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winchest09 · 3 years

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The Bunker Party - January Debrief

Hey my darlings!

So, The Bunker Party was back with a bang for the first month of 2021 and it was so nice to see so many wonderful and beautiful faces, new and old, on the stream. I have so much stuff to share with you, my fingers will ache once I’ve finished typing it all.

The stream was just amazing. It was filled with fun, laughter, and so many of you sharing your love for all things Supernatural. Seriously, SPN does have THEE best fandom and I’m so glad to be a part of it.

6 hours we were hanging out for! To see so many beautiful faces, hear so many lovely voices and to spend time with all you guys was just a dream! The support from everyone for each other, the love in this fandom; I can’t express how much I adore it.

I love holding these events and as I mentioned last night, the next one will be in February (date to be announced) and I’m already looking forward to seeing so you all again.

So…to the debrief!

Below you will find:

Everyone who joined - their tags, what’s coming up fic wise and their masterlist.

Announcements, News and links to Patreons and Etsy shops!

Challenges to join - we have SIX!

Blogs who want to help with your writing

Graphics and Icons

Fic & blog recs

You are the guys that make it the live stream what it is, and we can never thank you enough. So below is a list of everyone who was on the chat yesterday accompanied by their masterlist and a little blurb of what they have coming up soon! For your reading pleasure and in no particular order…

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@waywardbeanie: Shelli has come so far in the matter of a few months. From being a reader to now a series writer! She has one series under her belt already and is well on her way with her second on, Life on Tour. She is ALSO planning her third, which we may have had a sneak peak too last night and I am BEYOND excited.

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@deanwanddamons: Sian has come so far in a year! She has several series on the go, so many oneshots and I already know her plans for her next series. There are more plans for The Show Must Go On, Mechanic and Mistletoe and others. OH, I am excited!

Her masterlist can be found HERE

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@jensengirl83: Brandy is such a sweetheart and we adore her. She’s still under the year mark for writing but that doesn’t stop her from nailing it. With one series completed, a ton of oneshots under her belt, she’s now working on her second series and is smashing it.

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@whatareyousearchingfordean: Alex is nailing it at the moment with her fictions. She’s currently posting Happiness Continued (the sequel to Happiness Begins) which is nearing it’s end *sobs* BUT we were spoiled to some spoilers and information about what’s coming next. Ohhhh we have two more series on the way and they are juicy! Head over to her blog to find out one of them, she’s announced it already ;)

Her masterlist can be found HERE

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@superfanficnatural: Mert has took some time away from the writing world but nothing could keep him from showing his fantastic self on our livestream. He’s has finally gotten back into his writing thanks to much encouragement ;) and is chipping away at the next add for his series The Choice. We’re super proud of him.

He has some other series in the works, a couple of collaborations that he’s got under his belt too…

Go and give him some love, his masterlist can be found HERE

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@soaringeag1e: We adore Meg and she is a regular on our stream. She has such an extensive list of SPN fanfiction that it’s a treat for your eyeballs!

She is currently working on her series Escape and we have been treated to hearing about some of her new series that she has coming out very soon! Fake Dating anyone? YES PLEASE. Head over and get yourself signed up if you’re not already!

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@thinkinghardhardlythinking: Saira is absolutely nailing it when it’s coming to writing at the moment and her words are out of this world. She’s recently been sucked into the Royal AU and is writing a Knight!Sam x Reader fic and it is TO DIE FOR.

She’s such a sweetheart. Please show her some love and support <3 You can find her masterlist HERE

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@janicho88: This lovely lady is working on some absolute winners at the minute. “Falling for You” and “Fire, Fur and Mistletoe” to name just a couple! She is one of the kindest and supportive souls that you will ever meet. Definitely one to check out and read!

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@downanddirtydean: Lydia was new to our stream and I cannot say how much I enjoyed having this beaut on there. She is working on some AMAZING pieces at the moment. Holidate being one of them! Fake Dating anyone? UHH YEAH! She also has over 30 smutty oneshots... You can find her masterlist HERE

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@carryonmywaywardcaptain: Jordan was another new face to our stream last night and it was so nice getting to know her. She told all about what she is currently working on. “Miles of Memories” is a best friend to lover AU which sounds absolutely incredible. If you’re not checking her out already, what are you waiting for?

You can find her her masterlist HERE

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@sams-sass: Chelsea was new to our stream and the award for the first Sam girl to grace our screen has been awarded. She is an absolute sweetheart and with what we heard about her works, her idea and what she’s got coming up...I AM SOLD. She has told us that she is currently working on “Secrets in the Snow” and we are EXCITED.

She is a creative genius and I’m living for it.

You can find her masterlist HERE

@flamencodiva: Vanessa is still in the process of reposting everything she had lost back onto her blog and she is slowly but surely, getting up to date. We have been told what is coming up, more “What He Lost, What He Found” as well as “The Hunters Encyclopaedia”. She is also working on some wonderful new series’ behind the scenes and we may have been teased to a collab that will be coming your way soon!

Check out her masterlist HERE

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@that-one-gay-girl: Sydney is such a kind soul and an absolute beaut, and we were so happy to see her on our stream. Even though she is a fairly new writer, that hasn’t stopped her from bashing out some fabulous pieces of fiction! She has a completed series under her belt and is currently working on the next chapter of “Oh, Baby” as well as “A Hero’s Journey”

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@deangirl93: Our first Aussie that has graced our stream and what an abolute babe she is. For a new writer, she has come so far in the matter of months. She has her first completed series “Life Lessons” under her belt as well as some phenomenal oneshots. We’ve also been told about her works that are coming up... Demon!Dean or Dean Smith anyone? ;)

You can find her masterlist HERE

@anathewierdo: Ana is such a darling and we always love having her on the streams. She’s currently reposting her fic Call of the Ocean which is a collaboration with Flamencodiva. Not only that, she’s also working on a Princess Diaries AU, a Serial Killer AU and many more!

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@emoryhemsworth: This beaut has had a couple of busy months but she is currently working on her series called “Losing Sleep” as well as plotting her amazing TWD crossover fic which we cannot wait for!

Check our her masterlist HERE:

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@anaelsbrunette: We loved having Yas on our stream and she told us all about the juicyness that she’s got coming our way. She is concentrating on darker stuff at the moment but we have also been told that she has a Mafia AU that will soon grace our screens...keep your eyes peeled!

Check it out and give her some love.

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@impalawrites: Pala joined our stream for a while and it was lovely to hear her voice and for her tell us what’s going on in her writing life. She has recently changed her blog name (she was impala-1979) and now she is focusing on not just supernatural but many other fandoms too!

She has many, many more goodies on offer and is doing wonderfully!

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@defenderrosetyler: Ali came back to our stream and we loved having her. She currently has a couple of oneshots available on her masterlist for both Sam and Dean! She is definitely one to keep an eye out for! She’s a total sweetheart too!

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@wonder-cole: Such a sweetheart and a wonderful person. New to the stream this time and we loved having her. She told us all about her amazing ideas and what she is writing at the moment. In the works there is going to be a Son’s of Anarchy crossover, Michael!Dean and a male reader fic AND a Bi!Reader and Charlie fic.

*squee* We are excited.

You can find her masterlist HERE

@katelynw93: Kate is a new writer to the supernatural fandom but she is doing so so well! She has a bunch of stuff for both Sam and Dean and her writing is just AMAZING. She is definitely one to go and check out!

You can find her masterlist HERE

@chocolateheart: Marcie is a little ray of sunshine and her writing always gets me hooked. She has no series as of yet but I have heard of what she is cooking up and I am excited! She has some fabulous fluffy and sexy oneshots though that you should definitely check out!

You can find her masterlist HERE

@anotherspnfanfic: Another wonderful new face to our stream this time around and were so happy that she joined us! Again, this wonderful writer has an amazing list of oneshots but no series as of yet. She is definitely one to be checking out!

You can find her masterlist HERE

@440mxs-wife: Another new beautiful face to our stream! It was so nice to have her join us and we have found another little hidden treasure trove of fictions! Her masterlist covers more than just Sam and Dean, we have fics for Cas, Gabriel and Ketch too!

You can find her masterlist HERE

Me: Well, Life for Rent is completed! My new series “Hello, Sailor” is in progress and I’m about to finish my mini series “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. I have also just posted a smut filled oneshot called “Do Not Disturb” and I have plans for many more stories! Seriously...my idea doc is screaming at me! Ahah.

My masterlist can be found HERE:

HONORARY MENTIONS

Now, these guys are regulars to our livestreams and/or do a hell of a lot to support other people within the supernatural fandom. So it’s only fair that we give them a shout out and to share the love with them too!

In no particular order:

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@smol-and-grumpy: Nat has such a juicy masterlist and can I just mention that since our last livestream, she has completed quite a few other series and is now posting two new ones! A personal fav of mine is “Legally Yours” IT IS CERTIFIED GOLD.

You can find her masterlist HERE

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@talesmaniac89: Our darling Tales is taking a hiatus at the moment but her blog is still worth checking out. She has some amazing series and such a long list of fics under her belt as well as SO MANY GRAPHICS. She’s an absolute sweetheart and I adore her greatly.

Check her out guys, her masterlist is HERE

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@katehuntington: Kate is also taking a hiatus at the moment but again, it’s a blog definitely worth checking out. Her writing is exquisite and the imagery she paints is just wonderful. Ride with Me anyone? She also has an OFC Fic too!

Her masterlist can be found HERE

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@atc74: Ang is such a wonderful supporter to new and old writers alike on tumblr. I am always seeing her reblogging peoples stories and offereing words of kindness and positivity. Not only that, she has a wonderful masterlist of her own fabulous creations too!

Her masterlist can be found HERE

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To the upcoming writers & readers…

@abuavnee, @winchesterxfamilybusiness, @adoptdontshoppets, @zooaliaa, @carolinabeauty6298, @akshi8278 & the few nonnies we had!

Sabrina: We know that you’ve dabbled with some writing already but if you need us for anything, idea bouncing or anything, just hit us up, you know where we are <3

Abu: Girl, your first of writing blew me away with how poetic it was and it was so nice to put a face to a name yesterday. If you ever need help with writing, give us a message!

Karen: Your support to all of us writers is just phenomenal and I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to leave such wonderful comments. We appreciate you so much <3

Zoe: Even though you’re not a new writer, you’re new to tumblr and we were so intrigued about the fic idea you already have posting to wattpad right now. Welcome to the family babe!

MJ: Again, your support to all of us writers is just the best. Thank you for taking the time to read through our stuff, it means the absolute world.

Akshita: Another fabulous reader who offers wonderful support to all of us writers. Thank you so much for all of your comments and your kind words.

We want to thank all of you for your constant support, your feedback, your words, your reactions to what we write. Your likes, your reblogs, your asks. We appreciate every single thing you do. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you. Also, remember guys - we’re all here to love and support you! My inbox is always open if you want to talk about anything and everything. Even if you wish to start writing…give any of us a shout. We’re here to help! Thank you for joining the chat and we hope you had an amazing time <3 Please spread the love and show your support to all of these amazing people, go follow and give them some love!

We’ve got some goodies for you!

We want to bring to everyone’s attention once again, the wonderful organisation that is Ficfasers, an international fundraising group of authors and artists who love Supernatural. They offer thank yous to people who agree to donate to Random Acts by creating stories/art, crafts, and more for winning bidders and ticket buyers!

Again, this is amazing and it’s something that so many of us can get involved in. We’ve been told an event is coming up around the holiday period so watch this space!

Want to write for Charity?

Check out their tumblr HERE

and their website HERE

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Follower achievements!

Join me in congratulating these amazing blogs as they have surpassed or are close to a follower milestone!

@waywardbeanie is closing in on 600 followers! @downanddirtydean has passed 500 followers!

@superfanficnatural is closing in on 900 followers! @jensengirl83 is closing in on 900 followers! @deangirl93 is closing in on 500 followers!

Congratulations guys!

If you’re not following them already, head on over and show them your support!

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Want to be the first to read new chapters of your favourite fics?

Some of our fabulous livestream participants have Patreon!

For a small fee a month, you get personalised drabbles, oneshots and MORE as well as first dibs on new chapters before ANYONE else! Please consider giving them your support.

The links for each authors Patreon is below: @cockslut-padalecki - Find hers HERE

@flamencodiva - Find hers HERE

@soaringeag1e - Find hers HERE

@impalawrites - Find hers HERE

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Want to support new creators and get your hands on some SPN Merch?

We have two etsy shops to share with you! Both of them make some amazing things and are definitely worth checking out if you’re wanting to treat yourself.

@downanddirtydean has a wonderful little shop full of supernatural goodies like scrunchies and stickers! You can check it out HERE & @that-one-gay-girl has a little shop where she offers custom portraits and I have been told that some Spn goodies are on the way too! Check it out HERE

Oh, IT’S CHALLENGE TIME. This month, we have SIX challenges for you to get involved in!

First of all, we still have @janicho88 100 follower Christmas themed challenge! It ends on the 31st January but there are still spots left!

Check it out, HERE

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Secondly, we have @wonder-cole‘s 100 follower celebration too! This challenge is pretty unique as she has taken the things her 11 year old has said for the prompts!

You can check it out, HERE

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Thirdly, we @deanwanddamons 2K follower and 1 Year blogiversary challenge! She’s taken some inspiration from the movies and come up with some quotes, the challenge is open until the 1st February!

Check it out, HERE

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Fourthly, we have @downanddirtydean‘s 500 follower celebration! She has come up with a list of 50 prompts to tickle your pickle and to make it juicer, she’s added in a giveaway of prizes that she makes herself!

Take a look and enter the challenge, HERE

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Fifthly, we have @carryonmywaywardcaptain‘s Supernaturally Marvelous challenge! This challenge has a list of songs, AU’s, Dialogue prompts and more to choose from!

Check it out, HERE

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And last, but certainly not least, we have @flamencodiva‘s Writing Challenge which she holds every few months to help when you get that dreaded writers block. Who knows, maybe her prompt will spark a wave of inspiration!

Check it out, HERE

Need a graphic? Header, banner, divider?

Our gorgeous @talesmaniac89 is available to create whatever you would like! She’s the creator behind our banners for this post and numerous other masterlist across the board. Give her a message!

Struggling with some smut?

@superfanficnatural has offered his services to be the person you can go to if you need to hash out certain words, feelings and perspective. He is the perfect person to give you an insight to the male POV when it comes to sex so if you’re writing Destiel or a chapter from the guys POV, Mert is there to help!

Need help finding that one gif?

@emoryhemsworth is your go to girl! Seriously, you tell her you want a gif of Dean in a specific place, wearing a certain outfit, she will find it for you in no time at all. She’s a diamond as she’ll also credit the creators!

Struggling to find that one word? Or even a title?

@atc74 is your guru! She is perfect for getting you unstuck and if you’re struggling with a title, she can also help on this front! I always struggle with a title, and a summary so I know i’ll definitely be hitting Ang up if i get stuck!

Lost a fic? Need help to find it again?

@spnfic-search-blog is the blog to go too! Send an ask and they will dedicate their time to try and find it for you!

Need a new aesthetic? Line divider? We got you! Our fabulously talented @talesmaniac89 has drawn up so MANY supernatural themed line breakers, headers and more for your free usage!

Just look at some of these!

She has a few posts full already!

We’re talking dividers, headers, banners, gifs and icons!

Check them out HERE!

Give them a like, a reblog and please THANK HER if you use her work. She’s the most kind hearted, loving soul and a few words go a long way <3

Blog Recs!

@smol-and-grumpy - Nat is such a kind soul, always wanting to make others smile, others wanting to go the extra mile for her followers. She holds giveaways just as a thank you for reading her work and above all else, her writing is just out of this world. She deserves so much love and credit for what she does.

@crashdevlin - I don’t think a livestream has gone by where this lady’s fics have NOT been recommended. Whenever Crash’s name is brought up on stream, so many people love her work and freak out and it’s so lovely to see. So here’s to you Crash! Well done <3

Fic Recs!

True Loves Kiss

@carryonmywaywardbucky

Pairing: Non Yet, eventual Sam Winchester x Reader

Summary: When word of a cursed prince reached your kingdom, your king knew exactly who to send to try and wake him up. The king treated you like the daughter he never had, so question never crossed his mind when he gave you what he hoped would be your final mission.

—

My Brother’s Girl By @cockslut-padalecki

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Reader, Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: When Dean returns from Purgatory, he hopes to be reunited with his long term girlfriend Y/N and Sam after five long years without them. But when he shows up at Sam’s door unable to locate her, Dean realises he doesn’t need to look much farther to find her.

—

All The Good Girls Go To Hell By @cockslut-padalecki

Pairing: Step Dad!Sam x Step Daughter!Reader, Uncle!Dean x Niece!Reader

Summary: When Sam marries into Y/N’s family he naively believes she’s a little princess incapable of putting a step wrong. But once he comes face to face with evidence that proves she’s far from angelic which also implicates his own brother in her misdeeds, Sam finds himself battling against his own moral judgement.

—

Corrupted By @cockslut-padalecki

Pairing: Lawyer!Sam x Reader.

Summary: When Sam inadvertently chooses to work instead of spend time with Y/N, she decides on a little revenge to show him what he’s missing… however she massively underestimates Sam and his power to put her in her place.

—

Crimson Leaves By @waywardrose13

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: The dead have risen. Amid a global pandemic that causes the dead to prowl the Earth, a leader of a small camp in North Carolina fights for survival. Y/n Y/l/n was certain of three things: One, only a bite would turn you. Two, the brain must be destroyed in order to completely kill the thing. Three, trust no one. When a stranger is brought to her camp half alive, Y/n must make the decision to throw him to the walkers, or let the mystery man heal within the gates. As Dean Winchester recovers from a zombie attack, he worms his way into the camp, and eventually into Y/n’s heart. Love is a dangerous game, especially when it’s played with the dead.

—

Flashes By @our-jensen-ackles-love

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Summary: Playboy Jensen Ackles is hurting his television show’s image. Every time he promised to get his act together, it’d last for about a week before pictures emerge of him half-drunk with some broad on his arm. Fed up and desperate, his agent decides their only hope to save some face is to write up a contract with a nobody girl who could use the money while getting to play the role of Jensen’s girlfriend. It was only for a year and it was only for the photos. But feelings don’t always follow the rules, do they?

—

Icarus By @savior-adriana

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Demon!Reader

Summary: She was a succubus – a sex demon, held captive by the Winchesters and despite Sam’s desperate attempts to stop his brother from giving in, Dean loses the battle against his need for her.

—

Frozen By @watermelonlipstick

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Reader

Summary: Sam and the reader get stranded on the highway during a snowstorm.

—

Dean’s Jeans By @watermelonlipstick

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: A late summer afternoon on your cul-de-sac with Dean, Sam, your daughters, and their cousin DJ.

—

Till Death Do Us Part? By @amanda-teaches

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: At a work party with your best friend, Dean, you panic when your new boss asks if you’re couple. Lying to protect your promotion, you wind up fake engaged before you can take it back. When Dean agrees to go along with your lie for a weekend retreat, you end up finding something neither of you had bargained for: love.

—

Broken By @atwistoffate

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: The man you love is about to marry someone else. This is how the worst day of your life begins.

—

Blue or Red By @atwistoffate

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Can two people who broke up be friends again? Just friends?

—

It Was You By @jerkbitchidjitassbutt

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Female Reader

Summary: Jensen and Y/n are childhood best friends. When his agent informs him that his image could use some improvement for a role, will she help him? Or will her feelings get in the way?

—

Not Losing You By @luci-in-trenchcoats

Pairing: Mechanic!Dean Winchester x reader

Summary: The reader is pulled over on the side of the road when a man suddenly appears and proceeds to collapse in front of her. Little does she know, that may be a good thing for them both…

—

By My Side By @luci-in-trenchcoats

Pairing: Bodyguard!Jensen Ackles x Reader

Summary: While at home one night, the reader, an actress, is almost kidnapped and at her friend’s suggestion she hires Jensen as her bodyguard. After a rocky start, the pair begin to get along and tensions ease when they think the threat against her has subsided. But as things at home get better, the reader’s family comes to town and all Hell breaks loose…

—

With All My Heart By @torn-and-frayed

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Summary: N/A

—

Protector By @fictionalabyss

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: N/A

—

La Petite Mort By @percywinchester27

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader AU

Summary: The reader has just shifted to a new flat and boy, someone on the floor has a really banging sex life! The passionate moans have been keeping her up for several nights in row and enough is enough! Reader has her suspicions, but is it really the green-eyed hottie from room no. 307?

—

You’re Home By @acreativelydifferentlove

Pairing: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader

Summary: After years away at college, you have finally returned to your home town. In order to settle back into the community, you have to seek permission from the Head Alpha. What happens when you see his son for the first time since presenting as an Omega?

—

A Gentleman’s Agreement By @stusbunker

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Benny LaFitte

Summary: N/A

—

Stolen Crown By @roonyxx & @jay-and-dean

Pairing: Dean Winchester x reader / Knight!Dean x reader

Summary: What happens when she is sent in a world that isn’t hers, but with very familiar faces ?

—

Ablaze By @ellewritesfix05

Pairing: Firefighter!Dean x Doctor!Reader

Summary: Y/N Y/L/N’s life is simple — work, books, and saving lives. But when a handsome firefighter comes to her hospital in need of care, her life gets turned upside down as she quickly falls for the green-eyed hero. Will being with him prove to be what was missing from her life?

—

No Forgetting You By @ellewritesfix05

Pairing: MOC!/Demon!Dean x Reader

Summary: Being Dean Winchester’s girlfriend is no easy task. Through thick and thin, (Y/N) remained fighting monsters by his side. But what will happen when Dean becomes one of those monsters? In this story, the Reader is faced with difficult situations and decisions that will turn her once-perfect life upside down.

—

Mess is Mine By @supernaturalfreewill

Pairing: Sam Winchester x Reader

Summary: Fic based on ‘Mess Is Mine’ by Vance Joy originally requested by anonymous! You might not want to read this when you’re home alone or sitting in the dark. Just FYI. It’s kinda creepy

—

White Picket Fence By @negans-lucille-tblr

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Dean finally gets his American dream life. A perfect wife, big house and the perfectly obnoxious neighbors beyond a white picket fence. But what goes on behind closed doors is far from suburban.

—

Other Fandom Recs!

Sunrise By @wkemeup

Pairing: bucky x reader (veteran!bucky x librarian!reader)

Summary: After an explosion takes his arm and his only sense of belonging, Bucky is discharged from active duty and sent back to civilian life. Left with a storm of unchecked guilt, Bucky is content to live out the rest of his days in the hollow comfort of the dark. This is, until Sam drags him down to the local VA and he meets you. (Modern AU)

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I think that’s it!

Phew! I hope you all enjoy this recap! Thank you so much once again to everyone who joined the chat, we had 6 hours of laughs and I cannot wait to do it again. I’d appreciate it if you could share this to spread the love of the fics and authors on here!

Keep an eye out for the next date for our next livestream! It will be in February. If you guys have any idea’s or want something included, let us know. If you want to be tagged when we announce, let us know!

See you next time!

xox

#the bunker party #dean winchester fanfiction #sam winchester fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural family #dean winchester x reader #sam winchester x reader #rec post #share the love #spread the positivity #thebunkerparty #love you guys #winchest09

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smmahamazing · 3 years

Photo

It’s finally here! Inuparents Day 2021!!!

Today is the day for us to celebrate the ship that brought us our precious dog boy! Keep an eye out for some extra special soft art to go with the fic, commissioned from the fabulous and talented @heavenin--hell !!!

Will also shortly be available on FFN and AO3. Check out the Inuparents 2021 Collection or the Inuparents 2021 Tumblr for lots of amazing fics and art!

SUMMARY: Toga’s been having a rough day,and who else could make it all better than his mate and pup?

The hallway was silent save for the clacking of heeled boots. They echoed off the windows, muffled only slightly by the tapestries that hung along the walls. The servants knew better than to be found in the path of the angered general; by now, they had a foolproof system that warned anyone in the area to steer clear. Not that many servants could be found in this area of the castle. Toga only trusted a handful of servants to work in the areas around his mates abode.

Toga balled his fisted hands even tighter, tiny droplets of blood dotting the floor as he pressed on. He was close to losing his control, and all he wanted was to bask in the warmth and love of his mate and pup.

Once again, he was forced to listen to the vitriol from another courtier about how Toga was "defiling the very nature of our people" by taking a human mate and siring a "half breed". Toga wasn't sure how many courtiers he had to threaten to get them to back off, but so far the number was rising with no end in sight.

Toga let out a deep, throaty growl at the thought of their hatred towards his mate and pup. Did they forget who he was? Toga was Lord of the Western lands, the great dog demon general. He had the power to slay a hundred demons in one fell swoop. He held life and death in each of his hands. Who were they to condemn him for his choice of mate?

It wasn't as if mating with Izayoi had been much of a choice for him anyway. Toga had known the moment he had laid eyes on Izayoi that they were meant for each other. She smelled like a field of flowers basking in the sun on a warm spring day, and it called to the youkai in him. When he was angry or upset, only her soothing touch could calm him. She always knew the right things to say, or even when she didn't need to say anything at all. She was beautiful and graceful - learnt from being born a princess - yet determined and outspoken in ways a princess should never be. She was a woman unlike Toga had ever seen, and she was irrevocably his.

'When did this hallway become so long?' Toga was growing more and more impatient with how long it was taking him to reach her, and began sprinting the rest of the way down the hall. He finally made it to the door at the end of the hallway to enter a small courtyard. It was smaller than the courtyard that was tended to by Inukimi's servants, but it was an exceedingly beautiful space. It was like stepping into another world, vibrant hues of an abundance of all different kinds of flowers intermingling with the evergreen foliage, giving off a wonderful floral scent to the air, even for Toga's more sensitive nose. Placed sporadically around the courtyard to take advantage of the exquisite views were several benches to sit at. Toga barely gave the courtyard a second glance as he continued to sprint to the other side. His destination was a well kept fence marked by a set of tall, immaculately kept rose bushes.

It wasn't ideal to house Izayoi so far from the rest of the castle, but ever since the birth of their son, Inuyasha, Toga had become paranoid at the thought of someone sneaking into her room for any number of unsavory activities. Toga had his best and most trusted men keep an eye on the area, and he could easily sniff out if anyone had been around who shouldn't have been - a task that had been much more difficult in the middle of a bustling castle. Toga would do whatever it took to keep Izayoi safe; he had already used Tenseiga on her once, so he could not depend on its help again. He had almost lost her and their unborn pup almost a year ago because of that snake of a human, Takemaru, not to mention his own life as well.

Beyond the rose guarded fence was a well kept trail that led to a decently sized building. It was nestled beside a looming cherry blossom tree, and one could see the edges of a koi pond in the back. It was far smaller than any of the living quarters that Izayoi was used to, growing up as a hime, but she had reassured him time and time again that the space was perfect for their little family.

He had to swallow the lump in his throat at the thought of his 'little family'. Who would have thought this voracious little human woman could turn the fearsome Inu no Taisho into such a sap?

Toga walked up to the shoji screen and opened it, stepping through to the main room. Toga barely gave the empty foyer any thought as he made his way to the main bedroom off to the right. Another shoji door shoved to the side and he was finally treated to the sight he had been craving the most.

There, lying on a plush tatami mat, was the most beautiful sight in the world - Izayoi, propped up on a plush bed of fluffy pillows with their pup swaddled at her breast. Kiyo, Izayoi's only maid servant, was in the process of throwing a large, soft blanket over the bottom half of his mate's body.

Izayoi looked up towards him as soon as the shoji door opened, a sleepy smile growing on her face at the sight of her husband. As soon as the blanket was secured over Izayoi, Kiyo turned toward him and reverently bowed.

"Toga-sama," she greeted him.

"Bring us a dinner tray in about an hour, you may be dismissed afterwards. I will attend to all of Izayoi's needs for the remainder of the night," he stated softly. Kiyo bowed to him once again and once to Izayoi, a soft smile on her face as she gazed for a moment on his pup, and quietly passed by.

Toga stayed where he was at the door until he could no longer clearly hear the soft padding of Kiyo's footsteps as she traveled back to the main castle. Keeping her left hand holding Inuyasha up to her breast, she reached out to Toga with her right. He longed to rush to her side, to feel the warmth of her body beside his, but despite his insistence to rush to her room, he took his time to reach her.

Izayoi watched as he meticulously started taking off every individual piece of armor, slowly lowering them to the floor so it didn't startle the pup. Izayoi didn't look irritated in the slightest by the lazy way he undressed; she loved it, in fact. He never took his heated gaze off her as each piece fell, and it never failed to give her goosebumps.

As soon as he was down to just his kosode and hakama, he knelt down beside her and clasped her hand in his. Izayoi giggled as Toga nuzzled his nose against her cheek as his own chest rumbled in satisfaction at the soft tinkling of her laugh. She turned her head to meet him face to face and placed a tender kiss at the corner of his mouth. Toga removed his hand from hers to cup her jaw and deepen their kiss.

Toga would never get enough of her. The way she inhaled as she opened her mouth for him, and sighed deeply, a slight whimper in her voice as her tongue would carefully glide against his fangs. She was so soft and so warm. She tasted sweet and fruity. If he wasn't careful with his little human mate, he could just devour her.

Their kiss was cut short, however, when Izayoi let out a yelp, accidentally pulling at some of his hair from where she had been lightly gripping at the nape of his neck. It had taken a bit of control for Toga to not bite down on her tongue due to the unexpected sharp pain that now bristled at the base of his head.

"Ahh, be careful little one!" Izayoi lightly scolded the infant feeding at her breast. Inuyasha had taken too hard a bite as he drank his mother's milk, scratching the side of her breast with his newly formed - and very sharp - nails. They were not quite long enough to be labeled as 'claws' yet, but they were still sharp enough to tear lightly through human skin.

Inuyasha immediately tried to grab onto Izayoi's breast as soon as her hand let go of his little arm. Toga reached out, offering his own hand to the tiny hanyou, which could more than withstand Inuyasha's baby claws.

Toga squinted his eyes down at his son suspiciously. Inuyasha's gaze never left Toga's as he continued to suckle at Izayoi's breast.

All inuyoukai pups were extremely territorial towards their mothers. Even Sesshomaru had been known to growl at Toga whenever he vied for Kimi's attention - although the stubborn boy would never admit to it. It seemed that fact could also be said of hanyou pups. Toga could practically see the smirk on Inuyasha's face, satisfied that Izayoi was now fussing with him instead of with Toga.

'The brat,' he thought, although it came with no heat behind it. Toga's eyes softened, staring at his youngest son. A warm smile adorned Inuyasha's face as he ate, loving the attention he was receiving from both his parents. His little hand squeezing just a tad tighter around Toga's finger.

It was obvious the pup felt completely safe in the moment, knowing even at such a young age that his parents were there to protect him.

How long would this sense of safety last? At what age will he have to get in the habit of looking over his shoulder at all times? Why must such an innocent life have to have to grow up with such worries? The earlier events of the day began to seep back into Toga's mind, furrowing up his brow at the thought of the other council members and their vitriol.

"What is wrong, my love?," Izayoi asked, sweeping her free hand across his bangs in a loving manner.

"It is quite amazing," he started, not quite ready to answer her question just yet. "For something so small, so delicate, he is already so strong." Toga tried to pull his finger away, but Inuyasha kept a firm grip, unwilling to part with it yet.

"Well, he takes after his father," Izayoi said with a bright smile on her face. Toga did not respond to her, although the small smile didn't leave his face despite the slightly increased furrowing of his brows. Izayoi knew this look; he often came home like this whenever he was forced to fight against his council, usually because of her and their son.

"What did they say this time?" She asked. A part of her didn't want to hear about all the awful things they were saying about their son - she didn't quite care about whatever they thought about her, she was stronger than they all gave her credit for - but she knew there was real fear for the future of the little boy in her arms.

"It doesn't matter."

"Their opinions may not matter, but you shouldn't keep it all to yourself." She lightly gripped his chin in her hand and turned his face to look at her. "We are a team, anata. Do not keep this to yourself"

Toga leaned in towards her neck and inhaled, letting out a deep sigh as he touched his forehead to hers, basking in the warmth she emitted. Her stubbornness, despite opening one of the things he loved about her, was also one of the things he sometimes hated about her, especially when it was up against himself. He wanted to keep them separated from all the hate and viciousness he experienced almost every day. But as he slowly opened his eyes to see the hardened look in her own, he knew there was no keeping anything from her.

For a human, she really knew how to tear down all his walls.

"I don't understand them,"

"Understand who? The council?"

"Them. Everyone. They all believe they have the right to judge who I love, or the children I help bear. How can they look this little one in the eyes and think him an abomination?"

While he was talking, Inuyasha had switched breasts and was now facing away from him, giving Toga a view of his tiny ears. They quirked slightly as Toga talked, trying to pick out his every word. Honestly, they were the cutest things he had ever seen, and they never failed to put a smile on Toga's face. He caressed the back of one of Inuyasha's ears with his knuckle - noting how soft the fur was - making Inuyasha give out a light sigh of contentment as he continued to eat.

"People often fear or hate what they cannot explain," Izayoi said.

"But these are not people, they're youkai - "

"Who also has the tendency to do the same," she interrupted. "You know, you youkai are not all that different from us."

Toga had to stifle a huff at her statement. There were many differences between humans and youkai. From their anatomy to their culture and their social hierarchy. Hell, even their mating rituals were different - Toga had been saddened to find out he could not bind his youki to Izayoi, no matter how hard he tried.

But he didn't want to start an argument about it. He understood where her thoughts were coming from. Youkai would hate him because of the human blood that flowed in his veins, and humans would fear him for the youkai attributes he would possess. Both sides were unable to see past the traits they deemed unworthy or tainted. For all their differences, it was something they could agree on, and the thought made Toga chuckle a bit.

"I suppose you could be right, my little rabbit."

"Of course I'm right, anata," Izayoi replied with a smile on her face. She regarded her husband as he continued to watch Inuyasha, softly stroking his ears or running his hand through his little tuft of white hair. The actions were light, but Izayoi could still see the hardness in his eyes, most likely replaying everything he was forced to listen to today.

Izayoi knew they couldn't just ignore the threats, but she wouldn't let the opinions of others control how they lived. They would teach their son about the necessity of staying vigilant and how to protect himself when his parents couldn't, but they would also teach him how to laugh, and to love with all his heart. They would show the world just how special their family was.

They would have to tread carefully, but if they did it right, they could completely change the dynamic between human and youkai relationships.

"Don't let them get to you Toga. Let's just enjoy the night,"

It was like any other night they spent together. They laid together on the futon, one wriggling child in between them as they made idle chatter about everything and nothing all at once. Kiyo came in to bring them supper, and after Toga had made sure that his mate had eaten her fill, Izayoi and Inuyasha fell into an easy slumber as Toga watched over the pair.

The future he was working toward would not come easy, and there would be many obstacles put forth to hinder him, but in that moment Toga promised both his mate and his pup that he would do whatever it took to bring them a lifetime of happiness.

One changed mind at a time.

#inuparentsday2021 #howtomakeahanyou #inuyasha #inuyasha fanfic #canon divergent #toga doesnt die #FLUFF

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zelenacat · 3 years

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When We Were Young- Chapter 32- An Obitine Story

They were fabulous, and everyone in the ballroom knew it. The family was graceful when gliding down the main stairs and across the dance floor. They were elegant and poised when they clustered around the throne, and the Duchess' smile was so warm and kind that many politicians smiled back at her.

Satine took a breath, “Friends, fellow Mandalorians, and guests. I am overjoyed to host you tonight alongside my family. It is my great pleasure to introduce them to you, and it’s my honor to welcome everyone I hold dear to my happy home. Thank you.”

Polite clapping echoed through the hall, and the musicians began to play. Satine nodded at her children and they walked up to their chosen partners, who were also making their way towards the throne. There was much excitement in the ballroom, it was bold to open with a waltz, but the Duchess was pleased. Everyone was talking about the children and who they were dancing with.

“You’ve put on quite the show.” Obi-Wan whispered, taking Jynn.

“I certainly have,” Satine agreed, cradling Lyra, “and here come the first parliamentarians.”

They bowed to the Duchess and gave a polite nod to Obi-Wan.

“Your Grace, Master Jedi.”

“Thank you for coming, Your Excellencies,” Satine smiled, “may I introduce Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the father of my children.”

The men bowed, but didn’t grace the Jedi with a title.

“We were wondering, Your Grace,” one man spoke up, “if we might introduce the committee on updating the line of succession.”

“Of course,” Satine stood, “We’d love to be introduced.”

The Committee on Updating the Line of Succession was twenty people, and Obi-Wan handled them all with proper formality. Satine was quite proud.

“And if I may, Your Excellencies,” the Jedi gestured, “I know Master Yoda has stated he’d like to meet you.”

It was clear from the beginning of the conversation that Master Yoda wished the children to be heirs, and he all but told the committee this.

Jynn reached out to Master Yoda, “Ye ye-”

With a smile, the old Jedi watched with pride as Jynn walked over to him, holding Obi-Wan’s hand of course.

“You’re quite the favorite aren’t you, Master.” Anakin teased, approaching with Padme on his arm.

“Very cute, the child is,” Master Yoda grinned, “named after a former Padawan of mine, as well, she is.”

“We’ll take Lyra if you’d like to dance,” Padme suggested, “we don’t mind little ones.”

Satine grinned and shot a look at Obi-Wan.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea, thank you.”

They spun around for three dances and Satine had a wonderful time.

“Everyone is watching us.” Obi-Wan grinned.

Satine winked, “Get used to it, Ben.”

After their dances they went back to schmoozing politicians, it was much less fun. They talked to every party of parliament. Red, orange, yellow, and white. It was quite late when Lyra walked for the first time.

“Ah ah-” the little ejuculated.

She was reaching out her little fist towards her mother and scrambled out of Padme’s arms. Waddling over, she cried again.

“Ah ah!”

Everyone cooed as Satine picked up her youngest, kissing her on the forehead.

“I’m here, Lyra, I’m here.”

By the end of the night, Jynn and Lyra were asleep in their parents’ arms as the guests bid their Duchess goodnight.

“Lovely evening,” Anakin smiled, “we really should do this again.”

Obi-Wan clasped his friend’s hand, “We’ll see you for the welcoming ceremony.”

Finally, when the night was over, Satine took her daughters to the jewel room.

“Pierre?”

The Royal Jewelmaster bowed.

“A success, Your Grace?”

“Most certainly,” Satine took off her tiara, “thank you for your help.”

It was nearly four in the morning when Satine and Obi-Wan were changing the twins back into their pajamas.

“They’re smiling.” Obi-Wan sighed.

“Yes,” Satine agreed, “happy to be in bed.”

Finally, when the Duchess and her Jedi got to bed, they practically collapsed.

“So much talking.” Obi-Wan complained, hand on his head.

“I know,” Satine sighed, “but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.”

Parna and Khaami were kind enough to give Satine and Obi-Wan two extra hours of sleep before waking them up.

“Satine, Master Jedi?”

Obi-Wan groaned, his Duchess swatted him in the face and woke him up.

Khaami snorted, “Parliament has sent a statement to us early, it says the children will join the line of succession once you marry.”

The Duchess froze. Really? Was it that easy?

“Satine,” Obi-Wan drawled out the syllables of her name, clearly smiling, “will you marry me.”

The Duchess sighed, “Why don’t you propose when you’re awake and you’ve eaten.”

Obi-Wan groaned and Satine kissed his head.

“Ladies,” she turned, “what shall I wear for my engagement day?”

Khaami snorted.

Your favorite ensemble,” Parna suggested, “maybe the salmon pink one?”

“You’re right,” Satine agreed, sitting up, “I’ll save the extravagance for the wedding.”

The Duchess and her ladies went into the closet to investigate, and when they came out, Obi-Wan was gone.

“Likey to prepare.” Khaami remarked.

Satine giggled, “I’m excited.”

“You should be,” Parna grinned, picking up a hair brush, “you’re going to be proposed to today.”

It happened that night, and Satine was anxious all during the day. Towards the afternoon she thought her Jedi wasn’t going to propose at all, but then Korkie came to get her.

“Lady Mother,” he was trying not to smile, “please come with me.”

All of a sudden Satine was nervous.

“Let me fix my hair.”

“Lady Mother,” Korkie grinned, “you’re fine.”

They walked out to the garden and into the maze.

“Korkie, what-”

The secret center of the maze looked lovely. There were pale blue silks tied between the trees and bunches of lilies stuffed into the hedges. There was a small picnic blanket on the ground with a bunch of food. The Duchess was so distracted she didn’t even notice Korkie leave.

“Dex’s diner,” Satine laughed, “Ben, you really know how to create a romantic evening.”

“Don’t I?” Obi-Wan asked, coming out from behind a tree.

“Hiding, were you?” the Duchess teased.

Obi-Wan winked, “I wanted to know what my lady thought.”

Satine walked up to her Jedi and kissed him on the cheek.

“I love it.”

“Come,” Obi-Wan took Satine’s hand, “sit.”

It was nice to have a romantic evening with her Jedi, they hadn’t really had a dedicated time to themselves since the battle was over, and now that the Separatists had lost their biggest leaders, the end of the war was in sight.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan looked up suddenly, “dance with me.”

The Duchess smiled and held out her hand, she didn’t need to be told twice. They twirled around the garden a couple of times before Obi-Wan stopped, kissed the Duchess’ hand, and got down on one knee.

“Satine Kryze,” the Jedi’s eyes softened, “you’ve made my life a joy to live. You’ve brought me six wonderful children, with three more to come, and I couldn’t imagine a better end to my days than spending them with you and our family.”

Obi-Wan reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. Satine gasped, it was a simple silver band with two gems next to each other. One, a purple tourmaline and the other a lapis lazuli stone. The Duchess of Mandalore choked up.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan’s voice pronounced her name like an enchantment, “will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes, Obi-Wan Ben Kenobi,” Satine sighed, “I’ll marry you.”

The Jedi kissed his Duchess and it felt like the stars were raining glitter down on them. When the couple separated, the noticed cheering from the balcony. They turned, all six children were waving.

“Are those binoculars?” Satine asked, horrified.

“I told them they could watch our performance.” Obi-Wan admitted.

“Ben,” the Duchess huffed, “you must be very proud of yourself.”

“I am,” the Jedi straightened, “I have a fiancee.”

The press went wild when the engagement was announced, of course, it was just after the update to the line of succession had been publicly known. A wedding date was set for three months later, which definitely shocked the press, but excitement overruled surprise and all was well.

Satine was telling Hera all about it during her sonogram.

“Really,” the nurse asked, “cheering in the press room?”

“Yes,” the Duchess giggled, “this wedding has all the gossip columns excited.”

“Naturally,” Hera agreed, “how are you feeling?”

“A little big for fourteen weeks.” Satine confessed.

“Triplets,”the nurse reminded, “how’s your sleep?”

Satine laughed, “Once I find a good position I sleep like the dead.”

“Good,” Hera smiled, “I don’t see any problems, but we’ll do another one in a month, then you’ll get to see them.”

Obi-Wan came with Satine that time to see the triplets, and Hera was thrilled.

“Finally,” she huffed, “responsibility will be taken.”

The Jedi looked uncomfortable, the Duchess snorted. Hera seemed unbothered.

“This will be cold.” she warned.

It was all worth it when the triplets appeared on screen however, Obi-Wan burst into tears.

“Ben-”

“This is the first time I’ve been with them since before birth.” he choked.

“Oh, Obi,” Satine kissed his knuckles, “it’s alright, look at them some more.”

“Two boys and a girl.” Hera confirmed.

Satine smiled, her Jedi wiped his eyes.

“I still don’t see any issues,” the nurse added, “all healthy.”

Obi-Wan sighed.

“Names,” the Duchess told her fiance, “names are what we should be thinking about.”

That night as the parents shared the happy news with their children, Khaami ushered the Duchess away with an important call.

“Hera’s dead.”

Satine was aghast, “What?”

“They found her at home,” Khaami’s eyes moistened, “with the death watch symbol carved into her head.”

The Duchess choked out a sob and her lady wrapped her arms around her.

“Why?” Satine asked, tears streaming down her face.

“I don’t know,” Khaami answered, “but the police are looking into it.”

“Satine-”

“They killed her, Obi,” the Duchess turned, “they killed Hera.”

The Jedi’s eyes went wide.

“No, oh, Satine, I’m so sorry.”

It was at the vigil they held at the palace that Korkie suggested they name the baby after her.

“I like that,” the Duchess smiled sadly, a hand on her stomach, “I like that.”

The next couple of months went by as Satine planned the biggest event of her life. She had many dress fittings, menu meetings, guest list organizing, and so much more. As the day approached, Satine found herself slightly nervous.

“Can you believe it,” Obi-Wan asked, “tomorrow?”

“I know,” the Duchess smiled, “we’re getting married.”

“Darling,” the Jedi rolled over, “is that apprehension I sense?”

“No,” Satine sighed, “just nerves.”

“Aw,” Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around his fiancee, “you’ll be great.”

The Duchess turned to look at her Jedi.

“Promise you won’t leave me at the altar?” she asked, half kidding.

“Satine,” Obi-Wan kissed her, “tomorrow is the most exciting day of my life.”

“Sleep well, then,” Satine grinned, “because tomorrow we’ll actually be married.”

The morning of the wedding could only be described as chaotic. Everyone was running all over, servants and the royal family, with news, outfits, jewels, and more news.

“The guests are arriving,” Parna huffed, “and your children have gone out to greet them.”

“All of them?” Satine asked.

“Not me, Lady Mother,” Korkie smiled, poking his head in, “we’re going to make an entrance.”

“We certainly are.” the Duchess agreed.

Satine was wearing yellow, the traditional color for Mandalorian weddings, and she looked fabulous. Wearing a crown of lilies to match the embroidered flowers on her loose bodice, Satine fluffed out her skirts and took Korkie’s arm.

Obi-Wan was standing at the altar, grinning at Satine as she approached. Anakin was behind him, clearly happy for his master. As they walked down the aisle, Satine’s smile grew. She was finally marrying her Jedi Knight. After all these years.

Korkie placed his mother’s hand in his father’s, then stood off to the side with the rest of his siblings. A Mandalorian Archbishop officiated the wedding, and both Satine and Obi-Wan repeated after him, vowing to protect and shield each other from harm in sickness and health.

“And now, the rings.”

Ahsoka was very pleased to be the ring bearer at the wedding, and she performed her job beautifully, with a little flourish at the end.

Obi-Wan took Satine’s ring.

“Satine, I’m overjoyed to be marrying you,” he began, “you and the children are the lights of my life, and I’m honored to be doing right by you and spending the rest of my life by your side.”

Satine smiled down at the ring as it slipped on her finger.

“Obi-Wan,” the Duchess grinned, “this is what I’ve always wanted, so I want to thank you for making my dreams come true-”

“Aw.”

The crowd giggled at Ahoska’s reaction.

“I love you, Obi.”

“You may kiss the bride.”

The Jedi did, then he picked her up bridal style and spun her around. Everyone cheered, and after a second kiss on the Jaru Cathedral steps, the roar got even louder.

“This is magical,” Satine giggled as they climbed into their carriage.

“It certainly is.” Obi-Wan agreed.

The children followed behind in a carriage of their own, waving at the public just like their parents.

“Is this what it’s like,” Obi-Wan asked, “your entire life?”

“Not really,” Satine put her head on the Jedi’s shoulder, “public occasions are rare.”

Obi-Wan kissed Satine’s head, “Now at least we’re together.”

There was a celebratory feast back at the castle aftwards.

“Oh my God, Satine,” Quinlan embraced her, “I can finally call you Mrs. Kenobi.”

“Kryze-Kenobi,” the Duchess corrected, “we decided to hyphenate.”

“How fancy,” Anakin smiled, hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, “but speaking of fancy, let’s celebrate!”

Obi-Wan sighed, “Anakin-”

“Master Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka huffed, appearing on his other side, “you’re married now, to Momdalore!”

“I know,” the Jedi gave Satine the side eye, “I’m very lucky.”

The Duchess sat with her friend Padme for the celebration.

“Ten weeks left for me,” she told her friend, “what about you?”

“Eight,” Padme practically squealed, “I made Anakin build the cribs himself.”

Satine laughed.

“Do you wanna see the video?”

“Of course.”

It was hilarious and a very typical Anakin scene. He started without reading the directions and Padme had to help him.

“That’s certainly something.” Satine snorted.

“It is,” Padme agreed, “have you picked out a girl’s name yet?”

The Duchess smiled sadly, “We might name her after Hera.”

“Aw.”

“Although,” Satine grinned, “we’re currently discussing my husband’s title ceremony.”

“Ooh,” Padme clutched her chest, “Duke Consort?”

“Duke Consort.”

“He and Anakin are leaving the order officially, what,” Padme paused, “tomorrow?”

“I know,” Satine wiped her eyes, “I feel so fortunate.”

“So do I.”

Master Yoda let both the Jedi go with honorable distinction, happy that people he cared about had found happiness and their place in the world. It was a quick goodbye party, and then it was back to business.

“A title,” Obi-Wan whined, “I suppose it’s necessary.”

“It is.”

The former Jedi sighed, “Alright, what is it?”

“Duke Consort of Mandalore.”

Obi-Wan smiled and kissed his wife, “Sounds perfect.”

The ceremony was held a week later, and Satine confessed to her husband that walking was getting annoying.

“But don’t worry,” she told him, “Korkie, Tyra, Tristan, and Mara will be holding the heaviest things.”

It was done in the fashion of an ancient monarchy. Satine knighted her husband, which he confessed later was ironic, then crowned him, gave him a robe, and a scepter. Then Satine sat down on her throne with her husband next to her.

“The Duchess and Duke Consort of Mandalore!”

The crowd of nobles clapped politely before bowing or curtsying to their monarch’s husband.

“This is quite official now,” Obi-Wan smiled in relief when the ceremony was over, “and all that’s left are the triplets.”

“And of course their welcoming ceremony,” Satine grinned, “I’m excited to raise these ones with you.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes melted, “So am I.”

Things settled as the weeks went by, and a month later, Satine was in the hospital wing with her new nurse.

“You will likely deliver soon,” she told the Duchess, “and you stated you wanted an operation beforehand, correct?”

“Yes,” Satine nodded, “one with medicine this time.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” the nurse nodded, “let’s plan for a week from now, as triplets generally come early, we want to be ready when they come out.”

One night while Satine was welcoming Korkie’s old nurse and the apprentice nannies, Obi-Wan got a call from Anakin.

“It’s happening,” he told his wife, “and Anakin is so anxious.”

“I bet,” Satine nodded, “tell him not to worry, Coruscant is known for its doctors.”

Once the nannies were adjusted and the older children were in their own personal rooms, the new ones that had been built, Satine went to bed, thinking of Padme.

“Obi-Wan?”

The former Jedi rolled over towards Satine’s voice, but he was still dead asleep.

“Obi-Wan.”

He grunted, clearly having heard her.

“Obi-Wan, it’s happening.”

“I know.”

“No, Ben,” Satine shook her husband, “I’m supposed to have an operation, but they’re coming earlier than anyone expected.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes popped open.

“Babies?”

“Yes!” the Duchess screeched, tired of repeating herself.

“It’s probably their connection to the Skywalker twins,” Obi-Wan calmly got up, “let’s get you to the med ward.”

They began operating on Satine within the hour, and it was a very quick procedure, faster than what the Duchess had expected. Soon, she was holding the two boys, while Obi-Wan held Hera.

“They’re quite small,” the doctor informed Satine, “they will need to gain weight at their checkups.”

“How often are these checkups?” Obi-Wan asked.

“For the first week, every other day,” the doctor explained, “and then every other month if they get stronger.”

Satine nodded, “We ordered a lot of formula.”

“Good,” the doctor smiled, “and now I suggest rest for Your Grace, and the triplets.”

The nurses rolled in three bassinets decorated with ribbons and little initials.

“Aw,” Satine grinned, “Ben look.”

“They’re adorable,” Obi-Wan agreed, “and I’ll make the phone calls to those who need to be informed.”

“Thank you, darling,” Satine smiled, handing Jacen to a nurse, “we’ll rest.”

A second nurse and the doctor put the remaining twins to bed and the Duchess kissed her husband.

“Sleep well.” Obi-Wan grinned.

Heavily drugged, Satine slept until the morning, waking up in the hospital wing to her nurses.

“Where are the triplets?” were her first words of the day.

“In the nursery with their nannies,” the nurse answered, “no complications. For you or the babies.”

The Duchess was relieved, “That’s good to hear.”

The doors opened and Obi-Wan brought the children in. Jynn and Lyra, who had begun speaking about four months ago, both were struck with a fit of giggles upon seeing the babies, who were being wheeled in by the nannies.

“Baby!” Lyra pointed.

“Babies!” Jynn corrected.

Everyone laughed.

“This is Jacen,” Satine gestured to the littlest redhead, “the blonde is Sylvian-”

“Ooh.”

“And your youngest sister is Hera.”

“Aw.”

“She looks like me.” Mara clapped.

“And Sylvian is my mini body double.” Tristan added.

“But Jacen though,” Tyra grinned, “he looks like you and Dad, Korkie.”

“He does,” Obi-Wan shook his head, “so many children.”

The babies were passed around before they got fussy, and then it was eating time. Korkie was very happy to see his old nurse as well, and Satine thanked her, for everything she’d done for the family.

“I’m pleased to, Your Grace,” the old woman smiled, “and I’m pleased at your happy ending.”

“So are we,” Obi-Wan smiled, “and once Satine’s ready, the Prime Minister will be coming.”

“Ah, yes,” Satine sighed, “and have you heard from Anakin?”

Obi-Wan nodded, but Tyra beat him to it.

“Luke and Leia,” she clapped, “they were also born yesterday.”

“Wow,” Satine sighed, “would you call that the force, Ben?”

“Most definitely.” Obi-Wan answered.

Later that day, after Satine’s nap, Prime Minister Djarin came with a bouquet of lilies.

“Thank you, Jaru,” the Duchess smiled, “I assume the public knows?”

“They're ecstatic,” the Prime Minister responded, “and how are you?”

“Well,” Satine sighed, “the children are healthy and the drugs are wearing off.”

“That’s good,”Jaru smiled, setting down the flowers, “I will inform the Ruling Council that you are resting today.”

“Thank you, Prime Minister,” the Duchess smiled, “that is something I really appreciate.”

Satine rested for the next day and a half, then, she went back to the business of governing.

“The criminals responsible for Nurse Hera’s death have pleaded guilty.”

“Good,” the Duchess nodded, “her family will have closure.”

“And the welcoming ceremony? When should that be?”

“A little longer than the traditional two weeks,” Satine decided, “the triplets need to grow a little more.”

Pencils scratched notepads.

“I’ll schedule it, Your Grace.”

“Now the ceremony’s menu.”

Then came the guest list, what the royal family would wear, and how to pay the Mandalorian Archbishops.

“Satine?”

It was Waldie who called, catching up with the Duchess in the hallway.

“Congratulations on the safe delivery.”

“Thank you,” Satine smiled, “I don’t remember much of it.”

“I hope it’s not too much to ask,” Waldie fiddled, “but now that there are more royal daughters, I think we should hire more seamstresses.”

“Ah,” Satine nodded, “perhaps one or two of the ones formerly in our service for the ball gowns, it’s a helpful suggestion, thank you Waldie.”

In the next two weeks, two more seamstresses were hired and welcoming outfits for the triplets were made. Everyone else in the family wore what they had to the ball presentation, and they made quite the spectacle all in white.

#Duchess Satine #satine kryze #obi wan x satine #satine x obiwan #obi wan kenobi #obitine #obiwan #fanfic #fanfiction #the clone wars #korkie kryze #korkie kenobi

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vaguely-concerned · 4 years

Text

R-r-r-rewatch thoughts for The Mandalorian S2 Ep2

(or Chapter 10 as they seem resolved to call it)

- can I just express my joy for a moment that in one episode we get peli, the answer to my pleas for female representation in the ‘sketchy middle aged car mechanic’ niche, and a female alien designed with no consideration towards sexiness. (I mean I’m sure there’s someone. There is always someone somewhere on the Internet, is the bitter truth history has shown to us. but it’s not the intention behind the design haha)

- they do take great pains to deliberately show you boba’s armour several times both in the recap and in the episode itself, so never despair he is very likely still on his way onto our screens once more

- this dude holding the baby hostage wanting specifically the jetpack in exchange is the one (1) break this whole episode gave din lol

also the Patented Mando Finger Curl of Stress while he talked softly and calmly to not promp this asshole to make a sudden move... the most endearing character tic, I love my space cowboy dad so much

- fun continuity detail: din is all out of whistling birds now, and you can see it here!

I wonder if he could still use the same mechanism with different ‘ammo’, it’s just not as effective? from the way the armorer spoke whistling birds seem quite rare and it would be an inefficient use of beskar if that’s the only thing it can be loaded with

- I love how after the last episode, a 50 min epic with a bunch of original trilogy significance and impressive technical achievements and exciting character reveals, I was like ‘yeah okay I suppose that is quite interesting’, and this mess/comedy of inconveniences is the thing that fully makes my brain tip into the obsessive ‘BABY AND DAD SHOW!! BABY AND DAD SHOW!!!!!’ mind state lol

- ah the traditional ‘mando trudging slowly but steadily through the desert’ montage we all love to see (I hope this is going to be a Thing for the second episode of every season from now on)

Also I assume his suit has some sort of temperature regulation built in and that’s how he didn’t, y’know. die under the blazing desert sun

CAT FIGHT CAT FIGHT man I love the jawa. also mando doesn’t even glance over at them, really emphasizing how he’s like. done with this entire day (and it’s all barely even getting started din! i’m sorry)

yodito’s look in this scene tho... he’s like ‘we’ve Seen some shit lady’ (actually I think he’s staring at ‘dr mandible’ like O___o. it’s been a long day for a lil boy)

you get to see dr mandible’s cards a few times, so I assume anyone who knows the rules of... sabacc? probably? could figure out beforehand that he was in a bad spot. (the star wars fanbase is one of those where I KNOW the rules exist somewhere, and I know people who know those rules exist too)

- that sound the baby keeps making -- the ‘boo-a’, sometimes with a p-sound at the end -- if that’s the precursor to him saying any variation whatsoever of ‘dad’ or ‘papa’ or ‘baba’ or even ‘buir’ or anything, I will die. I will sink to the ground in a heap and never get up (the way he keeps seeking out gaze contact with the helmet and seems perfectly satisfied with it too... fasdhfaskdjhl my FEELINGS)

- it seems confirmed in this ep that the mandos who died on nevarro did so while holding off the enemy so the rest(probably especially the children) could get away; some of them appear to have escaped. which I guess is a small relief

frog lady stepping out of the shadows and into our hearts

I like that her firm nod after Peli translates ‘her husband has seen them’ lets us know she understands... basic? is that the common tongue thing in star wars there’s just so many to remember across fandoms lol? perfectly well, even if she can’t speak it.

- mando might be running low on ammo for the pulse rifle, if the fact that he hasn’t replaced the missing cartridge on his... bandolier belt thingy is any indication

ETA: actually ignore me this has been a thing since the literal first episode of the show my brain just had a hiccup lol

- so baby seems to use a little bit of the force to pull the eggs towards him -- I wonder how often he ‘taps into it’ or if it’s always ‘on’ in the background for him. if so I guess there’s no wonder he’s so hungry (but also... kid you can’t end this lady’s entire family line like that one cat who singlehandedly made extinct a whole species of bird! D:)

- din so rarely gets openly angry, he just gets passive aggressive and grumpy. and that’s probably not the healthiest way to deal with things but I love him

- frog lady reacts so strongly to when din sends the ping when nothing else woke her up, I wonder if she can hear more frequencies than a human

hello darkness my old frieeennnddd

proof nr 1508 that din does not starve this baby you guys, he even has his own little tray just the right size for him! as it happens the baby simply seems to prefer eating things that are... still alive in some capacity. which, uh. maybe they can invest in some form of non-sentient crickets or something for him to hunt down and.... oh dear

Look how they massacred my boy

By the way I finally managed to put into words why the Razor Crest -- and particularly the way it keeps getting beaten to hell and back and patched up again -- is so symbolically important and meaningful to me in this show in this post over here! it’s always a great relief to me when I can finally understand what the hell I’ve been going on about all this time and this was one of those lol

- honestly if it weren’t for frog lady and (more importantly) the baby I think there’s a slight chance din would’ve gone ‘well I had a good-ish run of it for a while there’ and just let the ice claim him haha

- “Why don’t you come over here and give me a hand. Make yourself useful” This is the one time in the episode I think he crosses the line into just being a dick for a moment (but noticeably the baby isn’t just a little hurt at this reaction, he’s clearly surprised and confused, which means this really does not happen often. after the time mando’s been having recently I guess a moment’s snappishness is understandable haha. he does follow up right after with being much more responsive and attentive when the baby toddles away from him, so it feels like it’s going to be okay)

also the ‘boo-ap’ sound is there again when he’s trying to get din’s attention. just sayin’

when din comes over to see the footprints baby makes a declarative little meep like ‘see??? I did tell you!’ haha

- it is very funny that mando is using all his technology meant to track down dangerous bounties in the grungy depths of the criminal underworld... to find a naked lady just chillin’ in a hot spring

cue the ‘father is evil?’ memes fsadfda. actually the funniest thing about this moment (apart from the fabulous finger acting) is that din actually snatches a few eggs out of the baby’s reach more subtly right before, and that baby only whines for ALL OF ONE SECOND before he goes to sniff around for other food possibilities fkadfhjkds. from my experience with human children he’s a lot less prone to tantrums. yodito doesn’t get mad, he gets even

- baby running towards din through the hatching spiderlings like ‘DAD I FUCKED UUUUUUP’, din’s little strangled ‘ngh’ sound as he picks the baby up and watches all the creepy crawlies come out... *chef kiss* impeccable

(that little ‘ngh’ and the soft shocked ‘ah ah AH!’s from when he goes flying at the beginning of the episode... pedro pascal and his voice work for this character gives me so much life. in some ways din has this sort of dignity and grace and in other ways he uh extremely doesn’t. he gets to be cool but also vulnerable in ways a lot of male main characters don’t and it’s probably why I love him so much)

btw here is that moment when din moves to hold the baby tightly against him with both hands as the big spider appears, because it gets me right in the heart... it such an instinctive thing of holding on to the dearest thing you’ve got before something bad is about to happen

fdsafhsdakjlfhsdkjlhfsdajhf oh my god the baby is clutching din’s finger with his little hand during the chase!!!! 😭😭😭

this FUCKING SHOW has just WEAPONIZED putting in small details everywhere to convey the love and tenderness and attachment felt by a little muppet doll even where only weirdos like me will frame by frame their way through the video to see it I am so MAD

- frog lady going ‘fuck this’ and bounding along is e v e r y t h i n g

- din is an amazing shot, though, he doesn’t seem to miss a single one in this whole scene (then again there’s something to shoot at basically everywhere one can take aim so lol)

baby hiding behind/half hugging din’s boot as he tries to get the doors closed hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I can’t breathhhhheeeee

honestly every single one of the baby’s proximity seeking behaviours in this ep has me on my knees

- it’s very unfair to play the heroic happy mando music like everything is going to be fine and then have a huge fuck-off spider drop down from the ceiling and break it off mid-tune, the mandalorian, you have trained me in certain ways and now do you betray me??? how can I trust again

- the camera work in the scene with the new republic guys gives such a good sense of the discomfort of being judged from on high by someone or something you can’t really see -- the glare of the lights blocking out everything in the shots from din’s pov makes it feel like a tense interrogation (the new republic dude who is actually dave filoni has such a look of fondness as he watches din tho it’s kind of sweet)

- ...oh no I think baby was actually considering munching on that dismembered spider leg YODITO NO JUST EAT YOUR KRAYT DRAGON BABY

- hngh this is a weird filler episode and it has my entire heart. I suspect we might get some episodes of a more stationary baby between active ones like this -- you can tell a little bit in this episode that especially having him running around fast is quite difficult to have look natural, they likely save that effort up for when it best serves the narrative

#star wars #the mandalorian #the mandalorian meta #the mandalorian spoilers #mmmm brain empty only dad and baby show in here #(actually that's not true there's some tf/graves activity going on at all times too haha)

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i-am-a-closet-fanfic-fiend · 4 years

Text

Carnival of Hearts (Part 3/6) ~ Bucky x Reader College!AU

A/N: Happy Friday my lovelies! Part 3 is here. :)

This is my entry for @buckysknifecollection ‘s 3k Follower Challenge. Congrats on the milestone lovely! Go check out the blog. Personal fave is Hush (a must read if you’re into soft!Biker!Bucky)

Prompt: Our friends set us up on this carnival date but we’re both pining after someone else and this a bit awkward

Summary: When you’re set up on a carnival date with Bucky Barnes NOTHING turns out the way you expected.

Rating: T

Warnings: Language

Word count: 2090

Story Masterlist | Main Masterlist

When you came back from the restroom, Bucky was sitting at the picnic table scribbling in a notebook.

“So you’re a writer?”

Bucky jumped and snapped the leather bound journal shut.

“I… what? This was just a grocery list.”

You frowned at the obvious lie, but decided not to call him on it opting for a different tactic.

“Oh. Sorry. Nat had mentioned you were doing a minor in creative writing, so I kind of just assumed. Sorry.”

You sat down beside him.

“No apology necessary. And I am doing a minor in creative writing. And that wasn’t my grocery list.”

“I figured.”

You smiled encouragingly.

“I guess I just don’t consider myself a writer. I mean I want to be… Someday. That’s the dream.”

“Do you write now?”

“Yeah, but it’s just a hobby.” He shrugged. “I’ve never been published.”

“You don’t have to published to be a writer. You just have to write.”

“Well when you put it like that…”

“I’m sure that you’re a great. You see the world in a different way. What do you write about?”

He exhaled a laugh, bobbing his head slightly.

“Love mostly. Wanda calls me a hopeless romantic. She’s right of course.”

You nudged his shoulder with your own.

“Well, you’re in good company. Love’s a big topic though.”

“I’ll never run out of material that’s for sure. Recently I’ve been favoring quiet love. Love that comes out of nowhere but that you can find everywhere. Love that surrounds you until you couldn’t be more sure of it.”

“Wow,” you breathed out. “If that’s just you talking I can’t imagine what your writing must be like.”

Bucky blushed at the praise.

“Thanks, doll.”

“Have you ever shared your writing?”

He hesitated before nodding.

“I have a blog. Anonymous, because I’m so not ready to put my name on anything.”

“That’s fine. You don’t have to. But it’s great that you’re putting it out there. If you ever want to share it - not anonymously - let me know.”

You were happy to leave it at that, but Bucky surprised you when he pulled out his phone. You quickly grabbed his hand to stop him.

“You don’t have to show me.”

“I know,” he smiled. “I want to. I’m not sure why. But I want to.”

“I’m honored.”

He scrolled through his phone for a few moments before handing it over.

“Read this one.”

You nodded, and cradled the phone in your hands as you began reading.

Longing from right beside you.

We embrace, my limbs slow, awkward as if rusted.

Your hand in mine, my cheeks red, hotter than a furnace.

Your smile brighter than the sun at daybreak, it warms me.

It disarms me.

I am seventeen again.

Hiding. Questioning. Unsure.

My desire is benign. It is pure.

Nine o’clock every morning - a new quiet beginning.

Seven o’clock every evening - the sweetest homecoming.

One press of your lips on mine hits me like a freight car.

I am lost.

I am yours.

“Wow, Bucky, this is…”

“Terrible. Dry.”

“No. It’s beautiful. And I can feel the emotion. Oh my. You are so talented. Thank you for sharing this with me.”

“Thanks for not judging me.”

“Why would I judge you?”

“Some people think writing is dumb.”

“I think those people are dumb.”

“I dream of being a published author someday. But every time I start making plans, I’m reminded that writing isn’t a guaranteed career.”

“There are no guarantees in life. And if you ask me, you should take some of your own advice.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You told me that you think Sam should be a chef because it’s what makes him special.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, your writing is what makes you special. And you should give it a fair shot. I think the world needs the words of Bucky Barnes.”

“Thank you for that.”

“Any time. I like to aggressively hype up my friends, so you should probably get used to it.”

Bucky’s laugh was deep and booming.

“You’re the best.”

“Yes. Yes I am.”

Bucky let you read a few more pieces, each more beautiful than the last. He had the heart of a man in love.

“So since you know mine, what’s your dream profession?” he asked as you walked back towards the roller coasters after completing your first circuit.

“Photographer,” you replied without skipping a beat.

“Damn, I had my money on news anchor.”

“Well, I am a journalism major. It seemed like a safer bet.”

Bucky arched an eyebrow at you.

“You don’t have to say it.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes.

“When did you fall in love with photography?”

You had to think for a moment.

“When I was six or seven, my dad bought me a toy camera and I immediately ran around the house taking a million pictures. And when we got the prints I glued them onto construction paper and taped them up around my living room like it was a gallery that I forced my parents to tour. They were very supportive considering it was mostly blurry pictures of a mop.”

“But I’m sure your passion showed through.”

You smiled appreciatively.

“Still. But I fell in love with it when I realized that two people can look at the same photo and see a totally different story. And both of them could have a different understanding than the photographer.”

“It definitely illustrates the effect of the consumer’s perspective. That was always my favorite part of literary discussions.”

“Yes. Totally.”

“Okay, so if journalism isn’t the goal, what is?”

“Freelance photographer I guess. I actually had this idea to make a blog and do weekly photo story prompts, so people could submit their stories based on the pictures and then people could come read and enjoy them. And if it got big enough I could start hosting writing challenges and contests. Steve keeps hounding me to set it up. He says it would give people a chance to fall in love with my photos in a different way.”

“That’s a great idea. I think you should do it.”

“Nah, I doubt anyone would want to do something like that.”

“Are you kidding? It sounds amazing. You would just need to get the word out in the writing community. I would definitely participate.”

“Really?” you asked, excited by the prospect.

Bucky smiled and nodded.

“I might even put my name on it for you.”

After the roller coaster, you made your way to the pirate themed pendulum ride, trying to position yourselves so you’d have your pick of seats by letting a few people go ahead of you.

“Do you have a favorite photograph you’ve taken?” Bucky asked, as you let another family pass you.

You bit your lip.

“That’s a yes. Will you show it to me some time?”

“I can show it to you now if you really want to see it.”

“I would love to.”

You could sense that his interest was genuine so you slipped your phone out of your pocket and opened Instagram.

“This one is my favorite,” you stated, clutching the screen against your chest.

“You don’t have to show me, you know.”

“I know.”

You smiled and with a deep breath turned the phone to show him.

“Umm that’s just the background.”

You looked at it and sure enough you’d accidentally exited the app.

“Damn it. Okay one second. Here we go.”

You showed him the phone with much less fanfare, but his reaction was immediate.

“Wow.”

You’d taken the photo after dinner one night. Steve was leaning against the wall on the balcony sketching by the light of a full moon and the mini lanterns you’d wrapped around the railing. You had to capture the moment. Steve heard you fumbling with your camera and looked up just in time, a soft smile gracing his features.

“Perfect,” you murmured as you looked at the shot.

“Yeah, you are.”

“Steve’s the one who encouraged me to put some of my photos on Instagram. But I told him I’d only do it, if that was the first one. It’s still my most popular post. Nat says it’s cuz he’s pretty.”

“He is for sure,” Bucky chuckled. “But he’s also soulful. I want to know what makes a man that happy.”

He had his suspicions.

“I think this should be my next post,” you cooed as you showed Bucky the picture of him cuddling the plush wolf you had won him at the ring toss.

“Delete that.”

“Literally never.”

He pouted. “Come on, please.”

You shook your head.

“Nope. This is my new favorite photo. You’re adorable and I’m never deleting it.”

Bucky had only known you a few hours, but he could tell when he should cut his losses.

“Fine. But if you’re keeping that one. We should at least have a cute one of the both of us.”

“That’s a fabulous idea.”

Bucky moved so he was straddling the bench of the picnic table, and you shuffled so that you were in between his legs. You put your phone in selfie mode and took one photo before a woman approached you.

“Would you like me to take a photo of the two of you?”

“Sure, that would be great!”

You handed her your phone as you and Bucky re-situated yourself so you were sitting side by side. Bucky wrapped an arm around your shoulder and the stuffed animal sat on your laps.

She took several photos and you were giggling when Bucky had his wolf kiss you on the cheek.

“Here you go. I took a bunch.”

“Thank you so much.”

“It’s so nice to see a young couple so in love.”

She walked away before you or Bucky could respond. You both shared an unsure expression as an awkward silence fell between you.

“Do you want to plan out what to do until lunch?” he asked, not making eye contact.

“Yeah, sure. That sounds like a good idea,” you agreed.

That woman’s comment was repeating on a loop as you thumbed through the pictures she took. You did make a cute couple, but despite having a great time with him so far, you weren’t feeling a spark. What if Bucky was though? Had you been leading him on?

“Y/n, are you okay?”

“What? Sorry, Bucky.”

Bucky chuckled and you saw understanding in his expression which made the knot in your stomach loosen.

“Did it freak you out too?”

You laughed half-heartedly. “That obvious huh?”

“Only a little.”

“Don’t get me wrong. Today has been awesome. And you’re fantastic.”

“Thank you.” He bobbed his head in gratitude. “So are you.”

“Thanks. But,” you drew out the word. “I just don’t feel that spark.”

Your teeth sunk into your bottom lip as you braced for his reaction.

“Oh thank god.”

You turned to him with wide eyes.

“I don’t either.”

“You don’t?”

Bucky shook his head. “You’re amazing. And I really want to be best friends with you. But…”

“That’s all,” you finished for him.

He nodded. You blew out a relieved breath.

“Full disclosure. I think Wanda set this up because she was tired of me pining over someone.”

“You mean Sam?” you asked with a knowing smile.

He was unsurprised you’d figured it out.

“I don’t hide it well, do I?”

“I had my suspicions, but you could probably chalk it up to be being best friends and roommates. But it’s all over your writing.”

“That’s fair.”

“And in the interest of honesty. Nat 100% set me up so I would get over my own dumb crush.”

“On Steve,” he stated matter-of-factly.

You swatted at his arm when you saw his smirk.

“Don’t be smug.”

“I’m not. I’m amused. Your art gives you away too. The way you see Steve comes through in your photos. They’re beautiful, breathtaking even, but definitely an insight into your heart.”

“Not the worst critique of my work I’ve received,” you joked, making you both laugh.

“This is pretty awkward huh. We’re on this date - which is honestly one of the best I’ve been on - and we’re both pining after other people.”

“Well, at least we’re not pining after the same person. That would be way more awkward. And it’s one of the best dates I’ve been on too.”

“I know that this isn’t what they were hoping for, but I’m really glad that Natasha and Wanda set us up.”

“So am I.”

A/N: EEEEE okay, so I hope that you enjoyed this. I know it may not be what you expected (or you might totally have expected it) just sit tight. It’s gonna be fluffy I promise.

Tag Lists are Open (Please send an ask)

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Bucky/Sebastian Tag List

@waywardpumpkin @sadanddeadsoul @captain-maaarvel @isaxhorror @run-your-cleverboy @ria132love @mbsgr @hereisanapplepie @thejourneyneverendsx @stevieboyharrington @mywinterwolf @jendz33

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@hdthdthdt @sophiatomlinson23 @supermusicallee @scarlettsoldier @acupofhotlatte @slender--spirit @petitesmate @libbymouse

Permanent Tag List

@iamwarrenspeace @jayzayy @bexboo616 @neoqueen306 @santheweird @rowenaravencalw @buckitybarnes @prxttybirdz @sergeantjbuckybarnes @captainsamwlsn @nyxveracity @queenoftrash97 @walkingtravesty97 @memyselfandmaddox @lowkeybuckyb @whiskey2011 @averyrogers83 @buckybarneshairpullingkink @beansparker @coralphantomninja @xxashy999xx @thisismysecrethappyplace @ravennightingaleandavatempus @paintballkid711 @whosmarisaaarw @silverkitten547 @yknott81 @thefridgeismybestie @crispy-kitten @greyeyedsmile14 @loving-life-my-way @geeksareunique @rachelsficcollections @captainscanadian @palaiasaurus64 @sea040561 @kakakatey

#Bucky x Reader #College!AU #College!Bucky Barnes #Carnival of Hearts #CoH #buckysknifecollectionchallenge

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justcallmenikki7 · 4 years

Text

Afternoon Surprises

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader

Summary: you won an afternoon with the biggest boy band in the world, but winning an afternoon with them seemed fabulous, but winning a date with a rapper was even better.

Warnings: fluff, fluff, fluff

Notes: another update? I’m surprised too.

Request: Hello. Thank you for your amazing work! I'd like to request something. The reader won an afternoon or evening with bts and they get along super well. And one of them (preferably yoongi) would really like to get to know the reader better and so they get close. Thank you again and I hope you have a really nice day! Love and greetings from Germany :-)

Notes pt2: OMG!! I have a reader from Germany? This is amazing! I did not think that anyone from other countries would be reading my works! This is an honor it feels like. Thank you lovely for reading my works! This makes me wonder where all of my supporters of from! ~Love and thanks from USA :-) <3

That rainy Monday in junior year, the first time ever hearing of BTS, you were hooked. That was in 2015, two years after they first debuted, and the first time your friend had shown you them. To be honest, you were not into KPOP, but for some reason, BTS intrigued you. You never knew way, it could have been their passion for music and dancing, or their personalities, or just how intriguing they were. They were different from all of the other KPOP bands your friend has shown you, and you have always loved different.

Four years later, the love for BTS has never faded. You were always up to date, or tried to be, on them. You were not like one of those sasaeng fans, or the obsessed fans that you have seen. Of course, you did fan girl if you saw them on tv (sometimes exaggerated when your cousin was around you), and you did use memes of them in conversations with your best friend just to mess with her. You do know that the memes always made her day, in her words, ‘one of the unique things about you.’

So, the day when BigHit did a special contest, the reward the person winning having the chance to spend one day with BTS exclusively, you of course signed up. You are definitely no heathen. The night you signed up, you went to bed playing different scenarios on winning. It took two days on BigHit getting back to you, and you dreaded on opening the email. You had the thought on not getting the chance to win, knowing that the email could be a possible ‘thank you for signing up, but I hate to inform you that you did not win,’ kind of one.

That is why when you saw the ‘Congratulations!’ on your phone screen, you almost pissed yourself. You could not contain the excitement that you felt, having the urge to call your best friend and scream into the phone the whole time. That night, you were pretty sure that your best friend went to bed with a blown ear drum. You reread the email at least fifteen times, letting the realization that you will be meeting the seven dwarfs who have helped you through the both bad and good times.

“Holy fucking shit.” Was the first thing you said when you pulled up to a very expensive hotel in your city. It was so nice, and so classy that you felt intimidated. Of course, you have stayed in the ‘Holiday Inns’ and had considered those to be classy, but this, right in front of you, is a new kind of classy.

The man in the black suit opened your door, helping you step out of the limousine, before shutting the door behind you. He then led you inside the hotel, chuckling at your ‘awe’ expression by everything that you saw. But the chuckles that followed his chuckle was what made you freeze in your spot. You recognize those chuckles.

Turning around, you felt the urge to cry.

There stood in all of their glory was the seven saving graces that you have been wanting to meet for the last four years. The fangirl inside of you was overpowered by the overwhelming emotions you were feeling.

“Oh my gosh,” you gasped out, not knowing how to react.

You could hear their chuckles, something that made you relieved. This was a sign from them that was basically silently said by them ‘this is a normal thing for us.’

“I’m so sorry, I just love you guys so much. And like, I—”

“- Love, it’s okay. Don’t apologize.” Hoseok reassured you, coming over to you to hug you. “Jungkook felt the same way when he met IU.” He chuckled, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“Hyung!!” Said boy whined, “Don’t call me out like that.” He pouted. Jungkook’s reaction had you laughing and shocked. Shocked because you never thought you would be able to witness this side of him in person. You have been so used to seeing him do this kind of reaction over youtube videos and fan made videos, that the real thing is so much better. Turning to look at you, Jungkook gave you his famous bunny smile, “Hi! You must be Y/N! I’m Jungkook, but you must already know that.”

“H-Hi,” you stuttered out. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, stop saying sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about,” a cool, calming tone demanded you. Looking towards the person who said this, you saw Min Yoongi giving you a teasing demanded look.

Clapping his hands, Namjoon got everyone’s attention. “Alright, how does lunch sound? We have the whole day, and let’s start it off by getting to know one of our biggest fans!”

When you guys got to the restaurant, you automatically felt out of placed. You insisted on having the boys take you to McDonald’s or even Taco Bell, but both Jungkook and Taehyung were very persistent on this place because of the reviews that they heard.

“You seem very surprised,” Namjoon spoke beside you, a small smile on his face.

“That’s an understatement,” you laughed, looking up at the tall man. “It’s very … classy.” You said in awe, looking around at everything, trying to take in what you are seeing and ingraining it in your memory as best as you can.

“She’s so cute, Hyung.” Jimin giggled next to Hoseok, a goofy smile on his face.

Blushing, you tried to hide behind your hair. You could not believe that you are actually in the presence of your idols. This whole ordeal seems so unreal, so dream like to you. Lost in your thought, you did not notice a presence beside you, that is until you felt a hand on your shoulder.

Looking up, you were met with a concerned looking Min Yoongi. “You okay?” He asked you, concern laced in his tone.

“Yeah, I’m just still in shock. It seems so unreal.” You told him in honesty, not losing eye contact with the older male (he’s only older by three years).

“Well, it seems unreal to meet someone as beautiful as you.” He confidently said, a smirk on his face when he saw you blush.

“Oh,” you were lost for words, taken back by the compliment – especially one from the one and only Min Fucking Yoongi.

“Guys!” Jin yelled, catching everyone’s attention, “We got our table!”

Shaking your head, you tried to get yourself composed before following the boys, not noticing the rappers stare. As you were walking, someone threw their arm around your shoulders.

“Ahh, young love,” Taehyung spoke, pulling you into his side, “it’s so magical.” He smiled down at you with his boxy grin.

“What do you mean?” You asked, giving the taller boy a confused look.

“Noona will just have to wait and see,” the maknae teased beside you giving Taehyung a knuckle punch.

Sitting you down at the table, the two boys sat beside you, making you even more confused. Yoongi sat right in front of you, smirking at you.

The rest of the lunch resulted in you telling the boys about yourself, answering their questions, and was loaded with laughter. Once lunch was over, the boys decided on taking you to an amusement park, something that was encourage by the maknae line. On the way there, Yoongi walked beside you, asking you questions about your favorite taste in music. The both of you found out that you two have the similar taste in music, something that had the both of you getting excited about the fact. As you and Yoongi were talking about music, you two did not notice the six boys cooing and making kissy faces at you both.

“Wait, you used to sing at your old job? But I thought you said that you used to be a waitress?” Yoongi questioned, giving you a confused look.

“I was a waitress, but my boss allowed me to sing, which brought more customers in.” You cleared up, “the people loved it.” You smiled, reminiscing.

“That’s awesome!” Yoongi gave you a gummy smile, making you smile back at him, not being able to resist his contagious smile. “Would you like to do a song with me?”

Feeling confident, “is that your way for asking me out on a date?” You teased, butterflies filling your stomach.

Smirking, Yoongi pushed his shoulders back, gaining confidence in himself, “Yes, it is.”

Smiling at him, you nodded your head, “Then yes, I would love to do a song with you. Or, go on this date with you.”

The both of you were too distracted by smiling at one another with huge grins on your faces to hear the boys rooting on the both of you.

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annabethisterrified · 5 years

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Book Review: THE TYRANT’S TOMB by Rick Riordan (The Trials of Apollo #4)

“Today, one way or another, the fate of New Rome would be decided.”

THERE ARE NO SPOILERS UNTIL YOU GO BELOW THE CUT!

Reeling from the loss of Jason Grace and the mounting danger of his mission to stop the evil emperors ascendance, Apollo (aka Lester) and Meg arrive disheveled and devastated in New Rome...with a coffin in tow. Getting into Camp Jupiter is tricky enough, and once Apollo and Meg get caught up to speed on the chaos that’s been wreaked in the Bay Area, they realize that the impending battle will be the culmination of everything they’ve been fighting for. Reyna, Frank, and Hazel’s leadership roles put them to the ultimate test as they scramble to prepare for their final stand against Caligula and Commodus. Together, Apollo, Meg, and the inhabitants of New Rome must mourn who they’ve already lost while simultaneously gearing up for the inevitable confrontation that will seal the fate of their home once and for all.

The penultimate installment of The Trials of Apollo picks up on the heels of The Burning Maze’s tragic conclusion. Through Apollo’s perspective, the reality of what went down in the third book continues to weigh heavily upon the whole cast, but most of their focus is forced forward to an incredibly dangerous confrontation slated for the Blood Moon. Loose ends from the Heroes of Olympus series are tied neatly yet surprisingly, and the continued evolution of Apollo and Meg’s bond shines as the book’s true, gleaming heart. Apollo’s own recognition of his past failings, his father’s abusiveness, and the reality of what his humanity has taught him all come to a head, setting up what’s sure to be an impactful fifth and final book-- not just for Apollo’s journey, but as a capstone for what the whole saga’s implications about what it means to be a hero, and to be a human.

The Tyrant’s Tomb is consistently entertaining and heartfelt, but the final third of the story proves to be the most deftly-crafted and meaningful. Though not as heavy as its previous installment, this fourth book gives plenty of focus on some lovely development from our main protagonist, priming the series for its finale next fall.

If you click below, there will be spoilers.

Hello? Okay. You promise you’re good for spoilers...?

All right, just because of who I am as a person I guess, I’ve broken this down into like ten sections. Ooof. Generally, I will say that I was super pleased with how this story went. My only disappointment was that I’d hoped for more of a prolonged or “on-screen” unpacking of the effects of Jason’s death on the Camp Jupiter kids, specifically Reyna. However, I get that that’s kind of hard to do through Apollo’s perspective. I wasn’t totally sold on the idea that he sang a song haha, but I’m glad that Jason’s loss wasn’t just addressed at the beginning and then “moved on” from. It was threaded throughout, showing that grief is not something that you can check off a list. This is something that will always stay with these characters, and alter how they live and feel about things. It ebbs and flows. In addition, I think there could’ve been just a bit more action in the first half of the story, but it was never boring or aimless. And the concluding battle was expertly written and soooooo amazing omfg. Still reeling.

Anyway, let’s go.

FRANKLY, I HAVE NOTHING BUT LOVE

I’m so happy we got the chance to see Frank leading Camp Jupiter as praetor! He did such a good job, but also acknowledged that this is still a new role he’s transitioning into. I was so pleasantly surprised at how he managed to be both authoritative and gentle, and it was gut-wrenching to know that he intended to take Caligula down with him. When I imagined the fallout of Jason’s death, I always pictured Reyna being the one to tear down the emperors in revenge, which was why I was so affected by Frank’s commitment to honoring his friend. Not only did he order Jason’s designs to be built in like thirty hours, but he was so ready to avenge Jason that he was fully prepared to die.

What. An. Arc. I LOVE HIM. I’m glad he’s finally free of his burden, and that he gets to keep doing an epic job as praetor (though hopefully during more future peaceful times). Camp Jupiter’s lucky to have him.

SHINE ON HAZEL

Words can’t express how infatuated I was with Hazel in this book. She’s always been one of my favorites, but she really shone in this story. She was already so strong and developed at the end of Heroes of Olympus, but this book still brought her out better and smarter than she was before. She cannot be stopped. Hazel’s determination and grit make her formidable, and she definitely proved to be Rome’s greatest asset throughout the entire story.

I think it’s great that she gets to step up and take on Jason and Reyna’s former role of praetor...alongside Frank, too! I didn’t expect her to react with anger towards Jason once she found out about his death, but it hit me hard. She initially took Jason’s death to be a reflection of the Seven’s failings as a team. Hazel loved how powerful the bond between them all was, and when Jason took on the burden of TBM’s prophecy alone without confiding in anyone, I can totally see why she felt like that was a betrayal. UGH hit me hard.

REYNA REYNA REYNA!

Reyna is just objectively an amazing character. I’m so so so glad we got to revisit her in this story, and loved where she ended up going. Starting this book, I had literally no idea how she would be handled. She’s always been the quintessential strong leader, which is awesome, but I’m glad we got to unpack the implications behind her very...layered...existence. Leaving Puerto Rico in a traumatic situation, going straight to Circe’s Island, escaping as a pirate, carving out her path in New Rome, getting roped into the Titan then Giant War? Damn. She’s been through a lot, and none of it of her own free will.

Like I mentioned earlier, I wish we’d learned more of how she dealt with Jason’s death. They were obviously really close growing up, and though it was clear she was devastated and things were referenced “off-screen”, I still kind of wish we’d gotten a bit more. Regardless, I liked that the focus of her presence in this book was about HERSELF and nobody else.

And hello!!!!! She has a red truck!!!! and goes out hiking with her greyhounds??? makes me so glad.

And yeah-- that ending, huh? I know it got mixed reactions. Personally, it felt pretty natural to me. I’m so glad she stayed in touch with Thalia after the events of HoO, and knowing that they’ll be on eternal adventures with a bunch of other wonderful girls....happy sigh. Reyna’s right-- this is kind of a much-needed vacation by joining Artemis’s team. No matter how long or short she stays with them, it’s important that she’s able to reclaim her destiny and figure out what and who she’d like to be.

APOLLO & MEG

These two!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy shit. Their bond was so well handled and I loved seeing how it developed in this installment. They can communicate on an instinctual level-- they can call each other out, and recognize the abusive patterns both of their fathers have over them. They have so much in common, but also have so much to teach one another. I loved that they were both able to tell each other “I love you” and ughhhh yes the sibling dynamic is so epic. (Also, the whole Reyna and Meg ganging up on Apollo about Koronis bit was hysterical.) (And the “I thought you loved me?” “I’m multitasking.”)

WHERE TO NEXT?

Just because I haven’t said this yet, but HOLY MOLY I adored Lavinia. Oh my god. She was amazing-- hilarious, presumptuous, go-getter, kind...what a star!!! What a joy to read!

Anyway, now it’s onto the fifth and final installment...THE TOWER OF NERO. I’m so happy that we’re going back to where this story started (in both Hidden Oracle and The Lightning Thief)....New York! And it sounds like also a potential field trip to Delphi, Greece? I’m down!

I’m assuming we’ll be able to tag up with Annabeth, since she’s the only main-player we haven’t yet revisited in ToA. And probably also Percy, Nico, Will, Austin, Kayla, etc. at Camp Half Blood.

There’s a lot of ways this could all go down, but I think this book set up a heart-wrenching conclusion. I’m looking forward to Apollo and especially Meg standing up to their fathers and claiming their own lives. I’m not even sure if Apollo will want to be returned to godhood by the time his trials are up. We delved into some really interesting threads in this book-- he mentioned several times that he’d only ever felt comfortable and “at home” when he was human. What will that mean for his final trial?

In either case, this book was fabulous and I’m so glad we got a chance to learn more about Camp Jupiter and New Rome...and I feel like a lot got resolved, so it felt like a satisfying way to say goodbye to the California crew. I doubt they’ll be in the last book, so it was bittersweet but fitting to leave them as we did!

Now, we wait. One last time! Thanks for reading this if you made it all the way down, haha!

#review #tyrant's tomb #the trials of apollo #rick riordan #toa spoilers

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lezziemanville · 4 years

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Anne with an E - Season 1 Watch Thoughts

(Rife with spoilers)

The cinematography for this show is gorgeous, as is the location itself and the color grading. I mean the browns and the reds are so rich and contrast the white of Green Gables and I’m just constantly in awe. Sometimes I forget to watch the actual show.

Anne, at first was annoying to me. And even though Anne of other series also never stopped talking in that precocious imaginative manner, this one made it somehow more obnoxious. However I stopped caring about that and I think she settled down a bit by the end of the first series. By episode 2 it was endearing again anyways.

Marilla was always a favorite character of mine and I couldn’t imagine her played by anyone else but Colleen Dewhurst but dear god Geraldine James has surpassed her in my mind as perfect for the role. She has this extra layer of vulnerability and I can’t really look away from her when it’s an emotional scene. She nails it really and makes me want to know much more about her backstory.

Matthew. Omg Matthew. First off it took me a few episodes in to realize it was the same actor who played Jasper Dale in Road to Avonlea. What a contrast here! But beyond that, he’s a fine actor and I love the way he plays Matthew. Gone is the stutter that Matthew kind of had, but in its stead is this larger presence that’s felt in Green Gables even when he’s working the fields. Also the romance with the buttons and that gorgeous dressmaker — fuck me I ship it.

Rachel Lynde — okay this actress, give her all of the awards. What a fabulous portrayal of Rachel! Immediately I had my dander up because she doesn’t look anything like Patricia Hamilton who in my mind has always been Rachel (and was in almost every iteration) but Jesus — Corrine Koslo is slaying. I instantly love her. I want more of her. Every time she’s on the screen I’m totally enthralled because something funny, or touching is going to happen.

The kids - I don’t care anything about as per usual. The Josie Pye isn’t as obnoxious as she has been in the past but I’m sure that will change. Gilbert’s a little too nice to Anne straight away, and that feels off to me but whatev. I don’t care about the kids beyond Anne so insert shrug emoji here.

Some of my favorite moments of the season that I can recall right now are:

The Cuthbert Family Bible with Anne rewriting her name and making them have a ceremony and all of that was so touching.

Gay Aunt! I love the addition of Aunt Josephine (I think her name was) and the subtle nod to the maiden aunt situation of gays on by.

Marilla’s backstory and choice to stay and help her family rather than to go off with the man she loved and for that man to have been Gilbert’s dad. Ugh my feels, especially when she was reading the letters. It’s all a testament to how great Geraldine is, IMO.

Matthew and the Dressmaker — wins my favorite moment of the whole season. My wife and I screamed aloud when he sent the button. Also her willingness to help Anne in their time of need. And when she went to Matthew and Omg I need more of this.

Rachel Lynde gossip extraordinare knowing everyone’s shit. Also I thought she was a widow in past versions of this but her little moment with her husband in the kitchen showing they’re still in love was just so fucking great.

The White Way of Delight is extra delightful this go around.

Anne’s trauma. This is so important to showcase and I think the flashbacks help to show why she does what she does. And on that note when Marilla goes to that woman’s house and flays her alive with class and grace for not having compassion for what Anne’s been through. We gave her a literal standing ovation in our house.

Anyways I’m obsessed with this show and I will write more thorough opinions for next season which we just began last night.

#anne with an e #anne shirley #marilla cuthbert #matthew cuthbert #rachel lynde #spoilers

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kitty-full-of-rage · 5 years

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His Dark Materials: Season 1, Episode 1 Reaction

So I watched the first episode of the BBC adaptation of His Dark Materials last night and let me just say, I love it so far. I adored the books when I was a teenager but they also tore the heart out of me, so I think I’m due a reread by this stage. Below the cut I’ll write not so much a review as a response to the episode, and it will contain some light spoilers so if you haven’t watched the episode yet, read at your discretion.

1. Lord Asriel

The opening sequence with little baby Lyra being transported to Jordan College by gyrocopter with Lord Asriel was visually stunning, I’m not going to lie. While the Great Flood is described as utterly devastating to many communities in Phillip Pullman’s La Belle Sauvage, Oxford just seemed to be partly submerged in pretty, dark blue river water. I'm aware that Asriel didn't bring Lyra to Oxford on his own - he only acquired Lyra because she was rescued from the Great Flood by young Malcolm Polstead and his friend Alice. But I understand the omission of Malcolm and Alice - there are plenty of characters for the audience to keep track of, and when Northern Lights was published, we had no idea that Malcolm or Alice even existed, so I suppose showing only Lord Asriel is fair.

As for Asriel himself in this episode, I really loved James McAvoy's performance. On Twitter it was kind of hilarious how many people were thirsting for him (no disrespect meant - I completely understand. That shock of grey going through his hair is quite fetching). I was a little bit wary when McAvoy was cast though, because while Asriel is certainly a very impressive character and obviously has a fierce devotion to the pursuit of intellectual freedom and personal liberty, he is also kind of a dick. I thought McAvoy might be a tad too likeable for the role, even thought that would help add to Asriel's magnetism. But McAvoy did an excellent job of capturing the essence of a man who had lofty but honourable ambitions, while also being a sub-par guardian to Lyra, however much she admires him. The scene where he puts her to bed upside-down perfectly portrayed how bad he is at touchy feely- stuff.

2. Lyra Belacqua and Dafne Keen.

Oh my word, Dafne Keen is wonderful as Lyra. She captures Lyra's zest for life and her adventurous spirit so well, and it's only the first episode! She's less feral than her book counterpart, who was constantly getting into mud fights with other children and was basically a wild thing. But it was a joy to watch Lyra and Roger running across the rooftops of Jordan College together in this episode. What I also like is that Dafne Keen really seems to understand Lyra, which is of course what you want from an actress but she seems to have a fundamental understanding of what makes Lyra such a fantastic character. Her Lyra is intelligent, 'brilliant but lazy' in a way, adventurous, and does have a passionate need to be acknowledged by Asriel, but it's as much about to pursuing her own dreams as getting approval from a paternal figure.

3. The Title Sequence.

I almost wept at how beautiful the title sequence was. The beauty of the visuals took my breath away and the accompanying music was absolutely stunning, and made me feel such exquisite hope and sadness for what this series might be able to do. There were nods to The Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass, the gorgeous image of the alternate worlds pressing against each other like the pages of a book, and then the re-working of an Escherian staircase, with Lyra walking up one side, and a boy (most likely Will) making his way down the other side.

4. The Gyptians.

Ma Costa, Farder Coram and even John Faa are such important formative influences on young Lyra, providing her with a very different sense of community to what she would have experienced in Jordan College. In this first episode though, we see them as their own people as opposed to them purely being seen through Lyra's eyes. The coming of age ceremony was very cool (having an animal companion is already awesome enough, but imagine getting a ring to commemorate the form your daemon took?). We get a sense of their customs, their traditions and how important their sense of community is to them, and of course as a marginalised community in this unequal society, Gyptian children are some of the first children to be snatched by the Gobblers.

5. Mrs Coulter.

Mrs Marisa Coulter. I could write for hours about Mrs Coulter and how fascinating she is as a character. I actually didn’t mind Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of her in the 2007 film, and I particularly like the reveal scene between her and Lyra towards the end of the film. But in this BBC adaptation, I’m very glad that we have a brunette Mrs Coulter. Her introduction and entrance alone were magnificent (again, the music was exquisite). And Ruth Wilson did a splendid job of portraying how charismatic she is, while also hinting at her duplicitous nature and ulterior motives. Mrs Coulter is a delightfully complex character, and manages to play Lyra like a fiddle in this first episode. Also, from clips I’ve seen from the trailers and from Ruth Wilson’s interviews, I get the impression that this is going to be a wilder Mrs Coulter than we’ve seen before. Some have dubbed her 'The Mother of All Evil', which is as well as being an impressive moniker, is also going to have pretty hilarious connotations by the end of this season. I feel as though I am going to have plenty to write about next week as the character is fleshed out more so I’ll just finish by saying that it’s going to be really nice to see this fabulous villianess grace our screens each week.

Some Quibbles:

Where are all of the minor characters’ daemons? And sometimes even Pan or Roger’s daemon or Stelmaria would disappear and I’d be like ‘Has Lord Asriel learnt to separate? Is that what is happening here?’ While this wasn't such a big deal in crowd scenes such as the scene introducing the Gyptians and the banquet in Jordan College, scenes such as that on the airship and in the corridors of Jordan seemed to show adult characters with no demons. This bothered me slightly, as it just came across as lazy. I know it's quite the undertaking to show every single daemon belonging to every single character, but that's the world that Lyra lives in. We can't just assume that every extra has a mouse or an insect daemon and so they're probably hiding in their coat pockets. Perhaps later episodes will do better in this regard. The daemons that we did see looked wonderful.

Sooo . . . Lyra brought no luggage with her on the airship to London? Also, was Mrs Coulter making sure that the airship was delaying take-off? Otherwise she was leaving an awful lot to chance. It was very possible that Lyra could have missed that flight.

Lyra shouting at the alethiometer was kind of hilarious. No hun, it doesn't so much as 'tell you' the truth as show you it. God, Dr Carne, you need to be more clear about these kinds of things.

#his dark materials #hdm #hdm spoilers

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purplegeekypanda · 4 years

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A Restless Night

This is long, and I am on mobile. Please enjoy.

I don't know what happened. First off I'm sitting at a large table with what was left of my lunch sitting in front of me, and then the maid mentions my housing situation. Like how did they even know? The man, whom, invited me to lunch said that I can live with him.

I didn't know what to do, thinking about all the reasons to stay, my answer should have been an easy yes.

But no.

I have oolons if problems and quirks that make living alone in a small space, preferable. So what do I say?

"Can I see the room?"

"Of course darling," Mr. Nihelim held no hesitation. Like he has no problems whatsoever. Just like that he stood and all but pranced out of the room.

I turned to follow but nearly bumped right into Neo.

Now that I'm standing, I can see he's not all that tall, he seems to be five something feet tall. No taller than me really. Brown hair tucked back in the hood of his long, black coat. Being this close I can see his face. Looking at him he appears no older than me. Maybe in his twenties.

But I know better. I'm an artist and an author and I have spent a lot of time watching other people.

Everyone has a book, it's hard to see and you won't if you don't know where to look. The face is the cover and the eyes are the summary.

His face is young but his eyes are ancient. This man has seen more than most anyone should. And coming back to reality, I notice that I'm not the only one reading.

He looked me dead in the eyes.

"You seem powerful," he said. Voice like a good cup of coffee. Bitter, a little sweet, and eye widening.

"Come along darling, despite my behavior I don't have all day." I heard the head of the house call from down the hall.

"It's alright Miss. If you move in then we will take care of everything." Ajaun stood to my side, waiting.

_________

As we walked I got to see a bit more of the manor, everything about this place is big and gody and rich.

The room I was walked to was on the third floor, just a bit down the hall on the right.

Each hall seems to have a color theme. The one we are walking down is green and floral, earthy tones and naturalist designs make it very beautiful. Almost as if I were in a forest.

We stop in front of a door, wide, dark wood. Grass, moss, and a few mushrooms are painted to the bottom. The frame is carved and painted with winding ivy. The sad part is ...I recognize the door.

It's a Fay Gild's door, from one of my works. They led to springs, whether they are of wealth or wrong. You simply had to hope.

This mad man really is a fan.

________________

The room is big.

About as large as the entirety of my last apartment.

And so where the last three. To tell the truth I liked the first room. The hall was beautiful, the setup was simple. "Is this one not to your liking?"

Ajaun has been patient and kind this whole time. Showing me rooms and getting me things, answering my questions. "To tell the truth, I actually liked the first room."

"Alright let's get you moved in."

"But that isn't the problem."

"Oh?"

Honestly, I don't know what to tell them. I mean things have always been appearing ever since I was a child. Sometimes they're nice small things like that flower. I drew it as a child. I woke up with it on my dresser but then there are the things that aren't as good. I have no clue where that maroonlian timberwolf came from much less of one as to what my brother did with it honestly. Truly I don't want to cause trouble for these kind people.

"I….um, things happen around me. I don't know how to explain it. Things appear and as nicely as this place might be protected from the outside world, stuff might appear on the inside….around me. it happens all the time I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Dear," The voice was smooth and deep, almost like honey. They said it as if I was being playful. I'm not a joke. I don't think they think I'm a joke. It's almost as if you're trying to call me down. "Odd things happen around here all the time. Whatever you can manage to conjure up will probably not be nowhere near as bad as to what those two get up to.."

"Alright," I give in. These people are too kind to accepting. "But you can't say I didn't warn you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

__________

I had managed to get my room how I wanted it.

Dinner was interesting, sitting between Mr. Edgy and Mr. Eccentric surrounded by professional crossdressers just gives it that air.

Mr. Ninhelm grabbed his Champagne flute and tapped it with one of his forks. "Friends, servants, Missy."

What appears to be a butler stated that it was a good one.

He thanks them and continues, "we are gathered here tonight to welcome a new member of the household. Miss. Purple Panda" he cringed a little at my last name. "Please rise, let everyone have a look at you. Everyone, butlers (he gestured towards the maids), maids (gestured towards the butlers), Missy, Neo Tonberry. The most recent member of our little 'family'. I expect that you trete he with the same kindness and grace you trete me….or don't, it's a free country, you are all your own people. Now I believe it was time for dessert, Ajaun what did you make? I believe I smell pudding.

_________

What an intriguing first evening. After dessert (pudding) Ajaun walked me up to my room. I took a shower and dressed in something comfy.

I….I found I could not sleep. It's to be expected. New place, the smell isn't right. The corners are too dark. And as always I have too much energy to sleep, even when I'm exhausted.

"Well, a walk never hurt," I mindlessly muttered into the Hall after I opened the door to the hall. The sight I was met with was breathtaking.

The hall designed to look like the Gilded Woods by day was practical magic at night. The lights were turned down to reveal the pixy lights and glow tabs. Walking down the hall, it felt like there should be Fay popping across the hall to one party or another.

I walked the halls, that at day are very well decorated, almost come to life at night.

I was pulled out of my dazed wondering at the top of the stairs in the entry hall. It took me a moment to find what had actually pulled me out of my wandering mind. The door was jiggling like the locks, and the density of the door was being tested.

Then it struck me, someone was trying to break in the front door. I was about to call out when I was taped on the shoulder. Turing to find the Lord of the house in his night where (robe, slippers, and silk pajamas), wasn't to big of a surprise.

"Don't worry darling we already have this taken care of."

He walks past and he is .… in a dress? When did this happen? He stepped down three steps, the door opened, and a spot light picked up and he started to soliloquies.

The burglar stopped dead in his tracks. At this point I noticed that Ninhelem was in three inch stilettos. As in the blade stilettos, actual blades on the bottom of his feet. His hair is pulled back curled with golden twine and expensive jules. Wearing a golden gown encrusted with sequence. Safe to say a figure of beauty and wealth.

"Madam and Measures,

We welcome you tonight

As the dining room probably presents

Your dinner."

The look on the breakin's face is priceless. I immediately recognised it as the opening to the 'Beauty and the Beast' Be Our Guest.

"Be our guest

Be our guest

Put our service to the test

Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie

And we provide the rest…."

At this moment the burglar is gone, I'm in stitches as the burglar ran out of the house screening, and Misure Ninhelem is fabulous.

"I told you I had this handled."

"How did you know it would work?'

"Darling, I've been doing this for years. Wouldn't you be terrified if a man in a full ball gown walked down the stairs, seductively, singing to you?"

"Yes, yes I would."

After that I returned to my room, wrote down some script, and went to bed.

#oc #original story

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xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx · 5 years

Text

The Grace of the Phoenix Witch - Party Poison x Reader

Request: Hi, I really love your work, and was wondering if you could do a Party Poison oneshot where reader was a Fabulous Killjoy but got killed several years ago. Suddenly, she makes a reappearance and none of the fabulous know how to react except Party. Some fluff at the end would be awesome! I love your work, and you're awesome!

Reader: female

Warnings: angst, grief,

Word count: 2 452

Party stared at the old mailbox in the middle of the desert. Flowers and little mementoes were arranged in front of it, dozens of layers of color coated the metal, and in some places it was breaking of. He stared at the word that was written right under the slit for the letters. ‘Love’ was spelled out in red cursive writing.

Yeah, he had known what love felt like, he still did in some way, when it came to his brother, or his friends, but he was sure he would never feel love in that way again as he had felt with her. She had been his world, had been the reason to keep fighting. How long had it been now? Three years, maybe four? Was it crazy that he still came to the shrine in the middle of the desert to send letters to her? The Phoenix Witch surely did not deliver all of his letters to her, nor did she read those letters he had written for her, begging her to bring his love back. She probably had never listened to the hours filled with prayers that he had spent in front of the mailbox, asking someone, be it the Phoenix Witch, Destroyer, or any kind of god, to bring her back. Back in the days, before he had been an outlaw in the Californian desert, before BLI had destroyed the world, and turned it into their own little playground, he would have been sent to see some councilor of sorts. Someone to help him cope with the loss, but without BLI she would be alive anyway; he would not need to grieve.

The small line of brighter blue at the horizon announced the new day, and Party got up from the dusty ground. Another night spent out here, another night grieving over someone he could not have back. Of course there had been times when he thought about ending everything, just to be with her again, but he needed to fight, the world still needed him to fight, Kobra needed him, and so did Jet and Ghoul.

He patted the old metal of the mailbox and smiled a sad smile.

“Tell her I still love her, will you,” he asked quietly, hoping the Phoenix Witch was listening to his words.

He got back to the diner before any of the others woke up, he always did. They had no clue that he spent most of his nights out under the stars, next to the only connection he might have with his love.

He was just digging into a can of the disgustingly mushy power pup, when suddenly the transmitter over the defect stove started blinking and bleeping. Party buried his face in his hands, too tired to jump to his feet immediately, before he slowly got up, and picked up the receiver.

“Someone there,” a voice crackled through the speaker, distorted and hard to understand.

“Yeah, it’s Party,” he answered, “What’s up, Cola?”

“Our sensors picked up a signature just outside zone six, a little north east from where you guys are,” Cola answered, the cracking in the speaker suddenly dying down, allowing Party to clearly hear the other man clearly, “someone’s out there.”

“BLI, probably,” Party yawned.

“No, we would have seen them coming from the city, it’s someone, something from outside. Think you can go check it out?”

Party rolled his eyes. Seriously, he was tired. Why did it always have to be them when it came to checking out weird stuff?

“Sure, consider it done,” he answered and hung up the mic without saying goodbye. He definitely was not a morning person.

To say his fellow Killjoys were not happy about being woken up, and immediately having to drive out into the desert, would have been an understatement. Groaning and complaining they had wriggled into their clothes, and pulled their masks on, before flopping down into the Trans AM.

Party sat behind the wheel, speeding over the open roads of the desert, the car causing clouds of dust to rise in the air, painting the route they were taking.

Soon they started to close in on the position Cola had given Party, and he slowed the car down.

“Everyone, get ready,” he commanded, spotting his brother, who had fallen asleep again, yanking his head up, while his fingers immediately closed around the ray gun at his side.

Party threw a glance on the small, grey box that was placed loosely on the dashboard. On dark green background a small red dot moved closer towards the center of the white circle on the screen, signaling that they had almost reached the unusual heat signature, which was displayed as the red light.

“It it’s another one of these mutated coyotes, I’ll kick Cola’s ass,” Ghoul muttered.

The other Killjoys blew air threw their noses in agreement, not in the mood to laugh at the black haired man’s relatable feelings.

The red dot moved closer and closer to the center of the display, but outside the car, the Killjoys were unable to spot what might have caused the heat signature. Slowly the car came to a halt, and Party, still upset over the early morning mission, but now intrigued, climbed out.

The sun had not even risen over the hilltops yet, the sky was a strange pinkish grey, and the air was still cool, when his boots hit the sand. Just to make sure, he yanked his yellow mask down into his face before he pulled his ray gun, and started wandering around aimlessly, searching for the faintest hint of what had made Cola call them out here.

Behind him, the other three also got out of the car, bandanas pulled over their mouths, and sunglasses hiding their eyes. Wordlessly they spread out, systematically searching the area around the car, even though neither of them was sure what exactly they were searching for. Anything bigger than a cat and alive would probably do.

It did not take long for Party to give up. He was tired from barely sleeping. The few minutes he had dozed off in front of the shrine in the cold, itchy sand, could hardly count as recovery from yesterday’s exhaustions, and yet he found himself drawn out there time and time again. The disgusting breakfast definitely did not help his mood either, and the more he thought about it, all he really wanted was to see this beautiful face, which he saw every time he closed his eyes, one last time, in real life. Party’s mood had, he had to admit that, reached a historical low.

With hanging shoulders he scuffed back through the dust to the Trans AM. Let the others search until they give up, he thought to himself, at least no one could complain they had not done their job then.

He opened the door to the backseat, and sat down, his feet dangling outside the car, before he let himself fall back against the seats, staring up at the ceiling of the old car. It felt like yesterday, yet like an eternity away that he had rested his head in her lap while they had been sitting in the back of the Trans AM. She had run her fingers through his hair, her perfect eyes had sparkled joyfully, and her lips had formed the most beautiful smile he could have ever imagined.

They had loved each other in the way that dreamy little children imagine love to feel like. It was pure, without any dark secrets, honest, deep. They had been loyal to each other, and while they were not sticking together like lovesick teenagers, instead very well able to go their own way when it came to missions, even when they lasted weeks, at the end of it all, they had always found themselves back in each other’s arms, safe and protected, even in a world where safety was a mere illusion.

Party wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to dry the tears that were burning in them. Even after years he could not forget her, still loved her. That was crazy.

“Guys?”

The nervous voice of Kobra cut through the eerie desert morning silence. Party immediately sat up, almost banging his head on the ceiling, jumped out of the car, and ran over to where his brother was standing. He had pushed the sunglasses up into this blond hair, and pointed to a piece of colorful fabric which hung in a dry bush, and only now had become visible in the light of the rising sun.

Carefully Party stepped forward, and picked up the dark magenta scrap. It reminded him of her, but then again, everything did.

“Someone must have been here,” Kobra whispered wide eyed, running his fingers over the silky fabric, before lifting his head and looking around hastily, as if he expected to suddenly be surrounded by BLI.

Before Party had more time to consider how someone could just randomly end up out here in zone six, why they were there, or where they came from, Jet’s call distracted him.

“Over here!”

Sharing a quick look, Kobra and Party both stormed over to where Jet was pointing his ray gun at something that, in the dim light of the young day, resembled more a rock then a person. At second glance though Party recognized a brown jacket and dusty, green trousers that stuck to a figure which lay face-down in the sand, the hood pulled over their head.

Jet waited until his friends had reached him, their weapons ready to fire, then he stepped forward, and carefully slid his boot under the side of the body before turning it around.

The brown jacket fell open, revealing a magenta shirt that stuck to the torso of a young woman. Long strands of hair fell into her face, but Party recognized her anyway. Gasps of surprise and a few curse words mumbled by Ghoul filled the silence, none of them able to believe what they saw, but Party did not care. His world slipped out of control, as he stumbled forward, falling down on his knees next to her. She stirred slightly as he pulled her head into his lap, his fingers desperately running over her soft skin, clawing into her hair. He leant down, pressed his forehead against hers, tears dripping from his eyes uncontrollably as he felt like he would explode from happiness.

You woke up a while later. The once familiar smell of someone who meant the world to you immediately filled your nose, and your fingers wrapped into the rigid, smooth material of a leatherjacket. The humming of a motor, and the bumping of tires on uneven ground stirred memories of a dystopian nightmare, before you remembered everything; everything from the white monster that was BLI, over Doctor Death Defying’s podcast, the colorful masks which the Killjoys hid behind, the fiery red hair of your lover, to the laser beam that had hit you right in the chest and killed you.

But there was one more thing. The picture of a masked figure slid into your mind. Dark feathers seemed to replace the hair, except for a few dreadlocks, on which colorful pearls lined up. Around the figures neck multiple necklaces were hung, shimmering against the deep black of the coat they wore. Scarred, claw like hands reached out, presenting a paper to you which you recalled taking and slipping into your jacket, before everything went black.

Your throat was dry, and your eyes were burning when you blinked them open. Familiar blue of a jacket, burning red hair, the grey ceiling of the Trans AM. You took a deep breath and tried to focus on the face leaning over you. Hazel eyes stared down on you, red from crying, and before you even had time to smile at Party, he pressed his lips against yours. He still tasted exactly the same as you remembered, maybe even better. There was the smell of the repelling power pup, the dull aftertaste of whatever he was drinking as a replacement for coffee, and a minty freshness, which you had never been able to explain. His lips were hot and chapped, and you almost forgot how to breathe, so hard was your heart beating. He pulled away far too early for your liking, his hands cradling your face and weaving into your hair.

Finally you were able to take in the rest of your surroundings. Ghoul was driving the Trans AM, repeatedly checking the mirror and smiling as he saw your open eyes. Kobra sat in the passenger seat, but he had turned around to poke his head into the back of the car, the biggest smile you had ever seen, on his face. Jet sat behind Ghoul, your legs resting on his and he was patting your knee while watching Party, who had your head resting in his lap, and you happily.

You took another deep breath, but were lost for words. There was so much you wanted to say, ask them if you had really been dead, if really there had passed as much time as you felt it had, but you did not. Deep inside you knew it was true, and you felt the rigid paper against your chest.

For a while you were riding in silence, no one dared speaking. Party and you were just staring at each other, as if trying to make up for the lost time, and the others discretely paid attention to the world outside the car.

Finally you moved your hand to your jacket and pulled out the note you remembered having been given. It was folded in the middle, and addressed to Party, so you showed the piece of paper to him. Curiously he took the note from you, his eyes skipping over the single line that was written on it.

“I listened to every word of prayer – The Pheonix Witch”

He blinked a few times, wondering how this was possible, but then again, did it matter? No, no it did not. Not right now anyway. What mattered was that you were here, here with him, in his arms, safe, alive, smiling, giggling. He felt the heat of your head against his knees, watched the way your eyes crinkled as you smiled at him.

He’d pay the shrine one last visit, maybe together with you. He had to thank the Phoenix Witch somehow, maybe by leaving some food, or a drawing for her. Yeah, he wanted to do that. It was the least he could do. After all, it did not happen every day that they got the grace of the Phoenix Witch.

Taglist (if you want to be added or taken off, pleaese let me know):

general: @justawriterinprogress @jayloverthe3rd @robinruns

MCR: @deadlovers

215 notes · View notes

jbuffyangel · 5 years

Text

The Good Soldier: Arrow 7x19 Review (Spartan)

Uhhhh....

Let’s dig in...

John Diggle

It has taken seven years and 157 episodes, but we are finally getting John Diggle’s backstory and IT’S JUICY.

Diggle and Oliver procured an A.R.G.U.S. vault drive during a run in with Virgil. For the life of me I cannot remember that guy’s connection to Emiko and her super villain organization, so I’m just slotting him in the “henchman” category. Does that work for everyone? Fabulous. Moving on.

Unfortunately, Felicity is unable to hack the protocols protecting the drive. Feel free to roll your eyes. A drive Felicity Smoak can’t hack? Please.

She does, however, recognize who created the protocols – the Department of Defense, or Arrow’s fake version which is the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Source: paigeOTA

John says something like, “Hey I know a guy.” OH YOU DO? John knows a guy at the Department of Defense? Not just any guy, but a GENERAL.

Gee, Diggle this information would have been super handy all the times Team Arrow has been fighting ARMIES like Slade and the Mirakuru soldiers, Ra’s Al Ghul and the League, or pretty much any bad guy to grace Arrow’s screen during May sweeps.

But okay, Season 7 he’s coughing up this info. Great. Helpful. Thanks big guy.

John is super nervous prior to the meeting with said General and even Oliver is wondering, “Dude what’s up with you?” So obviously this is an authority figure for Diggle, which means parent of some kind. This is all, but confirmed when General Stewart starts criticizing John’s career choices. Oh yeah, this guy is definitely a parent.

General Stewart is Diggle’s stepfather. Get it? Stewart as in John Stewart aka the Green Lantern. It’s completely okay if you missed that detail. I was about 15 minutes into the episode before I put that puzzle piece together.

General Stewart: I’m sorry to say you’ve lost your way.

I like this guy. Not for nothing, but “lost” is how I would also describe John the last couple seasons of Arrow. The more evolved and independent Oliver becomes the more adrift John becomes. Sure, he ditched A.R.G.U.S. to keep Lyla safe (Thank goodness. That storyline was terrible), but it doesn’t mean the General is wrong about his stepson. John needs direction outside of Oliver Queen and he’s been searching for it for awhile now.

Diggle: I left to protect my family and that’s not something you would understand, is it sir?

SHOTS FIRED! Daaaaaamn. Diggle is extra salty about this guy. What gives?

The Ninth Circle steals Archer from Smoak Tech (shiiiiiiiit), but General Stewart’s DIA soldiers save Felicity and Alena. Stewart is aware there’s a Ninth Circle mole inside A.R.G.U.S., so he’s been tracking their activity which led them to Smoak Tech headquarters aka the loft. The drive contained a list of DIA assets, which is why Emiko stole Archer. She’s planning on using the program to track them down and gain access to their intel.

Alright, that’s enough bad guy plot. Let’s get down to the goodies. Diggle is super pissed step daddy didn’t share his wealth of information, but Stewart argues it was classified. Oliver is basically a family counselor this entire episode and he slides in between to break up the tension. It’s hilarious.

Source: paigeOTA

Diggle leaves in a huff.

Source: paigeOTA

This is a theme throughout the episode. John Thomas is quite huffy. Oliver finally gets a chance to ask if there is any reason why John failed to mention during the last seven years that he has a stepfather at the DIA, particularly since he’s been up Oliver’s ass about honesty. But Oliver says it in a much nicer way.

This is why I love this man.

Source: 1-crazy-dreamer

He’s not a hypocrite. John never spilling the stepdad details over a glass of vodka is hinky and Oliver knows it. However, he’s not going to rub Diggle’s face in it because Oliver also understands he’s told much bigger lies through the course of their friendship. Oliver makes many mistakes, sometimes repeatedly, but it makes him an incredibly compassionate person.

SO HERE’S THE TEA. Stewart was John’s father’s best friend and commanding officer. An op went bad and John’s father stayed behind to hold off insurgents, saving the whole unit in the process. Stewart survived and Diggle’s father didn’t. John blames Stewart for his father’s death. He believes Stewart, as commanding officer, should have been the one to stay behind. AND THEN six months later, Stewart married John’s mother.

Excuse me, where has this soapy goodness been for the last seven years? The Young & the Restless writers are taking notes y’all! As @callistawolf pointed out this sounds a lot like Diggle’s history with Carly, his brother Andy’s wife. Diggle may hate his stepfather for marrying his best friend’s wife, but he kind of did the same thing with Carly. Sure, he didn’t marry her, but they definitely had a relationship. It seems this behavior runs in the Diggle family. John was always very uncomfortable with Carly being Andy’s widow and this backstory certainly brings another level of understanding why he felt that way.

Stewart is a total hard ass too, which doesn’t help his relationship with John or Andy very much. He focused on running “Spartan” survival drills with the boys and by the time John turned 18 he couldn’t wait to leave home. The whole nod to Spartan is interesting. This might be the first time we are given any background for why John’s helmet looks like a Spartan warrior. Felicity anointed Diggle with the code name, because she is Queen, but I think John was involved in designing the initial suit with Cisco. So, the overall Spartan look would have come from him and General Stewart is why.

Emiko kidnaps Diggle and General Stewart and thus they join the prestigious line of kidnapping OTA and their parents.

Source: ebett

This almost feels like parental initiation on this show. You can’t bond with your kid until you’ve been tied up by a mad man or woman in this case. Moira and Mama Smoak send their sympathies General.

Source: ebett

Dante tortures Diggle to get some codes out of Stewart and he folds pretty quick seeing his son in pain. Stewart being willing to do anything to keep John Diggle safe is quite an endearing quality and it makes me feel all the feels. What can I say? I like this guy.

Dante wants access to a secret DIA experimental weapon called CYGNUS X-1. It’s genetically engineered bacteria which can consume the byproduct of nuclear fission or as Felicity explained, “It’s a biological weapon that can literally eat through anything. That’s terrifying.” Listen, if she’s scared then I’m scared. Where Felicity Smoak goes so goes my nation.

Oliver: Archer. They are going to use the intel they get from the assets to locate the DNA of the people involved with CYGNUS X-1.

Nothing Oliver said sounds good,

but I’m only half paying attention to the bad guy plot, because I am way more focused on Oliver dropping the daddy bombshell, which he does after finding Diggle brooding about his father. Superhero Jesus to the rescue! John’s father didn’t die saving everyone. He died because he was negligent and took two marines with him. The reason the rest of the unit survived was because of John Stewart. He was the real hero.

Again, this is quite reminiscent of Diggle’s relationship with Andy. Maybe Stewart and John’s father weren’t biological brothers, but they were best friends just like Oliver and Diggle. So, they were brothers all the same. There seems to be a generational thread of the good brother and the bad brother in the Diggle family. One we find that continues in the flash forwards.

Stewart: I know you might not feel the same way, but you will always be a son to me.

Felicity is able to stop Emiko from using Archer, but she’s still able to steal the weapon. John confronts his stepfather with the truth after the mission is over. Diggle cannot understand why Stewart let John hate him for all these years. And the answer is simple – because that’s what parents do. General Stewart didn’t want to take the memory of his father away from John. Diggle believed his father was a hero, so he became one. Stewart believes the lie made Diggle who he is, but John disagrees.

Diggle: If I’m a hero it’s all because of you, sir.

The Stewart last name is no accident. The man who made John Diggle a hero has the same last name as one of the greatest heroes in DC history. If John ever truly wanted to honor the General he could change his last name and become John Stewart,

but I doubt we’ll ever see that happen nor do I think it’s necessary. John will always be Diggle. Our Diggle doesn’t need a ring because he’s is already a hero.

Source: @oliverqsmoak

John calling General Stewart “sir” is no accident either. Diggle, always the good soldier, has refused that courtesy the entire episode. But now he softens his voice; his eyes filled with tears, and calls the man who made him a hero, “sir.” John is showing respect, but also trust. He finally sees his stepfather for who he truly is. Diggle knows General Stewart is not only a good soldier, but a wonderful father. This “sir” carries more significant than “I love you” for these two men.

The gifts General Stewart gave Diggle go beyond merely survival. John is a good solider because that’s how General Stewart raised him to be. Just like Diggle’s father would want him to be.

The two hug and part with a deeper bond than the one they had before – a tradition when it comes to OTA and their parents. “Call your mother” is probably the best exit line of any character on Arrow. I loved it. Ernie Hudson was an absolute delight.

Unfortunately, we are seven years in. I’d rather have this episode in Season 7 than not at all, but there is an element of too little too late. “Spartan” makes sense in Season 1 or Season 2 at the latest. Felicity’s backstory episode was in Season 3 and I thought that was late.

It’s hard to understand why Arrow waited so long to give us this story. The only reason I can think of is DC. They have a long history of shooting down John Diggle storylines because they intend to use them somewhere else. The Suicide Squad springs to mind. David Ramsey has been very honest about DC’s refusal to allow John Stewart/Green Lantern on Arrow in the past, so they finally must have signed off in some capacity.

Do I think the Stewart name is important enough to wait seven years for an episode like this? No. I don’t, particularly if Arrow can’t develop the Green Lantern storyline for John any further. If they can then I understand holding off, but if “John Stewart” is just another Green Lantern Easter egg then I don’t think it was worth putting off the storyline.

Arrow did their best to explain this massive hole in John’s backstory. Oliver and Felicity were understandably dumbfounded by the revelations, but John’s explanation was pretty weak. How is a stepfather in the DIA not pertinent information? Of course it is, particularly when Diggle so strongly advocated for Oliver to clean out the skeletons in his closet. It just puts the episode in an awkward position and while I enjoyed it, the writers didn’t overcome the timing hurdle for me.

Flash Forwards

The Flash Forwards are rapidly becoming my favorite part of the show. If I don’t get a spin off I’m gonna… well I don’t really know what I’m gonna do because I don’t actually have any power but I’ll do something!

Felicity needs a thingamajig to fix the helmet Laurel helped Mia procure, so the Princess That Was Promised heads into Star City to track it down for Mama. Connor comes along because he’s in love with Mia and can’t stand to be separated from her for more than five minutes. Yeah, I know this hasn’t been explicitly stated, but it’s facts. #SmoaknHawke

Source: amunetblack

Mia has to get the thingamajig from the Deathstroke Gang. Can we just take a minute and appreciate there’s a Deathstroke Gang? That’s kind of amazing. I mean… it’s bad.

We’re in luck because Connor knows the leader of the Deathstroke Gang who is… drum roll please… John Jr. Diggle aka JJ!!!!!!!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSS!!!! According to Connor, Lyla and Diggle’s hero gig put some pressure on the kids. Connor went one way and JJ, in an attempt to rebel, went the other. This continues the good brother/bad brother Diggle family tradition!

Source: amunetblack

Listen, I was seriously just kidding around when I said there should be a Connor, Mia and JJ love triangle like Stefan, Elena and Damon, but if the Arrow writers want to take me up on it then FINE BY ME.

I have an opening in my television viewing schedule for a good brother/bad brother and the woman they both love storyline!

They are totally going there because Mia asks, “When do I get to meet him?” The “him” being JJ of course. Oh girl, you gonna meet him alright. Just you wait.

Oliver’s baby girl will have her pick of Diggle brothers and I CANNOT STAND IT BECAUSE IT IS TOO PERFECT. Why you ask? Because we don’t have to take sides. You can ship both sides of the love triangle because no matter which way you shake it Oliver and Felicity’s daughter ends up with one of Diggle and Lyla’s sons. THIS IS THE SHIPPER DREAM!

But we aren’t meeting JJ until the spin off. So settle girl. All in good time. There needs to be some surprises left for this show. Even though they haven’t cast the role yet, I bet you dollars to donuts there will be a chemistry read with Katherine McNamara for whoever they cast.

Source: amunetblack

In the meantime, we get to watch Kat and Joseph steam up the television screen with moments like this. Damn kids. It’s getting warm in here. Wowza.

I absolutely adore how the writers are flipping the expectations. It’s almost as if they anticipated some kind of resistance to William or Connor because they aren’t biological children. Trust me I’ve seen plenty of “William isn’t really Olicity’s kid” or “Connor isn’t really Dyla’s kid” crap out there. It’s pretty horrifying the perspective some have about non biological children, so consider me thrilled the writers took those opinions and shoved them where the sun doesn’t shine. William is Mini Felicity and the good solider is Connor, not JJ. It’s amazing.

Felicity Smoak and Alena

“Felicity Smoak now entering Smoak Tech."

This gives me a happy every time I hear it. Smoak Tech and Archer are basically Felicity’s babies before she has a baby. I particularly love the part when Felicity says she needs more than Team Arrow. Yes, she loves being Overwatch, but she wants to save the world as Felicity Smoak as well. She essentially wants to go hoodless too.

I think it’s great the writers are exploring a legacy for Oliver, Felicity and Diggle outside of Team Arrow. Felicity thus far is the furthest down the road, which is good because the character is leaving in three friggin episodes.

But we’ve seen in the future John finds an outlet for his passions as well with Knight Watch. We also know Oliver is going to save the universe (such an underachiever that one).

But it’s particularly important with Felicity because we have a tendency in our culture to pigeonhole women into one thing. You’re a mom or you’re *insert career choice here.* Once we pick a path then it’s our only path.

The reality is women, like men, can be many different things all at once.

Yes, the mind reels at the thought. The fact Felicity is still searching for something when she’s found happiness as Overwatch and as a wife & mother isn’t a radical concept, but it’s one rarely portrayed by television characters.

Nor do Felicity’s interests have to happen one at a time. I think the reason Felicity is exploring these multi faceted aspects of her character is because Emily is leaving the show and the writers didn’t want to leave anything on the table. But I’m not complaining. Even when the actress is about the leave the show this exploration seldom happens, so I’m taking the wins where I can find them.

Alena wants Felicity to sell the company and this irks me. If I’ve said it once then I’ve said it a million times I DO NOT TRUST ALENA. Girlfriend is there all of five minutes and she’s already trying to sell Felicity’s baby to the highest bidder. This is my essential problem with Alena – she always has an angle.

Felicity’s hactivism was about making the world a better place, but when it comes to Alena I cannot help but feel her motivations are more selfish. Even if that’s wrong and Alena has altruistic intentions, her morality line is deeply skewed particularly when compared to Felicity’s morality. It makes this partnership dangerous in my mind. Alright. Alena rant done.

Or maybe not because Alena just did something super sketchy!!!!

After Emiko steals Archer, Felicity realizes how incredibly dangerous the program can be.

Source: paigeOTA

I love how Alena sweetly reassures Felicity she is not a mad scientist.

Source: arrowdaily

I would have added she’s a cupcake genius with extra sprinkles, but that’s me. It’s moments like these I wish I trusted Alena, but I don’t.

Felicity is literally the furthest thing from a mad scientist or her father, but she is self aware. She understands her genius can create miraculous things, but that people can use those miracles in ways she never intended. It’s basically the “With great power comes great responsibility” hero code. Felicity accepts the responsibility of her superpower and is completely altruistic with it. If her creation hurts innocent people then she will destroy it even if the intent was to help. That is selfless heroism.

Unfortunately, Alena does not share this code. And this is my essential problem with her. Yes, I love the adorable banter and a female friend for Felicity to geek out with. I particularly love that Alena replaced Curtis Holt’s mansplaining ass. But Alena has no problem crossing lines to get what SHE wants regardless of who it hurts in the process.

This is why Felicity’s arc this season is so crucial. Felicity thought she was that kind of person. Someone who would do whatever is necessary to get what she wants. It’s incredibly important to remember Felicity was trying to save her family, which is nowhere near the same as Alena trying to save a computer program that can make billions. The two don’t equate.

However, Felicity discovered she retains a moral integrity even in her darkest moments. She has the capacity to do “whatever it takes” like we all do, but ultimately Felicity realized holding to her morality makes her strong. Alena is different. She has no integrity, which is why she cannot be trusted.

And yet, it seems like in the future Felicity blames herself for how Archer was used and not Alena. Sometimes she is just like her husband.

Stray Thoughts

I love that even though I know Felicity will pull that trigger, and she did, her hand was shaking. It’s so beautifully human and one of the reasons I connect to this character so much.

This girl can really zero in on the point of the episode, can’t she? Source: arrowdaily

“That’s not very fair John.” Indeed. Very un-Yoda like behavior.

Diggle wore a shirt during the kidnapping scene. I’m extremely disappointed Arrow. You had one job!

Oliver racing to Felicity’s side the minute she says, “Hey!” will always be amazing and a trick I need to teach my husband. Source: lucyyh

Olicity finishes each other’s sentences. Your OTP could never. Source: 1-crazy-dreamer

“Normally I’m off by myself staring into nothing.” Oliver jokes about his broodiness now. Oh how far we have traveled my friends.

Oliver not saying "I'm glad you're both okay" took a lot of self control. Way to keep a lid on it Superhero Daddy. Source: olicitygifs

Felicity hacks the helmet while Mia and Connor look on mind blown.

Oliver is so chill when people insult him.

My poor babe is used to being dragged by these ungrateful twats. #OLIVERQUEENDESERVESBETTER2019 Source: 1-crazy-dreamer

The foremost expert on robotics wouldn't call Felicity back when she was CEO of Palmer Tech & now he wants to BUY Archer. I guess Ray didn't have anything he was interested in. Yes, Arrow is saying Felicity Smoak is way way way way smarter than Ray Palmer. The sky is also blue.

Even when it’s not an Olicity focused episode, Emily and Stephen do such a wonderful job of showing us Oliver and Felicity’s love and connection in the small moments. These little touches are among the many things I’m going to miss the most next season.

Source: lucyyh

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 7x19 gifs credited.

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

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tilltheendwilliwrite · 6 years

Text

Cries of Thunder

Chapter One

Summary: (Post Ragnarok, No Thanos) Asgard is gone, and the Asgardians are living as refugees on the uninhabited portion of land Odin had shown Thor and Loki before his death. Shorn of his hair and missing an eye, Thor finds solace with his friends at the Tower in New York where he meets her. A woman of quiet poise, beauty, and grace.

Fallon. Receptionist for the Tower, she worked hard, drank too much coffee, and seemed to run everywhere. A friend of Pepper’s, Thor longed to get closer, but for every step he took toward her, she took two in reverse. The fear in her eyes broke his heart.

What horrible thing happened in her past to have her looking at him with such eyes? Where was she always rushing off too? And when he learns of her past, can the disillusioned King teach Fallon to trust again, or will his own insecurities after the loss of his home keep him from being there for her when her world comes crashing down.

Pairing: Thor Odinson x OFC | Word Count: 3538 Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, hard themes, small angst

He was smitten. That was the only excuse for his long, rather sullen sigh. Truly, completely, down to the bones, smitten. Thor was certain he'd never seen such pretty hair. A deep, glossy brown shot through with golds and blondes. It gleamed like faceted topaz, but he couldn't understand why she wore it up in the ugly knot at the back of her head all the time.

Her name was Fallon Smith, receptionist for Stark Tower, and lovely dragoness at the gate when it came to people enquiring after the Avengers.

Every morning he stood on the second-floor landing, watched her rush in, put her purse under the desk, smooth out her rather plain jacket and skirt, and make ready to face the day. She'd smile for Geoff and Mark, the security officers on duty, and get to work.

Thor couldn't help but notice she was a voluptuous woman, wider of hip and fuller of breast than most Midgardian women found acceptable. If her food choices were anything to go by, he suspected she felt the same. Always picking at a salad while peering covetously at the sweets in the display case of the coffee shop within the lobby of the Tower.

Coffee was another thing he noticed she drank with startling frequency. He was surprised she didn't drown in the quantities she downed or slosh when she walked.

At the end of the day, she would gather her things and run out again. Always in a hurry.

He wondered where she went in such a rush. There was no ring on her finger, and frankly, after a weekend, she often looked more exhausted than she had before it. Thor would have asked, but he was uncertain when it came to approaching women of Earth, something which surprised him.

With Jane, the introduction had been easy as she'd hit him with her car. Twice. But how did one go about announcing their interest and ascertaining if it was reciprocated with a woman who seemed never to take a spare breath let alone an extra minute?

On Asgard, it had been as easy as sending a smile in the direction of the lady who'd caught his fancy, but Asgard was no more, as his hammer was no more.

And now, on Earth, the fair Fallon never even looked his way. It was frustrating and a blow to his ego.

“Why don't you just go talk to her?” Bruce asked as he came to lean against the second-floor railing at Thor’s side.

“I do not know how to start,” Thor admitted.

“How about with, “Hi, I'm Thor. Nice to meet you,” and go from there.”

“Would that work on this world?”

Bruce eyed him with exasperation. “Did you never talk to the women of Asgard?”

“When I wanted a woman, I simply smiled, and she fell at my feet,” he professed, shrugging as it wasn't a big deal.

“Yeah… you're gonna want a different game plan here, buddy.” Bruce shook his head and patted Thor’s shoulder.

“Hm. I will think on it.” Turning away from his daily dose of Fallon, Thor headed off to train with Steve.

***

Fallon breathed a sigh of relief when the big blond walked away. She had no idea what she'd done to gain Thor’s attention, but she wished he'd stop staring at her.

Years ago when he'd first appeared in all that armour with all that hair, she'd had a moment of heartstopping hello before Jay had come in and-

She slammed the door on thoughts of her ex. That was not a road of memories she wished to travel down. Not today. Not ever. She was safe. She was hidden. There was no way he was ever coming back into her life.

When the phone before her rang, she pasted on a smile and went to work, but thoughts of Thor would not leave her be. The King of Asgard filled her mind with too much regularity. She had to admit she liked the shorter hair he now wore and found the golden eye patch to be, well, rakish. Like a pirate in one of her guiltily read romance novels, the ones she kept in her purse to enjoy while on lunch.

They had outlandish covers and words like heaving bosoms which made her giggle, and the women in them were not the rail-thin ones of today. They were broad of hip and soft of breast, voluptuous and thick, more in keeping with her own body’s shape. Reading them didn't give her a complex like some of the modern magazines did. They were so damn cheesy, but she loved them, and there wasn't much time for the things she loved in her life anymore.

Except for them. Her babies.

Fallon glanced at her phone and quickly pressed the home button to light up the front. There on the screen appeared Dylan all of four with his baby brother nestled in his arms and his sister in the carrier beside him. Having a four-year-old and eighteen-month-old twins didn't allow Fallon much time for anything but them.

Weekdays they went to a secure daycare, one which required logins and passwords and had strict rules about who picked up her children, and weekends were spent being a single mom. Running errands with three babies, laundry, cooking, and playtime to make up for leaving them all day during the week. She didn't have the time or the energy for giant Asgardians with hair like sunshine and a smile just as bright.

Her job paid exceptionally well, thank heaven, for everything was expensive in New York. Raising three kids in the big city afforded her the anonymity she needed, but it came with an enormous price tag.

The phone on the desk rang, distracting her from her musings. “Yes, Miss Potts?”

“Fallon, it's just me. You can use my name.”

“I know, Pep. It feels weird when you're my boss.”

“Tony is your boss. I just work here.”

“You're so full of crap,” Fallon muttered.

Pepper giggled. “I need you to come up. Is Kenneth there yet?”

She looked up in time to watch the man rush in the door. “Of course.” Fallon gave him the stink eye as he mouthed I'm sorry and hurried over.

“Mm, I'm sure,” Pepper grumbled. “Rushing in the door is he?”

“Been here at least ten minutes.” She mouthed back, you so owe me, and Kenneth nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

“Well, as he is there, grab the box waiting at the coffee shop and head on up.”

“Be right there,” she murmured and hung up to glare at her co-worker. “What was it this time?”

Kenneth didn’t even bother to look contrite, only smiled as he unwrapped his emerald green scarf from around his neck and ran a hand through his short crop of slicked back hair. It was always immaculate, a rich buttery caramel she'd kill for, and he had such beautiful skin. It was as if the dermatology Gods had blessed him. His dark eyes gleamed with amusement and his lips spread to reveal his perfect chicklet teeth. At five foot ten, fit, fun, and fabulous described Kenneth to a T. He was wonderfully comfortable in his flesh, unapologetically gay, and someone she counted a friend when she didn't have many.

“Not what, beautiful! Who,” he purred as he folded his jacket and slipped it and his bag in a drawer. “Girl, let me tell you. I met a fine piece of beef last night I just couldn’t say no too. We ended up back at his place, and one thing led to another...” He grinned wickedly while waggling his eyebrows.

“Let me guess. You had to rush home and change, cause lord knows you couldn’t possibly wear the same outfit to work twice in a row?” she teased.

Kenneth shot her a pair of finger guns. “Honey, some of us take pride in our appearance.” His eyes widened in horror before he slapped his hand over his mouth. “Oh, damn, Fallon! I didn’t mean to imply…”

She didn’t let the hurt show. “Hey, it’s fine. I know you didn’t.” With a wave, she walked away, heading toward the coffee shop, feeling fat and frumpy and horrible about herself all over again.

Her serviceable black shoes with their thick heel clunked along against the marble. It felt like every eye turned her way, drawing attention to her when that was the last thing Fallon wanted. Her plain, ill-fitting suit - too tight in the hips and wrinkled - was one of two she owned. The other one, the one which fit her slightly better, was the one she preferred, but Emma had successfully spit up all over her five minutes before they were supposed to leave for daycare, leaving Fallon with no other option but to wear the one she hated.

“Fallon.” Cindy, the barista smiled. “Here. Miss Potts called down for these.” She handed over a pink pastry box.

“Thanks. Chocolate Danish?”

“And bear claws!” she said, her perky attitude grating on Fallon’s already foul mood.

“Fabulous,” Fallon muttered, pasting on a smile as she walked away and headed for the elevator.

She reached out and pushed the button, stepped inside when the doors opened and leaned against the wall after pushing the button for the upper floors. The box smelled incredible. It made her mouth water even as she called herself twelve kinds of names, all of which had some connotation as fat to them.

Getting off on the thirty-seventh floor, she headed for Pepper’s office, smiled at Nancy her heavily pregnant assistant, and walked through the open door. “What did you need, Pep… per...” Fallon's voice trailed off as she stared wide-eyed at the three men in the room.

“Fallon! Great, just the woman I needed.” Pepper turned and smiled, her sleek hair tied back in a low tail which swung against her spine over a beautifully fitted pale green dress.

She looked incredible and sleek and made Fallon feel like a frumpy old granny. But it was the three men who made her want to hide in a corner.

Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Thor.

Immediately her pulse spiked and spots coloured her vision. Her hands went clammy, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Darting her eyes toward Pepper, she had to force herself not to crush the box of pastries.

Pepper’s eyes widened in understanding, and she swiftly crossed the room to link her arm through Fallon’s. “If you gentlemen will excuse us, Fallon and I have many things to discuss.”

Steve smiled and nodded, but his eyes betrayed his concern. He knew something. Fallon wasn't sure what or how much, but he suspected. Bucky was even worse. He watched her with those cold blue-eyed. Piercing. They appeared to see to the deepest darkest corners of her soul and had her shrinking toward Pepper. But it was Thor who made her heart pound when he stepped closer.

“Lady Fallon.” He reached toward her but she jerked back, and Pepper stepped smoothly between them.

“Thor, have a pastry.” She took the pink box from Fallon’s trembling fingers and thrust it at the blond with force.

It caused him to frown. Then something like sorrow crossed Thor’s features when he carefully lifted the lid on the box, selected a sweet, and walked out without another word. The other two men both nodded goodbye and left with Steve shutting the door behind him.

Fallon sat down hard on the coffee table behind her and shook all over. “Just give me a second,” she whispered to Pepper as she hugged herself and rocked back and forth.

“Fallon, I am so sorry. I wasn't thinking,” Pepper apologized, sinking down to hug her.

“Not your fault. Not your fault at all,” Fallon muttered, fighting the tears and rising panic attack.

It wasn't Pepper’s fault Fallon had fallen for the lies of a handsome man. It wasn't her fault he’d been a monster in disguise. And it was hardly Pepper’s fault it had taken Fallon nine long years to get away from the man who’d used and abused her to the point she'd nearly died.

No, Pepper was the one Fallon had turned to, for help to escape her prison. The only person Jay never knew about being in her life. The only person Fallon knew she could reach out to who would believe her when no one else could see past Jay’s mask and the web of lies.

Pepper had helped her escape, run with her children, document the abuse, and file for divorce. The big surprise had come when the investigators discovered Fallon and Jay had never legally married. It had all been a lie, right from the word go. Even her wedding had been a sham.

Jay had been livid, spewing threats and ultimatums at the lawyers they'd used to keep him from finding her. But between Pepper, and then Tony who Fallon was slowly growing more comfortable with, they'd managed to see Fallon granted full custody of her children, and a restraining order slapped on Jay.

As far as Fallon knew, Jay still lived in California and had no idea where she'd gone. But now she lived with an underlying fear of big men. She knew intimately just how hard they could hit, and just how badly they could hurt her.

Walking into Pepper's office to find three of the biggest Fallon had ever met scared the damn pants off her.

“I know I've told you this before, but you need to start believing it. No one here, especially one of those three, would ever lay a hand on you,” Pepper stated, running soothing circles over Fallon’s back.

“Knowing it and knowing it, are two totally different experiences, Pep,” Fallon sighed.

“Eat a Danish. Sugar makes everything better,” Pepper urged.

“And adds more fat to my ass. Thanks, but I'll pass. What did you need, Pepper?”

“An assistant.”

“You have an assistant,” Fallon frowned.

“Who’s ready to pop at any moment!” Pepper huffed. “I've insisted Nancy take a year off minimum so the position will be open at least that long. It comes with a pay bump, a big one, as well as a clothing allowance to refit your wardrobe. You’d have access to company vehicles, the good gym, and whatever perks I can think of later. You would have to be slightly more available.”

Fallon made to decline, but Pepper held up her hand.

“I'm not talking twenty-four seven. Just an evening now and then to attend a fundraiser or party. Which, of course, you'll be compensated for as well as have whatever you need for childcare.”

“Pepper! That's outrageous! You can't offer someone who has zero experience those kinds of perks!”

She huffed and waved a hand. “Of course I can! And don't give me that bull about no experience. I know damn well you could run this company better than I do. We went to school together, remember? I know exactly what your degrees are.”

“Pepper, come on!” Fallon sighed. “I'm not… I can't… I'm not right for this.”

“Yes, you are. I refuse to let you hide away the rest of your life because of him! There are plenty of good guys out there. It's time to stop hiding.”

“I'm not hiding! I'm surviving!” Fallon barked.

“Surviving isn't living, Fallon. Wouldn't it be nice to start living again?”

“I have three kids, Pepper. Right now, surviving is all I can hope for,” Fallon sighed. “They are what matters. Not me. Not my happiness.”

Pepper sighed and patted her knee. “Take the job. I promise it will be worth it. In the long run, it will help get you ahead so you can spend more time with your kids. Or put them in the building daycare. You know it's free for employees.”

“You've done more than enough, Pepper. I need to do some of this on my own.” And she needed to keep her work and home life separate.

“Please take the job,” Pepper said. “I need you, Fallon.”

She narrowed her eyes at the redhead when Pepper looked at her pleadingly. “That's dirty pool, and you know it, Pepper.”

“Did it work?”

“Yes, dammit. I'll take the job.”

“Excellent!” Pepper laughed and hugged her again. “Now, we're going shopping to spend that clothing allowance. I love you, Fallon, but your suits are hideous.”

“Yeah, well, not all of us are rail thin and six feet tall, Pep,” she grumbled. “And three children haven't exactly been kind to my body.” Nor had Jay been kind to her body, but Fallon didn't want to think about that.

“And if you buy clothes that fit your body, you'll feel better about it,” Pepper said sternly and dragged her to her feet. “I'm giving Nancy the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, you start up here with her, going over my schedule and getting familiar with things, but today, we can all use a day off.”

Pepper dragged Fallon toward the door. “And Kenneth better be on time because he’ll be training the new girl tomorrow.”

Fallon sighed a little behind Pepper's back. What she wouldn't give to have that type of spunk and confidence.

***

Thor pouted as he munched his Danish, only half listening to Barnes and the Captain as they walked away from Lady Pepper’s office.

“Must have been bad,” Steve murmured, “to make her that skittish.”

“You think Stark would know? Seeing as how she's friends with Pepper?”

“Probably. But whether Tony would be willing to tell us anything? I don’t know,” Steve sighed.

“Don't need to know everything,” Bucky grumbled. “Just enough to make sure the asshole won't be coming after Fallon.”

“Lady Fallon dislikes me,” Thor murmured. “And I don't know why. Did I do something wrong?”

Steve and Bucky stopped so fast Thor nearly walked into them both.

“No, Thor. You didn't do anything, but someone has.”

He frowned at Steve. “I do not understand.”

“Fallon doesn't dislike you, big guy,” Bucky sighed. “She’s afraid of us.”

Thor gasped. “But… we've barely exchanged a handful of words! I have done nothing for which she should be afraid!”

“No, Thor. Not you, us. She's scared of all of us. Either men in general, or just big guys,” Steve explained.

“Someone abused her,” Bucky said bluntly. “And bad enough to make her want to rabbit every time one of us enters the room.”

“She… someone hurt her?” He crushed the pastry in his hand. “I will speak with her. He must not go unpunished. She will tell me his name, and then she will never have to worry about him again!” Thor turned on his heel to head back toward Pepper's office when Steve grabbed one arm and Bucky grabbed the other.

“No!” they shouted.

“Think, Thor! If you go barging in there with threats and raised fists, you'll only scare her and be no better than the man she left!” Steve said.

“You like her, don’t you?” Bucky asked, a smile spreading.

Thor saw no harm in admitting it. “Yes. I find her intriguing and wish to know her better.”

“Then you can't rush her. She started here about a six months ago. That's not much time if she was abused and just managed to escape him. You're going to have to go slow. Earn her trust before you can win her heart.”

“I asked Banner about such things. I am.. uncertain in the ways of human interaction. How do I express interest without…”

“Coming on too strong?” Bucky smirked and patted Thor’s shoulder. “I think we’d best skip the gym and go get a beer. If we're talking women, this could take a while.” Then he grinned at Steve. “Besides, the punk there could use some pointers too.”

“Kiss off, Buck,” Steve grumbled, red darkening his cheeks.

Thor clapped the Captain on the shoulder. "Thank you, my friends. I appreciate your assistance." The last thing he wanted to do was upset the fair Fallon or ever make her uncomfortable.

Next Chapter

Tag list available. Send an Ask, please.

#Cries of Thunder #Thor Odinson #Thor Fanfiction #God of Thunder #God of Thunder fanfiction #Avengers au #post ragnarok au #dark themes #abuse #physical abuse

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bestnoncannonship · 5 years

Text

Alright..I'mma get in on this VC fancasting debate.

As a director, I often have a LOT of opinions on people's casting decisions. A LOT. (Someday, I'll write a novella on Ken Brannaugh's casting.) So as I see a LOT of fancasts casts based on how people look and few based on whether or not the actor can likely handle the role, I'mma throw my hat in the ring. (Warning....the more I write the less technical and more shitposty this is gonna get!) So here you go! The Vampire Chronicles series if I got to cast and direct it!!

The Brat Prince:

Most importantly....we gotta get us a Lestat. And the choice is clear:

Evan Williams: this fabulous shitposting aesthetic trash is as close to the one and only Vampire Lestat as we are gonna get on this plane of existance. He is all charm and quite light in his loafers and a complete mess.......but most importantly, he has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is able to play a character that does inexplicable and morally reprehensible things while still being read as highly sympathetic, likable, and even a hero. That's what I worry about most with Lestat. He really is a very terrible person who doesn't learn or face too many consequences. And he has to be very very very sympathetic. Not just "Oh I Stan that villain" likeable.....but a true hero. And it takes a very. Special. Actor. To pull that shit off. And this is it. This is the guy. He was hired to play an Iago-esque gay villain type in Versailles, STOLE THE SHOW OUT FROM UNDER GEORGE BLAGDEN (no mean feat as Blaggy was giving a hell of a performance) and made his character a beloved icon. Yeah....I trust him to lead a show. I trust him to be Lestat.

Nicholas L'enfant:

Okay not gonna lie I struggled with this one. There was someone else I wanted to see in this role....but I decided he was better employed elsewhere. And this is who I ended up with:

Yep. George Blagden. See...in the grand scheme of things Nikki is a very low-screentime role that has a LOT of impact on the story. And who better to trust with low screentime that the god of grantaires, who took a few small shots and lines and GAVE US A FULLY CHARACTERIZED GRANTAIRE in the Les Mis film. He is very sweet faced, and easy to like, can make being an on screen depressive fascinating instead of dull and has proven time and time again that he is the master of the complete mental breakdown, complete with horrifying but tragic crazy eyes. Also.....he bears a strong enough physical resembles to.....

Louis!!!!:

Our beautiful depressed dark angel with a vampire eating disorder who has no self esteem and is still in love with his abuser needs nuance. He needs soul. And he needs a sweet and delicate beauty. And so:

Alexaner Vlahos!!! The soulful eyes!! The delicate bone structure!!! The slight tones of simmering resentment!!! The ability to play a character that could have become VERY one note VERY quickly with goregeous amounts of nuance and sympathy!!! Vlavla has quite the varied resume. Mordred. Phillipe. Romeo. Captain Hook. To put it lightly he has a LOT of range and the one through line is he is NEVER boring. He plays a lot of roles that could very quickly become boring and one note (Romeo? Captian snooze right there!). But every second he's on screen or stage he is so completely alive in whatever he is feeling. I TRUST him to keep the entirety of Louis's brooding nuanced and fascinating for an audience and to physically and facially convey Louis's very important internal monologue that we will not be able to hear because this version is going to be from Lestat's point of veiw. I toggled with the idea of making him Nikki for a while....but ended up with Louis for 2 reasons. 1) he doesn't need the scripted plot drama Nikki has written in to make a compelling character and 2) he and Williams share such beautiful chemistry. Whenever they're together, even off screen, their focus shifts so that they orbit each other like bianary stars and any director can see that that's something that should be explored and exploited to add demension to the Louis/Lestat relationship and justify why they keep coming back to each other.

(And so ends the Men of Versailles segment of my fancast. So sue me. There's some incredible actors there.)

Let's return with

Gabrielle De Lioncourt:

The incomparable Alex Kingston, lately of River Song fame, though I met her as Elizabeth Corday, and Doctor Corday is driving this casting choice. I wanted an actor who was an appropriate age to play Williams's mother cause we don't fuck with that women are "old" at 30 shit in this house. And she can carry off the kind of "I will not hesitate to kill a man" BDE that Gabrielle requires without trying, but she's also proven herself comfortable and competent with the level of CAMP that VC requires. I can see her easily showing up on set for a few scattered episodes, slipping easily into the verse, and nailing the kind of woman who can put Lestat in his place then run back off to the jungle. Also....that De Lioncourt hair!!!!!

Marius "Daddy" Romanus:

Yep. This fuck. I can hear it now.... "Why isn't he lessssaaaat??? He's so blonde and prettttyyyyy????" Well....mainly because....I ain't sure this lil fuck can run a show as a very despicable but likeable hero yet. He's admirable. A good actor. A great villain. But not a hero and not heroically likeable. Personally, I'm of the opinion that in 10 or 15 years he will have grown into the ability to play something as complex as Lestat with likability....but for now.....DAMN is he a creepy imperial thing. He's got that "My house, my rules" vibe down. He's preditory. He's distinguished. He is Marius. And he's go the best Roman coin profile I've ever seen.

Armand:

N/A

Ok. Controversial decision....but I want to see a complete unknown as Armand. Send casting out to cast a wide net, scour the world for the Botticelli death machine. But definitely don't pull him from the pool of already famous younguns. Because your Armand needs to be deep. Skilled. And primarily UNSPOILED by the school of child acting that is forced upon child actors. (I was a commercial kid and child stage actor. It was terrible.) Go out and get some twinky fresh faced raw talent so you get depth.

Claudia:

N/A

Big old ditto on what I said above about child actors. A nice doe eyed unknown, preferably without a stage mom.

AKASHA:

Yikes. So many amazing choices!!! How do you follow Aliyah??

With literal human perfection Gina Torres of course!!! Again....I wanted to go with an older woman. Someone who would be seen as an authority to all vampires. Someone god damnned goregeous. And someone who I find intimidating. Also, since I'm skewing a little tall with this cast (at least as TV actors go) I wanted someone who comfortably stands among and above most of them! She's a seasond tested actor, and certified badass. And we know she can steal a scene. Besides if she can look regal as a queen in that weirdass dress they gave her in the serenity movie she can pull off whatever monstrosity costumes comes up with to follow the Aliyah getup.

Khayman:

Don't @ me but....I have a LOT of feelings about Khayman. I love his particularly breed of immortal insanity. I love the way immortality drove him mad into a childlike enjoyment and curiosity. And I knew exactly who has to be casted to play that combination of intimidating ancient and innocent curiosity:

This is Howard Charles. He is capable of playing both an intimidating giant and a sweet soulful cinnamon roll at the same time. I cannot sing this man's praises enough. Am I scared of him? Do I want to hug him? Both? He's also one of the best scene SHARERS I've seen on screen in a long time and that's very important in a supporting role.

Maharet:

Just because Anne Rice doesn't know shit about Mesopotamia doesn't mean we have to follow her in that. I wanted to pull from Middle Eastern or Indian populations for her to best reflect the look of the region in a time that's roughly in line with the pre-dynastic Egyptian mish-mosh associated with Akasha.

So I'm gunning for Indira Varma. When I say this woman has timeless beauty.....I mean timeless. She's as prehistorically hot as she is today. And she's such a strong actress, I want to give her a role that isn't 50% sex scenes. She's got both the warmth and the commanding strength to play Maharet. I would ideally like to get a dancer to play Mekare....someone who can handle the physical interp of the role. Probably an Indian dancer to match Indira Varma.

David Talbot:

In the newly declared tradition of Doctors playing Talbot:

This is the only current Gif I could find of Sylvester McCoy. Known to many as the Seventh Doctor. And to many as Ratagast the Brown. He embodies that sort of huffy aging britishness that David projects, but has the over the top personality that can give us those hints of the vitality of David's youth. Basically I can see this man telling stories about hunting tigers in India. Then when he gets the hot young Raglan James Body:

Luke Pasqualino. Swarthy young troublemaker. But for all the youthful good looks, he proved that he was able to play grace and gravitas as D'artagnion in the final season of the BBC Musketeers. I'd love to give him a chance to explore that deeper part. I also trust his ability to match the energy of a cast, which he did repeatedly on musketeers, and portray both the impulsive self aggrandizing Lestat in the Raglan James body and to play the DarkAU Musketeer type that is Raglan James himself.

That's literally all the Gifs I can put in a post. I know I skipped Daniel......but that's because I have surprisingly few opinions on Daniel.......he's very much a vanilla audience connecting character. I'd almost like to see an unknown in that role....just to see what we a new face could make.

And thus ends my casting of the Vampire Chronicles!!

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lakambinimagph · 5 years

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Where power really lies: Depiction of female superheroes today

Chances are you are one of many who saw Captain Marvel in theaters recently or maybe you saw Wonder Woman when it was released back in 2017. Or maybe you are one of those who likes to shout “Darna!” when you were younger (or you still do it today). Next to being a princess, becoming a superhero is one of many young girls’ fantasies.

But why is it that despite the long history of comic books and comic book movies, only now are we seeing successful films or upcoming films about female superheroes? Has the film industry finally realized that you don’t need good-looking men with ripped muscles to be the face of your movie? Or that women have been demanding for big productions revolving around female comic book characters? Or, maybe, these filmmakers and storytellers had a hard time figuring out how to write an excellent female superhero that truly embodies the essence of being a woman in this society.

Let us take a look on three superheroes and why their great characterization has contributed to their success as films and to their impact on women here in the Philippines and around the world.

Wonder Woman: Love is not a weakness, but strength

Wonder Woman, or Princess Diana of Themyscira, is a DC Comics character that has very feminist roots. She was created by William Moulton Marston who wanted to create a superhero who gains victories not through violence but through love or compassion. His wife, Elizabeth, suggested that he make the character a woman.

There have been numerous adaptations of Wonder Woman and many fabulous women have had the chance to step into this role. A lot of you though are mostly familiar with the recent adaptation played by the incredible Gal Gadot in movies such as Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and in her own solo movie, Wonder Woman (2017).

Unlike her fellow superheroes in DC Comics, previous films or television series about Wonder Woman have failed to attain the success that films about Superman and Batman have reached. For a long time, there weren’t any films about this female superhero. That’s unfortunate because, how many reboots of Superman and Batman occurred already? Two? Three? I’ve lost count (and also stopped caring). What, then, did Gadot’s Wonder Woman did right, that previous versions failed at, that made it such a hit with women everywhere?

It’s because it stayed true to what her creator, Marston, wanted the character to be. He wanted a female superhero “with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.” This was perfectly portrayed in the film, where Diana displayed qualities such as compassion, sweetness, and peace-loving and wasn’t seen as weak because of these. In fact, the film emphasized that these traits made her stronger. It’s not because of her capability to punch through hundreds of bad guys, but the strength of her character and goodness of her heart is what made Wonder Woman really special.

Captain Marvel: A ‘90s Heroine with Present-Day Struggles

Carol Danvers, or Captain Marvel, graced our screens and made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) just a month ago. It is the 21st film in the MCU and is the first one to be led by a female superhero. Makes you wonder what took them so long…

When the first posters and trailers came out, there were people, mostly men, who criticized Carol for “not smiling enough” or “not showing any emotion” besides looking fierce and tough. Some of them even photoshopped the posters to make it look like she is smiling. Brie Larson, who plays Captain Marvel, clapped back at her haters and posted on Instagram photoshopped images of other superheroes like Iron Man and Captain America smiling on their own posters. She showed how ridiculous it is that women can’t be portrayed as tough or fierce just like male superheroes. Brie also said that, sadly, many women have experienced this kind of thing, having men tell you that you should smile more because you’ll look prettier that way. It’s like women are not allowed to feel any other emotion or that we can’t look serious.

Coincidentally, a similar situation happens to Captain Marvel in the movie, where a biker guy tells Carol to smile. Both Brie and the director, Anna Boden, have said that it was not a response to that criticism but that it was not an uncommon thing that women experience. It was written in the script long before the controversy happened and, lo and behold, the same thing happens in real life.

Darna: A Powerful Dalagang Pilipina

The Philippines also boasts a rich collection of superheroes, but none has had a greater impact on Filipino pop culture like Darna. There isn’t a single Filipino who doesn’t know this female superhero. When you are asked to mention a Filipino superhero, I bet the first one to come to mind is this character.

Darna was created by legendary comic book cartoonist, Mars Ravelo. He started working on this character before World War II, when she was still named Varga. She was intended as the Philippines’ equivalent of Superman, drawing on Ravelo’s concept that America is “male” and our country, as the one colonized by them, as “female.” He proposed the idea to both Filipino and American publishers but was turned down because, according to them, “female superheroes will not sell.”

But, as we can see now, Darna became a big hit with readers and many film and television show adaptations have come out throughout the years. Rosa del Rosario was the first actress to play Darna on screen in 1951. Other actresses that have brought this character to life are Vilma Santos, Lorna Tolentino, Rio Locsin, Angel Locsin, and Marian Rivera. There is an upcoming remake of Darna and, with Angel Locsin and Liza Soberano exiting the project, who knows who the next woman to step into her shoes would be. There is a pressure on both the filmmakers and the actress who would play Darna because this character is so iconic and well-beloved by Filipinos.

Of course, Filipinos were quickly endeared to her not only because of her superpowers, but also because of her love for her family, a trait that is very special to Filipinos. Darna, as her alter ego Narda, takes care of her grandmother, Lola Asay. Who would also forget her brother and sidekick, Ding. Also, we grew to love the ever-inspiring story of a simple village girl who, upon encountering a small meteorite from space, transforms into a powerful being. It’s a very good metaphor than you can become someone extraordinary despite of your small beginnings.

Dawn of a New Age

These three superheroines all have faced their challenges and criticisms. For some reason, they underwent greater scrutiny than their male counterparts. But, despite all these, they found a way to triumph and still make their impact on women all around the world. Their films made millions at the box office and it’s good to see that the film industry is now more confident in telling superhero stories from a woman’s perspective. In the past, and, unfortunately, some movies still do this, women are just there as love interests or as the prize that the hero gets to win at the end. There are still others that sexualizes female superheroes, but because of the help of social media, these kinds of films get called out quickly.

Women using social media to better voice out what they want to see in these kinds of films may be one of the reasons why the film industry is starting to pay more attention and improve their characterizations of women in films. Women are now at the forefront and not just sidekicks to male superheroes. Let’s hope that this continues and lastly, let’s hope that future endeavors continue to portray these female superheroes with a much honest reflection on how it is to be a woman in this present society.

Words by Jemimah Cresencia

Graphics by Kimberly Joy Alejo

Image Source for Darna, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel.

#venus with a mirror #superheroes #wonderwoman #captain marvel #darna #lakambini #beyond barriers

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