#AND I WAS LIKE. Blown away by how blase she was | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lesbian-deadpool · 4 years

Text

"Soulmates”

Part Three Of Three: The Truth Of The Matter

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Words: 1,825

Warnings: Angst. Death. Canon Endgame. I’m so sorry.

Request: For the anon who donated to the Australian Bushfires, who wanted angst. Well, you got it, buddy.

Summary: She loved you. Always.

A/N: Again, thanks to @missmonsters2 for helping me out with this idea.’ It’s shorter than the others. I know. But I tried my best lol.

(Not my GIF)

***

Your eyes fluttered open, showing you the bright blue sky of Wakanda above you, the treetops a beautiful green against the warm sun. Birds were chirping, bringing peace to your otherwise fuzzy body.

You were disorientated. That much was for sure. But you were forgetting something. Something important. You just knew you were. But what was it?

Leaves rustling and twigs shaping in half brought your attention to behind you. Moving your still laying head to peer above you, you saw a disgruntled looking Bucky, his hair matted with the battle that you had just lost.

Lost.

You had lost.

As Bucky whispered for Steve, you sat up, chest heaving.

Where the hell was Natasha?

Your eyes were wild as you looked around for her. Finding T’challa, a crouching Wanda, your eyes snapping to Sam rushing out from the trees. Along with the countless other Wakanda soldiers scattered around.

“Natasha?!” you yelled, fingers weaving through leaves, twigs, and dirt. Anything to hold you onto reality.

Where the fuck was everyone?

Hastily, you moved to stand.

“NATASHA?!” you roared. You had to find her. You needed to find her. God. You had to tell her how stupid you were. You had to tell her. You had to tell her.

“She’s not here.”

You looked up to find a strange man wearing a cape, and a goatee that he had looked like he had stolen from Tony, standing before you.

“Where the fuck is she?” you growled. You didn't know who this man was. But if he knew where Natasha was, you would stop at nothing to find her.

“I don’t know.” You were about to call bullshit when he spoke again. “But we are needed.” That’s when you noticed Peter, three others, and that weird tree dude that Thor had brought along with the raccoon guy, who was also nowhere to be seen, standing behind the cape-wearing Tony Stark wannabe. “It’s been five years. And there's a battle that is in dire need of our assistance.”

“It’s been how long now?”

***

You were looking around everywhere you could for Natasha when you had exited the portal from Wakanda. Because apparently the goatee guy was a wizard Named Stephen Strange, or Doctor Strange as his alias, and could also create portals.

Oh well, you've seen crazier things.

And this might count as one of them.

The compound, the very same one you had left not even a few days ago -in your time- was destroyed. Crumbling down into the crater where most of it had assumedly blown up, parts of the building still smoking and on fire.

You stood, wide-eyed and breathing heavy, looking at Thanos and his large army, along with the people and beings in yours.

Great. So you had to do this shit all over again.

Not even ten minutes break.

Fucking- A!

“Avengers-”

Hey, you knew that voice. Looking to your side you spotted Steve, not even third feet away from you. How you hadn’t noticed him before was beyond you. But then again, you were well-intended on finding Natasha before you could even imagine noticing anyone else.

God, you wished she was alright.

She had to be.

“Assemble.”

You scoffed humouredly to yourself. Well, at least he finally finished his sentence, and after years of you waiting on him. Not even a second later, you were racing off towards Thanos’s incoming army. If it really had been five years. They you were gonna give your all, to make sure that this would well-and-truly be the final battle that the purple titan, and all of his followers, would ever see.

Gasping for air as you glanced around, watching out for any incoming aliens, while you took a much-needed breather, when you spotted someone else you knew.

“Clint?” you asked, almost sceptically because of the man's appearance.

“Y/N?” he asked breathlessly, and you could tell he was so happy to see you.

Shaking your head to regain your thoughts, you remembered what you were originally going to ask the blonde man.

“Where’s Nat?” His jaw ticked and his eyes welled with tears. “Clint?” you asked slowly, but still no reply, “Clint, where’s Nat?”

He looked to the ground below your feet, steadily shaking his head.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“No.” You took a step back, your gun dropping from your hand and onto the battle-worn ground, as tears begin to well in your own eyes. “No, she can’t- Clint. It- It’s Nat. She’s strong. She’s so strong. She’s a fighter, Clint. She can’t have-”

“Y/N.” Salty tears rolled down his cheeks. “It’s true.”

Your second tear rolled down your face, falling to splatter upon the dirt beside your boots when the fire began to blase within you.

“Why?”

Clint inhaled a deep breath like he was about to tell you exactly what happened to the red-head. But instead, he looked off into the distance, where the battle was still raging, and where the purple titan Thanos stood.

Then it all clicked.

“Him,” you seethed, causing the tattooed man to look your way once again, not that you gave him the same treatment. Your eyes fixated on the giant who thought of himself as a god. “He’s the reason. He’s the reason that Natasha’s dead.”

Finally, you snapped your attention towards Clint. “Right?” you hissed, to which you only received a nod in return.

At Clint’s confirmation, you growled, picking up your gun and racing off into battle, once again. Swearing to deal out as much damage as you could, before you reach Thanos, fully intending for him to pay for all that he has caused. For everything, he has taken away. For Natasha.

***

It felt like you had blinked, and suddenly you were watching Tony Stark die in front of you.

You hadn't blinked. Of course, you hadn't. Blood coating your hands and all the way up your bare forearms, as you panted. The rage within you diminishing with every intake of stale, death-filled air.

Dropping to your knees, squeezing Tony’s shoulder lightly as he took his last breath. You allowed your tears to fall along with the others falling to their knee, finally letting yourself cry for Natasha. And now Tony.

How did life change so much in such a small amount of time? Was it even possible? It had to be. Because it was happening to you right now.

Your heart was slowly tearing into two, you could feel every tiny rip with each ragged gasp of breath, and tear that dropped. Quiet sobs racked through your body, you just couldn’t hold any of it in anymore, not the heartbreak, the hate for all that has happened, the rage you felt for that purple fuck. Noe of it. It was all pouring out of you, like a broken tap, the tears soaking your cheeks a clear indication of that.

Something- Or rather someone, bound into your side. Holding you tightly. Letting tears of their own drip onto your shoulder.

Wanda.

You could tell that much from the dirty hair brushing against your cheek.

You won.

But you, along with others lost so much.

***

“About, ...”

“What about her?”

“She-” A deep sigh, as if to control their emotions. “She found someone else. She’s happy.”

“Right,” you noted, struggling to find any emotions to react to it. “I don’t care.”

“Of course you do, Y/N,” Wanda said, “You loved her. Still do probably. You both believed you were soulmates, or as close as we can get in this world.”

“People are wrong all the time,” you said, never once taking your eyes away from the lake before you, “I know I was. And I was too blind to see what was in front of me, the whole time.”

“She loved you, y’know?” Clint asked, before clarifying who, “Natasha.”

“I do. I know that now.”

There was a long pause, filled only with you watching the ripples glide along the lake, the crunching of leaves and twigs, as people walked away from you, and breathing in the fresh nature air. You still weren't used to it, from all of the smoke-filled heavy air, from the battle two days prior. It was clean. Too clean for how dull and dirty the world felt to you now.

“She was with me not even three days ago... she lived five years without me- us. But, I had only seen her a few days ago. And now she’s gone,” you were in a daze as you spoke. You didn't even know who you were speaking to anymore. Or hell, if anyone was still there to hear you.

But the hand that was suddenly placed on your back, rubbing soft circles into it, let you know that you were, in fact, not alone.

Glancing to your side, you saw Wanda. She was one of the people who were the closest to knowing how you felt. How that lost feels. And you could see it in her sad tear-filled eyes, and understanding tight-lipped smile.

“She knows,” she told you, “She knows how you feel about her.”

It may have been stupid. It may have just been your mind. But you felt a strange wave of temporary hope, brightness, warmth. Her. You felt her presence. And you just couldn’t let that go without saying something. No matter how strange, and crazy it may seem.

“You mean everything to me, Nat.”

And with that. The feeling was gone.

***

“Y/N?” You looked over your shoulder to see Stephen Strange, standing not so far behind you. You turned your head to face the lake before you, Stephen taking that as his queue to approach you further, placing a hand on your shoulder. Almost everyone had left long ago, ready to begin living there lives again.

Lucky bastards.

What were you meant to do now?

Suddenly you had an inkling of how Natasha had felt. Even when you had still been around. The sadness that rested against the centre of your chest, making itself a home there. One that you knew you would have an extremely hard time getting it to leave.

“I saw fourteen-million-six-hundred and five different futures-” he informed you.

“I know. And we only won one.”

“Yes. We did.” He nodded solemnly, eyes moving to the side so that he could look at you, while still facing the lake with you. “But, she loved you in every one of them.”

With a pat to your shoulder, he left you alone.

Tears blurred your vision, sobs pounding against your chest, begging to be let out, but you held them in. You vaguely saw the dirt ground, green patches of what you assumed to be grass, along with a multitude of different browns, probably sticks, and other woodland objects, as your head moved on its own accord, to face the floor.

Your voice wavered as you spoke, threatening to crack with the pressure of your emotions.

“So did I.”

Taglist:

@womenlovingwomen-imagines, @shycucumbersandwich, @jxst-livin-my-life, @rofl987, @saltymaddiee, @marvelb00kwolf, @kangerland, @hernanadez-23

#original work #original fanfiction #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #marvel #MCU

343 notes · View notes

peremadeleine · 4 years

Text

Droopy Sleeves and Tiny Bonnets: Watering Down the Romantic Aesthetic in BBC’s Les Mis

I wasn’t exactly blown away by the costumes in the BBC production of Les Mis, and Cosette’s in particular, cute as Ellie Bamber is, were thoroughly “just okay.” But I didn’t put much more thought into it...

Well, not until Gentleman Jack--set in the exact same time period--blew BBC’s Les Mis out of the water with its costume design. Then more recently, when I started researching the fashion of the early 1830s, all the ways in which poor Cosette’s costumes fell short became glaringly obvious.

Disclaimer: I am not as much of a stickler for historical accuracy in period drama costumes as this little essay is going to make me out as being. I’m not a Frock Flicks kind of gal; I just want to be entertained and look at pretty clothes. So as far as I’m concerned, as long as the basic silhouettes are there and the costumes are nice to look at, I’m there. (I find the wildly inaccurate costumes of The Tudors a lot more visually appealing than the ones in Wolf Hall. And everyone knows Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette was highly stylized, but those costumes are to die for and still embody the rococo aesthetic very well.)

That said, Cosette is a character who’s very invested in fashion, and the general look of the 1830s isn’t unknown to English productions, being the setting of Queen Victoria’s adolescence, Jane Eyre, Wives and Daughters, and many a Dickens adaptation among others.

So where did they go wrong?

Being honest, most of the Les Mis productions from the past two decades or so failed to put Cosette in high-fashion or even noteworthy costumes. Only the 2012 film for all the ways it failed her as a character hit it out of the park. Cosette gowns were damn near perfect--and they were actually pretty to boot! Unfortunately in the actual film you can’t even see the floral gown and you can barely see the blue one...thanks Tom Hooper.

The belts/buckles, the enormous sleeves, the delicate floral prints and embroidery, the lace collars...pat the costume designer on the back! (Her wedding dress was also on-point, but we’ll get to that.)

Claire Danes and Virginie Ledoyen had passable-and-sometimes-good costumes, too. Though Claire Danes’ were generally not very pretty, their overall silhouette was correct. Virginie Ledoyen gets a couple of knock-out, very period-appropriate gowns; the rest sort of fall into the nebulous “well, I guess you tried” category without being unattractive.

But the BBC production just...dropped the ball for reasons unknown.

Now, in the book Cosette overhears some ladies calling her “pretty but badly dressed.” She’s shocked, because she thinks she’s ugly but well-dressed. She then goes on a charming quest to become the best-dressed woman in Paris, and the BBC adaptation even has a scene where she goes to the seamstress. It’s really cute. Too bad that the dresses are...really not.

Here are some fashion plates from 1830-32. Keep in mind that Cosette lives in Paris, of all places; she would be aware of what was and was not fashionable.

This is the height of Romantic fashion: giant (“gigot”) sleeves and bonnets, full skirts with hems at or just above the ankle, lace accents, silk stockings and slippers, elaborate hairdos. The 2012 costumes, again, capture this quite well.

And even if the BBC designer had taken liberties and had fun while preserving the overall aesthetic--think what Sandy Powell did in Cinderella, set in roughly the same period--I wouldn’t be making this post. But there’s curiously little 1830s to be found in Cosette’s wardrobe at all.

I guess we should start with the BBC’s Good/Accurate Stuff. This coat Cosette wears is, apart from the deep fur-lined V-neck, almost a carbon copy of the extant coat on the right. And she has a bonnet!

Cosette’s best/most accurate dress is, naturally, the most difficult to see and has the least screentime of all her costumes:

From what I can tell, the sleeves, though delicate and sheer, are very full, as is the skirt, and the whole thing seems both pretty and en vogue...despite the questionable neckline. It’s also detailed--embroidery on the sleeves and with pleats (?) to create visual interest at the shoulders and on the bodice!

Here are a selection of other short-sleeved gowns from the period for comparison (both extant garments and costumes/reconstructions).

Tbh Ellie’s costume should be as stunning as the blue gown (far left) that an extra wore in Cinderella, but...maybe someday, in some Les Mis production, that gorgeous Sandy Powell creation will reappear. *sigh* (Virginie Ledoyen’s best Cosette gown is on the far right, btw.)

Anyway, that’s...that’s about it for the “Good” category.

Next up: her teal/turquoise dress(es). (She also wears a red one that looks exactly like this.)

Someone didn’t tell the costume designer that Cosette was supposed to be a fashionista, I guess. During my research, I did find a couple of dresses that resembled these two...but they would both be several years out of date by the time Cosette was going on her fashion crusade:

Even the yellow dotted dress has more style and “oomph” than what poor Cosette got stuck in--her sleeves look comparatively small, deflated, and underwhelming, all the more so when compared to actual 1830s gigot sleeves.

In the interest of being fair, some extant gowns from the right dates also look somewhat like these two.

But they all look, well...better. They all make me wish Cosette’s gown had bigger sleeves, a more-defined neckline, less wrinkly fabric...anything that would take it up a notch. (Also of note: as plain as some of these dresses look, they would not have been worn alone--accessories like wide belts, shawls, bonnets, etc., would have been part of the outfit when they were actually worn.)

And when it comes down to it, Cosette--who wants, after all, to be wearing the most fashionable gowns, like those in the fashion plates--should be wearing gowns more like...

The detailing, the fabric choices, the tailoring, and (sorry) the size and position of the sleeves makes all the difference here. A little more effort, even just padding for Cosette’s poor limp sleeves and a belt, would be enough to bump her looks from “kind of sad” to “something I believe this character would really wear.”

My personal favorite gown in the production was very pretty, flowing and delicate--and look: I’m willing to accept that Cosette wouldn’t always be wearing a fashion plate while chasing butterflies (something no film Cosette has, tragically, ever done...) That said, it still wasn’t very 1830s.

This purplish gown is the closest extant I could find to something like what Cosette wears here, but once you look at the details of both--fabric, neckline, whatever is happening around waist--all you get is “???” A lovely dress, but one that doesn’t make much sense.

So finally we come to what ought to be the showiest of all Cosette’s costumes: her wedding gown.

This costume ought to be Stunning for a lot of reasons. The “Fauchelevents” have money! The Pontmercys have money, and they have society friends! Cosette is a fashionista, and she’s head-over-heels in sweet young love! And one an assume that Valjean wants to send off the light of his life, if send her off he must, in style--he’s heartbroken but also knows, from this moment, that he will never have to worry about her safety or well-being again.

With all that in mind, this is what Ellie’s Cosette wears...

Oh. Okay. Is it her freaking wedding day, or is she just going to a church picnic???

At least she IS wearing a bonnet in this scene, but it’s the same color as her hair (?!) and it’s tiny...just like her sad, deflated sleeves. The necklime and waistline both are at least accurate here, but like the sleeves, the skirt isn’t voluminous. Not a single thing about the dress makes a statement...unless it’s a shrug. The impression is, once again, “meh?”

At least a veil (which some women did wear on their wedding bonnets) would emphasize the “wedding day” vibe. How about, if they weren’t going to give it any volume, some detail on the gown...any detail...floral embroidery...a BELT...a contrasting color or fabric (lace, hello?!)...anything??? It’s just so plain and low-key. Just like everything Cosette wears in this miniseries.

Here are some period wedding gowns, two of which Cosette wears in other adaptations. They all have the wow factor this dress lacks.

Big sleeves! Lace! Belts! Veils! Lush fabric! Frills! Different colors/fabrics to create visual interest! Hairstyles that pop instead of blend together! These are the kind of gowns that say “I’m the bride and this is my day.” Not “I’m going to the church picnic.”

I want to reiterate that, after ALL that rambling...my big issues are that a) these dresses are not--by and large--attractive or interesting and b) that they fail to embody Cosette’s love of fashion. The fact that they’re so inaccurate for the time period is secondary. However, paying more attention to the fashions of 1830-32 would, I think, have helped make the costumes prettier and more suited to the character. How you dress a character is also a factor in how their character is perceived and can be a subtle means of character development. No chance of that here. (Post-marriage, Cosette wears such a blase dark blue coat that, sans fur trim, looks identical to her previous one. Yawn.)

I’m just a fan, yet it still took me only three days of basic research to put this post together. Expecting a costume designer to put in at least a few days of light research is not a huge leap. I’m going to venture a guess and say that this designer did not bother to do that. And it shows.

It’s a shame, because Cosette gets a lot more screentime here--for the first time since the 2000 production--and she deserves so much more than shapeless gowns and barely-styled hair.

And also more than Andrew Davies...but that’s a rant for another time.

#cosette #bbc les mis #Les Miserables #historical fashion #romantic era

56 notes · View notes

mysterylover123 · 5 years

Text

BNHA Rewatch: Season 1 Episode 6 “Rage, You Damn Nerd”

mysterylover123

Episode 6, with the best most hilarious title ever! Tells you exactly what you’re in for.

Finally, Bakugo’s reaction! I seriously was waiting through all three episodes for this. Like a Hitchcockian bomb under the table. Almost literally!

Bakugou .exe has stopped working.

Aizawa starts his pattern of lying to Class A to get them to do their best. He kinda stops doing this after a while, I’m guessing because it doesn’t take lying anymore, just let Wonder Duo go running off at the mouth and they’ll do the job just as well.

Momo’s first line! I think we’re introduced to her in a method meant to make her seem a bit smug and condescending, which is interesting - Momo has a similar trajectory to Bakugou in some ways, introduced as Hot Shit and embarrassment used to break that ego, so this is important to keep in mind.

Aizawa and All Might seemed like they were gonna have a rivalry in early drafts and that got dropped. Anyway, I’m noting the timeline here, as All Might drops the info that this is April 8 (April Fool’s day was Last Week).

The friendship trio forms! Yay! (BTW I ship Uraraka and Iida, if you didn’t know.) We get a quick sum up of life at UA (sob why can’t my school be more like this) and then transfer on to the start of the Battle Trial Arc. Here it goes!

Everyone’s in costume! I figured I’d use my fave Costumes for my ranker today, so I’ll comment on them below. (BTW I loved this arc a lot the first time around. I adored how perfect it feels as a simulated Heroes v Villains exercise.)

All the detailed info on designing costumes and enrolling quirks is another thing I enjoy about BNHA; it feels like such a well-realized world, probably the most fully realized one I’ve encountered in some ways. Horikoshi is so obsessive over details, I love it.

And it actually serves as a means to illustrate character. Since they designed the costumes themselves, everyone’s choices tell you a little something about who they are. I think that both Deku and Kacchan’s costumes are designed to look like All Might’s - both have pointy hoods like his spiky hair, both have metal gear around the neck, etc. They look alike, yet opposite.

Deku’s first costume is so doofy looking, though. And it’s kind of symbolic of his whole issue at this point: he wants too badly to be like All Might, so he covers up his own face with a mask that has this weird, distorted fascimile of All Might’s hair and smile. He really needs to up that confidence!

This is followed by an adorable sequence of All Might trying to be a teacher and explaining the rules of the BTA. I totally empathize with All Might here; starting at a new job like this can’t be easy. (now I’m thinking about the “Even Idiots Can be Teachers” joke in Episode 52 and laughing)

I wish there was more to comment on with the BTA teams. A few of them feel important. Kaminari and Jirou, of course; one of my ships, they hang out a lot. Also , Ojiro/Tooru, and Tsuyu/Tokoyami get teamed up here (but not Momo and Shoto or Kiri/Mina, so I refuse to call it a shipping pattern). Ashido and Aoyama have a bit of a rivalry going on that starts here. Everyone else’s is pretty random.

And now the fated showdown of destiny! Well, the first time, anyway. I could watch these two fight all day. The whole series could just be them fighting each other back and forth and yelling while YSR plays and I’d be fine.

Bakugou is so salty about Deku! The first time around, of course, he just comes across as an asshole. Rewatching it though, it does seem fairly reasonable to be pissed off that Deku’s apparently been lying to him this whole time (because he doesn’t know about OFA, and Deku didn’t even both to lie to him like he did to his mom), and they are fighting in an organized combat mission, so his behavior here makes total sense in hindsight. Amazing how that character development works.

Uraraka is initially really blase about doing well. in hindsight, I think one of her flaws (at this stage, anyway) was that she basically didn’t know what she wanted and pretty much coasted on Deku (she says as much during the sports festival). She gets over that quickly, but flaws make good characters, so I wanted to point it out.

Incoming Deku “Kacchan Sugoi” moment #1. I love this little twist, too, on the way we perceive Deku. He doesn’t want revenge on Katsuki or something like that. He wants to beat him (”the incarnation of victory”). Deku is not some frail flower needing protection from the world. Don’t let his cuteness fool you.

Deku is so effing cool here, TBH - brilliant, tactical, strong, and brings his rival down to earth by judo-tossing him. Damn, the animation on Baku hitting the floor though, you can feel that impact. No wonder he was so pissed! (Deku’s strategic mind is one of my favorite things about him. Also the symbolism in Baku blasting away part of his All Might mask! 1/2 of the whole!)

“From now on, Deku is the name of my hero!” Once again that trio of foil-y ness between Deku, Kacchan and Uraraka. I wonder if it’s a relic of when the series was originally gonna be them as a trio, a la Naruto/Harry Potter/etc, so they were designed to all foil each other in some way? It’s not as much in the series proper, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Also, You Say Run! Down the bottle! (3rd episode in a row).

In sum, I love this episode. Costumes! All Might teaching! The Battle Trial Arc! Bakugou being crazy (I mostly gush over Deku a lot, but I love Kacchan too. Crater-sized faults and all). And of course, all of the...

BKDK Corner:

Cute flashbacks! Adorable flashbacks are adorable. Little Bakugou is so arrogant; if he was an adult he would be insufferable, but because he’s just a kid it’s cute.

Now to get into a little analysis! This ep marks the first time we actually delve into the depths of Bakugou’s psyche, and basically to sum it up: He’s scared of Deku because he deep down knows that Deku is better than him, fearing that Deku will surpass him, and doesn’t understand why. It’s amazing how the characters introduced at this part of the series as simple archetypes (relatable hero, bully, nice girl, uptight boy) become so complex as the series goes on. Not to be taken at face value.

Uraraka changing the meaning of Deku is another moment that parallels the Deku/Kacchan and Deku/Ochaco dynamics. Again, I’m not sure what that means in the long run, only that paralleling Izuku’s romance subplot with his main rivalry has interesting implications.

“So, you know Bakugou? He’s kind of mean to you, right?” ‘“Yes but he’s also super amazing special awesome and cool and did I mention amazing? Let me present my eighty page thesis to you on why Kacchan is cool.” OK, exaggerating. But it is interesting how much Deku admires and looks up to Kacchan despite him being such a jerk, so seemingly the opposite of what Deku wants to be as a hero. Basic 2 sides/same coin stuff, of course. Kacchan has all the self-assurance, power and pride that Deku lacks (at least at this point).

Deku speaks fluent Kacchan and predicted exactly what he would do. He knows his S/O so well.

“I took notes on all amazing heroes, including you” Subtle, Deku. Wanna make your crush a little more obvious? (also check out the BNHA smash comic of this, where he takes it up a notch and reveals what a full-blown stalker he actually is).

This is definitely their lowpoint of antagonism, though. This early part of the series, where they’re both mad at each other. I do think that Deku never really hated Bakugou, though; he hates things about him, but not him as a person. (Deku is way too forgiving.) Bakugou hated him, but I think that’s fading away in the current timeline (so weird, the last time we saw these two in the manga they were chilling on a couch together and drinking tea. Such a crazy contrast with rewatching this!)

Best Girl of the Episode: Kyoka Jiro!

more info on her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FVXWFFm4w&t=481s

Ranker: Favorite Hero Costumes

5. Nejire Hado’s!

I’m not sure why, but she has one of my favorite costumes of the whole series. it looks so good on her, it’s simple and tells you who she is.

4. Izuku Midoriya’s (3.0)!

Deku’s third costume is amazing and looks cool. It’s sleek and powerful and badass, somehow taking that dopey baseline design and turning it awesome.

3. Camie Utsushimi’s!

It’s so simple yet so great. Bodysuit, white boots and that awesome Shiketsu hat. Yet it works. It looks cool, even with the boob window.

2. Katsuki Bakugo’s!

It’s so ridiculous and yet so perfect. Exactly what you’d expect Bakugo to design for his outfit. Keeping in character and suitably dark.

1. Ochaco Uraraka’s!

My favorite in the whole bunch. It looks so much like a space heroine super suit - I especially like it with the helmet. It’s all there for her quirk, too - there’s an explanation behind each piece of gear. (BTW, Bakugou and Uraraka had the same designer. They really lucked out!)

#my hero academia #season 1 episode 6 #rage you damn nerd #midoriya izuku #katsuki bakugou #uraraka ochako #tenya iida #All Might #katsudeku #bakudeku #rage you damn nerd is such a great title #really says it all #bakugou is bad at feelings #is a hashtag for a reason #the rivalry manifests #i could write an essay on it #or twelve #i'll try and settle for recaps #for now anyway

92 notes · View notes

blodreina-noumou · 5 years

Note

4, 12, 13! The 100 (duh), and for 13, you can choose the character

Thank you so much, my friend! 💛

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?

This is known, of course, but Be//arke. Part of why I dislike them is because they’re such a popular OTP, and because I get a little bored with seeing that subsection of the fandom make everything that happens in this show about their ship.

That being said, I’ve been less salty about it lately.

We will finally know, one way or the other, what the writers have intended all along, with the upcoming series finale.

Either they will be an explicitly romantic couple, or they won’t.

Because it’s undeniable that they care for each other, deeply, or that we’re meant to get that impression, at least. They love each other, however ill-defined what exactly the nature of that love is has been on screen. They are each other’s buttons, the one person they’ll each go way too far for, even when other people would make more sense as hostages or bait.

Bellamy spent all of s6 ignoring his canonical girlfriend so he could save Clarke. It was a snapshot of a few days within that universe, but it’s really hard for me to still be like “B/C shippers are delusional, smell my skeptic farts, mreh heh heh” when the past season emphasized their connection so much. He visibly mourned Clarke in a way that we did not see him mourn Monty and Harper, who he spent a lot more time with. He immediately supported Clarke at the beginning of the season, despite everyone else in his family being (imo, rightfully) very upset with her recent betrayals. He was shown to be in conflict with Echo more than with Clarke this past season - although he and Echo made up and are still solid, from where I’m standing. So that’s messy and kind of unsettling. What’s the plan with that?

Because if the writers aren’t headed towards an explicitly romantic relationship, they’re doing a hell of a job stringing B/C shippers along.

And that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, regardless of how I’ve always felt about those characters as a ship. The writers and actors are far from oblivious about how that section of the fandom feels. The idea that they might be muddying the waters for no reason other than to fuck with people bothers me. It never used to, but it does now.

I’d actually prefer that they were headed towards a Be//arke Happily Ever After, than that they were stringing along their fanbase that way.

More likely, if history is any indication, things will still be muddy, one of them will die (my money is on Bellamy at this point, because of Bob’s subtweets apparently referencing Be//arke) and we’ll still find ways to argue about it for as long as the fandom persists after the show is over.

So at this point, they’re a NoTP for me, but I’m not super salty about it like I used to be. A year from now (hopefully) we’ll have the answers. Nobody can really say exactly what kind of love exists between Bellamy and Clarke until we see how it ends for them.

12. Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I used to say The Flame, but lately, I feel they really fumbled the potential that plot device had in s6. I just wasn’t as engaged with the Sheidheda concept as I could’ve been. Too many holes, too much missing backstory, too much blown potential in showing us other Hedas, outside of Lexa, Sheidheda, and Madi.

So these days, I’d have to say that I probably have an unpopular viewpoint for a Clexa shipper - Clexa wasn’t healthy, and was always doomed. The showrunners didn’t realize the sociopolitical impact that would have, because they attempted to take the same blase, non-issue attitude towards sexual orientation that the universe of The 100 has. I think the Clexa story played out exactly as it was always meant to, and if you strip it of its real world implications, it’s some of the best and most heartbreaking bit of character work that the show has ever done.

It’s not about a timeless love story, but about the tragedy of a budding affection between two young women caught up in the politics of war and their opposing cultures - a tragedy which has nothing to do with them being wlws, and everything to do with them being oppositional leaders, and kindred spirits in a violent world. They were shaped into cold pragmatists, but around each other, they allowed a certain level of vulnerability and softness of the other person. That was what was beautiful, and the tragedy is in the truth that a connection like that never would’ve thrived in the world of The 100.

I’ll always love Clexa, but I don’t feel much like a Clexa, if that makes sense.

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

I’m going to go with Jasper. The general consensus that I see a lot about him seems to be that he was a better character before 2x16, that people miss Puppy Love Jasper. Some even go so far as to say that his arc didn’t make sense, that he was annoying or a whiny brat in s3 and s4. I couldn’t disagree with that interpretation more.

I feel a lot of people don’t fully understand the series from Jasper’s perspective. There is so much he’s unaware of, so much he witnesses, and so much he misses out on. There is so much implied loss in his life, much more than just Maya. I don’t believe her death is the sole thing that drove him over the edge - I think it was simply the final straw.

Before he’s locked away in Mount Weather, Jasper is shown to have a few close friends - Monty, of course, but also Finn, and Octavia. He spends the most time with all of them, and ends up losing all of them, on some level, by season 3.

He struggles to forgive Monty for his part in the Mount Weather genocide.

We never see him receive the news of how Finn died, and I think, given the way Jasper talks about him (“looks like Finn finally got his peace talks”; “you hear that Finn? he thinks he’s innocent, none of us is innocent!”) - I think we’re meant to assume that people sugarcoated it, and that Jasper doesn’t know the extent of Finn’s crimes. So in his eyes, he loses a good friend to a pointless war.

Octavia falls in love with someone else, just a few days after kissing Jasper, and ends up so busy with her new culture that she more or less abandons him. Monty and Octavia (and later, Harper) all try to reach Jasper, but he’s too far gone at that point - he’s too alone.

He also loses his parents (he mentions them in s1, and then we never hear about them again, so I think we can assume they died either in the Culling or on the way down to the ground, when the Ark crashes.)

And he has his budding leadership crushed, his hope that he can somehow impact the future, and prevent the horror around him snatched away, by his former leaders genociding an entire civilization, including people who helped them, including the first girl he ever loved. She dies in his arms, though, in case the general horror of that wasn’t enough.

He loses so much more than just Maya.

He loses more than just about anybody, and it all happens to him while he’s fifteen years old.

Justice for Jasper Jordan. My heart always hurts when I think of him, and I hate to see people talk so poorly of him.

This is so long, and I could go on about Jasper forever, so I’ll stop now. Thank you so much again for the questions, and I hope you enjoy the essays you totally did not ask for, lmao!

#asks #spill the salt #stephspeaks #dylanobrienisbatman #I'm gonna keep the anti B/C tag off because I'd like people to know my feelings have shifted about them #honestly I'm feelin' free and loose with tagging rn

7 notes · View notes

terapsina · 6 years

Note

42 pls

42. “I’m only here to establish an alibi.” for River/13.

—-ao3—-

“What do you think?” Ryan asks Yaz as she’s placing another armful of every shiny, reflective object she could get her hands on in a circle around what looks like a jury rigged mess of Christmas lights.

“I don’t know, you’re the expert here.” Yaz tells him and looks on as he’s screwing in the last green light bulb into place. If they were in an apartment on Earth she’d say that what it looks like is an invitation for a blown out sparking plug. But where they are, is inside the control room of the TARDIS so it is probably fine.

“I’m a mechanic… -ish. I know how to fix cars not how to make tribble traps.” Ryan says.

“It looks fine, Ryan.” Yaz assures him. And it does. It looks exactly like the Doctor said it should before she and Graham went off to bring the alien balls of chaos back to the TARDIS to be trapped.

They aren’t of course actually called tribbles. But the word the Doctor used for them involved a lot of X’s and Y’s so when Graham named them after the Star Trek creatures, Yaz and Ryan went with it. They do look like tribbles even if what they act like are ping pong balls from hell.

Apparently they’re some kind of pets. Unfortunately they’re not native to this particular planet so when they all first stepped out to see some kind of - apparently very cool - jewel festival, it was already utter chaos.

It’s as Yaz is wondering for the dozenth time about how exactly a dizzying number of the things even got there then, that the doors to the TARDIS smash inwards and a woman strides in, looking like she owns the place.

“Don’t mind me. Carry on!” The woman says, dropping a bag of something heavy that sounds like a bag of rocks to the floor and hurrying towards the TARDIS controls. “I’m only here to establish an alibi. A short hop over to the other side of the hemisphere and some 38 planetary hours in the past should do it. I’ll send you lot right back to him none the wiser. It’ll be our little secret.”

“Alibi?” Yaz says, immediately focusing on what feels like the most relevant part.

They were trained for this in the academy, learning to note down all identifying features even before the mind has time to fully catch up with whatever unexpected thing has just occurred. So she doesn’t let herself flounder and just observes everything.

Human or human-like; Caucasian; extremely curly, blonde or light brown hair; maybe 5.6 foot tall; anywhere from mid-forties to mid-fifties; attractive; Southern English accent.

‘And trouble.’ Yaz adds to herself when the woman starts working the TARDIS controls - very expertly, - before either Yaz or Ryan can do more than get up to their feet in surprise.

They exchange a concerned look and abandon their project.

“Wait, stop!” they both yell, only halfway to the intruder as she pulls the lever that always precedes the TARDIS taking off.

The lever jams halfway down and the control room whines with an almost stubborn sort of noise. Yaz and Ryan share a relieved breath.

“Oh thank god.” Ryan says.

“Well, that’s strange. Did the old man forget to oil your controls?” The woman says and tries the lever again. This time the answering noise is much louder and gets followed by a shudder that knocks them all off their feet.

“Whatever has gotten into you, my dear?” The mysterious woman asks to the air above her the same way the Doctor sometimes does when she’s talking to the TARDIS.

As if summoned by Yaz’s thought the doors to the ship slam open again, this time letting in the Doctor and Graham.

And a great number of tribbles. They’re acting much calmer than they did last time Yaz saw them, only jumping up to around the height of the Doctor’s knees. She can actually kinda see now how someone could look at them as cute pets.

Graham stops in his tracks when he sees their unexpected guest but the Doctor is walking in backwards and waving around her sonic screwdriver, which is presumably why the little critters are very calmly acting out a scene from Pied Piper.

“Doctor?” Ryan says uncertainly from beside her. “I think someone just came in to steal the TARDIS.”

“Don’t be silly, Ryan. Sexy wouldn’t let anyone steal her. Well except maybe for…” the Doctor says, finally turning around but then falls silent as soon as she’s facing them “River.”

The Doctor looks like all the air has been knocked out of her, Yaz hasn’t seen a look like it since their little vacuum adventure and even that had been a purely physical reaction. This time her eyes are almost screaming with the painful mix of grief and something that looks a whole hell of a lot like hope.

“Well now, that’s a new look for you Sweetie.” The woman who must be River says with a sudden and delighted grin. “I like it.”

“River?” The Doctor repeats.

“Though ‘steal’ is such a strong word.” River says lightly and pantomimes the motion of cleaning invisible lint off her clothing.

The Doctor repeat’s the name for a third time, her voice breaking on the last syllable when River finally seems to take in the Doctor’s poleaxed complexion and gets back to her feet to walk around the controls towards her.

“What is it, my love?” River asks, and because she’s still mostly facing them Yaz can see as the transformation takes over the woman’s face. There was something very blase about how she seemed just a moment before but now her eyebrows have drawn in concern, and something fiercely protective is blooming in the lines of her face.

The Doctor doesn’t wait for River to reach her, in a moment she’s dropped the sonic and is colliding with her in a tangle of limbs that take a moment to sort themselves out.

And then Yaz has to look away because there is just something undoubtedly very private about the moment taking place in front of them all.

She still can’t help but catch an impression of a desperate kiss and the Doctor pulling the woman so close to her that Yaz thinks letting go of this River would tear the Doctor to pieces.

Maybe because it already had.

The Doctor hadn’t really told them all that much more about the family she’s lost but it doesn’t take much to guess that River was a part of it.

She’s wiping a tear away from the corner of her eye when Ryan leaves her side to join Graham. Her eyes follow and her heart twists at the pained look on her friend’s face. In front of them is taking place a scene that almost certainly brings back every memory Graham has of Grace.

She takes a step to join Ryan when her eyes catch on the tribbles.

Their bouncing is already reaching past their heads and some of them are almost vibrating with energy. Her eyes widen and she twists around toward the project the Doctor gave them to complete.

It’s still not turned on.

“Ryan! How do I turn on the trap?” Yaz yells and then has to turn around again at the sound of tripping and Ryan’s yelp of pain.

By the time she’s facing him, he’s on the ground and the floor around him is covered in jewels, the bag River dropped to the floor when she came in now empty.

“River Song. You didn’t!” The Doctor exclaims and though Yaz guesses she’s trying to sound exasperated it sounds suspiciously delighted instead.

Yaz narrows her eyes when River throws back her head in laughter.

She’s pretty sure she knows how the tribbles got to the planet now. And she was right too. River Song is definitely trouble.

#space wives #river x doctor #thirteen x river #drfic #thirteenth doctor #river x 13 #river song #yasmin khan #doctor who #dw fic #fanfic #13 x river #otp: hello sweetie #anonymous #prompt #i'm more nervous about this one than the last one

476 notes · View notes

astormyknight · 5 years

Text

How I came out, Multiple Experiences.

The first person I came out to is dead.

They have been for a long time. We lost her in Year 12 of High School or maybe it was when we were year 11. I just remember I was around 16. It was pretty traumatic for a lot of us. I can’t remember exactly when it happened, like what time of year except it was sometime during either the end of the year or middle of the year (even that is hazy), it was ten years ago or so now.

We weren’t super close, like we didn't hang out on weekends or after school or anything (my parents being super strict religious types who didn’t let me go into town unless it was to the library right up until I was in my last year/sort of learning how to drive).

But right around when I was becoming aware of my sexuality, or rather why I wasn’t ‘normal’ (second year of senior high, like...2008-9 or something), we’d been writing letters to each other and talking heaps at lunch and in whatever class we shared (I think it was social studies or classics). She felt bad for me because I was such a fucking nerd, and super socially awkward and a little bit chubby/super KY(空気読めない ) - I had friends, but at the time I was becoming more and more uncomfortable hanging out because they were super religious, made me feel like shit sometimes (except the other Hannah who was and still is cool) because my family were new to the church and I was (still am) a little...weird??? I was slowly becoming closer with the kids I took the bus part of the way home with/was in rowing with and their friends, but she kind of noticed how sheltered I was and was kind about showing me it was ok to open up, ask questions and try new things I guess.

ANYWAY my Mum had a bad opinion of her, but she was one of the most amazing people who went out of her way to make me see myself as a person and not a monster/demon from hell destined to return, and I couldn’t help her do the same, our situations were so different, I dunno, life is a bitch and it weighs down the best people. She made some bad choices as teenagers do, but her family wasn't really there for her either. ((My Mum scoffed at her and in earshot one day when she came to pick me up about a month or two before the incident and said to me that she wasn’t the sort of friend I wanted, and that she was destined to go nowhere (and in my first real act of defiance I stood up for her, called her hypocritical, and continued to write letters.))

I dunno why but this time of year I always have really shitty dreams about that time, about the last time I kind of awkwardly brushed off her hug goodbye (like I always did, I hated and still do hate, physical affection) and how I wish I’d reciprocated even just a little. Not being able to go to her memorial because my Mum still didn’t like her/her own parents were dicks/I wasn’t in her super close circle of friends. I know I couldn’t have done more than I did, even with some of the content in the letters, I didn’t know what she was going through exactly, I didn’t really GET how bad things were for her. I thought she was going to be able to tough shit out and make her break eventually, but yeah. Life is rough, teenagers go through shit, and yeah. I’ve been dreaming lately, and it sucks ass. I always have this guilt about my grief because I wasn’t in her inner circle, but to me she was the only person really I trusted at that time with one of my “darkest” secrets.

The second person I came out to was one of the kids I rode the bus home with who is a total no bullshit person. To this day, I am slightly scared of her, but in the best way. She told it like it was. Super awesome and still is, I’m gutted I missed the opportunity to catch up over winter last year when I was in England. I’d borrowed a French CD from her as I was trying to break my weeb phase and try music from other places, and she was worried about the racy cover, the torso of a naked woman (Indochine’s Paradize). MY DUMB ASS TEXTED BACK AND WAS LIKE...DUDE, I’M A LESBIAN...or some stupid shit like that (what a way to come out, over some pervy CD cover....gods I was/am dumb). I don’t think she really knew how to handle it, like it was SUPER out of left field, and like yeah. I don’t really remember what happened after that, she never treated me any different, she asked a lot of really sensible questions, and was patient with me. I think this was in our final year of high school, but it could have been towards the end of year our second year.

I told her best friend at the time shortly after that, and she was kinda weird about it, lol, but like in her own way...Like in a lot of ways I think she’d guessed (I think a lot of my peers had guessed before me, in typical useless lesbian fashion) because I would always say stuff like “If my friend was gay, that’d be ok, so long as they didn’t try anything on me...” “Love the sinner, hate the sin....” ect. ect. This was right around the time when Gay Marriage was in the news for one reason or another, roughly around three years or so before it became legal in New Zealand. So that was a ride. I still don’t know how the whole thing didn't get blown up by her and she didn’t tell the rest of our peers (if she did, they kept it quite and were really respectful, waited for me to tell them). I was terrified of my family or the teachers finding out too...for a little bit anyway, and then towards the end of Year 13 I think I came out to everyone (except my family) and just was like fuck it, if people have a problem with it, I’ll just punch them/shout at them and then go cry in the toilets or something - but I didn’t need to because for whatever reason most of my year group were really cool about it!

There were a few people in between then though.

For some reason I was in a car with a fellow self proclaimed nerd some time late at night driving somewhere in town (to or from a movie, or potentially ball lessons or something?Maybe even something to do with a one year memorial to above mentioned friend, I REALLY can’t remember.) This person was also one of the people I felt the least judged around, like I’d say a lot of dumb shit or nerd out about something and they’d either laugh, give me a look that was like... you weirdo....but never treated me any different. I think at this point I was like... .I don’t remember how it came up, but I was like...please don’t crash, but I think I like girls. And I think I also said how I’d told above two friends, but wasnt out to family because that would not be a fun time ect. I don’t remember much after the fact, but for me this was significant because baby gay me was sweet on her (don’t freak out if you’re reading this dude please, like I at this point I was still struggling with the whole admiration vs romantic interest thing. I thought you were super straight, didn’t want to take/ruin any friendship we had for granted, wasn’t like really interested in dating anyone even though in highs school that wasnt and option anyway ect...I thought/think you are cute, have a good sense of humor, great taste in books and are very kind and intelligent, qualities that I really respect and value in all my friends). She’s a cool kid, probably the one who had the closest interests to me out of that whole group in terms of reading taste and interest in Japanese stuff. I AM SO SORRY. SO. SO SORRY I TOLD YOU WHILE YOU WERE DRIVING. My sense of self preservation at that/this time is obviously no-existent. Also cheers for not telling my Mum...she thought you were neat and I think she talked to you a bit about unrelated stuff (probably for you Halloween party??? occasionally at cycling, you were legit the only friend I’ve had that like, she approved of) at some point.

One of the more popular/well respected/super out of my social status girls and I were taking extra scholarship exams for biology and classics. She was super popular, super snobby, REALLY EMOTIONAL, weirdly open about the grossest stuff and also really beautiful. I was SUPER intimidated by her, and she like flat out asked me why I wasn’t interested in any of the guys I hung out with outside of school/never talked about any crushes on celebrities... again...Dude, I like girls I think... (I ALSO HAD A HUGE CRUSH ON MY MARRIED CLASSICAL HISTORY TEACHER. FUCK. MY. LIFE. Never told anybody at school though.) She was SHOOK. To her credit, she recovered quickly asked a bunch of questions and promised not to tell my parents. I think she told some of her other popular friends, who to their credit, didn’t treat me any different and didn’t out me to teachers or my parents. As mentioned, my peer group was surprisingly blase about stuff like that (probably owing to one of their own coming out of the closet at some point either at the same time/a while before me). I wasn’t exactly bullied for that, but I was picked on for other things (like my nerdiness, my weight, my quirky habbits, my loathing of all things feminine that I had to wear including my uniform, my lack of fashion sense, my scatterbrained-ness).

Another one of the more fiery kids was super cool about it too. She was always a bit much for me, and also the last person I expected to be one of the first people to get married/partnered up and have a house/kid on the way. She was probably the one who grilled me the most on everything. Because until this point I was one of the SUPER religious kids, with SUPER traditional parents.

Once I hit Uni, I went full baby gay. Came out to my room-mates right away. No problems there. Came out to friends I made right away. Came out to pretty much everyone I met and was bloody obnoxious about it. How I didn’t accidently out myself to family until like...third year Uni I HAVE NO IDEA.

At this point I was “seeing” someone from online, who halfway through third semester of my first year was cheating with a dude from Auzzie. I got so upset I actually went propper drinking after one of our college functions and broke down. I came out to my parents then, at the end of year, right before final exams, I wrote a drunk email - got my very patient older flatmate to check it (she was an insomniac, and still awake at 3am watching shitty tv and studying). She made me wait until at least 7am and a cat nap/a shit ton of water and sobering up and a final read through before I clicked send.

My Mum must have read it at like, 8am, because I got an email right around 10am and it went down like a ton of bricks. Bible verses and pleas to get help and they drove up and saw me to lecture me the next week, we had a fight of sorts, in public, but not like a super big one, just one where Dad didn’t talk for me the whole summer after that (I went home against my better judgment to work and not pay rent...I relied on them for money during Uni, and have mixed feelings about that, I am grateful they still gave me the opportunities they did, but somewhat bitter because they don’t LISTEN to anything I say that challenges what they believe when I had/have to consider and listen to what they believe) and then not until like...the middle of the next year? Yeah, it was a wild ride.

We still are very tense with each other and fight about a lot of stuff, they get progressively more racist/homophobic every year but then they have lulls where we don`t talk about stuff of that vein and it’s almost like we’re a family again? My brother is mostly cool, he’s not super on board with gender diversity, but he’s been doing some reading recently and at least uses my preferred pronouns and name most of the time...

Only some of the extended family know, basically one family of cousins on my Dads side (plus their parents), and only one of the girls on my Mums plus her parents who are awesome (they offered to have me come stay with them and help out if my family booted me). I haven’t said anything to the grandparents. I actually outed myself accidentally to my cousin on my Dads side in third year, at a friends place (I thought I outed her, accidentally, then remembered....shit, she’s out to everyone, I’m only out to friends...) - she was in a dorm together and asked how I knew my friend. “Oh, we both go to the same LGBTQAI+ support group...” I say. “Fuck....” I say. “Dammit, I owe Sarah (older cousin) $50″ she texts me after she breezes out the door to some party.

The one almost family member I nearly told died before I could come clean. Shortly after I came out to my parents, a family friend of ours, who my parents knew through cycling, got really aggressive cancer. She was gone by mid-way through my second year in July. I’ve been dreaming about her too recently, I always dream about the two of them this time of year. I think Nic knew, she would always talk about stuff with me that made me feel super supported and loved. I miss her, and regret this the most.

- So yeah. TLDR; I HAVE BEEN HAVING SAD DREAMS. I am avoiding sleeping even though I need to be up early to prove to my bank that I AM NOT DOING MONEY FRAUD BECAUSE I AM A FOREIGNER I DAMN WELL LIVE AND WORK HERE AND HAVE A STUDENT LOAN!

#tw death #tw suicude #internalized homophobia #I went to an all girls school from year 7 to year 13 #I grew up with super religious parents

2 notes · View notes

bunny-wk-fanfic · 6 years

Note

Okay so there's this show called Lucifer on FOX and is all about the fallen Angel him self I can't help think that if he just happen to run in to Kagome it would be a hilarious and steamy encounter. Do you know the show, if so think you could do a little something??

Decided to go with a continuation of my first two Lucifer posts, if you’re interested, they can be found HERE and HERE. I hope you enjoy this piece!

Los Angeles was everything and nothing as she had imagined it to be. A lot of what was shown in shows and movies were true, and yet, she was still blown away but the culture of the city. Knowing one such individual made the rest of the city seem, well, rather tame.

Kagome bit her lip as she shifted in the dressing room, not at all comfortable with her current situation. Her case apparently crossed paths with one of Decker’s, so she was given leave to stay however long was necessary to work with LAPD to closer this. That, she had no issue with, but a lead was at a certain establishment and since Detective Decker was a well-known face to her end of the investigation, it required that she go in undercover.

Again, undercover work wasn’t an issue. Normally. Save for the fact that the establishment in question was a ‘Gentlemen’s Club’, to put it politely. And the female servers wore pretty much scraps, as she currently was. Shifting one more time to readjust her uniform, Kagome grumbled. It was actually a lot better than most places, the lingerie rather tasteful, covering much more than what most places had the women wear.

Still, the fact that she was wearing it for men’s enjoyment left much to be desired.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” Detective Decker’s voice echoed through the earpiece she wore, waiting with her backup team just outside. “We do have another officer that can take your place.”

“I’m good.” Kagome readjusted her bra as she stood before a mirror. “How’s the image, good?”

“Clear.” there was a momentary pause. “Now remember, all we need is a clear shot of their face and we have them. Don’t forget the codeword in case of any trouble.”

“Right.” Kagome nodded her head, giving her bra one final adjustment, secretly admiring the lingerie set and mourning the price it cost. “Right. Does it really have to be… well, that?” it was such an embarrassing thing to say.

“We had to come up with something that would not stand out too much in your surroundings, but enough to let us know.” Kagome could hear the grimace in Decker’s voice, even she found the code word awful. “Again, our officer is okay with this if you’re not.”

“No. I’m all dressed up and ready to go… Just feel naked without my own personal backup.” she sneered at her reflexion, grateful that she was wearing something that covered more than the standard thongs. But it wouldn’t allow her to bring a weapon along with. “I just really hope this is worth it.”

With a quick tussling of her hair, she put on a smile before leaving the changing room. Time to catch some bad guys. She was quickly given a tray of only the best of alcohol for the customers, as well as a reminder that said customers could only look, but not touch unless she gave them explicit permission. And never on the floor. There were booths for private lap dances, and nothing more. Kagome walked around, taking drink orders as well as reminding the customers that the kitchen would soon startup if they were hungry. All in all, she was admired but ignored. A few wanted to get a good look at the ‘new girl’ but otherwise, she was ignored.

“Well, hello Higurashi.” the voice was a low drawl that nearly had her tripping.

Spinning about, she stared up at the male that literally surprised her. “Lucifer?!” she had to fight the urge to step away from him in surprise. She was quick to school her expression as she quickly echoed Decker’s question. “What are you doing here?”

He offered her a smile, it grew as he took her new look in. “Lovely, very lovely. And in my colors too.” he cooed, his stance relaxing.

“Trust me, it was purely coincidental.” her eyes scanned the crowd, checking for anyone new or if anyone left. “Again, why are you here?” she waved another server over, swapping her empty tray out for the girl’s full one.

“Following a lead of course!” he obviously became more excited, not even passing the other girl a glance as she began to squirm before him, all but panting.

“Of course.” Kagome shooed the girl off. “And you didn’t tell Detective Decker because?” she trailed off, presenting the tray of drinks to him in a mocking to look like she was doing a server’s job.

“She wasn’t picking up my calls.” he gave a blase shrug, his excuse for showing up unannounced as well as sounding like an apology. “I’m meeting up with an old friend of mine. He has a few connections that might prove useful to the investigation. Figured I’d talk with them and help get the information needed.”

Sighing, Kagome searched the floor, spotting a table and leading him there. “This table should provide with enough privacy for your friend.” she gave him a menu once he took a seat. “And next time, please let us know if you plan on involving yourself like this.”

Lucifer smirked as he made himself comfortable in his chair, looking up at her with a smolder. “Have I begun to grow annoying to you as well?”

“Baka.” she was quick to flick his forehead. “It’s called worry for a reason.” she was quick to saunter off when a customer waved her down, it was best to keep up appearances after all.

It wasn’t long after that, did Lucifer’s friend show up, to which she directed him to where Lucifer sat. With a quick order, she continued weaving through the tables like the others. It was half an hour of the friend’s arrival did their lead finally show up. Kagome was at the table, refilling Lucifer’s drink, when all three of them looked up and watch the large man saunter in like he owned the place.

“That’s… that’s the guy.” the mousey businessman snatched a drink from Kagome’s tray and threw it back in one shot.

Flicking her gaze from him to the lead, she bit her lip before saying the codewords. Turning her head to the side as she reached for an empty glass on the table, she whispered to let Decker know. “Spank me.”

Both men looked at her in shock and surprise, the mousey man sputtering, coughing slightly as he choked on spit. Lucifer watched her, his gaze piercing as it stayed with her.

Neither of them got to say anything when the lead they were all here for spoke up. “Oi! New girl, come here and let me get a good look at ya!”

Kagome blinked wide eyes, mouth parting slightly to say something in retaliation. Before she could do such, the front doors crashed open with police spilling in as they loudly announced their presence. A squeak escaped her when she was suddenly grabbed and pulled down the moment the first shot rang out, it was muffled when Lucifer covered her with his own body in an effort to protect her.

She buried her face in his shoulder, hands clenching his arms tightly as his own wrapped around her. Now Kagome was no stranger to shootouts, but she was unarmed and without protection, and vulnerable. Her ears were ringing, making it a little difficult to realize when the firing finally ended. In fact, it wasn’t until Lucifer shifted above her did she open her own eyes again.

“Hello.” his voice barely managed to make it through the ringing and pounding in her ears, causing her to pinch her brows. “Now isn’t this a wonderful position we’re in.”

Kagome could only blink up at him, still not quite understanding his words. Though she did blush when he shifted, his position feeling far more suggestive than protective. An arm was cradling her head while his other hand slipped the waspie she was wearing, his touch feeling far too hot against her own skin. Ironic, considering who and what he was.

“…what?” a hand was slow to rise, fingers touching against an ear.

“Oh? Can’t hear me?” his own brows pinched together, his hand leaving it’s earlier perch to cup her cheek. “Did you hit your head?”

When he combed a hand through her hair, sliding along her scalp to check for injuries, Decker called out from further within the room. “Everything alright, Higurashi?”

“Y-yeah!” her voice croaked out, still tilted by Lucifer going all ‘Mother Hen’ on her. She raised a shaky arm to wave to the other detective that she was still alive and kicking. “I’m fine, Lucifer. Ears are ringing that’s all.” she tried to wave his concern off, to get him to back off.

“Well, I can honestly say I’m not surprised.” Decker’s voice drawled from behind Lucifer, drawing both his and Kagome’s attention. “Just couldn’t resist in copping a feel, could you?”

“I’ll have you know, I was protecting Detective Higurashi when you and your men began to open fire.” he scowled up at the other woman, actually reprimanding her. “Or had you forgotten that she was unarmed and without proper protection.”

Decker looked just as surprised as Kagome, her lips quickly pursing as she looked away. “I’m sorry. Our guy fired the first shot, along with his friends.” her eyes flicked along Kagome’s form that was visible since Lucifer shifted to look at the other woman. “You alright? The both of you?”

“Like I said, I’m fine. Just a little dizzy, and my ears are ringing.” Kagome waved the concern off, attempting to get up. A difficult task when Lucifer still sprawled atop her. “Really, I’m fine. Can I get up now?”

“As the lady wishes.” Lucifer was graceful and fluid, quick to offer her a hand.

“Wait… She’s a cop?!” the mousey man all but shrieked and sputtered.

“Tokyo PD, to be precise.” Kagome wavered for a moment, grumbling when she realized a heel on one of her shoes was broken. “Now that this is over, I’m going to change into something far more appropriate.”

“I thought you already were!” Lucifer’s voice followed after her, as did a few catcalls and wolf whistles from the other officers.

“Ha-ha! Laugh it up boys. Just remember, Decker knows your wives!” Kagome smiled when the catcalling and whistling stopped, a few whined, but they stopped. “Oh, and Lucifer.”

Said male was quick to make sure his gaze was on her face when she turned around, raising a brow to silently ask her what she wanted. Both brows shot up as well as his eyes widening when she struck a pose.

“Take a picture, it lasts longer.” she sputtered before laughing outright when he was quick to whip out his cell phone and do just that. “I see you passing that around, and I’m going to kick your ass.”

She nearly tripped when he called out to her, earning a few snickers from the other officers. “Is that a promise? Please tell me you’ll be wearing your current outfit while doing so!”

Waving him off, she continued on to the changing room, looking forward to once again be in her own clothing. She had quickly learned not to take Lucifer’s words to heart. Even if he honestly meant them.

#prompts #fanfiction #crossover #shows #Lucifer Morningstar #Kagome Higurashi

18 notes · View notes

timeagainreviews · 5 years

Text

The Panopticon Conundrum

Hello friends! It’s been a full week for me. How about you? My wife had surgery and is still in hospital. (It’s a good thing though!) Last weekend was UK Pony Con in Nottingham. I went dressed as a Jodie Whittaker "Doctor Hooves." A few people got it. Most everyone else wanted to know where my tie was. I also did a Doctor Hooves art piece that sold at £80 for the RDA. It was a great weekend. My boyfriend is on the committee for the convention, so I go every year. There's a lot that goes into putting on a convention, oftentimes it's like a second job for him. Lots of time and effort is put into a successful event of such magnitude. It's really gone to help me appreciate other cons out there.

If you've been paying attention to Twitter, there's been a slightly trending hashtag “#boycottpanopticon.” It's not exactly blown up, but people like Gail Simone and Paul Cornell have both tweeted about it. For those of you not in the know, Panopticon is an old school Doctor Who convention that stopped running around the beginning of the 2005 series. However, they recently decided to reboot the convention. This past weekend was a sort of test run with "Panopticon Lite," which featured an impressive guest lineup of Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook, and India Fisher. It was a regular Eighth Doctor affair and I'm sure went off without a hitch. So why the boycott?

Enter Panopticon's website. Hoo-boy is it a mess. It was a tweet about their stance on cosplay which piqued my interest. According to their website, cosplayers open themselves up to getting "a custard pie in the puss," or doused with water. I'm not joking. Or rather, they aren't. This has something to do with Comic Relief, as cosplayers are given the privilege of donating £20 for an immunity badge. One might feel like this is a clear way of saying "cosplayers aren't welcome," when the alternative is "pay up, or get assaulted." Their stance against cosplay is further solidified when further down the page they mention that some cosplays will have to clear the rights with the owners of their IPs. Specifically Daleks, Cybermen, K9 and other full-body costume monsters. I've never heard of a con doing this. This isn't like Disneyland, where costumers need to "Disneybound," to avoid association with the company.

Why so much hostility toward cosplay? A majority of Panopticon's newfound critics seem to agree that it's a hostility rooted deeper than cosplay. To many, this hostility is toward the new fandom, which scans when viewing the evidence. The website reads like a bunch of the old guard fandom griping about younger fans. It's very "Old Man Yells at Cloud." Let's start with the basic fact that the con stopped around 2005. That may seem insignificant, but to me, it sounds like sour grapes. You've been keeping that Doctor Who torch burning for years, and you stop just as it bears fruit? Not to put too fine a point on it, but that sounds gatekeepery. Feeling ostracised because a new generation didn't have to live through the wilderness years is a weird reaction to your favourite show coming back.

In comic book conventions, you see a lot of hostility toward cosplay from the old fans as well. Walt Flanagan from AMC's "Comic Book Men," went through the growing pains of cosplay acceptance throughout the run of the show. You saw him go from a guy who thought it took attention away from the creators, to a guy who dressed in cosplay several times. It's an expensive, arduous, and stressful process to put together a successful cosplay, I should know. It's a labour of love on par with organising a convention, running a fan club, or writing fan fiction. Furthermore, it's here to stay. You may as well be yelling at a cloud.

It goes even deeper than cosplay. I mentioned that it's difficult to run a convention. I've had lonely evenings watching TV while my boyfriend was stuck working on the rota for Pony Con. Panopticon's organisers are not unfamiliar with running a convention. They know how hard it can be. Why then do they hate their stewards so much? In their section about stewards, they go on to tell potential attendees not to expect the stewards to know much of anything other than where the bathrooms are. They don't expect them to even know what day of the week it is. Now I get it, sometimes volunteers are just in it for the free ticket. Some people are morons. Some people are just plain helpless. But one of the things I learned from one of my favourite Pony Con volunteers, Tom, is that some of them are incredibly hard workers. The fact that the organisers seem to have such disdain for their workers isn't just crass, it's downright cruel.

Those of you who know my blog know I can be a snarky bitch at times. It's me having a laugh. I can get behind a convention trying to come off as a little bit more personable by infusing some humour. But as Twitter user drwhofan_194 said "It's unprofessional to joke about stuff which makes your attendees feel unsafe or unwelcome." Which is absolutely true. You can't assume everyone who isn't laughing has no sense of humour. Because for some, being in a giant room full of strangers is hard enough without also having to worry about a custard pie to their face. It's your job to maintain a safe environment, and if you can't take that seriously, why should anyone entrust their safety with you?

I would love to say that the website stops at custard pies and decrying the help, but it doesn't. Of course, it doesn't. This immaculate train wreck is still careening off the side of a cliff. You can also count on a good old fashioned bit of sexism. In a now edited section about seating, there was a comment made about how everyone wants to good seats so they can bask in the glow of Tom Baker, or even sneak a peak up Katy Manning or Frazer Hines' skirts. Twitter users well versed in being deliberately obtuse were quick to point out that Frazer was a man, meaning it wasn't sexist, because equal opportunity. Now I get it's a joke. Katy is sexy and Frazer wears kilts, I get it. However, I also get what it feels like to be a female fan of Doctor Who. I know what it's like to cringe every time you hear a male fan slime on about the companions' bodies. To have to hear male fans call Jenna Coleman a stuck up cow because she doesn't want to be casually assaulted by fans. I know what it feels like to be worried that every male fan I meet will eventually come onto me, like so many have in the past. Comments about looking up Katy Manning's skirt aren't just childish, they're alienating to women.

One has to wonder if that's not slightly the point. Was the language used by the organisers meant to push certain groups away? On the homepage, they go on a bizarre rant about morality and common sense. The words "traditional values," are even used. There's a vagueness like a man having an argument with someone over the phone. You can somewhat piece together the conversation through context, but who he's yelling at is a mystery. It reads like a person who has gotten into one too many flamewars online. They seem to see themselves as white knights, here to put the fandom right. Which is funny because I wasn't aware it was broken. Furthermore, I'm always very suspicious of anyone who seems to attract so much drama to themselves. If you're getting into heated arguments about Doctor Who, you need to reevaluate some shit in your life.

I could go on about the website, but at this point, I'm curious to see Panopticon's reaction. Other than the minor edit here or there, they've been shockingly blase about the whole thing. Reportedly going as far as to say it was “a form of market research to see who had a sense of humour.” This could be particularly damaging as I've already seen users saying that even with an apology, they "wouldn't let [their children] near this event in a hundred years." It's amazing that a convention that was well established as the go-to Doctor Who convention for years, can squander so much goodwill with such a stupid website. At best, it's a PR nightmare. At worst, it was done on purpose. The fact that someone had this much power to take the concept and run with it, suggests that whoever wrote this dribble is rather high up in the organisation. It's one of those "Who watches the Watchmen?" kind of scenarios.

If the organisers have nobody higher to answer to, perhaps the last bastion against their smug minded drudgery is Twitter user walsallmatt's proposed boycott. Has Panopticon killed itself mid-regeneration, or can they come back from this fiasco? They've already situated themselves as the kind of people who will decide the real fans from the fake ones. Would any kind of apology make that ever seem fun? Will they lose potential guests like McGann or Manning due to this bad press? I'm sure there will still be a devout following that will come regardless, but is it enough? Even a convention with a rich history like Panopticon cannot simply rest on its laurels. Doctor Who didn't justify its return by banking on nostalgia. It built upon what came before and moved with the times when it was necessary. At this point, it looks like the only way we'll see Panopticon return to its glory days is with a time machine.

#doctor who #panopticon #fandom #convention #whovians #whovian #panopticon lite #tardis #cosplay #paul mcgann #india fisher #twitter #daphne ashbrook #frazer hines #katy manning

0 notes