#you can still make someone badass but a good and trying father

[crossthread]

Okay I swear to God I hope the directors of avatar (the alien movie) sees this post somehow but the whole reason the way of water flopped so badly is cause it was written over 10 years ago. So I like avatar. I thought it was a cool concept and good characters and overall a solid action movie. But the characterisation is just a dacade old man. It's really outdated. It instantly turned me off when Jake was seen to be a 'hardass' to his kids, and having them call him Sir, and have Neytiri taking kind of a secondary role as the 'peacekeeper' parent who goes 'but your dad loves you, he just wants you safe' bullshit trope that's just really not what this generation is looking for rn.

Emotionally mature parents is what's on topic rn. Dad's that step up and know what they're doing and don't have the 2000s 'military hardass emotionally distant' bullcrap. Just look at all the other movies and shows with family themes that did really fucking well. The Last of Us. Ultraman: Rising. Nimona. Even Maleficent, which I think is one of the earliest movies of this trope that's well known. They did well for a reason. You can't make Jake Sully a bad father and think the current audience will dig it. All of his kids, one way or another felt the pressure of living up to their dad's expectations, and im sure, whether he really loves them. And I assure you for all intents and purposes it felt like Neteyam died thinking he wasnt enough. You can't have those 'your dad loves you but he just doesn't know how to show it' bullshit anymore and expect the audience to like or even relate to that character cause a lot of us don't take that shit anymore from our own parents. A lot of millennials are actively trying to be present and good parents to their kids. So yeah. The way Jake Sully, and to a certain extent, Neytiri were characterised is probably one of the biggest reasons this entire movie flopped. It could have been great. But it isn't. And I kind of hate it actually.

My point is: if there's gonna be a third movie, the best bet to make sure it doesn't follow the way of waters footsteps is to overhaul a lot of the characterisation and plot. See what the audience wants rn, and what they audience relates to. It was clear the writing to that movie was old as balls and gen z or gen alpha don't take that shit man. Give us good parents

Edit: okay as someone pointed it out it wasn't actually a 'flop' flop because they grossed by over a billion or smth in the box office I think but to be fair half this post has been sitting in my drafts for like 2 years and I wrote this soon after I watched it back then, and a LOT of people werent that happy with it. But yall know what I mean. I waited for this movie for 10 years and all I felt was this low simmering disappointment because it could have been so good, but it wasn't.

[artbyblastweave]

Heroify: Kingpin

Compared to some of the other characters people have sent in today this is like shooting monkeys in a barrel!

Part of the reason Fisk is such a good Daredevil villain is that he's already got a lot of the basic elements you need to make a street-level hero work- the will, the drive, the protectiveness, the territoriality, and the quote-unquote "badass normal" peak human fighting ability that, let's not fuck around here, is absolutely a superpower even if the chickenshit writers won't directly admit to that. It's just that he uses those abilities to be a crime boss rather than to fight crime bosses. To put himself in charge of his childhood bullies instead of fighting his bullies. A classic case of "If only he'd used his immense capacity for interpersonal violence for good." What would make him stand out from all the other heroes in his niche is his propensity for Empire-building, his complete inability not to build up some kind of organization from scratch, and what that impulse might look like in a superheroic context.

I'm imagining that his initial schtick is that of a Bully Hunter. After getting ripped and wiping the floor with his childhood bullies-or maybe this is one of the versions who offed his own father for beating on his Mother- he embraces the specific high of the "pick on someone your own size" routine, and he becomes The Big Man, the guy you go to when you need somebody who's been getting away with something for a while cut down to size. Upstairs neighbor is beating his wife and kid senseless, and nobody does anything because his brother's a cop? Call The Big Man. Real Estate Baron's using his connections to try to muscle out the residents of a tenement? The Big Man's gonna pay them a visit. Boss at the diner's withholding your paychecks and getting away with it because you're undocumented? You get where this is going. He usually doesn't kill people- not out of any particular code, but out of a combination of pragmatism and sadism. He's smart enough to engineer situations in a way that he can claim self-defense or frame someone's tumble down the stairs as an unfortunate accident or rely on the unexamined illegality of whatever his target was doing to prevent them from getting the police involved. He's got a bit of a financial cushion, as well, because all of this is actually his side gig- he's still a very successful, if not as cutthroat, local businessman, because hospitalizing domestic abusers doesn't pay the bills. As a power move, he does most of this under his own name- he's got a "costume" in the form of the distinct suit, and a nominal codename, but part of the bit, part of the point he's making, is that he's slightly better at weaseling out of the consequences of his actions than the people he targets. Always a bigger fish, after all. Power is relative. His thematic niche is distinct from Daredevil's abstract sense of idealized justice. It's not Frank Castles mechanical eye-for-an-eye approach. It's about the satisfaction of leaving a certain category of wrongdoer alive, so that they can remain very, very afraid.

Of course, since his entire bit is that he keeps putting untouchable assholes in fullbody casts, the attempts on his life start stacking up- First it's Ed the domestic abuser and his buddies from the bar coming around for a rematch, and then goon squads, then hand ninjas, then low-rent supervillains- and because The Big Man toes the line of being an actual superhuman, he's usually winning these things, and coming out ahead in the PR game for beating down a bunch of costumed thugs attacking his Perfectly Legitimate Art Gallery- but it's a pain that his office keeps getting firebombed. And this is where you start to reap the benefits of having done under-the-table favors for hundreds of people all over New York- The Big Man has a network now. The Big Man knows guys who knows guys, some of whom owe him favors, some of whom are just really afraid of him coming back for round two. The Big Man can pull together a hundred guys with crowbars and hammers on a day's notice, if he happens to need something like that. If he doesn't know someone with a backdoor into Tombstone's fortified penthouse or Hammerhead's mansion, if he doesn't know someone with incriminating information on Silvermane or Norman Osborn, well. He knows their cousin. And once he thinks to begin leveraging this? If the people escalating things have specific addresses, by the end of the week they very likely don't.

It's not as if he eliminates all criminal activity. He's not even interested in doing so. Like half the painting's he's selling are really convincing forgeries. But things hit a point where there's simply a hard practical limit on how imperial a supercriminal's ambitions in New York can become, how domineering, how visible to the man on the street, before The Big Man decides it's time to make a point and starts calling people, who in turn start calling people.

[lesbian-for-arthur-morgan]

Hello! Love your work!

Can you do headcanons for Hosea with a daughter? (Or child if you'd prefer gender neutrality)

She's his kid with Bessie, and I was wondering how the two would be, growing up in the gang, how he'd be as a father, how she'd be with the other members, whatever you'd like to write!

As for her age, I'm thinking young adult during the events of the game, maybe John's age too

Thank you!

Hosea with a Child

Gender Neutral language!

Genre: Fluff! Some angst - No game spoilers Featuring: Dad!Hosea, Platonic John, Platonic Arthur Warnings: Mentions of death and grief

AN: I hope you like these! I really enjoyed writing this request it was so cute and fun to think about Hosea as a dad raising a kid in the gang <3 Thank you so much

---> Requests are open! Check out my guidelines if you have any questions!

<><><><>

Childhood Years:

According to Hosea, you were the only good thing he had ever done with his life.

Being his only child with Bessie, you were spoiled as much as he could afford. As an infant you were given the warmest blankets, the softest toys, and the most attention he could give you.

That short period of time where he left the gang was around the time that you were born after him and Bessie’s wedding. He wanted to give you a proper childhood away from the hardship of the life of an outlaw.

As he said himself, though, the life just draws you back in.

When he went back to Dutch he brought you and Bessie with him.

Hosea worshiped and adored you. Everything he did in the gang he convinced himself was for you and Bessie.

He told you the story of Robin Hood as you grew old enough to understand stories before bedtime. He’d sit you in front of the fire and smile as you gazed up at him in wonder while he told the tale of the hero who stole from the rich to give to the poor.

During the earlier years of the gang, when they still stole for the good of others in one way or another, you always thought of Hosea as Robin Hood - he was a hero to you.

You started calling Dutch “Uncle Dutch” and considered many other members of the gang as family.

You were only eight when Arthur was brought in to the group. You followed him like a shadow and it warmed Hosea’s heart to see you trying to play with another kid (even though Arthur was fourteen by this time - he was still the youngest person for you to hang around).

Since Hosea eventually started viewing Arthur as a son, you viewed him as your badass older brother.

Teen Years:

By the time you turned fifteen, you were expected to start contributing to the gang. Most of the time you were just a pickpocket. Hosea didn’t want you robbing trains or putting yourself in any real danger, and Bessie wouldn’t allow you to do anything that could taint your soul (as she would put it).

For a while you were just quick and sneaky.

Arthur watched over you whenever you went into town to grab a few coins and watches from the people walking through the streets just in case anyone caught on to your act and you needed assistance.

You whined to Hosea that you felt like he didn’t trust you to take care of yourself since Arthur was always babysitting you, Hosea said he’d figure something out. He knew you could take care of yourself, of course.

He fixed it by telling Arthur to be sneakier while he was watching you.

Once you turned sixteen, Hosea started taking you on hunting trips with him. He wanted to make sure you could take care of yourself and your mom in case anything happened to him.

“Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he’ll eat forever.” He’d say on nearly every hunting trip the two of you went on.

“But we’re hunting deer, Pop, not fishin’.” You’d correct him and he’d just wave his hand in the air as if to dismiss you. “Same concept, kid.” He’d retort.

At seventeen, John joined the Van Der Linde gang. It was the first time there was someone exactly your age near you daily that you got to interact with.

At first, John was following Arthur around like a puppy and it made you so jealous. You complained to Hosea about it, you said John was taking your brother from you and it wasn’t fair.

Hosea laughed lightly whenever you dramatically groaned and whined and told you to give it time, John would become your friend as well.

Hosea was right of course, as always. After a month or two the amazement over Arthur Morgan wore off and John became a great friend of yours.

The two of you bickered a lot, though. Being the same age and all, you were constantly at each other’s throats.

Bessie always said that you and John were like an old married couple. That comment caused you two to look at each other gag over dramatically.

Young Adulthood (around the events of the game):

When your mom, Bessie, died a part of you died with her. Hosea might as well have died too.

For a year, he never left his bed and when he did it was only to grab another bottle of whiskey to drown his sorrows in.

Some days were better than others during he grieving, but there were weeks that would go by when he couldn’t bear to look at you.

You had Bessie’s eyes and her smile. You had all the best parts of Bessie and seeing her in you but not seeing her made Hosea’s heart shatter all over again.

During this time you depended on Arthur and John to be your rocks. They were the ones who kept your focus away from the black hole of grief eating away at your insides. And during the days that the grief was too much to handle, they pat your back and held your hand while you let yourself rot away in bed.

Some nights John would come to see you when he couldn’t sleep and the two of you would cry over Bessie until you drifted out of consciousness.

Everyone felt her death deeply.

As time goes by, your wounds have healed as have Hosea’s. He sobered up and after a long crying session where all you two did was hold each other and reminisce over Bessie, you were a family again.

During the events at Blackwater, you were Hosea’s first priority. He got you packed and to safety as fast as he could once it was time to flee.

In that huge snowstorm on your way east, Hosea gave you his extra jacket and gloves to keep you warm. You rode in the wagon with Abigail and Jack, huddling with them for warmth and assuring them that John would be okay and back soon.

For a while after Blackwater, Hosea refused to let you out of his sights. After what happened with Bessie and the chaos that was that whole situation, you were the only thing he lived for. He couldn’t have anything happen to you.

You didn’t complain, either. You didn’t want to be away from him for a while. You were terrified during Blackwater, terrified you’d lose him or John or Arthur. You let him baby you and watch over you like a hawk as long as it gave his mind peace.

At Horseshoe Overlook, you went hunting with Hosea as often as you could. It was like a tradition for the two of you.

“Give a man a fish,” He’d start his lecture on the importance of learning survival skills and you’d have to stifle a groan and a laugh.

You’d probably heard that phrase nearly a million times at that point. He always said fish, too. Never changed it for whatever you were hunting.

Hosea wasn’t only your father, but your best friend. He was the best person you knew despite his occupation, and you adored him with your entire being.

He wasn’t technically a good man, but he was a great dad.

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I hope you enjoyed these!! Thank you for reading

[thepunkranger]

Resident Evil Characters - A Summary

Note: This is entirely my own opinion and said with a heavy dose of humor

Please enjoy

Chris Redfield

OG

Started as a twunk

Became an angry gorilla man???

Alpha Male™️

Punches boulders

Wants you to marry his sister

Smoker

Hide yo kids, hide yo wife

Rude to wait staff

2/10 - Just a guy. Hit him with your car

-

Jill Valentine

Other OG

Arguably better main of RE1

Master of Unlocking

Bisexual Bob™️

Butch

Supercop

Once got mind-controlled into going blonde

Rocket Launcher babe

PTSD

Big Strap Energy

Giant anime gun

10/10

-

Albert Wesker

OG Baddy

Sunglasses

Thinks he’s cool

A little too into Chris

“What are we going to do this game, Albert?”

“What we do every game, Alex: try to take over the world”

Matrix jacket

Maybe a vampire?

Looks like my uncle (derogatory)

4/10

-

Barry Burton

Bear

A+ line delivery

Just happy to be a part of things

Wishes his daughter would talk to him

Comes through in a pinch

Got lost on his way to The Last of Us

Father figure

Not dead out of sheer dumb luck

8/10

-

Rebecca Chambers

Baby butch

Sees the best in everyone

Autism be damned, my girl can work a shotgun

Sporty

Mommy Domme/Babygirl switch vibes

Sweet coffee addict

Doing fine, thanks for asking

Awkward thumbs up

9/10

-

Billy Coen

Bad Boy™️

Never bothered to take off his handcuffs

Tattoos

Mullet???

Moral standards

Strong silent type

Whole situation could’ve been avoided by just talking about his issues but no

Queen fan

7/10

-

Leon S. Kennedy

If a golden retriever became a human and then got kicked every day of its life

Having a really bad first day

Into dominant women

Dumb 90s haircut

Uses comedy as a coping mechanism

Hair grows in direct correlation to his level of angst

“Hey demons, it’s me, ya boi”

Sexy

Dog lover

Certified Good Boy™️

Fucked up a perfectly good rookie is what you did. Look at it, it’s got depression

15/10

-

Claire Redfield

College student stuck in the zombie apocalypse

Soft butch

Humanitarian

Forced her brother to teach her how to knife fight

Really into motorcycles

Leather jacket

Rocket Launcher babe #2

Always has at least one adopted child with her

10/10 would ask to babysit

-

Ada Wong

Mommy. Sorry. Mommy- sorry. Mommy-

Grappling hook

Badass spy

Emotionally distant

Soft spot for cute cuddly things (Leon)

Femme fatale

Book lover

Chaotic neutral

Crossbow 😍

Could step on me and I’d say thank you

Rocket launcher babe #3

10/10

-

Sherry Birkin

Goosebumps protagonist

Worst parents ever tbh

Surprisingly good under pressure

Please someone get this girl some therapy

Supergirl

Smartest person here

One hell of a shot

The trauma is immeasurable

Somehow still doing fine

Loves her weird adopted family

8/10

-

Carlos Oliviera

Himbo

First POC main?

Went from three polygons and a white boy haircut in the original to actual gorgeous South American hunk in the remake

Lost his accent along the way for some reason

#1 Jill simp

If Dug from Up was a guy

Only trustworthy person in the whole series

Just wants to help

Gorgeous gorgeous hair

Loves strong women

Hakuna matata

Touch-starved

10/10 would peg

-

Steve Burnside

Twink

Who is this sassy lost child?

Hot Topic employee

Into Claire (she’s too old for you bud)

Choker

Thinks he’s edgy

Whiny

Daddy issues

1/10

-

Luis Serra Navaro

If Puss in Boots was a human

The Most Extra™️

Luscious flowing locks

Definitely into bondage

Used to work for Umbrella

Trying to make up for it

Don Quixote references

Bisexual

Good with his hands

Praying for a threesome with Leon and Ada

10/10

-

Ashley Graham

Basic white girl

Always getting kidnapped

Master of Unlocking #2

Razor flip phone

Ada Wong bisexual awakening (same)

Good with a wrecking ball

Makes Leon catch her every time she has to jump a ledge (also same)

Would like to go to Hot Topic, please

7/10

-

Sheva Alomar

Player 2

Second POC main

Bad AI

Too good for her game

Willing to go on a suicide mission with a guy she just met

Left handed

Deserves a better stylist

Only good part of RE5

Literally my girl got done so dirty just give her another chance please

10/5

-

Moira Burton

“It’s not a phase, dad!”

Probably gay

Weak arms

Skillz

Box dyed her hair at least once

Simple Plan playing in the background

Childhood trauma

7/10

-

Piers Nivans

Trying his best

Appreciates a good steak

Sick of Chris’ bullshit

Good with a rifle

Just a good man

German Shepherd boy

Self-sacrificing

8/10

-

Jake Muller

Wesker’s son

Daddy issues

Who invited Ronan Lynch here?

Quips for days

Bad boy

Loves the type of woman who can kick his ass

The Most Edgy™️

9/10

-

Ethan Winters

Husband of the year

Trusting

Surprisingly chill

The most basic white man in all of RE

Hands? What hands?

Functionally a lizard

Would still love you if you were a worm

Just casually knows how to craft bullets

Moldy

8/10

-

Mia Winters

Toxic girlfriend energy

Literally possessed

Dark sense of humor

Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss

Casually working for a bioterrorism organization

Does actually care about her family

Definitely doesn’t have a penicillin allergy

If you can’t be the girl of his dreams, you can at least be the feral swamp witch of his nightmares

2/10

-

Zoe Baker

Lesbian

Mold intolerance

Southern accent thicker than grandma’s gravy

Picked last on the playground

Somehow okay despite her brother being Like That

Joe’s favorite

Science skills

8/10

-

Lucas Baker

Jigsaw

Didn’t even need the mold

Probably got at least one true crime documentary made about him

Working for Mia’s bioterrorism organization

Left his classmate rotting in the attic

Just the worst

0/10

-

Alcina Dimetrescu

Mommy

Please step on me

Elizabeth Bathory vibes

Just fucking huge

Can turn into a dragon

Lesbian

9/10

-

Karl Heisenberg

Grimy

Tumblr Sexyman

When robotics majors get weird

Fights with his siblings

Doesn’t actually care at all about Miranda

In cahoots with the lycans

7/10

-

Rosemary Winters

Mommy and Daddy issues

YA protagonist

Badass

Childhood trauma

Into the Mold-verse

Alternate universe Sherry Birkin

8/10

[syndrossi]

i thought i’d break the ice with this^ how’d you like it?

so i have this ongoing headcanon that the universe where the boys came back as girl twins that their friendships with aegon and aemond switch. (again, it’s a headcanon, so let me know if i get any characterizations wrong) and this could be when they’re older like 12-13

naturally, the green boys might’ve been told by otto to try to be very nice with the girls, one of them might end up marrying one of them

of course neither likes that idea until they actually meet the girls bc well, they’re so cool and very pretty

lets get to the girls, you already confirmed that Jon (or Daenerys/Dany, Visenya, etc, choices choices) would definitely have kept up the sword practice in secret and now that they’re with Daemon, she’d ask for sword lessons and Daemon would comply.

Rhaegar (or Rhaella, Rhaelle, Rhaenys [although i doubt this one bc there’s a current living Rhaenys atm so]) ooooo what about Rhaegella (too weird? too twilight 4?) would also keep up with the sword practice with Jon

thing is, Jon is more likely to openly challenge one of the green boys in combat than Rhaegar is, who would think it smart to keep the skill hidden, while Jon can be more impulsive, especially since she/he is older and spent more time with the sword and not really caring about hiding that

still, there COULD have been a conversation between the twins where J might’ve convinced R to just let her do her thing and R figured, “hey, if they think i’m the weaker twin, they’ll underestimate me and i can use it to my advantage”

THIS MEANS that Jon might be caught using a sword and teased, leading her/him to challenge Aemond (who’s better and more interested swords and fighting). obviously Jon wins, and Aemond might’ve been mad at losing to a girl, especially with Aegon’s teasing but then he talks to J and the two make a truce, and maybe J starts helping him out with training

meanwhile, Aegon might take a liking to both of them, but since Aemond has been more focused on J, Aegon seeks out R, who is very pretty and not weird like Helaena (his thoughts), she’s charming and tells intriguing tales and seems very interested in him talking about his horses and whatnot (R is very good at pretending, she’d run circles around this guy)

of course, things could progress as they’re doing now. Aegon might find a warrior f!Jon cool and interesting. he may not like fighting, but he may like watching her fight. (Aegon’s Aegon) And Aemond may gravitate toward R bc she’s very sweet and charming and unlike his sister, she accepts hugs and cheek kisses. and we already know Aemond has mother issues so him going to R, who’s used to being a caretaker could be plausible just as much.

i mean i just like the twist, but let me know if i got anything wrong or right, you know your characters better.

thank you for answering!

I could see Aemond warming much more to Jon-as-a-girl. The things that provoke seething jealousy in Resonant (it hasn't happened yet, but it's brewing) for Aemond in Jon don't really apply if he's part of a twin sister duo.

Jon-as-a-boy: is the best at swords ever, has a loving father who is badass and has a dragon, is likely to inherit Runestone and SOME Valyrian steel blade, and gets to have that close bond with Rhaegar. While Aemond is stuck with Viserys for a father and Aegon for a brother. Jon is everything he wants to have/be, and he doesn't even have the proper Valyrian look.

Jon-as-a-girl isn't someone to be jealous of, OTOH. Girl!Jon doesn't inherit anything, and Aemond's not going to be jealous of a sisterly relationship. Jon's non-Valyrian coloring he probably finds striking instead if he's a girl, and her skill with a blade intriguing rather than ego-threatening. I could see Aemond liking either Jon or Rhaegar for a match. Canonically, he was far more attracted to Helaena than Aegon was, and Rhaegar is certainly the more sensitive/introspective type. But Jon is also very charismatic and Alys Rivers was pretty spunky.

Aegon, meanwhile, is probably a little scared of girl!Jon, who is relentless about calling him on his bullshit. Whereas boy!Jon's propensity for shenanigans is something he admires. So his view of girl!Jon could be "scary but hot." (I wouldn't put it past Aegon to figure out whoever Aemond likes better and pursue that twin, just to fuck with him.)

[phantomkinoc13]

Imagine you’re a little kid and your dad is a hero and he’s really strong and badass and you wanted to be a hero too! And you trained and practiced really hard to be a hero but you trained too much and got burnt by your quirk, and your dad realizes you can’t safely handle your own flames, and instead of teaching you how to focus your power to not hurt yourself he just stops training you, and tells you to give up on being a hero. Give up. and he has another kid, and you know that other kid is meant to replace you, so you keep trying to train on your own to prove you still deserve attention and love, you’re still worth paying attention to! You’re trying! You can still do it! And he just admonishes you, and goes and has *another* kid and you’re still not enough and this one is obviously perfect and you know you’ll never get any attention again unless you prove you’re good enough and you cry about it every day but he never acknowledges you and after a few more years of trying you discover you can do something powerful and you’re so excited and so you tell your dad to come see! And you’re waiting for your dad who you begged to come see you, and you wait and wait and he never shows up and you’re just 13 and you know you’ve been replaced and they didn’t show up they don’t love you so you start crying but you start crying fire. And you cry flames and the flames spread and you panic and your emotions are too much and you burst into flame too and everything is on fire and you’re on fire and you can’t put it out, and while you’re burning up, you do the only thing you can think of, which is jump off a cliff into the river below to hope it puts out the flames, and it does work but the fire still rage above you, and you pass out, and someone finds you, unconscious, body totally burnt beyond normal repair, but this guy showed up because he saw those flames and he happens to be a guy who wanders around looking for abandoned and homeless children and he happens to know an excellent but unhinged doctor, and he brings you to that doctor and they give you skin grafts on your arms and face and chest and probably most your body honestly, and you’re in a coma for three years recovering before you wake up, and your first thought when you wake up is to wonder where your family is. Where your dad is, if he was worried. they’re probably just busy. You were in a coma after all. And your voice is different now from your vocal coords being burnt, and because you’re older now, you’re 16 and you’re taller- but surely your family has seen you. Surely they visited. So you go home, as quickly as you can, and instead of them being excited, you see a shrine set up to mourn your death, with a picture of you from three years ago, and your father is still abusing your youngest sibling. He’s still acting the same way. He thinks you died and even your death didn’t get him to change his behavior and if this is how he treats the golden child, putting all of his expectations on them, and completely ignoring his other children, Nothing changed. He didn’t find you in the fire and assumed you were dead and moved on. He never visited you. No one did. You’ll never be a hero now. You’re even weaker now than you were before. And you can’t even cry about it because your tear ducts burnt. So you just pray at your own altar and leave. you hate him. You hate him so much. It’s easier to be angry, it’s easier to hate him than think about how much it hurts that you were simply replaced. And you consider killing the golden child sibling to make your dad suffer but as much as you hate him, and resent him, you’re actually kind of proud of him, and you feel this twinge of guilt for leaving him there because he also hates your dad. But finally you come to the conclusion that the way to get back at your father is to publicly reveal on national television everything he did to you and your siblings to try ruin his reputation, and then go confront him, in the middle of a massive battleground, and dance around and traumatize him back before trying to destroy him.

Anyway Dabi is so valid actually

[writingintheshadowsforever]

Imagine Shuri revealing your true heritage to you

"Shuri wait" Okoye demanded catching the Princess by the wrist as she started in the direction of the dorms.

Shuri came to a stop looking over her shoulder with a guilty expression. "We can't just leave her here Okoye."

"And we can't just whisk her off to Wakanda right now with everything that is going on. Do you really think now is a good time? Okoye argued nodding her head towards Riri who was standing off to the side arms crossed over chest. A single foot tapping the ground as she tried to stay calm. She still didn't know why they were so obsessed with you all of a sudden. Sure your fighting skills was badass but surely Wakanda had better warriors.

Shuri ran both of her hands through her hair letting out a long sigh. The General was right now wasn't the time for this, but how was she suppose to carry on with the mission. After this jaw-dropping revelation Erik Killmonger wasn't suppose to have any relatives. She searched every corner of his past and the unpleasantness to make sure. This very day never came a day where another secret relative with direct ties to the throne came out of nowhere. Did you know who you really were? Did your father tell you about Wakanda, and your the history of your grandfather? Were you currently trying to follow in his footsteps and seek out revenge on them right now. It struck her that your father had also attended this same school. Is it why you chose to go MIT as well?

Shuri was going down the rabbit hole of possibilities and it was about to drive her crazy. Okoye moved to stand in front of her and took a hold of her chin gently. She tilted her heads upward to capture her gaze. "Breathe Shuri just breathe" Okoye soothed her rubbing her back. "The girl isn't going anywhere we can return for her another day plus isn't it best we make sure. She truly is his daughter before approaching her."

"Okay does someone want to tell me what is going on?" Riri blurted out.

Shuri's head snapped in her direction with a look or urgency. It made Riri regret speaking up as she shrunk back. "Have you been in her room before?"

Riri answered with a small nod.

"Does she have any pictures of her father?"

"Yeah she got one but she keeps it on her all the time. Its in her locket and she never takes the thing off. Its like her most prized possession her and her pops were real close." Riri informed her speaking in a way that made it clear she knew exactly how you felt. It was one of things you and her bonded over when y'all first met.

"Okoye the locket we need it" Shuri demanded.

"Hold on" Riri spoke up anger in her voice as she walked over to the two. "What's all this about anyway?"

"It doesn't conc-"

"Naw man I didn't tell y'all that so you could go take it from her. The locket is like the last thing she got to remember her father by. All of his other belongings went up in flames when their house caught fire. The picture is everything to her I'm not just going to stand by why you go take it. Not without an explanation" Riri said.

Okoye raised an eyebrow at the young girl's bold behavior. She noticed the way Riri was clenching her fists, and how her mouth twitched. She was nervous and maybe even a little afraid of what would happen next, but she wasn't going to back down. Even though Okoye wouldn't ever admit it Riri had just won a few brownie points with her. She didn't think the girl had it in her. "Easy Riri we're not stealing it we just need it to confirm a theory."

"Well it better be one hell of a theory if it's worth giving her a mental breakdown" Riri replied.

"I have reason to believe that your friend is my long-lost cousin who's father was a Prince of Wakanda" Shuri finally told her.

Her fists unclenched as her eyes widened in surprise then squinted in disbelief. Her hands came up to grip her head as she tried to come to terms with the truth. "Wait what?"

Okoye shook her head. "May I retrieve the locket now with your blessing Riri?"

"Um yeah" Riri waved her off as she started fiddling with her fingers.

Neither of them knew how the General was able to separate the necklace from your neck. After she returned just five minutes later with it in hand. She promised you can to no harm and didn't even notice her enter your dorm. Okoye handed the locket off to Riri surprisingly for safekeeping.

Riri didn't say anything just stuffed it in her pocket, but she appreciated it.

A Week Later

Riri wasn't kidding about the mental breakdown you were going to have if your locket went missing. When you came out of the bathroom to find your locket missing from your nightstand. Where you left it while you gave your face a quick wash off because of the sweat accumulated from the fight. You freaked out and destroyed your entire dorm trying to locate it. At first you assumed that maybe you misplaced where you put it, but deep down you knew it wasn't true. You never misplaced the locket not a single day in your life since your father gifted it too you. Before he departed on what would be his final mission, but at the time neither of you knew that.

You held onto that locket the way a person dangling off a cliff held onto the hand keeping them from falling to their death. The locket was your last connection to your father. The only thing bonding you to him still at least in your mind. So you knew without a doubt you didn't misplace it, or just toss it somewhere carelessly. The second theory that came to mind was Chad and his friends followed you to your dorm. They saw the opportunity to get payback for the beat down you gave them and took it. But if you had been thinking clearly you would’ve realized that you left Chad and one of his lackeys laid out in the courtyard. So it was highly unlikely either of them regained consciousness in such a short period of time, or one of his friends gathered up the courage to follow you to your dorm after the display of your fighting skills.

But you weren't thinking with your head instead your emotions were in control, and just like your dad. When your temper got the better of you it meant destruction and pain. Especially for the target of your anger you tracked Chad and his friends down that same night. At the sight of you stalking towards him with a look of pure hatred in your eyes. While him and his buddies were in the woods at a bonfire party, and away from the school-grounds, and the safety that the rules and policies granted them. The first time y'all faced off sent chills down his spine he dropped his beer, and attempted to run. But with blinding speed you were on him in a matter of seconds. Chad found himself pinned to the ground with his arm pulled upward in your grip. Your hand pushing his face into the ground not caring the dirt was filling the side of his mouth, and one of his nostrils.

His eyes squeezed shut as his screams of pain filled the air when you planted your foot in his back, and yanked on his arm. It felt like you were trying to rip it out of the socket. You leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"One. Chance. Where. Is. My. Locket." You practically growled pausing at each word.

"I don't know I don't know please y/n please." Chad babbled tears pooling up into his eyes. He was the co-captain of the swimming team and had an important meet coming up. If you broke his arm he would be out for the a couple of months.

"Stop lying to me you cocky son of a-" You were cut off when a body slammed into yours knocking you off of him, and to the ground. You and the rescuer rolled over each other. Both of you trying to get the upper hand you managed to plant a foot in the ground. On the fourth roll that put you on top, and push the mystery person down onto their back. Whoever it was struggled to get you off but a swift and hard punch to the nose made them stop. There was a sickening crunch after the blow letting you know their nose had broken. Blood poured from the injury some of it coating your fist as you brought it down again. This time striking the rescuer in the mouth a groan of pain, but at least you didn't knockout a tooth.

Well good for them but shame for you, so you hit the person again in the mouth. They brought a hand up pushing it up against your face, you knocked it away. Then struggled to pin both of their free arms under your knees. You caught a glimpse of the rescuer's face lit up by the flames of the raging fire. It was none other than Liam Hanes the captain of the swimming team, and Chad's best friend. He hadn't been in the courtyard earlier when the two of you got into it. But no doubt did he hear about the fight, and probably plotted some revenge against you.

All you saw was red as you were finally successful in pinning his arms. Now with complete control over him instead going for the face you turned around and slammed your knuckles down onto his taut stomach. His legs kicked out as he screamed in pain "Stevens calm the fuck down its not that serious."

"Yes it is that locket is all I have left this isn't funny. What did you and your friends do with it?" You cried back.

Liam saw the pained look in your expression and knew this had to do with so much more than Chad giving you a hard time. It was personal and if he couldn’t convince of their innocence. There was a good chance him and Chad would leave the party in stretchers tonight. Another rapid shot to the ribs followed by a kidney punch left him winded, and tears in his eyes. He didn't know you could be so ruthless.

"I was at....." He paused taking in as much air as he could only to expel it again to plead his case. "At swimming practice when the shit went down y/n. I didn't hear about the fight till an hour ago here got damnit. Listen to me we didn't do it we were going to dump some paint on you as payback tomorrow in class. Stevens I swear on my mother's grave it wasn't us." His voice got louder as did the desperation in his tone. As you bunched up his shirt in your hand to pull him up a bit. Your fist pulled back as you stared him down.

But when your eyes met his and he swore on his deceased mother that it wasn't him. You had no choice but to believe him because the pain of losing a parent that you loved was one that only so many people knew. And no one spoke on the deceased if they didn't mean it. You let him go and stood up looking around. Some kids were watching the fight go down with their phones up recording. While others were too drunk and caught up with themselves to pay attention.

Chad stood a few feet away clutching his right shoulder. While it wasn't broken you probably did strain so badly till it sprained. He would have to go to the doctor tomorrow.

"I'm sorry" you murmured your apology barely reached his ears, but he nodded. No one tried to stop you from leaving Chad was more concerned with his beaten and battered friend.

You returned to your dorm that night and cried yourself to sleep. The next morning you checked the lost and found with no such luck. As the days went by your mood got worse as you were forced to accept that it might just be gone for good. It wasn't just a normal locket with a normal picture. Your dad specially made it for you out of some precious metal he'd been holding onto, and the picture in it was a mini digital photo reel. It had all of your best memories with him installed it so you could always look back.

You became a ghost around campus, and while no one messed with you in the past. Because you would literally beat the living hell out of them. Now everyone was steering clear of you as if they could see a dark cloud of despair floating above your head.

This went on for a week until out of the blue a knock came from your door bringing you out of your thoughtless trance. Music was softly playing in the background something to just keep you aware, but nothing you really cared to listen to.

Whoever it was knocked again a bit more forceful this time. "Girl come on and open this door I know you in there. People are starting to stare and they looked scared for me. What did you do?"

You threw yourself out of bed hurrying to yank the door open to see if it really was her. The voice sounded familiar but it'd been so long in your head since you heard a friendly voice. You had to be sure you weren't being delusional. Indeed it was Riri Williams who was behind the door dressed in a simple black shirt, tight dark blue jeans, and had a pair of black Nikes on as well.

"Where the hell have you been Riri" You exclaimed throwing your arms around her neck, and burying your face into her shoulder.

She stumbled back from the force of your hug not to mention you had a couple of inches on her in height. But wasted no time in returning the hug. "You didn't hear your girl got whisked away to Wakanda for some outreach program."

You let out a low whistle as you pulled back to look her in the face. "I heard that wasn't sure if it was a rumor or not. How was it?"

"It was eventful I mean don't get wrong Wakanda is beautiful and all but it was a lot" she said.

You finally released and stepped aside to let her in, and missed the way she was trying to gauge your reaction about her mentioning Wakanda.

You closed the door and went over to sit beside her on your bed where she was already located. "I've heard stories about the beauty of that country. I bet the sight was breathtaking, but what happened that made you come back here so fast?"

"Well I know you heard the queen died over there and everything. Things just got crazy afterwards and it didn't feel right to be there" Riri told you. Letting out a sigh afterwards and falling backwards on your bed.

You did the same but scooted over so your head was on her shoulder. "I actually didn't hear about that and I'm sorry you were there for it. I've been out of the loop these past couple of days my locket is gone, and I can't find it."

"Oh yeah I saw Liam and Chad on the way here one of them has an arm in a sling, and the other has a bruised up face with a bandaged nose. I'm guessing that was your doing. She felt your head move against her shoulder in a nod, and let out a little laugh. "Damn I actually feel sorry for them."

"No more sorry than I do I'm surprised neither of them snitched on me. Plenty of kids got the evidence on their phones pretty sure they could've gotten me kicked out of school."

"Well I for one am happy they didn't it was just a misunderstanding after all." Riri tried to reassure you wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

"It doesn't change the fact my locket is gone" you whispered burying your face into her chest.

"You mean this locket" Riri whispered in your ear with a tone of excitement. You looked up to see your locket dangling in her hand, and tears flooded your vision. She managed to slip it around your neck somehow as you sobbed into her chest. Of course you wanted to question her on how she got it. But for now you were just overcome with emotions at being reunited with the thing you valued most in the world. The cool touch of the metal on your neck felt like your father clasping your neck as he looked down at you with that proud smile on his face.

"There's my little solider" He would whisper

Riri brought a hand to your hair and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. "Its okay I know" she repeated over and over letting you get it all out.

"How did you get it?" You asked in between hiccups.

"I found it in the brush near where you beat Chad up that day. It probably came off while you fighting them." She lied smoothly hoping you wouldn't pick up on it. She had rehearsed it a hundred times over during the plane ride back home, and the walk over here.

Shuri caught her by the wrist just as she was leaving and placed it in her hand. "I'm going to assume y/n is going to be looking for this."

Riri opened her hand to see the locket and her eyes widening in realization. "Hell yeah I can't believe I almost forgot it homegirl is probably freaking out still." She had been through so much these past couple of days, but you were her main concern just like that. "Wait is her father who you think he is" she asked curiously.

Shuri gave her a nod the expression on her face going stern. "Do not tell her about it we have no way of knowing how she will react. I'll be there in a few days to talk to her after I take care of something"

Riri assured the Princess of Wakanda she had no desire to be the one to deliver such big news. After all she could barely comprehend it herself.

"I can't believe it was there the whole time" You said with a joyful chuckle.

"Well you know you get pretty heated during those fights. I been telling to learn some damn control" Riri joked with a grin.

"Oh please you be egging me on all the time especially if I'm fighting for you" You laughed lifting your head from her chest to look down at her.

"Hey don't act like those guys don't have it coming plus its not like I don't repay you back. Who does all of your chemical engineering homework for free?"

"You do but don't get a big head about it that has nothing to do with my major. I was shoved into that class by force" You reminded her playfully digging all of your fingers into both of her sides.

"Stevens" she squealed out your last name immediately trying to roll away, but she should've known better. You were an expert at pinning anyone down which is why she hated no despised tickle fights with you. She never stood a chance but luckily for her you were in her debt for finding the locket.

Her laughter was cut off as you pressed her lips to her's in a hesitant but adoring kiss. Your fingers stopped moving against her ribs as your hands rested on her waist. Riri froze up at first but started kissing back the second she realized what was going on. The kiss lasted for maybe two seconds before you pulled away

"Thank you Riri god I freaking love you."

The confession made her speechless too much was happening too fast. Of course she downplayed her relationship with you that day with Shuri and Okoye. She didn't know what they wanted with her, and didn't want them to know about you. While the two of you weren't together then she had definitely been feeling you for a while.

"I love you too" Riri said after a few minutes not wanting you to think she didn't feel the same.

"Mmmm I know" You whispered head resting on her chest again.

Three Days Later

You thought your relationship with Riri would be good after the two of you finally confessed your feelings for each other. Things were okay after the kiss you and her now had a habit of crashing in each other's dorm more often now. And the making out was awesome but you felt like she was keeping something from you. What bothered you the most was you didn't know if it was the new relationship, or whatever happened in Wakanda eating at her.

Every time you tried to talk to her about the trip she would either deflect or completely changed the topic. You didn't think the two things were connected at first until you started noticing the way her gaze would linger on your locket sometimes. When she thought you weren't looking and the guilt on her face as she stared. Like she knew something about your dad that you didn't. You wanted to trust her and let it go but it was your dad. There was still a lot of mystery surrounding his death, and what happened. Which you expected from the beginning when news of his passing finally reached you. But the file the agent gave you was completely blacked out not even telling you where the mission was.

So it was impossible for you to just move on. While you weren't going to twist her arm about it you were going to ask, and pay attention to the way she answered. If Riri lied then you would know.

You were on your way to meet her at a nearby cafe for the conservation. But when you opened your door to leave your dorm you came face to face with Shuri. The Princess of Wakanda.

Your jaw-dropped in shock as you took a step back into your room. She took the opportunity to come into your room, and kick the door shut with her foot.

"Y/N Stevens we need to talk."

Um if you're looking for Riri then I was actually on my way to her right now." You told her with a nervous smile as your mind went haywire. There was no way she was here for you right?

"Riri is actually the one who told me where to find you. She's been worried about you, these past couple of days texting me to come and clear things up with you as fast as possible."

Now she had your attention as your phone slipped from your grip as you were in the middle of texting your girlfriend. "What?"

The phone would've slammed into the floor if it wasn't for Shuri dashing forward to catch it just inches from impact. She tossed it on your bed and took a seat in the desk chair. Leaning forward she rest her elbows on her knees and jutted her chin towards your bed. "You might want to sit down for this."

"What could you possibly know about me that Riri wouldn't be willing to share if she knew too?" You asked.

"Sit down please then we can talk" Shuri demanded again.

You were getting ready to head for the door determined to get the answer out of Riri yourself. When her next words made you freeze up, and your blood run cold.

"Your father Erik Stevens aka Killmonger was a Prince of Wakanda just like his father before him. Prince N'Jobu and that makes you y/n Stevens a Princess of Wakanda as well."

You whirled around eyes widened in shock and they practically bulged out of the sockets. At the sight of her holding up a gold chain with a large purplish black ring on it. The ring was identical to the one your father wore all the time around his neck. It matched the material your chain for your locket was made out of. You squinted your eyes as you realized it was your father's ring. But that was impossible it had to be everything she just said had to be a lie. The room started spinning as you stumbled over to Shuri hand reaching for the ring.

But you fell short as your body collapsed and you lost consciousness. The last thing you remember is Shuri lunging forward to catch your body in her arms. Right before your head hit the floor, and you could swear you heard your father's voice clear as day.

"There's my little solider."

Tag List: @lizlil @darkmemesworld @rhayanm @aliives @angel-bi666 @agustdeeyaa @liliana-byers @lightskintedsblog @marice23top @filmsbyhyuna @shuriswhore @vevethirst @londyn-loves-u @iwillbeabitch @klackyb @ziayamikaelson @taleiakirby @awolfcsworld

[greenqueenhightower]

I can understand why people like Rhaenyra. I can understand why Alicent isn't to everyone's taste. I still don't understand how she is so hated for behaving like a human considering the gaslighting and abuse she's been through, and how she has much less free agency than Rhaenyra. It was reading through the horrific and vitriolic extreme takes on Alicent that made me side with her. And something about Rhaenyra and her mean diehards just remind me so much of white feminism. I feel like it's no coincidence I see way more WoC tending to sympathize with Alicent, as a WoC myself. The gaslighting and watching someone else consistently get away with things you wouldn't while being trapped in a cage is all too relatable. The rules dont apply to Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra only. And seeing Rhaenyra being the only one in the narrative made to look extra sympathetic (like the double birth scenes, as if all births aren't horrific and like Alicent didn't give birth even younger too). I also hate how despite their efforts in diverse casting, black actors are just backdrops or tools to make Rhaenyra and TB look better and how they're disposable to move the plot forward for her. This matter has been brought up in the TG subreddit thank God I was not the only one who saw that. Now it seems like they're even butchering B&C to absolve TB. 🙂🙃 Girl I am not ready for the blind Rhaenyra dickriding and Alicent victim blaming to come this season. You'll know it'll be misogyny and double standards all around. The suffering Alicent endured in Season 1 will be even more disregarded.

Hi anon! 💚

Alicent isn't to everyone's taste because to understand her character, motivations, and aspirations, one needs to take the whole show as context, instead of some stand-alone scenes that provide dissatisfaction or lack the "wow"/"badass" factor that the average got/hotd viewer is used to.

I understand how Rhaenyra's character appeals to people because she is the female Targaryen heir, desires the best for her children, and is determined to honor her cause and her late father's wishes to serve the realm. Rhaenyra believes so much in herself; Alicent doesn't. Rhaenyra's overconfidence, her "flouting to do as she pleases" is what is so attractive to a lot of viewers, me included, because, well, she doesn't give a damn. She can go against the conventions of her time because she has already entered the game in a good battle formation, has the means, and is ready to play it (I'm trying to go for a chess analogy here as we saw in the promo, bear with me).

Alicent on the other hand, has entered the game as a foreigner. She did not wish this, she has no historical ties to rulership, no dragon blood to base her confidence on, and no pride in taming and riding wild beasts. She is common as Rhaenyra is exotic. What Alicent has and brings to the game is "honor, duty, sacrifice." These values alone make Alicent compelling and intriguing because they are very subtle qualities and principles that one needs to notice to comprehend her character. They are not as easily identifiable as riding a dragon or slicing a wild boar.

Yet they are equally powerful, because as Rhaenyra plays the game in the open field, being free to make her own decisions, unstoppable in always getting what she wants and being able to claim it herself, Alicent plays the game behind closed doors, in septs, praying to the seven, following directions, seeking council, and moving strategically. Rhaenyra's battle is more visually impactful, but Alicent's is equally moving if one cares to observe and understand it properly.

Therefore, what you are saying about WoC standing by Alicent makes perfect sense because the motivations and experiences as well as the feeling of always having to try twice as hard to achieve what is simply given to others is a point of connection for WoC.

You also very poignantly highlight the show's "humanization" of Rhaenyra through two birth scenes, because again, she is this exotic being whom the audience loves to aspire to, but we must also not forget that she is special while also being human. Alicent's suffering in S1 very much humanizes her in my eyes and is precisely also what distinguishes her from a commoner. She becomes a strong woman who doesn’t shy away in the fear of danger, learns to hold her head high and pushes forward the interests of herself and her children. The hate Alicent receives is uncalled for, and it stems from a misreading of her character, despite being the most interesting character in hotd in my opinion.

I’m glad you decided to stan Alicent after reading all the horrific takes about her! There are so many people in the fandom who want to vilify her, but there are also many who totally connect to her and sympathize with her character, like queer people, WoC, etc.

I didn’t like what the show did with black characters in s1 either. They served mostly as props and had brutal deaths. For S2, it does seem as if the show will want to downgrade the events of B&C and continue emphasize the narrative of Rhaenyra’s superiority (and the Greens and Alicent will be blamed and hated a lot this season), but I honestly stopped reading leaks and spoilers because they affect me a lot. I’d rather wait and see what the producers decide to do with their portrayal and then comment on the events. I’m so scared about B&C though and how this will affect the Greens’ arc and their perception by the public, but again, I’ll be standing by Alicent’s side till the end lol. 💚

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

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210 for 🧟

---

Chimney watches them as they head out. He watches Eddie say goodbye to his son. 

“You be good for Maddie, okay?” He says  to the little boy, voice wavering like he’s trying to hold back tears. “What she says goes, alright? Same for all the other adults here.”

“Okay, Dad,” Christopher sniffs. His face is red and puffy. He has been crying. 

“I’ll be back soon, kiddo,” Eddie says, hugging him. “I promise you.”

Christopher tucks his head into Eddie’s shoulder. 

A few feet away, Buck is hugging Maddie goodbye. They’re speaking quietly to each other. An exchange Chim can’t overhear. 

Again, Chimney feels this displaced sense of envy. This green, lonely little monster on his shoulder that he hates. What a stupid thing to feel while watching people saying goodbye to their loved ones. There must seriously be something wrong with him. 

▪️▪️▪️

After saying goodbye to Buck - and Eddie, he supposes, though that didn’t feel nearly as significant - Chim goes to check on May. The teenager is recovering well. Chim thinks she’ll be feeling well enough to be moving around again soon. Which really is a miracle. He’s never heard of someone surviving being scratched by a zombie without contracting the illness. The fact that she did just that, and survived a secondary infection? Well, May Grant has good luck. 

“How are you feeling?” He asks her. 

“Okay,” she mumbles. “I kind of have cabin fever, though.”

“As long as it’s not an actual fever,” he replies. “Can I grab you any books? Something to entertain you?"

May blushes a little. “Anything paranormal romance?”

Chim chuckles. “You got it, kid.”

“No zombies!” She adds. 

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

It’s upon looking for young adult paranormal romance novels that Chimney runs into Maddie. She’s a couple of rows over, in the kid’s section, talking to Christopher.

“Can I play with Denny and Harry for a while please?” Christopher asks. The kid had clearly taken his father’s instructions seriously.

“Of course, sweetie,” Maddie tells him. “Just don’t go outside without an adult.”

“Thank you, Maddie!”

Chris leaves to join the other boys, and Maddie turns, pausing when she sees him. She looks at the stack of books in his hand. 

“Are those teenage vampires?” She asks, smirking. 

“Um, I think one is a demon hunter,” Chim protests. “And they’re for May! She’s bored, but still feeling crummy.”

Her smile softens. “You’re a good doctor.”

“I’m a paramedic,” he shrugs. 

“Well, there’s no med schools or boards anymore,” she reminds him. 

“That’s true,” he mumbles, a little awkwardly. 

Maddie makes Chim feel a little awkward, in general. Not in a bad way. Not through any fault or lack of social grace. It’s just… Well, how to put it? She’s beautiful. That’s the first thing. Even sunburnt, with broken ribs, and looking like she’s been on the road for months upon months, she’s absolutely beautiful. And not just, like, in a superficial way. Though there is that. She’s also just sort of got a presence about her. A warmth. Something that draws Chim in. It’s been under three days, but he can’t help but find himself wanting to be near her whenever she’s around. 

This is slightly problematic, he knows. For one thing, he doesn’t know anything about Maddie beyond what Buck has said about her. And that she’s sort of badass, to have made it here for Pennsylvania, just on the hope her kid brother was still alive. For another thing, Maddie is the first age-appropriate presumably heterosexual woman he’s encountered in months. He might very well just be feeling pent up. That doesn’t mean she’s as charming and wonderful as his brain is currently telling him she is. There’s also the slight problem of Buck being his friend. But that seems very much less pressing than it probably should, when Maddie is standing here smiling at him with very glittery eyes. 

Jesus, what’s wrong with him?

“Can I ask you something?” Maddie says. 

Chim nods. “Anything.”

God, see? It’s stuff like that. He could be a bit less eager, really. What if she asks for something ridiculously unpleasant?

“What can I do to help around here? Beyond Chris, no one has put me to work.”

Oh, so ridiculously pleasant and decent, then. Cool. Not helpful, Maddie. 

“You have a broken rib,” Chim points out. “No one expects you to do manual labor. We’re also not making May work.”

“Well, there’s no reason I can’t do something,” she says. “Like those security camera shifts? Or, Evan showed me his fishing stuff. Maybe I can do that while he’s gone.”

“Lifting fishing nets with a broken rib? Carrying buckets of fish up and down stairs?” Chim challenges.

“Evan says he does it with a kid!” Maddie laughs. “Come on, throw me a bone here.”

Chim smiles. Her laugh is beautiful. 

“Okay, okay,” he relents. “I’ll talk to Bobby about adding you to the cam rotation. As for fishing, I got stuck with it while your brother is away. So maybe you can help me out tomorrow morning? Within reason.”

Maddie smirks. “Okay. I will help you fish within reason.”

“I appreciate it, anyway,” Chim says. “I do not share your brother’s fondness for the ocean.”

“It was a bit different when I lived near it in Boston, so I can’t say yet,” Maddie replies. 

“Boston?” Chim asks.

“Where I went to nursing school,” Maddie fills in.

“Very cool.” Chim nods. “I always wanted to go to Fenway Park. Although now I guess… That’s not gonna happen.”

The fact that Chim will never see another new baseball game again doesn’t sit well with him. It’s lots of morose rewatches of Field of Dreams and A League of their Own for him from now on. 

“It’s a nice city,” Maddie says, but doesn’t elaborate. Something shifts in her tone slightly. Chim suspects Boston is not a topic she wants to linger on. 

“Well, hey…” Chim says. “I’m out in the gardens for the rest of the day, but I usually try to watch some movies in the evening after dinner. The library has a decent collection. If you want to join, you can even pick the film.”

“Oh, quite an honor,” Maddie says.

“It is! I don’t hand it out to just anyone. That’s how your brother ends up over-playing anything with Owen Wilson.” 

Maddie chuckles. “Well, I’d love to do that. I haven’t watched a movie in a very long time.”

“We don’t have popcorn or soda,” Chim admits. “But we do have veggies and clean water.”

“Perfect,” she grins. “I promise to pick something with neither Wilson brother.”

“Oh, well, hey. I won’t say no to Legally Blonde.” 

“Well, then good. I look forward to it,” Maddie tells him.

And to Chim’s delight, so does he. There’s not a lot to look forward to at the end of the world. Maybe Maddie being here will change that. 

▪️▪️▪️

Maddie does end up choosing Legally Blonde. 

“Well, you mentioned it!” She defends her choice. “Plus, lighthearted feels good, right now. And it’s not entirely inappropriate if Chris wakes up and needs me.”

Chim can’t argue with that. 

“Legally Blonde is perfect,” he concedes. 

They have a fun evening. It’s not that Chim hasn’t had fun evenings since the end of the world. He has. Lots of board game nights, movie nights, and card games with the gang here. They’ve found lots of ways to entertain themselves. Though he regrets the time he challenged Buck to a headstand competition. 

It’s not that his life has been filled with boredom at all. Lots of days, they work too hard to be bored. He finishes his days by falling into a dark, dreamless sleep. He isn’t lacking anything specifically. 

But still, having Maddie sitting in a chair next to him, watching a classic rom com, Chim feels like he’s gained something he was missing. He doesn’t know how to explain it. He just really hopes Maddie is here to stay. 

September 7th, 2018

Christopher, Denny, and Harry all join Maddie and Chim for morning fishing. It feels a bit more like they’re running  a summer camp than doing important food-collecting. Chim is used to Denny following Buck around like a puppy. It does make it slightly harder to focus on the task at hand. But Denny is helpful, and explains all the rules to Chris and Harry that Buck has given to him. With the air of authority that can only come from a child wanting to show they know more than his friends. 

Chim knows Denny usually helps Buck with the fishing nets, but this morning he is more interested in entertaining. The kids mostly play on the beach while Maddie and Chim do all the work. Which is good. He likes watching them get to be kids. Chim always felt that he had to grow up rather suddenly, after his father left and his mother got sick. It makes him happy to see kids being kids, despite the literal end of the world as they knew it. 

“So, I got added to light kitchen duty,” Maddie says as she wades in the water a few feet from Chim while he pulls up nets. “Which I feel like is still too easy. But I appreciate you all letting me help.”

Chim laughs. “Okay, you say that now. But wait until we start building the fence. Then you’ll wish you were on kitchen duty.”

“Fair point,” Maddie concedes. “When will that be?”

“We’re still collecting supplies,” Chim says. “Though this week has thrown us off.”

“Right,” Maddie replies.

“But I guess I’m making assumptions,” Chim says. 

“What assumptions?” She asks. 

“Well… I guess,” Chim sighs. “I mean, I don’t know what your plans are. Like if you mean to stay.”

“Oh,” Maddie says. “Well, yeah. I guess I haven’t given it a ton of thought.”

“That’s totally fair,” Chim says. “You had a long way just to get here.”

“I don’t want to leave my brother,” Maddie says. “Not after everything it took to find him.”

Neither of them says it, but Chim knows they’re both thinking it, anyway. She may not want to leave him, but he left her. Albeit temporarily. She will have a different decision to make if he doesn’t come back.

[prismatoxic]

i finally remembered to finish filling this out

idk if i'm gonna render it... i have a bunch of other things i also wanna work on, so. here you go. (template here)

chilchuck & laios - self explanatory, i'm The Chilaios Guy. laios is my muse when it comes to rp and i relate to him a lot but i really can't say i love him more than chilchuck, so. they're tied.

kabru - fuck man i love this dude. like he is easily one of my fave characters in the series alongside laios, chilchuck, and mithrun. his character is so fucking compelling and when people in the fandom dismiss him for being two-faced or whatever i'm like do you hate good stories? do you hate good characters? can you really not appreciate anyone but the main cast? begone. he's laios's foil and no amount of not understanding his character will change that. and he's a damn GOOD foil, the ways they interact and contrast each other are amazing.

shuro - SPEAKING OF THE FANDOM BEING SHITTY. like, the scene with him and laios that is coming up very soon in the anime is one that hit me HARD. i relate to laios in that whole debacle so hard that i cried describing the scene to my friend. but it doesn't make shuro a bad person. he and laios are so fundamentally different that they clashed because they didn't understand each other's needs or boundaries. and like, fuck, man. he still shows up for laios and the gang. also if you think he's a creep towards falin or whatever i think you need to get your eyes checked, he's so fucking respectful. and she clearly cares about him even if she doesn't return his feelings. shuro haters stay away from me

namari - godddd i love her. like idk that i have any extended analysis to give, she's just fucking awesome. i really loved all her interactions with senshi and the fact that she's chilchuck's drinking buddy delights me. she's really strong and obviously deeply caring... the moment when she bowled laios out of the way to help with the undine. god. she was so fucked over by her father's actions and she's been trying to build herself up ever since and she's just REALLY NEAT and i was always glad to see her in the manga. (can't wait to see her more in the anime too!!!)

mithrun - SON BOY. i'm obsessed with him. that post about him having a traumatic brain injury lives rent free in my head. i really, genuinely fucking love how well he and his disability are portrayed. it does exhaust me a little when the fandom is happy to make him "better" post-canon... or when they claim kabumisu is problematic bc kabru takes care of him, lmao. he's so fucking cool and the fact that he's a real threat and a driving part of the plot while also needing a caretaker and being notably handicapped by his trauma is just... awesome. neither side diminishes the other. he's disabled, but he's a badass. i love him so much.

dandan - he's a neat little guy and i love how many times he actually shows up in canon, even though he's usually a bg character when he does. i like to think he's important to the guild, like he's someone chilchuck trusts with a lot of things. obviously that wasn't the case when he first joined up, but i like the idea of him proving himself to be really good with managing things, and chilchuck leaves things in his hands when he's down in the dungeon. all headcanons but it's fun for me.

[1anxiousbeancrying]

I may get hate for this but this is my opinions on characters in the spider verse movies. And feel free to disagree with me. I will only be talking about the movies portrayal of characters not the comics so I may like a character more in the comics but not in the movie. And another thing I'll take into consideration is plot importance. These are just my thoughts on the characters in general like morally, personality, and how they make me feel

Miles Morales: main character so he immediately gets some points, his story in the first movie was amazing, and it kinda leaks into the second film with him trying to find his place as Spiderman and he has had some of the best moments in the franchise. It makes me so excited for them to rap up his story in the next one. 10/10

Gwen Stacy: her story has been one of the best parts of these movies as it perfectly shows why she does and act the ways she does in the movies from the loss of her best friend and that fear holding her back till miles appears and her conflict with her dad fueling her to stay with the spider society and her later facing her problems instead of running away from them makes her and amazing character, also her fight with the vulture was one of my favorite parts of the movie. 10/10

Peter B Parker: he was good in the first film with it shows his problems in his own world and Miles helping him overcome some fears like having children and in the second him having mayday showing he got his life together, but he loses major points for the second film. He did nothing important only hurting miles and I understand her joins Gwen at the end to help him but hes constantly bringing his child to battles and did nothing when Gwen was being sent home to a place where she had no safe place to stay and where her dad had tried to shoot her. Like my guy you are an adult Atleast try and say something.4/10

Peni Parker: absolutely adorable in the first film and very helpful in making and new goober her and spider are so interesting and her dynamics with porker and noir is so cool, it made me so sad when her Fathers mech died. While she didn't do anything important in the second film the movie did a great job of showing she had changed, I can wait to see more of her in the next film. 7/10

Spider noir: I definitely think he's over rated but I can see why. his design slaps and he was quite funny in the first film, they did a great job in showing someone from a black and white world trying to adjust to a world of colours, he was a good character with some great lines despite not doing anything of much importance to the story, him throwing a car at tombstone was badass though and his relationship with peni was cute. Maybe my opinion will change on him in the next movie though. 6/10

Spider ham: I don't really feel anything towards him he had some good lines and his fight with scorpion was great but other than that he didn't really do anything, hopefully this will change in the next film. 5/10

Miguel O'Hara: here's where people may disagree with me. I like the concept for his powers and I think he's a great antagonists to Gwen and miles but other than that I don't care about him as a character. Im interesting to see what happens with him in the next film but I ain't to fond of his design, and his cannon even theory is fucking shifty, like bro the reason the world collapsed was because you replaced a dead person not because you stopped one event. Also he should not be treating children the way he does in the film , like dude you were a father wtf. And the hype around the character also puts me off him as well. 3/10

Jessica drew: I actually really like Jess, while she didn't do to much in the film, it was still enough to get me interested in her character from her first interaction with Gwen showing concern for her and later becoming her mentor. When Gwen gets sent home it shows her slowly swaying away from Miguel , the film actually shows a conflict within this character which a lot of characters seemingly don't get, and makes me wanna see how she's handled next film. 7/10

Hobie brown: I like Hobie he's just over rated as fuck. He makes the new watches for Gwen and the gang and also helps miles get free but other than that, he hasn't got much of an individual story in the movie yet, he just felt like a side character, which technically he is but most of the other spiders don't have the problem for me. I think I heard where seeing more of his world in the next film so hopefully it gives us more insight to his character, but I also feel like once again it's the fan girls which are ruining the character for me. 5/10

Pavitr Prabhakar: I loved him his introduction was incredible and and entire section of the movie in mumbattan was incredible, with the black hole forming in his world, it provides his character with a secondary story behind the main movie one. Him joining the gang at the end of the film even with his world collapsing shows how good of a friend he is, miles helped him so now he's gonna help miles, while he didn't do to much in the movie they did a great job of setting up his character for the next one. 7/10

Margo kess: I absolutely love her design and she wasn't in the film enough, the only thing she really did in the movie was let miles go but it had a big impact, I can't wait to see her on the team in the next film. I'm also sick of people putting her and Gwen against each other the besties deal with it. Her score would be higher I just haven't seen enough of her character yet. 6/10

Miles g morales: badass entrence and it was a really cool ending to the film, thought were don't know anything about him yet as a character so I can't really rate him yet. 4/10

Spider cat: 10/10 no questions asked.

[x-authorship-x]

Can I ask who's Obi and what's AnS? I've seen you mention them sometimes and I think I've seen you reblog things on it? But I never looked it up, but since you have amazing tastes in fictional men you got me curious now

Hehehe, Anon, you're in for a lot of gushing...

AnS/SWTRH: Akagami no Shirayuki-hime/Snow White with the Red Hair is a manga (with only one season of anime rip) and it was actually my first real manga love. That's right folks, my Obi love predates Shisui!

I don't want to spoil it too much for you if you decide to have a go at it but, basics are:

Shirayuki is a herbalist in the Kingdom of Tanbarun who was born with striking crimson hair, which garners a lot of attention for her. When she's forced to run, she makes it over the border into the neighbouring kingdom of Clarines as a kind of refugee. She meets and gains the aid of the Second Prince, Zen, and his two Knight aids, Kiki and Mitsuhide. Shirayuki and Zen are the main pairing in the anime. Shirayuki joins the gang by apprenticing as a herbalist at the Royal Infirmary.

Here's a manga cover: (bottom right to left going upwards clockwise) Shirayuki, Zen, Kiki, Mitsuhide, and then... Obi

I'll try not to devolve lol

Obi, who is the tritagonist, was hired by a minor antagonist in the castle to basically... scare Shirayuki off from 'befriending' (in the shipping way, yk?) Zen, but nothing he does works. In watching her, Obi becomes curious about the kind of stubborn, sensitive, intelligent, kind woman that Shirayuki is. Through a series of events, Obi is taken on as one of Zen's attendants, going so far as to call the prince 'Master', and becomes Shirayuki's bodyguard and partner in crime during her adventures. He refuses to address her by name and only calls her 'miss'. Obi eventually comes to fall in love with Shirayuki, which Zen is aware of but Shirayuki is not, but he loves Shirayuki and values Zen too much to even consider speaking of it, not to mention his own beliefs that he is unworthy. Obi has a very mysterious past, not just because he has a lot of dubious skills with fighting, parkour, thievery and espionage, but because we don't actually know where he's from etc. Needless to say, I am hardcore ObiYuki allllll the way.

Obi:

He's just-!!!! He's very playful and evasive and you can tell he really doesn't value himself as much as he does the people around him. Even when Knighted, he's still got this image of himself as a dirty mercenary assassin trying to get by. He's flirty, a good few people polyship him with ZenYuki, but skittish of real emotion. He touched Shirayuki's shoulder once and then couldn't sleep because he was thinking about it over and over.

He and Shirayuki are low-key high-key raising a child together (Ryuu is technically Shirayuki's apprenticeship master lol child genius) and he's such a good father figure, even if he wouldn't see it that way

Obi is really sensitive, there are so many times when Shirayuki will earnestly thank him and he'll literally just... Buffer. He can swear his fealty and make sly comments about setting his life at other's feet but the moment someone suggests that they love him back?? Evasion, freezing, side eyes, wide eyes, I'm just 😩

Obi is a badass. He's literally THE badass of the show. Zen has a sword, yeah, and Kiki could kill me and I'd thank her but... Damn. Obi is doing backflips in a spar and shit, he's literally launching himself across rooftops and scaling turrets.

Obi is actually just a really wonderful person? He listens to people. He has absolutely no background or real interest in herbalism but guess what he'll fucking do? Run around on little adventures with Ryuu and Shirayuki, repotting plants under their direction, wading through ice caves to find flowers, helping them in the lab to distill essences... And he's listening and brainstorming with them! It would be so easy for his character to have passed off on it, maybe turned it into a "I'm here but not mentally" joke or maybe even just pushed to the back of these scenes but no, Obi's right in there all the time to help. Shirayuki and Zen have relationship issues? Obi doesn't even think about trying for his own agenda, he just puts supporting them (Shirayuki first, then Zen) as the top priority. Kiki and Mitsuhide in a bind? Obi will come out with a line but of course he would help them, watching carefully with concealed concern. Later, when Obi has his own duties, he's still heavily involved with the day to day research of his friends, making friends with other lab researchers outside of being Shirayuki's tagalong!

So... That's Obi! My OG babygirl!❤️✨

Hope that cleared it up for you! 🥰✨

Edit: his eyes are gold. That's the final nail in my coffin

[tomurasmoleunderhislip]

~League of villains members as things I said/done/whatever~

Y'all will think I'm messed up but oh well

Tomura: "yawned whole time and ate chips in front of psychologist while sitting next to best friend that was low key nervous and anxious (I was with best friend for support @wholelottawidows thas you dawg 💀), offered psychologist chips and later when I ate whole bag, I licked my fingers in front of both of them and picked my ear when psychologist wasn't watching."

+

"Drank like 3-4 mugs of coffee and monster energy drink in one day but still fell asleep anyway"

+

"What's the point of all these hard work if we will all die either way, sooner or later?"

+

"When having breakdown, I remember something funny and stupid which makes me burst into laughter and forget what I was crying so violently about"

Dabi: "I'll start working out this summer, just to be able to fist fight and beat up our dads one day"

+

"chased sibling with knife around house it was a joke just to scare him don't worry no one got hurt lol"

+

"Life is short make it shorter"

+

"Made my younger step sibling hit step father in the head few times with something"

+

"Damn this headache fucking me in brain really hard now"

+

"It is what it is (I would say that after I fucked up something 💀)"

Toga: "Slept with knife under my pillow few times"

+

"have one stabbed pillow on bed which is covered with old t shirt"

+

"when I was a child I used to bring dead hedgehogs and mouses to my mother saying: Look at this poor kitty mom, let's help it!!! While the fucking animals were flattened like pancake and were literally full of ants and flies"

+

"Tried to snatch a street kitten once but failed and gave up"

Spinner: "Tried to eat cigarettes and rocks I found on ground as kid"

+

"I know I'm atheist and don't believe in that shit, but you hoes need Jesus"

+

"one time i ran through a swarm of tiny flies and my mouth was opened since I was gasping for air because of running and some of these tinyass flies got into my mouth accidentally I could feel them in my throat and gave up from trying to spit damn bug out so I swallowed it 💀"

+

"Who needs bitches when you have perfect sandwich"

Twice: "-Why is your nails painted pink? I mean you are mostly dressed in black it's surprising.

- Because I'm fucking fabulous"

+

"Smoked one or two times my whole pack of cigarettes and than my best friend's whole pack of cigarettes in one day (dw she gave me it I didn't just stole it and smoked it without her permission and I'm not heavy smoker now 👍💀👍)"

+

"Feels confident and looks at mirror whole time thinking how good I look, than after 30 minutes look at myself in mirror and either cry or laugh saying how dumb I look"

+

"accidentally choked on my own spit few times"

+

"Tried to help my best friend to get up one time because she fell but right when I got closer to her I tripped and fell as well"

Magne: "cold & badass women are daddies and cold & badass men are babygirls and pretty princesses"

+

"Bullies my siblings but when someone else does it I go protective mode like: "I'm the only one that can bully this dumbasses"

Mr Compress and Kurogiri:

"I can't stand you bitches so I'm cutting my legs off"

+

"Smacks siblings hand/head when they touch something they're not supposed to or something that's dangerous for them"

+

"one time while I was making coffee, my younger brother came to me to bother me and annoy me out of boredom, so I told him to go away. He did go away but not really far away, he stood at one line of kitchen floor half of meter away from me, I saw what was he trying to do he was trying to provoke me so I was like: If you want to provoke me at least do it fucking right you idiot

And I grabbed him and pulled him with me as I stepped on the actual ending line of kitchen floor and left him there as I went back to making coffee for myself"

~We gotta go baba now ~

I apologize to all people that I told earlier I'm going to sleep, sorry y'all but this idea farted up on my mind and I had to write it immediately so that I don't forget it 😍😍😍

Got a lil distracted 😔😔😔😔

(I hope people won't unfollow me bc of this💀💀💀)

[daughter-of-melpomene]

𝐑𝐄-𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆… 𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑, 𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐈

❝ Every high school has one. A rich, popular, bitchy girl who seems to have it all. Usually an only child (unless her daddy remarries a blonde bimbo barely over the legal age and finally gets the son he’s always wanted), this girl was born to parents with bank accounts loaded like baked potatoes and will never have to worry about money in her life. Maybe she makes good grades and does extracurriculars, maybe not, but you can bet your ass she’s on the yearbook committee, will be able to get into a good college without even trying, and doesn’t really give a shit about anyone besides herself, not even her so-called “friends”. She’s cold, sarcastic and an absolute bitch, and will never be afraid to destroy anyone who gets in her way.

At Woodsboro High, that bitch was Molly Perbesi.

Aside from her strange obsession with tales of ghosts and murder, Molly was the teenage girl most other teenage girls dreamed of being. Captain of the cheerleading squad, head of Woodsboro’s yearbook committee, a bank account that was loaded like a baked potato, and always clad in the newest fashions, Molly was the type of high school senior all the nerdy freshman girls wanted to be friends with, if only because her very aura would give them a protective shield against bullies.

But if any of those freshman had actually managed to find their way into Molly’s inner circle, they would quickly regret ever wanting to be her friend in the first place. Molly was never sincere, full of backhanded compliments, never hesitated to tear someone down if they said something she didn’t like, and talked about murder way too much. It was a miracle Sidney Prescott and Tatum Riley had managed to stay friends with her for so long, given all the many aspects of her personality that worked so hard to push people away.

(Especially considering the fact that Molly frequently made out with Sidney’s boyfriend, Billy, in various storage closets and empty classrooms all around the school. Not that Sidney knew about that. But still.)

And then Casey Becker, Molly’s childhood best friend until the two girls had a falling-out sophomore year, turns up murdered along with her boyfriend (who, admittedly, was an idiotic douchebag, but Molly doesn’t like to speak ill of the dead), and Molly, whose passion for true crime stories is well-known at Woodsboro High, becomes a suspect for the killings. And then more people get attacked and killed by some freak in a weird mask, and Molly continues to be a suspect, despite the fact that she would never wear anything as unflattering as that long black cape thing.

Her father’s money and expensive heels aren’t going to be enough to get Molly out of this scrape. But her secret inner strength, cheerleading muscles, and Sidney’s utter badassness might be enough to survive this ordeal and finally unmask the Ghostface killer. ❞

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @foxesandmagic, @artemisocs, @reyofluke-ocs, @endless-oc-creations, @stanshollaand, @ginnystilinski-reblogs, @luucypevensie, @ginger-grimm, @arrthurpendragon, @fakedatings, @impales, @claryxjackson, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @eddysocs, @lucys-chen, @ocappreciationtag. (Also tagging @manyfandomocs.)

[biblioflyer]

Captain Marvel through the male gaze.

Fellas, we need to talk about Captain Marvel.

And I do mean “we.” I am one of you. Says so right on my birth certificate and I’ve never had reason to question it no matter how much feminist and trans-positive media I marinate in. I enjoy stuff even if I don’t completely relate to it in every way. I enjoy insights into the lives and priorities of people who are very different from me.

Author's note: This is quickly going to take on the sort of lecturing tone that I don't really intend to be the default tone of this blog, but even having sat on this for a few days, my primary emotion is frustration and try as I might, I feel it would be dishonest to try to scrape that frustration off the page.

There’s no point in denying it. This is Girl Power the Movie. It is very much about a woman refusing to be told to calm down, quit being so emotional, or that she should respect her limits. Spoiler alert: she doesn’t take it well.

This movie is full of tropes we love when it's a man!

When scrawny pre-supersoldier serum Steve Rogers picks himself back up to face the bullies and declares “I can do this all day” who actually wants him to stay on the ground in a fetal position, whimpering?

So why do so many men cast themselves as the villains in this movie? Why do we assume we are the ones who are jeering Carol? Telling her to slow down, stay down, calm down, stop being emotional? Why do we identify with the people who are using her as a weapon? Why do we identify with the guy who gets snippy when Carol doesn’t find his flirting amusing or the fanatics destroying entire civilizations?

Why not identify with Talos or Fury? The men who trust Carol, try to unchain her, believe in her capacity for goodness?

Good Straight Male Representation can Still be Badass.

In the intervening years since this movie was in theaters, I forgot how great of a character Talos is. He makes me proud to be a man! He’s such a great character, Fury too! As a man, there are some great audience surrogates in this movie. Some people are constantly complaining that all masculinity is “toxic” now or that there are no positive representations of men who aren’t “queer coded.” Lets just set aside for the moment how much the fandom fanatically loves Steve Rogers and Bucky and focus on this film.

Talos is a loving husband and father who took extreme risks to protect his family. He also interrupts a cycle of violence by choosing to try to appeal to Carol’s conscience. Talos uses reason but he also uses emotion too. These are both tools in his kit, neither is a liability. If you need a macho flex, he handily beats Fury in hand to hand combat and is generally an effective fighter throughout the movie. Yet when push comes to shove, Talos’ most powerful weapon is his ability to find a window into Carol’s humanity and reawaken it.

Fury saw someone disoriented and helped rather than shot first! He followed his instincts into saving the world! He also, rather critically, was open to changing his mind. The aliens he fought valiantly not all that long ago, he was able to allow himself to recognize that they weren’t monsters, they were people driven by very similar instincts and desires as human beings. If you don’t think Fury is a hard man, he had just instigated a car wreck he barely walked away from to win a fight merely a day or two before helping save the planet.

Yes, Carol is aloof and cold throughout much of the film. She’s an alien soldier constantly being told to suppress her emotions and follow orders uncritically. That last part is key! The theme isn’t that logic is bad! The theme is that rationality without morality is wrong. Suppressing empathy actually strips you of your rationality, and opens you to being gaslit into thinking that victims are enemies. Talos and Fury both use empathy to unlock Carol’s true persona and as well as their fighting skills to save the day.

Conceal, Don’t Feel

Carol was a soldier, the mantra to follow orders makes sense in that context. However there was always an ulterior motive. She is an amnesiac serving an authoritarian state as a member of a death squad! That’s why they want her to be an automaton! They don’t want her or any Kree pondering the wider implications of what they’re doing. Sound familiar?

Put the Phone Down.

Consequently, this is a single screen experience. If you are not scrutinizing Larson’s face, her body language, and small details in her tone of voice, you’re missing most of her performance! You have to pay attention to Clint Eastwood or Mads Mikkelson, they play very minutiae focused characters. Same with Captain Marvel. It's less austere than Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday, but it’s not far off!

Strangers in a Strange Land

The Skrull story is also just fantastic. They can stand in for so many displaced and diasporic people. Kurds, Uighurs, Afghans - anyone greeted with suspicion and violence. Anti-Semitism is also back on the rise. Whatever spicy takes you have about the Balfour Declaration or the occupation of the West Bank, you’d do well to remember that if you think most Americans aren’t personally responsible when a wedding gets strafed, the same applies to people of Jewish descent.

The Skrulls can be anyone literally and literarily. They’re such a great representation of any group seen as an interloper. But in the end it's about family, safety, and finding a home. Not taking anything from anyone. They don’t even want vengeance.

If it’s not about you, Don’t Make it About You!

If you are a man, a fan of superhero movies, think women are or should be equal to men - not each equal in separate spheres but equal, and you think this is a man hating movie, explain to me because I just don’t get it. Why do you think the cast, crew, writers, etc. think you are Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg instead of Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos? How can this movie hate men when the men who are the good guys are so awesome? Who doesn’t want to be a badass spy like Fury?

Did you think they were talking about you when they included a biker who gets snippy when Carol doesn’t respond to his flirting? Who do you think Marvel thinks you are in this movie and why aren’t you seeing yourself in the heroes?

[stillsaltyaboutmcr]

The Crash- B.B Part 4

I finally bestow upon you an update.

This took me awhile to figure out how I was going to write this continuing from part 3

You can find parts 1-3 HERE

Hopefully this turns out well.

Warnings: Goose being a good dad, Mav being a terrible father, really emotional reunions, A CONFESSION OF FEELINGS FROM SOMEONE?? WHAT?! (hehehehehe), Tenseness (i think that’s the word to use) between Rooster and MC, and as usual….cursing.

Enjoy my friends!!

Taglist: @fandom-life-12 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp

My foot tapped against the ground as I sat in the restaurant waiting by myself. Nat said they’d be here at 1 but it’s now 1:15. I was getting worried that they wouldn’t show or I had gotten the wrong time. The waiter had come up to offer me water 10 minutes ago and I felt awkward sitting alone.

I hadn’t seen Natasha or Bob since the day of the mission. Being my two best friends, I was anxious to see them again. What would they say? How would they react? What do they all know?

Just then I catch the reflection of the sun in Bob’s glasses, signaling they had arrived. 20 minutes late at that.

Natasha immediately ran over, making me jump from my chair to hug her. “Oh my god you are real.” Her voice was teary, yet full of joy. “Oh how you’ve changed. Look at you! Hangman has to be so happy you’re back.”

“About that-“

“About what?” Her eyes narrowed into a glare. “You guys are still together right?”

I grimaced, “No, I broke up with him. He expected everything to be fine when he saw I was alive but he let them bury an empty casket, you all did. I can forgive some but not all of you.”

“What about me?” Bob’s small voice appeared over Nat’s shoulder.

“Oh, sweet Bob!” I went in to hug him and noticed his eyes were red and puffy. He’d already been crying. Maybe that’s what causes the delayed arrival? “I missed you!” When I backed out of his arms I rubbed his shoulder, almost as a comfort to his tear stricken eyes.

“I missed you so much.” He smiled at me as he looked at Nat.

Lunch went smoothly, I caught them both up on everything that had happened, including Goose being alive, who Goose was, how Bradley and I are doing and all the inbetween.

“Wait, so you’re telling me your uncle who died back in the 80’s is still alive and has been living on his own hidden in the woods? That’s badass.” Nat was the one who was responding the most to my questions. Bob seemed quieter than normal. Usually when the three of us were together he’d open up and become more vocal, engaging in conversation.

“Yeah, and he took me with him to find you guys. We traveled for a year across the world to get back here. It was crazy but he’s become like a father to me.”

“What about Bradley now that you’re living with him?” I saw Bob tense up at this question, pushing his glasses up and clearing his throat.

“Well, I try to avoid him at all costs. Still as annoying as ever.”

Natasha shook her head. “That’s a shame really. I’ve always hoped you guys would get along.” Bob nudged Nat and she shot him a look.

“Anyways-“ just then the waiter brought the bill, “it’s been crazy trying to adjust. Between living with Goose and Bradley, Hangman and my dad trying to call and text me 24/7 and being back here; it’s been a roller coaster.”

Natasha quickly snagged the check and paid for all of us, despite Bob and I’s complaints. “Thank you for lunch Nat.” Bob’s first words since we hugged. His voice sounded almost unfamiliar when he spoke.

“Our best friend is back, of course I had to buy.” She shot me a smile. “We should get going though- oh hold on I gotta take this.” Her phone rang as she stepped out, leaving Bob and I alone.

“Are you really not living with your dad?”

Bobs question hung in the air for a second. It took me a moment to register that he was talking to me. “Uh, yeah. I’m really living with Goose. He’s been so generous with letting me stay with him until I’m ready to face my dad. You should meet him.”

Natasha came back in with a sad look. “Hey I got called in to work. Is there anyway you could take Bob home?” She looked at me apologetically.

“Absolutely it’s no problem at all. Come on Bob, let’s go.”

In the car, Bob was pretty silent until we turned onto his street. “Actually,” he spoke up, making me jump slightly, “sorry, I was wondering if we could go to yours? I actually do want to meet Goose.”

“That’s no problem, I’m glad. I could use some more Bob time.”

I turned around in a driveway and headed to the direction of the house Goose was letting me stay in. Pulling into the driveway, I could tell both men were home. “This is it.”

Bob and I got out and walked to the front door, and in perfect dad-like fashion, Goose opened the door before we could. “Who’s this?”

“Goose, this is Bob. We’ve flown together before. He was in the Uranium Mission.” Bob gave a small wave.

“It’s wonderful to meet you sir! She’s told me a lot about you!” His hand shot out for a handshake, but Goose’s face was stern. Bob started to back down until Goose’s mouth curved into a smile and rapidly shook Bob’s hand.

“I’m just teasing ya kid, it’s good to finally meet ya!” Bob let out a small laugh before following me in and up the stairs to my room.

“Your room is huge. My duplex on base is the size of this.”

I laughed in response, “I just got lucky that Goose claimed Brad and I. I’m not sure how that all worked considering we aren’t dependents, but somehow he scored this beautiful house. Oh! And look at my view!!” I walked to my far wall and opened the curtains to reveal a perfect view of the beach. The afternoon sun quickly warmed my room as if shone in through the panes.

“Woah, that’s gorgeous. Do you sit here and just stare?”

“I do, often. I missed it here Bob, this is my home. I grew up here. Plus, people watching is kind of fun when you can see so perfectly.” I laughed a little before turning to Bob. He seemed out of it, staring at me in a daze. “Bob, you okay-“

Before I could finish, Bob leaned in and kissed me. It was the most awkward kiss ever, but it caused my cheeks to rouge. “Bob?”

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have listened to Natasha! She told me to just go for it and I told her I couldn’t because you’re still new to being back and I didn’t want to scare you or ruin our friendship. Im so sorry. I don’t know how to do all these feelings and emotions, Im just-“

“Bob.”

“I can’t apologize enough, I asked her for advice about this and I should’ve known what she’d say-“

“Bob!” His attention finally snapped to me and he was about to mutter an apology when I spoke up. “Don’t apologize. It was cute. You’re sweet Bob, I just don’t know if Im ready for something.” He looked down at his shoes. “But, a little word of advice. Usually going in for a random kiss isn’t the way to ask a lady out.”

He took a deep breath and looked back up at me. “Would you like to go on a date with me? No weird kissing this time.”

I smiled as I let out a laugh. “I would enjoy that.”

His shoulders dropped at my answer. “We can go as slow as you want- not like that! I mean, like you and I together, or- I mean-“

“I know what you mean Bob, it’s fine.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at it all. Bob was always a bit nervous around people, even those he was comfortable with. I reached out for his hand and held it, looking up at him. “I already said yes, you don’t have to say anything else.” His other hand grabbed mine, both of our hands intertwined when Bradley busted through the door.

“Hey Y/N- Bob? What’s going on- never mind I don’t want to know.”

“What do you want Bradshaw?” Bob jumped at my sudden change in tone.

“I was gonna ask if you wanted anything, I’m going out to pick up McDonalds for dad and I. I guess that goes for you too Bob.”

“Why are you being so nice?” I didn’t say it with malice but pure curiosity.

“He told me to come ask you.”

“Figures, I’m okay, we just came back from lunch but thanks Brad.” He smiled and nodded before leaving Bob and I laughing.

After I had driven Bob home, I had found myself on the back porch. Not doing anything in particular, just watching the sun go down. I heard the back patio door open and I turned around to find Goose coming to sit next to me. “Hey kid, whatcha doing?”

“Just watching the sunset. What brings you out here?” It was then I noticed he had a paper bag in his hand.

“I had Bradley run out again to get you dinner. I hope it’s okay.” I smiled as I opened the bag to see McDonalds chicken nuggets.

“Thanks Goose. I didn’t even realize I hadn’t eaten dinner.” He took them out as I started to pop them in my mouth one by one. “Hey, thanks again for everything. I wouldn’t be where I am now if it weren’t for you. You’re everything to me right now. You’ve done so much for me, more than my own father.”

“Y/N, I remember when your dad called me and said you were coming out early. The way Carol and I rushed to that emergency room should’ve been illegal.” He laughed. “I would do anything for you as if you were my own. It’s what your dad did for Brad, so I feel like I have to not only return the favor, but you’ve grown on me kid. You and I faces the world together, literally.”

“I appreciate you, I love ya Goose.” I leaned into his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me for a side hug.

“I’m always here kiddo, just say the word.”

We stayed there for a moment, basking in the present. We had went from near death in the middle of enemy territory to now living back home. We were a team, and I was so thankful for him. He was the reason I made it back home, but mostly the reason I was alive.

Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to see the San Diego sunsets or bask in the warm salt water of California. I wouldn’t have been able to see my friends again or have Penny serve me up a drink at the Hard Deck.

I owe him everything.

That night, I was in my room getting ready for bed when a knock came upon my door. “Come in!” What I was not expecting was Bradley to not only come through the door, but close it and lock it behind him. “What are you doing?”

“What was that with Bob earlier?”

“None of your business.” I continued what I was doing, hoping he’d just go away if I ignored him.

He persisted. “Tell me. Are you and Bob together?”

“Again Brad, it’s none of your business.” I rolled my eyes as I turned around to go lay down.

“I’m gonna ask you one more time, what was that?” As I turned around, Bradley was face to face with me, the wall mere inches behind me. He had closed me in again.

“I should really be asking you what happened in the kitchen 2 days ago. What was th-“

In a blink of an eye, one of his hands was next to my head on the wall, the other wrapped around my throat. “Did he kiss you?”

“What?!”

“I said, did he kiss you?”

“That’s none of your-!”

“Answer the question, yes or no?”

Whatever was happening was very unlike Bradley. He was scaring me to be honest, but part of me couldn’t help but to let my eyes go down his face to his lips. I don’t know what was coming over me.

“He did but I’m not sure what that has to do with any-“

“Don’t let it happen again.”

With that he was off of me and out the door before I could even say anything more about the subject.

If I wasn’t confused in the kitchen, I am confused now.

What was up with him?