#(it's because his writing and research team is mostly women - and most of them are WOC!)

[blacklezrage]

https://youtu.be/G6KZY4msgUY

7 minute video on gun violence

WATCH IT

[cdragons]

Druig x Hecate!Eternal Reader (AKA Kaetlyn) Headcanons Part 1

Note: Hecate!Eternal’s name is Kaetlyn (it’s still a Reader x Druig au, but it’s just easier for me to give her a name). Her powers are that of manipulating shadows and darkness. For the sake of easier writing, Kaetlyn is ENFP and Druig is INTJ. The MBTIs of the characters don’t really matter that much, but they do help me out when figuring out scenes and writing headcanons. Also, these headcanons are really Part 1 of many.

Also, because these are Druig x Reader headcanons, the reader will be referred as “You”.

In the simplest of terms, your two’s ship dynamic is very… cool & stoic on the outside, but soft on the inside (Druig) x Chaotic Dumbass Sunshine who hides their crippling anxiety (You)

You are clingy…like VERYYYYY clingy

But Druig LIVES for the fact that you love his attention so much, and genuinely thinks that you are the most adorable creature in the whole f*cking universe

Druig is constantly pissed off at everyone on the team except the following: You, Makkari, Sephia, and Thena (he drinks his respect women juice every damn day without fail)

Phastos and Gilgamesh are cool, but Gilgamesh is low-key kind of hyper for him (so are you, but at least you have the excuse of being the light of his life); also, he mostly just teases Phastos for his inventions

He also gets along with Sersi, but he low-key thinks she’s too much of a follower with how well she gets along with Ikaris and reveres Ajak

He assumed the same of you when you all first arrived on Earth, given how you and Kingo were pretty close to one another (very chaotic sibling-like antics)

But then he saw you throw a sandal at Ikaris’ face when he commented that you were too “menacing” to wear any of the human clothing gifted to you from the village women for all the childbirths you aided (leaving a VERY red imprint that resulted in a broken nose with how hard you threw it)

And then you basically converted your room at the Domo into a secret laboratory to sneak in all the Deviants you killed to study their anatomy & physiology, and just slept in Sephia’s room – all without Ajak’s permission!

You got in a HUGE amount of trouble, but you were stubborn in your belief that the deviants had to have shared some common anatomical features to target; and by studying them, this information would make killing them so much easier

It pissed Ikaris so much when Ajak ended up approving of your research (lol, what a loser), and it made you sooooo happy

To say he was intrigued – and little turned on – from that point on was a severe understatement

You, on the other hand, were fond of Druig pretty much from the beginning you laid eyes on him

Despite your stubbornness and hyperactive attitude, you were extremely observant and intuitive of those around you (you had to be, you were literally a shadow assassin), so when your gut told you that there was more than meets the eye when it came to someone – you listened

And you were not disappointed when it came to Druig

You adored how he wasn’t super showy in his kindness and affection towards humans, and you could see in the huge amount of love he had for them in his eyes

You would always try to make conversation with him, and try to get to know him so that you two could at least be friends

So, when HE was the first to approach you for conversation, you were over the moon – and it didn’t help how hypnotic you found his blue eyes to be, along with how soft his voice would get in teasing you, not to mention how soft his lips looked whenever he talked!

Makkari and Sephia both knew about your crush, and they (mostly Makkari) loved to tease you over it (but they were your #1 shippers); so did Kingo, but he thought something was wrong with you (your shadow slapped his head for that)

Druig was skeptical at first, and rebuffed your multiple attempts to befriend him – until Makkari literally smacked his head at learning this, and told him how nice you were and you honestly admired him

He decided to make amends to you by approaching you first for once – only to be sucker punched in the gut at your earnest warmth and affection towards him, and all those guarded walls came crashing down

He was NOT prepared to experience so much wholesomeness in someone who was LITERALLY the master of shadows and darkness, and he was even LESS prepared to discover how introspective you actually were compared to how you present yourself to others

He starts noticing things about you that just make him feel so warm and fuzzy, and it’s freaking him out; like how you will always have your arms open for those who civilization called “monsters” and “cursed”; always treating their wounds, making them laugh with your shadows, hiding them from real monsters (their abusers), etc.

When he asked you why you preferred their company, you explained to him that you knew what it was like to be judged by everyone around you – even going into detail of how insecure you were of your powers because some people (Ikaris & Sprite) liked to call you a monster

You then went on to tell him that you always seemed so happy and bubbly as a way for others not to see you as an enemy – and that you were so grateful for friends like Sephia and Makkari because they didn’t use your powers as an excuse to avoid you, and openly accepted you as a friend

You also go into detail that you didn’t like to use your powers that much, because you didn’t want to be seen as someone who takes pleasure in controlling others; that’s why you wanted to learn how to make medicine, so that you would be seen as helpful and not like a monster

Druig was blown away by how similar the two of you actually were to one another – he used his aloofness as a way to rebuff the others’ assumptions, while you used a mask of sunshine and happiness to avoid being excluded, but the two of you both understood the fear of rejection

And when he learned that you intended to use your skills in studying anatomy & physiology to hopefully study humans to help them (especially the women who go through childbirth and diseases) develop medicines and healing practices with Sephia (who you convinced to develop medicinal herbs and fruits)

You fell first, but he fell FAR HARDER

But you two wouldn’t get together for a couple of centuries because the two of you are convinced that the other is too good for someone like them, and so the mutual pining would continue for AGES (driving Makkari absolutely INSANE because her OTP is not getting together, like whyyyyyyy?????)

Makkari and Sersi totally have ranting sessions about how their dumbass friends aren’t getting together like they want them to

Also, your room is both a secret zoo and a mad surgeon’s laboratory

When it comes to animals (especially magical and strange ones), you have ZERO self-control, and Druig only encourages it

You found a newborn Doberman puppy with a little white spot on his belly so you named him Cerberus (Cerby for short), and when you were learning magic under Agamotto, your magic went a tiny bit haywire so then the baby pup got three heads instead of one

He typically only is shown with one head, but when he gets REALLY MAD, he will grow HUGE and with the 3 heads

Cerby’s favorites (after you) are the following: Druig, Sephia, Makkari, Thena, and Gilgamesh (bc Cerby will always be baby to them); but he gets along with everyone

Except Ikaris because he doesn’t like how the blue man is mean to his magic shadow mommy

Druig questions everything, and you want to know EVERYTHING…so naturally you are perfect for one another and NO ONE is surprised when the two of you finally get together

As always, please remain respectful and kind! If you liked these headcanons, please like/comment/reblog for more!

Taglist: @valeskafics, @its-actually-minicika, @spacetalbot, @siempre-bucky, @ethereal-athalia, and anyone else who think they might enjoy this!

[re-readingcomics]

Comics Read 01/11 -02/01/2023

I have not written a posting in a while, but that does not mean I haven’t been reading. It means it mostly takes more time for me to sit down to read than to sit down and write. Over the course of January I read two books that fit the theme of this blog. 

The first is Gwenda Bond’s Lois Lane Fallout. Technically it is not a comic book, it is entirely in prose. I bought it when it came out, back in 2015. I was reaching my burn out on super hero’s but still wanted to support causes like women getting the opportunities to be commission by the Big Two publishers and making sure that the publishers didn’t sideline their iconic female characters. It’s a decently written story about a teenage Lois Lane investigating a story about hive minded bullies for a teen based online only version of The Daily Planet called The Daily Scoop. I kind of wish they had fewer tie ins back to the Superman franchise. In addition to the Planet, and Perry White, a teenage Clark Kent is a friend and ally only know to Lois online under the name SmallvilleGuy. Part of me expected that the bulls, who were affected by a VR game to turn into a hive mind for war purposes would tie to an iconic Superman villain. I thought some of this distracted from some of the promising new characters, specifically Lois’s new friends and colleagues at the Scoop. There were two other books in this series. I don’t think I’ll get to them. I’m still burned out on big two superheroes. But this was a decent read.

Secondly I read Run Book 1, the follow up to John Lewis’s March trilogy about his activism in the early 1960s. It reunited him with the team of co-writer Andrew Aydin, illustrator Nate Powell, and now L. Fury. I have no idea if there will be any follow ups to Run Book 1 as Congressman Lewis passed away before it was finished, but it is well worth reading. Unlike the March trilogy there is no framing device to show the results of progress many years later, which given they circumstances of being written during the Trump years, feels necessary. 

The March trilogy was about what led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Run is about what came next, both how various violent incidents showing the need for systemic change that the VRA didn’t really affect. The books back matter includes a helpful section called “Biographies of the movement” coving many of the people briefly mentioned. It also covers research into some of them, because while it’s mostly from Congressman Lewis’s perspective, he wasn’t at a lot of the events mentioned.

The book is also about the difficulty of maintaining long term movements, both in supporting members in new endeavors and determining that ones direction is correct/desired by the most members. It covers the difficulty that Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) co-founder Julian Bond had getting to they seat he was elected to in the Georgia state house as well Lewis loosing re-election of the SNCC chairmanship to Stokely Carmichael. It’s painfully relevant to today.

[busghost]

Hi. Off topic, but: someone on twitter said Mihoyo hates women, comparing Ganyu's trailer and Xiao's. That Xiao's trailer was "badass" and most they talked about Ganyu in her trailer was about her sleep habit. Ganyu is half adeptus while Xiao is an adeptus, kinda like a mythical powerful creature in Genshin's world, so she should be depicted as such too (powerful), but apparently since "Mihoyo hates women" they didn't show her badass side, and not only that, they couldn't give her a meaningful, deep trailer.

I couldn't stop thinking about Honkai, and that I think her statement isn't true. Right, Genshin is not Honkai. But if Mihoyo hates women, it'd be shown in all their games, wouldn't it?

In my opinion, there's a certain amount of fan service, something that I dislike in both games, and there's things they could do better when representing women, but still, to say that they hate women? Because a character trait is emphasized, does not mean that it is the only trait of the character...

Her tweet has more than 1,5K of likes. So many people agree with that?

I feel out of place, "defending" Mihoyo, a company that creates wonderful games, but at the end of the day it is still a company that wants your money...

So, in general: I think criticism is valid and it's good so Mihoyo can become a better company, I just don't agree with her opinion and wanted to see other point of view, when comparing Mihoyo's other games.

In your opinion, when having Honkai girls in your mind, is it true that Mihoyo hates women?

Firstly I’d like to say this.

Rather than be the Purity Police expecting perfection and constantly being disappointed or infuriated, I can recognize that something has plenty of flaws, but still has other merits and enjoy it. You can think parts of something are bad but still enjoy the whole.

To actually get started.

It’s hard to say anything about mihoyo as a whole because there are many teams at the company. The Honkai team, GGZ team, Genshin team, AI research group, that first-person shooter in development, their otome game, and other projects I’m sure I don’t know about.

I can only give my opinion based on my experience with Honkai Impact because I only played a few hours of GGZ and Genshin and just didn’t like the gameplay.

As for my take on that Genshin statement of hating women. I think it’s only a problem if it’s consistently happening to every female character. If they only advertised men as badass and then women on other traits that would probably be showing some favoritism for their male characters, or sexism rather if they showed the women as incapable of the same things as the men. There’s nothing wrong with advertising a character on their different traits I don’t think. You can’t advertise every character as being the most badass, that’d get boring.

But I don’t think I know enough about what happens in the Genshin community or Genshin itself to comment on what happens over there.

But I do know a lot about Honkai Impact and the Honkai community here, I’ve lurked on Reddit, seen plenty of youtube, and spent one terrifying moment on Amino.

So at the beginning (of Honkai), there was a lot of bad fanservice-y stuff that I really didn’t like, we could go on but I’ll just show you these pre-release Mei designs.

In-game on the left, pre-release on the right. 

In short, it wasn’t good. But they changed them so I can commend them for that, but these images are representative of some of the stuff that was in the game earlier. I am split on how if you touched the characters in inappropriate places on the bridge they’d kill you and log you out of the game. It is funny but probably not something that should’ve existed in the first place.

So there were definitely some bad approaches they took to the characters, but over time this started to change and I’m not sure what happened. I’m guessing that they really came to love and respect their characters as people rather than caricatures they could sell?

Don’t get me wrong, they are still trying to sell you something but it seems like ever since Honkai Impact began they’ve done so much better over time portraying women in their media as characters and selling the story they are part and the people they are of rather than selling you on fanservice of their boobs or other such silliness.

Sure outfits may be revealing still but they make sense and are overall super cool. They make the characters look amazing/powerful/beautiful without shoving them out of character or reducing them to sex objects. For example, the Herrscher of Thunder battlesuit is revealing, no arguing that, but it makes her look so powerful and awesome.

There are still bad ones, they aren’t perfect and their target demographic is people who are really into anime so sometimes nonsense sells. Looking at you, HoT outfits and Succubus outfits.

Even a character like Himeko or Rita isn’t out of character when she has mostly revealing outfits because it can come down to whether she is being sexy vs being made a sexual object. And sometimes they do cross that blurry line into “haha anime titties pls buy”.

The comics are a great example of their improvement, the first volume has a ridiculous amount of inappropriate angles with panty-shots and and idiot focus on boobs. You look at recent manga, esp after they switched the artstyle/artists there is none of that.

This wasn’t asked about but I’d like to discuss it too, the wlw representation in Honkai Impact is fantastic even working in the restraints of CN gov’t censorship. I don’t care if they meant for it to be or if they’re just trying to get my money, these characters feeling like people in love, for better and for worse, in healthy and unhealthy relationships. These aren’t stories about lesbians coming out or how hard it can be to be queer. These women are just in love and they explore the dynamics of that love just as they would for any straight characters. But my girlfriend wrote a much better post about this subject so I’ll link that if you want to read more.

I’m not sure if I worded this exactly how I wanted to but

I can’t speak for Genshin Impact but really believe the Honkai team at mihoyo at least loves and respects the women they write in their stories.

[mirandalinotto]

Why I hate the CAOS video essay that came out a week ago

Did anyone else get extremely angry at the way Friendly Space Ninja discussed all of the female characters in CAOS? like, don't get me wrong... I understand most of the points he's making, and agree with a lot of what he says in the video essay (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Frustrating Waste of Potential), but when he speaks about Zelda, Lilith, Prudence, and Rosalind, I don't know... i just get a bad vibe. It's like he's doing a "bad faith” analysis, and it bothers me, because CAOS has so many parts to validly criticize, and yet he missed the mark more often than he hit it, in my humble opinion.

He basically says the same thing over and over again: that the actors were good, but the characters were bad, because they were all boring, shallow, and one-note, or whatever... and it's like... dude? of all the things you could say (especially about Zelda and Lilith in particular), the characters being “boring" isn't really the biggest criticism one ought to have of this show...?!? and it isn't even accurate?

Like why aren't you criticizing the trauma porn? Why aren't you criticizing the butchering of Lilith's mythology? Why are you ignoring all of the character development that does happen (particularly with regard to Zelda, whom he actively seems to hate) in favor of insisting none of these characters have an arc? It’s not beneficial to anyone if you’re going to criticize a show’s characters by actively misrepresenting them!

Which brings me to my next point: one of the things that bothered me the most was just how surface-level his analysis was. You could tell he hadn’t watched the show in a while, and clearly wasn’t interested in celebrating any part of it—which is okay, if you just want to roast Roberto for an hour, be my guest—but why does it feel like this video essay was the YouTube video equivalent of writing a book report on a novel you only skimmed…? He made a lot of generalizations that made it seem like he only watched the first season, and then paid no attention to the rest.

For example, some of his arguments are just so random and insignificant? Like why does he make shallow observations the basis of whole arguments about characters, such as when he goes on about how Zelda says 'Praise Satan' too much and “it got old"...?!?! Like what kind of bullshit analysis is that...? How is that even close to being something worthy of talking about in a video essay that is an hour and twenty minutes long...? Why are you taking such a trivial aspect of her character and making it a talking point in a video that is already much longer than it needs to be?

And while I agree with what he said about Lilith's motivations being inconsistent/unclear at times, and that Zelda's character growth wasn't as linear or developed as it could be, it really feels like he didn't even try to understand these characters at all. I realize I'm biased, because all I do is try to understand them and explain their motivations... but still! If you're making a video about the wasted potential of CAOS, why do you immediately dismiss almost the entire female cast, pretty much out of hand, when they're the foundation of the show...? They ARE the potential?! The good parts about them ought to have been given some credit? Like why does he fail to acknowledge all of the trauma these female characters went through that very much informs their decisions, and instead makes it sound like nothing the characters do make sense? While I might not always agree with every choice these characters made, there usually is something driving them to do whatever it is they’re doing, and particularly in the case of Lilith and Zelda, it’s not that hard to understand why they make irrational decisions sometimes, when they’re literally surrounded by abusers and everything is constantly blowing up in their faces.

Also, something smaller that really pisses me off is that he includes Zelda sending Blackwood out of the room during the birth of the twins as an example of the show's misandry and "bad feminism," but that's literally not what that moment is about? If he stopped to think about it for a moment, the moment is perfectly logical. Zelda is a midwife, who was most likely trained in the 1800s, when men literally weren't meant to be around when the the birth happened, so how is she being a misandrist just by doing what she’s been taught, especially when they’re all in a crisis situation? Men not being allowed in the room is an established part of the history of women’s health/childbirth, and it isn’t exactly obscure knowledge! Men used to be forced/asked to sit in the waiting room during labor, and before that, when home births were the status quo, midwives definitely wouldn’t allow men in the room as a matter of course. In fact, it wasn't until the 1970s that men being in the delivery room became a more normalized practice. So, men being present/witnessing a birth is a far more "modern" thing than I think people realize, and the exclusion of them from the delivery room has absolutely NOTHING to do with women hating men...? like fuck off with that “misandry” argument, in this instance. do some research before you start reaching that far, so as to act like Zelda was being hateful for simply following “industry standards,” if you want to call it that. There are medical articles that still come out to this very day that argue that no one should be in the delivery room besides the person giving birth and the doctors and nurses, because the husband/partner often gets in the way and distracts the medical team at critical moments. (Also men tend to faint or get sick at the sight of the birth, which then forces the team to split their focus in order to see to the unconscious man on the floor.)

And don't get me started on the anti-Zelda rant he goes on towards the end!! While I agree very much that Zelda is a flawed character, he uses an example of her degrading Hilda that isn't even something she actually did?! It's from a dream sequence!?!?!? like dude, did you even watch these episodes/scenes before you talked about them?!? He uses the example of dream-Zelda criticizing Hilda's appearance as a reason why Zelda is such a bitch, and I'm like... seriously? that literally wasn't her? just because Zelda said it in Hilda's nightmare, doesn't mean Zelda said it in real life, and should be criticized for it...?!

But yes, Zelda is abusive to her sister, and classist, and rude, and many of the things that he says--but when he tries to argue that because she's a woman, nobody cares that she's like that, and it’s a problem, because that’s evidence of more misandry… that’s where he loses me. He sees it as yet another issue with Roberto's writing—that he gives qualities that would be condemned in a male character to a female character, and allows that woman to be one of the "good guys" ...but yet again, dude... you're completely missing the point?!? Women are allowed to be flawed, without you seeing it as some gross failure of feminism?

He also at one point claims that Zelda resents Ambrose, and hates having him around, when I would argue Zelda actually really values Ambrose and has a close relationship to him...? Like did we even watch the same show?

I didn't expect to get this heated about a video essay that made a lot of other points that I agreed with (mainly the dragging of Roberto parts). But in my opinion, this guy got really offended by Roberto's fake feminism (which is valid), but then proceeded to tear down all of the female characters for an hour and twenty minutes straight...?! All he did was talk about how they're all misandrists and shallow characters and therefore the show isn't worth watching? like okay... but here's the thing... plenty of women have made it through shows that have misogyny at their very core, and have still managed to find the good points...? Game of Thrones is like the most popular show of all time, even though there's misogyny in every aspect of it, for historical “realism" purposes (*rolls eyes*). Zelda and Lilith's defining qualities aren't solely related to hating men, so it really pisses me off that he made it seem like that's all that shapes them, and that every time they insult or manipulate a man, it’s completely unjustified.

idk. I feel like I just watched an 83-minute roast on a show I love despite it's flaws, and that roast wasn’t mostly focused on all of the biggest flaws that I would’ve brought up, but rather on how all of the female characters are terrible and their misandry makes the show unwatchable.

So let me get this straight: you're hating on the female characters... in order to show how much of a feminist YOU are, as opposed to Roberto...?

Wow. Much feminism. Very enlightened analysis.

[harcourtholmesii]

Letters of Thanks

Fandoms: MCU / Avengers

Pairings: Slight / Referenced Thor X Bruce

Warnings: - References to Violence

Words: 2954

Please don’t expect this to be perfect writing. I tried, but as much as I do love the MCU, I am not great at writing their characters.

Enjoy!

Fan mail.

 Care packages.

 Letters of gratitude.

 The penthouse floors of Stark Tower were overrun with them. After the Battle for New York, everyone and their uncle seemed keen to say their piece and write something special to the Avengers.

 Since Bruce, Thor and Steve had nowhere else to go, the general populace had come to the correct conclusion that they could send their letters to Tony Stark’s letterbox. Since his address was public knowledge and since the defeat of the Chitauri, his home had been flooded with paper and cardboard boxes.

 Sorting through it all had been a hassle.

 With Thor off-world, the secret agents off on their respective missions and Rogers having left for his tour of America, it was left up to Tony and Bruce to sort through it all. It was a momentous task, but it was a welcome distraction.

 Over time, the piles continued to grow.

 Seven piles in total.

 Tony had, by far, the largest amount of letters written to him. They created an unsteady mountain range across his personal study, threatening to topple and fall if it weren’t for Tony’s effort to read them all.

 As quickly as they grew, they shrank. Tony read through his mail quickly and with fervour. Some nights, Bruce, Pepper and Happy had been unable to convince him to sleep. Some nights, he would spend researching the person behind the letter, and send care packages of his own to those who had written him.

 Unlike the majority of the other Avengers, Tony managed himself well. Even though most of it was kind or complimentary, there were those that expressed their disdain or their upset. When it got particularly bad, Bruce could see how it all weighed down on the man. He would wave away Pepper’s worry, and Bruce’s own concerns, with his usual snarky attitude, but it was obvious to all of them that he was most affected by those he couldn’t help.

 Steve’s pile was mostly complimentary. The younger authors tended to keep their letters short, with questions about him and where he had been. How was he alive after so long? Did he know about the moon landing? Had he seen Blade Runner? Most of the letters went from serious to curious in the span of a paragraph, but Steve had been no less flattered.

 Some letters were from older veterans or soldiers who cited him as their inspiration for joining the military. There were those that mentioned how their parents or grandparents had met him those seventy years ago, and how it was a piece of family history they loved to share.

 Steve handled them well for the most part, but he rarely went out of his way to answer them all. With his new career path at SHIELD, Steve only narrowed down his responses to those he felt were ‘genuine’. Specifically, those that asked less questions about what he did or did not know about the future, and those that seemed to take the Battle for New York as a serious, potential threat.

 Much like Tony, Thor’s pile was one of the larger ones, and it grew at a rapid pace from the start. A lot of the mail he received were care packages, cardboard boxes filled with everything from chocolates to alcohol, and other tokens of affection. Thor had been astounded when he first returned to Earth; his room, as large and royal as Tony could make it, housed a mountain of parcels and parchment awaiting his notice.

 He had spent overnight opening as many as possible and reading as much as he could. Some of the language and plenty of the references used caused him a great deal of confusion, and he would seek out Bruce for help. Too many of the letters, though very sweet and thankful, contained phone numbers or an Instagram link. Bruce had caught on quickly; a good portion of these were men, women and others of all types, were hopeless romantics, seeking the God of Thunder’s attention.

 No matter the intention or the person who had written the letter, Thor tasked himself with responding to each and every one. However, at the rate the pile was growing, and with Thor’s admittance that he wasn’t much a scholar, Bruce and Tony were roped into helping him in his quest. He wrote back, and had Tony show him how Facebook, Twitter and Instagram worked so he could publish quick responses online.

 Bruce helped him with those that didn’t leave behind online addresses or phone numbers, and wrote back what Thor asked him to write. Though, before each parchment was shipped off, Thor would be sure to sign it himself.

 The fourth and fifth piles were small by comparison; the both of them for Clint and Natasha. Without any idea where else to send them, the majority of these letters were quick and to the point. Short and simple. The writers would express their gratitude, perhaps explain their reasons for sending the letter, and then end the short paragraph.

 To Clint and Natasha, these were perfect. They couldn’t easily respond to them, as much as they wished to, so they kept them close instead. Natasha filed hers away in her room at Stark Tower, and Clint had sent his away. He didn’t mention where, just that they would be safe.

 It was fair that the master assassin wanted to keep it secret.

 Then, there was the general pile for all of the Avengers team. Most of these were sent by families and young children, from crayon sketches to some baked goods. The team, especially Thor and Clint were ecstatic with these ones in particular.

 They came together to read them, as difficult as that was. They would read out a single letter to the rest; they might have a slight chuckle and smiles would light up all their faces as they heard the praise. None of the mail addressed to the Avengers was negative, as it seemed any criticism was left to the specific ‘hero’.

 The smallest pile by far, belonged to Bruce Banner. Only a few letters had been delivered that were addressed specifically to him, and unlike the others, Bruce had avoided opening them. When Natasha asked him about his letters, he would say he would ‘get around to it’, and she would leave it alone for a while, disbelieving his statement.

 Thor asked him about it the most, always curious and always keen to hear what people had to say about the ‘second strongest’ Avenger. Bruce would just smile, already a little bashful under the other’s excitable gaze and warm touches.

 ‘I haven’t read them yet.’

 ‘You should!’ Large hands would take hold of Bruce’s own and he would be spun around so the other could look at him face-to-face. ‘There is much they have to say to you, and I am sure much of it is kind.’

 Bruce would just shrug his words away, very aware that the other would only try to see the best in him. He hadn’t been around when Hulk had first destroyed New York, and what the God had witnessed on the helicarrier had been next to nothing in the amount of damage the Hulk had caused. They had been lucky.

 Unlike the rest, Tony, though encouraging, didn’t pressure him to read the letters. He knew of Bruce’s fear, and though he found a way to bring it up subtly in conversation, he never demanded the meek scientist open his mail.

 Finally, they came up with an idea.

 ‘Big mean and green.’ Where Bruce had been hovering over the coffee pot, he clicked his jaw in annoyance, and turned his tired eyes over to the lounge. His teammates were all sat on the half-circle sofa, with a small pile of recognisable letters in the middle. He swallowed thickly around the nervous lump in his throat, and tried to laugh away his worry.

 ‘What is this? An intervention?’

 ‘Sort of.’ Clint said, offering him a polite smile. It seemed Clint and Steve, in particular, were both nervous about this. Then why participate?

 ‘We just wanna help try and release some tension here.’ Tony stated, gesturing to the pile. ‘It is no surprise to us, Bruce, you can’t stand to look at this. But you don’t have the heart to throw it all away.’

 Bruce’s eyes fell to the coffee he now nursed in his hands.

 ‘We don’t want to make you uncomfortable.’ Steve chimed in. ‘But… Well, we don’t want you to run yourself into the ground because you’re scared of what people have to say.’

 ‘I’m not scared. I just know what I would see, and I do not need more confirmation that I am a monster.’

 ‘No!’ Thor’s voice bellowed, and he was standing in an instant. He was by Bruce’s side in a mere moment and gently nudging him (as gentle as Thor could manage) towards the lounge. ‘You do not understand, Banner! We believe that these are all letters of gratitude towards you, and rather than you think the worst, we want to disprove your claim.’

 ‘Yes… Well…’ Bruce’s eyes landed on the pile in front of him. He didn’t find SHIELD as frightening as he had expected when he had first met Natasha. He had not been as overcome with fear when he had first seen the Chitauri. But this small, seemingly trivial pile of notes… The words of an everyday person that he had hurt scared him more than anything.

 ‘If you don’t mind it, we came up with a simple system. Nothing too bad, we hope, but just so we might ease your fears a little.’ Tony said, reaching and digging around in the pile for a moment.

 After a bit of shuffling about, he pulled out a small, pastel pink card, showing it to Bruce.

 ‘We just want you to know that you don’t have to be worried about this. We came up with this plan-’

 ‘Tony came up with a plan.’ Natasha interrupted.

 ‘- That we will each read out one letter to you. One random letter. And we’ll all be here in case you want to take a break or if you need to just…’

 ‘Talk.’ Steve finished.

 And just like that, Clint, Steve, Natasha and Thor reached into the pile.

 Clint pulled one, exceptionally thick, envelope from the top; perfectly pristine, well-kept, with ‘Bruce Banner’ written in fine, royal blue cursive.

 Natasha dug her hand deep into the pile until she pulled her hand away with a large, but thin, green folder. On the front, it read Bruce’s name in a collage of cut-out, magazine letters.

 Steve removed a small parcel from the pile, wrapped in dirty brown paper with a green ribbon around it. There was the sound of something gently rattling against the inside as Steve moved.

 Thor pulled one letter from the pile which had a large, child’s drawing on the back. Evidently, it was of a large, green figure holding what looked like a yellow car in his hands and roaring. Bruce did not look too keen.

 It was Clint that opened his letter first and had begun to read.

 “Dear Doctor Banner,

 You may not recall me well, but my name is Lucille Davidson. We studied together for a period in college, and I would like to consider us friends, or at the very least, acquaintances.

 You’re work in nuclear physics is astounding, and I have, for years now, have wanted to address your papers and reports of your studies.  I have never had the chance, as I had thought you dead after your disappearance.

 Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw you on the news. Well, not you exactly, but to then have it confirmed to be you in the interview following the events, I was not only relieved but I was over the moon. Hearing you would be staying with Mister Stark for the time being, I wrote to you immediately, and I do hope this has found its way.

 I wanted to just say how I am not only inspired by your work, but I wish that we could sit together for coffee and go over our theories on anti-electron collisions…”

 By this point, Clint started to look a little lost. He raised his eyes from the paper, with an apologetic expression and a half smile.

 ‘Sorry, but I can’t understand this kind of science jargon. I am not an expert on thermonuclear… anything… Whatever this person is attempting to say, it seems…’ He turned the paper over, and glanced at the other papers. ‘Yeah… They appear to have sent you a full thesis on whatever this is…’

 He passed it across to Bruce, who seemed shocked still. The coffee cup was retrieved from his hands by Tony, in case he should drop it, and placed on the coffee table. Bruce took the papers with shaking hands and read over that first part again and again, almost in disbelief. The worry in his face had lessened slightly, as he placed the essay down and looked up when Steve cleared his throat.

 ‘There isn’t, uh… There’s only a small card here, apart from the parcel. And it reads ‘to Bruce Banner and to Hulk. Thank you!” He passed the card and parcel over, so Bruce could open it.

 He did so slowly, hesitantly, with the movements of a man disarming a bomb. Once the ribbon was undone and the tape removed, the brown paper fell apart in his hands, revealing a plastic container. Through the clear plastic there was a small pile of about eight cookies, all of them, though a little smudged, decorated to look like the Hulk’s face.

 There was a chortle from Tony, and a guffaw from Thor as the God landed a hard smack to Bruce’s back. It hurt, but Bruce just smiled down at the strange but lovely gift. There was no return address or signature, which seemed a little disappointing.

 “To Mister Banner.” Tony started, a sly, cattish grin on his face. Bruce could already feel his own face going red. He raised his hands to his face in a terrible attempt to hide his embarrassment as Tony continued to read with some level of theatrical exaggeration.

 “I will admit, I’m a little embarrassed to write this, but I just needed to get my feelings down onto paper. I was working during the Battle for New York and we met very briefly. Well, you were Hulk at the time, but still… You saved my life. I was about to be killed by one of those weird, alien creatures when you crushed them beneath your fists. And I couldn’t help but salivate…” There was a muttered, embarrassed groan from Bruce as he snatched the letter out of Tony’s hand. The billionaire and the others shared a laugh as Bruce continued to read the letter.

 Indeed, it was just a little scandalous, and as flattering as it was… He quietly tucked it away in his pants pocket, not willing to discuss it at this time. That was fair, and none of the other’s held that against him.

 Natasha opened her own folder, her face brighter than Bruce had ever seen it. She showed it off like she was doing a presentation, opening the folder wide and reading it out. There were only two pages to it, the first with an image of a small building with a mural on one of its walls.

 The mural showcased the Hulk with his hands raised as if holding up the roof of the building. Beneath him, as if a shadow that stood before him, was a silhouette of Bruce doing the same pose. Beneath it, written in bright lettering with all kinds of little pictures, was the message:

 ‘To Doctor Banner and the Hulk, the heroes that saved our daycare and the children therein.’ The second page was a collage of parents and staff thanking him and the Hulk alike, with little signatures and drawings from the children.

 Natasha passed it over to him, and Bruce clutched it close, feeling himself near brought to tears.

 Thor didn’t read out the letter he had plucked out of the pile, but passed it to Bruce all the same. It was difficult to read, as it was a scribble of a child’s writing. Only the address was clearly stamped out, presumably by a parent.

 ‘Thank you Mister Hulk. You saved mommy and daddy from the monsters. I want to be a hero like you when I’m grown up. Could you teach me to be strong like you? From Markus’

 Turning the paper over to look over the image again, Bruce could now make out the scratchy faces of two people in the yellow car. At first, he thought they were screaming, but when he was able to make out the black line of a speech bubble amongst the dark blue crayon, he could read they were yelling ‘YAY!’

 ‘How cute.’ Natasha hummed.

 ‘That ought to go onto the fridge.’ Tony agreed.

 Bruce shifted in his seat, wiping beneath his glasses with his sleeve. A hand on his shoulder, warm and comforting, brought his eyes up to look at the Thor.

 ‘Would Banner like some time alone? To read and look through his gifts?’

 Despite what he had read, Bruce did not ask them to leave. In fact, he snuggled deeper into the lounge as he plucked one letter from the pile. The others didn’t mind being asked to stay. In fact, to them, it was a relief to see the doctor express anything other than worry or discomfort, and a joy to watch his face break into a smile.

[fangirlovestuff]

A Thin Line - Natasha Romanoff x avenger!reader

a/n - hey lovely people! i’m so excited for this one! it’s for @candy-and-writing ‘s 1,000 followers challenge - congrats lovely!! i’ve never written for Natasha before, but i hope i will again because i love her:) divider is by @firefly-graphics and italics are for thoughts. enjoy!<3 

Summary: Natasha seems like she wants nothing to do with you, but you two get sent on a mission together. It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out, but when things get complicated can you count on her to come to your aid? aka, a sort of enemies to lovers :)

Prompt: “How the fuck do you turn it off?” (bold in the fic)

Word Count: 3,385

Warnings: blood and violence (both pretty brief), mentions of insecurity, explicit language 

You closed your eyes and sat back, relaxing in your seat. Natasha was the only one with you on the quinjet today, and she was flying it, so you didn't need to deal with her. For now, at least.

Most times, dealing with Natasha just meant not talking to her. Or looking at her. Actually, just… try to get out of her way. You weren't sure why, but for the moment you two met, Natasha always tried to push you away, always giving you hard glares and cold shoulders. You got the message and promptly removed yourself from her immediate surroundings every time it was possible. But, being Avengers together was a serious flaw to this plan, seeing as you needed to go on missions. Luckily, this should be a pretty easy mission today; get in, disable the missile system, get out.

You never understood Natasha's coldness towards you. In the beginning, you had tried to get close to her, talk to her even. Every time she would just brush you off, so eventually you just stopped trying. You spent countless hours wondering what on earth could make her dislike you this much. Maybe she thought you weren't good enough to be an Avenger? Or maybe the other way around – she thought you were a threat to her, because you were so little women in the Avengers? but that's absurd.

You were certainly no threat to Natasha Romanoff, who was a way better spy than you, has more field experience than you, and was prettier than you. Like, ridiculously pretty. Pretty enough that the first time you met her in person, you had to physically stop your jaw from hitting the floor, and you had to admit – she was really hot. And if you weren't working together, you would've totally asked her out right that second, but you knew better. You thought you could at least be friends, but those hopes were also crushed fairly fast.  

Safe to say, things between you and Natasha were never smooth. Right now though, you could simply rest until you got to your destination, the middle of nowhere.

You were dosing off, and you opened your eyes abruptly at the sound of Natasha's voice. "Buckle up," she said, "we'll land in five."

You did as she said and braced for the landing.

You and Natasha went out of the quinjet side by side, silently observing your surroundings. The icy land stretched out before you, the warehouse that was your target just out of sight because of a hill, but you knew it was there. You started walking, and it didn't take long for you to be on the top of the hill, the warehouse a mere 3 minutes away from you. You could see the missiles system on the roof. Very poor installation, but what could you really expect from lowlifes like the ones who used to run this place.

"It looks abandoned," you remarked, feeling awkward about the lack of conversation.

"The files said it was," Natasha answered dryly, moving forward to continue walking. You swallowed your questions and quickly caught up to her. Even on a mission, agent Romanoff just can't seem to make conversation with me.

You stood in front of the back door, and took your guns into your hands, while Natasha took her gun and tested the door handle. It was locked, as expected, but she wasted no time kicking the door down, pointing her gun at whatever emerged from the darkness, but nothing did, and she lowered her gun a little, entering cautiously. If you were friends, you would've told her she looked totally badass kicking down that door, but you weren't so you stayed quiet. Besides, I'm sure she already knows, you mulled as you followed her inside. You felt along the wall closest to you, finding a light switch and turning it on, squinting slightly at the fluorescent light.

Before you was a long hallway. The warehouse was turned into a makeshift building, different rooms for different people or occasions. You had memorized the blueprints, but even without them you could find what you were looking for – it was kind of hard to miss.

A huge room with glass walls was at the end of the hallway, and even from this distance you could see the big, old-fashioned computer system used to control the missiles.

You and Natasha moved wordlessly towards it, opening other doors in your way to make sure there was nothing there, but you found mostly supplies, which is unsurprising since this place is abandoned and in the middle of nowhere, you thought, fighting your disdain at the frankly stupid protocol of checking every corner. This whole mission seemed a little boring and unnecessary to you, disarming a missile system just so no one could get their hands on it, but sometimes that's how it is.

And it is a pretty massive missile system, you thought as you entered the big room, your eyes scanning over the large machinery. Natasha stood guard by the door while you approached the main computer, turning it on. The program was old, but very effective, you noted as you observed it for a bit, contemplating how to turn it off for good. There was always the option to set the place on fire, but that's never a good idea when the missiles are stored on the roof.

You found the self-destruct but without blowing up part of the software and were just neutralizing it when you heard heavy footsteps. You were about to call out to Nat from the other side of the room, but a hand clamped down on your mouth, and a foreign voice growled into your ear, "Shhhh. Who else is here?" the man asked.

You quickly looked over at the door and found that Natasha wasn't there, and you sighed in relief. She must've gotten away.

You quickly picked your plan of action. "Please, I'm alone, I didn't know there was anybody here," you said, allowing the panic that was rising in you to be heard in your voice. Because Natasha may be safe for now, but what if she can't turn the missiles off? Or what if she just left you here? She was a spy, it would be so easy for her to just lie and say there were complications and you died, and no one would question her because they like her more than you, and she would've gotten rid of a person she hates while you rot here and—

You took a breath as deep as the hand on your mouth allowed you. This wasn't the time to spiral. She's a professional, she won't leave you here even if she hated you. And you were a valued member of the team. You forced yourself to relax, your irrational thoughts fading. You can act panicked without actually being panicked.

The man looked around the room and clearly didn't see anything else, because he started leading you through another corridor, one you hadn't been in before.

When you left, Natasha went out of her hiding spot and cursed under her breath. She hid when she heard the footsteps, but before she managed to signal you to do the same, she saw the man grabbing you and seizing you away.

She wanted to go after you, but instead went and after seeing that it's all clear, stood in front of the computer you just stood in front of a couple of moments before.

Every fiber of her begged her to succumb to her initial urge and go after you. And she wanted to slap herself for it, because if it would've been Cap or Tony, she wouldn't have felt like this. She knew you could handle yourself, and besides, she was extremely good at containing her emotions.

She stared at the program in front of her, trying to make sense of it, trying to remember what little she knew about it, but that was your specialty.

"How the fuck do you turn this off?" she whispered under her breath before willing her mind to calm down and start figuring it out.

You let yourself be dragged by the man until you eventually entered another large room, filled with people, seemingly of the same age as the man who took you. Currently, he sat you down and tied your hands to a pipe behind your back.

"Why are you here?" he asked, taking a knife from one of the men next to him. Everyone in the room quieted down, listening.

"I just…" you said, feigning panic to buy you some time. "I was hiking and I was getting really cold but then I saw this building and it looked abandoned so I thought…" you willed yourself to look as scared as possible, tears coming to your eyes, and you inwardly thanked your mom for making you sign up for that one acting class. "I thought I could come here and get a little warm. I didn't come looking for trouble, I promise," you wavered your voice.

The man punched you in the face and you clenched your jaw at the pain. "Then why were you in the control room?" He reached inside of your pocket. You tried to get him off you, but two of his friends held you down quickly. You squirmed when he entered his hand, pulling out a paper that you had prepared to help you disable the missiles – it contained the program shortcuts for you to use if you needed them to destroy the missiles. A valuable part of your pre-mission research that the man tossed aside. Thankfully, he probably doesn't understand the program.

"Keep an eye on her," he said, leaving the room, probably to sweep the perimeter once more. Hopefully, this little interrogation bought Natasha enough time to figure out how to disable those missiles, because if not… you were definitely screwed.

Natasha spent about one minute trying to disable the program before realizing it was useless. Without you, she could never do it. She ran back to the quinjet, making it twice as short as it took you both to walk. She contacted the team back at home, and thankfully Tony answered her right away.

"Nat? What's up? Did you and—"

"Tony, I don't have time for your stupid quips. The warehouse isn't abandoned. We need backup, asap."

He could hear the urgency in her voice and told Jarvis to call for backup.

"Did you disable the missiles?" he asked.

"No," Natasha answered, moving around the quinjet in a hasty search for anything that can help her when she goes back in.

"Why? Let me talk to-"

"You can’t talk to her, Tony, they took her," Natasha said, straining to keep her voice leveled.

Tony was shocked at the display of emotion that still managed to be heard, a sign she was really upset. Things were probably going to shit over there.

"I already sent in backup, they'll be there in a bit," he said. He wanted to live, so he ignored her anxious tone.

She hung up without saying goodbye.

The people who were sitting around the room started closing in on you, looking at you.

"Poor girl," one of them said, smirking down at you, "you got into the wrong building." He took out a knife and slashed the rope that was tying you. The others still kept you in place while he grabbed hold of your wrist. You tried to pull away from him, but your face was already painfully puffing up from the punch you got before, and you couldn't break away from his grip. He moved the tip of the knife across your inner forearm, and you stopped moving, realizing if you did it would rip into your skin.

He smiled an unpleasant toothy smile when he saw you stopped moving and cut you across your arm, a long line that immediately started bleeding and you yelled at the sudden, burning pain, actual tears rising in your eyes right now. You were done for. He reached for your other arm, no doubt to do the same. Before you could struggle away, the door was kicked open.

It was kicked open by one very angry Russian spy.

You had never been happier to see Natasha than at that moment. She went in, her gun securely in her hands, steadily shooting the people who were holding you before they had the chance to realize what was happening. You fell to the floor, clutching at your bleeding arm. Everyone else scattered away, leaving the room quickly, and Natasha rushed to your side.

"Did you disable the missiles?" you asked her, your tone urgent.

"I couldn't," she shook her head, kneeling next to you and helping you up.

You couldn't help but lean on her a little, dizziness clouding your head. "Let's go to the computer room," you said through gritted teeth.

"You need medical help, you can't-"

"I can and I will. Let's go before they come back," you said. You instantly regrated taking your aggravation out on Natasha, but apparently it worked, because she started making your way to the room.

When you got there, you leaned heavily on the table, blinking a little until you could focus. You entered the final few lines and the system shut down. You sighed in relief. Natasha was back at your side, helping you move out of the warehouse, making your way to the quinjet.

"I called backup," she said, "they should be here soon." She looked at you, a frown on her face. You were losing too much blood.

"Great," you nodded, before you tripped, nearly falling on your face before Natasha caught you.

"Stay with me," she told you. You barely made the rest of the way to the quinjet, collapsing against the nearest wall. Natasha told you to stay awake, and she went to get the medical supplies.

"Keep your eyes open!" you heard her call out to you. And you tried, you really did, but you just couldn't. Your arm hurt like hell, so did your face, and you were almost grateful to feel your consciousness slip away from you, your eyes closing.

You awoke in a seat that was propped back to make a sort of bed. You could feel that your arm was bandaged. You tried to get up, but as soon as your head lifted you felt a wave of dizziness hit you. In an instant Natasha was by your side, grabbing your healthy arm and lowering you back into your previous position. "Wow, I wouldn't do that if I were you," she chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy," you smiled. "What happened? How long was I out"

"Twenty minutes. You lost a lot of blood, but you managed to disarm the missiles," she smiled. "The backup team got here fifteen minutes ago, and hey went to deal with everyone that was there."

"Who were these people?" you frowned, "how did we not know they lived there?"

"They were a part of the gang who used to run the place, and our intel that they all left was wrong. A bunch of psychos," she said, frowning at your now bandaged arm.

"Thanks," you said and moved it a little, "for that. Also, for coming back for me."

"Of course," she said. "Why wouldn't I come back for you?"

"I'm pretty sure this is the longest conversation we've ever had," you chuckled. "You hate me. It's fine, I got the hint. But I'm just glad you're professional enough to disregard that. Thank you."

"I don't hate you! Why would you think that?"

"Come on, it's okay, really. You don't talk to me, you escape every time I enter the same room as you, you're never in my presence unless you have to. I'm not dumb. I just can't figure out why you can't stand me," you shrugged as best as you could from your lying down position.

"But I don't do these things because I hate you," Natasha said. "I… okay, I almost got you killed, you deserve to know," she gathered her courage. "I don't want to talk to you or be in the same room as you because I think I'm going to make a fool out of myself, like I'm doing right this moment. I'm scared that if I spent enough time with you, I'd start… feeling, and for a spy that's a disadvantage. But the joke's on me I guess, because even when I distanced myself from you I still feel enough to lose my head, not be able to diffuse those missiles, and almost not get to you in time."

"Feel what?" you asked, still a bit puzzled.

"Feel…" she looked for the right words. Apparently, she couldn't find them, because the next thing you know she was gently cupping your bruised face in her palm, leaning down and putting her lips on yours. She kissed you gently, not wanting to hurt you, but you couldn't care less, pushing your face up against her to deepen the kiss, until you flinched in pain and broke apart from her, lying back down.

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" you smiled at her, biting your lip.

She laughed. It's corny, but it was one of the most beautiful sounds you've ever heard, and knowing you made her laugh made it all the sweeter.

"I was taught that feelings will only ever get in the way of my missions. And… I thought you wouldn't feel the same about me, so it would be all this trouble for nothing."

"Well, I do," you said and smiled brightly at her. "And see? You did great on this mission. No matter what you felt or didn't feel about me, you don't know programming and you couldn't have disarmed that system. But you saved me, and just in time," you said.

"So what you're saying is it all turned out for the best and I should take you out to dinner?" Natasha smiled.

"Mostly the first part, but dinner would be very nice," you smiled back at her.

She leaned down to kiss you again, and you broke apart with a smile. At that moment Tony entered the quinjet, calling out to you and Natasha. She promptly stood up, checking the bandage on your arm.

"Agent Romanoff, I see you've become a nurse," Tony quipped.

"I can currently think about 50 different ways to kill you," she shot back and you fought the giggle that arose in you at her sudden change of demeanor. "I have a reputation to uphold," she shrugged, as if answering your thoughts.

"Yep," Tony agreed, "Nat, you can go, and we can take it from here."

"Why would I wanna go?" Nat quirked her eyebrow.

"Well, no offense, but don't you, you know," he pointed at you, "don't like her?" he stage-whispered.

"First of all, if I did, that would be the rudest thing to say ever, but second of all, why does everybody think that?" she said incredulously.

"Okay," Tony said, raising his arms in mock surrender. "I just thought you'd both be happy to know we found everyone we could. The lunatics confessed to everything right away. And you have a week off," he added and walked out of the quinjet.

"A week off," you whistled. "That's a lot of dinners."

"It is," Nat agreed. "Why, do you have any plans for them?"

"Not unless you make them with me," you said, smirking.

"Good thinking," she smiled.

"Thank you. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd die for a shower right now, and I'm gonna need help because of this bandage," you smiled, falling into a banter with her easily.

"Oh really? I wonder who could help you," she chuckled as she left to fly you both home.

You would've pinched yourself but the pain you were still in was enough to confirm you weren't dreaming. Natasha didn't hate you, she wanted to take you out on a date. And there was nothing you wanted more than that date. A smile on your face, you dosed off into a peaceful slumber, feeling secure and happier than you have in a long time.

hope you liked it! tell me what you thought and if you want to see more nat in the future, i definitely want to write more for her! also, next on my agenda is a new Cycle update, so keep an eye out for that;) Thank you so much for reading!<3

Taglist:  @horny-nd-bored @shannon124 @perfectlyharolds @wintersoldierslut @iceebabies  @sleepingpapermouse @steverogerswasalwaysworthy @holtzkinnon @angelicl-y @stydia-4-ever @thatoneperson5000 @fangirlfree @kaitcordx25 @bequeening @steve-barry-damon-logan @itscrazycherryblossomcollection @hollandxmarvel @stargazingfangirl18 @readsreblogsfics @onetwo3000 @beritmetal @harrystylesholland​ @jazbot2000​

if you wanna join / be removed from this taglist, comment/message me! much love <3

[codename-adler]

Kevin Day and his Oblivious Literature Lover, pt.IV

In times of college finals, aftg is my coping mechanism of predilection. hope it helps some :)

>> Table of Contents,TW and other parts here!

i’ll let you guess what Kevin and Juliet chose for their project

oh, yes

the letters of Hamilton, Eliza and John + Hamilton: The Musical

i will fight you on this

at first, when Juliet suggests it, Kevin stares at her so hard bc really?? a musical??

but then she lends him the 50$ leatherbound official book of the musical (you know the navy blue and beige one? you know what i’m talking about, right?) and reads it all in one evening and wow

lin-manuel miranda? genius. ron chernow? Genius. alexander hamilton? Dumb Genius.

oh yeah and Juliet? Absolutely mind-blowing genius.

as Andrew & Neil grow closer and the match agaisnt the Ravens rounds the corner, Kevin finds himself looking more and more forward to the time spent at the library with Juliet

she is just so focused on their project and so oblivious as who he really is and doesn’t really care if sometimes he is more anxious, if freaks over everything to be perfect, if he babbles on&on&on&on about any bit of history he discovered

she’s just there, smirking, stiffling her laughs and asking for more

they’ve exhanged phone numbers and she installed snapchat on his, and although he never sends her anything, she always has a short video and a funny caption that pop up from time to time; they’re that little reminder that the world goes on outside of exy and that he exists outside of exy

she introduces him to funny videos and he didn’t know absolute dumb shit could make him snort??

his favorite is the peanut butter baby

at first the Foxes give him this judgemental look when he ugly-snorts in the locker room or at Eden’s, but eventually they just get that glint in their eyes as if they were in on the jokes

sometimes, Juliet’s so focused on writing down bullet points in her notebook, peeling the skin off her lips, so unaware of Kevin’s personal hell of a life, that he just wants to spill out everything

although he’s not sure if it’s because he wants her to know him and stay, or because he wants her to reject him and therefore spare himself the trouble of getting attached...

she takes the decision for him

on a Thursday afternoon, on their planned study session, she doesn’t show up

she doesn’t answer her phone either

he even tries out a completely blacked out snap with “r u alive?” in caption

no answer

he gives her space, sending her occasional cat videos he thoroughly researches

if she watches them, she doesn’t say anything

on Monday afternoon, she doesn’t come to class

that’s when the panic Kevin’s been reigning in just... bursts

what if it’s Riko? 

what if it’s the Master?

what if it’s Ichirou?

what if, somehow, it’s the Butcher’s people?

that afternoon’s practice is hell for the Foxes, Kevin is ruthless and an asshole and very agressive

Dan waits for him outside the boys’ locker room as all the other Foxes leave (not even Andrew and Neil want to wait for him)

“Spit out your goddamn problem before I tell Coach to bench you next game”

oh, how Kevin wants to cuss her out

and then he looks  at her face, ready to vomit words, when he sees her worrying her lips

just like Juliet

it shouldn’t be enough to make him tear up, but it does

he still manages to keep as much of the truth to himself as he possibly can

“My EAL partner isn’t responding to my messages or my calls and she didn’t even come to class today and it stresses me the fuck out and what if it’s like with Neil, Dan?” he says in one breath, trying to tear out the net of his racket

Dan recomposes her face and gets that very serious look, the one she usually gets when someone touches her family

“It’s not, Kevin. That’s over. We got Neil back, we got you back, you got Jean back. The team didn’t even know who that person was. The most info we’ve gathered is what you just told me now. Yeah there are some bets but it’s mostly for funsies, nothing even remotely serious. You wanna look for her?” she soothes him.

“I don’t even know...”

“She lives on campus?” she asks.

“I don’t- I don’t know, Dan. I spent months with her and I can’t even vaguely say where she lives! How fucked up is that?” Kevin yells.

“It’s not even remotely fucked up, Kevin. You should know that. Does she have instagram? twitter? Or like, facebook?” she questions some more.

“God, I don’t know. She only sends me stupid fucking videos and I never even respond like the goddamn asshole I am...”

“Shut up. We’re all assholes at the end of the road, ‘kay? You ain’t better or worse than others. Now she sends them to you in text or somewhere else?”

“Sometimes texts... Sometimes the yellow app, the chat one. Why.”

“Oh great, that’s great. We can locate her, with snapchat, if she forgot to turn off the sharing. And if you’re comfortable with that, too. I know you’re not a creep like that. You’re creepy sometimes, don’t get me wrong. But, not a creep.”

“Gee, thanks, Dan.”

“Hey, shush. You down or what?” she says, arching an eyebrow.

“Okay,” he answers, unable to make the fear go away without knowing for sure.

And so it turns out Juliet’s location is, in fact, knowable. Dan grabs one of Kevin’s shoulders as he leaves the court, squeezing her affection into her grip; he nods emotionally in her direction, as far as emotions can translate unto his face.

he doesn’t even know what he’ll do once he finds her, his brain is solely focused on the animated map that brings him closer and closer to Juliet

the more he progresses, the more he realizes he is far from Fox Tower, on a campus area he has never even seen

he stops before a decrepit building, old and moldy-looking

Jackie Kennedy Hall

student dorms? this shabby? she can’t possibly live-

except that she can, because there isn’t another building close and the map has brought him here, and he doesn’t really know her...

so Kevin straightens his shoulders, inhales deeply, and goes inside

he could go on and on and on about everything that is just wrong with the place, from the smell to the decoration, but he makes a beeline for the front desk (he’s lucky there’s even one)

he asks for a way to contact someone, flashes his press smile at the women behind the desk, gives up his ID in exchange for the room number

Juliet Grier, 418

stairs, stairs, stairs, stairs

heavy door, right, 412, 414, 416...

418

what, now?

Kevin hesitantly knocks once, twice

no answer

he knocks again and decides to speak up, in case she didn’t hear

“Juliet? It’s Kevin. Day. From EAL? Can I speak with you?”

still nothing

maybe she isn’t home... no, the map says she’s here. maybe she’s sleeping...

he decides to try one last time

“We really should finish that project, you know? I think we could both use the free time...” he says without his heart into it.

without surprise, no response still

he decides to take a loose paper from his sachel and writes down some words

Greetings Hi,

My friend Dan helped me look for you, but you don’t have to worry about your privacy; it’s because of the yellow app. You should turn that off if you don’t want other people to be nosy. 

You weren’t in class today. I’ll share my notes if you want them. But, you should come to class, it’s better. For learning. 

I’ll wait a few in case you’re asleep. 

Text me or call me or whatever when you’re ready.

- Kevin D. (your partner from EAL)

quick, efficient, to the point

Kevin slips the paper under the door, and waits

he refreshes the map too many times, to see if her location changed or if somehow there was a glitch

it stays put

he ends up sitting on the hallway floor, his back sliding down the wall

he catches up on a book for another class, checks exy stats and watches many, many videos of Jeremy Knox on the court and in interview

some students pass him with a nasty look, eyeing the lack of earphones on his phone

some other students walk by him and will themselves to keep going, because holy shit it’s Kevin Day in Jackie Hall

it’s at least an hour and a half before the doorknob slowly and quietly starts to click

Kevin was absorbed deep into whatever move Knox was making before scoring

the 418 door opens

Kevin gets up in one move, all things Jeremy Knox and exy forgotten

she’s loosely holding Kevin’s paper in one hand, the other clutching a large scarf that covers up the majority of her body

from what he can see, though, she’s wearing sweats from head to toe; her hair’s tied on the top of her head, but most of the curls escaped and it looks unwashed and her curls, dry

her skin’s turned pale, dark circles under her eyes, a haggard look in them, her cheeks stained with dry tears

Juliet looks terrible

“Hi...” Kevin attempts

she finally looks up from the paper and gives him a bored look that could rival Andrew’s

with a rough voice strained from cries and many days without speaking, she asks, “My EAL partner?”

“Well, yes. In case.”

“In case of what.”

“I-”

“I know who you are, Kevin.”

and isn’t that both his most ardent wish and his worse fear?

with that, she turns around and goes back to her dark room, leaving the door open behind her

is that... an invitation?

Kevin’s never been to another person’s place, apart from the Columbia house, Abby’s and Wymack’s

he reminds himself why he came in the first place and decides it would be a waste to leave now, right?

the small studio is a mess, much like its occupant

there are clothes everywhere, on the floor, on a chair, on the bed, on the desk

all the curtains are drawn, no light is on, the only source coming from Juliet’s laptop somewhere amongst her bedsheets

it’s like she made herself a nest and hasn’t moved from there for a long time

maybe even since last Monday, the last time he saw her

Kevin doesn’t understand the scene he has before his eyes

he’s never seen such apathy in someone that is not Andrew

and at this point, apathy is pretty much Andrew’s default state of being

not Juliet’s

Juliet is a soft glow, toothy grins, wild curls, countless jumpers, dumb jokes and references, color-coded notes, an organized mind, unwavering focus and determination, flowing words and warm, kind eyes...

so what is this?

then Kevin realizes he spoke aloud

and Juliet can only chuckle sadly, almost mockingly

“This? This is why I don’t have friends. This is why I don’t mix with people. This is why I’ll never amount to anything in life. This is my dirty laundry, both metaphorically and literally. This is it. That’s... That’s it. This is what I get,” she answers flatly

Kevin’s mind is spinning

he doesn’t understand

he needs to understand, though

“Explain it to me,” he says

Juliet looks at him like a brick just hit him on the head and made him speak Swedish

“Why.”

“Because, surely there’s a way to work with it.”

she laughs

it doesn’t reach her eyes, nor her lips or her cheeks

it’s just a desperate sound

it makes him think of Andrew again

and that gives him an idea, a gut feeling, if you will

“Can I try something out?” he asks

“Kevin... I can’t- I’m tired... It’s not a good idea... I’m tired, Kevin,” Juliet responds, pain noticeable in her voice and her movements slow

“I know, I- I know. Someone I know... He plays this game. It’s really not a game, it’s more like a communication thing. He calls it “A Truth for a Truth”.  In exchange for something I tell you, you tell me something. And in exchange for something you tell me, I’ll tell you something else. It’s made me... work through some things... before,” Kevin explains calmly

Juliet keeps on observing him from her bed, silent

“Look, can I just stay here to do homework? I have nowhere to go right now,” Kevin asks, almost blurting out “Please” before Andrew’s ghost caught it in his throat

she lies back down, burries herself in her covers, a silent “yes”

Kevin ends up falling asleep sitting on the floor, books open, head resting at the end of Juliet’s bed

he wakes up around 2 AM

he’s got multiple texts from Aaron and Nicky, one from Andrew, and one from Dan

“told everybody you spent the night at Coach’s. take care.”

he silently vows to thank her later

now he either really goes to Wymack’s to finish his night there, or... he stays exactly where he is

Juliet is still sleeping soundly

in a haze, he palms for a pillow or cushion, pulls his hoodie on and lies back down on the carpeted floor

he’s only awaken in the late morning when he brutally gets stepped on

“What the shit?? Kevin! How...???” Juliet yells

“Um, ow? No, no, don’t apologize so quickly. You just, you know, crushed my lungs and a couple of ribs, no worries, Jules!” Kevin groans

“Ju- you know what? I’m not sorry. Right now I gotta pee, so you better have a damn good explanation when I get back,” she replies and leaves her room to go to the bathroom at the end of the hall

instead of dread, Kevin feels calm about the upcoming conversation

he doesn’t prepare lies, doesn’t run away, doesn’t resort to assholery

he just stays put where he is on the floor, snuggles deeper into his hoodie, and waits for relief, for the truth

he waits for Juliet

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

An Ode To Miyazaki:

Hi everyone! So for my final paper for film, we had to pick our own director of our choosing and talk about them extensively between the attributes that make them special. Our course focused on the narrative and technical styles of directors. For my final project, I have chosen my biggest hero in the world of animation and somebody that drastically changed my life as a young child, Hayao Miyazaki. Learning about him for this project gave me so much insight into not just his films but who he is as a person. I hope that my paper is as interesting for you to read as it was for me to do research for!

1. Hayao Miyazaki, often referred to as the Japanese Walt Disney is the front runner of his animation studio Studio Ghibli. I picked him because I already have sufficient knowledge and love of his films. One of the first memories that my parents love to remind me of is my first time watching Totoro and laughing at the introduction characters. Miyazaki himself stands out for a number of reasons. Over the years, Miyazaki has made a humongous name out of himself, one of his most famous movies Spirited Away became the most popular film to ever be released in Japan and also won the academy award for the best-animated film that year. His most “popular” films (I say popular in air quotes because it is nearly impossible for people to agree on a favorite) remain the aforementioned Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Princess Mononoke. Beginning his career as a simple animator for Toei animation, he worked as an in-between artist. It was here that he met his future collaborator at Ghibli, Isao Takahata. His first big directorial debut in film before founding Ghibli was a team effort without Takahata was Lupin The Third, The Castle Of Cagliostro. His first successful movie was one that was based upon his own manga Nausicaa of the Valley Of The Wind. The first official Miyazaki movie that was made with Ghibli was one of my personal all-time favorites that had ever been created, Castle In The Sky. For many children, especially ones with parents who are lovers of a film like mine, Miyazaki was one of the first animators that I was introduced to. His films have become classics for every fan of animation, being referenced in culture, specifically back when Disney owned Studio in Toy Story 3, Bonnie has a Totoro.

2. So, this brings up the question, how does one recognize a film by Miyazaki? You can always expect for him to be critically acclaimed, for there to be some element of magic and whimsy in the way that he animates, for there to be something to do with flight (whether it be dealing with airplanes like in Porco Rosso, the idea of flight in Howl’s Moving Castle, or a floating castle up in the sky in Castle In The Sky.), his heroines are always strong-minded and live by their own rules never bowing down to anybody, his love stories are dynamic and fulfilled, a sweeping score by Joe Hizashi, and they have a meaning about nature somewhere, mostly about why it needs to be protected.

Let’s start by breaking him down narratively. The thing that is always in every Miyazaki film no matter which one you decide upon watching, is that his female characters are always strong-willed no matter what. In many ways, I think that he writes women better than Disney does. He has gone on record saying “Many of my movies have strong female leads—brave, self-sufficient girls that don't think twice about fighting for what they believe with all their heart. They'll need a friend, or a supporter, but never a savior. Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man.” Sometimes, this will cause them to come across as reckless, or stupid, but in my opinion, I have always looked up to his female characters and the way that they are portrayed. My personal favorite female character that he has ever brought to life through the screen is Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle. She is strong-minded, not willing to put up with any of Howl’s dramatics, kind, an incredible adult figure for Markal, endlessly sympathetic to her friend’s plights (namely Howl and Calcifer), and somebody that I can always look up to. I spent most of my childhood looking up to characters like Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service, Chihiro in Spirited Away, or one of my personal favorite underrated girls, Fio in Porco Rosso. All of these female characters are independent and never let themselves be taken advantage of by anybody.

Another trait that can always be found narratively in his films is that Miyazaki is an airplane/ air travel fanatic. He absolutely loves airplanes, even to the point where his latest film, The Wind Rises was based upon the life of one of the first airplane manufacturers in WWII. Almost all of his films will involve something about flying in the air. Even with the ones that he didn’t direct and he just simply wrote. His obsession with flight is something that stemmed from his childhood and he never saw them as a thing to be used for war “airplanes are not tools for war. They are not for making money. Airplanes are beautiful dreams. Engineers turn dreams into reality.” My personal favorite of all of his flight animation is used in Howl’s Moving Castle when Howl and Sophie “fly” over the heads of all the people below them.

Narratively also one of the biggest things that set apart his films from any others is his focus on nature. The idea of protecting the beauty of nature is something that he has always stood by. A lot of the time, America tries to prove that it can make films about nature as well to usually varying results. I think that nobody can sell an environmental message quite like my biggest hero for Japanese animation. One of the main movies that focus on his will to protect nature above all else is Princess Mononoke. He always manages to animate nature in such a beautiful and majestic way no matter where the film is set.

I also think that a narrative trait of his that often gets overlooked is how beautiful the romance in his films can be. He never has a romance between two characters that feels stale or boring. I love the fact that you can pick any number of his films and the chance of there being a romance that you’ll get sucked into is a very large one. Everybody has their personal favorites, I love Howl and Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle but my best friend loves Sousuke and Ponyo from Ponyo. He has on record saying that “I’ve become skeptical of the unwritten rule that just because a boy and girl appear in the same feature, a romance must ensue. Rather, I want to portray a slightly different relationship, one where the two mutually inspire each other to live - if I’m able to, then perhaps I’ll be closer to portraying a true expression of love.” Writing romance between two characters can be a very tricky thing which is why it’s always amazing when he can continually pull it off despite everything and how many films that he has made over the years. The beauty of having both a strong and independent male and the female character is that they can both lean on one another for love and support. Probably the biggest supporter of this is Whisper Of The Heart, a film that he wrote instead of directing. The romance is what makes up the entire film. It’s a beautiful love story about how two young teenagers fall in love with each other. The romance is something that continually keeps me coming back for more every time.

Technical style Miyazaki can always be assured to deliver breathtakingly stunning animation. There is a reason why so many people leave his films starving because the food that he draws always looks so good. For me though, it’s the backgrounds that stand out above all else. It’s nearly impossible to have one favorite shot in one of his films but I as a matter of fact do have one. The most breathtaking animation in any Miyazaki film is the scene where Howl takes Sophie to see his secret garden. Everything about this scene never fails to make my breath catch. It’s such a profoundly beautiful moment and how it is animated is something that I haven’t forgotten since my first initial viewing of the film when I was seven.

Another iconic technical trait is that Disney did a fantastic job dubbing the films from their original Japanese language into English. Back when Ghibli films first started to become popular, they needed a way for an American audience to see them. So Pixar’s CFO at the time, John Lassater made a deal with Ghibli that they would dub all the films from their original language for a brand new audience. Growing up, this was how I watched all of Miyazaki’s films. I fell in love with the way that they sounded in English. To this very day, I have yet to see one of his films in any other language. I don’t think that anybody could have dubbed them better. Ever since Ghibli and Disney went their separate ways and they went to GKids the dubs haven’t been the same.

Finally, the last technical trait is that a Miyazaki film will always have a score done by his longtime collaborator Joe Hizashi. The score is such a big part of what makes Miyazaki’s films his own. They are what get you sucked in through their whimsical and magical tones; they always fit the vibes that he’s going through at that moment. There is also the element of sound. Every Miyazaki film has a distinct sound effect that will set it apart from the one before it.

3. The first film that I want to look at is my personal favorite of all his films that he has made so far if you were to force me to pick just one Howl’s Moving Castle. Released in 2004, it was the 9th film that the director came out with. It has an 8.2 out of 10 on IMDB and an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. The storyline for the movie follows a young woman named Sophie. She gets a curse set upon her by the Witch of the Waste and when she leaves home she finds the infamous Howl’s Moving Castle. This is the second Ghibli movie voiced by a Batman live action actor. Christian Bale voiced Howl Pendragon after Michael Keaton played the titular Porco Rosso.

Narratively this is definitely a Miyazaki film. From how strong of a female character Sophie is I spent most of my childhood looking up to her as a character. Strong female characters are everywhere in his films and in my opinion, Sophie is one of the strongest. Another strong factor is that flight plays a major part in this film. One of Howl’s main powers is that he has the ability to fly around. This leads to my favorite scene of flight in any Miyazaki film when Howl takes Sophie’s hand and they “fly” over the tops of the city down below them. All of his early films up until the last few were set in someplace other than Japan. This one is set in Europe, and he takes a lot of time while in the cities to show off all the different types of buildings while Sophie tours around the city.

Technically speaking this is also a Miyazaki film and holds all the titular traits of being so. The animation is utterly for lack of a better word, magical and spellbinding. It takes my breath away every time that I rewatch it. The food looks incredible, one scene that most of Miyazaki’s fans always think of when this movie is brought up is Calcifer making the food for Howl, Sophie, and Markal to eat. The dub for this film is also one of Disney’s best dubs for Miyazaki films. It even brings actors to the table that I usually would not like to see in other films like Christian Bale. I haven’t loved him in any other films than this one. Billy Crystal is a stand-out as well as my favorite fire demon Calcifer. The score is done by Joe Hizashi as well. My favorite part of the score is the main theme which has Howl and Sophie floating above the people below. The sound effect that follows throughout this film is the steady creaking of the castle itself.

Princess Mononoke was the first time that Miyazaki ever “retired”. Most of the time, whenever he tries to retire, he always comes back. A lot of his colleague's joke that it’s because he physically can’t stop working. He animated most of this movie by himself. Before Spirited Away it was Japan’s most famous film to date. The story about a young man who is just trying to erase the curse that was set upon him by an angry boar and it leads him to a place called Iron Town is something that never fails to amaze me. While in Iron Town, Ashitaka meets a young woman named San who was taken in by wolves and he finds himself caught between a war involving humans and the gods of the forest.

Narratively this is definitely a Miyazaki film. It has a strong female lead, focusing most of its screen time on how important it is to protect and preserve nature as a whole. The idea of protecting nature is such a moving part of the film, as we see what it does when man takes over the forest. We see how distraught it makes the Gods of this world and how they wish that the humans would just go away. However, you also see it from the point of view of the villain of the film Lady Eboshi, who also regularly helps lepers and people who would often never get work outside of her offering them a home and a family. I have regularly gotten into a debate with my mom over which side is “right” and which side “wrong” over the course of the last few years of me being a massive fan of this movie. She takes the side of the forest while I see Ashitaka’s side that everybody should just get along and interact in peace and harmony. Miyazaki never shoves the idea of nature down your throat. That is not what this film is. It’s instead about the beauty of what we have and learning to appreciate it.

On a technical level, this film is fantastic as well. It blows my mind that Miyazaki-san animated most of it all by himself. The backgrounds are sweeping and utterly gorgeous showing off the time period of the film. The fight sequences which make up the bulk of the film’s running time are engaging, thrilling, and fabulously animated. Mononoke’s score was done by Joe Hizashi as well. Its score is beautiful and I always find myself getting sucked into it, especially for the more dynamic scenes with Ashitaka and San. The sound effect for this film uses nature as a backdrop for brutality. Ashitaka’s arrows don’t just come out of his bow, they screech through the air.

Finally, my last film that we will be focusing on, Kiki’s Delivery Service was made in 1989 a year after his cult phenomena My Neighbor Totoro and was his fifth animated feature. Kiki is a young girl that is hoping to become a young witch in training. However, to do so she has to train a year away from home. She and her cat Jiji find a town by the sea where she learns her true strength and what she can really do to help others. Hayao Miyazaki didn't want to bore the audience during the film's end credits by using just the names. He set it up to be like a mini-sequel so that the audience would leave the theatre feeling happy.

Narratively this has all the traits that one should be familiar with and associate with a Miyazaki film. It has a strong-minded female character at the source of it that young girls can look up to and admire. As a kid, Kiki was my favorite female character of his because I loved her strength and her dedication to what she was good at. She knew that she was still young and had a lot to learn but even though she gets depressed she doesn’t let that stop her in the long run and will still save her love interest Tombo. The romance in this film is by far one of the sweetest. I love the interactions between the characters and the way that they both inspire one another to be better than they are. The idea of flight is basically the focal point of everything. Kiki finds that her best trait is that she flies incredibly well and decides to create her own flying delivery service.

Technically this also has a lot of traits that Miyazaki made a name for himself in doing. The animation is spectacular, especially for Kiki’s flying. I could watch her fly around all day and that was the idea that he was going for while making the film. The sweeping score by Joe Hizashi, especially in my favorite song A Town With An Ocean View, is something that I’ll often listen to outside of the film itself. The sound effects for the film are meant to be calming. From the first sound that you hear of the wind rolling through the reeds while Kiki lies against the grass to the waves when she finally finds a home.

4. Miyazaki as a director has inspired me since I was way too young to even remember. When I was a kid I would pretend to run around my apartment building's front yard imagining that I lived in a big house in front of a camper tree like the one in Totoro. His movies are perfect for children that “suffer” from having an overactive imagination. His movies are everything that is bright and beautiful in the world. The animation never fails to take my breath away, the characters and stories are unforgettable, the soundtracks sweep me away and tell stories themselves. His movies are something that even my parents, who are not anime fans, can watch over and over again. I think that speaks for itself. Miyazaki makes films that are art, not just animated films.

[phoenixyfriend]

would you ever write a naruto/girl genius crossover?

Let’s play Writer’s Would You Ever

Send me an ask that says “Would you ever write…” and continue the sentence.

I’ll respond with yes or no and give an explanation as to why if I want to.

-------

OKAY SO the answer is, in short, Yes. If I ever have the time, I do have a plot in mind. I think I’ve even talked about it on tumblr before, but it does fall into my usual crossover plot of “canon plot, but Anevka is here to ruin everything.”

Basically, start in the Chuunin Exams. Various Genin teams run into a weird circle of metal women in the Forest of Death. They’re not statues, quite, but they don’t seem to be alive.

Usually.

Konoha shinobi know to be careful. The metal ladies have been there a very long time, and it’s one of the few things that the Jounin-sensei warn their students about in detail. You don’t fuck with the metal ladies in the forest. They give out advice, once in a while, and the one without a mouth will play games that have messages almost nobody can really understand.

But they usually don’t give orders. They usually don’t trap a foreign Jinchuuriki for hours in some hellish parody of a faerie circle (and Konoha shinobi wouldn’t know what the fae are, except one of the metal ladies explained when they first showed up, generations back). They usually don’t taunt passing Uzumaki with knowledge that there’s a relative in the woods with them. They don’t usually pause the most sensible-looking Konoha genin they see (it’s either TenTen or Shino), hand them a faded old business card with foxed edges, and tell them to make sure the Hokage sends for The Storm Princess.

Like.

That doesn’t usually happen.

But they do it, and the Hokage is like ‘Cool, I will absolutely do that AFTER the exams are over and I don’t have to deal with This Entire Mess’

Except then he dies

And it takes a solid month after for Tsunade to come home and take over and be like “Hey, what the FUCK is this outdated business card on Sensei’s desk? Who thought this was--what the fuck?”

So she calls together two teams: Team Seven (because they handle weird bullshit all the time, and also she kind of wants them out of the village for a bit while she Handles Some Things), and Team Gai (because TenTen got the card, and also Lee just got his legs healed and is being VERY LOUD about it). Gai himself is not going, because he’s needed Elsewhere, which means that Kakashi is stuck wrangling six teenyboppers, and the only one with a Tolerable Personality for any extended period of time is TenTen.

And they go to some weird biochemical research lab that’s mostly funded by nearby civilian governments, are greeted by what seems to be a human, but is revealed to not be when she steps away from the reception desk, and they all just. Wait there.

And then a Very Noble-Dressed robot woman comes out of the back like Well Hello There!

They can’t say her name. She tells them to call her Arashi-hime. They go with it because what else are they going to do? They pass over the card and she smiles and nods and tells them it’ll just be a moment to prepare the carriage.

“The carriage?”

“Well, I’m afraid I can’t quite move at your speeds for more than a few minutes.”

“I shall carry you!”

Lee attempts to pick her up.

He manages for about five seconds, but it is immediately clear that it’s not something he’s going to be something he can manage at anything approaching high speeds.

“I know it’s rude to ask a lady’s weight...” Kakashi tries.

“Oh, some 900 kilograms, last I checked.”

She is a robot lady. She is Very Heavy, and while someone could carry her, probably, it’s really easier on everyone to just get the Motorized Carriage, which is not a car, because it moves about on spider legs and is very unnerving to see in action.

“I don’t suppose you know WHY the metal circle asked for you?” Kakashi asks.

“Oh, the Muses tend to know things. Events are in motion and, well, I won’t say you need me, but I have quite a lot of information.”

I’m gonna be honest and say that, even if they try to like her, it’s really, really hard to like Anevka when she’s being an asshole on purpose, and sometimes when she isn’t.

Especially when she states that she wants to bring her own guard.

Which are Geisterdamen she appropriated from Lucrezia.

It’s fine.

[everythingshawnmendes]

“Are you… making cookies at 3:30 AM?” and Bucky Barnes being the biggest teddy bear when it comes to going to bed

                                                    or

Bucky and Y/N’s night routine, plus some late night snacking

tooth rotting fluff, smut, fem! receiving oral

Y/N loved scrolling through her phone before going to bed. All her life, after a busy day, nothing would distract her mind like mindlessly going through social media. When she became an Avenger, nothing changed. Whether she was exhausted from a strenuous day of training, plotting, investigating or completing a mission, she loved escaping from it all mentally to see what was going on online. It wasn’t the best, she knew, all the blue light and whatever, but in her line of work, high quality deep sleep ran kind of thin anyway. Tony used to tease her about it, calling her a teenager, but he shut up rather quickly after she retorted that at least she didn’t pull 3 all-nighters in a row just to work on some suit. The rest of the Avengers laughed with her that day, as he walked away muttering something similar to “some suit that saves all of your asses-” under his breath.

The rest of the team used their cell phones differently. Steve could barely count as having a cell phone, that old flip phone that had the numbers key pad where you had to press 1 three times just to type out the letter ‘c’. He answered the group chat, just always 3 hours late with 1 sentence at most. Bruce and Tony both used their phones a lot, mainly for backing up their research. Tony actually left the group chat twice, annoyed at the spam of stupid “childish” memes, but agreed to be back again when Peter sent a link to an article explaining how Iron Man is the strongest Avenger. The memes, they were mostly sent by Scott and Thor. They were at first almost always followed by a concise paragraph from Nat, who broke down the meme for Steve and Bucky to understand. They got the hang of them at one point.

Bucky didn’t love technology, let alone social media. Before Y/N was in his life, his night routine was quite simple: lay down and wait for sleep to come. After all that time being manipulated and used as the Winter Soldier, sleep had lost its peacefulness. He would just lie there with his eyes closed and drift in and out of consciousness.

It changed with Y/N however, for the much better. Bucky looked forward to going to sleep now, because that meant he got to hold Y/N in bed, which made him all soft and warm, until they both drifted into sleep. With her, he slept like a literal baby, holding his favourite blankie. Y/N never previously slept better either, having her own big Bucky shaped body pillow. 

Tonight was no different than any other. The two were cuddled together under their blanket, Y/N’s head propped on Bucky’s chest, where his shoulder met his chest. Luckily for him, the arm under her was his metal one, and could barely feel the weight of her head. The whole squad had gotten home from an intense mission, and the second they got back to the compound, Bucky dragged Y/N into the shower so they could get into bed as quickly as possible. After Y/N not being able to resist having her fun with Bucky under the warm water and sinking to her knees to wrap her lips around his pretty cock, the two scrambled into bed and were officially tuckered out.

Y/N sighed happily, scrolling through Twitter. Bucky’s chest was so built, and thick and so comfy to rest on. Bucky’s eyes were shut, his head heavy. His nose was buried in the back of Y/N’s neck and the sweet smell of her hair was lulling him to sleep. Her back was pressed against his chest, and his hand wrapped around her waist squeezed her close against him. Y/N hugged the arm that was around her with her free arm, stroking his forearm softly with his fingers absent-mindedly as she read things on her phone. Occasionally she’d laugh out loud at something and tell Bucky, who chuckled back, kissing her head. Y/N felt so relaxed, so in bliss and the reason was so simple. She was just so happy to be this in love with someone. She shifted slightly and moved to turn onto her other side. Bucky, half-asleep, whimpered softly and pouted, but curved his lips upwards in a smile when Y/N settled back into him to face him. She looped a leg with one of his and rested her hand with the phone on his chest. Bucky flexed his pec, bouncing Y/N’s hand on top of him, sending the two giggling softly. 

“Heyyy.” Y/N whined, nudging him.

She kept scrolling slowly on her phone, Bucky’s heartbeat slowing down to a soothing pace underneath her. One of his hands reached up into her hair, playing with the strands gently.

“Wow-“ Y/N snickered. “Bucky, did you know you have a large fanbase of thirsting women?” Her thumb paused at a tweet. She felt Bucky’s chin move on the top of her head and craned her neck up to look at him smiling. He felt her eyes on her and opened his halfway. “Listen; one writes: If Bucky Barnes shoots me, do NOT prosecute him. He caught me slipping, that’s on ME.” Y/N laughed heartily and Bucky just shook his head, burying his face in Y/N’s head, planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Oh, oh - wait, I have a fanbase of my own too. “Y/N Y/L/N is so damn fine, if she were to ever same from something, I’d die of a heart attack afterwards”. HA.” Y/N nodded, laughing harder. Bucky perked up at this and frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together adorably. He held her tighter against him, a sound almost like a “hmmph” leaving his mouth.

“Aww baby.” Y/N simpered amid her laughs, looking up at her pouty boyfriend. She loaded him with kisses, one on his chin, his lower lip, the crook of his neck. Bucky found his smile again and opened his eyes a bit to lower his lips onto hers.  

Y/N settled back into his side and felt her eyelids go heavier and set her phone away. A couple minutes later, she had fallen asleep. Bucky sensed her breathing get heavier, kissed her head through her hair and drifted off to deeper sleep as well.

Y/N awoke some time later, squinting her eyes open and stretching slightly. She looked at the clock which indicated 3:00 and looked up and down to see Bucky softly sleeping, his arm still loosely around her. She closed her eyes and opened them again, thinking of why she might be unable to sleep. She didn’t have to go to the bathroom, she wasn’t too hot or cold… Cookies. She wanted cookies. A craving that was so random, yet she couldn’t seem to quite shake it off. Fuck it, she thought. She slithered out of Bucky’s hold and out of bed. Looking around the room, she put on some socks and quickly threw on one of Bucky’s hoodies to cover her naked body. It wasn’t likely for anyone else to be in the kitchen at this hour, but she still didn’t need to run the risk of someone seeing her butt naked. Plus, expert-skilled assassin and all, she was still clumsy as fuck, and she felt like being naked was some kind of dangerous being around an oven. As if she had not taken on 7 armed guards single-handedly with only one gun the day before…

Bucky stirred in his sleep, turning onto his side, his arm reaching out. The empty space beside him confused him, as he slowly rose from his slumber. Still heavily tired, he palmed the bed, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. 

“Friday.” He grunted, his voice raspy with the sound of sleep coating the back of his throat. “Where’s Y/N?”

“Scanning. Miss Y/N is in the kitchen, sir.”

“M’kay, thank you.” He said, cracking his neck slightly. He fell back and closed his eyes again, the initial panic having subsided knowing Y/N was safe. He pulled the blankets to him and sighed. Clambering out of bed, he huffed and put on his pajama pants, setting off for the kitchen. He thought Y/N just needed some water, so he was not expecting the sight he entered upon.

There, in the middle of the kitchen, was Y/N spinning around, dancing to reach up to the counter for chocolate chips. Bucky recognized his hoodie on her slip up slightly, showing off most of her leg. His cheeks warmed. She turned around and spotted Bucky, nearly falling back out of fright.

“Jesus- baby, you scared me. Hi.” She walked towards him, cupping his cheek with one hand as she gave him a sweet kiss. Bucky joined his hands together at the small of her back, pouting down at her.

“You left me all alone in our room.” He said, pouting slightly, eyes squinting from the contrast of the open lights. Y/N’s gaze softened at his bright blue eyes, who were looking at her with equal tenderness.

“Aw, I’m sorry, you big softiee…” Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her and rocking softly from left to right. She relaxed in his frame as Bucky hugged her, his sleepy demeanor not yet fully shaken awake. Finally, he pulled his head back, scanning the room.

“Are you… making cookies at 3:30 AM?” He chuckled, running his hands up and down her back soothingly.

“Yeah! You wanna join me?” Y/N grinned at him, leading him to the counter. “I’m almost done.”

Bucky sat himself on the counter as he watched her tiptoe to get her big bowl of dough and set it down right beside him. He ripped two sheets of parchment paper to coat the trays.

“You’re so cute you know that, doll? Bucky eyed her. Y/N looked up at him and gave him a toothy grin and continued rolling out little balls of dough onto the baking sheet. “Especially in my sweater.” He reached his hand out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Y/N stepped in between Bucky’s legs, leaning on his beefy thighs. “And I’m not wearing anything under it.” She looked up at him, eyes wide. Bucky groaned, pressing his forehead to hers as his face winced slightly. She was really testing him…

He took her face in his hands, pressing his lips down against hers. Her hands snaked up his legs to caress his abdomen, Bucky capturing her lips between his and kissing her hungrily. He licked her lips, sliding his tongue in her mouth to run it against hers, sucking her lip into his mouth as she parts them slightly out of breath. Catching it, she brought a hand to the back of his neck, lowering him onto her lips once more. Bucky pet her neck softly with his cool, metal hand before wrapping it around softly, not too strongly to stop her breathing but slightly to assert himself. Y/N gasped at the feeling, both cold and hot at the same time, Bucky flicking his tongue into her mouth, and grazed his teeth along the soft flesh of her bottom lip. Y/N swallowed heavily and pulled back.

“We have to preheat the oven.” Y/N panted slightly, going to the oven to turn it on. Bucky ran his hands through his hair and leaned back on the palms of his hands. A tent had formed in his loose cotton pants and his cock gave a twitch as he watched Y/N prance around the kitchen with her lips slightly redder and her bare legs on display. She was floating in his hoodie and she looked so impossibly soft, a part of him wanted to hold her, squish her, cuddle her, nuzzle his nose into her neck but the other, wanted to run his hands underneath the fabric, trail kisses along her divine legs and suck pretty bruises on her neck.

Y/N returned to the counter and caught a glance of Bucky. Smooth contoured abs moving along with his breathing, his manhood standing up straining against the fabric of his pants, which were loosely hanging off his hips. His blue eyes were soft to her, his eyelids hooded probably from what hour of the morning it was.

“You’re pretty.” Y/N hummed. Bucky scoffed, curling his finger motioning for her to ‘come here’.

“You’re pretty, doll.” He answered.

Y/N picked up the bowl and the wooden spoon and stood beside Bucky, who was still sat on top of the counter. It’s crazy how even if she was standing, he was still taller.

“Personally, I like the raw dough much better than the actual cookies. Hmm?” Y/N picked at the spoon, then giving it to Bucky. He tasted a piece and nodded. 

“I still think that I prefer the actual cookies.” He gave her the spoon back.

She shook her head. “You’re wrong.” She said, bringing the spoon to her mouth. 

Bucky raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling a tingle trickle down his spine. Y/N ran her tongue up the back of the spoon, locking her eyes with his, and hollowed her cheeks to eat the cookie dough. She continued to lick along the head of the spoon, cleaning it off of any remaining dough. Bucky gulped. She saw his pants tighten even more and laughed against the spoon, lapping up the sweet mixture.

“Baby girl…” He said huskily in a low voice, sending heat to Y/N’s core. She knew that pet name, and that tone of voice.

Y/N bit her lip, eyes becoming pleading as his blue ones stared into hers, while he licked his own lips. 

Ding!

Y/N huffed, as she turned around to see the oven was ready. She looked at Bucky, who smirked at her.

“The oven’s preheated, doll.”

“I know.” She exhaled frustrated, and took the trays, turning on her heel and walking to the oven.

She bent forward to slide the cookies in. At the sight of that, Bucky was a goner. He slid off the counter and lunged toward her. A second after Y/N had closed the oven door safely, no later, Bucky’s hands were on her. 

Y/N gasped, and then moaned at the feeling of his big hands sliding up the back of her thighs all the way up inside her hoodie, pressing at her lower back and coming to reach in front of to her bare stomach. He spun her to face him, Y/N’s hands placing themselves on his broad chest while his toyed with the bottom of his hoodie on her, palming her ass. They backed up, taking big hurried steps until Y/N felt herself hit the counter behind. Bucky’s hands slipped from her butt to the back of her thighs, lifting her and placing her down on the countertop slightly roughly. She immediately spread her legs apart, letting Bucky stand between them. He looked down and groaned, his hoodie ridden so high up it exposed all of her thighs, barely covering what’s in between. 

“Should we feel how wet you are, baby?” Bucky kissed behind Y/N’s ear, licking along the lower of her earlobe. Her soft whimpers contained in her throat resonated in his ears deliciously. “Hmm?”

“S-so wet. So wet. For you.” Y/N panted, feeling Bucky’s hands explore everywhere under her shirt, kneading her breasts. He was everywhere, but she desperately needed him lower.

Bucky took pride in her “for you” and slid his flesh hand down, dipping his middle finger in her heat. He himself moaned at how warm and wet she was, Y/N desperately whimpering, bucking her hips for more. He brought the one finger back up and before he could do anything, Y/N took his hand in hers and directed his finger into her own mouth, sucking harshly making her way from his knuckle to the pad of his finger. Bucky chuckled a low laugh, coming from his abdomen.

“So you’re not going to let me taste you, doll?”

Y/N shook her head repeatedly.

“Because-“ Bucky began lowering his head, large palms rubbing up and down her thighs. He kneeled on the floor. “I’ve been eyeing these delicious legs of yours ever since I saw you in only my hoodie.”

He turned his head to one side, pressing his lips into the plushy inside of Y/N’s thigh. 

Y/N opened her legs for him, begging him to just, dive in to her. She knew Bucky was ever the tease, and she knew he was going to make her work for it. But, he was so close, he was right there, all he needed to was to lean forward.

“Yeah, open up for me baby girl. Let me see how pretty you are.” Bucky licked his lips, his blue irises darkening slightly at the sight of your bare core. Y/N whimpered at the praise, arms reaching up into the hoodie to touch her own breasts. 

“Here, let me.” Bucky said, standing back up. Nothing turned him on more than to rid Y/N of his own hoodie, the larger loose fit revealing her beautiful body concealed underneath it. He pulled it above her head, throwing it on the ground. “Gorgeous.” His eyes trailed up and down her body, drinking in the sight of her.

“Bucky, please.” Y/N whined, the way he looked at her got her dripping wet and she was grinding against the counter to get any type of friction going against her needing center. His eyes flicked to her face.

“But you’re so pretty begging for me doll, don’t you know that?” He sunk back onto his knees, prying Y/N’s knees open once more. He moaned at the sight. There, right in front of him was her glistening cunt, the folds noticeably coated in her arousal, her scent seeping into his nostrils. He had never seen anything more delectable.

“Mhmphn.” Y/N grunted, her face contorted in frustration. “Baby.” Bucky’s deep blue eyes turned upwards to look at her. 

“Please.” She begged, nudging her thigh against Bucky’s cheek.

“Please what, sweetheart?” He leveled his mouth to her clit and stuck his tongue out, giving the sensitive button a hard, slow, long lick.

Y/N arched her back, throwing her head back at the feeling, breathing out. That initial lick was not followed by others, though, as the oven ding’ed once again to signal the cookies were ready.

“Fuck!” Bucky swore, licking his lips. “I’m going to go get those goddamn cookies and after that sweet doll, I’m going to eat that pussy of yours until you forget your own name.” He squeezed her thighs roughly, before standing up violently, turning the oven off and opening the oven door, grabbing the cookie trays one at a time with his metal hand and chucking them aside on the stovetop.

He returned to his spot on the ground, opened Y/N’s legs gently with his flesh hand (he wanted to make sure his metal one had cooled off, scared to burn her), locked eyes with her one last time and stuffed his face into her pussy. They both moaned, Bucky’s tongue running up her slit a couple times to lap up all the slickness and fully taste it. He gave her clit a quick kiss before sucking on it, taking it in between his lips. 

“Fuck, r-right there.” Y/N breathed out, finally feeling an ounce of her desire fulfilled. She brought both her hands to his luscious hair, running her fingers through it. She swiveled her hips, opening her legs as she maintained his head in between them with her hands.

He licked sloppily at her clit, drawing wet circles with his tongue as his entire face was engulfed in her, her wetness dripping and coating his chin. He sighed contently, closing his eyes as he ate her out, his own cock plumping at the feeling of her hips and legs trembling against his head.

“Oh, Bucky, oh-“ Y/N moaned, face scrunched in pleasure. The coil in her abdomen wound tighter, she was getting closer and she tugged on his locks of hair, pulling him closer against her. Bucky groaned into her cunt, sending her clenching her thighs around his head. He loved it. 

He loved having all he can smell, taste and think about Y/N’s pussy. The slight pain at the root of his hairs from being pulled by her spurred him on further, suckling, licking up at her clit just to swivel down to her hole, a mix of her arousal and his spit lapping at her folds. Suddenly, Y/N let go of his head, her hands flying in back of her onto the counter to support her, as her entire body arched backwards.

“I-I’m close baby, baby, oh fuck, I’m gonna cum - I’m gonna cum-“

Normally, Bucky would have said something filthier to send her over the edge, he liked hearing his name come out of her mouth, but he didn’t dare take his mouth off her. He maintained his pace, lapping against her clit.

“Mhmhmn, Bucky.” She pursed her lips together hard to not scream out. Bucky looked up at her, his girl, saying his name while he made her cum… Y/N caught a glimpse of his deep blue orbs staring up at her and let go, falling back onto her elbows as her orgasm ripped through her.

What a sight, a vision. Bucky’s eyes glued to her, as her head was thrown back, he trailed his eyes from her jaw, breasts, shaking arms and hips, to the legs on both sides of his head. He slowed down the pace of his tongue until she sat back up, bringing him back up to his feet with her hand in his hair.

“Taste yourself.” He whispered through hooded eyelids as he kissed her lips. Y/N giggled tiredly. Bucky turned around to grab a paper towel, wiping the bottom half of his face clean. He leaned against the counter opposite Y/N, grabbed a cookie and grinned at her, who just merely looked at him from on top while catching her breath. 

“Are they good?” She finally managed to ask.

“I’ve had better desserts to eat.” Bucky picked up his hoodie to throw it on Y/N’s shoulders, settling in between Y/N’s legs. He brought a cookie up to her mouth.

“Mhmmm they are good.” Y/N gave a light moan, chewing. “Don’t look at me like that, you know exactly what sounds I make for you, just heard them.”

After cleaning up the counter, they set off to brush their teeth once again (Bucky insisted because “Cavities!”) and before they knew it, Y/N was settled comfortably back into his side, with her head on his chest.

Neither needed social media to fall asleep this time.

the mouth and eyes on him I’m——-

my first bucky fic!!! and first really nsfw!!! plz lemme know if u enjoyed it loves x

[imagining-in-the-margins]

Hello! I just finished the show after postponing it in fear it was that bad the critics said, and oh god there were nice reviews compared to what I saw. BUT really it came to my mind how would you would’ve wanted it to end, like in general for all the characters. I personally hated the writers guy for the the whole jj love confession yuck Ps- thanks for your writing it has keep me sane during this quarantine times <3

Whew, Lordy. I have so many thoughts I wanted to respond to this on it’s own. The short answer is in my taglines for the characters, which would probably go something like this:

Rossi finally started taking all of his vacation days, plus a little extra, until he finally decided to retire… again. It lasted about two weeks before he signed on as a part-time consultant.

Emily continues to serve as Unit Chief of the BAU, but now with a wife and son waiting at home. Of all the roles she had to act in her life, she found Chief, wife, and mother by far the most rewarding.

JJ left the BAU after several years and has dedicated her life to consulting work for non profits and government agencies serving and protecting children displaced from traumatic events.

Spencer continued to go to school in both a professor and student capacity. He fell in love with both the opportunity to teach, as well as his partner. The day his first child arrived, he retired with Rossi, although he only made it one hour before he returned as a part-time consultant.

Tara is busy with her work at the BAU, fixing up her antique luxury cars like her father taught her, and continuing to learn more languages. Under her guidance, the BAU is able to schedule more interviews with serial killers, which she uses to regularly publish research articles.

Luke and Penelope continue to see each other with no rush for the finish line. Together, the two volunteer at animal shelters to pair animals with veterans and other victims of trauma. He also continues his recreational boxing career, although his girlfriend has to watch with her hands over her eyes.

Penelope continues to be the bright backbone of the environmental research firm she works for, but the BAU couldn’t get rid of her that easily. Between the constant virtual and in-person visits, it’s almost like she never left.

Matt finally finished and publishes the “Simmon Stories,” and he spends his annual leave on a book tour with Rossi that mostly consists of sight-seeing with his family.

Seaver was invited back to the team after making a name for herself in the Domestic Trafficking Task Force. She is no longer a ‘probationary’ agent.

Elle and Kate, however, do not return to the BAU. Instead, the two women establish a nonprofit that focuses on providing long-term care and support to victims of sex crimes. In their free time, the pair also teaches extensive self-defense programs.

Blake continues to be a full-time professor in Boston, although she is often joined at work by her adopted daughter, who happens to share both a name and an affinity for learning with her former coworker.

Hotch returned to Fredericksburg to be closer to friends and family again, and has stayed very close with the semi-retired Rossi.

Morgan had another son, who inspired him to establish a community center in the Fredericksburg area for at-risk youth. Him and his wife regularly foster teenagers and help them find their way after high school.

The long answer, starting from Truth or Dare… If the writers really wanted to do Truth or Dare, it could have gone one of two ways:

(Preferred, the way I would write it) It should have been Emily and JJ.

I never understood the fact that the unsub cared that JJ liked Spencer. He… doesn’t know them. Why would have cared? As far as he knows, the two of them were single or married to each other. He has no reason to believe that was a taboo at all.

Emily and JJ would make sense, as not only are they both women, but Emily is her boss. As much as I hate forced coming out stories, I think it would have made infinitely more sense.

(Alternatively) Either end with JJ dying (I really wouldn’t want this, but it is better than what they wrote) or JJ admitting that it was a lie.

JJ would end up having closure with the scene, reuniting with Will, and being happy.

This means Rossi’s wedding wouldn’t have been ruined by the awkward shitshow that happened. Him and Krystall would be happy. No more trauma would happen to Rossi, and he would decide that he enjoyed living the quiet life sometimes. Eventually, he would shift into a part-time consulting position.

As for Spencer’s ending, without the weird JJ bullshit, he would spend his time going to therapy about his mother and the HEAPS OF OTHER TRAUMA. I’d also cut Max’s entire storyline because it was stupid as shit. I would have Spencer spend that time, instead, dealing with his repressed trauma surrounding women.

He would work through his tendency to base his worth and purpose on the women in his life. Someone would FINALLY tell him that Maeve wasn’t his soulmate and he was idealizing the SHIT out of her, and that he is allowed to move on. He would get closure from Cat and recognize that they both played into each other, but that he also couldn’t base his life on her, either. I would want the story to end with him having hope for a future where he can be happy on his own.

From that point on, most of the stuff I would do would be related to wrapping up character’s lives. Emily would find love that was unrelated to work. Tara would focus more on publishing research and moving to eventually take Emily’s position one day. Luke and Garcia would have started flirting more openly and building a relationship way earlier (cut the girlfriend who’s name I literally don’t even remember). Matt would continue being an adorable happy bean. They did him well. I know they couldn’t bring Morgan or Hotch back, but I would have loved to hear about them, as well as Elle, Seaver, Kate, and Blake.

Basically, I would have fleshed out the ideas I listed in their taglines. I think the BAU is the kind of job you do for a long time, but eventually grow out of. I think it makes sense most of them would end up leaving or switching to part-time, especially those who showed extreme trauma responses to certain situations or had a robust family life.

I’m sure I have more thoughts, but I’ve talked for long enough, lmao!

[hecohansen31]

Rev Up Your Engines

Team Manager! Ivar x Team Manager! Reader

(A/N): Hello there, lovelies!

I did this small thing for @dreamwritesimagines‘ challenge (her fics are actually one of the first that I ever read and they are the ones that inspired me to start writing and be active in the ‘Vikings’ fandom).

I do hope you’ll like it and this might be a series (although after October I’ll stop writing other stories).

Also I just wanted to give you a few heads up since this is set up in a MotoGP AU:

FIM=the guys who check regulations and other stuff (give penalties and check the circuits).

There are three steps before qualifying (FP1, FP2, FP3) (which are basically free practice) and there there is qualifying and the race.

If you need anymore info, I am here.

If you liked this, please consider leaving me some feedback, either through a comment or a reblog, I’d just apprecciate to know if you like this kind of thing or would be interested in others.

Feedback makes us writers write faster, and our heats beat stronger!

Have a nice reading!

SUMMARY: Having a rival such as Ivarr can be the worst nightmare for many, even more for you, who seems to be his latest prey outside of the circuit.

WORDS: 5,5 K

WARNINGS: Bullying, Misogyny, Mention of Dementia and Herat Problems, Troubled Family.

Women in sports were only welcomed in two ways: silent or in bikinis.

And you weren’t in neither of the positions.

You were actually in the worst position for a woman in a sport like ‘MotoGP’.

You were the daughter of a stable owner, having inherited the whole stable after your father’s heart problems had obliged him to stay behind.

Your hands were already hands in the family business, operating through a more secluded area, mostly in the social media market, when your father had asked you to take care of his beloved stable, the thing that had always brought him away from you.

And you had taken it onto yourself.

Although you barely knew anything about the dangerous sport.

You had at first tried your best through informing about all the important things of the sport, although your researches had been mostly done by yourself, because the team wasn’t very cooperative, even more after you had shown your interest in the more practical side of it.

Everybody expected you just to sign checks and party with the pilots.

So, when you had suggested innovations to both the team and the bikes, you had been met with weirded out eyes and annoyed dismissals.

And you had to admit that the whole thing was heavy on you, who had never liked the whole biking panorama, mostly because although your father had been thoroughly a fan of it, you had grown with your mother, separated by a father that spent more time at the stables than at home and eventually this had brought your mother to exhaustion, making her run away when you were barely fifteen and you had been left to raise yourself on your own.

Still, ignoring your obvious disinterest, you had done everything in order to pass the winter tests and present yourself with a powerful team of mechanics and a duo of young but promising riders, coming to the first competition with hopes and expectations, just to get your idiotic riders to crash into each other.

And you had been greeted with the laughing of all the other teams on the team radio.

To say that you were displeased it was an euphemism and you had almost thought of seriously leaving the reigns of everything to the whole mechanic team, but eventually you had just tightened your teeth and got your idiotic riders to collaborate, through threats and small smiles.

And eventually you had set yourself to become fourth in the ‘constructors’ championship’, something that wasn’t bad, in the slightest, even more because your father, in the latest years, had always hung lower in the gradings…

… but as you had slowly started to raise in the motosport climate, you had soon understood that it wasn’t simply your own team who didn’t like your presence, but also others…

… more specifically the team that was in third place in the constructors’ championship: the Lothbrock.

It was also a family-established stable, the sons having inherited it from their father, but unlike you, they weren’t only an all-male group, but also they had stuck on the circuits for much more time than you, not only having more experience, but also having more complicity with the whole team.

Ragnar Lothbrock had created the team with the few money he had received from his own father, siding with a bigger stable, and eventually growing to fame and success as he gained slowly more and more freedom, which lead to him creating his own independent stable.

His sons had inherited it after his untimely death and if what their father had done was extraordinary, what they did was miraculous and extremely fulfilling, although they hadn’t yet won a championship, unlike their father.

Not to talk about the fact that Hvitserk, one of the youngest brothers, rode on the satellite team, ‘Lothbrock: The White Tire’.

They were highly competitive, even more because exactly like you, in their father’s late years they had lost much of the prestige for their own stables, although as of lately they had come to good places both in the riders’ championship and the constructors’.

All of this had been obtained under the lead of the youngest brother, Ivar, covering the same position as of you, in the team, setting himself apart from his brothers, and being the most competitive, although in a very non-sportive way.

And as of lately his focus had ended up on your own team.

Which was an obvious choice since you were the ones that were the closest to them and had one of your riders ended up on the podium the following week, you would have passed them, catching the third place.

So, flashforward to the following week, and right as you were partying for your first rider’s third place, champagne all over your clothes, you had been asked to follow the security to the commission, because that your rider’s podium was actually being discussed.

‘Your rider ended up on the green’ had tried to explain to the member of the staff, who had come to you to give you the bad news, as they passed you a piece of paper with a written complain.

Signed by the Lothbrocks.

‘I do know of that, but…’ you had shot back, already red from anger, as a few of the spokespeople of your team came near to you, trying to ease up with diplomacy the whole discourse ‘… he fucking got pushed by the Lothbrock driver’.

You knew perfectly that the rules required for the pilot who ended up on the green to lose a position, but at the same time the FIM had allowed your pilot to reach the podium with no complain.

And it was justified since the Lothbrock driver had basically thrown his front bike against your own, without any solicited contact.

Which had made them end up in the green.

They should be actually the one under investigation for having irresponsible driving.

‘… we are sorry, but you’ll still need to come to the headquarters immediately’.

But you had had to take a bit of time to scream in a bag, not wanting to ruin your riders’ party, and once you were halfway done with your breakdown, Cameron, your head of the mechanics, came to you and tried to calm you down, explaining that you hadn’t any fault in this.

‘I just fucking hate Ivar Lothbrock’ you had muttered, as you swiftly changed your dirtied team-shirt with a new one, in order not to give to your mortal enemy any reason to doubt you or challenge you, at the meeting ‘… why do you have to fucking try every dirty trick in the book, when you could spend the same time getting your fucking bike to be better?’.

‘We don’t all get a team manager with a brain’ had commented the man, softly smiling at you, because there wasn’t much he could do, in such a situation.

But you’d definitely report the incorrect behavior of the stables to the FIM.

‘… just breath calmly’ Cameron had then suggested softly ‘… don’t attack him and don’t lower yourself to his dirty tricks. We know we weren’t at fault for doing that, the FIM ruled it out, they are just being annoying’.

‘… more like assholes’ you uttered under your breath.

But in the end, there wasn’t much you could do, except being calm and talk quietly in order to get the FIM to realize that the Lothbrocks’ pretenses were solely abusing their time.

But as you stepped in, facing Ivar Lothbrock’s annoying arrogant smirk, you were halfway through having a hard time stopping yourself from hitting him square in the face.

‘… you were making us wait’ he simply commented almost as a justification for his shit face, as he crossed his arms over his chest, already plopped in his chair meanwhile behind him stood his older brother, Ubbe, looking as happy to be there as you.

‘… sorry your Majesty’ you muttered, gaining an harsh look from the team manager, although it was laced with surprise, because as soon you’d catch him looking at you or trying to stir up a fight, you’d back off, ignoring him.

He wasn’t used to you answering him.

‘… I was partying with my pilot’ you added just for the extra burn.

‘Congrats…’ he uttered, as impressed with you as he was with the dirt beneath his nails.

‘Gentleman and…’ the FIM inspector assigned to your case recalled you order “… lady”.

You sat down, keeping your gaze on whatever was in front of you, not wanting to give Ivar the satisfaction of even letting him bother you.

‘… Mrs. (L/N), you have already received a preview of why we have asked you to come here, but I’d like to explain it to you again’.

Oh Gosh, didn’t you love some ‘mansplaining’?

As if you hadn’t read the regulations yourself, consulting yourself with your own pilots and a team of experts.

‘I do know that it is against the rules to go through the green side, and that if a pilot do end up on it on the last lap, they lose a position…’ you retorted quickly, not wanting to lose any ground you stood on ‘… but my pilot didn’t go on the green, he was pushed in it… by Mr. Lothbrock’s pilot. You can obviously see it…”.

“That’s a whole other process” commented harshly the FIM inspector, sending you a glare that said clearly to stick to what you knew and not interfere with this.

But you were fucking pissed.

Even more when Ivar looked like he was extremely pleased with the FIM inspector’s behavior

“It isn’t a completely different process, but…” you tried to protest “… it is easy actually: hadn’t my pilot been pushed he wouldn’t have been thrown on the green. You didn’t rule him out of the third place after the race was finished, why would you do it now?”.

Because it was Ivar who protested.

And because you were an easy prey.

You were the one thing man like the FIM inspector didn’t want between their feet: a woman.

One in power and with many questions.

You could seem completely paranoid.

But had the same thing happened to Ivar, none of these questions would have been sent his way.

“My pilot was trying to overtake yours, the push was accidental” commented Ivar, probably because he had felt like he had been called out by your words, sending the FIM investigator an innocent look as if to say ‘you are crazy if you thought I did it on purpose’.

“… even if it was…” your whole tone seemed completely disbelieving of Ivar’s affirmation “… my pilot didn’t go on the green on purpose”.

“But he ended up on it” muttered the FIM inspector, something that you couldn’t deny, since the cameras of the stewards had caught “… and we have to be stricter with these rules, many have been daring more and more… and it won’t take much before this sport will end up being dangerous than it needs to be”.

“… it has already happened and you weren’t as severe with it as with me, although the pilots used it to their advantage” you muttered, feeling some kind of desperation cursing through you “…in moto 2, there was a similar thing happening and Martin, who went on his own in the green, wasn’t penalized”.

The whole situation was starting to be unbelievable and very much heavy on you, not solely for the fact that being diminished by the inspector in front of everybody was pretty humiliating (and to add something to it, the whole act being witnessed by a smirking Ivar Lothbrock didn’t help) but you couldn’t help but be heartbroken solely at the thought of letting your pilots know that they’d have to step down the podium.

Many would have thought it was a simple sacrifice, but they didn’t know the competition between all the pilots, but also all the sacrifices they made on their own to train to be the best of the best.

“… it’s moto 2” it didn’t seem in the slightest a justification to you, but you had noticed that fighting didn’t help, and neither did calm words or retorting ones “… we’ll announce it, tonight, this way you’ll be able to warn your pilots, and he’ll have to give back the trophy…”.

You had to say that your mind had zeroed after that affirmation, as your eyes found the satisfied ones of Ivar, slowly pushing himself up to talk with his older brother, Ubbe, probably expressing to him his happiness at having managed to make your stable keep your previous position.

Fourth, behind them.

But worse, you felt like a child being reprimanded in front of somebody that you hated.

An embarrassed shade of red coated your cheeks, but you endured it, making a mental note to require another FIM inspector to analyze the case, preferably not a misogynistic idiot.

After the reunion was over the FIM inspector dismissed you and Ivar.

The man immediately raised himself up a bit slowly, to set himself up on his crutches, helped by his brother, although he looked annoyed by the unwanted help.

He had been born with a genetic problem that made the bones in his legs brittle, a big disappointment for a father that had not only been a biker, but also had pushed his sons in the game as soon as they could walk.

So, part of you knew and understood Ivar’s bitterness and his desperate desire to prove his late father wrong, expanding his legacy.

You knew yourself how heavily a dynasty could hang on a child’s shoulder,

But this didn’t allow him to fucking destroy you to simply build yourself up.

You stood after him a few seconds later, seeing and witnessing his strength as he pushed himself on the braces and crutches he wore and trying to still your whole body so it wouldn’t tremble from rage once you got up.

You had to admit that Ivar was as beautiful as he was cunning and you weren’t surprised to know that the whole Lothbrock clan had admirers everywhere, having become a meme on the net, almost like a band with their own groupies.

He had beautiful tormented blue eyes, something that was common among the brothers, but his were definitely the most gorgeous, hauntingly active, unlike Ubbe’s matching glance, annoyed and tight, polite but in no way as firey as Ivar.

You would have loved to have him as a competitor.

But not this way.

And this was enough for you to raise yourself, as you strutted out, having a pilot to inform and a few interesting things to say to the journalists, who had already started filling your own stand.

But before you could do anything, Ivar’s hand shot out to you, hooking itself on your wrist, something that made you turn around extremely fast, hitting the man on the hand which held your hand, the grip loosening itself as he made a few steps backwards.

Probably because you looked like you could have burned him alive, on the spot.

“… I just…” whatever evil thing he wanted to say seemed stuck on his tongue.

“I have a pilot to inform” you muttered immediately, as you exited his grip and moved to turn around, just to have a brilliant idea and turning around for the last word.

Because he might have won the battle...

… but he hadn’t won the war yet.

“I fucking work with my team, instead of using dirty tricks for my own bidding”.

You had many times accused Ivar of using ‘dirty tricks’, but everytime it had been concealed between nice and soft words, the ones you used with the press, avoiding cursing and smirking the whole time  to make the accusals seem more a joke.

You almost expected Ivar to reply something mean as you exited the building, but he simply looked like he had lost any ability to talk, his brother behind him having to shake him lightly to get him to react and right when he opened his mouth again to speak, you were gone.

It was better not to waste your words on a crook.

The news of your pilot being dropped from second to third place had been the scandal of the whole following week, which you had spent in a small island in Greece to relax a bit, you had come back home to journalists storming your house.

‘I can’t make any comments’ because you had been warned not to, since a second investigation was in place, although Christian, your first pilot, had had to already give back the trophy already ‘… we’ll see and I am hopeful that the right choices will be made’.

Which meant that you hoped the Lothbrock would push back the appeal.

They had also been stormed with journalists and attack.

Although the FIM inspector hadn’t had much interest for your version, the media had been actually very interested in hearing your own side of the story, alongside the fact that the audience cheered for your squad since it was ‘a true underdog story’.

You had built a team from scratch after years of failures and you were swiftly raising to the Olympus of bikes.

Ivar’s reply had been the same of yours, just shorter and colder, and the Lothbrocks had chosen to make him disappear from the latest posts on their social medias, instead pushing forwards his brother, who had been scoring a lot of points in the latest race, although the satellite team was much slower than the official squad.

But it was a win.

And it had made you regain the strength to face Ivar again the following week.

But you had had another big storm coming for you.

Your own father.

You had a complex relationship to your father: you obviously loved him, but you knew the feelings weren’t reciprocated

Your father hadn’t ever made you miss anything, except love.

You knew it could be worse, but to this day you found it difficult to face your father.

Even more when it happened in front of your mortal enemy.

Your father had been already in the stables when you had arrived, after releasing an official message about the sanction you had been undergoing for the last race’s ending.

He had been talking with your engineers, as you entered, everybody looking as uncomfortable as you, exchanging small talk with the man, although he immediately pushed for more information on the technical side of stuff.

Your pilots looked bewildered and with an annoyed smirk you simply tried to catch your father’s attention, to bring him away from the garage, this way the engineers could work in peace.

But you didn’t arrive halfway through the box that he was already vocally attacking you.

“Where the fuck are Trenner and Lobon?” asked your father, as you grimaced.

“… you have actually fired them two years ago” you muttered.

Your father’s heart problems hadn’t been the only reason why it had been suggested to him to slow down, but he had started showing signs of dementia.

He had forgotten your name the day you had come to visit him in the hospital and even worse, he had asked the names of pilots that had been in your stables, years ago.

“… I shouldn’t have…” he looked shocked as he always did when you revealed to him that he had forgotten something, which you did graciously, having discussed with his doctor about the trauma that acting like that might cause him “… do you think they are still on the market?”.

“They are retired, dad” again, calm tone and sweet words “… but what are you doing here? You should be at home, relaxing”.

“I heard the shit the Lothbrock threw on us” Gosh, you should have told his nurse to stop letting him see TV, even more the sport section “… what the fuck have you been doing in my stables?”.

His disappointment hung heavily on you and it stole your breath for a minute, but you regained your coolness immediately.

“I have been trying to do my best and we have reached new heights” again your tone was attentive and careful, slow and peaceful, but the end of it had an exasperated note and your father sent you an annoyed look.

He was clearly thinking that you were an undisciplined child.

Not that the undisciplined child was actually him.

“… the Lothbrocks have been playing dirty” you said it with your voice on low, since the garage next to you were the Lothbrocks’ ones, and you knew that many eyes were set on you “… I have the medias on my side, don’t worry dad”.

“Instead I fucking worry!” now the attention was definitely on you.

And with the side of your eye you noticed that Ivar was coming up right now, an earpiece in his hands showing that he hadn’t been aware of the convo till right now.

You tried to usher your father, lightly pushing him away to try to bring him away from all this attention.

“Too much of anything, you never know how to quit” uttered your father loudly, again, but he lost the second part of the discourse, lightly, his eyes shifting on Ivar who was suddenly close to you, probably trying to get pass the crowd of journalists.

Stealing a bit more of info and trying to pass unnoticed.

But your father’s eyes caught onto him quickly.

Changing completely attitude as he approached the man.

Although now you couldn’t deny that Ivar now, up closer, and under your father’s watchful gaze looked much younger than you had perceived him.

And definitely blushier.

“Lothbrock, fuck you are grown” commented your father, as you gently tried to catch his hand, playing the devout daughter’s part, as you tried to get him to shift away from Ivar.

Nobody knew about your father’s dementia and you tried to keep it away from the flashes of paparazzi, since it’d get many investors to back off and you needed them for at least this season.

Then had you proved your worth, you could have handled your father’s dementia publicly.

“… Mr (L/N)” Ivar called out to your father, smiling brightly although it was obvious he’d like to continue his trip “… it’s nice to see you again, we thought about you…”.

“Don’t bullshit me, boy” you hated your father’s presence, but you had to admit that seeing Ivar back off from his usual arrogant attitude was a bonus “… I know you fucking took advantage of it, but I am back to fucking stay”.

You stopped yourself from rushing your eyes to sky because if there was one place your father would go to immediately after this conversation, would be the medical center.

His heart was still weak, and he would just bother the mechanics.

And his demeaning behavior made you extremely uncomfortable.

You hadn’t had to take on his stables, after his sickness had made it impossible for him to handle it firsthand.

You had accepted because you thought it’d make him happy and proud of you.

But now his disappointment was heavy on you.

You weren’t certainly the best, but it had been years since the team had been stuck in the midfield and you were slowly bringing yourself to exit it, coming towards the fourth and third place.

If you couldn’t obtain his appreciation and respect through doing this, there wasn’t much you could do.

“… tell your father… tell Ragnar, that we are coming for the podium this time” your eyes opened completely, and you couldn’t deny that your hands started shaking, at your father’s obvious show of his lacking health.

You rushed to try to cover his phrase, but Ivar smiled softly at the man, something that you had to admit didn’t make him look like some kind of dangerous snake anymore and you smirked softly at that, returning the smile, with no intention to.

“… I’ll tell him, but we won’t let it go that easily” his voice was full of playful competition and you wondered where the heck was this guy when you were fighting for the podium, instead of the spiteful athlete you had been meeting constantly “… have a nice day, Mr. (L/N) and (Y/N)”.

And then he moved off, making you aware that he hadn’t ever said your name, till now.

And it sounded strangely so beautifully from his lips.

“That fucking wanker” commented your father as he went away, right as you remembered the assholish behavior he had always had with you.

And that now he knew about your father.

Shit.

Fucking shit.

You had been basically just laying face down on your hotel bed since you had come back.

Your father had been actually joined by his nurse, after you had found him in the paddock, and they’d be staying just for the qualifying set-ups and then see the game from home, since you didn’t want to have to worry about him and the pilots, at the same time.

He had actually gotten to know them and being surrounded by the whole atmosphere had helped calm him down, alongside his nurse knowing how to deal with him.

The entire situation still managed to make you worry, but you had been able to focus on FP1 and FP2.

FP3 and qualifying looked like they’d be stressing, but you had just received the news that the problematic of the previous race had been resolved with a win for you, and soon your pilot would be having back his trophy, and your team would regain the point.

You were officially back on top of the Lothbrocks.

And strangely you hadn’t heard anything from them.

Which was worrying.

Even more now that Ivar had officially witnessed your father’s conditions.

You were already expecting a sanction of having made him come in the garage although he wasn’t on the list of the people allowed inside of it.

So, you were just waiting and trying to ease all the anxiety in your body.

There were so many things that could go wrong.

So, you weren’t surprised when you heard a knocking on the door.

You were surprised when it turned out to be Ivar Lothbrock.

Your first reaction was to almost slam the door, but you held it quickly, knowing perfectly that there were many journalists in the same hotel and it was already scandalous that your open rival was visiting you.

Outside of the paddock.

“What do you want?” it wasn’t laced with annoyance but genuine curiousness, because you couldn’t find many reasons why Ivar would be here.

If he wanted to complain about the fact that you had gained the upper hand in the investigation, he could have reported it to the FIM, not to you.

“… were all the FIM investigators finished?” you muttered, now true sarcasm in your eyes “… and they decided to send you for some fucking idiotic claim, again”.

“I actually came here to apologize” the words seemed to burn on his tongue.

And you were again startled by the fact that he had just done something that you never thought you’d see him doing.

“… what?” you asked, sure of not having heard right.

“I didn’t realize that my behavior towards you was this offensive…” you didn’t understand the change of heart, hence you regarded Ivar as a dangerous beast ready to eat you up, had you lowered your attention “… I might have exaggerated”.

“Erase the ‘might’ “you weren’t able to stop yourself from the pure sarcasm in your reply.

“I have exaggerated my competitiveness against you”.

You didn’t honestly know what to say, simply settling up on torturing your bottom lip, as you bit it to try to keep your face in a calm expression, although you didn’t know whether you should be careful with what you said, assuming this was some kind of proof.

Or you should have just laughed at his face.

Either ways seemed very tempting.

“… I just came here to apologize” he repeated shooting you a look as if to understand your expression, probably because he expected it to be some kind of relief.

You blessing him with accepting his apologies.

“I don’t care” it was the words that you found more fitting for the entire thing “… I can’t even believe you”.

Ivar looked, in that moment, like he might have eaten the sourest of fruits that he was ever given, and he lightly bit off his own bottom lip, before lightly swiping his finger across it and nodding his head.

“… I understand it” he didn’t seem to, but you didn’t say anything more “… I just thought that I’d try my luck”.

“… and I hope that you won’t say anything about my father” you knew that uttering out what you just said might have been dangerous but Ivar looked like he was under a train because you hadn’t accepted his apologies.

“Don’t worry, in the slightest” he replied, raising his hand in front of himself “… I don’t mean to tell anybody”.

Which reassured you greatly, although you didn’t trust Ivar fully.

And you were halfway through pushing the door in his face, when he continued on talking.

“… I actually…” he looked as uncomfortable as you, but strangely you couldn’t bring yourself to close the door in his face.

It must have been because of those puppy dog blue eyes.

“… when did it start?”.

“The heart problems started it” the doctors had also explained to you that your father had been undergoing a rather stressful period that had brought both the problems to speed up during the years, eventually destroying both his heart and mind.

“Shit” muttered Ivar, and you honestly didn’t understand why he wanted to talk about this.

Was he seriously thinking of gaining as much info as he could and then sell you over to the medias?

Because it would have just resulted in a loss for him.

“… yeah, we are in big shit” you repeated “… I am trying to keep it hidden from the investors, since I know they wouldn’t trust my lead”.

Again, that light bite of lips and Ivar lowered his eyes to his feet, something that convinced you that maybe just maybe… he was hiding his own emotions.

“… when my dad died, the investors all left us and went to Lagertha’s side, we almost had to sell it to her” commented Ivar and you couldn’t help but be surprised, because the Lothbrocks had always been one of the best stables, both for the money and for the pilots.

You did know that Lagertha’s stables, ‘The Shieldmaiden’, their rivals,  had been having quite the fight with the Lothbrocks, but you hadn’t ever thought it was rooted that far.

And this time you weren’t able to keep your face straight and Ivar probably recognized the surprise on your face.

“… it was all over the magazines”.

“I don’t read that shit” you had stopped since they had critiqued you.

You didn’t want to be held back by critiques or false information about your private life, in your work.

You had always grown up with the constant pressure of what others would say about you, because you were your father’s daughter and now that you had to come onto your own reputation, you would have done everything in your power to build it.

Instead of listening to what others created.

“I might have been wrong about you” commented Ivar, and you couldn’t deny that strangely it seemed almost like a compliment, on the mouth of the arrogant boy.

“Did you peg me for some kind of vain spoiled brat?” and strangely a smile came onto your face.

Becoming even bigger when Ivar blushed lightly.

“… I left out the ‘spoiled’ part out”.

You couldn’t stop the laugh on your lips.

“Well, I still think that you are an entitled asshole”.

“You are not the first one to think that for sure”.

And before you knew it you were both laughing loudly.

Enough to attract a few fellow guests of the hotel that sent you annoyed looks.

Something that made you move closer to hide yourself behind the door.

Although your exchange with Ivar was completely innocent, you knew that the press would have turned it all around.

“… I know this might be… I know that you might have better things to do than listen to an entitled prick…”.

“I said ‘asshole’ “ you shot back, as Ivar’s severe face turned into a smirk.

“… ok sorry… but would you like to come and take out a coffee? It’s on me for last Sunday’s dirty trick”.

You breathed out heavily.

Everything in you itched to reply a happy ‘yes’, but your whole body wanted for you to be attentive and to act in the best way possible.

Because what Ivar proposed might have been a dangerous trap.

But you were just exhausted from acting like you had a broom up your ass.

And you had to admit that you felt like Ivar probably felt the same.

He had clearly opened about the problematics after his father’s death.

And in case it was a coffee less to bother about.

“… I am coming but just know that my bed is very comfy, so if you are annoying… I’ll just ditch you for it”.

“Ok, you are definitely a spoiled brat”.

---

Liked What You Read? Want To Support Me? Buy Me A Ko-Fi!

---

Ivar The Boneless Taglist:

@guiltyfiend, @youbloodymadgenius, @flowers-in-your-hayr, @peaceisadirtyword, @a-mess-of-fandoms​, @xbellaxcarolinax​

[thelucyverse]

Lily | Elizabeth

Elizabeth Alcott is born in a small town not far from England, except she isn't called Elizabeth nor Alcott then, yet. She is born Lily Evans, second daughter to a lower-middle-class nonmagical married couple with a pretty, well cared for house in a nice-enough neighborhood.

Lily's sister Petunia teases her little sister and fights with her, but mostly she plays with her, protects her, and lets everyone know that she is the only one allowed to make fun of her little red-headed sister. That is, until Lily finds other friends, friends in primary school, friends in the park between their neighborhood and the not-quite-so-nice-enough neighborhood on the other side. There's one boy in particular she likes to meet up with, and while Petunia first easily teases her about being in looove, her teasing soon turns more bitter than light-hearted because Lily doesn't seem to have time for her anymore, and Petunia never had an easy time making friends other than her sister, alright, and anyhow most of the things Lily and that Snape boy are doing are just unnatural, alright? Jumping from the swingset and flying, really flying through the air afterwards, letting flowers bloom in their hands and catching more butterflies on their skin than Petunia ever caught in a net. Her sister turns jealous and bitter, and Lily barely notices. Her acceptance to Hogwarts while Petunia stays behind is really just the last straw to break their family ties apart, even if it comes out of the blue for Lily.

Meanwhile, she makes new friends in Hogwarts, girls who share her love for muggle as well as wizarding fiction, other students to study with in the library, but she does stay in contact with her first magical friend, too. They turn to aliases in their letters when Lily writes to him when Sev is at Hogwarts over the holidays while Lily is at her loving home (loving, still, despite her jealous sister), because his house mates shouldn't know he is conversing quite so much with a known mudblood, and Petunia shouldn't know she is still writing to that boy. Lily calls herself Elizabeth, after the heroine in Pride and Prejudice, and Alcott after the author of Rose in Bloom. Both names old enough to fool any pureblood into thinking that Severus is writing to a half-blood at least, while so muggle in origin that it is making Lily smile. The first time she signs with the name, Sev asks whether he can call her Lizzie then, and ends up having to explain about the sister of the author and gifting her another book, 'Little Women', for Christmas (or Yule).

With her friends (or despite them, at times), Lily/Lizzie learns all about magic in Hogwarts, especially the different charms, how they work and what you can do with them in all aspects of life, as well as potions, which are Severus' passion. She has fun, she is a happy child and young teenager, but it cannot stay that way. A war is at the horizon, and everyone in the magical world - adult, student, child - is dragged into it, whether they want to and particularly care for one side over the other or not. Her first friend makes his choices, and she makes her own. She finds new friends along the way, a boyfriend even and his friends are quickly becoming close to her, too, and they all work together in their last months of school and the time after, to fight, to win this war once and for all.

Lily and James were supposed to marry not long after graduation, because when there is a war going on, no-one has any time to lose.

Perhaps there would have been a prophecy made, a child born, a dark lord vanquished and the parents' lives over.

But not in this world, not in this universe.

The good thing about the multiverse and the agents working cross-verse within it is that, when for once a universe opens up at a point in time where they know something bad happens, and they have fought the same fight in a different 'verse before, they can step in and stop it all much quicker than anyone who is lacking that bigger picture. They destroy the horcruxes, kill Tom Riddle, check his followers for compulsions and the like and turn quite some of them over to the local authorities. And the other people, those who fought for the light? Some would just leave them in that dark about what happens, leave the universe again now that the job is done, and in fact quite a number of them do just that. But there is no rule against talking, this isn't a time-travel conundrum but a truly different universe with a different future now, and one or more of the multiverse agents think people deserve to know the truth of what happened, of what could have happened, of why certain people were arrested - Peter Pettigrew hadn't turned his friends over to Voldemort yet and what a different universal of his has done is not a crime he can be imprisoned for, but he has been found out to already pass different information on to the death eaters, and while he has avoided azkaban and has gotten out on parole to do community service, his friends - former friends - are still disgusted with him, and even more so when they hear about what could have been, would have been.

The agents are careful to say that just because someone was evil in one universe, it doesn't mean the same is true here, people are shaped by their experiences much more than their DNA - but Peter is too much the same as the stories about a traitor portray him, and neither the Marauders nor Lily trust him anymore. They can't look in his face, neither can Lily look at Severus, and when one of the multiverse agents offers transport to their home world and planet to everyone willing to leave this world behind in exchange for holding onto a gadget for a year that will make them an emergency contact for anyone in need, a safe place for the injured, a callcenter for the lost, the four of them all readily accept.

Bajor of the universe two-to-the-left of their old one is a beautiful place, with its own conflicts an religions and only few magic workers around, and they find their place there easily, especially James, who wants to settle down after all, to have the wedding now almost a year (not quite, as days and months move different here than on earth) later than planned, to have a child and create a home - and Lily - no, Elizabeth, now, because no matter who she first shared the nickname with, it is hers now, and she knows there might be another Lily Evans elsewhere in this new universe, and she wants a name of her own - Elizabeth says no. There is a whole universe out there - yes, multiverse too, but right now she is more concerned with the fact that there are different planets and such different ways of understanding magic and so many new things that need discovering - why would she ever want to 'settle down'?

They have a talk, and a fight, and another talk, and maybe it could have worked out in a long-distance kind of way, but - it was a relationship born from war and very set expectations, a relationship started in school, the first serious relationship either of them had - and after the third long talk way into the never-quite-as-dark-as-they-are-used-to night on this new planet, they decide to part on amicable terms. Maybe, they think, maybe they will meet up again later, when their life goals align properly again and they find they are still in love... Instead, Jimmy Potter marries a local woman a year later and has a child that calls out "Auntie Elizabeth!" whenever she visits, and it is as if it had always meant to be this way.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth travels far and works hard in a lot of different jobs, psi-null or magical, to afford the journeys to different planets, and then she works on-planet too most of the time instead of taking a proper vacation, because there are always people that need help one way or other, and she is always ready to give it when she can. By the time she is thirty, she has made a name of herself in this universe, though not as much of a name as the dead variants of herself have on their own planets. She is called reliable, strong and ingenious and sometimes pretty instead of a beautiful heroine mother, and she is called so by perhaps the same number of people, just stretched much farther across a universe.

She is still called brave.

When she comes across another agent of the multiverse - of Central, as she now knows - she asks for a job with them, to see even more far-away places, even if some are more familiar to her than she has seen in a long time. She works as a spellmaker at first, to combine magical means and electricity to make inter-universal portals more durable and reliable, but after a few too many occasions where she ends up going with a research and rescue team who come through a portal of hers, she is officially included in their numbers, wearing the tight uniform of the universal jumpers because any excess air between you and the fabric makes it more likely for you to end up nude on the other side of a portal door, when the calculations aren't exactly right. She pulls on a witch's cloak over her uniform, even though she does tend to lose them around the portals more often than not, because the clothing still makes her feel at home after all this time, and because no matter where you end up, a neutral-coloured robe stands out much less than the gleaming high-tech uniform shirts.

Between missions, Lizzie visits Jim and his wife and two children, and her new friend Georgiana she had once helped search a long-lost lover, and other acquaintances from the universe she called home for the second-longest time.

It takes her a while to be comfortable around her home planet again, even in different universes, different lands, different times. It takes her even longer to go back to any kind of Hogwarts, but when she does - over fifty, experienced in a lot of things including disguises but not even really needing one because she is older than Lily Evans here ever got to be, older even than she would be now, and her hair is a darker colour anyway from working with the portal radiation (that no, isn't dangerous, Cleo tested this) and then from colouring it because she got used to it - when she goes back to this old and still so new world, earth, 1990s, Hogwarts after a war the agents have not quite managed to intercept this time, but at least they can help with the aftermath - when she arrives there, she feels a nostalgic shudder of home, but at the same time she knows that her home has long been elsewhere now, not settled down anywhere but in the fast movings of Central, in the groups of people she works with and calls friends, in the stars.

And if she finds a man there who reminds her of an old friend of hers - but not really, because not only is he kinder than her former friend has ever been, but he is also older than she had ever known that other version of him, yet ten years younger than she is now - and they are confused about each other at first, then work with each other despite it, then get to know each other as the separate people they are - and if she falls in love with someone so bound to a world, universe and planet, by his profession and an adopted son (who has her universal's eyes, but not her own), then this time, she knows she can make long-distance work.

She finds new friends there too, when she now spends most of her downtime there instead of with her old friends and ex-boyfriend, in a woman who killed her first husband when he tried to kill her son and then when Central came went on adopting first all the children of her universal versions less loving than herself, then younger versions of herself, too; and in a woman from a universe one to the right who had travelled back in time a number of years, and in a woman she never thought she would ever see a friendly universal-version of but is now convinced that DNA does not shape anyone to be evil -

And Elizabeth Alcott has a wonderful, fulfilled, long life.

[that-yandere-life]

Soulmate Series: How You Meet (Part Two)

Peter Parker-

One day when you were 16 you noticed that little pen marks appeared on your skin.

It was a bunch of formulas for seemingly a chemistry class.

The next day however they were gone, in the same amount of time that ink stays on the skin.

Googling it feeling a little silly like maybe you just imagined it, you quickly got results for a type of soulmate bond.

Part of you wanted to write a note to them to see if anyone answered but at the same time you were afraid.

It took you years to place ink on your skin, until you were finally ready.

You had just suffered through another boring date, your twenties not quite living up to expectations.

Walking home that night you were approached by a man who held you at knifepoint for your bag.

Suddenly swooping in came Spider-Man saving the day, and potentially your life.

After he walked you home you couldn’t help but smile at the very thought of the encounter.

Before bed you started doodling the logo you had seen on his costume, drawing little hearts around it.

Words started to appear, causing you to realize that you had never given them and indication that you even existed.

Explaining yourself you saw the original mark fade as if they washed it off to continue communicating.

After talking until you both agreed to meet at a local coffee shop in a few hours.

Peter instantly recognized you as you walked in, realizing why you were sketching his Spider now.

How could you not feel lucky upon meeting this cute brown eyed boy with the curls?

Wanda Maximoff-

From the time she turned 16 Wanda always had a red ribbon tied around her wrist.

Finding out from others that it meant she had a soulmate, and one day the other end would lead her to them.

For a long time she ignored it, focusing on getting her revenge for the death of her family.

After the fight with Ultron, and narrowly avoiding the death of her brother she found herself longing to find her match.

One day she was out exploring the city after joining the Avengers, when she felt a tug at her wrist.

Deciding that it was time, she started following the ribbon wondering just how far it would take her.

Somehow it didn’t take long for her to reach you, as you lived nearby.

A few times you had tried to follow the ribbon only to get discouraged when it seemed they were never close enough.

Walking through the park you didn’t really pay attention to what was going on around you, until you saw someone stopped right in front of you.

Looking at them curiously you noticed them hold up their wrist, showing that the ribbon was connected to you.

Gasping you were shocked to say the least, but you couldn’t deny the excitement in your heart at finally finding the one for you.

Pietro Maximoff-

Sometimes when one has a soulmate when you turn 18 you get the first words they will speak to you, etched onto your skin.

Luckily you got one of the sweetest messages possible, and you were always hoping to find the one they belonged to.

Are you an angel?

Years passed with no instance of you being able to find the voice that would ring out with those words.

Working with the Avengers meant that you were constantly meeting people, but none were the one you were searching for.

That is until the battle with Ultron, and you saw the one called Quicksilver block Clint and a child from being harmed.

Unfortunately that meant he would likely die from his injuries, but not on your watch.

Rushing over you used your healing ability, using most of your stored energy to save his life.

“Come on, don’t die on me now!”

Pietro began coughing but breathing on his own again as the bullet wounds started to fade away.

Opening his eyes he gazed upon you, and to him you had an ethereal like glow surrounding you.

“Are you an angel?”

Unable to believe the words that just came out of his mouth you covered your own in shock.

“What you didn’t see that coming?”

Bucky Barnes-

Bucky had been told the story of his mother meeting his father so many times when he was younger.

They had been soulmates, the way they found out was she accidentally spilled hot coffee all over his lap and he was unharmed.

Many years later that information had been wiped from his memory, never thinking about soulmates again until he was in the healing process.

Slowly getting his memories back he recalled the story making him feel nostalgic and more lonely than ever.

Likely if he had a soulmate they would be dead by now, fate had not been kind to him in the least so why would it be now?

That was until you joined the team, and it was his job to train you on hand to hand combat.

Of course you were both nervous, but quickly got into the groove as you began to spar with each other.

Telling him not to go easy on you made him smirk as he was ready to make you eat your words.

That was until you were distracted and he managed to get a hit on your stomach.

You felt the impact but it didn’t hurt, it hardly even knocked the wind out of you.

Bucky was confused on why his hit didn’t land with more force, causing you to be able to punch him square in the jaw.

Stopping his movements he touched the spot you collided with not feeling any pain at all making his eyes go wide.

Having been told stories from your family as well you suddenly understood what they meant.

Both of you stood there in silence trying to process what the hell just happened.

Samuel Wilson-

No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get out of this mission.

Despite telling Fury and the others that he was about to meet his soulmate, they just didn’t seem to understand.

Pulling back his sleeve he looked at the countdown clock ticking away by the second, any moment and he should be meeting the love of his life.

That was when things went to shit and he couldn’t focus on it any more.

Over the comms he heard Steve yell about how the main target had a civilian with a gun to their head.

Sam was trained for situations just like this so he jumped into action approaching cautiously.

That was when you saw him for the first time, and should it have been under normal circumstances you both would have noticed the timer hit zero.

Carefully he tried to talk the guy into letting you go, but it seemed like they weren’t going to even acknowledge his attempts.

Taking a deep breath he hit a button, sending Redwing out hitting the guy straight in the head incapacitating him instantly.

Luckily he caught you before you hit the ground, unable to move independently because of the shock.

“I guess I did get to sweep you off your feet today after all.”

Gasping you looked at your wrist and then back at him with a soft smile.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad day after all, think of the story you will be able to tell your kids one day.

T’Challa-

Ever since you were born you had the outline of a handprint on your hip, your parents called it a birthmark.

However as you got older you discovered through research that it was the mark of a soulmate, where they would inevitably touch you for the first time.

Thankfully it was typically hidden by any article of clothing you wore, the amount of questions you would get otherwise would be unreal.

It also led you to wonder where you would touch your soulmate for the first time.

Working as an assistant for Tony Stark you ended up meeting a lot of interesting people, although none grasped you the right way.

That was until you were at a party he was hosting, a sea of people surrounding you for you to get utterly lost in.

Somehow in the commotion you were pushed into someone else, feeling them grasp your hip to steady you as you grabbed their shoulder to steady yourself.

Immediately you felt warmth coming from both places and you instantly realized what had just happened.

He stared at you in disbelief before letting go and bowing gracefully introducing himself in a muddled stream of consciousness.

Of course you couldn’t help but be endeared by this man who you had never officially met until now but who didn’t know who he was?

Never did you expect to be a King’s soulmate, but there he was showing you the now gold handprint on his shoulder.

Carol Danvers-

One day after your 18th birthday you started hearing music playing, sometimes it was singing other times it was the actual song.

For a little bit you thought you might be going crazy, that was when a doctor told you about soulmate connections.

Thankfully your soulmate listened to halfway decent songs, mostly comprised of 80’s and 90’s hits.

You could only imagine the stuff that they heard as you worked in a karaoke bar in the evenings.

Sometimes you had nights with great singers and choices in song, but others were the rejects of American Idol in the flesh it seemed.

Never once did you hear the same thing you were listening to, which meant that you were not in close proximity to them.

Until one day you walked into work humming along to the tune in your head, only to realize that it was playing inside the bar.

Taking a few deep breaths you looked around seeing two women singing and laughing with each other just having fun.

Then you watched as the blonde haired one started searching for something...or someone.

Maybe they could hear that you were nearby, could it be that you were each other’s soulmate?

“Let me go crazy, crazy on you.”

Singing it gently in your ear, knowing for sure that you were what the other had been hunting for, for so long.

Stephen Strange-

It could be said that Stephen never really gave much thought to his soulmate, until he became a Sorcerer.

Having the coordinates on where he was meant to meet them, the first time he traveled there he hoped you would be waiting for him.

For all he knew you had given up on meeting him, since it had been a long time for him to reach the point where he was actively searching for you.

Plus there was always the time period to consider, what if he met you in a time that wasn’t considered his own?

Stopping in various time periods he never seemed to meet anyone there.

Until one day he returned there to try again, and there was someone sitting under a nearby tree watching as he approached.

Noticing him stop in the spot where you were supposed to meet you had to rub your eyes to make sure you had actually seen him.

Having gone there on the same day once a week since you discovered what the numbers meant.

Somehow you just never gone at the same time until now.

Walking over to him you raised your pant leg showing him that you had the coordinates too.

Stephen vowed to himself from that moment on to never let you go again.

Wade Wilson-

For the longest you could remember you went to bed drunk, and woke up with a killer hangover.

However you hadn’t drank a drop of alcohol, it was all your soulmate.

Whoever they were you couldn’t help but pity them despite your obvious frustrations with having to deal with all the consequences but none of the fun.

It was clear that their life wasn’t going the greatest, just by the amount that the drinking had increased.

Unfortunately you overslept one morning due to still being drunk, effectively losing your job.

Not that you cared much, it was just a shitty part time job, but you needed it to live.

So to give your soulmate a taste of their own medicine you walked to the nearest dive bar, not the best of places but you didn’t care anymore.

The next few hours were a blur, until a man in a red suit entered the establishment already swaying.

“Finally it seems my soulmate grew some balls, I can’t even see straight. Well I never see straight if you know what I mean reader.”

Overhearing the part about the soulmate your ears perked up.

“I haven’t drank since last night and I’m shitfaced.”

Of course this mysterious man would likely be your soulmate, nothing normal ever happened to you.

“Well maybe if you wouldn’t drink every fucking night they wouldn’t lose their job, and have to get drunk in the middle of the damn day.”

You growled louder than you meant to catching his attention.

Tilting his head to the side he was processing the information, realizing that you had to be the one connected to him.

“You don’t want me for a soulmate anyway.”He scoffed turning back around.

[Part two! Please let me know if you want me to do another one with the X-Men and other X-Force type characters! <3333 The more feedback I get, the more I do with soulmates! Thank you lovelies! <3]

[caffeinetheory]

TIMARI SOULMATE AU THING

-Anything you write or draw on your skin appears on the other’s

--This applies to injuries and cuts

-Tim is older by a few months

-They find out about the connection after Mari’s 7th birthday when they both get sizable bruises on each leg but can only remember causing one

--Que parents explaining what it means and frantic research

--Constant conversations follow

--Both become fluent in the other’s language with in 2 years (and even then people find out after 2 years because sometimes they slip when talking)

--Many inside jokes and weird words they made up trying to understand the other language that only they know the meaning of

-They send notes of worry to the other after bad injuries and notes of encouragement

-Wonder Women basically adopts Mari when she finds out there is an active Ladybug

--Mom used to be a Ladybug so she knows all about the Muraculi

-Mari does still have friends despite Lila’s best efforts

--Lila isn’t a main antagonist though still isn't a good person (I want to focus on more fluffy things so that's why; she is no way a good person or redeemed character) 

--Her class support system: Cholé, Alix, Adrien, Kim, Luka, Kagami and Max

--Juleka comes around after hanging out with everyone and talking with Luka

--Nino, Nathaniel and Marc also support Mari but aren’t as open because fear and Nino is on the fence about his Girlfriend 

--Jagged, Penny, Clara, Audrey all have a respect and care for Mari

-Tim and Mari have battles of witt on their arms to try to figure out who is smarter

--(Spoiler: they are both insanely smart) it is basically a tie

-Most of the good in person fluff will take place after Hawk Moth is defeated and Mari is the official Guardian

--My girl needs some happiness and good luck man

-Mari and Tim accidentally find out each others identity after they leave themselves notes on their arm and putting the pieces together; however this is often forgotten between stress and more important things

--Because of this though when the Justice League gets a message from Paris, he knows it is real and believes it

--When they find out they don’t tell the other because they understand and respect how important secret identities (this is part of the reason it doesn’t really cross their minds)

--Mari figures out who Robin is; she forgets that Red Robin is a thing so doesn’t look into finding him out

--Figuring out Robin was an accident so she doesnt looking to the rest of the BatFam

--Tim forgets about all the stuff about Ladybug on his arms because living in Gotham has enough to deal with so he tries not to focus on too much at once/has bigger problems

--“I JUST MEET RED ROBIN/LADYBUG” moment in Paris, after a patrol where they run into each other when the League is investigating the plea for help

--The Wayne’s and Diana are there on “official” business but really it is just a cover so they can investigate

--Diana hears about this from both sides as she befriended Mari earlier and finds this a lovely development

---She also figures out that they are soulmates but doesn’t tell them, it’s better if they figure it out themselves

---Does often have a knowing smile when talking to the 2 of them about it though

-It took years before the team decides that they need to contact the League 

--This is a few years in maybe 4 going on 5

--Wonder Woman is the one going through the messages and immediately wants to help

--Tim walks in about ½ way through the message and stops what he is doing, immediately knowing this is real thanks to his soulmate

-BATBOIS

--Jason basically gets adopted by the Dupain-Cheng’s after coming to their bakey every morning while in Paris

---Loves Mari and would do anything to protect her

---Loves the fact she can easily flip him like its nothing

--Damiain respects her abilities and accepts the fact she is basically his older sister now

---Both end up becoming very protective of the other in their own ways

---Wants to teach her how to use his blades so badly and to meet all his pets

--Dick loves her from basically the beginning

---Loves her happy and optimistic attitude despite her situation (he can see himself in her a little bit)

---Instant friends and she smuggles sweets to him

--They meet when Dick follows Jason to the bakery one morning

---When Dick introduces Mari to Kori she is taken into a bone crushing hug that everyone is worried about the small girl but she instantly returns and is perfectly fine

----Kori already loves her

--All the boys meet her in Paris at the bakery but Tim and Bruce (Alfred did not come)

--Tim was never awake so they brought him back coffee and Bruce while he did go, she wasn’t there at the time

-There many “dumb” battles of witt have lead to many late night talks

--Anytime the bois need help with a really bad puzzle by the riddler Tim asks his soulmate under the guise of a normal “battle”

---There is rarely context but always a fun time

-Both have gotten a lot of big scars that sorry the other but they have comfort in the fact they know the other is still ok and alive

--Small messages and self care tips/messages usually litter their arm after a particular bad injury/scar

--This always makes them feel better and brings a small smile to their lips on both parties once they get the message they are okay

--Lots of check in messages too after big fights and encouragement 

-Team Miraculous 

--Ladybug is the leader and tends to be point base for public relations (Mari)

--Chat Noir is the second in command, and is the go to if Ladybug isn’t available 

---Adrien has matured a lot and is a respectable force to be reckoned with 

---Both of them help train the others and often spare together to blow off steam 

--Ryuuko is  Kagami, she became a permanent holder at the same time Luka did

--Viperion is Luka and it is after the four become a semntited team that Mari decides they should know each other’s identities

--Queen Bee joins a little but after, she’s a reformed Cholé

---While hesitate at first Mari gets them all to be accepting 

---Probably changes name and outfit though, but is a permanent holder

--King Monkey and Pegas are semi permanent holders (Kim and Max respectfully) 

---Only not permanent because they want to avoid suspension but are full members of the team

---Also work as civilians, helps with the cover

--Alix also is a part of the team but only as a civilian 

---They have considered giving her the Fox 

----She helps answer questions and acts as a ground base for the hero’s as she is the main “civilian” the government goes to if they need the team

--They are a really tight team and trust each other fully

--The turtle and fox get used but sparingly 

---Ivan might be turtle sometimes 

---Nino later might be a good choice too, I’m not fully sure yet

----Fox has been used by Alix and maybe Juleka too but unsure about Juleka right now

--All holders have slight effects from their miraculous 

---Mari and Adrein have the most as they’ve had theirs the longest 

---Mari has good luck and is able to embed some of that luck into what she makes

----She also doesn’t do well in the cold

----Things tend to grow more around her, especially flowers, almost like they are growing toward her

---Adrien has bad luck (thanks to Mari’s gifts this isn't really bad though) and if not careful can break anything

----Likes to take naps in the sun and is very protective 

----Cats like to gravitate to him

---Kagami has lots of extra body heat

---Luka can sometimes predict what is going to happen, can predict a lot of normal everyday things

---Cholé can easily knock people out now, she knows all the right places to hit to incapacitate someone

---Max (weaker cause hasn’t had as long) knows the fastest way to get places and shortcuts basically anywhere

---Kim (weaker cause hasn’t had as long) is able to freerun and parkour with little training 

----Can also sense when some chaos is about to happen, however it isn’t to sting yet but does get stronger the longer he has his miraculous 

---Alix (has the weakest, but still strong) has the ability to tear apart half truths and lies, she gets this from the fox but also works on it herself after vowing to not let Lila fool anyone she cares about again

-After Hawk Moth is defeated Adrien moves in with the group

--Mostly stays with Mari and Kagami

---Considering moving with Mari when she leaves Pairs

-Mari becomes the Guardian before Hawk Moth is defeated 

--It is about when she makes a real team, Fu gives her the knowledge and training she needs

--He’s been doing it indirecting since the beginning (well a few months in) but after she takes initiative with making the team he is more direct

--He waited to make sure she as ready and she is

-Mari plans to move to Gotham to properly meet her soulmate after school

--This is to move the Miraculous and to further her career 

--This is one of the biggest motivators to contact the League to get help defeating Hawk Moth

--The team is more than onboard with going with her and follow where she goes 

---They are basically family, and family supports family

--This move would also help them with Uni and furthering their potential careers, so it is a win-win for everyone

--They do want to stay a Superhero team after Hawk Moth but more low-key, the move would also give them a chance to be more open about wanting to do this

---They don’t want to step on toes but want to help if they can

-Soulmates in this au (romantic at least)

--Tim and Mari (duh)

--Adrien and Kon (Conner/Superboy)

--Cholé and Kagami (maybe Luka, unsure but I’m a sucker for poly, I could always make it a Young Justice member, any ideas welcome)

--Kim/Max/Alix (we love poly and these are a good trio)

-Kon-el/Conner and Adrien 

--For the longest time Adrien didn’t think he’d ever be loved/have a soulmate

---Conner wasn’t around yet so that’s why his connection wasn’t there

--Adrien cried the first time he got a mark he cried

---It made him know there was someone else

---Mari stayed with him the whole night holding him and telling him, she knew he would have someone

--Conner rarely responds, the boy doesn’t know French so it’s kinda hard

---Tim notices the language and offers him help, he is also the one to explain what soulmates are to Conner

--Conner feels bad for his “other half”

---Partly due to the whole secret identity thing

----He isn’t great with people

----His other half seems to get hurt a lot and doesn’t want to be another cause of that pain

--Despite never getting much from his soulmate Adrien always leaves messages of encouragement and validation

--He understands how much that can mean to someone

---He starts to leave some in Englsih too, just in case his soulmate only knows Englsih 

----Mari’s idea but he was more than on board for

---He often apologies of injuries he gets 

----Conner doesn’t usually notice the injury but the note afterward

-----part of his alien blood is why he doesn't usually feel

------When he does notice he does worry a lot because if he feels it what must have happened to this other person (is under the impression it is a normal civilian)

--Adrien is so happy to know he is loved by someone else, because as Conner may not show it, he has a feeling his other half cares

---Mari is so happy that her best friend has gotten what he needed to know he was loved she cries with him too

----It happens a year or so after being heros so they are close but don’t quite know each others identities yet, but that happens not long after

--Conner is convinced to go and help when the Justice League goes to Paris

---He goes and stays with Tim most of the time

---Tim is the one who convinced him to go and acts as a translator, as Conner has a grasp of the language he isn't too confident

---He does meet Chat Noir but only briefly; both are more focused on the bigger picture

----Both act like lost puppies with Mari and Tim respectfully; and when they get together this doesn't change too much

----They are a really fluffy couple, Adrein needs physical affection and Conner accepts

-How they meet (Tim and MAri) [finally I know]

--They meet as heros before they meet as civilians

--They meet as heros on a patrol before the final battle with Hawk Moth

---This is where the “HOLY SHIT I JUST MEET RED ROBIN/LADYBUG” moment happens, after they get back from patrol they indemnity write the other

----Mari talks to Diana about all this over breakfast the next day

-----they both know the others identity because Diana told Mari so she would trust her because she knew Mari because of her connection with the Miraculous, instant connection

----Wonder Woman figures out they are soulmates through this (Tim had a mini crisis with her that night)

--She “may or may not” leave hint to Bruce to set something up for them

--The 2 are to focused on the final battle to worry about the potential revelations 

---While fighting they have instant synergy and chemistry that goes unnoticed by them at the time but everyone else notices and takes note

--Bruce decides to “spontaneously” sponsor a trip for a class to go to Gotham, as a senior/graduation reward for a class that has done a lot for their community

---It is also a way to give a break to the poor kids who have been dealing with this for far to long

---The “contest” is announced about a week or so after the final battle

---Wonder Woman tells Mari about it

---Mari then proceeds to write far more than one would have expected, she really wants her class to have something good finally, and even excluding all the hero end stuff they do it is close to being a novel

----She would have won even if wasn’t a set up 

---Wonder Woman tells Bruce which class to choose and doesn’t question it as he trusts her judgment, he also doesn’t question why she is so insistent but completely agrees with her choice

----Diana is the one to tell Mari who instaly is giving her a bone crushing hug which Diana returns in fold

---The whole squad is hyped

----Luka and Kagami pulled some strio “happen” to be going to Gotham themselves

----This is also seen as a great opportunity for them to scout places for them to consider moving after school is done

--They meet at Wayne Enterprise building

---Dick is leading the tour

----Diana may or may not have given him some hints that Tim’s soulmate is in the group

--Lila’s empire is destroyed that week, she tried to lie about the Waynes to the Waynes 

---Tries to say she is dating Damiain who is way younger than her and knows nothing

---Conner is staying with Tim because his soulmate said something about Gotham and figured spending time with Tim isn’t bad either

--Identity get revealed on purpose during the trip (probably near the end) 

--When Mari sees the boys she is confused but happy to see her new friends again so soon

--Diana is a good support for Mari and a “wing woman” of sorts 

--Jason is so happy to she his new “sister” when he crashes the tour to mess with Dick

--Tim is passed out in his office when they pass

---Mari writes a note to her soulmate about how funny it is, this makes Conner look up as he is watching Tim and sees the note appear in his arm

---Mari doesn’t notice but Dick and Jason do

---This leads to the 3 trying to get them to talk

---Adrien catches on and instantly wants to help his bestie meet her boy

----Adrien then tells his soulmate about it later because he wants to and Conner sits straight up and has a huge revelation

-----The boys along with Diana and Mari’s squad set them up and they have a good time and it is really cute