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ay0nha · 11 months

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Love is a Losing Game | Remus Lupin

SUMMARY: Remus held your glare with softness. Its intent wasn’t to make you squirm, but it had. You wanted to fight, a reason to retaliate. But Remus knew you well, understood you still, and knew what it meant to distance yourself with well-earned vexation.

Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is paid

PAIRING: Remus Lupin x f!reader

WORD COUNT: 2K

WARNINGS: semi-enemies-to-lovers, semi-forced proximity, morally grey reader, mutual pining, slow burn, adult Remus, drinking, swearing, canon-typical things, etc.

A/N: Oop, not me using another Amy Winehouse song as a title. Anyways, Remus has been On My Mind. I wanted angst and this is where I ended up. Enjoy.

TAGS: @kalllistos @sp1rit-realm

“Answer the question.”

The brief and concise statement thrown at you mimicked the ones prior. Your reluctance to answer was anticipated; everyone seated before the Wizengamot reacted similarly. But the jury surrounding you didn’t have the same empathy for you.

“The answer is obvious, isn’t it?” You were oddly relaxed in the stiff wooden seat. The eyes on you hadn’t made you nervous but rather energized your subtle rage. “Or is our system that dull? Have you truly failed to see who is behind this?”

“Be mindful; your responses have repercussions.” The interrogator warned. His position saved you from a scornful vote against your innocence. Yet, those who looked on weren’t too far off. “Were you or were you not in possession of a time-turner?”

Of course, I was, you thought. The framing of your trial was spectacular. All evidence was vindictive, and the story was so perfectly skewed there was no way to worm your way out. Your fate was already sealed.

“You lot ask the wrong questions.” Your laugh was bitter.

“Your admission. Only.” His patience was running thin, his politeness only formality as his tone opposed it entirely.

The truth was a volatile thing. Children were taught that it was essential in life, valued so highly that corrupt justice could manipulate it so finely that you almost believed it yourself. Lying, therefore, became a habit. It came naturally as if second-hand nature.

The twitch of your lip was poisonous. “Guilty.”

The crowd murmured at your feigned candor. The whispers were silly, as anonymity never existed for those wearing plum-colored robes. Every face was bared, burned into your memory by resentment.

—

It happened more often than you liked—where your breath drew in tightly, and your eyes shot open as if searching your environment for more air. The air always felt stolen. At times, it was.

Rarely did it happen when it was still light out. It was a mistake to fall asleep so openly.

“You alright?” Remus perked from his book, cautious enough not to cause a scene but aware enough to know you weren’t. His attentiveness made you nauseous.

Ignoring him no longer led to guilt. You viewed it as self-preservation. It was the only selfish act you could take in your condition. You’d be stupid not to exercise your only right.

Pushing yourself from the loveseat, you noticed how the fire had grown from the small ember you started. The cold was getting to you only due to how well-suited Remus seemed for it. His home was characteristically quaint, more inviting than you could ever be.

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, but fate was never on your side.

“Is it the same dream?” Remus pushed lightly. His attempts at your vulnerability were in vain. It had been weeks, and you’d yet to budge.

You pulled your neck until it popped. You didn’t speak until there weren’t any more joints left to crack. “You know, Lupin…” You were setting him up for failure. “...You consider us the same…”

Remus’ mannerisms were predictable; they suited him well. They were an extension of his character that only caused a chain reaction in you, with his middle finger covering his lip to hide his growing smile, his pointer, and thumb balanced on his jaw and chin.

Even he looked inviting.

Remus’ posture shifted, placing the book beside him with no need of a bookmark as the pages frayed with favoritism. Your fingers twitched with curiosity to trace every word as if it were an exploration of his mind. Yet, you were far too preoccupied with his smirk, ready to welcome a challenge.

“I’ll bite.” His tongue had been sharpened since you were children. You were cut from the same cloth.

“The skeletons in our closest are almost—” Maybe your exhaustion had caught up to you, jumbling your words that they didn’t even make sense to you. “—interchangeable. Sure.”

Remus hummed, wholly amused by your shrug.

“Yet, there’s something that is distinct, something you conveniently overlook.” You matched his hum, the miming childish but necessary for the pageant you created.

Amusement shifted to confusion. Perhaps it was your newfound voice or the pent-up anger that came with it. It was calculated and wild.

“Remus J. Lupin, the reluctant hero…” You tutted with tender sarcasm. A hand rest above your heart, the same way the elderly read the headline that exploited your name, “...how kind of you to pity a recluse like me… if only you could show me the way…”

“You ridicule empathy as if—

“Empathy—” The word was sharp, foreign on your tongue. “Empathy will get you killed.”

Remus held your glare with softness. Its intent wasn’t to make you squirm, but it had. You wanted to fight, a reason to retaliate. But Remus knew you well, understood you still, and knew what it meant to distance yourself with well-earned vexation.

Therefore, he moved slowly. The book returned to its place in his makeshift library. The fire was tended to with a quick glance. Remus stood beside you, not close enough to inflict discomfort but near enough for you to hear how his softness permeated through into words.

“Then, I am a dead man walking.”

—

Your dreams—nightmares—always stopped before your sentencing—when Dumbledore was called as the final witness. Your verdict was felt as you were hoisted from your seat, dragged through a crowd that believed you were let off too easily, another questioning attribute of Dumbledore’s sanity.

Procure her wand. Dumbledore shrugged, appealing to half the court. Even then, you droned out the conversation knowing how he was skilled at manipulating a room with innate cheekiness.

However, you were drained, any resistance becoming a luxury. Your wand was snapped before a cheering crowd; your mind went blank in reaction to the resonation. You were no longer your own; that much you took away.

There forward, the memory continued hazily; the only evidence of consciousness was the photo before you. Taunting you.

The flash made you squint, distorting your frown into a grimace. It was unflattering, as were all of the Daily Prophet photos. Your hands were preoccupied, one finding solace on your necklace, a nervous habit you never tried to shake—never truly noticed until Remus had.

The other, reaching forward with an instinctual drive. The repetition of the photo missed the moment of impact. But you recognized the hand reaching back for yours, the littering of scars a sincere giveaway. Dumbledore invited him, knowing you would never ask Remus to be there yourself.

If you stared long enough, you swore you remembered how the connection led you to safety.

The consequence of the memory always led to liquor. Remus knew about your small stockpile but never addressed it. He learned you favored wine. Although what you procured was cheap, its tangy sweetness invited mischief and mended the faint heartache. It was a dangerous game to play with the soft jazz that wafted from downstairs.

You caught yourself humming; the tune played so frequently that you caught on. It was a reliable tune. Attached was a perfected image; Remus fighting sleep with a dwindling cigarette sucked on every offbeat.

Just as imagined, Remus’ head rested back, eyes closed. His wrist was limp on the arm of the couch, cigarette dangling dangerously close to the fabric. Beside him was the script-filled letter he’d only just put down that you’d already memorized.

“What did he want?” Your voice covered the distance as you weren’t yet ready to inch forward. Remus heard the groan of the old stairs as you snuck down. You rarely left your room once the sun set, but you’d excuse your presence for a search of warmth.

It was endearing the way Remus’ head lulled to meet your eye. “You’ve already read it.”

“Professor Lupin.” You teased. Your intoxication compelled you. “Sounds nice.”

“You’re making me blush.” His words were muffled with another drag. The smoke framed his face, drawing you in. He didn’t smoke often, so you knew nerves formed the habit.

“You’ll do well.” Your kindness was premeditated. Although you blocked the guilt, your subconscious couldn’t. And now words tumbled from your mouth, slurring just barely. “Be careful.”

“I’m sure I’ll manage ten-year-olds.” He eyed you as you moved to sit across from him. He took your uncharacteristic chattiness in stride.

You shook your head, revealing the concern that etched your features, “You know that’s not what I mean.”

The fire crackling filled the lull. The house felt different the past few days. It was obvious what rippled through the air. It caused panic in every household. Every outlet in every house was filled with the news.

Black still at large

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.

Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle.

Have you seen this wizard?

Remus appreciated the opportunity you provided him to dismiss your comment with another.

“I’m going to throw a party while you're gone. Really wreck the place.”

His eyes crinkled with light laughter. It bubbled at your teasing. It made you shy, like you’d said something wrong, gone too far, and lost your defensive bravado.

“C’mere.” Remus beckoned you. His eyes tracked you carefully as you stood again. Your lack of hostility felt refreshing, but your steps forward gave away your stupor. But you were intentional, bumping your knee against his.

With the barely-there tangling of limbs, you plucked the cigarette balanced on his lips. The smoke reached deep within your lungs, eliciting a soothing cough. “Never was one for these.”

Remus’ arm grazed past you, fabric provoking friction as he reached for the letter. His body moved with an ache that he couldn’t seem to shake. You noticed it in all his actions; even small movements reminded him of his burden. You restrained yourself from reaching out to support the weight that ought to be off his left side. He managed, but it wasn't enough.

“Go on, hold it out…” He nodded to the impending roach, letter still in hand. Remus was being gentle purposefully. It functioned to ease you into what you were about to uncover. “...look closely.”

You expected him to reclaim his cigarette and tease you about a habit you could never pick up like he had. Your mind wandered briefly, reminiscing on shared teenage innocence, but the thought was interrupted.

The parchment was enchanted, revealing its true contents. It was a novice spell, one that was often times forgotten. To reveal it, one had to warm the paper, and the cinder of the cigarette did just that.

Letter by letter, the hidden message reflected your name. Dumbledore was clever enough to foresee your snooping.

Your arrival will mean so much more than you know.

You should have seen it coming. It was a natural progression due to Sirius roaming. The movement was enough to bleed into the muggle world. It was imperative that Remus would respond, motivating him and the dementors attached.

Everything had a magnetism, pulling you in out of necessity.

“Naturally.” You flicked the remnants of the cigarette into the fireplace. The letter followed. Warmth spread through your limbs, an anger that you had almost forgotten. You went to distance yourself again.

“It’s for the best.” There was candor to Remus’ comment. It was a part of your stipulation, another idea introduced by your former headmaster.

Remus was responsible for you, there to supervise your lack of magic. Where he went, you did. Otherwise, you would have carved a space for yourself in Azkaban. You’d never admit it, but some days you questioned if you’d be better off with the solitude of a cell.

Regardless, eyes were on you.

Your frown ticked, “I never liked children.”

“They’re harmless.” Remus tried to reassure you. You knew he’d do well; there weren’t many things that he didn’t have a natural aptitude for. If he had, you were the obstacle.

“Is that what we were?” You hummed with a bite. “Harmless?”

#q #remus lupin #remus #lupin #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin x f!reader #remus lupin angst #remus lupin fluff #remus j lupin #remus lupin smut #remus lupin fic #harry potter remus lupin #harry potter fanfiction #I DO NOT STAN JKR #FUCK TERFS

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bluey-frog · 11 months

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OOC Notes

Hi guys, I’m the vulgar wrecker a.k.a. Rain. I’m addicted to my phone so best believe you’ll get a response, because I love everyone :). Also any new updates from me personally will be in a tag named called ‘shutuprain’ (like this one). Hopefully. Anyway, shut up and listen to the

Important irl business:

I’m not much irl, although I will be gone by next summer for.. army stuffs, but I’m not no weirdo about it. I’m only joining it because I feel I will mature from it, so don’t let that fact change your opinion about me. Also I’m 17, just so you know. Not that it’d surprise most of you reading this. I’m very open to all kinds of things, but the only thing that slightly triggers me is blood. I’m scared of it, it makes me curl up, and get anxious. I’ve had this issue since well FOREVER. Other than that, blatantly racist things for obvious reasons, and just anything mean for no reason. I also really find cuss words funny, so I don’t care if you cuss. Not a problem with me, and I’m new to tumblr. As of the time of this being posted it is my first time actually using the app. Anyway, my pronouns are he/him, but I’m not really strict with them so if you prefer to call me by any other she/her, they/them and the like I’m not opposed. Call me whatever you’d like :)

If I need to tell anymore about myself I might just add it in its own post, of course things may change.

OC’s below cut

The lovely characters!

Disclaimer: I find it better to be honest with you all when it comes to these two characters and the references they come from. Because both were originally contained having appearances of actual anime characters, I’m sorta unoriginal.. Indi came from a picture of Kokichi. And Raito comes from the “Wretched Egg” or Shiro from deadman wonderland, a anime I grew up with. So, yeah. Anyway, tweaks will also be explained, because of course they’re differentiated. Now I’ll shut up and get to it.

Name: Komichi “Indi” Yuzuki

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Occupation: Game Developer

Height: 5’1

Hair color: Black

Eye color: Purple

Sexuality: Bisexual with a male lead

Notes:

Often falls into depressive episodes, especially when in relation to his love life

Remarks about wishing he could drink his pain away

“ A wish?.. well, that’s easy. I wish for a new purpose in my life, some danger to spice it up. Or else.. what else will help me?..”

Tags for Indi table will be, ‘oocha’ and ‘icha’ because it’s funny to me.

Photo references for tha boy:

Links to picrew:

Name: Raito Sekkuma

Age: 22

Gender: Female (She/Her)

Occupation: Prison Guard

Height: 5’5

Hair: Snow White

Eye color: Blood Red

Sexuality: Straight (sometimes bi-curious if you’re charming enough)

Notes:

Very secretive on why she was fired from her job. Otherwise very social, and often doesn’t let things get to her

Makes a strange clicking sound sometimes, almost sounds like a soda can being opened. A “kscha!” kind of sound. Often occurs when she holds sadistic thoughts.

Seems to have a blurred vision or at least pretends to.

“A wish? What’re you? A genie..? I hate these stupid interviews. But, if I have to answer.. my wish would be to die.”

- (Not Raito) “…T-That’s it?.. ah, come on. That’s it? You don’t want a million dollars, to magically heal your body, or even a perfectly painless de-“

“Okay, okay! Fine. If you want specification.. take out ‘painless’ and you’ll have my wish. I’ll spell it out for you. A. Perfect. Death. Are we done here?”

Her tags are “raiooc” and “kscha” for ic.

Photos for tha girl:

Link to this new picrew:

#shutuprain #oocha #raiooc

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live-laugh-loverpool · 1 year

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Making Today A Perfect Day

Hey guys, glad to be posting! The idea for this fic is partially based off something I experienced before.

Tags: @millythegoat, @alissonbecksfan234, @moomin279, @rubybecker-rb2

Warnings: mentions of loss of a parent, angst

Lijnders woke up at 7:02 AM, the same time he woke up almost every ordinary day. Today, though, was no ordinary day. Today was January 24--Lijnders' fortieth birthday--a milestone for every person his age. For some it meant reaching true maturity, while for others it meant the dreaded "midlife crisis" was fast approaching. Naturally, due to these opposing views, everybody celebrated their fortieth differently. Those who took getting older in stride would celebrate jubilantly, while those who were more self-conscious about their gray hairs had quieter celebrations.

Unlike both of those cohorts and many others, Lijnders wouldn't be celebrating at all. Because his birthday happened to be exactly five days after the day Klopp's mother passed away from illness.

In 2021, Liverpool had a game on the 24th of January, away at United. They ended up losing and getting knocked out of the FA Cup, so there were no big celebrations anyways. Klopp had surprised Lijnders with a small present--a new wristwatch—and a card.

In 2022, the team had been in London. They'd just finished beating Crystal Palace the previous day, and hadn't really had time to throw a proper party with the flight home and everything. Klopp and Lijnders had enjoyed a beer on the veranda after getting home, watching the stars for hours before finally heading to bed.

But now Liverpool had no games on or around January 24. So Lijnders had no excuse to "forget" or "not focus" on his birthday now. He didn't want to make it all about him--he wanted to let Klopp have some time to himself.

So he got out of bed, dressed in his usual jeans and gray shirt, and shuffled out of the bedroom. He would get to work soon enough, but first he needed coffee.

When he reached for the strongest cup of coffee the machine had available, Lijnders had expected the normal greetings: "good morning" or "are you really getting that strong coffee” or “happy birthday” considering the date. What Lijnders hadn't expected was Krawietz completely putting his foot in his mouth.

“Happy birthday, man! When's the party?”

Lijnders nearly dropped his coffee--a rarity for him. "Excuse me?"

"Your birthday party," Krawietz explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What's the theme? Do I have to wear a boring black suit or can I break in my new Hawaiian shirt?"

Lijnders exhaled, trying his very best not to explode. Krawietz had been affectionately nicknamed "The Eye" by the other staff, but he didn't exactly seem to have an eye for when to apply some tact. "There will be no party."

"No party?!" Krawietz exclaimed. "Come on Pep, this is the third year in a row there'll be no party for you! It doesn't seem fair to me."

"You know why we didn't party in 2021," Lijnders took a sip of his coffee to try and calm himself down. "And last year we won, but we flew back from London and came home late."

"But we're staying put this time. So what's your excuse now, Pep?" Krawietz raised an eyebrow like Ancelotti, studying Lijnders intently.

He knows something's up. No point in hiding it. "There's a specific reason why I'm not celebrating my birthday, Pete. And the reason's initials are JK."

This only seemed to confuse Krawietz even further. "Jurgen loves celebrations."

How oblivious could Krawietz be?! Lijnders slammed his coffee cup onto the table. "You DO remember what happened in 2021, right?! You do remember that Jurgen's only living parent for twenty years died five days before I turned thirty-eight?! Sorry if I'm the only one who's considerate of my best friend's feelings."

"We all are. But it's been two years," Krawietz objected. "If I'm right, Jurgen wouldn't mind too much if we had a party."

"He and his mom were like two peas in a pod."

"He also wouldn't want you to skip a milestone birthday for him."

Lijnders huffed, spinning on his heel and storming out of the room. "Excuse me, but I'm going to find somebody who actually cares about Jurgen like I do."

Lijnders finished his coffee in three gulps instead of two, immediately going for another refill. He actually drank less coffee when he was mad--and right now he was seething.

"Does Pete have no tact?!" he exclaimed to the trusty wall in front of him. "Losing a parent, that has to be one of the worst moments of somebody's life. Especially since Jurgen and his mother were so close--they got along perfectly. Can't he realize this?!"

"Whoo?"

"Pete, who do you think?!"

Another shrill hoot sounded from around the door, and that's when Lijnders realized nobody was in the room at all. Rather, he was talking to an owl--Klopp's owl, Ludger.

No matter how much Ludger hooted at him, Lijnders didn't even bother to try and communicate with the owl. That was Klopp's domain--and Ludger got along better with Klopp, anyways. When he wasn't hooting his head off, Ludger resided in Klopp's office, vibing to his own personal playlist.

Lijnders then realized that if Ludger was out of his cage, then Klopp was probably nearby. I'd better get to breakfast before Pete runs into me again, he thought, making his way down the stairs. Unlike Klopp, Lijnders had no issues with the stairs.

Breakfast was...slightly interesting, considering Robertson and Alexander-Arnold had made breakfast. The two weren't exactly great cooks, and so had resorted to serving breakfast buffet-style, collecting a melange of leftover breakfast foods and letting everybody serve themselves.

Lijnders quickly served himself, taking his seat at the other end of the table. Klopp wasn't at the table, much to his surprise, leaving him in charge by de facto.

"Where's the gaffa?" Robertson asked through a mouthful of food. "He'll miss the potato scones."

"They're hash browns, Andy. HASH BROWNS." Milner shook his head, stabbing at a sausage. "I know you miss your Scottish food, but honestly I don't see why."

Robertson's glare could've burnt metal. "I'll have you know that my mum is an excellent cook of our Scottish cuisine."

"You mean potatoes and oatmeal. That's all you cook!"

"We also make haggis!"

"That's not food, that's an old boot stewed with sheep's heart!"

"It's called recycling!"

"Boys!" Lijnders blew on the whistle that he carried around for things like this. Eventually everybody settled down. "Leave it be. If Jurgen’s late, then Jurgen will be late.”

“Still, it’s not like the boss to miss breakfast. Especially on birthdays!” Alexander-Arnold argued. “Can’t we go check on him, just to make sure he’s alright? Please, Lijnders?”

For a moment, Lijnders was about to give in to Alexander-Arnold's huge brown eyes. Then he thought about Klopp...

Lijnders quietly padded into the room. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, but he didn't want to disturb Klopp. The German was curled up in his office chair, a quilt draped around his shoulders. The laptop and papers in front of him remained largely untouched, as they had for most of the day.

The events of the past few days had robbed Lijnders of his best friend, leaving behind a numb, empty shell. Klopp's usual vibrancy and life had vanished, and he'd seemed to age more rapidly in five days than he had in five years.

They'd been through so much together--losing major finals, injuries, bad press. He'd never seemed this broken before.

Wordlessly, Lijnders set a new mug of hot chocolate on the desk. It would probably end up cold, but it was the thought that mattered.

The muffled thunk of the mug seemed to alert Klopp of Lijnders' presence. He glanced up at Lijnders, who could say nothing except, "I dropped some extra chocolate in there."

It seemed to be the most pathetic, futile, unimportant thing in the wake of such a tragedy. But Klopp pulled the mug closer to himself, clasping Lijnders' hand.

"Danke, Pepijn.”

Lijnders came out of his reverie, glancing at the clock. They had two hours before the day's training began. "I still don't think we should disturb him, Trentski. Why don't you all hang out and get ready for training?"

"That's right!" Robertson exclaimed. "After all, we don't want to skip Plan L, right?"

The other players and staff at the table nodded cryptically, as if they had a secret. Lijnders didn't even bother asking about it. He had no time to interpret secrets--the only thing he had to interpret was the training plans Klopp had written in advance.

Lijnders sat at his desk, scanning the plans for that day’s training. Nothing had changed on the plans at all—in fact, they looked like the same plans from the day before. That’s because they are the same plans, Lijnders realized with a start. Jurgen didn’t even write new plans. And they look so normal—there’s nothing having to do with Thiago and a ball cannon!

Because the plans weren’t new, Lijnders decided that he would just relax before training started. He would pour himself a cup of coffee, and maybe treat himself to something from the cafeteria.

He stood in front of the pastry display for a long time before finally selecting a Dutch apple tart. It was covered with clotted cream and apple filling and would probably add a few pounds onto him, but it was worth it.

“Pep!” Krawietz strode through the door, exaggerating his walk with a few comically-failed high kicks. “So what colors are the balloons going to be, huh? Red, or black, what do you think?”

“Invisible color, please,” Lijnders retorted, turning his back on the Pole. Normally he got along with Krawietz, but this was getting ridiculous. “Leave me alone now, Pete.”

“You should go easy on the apple tart,” Krawietz went on, swiping some of the pastry from Lijnders’ plate. “We’re going to have a buffet later today at your birthday party.”

“Will you just shut UP?!” Lijnders yelled, taking back his dessert. “You know very well why I’m not celebrating my birthday—I just told you earlier. That’s also why I’m trying to get everybody to forget by not blabbing about it every minute!”

“You can’t make everybody forget your birthday because Jurgen’s mom died five days before!”

“It’s called empathy, you idiot!”

“And for the first year or two, it’s fine. But there has to be a time to move on, right?”

“Well…”

Krawietz huffed, setting down the plate of dessert. “Don’t worry, Pep. I’m going to have a conversation with Jurgen about this, and then we can get on with Plan L.”

Oh, how Lijnders wanted to slam a fist into Krawietz’s face now. “Do not loop Jurgen into your mess!”

“My mess?! YOU’RE the one who started this!”

“What in the Bundesliga is going on here?”

Lijnders groaned, silently wishing that he could disappear into thin air. “I think we need to talk.”

Lijnders had worried about what Klopp would say to all the brouhaha, especially considering the nature of it. His concerns had only increased once Klopp directed both him and Krawietz to his office.

“So, let me get this straight.” Even after hearing both sides of the story, Klopp still appeared calm. He’d let Krawietz go back to his activities, but had retained Lijnders. “You wanted to skip your own birthday party because you thought it would make me feel better?”

Lijnders shrugged, unsure what to say. “Well, the first time we already had a game the next day. And then the second time we were flying back from London, so…I decided to give you some breathing room.”

“Pep.” Klopp hesitated for a bit before going on. “I never told you that we’re skipping your birthday. I never, ever said that.”

“I know you didn’t. I just thought it would be for the best.”

Klopp walked around the desk, motioning for Lijnders to stand up. The Dutchman hadn’t even been up for half a second before Klopp engulfed him in one of his trademark bear hugs.

“Pete really put his foot in his mouth today, that’s for sure. But I will tell you one thing that he got right: you are worth celebrating every day of the year. Especially on your birthday; that’s the day the world blessed us with you, after all.”

“I wasn’t intending to skip it entirely,” Lijnders confessed, kicking at the ground. “Just the party, and whatever Plan L is.”

“Pepijn Lijnders.” Klopp rolled his eyes in mock exasperation, rummaging through his desk drawer. He triumphantly pulled out a sheet of paper, showing it to Lijnders. “Plan L is your birthday party. And it was my idea.”

“What?!”

“You look like you though we weren’t planning anything at all,” Klopp joked. His expression grew serious, yet gentle. “You’re a thoughtful soul to think so unselfishly. I’m returning the favor, by celebrating you.”

Lijnders hadn’t thought of it that way. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused.”

“It happens.” Klopp opened the office door, letting in all the chaos of the Kirkby Ground. “Now let’s get to training, shall we?”

Everybody was out for training exactly on time. As was the team’s custom, they sang the birthday song in every one of the languages the staff and players spoke. That included German, which several of the players knew despite not being from Germany, and Dutch.

Lijnders and Klopp stuck together through the whole training session, giving orders and directives as usual. And when, after training everybody blindfolded Lijnders and dragged him to a dark room, he pretended not to know what was inside.

#jurgen klopp #pep lijnders #pete krawietz #liverpool fc #lfc #soccer fanfiction by lynn #liverpool #football blurb #football imagine #football fanfic #soccer fanfiction #lfc players #liverpool men

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missroller15 · 3 years

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A very special date night

ok, here it finally is! I’m sorry about the delay but I got it finished and I’m actually pretty nervous to post this but here goes, I hope you all enjoy it <3333

________________________________________________________________

Finally.. It was date night. EJ and Gina couldn’t be more hyped to finally get their time together.

Due to busy schedules (EJ in college and Gina with highschool, theater, etc.), time alone just got cut shorter and shorter. They decided enough was enough and planned for one day a month where they could both simply be together but of course, to make things a bit more interesting, one of them would choose the location while the other got to choose the meal or place to eat.

This month, EJ was choosing where they’d go but the thing is… Gina truly had no clue what he could be planning. Usually, he’d drop a huge obvious hint but assume he didn’t just reveal but this time around, no hints or anything.

The day finally came, a bright Friday afternoon. The sunlight beamed through Gina’s window as she yawned while stretching her arms out. Still in the process of waking up, she suddenly heard a buzz come from her phone.

Hey, G. Sorry, I couldn't text sooner! I’m at the zoo with Big Red so I won’t be home most of today. Enjoy some of the breakfast saved in the fridge and get your game face ready for tonight with my cuz ;)

Before Gina could respond, a second message came in putting a stop to all her suspicions.

And nope, can’t answer any questions! Anyways, have fuuuuun

She let out a long sigh, so many questions rushing through her mind and the only way she could think of putting them to rest for the moment was by focusing on something else so the girl sluggishly got up and went to shower.

Once she was out, most of her impending questions had settled (not all were gone, to be clear though) and as she walked downstairs, yet another message came except not from Ash this time.

From EJ: Ready for one of the greatest date nights ever, babe? ;)

A smile grew on her face as she headed to the door and found EJ waiting outside beside his car. He was leaning against it, specifically by the passenger side, most likely waiting for Gina to arrive so he could open the door for her like the incredible sweet boyfriend he is. Blush spread across her face as he noticed her coming out.

“So, am I still not allowed to ask questions?” she joked once they were both sitting inside the car.

“I mean, of course but this is gonna be an interesting date and honestly I’m curious to see your reaction without any ideas..” he explained as they drove. Gina raised an eyebrow but kept her thoughts to herself. While they sat in a comfortable silence, she started to try and contemplate where they could be going. The biggest hint she had was Ashlyn’s text but even then, with how vague it was, she still remained puzzled.

Just then when they arrived, all that curiosity disappeared from her mind and she finally realized what she meant by getting her game face ready. They were about to play Laser Tag.

As they walked in, she couldn’t help but already feel her adrenaline start to rush. She finally realized what Ash meant when she said to get her game face ready and Gina was going to do just that.

The teams were selected by random and EJ already had their names filled out on the form so now all they had to do was wait for the announcer to begin calling out names. Gina and EJ anxiously but even more excitedly stood waiting for the announcement to come already with their hands interlocked.

As they stood waiting, EJ leaned over to whisper something into Gina’s ear sending a chill down her back. “Just know, that if we’re on a different teams and I beat you, I will like you just the same as I do at this moment.”

Gina scoffed at the comment and looked him dead in the eye, trying to stifle her laughter. “Don’t try to intimidate me, babe.. It’s not gonna change anything, I got my game face on now and it stays till I win.”

He jokingly rolled his eyes at the snarky reply. Before he could respond, the announcer finally came on.

“Ok ok ok, let’s do this! So excited to kick-off the first laser tag game of the day and as most of you already know how this goes, blah blah blah be safe. Once you’re hit, you’re done for a good ten minutes. Now anyways, now back to teams..” he quickly rambled.

Gina glanced over at EJ who just gently squeezed her hand while they expectantly waited to hear the team names.

“Alrighty then, let’s begin… for team red, EJ Caswell…” he started, considering the teams only consisted of six players for this round, it didn’t take long to name all the players and before they knew it, it was already time for the blue team.

Since Gina’s name wasn’t called out for the red team, it was obvious she’d be a part of the blue team meaning that they were going to go against each other. To be honest, the idea of being able to hold the win over the other’s head enticed them both.. A lot more than they liked to admit.

The teams began to disperse and head to the main room for setting up. While in there, this time EJ shot a glance at Gina, who was zipping up her dark blue vest. She turned for a second to wink at him before returning her attention back to her team.

EJ did the same and not too long after, the whispers and small talk went silent as everyone’s laser guns began beeping and flashing most likely because they were being turned on while the lights dimmed down. The announcer came on one last time soon after.

“Players, prep time is over… the doors to the laser tag area are now unlocked and you may enter. Let the games begin.”

Everyone immediately separated and went to find hiding spots. Gina immediately knew the second level was the place she needed to be. As she navigated through the dark space, something felt off… almost as if she felt a presence following behind her.

“It’s probably just your nerves, don’t break focus”, Gina muttered under her breath. Soon enough, she began to turn a corner, that feeling came back again. She immediately began dashing and ended up finding a small pitch dark corner to hide in right by the stairs she was finding to the second level in the first place.

Just as Gina thought, once she slipped behind the corner someone came not long after and it didn’t surprise her one bit who it was.

“Aw man, I lost her.” EJ groaned in frustration. Gina bit the inside of her cheek to contain her laughter at seeing the poor green eyed boy mope.

The fun ended though as he started to explore the area and he began getting dangerously close to her corner so she did the only reasonable thing a person would do if they felt threatened.

While his back was turned, she took the opportunity and leaped onto his back. He immediately toppled over and Gina had the upper hand for the moment. Gina clapped her hand over his mouth before he could start yelling for help.

“Shhh.. don’t fight it.” she whispered softly leaning in closer. Now she hadn’t planned for this part of the plan but he was right there.. one little peck wouldn’t do anything.

As she slowly removed her hand from on top of his mouth, her body went into shock when he went in for the kiss. She didn’t even think twice once her brain started to function again and reciprocated.

Her hand gently released its tight grip on the gun and Gina’s focus finally broke. They broke apart after about 30 seconds to take a breath but then Gina heard something that made her blood run cold.

Her vest was beeping and so was her gun.

She looked at EJ, who had a satisfied smirk resting on his face. “I thought you knew this, G. I play to win.” He said so while holding his red glowing gun up.

Gina, shocked and possibly just a bit impressed, remained speechless. He played her at her own game and won?! Gina wasn’t gonna let this go, there was still a chance and she wasn’t going to waste it.

In the ten minutes that Gina was out, EJ knew she would be out to get him and only him. He played an extremely dangerous move by playing Gina like that but it’s obviously what she was planning for him so if anything, at least she’ll know now that he knows most of the tricks up her sleeve.

What scares him though is what she has left…

Within a couple seconds, he manages to find one of his teammates and the two stuck together for a couple minutes. They found a good spot and chilled for a second after all the navigating and running.

“So, the girl that’s currently out.. She’s your girlfriend, right?” the boy said, he looked around 14-15 but EJ couldn’t exactly tell.

“Yep and once she’s back in, we’re gonna need to hide really well.” he warned, followed by a chuckle. “You really think she’s gonna be that furious?”

Poor kid. He really doesn’t know what she’s capable of, he thought to himself. “Oh yeah, she’s gonna be infuriated. Don’t worry though, she’s probably gonna come for me only. We’re just super competitive like that. It runs in our blood.”

EJ glanced back to see the kid terrified. “O..k.” he let out. The conversation didn’t go much further but at least before they split off, EJ did manage to get across the fact that he was only joking.

After a while of walking, he checked his watch and realized that Gina would be out any second. Just as he thought, not a minute after checking the time, a beep came from the speakers signaling that a player would be entering the game.. It was about to get a whole lot more dangerous than before.

Once she was out, Gina knew exactly what EJ would be thinking.. He knew that he was her main target and that’s what he needed to get out of his head.

So, Gina put her focus on getting his teammates out first, with the help of hers as well of course. If she was being fully honest, she really did not expect to work as well with her team as she did. They were just as cunning and competitive.

This made Gina’s plan that much easier to complete. While waiting out her ten minutes, she had concocted a pretty simple but effective plan.

Her teammates and some of the opposing team members were actually everyday regulars here at the lasertag so they knew the routes and pathways that the others would take. With this information, it was decided that they’d take care of their own personal friends and get them out while Gina was left to find EJ and get him out.

Yes,it was simple but if Gina was going to win, all she needed was for it to be efficient.

Not much time was wasted, once she got out. The beeper signaling that players were out began to go off every couple of minutes, she quietly counted while swiftly moving through the area. Out of the corner of the eye, she saw something from behind. No way, she was turning her back this time.

She quietly and carefully walked back to the spot where she noticed something and immediately let out a breath of relief at seeing a kid resting back in the corner, his eyes shut tight. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll tell you where he is. Just please don’t tell him I told you. I can be out, it’s ok, I-”

“Ya know, kid. I actually kinda like you for that but what did EJ tell you?! Did you really believe I was seriously out to murder him, it’s just our thing.. Don’t worry and well, if we’re bargaining here.. The best I can do is you give me EJ’s location and I’ll give you an extra ten minutes to go hide.” she explained, holding her hand out to seal the deal.

He looked down a bit worried but shook nonetheless. He quickly whispered where he thought EJ would be hiding and ran away within a second after.

Gina followed his instructions and slowly crept up to the second level of the arena. She knew that kid gave it up way too easily and there was no harm in being cautious so she walked towards the spot that the kid described as quietly as possible.

Once she was there, she looked around but not carefully enough because now she was back to square one when she heard his voice. “Well, looks like my plan worked. I’m just so touched with how well you’re taking this, G.”

“Aww Eej, you think you’re really gonna end up winning”, she started, as she turned and began slowly walking towards the proud boy, “-tsk tsk, you’re too good and naive for your own good, babe.

EJ furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and ever so slightly,let his guard down. Rookie mistake, Gina thought as she jumped towards EJ again. He saw it coming and dodged the attack but ended up causing Gina to trip over his foot.

She yelped at the collision with the floor. Pain shot through her wrist as she sat back up. Within a second EJ was already at her side, helping her stand. “Maybe we got a little too intense with the game..” he joked, walking to the arena exit with Gina.

“Ya think?” she laughed, while gently massaging her palm and wrist area. Once they made it, the two returned their gear to the set-up room. There was still about a half hour of laser tag left but it was obvious, the game was done for today.

Even if their initial idea got cut short, that didn’t mean the day was over. As EJ and Gina walked to the car, they couldn’t help but continuously chitter and chatter about all that occurred. From Gina’s surprise attack on him to EJ’s interesting conversation with the young boy.

By then, Gina’s wrist had relaxed and the pain toned down. While they drove, the chitter chatter turned to a comfortable silence. It was just that time where words didn’t need to be said anymore. The glances, little laughs here and there, it was just really nice.

The drive didn’t take too long and before they knew it, they’d already arrived at Ashlyn and Gina’s place.

“So.. we’re here. Look, I’m sorry about the wrist thing and I just got a little too into it, you see when I-” His rambling got cut short by Gina pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

“Hey, it’s alright. It was just a game and it’s not like the day is over yet, I’d like to use up all the time I have with you today.” she smiled after breaking off the kiss. EJ proceeded to continually caress her cheek as she spoke.

“Ok. This time, you name it though.”

Gina decided on a movie night to end the day.

Honestly, this month’s date night wasn’t the most planned and perfect but that’s what made it all the more fun. Both EJ and Gina couldn’t wait for the next to see what surprises were in store.

#portwell #portwell fics #ej caswell #gina porter

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kirishimas-wife · 4 years

Text

Laser Tag | Katsuki Bakugo

Bakugo x fem!reader

lol I just wanted to write a short one-shot instead of the headcanons i usually do

Summary: Take me laser tagging, push me into a corner, and kiss me. Then shoot me and walk away.

---

You weren’t sure how it had happened.

When you had started at UA you weren’t expecting the first person to talk to you to be Mina Ashido. The girl was loud, no offense, and she seemed to be one of the popular types. Normally when popular kids had approached you, it wasn’t with good intentions.

You did soon come to realize that your hero course homeroom class was not like regular high school classes. Here, there didn’t seem to be any sort of hierarchy based on popularity.

So Mina had become your first friend in class, and you had been inducted into her group of friends. You were soon introduced to Sero, Kaminari, and Kirishima. (They were a package deal.) The three of them were surprisingly open to having a new member join their group. The last one of them you met, reluctantly, was Bakugo. Scary at first, but he had never hurt any of his friends on purpose outside of training.

Dubbed the “Bakusquad” by the rest of the class, your group spent almost all of their time together. This also meant hanging out outside of class time. Even Bakugo joined them, albeit grudgingly.

Spending a lot of time with them made you realize how lonely you had been before you came to UA. They were a valuable addition to your life, and you couldn’t remember what it had been like without them.

Over time, you had ended up developing feelings for Bakugo. Him, of all people. Well, he wasn’t all that bad once you got to know him. Bakugo wasn’t actually all that angry at his friends. He didn’t yell at them constantly like he did to other people. He was surprisingly protective and soft towards his friends. It was cute how his personality could pull an almost 180 when he was around people he actually appreciated.

Mina had found out quite soon after you had realized your feelings yourself. It was a combination of you not being able to hide your feelings constantly and her being incredibly perceptive. She was very supportive of you, and badly wanted the two of you to get together.

Her latest attempt at “group bonding” (that may or may not have been an excuse to get the two of you alone somewhere so you could confess) was laser tag at the mall. The mall you guys usually hung out at had just opened up a laser tag/arcade place, and while you had done the arcade portion, you hadn’t had time for a proper round of laser tag until now.

When you had arrived, there were already people in the game you were going to join, so the staff had to split you up into different teams. You were on a team with Kirishima and Mina, and Sero, Denki, and Bakugo were on the opposing team.

The game was really fun. No quirks were allowed (for obvious reasons), but you still managed to hold your ground. Kirishima, Mina, and you made a really good team and managed to score some good shots. You guessed your strategizing practice in hero school also helped some.

Near the end of the game, you checked your place on the scoreboard to see that you were in 1st place, with Bakugo trailing behind by a few points. You turned the next corner to find someone else to eliminate and gain a proper lead, but you were grabbed and pushed into the corner.

“Don’t scream.”

“Bakugo,” you breathed, “what are you doing?”

He got closer to your face and you squirmed, trying to put some distance between you. Suddenly he moved his face to yours and kissed you. His lips felt soft against your slightly chapped ones.

Wait a minute. Why was your crush kissing you? In laser tag?

He pulled away from you as you regained your senses. He took your shock as a chance to shoot you in the chest as he walked away.

“It’s called winning.”

Umm...hi? Sorry for being gone for so long, but I hope this makes up for it. I wanted to try something a bit different from what I ususally do. It was honestly really fun. Anyway, I’ll get back to taking requests now lol :)

#bakugo #bakugo x reader #bnha imagines #bakugo katsuki #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha x reader #animehorizons

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thewickedkings · 4 years

Text

Between the Two of Us ~ Chapter 3

Masterlist || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

Summary: Jurdan High school AU. Rivals Jude and Cardan are forced to partner up for a history project, and drama ensues. Filled with banter, pranks, an unhealthy amount of pining, and Jude being clueless as usual.

Trigger Warnings: I don’t think there’s anything so far, but please let me know if there’s anything I missed!

The car ride with Cardan was strangely quiet. Other than asking where she needed to be dropped off, Cardan remained silent. It seemed that besides arguing, they didn’t have much to say to each other.

The radio hummed in the background, and Jude let herself relax into her seat.

Cardan sat lazily in the driver’s seat, one hand draped on the wheel. With the afternoon sunlight highlighting the planes of his face, Jude glanced at Cardan and found herself strangely curious about his life. She wondered what he would do after dropping her off, how he spent his weekends, who he spent his weekends with.

She wondered if he was still dating Nicasia, the girl he had dated since sophomore year. She’d heard rumors they’d broken up. Nicasia was the only girl he’d ever seriously dated besides the series of girls he’d flirted with. She hated how easily they fell for his charm, but she knew better.

Jude shook the thoughts from her head, annoyed at herself for thinking about Cardan. It was probably the stress from the past week getting to her. Between school and soccer practice and now work, Jude’s semester had been jam-packed.

Once she got to college though, things would change. She would let herself make friends and have fun and be normal. She could reinvent herself as someone people could like. Then she would finally be happy, because it was a path for herself that she had paved on her own, that she had control of. For now, she would just trudge through high school so she could get into college and finally move out.

Cardan turned into the parking lot of the café, and Jude was suddenly overwhelmed with a random burst of apprehension. She had quit her last job at an ice cream parlor because of her coworker, Valerian. At first, he used her to blame for his own mistakes. And because she was new, the boss took his word. Then came the prickling glances and veiled threats, the lingering gazes on the back of her neck, watching her for any mistakes.

She remembered those fearful late nights when the store had emptied, leaving her alone with him, and shivered. Though she hadn’t let her fear show, it seeped through her veins, keeping her on high alert when she had shifts with him. She had hated the feeling of powerlessness, the inability to grasp control of the situation, and eventually quit before Valerian got her fired and ruined her future job prospects. She desperately wanted this job to be better.

Cardan parked the car, pulling her out of her anxious spiral. She fidgeted with the zipper on her wallet, not wanting to go inside just yet. For some reason, Cardan’s car seemed a better option than facing her first day at work.

Cardan turned to look at her expectantly, and Jude slid on her unworried, confident mask like a second skin. And yet she felt like his gaze could see right through her, see that what she showed to the world wasn’t always the truth.

She cleared her throat. “Thanks for driving me.”

“No problem.” He paused. “I’d say good luck, but I don’t think you need it.”

Her lips quirked up in a hint of a smile, slightly surprised that Cardan knew exactly what she needed to hear in that moment.

She exhaled, reached for the door handle, and stepped out. Cardan looked like he wanted to say more, but then closed his mouth. Suddenly feeling awkward, Jude quickly shut the door behind her with a quick “thanks again” and walked to the entrance.

~~~

Her first day at work was way better than she could have expected. Her boss told her to shadow her new coworker for her first few shifts until she got the hang of the job. Her coworker, who introduced herself as the Bomb, had a cloud of white hair that contrasted with her flawless brown skin, and she radiated a sense of genuineness that Jude instantly liked.

As she showed Jude how to make different beverages, Jude couldn’t help but ask, “So what’s with the name?” She winced, realizing how rude that had probably sounded. She definitely wasn’t a very good people person.

But the Bomb just smiled at her, unfazed. “Real name’s Liliver. I accidently, um, made the blender explode, as one does, so I got stuck with the Bomb,” she said sheepishly.

Jude snorted.

“I’m lucky I got a ‘cool’ one, I guess,” she continued. “You’ll meet my friends the Roach and the Ghost in your next shifts. It’s kind of our thing. Stay here long enough and you’ll get one too.”

Jude felt a little intimidated by their already established friendship, but the Bomb was nice enough, so she figured she wouldn’t hate working with the Roach and the Ghost.

After the Bomb went through the steps of a few of the most popular drinks, she demonstrated how to work the register as she took a customer’s order. Jude caught on pretty quickly, and the Bomb left her to man the register while she made some drinks.

She breathed in the comforting smell of coffee and let her nerves settle. She could get used to this place. The small store was the definition of cozy, with booths to the side and elegant greenery adorning the back wall of the shop. A couple students sat on the bar stools next to the counter, backpacks tucked underneath their seats.

The door to the coffee shop opened, and her eyes shifted to the guy with orangish brown hair who had just walked in.

He approached the counter, and Jude was surprised to realize it was Locke, one of Cardan’s lackeys. Jude automatically tensed. Although he hadn’t outright bullied her in middle school, he hadn’t opposed to it when Cardan and his friends did. He’d matured since then, at least from what Jude could tell, and mostly just left her alone.

Even though he was always the least cruel of Cardan’s little group, she was still surprised when he smiled at her and slid into the bar stool in front of her.

“Hey, Jude. Didn’t know you worked here.”

Jude was even more surprised that he recognized who she was so quickly. Most people from school just called her Duarte instead of trying to figure out which twin she was. “Yeah, it’s my first day. I haven’t really got the hang of making the drinks yet, but I can take your order.”

After Locke rattled off his order and paid, he took the bar stool nearest to her and said, “So, I saw your last soccer game. You literally saved the game with that last goal. Didn’t you were that good.”

Jude knew she was good, but she took the compliment anyway. “Thanks. I’ve been playing since freshman year, so you could say I’ve improved.”

“Yeah, you definitely have,” he replied, giving her a charming smile.

Jude’s brain came up with the sudden, unbidden realization that he was kind of cute. Distracted, she fumbled for a response. “Yeah, I guess.”

Before an awkward silence could set in, Locke asked, “So… how’s your history project coming along? You figure out what your topic is?”

Again, Jude was surprised he’d noticed they were in the same class. They literally never talked. “Yeah, Cardan and I figured out our outline.”

Locke’s eyebrows flew up. “I forgot you were working with him. How’s that going?”

Jude smiled at that. “It’s going. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but I don’t know how long that will last.”

“I’m just surprised you didn’t already murder him.”

Jude let out a laugh at that. “I mean, we’ll see. We still have the rest of the semester.”

Locke grinned at her, and Jude’s neck heated. Before she could think of what that meant, the Bomb called her.

“Jude, drink’s ready!”

Jude walked across to her to get Locke’s coffee.

The Bomb leaned over her and asked her in a low voice, “Who’s the guy?”

“Just someone I know from school. We’ve never really talked until now.”

“Well, he’s clearly interested.”

Jude looked up at her, surprised. “Really?”

“I’ve seen so many meet cutes here that I’ve practically become an expert.”

Jude looked at her incredulously. “You could tell he was interested from one two-second conversation?”

The Bomb just rolled her eyes at her and pushed her back towards Locke. “Trust me. Now go, before it becomes obvious we’re talking about him.”

Jude walked back over to Locke and handed him the drink.

“Thanks.” He got up and picked up his keys. “I’ll see you at your game next week?”

“Yeah. I’ll be there.”

He shot her a smile over his shoulder as he walked out the café.

Jude took the next customer’s order with a newfound spirit, and the Bomb smirked at her knowingly. Maybe this job wouldn’t be too bad after all.

Here’s chapter three!! Let me know what you think :) Yes, yes, I know, Locke sucks, but we’ll get some good JurdanTM content next chapter. Thanks for reading!

Tagging: (Bolded tags didn’t work. I don’t know why, it might be your settings or just tumblr acting up, but I’ll tag you in the comments for now! If I forgot to tag you our messed something up, just send me an ask and I’ll fix it as soon as I can!)

@jurdan7 @cardan-greenbriar-tcp @amoosewithflannelforfur @aneuwin @mercrutiodidntdieforthis @hizqueen4life @mi-mavencalories @simonelovesff @b00kworm @nope-has-lied @andromeddea @aesthetics-11 @queen-of-glass @runnybabbit9 @afexiss @the-keen-queen @yesimtheslytherinwitch @fizziefaerie @abigneignenn @storiesandschemes @aelin-queen-of-terrasen @words-of-the-wise @thedazzlingheights @magicalbookwyvern @kittkatandbooboo @queen-of-no1 @iminsanenotobsessed @dorkzrul @snusbandxknifewife @aknymph

#between the two of us #chapter three #wow i actually wrote something #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #The Folk of the Air #tfota #folk of the air #jurdan #jurdan fic #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #tfota fic #jurdan fanfic

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troloyunu · 4 years

Note

What do u think bout ibuki ships with

Mikan

Chiaki

Toko

Peko

Mahiru

Sayaka

Akane?

P.s. Ily💖💖💖

Ho boy. Here we go

Ibuki x Mikan: y'all already know I like them. This is actually my favorite ship for either of them? They are just. They live in my head rent free. I actually really liked them during my sdr2 playthrough and went to look at fics for them before finishing the game and got spoiled too lol. Anyways. Good shit 👌

Ibuki x Chiaki: YES!!! Two of my fav girls??? Yes. You just know Ibuki would see Chiaki and fall in love with her cuteness at first sight.

Ibuki x Toko: I have never thought about this because. You know. I dont ship them but they could work? Ibuki's personality is not so different from Komaru's so.... And I am never against any wlw ships UNLESS they are abusive/pedophiliac etc. So ofc I am not opposed to them either.

Ibuki x Peko: Listen. Listen. I talked about this in my other blog a bit. I am OBSESSED with that one scene where Ibuki says they held hands. Why, you ask? Because Peko says that they did NOT hold hands. So who is telling the truth? Ibuki never lies about stuff like this, why would she? The only time she lies in sdr2 is about her little concert and she makes it really obvious too. So either Ibuki, for some reason lied about holding hands OR Peko is the one lying because she is embarrassed. Imagine them holding hands holy shit 😭😭😭 that mental image is killing me. Ibuki is definitely the type of person to swing someone's hand back and forth while holding it.

Ibuki x Mahiru: I am not opposed to this!! I think it could be cute but only if their dynamic isn't "Yeah Mahiru takes care of x person and they date" dynamic. I see this happen a lot with Mahiru ships (I am not naming any names but.... You probably see it too if you look at dr tags a lot) and like. Mahiru does need someone to bring fun and carelessness into her life. Which? I think Ibuki could and would fulfill. Anyways I MIGHT be starting to ship this now that I think about it lmao.

Ibuki x Sayaka: Awww singer girls!!! I honestly like them A LOT as friends like I wanna see them hang out and shit. I think it could apply to a relationship too! But yeah personally I like them as only friends more.

Ibuki x Akane: I have...never thought about this either? Despite them being in the same game. Hmm... I think the same about them too like they could be friends I think. They have A LOT of energy when combined lol

#danganronpa #sdr2 #dr1 #trolanswers #anonymous

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sibyl-of-space · 3 years

Text

I’m on an adventure learning the basics of Nintendo DS ROM hacking/modding because there is a very stupid, very self-indulgent, very spoilery ROM hack/mod I want to implement for Ghost Trick. It has been a journey and I’m going to be recapping my adventures on here with the tag #leo-tries-modding-ghost-trick so it can be blocked as desired. Anything pertaining to the actual in-game spoilers down the line will be posted under a readmore.

Now.... for “progress” I’ve made so far, if you can call it that. The first thing I need to figure out is whether I can implement a talk sprite-swap. So I set out to try and isolate the talk sprites.

I started by checking out the Ultimate Nintendo DS ROM Hacking Guide, which seemed as good a starting place as any. I also downloaded the big zipped file with all the referenced programs, but as I found out later, some of the programs didn’t zip properly so I had to procure them elsewhere.

At any rate, I tried to open up the Ghost Trick .nds file in CrystalTile2, and that much was a success.... and just about that much only. Ghost Trick doesn’t use the file types referenced in the guide. There are .xml.lz files and .bin files. I didn’t know what to do with these yet, so I decided to just mess around in the tile viewer and see if I could find anything. After some aimless scrolling, I did find something that gave me hope that I was in fact looking at meaningful data:

(don’t mind the windows 7 and pesterchum and malwarebytes this is my old 2011 laptop from undergrad, it just so happens that a lot of tools for NDS hacking work great on windows 7 because shit’s old)

That right there is very unambiguously the Ghost Trick logo. It gave me a glimmer of hope. And CrystalTile lets you highlight a selection of tiles and export them as an image:

rearranged in mspaint to:

My rudimentary knowledge of How This Works tells me that it obviously needs to reference the right palette for the colors to be right, but whatever, this is CLEARLY IMAGE DATA so ALL IS NOT LOST.

...but, for a while, that was about as far as I got. Some googling brought me to this thread, where OP states that allegedly the “cpac_2d.bin” contains all of the sprite data in the game [this is Capcom standard, it seems?], but having trouble actually accessing said data. Viewed as-is it’s a jumbled mess, haven’t been able to make heads or tails of it in CrystalTile although this could certainly be because they’re out of order in a way that’s not obvious. It is really, really difficult to just parse like this.... it’s a massive portion of the ROM, too, so even figuring out what general area of this I should poke around in is quite an undertaking. [looking w/ tile form GBA 4bpp as that is the only tile form that gave me a visible image for the logo above]... although I found some things which look promisingly like visual patterns, and might help me figure out how to re-order these tiles so i can maybe see something approaching an image. I uh... haven’t figured out how to customize the tile ordering in CrystalTile (like column widths) very well, that’s next on my to-do list. This one in particular I may come back to later:

(^Viewed at offset 4AD9E0)

There are plenty of others but this is among the more promising as far as likely actually being uncompressed visual data. There’s so much besides just this one though that I would be here all day posting screenshots; At any rate, there are patterns that may be worth looking into, but the sheer volume of data corresponding to this “.bin” file is going to make that REALLY tedious to try and comb through with any sort of reasonable efficiency. This could also be a fool’s errand, as it could be the data is compressed or out of order somehow and it is necessary to extract the true files hidden within that “.bin” to actually make proper sense of them. I don’t know. If I haven't made it clear, I'm a newbie at this and don't really understand what I'm working with yet.

So I briefly tried another approach. I thought, heck, I have the dev version of DeSmuME on here, let’s boot that baby up.

(oh boy did it chug.)

I learned some neat stuff.

First, I learned that for most of the game, the “main screen” is the bottom screen as opposed to the top screen, which makes complete sense if you’ve played it. Just goes against convention which is interesting. Except for during the title screen, where it is the expected order, for... reasons?

Anyway, I first tried isolating what layer the talk sprites were on on the “main” screen, which was unsuccessful but interesting. This is with every other layer turned off on the bottom screen (tools -> view layers, toggled off all except for “Main BG 0″)...:

It looks like a lot of things are on that same layer. Now we know.

(Worth noting that if you isolate just the “Main BG 3″ layer you get a nice view of the backgrounds!)

My next task was fiddling around in the tile viewer in the *emulator* to see if that got me anywhere. And, well, it did... I think! I don’t know what it means just yet but launching the tile viewer (tools -> view tiles) and selecting “LCD - 0x6850000″, at the 0x140 tile there is a very clear image of the current talk sprite. And this image DOES update when the sprite changes, so whatever this tile is pulling from is where I want to be.

...Unfortunately, I’ve more or less hit a roadblock here and am calling it a night. I have absolutely no idea how to figure out where that tile is getting its information from, and I don’t understand enough about NDS files to know how to parse the information in CrystalTile any better at the moment. I tried using this tool by Luigi Auriemma to dive into the .bin file after exporting it but it spewed out a billion .dat files that are no easier to make heads or tails of than the original.

That's all I got for the time being. If anyone reading this happens to know any directions they can point me toward I am all ears, otherwise I will continue to just poke at this from various angles until it decides to succumb.

#leo tries modding ghost trick #long post

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rosebloodcat · 4 years

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AHIT Continuation Thoughts

I’ve seen some posts around talking about wanting a sequel to A Hat In Time, but after thinking about it for a while, I’ve realized no one is actually talking about what they want to SEE in a sequel game.

Sequels are hard to get right. It’s hard for a gaming team/company to recapture the charm of the original games and they often end up falling flat when they come out. Not to mention writing a compelling/interesting narrative that wouldn’t clash with what fans already know about the game tends to be a lot harder than people would think.

If (IF!) Gears for Breakfast DID make a second AHIT game, I’m not sure how well it would do.

BUT!

A Hat In Time DOES have some advantages over other games that are loved enough for people to want sequels. Those advantages being:

The story itself is very loose, meaning there are no die-hard rules about how it needs to/can go.

The overarching story/goal was simple and straight forward, and not restrictive to the player. (Find the lost timepieces to power your ship so you can get home. Very simple!)

Each level/area of the game is small, but it’s obvious that there’s a much larger world that can be connected to them.

There are even some places where you can SEE areas that could be used to expand the level/area while either keeping the original location or even adding a whole new one!

The game isn’t over-saturated with characters that you’d need to account for and keep track of.

Every chapter has 1-2 characters who are central to the chapter, but that also means that there aren’t so many of them that you’d lose track of them all.

The problem (in my eyes) is that the main story for A Hat In Time is already perfectly wrapped up. It doesn’t really have lingering questions we need to be answered, or any goals that Hat Kid didn’t already see to the end.

Hat Kid has reclaimed her Time Pieces, she’s helped the people of the world she has ended up on and left to finally go home.

That’s the end of it.

(Not counting the DLC, since that’s not part of the main story and it can be played BEFORE the actual end of the game.)

[I’m putting the rest under a ‘Read More’ because this got kinda long. Also, there’s a reference to the very end of the game, but considering you’re reading a thing about sequels, you probably already know about it.]

And the reason I’m not too crazy about the idea of a DIRECT sequel is because of the choice we (the player) made at the end of the game. And that was whether or not to drop a single Time Piece to help Mustache Girl.

The game devs would have to make an assumption/decision that would change which action would be “canon” to the series and also open up the idea of “multiple timelines” that could get messy to keep track of. (But also make it possible to have more than one sequel game that could be Canon.)

I can see a couple of possible follow up games, depending on who you follow and what game details you factor in.

The Sequel Focused Games

Two of my ideas could follow Hat kid after leaving ‘Earth’ to return home. (Which means we probably won’t be seeing the characters from the original game.)

One could be based on the timeline where HK dropped the timepiece for Mustache Girl and her ship runs out of fuel, standing her on another world while she searches for an alternative power source to get the rest of the way home. And her possibly discovering a hidden cache of Timepieces and building a story around that.

That would be interesting since it would allow for a whole new world to explore and new characters for us to meet while also letting us keep the gameplay we’re already familiar with. It would also let us have a similar story/goal without things being changes up too much. (And each new chapter would have their own new stories, of course.)

The drawbacks to this version are that some people might not enjoy the new areas and feel like it’s just AHIT with new levels as opposed to a new game.

The second idea could either follow the timeline where HK DIDN’T drop the timepiece for MG or it could be the THIRD game in the series. (I’d say it would be best to leave it ambiguous, so anyone could pick it up and play without someone going “You have to play [blank] first before you can REALLY enjoy it!”)

It would be the one where HK would finally get home and mark herself down as finishing whatever mission she had left her world to complete.

Just like the other game, it would let the devs make a new world and characters for us to explore and it would give us the chance to explore the kind of world Hat Kid came from. BUT! It could also let them revive some of the cut content that they hadn’t been able to use before. (Like Tim the CEO of Time!)

But, as I’ve already said, for both of these story/game ideas we wouldn’t be seeing the characters we know from the original game. I know some people won’t be happy about that, but it’s something that would/could happen.

A completely different route would be making a game that focuses on the residents left on ‘Earth’!

Personally, I can see them doing it like the Sonic Adventure games or Sonic Heros. Instead of making a new character to play the ‘hero’, they have a selection of characters we already know that we can choose from. And each of the characters have different stories/levels to play through, all geared towards their various skills/powers.

I love the idea of being able to play through a story/game that focused on Snatcher and using his various powers to complete levels. Or playing as the Conductor and making use of his train or engine skills. Or as Mustache Girl and fighting epic bosses and bad guys. Something like that would be awesome! And a great way to explore their stories/characters from a different view than we would normally have.

Admittedly, Co-op play might be a bit harder to put into a game like that. Unless you found a reasonable way to group everyone into pairs and put in a tag out feature. Although it would be interesting to see how something like that could be incorporated into the story.

(For the pairs, I can see;

Conductor and Grooves being teamed together [maybe learning to get along could be part of their story?]

Mustache Girl and either Cooking Cat or Mafia Boss. [I’m leaning towards CC, just because I’d love to see her character be expanded on.]

I’m vetoing Snatcher and Vanessa being teamed up though! That’s would be a recipe for disaster. [Maybe pair him with a cut character? Like Moonjumper? Just a thought.] )

Prequel Game Ideas

Another approach could be making a PREQUEL game instead.

Again, it would be divided based on who you wanted to follow for the game. Either Hat Kid, or the residents of ‘Earth’.

I think these prequels wouldn’t have as many levels as the original game but might be fun to use to explore how everyone got to where they were when HK arrived.

If we followed Hat Kid, maybe it would be about how she got her ship and why she was off in space in the first place. What tests she had to pass, the challenges, and maybe even if she was actually SUPPOSED to be in space or if she took off to explore without telling anyone.

I’m not so sure about everyone on ‘Earth’ but maybe have someone who’s exploring the world be the main character?

For this one, I can see them bringing back a cut character to act as the one wander through the world. Maybe the Shapeshifter could be the player character? That would be interesting, playing as a character who’s power was shapeshifting!

(They could even their form change depending on where they actually were in the game!

Like an Owl when on the Express, or a Penguin when around Grooves, or a Person when on Mafia Island. [Maybe even before it was Mafia Island?]

The only place I can think of where they wouldn’t change would be Subcon, but that’s more because I think Snatcher has an exact count of the number of minions there and would IMMEDIATELY know when there was one more than there should be.)

Anyways, those are my ideas of what Gears for Breakfast could do if they wanted to make some new AHIT games.

But what do you guys think?

Do you have any ideas for how a new game could be done? Or what the story could be for one of the ideas I presented? Feel free to mention them!

#a hat in time #ahit #hat kid #ahit continuation ideas #sequel ideas #prequel ideas #rosies thoughts #please comment on this #i want to hear people's ideas #tell me what you think of mine #would you want to try games like these?#do you think they could be done well?#please talk to me

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ilguna · 4 years

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Tacenda - Chapter Three (f.o)

Summary: you’ll never truly be free from the Capitol.

Word Count; 5.5k

Warnings; swearing, DEATH MENTION

NOTES: i give reader a last name to fit the world.

–

“Good morning,” Finnick’s voice is soft as he brushes some hair from your face.

You sigh, not opening your eyes just yet, “It can’t be seven already.”

“It is.” he tells you, “I’ll start the shower for you. Scope out Mags and Elysia.”

You pucker your lips a little bit, making him laugh. He leans over, kissing you for a moment, and then he gets off of the bed. You open your eyes now, watching as Finnick stretches, groaning and wandering around the room. He pulls a shirt out from the dresser, goes into the bathroom to start a shower as promised, and then he waves goodbye to you.

This isn’t unusual for the both of you. However, normally you’re the one getting up and scoping out the tributes and Elysia first. Finnick lays in bed longer so he can get a few more winks. But after last night, he understands that you might need a few more minutes this time around.

After the door shuts behind Finnick, you’re tempted to roll over, curl up and shut your eyes again. If you do that, the sun will be right in your eyes though. Finnick might have been up for a while because of the window right there. The sun is merciless, bright and unwavering.

You sit up on the bed, taking a look at the clock that’s provided to see that it is still around the normal time you and Finnick wake up at. In an hour or so, you’ll be in the Capitol. Which means that you won’t have to look awful for too long. You should look good enough to get by the Capitol people waiting at the train station and that’s about it.

As soon as you’re about to stand up, a wave of slight nausea comes over you. You cover your mouth, taking in a deep breath through your nose. You grab the water bottle that’s by the bed and take a long drink from it. You’re not feeling completely better, but you don’t feel like throwing up anymore.

The outfit you pick out from the dresser is something more pleasing for the Capitol. A simple blue dress, a pair of white lace flats, and whatever else you’ll be able to conjure up out of the jewelry drawer in the bathroom. After you’ve picked out your outfit, you go ahead and pick out something matching for Finnick.

He’s not a child and you realize that. He’s perfectly capable of dressing himself up, but as you remember last night, there’s going to be a favoritism problem. To the tributes, you two will obviously be annoying with how you’re playing this game, but to the Capitol, they’ll see you as the married couple you are. They’ll think you two are sticking together–not that you would split–and gravitate more towards you two.

While you’re heading to the bathroom, you’re absently looking over the tag of the dress, wondering if it’ll irritate your skin while you’re wearing it. When a certain designer name catches your eye.

Laurel has made this dress. You stop where you’re standing and look over to Finnick’s top to see that Pleurisy has made it.

Huh. Does that mean that everyone this year is wearing what their design team had made during the times that they won?

Or maybe Laurel and Pleurisy are doing this for you guys. Because you guys hold a special place in their hearts for other reasons besides making them rise to fame when they did. It’s not like it was a small thing either, Finnick had money rolling in for Pleurisy for months since he was so favored.

Still disgusting in your opinion.

You take a quick shower, just washing your body so you don’t smell when you get out there. You know that they’ll be washing your hair, ripping skin off your body and putting you through plenty of baths when you get there. There’s no point in doing it yourself. As if they’ll suddenly be like ‘oh, she did it, no need to do our job!’. Cleo, Leo and Beth are ruthless on Laurel’s orders.

You could look absolutely perfect, just how they do it every year, and they’ll go through their normal routine for things anyway. Just because they believe that you could have missed a spot or whatever. Once again, you don’t mind this, they’re just doing their jobs. You love those three as much as you can.

Once you’re dressed, you slip on the shoes, and your wedding ring. Next are the necklaces, bracelets and earrings that Laurel has stored in a specific drawer in both bathrooms. Which you should probably clear up as well.

You might be in Finnick’s room and bathroom, so logically it wouldn’t make sense for any of your stuff to be in his room, and vice versa. Except the fact that you two are married to each other, and you’re always in and out of the rooms. There’s replicas on everything in both rooms. This same dress and pair of flats and all this jewelry–besides your wedding rings–can be found in your room too.

You make your hair look nice, leaving it down instead of out of your face. You do that to make it so you can see around the room better. If there’s hair in your face, then you won’t be able to see everything as easily.

You leave the shower on for Finnick. And just as you expected, Finnick is waiting on the bed when you leave the bathroom, “Mags and Elysia are at the table eating.”

He stands up, holding his arms out for you. You hug him against your body tightly, swaying around with him for a moment in the silence. There’s not much to say, the doom is lingering over your heads, on a timer.

“I picked out a matching outfit for you, it’s on the counter.” you tell him, looking up, “I’ll be out there with them.”

“Don’t wait on me.” he smiles, kissing you.

“You sure?” you ask him.

He nods, hugging you again, and then he heads into the bathroom. The door shuts behind him, and you wander off to the dining car. Mags and Elysia are in their normal spots when you do get there. Mags is probably still on her first bowl of stew, as Elysia might be too.

And here you are, about to come in here and eat the entire stew. Not like you can help it much, you’ve got to gain as much weight as possible. Pack on the calories, so when you are inside of the arena, you’re losing your extra weight, rather than what you have normally. There will always be time after the games to recover all the pounds you lost.

You’re three quarters through your second bowl when Finnick finally comes out. His hair is still kinda wet, but it doesn’t bother him. He kisses you first, and then takes his seat to your right. After that, he starts eating as much as you do. For once though, you’re tapping out early.

You would keep eating, but since your stomach was upset only an hour ago, presumably because of how much food you ate last night, you’re going to keep it light. Finnick keeps going though, and the both of you drink a glass of orange juice, and then pure water after that.

It isn’t long before the entire train car is blacked out. A clear giveaway that you’ve made it to the Capitol train station. You and Finnick take this brief moment to wipe your faces and make sure each other looks presentable. After that, you head to the window like you did the first time.

“Darlings of the Capitol.” Finnick is bitter.

“People pleasers.” you force a smile, waving to the people waiting out there.

“Murderers.”

“Attention seekers.”

“That’s enough–” Elysia tries, but you can imagine that Mags is shaking her head.

And she adds one for herself, “Idiots.”

The people outside the window have no idea what you had just said. Not to mention that those words are a double-edged sword. It can define you guys, and it can define them. Which is the best part.

You all are in a sinking ship, being forced into these games. Why not take out the people that allowed this, too?

–

Leo is sadistic, you’re sure of it. And his memory goes back farther than you gave him credit for. You thought that they’d all forget about what had happened during your games. However, it seems like their memory is better than you thought it was, and this is in link with the sadistic thing.

For you, you blocked out all of the memories you could. Some of them were unimportant, like the grooming part–which you had just gone through–and so you had no idea what they were talking about at first. Leo was saying something about how they were so gentle with you, when you went through the games the first time around.

You don’t remember this at all, like you just said. You literally forget what happens in here, and so when the tributes ask you, you can list off the few obvious things, but otherwise you’re just blanked out on them. You’d think that since that the games were a very important event of your life, that you’d remember every single piece of it, but it’s not how it works.

You’ve lived through so much at this point, that it’s forgivable that you forgot that you get waxed, shaved, threatened to have botox done to you, hair washed, conditioned, colored and then half a million baths, and there’s even more after that.

Anyway, Leo was saying something about how you were their first job for all of them. They didn’t know how to approach you at the time, because they were all so new to this. They were very timid, and Beth was kind enough to remind you on how they didn’t know where to start when you were standing in front of them.

This is the part where Leo had told you that they thought it was a requirement to be as gentle as possible with the tributes. They hadn’t wanted to be too mean when it came to things, and so when they waxed, and pulled your hair a little too hard, and all of that, they apologized or muttered a quick ‘whoops’ under their breath.

After that, the sadistic side of Leo came out, and he was giddy when he said, “Now we don’t have to be gentle!” and pulled the most painful wax strip you’ve ever had on your body, as slowly and as painfully as possible.

You don’t remember what you might have done to earn this sort of treatment out of your dearest prep team, but you swear to god that you’re not opposed to showing them the repercussions of doing something like that. The fact that they saw it as a game had you fuming but you bit your tongue as best as possible.

They’re Capitol people, purebred and they’re stupid as fuck. They don’t understand everything as well as they should. They’re the same prep team that had probably voted on Katniss’s dress because they thought that it would actually have a big impact. They’re stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Stupid.

The door opens, and Laurel comes in. You’re already sitting in the robe, not waiting for her approval. She knows that her prep team have done their best, for their favorite tribute that they’ve ever come across. Laurel does give you a slight look of disapproval though.

“What is it, this time?” you ask.

“What gave you the idea to volunteer?” she motions for you to leave the room, you hop off the table and follow her to the lounge. Here, you’ll have a moment of peace.

“Did you not see Finnick get picked?” it’s a rhetorical question, she knows it, and slides past it.

“You made Elysia change the order, it’s almost like you wanted him to get picked.”

You scoff slightly, “He would have gotten it either way, I believe. What I did was smart.”

She takes a drink of what you assume is red wine, motioning her hand as a prompt for you to keep going.

“Well,” you pause for a moment, trying to figure out how to word this without messing it up, “What if girls had gone first. Annie gets pulled, and I volunteer over her on the assumption that Finnick does get pulled. Then, it goes to boys and his name isn’t the one that’s called. Suddenly, he’s volunteering to join me.”

She nods slowly, “You’re here for him, then?”

“Yes.” you tell her, “and I’m sure he would have volunteered for me.”

“You two are quite the couple,” a little head tilt from her as she looks you over, it’s not a judgemental thing. You’ve learned over the years of knowing her that she pauses between sentences or ideas. Not for dramatic effect, it’s just her speaking pattern, “But not better than Katniss and Peeta.”

“What dress did you vote for?” you mock.

She smiles now, “I didn’t. All of them were ugly to me. Cinna is smart, but young.”

“As I’m sure you’re hitting thirty or forty now?”

Now she’s scowling at you, “I don’t look that age.”

“Never said I did.” you shrug, leaning back against the couch.

Laurel is clearly annoyed at you now, but her face smoothes over. Something to do with wrinkles, you can imagine. The Capitol is always about complexion, “You’re lucky I had designed that dress for you. No one could shut up. I had a million requests to make other people’s dresses too.”

“And you didn’t take a single one of them!” you laugh.

She smiles now, “No, I didn’t.”

Your wedding dress was a one-time thing in her career. Actually, if she ends up getting married, she’ll probably end up designing her own dress too. All that really matters, is that she didn’t turn into a wedding dress designer.

“On to more important things.” she sits up a bit taller now, “Your outfits this year are more revealing.”

Your mouth pops open for a second.

“You can’t turn it down, the outfit is already made. It’s going to be hard to look better than the twelve tributes.” she’s bitter, there must be more behind it than Cinna’s designs, “Just know that Finnick is half naked again.”

And just after that, the prep team is like a whirlwind. They had you stepping into your outfit, as they fixed your hair for beach waves, and they painted your nails. Your wedding ring is on your finger, it was taken briefly when you first came in. This is because it’s technically a token if you’re going to be wearing it into the games. Fortunately for you, it’s important because it’s a wedding band. It’s passed the check, same as Finnick’s.

This year, it’s another two-piece. You made a comment that Laurel has to be desperate if she’s falling onto skin-revealing levels, and in return she had to restrain herself so she didn’t ruin your hair. However, in that moment, you saw a rage of a thousand suns burn through her eyes all at once.

Cleo reminded her of the wrinkles, and her face smoothed again. Her eyes were still ablaze though, not finding your comment funny in the slightest way.

You’ve got a strapless bra on, which you’re sure that with the tightness and the thickness of the top, it’s not needed at all. She might have have done it for comfort though, because whatever material this is, it’s itchy as hell. It irritates the undersides of your arms, but you brave-face it.

The top is tight, and it pushes your boobs up more. There’s enough cleavage to win some sponsors over, but that’s about it. It ends just an inch or two beneath your boobs, and then the rest is all skin until your hips. Basically from mid-rib to your hips, it’s all stomach.

The bottom is a flowy skirt almost. Made out of a soft material, but it’s not silk by any means. There’s a leg slit–as usual and it goes to your ankles. It’s flimsy almost when you move. Laurel fixes the way you walk around the room, making sure that the skirt will move in the right way. All in all, it’s a beige-tan color, trying to stay on the same color page as the itchy top, but not overpowering.

Laurel would have chosen black, it’s just how she is. But there’s going to be a ton of people going for that anyway. She thought that she might as well try something new, and it’s working as well as it can.

She makes you stand in heels while they put on the finishing touches. It seems like every year they get a few centimeters taller. You feel like you’re going to be taller than Finnick this year. And since you’re also going to be standing on a chariot, your odds for falling off of the ride increases. You wonder if this is payback for the comment earlier.

When you finally leave the room, Mags greets you with Elysia. They compliment you, telling you that everything is just about to start, and then they wish you good luck. Or rather, Elysia does all of this and Mags just nods right along.

When you get out to where the horses are, you see that everyone is here. Had your prep team taken any longer, then there’s a great chance that you might have come late, delaying the show. Elysia would not have heard the end of it, and there would be endless comments about it from others. Even though you’re not too sure how they would fit in with it all.

You stand here, overwhelmed and confused on where to start first. You want to find Finnick, but he’s probably somewhere near the chariot. You’ll see him in a moment anyway, what you really want, is to see Cecelia.

Unfortunately enough for you, your former career friends are all standing together. They don’t let you walk away from your spot easily. Cashmere waves you over, and although you want to get to Cecelia, you don’t think it can hurt.

“Welcome back!” Cashmere chirps, “How are you feeling?”

You don’t know how they can be all so happy. But you suppose that this is what they’re bred for.

“Tired,” you look over her, “Unimpressed, annoyed, angry.”

You hadn’t slept well last night, which is why Finnick had given you that extra time. He was up for a brief moment to grab a snack or something, right when you had the worst nightmare you’ve had in a while. You don’t doubt that it’s because of the idea of going back into the arena, because that’s exactly what it’s about.

You haven’t had arena-inspired nightmares for years. You’d say it was a coincidence, but yesterday morning was also hard for you to get up. Two nightmares in a row, you don’t know how you’ll be able to sleep tonight with these odds.

“We’re all angry about the games.” Brutus tells you, glancing at the nearest peacekeeper.

Enobaria breathes out a laugh, “It’s hard not to be. I thought that I’d be living in my house for the rest of my life.” she crosses her arms, scowling, and then rolls her eyes, “Now I have to fight to live in it again.”

“Everyone does.” Gloss is looking at you, “How are you and Finnick holding up?”

He’s jealous.

“We’re doing fine. The games can’t pull us apart.”

“Even with you volunteering like that?” Cashmere tilts her head, “He didn’t look happy.”

You smile a little bit, “He’s happy I’m here now. He knows that I’ll be insurance for our win.”

They’re all a little surprised by the confidence.

Enobaria laughs, “Alright, I’ll bite,” emphasis on the word because of her teeth, “Why do you think that?”

You stand a little taller, looking over them all, “I don’t kiss and tell.”

You remember why you stopped talking to them in the first place. You take your words as a way out of the conversation, and head right over to Cecelia. On the way, Johanna gives you a sly smirk, and you wink at her. She clearly just saw everything that had gone down between you guys.

Katniss may be the girl on fire, but she will never be a match to you.

Your encounter with Cecelia is brief. You apologize to her that this is happening, and she says that she won’t stand a chance, but she hopes that you two make it out fine. Cecelia has the kindest heart, and it’s such a damn shame that no one had volunteered for her.

If you were in that district, you would have done it simply for the fact that she’s surrounded by her kids. There’s nothing more important than family, and keeping everyone together.

Kinda ironic coming from the person that ditched her three siblings for her husband, isn’t it? But he’s the best family that you’ve ever had. He completes it.

Your eyes do a brief sweep of the last four chariots that are in the line. Thinking over the names, seeing Chaff and Seeder, and even going as far as to look at Katniss and Peeta. Except, that blonde hair is your blonde hair. That’s not Peeta, it’s Finnick.

You hadn’t even realized that Finnick wasn’t at the chariot when you were passing it initially. You were so caught up in your moment of pride and the determination to go see Cecelia that you lost track of Finnick.

Seeing this as another gateway, you head over to him. The closer you get, the more Katniss seems to focus on you. Soon, you’re sliding your arm in with Finnick’s, and he looks at you, smiling.

“Hey,” you greet them both, but look over Katniss, “Another fire show today?”

Her eyes lower into squints, clearly unsure if that’s an insult or not. But Finnick wraps up his conversation with her, not giving her a chance to decipher the answer. You skip over the feel to introduce yourself, she has to know who you are by now. You’re no unfamiliar face, Elysia had told you that people are already buzzing because of your presence.

Your win was the most dramatic and scenic. You painted a perfect picture for them when you were hanging by that rope from your foot. When Finnick was staring up at your unconscious body. It was a sight to see, the gamemakers and Caesar still reference it to today. It’s been ten years.

And it’s the same thing for Annie too. With that crown on her brow, standing on top of the cornucopia. Soaked from the water from head to toe, chin up but a smile on her face. The arena was still flooded beyond belief. There were chunks of wood, dirt, cement and rock floating in the water.

Before you leave, you look over Katniss for a final time, nodding at her slightly, “It was nice meeting you.”

You let go of Finnick briefly when you turn, seeing that Peeta is heading your way too. You elbow Finnick, smirking to yourself a little bit. Peeta looks over you curiously, and you tilt your head.

“Peeta,” Finnick muses.

“Finnick.” Peeta says back.

Once you’re a few feet away from them, you spin to face Finnick, but now you’re walking backward. Finnick tosses a sugarcube into the air, and catches it smoothly. Then, he holds it out for you.

“The tradition will live on.”

You pluck it from his hand, popping it in your mouth. Then, he takes your hand, pulling you into his side. Laurel and Pleurisy are waiting at the chariot when you two get there. They made final adjustments, and then you stepped up and onto the chariot. Just for the Capitol’s sake, you place your arms like how they were for the first games.

Everything you do here, is going to be a reflection of what you did the first time you were here. The reaping, the train ride, the grooming, the tribute parade. The next three training days you’ll be forming your alliance and solidifying all skills you might not have made the first time around. Then, the private screening, an interview, a night without sleep, and finally, the games.

Finnick holds your arm tight against his body, “How are those heels working out for you?”

You look down at them, “It’s punishment.”

He laughs, “What did you do?”

You look to him, smiling, “You know I can’t help but to push buttons.”

“Of course.”

The chariots in front of you start moving. This is when you place your hand off to the side, holding on for the jolt. You don’t think you’ll actually end up falling off, but the heels make you feel so unstable. As soon as the horses start moving, you hold onto Finnick again.

“What were you and Katniss talking about?” you ask, suddenly smiling at you wave at the stands.

“You know me,” he laughs, “Secrets.”

You laugh too, “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Find anything?”

“She said she’s an open book,” You and Finnick look at each other at the same thing, “I have a feeling she’s lying.”

“That’s obvious.” you nod, looking back to the stands.

You’re just entering the center circle now. You guys will be skipping over the speech this time around, which isn’t that unusual. But that doesn’t mean you guys won’t pass in front of Snow.

His eyes go over everyone one at a time. First is district one, and then two. Then three, and then four.

Snow looks at you first, straight-faced, unamused. And then, when his eyes slide over to Finnick, you feel protective. Suddenly, you’re no longer smiling, your lip is curling and you’re glaring right at the man himself. You instinctively tighten your arm with Finnick’s. Snow’s look to Finnick is brief, and when he looks back to you, you’re sure you can see a wave of shock pass through his face.

He doesn’t expect this kind of a response from you. Unfortunately for him, you know everything that had happened to Finnick. And you know that Finnick wasn’t getting paid through cash, but something much more valuable. Something he can use at any given time, and it might even get him killed for it.

Finnick is yours. If you find a way to win this with him, Snow won’t get his hands on him again. You’ll do everything you possibly can to show that Finnick isn’t his anymore. It isn’t a tug-of-war. Especially when you have such a grip on Finnick.

As soon as your back is turned to Snow, you ease your grip and stand a little taller. You’re not the only one that has grievances with Snow. You know for a fact that Finnick isn’t the only one he’s sold. Or tried either.

You guys are just beginning to leave the circle, when there’s a flurry of cheers. You don’t bother looking behind you, but rather up, at the screens that are provided for Capitol citizens to see better, up close.

“She’s aflame again.” you shake your head, “called it.”

“It’s her signature, they’re going to over use it.”

“My signature is a noose and you don’t see me wearing it.” you say with a straight face, but soon you and Finnick are laughing at the ridiculousness of it.

The rest of the ride back is mostly filled with waves. The people might chant Katniss, but you hear the occasional voice yelling out for you or Finnick. A few will throw bottles of sand. That hit the pavement and the glass shatters on impact.

As soon as you’re inside of the building, out of sight of the Capitol, you let Finnick go completely. He gets off the chariot first, but offers his hand for you, helping you down. You thank him, kissing him easily because you still have the heels on. But once you’re done, you start to take them off as fast as possible.

They’re making your feet hurt. You can only wear these shoes in short bursts, otherwise your feet will blister and hurt for a long ass time. The last thing you’d need is to have achy feet while you’re supposed to be running around inside of the arena.

“Wish I could take off this wrap.” Finnick complains.

“Itchy?”

He nods, holding your arm as you lean down to undo the straps on the back of the heels. While you’re down there, you’re able to see a couple pair of feet approach you guys.

With this, you look up. In front of you is Mags and Haymitch, “Hey! It’s been a while.”

“It has.” Haymitch nods.

“Nice to see you sober every now and then,” Finnick teases, you pull off the heel and Mags holds it for you temporarily, “What brings you here?”

Haymitch makes a face, tilting his head almost apprehensively, “How would you feel about an alliance?”

You pucker, taking off the second heel, and taking the one that Mags is holding, “Are you asking for your tributes, because they’re afraid to ask. Or are you asking on the behalf of them? Because there’s a difference there.”

You and Finnick want to be partnered up with Katniss and Peeta, of course. But there’s nothing worse than trying to be paired with two disobedient teenagers. They’re still sixteen and seventeen, and they sure as hell don’t know their way around things like you guys do.

“Hear me out,” Haymitch starts, it’s a dead giveaway that it’s a behalf of.

The difference between for a person and on the behalf of one, is distinct. If you’re asking for someone, then that person obviously knows that you’re asking, and they wanted you to do it for them. If you’re doing it on the behalf of someone, that person doesn’t know that you’re doing it, but you’re still acting in their best interest.

Katniss and Peeta wouldn’t know that you’re going to be in an alliance with them until later, you assume. Which means that everything that you do, would have to work around them, rather than they work around you, or even you’re all working together.

“Haymitch, I’m proud of you for getting two tributes to win,” your words are condescending, and it’s clear that he recognizes it, “And sure, they’re good, but I want them to work with us, rather than us work for them. If they want an alliance, they should ask.”

“They don’t know what to think just yet,” Haymitch defends, “Katniss is difficult and Peeta is…”

“Hopeless?” Finnick finishes for him, “Head over heels for a girl that doesn’t love him back?”

Finnick has strong opinions about what’s going on between them too. But for politness’s sake, you shake your head at him. He might be right, but that doesn’t mean he should speak out against what’s going on.

“He’ll follow whatever she does. He’ll speak for himself, but they need a platform.” He tells you, and then his eyes drift behind you guys.

You look over to see that the last few horses are coming in, “We can talk later.”

He nods, and goes to leave, but you don’t let him go so easily. You open your arms for a hug, and he takes it. However, you’re leaning in, holding him tighter.

“The stairwell will be a great place to talk.” you tell him quietly, “No cameras.”

And then you pull away, holding a big smile, “I’ll see you later,”

He nods, waves to Finnick briefly, and then you and Finnick are left with Mags. She looks interested for what you had to say, but you can’t tell her. Not here, with peacekeepers and cameras around. It’d be better to do it in private.

This whole building is new. The Capitol had made a new building, with better apartments and elevators. The entire thing is run on electricity, which means that the training room at the base floor is going to be the most renovated. You can’t wait to get a feel for what you’ll be using for the next four days.

“I need to learn a new trick.” you laugh slightly, “Unless they’ll be using our scores from before, which would be dumb.”

“We’ll probably get new scores.” Finnick nods, “We need tens and above.”

“Everyone will be shooting there. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to get there.” And without a single word, you and Finnick look back to see Woof with Cecelia, getting help to step off of the chariot.

That would have been Mags had you not volunteered.

#ilguna #finnick odair #finnick odair imagine #finnick odair oneshot #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair fanfic #finnick odair tacenda #tacenda

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magnhild · 4 years

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let’s talk about nora valkyrie

warning: this post is not a solid, coherent discussion. it is simply a mess of my thoughts and ideas and is rather messy. also, it contains spoilers for volume 7 of rwby, but if you can see this post then you’re probably all caught up and don’t have spoilers tagged.

so anyway let’s get into it.

I’ve always loved Nora, there’s never been any doubt about that. but at the same time, she’s always off to the side, hasn’t done too much to contribute to the plot and arguably hasn’t had any character development either. This volume though is where I think that changes. Volume 7 is truly taking steps to make sure we know she’s part of the main cast alongside her teammates and RWBY, to the point where she’s now joined Yang and Blake as one of my top favourite characters. And I think she’s going to be far more important in this volume and possibly the next ones than any of us anticipated.

Some of us had already picked up that there was more to Nora than one would first think. We’ve picked up on her brutal honesty and her surprising perceptiveness, both when it comes to people’s feelings and how to potentially solve issues. She’s certainly smarter than most people give her credit for. But volume 7 is bringing all this to the surface so that everyone can see, and I don’t think they’re just doing so for no reason. They could easily have Blake taking her role in the story, or maybe even Ruby or Weiss. But of all people, it’s Nora who’s standing up more than any of the main cast for Mantle’s wellbeing and calling Ironwood out for what he’s doing to harm it. For her, it almost seems personal, with episode 7 seeing her get angrier than we’ve ever seen her before. In fact, aside from direct confrontation with villains, we’ve rarely seen any character get this angry so far in the show. I’ve seen people say that it’s because she was an orphan and she doesn’t want to see the people of Mantle go through what she did, but I don’t think it’s that simple. After all, Ren was an orphan too, but he seems to be taking the opposite stance to her (and that’s a whole other can of worms). No, I think- and disclaimer, I’m not claiming to have come up with this- that Mantle is Nora’s original hometown and where she spent her life before somehow winding up in Anima. After all, we have absolutely no knowledge of where she came from or went through before meeting Ren aside from the fact that she was not from Kuroyuri. As for further details on her backstory, there are several possibilities. Maybe her family were extremely poor and suffered greatly from the city’s circumstances. Maybe she’s the child of a human-faunus couple and faced discrimination from both humans and faunus as a result, especially given the racism of Atlas. Maybe her parents died early on in her life and she was an orphan long before meeting Ren. Or maybe her parents died early, but she was taken in by other family. Perhaps a grandmother who might just be on her deathbed deep within Atlas who’s constantly thinking of her lost granddaughter.

Yes, the Winter Maiden Nora theory sure is a good one and if my personal theory (the human/faunus child one) falls through, I’d be very happy with it. It certainly makes sense. Not only did we never get a mention of the current Winter Maiden’s last name, but her first has some interesting origins. Fria is one of the modern spellings of Freyja, a Norse goddess, who, according to some scholars, was one of the Valkyries of Norse myth. Interesting, huh? There’s also the fact that it seems a little too easy and obvious for Winter to get the powers. Not to mention, it would certainly be a very interesting choice for the story if the powers go to someone who is beginning to oppose Ironwood rather than his most trusted lieutenant. And if Nora does indeed become the Winter Maiden, the whole game changes. Atlas’ fate is suddenly going to pretty much be in the hands of this 19-year-old woman who isn’t looking to be a very big fan of Atlas right now and is already getting stressed enough as it is. I don’t actually know much about proper Norse mythology, but I know that, in the Marvel movie at least, it’s Thor himself who causes Ragnarök. Whether or not it’s the same in the actual folklore, I don’t know, but it’s definitely something to think about.

So yeah, there are a lot of possibilities surrounding Nora being from Mantle but now let’s talk about where she could be headed with these possibilities in mind. I think it’s clear at this point that she is regretting allying with Ironwood with each passing day. In the very first episode of Volume 7, she expressed her dry disappointment with the state Mantle’s in and she’s continued to do so as time’s gone on. We also know that she supports Robyn Hill and it’s been implied that she thinks she’s doing a much better job at helping people than Ironwood is. And then there’s Ren. Despite their kiss in episode 6, it’s clear that they’re still having problems, especially now that Ren’s showed a worrying amount of support towards Ironwood- it even seems to have surprised Ruby. With all this coming to a head, I don’t think Nora’s going to be staying with the team for long. Something’s going to happen, something like a huge argument or a break of her trust and it’s going to push her right to someone who she knows is doing the right thing- Robyn. After all, Nora expressed frustration with all the lies she and the others are having to keep in the very same episode Robyn’s Semblance was revealed to be the ability to know the truth. There’s also my personal headcanon of her, May and Joanna all being trans girls and bonding over it, but I’m not getting my hopes too high for that.

Honestly though, if Nora joins the Huntresses, I think it’ll be great, both inside the show and out. I personally don’t think that what Ironwood’s doing is a good idea at all, nor do I agree with his methods and I think Nora rebelling could be the push the others to do the same (especially since Yang and Blake have already done it a little bit). It could be the cause of some really interesting conflict and we could get a lot of character building. Would she leave in secret or make it very clear where she’s going? Would her friends be able go after her or will Ironwood insist that the Amity project is more important? Will Ren feeling deeply betrayed and angered or will it be the wake-up call he needs? The choice opens so many doors and if it’s the direction they take and I’m very much here for it

Then there’s Ren. I’ve already mentioned him several times in this post, so all I’m gonna say is that I don’t think their conflict will doom them, not at all. Ren and Nora have been best friends since they were young kids and were all each other had for the longest time. They’re not going to let this ruin their friendship after all they’ve been through together. And despite what I keep seeing people saying, I think episode 6 made it clear that Ren does return Nora’s romantic feelings and it’s all in the kiss. There’s no way he’d have reacted the way he did- wrapping his arms around her and staying in the kiss for several seconds- if he didn’t feel the same way. He’d have pulled away or at the very least looked uncomfortable with it. I honestly think that, once Ren realizes that how he’s acting is risking him losing her for good, he’ll come to his senses. Every friendship and every couple have their arguments but that doesn’t mean it has to end. I have faith that they’ll get through this, even if it takes a while.

So yeah, there’s all of my jumbled-together thoughts about Nora and where I think she could be headed. I actually didn’t get down quite all of what I wanted to say, but there’ll be time for that when I eventually make Nora’s episode of my ‘Why I Love’ series on YouTube, though that’ll definitely be after volume 7 in case anything more important happens with her. For now, I hope this satisfies you guys and gives you something to think about in the seven weeks (yes, seven- they’re taking a break after episode 8) that we have to go of Volume 7.

bye nerds

#rwby #rwby theory #rwby analysis #rwby spoilers #nora valkyrie #becky rambles

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blazogirlsoneshots · 4 years

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Christmas at the Burrow (Ginny Weasley x Reader)

Christmas at your house at always been as cold as it was distant. It was a well-rehearsed dance of pretending that you were a tight-knit family while shoving all your true feelings under a rug. Let’s just say you were thrilled once you began Hogwarts and never came home during the holidays.

It was during one of those cozy festivities when you meet Ginny for the first time. It was during your second year and you had been wandering the halls. You were most definitely not paying attention and had walked straight into her back. That collision lead to a hundred apologies, eating during meals together while quickly becoming friends, and then beginning to date after the end of your seventh year. Then Ginny invited you over to her house for Christmas and you had no idea what to do.

“Have I told you how nervous I am yet?” You whined as you and Ginny were “packing” for the next week. Your shared apartment had clothes strewn everywhere while you and Ginny had taken a break and built a giant pillow fort for some reason.

“Only five thousand times,” Ginny giggled as pressed a kiss to your nose. “And don’t say you’re worried that my mum won’t like you because you know she does. Why else would she make you a sweater every year?”

“Because she feels sorry for me?” You suggested in the smallest voice you could muster.

“That’s a lie and you know it. Now, can we please get back to packing?”

“Fine,” Groaning you and Ginny crawled out of the little safe space you had created and began to reassemble order in your home. Then, after an apparition trip that perfectly resembled the state of your insides, you arrived at the Burrow.

Have you ever found a place that seemed to ooze comfort from the nearly breaking seams? Even Hogwarts, a place that was every witch and wizards home, came second to the welcoming ora that enveloped the Burrow. It was fascinating how a house so unusual could feel so familiar. As the gentle glow of the lights hanging on the tree cascaded across your face through the frosted windows, a shaky breath full of all your worries were released and that they were for nothing. You were pulled out of this daze as the front door swung upon with a crash as Mrs. Weasley enveloped her youngest in a bone-crushing hug.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you! Why didn’t you come around for tea this week? You could’ve at least sent an owl so I wasn’t worried. Where did these dark circles come from? Are you not sleeping well? I have just something for that-”

“Mum!” Ginny quickly cut her off and gestured towards you. “I brought Y/N, remember?”

It was like all the air had been knocked out of you as Mrs. Weasley went about mothering you as well. “Welcome, dear. Have you been eating enough? I know that Ginny isn’t the worst cook, but she can be so forgetful. Why do you also look like you’ve been getting no sleep as well? Was the trip here alright? I’ve made-”

“Mum!”

“Oh, right! Please come in before you freeze to death. We can’t have that on Christmas, now can we?” You were ushered in the Burrow as you and Ginny shared a smile. Why had you been nervous?

Ginny lead you into the living room as Mrs. Weasley went to fetch some cocoa. Sitting around a tree with a gnome dressed in a tutu as an angel was all of Ginny’s siblings as well as Harry, Hermione, and Fleur. Greeting were exchanged as all of Ginny’s brothers seemed to dogpile on top of her. You stood next to Hermione as you watched your girlfriend burst into laughter and couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she looked in the golden light.

“Watch out for the tree!” Mrs. Weasley cried as she entered the room with a levitating tray full of steaming cocoa.

“Oh, Mrs. Weasley, you shouldn’t have,” Hermione exclaimed as she quickly grabbed Ron out of the hoard of siblings to give him his cup of cocoa.

“Nonsense, my dear, it Christmas. Since you lot seemed to have so much energy, so either you come help me with dinner in the kitchen or go outside for heaven’s sake!” The last bit was directed to the gaggle of the redheads as George quickly caught the tree before it fell into the roaring fireplace. That was how you found yourself watch an impromptu game of quidditch on Christmas Eve. Bill, George, and Ron had formed a team against Charlie, Harry, and Ginny, while Fleur and Hermione had stayed inside to help Mrs. Weasley with the cooking. After much debate over whether or not you’d be impartial to the two teams, you had been appointed the referee.

It was a fierce match as it was bone-chillingly freezing, but the mixture of joy and competition found in the eyes of the opposing teams was more than enough to make up for the discomfort. The siblings had been playing for years and could seem to read each other’s minds as they flew in an intricate dance, but something was clearly missing. It was painfully obvious in the way George would hit a bludger in a direction that was obviously where Fred would be waiting, or how Bill would seem to expect a pass from his left and be completely bewildered when it came from Ron on his right. It had only been two years since Fred had died and the Weasleys weren’t over it.

The match would’ve gone for hours if Mr. Weasley had yelled for the lot of you to come in for dinner. Seven ravenous beings swarmed the dinner table as snow fell from coats that were hurriedly thrown on the floor. Plates of food were passed up and down the table as every corner of that topsy-turvy house was filled with laughter. It was perfect.

After dinner, you chose to help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen while Ginny and her brothers cleared the table. Mrs. Weasley took advantage of this opportunity of Ginny’s distraction to tell every embarrassing story about her daughter too much protest from Ginny. It was during all this when a certain photo caught your eye.

It was a picture of a hectic Christmas morning with Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny around a present with a tag the read, “For the younger Weasley boys.” The boys seemed perfectly fine with this gift but Ginny was crying. If the picture had sound, you were sure that Ginny would be yelling, “I’m not a boy!” Saying you were confused was most definitely an understatement.

“That was not a great Christmas,” Ginny came up behind you and wrapped her arms around your waist. “I have no idea why mom still has this up.”

��Can I ask the context of this photo or…”

“No, it fine. I mean, I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now anyway,” The was an undertone of nervousness in Ginny’s voice that was usually never there. It worried you as you gently placed a hand on the arms that were around your waist. “I was born physically a boy, but I’m a woman. I’m trans and I am still your girlfriend. I mean, if you still want me as your girlfriend, but if you don’t then that’s honestly transphobic so-”

“Why wouldn’t you still be my girlfriend? You’re still Ginny. You are still my beautiful, badass, and the basic embodiment of Gryffindor girlfriend who I love.”

“I love you too.”

“Hey, would you look at that,” You gestured up the clump of mistletoe above your heads with a small smile.

“Whatever shall we do about it?” Ginny teased as she drew closer.

“I have no idea,” You whispered as Ginny’s lips ghosted over yours.

“Merry Christmas, Y/N.”

“Merry Christmas, Ginny.”

A/N: It has come to everyone’s attention that J.K Rowling has proven to be transphobic. The series has never been completely perfect, but I just wanted to say this, sure J.K Rowling created the world that we all love but it isn’t really her’s anymore. This fandom feels like it belongs more to the fans then the author, so if J.K wants to put down trans people then guess what? Everyone’s trans! And what is she going to do about it?

masterlist

#ginny weasley x reader #ginny x reader #trans!ginny x reader #trans!ginny weasley x reader #trans!ginny #trans!ginny weasley #Harry Potter #Hermione Granger #ron weasley #george weasley #fred weasley #fleur delacour #trans rights #Merry Christmas

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apiratecalledav · 5 years

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Is there other stuff that makes you think hbo messed with gendrya?

Oh, man, I’m probably gonna be thought of as the Murray Bauman of the fandom…. But yeah, there’s actually quite a bit that makes me think that it’s possible. When season 8 first aired, I thought that maybe executive meddling shot them down for some reason, most logically to protect spinoff potential. They might have let the show “test the waters” but ultimately wanted them left ambiguous.

I thought it was… interesting… that Gendry and Arya had by far the gentlest, most amicable breakup in the entire series— and that it was over Gendry’s lordship that he straight up said wasn’t worth anything without Arya—when HBO UK made a cryptic tweet that made me wonder if someone high up was leery of the pairing/fan reaction. If they wanted the option for an Arya Stark spinoff someday, I could see why they wouldn’t want her to end in a relationship they thought might be poorly received.

I also thought that maybe since Gendrya went so far out of the show’s usual M.O. (to the point that it was one of the very few things about season 8 that I was wildly off about) that their thought process might have plausibly been something like, “Gendrya can’t be endgame? Well, fuck it. We’ll go all out and have them do pretty much everything else: Make out, spend the night together, save the world, say, ‘I love you,’ and get down on one knee to propose.”

I also thought that I was probably just a tinfoil-hat-wearing weirdo saying, “My OTP wasn’t definitively endgame! It must be a conspiracy.”

But I rewatched the whole season a little while ago and I noticed some things that I think are… interesting. Although, you should keep in mind that it was during two VERY long and VERY boring days at work where I had nothing to do.

I could just be shipper trash, seeing what I wanna see. Maybe not. I’m just saying that I’d believe it if something was up. From the way they portrayed Arya and Gendry, in general and especially in comparison to Jon/D-ny (I’ve anti tagged but if you don’t have blacklisting enabled, this is your fair warning), I could believe that the writers like the ship. And while Arya is certainly not the poster child for perfect mental health, there isn’t anything to suggest she would be toxic in a long term relationship. She isn’t selfish or cruel. I also don’t think that she hates herself the way that Sandor and Jaime did and that she believes she deserves to be “punished” or alone. She didn’t say anything to Gendry about not wanting to be a wife, just not a lady.

They’re consistently portrayed as a healthier/more favorable foil to Jon and D-ny:

In 8x01, D-ny swoops down on Winterfell and is cavalier as fuck about resources. She has no comment about food except that dragons eat “whatever they want.” The next scene, we see Gendry running to catch a chunk of dragonglass that was about to tumble out of the wagon. He tells everyone to be careful because they need every last bit of it. He then goes on to climb up the wagon, much like Arya did in the pilot episode. I think it’s even in the same spot. If not, it’s very similar.

Also 8x01, D-ny tells Jon, “keep your Queen warm” and while they are kissing, Jon keeps opening his eyes and freaking out because scary dragons are eyeballing him. And D-ny is pretty much like, “Don’t worry about it, it’s cool.” Even though she’s already made a few jokes about how if they decide to roast Jon then he’s shit outta luck and she threatened Sansa. Then the very next scene is Gendry and Sandor just before Arya finds them. Arya teases Gendry as well but she also defends him from Sandor, compliments him, jokes he should “keep close to that forge” if he’s cold and tells him not to call her Lady Stark. They laugh and banter and all awkwardness fades away and they’re both grinning like dorks. Arya actively wants Gendry to see them as equals; D-ny subconsciously wants Jon in his place.

Even as the dead are practically in their backyard, D-ny keeps obsessing about the throne. Meanwhile, Arya’s station doesn’t bother Gendry anymore because he knows it doesn’t matter. He also signed up to help Jon immediately without asking for anything in return.

Arya and Gendry each seek the other out in 8x02 but Jon spends a lot of it trying to avoid D-ny until the last moment

8x02 Arya and D-ny find out Gendry’s and Jon’s parentages. It makes no difference to Arya, she loved Gendry when he was a barmaid’s bastard and she loves him when he’s a king’s son. Jon’s bio father shatters D-ny’s whole world.

Most of Jon’s family (this includes Sam) distrust and fear D-ny. Jon and Sandor like Gendry and Sansa and Bran have no complaints at least.

Their ~love scenes~ have a few shots that mirror each other, too. But we see the buildup for Arya and Gendry, their conversation, their first kiss, undressing each other. We see Jon and D-ny and in the middle of things, during a montage explaining how they’re closely related and narrated by Jon’s little brother. Not exactly sexy. Then it cuts to Tyrion lurking nearby looking troubled and finally ends with an ominous shot of the Targ flagship in the dark and gloom. Meanwhile, Arya and Gendry are alone, not related, and are the sole focus of the scene. There’s not even music.

In 8x04, at the funeral, Gendry and Arya are initially a good distance apart. Then after they light the pyres, you get a shot of Arya with (an admittedly very blurry) Gendry visible over her shoulder. Meanwhile, Jon and D-ny stand together while lighting the fire and then they part.

Gendry’s “I love you” to Arya is enthusiastic and happy and D-ny’s to Jon is coming from a place of mourning at best and it’s straight up manipulative at worst. The words “I love you” are rare in this show. I can only remember Jorah saying it a couple of times, Littlefinger to Cat and Sansa, Joffrey pledging to wed Margaery, and Robb to Talisa. The only times it’s not sad or creepy are Robb and Gendry.

These two scenes are the most glaringly obvious. But to summarize, Arya tries to set Gendry “free” when his life changes in a direction she doesn’t want for herself and D-ny tries to put Jon into a corner and make sure his life CAN’T change into one that she doesn’t want.

So with that stuff in mind, I could buy that maybe they wanted Arya and Gendry to reunite in King’s Landing and try to save civilians together. Or maybe have Jon ask Gendry to take Arya as far away as he can before Jon goes to that throne room to do what he has to do. Hell, look at Arya’s final scene as is: She’s on a ship and then you see her Stark sigil on the sail against the sunlight… If Gendry was with her, that’d sure look like a happier version of D-ny and Jon’s scene from the end of season 7… While probably a bit too on the nose for GRRM’s books, I could see the show implying that Gendry and Arya are the second, more hopeful verse of the Song of Ice and Fire…

Other Season 8 Subtext-y things:

Marriage imagery; Arya under Gendry’s cloak. Bonus points for it being shown during these lines from Jenny’s song: “spun away all her sorrow and pain/and she never wanted to leave.” “She spun away and said to him, ‘no featherbed for me.’”

Pretty much all of Gendry’s scenes in season 8 are with Arya or he’s with Sandor, talking about her. The small handful of times he’s not with either of them, he’s with her siblings and other people connected to House Stark like Tormund and Davos and even Sam and Edd. After their “breakup” he virtually disappears. Pretty much the ENTIRE reason they brought him back was for Arya and to be tied strongly to House Stark.

Beric and Melissandre, who once wanted to sacrifice Gendry for “the greater good” and caused Arya to turn towards a darker path, sacrifice themselves to defeat the dead, not only saving Arya’s and Gendry’s lives but guiding Arya further into “light.” To the point where she literally ends the Long Night.

Gendry tells Arya that she’s beautiful and he loves her and gets down on one knee to ask her to marry him… Which is so wildly uncharacteristic for this show that I still can’t believe that it’s real. It’s by far the most traditional romantic moment in the entire series. I suppose it could just be fan service, but 8x02 would have sufficed on that front. Not to mention that “fan service” in this show has never been something so wholesome.

They could have done the proposal differently. They could have had Gendry say crap like, “Now we can settle down and live a boring, respectable life” or something else that would have been really unappealing to Arya. It actually would have been another connection to Robert/Lyanna, where Robert only loved his idea of Lyanna. But nope. They could have framed it as Gendry trying to do the honorable thing or “they’re gonna marry us off anyway, at least we like each other.” But nope.

Gendry could have been put off by Arya’s combat skills but he was turned on by it. She even used her “game of faces” voice on him and it didn’t send him running for the hills.

They also could have easily had Gendry be too “tame” for Arya but nope. Her face at this part just kills me.

They made a thing out of Gendry being “forever loyal” to D-ny after she legitimized him but he had jack shit to say about her at the Great Council and was all too happy to vote for King Bran, even after Arya had turned him down.

A follow up to that other post in regards to a Gendry-ish looking guy grabbing Arya and asking if she’s seen his wife, Alanna: Magaery’s cousin with the same sounding name gets a GRRM-esque weird spelling: Allana with two Ls and one N. As opposed to the more traditional spelling that looks more like Lyanna….

One of the surviving lords at the Great Council is specifically from the Storm Lands. He’s probably who has had Storm’s End for the last few years and maybe he doesn’t deserve to get kicked out by a boy who doesn’t have any idea how to be a lord and doesn’t even want to be a lord without Arya. He even has a name: Lord Une. The Dornish prince doesn’t have a first name but this guy does?

Also, Une is a very unusual name. It’s not from the books and it doesn’t really sound Medieval Europe-y, either. Maybe there’s an inside joke or something? That’s definitely not a name you just pull from the air.

Arya lights Beric’s funeral pyre but if Sandor didn’t have issues with fire, I think he probably would have done it as Beric’s last surviving friend. It kind of gives us the sense that Arya can do what Sandor can’t—which of course, she ultimately does when she decides to leave Cersei while Sandor, who has missed so much being hurt and angry, can only have peace/forgive himself is if he stops Gregor forever.

In the very next scene after the funeral, we see Gendry and Sandor talk about Arya. Sandor basically says that normal, living people have emotions and hormones and it’s not a bad thing. Sometime later, we see Sandor scare off a girl who makes a pass at him. The next scene is Gendry and Arya. Arya also ‘rejects’ her love interest but it’s in an infinitely more thoughtful way. We already know that it’s easier for Arya to be close to other people than it was for Sandor. Arya just has a little bit more to go until she’s completely ready for something serious.

Episodes 1 and 2 establish a pattern of “Sandor then Gendry.” It’s how they arrive at Winterfell. It’s how they reunite with Arya. It’s how Arya visits them towards the end of 8x02. Sooo again, I could see at one point the intention was for them to reunite in King’s Landing. Possibly during that bit where it keeps cutting back and forth between Sandor and Arya; “hateful” Gregor grabs Sandor up to throw him around and “loving” Gendry lifts Arya to save her from getting trampled. Nora, the name of the kind stranger who does help Arya, is essentially the “female equivalent” of Gendry’s name.

According to the leaked outline of season 7, Gendry was originally supposed to be rescued by Benjen beyond the wall. In season 8, he has scenes with Jon, Sansa, and Bran, and even Edmure and Robin. ALMOST LIKE THEY WANTED HIM TO MEET *ALL* OF ARYA’S FAMILY. I’m pretty sure only Tyrion has met more Starks and Tullys than Gendry.

The “Ice battle” was at Arya’s childhood home and the “Fire battle” was at Gendry’s. And yeah, I think it’s pretty damn weird that a capable, uninjured soldier who has knowledge of King’s Landing isn’t there.

They gave them a reference to The Princess Bride: “As you wish.” Comparing them to a beloved couple from a modern classic is a good sign. Comparing them to most likely a childhood favorite? Even better. Comparing them to a couple where their other famous line is “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a little while.” And Arya and Gendry are still alive. Actually, it might be a coincidence but they do have a SHIT-TON in common with The Princess Bride. GRRM is a fan, too, so maybe it was discussed at some point. It’s certainly uncanny if it wasn’t at least partially intentional. But that’s a different post.

Sandor knows about Gendry and Arya and he doesn’t rip Gendry’s head off. Gendry basically got a blessing from Arya’s last legal guardian.

Their outfits reflect each other’s houses, Gendry’s clothes having some very Stark direwolf-like scratch marks and Arya’s scabbard is yellow and black aka Baratheon colors.

I haven’t listened to it yet, but apparently in the leaked audio commentary for 8x06, they talked about how Joe wanted Arya to notice how hot Gendry looked.

Other stuff that makes me think that the writers like Gendrya:

They gave them a lot of time and focus. Even in season 8 where they had very limited time. And objectively speaking, that time probably should have been spent with Arya and her siblings.

They had Arya befriend Gendry earlier and easier than she does in the books.

In behind the episode of 8x02, Benioff talked about how you choose to spend your last night on earth says a lot about you. The very first example he gives is Arya wanting to be with Gendry.

They are always depicted positively: They trust each other; they respect each other; they make each other laugh; they protect each other. Even during their “breakups” in season 3 and 8; they are honest and accepting of each other’s decisions. These two are young and inexperienced but they manage to be more mature and healthier than 95% of the other couples. Their relationship also doesn’t doom them the way that Robb and Talisa’s did.

They changed stuff from the books to make it– not more romantic per se given Arya’s age– but certainly shipping fuel that fit more into romantic tropes: How they meet, how Gendry discovers that she’s a girl, how Arya blatantly checks him out when he’s shirtless. Their long one-on-one and emotional “goodbye” scene where Arya says, “I can be your family.”

They changed/added lines to foreshadow “My Featherbed,” aka where Gendry is legitimized but gives it up for Arya: “I have a son, you have a daughter. We’ll join our houses” but leaving out how Robert specified Joffrey and Sansa. Changing “you’ll marry a king” and “no, that’s Sansa” to “you’ll marry a high lord” and “no, that’s not me.” Davos telling Gendry how he became a lord to help his son and it actually got Mathos killed in battle.

The main bullet points of season 8 were largely what I was expecting and I was at least in the ballpark about a lot of the details. Like did I predict King Bran? No, but I knew he belonged in the south because he named his direwolf Summer. I knew the king or queen would be a dark horse and I was fairly certain Tyrion would be Hand. The few things I didn’t anticipate still seemed to validate the main themes and messages I thought that GRRM was going for. Like King Bran. Now I can’t believe I didn’t see it. Who better to “end the game of thrones” than someone who doesn’t want to play and also can’t be plotted against?

Gendrya is the one major thing that tripped me up. Seriously. I would have bet my fucking car that if Gendry didn’t die, he’d walk away from a lordship and be with Arya on her ship, even if the nature of their relationship was ambiguous.

So I could believe that they wanted or at least expected Gendrya to be endgame since season 1 and someone told them no. It could have been GRRM but I must admit that I have a difficult time believing that.

I guess I could see GRRM having the point of their relationship be that Arya is upfront and honest about what she wants and Gendry respects her decision and doesn’t turn into a bitter/mopey drunk. Or that Gendry dies and Arya doesn’t wallow in it forever… But there’s so much that makes me think that Gendry is meant to be the “sweet” part of Arya’s bittersweet ending, and at least be her True Companion. Not to mention they’re still too young to really have a relationship in the books. Well, at least Arya is. And those particular parallels to Robert and Lyanna fall pretty flat in my opinion if they’re not romantically involved. I mean, come ON. How the hell could it NOT end with the possibility of Lyanna’s niece/ Jon’s sister and Robert’s son/D-ny+Rags cousin???

Possible HBO Shenanigans:

I thought it was kinda funny that HBO UK–not Game of Thrones but an official HBO account– made a tweet shortly before 8x02 aired implying that Arya is eighteen… when she’s more likely sixteen (lots of reasons, not to mention that Maisie has even said that Arya is sixteen.) And sixteen is the age of consent in the UK anyway. As far as I know, that was the only public attempt by HBO to quell controversy in an already hugely controversial season. Like, after The Bells, I don’t think anyone at HBO tweeted about “Ideally, good rulers don’t commit 2.5 times the amount of war crimes as the Night King.” So I do have to wonder if there’s a reason that they’re particularly invested and protective about Arya’s reception…

There was a huge shitstorm when Tommen and Margaery got married and pretty much most of that stuff was off screen. Sure, Arya’s a bit older and Maisie was in her 20s while Dean-Charles was still in his teens… but people do tend to get much more outraged when it’s a girl with an older guy than vice versa.

There was also a big shakeup when AT&T acquired HBO and they got a new CEO early in 2019, a couple of months before season 8 aired. The former CEO seemed to have been championing Bloodmoon, that prequel that got canceled recently. He might have been pulling more for a potential Arya show back when the season was still being written… the new people at AT&T also seemed extremely upset over what the budgets for GoT and Big Little Lies did for their bottom line.

While HBO has stated emphatically that there are no current plans for an Arya spinoff, they were sure to tack on a “right now, a sequel […] doesn’t make sense for us.” I do believe that this is something they want to have in their back pocket. There’s a lot of interest in the idea and if House of the Dragon does well, I won’t be shocked if five+ years down the line we get at least a movie or a limited series about Arya. It’s by far the easiest, since her character can be isolated from everyone else and there are tons of cool places to explore. Hell, if they were really desperate, they wouldn’t even need Maisie Williams to come back. They could just recast and say she’s wearing someone else’s face to hide from mercenaries or something.

GRRM gave an interview talking about how certain characters who have “a high Q rating” (popular) get pushed into more screen time. Bronn is almost certainly one of those characters. He’s always been a self-serving asshole, but the things that made him feel more like an affable rascal—his funny lines, his genuine and open fondness for Podrick—are all but gone in season 8. Not to mention that there’s the implied possibility he’s dying from some “pox.” In the outline for season 7, he’s much closer to “Season 8 Bronn.” Like, he was the one who was originally going to ask Jaime about Widow’s Wail and call Joffrey a “See-You-Next-Tuesday.” When Olenna said it, it was pretty funny. But coming from Bronn, it was a real dick move. I could believe that their “treatment” of Bronn in season 8 was a bit of a middle finger to him. The same way I could perceive Gendrya’s portrayal as being a “fuck you” if they weren’t allowed to actually be endgame.

TL;DR: Gendry and Arya are one of the very few healthy couples in the entire series, and it could be argued that they even get “special” treatment. Both of them lived and while Arya certainly has been traumatized, she is not a walking dumpster fire who wouldn’t be good for him. It would have been only too easy for them to be portrayed as incompatible or worse but they weren’t. Their breakup is over a virtual nonissue. So it’s not out of the range possibility that they were a victim of executive meddling.

And please spare me any “bUt D&D aRe ToO STuPId tO dO tHis.” I’m not campaigning for them to win Pulitzers any time soon, but the notion that they’re complete nitwits is just silly. They both have M.F.A.s from very good schools and their scripts/outlines that I’ve read have a lot of really clever and really well-thought-out references, ranging from history to poetry to literature to even The Rolling Stones.

I’m not saying that they intentionally did all this stuff but they certainly could have if they wanted to.

#gendrya #gendrya positivity #arya x gendry #gendry #arya stark #anti jonerys #anti daenerys #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire

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wiener-soldiers · 4 years

Text

operation omega - recon (iv)

summary: years after the avengers dismantle HYDRA, the group remerges more dangerous than ever. their modus operandi? infiltrating foreign governments, stealing and reproducing their weapons, and selling them to terrorist groups. when the us government approaches the avengers for help on a secret operation with a secret asset, they are reluctant to agree. it isn’t until their quinjet almost gets shot down in the middle of nowhere when the understand that omega means business.

pairing: bucky barnes x SEAL!reader

words: 3.7k

warnings: swearing, recounting of violence/morally ambiguous acts, slight angst

a/n: italics are flashbacks (but yall alrdy knew that) and it kinda gets intense. and i barely edited this ha.

taglist: add yourself here!

OPERATION OMEGA MASTERLIST

Bucky’s been on hundreds of missions before, but for some reason, he’s nervous about this one.

Logically, he knows he has no real reason to be: Omega was the most skilled people the world had. If the Avengers didn’t have enhanced individuals, he knows that Omega would be running circles around them.

But from where he sat in the hot, dusty market, he could feel is heart thump in his throats as he listened to Y/N give orders through the comms. Every time she spoke, Bucky could feel his throat tighten. He knows it was his own fault that he wasn’t helping Natasha and Dr. Marge break into the suspected HYDRA factory. Instead, he sat at an outdoor patio in a chair that was way too small for him.

---

“You’re late,” Y/N says in full Captain mode as Tony scurries inside the command room.

“Semantics,” he said weakly before her stern glare quickly shut him up.

“I know we’re friends,” Y/N started as she paced around the front of the command room, “but on the field, I am your Captain. If I give an order, you will follow it. I don’t tolerate people going off and shooting the shit. This isn’t just your reputation on the line, it’s ours too. Do I make myself clear?”

She gets a chorus of affirmative responses.

“Chain of command is me, then Steve, then Jack, then Abigail. If Abigail loses the chain of command, you make an emergency abort, clear?”

Another chorus of affirmative replies.

Y/N’s lips crook upwards. “Good.”

---

Steve sat across from him, sipping tea and pretending not to look suspicious. Hordes of people were walking through the market—if they only knew how many deadly soldiers were in the market with them.

Or, of course, that the factory mass producing high-tech weapons smack dab in the middle of the market.

Steve’s disguise was more elaborate than Bucky’s; while Bucky was relatively unknown compared to the other Avengers, Steve was an international symbol of American patriotism. Y/N had almost forced him to sit the mission out and take a tactical role as opposed to an operational role. Steve only convinced her to let him on the ground just in case there were enhanced guarding the building.

Y/N only barely agreed.

Bucky wore a loose linen blouse—light enough for him not to fry under the blistering sun, but loose enough to easily hide an ultra-thin, Vibranium tactical vest and an array of small firearms and combat knives. His hair was tied up in a half-up bun with tendrils falling to hide any distinctive facial features. Steve, however, had to wear a cloaking mask, similar to one Natasha used when she infiltrated Alexander Pierce’s office. His face was barely recognizable, and his tunic was extra baggy to hide any muscle. What made Steve especially uncomfortable was that he didn’t have his shield.

“Everyone in position?” Y/N finally asks through the comms.

“Nat and I are in position,” Marge says quietly, trying to stay hidden from any possible guards.

“I got eyes on I have visual on Stark and Wilson. Oversight is in position,” Dom says from the jet silently hovering above them with cloaking on.

“I’m clear,” John says from the other side of the market. Bucky can see the tint of his reflective sunglasses from the corner of his eye.

“Abi and I are clear,” John says from a rooftop on overlooking the market.

“Bucky and I are clear,” Steve says from across the table.

“Good,” Y/N says. “It’s fourteen-hundred hours. Nat and Marge, you’re clear to enter the building. And for the rest of you,” she pauses, “if you fuck this up, I’ll kill you myself.”

Bucky gulps and give Steve a wary glance.

“You okay, Buck?”

“Peachy.”

“Our mission is to infiltrate this building,” Y/N calls out as the projection of the map in the command room zooms into a satellite photo of a market. “A couple months ago, Omega gathered intel confirmed by the BND that this is HYDRA’s main manufacturing plant.”

“It’s small,” Sam comments.

“It’s efficient,” Y/N corrects. “It’s smack dab in the middle of a market, so it’s easy for their parts suppliers to make deliveries disguised as legitimate businesses. They only assemble the weapons here; they get their parts elsewhere.”

“What’s the point storming the building if they can just send their parts to a new facility,” Tony asks the obvious.

“Because HYDRA loves efficiency, meaning this is most likely the place where they have information on all their suppliers, who they’re delivering the weapons to, and who their assets are.”

“Assets?” Bruce asks.

Y/N nods, “Moles within every global superpower, we suspect.”

“Jesus…” an Omega team member whistles.

“So, what’s the play?” Steve asks from his spot beside Bucky.

With a swipe on her phone, the collage of information on the large screen changes to show a map of the area surround the factory, as well as blueprints of the building itself. Y/N crosses the room as she speaks, “Natasha and Marge have the most experience gathering intel and getting in and out of a building undetected as fast as possible. I want you two to get inside that building and copy every single piece of information you think is useful. Make sure not to take anything with you; I want it to look like we were never there in the first place.

“Stark, Wilson, Barton, you guys will handle the aerial surveillance. Barton, I want you stationed on the roof across from the factory. You’re the extra set of eyes and ears on the inside. Stark, Wilson, I want you suited up in stealth mode and surveying a five-block perimeter. If anything, suspicious comes anywhere close to the factory, I want to know. Dom will be hovering the Quinjet in stealth over us, but aerial support is an emergency level plan. The minute we expose the Quinjet, it’s game over for Omega.

“The rest of us are going to be on the ground in different areas of the market with me running point from a hotel room guarded by Jack. We’re there for backup support only if necessary. We only make ourselves known if Nat or Marge’s tracker goes down.”

“Wait,” Bucky cuts her off, shifting his weight off the desk behind him to his feet. “You’re telling me that if something goes south in there, we can’t go get Natasha or Marge?”

Y/N rolls her eyes, but her gaze tenses on Bucky’s face for a second. Why are you challenging my authority? she wants to say. Bucky had been nothing but kind and was great company. But he’s stupid to think that Y/N would tolerate this level of subordination.

“Do you realize what happens if we expose ourselves?” Y/N quips snarkily instead. “It’ll take seconds before the international community realizes that foreign military is deployed in a country outside our jurisdiction, which might I add is hostile towards almost every country in the UN. Then amidst all the political chaos, HYDRA goes back into hiding and we’re back to square one. We’re treading on thin fucking ice, Barnes.”

Bucky admits that she makes a good point, but he doesn’t fully trust her. Not yet, at least. “So, hypothetically let’s say Nat or Marge gets caught, tortured, and possibly brought to a secondary location; we can’t get them?”

“As long as their trackers are live, we don’t engage.”

“But what if—”

“If what Barnes!?” Y/N shouts, her steely stare piercing through his skull. “You’ve been here a couple of fucking weeks, so as much as you think you’re fitting in, you don’t know how we run missions here. Nat and Marge will have cams, and Clint is our extra eyes just in case. God forbid things go south, we proceed with our emergency extraction protocols to make it look like we just happen to be the regular military rescuing hostages and not secret operatives! If they ever get brought to a secondary location, we follow their trackers through satellite and jet until the moment they go down, but by then we probably have satellite tagging on them anyways!”

Bucky knows she’s made her point and that it was premature for him to publicly question her authority. But he let his pride get away and his mouth run faster than his common sense, “You could have told us all that in the first place.”

Y/N is livid. She slowly struts towards Bucky, the people in her way slowly moving to the side like Moses parting the Red Sea. She stands far closer to Bucky than she’s comfortable with, but the quick flash of fear in Bucky’s eyes at her body language is enough to make it worth it.

“No, I didn’t,” Y/N says, eerily quiet. “Do you know why, Barnes? Because as long as you are on my fucking base, I am your Captain and I will not tolerate your blatant fucking disrespect. Your orders are to not engage unless Nat or Marge’s trackers are down, do I make myself clear Sergeant?”

Bucky gulps, “Crystal.”

Y/N smirks slightly before turning on the heel of her boot and continuing the briefing.

“Marge, Nat, you’re clear to enter the building,” Y/N says into the comm. She’s in a hotel room facing the market with Jack. While Jack is assuming another surveillance position, Y/N is seated at a desk with a laptop which monitors Marge and Nat’s video feed.

“Copy,” Marge says quietly, “We’re entering the building. We’re limiting verbal contact…now.”

“Ya know,” Jack says from his spot at the window. He has a sniper scope trained through a window of the building in case something goes wrong inside. “You didn’t have to go so hard on Barnes during briefing.”

“Yes, I did,” Y/N mumbles, attention still focused on the video feed in front of her.

Jack chuckles slightly. “He’s an Avenger,” he says, “not a SEAL. He may not know how we do things.”

“He was army,” Y/N says, sending him an annoyed glance.

“Like…90 years ago. And wasn’t the whole ‘Howling Commandos’ thing to liberate POWs and shit? Seems like a field where you would question orders to me,” he retorts.

Y/N turns to look at him with an exasperated. “Who’s fucking side are you on, anyways?” she bites back. Jack only chuckles.

Y/N returns her attention back on the screen. Though she’s trying to concentrate on the video feed, her mind wanders back to Bucky. She gnaws at her lip; Was I too hard on him? she thinks.

No, she eventually decides. But deep down, Y/N feels a sense of hurt. She liked Bucky—he was kind, a good listener, and very understanding. She didn’t let just anyone join her on her morning run. Worst of all, Y/N thought that Bucky respected her. Clearly, Y/N decided, he did not. Why else would Bucky question her authority and her orders not only in front of the world-famous Avengers, but also her own teammates?

Stop being distracted, you’re working, Y/N quickly tells herself. She takes a deep breath before glancing at her watch. Marge and Wanda have been inside the building for five minutes, meaning they have five minutes remaining before extraction.

“Status report on all teams?” Y/N asks into the comms.

Bucky barely hears her voice in his ear. He barely registers each team reporting their status. Instead, he focuses on the man sitting a few tables away from him. The man, most probably a local, is staring straight at Bucky’s face while quickly talking to someone on the phone. Bucky’s instincts begin to kick in.

In the middle of Clint’s status report, Bucky nudges Steve with his foot. “I think we’ve been made,” he says, trying not to look panicked.

Bucky watches a flash of panic flash across Steve’s eyes before he says, “What?”

Bucky turns his head slowly in the direction of the man, “The man at that table has been staring straight at me and is on a phone call like his life depended on it.”

Steve purposefully knocks a teaspoon off the table so he can bend down and properly look at the suspicious man. Sure enough, the man was talking on the phone erratically while staring in Bucky’s direction. Steve frowns and looks slightly past Bucky at another table. At that table, a woman and a man are seated, presumably on a date. The woman appears to be having the time of her life while the man, Steve notices, is giving knowing smirks to the man on the phone.

Steve sighs, “Buck, I think that guy is just jealous of the date going on at the table behind you.”

“Are you sure, because I swear—”

“Rogers, Barnes, status report?” Y/N’s voice through the comms finally cuts them off.

Steve gave Bucky a look as if telling him to drop the subject before speaking into the comms, “We’re clear—”

“Negative. We’re not clear. I think we’ve been made,” Bucky cuts him off.

“What!?” Y/N screeches into the comm, “Jack, Clint, I want eyes on Barnes and Rogers!”

“Who am I looking for?” Clint replies.

“Guy in the green tunic a couple tables down, north of the patio. He’s talking on the phone,” Bucky says, shifting in his seat slightly.

The line is silent for a few seconds before Jack says, “Barnes, I think you’re clear.”

Bucky seemingly ignores his update and asks again, “Clint, you got a visual?”

Steve gives him a confused look, as if asking him what the hell he’s doing. Bucky ignores him.

“I don’t have a visual,” Clint replies, “but I’d go with what Jack said.”

“I have a visual,” Wanda suddenly cut in. She was at a fruit stand across the street, pretending to be shopping. “You’re clear, Barnes.”

Bucky looks across the street and catches Wanda’s gaze. Can’t you read his mind or some shit and figure out if he’s made me? he thinks to her.

Wanda rolls her eyes before tapping her head twice, No.

Of course, it doesn’t work that way, Bucky thinks.

“I’m sorry but you guys can’t see the way this guy is looking at me,” he says stubbornly, “I’m taking this guy out.”

Bucky goes to stand up and Steve reaches his arm to stop him when Y/N voice rips through the comms again. “No!” she shouts and Bucky grimaces.

“If we’re made, backup is going to be here any minute now, and Marge and Nat are still in there!” Bucky hisses.

“We have intel that the people in this village aren’t aware of what’s going on in that factory, Bucky! There’s no backup that this prick can even call! And I’m not letting you kill an innocent fucking civilian,” Y/N yells back at him.

“Well fuck your intel, I’m going after this guy—”

“I am your commanding officer and you will stand down!” Y/N finally shouts, sounding more like a drill sergeant than the girl he goes on morning runs with. “That’s a fucking order, Sergeant. Do you copy Barnes?”

Bucky is silent. Instead he clenches his jaw so hard he’s afraid his teeth might shatter.

“Do you copy, Sergeant?” Y/N repeats again, eerily quiet and deadly serious.

Bucky’s nostrils flare up in anger, but he resettles himself back on the seat.

“He copies,” Steve finally says into the comm.

The rest of the mission goes off without a hitch. Bucky was wrong about the man on the phone. As Marge and Natasha exited the factory, unharmed and undetected, the man on the phone got up and in a jealous rage, stormed over to the happy couple behind him.

He tried his best to prepare himself for the berating he was going to get from Captain Y/N later, but nothing could prepare him for the treatment he was getting now.

Y/N was silent the entire flight back to the Omega compound. Instead of yelling at him like there was no tomorrow, she quietly prepared the intel to be sent over to her commander. When they landed back at the base, he got sympathetic pats from his teammates as they unloaded the Quinjet. ‘You’re in for it, Barnes’ and ‘Tell me if you make it without crying,’ the Omega team members told him seriously.

As he unloaded the last crate of equipment, Y/N briskly walked past him and said with deadly fierceness, “Command room. Now.”

After everything that happened earlier in the day, he didn’t need to be told twice.

Bucky slowly opens the metal door towards the command room and has to shut his eyes tight for a few seconds to allow his pupils to adjust to how especially dark the room was. As Bucky wandered inside, he noticed the only light source was from Y/N’s desk on the loft overlooking the rest of the command room. Her voice stops him dead in his tracks.

“Your paranoia is going to get us killed,” Y/N says, her voice echoing through the room.

“Y/N—”

“No, you don’t get to talk yet,” she cuts him off once again. He watches her silhouette stand from the desk and walk down the stairs to stop in front of him. He can barely see her face but can make out some features.

“When I was in the SEALs, I was Jack’s unit commander,” Y/N tells him, her voice getting softer, “We were in a remote fishing village off the coast of South America rescuing high profile hostages. There was a fiesta that night and the entire town gathered on the beach for a party. It was the perfect time to rescue the hostages because we were disguised by the music and the lack of civilians in town. While I was on a base somewhere, hundreds of miles away, Jack sends a panicked message to mission control over the comms. There’s a group of people close to the site where the hostages were being held. It was too dark for them to make anything out, but that group of people started shooting at them. Not close enough to hit them, but I was paranoid that they might get hit even though they were wearing full body armour. Jack asked if he had permission to engage because taking them out was against the rules of engagement for that mission—they were only supposed to shoot at adult individuals that they could clearly identify. As the commanding officer of that mission, it was my call. And I gave Jack the go ahead to take the shot.”

Y/N stops to take a shaky breath, and he swears he hears a sob. “They were just kids, Bucky, no older than fifteen. They were used by the captors as easily dispensable firepower who were just doing that to make a few extra dollars to take home to their families. We could’ve easily averted them and tied them up. But I was the one who gave them the permission to take the shot.”

Bucky reaches for her, but he can’t find her arms. He sighs, “That’s not your fault, Y/N. You know that. You were worried for the safety of your team.”

“Then why have a felt haunted by it ever since?” she cries.

Instead of gently trying to search for her arms, Bucky quickly steps forward with his arms open. Bucky rams Y/N into his chest and her arms immediately wraps themselves around his waist. Bucky holds her closely while she sobs choked tears into his chest.

A tear escapes Bucky’s eye as well before he has the heart to ask her, “Is that why you left the Navy?”

Y/N lets out an ironic scoff. “No,” she retorts, “it’s because they awarded me the Navy fucking Cross. And I know I don’t deserve it.”

“I know what I say won’t change what you’ve done and how you feel about it,” Bucky tells her honestly, “But those SEALs are alive because of you. Jack is alive because of you. They got to see their families because of you. I know we don’t trade lives or value someone’s life after another, but your orders were to first and foremost bring those SEALs home safely. And you did that.”

They stay like that for another ten minutes—Y/N burying herself into Bucky’s torso and Bucky resting his nose in the crook of her neck.

“My paranoia is what kept me safe from HYDRA,” Bucky says honestly, murmuring into her neck. “After I escaped from HYDRA, I didn’t trust anyone. I didn’t trust Steve, the rest of the Avengers, or myself. When I was in HYDRA, the longer I trusted my own fucked up brain that what I was doing was right, the more unspeakable shit I did. When I started fighting the brainwashing, I started being paranoid of everything and look where that got me? I’m alive because of it.”

“No,” she whispers, “you’re alive because you learned to how to trust again. You’re alive because you know that even though trusting is scary, it’s better than living in constant fear. You’re alive because you’ve found things that are worth trusting.”

Bucky’s speechless. He pulls away slightly, glancing down at her. He still can’t fully make out her facial features, but he can tell she’s staring at him with a sternness that reminded him of his mother.

“Do you respect me?” Y/N whispers.

“Of course,” he replies without hesitation.

“Do you trust me?” Y/N asks again.

Bucky’s voice catches in his throat. He feels his Adam’s apple bob and his heart pound against his ribcage. Yes, he wants to say so badly. But he can’t and he can’t say why, and he’s embarrassed for it.

But Y/N offers him a small, gentle smile. She reaches up in the dark to cup his face, but her hand lands on his neck instead. “You don’t have to trust me,” she tells him, “I’d like it if you could trust me, but you don’t have to. But I need you to respect me in the field and in front of our teams. I’m still your CO, Barnes. And as much as I like you, I’d really hate to have to yell at you again.”

Bucky chuckles softly, “Is that an order, Captain?”

“It is, Sergeant. Do I make myself clear?” she says in a light tone, grinning at him.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky replies, lazily grinning back.

FIVE: YES MA’AM

---

tags:

operation omega: @marvelsangels @1-800-schmacked

marvel: @milea @marvelsangels @thecurlsofgod @schnapped

bucky barnes: @emilielskov

#bucky barnes imagine #sebastian stan imagine #bucky barnes x reader #sebastian stan x reader #bucky barnes fic #sebastian stan fic #bucky barnes #sebastian stan #bucky barnes fanfiction #sebastian stan fanfiction #bucky barnes series #marvel imagine

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tb5-heavenward · 4 years

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You just know I'm going to ask about Covenant now, right?

well since you two are two of the only people who know about covenant (and i’m sorry bud, your editorial sensibilities are going to have to put up with my stylistic lower caps) and since I’ve finally watched that shitshow of a most recent episode, I am totally down to talk about covenant.

but first let’s talk a little bit about TAG

TAG is terrible.

Visually the show is gorgeous. It has improved by leaps and bounds and it was charming when it started and it is awesome now. WETA are absolutely the bedrock of what makes this show worth watching, and I love the visuals more and more as they continue to push those boundaries. The cinnamontography, etc.

The Thunderbirds are amazing. They are beautiful, intricate, wonderfully clever machines. Their pilots ain’t half bad either. If you know and truly love the show and think about them all as well and deeply as they deserve, I think it’s impossible to honestly pick a favourite. International Rescue is a fantastic premise. The Tracys and their associates are all strong, compelling characters who have been iterated into an updated retro-future and made universally deeper and more interesting.

The bread and butter conceit of the show is awesome, the tension and conflict and creativity around solving complex problems that they manage to demonstrate in the course of a twenty-two minute episode sometimes just boggles the mind. When IR gets put up against the forces of nature and straight bad luck and pure, audacious dumbassery, we have gotten some of the best moments this show has to offer.

And those first season episodes were ugly as shit and everybody sounded the same and there were maybe three spare models between the entire NPC cast, but my GOD did S1 ever have heart. The soul of the show belongs to S1 and no one will change my mind about that. Try it. EOS was incredible. Skyhook was the definition of a balanced ensemble episode. Fireflash. Tunnels of Time. Relic. Recharge. Extraction. S2 came back swinging out of the gate with Ghost Ship. Up from the Depths was an absolute masterclass and actually changed the stakes in the show for the first time. Bolt from the Blue. Power Play. Hyperspeed. We all know which episodes were fucking good as hell. S3 comes out and the visuals have improved yet further. They have firmly found their feet as animators and as actors and as characters. We are finally actually starting to learn about these boys and their father, the most glaringly obvious hole in the show at large. Night and Day. Life Signs. And then SOS 1/2 and a complete and total paradigm shift. There is a sense of mortality to TAG now and it is an edge of realism that SHOULD be able to elevate it beyond what it’s been so far.

And yet.

TAG is fucking terrible.

Five years on, I am entitled to say, TAG is absolutely the goddamn worst sometimes, holy fucking shit. And what makes that terribleness terrible in and of itself—is that it’s because this show fails to recognize its most fundamental strengths. It fails to know what its audience will really connect to. And it’s because the writers’ room must be the goddamn wild west at this point, with the sort of nonsense these fucks are throwing at the wall and hoping to see it stick. It’s because whoever is in charge of the overall narrative arc of these seventy-odd episodes has not done what’s necessary to ensure TAG’s cohesion as a unified work.

(y’all hang onto your butts, i’m gonna do another brick wall metaphor.)

So what we have, five years on and seventy-odd episodes later, is a heap of bricks that WANT to be a wall, and we’re led to the impression that they’re SUPPOSED to be a wall, but they haven’t been put together by any single person. They have been put together by a rotating cast of a few dozen people who orient the bricks they’re given in slightly different ways sometimes, or who lay them at odd angles or who brought their own bricks from home for some reason. David Tennant is there. He must have cost at least half the budget for all of S2. All in all, he’s just another brick in the wall.

We know by this point that there is some asshole vaguely in charge of the idea of the wall. You can kind of tell that he’s at least heard of walls and he would definitely like to build one, but he isn’t exactly making it happen. There is an edifice here. It is wall-like, in some regions. At the end of the day though, most people who come across it also step over it, no problem. Or they chisel out the bricks that look to be worth saving and kick the rest of the wall over. That’s just fandom. That’s what fandom does.

Now, it is necessary at any point when talking about children’s media to talk about another series that ran three seasons over sixty-one episodes, and covered a level of geopolitical conflict over the course of a single year from the perspective of five incredibly gifted young people, all of whom were complex and flawed and sympathetic, and who knew they were responsible with putting the world to right with their own hands and set about doing that in the face of incredible odds, against villains who were no less than ruthlessly sociopathic.

ATLA sets a high bar. TAG was never going to be ATLA.

But fuck, I wish it had tried.

I wish the people who had set out to remake this story had sat down together and said, “Over the course of the next three seasons, we will tell the story of what International Rescue is. We will explain how it came to be. We will have strong themes that persist through the show and repeat themselves for emphasis: One Problem At A Time, You Can’t Save Everyone, Someone Has To Try. We will explain who these boys are and how they came to be this way. We will make it deeply and obviously clear what they do, how they do it, and why. We will give them limits. We will let them fail. We will give them flaws, we will let them clash with each other. We will let them grow and change. We will give them one deep, powerful loss that is the bedrock of what they became. We will put a powerful force in the world that loathes and opposes them at all costs. We will give them a tiny fragment of hope to chase and chase and chase and let them catch it only at the moment when they’v’e finally learned that they can let it go.”

I wish there had been rules. I wish there hadn’t been a new villain crammed into every season, in a show where the villains are objectively the weakest part. To add four villains to a show that barely has room for one and then to expect to make them ALL have a sympathetic edge somehow—it’s absolute fucking idiocy. I don’t care that The Hood is Kayo’s Uncle and Smiled In a Picture One Time. I don’t care that The Mechanic Is Apparently Being Mind Controlled Though No Indication Of That Was Given At Any Point in His History Until We Were Told So Explicitly. I don’t fucking CARE that Havoc Gets Yelled At By Her Boss Who Is Mean. I don’t give a shit that Fuse Is Apparently Too Stupid To Have Recognized The Moral Component Of Any Of His Criminal Acts Up Until He Inflicts Them On The Tracys.

You know which villains are objectively incredible in this show? Langstrom Fischler. Professor Harold. Francois Lemaire. Ned Fucking Tedford, who is a villain on the grounds that he is an obstacle, a problem to be solved, a concept of a person so hapless that they have multiple times strayed in the most incredible kind of peril. The strongest villains in this show are the ones who are just PEOPLE. People who are being careless. Or who are being greedy. Or who are being self-aggrandizing. People who exhibit traits equal and opposite to what our boys in blue exemplify.

I don’t know. We’re coming to the end of S3, we’re nearing their grand, incredible climax, this promised moment of potential reunion—and I wish I cared. I really wish I could. But there’s so much clutter. There’s so much their pulling DIRECTLY out of their asses in the home stretch. There are so many loose threads, there are so many concepts that were introduced and then never explored, or which were introduced in the end game and then never reinforced. There is so much information that we should have had from the start, so many mysteries that went unsolved and uncared about because they were unmentioned. There is not enough room for them to resolve anything in a meanignful way. There it so much that it seems like THEY didn’t know, and they SHOULD HAVE. They had time. Five fucking years, they had so much time to figure this out. And yet.

anyway.

So, covenant. Covenant basically a codeword for what I would’ve done differently, the last time I got mad about this whole endemic problem with the writing in this show, round about two years ago now.

Covenant is just a good word, really, and while it means something as a title, that relevance has kind of degraded a bit. It was going to be a rewrite of the end of Season 2, and sort of a retrofitting of Season 2 as a whole. It was going to explore the ideas that they put down and then never picked up, it was going to seriously address a lot of the core conflicts in the show and set things in motion to resolve those problems. I have it started. I have a good couple thousand words of the beginning, but it’s a good enough beginning that it could potentially begin something else, and so I won’t publish it here, in case I end up using it somewhere else. As is, it’s a priveleged-eyes-only sort of work, it’s only really been passed around my inner circle. If anyone is interested in hearing more about that, hit me up and I’ll elabourate. But for now, it is quarter past eleven, and I have ranted for long enough.

#TAG meta #negative #i mean if it's not apparent from the way I lead above the cut #admittedly I am being a clickbaity little shit #haters to the left tho please #to view media uncritically is to be a dumbass #don't @ me #scribeofred

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