, especially now, you’re ableist, or that making them the Asshole^tm will turn people ableist. Just that it would have been nice to see people like me who didn’t end up justifiably despised.*

*Especially through character assassination, couldn’t you have at least made them unlikeable from the start?

#Star Trek #Vulcans #Spock #am I metaing yet?#I don’t know #it’s been bothering me #because I really love Vulcans and all of this seems like a permanent giant stain

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queenofthecommunistcannibals · 6 years

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@yikes-trademarked

i mean yeah, the post has nothing to do with it just comes across as a bit of a slap in the face to people who are genuinely oppressed in a modern day society. how are asexuals ‘neglected’ and ‘isolated’? so most people experience sexual attraction and you don’t, whoop de doo. nobody actually cares if you do or don’t experience sexual attraction. if you could please give me an actual, real life, not someone-calling-you-a-plant-online example of asexual discrimination then i’ll take back my words

___

@yikes-trademarked I super love how instead of apologizing you are doubling down. Okay. I'll give you examples. Here are some general prejudices that affect aro and ace people. They aren't in any real order.

•Until the DSM V asexuality was considered a mental illness. Despite the fact that now we are "allowed" to "identify" as asexual HSDD (Hypoactive sexual desire disorder) is STILL considered a disorder. So instead of trying to help a person accept themselves as asexual allosexual (nonace) doctors will try to "fix" someone if they want to. Asexuality is still seen as something to be cured. It is still a dysfunction in their eyes, they just hide their prejudice a little better.

•Asexuals have been harrassed and raped in an attempt to fix them. Asexuals and aromantics are often seen as a "challenge" to be harassed into affection.

•Mainstream Christianity discriminates against asexuals as they do other queer identities. Here is one quote from a document called "Asexuality and Christianity" produced for Asexual Awareness Week (the fact that we get "awareness" rather than "pride" ain't great either)

"While celibacy is officially considered a good stance in religion, declaring oneself disinterested in sex is often met with disapproval. Asexuals have been told that they are rejecting God's gift of sexuality, that they are just as bad as homosexuals because they are not 'normal'...or people decide to pray to God for them to be fixed or for the Almighty to send the right person for them to fall in love with."

Or from the horse's mouth "Question: What do you call a person who is asexual? Answer: Not a person. Asexual people do not exist. Sexuality is a gift from God and thus a fundamental part of our human identity. Those who repress their sexuality are not living as God created them to be: fully alive and well." This was written by two Jesuit priests David Nantais and Scott Opperman. In other religions this is also often true. I know more about Christianity personally but I know similar doctrines exist in Islam and Orthodox Judaism. Not to mention the notion that marriage is the only acceptable option in these religions (unless you are Catholic clergy) and children are a necessity. Hell, according to the conservative traditional gender roles of these religions even an otherwise gender conforming aro/ace doesn't fit (not marrying, no kids, no family, all that).

•Dehumanization from all sides. We are told to be human is to love and that love is nearly always put in romantic or sexual context. Indeed NOT being capable of or experiencing romantic or sexual love is often used as shorthand for someone being a bad person (As Dexter [from Dexter], for example, becomes more sympathetic he develops the ability to feel sexual/romantic love. Robots in fiction can be asexual and aromantic but only if you want to show them as apart from humanity. Once you want to make it clear they have a soul they have to experience some kind of romantic urge or longing. Like Data from Star Trek) An article in Psychology Today by Dr. Gordon Hodson Ph.D. (who specializes in studying dehumanization) postulates (with a study to back it up) that asexuals are the most dehumanized sexual minority.

•On the specifically romantic asexual front in many places do not consider a marriage valid until it has been consumated.

•In media in which asexuality and aromanticism are not proof of evil they are judged to be not real. Here is one of if not our first actual representation in media. In the film Nymphomaniac the SELF-PROCLAIMED asexual character turns out to be a rapist who the protagonist murders in what is supposed to be a "woo! You go girl!" moment. AT BEST this says asexuals aren't real. We're just sexually repressed misanthropes. It might also imply that asexuals are base animals who are waiting to strike. THAT IS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES THE WORD ASEXUAL IS EVEN USED IN MAINSTREAM FILM! I cannot think of a single other.

•We are erased constantly in real life and in media. Here are two examples of active erasure, Jughead Jones (canonly aro/ace in the comics and coded as such since day one) was straight-washed for Riverdale. You may say "oh maybe they didn't know" (which is bullshit) then consider example two: Sherlock Holmes. Holmes (who I adore) has long been one of the few characters that has been "allowed" to aro/aces, but when the creators of BBC's Sherlock were explicitly asked if he was aro/ace they said he absolutely wasn't.

This is part of what I am talking about. We are not allowed to exist. We are invisible.

•Asexuals and aromantics are somehow toxic in our mere existence. We make kids think it is okay to be like us and are poisoning their young minds. We hate sex and thus are against the sex positivity movement.

•"Virgin" is an insult and we are treated as constant children. Somehow we have failed to grow up and cannot be treated as adults.

•And here is what I was really talking about SOCIETY IS NOT MADE FOR US! CULTURE IS NOT CONDUSIVE TO OUR EXISTENCES! I didn't know asexuality was an option until I was about 24. And before that I, like many aro/ace people, put myself in a lot of situations and relationships to "fix" myself. To make myself normal. My first and only sexual encounter was one of the things that sent me spiralling into a serious depression. I didn't know that it was okay to not be interested and to say "no.". So I said "okay" because I thought it was what I had to do to be a normal teenager. I don't know if I ever shared that online before so congrats you got me so mad I revisited my personal trauma. From childhood we are told falling in love is the ultimate reward. As teens we are told we gotta get laaaaaid. As adults not being involved in a sexual/romantic (often indistinguishable) relationship is WEIRD and TROUBLING. I have been told by people who don't know I am asexual that asexual people are "too weird" or even "creepy." The idea that someone might not be capable of romantic love sets off people's red flags that said aromantic might be crazy.

•We are surrounded by sex and romance constantly. Constantly. It is inescapable. In your real life I want you to pay attention to romantic or sexual imagry and storylines around you. There is no break. No alternative. This is what I mean by "invisible at best."

•Also, we are denied a history. It is very hard to prove absence but often sexless figures are immediately dubbed to be gay/lesbian because of their lack of interest in "appropriate" gender. Forgetting entirely that asexuality and aromanticism are options. Then when the question is raised they maybe a figure WAS aro and/or ace we are told that we are """"stealing"""" history. There is like one person in history we are allowed: Nikola Tesla. I love him very much, but he also fits the bill as a weirdo asexual. Because anyone who was the least bit acceptable to society must be allosexual. An example in reverse, Queen Elizabeth I, Britain's most beloved monarch, who never married, never was romantically or sexually involved with anyone (aside from being assaulted as a teenager), and was in her era very famously THE VIRGIN QUEEN who used her virginity as part of her persona to great affect. She is not considered asexual or aromantic and never has been. I have seen a biographer bend over backwards to get away from that accusation including using an incident where an elderly Elizabeth flashed a dignitary to make him uncomfortable as proof that she was allo. We can't have this awesome historical figure be one of those creeps right?!

•i am not even going into the history of how "sexlessness" was historically treated, especially in women. Let me just say that "spinsterism" was considered a danger to children and young women.

•NOTICE I WENT THIS WHOLE POST WITHOUT MENTIONING ASSHOLES WHO USE THE DISK HORSE AND BAR US FROM QUEER CIRCLES EVEN THOUGH SOME STUDIES FIND ASEXUALS HAVE LOWER SELF ESTEEM THAN ANY OTHER QUEER GROUP AND WOULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM A COMMUNITY!! THIS POST IS ENTIRELY EXAMPLES OF NON ONLINE PEOPLE BECAUSE SOMEHOW YOUR CONSTANT ABUSE OR REFUSAL TO RECOGNIZE ABUSE IS A-OKAY BECAUSE IT IS PART OF "THE DEBATE" BECAUSE SOMEHOW OUR EXISTENCE IS ACCEPTABLE DEBATE!

These are just some examples. People are free to add more but I am tired. If you want links I will dig them up.

Sincerely,

Fuck you.

I apologize for the "fuck you" but the exclusionist attitude is so disheartening. It is bad for not only aros and aces but also the queer community in general. We should be in this together! Fighting for one another side by side! We should be there for each other for hardships and for celebrations. I think it is vital that exclusionists really examine what and who they are actually fighting against.

#asexuality #my posts #asexual #aromantic #lgbt+#queer

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stevestonbike · 2 years

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Baby Blue and 77 km.

I had a nice ride. The bike has Ultegra 8000 and that works really nice. The Tarmac ultegra is several generations older. It has 11 speed cogs. For geeks it is an 11-34. I used the 34 a couple times.

The ride was a Vancouver triple crown. That is going up all the highest points in the City proper. Those are QE park in the middle, Prospect Point in Stanley park and the big hill at UBC.

The club had three-ish groups. There was a Group 2 and two group threes. One quicker than the other. I rode in both 3s as they got mixed up. It did not matter. Once again I proved that on flats and downhill I am one of the faster ones. On up hill sections I am not quite the slowest. My fate is set.

The bike was great. Very quiet compared to my old red horse. The freewheel is almost silent. The shifting was great. I was worried about the handlebars as my old bike is padded and parts double wrapped. The Canyon has thick tape and was fine. My hands did not even think about going numb. When I do YVR tomorrow I will see if that is cured. I always go numb about 10k from the end.

Fit was fine as I just matched all the dimensions from the red bike. It seems that 15 years of technology makes a difference.

In an aside about 4 people in the club showed up with old bikes. I mean to say classics. One had a TREK 5000 painted with US postal colors. Another had a Steel Eddie Merx with down tube shifters. There was an old Tarmac as well. There is a "classic" division in the Whistler Granfondo. That is in just under two weeks. I am ready I guess.

I just beat last years August and with the YVR loop on Tuesday I will also clear my 5 year running average for this month too. Still far behind on the year to date, but the weather was stupid.

One hope I hold out is the new bike is disk brake so I can ride in rain with a lot more confidence. I even bought funky fenders. So spring should be better.

I want to add some praise to Canyon Bikes. Delivery was very quick from Europe. It is a very nice product and even with duty and tax it was less expensive than what I could get here to the same specification if they even had bikes in stock to sell.

Good on ya Canyon!

#Specialized Tarmac #Canyon Bikes #ultegra #old man on a bike #bikeblr #fitblr #rbc whistler granfondo

0 notes

viabrown586 · 3 years

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Best Cbz Reader For Mac

Cbz Reader Download

Best Cbz Reader For Mac

If you're looking for a CBR and CBZ reader for your favorite OS, look no farther. Comical is an easy-to-use, featureful GUI comic book viewer, written in C++ using wxWidgets. Comic Book Reader supports all major formats like CBR, CBZ, XPS, EPUB, and PDF. CDisplay Ex Lightweight, easy to use and having just the right features, CDisplay Ex is a great comic book reader software for Windows 10. CDisplay Ex is a light, efficient and Free CBR Reader, and it is also the most popular comic book reader.It is able to read all comic book formats (.cbr file,.cbz,.pdf, etc.) and Manga. Everything is designed to give you the best comic reading experience, it load comic books immediately, reading is fluid and comfortable even on slow computer. Mac & iOS: Just go for YACReader, it’s the best comic book reader for Mac and iOS. Windows 10 PC and Mobile: Go for the UWP app called Cover-Comic Book Reader, not only it’s the best comic book reader for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, but it also has the best UI I’ve ever seen on a comic book reader. Rename the file extension to RAR and you can just unarchive it with any capable unarchiver software. Same as CBZ, which uses ZIP. CBR/CBZ are usually used for regroup scanned comic book pages. If you have a CBR file and you want to read the content directly without unarchiving it first, I’d recommend EdgeView 2 for Mac. It’s by far the only comic book reader I’ve ever tested that can do the simplest thing correctly, such as zoom to fit for every page.

CBR/CBZ are usually used for regroup scanned comic book pages. If you have a CBR file and you want to read the content directly without unarchiving it first, I’d recommend EdgeView 2 for Mac. It’s by far the only comic book reader I’ve ever tested that can do the simplest thing correctly, such as zoom to fit for every page. After the recent hiccups introduced by the comicvine database transitioning to a new location, cbanack has releases a new and updated version of his incredible Comic Vine plugin for ComicRack. You can get the new build at the usual location.

These 2019's comic book reader apps for iPhone and iPad are easily the best of the lot. Check out this exclusive list and pick out the one that stands out for you to liven up your comic reading experience.

Do you have a penchant for reading comic books? If yes, we have you covered with the best comic book reader apps to let you experience the spectacle of “Iron Man,” The Avengers, X-Men and more.

What makes these comic reader apps special is the ability to offer unmatched comic reading experience. They support most comic formats and allow you to organize your comics with utmost ease. What’s more, you can even fine tune them to suit your best interest!

Best Comic Book Reader Apps for iPhone and iPad in 2019

#1. Episode ft Pitch Perfect

Episode ft Pitch Perfect is an ideal app to enjoy reading interactive and visual stories. Boasting of the vast catalog of more than 35, 000 stories featuring all the genres like romance, fantasy, comedy and more, it keeps your interest in reading something out-of-the-box alive.

The interactive stories offer you a great chance to lead your life just the way you want and have the desired success. As, you can choose your path to love, popularity and more. Find a gorgeous woman or a super handsome guy to fall in love. That’s not all; there are a lot of mysteries to be unraveled and dangers which you need to encounter to achieve your goal.

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Wattpad is the one-stop platform to read all types of books and interesting stories. Based on what gets you going, you can explore several things like mystery, comedy, action, fiction, science fiction, romance, adventure, fantasy and more.

You can easily save any articles to read them offline. With the option to sync your account, you will be able to pick up from where you left off on any of your iOS devices. Most importantly, you can directly connect with writers and other readers and share your experience or discuss.

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#3. comiXology

comiXology is one of the finest comic reader apps. With this app, you will enjoy reading Kindle comics, graphic novels as well as Magna purchases. The massive library boasts of tons of Marvel comics, image comics, DC comics. You can also search for and add your favorite books to the wishlist. If you want to make your comic reading more delightful, you shouldn’t look beyond comiXology.

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#4. iComics

iComics is designed to be a top class comic reader app. It is compatible with most comic formats such as ZIP, CBZ, RAR, CBR, 7ZIP, CB7, TAR, CBT, LZH, LHA, EPUB, PDF. It features a slider that allows you to move from one comic to another with ease. You can split extra-wide pages to make reading a bit easier. You have the option to share, email and even save individual pages.

Price: $1.99 Download

#5. Chunky Comic Reader

This one is a complete comic book reader app. It’s highly user-friendly and easy-to-use. With the super handy upscaling feature, it makes even low-resolution comics look nice. It features auto-contrast/tint which fixes yellow pages as well as faded ink. There is a self-organizing library which keeps all your stuff in perfect order.

Price: Free Download

#6. Marvel Unlimited Comics

With Marvel Unlimited Comics, you can access a vast library of more than 17, 000 digital comics. Even if you are not connected to Cellular or Wi-Fi, it lets you read up to 12 issues offline. It includes some famous Marvel comics including Spider-Man, The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, X-Men and more. It allows you to preview every issue in the archive and read some selected issues if you are not signed up.

Price: Free Download

#7. Madefire Comics & Motion Books

The last but not least, “Madefire Comics & Motion Books” is one of the most adorable comic book reader apps for iOS. With the synchronized sound effects, music and 360 panoramic views, it offers an amazing reading experience.

From Batman, Superman, Star Trek to Dark Horse, it was packed in with everything that can thoroughly entertain you. As the new releases are added every week, you will never get bored and always have plenty of options to explore. You can browse through new print comic titles from famous publishers in the print books storefront and quickly buy the one you love via in-app purchases.

Price: Free Download

#8. Comic Book Reader: Viewer for Comic

This comic book reader app supported all formats and considered to be the best for reading, cb7, cbz, cbr, and cbt comics. The impressive design and intuitive user-interface make reading books a great experience.

Thanks to the integration with major cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and network services including SMB, FTP, SFTP, DLNA, it lets you quickly open documents from any network or cloud services. Page layout option in documents such as single page, double page offer more convenience. You can bookmark any story to read it later. The file manager allows you to keep your library in perfect order.

Price: Free Download

#9. Comic Zeal Comic Book Reader

“Comic Zeal Comic Book Reader” is feature-rich and a perfect app to enhance your comic book reading experience. It lets you organize your collection as desired. As, you can put series inside series, and with the use of dividers, you will be able to manage long lists. There is also an option to sort comics into their respective series automatically. Better still, it also includes a parental lock for specific series.

Price: $4.99 Download

#10. ComicFlow

With the smart interface, ComicFlow provides an unmatched comic reading experience. It’s equipped to handle large comic collections. You can easily import your favorite comics in the background. It supports cbr, .cbz and pdf files. It’s compatible with the only iPad.

EC Technology SD Card Reader Aluminum Superspeed USB 3.0 Multi-In-1 Card Reader for SD Card/CF Card/Micro SD Card and More for MacBook Pro Air, iMac, Mac Mini, Microsoft Surface Pro, Lenovo Yoga by EC Technology. Safari opens the Adobe Flash Player page on the Adobe website. Follow the instructions on the Adobe website to download and install the latest version of the plug-in. If you need to use an older version of Flash Player, you can use Internet plug-in management in Safari to run the plug-in in unsafe mode for websites that you trust. Flash player for mac. Adobe flash reader free download - Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5, and many more programs. Download free Adobe Flash Player software for your Windows, Mac OS, and Unix-based devices to enjoy stunning audio/video playback, and exciting gameplay.

Price: Free Download

That’s it!

Signing Off

These comic book reader apps excel in letting you read books with optimum convenience. So, whether you want to read science-fiction, romance or action thriller, these CBR apps are the class apart. Have I missed any top CBR app for iOS?

Do let us know that in the comments below, on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram. Also, make sure to try our app on your iPhone and iPad.

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Udf reader for mac os x. For Mac OS 10.4. Enables an Apple computer to mount and read disks formatted with recorded video and data files, and supports mounting and reading of DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray and other optical media. The new ReadDVD!