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imagine-this-fandom · 4 years

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BNHA X Fem!Reader: The Rescue - Angry Pomeranian

The Rescue intro: Here

She gently placed Izuku into a glass cage before pulling you to a back door labeled "Dogs", the Golden retriever slipping in behind you before you closed the door.

Upon entering, you were greeted by lots of barking, the dogs obviously not using their indoor voices. You actually surprised by the variety back here. There was a husky, Pitbull, and even a German Shepard. The room was rather large and open for them to interact with potential owners, various dog toys strewn across the floor with the dog kennels to the back.

You expected Inko to take you to meet the bigger dogs, but were confused when she led you past them, instead stopping in front of a small tan puff ball in a corner who was absolutely destroying a dog toy, the smiling sun that used to adorn the front of it, now flopped over on a shred of fabric by your feet. It almost looked like a blizzard of its own had happened in the corner due to all the stuffing scattered around.

"Oh Bakugou, what have you gotten your paws on this time?"

Inko clicked her tongue and watched the Pomeranian pup continue to tear the stuffing out of a smiling sun patterned toy.

The sight made you a bit more hesitant. Was this really the dog she had in mind for you? An absolutely furious little ball of fluff?

He didn't seem to pay you any attention, content to work growl and tear into the toy until Inko reached down and picked him up, which sent him into a frenzied wiggle fit. He began to whine in outrage, upset seemingly with the audacity of Inko picking him up.

"Come now Bakugou, you need to behave! There's someone here to see you." She was all smiles and started to pet his head, the angry noises emitting from the dog lessening as he calmed down a fraction.

"Mrs. Midoriya, are you sure he's the right dog for me? He doesn't seem to like me very much..."

You eyed the dog hesitantly. While he was undeniably adorable, you were worried he wouldn't like you even after you started to take care of him.

"I think he just needs time to get to know you! He's a sweetheart once he's settled, even though he doesn't show it often. Really, he could do with someone like you in his life. From talking to you, I can tell you'll be perfect for the little scamp."

The dog had stopped wiggling and seemed to be assessing the situation. If you didn't know any better, you'd say it looked like he was listening.

You bit you lip and looked him over, weighing the options you had. Sure he'd be a handful, but... could you really say no to that face?. If what she said was true, maybe he just needed someone to be there for him. And you found that you really wanted to be that someone. Besides, pets have personalities too. Even if he was grumpy, you could love him regardless

Smiling, you nodded.

"I'll take him. "

Getting Bakugou to go home with you on a leash was an experience to say the least. He tugged like mad and actually tried to break the leash, biting and trying to rip it away. That didn't go all that well for him once he got outside though. The snowdrifts were as big as he was!

Laughing, you discovered that you would have to pick him up to continue home, seeing as you wouldn't get very far if you had to keep fishing him out of the deep snow. He was bound and determined, but you could tell he was getting annoyed with the cold piles.

He was the angriest creature you had ever seen in your life. If a snowflake came too close, he would snap at it and bark at every stray animal or movement he saw. You just shook my head with amusement. His temperament, while not ideal for most people, was starting to grow on you.

It was a relief to finally get back to your apartment and put him down. You let him roam the house and explore, getting used to his new environment as you set up the supplies you got from the store. You had gotten him some cool food and water dishes with flames designs on the outside. After finishing that up, you moved to your bedroom to place the dog bed that you had purchased for him. He had beaten you to your room though, which you discovered as you chanced a glance at your bed while arranging the small pet bed in the corner. Bakugou had already made himself at home on your bed. His ashy blonde fur standing out on the comforter as his crimson eyes followed your movements from his newly acquired high ground.

"Silly boy, that's my spot! You have a bed down here!"

His eyes narrowed as he took up a more defensive position.

"Down, Bakugou. Off the bed. Did you just growl at me?!"

Well... He did not look like he intended to move any time soon. While you were all for learning to deal with him, you were definitely not in the mood for dealing with a doggy temper tantrum. You conceded him this point, for now and left to prepare for bed.

You left and took a quick shower before slipping into some (f/c) pajamas. Stepping out into the bedroom, you stopped and snapped a quick photo. Bakugou had settled down on the bed and was sleeping. This was the most peaceful you had seen him so far.

Rather than risk picking him up and waking the angry mutt up, you instead shifted him slightly to the side and climbed under the covers on the other half of the bed. He looked up at you at the contact , obviously annoyed by being roused from his sleep, but not mad enough to do anything about it except give an angry huff and shift so his back was facing you. You smiled and cautiously reached out a hand to stroke his back. He seemed to stiffen up for a moment, but, he seemed too tired to really care, so you took it as the go ahead to continue. You pet him for a bit before reaching up and scratching behind his ears. He tensed again before melting against your touch, leaning into it. You carefully retracted your hand and yawned before turning the lights off, smiling at the silvery fur across from you in the moonlight.

"Goodnight Bakugou, sleep well, my little spitfire."

Progress was being made, and for that, you happy. You fell asleep with a content expression, optimistic for the days to come.

Bakugou was absolutely a handful. After that first night, he made it his mission to test you. Whether it was by breaking something while you were at work, or simply refusing to cooperate when on walks, he made it his mission to act out when anything slightly inconvenienced him. Spitfire was an apt name, considering how spirited he was, especially on walks. He'd become the local terror of the neighborhood. Regardless of his size, he was ferocious. Even some of the larger dogs were intimidated by him! He didn't allow any other creature to push him around, humans included.

Even with his resistance you continued to work with him, trying to find ways to calm him down. You wanted him to like you, to trust you. You started by working on your own reactions whenever something happened that set him off. Instead of getting upset at him, you got down to his level and spoke quietly, getting him to focus on you instead of whatever had triggered his outrage. He still had his outbursts, but they were slowly getting better.

He was still very particular about contact though, only really letting you pet him when he was tired, when his weariness outweighed his outrage. This led to a nightly routine of pets before both of you fell asleep. This would change though.

One night, after a particularly bad day of work, you stumbled in exhausted. You were absolutely dead on your feet as you dragged your tired body inside your apartment. Kicking off your shoes, you decided to forgo your usual yelled greeting to your dog and instead staggered into the living room and collapsed face first on the couch, muscles screaming from the stress of the day. You just stayed like that for a good five minutes before hearing the jangle of a dog collar headed your way.

Bakugou stopped in front of the couch and growled at you impatiently, seeming to not like this break in his routine. You really didn't have the energy to deal with his nonsense so you simply let your arm drop off the side, offering him your hand. This didn't appease him though, as he instead took the edge of your sleeve in his teeth and tried to tug you off the couch.

You shifted, turning your head so I could see him and hopefully stop his determined tugs.

"Bakugou, please. I can't right now, okay? We'll play tomorrow. Just... not tonight. I'm not doing well."

You expected some kind of backlash, maybe him barking his head off, or maybe he would go destroy something out of spite. What you got instead, was a lick on the back of your hand, and a fluffy head pushing against your side, urging you to make some room on the couch for him. Tiredly, you obliged, rolling onto your back so your tired gaze was now directed at the ceiling. Your brief view of the apartment ceiling was interrupted by a fluffy blonde head glaring down at you with red eyes. Bakugou had settled himself on your chest, paws resting just below your chin.

"Can I help you sir?"

He huffed, hot breath warming your chin and chest as he relaxed and laid his head on his paws, almost daring you to move and disturb him.

You smiled and pet his head, making sure to scratch him behind the ears. He never made it obvious, but he loved it when you pet his head. He just kind of melted, muscles going relaxed with his eyes drooping in happiness. You stayed like this for at least another hour before falling asleep, arm lazily thrown over the content pup. You were surprised to discover you slept the best you had in ages that night. Something about Bakugou being there to protect you just made relaxing so much easier. While he was small, he was fierce and wouldn't let anything happen to you under his watch.

After that night, Bakugou seemed to calm down a little. He was still your little spitfire, but he didn't shy away from your touch. If anything, he sought it out. He still got into loads of trouble and had gotten on your last nerve more times than you could count. But now he seemed more interested in you. He got upset when you didn't greet him when you came home and always made sure to stay in your vicinity when you were at home. He seemed protective of you now, and you couldn't help but love it. He let you cuddle him more too. Often, you began to invite him up on the couch next to you during movies, which quickly turned into an hour every day with Bakugou on your lap as you pet him and watched a show or movie. As this happened, you noticed he favored old hero footage, especially of Allmight. He went wild whenever the symbol of peace was shown on the screen.

"I can see why you like him, he's one of my favorite heroes too. Always there when people need him."

You smiled, petting the excited dog's head. Pleased to see his little tail going nuts.

"But who needs Allmight when I've got you around Bakugou? My brave little Hero! You're always here for me. Getting you was one of the best decisions of my life."

The dog seemed to stiffen, but you didn't pay him much mind, figuring he was just focused on the action playing on the screen. Although you noticed he was quiet for the rest of the evening. He was reserved and honestly, you were starting to get a little bit worried. You decided that you'd just take him to the park the next day, maybe that would cheer him up.

The next day, you stuck to your plan, waking up early to work on housework and make sure you had finished all your tasks for the day and could take Bakugou for a nice long romp at the park.

You were working in the kitchen when he made his way out to you after waking up, his claws clicking on the tile and letting you know he was coming.

"Hey spitfire, did you have a good sleep?" You grinned and looked down at the fluffy dog who was watching you quietly. You knelt from your spot at the stove and held up a piece of bacon you had saved from breakfast.

"Figured my good boy deserved a treat. This is for now, and then once I finish cleaning up, we're going to the park."

Your words seemed to excite him as he snatched the bacon and his tail went wild. You smiled and pet him before getting back to work on the kitchen, looking forward to taking a break and spending time outside with your little spitfire.

Once you were outside, Bakugou seemed to go back to his normal angry self. He trotted ahead of you as you walked, seeming to exude an aura of intimidation when it came to the other dogs. You knew he wouldn't approve if you said it aloud, but you thought it was adorable. You relaxed as you walked through the city, slowly finding your way to a vast park that Bakugou seemed to like. It had lots of room to run, but you didn't let him off leash often. While you trusted him, sometimes he couldn't help himself and would pick a fight with anyone he felt threatened by. This led to some close calls that made you decide he wouldn't be allowed off leash anytime soon.

Crossing the threshold onto the green grass, you gave a happy sigh, enjoying the change from pavement to grass. You were quickly drawn away from your peaceful moment as a dog came charging at you and Bakugou. A chihuahua that was off its leash was making a beeline for you and Bakugou was not having it for a second. He braced himself in front of you and gave a warning growl as a deterrent. The little dog was either deaf or stupid and you were not excited to see which as his attention was focused on Bakugou.

He got just a little too close before Bakugou lunged forward and gave him a warning nip on the leg. When the little dog did not back down, you had to make a split decision and scooped up your dog and ran the opposite way. You found shelter on a bench, just out of reach of the vicious little monster snapping at your feet to get at the outraged Pomeranian in your arms. Your little spitfire did not take kindly to anyone threatening him, but you weren't about to let the small dog take a chance to retaliate for the bite. After a few tense moments where you tried to work out a plan that didn't involve punting the attacking dog, its owner ran up, red faced and not in a good mood. Instead of immediately fetching her dog, she took one look at the situation and exploded on you instead.

"DID YOUR DOG BITE MY COCO?!"

You were stunned into silence for a moment, not able to process the audacity of the question directed at you from this angry middle aged woman.

"Yes, but it was in self defense! Your dog was coming right for him!" You protested, hoping an explanation would somehow help the woman's anger to subside. But unfortunately, she did not accept that her dog was the one to blame. She scooped up the still writhing devil dog and glared at Bakugou.

"That thing is a menace! You should but a muzzle on him! What if he had bitten a child?" She stared with unwarranted venom, her blunt and misfounded words thrown carelessly at you like daggers.

You didn't notice right away, but Bakugou had gone still at the mention of a muzzle, the word seeming to trigger something within him.

As the woman Walked away, you slid down to sit on the bench, taking a moment to collect yourself and recover from the emotionally draining encounter. When you looked down at Bakugou again it was because he was struggling in your arms.

"Hey bud, it's okay, they're gone now."

These words which you had meant for comfort only made him struggle more.

"Okay, okay! Sorry, I'll put you down."

You carefully set him on the ground but were taken by surprise when he started to sprint away. You gasped and took off after him, chasing after the leash he was trailing behind him as he made his escape.

"Bakugou! Get back here!"

While you were doing your best to keep up, he was doing his best to dodge you. He was ducking under bushes and darting around obstacles as he made his getaway. eventually, you ran out of steam and had to stop, breathing heavily as you tried to get some air back into your lungs. When you were finally able to breathe without black spots invading, Bakugou was nowhere in sight.

You were in panic, barely barely able to really process that he was gone. You quickly started walking again, cupping your hands around your mouth as you called for him. How could he have just run away? Something must have happened, he wouldn't have just left you, right? You just had to keep looking. You'd find him. You had to.

You searched until your throat was hoarse, long ago abandoning the park and now roaming the city as the sunlight started to fade. Logic said that you should go home, but there was no way you were going to leave Bakugou outside and alone. You loved him, and you needed to find him, hopefully before anything happened to him.

You staggered through the streets, voice quiet and strained as you hopefully looked for even just a hint of tan or the tell tale jingle of your collar. It was late, and as much as you loathed the thought of going home without him, you had begun to lose hope of finding him today. As you turned to head home, you ran into someone.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going," You babbled, apologizing to the man. The guy glared at you before his whole demeanor changed as he looked you over. A dangerous look starting to form on his face that made unease rise within you.

"where are you going, sweetheart? Maybe I could walk you home. Come on, I know a shortcut." Before you could make a move, he had grabbed your arm and dragged you into a side ally, cornering you against the brick, his other hand going right over your throat

"Alright pretty girl, I want you to empty out that purse for me. And if you so much as scream, you'll regret it."

You dared not disobey, any chance of resistance fading as he showcased his quirk. His smirk was as sharp as the knives now protruding from his fingers, sharp and glinting in the limited moonlight, poised over your throat m. Being quirkless, you didn't have much choice.

Trembling, you began to slowly reach for your bag keeping your eyes focused on him, not wanting to surprise the man and cause him to stab you. He was beginning to tap his foot impatiently.

You fumbled with the zipper, horrified to find that it was stuck.

"What's the hold up, get it open!"

He had pressed forward, blades nicking your skin.

"I-i't's stuck! I can't get it open! "

"Not good enough, girlie" He growled, jabbing your side with one of his blade fingers.

You cried out in pain and struggled to get the bag open to avoid another injury. If you weren't so preoccupied with the pain and panic, you would have heard a pop from the top of the alleyway. While you didn't hear that, you absolutely heard what came next.

An enraged scream tore through the alleyway and your captor was torn away from you. Your mind was having problems processing the scene though. Your attacker was being pummeled by.... A blonde naked guy. When the criminal tried to get back up, the blondie created an explosion with his hands, sending the villain flying with a bright flash of light. He righted himself and turned tail.

"WHERE THE **** DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?! I'LL KICK YOUR ***!!"

The blonde yelled after him. And it looked like he would have to, if your legs didn't take that moment to give out on you. You sunk to the ground with a loud thump which drew the blonde man's attention.

His expression softened a little as he looked back at you, moving to crouch next to you. He was quite intimidating. His brows were turned down in an angry expression and his eyes were an unusual shade of red. You pressed yourself back against the wall, leaning away from the strange man.

"Oi, dumb***, what the **** are you doing out here? It's dangerous."

You swallowed nervously before speaking, keeping your eyes trained on his face as a blush crept across your cheeks. You would have answered, except you were interrupted by a throbbing pain in your side, the adrenaline and shock from blondie's appearance distracting you from your wounded side. You cried out in pain and clutched it in a vain attempt to get it to stop.

The man noticed your struggles and cursed under his breath before scooping you up in his arms.

"Wait! What are you doing?! Put me down!"

"Stop struggling, dumb***, I'm trying to get you home!"

He set a quick pace, holding you close to his bare chest. It was unnerving, but he knew exactly where he was going. It wasn't long before you were stopped in front of your apartment door.

You shakily went to unlock the door, but the man took the keys from your unsteady hands and unlocked the door, bringing you inside. He set you on the couch, careful of your side.

"W-who are you? How did you know where I live?"

You watched him curiously. As much as he should have scared you, this strange man made you feel safe. He handled you with such care.

He scoffed, heading to the bathroom and returning with the first aid kit.

"It's Bakugou, dumb***. Now shut up and rest, you're injured."

You looked pointedly at the ceiling as he worked on your side.

"What do you take me for an idiot? Who are you really? Some weirdo stalker?"

He growled in annoyance and flicked your forehead before sitting back and looking over his handiwork.

"That should do for now. Stay put, I'm going to go find some clothes."

The audacity of this man. You were confused and tired, and in pain and just wanted to wake up from this nightmare and see your little Pomeranian waiting for you.

You must have dozed off, because when you woke up, it was to colorful swear words coming from the kitchen. You sat up, rubbing your eyes as you started to remember your memories from the night before.

The blonde man who claimed to be your dog was in the kitchen, wearing a pair of sweatpants and one of your oversized t shirts. He appeared to be cooking.

You tried to get up and wobbled uncertainly over towards him. When he noticed, his angry expression seemed to fade away one of... fondness? The expression didn't last for long though as it quickly shifted to annoyance.

"What the **** were you doing out so late last night?! You could have been killed!"

You frowned and glared at him.

"I had to find Bakugou!I love him, I couldn't just leave him out there, he could have been hurt, or in trouble! "

He tensed, staring at you with wide eyes seemingly caught off guard by your outburst. He Gaped for a moment or two or before groaning and running a hand down his face.

"You really are so stupid, (y/n). The goal of running was so that you wouldn't find me. I didn't expect you to stay out and look for me like an idiot."

He huffed and stepped forward, trapping you against the counter with his palms braced on the counter top on either side of you. It was then that you noticed something that had somehow escaped your detection the night before. A red and black flame patterned collar was fastened around his neck.

You were struck silent for a moment before your palm made contact with his face with a resounding slap.

"WHAT THE ****, CRAZY LADY?!"

He reeled back, looking at you with shock as you glared at him.

"Me? What the **** is wrong with you? Why'd you take off on me at the park? You had me worried sick, jerk!"

He seemed to pout as he nursed his sore cheek.

"You were going to put a muzzle on me..."

You softened, anger fizzling out at his uncharacteristically quiet tone.

"Bakugou... You have to believe I wouldn't do that to you. You've always been my little spitfire, I would never do that to you. That lady was out of line, if anyone deserved a muzzle, it was her crazy little demon of a dog."

You smiled softly, stepping forward into his space, your hands going to cup his cheeks, tilting his face down so you could look into those intense red eyes that were so familiar.

"You're my hero Bakugou, I wouldn't change you for the world."

His hands came to rest over your own hands, his pleasantly warm against your skin. He seemed to be deep in thought. You just enjoyed the tender moment, watching him realize that you meant every word. Something clicked and then he was leaning in. Before you knew it, he was kissing you. And then you were kissing him back, never feeling more safe than when his arms moved to circle around your waist, pulling you against him.

After a moment, you pulled away, a breathless smile taking over your face.

"I love you Bakugou, I hope you know that."

He gave a cheeky smirk and pressed another quick kiss to your lips.

"And I guess I love you too, even if you're a dumb***"

You huffed in annoyance. This was going to take some getting used to, but honestly? You didn't really mind the challenge.

#bakugou #bakugo x y/n #katsuki bakugo x reader #mha bakugou #katsuki x y/n #mha #bnha x reader

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ectora · 3 years

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So, after the post of season 2, I decided to continue with season 3. I wanted to do Until episode 9 cause that’s the strict half but I knew there was along break after episode 10 so I was like let’s do until ten. For the second part, I might do it for every episode separately in some sorte of episode review or whatever, or just wait for the end of the season and do a global season 3 post. We’ll see I guess, I’m an indecisive so I hate taking decisions lmao. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Screen time

Macy : 3h03m10s (10/10)

Mel : 2h47m12s (10/10)

Maggie : 2h40m57s (10/10)

Harry : 2h09m34s (10/10) (+Jimmie 7m37s)

Abigael : 47m40s (5/10)

Jordan : 1h02m24s (9/10)

Again, those numbers are not to the second but scene wise. The only time I would separate the screen time in the scene itself was if the focus was completely on one character (vision + sound) and we know another character is there but we don’t really see them).

As before, here a graph of the screen time per episode for each character.

*harry and jimmie’s screen time are mixed for the graph but again, Jimmie’s is like 7 minutes.

And here a graph of all the characters screen time by episode so it’s more easily comparable.

Now, again, the screen time is pretty obvious on the fact the sisters are and stay the focus of the show. But far. Though I’m Ngl, I was really surprised to see Maggie being the last of the three sisters. She had way more screen time in season 2 but idk in season 3 it also felt like she was also a bit ahead. At least of Mel. But I think that’s a question of how they handle the story. I think Maggie is actually the one with the best treatment out of the three sisters, with the more consistent development. So maybe that’s why she feels more present. Because she’s actually getting development. Mel, imo, can’t really say the same. She doesn’t have that much more screen time than Maggie and yet, to me, she feels a lot more less developed. Macy had her story focused around men last seasons. And if this season hasn’t fixed that issue when it comes to Hacy imo, I do feel she gets a bit more personal development. But still, Maggie feels the most developed to me.

Jordan is more present in the story so that’s good. I love him and I hope they can find him a good place in the story as a human because he’s a sweetheart. To be honest however, he could have a bit more screen time Ngl. Same can be said for Abigael. I personally have the feeling that the story she has now wasn’t necessarily planned if I’m being honest, which is why it feels so detached. And obviously she needs to have her story more liked to the main storyline and TCO so her presence can be more natural and cohesive. However when you think about it, half the episode when we’re half way through the season, for a regular/main character, it’s a bit weird. I hope going forward, they’ll fix both these issues. Have her be in more episode and linking her to the main story.

Detailed screen time

As I did last time, here are the tables with their detailed screen time with each other main characters.

* group means 2+ characters of the core six that doesn’t involve all three sisters.

To be honest, these tables brought light on issues we - I think- were already aware of. Mel/Macy for example is basically inexistant. It’s really sad to see them barely share scenes just the two of them. Like Mel and Maggie have really nice scenes together where we can see them talk and bond. Macy has that sometimes with Maggie too. But Mel and Macy ? We barely even know what their relationship is if I’m being honest. Like it feels like Maggie and Mel have each other and they make Macy have Harry. He is her one to go, the one they develop her relationship with the most which, imo opinion, shouldn’t be the case.

It brings me to my next point. I know it’s only half season but TCO purely together isn’t even the biggest screen time anymore. Hacy actually is. Love them or not, that’s not the topic, I think there is the need of a discussion about how they slowly shifted the focus of these two characters toward each other. The pairing isn’t an issue, the way it’s handled kinda is. Because at the end of the day it’s also a disservice to both of them. I know COVID is to be taken into account and that they’re limited in the interaction and that Harry is the most integrated of the three main supportive characters but it is still an issue. Even in the story, Harry is all about his relationship and sometimes forgets his duties. Macy’s first thought is basically Harry. They could have used some of this time to develop further the sisters between themselves. Like Maggie and Mel don’t feel as centred on their romance while Macy definitely feels like it’s the major characteristic of her character right now. Same with Harry.

In a general manner however, they’ve been doing better with the sisters sharing scenes that aren’t all about fighting but there is still some serious work to be done. As said, Mel and Maggie for example have some nice scenes where it’s a bit more domestic. They talk about their actual lives more. Maggie has that a bit with Macy too but it’s mostly Mel/Maggie. While Macy talks to Harry.

When it comes to their personal time, by that I mean without the core six, they have around the same time so that’s good. Tho again, as I said before, they have around the same time but it feels like some character just have better written development.

I’m also glad to see Jordan and Abigael share screen with a bit more characters but also would like to have more mix between the mains. It’s almost odd at this point to see Jordan interact with anyone else than Maggie and Harry. I loved his episode with Macy but it almost felt random because he shared 90% of his time with Maggie. Abby it’s a little bit less the case because I feel like in season 2 she had the opportunity to share scenes with all of them (and I want more cause I love it) but now I would like to see her interact with others more too.

PAIRINGS

Hacy : 53m11s

Joggie : 18m18s

Abimel : 12m37s

Melby : 5m58s

That’s probably one of the things that annoy me the most in the show so bare with me.

Let’s start with the small things. I’m Ngl, I’m a bit confused about Maggie. Jordan is pretty obviously supposed to be her love interest I think we can all agree on that. I don’t know if they’re trying to throw some love triangle drama or fake drama with Antonio but well. In any case, I think they’re just a bit more slow burn. And I do think they’re actually the best written romance in the show since the beginning. Maggie never feels centred around Jordan. And tho Jordan does majorly gravitates around Maggie, he also gets a story and development. And yet their love connexion is obvious. Don’t know why they can’t do that with others.

I think I made my issue with Hacy rather clear. Not the ship itself but the way the show does it. I mean their time is clearly superior to everyone else (and i know it’s because Harry is technically the fourth character in terms of importance and is integrated in the story but still, I think there are still things to be fixed about this) and I think the way the show tend t have these two continuously gravitate around each other first is a disservice and just too much at this point. Like in ten episodes they have had more than the entirety of season 2. I’m pretty sure it means something.

Which leads me to my last point. And the most annoying one. Mel. It’s a whole other level. The show has a serious issue on their hands. Mel is the only sister that isn’t straight. And her relationship are not even remotely treated the same as her sisters. Season 2 was one thing. But season 3 makes it so painfully obvious. And it’s not ok. She has two potential ships. And yet, the screen time of these two combined is barely above Maggie’s with Jordan. And not even half Hacy’s. And that’s a genuine issue. I need the show to start treating their lgbt relationship the same way they do the straights. I’m tired of ghosts. I’m tired of unseen. I’m tired of two dimensional. Of the lack of development. Or the unbalance with her sisters. It’s enough.

Talking about her potentiality, the show definitely has me confused with the whole Abimel/Melby situation. They’re hinting hard on the first one while keeping the second in the background. Which is entirely confusing. And low key a problem too. Because yes I ship Abimel but I do think Melby deserves better. And if the show is just keeping melby while they can develop Abimel then that’s just weird too.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Melby just doesn’t feel like a relationship the show has any interest of putting effort in. Ngl, when Mel said at ClexaCon that the writers didn’t really give them backgrounds or anything, it didn’t sound like freedom, it sounded like they just didn’t care enough to develop it. Sometimes, it almost feels like they just kept it around because of the Abigael backlash, so have a sapphic relationship while they can develop something else on the side. Ruby has a charming actress so she has that working for her, but her character is very superficially developed, they didn’t bother to give her depth and it doesn’t feel like it was meant to last with the whole not wanting to be involved in magic thing. I’m not trying to bash anyone or any ship, but that relationship does feel very superficial in terms of writing. And honestly if they’re just keeping it around while building something else, it’s in itself annoying due to the nature of the relationship. Like at that point it’s not even the bare minimum.

Abimel seems more build up already. They’ve been hinting at it since season 2, poring them all the time. The lines. The tensions the chemistry. The connexion. It genuinely feels like that’s were they were going toward. Because it just makes sense. It also makes sense in terms of pairing. All three sisters have their love interest in the main cast. Enemies to lovers trope. As said, it makes sense. But also who actually knows. Because let’s be honest, the show has an history with not treated sapphics the same way as straights. Which is even more obvious in this first part of the season and looking at the numbers. Again I understand Ruby is not a regular (which reinforce my previous points). But likes. That’s what brings me to say again and again that at this point, the show needs to either actually commit to that relationship and make Ruby an actual part of the show or let it go. Because what we have right now ? Not ok. Because they give us zero energy. And I’m pretty sure that if they wanted to actually do more, they definitely could have. Right now, the show is under a pretty bad light when it comes to lgbt characters and their treatment. It’s a bit ridiculous and it’s just not right.

Anyway, I think this concludes my rant. I’m sorry it’s very, very long and for WHAT 😭 I have too much time on my hands I’m telling you. Anyway, if you read all of that I hope you’re enjoyed but also you probably, too, have too much time.

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okayshin · 4 years

Text

ʏᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴɴᴏɴs

✉ how they choose their darling

⤹ yandere!au

⤹ pretty boy setter edition

⤹ ft. akaashi, kageyama, kenma, oikawa, sugawara

⤹ tw. manipulation, fwb mention, typical yan things

═══ ᴀᴋᴀᴀsʜɪ ᴋᴇɪᴊɪ

▹ akaashi notices everything you do

▹ no matter how small, he sees it. takes notes. studies it and you

▹ you would’ve became friends with him in high school, introduced by the elated bokuto who “wants all of his friends to be friends”

▹ you’re dedicated and he likes that about you

▹ always attending every game, even if you mention previously that you might not be able to make it because a, b, or c.

▹ and bokuto lives for you being there. if akaashi didn’t know any better, he’d think bokuto had a crush on you

▹ akaashi is self-aware, to an extent.

▹ yes, he knows he shouldn’t be getting a bubble of anger in his chest when he sees you hug sweaty bokuto first after a game

▹ but he brushes it off as jealousy. nothing more, nothing less

══

They got the last touch. They were the victors of yet another game, and they would be the ones going to the finals.

They are the stars of the world.

So why does he feel a pang in his chest when you come down from the bleachers and go straight for Bokuto?

All excitement burns down to something less, the remains of a match brought to nothing more than charcoal and smoke while he watches his best friend swing you around in a hug.

“Did you see us?” he asks excitedly after setting you down, grin ever present on his features. You can only nod, just as happy as the man in front of you. You pull him into another, less frantic, hug, then turn when Bokuto addresses Akaashi as he approaches.

“We did it, Akaashi!”

“We did.”

As upset as Akaashi wants to be, Bokuto’s exhilaration is infectious. A smile makes its way on Akaashi’s face without him realizing, only to grow when you open your arms to him and give an excited squeal.

Whatever jealousy his mind made stems down to nothing more than ash, blown away the moment your arms wrap around his neck.

And suddenly, everything is okay again.

═══ ᴋᴀɢᴇʏᴀᴍᴀ ᴛᴏʙɪᴏ

▹ kags isn’t the type to get into a relationship ok

▹ however, i do see him as the type to become fwb with someone

▹ it’s not something that happens instantly ofc. it takes a lot of time and talking about boundaries and rules, but you get there eventually

▹ and you’d absolutely adore kags

▹ he knows it, too

▹ kageyama lives off of whatever attention you present him with

▹ but he sees no point in reciprocating anything

▹ give him an inch and he takes a mile

▹ he won’t acknowledge if you do anything that’s more romantic than fwb

▹ bring him a bento box for lunch “just ‘cause you felt like it?”? don’t make a habit of it, or he’ll start to expect them, without giving back anything in return

══

The blank look on his face should’ve told it all, honestly.

But, you’re no quitter! And in your defense, he was the one who told you yesterday how good your lunch looked.

Kageyama only stared as you presented him with a neatly wrapped bento box, processing what this could imply further down the line. Regardless, he takes the food and unwraps the cloth. It’s the exact thing you brought the day before, and despite your friends’ protests of ‘not getting too attached to someone like him’, you’ve taken it upon yourself to do something nice for him.

It is one lunch, after all. Maybe a second if he doesn’t cancel your ‘study session’ planned later on in the week.

“Thank you for yesterday,” you say nonchalantly, as if he didn’t blow out your back in the bathroom stalls with the only reasoning being ‘because Hinata pissed him off’ and he needed to do something with his pent up aggression, “I had a good time.”

He doesn’t reply, but you don’t expect him to; instead relishing in the fact that the tips of his ears burn. That doesn’t stop a smirk from forming on his face, though.

═══ ᴋᴇɴᴍᴀ ᴋᴏᴢᴜᴍᴇ

▹ kenma is one of the most analytical out of the five

▹ he can easily pick up on the things you do

▹ your pet peeves, your tics, your habits, all of it

▹ and he can just as easily use them against you

▹ is the best at making it seem unintentional

▹ what do you mean you don’t want to watch his game? you promised you would, even though he sort of pressured you to in the middle of a gaming sesh but it’s not fair to just,,, tell him you have other plans!

▹ it’s kinda rude to just get his hopes up and then let him down, isn’t it?

▹ probably the most self-aware out of everyone, but he really doesn’t care. people usually look over him because of how unassuming he is, so why would him taking interest in you be noticed either?

══

Your agitation was tangible. He could make out your form under a blanket from the video call you were on, pitiful and tired, but that doesn’t stop the slight frown from crossing his features.

“You promised you’d come watch me and Kuroo play tomorrow, though.” A pinky promise, at that, but he wouldn’t bring up the facts.

You pout, shoulders dropping with a sniffle, “That was before my parents told me about their anniversary dinner, Kenma.”

“I really wanted you to meet my friend from Karasuno. I think you’d really like him.” He toys with the string of his hoodie, looking away from the screen for just a moment. He hears you huff out a sigh, screen going black for a moment.

Video Paused.

“I’ll talk to them about it, see if I can make it up to them somehow.” Another sigh, followed by some tapping on the screen that Kenma can only assume is you typing.

“If you can’t, it’s okay. No need to worry about it.” Kenma says dismissively, despite knowing you and your tells; the tone of your voice breaking way into confirmation that you’ve given in to his less-than-pushy demand.

“Too late,” your screen comes back on, some shuffling and replacing your phone propped against a pillow, “already texted them. What kind of snacks should I bring?”

“Whatever can get you through the match.” He smiles, a genuine, sweet smile only reserved for those he cares about.

═══ ᴏɪᴋᴀᴡᴀ ᴛᴏᴏʀᴜ

▹ oikawa is manipulative for starters

▹ to his peers, his friends, his teachers, his fangirls, to everyone

▹ he’s good at adapting to less-than favorable situations and will do whatever it takes to get his way

▹ the definition of a brat

▹ he’s not above using people for how own advantage, either

▹ you don’t want to go out with him? that’s perfectly fine! just don’t come crying to him when you get hundreds of hate mail from his fangirls that he oh so dramatically confided in

▹ is not afraid to make you out to be the bad guy at all

▹ honestly doesn’t care if you really like him or not. even if you say you don’t, he just believes you’re lying. he’s the great king, after all. who wouldn’t like him

══

This was the fifth letter you’d found in your locker since school started. No, scratch that- the first two were slipped into your backpack, along with some of your items being stolen by whatever crazed fangirl deemed it necessary to make your day worse than what it already was.

It doesn’t take an idiot to know what you did wrong to be in this situation. You’d denied Oikawa Tooru, your school's golden boy, telling him you’d rather study than watch him practice volleyball and get dinner after. If you’d known this would be the backlash, you would’ve thought twice about turning him down.

Someone clicks their tongue behind you, causing you to jump and whirl around. The man at fault stands looking over your shoulder, hands on his hips with a pout on his face.

“That doesn’t look like a confession letter- unless the broken heart means you’ve already denied them before they had a chance?”

The suggestion makes you more than agitated- he knows what the letter is. Hell, he probably gave them pointers on what to write! You slam your locker closed with one hand and crumble the letter with the other.

“Is there something I can help you with, Oikawa?”

His name tastes like venom on your tongue, yet it doesn’t make him falter, pout turning to a grin, “There is actually. I’m sure you’ve heard we’re up against The Iron Wall- and I was just double checking that my potential number one supporter would be there?”

You open your mouth to snap out a reply, but you can feel the glares from your peers; girls and boys alike whispering to each other- stirring a pot they know nothing about.

So, you bite your tongue. Grit your teeth and deal. It’s just one game, after all- what’s the harm in missing a few hours of a study session?

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Great!” His smile grows tenfold, reaching up and pinching your cheek endearingly, “I’ll be sure to let everyone know just how sweet you really are.”

You don’t miss the mischievous glint in his eyes; the way he moves away from you so confidently telling you more than enough. He knows the game and he’s playing it well.

═══ sᴜɢᴀᴡᴀʀᴀ ᴋᴏᴜsʜɪ

▹ the sweetest boy on god

▹ just cannot place his feelings!

▹ does he like you? like like you? want to be friends? more than friends? take you away from anything and everything that could ever hurt you?

▹ falls back more into the last category, and can only assume it means he likes you

▹ he’s probably the least dangerous to have after you

▹ suga doesn’t want to do anything that would ruin your relationship, or the potential for any future relationships

▹ this makes him the best friend you could ever ask for, honestly

▹ will walk you home if you ask (as long as you can stand to wait until after practice)

▹ takes you out for lunch or dinner or study sessions at the local cafe on the weekend and refuses to let you pay for anything

▹ snacks, drinks, and meals are all on him and he doesn’t complain at all

▹ generally doesn’t ask for anything but your friendship in return

▹ but if you give him a hug or hold onto his arm and let him imagine you’re more than something you aren’t then that’s the best payment

══

“You’ve gotta let me pay for something, Suga,” you whine, trying to push some cash into the center of the table only for the man to push it back towards you and pass his card directly to the waiter instead.

“Nope, I invited you out so therefore I pay.”

“By that logic, if I invite you out next weekend then I’ll pay?” You grumble, stuffing the money back into your wallet. “Sounds fair to me.”

“No,” he disagrees again, looking up when the waiter brings back his card and a paper to sign, “I’ll just say no to hanging out- therefore you have no reason to pay.”

“That’s just mean, Suga.” You whine again, “What if I say no to your hangout session, then?”

“You can’t say no to me.” He smiles an award winning smile, thanking the waiter, then standing and waiting for you to pull on your jacket before you step outside. “It’s not allowed.”

“‘Not allowed’?” You repeat with a scoff, scrunching your nose at how chilly the temperature outside is compared to the warmth inside the building, “So you can say no to me, but I can’t you? Isn’t that a double-standard and make you a hypocrite?”

“Maybe,” he shrugs, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets, “but it doesn’t change the fact that I simply will not be letting you pay for anything.”

You puff out your cheeks in protest, but it’s gone just as quickly as it appeared and is replaced with a grin. Patting Sugawara on the arm a couple of times before your arm wraps itself around his own while you pull him closer to your favorite spot. The dog park.

Sugawara always plans for this; taking you past the park so you can see all the pets running around. Your reaction is always the same- hitting him a few times to get his attention, then, wrapping your arm around his so he doesn’t stray far, and won’t leave his until he drops you off at him. It’s routine, at this point. Your warmth seeps through his jacket, and it’s all the payment he needs.

#yandere!au #yandere!haikyuu #akaashi keiji x reader #keiji akaashi x reader #tw: yandere #tobio kageyama x reader #kageyama tobio x reader #kenma kozume x reader #kozume kenma x reader #oikawa tooru x reader #tooru oikawa x reader #sugawara koushi x reader #koushi sugawara x reader #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader

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theleagueof13 · 4 years

Text

My SGE Ship Rankings

The God Tier:

Nicphie

Enemies to Lovers dynamic, they’re also rivals.

There’s no canon evidence because Soman was writing the Hicola/Hophie love triangle, but if you look at their personalities objectively, they would make a great pairing.

takes Hort out of the picture.

Nicola is the only person who can challenge Sophie. Agatha lets Sophie do whatever because like,, that’s her best friend. Tedros goes back and forth between allies and distrusting her but Agatha stops him from throwing hands. Hort is a doormat. However, Nicola’s LITERAL INTRODUCTION was that she’s strong, super smart, and says exactly what she thinks.

I think they look good together, aesthetic wise.

There’s probably a LOT of banter and bickering and overall being fed up of one another.

The only reason you wouldn’t ship Nicphie is that you either don’t like Nicola, or you stan Hophie.

The Cool Tier:

Agaster

Goth Girlfriend Aesthetic.

They initially have a lot in common in the School Years.

Hester’s first impression of Agatha was “We like her”.

Hester wanted Agatha to join her coven, which is huge sign of respect.

Their personalities are very similar, except Hester is a heightened version of Agatha’s witchy self, and Agatha has more of the typical Honor and Compassion and Responsibility traits of a hero.

Hester risked her life (Aric stabbed her) to help Agatha in AWWP.

In OTK, [minor spoiler] Hester steps in front of Agatha when Japeth is about to slaughter them, and she’s like “Don’t touch her.” LIKE COME ON IT’S OBVIOUS.

the only reason that you wouldn’t ship Agaster is that you’re a Tagatha or Hestadil stan. That’s standard but like do you not see the potential??

Hestadil

They’re inseparable. Best friends to lovers.

There isn’t much canon Hestadil though, so I put them lower.

Tagatha

This relationship has been clearly established since Book 1 and there’s no use NOT shipping it.

I got sick of them as the series went on, sorry.

Keian

Don’t have much to say, but this was wasted potential.

I like the king/bodyguard dynamic. They’re best friends.

Kei was having a breakdown when Rhian died.

DID HE NOT PUT A ROSE ON HIS GRAVE??? AM I MISTAKEN?? BECAUSE THAT’S A SIGN.

The “At This Point I’m Too Tired to Argue” Tier:

Horavan

Val shoves it down my throat so like. I Guess.

Ravan was under-developed, but he sounds cool as fuck (he’s the descendant of a god, he’s seen to be Hester’s equal and gains respect among his peers, he’s described as attractive, and he’s driven and ruthless)

I dislike Hort so that’s the only part of this ship that’s sinking it.

If Hort was characterized as an awkward himbo AND NOT A CREEPY SPYING ON GIRLS TYPE, I’d ship it more.

Bettophie

I really don’t know why [OTK spoiler] she was killed? I would have rather read about Bettina having a fake death than Hort.

Again, Enemies to Lovers dynamic. Similar to Nicphie except instead there’s like two seconds of Bettophie interaction.

They’re alright.

Sophester

I only halfway ship this because I wrote a fic about them (The Love for Glory and Gore link in bio) and we’ll see if this grows any further.

This is like, if you shipped Agaphie before you knew they were sisters, and you’re still confused and betrayed at that plot twist. This is for you. The dynamic is the same thing, except they’re both evil.

Hester once said that Sophie is too powerful even for her to defeat. I don’t know if that counts, but it’s definitely a sign. (And Hester is neither impressed nor intimidated easily, Sophie does both).

Tophie

They’ll never happen again, and thank god they’ll never be used as a plot device again. I think everyone hypes up how terrible they were (obviously Tophie isn’t a perfect match, but it’s not like the end of the earth).

Okay but imagine Never! Tedros with Sophie as a fling. Not bad.

The “I Just Sit Back and Observe” Tier:

Tort

They started as a joke. I honestly never thought it was funny. It’s obviously overused now.

Yiko/Reatrix

I couldn’t care less. Go ahead and ship them. The aesthetic is cute, kind of. Sorry?

The “I Want To Gouge My Eyes Out” Tier:

Jaric

A lot of people have made posts about why Jaric is fucking awful. So go read those. Two murderous psychopaths together are not cute.

Hophie

Again, there’s been some recent backlash against Hophie. Unfortunately, the praise outweighs the criticism. FUCK HOPHIE ALL MY HOMIES HATE HOPHIE.

#The School for Good and Evil #hophie #tagatha #nicphie #agaster #keian #reatrix #jaric #hestadil #sophester

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anexplanationofunfortunateevents · 3 years

Text

A Tale of Red States and Blue States

Once upon a time, there was a state.

It was a large state, with vast stretches of country between its world-class cities. It had communities rich in diversity and activism and ideas – and it had a lot of resentful white people who were just plain old rich.

The richest and most resentful white people created a terrible blight they called “modern conservatism.” They set their wicked curse on the state, and then unleashed it on the nation with two Republican presidents – one lamentable, the next even worse.

There were many along the way who sounded the alarm, but there were more who ignored the danger far too long. The spell had summoned a beast. The beast was hideous and stupid. It was no good at anything except being a hateful beast. But the dark spell had done so much damage that being a hateful beast was enough for the beast to win, at least for a time.

In one version of the story, the state is called “California.”

In another, it is called “Texas.”

It’s strange to think of now, with a decade of sneering about the “left coast” and “San Francisco liberals” and blah blah blah baked into political conventional wisdom, but it’s true. The reactionary modern conservatism which held the whip hand on the backlash to the great civil rights advances of the 1960s was born in California. California voted for Richard Nixon six times: once as their senator, twice as Eisenhower’s vice president, and then three times as the Republican presidential nominee. In between those elections, Nixon of course had to win primaries. In 1968, when he was the Republican front-runner, he faced an upstart challenger who wanted to make sure he’d be racist enough to keep conservative southerners in the tent. That person was not a southerner, but the then-governor of California, Ronald Reagan, who would go on to be the next Republican elected after Nixon.

So what the fuck happened? Well, a lot of things, and I don’t want to pretend to do justice to the generations of righteous activism that pushed back against this disastrous regime. Democrats did occasionally win state-wide – notably, California elected two Democratic women to the Senate in 1992 – even though Orange County was practically a metonym for American conservatism right up until the 2018 midterms. But the turning point that seems to have gotten your average voter to turn on the Republican party for good was in 1994. Governor Pete Wilson, a kind of hard-right proto-Trump, threw his weight behind a hateful anti-immigrant ballot initiative. It passed, even though it was so deranged that it never went into effect because a federal court ruled it unconstitutional within days of the vote, because the California electorate really was that conservative. The electorate changed, almost on a dime. Mexican-American voters organized. Their friends and neighbors and fellow citizens realized that sitting back wasn’t an option. And now the Republican Party of California is a fucking joke.

This isn’t, like, the eternal winds of history blowing microscopic chips off the statue of Ozymandias. If you remember the Clinton presidency, this happened in your lifetime. If you’re a little bit younger than that, it happened in your big cousins’ lifetimes.

Part of what makes it hard to see changes like this is that the dim bulbs in our political media see everything through a horse race lens, where who gets one particular W is the only piece of information worth retaining. You win and you’re clever; you lose and you’re a dumb sucker who tried. Who gets power is really important! But if you only care about that, then you miss the really important trends.

Take the Georgia 6th, the district once represented by Newt fucking Gingrich. Its representative joined Trump’s cabinet in early 2017, at least in part because it was such a supposedly safe Republican seat, so there was a special election for his replacement. Traumatized Democrats and Women’s Marchers threw themselves into the steeply uphill campaign of former John Lewis intern Jon Ossoff. When he came up a few points short, our blue-check media betters tried to turn Ossoff into a punch line stand-in for silly #Resistance liberal losers coping with Trump by losing some more, SUCK IT, MOM! but the other, correct, interpretation is that Ossoff only came up a few points short in a district that was supposed to protect the kookiest of right-wing cranks. His campaign had functioned as kind of an ad hoc boot camp for novice organizers, canvassers, and future school board candidates who had previously been too discouraged and disorganized to take this kind of swing, and it showed Democratic party donors that the district was winnable. So when gun safety advocate and Mother of the Movement Lucy McBath stepped up to the plate in the 2018 midterms, her campaign had the infrastructure it needed, and now she’s well-positioned to be reelected because she’s doing a great job. Meanwhile, Ossoff’s organizing chops and the enthusiastic work his supporters did for Rep. McBath are a big part of why he’s in a dead heat against incumbent Republican Senator David Purdue.

That’s why I’m keeping an eye on the South this year. The presidential campaign there is interesting, but the real story is in those network effects. There’s a rising tide that threatens to make the blue wave of 2018 look like a light spring shower if things break the right way. Just look at the Democratic senate candidates. They’re a diverse group: men and women, Black and white, preacher and fighter pilot. Most are relative newcomers to national audiences, but only some of them are young. Jon Ossoff is just 33; when he was in grade school, Mike Espy of Mississippi was Secretary of Agriculture. What they do seem to have in common is that they are having the time of their fucking lives.

Here’s Espy:

Moving and grooving in McComb. pic.twitter.com/RANCRGGpX7

— Mike Espy (@MikeEspyMS)

October 31, 2020

Ossoff:

The people of Georgia are tired of having a spineless, disgraced politician serve as their Senator. pic.twitter.com/OdaYwFKzmz

— Jon Ossoff (@ossoff)

October 30, 2020

Senator Doug Jones of Alabama:

I know you’ve heard us say it before, but when you see this clip, it bears reappearing: This guy really is clueless. https://t.co/w9YOUHegCW

— Doug Jones (@DougJones)

October 22, 2020

Jamie Harrison of South Carolina:

It's debate night and y'all know I'm going to walk it like I talk it. Let's see if @LindseyGrahamSC can do the same. pic.twitter.com/TNABxsaTEO

— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime)

October 30, 2020

And the bad bitch with her eye on the big prize, MJ Hegar of Texas:

It's about time Texans had a senator as tough as we are. https://t.co/8MQ8Tykmyt pic.twitter.com/bgPr5vtgdh

— MJ Hegar (@mjhegar)

October 16, 2020

Clutch those pearls, John! https://t.co/iWej8MrhtV

— MJ Hegar (@mjhegar)

October 22, 2020

The spineless bootlicker Hegar is challenging, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, is currently resting his dainty patoot in the seat once held by none other than Lyndon Baines Johnson. As president, LBJ would aggressively push for some of the greatest human rights legislation in American history in pursuit of what he called the Great Society. That meant Medicare and Medicaid. It meant a revolution in environmental protections. It meant PBS. And it meant telling the one-party authoritarian regime in the Jim Crow south that America was done with their bullshit, they were going to have real democracy, they were going to do it now, and if they didn’t like it they could eat his ass.

Johnson was a complicated guy and left a complicated legacy. His project required an unusual leader of courage, conviction, and unmitigated savvy, cut with streaks of megalomania and dubious mental health. No architect but Lyndon Johnson would have built the Great Society, and no place but Texas could have built Lyndon Johnson.

Then again, Texas also gave us the Bushes in the late twentieth century. It gave us a terrorist attack on a Biden campaign bus just this weekend.

That darkness is real. So is the long, grinding slog to turn on the light. Like the GA-06 silliness, Democratic efforts in Texas get laughed at as some quixotic waste of resources by arrogant flops. In fact, the past few years of high-profile statewide elections in Texas have been on a pretty clear trajectory. In 2014, Wendy Davis, a state senator from Fort Worth who captured widespread progressive attention with her heroic filibuster of a 2013 state abortion ban, ran for governor. She lost by the ~20-point margin you’d expect in a year where Republicans everywhere did really well, but it was a vitamin B-12 shot to a perpetually overwhelmed state Democratic party. The 2016 Clinton campaign, when it was (correctly!) on the offensive before FBI Director Comey decided he would really prefer a Trump presidency, invested heavily in its Texas ground game. It was always a long shot, but even after the Comey letter and the Texas-specific sabotage by the Russian Internet Research Agency, Texas Democrats cut Trump’s margin there down to single digits. That is to say, they recruited the volunteers and taught the skills and raised the cash and registered the voters to carry the ball way down the field. And in the 2018 midterms, El Paso representative Beto O’Rourke built on all that energy to fight Senator Ted Cruz to a near draw. O’Rourke didn’t quite make it, but he did help a lot of downballot Democrats over the finish line and forced Republicans to light a few oil drums of cash on fire to save a seat that they had always assumed would be safe.

That growth has been possible because of a ton of hard work and persuasion, but it’s also been possible because there was so much untapped potential. As progressives have argued for years, Texas was less of a “red state” than a non-voting state. I’m not a person that usually has a lot of patience for people not bothering to vote, because the people who get to be loud about that are whiny, privileged assholes who can afford to be flip about the right to vote. But there are a lot of people who find it hard because they absolutely do know the weight and importance of voting, because they or their mothers or their grandfathers were beaten and terrorized to keep them away from the polls. They might make the same mouth-noises as the selfish dilettantes about how it doesn’t matter and they’re all corrupt and blah blah blah. But a vote is a tiny little leap of faith. It’s at least a skip of hope. And it hurts to know the weight and importance of that and to keep feeling that disappointment over and over again.

A key thing that Republicans in the South managed to do for a while, but California Republicans didn’t, was to let their misrule seem almost tolerable day to day. As outrageous as the overall trends were, as catastrophic the results were for a lot of people’s lives, it didn’t necessarily feel entirely irrational for lots of people to avoid the inconvenience and disappointment of trying to stop them. But if you’re just going to be a constant, unwavering shit show of incompetence and evil, infuriating people every waking minute of every fucking day for years on end, they’re not going to be deterred by inconvenience and disappointment. They're not going to be deterred by fucking tear gas. They’re going to understand that it’s worth trying to get rid of you, even if it’s a long shot. They’re going to line up to kick you in the shin just for the hell of it. And that’s exactly what millions of them have already done.

These dumbass motherfuckers radicalized Taylor goddamn Swift!

LOOK WHAT YOU MADE HER DO!

So yeah. People who had given up are fucking voting. Texas has already had hundreds of thousands more people vote than voted in all of 2016. BEFORE ELECTION DAY!

Vice President Biden likes to recite a poem by the great Irish bard Seamus Heaney. It’s about how you have to have faith that a better world is possible, even when you don’t have any rational reason to expect it any time soon, because it’s the only way you’ll be able to seize the most precious of opportunities, when “justice can rise up/ And hope and history rhyme.”

Sometimes hope and history walk into a bar to tell dirty jokes for a bachelorette party in downtown Austin. And they rhyme.

For a hundred and fifty years, unreconstructed revanchist terrorist sympathizers have threatened that “the South will rise again.” They mean the treasonous mobsters who called themselves the Confederacy.

Why do those losers get to define the South? Like, literally, they’re losers. They lost.

There’s another South. The terrorists cut it off at the knees, so it never quite rose the first time. But it’s always been there. The South the heroes of Reconstruction tried to build. The South of the Kennedy Space Station and the Center for Disease Control. The South of the French Quarter of New Orleans and the gay neighborhoods of Atlanta. The South of Barbara Jordan, Ann and Cecile Richards, Stacey Abrams, and the young women of the Virginia state legislature. The South of Maya Angelou, Molly Ivins, and Mark Twain. The South of the exiles of Miami and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The South of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Representative John Lewis. The South of James Earl Carter, William Jefferson Clinton, and Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Once upon a time, there was a colossus. The richest and most resentful white people feared it, for it was both great and good. So they hunted it mercilessly. They tortured and killed its most vulnerable people. They bound it and silenced it and told the rest of the world it didn’t even exist. But they knew that wicked lie was the best they could do, for something so mighty could never be slain by the likes of them.

The giant grows stronger every day as it struggles against its chains, and those chains are turning to rust. One day soon - maybe in this decade; maybe this week – it will break free. It will rise. And it will shake the earth. Just you watch.

#2020 election

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thejustmaiden · 4 years

Note

I’m honestly hoping with the current movement of #saveourchildren and the lgbtq community calling out pedos will give the sequel backlash if Rin is the mother. Also I hope none of those shippers are a part of the movement because than it’s just hypocrisy at it’s finest. I’m honored praying sunrise gets the backlash if they decide to do that, especially since it’s 2020, NORMAL and SANE people will be shocked. I’m pretty sure everyone’s sick of the “it’s normal in Japan.” People want change.

Hey, nonnie! I'm not sure if you're the same person who sent me the previous anon ask about what Jaken's VA sent during the livestream or not. I'm assuming that because I received them almost back-to-back, but maybe I wrong. Whatever it may be, happy to have you. 😊

It would be hypocritical in many ways, yes, but at the same time many Sessrin shippers say they would never condone acts like child grooming and the such in real life. I really believe them for the most part, too.

So where does that leave us? Well, what it all really comes down to is at what point do we start acknowledging the spaces both fiction and real life occupy and the (in)direct impact they're capable of having on each other.

In my opinion, Sessrin shippers refuse to accept their correlation- whether that be due to denial, lack of awareness, or a bit of both. Regardless, it's safe to say they simply don't take how linked these two are as seriously as antis do.

As has become a habit of mine in recent blogs/asks lol, I'd like to refer you to a great write-up by boycottyashahime. Read their thoughts on this very subject here. They always put it better than me anyway. Here's a preview excerpt:

"Predators have and continue to use fictional relationships to convince their victims that the abuse they experience is perfectly fine. I think that it would behoove the SessRin community to make sure that those in their midst who are young and vulnerable know the warning signs, understand when an older person may be trying to take advantage of them, and encourage drawing a clear line between the fictional ship and real relationships."

Sessrin shippers would respond to this by saying that shipping a fictional pairing- yes, even if it has harmful implications- isn't actually bad since it's not real and therefore can't be viewed in a negative light. A common misconception of theirs is that antis can't separate real life from fiction. Let me break down why these two reasonings lack support and are basically justifications:

1) Inuyasha is aimed at a young audience, and at no point in this series should a teenager watching be subjected to controversial dynamics closely reminiscent of pedophilia or child grooming. Period.

2) Most of us who have a problem with it CAN in fact differentiate between real life and fiction so please stop missing the point, be it intentionally or not.

The main issue we have is why are we exposing young minds to a heavy topic they are not mature enough to handle yet. Whether you agree or not, it's common knowledge that Sessrin raises a lot of red flags. Antis aren't overreacting because of dumb shipping wars or anything trivial like that. What we're reacting to is the typical Sessrin shipper's response to this pairing. Ship it if you want, but please don't tell us how we should frame our opinions according to your "historically accurate" portrayal, especially if it morphs the truth into something unrecognizable in order to fit your narrative.

Here's an example to give you a better idea of what I mean:

Let's say my favorite animal is the koala bear and yours is the kangaroo. Both are marsupials, right? Both lovable, but one is friendly and the other can be quite dangerous. Now imagine you trying to suggest a kangaroo is as friendly as a koala- so essentially something it's not. Shouldn't I correct you? Sure, you can love the kangaroo (Sessrin in this case) all you want, but shouldn't we stick to the facts presented to us? Accurate identification is the key to appropriate representation! (Say it with me! I like alliteration and rhyming, what can I say? lol) This way there isn't any confusion and we can help prevent our young ones from misinterpreting potentially threatening situations. By attempting to pass the kangaroo off in a category among docile species like the koala (aka healthy ships), you risk putting others in harm's way. Who's to say a child won't take your word for it and just run up to a kangaroo someday and get gravely injured (aka they've now exposed themselves to a real life predator). All this could've been avoided from the get-go if a certain group of people didn't refuse to admit that the kangaroo is indeed dangerous no matter how much they wish it wasn't. Trying to convince us that a kangaroo can be like a koala or something it's not is never going to happen. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that either so there's no need to get defensive. The kangaroo can still survive and thrive and so can your ship, but just in a different environment/genre.

(Did that analogy work? xD)

And nobody as far as I've witnessed (with the exception of maybe one or two occasions) has straight-up called Sessrin shippers pedophiles. Pedo apologists, perhaps, but those two aren't one in the same. Petty and ugly name-calling on the other hand? Well, that's taking place on both sides so you can't really use that against antis.

People do want change! Not only am I tired of Sessrin fans speaking on behalf of an entire country regarding the popularity of a ship despite a strong presence of antis there, nonnie, I'm sick of those same fans telling us we don't have a right to be critical of the content we consume. "If you don't like it, then stop watching."

Since when did it become wrong to demand we do better and improve in areas? It's only normal we care and expect our entertainment to be aligned with our real life morals, because how else do you think fans relate to characters? Of course fiction can push the boundaries as is its nature, but like with everything else in life there are limits. After all, the stories we make up are but reflections of the human experience and we're taught that there are some lines you must never cross.

I'd like to end this off by saying that I hope you're right, nonnie, and that Sunrise and everyone else involved in this sequel receive all the backlash they deserve if they decide to go through with Sessrin. It's possible that movements like Save Our Children can help people who are struggling to understand why making this ship canon is problematic. On top of that, it can help them re-evaluate their values and put them in better perspective in regard to this pairing's close connection to serious acts of abuse like child grooming.

Maybe this whole time we've just been underestimating Sunrise and Rumiko's ability for profound and consistent storytelling. *knocks on wood* All along maybe we had nothing to worry about, who knows? Don't break my heart, readers, and just let me be the half-glass full kinda gal I've always been. It ain't over till it's over. 🤗

Edit: I recently discovered that a right-wing conspiracy pro-Trump group by the name of QAnon is trying to hijack the Save Our Children movement as their own. As much as I support anything that brings more light to children's issues, I do not support Trump, this terrorist organization, and their conspiracy theories.

#inuyasha #hanyo no yashahime #anti sessrin #save our children #anonymous asks #answered ask

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whisker-biscuit · 4 years

Text

In the Name of Science: Chapter 3

Fandom: Sonic Movie (2020)

Rating: T for unethical experimentation, implied violence and gore, and implied torture

Summary: Tom and Maddie didn’t make it in time to rescue Sonic from Robotnik. Hopefully it’s not too late to save him now. Unfortunately, hope is hard to come by in the labs of the mad doctor himself.

Note: :(

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Dr. Ivo Robotnik, M.D. Log 3

Subject has been given time to rest. Recovery appears to be more rapid than previously speculated, as subject is active and aggressive with and without scientists present. Full anatomy examination to be conducted soon.

Behavioral training has begun in earnest.

End log

……..........................................................................

Sonic comes to on a metal surface with his face smushed against cold steel. He hopes it won’t become a pattern.

With a few careful breathes he takes stock of himself. Tired, sore but not as sore as before that horrible shock. The lab is dark and quiet – well, mostly. As much as one can be with humming, blinking machines everywhere – and the hedgehog realizes he must have been out for a few hours at least. With a start he also realizes his limbs are no longer bound together.

He pulls himself up to a sitting position immediately, staring at the four silver metal rings set tight around his wrists and ankles. There’s no indication that they can attach to each other, but just to be safe he tries to keep his limbs apart as he inspects the rest of himself.

Still in the cage? Check. Still hurting from the fight and everything since? Double check. Still planning to get out of here, especially now that the Eggman and his crazy assistant aren’t around? Triple check Sunday with a cherry on top.

The teen carefully gets to his feet, grateful for the returned movement, and notices two new additions to his little prison. They look like giant bottles hanging upside down the front mesh of the cage, with thin nozzles sticking through to the inside. Sonic warily edges near them, pausing after each step to see if it’s some awful trap the scientist has set for him. Nothing happens even as he gets close enough to touch them. With a little more hesitation he reaches out and taps the end of one nozzle. His glove comes back wet.

“Uh…?” He rubs his thumb against the damp spot, puzzled, then turns to the other bottle. A quick touch finds the tip of his finger stained in something green-brown and mushy.

Sonic sniffs it gingerly. It’s got a weird, almost oatmeal smell that he only recognizes cause the town hosted a big breakfast event one summer day and he gorged himself from the food line every time people’s backs were turned. The hedgehog realizes with disgust that it’s supposed to be food, that these bottles are meant to feed and water him like some kind of pet.

He smacks the mesh angrily but they don’t budge, so then he starts pushing and pulling at the nozzles, hoping to dislodge them or break them or do something at least. They rattle in mockery, making the teen even more upset.

Dropping to his back, Sonic lifts his feet up in a biker position and kicks the two spigots hard. Something responds with a loud creak, so he kicks again, and again, until finally the water bottle flies clean off its hinges and falls to the ground in a crash of metal and water. The hedgehog freezes, suddenly nervous instead of indignant. His ears swivel every direction in case Robotnik or a robot appears out of nowhere to hurt him. He’s barely breathing.

As the seconds turn into a minute or more without anything happening, Sonic lets out a slow puff of air and rubs his face.

“Great, Sonic, just great. Way to cause a mess you can’t explain away. Do you want the deranged lunatic to shock you again or do you just enjoy his company? – No, don’t answer that, it’s rhetorical. I know it’s rhetorical, I’m not an idiot! Clearly you are if you’re doing stupid stuff like this!”

He gestures to the mess on the floor, and it’s only then that he realizes he’s started pacing. The teen stops himself, pressing a palm to his forehead.

“Okay so obviously I need a little self-control here if I’m gonna find a way out. Wait, did that make a weakness in the cage?”

Sonic pats the mesh where the bottle used to sit. He makes a loud noise in frustration as it’s obvious the screen won’t budge.

“So that’s a bust. Busted plan, not busted cage or I’d be out of here by now. Okay, hmm…”

His eyes drift to the other bottle and his stomach gurgles. He can’t remember the last time he’s eaten. Probably with Tom. The thought of the human sends something sharp through his chest that he has to stuff down real fast. Now isn’t the time for that.

Instead, he experimentally lays back down and lifts his feet again. With only a moment of hesitation, he jams them against the other nozzle. Forget his hunger. Forget getting in trouble. If he can weaken the wall now and get out, none of it will matter anyway.

It takes a few more kicks than last time to knock this bottle loose – probably because he’s not running on outrage anymore – but soon it joins its duplicate in a loud clatter. Sonic grimaces at the sound but hops up to test the mesh again.

Still nothing.

Frustrated with a growing sense of panic, the teen gets back down and starts kicking directly at the metal wiring. It barely yields, only giving Sonic a horrible backlash of vibrations through his feet for the effort. A growl sticks in his throat as he tries again.

It’s a long time before he’s too exhausted to kick anymore.

……..........................................................................

Robotnik sits at his personal desk with five monitors up. Two of them are running comparative analyses on the quill and blood samples he’s obtained. The third has diagrams of all seventeen different hedgehog species and their anatomies. The fourth is a series of videos of animal trainers offering tips for more rowdy animals, as well as accounts of former human psychological techniques meant to restrain and subdue, usually in old asylums and prisons.

The last monitor is video feed of the alien hedgehog himself, and everything he’s been getting up to.

He had been in and out of consciousness for the first four hours after Robotnik had departed, as the heart rate monitor in his wrist restraints indicated. Most likely his body had been overwhelmed by the stress and had forced a recovery shut down. Then he’d woken up completely at nearly 3 pm.

And what a ruckus he’s created since then.

The scientist strokes his mustache, attention entirely on the video feed for the time being. After breaking off the nutrient feeders (an unnecessary cry for attention, if you ask the doctor) the little creature had pounded at the front of the cage for nearly twenty minutes. He’d dropped flat on his back for a while, panting like a dog, before getting to his feet and running in a circle within one side of the pen.

Whether he’d been planning to try and break through the metal with his body’s speed alone or some other ridiculous plan, it didn’t matter in the end. Because Robotnik had coded those restraints to record velocity, and once they reached a certain threshold their magnetic fields would respond.

This was demonstrated directly when the hedgehog’s ankles were pulled together and he crashed into the far wall. It was a remarkable impact, all things considered.

That was about two minutes ago. Now the man watches as the restraints are deactivated, leaving the alien still half-laying where he hit the ground but definitely aware of the change, if his flicking ears are anything to go by.

“Doctor, I have the items you requested.” Stone’s voice calls confidently from behind.

Robotnik takes one more moment to marvel this creature’s candid personality and behavior, from his position as a hidden observer. Then he leans back in the chair until he’s practically horizontal with his head upside down. He meets his assistant’s gaze.

“Fantastic. Let’s not waste any more time.”

He swivels around and rocks forward out of the chair, his momentum pushing him to his feet and up into Stone’s personal space. He holds his hand out expectantly and the other man obliges, dropping the objects into his open palm. A quick glance tells the scientist they’re exactly as specified.

Without another word the doctor heads down to the main laboratory. He notes with glee how the hedgehog scrambles to attention when he enters the room.

“You’re looking much healthier this afternoon,” he comments, already seeing improvement in the creature’s posture and stance. Then he pretends to notice the broken nutrient feeders for the first time. “Well. Much more active too apparently.”

Sonic tenses. There’s a slight dilation in his pupils that the man almost smiles at – a fear response already, good news. But then he crosses his arms and lifts his chin, still too defiant.

“Yeah? You gotta p-problem with that? It’s just how I roll.”

“On the contrary, I’m delighted by it.”

“What?” The alien’s arms almost drop in his bewilderment. Robotnik tilts his head and purrs.

“Well of course. I want to see what makes you tick, and your behavior is part of that. Not to mention that stunning energy you’ve displayed. I cannot wait to harness it to its fullest potential.”

He watches the way his subject’s mouth works, every twitch of confusion and revulsion and beautiful intelligence. Not on par with him of course, nothing in the universe will ever reach that level, but there’s something so thrilling about interacting with a lifeform from beyond Earth that has given him a literal run for his money.

It’s on this thought that he brings the objects in his hands out in the open. The hedgehog’s eyes lock on to them with the most wide, alarmed expression he’s shown thus far, which is honestly quite the accomplishment given the last half-day.

“I take it you know what these are.”

The alien swallows, and his hands are clenched tight. He doesn’t respond.

“Tell me what you think these are.” It’s an order, the first of many planned.

Sonic takes a deep breath and points at the item in the scientist’s left hand. His arm stays close to his body. “That’s a….that’s a collar.”

“So it is.”

He turns the thing over, letting his subject get a good look at it. The collar is black with the Robotnik logo splashed across in red. Most notable however, is the fairly large black box attached to the center of it, as well as the shiny set of silver dog tags dangling just under them. One finger taps the box.

“Do you know what this does?”

The hedgehog shakes his head. He’s looking rather pale now.

“It’s designed to administer a shock under certain circumstances, the parameters of which will be decided by me. No doubt you remember the one you received earlier today.”

His ears flatten. Robotnik smiles.

“Do you recognize the other object?”

The doctor wiggles his right hand, drawing Sonic’s attention there. He starts trembling just a bit as he stares.

“It’s – that’s a, that’s…” The alien trails off, either struggling to remember the word or not wanting to verbalize it.

“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue? Feeling stifled? Gagged, maybe?” He lifts the other item under two fingers, giving it a little shake as part of the joke. “Remember when I told you I expected nothing out of your mouth unless it’s a response to a direct question? We’re going to practice that.”

Robotnik outright revels in the sudden retreat his subject tries to make from the muzzle in the man’s hand, backing up against the far side of his pen like distance alone will have an effect.

“No…” He whispers. There’s something very vulnerable in his voice, something that goes beyond the idea of physical restraint. “No, no no no.”

“Save your heart-wrenching pleas for someone who has one.” The doctor says coldly, already pressing a few buttons to activate the hedgehog’s magnetic bonds.

Sonic’s wrists come together, as do his ankles, and he loses his balance immediately. He hits the ground on his left side but doesn’t stop struggling to shimmy away nor cease his begging.

“You know, perhaps I would’ve considered only using the collar for the time being, but then you had to be an absolute brat and destroy perfectly functional equipment. Act like an animal, I’ll treat you like an animal. Only fair don’t you think?”

Robotnik makes an irritated noise as his gloating is met with an increased volume of ‘no’ being repeated like a protective mantra. Not that he doesn’t love the groveling, but really. Gloating’s only fun when someone can appreciate it. He sighs and sends a few drones into the cage’s ceiling hatch.

The little hedgehog sees them coming and does the only thing he has left – he curls into a ball, every quill straightened up to create a deadly sphere. It doesn’t help much when the drones hover near enough for his restraints to yank his limbs out into the open, attaching themselves to the robots against all his best efforts.

He’s screaming now.

The robots drag him halfway out of the hatch, leaving his legs dangling in the cage. As Robotnik approaches he can see tears forming in Sonic’s eyes. It gives the scientist pause.

“You are…remarkably impacted by the concept of this. I wonder.” He transfers the muzzle and collar to one hand. The other hand shoots out to grab the teen’s snout, causing him to freeze in shock. “What about it frightens you so? Is it the further loss of body autonomy, or something else?”

His subject’s gaze scatters away from Robotnik’s face for a moment before coming back just as pitifully.

“Please,” he’s back to whispering. “Please, don’t. Please.”

The doctor leans in close, letting the hedgehog feel his breath on his fur and see the utter contempt in his own eyes. He holds him like that for a long moment, and Sonic visibly shudders at it all.

“You don’t get the privilege of begging anymore.”

Sonic’s pupils blow wide. He opens his mouth to scream.

“NO–”

Robotnik jams the muzzle against his face, pressing cold metal into his cheeks and cutting off the wail so fast it leaves eerie silence in its wake. His drones make short work of pulling the Kevlar straps through razer-sharp quills to fasten together where the organic scientist cannot reach. The collar comes next and is almost harder simply because of how much the alien is thrashing.

But it’s soon secured as well, leaving a shaking, near-sobbing teen with his arms stretched above his head and his head still held by his captor. Robotnik drums his fingers against the metal wrapped around Sonic’s face, causing a harsh flinch each time.

“I think this looks quite fetching. Perhaps I should consider keeping it on even outside of training.”

The hedgehog closes his eyes with a whine. The man strokes his mustache.

“Mm, but perhaps not. It all depends on your behavior from here on out.” He checks the time. “For now though, I’d say the rest of the day should be enough to teach you the meaning of the word ‘silence’. What do you think?”

Sonic shakes his head.

“Rest of the day it is! Oh, and let’s not forget to get your sustenance feeders back up, hmm? I’m sure it will be much more difficult to eat and drink like this, but I’m sure you’ll figure something out with that clever little mind of yours.”

A flick of his wrist and the drones drop Sonic back into his pen. The teen scrambles away from the front, into the far corner on the bed side.

“I don’t trust you not to try and take off the extra accessories prematurely either, so your restraints will remain active for a while yet. Not that it matters, because if I find out you tried to break anything else – the feeders, the muzzle, the collar, anything – then the shock I gave you earlier will feel like a tickle. Got that through your thick skull?”

Robotnik waits until he gets a slow, defeated nod before turning away. Something tells him the quill and blood sample analysis is complete, and he doesn’t want to miss a single detail.

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A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took so long. With everything going on right now I went to stay with family, and it has been a lot harder to get time to write around family than I thought ehehe. Hopefully the longer chapter makes up for it.

Also, sorry if Sonic seems OOC for this one, but I was thinking a lot about how his second greatest weapon after his speed is his motor mouth. This lad uses it to fill the void when no one else is there, and I'd imagine (at least for Movie Sonic) that losing that ability is just as terrifying as losing his speed.

On a technical note, I've decided to keep the focus on Sonic for this fic, and not Tom and Maddie. The original plan was to show them working to find him, but that wasn't working out so well in the end, so it's gonna be pain train all the way through.

Chapter 2

Chapter 4

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic movie #sonic movie spoilers #dr robotnik #agent stone

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justinstolemybike · 5 years

Text

sigh. season 3. here we are.

i watched the first five episodes and... i felt so uncomfortable. it was bad. not all bad but... pretty bad. so bad, that it wasn’t enjoyable for me and i didn’t care to watch it all the way through, so i read other spoilers and i am not sure if i will watch the final season. but with it being said that i did not watch the whole thing, this can’t be a full review. so, here comes my first glance. spoilers obviously.

instead of weaknesses and highlights, lets just say likes and dislikes. likes first.

LIKES

- tyler’s storyline. last season, i was skeptical of how they would handle his rape and emotions about it, but i am relieved they gave his character proper care and devin druid did a magnificent job. my only gripe is that i wish they had him do something other than boxing to channel his anger. like, i understand why he would be learning self defense but i would like to see him do something less violent??

- jessica’s reclaiming of her body. at first the whole intro to the sex toys was weird but it actually was really touching (no pun intended) to see jessica begin to love her body and love sex again after what she’s been through. also, female masturbation is so underrated. nice to see it encouraged. know your bodies, ladies.

- the classic jensen tour. i’m surprised they still allow him to do the tours. like, none of the exchange students from the last time reported him? oh.

- chloe and the abortion. as a character, i don’t care for chloe, i’m sorry. she’s not a character to me, just a plot device. also, she gets no cookies for lying for bryce in the trials (i know abusers and victims have a twisted dynamic and that’s why that happened but nah chief) but i do like how they showed that some pro-life clinics will mask as abortion clinics and manipulate women into coming and trying to get them to keep their babies. totally real and fucked up.

- bryce was held socially accountable (kind of) and i think that makes an interesting point about rape culture. in the real world, jail doesn’t scare men in power because they can buy their way out. they don’t care about women and what they feel, obviously. what’ll really fuck sexual assaulters up is when they have no friends and no one likes them. that’s what they (kind of) showed with bryce this season. and he died which, yes fucking rad awesome wow.

- i know that justin also had a kind of darker storyline (with seth, i think? you can tell me if i’m wrong but don’t be rude) but he was a lot of the comic relief it appears and brandon flynn was great at it.

- alex and jessica broke up. hallelujah.

- justin is a abuse survivor. makes sense with his background.

- monty died too AND went to jail. cool amazing beautiful.

- tony is still ferociously loyal and apparently there was a scene where clay and tony said they loved each other. rise clony. rise up from the ashes.

- “i write fanfiction” - clay jensen.

DISLIKES

-ani. ani, ani, ani. i can understand why people find her annoying and she was probably the biggest reason i was uncomfortable watching but i didn’t hate her. she just... didn’t make sense. the things she did,the things she said, how she was involved and everyone just takes to her and loves her immediately, no questions asked, no buildup necessary... none of it felt natural or believable. a new girl comes in and it’s just a coincidence that clay gives her a tour and she decides to go up to jessica and says shes amazing and lives in bryce’s house and connects herself to the house of horrors that is the tape club (which was so dumb on the tape club’s part by the way, as she could have snitched and destroyed them all) instead of just finishing out her high school career in peace considering she moves around a lot and she starts college in a year and half and probably won’t talk to any of them after that. no, she’d rather potentially go to jail for a bunch of fucking strangers and criminals and rapists. sure, okay.

and for someone who just fucking got there to basically insert themselves in the traumas of these kids and make things worse in some respects and do some fucking shitty things (not listening or caring when she heard about bryce being a GODDAMN RAPIST, accusing jessica of SLEEPING WITH HER RAPIST, accusing clay of being the killer, yelling about chloe’s pregnancy in the street, the list probably gets longer) and think they’re allowed to pass judgment when THEY JUST FUCKING GOT THERE. LIKE, WHY IS SHE SO INVESTED? WHAT DOG DOES SHE HAVE IN THIS FIGHT? DOESN’T SHE NEED TO STUDY OR SOMETHING? WHY IS THIS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE SHE HAS GOING ON IN HER LIFE?

now, i get what the show was trying to do here. they wanted another, fresh perspective/narrator and i guess a love interest for clay (a wayyyy too convenient love interest, ‘she loves robots and drawing and not minding her business too! swoon!). but they could’ve had both of those things without adding someone to the payroll. honestly, i don’t think they needed a narrator at all but if they really wanted one, they could’ve added an ACTUAL ADULT detective, with no biases so they can be completely reliable to the audience and their investment would be justified. for love interest, yall already know how much i love and miss sheri. she could check clay without sounding patronizing and had chemistry with him and actual nice, romantic history. she could have been his second cop and they could have reconnected and become a couple and... we could’ve had it all, rolling in the deeeppp.

it’s like with ani, the show wanted to kill two birds with one stone but they missed them both and i think the backlash on her character says it all. i’d just like to remind everyone to give the actress who plays ani respect and courtesy because it’s not her fault.

- was it just me, or does it seem like the tape club has learned nothing from what they went through? they’re still keeping secrets and trying to hide shit and keep it all inside and i’m like..... but.... this behavior is what got ya’ll fucked up in the first place? and i totally understand it’s about protection and whatever but.... it also feels like an excuse to not be held accountable for wrong doing. like, alex killed bryce. although he had all the reasons to do it and i’m glad he’s dead, he killed someone fam. that’s not okay. and his dad is wrapped up and it’s just... i just... i dont know. then, there was the whole “let’s not tell on tyler so he doesn’t go to jail” thing and i have mixed feelings about that. i think they should’ve turned him in and got clay’s mom to rep him for rehabilitation and therapy instead of a jail sentence. they’re hiding the guns and trying to trust tyler and luckily that worked, but how long? what if someone fucks with him again and it’s too much for them to help him with?

- speaking of help, clay needs it. oh my god, does that boy need it. they were so focused on getting tyler professional help but, clay’s out here putting guns to his head and having night terrors. he needs therapy more than anyone. honestly, what i would have liked to see, wayyy back in s2, is as soon as justin saw that, he wouldve went to clay’s parents and got him back on his meds and seeing a counselor. he’s been through so much trauma and guilt and he’s tired of his own fucking hero complex. it’s enough man.

- they tried to have their cake and eat it too when it came to clay stopping tyler from shooting up the school. they tried to be like, clay shouldn’t have done that but oh, he was so brave and what a great guy he is for doing that. no, that doesn’t work. clay should not have confronted tyler in that situation. period.

- zach was disappointing because i agreed wholeheartedly when he said that they should have called the cops but... he didn’t. he was blaming them for letting tyler go free but he was too. damn, zach.

- it’s like they give clay a new lackey every season and.... ok, i guess.

- i also thought it was kind of weird that after everything they’ve been through, they still walk on eggshells with each other? like i guess because now we’re dealing with murder but... i would think they would trust and care for each other a lot more than to accuse each other and spy and interrogate and not just simply ask... like... this season made me not understand the tape club’s relationship. like are they friends? allies? allies trying to be friends? friends out of necessity? do they know?

- bryce does not deserve to be humanized. that’s all.

- monty does not deserve to be humanized. that’s all. also, it’s so disappointingly predictable that he’s closeted.

- the new characters (ani, caleb, chloe, winston, cyrus ) i still don’t care about. plot devices, all.

i may edit and retract some things, should i decide to watch all the way but i’m tired.

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spyder-m · 4 years

Text

Shumako Week 2020, Day Three: Stay With Me

@shumakoweek Day Three: Arsene&Johanna / Metaverse.

AO3 / FF.net

Summary: Between recent backlash against the Phantom Thieves, the discovery of her sister's Palace, Akechi's plot to capture Ren and their plans to thwart it; there was a lot weighing on Makoto's mind. A seemingly routine trip to Mementos uncovers just how much of a toll it was taking.

There had been a lot weighing on Makoto’s mind over the last few weeks.

It had started with the discovery of Sae’s palace.

Makoto had suspected something may have been amiss from the way sis had been behaving lately, growing increasingly tense; blinded by her drive to excel and lashing out at those who stood in her way.

She had wanted to brush it off as a product of the pressure her workload was putting her sister through. Though, after what she had seen, what she had learnt of the Metaverse, she could no longer delude herself.

The woman who raised her following their father’s death; the only family she had left; was a shadow of her former self, distorted beyond recognition.

Not long after, they had learnt of Akechi’s plot to have Ren arrested, to lead him into the underground interrogation room and ultimately...

She and the rest of the Phantom Thieves had carefully plotted a countermeasure. Yet, for every variable, every potential outcome they had considered, Makoto couldn’t help but worry that there was something they had overlooked.

That, despite their best efforts, Ren would be led to his death.

It wasn't unlikely, given everything that they had to keep their minds on. Their usual deadline, the recent backlash against the Phantom Thieves, the other Metaverse user, Akechi's scheme... It was overwhelming.

There were more issues than they could keep track of, let alone devote adequate attention to resolving. Even divided up amongst all eight of the Phantom Thieves.

With time, the pressure was smothering Makoto. Yet she shrouded it beneath a brave face. As the group's advisor, they relied on her for guidance. She couldn't let them know that she was worried. That would only shake the group's morale further. The doubt would spread.

Makoto was thankful for the trip they had taken into Mementos, even if it was only a routine stop to clear out weaker shadows.

Joker had suggested they take the time to work with Akechi. In the hopes they would meld together more effectively as a unit in the palace, up against deadlier opponents.

Though, in truth, she suspected it was for her benefit. That he had noticed her distress.

Normally, such a detour would see Makoto chastising the rest of the team for not using their time wisely; particularly when planning to a face target of such pressing urgency.

Though, at this point, anything to drive her focus away from Sae's palace was welcome. As must as she wanted to save her sister, the reality of her distorted heart was, at times, too much for Makoto endure.

It was certainly much easier to alleviate the tension she felt, when she was throttling shadows with practiced ease.

Not since awakening Johanna for the first time, had Makoto expended so much energy fighting in the Metaverse. Sweat beaded from her pores as she landed the killing blow on the last of their enemies. She closed her eyes, concentrating on each depleting droplet; as if it were every last ounce of stress seeping away from her body.

Makoto hadn't been relying on her Persona much throughout their fights, but instead focusing on close combat. With all that was plaguing her mind, she wasn't sure she could handle the mental exertion of using Johanna, and kept her fists raised.

She had always favoured a more aggressive fighting style in the Metaverse, an inverse of the obedient honour student image tied to her outside. Yet, today her movements were particularly wild and erratic, fuelled more by adrenaline than technique.

She wasn’t taking the time to analyse enemies or exploiting their weakness as might normally be expected. She stepped forward without a second thought. At times, even seeking out battles with enemies that could have been avoided.

It was oddly careless of her, a habit they couldn’t afford to fall into the Casino. If it wasn’t for the sheer strength advantage they possessed over their opponents, any mistake she made could have been fatal.

It hadn't gone unnoticed by Joker, who quickly pulled her from the party, calling on Noir to replace her.

Once Makoto had stepped back, with nothing else to do, nothing left but her thoughts, she began analysing their enemies, offering her teammates advice to capitalise on as normal.

The task was menial, a momentary distraction for her. She could take comfort in what was familiar, pretending that there weren't larger, more terrifying problems outside of what she was focused on.

They made even the depths of Mementos seem much smaller.

When the group dispersed for the evening, a chattering Futaba and Morgana making their way towards the Yongen-Jaya line, Ren lingered behind, watching her closely.

Tension cramped Makoto’s muscles, overtly conscious of his line of sight weighing upon her. She wanted nothing more than to slip away without a word, but his concern was too palpable to believably ignore.

“Ren? Is something the matter?”

Shouldering his bag, Ren's head nodded towards the train station, motioning for her to follow.

"Come on."

There was something about the attic in Leblanc that could always set Makoto’s mind at ease.

From the onset, she had been welcomed into the cafe eagerly. Never shielded away by low, whispered voices, or sharp glares.

There was a quaint familiarity about the room. Something liberating in the scattered, empty chairs and cluttered desk; knowing it was here that they, the Phantom Thieves, had gathered to take down some of the city's most powerful criminals.

It was a fitting stage. Somewhere neglected and shut out. Judged on a cursory glance, without any care taken to recognise closely what was held within.

It was there that Makoto had finally felt in touch with herself. As though she finally had the power to exert control in her life. Not someone looked down upon or coerced in to doing favours.

It was soft curls of hair, the spices lingering in his breath. It was textbooks and study notes piled up amongst infiltration tools. It was shy stolen kisses on a worn couch, warm caresses and softly whispered words.

The same couch where they had learnt so much of one another, was where he sat now; arms open and beckoning her forward.

Suddenly conscious of how tired she felt, Makoto accepted the offer. She nestled in beside Ren, fitting comfortably into the plains of his chest. Exhaling lowly, his hand shifted to sift through her hair. Lazy, drugging caresses.

The temptation pulled at her, to simply snuggle up and forget the rest of the world; to let time to fade into nothing.

But, she couldn't.

Makoto knew that Ren was leading her on gently. That at any moment he would find the words to lay out everything she was trying to bury. This was just a means of lowering her defences.

In anticipation she spoke first.

“You don’t need to worry about me.” Makoto broke after a moment, her head shifting from its cushion against his body. “There are much more important matters at hand-”

The words faltered on her lips as Ren rose his hand.

“Makoto.” Ren instructed firmly. “Look at me.”

Makoto glanced down, tentatively. Unnerved by the prospect of meeting Ren’s gaze. It was disarming how easily he could read her, as though the mask she covered herself with was useless.

The Third Eye.

Ren was well-versed in discerning between what was real and what was not. It was an ability that had been an integral part in toppling many of the palaces they'd ventured before.

In such close proximity, avoiding his gaze was difficult. It was a deliberate, conscious effort, one that would only reveal she had something to hide.

Regardless of her action, she was trapped.

It would be foolish of her to think that she could deceive the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

That feeling of defeat and helplessness was becoming painfully familiar to Makoto as she eventually relented, eyes lifting to catch his own. Though, the soft pools awaiting her reflected sincerity and compassion, her momentary dread abating.

“It's important to me.” Ren insisted. "With what we're about to do, I need to know that you're in your right mind. You're our advisor, after all."

Makoto's glance trailed downward again, sagging further under the burden she shouldered. His hand lingered there, squeezing gently, the pressure seeming to alleviate the load.

“I know Queen. She’s proud, and strong, and always sure of herself. She’s not someone who is easily shaken." Ren's own gaze lifted, bashfully, as he spoke so fondly of her. The love and admiration he felt apparent.

"You can't lose your way like that in Mementos and pretend carry on as if everything is fine.”

Makoto's head dipped, a reluctant nod.

No matter the hardships facing them in the real world, how scared they may have felt, they rarely affected them with the same intensity into the Metaverse. If anything, they; along with their Persona, determination and will to rebel; imbued them with the courage and strength to fight.

For the power they lacked, they possessed infallible strength of heart.

For her to carry doubts into the Metaverse, it would be a detriment not only to herself, but the entire team. Joker had recognised as such and pulled her out of the fight. He had stayed behind, wanting to take the time to check on her.

“If something's troubling you, you shouldn't keep it from the rest of us. I know things are stressful right now, but you need to stop burdening yourself."

Ren's fingers collected each side of her face, gently coaxing her towards him. Bangs over their foreheads tangling; their eyes a deep, earnest link.

"We're all in this together.” He reassured softly, breath mingling with hers. “We’ve done everything we can. We’re going to save Niijima-san.”

"That's... That's not all I'm worried about though.” She answered, voice similarly lowering “What about you?"

"About me?" Ren blinked; blank expression etched across his face. Makoto sighed. For all the care and selflessness he extended towards the others, he rarely considered his own well-being.

"You heard what Akechi said. What if we haven't prepared enough?"

“Makoto... I'm sure it will all work out. I trust you. All of you. I am comfortable putting my life in your hands. You’ve never led me astray before."

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily." He smirked. "Who'd lead the Phantom Thieves without me? Morgana?"

Laughter peeled from her throat, imaging the boost to proud thief’s ego such power would bring; relishing in the opportunity to order Ryuji around.

The feeling was pleasant, carefree.

"Ren?" Makoto whispered, after a moment, her head dipping back beneath his shoulder. "Can I stay here? Just a little bit longer? Sis won't be coming home again tonight, and I..."

Even when her voice had already been faint, Makoto trailed off, afraid to put words to the fear eating at her insides.

In that place, she would be alone. Trapped, steadily engulfed by thoughts of her sister, slaving away on a case that was slowly plaguing her heart.

“Of course." Ren answered, cupping the back of her head. "Stay as long as you want.”

#shumako #shumakoweek #shumako week day 3 #persona 5 #p5 #makoto niijima #fanfiction

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c-bulletaftermidnight · 6 years

Note

Ok I said I wouldn’t ask but your TFA answer was so awesome I’m curious - things you liked/disliked about TLJ?

Oh boy, oh boy

Liked:

_ Uuuh. Kylo becoming Supreme Leader and cementing himself as the true villain I guess since it’s interesting to work on it’s gonna the political & military landscape of the FO??

_ Kylo being shown off again as a good tactician when fucking up the Raddus.

_I’m glad Phasma’s gone.

-Finn & Rey hugging at the end of the movie that’s it.

That’s it.

Dislikes:

_ The worldbuilding has been fucked up just to respond to Rian’s whims when he have barely any explications about the context.

_ Fucking bad designs everywhere.

_Boring cinematography except a few times.

_ The fucking zooms-in and Kylo looking like he’s stuck in a washing machines when he barrels rolls around the TIE Silencer.

_ The FO is suddendly overpowered with money and personnal. The loss of SKB has like no impact on the organization. This episode should have explored to their backstory but Rian simply didn’t care.

_ Everybody in this movie shut off their brains.

_ Hux went from “officer didn’t had not much battle experience” to a total joke. His traumas due to his upbringing are ignored and his sufferings are reduced into supposed moments of comedy .And it’s not like Rian didn’t knows his past, he even gave him a first name. Hell he didn’ even bother explain Hux’s past to Domhnall and he discovered that his character had a first name when an interviewer asked him about it (Domnhall seemed pretty angry about it since he invest himself a lot in reserches and stuff for the characters he plays.) Knowing how Domhnall had to improvise the blaster scene, i’m sure he would have objected even more of Rian’s decisions. His purpose half of the movie is to do Huxposition on the bridge, being totally incompetent and thrown around. It’s gonna be hard for JJ to repair this and have the audience take him seriously as a villain.

_ Poe, well, I never cared much about his character. I even tried to read the comics but I felt barely nothing about him. But I was hoping TLJ would help but instead they managed to makes me hate his character. The Poe/Holdo arc was badly written. There was many ways to make an arc like that make sense but also more emotionnal for these two characters. I hate how one second they makes him this macho man who keeps understimating lady officers but a second after, the female characters are “haha, I like him ;)” Yeah sure.

_Finn’s arc who is reduced as total coward and a joke and where war has to be explained to him (a fucking child-soldier) by a woman that constantly think about hurting him when he mentions Rey, the person he is close to the most and then is forced as a potential love-interest to him for some reasons. The DJ explanations are just bad (of course, the Resistance has to buy weapons. We knows that Rian, thx) The suicide run was also pretty stupid. Also the fact that him and Rey didn’t reuniting on the Supremacy screams so much Rian wanting them to interact as less as possible in the movie. Finn deserves better.

_ Rey’s arc. Can we even talk about an arc? Her character regressed. As if she didn’t dealt with years of abuse and survival on Jakku and as if Kylo never tortured her and hurt her closed ones. Hell she even get tortured twice in the space of two days because of Kylo. The Force-skype stuff feels so forced. Adam & Daisy only have good chemistry when their characters are set against each other. Rey talks about how she is scared of the Force within her but we see her then has no problem to deal with it and master everything in one second (rendering the existence of jedi school pretty useless like you just have to download the Force-powers of a master jedi and that’s it. The Force.exe is installed. ) The small training scene where she cut the rock looks pretty stupid, her sword fighting position is pretty bad during it. Going to the dark side has no consequences on her. She has no agency. Replace the word “Force” by the plot and you’ll see what I mean.

_ Luke. Has someone who has to deal with depression, I think showing Luke as irritated and stuff can makes sense. I kinda relate since my temper changed a lot. I had a lot of patience & kindness but now, everything irritate me (from a member of my family intruding in my space to hearing the ringing of the phone) I’m scared to see my friends, I feel like a walking failure that I will never be satisfied about myself or will satisfy my parents, I just want to be left alone & if this lead me to die that way, then so be it. The problem is how wonky the writing leading-up to this Luke is bad. Everything is about to make us feels sad for Kylo (I don’t). Kylo’s turning against his family upon learning that he is the grandson of one of the most dangerous war criminal would makes senses. Luke blaming himself because he felt he failed to help his nephew after years of work instead of randomly popping his lightsaber would have made more sense. Luke’s grieving all his others students would make more sense. Luke attempting to reason Kylo after the massacre but still failing would make sense. Luke looking for a solution on the island and then failing to find one, thus made him feel unable to see his sister face to face would makes more sense. There’s is barely any emotionnal moments for Luke and the Final holographic showdown feels like they absolutely wanted to avoid Kylo to kill Luke directly (like c’mon, he’s been committing war crimes since the first minutes of TFA)

_ Kylo. TLJ is a bad attempt at Kylo’s pity fest.It’s interesting that his traumas are acknowledged while the other character’s are pretty ignored despite having a tragic’s past that should impact them as well. Everything is about him. Most of his actions are pretty villainous, he’s no grey character like people are trying to force us to believe because he looks sad. This is an humanized villain arc (which he didn’t need after seeing TFA), not a redemption one. At least he is now the main villain too, so there’s tha (But the “Uwu save ben solo” stuff going around spoil my liking of him as a villain. I’m not here to see whether Kylo is gonna turn LS for a third time in ep9. It would be too repetitive at this point) I just hate the “ You are truely Han solo’s son”line because it is obvious he is more like his mother. Only father figures are important to the characters in SW, it seems. Also the goddamn scar being moved on his eyes but it doesn’t impair his vision despite being cut by a freaking lightsaber. Like Rian could have gave us a legit explanation why Kylo was weakened & needed Rey to fight the preoatarians guards: Losing an eye would be an huge handicap tha het is not used to yet so he needed help to take the throne.

_ Leïa is only here to looks sad and for Kylo’s momentarily manpain (and Marry Poppying around space). Like really, you reduce Leïa fucking Organa too that?? The woman ready to move time and space just for the sake of saving freedom? the princess of Alderaan who saw her planet being destroyed but kept up on? the woman who was mainly in charge of the strategizing of Hoth’s evacuation? The woman who was willing to stay on Bespin just for the sake of massacring stormtroopers because Vader gave Han away to Boba Fett & would have stayed if Lando didn’t pulled her off to the Falcon? The woman who had to face the galactic backlash of her being Vader’s daughter but still kept on? A woman full of anger but also sense of duty?

_ Rose, rose, rose… I was excited to meet her so imagine my disappointment upon discovering she was just here to lecture & push around Finn & being forced as another love interest that doesn’t even work. It’s like she forgot that her sister died the same day and that she should still be grieving. We don’t even get to see her use her mechanic’s skills in the whole story. The message about her character makes no sense between her last line in tlj and all the destructions she is willing to provoke (not all the ppl working at Canto bight are rich, has it show in the Canto Bight book) or let happens. KMT doesn’t deserve that.

_ Yoda’s appearing bcos I hate this hypocrite of a gremlin and was expecting for Luke to dunk him in the sea.

_ Chewie, the glorified cab driver.

_ The battles are a huge clusterfuck & the most badly written space battle I have ever seen.

_The way Poe’s piloting skills feels to OP when you compare to other pilots, in particular in recently RO.

_D’qar’s battle is a fucking tactical mess. Everyone has been conviniently dumb down. Same during the slow-mo chase. What’s even the point of bringing the whole fleet of star destroyers if they are just useless.

_ Bad infiltration scene on the Supremacy on the same level as RO’s one. I’m just tired of infiltration scenes in SW. Please stop that shit.

_ The preotarian guard fight is a choregraphic mess that has no stakes for the characters. Everyone is just waiting for their cue and twirling around. It’s like it was shooted in one go. And there is a difference between Luke in ROTJ kicking a blaster out of the hand of a foe looking bad due to technical problems of the time. And a knife suddendly being edited out at the last minute because the mc would have die then

_ Crait. A good example on how not taking in account the worldbuilding that could be used in battle. So you’re gonna tell me that the Resistance decided to hide away in a base with no issue other than big metallic door in the front? Sounds like a good plan.

_ Leïa never taking command of the battle and strategizing and letting Poe deal with all that despite that she is the general that Poe is a demoted member of the Navy who caused a shit-ton of mess among the Resistance like 30 minutes ago

_ Hux is still depicted in a idiotic way & using bad tactics again. If this is supposed to be a movie about the characters learning about their mistakes,well it didn’t do its job.

_ What is even the use of the third cannon of the gorrilla walkers??

_ What was even the point to use these old speeders besides for being destroyed?

_ Rey shooting down 3 TIES in one shot seems to break a lot of SW physics. Her disappearing of the whole fight shows how much Rian didn’t care abt her character beyond having her interact with Kylo.

_ Y’know, I have Battlefront 2 and in the game there is mining tunnels on the battlefield that you can use to hide. In the movie they are not present, the whole Resistance sit dumbly in trench and just wait to be massacred. I was hoping those tunnels would re-appear in the movies & would be used to sink the walkers by bringing them down with bomb used for mining but nope. The image of walkers falling in a sinkhole, provoking a storm of red dust, coloring the outfits,armors and vehicles in red would have been pretty badass to see.

_ The ramming canon trained on like 10 kilometers instead of using the gorrilla walkers designs and adding to them the mini death-stars canons. They can’t use it all the time tho bcos it would need to cool down before shooting again. Aren’t these supposed to be artillery vehicles ffs???

_ The Resistance not even rigging their escape ships with bombs so if the FO penetrated their base, they can at least cripple them by exploding them. So much for a group that is supposed to be specialized in guerrilla warfare.

_ Talking about guerrilla warfare, i was expecting at least a pursuit and firefight in the mines. No use of the worldbuilding during battle scenarios once again.

_ Leïa should have been the one to confront Kylo, not Luke. Showing her willing to fight her own son and dies during it for the freedom of the galaxy would have been a good way to send her off and building her as this strong, resilient, legendary leader willing to fight her own family for the good cause. It would have been a good middle finger to people who slandered her upon learning she was Vader’s daughter.

_ Rey effortlessly levitating these rocks. Showing her struggle would have made the ending scene more rewarding.

_ The news of the Battle of Crait spreading super fast despite that the Resistance official journalist, Suralinda Javos wasn’t even present during it for documenting or something.

_ Broom boy & the way it is implied that he might join the Resistance or something because of his Force-powers. A fucking child.Involved in a war. I thought Finn being a child-soldier was bad thing?

And I’ll stop there for now, because there is so many problems with this movie, i’m never gonna be finished with it.

#tlj criticism #rian there's no point abt subverting expactations if you can't write coherent characters and plot

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multiverseofmiracleshq · 3 years

Photo

Following the various misteps of the Avengers, it was highly suggested that they hold an accountability meeting to go over what preventative measures should be taken if one of their own were to go AWOL and what resources they should have in place for support. Instead, things became tense when the once Captain America Sam Wilson and the Winter Soldier got into a fight about the shield... and it’s new owner dropped in to say hello.

THIS IS THE OFFICIAL CHAT LOG COVERAGE OF THE IC

SAM: He hadn’t really wanted it to come to this. In retrospect, it had to be expected at least a little, but Sam wasn’t thinking about the government. For the first time in two years he turned his mind away what the public would think about him ( hint: it was most likely unfavorable ) and about his own wants and needs. Maybe that made him a bad Captain America, but that was a title. Sam was a person and after Westview he was a person who needed a moment to catch his breath and step away from a legacy he had inherited without hesitation because it was more than just an honor -- it was a duty. Of course Sam had considered the racism, the backlash. He had been Black in America long enough to know how he would be seen. It would be worth it. It would be... Exhausting. Sam was exhausted. Westview had worn him down in a way that he hadn’t experienced in years. He had put in the work when he was discharged. He had led the PTSD support groups because he wanted to practice what he preached. Sam picked up the shield and did his best but he was tired. Weary to the bone exhausted. He didn’t want to talk about his problems but he didn’t want to keep dragging them around so he took a page from Steve’s book and set the shield down. Falcon once more, Sam hung at the back of the room with his arms crossed. His former title being picked up by Walker was listed as a talking point and he’d rather shy away from that. “We waiting on a shrink to start this off or are we supposed to entertain ourselves?”

NATASHA: Reclined in her chair with her ankles crossed, Natasha sent a cursory glance at Sam. She and Steve had discussed the situation at length but she had yet to talk with the man in the center of it all. Nat was, unsurprisingly, not a fan of the American government. She had once actively sought to counteractive it before later toppling one of its pillars. They had never been on stellar terms even if they now called her a hero for doing what was needed. “Heard an agent in the hall say to lock the door until we all start braiding each others hair.” The two legs of her chair that had been briefly suspended connected with the ground as Natasha leaned forward. “They asked if we have resources. We don’t. We haven’t since the Blip. I checked out for a year and came back to a congratulations and call to active duty. We don’t help our people. Not since Berlin.”

BUCKY: "Berlin." James echoed from his place just adjacent to the exit, the door caught in his periphery as he eyed Sam across the table. "We have court mandated therapy with awful shrinks, but I think they reserve that just for mass murderers." He was bitter, and it was obvious in his tone, but they were detached from his words. James obviously directed the feeling at someone in particular, and it wasn't even entirely his fault. "Do you want me to say it, Sam?" he challenged.

STEVE: While there was never any moment of peace that was ever allowed to stretch too far, it felt like each catastrophe was bigger than the last and came up quicker too. And while they all fought, survived, and moved on to the next disaster like it was nothing — the truth of it was, they just never stopped taking hits. Steve didn’t know how to sit still these days, and he especially didn’t know how to enjoy a peaceful moment without worrying when the next thing is going to fall out of the sky and set it up in flames. Anxiety wasn’t so passable for unnecessary worry when it was backed up with evidence and a history of becoming a reality. When he started serving mental health was never on the table for discussion—for the first time he was rather hopeful one of these meetings might actually have the potential to do some good for once. That was, until Bucky and Sam seemed to already begin bickering. He eyed the two of them, arms crossed over his chest comfortably as he leaned back in his chair beside natasha. “I don’t think anyone invited a shrink.”

DAISY: Daisy was admittedly a little uncomfortable with the awkward tension in the room as she sat in her seat and slowly swiveled back and forth, lost in her own thoughts. There was so much to talk about, and they were all pretty touchy topics. Westview, the Accords, whoever the hell John Walker was.. Her mind was racing on what to say. Thankfully, she didn't have to be the first person to speak up as Sam kicked things off. She was pretty angry for him about the new Captain America situation, since it was pretty obvious what the decision boiled down to and it wasn't right. It was kind of ironic the job Daisy now had, considering how anti-government she'd been back before she even joined S.H.I.E.L.D. And stuff like this only ignited that anger in her about how things tended to be handled by the United States. "Agreed. I think we can all agree that the Anomaly wouldn't have happened if Wanda had those kinds of resources."

WANDA: Attendance was mandatory. It was extra mandatory for Wanda, seeing as she was part of the agenda. Her head was held high even though she sat alone with the two chairs on either side of her vacant. Unsure of the dress code, she had arrived in the most nondescript outfit she could think of -- plain hoodie and baseball cap once again making an appearance. “Or, maybe, the government should have been stopped from stealing a body in the first place. Resources are good, yes, but me attending therapy would not have stopped them from desecrating the Vision.”

SAM: So it was gonna be like that then. His gaze locked with Bucky’s across the room, unflinching and refusing to blink. He was already going through the ringer and the last thing he needed was Barnes coming at him as well. The public, the government, his friends. It never really ended. “I don’t know, Buck,” his voice was measured. “What’s there to say?”

DAISY: Daisy completely agreed, but there wasn't much she could say in response to that. She hadn't exactly been in S.W.O.R.D. during that entire ordeal. And even if she was, she wasn't sure if she'd have had any say in what happened there. She rubbed the bridge of her nose for a moment to gather her thoughts before lifting her head up. "That wasn't right, no. And I think any level-headed person would agree with that."

PETER: Being present at these sorts of meetings would never feel normal to Peter, no matter how long he’d donned the Spider-Man mantle. In fact, since his identity had been exposed, the impostor syndrome was at an all time high when it came to his status among the Avengers and the rest of ‘Earth’s mightiest’. He didn’t belong here - he caused more harm than good most of the time - and while most of the others believed he did, that tended to mean his necessary attendance. At the very least, he could be there for Wanda, he thought, the chair he currently sat in tucked against the furthest corner of the room.

BUCKY: The news of John Walker hadn't been quiet - in fact, it had rang through America with fanfare and cheers. They'd celebrated Sam stepping down to be replaced, but James didn't care about the logistics of now. He'd been trying to unstick eggs from a too old, too worn pan when the news filtered in from the living room. He'd turned his tv down just enough for it to be background noise, but the naming of Captain America had been enough to grab his attention. Even worse was the revelation of John Walker, not Sam Wilson, as the man behind the shield, and Sam hadn't even bothered to send him a text. "If you didn't want to carry the shield anymore, I'm sure there are plenty of people more capable than Johnny fucking Appleseed to take it. You should've told someone Sam. That shield wasn't yours to just give away."

MONICA: “What went down with Tyler Hayward never should have happened.” Monica sighed. “And I know we’re trying to be better, but in some ways our hands are tied. The government messes up. A lot. We try and clap back and they punish us. How do you break that cycle?”

STEVE: Steve was just as upset about John Walker as anyone else — giving up the shield to sam had been easy, it had been what Steve wanted. It was going into good hands that belonged to a man he knew was bound by his own need to do what was right. With Sam, there was never any concern, Steve never thought twice about it—but he didn’t know John, and to be perfectly honest his record of being a good soldier wasn’t enough to convince him that he’d be a good cap. Good soldiers followed orders without question—most days you needed that. Hesitation got people killed. But war wasn’t black and white and orders weren’t always coming from an honorable tongue. Whoever held that shielded needed to be able to walk that line—West Point graduate or not, he didn’t think John had what it took to do that. When it came down to it, Steve felt like he was too eager to prove he could be Captain America that he’d never step out on a limb when it came down to it. He’d bow his head and fall in line. “Buck…” Steve started. “He didn’t give it away.” Steve would never know first hand what Sam was going through, and he’d never pretend to, but he did understand what the weight of that shield could feel like when the world didn’t trust it in your hands. It was easier to let it go than to try and be what everyone else wanted—he may hate that it went to John but he didn’t blame Sam for that. “They took it.”

SAM: There it was. Wasn’t his to give away. Only, it was. “I think you’re confused.” Sam shook his head, arms falling to his side. “Like he said, Steve gave me the shield and I gave it to the Smithsonian.” Because he needed one goddamn second to breath and process without the weight of everyones expectations. Steve didn’t get it. Bucky didn’t get it. That shield meant one thing to them but it came with a lot more strings for Sam. He wasn’t just Captain America. He was Captain America and he was Black and more than a few people didn’t know how to correlate the two. He turned to Rogers then, holding a hand out in his direction. “You aren’t my dad, Bucky. Steve’s not my mom. I can speak for myself here. I did what was best for me and I didn’t owe you an explanation.” Nor Carol, for that matter. He had called the museum’s Director when they first opened, the shield smuggled in with the morning light. “You think it doesn’t hurt to see them roll out Walker with applause I never got? You think I like seeing his smug ass up there? Nah.” His hands clenched into fists and released. “Steve gave me the shield, not you. I’m sorry I didn’t do what you wanted with it.”

SCOTT: Between many of the comments being thrown about, there were pockets of awkward silence. Scott knew it was because everyone was thinking, choosing their words carefully, but he couldn’t help but let his mind wander as he took in all the faces in the room. Before he’d met Hank, before all this, he would’ve been another idiot causing trouble for the individuals in this room to stop, but now here he was - sitting shoulder to shoulder with the best and brightest, some of the strongest individuals on the planet - and if that didn’t make someone feel a small sense of self-importance as well as an overwhelming need to make sure he didn’t fuck anything up, Scott didn’t know what would.

BUCKY: James's gaze flickered to Steve, his eyes briefly narrowing before he forced himself to relax. It didn't help much, began the tension was still corded in the muscles of his shoulders, bunching there. It was hard not to be angry; hard not to watch the legacy that had pulled him out of HYDRA's grip be tainted by a boy scout that didn't deserve it. The Winter Soldier could never be Captain America; James would never be able to take that shield and be the beacon of hope for America. His history was too well known; his stain on history never washing out. Sam had been the guy to step into those shoes, keep the legacy safe, and become someone James had even begun to confide in. To consider a friend. "You could've given it to literally anyone else." He could hear the petulance in his tone, but he didn't relent. He didn't know how. "But you gave to a museum. What, is Steve dead to you? Were you trying to memorialize him or something?"

DAISY: Clearly the government had a bit of a corruption problem, whether that was HYDRA infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D., or a corrupt member just taking things into their own hands. Daisy glanced over at Monica in the seat next to her and took a deep breath before glancing back at Wanda. “What Hayward did isn’t a representation of what organizations like S.W.O.R.D or even S.H.I.E.L.D. stand for. But you make a good point, they shouldn’t have taken Vision’s body. It was out of our control, though. Monica was... gone. And I was up in space. Other agents should have stepped in, sure, but we’re not your enemies.”

SAM: If there was a place to have this verbal confrontation, in front of all the Avengers during an “accountability” meeting that actually seemed to be nothing productive wasn’t it. They should have taken a clue from the Sokovian Accords meeting where Ross and his projections of their destruction had helped break them apart. Maybe he and Bucky should have taken it outside, but Sam was sick of trying to find the balance between biting his tongue publicly and speaking his mind to assert his own independence. “Who? Who else was I going to give it to? Not you. Nat doesn’t want it. Tony already took it but he’s gone now.” It wasn’t like Sam hadn’t considered his options. He just kept drawing up blanks. “I’m going to explain something to you, Bucky. Steve isn’t the shield. I’m not the shield. It’s a symbol and I put it back with all the other Captain America stuff in the exhibit. The Smithsonian called me. Two years ago. Real nice speech about how good of care it’d get. They didn’t say they were going to sell it out.”

BUCKY: "Some decisions you shouldn't make on your own." that bitterness seeped into his tone again - especially as James considered the fact that his life was actively policed and monitored. He couldn't so much as breathe without someone looking in on him; he couldn't imagine even trying to make moves like Sam without bringing it up with someone. "You didn't know either, based on the scowl on your face." he inclined his head towards Carol, who was being uncharacteristically quiet.

CAROL: She simply met James's gaze, her gaze level, before she spoke. "Has anyone bothered to look in to John Walker?"

STEVE: Steve had remained quiet, not wanting to speak over sam or get in between a conversation that clearly needed to be had — but it was odd to listen to a conversation about you and something that took up most of your adult life and not weigh in on it. But he accepted the control he had relinquished when he handed the shield over to begin with. Besides — Sam had pretty much covered it. The shield was in fact his to do what he wanted with—give it away if he had wanted to. The point was that no one asked Sam, they crafted a sneaky way to take it and hand the mantle over to someone else. And you could try to pretend it was for a dozen other reasons other than the fact that Sam was Black—but it’d be bullshit. Still, he wasn’t willing to throw his two cents where it didn’t need to be. He could only support Sam the best he could and while he understood Bucky’s anger, he did feel it was misdirected. At the opportunity to direct the frustration at Walker, Steve took it. “Yeah, as best we could. His records come up clean.” Steve said, though his tone was dry. Implying that it was expected to be that way. The government was going to either do its research to find the cleanest file they could, or craft one that sparkled. “Not that that ever meant anything.”

NOVA: Sam knew he didn’t agree with any one individual in the room, and he wasn’t entirely sure his opinion really mattered. But he needed to be present, to listen, and to understand where exactly things were going from here. The mention of this ‘new’ Captain America caught his attention, and he sat up just a little bit straighter when Steve and the others continued to speak.

CAROL: Carol regarded Steve as she took in his tone. She'd read Walker's file and he'd seemed like the ideal, perfect candidate. It was unsettling. "Little too squeaky clean, don't you think?" She didn't wan to listen to Barnes and and Sam argue about the shield. That was neither here nor there, and maybe Sam could've handed it to someone instead of the museum, but he'd made that decision much in the way he did everything now. Alone. She didn't let that sour her words. "You think someone who has never made a mistake knows how to recognize one?"

STEVE: “Way too clean.” Steve agreed. “And, no, I don’t. I also don’t think he’s willing to ask the right questions or stand up to the right people. After the Accords — with the government taking it from Sam, that shield may as well be a a signature on enlistment paperwork. First time he steps out of line they’ll find the next army strong West Point cadet to swap him out with. Even if there isn’t an agenda on his end, he’s bound to contracts and the military.” There was also the glaring fact that the shield wasn’t his. It was Sam’s, and until he handed it to someone else, it should have stayed that way.

SAM: “Your opinion doesn’t matter here. My life, my shield. I’m Captain America, holding the shield that symbolizes freedom but I can’t even make my own decisions or decide what I want to do independently? Screw that. Screw you too, Buck. I did this alone so I would’t have to sit here and look at your smug, righteous face as you tell me what I should do.” As Carol began speaking and the conversation switched to John, Sam shook his head and moved towards the back of the room.

BUCKY: He wanted to let it go, he wanted to watch Sam walk away and join in on the evolving discussion, but he couldn't. His resolve just snapped. "You know something, Sam? Your 'I am an island' act is a bunch of bullshit. You think you made the right decision? Whoop dee doo. But you alienated everyone who gives a damn about you and you didn't talk to anyone about it. You wanna tell me again why that's okay? You wanna tell me again why you deserve people to put their lives on the line for you when you won't even have a conversation with them?"

NATASHA: Head inclining to the side as she watched the drama unfold, Natasha waited n silence for a moment. “If there’s one thing I’m good at,” she mused. “It’s finding ledgers. I’ll look into Walker. Most boy scouts aren’t that blue.” Her lips twitched as she glanced at Steve. “But in the meanwhile, having a pissing match isn’t going to help.”

PIETRO: Pietro was hardly a fan of the meetings, they were long and dull, and he spent far too long partially attentive to unimportant people who thought they were, all blabbering their opinions. These meetings were by all accounts — the bane of his existence. Alas, he showed up. he half listened. and occasionally, got a word in edgewise. With Luna cradled in his arm, wrapped in a baby-yellow blanket, he and Crystalia entered the meeting—which (much to his dismay) seemed to have barely begun. He didn’t appear to outwardly acknowledge Wanda—but then again, he didn’t need to. as they walked by, his greeting drifted through his mind as clearly for her as if he’d spoken it. Sora. He caught her gaze.

CRYSTALIA: After two weeks in Westview, Crystalia would have been more than content to stay in New Attilan far away from her ‘neighbors’ and tormentor. But Pietro had insisted and Crystal, despite her better judgement, had deferred to her fiance. She refused to look at Wanda as they entered, instead fussing for a moment with the baby’s blanket where it was tucked against Pietro. “Daisy,” she tilted her head in acknowledgement. “I see we came all this way for virtually nothing.”

DAISY: Daisy talking with Wanda quietly faded into the background of the conversations as Sam and Bucky's fighting got louder and louder, until the two feuding men encompassed the entire focus of the room. She raised her eyebrows at their exchanges and stayed quiet, not feeling like she had any sort of place to speak with them. She had conventionally good relationships with the both of them, so it was hard to really pick sides. She understood Sam's choice, and knew none of this was his intention. He had a right to give that shield up, whether anyone liked it or not. But she also sympathized with Bucky too. It was rough to jump back and gain people's trust after being controlled the way he was by HYDRA. She would know, after turning on her entire team to work with Hive. It was violating and traumatic, and then having to be monitored so closely just made everything ten times worse on your mental health. And while she knew realistically he couldn't have taken the shield himself, it had to be frustrating to see something like this happen. And Sam unfortunately was an easy target to pin the blame on. Her attention was directed over to Pietro and Crystal as they entered the room with their baby in hand, and her eyes widened as she stared down at some papers on the table in front of her and tried to avert her gaze. She hadn’t seen Pietro since their whole incident back at the Avengers Compound, which ended in an entire city street being ripped into chunks of pavement. “Oh God.” She mumbled quietly, sure that Monica probably heard her. And then Crystal was approaching her and she lifted her head and raised an eyebrow. “What is that supposed to mean?” Maybe playing dumb wasn’t the best strategy, but she was honestly kind of hoping that Pietro hadn’t told her. But she knew it wasn’t gonna be that easy.

SAM: Breathe in. Breathe out. Sam took a second to flatten his hands against his jeans and wipe his palms. When he turned back around, he stuck them in his the pockets of his bomber to hide the fists. “You must have got some massive balls to be coming at me like you got your shit together. From what I remember, you wrote the book on I’m an island. You got any friends other than me and Steve? Where’s Yelena? She willing to look you in the eye yet or does she still hate your guts?” His jaw was grinding together so hard he felt the tension in his head. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, Barnes, by not calling you up for some girl talk. I didn’t want -- I didn’t want to do this anymore, and you’re not gonna get my reasoning. I respect you just like I respect Carol and Steve but none of you know what it’s like to be Black and have to factor that into your decisions. I talked to Rhodey, that good enough? Because he gets it. He gets it and I’m tired, man, of having to try and explain myself.” Sam shook his head. “I’m not asking anyone to put their life on the line for me right now. I’m asking for a break from this bullshit.” He gestured around the room of heroes. “I just need to catch my breath, and I can’t seem to do that even without the shield around you.”

BUCKY: The chair James was seated in was already creaking beneath his weight and though he tried to steel himself, the anger was only mounting. He rose quickly, the chair being pushed out from under him as a result. The plates shifted against one another as he balled his hand into a fist, the glean of gold flittering in the light a juxtaposition to the man donning it. The words were hot on his tongue; his retort ready, but James instead withdrew, extinguishing that flame as quickly as it had been ignited. He didn't say anything more. He simply exited the room, the door cluttering loudly behind him as he slammed it shut.

VISION: He had spent quite a while debating whether or not to attend the meeting, not sure whether his presence would be a benefit to his wife or a hindrance—especially with other much more pressing matters to tend to. Yet he’d also concluded the world should know The Vision was—alive. Back online. Perhaps he should have better read the room before he phased through the wall, but by the time he’d come to regret that, he was already emerging and re-solidifying just as Mr. Barnes stalked out. “It appears I’ve interrupted something, my apologies.”

RIRI: She didn’t do well with people. Never had, and yet, Riri always showed up when she needed to. Being Ironheart meant something to her. A kid in a garage from the wrong side of town wasn’t often excepted to amount to much but they had always called her exceptional. Being exceptional hadn’t saved her dad or Natalie. But, with some effort, it could save people in the future. So Riri sat there as the former Cap and former Winter Soldier went for each others throats. A part of her knew what Sam meant. She understood the sharp cut of racism, but it wasn’t her place to speak up. Instead, she looked to Peter. “Pretty sure this has done the opposite of what it was supposed to.”

CINDY: Cindy knew that she was going to feel uncomfortable and out of place coming to this meeting, but she felt a little more comfortable knowing some of the other younger heroes were there too. It definitely helped her with the anxiety she got at the sight of Barnes' chair being thrown back from under him. Things were definitely tense, and she barely knew what to say. Thankfully, Riri spoke up and Cindy nodded her head slowly and spoke quietly. "It's like 12 Angry Men. That movie about the jury all trying to come to one verdict. Just like that."

PETER: Peter had remained quiet throughout the entire ordeal, flinching visibly when the door slammed shut behind James as he stormed out. Vision entered not a moment later and Peter’s brain exploded a bit, “What - the fu—“ Riri and Cindy’s words shook him out of his minor stupor, but the teen still couldn’t shake that deer in the headlights look, “I— I don’t even - what is going on - “

CINDY: Cindy's eyes widened too at the sight of the Vision just phasing into the room. Honestly, it took everything in her not to jump at it. She was still getting used to having conversations with people outside of her bunker, so all of this was definitely a lot. Never in a million years did she imagine she'd ever be sitting in a room with all of these people. Her life had changed so drastically in the past seven years and she wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to all of this hero stuff. She didn't know how Peter did it. Then again, looking at him it looked like it was practically having a stroke. "Wish I could tell you I did, but I'm right there with you, Parker."

WANDA: It was a headache. Wanda felt the tension in the room, but as a telepath it was more than palpable. She knew both men but had a closer relationship with Sam. She had hurt both men, actually, even if their anger wasn’t directed at her. Wanda felt Pietro moments before he entered the room and she nodded at him with a small smile. Frate. Knowing that Crystalia - who he seemed to love for some reason in a way she had never seen her twin love before - didn’t like her, Wanda refrained from greeting the couple or her niece. Instead, she blinked in surprise as her husband phased in through a departing Bucky. “Vision.” Wanda jumped to her feet. “You came.” A surprise, considering she was on a heavy version of probation and forbidden from doing anything with reality. The fact that she hadn’t technically brought Vision back was likely to be ignored. But that didn’t matter. She held out a hand. “Darling. I’m glad you’re here.”

RIRI: “Stop looking like you’re about to wet your pants.” Riri nudged Peter with one shoulder. She didn’t really know Cindy so it was with a quiet hesitation that she glanced at her. “What’s happening is that people - like always -are fighting instead of getting stuff done. And we just sit here while they ignore us.”

MILES: Miles had been quiet for the entirety of the conversation, carefully listening to everything Sam was saying. It sucked, because he got it. Being Spider-Man was the one time the world didn’t see him as a Black kid first. So, seeing the way everyone treated Sam, who’d only ever been a good hero and a good man, just made him hope and pray that no one ever unmasked him. He never wanted that part of his daily life to bleed into Spider-Man’s. Sam had a shield but nothing protected him from racism. It all left him conflicted—he admired Sam for standing up for himself but part of him felt guilty for not doing the same. It made him begin to see how wearing his mask held a deeper meaning for him than it would for someone like Peter. “We all thought that guy was dead, right?” Miles asked, finally bringing himself back into the conversation between Peter, Cindy, and Riri.

STEVE: Steve was pretty used to the unexpected, but honestly the sight of Vision just had him more than a little taken by surprise. His eyes immediately shot to Wanda, who had resurrected two separate Avengers now and then he looked back to Nat. “Did...we know that was happening?”

CINDY: Cindy glanced to Miles and then back towards Riri, nodding her head as she tilted it to the side. "I'm pretty sure that's what people said, right? That all of Westview is gone, including the Vision that was inside of there?" She remembered that pretty vividly, actually. Mostly because her heart ached for Wanda to have to loose all of that. Family was such a foundation, and losing all of it at once had to be heartbreaking. Cindy had gone through losing her parents, and that was painful enough. And even then, she still had some hope that they were still out there. Actually losing your children and husband had to hurt ten times worse.

PETER: Peter leaned forward, burying his face in his hands, “You’re right,” he glanced to Riri for a brief moment before hiding his face again, “This is pointless. Accountability meeting my ass.” He hoped that last part wasn’t too loud, but just loud enough that his fellow young heroes would hear it. Before he could think of anything else to say, or before any other frustratedly snide remarks came spilling out, he acknowledged Miles’ comment, “Yeah. He was.”

RIRI: If anyone there got it, it was Miles. Riri couldn’t openly say that considering the fact that his identity was more under wraps, but she still glanced over at him with pursed lips before turning back to the group. “--uh, yeah, like three times over. Guess she just keeps bringing him back. I feel like someone should comment on that?”

PIETRO: Pietro narrowed his eyes at Daisy as he passed her, but otherwise said nothing. Had he told anyone about the incident? No. Was that to save Daisy’s ass from Wanda? Also, no. He was merely salvaging his own pride. No one needed to know anything, and as long as she didn’t out herself, all would be fine. “It means, as per usual, we could have stayed home.” he replied bitterly.

NADIA: Positioned to the side of Riri, Nadia had her head resting in her hand. She had been tapping the table lightly with her free hand as she mentally recited the periodic table. It was all to stay awake. They had been up late in the labs and she was exhausted. “Did you bring the snacks?” She turned to Sam ( Alexander ) as she sat up straight.

CRYSTALIA: Light eyes moving from Daisy to Pietro, Crystal waited a beat before nodding slowly. She was more of a representative than her sister, but Medusalith was Queen and that meant she was often too busy to indulge meetings such as these. “I take it there’s precautions this time to stop people from... overstepping?” That was directed at Wanda.

NOVA: Sam’s eyes were carefully trained on whoever was speaking at the time, but he heard Nadia’s request clear as day. Retrieving a small pouch of M&M’s from one of the very few pockets in his suit, he nonchalantly passed it to Nadia beneath the table before revealing a small granola bar for himself, “Of course I did — “ Tearing into the plastic as gently as he could, Sam took a tentative bite, hoping to god no one would call on him to speak in that moment.

DAISY: Daisy could feel Pietro's eyes glaring a hole through her, and she narrowed hers right back as she sat up in her chair and nodded her head firmly. "Yeah, you probably should have stayed at home." He was lucky she had let him leave without forcibly taking him in the other day. She was trying to do him a favor, sympathizing with the whole situation of him running Wanda away after what happened at Westview.

NADIA: “Sucrose. My favorite. Thank you.” Nadia whispered, popping three in her mouth before offering Sam one. She never felt like she had much to contribute to these -- funny, considering how much she usually had to say .”Sam, should we be participating more?”

PIETRO: At Crystal’s concern, Pietro pressed a quick but soft kiss to her temple. “She won’t come over here, I promise.” He assured her. Wanda understood how Crystal felt and even though it tore him in half —Crys needed time. He wouldn’t force that, even as badly as he wanted Wanda to meet his daughter. At Daisy’s comment, Pietro adjusted the baby in his arms and tilted his head in a manner that made him look uncanny to his twin. “Is that meant to be a threat?” He challenged.

DAISY: Daisy glared at Pietro, her one hand firmly gripping the metal table in front of her and the other clenched into a fist as she resisted the urge to just throw a sonic wave in his direction. But she wasn't a vigilante anymore, she was a government agent again. And she couldn't just use violence to solve her conflicts, as much as that was her first instinct sometimes. "I just kind of figured you would have got the message last time, that's all." She settled on, her eyes glancing down at the infant in his arms before shooting him one more hardened look.

MILES: Miles’ gaze met Riri’s and though they didn’t actually speak there was a mutual understanding to be had. He appreciated Cindy and Peter and Gwen, but there were just certain things that it was nice to have someone around that you didn’t have to explain them to. “Should we?” he asked, tilting his head. “I feel like if we just let her have this one, she might chill out.”

CRYSTALIA: Eyes rolling, Crystal muttered under her breath. “She doesn’t need to be near us to do something.” Wanda’s power was vast in a way that scared the Inhuman because there was no one she had grown up with who could do anything close on that scale. Her gaze hardened now as she became half tempted to take the baby to get Luna out of the middle. “I’m a Princess, but I don’t have to use my title and command you, Daisy, an Inhuman subject to tell me what business you have with my fiance, do I?”

PIETRO: He’d taken a breath, words loaded up on his tongue and ready to fly just before Crystal cut him off. At the new piece of information, his mouth closed and he regarded Daisy with surprise and a touch of amusement. Inhuman. And here he thought she’d been mutant. Regardless of his pride, Crystalia wouldn’t be fond of Daisy’s answer should she get one out of her.

DAISY: Daisy's eyebrows shot up pretty quickly at that as she let out a huff of a laugh and tilted her head over at the redheaded Princess. "I'm sorry, did you just call me a subject? " She was smiling, but it definitely was coming from a place of disbelief as she shook her head and chuckled again. "You don't get to decide that I'm suddenly Inhuman enough for you to command when it's convenient for you. I'm a Nuhuman, remember?" Maybe she had suppressed her slight annoyance at being called that when Crystal had tried to welcome her over, but it was coming out in full force now. All her life she felt out of place and isolated from everyone else, and now when she was finally secure in her identity with being an Inhuman, suddenly she's supposed to come to terms with the fact that because of the way it happened to her, she wasn't pure enough? No, that was bullshit. And when she realized that Crystal was asking her what happened, she turned to Pietro, totally amused. "You didn't tell her?"

RIRI: It was still uneven. The amount of white heroes to Black - or POC - was severely tilted. Sam was still there but had taken a seat by Steve and Natasha. Riri didn’t know what to say to him so she opted to sit by her friends instead. They didn’t have answers but that was okay. “Or she’s just gonna keep doing it. Idk. Someone could tell her therapist.” They didn’t need any more crazy white ladies running around.

NOVA: Absolutely nothing was getting done at this meeting after James had stormed out, save for the rehashing of drama and other unrelated topics. Sam could practically feel the tension in the room building, but he graciously accepted an M&M from Nadia whom he was continuously grateful was also present at this, “Honestly, I don’t know if I want to make things worse... although I’m not entirely sure that’s possible at this point.”

CRYSTALIA: “My family governs all Inhumans, and Nuhumans are an accidental offshoot. Our Mists, are responsibility.” Medusa had made a statement when the Mists had spread that they would provide aid for the Nuhumans if need be. Her patience was running thin though, and Crystal faced Pietro. “Tell me what?”

PIETRO: “Should I have gone home and told my fiancee the deranged lady at the avengers compound tried to drag the father of her child into S.W.O.R.D.?” There had been a number of reasons not to tell her — he avoided several arguments and an explanation. At Crystal’s immediate anger, anyone with half a brain would know why he didn’t say anything. “She tore up the road in front of the compound trying to take me in after I took Wanda from the Hex site. Might have worked if she’d been a little faster.” He taunted and as he spoke, Luna gently pulled at the pale strands of his hair and patted the stubble along the side of his jaw.

CRYSTALIA: With no Luna to hold, there was nothing to stop Crystal from crossing her arms over her chest. “Let me get this straight. After being tortured for two weeks by your sister, you left me and our child to visit her but ended up playing hopscotch with her?” She jutted her chin towards Daisy. “And for what reason did you see it fit to try and apprehend him? Wanda willingly went to your custody.” A wind stirred up between them, blowing towards Daisy until Crystal covered her face for a moment. “After what we’ve been put through, you should tell your fiancee the truth.”

PIETRO: Pietro huffed. “No. I stopped by the facility to pick up things from our old room for Luna and you because you wanted to move back to Attilan, on my way in—I ran into her.” he jutted his chin at daisy and glowered. “The whole ordeal took no more than five minutes.” he shrugged.

NATASHA: Through all the fighting, Natasha noticed the buzz of her phone. She had been the one hooked to the front gate of the Facilities from her time living there during the Snap and the permissions had never been removed. As soon as the face ID unlocked her phone, she frowned slightly and quickly excused herself. Nat recognized the faces on the screen but they were the last ones she had expected. After typing in the gate code and opening the fence, she waited with her hands on her hips in the entryway. “I’m surprised you have time from your busy schedule to stop by.” Natasha’s voice was polite as she led the surprise visitor towards the conference room. Opening the door, she came in first with a concerned expression on her face. “Look alive. We have a guest.”’

DAISY: "Still, doesn't mean you govern me. And because I have a job," Daisy stated simply, not seeing what more reason she needed. "Just so we're clear, Wanda broke several laws. And Pietro kidnapped her after she was ready to willingly go into S.W.O.R.D. custody. That's also illegal." She shrugged as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "And I wasn't trying to take you into custody. I was trying to talk to you, actually. And stated that several times. And then you tried to run again." Daisy wasn't fully sure what Crystal's powers were, but judging by the wind she could only assume it'd put up a fight if need be. Not that Daisy wanted to fight, but she wouldn't hesitate to defend herself. "Trust me, if I had wanted to take you into custody, I would have." She could have thrown boulders at him, or broken one of his legs. But she was doing him a courtesy by not doing any of that.

JOHN: John had been notified of the meeting a few days prior, but that did nothing to quell the small pit of unease that felt like a lead weight in his stomach. His overall reception from the public had been fairly positive, but joining a group of bonafide superheroes, let alone those that had worked the closest with Steve before he decided to give up the shield - there was no telling how this would go. He and Lemar were greeted at the gates to the compound by Romanoff, and John reciprocated her seemingly polite greeting with a soft smile - one that might have felt a little too forced if you looked close enough, “Anything for Earth’s mightiest.” Natasha lead the duo down the hall and John could hear her address the group after entering the room. Straightening up a bit, he followed suit, coming to a stop beside Natasha, instinctively falling into the at ease stance. “Everyone,” he nodded a curt but firm greeting, “John Walker. Captain America. Pleasure to meet you all.”

STEVE: Their phones went off at the same time, but she was up first. He stayed in his chair, observing the notification from the front gate, perhaps longer than necessary. He opened it to pull up the small video display of John Walker standing outside. Steve clicked the phone off and braced himself in time for Nat to walk in with him in tow behind her. Steve didn’t move from leaned position he held with his chin against his knuckles and a blank look on his face as he observed John in a uniform that looked wrong on him.

SAM: This motherfucker. Sam cursed under his breath as Walker entered the room, looking smug in his shiningly patriotic uniform. He felt underdressed in his jeans and sneakers as he stood before the guy who had taken ( been given ) his job and was apparently better at it in the publics opinion. “Walker.” His voice was tight. “Didn’t think this was your scene. Run out of fans to high five?” Despite how the words could have been taken, Sam forced a chuckle into his throat to keep the words light.

NATASHA: With one tight smile, Natasha left Walker’s side to return to her seat by Steve. She leaned over as red hair brushed his shoulder. “Unannounced. Unless you invited him?” No, Steve wouldn’t do that with Sam present. “Not like we can kick him out.”

JOHN: John could tell there was malice behind Sam’s words - why wouldn’t there be? He’d been graciously given the job Sam passed up on, and wanted nothing more than to befriend the man, to fight alongside him - only Sam didn’t seem to feel the same. Far from it. Natasha’s comment didn’t seem to help either, but John’s jaw clenched and he gave Sam that familiar megawatt smile all the TV cameras couldn’t seem to get enough of. “Thought we’d offer our services,” he gestured to himself and Lemar and the other man nodded in acknowledgement, “Wherever needed.”

STEVE: Steve silently shook his head at Nat, observing John with an empty expression. His chin rested in his hand, gaze wavering between Sam and the kid. “Roster’s kinda full.” Steve said, eyes trained on the uniform that just seemed wrong on him.

SAM: “Tough break, buddy. We’re having group therapy right now.” He left Wanda out, unsure how John/the government felt about her. “I may not be Cap anymore, but I’m sure I can speak for everyone here when I say we’re glad to see you off the screen and in person.” He and Sam had already met, but from what Sam knew Walker hadn’t been around.

CINDY: Cindy raised her eyebrows and slowly glanced over to Peter and all of the other younger heroes sitting next to her. "I kinda wish I had brought some popcorn right about now." She whispered, hoping that she was quiet enough so that the rest of the room didn't hear that.

JOHN: John refused to meet Steve’s eyes for more than a brief second, but standing there, in front of the entire group, he could practically feel the retired Captain’s gaze burning a hole in his head. Chin up, he reminded himself, This isn’t your fault - they chose you, before turning to address Sam again. “Oh, I’m no stranger to group therapy,” it was clear Sam was mostly joking, but John kept up, firing back, “ - nothing better than getting your feelings right out in the open, eh Sam? Builds good rapport.”

SAM: It was almost impossible for Sam to resist the urge to pull a Bucky and storm out of the room. Walker’s presence felt deliberate. Disrespectful, even, but he didn’t want to start tossing that word around yet. John Walker hadn’t done anything except take a shield that was handed to him -- but that didn’t mean it sat right with Sam. There were quite a few feelings he wouldn’t have minded being out in the opinion, but Sam bit back a retort. “Looks like you picked the wrong night then. This visit spontaneous, or did you know we all had to meet?”

DAISY: Daisy kept her fists clenched under the table as she turned in automatic response to the new entrance in the room. The sight of John Walker walking in was enough to get Daisy’s mind off of wanting to say anything more to Crystal and Pietro. Her hotheadedness was distracted by the interaction between Sam and John, thankfully.

JOHN: Sam’s response was more than expected, but that didn’t make it sting any less. They clearly didn’t want him here. But the government did - and John didn’t work for the Avengers. “Aw, well that’s a shame,” he shrugged, feigning disappointment, “You won’t mind if I hang around for a bit anyway then, will ya?” A grin that would scare the scales off a crocodile followed his quip before blonde brows raised and his expression neutralized, “And it was spontaneous - like I said, just thought I’d drop in. Say hello.”

NATASHA: A brow arched, Nat’s arms crossing over her chest as she shifted in her chair. They had a few things to go over but it would be stupid to dive too deep with John there. You couldn’t exactly talk about how one should go about defying the government if the government was standing there grinning like they were old friends. “Of course not.” Natasha inclined her head towards two empty seats, face blank. “I just realized no one asked. You weren’t planning on applying for membership, were you?” That wasn’t an invite. It was super spy for *if you were planning on asking, don’t.*

JOHN: As the duo moved to occupy the two empty seats, John addressed Natasha with a strained laugh, “I think I’ll leave that gig to you all. Lot less structure in what you do,” they both took, their movements calculated and deliberate, “Us military guys thrive on structure.” John noticed many of the room’s occupants were staring at him, and he’d be lying if it didn’t make him mildly uneasy. But he waved it off, mentally and physically, moving a hand dismissively in Sam and Nat’s general direction, “Go ahead, don’t let me keep you.”

NATASHA: Sending Steve one brief look, Natasha rose from her chair to the front of the room. She braced both her arms on the podium that had been left after some conference with a half smile. “Okay, everyone. You heard the man.” Her smile was manufactured. “Let’s continue.” It’d be fake. It’d be small talk. It’d be, unfortunately, the best that they could do. The game was always changing and the new “Cap” in the room was just one sign of it. They’d have the ext day to recap and strategize. The rest of the night was officially about playing nice.

#momevents #event: misc #chatlog: accountability

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dvbermingham · 4 years

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Chapter 14: Tako

He shrieked when he saw me. I get it. I’ve been shrieked at before. A unexpected pulpy man lying on the couch, totally understandable. The shriek was loud and dramatic and he feigned like he was going to run, almost like he was acting, like he was on camera.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I guess Vicky didn’t call you.”

“No Vicky didn’t call me. Vicky never calls me.”

“I’m Lou.”

“Oh well Hi Lou. A friend of Vicky’s, I presume? Not just some derelict she found on the street? It wouldn’t be the first time, you know.”

“We just met, so I don’t know why. She said she liked how I danced.”

He scanned me up and down. “This happened to you dancing?”

“No, afterwards. Backroom scuffle. I’m a bodyguard. It’s not usually so hazardous. Mostly you just stand around looking big, bluffing. Sometimes people call that bluff.”

“You might want to go to the hospital.”

“That’s what I hear.”

Hadrian shrugged and went about his business, treating me like a piece of furniture or a sleeping dog, something that should be left alone unless it bothers you first. That was fine by me. My body ached, my mind ached, but the pain had worn off just enough from the pills that there was now room for that sweet, sweet shame. Sham for having lost my Matzu, shame for having failed, shame for losing the tuna and the limo, but mostly the tuna, the dread of having to call Stella and file a missing body report. Stella would have to reach out to Alfonso and maybe if I was lucky Matzu was alive and would take me back. Otherwise it was back to the temp agency, waiting for someone to ignore my references and just hire me out of desperation. I supposed there was a case to be made that we had been ambushed and overpowered by a gang so large that no bodyguard in the world could have prevailed. I mean, no one knew how many drinks I’d had, or the depths of the dance trance that consumed me just moments previous to being held up at gunpoint.

Then I got to reflecting. Always something I try to avoid in the moment. It’s what got me into so much trouble in my former careers. But lying out with nothing but a puke bucket by my side doesn’t leave a lot else to do. For me reflecting came in the form of wondering whether Takuto’s death and Matzu’s disappearance were connected. And whether there was a fight for New York sushi territory happening behind the scenes. Whether this was the beginning or the end or somewhere in the middle. And whether somebody caught in the middle could be held responsible, could be given another chance.

Maybe I could call it quits right then and there, I thought. No, I certainly couldn’t. Even though I had only known Matzu for one night, his disappearance would always be an unanswered question, a terrifying void in my life. I could never move on unless I figured out what had happened to him.

Hadrian popped his head in from the other room. “I’m ordering lunch, you want anything?”

“Just get me whatever you’re having.”

“You’re buying.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Cheaper than a hospital bed, pal.”

Twenty minutes later we were eating shawarma from the Lebanese place across the street. Fantastic stuff, greasy and spicy, just what my bludgeoned and hungover body needed. At my age, you don’t really think you’ll ever experience a new style of meat-sweats in your lifetime, so when they come, you savor them. Hadrian had an accent I couldn’t place but didn’t want to ask about. Possibly Rhode Island. He wore very tight clothes that looked coordinated, like he studied fashion magazines or had a thing for mannequin displays. He was a confessor, I could tell right away. Like he hadn’t talked to anyone in a few days and seeing as I was just laying on the couch I should do just fine as a fresh set of ears. Fine by me — it helped me feel useful. Useful, exactly! Hadrian said he knew exactly what I was talking about. Cleaning is the best way to feel useful. He said he always felt he had all this potential built up and if he didn’t use it somehow, even if it wasn’t ideal, you might never get around to using it and you’ll die wondering if you completely missed your calling. He didn’t want to clean houses and apartments for a living, he wanted to be a chef. Not a restaurant chef but a TV chef, like Emeril Lagasse, his hero. To him, Emeril was a hero, a legend. He found his calling, the most important thing in life, and on top of that, he found managed to figure out a way to broadcast it every day to the entire world. There was nothing better, he said, than showing the world over and over again how great your life is, how your biggest concern is maybe not adding enough garlic to your damn tomatoes. It’s almost a better feeling than your life actually being great.

Alas, he said, the television and culinary worlds required some schooling and he didn’t have the money to go back. He had a degree in media and broadcasting, but no clue about the kitchen world. Cleaning was the easiest job he could get that paid the best and still left him feeling energized at the end of the day. All in all, that wasn’t a bad setup. He’d leave apartments tidy and smelling fancy, go out for an early happy hour when the bars were almost empty and he’d sit at the bar and listen to the regulars and the bartender talk, and watch intently s the bartender pretend to have a task in front of her at any given time, sometimes real tasks and other times just moving things from one place to another and back again trying to appear busy but always engaged with the regulars who never had anything new to say because they spent all their free time in the bar seeking fresh ears and if none were available then old ears would do just fine. Hadrian liked to watch for the bartender’s micro-reactions, little smirks, eye-rolls, anything subconscious that showed her true feelings. Bartenders are dishonest people, he said. It’s a job and part of the job of bartender is to listen to what your customers have to say, make them feel welcome, cheer them up and keep their minds from wandering, or help their minds safely wander out of their daily rut, whatever they’re in the mood for, and always keeping a keen sense of balance and vibe, similar to the balance and vibe you create when cleaning apartments, a balance that makes people feel like someone is taking care of things around them so they won’t have to worry. But underneath the bartender’s facade are the tiny little minuscule reactions they can’t hide, or are too tired to hide, and that’s what Hadrian looks for, those bartenders who keep that balance in the bar but on the inside they’re wavering. I was done with my pita by that point, was mopping up my cracked, misshapen lips while Hadrian had barely taken a bite, was just holding his shawarma while he talked, the bread filling with sauce and grease from the lamb and starting to drip and crack apart, which is a pet-peeve of mine, two people not eating at the same pace.

He could tell I was losing interest and/or consciousness on account of his story or possibly the aforementioned meat-sweats and of course the swelling so he changed the subject and started talking about Vicky and watched me perk right up. Must have been obvious I guess. Like the television host he dreamed of becoming, he felt my energy and launched into some gossip. About Gwen the little genius who is most certainly destined to be a singer or voice actor. About her life as a model for sculptors in Gowanus. About how she lost her husband the year before, he thinks from a motorcycle related crash but wasn’t sure. They were about the same age, had been together since forever. “She didn’t tell me at first,” he said, “I thought they just got divorced. There were remnants of him all over the apartment that she didn’t take down. I started asking whether she wanted me to take down the pictures and whatnot but she said no, that she wanted to keep them up for Gwen. She seemed fine, keeping everything together. She kept bartending, kept going to school, kept herself and Gwen in a routine that would get them through the tough times. Creatures of habit, right? Why do people hate on routine so much, you know?”

Then he said, “So what do you do again? Wrestler?”

“Bodyguard.”

“Of course, right. Who do you guard?”

“I work for a chef. Maybe he can get you a TV show.”

“What’s his name?”

“Thing is…he might be dead. I’m not sure.”

“Well, where does he work? If there’s a vacancy maybe they need an apprentice.”

“It’s a sushi place on the east side. I’ll find the name for you.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to eat sushi anymore.”

“Why?”

“It’s poisonous I think. The fish have turned poisonous from over-fishing. Like, in rebellion, maybe? Does nature rebel like that? I think plagues are sort of like that. Or maybe it was that the fish was always poisonous and we didn’t realize it. We just thought it was too fancy not to eat it, and we all ignored that it was poisoning us all along. I think that was it. Or something like that. I heard it somewhere.”

“First I’ve heard of it.”

“Oh, I think I remember. There was an article, I can’t remember where. It said rogue sushi chefs were poisoning their own fish to try to make it less popular. As like a backlash against popularizing sushi. A cultural thing. Stopping foreigners from eating their sushi.”

“Foreigners? Like, Americans?”

“Yeah.”

“In New York?”

“Yeah.”

I considered the number of times I felt sick after eating at FishySmell, and wondered if it had anything to do with the rumor. A wave of blood filled with nervous little blood cells rushed to my skull all screaming at once a word I couldn’t understand.

“How Brooklyn, right? Try to keep it out of the mainstream as long as possible. Ha, get it. Mainstream. Like, the opposite of underground. No wait…underwater! HA!”

Hadrian asked if I was okay, must have sensed something was wrong, but I couldn’t get the words out, my legs and hands were cramping, my meat-sweats were transitioning to anxiety sweats. The shawarma was turning on me. It felt like all my energy was being sucked out of my body.

“Maybe you should lie down.”

“I think I need to go actually.”

He laughed. “Go where? You can barely open your eyes.”

Tears filled my eyes. I felt my chin wiggle, trying to hold back the flood. “I lost him. Two in a week! I’m a bodyguard and I lost my body, twice. Do you have any idea what that means for a guy like me? For him? A young guy, an up-and-coming chef, probably dead. And on top of it I lost a very expensive tuna loin which was meant to be distributed to the chefs of New York. Now there’s going to be a tuna shortage and its all my fault!”

“Tuna loin, eh?”

I tried to talk through my sniffles. “It was entrusted to us by the head of nationwide sushi-syndicate who might also be criminals, I don’t know. It was worth a lot of money.”

“High quality tuna loin? Like, as in, something a chef would be very happy to receive?”

“Yea, sitting in a hot car all night.”

“Was it wrapped up?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. Come on, let’s go get it.”

“Really?”

"I don’t have anything going on.”

“I don’t think you don’t want to get involved. This is a dangerous situation. Look what they did to my face!”

“How do I know you didn’t look a lot like that before you got beat up?”

I cried some more.

“Well regardless of how ugly you were, you can’t go outside with a face looking like a crushed up turtle. All lumpy and gooey and stuff.”

“Don’t say turtle, please.”

“Listen, I’m going to be honest with you because I don’t have a lot of patience and I just like to say things I believe are true even if they’re not: If your friend is dead, he’s dead, and there’s nothing you can do. So what’s the rush? I’d be more concerned about that rotting tuna in the back seat of your car. If we can get that to some chefs, maybe get on their good side, a little introduction, we could get your job back. And an apprenticeship for me…”

“You think he’s dead?” I asked.

The phone rang. It was Vicky. She said she was running late and had to go straight to work instead of stopping home first. “She says she’s sorry. But to just hang tight, she’ll be home before we know it.”

We decided we would go see if the tuna was still there, if the car was still there, swing by my apartment to get a few things, and come straight back. He made us coffee and we waited until Gwen came home. He helped her get her homework started and then told her to be a good girl while the two adults went for a little ride.

Before we stepped out the door, I stopped and said, “We can’t leave her alone. Her mom won’t be back for hours.”

“It’s fine, she knows the neighbors.”

“Are you sure?”

“I do it all the time.”

“I’d really feel more comfortable if she came with us. I mean, what if something happens to her.”

“She’s in a kid proof apartment, in a building filled with adults. It’s more dangerous bringing her with us. I mean, need I remind you of the hideousness of your face and how that all happened?” “Listen, I’m not going to be fighting anyone or saving anyone or sticking up to anyone in the next few hours. I just need some first-aid, a fresh change of clothes, and some bearings. If anyone comes for me, I’ll surrender. They won’t hurt a hipster and a little girl sitting in whatever car you own. Can’t be anything special. They’re sushi people. They’re classier than that. We take a little drive into the city, check out some tuna, head to my apartment, pack a bag, and come right back here. Sound good?”

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blueeyedleader-blog · 7 years

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Little Rant (Please Don't Reblog) (Feel Free to Ignore)

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k-jonghyun-blog · 7 years

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together

together kim jonghyun/hwang minhyun (nu’est, produce 101) brief mentions of guanlin, seonho and daehwi pg, oneshot 1592 w. summary: it’s the night before the final episode of produce 101 and jonghyun can’t stop worrying. thankfully, minhyun’s by his side.

it’s late into the night, yet the boys are still practising non-stop, hoping to perfect their moves and notes before the live broadcast. their limbs don’t feel like they’re theirs anymore, but they can’t afford to stop, not now, not when time is slipping through their fingers, not when their futures are at stake. every minute, every second counts now.

they finish another rehearsal and jonghyun calls for a ten-minute break. he knows that the kids are beyond exhausted – he is, too. he hurriedly gulps down big mouthfuls of water and monitors their rehearsal through an ipad.

“guanlin, your moves need to be a little bit sharper here. put more power into your arm movements and try to move a little quicker – you’re lagging behind the beat and it’ll be obvious when you’re being shot by the camera tomorrow. seonho, you too. dongho, your voice sounds a little strained, maybe you should take it a little easy for now.” jonghyun comments after scrutinising the recording.

he’d always been a bit of a perfectionist, especially when it came to performances. while he knows that the boys are underperforming because they’re tired, he’s also reminded of the fact that it’s going to be their last performance together and he wants them to be the best they can be. all of them have the potential to debut at this point and he doesn’t want to take chances. he doesn’t want them to feel regret and disappointment, or like they could have done better.

“regardless, good job everyone! i know it’s difficult, but we can do this. i believe in you guys and regardless of the results or what’s going to happen tomorrow, i really want us to create a legendary stage together. i want us to go out there knowing that we tried our hardest and that we’re one team.”

jonghyun pauses. everyone’s attention is on him and his eyes sweep across all of them. every single one of these boys came here to achieve their dreams and they’re so close to the finish line now. he’s not sure what more there is to say – deep down, he knows that there are some in this room that aren’t going to make it. this is a competition, after all, and competitions are no place for mercy.

“i want all of us to make it, kids, and we can. i know we can,” he says as he clenches his fist, raising it up in the air.

“thank you jonghyun-hyung, you really are the best leader any group could ask for. we wouldn’t have gotten here without you, never forget that. we love you, hyung!” daehwi, who’s standing next to jonghyun, wraps his arms around the older boy’s waist and gives him a tight hug. jonghyun’s eyes crinkle as he smiles and gives daehwi a pat on his back.

the other boys chime in to express their gratitude to their leader, who was always kind and patient, who always worked hard regardless of what position he was in or how many lines he was given, who was always a pillar of strength and source of encouragement when they felt like giving up.

jonghyun feels his cheeks heating up a bit and laughs it off, ruffling his hand through his hair.

“ah, stop it, you guys! let’s get back to practice – maybe an hour more or so, and we’ll stop for the day. you’re going to need as much rest as you can get tonight.”

he stretches his arm out and hands pile on top of his. there are unspoken words and a quiet strength in the air – they’re not going to give up now. they aren’t going to stop.

“we’re super hot!”

---

it’s almost half past three, but jonghyun’s not sleepy. his body’s aching and screaming for some well-deserved rest, but his mind can’t stop whirring with thoughts.

he leans over the railing on the rooftop of their dorm building and looks down, eyes unfocused.

what if i don’t make it tomorrow? what if minhyun, dongho or minki don’t make it? what will happen to us then? will we be over?

the pressure and worry weigh down on his heart and suddenly, his throat tightens and he feels like he can’t breathe.

8 years ago, he left gangwondo in search for an opportunity to realise his dreams and 5 years ago, he thought he succeeded. he had thought that when he debuted with nu’est in 2012, that they were going to make it.

joining produce 101 was their last resort. there was a lot of hesitation at the beginning – they were afraid of the backlash and negative comments, that they would be considered a failure again if none of them managed to enter the top 11 or if their skills weren’t able to match up to trainees who hadn’t had a debut before.

they were more afraid, however, of losing what they had.

being in nu’est was more than just a job to him. his four members were his brothers and he would never give up on family. he thinks back to all the times they shared, happy or sad, to the times where they felt success was so near yet so far, and all the times he felt that he’d failed them.

he doesn’t want to fail them again. he can’t.

he’s so deep in his thoughts that he doesn’t hear the muted footsteps creeping up behind him. a hand slips around his waist and a head rests on his left shoulder. he jumps at the sudden contact, then, he hears a familiar voice.

“whoa, sorry, jonghyun-ah. did i scare you?”

it’s minhyun, and jonghyun lets go of the breath he didn’t realise he was holding.

“hey, you. what are you doing not sleeping? are you guys done with rehearsals?” jonghyun asks, shrugging minhyun’s head off from his shoulder and turning to face the taller boy.

“i’d like to ask you the same. you shouldn’t be here, it’s 3:30. you should be in bed, resting. you need it,” minhyun sighs, worry splashed across his features.

“i’m fine, i’m not tired. i just… i just can’t stop thinking. i’m worried, minhyun. i’m afraid. what if we don’t get anywhere? what if any of us end up alone?”

jonghyun’s voice quivers and he looks away, unable to maintain eye contact with minhyun’s dark brown eyes. he hasn’t had many chances to reveal the thoughts he’d hidden deep inside him. he always had to be the strong one for his members, for his teammates, for his fans – he didn’t want to let anyone down and he wasn’t willing to show his weak side to gain pity.

but right now, all he wants is to pour his heart out to minhyun. he’s always had a special affection for the taller boy, and jonghyun knows that what they have is different from what he has with the other members. he would trust minhyun with his life and he’s sure minhyun would do the same for him.

“hey. look at me. we’re going to be okay, regardless of who gets into the top 11. we’ve talked about this, haven’t we? out of the four of us, you have the greatest chance of making it in and you can do this, jonghyun-ah. i believe in you. i always have.”

minhyun’s voice is in a low whisper and softly, he lays a hand on jonghyun’s cheek. he wistfully thumbs the dark circles under the smaller boy’s eyes and jonghyun gently shuts his eyes, leaning into the touch. it’s been a while since they had spent time quietly together like this and he missed it, deep inside his bones.

“you’re exhausted, don’t lie to me, you know it doesn’t work. what will be, will be, jonghyun-ah, and worrying’s not going to change any of that. i’ll be with you, by your side, all the way till the end, i promise.” minhyun’s heart twinges at how worn out jonghyun looks. being on the show was stressing all of them out – it affected jonghyun the most and he hated that he couldn’t do much to help the older boy. he’s anxious too, but he doesn’t want to make jonghyun worry further.

minhyun pulls jonghyun into him and jonghyun buries his face into the nape of minhyun’s neck. they quietly share a hug, their hearts fading into a steady beat.

lacing his fingers through jonghyun’s, minhyun leads him down the steps and into jonghyun’s dorm room. they’re afraid of startling the others who are sound asleep and take careful steps to jonghyun’s bed.

minhyun pushes jonghyun lightly onto his bed and pulls the sheets over him.

“sleep, jonghyun-ah. everything’s going to be fine. sweet dreams and i love you, please always remember that,” minhyun whispers, sweeping jonghyun’s bangs to the side.

jonghyun doesn’t say a word, but reaches his hand out from under the covers to grab a startled minhyun’s wrist.

“stay with me?” jonghyun’s eyes shine like stars even in the dark and minhyun thinks he’s never seen anything or anyone more beautiful than the boy before him.

quietly, minhyun crawls into the covers and they snuggle into each other’s embrace.

“i love you, too. i hope you know that,” jonghyun mumbles as sleep gets to him and his eyes get bleary.

minhyun feels like a warm summer breeze, so warm and gentle, jonghyun thinks. minhyun feels like home and all that he needs.

as jonghyun falls into a deep slumber, minhyun presses a light kiss to his forehead.

“we’re going to make it, jonghyun-ah.”

we will. together.

---

author’s note: i haven’t written fic in like, 6 years and i suddenly got the inspiration to write this last night. i hope you liked it! c: also i’m extremely nervous for the live broadcast tonight and i really hope my boys make it into the top 11 ;; if you’re looking for someone to spazz about 2hyun, nu’est or produce 101, hmu - i’m daseotbyul on twitter!

#produce 101 #kim jonghyun #hwang minhyun #2hyun #fanfic #jr #nu'est #minhyun #jonghyun

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