#wilson being his husband doctor is like . the cause of so many so many problems

[thefuturewithoutus]

i'm not even lying or exaggerating when i'm saying that house and wilson are the most unmarried married men i've ever seen. sorry. sorry for this but house telling wilson he hasn't peed in three days in 3x16 is like. a spouse conversation . i wasn't meant to hear that that's for house's husband/doctor

[shreddedparchment]

A Wife for Thor Pt.22

Obstacle

04/08/2021

Pairing: King!Thor x Reader          Word Count: 5,413

Warnings: angst, jealousy, marital problems, pregnancy, allusions to cheating (no actual infidelity), fluff, smug Loki

A/N: It took me SO long to get this chapter down. I wrote literally like a few sentence a day for a bit and then finally got some good chunks out. This has been a tough week but this chapter makes it all worth it! I hope y’all think so too. A lot of good stuff happens in this chapter, as in stuff that I really like. If you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work!

Please DO NOT repost my stories on any other sites or blogs.

REBLOGS are always welcome!

The shuffle around the palace as Loki escorts you through the front gate is overwhelming.

It’s safe to say that judging by your reception when you’d shown up in Heimdall’s tower located on the far side of the city, the Asgardians are happy to see you.

Armod is also happy to see you and you rush to get into your car before you can get swarmed by eager Asgardians.

Loki joins you in the back seat and lets Armod gush over his happiness at seeing you back home and healthy. And pregnant! More than anything, the people are happy to see the swell of your belly.

Many of the women are crying as you step out of the car at the palace gate, the men cheering enthusiastically.

Some of the children have found flower petals to throw into the air and it rains white, pink, and yellow blossoms.

It's the small waving hand of a little girl with ebony floor length braids that tugs too hard on your heartstrings and you give in to your impulse.

“Armod, stop the car, I’d like to greet the people,” you ask, swayed further by the eager faces of the young girl's siblings who flank her..

As much as being Queen had come unexpectedly and as much work as it's been, loving the Asgardians has never been a challenge and you've missed your people.

Their kindness has always been the best part of your day.

Armod gives Loki a quick look but stops the car just as the palace gates are opening.

He pulls over to the side, putting it in park before hurrying out to open the door for you.

“Are you sure?” Loki checks, reaching over to place his hand over yours on the seat.

“Of course. I owe them this. I’ve been gone for so long.”

“If you’d rather go in, we can find an excuse.”

“Loki,” you laugh once. “Is something wrong? Is there a reason I shouldn’t get out of the car?”

“Not at all,” he assures you. “I just don’t want you to force yourself. I know this pregnancy hasn’t exactly been easy on you.”

“I’m okay. And I’m sure they wanna see the proof that they have an heir coming. Really, Loki, I don't mind.”

Loki sighs, but gets out quickly to move around and take Armod’s place and offer you his arm.

Taking it, you pull yourself out, and after a long moment to steady yourself on your feet, you turn to face your people.

A large number of Valkyries suddenly pour from the open palace gateway and you wait as they line themselves in front of the gathering crowd. A simple border of control to keep you safe.

The people don’t seem threatened by the guard either and they continue to cheer until you raise your hand and call them to silence.

It only takes a few seconds for the noise to die, leaving only the ambient sounds of the city, wind, and the shuffling feet as more Asgardians and visiting humans gather.

“Hello,” you begin, voice a little shaky from nerves. “I’m...I-I’d like to start by first apologizing for disappearing. And then for being gone so long.”

The people watch and listen attentively, hanging on your every word. As your hands drop down to your belly to stroke it anxiously out of habit, their eyes are drawn to it and they seem to rattle with excitement again.

Looking down at your tummy, you contemplate the little one inside and the kicks he gave you earlier in the day.

He's really in there.

“It’s been a long journey to do what’s been expected of me. Difficult, actually. Giving you and Thor what we’ve all been hoping for is a privilege though. It's important that you all know that.

"However, I'm not as strong as all of you. I'm not as resilient. As soon as I knew that I was expecting the future prince or princess of New Asgard, I knew that I had to take precautions. I had to stop thinking like your Queen and just for a while, think like a mom. I told Thor that I wanted to take some time away from my duties as Queen if only to make sure that my pregnancy would take. In order to ensure the health of this baby.

“Im so very sorry if I caused any of you any worry or pain by disappearing. That was never my intention and it makes me...I can only say that I'm sorry. I hope that you all can understand why I left. The The thing is I’m happy to say that my efforts weren't wasted, clearly."

There's a rumble of gentle laughter that flows through the crowd and breaks the slightly somber mood your speech is causing. You give them a smile and they smile back.

"And while that does make me very happy, it has not been easy to carry this baby. I have been sick and weak but after some rest I'm now feeling stronger than ever. With the constant and careful care provided by Doctors Wilson and Alric, I’m finally able to resume my duties as Queen with the knowledge that this baby is strong and healthy and my body can take the strain of bringing him-or her into this world.

“I’m so happy to be back among my people, my home. You all are my family and it fills me with such joy to know that I have made you all proud.”

The people cheer, more and more gathering along the street so that it’s now clogged and impassable. Others have taken to peeking out of windows from the surrounding buildings or finding balconies and roofs to stand on to get a better look at you.

Their excitement changes to trepidation at the look on your face as you realize that now is the perfect time to address what happened yesterday.

They’re so attuned to your mood that they quiet down again and wait nervously for you to speak.

"On a more serious note, I know that many of you must have been shocked by the lies spewed onto the pages of the Watch. And I'd like to be as clear as I possibly can about my absence from the palace.

"I only left because of the concern I had for our future prince or princess. There was absolutely no other reason for my absence in our great city. While it is true that something did happen between Thor, Jane, and myself--well, I will only say that now I know that His Majesty the King of Asgard is wholly devoted to me and our family, just as he has been from the moment he accepted me as his wife.

"Not that I ever doubted it," you lie. No one needs to know how bad things are and it is true that now you know Thor is devoted to you.

So, it's not completely a lie.

"As a people," you continue. "We'll need to be vigilant about the people we choose to trust to come into our homes. We will be more cautious now, and as a woman…"

You swallow hard, thinking about the words itching on the tip of your tongue to tumble forward and make your heart clear. Maybe it's not right to say it? Maybe it isn't the queenly thing to do?

You don't care.

"As a wife and a soon-to-be mother, I will say that Doctor Jane Foster is not welcome in my home. She has proven to be unworthy of the trust we placed in her and while her expertise is an invaluable commodity that I am sad to lose, I would rather have the second best than risk the stability of my family."

To your surprise, there are a flutter of approving nods and smiles, wives and husband's looking scandalized by the confirmation that something went down but clearly it was Thor that had Jane kicked out. A few cheers come but they quiet down quickly.

"My love for His Majesty is unwavering. As is his for me. No marriage can be without it's struggles but Thor and I are as united as we have ever been. Both in love, devotion, to each other and you, our people. Together we will strive to protect this kingdom to the best of our abilities and with this child, I hope we can begin to lay down proper roots for us so that everyone on Earth will know that New Asgard is here to stay."

The crowd cheers. It's deafening and your hands are trembling so terribly even clenched into fists they shake.

"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!" someone shouts and the others fall into the chant as it's picked up by what sounds like everyone in the crowd.

A cool hand presses against the center of your back and you lean towards him as he whispers in your ear.

"That was beautifully done, Y/N," Loki admires. "Now come along. You need your rest."

You cradle your bump and the crowd cheers louder as you wave while Loki leads you back into the car.

As it pulls away from the curb, the Valkyrie turn to follow behind you. Faces full of stern pride. Their gleaming armor shining bright in the late afternoon sun.

The large wooden and steel reinforced gates of the palace close with a thundering clatter and you lean back, heart suddenly clenching painfully. Your stomach turns and you feel like you might throw up.

You shut your eyes and open the window allowing the cooling air to help drive your nausea away.

"Y/N? You alright?" Loki checks, putting his hand on your arm.

"I'm fine," you assure him, unwilling to open your eyes.

"Are you sure? Only, you're looking a little green."

That doesn't actually happen does it? Do people look green when they're gonna throw up?

You assume he's exaggerating, but as the last bit of the swirl in your belly passes, you look at him with fearful eyes.

"I'm nervous," you admit.

"To see Thor?"

"Mm," you nod.

"He's missed you. He will probably try and hug you. Might even kiss you."

"I don't know if I can handle that, Loki."

"You'll have to. The guards around the palace are sworn to secrecy about anything that happens in here, but with the amount of information that magazine was able to get we're pretty sure there's a mole amongst our number."

You look away from him, frowning because the last thing you want is to hug and kiss Thor.

Well, that is, you really want to do those things. Which is why you shouldn't. Not until you can be around him with some kind of rational thought and control over your feelings.

You need to get a grip and come to terms with the reality of your situation before you can let yourself love hum.

You have to protect yourself.

It turns out that you have nothing to worry about.

Estrid who had come before you with your things is there to greet you. A few others of the palace staff come to see you and you're welcome back with fondness.

Because you know you have to play the part, you look for him.

"His Majesty had a sudden summons from the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, my Queen. He apologizes for missing your arrival but he's had the small dining room filled with all of your favorites.

"When you are finished with dinner, he has asked that you wait for him in his study."

Estrid's tone tells you she's wary for you. She wants to make sure you're okay.

The disappointment you feel gives you away not only to yourself, but everyone there to see your face fall as you caress your belly.

"A blessing in disguise?" Loki suggests in your ear for just you, but the smile on his lips says he knows better.

"He'll be back before it gets too late, Your Majesty," Estrid assures you, trying to soothe your sadness. "He promised. There’s nothing more he wants than to see you."

"I know," you smile at her, then the others before you head for the dining room, your stomach grumbling in anticipation of the foods you know are waiting.

~~~~~~~~~~

Waiting is torture. You keep trying to read your book but your attention is pulled back to the door of Thor’s study every few seconds.

You groan, dropping the book onto the desk before throwing your head back with scrunched up eyes.

How is it possible to be desperate to see someone while also dreading it?

It feels like you'll die if you don't lay eyes on Thor but also like it'll tear you to shreds if you do. There's no winning here.

You gasp as the door opens and get to your feet in the same breath.

Thor's body is rising and falling heavily with his own labored breathing. He'd been running.

To get to you? No. You can't be swayed.

"I'm here."

His declaration is soft but heavy with meaning. More than just him announcing his arrival.

"Oh, aren't you a vision," he gushes.

"Hi," you whisper, only because you can't catch your breath.

He's wearing jeans, a plain black t-shirt stretched across his bulging chest. He's even more massive than you remember. Three months away has deprived you so fully that suddenly being in his presence leaves you hungry for him.

You want him so much.

"I've missed you, desperately," he confesses. "May I greet you properly?"

You frown, so undecided.

"Or not," Thor relents. "Forgive me, I just got caught up in the moment."

Why is this so hard?

You want to feel him.

"You can greet our baby properly," you give in.

A big part of you needs to feel him and this is the only way you can give in and feel like you're still doing your best to hold strong in your resolve to get some distance.

Thor’s eye lights up and quickly finds the swell of your tummy with recognition.

"Really?"

"I will never keep you from our baby, Thor. Even if I'm not ready for things to go back to normal between us just yet."

Thor takes a half step towards you and watches you carefully for any indication that you're not comfortable with his proximity.

You sigh, head tilted to the left slightly before you hold out your hand to him, beckoning him closer.

In three long strides Thor takes your hand and stops when he's only a foot away.

"Here," you gasp.

Your heart is in overdrive. Thor’s touch is doing things to your body. There's an initial rush of butterflies in your stomach and quickly you pull Thor’s hands to the spots where your baby is kicking in response.

Thor’s body freezes. He goes rigid. He even stops breathing.

For a moment you begin to worry that maybe you've broken him, until he suddenly drops to his knees.

He swallows hard, eyes pooling as he stares at the swell of your stomach as the baby continues to kick.

“They’re really in there,” he’s so choked up about it that his voice cracks around the words.

As he speaks, the baby kicks more.

Thor laughs but then leans in to kiss your stomach over the fabric of your dress.

“We really made her,” Thor gushes.

“Her?”

He looks up at you, confused for a second before he smiles wide, “Or him. It doesn’t matter. What matters is our baby is coming.”

Your heart swells, and you’re so happy that you could float away like a hot air balloon with the warmth flooding your limbs.

This is the moment you’d dreamt of. This is the moment that had been stolen from you by Jane and her lies. This is the moment that you and Thor had both been yearning for.

He’s so caught up in it, floating through the glow of this perfect moment that he presses his lips to your tummy again two more times before he’s rising, his hand hooked behind your neck as he meets your lips as he gets to his feet.

You’re so unprepared for it, so utterly lost in this sweet exchange between him and your baby that your lips pucker on their own.

He opens his eye and yours, already open, stare into his. He looks slightly shocked to find himself kissing you but he doesn’t stop.

Instead, his expression shifts into a pained look of desire. He pulls back, his hand dropping to grip your bicep.

“I would say that I’m sorry but I have been wanting to kiss you since the moment I left you three months ago.”

You say nothing, watching him, listening. You’re searching your soul to see if this is okay with you because it feels okay. Despite the sirens blaring in your mind about the restrictions you’d set for yourself when you’d decided to come back home, your body is telling you it needs this. Your heart is painfully aching at Thor’s touch.

You’ve missed it. You’ve missed him. 

“Is this alright? I can go.”

The idea of him going now feels like the end of the world. Rationally, you know that isn’t an appropriate response to his offering to leave you be, especially when you know you asked him for space for specific reasons.

“No,” your hands grip the sides of his t-shirt tightly, holding him in place without any actual strength since compared to him, you’re as mighty as a little mouse.

You refuse to look up at him, despite the crumbling of your resolve.

“No, don’t go.”

It’s an almost involuntary shy response to your diminishing shame at losing all control after his touch. After one kiss. You should be disappointed in yourself. And part of you is. However, that part of you grows increasingly small as Thor gently takes hold of your chin and guides your gaze up until you can meet his.

“I’m sorry, cherub. I will try and be worthy of you again.”

“I know,” you admit, knowing how sorry he’s been from the moment he realized that he’d done something that hurt you badly. “I know you are.”

“Can I kiss you, cherub?”

His voice is so deep, so alluring and coaxing that you drop your gaze again, fixing it on his collarbone before slowly you nod.

His arm winds its way around your waist and he pulls you to him before dipping down and catching your lips with his again.

He pulls away after a second because the swell of your belly gets in the way, but he laughs and looks down at it.

The pleasant sound of his happiness gives you too much joy.

As you begin to smile, Thor reaches down to press one hand to the side of your stomach while he pulls you against him again and kisses you this time with more fervor.

The longer he has his lips pressed to yours, the more enthusiastic he gets until finally you’re breathless and you pull back but instead of pulling away, you wrap your arms around him and fist the back of his t-shirt,

You bury your face against his wide chest and Thor brings his hands back up to caress the sides of your face, his lips kissing the top of your head.

“I know I may not have a right to say this, but thank you for coming home. Thank you for coming back to me. I thought I’d lost you."

His arms grow a little tighter, his heart is in an absolute stampede.

You turn your head sideways so that you can listen to his heartbeat.

"This is what I'd wanted," you whimper, starting to be overcome with the emotion of being reunited with Thor and things falling into place more easily. "This is how I'd wanted us to share this moment."

Thor sighs heavily, giving you one more squeeze before he pushes you back a little so that he can look at you.

“I’m so sorry that I robbed you of that. I was a fool,” he nods, his eye intense as he stares into yours with wordless declarations piercing into you.

The memory of your speech with the people when you arrived pops into your head and now with Thor’s arms around you it all feels a little like an overreaction. The past three months feels like a distant nightmare.

Or does this feel like a dream?

“Thor,” you begin but Thor’s lips are on you again, drowning out your words.

“Oh, to hear you say my name,” he declares and kisses you again.

Your mouth opens for him and you absolutely melt against his chest as he nearly dips you in passion.

He pulls back again, “Is this real?”

He kisses you.

“You feel so good in my arms.”

He kisses you.

“Your skin is so…” but then he hums and kisses you.

He dips down and with his arms tight around your waist but also careful with the swell of your stomach, he lifts you so that you’re level with his eye.

“I love you, so much, my cherub. Thank you, thank you for coming home. Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I stayed away,” you sigh. “I need to be strong without you, Thor. I was hurt but I never stopped loving you.”

His face goes through shame, understanding, and then elation.

In a burst of subdued anger and aggression for what he put you through, you reach up and grab his shoulder. You dig your fingers in against the taut muscle then reach up to pull one of his ears.

You’re clearly not hurting him but he allows you to move his head, understanding the need to express your anger even if you’re not doing any damage.

“Never do that to me again,” you growl. “Never say that you’ll leave me. Why would you say that? Even in passing? You were so damn sure.”

“No, Y/N, I wasn’t. The moment I saw you, I knew that I could never leave you. I’m sorry. I could never even think those thoughts again.”

“You better not, or I won’t come back next time. I’ll disappear and you’ll never see me again.”

Thor takes your threat for what it is. A promise. Truth.

He shakes his head as he leans forward to press his forehead to yours, shutting his eye.

“I swear,” he begins. “On my life.”

He keeps you there, hovering over the ground with your heads together for a few minutes before he slowly lowers you to the ground. You realize it’s because he wants to stroke your belly and you take a slight step back so that he can.

He smiles, happy. It reminds you of the look your people had when you’d arrived only a hundred times as possessive and joyful.

Again, your speech intrudes on your reunion and this time, you won’t let him distract you.

“Thor,” you coax, placing your hands over his where they rest on the sides of your stomach.

“Yes, my cherub?”

He’s excessive in the affection he puts in his voice but you know that he must be floating on cloud nine after what you both went through when you made him leave you at your house.

“I-I did something and I’m not sure if it was right of me to do it,” you watch his brow wrinkle and for a split second you almost lose yourself in the beauty of his face.

Has he always been this handsome?

“When I got back I kinda made a speech? Everyone was so happy to see me and to see me carrying our heir and I wanted to apologize to them for leaving and for making them worry. I wanted to share in their excitement for the baby and with that stupid tabloid having come out yesterday-”

“Right, the article,” there’s guilt in his voice despite there being no truth to the rumors it printed.

“I wanted to put their minds at ease and I...I did confirm that something happened with Jane but not what they were thinking.”

Thor’s expression hardens just a tad and he pulls backs towards a large armchair. He grabs your hand though and pulls you along with him until he can sit and then carefully attempts to offer you his lap, unsure if you’ll sit.

You do, because you’re tired and because you’re not eager to be away from him again. Now that you’re touching him, you’re not in a hurry to change that again.

“What did you say exactly?”

Swallowing hard, you lick your lips nervously, “Um...I told them the truth. Not exactly the truth, but enough of it that they’ll understand that Jane isn’t welcome here. I said that the only reason I left is for my health and the health of the baby, which is true. I didn’t want them to worry about us because even if we didn’t reconcile, I want us to be united for them at least.

“But I don’t trust Jane, Thor. Not after what she did. Not after how she treated me when you weren’t looking, and the people need to know that I will protect them from anyone, no matter who they are to you or me.”

Thor’s face grows pained as you speak, his arm wrapping around your waist as his other hand caresses the side of your stomach. You’re starting to realize that it’s going to be hard to get his hands off it, but that doesn’t seem like a terrible problem.

“I wish you had told me that she’d been rude to you,” Thor sighs, taking his hand off of his stomach to stroke your cheek. “If I had known-”

“She wasn’t rude to me Thor, she dismissed me. I wasn’t even worth acknowledging to her and now I know it’s because she was jealous and wanted you back because what? She saw what we had together and suddenly it was good enough for her?

“I was in her way. That’s all I was. Even if in the end she couldn’t go through with it whether it was because she felt guilty for doing this to us or for lying or for having second thoughts and knowing that she doesn’t want to be Queen or a mom, she’s a bad person to me. And I have every right to protect myself, my baby, and our marriage from her. She’s not welcome here Thor. I never want to see her again. Ever.”

He’s cradling you now, holding you close because the intensity with which you're telling him that Jane is not welcome in your home is transferring to him.

“And if you’d known, you wouldn’t have done anything, Thor. You’d probably have talked to her and asked her what was going on and she would have lied to you and you would have believed her.”

He doesn’t deny it. He does look like it hurts him to know that you know though. That’s enough for you.

“I think it took her lying and doing this to us to make you see what she’s capable of.”

Thor shuts his eye, resting his head against your chest as he wraps his arms around you again.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you are, Thor. But you weren’t the one who lied. I mean, you didn’t tell me what was happening, but you weren’t the reason that this happened. If Jane hadn’t lied-”

“But she did,” Thor says, his deep voice anguished. “And I failed to honor my vows. You are my Queen and I should have come to you the moment she told me she was pregnant.”

You both fall into silence as you reach over to stroke his bicep. His skin is so soft. Touching it gives you comfort in a way you weren’t aware you needed. The more you touch it the more you need to feel it.

A finger stroking his skin turns into two, then four, then your entire hand is running up under the sleeve of his t-shirt.

With the way his hand curls around your thigh, you know that both your bodies are responding to your touch. Both of you are heated but instead of giving into that because you aren’t ready for that yet, you lay your head on his shoulder and curl in closer to his chest.

Thor sighs heavily, wrapping you up in his arms as he cradles you close.

“Now we know better,” you whisper.

“Now I know what losing you will do to me,” Thor agrees. “I’ve missed you so much, cherub.”

You don’t respond. You’re too choked up to say anything without your voice cracking so both of you stay like that for a while.

The cocoon of Thor’s arms is toasty and from the exhaustion you’re feeling plus all of the emotions that have drained you, your eyes are heavy and difficult to keep open.

“What about you?”

Thor’s chest rumbles with a chuckle.

“We can talk more tomorrow, cherub. Sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy,” you lie.

“Very well, then. What about me?”

“You’re sleepy?” you look up at him, full of concern.

He chuckles again, “No, cherub. What were you asking?”

“Oh! I just wanted to know if you’re okay. What Jane did to you can’t have been easy. Despite what she did to us as a couple, she said she was pregnant. You’ve been wanting a baby for so long and she dangled that in front of you like the rat that she is. And then she wasn’t even pregnant?”

Thor’s arms constrict around you as he pulls you up towards him to kiss you.

It’s slow and full of emotion.

“Even after all of that, you’re still worried about me?”

“It took time,” you admit. “Once I wasn’t so angry and I thought about what Jane really did. I hate the idea that your heart broke over her lies. I can’t believe she ever loved you if she was willing to make you feel that way.”

Thor just stares at you, searching your eyes before he rubs his nose gently against your own. When he speaks, his voice is so low, so deep, an intimate whisper. It burrows into your chest and settles right there underneath your ribs and makes you breathless with missing him and desire.

“That’s why you’re my Queen, Y/N. And she is not.”

You’re not sure if it’s an Asgardian ability or if maybe it’s something specific to Thor, but he has a way of making you swoon.

“I missed you so much,” he confesses again, that whisper sinful. “Did you not miss me?”

You nod because you can’t speak. There’s a lump in your throat made of both sadness and want.

“Was your bed as frigid as mine was in your absence? Did you miss my breath on your neck as I did yours? Or the steady beat of your heart when you pressed your breast to my back as you held me while I slept?”

Fuck, he’s making this so impossible.

“I hate you so much,” you counter, but his lips stretch into a small knowing smile as you take a tight hold of the neck of his shirt and pull him up to meet your lips.

He exhales heavily into you, tasting you, relishing in every pulsating touch as both your hearts ache and yearn almost in disbelief as if both of you can’t believe that these wants, these needs are finally being met.

As he pulls back to tilt his head the other way, he takes hold of the sides of your face again, his lips grazing yours, “I love you.”

Before you can reply or yank him back into that torturous yet blissful kiss, a voice at the doorway clears their throat.

“Well, that was fast, what happened to keeping him at a distance?”

Loki’s voice pulls your gaze and you can feel your cheeks and neck burn at how easily it seems you’ve crumbled when finally face to face with Thor.

You frown at your brother-in-law, while Thor ignores his brother and leans up to press very non-chaste kisses to your neck, “I told you coming back was a bad idea.”

But Loki’s smile is blinding and with one chuckle he backs out of the room, shutting the door quietly as Thor turns you back to him so that he can get back to kissing you.

[schmergo]

This is not a hot take on the current President’s health situation (social media is full of that and I really doubt I could contribute anything unique), but I have an interest in historical presidential trivia, so I thought you might be interested in hearing some anecdotes about other Presidents who were hospitalized or otherwise ill during their presidencies— especially in light of the news that the current President has chosen to “work from the hospital” instead of passing duties to the VP.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Presidents tend to be older dudes, and I’m sure their stressful jobs don’t help their personal health. But this is definitely not the first time that a current President dealt with a compromised health situation- and it’s perhaps not the only time the White House staff downplayed the risk level involved.

* This is probably the most interesting example to me: Grover Cleveland had a sizable tumor (and five teeth and part of his jaw) removed from his mouth during his presidency. The highly secretive procedure took place on a yacht when he was on a so-called “fishing trip.” The President was MIA for 4 days. His signature bushy mustache hid any scarring or facial differences from the procedure. Rumors that the President had cancer were viciously dismissed and the truth didn’t come out until over 20 years later, when Cleveland was already dead (from unrelated causes). There was a MAJOR stigma against cancer back then, and this could have undermined public trust in his ability to do his job.

* Ronald Reagan was quite elderly during his presidency and had several severe health problems- including the early signs of what would develop into Alzheimer’s. He had several surgeries during his presidency, most famously after his attempted assassination by John Hinckley Jr. His witty remarks after being shot are famous; the fact that he lost a huge amount of blood and was close to death is not. Much less-known than his assassination attempt was his bout of colon cancer. He had surgery to remove a cancerous polyp and two feet of his intestines in 1985 but did NOT invoke the clause in the 25th Amendment temporarily transferring Presidential powers to the VP. He resumed his full presidential duties a week after the surgery. I guess we’ll never know what would have happened if he experienced complications. Reagan also had skin cancer removed while in office, which he was pretty open about discussing.

* James Garfield: Another assassination attempt here, this one more dramatic. This was also before the aforementioned 25th Amendment. Poor President Garfield spent 11 weeks in intensive care after he was shot by Charles Guiteau. Massive infection and medical malpractice played major roles in his death. He served as President for only 200 days- and a sizable portion of that time slowly dying. There were no official guidelines in place about Presidential succession at the time- and the Senate had recently adjourned without choosing a president pro tempore. Vice President Chester A. Arthur did not want to assume Presidential powers in those months before he officially became President (and wouldn’t even move into DC), and Garfield was too unwell to do much work, so we basically had no real President during that time.

* Dwight D. Eisenhower: Eisenhower suffered from quite a litany of health problems, but most famously, he suffered a heart attack during an otherwise prosperous time for the country in 1955. The news of his heart attack caused the Dow Jones to lose over $14 billion- the worst day for the stock market since World War II! During the 6 weeks he spent in the hospital in Denver, Americans waited breathlessly for updates on the President’s condition and the media was as saturated with the story as it is today. Vice President Nixon did handle Eisenhower’s duties during this time, unlike Chester A. Arthur. Eisenhower was later elected for a second term, but his health struggles continued. Doctors believe that after that infamous first heart attack, he experienced at least 14 cardiac arrests and 7 myocardial infarctions before his death in 1969, as well as spending 5 days in the hospital for a surgery on his intestines. None of them, however, proved as expensive as the first.

* Woodrow Wilson: This brings us to the unusual story of America’s first unofficial female President. Another pandemic President, Wilson fell seriously ill from influenza in 1919 and never seemed to fully recover health. On October 2, 1919- Yes, exactly 101 years ago, isn’t that spooky?- Wilson suffered a severe stroke. The warning signs of mini strokes had gone on for some time, but now he had become paralyzed and partially blinded. (No, contrary to popular belief, FDR was not the first sitting President to live with paralysis.) Wilson’s wife Edith helped him carry out Presidential duties, hiding the full extent of his illness from even his own cabinet. Wilson was unwilling to resign, Vice President Thomas Marshall unwilling to resume to office, and Congress unsure what to do. Although Edith Wilson claimed that she merely helped her husband with physical tasks like signing papers, most historians now believe that she actually had taken on many important decisions and duties between late 1919 and the end of her husband’s time in office in 1921.

These are the major ones that I’d like to profile today- but I thought this was an interesting variety of cases involving the question of “who’s in charge while the President is sick?”

[flatstarcarcosa]

our love grows flowers in the winter

Summary: Three months ago, Slade died. Four days ago, be barged back into the house like a whirlwind, and for a moment all was right with the world. Reese has discovered strangers can wear familiar faces, and to top it off: There is another Slade greeting them over morning coffee and acting as if nothing is wrong.

How can there be two Slades, and what do either of them want?

(part one) (part two) (part three) (fin)

Ship: wilson&wilson Warnings: violence, swearing, slight depictions of gore? there’s a big fight is all im sayin. slade kicks his own ass, finally, his life long dream.  sidenote: i decided to structure this piece similar to the comic. there’s titles between switches scenes, and the timeline isn’t entirely linear. i think it’s still simple enough to follow, but it was a neat exercise.

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

'Penitence' Bellevue Hospital, NYC Several Days Later

Slade’s arms are out at his sides in a show of defenselessness, shoulders slumped and head down. The gun sits on the side of the bed between them as Adeline regards him with hard eyes.

“If you still want to kill me, now’s the time,” he says. He’s said it before, of course. Over and over amidst their many fights. She knows he’s meant it every time, but this time it’s different. It’s not the adamant way he normally says it, it doesn’t carry the meaning of ‘I still love you, I’m sorry’, it doesn’t have the same undertones that show he’s only saying it to keep her attention for a bit longer. This time, he is all but begging her to go through with it.   This is not the man she married.  This is not even the man she divorced.

 The man in front of her is a broken shell, a cracking husk at risk of getting blown away by the next winter breeze. The man in front of her is hardly a man at all. She takes the gun, holding onto the feeling of the weight in her hand, and considers it for a long moment.

“No,” she finally says, dropping the weapon. “There’s no point. You’re no more Slade Wilson than the man that murdered my husband. You’re not the Slade Wilson I’ve loved, and hated for so long. You’re nothing now.”  He doesn’t respond. He lowers his arms and still doesn’t look at her, and it fills her with equal parts anger and pity. Anger, that he dares to ask one final favor from her, to give him one more thing after all she’s given.

Pity that he’s been reduced to this. He used to be strong, he used to be kind, he used to be a good man. Flawed, yes, but good nonetheless. What stands before her is none of those things but it is taking the form of something vaguely familiar, yet alien all the same.  “You want me to get closure?” she asks. “There is no closure, not with you, Slade. Not with any of us, and not for any of us. If I have to live with it, if Joey does, then so do you. So that’s what you can do for me. You can fucking live with it and let it eat you alive. It’s time for you feel the consequences of your own actions for once. Get out.”  Slade turns, padding across the room and pausing with his hand on the door.  “I really did love you,” he says softly.  “I know,” she whispers. “That’s the problem, you poison everything you love. Then it withers, and it dies.”  The door is silent when it swings shut behind him.  If Rose thought she was angry when this whole mess began, it is nothing compared to the feeling she is currently experiencing. Her footsteps echo throughout the stairwell as she takes them two at a time. The door to the parking garage bounces against the wall as she barrels through it. She finds Slade loading a duffel bag into the trunk of a sedan. When he turns, looking at her in surprise, she hauls off and punches him in the throat.  “You're not even trying,” she yells. Slade hacks out a cough and massages his neck. “You let me do that.”  “Why are you here?” he asks, hoarsely.  “To ask you what the fuck you think you're doing,” she snaps.  “What does it look like?”  “It looks like you're being a limp dicked coward and running away, again,” she snarls. Slade makes eye contact with her, and the blank look in his eye is almost enough to put out the fire in her chest.  “Why would I stay after this?” he asks. His voice is low, soft, and heavy with grief. “There's nothing here now, I made sure of that, didn't I?”  “So you're just going to wallow in your own fucking bullshit?” she asks, clenching her fists by her side. “I thought the whole point of you going back to Vermont was to stop running! To...to plant roots, or whatever bullshit you kept telling us!”  Slade slams the trunk shut and slams his fists again the metal.  “Those roots just got ripped up and burnt to the ground,” he yells. “I may not have started the fire but I still caused it! Hosun is dead, Barry is dead, Adeline is going to have a crippled arm the rest of her life, and Reese--!”  He stops mid sentence and makes no show to stem the tears.   “I'm not doing this for me,” he says softly.  “...dad,” says Rose. Her anger has finally died, and although she is still trying to process everything that has happened, she sets aside the urge to blame him. She gives into the other, stronger and perhaps more basic urge of being a teenage girl that wants her father, and clings to his chest. Slade won't hug you, repeats Bill in her head, but you can hug him.  For a moment, he does nothing but stand there as she cries into his shirt.  Finally, he returns the gesture, squeezing her like she is a buoy in a storm.  “I'm so sorry,” he whispers into her hair. Before she can respond, the moment is interrupted by the sound of a voice over the intercom.  “Wilson family, please report to the ICU,” says the disembodied voice. “Repeat, Wilson family to the ICU.”

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

'Your Return' At the Same Time Reese wakes up to the feeling of being choked. There is something blocking their airway, and they gag as they attempt to push whatever is in front of them away. Someone grabs their hands and pushes them back down as they make shushing noises in their ear. …Slade?  They want to open their eyes, but their body seems content to fight against the signals they send.  “Easy now, love,” says a soft, accented voice. “You weren't supposed to wake up until they got this tube out, it's almost over.”  “B...Bill?” they finally rattle once their mouth and throat are blessedly empty.  “The one and only, my dear,” he says. He brushes fingers through their hair. “Glad to see you back with the living.”  “Slade?” they ask. The word sears their raw throat, and it does not take much for Reese to figure out they have clearly been intubated. Their eyes begin to obey them once more, and they are pleased to find that Bill has already dimmed the lights above the bed. A team of nurses crowd the room, all of them talking among themselves as they poke and prod at Reese and the machines they're hooked up to.  “He's...” Bill trails off and closes his eyes. They do not need more of an answer. They know him too well.  Slade's probably already on a plane bound for Africa, where he'll hole up in his old ranch and proceed to annoy wildlife until an animal finally kills him and leaves him to bake in the desert sun.  Reese's eyes fill with tears that back up into their sinuses and begin dripping down their irritated throat. A nurse fetches a cup of water and a straw as they begin coughing.  “Can you breathe all right?” asks the nurse. Reese takes a small sip of water and manages to swallow half of it before their stomach protests violently against the intake of fluid.  Slade and Rose bust into the room just in time to watch them vomit into a basin. Long, silent seconds stretch out into minutes.  The nurses continue to do their jobs and one of them bothers to take Slade aside and fill him in on their condition. Reese notice the way Bill shifts, moving to sit more on the bed next to them and act as a barrier between them and Slade. They understand why is he angry and distrusting of his old friend, and they do not blame him for it.  Regardless, they want more than anything for him to move. “But are they going to be okay?” asks Rose. She is standing a step behind Slade, close enough to be part of the conversation and distanced enough to know she is not the intended target of it. The nurse takes a deep breath.  “The doctor will be here in the morning to do another evaluation,” she says. She speaks with a practiced, but no less believable ease that tells Slade this is not the first time she's had this discussion. “There was a lot of damage and a lot of blood loss. I don't know how the shrapnel from the bullet missed anything important, but it did. They're going to have an even more sensitive digestive system than they did before, and we had to take out a few things in their abdomen they shouldn't even miss, and recovery is not going to be quick or easy, but yes. I think physically they'll be all right, eventually. It's going to take time, and a lot of rest.”  “And therapy,” Rose adds. The words are barely out of her mouth when she realizes how inappropriate the comment it.  Slade says nothing in response.  His arms are flat by his sides, and he is clenching and clenching his fingers repeatedly.    “Yes,” says the nurse slowly. “Physical therapy will be important to their recovery. The fact that the shrapnel from being shot didn't hit anything vital is already lucky, but that the blade only nearly snipped their spinal cord is a kind of luck we don't often see.”  Still, Slade says nothing. Whether he doesn't know what to say, or simply can't say anything at all, Rose is unsure. She looks across the room, raising an eyebrow at Wintergreen. He blinks a couple of times before holding his hands up in a shrug. He has never seen Slade look as despondent and defeated as he does in this moment. He's just been told Reese will make a full recovery, and yet you'd think it was the opposite from his demeanor. It's only Reese grunting behind him that causes Bill to turn in time to see them trying to sit from their prone position.  “Hey,” he says, standing off the bed and placing a hand on their shoulder. “Easy. You're being held together with very expensive, medical grade duct tape right now.”  “Back hurts,” they say softly.  “I imagine it does,” says the nurse. She motions for the rest of her coworkers to file out of the room as she moves to raise the bed. “But don't try and sit up on your own right now. I'm going to put in an order for some meds for you. The rest of you need to figure out who's staying and who's going: we only allow one person at a time.”  “I'm gonna check on Joey,” Rose says immediately. She gives Slade a soft pat on the arm. “Okay?”  “...yeah,” he says distractedly.  “Perhaps you should both check on Joey,” says Bill. He crosses his arms over his chest and settles a stern gaze directly on Slade. “I'm sure he'd love to see his father.”  Reese's nurse quirks an eyebrow as she realizes she is clearly interrupting something, and wisely extricates herself from the room. Slade remains silent, standing in the shadows in the corner of the room, and Bill remains planted as the only barrier between him and Reese. Behind him, they let out an annoyed sigh and roll their eyes. It takes a bit of reaching, probably more than they should be doing, to get to the water cup on the table. They empty the contents into the basin they'd thrown up into and use their knee to slide the table away from the bed before chucking the empty plastic cup at the back of Bill's head.  “What the devil--!” he turns, blinking in surprise as he looks down at the cup clattering to the floor and back up to Reese.  “Thank you,” they say. It takes work not only to speak, but to keep their tone level. If there was a ever a time where they wanted nothing more than to be non-verbal, it is now. “Please go.”  “Reese, I don't think-” starts Bill. They cut him off by sharply yelling his name. He sighs and leans down to leave a quick kiss on the top of their head. As he passes Slade on the way out, he says, “I'll be down the hall.”  It is a promise, and a threat.  Although Adeline has always been clear with how much she wants Slade dead, Bill has always seen it differently: Slade is free to live his life and make his mistakes, but he does so knowing that should he ever become too far gone, or cross one too many lines, his oldest friend will not hesitate to remove him from the equation. Slade stays silent, and is admittedly having trouble parsing how an eviler version of himself getting zapped over from a different time-line and wreaking havoc is somehow his fault. He is no closer to making it make sense when the door clicks shut behind Bill and leaves him alone with Reese. His gaze is transfixed not on them, but on the area just towards the left of them, and they tilt their head a little as they take in the sight of him.  The last they'd seen him, he was bleeding out a few feet away from them and they know that even his healing factor can't reverse blood loss from nothing. The bandages peeking out from beneath his shirt tell them he's not bounced back entirely. They also know that many people have speculated over the years that Slade has some sort of subconscious control over his healing, that he can alter it's efficacy depending on how deeply he feels about something. Bill thinks it's why his eye never healed after Adeline shot him.  Reese thinks it's why there's still red spotting the bandages now.  “Hey,” they say. With what looks like a great effort, he turns his head to face them. They wonder if he's slept at all since he came home, even as they know he hasn't. They wonder if he's eaten, even as they know he hasn't. They wonder what kind of mental gymnastics he's doing to concoct a narrative that blames himself for what happened, even as they know he doesn't have to work all that hard for it.  In his mind, it is his fault for not being there to stop it. It is his fault for dying in the first place. It is his fault, and it will always be his fault and no amount of penance will ever absolve him of it.  The whole situation has shades of their kidnapping back in Florida. He'd been so upset and angry with himself about the situation, that for a while he refused to see reason and took it as a sign he needed to leave everything the two of them had built. Back then, it honestly wasn't much. It was a small, fragile thing with no roots to keep it in place and no new growth to push it forward and it was only Reese's indignant insistence that he didn't get to walk away from it that kept it from collapsing.  That was six years ago.  What the two of them have built is much more resilient these days, and Reese has already done the work of keeping it rooted while he was dead. It's time for him to do some of the work for once, and if that means he has to feel all of the sharp edges between them, then so be it.  Wordlessly, they hold out their arms.  Slade hesitates. The urge to turn and run is coursing through him as much as anything and getting stronger with every beat of his heart. He forces himself to take the first step towards Reese. By the time he collapses onto the edge of the bed and into their waiting embrace it is as effortless as breathing. They smell like iodine and rubbing alcohol and the most basic of hospital issued soap, but they smell like home.  “Hey, little one,” he says, voice thick with emotion and soft in their ear.  “Please don't leave,” says Reese. He squeezes them as tight as he dares without hurting them and rests his forehead in the crook of their neck.  “I'm not going anywhere,” he says, and for once in his life it is not only a promise, but a full one. The day will come when it won't be, of course. The day will come when he will unlock that familiar green army crate and he will be Deathstroke once more, but for now... For now he is alive and he is home, and he is not running away from any of it, no matter how many broken and jagged pieces are inside.

[bigfan-fanfic]

Making Bad Look Good Part 2

A second part! Featuring... Two-Face, Deathstroke, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Hush, Zsasz, Klarion the Witch Boy, and the Court of Owls!

I got a ton of requests for these, and you’ve all been so helpful! This one’s for you!

Making Bad Look Good part 2 - a.k.a. another 6 Degrees of Evil Bacon

Warning: Long post ahead.

Two-Face - Harvey Dent

You met Two-Face back when he was District Attorney for Gotham.

He was no “Ce-SEAL-Your-Fate” Horton from Central City, but he was doing a bang-up job putting criminals behind bars, cracking their insanity pleas.

So you went to meet him after a case where he got the Penguin sentenced to Blackgate instead of Arkham.

Sure, he’ll probably escape, but the precedent the case sets is important.

“Mr. Wayne! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Just came to meet our amazing new D.A.”

You make small talk, until you decide to ask him to lunch to congratulate him on the case.

He grins. “Okay. But we’ll flip a coin for the check. Heads, you pay. Tails, my treat.”

You shrug.

He flips a strange coin that he tells you is his lucky charm.

It comes up heads, on the side that looks like it’s been corroded.

You smirk. “That’s a double-headed coin, isn’t it?”

He laughs. “Yup. Most people don’t get it so quick.”

He shakes your hand and offers to pay anyway since you were such a good sport.

After he becomes Two-Face, it’s this moment you choose to remember...

Deathstroke and Deadshot - Slade Wilson and Floyd Lawton

There have been quite a few times when you were targeted by an assassin or two.

But that particular time, you were the prize for a competition between them.

Slade and Lawton had been hired to take you out, but only the actual killer would get the other half of the payment.

So one day, Deadshot is setting up the hit, angling a crazy shot to hit you through the back of the skull and bamboozle all ballistics tests. You come into range, and he shoots -

-only to see you get shoved out of the way by the eyepatch-ed Slade Wilson.

Bruce wants to sequester you in the Batcave, but instead, you tell him to set up a meeting as Batman.

It’s fun to throw money at problems.

On a rooftop, the Bat behind you, you offer Slade and Lawton double the total for your contract to give you the name of their employer and void the hit.

It’s technically against whatever assassin code there is, but you know, money tends to grease the wheels of any machine.

Deadshot takes the money and tells you it was some crackpot billionaire trying to get at Bruce. He also chuckles and says that he’s available if you ever have more money to throw and a grudge for him to carry out.

Deathstroke also takes the money and nods at you before leaving.

And while Slade comes back to torment you and your sons time and again, Floyd is actually quite pleasant. You sometimes hire him when you need security, which he calls easy money, and from that point, your husband almost never encounters him on the job...

Harley Quinn - Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel

“Paging Dr. Quinzel. Dr. Quinzel, to the front desk.”

You and some other Gotham big shots were invited to Arkham for a publicity tour. Reporters are there, too, including Clark, so you feel pretty safe.

A surprisingly young woman comes to play tour guide, her hair in slight pigtails.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Quinzel. Currently I’m junior psychologist here at Arkham Asylum.” She has a bit of a New York accent, though you can tell she’s worked hard to soften it.

One reporter asks just how “junior” she is, and she gives an indulgent chuckle. “Yes, I graduated med school early, so I’m a bit young for a specialized doctor. But I’m also one of the only medical professionals still willing to work at Arkham, so I think that’s what counts, right?”

The tour goes well enough, until you raise your hand. “You’re the psychologist in charge of the Joker, right?”

Dr. Quinzel smiles in a strange way. “Yes, that I am.”

You frown. “And do you think, as a junior psychologist, you’re adequately prepared for him?”

“I know that I am a medical professional, Mr. Wayne, and I am certainly qualified to examine my patients.”

But Dr. Quinzel, just for a moment, looks fractured, torn. Like there’s some sort of internal war raging in her soul. But it gets absorbed in her too-wide smile.

You put it down to nerves about meeting the press, and let it go.

You always wonder if there was something you could’ve done for the woman, prevented it from all going wrong, prevented her from becoming Harley Quinn...

Poison Ivy - Dr. Pamela Isley

Pamela was going to college at about the same time you were. 

You weren’t friends, exactly, although you did both share a class in Professor Crane’s Intro Psych course (an elective for both of you).

There were a lot of rumors about her. You chose not to engage in the gossip, especially as it was a lot about her sleeping with her Biology professor for a better grade.

You had to do a project with her for your final grade, and she invited you to her apartment to work on it together.

It was full of plants. She mentions it before you have a chance to even think about bringing them up. 

“They’re my babies.” she jokes. “So much easier to take care of than pets.”

You smile. “All the oxygen probably helps you work better, right?”

She nods. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”

She talks about how she’s going to be a botanist when she graduates, and she’s going to work for the EPA. She’s very self-interested, but genuine, and you have fun while working on the project.

But only a few weeks after you turn in the project, she disappears. Rumors abound about how she ran off with the Bio professor. Some say they were having an affair. Others are kinder and say they’re on a botanical conservation mission in some swamp somewhere.

Either way, you never see Pamela again.

At least, until Poison Ivy shows up in town...

(Side note: Drew Barrymore as Poison Ivy? Thoughts?)

Mr. Freeze - Dr. Victor Fries

Fries shows up one day out of nowhere

Just shooting with that cold gun.

He attacks a gala event for the Wayne Foundation and holds it up for jewelry and the cash being raised for the underprivileged of Gotham..

You glare at him. “You know you’re just taking money right out of the pocket of needy kids, right?”

“It’s for a good cause.” He says darkly.

“And what cause would that be?”

He sneers at you. “Disease research, mainly.”

The phrase surprises you.

Later, Bruce is doing research at the Batcave. “He goes by Mr. Freeze. Born: Victor Fries. Wife Nora suffers from Stage Four of a rare pneumonia-like condition known as MacGregor Syndrome. He had her cryogenically frozen, and now it seems like he’s turned to crime to fund his research into a cure.”

You hesitate. “Well... is there something we can do to help him?”

“Help him? May I remind you that he held hundreds of people hostage?”

“Well...” you shrug. “I just figure that maybe he wouldn’t be so... crime-y if his wife was being taken care of. I don’t know what I’d do if I was so close to losing you.”

Bruce softens slightly. “Look, Freeze committed a crime - several crimes, and he has to go to jail. But if it makes you feel better, we can have Wayne Enterprise’s medical division look into studying her disease. Judging from what I see here, MacGregor Syndrome has similarities with many other diseases. It might be a key in finding lots more cures.”

You smile and hug him. “Lead with that. Tell Fries that we’re willing to do that.”

Of course, Fries’ future crimes are due to the cost of maintaining his portable cryogenic suit, but you hear a lot less about it than you expect, especially since Nora is being taken care of...

Mad Hatter - Jervis Tetch

You were meeting a couple of old school friends at a tea parlor one day. It’s nice to escape the stress of your life and reminisce.

Roland and Alicia are a cute couple, and they tell you they have a baby on the way.

But the day is marred by a strange incident in which a small man in a top hat and tails (tuxedo tails) comes up to your table and starts babbling at Alicia, calling her “Alice” and trying to touch her blond hair, despite her attempts to shove him away..

Roland gets angry and punches the man, but before he can go any further, you pull him back.

The strange man glances at you. “The Dormouse...” he mutters, and walks away.

“What a creep.” Alicia shudders.

You’ve already figured it out. The man is deluded, thinking he’s the Mad Hatter, and he seems to be trying to fit everything into his Wonderland-inspired delusions. You tell Bruce about this, and he immediately agrees that Alicia is in danger.

You go to their hotel room to see them, warn them, but Roland answers the door wearing a bowler hat and Alicia is nowhere to be found.

Roland attacks you, knocking you out and kidnapping you.

Thankfully Bruce has been watching as Batman and follows.

You wake up tied to a chair around a tea table. Alicia is tied to another chair in an Alice-in-Wonderland costume, looking terrified. 

Jervis Tetch reveals himself and points out his minions, enslaved with his mind control headwear.

“Very spiffy, if I do say so myself.” you say cheerily. “Quite the milliner you are, my good sir.” (Alicia looks at you like you’re crazy)

Jervis loves the flattery, and it distracts him long enough for Batman to smash through the glass ceiling and knock the hat off his head, disabling the control.

Sure, no one was hurt much, but needless to say you would have to visit Alicia and Roland in the future instead of ever having them come to Gotham...

Hush - Dr. Tommy Elliot

“We’re having lunch with an old friend of mine.” Bruce announces.

You raise an eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Why don’t I know who this is? We have pretty much all the same old friends. I mean, we were together, like, all the time.”

“You remember Tommy, right?”

“Tommy? No, Tommy doesn’t ring a bell, hon.”

Bruce sighs, and you laugh. This is as animated as you’ve seen him in a while. “Come on, Tommy Elliot! Back when we were little! We used to play Robin Hood together in the park, and you two always fought over who got to be the Sheriff of Nottingham?”

“Yeah, nope. No memory of that.”

He sighs, but you go with him anyway. It hits you when you see the man at the restaurant. He was that kid! His parents were friends with Bruce’s parents. They had almost died in an accident when Bruce’s dad saved them.

He’d always try to play this strategy game thing with you and Bruce. It was only two players, and while he’d always beat Bruce (your husband wasn’t always the tactician he was now), he’d get really frustrated playing against you.

Tommy liked to try and get inside your head to beat you, figure out what you were going to do and then planning for it.

But you could tell what he was doing, and kept doing random moves you wouldn’t normally play, throwing him off and winning.

You didn’t like him much, and you kinda got the feeling he didn���t like Bruce that much either.

“Oh. That Tommy.”

Bruce looks at your worried face. “What’s wrong? If you really don’t want to, we can cancel.”

“Oh, hush. We’re already here. Least we can do is have a nice lunch...”

Zsasz - Victor Zsasz

It’s never a good sign when a payphone rings. So many bad reasons...

Not the least of which is that barely anyone even uses payphones anymore.

Let alone to call another payphone. I mean, how does that even work?

So it startles you when you’re walking Gotham (during the day, of course), and a payphone rings. No one else is around to answer it. 

You start to walk away, and then the next payphone rings when you reach it.

The other guy near it jumps like fifty feet in the air, but then goes to answer it.

He looks scared. “It’s... it’s for you.”

You sigh and take the phone

“Ignoring my calls? Naughty...”

“Um... wrong number. This is a payphone, not, uh, whoever you were calling.”

“This isn’t Y/N Wayne?”

“Yeah, no, it isn’t. May I ask who’s calling, though?”

“I know it’s you, Y/N. You don’t know me. Yet.”

“Look, I know Halloween’s coming up, but I’m not in the mood for Scream right now, okay?”

“This isn’t a scary movie, it’s real. My name is Zsasz.”

“Z- zsa... okay, how is that spelled?”

“Z. S. A. S. Z.”

“Oh, that’s beautiful. If you don’t mind me asking, is that Polish?”

“...What?”

“Sorry, I have to run, but it was nice talking to you!”

You run home and immediately tell Bruce you talked to Zsasz. Luckily you were running a trace with your phone - a little extra Tim developed for you. Within the hour, Batman has Zsasz in custody, saving the poor people he had kidnapped to add to his tally...

Klarion the Witch Boy

“Oh, hello! Who are you, little guy?”

The orange tabby glares at you with utter hate. It flicks its tail, but surprisingly, comes closer and curls around your legs.

It allows you to pick it up, and it purrs.

“Teekl! My word!” a boy comes running up to you, wearing a tailored suit and a newsboy cap. 

The boy snatches the tabby from you and pets it, despite how it looks like it wants to go back to you. “What were you doing with Teekl?”

“That’s its name? He’s a cute little guy. Uh, he just wandered in front of me and basically asked me to pet him.”

The boy glares at the cat. “You TALKED to him?”

The cat looks at him and rolls its eyes.

“Um, who are you, kid?”

He looks at you incredulously. “Seriously, mortal? You haven’t heard of me? I am Klarion! Klarion the Witch Boy! And this is my familiar, Teekl.”

You nod seriously. “Good for you, kid.”

He seems about to throw a tantrum, so you wave and leave the boy dumbfounded...

The Court of Owls

“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,

Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.

They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed,

Speak not a whispered word of them

Or they’ll send the Talon for your head...”

“That’s a stupid poem. It doesn’t even keep time.”

“It’s free verse.”

“Yeah, free ‘cause no one would pay for it.”

You and Bruce were only kids when you heard the old rhyme. Bruce was trying to scare you as a Halloween season joke, but it wasn’t working.

“Come on, Y/N! At least pretend to play along!”

Thomas Wayne enters the living room, and pretends to scold Bruce. “Now, Bruce, be hospitable to your guest. What’s the argument about?”

You smirk. “Bruce says that there’s a Court of Owls who eat limes and put talons on people’s heads.”

Thomas hunches down, making a spooky face. “Well, Y/N, it’s an old Gotham story. It’s a very bad thing that Bruce told you. You’ll have to be very careful now.”

He looks dead serious, and now you’re scared. “Really? What should I do, Mr. Wayne?”

He puts a hand on your shoulder. “You’ll have to be a very good kid all your life, Y/N. Never go out after dark without your parents’ permission. Don’t ever cheat on a test. Don’t lie. And if you ever see someone in an Owl mask, look the other way and forget you saw it.”

He grins, dropping the facade. “I’m sorry, Y/N, I just couldn’t help it. Hope I didn’t scare you too badly.”

Being a stubborn child, you insist he didn’t. After all, you’re old enough not to be scared by that stuff anymore.

But on the way home, after your parents pick you up, you notice something.

A tall figure in an alley, wearing a stylized white Owl mask.

You quickly look away, trying to put it out of your head, mumbling the rhyme to yourself.

“Beware the Court of Owls...”

You forget about this until far later in life, after you, as Y/N Wayne, have become an enemy of the dreaded Court...

[multiverseofmiracleshq]

Upon learning that they would be able to make a move to save their captured teammates and strike out against the Phoenix Five, the remaining Avengers gathered together to debrief and strategize. They were joined by a few new mutant allies and a powerful but familiar face.

THIS IS THE OFFICIAL COMPLETE CHAT LOG COVERAGE OF THE IC

SAM WILSON: Things were rough. From the beginning there had been an expectation that this was going to be a difficult right, but this wasn’t just difficult. This was the impossible fight that they somehow had to make possible. Everyone in the debriefing room looked beaten and torn like they had seen better days – and they had. But at least they were alive at all. That was more than a lot of their friends could say. There were dents in his shield and a chunk missing from his wings but Sam Wilson was glad to stand before his remaining team at all. “I know it’s bad out there,” he cleared his throat. “More than half our team is gone. But we can’t quit now. We had some information piled on our current status. I know some of you are missin’ loved ones, but we need you to hold out to the end so we can get through everything. As it stands: the Asgardians have no leader. Odinson was taken hostage by Emma Frost and we lost Valkyrie on the moon to Wither. She’s in the med bay along with all of the other infected patients. Don’t touch them for any reason or you’ll get infected too. Prince Ahura is now King of the Inhumans after Namor killed Crystal. Other casualties include Lana Baumgartner and Nathan Summers at the hands of Magneto. Billy Kaplan was wounded by Magik but we managed to retrieve him from Antartica. Wolverine managed to survive a fight with the Phoenix Cyclops as well, but most of our fights against their hosts haven’t gone well. Confirmed hostages include Kate Bishop, Gwen Stacy, Scott Lang, Jessica Drew, Janet Van Dyne, Doctor Stephen Strange and Rikki Barnes among others. Susan Storm was last seen in Latveria but we’ve lost all communication since. We’ve also had some wins though. We evacuated the Hellfire Academy, Madripoor, Subterranea, Tymyr Peninsula and Wundagore Mountain. Our goal was never to take hostages but currently have the younger Scott Summers and Sebastian Shaw in custody. To those of you who have won your fights, congratulations. Our infirmary has filled up faster than we have room to accomodate. I know it’s a lot, but we don’t have a choice in all of this. Which brings me to my next point,” Sam sucked in a lungful of breath. “We have to bring more protection to Wanda and Jean if we’re going to beat the Phoenix. So far we’ve kept their location a secret but we’re running out of options. Carol and I have been talking and we trust you all enough to tell you that they’ve been in Citrusville, Florida. It’s the Nexus of all realities and we hope that’s enough to amplify their powers. Both Jeans and Wanda have been instructed not to leave but that clearly was not obeyed as last night the elder Jean Grey left Florida for Krakoa and hasn’t been seen since. We’re assuming her husband, Scott, has her so that’s one less option for solving this. Anyone have any suggestions?”

ERIK: “Jean and Wanda are not left defenseless.” Erik spoke up after Sam had finished. He had just been outed to the group as a murderer– which was completely true– but he steered clear of that topic for the moment. “The elder Jean trusted me with their safety, but I had not anticipated her departure.”

AHURA: Ahura sat at the table, arm in a brace from a sprain he received from his fight with Sebastian Shaw, who was currently held in his custody. He had his father and fallen king on one side and his cousin’s lead guard on his left. He did his best not to hold judgement on Dante for what happened to his cousin. “I understand stand that we’ve been trying to keep this as isolated and small scale as possible but I think we’ve all learned that’s not an option.” The new king spoke up. He was beginning to grow tired of Magneto and how everything appeared to revolve around Jean Grey to him, therefore he made it the center of everyone’s attention. “This is a war so let’s treat it like one. I have two armies currently at my disposal along with the most advanced inhuman technology, and I assure you both are eager to avenge their queen and those who died during the attack on Atillan. I’m sure the proud warriors of New Asgard feel the same and just seek a figure to lead them. What I’m saying is that it’s time for drastic measures and full scale offenses less we end up like the other half of our comrades.”

RIRI: “We were trying to do something.” It was the first time that Riri had left her room in over a week. She worked better alone and time kept slipping by. “Originally it was the create a vacuum to suck the Phoenix from its hosts. Still the plan, but we’re also trying to triangulate the locations of those who are missing. The mutants have to be holding them somewhere. Between all your murdering you didn’t happen to hear anything useful did you, Magneto?”

ERIK: “Not so much.” Erik winced, but his expressions remained steady. “There was not much chance of rumors reaching me since I was alone on Genosha. I was brought to Jean and Wanda and that’s the extent of my knowledge.”

LOGAN: “I’ll go after Jean.” Finally Logan spoke up. “She understands the Phoenix better than anyone. We need her.” And he needed to make sure she was okay.

CAROL: Carol was sitting near Sam, though she wasn’t participating as much as she should have been. Instead, she was slouched in her chair, picking at her lips, lost in thought. She’d been dealing with the guilt of allowing the Phoenix to possess the five mutants — she’d been trying to be pacifist instead of putting an end to it then and there, like she should have. Like she would have. But Carol had been trying to fill the shoes of Steve Rogers, and that meant going in with a steady head. “We screwed up.” She finally spoke, offering what input she thought was necessary, despite the leading conversation. “I hope you all understand that we have no friends on the other side right now.” She glanced at Erik, but let it pass. “If you’ve learned anything, it’s that they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. That includes injuring and killing us. If you haven’t put your war paint on already, it’s time to start now.”

SAM WILSON: “No offense, buddy, but if she didn’t come back I’m not likin’ your odds and we’re short staffed as is.” The Captain folded his arms over his chest as he addressed Logan. He spoke once more after Carol finished. “Just in case it hasn’t been said, your majesty, we’re sorry for your loss. There’s too many of our men falling. The Asgardian’s don’t have a ruler but I’m betting they’re willing to avenge their King as well. Us having an army isn’t the problem. They just keep cutting them down. Who here’s gone up against a  host? What do we know about what they can do one on one?”

LOGAN: Logan might have sided with the Avengers, but he wasn’t part of the team. He didn’t have to follow their orders. So he tucked the idea of going after Jean away for later. “I did.” He spoke up again. “He kept goin’ on and on about how all of us were wrong, and that the five of them were going to change the world. He was overpowered and overdramatic.”

SAM WILSON: “You and Val went up against Wither, Dr. Brashear. Only one of you is here so we know it didn’t go well, but did you notice anything?”

JOHNNY: "Sounds about right.“ Johnny said from his place at the table, where he absentmindedly toyed with a pen. "So how are we going to get them back?” he looked straight at Sam, expecting an answer. “And how will we find Sue?”

BUCKY: “Why don’t we ask someone who actually took a hostage?” Bucky spoke up and looked towards Lorna, pointing at her. “She was the one I fought in Wakanda. And she took Rikki with her.”

ADAM: “I got the chance to examine Mr. Ford’s powers in great detail. I’d never seen something quite like it. It was fascinating.” He responded leaning in over the table, some of his injuries still remained. “What I did learn is that his powers now cause the atomic corrosion of any state of matter, including in its negative state, down to the subatomic level. In theory he can destroy anything. Furthermore. I trapped him in one of my opaque light field generators I made in order to protect the earth from threats the like of a supernova or world ending astroid and he was able to burst forth in less than a minute.” In truth, adam had never felt so overpowered by an opponent.

REED: Reed glanced between Johnny and Sam as Sue was brought up. But before he could add something to the conversation, Bucky brought something new to the table. “Right to the source– that’s always the best course of action. That’s how we’ll find her. So–” He turned his attention to Lorna. “You’ve been awfully quiet during this conversation. But it’s come to light that you have valuable information.”

FRANKLIN:  Franklin was sat next to his uncle Johnny. He was terrified about all of this. If this had just happened a little bit longer ago he probably could have just willed the phoenix into being a pigeon but now his mother was gone and his powers weren’t what they used to be. “I can’t find her. I keep willing it but I just can’t find her.” He said seemingly looking to the others for answers. “I’ve always been able to find my Mom since I was a baby and now. Now I just don’t know.”

LORNA: A call out. How lovely. Lorna had been mostly unsure about whether or not she should come. Word of her father switching sides hadn’t meant much to her. She had been working with Remy more than him anyway and all Erik had been as of late was a headache. If he had his little epiphany or whatever that was his own business. The only reason she was there was the mutants and the fact that they were no longer safe under the Phoenix Five. "No matter what your whack powers tell you, she’s alive. They all are. Even some of the dead ones. Not all of  them, mind you. We can just say that sometimes things look worse than they are. Krakoa didn’t want them to harbor hostages on him, so they got creative. What do you know about the mutant who took Sue out? Her name’s Blink and she’s… Well, she used to a good friend of mine before this. Definitely not the type to teleport the air out or someone’s lungs like she did your mother.”

TOMMY: Tommy couldn’t handle looking at his dumb face any longer. Erik killed them and he was just supposed to sit here and act like everything was kosher. Not happening. Even if it was petty and childish it would be worth it. Time seemingly slowed for Tommy as he began weaving around to the opposite end of the table. Taking a firm grasp on Eriks nipples through his shirt and twisted with gusto before returning to his seat and acting like nothing happened.

GWEN: Trouble trouble trouble. He was trouble. Gwen had been doodling out the hanger battle from Civil War in beautiful stick figures when there was a slight breeze. Cackling slightly she shook her head at the mini speedsters antics while she kept drawing. Half of the Fantastic Four were here and she’d have to lock lips with one at some point.

ERIK: Doing his best to pay attention but also keep quiet, Erik suddenly was caught up in a sharp pain. He winced, taking in a sharp breath of surprise and then laying a hand over his chest in confusion.

HANK: “Quite frankly I don’t care about whose friend they were or how good of people you once found them to be. They’re threats not just to the planet but the galaxy.” Hank finally spoke up feeling annoyed. “I understand wanting to end things peacefully but as Captain America stated, we have no friends on the other side, so let’s not act like we do.” Hank replied as he began fussing with his toolbot as few items came together. “Back to the vacuum concept. It’s promising if it works and that’s a big if. However, there are band-aid solutions that we can use to by time, to name a few, Quantum realm, neutral zone, negative zone and microverse. Banishing even just one there may by us the time we need to perfect a solution and test the effects of what happens to the phoenix when it’s split up between dimensions.” He said ignoring the fact that there was sentient life in most of the places he suggested. He thought it would be best not to bring up the topic of creating a man made blackhole and taking the phoenix five into them in hopes of shredding them to pieces.

REED: Reed huffed in frustration. “The fact that they are dangerous to the world doesn’t need to be debated currently. We need the hostages back.” He shot Hank an annoyed glance before turning back to Lorna. “Her mutation allows her to create portals for teleportation, correct? I’m assuming you wouldn’t bring her up if she hadn’t played a bigger role in this than we are aware of.”

LORNA: “Of course not. And I’m not saying we should go easier on her because she was a friend. I’m saying that that thing looks like Blink but isn’t. I’m no Phoenix expert but if it did that to her I don’t know what to say about the others.  Kevin was always a little more rough so I’m not as surprised. He and Clarice are more separate from Emma, Scott and Namor. They’re a team but I don’t think they’re as much in charge. Blink used her Phoenix powers to boost the mutation of Magik. Illyana controls Limbo so together they pulled part of the hell dimension to Earth. Consider it a nightmare realm. That’s where your friends are. Blink and Wither are currently guarding it and you saw what happened when he touches you. Maybe it doesn’t kill you at first but it doesn’t take long to spread completely. If you want your people back you have to get through both of them and Limbo. I’ve never liked humans or how our people have been treated, but too many of us agree that this isn’t the way to fix our problems. We’re making the world worse, not better. The entrance is Cape Dezhnev in the Bering Strait. As for the Phoenix vacuum, well, I think you’d have to talk to my darling big sister.”

TRAUMA: Trauma had been silent just about the whole meeting and finally decided to chime in. “I’ll go… Go to the Hell on earth or whatever you want to call it.” His powers were magical in nature and that’s all he really knew. Between that, his experience with fear, and being able to be the perfectly tailored opponent for any individual it felt like volunteering.

SAM WILSON: "I’m sure we can make a sign up sheet.“ Sam’s voice was wry. "We’re glad you’re here, Polaris. Gambit as well. This isn’t Avengers against X-Men anymore. It hasn’t been for a while. If we’re going to save the world we don’t have a choice but to work together here.”

REMY:  “Speakin’ of X-men,” Remy was standing near Lorna as he spoke, hot on the heels of her words. “It’s come to our attention that us mutants don’ all share t'e same ideals as Emma, Scott, and Namor. I know it’s hard as hell to go against people like you in support of people who not only aren’ like you, but also don’ like you, so I don’ blame t'e mutants t'at fought for other mutants, even if it were under Emma and t'e rest. However, Lorna an’ I will be givin’ t'e mutants t'at are left a chance to leave the Phoenix behind. It won’ be easy, but as many as we can get to go against the Phoenix Five will be more t'an we currently have.”

LORNA: Her head inclined towards Remy in agreeance. “We can’t get you onto Krakoa, but we can help you rescue the hostages and let you know what we do. I understand my father has stopped being a raging prick and you have most of the Grey-Summers dynasty as well. Between them and Wolverine you’ve already got an important chunk of the mutant leadership.” Lips twitched at the thought of everyone they were forcing to work together. “So we do our part. What are you doing to stop the Phoenix? If you’re taking the Limbo guards out you better have a plan.”

SAM WILSON: “We don’t have as much of a plan as we should.” Sam admitted. “These last few weeks we went through a lot to keep Wanda and Jean’s location secret in Citrusville, but between one of the Jean’s bailing we’re making exception to our rules. Wanda?” He looked to the door to where he knew she was waiting. “Your turn.”

ERIK: What Erik responded with was almost an eye-roll, but not quite. It wasn’t that he was annoyed with people bringing up his horrible actions as of late, but it made him uncomfortable. “I wasn’t in my right mind. It does not excuse anything I have done, but that part of me is gone now. My mind has been made right again.” He glanced over to his daughter, trying to express how sincerely he felt about it all. “Things will be different from now on.” That was all he had to say for now– and he let the room focus on Wanda and the task at hand.

WANDA: Leaving Citrusville for the first time in weeks hadn’t been as  freeing as Wanda would have hoped. Anxiety still knotted her gut and tensed her spine. She belonged back at the Nexus but instead she stood before the war battered group of familiar and foreign faces. It was a conscious choice to ignore her father, knowing that he had made choices she couldn’t condone but didn’t want to discuss. “Vacuuming the Phoenix will only work to a certain extent. I overheard Dr. Brashear say Kevin broke free quickly. It will do the same, and the power will condense itself.” It was hard to explain. Wanda wasn’t a scientist but this was something she felt. “If you go tomorrow to face two of them, send a group after a third. Isolate them. Jean and I will monitor the energy from Citrusville. We need more time.”

CAROL: “So we have two missions then,” Carol interjected. “Rescue the hostages and separate the Phoenix. We will send a team to rescue the hostages, and another to battle the Phoenix. Assignments will come at a later time, but be ready. As it’s been said, this is war.”

VISION: “It’s possible that we could track down the location of a Phoenix Five member.” From his place next to Wanda, Vis took a small step forward to address the room. “I’ve learned that it is best not to bore you all with the details, but there are methods at my disposal that could be utilized. But this meeting has gone on long enough– Wanda should be getting back.”

SAM WILSON: “Of course. We appreciate everyone takin’ time to come out at all, especially since it’s so bad outside.” People had families to protect while they could. “Lorna and Remy will be sticking around even though Erik will be going back to Citrusville with Wanda. Vis, if you could come see me after you drop them off that would be great. Assignments will be sent out tonight about where to go from here. We got any other questions before we wrap up?”

ERIK: “Let’s just be done.” Erik interjected before anyone else had a chance to answer Sam and keep them all here. He glanced back to Vis and Wanda and then swept himself quickly out of the room to wait for them outside.

SAM WILSON: "Your discretion will be appreciated.” Sam nodded his head towards the door. He waited a long moment before following behind. The lights clicked off and the latch turned. They made it through another day. Hopefully they’d be as lucky the next.

[dailybuglenow]

WEDNESDAY, 7 AUGUST 2023. EDITED BY J. JONAH JAMESON.

MUTANTS DECIMATED: POPULATION IN PERIL

Evolution is a never ending climb, so it seems. The world we live in now is not like the one that we once knew. Gods, aliens and women with glowing fists descended upon our planet as external forces that either wished to act as savior or ruination. The danger extends far past the supernatural or galactic though. The last six years have made the presence of the alien created subset species inhomo superior, or, the Inhumans very known. Well the Inhumans are not of Earth, the release of their Terrigen Mists across the Earth’s surface created a new species known as the Nuhuman’s. The Nuhuman’s are, by all accounts, innocent people transformed involuntarily to creatures of power and destruction. But aliens aren’t always to blame for the chaos of the world we live in. In some instances, the problem is far closer to home. It’s our bodies.

They’re called homo superior, a pretentious name that has often been pushed to the side in favor of the shorter and more on the nose name: mutants. What a mutant is boils down to a genetic level. They are created by the occurrence of the X-Gene in ones body. The activation of the gene creates a type of exotic protein that then produces chemical signals which induce mutations on other genes. The result? Mutated organisms that are variously empowered. These mutations are activated at some point in a mutants life, usually during puberty or times of great stress, and they are able to manifest abilities that range in power and strength. Some sources say that mutants have always been around us and living among us, but they did not rise in public knowledge until a man named Charles Xavier made himself known.

A student of Oxford with PhD’s in genetics, biophysics and psychology, Xavier selected five mutant children - for they were children - and began training them to use their powers as weapons. These young mutants become known as the X-Men and operated internationally for some time even after the death of Xavier. Robert Kelly, most known for being a Senator whose supposed hate campaign won him in the presidency when President Matthew Ellis was a victim of the Cleanse, has always been the most vocal and aggressive of the anti-mutant campaign. Even when the X-Men were laying low following terrorist attacks like the 7/15 Incident, other groups were rising up to cause damage and endanger lives.

But why is this relevant? Why now of all times, when mutants have been around for longer than we care to admit? The answer is Thanos. The Mad Titan changed many things when he snapped his fingers. Some even claim that holes were torn in the very fabric of our dimension, allowing for others from the ‘multiverse’ to enter ours. But that’s a story for another time. What is relevant, however, is that Thanos’ snap had an adverse effect on mutants. Studies show that no mutant has been born since Thanos snapped his fingers. A select few were rumored to have manifested, but mutant populations have now dropped drastically. Why is that? Researchers are unsure, but there have been rising tensions with the mutant population ever since the Cleanse was reversed.

Case and point: at the reception following the wake of Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark, a young mutant by the name of Jean Grey caused a scene and incited other mutants such as the destructive Scott Summers to nearly injure civilians all the while ending the beautiful event. Whether the acts of Grey and Summers are in retaliation for a perceived injustice committed by Thanos, it was just one more example of how dangerous mutants can be. They walk among us as friends, neighbors and enemies. Holed up in the Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters, their presence in our world is not to be taken lightly. Perhaps it’s for the better that mutant populations are dwindling. Perhaps it makes the world safer for us all.

—- Gayle Rogers, Daily Bugle News

IT’S A NEW ERA FOR THE AVENGERS

Despite the loss of three of their own and the destruction of their Facilities, the Avengers can’t be held down. As previously announced, their home base has been rebuilt into the all new Avengers Compound, details of which have been kept tightly under wraps. Also under wraps is their new roster, but inside sources seem to have some idea of who we can expect to save the world from cosmic level threats.

Former war criminal and fugitive Sam Wilson, previously known as the Falcon, has officially taken over the Captain America mantle from the inactive Steve Rogers. Joining him are Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Spider-Man (Unknown),  the Scarlet Witch(Wanda Maximoff), Ant-Man (Scott Lang), and Wasp (Hope Van Dyne) but others are rumored to be associated as well, such as Bruce Banner (the Hulk), Stephen Strange(Doctor Strange), King T’Challa of Wakanda (Black Panther) and Bruce Banner (the Hulk). Former original team member Clint Barton has not said if he will be joining or remaining in retirement.

This news comes after the announcement that the U.N. will be pardoning the superhero war criminals who stood in opposition to the Sokovia Accords in recognition of their efforts to defeat Thanos. This clears the names of the aforementioned Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Dr. Henry Pym, James Buchanan Barnes and Clint Barton. Public reactions have varied from being glad that the Avengers are able to legally operate again and enraged that those who were being punished for endangering and killing civilians will not reach the end of their sentence. Regardless of which stance you take, I for one am glad to know the Avengers are back even if they look a little different than we’ve been accustomed to.

—- Ben Urich, Daily Bugle News

IN OTHER NEWS:

What are all the cool kids saying these days? If you want to refer to that bad event where Thanos killed half the population, you’re probably going to say the Cleanse. Want to talk about someone who disappeared? They were snapped or snapped out. Now you know!

The Stark Internship has welcomed two new members! It was announced Tuesday that Michelle Jones and Riri Williams would be welcomed into the program in journalism and engineering respectively. They join current intern Peter Parker as youth representatives for Stark Industries internationally, currently being run by Pepper Potts, CEO.

Those who snapped out during the Cleanse are required to report to their local DMV or consulate to receive new licenses, passports and identification cards that accurately reflect their current age and status. Those who are displaced are encouraged to reach out to local shelters and charities that have been created specifically to aid those who need help.

Word has come from New Attilan that the Inhuman regime will remain under the control of Queen Regent Crystalia Amaquelin until the Crown Prince Ahura Boltagon comes of age. This comes in lieu of former Queen Medusalith Amaquelin releasing a statement that she would not be returning to the throne as it stands at that her husband, King Blackbolt would be taking a leave for personal reasons.

The Inhumans aren’t the only group playing musical chairs with their throne. It was released via a New Asgardian representative that Thor Odinson, our favorite thundering Avenger, would be taking a leave of absence from the throne. Ruling in his place is the new King, the Valkyrie, who has made it clear she will not be referred to as Queen. It sounds like our new King is looking for a Queen though, because rumor has it one Captain Marvel has been seen visiting New Asgardian in trips that weren’t just for business. Neither party has released an official statement at this time but we’re keeping our eyes on New Asgard!

[muses-run-wild]

So i’m going to test muses out on this blog and my OC blog because i already have so many muses on other blogs i think i’m going to make a mulit-muse blog. So here are the test muses i’m putting opens up for and a short bio. I’m putting this under a read more because it’s so long.

Red Dwarf fandom

Dave Lister - He the only human aboard the mining ship Red Dwarf. (Which is in space but i have a way to get him (and anyone else on this show) to most earth settings)  Now he spends most days with his Hologram roommate(rimmer). A humanoid mutated version of his cat. Also a mechanoid named Kryten they picked up along the way. He loves beer and curry. he thinks he's a great guitar player. He’s also kinda lazy.

Arnold Rimmer- He was a second technician on the mining ship red dwarf.  Now he is a hologram (hard light) brought back to keep Lister company. He loves the military. He can be self-loathing but also think he's the greatest thing around.  He’s annoying and has not really had any relationships. He’s got a lot of issues but he can be very interesting.

The drew carey show

Lewis kiniski-  He’s a janitor at DrugCo (though he has an IQ of 162). He’s kinda of a creep sometimes but has a great heart. He goes to Warsaw bar a lot with his three friends. He also is a Co-owner of buzzbeer. His best friend is Oswald.Lives above the Warsaw with Oswald

Oswald Harvery- His best friend would describe him as a man child stuck in a prolonged adolescence. He’s a Delivery driver for Global Parcel. He’s also a co-owner for Buzz-beer and a mess he Lives above the Warsaw with Lewis.

Drew carey- He has a sweetheart and works in an endless job going nowhere. (Human recourse at Windfred-louder a department store, He is the founder and co-owner of buzz-beer. He is constantly fighting with his co-worker MiMi pulling mean pranks on each other. He lives in the house he grew up in and sometimes wonders if his life is going to go anywhere.

Judging Amy

Sean potter- He works DCFS. He’s a hard-working guy who is also at odds a lot with his employee Maxine sometimes. Yet he regards her as a close friend. He is a sweet guy trying to find his backbone at work.

Maxine Gray- She is a mother of grown kids. She is a social worker at DCFS.  She is opinionated, strong-willed and kinda has anger issues. She does what she needs to do to help the families and kids even if it means bending things.

Community

Jeff winger- He was once a smooth-talking Lawyer and after he was found out for a fake degree he ended up at Greendale. He can bullshit the day away. He egotistical and can come off as a d-bag but there is a heart under there. He will hit on anything thats hot.

Friends

Chandler bing -He had a boring job that he isn’t exactly a fan of. He lives with his best friend Joey. he is a  very sarcastic person with self-loathing tendencies. He childish at times. He freaks out pretty easily. He has an effeminate nature.

Buffy the vampire slayer

Spike- He is a vampire. He’s British a bit punk and can be a sarcastic ass. Depending on when you find him he’s obsessing over his love Drusilla or planning on taking down the Slayer.  He tends to let love control his life at times. If he cares about you he’ll do what it takes to make sure you’re ok.

Buffy- She was picked as the chosen one in high school. Now she’s buffy the vampire slayer. Her best friends are always there backing her up. She can be very sassy. Almost always had a one-liner. She had amazing strength and can kick ass. She falls in love hard and when it goes she tries to show it doesn’t hurt as much. She’s got a good heart.

Xander- He grew up being best friends with Willow. He was a basic horny teenager. He makes jokes constantly and is awkward.  He has gained a lot of confidence while working with buffy. He is always hitting on girls who are usually ones he can’t get. Yet being shot down never stops him. He’s usually seen as the loser of his friend group even though he has great skills.

The golden girls

Blanche-shes a southern bell. who is very much a daddy's girl. She can be very promiscuous. She tries her best to be the classiest person in the room. Even if her actions sometimes don’t prove that. She is the owner of the house that all of the girls live in. She is always lying about her age and does a lot of beauty treatments to keep herself looking young. She has 5 children. She loves doing things like dance class, plays, and community service projects. She was a Southern Baptist girl.

Dorthy-Shes a substitute teacher. She's strong, sarcastic, grounded and she also can be intimidating, Shes very smart. She was knocked up in high school by Stan and married him. She had 2 great kids. They got divorced later after stan cheated on her. She's very tall and had a deep voice. She can sing and is very funny.  She lives with her mother along with the other two roommates.

Rose- She is from St. Olaf and will never shut up about it. (Much to her roommate's dismay) She can seem naive and plain. Shes very kind. She can talk all day about the most bizarre stories. She’s crazy competitive.  She can take charge here and there. Shes easily scared. She’s also pretty agile. She’s good on the piano. she can be a push-over. she has trouble lying.  Shes Lutheran. She absolutely loves animals mostly from growing up on a farm. She had 5 kids with her husband Charlie. She’s worked at a grief counseling center. She loves doing charity work. She loves the tv show Miami Vice

Sophia- She was born in Sicily and references it a lot. She has no Scillian accent. Instead, she’s got a thick Brooklyn one.  She has 3 children. She had a stroke which is what everyone blames her uncensored comments on) She hates Shady Pines retirement home.  She sometimes hints that her family had Mod connections.  She believes strongly in ancient Scillian customs and traditions.  Also in the power of the Scillian curse.  She makes wise-cracks and brazen remarks.  She loves her roommates very much but they aren’t safe from her comments. She's the oldest in the house and everyone tends to see her as a mother figure. She loves giving advice which usually starts with “Picture it...”

Scrubs

J.D- A doctor at Sacred Heart. He tends to keep his head in the clouds daydreaming a lot. He’s obsessed with his hair. He’s very outgoing despite being physically and socially awkward at times. He’s clumsy. He loves Appletinis, Pirates, unicorns and cute things. He can come off Feminine.   His best friend is Turk who works in surgery. They are constantly doing stupid stuff together and have nicknames for each other.  He’s constantly out for Dr.Cox approval (Who mostly calls him girls names) His enemy is the janitor. Her got one older brother.

Perry Cox- A doctor at Sacred Heart. He tends to teach with tough love. He’s sarcastic and can be animated.  He’s bitter and more emotional then he’d like to show. He rants constantly and belittles people. He actually does care and wants to push people to be better. He even goes behind the Chiefs back to make sure people get the best care. He has a sister a born again Christian. He grew up with an abusive alcoholic father. He has intimacy issues.  He’s dedicated to his job so much it can cause problems. He works out a lot. Usually hates listening to peoples personal problems. He has a crush on a nurse Car;a probably cause she’s not afraid to push back. She's very strong-willed and empowered (Something seen in his ex’s) He does come to her for advice sometimes.  He likes nicknames that make him seem more important than he is. He likes Scotch on the rocks, the red wings, days of our lives, He hates a lot of things lets put it at that. He’s a leo. He stretches words.

House MD

House- a sarcastic and usually not so caring doctor (head of the Department of Diagnostic medicine) He knows many languages. (Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, Latian. He can also read some Hindi and Portuguese. He believes everyone lies. He can play the piano and guitar. He’s anti-social. He’s cynical. His closest friend is Wilson. He’s also showed some caring for his roommate at ward 6 Alvie. He belittles pretty much everyone. He walks with a cane after an incident that left him with dead muscle in it that they had to remove. This has caused him to abuse Vicoden.  He rides a motorcycle.  He hides from patients. He also takes crazy risks with them. He’s even used himself as a guinea pig for drugs and medical test. Some of these were to try to help his leg. others are to help patients or help with his curiosity. He is self-destructive. He tries to hide parts of his personality with his sarcasm. He seems like a narcissist. he hates most people. He is an atheist and has a lot of issues with religion. If he cares about people he tends to consider them idiots but kinda his idiots.  He doesn’t like showing affection. He’s shameless. He’s more concerned with the cases than the actual people. He likes only going by House. he’s constantly in the HR department for things he has done. He loves sneakers. He likes video games.

alvie- Juan Alvarez prefers to go by Alvie. He is Puerto Rican. He met House in the Mayfield psych ward. He is bipolar and when he's on the up he’s a chatterbox that likes to rap. Which is why he occasionally goes off his meds because it slows him down. He is very social and bonds to people fast. He makes impulsive decisions and will do a lot for his friends. (There isn’t much canon about him as he was only in two episodes. Also, i play him as trans)

Veronica mars

Veronica mars- shes a highly intelligent young woman. who helps her dad at his PI  work.  using the skills shes learned from her father she helps friends with cases and is sometimes hired by others.  She at one point was the most popular kids. thought she wasn’t really wealthy like them she was accepted because of who she dated. Her friend's mysterious death sent her into full PI mode.  She quickly became a “loser” After all the drama.   After a drama-filled party that really messed with her, she went from bight kid to cynical girl with contempt with fellow classmates.  She does eventually grow out of her cynicism a bit.  every time she thinks she can leave the sleuth life behind it pulls her back in. She has a sheriff at the Neptune police department that helps her get info. Shes sarcastic and always has something to say. Yet she has a good heart.

[calzona-ga]

"I can't believe that this little show that we wrote and thought was a lot of fun in the beginning has turned out to be this thing that has really taught people," creator Rhimes says of her medical drama, which brought Meredith and McDreamy to life (and "vajayjay" into the vernacular), as she and partner Betsy Beers reveal their favorites and frustrations over 14 seasons.

When Grey's Anatomy premiered in March 2005, Shonda Rhimes was a newbie writer, Netflix was a DVD-by-mail delivery service and ABC was in the midst of a reinvention with Desperate Housewives and Lost. Now, 14 seasons later, Rhimes, 47, has built an empire that includes an estimated $100 million deal to create originals for Netflix and a full night of programming — ABC's Thank God It's Thursday — with a second Grey's spinoff (the first, Private Practice, lasted six seasons) coming in 2018. "Shonda and the team have done a fantastic job of keeping the storylines and the characters fresh by replenishing the cast over the years," says ABC Studios president Patrick Moran. The pop culture juggernaut and worldwide phenomenon (it airs in 220 territories) is ABC's No. 2 drama (behind only freshman breakout The Good Doctor), with 11.7 million total viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-to-49 — not too shabby for a show about to see its 300th episode (airing Nov. 9). "Mothers who were pregnant during season one are now watching the show with their daughters," says ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey of the new audiences discovering Grey's on Netflix. To celebrate their milestone, Rhimes and longtime producing partner Betsy Beers, 59, spoke with THR in their cozy Shondaland offices at Sunset Gower Studios about how far the show has come, the road ahead, characters they'd like to revive (literally) and — why not? — shoes.

If you could go back in time knowing what you know now, what would you each do differently? RHIMES I probably would have had better contracts to start with. The show has made $2 billion or so, and these are not $2 billion shoes. BEERS If we had known this was going to happen, we might have been more aggressive initially in our approach. RHIMES We'd both be laying on a beach in Zanzibar somewhere. No, we'd probably still be working, that's the problem. Every choice we've made, it's why the show works the way it does. Every time the interns were learning, we were learning. BEERS We've both grown up; Shonda has written books about her changes. We really matured into our jobs. RHIMES And have become more confident.

Several actors have come and gone over the years, from Patrick Dempsey to Sara Ramirez. If you could bring someone back, who would you want to have another chance to write for? RHIMES I'm always going to say Sandra Oh [Cristina] because for me, she's the most fun to write for. But if Kyle Chandler [who guest-starred as a bomb squad leader] showed up unexploded, I'd enjoy writing for him. BEERS Denny [a patient who died, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan].

You get a lot of feedback from fans about how medical storylines have helped them diagnose themselves or a family member. What stands out? RHIMES What is significant is how many there are. I can't believe that this little show that we wrote and thought was a lot of fun in the beginning has turned out to be this thing that has really taught people. And the number of people who have gone to medical school because they want to be like those doctors is also incredible. BEERS Somebody we knew realized they had breast cancer from watching LaTanya Richardson's storyline [as a woman with breast cancer]. The one that sticks out to me was, many years ago a kid in Canada saved his parent by doing CPR because he'd seen it on Grey's.

What's the most interesting note you've received from Standards and Practices over the years? RHIMES Over the course of this many seasons, what you start to understand is that it's not necessarily about what has happened before; it's about what the climate is politically, because things roll forward and roll back and roll forward again, and that's always surprising. As often as we said "vagina" on the show, to suddenly be told, "I don't know if you can say 'vagina' this time" is hilarious, but also frustrating.

Is that where the term "vajayjay" came from? RHIMES Years ago, yes. I used that because it was Bailey [Chandra Wilson] in a personal situation. My standard is always: These are medical people trained to be doctors; they are not going to use some weird name for body parts. It's terrible to teach women that they should use weird names for their body parts. But it was funny and worked in that moment.

Grey's was poised to tackle abortion in season two with Oh's character, who wound up having an ectopic pregnancy instead. Was that network pushback? RHIMES I had been planning for Cristina to have an abortion, and nobody said we couldn't do it. They were like, "It just is not done very often and it sometimes causes a lot of controversy." We hadn't been on the air long, and I wasn't brave enough to just say, "Screw it, we're doing it." I held back. I remember Sandra being like, "Come on!" Years later when we did it [with Oh in season eight], I got more pushback about that than I did when we were going to do it the first time.

Do you regret not going through with that in season two? RHIMES No. We didn't know the characters well enough. What I have come to understand and love about our show is, the more you get to know those characters, the more powerful things are. When Cristina chose to have the abortion, she had a perfectly good guy beside her, a great career and she is a person who was very clear about the fact that she did not want to have children. There is something wrong with our society in that it does not support a woman's choice to not want to have children. On TV, that is never portrayed as: You're watching a woman whom you respect make a choice that feels like a really strong, powerful choice that a lot of women make, and we pretend that nobody does. BEERS And that's an incredibly liberating moment.

Would you ever take on a timely issue, like the debate over universal health care? RHIMES We've done the "people who have no insurance and we're going to give them the surgery anyway" stories. I don't know what the universal health care story would be yet, so it would be about figuring out what that is. I don't ever approach anything from the issue first, so I can't tell you that I've thought about tackling universal health care. I'd have to have some great story I'd want to tell, and then universal health care would become part of the way to tell that story. BEERS Issues have emerged from the stories and the characters and the storylines. RHIMES It's the only way to tell stories.

What's the casting or pilot story that still stands out? RHIMES Isaiah Washington came in for the role of Derek Shepherd, and Patrick Dempsey was there. And then we had Sandra come in for the role of Bailey. I looked at her and thought she could be Cristina, and everyone was like, "What?! That's totally different from what we thought she was going to be like." Chandra Wilson came in, and she was not the Bailey we imagined, but the best Bailey ever. Jim Pickens was the only person who ever read for the Chief. There were a million guys who came in for George, but we just fell in love with T.R. Knight. Picking the actors was simple. BEERS In comparison to the way it is to cast a pilot now, where there are 4 billion TV shows and you're slaughtering people in the road to try to get to somebody … this was, in retrospect, a cakewalk.

How much input does Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) have on the show? RHIMES Her opinion is very important. I have said to her that we're in this together, and that's important because it doesn't feel right that she be some sort of soldier on a field just taking orders. She also has some really beautiful, smart insights and some amazing character choices. When the character was steeped in grief [after the death of her husband Derek, played by Dempsey], we had some amazing conversations about what that would mean and where the character would go and how she would handle it.

Does Grey's Anatomy exist without Ellen? RHIMES Not as far as I'm concerned.

Have there been any talks about how much longer Ellen is interested in doing the show? RHIMES No comment.

As you've gone from intern to chief, what's your biggest change? RHIMES It's about having gone from being two kids in a candy store to being leaders. A lot of people think that they are leaders just because they have been placed in charge of something — and you're not. BEERS The learning process is sort of a baptism by fire, too, because you learn on the way. I hopefully have an easier time figuring out what's really a problem because everything seems to be the same when you start. The great thing about getting to be on a show this long and becoming a leader through it is it helps you prioritize, and that knowledge helps you enjoy the job a lot more. RHIMES You're less afraid to make decisions. It's easier to look at the landscape and pick out the mistakes. Before, everything looked the same and so you were terrified that you were going to step on a land mine before you knew it. I was always terrified that if I stopped working, none of this would work. I only started to think that maybe this would actually last in season seven or eight. You start to enjoy yourself and get comfortable and you're not afraid to make decisions, and if the decision is a bad one, then you're not afraid to take the heat.

Looking ahead, you're launching a firefighter spinoff come midseason on ABC as the flagship's second offshoot. Have you considered others over time? RHIMES We think about it a lot. There's always different spinoff ideas that come up all the time. It's too easy almost. BEERS If something is really interesting then immediately maybe that could be a spinoff.

Do you have a title yet for the firefighter spinoff? RHIMES I like to tell people that it's called Fire Place and say it really seriously and see their faces, because that's the worst title ever! BEERS The Fire Place. (Laughter.) We were saying that on set, and every 10 minutes it was just a different one: "Tonight on Feel the Burn!" (Laughter.)

What are some of the ideas you've discussed in the past? What made firefighters the right idea? RHIMES I'm not going to tell you because maybe one day we'll make them. The firefighter spinoff was interesting because that was an idea that wasn't an idea. The idea that we were going to put Jason George [who plays Dr. Ben Warren on the flagship] in it was not part of the idea. In a weird way, we kind of wrote the [season 13] finale as a firefighter thing — BEERS — without knowing that we were doing it … RHIMES … because we weren't doing a firefighter spinoff. We talked about firefighters being really cool and everybody was obsessed with them, so we were like, "Let's do a big, giant fire!" But it wasn't anything until after, when we were like, "We really have to have a spinoff topic." Then [Grey's writer-EP] Stacy McKee pitched this beautiful thing. BEERS It was super organic. We just reverse engineered something that was already there.

Is the larger goal to build a world similar to what Dick Wolf has done with NBC's Chicago franchise, where all the shows are connected? BEERS The primary determinant continues to be if we really want to watch it and we really want to see it and we really want to work on it, then we do it. RHIMES Because that ends up being what's good. I'm flummoxed by Dick Wolf. While I'll watch Law & Order until the cows come home, when [Grey's] was first on the air, it would never occur to me to go, "Let's franchise this; let's make Grey's Anatomy: Chicago," or whatever those people do. BEERS Very early on, somebody had said we should do that. RHIMES We didn't even know what that meant. It was like, "So there's just another Meredith?" BEERS Should we call her Meredith? She's in another city; she'd be called Meredith Flay? (Laughter.) RHIMES Flay's Anatomy?! That's super weird. So no, I don't think that's ever occurred to us in that way. BEERS We're excited about this because I want to see something that is fun to do, to work in a different space that we've never been in before. We have a stage that you burn stuff on. It's insane. RHIMES It pretty much goes with [the thinking of], wouldn't it be really cool to have an Oval Office? Wouldn't it be cool to have an OR?

Krista Vernoff returned as co-showrunner this season. Why is it important to bring her back? RHIMES The only way I was going to be able to allow myself to step back a bit was to have somebody there whom I knew had this. Krista understands my sense of humor, and she can write. She is just as passionate about the show now as she was in year one. I needed somebody that I knew would care that much, and that is not an easy thing to find, especially when you're saying, "I'm going to hand off my baby to somebody to look after." I have never been able to hand it off before, so I wouldn't be able to hand it off if I didn't have somebody who was going to do a really great job.

Ben Sherwood recently said 2 million people per month watch the Grey's pilot on Netflix. How has new viewers finding the show helped Grey's sustain itself over the years? RHIMES The beauty of Netflix is it continues to make new audiences for us. Our fans can give birth to our fans. Grey's has this universal, global thing to it. It works all over the world. BEERS There is a timeless quality to the show. The stories are emotional, the medicine is always relevant. Nothing is outdated because it's all based in real emotions and caring about people.

How will the Netflix deal impact your involvement with Grey's and the spinoff going forward? RHIMES Pretty much be exactly what it is now since we are in the middle of the Netflix deal right now.

You wrote in your welcome essay on Shondaland.com, your media site, about "too much change" and ending Scandal when you wanted to. Have there been times when you've wanted to end Grey's? RHIMES Yes. Season two, season three, season four, season five … it was an exhausting show until I really got the hang of doing 22 to 24 episodes a season. I learned how to write TV by writing Grey's Anatomy. It was about getting the hang of being a leader, being a boss and then doing two shows at a time [with Private Practice], and then three shows at a time [with Scandal]. But it was more about, "Can I do this?" That's how I discovered the art of reinvention: I'd write a season ending and be like, "That's it, we're done." And then I'd have to come up with something else. That got really fun.

All three shows that you've created (Grey's, Private Practice and Scandal) have run for more than 100 episodes — you're the first female showrunner to accomplish that feat. Given the challenges with cutting through in an era of 500 shows, do you think there will be other showrunners with three 100-episode shows to come? RHIMES I have no idea. Honestly, you can look at network television and say that you can't quite tell what's coming. But I hope so.

Do you have an ultimate goal of what the end of Grey's Anatomy is? Is that something you think about? RHIMES No, not anymore. When we realized that Netflix was reinfusing the show with a whole new audience and that it didn't seem to be going anywhere — and the ratings were going up and not down — that's when I had to get really Zen with myself and say, "What do we want? How do I feel about this?" It's been maddening and amazing to discover that you can reinvent it every year and it still works. I heard [Disney-ABC Television Group president] Ben Sherwood said something about [Grey's running for 40 years like] General Hospital. That's not the plan. But the idea that we are going to go until it feels like we're done is great.

Will that decision ultimately be yours to make? RHIMES Yes. I don't know why the end of Grey's wouldn't be my decision. Who would close the chocolate factory but me?

[yaoweezy]

Characters: a second look (#7)

I drew up a character map for a previous post, but I’ll go more in-depth in this post on the cast of characters deemed “regulars” for the current season (season 14). Because there are so many, I’ll give a very brief description of the most important details of their background/relationships.

Meredith Grey

The main character. Her mother was a very famous surgeon but also a very absent maternal figure, whose lack of affection has shaped Meredith a lot. Meredith has many sisters, including half-sister Lexie Grey (deceased), half-sister Maggie Pierce, and sister-in-law Amelia Shepherd. She sees Richard Webber as a paternal figure, and she is closest to Alex Karev since they are the only two original interns left from the early seasons. She was widowed by Derek Shepherd and later romantically involved with Nathan Riggs. As a surgeon, she is in charge of general surgery at the hospital.

Alex Karev

Alex is in pediatrics. One of the original main characters, Alex has probably been the character to undergo the greatest character development -- from an immature, troublemaking intern to a sensitive and empathetic doctor and friend.  He was raised in an abusive and low-income household. He was married before to another intern who has since left the show after a cancer stint, and is now in an on-and-off, complicated relationship with Jo Wilson. He nearly served jail time for assaulting Andrew DeLuca thinking that he was sexually assaulting Jo. He is Arizona Robbins’s pediatrics protegée.

Miranda Bailey

A fierce character, Bailey, as she is called, was in charge of the interns when they started and was nicknamed “the Nazi” for her strict demeanor. She has a strong sense of morality and now serves as Chief of the hospital. She is married to Benjamin Warren.

Richard Webber

Richard Webber served as the Chief before Bailey. He serves as a mentor for all those under him, and loves teaching more than anything. He had an affair with Meredith’s mother while he was married to his wife Adele, but chose to stay with Adele until she died. His daughter with Meredith’s mother is Maggie Pierce. Now, he is married to Catherine Avery, who is Jackson’s mother and a very accomplished surgeon and businesswoman.

Owen Hunt

Owen is a military veteran, serving as a surgeon in combat zones. He suffers from PTSD, and this, along with his desire for children, caused the end of his first marriage to Meredith’s best friend Cristina Yang (who has since departed the show). He is now a trauma surgeon at the hospital and remarried to Amelia Shepherd, but *spoiler* this marriage has also dissolved as of the episode two days ago. He is fiercely loyal and protective, which has caused problems for him in the past.

April Kepner

April began as a very religious character with very strict morals from a small farming town, but these morals have been tested as her character has developed. She eloped with Jackson Avery and had a stillborn child, which caused the dissolution of her marriage and her subsequent departure to serve in the military as a surgeon. Upon her return, she and Jackson had another daughter who they co-parent, but their relationship remains uncertain.

Arizona Robbins

Arizona is a very bubbly, positive personality whose resolve was tested in the airplane crash that left her without a leg. The recovery broke up her marriage with Callie Torres, with whom she parented Callie’s daughter with Mark Sloan (who I wrote about in a previous post). She is close with April and serves as Alex Karev’s mentor in pediatrics.

Jackson Avery

Jackson is the grandson of an extremely rich and famous surgeon, and has thus grown up trying to avoid the spotlight of his last name. His main relationship on the show has been with April. He was close with Mark Sloan, who was his mentor in the “Plastics Posse,” as both were plastic surgeons. He has a somewhat contentious relationship with his mother Catherine, who can be overbearing.

Benjamin Warren

Ben Warren is Bailey’s second husband, who started his medical career later in life. He is typically a very reasonable, rationale rock for Bailey, but does have a history of making rash decisions -- for example, doing a C-section on a patient in the middle of a hallway unnecessarily. As the oldest resident, Ben is sometimes the gossip conduit between the residents and the attendings and Bailey.

Amelia Shepherd

Amelia’s character is more fleshed out on spin-out show Private Practice, but she eventually joined Grey’s Anatomy as a main cast member when that show ended. She is Derek Shepherd’s sister, and as a result of her and Derek seeing their dad shot in front of them as children and other events that happen in Private Practice, Amelia has always had drug addiction problems. Despite this, she is a very talented neurosurgeon. She marries Owen, but after the discovery of her brain tumor and a generally unhappy marriage, they decide to separate.

Jo Wilson

Jo comes from a similar background as Alex, which is what brought them together in the first place. Unknown to most of the other characters, Jo is married, but ran away from her abusive husband and changed her name to hide from him, but this also means she is restricted from anything that might alert her husband (like starting divorce proceedings). She previously had a somewhat contentious relationship with Meredith, as she felt Meredith interfered with her relationship with Alex, but this has relaxed over the past few seasons. 

Maggie Pierce

Maggie was a child prodigy, and her sped-up journey through academia has led her to become somewhat naive and needy as an adult. She is the daughter of Meredith’s mother and Richard, but was given up for adoption and did not know Richard was her father until she arrived at the hospital. At first, she and Meredith did not get along because of their contrasting personalities, but this is no longer the case.

Andrew DeLuca

Of this last, DeLuca is probably the least developed. He is one of the newer additions, and so far his only real storyline has been being assaulted by Alex and eventually relenting on pressing charges due to his feelings for Jo. His older sister was recently introduced as a love interest for Arizona.

Nathan Riggs

Ah, Riggs... I wasn’t sold on this character until the last couple of episodes and now he’s gone. He was engaged to Owen’s sister when they were all in the combat zone, but he cheated on her right before her helicopter was taken down and she was presumed dead for the next 10 years. As a result, Riggs had a very contentious relationship with Owen... until Megan, the sister, showed up and it turned out she had been kidnapped for the last 10 years and just rescued by the US Army. In the meantime though, Riggs had begun to date Meredith. Meredith and Megan both push Riggs toward the other woman, in the most genuinely non-catty way I have ever seen, but eventually Meredith convinces him to go with Megan. Megan, Riggs, and Megan’s adopted Afghani son move to Los Angeles.

[anotheruserwithnoname]

New thoughts on The Orville and Star Trek Discovery

This post contains spoilers on both series up to “Cupid’s Dagger” for The Orville and “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” for Discovery. As I’ll probably get wordy, I’ll throw in a page break.

Before the break, though, the tl;dr is The Orville continues to be great (though this week’s episode is a bit controversial to some); meanwhile, approximately three episodes ago, Discovery finally became, for me anyway, proper Star Trek. And the renewal of both series is a cause for celebration.

I’ll start with Star Trek Discovery. Up to and including “Choose Your Pain”, the episode that reintroduced Harry Mudd, I was starting to lose hope in Discovery. It was too dark, too unlikeable, the characters were not gelling either as a team or as TV heroes, the Klingon subplot was - save for some unexpected in-show shipping of two Klingons - dull as an economics textbook. It was fading. And I speak as someone who gave both Voyager and Enterprise more than a year each to find their voice. The “icing on the cake” was having two characters unnecessarily utter the F-word for no other apparent reason than to justify the episode TV-MA rating. I was already saying to people that I gave it two more weeks and then I was probably done.

And then came “Lethe” and something great happened. It felt almost like having Stamets and Tilly drop F-bombs caused the show and its writers to snap to attention and snap out of whatever TV-MA/streaming cliches rut they’d fallen into. Maybe hearing two people in Starfleet uniforms make like Malcolm Tucker made them realize they’d taken things too far. Because all of a sudden we began a run of episodes that truly felt like Star Trek, the characters snapped into place as a team and as TV heroes, the plots were interesting, Michael dropped the woe is me routine (for the most part) and even the Klingon stuff became less boring. OK, the tech is still too advanced, the Klingons look awful, and there are a few other problems, some of which (like the fact it’s a prequel) cannot be fixed ... but the show felt like Trek, finally.

“Lethe” gave us some valuable insight into Sarek and Michael’s backstory. And while I still wonder how they’ll reconcile not having any past reference to Spock having an adopted sister (maybe Sybok will show up and whisk her away somewhere), and the new abilities related to the mind meld are coming close to deus ex machina territory, it still seemed to work. Having Canadian actress Mia Kirschner as Amanda - who resembles both a young Jane Wyatt as well as Abramsverse Amanda Winona Ryder - was a bonus and I hope we see her again.

Then came my favourite episode so far, “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad”. Hopefully this episode will silence those Discovery fans who keep harping about The Orville borrowing/stealing/revisiting storylines and concepts from Trek considering this episode was basically a remake of the classic TNG tale “Cause and Effect” with a touch of Battlestar Galactica 2004′s “33″ tossed in for good measure - and even hints of Doctor Who’s “Heaven Sent”. And it works. Stamets finally became a character I enjoyed watching, and Tyler also became more interesting. Some are complaining about him and Michael becoming an item but, again, this is Star Trek and while TOS never went there, all the other shows had on-board romances. The time loop was intelligently played and out and Rainn Wilson was terrific as Mudd though I hope his cold-blooded killings early in the episode were done with his assumption that time would reset and everyone would be fine - I’m OK with Wilson playing Mudd as a darker character (so far he’s been the best part about Discovery), but making Mudd a cold-blooded murderer crosses the line. It’s also a shame they couldn’t put Mudd in the title of this or the Choose Your Pain episode, as that’s always been a bit of a tradition in the franchise, but they obviously didn’t want to give the surprise of his appearance away.

“Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” was not as much fun as the last two, but it gave us some valuable character development for Saru, making him less of an Odo clone. And the subplot where the female Klingon operative teams up with and then appears to betray Admiral Cornwell was interesting. I think there’s more there than we think. By the way, I’ve been a fan of Jayne Brook since she was in WIOU back in 1990 so I’m glad to see her on this show. I hope they don’t kill her character off.

So, yeah, Discovery suddenly got good three weeks ago (and to be fair, “Choose Your Pain” was a good episode too; they just didn’t need to have the juvenile swearing; I was reminded how in one of Torchwood’s first episodes they had Jack announce he was taking a pee mainly because that was something they couldn’t do in Doctor Who. It just served to cement some folk’s negative first impressions). If it keeps on going this way, it’s going to become appointment viewing for me.

The Orville, meanwhile, continues to go from strength to strength. After the surprisingly grim “Krill”, we had “Majority Rule”, which tweaked today’s knee-jerk “like-dislike” culture. (Don’t let that stop you from clicking that little heart at the bottom of this article, though! 😂) I’ve heard people compare it to Black Mirror. Having never seen Black Mirror, my comparison is actually more towards The Outer Limits. It raised some interesting questions and right after watching the episode a friend sent me a video of Katy Perry doing an “apology tour” type TV appearance for some indiscretion of hers, much like LaMarr has to do in the episode. I enjoyed seeing the crew in (sort of) modern day outfits, too.

Then we had “Into the Fold”, a great spotlight episode for Penny Johnson Jerald (formerly Kassidy Yates on DS9) with the surprising reveal that she’s a single mom raising her two boys on board the Orville. The fact we’ve already been introduced to the concept of families on board a starship both with Bortus and his husband - and in TNG before that - makes it less of an ass-pull than such a sudden introduction might usually appear. And it works really well as a character builder for Isaac as he becomes the boys’ surrogate father when Dr. Finn goes missing. I have some issues with Dr. Finn’s rather violent escape (I don’t think shooting the guy was justified) but the episode holds together well otherwise.

Last night’s episode, “Cupid’s Dagger,” was the first overtly comic episode of the series, and it rubbed a few people the wrong way. The same way comedic episodes of TNG and DS9 often did. (Two decades of brain bleach have yet to wipe away the memory of Quark’s head superimposed atop a woman’s lingerie-clad body. 😱) There are also those who questioned the wisdom of an episode about a Deltan-like race that causes anyone who comes in contact with them to become sexually infatuated airing during a time when so many people are accusing or being accused of sexual misconduct and assault. I won’t go into those arguments. I’ll just say the episode was a very strong character building episode once again which gave some closure to the scene in the pilot where Kelly cheats on Ed, while raising more questions. We also saw some resolution to the Finn and Yaphit relationship (uh ... yeah ... I’ll just leave that with a “no comment”), some great Alara moments, and an interesting resolution to the episode’s B-plot involving preventing a war. We also get to enjoy the first appearance by one of Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy co-stars, as Mike Henry appears in a very funny running gag about an alien who wants to start piping elevator muzak into the Orville’s turbolifts.

Next week’s Orville is looking to be another dramatic one, and if the promo images that have been released are anything to go by, it might be an Alara-centric story, and more Halston Sage is never a bad thing.

---

So basically where I sit now is that The Orville is still amazing, a lot of fun, and still gives off classic Trek vibes with a little modern edginess, though “Cupid’s Dagger” probably pushes the show as far as I’d like it to go in terms of the comedy. Discovery, meanwhile, appears to have undergone some sort of slight internal reboot/reset after its initial set of episodes. Which is good because I want to be able to enjoy both shows, both for the remainder of their first seasons, and into next fall, too.

As a side note, it’s been announced that a book on the making of The Orville is going to be published in January 2018: The World of the Orville by Jeff Bond.

A North American DVD release for Season 1 of The Orville has also been indicated on Amazon, though no date has been announced yet. I’m assuming sometime early 2018, though with Season 1 ending in early December there’s always a chance they might try to sneak in a release for Christmas.

As for Discovery, a novel based on the show is already out in Canada and the US and IDW is gearing up to start publishing a spin-off comic or two. No word on a DVD/Blu-ray release. Being a streaming series doesn’t disqualify it from physical release (Netflix issues most of its shows on DVD eventually, with House of Cards and Orange is the New Black usually coming out within months of their release - though I wouldn’t be marking any calendar dates re: House of Cards at the moment) but I wouldn’t expect to see anything until at least fall 2018 assuming they release the complete Season 1 at once.

[intrepidmare]

Calculated Chaos

Anonymous and @obliviouschickwithagun requested Prompt #145 - "I don't care if you’re 4 or 40, you don't hit people."

Read it on Ao3 or Wattpad 

Sequel to “The Nightmare” 

A lifetime had passed since the idea of kids in the bunker was inconceivable to Oliver. Turned out to be inevitable as the members of Team Arrow found their other half and had children, including him and Felicity. Parenthood changed the priorities and beliefs. He understood that now. That was why he and Tommy were taking a ride down in the elevator to the bunker. It was the safest place to take his son in the middle of the day, after picking the boy from the pre-school.

On a busy day like the one Oliver was having, he would leave his son with a nanny, but he didn't trust anyone else to protect Tommy. Not with the current threat looming over them. Slade Wilson had escaped from A.R.G.U.S' prison in Lian Yu over three weeks ago, and they had to locate him yet. After threatening Tommy in the park, Slade went underground and was worryingly quiet. No more menacing messages; no surprise appearances; no frontal attacks. Nothing. Oliver could tell what his nemesis was doing, and couldn't let himself fall into the false sense of security. The moment when Oliver dropped his guard down, Slade would attack. Without mercy.

He would take everything that Oliver loved in the cruelest way.

It was a miracle that Oliver was letting Tommy leave his side and go to school every day. It took some convincing from Felicity's part for him to agree. As usual, his wife was correct in saying that they couldn't stop living only because they were in the crosshairs of a madman. The confidence she had on Oliver to protect them was humbling as ever, and he took strength in that to do whatever it was necessary to honor her faith in him. Besides, the school had a parental monitoring program, where all parents had access to the feed of the camera installed in the classroom of their child. But Oliver needed more. He made Felicity hacked into the rest of the surveillance cameras in the school, so they could keep an eye on the grounds as well as their son. Even with all those security measures taken, Oliver got anxious, fearing that what he was doing wasn't enough. Losing his mother to Slade was an excruciating pain that he learned to live with. If he lost Tommy and Felicity, it would be much worse. It'd tear him apart. He'd be utterly destroyed.

With a sigh, he pulled himself out his somber reverie as Tommy dashed out the elevator when the door opened.

"Tommy, slow down. No running inside."

"Sorry, daddy," he said, smiling sheepishly and winding down his race. He went up the platform of the computers and greeted Diggle, throwing himself into the man's arms for a hug. "Hi, Uncle John!"

"Hey, little man," said Diggle, picking Tommy up so he could sit on his knee. "What are you doing here?"

"Daddy picked me up from school."

"And how was your day? What did you learn?"

"I drew a picture of me, mommy, and daddy and my teacher put it on the art wall."

"Wow! That's great, Tommy. Good job."

"That's not all you did today, is it?" Oliver cut in, giving his son a knowing stare.

"Something happened?" Digg asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "The teacher told me he got into a fight with a classmate."

"Tommy, you know you shouldn't fight at school," John admonished Tommy, and he flapped his little, chubby arms.

"But he started it, Uncle John! He pushed me first."

Oliver was conflicted. Obviously, he wouldn't encourage his son to be violent with others for any reason, but Oliver believed Tommy when he said that he hadn't started the fight. First, because Tommy never was prone to lying to him. And second, because he noticed the other boy's bullying behavior when they were invited to the same birthday parties. And that same day, after a 5-minute talk with the boy's father at the entrance of the school was more than enough to understand from where the kid was learning that violent behavior. Like father, like son. Both bullies.

The other man didn't know how lucky he was that Oliver could exert so much control of his impulses. He was close, this close, to start his own fight.

Tommy bounced down from Diggle's lap and padded the space separating him from Oliver. He paused in front of him, with his hands clasped at his back and twisting his foot nervously. "Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Do we..." Tommy dragged his words, pleading with his eyes, "need to tell mommy what happened?" he ended fast, crinkling his face.

"Yes, we need to tell your mother about it."

"Tell me what?"

All three, John, Tommy, and Oliver, jumped, hearing Felicity's voice as she exited the elevator. Neither of them had noticed that someone was coming down. Oliver pivoted around, smiling, as Tommy ran at her and met her halfway, where she waited for him with open arms. "Mommy!"

"Hey, baby," she lifted him up and hugged him tightly, kissing him all over his face and drawing a joyful giggle out of Tommy. Oliver went to them and leaned down to kiss her sweetly on the lips. "Hi."

"Hi," he said back, losing himself for a moment in her loving eyes.

They were forced to come back to the real world when Tommy twisted in her arms, wishing to  get on the ground. They pulled apart and Felicity let Tommy go. Then, she went to say hi to John.

"Sorry that I ignored you, Digg, but you know how it is. How are you?"

John chuckled. "No need to apologize. I'm good. And leaving. Gotta meet Lyla at the doctor's office."

"Oh, right! She told me that she had the ultrasound appointment today. Ready to know if you're having another boy or girl?"

"Yep. But JJ is who's more excited to know, though."

"He's loving the idea of being a big brother again, I see."

"That's all he talks about. Well, I better go, or I'll be late."

"Say hi to Lyla for me."

"Sure," Diggle promised, heading for the elevator. On his way, he ruffled Tommy's hair and slapped Oliver's shoulder as a goodbye.

"So, what was that you need to tell me?" Felicity said, once John was gone. She sat on her chair and looked at her husband and son, questioningly. And then she put her attention on Tommy, who was making a sheepish grimace.

"Promise me you won't get mad at me, mommy."

"Tommy..." she warned.

"Mom," he whined, "promise me."

"Tell her what you did, Tommy," Oliver urged.

With exaggerated misery, Tommy took a deep breath. Looking down, he played nervously with his tiny hands, admitting at a thousand miles per hour, "Igotintoafightwithaboy."

"What was that?"

"I got into a fight," he repeated, slower this time. "But Charlie started it, mommy!"

"Thomas Robert Queen, what have I told you about fighting?"

At the stern tone of his mother's voice, Tommy grimaced. "That I should use my words and not my fists."

"Exactly. There are always non-violent ways to resolve problems."

"But Daddy almost hit Charlie's dad."

Oliver cringed inwardly. He was hoping not going into that. Felicity shot him a killing stare. "Very nice example for our son, Oliver. I don't care if you're four," she pointed at their son, and then to him, "or forty, you don't hit people. Openly, I mean. It's okay if a dangerous criminal and you're wearing your green suit, but not okay of it’s to a person that you'll see in every PTA meeting."

"I didn't hit him. It was very hard not to, but I held back," he said to Felicity and then he turned his attention to Tommy, "And like your mommy said, it's better to talk before start punching. I was close, but didn't hit Mr. Fairchild, didn't I?"

"No."

"So that's what you need to do. Fix things by talking."

"I tried! Charlie was mean to me. He called me a liar and I told him to stop because he wasn't being nice. He didn't listen and then he pushed me, so I pushed him back and fell. I didn't mean to push him so hard; I just wanted him to stop calling a liar. I'm not a liar!"

"And why was he calling you a liar?" Oliver asked, realizing that his son was truly offended by the other boy.

"'Cause he heard that I was telling my friend Kadeem that I know the Flash and the Green Arrow—"

"Tommy!" Oliver and Felicity chided at the same time. They had stressed many times that Tommy needed to keep quiet about their identities.

"What? I wasn't lying! I do know the Flash, and I know you, daddy."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep breath. Oliver never thought he'd be dealing with the sass of a 4-year old. Wild was to think how much Tommy would back talk when he turns fourteen. To tell the truth, Oliver wasn't looking forward to the gray hairs he'd get because of that. But that would be tomorrow's problem. He had other pressing matters to take care of in the present.

"You're right, you weren't lying, but you're forgetting something, champ. You know that you shouldn't tell people who I am," Oliver reminded him, as he squatted down to his son's level, so they could talk face to face. "That's a secret, remember?"

"But I didn't say that you are the Green Arrow or that Uncle Barry is the Flash, I just said that I know you," Tommy grumbled, pouting.

"Just promise us that you won't say that anymore, baby" Felicity pulled Tommy closer and lifted him to her lap. "Daddy and I, we're just trying to protect you, okay? So no one can know that you know the heroes that take care of the city. Not even Central City."

"I promise," he vowed, solemn.

"That's my boy," Felicity kissed his brow and hugged him. Tommy, happy of being spoiled, snuggled closer to her. She smiled down at her son, but stretched out her hand, calling out for Oliver to take. He clasped her delicate fingers and lifted them to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "Do you think—"

The question went lost in a beeping sound coming from the computers. Felicity whirled her chair around to check it out. "What is that?" Oliver asked.

"I got a hit on Slade! I found him."

His entire body flared up with the need of hunting down Slade. He would end their old fight, once and for all. "Where is he?"

Another alarm went off. The second it did, Felicity lost the color of her face and hugged Tommy tighter. "Oh, God, no!" she breathed, horrified.

"Felicity!"

"Proximity alarm," she said, throwing herself up and out of the chair. Hard cold terror washed over Oliver, watching Felicity's panicking eyes. "Oliver, he's here. Slade is in the bunker."

When Felicity stopped talking, the power went out and that gruff voice that still haunted him in his nightmares boomed around them.

"Hello, kid."

********************************

I'm so mean leaving it there, right? #Sorry Not Sorry *evil laugh* But don't panic, people. This story has 2 or 3 more sequels (with their corresponding prompts) where you'll know how all ends. They're coming soon ;)

If you want to challenge me with more prompts, go to THIS POST and choose a number. Then leave me a message in my ask box with your request.

Tagged squad below the cut (Anyone who wants  to be tagged/untagged let me know)

@hope-for-olicity // @acheaptrickandacheesyoneline //  @mtb1002 // @memcjo // @almondblossomme // @smkkbert // @tdgal1 // @miriam1779 // @emmaamelia95 // @coal000 // @somewhatinvisible // @oliverfel4 // @wanderingmmries​ // @laurabelle2930  // @nalla-madness​ //  @vaelisamaza​ // @felicity-said--yes // @cris101071 // @imusuallyobsessed // @djeniiscorner // @pjcmfalcon​ // @missafairy​ // @lynslogic // @felicityollies​ // @marytagus​ // @lalawo1​ // @scu11y22 // @bitchwhwifi // @wherethereissmoak // @smoakingarrow19  // @nightkeepyr // @thetaufactor // @krystal09 // @wanhani // @malafle // @bitchwhwifi // @bwangangelic // @helizaden // @bleedundermypen // @mrt2501 @nathiawarrior // @coryleanne // @speechgirl // @hollywoodkats // @callan52 //  @cinfos // @jaspertown //

[hestiasroom]

Where Do We Go After Ferguson?

By Michael Eric Dyson

Nov. 29, 2014

367

WASHINGTON — WHEN Ferguson flared up this week after a grand jury failed to indict the white police officer Darren Wilson for killing the unarmed black youth Michael Brown, two realities were illuminated: Black and white people rarely view race in the same way or agree about how to resolve racial conflicts, and black people have furious moral debates among ourselves out of white earshot.

These colliding worlds of racial perception are why many Americans view the world so differently, and why recent comments by President Obama and the former New York City mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani cut to the quick of black identity in America.

From the start, most African-Americans were convinced that Michael Brown’s death wouldn’t be fairly considered by Ferguson’s criminal justice system. There were doubts that the prosecution and defense were really on different teams. The prosecutor, Robert McCulloch, looked as if he were coaching an intramural scrimmage with the goal of keeping Officer Wilson from being tackled by indictment.

The trove of documents released after the grand jury’s decision included Officer Wilson’s four-hour testimony, in which the 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pound cop said that his encounter with the 6-foot-4-inch, 292-pound teenager left him feeling like “a 5-year-old holding on to Hulk Hogan.” He used the impersonal pronoun “it” when he said that Michael Brown looked like a “demon” rushing him. To the police officer and to many whites, Michael Brown was the black menace writ large, the terrorizing phantom that stalks the white imagination.

These clashing perceptions underscore the physics of race, in which an observer effect operates: The instrument through which one perceives race — one’s culture, one’s experiences, one’s fears and fantasies — alters in crucial ways what it measures.

The novelist Ann Petry vividly captured this observer effect in her 1946 novel “The Street,” in which the African-American protagonist, Lutie Johnson, remarks that racial perceptions of blacks “depended on where you sat.” She explains that if “you looked at them from inside the framework of a fat weekly salary, and you thought of colored people as naturally criminal, then you didn’t really see what any Negro looked like,” because “the Negro was never an individual” but “a threat, or an animal, or a curse.”

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After a black man is killed in a failed robbery, she notes that a reporter “saw a dead Negro who had attempted to hold up a store, and so he couldn’t really see what the man lying on the sidewalk looked like.” Instead, he saw “the picture he already had in his mind: a huge, brawny, blustering, ignorant, criminally disposed black man.”

Our American culture’s fearful dehumanizing of black men materialized once again when Officer Wilson saw Michael Brown as a demonic force who had to be vanquished in a hail of bullets.

IT is nearly impossible to convey the fear that strikes at the heart of black Americans every time a cop car pulls up. When I was 17, my brother and I and a childhood friend were pulled over by four Detroit cops in an unmarked police vehicle. This was in the mid-70s, in the shadow of the infamous Detroit Police Department task force called Stress (Stop the Robberies, Enjoy Safe Streets), which was initiated after the 1967 riots. The unit lived up to its name and routinely targeted black people.

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As we assumed the position against the car, I announced to one of the plainclothes officers that I was reaching into my back pocket to fish the car’s registration from my wallet. He brought the butt of his gun sharply across my back and knocked me to the ground, promising, with a racial epithet, that he’d put a bullet through my head if I moved again. When I rose to my feet, cowering, showing complete deference, the officer permitted me to show the car’s registration. When the cops ran the tags, they concluded what we already knew: The car wasn’t stolen and we weren’t thieves. They sent us on without a hint of an apology.

My recent dust-up with Mr. Giuliani on national television tapped a deep vein of racially charged perception. In a discussion on “Meet the Press” of Ferguson and its racial fallout, Mr. Giuliani steered the conversation down the path of a conservative shibboleth: that the real problem facing black communities is not brutality at the hands of white cops but brutality in the grips of black thugs. He cited the fact that 93 percent of black homicide victims are killed by black people; I argued that these murderers often go to jail, unlike the white cops who kill blacks with the backing of the government. What I didn’t have time to say was that 84 percent of white homicide victims are killed by white people, and yet no language of condemnation exists to frame a white-on-white malady that begs relief by violent policing.

This doesn’t mean that black people aren’t weary of death ravaging our communities. I witnessed it personally as I sat in a Detroit courtroom 25 years ago during the trial of my brother Everett for second-degree murder, and though I believe to this day that he is innocent, I watched him convicted by an all-black jury and sentenced to prison for the rest of his life.

Many whites who point to blacks killing blacks are moved less by concern for black communities than by a desire to fend off criticism of unjust white cops. They have the earnest belief that they are offering new ideas to black folk about the peril we foment in our own neighborhoods. This idea has also found a champion in Bill Cosby, who for the past decade has levied moral charges against the black poor with an ugly intensity endorsed by white critics as tough love and accepted by most black journalists as homegrown conservatism.

But Mr. Cosby’s put-downs are more pernicious than that. How could one ever defend his misogynistic indictment of black women’s lax morals and poor parenting skills? “Five, six children, same woman, eight, 10 different husbands or whatever,” he liked to recite. “Pretty soon you’re going to have to have DNA cards so you can tell who you’re making love to. You don’t know who this is; might be your grandmother.”

Journalistic mea culpas are now accompanying Mr. Cosby’s Shakespearean fall from grace. He has been recast as a leering king who is more sinner than sinned against as the allegations of drugging and raping women pile up. But these writers avoid mentioning the sexist blinders that kept them from seeing how hateful Mr. Cosby was toward black women long before he was accused of abusing mostly white women.

Bill Cosby didn’t invent the politics of respectability — the belief that good behavior and stern chiding will cure black ills and uplift black people and convince white people that we’re human and worthy of respect. But he certainly gave it a vernacular swagger that has since been polished by Barack Obama. The president has lectured black folk about our moral shortcomings before cheering audiences at college commencements and civil rights conventions. And yet his themes are shopworn and mix the innocuous and the insidious: pull your pants up, stop making racial excuses for failure, stop complaining about racism, turn off the television and the video games and study, don’t feed your kids fried chicken for breakfast, be a good father.

As big a fan as he is of respectability politics, Mr. Obama is the most eloquent reminder that they don’t work, that no matter how smart, sophisticated or upstanding one is, and no matter how much chastising black people pleases white ears, the suspicions about black identity persist. Despite his accomplishments and charisma, he is for millions the unalterable “other” of national life, the opposite of what they mean when they think of America.

Barack Obama, like Michael Brown, is changed before our eyes into a monstrous thing that lacks humanity: a monkey, a cipher, a black hole that kills light. One might expect the ultimate target of this black otherness to have sympathy for its lesser targets, who also have lesser standing and lesser protection, like the people in Ferguson, in Ohio, in New York, in Florida, and all around the country, who can’t keep their unarmed children from being cut down in the street by callous cops who leave their bodies to stiffen into rigor mortis in the presence of horrified onlookers.

President Obama’s clinical approach to race was cemented after the 2009 Henry Louis Gates Jr. incident — in which the Harvard professor and the white police officer who arrested him for breaking into his own house were invited to the White House to commune over a beer — convinced him that he should talk race only when his hand was forced.

He has employed a twin strategy: the “heroic explicit,” in which he deliberately and clearly assails black moral failure and poor cultural habits, and the “noble implicit,” in which he avoids linking whites to social distress or pathology and speaks in the broadest terms possible, in grammar both tentative and tortured, about the problems we all confront. It’s an effort that hinges on false equivalencies between black and white and the mistaken identification of effect for cause.

MR. OBAMA spoke twice in the aftermath of the Ferguson grand jury’s decision. He spoke Monday night about America as a nation of laws and said that we must respect the jury’s conclusion, even if we don’t agree with it, and make progress by working together — not by throwing bottles, smashing car windows or using anger as an excuse to vandalize property or hurt anyone.

On Tuesday, the president doubled down on his indictment of “criminal acts” and declared, “I do not have any sympathy” for those who destroy “your own communities.” While he avoided saying so, it was clear that his remarks were directed at the black people who looted and rioted in Ferguson. But their criminal activity is the effect of going unrecognized by the state for decades, a crime in itself. As for the plague of white cops who kill unarmed black youth, the facts of which are tediously and sickeningly repetitive and impose a psychological tariff on black minds, the president was vague, halting and sincerely noncommittal.

Instead, he lauded the racial progress that he said he had witnessed “in my own life,” substituting his life for ours, and signaled again how his story of advancement was ours, suggesting, sadly, that the sum of our political fortunes in his presidency may be lesser than the parts of our persistent suffering. Even when he sidled up to the truth and nudged it gently — “these are real issues,” the president acknowledged — he slipped back into an emotional blandness that underplayed the searing divide, saying there was “an impression that folks have” about unjust policing and “there are issues in which the law too often feels as if it is being applied in discriminatory fashion.”

Whose impression is it, though that word hardly captures the fierce facts of the case? Who feels it? Who is the subject? Who is the recipient of the action? Mr. Obama’s treacherous balancing act between white and black, left and right, obscures who has held the power for the longest amount of time to make things the way they are. This is something, of course, he can never admit, but which nevertheless strains his words and turns an often eloquent word artist into a faltering, fumbling linguist. President Obama said that our nation was built on the rule of law. That is true, but incomplete. His life, and his career, too, are the product of broken laws: His parents would have committed a crime in most states at the time of their interracial union, and without Martin Luther King Jr. breaking what he deemed to be unjust laws, Mr. Obama wouldn’t be president today. He is the ultimate paradox: the product of a churning assault on the realm of power that he now represents.

No wonder he turns to his own body and story and life to narrate our bodies, our stories and our lives. The problem is that the ordinary black person possesses neither his protections against peril nor his triumphant trajectory that will continue long after he leaves office.

More than 45 years ago, the Kerner Commission concluded that we still lived in two societies, one white, one black, separate and still unequal. President Lyndon B. Johnson convened that commission while the flames that engulfed my native Detroit in the riot of 1967 still burned. If our president and our nation now don’t show the will and courage to speak the truth and remake the destinies of millions of beleaguered citizens, then we are doomed to watch the same sparks reignite, whenever and wherever injustice meets desperation.

[chrisabraham]

My giant wallet could be giving me sciatica!

Not long after I started this blog I pinched my sciatic nerve and then wrote Fighting sciatica and fascial adhesion with a massage stick. A couple months later, it happened again and I wrote Oy! My lumbago! So, tonight I have the third race in my 5-race 5k series, Crystal City 5k Fridays and am nursing a pinched nerve that I'll call sciatica again.  I ran off to grab lunch with Bob Fine in DC on my motorcycle and realized that I sit on a giant natural leather Tanner Goods Utility Bifold wallet that sits in the right pocket of my jeans all the time -- pressing right on my sciatic nerve. 

I was asking around and Tara Penelope Calishain told me on Facebook that the pressure of carrying a big fat leather wallet in your back pocket,  and the resulting pressure on the sciatic nerve when compressed or otherwise irritated by the piriformis muscle, causes the sort of pain, tingling and numbness in the buttocks and descending into the leg. It's is called piriformis syndrome. I know that my weight is a major part of this and that I sometimes wear jeans that are too tight around the waist when my weight fluctuates that there's a lot of pressure and stress on that region. And when I am working out a lot, the muscles swell, further exacerbating the syndrome and thus the pain.

So, now I am wondering if I should still run the 5k tonight -- just 3-hours away.  I have felt a lot better today so I might chance it. But if I do, I will surely need to make sure that I do a lot of rolling and massage sticking in order to fight the pesky sciatica and fascial adhesion. Not everyone thinks I should go for it.   Here's the advice I have received from my lovely friends on Facebook: On the Sciatic Pain and Running the 5K:

Susan Decoteau-Ferrier: My husband had sciatic pain. He stopped carrying his wallet in his back pocket all the time and the sciatic pain disappeared. Also, get Turmeric capsules. They are a natural anti-inflammatory. Paul Monaco: I made the switch to a money clip, what a difference. Would never go back for both comfort and simplicity. Linda Ferger Pekunka: suggested I stand with your back to the walk, feet about a foot apart. Bending your knees slowly slide your back down the wall till the small of your back is flush with the wall hold for 15 seconds and slowly stand back up. Do about 3 times and repeat a few times a day. Also sleep in a fetal position with a flat pillow between your knees. Both these tips relieves pressure from your spine. Good luck!

Stevie Wilson: Chris Abraham in the short term, get a lumbar support cushion for car and chair. Also watch how you ride your bike. and slow down (and maybe stop) the rowing. That could be the culprit. Not saying (forever) .. just for short term. (worse outcomes possible if you don't. ) Stephen Dee: You're not going to find an overnight cure. You may find something topical to help ease the pain. Some athletes will not like the following advice: Take a couple of ibuprophen a couple of hours before the race. They'll help with inflammation and pain. Line up to run the race; it's short. If you find yourself a bit uncomfortable, carry on. If it's killing you stop. Anywhere in between is a judgement call. Beyond this, hie thee to a PT specialist.

Sidney Billingsley: Fill a camelback with Gatorade and vodka. You will finish the race, you might puke but your back won't hurt . Jerome Cole: Don't do the run. Not worth the risk. Wait until this problem resolves. And I am speaking from experience here. I had a pinched nerve, exerted myself against the advice of doctors, and suffered grievously for about a month. Don't do it. Stevie Wilson: You should do alternating ice and heat (Ice first to reduce inflammation, then heat) every 30 mins. You need to watch Sitting posture too. Do you have lumbar support? Take care tonight. Epsom salt bath, ibuprofen , ice & heat .see how you feel tomorrow . If you want definitive answer tonight, then take a pass and see a doc to get a referral to PT. You know the answer already ... right now

Stephen Dee: Stevie Wilson called it. If you're in agony, do NOT run. If you're a bit achy, line up for the start (having taken ibuprofen) and see how you feel. Sometimes aches will abate with movement and exercise and sometimes they'll get worse. If you find you can walk fine but can't run without serious pain, just walk the 5k. It's a judgement call that only you can make.  Minna Aslama Horowitz: Been there. Don't stretch -- often that intensifies the pain and pinches the nerve further.  On the Big Fat Wallet: Tara Penelope Calishain: This is apparently a thing: Piriformis syndrome Sidney Billingsley: I carry my wallet in my front pocket for this very reason.  Jeff Lang: Stop doing that. Seriously, don't do that.  Paul Monaco: I made the switch to a money clip, what a difference. Would never go back for both comfort and simplicity.  Susan Decoteau-Ferrier: My husband had sciatic pain. He stopped carrying his wallet in his back pocket all the time and the sciatic pain disappeared. Also, get Turmeric capsules. They are a natural anti-inflammatory. And here's some advice from Reddit:

Astronomicca via /r/running:  It's called the "iskias nerve" and that nerve goes between the muscles in the lower back and down through the back of the legs. When you work out, e.g. run, the muscles swell and are squeezing the nerve. This causes pain in the lower back and even down through the back of the legs. The pain will go away when the muscle is done being swelled. My doctor said that the construction of the iskias nerve going through those muscles is the only thing on the human body that is stupidly designed :) Reason is obviously that using you lower back muscles can squeeze the nerve. I've tried it and it's painful but it goes away. I don't believe it's more dangerous than many other things runners put themselves through :) Manytoedsloth via /r/C25K: It's not our advice to give. No one here can tell you for sure, let alone should you trust anyone to comment on something so important. If you can't contact a professional to ask, I'd advise to sit this one out. If you're determined to race, I have no idea at all about exercises but rest is better than doing an exercise wrong. Lastly, if the pain becomes worse during the 5k, don't be stubborn - you risk making a minor injury worse and it could even become something that plagues you for months or years. Why push? There will be more races in the future - be safe with this one and you'll be fit for the later ones! Sdr4wkcab via /r/running: I have sciatica and I have found a few stretches that help relieve my pain. I do them every morning and at night. I also try to do planks and lunges (this helps strengthen my core and my glutes) which I find helps with my lower back pain. This video was very informative. This one has a stretch that I feel helps a lot. I also do the cat/cow stretch. And the top 2 stretches here, I haven't tried the bottom 2 but they look interesting. As with everything like this stop if anything starts to hurt more or feels bad. And if it continues see your doctor or a chiropractor. Good Luck! Mauser98 via /r/running: I have been having this problem also for a few months now, im 5'5 140 pounds and when I get about a mile into my run I get the same lower back pinch. Its so frustrating because I love running but its become difficult lately. I don't know what to do, I hope its nothing serious. TesticlesMcTitties via /r/running: If I were you I'd do a lot of foam rolling and that's it. During your run, concentrate on keeping your hips flat (vertical) and your core tight to mitigate the pain. From Instagram: Danieljohnsonjr: I've been keeping mine in a front pocket ever since I began to get sciata. Hasn't been a problem since. Chris_december: I keep my wallet either in my messenger bag, cargo side pockets or in the front. Never been comfortable sitting on them. Later on, I read that wallets affect the spine if kept in the back pocket. Saved without realizing the medical reason :P Noguiltfitness: Unfortunately - not coincidence at all. My chiro had me move mine over a decade ago. I'll recommend a couple of good ones to you On FB - along with the link to a great hip mobility program. I can honestly say - best program ever - keeps me out of a lot of pain. Here's the original post I made on /r/Running, /r/C25K, and Facebook: I have a 5k tomorrow but I have a pinch in my lower back that goes away when I walk but come back when I sit -- do I rest it, stretch it, work it, ignore it? You advice needed. What my massage therapist said is true: once you get a lower back nerve pinch it might become chronic. Right now, I am looking for stretches or exercises that can help me work this out. Should I really just be relaxing it, let it relax, heal, and maybe the "swelling" or whatever is happening will go away. I have my 3rd 5k run tomorrow at 6:30 and I intend to run it. I run slow, that's for sure. And I assume I won't be making it work. Right now, I feel good when I am either on my back or side or standing up at my standing treadmill desk, whether I am just standing or just walking along at 2mph. I am not asking for medical help, I am just asking for your advice. Thanks in advance. PS: I do have both a long roller stick and also a black foam roller, if there are any stretches, yoga moves, or roller moves that have worked for you in the past. PPS: Yes, losing 80-100 pounds is probably the #1 best thing for me to do, but until then  Upon more research, it looks like there's something called Walletitis:

The Claim: Keeping a Wallet in Your Back Pocket Can Cause Sciatica THE FACTS A wallet stuffed with business cards or scraps of paper might seem like more of an eyesore than a health hazard. But one old bromide holds that a thick wallet - or even one that's not so thick - can harm the lower back for those sit on it for too long. And while experts says the fears are probably exaggerated, the wallet can definitely carry some hazards. Although it was popularized by an episode of the "Seinfeld" series in the 1990's, the phenomenon was first described in a brief article in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1966, when credit cards were beginning to proliferate. The report, about a lawyer who suffered aches and pains in the left leg, not far from a wallet growing thick with charge cards, referred to the condition as "credit-carditis." Although that term never quite caught on, doctors say the condition has become increasingly common. Its onset is gradual, caused by an object that presses on the piriformis muscle in the buttocks, which is connected to the sciatic nerve, which runs down the leg. Over time, a person can develop radiating pain in the back and hip area. "Just the other day, I had to tell one patient with back pain to remove at least 20 years of stored data from his wallet," said Dr. Gerard P. Varlotta of the New York University School of Medicine. Wallets are not the only culprits. Numerous case reports have linked the condition to various back-pocket objects like large handkerchiefs and golf balls. THE BOTTOM LINE Keeping a thick wallet or object in the back pocket can gradually cause sciatica. By ANAHAD O'CONNOR, New York Times And here's the original New York Times article, The Claim: Keeping a Wallet in Your Back Pocket Can Cause Sciatica by ANAHAD O'CONNOR THE FACTS A wallet stuffed with business cards or scraps of paper might seem like more of an eyesore than a health hazard. But one old bromide holds that a thick wallet - or even one that's not so thick - can harm the lower back for those sit on it for too long. And while experts says the fears are probably exaggerated, the wallet can definitely carry some hazards. Although it was popularized by an episode of the "Seinfeld" series in the 1990's, the phenomenon was first described in a brief article in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1966, when credit cards were beginning to proliferate. The report, about a lawyer who suffered aches and pains in the left leg, not far from a wallet growing thick with charge cards, referred to the condition as "credit-carditis." Although that term never quite caught on, doctors say the condition has become increasingly common. Its onset is gradual, caused by an object that presses on the piriformis muscle in the buttocks, which is connected to the sciatic nerve, which runs down the leg. Over time, a person can develop radiating pain in the back and hip area. "Just the other day, I had to tell one patient with back pain to remove at least 20 years of stored data from his wallet," said Dr. Gerard P. Varlotta of the New York University School of Medicine. Wallets are not the only culprits. Numerous case reports have linked the condition to various back-pocket objects like large handkerchiefs and golf balls. THE BOTTOM LINE Keeping a thick wallet or object in the back pocket can gradually cause sciatica. scitimes@nytimes.com  Well, it looks to me like I really need to stop wearing this amazing and gorgeous Tanner Goods Utility Bifold in natural -- so very sad. Read the full article

[thearcanachronicles]

So first of all, I want to apologize for being MIA. My college had a lot of crazy schedules and when I get home at night I am dead. I was asked about my opinion on japril and the plot, but after last episode I was so hurt about it that I decided to make a huge text and scream about how wrong this hole situation is.

Things to Consider because I’m criticizing pretty much everything: 1. I go to Med School 2. I work on the Academic Council 3. Recently we went throughout something similar. Our Headmaster (That we love and admire very much and made our school what it is!) was being fired but not fired and things got chaotic specially because lack of communication. I can’t go into details, but our Rector was Catherine, our Dean was Bailey, our Headmaster was Richard, and all us academics were the surgeons. The Academic Council was, obviously, the head of department surgeons. The board was a board of teachers we have.

First thing, GSMH has not the teaching program that it once had, under both SGH or SGMW. It was once the second best program in the US. I don’t know if it is laziness from the writers, but the teaching part has been lost since s11 after Derek’s death and the only intern we regularly see is Deluca as a plot device. I understand that as we progress with Meredith’ story we’ll see them less and less, but she is head of General and a pretty good surgeon. It is expected to see her inside ORs full of students. Same for the others. We don’t.

So something is wrong. The writing or the program. Obviously we are going for the program. It is expected that something must change. There is nothing wrong with it. But in my opinion they should have talked to Webber, given him a chance to improve. Catherine and Bailey are shoving some unknown surgeon at everyone’s throat without any talking/warning. It is expected for everyone to be angry, but they all refused to talk to Bailey at the meeting she called. That’s pettiness. That’s wrong. They are subordinates, even if being on board/owning the hospital. They must answer as employees.

I understand that at first they refused to acknowledge the change of the program but that’s actually IMPOSSIBLE. There are direct orders from the Chief of Surgery. Employees must obey and respect them. If they don’t like they can go strike, argue, but there must be communication!! And they must warn the hospital about any major decision. Not keep walking around the hospital as if nothing had changed. They all could have been sued and fired AS SURGEONS because of insubordination. Yes, they can argue about not letting the residents operate because of the patient’ safety. And for real the fact that Minnick had caused complications on purpose on her first surgery do not help at all (actually I was blind with madness). But they can’t stop her from doing her job/taking residents on her own procedures like she did with Edwards last episode. The students have lab skills, the attendings used to let them take care of the pit, take care of patients by themselves many many times (Grey, Yang, Karev, Ross, they all took lead sometime!!!). It is normal to let the residents at sometime take the lead. So what is this being a problem?!! Why is everyone rejecting Minnick? Because of lack of communication/understanding/open mind.

So Bailey is turning against her former teacher. Believe me, she is hurt. We have the utter most respect for our teachers. But Catherine owns the hospital. Bailey is doing her JOB. Being Chief of Surgery she is NOT ALLOWED to be insubordinate. Yes, she can talk to Catherine, as was shown, and oppose. But as the change was not an option for the Avery Foundation, she MUST go on with it. Exactly as on SP #2! She can’t just be petty and deny to do it. That’s why she was hired. That’s why she expects it from Meredith, who she hired. She MUST support the decision and make the best out of it, exposing the problems and progress et al. Same with the surgeons in a position of power aka the head surgeons. Also, Bailey is a teacher, a really good one too. She is trustworthy. She knows that Minnick can add a lot.

That’s also April’s position at the end of 13x11. Bailey gave her a Chief INTERIM position. Before, as a simple surgeon, she was allowed to be a little petty, okay. It was not right, but the consequences would be minor. But as Chief of General is HER JOB to go along with the Hospital Policy aka Bailey’s and Catherine’s orders. Jackson, Arizona, Maggie all should be following it too, but they all have back up plans. Two of them are on the Board, the other is related/lives with most of them.

Could she say NO? Yessss, sure Jen. She is a single mother, currently living with her f rich ex-husband no one knows for how long, but at some point she will have to move out and move on. April is independent and on her own. She too needs the salary increase and resume addition. But before this, put yourself on her position. April is THE MACHINE. She was Chief Resident, she is a Certified Trauma (aka emergency general) Surgeon, she served on the army for a year. She is more than capable to STEP UP for Meredith while she is SUSPENDED. April deserves it. And at ANY moment it is said that she will be keeping the job after Meredith comes back. She is aware of her position and NEVER shows anything against it. It is an opportunity for life and every other attending would do the same thing. Except that I BET that the moment Mer is back she’d volunteer to step back. Also, April knows that she can handle everything nicely! She can work in favor of her “friends”. At any time she tries to shut/hurt/step over them. This is called respect. She also respect their opinion on being hurt with her. So now we go to what hurt me the most…

How can they not listen to her? Give her a chance to explain herself? Arizona “good man in a storm” is her supposed best friend. “Cheater eyes, hum?”. She knows what it feels to be judged, segregated, and yet she turns her back to April without a second thought? While April was the only one to sit down with her in a storage room and drunk her feelings down while her wife told everyone that she was dead? And now she is angry at April and bff with Minnick? Isn’t she hating April for siding with her?!?!

Jackson is no different. April was the only one to never judge him for his looks AND name. She always supported him and his effort, even to his mother. She stood up for him against Webber in front of everyone about Yang’s Harper Avery problem. Why can’t he do the same? Why does he do the EXACTLY opposite?? Says that she was named Chief Interim because of his mother setting her up? Not defending her against the other surgeons? Also he was rude to BEN, HIS best friend. Give me a break.

Riggs is at the hospital because of April. She was the only one not to turn her back on him. MAGGIE stated this herself, that April likes everyone. She IS the nicest. So WHY is everyone acting like this? I’m sorry, this doesn’t happen.

AND let’s not forget that it is not the first time someone step over and takes someone else’s job. DEREK became Chief of Surgery when Webber was dealing with his drinking problem. At first it was awkward but NO ONE turned against him. So why is everyone acting like it is unknown territory? Why is everyone being so mean? Because it is April? Read last paragraph and explain to me HOW!!

So April is right when she says it is time to start acting like adults. If the plot was accurate, they would have attended the meeting and explained their problems with the change. They’d try to find middle ground. Everything would probably be fine already. There’d be teaching. There’d be peace. Let’s face, Wilson was the only one that actually learned something while scrubbing in with who? APRIL.

Why do I think this is happening? Plot device. All the way.

Maggie will crash harder with Meredith after fulling support her against April. So when the Griggs plot revival happens, it will explode!

The surgeons will realize that they need both Webber and Minnick!!!

Jackson’s father!! First, Catherine line about understanding April is something I thought a lot about. They have similar upbringings, even thought Catherine story is a lot harder. But both of them have simpler backgrounds, being groundbreakers for their families, the only doctors… Married into a powerful family. I think that Catherine relates to the fight between Jackson and April because she had similar problems with her ex-husband. I do think he had problems with her gaining space and respect, even more than him. He couldn’t deal with “Being an Avery” and she excelled at that. She grew without him and he couldn’t accept. That’s why April is hurt with Jackson. Because he apparently can’t admit that April won the job because of herself. Because he is insecure with HIMSELF. She is obviously hurt because she KNOWS she deserve it and expect him to stand by her side like she did many times. They will obviously clash over this, hurt themselves a little bit more until Japril The Sequel, where it will all come clear between them, they will support each other and maybe maybe Kiss!!! They have both wronged each other many times due to the same problem: LACK-OF-COMMUNICATION!!! I do think this will be solved and they will apologize for everything and just feel the love. Catherine siding with April will probably help clearing the S12 tension.

Catherine and Richard are at odds too. IF Jackson’s father do come back, maybe it will bring some feelings back? Also, one thing I don’t want to be real, and I think is highly unlikely but it is Shondaland, is if Jackson’s dad and Jo’s husband are the same man. My only thought about this is the fact that apparently only one new character is being introduced: male, white, “nice” looking, kinda powerful, kinda manipulative? Nah, hopefully not!!!

Civil War!!! The title of the episode says it all!!! Things will burnnnnnnn!! I’m excited. Hope it is well delivered, even with the inconsistencies.

If by any chance you are curious about what happened to us, the Rector and the Dean are still there, they changed the Headmaster for other teacher that we love and admire, but he is still our teacher and we can still go to him for advise (We call him father, can you believe it?). He is also father of a former student, so now he says he can be more active as he doesn't have a duty with our dean and rector. At least two of the members of the Academic Council got sued, for speaking up, criticizing, posting stuff on social network... Teacher received firing letters, some left in protest, some didn't show up at our protests because of threats. No one judged. No hate. All about understanding!! It was hard, but we rose!