#i fucking love wilson cruz

[asexual-juliet]

king you dropped this 👑

[jacryptid]

everyone shut up im starting to hyperfixate on the Cars movie franchise

[thecitykeepsevolving]

Gotta love Anthony’s little faces in this video!! (x)

[soap-brain]

THIS FUCKING MAN IM;;;

[reidscanehand]

She’s Gonna Save Me

RCH 3K Celebration

Song Fic Inspired by “Jackie and Wilson” by Hozier

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x BAUfem!Reader

Category: Fluff with a light smattering of angst

TW: mentions of typical CM violence, cursing, legal adults drinking alcohol

I was really nervous when I got this request because I fucking love this song and I was worried it would be too literal, but...it kinda worked perfectly? (Spoilers) So, this is kind of set in Season 11 and 12? I include Derek’s retirement, the stuff with SWAT from “The Storm”, and Hotch entering WITSEC with Jack in Season 12, and the end of that arc at the top of Season 13. This is exactly the ending I’d want for Agent Hotchner (also an implied (better; healthier) ending for Spencer). Thank you for the anon request and I hope you like it! xx

So tired trying to see from behind the red in my eyes No better version of me I could pretend to be tonight So deep in this swill with the most familiar of swine For reasons wretched and divine

When Mateo Cruz replaces Erin Strauss as the Section Chief over the BAU, Aaron Hotchner is shocked to find him almost entirely confident in the abilities of the team. It's rare - incredibly rare, actually - that Aaron attends briefings where ‘concerns’ about the team’s behavior in the field or even just questions regarding behavioral analysis don’t come up. However, that all seems to change with Mateo Cruz. Until he calls Aaron into his office.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” Aaron asks, cringing inwardly at how relieved he is that he and Cruz are almost the same age. He’s been feeling sensitive about his age lately, a side effect of breaking up with Beth, even if it had been a long time coming. 

“Ah, yes, Agent,” Cruz motions to the chair across from his desk. “Please, sit.” 

“Is something wrong?” Aaron asks cautiously as he sits in the chair. 

“No, not at all,” Cruz assures him, “I actually have sort of a favor to ask.”

Aaron can feel his body tense, “Wh-what kind of favor?”

“It’s hardly a favor, actually,” Cruz corrects himself, “if my intuition is right.”

“What do you mean?” 

Cruz fixes him with what even Aaron can admit is a convincing smile, “Her name is Agent Y/N Y/L/N. She’s desperately underused in counter-terrorism and her scores in the profiling classes are quite high-”

“She’s already in the profiling classes?” Aaron asks, suspicious of how long this little idea of Cruz’s has been brewing. 

“Took them of her own accord,” Cruz says, still beaming. “Do you want to know why?”

“Um,” Aaron shifts in the uncomfortable chair, “sure.”

“She believed that behavioral analysis would help her understand the people she was chasing,” Cruz replies quietly with what he clearly believes to be a winning hand. 

To be fair, it kind of is; an impulse like that? To study human behavior? To improve her own work ethic? Aaron doubts he’s able to cover how intrigued he really is. 

“That is,” Aaron ruminates, choosing his words carefully, “promising. But-”

“Look,” Cruz leans forward, “it doesn’t have to be anything permanent. I know Callahan just left and Jareau’s out on maternity leave.”

“Well, yes, but I have interviews lined up-”

“Agent,” Cruz interrupts him, a little more imperious in tone, “just give her a shot.” 

She blows outta nowhere, roman candle of the wild Laughing away through my feeble disguise No other version of me I would rather be tonight. And, Lord, she found me just in time

Aaron still hires Dr. Tara Lewis in case you don’t work out. Luckily for him, you’re both stellar additions to the team. Even when JJ returns, it’s nice to suddenly have lots of options and opinions on the team again. 

It’s not something he’s particularly proud of, but if he’d seen you, Aaron would have brooked no arguments to you joining the team. Really, had he met you first he’d have absolutley no arguments either. You’re an insanely good profiler; in fact, he finds it rather stupid that you were placed in counter-terrorism ever. He knows that, logistically, his team can’t have all the good agents, but you’re just such a natural fit to the team that it seems silly you’ve only joined it now. 

The team is celebrating a successful case on the jet home when Derek asks, “Now, Y/N, how come Little Miss Profiler Extraordinaire didn’t find her way to us until now?”

“Oooh,” you reply, “that’s very sweet of you. To be honest, I don’t know. I guess I’m not exactly the stereotypical image of an FBI agent.”

That’s kind of true, Aaron reasons to himself. You’re rather absurdly pretty, if anything, which he’s sure had some misogynistic repercussions of which you’d (hopefully) been unaware when you graduated from the academy. You wear your hair long, loose and natural unless it’s necessary to pull it up. You wear a large amethyst ring on your right hand and, while you still dress professionally, you’re the closest thing to a hippie Aaron can recall seeing in the bureau walls. Since the moment you met him, Aaron’s decided that, to him, you are the embodiment of whatever is meant by “the divine feminine”; a womanly, bohemian goddess. But he doesn’t allow himself to focus on that revelation all to often. 

“If you think I’m a free spirit now, you should’ve seen me then,” you joke, sipping on your champagne. The team finishes up their celebratory champagne and, likely helped by the champagne, everyone is soon dozing off. You, however, are watching the clouds outside of the window, a wistful expression on your face. Ever so cautiously, Aaron takes the empty seat across from you, thankful for the semi-privacy of the sleeping team to talk to you. 

“You know,” he almost whispers, “I think I would’ve hired you when you first got out of the academy.”

“You’re being kind,” you laugh softly. “But I was barely bureau material then-”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re a great profiler,” he shrugs. He meets your eyes only to see that you look slightly taken aback. 

“Thank you, Agent,” you say softly, genuinely. “That means a lot coming from you.” 

“You’re more than welcome,” he replies, almost shyly. “And you can call me Hotch.”

“Hotch,” you nod, smiling sweetly. And it sounds almost perfect...almost. 

“O-or you,” Aaron begins, furious with himself for suddenly deciding to go tongue-tied, “you could call me Aaron.” 

“Aaron?” you clarify quietly. “I really like your name, you know. It suits you.” 

��Thank you,” he whispers, a blush growing it’s way from his neck to his cheeks. 

“You’re more than welcome, Aaron,” you whisper, smiling. As you doze off, Aaron realizes that he’s well and truly fucked. Because nothing has ever sounded lovelier than his name on your tongue. 

'Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done I need to be youthfully felt 'cause, God, I never felt young She's gonna save me, Call me "baby" Run her hands through my hair She'll know me crazy Soothe me daily Better yet she wouldn't care

When you answer your hotel door, it’s all Aaron can do to keep from falling to his knees and begging for your forgiveness. After his actions today, he likely should. But when he meets your eyes, it’s clear you’ve been crying and he can barely stand the fact that he knows he’s the one that caused it. 

“Agent Hotchner,” you greet coldly, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m an idiot,” he rasps, almost crying. “I never should have...I’m so sorry that I-”

“You know,” you interrupt, your voice still icy, “your inability to even admit the humiliation you put me through today is only making me realize how truly awful it was.” 

“I never meant to-”

“To what?” you ask, staring at him just as fiercely as you had today. “To insinuate that I’m fucking one of your agents in front of the team? To bench me when I won’t tell you the truth even though it’s none of your business?” 

“Yes,” Aaron swallows, “all of that. Y/N, I just-”

“Reid was craving,” you whisper darkly. 

Aaron stops mid-sentence, eyes widening in confusion, “What?”

You take a deep breath before meeting his eyes, “I’m not in a relationship with Spencer, sexual or otherwise. I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t mine to reveal, but Spencer gave me permission to tell you after...after what happened today.” 

Aaron continues to stare down at you, feeling tears gathering behind his eyes, “So...so last night when...”

“Last night,” you reply quietly, “I noticed that Reid didn’t seem okay. You sent us back here to rest and I just...had a feeling? I went to his room and the poor boy just...fell apart. The drug use in the case is reminding him of his-” you pause, taking a deep breath before continuing, “of his former addiction. He’s also going through a lot with his mom and it’s just...it’s too much. He just needed a friend.”

"I am so, so sorry,” he says quietly, feeling ashamed. 

You stare at him, the ice in your eyes breaking as you take a deep sigh, “Aaron, why on earth would you...freak out on me like that? I thought we were better friends than that, let alone teammates.”

“I, um,” Aaron bites his lip. He knows exactly why, but he can’t possibly tell you; not now. Not after he made a damn fool of himself by benching you at the police precinct and then implying that his choice to bench you was due to, what he’d believed to be, your sexual relationship with Spencer. Ever since he’d seen you leave Spencer’s room this morning, he’d seen red, only now realizing just how stupid he’s been. 

“Look, I get that a sexual relationship with Reid would be unprofessional,” you sigh, “but surely-”

“I was jealous,” Aaron admits. When you don’t say anything, he looks up and meets your wide eyes. 

“Jealous?” You blink twice. Three times. “Why?”

“Because I’m...” Aaron takes a deep breath, “because I like you. I like you more than I should and I was upset that you...and Reid-”

“Oh my god,” you gasp. 

“I’m sorry if-”

“Don’t apologize,” you say quickly. “Aaron, I’ve liked you for ages. I just thought you weren’t interested.”

Aaron can’t even process what you’ve said past the fact that you like him, too. 

“You liked me?”

“Correction,” you reply, “I like you.”

“Wait...you...you still like me?” Aaron looks down at you dumbfounded. 

“Well,” you smile, your tone almost teasing, “I’m not the biggest fan of what happened today, but...yes, I still like you.”

“I’m so incredibly sorry,” Aaron reitirates. 

“I’m sure you’ll find some way to make it up to me,” you whisper, almost shyly. 

“Could-could I maybe take you to dinner when we get home from the case?” Aaron asks, barely able to look at you. 

Unexpectedly, you cup his cheek in your hand, staring into his eyes for a moment before replying, “That’s a good start.” 

Lord, it'd be great to find a place we could escape sometime Me and my Isis growing black irises in the sunshine Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside Sit back and watch the world go by. Happy to lie back watch it burn and rust We tried the world, good God, it wasn't for us.

Aaron is pretty sure Spencer has known the entire time, but has kept it to himself out of a sense of privacy the rest of the team seems to lack when it comes to discussing their bosses’ personal life. All that goes out the window when a SWAT team enters his home and places him under arrest in front of his son. At this point, his job rarely surprises him, but he can’t remember a time he’s been more infuriated with bureaucratic bullshit than now. The fact that the Department of Justice decided to listen to the claims of Peter Lewis - an incarcerated serial killer - over the sound quality of Aaron’s reputation is beyond him. It’s levels of stupidity that Aaron can’t even contemplate. 

When it’s all said and done, he still feels like he’s on fire. He’s so angry and irritated that he feels like he could kill Peter Lewis with his bare hands and if not that then at least giving Timothy Ritchie, the ridiculous DOJ interrogater, a sound throttling and reporting him to any superior that would listen. 

However, his anger is the last thing on his mind the moment he enters his office. Because there, curled up asleep on the sofa, are you and Jack. And suddenly nothing else matters because his entire world is in front of him and safe. 

He sits next to Jack, caging him between the two of you. Your arm is wrapped around Jack’s shoulders, your head resting on top of his. Aaron’s mind has been made up for a while about you. From the moment you entered his orbit, really, but seeing you with Jack, even before you two were officially dating, just solidified it in his mind. 

“Hey,” your whisper takes him out of his reverie. 

“Hey,” he breathes. “How are you?”

“How am I?” you ask sarcastically. “What a question to ask after you were the one wrongfully arrested and interrogated all day. And, am I mistaken, or did you just take down a mass prison break?” 

“Thirteen serial killers across the country got away, including Peter Lewis-”

“But you still stopped most of it,” you correct him. “Even after being interrogated for hours over something you didn’t do.”

You laugh at his awestruck expression, but Aaron can’t manage to laugh. All he can say is, “Marry me.” 

You immediately stop laughing, eyes widening and eyebrows skyrocketing, “Aaron, w-what-”

“I know,” he continues, his free hand caressing your face, “that we’ve only been together for a year now, but Y/N, I’m deeply in love with you. I don’t tell you nearly enough. And after today, after this stupid, ridiculously upsetting day, all I want is you. Is this. Coming home to you treating my son like your own. Coming home to my family. Coming home to you.” 

You smile at him, tears brimming in your eyes. 

“Now, now,” Aaron whispers, a thumb brushing under your eyes to get rid of your tears, “none of that. I can’t have the love of my life crying.”

“The love of your life?” You whisper it so disbelievingly that Aaron almost grimaces.

“The love of my life,” he confirms. “And the fact that I haven’t made that clear is deeply upsetting to me.”

“Are you gonna marry dad?” asks a tiny, sleepy voice. You and Aaron look down in between your arms at the drowsy boy. 

“Hey, Jackers,” Aaron whispers. “How are you, buddy?”

“I’m okay,” he replies, stifling a yawn. He looks up at Aaron timidly, “Are you...are you okay, dad?”

“Yes,” Aaron breathes, “and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what happened this morning. It was all a mistake, a huge mistake and-”

“Did you do something wrong?” Jack asks innocently. 

“He really didn’t, sweetheart,” you reassure him. “It was all a huge misunderstanding.”

“I don’t want anyone to take you away,” Jack whispers, clearly trying not to cry, slowly encircling his arms around Aaron’s waist. 

“No one,” Aaron whispers, adjusting so that he can wrap one arm around Jack and one arm around you, “and I mean, no one is ever going to take me away. You two are the most important people in my life and I will do everything in my power to make sure that we are all safe and happy and together for as long as I can.”

“Does that mean you’re going to marry Y/N?” Jack asks, slightly more excited and relieved sounding than before. 

“If she’ll have me,” Aaron responds quietly, eyes meeting yours again. 

“Oh, please say yes, Y/N,” Jack begs you, puppy dog eyes staring up at you. 

“Yes,” says a teasing voice. The three of you jump, looking over at the doorway. The entire team, literally the entire team is there staring at you. Rossi is the one who spoke, his eyes positively gleaming, “Please say yes, Y/N.”

“If anything it’ll confirm what we’ve already suspected for months,” giggles JJ.

“Suspected?” exclaims an irate Spencer. “I knew. I told you all that they were just waiting to-”

“Just because you knew doesn’t mean you win the bet,” interrupts Penelope. “You wouldn’t let us tease them-”

“You all knew about us?” you ask incredulously.

“Of course,” Tara replies like it isn’t earth shattering news. 

“You moved in together, what, a month ago?” JJ asks. At your nod, she continues, “Yeah we’ve known since about three months before that.”

“How did you know?” Aaron asks.

“That’s not important,” Rossi replies, “what’s important is whether or not you’re going to say yes.” 

Aaron turns to you expectantly, “What do you say, angel?” 

You look at him, eyes sparkling and a small smile working it’s way onto your lips, “Well, of course, my answer is yes.” 

And as he leans over to kiss you over Jack’s cringing face, the team applauding and giggling behind you, he doubts he’s ever felt happier in his whole life. 

Cut clean from the dream at night let my mind reset Looking up from a cigarette, and she's already left I start digging up the yard for what's left of me and our little vignette For whatever poor soul is coming next

The universe has a habit of punching him in the gut. And as understanding as you’d been, as much as you’d helped him and Jack as they’d gone into WITSEC, hiding out anonymously in a US suburb, it didn’t really make up for the fact that, almost the moment you’d agreed to be his forever, Peter Lewis had reappeared, becoming a far more significant threat than he’d ever been before - even showing up at Jack’s school. The two of you said goodbye with the understanding that the moment Peter Lewis was no longer a threat, you’d be together again. 

And it wasn’t all bad. Homeschooling Jack and getting to be a full time dad for the first time made him realize how much he’d really missed out on. Spending time with his son all day every day was exactly the kind of life he wanted for himself. 

It’s a random Thursday, or, at least, random by his estimation. He’s a bit annoyed, really, that the grocery delivery he’d scheduled for later comes early. He’s in the middle of helping Jack with some math homework when there’s a knock at the door. 

“Just a minute,” he calls. The knock becomes more incessant. He grows suspicious, his hand finding it’s way to the glock he still keeps strapped to his hip every day.��

However, when he opens the door and it’s you, he finds himself incapable of movement. He stares at you, barely resisting the urge to pinch himself, convinced it’s a dream.

“Hi,” you rasp, your face already covered in tears. 

“Hi,” he manages to reply. “W-what are you-”

“Scratch is dead,” you whisper. “Scratch is dead and-and you’re safe now and-”

But Aaron cuts you off, pulling you to him and smashing his lips into yours. You smell the same, you’re just as beautiful as ever, but it’s as though he’s experiencing it all for the first time. 

“Aaron,” you breathe when you eventually pull away. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you more,” he insists. 

You smile up at him, “I never want to be away from you again.” 

“Same here,” he almost laughs. “You should come inside and see Jack, he-”

“Before we do anything else,” you say quietly, “I have to tell you...Aaron, these last few months have been so hard. There was so much and you weren’t there and I-”

“I’m so sorry, sweet girl,” he whispers, pulling you closer to him. 

“It’s not that, Aaron,” you assure him. “You have nothing to be sorry for, but...I think it’s time for me to leave the BAU. And I know that you’ll probably want to get right back to it, but I just-”

Aaron cuts you off again, kissing you harder than before. You kiss him back, but look awestruck when he finally pulls away, pressing another kiss to your forehead. 

“What on earth was that for?”

“Y/N,” he rasps, trying and failing to keep tears from falling out of his eyes. “My home is wherever you are. I want nothing more than to spend every single day of the rest of my life with you, no matter where we are or what jobs we have or-”

It’s your turn to cut him off with a kiss this time, a kiss Aaron happily smiles into as it deepens. 

She's gonna save me, Call me "baby" Run her hands through my hair She'll know me crazy, Soothe me daily Better yet she wouldn't care We'll steal her Lexus, Be detectives, Ride 'round picking up clues We'll name our children Jackie and Wilson Raise 'em on rhythm and blues

It’s been nearly a year since Aaron left the BAU and it has been one of the most fulfulling of his entire life in terms of being a father, despite being stuck in WITSEC. However, when he learns about Spencer’s prison experience and the death of Agent Stephen Walker, he feels genuinely terrible, standing by your side at the funeral as you weep for your former co-worker. They’re all thrilled to see the both of you and Jack, especially since the three of you have moved so far away. It’s a sad day, though. It makes Rossi all the happier then to fuel up his private jet when Aaron invites the team to your wedding. 

“Of all the places I thought you’d end up,” Spencer comments idly, “I don’t think I ever thought of Maine.” 

Aaron sidles closer to the younger man, aged from the wild year he’s had, but still youthfully wistful. He follows Spencer’s gaze as the genius stares out over your backyard, the guests from the small wedding you’ve just had milling about, eating hor d’oeuvres and drinking champagne. Jack and Henry are running around having an absolute blast as Michael and Hank dance with their respective parents on the small dance floor. You flit around speaking to friends, family, and colleagues, beleaguered, Aaron’s sure, by comments about your new home. It is kind of impressive. The river rushing gently just a little ways away, Aaron’s small, but healthy vegetable patch, the beautiful white pine tree sitting in the middle of the picturesque scene. Yes, Maine has treated the Hotchners well. 

“I told Y/N I wanted a place that felt fresh and new,” Aaron explains. “She wanted to move away from Virginia. We weren’t really looking at Maine specifically, but we wanted a bit of land and...we found this.”

“It’s a paradise,” Spencer whispers, so quietly Aaron’s not sure he’s meant to hear it. 

“You know,” Aaron says, “we have a guest house.” 

“What do you-”

“I know you can’t make any sort of permanent moves because of your mom,” Aaron assures him, “but please know that our door is always open.” 

A pair of familiar and warm arms wrap around his middle and Aaron looks over his shoulder to smile down at you. 

You beam up at him before turning to Spencer, “He truly means that, Spence.”

Spencer smiles at you both, pensively, before whispering “I have been thinking of...leaving the BAU.”

“There’s no shame in that,” you reassure your friend, unwrapping yourself from Aaron to grab Spencer’s hand. “After the year you’ve had.” 

“Yeah,” Spencer scrunches his nose, eyes casting down to his shoes.

You press your lips together before looking back at Aaron and then smiling deeply, “Besides, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

Spencer’s head pops back up to stare at you in confusion, “Why?”

“It may be paradise,” Aaron answers, wrapping his arms around you, “but with an eleven year old and a newborn...it could get kind of chaotic.”

Spencer’s eyes grow wide and a smile breaks across his face, “You’re...you’re going to have-”

“I’m pregnant,” you announce quietly. “And I know you’ve already got some amazing godchildren, but I’d really like our kid to have an Uncle Spence and-”

Spencer cuts you off, throwing his arms around the both of you, “Nothing would make me happier.” He kisses you on the cheek and smiles at Aaron, running off to call his mom and tell her, and maybe come up with a plan to stay in Maine for a while. 

You smile up at Aaron and he can’t help but press a kiss to your nose. You giggle, “Did you ever think we’d get a happy ending like this one, Agent Hotchner?”

“Maybe not exactly like this one,” he wraps you in his arms, closer into his chest, “but I always knew you’d save my life.” 

~~~

Link to My Main Master List Link to RCH 3k Celebration Master List and Guidelines

[wilwheaton]

This brings me to today’s Republican Party, its alleged leaders, and all of you who are still standing with Trump as the least popular departing president in American history continues fighting his lost war. Whether you know it or not, you’ve lost. On Nov. 3 and again when your allies assaulted cops, killing one, on Jan. 6. America’s reaction wasn’t “Fuck YEAH, Trump 2020!” It was horror. Think of the furious response as the Doolittle Raid: an unmistakable signal that America is done with your Trumpian shit. Since you lost, you’ve done your damndest to ensure Donald Trump gains a second term through lies, conspiratorial agitprop, clownish legal chest-beating (with a 1-60 record so far), and an all-out effort to disenfranchise tens of millions of African American voters. Your new Jim Crow movement to tell Black voters they still don’t count is going swimmingly. And by “swimmingly” I mean it’s a fucking disaster. You lost two Senate seats in Georgia. GEORGIA.

Trumpists, Here Are Your Terms of Surrender. Also, Fuck You.

Rick Wilson is not a good person. He helped pave the road that sara palin, trump, josh hawley, ted cruz, and the most odious of right wing lunatics walked down to get into government.

I applaud his come-to-jesus moment so long ago, and I applaud the Lincoln Project for everything it did and will do to excise this cancer from our lives, and holy crap to I love it when he takes the people he indirectly enabled to the woodshed.

[stemmefemme]

McQueen as a Character

Watching Pixar’s Cars as an adult, over ten years after it came out, I find myself asking, “Is this really who I’m supposed to root for?” I had managed to convince myself that it has less to do with Lightning McQueen, and more to do with my love for a good underdog story. That it wasn’t distaste for the character, as much as it was distaste for the safe bet as a whole. Cars 3 almost proved this. I loved Cruz Ramirez, and was rooting for her from the moment she first appeared on screen, yet I loved Jackson Storm, the favorite, and projected winner, almost as much. So why was it that I found Lightning’s character dissatisfying? 

After asking myself this a few times, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s his character arc, or maybe a lack thereof. In Cars, Lightning starts out cocky and arrogant, he has canonically fired three crew chiefs at the beginning, and his disregard for his crew’s advice is ultimately what costs him a win and leads to the three way tie. Lightning’s character is riddled with opportunities for growth at the beginning. He has a strange resentment for his sponsors that gave him this opportunity, and the “one man show” attitude to match, and is constantly jumping the gun. He is self absorbed enough that his own trailer is filled with merchandise and memorabilia of himself. One of the major things that irks me about this movie is the way Lightning acts in Radiator springs. He brushes it off when he gets in trouble, and has this attitude of “I have better things to do than fix my mess.” He refers to the town as Hillbilly Hell, and has zero respect for the people who live there. He talks about his distaste for Rusty Cars to Mater, and when Mater asks what’s wrong with Rusty cars, he specifies that Mater is the exception. I don’t know how it works in the cars universe but that kinda sounds like casual racism? Or tokenism?

About halfway through the movie, Lightning starts to change for the better. The main reason he ever starts change is for Sally. His crush on her, and his respect for Doc after finding out he’s The Hudson Hornet are the only reasons he starts to attempt to know or befriend the other cars in Radiator Springs. His “moment of clarity” where he realizes he should be a better person is also his moment where he realizes his crush on Sally isn’t purely a physical attraction. At the end of Cars, Lightning’s growth is believable and seems to be genuine. It’s a safe assumption that Lightning has become a better person.

In 2011, there was no need for a sequel to Cars, and this shows. I personally love Cars 2, I could go on for hours about what Cars 2 could have been, and was. However, it’s not Lightning’s story. He’s the face of the franchise, yet fades into the background besides a few key moments. The first moment is the intro. Lightning has regressed some since the end of Cars. He is pushing Mater aside for Sally and only even invites his best friend on this trip of a lifetime because Sally told him to. He leaves Mater stranded in this new foreign world, when Mater had done the opposite for Lightning, and showed him all there was to life in Radiator Springs. The Tokyo leg of the WGP was Lightning's chance to return the favor, and he ultimately failed. Lightning spends most of the scenes in the first half of the movie treating Mater as a nuisance.

At the end of Cars 2, Lightning finds, and apologizes to Mater, who was the only friend Lightning had any known conflict with, as the majority of the movie is James Bondesque and focusing on Mater, Finn, and Holley(Who we deserve more of, tbh). I really don’t have any comments on Lightning besides his initial headassery because he doesn’t exist in the movie.

I Literally just think he’s annoying, and mean to Cruz in Cars 3

He’s trying his hardest to hold onto a career when he’s out of his prime, and his refusal to actually heed any of his trainers advice irks me as someone who’s coached different things for a few years

He just was like,,, dismissive of her. Her abilities as a trainer, her wants, the fact that she,,,, has feelings. Until of course he realized that he had no chance of actually beating Storm himself. (Also let’s talk about how Jackson has very clear neurodivergent coding and I’ll go on about that and how it’s damaging that he’s the “antagonist” with how neurodivergent kids could relate to him(esp in the canon book it seems) but that’s for another time.) His “development” in this is accepting his retirement and the fact that he’s not in his prime. Also the fact that his coming to terms with it was copying his mentor almost exactly besides disappearing for 50 something years.

Though his growth seems too sudden to mean anything in Cars. and his general being kind of annoying in Cars 3, maybe I don’t actually dislike him THAT much, I just hate Owen Wilson’s voice so fucking much

[theinsiderrp]

LIBERTY AWARDS CEREMONY: FRIDAY

on friday, we’ll be wrapping up the tour with an award ceremony hosted at liberty hall. be sure to attend, come looking your best and get ready for a night of well deserved celebrations! (if i’ve missed anything, it’s probs bc it wasn’t in the tag) 

MUSIC 

BEST SINGLE  baby one more time - addy coleman  drivers lisence - violet carson  come and get it - yasmine hernandez can’t be tamed - salem quinn  kill this love - blackpink  señorita - (g)-idle without me - amelia collins  lie lie lie - roman sloan  la di die - emmett x maeve 

BEST MUSIC VIDEO  deja vu - violet carson  potential break-up song - haley x ally  judas - luna aarons  i knew you were trouble - lottie bradford  kill this love - blackpink  all the good girls go to hell - lily sinclair  WAP - sabrina x mila 

BEST GROUP  blackpink  (g)-idle  straykids  itzy  mcfly  the neighbourhood  pussycat dolls  paramore 

RISING ARTIST nicolai montgomery  pippa carmichael  maeve hamilton whitney cruz  aliyah haven  nicolas castillo 

BEST FEMALE  addy coleman  lottie bradford  lily sinclair  haley cortes-smith  violet carson  mila woods  sabrina wilson  luna aarons 

BEST MALE  avery winslow  roman sloan maverick wilson  noah aarons  BEST LIVE PERFORMANCE honey, honey (mamma mia) - amy sinclair  everything i wanted - amy sinclair  red - lottie bradford  la di die - emmett x maeve  airplanes - amelia x maverick  savage - sabrina wilson  daddy issues - the neighbourhood 

ACTING 

BEST TELEVISION SERIES  high school musical the series enola holmes  she-ra  doctor who  umbrella academy  ginny & georgia  outerbanks 

BEST FILM  emma teen beach movie  me before you  to all the boys i’ve loved before 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR  flynn thompson (euphoria) bianca rosini-harrington (euphoria) kai powell (enola holmes)  lennox quinn (she-ra)  maddie barham (she-ra)

BEST SCREEN STAR (1 female vs 1 male) roman sloan (hsmts)  violet carson (hsmts)  kitty-lee henshaw (euphoria)  maeve hamilton (euphoria)  louisa carmichael (dr who)  august gomez (marcus barker)  phoenix kim (umbrella academy)  freddie eccleston (umbrella academy) sofia higgins (she-ra)  aimee sinclair (tatbilb) 

ARTISTIC VISUALS 

ARTISTIC VISION AWARD  dylan powell victoria carmichael  brie ramsey river henshaw 

BEST ARTISTIC COLLECTION  2 sides, 1 city - dylan powell los angeles art collection - victoria carmichael  stupid fucking bitch - brie ramsy  on tour collection - river henshaw

FASHION 

RISING MODEL ally cortes smith delena dawn  delilah calloway  luna aarons  BEST MODEL AWARD  perrie calloway  harlow carmichael  fleur carmichael  kendra mayfair 

BEST DESIGNER AWARD  callie castillo aurora kingsley  dixie carmichael  fleur carmichael

FUN/PERSONALITY/JOKE AWARDS

HEART-THROB AWARD (female)  daisy romano  grace romano delilah calloway  tilly cruz-mendoza  victoria carmichael  sofia higgins  dapne coleman

HEART-THROB AWARD (male)  jay hamilton lennox quinn  ethan harwood  jihoon kang  kit powell  dawson castillo peter romano 

GHOSTING AWARD nila lin tomos smith dylan powell   odin napier  thea cruz-mendoza  joshua kinglsey  maddie amari-barham  carter romano

CHART TOPPER AWARD - 10 lowest rankers violet  louisa  lottie addy  haley  avery  amelia youngmi  brie  yasmine

CHART TANKER AWARD - 10 highest rankers  aiden peter c sungjin san rowan alana eric carter dominico judah 

ULTIMATES

RISING STAR AWARD 

perrie calloway emmett hamilton  flynn thompson daphne coleman  freddie eccleston  whitney cruz  minhyuck heo  nate harwood 

STAR QUALITY AWARD 

louisa carmichael   addy coleman   avery winslow  roman sloan   aliyah haven   youi moon  elodie gwan fleur carmichael 

[thundercakes22]

Redwing

You’ll do.

Sam snorts, squinting at the Lanner falcon resting comfortably on his arm. “I’m ever so glad. It’s nice to meet you too.”

The falcon tilts its head to one side. Huh. About time I got a one with a useful mutation.

“Had many human charges, have you?” Sam smirks. His CO had been quite clear that the birds were also new to the EXO FALCON-7 program.

A few. Redwing resettles his feathers in a way Sam can only describe as haughty.

Amused, Sam turns to share this new found affection with Riley, who is too busy cooing at his smaller Merlin falcon, Greyskull.

“We’re gonna be best friends, yes we are! Who’s a good girl? Who's a good combat trained war bird? You are!”

Greyskull turns her head to look directly at Sam and Redwing. Make it stop.

“I don’t think she likes that, Cruz.”

“Shut up, Wilson. What do you know about birds?” Riley waves him off, grinning. “You love me, don’t you Skully-girl!”

Oh absolutely not, Greyskull huffs before taking off of Riley’s arm and landing on Sam’s shoulder. Redwing, we’re sharing.

“Hey! How the fuck did you steal my bird, Wilson? Give it back!”

“It’s not my fault she has taste.”

***

Sam will dream about the first time they really fly together for the rest of his life.

It’s routine supply pick up, no training routine or assertive eyes assessing their performance. Just the four of them, alone in the sky, more free than Sam ever knew was possible.

Sam’s been asking birds what it’s like to fly since he was four years old. Every answer they ever gave him was both beautifully accurate and woefully inadequate.

He laughs breathlessly into the wind, only able to hear Riley’s muffled whoops of joy through the comm link in their headsets. Redwing and Greyskull, on the other hand, sound in his head, loud and clear.

Dweebs. Greyskull’s fallen into her new default of amused and exasperated.

Yes, Redwing’s voice rumbles in Sam’s brain. But ours.

Ours, Greyskull agrees.

Sam crows into the sky.

***

Almost two years later, Riley goes down. All three of them dive to catch him. None of them make it in time. Greyskull gets a little too close.

***

“I have to go,” Sam whispered.

I will stay with her.

“I think I can convince them to let me take you both.” He can’t. He knows better.

Her wing needs time, Wilson.

“They’ll assign you to someone else. I-I need you, Redwing.”

They wouldn’t dare.

Sam sighs. It’s more of a sob.

We’ll meet again, Sam Wilson. I know it.

***

Six months after he’s discharged, Sam gets a call on his mother’s house phone. Greyskull has recovered as much as she can, but she won’t be returned to active duty. Sam helps his old CO find a sanctuary in Montana that will take her. It’s the first thing he’s wanted to do in a very long time.

He asks after Redwing and gets an answer he never expected.

He goes to the VA the next day.

***

Sam’s still settling into his new place in DC when the doorbell rings. He opens the door, barely registering the person holding the carrier with the thick cloth cover.

He waves them forward holding his breath as the carrier is placed on the dining room table, the faceless agent nodding at him before slipping out and shutting the front door behind him.

Sam has tears in his eyes as he creeps closer to the cage, stomach suddenly turning with nerves.

Now what fresh hell is this? echoes from the cage. Damn handlers just leaving me places for who knows what reason. Wilson would never.

Sam gasps and lunges, ripping off the cover much faster than he knows he should. “At ease, bird brain,” he laughs through his tears, opening the door and gently sliding the cowl from his friend’s eyes. “We’ve got three years with SHIELD, and then we’re both free to go.” He sighs. “It’s damn good to see you.”

Redwing, for the first time in the years they’ve known each other, seems speechless. Sam takes a step back and holds out an arm. Redwing soars across the room, skipping the offered forearm and lands on Sam’s shoulder.

Ours. It’s more of a broadcasted feeling than a thought. Us.

“Yeah bud, us.”

Samtember prompt fill

--12 of 30

[fuckyeahjola]

Let’s do this. Trailer analysis and compiled s3 information time.

(Please forgive the black bars, the only way I could get the frames were full-screen screenshots.)

So Michael and Book are looking good, looking casual. I dig it. I mean, clearly they’re gonna fall in love, and I support them. Also, obligatory Grudge. Sonequa’s hair is a helpful marker, because it looks like she’s got a few more scenes in the next eps before she gets the braids. More on that later.

Also, Frakes leaked that the crew gets reunited with Michael in e3, so I guess that means the next ep will split between catch up with the crew and Michael’s adventures with Book?

Pretty sure this is Disco’s arrival in the future, doing ye old trek lean.

Short-hair Michael is buying dilithium or other Federation antiques. We’ve seen that black fringe on Sarek’s costumes in the past, but that doesn’t really mean anything.

Real talk, I have no goddamn clue what this is. Maybe an explosion on Book’s ship?

A shuttle. Would bet good money this is Keyla, the Andorian, and Grudge.

Saru and Tilly on a walk. I think Saru’s outfit is the same as the one he wears while making a speech next to Michael, but I’m not sure.

THEEEEEEEM

This trailer really gave Joann so many good lines and stuff. That’s what I like to see.

Jo says “there she is,” which I’m guessing is in reference to either meeting up with Michael and Book or Earth/Terralysium? The trailer clearly wants us to think it’s the latter.

Oh, I just know Adira is gonna be a standout character for me already. Paul, that’s your kid now.

When I first saw this, I thought that this might be Pike, against all odds? But it’s clearly not, just a Trill in yellow. Michael in command gold and with braids.

A planet entirely covered in shields? This aint star wars.

Jola at their stations, Nilsson on the right, and an unknown woman to the left who I will henceforth refer to as “Discount Nilsson” or “Discount Discount Airiam.”

Go Book Go!

That’s Michael and the Emperor near the blast. Also, what appears to be Nhan fully in the fucking air on the far right. Ya think Georgiou is going to get better extensions this season? Me neither.

A battle on some sort of industrial planet, probably after a starship that I found too boring to add to this but appears in the trailer crashes into a building.

I don’t know the Andorian at all, but I’m gonna go ahead and declare this Gays And Theys Solidarity. Also, is that my queen Detmer piloting a shuttle like I said she would earlier? FUCK NO THAT’S BOOK’S SHIP LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND YOU’RE DOING AMAZING SWEETIE

We saw this scene in the trailer, but guess who we didn’t see! Hello Tilly! Nice to see the costume department remains doing you dirty and putting you in the weirdest tunic-oufits. Is this gonna be a repeat of the season 1 finale?

Maybe Saru just has the one Scrubby Away Mission Outfit. For what it’s worth, this is the same outfit Michael wears in the “time passes” segment of the first trailer from way back when.

Looks like Adira convinced their dad to break out of the museum lifestyle and try out some new minimally-invasive tech. Weren’t you just in a coma, Paul? Anyways cool stuff. Probably important that Discovery is able to instantly travel without dilithium. Almost like they planned it or something.

I support them.

Pretty sure this takes place in a turbolift, judging by the background. Also, Michael remains in Command Gold.

Adira fulfilling their destiny to be the One True Space Gay with Michael. Also, nice to see they dipped into Tilly’s tunic collection. When are we gonna see Grey? Is that Grey on the right? Or just Adira tripping balls, per Discovery tradition?

Rhys is eating popcorn. Crew movie night? I mean, in my dreams they found like some documentary on Pike’s life and are watching it but that seems unlikely.

From left to right, Detmer, Tilly, Jowo, Nhan, Rhys, and Nilsson. We also know from the earlier trailers that Stamets is around there somewhere.

Book and Michael absolutely getting their shit wrecked.

A Diverse Fistbump. Dare I say it, Bryce/Rhys? Or Rhys and Jowo. I’d take either, man.

Oh, I’d forgotten about this plotline from last season. What a treat.

Tilly being proud of Michael? Perfect. Michael back to science silver (I say “back to” because they’ve got the new badges, implying this is later in the show. Remember when Wilson Cruz leaked the new badge design on insta like, last year and had to take it down? I do.)? Not ideal but I’ll take it.

HUGH AND NHANNNNNN

Nice to see that Rachel Ancheril might not have to suffer through aging makeup for the rest of Nhan’s life. Dunno where they’re at. Where’s Pollard? At least we know she lives through getting the new badges, courtesy of Wilson Cruz’s instagram.

Adira fucking, drowning. Paul, stop letting your child go into (glowing) pools unsupervised.

Hold the fucking phone. I am so confused by this frame. I spent minutes pouring over it. That badge in the middle, that’s got to be Tilly’s from s1, right? And maybe the others are hers and she’s gotten promoted? Fucking wrong! They belong to someone named Murphy! Who the fuck is Murphy!?!?!

Convenient that the name and serial number of this ship got blown up. Anyways, I think that’s the old Starfleet headquarters from 3x01?

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww  ^-^

Oh wait, I did find it to be important enough! Spoiler alert, the ship crashes.

And finally, what I can only imagine to be a classic and sappy toast in the cafeteria. Probably “to science” or something like that. New badges. I spy... (from left to right) Stamets in a corner, Rhys, Saru, Owosekun, Bryce, Sonequa Martin-Green’s body double in silver, Book, Tilly, Detmer, Reno, Nilsson.

Hold on.

TILLY WHY ARE YOU WEARING COMMAND GOOOOOLLLLLLLLD

[spideypoolbigbang]

SPBB 2019 - Masterlist

Thank you everyone for another great year of Spideypool Big Bang 2019! For ease of reading, we’ve compiled a Masterlist of all our works below the cut. See you again for SPBB 2020! /End SPBB 2019

Title: The Bias of Judge, Jury, and Executioner

Author: IAmAllYetNotAtAll

Artist: Luce-xoxo

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 13K

Summary: Shield has tasked the Avengers with capturing and sending Deadpool to the Ice Box after a visiting diplomat is murdered. Peter has to disprove the allegations despite the substantial evidence against him, save his best friend, and also figure out why the thought of losing Wade terrifies him.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: A Full Guide On How To Adopt A Pet Spider

Author(s): noshallowend

Artist: thatbanananana

Rating: Mature

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 8802

Summary: One, keep your Spider well-fed and hydrated. Eye-eating you in a questionable coffee shop will do. Two, your little pet needs a room, or is it you? Well, anyway, you have been warned, so don’t complain if you wake up pinned to your bed by a 5’ 10" love bug.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Choose Your Words Wisely

Author: TimidTurnip

Artist: Sofreakinmanyfandoms

Rating: E

Warnings:  Dubcon, sexpollen, mpreg

Word Count: 10k

Summary: Peter should know by now that you can’t just say the first thing that comes to mind. That words carry weight, especially when directed at someone like Loki. Peter doesn’t really understand how getting him to fuck Wade is a punishment, not until his stomach starts to swell.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Peter Parker and the Very Bad No Good Mercenary Fleet

Author: ChibisUnleashed

Artist: ask-spideypool-42069

Rating: M

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Temp Character Death

Word Count: 24,232

Summary: So what if Peter’s an enhanced human being? His everyday, average, utterly normal human being powers of very good lab work and drive to innovate have been far more useful to the universe. Peter Parker, owner and founder of Parker Tech, has been leading the cosmos in medical technology for years. Ever since he founded it, in fact.

Peter can’t leave a person in need without aid. It’s just not in him. So when he finds out a mercenary blockade has prevented the transport of vital medical supplies to a planet just outside of the United Front’s jurisdiction, he decides to go there and fix the situation by force (Because it’s mercenaries. Force will be necessary.)

Wade doesn’t really care either way, but if a hottie in a tight suit offered you a ridiculous amount of money to lend them a hand, would you say no?

Fic Masterpost  | Art Masterpost

Title: Parallel Horizons

Author(s): mokuyoubi

Artist: Meeps

Rating: E

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, Temporary Major Character Death, Deadpool being Deadpool

Word Count: 40,700

Summary:When Peter B Parker enters the collider again to return to his own dimension, he’s dumped out a week into the future, but still in Miles’ universe. Repeated attempts to return home only speed up the damage done to his body by the glitches, and leave him stranded 2 years in the future. Enter Deadpool, who’s seen a lot of versions of Spider-Man, but never one so in need of a friend. He vows to save Peter’s life, whether he likes it or not. Along with Miles and Gwen, they work to repair the damage, and find out what’s keeping Peter from being able to return home. And maybe Peter finds he has more in common with the strange Merc than he could have anticipated.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Shooting For Your Heart

Author: theultimatespidey-petey

Artist: Jay

Rating: Teen and Up Audience

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence

Word Count: 43K+ words

Summary:

“In my defense, I didn’t expect you to get hurt.”

“And I didn’t expect to be run out of town, yet here we are.”

He went suddenly stiff, “Wait…you were run out of town?”

“As if you didn’t know,” Peter grumbled, but when he looked up he did a double-take at Wade’s confused expression. “Almighty, you really don’t know, do you?” he snapped the drawer shut, “Well, after that little fiasco by Two-Stone Canyon, a little rumor spread that me and you were in cahoots. The rumor got some ground and it turned the whole town against me. I was run out before I could defend my case. Why'dya think I was out there the other night to begin with?”

<><><><><><>

When Peter Parker, a deputy known as Webslinger, gets accused of working with the West’s deadliest outlaw he finds himself on the run from the people he once trusted. But in an effort to prove his innocence, he finds himself captured by the very outlaw tarnishing his name.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Rooftops

Author: Jo

Artist: AiralySwirls

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Wade-typical temporary death

Word Count: 11,800

Summary: Spider-man is a mercenary. He’s not proud of it, but a job is a job and he’s good at it. Things get more complicated when he does a job one night with a loud-mouthed and sharp-shooting Deadpool, and even more complicated when the two grow close. When Wade introduces some demons from his past into Peter’s life, things fall apart.

Fic Masterpost  | Art Masterpost

Title: The Order of the Silver Spider

Author(s): @mscaptainwinchester

Artist: @blondeulence

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Word Count: 34000

Summary: When Wade Wilson signed his loyalty to Queen Shiklah of Monstropolis, he did it for the money. That he’d thought he was in love with her was secondary. But as the years pass, and Wade begins to understand that Shiklah doesn’t return that love, his eyes begin to wander elsewhere. Prince Peter of Spider was supposed to be a distraction, a momentary dalliance to fill the time. But it’s difficult for someone to be a momentary distraction if you can’t get them out of your head. What was meant to last a night turns into something much deeper. Soon, Wade must question what’s more important to him: loyalty to his word or loyalty to his heart. Prince Peter of Spider is barely holding things together. With his wife murdered by a would-be usurper, his kingdom’s future was put into question for the first time in centuries. As the pressure mounts to find a new spouse and produce the heir that will assure his kingdom’s future and treaty negotiations between his tiny principality and King Anthony of Longueile heat up, Peter welcomes the distraction of Colonel Wilson of Monstropolis. But Peter finds himself still distracted even months later, and quickly must face the fact that he is in love. Can he find a way to secure happiness with another ruler’s consort, or will he be forced to marry out of duty and never truly know love again?

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Your Heart’s in the Right Place (And So are the Furnishings)

Author: Doctoring

Artist: Moemai

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Word Count: ~25,800

Summary: I mean, friends to lovers is one thing, but roommate to lovers has that whole efficiency appeal to it.

Peter is thinking about moving when his lease is up. Wade makes it his mission to convince Peter to move in with him. However, there’s a lot of home makeover (and flirting) he needs to do first before his crush will even consider it.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: You Can’t Spell Awesome Without Me

Author: Pineau_noir/ @pineau-noir

Artist: Dropthebeet/ @albeenocookie

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No major warnings apply

Word Count: 25k

Summary: On Peter’s 30th birthday, he finds a red and black mark over his heart. Then, on his way to his teaching job at Empire State University, a heavily scarred man dies in Peter’s arms. The two things don’t seem connected until Peter’s Spidey Sense goes haywire and his AI, Janet, tells Peter about soul marks.

But soulmates are just an urban legend, like Reagan killing all the birds in 1986 and replacing them with spies, right?

Meanwhile, Wade is stuck in the hospital, after losing his favorite kidney and briefly being dead. He flirts with his cute nurse (Anthony), gives a false name (Thom Cruz), and learns to live without his precious righty (his kidney).

Peter and the Avengers are on the hunt for the slightly shady man who may or may not be Peter’s one-and-only until something unexpected brings them together.

Spoiler— it’s really dumb and ordinary but Wade lives for the drama of it all: car chases! Illegal drug rings! Exotic animal smuggling! Or as Peter tells it, patrolling and seeing cars go by, accidentally stealing a bottle of ibuprofen from Tony Stark, and finding a stray kitten.

Either way it’s going to be all the fluff and domestic Spideypool the author can manage.

Fic Masterpost  | Art Masterpost

Title: Rock You Like a Hurricanrana Author: Jennicide Artist: Aredesification | @aredesification Rating: E Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Word Count: 111K Summary: Peter thinks he’s finally made it now that his masked persona, Spider-Man, has been offered a full-time contract with one of the largest wrestling companies in the United States. He’s spent years training for this moment but nothing could have ever prepared him for getting into the ring with Pileta de Muerto, the hottest heel in professional wrestling entertainment, on the night of his debut. And to make matters worse, their first meeting was a complete disaster. One of his biggest idols probably (definitely) hates him, but he’ll manage somehow because they’ve got a show to do and everything in wrestling is scripted anyway… until it isn’t.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Parker’s Monster

Author(s): Rainbow820

Artist: Alfie  

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Graphic Descriptions of Violence

Word Count: 30k+

Summary: In the early twentieth century, world tension is at an all time high. A young university student in New York, Peter Parker, meets Wade Wilson, a military officer from Canada on a chance encounter as Wade looks to find his professor Doctor Connors.

America needs Doctor Connor’s work and Wade needs him, and Peter Parker wants to protect his professor. Wade finds something captivating in the student who feels the need to save everyone around him.

War rips through Europe and Wade has to leave with Doctor Connors, but Peter is not one to be left behind. Falling in love at the worst of times Peter will do anything to keep Wade with him, anything.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Bettas are just P®etty Assholes

Author(s): DefendersofMCUniverse (GeekMom13)

Artist: SpiderKatana

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Major Archive Warnings. Minor Character Death, Mermaid anatomy,

Word Count: 8,644

Summary: Wade really loved his job- going around taking care of pointless mers and eating all the best food in the ocean. But he really, really hated Bettas. They were grumpy, conceited, and liked to get in his way far too much, even when they failed miserably. (They always failed, Wade just hated the superficial scars they left. Because, honestly, he already looked like Neptune’s left nutsack, did they need to make it worse?) Really, how hard was it to just… let him kill the worthless mers of the pod? It’s not like he took on contracts for the productive members of pod-ciety. It just figures that one assignment he meets a Betta-mer who changes everything. Why the fuck did he have to be so pretty?

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Cradle Author: macaronigrille Artist: nonexistenz Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Word Count: 8971

Summary: Peter’s encounters with Deadpool are initially only fleeting. He doesn’t know much about him, simply that he’s a trained mercenary for hire who’s nearly impossible to kill.

Impossible to kill, maybe. But as Peter spends more time with Wade, he realizes that Wade is not unbreakable. From broken fingers to head injuries, Peter teaches Wade how to be cared for, and Wade returns the favor when Peter needs him most.

(Or: 5 times that Peter helped Wade with his healing factor, and one time that Wade returned the favor.)

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title:  Odds Aren’t in Our Favor Author(s): NexusPhenomena/Nhrive Artist: Chez Rating: Explicit Warnings: Minor Character Death, Graphic Depiction of Violence Word Count: 75k Summary: What happens when the world is forced to sacrifice children in the name of order and justice? The Games are the result. Wade had never been lucky in life and as he made his way into District 12, fate showed him just how much they didn’t like him. Now scarred from his experiences, he must deal with helping the new tributes make their way through the games. Can he help keep one of them alive? Peter has suffered so much in life as it is and when it’s finally his turn for the games, will he be able to make it out alive? What will he lose along the way or is there possibly anything to gain? Fic Masterpost  | Art Masterpost

Title: Neighborly

Author: DramamineOnTopOfMe

Artist: DrunkRat

Rating: Mature

Warnings: None that apply

Word Count: 9k

Summary: Peter’s finally moving out! And Wade Wilson helps him move in? Peter knows that Spiderman and Deadpool are now neighbors, but he can’t let anybody else find out. Especially not Wade! But for just how long can Peter keep his secret when there’s crime in his city and a mercenary next door?

Fic Masterpost || Art Masterpost

Title: on a genderbender

Author(s): Devral

Artist: Art Wolf

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: none

Word Count: 40k

Summary: While checking out one of Doc Ock’s warehouses to try to figure out what Doc is up to, Wade and Peter accidentally activate a machine that changes someone’s gender. Peter is the unlucky recipient of the change. Wade does his best to take care of Peter by stuffing as much food into him as possible and sneaking in some leg ogling while Peter works to get himself back to normal!

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: a world away

Author(s): silvyri

Artist: Limeonik

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Mild Self-Harm (it’s Wade), Temporary Character Death (it’s Wade again), some violence

Word Count: 35k

Summary: Peter is saved by a mysterious scarred stranger when a extraterrestrial stowaway causes the Avenjet to break apart mid-flight over the Pacific Ocean. Stranded on a deserted tropical island with the man who can’t seem to get the hang of verbal communication, Peter struggles with not knowing how his friends and family are faring in an alien infested New York, his growing feelings for the man he names Wade, and how Wade came to be on their little island in the first place.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: My Heart’s A Little F*cked On You

Author(s): Spiderkatana and Dr.FumblesMcStupid

Artist: Chez

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Explicit Language, Very Brief Major Character Death

Word Count: 26,000+

Summary: When Peter was forced to leave his childhood best friend (and first crush) behind, he didn’t think he’d ever see him again. He definitely wasn’t expecting Deadpool, the first person he'd really felt safe with since then– to be the same boy who gave him an over-sized Captain America hoodie, threw rocks at Flash Thompson, and used to calm Peter down by softly singing La Vie En Rose.

AKA The One With The Silver Unicorn Charm Necklace.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: Behind Closed Doors

Author(s): crookedswingset

Artist: babyshawk

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Temporary Character Death (Wade), Police Corruption, Angst, Bad Decision Making, Happy Ending

Word Count: 140K

Summary: When the Benefactor arranges a successful hit against a cop in a Spider-Man suit, Peter Parker has one shot to go undercover, infiltrate the criminal’s operations, and shut them down for good. But, to do that, he needs to let everyone in his life think he’s really dead. Even Wade.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: there’s a fire in your eyes

Author: bisexualbarry

Artist: luminspidey

Rating: mature

Warnings: graphic depictions of violence

Word Count: 36k

Summary: When Peter moved to a boring town in Maine, he thought his life would be normal. Instead, he’s now being stalked by a creepy man with a wicked plan. Even after escaping him once already, Peter can’t go anywhere without feeling eyes on him.

Cue Wade, a man who’s a mystery from the start who has weird injuries that seem to heal right before Peter’s eyes. Along with him comes a ragtag family that don’t quite seem to match. The biggest reality check, though? Vampires are real and they live amongst humans.

Now Peter has to try his best not to get kidnapped (again) by an evil vampire who’s trying to assemble his own group of elemental controlling vampires. And Peter happens to have a very fiery presence.

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

Title: In Which Peter is Not Okay

Author: ladyamante

Artist: Gensyz

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: PTSD, Past rape/non-con, Violence, Suicidal ideation

Word Count: 55k

Summary:  Peter has hit rock bottom. He is anxious all the time, he can’t get out of bed for days on end. He’s isolated himself from his friends and Aunt May. What happened with Skip was ages ago, and he’s Spider-Man now, so he should be fine, right?

One night, Peter finds himself at the top of a building, ready to jump, when an unlikely person steps in.

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Title: Five Years Grown

Author: 343EnderSpark & thelonebamf

Artist: thelazydrawer

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Bullying, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Homophobic Language, cliffhanger ending

Word Count: 137,096

Summary: Growing up in a New York City that has seen the likes of superheroes and extraterrestrials was never going to be easy, but finding a friend was sure to make the journey more fun. A young Peter and Wade meet and bond over their shared hobby of dumpster diving and a fast friendship forms between them. While Wade’s home life is complicated and downright abusive, he slowly finds a place among the Parkers, learning to trust Ben and May as he grows closer to Peter. Yet no relationship stays the same forever, and Wade’s sprouting feelings for Peter are at odds with the expectations people have for the two of them. Things only grow more complicated when Peter develops his spider powers, and is unsure whether or not he should confide in his friend. Of course nothing could keep the two apart for long… or could it?

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Title: (life)lines

Author(s): Anhumblegoose

Artist: Cheermione

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Happy Ending

Word Count: 49k

Summary: When Wade takes home a callboy, he isn’t expecting to find his second chance at love. Now that it’s in front of him, he doesn’t want to let it go. He knows he can make his sweetie happy; that they can pull each other up. That is, if his baby boy’s insistence on keeping secrets doesn’t end up tearing them both down.

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Title: Big Enough Umbrella

Author(s): fancastical, aka @fasterthanmybullets

Artist: @the-italian-pasta, aka romeyruu

Rating: T

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Child Abuse, Happy Ending

Word Count: 58k

Summary: Peter is high key miserable at the beginning of senior year. It takes everything he’s got to get out of bed sometimes, let alone go to school. It’s a problem, then, that the first person to make him laugh since Uncle Ben’s funeral is also the new school bully, a guy from Canada named Wade who steals money from freshmen and has no sense of propriety or, if the bruises he’s always showing up with mean anything, self preservation. Wade doesn’t expect to stay in New York City long. His dad never lets them stick around after people start asking questions. So it really shouldn’t matter what the nerdy guy in his Spanish class thinks of him, and yet he’s bending over backward for even half a smile from Peter, and making all kinds of promises he’s not sure he can keep. Wade knows it’s not gonna end well. But when has that ever stopped him before?

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Title: Rebound

Author: @evansenpai13

Artist: @Ninja46464

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Self-Doubt, Alcohol, Sexual Intercourse, Mature Themes

Word Count: 9K

Summary: Peter needs to see Wade. At 3 am. And the ever Spider loving Merc has no reason to deny the man he loves. Of course, it’s not as expected, why would it? Peter B. Parker recently divorced his sweetheart Mary Jane and just as any distraught human being, needed someone to rely on. It just so happened that Wade was the one he confided on.

Matters become difficult when Peter believes Wade to behave oddly due to the loss of Vanessa. Though the present events are long after the incident, this belief clouds Peter’s judgment on what’s really happening.

Wade just couldn’t catch a break nor drop the feelings he had for the other. But Wade being Wade, did his best to get Peter out of the slump he was in. All while pushing aside the love Wade had for Pete. He would never be selfish enough to admit those feelings at such a sore time in Peter’s life. Or would he?

Give it time and a bit of alcohol, and what will happen once both men open up to one another? What’s Peter’s thoughts about the divorce? How will Wade help? Will Wade finally be honest? How will Pete react?

What will become of their relationship?

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Title: Careful What You Wish For

Author: @xbloodrunsredx

Artist: @sillytheotter

Rating: Not rated

Warnings: Referenced Past Non/Con, Slavery Undertones, Depression

Word Count: 15k

Summary: Wade Wilson is a mercenary that has had a rough life, but meeting a strange, powerful genie certainly puts things in perspective; through trials and memories, they struggle to find common ground… and there are too many questions that need answering before they can even try. But they can work it out—Wade knows it more than he’s ever known anything, even if the genie refuses to give up his name, or the past that hangs over him like a dark cloud. After all: he can just wish for it, can’t he?

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Title: Two Lies and a Truth

Author: @salios

Artist: @sofreakinmanyfandoms

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Mild stalking

Word Count: ~6K

Summary: Having a thing for your teacher seemed like a reasonable fetish back in highschool. Personally, Peter hadn’t ever found a teacher worth pining after, but then again he’d had the saltiest, most sour, dried out educator-jerky the world had ever produced. There had definitely been fresher fish to cast after.

So again, while he understood it was a respectable and somewhat common kink, it wasn’t for Peter. He also realised, within three months as a TA, that it was super uncomfortable to be on the receiving end. Especially when you were being actively chased not by one, but two over eager students with no concept of personal space.

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Title: Falling Backwards

Author(s): KiwiBerry

Artist: princessellie3

Rating: T

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence

Word Count: 7.4k

Summary: Peter loves being an Avenger. Or at least he thinks he does? It’s kind of hard to tell since he’s missing about four years of information after a run in with a mind-altering mutant. Luckily, he has two over protective, father-like figures to help him figure it all out. Oh, and a man in a red jumpsuit who keeps calling him “Spidey” with a fondness that almost rivals Aunt May. So, yeah, Peter loves being an Avenger (or at least he hopes he does. Mr. Stark would be so pissed if he didn’t.)

Fic Masterpost | Art Masterpost

[bluboothalassophile]

I love your JayRae and I want to know if you would consider writing one fic where Garfield realises that he lost Raven forever, to Jason, since in all of your fics it seems that he treated her really bad, please.

Hello,

Not much of a Garfield Logan writer, but I hope you enjoy this story of mine! 

Alphas...

Garfield Logan would admit he was an immature, happy, go lucky kind of guy. He would admit his first serious relationship, with a woman more mature than him even as a teenager was not the best idea for either himself or Raven.

Raven was mature, she was serious, she was powerful, she was dangerous; all the things his Beast wanted in a Mate, and Raven had appeared to be an unrivaled Mate. She was an Alpha who could match his Beast, and she wasn’t scared of the Beast. If anything she made the Beast tremble in fear, which was part of the attraction when they had been young and dumb and together.

But epic fights, because Raven couldn’t handle him, and he frankly could not handle her, and the inability to have true intimacy, especially during his ruts, was enough to have him and his Beast lashing out at Raven. They tore her down, because for all her perfection, she was unobtainable as she was.

The feedback of her empathy was terrifying, because she was so controlled, so apathetic to everything around her, and yet her emotions when they were shared, they were overwhelming, they could drown him. And as an immature teenager, that was a bit much; especially when all he and the Beast wanted was to fuck her senseless and produce the strongest offspring they could. Raven was still too much though, perfect, but too much, too unobtainable, and he couldn’t handle that, because he didn’t want the feedback of how she felt. He wasn’t ready for real; at that time he’d just been a primal instinct.

He was nineteen when he knew he had lost any potential of obtaining Raven as a mate.

Jason Todd, an Alpha, a danger, a threat, a lethal human. Jason matched Raven.

They matched in wit, in process, in emotions; and it would not surprise him if Raven were to form an empathetic link, or to share her emotions at the height of her pleasure, Jason fed off it and she off him. They were both surprisingly empathetic people, he saw it. They were empathetic, nonjudgemental, they as a pair were attractive.

Not just in appearance, but in the aura they gave off. They were Alphas, they were protectors, they were dangerous, they were safety, they were a unit. If one were to look at packs, Jason and Raven were a matched set of Alphas, and it attracted people follow them, to put faith into them, to put trust in their judgement and leadership. It was attractive; and even his Beast found it attractive; not enough to submit to Jason, but enough to respect Jason as a fellow Alpha.

At nineteen he had lost any chance of obtaining Raven, she had found her match, even if she did not know it; or Jason knew it or not at the time.

At nineteen he scented no sex between Raven or Jason, but he did scent their mutual attraction, he saw their mutual pull to the other, the secret smiles, the instinctive looking for the other when they were in an area together, he sensed their closeness, and he saw their friendship. They were equals, and they built the other up, all he and Raven had ever done was tear each other apart.

At twenty he knew he stood no chance with her. Even if Jason fucked Rose Wilson on the side it was obvious Jason would value Raven above all else, and Raven valued Jason the same. At twenty Garfield envied their bond, even if they did not know what they had, he and his Beast envied it; because that was what mates were supposed to be like. They were a unit, they were one, where one moved, the other followed, they covered each other, they were attracting a pack even. People would follow them; people would want to follow them, for Raven and Jason offered security and loyalty to those who were becoming close to them.

At twenty-three he watched the grief which racked an Alpha pair losing their other half. He watched, helpless, in Time Square as Raven died for Jason, he watched the grief which tore the other Alpha apart. He and the entire world watched Jason Todd go Lazarus Pit Rabid and not a soul could stand against him, not even the Tameranean who had come to kill the daughter of Koriand’r. It had taken near death to even stop the other Alpha, and Garfield and his Beast were genuinely intimidated by Jason.

He was twenty-six when he wanted to scream at them; but he felt that he and half of the world wanted to. Raven was back, she was back from the dead. No one knew how, or why, or what she had been doing in her years between death and return, but she was back. She reunited with Jason. Garfield watched in envy from Wayne Manor; a rare moment he was over to visit with Victor. She pulled up the driveway while Jason was working on a motorcycle in the yard with Bruce and Terry, Garfield had been playing video games with Vic and Mar'i; Mar'i was family and he visited. He watched the reunion between the pair, from the disbelief, to the relief, to the gratitude, to their watchfulness.

Raven went by Rachel, she dated Koryak. Jason was dating Jessica Cruz then, and all Garfield wanted to do was scream at the pair of Alphas to get their shit together, they were Alphas, they were a pair, a unit, they lead a pack, they belonged together.

That was when he knew, irrevocably though, Raven could never and probably never had been his.

He gleefully reassembled their tattered friendship, listening to Rachel’s rants about Koryak, or irritations at school, her friendship with Jason (though she didn’t share much about that) and he watched. He watched them reform their bond, watched them reassemble their pack, and he watched them become a unit again.

Garfield Logan figured he never stood a chance with her, not as long as Jason existed. Jason and Raven matched, even his Beast saw the match.

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Us

The first horror movie most of us see is a mirror. A you that is not you is staring back...and those of us who played Bloody Mary as kids know that sometimes, if you concentrate hard enough, that you that’s not you almost looks like they’re moving independently. It’s just a trick of the light, the mind. But what if it wasn’t? What if the you that’s not you managed to break free? That’s the question writer-director Jordan Peele asks in his follow up to the game changing Get Out. This time, it’s Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke caught in the center of Peele’s web, where there seems to be hidden nightmares just behind every wall and window in sunny Santa Cruz on a family vacation that takes a turn. Peele’s working under an enormous amount of pressure to create something even remotely as remarkable as Get Out, so the real question is does he manage to meet such mighty expectations? Well...

Not every film can be the mind-expanding commentary on racial tension in post-Obama America that Get Out was - so even though Us isn’t going to be the most talked-about movie of the year, it still packs plenty of punch, and the audience gets the treat of seeing Peele’s directorial style begin to take shape into something unique and almost magical. I’ll try to avoid spoilers because this is a movie that deserves to be seen with an open mind and heart - much of the joy of Peele’s writing is slowly unraveling the unnerving mystery at the heart of whatever fucked up thing is going on. In this case, it’s the story of the Wilson family - mom Adelaide (Nyong’o), dad Gabe (Duke), daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason (Evan Alex). They’re at the family beach house where Adelaide experienced a childhood trauma, getting lost inside a funhouse down at the Santa Cruz boardwalk. When she emerged from the fun house, she stopped speaking for an indeterminate amount of time due to her PTSD. As that long ago trauma begins to resurface, adult Adelaide is snappish and on edge with her family until her worst fears come true - someone is trying to get into their house. And those someones look exactly like each member of the family.

Some thoughts:

I love the VHS covers surrounding the TV that young Adelaide (Madison Curry) is watching. The ones I caught were C.H.U.D, The Right Stuff, The Goonies, Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Man With Two Brains. Some excellent clues right from the get go about where Peele is getting his influences.

Visually, the film is a treat. I can’t wait to go back and rewatch it to look for all the instances of mirrors and reflections sprinkled throughout. The framing, the staging, the lighting - Peele is a master of building tension, allowing the camera to linger slooooowly up the side of a car when we KNOW someone is going to be looking back at us through the window, or placing two equally focused Lupita Nyong’os in the foreground and background of a long monologue. Not to mention how many scenes are, frankly, bright for a horror movie. Scenes on the beach, in the middle of the day, or in a brightly lit house - it would be easy to rob all the tension once we’re back in the light, but the uncanny, unnerving staging of these scenes lends a sense of terrifying truth-is-stranger-than-fiction gut reactions. 

Whistling is just the scariest sound in the world.

Lupita carries a great deal of the film, and the difference between Adelaide and her double, Red, is astonishing. The way her body moves as Red is almost alien, and the dynamic between Adelaide and her family is subtly perfect, especially in light of the film’s ending. Truly a masterful performance.

Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss are tied for runner up as the most delightful to watch. Duke is going peak dad, complete with bad puns and college sweatshirt, and it’s just a joy. Moss, as a boozy neighbor to the Wilsons, is bitterly hilarious, but her double is really the shining performance in terms of pure creepiness. 

The “twist,” if you want to call it that, is easily guessed, but that doesn’t make it less interesting. I know Peele is a purposeful writer and director, and I’m curious about all the metaphors and small details I might have missed especially concerning the twist. I will be eagerly devouring articles about this movie probably for the next few weeks.

Like, I’m wondering about the rabbits. They kept making me think of a magician - when he pulls the rabbit out of the hat, he doesn’t conjure the rabbit out of nothing. The rabbit exists, just beyond our perception, until it’s revealed. But I’m sure there’s more to it than that!

I enjoyed the retro Twilight Zone vibe a great deal - it’s all Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The Strangers meets a zombie apocalypse. Tense, terrific fun that has you looking in the dark for shadows that may or may not be moving. 

This is a tense, fun, engaging movie that focuses more on the classic beats of the horror genre than the twisty, genre-bending Get Out. For fans of Peele’s work and smart horror in general, this is a more than worthy follow-up, even if it is lighter on the sociopolitical themes that made Get Out such a powerhouse. 

[thewonderladie]

Wow. Okay. Let's do this. Discovery spoilers.

Airiam went out like a G. What a beautiful coffin. I loved the voice overs! It looked like the entire crew was there?!

So they think Michael is the *Red Angel. I didn't want her to be because she's dealing with so much! She needs Admiral Cornwall stat!

Hugh is trying. And like the open blouse is A Look! I see you Wilson Cruz. 👀 But seriously. Him going to see Cornwall was great. At least someone's getting therapy!

Leland and Georgiou are back. Leland knows more than he's letting on. Georgiou is in full Mama mode this episode. I told you they were softening her up slowly but surely.

Michael confronts Leland and it went exactly as I imagined it. I never thought he was like evil so I'm glad that he didn't sugarcoat any of it and genuinely seemed remorseful. (I like the character. Is he okay? It was very ambiguous what happened to him)

Michael BEAT HIS ASS THO!

I'm here for Michael and Ash so yeah the tension! Ash is going to need to pick a side tho...

Michael taking two seasons worth of frustration out on some mannequins was much needed. I legit thought Spock was going to be a dick but he was actually acting like a brother. They're so cute. More sibling bonding please!

Michael risking her life stresses me out. Bitch better make captain someday! And like everyone is kinda okay with it but not really?

Georgiou is a messy bitch who lives for drama. See: Hugh and Paul

ASH AND MICHAEL KISS. AHH! THIS IS ALL I WANTED! I PAUSED IT LIKE WAY TOO MANY TIMES.

So they're on a planet. Mama Georgiou is freaking out. Hugh is trying. Paul is not here for it. Spock is wearing the tightest outfit and Michael is dying.

The Red Angel arrives. Yay! We've all been waiting! Future Michael here to save the day! Except...it ain't Michael. It's her *mama! No. Not Amanda. Her biological mother. The one we thought was DEAD! WHAT. THE. FUCK.

That's all I got. No one guessed that! But yeah, that space outfit that Spock was wearing. Ethan Peck, I see you too.

[thebisexualdogdad]

Dc for the ask game

This is based off the comics not any of the movies/tv shows

· favorite character - Jessica Cruz

· least favorite character - honestly I've never cared for Harley Quinn

· 5 favorite ships (canon or non canon) - Jason Todd × Roy Harper, Dick Grayson x Wally West, Kate Kane x Renee Montoya, Hal Jordan x Barry Allen, Harper Row x Cassandra Cain

· character i find most attractive - Jessica Cruz

· character i would marry - Jessica Cruz

· character i would be best friends with - Tim Drake

· a random thought - Jason and Roy are in love and no one can convince me otherwise

· an unpopular opinion - DC is better than marvel

· my canon otp - Kate and Renee

· my non canon otp - Jason and Roy

· most badass character - Harper Row

· most epic villian - Slade Wilson

· pairing i am not a fan of - Bruce and Selina tbh

· character i feel the writers screwed up - Jessica fucking Cruz. I can't bring myself to read the new justice league vs darkseid issue....

· favorite friendship - Jessica and Simon

· character i most relate with - again the answer is Jessica

· character i wish i could be - any archer really

[readbyir]

An essay on a refreshing take of Twelfth Night

“If music be the food of love, play on.” Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays, and in my opinion, one of my favorites. Viola’s journey of identity has been an object of my fascination since I stumbled upon her “I left no ring with her” monologue in high school. I have now seen Twelfth Night two times; the first time was at a community theatre and the second time was at a professional theatre. The professional production that I saw was at The Old Globe in November 2019. Directed by Jesse Perez, Twelfth Night used all of the MFA Acting students currently enrolled in the Shiley Graduate Theatre Program between the University of San Diego and The Old Globe. Having worked with most of them during their summer repertory season, I was thrilled to see them take on another reimagination of Shakespeare. This production took place in the intimate space of the Shirley and Harvey White Theatre. This theatre-in-the-round space allowed for Perez and his designers to suspend the audience’s disbelief with their fun ideas of design and staging. Perez conceptualized this telling of the story to be done through a band of actors in their own rehearsal hall with scripts, fighting mats, and rehearsal furniture strewn across the floor. Perez swapped genders, incorporated music and dance, and used farcical moments to fully explore Shakespeare’s humor and relationships in this text. Overall, Perez’s meta concept encouraged the unification of a strong ensemble that wants the audience to experiment with the love and gender fluidity that has always existed in Shakespeare’s plays.

While we usually see “As above, so below” metaphors expressed through two-levelled sets, Robin Roberts designed a single level set with two ramps that lead offstage. Perez’s concept insisted that the playing space was actually where an acting troupe comes to rehearse when they are not performing. Two signs labeled “TO STAGE” hung above the ramps and onstage drawers were stuffed with props and costumes. Malvolio, Sebastian, and subordinate characters had many opportunities to enter from the house for their entrances to the story. Perez crafted his departure point with the entire ensemble portraying themselves as actors. It was when Claire Simba stood on top of a table and proclaimed her first lines through a large microphone that her fellow actors agreed to put on a production of Twelfth Night. Instantaneously, hip-hop music and colorful lights flashed onstage as the ensemble danced and began their rehearsal process of Twelfth Night. 

Perez explored two different journeys of love between Antonio and Sebastian and Orsino and Viola. Perez fully embraced Antonio’s assertion of his adoration and love for Sebastian in the script. Jonathan Wilson, who portrayed Antonio, followed Ramon Burris, who portrayed Sebastian, down onto the stage to make sure his beloved friend had a safe journey. Perez explored the act of Burris closing the distance between himself and Wilson. Antonio’s vulnerability about his emotions towards Sebastian was met with Sebastian’s vulnerability about losing a sister. Burris and Wilson stood inches apart until Burris had to bid his farewell due to his mournful state. Claire Simba portrayed Orsino, an Illyrian nobleman. Gender-bending is not new when it comes to Shakespeare. For two black women to play the romantic leads, however, is not commonly practiced in live performances unless it is prescribed in a play that centralizes itself on the black experience. Perez directed the audience’s focus onto a female Orsino that falls in love with a female Viola. Simba did not talk in a forced lower-register or dress in breeches; she was still a woman in the larger-than-life role of Orsino.This viewed Shakespeare’s primary relationship through a LGBTQ+ lens. 

Music and dance was a large part of this production as well. As already stated, the ensemble broke out into a dance in the beginning of the play. The music was of the modern hip-hop genre, creating a contemporary feel to Perez’s concept. The choreography was fast-paced, fun, grounded, and complicated. A couple of the actors seemed to struggle with keeping up with the choreography, but still showed how much of a blast they had with it. Perez used Feste to continue this light-hearted musical feeling after the production’s colorful departure point. Summer Broyhill portrayed Feste with her acoustic guitar and goofy mannerisms. Using her experience as Amiens in As You Like It, Broyhill composed her own music for the show. In her moments of playing guitar and entertaining others, Broyhill, as Feste, was also experimenting with how others would react to her acoustic folk music. When Christopher Cruz (Sir Toby) and Mason Conrad (Sir Andrew) offered their approval of her music, Broyhill was elated and gracious. Her spirit of musicality built and spread towards two other partners onstage, turning a simple moment of entertainment into a full-blown acapella trio serenading Sir Toby. Broyhill also composed this acapella piece. 

Perez’s use of farce in Malvolio’s letter scene bent the audience’s expectation of what it means to hide in plain sight. Using palm leaves, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian danced and dashed across all corners of the stage to stay hidden from Malvolio. The rule that Perez and his actors structured assured that anytime an actor holds up a leaf, they are hidden from Malvolio. They bend this rule by adding a couple more ensemble members to relevé and perform traditional ballet leaps while holding their leaves as Malvolio read his letter aloud.

  I found that Perez’s exploration of LGBTQ+ relationships and gender-roles to be extremely effective within his concept. Standing in a “fuck or fight” proximity from each other, Antonio and Sebastian added a complex layer of their potentially homosexual relationship. We know Sebastian ends up with Olivia at the end, but the implication of him meeting Antonio in the middle with his emotions demands the audience to perk up and hang onto this given circumstance throughout the rest of their limited times together onstage. In the text, we do not get a lot of information on Sebastian’s whereabouts. Perez made Sebastian’s moments onstage matter to the audience by showing how his inner-turmoil from losing a sister can project onto other relationships, romantic or otherwise. Even if Perez did not choose to argue for Sebastian to be bisexual, he still built tension between two men that represented more than just a dichotomous power balance; it begged for a reconsideration of masculinity. The power dynamic between the two men did not feel as if a servant was being dismissed by a superior figure. It was a tender and truthful moment where Sebastian let his walls down to another man. I saw two men being completely honest about the things that weigh most on their heart. In the spirit of Perez’s experimental concept; I got to ask myself what I thought Sebastian would do if he were not mourning for Viola. Solely because of how Perez set up their relationship, I would accept the argument that Sebastian should end up with Antonio if he had not paired up with Olivia at the end. Additionally, I was able to reflect on how little we see masculinity portrayed like this onstage. 

Orsino and Viola’s relationship intersected the exposure of LGBTQ+ and black relationships onstage. Orsino’s identity was not played out as a breeches role. Simba is a woman who was expressed as a woman onstage. Because Orsino was originally a male, the audience was able to recognize the elements and mannerisms that made Simba passable as Orsino. As discussed in Sebastian and Antonio’s relationship, the audience’s focus was also drawn to the idea of what makes a character masculine or feminine. Simba was confident, smooth, and humorous just like the character Shakespeare wrote. She demanded respect and power through her struts and table-climbing. She still had a masculine air to her because of her raspy and lower voice. Bibi Mama’s portrayal of Viola was special because of how she portrayed femininity. Mama is a fitness trainer, which showed onstage. She was strong, coordinated, and grounded. Her alto register paired well with Simba’s raspy voice. She did not make much change between her identity as Viola versus fake-Sebastian because of the minimalistic costume design. If I was not paying close enough attention to the language, I would have missed the fact that Mama was switching between female and male onstage. To throw on a blazer was not the strongest indication to an audience member that Mama has changed her identity, especially with her muscular build. To broaden the perspective of Perez’s choice of casting, I believe a color conscious choice was made to reach across San Diego’s predominantly white theatre patron base. Perez made a speech at the opening night party stating that it was time that people agree that Orsino can, in fact, be a black woman. Putting this idea onto a stage that is dressed to look like a rehearsal hall truly serves Perez’s purpose in challenging the conventions an audience projects onto Shakespeare and other works of theatre. He framed it as actors onstage that are simply workshopping new ideas and testing out what works and what doesn’t work. I have heard stories of Old Globe patrons expressing how much they miss “traditional Shakespeare” while mistakenly assigning its likeness to an older production that was actually conceptualized as the Napoleonic Era. It seems that Perez knows the Old Globe’s audience very well and did not waste his opportunity to make this show matter on a global scale. At the time of writing this essay, The Public Theatre just wrapped their production of Measure for Measure with an all black and female cast. Black women taking the lead in Shakespeare is a choice that theatres want their audiences to see and get used to. Perez does not turn away from issue in the slightest and brings the Old Globe into the larger conversation. 

Perez’s use of music and farce elevated Shakespeare’s text. His concept broke through the fourth wall in the act of Broyhill performing as Feste. Just like Feste aimed to entertain and please through music, Broyhill might have hoped that her fellow actors and audience members enjoyed her folk guitar compositions. It added to Feste’s likability as a performing artist rather than a “clown.” Perez’s outrageously funny comedic moments, such as the letter scene, suspended the audience’s disbelief on how to accept staged conventions. Marco Antonio Vega’s portrayal of Malvolio achieved empathy from the audience because of how much we were laughing at the deception that was devised against him. 

Perez made the story of Twelfth Night bigger than what we may have originally perceived to be. He gave his actors a platform to truly play and explore the humanity of their characters by gifting them a world where anything can happen: the rehearsal room. What if Sebastian loved Antonio back? What if Orsino was a woman? How many rules can we make for the audience and then break them? What is and is not allowed to be done with Shakespeare? These are the questions actors and directors ask in the rehearsal room and determine themselves. Perez included his audience to answer that question. He gave us an authentic presentation of what theatre is by keeping this world in its “exploration stage.” This let the community bear witness to what makes our theatre artists today so devoted to their art. As an MFA class, the actors portrayed the future of theatre for all to see.