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adenil-umano · 4 years

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12 Days of Spones Day 1: Snow

[Read on AO3]

Poeth Iawn IV was the coolest planet orbiting the trinary star cluster P-I VH10034. Temperatures on the surface averaged 50 degrees celsius at night, and a balmy 63 during the day. It was too hot for a human without about a liter of tri-ox coursing through their veins, and even vulcans declared it “shorts and a t-shirt” weather. The generational ship--sent from Earth in 2112 and arriving just last year--had, of course, not packed any of the tri-ox that would not be invented for another fifty years.

Records of the ship had been lost on Earth, so the Federation didn’t find out about the few hundred human colonists slowly melting on the planet until the distress calls started coming through. The first suggestion was to evacuate. Find a new home for the colonists and declare this planet unfit for human habitation. But humans are stubborn things, and although the colonists had only lived on the lifeless cinder of a planet for a year they had already decided to call it home. They’d scuttled their ship and dug into the ground, where temperatures were a few degrees colder and the air was a few oxygen molecules short of a full breath.

Underground was where Dr. Leonard McCoy found himself shuttling hyposprays back and forth in regular intervals, keeping the scientists and colonists alive as the Enterprise crew installed weather control towers that would hopefully provide a bit of respite.

“Jim, you can’t just wander around shirtless. That’s not a heat reduction plan.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Bones. I’m perfectly cool.”

“Perfectly sweaty is more like. Jim, you’re dripping. It’s disgusting.”

“You wound me.”

“‘Do no harm’ does not apply to your ego.”

“You don’t hear me complaining about your pit stains.”

“Don’t make me jab you with this,” McCoy said, brandishing the hypospray threateningly. “I know all the pressure points in the human body.”

Jim pouted and reluctantly tugged his shirt back on, offering up his arm meekly for the hypospray.

“Honestly,” McCoy muttered. “I should just leave you here to fester. You’d be singing a different tune in about three hours when the last of the HeatSync and tri-ox wear off.”

He slapped Jim’s arm and shooed the captain away. He worked quickly through the line of engineers waiting for their shots, and then the dozen grateful colonists. Forty-seven of them had died of heat stroke before the Federation could arrive with aid, and the remainder weren’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Even if said-gift horse did require them to keep their damned shirts on.

When he’d finished he still had one hypospray sitting pretty in his kit. He didn’t have to consult his list to know who had missed their daily regiment. With a sigh, he packed up his things and took out his tricorder. He’d dealt with this problem yesterday, and the day before, and the week before that, so his tricorder was already set to detect Vulcan biosigns.

He followed the signal through the main cave system and past the clusters of engineers drilling support structures into the rocks. Later, the weather towers would have feet that thrust a full kilometer into the ground. They needed to stand firm and tall. Weather control was still an uncertain science, and the surface of the planet would be prone to bouts of extreme storms.

He found Spock hiding in a garden. The colonists had filled the caves with mushrooms and dark-loving plants. It was dim, with only a faint biolumenscent glow from some of the lichen to light the rows and rows of mushroom boxes. Spock stood along the far wall which swooped some three meters up to the curvedceiling. His tricorder beeped steadily as he scanned every inch with delicate precision. Even in the shadows, his body language belied intense concentration.

He thought about clearing his throat and startling Spock, but something held him back. McCoy merely watched him for a moment. Spock’s hair caught the green light from the lichen and his high cheekbones were even sharper than normal in the shadowed light. He finished his examination of the wall and closed his tricorder with a click.

“My apologies, Doctor,” Spock said, turning towards him.

“Lose track of time? Again?” McCoy asked. He tugged on his shirt to get air flowing. It was a few degrees cooler underground but it still wasn’t pleasant, even while standing still.

“No. I was merely...enraptured with a certain problem I believe I am quite close to solving.”

“Does your rapture allow you to get a booster shot? Or will that throw off your flow?”

Spock inclined his gracefully. With a laugh, McCoy moseyed over and pressed the hypospray against Spock’s arm. McCoy brushed his thumb over the injection site. Doctors hadn’t used needles in over two centuries, but he still indulged in a few comforting gestures now and again. He let his hand trail down and interlaced his fingers with Spock’s. A warmth infused him as Spock shared a wave of contentment with him.

“So, what problem are you working on?”

“One that I believe will provide a more lasting solution to the Poeth colonists’ weather problem.”

“Oh? Weather towers aren’t good enough for you?”

“Indeed, they are not. Even on Earth, where the use of weather towers is most mature, the technology has never successfully changed global temperatures by more than four degrees.”

“I thought you said the scientists were hopeful they could build a better system here?”

“Initially, yes, that is what I believed. However, even if projections prove to be accurate the global temperature will be reduced by a mere five degrees.”

“At least it would be livable, if not comfortable.”

“Then there is the issue of tower maintenance. For a new colony that has yet to establish a reliable food source this may prove to overwhelm their capacity.”

McCoy sighed. He leaned in and rested his head against Spock’s shoulder, breathing deeply to steady himself. Spock was the only thing on this whole planet that didn’t smell of sweat. He just smelled a bit warm and a bit earthy, probably from hanging out with mushrooms all day. “Yeah,” McCoy muttered. “I was thinking about that, too. The Federation will have to establish a supply line.”

“Given how close such a line would come to the Romulan neutral zone that is not a guaranteed solution. Ships do not come this far often, and if even one were to go missing it could upset the delicate balance of supplies here.”

“So? What’s your grand, Vulcan plan to solve the problem and save all these people?”

“Simple. I will move the planet.”

“Move the--Spock, I think you’ve been spending too much time communing with the fungus.”

“Although it is no easy task, it is one we have accomplished before, albeit to a lesser degree. When we deflected the course of the asteroid bound for Amerind we utilized similar principles to the ones that may yet save the people of Poeth Iawn.”

“That was just an asteroid. You’re talking about moving an entire planet. And if I recall correctly it nearly blew out every circuit in the ship.”

“As I said, it is no easy task.”

“Mr. Spock you are the master of understatement,” McCoy said dryly. He leaned in to give Spock a peck on the cheek. “Well, can I help at all? What are your calculations looking like?”

“The calculations are complete. I know how to move the planet. I was merely scanning the cave structures to determine the likelihood that the underground system would be destroyed in the process.”

“Will it?”

“With the proper support structures in place I believe upwards of 83.2% of the cave structure will remain intact during the moving process.”

“That’s good. As dingy as this place is, it’s still these people’s home. I suppose I can let you get back to your study.”

“Not necessary, Doctor. I am ready to report my findings to the Captain.” Spock’s eyes flashed brightly in the dim light. “Would you care to indulge in one of your human traditions with me? I believe this calls for a ‘celebratory kiss.’”

McCoy laughed. “Why, Mr. Spock, I would be delighted.” He bounced up on his toes and met Spock in the darkness, sliding together with the ease of long practice, and with the ease of a rather gross amount of sweat. McCoy hummed as he felt Spock’s hot hand settle onto his lower back. They kissed in the sweltering cave among loam and mushrooms, a brief celebration cut short by the itchy heat.

McCoy pulled away and tugged at his shirt again. “Sorry, Spock, but it’s a bit too warm for a true celebration.”

“A pity,” Spock said. He let his hand fall and McCoy sighed in a mixture of disappointment at the loss and relief at the removal of Spock’s overwhelming warmth. “Perhaps later, when it is cooler.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

---

After that came the real work. Spock’s plan wasn’t easy, and it required a complete redirection of energy from everyone working on the planet and on the Enterprise. Not to mention the hours of negotiations with the Captain and the leaders of Poeth Iawn. Surprisingly--or perhaps not--the colonists were eager to try Spock’s plan. It was Jim who required convincing, and after a few late nights poring over Spock’s data he finally agreed to go through with it.

The towers, half-built, were dismantled rapidly and repurposed into support structures for the winding cave systems. Anyone who wasn’t working on supporting the caves prepared for a temporary evacuation. They harvested food, put their experiments in stasis, and said goodbyes to rocks that may be buried under rubble in a few day’s time. Humans were funny like that, McCoy mused as he continued the only job he was good for: administering shots. The colonists had developed connections to the planet, connections that ran deep despite their short time here. They had favorite underground streams and familiar crystal formations. Some loved this passageway or that the way one loves a treasured pet. Spock’s estimate of how much of their home was likely to be destroyed didn’t sit well with them, that much was clear. They wanted to say goodbye while they had the chance.

It took eight days to secure the underground caverns and to transport the colonists to the Enterprise. Quarters would be tight during the moving of the planet, but staying four or five to a room was safer than trying to stay standing on a planet that was about to be rocked. McCoy found himself rooming with Scotty and Sulu, and the three stayed up late toasting to future successes. McCoy awoke with a headache and a bad taste in his mouth, his skin tingling with anticipation for what the day would bring.

The whole ship was overtaken by a hush, despite the overcrowding situation. People passed each other with only a whisper, everyone’s thoughts on what would happen on the planet below.

McCoy found his way to the bridge with a headache hypo he discreetly delivered to a very-thankful Sulu. After that he loitered near Spock’s station, carefully out of the way. He could feel Spock’s nervous energy even without touching him and he radiated back as much calm contentment as he could. Occasionally Spock looked up from his calculations, his mouth pinching in at the sight of McCoy. It could have been called a smile, if McCoy had wanted to insult his partner.

“We are ready to proceed, Captain.”

“Good. Captain to Engineering. Scotty, any final adjustments?”

“Not a one, Captain. We’ve got the hatches battened down firmer than drum.”

“You think the Enterprise will hold?”

“Aye, Captain. You give the order and she’ll hold, even if I do have to nurse her through it.”

Jim nodded, sitting back in his chair. A slight tinge of anxiety rippled through the bridge as everyone poised to act. McCoy wasn’t useful for this part of it, and he hoped to hell he wouldn’t be made useful by anything blowing up.

“Mr. Spock, you may begin.”

Spock’s hands flew over the controls. Sulu and Chekov both moved in unison to bring the Enterprise about. McCoy was certain he imagined the slight shudder as the ship crept into position. Through the viewscreen, the barren landscape of Poeth Iawn IV crept into view. Stark red rock broken only by dry riverbeds and the occasionally wispy cloud peered up like an eye examining the ship.

“Begin tractor beam on my mark,” Spock said. His voice didn’t waver, but something about the way he said it made McCoy reach out one hand and light brush Spock’s wrist bone. “Three, two, one...mark.”

The entire ship really did shudder as the most powerful tractor beam ever conjured shot forward. It was a brilliant gold color, and the vibrations of it set McCoy’s teeth on edge. The beam fired in waves, each driving precisely into various points across the planet’s surface. They concentrated near the equator, tiny spurts of incredible force. The planet appeared to move, but in reality it was the Enterprise skirting around to improve the angel McCoy knew it was a delicate balance between moving the planet and not knocking it completely out of orbit or accidentally stopping its rotation.

Spock’s gaze was fixed on his readings, so McCoy watched the sight of the tractor beam bathing the planet in gold with fixed interest, attempting to commit it to a memory that he could share with Spock later. Spock deserved to see all the fruits of his labor, not just the numbers and calculations.

It took nearly eighty minutes for the dazzling light show to die down. When the last beam fizzled out, everyone on the bridge breathed a sigh of relief. Jim called down to engineering and found out that only a single switch board had blown; the engines were fine.

“We could do it again if you’d like, Captain.”

Jim smiled. “No, Scotty. Once is enough.” He relaxed back into his chair. “Report, Mr. Spock?”

“Planet movement is within margin of error. The spin has been increased by approximately thirteen Earth-minutes, bringing the total length of a Poeth Iawn day to twenty-two hours and forty-nine minutes thirteen seconds. If the planet continues on this course it will move far enough from the planet to equalize to a temperature on par with pre-Industrial Revolution Earth. Most interestingly, we are seeing climate patterns emerge for the first time.”

“Look,” McCoy said. “Is that...snow?”

Even Spock turned to gaze at the screen. The wispy clouds dotting the planet had thickened and coalesced, coming together to form something which, form above, appeared suspiciously similar to a snowstorm. It was difficult to make out from this angle.

“Captain, recommend the deployment of a surface team to measure the effects.”

“Request granted. Assemble the team.”

Spock called for the ship’s climatologist and for two geologists. Of course, McCoy and Jim went as well, if only because they were curious. Based on Spock’s initial measurements everyone wore the winter uniform: gloves, hats, long sleeves, and thermal undershirts. It felt odd to prep for an away team that involved a scarf.

McCoy beamed down to the surface of the planet for the first time. It was quiet, almost eerily so. The stone beneath his feet was rough pumice, and although there was a faint chill in the air there was no snow here yet. He looked up and watched the clouds gather, twisting and turning.

A few feet away Spock was scanning madly. After a moment he clicked shut his tricorder and turned to Jim. “Captain, I can report that the structural damage to the tunnel systems was minimal. We can begin reintegrating the colonists at this location immediately.”

“Shouldn’t we go to their cave system and see it ourselves?”

“We are at the cave system, Captain.” Spock pointed to few disturbed stones nearby. “This is the entrance.”

Jim looked down at the ground, perhaps imagining, as McCoy was, all the miles and miles of tunnels just beneath their feet. After a moment, he nodded. “Very well. Specialist Tian, coordinate with the shuttle bay and transporter room. Let’s get these people home.”

A breeze picked up as everyone scattered to their tasks. McCoy shivered, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. It took only a few minutes for the whine of the transporters to begin. It would be hours before everyone was back on the planet. The initial six that beamed down appeared to be a family: two mothers and their kids, plus an elderly grandfather, all gazed wide-eyed up at the sky.

McCoy looked up, grinning. There was a glint and then--yes, there. A single snowflake twirled through the air down, down towards the red surface. McCoy followed it’s path, entertaining himself with thoughts of snowflakes boldly going where no snow had gone before.

The flake landed in Spock’s perfectly coifed hair and McCoy laughed, ambling over to brush it away. “Mr. Spock, you’ve prevented the first snowflake from landing. That’s mighty cruel of you; after all the hard work it put in to forming itself way up there you didn’t let it reach the ground.”

Spock blinked at him. “I do not believe snowflakes have an opinion about where they land.” As he spoke, more snow dusted his hair and his long eyelashes.

McCoy watched him as he was slowly covered in snow, a grin on his face and warmth in his heart. It was falling faster now, the kind of fast, warm snow that he’d only seen during fall days spent visiting the Midwest. Behind him, the children began to shriek with joy and run screaming around the rocks.

All around them the world was slowly coated in a layer of white. The red vanished piece-by-piece, replaced by a snow so clean that it hurt to look at. McCoy laughed and watched his breath crystalize in the air. He lifted his face towards the sky and threw his arms wide, welcoming the snow and the cold and all that it meant for this planet and its people.

“My god, Spock. Will you look at that?”

“I am looking, Doctor.”

He turned and felt his breath catch as his eyes locked with Spock’s. Spock gazed at him evenly, lovingly, and McCoy shivered even though he no longer felt cold.

Spock slipped closer, reaching out to entangle their fingers and share a bright burst of happiness with McCoy. “Will you indulge me, Leonard?”

“A celebratory kiss?”

“If you would be so kind.”

McCoy laughed, and it was the easiest thing in this world or any other to lean in and press their bodies together. He felt all of Spock--his warmth and solidity, his stoic energy, the smoothness of his lips. McCoy let Spock pull him close into that warm embrace and kissed the dewy snow from his cheeks.

They kissed as the world turned beneath them, altered for the better, and as snow piled up around their feet.

#spones #they kiss in this one #12DaysofSpones

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all-the-heart-you-cannot-see · 4 years

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Things i loved about season 4

- The Nun scene. Honestly the sheer level of galaxy brain Ludo Besse has when writting these seasons lol. It was a very clever pararell to have the nun mistake Sana for another Sister, in a country as catholic as Italy, its al simple way of putting the hijab into perspective, no one sees a nun and thinks the same things they do when they see a muslim girl wearing a veil, even when they are essentially pretty similar: an expression of their religion. I really liked it (and the conversation under the candlelight just felt a whole other level of intimate so thats a plus)

- The Luai storyline. Man i loved this bit of the season, can we talk about the scene where Nico and Luai see each other at the club? The song choice? The shots? GOLDEN. I like that there are no real villains in this story (except for Luai's parents) what happened between them wasnt the result of someone in the baloon squad being homophobic, they were both victims of the circumstances and i love that Luai currently has a boyfriend, i've never been happier for a side character in my life.

- Sana. I enjoyed Sana a lot, she is sweet, she is akward, is a different take on her character and i liked it very much. What i loved the most was that the side plots from the og are still mostly there but this time they are constructed so they still revolve around Sana and her struggles. After the fight with Marti and the Rose Squad when she stays there alone with blood on her hand and both of her worlds (the contrabandieri and the Rose Squad) just walk away from her and she is just crying...that hit me hard (kudos to Bea, her acting was also very good), it made the scene more about her and what it meant for her than about the external drama, and then she justs keeps getting hit when she hears the UFB talking about her and finally Eva and Malik kissing... i could feel the weight of everything that had happened that night just falling on her shoulders and my heart shrank...her character was so well constructed im glad she got such a great season.

- The Rose Squad. I loved them, three out of four of them have clear characterization and it just placed them really high on my list...Ludo managed to make me care about Luai who has a total of like, 5 lines so i think its safe to say they are very well written and very well used.

-Filippo. At this point Filo is the father of half of that school i swear, it laughed so much with his scenes, from drunk Rami to Martino being a mess and just giving up on life in Filo's bedroom, also the fan service with Elia, i would've enjoyed it more had they not implaid that Elia was going to date Emma there at the end. (We stan safe sex kids)

- Episode 8. Was such a beautiful episode to watch, Martino and Sana are one of my favorite Isak-Sana dynamics after Amira and Cris, i loved their conversation cause it was more about understanding each other, Sana was right about some things and Martino was right about others, it was nice to see her finally open up to someone after just botteling up her emotions for the entire season, it was really sweet. Her message to the girls was heartbreaking, i legit cried and had to rewind the video cause my vision kept getting blurry and i kept missing parts of her speech, again Bea's acting really helped here, episode 8 was Sana not only opening up to her friends, but to us as the audience, that even after 7 episodes on her POV, still didnt understand her actions very well, it was a nice way of complementing the new perspectice her convo with Marti had given us, i loved it. (Also hide and seek to reunite Niccotino? I love Ludo Besse)

- The girl squad. I always thought Eva was very underapreciated (which is why i adore Skam España for giving her more to do after her season), i dont know why, but since the first time i saw norweiang Eva's season she stayed in my heart, and this version of Eva is one i love as well, i enjoyed her character and honestly her last scene with Gio? GOLD, her letter? One of the best things to come out of the Skam universe, i want to thank Ludo for handling her with such love. Silvia i really liked, her clip really puts things into perspective and i love that they kept her cat as an actual consistent plot device, she's had a nice character development, from wanting desperately to be noticed by the school coolest boy, to simply not caring about boys to finally opening up to someone, truly letting them in and accept herself, no only her body, but who she was. Finally Fede... the backstory of why she spoke to Sana was something i really appreciated, as well as the fact of her being so ashamed of what she he had done, i like that story because it shows how people can change once their prejudice is deconstructed, specially at that age we are the product of the education we were given, things like homophobia, sexism or xenophobia althought still not acceptable for a teenager, dont mean that they can't be redeemed, that their world view can't change in the future and that they can't grow. It was nice, you may have been an asshole in the past but as long as you understand what you did wrong and geniunly apologize, there is no reason for us to think someone cannot be redeemed.

- Every. Malik. And. Sana. Scene. Was so amazingly shot and constructed that even when i understood 30% of the dialogue the first time i watched it without subtitles i was smiling like an idiot, the date scene, those last few seconds? Them just staring into each others eyes? No kiss scene would've made us feel what that made us feel and that is a testament not only to good acting, but to the amazing direction of Ludo Besse.

- Ludovico Bessegato. This man has so much love for this project it shows on the end result, Skam Italia is pretry similar to the og in terms of plot, but Ludo made it stand out with his characters, his cinematography and some minor changes. The result is a story most of us already knew and loved with characters that some of us might love more than the originals in a setting that for me personally is more relatable than the norweiang one and has earned a place in my heart. I still can't believe he alone had to manage social media for the first seasons and had to fight with Timvision to get the show done, im so happy his work, and the work of all the other people who poured their hearts into this project (including the actors) got rewarded in such a way.

- The final speech. I understood very little of it while watching the first time, but that didnt stop me from crying like a baby while Gio read the letter, i found i cared for every person on that screen, from all of them i had good memories on the show and i couldn't believe that a fictional story could make such an impact in me, specially since this is the second time i see it, i'm probably way to biased with this show and the truth is idk why,i couldn't pin point the things that make me love it the way i do, i just do, and i am very satisfied with this ending, if this is the end.

#skam italia #skam italy #skam italia s4 #skam italia spoilers #skam italia season 4 #skam italy spoilers #sana allagui

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #357

“your magic white rabbit has left its writing on the wall / we follow like alice, and just keep diving down the hole”

Are you better at telling stories or writing them? Writing, by a long shot. What’s one song you hate, but know every word to? i'm a barbie girl in a fckn barbie woooooorld What’s your favorite magazine? I don’t read magazines. If you could be an animal for one day, which animal would you choose? Probably a house cat. Be indoors and safe, able to just nap... lol. But I'd want another cat as a friend, too! Do you prefer outdoor or indoor concerts/events? Indoors, by a mile. I get hot outside way too easily. Do you know if you were a planned child? I don't know. What’s your favorite gem? Dragon's breath opal. As an adult, do you want to live in an apartment or a house? I'd like to live in a house, especially with the pets I want. I doubt many apartment complexes would allow multiple reptiles and inverts. Do you like the stem or leafy part of the broccoli? It doesn't matter much to me, but I prefer the stem. The texture is more likeable to me. Do bats frighten you? No, I adore bats! Does Paris appeal to you? Yeah, it's a pretty place. Are you a KPOP fan? No, I've never really checked it out. How long was your longest relationship? Over three and a half years. First time you kissed the last person you kissed? We were outside roasting marshmallows one night. Do you have to really know someone to kiss them? Absolutely. I don't dish 'em out for nothing. Were you anyone’s first kiss? No. If you had to be named after one of the 50 states of America, what state would you WANT to be named after? I actually think "Nevada" would be kinda pretty as a name? Do you think morals are universal or relative to the beliefs, traditions, or practices of individuals or groups? I've wondered this for a long while, really. I lean towards it being a mix, maybe? But more towards universal, I think... with some exceptions. This answer is all over the place, I honestly don't know. Is torture ever a good option? If no, why not? If yes, when? No? I think the "why not" is obvious... You just don't. What do you think is one one of the most undervalued professions right now? Teachers, garbagemen, retail and food workers... There's a lot. Have you ever seen anyone have a heart attack? Thank Christ no. Have you personalized your answering machine/voicemail? No. Have you ever had Fiji brand water? I actually don't believe I have, though it's always looked appealing to me, haha. What’s your favorite horror movie? The Crazies and the first Silent Hill, as well as both Blair Witch Projects. What was the worst thing a friend has either done or said to you? I'd rather not even think about things the bitch said to me. Are you biracial? No. When was the last time you got mad and broke something? I've never broken something when mad. What color dress did you wear to prom? My first was maroon, second one was black. Who is the cutest baby you know? My friend has a daughter named Scarlett who is absolutely gorgeous. Have you ever thrown a rock at a window? No, because I respect people's fucking property. Has anyone ever thrown a rock at your window? No. Does your hair react well to dye, or does it damage it? It likes to not take dye at all. >.> I have only had one instance where a friend dyed it red and it stuck for months and months, but we kept it in for a couple hours, I think. My normal hairdresser says it's because my hair is really healthy and I guess rejects it. What kind of pet do you wish you had? I ramble plenty about how I want tarantulas and more reptiles, haha. I also DESPERATELY want to rescue or foster an opossum. When was the last time you were diagnosed with something? Are you concerned about anything regarding your physical or mental health at the moment? I haven't been diagnosed with anything in quite some time, I believe, but as I'm going through the process of being approved for TMS therapy for my depression, my bipolar diagnosis is being questioned, which is... strange to me. It's been acknowledged by many a doctor that I have bipolar 2, but if insurance recognizes my primary diagnosis as bipolar, they won't cover TMS because it can massively excite the mania portion of bipolarity, and therefore I can't do it because we can't manually afford it. I'm willing to take the risk by far, as I've never had issues with mania, but I can't without insurance. I'm just waiting to hear back from them... What is one blanket judgment you tend to make about people (like, you judge all people who live at home, all people who drink, etc)? Does this judgment come from a particular personal experience? I really don't know. How do you react to other people yelling or slamming doors? Is this something you ever do too? I get very scared if it's a man. I don't like anyone doing it, and my anxiety will spike regardless, I'm just terrified of angry men. Have you ever lost your cool at work or somewhere else important? What happened as a result? No. Who has the power to break you? Jason still might. I don't know. Is anyone in your family blind? My sister is legally blind in one eye. Do you believe in evolution? Yeah. I do find the concept odd, that ALL LIFE originated from one thing, but I sure ain't got a better explanation, so. What job do you think people should be paid the most for? Surgeons, maybe? I dunno, that's a big question. Were you ever held back a year in school? Did you ever skip a grade? No. Have you ever been given a hickey? Have you given one? Yeah to both. What is your least favourite thing about your full name? I have the most basic white bitch middle name in the world, lol. Do you like the age you are? Eh, I don't mind it much, but I think it'd be better to be in my early 20s versus mid 20s. I'm just always so tired now. I can't believe I used to refuse to go to sleep before 10:30. What’s your favourite kind of poptart? The chocolate sundae one. If you had to eat one type (Chinese, etc.) of food which would it be? American bc I'm not very adventurous with food at all. When did your family immigrate to wherever you live now? *shrug* Are your fingers long, or short? Long. Mom's always said I have "piano fingers." Do you play Pokemon Go? If so, what level are you and who’s your buddy? Yeah, I love it, but don't play it nearly as much as I want because I don't exactly go anywhere, lol. My bud's Charmeleon, and I'm probably like five EXP from level 28. Do you ever sit indoors and wear sunglasses or a hat? I don't own either, so. Do you know how to read animals’ behavior? I honestly think I'm very good at it. Do you like playing video games? If so, what do you usually play? Yes, but not as much as I used to. All I really play nowadays is World of Warcraft. The only working console I have is a PS2, and I haven't bought a new game in probably a couple years, but there are definitely ones I want to play, mainly on PS4. Just can't afford it right now. Have you ever viewed the moon through a telescope? No. Do you know how to properly eat food with chopsticks? No. There's no way I could, given my tremors. Do you prefer reading books, comic books, manga/graphic novels, magazines, or the newspaper? Books. When is the last time you ate donuts? It's been months, man. I've seriously been craving a glazed one, though. Krispy Kreme sounds amaaaaaziiiiiing. Has anyone ever called you sexy? Somehow. Do you like raisins? NO NO NO NO NO. Have you ever overheard a conversation you weren’t supposed to? More than once. Do you like ants? They're genuinely extremely fascinating animals, but they're seriously annoying nevertheless. Did you like the movie Antz? I loved it as a kid. What was your favorite ice cream flavor when you were little? Chocolate. Is it still your favorite? Eh, depends on the day. By the way, what is your name? Brittany. What time zone do you live in? EST. Do you like cats? I love cats. What’s the most creepy experience you’ve ever had? One night when my mom and sister were at the beach for a dance competition, I was having trouble sleeping, and it only got worse when my dog Teddy started freaking the fuck out, barking loudly and staring intently at the foot of the bed. I was so scared that I tried to force his head to lie down, but he fought against me. I was terrified, but got up out of the bed and went into the living room to call my mom at like 3 in the damn morning, and she had to have our neighbor come over to sleep in the house with me (I was in a different room that night). You can't convince me that there wasn't paranormal shit going on. I think the house was haunted honestly, for multiple reasons. What’s the most boring game to exist? Why do you dislike it so much? Hm, I dunno. What’s the coolest place that you've ever been to? What’d you do there? Disney World was very memorable as a kid. We just went around collecting signatures, going on rides, all that fun stuff. I'll never forget fireworks at the castle. If you’re interested in having a long-term relationship with someone, do you think that waiting a certain amount of time before you first have sex is a good idea? Or does it not matter? I think it's a good idea, personally, mostly for the sake of reducing the spread of STDs. Just because you think you'll be long-term, doesn't mean you will be. Besides that, isn't there a science that sex and feelings of love are connected? Like, sex is impossible without at least some underlying emotions? I might be entirely wrong, in which case forgive me for spreading misinformation, but if that's so and things don't go as planned, you've gotten emotionally invested in someone too early and wind up getting hurt. You do you, I just don't think it's smart. Have you ever discovered something big by looking through someone’s phone, Facebook, email, etc.? No. Have you kept anything from your past relationships? (Things they left at your house, gifts, notes, etc) Do you think that’s a big deal for future relationships or not? Yeah, like plushies and little stuff like that. When it's tiny things like I just mentioned, I really don't think it matters. I think some things might be questionable to keep, but at the same time, I don't think it's really wrong to keep memories of a happy time, if the thing still brings you joy and has been emotionally disconnected from the ex? Idk. Do you have any financial regrets? Either way, what’s an example of a GOOD financial decision you’ve made? Going to and dropping out of college three fucking times. I don't know about a good financial decision seeing as I'm not even in charge of my own finances, nor really have any to begin with. Are you a believer in “signs” from the Universe about things in your life? If you are, can you think of a particular example? No. Name some things that one or both of your parents are really good at or really interested in. Mom LOVES medical stuff, like watching surgeries and stuff like that. She is also absolutely incredible with children. Dad likes sports a lot, hockey and football especially. Think of a good friend of the opposite sex (currently or in the past). Have you ever had any sort of “more than a friend” or sexual thoughts about them? If not, can you explain why? Well, we dated briefly, so... It was awkward to, but I let myself imagine sexual situations a few times to help myself understand if I really did like-like him, or if he was truly just a brother to me. Turns out, he's a bro. If someone told you that you would never achieve something and you ended up doing it, would you have any interest in finding that person and showing them? I'ma be honest, yes. I wouldn't actively seek them out, but rather just hope they somehow find out or I run into them or something. What is the most jealousy-induced thing you’ve ever done? Apparently, be the girl Juan liked instead of this girl that literally threatened to deck me. Guess what? We're friends now lmaoooo.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''white rabbit'' by egypt central

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dreams-of-kalopsia · 5 years

Text

The Logic of Them

Summary: On Pidge’s graduation day, Lance hands her a tablet with a video that would change her life.

A @plancesecretsanta 2019 fic for @ursamiiinor. Merry Christmas, Dia! Sorry for the delay. Here’s your college AU gift fic! ^u^

Read it on AO3.

----

Lance handed Pidge a tablet, and she stared blankly at the device. “What do I do with this?”

He arched his brows at her. “What do you usually do with tablets, Pidge?”

“A lot, so just tell me which one I should do.”

“Everyone wanted to congratulate you,” he finally explained, securing a pair of earbuds in her ears before taking the seat beside her. “I compiled their greetings into one video since most of them can’t make it today.”

“Oh.” Pidge edged closer to Lance and gave him her other earbud so they could watch the video together. She was excited to hear from everybody again.

Two years ago, Shiro had qualified as an astronaut candidate and had left to train for space travel. While she heard from him regularly, and while she also got updates on his training from Matt, who’d become an astronaut before Shiro, she still looked forward to seeing how he’d been.

Meanwhile, Hunk had returned to his hometown last year to apply everything he’d learned about green engineering. Same for Keith and Allura. Only Lance had stayed from their batch, and only Pidge, a year younger than them, was left to graduate a year later.

The video started with everyone—from friends to family—in their video squares, congratulating her for graduating. She beamed instantly. All the people she loved, close at hand despite being far away.

Keith’s square zoomed in to its full size.

He frowned at the camera. Or the one behind it, most likely. “I go first?"

Pidge heard Lance’s hushed “Yeah. Just go say something.”

Keith huffed, crossed his arms, then began: “Pidge and Lance aren’t the typical couple. They don’t hold hands. They don’t go on dates. They’re literally best friends who label themselves as a couple. Their announcement was so sudden it didn’t even sink in for five minutes.” He glared. “Who announces something like that as if they’re just going out to get food, anyway?”

“Did it seem like that?” Lance asked from behind the camera. She had the same question in mind, so she tried to remember that moment.

* * *

Even though she was focused on editing a code due in fifteen minutes, Pidge could feel Lance’s nervousness rolling off of him from the couch across from her. She couldn’t understand why he was so tense; she was pretty sure they’d been obvious with their feelings these past few months that the others wouldn’t really be surprised. Still, she shot him a reassuring look, knowing that that would calm him down. It did, as always. It practically worked like a charm.

He called everyone’s attention with a “Hey, guys?” She felt him falter. She glanced at him and met his questioning eyes. “Let’s tell them, Pidge?”

“Sure.” Another reassuring look his way, and she was lost in her code again, typing at full speed to meet her deadline.

“Tell us what?” Hunk asked absently between chewing noises.

“We’re in a relationship now. Well, have been for two months.”

Pidge didn’t notice the complete silence until she’d pressed the enter key to send in her work. She looked up then, finding astonished, dumbfounded expressions on everyone’s faces and utter confusion on Lance’s—an expression that no doubt matched hers.

“What?” she asked, her question reverberating in the still silent living room of Shiro and Keith’s shared apartment.

“What?” Allura asked back.

“What ‘what’?” Lance asked back, too.

And they all stared at each other in more confusion.

* * *

“And yet,” Keith continued, recalling Pidge from her recollection, “somehow, they made sense.” He smiled, and the video switched to Hunk.

“I introduced them,” Hunk said smugly, making her chuckle. His grin was as bright and warm as the summer view behind him, if not more. “Pidge and I were classmates in this course that required a thesis-level project—I mean, who does that?! Our university, apparently, but I digress.”

He shifted in his seat, his eyes twinkling with excitement. “So. Eve of our deadline and we’re stressed out of our minds. Local pizza shack about to close. What did I do? I snuck her into our dorm. My best mate and roommate Lance—bless you—”

“Thank you,” came Lance’s distant voice.

“—opened the doors from inside after curfew, quick introduction, then Pidge and I were back at work. Aaand…” he drawled. “I don’t know if she’d ever realized, but the nickname ‘Pidge’ wasn’t actually ‘Pidge’.”

“Oh no. No no no no. Hunk, don’t say another word,” Lance’s disembodied voice had taken on a warning tone that Hunk, as his best friend, easily disregarded.

“Pidge, you hearing this? That night you met each other and you had your full snark on? He called you a bi—” A hand, obviously Lance’s, clamped over Hunk’s mouth before he could finish.

The video switched again, showing a slightly disheveled, post-laughter, but more formal Hunk. “I’ve been informed that some very important people might be viewing this. I apologize for the rowdiness you witnessed a few seconds prior.”

Pidge paused the video to smirk at the not-camera Lance by her side. “You dared call me something remotely derogatory, Lance?”

His face paled a bit before darkening with a blush. “W-We didn’t have the best first impressions of each other, Pidge.”

When he avoided all her efforts to establish eye contact, she burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, I knew from the start.”

“Wh-Really?”

“Anyone with clean ears will pick up on your noisy grumbling, you know?”

“Oh. Sorry for calling you that, Pidge.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. The nickname that came from it stuck, anyway.”

He grinned at her, then motioned for her to continue watching.

“For people as dramatic as Lance and as explosive as Pidge, they sure are quiet as a couple. They’re honestly the most boring couple out there.”

“Hey!”

Hunk’s hands went up in a placating gesture. “Hey, don’t get me wrong, man. You guys are two of the coolest people I know. But nothing ever happens with you two! Remember that time Pidge got her appendix removed and she was coming out of her anesthesia-induced coma?”

Pidge tried to recall it. There wasn’t much that happened; the surgery was a success, and Hunk was the first person she found upon waking up, watching over her from a bedside chair.

“Pidge asked where you were, and I thought she was still loopy from the anesthesia so I said, ‘Who do you think gave you your heart?’ And she just stared at me blankly in her trademark way that told you she can’t comprehend what you’re saying, so if you can please say something with a minimum IQ level of one hundred. Then she said with perfect articulation, ‘I had an appendectomy, Hunk, not a heart surgery.’” Hunk looked at the camera, at her. “You could be in the middle of a brain surgery and still hack into the national security systems.”

Laughter bubbled right from her belly. She missed Hunk and his humor so much.

“Anyway, so I told Pidge the truth that Lance was out getting food for her visitors, and then she fell asleep on me. Hence my point stands: boring couple.” He sighed and shook his head in mock disappointment.

What he didn’t know was that his joke had a delayed effect on Pidge, because she could remember bawling when she saw Lance for the first time after her surgery.

“But if boring means no drama means stable, then it’s a blessing that my best buds have the most boring relationship ever.”

With one last salute from Hunk, the video showed Shiro next. Pidge’s chest swelled with pride upon seeing him in a NASA shirt. Like her father and brother, he wore the brand well.

��Lance and Pidge argue often, but rarely do they fight. When they do, strange things happen. Trees in the College of Engineering would seem less vibrant, and the fountain near the College of Letters and Science would stop spouting water. Thanks to Hunk’s talent for goss—” Shiro caught himself, smiled sheepishly, and corrected, “—storytelling, it has since become an urban legend that when the fountain suddenly dries up and the trees along the path to Engineering look like they’re wilting, a student from either college got into a fight with someone they really love from the other college.

“The simple and logical explanations for these rare phenomena are that tired students have altered perceptions of their surroundings, and that the malfunction in the fountain’s pipes just happens to coincide with the equally rare times that Pidge and Lance fight.” He leaned in towards the camera with a conspiratorial smirk. “Here’s my secret though…” He paused, and Pidge held her breath in anticipation. “I don’t think the real explanation is as simple or logical as that.”

The next person to appear caught her off-guard. He wasn’t in the opening greeting, so she figured he was a last-minute addition. It didn’t keep the smile from tugging at the corners of her lips, though.

It was Dr. Smythe, her thesis adviser.

“Pidge—no, Katie Holt, or as I prefer to call her, Number Five, as my fifth consecutive award-winning undergraduate thesis advisee,” he said as a long preamble, stroking his mustache in his own way of preening, “elevates everything she does to unprecedented levels: her classes, her thesis, her contributions to our academic research, her overthinking, and her neglect of herself when in pursuit of something that piques her interest—unintentional, I’m sure, but neglect nonetheless.” Even though she’d just shaken her adviser’s hand as his friend instead of his student not three hours ago, Pidge felt scolded like a kid.

“Worried as I was for her well-being her whole thesis process, I did something unforgivable for an adviser to do!” Dr. Smythe took a dramatic breath that had Pidge’s heart stopping in shock. “I withheld information from my protégée!”

He did what?! Would it affect her thesis, her graduation, her future prospects?!

“I told her there was no way to cut the runtime for one of our computers, when in fact she could have cut it down by a third, or even half! Ah, forgive me, Number Five!” He grabbed the camera by the sides and cried into it in all his genius eccentricity. “I did it for your sake! You never take breaks outside of that waiting time; it was the only time your lover could help calm your nerves!”

Pidge felt her face heat up.

“‘L-Lover’?!” Lance sputtered. The camera’s angle straightened; Dr. Smythe must’ve let go of it now.

Her adviser leveled an odd look where Lance was off-cam. “Yes! Aren’t you her lover? You’ve been lurking outside the labs the whole year.”

“Ye—I mean—To call me that so directly…”

Dr. Smythe pulled on his mustache once. “Get used to it, young man.” And then the video switched again.

It was an abrupt ending for her thesis adviser’s part, but Pidge all but forgot about him when she saw Allura beaming at her.

“Hi, Pidge,” Pidge’s best friend and only childhood friend greeted with a wave. “Congratulations again on graduating. Oh, I miss you so much!” Pidge’s fingers traced Allura’s face ever so lightly on the tablet. She missed her friends—her family outside of her family—so much it almost hurt. “I’ve been asked to say something about you and Lance as a couple.”

“Something good, preferably,” video-Lance quipped, earning a laugh from Allura. She glanced somewhere off-center, probably at where Lance had been filming.

“Alright. Something good, then. Some thoughts I’ve kept in my heart for as long as I’ve known you both.

“You couldn’t be more opposite to each other—gods know how you damage our ears with your bickering. And yet you work perfectly together when it mattered most. You balance each other out. Lance, you lift Pidge up whenever her realism bordered on pessimism. Pidge, you tether Lance whenever his head starts floating to the clouds with his easygoing optimism. Lance is the people-person—I’m sure we all agree on that?” Allura confirmed, teasing eyes looking straight at the camera. Pidge giggled and nodded. “While Pidge understands the world, and perhaps even the universe, at its core.

“Pidge learned from a young age how to build walls to defend herself from envious people who want to drag her down. But Lance, with your big family, you’ve learned how to deconstruct them in order to connect with others.” Allura’s eyes welled with tears, and Pidge’s mirrored them. “You’ve met and challenged Pidge on all levels, Lance. I’m so happy she’s finally found her match in you.”

The camera caught a sniffling sound. “Thanks, Allura.”

Allura’s video cut off with her smiling and dabbing her cheeks with tissue.

Lance’s parents came next, congratulating Pidge enthusiastically and inviting her to their home for a graduation feast.

“Our son brags about his many former girlfriends, but… you are the only one he has ever taken home,” his mother said, the gleam of mischief in her eyes.

“Mom!” Lance whispered harshly. “You gotta give a better message!”

“Let me try.” The camera shifted a bit to focus on Lance’s father. “Our son has had trouble finding his place, being the youngest among his siblings. He told us that you put him in his place, when you met. He said because of that, he found his place and could finally move forward.” The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened as he smiled. “Thank you, Katie.

“Is that good, son?”

“Yeah… Yeah. Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad.”

Pidge could see where this was going—or at least, where it could possibly go. The montage of everyone congratulating her at the start may just be a façade. But since Lance was still in his seat, not fumbling for a tiny box or kneeling on the ground, she couldn’t be sure.

That was until Matt’s face appeared. Then her tears started falling. Because this was her family next. Whatever they had to say about her and Lance would greatly affect their relationship. This was their time to frankly voice out their issues with either of them, and yet Matt was grinning.

“You got me at a good time,” he told the off-cam Lance, who chuckled.

“Three days before launch. I’d say I’m still great at crunch time one year after graduating.”

Matt laughed before turning to the camera. “Hey, Pidge! Congrats on graduating!” His smile turned apologetic. “Sorry I can’t be there to watch you walk on stage and shake hands with people you’ve probably never met your entire college life.” He stopped and waggled his eyebrows expectantly; he knew she’d laugh at his joke. The apologetic smile returned. “And sorry for taking Dad here with me. We need his supervision for the new docking procedure we’ll be trying out. Give Mom some space hugs for me, will you? And if you ever need advice… you can consult Dad’s favorite book any time.” He winked, and she received his secret message successfully.

“Okay. On to matters I’d rather not talk about.”

“Matt!”

Matt’s carefree guffaw made Pidge’s heart ache for her brother’s presence. She mentally calculated the time elapsed since his crew’s launch. Their rocket should be orbiting Earth right about now, preparing to align with the International Space Station.

“I would never forget your first dinner with us. I can tell you really wanted to impress us with your research in the fields we specialize in. But that wasn’t what ended up impressing us. It was how you managed to hit on Mom after you ran out of things to talk about regarding our specialties.”

“It wasn’t on purpose!” Lance protested, and though Pidge couldn’t see him, she knew that the Lance behind the camera was blushing hard. She glanced at the Lance sitting next to her, sending him an amused—albeit tearful—smirk. He returned a sheepish grin.

* * *

“You’ve gone silent, Lance,” Mom said as she sliced her steak.

Lance stiffened. Pidge knew how much he wanted to leave a good impression on her family. So far, so good. Everything they’d rehearsed, as well as the crash course she’d given him, was paying off. But for some reason, he didn’t seem to think so and had stopped participating in conversations.

“Oh, um…” He swallowed, drank water, then swallowed again. “M-Must be in my genes to be speechless in the face of beauty,” he blurted out in one breath.

The whole table went silent. Awkwardly silent for a full ten seconds. Lance’s face was dark with mortification, Pidge’s family was sitting thunderstruck by his response, and Pidge was starting to wonder if organizing this dinner had been a mistake.

But then Mom and Matt burst into laughter, Dad following suit.

“Sorry, son,” Dad said, regarding Lance a little more warmly than a few seconds ago. “Colleen is spoken for. May I introduce you to my daughter Katie instead?”

The wide smile that spread across Lance’s lips seemed to chase away his embarrassment. He looked at Pidge with bright eyes, and her heart temporarily forgot its rhythm. “I’d love that, Sir.”

* * *

“I know,” Matt assured with a chuckle. “But that accidental thing showed us that you specialized in your own field, too. In building connections with people.

“Pidge—Katie has never been good at making friends. I think only Allura was stubborn enough to get through to her, and it took years. You changed that. You helped my sister expand her world. Now, you mean the world to her.” He directed a kind smile slightly to the left. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you are her world.”

His eyes softened, then he stood from his seat, opening his arms. After a few moments, Lance appeared on-screen to return the hug. The sight brought fresh tears to Pidge’s eyes.

“I leave her in your care, brother,” Matt said. “She’ll probably argue that she can take care of herself. She’s right about that, but it’s still reassuring to know she’s in good hands either way.”

Lance sniffled twice before replying, “Thank you, brother.”

Matt clapped Lance’s back. “No problem. Now let’s look for tissues before the staff suspect you’re infecting me with colds.”

They both snickered.

When the video switched to her parents’ smiling faces, Pidge’s hands became damp with sweat and her heart began to pound. She knew they’d already given Lance their blessing, seeing as this video existed, but this would be the first time she’d be hearing what they thought about her relationship with Lance.

The first thing she noticed was their clothes. They were wearing the unexpectedly awesome sweaters Lance’s grandmother had knitted for them last Christmas. A lump formed in her throat at the realization; she had to lower her voice so she could still speak with words instead of inarticulate sobs.

“How long have you been planning this?” she asked, eyes not straying from the screen.

“A while,” Lance answered just as quietly.

“Congratulations on your graduation, Katie,” Mom greeted.

“We’re so proud of you, Katie. So proud,” Dad added.

“You must have figured out what this video is really for by now,” Mom continued, to which Dad nodded.

“You must have deduced that we’ve given our blessing as well.”

“All that’s left for us to do is endorse this young man…” At Mom’s cue, Lance peeked from the corner of the screen and waved. “…to you.” Pidge glimpsed the obvious signs of nervousness on his face. It carried over to her as she waited for her parents’ “endorsement” of Lance.

“Lance came from a completely different background from us. He didn’t know anything about astrophysics, molecular biology, or computer engineering more than any other layperson did.” Pidge winced at Mom’s knowing smirk. “Don’t try to deny it, young lady; we know you two planned out what he would be talking about with us the first time he came over.”

Dad chuckled. “Lance hadn’t always been able to keep up with our discussions, but he was always willing to learn. He strived to see things from your perspective and understand you better. I’ve never seen you more patient than when you would explain a concept to him, Katie.” He glanced at Lance. “I’ve never seen a more receptive student, either.”

He redirected his gaze to the camera, smiling gently at Pidge. “You told him about the universe, showed how galaxies worked, demonstrated gravitational forces, and explained why the sun, moon, and stars existed. I hope you wouldn’t wonder too much how he realized he has fallen into orbit around you.”

Lance’s hand slipped into hers as the video faded out. Pidge felt something press onto her palm. She felt a ring press onto her palm, and she almost started crying again. Instead, she took a deep, shaky breath to calm the tumult of emotions within her. Lance remained patiently quiet by her side. They watched the flock of graduates and guests in front of them in the meantime, the cacophony of congratulations and goodbyes and promises to keep in touch filling the silence between them.

“You’re not getting down on one knee?” she teased eventually, once she was confident enough to speak.

“I could,” he replied, “but do you want me to?”

“No, actually.”

“Thought so.” She could hear the mirth in his voice. The sound calmed her down further.

“Everybody won’t be satisfied with anything less than showy, though.”

He hummed in thought. “I’ll consider it.”

“Maybe they’ll even make you do something Matt and Shiro will see from space.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “It all depends on your answer.”

She turned towards him, willing him to meet her eyes. “You already know my answer.”

When he did, she was struck anew by how his eyes shone with everything he didn’t need to tell her out loud, and how they regarded her with understanding, and how absolutely, breathlessly beautiful they were. “I want to hear it anyway.” Like the hue of a clear day. Like the shade of a calm sea. Like the color of love. “Will you marry me, Pidge?”

Pidge twined her fingers around Lance’s, beaming up at him. “You know I will, Lance.”

#PlancesecretSanta2019 #plance secret santa #ursamiiinor #plance #hope you like it!#writings

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unpopularly-opinionated · 5 years

Text

Small flex but I feel like geeking out a little bit about the program I’ve been working on, sue me.

[[MORE]]

Sorry if the break didn’t work, I’m on mobile and this is the first time I’ve tried doing it.

The past 2-3 days or so, and I mean FULL days (like from 7AM to 1AM each day with a couple hour breaks in between, my time has quite literally been blinked away), I’ve been working on this little game as a personal project. Since I’m taking a C++ class, I figured it would be great if I got to know the language better, read more of the documentation, get used to it, etc. you get the gist.

I’m essentially making Minecraft as a text-based game, and yeah I know, “ha ha, Mienkwaft uwu” but mind you, the point isn’t to make Minecraft, it’s to make something. But even so, I’m honestly so proud of myself for not only sticking with it this long (I don’t think I’ve ever programmed three days in a row in my life because of just burn out and other things), but because of how great it’s actually going.

So far, it’s got random resource generation, a fully-functioning and easily-expandable crafting system, an inventory, a pseudo-recipe book, a tier-system, and an inventory, as well as a few other small bits.

Now, this is all entirely in text on a console, so there’s no visual element to it. At first I considered going down the path of creating some sort of ASCII map that simulated the world on a 2D plane, but as I continue with this I’m starting to make it slightly less and less like Minecraft and more my own thing, so that coupled with the fact that I just fucking don’t want to make a map out of ASCII characters is why I’m probably going to just avoid that.

By “tier-system”, what I’m referring to is the fact that not everything is available to you at the start. From the get-go, the only thing you can do is, of course, the very first thing you do in Minecraft, punch trees.

From there, the only things you’re able to craft, again similar to Minecraft, are planks, sticks, and a Workbench. However, unlike Minecraft, because there’s no “blocks” in this game, I didn’t see a reason why you would ever need more than one Workbench, so you can only craft it once and once you do, you have it forever and it disappears off of your crafting list. The same goes for things like furnaces.

Tools are also handled that way as well, and once you craft your first wooden pickaxe (which requires a workbench ofc), you unlock the ability to mine stone and coal. You won’t actually ‘see’ any stone or coal until you do. From there, you can either build a stone pickaxe to unlock iron ore, or a furnace to unlock smelting for iron ingots, but eventually you’ll want both.

Right now, that’s all that’s in the game. I’m kind of hesitating to add too many items beyond what I need to test things because I’ve already rewritten the entire code three times now just to try and refine things a bit more.

Like I said, I’m eventually going to move away from Minecraft and maybe try and flesh it out a bit more as my own thing (except tbh, recipes might stay similar cause coming up with those is a pain). I want to flesh out the tier system a bit more so it doesn’t feel so linear. Similar to how I said you can craft the furnace or the stone pickaxe first, I want to do more like that but on an exponential scale. Give plenty of more options as you progress, typical video game stuff.

I also have ideas for combat and cave exploration. Again, I’m steering clear of maps, but I think I can pretty nicely implement a caving system without maps. I’m actually pretty eager to start attempting that because I think that’ll be the coolest fucking thing ever tbfh. I’m a huge fan of idle games too and I’m considering moving in that direction, though I’m honestly not sure how well you can utilise ‘time’ in the console, but w/e. We’ll see.

Anyways, just in case the break didn’t work, I’ll cut it short here.

#random #personal #programming #long #c++

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mrsbarnes32557038 · 5 years

Text

Spectrum - Part 3

Learning a Bit About Tony

Warnings - Swearing, alcohol.

Word count - 2,225 ish

2010 - Washington D.C. – Your Apartment

Mr. Stark had been very generous in giving you two weeks to get things in order before starting. It really didn’t take you long to get your physical things in order for the move, you were fairly minimal when it came to possessions and you were keeping your apartment in D.C., it was home after all. You did however want to give a proper two weeks notice at the diner you worked at. You’d been there for almost three years and always felt very thankful that the owners took a chance on you, you worked under the table seeing as you didn’t have an identity. They risked a lot to keep you on but you returned the favor by working extremely hard for them. They had told you they were going to miss you dearly but were very happy that you got such an amazing opportunity.

Google and YouTube had been very helpful to you over the past few years helping you learn and navigate your way through this world. So in your free time between your last shifts at the diner you decided to learn a bit about the man you were going to be working for. You pulled up a recording of a recent press conference and you watched a battered looking Tony speak “I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability. I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be. What direction it should take, one that I’m comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country, as well.” A smile crossed your face, good people were the only ones worth working for and you were thankful that you were right about Mr. Stark, he was a good person.

“Congratulations.” a voice said.

You jumped “Damn it Fury. Why do you do that?!” you were a very observant person but Fury could always manage to get the drop on you and he found it endlessly amusing.

“I knew you could do it.” he said maybe with a little bit of pride, you couldn’t quite tell. “But what are you doing here?”

“I thought you’d be happy to see me.” you quip back. “I wanted to give my two weeks at the diner, I owe them a lot.” you add earnestly.

“I think you should head out to Malibu as soon as possible.” Fury said not elaborating any further. You were used to that, you were used to him, he only gave away what he felt he truly needed to. Something you could relate to. “I’ll inform your previous employer that a work emergency came up, they will understand Y/N.”

You knew arguing with Fury was a pointless endeavor. You also knew that when he urged you to do something you should do it. With a sigh and a nod you grab your bag, you had already packed what you were taking with you. As you headed for the door you turned back to face Fury “You sent in my application for the job with Mr. Stark, do I get to know why?”

He didn’t answer, just kept his stoic expression.

“I figured.” you look down in thought for a moment “He said he found my resume interesting. You didn’t lie on it did you?”

His expression softened just a bit, almost in-discernibly so “No, Y/N. I didn’t lie, I know how you feel about that.”

You knew that was all the information you were going to get out of him so you turned to head out, hand on the door knob you said over your shoulder “I’ll be sure to be back for Thanksgiving.” and with that you were gone.

2010 – Malibu, CA – Stark’s home

It was already dark out when you pulled up to the house, you got here as quickly as you could. You came in quietly and a bad feeling washed over you. You felt a tug, at least that is how you could best describe it , it was like some kind of internal compass that occasionally pointed you in a particular direction. You had learned to listen to it. You quickly headed down to Tony’s workshop, it was a mess, what was once the door was just a pile of glass on the floor. You looked around and your eyes fell upon him, just laying there on the ground, your heart sank as you rushed over to him and turned him over, he was unconscious. You took his face in your hands and watched as arcs of yellow light from your hands danced over his skin, as they made their way across him you heard a voice yelling out this name.

“Tony! Tony!” A man yelled as he made his way over to you. He looked at you and then down at Tony. “What did you do to him?!”

“She didn’t do anything Rhodey. Where is Pepper?” he asked desperation apparent in his voice as he grabbed Rhodey’s collar.

“She’s fine. She is with five agents and they are about to arrest Obadiah.” Rhodes answered.

“That’s not going to be enough.” Tony said simply.

You and Rhodes watched as Tony put on his suit. “That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” Rhodes said. You didn’t say anything but at least now you knew why Fury wanted you here. People like Tony, like you, were his job, well part of it at least.

“Not bad, huh? Let’s do it.” Tony replied blasting one of his cars out of the way of his exit.

“You need me to do anything else?” Rhodes asks.

“Keep the skies clear.” is all Tony says before he flies out of his workshop through a hole in the roof.

Rhodes looks at you “I’m James Rhodes, it is, uh, nice to meet you.”

You understood his trepidation, this was a very strange way to meet someone. You held out your hand and offered him a smile “Y/N.” after the exchange of pleasantries you look around and sigh. “I an going to get to work on cleaning this place up.” you walk off to start sweeping up all the glass.

Rhodes admires another suit Tony has in the workshop “Next time baby.”

You couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm and watched as he promptly got into one of Tony’s cars and peeled out of the workshop.

“Alone at last.” you say to yourself but then you remember that you aren’t alone. Smiling you ask “Jarvis?”

“It is nice to have you back Miss Y/N. What can I do for you?” Jarvis quickly responds.

“Could you tell me where I might find a broom and dustpan please?”

Jarvis directs you and you get to work cleaning up the workshop a bit, you don’t want to overstep your boundaries and invade Tony’s personal space but you figured he wouldn’t mind if you at least tidied up the broken glass.

Later that night when Tony made his way back home he found you asleep, you had pulled a couple of the couch cushions onto the floor and there you slept. The sight brought a smile to his face. It was kind of nice to not come home to an empty house. You didn’t see him until the next morning.

The sun steaming in the living room windows woke you up. You put the cushions back in place and headed for the kitchen. A few minutes later you were heading down to the workshop with Tony’s coffee. You knew he would already be up or maybe he never even went to bed, you weren’t sure. “Good morning Mr. Stark. It is good to see you… alive.”

“Good morning Y/N. I think we have a couple things to discuss.” He says setting down the tool in his hands and coming over to get the coffee off of the tray you brought down.

This is it. I found out his secret and now he is going to fire me or kill me, well try at least. “The menu for this week?” you try to play it off.

“No. Not the menu.” Tony says taking a drink of his coffee and staring at you. “Jarvis would you pull up the clip from the security footage from last night?”

You watch the screen that popped up. It was the workshop, Tony laying on ground unconscious and you running to his side. Crap. Crap. Crap. You knew what was coming next. The arcs of light lit up the screen.

“That’s enough Jarvis.” Tony stated. “Do you want to tell me what the hell that was Y/N?”

“Not really.” you said honestly.

“Okay.” Tony said turning his attention back towards his coffee and the project on his desk. “Oh and thank you. For cleaning up the glass and all.” Turning back to you he asks “Have you found a place around here yet?”

You were a little surprised he wasn’t pushing you for answers but you weren’t going to question it, out loud at least. “You’re welcome Mr. Stark and no, I haven’t found a place. I’m having a hard time finding something close enough, with the hours you would like me to be available it leaves little room for a commute.”

Fidgeting with the tool in his hands he responds “I thought that might be an issue. There are a lot of spare rooms here. I’ll add room and board to your compensation.”

Surprised by the turn of events you ask “You want me to live here?”

“Yes. As for the weekly menu, just surprise me.” Tony says with a smile.

“I can do that. Will that be all Mr. Stark?”

He nods so you go to make your way back to the kitchen to begin work on breakfast and creating the menu for the week. “Are we going to pretend that you are just a personal chef?” he adds before you headed up the stairs.

“No one can be solely defined by their profession.” Starting to head up the stairs you add over your shoulder “But I think that would be best for everyone.”

Later that day you were watching another press conference, you and Jarvis had the house to yourself. Looking around the living room with all its windows and the beautiful view you felt at ease. Yeah I can live here. You thought while cracking open a beer, plopping down on the couch and listening to Tony speak.

“Been a while since I was in front of you. I figure I’ll stick to the cards this time. There’s been speculation that I was involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop…” he started off.

A reporter interrupted “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, but do you honestly expect us to believe that that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared, despite the fact that you…”

Tony interrupted in turn “I know that it’s confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I’m a superhero.”

“I never said you were a superhero.” the reporter replies.

“Didn’t? Well, good, because that would be outlandish and fantastic. I’m just not the hero type. Clearly. With this laundry list of character defects, all the mistakes I’ve made, largely public.” Tony rambles on.

Rhodes leans over to whisper to him “Just stick to the cards, man.”

“Yeah, okay. Yeah. The truth is I am Iron Man.” Tony states honestly with just a hint of a smug smirk.

All you can do is smile and laugh. What an interesting man. Here he was just announcing to the world his biggest secret, the opposite of what you have spent the last few years of your life doing. This was going to be interesting.

Later that night you had awoken thirsty and sleepily shuffled down past the living room towards the kitchen but something caught your attention. No someone, scratch that, two someones. You turn towards them and rub your eyes half out of being tired and half out of disbelief. Tony and Fury are standing in the living room staring back at you.

“Dad?” you ask groggily.

“Dad!?” Tony says incredulously.

“For all intents and purposes. Do you have a problem with that?” Fury directs at Tony.

“No. Nope. I mean now that you say something I can really see the family resemblance…” Tony quips sarcastically.

“I’m too tired for this. Are you here for me or him?” you gesture between Tony and yourself.

“Him.” Fury states.

“Okay.” you mumble as you continue your shuffle towards the kitchen. “Good night.” you mumble as you shuffle back towards your room, water in hand.

“I would give you some cliché threat like if you hurt her I’ll kill you but to be honest she can handle that herself. I will offer you one piece of advice though. Never, ever, wake her up.” Fury warns. “Now. I am here to talk to you about The Avengers initiative.”

Spectrum Masterlist

#marvelfanfiction #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #spectrum #original character #tony stark #nick fury

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douxreviews · 5 years

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Cloak & Dagger - ‘Rabbit Hold’ Review

Ty: "How do you know how to do that?" Adina: "Some things you never forget."

Ty finally begins exploring his coolest power, thanks to Tandy's decision to enter him and have a look around.

Look, it's not as creepy as it sounds.

I know I mention this almost every week, but wow, this show really pulls off some beautiful visuals. The image of Tandy standing in front of the five mirrors, each one reflecting a different aspect of who she is, contrasted with the sharp darkness of the location, was a particularly striking shot. Honestly, just lovely.

Since the first announcement that they were going to be doing a Cloak and Dagger show, I've been waiting for the developments we got this week. Apologies in advance for this, as you really shouldn't have to be familiar with the source material in order to watch the show, but I think in this case it helps to have a little background.

In the comics, Cloak is basically a gateway to something that they refer to as 'The Dark Dimension.' In that dimension there's nothing but darkness, as you might have guessed from the name. Within that darkness is something they used to only refer to as 'the predator,' who is basically some sort of demon that feeds on the light that Dagger generates, but is also happy to chow down on the terror that people experience when they're absorbed into Cloak's cloak and are forced to relive all their fears. Dagger, meanwhile, generates that delicious light that the predator eats, but if she doesn't release it regularly enough she basically burns up from the excess energy.

That's the symbiosis that ties the two of them together, and the fact that their powers are completely dependent on one another if they aren't going to run out of control is one of the fundamental planks of their relationship.

It was nice, then, that even while the show was finally exploring Ty's big portal they were also underscoring the symbiotic nature of their powers. Tandy had to give up her light powers in order to 'proceed on the journey' through the dark dimension and find Brigid, and tangentially Connors. That, unfortunately, comes at an inconvenient time for Ty, since he's spending some quality time with his Mom attempting to not be killed by gang members.

The character development we get here as we explore Ty's relationship with his mother is fascinating. Adina is a timely depiction of the constant worry implicit in raising a child of color in today's America. Her worry and the actions it leads her to take all feel very real.

The two parallel journeys that Ty and Tandy take this week, him running from the gang and her finding her way through the dark dimension's shopping mall, bounce off each other well, culminating in what I suspect was the point of exercise, the deliberate contrasting of Ty telling his mother the story of human trafficking hundreds of years ago intercut with Mayhem relating to Tandy some harsh facts about human trafficking today.

The point that they're making is clear and well presented. Human trafficking is not a thing of the past. It's not a story from history. It's never gone away. The showrunners deserve a lot of praise for the way they approached the issue.

Meanwhile, in the dark dimension, we finally get an explanation for something that's been bothering me a lot so far this season. Namely, why Tandy has been so incredibly prone to victim blaming in her domestic abuse support group. It made sense that finding out that her idolized father was really an abuser would cause an emotional crisis for her, but that didn't really track with how angry she was at Mikayla for not leaving her abuser.

Now of course it makes sense. She didn't just find out that her father was an abuser. We see very clearly here that she knew all along. She chose to 'not see it,' as we see by her literally choosing to walk out the door to avoid hearing her mother being abused. Of course she's projecting anger toward victims who allow the abuse to continue. The visual metaphor of the memories as records still in their shrink wrap was an inspired choice. Well done.

Lastly, and again I know I say this a lot here, but they continue their proud tradition of making changes from the source material that make everything better and stronger. I mentioned above the predator that lives inside Cloak in the comics. Here they've updated that, and very wisely used the move to New Orleans to justify replacing the predator with Papa Legba, who apparently greets all those who enter the dark dimension and guides them on their business. That just works, on every level. Instead of 'scary thing in the dark' we have 'mysterious guide' and there's a lot more story to be mined out of 'mysterious guide.'

Papa Legba is one of the Loa in Vodoun, and is one of those crossroads deities who's heavy into guiding destinies. That's a perfect fit for this context.

Bits and Pieces:

-- Ty's parents have separated, which explains why we haven't seen much of Otis. That's sad, but not at all unrealistic for a couple that loses a child. Two children, in their case. I wonder if the actor was busy, or if they just wanted to focus the story on Adina.

-- Speaking of Adina, she's startlingly adept at hotwiring cars and avoiding the police. I suddenly have a million questions about Ty's mom.

-- Starting with, what has she been investigating exactly. and does it tie into why she was apparently pressured into preventing an investigation into the girls' disappearances last week?

-- Both American Gods and Cloak and Dagger heavily featured empty shopping malls this week. 14-year-old me in 1986 sighed deeply, inside.

-- The special effect of Ty opening up his portal to the dark dimension was done better than I ever dared hope it would be in live action. Now please throw a cloak into the mix and I'll be happy forever.

-- Ty and Tandy said that Ty was able to open his portal because he was scared, but I bet it was more to do with the presence of Tandy's light.

-- Connors is out of the dark dimension now and ready to cause more trouble. We didn't see Mayhem in the last scene, but it feels safe to assume that she's out too, right?

-- Sadly, most places in the US do still treat victims of human trafficking as criminals and prosecute them for prostitution.

-- I've been meaning to ask this the last couple of weeks – so, does Brigid only have half a soul now? Is Mayhem like a horcrux? If you killed one, I assume the other wouldn't die, based on what happened to the mice.

-- Tandy threw light knives! That makes me geek out every time.

-- I really want one of those Cloak and Dagger icon coins.

-- I don't buy that the gang would just turn around and leave without killing Ty and his mom first. I do however believe that the police would come in shooting for an unarmed black teenager in Ty's position.

Quotes:

Tandy: "You saw what they were doing to those girls." Ty: "Yeah, and I also saw what she did to everything in her path."

Tandy: "Why didn’t you tell me about Connors?" Ty: "We were in the middle of saving the world at the time."

Papa Legba: "I’ve seen blood. And a green jacket. It was worn by half a woman."

Tandy: "You look exactly like her." Mayhem: "Why not ‘she looks exactly like you’?"

Tandy: "Sometimes the status quo is OK." Mayhem: "And sometimes girls are stolen and sold into slavery. Oh wait, that’s all the time."

Ty: "Nobody’s gonna come in here." Mom: "Why not?" Ty: "Because it’s haunted by 300 year old vampire nuns."

Adina: "Son." Gang Scout: "I’m not your son." Adina: "You’re somebody’s son."

A solid episode that pushed a lot of my fannish buttons and turned up the heat on the season-long plot.

Three and a half out of four voodoo tours.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

#Cloak and Dagger #Tandy Bowen #Tyrone Johnson #Brigid O'Reilly #Mayhem #Marvel #MCU #Cloak and Dagger Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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worldwarvet-archive · 5 years

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@shellheadtm said: five times kissed

one.

Their little spy operation was going about how Bucky had expected--nearly getting caught, and in trying to keep their cover for as long as possible, he’d shoved them into a closet. A very small, very tight closet that had both of them pressed very closely to each other. Close enough that he could smell the cologne Tony had on--which, beyond being tastefully applied, was also a very appealing scent.

Which was only mildly distracting. The real distraction was Tony’s eyes, flicking from him to the door and back, the slightly nervous lick of his lips. It was a lot of attractiveness in one very, very confined area.

“We need a cover story.” Tony’s eyes flicked back to Bucky as he spoke and before he could ask any sort of question, Bucky pulled him in by his tie for a kiss.

His hands kept busy while he nipped at Tony’s lips, purposefully reddening them--Bucky made quick work of loosening Tony’s tie and taking off his own and shoving it inside Tony’s inner suit jacket pocket. He unbuttoned the top button of his own shirt before finally sliding his hands into Tony’s hair, messing up the gelled perfection to create a lovely, sexy mess of spikes.

When they parted, they were both breathing a bit heavier than they were supposed to be. Bucky flashed Tony a smile. “See you out there.”

two.

When the neighbor’s kid asked if he could help fix his car, he hadn’t expected the whole damn engine to need fixing. Not that he really minded--his hometown had really embraced him since he’d moved back, and with the amount of help they’d given him while he was fixing up his house, he figured he could repay the favor by helping people out where he could. Not to mention, his garage was the most capable of car diagnosis, at least without taking it all the way to the shop.

He’d just begun muscling the timing belt off when he heard the familiar repulsers and landing of his favorite shellhead, man and machine clomping into his garage before the hissing release of Tony emerging. Bucky straightened with the belt in hand, tossing it to the side before wiping some sweat off his brow. Between the grease he knew was all over his arms and surely his face, the grass stains on his jeans from weeding his flowerbeds earlier, and the messy bun he’d thrown his hair up into he was very much in contrast to Tony, in his suit, who had very clearly come from some sort of meeting or press conference, all clean and carefully coifed.

“Hey, babe.” Bucky pressed a kiss to Tony’s cheek as he walked by, careful not to get his greasy hands anywhere near Tony’s suit. “If you get changed you can join me in replacing the timing belt and water pump while I try to talk you out of sup’ing up a sixteen year old’s car.”

three.

The first thing that he became aware of was the steady beep familiar with all hospital rooms. Bucky didn’t know where exactly he was, but he could guess, considering the last thing he remembered was passing out from blood loss as ambulance sirens approached. And eyes his eyes fluttered open, he saw an all too familiar face sitting on his right, could feel someone’s warm hands holding his own.

“You listed me as your emergency contact.” It wasn’t really a question, but he could hear the bewilderment in Tony’s voice, the uncertainty.

And it hadn’t been a choice he’d made lightly, but one that just made sense. It was a rough responsibility, but he trusted Tony--trusted him with his body, his arm, his mind and heart. It just made sense that, if he couldn’t call for Tony himself, whoever found him would call in his place.

“Yeah,” His voice was raspy, and he tried clearing it before continuing. “I mean, have you seen Steve when I’m hurt? Thought he was gonna get in a fight with some of those nurses...”

The joke faded as Tony’s seriousness remained, and instead, he tightened his hand around Tony’s, giving it a squeeze. “I’m okay, Tony. I listed you because I trust you. And I knew you’d take care of me.”

There was no comment, but when Bucky tugged on Tony’s hand, he came closer, leaning over when led and pressing a kiss to his forehead. He felt Tony’s arms wrap very carefully around his shoulders and he rested his head on his shoulder, pressing small kisses into Tony’s neck. The position was awkward, but it didn’t stop them from staying that way until they heard the hospital room door open, Tony’s hand lingering across the back of his neck as he withdrew.

four.

“He’s really good with kids.”

The comment comes from his left, but honestly, Bucky can’t tear his eyes away from the fact that Tony’s got a gaggle of kids, ages six through twelve, all gathered around him. The younger ones are making valiant efforts to get in his lap while the older kids are interrogating him about the suit--how fast can he go, how far can he fly, what’s the coolest thing he’s ever done, how does he get into it, does it smell bad, which is his favorite--

And Tony, bless him, is answering each question with just as much interest and excitement as the kids, even as he wrangles the younger ones to keep them from falling off the sides of the chair. He’d almost felt bad, at first, like he was throwing him to the dogs, but Tony adapts like it’s the only thing he ever knows how to do, and does it in style. Bucky shouldn’t have been surprised, yet here he is, watching, feeling like his heart’s about to melt out of his chest because this is just too sweet.

“It helps that he’s a big kid himself,” He answered back, more than a bit delayed, before excusing himself and heading back to his seat, a pair of sweet ice teas and popcorn in hand. The kids, having gotten all their questions answered for the time being, began to run around playing superheroes--he heard more than a few arguments about who gets to be Iron Man going on--as he took his seat next to Tony. Their chairs were close enough that they could comfortably lace their fingers together, and he did, bringing the back of Tony’s hand up for a kiss.

five.

Despite the fact that he seemed like a city boy through and through, Tony was really adjusting to Indiana, to Bucky’s home, like it was his own. They’d fallen into an easy rhythm, working on projects together and apart, working in different rooms or the same. There were breaks, lunches, dinners, walks around the neighborhood. Project swaps to give different perspectives. Playful arguments and rather serious debates on the best approach to an issue. Honest late night talks.

It was a lot. It was everything. And yet Tony had inserted himself flawlessly into his life, in such a way that if he wasn’t there--and sometimes business, superhero or otherwise, demanded it--the house felt just that bit emptier, colder in a way he didn’t enjoy. He wasn’t really sure when this had gone from dating to this... domestic thing that they had, but it wasn’t something he wanted to stop anytime soon. He was lucky. So incredibly so, to get someone who knew everything about his past, to know full well the horrors that he’d committed and had been done to him, and embrace him, trust him all the same.

As he turned off the lights to the kitchen, he came up behind Tony on the sofa, ruffling his hair. When that didn’t illicit much of a response, Bucky propped his elbows up on the sofa behind him, moving to press a kiss into the crook of Tony’s neck. Each kiss after that left a warm trail up, occasionally pausing to create a nice little red spot before moving along, kissing Tony’s jawline before finally coming to his lips, kissing deep as one hand gently tangled in his hair, the other running down his chest. When he finally pulled back from the kiss, he was pleased to see Tony’s eyes a little hooded, the blue hazy instead of clear with focus.

“What was that for?”

Bucky hummed, a small smile playing around his lips as he pulled away, turning to climb the steps. “Guess you’ll just have to follow me upstairs to find out, huh?”

The clatter of hastily dropped electronics had never made Bucky smile more.

#shellheadtm #s: i'd build him a home if he'd let me { shellheadtm };;#query;#[ i'm a puddle these kisses have melted me ]#[ just wash me away boys ]#v: the road to redemption is hard and steep { 616 };;

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tnystrk-exe · 6 years

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Science Fair

Bruce Banner X Reader

Teacher AU

May had to work the late shift and felt awful that he couldn’t attend the function he worked so hard to be apart of, so you offered to take Peter to his school’s invention fair. She had been grateful, not expecting the offer. So, Friday, you picked Peter up for the night.

“Yeah! So Ned and I made this soda dispenser!” The eight year old explained, excited to show off his invention to someone other than his aunt and teachers, “I really hope you like it Ms. LN.”

“I’m sure I will,” you said, just as excited, “Who doesn’t like soda dispensing?”

“No, but it’s special! You know how at parties, it takes forever to get soda because you can only,” he covered his mouth, “I shouldn’t tell you, so it can be a surprise.”

“I’m sure it’s really impressive, Pete.”

Peter led you over to the school’s cafeteria. There were projects surrounding the edges, making an easy pathway to get from one presentation to the next. He let go of your hand and ran towards a slightly shorter boy. You decided to stay back and let him have his time. It must’ve been early because there there were only five kids at there stations out of fifteen.

Two men walked up to you, pleasant smiles on their faces. “Hello, I’m Mr. Stark,” he offered you his hand.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Banner.”

You smiled back, shaking both of their hands. “I’m, YN. So, you two are Peter’s teachers?”

Mr. Stark noticed a couple more parents walk in and he patted his coworker on the back, “You got this.”

“We head the science department and run a couple of clubs for the kids,” he explained, “Stark specializes in robotics and technology. I tend to stick to chemistry.”

“That’s really cool of you two, sometimes I hangout with Peter and May. All he talks to me about is his clubs. He really loves science doesn’t he?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Dr. Banner chuckled, “He’s one of the most enthusiastic students I’ve ever taught. Peter is insanely talented in science. It’s great.”

“So, you said you were a doctor?” You asked, slightly wondering why he chose to teach at an elementary school, “If it isn’t rude, may I ask why you teach here?”

He nodded, it was one of the questions he was asked the most, “Yes, I am. Lots of people think it’s strange. I teach a couple of classes at the college three times a week, on non club days. College students are great, but kids are just so eager to learn. Y’know? It’s refreshing.”

“I can respect that,” you nodded, “Sounds like a packed schedule.”

“It is, but I love my work.”

You gave Dr. Banner a quick once over when he shyly looked away. His hands fidgeted the whole time he talked. Honestly, he was cute. The gray in his hair slowly taking over from the black and a shadow of a beard on his cheeks. He blushed slightly, when he tuned back to see your wandering eye. You smirked slightly, laughing to yourself about being caught.

“Brucie, dear, I understand talking to a beautiful woman may be more interesting than me, but I need you right now buddy,” Tony called out from the center of the cafeteria. The kids laughed, chorusing ‘Dr. Banner has a crush.’

Okay, so now you both were blushing. Banner scratched the back of his head, giving you a shy smile before walking off to Stark.

“I’d like to thank you all for joining us today. The kids have been working very hard the past two weeks. So if we could all walk to table one,” Bruce stammered slightly, leading the way to the first station.

Peter and Ned finally had their turn five presentations later.

“Have you ever been at a birthday party and it just takes forever to get a soda?” Peter asked the crowd.

“Well, the waiting has come to an end with,” the shorter boy who you assumed was Ned started talking as he and Peter dramatically pulled the blanket off of their invention.

“The soda fountain 3000!” The shouted together.

The group of adults clapped politely and the kids stepped closer. Now it was evident why Ned and Peter’s table was set up over a tarp and a small kids pool. Next to small pipe system that was made sat a bottle of Diet Coke and mentos.

“Now you see? You can pour six sodas at once!” Peter stated, eagerly setting up the cups under pipes. Ned grabbed a bottle of Diet Coke and set it up under the main pipe.

“Warning though, Mountain Dew and orange soda don’t react as well,” Ned shrugged, “So, you’re stuck waiting forever for those.”

Peter handed Ned a handful of Mentos. “Go ahead.”

“Really? Alright yes!” The crowd laughed at Ned’s enthusiasm as he shoved the Mentos into a shorter pipe at the top and Peter quickly covered up the opening when Ned pulled away.

The Mentos reacted quickly, messily filling up the cups as some of the drink spilled onto the floor. “Tada! Six cups filled up and ready!”

Both of the boys got three cups and handed them out to people in the crowd. “Here you go, Ms. LN,” Peter gave you a big smile, giving you a cup.

“Thanks, Pete.”

It was time for Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner to ask their questions about the kids experiments. “So, Ned,” Mr. Stark said, stepping forward, “I can’t figure out at all how all of this works, really it keeps me up at night. Mind explaining it to me?”

“It’s actually really easy Mr. Stark! Look, you put the Mentos in here,” he pointed to the very top, “But you have to be careful, because if you don’t cover it up and it just shoots to the sky. Sure raining soda would be the coolest ever, but it’s easier to drink in a cup. Now there’s the pipe system. Seven, one for the bottle and six for the cups. The main one is smaller so that there’s enough force to push the soda out to the farthest pipes. That’s it, Mr. Stark.”

Stark put a hand over his chest, sighing dramatically, “I can finally rest. My life is complete.”

“Peter, can you tell me about the reactions happening?” Dr. Banner asked, “I just, I can’t seem to remember anything at all right now.”

“Oh! Of course Dr. Banner,” he gave his teacher a polite smile, “Well, there’s carbon dioxide basically dissolved inside of the soda right? The Mentos bring down the activation energy levels and cause a reaction that turns it back into a gas state. The gas bubbles start to get bigger and bigger and the pressure in the bottle just builds up until...Boom!”

“No way! Thank you for reminding me, you really saved me there Pete. I thought I was going have to give up my job at the college.”

“You can’t! You’re the smartest person I know Dr. Banner.”

“I am wounded. Come on group, let’s get to the next presentation. Parker just broke my heart.”

The group went to the next table. Peter went over to Mr. Stark, “I’m sorry, I hurt your feelings.”

“What? No kid,” he fondly ruffled Peter’s hair, “I was joking. We had to go to the next presentation any way. You’re good.”

Peter nodded and went back with Ned, playing close attention to the new presentation. The presentations passed by quickly after you saw the one you wanted to see, sure the others were interesting, but Peter’s was the one you were hyped up for. That paired with the fact that his salt and pepper haired teacher kept catching your eye made it difficult to concentrate.

“I’d like to thank you all for coming,” Mr. Stark said, grabbing everyone’s attention, “You may leave now if you wish, though we would like to ask for more time. Dr. Banner and I thought a small pizza party would be great for the kids to celebrate their accomplishments.”

A couple of kids and adults shuffled out. Peter went to your side, “Okay, we can go Ms. LN.”

“What? You don’t wanna stay? Your friend is still here.”

“N-no, it’s fine. I know you only promised to stay for the fair, let’s go home.” He grabbed your hand and started to pull you toward the door.

“Pete, it’s cool. Go have some fun, there’s nothing else planned for tonight unless you want to grab some ice cream after all this.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, you worked hard. Go celebrate.”

Peter gave you a quick hug, saying thank you before running off towards Ned. You slacked off to the side, not exactly wanting to mingle with the group of parents, and obviously not wanting to embarrass Peter in anyway. Though Peter was a good kid and probably wouldn’t be embarrassed by anything you did.

“What was your favorite presentation?” A voice pulled you out of your thoughts.

You gave the shy man a smile, “I don’t know, Dr. Banner, I’m definitely biased. I’m pretty sure, that Peter kid and his friend pulled a pretty cool show.”

He laughed at your response. “Please, call me Bruce.”

“Bruce it is then.”

“They did do very well, I’m proud of them. Tony really helped them break out of their shells. Their first run at this presentation with just Tony and I, you should have seen them, they were so nervous.”

“Props to Tony then. They looked like seasoned presenters.”

“So, tell me about yourself.”

“I moved over here two years ago,” you nodded, “Decided I needed a change. Life just because, something I didn’t want it to be, so I pushed the restart button. Started up a new job about six months ago, met May, Peter’s aunt, and that all landed me to this exact moment to talk to a pretty cute doctor.”

He blushed, laughing softly, and looking anywhere but you. “Good chain of events?”

“A very good chain of events.”

Before he could respond, there was the sound of an explosion at the display tabled, followed by soda sprayed everywhere.

“It’s not my fault! Penis Parker left all his stuff out!” A boy complained near Peter’s display, two empty Mentos wrappers on the floor beside him.

Bruce and Stark immediately went over to assess the mess made. Neither looking angry, just more so frustrated. The boys parents followed suit ready to argue.

“As Flash stated, that boy should have put his things away. S-“

“As stated in the contract that you signed, allowing him to join the club, he has to be respectful of other people’s property,” Bruce interrupted.

“Furthermore, he agreed to be respectful of other people,” Stark added. Ignoring Flash’s parents, he looked at the boy, “Go apologize. It was uncalled for.”

The boy took a step in Peter’s direction before his father grabbed him by the arm and led him out of the cafeteria. Soon more people started filing out. Peter came over to you, visibly uncertain with what he was going to ask you.

“Uhm, Ms. LN, is it okay if Ned comes over with us while you watch me for the night?”

“Yeah. Of course, I’m okay with it. Is May usually okay with it?” He nodded, excitedly, “Then I see no problem. Can you point me to his parents so I can run it by them, that I’ll be watching the two of you?”

Peter took you over to Ned’s mother. The two of you had a quick conversation and then traded numbers incase anything arose. She left and the boys went back with the diminishing group of kids. You looked over and noticed Bruce trying to clean the spilled soda the best he could with a couple of rags.

“Hey, you. Need some help?” You asked walking over.

“N-no, uh, Tony went to find a mop. I’m just...” he shrugged, looking up at you from where he was kneeling, “I think I’m spreading the mess more than anything.”

A small smirk played on your lips as a line popped into your head. Should you say it? No, but he just had such a cute blush. “How about I get on my knees and help you out anyway?” That did it. You laughed softly and kneeled down and took a rag from the clean pile and started trying to clean the mess up. Banner was a bit of a flustered mess as he started cleaning with you.

“Did you break my Brucie?” Tony asked, a bucket and mop beside him, “Look at him. He’s practically short circuiting.”

“Nope! I’ve done nothing,” you answered, gathering up all the dirtied rags and setting them down in the kids pool set up under the table. “Maybe, your friend is prone to short circuiting.”

“Mhm,” he nodded, watching Bruce amused, “Both of you scatter. I have a mess to clean up and a wife to go home too. I promised a date night and I’m cutting it pretty close.”

You looked at your watch, “Actually, I should get the boys home soon. Nice meeting you Stark, Banner.” You shook both of their hands and walked off. “Ned, Pete, what do you two say to Star Wars and some ice cream?” The boys cheered and raced off toward the exit. “Bye again, Bruce.”

He waved back, sheepishly.

“I can’t believe you let her go without getting her number,” Tony hit Bruce on the upper arm, “She was into you.”

Bruce held up the hand you shook, showing Tony the piece of paper you slipped into his hand. “I did get it though.”

“She stole my moves straight out of my playbook.”

Everything Tag:

@sophiatomlinson23

Marvel Tag:

@asguardiansoftheavengers @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked

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thereisnobearonthisisland-arc · 6 years

Text

buoy

this is my first chaptered fic and i miiiiight need a little help staying motivated to keep writing it, but i’m aiming for one chapter a week if i can :)

Summary: Dan is a first-year student at the University of Manchester. Jack is his RA. And Phil is Jack's best friend, another RA, and quite possibly about to be the love of Dan's life. Dan and Phil just have a long road of keeping secrets from Jack before they fall in love.

read on ao3

2.2k words

warnings: anxiety, mild sexual innuendos, swearing

chapter one

Dan was tired. Tired because he’d been staying up until three o’clock in the morning every night for the past two weeks. Tired because there’s only so much you can read before your brain liquefies and your eyelids start to feel like they’re made of lead. Most of all, though, he was just tired of uni in general. Everything was so…monotonous. Waking up to go to work for a few hours. Going to classes all day just for the attendance points, but never actually listening to a word that was said all class. Coming home with every intention of Doing The Thing™, only to fall asleep within five minutes of stepping through the door. All of this was wearing him thin, ripping apart his motivation one thread at a time.

He was tired, and regardless of whether or not it was a good idea for his GPA, he was ready for some relaxation. Jack, his RA, had given him the perfect opportunity, too. As Dan lay cocooned under his blankets, eyes drifting shut to some old-ass document written by John Locke, his school email pinged with a new notification. He shifted a bit, sitting straighter and wiggling his shoulders to try to wake himself up. He slid his cursor over to the tab with his email and opened it. From Jack Swanson, yada yada yada, watching Planet Earth II in the lounge. Dan’s eyes shot open. He could be watching Planet Earth II instead of reading for class? Sign him the fuck up.

He threw the covers off of himself and sprung out of bed. Were pyjama pants appropriate for watching Netflix in the communal lounge? Oh, who was he kidding. It would be dark. No one would actually give a fuck what he was wearing. He slipped on a grey t-shirt and a pair of slippers before heading out of his room, not even bothering to lock the door behind him.

The lounge was in the center of the whole floor, a focal point, the hub for everyone to get together and socialize. Not that people did very often. Dan made his way past the elevators and into the lounge. The horrendous, thirty-year-old blue couches and chairs had been rearranged into a u-shape in front of the TV. Jack looked up from where he was fiddling with a cord he’d hooked from his laptop to the TV. He was the only other person in the lounge.

Dan’s stomach swooped. What if he was the only one to show up tonight? What if he had to carry conversation all by himself? He liked Jack. Jack was easy to get along with. But Dan had no idea how he was meant to hold a steady conversation all night without anyone to interject or change the subject. He was an awful conversationalist.

“Dan!” Jack grinned from where he was kneeling on the floor, trying to project the show onto the widescreen TV embedded in the wall. “Glad you could make it!”

Dan let out a long breath. Netflix. They were watching Netflix. Surely, some other people would be joining them. And even if they didn’t, Dan wouldn’t have to worry about conversation. He’d be too busy staring at the screen.

He shook his head, remembering that Jack had just said something. He grinned crookedly, fixing his eyes just to the left of Jack’s face. “Heh, yeah, I just really love penguins, ya know?”

Jack nodded vigorously. “Oh yeah, penguins are definitely one of the coolest animals out there.” He frowned, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Sorry, I left my friend Phil in charge of snacks for tonight. He appears to have gotten lost,” he said after a minute.

Dan grinned. “Ha, yeah I’m late to almost everything, so I feel for him.”

“Oh, no. I mean he actually got lost. The guy doesn’t know his left from his right. He took one wrong turn and wound up eight blocks opposite from Tesco’s.”

“Oh.” Dan bit back a grin.

“He’s on his way back now though. Hopefully we can still start on time. I was kind of hoping he’d make it back earlier though. I’m not really sure if I have this hooked up properly.” Jack gestured to the set-up he’d made with his laptop and the TV.

Dan scratched the back of his neck. “I mean, I could take a look at it for you if you want?”

“Yeah, sure! I’m honestly so technologically incompetent. I always need help. I think my mom could figure this out in about two minutes, but it just doesn’t click for me.”

Tittering, Dan knelt as Jack stood up from beside his laptop. “You’re just trying to project your laptop screen onto the TV screen?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, that’s simple enough.” He checked the HDMI cord and its input and then played with a few buttons on the side of the TV to switch the input from HDMI 2 to 3. Jack’s computer screen popped up onto the TV.

“Huh. That was quick. Well, thanks Dan!”

Dan ducked his head. “Erm, yeah, no problem.” He made his way over to the couch facing the door and sat down, pulling his feet up onto the seat and wrapping his arms around his legs. He stared at the screen, eyes glazing over and zoning out as Jack brought up Planet Earth on Netflix.

He snapped back to attention when a giant bumbling figure stumbled through the open door, spindly limbs wobbling with the weight of plastic bags full of popcorn and suspiciously vibrant packaging. The guy was tall, probably taller than Dan himself and definitely taller than Jack. He was hot. Pools of saliva were beginning to form in Dan’s mouth, and he was almost afraid that he’d wind up hocking a loogie at this Phil guy before they even got the chance to get to know one another. He needed to get ahold of himself.

Phil—or at least Dan was assuming this was Phil—dropped his bags on the round table in the corner of the room and let out a few wheezing breaths. Dan smirked to himself. Relatable. Jack said something off to his left, but it just sounded like something from inside a fishbowl.

“Dan?” Dan shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the tall, handsome stranger and blinking rapidly as if that could make the fog billowing up in his head clear any faster. Jack was looking at him, head cocked to the side and eyebrows scrunched together.

“Hmm?”

“I said that I’m gonna go grab some plates, but you can feel free to sneak anything you’d like before other people start to show up. I won’t tell.”

“Oh, yeah. Cool. Thanks!” Dan clasped his hands together and stood up awkwardly. As Jack ducked out of the room, he crept over to the table with the snacks.

The guy was even prettier up close. His eyes looked like summer, and they made Dan nostalgic for old family hols when his parents were still together. He forced himself to look away from them and toward the small mountain of food.

“I’m always the weirdo who winds up in the corner with the food,” the guy said, and Dan started, a surprised laugh tumbling out of his lips.

“Honestly? Same.”

The guy grinned a thousand-watt smile. “You’re Dan, right?” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Phil. I’m the RA on the second floor.”

Dan grabbed it for a quick shake, ignoring the way his palm tingled when their hands came together. “Nice to meet you. Jack was actually just telling me a bit about you. Said you don’t know your left from your right.”

Phil groaned, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. “He’s right! I got lost on the way to pick up all of these snacks. I told him it would go much smoother if I had someone else to go with me, but he said he had to be back here. It’s really all his fault.”

Dan laughed. “I’d offer to go with you next time, but I actually have no idea where anything is in this city.”

“You don’t know your way around Manchester? I mean, I guess I can’t talk. I got lost on the way to Tesco’s. But you should at least know all the places to go to if your family comes to town or something.”

Dan scratched the back of his neck, unable to shake the broad grin that had planted itself on his face. He was sure he must look like a maniac. “I’m sure I’ll get around to learning the city eventually.”

Phil nodded, shifting back and forth between his feet for a minute. “I mean, I could try to show you around sometime, maybe. If you want, that is. I’m not the best at finding my way around. Obviously. But at least if you get lost you won’t be alone.”

Dan felt his face grow warm with a flush straight from hell itself. He opened his mouth to answer, but Jack walked back through the door, and all the words in Dan’s head morphed into a squeak. Holy fuck. Dan had just squeaked. In front of a hot guy. Shit.

“I’ve got plates!” Jack wandered over to them, seemingly oblivious to Dan’s growing embarrassment. He set a stack of plates on the table and then turned around, frowning at the door. “I thought we might get more people than this. Maybe I should send one more email.”

He pulled out his phone and ambled over to one of the chairs. Phil nudged Dan, and Dan tried to will away the blush dusting his cheeks as he looked back at him. Dan’s eyes were drawn to his lips as he put a single finger up to them. They were pretty lips, bow-shaped, plump, and pink. He barely noticed the way Phil gestured secretively to his own phone. Phil typed something quickly, fingers flying across the screen for a minute before he locked it and slipped it back into his pocket.

Dan’s spine was wracked with the tingle of shivers as Phil leaned in close to whisper to him. “I just invited my residents to join in if they want. Don’t tell Jack.”

Dan nodded, holding his breath as he desperately tried to keep his body from shaking too much at the feeling of Phil’s breath fanning out over his ear. He took one step away from Phil, letting out a slow breath and trying to calm his nerves before he could squeak again. Phil made Dan nervous. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to unpack the reason behind that for that right now, but he could at least acknowledge it. Still slightly jittery, he gestured wildly to the table. “So, what would you recommend?”

Phil studied the food for a moment. “I guess that depends on what you prefer. Savory or sweet? I’m partial to sweet things, myself.”

“I guess I like a bit of both?”

“Hmm, then I’m gonna say...try some of this salted popcorn.” He gestured to one of the plastic bags. “And maybe some jelly babies? Or Maltesers?”

Dan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Wait, you have Maltesers?”

Phil chuckled and dug around in a bag until he pulled out familiar shiny red packaging. “I only bought one pack, so you can have them on one condition. You have to share a few with me.”

Dan grabbed the pack. “Deal! God, one of my favorite pastimes is choking on those balls.”

Phil snorted, turning away from him. He shifted on his feet again a few times before turning back towards Dan.

Dan had to be imagining the tinge of pink to his cheeks, right? His eyes glazed over as he watched Phil run his fingers through his hair, pushing it back into a quiff. It was a good look. Dan’s fingers itched to take a picture of him, but that would be weird. They’d only just met. In another universe, maybe he could. But in this one? In this one, Phil was clearing his throat, and Dan was snapping back to attention.

“Do you, uh, do you choke on those balls often?”

Dan laughed, bringing his hand up to rub at the warm spot blooming on his jaw. Were they still talking about Maltesers? “No, uh, only when I take in too much at once. I nearly died when I was fifteen because I tried to swallow twenty at the same time without even chewing. My grandma had to give me the Heimlich.”

“That sounds traumatizing.”

“It was.” Maybe he was biased, but Dan thought that Phil’s eyes were even prettier when he was smiling. His smile was contagious. Dan found himself grinning like a fool as he piled a plate with popcorn and Maltesers.

Phil piled his own plate with a variety of sweets and bumped their shoulders together when he was finished. “Will you sit by me for this thing? My residents are lovely, but I’m kind of sick of them at this point.”

Dan’s breath caught in his throat. He could feel his heartbeat pulsing erratically in his fingertips. He’d only known this man for a matter of fifteen minutes, but there was already something vaguely familiar about the way he made all the blood rush to Dan’s ears. He bit his lip.

“Yeah, alright.”

#phanfic #phanfiction #phan #dnp #my fics #// anxiety #// swearing

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seokjinsonlyone-main · 7 years

Text

Renaissance

this is the photography!harry piece based off of this request:

hello! can you do where harry is a photographer and he needs a model for an upcoming project or something so he asks y/n since he couldn’t find anyone. and during that process, both developed feelings towards one another.

Y/N liked to sit alone in the dining room. She didn't like to watch people eat or have others watch her eat. And, she definitely wasn't a fan of small talk. Or talking at all. She didn't like it because she wasn't good at it. She wasn't good at it because she didn't do it. She didn't do it because she didn't like it. It was a vicious cycle, really.

This wasn't to say that she didn't have any friends because she did. Those who bothered to stick it out past her social awkwardness and the unnecessarily high walls she built around herself usually were there for life. Said friends, however, refused to wait for her to get out of class and went to eat somewhere else without her. Since she didn't have a car she was left to fend for herself in the dining room. Which she didn't mind as long as she was left alone.

Apparently Harry Styles didn't get the memo. He was this real sweet kid she saw around in the arts department a lot. They were both fine arts majors, but she specialised in painting and sketching while he specialised in photography. In their first couple years they had a few general ed classes together, so she was friendly whenever they came into contact with each other but they weren't friends. That was why his sudden presence at her table was so perplexing. They were wave from across the hall close not sit with each other at lunch close. She looked up from her plate, slowly finishing a mouthful of carbonara, eyeing him suspiciously. "How... may I help you?"

He flashed a big, bright smile at her which was honestly a bit off-putting. "How are you doing, beautiful?"

"I'm fine... just, ya know, trying to get some ATP." He looked at her with a blank expression. "Adenosine triphosphate... Like, cellular energy... that comes from– ya know what? Never mind. I'm a nerd. Why are you trying to butter me up?"

He sighed. "I know we don't talk often." She raised an eyebrow at him. "...Or, at all, but I need to ask you for a favour."

She patted around her mouth with a napkin in an attempt to stall time. She wondered why he couldn't ask one of the other million people he knew. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't her friends have waited for her to get out of class? She figured hearing him out wouldn't be the worst thing ever, though. "Well, I can't guarantee I'll do it, but what is it?"

"I'm working on a project, and I need a model. My last one flaked out on me."

Her eyebrows drew together. "Why?"

"She found out I wasn't paying," he pouted.

She puckered her lips. "Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine. Anyway, I'm doing, like, a modern recreation of renaissance art. And, I really really really need your help."

She squinted her eyes at him. There had to be something he wasn't telling her. She was more than certain that he could convince any other girl to model for him. She knew at least three girls who had a legitimate crush on him, five girls who wanted to get in his pants, and really any living creature could be charmed into doing it once he batted his eyes in their direction. The dude was beautiful. "What aren't you telling me, Styles?"

He winced at the question before blowing raspberries into the air. "Are you... familiar with... The Birth of Venus and Venus of Urbino?"

"Of course I am," she responded immediately. When he didn't say anything, she thought back over what he just asked her until the gears in her brain were fully turning. Her eyes widened. "You want me to pose nude?" she whisper shouted.

"You wouldn't actually be showing anything!"

"People would be able to see my face! And, I'd be showing everything else. It ain't that hard to connect the dots. No, absolutely not," she said, shaking her head.

"I could crop the picture at your neck!" he bargained.

"Venus of Urbino is lying down!"

"I can figure something out! Please."

"Harry..." she sighed thoroughly exasperated. She wished he would let it go and move onto another person. "I know a bunch of girls who would willingly throw their clothes at you. Why me?"

"For that exact reason. I don't want someone who wants to get in my pants. I want someone who's as serious about art as I am, and honestly you're just about the most passionate person I know. I always see you in the studio hours after everyone else has gone back to their dorms. Plus, you have a 4.0, and I think that's, like, the coolest thing ever. I'd really like to collaborate with you."

His confession stunned her. She always thought she slipped under everyone's radar. Not that she was trying to, she just got so into her work that she didn't really make time for anyone else. And, in her classes that didn't require studio work she usually preferred keeping to herself. It wasn't that she straight up ignored people, she just didn't go out of her way to make friends. It was better that way. People came and people went. It minimised the damage. She figured that people saw her the same way she saw herself. "Well, alright," she shrugged.

"Really? I asked your friends and they said you probably wouldn't do it. I had four other bullet points to try to convince you and a backup plan that I was fully prepared to use," he said, ending with his jaw slightly dropped in a state of disbelief.

"First of all, don't talk to Niall and Louis about me. They're knobs. I would know. They're my friends. Second, I agreed because you seem to have some sort of vision. A lot of people ask me for my help and want me to do all their work for them." She smiled tightly at him wanting this whole exchange to be over with, so she could come to terms with what she agreed to.

"You don't have to worry about that with me," he replied, smiling brightly, suddenly getting super excited. "Oh my god, I can't believe you said yes!" He rounded the table and pulled her into a hug.

She immediately seized up in his arms. She didn't mind hugs, but she usually saw the moment coming and was therefore prepared to lean in. He quite literally picked her up out of the chair. She could feel eyes burning holes into the back of her neck. "Okay, okay. You're welcome. Please put me down," she mumbled into his neck.

"Let me get your number!" he chirped, handing her his phone.

She input her number, then called her phone so she would have his number in return. "Just... text me whenever you're ready to…do this whole thing."

"I will, and thank you so much again." He kissed her on the cheek before making his way out of the dining room, enormous grin still plastered on his face.

Her heart skipped a beat and her entire face flushed at the action, as she brought her hand to the area his lips had been pressed to. She immediately fled the room, not wanting anyone who she was friendly with to question her about what just happened,leaving her wondering what she just got herself into. --- She clutched her bag tightly as she checked the time on her phone for the fifth time in the past minute. He was five minutes late, and she was considering going back into her dorm. That was, until she saw him running toward her, gasping.

She let out a sigh of relief and irritation. "You're late."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry, just–" He held out his finger, asking for a minute, bent over gasping for air. "I was setting everything up and lost track of time."

She decided to forgive him this time. "It's okay, I suppose. Just... don't let it happen again, please." She stared at him finally regaining his posture. The building wasn't that far away. He looked fit, but she guessed he wasn't as in shape as he appeared.

"Why exactly do you need an escort to a building that's like a ten minute walk away? You can literally see it from here, and there are street lamps."

"Yes, because street lamps deter crime,"she said, rolling her eyes and nodded her head toward the path so they could start moving. After they had been walking for a minute or so, she answered his question. "I may be feisty, but I'm still a princess, Harold. I have a general distrust for the human population, and I refuse to be another statistic. That is why I'm on a first name basis with at least eight security guards and the escort service has my schedule posted and my number on speed dial. It's a service I've used liberally ever since I've been a student here. That's actually how I met Niall."

"Then why didn't you call him?"

"Because you're a nice, tall, fairly built guy who I'm practically posing nude for. Figured it's the least you could do. Also, I didn't tell them I agreed to do it. They're absolute pests with big mouths."

He shrugged his shoulders, releasing a chuckle. "Fair enough. By the way, my name isn't Harold."

"Hmmm..." she murmured mindlessly, "Guess you have a new nickname then." They spent the rest of the walk in relative silence which she was grateful for. She knew she agreed to do this and she wasn't going to back out on him, but she was nervous. She'd never done anything like this before and she hadn't planned on doing it ever... in her life. She hoped to god that he actually did come up with something. She let her thoughts consume her so much so that she didn't realise they arrived at the building until Harry gently touched the small of her back causing her to jump back like she'd been shocked.

"Sorry." He motioned for her to follow him, holding open the door to the studio art building. "I understand why you need escorts. You zone way out."

She shrugged in return. "So, have you found out a way to– ugh..." she cut herself off when she noticed the sign saying that the elevator was out of order. She was going to have to walk up six flights of stairs. She guessed that's why he was so out of breath when he came to get her. "Anyway, I was wondering if you found a way to shoot me less... naked?"

"I actually have."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm. I'll show you when we get upstairs."

She nodded as relief flooded her veins. She spent the next few minutes focusing on pacing herself as they climbed up the stairs. She didn't want him to see how winded she could get when she reached the top. Her asthma didn't help the situation. Once they reached the top (with minimal wheezing), she thought about how un-awkward she felt standing next to him, walking down the hall. Whenever she was around people she didn't know that well or at all, she always found it extremely awkward and didn't know how to carry herself. Don't get her wrong she felt awkward, but nowhere near as much as she usually did.

It may have been because of the few text messages they exchanged during the week or the fact that he specifically sought her out and begged for her to work with him, but she didn't feel her usual level of discontent around him. It was weird. She didn't notice she almost walked past the room until she stumbled backwards, caused by Harry's sudden grip on her hand.

"Seriously, you pay dangerously little attention to your surroundings." She shrugged as he held the door open for her. He had some finished photos hanging on a clothes line, but before she could check them out he cleared his throat. "So, we have two options for the shoot." He was holding up a skin toned body suit in one hand and a skin toned bra and panty set in the other. She slowly walked toward him. "Whichever one you prefer is fine with me."

She eyed them cautiously then took the body suit. She was about to go get changed before a thought struck her. "Wait, which one do you prefer?"

He shook his head. "I just want you to be comfortable."

"I'm never comfortable. I live in a constant state of awkwardness, but I know you have a vision for this thing. What do you want me to wear?"

He rolled his lips together. "I think the more skin showing the better. Like, they celebrated the body back then, and if you had the, um," he coughed, "the bra and, um, panties... it would be easier to catch the more feminine lines of your body." He gently skated his hand up her side in demonstration and admiration and she nearly melted inside.

She nodded her head furiously, sending him a tight smile and going to change into the two piece. "Then that's what I'll do, innit?" She exhaled heavily once she was behind the partition he had set up. Generally speaking, she strayed from physical contact. It made her uncomfortable because people made her uncomfortable. She didn't trust many, so touches were few and far between. Never would she have imagined something to send shivers down her spine in the glorious way Harry's touch did.

When Y/N stepped out from behind the partition, she looked around the room in search for him. She found him fiddling with his camera and tripod, so she cleared her throat to make her presence known. He didn't know how to react when his gaze landed upon her. The most he could manage was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. "I know I don't have, like, the best–"

"You're beautiful," he blurted.

She could feel the heat racing to her cheeks. She was at a loss for how to respond, but she knew continuing to stand there in way less clothes than she was used to wasn't working for her. "So... The Birth of Venus, yeah?" --- After she changed back into her clothes, she wasn't sure what to do. One of the little voices in her head was telling her to bolt due to some leftover embarrassment from being half naked with him. Another voice was telling her to at least see if he needed anything else before leaving. She decided to listen to the latter. After all, it hadn't been that bad. She had to give Harry credit. He was extremely professional and made her comfort his top priority. She made her way out from behind the changing screen and shuffled over to him. "Ummm... I was just gonna..." she pointed to the door, "unless you needed anything else?"

He directed his attention away from the monitor which she assumed held the shots he'd just taken. He pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth. "I know I said I just wanted you to model for me, but, uh, could you take a look at some of the other photos for this?"

"Sure..." she agreed. He pulled up a chair next to his in front of the computer screen. "I can just... click through?" He nodded and she began carefully studying each photograph, happy to be in her comfort zone once again.

Photography might not have been her forte, but she took a semester of art history and was an artist herself. It was sort of a happy medium for her. She couldn't help noticing Harry in her periphery, toying with his lip, taking turns looking between her and his pictures. She took pride in the sense of humility she drowned herself in, but the pictures he took of her were her favourite. One was of her grabbing a robe. He scanned it into another picture he took of a bathroom so it looked like she was getting out of the shower. The window in the bathroom was open and he had a fan blowing during the shoot, so it looked like the wig she had on was being blown in the wind. She knew it wasn't finished, and it was quite simple but also very intriguing considering the painting it was based on. The other was of her laying down on a couch messing about on her phone. It wasn't as symbolic as the first, but she loved the way he played with the lighting. It looked good. She snuck a glance at him when she was sure he wasn't looking directly at her and couldn't help thinking that he looked better than all of his work. She got lost in her thoughts, as per usual, and accidentally locked eyes with him, then coughed to cover it up. "These are great, Harold."

His lips quirked up in a timid smile. "Thank you."

"There is one, though, that needs a bit of editing."

His smile turned into a pout. "Which one?"

"The knock off Raphael."

"Hey," he whined.

"You know what I mean." She clicked through the profile until she got to his interpretation of The School of Athens. "Just, like, the perspective is kinda wrong."

"What do you mean?" he asked, inspecting the photo, obviously not seeing what she was.

"Well, like, that's kind of the main point of this picture. Like, that's why it was so famous. Your detail and everything is impeccable, but the thing that made the original so great was the fact that it has a single focal point ranging from the arch and that's where everything's placement stems from."

He cursed under his breath, slightly panicking. "I don't know what I'm going to do. The assignment is due at the end of the week."

She kinda wanted to leave. She felt bad that she essentially ruined one of his shots. The tension was making her sweat. "Can't you just... fix it?"

He ran his hands through his hair. "I usually prefer not to edit my photos. I have no idea how to photoshop on the level it would take to fix this entire shot."

She stayed silent, yet another war waging in her head. She could help him with it, but that meant she'd have to spend even more time with him and she had these sudden feelings swirling about in her stomach that were making her feel. It was weird. Still, she blurted out, "I can," without the consent of her brain.

"You can?"

She shrugged, trying to play it cool, "I minor in digital art. I've taken quite a few photoshop classes."

He pulled her out of the chair and into his arms, hugging her tightly. "You are a lifesaver. Oh my god. Thank you so much." She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so... I could kiss you right now."

It scared her how much she wanted him to. --- Y/N was alone in the studio department for the first time in over a week. She'd given up quite a few of her extended hours in favour of helping Harry complete his project. She spent the past couple of days working with him to edit his photos and showing him how to photoshop for future reference. After spending so much time with him, she was finding it even more difficult to focus than it usually was. Her mind was riddled with thoughts of him. Every time she got in a groove, she would think about how he nuzzled his face in her neck when they hugged, or how he smelled lightly of mangoes from the body wash he used or how he could only stand the silence she needed to work efficiently in for so long and would start humming, or how he walked her back to her dorm each time they met up and would make sure to have her on call, making dumb jokes, talking about any and everything, the entire time he walked back to his dorm, as per her request so she could know he was safe. It was a little disconcerting.

She didn't get this way. It was rare for her to get crushes. She didn't even need a whole hand to count the number of people she had feelings for in her entire life. She was okay with that. More than okay. It allowed her to throw herself into her work, yet she had been mixing the same two colours together in her palette for the last ten minutes. An unexpected knock on the door made her drop her paintbrush on the floor. She whipped her head around, finding the curly headed boy she'd been assisting to be the culprit. "You scared me," she breathed out.

"That's nothing new," he chuckled. "Why are you here so late and so jumpy?"

"Uh, I have extended hours because of my ADD. They let me use it after everyone's gone to get work done."

"Ahhh..." he said walking towards her with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I didn't know you had ADD. Is that why you're really jumpy, too?"

She shook her head. "That would be the anxiety induced paranoia."

"How come you don't just come in earlier, so you won't have to be here so late?"

"I mean... to be honest, I'd rather die," she deadpanned.

He burst into this loud, squawky cackle that made her heart skip a beat simply because she was the one who caused it. He sucked his lip in between his teeth once he regained his composure. "I'm not, like, disturbing you am I?"

She shook her head again. "Nah. I haven't been very productive today."

"Because of the ADD?"

It wasn't, but she couldn't tell him it was because she couldn't get him off her mind. "No, actually, I've just been... having a problem with the colour scheme." It wasn't a lie either. She thought she was going to do this particular piece in a black and white monochromatic style, but she found herself trying to recreate the exact colour of his eyes.

"Ahhh... well, I saw the light on and figured it was you. I wanted to let you know that I submitted the pictures."

"Yeah?" she smiled and he nodded. "You'll have to let me know how you do, although I'm sure you're going to ace it."

"Fingers crossed," he replied and the two were left in an awkward silence. Neither one of them knew what to say or do next. "Well, I'm just gonna..." he nodded his head toward the door, but didn't exactly make a move.

She didn't want him to leave, but couldn't bring herself to let him know that. Instead, she waved timidly at him, mentally face palming herself.

"Alright then, I'll... see you. Have a good night."

He started walking away, and disappointment flooded her system. She turned back to her work space, wanting to begin painting once more, but it was like her brain could not process anything other than the fact that Harry was walking away. "Actually, can you..." she blurted, whole face scrunching up, then turned to face him to see he was seconds away from being out the door but stopped once she called out to him. "Umm... if you don't mind, could you– maybe– help me with this? Just, I've been looking at these for so long I think I need a second opinion.

"Sure." He smiled brightly, agreeing immediately.

It made her wonder if he was looking for a reason to stay, as well. She sighed before fetching the other pieces of her collection. She was completing the last one. "I was going to do this one in black and white, but now I'm not so sure. Like, I want it to have colour, but I don't want it to be in full colour." She launched into the entire concept of the collection she had created probably giving way too many details, but she couldn't help it. Once she got talking on something she liked, there was no stopping her. She noticed how intently he listened to her even though she was rambling. It was beyond endearing.

When she shut up, he slid behind her pressing his front flush against her back. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah," she croaked, twisting her neck to look directly at him.

He skated his hand down her arm pointing out possible spots that she could add pops of colour to, but in all honesty she didn't hear a word he said. She was too focused on how she could feel each breath he took against her back and how pinpricks of electricity shot through her whenever his hand grazed hers. Not to mention the fact that she never actually stopped looking at him. The shape of his mouth as he talked art to her was overwhelming and she catalogued the colour of his lips into her mind because she wanted to add that to her painting too. "Y/N?"

"Hmmm...?" She was still caught up in memorising the planes of his face, so she didn't actually process what he was saying.

He looked down at her with a slight smirk on his face. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"Uh uh," she mumbled.

He turned her around in his arms so she was facing him and slid his hands down to her hips, pulling her flush against him once more. "Is this okay?"

"Mhm." Her breathing was getting tight as they stared at one another. She slid her hands up his chest, resting one on his shoulder and using the other to cup his jaw.

He leaned into her touch, nearly purring at the gentle way she handled him. He rested his forehead against hers. "Can I kiss you?"

Her throat dried up. She tried to say something but ended up just nodding, not being able to form words. He bumped her nose with his, stalling, savouring the moment, feeling their breath intermingling. Her heart was beating out of her chest and just as she was about to lean in sealing their lips together Louis burst into the room.

"Oi! Oi! It's 11:30, loser!" he yelled. They jumped back from each other immediately. "Why'd you tell me to come get you if he was going to be here?" he said, a couple seconds later when he spotted Harry. Both of them were too shaken up to respond. Louis looked between the two of them suspiciously. "Did I... interrupt something?"

Y/N snapped out of the haze she'd been trapped in ever since Harry walked in the room, hustling to place her paintings back on the rack. "No, no. He was just giving me a second opinion. I'm ready."

He raised his eyebrows at her, still eyeing them. "You sure?"

She nodded, scrambling to get the rest of her stuff in her bag. She began following him out the room before she remembered that Harry actually was still there, rubbing his thumb over his lips, trying to come to terms with what almost happened. "Just give me a second, yeah?"

He rolled her eyes at her, but made his way outside the room nonetheless. She rushed over to Harry, rolled up on her tip toes, and pecked him on the lips before she lost her nerve. "Text me when you get home, so I know you're safe, okay?"

"Okay," he replied dumbfounded.

She shot him a smile and walked out of the room. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she made it into the hallway. "Harry Styles, huh?" Louis prodded, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Shut up," she chided.

"I can't wait to tell Niall." --- Exhausted wasn't the word to describe Y/N. She had to pull a couple all nighters, so her collection could be submitted on time. It was worth it, though. She was more than satisfied with how everything turned out. She was even more satisfied with the fact that she could take a nap guilt free, which was exactly what she planned to do until she heard knocking on her door. She contemplated ignoring it, but the knocks wouldn't stop so she reluctantly peeled herself away from her bed. She gained a little more energy when she saw that it was Harry on the other side of the door, smiling from ear to ear.

She coerced herself into hyperfocus to finish her work, so she hadn't really seen him except in passing since the night he submitted his photos. Admittedly it had only been two days, but they kind of left things on something like a cliffhanger. "Harry,what are you doing here?"

"I got an A on my project."

"Get out!"

"And my professor liked them so much that she submitted them to the art show and I'm up for an award now."

She launched herself at him. "Oh my god. I'm so happy for you!"

He giggled. "I couldn't have done it without you." He nuzzled his face in her neck and they became entranced into the same reality that overtook them the other night. The reality where they were the only two people that existed, that mattered. It was only her and him. He pulled back just enough so that he was able to hold her face in both his hands, brushing his thumbs acrossthe apples of her cheeks. "Can I kiss you?"

"Please," she whimpered.

He leaned back in and enveloped her lips with his, suckling lightly on her top lip before running his tongue across its crease silently asking for entrance. She followed suit immediately, letting him lick into her mouth at a tender pace, leaving her breathless, wanting more when he pulled away. "Let me take you out," he implored, voice barely above a whisper.

"You wanna take me out?" she inquired, catching her breath.

He nodded. "You're just about the coolest person I know. I've been crushing on you for forever. Let me take you out."

The butterflies in her stomach fluttered wildly. "Okay."

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fuckyeahevanrwood · 6 years

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Evan Rachel Wood, Gina Rodriguez and Other Stars Take Aim at TV’s Patriarchy: ‘There’s No Going Back’

It’s a different day for Hollywood, and for our culture. From the time allegations of sexual misbehavior rained down on mogul Harvey Weinstein last October, this business and many others have been rocked by revelations and allegations, and by a sense that the time is long overdue to afford women equal respect and equal opportunities rather than treating them like commodities.

In this climate — with hashtags like #MeToo and organizations like Time’s Up working to affect real change — TheWrap convened seven television actresses to discuss what they’ve experienced in their careers, what they’ve seen in the last nine months and where they’d like things to go from here.

TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman and Beatrice Verhoeven asked the questions; Zazie Beetz from “Atlanta,” Alison Brie from “GLOW,” Rachel Brosnahan from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Claire Foy from “The Crown,” Gina Rodriguez from “Jane the Virgin,” Yara Shahidi from “black-ish” and “grown-ish” and Evan Rachel Wood from “Westworld” answered them.

What does it feel like for all of you at this particular moment in time, with everything that has happened over the last eight or nine months? Are you mindful of the politics going on around you in Hollywood and in the wider world?

ALISON BRIE Well, there’s no way to ignore what’s going on in our industry these days. That’s why I feel lucky and grateful to be working on a feminist show where we have female showrunners, so many women on the crew and six out of 10 of our directors are women.

That’s something about “GLOW” that I find really amazing and fascinating: We have a cast of 14 women in Season 1, 15 women in Season 2, of all shapes and sizes and ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. They’re interesting, in-depth characters. Their lives revolve around things other than men and being single.

I was talking yesterday with Gillian Jacobs from “Love” about how different it can be shooting a romantic scene when you’re working with a female director. You’re more involved with the way you’re being commodified on the show, which is helpful.

YARA SHAHIDI It’s extremely powerful and inspiring to turn on the TV and see Issa Rae on the show she created, to see Laverne Cox, to see all these women leading shows. Whether it’s cable or [broadcast] television, I feel like we are seeing a difference, and I think it’s partially because the audience is now expecting it. But we’re not nearly there yet.

We are seeing more shows — like Rachel’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — about female awakening.

RACHEL BROSNAHAN At its core, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is a story about a woman finding a voice that she didn’t know she had. And that becomes more and more relevant every single day. We’re seeing so many different groups of people in the country finding their voices.

It’s not something that I was necessarily aware of as we were making it, but it’s a huge gift to play this fully realized, completely three-dimensional, complicated, flawed woman.

SHAHIDI We’re definitely seeing more complex roles. It’s less about saying that a character has to be this beautiful, perfect role model who handles it all. If anything, it’s been about making them realer, more complex or more unique. So rather than saying this woman has to be the universal woman, we can deal in specificity. When we add that layer of detail, you can only gain when you’re talking about human complexity.

BRIE What’s great about what’s happening right now is that these stories for women are being told, and I feel like there’s no going back. If I read a script about a woman who can’t get a man, or two women fighting over a guy, I’m just so bored.

EVAN RACHEL WOOD I think everybody’s a little bored by that.

ZAZIE BEETZ For so many years, people were like, “Everybody can identify with a white man lead.” There wasn’t even a thought of, “Oh, someone can identify with a woman as well and not be a woman?” That’s insane.

Many of your shows now feel increasingly timely and resonant precisely because of what’s happening in Hollywood and in society.

WOOD We started “Westworld” before this movement happened, but when people say, “Oh, it’s so timely now, it’s crazy how synced-up it is,” we always say, “No, it’s timeless.” This has always been an issue, but we’re just paying more attention and listening in a different way now. So it seems more relevant.

And it was strange doing Season 2, because it’s all about the uprising and the reckoning, and the women — even though they’re not technically women, they’re machines — coming into their power and realizing who they are.

CLAIRE FOY I think it’s really interesting, the conversations that people are having. A year ago, would TheWrap be having an all-female cover talking about women being empowered? It’s because of a very few brave people got together and put themselves on the line. And then all of a sudden everybody came out of the woodwork and said, “I just realized I can stand up for myself.”

I have learned so much from other women about what they’ve experienced.

GINA RODRIGUEZ I’d love to jump in on that, because I think Time’s Up was created from the response from the American farmworkers — 700 women got together and wrote a letter to the women in Hollywood. This is such a difficult conversation because there’s no way we can encompass everything: This is hours and months and years and history and hundreds of years of domesticated mentalities.

But I believe that the culture for women, if we’re going to specifically speak about that all over the world, is a social norm. We created it and we can change it. But it would take a collective effort to do that.

WOOD We get pitted against each other sometimes, and I think what we’ve realized, which is part of the theme of today, is that we’re stronger together. It’s a slogan, but it’s also very true.

BROSNAHAN One of the coolest things about doing things like this is that we get to spend time together and know each other as peers, and that makes it easier to lift each other up and be each other’s champions and be on the same team. Because previously, there was usually room for one woman in a group of men.

Now, there has been a shift. I’ve been walking into a lot of rooms recently with both men and women where they’re saying, “Do you want to do other things? Do you want to write? Direct? Produce?” I’d never been asked that question before and I hadn’t thought about it much, but now I’m thinking about it and going, “Yeah, I do want to do all those things!”

RODRIGUEZ I produce my own projects because I really got tired of being told, “They don’t think you are this enough.” And I was like, “Who is they?” I need to be they. So I just made sure that I was the they so that I can tell them, “No, I don’t think that’s correct.”

As a young girl, I knew how affected I was by the lack of color on screen. I knew how much I gravitated towards the little bit that we did have that represented our culture. I understand that the lack of history of Latino culture in schools adds to dropout rates. I love that Claire plays one of the most important women in history, but there are so many more that we haven’t seen yet because people don’t even share it in schools. I’m all about doing my own stuff, making my own projects.

Claire, you were the subject of a real furor recently when it was revealed that you made less money than your co-star Matt Smith in the first season of “The Crown,” even though you had a bigger role. It came as a shock…

FOY It’s that unspoken thing. Actors don’t talk with each other about how much they are paid. But we all knew. And now something good has got to come out of all the shame and the embarrassment and the talking about my worth in comparison to one of my best friends.

WOOD I have never been paid the same as my male counterparts. I’m just now to the point where I’m getting paid the same as my male co-stars [on “Westworld”].

BROSNAHAN Really? I’m mad for you but also happy for you now that you’re there.

WOOD I was married to an actor for years and he always got paid more than me, and I actually worked more. And I was like, “I’ll just take what I can get, I’m just happy to be here.”

BROSNAHAN That’s a huge part of the equal-pay conversation, because women are brought up with this idea that there are 100 more of us who could step in at any given moment. So it’s hard to speak up for yourself, because you feel like you could lose it. And honestly in the past, you could.

RODRIGUEZ They do that to us from the start of our careers. Take our power away. I feel like that’s happened to me from the jump. “That’s fine, we have a bunch of people who could step right in.” You diminish someone’s self worth and it’s up to them to believe it or not. I’ve had that from the beginning.

BEETZ It’s about, are you being valued in the same way? Are they seeing you as an asset in the same way that they are seeing your counterpart?

FOY Our industry works on a quote system. You get a quote for one job and it will be used in your next job. It’s across the board, and it’s relatively fair in that sense.

The way it doesn’t work is because if there aren’t leads of people of different races or different genders, then they’re not going to be given the opportunity to ever get their quote up, because they will never be given that lead. And if they do get that lead and they don’t have the same quote as their counterparts because they haven’t had the opportunity before, then I genuinely believe it’s the responsibility of the people who are in charge of making those decisions to pay that person not according to their quote but according to what their part is. That is the only way it will ever make it right.

One of my friends is an Indian actress, and she’s never going to get a high enough quote because when has there been a lead part for an Indian actress? It just has to happen by someone making the decision. It has to be a directive, it has to be something that people just do. Because you want to be paid equally for the work that you do, and for your investment in that which will make a lot of other people very wealthy.

So it’s time to be outspoken and stand up for yourself.

FOY It’s not even about being outspoken. It’s just about saying, “These are the facts!”

RODRIGUEZ That’s what it is. It’s like, a woman does it and she’s being craaaaazy. A man does it, it’s logic. We gotta stop talking about it that way. It’s not about being outspoken, it’s about laying the truth down.

WOOD I’ve been working for 25 years, and the people with money are still men. You’re pitching projects about women to a room full of older white men with money who aren’t necessarily creative types. Those rooms need to change. They need to be more diverse and have more women, more people of color, more everything.

BROSNAHAN It’s hard when there’s one group at the top making all the decisions and controlling all the money. People in positions of power need to look like what the world looks like, so that the art we’re making reflects the world we live in and the world we aspire to live in.

#evan rachel wood #Interviews #the wrap #articles #interviews 2018 #gina rodriguez #zazie beetz #yara shahidi #alison brie #rachel brosnahan #claire foy

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imagemakingii · 3 years

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Interview Transcript

R: So Skinny, you’re 19? 20?

S: I’m 19. September.

R: Is that Libra?

S: Oh my god no, I’m a triple Virgo.

R: What is it that you do in your own definition?

S: I feel like, I’m a jeweller, and I’m a designer, and a creative but also a maker. And I’m like the best DJ ever when people let me.

R: You’re a DJ?

S: Yeah, I’m the best DJ. But like, honestly, no one really lets me. No big venues.

R: What kind of music do you play?

S: I love all music, I really do. But I feel like acid rock is really cool.

R: So you’re a creative and a maker. Do you prefer the making side of things to the research side?

S: I feel like makers and designers a lot of the time are two separate things. Makers really understand materials and medium. Whereas designers can think of an incredible idea and give it to a maker. But I definitely relate to both, kind of jack of all trades, master of none.

R: Your own personal style plays a huge role in your designs and art, how important is curating a self-expressive style to you?

S: I feel like it’s important to think for yourself first of all, find inspirating from the past, and accept that your style will always be changing and evolving.

R: Especially nowadays, with fast fashion, people tend to buy trends rather than what they actually like.

S: Yeah, I’m constantly surprised by how many people buy into trends.

R: You came to New Zealand from Greece, how has your cultural heritage impacted your work, and your way of expressing yourself?

S: I feel like a combination of purity and religion comes out at uni, and reminds me that restriction and freedom can look so similar. My friend gave me the best quote, like, “the Greek Orthodox church has the best branding,” which I found was so cool.

R: So how do you weave that into your work?

S: I feel that I always think back on how much purity I had as a child growing up in a little Greek village and try to keep that mindset when making things when being influenced by so many things, it helps with all the voices in your head, and reminds you to keep that simplicity.

R: Does living in Auckland inform your work and self-expression in any way?

S: I feel like everyone in Auckland feels like they can be a big fish in a small pond. That gives kids the confidence that they can run the world, which is the best thing and the worst thing. That’s why we’re seeing so many kids from Auckland come out and go worldwide and start things, they take that confidence with them when they go overseas.

R: Take me through what you do in a day.

S: No matter what day it is, I wake up and put on really really loud music and I drink coffee.

R: What’s your favourite morning song?

S: Definitely like the Ramones, or the Sex Pistols. Something very loud. Then I’ll go to the studio. I don’t think in the past three years there has been many days that I don’t go to studio. Like 6 out of 7 days. And I’m constantly surrounded by people, and my friends, who are always the angel and the devil on my shoulder. I couldn’t imagine designing without people around me.

R: So you like the collaboration side of things?

S: Yeah. I feel like having people around you distracts you from spiralling.

R: So you live in the city?

S: Yeah I live in Central. I’ve had two apartments on High Street which has been super cool.

R: So you can pop over to uni really easily then.

S: Yeah I feel like AUT students, especially fashion students, are always in studio.

R: How does social media inform your process?

S: I feel like there’s so many different things to talk about with social media, like it’s really good for staring a brand and selling things. But I feel like seeing what’s happening and what’s hot will never inform your process. I feel like you’ll only ever end up making something lesser that what the other person is made. You should never find inspiration on Instagram, like go watch some old movies or something.

R: So your Instagram name is DJSkinny and has been for a while. Is that different to your real name, are they a sort of alter ego?

S: Everyone in central calls me Skinny, which is really funny. It might be easier to say than my Greek name. I feel like it’s only a persona in the way that you are with your friends versus your mum.

R: Do some of your friends know your first name?

S: A lot of my friends don’t know my first name. My closest friends probably don’t know my last name.

R: So in your jewellery and fashion business, is Skinny like your brand?

S: Yeah I’ve got the website and everything but I haven’t posted on it.

R: Who do you think is more the real you? Or are they both?

S: I definitely think they’re both the real me. But it’s an interesting concept, the person you are, the person you think you are, and the person people perceive you as. And I guess that Instagram is a whole another persona in itself.

R: I’ve always found your Instagram handle so interesting.

S: Yeah, I think the funniest thing said to me, probably two things, obviously I introduce myself like “Hi I’m Skinny, that’s what my friends call me.” And people are like “Oh my god, imagine calling yourself Skinny.” And I’m like it is what it is. What do you mean imagine it? I’m living it haha. And then another girl was like “she’s not even that Skinny.” And I just thought, it’s not even about that. Why are words so important. Words shouldn’t hold that much power.

R: How does fashion design change your views on the rest of the world?

S: Well I feel like I am constantly surprised by how many people still buy fast fashion and buy into trends. I think it’s so crazy. I don’t think I’ve not bought anything second hand in like two years.

R: Do you think fashion students at AUT are more sustainable thinking?

S: I think the cool people are, but I think there are some people that just want to get a degree to get a degree, that wear fast fashion, they don’t read anything on fashion, are not that passionate about it. There’s some people like that. The best people I see in fashion are really sustainable.

R: Who are your biggest influences, and why do you connect with them?

S: I’m going to try put no designers in this one. I really love Joseph Beuys, I think he’s a really good storyteller. I love Lee Krasner, she is the original girl boss. And Nancy Holt, they were both really influential for women in art. I’m really inspired by The Clash, they have great politics.

R: What sets you apart from other designers?

S: I think that first of all everyone is a great designer, and you need to figure out how to put it into a physical form., I have a love affair with metal, like I’m rally in love with metal. If you really love a material or textile, then you design to it, because you understand how it works. my first year was quite tricky for me because I just didn’t have that connection with fabric, so my work wasn’t coming out right, so when I started working with metal that’s when I could see my work better. At uni we have like looks, so I design my garments to compliment the jewellery.

R: You said you had an end of year showcase?

S: Yeah, we’ve got our grad collection coming up which is 10 looks.

R: Do you make the looks to compliment or showcase the jewellery?

S: Definitely compliment. I would never make something for the sake of making something. Something uni has taught me is that I really love a runway performance, so I’ll make 50/50 objects and garments, like a crazy headpiece that you wouldn’t buy or wear, but they’ll be a t-shirt underneath that you could sell. I think like. Margiella is the best at that, or like McQueen, he had the best pieces under things that are super wearable.

R: I feel like vintage archival fashion is really big now.

S: Yeah, there’s a lot of young people at uni that look at archive clothes, and now there’s basic archival shows, like “oh they’re just using early Comme des Garçons or early Jean Paul Gaultier.” Everyone is using them, so you’re considered lame when you use them. Fashion honestly has so much politics.

R: So at uni, you guys are already forming opinions on those politics and things. Do you think within your friend group you guys have different opinions on fashion, or do you become friends with the people with the same fashion politics.

S: I think the same politics, but not the same style. I feel like if you saw us all out together you’d know that we are like a gang, but if you saw our runway shows, they could be quite different.

R: What do you see yourself doing in the future, as in what path do you think your fashion work and jewellery will take in the future.

S: Well I have a flight to the UK coming up really soon in late January. My best friends live there, so they’re sorting it out. London is calling.

R: I feel like you’d thrive there.

S: Hopefully I can take everything and make it bigger.

R; I feel like you’d definitely have the space to do that there. In Auckland the fashion scene seems quite small and exclusive in terms of other people looking in.

S: That’s definitely what I saw, like the 50 coolest people in Auckland will have my ring and then what, you know?

R: Aside from your fashion design work and jewellery, how would you like yourself to be seen?

S: A great romantic DJ with great hair.

R: So you’re a hopeless romantic then?

S: Oh my gosh, everything I do has something romantic behind it. Like not even about a woman and a guy, a lot of my stuff is kind of just like femme fatale. And a create like a muse.

R: Who would you say is your muse?

S: I definitely have a specific woman in my head, a very tall woman. My current project is around gypsies, and carrying all your worth on you, as in jewellery and objects. I have this idea of a very free woman.

R: Yeah, its super interesting and satisfying when you have everything you need on you.

S: Exactly, and what that would mean to us, or to a nomadic person.

R: What is your favourite piece of clothing you own?

S: I need to answer this correctly. I have this really big wool, grey black coat that makes me feel really cool. It’s so long, and it was like $10 from an op shop I still can’t believe it.

R: I’m like itching to go thrifting oh my god, I’ve been scrolling on Depop.

S: Literally, TradeMe and Depop, has all my money. I’m not even joking, me and my friends got drunk and accidentally bought things on TradeMe.

R: What did you buy?

S: I bought the ugliest jacket I didn’t want! I was trying to bid on this other thing but I accidentally bid on this other thing. I’m so upset about it haha. What is your favourite footwear that you have? Because I feel like nothing makes you walk better than your best shoes.

R: I’m obsessed with anything that makes me feel taller.

S: Same.

R: Yeah I’m so short. How tall are you?

S: I’m like 5”10. But I love a heel, I love being the tallest person in the room.

R: Favourite pair of heels?

S: I’ve got this pair of cowboy knee highs that are really tall. They’re so sexy. Cowboys are sexy.

R: I wear platforms a lot too, because the pants I buy are too long for me.

S: Yeah, there is nothing sexier than a pant that just reaches the bottom of the heel. For me, that never happens, but anyway. The coolest thing about having large feet is wearing guys shoes home, to this day I have this guy’s cowboy boots.

R: That’s such a funny story. What’s your favourite piece of jewellery that you’ve ever made?

S: There are so many that I’ve got coming because I’ve got so many looks coming up. I made my friend a two tooth grill that is probably my favourite one so far.

R: I find the teeth rings so interesting.

S: I get so much hate mail about that, people think my rings with the teeth in them are disgusting. It’s such a social stigma, like it was in you mouth and now it’s on your hand and now you’re upset?

R: What kind of movies do you like?

S: I like movies, like the less people now about them – I don’t mean to be that girl – but the less people know about it the more I love it. I love old French films, the romance.

R: What is your drink of choice?

S: I love straight Jack Daniels or Straight Whiskey. I love dark liquor but it’s so bad for you.

R: Oh really?

S: I love natural wine. In central, natural wine is like the new hot thing. It’s so stupid but it’s so yummy. I love a $9 bottle though. And going to a really shit house party and drinking Nitro also.

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wachelreeks · 6 years

Text

A Performer’s Guide to Designers

I’m a full-time graphic designer and a stand-up comic. I spend between 40 and 50 hours a week at an office in front of a computer, another 25+ hours telling jokes (well, waiting to tell jokes), and another 6 to 10 hours at home designing posters, merchandise, and logos for myself and friends.

I love doing it. Illustration is always a treat for me. But it is still my work. And it doesn’t often get treated as such in the comedy sphere. So, after a few hours of bitching over Facebook messenger with other designer friends, I wrote this in an attempt to iron out the performer-designer relationship for all involved.

Note: If I’ve done a poster or something for you, it is because I like you and wanted to do work for you. You’re wonderful. This is less about projects past, than it is improving projects future.

They say when hiring a designer, everybody wants work that is high-quality, inexpensive, and fast, but, in the real world, you only get two. For instance, if you want an elaborate poster done this week, it's not going to be cheap. If you don't have a lot of money but you still want a nice poster, you're going to have to wait for it.

In the comedy world, these rules are not exactly followed. For one: The work is always cheap.

For work like a poster—eye-catching, custom graphics, bold typography, etc.—most professional graphic designers will charge $75 an hour or more. That means your comedy poster, at a professional rate, probably costs between $150 and $450.

When you factor in time, expertise, cost of design programs (it costs me $20/month for the Adobe Creative Suite) and additional materials, that number sounds a little more reasonable. Especially when you consider many designers have a full-time work schedule to keep up with, in addition to their schedule as a comic, musician, artist, ribbon dancer, whatever.

Of course, anyone who is doing a poster for a local show, usually knows and likes the person asking, understands the limited budget, and is happy to do the poster at an extremely discounted rate as a favor to a friend.

And it is a favor.

While we appreciate that you like our work, it’s important you know, you are not doing us a solid by hiring us. Your show will not give me exposure. I do not want time on your show in exchange for a poster. It is not my passion to make posters. It is my job.

If you’re not paying the designer at their full rate, they are doing you a favor. They are doing it because they like you, they want you to be successful, and honestly they don’t want to see whatever nightmare poster you create on your own.

I want to be clear. It’s okay to ask your buddy for a poster at less than a professional price. We know you don’t have $300 to throw down on poster. We would just like you to know the size of the favor you’re asking and receiving and be cool accordingly.

Here’s how you can be the coolest design client around.

1. Give plenty of time for turn-around.

I've asked around a bit, and the average comedy poster takes between two and six hours to make. Some take longer than that, very very few take less. Please, keep that in mind when you ask for work done.

If you need a poster in one week, that is considered a rush job. That means, in the next seven days, we need to find five free hours—outside of our work, life, and other posters in our queue—to sit down and do this for you. Not a small order.

Ideally, give your designer two weeks to get it done.

2. Tell us what you are going to do with it.

Typically when a designer works with a client, they release their work for the format specifically requested. If you ask for a poster for a single showcase, it’s bad form to use that poster for another show or a sticker or a t-shirt, unless you say that up front or ask for additional permission.

If you’re going to profit from this artwork, it’s going to cost more. Promotional materials like posters or flyers are very different from a t-shirt.

3. Know what you want.

It really helps if you have an idea for your poster. “Do what you want,” puts all the creative onus on us and doesn’t set us up for success. Help us, help you. What’s the tone for your show? What’s the venue like? What imagery have you used in the past?

IMPORTANT: Once the art is created, it is not time for a brainstorming session. If you are not paying the professional rate for your poster, you do NOT get illustration edits.

4. Know what you need.

When designing, it really helps to know what size and format this art is going to be used for. Do you plan to use it in print, online, or both?

If you are printing, know what size you need. 11x17 is a standard poster size. 8.5x11 is printer paper size. Are you printing in color or in black and white?

If you are just using it online, size is less important but still relevant. Would you like it horizontal or vertical? Should it fit on Instagram? Do you need an image sized for the event banner?

5. Include all the information you want.

It’s your responsibility to provide the final poster content before we get started. Poster content includes: show title, date, time, location, ticket price, additional information, sponsors and sponsor logos, and the lineup, if you’d like it included. Spell check everything, including your performers names, before sending it to us.

Please, please, get that information right the first time. Again, edits take time.

6. If you do have edits, let us make them.

Please don’t put logos and text over top of our designs. It hurts so bad. It feels like someone stole your joke and added a bunch of mismatched tags to it. Let us fix it or ask first.

7. Give credit.

Give your designer credit for their work every time, especially if you aren’t paying at their professional rate, ESPECIALLY if you aren’t paying at all. Tag them on Instagram. Tag them on Facebook. It’s probably not going to make or break their design career, but it’s nice to recognize someone for the cool stuff they make.

8. No time for a designer? DIY!

If you have a show in three days and need a poster, you can totally do this yourself with the help of THE INTERNET!

There are lots of free, intuitive resources for last-minute posters on a tight budget. They are designed specifically for people who don’t have design experience and are usually pretty easy to use.

Check out these links for free and easy design software: https://spark.adobe.com/make/posters https://about.canva.com https://designer.io

#comedy #stand-up comedy #stand up comedy #standup #stand-up #graphic design #design #posters

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