#even though Aaron would be her no.1 defender and fan

[starsandgutters]

Kevin x fem Aaron brainrot is back & stronger than ever but I don’t even have time to write it because I’m still working through my list of like *checks* 30-something fics I have to write & probably only two people will read it but I am thinking about them so much atm & the subtle changes in their dynamic & how they’d come together so much easier but consequently have a lot more issues earlier on and heeeuuaaaggghhhh fem Aaron x Kevin

[athena14044]

She-Hulk v3, Secret Wars (2015), Civil War II, Hulk v4, Avengers v8

She-Hulk v3

fun fact charles soule was a lawyer before he wrote comics

I like that she's starting her own law firm instead of working for someone else

so true queen! know your worth! (She-Hulk v3 #1)

this is the superior series that features Jen as a lawyer, I really need everyone to stop recommending Slott's (my despised)

I don't know how lawyer stuff works but when it says she's not admitted to practice law in California, she originally practiced in California in Savage She-Hulk? I trust that there is some sort of lawyer thing where this could be true but I do wish more stuff would remember that she was originally an LA girlie, not NYC

The story where she defends Captain America is such a good Cap story and it shows her strengths as a lawyer really well

Also it is a marvelous exercise in perspective. Like based on just the original testimony it looks like Cap couldn't not be responsible for the guy's death. Even through the distorted unreliable narration it's like, yeah, that is totally in character for him. he would absolutely do that.

Secret Wars (2015)

I was so confused by how this event started because I came into it in the middle of... something, but it was cool once I got into it

The first volume of A-Force is like, ok this is cool as like, alternate universe thing, but I was not a big fan of the second volume I think it should've just stayed as an alternate universe thing. It's a very strange lineup.

Civil War II

😐

Carol... Carol, I can't defend you after this...

The single character that I do think would reasonably be on her side is Star-Lord, bc making tough decisions to stop things before they happened was his whole deal in gotg v2, but this is unfortunately post-MCU-guardians, so his whole deal here is "omg space bestie Carol of course I'll support you <3" which is somehow even more infuriating than this entire concept

Anyway, absolutely fucking despise that Jen gets put in a coma to show that Shit got Real. Rhodey didn't deserve that shit either.

Hawkeye killing Hulk would be an interesting story, if only it weren't part of this shit

Hulk v4

Mariko Tamaki is a saint for picking up the pieces after Civil War II

Jen basically got fridged to spur on the conflict and Tamaki said "ok but what if that actually affected her and mattered to her story"

The first arc especially is really good

Avengers v8 #1-50

It's kind of infuriating how Tamaki's Hulk/She-Hulk/whatever it's called got Jen back to a point where she could transform back into She-Hulk on her own terms and then Aaron's Avengers was like actually, no. Stupid monster.

Like. I actually don't think it's a win for her to get a vaguely defined power boost and more visible muscle at the expense of "access to her full mental faculties"

She also keeps making out with Thor and it's being played as a joke a la Juggernaut which is even more infuriating

Also is it just me or is it crazy to put Captain Marvel back on the Avengers team after Civil War II. I need Civil War II obliterated from the timeline.

I like the prehistoric Avengers thing though that's cool ig

This is just constantly introducing new characters and specifically like, entire teams of progressively more obscure characters. I can't keep track of these people, this is supposed to be about the Avengers.

Also, hot take. This team lineup is boring. It's every character you'd expect to be on the Avengers, plus Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider. Put the toys back in the toy box and let someone with more interesting ideas write this, Aaron.

#20 is written from Jen's perspective and it's trying to be complex and self-reflective about how she's perceived, but it immediately undercuts itself by having Jen be like "I loved my powers before... but I kind of don't miss it... People see me differently now... No one's making crass jokes while I beat them up..." and then like 5 pages later Ulik the Troll asks her to marry him after she punches him in the face. How is this different from Mole Man? or Makhizmo? or any of the other villains who've ever hit on her while she's beating them up? Aaron's not actually doing anything different, she's just "ugly" now...

I've changed my mind about the prehistoric Avengers thing. While "prehistoric Avengers" is a cool AU concept perhaps, I dislike the implication that they've predestined the Avengers or whatever and these Super-Important Cosmic Forces(tm) are the building blocks of the Avengers that Khonshu can use to reshape the world in his image to kill Mephisto or whatever the fuck was happening there. Like I think you're forgetting that this is Volume 8 of the Avengers, legacy number 700-whatever, and while the Avengers roster has seen its fair share of gods and cosmic forces, most of it is built on powerless or relatively obscure everyday heroes who just want to do the right thing and help people without a cosmic destiny needing to be involved. 2/5 founders were bug themed. Remember that next time, Aaron.

Various random superheroes fighting each other for the Phoenix Force is so unbelievably stupid I feel like I shouldn't have to explain why and to top it all off most of these costumes are fucking ugly.

Jen being kidnapped by the Winter Guard and brainwashed to attack Namor as a scapegoat is ridiculous. What's even more ridiculous is that she and T'Challa knew about this whole time and she willingly went through it except the brainwashing didn't work because she didn't want it to? I guess? What the fuck.

Anyway glad I got out of there before Ultra Dr. Doom and his Alternate Universe Masters of Evil hunt down Deathloks or whatever the hell was being set up next

Other Things that I Liked

Spider-Woman v5, v6, v7: I got sidetracked and read 3 full volumes of Spider-Woman for no discernible reason. v5 and 6 were good, 7 was iffy.

Jessica Jones: Blindspot: This was interesting I read the whole thing

Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic: Most of these that I read were generic and boring but #14 was about Jarvis <3 and #25 was a cute holiday story about Jen and Volcana on a plane

Marvel: I read all of this because I'm a fan of Alex Ross and also anthologies. I liked the one about Captain America.

Fearless: Interesting anthology here too although the main story in it was not very good

Marvels Snapshots: Fantastic Four: YEAH It really gets Johnny <3

War of the Realms: This was the best of the events I read (the bar is on the floor)

Marvel Comics #1000: I didn't like how it was setting up some sort of eternity mask thing that clearly was supposed to carry on outside the issue, rather than just using it as connective tissue within it, but overall very cool

If you made it this far here's a panel of She-Hulk looking amazing in Devil's Reign (literally the only thing worth reading that event for was the art) (Devil's Reign #3)

She-Hulk Readthrough part 2

I'm starting a new post bc the previous one was getting really long

All-New Savage She-Hulk, Fall of the Hulks, and some other random stuff

All-New Savage She-Hulk

ewwww what the fuck

Lyra I'm going to get you out of there girl

that was a cool story except for the part where she was sent back in time to FUCK NORMAN OSBORN

Fall of the Hulks

Besties I was really trying. I was reading things that Jen didn't appear in just to try to understand this event. This is the most convoluted shit imaginable. I can't keep track of who knows what. I can't keep track of who is working with who. I can't keep track of anyone's goals here. I hate this and yet I am also deeply fascinated by it.

FotH Alpha: This has the Red Ghost and the Super-Apes so I am legally required to like it

FotH Red Hulk 2: I'm so confused.

FotH Gamma: I'm unsure if anyone knows that General Ross is Red Hulk at this point so I feel like I didn't get as much out of this as I could have

Hulk v2 20: Red Hulk kills a Super-Ape :(

Hulk v2 13-24: I am really trying to understand what's going on. The way 24 explored the difference between Bruce and Ross and how they mirror each other was really cool though

Incredible Hulk v1 606-610: I'm so confused

FotH Savage She-Hulks: I really like how Jen is acting as a mother figure for Lyra since Thundra can't

Incredible Hulk v1 611: IM CRYING A LITTLE BIT THAT WAS REALLY POWERFUL

Worth Reading

Marvel Divas: this is kind of a bizarre friend group and Jen was barely in it but I liked the art and it was really sweet 🥺

Wolverine v3 73-74: Jen was in 1 panel in 73 and 74 wasn't even on my reading list but for some reason, despite the fact that I don't like Wolverine, 73 intrigued me enough to read the next issue

She-Hulk: Cosmic Collision: I guess this goes here? As a Jen-centric story? But it was weird and I had a hard time following it.

Incredible Hulk v1 600: THIS FUCKED

Incredible Hulk v1 601-605: I'm enjoying the Lyra back-up story

Not Worth Reading

Mighty Avengers 22-23: SLOTT!! Also this was stupid idk

Planet Skaar Prologue: ...it vaguely reminded me of the 2001 Hulk annual...

Fantastic Four v1 569: I'm completely lost and Jen was only in 1 panel

Strange Tales v5 1-3: It is fascinating what they could publish in 2009...

Avengers vs. Atlas 3: ok this one is giving the 2001 Hulk annual and also brought up Juggernaut

[the-bau-quinjet]

But with you, it’s different...

So, I’ve combined two of my great obsessions: Criminal Minds and Taylor Swift. Pretend the reader is Taylor Swift in the sense that she wrote and recorded the songs, but that’s it. Also, the songs are all out of order and not from the albums so just pretend that’s okay. I don’t reference the albums, but individual songs and yeah. It’s honestly kind of a mess, but also makes me happy. This is part 1! I have most of it written, so I should be able to post the other parts pretty soon. I think there will be 3 actual parts and then a short epilogue! Last thing, Spencer is a little out of character. I (try to) explain that later!!

Summary: Reader is a famous singer with a murderous stalker. Spencer has to go undercover to protect her. 

warnings: mentions of murder, anxious reader

Word Count: 7940

You weren’t expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen tonight. It was just the usual Saturday night. Honestly, you were looking forward to having a boring two weeks off. You absolutely loved touring and performing and seeing your fans, but it was going to be great to have some time just to write again. Writing music has always helped you de-stress and get your emotions out, and you were supposed to finally have a chance to do just that. However, the universe had different plans. Plans that involved the FBI.

This was your second night in DC. It was the first of some of the bigger cities on your tour where you were doing two shows, so you are even more exhausted than normal. You really only just started the US leg of your tour, but the two weeks off was well earned from the Europe, Asia, and South America legs.

 As you begin to perform the second to last song, you start to feel the familiar sadness you get when finishing a show. It’s almost as though the adrenaline rush from the excitement of so many screaming fans is wearing off and you can’t help but feel a bit sorry that the fun is coming to an end. After so many performances though, you’ve learned how to hide the emotions and give the audience your best fake smile. The last song is where you have some real fun, so just make it there.

 As you duck off stage to change for the final performance, you can’t help but notice the small group of people conversing, quite tensely, with your security team. They don’t look like the normal fans who would try to sneak backstage, too official. You make eye contact with one of them. He looks to be about your age, but you’ve never been great at guessing. There’s something about him that makes you want to find out exactly who he is right now, but you can’t. 

You’re left wondering about his identity as you run back onstage for the grand finale. You feel a genuine smile appearing as you feel the heat from the fireworks and listen to the happy cheers from the crowd. You’re last song goes off without a hitch, but you’re exhausted. There’s nothing you want more than to just shower and sleep, but there’s always a buzz about the cast and crew that prevents anyone from leaving right away.

 “Thank you for a great second night DC! Goodnight!” You shout into the mic as you duck back offstage to ride out the post show high. You are still chatting with some of the dancers you’ve become friends with when Carrie, the head of security, comes up with one of the men you saw arguing with her earlier.

 “Y/N? Can I talk to you for a minute?” You turn, surprised to see the stern man standing behind Carrie. “Yeah, sure.” You turn to excuse yourself from the dancers, wishing them a goodnight before turning back to Carrie.

 “We can go do your dressing room, that’s where the others are waiting.” Carrie says with a nervous smile on her face.

 “The others?” You ask confused, jogging to keep up with the brisk pace she has set for you and the stern man. “Who are we talking to?”

 “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. We will explain everything as soon as we meet up with the rest of the team.” The stern man spoke quietly, but with confidence as he followed behind you and Carrie. Before you could ask anything else, you were being ushered into your dressing room, coming face to face with the other two people you saw arguing with Carrie earlier. The first one you notice is a woman with jet black hair and fierce eyes. The other is the tall, lanky man you made eye contact with.

 You’re a little excited to get a closer look. He looks a little awkward at first glance, but you can tell he’s a sneaky sort of attractive underneath the perfectly placed tie and the comfy cardigan. Before you can get too caught up in how good looking these three strangers are, you turn to the stern one and ask “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Your tone clearly indicates the confusion you’re feeling. 

 “Ms. L/N, my name is Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. I am the Unit Chief for the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI.” You can feel your eyes go wide as he shows you a badge with his picture and title. Before you can respond, he begins talking again. “These are SSAs Emily Prentiss” the woman gives you a reassuring smile and slight wave, “and Dr. Spencer Reid.” The sneakily attractive one nods his head in your general direction.

 The woman just introduced as Emily chimes in “we are here because we believe there is a killer targeting fans of your music. We have been tracking murders for the past two weekends. The first was in Louisville, Kentucky, then Columbus, Ohio, and then two right here in D.C.”

 “I was just in Louisville… and Columbus.” You feel yourself beginning to get dizzy as you try to comprehend what the agents are telling you.

 “Yes, and now you’re in DC.” The boss man is talking again. “We made the connection this afternoon as you had two shows here in DC.” The room is starting to spin as you listen to the man talk. “After more digging, we found each victim had purchased a ticket to your show. Additionally, they all had social media accounts dedicated as fan pages to you.” Agent Hotchner continues speaking as you nod along, trying to comprehend how this was happening. You don’t even realize you are tuning him out as you begin to sway on your feet. You can see his mouth moving, and the growing look of concern on his face is the last thing you see before the world goes dark.

 --

 You can hear a faint beeping as you begin to wake up. For a moment, you are blissfully unaware of the murders before the memory of meeting the three agents comes back to you. You instantly sit up and look around, trying to figure out where you are. You can see a very muscular bald man through a window, talking to someone in scrubs.

 Scrubs. A nurse. You are in the hospital.

 Your heart rate begins to calm down before skyrocketing again when you hear “Ms. L/N?” from the other side of the room. Turning with wide eyes and a scared expression, you throw your arms up to defend yourself from the unknown voice.

 “Sorry! Sorry, uh- I didn’t mean to scare you! I’m Dr. Spencer Reid.” Instantly you relax again at the familiar face. You drop your arms back to the bed, shifting into a more comfortable position before asking “Okay, Doctor. What’s wrong with me? Why am I in the hospital?”

He looks at you with a sheepish expression, rubbing the back of his neck before he admits, “Oh, I’m not that kind of doctor. I’ll go get a nurse or someone. Try to think back on what you remember before waking up here.” He shuffles out of the room as you try to replay the conversation with the other agents.

 Well, it wasn’t much of a conversation with them doing all of the talking, but still. The unknown man from outside your room window and the nurse he was talking to come into the room with Dr. Reid. The nurse begins checking your vitals as she asks you some questions.

 “Hi there. It’s good to see you up. How are you feeling?” She wears a small smile.

 “Oh, um, I feel fine. I think. I’m just confused about how I ended up here. I remember talking to the agents at the arena, but that’s it.” You close your eyes as you try to remember more, but nothing comes to you.

 “That was only about 45 minutes ago, dear.” The nurse’s kind voice helps settle you. “You fainted while the agents were talking to you. They brought you here. You should be good to leave in a few minutes as long as your vitals are good.”

 “Thank you.” You return her kind smile as she marks information on your chart before leaving the room.

 “Ms. L/N, this is SSA Derek Morgan.” The Doctor Agent is talking again.

 “Please, call me Y/N.” You rub your head, continuing to try to remember more about your condition. Before either man in the room can speak up, a new thought occurs to you. “If I fainted, why doesn’t my head hurt? The floor in my dressing room is not soft.” You look between the two men for an explanation.  

 The doctor shifts his weight from foot to foot a blush appearing on his face as Agent Morgan speaks up. “That is because Pretty Boy over here” he claps a hand onto the doctor’s shoulder “caught you before you hit the ground.” “Oh, um… Thank you.” You can feel the blush beginning to form as you think about his arms being around you.

 “It was no problem, really. Can we ask you a few questions?” He moves on quickly. “Oh sure thing Dr. Reid. Or Agent Reid. Agent Dr. Reid?” You can feel the blush growing as you ramble.

 “Just Sp-Spencer is fine.” He cuts you off before you can continue suggesting different honorifics. “What do you remember from what Agent Hotchner was telling you?”

 “He said someone was mur-murdering fans of me.” Tears spring to your eyes as you think about it. “That someone was killed in Kentucky and Ohio and then two people here in DC.” You squeeze your eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall.

 Get a hold of yourself.

 You feel a new weight on your hand before hearing Spencer begin talking again. “Take your time.” You open your eyes to see him patting your hand delicately. He moves back after you take a few deep, calming breaths.

 “I’m sorry. I just feel awful knowing people are dy-dying because of me. Is there anything I can do to help?” You choke on the words a bit, realizing the full gravity of the situation.

 “Do you recognize any of these people?” Agent Morgan pulls out photos of three women and one man, handing them to you to sift through. He seems to be staring at Spencer, but you just focus on the pictures. You can feel the tears building again as you realize who they are.

 “I do.” You take another breath before continuing. “I haven’t met them before, but they are all really active on different social sites. I try to talk to as many fans as I can ya know? They are why I am where I am. Is that why they were killed? Oh god. No no no no.” Your breathe increases in speed as you think about everything that is happening.

 “Hey, hey, hey, none of this is your fault.” Spencer is patting your hand again as he tries to calm you down. Just then, the nurse comes back with some paperwork for you to sign in order to leave.

 “You are free to go Ms. L/N. Just sign these forms and hand them in at the desk on your way out.” She exits the room swiftly.

 “Would you mind coming back to our office to finish talking?” Agent Morgan asks.

 “Of course not. Anything I can do to help.” You turn in the forms before following them to a black SUV. Spencer opens the door for you to get in the back before he slides in next to you. You don’t even have the brain power to consider why he isn’t sitting in the front. You just grab his hand and squeeze it, unable to get the thoughts out of your head that this was all your fault.  

 “This is not your fault. You had no idea what was happening, and now that you do you are trying to help.” Spencer looks at you reassuringly as he squeezes your hand right back. You simply nod back. You don’t trust yourself to speak without crying. You just need to calm down before you get to the office.

 About 15 minutes later you pull up to the FBI building that houses the BAU. They must’ve brought you to a hospital near Quantico. They lead you through security up to the fifth floor. You walk through a set of glass doors, passing a few desks before entering a conference room. “Do you need anything? Coffee, water?” Spencer asks as Agent Morgan leaves the room.

 “Oh, um, no I’m okay for now.” You stare at your hands as you go to sit down. “Actually, could I get a jacket or something?” You gesture to what you’re wearing as you ask. You haven’t had a chance to change yet, meaning you are wearing a black, sequined romper that is basically a leotard with how short it is. Perfect for performing, but not exactly FBI attire. “Of co-course! I’ll be right back.” He practically runs out of the room.

 A few minutes later, he pushes the door back open. “Here’s some clothes you can change into if you want. Or just a sweatshirt.” You look up from your position in the chair, rising to take the clothes.

 “Thank you.” You look from the clothes to him realizing you need to change, but are in a room full of windows in an unfamiliar building.

 He catches on a few seconds later, leading you out of the room. “The bathroom is this way!” He squeaks out as you both walk down a hallway outside the glass doors you came in. “I’ll wait here to show you back.” You smile as you brush past him, whispering thank you as you close the door.

 You instantly take off the romper, sliding on some FBI sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt that smells like vanilla and new books. The scent is oddly comforting. You would think a standard FBI sweatshirt would smell new, but this scent is calming your nerves. You fix your makeup as best you can before heading out of the bathroom. Spencer is a few feet away talking to a beautiful blonde woman. She looks effortlessly gorgeous. She smiles as she notices you, waving you to join them.

 “Ms. L/N, it’s lovely to meet you, although I do wish it was under better circumstances. I am SSA Jennifer Jureau, but you can call me JJ. The rest of the team is waiting for us to join them.” She smiles kindly, but you are frozen in place. You feel like a deer caught in the headlights.

 Spencer grabs your arm lightly, pulling you out of your trance. “It’s okay. Just breathe.” He whispers as the three of you start walking back toward the conference room you were in earlier.

 He lets your arm fall back to your side before guiding you back into the room behind JJ. You freeze again upon entering the room. You recognize Agents Hotchner, Prentiss, and Morgan, but are surprised by the other two faces. There is an older man with salt and pepper hair smiling kindly at you. He reminds you of your father. Then there is a very bubbly blonde, in a very colorful dress and matching glasses.

 They introduce themselves as SSA David Rossi and technical analyst Penelope Garcia. The unit chief begins to describe the case again, going slower this time given your earlier episode. “We believe the unsub is targeting fans of yours who he believes is unworthy of your attention. He worships you and views his victims as people who are not devoted enough to you.”

 You can’t decide how to respond, so you wait for another agent to continue. “Do you know of anyone who might be overly obsessed with you? Maybe they sent you letters that were a bit more personal than normal?” At this point, you decide you are done being controlled by this situation. What happened to those people is awful, but you can’t change it. You need to be strong to help prevent it from happening to anyone else.

 “I haven’t finished my fan letters from this week yet. I try to go through as many as possible, but there is only so much time in a day.” At this point you are pacing. Walking around has always helped you with thinking things over. “There is one letter that sticks out from three weeks ago. That was before the murd-” you stutter on the word. “Before anything happened though. Could that be relevant?” You ask, looking hopeful. If the agents are surprised by your change of attitude they don’t mention it.

 “It might be. What did it say?” Agent Hotchner asks, the same stern expression adorning his features.

 “I don’t remember all of it, but it looked like it was written on a typewriter, so it stood out. It said something about how they wondered if my hair smelled like peaches after I finished a show. I thought it was weird because my shampoo is peach scented, but how could they possibly know that? I figured I must have met them in passing, you know. I meet a lot of fans just walking around the different cities. Something just felt weird about this letter though. Like a bad feeling. I mean, my hair doesn’t really retain the scent of my shampoo all that much. So how could he know that unless he knew what shampoo I use? But actually, I use a personalized shampoo so I can change the scent every time I but it- it must’ve been a lucky guess, right? Maybe I just look like I would use peach scented shampoo” You feel like you are talking a mile a minute, but you can’t get yourself to stop. You practically fall back into your chair as you finish rambling about the letter, looking up to see unmistakable expressions of concern on the agents’ faces.

 “What? What does that mean? Oh god- How does he know my shampoo smells like peaches?” You look between all the agents as they seem to be communicating with just their eyes. You resort to taking calming breaths again. They’ll fill you in eventually, you need to breathe. You drop your head between your thighs as you push your chair away from the table. Breathe in for 7 seconds, hold for 7, and breathe out for 7. This always helps calm you down before a show.

 You choose to ignore the agents quietly talking to each other again as you focus on slowing your heart rate back to a normal pace.

 “Ms. L/N?” You look up exasperatedly, “Please, just call me Y/N.”

 “Then you can call me Penelope!” The woman has such a kindness to her that you can’t help but smile back at her.

 “What can I do for you Penelope?” She seems a bit surprised, but she responds in kind.

 “I just wanted to ask if you wanted some coffee. Or water or anything?” You smile at her kind gesture, rising from your seat.

 “Actually, some tea would be wonderful. But, please, let me come help you. These guys seem like they need to talk and it would probably be easier if I wasn’t in the room.” You smile as you walk out the door, leaving the agents slightly stunned at your observational skills in your distressed state.

 Penelope follows you out and leads you to what you assume is the break room. “We don’t really have much tea, but I know where the good doctor keeps his private collection.” She whispers conspiratorially as she searches through a small cabinet. “Aha! Here it is.” She presents you with a pretty impressive collection of teas. You opt for the simple peppermint. You have always found peppermint tea the most soothing.

 She hands you a mug before gesturing to the Keurig on the counter. You place the teabag in the cup, selecting the largest cup on the machine, and brewing hot water for your tea. The two of you don’t say anything while it steeps. Penelope speaks up when you move to sit down at the small table.

 “I just have to say, I am a huge fan of yours.” You can’t hide the smile that forms on your face. You have always loved meeting fans. They are just so sweet and you appreciate them beyond belief.

 “Thank you so much!” She seems a bit relieved at your response. “That’s honestly so nice to hear right now. I kind of feel like a mess.” You gesture to the oversized clothes you’ve got on.

 “Please, you look so gorgeous right now. It’s amazing. Your music is amazing too. I absolutely love Begin Again! It’s so romantic!” She gushes over the song.

 “Honestly, that one took me forever to write. I was in a pretty bad place after a bad breakup, convinced I would never love again. Dramatic, I know.” You roll your eyes at yourself. “But then I saw these two people in a café, and they just looked so happy. The idea of a new love forming so casually right in front of me was beautiful.” You smile thinking about the couple, wondering if they are still together.

 “Wow, so you can really right about anything?” She looks while asking the question.

 “Pretty much. I mean, they won’t all be good. It could be the tiniest moment or a huge thing in my life. Inspiration comes from everywhere. A lot of songs actually draw from multiple experiences, not just one thing. I could totally see myself writing a song about you.”

“No way! That would be insane.” You smile at her enthusiasm.

 “I’m serious! You just give of this energy that is so positive, it’s hard to remember ever being sad. I think it would be about how confident you are. Something like…” you trail off as you begin to hum, setting up your phone to record. “You’re the only one of you, baby that’s the fun of you. And I promise that nobody’s gonna love you like me!” You hum a few more bars before ending the recording.

 “That was insane. How do you do that?!” She has a wild kind of excitement in her eyes.

 “I don’t know. You just inspired me.” You grin at the shocked expression in her eyes.

 “Sing it again!” And you can’t help but give her what she wants.

 You hum a bit more of a melody that could work before jumping into the words you already said. You add a few more here and there, but nothing concrete. In your focus on singing, you don’t hear the door open behind you.

 “I’m the only one of me, baby that’s the fun of me. Oh oh oh. You’re the only one of you, baby that’s the fun of you. And I promise that you’ll never find another like me.” “I don’t doubt it.” You turn in shock to look at the person behind you, seeing none other than Spencer Reid in the doorway. You don’t notice the flush of embarrassment on his cheeks that you heard his comment, just like he doesn’t notice the matching expression on your face. Penelope though, she notices. And, she can’t wait to tell Derek.

 Spencer clears his throat before speaking again. “We’re ready for you to come back in if you’re up for it. We want to talk to you about a plan to keep you safe.”

 “Sure thing.” You grab your tea from the table before you and Penelope follow Spencer back to the conference room. You sitting cross-legged in your seat. You feel much calmer after chatting with Penelope. Song writing has always been cathartic for you, and it is reassuring that hasn’t changed.

The agents waste no time getting down to business. “We believe the unsub has broken into your tour bus. If the letter was from him, it would explain how he knows about the peach scent.” Agent Rossi starts.

 Agent Morgan continues, “It’s an easier target than a hotel room or your personal home since fewer people would be securing it.” You nod along with them. You are determined to stay strong through this.

 “We want to completely ensure your safety, so we think it best to send an agent to stay with you while we work on the case.” Agent Prentiss chimes in. You feel like you’re going to get whiplash looking between all their faces.

 “Since we haven’t ruled out people on the crew, we want this to remain as secret as possible. We will inform the head of security on your team, but other than that the agent will be undercover.” Agent Hotchner, stern as ever, appears to be studying your reaction.

 “Okay.” You sigh. “Okay, I can handle this. I’ll be fine. I’ll have an agent with me. Who’s going undercover? Do you have a cover story planned?” You look at Agent Hotchner with nervous eyes.

 “We wanted to plan the cover story with you to make it as believable as possible. What are you planning on doing for the next few weeks?” You consider what your plans consist of. Honestly, nothing but songwriting.

 “I plan on mostly working on songwriting. I usually go to cafes, parks, or anywhere really with people for inspiration. If I already have an idea, I’ll write from my hotel room or from home if I’m there. If any of you have any musical experience, then we could make up a cover story about a new writing partner. Nobody would really question it because I write with new people all the time.” You glance around the room to see if anyone is willing to take you up on your offer. Nobody says anything for a minute. They are communicating with looks again.

 Penelope chimes in “Reid knows how to play the piano!” You can’t help but latch on to the statement as you turn toward Spencer.

 “Really, that would be so helpful! I normally write to piano or guitar and then add any additional instrumental later in the studio. If you can play, then the story would look even more believable!” You are actually getting excited about this idea working out. You finally feel like you’ve helped them with something. They probably could’ve figured it out without you, but still.

 “Yes, I can play. I mean, it’s just mathematics if you think about it.” Spencer responds quietly, like his mind is somewhere else.

 “Reid, if you feel comfortable with it, that story sounds like great cover.” Reid nods at Agent Hotchner. “Great. You can go to your place and grab some clothes and anything else you’ll need.” He says to Spencer before turning his attention to you. You watch as Spencer walks out with the rest of the team before turning to meet Agent Hotchner’s eye. “It’s best if we stick to your plans as closely as possible. If the unsub is someone who works with you, he will likely notice if you start changing your behavior too much.” You nod in response, mentally going through everything you do from day to day.

 “Agent Reid will stay with you in your hotel room if you are comfortable with it. That is the safest arrangement since he will be close by if anything happens. We will also have agents tail you when you go out in public. We’ll have a rotation of agents in the rooms around yours each night to allow Reid to rest as well. He knows how to contact us, but we will program our numbers into your phone as well for backup. Do not hesitate to call any one of us if something feels even remotely wrong, no matter the time. Do you understand?”

 Again, you nod in response. It’s a lot of information to take in and honestly, you’re still thinking about sharing a hotel room with Spencer.

 “We will need to see the letter you mentioned earlier if you still have it. We would also like to go through the fan mail you currently have and any new mail that comes in. If you see anything else that feels off or seems suspicious, tell Reid or call one of us. If you remember anything else, tell Reid or call one of us.” He gives you a questioning glance to ensure you are following.

 “Basically, tell Reid everything. Got it.” You try to remain lighthearted even though Agent Hotchner’s serious expression hasn’t waned in the slightest.

 “It’s good to see you’ve got a good attitude about this. It’s hard to remain calm, but it will help limit any suspicion on the part of the unsub. We don’t want to escalate his plans. Do you have any questions for me?” He gives you a reassuring look as you contemplate everything he’s told you.

 “What does unsub mean?” you blurt out, surprising both of you. “Sorry, that was loud.” You cringe. “I just meant, why do you call the criminal, unsub?”

 You can see the faintest of smiles on his face as he replies, “Right, we can get pretty wrapped up in a case. It stands for unidentified subject. We try not to assign nicknames or anything to the perpetrators as it can affect their behavior.”

 “Right. Behavior.” You try to sound like you understand, but honestly this is so much different from all the detective shows you’ve seen. Apparently, Agent Hotchner notices and explains more.

 “We catch criminals by analyzing their behavior and trying to predict what they’ll do next.”

 “Like psychology? Nature vs. Nurture and mental disorders?” You ask, suddenly very curious about how this all works.

 “Yes, just like that, although we normally go a little deeper.”

 “So what can you tell about this unsub? That way I know what to look for.” Agent Hotchner seems pleased with this question.

 “The unsub is a man, likely 25-40. Age is the hardest thing to predict, so don’t follow that guideline too strictly. He likely suffers from antisocial personality disorder stemming from negligent parents and has always had trouble interacting with people. He is highly organized, which usually indicates high intelligence, but in this case could be due to the time he spends alone planning. His lack of social skills has resulted in him only working menial jobs. He won’t have worked anywhere for more than a few months before finding a new job since people find him odd or off-putting. He has always felt as though he deserves more because of his self presumed high intelligence. It is possible you met him in passing and any act of kindness toward him resulted in an obsession with you. He doesn’t have the courage to approach you, so he watches from afar or online. That’s how he found his earlier victims. Since you don’t have any shows in the next few weeks, his MO might change slightly. That’s why we want to be so cautious and make sure we can ensure your safety.” You sit quietly for a moment, trying to picture anyone who fits the description. You try to meet the people who work with you, but you certainly don’t know everyone. You were honestly hopeful the description would point you toward a suspect, but you’ve got nothing. “I can’t think of anyone like that, but now I know what to look out for. Thank you Agent Hotchner.” “Please, call me Hotch. Do you have any more questions?”

 “Just one, you said earlier that maintaining a sense of normalcy will prevent us from escalating his plans. What plans exactly?” You were nervous to ask this question, wondering if you really wanted to hear the answer.

 “We don’t know exactly. It is possible the unsub has been trying to work up the courage to talk to you, but since you won’t be doing shows, it is unclear how he would make contact. Reid and the other agents will be looking for anyone who appears to be in a lot of the same places you are. If you notice anyone more than one time in a day, don’t hesitate to-“

“Tell Reid or call one of you. I got it.” You smile at him again. “Thank you again.” He nods as you both exit the room. Spencer isn’t back from picking up clothes yet, so you aren’t sure exactly what to do. Penelope notices you searching the room and waves you over to her. She is talking with Agent Morgan.

 “Y/N! I was just telling my Chocolate Thunder about the song you started earlier. I just need to know, what does this fine specimen inspire you to write?” She sounds so excited you can’t bear to let her down. You study the man in front of you, searching for something to sing. You don’t know why, but there’s a certain sadness in his eye. He hides it well with his masculinity and the clear smirk on his face, but you know he’s been through some shit.

 You don’t want to kill the mood though, so you stick to something a little lighter than past pain. “Well, Pen, I have to say he looks like a heartbreaker.” This only encourages the smirk on his face. “The type to love ‘em and leave ‘em.” You have had a song in the back of your mind for a while so why not break it out now. Penelope shrieks as you start humming, drawing a crowd. Again, you set up your phone to record. The rest of the BAU agents crowd around Morgan’s desk as you start singing.

 “Magic, madness, heaven, sin, saw you there and I thought, oh my god, look at that face. You look like my next mistake.” That draws a few chuckles as you continue humming. More words pop into your head as you think about past relationships and what the media loves to say about celebrities. “Screaming, crying, perfect storms. I can make all the tables turn. Da dada da da, Keep you second guessing like, Oh my god, who is she. I get drunk on jealousy.” You hum some more, really getting into the flow of the song. “Cause darling I’m a nightmare, dressed like a daydream.” The group claps as you end the recording.

 “That was actually pretty impressive.” Agent Morgan smirks at you some more.

 “Well, to be honest I’ve had the melody in my notes for weeks, but I just couldn’t think of the right words.” Yet again, his smirk grows.

 “I guess I’m just that inspirational.” You choke back a laugh as you roll your eyes. You hadn’t realized the size of the crowd you had garnered. You can’t help but knock him down a few pegs.

 “You know what, I changed my mind. Agent Morgan’s song would be called I Knew You Were Trouble.” The entire group laughs at that one, but all the sudden you actually have another idea.

Before long, Penelope is asking you what songs you would write about the entire team.

 “Start with Hotch!”

 “Well, Hotch is so serious. So it’s kind of hard. His face just screams ‘I’ve been through it and dealt it out’. Maybe something like… your string of lights is still bright to see oh, who you are is not what you did, you’re still an innocent.” Even as you half sing it, the one line feels like it could lead somewhere big. It’s not quite right, but it’s a start.

 “That’s so cool. Do me next! And please, just call me Emily.” You nod at her as you think back over your previous interactions.

 “Alright, don’t get mad but something just popped into my head and I can’t un-hear it. They say I did something bad, then why’s it feel so good. Most fun I ever had, and I’d do it over and over and over again if I could.” The smile on her face told you everything you needed to know, but so did JJ.

 “You absolutely nailed it. That is Emily to a tee.” JJ chimed in. “I’m kind of scared to see what you can come up with for me!” Your head is swimming with lyrics and melodies, but it has been so long since you’ve had this much fun writing music with a group of people. It’s become such a solo activity for you, but these people just have so many stories to tell.

 “Okay, let me think.” You pause as you observe JJ. You can tell that she is such a sweetheart from the few hours you’ve known her, but you know you would be intimidated if you went to high school with her. “Sorry to be blunt but, you’re so gorgeous, I can’t say anything to your face. Cause look at your face.”

 “Why thank you!” JJ smiles as you defend the lyric choice.

 “I know you are so sweet and I of course don’t mean to say you are just a pretty face, but you really do have a pretty face.” The group chuckles again and nods in agreement. “Oh, wait! I’ve got another one. You took a Polaroid of us, then discovered, the rest of the world was black and white. But we were in screaming color.” That one came out of nowhere, but it felt right.

 “Beautiful. Okay, okay! Rossi’s turn!” Penelope says right as the man walks out of his office.

 “My turn for what?” He looks skeptical of the group, but in a loving way.

 “Y/N is coming up with song ideas for everyone! She just did Morgan, Hotch, Emily, and JJ! She did mine earlier. So it’s your turn!”

 “Well then by all means, be my guest.” You close your eyes as you think through the words swimming in your head.

 “While, Rossi, you have a kind aura. You seem like a parent to this group of rowdy children. Reminds me of my dad.” Again, the group laughs. You begin humming, lightly patting the desk in front of you as you think back on memories of your own parents. “I don’t know why all the trees change in the fall, but I know you’re not scared of anything at all. Don’t know if Snow White’s house is near or far away, but I know I had the best day with you today.” This tune was softer than the rest, more emotional. Everyone stops laughing as they listen to the soft melody you created.

 “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to kill the mood.” You feel slightly awkward with the new found silence.

 “Please, bella, that was beautiful. You really know how to read people.” Rossi hugs you as you blush, thanking him for the compliment.

 “That only leaves the resident genius. What would you write about Reid?” JJ poses the question and suddenly all eyes are on you. In all the commotion with the other songs, you didn’t notice Spencer exit the elevator. He walked in soon enough to hear the question. Deciding not to interrupt the conversation, he hangs back to listen to your answer.

 You can feel the blush heating up your face, subconsciously hugging the sweatshirt he gave you to wear earlier. After all the short melodies and lyrics you’ve come up with, you are way too tired to put your feelings toward Spencer into words.

 “I’ll be honest, it’s been in my head all night.” You begin to hum, knowing this would be a song about how you felt when you first saw him backstage, to when you spoke to him in the hospital room and all the little moments since then. “Your eyes whispered have we met…” you fill in for lyrics you’ve yet to write by humming. “All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you.”

 “That was beautiful.” Spencer says from behind you. You jump in surprise, nearly falling out of your chair. You didn’t even realize he was in the room.

 He looks sheepish as he apologizes for scaring you. “Are you ready to go?” He asks, reaching out a hand to help you up. The rest of the profilers share a knowing look as you rise from your seated position. They all wish you a goodnight as you and Spencer enter the elevator to head to your hotel. The ride to the parking garage is quiet. You keep humming that same melody, looking for the right words to fill in the blanks.

 Spencer leads you to another black SUV opening the passenger side door for you to get in the car. He tosses his bag in the back before getting in and starting the drive.

 “Penelope said it was my turn, did you do songs for everyone?” Spencer beaks the silence. You turn in your seat to look at him before responding.

 “Kind of. Mostly just ideas of songs. Morgan’s was the most put together, only because it was a song I already started. I recorded the whole thing though. That way I won’t forget any ideas. I can play it for you when we actually start to write some music!” You are honestly surprised by the range of ideas you have.

 “Wh-what? You actually want me to help you write songs? I th-though that was just a cover.” All of the sudden Spencer seems nervous and shy. You put the ideas swimming through your head on pause so you can devote all your attention to him.

 “Spencer, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to come up with any profound lyrics or brand new chord progressions. But, since we are going to be spending a lot of time together, you do have to talk to me. Otherwise it would just be weird.” You try to lighten the mood. You can tell by the way he relaxed his shoulders it worked a little. He nods in agreement as he parks the SUV in the garage dedicated to the hotel you are staying in. You take the elevator straight up to the 11th floor. It’s honestly reassuring to be able to lead him somewhere after everything that happened in the past few hours.

 You dig around in your bag- that somehow followed you on your journey from the arena to the hospital to the FBI building and now back to your hotel- to find the room key. No matter what you try, you can’t seem to slide the key card into the slot in the right way. Every time you try, the little light glows red before beeping indicating the door is still locked. After the fifth try, you are about ready to scream.  

 Suddenly, you can feel the heat from Spencer’s body as he slides up behind you to take the room key. He slides the card into the door, wiggles it around, and then slides it back out. To your surprise, the light glows green and the door unlocks. You must be exhausted to be this shocked at the fact he opened the door. You can’t even seem to force your feet to move. You just stand there like a fool, mouth agape.

 “Why?” Spencer turns to look at you with a confused expression. “Why couldn’t I… How did you…?” You just point to the door. He places his hand on the small of your back, guiding you into the room. He places his bag just inside the door before he turns around to close the door and lock the deadbolt.

 Even after he led you into the room, you turned around so you could keep staring at the door. You don’t even realize you started crying. Spencer guides you to the bed and tucks you into the blankets. You know that you are going to wake up in an hour because you never sleep in pants, but you just don’t have the energy to fight him on it. He turns off the lamp, but before he walks away, you grab his arm.

 “Can you stay?” You have never heard yourself sound so frail. You squeeze your eyes shut, willing the tears to stop. Spencer looks conflicted, but ultimately sits down next to you, his back against the headboard. You lay next to him in the dark, not quite touching. Once your breathe calms enough that you can talk without bursting into tears, you ask “how do you do it?”

 “Do what?” You smile at the sound of genuine concern in his voice.

 “How do you deal with this kind of stuff all the time? I feel like I’m falling apart. I want to be strong about it, so I can help. But then all of the sudden I can’t keep it in anymore. I just… how do you make it seem so easy?” You feel sniffly again, but you try to focus on your breathing.

 “It’s not easy. I hope it never becomes easy. It’s gotten easier, of course, but the minute I stop feeling everything is the moment I let them win. To feel pain in situations like this is human. Somebody wise once told me our best defense is our ability to empathize. It’s a completely natural reaction to experiencing something so traumatic. 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives. That's 223.4 million people. It would be...” He trailed off.

 “It would be what?” You angled your head up to look at him even though you couldn’t see him in the dark.

 “Oh, it’s nothing. I tend to ramble. I’m sorry.” He sounded so dejected, you couldn’t stop yourself from reaching for his hand. You had to shift on the bed a bit to reach his arm, so you ended up leaning your cheek against his thigh, tossing your arm over his lap in a sort of make shift hug.

 “I like it. It’s calming… and informative.” You couldn’t help but smile into his leg. “People who complain are just jealous.” That actually makes him laugh, but it doesn’t sound like a happy kind of laugh. More like a self-deprecating one. “I’m serious. You are clearly smarter than everyone else is, and you are sneaky attractive. There is a lot to be jealous about.” You dig deeper into his lap as you squeeze his hand in yours. The last thing you remember before falling asleep is the feeling of Spencer running his free hand through your hair.

--

You wake up slowly, eyes adjusting to the dark. You can just make out the numbers on the bedside clock to be 4:37. You must have fallen asleep talking to Spencer. Your head was still resting on his lap, his hand in your hair. You untangle yourself from the sheets to rid yourself of the extra layers that woke you up. It takes a few minutes of digging around in the dark to find one of the t-shirts you normally sleep in. In that amount of time, Spencer, still sleeping, rearranged himself to be laying on the bed rather than leaning against the headboard. You stopped for a minute to observe his sleeping form. He looks so at peace compared to the furrow of his brow and the glint in his eye that normally mean he’s thinking too hard.

 As soon as you lay back down in the bed, Spencer gravitates toward you. Before long, your head is resting on his chest, his arms wrapped around you. You breathe in the scent of vanilla and new books; the rhythmic pattern of his chest rising and falling lulls you back to sleep.

Part 2

tag list:

@mac99martin

[if-you-built-yourself-a-myth]

Check Ignition: Part II

The Sobbe fake-dating Hogwarts AU that one person asked for and I dove into headfirst.

Part I // Part II // Part III // Part IV

Requests are open if you have any ideas of what I should write next!

Moyo thought the situation was hilarious. “Dude,” he said, between fits of uncontrollable laughter. “You’re never going to get any pussy ever again. Oh my gosh.” He doubled over in front of the fireplace, clutching his stomach as if it would burst. As a Gryffindor, he shouldn’t be in the Hufflepuff common room at all, and neither should Zoë (a Ravenclaw). Zoë got permission because her boyfriend, Senne, was Head Boy. Moyo slipped under the radar because he never wore his tie around campus.

Aaron too had his concerns for Robbe’s love life. “Does it count as cheating? Amber said that Noor—”

“He just kissed you?” Zoë sat forward on the couch. “Just like that? No asking, or—”

Moyo cut back in. “You will never feel the sweet, sweet touch of a woman. The virgin Robbe.”

“Boys, boys,” said Jens, ever the peacemaker, ever Robbe’s protector. “Uh, and girl. We are solving the crisis, not bringing up new ones.” He gestured to Robbe. “You have the floor, my friend. What do you need from us?”

“I, uh—” Robbe began.

It had been Jens’s idea to tell Moyo and Aaron in the morning. Zoë just happened to be waiting around for Senne to come out of the dormitories at the same time. The Hufflepuff common room featured two tables on either side of the fireplace, each surrounded by four straight-backed chairs. One couch faced the fireplace, and right now, Aaron, Jens, and Zoë had claimed it for themselves. With all the prime real estate taken, none of the other students stuck around.

Plus, it was early, before breakfast and morning classes.

“Go ahead,” said Jens.

Robbe didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what Sander expected to get from the arrangement, either. What he knew:

1. Sander kissed him to get Britt off his back.

2. Sander referred to him as a boyfriend rather than a hookup.

3. Sander knew he wanted to get Noor to leave him alone.

What he didn’t know:

1. Did Sander want them to fake date?

2. Was it just a one-time thing?

He wasn’t a big fan of not knowing all the specifics. It was hard enough to trample down the feeling blossoming in his chest when he thought of kissing Sander again.

“I—I need—” What did he need? He needed to talk to Sander. They didn’t share any classes, nor were there any Hogsmede visits coming up in the near future. Robbe sure as hell wasn’t going to patrol down near the dungeons, even if Jana came with him, because they smelled like mildew and he didn’t want to run into anyone besides Sander. He decided on a placeholder for now. “I need you to go along with it. If Noor asks.”

“Go along with it?” Moyo repeated.

“Yeah, go along with it. Corroborate the story.”

“No. Absolutely not.” Moyo crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not lying to a girl. Especially not a pretty one.”

Aaron nodded along. “That’s messed up.”

“You’re not going to earn any points by not,” said Jens. Thank goodness for Jens.

“It is a bit cruel, isn’t it?” said Zoë. “Tell her you’re not interested if you’re not interested. It’s an asshole move to drag someone else into it.”

They dissolved into cacophony, talking over one another without regard for volume. It reminded Robbe of last night’s music. He’d meant to ask the boys if anyone had heard anything from the astronomy tower last night (had Sander made a bubble at all?), but he hadn’t gotten the chance when Jens opened with “Sander told everyone he and Robbe are dating so Britt and Noor will leave them alone.”

“And she’s going to find out,” said Moyo. “Girls know everything. Imagine how that’ll feel—Robbe hates you so much he’d rather be gay than snog you. It’s not fair.”

Zoë pointed at Moyo to emphasize his point. “I’m surprised to hear such a rational take from you.”

“I don’t hate her!” Robbe felt the need to step in and defend his honor. “I already told her I’m not interested. She keeps circling back around, and I’m tired.” In truth, he hadn’t said anything explicit. She should understand his apathy by the way he never took her coat or offered to walk her back to her common room. Perhaps that made him a bad person. “Look, this won’t be forever. We’ll give it a week and we’ll break up and everything will go back to normal.”

Moyo laughed without humor. “Yeah, minus any chance of ever having sex with a girl ever again.”

“You had to ruin it,” said Zoë. “Bad take.”

“Okay, but after the whole thing last night, Noor’s gonna be depressed no matter what,” Jens said. “You tell her that last night was for Sander, and she’s going to be all over you again. You tell her it was so both of you could avoid both of them, and now she’s just as upset as she would be with the fake-dating. It makes more sense to go along, fake a breakup, and let the whole thing fizzle. No one gets hurt.”

The others considered this analysis. Robbe took to pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. He really didn’t want Noor to get hurt in all of this—did he?—but the allure of having her leave him alone was too great to pass up. And she’d be hurt if he told her flat-out, so wouldn’t this roundabout way be better? Yes, Jens was right. Aaron, Zoë, Moyo, and Jens gathered together in a makeshift huddle to deliberate the issue like committee.

Robbe pretended not to hear their animated whispers. He caught bits and pieces.

“Noor is kind of annoying—”

“What’s done is done, isn’t it?”

“—something an asshole would do. Remember when Jana—”

“I would never—”

The giant clock on the wall above the exit read seven. Breakfast would be ready in the Great Hall any minute now, and they’d need to hurry if they wanted to eat in time for History of Magic. Any later than seven-fifteen and Noor would be downstairs, too.

“It’s agreed, then,” announced Jens. He stood up and adjusted his tie. “We play along. Robbe and Sander five-ever. C’mon, boys, class.”

Moyo and Aaron grumbled to themselves, but they followed Jens to the portrait on the wall and slipped through with Robbe at their heels.

***

The walk to the Potions classroom felt longer than ever before. It was the first class of the day that Robbe didn’t share with one of his friends, because Moyo and Aaron were shit at following instructions and Jens had never created anything that worked. They barely mustered satisfactory grades last year. Robbe was a rule-follower. That’s why he was a prefect, and that’s why he could make a damn good Wolfsbane potion.

“Hello, darling!”

Someone slammed into him from the side, almost knocking his textbook from his hands. Robbe looked up and right at Sander’s perfect face. Sander’s eyes were alight, even in the dim aesthetic of the dungeon hallway. He held an embroidered canvas schoolbag over one shoulder and a wand in his left hand. It was all Robbe could do to not collapse when he slipped his right hand into Robbe’s and squeezed—until Robbe spotted Britt standing at the door to the potions classroom. Her eyes locked on them.

That answered some questions, anyway. Sander wanted whatever this was to continue.

“Where are you headed?” Sander asked. “I’ve got Transfiguration in a half hour, so I’m free to take you wherever. He said the words a lot louder than he needed to.

Robbe shared Potions with Britt. He’d totally forgotten. And he couldn’t possibly go see her, could he? So really, there was only one thing he could say. “Free period. I’m wandering.”

“Lead the way, oh wanderer.”

They walked side-by-side down the corridor, passing in front of the haunted girls’ bathroom and a wall stained by something that looked an awful lot like blood. Sander’s long strides made it difficult for Robbe to keep up; it took two of his steps to match one of Sander’s. He noticed something he hadn’t before—he didn’t make a habit of watching Sander walk when they went out with Britt. Sander kept his chin angled toward the ceiling and seemed to base his gait on the people around him. Faster than everyone else. Even if it took more effort than casual.

“Is this a thing now?” Robbe whispered. He tried to hide the fact that he might be wheezing. “If it shows Noor I’m not changing my mind, I’m still all the way…”

“I’d assumed it would be. Are there going to be rules?”

“Rule number one: you sit detention for the music. I still reported you.”

Sander stopped abruptly; his eyes caught on something down the hallway. “Duck into this bathroom with me,” he said. “Lingering kiss, then bathroom. Cool?”

“Uh, cool,” said Robbe.

The words had barely left his mouth before Sander’s lips were on his, something sweet, soft, and sloppy. Not as good as last night’s. Robbe decided he hadn’t really enjoyed that one, either. It was nerves that made it seem that way. He pulled away first.

It was kind of good, though. Ugh, kind of.

They turned, and Sander dragged Robbe into the bathroom by his wrist. He played the part of lovestruck teenager very well, from the mischievous glint in his eyes to the exaggerated gesture of the dragging. Once inside, he backed Robbe against a sink like they were going to kiss again, hard enough to make a loud clank. Then he withdrew, peeked out the door.

“Saw Noor,” he said, by way of explanation.

“Huh,” said Robbe.

“Is that the kind of stuff you want?”

“Don’t you have Transfiguration?”

Sander dismissed him. “I can cut. More important matters at hand.” He spun around to lean against the sink next to Robbe, who hadn’t moved since he was pushed. The sinks were arranged in a circular formation in the center of the bathroom, accessible from the stalls on either side. A large stained-glass picture of a massive snake glared down at them from the far wall. “What do you want this to entail?”

The porcelain dug into Robbe’s back at an unpleasant angle. He tried to remedy the feeling with a little fidgeting around. “What do you want it to entail?”

“You came to me. Clearly you have ideas. Britt will hate whatever.”

Robbe took a deep breath. “I just want Noor to think I’m in a relationship. So, like, you can do what you think—I mean, what will make her think—”

“Got it, got it.”

The bathroom was suddenly smaller than it felt a second ago. Silence made it even worse. Robbe stared at the floor so that he wouldn’t stare at Sander; he didn’t want to give off the impression that he was enjoying Sander’s company too much. He found himself thinking the same thing he’d been thinking since Sander kissed him yesterday: if only the boys knew, if only the boys knew, if only the boys knew… Which was a fruitless pursuit.

This was an arrangement and the relationship was fake. He wasn’t actually enjoying it.

No need to tell Jens or Moyo or Aaron anything more.

“Okay,” said Sander. “Give it five more minutes here like we’re making out. Then we head to the astronomy tower and we discuss the finer details. Sound like a plan?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool.

Sander raised his wand and pointed it at a roll of toilet paper that sat on one of the toilets. The roll transformed into a compact CD player, floated over to their place at the sink, and began to play the same song as the player last night. “Not going to sit here in silence,” he said. The implication was that they wouldn’t talk to each other, Robbe thought. He dug his fingernails into the edges of the sink and counted down from three hundred so that he didn’t notice the veins in Sander’s hands.

They carried the player with them when they left the bathroom, only this time, Robbe could tell that Sander had actually performed some kind of bubble charm on the audio. No one so much as glanced in their direction as they wove their way through the packed hallways. They climbed the stairs to the astronomy tower, keeping to the right, and Robbe was surprised to watch Sander hop up into the little windowsill that Robbe fancied he owned.

“Alright, actual conversation.” Sander folded his legs and sat across from Robbe. “I should know things about you if I’m going to be convincing. And vice versa.”

“I’m a Hufflepuff,” said Robbe. That seemed like enough.

Not for Sander. “Real things. You know, mother’s maiden name, first grade teacher, the name of your first pet…”

Hang on, those questions sounded familiar. “Are you trying to steal my bank account?”

“Ah, so you have one?”

“A muggle one, yes. Not at Gringotts.”

Sander nodded, satisfied. “Me too. I mean, I have one at Gringotts, but it’s got like twenty Galleons in it. Maybe.” He pointed to the compact player. “Muggleborn.”

Robbe was a little startled at this information—Slytherin house favored purebloods, even when not in the midst of a war based on magical purity. Something about the founder and this whole thing with a basilisk.

“You too?” Sander prompted.

“I—uh, no,” Robbe said. “My dad is a wizard, just my mom isn’t, and I live with her during the summer.”

“Hm. What do you like to do in your spare time?”

“I don’t know. I study a lot. And I hang out with my friends, I guess.”

“Who are your friends?”

“Jens, Moyo, Aaron, and the girls. Are you going down a checklist or something?”

Sander laughed self-consciously. It was such a nice sound, holy shit, Robbe could listen to it all day. Sander adjusted his tie and shirt collar. “Forgive me for wanting to know more about you.” Robbe felt something swell in his chest and die when Sander continued, “What if Britt asks for info and I can’t give details? She’ll know something’s up for sure.”

“Yeah, of course,” Robbe ceded. Of course it was about the arrangement, that’s why they were there. Focus, Robbe. “The girls are Jana, Zoë, Amber, Yasmina, and Luca, if you want to write that down. We’re not really close, though. Just me and Jana.”

“Why’s that?”

“Jens is my best friend and Jana dated him for a while.”

“Huh. Committing that to memory.” Sander put his fingertips on his forehead and hummed to the tune of the CD’s song as if he were downloading information. “Okay, it’s there. Anything else?”

Robbe scoured his brain for something interesting about himself that would be helpful for a boyfriend to know. Boyfriend. Fuck. He gave himself a moment to savor the way it sounded in his head. Boyfriend. My boyfriend. There was a crisis there, in that it was so right compared to girlfriend’s wrongness, but he wasn’t going to have that breakdown right now. Boyfriend. Sexuality debates could wait until the whole fake-dating thing was done, because Sander wasn’t an option either way. Oh, but still, boyfriend.

“My favorite food is shrimp. I’m not a fan of reading but I’m okay at studying when Yasmina’s there. I’m a prefect. Is that enough?”

Sande shook his head. “I need something not a lot of people know. Insider knowledge.”

Insider knowledge? There wasn’t much of that in Robbe’s head. He’d been pretty open with everyone, except the maybe liking boys thing, and he wasn’t ready to admit that to himself.

He didn’t like boys.

“I was the one who broke them up,” Robbe confessed. “Jens and Jana, I mean.” He didn’t know why he picked this specific piece of information out of everything in his head; it was just the most available. Maybe it would serve Sander better to know a dark secret. “I told people something I shouldn’t have, so… well, you know. On purpose. I think you should know that.”

Sander squinted at him. “Not a good secret keeper. Okay.”

Yells echoed from the Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch match outside, mostly profanity and the occasional creative insult. Robbe was a seeker on the Hufflepuff team, Jens a chaser, and Aaron an alternate beater. They had a game next week, and it would make a lot of sense for Sander to attend, given the circumstances of their relationship… There should be something more to say to each other right now. Sander seemed content to linger in the silence. He rested his head on the brick behind him and looked out across the Great Lake, glimmering in the sunlight.

“When does it end?” said Robbe, at the same time as Sander said, “It’s much nicer up here at night.”

Sander turned from the window. “You first.”

“Oh, no, you can—”

“You first.”

“Uh, okay.” Robbe wrung his hands and wiped them on his pantlegs. “I wanted to know when it ends. The whole fake-dating thing. Like, do we pick a time, or—”

“Oh, I know that. Given it some thought.” Sander ran a perfect hand through his perfect hair. Not perfect—wow, Robbe really had to stop thinking shit like that, about how perfect Sander was. Every time he snuck another glance, there was another little detail that made Sander that much more striking. “Britt will just jump back in the second you’re out of the picture. End of term’s only a month away. She lives too far to follow me home, so I think that’s our best bet.”

A whole month. A whole motherfucking month. Robbe didn’t know if the boys could handle the responsibility of something that lasted that long. He didn’t know if he had it in himself.

“Or until one of us finds someone better,” Sander added.

Maybe not a month.

Not much to say after that.

“My mother is sick,” Robbe tried. The hard-hitting stuff was better material, more trust-building. Yes, Sander could use it against him, but Sander didn’t strike him as that kind of person. “Sick in the head. It’s passed genetically, so if I don’t get it, my kids probably will. Is that enough?”

He took Sander’s lack of response as an affirmative.

Robbe counted to three hundred again on the windowsill before carefully getting down. Sander probably wanted to be left alone with his music, like he’d wanted last night. It would be rude to stick around, Robbe reasoned. And he didn’t have infinite free time. He needed to catch someone from his Potions class to get the notes if he was going to keep his outstanding.

“I’m off,” he announced. “You have detention at five.”

“I’m not sitting for that,” said Sander. Other students began to push their way up the stairs for their astronomy class. “I’m doing you a service.”

“Filch will see you then.”

Robbe headed to the left side of the staircase for the trip down, but Sander reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him into a smooth kiss. Like the lap of a wave on the shore. Robbe didn’t see Britt around. Noor would be her Charms class until five. He cast a passing glance at the students milling around the classroom doors, looking for someone Sander needed to convince.

“That one was for the fans,” said Sander. “I’ll see you at dinner?”

“You’ll see me,” Robbe replied. He had to hide his face on the way to his next class so that Sander didn’t see the blush creeping up his cheeks.

[martincart]

What's some of your most favorite random facts about your SF OCs? Do you think the SF64 bosses have... Love lives? Drama? Favorite foods? I'm here for all of the tea.

[Note 1: I will take the opportunity to say that to answer your questions in a simple way, I will make a separate post talking about the relationships and love lives of my SF 64 headcanons. I have written too much about them and their love lives that I prefer to do it in a future post so as not to extend this too long.Thank you very much for understanding my decision, and also thank you very much for asking and reading my answer!)

(Note 2: I apologize for not answering your question before. Very busy but also writing headcanons, although fun, they are difficult to write too lol)

Let's start it:

OH HELL YEAH I IMAGINE THAT!!!!!

I think many already know me as the artist who spends all her time drawing and writing content about the bosses of Star fox 64, and I also admit that I dedicate myself to thinking a lot more about relationships, daily lives and writing ideas apart from their fights in war or as Andross soldiers (Although I don't want to ignore that part either, because I mainly decided to write about them to show Andross's empire and what the character is like interacting with his army).

But oh! I suppose you mean my characters Pluto, Ophelia and others, right? Honestly I like many headcanons/ideas that I have, but I can tell you only one for each of them (so as not to lengthen the answer so much!)

My SF fan characters / ocs:

Pluto Galaxicos is very interested in makeup. Cosplay and drag. This is not only because he finds it to be an entertaining and cute hobby himself, but it also allows him the ability to dress up and sneak well on secret missions together with Andrew.

Barbara Andorf (Andreas / Andross' twin sister), during her childhood to a certain point of her adulthood, had the same personality as her future son, Andrew. She was the same image of a faithful, childlike fan with her own brother as Andrew is with his uncle. The only difference is that Barbara was not able to die for Andross.

Randall Nook (Aquarosa Mechanic and friend of Caiman and Star wolf) has a difficult relationship with Pigma Dengar. It is not that Pigma is abusive towards him out of evil, but the mechanical pig loves to get Randall into his crazy and stupid things when a meeting or collaboration between them if is possible. Lucky for Randall, Leon or Caiman they are there to save him from the dirty hands of the pig.

Iris Halsey (a Meteo crusher soldier and one of Aaron Galaxicos' lovers) sometimes has the habit of putting her pupils across since she is a chameleon woman. She sometimes only does this to scare or annoy her lieutenant.

Moe Sokolova (Meteo Crusher Chief Mechanic) also has a difficult relationship with Pigma, but unlike Randall with Pigma, the two mechanics despise each other. Many of their matches are to demonstrate their superiority or talent among them, fighting who is the best mechanic. It is also because Pigma despises the pilot of the Meteo crusher and Moe ends up defending him by being her superior.

Ofelia Watson (Meteo crusher Soldier and also lover of Aaron Galaxicos) ... she has a great love for dark movies. Horror movies, gore movies, Class B movies, disturbing-themed documentaries. Ofelia is a great collector of these types of films and is fascinated to talk about this content. A large collection of gothic / dark merchandise can also be seen in her room. For this reason Galaxicos is sometimes scared of her.

Marshall Davis (Ace pilot of the Meteo crusher and right hand of Galaxicos) was once a loving family man to his beloved wife and daughter named Daisy. Even though the years have passed since his wife divorced him, Marshall has not been able to forget about his daughter.

Mikhael Fierro (Bodyguard of Aaron Galaxicos) hides a homo erotic relationship with that of his own lieutenant. The Meteo Crusher pilot takes advantage of the bodyguard's sexuality to commit secret actions or missions at his command or to manipulate him. Fierro, despite not being intimidated by the pilot on public, feels a great panic towards him.

Theorisa Bouvier (wife of Aaron Galaxicos and mother of Pluto) was a woman thief from one of the small planets of the Lylat System. Her reason for being exiled to Venom was by attempting to steal a private property from General Pepper on that planet and an assassination attempt while defending herself against him. She thought, until her death, that her actions were wrong and she hoped she could remedy her punishment.

Nera Relian (Attack Carrier's Chief Doctor) was one of the few daughters in a family of Venom roving cooks. She wanted to study medicine and have a doctorate, but the culture and society of the city where she grew up was so patriarchal and sexist that she could never have studies. When Andross came to Venom, he offered Nera and other women to study medicine and Nera was able to fulfill her dream, working in the army because of her loyalty to her new emperor.

My SF 64 headcanons:

Aaron Galaxicos (Meteo Crusher pilot) has been singing since he was very young. His great inspiration was watching the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movie. During the Lylat war, the pilot gives small musical shows to bring good cheer and support to the soldiers of the empire (and seduce women * coff coff *)

Caiman Dilia is the first Venomian-Lylatian translator. Before meeting the former Doctor Andreas Andorf and having strange non-Venomian beings hanging around Venom, the young Venomian has dedicated himself to practicing and understanding and translating the Lylatian language to Venomian. This was because Caiman believed that acting in a pacifist way against the Lylatians would be better to understand the arrival of these to Venom. His unique ability served Andross to communicate with the other Venomians in their encounter.

The Commander Cobra Ryota (Area 6 Commander) will look like a reserved man, educated and good-natured, but he has a great appetite, especially for meat. If you remember the cliché of the protagonist of shonen anime eating a lot like Goku or Luffy, then you know what I'm talking about! (Oh, and many times he has a fantasy to eating Pigma).

In his spare time, Fidel Macbeth (Forever Train Engineer) loves to paint the small ceramic or wooden figures of the Macbeth family mascot. Playing the violin is also his biggest hobby and relaxation outside the factory.

Hook Silver (Sarumarine Captain) has a great fatherly personality that is often seen surrounded by civilian Venom children or Andross allied soldiers. It is his rule to never attack minors, pregnant women or commit acts such as human trafficking or abuse. If one of his soldiers (who are considered like a family to his) breaks this rule he is punished with death or exile from his squad.

Osamu Kumo (Shogun Pilot) has frequently talk too much about the Mecha of him, the Warlord (Shogun). It is common to see him clean the robot by himself or give him pampering or kisses as if it were a cherished object, or refer to the Mecha as "my baby".

Granga often plays video games when he has free time or simply when he is bored at work. The video games that he loves to play are mostly RPG, Puzzles, shooter, etc. In case he is playing online and someone decides to bother him, this person will be hacked by the little monkey to get even with that person.

Magno Doenis (Attack Carrier Captain) saw Andross as a great enemy and potential danger to Venom when the scientist ape man arrived on the toxic planet. Years before the arrival of Andross, some exiles from Corneria or the Lylat System came against their will to Venom, terrifying the Venomians for being considered dangerous and unknown beings. For the city of Magno and for himself, these new furry beings were a new plague that came to conquer his homeland. Andross was no exception for the Venomian soldier, but as soon as there was a peace pact and the komodo dragon could meet the scientist monkey, Magno became a great ally of Andross. His new emperor promised a better life for himself and the great Doenis family and the entire Venomian civilization if they succeeded in achieving victory. Magno has a great patriot and soldier spirit that would become one of Andross's greatest allies.

Oh, and because you asked too. My boys' favorite foods!

Galaxicos loves fruit salad. Especially since it is healthy for a man like him. The Meteo crusher pilot is always careful with his physique and health.

Any type of meat is the favorite food of The Commander ... but if I had to choose that is ... Pigma! Ok, lie! The truth is, in my hcs, the Venomians hunt and enjoy the meat of the Dodora, who is a native creature of the planet and that the meat of it helps to strengthen the Venomian warriors.

Granga has a great fascination for sweet food because (according to him) it helps him stay awake. But if I have to mention a specific food as his favorite, it would be the waffle.

Osamu loves to eat fruits or vegetables like Galaxicos. But in his case the salad with vegetables is his favorite.

Fidel also loves to eat dishes with vegetables or fruits. He always accompanies it with a rich orange juice and oatmeal cookies. He is a classic man who loves to eat everyday food but ideal for a high class man like him.

Magno, like The Commander, is a huge fan of the Dodora's meat.

Caiman prefers to eat a sandwich (with meat from Dodora).

Silver loves sushi! Especially accompanying it with beer.

and ... I think that's all I have! As I said, I prefer to answer about the relationships and dramas that my SF 64 bosses guys have in another post, and I hope to publish it soon! Thank you very much for asking and reading this entire post! I appreciate it very much. Please don't be shy to keep asking! :3 

[writergamermom]

Promo and Live Blogging #6

Ship Your Own Adventure

by

Emblue_Sparks

 Mature

Chapter 1 Billie/Crowley; Chapter 2 Sam/Eileen; Chapter 3 Dean/Crowley; Chapter 4 Kevin/Aaron; Chapter 5 Claire/Kaia; Chapter 6 Sam/Gadreel; Chapter 7 Crowley/Mick Davis; Chapter 8 Dean/Benny; Chapter 9 Bobby+ Rufus; Chapter 10 Dean/Castiel

Liveblog

Man Emblue Sparks did their own art! How can I top this?

His beloved Imperium Innocentia never ceased to fill him with wonder, and yet as of late, he'd begun to feel a worrisome unease when visiting. The loyal ferrymen were paid handsomely to usher his precious souls from there to the shores of Elysium and Asphodel Meadows. Neither Castiel nor Gabriel had reported any bumps in the proverbial road, so that couldn't be the source. 

               To be honest I am rather confused.

The realm was fiercely protected by thousands of wardings and enchantments. His rambunctious rescues were all squeals and delight as their tender souls regained the sweet innocence lost, as was the realms purpose. However, when visiting recently, his grace sensed...not a presence really, but a watchfulness. As if some all seeing eye was casting itself upon it.

So a place in the Scottish highlands is the first circle of hell where all the unborn or unbaptized babies are? Wait Crowley has GRACE? So confused.

Perhaps she'd care for some tea..or Craig? No, no scotch wouldn't do, how would that appear? Lovely to make to your acquaintance. May I invite you into my home for strong spirits on a whim?

I mean I wouldn’t say no, but I am drunk so what are you going to do.

He'd longed to ask her why she felt so familiar. Why in her presence he felt they might have been from another time altogether. A far away memory tiptoed on the edges of recollection just out of his mind's reach. Crowley would spend untold hours in contemplation, opening his mind in hopes the memory in which he sought might emerge from its shy shell and present itself. Alas, to his disappointment, none had stepped forward to claim that missing piece of neurological real estate thus far.

Wow, this is some kind of poetry.  Okay there are some major spoilers so I won’t post any more for this chapter. But I want to read more. There are like layers here man.

Chapter Two Notes: Because I cannot abide the logic surrounding Eileen's absence in the finale. Every actor is entitled to their opinion, as are we, the fans. Though I disagree with Jared, I'll defend his right to express his thoughts. But seeing as how this is my interpretation of this pairing, I'm giving Sam and Eileen this ending I feel they deserved because this handling of the finale among other things had me livid.

               Ooops, I have not watched the last season. Oh well.

And yet for Sam, the fates had been so unkind. For as his son grew and garnered a beautiful life of his own, one he happily shared with none other than Castiel Fitzgerald, his memory of Eileen began to fade. Once Dean Jr had realized it was happening, he'd prayed.

               Dean Jr. and Castiel Fitzgerald are together and Sam is losing his memories.  Bittersweet!

"Dean is well, although he misses you. We're happy, he and I. Eileen as well. I've heard your son's prayers. He fears you'll forget her due to your memories' condition. You sustained many concussions throughout your life. She grows..blurry for you, does she not?"

               Yeah Sam got hit in the head a lot!

Without warning, Jody walks into his home.

"Saam?"

He turns his head, stunned. She shouldn't be even be driving anymore let alone-

"Yo!"

Anybody home?" Claire and Kaia both called out as they too enter.

               Aww I love these girls. Imagine Old Jody still kicking ass and filled with sass.

"Let's get this party started," Jody suggested, busting a bottle of Johnny Walker Black label from her oversized old lady purse.

               YES!

Chapter 3  It wasn't the first time he'd watched Dean Winchester sleep, nor would it be the last. But he'd paid close attention when overhearing the very true sentiment expressed, "It's just creepy." Since then he'd taken extra precautions not to make the seraph's mistake.

               So it’s Dean and someone not Cas.

Dean was as tenacious as any demon,

               It’s Crowley!

They'd had a deliciously rambunctious role in the proverbial hay with triplets earlier that evening.

               Yeah I knew they had an orgy!

He began slowly pulling his hand back, so slowly in fact, he hoped it would go unnoticed. However, before it left the warmth of Dean's skin, he felt Dean pointedly grab his hand. 

               Wow. Yeah. That’s the good stuff.

Chapter 4: You got the job?! Awesome! Well, I knew you would. You're an outstanding accountant," Kevin glowed at his best friend Aaron, whom he'd helped land a position at the same company he worked at.

               WOOT KEVIN! I love Kevin. And Aaron.  I can see it.

Kevin had found an outstanding job at "Write Your Own Story," a place kind of like Total Rekall, only no memory sorcery involved. His friend Claire and her wife Kaia had inherited a typewriter from a long lost uncle...Megatron or something like that. They discovered its magic and sought to use it for good but also a career. It was gaining steam, paid the bills, but barely out of the beta phase.

               Nice! I dig all of this.

Over the next few weeks business boomed with the coming holidays. People wanted to write those they loved beautiful dreams as gifts. And as Kevin discovered, it was all the ink.        

               I would love to give someone good dreams.

Get out. I can’t believe you would do something like this. And you used a sacred holiday too..ya know what? Nevermind, I'm late for service, make sure you're not here when I get back."

               Oh NO!

Chapter 5: "We all missed you and mourned you. Just because we'd just met didn't mean we hadn't looked forward to welcoming you into our little family," Jody declared to Kaia as they pulled out from the bunker and started their five hour journey plus change back to Souix Falls.

I have not watched season 15, did Kaia and Claire get a reunion? I think I remember hearing something about Jody and Kaia. How sweet if she got to bring her home.

"I'm not gonna intervene with you two beyond this, but hearing from Sam all these years about how Dean and Cas keep dancing around each other,

               Poor Sam

"It's really you…" the golden lightning in a bottle whispered before slamming into her, squeezing so hard her eyeballs almost popped out.

               Nice

Chapter 6 Sam's crushed on the martial arts instructor at the Men of Letters Academy for a year and finally finds an opportunity to do something about it.

               I don’t know what this is.

Sam Winchester had been working at the Letters Academy for all of one year as a Professor of Supernatural History and Lore. Dean had graduated ten years prior and was a field agent with a partner of the celestial variety, Castiel. Sam preferred employment on the educational side of operations and prepared his students well, heavily arming them with the knowledge of what was out there and how to effectively neutralize it, if necessary.

               Cool. I am down for this

The instructor had joined the academy's faculty the same time as Sam and to say he had a crush on the guy was putting it mildly. His name was Gadreel, and like Dean's partner,

               Man they would make a mightily tall couple.

"Heard Max Banes is working through the ranks of Tai Kwon Do pretty fast. Aces all the tests and assignments in my class. Seems pretty motivated.." Sam tossed out for conversation.

               Before Covid I was doing pretty well with Taekwondo. I have not kept up.

"Those are effective, until knocked out of your hand or your mag runs out. Come by sometime, I'll show you some stuff..if you want."

               Yeah Ill show you some stuff too. In my pants!

"Private lessons I see, Gadreel. I'd no idea they were on the table. Perhaps we can come to some..arrangement." Sam looked up to see Arthur Ketch standing in the doorway aiming a lascivious grin at Gadreel.

               EWWW. Can we say creepy

It had Sam considering the length of his wingspan.

               Wingspan… Sure

[american-satanxx]

Hell of a Night//Chapter 1

Author’s note: Despite me being a die hard Chiefs fan, I have been working on this Jimmy G fanfic. Go figure! I write fanfics for my back up team more than my main team. If you like to be tagged let me know!

Masterpost

Pretty Boys At The University, Watching Them Walk In Their Levi Jeans

“You're as warm as a glass of brandy. And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time” I pull into the hotel my brother, Nick, and his future wife , Brandi, have picked out for wedding guests and wedding party. I kill the engine and take a deep breath before grabbing my purse and getting out of the car. I take a deep breath of that Georgia air and feel oddly at home. I go around to my trunk to get my overnight bag as well as my trusty old Fender CF-60. I sling the guitar over my shoulder and head towards the hotel room. I get to the front desk and smile at the starstruck blonde in front of me. “Welcome to the Hotel Indigo, how may I help you this lovely afternoon Miss Maverick?” “I’m checking in actually.” I smile to her. “I’m part of the Maverick-Danvers wedding party.” “I’m assuming you are on groom’s side?” She smiles before clicking on the computer before handing me my key. “Mr. Maverick picked this room specifically for you. Hope you enjoy it.” “Thank you.” I say as I take the key and start towards the elevators. I pick my floor and just as the doors begin to shut, I hear a voice yelling for me to hold the elevator. I do so and I’m immediately met with the most gorgeous brown eyes ever. He lets himself in and looks at the floors and realizes we’re heading to the same floor.

“Thank you.” He smiles a smile that can make any girls’ knees weak. “I needed to get out of there before my friend tried hooking me up with one of her bridesmaids.” “I’m assuming you’re one of Brandi’s friends from Illinois.” I chuckle. “That girl is relentless. She wants everyone around her to be as happy as she is on her wedding day.” “She’s always been like that though.” He smiles, fondly. “I’m Jimmy by the way.” “I’m Sutton.” I introducing myself. “I’m Nick’s younger sister and one of Brandi’s bridesmaids.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you. And I hope you don’t mind the crack about Brandi hooking me up with one of you guys. I’ve met most of her college friends and they are a lot to handle.” “Trust me I know.” I laugh. “That’s sorority girls for you. But those girls certainly know how to put together an amazing brunch.” “I kinda wish should would have stayed and went to Eastern Illinois. I might have saved her from that life.” “Hey us Georgia girls aren’t that bad.” I defend myself, laughing a little. “We are more than pearl necklaces and bless your hearts.” “Are you originally from Georgia?” He asks. “You don’t have an accent.” “Born and bred.” I smile as we make it to our floor. “I guess this is us.” “I guess so.” He says as the two of us head out of the elevator. “I guess I’ll see you around this weekend’s festivities, huh? Are they really have a whiskey tasting tonight followed by a wine tasting?” “Apparently they want their guests and wedding party to get trashed tonight.” I laugh. “But yea, I’ll see you around. I’ll actually be looking forward to it.” “Why is that?” He smirks. “You’re not bad to look at.” I smirk back before walking towards my room that’s in the complete opposite direction Jimmy is heading in. I get in my room and see a note on the bed. I head over and see my brother’s chicken scratch. “Here’s to hoping this room will give you the inspiration to make your dreams larger than life.” I read aloud. I can’t help but smile. Nick is always thinking of me. He’s always wanting to live my dreams, even if our parents aren’t as supportive. I place my bag and guitar down and head over to the window. A smile appears on my lips as I take in the sites of downtown Athens. I’m home. I think to myself. It’s been so long since I’ve stepped foot in this sleepy college town, I almost miss it. My walking down memory lane has come to an end by the sound of my phone going off. I pull my Galaxy out of my pocket and smile at the screen. The contact name is A-Dawg <3, which is not only my ex-boyfriend but one of my best friends, Aaron Murray. Me and the O-line are downstairs. Get your pretty ass down here and meet us at the pool. I roll my eyes but do as the text says. This weekend is definitely what the doctor prescribed…

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Secret Wars 2099 #1-5 Thoughts...kinda

As I have no memories, nor apparently any records, of covering this story when it originally released I figured I’d do it as part of my re-reading project.

So the first things I should make clear is that I DID read these issues cover to cover...but in the trade. So if the recap pages of the original issues did something wonky I don’t know about that. Also I’m not covering these issue by issue. There are a few reasons for that.

For starters that’d be more time consuming and whilst I’m never going to make this deadline I’m trying to blast through Spidey 2099 volume 3 as early into the upcoming 2099 event as possible. My pie in the sky plan was to get it done before ASM #833 but that’s not happening now because shit got in my way. Secondly I’ve already read these issues as they were coming out and so I wanted to make the experience more novel for myself and see how they held up as one big story not a set of individual ones.

Due to this I’m likely not going to get into the nitty gritty of this story as I would issue to issue, pulling out ‘this one panel was weird’ and so forth. I’m going to try and discuss the story as an overview.

And from that perspective this was very enjoyable but does have you scratching your head when trying to reconcile it within continuity. On that fro there are three ways to view it.

a)      Within classic 2099 continuity

b)      Within the then current 2099 continuity off the heels of Spidey 2099 volume 2

c)       And within the continuity that’s yet to come. Maybe I even mentioned that in the posts I did for Spidey 2099 volume 3, I don’t remember and don’t want to spoil myself by checking. I DO remember Roberta/Captain America returns which makes continuity confusing

In fact continuity from all 3 POVs is confusing. I think the best thing to do is to treat this as kind of like the RYV Secret Wars continuity. That is to say it’s not about the ACTUAL versions of the characters you’ve come to know and when we next see the new characters introduced here those will be alternate versions of these guys.

In a sense this is a kind of conceptual part of PAD’s over all story. It exists so you know that there are/could be versions of these characters and concepts ‘out there’ and they could show back up in his main story. Similarly the All-New X-Factor issue that hinted at this series did so more conceptually. The idea being a big corporation who own their own superhero team. This series doesn’t directly pick up those plot threads but it’s conceptually similar, maybe even the intention is that Miguel got the idea for his Avengers from that story.

I don’t know though because this Miguel is drastically different to the one we’ve been following from Superior onwards. Now I’m not familiar with the 90s 2099 stuff much but IIRC Miguel does become the head of Alchemax and his father Tyler Stone is wheelchair bound so is this supposed to be diverging off that? I dunno.

Enough about continuity though, taking this story in isolation as I said it’s enjoyable. There isn’t much wrong with it beyond one notable thing and a few nitpicks.

Nitpicks would be stuff like how the ending feels kind of weird. It bookends the start of the story but I just feel outright showing us something that we already knew (that Black Widow 2099 acts like a literal black widow and kills her lovers) just wasn’t a fitting end for this story. It’s not that it is gross so much as it just feels odd and out of place. Like there was a more fitting coda for this story than following the minor exploits of a minor character amidst this story.

The more notable problem is a plot one. This isn’t a deal breaker but I just don’t really understand the relevance of Mordo 2099’s business card being in the Specialist’s pocket. It’s the instigator for most of the plot and yet the Specialist didn’t seem to have anything to do with Mordo. Was it just a coincidence? Was it planted there to throw the Avengers off Tyler Stone’s trail? It’s never explained. I suppose it could be a coincidence but then that’s rather lazy writing beneath PAD’s usual talents.

Beyond that the story is fun but fairly simple.

Essentially this boils down to the Avengers and Defenders meet, fight, interact a bit more, fight some more (with some Avengers siding with the Defenders) and then they team up to beat a bigger threat.

Not much else goes on, but that’s not a bad thing.

This story didn’t need to be Kraven’s Last Hunt or Watchmen.

It was just a fun superhero action story, which frankly is usually all that Avengers or Defenders stories ever amount to. Substance is a rarity for ether team, you want that check out the F4 or X-men.

What this series excels at is filling in some blanks from the original 2099 universe line, revisiting some old characters from it, introducing some new versions of old faces (like Silver Surfer and Hercules) and just giving you enough for each character for there to be some fun interactions. Maybe that’s all a bit basic but fun is fun.

We never had an Avengers nor Defenders 2099 back when the line exists, at least not as far as I know. And the idea that classic characters like Hercules, Valkyrie and the Surfer would still be around makes a lot of sense. The 2099 reimaginings of older characters are also quite fun. Black Widow literally being a woman who eats her lovers was obvious and yet novel. Hawkeye being a hawk/human hybrid was something different from the 616 version. Hercules being a standing for Thor was a brilliant balance of something new yet familiar. Iron Man and Vision 2099 were novel twists on the classic characters. The characters bounced off each other nicely (especially Hercules and Sub-Mariner) and there were some fun match ups.

The stand out (possibly because PAD had plans for her) though is Roberta Mendez, a.k.a. Captain America 2099. If anyone was the main character in this it was her. She was the most out and out heroic and a worthy heir to Steve’s legacy.

In recent years there has been much, shall we say, ‘heated debate’ regarding female characters, poc characters, female body depictions in comics and legacy characters.

Roberta has oddly been left unmentioned in this discussion which is strange as she ticks all the above boxes and yet is also one of the best examples of how to do such characters.

She is not stereotypically sexy, and the story points out the ‘wrongness’ of that. But it places it in the mouth of a minor character who is bad, and beyond that doesn’t dwell on the topic. I think this is smart because it acknowledges potential backlash but also doesn’t become self-indulgent in calling it out. I think that’s part of the umbridge a lot of people feel. The lack of subtlety and the frankly obnoxious degree to which a lot of modern comics attempt to call out bad actors or problematic views. PAD demonstrates the right way to handle this rather than Jason Aaron’s tactics in his Jane Foster Thor run for instance.

More importantly Roberta isn’t built up as heroic or better than her peers or anyone else through unearned tactics. This isn’t Riri Williams or Rey from Star Wars who’s acclaim in story is rather handed to them. She is a corporate stooge and a tool (one who’s literally activated and deactivated), but one with a conscience. And that conscience lets her fight back and make the right choices, but she isn’t a true blue enemy of ‘the system’. She’s morally and ethically compromised as Captain America and entirely clueless and vulnerable as Roberta. But she still saves people, she still helps people, she still has a moral code and she still believes in Steve Rogers’ values. She is a capable combatant and yet far from invincible.

In short...she’s a flawed super hero. It’s a feat of balanced writing that is worth of applause on PAD’s part as I count myself a fan of Roberta a lot actually.

The second most interesting character in this is Miguel.

Miguel’s portrayal here is interesting in general because it’s a departure from what you would expect having read volume 2 or possibly 2099 in general. He is absolutely the head of a big bad corporation. And he uses people. He is willing to enforce his corporate authority unethically. He is NOT a good person. In volume 2 you could describe him as anti-hero lite. He was more violent and clearly more willing to take life than Peter Parker but he wasn’t the Punisher or Wolverine. He was on the side of the angels but wasn’t one of them basically. Here though he’s definitely not on the side of the angels...but he’s also not on the side of the demons either. Rather he occupies this interesting spot in the middle as his Alchemax Avengers are doing good things and he does let the Defenders go at the end of everything. And yet he does safeguard Alchemax’s safety and legacy and manipulates Roberta.

This is another feat of writing as Miguel can’t be easily put into a box marked good nor bad or even anti-hero.

As for the art, I feel it’s a step down from what Sliney was doing in Spidey 2099 volume 2 but it’s still good, it gets the job done and the reinventions of older heroes works.

All in all if you have the time and cash, and aren’t expecting anything mind blowing I’d recommend checking this out.

[blackdragon-selfships]

My Decision: Thoughts, Theories, and Some Changes to how I do Things from here

Ok...so here it is. I’ve decided to keep F/O-ing Aaravos. What happened in season 3 wasn’t unexpected. The creators hinted numerous times about his role in season 3, and I knew something was coming. I just wasn’t sure how to process my feelings on it.

Warning: If you care about spoilers, don’t read any further. Spoilers for season 3 of The Dragon Prince is below.

I came to the conclusion it wasn’t that he did bad things...but who toward. That being Viren. The villain of the show. I like Viren as a character still, and I guess now I see what Jason Simpson (his VA) in an interview was saying. He likes Viren as the complicated villain he is...but if he wasn’t just joking around, he doesn’t feel the same about Aaravos. At least this season.

I think it’s because those that genuinely like Viren’s character (not agreeing with his actions, but not disliking him as a character) will have a harder time with the scenes where Aaravos is doing something to him. Like the webbed up eye so he could see Aaravos’ ghostly apparition or the scene where the caterpillar emerged from Viren’s mouth but much longer and larger...and then continued to change in the final episode. As well as the many times he used clever wordplay on Viren to steer his thoughts into bigger plans...plans I think Viren would have had already, but until he became king he didn’t have the power to go through with it and was still in the habit of not overstepping his boundaries.

Viren is capable of lying and could be lying to himself about what he wants from Xadia. He just got power, he doesn’t want to lose it over a risky decision...but Aaravos knows what Viren is like, and uses that to his advantage.

If you like Viren’s character...you’ll probably have a hard time still liking Aaravos in those scenes. Because Viren IS the bad guy...and Aaravos IS manipulating him slowly but surely. It still isn’t clear what this means, or why...but I’m sticking to my belief Aaravos’ role isn’t as a villain, but he is an antagonist. There’s a difference between the two.

The show creators say mixed things on him. In their Tweets we get quite a bit of subtle but ominous warnings...and a confession his design was an attack on the fandom, from Aaron Ehasz (show co-creator) as a joke. Then Ehasz repeatedly says throughout several interviews that Aaravos is very complicated, and has said once that Aaravos is “disliked, that’s not the same as bad.” This being in response to Justin Richmond (the other co-creator) saying “and obviously he’s bad enough they literally tried erasing him from the {history} books.” Ehasz’ exact response being “he’s complicated” and Richmond saying “he’s interesting enough they tried erasing him from the books.” Ending in the above line from Ehasz of “he’s disliked. That’s not the same as bad.”

He was making a clear distinction between the two words, probably anticipating the suspicions from the fans hearing or reading the interview of his (Aaravos’) place in the story. This doesn’t make him good either...canonically I can’t call Aaravos “good” in any sense right now. Except good at being sassy and a show-off. lol

But I won’t put him fully in the villain category. Sol Regem was willing to kill the future King of the Dragons and an elf of Xadia if they didn’t let him kill the human with them either way. Yet he’s in all the promotional posters for some reason as well as the prologue opening. That part, of course, is made more clear in the first episode of season 3, though. He was flying toward the Dark Mage from the prologue in episode 1 of season 1. Then flying blindly as his face was burning after the confrontation.

He’s clearly also important to the plot...but I can’t call him ‘bad’. Not great...but not a villain.

The last bit of evidence is Aaravos’ actual name. It’s of Danish and Arabic origin and means “between light and dark, not good or bad.” Every other name has been spot-on:

Callum-Dove King: He’s a Sky Mage, and the Skywing elves are strongly influenced by bird themes, much like Moonshadows have strong ninja themes and the Startouch...is literally covered in stars and wearing a constellation on his clothes. Callum is a Sky mage, doves are birds, and he’s working toward a peaceful future. Doves are a symbol of peace.

Ezran-Helper: Look how helpful he was this season especially!

Viren-Leader of heroes: Uh...ok I don’t know WHAT heroes...but he is a good leader. Say what you will about his character, he has leadership skills. Aaravos didn’t have to teach him that stuff.

Claudia-Lame: Ok this is a bit harsh...but it is the ‘crippled’ lame. She’s...not doing well now. She isn’t physically crippled, but mentally and emotionally she is pretty badly wounded.

Ziard-Wizard: He’s a Dark Mage. A wizard. Spot on.

Sol Regem-Sun King: They literally say his name meaning...SUN KING. He was a king of the dragons once and is an Archdragon of the Sun.

Zubeia-Beauty, grace any of those. She really fits that name. She is beautiful.

Avizandum-Reserve Judgement: I interpret that to mean on Aaravos. He locked him in the place behind the mirror because he isn’t sure how to deal with him yet before Viren and Harrow slay him (Avizandum.) Aaravos is literally in 300 year jail time right now, and Avizandum was still deciding if he should execute him or not for whatever he did.

That or he’s reserving judgment on humans, which is why he defends the border instead. We might find out eventually...cause that is still a mystery. Why is the king of the dragons guarding the boarder 24/7? I get he was basically the ruler of all of Xadia...but it’s still an odd choice.

Anyway, Aaravos. Names clearly mean things in this show. I think his is the hint that he seems bad right now, but he isn’t. He isn’t good, but he isn’t bad. I don’t know how they’ll pull that off...but I’ll be impressed if they do.

There was also still more evidence on a theory I have that he’s telling the story is true as well. In the prologue, he calls Avizandum by his human-given name: Thunder. He says “the humans called him Thunder. For when he spoke his voice shook the earth and the sky.” In the episode we learn what happened to Avizandum, Aaravos is the one to say the name, but Viren doesn’t recognize it.

Viren is the one that tells Aaravos what they called Avizandum. Which was “Thunder.” If Aaravos isn’t an omniscient narrator and has been imprisoned for 300 years or so...how would he know this in the prologue if he didn’t in that scene? Coupled with the opening sequence of his hands uncurling a map, the lighting and desk surface or the shade of blue of his skin being nothing like in his prison. I could be wrong, and while I’d be disappointed to be...oh well.

What I’m saying is...Aaravos lives to tell the story if my theory is right. Which means he isn’t bad enough the writers have to kill him or something else...I don’t know how they’ll do it if it’s true, but I will be quite interested to see it.

Aside from the Sunfire elves in Lux Area, who I don’t think deserved what happened, his actions are all for a purpose related to what’s happening...but if we knew his perspective maybe it would seem less like a random evil act, which contradicts him being complex if it was just a show of his power and how ruthless he can be. Because from our perspective there wasn’t a reason to kill the Sun Queen other than “look how evil he is! Oooh!” Which doesn’t go along with the information we’ve been given so far. There’s more to this scene, I’m sure. Though it could just be that he killed her so she couldn’t reveal what he whispered in her ear...which was also a strange move. See? He’s complicated and there are still a lot of mysteries surrounding him and his actions. Aside from that, the only one Aaravos has done much of anything to is Viren. Anything kind of graphic and sort of gross (at least with the caterpillar.) Who is again...the Bad Guy.

So all that to say...yes, I’m going to keep him as an f/o. But in doing so I’m ignoring the show canon on this blog. As in I won’t be trying to work my S/I into the narrative as much anymore for the time being. I’m going to treat the blog similar to how @justafictionalthing​ where I don’t worry about canon or accuracy to the character’s personality in the source material to a T. I still love the show, don’t misunderstand. I’m going to watch it to the end of the saga, whatever happens...but on this blog, for the time being, I’m treating it like the Aaravos here and the canon are separate.

My Aaravos, the interpretation on this blog, is aware of his source material. If anyone’s read Inkheart, think of it like that. Fictional character comes out of their source material but still exists in the story itself as well. I might make a little story or something explaining this, but that’s the angle I’m going for in all future Takeovers and commentary.

I don’t dislike his canon portrayal, I know he’s more than what we saw...but for the blog it just doesn’t work right now. My S/I would never be ok with what he’s been doing...and keeping it hidden from her goes into some risky territory... I like that kind of stuff if there’s a happy ending payoff, but for the overall blog and my way of selfshipping, which has turned more “I’m actually with this character, not just writing myself in their story,” it doesn’t work.

TL;DR: I don’t hate or even dislike canon!Aaravos, but he doesn’t work well with what I want on this blog. I’m still with him, but the version you guys have gotten to know on this blog. Sassy but friendly and knowledgeable, and now separated from his source material almost Inkheart-style.

I’m too attached to who he is now from relationship development to drop this. I still like his canon self, but he’s changed a lot on this blog. If you don’t like that, watch the show for the ‘true’ Aaravos experience. Nothing but soft and sassy here for now. With some dark stuff if I’m in the mood for it.

[rayegunn]

Thor ramble

Preview for Thor is out: https://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2020/03/06/marvel-preview-thor-4-2/  I felt the need to ramble about it. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good ramble here.

First off, to Sif Bifrosting Mjolnir away.... hehehehe... good trick. And Thor deserves it right now. He needs to have his toys taken away until he behaves, I don't give a damn if he's king, he’s being an ass. Not that he will, probably, looks like he's about to throw a tantrum there, but still. I mean look at that, he's already beaten a close friend of his to a pulp and destroyed his hammer, and now Sif, his ex lover and current friend, and now guardian of the Bifrost, shows up to defend Bill and repeat what should be a uncontroversial opinion, that helping Galactus to destroy inhabited planets, and beating up your friends, is wrong, and his response is to hurl the hammer at her head. I mean I thought Thor was being a dick when he threw it at Loki, despite Loki's past, but THIS? Much worse. I get that he feels the fate of the universe is on the line, and that sacrifices need to be made towards that end, which mitigates it some, but... there has to be a better way to resolve this conflict than with violence. Thor has been acting all hyper-aggressive and, well, toxic from issue 1, and just seems to be getting worse. I see a lot of Thor fans glad that he's like, really powerful and kicking ass, and I don't get it. Is him being powerful worth it if he loses his soul and sacrifices his morals in the process? tho I have never gotten the obsession some fans with characters being powerful, it's always been much more important to me that they are interesting characters first and foremost, and that usually means they have flaws and weaknesses and can't just steamroll everything. I do think a story exploring power vs morals with Thor, where he sacrifices his morals for power in order to achieve a greater good could be interesting and could end up adding more depth to the character, so I am not saying the story is bad... but it is still sad to see him possibly fall  from grace, same as it would be for any character in that position, and all the power in the universe doesn't make up for that. In Aaron's run, his unworthyness wasn't really a fault of his character, it was a technicality. He was still the same guy, morally, as he was before (tho he did go through a rough patch due to depression) it was just he lost the whole 'knowing you're unworthy but trying anyway' thing that apparently is a major box that needs to be ticked for Mjolnir to allow itself to be lifted. This though, I am seeing what he's doing, and I think to myself that it's no wonder the hammer is getting heavier, because this really is the sort of 'doing evil things for a greater good' deal that I could see Loki doing rather than Thor. If Loki was doing this, it would still be a very murky situation, but it would be in line with his past actions and morals. But for Thor, it's a fall, and that kind of makes his actions feel worse. I'm more upset  at him doing these things than I would be if it were Loki, because Loki has already done this kind of shit before. Recently, even. Maybe not on quite the same scale, I can't think of any planets Loki has blown up off the top of my head, (in the present/past, not counting King Thor) but same sort of morally questionable tactics, so  it would not be that unexpected for him.

I'm betting that Thor will successfully deal with the Black Winter using these tactics, despite various characters, such as Bill and Sif here, standing against him, and that will make him feel everything he did was just and right, he will feel vindicated. And yeah, you could make an argument for that, depending on what he does, I mean, the universe continuing to exist when it otherwise would have died is a bit hard to argue with. And many fans will support his actions because the ultimate outcome was good. But... it may be the start of a slippery slope that he slides downwards on. If these tactics worked out here, why not in a different situation with lower stakes? Will the justification he needs to do these things become less with time? And he will fall, not like Aaron's run where he was unworthy but not immoral, an actual fall from grace where he loses his way. And he, and many fans, may not even realize it until it's too late. Hell, some fans will NEVER get it if he goes bad. I mean, I’m not saying people have to stop liking him as a character, but you can like a character while acknowledging they are not the most morally upstanding person. Liking Punisher doesn't necessarily mean you support gun toting vigilantes wandering the streets, right? I hope, anyway. Like, I think lots of things Loki has done have been pretty scummy, even recently, but that doesn't make him an uninteresting character, I still really like him as a character even if i disagree with some of his actions. Though Loki's trajectory is good right now, while he is still prone to morally murky actions, he's moving in the right direction, his actions right now are comparatively better than they used to be, so I am hopeful he can continue to  improve. But Thor’s trajectory, if this trend continues, is not good, his actions right now are comparatively worse than he has been previously. It's kind of funny, or sad, that as Loki is moving away from these 'bad acts for a greater good' methods, Thor is embracing them, and they may end up still as antagonists, but on opposite sides. (I want them to be friends tho :( ) But some fans (of lots of things, not just Thor) really seem to have a lot of trouble understanding that the protagonist is not always right by default, and they think anyone who stands in the protagonist's way is the bad guy, even if it is clearly a villain protagonist, (see: Breaking Bad) which is bizarre to me.  And I suspect the same will happen with Thor, even if he does not go THAT bad, and just... gray. Comics have long had a bit of a problem with fans completely missing the point when it comes to the morality the books are trying to get across; you somehow have some overtly bigoted X-Men fans, and alt-right Cap fans, etc. it's bizarre sometimes how completely some readers/viewers can miss a critique of something in a work, and the same thing will likely happen here, where the point may be that he’s losing his way, but fans think he’s in the right.

Where did she send Mjolnir, though, i wonder? I have long suspected Thor would have to give up Mjolnir, but because he is all-Father now. Aaron set up a situation with roles that need to be filled, and several other characters have stepped into new ones, Jane is Valkyrie, Sif took Heimdall’s role, Balder is King of the Norns, it looks as though Tyr is going to take Loki’s place as God of Chaos, (though it may be Loki’s solo series was more of a spoiler than most people thought, where Thor was the big bad at the end of time, trying to destroy the Earth, and Thor goes full on bad guy instead, though i am holding out hope for merely gray which he can rebound from after learning a lesson) Loki is King of Jotunheim (tho i suspect there is something more in store for him, given all the teases with him and Mjolnir) and I really like this. I know some people find comfort in an unchanging status quo, but I have always found it boring, and one of the reasons I have been all over Loki the past 10 years or so is that he has been undergoing character development and changing, and I find that interesting. So to have it suddenly applied to Asgard as a whole, where everything is shuffled around and characters are in new roles is something I find very interesting, and I want to see where it leads, and I hope it doesn’t all just revert to the old default status quo. But Thor stepped into his role as king, but didn’t want to give up his old role, and I think that has to give at some point. He has to choose, even if he was not doing some morally dubious shit, All-Father OR hero of the realms, can’t do both at the same time. After last issue, i thought Bill might, at least temporarily, take Mjolnir from Thor, (though, since he has no ties to Earth 99% of the time, I don't think he is right fit to fill Thor's old role permanently) but now it's who knows where, so maybe not. But he's still had Stormbreaker destroyed. :-/ anyway, it has to be really far away, or Thor's just going to call it back in like 2 seconds, not quite sure how far away they are relative to Asgard/Earth, so sending it back there may be far enough... or maybe Jotunheim? Though not sure why Sif would do that. But it could turn the scene with Loki in issue 1 into foreshadowing, if it pops out of the Bifrost coming for his head and stops again. May also be a catalyst to have Thor attack Jotunheim, even tho Loki had nothing to do with this.  But it may also be too easy for him to find in those locations, if she really wants to keep it from him until he calms down, it would be better to send it to some dusty moon orbiting an uninhabited world  around a distant star. Though with Sif controlling the Bifrost, she could simply refuse to send him anywhere near it, regardless of it's location. He may be king, but she has the power in this situation. Also, I wonder how it's trajectory works. Will it carry on with just the momentum it has on the other side of the Bifrost, eventually falling to the ground or hitting something on the other side, or will it try to continue towards his intended target? Though I suppose it doesn't matter too much, if he can summon it no matter how far away it is, so it will be on it's way back to them either way. Though it may be that it is out of range, he may not be able to call it if he doesn't know it's location, (he asked where it was, so he doesn't seem to be able to sense it) or if it's just too far away.

[douxreviews]

The Punisher - ‘The Whirlwind’ Review

Frank: "You know kid, sometimes you find things, and they change your life."

In the Season 2 finale, Frank, Madani, Russo, Amy, Pilgrim – it all comes to an explosive end... or so I thought, but I'll still settle for a somewhat-rushed and cobbled-together end with shining character performances scattered throughout.

Madani seems to have a bit of a death-wish here and immediately prepares for a shootout next with a hysteric Billy Russo. Even with three shots fired into his stomach, Russo succeeds in almost strangling Madani to death. As it turns out, both combatants miraculously survive the confrontation. As relieved as I was that Madani makes it out alive, the more I reflected on it, the more I decided I would have also been fine had she died right there at Russo's hands. Much of Madani's arc this season consists of the raised question regarding what is it that separates her from Frank Castle, and if they are nothing alike, at what point then will Madani make a transition towards becoming more like Castle? Here, I believe Madani fully expected that she'd die by Russo's hands and was prepared anyway to go out guns literally blazing, a manner not that unlike how Frank views each of his own showdowns.

Anderson and Eliza Schultz honestly feel mostly like afterthoughts this late in the series, almost as if they are now plot points The Punisher has to quickly wrap up. As Pilgrim seemed to have in 'Collision Course', the Schultzs have also forgotten about what Amy possesses that could impair their plans for David and now concur that having Pilgrim eliminated too would solve all their problems and also preserve David's future. This whole subplot just felt jumbled for me at this point, as if the writers suddenly realized they had been backed into a corner because they didn't really have a set ending in stone for Pilgrim or the Schultzs. Amy meanwhile tails Pilgrim to an apartment hideout, initially with plans of her own to kill him and secure her own safety, but calls in Frank at the last moment. I've really enjoyed watching Amy grow over the course of this season, and becoming less and less apprehensive about Frank's methods. Plus, her humdrum face once other tenants start fleeing after the shooting begins had me in stitches.

As cliche as it may have been for some, I was hoping that after everything she had been through, Amy would get a chance to shine by actually being the one to save Frank's skin from Pilgrim. This doesn't happen though, and Amy ends up as Pilgrim's hostage, bargained with Frank in exchange for the return of David. Frank unfortunately is left without his ace here because Curtis, understandably at his wit's end with the cat-and-mouse games, frees David to Mahoney. Frank's final confrontation with Pilgrim and his efforts to negotiate the release of Amy was probably the most tense for me in this finale, knowing just how tight a spot Frank was stuck in without David, combined with a fear of Amy getting caught up in the carnage. I sensed that Frank's plea with Pilgrim too is somewhat of an effort to rectify his inability to protect his own children by saving Amy, so it gets points not just for suspense, but for being sentimental too.

As for Frank's actual grudge-match with Pilgrim, I wouldn't say I was completely underwhelmed, but the threat Pilgrim posed to our heroes even until the very end was never going to compete with the forces that were Wilson Fisk or Benjamin Poindexter in Daredevil, or even Kilgrave in Jessica Jones. I will though give Pilgrim credit for being able to obtain something most foes of Frank don't get: his respect. I would have been just fine had Frank chosen to waste Pilgrim too, but in Pilgrim, Frank sees a twisted reflection of himself – a man who would go to extreme lengths all for the sake of his own children's safety. While we're skimming the subject of sidesteps, I thought at first it was quite a cop-out to have Dumont survive her fall from the previous episode, but Madani getting to gloat to her was absolutely a welcome inclusion to the end of Dumont's arc. It's also an amusing call-back to the beginning of the series when Dumont fancied being in a position to judge Madani for her questionable decisions in the past.

Somehow, Russo's able to walk away from his and Madani's battle. When his wounds aren't treated properly, he begins bleeding out and, knowing he's finally at death's door, calls Curtis, making a final plea to at least die with someone else by his side. At first I figured this was only Russo exploiting Curtis' inability to just let another brother in arms die alone. When Frank showed up instead, I immediately knew this was the end for Russo – I just wasn't expecting Frank to cut Russo off mid-eulogy like that with two shots! As controversial and polarizing as I can see this final confrontation being between fans, I personally loved it. Frank has long since learned his lesson since the end of Season 1 about letting someone like Russo go, and for him, there were simply no more words to be said to someone who had indirectly played a part in the murders of his family.

It can't be denied either what a phenomenal job Ben Barnes has done this season as Russo. I can't say I rooted for him the entirety of the season, but what makes me feel just a little bad for him in the very end is that, without condoning every gruesome and horrible thing he's done, he was, in death, someone still struggling to make amends and trying to understand all the repercussions of his vices. Whether or not he was willing to issue a final apology to Frank here is something best left up to every viewer's interpretation, but for me, his muddled psychological makeup in Season 2 made him a much more interesting character.

I think it goes without saying that Season 2 of The Punisher is quite all-over-the-place; even though it has thirteen episodes to work with, it felt as if there was too much going on in this clunky narrative, and certain characters and plot points got more screentime over the ones I personally felt should have been fleshed out just as much, if not more. Season 2 also never lives up to the zealous endeavors Frank went through in Daredevil's second season, or even in The Punisher's first season, but I'm also never one to pass up an opportunity to see the Punisher punish in any capacity, and Jon Bernthal as always was magnificent this season. It's bittersweet to see Frank finally come to the conclusion that the doors to living a regular day-to-day live will be forever closed to him, because he simply cannot abandon his vigilantism. If this truly is the end for The Punisher on Netflix, then I suppose he goes out on a high enough note for me.

Aaron Studer loves spending his time reading, writing and defending the existence of cryptids because they can’t do it themselves.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1242

Monday, December 24, 2018

 I was hit by a spasm of back pain on Saturday like the ghost of Christmas Past. That'll teach me for being such a Scrooge this time of year. I try not to be naughty but being nice is such a pain in the pants. I am slowly recovering under the gentle ministrations of Santa's Helper. Being around family and friends is better medicine than any pain pills I could take. My brother and sister-in-law hosted a brunch yesterday and seeing everyone together laughing and happy soothed me greatly. Just holding baby Oliver and making him smile eased my back pain.

 I saw the Ottawa premiere of Aquaman thanks to my Jee-Riz partner Chris, who won passes from the comic book store Myths, Legends and Heroes. I can sum up how I felt about the movie in one word; wigs. I wish they had spent some of the Atlantis special effects budget on better wigs for the actors. Arthur's dad's toupee was glaringly obvious. I've seen better hair on Cosplayers than Nicole Kidman's wigs. It looked like Amber Heard/Mera was wearing a wig at times but even when it looked like her real hair the colour red they chose was too unnatural looking. The movie's saving grace for me was Jason Momoa. He makes a great Arthur/Aquaman. I'm glad I didn't pay to see this one.

 Ugh. Stan Lee tribute covers. Terrible marketing idea.

 Dead Man Logan #2 - Ed Brisson (writer) Mike Henderson (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). A couple of things really annoyed me this issue. Sin, the Red Skull's daughter, acted like a spoiled brat. It's not a stretch to foresee the villains losing at the end of this 12-issue story. Then we have Forge repairing a machine that can get Old Man Logan back home. They actually go there and he doesn't stay. I'm for super heroics as much as the next nerd and maybe I'm selfish, but that irked me to no end. Old Man Logan has been whining about getting home ever since he showed up in this timeline and now he wants to stay to prevent all the super heroes from being killed by all the super villains. There isn't even a guarantee that is what happens in the future. And why don't they use the machine to fix things? Man I hate time travel. I really like Mike Henderson's art but this looks like another travelling super heroes versus super villains battle every issue, and that's not very interesting to me.

 Defenders: The Best Defense #1 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Belardino Brabo (inks) Dono Sanchez Almara (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the big Defenders reunion to save Earth. Old Man Dr. Strange, Hulk, Namor and the Silver Surfer have to sidetrack The Train in order for Earth to survive. It's a bit complicated and I'm surprised that you didn't really need to read all the one-shots to get what's going on. I mean all those scenes where the stabby killer in the bed sheet is killing aliens isn't even mentioned in this story. So what was up with that?

 Marvel Knights #4 - Vita Ayala & Donny Cates (writers) Joshua Cassara (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Here's where they explain why all the super heroes have forgotten who they are. T'Challa/Black Panther is featured in this issue that ends with him discovering the lair of villains. I'm wondering how the bad guys retained their memories.

 Old Man Hawkeye #12 - Ethan Sacks (writer) Francesco Mobili (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). That was a very satisfying ending. What a great prequel to the Old Man Logan story where Clint and Logan go on a road trip. This is where Clint loses his sight for good. I loved the last page epilogue showing Clint tracking down someone who will help him to continue to fight the bad guys despite his blindness.

 Runaways #16 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Kris Anka (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Reading this Christmas special is better than getting a lump of coal. Having Doombot as a dinner guest made this a treat. I wish he was a regular member of the team.

 West Coast Avengers #6 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Daniele Di Nicuolo (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The good guys have been captured by the bad guys: Satana Hellstrom, M.O.D.O.K., The Eel and Madame Masque. Kate is still free however and she's not going to abandon her team mates. Too bad she gets waylaid on her way to rescue them. Her captor is a complete surprise, which will make the next issue a hoot.

 Thor #8 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This is an awesome issue with Thor fighting the Angelus. It ends with an ex-Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. being paid a visit by the Black Panther. I like how this book is being tied into The Avengers.

 Season's Beatings #1 - Jason Latour (writer) Greg Hinkle, Chris Brunner, Veronica Fish & Mario Del Pennino (art) Rico Renzi, Jim Campbell & Veronica Fish (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I should have realized from the cover that this was a Deadpool Christmas Special. If I had known, I would have bought a pair of socks from the Dollar Store with the $4.99 US that this comic book costs. Unless of course, you're a big Deadpool fan or West Coast Avengers fan or even an X-Force fan. They're all in here too. Plus Squirrel Girl and Doctor Doom. Come to think of it, this is an everything but the kitchen sink gift for a Marvel Comics fan who will get a few chuckles out of it.

 Freedom Fighters #1 - Robert Venditti (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). This is some heavy duty patriotic poop right here. We start this 12-issue story in 1963 America that is ruled by Adolf Hitler and his "ratzi" party. The original Freedom Fighters meet to plot a resistance attack on a war robot factory. Things don't go well for the good guys. Jump forward to 2018 and the surprise appearance of the New Freedom Fighters; Black Condor, Doll Woman, the Human Bomb and Phantom Lady. All we need is Uncle Sam. Robert Venditti holds nothing back showing the Germans as ruthless racists. The art is really well done so I will give these Golden Age heroes a chance to see how they fare in modern times.

 Middlewest #2 - Skottie Young (writer) Jorge Corona (art) Jean Francois Beaulieu (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). A new character named Jeb is introduced who helps Abel get out of a bind. Jeb reminds me of the first time we meet Gandalf. Abel's quest continues and we find out a bit more about the symbol on his chest. I predict he'll meet his mother down the road but unlike the talking fox, I won't be travelling down it with him.

 Cover #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Mack (art) Michael Avon Oeming (Owen art) Zu Orzu (colours) Carlos Mangual (letters). This issue is a great example of how a comic book can tell a story with words and pictures. I felt like I was watching a TV show or a short film. Brian, David and Michael work together seamlessly

 Hardcore 1 - Robert Kirkman & Andy Diggle (writers) Alessandro Vitti (art) Adriano Lucas (colours) Thomas Mauer (letters). Yeah man, it is. Agent Drake is a drone pilot but what he controls are other human beings. A new nanotechnology allows him to take over and move a remote body for 72 hours so he can complete wetwork missions. It's really cool. The big problem arises when the guy who invented the tech comes back to reclaim it from the government. That guy is not asking nicely. I like this concept and the predicament that Agent Drake finds himself in at the end of this issue. Therefore, this goes on to my "must read" list.

 Klaus and the Crying Snowman #1 - Grant Morrison (writer) Dan Mora (art) Ed Dukeshire (letters). This $7.99 US one-shot tells the tale of how Sam the snowman helps Klaus save the Earth from murderous aliens. I loved how they wove in Norse mythology. You'd think a crying snowman would be doomed in the end and you'd be right, but fear not, 'tis a happy ending.

 Betty & Veronica #1 - Jamie Lee Rotante (writer) Sandra Lanz (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). The BFFs are back with a 5-issue mini that starts off their senior year of high school. I know that these slightly more mature Archie Comics want to draw in a new audience but Betty dating Reggie? Sacrilege. A few other things bothered me storywise that turned me off even more. Betty drinking a spiked punch without noticing? C'mon. Then there's the art. I didn't like the interiors compared to the nice cover that Sandra drew. I expected my girl Betty to be treated better than this.

 Catwoman #6 - Joelle Jones (story & art) Laura Allred (colours) Josh Reed (letters). The finale of "Copycats" is a quick read so I read it twice. The first time was to see how Catwoman deals with the evil Mrs. Creel and her pumped up on drugs son. The second time was to see Catwoman in action and to savour the beautiful art and layouts. I wish Joelle Jones would do a Betty & Veronica mini.

 Extermination #5 - Ed Brisson (writer) Pepe Larraz (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I tolerated this time travel tale because of the amazing art. I wish Pepe Larraz would do a Betty & Veronica mini. If you thought that the mutants being exterminated was a real threat then you haven't been reading X-Men comic books for very long. This story puts the young X-Men back in their own time and all is well again. The big surprise comes on the last page and I'm thinking "oh geez, here we go again".

 Domino #9 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon & Michael Shelfer (art) Roberto Poggi (ink assist) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Soldier of Fortune part 3. The ladies are asked to kill Longshot. Haven't seen him in a while. Might not see him for long though, since he's supposed to bring about the end of the world. This is interesting because both Domino and Longshot have the same super power. Who's luck is going to run out first?

 Firefly #2 - Greg Pak (writer) Dan McDaid (art) Marcelo Costa (colours) Jim Campbell (letters). Mal and Zoe are being hunted by a gang of thieves and the Alliance. Darn tootin' there's going to be shootin'. I have been watching Nathan Fillion's new cop show The Rookie and I quite like it.

 Batman #61 - Tom King (writer) Travis Moore (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares part 1. The "what the!?" appearance on the last page of #60 is explained here as a new story starts. I knew something was hinky when I saw the string of pearls around the dead body of Martha Wayne in the alley. I thought we were in an alternate universe and we sort of are but it came as a complete shock when what was going on was explained. Arkham Asylum is getting a new inmate. At least he's new to me unless I want to go back and read Batman #38.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

LeBron James attended a Cleveland campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in 2016 even though she was likely to lose his home state of Ohio. After Donald Trump’s election, James repeatedly blasted the president. When Laura Ingraham said James should “shut up and dribble,” he rebutted the Fox News host by saying he had never heard of her before her remark. And now this: On Monday, James wouldn’t rule out running for president in 2020.

James began to get involved in political issues during the Obama years — publicly backing the first African-American president and the Black Lives Matter movement, for example — but he’s been ramping it up lately. We often think of athletes as doing something risky when they interject themselves into politics. But I don’t think James really has to worry about any backlash. The wall between the worlds of sports and politics has increasingly broken down, and James’s place in those worlds gives him extra protection.

1. His fans are mostly Democrats

A FiveThirtyEight analysis of Google searches last year found that the NBA is significantly more popular in liberal-leaning areas than in conservative ones. Among the four major pro leagues plus college basketball, NASCAR and college football, the NBA has the most liberal fan base. The NFL, by contrast, is about equally popular in liberal and conservative areas.

The NFL has to worry about alienating conservative and/or Trump-supporting fans; the NBA really doesn’t.

Looking at James specifically, he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, and Clinton won Cuyahoga County (where Cleveland is located) by about 35 percentage points. Next season, he’s joining the Los Angeles Lakers — Clinton won Los Angeles County by about 49 points. If James played for, say, the Phoenix Suns (an area that Trump carried), his liberal-leaning stances might cause more of a backlash with local fans.

2. His political tactics are quite mild, particularly considering the context

I’ve seen comparisons between James and Muhammad Ali. Each was perhaps the leading black athlete of his time and took stances on issues that divided American society. But the comparison falls down in some important ways.

Ali was a black man in the 1960s refusing to join the U.S. military during a time of war. James’s stances (such as casting Trump as divisive and saying he would not have attended a White House celebration with the president if his team had won the NBA championship) are not nearly as controversial. I doubt he will ever be cast as unpatriotic in the way that Ali was. James is not even kneeling during the playing of the national anthem, the most controversial political tactic of players today. (More on that in a bit).

Also, while I don’t want to downplay the racism of America in 2018, we know that liberal-leaning Americans, white and nonwhite, are open to embracing the leadership and political voice of a charismatic black man. That was not clear in Ali’s era.

Trump is unpopular for a president in his second year. And black Americans are, among racial and demographic groups, the bloc most opposed to Trump. This is not like the Dixie Chicks, a white country music group, taking on George W. Bush in his first term, when he was still fairly popular. James has suggested that the president has encouraged people to express racist views, hardly a controversial idea, since the majority of Democrats and nearly half of Americans overall say that Trump is racist.

If James has pro-Trump fans, are they really surprised that he dislikes this president? I doubt it. In fact, what would probably be perilous for James, in terms of maintaining his fan base, would be if he praised or embraced the president. (See West, Kanye.)

3. He’s not alone

Stephen Curry, the best (or second best, depending on your POV) player on the NBA’s best team has criticized Trump. So have (white) NBA coaches Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich. It’s not clear if James is leading or following this anti-Trump movement, but at least in the NBA, it’s not unusual for prominent figures to criticize the president.

Even Michael Jordan, well-known in his playing days for avoiding political stances, is shedding that apolitical approach now, last fall defending Curry and other Golden State Warriors players after they were criticized by Trump.

4. James is really, really good at basketball

As FiveThirtyEight explained last year, Colin Kaepernick’s prior performance on the field should have landed him at least a backup quarterback job in the NFL last season. It appears that NFL teams aren’t signing Kaepernick, at least in part, because of his kneeling during the national anthem and the backlash that it caused.

But let’s be blunt: Kaepernick is, at best, a fairly average player. James is arguably the best basketball player ever. (Yes, I’m old enough to have watched Jordan in his prime.) I think James could start kneeling during the national anthem and all 30 teams in the NBA would still try to sign him — and I think most teams in the NFL would try to acquire, say, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers if they could, even if he started kneeling.

In other words, James doesn’t face much risk financially by becoming politically active. That’s not true for all athletes.

James, like, Oprah Winfrey, is kind of a fantasy presidential candidate, particularly for liberals — someone who in theory has all of the appeal of Barack Obama in 2008. (He could potentially get some white-leaning moderates and conservatives and draw huge enthusiasm among young and black voters.) Will he will run for president in 2020? I’d be surprised if he did, but you never know.

But I expect him to continue to attack Trump and to embrace the next Democratic presidential nominee, no matter who that is. James’s political stances say something about him and other athletes of his era, who are less reluctant about interjecting themselves into politics than Jordan and his peers. But I wonder if James’s behavior tells us more about the times we are living in: We have a deeply divisive president who is hated by African-Americans, who are more than two-thirds of the players in pro basketball and pro football.

[anima-contritum]

SMFDR magic!au headcanons

A/N: as promised, i give to you the smfdr boys featuring angsT. im currently still working on the fic so stay tuned y’all because i might do another hc post with other characters (; and as always, enjoy (and check out my girl @11wolfpup11 because she’s my co in this). sidenote: Luna Andre is my oc and is John Andre and Peggy Shippen Andre’s daughter. all ya need to know for now is shes a freckley, sassy cutey that will do anything for her fam and a-a-ron

Thomas:

Death Wizard

dis poor boy can kill or weaken any living thing with just the touch of his hand

hell, any part of him is almost toxic 

and he hates it more than anything, I mean who wants to be friends with someone who can’t give hugs or even the smallest gestures without the fear of dying at his hand?

honestly, no one really fucks with him

most avoid him at all costs besides James, but sometimes that’s a good thing

he can also sometimes talk to spirits and the dead as his ability is often linked to the dark arts, but the ghosts and such have to be the ones to contact him first

it scared the shit out of him the first time it happened

one of the other students’ dead grandparents reached out to him in the middle of class and he flipped the fuck out

but he himself has yet to hear from his own parents...

sometimes other students call him the Grimm Reaper

This boy would give anything to have a new power

he tries hard not to use his powers because someone either gets hurt or ends up passing out in the middle of class

he shoves it all down but because he’s so damn powerful (one of the most powerful in the school) but it leaks out anyways

it usually just kills nearby plants in which James fixes

most times he wears a lot of thick clothing and black leather gloves to keep himself from hurting people

when he first found out what he could do, he accidentally killed his parents

no one mentions it unless they literally have a death wish

either way, he’s tried so hard to try and erase the power from his soul

he’s tried spells and potions and chants and even tried to sell his soul because, i mean, if he doesn’t have a soul then he wouldn’t have any magic as magic always originates within one’s soul

James didn’t let him out of his sights for weeks after that

Did i mention he loves attention and affection?

Tommy boy puts on this sort of ‘bad boy’ aura to push people away but deep down he just wants affection

he never shows it in public but when he and James are alone in their shared dorm room, he’ll let James put flowers in his poofy curls and rant about how much he hates how Professor Hewlett gets sidetracked so easily in class

he’ll make sassy remarks in class all the time just to get the attention

and most times, it’s hilarious

emphasis on most

but he still always has a soft spot for his best friend

My boy trusts James Madison more than anyone else

because of James’ counteracting power, the two sorta just fit

Thomas is able to take his gloves off around him and be comfortable, mostly in the setting of their dorm

it took him a while to be able to do that kind of stuff because for most of his life he didn’t touch anyone

but when James assured time after time Thomas’ powers don’t affect him, eventually he became more himself around James and allowed himself to be comfortable with touches and pretend he doesn’t feel his pulse quicken and his heart jump in his throat bc fuck he loves his Jemmy

Sometimes it’s not enough

there are some instances where Thomas looses himself in the pure amount of strength his power has and James has to be the one to pull him back

and despite James being equally as strong, it still weakens him

Thomas never forgets those times...

he’ll lock himself away from everyone, including James for days

it’s like his power surges in him, begging him to release darkness and death on every damn student

it’s hard to control it and it comes in big waves, usually in correspondence with his anger issues because

this poor boy gets mad pretty fast

but James is still always there for him

he defends Tom and protects him

through it all, it always seems like they were meant to be

James:

Life Wizard

can bring most things to life and heal wounds 

although depending on what the thing is or what kind of wound depends on hard it is to actually resurrect or heal

he really likes to heal plants and can even spawn lil flowers and such 

he’s honestly the cutest flower boy

if he passes a dying tree or wilting flower, he always stops and makes it the most lively, beautiful thing he mostly does it with what Thomas accidentally kills

he takes pride in it but sometimes his gift can be a burden

when he first discovered them he revived someone who was dead while he was at damn funeral

it was a shit show

The most puRE

he wears these round glasses and is the quiet type in classes

if he notices someone upset or nervous, he leaves them a flower on their desk as an anonymous person but everyone knows it’s him

he has his own garden in his dorm along a window on his side of the room and checks it over every morning

he knows how much Thomas tries to avoid his garden in fear of killing it but he trusts him to not do it intentionally

Thomas sometimes gives him skulls he finds in the woods that surrounds the school and James likes to fill them with flowers and put them in the garden

“That just takes away the intimidation purpose of it, Jemmy.”

“Shush, you love it.”

usually he can pick out the days Thomas will be moodier than usual and makes sure to put on his favorite show and give him all the love and affection he wants

and yes, he loves putting flowers - usually violets - in Tom’s hair

his favorite flower type to grow are blossoming flowers because he likes the way they just bloom

Even though he pure, he fierce 

don’t let appearance fool you

he may be a smol cute little guy but when it comes to people talking crap about Jefferson or shutting down his own brilliant ideas and works, he will throw down

there was this one time he “accidentally” had a giant vine wrap around another student, hanging him on a ceiling fan

he’s very methodical and cold in his fierceness but combined with Thomas’ brutality and kill-first-ask-questions-later attitude they’re kinda known as people to never get on the bad side of

Aaron:

Shadow Wizard 

this bean can control or manipulate shadows and darkness to his will

in some ways he can even travel through shadows but he has to envision just exactly where he want to go and its kinda complex

but he can also use his power as a dark art even though he doesn’t prefer to do that

he mostly uses his powers to create shadow puppets and mimics that are mindless, dark creatures that are harmless and normally gentle that he can control (though he prefers not to most times)

everyone’s a little bit intimidated by him though because of his mysteriousness and just... dark aura

He loves his shadow puppets

he summons them to help with simple tasks or for company

sometimes, he sings with them for his own entertainment

it helps to avoid his loneliness

(Shadows: we dream of a brand new start, Burr: but we dream in the dark for the most part)

or he sometimes uses them to eavesdrop and sneak around because why not?

his favorite ones looks like a raven that perches on his shoulder as he does his work

Not the most social person but loves the hecc outta his friends

Aaron generally has two main friends - Luna Andre and Theodosia Prevost 

Luna and him have been best friends since the very beginning, instantly connecting. they both came to Flilria around the same time so it was easy to gravitate towards each other in terms of cluelessness and such

before he met Theo, Luna was basically all he had as he was an orphan even before he knew of his magic

but Luna’s family kinda adopted him almost since Burr and Luna were so close they had become like siblings

but despite that, she’s kind of a bad influence mischief wise

even so, they both hate bringing attention to themselves and often to try to stay as neutral as possible in the eye of the public, but they share their true opinions to each other in private

overall, they’re hella close sometimes too close

Luna was the one to introduce Theo to Aaron and they all are a cool friend group

even though poor Luna is a third wheel

Ah, yes. young love ft. competition

Burr always makes it his goal to be at the top of the class

and Theo just happened to be his top competition

before he met her, he hated her because she always made it so hard to keep up and maintain the number 1 title

they would always glare and tease each other when they made eye contact in the halls or in shared classes

but once Luna formally introduced Theo to him and they set aside their little competition, they really clicked

Aaron had never felt more alive when he talked to Theo

it’s all very domestic and private since they both hated the notion of PDA

[bughead-fic-request]

I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @allskynostars work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

The can find them on my tumblr;  https://allskynostars.tumblr.com/tagged/allskynostars-fics  or on AO3;  http://archiveofourown.org/users/allskynostars/pseuds/allskynostars/works

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Jenna, I am 23 (24 in a couple of weeks!). I have 3 brothers.. It's been a struggle haha. I was born in London, my parents and I moved to New Zealand when I was 6 months old. And just two months ago I moved back to London with my boyfriend. I've written a few fics, and have just finished my first multi chapter Ever Since New York. I am currently unemployed, but looking for Pharmacy work as that's what I did at home and would like to continue.

3. What do you never leave home without? 

My phone! And keys.

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Night owl, 100000%. I suck at mornings.

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

Maaan, probably Middle Earth. Like I would kill to be an elf and shack up with Legolas. Or Thranduil, keep it in the family yunno. Or the Harry Potter universe because magic? Yes.

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met.

I've 'met' a whole heap, like I've paid at cons and things to meet Aidan Turner, Dean O'Gorman, Andrew Scott, Karen Gillan. I went to the Age of Ultron prem when I was in London last time and got photos/signatures with Mark Ruffalo (ultimate fav), Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor Johnson. I got Robert Downey Jrs autograph but no photo. But just by chance without planning too I met Jenna Coleman. We were visiting my family in Wales and just so happened to drive past during filming. Didn't quite get to meet Peter Capaldi though. And then I was in London last time, me and my best friend walked into Jamie Campbell Bower in the street. The story Is actually so cool but I feel like this answer is long enough hahah.

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

Movies: Eternal Sunshine, Only Lovers Left Alive, Big Daddy (my go to movie when I'm sad, I love Adam Sandler). I always struggle to answer this because after I think of one I should have mentioned! Shutter Island. 

TV Shows: There are far too many but right now Riverdale, obviously. And I just smashed through Brooklyn 99. The OC, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, SOA, Friends, Being Human, the list goes on...

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

SO my first favourite and was Panic! At The Disco. Then My Chemical Romance took over my life. Now I'm into The 1975, Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, Hozier, Tom Odell, James Bay, Ed Sheeran. Thanks to my Dad I love Alanis Morrissette and Radiohead. Thanks to my Mum I have a soft spot for Robbie Williams. My music taste is diverse so I listen to a lot of rap. I'll defend Kanye West to my dying breath, I really like Post Malone at the moment too. It chops and changes so so much. Also I've seen One Direction 4 times so judge as you will, ahaha.

9. Favorite Books?

Pretty generic, really. Harry Potter series, LOTR, The Mortal Instruments series and all that go with it. Fault In Our Stars, All The Bright Places, Lovely Bones.

10. Favorite Food?

I love Mexican food.

11. Biggest pet peeve?

Sidewalk Hoggers who walk SO SLOW.

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

I always wanted to sing or act, but seeing as I can do neither.. I always wanted to work in the entertainment industry and sometimes still do, like behind the scenes. Maybe in Media. But for now I love working in Pharmacy and want to train to become a Pharmacy Tech.

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

I don't have many fears, I have no issue with the dark or heights or anything like that. I HATE bugs, like any kind of insect or creepy crawly, just no. Sometimes even butterflies irk me.

And as far as strange fears, everyone always looks at me weird when I say this, I have a fear of whales.. Like I don't like the ocean or fish, sharks etc, but I can handle it. But whales? No. I get goosebumps and feel like my throat closes up when I look at them. I think it's to do with their sheer size and power. I don't even know why but I just, I can't.

14. When you are on your deathbed what would be the one you’d regret not doing? 

Seeing the world.

Okay... lets talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

Probably Who She Was, How She Loved. It was only a one shot, and it hurt like hell to write, but it seemed to get a reaction from everyone who read it and that's what we write for, right? I don't even know where I pulled that fic from, but I really love it. It feels real.

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Ever Since New York, just to keep it going. I didn't want to drag it out too much, but it needed a fair amount of content. So I struggled at the end there.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

A lot of it definitely comes from music. Like, if the lyrics to a song resonate with me I always think of a story to go with it. Always, even if I have no intention of writing it. I also pull inspiration from certain movies and things, but it is definitely music at the forefront.

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

I really love the idea of room mate fics, I haven't actually tried though. Maybe I could do it.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

I only posted the last chapter of ESNY the other day, and the response has been good, but I'm still not happy with it. I couldn't even read it over. I don't really know what my problem is, I guess I just felt it was very anti-climatic.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

In my fic And Then? There's a scene where Betty & Jug are in the ocean yelling, and I really loved that moment.

21.Favorite character to write? 

Jughead. Always. He has layers...  

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

Dark. Brown. Not round, more sleek. The complete opposite of the girl who's face was flashing through Jughead’s mind at this very moment. Which he knew, of course he did. That's why he had picked her. With her dark head of hair, and her dark eyes, he would never have to be reminded of the one he was missing.

Except for the fact that he saw Betty Cooper in everything. And everyone.

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

Every comment someone goes out of their way to write about something I've spent time on is amazing. I think it always makes me smile though when they say they can see it all happening as they read. And you know, making them cry when they say fanfic never makes them cry.

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

I haven't been 'lucky' enough to have to deal with this, yet. But I think I would just ignore and delete the comment. Who needs that negativity.

25. If you could change anything in any of your stories, what would it be?

I think I would have included more characters in Ever Since New York, like Archie etc.

26. What is your favorite story you’ve ever written? Any fandom?

I've only ever written for the Bughead fandom, but my favourite is Who She Was purely for the emotions. I'm a sucker for emotions.

27. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

I have 51 bookmarks on AO3. So I am reading basically everything right now haha. But in terms of general fiction, I haven't read anything in a while and I need too.

28. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared? 

As typical as it sounds, just do it. I was so nervous, but this fandom is hands down the best. Everyone is so, so welcoming, and if there are so many people to reach out too if you’re ever feeling unsure about your own work or anything. Just take the dive guys, it's a fun ride.  

[soulmusicdude]

ZERO TOLERANCE SPORTS

Tyreek Hill.

Another scar on the Public Relations image of the NFL, not just the Kansas City Chiefs. At some point the league and the players are going to need to look inward at the bullsh*t they have created and continue to perpetuate.

In nearly any other vocation, the following charges:

·         child abuse

·         sexual assault

·         fraud

·         manslaughter

·         murder

·         theft

·         drunk driving

·         solicitation of illegal services or substances

·         sale and distribution of illegal services or substances

 all would typically lead to the termination of your job, and likely your career in that field…but not the NFL.

We have seen film of Ray Rice, assaulting his fiancé. Suspended, but not signed again despite rallying for a chance. Blackballed even, but not banned.

We have audio of Tyreek Hill and his fiancé discussing the CONSPIRACY to hide his abusive behavior. Suspended from team activities, but not banned despite medical evidence of a child’s broken arm and other abuse, including spousal abuse.

We have pictures of Adrian Peterson’s child, beaten and scarred. Suspended, the reinstated. He had 1000 yards last season in Washington.

We have photos of Greg Hardy’s girlfriend…beaten and scarred and bruised. Suspended, reinstated, suspended.

Them, we have the ridiculous saga of Aldon Smith:

On January 28, 2012, Smith was arrested for driving under the influence in Miami Beach, Florida.

 On June 30, 2012, Smith was believed to have suffered stab wounds when attempting to break up a fight at a party at his Santa Clara county residence. Two other people were shot in the incident. On October 9, 2013, Smith was charged with "three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon" relating to the stabbing incident. The charges were later reduced to misdemeanors.

 On September 20, 2013, Smith was involved in a single vehicle accident in San Jose, California. He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. After the loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the third week of the football season, he voluntarily entered a rehabilitation facility, to be put onto the non-football injury list with an indefinite leave of absence.

 On April 13, 2014, Smith was detained and arrested following an incident at the Los Angeles International Airport in which Smith became belligerent and uncooperative with a TSA agent, who alleged Smith claimed he was carrying a bomb. After interviews revealed that Smith did not clearly state he was carrying a bomb, the Los Angeles City Attorney decided to drop the charges. Smith was suspended for nine games for the 2014 season.

 On August 6, 2015, Smith was arrested in Santa Clara, California, for an alleged hit and run after driving under the influence, and vandalism charges. He was released by the 49ers the next day as a result.

 On March 9, 2017, Smith was a passenger with a friend driving to Smith's house at 12:00 AM, when San Francisco police department found out both Smith and the driver were under the influence. Even though Smith was not the driver, both Smith and his friend were detained by San Francisco Police Department for questioning. On March 10, Smith and his friend were released. No arrests were made.

 On September 23, 2017, it was announced that Smith had agreed to plead No Contest to Hit and Run in the 2015 incident in exchange for the DUI charges being dropped. He was sentenced to 20 days in jail. During his sentence, he was ordered to attend a treatment facility, and undergo anger management classes. After his release, he was disallowed from entering any bars or other establishments where alcohol is the primary commodity being sold.

 On March 3, 2018, someone called the police from Smith's home and reported that he had consumed multiple bottles of tequila and then bit her wrists. Smith reportedly fled the home before police arrived. San Francisco police did not comment on the specifics, but did state that domestic violence of a "non-lethal" nature had occurred and they were seeking out Smith for questioning about the incident.

 On March 23, 2018, Smith was arrested for violation of court order, where he was ordered to stay away from a woman he assaulted earlier in the month. The woman was revealed to be Smith's fiancee. This picked up from a previous incident that occurred on March 3, where Smith pleaded not guilty on four misdemeanor counts,including domestic violence, assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, false imprisonment, and vandalism.

 On April 8, 2018, Smith was arrested for violations in conditions to his bail.

 Suspended, and reinstated, several times.

This is just a small sampling.

Then, what’s the solution?

A Zero (0%) tolerance policy. It’s essentially what every person working for a normal institution must endure to collect paychecks and build a career. The earnings potential of professional sports should not play any part in the decision making to whether a player, coach, administrator or team staff member will be retained after significant legal accusations and or convictions.

I have managed to live to 47 years of age without being arrested, much less cuffed and detained in a holding cell. I have managed to not abuse, victimize or injure anyone else. I have managed to not drive drunk, sell illegal substances or commit fraud. I have managed to not conspire or attempt to murder someone.

I came from an environment where alcohol abuse and drug abuse is rampant (including in my own Family), where property crime and child abuse are above average statistically and where gang activity and inter-state crime is prominent. None of that determined my behavior, my opinion on how to treat women and children, nor prompted me to seek illegal enterprise or actions.

Simply said, to be an athlete, you need to be skilled enough to earn a scholarship.

Theoretically, you need to maintain grades to compete and meet the conditions of the scholarship.

Next, you need to excel in your sport enough to warrant consideration to be drafted or signed.

Next, you need to make the team…and stay healthy enough to compete.

So, for NCAA FBS programs, here is the numbers involved:

130 Programs x 100 average player roster = 13,000 players on average a season.

A quick check of the rosters shows that each team has between ten and twenty seniors, so let's say that each team has an average of fifteen seniors. That makes for a total of 12,650 players, with 1,725 seniors.

Seniors and juniors who have met certain criteria only are eligible to be drafted.

KEY STATISTIC: ONLY 7% of eligible players get drafted IN ANY YEAR.

The National Football League employs 32 teams, with 53 active players and an eight-man practice squad.

1,952 players.

Long story short, there are a lot of talented young men who will gladly work hard and take one of the 1,952 spots of a player who cannot embrace the gift of talent they were given and act responsibly. Being a professional athlete is more than playing the game and putting on the uniform.

We are doing greater harm by continuing to condone bad behavior, criminal acts and abusive people in our sports institutions.

Being paid to play a children’s sport professional is a privilege.

Being paid to represent a branded league, branded team and endorse products associated with it is a privilege.

One’s ability to play faster, stronger and as a champion should not win over that same person’s inability to exercise self-control, live an honorable existence and show true citizenship.

You are paid to be a professional.

You have a higher standard.

Despite Charles Barkley’s denial 20-some years ago, YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL.

As soon as you pose for that first picture at the Draft. As soon as you practice in front of camera, make that winning free-throw, strike out the last batter or cross the finish line.

YOU ARE A ROLE MODEL.

It is time the professional sports organizations in this country took a stand and pick being role models and defending their image and honor by excluding the cancers that belie these great institutions.

It would hurt a lot of players and fans, but that’s the price they pay when they abuse, kill, cheat, lie, commit fraud, or anything that would get the average person fired and likely blacklisted from their chosen profession.

Here’s a small sample of who would have had their careers shortened if implemented.

Tom Brady                    

knowledge of deflated game balls and failure to cooperate.                               NEVER BANNED

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Ray Lewis                           

witness/accessory to double murder, failure to cooperate, plea deal to avoid charges.

NEVER BANNED

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Michael Vick                     

Illegal dog-fighting, cruelty to animals, illegal gambling, racketeering.               NEVER BANNED

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Aaron Hernandez            

four murders, fighting, spousal abuse, drugs and weapons charges.                   NEVER BANNED

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Robert Kraft                      

illegal solicitation of sexual acts in massage parlor – caught on film.                   NEVER BANNED

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Kareem Hunt                    

domestic violence – not banned, suspended, waived and signed by Cleveland. NEVER BANNED

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Josh Brown                        

domestic violence – not banned, blackballed, not resigned.                               NEVER BANNED

 Question 1: Is money really so important that you would tolerate a horrible human who is capable of abuse, murder, cheating, lying, fraud, illegal or immoral activities as an owner, coach, teammate or staff member to get it?

 Question 2: is a championship ring so important that you would tolerate a horrible human who is capable of abuse, murder, cheating, lying, fraud illegal or immoral activities as an owner, coach, teammate or staff member to get it?