#love this series and the depressing as fuck tale it tells
Text
NGL I know its a controversial scene, but I genuinely love the "Adult Kiss" scene from End of Eva.
Like I know some people say it's "Out of Character" for Misato but I ask you how???? Like half the entire series is hammering into you that this woman, despite having at least some form of familial love for Shinji, is entirely willing to toss both it and her morals aside to get him to pilot. Like this woman, multiple times, explicitly ignores the severe trauma piloting inflicts onto Shinji to guilt him into it because "he has to". So no, I do not think its OOC for her to offer an "Adult Kiss" to him on her deathbed if he gets into the Eva. She knows he's desperate for any sort of affection at this point and that it will get him to pilot so of course she'll toss aside morals and decency to do it.
And yes its disgusting, its awful, and that the point. You are supposed to look at this scene in horror and go "what the fuck is going on???" You're supposed to despise her for it, to thinks she's an awful human being, because she's explicitly offering a 14 year old the promise of sex (that she knows she will never be able to fulfill) if he will just get in the fucking robot again and this is a bad thing.
I won't speak to directorial intent because I A: am not in contact with Hideki Anno (despite fervently desiring to pick his brain about Shin Kamen Rider) B: do not speak Japanese so cannot read his interviews unless its through the lens of a (potentially flawed) translator and C: Am too fucking lazy to look up said interviews anyways. But I will say that, whether retroactively or not, Eva is a genuinely good commentary on the "Relatable Angsty Teenage Protagonist" because Shinji is incredibly relatable when he first shows up. Poor self-esteem, absent parents, issues connecting with people, etc. But as the series goes on and Shinji descends further and further to start to relate less and less and start to wonder "Why aren't any of these adults seeing. Why do they seem to miss or ignore the obvious traumas Shinji and Asuka have and why do they continue to push them to do something that only hurts them. Why don't they question the narrative, of why the teens are the only ones who can Pilot or whether its even true or not?"
TL;DR yes Misato is an awful human being, and yes just about everything she does in EoE is entirely in character for her
#neon genesis evangelion#end of evangelion#end of evangelion spoilers#spoilers#nge spoilers#no like seriously this is such a good scene explicitly because what she's doing is so awful#apologies for the brain vomit I just feel really strongly about Eva#love this series and the depressing as fuck tale it tells#thank god Anno finished the Rebuild tetralogy I hope he never has to revisit it again
17 notes
·
View notes
Text
tuesday again 4/30/2024
most annoying book i've read so far this year under the jump
listening
a lovely polyrhythmic instrumental piece with previously-featured tuesdaysong artist, terrifying master of the cello, abel selaocoe. this is very textured and kind of scrubs at the inside of my skull in a pleasing way. like the kind of back scrubber you can buy with a bamboo handle and the long soft bristles. popped up on my recent releases playlist from spotify.
youtube
-
reading
really fucking pissed about this book and i am not able to be reasonable about it. i was really thrown, much like the fantasy prince's mother from her carriage as she was being chased by regency gossip reporters, that this was a prince harry/meghan markle RPF AU. i am a bit uncomfy about the fact that our female lead, the fantasy AU meghan markle, is some flavor of fantasy Gaelic instead of fantasy mixed-race. now, i have no particular moral or physical beef with RPF but i don't typically seek it out. but/also/and, much like works about marilyn monroe, i think works with the specter of princess diana are in poor taste. can we leave these women alone maybe
i got about halfway through the book before this revelation and didn't really feel like it succeeded at much of anything it was trying to do. oddly informal and choppy, like it was originally intended as a contemporary romance with some urban magic and changed to regency in a late draft. this is combined with some fairly weak prose: more simple sentence structure than i would expect in a book for young adults, far too many proper nouns, and a lack of interest in showing not telling.
i straight up don't understand why the leads are attracted to each other if she keeps making very public mistakes and he's a rude cunt. i have read other books (most recently the t kingfisher books) where someone grows to love a very gruff or taciturn man, but it takes time and mutual trust and an effort on both sides, none of which happen here. the core conflict is duty to family in all its various forms vs the heart wants what the heart wants. the conflict is not much of a conflict, though, because characters come to realizations within three sentences of confronting them and then vocalize them with therapyspeak. someone literally pats someone else's hand and goes, "It's hard, I know." the author mercifully did not describe the sad little pursed sympathy mouth but i'm sure it was there.
i'm also deeply annoyed with how this author chose to go about characterization. while the character concepts are people i would love to meet in a ttrpg, it feels very concerned about Good Representation and it makes everyone feel very wooden. i think when you put together characters from a list of various oppressions and disabilities it starts feeling like a grownup version of a children’s ensemble show meant to sell little blind box figurines. here is the Chronically Ill one, and her color is pink! here is the Addicted one, and his color is green! here is the Goth and Depressed one, and her color is black with some bones! here is the Gay one who was once badly hurt by the Addicted one, and we don’t care enough about him to give him a color! here is the superficially fantasy-Jewish one, and we don’t care enough about her to give her a color or an action figure either!
while normally i would love to read a book with two! TWO! canonically bisexual leads of different genders! this book is written for the "folx" spectrum of gays instead of the "fags" part of the spectrum and it strays very close to a modern morality tale for me.
this popped up on a list of books with bi leads i think, but if it was here or on libby i cannot remember.
anyway! fucking hated this one.
pleasantly surprised these came in back to back off my holds lists, bc they are about the perfumer Grace and Grace's former landlord, the spy Marguerite. my favorite of these Saint of Steel series is still the one with the werebear nun. i have nothing to complain about these books and not much to say about them either. they were such a delightful and competent change of pace after the annoyance of the previously discussed book.
oh i loved these. oh i LOOOOOOVED these. how the fuck does novik do it. she is so good at capturing the very specific feel of a grandpa military historical novel. except with dragons. i love these in the same way i know i will love the patrick o'brien books if i ever get around to reading them. i was a navy brat and unfortunately this is fucking catnip to me. truly i have inherited all my father's tastes
-
watching
largely fallow week. i don't have anything particularly great to say about The Bad Batch, but when have i ever. have not caught up with dunmeishi bc my siblings have once again inadvertently locked me out of the netflix account i pay for. considering a vpn for many reasons but watching netflix and watching porn (the state of texas does not want me or anyone else to watch porn within her borders) are the two big reasons for. idk. cashing out the paltry cash-back credit card rewards and coughing them up for a vpn. vpn opinions welcomed, i know most of them are straight garbage
-
playing
i straight up ran out of money in genshin, which is pretty hard to do since they're pretty generous with it? i have spent several million in-game currency on leveling up neuvilette (i am so so so happy to not have to collect any fucking starfish mats for him anymore [mats are different materials you have to collect or buy in-game in order to level up a character. very grindy most of the time]). anyway i am now scrabbling around for the last couple chests and puzzles i marked on my map in fontaine. i haven't bothered with grinding for his specific boosting artifacts or leveling up his talents all the way yet but this is really not shabby. i have the bad habit of completely levelling up all my 5-stars and then ignoring them until i need them for a specific fight or a specific level of the monthly..battle royale puzzle? i don't really know how to describe the abyss. anyway when i do eventually need his pretty intense water AOE attacks i will frantically grind for his talent mats. right now we're grinding for other things thanks
this latest update contains both the best and worst new areas so far. the underwater lost city of Remuria is a fuckin banger. gorgeous. incredible puzzles. very fun music-based quest line with new abilities and giant whale. however, im kind of disappointed by the new coastline area in the map: there is pretty much nothing there. almost no interactable plants to harvest, very few enemies, almost no chests. i get that they are focusing their time and attention on the new underwater area everyone will be focusing on (killer, btw, super dense and great use of vertical space). very lore-heavy expansion, sort of what if atlantis was a bit roman-inspired and also. hold on. wait a second.
sorry this has just occurred to me at 10:21 PM on Monday night as im drafting this but oh my god are the fucking fontanians the Sea Peoples of the bronze age collapse. this is hysterically funny lore if true. im going to have to go back and reread a lot of the environmental storytelling notes but oh my GOD that's extremely funny if true. genshin has some of the most batshit lore of any game ive ever played and im so sad that so few game journos are focusing on it.
where was i. leveling up characters in legally-not-france who may or may not be descendants of the sea peoples. i often find myself leveling up characters in genshin not based on how useful they are to the party but by how fun the bosses i need to fight for their mats are? for example: neuvilette is a water-based AOE character with not a lot of on-field time. however this big electric seahorse, whose antlers i need to level him up, is really fun to fight and i can knock it out in about thirty seconds.
-
making
my sister's birthday is tomorrow! my birthday package to her was kind of heavy on stupid little trinkets and art books and not very much like. homemade? so i cranked out a little sampler. it's framed i promise i simply forgot to take a picture of it framed. about 3"x3", slightly adapted from a piece in Julie Jackson's Subversive Cross Stitch. i do think the F and C turned out way better (or at least the backstitching stands out way more) but hey. sometimes you need to hastily stitch a gift with the limited colors you have on hand
42 notes
·
View notes
Text
rainfall (part five)
pairings: bradley “rooster” bradshaw x pilot!reader
desc: there was always going to be a final mission. maybe this was yours, maybe it was bradley’s. only time can tell.
warnings: swearing, blood, canon typical injury, alcohol mentions, sex mentions, family loss/death, suicide/depression
a/n: this is technically the second last part☹️ part seven is a little different and might not make you guys love me but .. a writer will do what a writer has to do. sorry for the wait btw, i’ve been suuuper busy.
series masterlist
masterlist
it was cold now. your flight suit felt frozen stuck to your body, glued on with the cold sweat running down your back. your head hurt, ringing in your ears being something you had to constantly push away.
bradley sat in the same silence with you, heavy breathing being a tell that he was stressed; you’d been in this room for hours. what felt like days, really. you were waiting for the news about pheonix and bob.
in the silence, you swore you could hear his heart beat. you could hear the thrum of the air around him, hear the blood rushing through his veins. it was something you’d never admit; that even with two of your teammates in hospital, all you could think about was bradley.
it was two days away from his dads anniversary. god - how long would it be? twenty years? twenty two? you didn’t keep count. the only measurement for you was bradley getting older, becoming one of the world’s best pilots, and his dad wasn’t there to see it.
god, if you could swap places with goose, let yourself die for him to see his son grow, you would. you would do it a hundred times over.
you never met goose, but from the stories carole had told you over dinner and the tales from the older pilots, you felt like you knew him a little bit. carole always told you that she saw goose in bradley, in everything he did.
and from what you’d heard, he was his father’s son.
a door opening broke your thoughts, you and bradley turning in unison.
“pheonix broke her arm,” maverick started, closing the door behind him. “bob’s only god a few scratches.”
you let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding in. but then it came to you - fuck, pheonix couldn’t fly with a broken arm. fuck.
“i’ve never lost a wingman,” bradley mumbled, not meeting mavericks eye.
“fly for long enough, it happens.” maverick replied.
that seemed to tip bradley over the edge, him taking the few steps forward to where maverick was stood, only a few centimetres between them.
“why did you pull my papers?” he almost yelled.
you knew the question was coming, really, how long could he avoid it for? maverick had to be held accountable at some point.
“you weren’t ready,” maverick answered, not sounding like he was sure in his answer. “you just- you weren’t ready, bradley.”
“and that was your fucking call to make!?” bradley was fully yelling now.
“look, bradley-”
“you set my career back by four fucking years!”
hanging your head, you looked down at the floor below you and leant against the nearest wall, back pressing against the concrete. this was not your argument to get involved in.
“bradley, you need to believe in me! i know why i did it, alright?” maverick raised his hands in defence.
a beat.
“my dad believed in you,” you snapped your head up at the mention of goose. “i’m not gonna make thay same mistake.”
maverick’s mouth hung slightly open. another beat. he looked like he was ready to say something, when a knock interrupted him.
“maverick?” a voice came from the door.
he turned, giving bradley one last, hurt look before he walked out of the door. you could see his shadow from behind the blurred glass, someone seemed to be breaking news to him.
“fuckin’ hate him.” bradley mumbled, kicking a nearby chair.
your head turned first, eyes still invested in whatever maverick was being told. “yeah, i don’t blame you.”
“god, i wish it was him that died instead of my dad.”
the sentence took you by surprise - sure, bradley had made some pretty snide comments about maverick before, but nothing quite as harsh as that.
did you blame him? no. it was two days until his dads anniversary, after all.
-
tom “iceman” kazansky was a man you’d came across many times. when you entered the naval academy, a massive picture of him greeted you at the door. at the base in fightertown, another massive picture of him.
you looked at the picture of him, the exact same one. it didn’t have the plaque underneath it this time, though. just propped up on a stand, in front of the coffin.
the coffin. god, you couldn’t believe iceman was gone. he was a good pilot, an even better man.
funerals were not your favourite thing; not just because you had to keep your back straight, chin up, wearing that ridiculous hat, no. you hated funerals because all it did was reinforce your fear.
you were afraid to die.
not of death, you were actually quite curious as to where you go after life. but it was dying that scared you, being gone from the face of the earth, like you never even existed.
the question kept you up at night, one that a teammate had asked you years ago after a bad mission;
“rainfall,” they had mumbled, half asleep on the carrier.
you’d hummed a reply, staring at the ceiling.
“if it was you that died today,” they said. “do you think anyone would mourn you?”
and that was the question that had plagued you for the last god knows how many years. would anyone mourn you?
your parents were both dead, you didn’t have any siblings, any immediate family. all your friends were from work, people who were so accustomed to death that they’d easily be able to fly the day after your death.
bradley was the only person who came to mind when you thought of someone mourning you. you were his best friend, surely he’d miss you? if it wasn’t prolonged and expected, surely he would be upset.
but that’s what scared you; a sudden death. dying without completing your bucket list.
and right on the top of your bucket list was, underlined over and over again, circled in ball point pen;
tell bradley you love him.
you didn’t care if it was a deathbed confession. you would not let yourself die, not without knowing that bradley was aware he held the key to your heart. something he’d had since the first time you met, all those years ago.
and that’s what you thought about for the whole funeral. you couldn’t keep your mind off of the subject, it kept creeping back into the forefront of your mind like a parasite.
not even the guns, the trumpet, the chatter of the people around you could break you from your thoughts.
but then another question popped into your head. someone was telling lies yesterday, and you wanted to know why.
making your way through the small crowd, you eyed maverick, who was speaking to mrs. kazansky.
“mrs kazansky,” you smiled at her, giving her a brief hug. “i’m so sorry for your loss, really.”
“thank you, lieutenant.”
“i was wondering if i could steal maverick, just for a few minutes?”
she nodded, “of course.”
bidding her a quick goodbye, you led maverick away from the crowd, somewhere much quieter.
“what’s all this about, rainfall?” he asked, looking around.
“you lied.” you stated.
he furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head slightly. “about what?”
“why you pulled bradley’s papers. it wasn’t because you didn’t think he was ready, was it?”
maverick sighed, bowing his head a little. “rainfall, that’s personal. i can’t tell you shit like that.”
“what?” you shrugged. “i’m not gonna tell bradley. it’s been bugging me, mav. you ruined his career - he could’ve been a captain by now.”
“why do you care?”
“because if you didn’t pull those papers, i never would have met him. i owe you something, but i want to know why you did it.”
maverick bit the inside of his cheek, looking quickly back at the crowd before back to you. “you cannot tell bradley, alright?”
you raised your hand, showing him your three-fingered salute. “scouts honour.”
“you weren’t in the scouts.”
“doesn’t matter.”
maverick laughed a little, looking away for a moment before he met your eyes. “i pulled bradley’s papers because his mom asked me to.”
“wait-” you couldn’t hide your surprise. “carole asked you to stop him joining the navy?”
“she didn’t want him to end up like his dad,” he nodded. “she begged me to stop him from joining.”
“holy shit,” you mumbled. “maverick, you should tell him, he- he hates you, mav. he fucking hates you, ‘cause he thinks you pulled his papers for no reason.”
maverick suddenly looked very serious. “no. rainfall, i will never tell him, and you won’t either.”
“why? maverick, why do you want him to hate you?”
a beat and- oh. oh.
“you want him to hate you so he doesn’t hate carole.” you answered your own question.
“yeah, something like that.”
it had never crossed your mind before, that maybe, just maybe, pete mitchell was a good man. who did things out of selflessness, in other peoples best interest.
you felt a drop of respect for him deep into you.
“is that all you wanted to ask me?” maverick asked.
nodding, you said; “yeah, that’s it. thanks, mav.”
“no, it’s alright.”
you were halfway away from him when he called back to you;
“and don’t you fucking dare tell your boyfriend!”
-
you were beginning to think the people on your team just looked for an excuse to drink. it was fanboy who had suggested it; going to the hard deck after the funeral. everyone else seemed more than happy to be there.
well, almost everyone else.
both you and bradley had barely touched your drinks, only speaking when someone spoke to you. for him, you assumed it was the lingering thought of his father’s anniversary, which was backed up by the countless amounts of times that his eyes flicked back to outside the window, looking out at the ocean.
but for you, it was different. you just had a feeling. a bad feeling, in the pit of your stomach. that kind of feeling that you couldn’t shake, no matter how many times you tried to take your mind off of it.
a feeling that was only made worse by your phone screen lighting up with a call; maverick.
“hey, i’ll just be a second,” you mumbled to bob, who was sitting next to you.
“i’ll watch your drink.” he smiled back.
making your way through the crowd, you pushed open the back door, hot summer air hitting your face as soon as you stepped out.
“hey, mav.” you answered the call, lifting your phone to your ear.
“rainfall, hey,” he sounded breathless. “have you been drinking?”
“um,” you trailed out the syllable. “i’ve had like two drinks, yeah.”
“of what?”
“blue WKD, why do you care?”
“i need a favour,” maverick said, desperation in his voice. “like, a really big favour.”
furrowing your eyebrows, you took a breath. “what is it?”
silence came through the receiver, silence so loud you thought he had hung up on you.
“maverick?” you said, hoping he was still there.
a sigh; “you’re not gonna like it, rainfall.”
you laughed lightly. “how back could it be?”
-
it was worse than bad.
it was absolutely bat shit, off the rails, fucking mental. completely and utterly crazy. you could lose your job for this - fuck, you could be dishonourably discharged. you could lose everything.
and yet, you still said yes.
you said yes, and for the first time since you left the naval academy, your hands were shaking as you got ready to take off. literally - you had to grip your gearstick ten times tighter than normal just so you wouldn’t shake it.
fuck, you were crazy for this one.
“rainfall, you’re cleared for takeoff.” maverick said over the radio.
taking a deep breath, you tried to push the worries to the back of your mind. maverick had explained exactly how you would get out of this, and you trusted him.
you trusted him, right?
feeling yourself be pushed back in your seat, you nodded. you trusted him. as the carrier faded away below you gained more height, you saw maverick take off behind you, following you to the coordinates he had set.
“maverick to controls, requesting route coordination.”
“this is controls, we see you and the request is approved but, uh- you weren’t scheduled for a coordination.”
“i know,” you could almost feel his smirk through the radio. “but i’m gonna do it anyway.”
if only you could have seen the rest of your teams face, thousands of feet away, listening to the radio in complete silence. even hangman had shut up.
“for the record, i’m here with rainfall, who is here completely against her will because i told her if she didn’t do this i would kick her out of the training program. isn’t that right, rainfall?”
“oh, absolutely,” you smirked. “i had no idea this is what we were meant to be doing.”
“alright, what the fuck.” bradley sighed, eyes glued to the board in front of him.
the admiral that had tried to take over from maverick was staring too, face in complete disbelief.
“change the time to one-fifteen, please.” you said, timer changing from four minutes to one minute and fifteen seconds.
“that’s impossible.” fanboy piped up from on the carried, voicing what everyone was thinking.
you imagined someone saying that exact thing, half annoyed that you couldn’t be there to see it. god - it would’ve been so funny to see all their faces, completely shocked that good old rainfall was willing to break the rules.
you wanted to see it so badly that you’d asked pheonix to take pictures of hangman and bradley’s faces when they realised what you were doing. you would frame them, put them front and centre on your mantle.
“alright maverick, i’m in place. how far away are you?” you asked.
“right behind you.” he said, and looking over your shoulder you saw him appear not far behind you.
“ready to begin in three, two, one.. start.”
the timer on your dashboard turned red, ticking down as you instantly sped up, the familiar feeling of g-force pushing down on you at every turn.
this route was almost muscle memory now, you’d done it so often. but this was the quickest you’d ever been asked to do it in, your personal best being one minute and twenty seconds.
but personal bests are made to be broken.
“can’t keep up, old man?” you laughed, seeing maverick slip slightly behind you in the course.
“god, you’re fast.” he mumbled back.
laughing a little, you checked the timer. you were thirty seconds in, and you were more than half way there - in fact, you were almost ready to start the climb up.
“hurry up, maverick. i’m almost there.”
back on the carrier, there was silence in the meeting room. complete quiet, everyone watching the little planes on the board love forward, yours almost at the target. the closer you got, the rowdier your teammates became. a few of them were standing, not able to believe their eyes.
bradley’s hands shook. he knew you were a good pilot, but he couldn’t stop himself from worrying. this was it, he was sure. this was the end of your navy career. how the fuck were you meant to get out of this one?
“alright, mav, i’m getting ready to drop.” you said, the target coming into your view.
“go for it.”
that was all you needed; your missile lock almost instantly catching onto the target, pressing the button as soon as you heard the dial tone.
“bombs away!” you called.
“good, now get ready for that pull up.” maverick responded.
you heard the bang, looking behind you for a moment to check where it had landed.
“bullseye! mav, you’re open to drop!” you yelled.
your teammates in the carrier cheered, almost not believing that this was really happening.
and then came the pull up, the dreaded fucking pull up. you had thirty seconds left to get out of there, and as long as you didn’t faint, everything would be fine.
as long as you didn’t faint.
“getting ready to drop.” was the last thing you heard over the radio before your ears went that familiarly cloudy way.
it was a feeling you didn’t get used to, the light, floaty, thoughtless feeling. it was nice, sure, but a little unsettling.
like your brain had gone completely blank, all trains of thought stopping service. quiet. completely, utterly quiet.
until it wasn’t to quiet.
“bullseye!” maverick yelled, bringing you back out of your trance.
you let yourself go level, having pulled up enough. checking the timer, there was less than fifteen seconds left. that was enough time for maverick to get out, right?
the seconds ticked down so slowly, like they were waiting years before changing. thirteen, twelve, eleven. he had to hurry up. eight, seven, six, five. he was never going to make it.
three, two, one-
“made it!” maverick finally called, coming level with you.
letting out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding in, you swore you could hear the cheers of your teammates below you. they were loud enough that you could hear them from space.
bradley breathed a sigh of relief too, but still felt the tension in his stomach. it was all well and good that you had proved a point, but was it worth losing your job, your everything, over?
you thought about that question as you waiting outside the admirals office. was this worth losing your job over? in the name of proving a fucking point?
god, you hoped maverick had covered your ass with his story.
“come in, lieutenant.” a voice called from behind the door.
taking a deep breath, you pushed it open. it wasn’t like you’d never been yelled at before, of course you had. but this? this was different. you could lose everything.
“admiral.” you saluted, standing completely straight.
“now i don’t know if you’re suicidal, hate your job, or just really love proving points, but whatever one it is, you’re asking to be dishonourably discharged.”
“sir, if i may-”
“no, you may not, lieutenant. you stole a multi-million dollar aircraft, and flew it in a way that it may never be flown again. i don’t know how many code of honour violations you’ve got, but for god’s sake, rainfall, you might as well have handed in your wings.”
you swallowed. maverick hadn’t covered your ass, after all.
“but none of that matters,” the admiral took a breath. “because you did it against your will.”
or maybe he had covered your ass.
the admiral turned to maverick, who was a few feet away from you. “you could have lost one of our best pilots her wings, maverick. i hope you know that.”
“yes, sir.” maverick said, eyes straight ahead.
walking away, the admiral elected to look out of the window. “you have both put me in an extremely difficult position. i can dishonourably discharge both of you and keep my authority in tact, or i can make maverick team leader and get this mission done.”
you prayed he picked the second one. not just for your sake, but for your entire teams.
maverick turned to you, making eye contact for a moment before looking back at the admiral. “sir, if you discharge anyone it should be me. lieutenant l/n is an extremely capable pilot, but she had to idea what she was doing was wrong.”
the admiral sighed, turning to look at you both. “the carrier leaves at zero-five hundred hours. don’t be late. both of you are dismissed.”
saluting him once more, you almost ran out of the office, back hitting the wall next to the door as you let out a sigh of relief.
maverick looked at you as he walked past, laughing lightly.
“good god, maverick, never make me do that again.” you pushed yourself off of the wall, following him down the corridor.
“what, you never been yelled at before?”
#top gun#top gun imagines#top gun imagine#top gun maverick fanfiction#top gun series#top gun maverick#top gun maverick imagines#top gun maverick imagine#top gun maverick series#top gun x reader#top gun maverick x reader#bradley bradshaw#bradley bradshaw fanfiction#bradley bradshaw imagine#bradley rooster bradshaw imagines#bradley bradshaw x reader#bradley rooster bradshaw x reader#bradley rooster bradshaw imagine#bradley rooster bradshaw fanfiction#bradley rooster bradshaw#the rainfall series#miles teller#miles teller x reader#miles teller imagines#miles teller imagine#miles teller fanfiction#miles teller series
566 notes
·
View notes
Note
as an Irish person reading trc/tdt what do you think of Maggies characterisation of the Lynch family??
oh i LOVE this question. anon so kindly giving me permission to infodump....
the short answer is: i love it?? i love it. i have varying quibbles about how niall's "redemption arc" is done and stuff like that, but purely on the irish side of things, i love it
further necessary context: i'm irish-american a few generations removed from ireland (who happens to have a hyperfixation on irish myth), my closest familial connections in the country are some distant cousins that my great-aunt traced recently. direct relations to her, but given that she is like 96, much less direct to me. so my perspective is very different from that of an irish person raised n living in ireland, & most of what i love most about the lynch family is directly related to diaspora and intergenerational trauma stuff
i said i was gonna infodump and then couldn't decide where to start. waow. okay so i've talked before about most of the worldbuilding in the dreamer trilogy being based in irish myth - ronan being from the otherworld (eldritch god, fairy, same thing), fintan mac bochra and the hawk of achill, not giving your true name/address to people at the fairy market, etc. these stories are woven through the whole fabric of the series
then the concept of irish storytelling itself is Also woven through the whole series, on both a meta and in-canon level
traditional irish storytellers will take a myth and make it their own, you can trace the origins of different tales back dozens or hundreds of years. the goal isn't to tell the story the way it's been told in generations past, but instead to tell it how You'd tell it. so there are these books repurposing irish myth in this unique way, but also these characters who are all so in love with storytelling in their own ways
you can see it in how niall and aurora tell their stories, how niall's always have a focus on action and tragedy and grisly death while aurora's are more focused on the love and the feelings and the soft fade-out of a tragic hero
you can see it in how declan has inherited niall's propensity for storytelling (the twitter confirmation of his middle name being "tadhg" still makes me Big Eyes Emoji) and also inherited niall's propensity for reckless idiocy, Geis Of Bullshit indeed.
then there's the way that declan and ronan both find themselves playing out different parts of niall's worst traits, how intergenerational trauma seems inescapable, how every damn person in the family is So Mentally Ill. this isn't necessarily the case for every irish-american family but it sure is for kitkat's. hoo boy we love giving chronic pain, psychosis, and inescapable depression to our offspring
that greywaren quote about "diaspora always idealizes the homeland" has stuck with me for a while because there's this kind of muted longing in the books' depiction of ireland itself, but also in the books' depiction of the barns, a place that niall and mór Made ronan's homeland. and more than that i see it in declan's views on his parents themselves, how he's able to reconcile with mór Because she's so distant and unfathomable and never personally fucked him up, so it's easier to forgive and forget everything she's done... how niall is dead and gone and can no longer change his behavior or grow or learn or fuck declan up any worse, so it's easier to accept his love as uncomplicated and good. child idealizing his distant homeland because that's what he's Supposed to have
truly don't know if that was the authorial intention but. it's the only way declan's arc makes any sense to me. that one line does a shitload of heavy lifting
and on a less theme-heavy note i love little details like. the brothers being so in touch with irish culture as second-gen immigrant kids, love that they play the uilleann pipes and attend the fleadh, love that ronan can do an irish accent on command, love that declan keeps photos of ireland in his bedroom but they still don't quite reflect his True Self like his attic does, love that mór is a gaelgeoir (irish speaker), there are other details i'm forgetting now
this post is ungodly long so i'll leave it here. these r my thoughts. it's good shit o/
#replies#trc#cdth#greywaren#greywaren spoilers#greywaren meta#cdth meta#kitkat learns gaeilge#<-only tangentially related but.
78 notes
·
View notes
Text
Don't Listen to Kafka: summary of what would have happened next
So my laptop’s harddrive got wiped for the second time within a year. And while I do have a lot of DLtK notes and writing backed up, the truth is that between the first wipe circa October 2022 and the second time I fucked up my computer at the end of July, I didn’t touch DLtK at all. At this point I don’t even know if I could figure out how much I lost the first time.
The name of the game is perseverance; I don’t want these incidents to kill all my WIPs, I don’t want to give up. But. I don’t think I have it in me to try to salvage all the WIPs I’d been working on, and Tales of Arcadia hasn’t been my hyperfixation for a while now. I keep waiting for the wheels of my fandom interest to turn in that direction again… but they haven’t, and there’s nothing I can do to make that happen on purpose.
So I’m going to share what I had planned for this series, because I still love it dearly, and this wonderful fandom, and if you want to comment or ask questions I welcome them! I am going to be writing this summary from memory, because tracking down and going through my story notes just depresses me.
First things first, I need to address the fact that Claire does not know that Enrique is trapped in the Darklands. It was on Jim’s mind in Metamorphosis, and he decides to enlist NotEnrique’s help in introducing Claire to the idea of changelings (Incidentally, NotEnrique hasn’t had a moment to cement his loyalty to Team Trollhunter, since the battle at the bridge didn’t happen the way it did in canon. So at one point I thought about writing a sort of prologue, in which Nomura drops by to talk to him - she’s not trapped in the Darklands, but she’s gonna nope right out of Arcadia now that the Janus Order is in disarray with Strickler’s defection. Because I am nothing if not preoccupied with typing up any and every possible loose end ;P And I wanted to address whether RealEnrique would be in danger, since in this AU the babies in the nursery are hostages for the changeling’s loyalty and good behavior. So if NotEnrique defects, that would put Enrique in danger - unless the Janus Order’s ability to convey kill orders to the Darklands was stopped. And since I never said how they do that, I think the Fetch will do very nicely. Better keep a tight hold on that, Team Trollhunter)
Right, so Jim tells Claire who does not take it well (oh, and there’s a whole thing about what does Barbara know, because like hell would she not tell Ophelia and Javier that their kid was kidnapped, so does that mean Jim is keeping secrets? I think I found a solution I could work with but I can’t remember what it was). Claire doesn’t take it well, and it affects rehearsals for the school play - I found some lines Juliet could deliver with scathing sarcasm. The romance is dead, and Ms. Janeth despairs.
Jim is in a serious funk, because some of the insults Claire threw his way unknowingly hit some seriously sore spots. He wants to come mask-off clean to Claire as part of his apology efforts, because Claire put it into his head that Not Telling her things is exactly equivalent to Lying, and he doesn’t want a repeat of her anger if he waits to tell her too long about being part changeling. Toby is not a fan of this idea, and goes to confront Claire about the fact that Jim is planning to be extremely vulnerable to her and she had better take that seriously, just because Jim hurt her by not telling her about NotEnrique does mean she is entitled to all his secrets, he’s going through a rough time and she’d better not hurt him back Or Else.
I… can’t remember what leads Jim and Claire to reconciling. I know that they do manage it in time to save the school play, huzzah! Around the same time as opening night, Jim’s horns finally break through, and this is something of a momentous coming-of-age moment in a young troll’s life. There’s a whole ceremony, and Claire is invited, cementing her inclusion in Team Trollhunter. (The ceremony involves digging a hole in the ground in a shady spot and burying Jim in it up to his neck for a day. It’s a test of courage, and to show that he’s ready to come to the surface on his own. Mostly Jim thinks it’s a test of his patience)
And that concludes the first act!
Next, the effort to rescue Enrique begin in earnest. See, the thing is, unlike in canon they do not have access to a complete Killahead Bridge; Otto absconded with the keystone before the bridge was recovered. So they will need to find a different way into the Darklands. Now for a bit of worldbuilding. Because Killahead Bridge is an example of Sealed Evil In a Can, right? (Keep in mind that this was drafted before Season 2 of 3Below had aired, let alone Wizards) I asked why wouldn’t you obliterate the bridge more thoroughly than just breaking it into pieces, if you really wanted to keep Gunmar in the Darklands? And the answer I came up with is that Killahead Bridge functions as lock on Gunmar, so that it is the only way for him to leave the Darklands. If you pulverized the bridge, it wouldn’t trap him; it would release him, because then he would be free to seek out another passage out of the Darklands.
That being said, there aren’t oodles of ways in and out. Besides the Fetch, the only way that rumors tell of is Morgana’s secret entrance. But no one knows how to find it, because secret map is in two pieces, and one has been in Trollmarket in Blinky’s library and the other has been with the changelings for centuries. But! This time around Team Trollhunter have the evil book they got from Strickler. (Dangit I’m blanking on the name - not grimorum arcanorum, that’s Gargoyles. Not Darkhold either.) The map points them not to the Darklands, but to Morgana’s lair where the key is hidden. Yay Baba Yaga house with chickenfeet!
But before we get to that: you’ve heard of Hybrid Vigor, now get ready for Outbreeding Depression! This is when hybrid crosses are disfavored by natural selection. Like if offspring are infertile, or two subspecies are bred together to try to preserve an endangered species, and instead it makes a muddle of local regional adaptations. Or maybe the offspring only have one copy of a gene that they really need two of to do well. Or the animal lives in an environment where there are a lot of dark surfaces and a lot of light-colored surfaces, so being dark-colored or light-colored provides good camouflage, but being gray just means you show up at least a bit on both surfaces.
All this means is that I am totally justified in putting Jim through the wringer >:) As his human blood cells are replaced with changeling blood cells, their ability to bind oxygen decreases. Oh, time for more worldbuilding: changeling blood edition. I could be wrong, but I don’t think we ever see any full-blooded trolls bleed? This despite Draal losing an entire arm. Tattoos are chiseled into them, and there’s the line about treating wounds with molten metal, so I feel confident in saying that, in this story at least, trolls don’t have blood. No blood, no circulatory system. But wait, I hear you cry, trolls can drown! And they are seen to breathe. How do I explain that?
I decided that the thing being circulated is not oxygen, but rather magic. The same kind exuded by the Heartstone (magic: it’s both a particle and a wave!) Hence troll society being built around magic-dense Heartstones. And water acts as a neutralizing agent, it smothers magic. Changelings live primarily on the surface, and do not have access to Heartstone magic. They also do bleed, unlike regular trolls. I’ve made these two facts related; changelings supplement their magic energy intake with an oxygen-using metabolism. They have hemerythrin as the binding pigment in their blood instead of hemoglobin, which is not as good at binding oxygen (this is true irl) but is capable of binding ambient particle of magic in the air (this has fascinating implications for certain species of marine worm with purple blood!)
What’s happening with Jim is that his mixed blood is getting increasingly bad at binding oxygen, but not yet good enough at binding ambient magic. So he gets out of breath easily; it presents a lot like altitude sickness, being in thin air for a prolonged time. Solution: needs more close proximity to the Heartstone, where magic is denser. He’s out of commission for a couple weeks while his organs rearrange themselves. (I wrote bits of a scene where Barbara and Jim go to a changeling doctor that Strickler puts them in contact with, I can’t remember where in the timeline that was supposed to go).
Oh, speaking of Strickler, he’s doing occupational therapy to adjust to being an amputee. Barbara is helping out, but is extremely firm that she “can’t be his Florence Nightingale.” He’s a good resource when it comes to changeling Jim things. Like when Jim becomes lethargic and Barbara can’t tell if it’s depression or something else.
To summarize the summary so far: there are two parallel plot lines, one in which Team Trollhunter, sans Jim who is convalescing, follow some clues to get to Baba Yaga’s house to find a secret way into the Darklands to rescue NotEnrique. And the other plot line is Jim dealing with continuing changes to his body.
To get Barbara to sign off on Claire putting herself into danger by going a-questing, Claire steals Jim’s glamour mask and poses as her own mother. (What could possibly go wrong!) When they get to the house with chicken feet, it’s not sturdy enough for Blinky and Aaarrrgh to climb up, so Claire and Toby are on their own. Gotta give them their power-ups!
Claire sticks her hand in a box and it gets impaled - yikes! But it’s magic, so the wound heals right up, and, she will later discover, she now has telekinesis. The drawback: she is now claustrophobic. Basing this on how in some Vathara’s fics describe ki-sense as like a fish’s lateral line sense, ‘touch at a distance.’ Basically, I figure that if you’re going to be picking stuff up with your mind, your mind has to be able to ‘feel’ the object. Thus, an awareness of the things around her, including walls. She can *feel* how big or small a room is. Even her own bedroom feels too small, too close; she can’t sleep unless her windows and door are open.
Toby, meanwhile, gets a magical pet bonded to him! In a manner of speaking. I wanted to give him something that would let him fly like his warhammer did, and reached into Norse mythology. No, it’s not mjollnir, though it, too, was made by the dwarves Eitri and Brokkr. It’s Boary McBoarface, Gullinbursti! From the Prose Edda: "It could run through air and water better than any horse, and it could never become so dark with night or gloom of the Murky Regions that there should not be sufficient light where he went, such was the glow from its mane and bristles." Toby is able to ride on its back and charge Gullinbursti into battle against his opponents. Drawback: if he uses it too long, a bloodlust rises in him, and he becomes a proper berserkr, full of rage. Good thing he has a wingman who knows a thing or two about anger management!
Who do they need to use these newfound skills to fight? I’d always planned for Otto to become the main Big Bad, a foil for Jim as a fellow polymorph. Wasn’t entirely sure what that would look like; reviving Angor Rot was Strickler’s plot, would Otto think to do the same?
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Jim’s uncle is concerned that Barbara says the two of them aren’t coming to Thanksgiving without giving a reason why (the reason being, Jim is bed-ridden and unable to pass for human). Uncle Mark remembers how Barbara similarly withdrew when she was with the emotionally abusive James Sr., and recalls that she mentioned a potential new beau last time they talked on the phone, so he’s going to come investigate. Just to keep throwing wrenches into the works. For some reason I really really wanted this to overlap with Blinky being turned into a human, but if they aren’t planning on *fighting* Gunmar with their sneek-through-the-backdoor plan, then they don’t really need the Triumbric Stones, do they? Do any of those quests even happen?
Act II ends with Claire and Toby getting power-ups, and Jim finally completing his transformation into a changeling. Yay! Now if he can just figure out this shape-shifting thing…
The first time Jim changes into someone other than himself, it’s after a stressful night worrying about an upcoming Spanish test, and he wakes up looking like Senor Uhl. He gradually gets more skilled and confident in his ability to change shape, and then he gets the bright idea to sneak into the Darklands through the Fetch by turning into a goblin. (Hand-wavy answer about ‘why aren’t they using the method acquired from visiting Morgana’s lair’ now that they have it. Can’t remember why.)
Jim has clearly never read Animorphs, or he would know why shapeshifting into a hivemind creature is a Bad Idea. Waka chakka!
Yeah things get a little silly at this point, but they have to be if I’m going to bring the Creepslayerz in (which, given how this whole subplot is just a tangent that could conceivably be cut without impacting the plot, I’m not 100% committed to bringing Eli and Steve into the mix. However, as I said at the beginning, I love tying up every conceivable plot-hole, and Goblin Adventure answers the question, ‘If you have the fetch and shapeshifting powers, why *wouldn’t* you shrink yourself down to get through that way?’) Toby, in a moment of foresight, writes ‘JIM’ on Jim with a sharpie, so if he escapes their watch, they can find him again. (Creepslayerz, reading it upside-down: “Hi, Wif!”) I can’t remember what’s in my notes for how they finally get Jim changed back, but if I had to guess, it had something to do with Barbara.
Yeah, Act III is where things start to break down for me, in terms of having a clear idea of what I wanted to happen. Partly to make things easier for myself and partly because I think Jim might be slightly more sympathetic to the plight of the changelings, only Enrique is getting rescued. The rest of the babies are just going to stay there for the time being. Gunmar can only be defeated with the Triumbric stones, but is it written that the Trollhunter has to be the one to use them? Can we give them to Angor Rot and unleash him to have his revenge on Gunmar? Does Jim *actually* have to fight Gunmar to achieve his objective? I kind of think things have changed enough that he doesn’t have to, and Morgana doesn’t rise again, and Merlin stays asleep, and Douxie keeps on trucking. Yeah, figuring out endings is hard. Mostly I figured I’d need to write the rest of the story first, to even know what the right ending should be. A lot can change between drafting an outline and writing a story…
So there you have it! Everything I remember (and don’t remember) off the top of my head about where I was planning on going with Don’t Listen to Kafka. Gosh I just, I appreciate so much all the love that this fic series has received over the years, and I didn’t want to leave you all hanging indefinitely.
#my writing#don't listen to kafka#trollhunters#tales of arcadia#the working title of the next installment was 'Apoptosis' (programmed cell death) but I didn't actually want to use that#bc I myself have gotten that mixed up with 'Autoeponym' in my notes. polysyllabic jargon words beginning with A for the win!#I'm releasing this into the world knowing full well that it could satisfy my need to share this story so well that#i will never again feel the urge to write it out. and i think i need make my peace with that
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
Caro's June 2023 Book Wrapup
This has been an interesting reading month, probably because I've been kind of severely depressed and therefore spend a lot of time reading and less time sleeping. C'est la vie!
You know what's not depressing? How much I've been enjoying Tiffany Reisz's Original Sinners series. It's definitely erotica; it may be erotic romance as well; it's for sure one of my favorite love stories I've read in a long time. Think lots of religious imagery, lots of Stuff and Thangs, lots of Father? Father. Two "heroes" (of a sort) who somehow hit every possible button I could ever have between the both of them? Check your triggers with that series, but uh..... I'm loving it.
But that's only a little of what I've read!
You, Again by Kate Goldbeck. ARC; review to come closer to publication.
Hottest Moment: This book does feature one of my favorite things, which is to say... someone getting absolutely railed and saying something they shouldn't!!!
An Island Princess Starts A Scandal by Adriana Herrera.
The sapphic historical romance we deserve! Fun, frothy, sexy, angsty--this one has it all. Manuela and Cora are equally compelling, and Adriana milks the hell out of the older, jaded seducer/flirty Young But Ready girl. Cora kicks the book off by giving us so much vampy sex appeal, only to be completed bowled over by Manuela's eagerness and charm. And I love that like... the book doesn't skip over the challenges they face as nineteenth century lesbians, but balances it with the freedoms they're both afforded and the supportive community surrounding them. Love!
Hottest Moment: Uhhhh there's one thing in this book that I did not expect to see in this book, suffice to say.
The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy. ARC; review to come closer to publication.
Hottest Moment: The hero conversationally tells the heroine "I'm taking you from behind" and bends her over a sofa.
For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale.
This is a fucking ride, and everything I want from a medieval romance. There's a knight devoted to his lady fair! There's an ice queen literal princess who's so sick of everyone's shit! There's a weird teen assassin who mAY be a castrato, who knows? The adventure is high and the emotions are strong. I will say, Kinsale lets the 1300s be the 1300s, for better or worse. There's plague. Our hero definitely alludes to doing some real bad shit. But the high stakes add to the emotionality of the story, and the tale never loses its sense of humor. I was absolutely invested in Ruck and Melanthe's wild road trip--and their love story.
Hottest Moment: Ruck pretends that Melanthe is his "leman" (mistress) so that they can share a room at an inn... But oops, there are peepholes, so I guess she has to play the part now! Darn!
Band Sinister by K.J. Charles.
Fun, light, fluffy--it's a comfort read, and well worth it. We have a rake seducing a virgin and teaching him how to fuck... We have a lovely poly situation... I don't know what's not to like. I've heard of K.J. Charles described as "Heyer but gayer" and I guess there's truth to that. If you like the frothiness of Heyer, the witticisms and wordplay, that's all here. But like. There are people of color in this book, for one thing. For another, Philip and Guy actually fuck. And there's like. Depth. All of these things make me say... this is my Heyer, I guess.
Hottest Moment: Philip teaching Guy the finer points of certain verbs.
Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale.
A wild, intense, passionate, high stakes romance novel that was perfect for me. There are elements that show its era (the noncon encounter between the leads being the most obvious) but for the most part it adds to the story rather than taking away. I'm a sucker for villain-as-hero; but here, we get a villain who knows he's awful and knows he's going to Hell... and that actually bugs him. Not because he hasn't accepted Hell, but because he believes SHE is going to Heaven. Meanwhile, our heroine is of the mind that if Heaven lacks him--she doesn't want it. And she is totally willing to learn from him. In many ways, he's her mentor; and in many ways, he's totally emotionally dependent on her. It's just... so good. So emotional, so hot, so well-defined in its arc and meaning.
Hottest Moment: Really--pick a scene. But I do have a big thing for the moment when Elayne makes Allegreto role play as a captured warrior who's been brought to service her. He's right, she's perfect.
The Devil and The Heiress by Harper St. George.
I liked the first book in this series of standalones--The Heiress Gets A Duke. But it was a little rushed for me, and while the couple was charming, you could kind of tell that the author was more excited about the heroine's innocent little sister and the predatory, fortune-hunting earl eyeing her from her across the room. You can tell she's more alive and into this roadtrip-but-it's-a-trap romance, and though there isn't anything super dark about Christian, the Earl of Leigh, or anything super groundbreaking about the sweet Violet... It's just really fun and fluffy, and he gets soooo sad when he falls into the pit of his own making, and... it's candy, and I like it.
Hottest Moment: I really liked the scene where he paced in front of a fire lustfully with his dick sticking out of his underwear I can't super explain it.
For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes.
It's difficult to find romances featuring trans heroines, and it's even more difficult to find them written by trans women. And this one is a BDSM romance at that! I think that whether or not you're trans, whether or not you're into the kink scene, there's something deeply relatable to April's problem--being the mom friend, being the den mother, feeling overlooked in favor of younger, prettier, less "complicated" models. This book is honestly pretty fluffy and sweet, and it should be. But the emotional authenticity hits hard throughout.
Hottest Moment: Personally a big fan of the scene where April gives Dennis a good ol' Brentwood hello.
The Siren by Tiffany Reisz.
Note: this is an ongoing erotica (erotic romance?) series, and though I'm not going to note every book as a rec because they must be read in order.... I'm reading it and loving it. Not for the faint of heart--and I will say that the first book reads a bit darker than the others, to me--it's going to give you a little bit of everything: polyamory, hardcore BDSM, a dominant Catholic priest, a kink king, an erotica writer/dominatrix. The core trio is totally captivating, and while I won't lie, they do some... very morally dubious shit.... I simply don't care. It's too well-written and too compelling. (Soren Stan For Life.)
Hottest Moment: There is... a lot. But in the first book, for me it was 100% Soren cornering Nora in an elevator and getting her off while reminding her that they're always going to come back to each other. Also, the "my turn" flashback with Kingsley because............
Love with a Scandalous Lord by Lorraine Heath.
This is pitched as a very normal, sedate "virginal American heroine comes to England and gets swept up by London and an older, jaded lord" book. Here's the thing: our heroine, Lydia, is a second gen heroine. Her mother was the heroine of a previous book, and fell in love with Lydia's stepfather, the illegitimate son of a duke who raised Lydia from a young age. And the hero, Rhys... is Lydia's step-uncle. That in itself is pretty intense, and you get the whole "older man accidentally seducing an innocent" thing. Then there's another classic Lorraine third act twist--and it is quite a twist. The romance is pretty normal. He hates himself and feels he can't love her, she was half a virgin when she met him; it's an angsty back and forth. Personally, that works for me. Especially when our hero was the town bicycle.
Hottest Moment: Our hero doesn't want to risk getting the heroine pregnant (I mean, he's already risked that but okay) and blows her mind in... other ways. I was a bit surprised to see an ol' "fingerbang from behind" in an early 2000s Lorraine Heath, but I was not unhappy.
M is for Marquess by Grace Callaway.
I'm not a huge fan of espionage romances, that hasn't changed--and this book does have a pretty sizable espionage plot. What makes it work here is that it's really not all that convoluted, and it doesn't compete with the romance. Our hero is into the heroine from the jump but afraid of hurting her (and really, of being rejected by her in the same way he was rejected by his wife, because he is a lil kinky). Our heroine is considered frail and desperately wants to prove to everyone she isn't. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it is enjoyable, especially if you like a "frail heroine" a la Win Hathaway (which I do).
Hottest Moment: Thea sneaks into Gabriel's room to give him something to remember her by while they're parted. It works.
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Fuck Shit Up - Fiction Edition
A non- comprehensive list of shows/films/books that get the revolutionary juices flowing (arbritrarily divided into sad vs empowering categories by me, and in no particular order)
Feel free to add to the list - particularly content created by women of colour and non-England centric stuff
FUCKING SHIT UP: we can and we WILL smash the system
Damnation (Netflix TV Series)- western meets antifash in this striker vs strike breaker epic. Great plots and characters and white supremacists getting shot in the head, what more can you want?
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - A++ cinematography, great action, and Charlize Theron for the gays
Snowpiercer (Netflix TV Series) - I enjoyed it and it's a fun premise about a class system running on a train which holds the last humans since everything froze over
Pride (2014) - feelgood movie of the century - miners, gays and gay miners solidarity - true story
Sorry to Bother You (2018) - a sureal masterpiece - watch it for a good mindfuck
Pose (FX TV Series) - an amazing look at 1990s New York ballroom culture - chef kissing noises
The Dispossesed (Ursula Le Guin) - sci-fi that plots out what an anarchist society might look like - there’s other books in the series too - it takes a bit of getting into
Newsies (1992) - a musical about a newspaper boys strike - still not watched it so review tbd
Made in Dagenham (2010) - unions & 1960s costumes yes pls - a true story about a sewing machinist strike in the 1960s - take it with a pinch of salt
Brassed Off (1996) - a heartfelt tale about a fictional mining village in Barnsley towards the ‘inevitable’ end of the miners strikes - accents are surprisingly passable and there’s a young Ewan McGreggor to oggle
9 to 5 (1980) - Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin kidnap their boss and take control of their office. What more could you want?
The Parable of the Sower (Book) - an absolute classic by Octavia E. Butler, I'm really excited to read the sequel
Enola Holmes 2 (2022) - gets an honerable mention for the matchgirl strike scene
SHIT IS FUCKED UP: social realism and tough times
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist (Robert Noonan) - A fictionalised look at difficulties of working life in the early 1900s - he died of TB before he had finished editing it - it takes a bit of getting into
Love on the Dole (Walter Greenwood) - similar vibes to the Ragged Trousered Philanthropist but set in the 1930s in northern England - just found out there’s a film brb
The Plague (Albert Camus) - a very timely book about the rise of plague (and metaphorically fascism) in a town in Algiers in the 1940s - only read if you want to feel validated in your mask wearing and antifascism
The Boys from the Blackstuff (BBC TV Series) - the stories of several tar layers dealing with working life and unemployed life in the 1970s/80s - dare you not to cry
The Handmaid’s Tale (Book or TV Show) - interesting look at ideas about how reproductive rights can fit into patriarchal systems
I, Daniel Blake (2016) - you will cry, and cry and cry again - a harrowing look at the brutality of the UK benefits system
Sorry We Missed You (2019) - another Ken Loach film about the brutal way delivery drivers are treated
Jude the Obscure (Thomas Hardy) - the king of depressing plotlines brings you his saddest book. This will fuck you up. Social mobility is a lie and you’re sad and alone in the world. Basically any other Hardy book is an equally good choice.
Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck ) - the king of depressing plotlines about the phalacy of the American Dream - again, social mobility is a lie and you’re sad and alone in the world- also recommend his other books such as the Pearl
Peterloo (2018) - an important telling of the Peterloo massacre, a significant moment in English worker’s history - a lot of the background is spelled out if you don’t know a lot of the history. It's a bit cheesy and heavy handed at times
12 notes
·
View notes
Text
Incorrect Quotes Tag
There's a new game for writers floating around, and I got tagged to join in! I'm so honored y'all wanna see my stupid characters in this lol Thanks so much for the tags, @smzeszikorova, @blind-the-winds, @saltysupercomputer, @elijahrichardwrites, and @andromedatalksaboutstuff!
Since I had so many tags for this, I'm gonna do a lot of quotes so
⚠️ long post! ⚠️
(It's really long guys I got carried away i'm sorry)
I'll also be soft tagging @houndsofcorduff, @fearofahumanplanet, @bardic-tales, @penspiration-writing, @ghost-town-story, and and anyone else who wants to play to use this generator and join the fun!
Jimmy: I am in charge of this disaster!
Luke: I have a name, you know.
Jimmy: Let me copy your homework.
Steph: I was gonna copy yours.
Jimmy: Well, shit.
Steph: Guess I'm not doing it.
Steph: What are your three best qualities?
Jess: I’m hot, I have soft hair, and sometimes I cry because I love my friends.
Riley: I'm going to ask you to be respectful.
Luke: I will politely decline.
Thomas: Don't ask me what I'm talking about. I don't know, okay? I'm just the vessel. The message has been gifted. I've moved on.
Riley: You’re drunk.
Jimmy: Correction: drinking. Present tense. Grammar, Riley.
Jess: You fuckers don’t know about my knife stick. It’s a knife taped to a stick and it’s the ultimate weapon.
Luke: Spear.
Jess: BLOCKED.
Jess: Dracula had it right, sleep all day, live alone in a castle, and explode into bats to get out of all social situations.
Jimmy: Don’t worry, I have a permit.
Luke: ...This just says “I can do what I want”.
Luke: Well Jimmy, I have to say, I'm really disappointed.
Jimmy: Well, you didn't HAVE to say it. You could've just thought it
Thomas: *eating a cinnamon roll*
Aaron: Cannibalism.
Thomas: *confused chewing noises*
(This one is especially funny to me as Thomas really is a cinnamon roll)
Jonathan: I dare you-
Thomas: Jess is not allowed to accept dares anymore.
Jonathan: Why not?
Jess: "I have no regard for my own or others personal safety", as some would say.
Jonathan: Thought I was meowing back at my cat for the past hour, but it was just me and Luke meowing at each other from different rooms in the house.
Luke: My ultimate goal is to punch God in the eye, just to spite him one last time.
Thomas: Jimmy...
Jimmy: I can tell by the tone of your voice that you are disappointed. Alas, I must further disappoint you by affirming how little I give a fuck.
Jimmy: If I punch myself and it hurts, am I weak or strong?
Jess: Strong.
Thomas: Weak.
Jonathan: An idiot, is what you are.
Aaron: I’m not a doctor I’m a medic.
Riley: What’s the difference then?
Aaron: Well doctors actually save lives, medics just make you feel more comfortable as you die.
Luke: Note to self; never get shot.
Jess, tearing up the room: Where are they?
Jess, looking under a pillow: Who moved them? Who moved my children?
Jess: Somebody moved my M&M's, and now I am going to start killing.
Steph: *standing on a balcony and sneezes*
Jimmy: *standing on the roof* Bless you.
Steph: God?!
Aaron: Are you having another depressive episode?
Luke: A depressive episode?
Luke: I'm having a depressive series and we're just on season one.
Steph: I could kill you if I wanted.
Jonathan: Yeah? So could any other human being. So could a dog. So could a dedicated duck. You aren't special.
Aaron: What’s your favorite color?
Thomas: Stop asking stupid questions. Ask me something logical and mature.
Aaron: How many moles of sodium bicarbonate are needed to neutralize 0.8ml of sulfuric acid at STP?
Thomas: My favorite color is pink.
Jonathan: Do you think different paints have different tastes?
Steph: They do.
Thomas: ...Why did you say that with such certainty?
Thomas: It was difficult, so you’ve just given up. You might fail, so why bother trying?
Luke: Exactly.
Luke, to Jess: I told you they’d understand.
Steph: *pitches an idea*
Jimmy, impressed: Huh, there might be something here!
Thomas, under their breath: Yeah, a lawsuit.
Jess, setting down a card: Ace of spades.
Luke, pulling out an Uno card: +4.
Jonathan, pulling out a Pokémon card: Jolteon, I choose you!
Aaron, trembling: What are we playing?!
Steph: What time is it?
Jimmy: I don’t know, pass me that saxaphone and we’ll find out
Jimmy *BLASTS the saxaphone*
Riley: WHO THE FUCK IS PLAYING THE SAXAPHONE AT TWO IN THE FUCKING MORNING
Jimmy: It’s 2 am
Jess: And what do I get out of this?
Jonathan: I will give you a dollar.
Jess: What do you think I am? A chump? I would never do it for a dollar!
Jonathan: How bout two dollars?
Jess: You got yourself a deal.
Tried a couple with Avalanche in the mix and this was the first lmao
Jimmy: It’s time to turn this into a real business.
Riley: What do you mean? Like, carry a briefcase, and wear a tie, and pay taxes?
Aaron: Wait, have you not been paying your taxes?
Avalanche: I handle our accounting.
Avalanche: What do you want then?
Jimmy: Er… something work related.
Avalanche: What department is this?
Jimmy: Sorry?
Avalanche: Well, if it’s work related you’d obviously know what department this is. What department is this?
Avalanche: *looks at Aaron* Some sort of homosexual department?
Avalanche & Jimmy in the back of Riley's car: MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS!
Aaron: We have food at home.
Riley: *pulls into the McDonald's drivethrough*
Avalanche & Jimmy: YAYYYYYY!
Riley: *orders one black coffee and leaves*
Riley: Hi, could I ask how exactly does one accidentally set a lemon on fire??
Avalanche: Microwave for 40 minutes. 😔
Aaron: Why were you microwaving a lemon???
Avalanche: I read boiling lemons helps cover up up bad smells (I wanted to cover up the scent of burnt oranges) but I didn't own any pots.
Riley: Did you burn an orange too? How???
Avalanche: Microwave for 40 minutes. 😔
*Riley drunkenly wanders around the house and Jimmy is drunkenly giggling*
Aaron, completely sober: *sighs* Well, looks like it's just me and you against the wold, Avalanche.
Avalanche, going to their room: Nope, just you. *shuts door*
Jimmy: What’s up with Avalanche? They’ve been laying on the floor for like….an hour now?
Aaron: They're just a little overwhelmed.
Jimmy: Why?
Aaron: Riley smiled at them.
Jimmy: Blue M&Ms are the best.
Riley: whAT IS THIS SLANDER?
Jimmy: What about it? They are.
Riley: I WILL NOT ALLOW SUCH LIES ON MY CHRISTIAN MINECRAFT SERVER!
Riley: THE RED ONES ARE THE BEST!
Jimmy: YEAH? WELL YOUR MOM'S A HO!
Avalanche: They're all chocolate inside, the colors don't mean anything.
Aaron: I like the yellow ones.
Jimmy and Riley: SHUT THE FUCK YOUR MOUTH!
(okay but Riley and Jimmy would definitely be dumb enough to argue over m&m colors)
Riley, teaching Jimmy to drive: Okay, you're driving and Avalanche and Aaron walk into the road. Quick, what do you hit?
Jimmy: Oh, definitely Aaron. I could never hurt Avalanche.
Riley, massaging their temples: The brakes. You hit the brakes.
Switching over to Castle characters!
Aero: Why did you leave Wrestlemania on for the cats?
Saben: They need to learn how to protect us.
Nuka: Hey, McKenna you're smart, tell me what would happen if I chugged 3 gallons of chloroform.
McKenna: Have you ever been to a mortuary?
Nuka: Yea, my grandma lives there.
Arial: That is the worst response to that question.
Nuka: I’ve done a lot of dumb stuff.
Arial: I witnessed the dumb stuff.
Aero: I recorded the dumb stuff.
McKenna: I joined you in the dumb stuff.
Saben: I TRIED TO STOP YOU FROM DOING THE DUMB STUFF!
Saben: Are you listening to me?
Aero: *nods*
Saben: What did I just say?
Saben: *nods*
Saben: ...
Seen: *slowly pushes a cannon into a 17th century bank* Okay everyone, be cool. This is a robbery.
Raavi What do you call disobeying the law?
The Squad: A hobby.
Raavi: *crosses their arms*
The Squad: That we do not engage in.
Chase: Relationships should be 50/50. Mickey cooks us dinner while I sit on the kitchen counter looking pretty.
(they're not in a relationship but ig it slipped through and i'm leaving it cuz it's funny)
Ryder: And I’d love to be sorry for that, but we all know I’ve done much, much worse.
Blue: Don't worry, I've got a few knives up my sleeve.
Raavi: I think you mean cards.
Mickey: They did not.
Blue, pulling out knives: I did not.
Seen: Why shouldn't you put a toaster in a bathtub full of water?
Blue: Because your toast would get soggy!
Lukalt, working at McDonald's: Sorry sir, we don't serve a McFuck here, so either you throw that one slice of pickle out or we're gonna have a McProblem.
Neal: How did none of you hear what I just said?!
Raavi: I've been zoned out for the past two and a half hours.
Lukalt: I got distracted halfway through.
Hank: Ignoring you was a conscious decision.
Seen: If I make you breakfast in bed, a simple "thank you" is all I need.
Seen: Not all this "how did you get into my house" business.
Hank: *sharpens knife* We've got ways of making people talk.
Hank: *cuts piece of cake*
Ryder: ...Can I have some?
Hank: Cake is for talkers
Hank: How long do you think it'll take?
Chase: I don’t know, three or four.
Hank: Three or four what? Days? Weeks? Months?
Chase: Yeah, maybe five.
Hank: Five what?!
Raavi: If I stay in bed I'll be warm. If I get in the shower, I'll also be warm. But the distance between the bed and shower? No. That is not warm.
Ryder: A mosquito tried to bite me and I slapped it and killed it.
Ryder: And I started thinking.
Ryder: Like, it was just trying to get food.
Ryder: What if I went to the fridge and it just slammed the door shut and snapped my neck?
Seen: Are you ok?
Seen: Well, needless to say. Uh-oh Spaghetti-os.
Lukalt: It’s nice to be wanted, you know?
Blue: Not by the law!
Lukalt: Everything’s fine, Raavi.
Raavi: Lukalt, I know your relationship with the english language is strictly casual, but you- I- *deep inhale* ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU WHAT’S NOT FINE.
Raavi: My expectations were low but holy fuck.
Mickey: You use humor to deflect your trauma.
Lukalt: Awww, thanks-
Mickey: That’s not a good thing.
Lukalt: All I’m hearing is that you think I’m funny.
Blue: I warned you.
Blue: I'm perfect.
9 notes
·
View notes
Text
venting
i feel like i havent been able to focus on anything i enjoy
totk kinda ruined zelda for me. crestoria and luminaria shutting down and the weird racism issues with arise ruined the tales of series for me. genshin kinda immediately took a nose dive so it never was fully enjoyable as a fandom to me. i fell out of love with guilty gear since my fear of antis getting ahold of my past ships makes me nauseous. even okage doesn't bring me as much joy as it used to. and pokemon is a fucking joke of a game series now, the mainline games have gotten worse and worse and lazier with each installment.
i cant tell if its my lack of enjoyment or if things are actively getting worse, maybe its both.
i feel like i cant even make ocs that are worth me being obsessed over.
like i enjoy my boys from red snow and i want to make another book for them, but i cant come up with anything worthwhile.
i want to make a dating sim, but i know the game dev burnout will never go away and i should give up while im ahead.
i wish i could get actual, proper help but everything is too expensive to even try
what a depressing fucking statement
whens the last time i got excited for anything
0 notes
Text
Episode 33: Farewell in Side 6
i believe this is where mirai's fiance was, so my guess is we'll get an episode featuring the 2 of them
guess we'll be getting a good look at dozle now? we saw him a bit early on, but not much since. good luck destroying white base
sayla is also on board with my platform of 'amuro needs to be nicer to fraw bow'
what's up with these guys? they don't seem like normal zeon troops
that's neat, it divides in half. so they were the engineering department testing it out?
i like side 6 coming up and sealing all their weapons
the logistics seem weird to me though, i've never understood how you stay neutral in a civil war. i guess maybe it isn't a civil war? i guess i'll watch the origin eventually to learn more about what the deal is there. or if anyone wants to explain it that'd also work
oh this lawyer dweeb is mirai's fiance? lmao
bright may be jealous, but also they are very much doing a risky procedure that could go very wrong
it doesn't seem like she was hiding, so you can't have been looking that hard
laughed out loud at sleggar floating up towards them, taking off cameron's glasses and then punching him across the room. credit where it's due
weird vibes from sleggar saying mirai's like a mother. don't care for that
every time i see his name i say it out loud. it's such a perfect name, up there with kraalnor the soul taker
this guy chewing char out is very funny, because is there anyone else out there who's fought the white base and lived to tell the tale? definitely not more than once
i love char, he's such an asshole.
the guy who shows up this episode to get killed by the white base being the first person in the series to question the mask is very funny
infiltrating and attacking neutral nations is usually a good idea in war time. i wonder why more people don't try it
i love seeing side 6, this is super cool
OH SHIT????? AMURO'S DAD!!!
i guess he survived???????
dang, amuro's in shape if he can keep up with that bus
his dad is so casual about it. 'you probably thought i was dead for a while there, but how's the war machine i built to try and keep you from fighting doing? you're piloting it, right?'
amuro must be so confused. his dad is acting like he never left. also he's completely unsurprised to see amuro somehow
i know his name is tem, but i'm not calling him that
'i know you haven't seen me in months* and you had no clue what had happened to me and must have assumed the worst, but here's a gundam part, now get out of here
*though i guess it might have been less than two which is a depressing thought
hey, amuro's dad, what happened to not wanting children to fight anymore? fuck off with this
this is a real downer
i absolutely do not trust mr bergamino
i guess he's just a war profiteer, so i'm right to not trust him but he isn't betraying them or anything
12 rick doms is a lot, but they aren't even sweating
yeah, char doesn't seem so incompetent now
an international incident? i really don't understand what's up with this
this is some pretty blatant corruption
good for mirai getting away from this guy. strong george ushiromiya vibes from him
good episode! lotta stuff crammed in here, even with the shoehorned in mobile armor bit, and the mirai stuff and amuro's dad stuff were both really strong
0 notes
Text
Honestly I feel like personally people who try to rewrite YHS to be less problematic miss a lot of the things that drew people into the show. I remember watching it as an edgy teen and all the edge made it feel SO COOL, it made it feel like things have consequences and more immediate ones at that, the fact basically everyone is the fucking Worst made the characters feel more like actual teenagers who make edgy jokes and do edgy things, Sam being a horrible awful horrid person who does horrible terrible sickening things was never a hang-up of the show, it was one of the main draws!
The fact such bad things could happen to characters, or the characters could do some fucked up shit was a huge reason I feel a lot of people included myself watched. It wasn’t a fairy tale or some fun minigames with a fun cast of funky characters, it was a highschool. It was a highschool full of neglected and unstable kids that we got to watch hit a breaking point. The original series always was at the end of the day a tragedy. It’s hard to remember sometimes from how off the rails Tokyo Soul got, but the original series ended in utter tragedy.
The day isn’t saved, the boy can’t stop the girl’s death, all that’s left are the ghosts they at least managed to avenge. There was no happily ever after as the secondary boy watches the love of his life be forced to leave him again, it was all. for. nothing. They gained nothing at the end of the story but bloody fucked up pseudo-closure, and they gave up everything for it in the hopes of something better. Three problem teens losing the race against the clock despite all they’ve given up and done to try and fix everything. With nothing to show but the blood on their hands and the feeling of distrust to the world around them that was supposed to protect them. It’s not supposed to feel good and be a victory. It was a story about bad people doing bad things and watching our heroes get worse and worse from it all.
Nearly all character grown is negative, the teens are shown with problems that don’t magically get solved as the adults around them are either too caught up in their own worlds to notice or just straight up don’t care. No one started the series as a good person really, and all their attempts to be good fail while being bad is constantly rewarded by the kinds of adults who prey on that kind of behavior from teens. A spiral of one bad choice constantly building and building on itself outside of your control, where the biggest killer is a desperate attempt to make things right as everything goes out of control including your own emotions and mind.
It’s a story of failure, of being failed by your peers, failed by your friends, failed by society, failed by your emotions, failed by your beliefs, failed by yourself, failed by your enemies, and most importantly, how you are failed by love. Which as an edgy incredibly depressed young teen, was incredibly cathartic to watch unfold.
A series that opens on one teens drinking problem then ends in that same teen failing to save another teenager from suicide can really be nothing but a tragedy. A dark tragedy where teenagers make bad edgy jokes to cope with their deep set problems because that’s what teens do. The problematic nature is in nearly all cases just as important as everything else to telling a coherent impactful thematically interesting story.
272 notes
·
View notes
Text
Cas studies fic recs!!
Most of these turned out to be Cas angst, which is a kind of Cas studies, right?
these are organized by length. the stars note which fics are my absolute favorites.
Under 10k
Stories Are Made of Mistakes by wildhoneypie ✨
thee human Cas fic, featuring Cas being weird and idiosyncratic and Dean being completely head over heels in love while having no idea they’re dating, 6k
Occursus by PallasPerilous
post-s15e20, set in heaven, featuring Cas and Dean having an insane little conversation about angel trueforms and the handprint, 4k
Gone through the glass again by communistmishacollins
the author calls this: “A three part love letter to Castiel Gayngel of the Lord.” featuring human Cas and his human friends, 4k
Get Out In Times of Declared Emergency by Jayne L
Cas deals with the aftermath of being possessed by Lucifer and the resulting depression, 6k
built to roam by sleepyvan
author’s summary: “Cas’ Farewell Tour.” pre-s15e28, in which Cas tries to take a little of what he wants most before the empty takes him
Between 10k and 50k
Cuckoo And Nest by komodobits ✨
a fic about Dean needing Cas to stay and Cas needing Dean to tell him he’s wanted, my ultimate comfort fic, 10k
Scratchmarks by Bookkbaby
do you want some angst in your endverse threesome fic? do you want 2014!Dean with emotional intelligence and endverse!Cas hurting loudly? this fic is for you, 11k
The River by hal_incandenza
an incredibly good rewrite of s15e9 “The Trap,” dealing with Cas’s grief over losing Jack and Dean’s control issues with god, featuring bamf!Cas and hurt!Cas, 16k
Kingdom Come by ahurston ✨
author’s summary: “Cas wakes up on the coast of Maine. He makes his way home.” post-s15e18, Cas comes back from the empty and Dean comes to get him, 17k
He Can’t Sleep by 6or3dom ✨
ANGST angst angst, featuring human!Cas and Dean try to make their relationship work and it mostly goes poorly, they’re both astoundingly fucked up and for once it’s Cas struggling to talk about what’s wrong, 18k
The Tunnel of Love by xylodemon
a soft lovely get-together case fic, not strictly Cas studies but well worth a read, 21k
These Are Not Real Problems by Annie D
author’s summary: “Castiel used to be a god. Dean took that away from him, and now Castiel’s stuck in a hell of his own making. Future!fic, post-season 6.″ 30k
if it all fell to pieces tomrrow by spocklee
author’s summary: “After the Empty, Cas has to spend time alone. Orpheus tries to convince Eurydice over the phone that it’s okay to turn around now.” Cas struggles with being happy after coming back from the empty, 42k
To Be Restored by serenityfails
post-s15e18 fic where the empty sends Cas back in a different vessel, there’s a lot of Dean struggling with gender and sexuality, not strictly Cas studies but gives me a lot of trans!Cas feels, 47k
Superheroes verse: part 1 There’s A Limit, part 2 It’s The Fall That Kills You, part 3 Superheroes, part 4 Hole In Your Soul by strangenessandcharm (on dreamwidth) ✨
This series is from 2009 and it’s the first spn fic I remember reading. Lot’s of angst and whump. Cas becoming human in the worst way and Sam struggling with a magical sickness. It doesn’t have to be read in order and part 4 is my favorite.
Over 50k
These Forsaken Lands by destielpasta ✨
post-s9e18 a case fic about Cas’s guilt for what the did to heaven and his run as god with a side of MoC!Dean, a bittersweet ending, 53k
Galveston by lunarriviera
Cas built a life away from Dean, then Dean walks back into it, also a love letter to Galveston, Texas, 56k
Tall Grass by aeli_kindara
thee gardener Cas fic, featuring slow burn and found family, not strictly Cas studies but well worth the read, 57k
A Winter’s Tale by NorthernSparrow ✨
author’s summary: “Cas is sick and Dean finds a journal that Cas kept about his time alone as human.” a season 9 au that tries to make Cas’s time as a human more realistic (an subsequently much more angsty), gen!fic with a focus on Dean and Cas, epistolary, 64k
Memories Bring Back Memories (Bring Back You) by sobsicles
a fic that answers the question, “who are Cas and Dean without their memories? who are they to each other without all their baggage?” 66k
the cost of a thing by quiettewandering
a case fic where Dean and Cas have already fallen apart and they learn how to come back together, 74k
Human AUs
Honey-Baked by mishaminion69 and sydkn3e ✨
a human!au where Cas and Dean are childhood friends and live in a cabin together and Cas is a stoner and Dean loves him dearly and they keep getting in their own way, a get-together fic, 89k
Love, Take Your Toll by aileenrose
a human!au where Cas is a lonely toll worker and Dean is his favorite motorist, 8k
BONUS
Down to Agincourt by speris ✨✨✨
A fic that’s about learning how to live with yourself after the world has already ended, Yes, it’s a million words and a WIP. Yes, it’s completely worth it.
#supernatural fic rec#spn fic rec#supernatural#destiel#castiel#cas studies#isaac recs#destiel fic rec
220 notes
·
View notes
Text
Alucard x Fem Reader
I just watched Castlevania and... Alucard seriously makes me want to cry sometimes holy shit..
So to express my newfound love for this series... And its sparkly blonde vampire man, here's a full ass fic about comforting Alucard after that horrifying s3 betrayal..
Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing this!
Warnings: Vampire bby crying, Spoilers for season 3
Alucard laid in bed staring at the ceiling. The events of the night before were still fresh in his mind. Two humans he had trusted enough to let into his bed, had entirely betrayed him. And now, Alucard was entirely alone again.
As the poor vampire was sulking in his big ass castle, a woman Alucard knew very well approached. Dressed in a cloak covering a long black dress adorned with pearls and red jewels. She looked like a vampire in her own rite, however, she was in fact entirely human. As she heaved the castle door open, she called out to him.
"Alucard? Are you here, Love?" Her voice seemed to resonate through the large, open corridors. She paused before entering fully. Her eyes darted around the room hoping to catch him approaching. But as she waited, it became clear Alucard had no intention of greeting her.
How utterly rude! She thought, preparing herself to search for the vampire occupying the castle. Her annoyance grew with every empty room she visited. A thought crossed her mind that maybe he'd been killed. However, she knew that to be untrue. Her years with him had made her somewhat sensitive to his presence. Though she couldn't pick out his location, she knew he was somewhere in the dreary castle.
Alucard had heard her enter the castle, her calling out to him and her every step. He didn't make any effort to greet her. He was sure he'd get an earful later though. He did want her to find him. To realize he was hurting and hopefully help him make it through the night without losing it entirely. And soon enough she indeed found him.
"Alucard, what the fuck? Did you not hear me earlier? And why are you lazing around in your nightclothes?" Her barrage of angry questions somewhat comforted him. Alucard sat up, meeting her gaze, before looking down.
"I heard you...But I didn't feel like getting up. As for my nightclothes, similar reason." She tilted her head sending him a sympathetic look. As soon as she heard his voice which seemed to be somewhat strained and a lot quieter than usual, she grasped that someone or something must have hurt him. She unbuttoned her cloak, tossing it onto a chair nearby before sitting on the bed beside Alucard.
"Tell me, darling. What happened?" She asked placing a hand comfortingly on his forearm. His eyes widened and he flinched away from her touch. He knew she'd never harm him, however, now he couldn't be entirely sure of even that. Taking the hint, she retracted her hand.
"I was... betrayed, by two humans. I thought I could trust them. I considered them my friends" She gasped. Her mind immediately flicked to a certain Belmont hobo and his speaker companion.
"Sypha and Belmont? God... Alucard I'm so sorry." Alucard shook his head.
"Not them. It was two travelers from Japan. They were seeking help to kill a vampire that had captured them" Alucard looked down at his hands before continuing. "I trusted them enough to get intimate with them. But during the act, they attempted to capture me. I tried to reason with them... But they were convinced I wasn't telling them the truth of what they wanted to know"
The woman's eyes widened at the words intimate. Though she'd figured he may find that type of company while she was away. She didn't bring it up knowing it would cause a fight, instead she elected to stay silent until he'd finished his depressed rant.
"They bound me with some sort of capture weapon, though I was able to cut through it with my sword. I slit their throats and impaled their bodies on stakes outside the castle" She grimaced at the memory of the grisly sight. It reminded her of the tales of Dracula and his... Morbid lawn decor.
Alucard looked out the bedroom window obviously trying to hide his face from the girl in front of him. Tears flowed down his pale cheeks, dropping from his chin. She took notice immediately and moved just a bit closer. She asked for permission to touch him earning a slight nod. She then enveloped Alucard in a hug.
"Please... Don't leave me, Y/N" Alucard whispered burying his face into her chest.
"I've got no plans to do so, love. I promise you I'll be here as long as you need" She replied, idly stroking his hair.
"So you'll stay the night at least?" He asked. She nodded in response, motioning for him to lay with her. And as promised. She stayed in bed with him well into morning and she had no intentions of leaving him alone again.
#castlevania#alucard castlevania#alucard tepes#adrian tepes#alucard x reader#castlevania alucard x reader#alucard tepes x reader#adrian tepes x reader#kinda long fic#I can't write endings
397 notes
·
View notes
Text
a 4-part rec list of my fave drarry fics - the thrillers, dramas, soft bois, and wankbanks getting me through 2020′s shitstorm
[ for my fellow fledgling drarry stans! the drama list is here and, well.
like i didn’t initially intend to go off in the mini-reviews beneath every rec but it’s just that you can't nOT yell about drarry as classic literary foils!! also it’s my dumb sideblog so i decided there are no rules and i get to be annoying about good writing.
but rly, the whole premise of the drarry pairing is shaped by this genre and if the ~serious world of serious published writers~ weren’t absolute cowards, they would admit that drama fic authors have contributed more to the genre than the average shit you can find at your local chain bookstore. so that's that on thAT.
& if you love a fic here, don't forget to follow the authors, leave kudos & comments on their work, send them nice msgs bc they do all this shit for free xoxo ]
part 2: dramas
mood: for when I need emotional catharsis and maybe 7 hours to sob/brood about loneliness, the cost of love, & the perpetual fear of being truly known
includes: angst, hurt/comfort, reconciliation fics. it’s cruelty o’clock folks and someone is about to say/do something Fucked Up that they can’t take back. but don’t worry!! there will be a Reckoning feat. hamlet-worthy monologues, ugly truths, unbridled rage, trauma, insecurity, and just a fuck ton of tears!! but maybe even tender apologies and mended things.
(Un)wanted by @aibidil - 36k - E
| Ginny's pregnant, then she's not and Harry's single. Harry, again with no family, doesn't know what to do with this turn of events, or how to find a new life—post-war, post-Ginny, post-abortion—in which he belongs. He doesn't expect that life to include dancing to the Backstreet Boys with Hermione and Draco Malfoy. A story of finding belonging in the unexpected. | --- can a fic be tender and unflinching at the same time? bc this story strikes that balance rly well and for a piece about unwantedness, it is incredibly humanizing. ginny holding her own, draco being gentle but not letting harry play victim, hermione calling harry “hazzah” and just the way this friendship insists on the validity of found families even when harry is spiraling?? and you’re forced to consider that no one has the monopoly on fucked-upness and that doesn’t absolve us of the ways we hurt each other but it means that everyone has the same potential to be better after being broken. goD JUST READ IT, OKAY.
Blood Magic, the series by @houseofhebrideanblacks and @thestralsofspinnersend 335k - E
“Later that night. . .Draco wondered at the depths of magic, its breadth and scope. The ways in which life pervades and eludes death, the ways in which they endure all manners of small and large deaths within their lives.” -- if you don't read any other fic on this list, i hope you read this series bc holy shit it’s breathtaking. harry’s a recovering addict, draco’s recovering from abuse, and in a cottage within the forbidden forest begins an unlikely partnership as the boys take up the tedious work of healing. there are thestrals and everyone's in therapy. there are whole chapters of cottagecore drarry. it's a beautiful exploration of how we bare the immensity of loss against the miracles of birth and regrowth.
Ship of Theseus by GallaPlacidia - 18k - T
“A ship in a full sail, a ship in a state of decay, a ship that had been rebuilt, slightly different. A repeating cycle. “What makes the ship the same?” asked Harry. “I don’t know. There must be something in it that lasts across the changes.” -- DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS QUOTE LIVES RENT FREE IN MY SAD, SAD BRAIN. DO YOU KNOW HOW I LOSE SLEEP THINKING ABOUT THE FUCKING SHIP OF THESEUS. it’s a memory loss fic and everything is so unFAIR. you want to murder harry sometimes bc he’s such a shiT and you suffer through the ways he questions desire, penance, redemption, true love. and by the end, you want to believe in those golden slumber lyrics: “once, there was a way to get back home”
Yours to Keep by @dracoismytrashson - 135k - E
i love the university setting, i love getting to see harry and draco’s first forays into a real LGBTQ community, the class and race structures outside of the wizarding world. i love that this is the context in which they’re allowed to confront the shittiness of PTSD, anxiety, depression etc. as they come together and fall apart against each other’s traumas. it makes the ending feel earned af. “Baby, we’ve been easing into it for a decade.” -- my god this line
Away Childish Things by @letteredlettered - 153k - T
this fic is devastating. like, completely forget whatever reticence you might have towards a de-aging fic and read this. the de-aging premise allows the author to cut through the ways harry and draco hold each other at a distance and you end up with these stunning moments of clarity where they’re truly seeing each other for the first time. and suddenly everything makes sense. i won't spoil it here but there’s a scene towards the end where harry is talking to hermione and ron about realizing the first time he felt what its like to be loved and I fucking SOBBED. an all-time fave fic about learning how to belong.
Had To Be You by @lettersbyelise - 59k - E
a genuinely excellent slow burn about absolute fucking morons who refuse to express their mutual love over the course of literal years?? HOW MANY TENDER MEET-CUTES DO 2 GAY IDIOTS EVEN NEED. a car ride a bookshop a street corner -- when harry met sally is my enemy. but you know what? this fic is masterfully written, it’s an epic tale of unexpected friendships and the inability to say the things we feel. also its very much also a soft boi fic if not for the Major Fuck Up that pushes it into drama territory for me. so worth the turmoil tbh.
Hurricane by phrynne - 120k - E
auror partners terrified of love. it’s a fic about walls - where the emotional landscape of this fic is occluded by dishonest words so you feel the tension play out in hollow voices, shuttered looks, emptied eyes. it’s like watching two ppl get flayed alive in slow motion and everything is SHIT for a little. it’s mean, it’s ugly, it doesn’t let you give the characters an out when they’re being cruel - to each other and to themselves. but harry and draco are two violent forces hurling toward each other’s walls and the inevitable reckoning comes and it’s so very worth the ending. the hospital bed scene to rule all hospital bed scenes.
Returning Tides by @zigster-ao3 - E
“Is my timing that flawed?
Our respect run so dry?
Yet there's still this appeal
That we've kept through our lives”
--those fuCKing ian curtis lyrics in the summary!! p a i n. why do i put myself through getting-back-together fics knowing full well i’m gonna be Sad As Hell during the not-together portion of the story?? we are all unfortunately hoes for heartache. anyway this fic is beautiful. draco’s a dad and recently widowed, harry has a thestral reserve, the settings here are stunning. a story about grief and love that lingers.
A Piercing Comfort by @talithan - 44k - T
“There is no objective scorecard. There isn’t anything that a person does that tips the balance from ‘deserving’ to ‘undeserving’, or vice versa. A ‘deserving’ person will not run out of worthiness after a set time of happiness and have to then go about working to deserve it again. And an ‘undeserving’ person does not have to suffer at length before having the opportunity to be ‘deserving’.” -- the heart of this fic. harry’s in therapy, facing depression, and learning how to accept love he doesn’t think he deserves. (also draco is harry’s therapist but yes, that power dynamic is handled ethically-well imo and addressed in the author notes I promise!!).
Borrowing Courage by @xx-thedarklord-xx - 70k - E
|After years of being a Magical Artist and painting for other people, Draco decides it’s time to paint for himself for once. The secrets pile up as he tries to unravel the mystery of his relatives but the only thing he didn’t count on was having to go to Potter of all people for approval.|
--god i love this fic. the thing about drarry here is that they never mean to hurt each other but they do. they do and draco’s trying to do the right thing and he wants so badly for good family but harry’s never rly stopped grieving sirius and it’s this whole unintended mess of festering wounds forced to heal. everyone needs a hug. also ron/blaise pairing and ron+draco’s friendship here is everything!!
Reparations and the sequel, Foundations by Saras_Girl - 320k - E
| Harry is about to discover that the steepest learning curve comes after Healer training, and that second chances can be found in unexpected places.| -- incredible. harry and draco’s dynamic as healers, the cast of original characters, the boys learning what it means to trust each other, draco building a rehabilitation center, harry falling in love with him, and “meus fabula est mei ut dico: my story is mine to tell.” i cry
The Ties that Bind by phoenix_writing (not on ao3) - 61k - T
| Upon Andromeda’s death, Harry and Draco are given custody of Teddy. Their lives will never be the same.| -- harry’s got major abandonment issues and he’s just trying to be a good co-parent with draco but everyone is being the woRST and you want to murder them on behalf of harry. but then, the boys learn to listen to each other and god it all becomes so tender. also harry has a gay panic. things are awful but it all works out.
-
[part 1: thrillers | part 2: dramas | part 3: soft bois | part 4: wankbanks]
#drarry#drarry fic#drarry fic rec#drarry dramas#im so sorry if this got long but also#I have too many Thoughts#all I do is cry over two sad gays#its pain o'clock sweeties#time to Sob about the mortifying ordeal of being Known
444 notes
·
View notes
Text
Essential Avengers: Avengers #270: WILD in the Streets!
August, 1986
Its probably fantasy racism but look at that partially obscured sign behind Namor’s rock hard calf that says Go Fish
Somebody recognized that their hatred for sub-mariners dovetailed nicely with their love for puns.
Anyway.
Last times in Avengers: well there was a lot of Kang stuff. A three issue arc. Who does he think he is?
But relevantly, Captain America decided to propose a depressed Namor for Avengers’ membership to help him get over his kingdom asking him to kindly gtfo. As an Avenger, Namor hasn’t flooded New York again but there’s been friction. Mostly between him and Hercules.
But right before the Avengers got swept up in Kang Drama, the public at large learned that Namor was an Avenger and now there’s protests. And counter-protests.
Because Namor is both that guy who punched a lot of Nazis in World War II but also flooded New York and tried to take over the world a couple times. He inspires divisive feelings.
I mean, just look at these divided feelings!
So far the people with opposing feelings about Namor have mostly just yelled at each other, thanks to the brave work of some horses in keeping the crowds apart.
But with a title like WILD in the Streets, who knows how long before things get something in the sheets.
Wait, could Namor seduce the crowd?
He has abs for days and some portion of the crowd is bound to be into that.
Anyway, the reporter dressed like a fireman gets some vox pops about Namor. A representative of Veterans of Foreign Wars says that Namor was one of the United States’ greatest allies during World War II.
Another guy yells that the Russians were one of America’s allies during the war and hey fuck ‘em! Also, Namor declared war on the whole human race once!
The reporter exposits for the good of the angry crowd and also reading audience that the State Department had granted a blanket amnesty to Namor in the Sub-Mariner limited series as part of a move to have Atlantis admitted to the UN.
Hmm. I wonder if that ever went through. Be funny to have a scene set in the UN and there’s just some guy with a bowl of water on his head zoning out.
There’s a scene change to a group of men watching the news. A guy named Farrington announces “we finally have a change to get that fish-man, once and for all! I say we take it!”
This guy is originally from the Strange Tales book back in the 60s but he doesn’t seem to appear in any more Avengers books after this.
He’s pissed off at Namor for some reason, they apparently have history. But I don’t really know his deal.
All of the dudes with Farrington in the scene announce that they’re WITH Farrington in an alliance to take down Namor!
Wuh oh, Prince of Abslantis, better watch out for... these dudes!
Anyway.
Inside Avengers Mansion, Jarvis also glumly watches the news coverage which has started asking why the Avengers haven’t made an official statement about Namor’s membership.
Jarvis: You’d have had your statement 24 hours ago, young lady... If half the Avengers hadn’t been spirited away. And now, the others are gone as well -- vanished to who knows where... or when!
Due to Immortus just flinging them back home as soon as they started asking too many questions, where is a couple rooms away from Jarvis and when is right at the moment he finished his thought.
The Avengers are, for the record, pretty annoyed with Immortus giving them the brush off. Cap wishes they had a better assurance that they wouldn’t have to deal with a three-part Kang story again then Immortus just telling them ‘its fine, its fiiiiine.’
Hercules: “I know now why Thor said he found dealing with Immortus a trial. The Limbo-master treats men and gods alike as mere pawns!”
Captain America: “We don’t like it any more than you, Herc!”
Hah.
While the rest of the Avengers wander off to find what today’s plot is rather than continue rehashing last month’s, Captain Marvel asks Black Knight for a favor.
She’s annoyed that her weakness to Darkforce energy has come up for a second time and she’s willing to turn to SCIENCE to make it stop happening.
She says that he recently helped Wasp get better with her powers. Although to be more accurate, Wasp’s powers got better on their own and Black Knight just pointed it out.
Either way, Black Knight agrees to do some SCIENCE tests on her powers.
Ahh, I remember back when Iron Man used to do science tests on Captain Marvel. I miss that dude every other week.
Anyway.
The Avengers find Jarvis and he catches them up to how bonkers things have gotten with the Namor protests.
Hercules: “Ungrateful wretches! Who are they to tell us who we may or may not make an Avenger! I shall thrash them all soundly!”
Wasp: “Hercules! Don’t you dare!”
Cap points out that because AMERICA, people have the FREEDOM to protest even if they’re saying dumb things that are wrong.
Hercules accepts this but fumes that they should respect Namor’s valor. And also fumes (in his thoughts) “leader or not, the Wasp would do well not to address the son of Zeus in that tone of voice!”
Yeah, this is going to be a problem sooner or later.
Hercules voted for Wasp to be chairwoman of the Avengers because he was intrigued at how assertively she was at requesting the position. But to him the novelty has worn off and he’s just annoyed that a lady woman is bossing him - a big buff he-man muscle god - around.
Not a good look on him.
Black Knight is impressed that as much as Hercules and Namor squabble (and it has been a significant amount), Hercules still leaps to defend his teammate.
While Namor just solemnly watches the him-protest.
The news broadcast brings up the time that Namor invaded New York just a few years ago, because of course he did.
Namor: So, it begins at last. Every bit of my misbegotten past will be brought back for all the world to see... all those deeds done in the name of a throne I no longer possess. How can I now defend such actions? Is it any wonder that... so many hate me?
Speaking of, the news interviews a widow in the anti-Namor crowd who says her longshoreman husband was killed when Namor destroyed the wharf he was working on.
Widow: “A-a-and now that m-murderer is an Avenger?!”
Exceppppt
FBI Agent Derek Freeman - you remember him, right? He was in that issue that set up X-Factor with the Jean Grey pod? - he’s flying around in a helicopter looking for Karla Sofen/Moonstone who escaped custody. And he gets a report that the crying widow on the TV news is actually Moonstone.
Even though Derek lampshades that she’d have to be crazy to head right to Avengers Mansion and stir up trouble after escaping custody, yup, that’s her.
She went right to Avengers Mansion because chaos draws her in, I guess.
Oh and she’s doing a good job stoking the chaos.
The protest and counter-protest go wild, taking on a red tint probably meaning that the rage is upon them.
Just when it’s looking like there’s going to be a riot and a police officer complains that they’re out here policing right in front of Avengers Mansion instead of the Avengers coming and helping, the Avengers come and help.
Captain Marvel appears in a giant flash of light that confuses the mob enough that they just stop and stare.
Then she uses her words and tells people to calm the fuck down so the Avengers can try to address their concerns.
Meanwhile, Moonstone decides to sneak out the back of the mob. Probably thinking ‘shit shit shit SHIT who would have thought an Avenger would have showed up here, in front of Avengers Mansion??’
One of the faces in the crowd asks Captain Marvel if Namor is really an Avenger and Marvel confirms, yup, proposed by Captain America himself.
At this point Cap casually walks up.
Another face in the crowd: “But, Cap, that murderin’ -- !”
Captain America: “Just a minute, son! The Sub-Mariner’s made a lot of mistakes, but the man I know is no murderer!”
Oooof. You may want to take a look at Namor’s first appearance, Cap.
He drowns a man. Granted, he’d never met a human at that point so was kind of confused about the whole thing but... wait, are you saying he didn’t kill anyone during the entirety of World War II?
I guess that doesn’t count as murder though.
We’re talking a specific, legal definition thing here.
Anyway, yet a third person in the crowd protests that the widow lady said differently but the widow lady has snuck away so Captain Marvel just doesn’t know what the guy is talking about.
Then Wasp shows up and tells the two Caps that the FBI called to let her know that Moonstone is in the are.
Now, Moonstone could make a clean escape here.
It’s going to take the Avengers a minute or so to put together that Moonstone was the widow and start looking for her.
But Moonstone came here to cause trouble on purpose and DAMMIT she gonna do that!
Moonstone: “I don’t know what’s going on back there, but things are quieting down far too much for my tastes! I could use a bit more confusion to help cover my trail.”
So she blows up a fire hydrant.
And sure, the argument is that the confusion will help her escape.
Except, a hydrant exploding and gushing water just draws everyone’s attention and Moonstone is then stuck in a position where she can’t slip away without a major diversion.
WHICH IS WHAT BLOWING UP THE HYDRANT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!
Instead, Captain Marvel (who can move at light speed) light speeds over to melt the hydrant closed to stop water from blasting everywhere and is fully aware that Moonstone is probably nearby.
Moonstone is supposed to be smart and really manipulative. Maybe that happens later.
Instead, she blasts a helicopter, causing it to start spiraling to the ground.
Namor flies out of the mansion to the rescue.
Wasp asked him to lay low due to the anti-him protests but dangit, he’s not going to let innocent people die while he sits on his thumb!
Namor has some trouble though. He has enough strength to lift a helicopter easily but its spinning out of control and drags him to the ground along with it.
He manages to steer the crash away from the crowds but it still crashes. Right before it does, Captain Marvel nyooms over in her light form and gets caught in the explosion.
Moonstone congratulates herself for the great distraction she did.
Moonstone: “Hah! That’s two Avengers out of my hair... permanently, I hope! With Captain Marvel out of the picture, slipping away will be easy!”
I really doubt that a helicopter explosion is enough to do in Namor, who can stand toe-to-toe with the Hulk. And something like a helicopter explosion isn’t going to destroy light.
You’re being far too optimistic, Moonstone.
And you’re being far too optimistic instead of running away.
Remember how the fire hydrant and helicopter explosions were meant to be distractions so she could get away instead of enjoying the chaos?
Well, while Moonstone enjoys the helicopter explosion, Wasp spots her and fires a few warning shots.
Moonstone immediately intangibles through the ground making me wonder why she didn’t lead with that. Why worry about drawing attention if you can just literally disappear into the crowd?
Moonstone, you dumb.
Wasp isn’t going to give up the chase that easily, not after all the trouble Moonstone has been causing.
So Wasp blows a hole in the pavement and flies into a utility tunnel to pursue.
In the utility tunnel, Moonstone has ditched the widow weeds and changed into her supervillain outfit in time to spot Wasp fly by.
Moonstone notes that Wasp has better control of her shrinking powers than the last time Moonstone fought the Avengers but decides she can still kick Wasp’s ass.
She sneak attack blinds Wasp with an energy blast and tries to get her while Wasp blindly tries to DOOOOODGE.
Meanwhile, back at street level, Black Knight and Hercules come running out of the mansion.
Black Knight: “Cap, we just got new orders from the Wasp!”
Hercules thoughts: Orders... from the Wasp... BAH!
Get over it, guy.
This is what you signed on for.
Wasp’s new orders that she sent to Black Knight specifically (is he her second in command now or what?) is for Hercules to go dig Namor out of the helicopter crash. The rest of the Avengers should join her in the utility tunnels to help capture Moonstone.
All of Moonstone’s blasting willy-nilly in the tunnels below, cause part of the street to collapse.
Hercules saves a guy from a police van that was about to tip over on top of him and Black Knight heads into the tunnel.
None of the other Avengers do. Which in this case means Captain America doesn’t. He helps Hercules clear the streets.
Black Knight finds Moonstone recovering from the dust and smoke kicked up in the explosion she caused. And when she sees Black Knight, she immediately tries to blast him.
But Black Knight’s Extremely Cursed But Pretty OP Ebony Blade absorbs Moonstone’s attack.
And when the villain claims that she killed Wasp, Black Knight unleashes the absorbed energy like some kind of sword beam and knocks Moonstone on her ass.
Then Wasp shows up and reveals she’s perfectly fine.
When Moonstone blew up the gas main while trying to blow up Wasp, it knocked Moonstone for a loop but Wasp just shrunk down to insect-size so she could ride out the shockwave.
Tiny mass is its own superpower.
Anyway, when Black Knight arrived and getsuga tensho’d Moonstone, Wasp was busy shutting off the gas main to prevent further explosions.
Back up at street level, Namor and Captain Marvel show up, unscathed from the helicopter explosion and having rescued the people that were in the helicopter.
The crowd remains divided on Namor, Contentious Sexyman.
The people that like Namor point at this example of Namor being a cool hero who saves lives.
(The couple that are students or perhaps parents for the Sub-Mariner seem detailed enough that they’re likely a cameo or reference to someone the creative team knew.)
People that don’t like Namor suggests that this was a staged rescue to make Namor look good.
Agent Freeman, a guy who was in or near a helicopter explosion, just gets annoyed that anyone would think the FBI would deliberately crash a helicopter in the middle of New York.
Captain Marvel: “People believe what they want, Mr. Freeman.”
Now, I wouldn’t go far as to say an intelligence service would never do that but its not cost effective to do that for a superstrong fishman when the Avengers have to do a heroism at least once a month.
Save a helicopter, just wait for an alien invasion.
What really changes the crowds’ mind is when the Avengers haul Moonstone out of the sewer and reveal that she’s the “widow” that made the accusation against Namor.
Also:
You’re just really leaning into this annoyed at woman thing, aren’t you, Herc?
The Avengers put Moonstone in a power-harness and bundle her into a police van with the help of some police wearing face obscuring helmets.
HMMM.
Anyway, some guy shows up and asks if Namor is Namor and when Namor answers in an annoyed affirmative, the guy serves Namor a summons.
He’s being sued!
Meanwhile, the police van with the police wearing face obscuring helmets.
The police decide to mock Moonstone.
It’s not like she doesn’t give a lot of material to riff on.
Not-suspicious police 1: “For a gal who’s supposed to be edjicated, you sure pulled a bone-headed stunt back there! You oughta know better than to mess with the Avengers on your own!”
Moonstone: “Nobody asked you!”
Not-suspicious police 2: “Ohhh! A tough one!”
Except it turns out that these not-suspicious police aren’t actually police!
Shocking, I know.
Not cop 1 is Absorbing Man and not cop 2 is Titania and they’re here to present an exciting new opportunity to Moonstone, or else.
First they present their bona fides by talking about the superheroes they’ve beaten up. Thor for Absorbing Man and She-Hulk for Titania.
I’m pretty sure they’re here to recruit Moonstone for the Masters of Evil which means That storyline is getting close which means I’m excited.
Also, it makes this scene like a Nick Fury recruitment scene decades before that was a twinkle in Kevin Feige’s eye.
Also also, makes this like the stinger that a subset of fans desperately wish would start appearing in MCU movies.
Anyway, that’s a taste. Now back to the Namor getting sued plot.
Why is Namor being sued?
He’s being sued by insurance investors (led by Leslie Farrington, that one guy from old Namor comics I mentioned!) for two billion dollars of property damage to property that their insurance covered.
Now, I thought that Namor had been granted amnesty but the comic has that covered as the Avengers’ lawyer, apparently, Mr. Costello informs, the amnesty only clears him of criminal charges. He can still be sued in civil court.
Hm. Weird for there to be a superhero adjacent lawyer that’s not Jen Walters or Matt Murdock. Although I don’t think Jen has her license yet to practice in New York at this point.
Anyway. Mr. Costello advises that Namor can probably beat the suit but it would be a major court battle and A LOT of bad publicity.
He suggests an out-of-court settlement but NAMOR WILL NOT HEAR OF A THING! HE WILL FACE HIS ACCUSERS IN COURT! THE JUDGEMENT WILL BE ON THE RECORD! AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!
Mr. Costello, looking like he’s regretting taking this case, says he can push for an early trial if Namor really wants that but that Namor will have to work very closely with him and it won’t be easy.
It sure would be bad timing if a new plot wrinkle dragged Namor away from all this, wouldn’t it?
Anyway, Namor’s dickhead cousin Byrrah shows up and tells Namor that Attuma has taken over Atlantis and is laying a trap with Namor’s friend and almost-wife Marrina as the bait.
Black Knight suggests that all the Avengers come together as a team and kick Attuma’s ass but Namor insists no This Is Something He Has To Do Himself!
... It feels like it’s been a while since one of those. Was it... the West Coast Avengers first volume and Wonder Man’s beef with the Blank?
I don’t remember but I didn’t miss it.
Black Knight tries to change Namor’s mind but Hercules has Namor’s back and tells him to go off and have fun beating up his nemesis for honor.
So Black Knight gives up because he has no chance to get Namor to stay without Hercules. Which indicates to me that his plan was to point Hercules at Namor and say ‘get ‘im!’ if he couldn’t convince him with words.
And off Namor goes! Out of the Avengers and into Alpha Flight!
... I hope he comes back. He was barely on the team.
Hercules: “No need to worry, Dane... Namor will make fast work of this Attuma!”
Black Knight: “I hope you’re right, Herc. And I hope he gets back here soon! ‘Cause with that lawsuit pending, if he’s gone too long... this whole mess could blow up in our faces!”
Oh damn, he’s totally going to miss his court date.
DAMMIT HERCULES!
Follow @essential-avengers because of reasons. Good reasons. Reasons that are just so very persuasive. Like and reblog, it makes me feel appreciated.
#essential avengers#avengers#Moonstone#the Wasp#Namor McKenzie#Hercules#Captain America#Black Knight#Captain Marvel#Monica Rambeau#an angry mob#another angry mob angry at the first mob#widow fraud#a supervillain who isn't as smart as she's supposed to be#Namor is very divisive#essential marvel liveblogging
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Destiel Bunker Fic Rec
Little to no angst to the best of my memory
Good girl. by orange_crushed @robotmango - Gen, 1.7k
Crack, TFW, Fluff
(In which Team Free Will gets a four-legged mascot.)
Sam drives her to a veterinarian’s office one day, in the stolen car he is now increasingly regarding as his, and she comes back sort of sulky and depressed from having been tricked into getting a series of vaccinations.
“I know the feeling,” Cas says, at floor level with her, while the puppy licks the underside of his wrist and makes sad eyes. “I was once immune to tetanus, but now I am forced to endure booster shots.” He looks over at Sam and Dean, and lowers his voice to a whisper. “They told me they were taking me to the zoo,” he says. He pets her ears. “You will learn to trust again.”
The Heart’s Memory by @imogenbynight - Teen, 2k
Reunion, Season 8, Fluff
After three months trapped in Heaven, Castiel flies to the bunker, and contemplates the nature of love and the human heart.
Exercise by cadignan @morethanslightly - Explicit, 2.1k
Season 8
Dean didn’t even know the bunker had a gym for the first few weeks.
the run and go by microcomets @mishcollin - Teen, 2.7k
Fallen Cas, Domestic, TFW, Fluff
Cas makes a list. Dean is Yoda, and Sam is unimpressed.
Sock it to Me by @domesticadventures and @propinquitous - Gen, 3k
Established Relationship, Fluff
It starts with the bacon socks.
(or, SWS: Socks Without Story)
more under the cut
Winchester 12 GA by Firebog @brainsforbabyjesus - Gen, 3.3k
Fallen Cas, Proposal, Fluff
Dean plays another game of are we dating or do we just fuck sometimes? The game goes like this, drink a bottle of beer for every maybe-date he’s been on with Cas and drink a double shot for every time they’ve fucked.
Dean’s not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that he’s been stumbling drunk for the last four days.
suddenly all at once by @xylodemon - Mature, 3.5k
Future Fic, Fallen Cas, Humor, First Time
Dean falls in love on a Thursday.
Cas and Chill by @xylodemon - Mature, 3.7k
Season 11
The one where Dean comes home and they watch TV.
Quintet by Anythingtoasted - Mature, 3.7k
Fallen Cas, Fluff, 5+1 Things
based loosely around the 'five times' structure, but not really. fluffy as hell.
Every Time A Bell Rings by @kototyph - Explicit, 5k
5+1 Things, Wings, P/rn With Plot, Fluff
Five times Castiel got Dean dirty, and one time Dean returned the favor.
Come Home by @whelvenwings - Gen, 6.3k
Domestic, TFW, Fluff
Click click click click.
Dean smiled as he entered the bunker’s library to hear the familiar sounds of Cas knitting, the steady rhythmic soundtrack to every single morning. In his hands he held a pair of mugs, and the scent of coffee curled up into the air, exotifying the musty scent of old books and dust-thick shelves. Dean had splashed out last time he went to the store, and bought a special Colombian blend.
________________________________________________________________________
Dean, Castiel, and Sam have lived happily in the bunker together for a while, when they happen upon an old abandoned house. It doesn't look promising at first, but with some love and hard work - and some paint fights, from Dean and Cas - it starts to look like somewhere they could stay: a permanent home, with light through the windows and herbs in the kitchen.
To Know by @imogenbynight - Explicit, 7k
Fallen Cas, Post Season 9, Fluff
Dean tells Castiel not to open the box on top of his dresser while they're away. He doesn't, exactly. But he still sees what's inside.
Rock of Ages by Winter_of_our_Discontent @bamfinacuddlyjumper - Teen, 7.4k
Oblivious, Sam Knows
It starts because they need a rock. Not, of course, just any rock, but apparently this particular critter needs an Aztec-style obsidian-and-jade dagger right through its human-teeth-and-eyeball-eating heart to actually kill it.
In which Cas gets a ring, and Dean (finally) gets a clue.
Aim and Ignite by @wincechesters - Mature, 10.3k
Pining, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Post Season 8 AU, TFW, Fluff
After the angels fall and Cas loses his grace, and with Sam still recovering from the toll taken on his body by the trials, Dean starts a prank war as a way to lighten the mood in the bunker and alleviate his boredom. It might just have some unexpected consequences.
Tales from the Bunker of Domesticity by @teaandjumpers - Mature, 17k
Domestic, Season 8, Fluff
Moments of domesticity between Dean and Cas (and occasionally Sam) in the Men of Letters bunker. Essentially, this is a story about the boys building a home together.
When you have a future by Firebog @brainsforbabyjesus - Teen, 17.6k
Fallen Cas, Accidental Relationship, Found Family, Fluff
Sam closes Hell. Castiel closes Heaven. The heroes save the day. There's no Heaven or Hell waiting to cause the next big disaster. There's no more end of the world. There's only a squirmy feeling in his chest that feels a lot like freedom. So, now what?
(Things I promise you in this fic: dog poetry, rabbits, and fluff)
I Been Blind by @jemariel - Explicit, 22.3k
Fallen Cas, P/rn with Feelings
Castiel is in love with humanity. At least, so long as he's not the one experiencing it.
A lighthearted smutty romp wherein Dean helps Cas navigate the tricky minefield of human needs.
more recs
#destiel#deancas#destiel fic#destiel fic rec#deancas fic#deancas fic rec#dean x cas#my destiel recs#fic rec#fic tag#bunker fic#fluff
138 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
cherryxkola
Makeup
umsaywhatnow
Dorks & Dragons
singularityravager-blog
Untitled
luanica
☽
mrfrankenstine-blog
Untitled