#maybe have tony join the lesson

[hope-you-brought-kneepads-bitch]

Lessons in love

Lesson 2: Party time

Lesson 1: A new professor

Summary: No slow burn around here, we’re already making out at parties and taking off underwear in a car! You and Wanda see each other at a sorority party where a bit of liquid courage helps Wanda along greatly and as much as you tried resisting her she was so irresistible, but is there something waiting at home to ruin it all? Of course there is 🙄

Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI no actual smut just very close to being smut, talking about masturbation if I had to put a label on it, kissing and soft moments and men (meh)

Words: about 3000 maybe more

A/n: I like this chapter I’m sorry it took a while between the first chapter and this one, some stuff at work and whatever stopped me from writing I wanted this to come out soon after the first but alas here we are, also it does seem sudden but I wanted to get initial meetings out of the way so we can fully focus on the relationship and other things so no slow burn here as I said 😂

A/n: Also I’m sorry for any mistakes and how long it is, I was going to cut it down but I couldn’t think of when to do it so, hopefully everything’s good but please do let me know if anything’s wrong

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Pepper had demanded you get ready at their place before the party and you had a suspicion it was to see you undressed, you didn’t mind though, you liked the attention, was that narcissistic? Probably a little

“I only have this to wear Pepper, is it a little much?” Pepper turned to you and stepped back “woah! If I wasn’t married to a man and you weren’t obsessed with a shy emo 22 year old I’d do you”

You were just wearing a pantsuit , something you picked up at a place in the city, maybe it was the plunging neckline that pretty much went down to your navel

“I’m pretty sure Tony wouldn’t mind” you winked and pepper laughed “he’d want to join in but then get overwhelmed and leave, he hates the attention not being fully on him, and with your body I’d definitely forget about him”

You stepped closer to pepper kissing her cheek “careful Mrs Stark 1 might think you were being serious”

“Hmm who says I’m not?” She laughed and kissed your cheek too

“Sorry Pepper you’re not my type” you pulled away going to the mirror and fixing your lipstick and rubbing out some that pepper left on your cheek

“Sorry I forgot your type was a young 22 year old shy girl with mommy issues”

You gasped spinning around to the woman “wow! You get rejected and this is what happens? Talk about catty”

Both women laughed fixing themselves up before leaving for the party, were you hoping to see Wanda again? Absolutely, was a party her thing though? You’ll found out.

“Take me back to the dorms” Wanda complained to Nat who was definitely listening and not at all staring at Maria playing beer pong and watching the beer overfill her mouth and then drip down her neck and her chest

“What?” Nat didn’t remove her eyes from the girl and was only half listening “why do you wanna go?”

“Because Nat there’s people grinding on each other and I’m bored”

Nat didn’t listen to Wanda instead walking towards Maria kissing her in celebration of winning beer pong

Wanda rolled her eyes heading for the less crowded kitchen hoping to escape the crazy house and try to get a early night, walking into the kitchen Wanda walked right into someone’s back, god why was this the second time this happened?? When the woman turned around her eyes went wide both in surprise and shock, why were you at a party?

“Professor Y/n what are you doing here??” Wanda really tried not to look at your outfit, or the way the plunging neckline highlighted some freckles that disappeared towards your breast and Wanda wanted to see where they ended up, wait focus Wanda!

A hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up to see your face once again really close to her own “did you hear me honey? I said I was here for the party like you, do you need some water? How much have you had to drink?”

Your concern for her made Wanda smile “no I’m okay I’m not too drunk just surprised you’re here”

“Okay good” god she was beautiful, a short black dress, simple but so elegant, though you thought Wanda would look nice in a plastic bag

You smiled back picking up Wanda’s hand and leading her away from the kitchen when a group of people came in “where are we going?” Wanda asked but you didn’t say anything until you both ended up outside

“Ah isn’t that better? Outside in some fresh air” you turned back to Wanda and picking her hand up again you pulled her closer inspecting her face holding it in your hand that made Wanda melt, god your hands were so soft “are you sure you’re not drunk princess?”

“You’re so hot” she whispered immediately hoping you didn’t hear but you did, oh you definitely did “you think I’m hot princess? Is your brain all fuzzy with the alcohol?”

Wanda couldn’t move you were holding her firm so she just took the plunge pushing forward to kiss you, you tasted like cherries and Wanda loved cherries!

When Wanda tried tugging your jumpsuit you pulled away and grabbed her hands to stop her “hold on princess, you’re drunk”

Wanda shrugged “not that much I told you I’m fine”

She tried kissing you again but you dodged her advances, even if you didn’t want to “I’m going to take you home”

Wanda perked up but you quickly shut her down “no no I’m not taking you home to sleep with you, no you need to sober up, you can sleep in my bed while I sleep on the couch okay?”

Wanda simply nodded annoyed with you saying no but grateful that she’d be finally leave the party

She let you take the lead back into the house going towards the front door, you held her close to you with a protective arm around her shoulders, you felt her pull you to the side seeing Nat “I have to tell her I’m leaving” she mumbled and you nodded “go on I’ll wait here”

Wanda walked over to a surprised Nat holding in her massive grin as you eyed her up, bless her, trying hard not to laugh or freak out, you could see what the other teachers were talking about when they said Nat was a lot to handle

“Hey Nat I-

“You got the hot teacher! Wanda I’m so proud! Wear protection” Wanda laughed at Nat “natty come on, protection really?”

Nat shrugged “yeah I know I know but I bet if you tried really really hard you could get her pregnant, anything could happen!”

Wanda playfully slapped Nat “don’t be silly, she’s taking me home because I’m not enjoying myself and I’m a little drunk, but we did kiss, Nat she tastes like cherries”

“You love cherries! Go on Wanda maybe you can convince her to do something”

Wanda glanced back at you and caught your eye, you winked at her and she quickly turned back around blushing, even in the darkness Nat could see the blush “you’re blushing Wands, she clearly wants you, even if she said no because you’re tipsy, if you flashed her something I’m sure she’d forget all about what she said”

Wanda sighed “I’ll see, but all I know is that I’m going home with the hot teacher, on her second day! We work quick”

Nat laughed and turned her around back to you talking in her ear close “okay enough talking to me, you go and get your older woman, make sure you remember to use your tongue to spell out the alphabet, ladies love that, now I’m gonna go find Maria again” Nat kissed her cheek and sent her off with a small tap to her ass

Wanda shuffled back to you and you greeted her with a kiss to her cheek “I know you said no to sleeping with me because I’m not in the right frame of one or whatever but-

“No buts princess, you can do whatever you want, walk around naked or even touch yourself in front of me I’m not taking back what I said”

Wanda groaned “you could at least play with me a little”

You sighed gripping Wanda’s hand and dragging her out of the house towards your car on the other side of the street, not saying a word until you got Wanda and yourself into the car “Professor?”

“You want me to play with you?”

She nodded “y-yeah”

“Are you sure you’re not drunk?”

She shook her head “no, actually I’m completely sober now to be honest”

“Hmm okay” you looked down at her pretty dress and back up at her flushed face “I’m glad you’re wearing a dress princess, how about you hike it up for me?”

Wanda’s eyes went wide staring at you for any wavering or laughter but there wasn’t anything as you started the car up and set off for your house

“You’ve got 15 minutes to prove to me how much you want me to play with you”

Wanda was confused, what did you want her to do? “Erm I don’t-I don’t know what to do”

You nodded your head keeping your eyes on the road, Wanda was so sweet and innocent “awe has your bravado has all gone? Go on princess, show me how wet you are for me, touch yourself and I’ll decide if you’re on the couch unsatisfied when we get to my place”

Wanda flushed hot all over, she pulled up her dress exposing her plain black panties, god she wished she put on something sexier, what would you think?

“Take them off” you said, you weren’t even looking at her just so focused on the road, how were you doing that?

Wanda nodded removing the clothing, the cold air from the car AC hitting you all at once making you shiver “oh god” she whispered and you smiled hearing her loud and clear “has it been too long honey? Been so long that even a small blow of cold air sends you over the edge? How fun”

Your enjoyment was quickly cut short when your phone rang and you looked at the screen to see who it was “oh fuck off Steve” you ignored the call and tried focusing back on Wanda and the road but the phone rang again forcing you to pull over on the side of the road and take the call on speaker “this better be important Steven I’m busy”

“Y/n you need to come home right now”

“I’m on my way home now idiot. Wait! are you at my house??”

“Yes we need to work on us, I know you’ve started your new job and you needed space to adjust to that but we need to talk”

“Sorry Steve you need to leave my house before I get there I’m bringing back company and don’t want you to scare her off”

You offered Wanda a smile motioning for her to pull her dress back down so she was comfortable and blew her a kiss, Wanda didn’t mind though, she was more intrigued than aroused now, who was Steve? And why was he demanding things from you?

Wanda broke out of her thoughts when you switched the phone off and slammed it against the floor of your car “Professor are you okay?” She asked cautiously and you lifted your head up to smile “I’m okay Wanda, just my husband being a dick that’s all”

“Husband? You’re married?? Oh god I’m a home-wrecker” she started to panic but you reached over the console to hold her hand rubbing it softly “shh pretty girl no you’re not a home-wrecker, I left him weeks ago but he thinks we’re still together and has apparently found me already, everything will be fine but I’ll need to get rid of him when we get back of course”

You reached round the back of your car for a hoodie for Wanda “here you go, wear this it should be long enough”

You gave her a small peck on the lips and Wanda tried but failed to keep your lips on her “I want to Wanda, trust me it’s been so hard to keep my calm around you, I’ve wanted you literally since the moment I saw you but let me deal with Steve first okay?”

“Okay professor I’ll wait”

“Good girl” you did kiss her again letting your lips linger a little longer before pulling away and setting the car off for your home again

*******************************************************

Pulling up at your house you saw Steve through the window watching you with his arms crossed and that stupid disappointed look on his face, you turned to Wanda “darling I know it may be a bit much to ask but can you come in with me? I’d feel better if you were there”

Wanda nodded “of course! I want you to be okay, do I need to do anything?”

“Just stick with me and don’t let him insult you or upset you, he will try and do that, that’s how he gets to you”

Wanda agreed although slightly nervous too “okay, but I’ll tell you now I’m completely sober and scared”

You’d both gotten out of the car and you pulled Wanda into a hug “it’ll be okay I promise, behave and I’ll treat you so well” you winked and Wanda blushed “please don’t say anymore I don’t have my underwear on”

“Awe poor baby, if I continued would you start dripping down your leg?”

“..yeah..” she answered meekly making you laugh “I love honesty, well we better get this over with then, just one more thing though”

You pushed Wanda against the side of the car and kissed her hard forcing her lips apart and your tongue in making her moan and grip your sides, okay she was aroused again

Breathlessly pulling away you licked your lips savouring the taste of her and admiring how messed up she looks “good girl, god you’re gonna be such a good girl for me aren’t you?”

“Yes mommy” Wanda immediately stood up from the car and stumbled over her words but you put a finger to her lips to shh her “mommy’s good girl then” you pulled yourself away from her body keeping a hold her hand to keep her with you “I’m dreaming right?” She giggled between small kisses you gave her walking towards the door

“Better than a dream, but I’m sorry my love it’s about to become a nightmare, remember to stay with me and don’t let him insult you I’ll deal with him”

“Okay”

You took in a deep breath before opening the door and walking through with you, you were immediately met with the grating voice of Steve, god how were you with him for 4 years?

“She’s young enough to be your daughter Y/n are you serious?”

Wanda kept her head down to the floor feeling you squeeze her had 3 times to reassure her

“How about you mind your own damn business, she isn’t any concern of yours tonight,” you tried redirecting the conversation but the man persisted, now looking at Wanda like a disappointed adult would a misbehaved child

“I mean seriously do you have issues? Did Y/n here manipulate you? Did she take advantage of you and make you feel things you probably shouldn’t?”

Wanda accidentally looked up and clocked eyes with Steve confirming his suspicions “ah she did, did she? Interesting, just wait until she moves on and gets someone even younger-

“Okay enough!” You turned to Wanda shielding her from Steve and whispering in her ear “baby please go up stairs, second door on the left is my bedroom please go in and make yourself comfortable and I’ll be up in a couple of minutes”

Wanda nodded sadly but you were having none of it, you kissed her sweetly and led her to the stairs sending her up “I promise, a few minutes”

“Okay” Wanda made her way up glancing back at you and you gave her a smile “be good”

Wanda disappeared and you waited for the bedroom door to shut and as soon as it did you turned back to Steve with a scowl on your face “you better have a fucking good reason for being here and disturbing my evening”

Steve was drawn to your outfit and you felt gross, you were together for 4 years and in all that time he never looked at you the way he is now and you wanted him to stop

“What are you wearing? You look like a whore”

You scoffed “ because you know exactly how a white would dress wouldn’t you? Whatever I don’t care to be childish anymore, how about you just leave so I can be with my girl there”

The man rolled his eyes “I can’t believe you, you cheat on me multiple times throughout our relationship and you’re fucking students now, that’s completely inappropriate, what would the higher ups think?”

You rolled your eyes “please Steve this isn’t the 1900s anymore she’s of age and it wouldn’t be inappropriate to be in a relationship if that’s what we both wanted, you have no power here now get the fuck out of my house”

“Fine, but I’ll be back, you need time to think and I accept that but myself and your parents think-

“Parents?! You’re still talking to my parents? That’s it, get the fuck out” you pushed him out of the house and locked the door behind you racing upstairs to Wanda who was sat on the bed playing with her nails looking up quick when you entered the room

“Everything okay?” She asked and you sighed “no but I’ll be okay, just men being men, I’m sorry darling I don’t think I’m up for anything anymore”

Wanda stood hugging you, kissing you softly “it’s okay we don’t need to do anything, do you want me to go? I can get Nat to pick me up”

You shook your head kissing her back “you can stay here, I said you were staying here to sleep and that’s what we’ll do, let’s get you out of this dress”

You gently pushed Wanda away and spun her around to start undressing her “this is not how I thought the night would go, you don’t deserve this Wanda” you took the hoodie off and the dress was unzipped, you took the dress placing it in a wash basket in the room “it’s okay Y/n I’m sorry I pushed you to do something with me”

Picking up a long sleep shirt for Wanda you put it on her and fixed her hair taking all the hair pins out and pulling her into your bathroom to clean her makeup off “is this your shirt?” Wanda asked admiring the flower patterns on the sleeves of your soft shirt

“Yeah it’s my favourite to sleep in”

“Oh what are you sleeping in, I’m okay with a old shirt or something” you smiled tapping the counter in the bathroom for Wanda to jump onto “don’t you worry princess, its like a conquest you wearing my shirt”

You enjoyed the blush on Wanda’s face, you’d never tire of seeing that

You smiled “I meant it before, I didn’t want to hold back tonight, I came to the party hoping to see you and I’m glad I did, I just wish I slept with you in a spare room at the party instead of putting you through all this”

Wanda giggled “you’re better than a night in a sorority house, plus I’m pretty sure Nat would follow and cheer me on from outside the room”

“Hmm yeah I don’t think I’d like that, plus I’m a screamer so-

Wanda shook her head “nope please don’t start with anything like that or I’ll get aroused again”

She allowed you a kiss on the cheek before stepping away from you “you’re so funny”

You moved around the bathroom picking up some makeup remover and facial wipes “close your eyes honey” she obeyed and you cleaned her face free from makeup “you’re so beautiful” you whispered and Wanda smiled opening her eyes “you’re beautiful too”

You both enjoyed the comfort of each others company in silence while you finished cleaning Wanda’s face and then brought her back into the bedroom.

Am I okay to change in front of you?” You were being polite of course, you did know the answer but to be a lady you needed to ask

“Yeah yeah of course I don’t mind” her eyes stayed focused on you as you took off your heels and then tried (not very hard) to take off the pantsuit do you mind helping me honey?” Wanda was over to you like a shot unzipping you and slipping her hands through the suit to pull it down your body, your soft soft body

“Are you having fun there Wanda?” You chuckled turning around in Wanda’s hold where she was looking at your chest “you’re so obvious princess”

Wanda wasn’t paying attention she didn’t even pretend she wasn’t paying attention, did you have piercings on your nipples? Jesus what else were you hiding?

You pulled Wanda’s chin up with your fingers forcing her eyes away “should a professor have piercings? Seems a little unprofessional if you ask me”

“We met 24 hours ago pretty much and I’ve made sexual innuendos, kissed you, nearly forced you to touch yourself and you’ve just undressed me, none of what we’re doing is unprofessional anymore”

You both tried holding in your laughter while you kissed failing after a couple of seconds “well professor I think it’s time for bed don’t you?”

“I think you’re right Miss Maximoff excellent work” you let Wanda go and fished out a shirt to sleep in “so what side do you normally sleep on?”

Wanda shrugged “to be honest I’ve only ever slept in a single bed so there’s only one side really”

“Okay well I sleep on the right so you get in on the left and we’ll meet in the middle”

You both climbed into bed and before Wanda could even settle you pulled her against your body wrapping your arms around her waist and burying you face into her neck “perfect”

“I agree” Wanda relaxed, fully relaxed for the first time in a while and it was amazing “what happens in the morning?” Wanda whispered and you kissed her neck to reassure her “we’re not doing anything wrong Wanda, if you want to leave in the morning I’ll take you back to the dorms and you can decide what happens on Monday” you manoeuvred Wanda around to face you kissing her on the nose “but if you stay in the morning and eat breakfast with me I’d be delighted to figure out what all this means for us, all I know is that you’re a great person even though we’ve not known each other more than a couple of days I want to get to know you more”

Wanda was welling up and trying not to cry but god it was difficult, you noticed though and used your thumbs to wipe away the stray tears “you are so good with words”

“That’s good since I’m also an English teacher when I’m not doing psychology”

You kissed Wanda’s forehead keeping her close in a protective cuddle “sleep tight Wanda”

“Sleep well Professor”

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Taglist: @mathxa @ooverthemoon @gay4wandanat @poison-blackheart @gaydetectiveperson @justaramdomreaderxoxo

(It won’t let me tag three people but I did try I promise!)

[ziggyzolch]

Headache II (Wanda Maximoff x Reader)

Summary: Finally waking up from your forced nap, you have a discussion with the rest of the team. Warnings: Swearing and general tomfoolery Previous Part

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── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

❅❅❅

You can hear two, maybe three voices in the same room as you. From what you've gathered, you're in some kind of hotel room, and have been asleep for at least an hour. Peaking open one eye, you see a man with silver highlights in his hair, and the same woman that kidnapped you. An idea sparks in your mind.

They had been facing you for the 5 minutes you've been awake, but after painstakingly waiting 2 more minutes and almost falling back asleep, they turn away from you. You have no idea when they're gonna turn back, so you quickly walk up behind them. The man turns first.

"I think we could convince her to stay- What the fuck!" at his girly scream, Wanda turns and punches you in the nose. Doubled down clutching your nose and laughing your ass off, you point at the man, "You scream like a girl!" Before you could fall back down in laughter, Wanda picks you up by your shirt collar and pushes you against the bedroom door.

"Is it impossible for you to just. Be. Normal." she grits out.

"Yup. More importantly though, you are so strong." You reach out to touch her bicep, but she slaps your hand away.

"I can't wait till you're out of here, fucker."

"Yeah yeah. I get it, you love me." You say while flashing her a big goofy smile.

She rolls her eyes and opens the door, dragging you out to god knows where. Looking around the place, mainly for new prank setups, you notice the same silver haired man following you and Wanda. She turns a corner, and a huge living room reveals itself, with even more, probably rapey, people.

You turn to Wanda, "So is this like a weird university where your lessons are focused on kidnapping and trafficking." She looks down at you, opening her mouth to respond when a man interrupts. "Finally up?" He asks while standing up from the sofa he was sitting on, three more people standing up after him. You make eye contact with an intimidating redhead. "Tony, when you listed out her crimes, I expected her to be a 13 year old boy not..." She looks you up and down, "A 19 year old girl."

"Are you discriminating? Can girls not be assholes too?" You ask, faking an offended look.

Wanda interrupts, "She has superspeed or something, makes it easier for her to be a douchebag."

You puff up your chest in pride, "Yeah, it does."

"Alright." Wanda groans, rolling her eyes and pulling you further into the room.

The man who you now know as Tony starts talking, "So, speedster," Both you and the silver-haired man respond, making you raise an eyebrow at him, "You have two options: Join us, or let us escort you to prison." Your eyes widen, "What the hell! What do you mean join you; I don't even know who you are or where I am," They all give confused looks to each other, "For all I know, you guys are gonna make me help you traffic innocent young girls such as myself." Wanda huffs out a laugh at the last part. After securing you to the couch via standing behind you and holding your shoulders down, Wanda looks down at you in question, "You've never heard of the Avengers?"

You attempt to turn only for her to keep you in your place, "I have more important things to worry about than a group of rapists."

"Okay seriously, why does she keep calling us that?" Tony looks to Wanda for answers, only getting a shrug in response.

"Well," A dirty blonde man approaches you, "The Avengers are-"

"Oh my God! I know you!" You start bouncing up and down, while Wanda attempts to hold you in place, "You're Captain America!"

Steve scratches the back of his neck, laughing bashfully. Tony chimes in angrily, "You're telling me you know this fossil but not the Avengers? Or even me!" You raise an eyebrow and turn to Wanda, "Did I trigger him?" Wanda rolls her eyes for the millionth time today, but this time with a smile.

"Oh wait, are you the guys that beat that alien?" You ask, "That alien was my brother!" A massive god-like man makes himself known. "I mean he wasn't from this planet was he," You attempt to joke, receiving exasperated sighs and eye rolls. The Norse God pulls you up by your shirt collar, "Jeez! Okay I won't make anymore jokes," He reluctantly puts you down when the unnamed redhead grabs his shoulder, "Tough crowd." You murmur.

Tony claps his hands, "Anyways, you have until tomorrow to make your choice. If you do decide to join, we'll provide details then. Otherwise you're going to prison, which, in all honesty, sounds like it might do you some good," You flip him off, "Hey!-"

Steve interrupts, "Where will she be staying?" Tony pauses in thought for a moment, then turns to Wanda with a wicked smile, "With her."

Objections start flying out of you and Wanda, and maybe some insults from you. Tony sighs, "Enough! Wanda you're the only one that can subdue her before she can even start running, and you," He points a finger directly in your face, "Don't have a choice."

You stare at his finger. Then bite down on it.

"What the- Wanda, get her out of here!" Tony yells while clutching his finger.

While getting dragged up to what you assume to be the witch's room, you turn to shout, "It wasn't even that bad, pussy!" Wanda slaps the back of your head in warning.

She reaches the door before you stop moving. "Wait, I have one request." You turn to her and ask, in the most serious face you could muster. She stops, thinking that this may be important.

"Can I please get my stuff from my dorm? I have homework-" She groans and pushes you further into the room. You hear the door lock while you're exploring. You don’t tell her you could probably pick it. "You can make yourself comfortable on the floor," She says while putting away the key.

"What! You have a sofa right there!"

"Think of this as a punishment."

"Aren't you supposed to be convincing me to join your Powerpuff squad?"

"I don't have to do anything. Also, for being so ungrateful right now, you're not getting a blanket either."

You open your mouth to argue but the glare she sends you shuts you up, opting to just quietly fumfer out insults while attempting to get comfortable on the floor.

❅❅❅

Wanda exits the bathroom after finishing up her night-time routine, and finds you dead asleep on the hardwood floor. She gets closer and notices your lips turning blue. She probably should've turned off the air conditioning.

Rolling her eyes, she walks to her bed. She glances back, groaning and turning back around. Walking to her closet, the witch grabs a spare blanket and places it over you before stomping back to her bed.

She can't wait for you to get your own room.

❅❅❅

Next Part

[help-me-im-in-the-fandom]

When you stare into the Abyss: The Beginning of Robin

Bruce never thought he’d have a child, perhaps after his Mission was done, after Gotham was cleaned of the worst of crime and the worst of the worst were behind bars and receiving treatment.

It was a laughable thought, that Bruce would ever manage to clean the corruption out of Gotham, that he would ever be able to pull out the black tar of insanity and crime within his lifetime.

Then Bruce sees a boy watch as his parents die, he sees this small child at the exact same age as he was going through the exact same thing, and it hurts.

Brucie Wayne leaves the circus, but Batman arrives at the crime scene, he wants justice, wants to make sure it was an accident and nothing more, even if for his own heart.

Little Richard Grayson is missing, that’s the first thing he hears, and it scares him. So he joins the search and finds the young boy hidden in one of the Elephant tents. His red, yellow and green Leotard is stained with blood, and it makes Bruce heart ache.

He isn’t scared to see the hulking creature that is Batman, no, this tiny boys is full of rage, of hurt and pain and the need to fight. He screams into Batman’s suit and then collapses into a crying mess on his clawed arms.

He brings the small boy back to the police, even when they watch his non-human form with fear and disgust. He hands the young boy off to be placed with his new guardians and tries to focus on the case.

It isn’t until the next day that he learns the eight year old wasn’t sent to a foster family or even a shelter, but to a juvenile detention center.

There is no family, no will or any instructions on where to place the boy, and the circus doesn’t have the means to fight for the right to keep him, they leave town within the next day.

It’s spur of the moment, born of anger and depression and knowing exactly what that poor boy was going through. Except he didn’t have and Alfred, have the Wayne fortune to keep him safe and cozy inside a huge mansion to cry himself to sleep in.

A few bribes and a lot of money later, and Richard ‘call me Dick’ Grayson is now the Ward of Gotham’s richest bachelor.

The boy is full of energy and the need to play, and Bruce finds himself expanding the gym just to place practice trapeze equipment so he’s got somewhere to let out his energy, beside being a Trapaze artist was in his blood, and Bruce would never try to take it away from him.

But there is rage there too, and after Alfred finds him with a dislocated thumb and bloody knuckles Bruce ends up teaching him how to throw a punch, then how to kick box, then on and on he teaches this boy who soaks up the lessons like a sponge.

It’s not the healthiest coping mechanism, but it works. It turns this grieving and depressed child into a happy and cheerful one, it helps in the best way Bruce knows how.

Then, whoops, Dick follows Alfred into the Batcave and realizes just exactly what’s going on, because Bruce is only halfway into the Batman ensemble and it’s very obvious.

Bruce still hasn’t been able to find Tony Zucco, the man who rigged the Grayson’s to fall. He has tried, so hard, but the lowlife had bunkered down as soon as Batman took to the scene.

Dick yells and screams at Bruce for hiding the secret, then for not being able to catch his parents murderer. He fights Bruce, with the intent to hurt. Bruce regrets teaching how to fight just a little bit, and is very thankful he has a cup on already.

Eventually, after a very long and painful conversation, Dick understands why Bruce hid as he did.

It takes two days before he decides if Bruce can be a crime-fighting Vigelante so can he. Bruce refuses and tells him maybe when he’s older, more trained it might be possible but he is not allowing him to fight crime as a child.

It takes him smuggling into the Batmobile for the fifth time, and almost getting himself caught by a criminal that Bruce realizes that he can’t stop him no matter how hard he tries. Because along with all the tricks the circus and Bruce have taught him, he is a little devil of a child.

So Bruce decides, fine, he can join him on patrol, but only after he goes through this very specific and absolutely grueling training program, keeps his grades above a B+ and after he designs and perfects his own cryptid suit to Bruce’s liking.

Bruce was hoping his endless hoops and almost impossible expectations would make Dick back down, nope, if anything it made him even worse.

He goes through the training with a smile on his face and a continued need to learn, even when Bruce makes him learn how to do college level chemistry, how to code and make back doors and viruses, even when he makes him sit through three hour long lectures on how to tell blood splatters apart.

He excels at school as well, going above and beyond with A+ across the board except for in English, which is understandable since it’s not Dicks first language.

He decides on his mother’s nickname for his new name, Robin, but he also chooses the Grayson colors for his suit, red yellow and green.

Robin looks more like a hummingbird, especially since Dick wanted both stilts and wings on his costume. Bruce actually welcomes the bonding activity of making the prosthetic bird feet that are fully functional, and would never stop Divk from his dream of flying, even if it’s more like paragliding.

Dick even creates his own style of fighting in the suit, flashy and playful but also deadly brutal. Sometimes Bruce forgets how quickly his ward can go from cheery and playful to downright brutal, but honestly he’s proud of his kid, even if this is probably the most concerning father-son bonding excercise ever

And thus, Robin was born and Gotham gained a new cryptid.

[lil-melody-moon]

I think I said I'll give my thoughts about Keith's biography when I'm done with it and I'm almost done. Only afterthoughts left to read, but I've read all about his life and it was devastating to see how much of a wreck he was at the very end. Longer talks under the cut - and additionally, if the anon bitch is scouting my blog, feel free to read it as well and shit yourself in the process

Either way, my dears, read if you're interested 💜

@jimmysdragonsuit13 I think you'll be interested!

And @burn-on-the-flame I think you've asked about the opinion on the biography? Wait, let me search *a few seconds later* Yep, it was you! Come and read my thoughts about the book, if you want 💜

So, since the day one of my dear mutuals @m-faithfull told me about Keith's biography by Tony Fletcher in the last year, I was persistent to get it. I had hopes that maybe it was translated to Polish, but as it turns out, probably only Pete's autobiography was so I ended facing the fact that I will have to read it in English. And that meant paying an insane amount of money for a new copy (120 zloties for a book! - around 31,39$ or 23,75£)

But one day I thought to search for an used copy, hoping that maybe some poor sod bought it before me and to my surprise there were two copies, one for 40 zloties (10,46$ or 7,92£) and second for 30 zloties (7,85$ or 5,94£). I opted for the 40 zloties one, knowing what state can used copies of books be. The lower the price the more possibility of it having missing pages, the cover torn off etc etc. Here came my bestie @juliearchery107 who wanted to buy me it for birthday, she did, we've met at 14th of August and since I've stepped my foot in the flat and got everything answered, started to read it.

And oh dear Lord is that book a rollercoaster!

It starts innocently - if we skip the foreword, which hints that it'll not be an easy read - introducing Keith as the charming child who was up for jokes, the one who later stopped attending school and wandered about until he got his first drum kit, had a few lessons on how to play them, joined Beachcombers and from there went to The Who to the band that meant everything for him, to then find the girl he fell for like you do when you first fall in love while finding your soulmate, following with showing a possessive and nasty jealousy towards her, fucking things up in their marriage, becoming so abusive that she finally left him, which lead to depression, more alcohol, more drugs, which then started to develop in very serious problems, them piling up in Los Angeles to the level of Keith becoming a wreck by the end in 1978, in the meantime, finding support in his girlfriend - who I have to say, I'm thankful that she was there for him even if I know how impossibly difficult it was for her.

The way things went down in his life can be traced precisely with this book and that just shows how incredibly well put it is and how the narration is not in any way subjective, but objective almost through the entire reading - foreword has author's thoughts and the afterthoughts, but that is a given. Yet, I have to praise such objectivity, because a lot of biography authors cannot help themselves but write their subjective opinions, pushing their perspective onto readers, instead of showing facts and trying to find one possible outcome of a situation that has various versions - and with Keith and the myths that are told about him, it was a hell of a work. It also shows sometimes that author is sentimental to a lot of things, as being stated in foreword that he himself is a fan of Keith and let's be honest. There's no one better to write a book about an idol then a long time fan who's dedication will never burn out.

As for my thoughts... The first 300+ pages were okay to read. I had a blast, laughing at various points, even going as far to share one of the moments that was the most funny to me on his birthday. But the last 200+ pages? Oh dear Lord... Just oh dear Lord.

Just by the photos I have a TON of I could realise that Keith was a wreck in 1978, but I've never fucking expected it to be this bad. I knew about the drug abuse, knew about the alcohol abuse as well, but I didn't expect it to be that bad - to the point of having a few attempts on rehab, failing at them, proceeding to have alcoholic paranoia, fucking seizures because of the withdrawal, insecurities, self-confidence, self-worth teared to shreds, memory almost gone - it's very typical for alcoholic to say one thing and then forget about it 5 seconds later and them saying: "I didn't say that" - depression, maniacal depression even appearing later on, developing a split personality disorder, being unable to be controlled by anyone while the fits of anger were appearing more and more frequently, cheating getting out of hand and I could go on and on AND ON.

Reading about all of this and not being able to tell you, or even not being able to take pictures of fragments to send to bestie to let her see how bad it was because I would have to scan those 200+ pages to let her understand the circumstances should say a lot. Never did I like any mentions of Keith relocating to Los Angeles and for a good reason. That city only made it far worse for him and his tale there only shows that maybe, just maybe, letting your dreams come true ain't that fun as you expect them to be. Some might be, but in most cases, they aren't. You always gotta keep going, always have a goal in front of you to keep going and if you reach the end of the road - like Keith did many times throughout the tale - you might just realise "That's it? Nothing else?" and not know what to do with yourself.

Additionally, this was double hard for me to read, because at the beginning of March I've lost a dear friend of mine. It was a tumblr friendship, I'm talking about Anja here - she went by the url whothefuckisanja - and I often joked with her that her alcohol problem - it was severe, very very severe - is similar to Keith's and as it turns out, my jokes about that were brutally real. She also developed drug addiction later on as well and her life started to fade away slowly, very slowly. I only recently, a few months ago, realised that I saw her happiness fade away, realising also that that one day where she thanked me for being her best friend the entire year - our friendship lasted a full year - being grateful as to no one else before that that was her silent goodbye and a solid thank you, before she met the same fate as Keith, only much much earlier. And I'm not exaggerating about "the same fate". She wanted to go sober, as I heard. Pills did it for her, she fell asleep and never woke up again.

She once said to me, because I was there, wanting to help her with her growing alcohol problem that got worse at December, even if it were only futile tries through text: "Don't try to help an alcoholic" and I might add to it "because it'll leave you exhausted and terrified while you see the beloved one become a wreck."

I can say that what I've read about Keith I've almost experienced with her. She was very similar to him in many ways, not only addiction wise, but she was also very fun to be around, very easy to be befriended, generous beyond belief, creative and most of all, a good person at heart. So this reading journey was almost like a reflection of the year from March 2023 to March 2024. I remember now that she once joked that she's Keith Moon reborn and damn you, you bastard if you were right.

But I also have to get back on track and say this: even if I said all of this above, I somehow felt that it was way to familiar. Not like with what I said about Anja, but more like "I lived through that" kind of way. I didn't feel this throughout the entire tale, but at the last 200+ pages I did, especially when the seizures started appearing. In the last year, when I wrote my first fic with me and him - not published - I pondered if he had any alcohol withdrawal symptoms and I somehow guessed the depression, insecurities, insomnia problem and seizures. I have no idea how I knew that, I just did, implementing them in the fic.

Could be a coincidence, but there are too many with him in my life. Yet, there was a moment where I've stopped reading. It was right at the end, at the description of the funeral, at the date of it, which is 13th of September, according to the book.

A year ago, on September, while listening to random songs on spotify, suddenly "Love ain't for keeping" started playing. I looked at who it was, saw The Who and I was tempted to give "Who's next" album a listen - I was taking small steps to giving them a good listen from May, but this was the final push. That was on 11th of September.

I wanted to listen to "Who's next" on 12th of September, but I somehow hadn't. I could have been busy, but I know for sure I somehow forgot about it and moved listening to the next day. On night from 12th of September to 13th of September I had a dream with Keith, from which I only remember that we've talked about something. Keith was very happy, overjoyed even and all of a sudden he started pinching my cheeks, wanting to make me laugh, which he succeeded at.

And then on 13th of September I've finally listened to "Who's next", my obsession truly started and then a voice in my head saying "Welcome home" was heard by me. It was a male's voice, speaking fluent English.

True, I was waiting for a moment that will make me stop in my tracks and like during the documentary I've watched about Keith, where I've got a grasp of his behaviour, I had to pause the video with the realisation that his behaviour was something I knew somehow, but I didn't expect to get obsessed about The Who and Keith at the exact date his funeral took place.

You may call me delusional, I don't care. It's just there's too many coincidences with him appearing in my life at certain moments that I start believing these are not mere coincidences - if certain ghost will start appearing at the beginning of September, as I took notice he did for the past two years, I will flip!

In conclusion, I love the book, will read it to the end tomorrow probably. I've cried at the end, less than the first time I heard about Keith's death, but I did. This book only made me love him even more and I truly will never stop loving him.

This is the exact image of my feelings to him after reading about his life - I'm the tiny pumpkin, answering on the question:

Credits to the artist who made it, not mine, I cant't draw this well XD

[elwolfen]

Alfred Molinathon Day 6

When Pigs Fly (1993)

Marty

His Role: I hope I never let myself live like this man does, I know I can be quite messy, but I make damn sure I clean enough to be comfortable! This man? Goodness. Sleeps in own clothes and shoes (all dressed up an no where to go), glasses and trash everywhere, eating cold pizza! Actually, I do that last one. That's not that weird. But man, I wouldn't want him to be my landlord, just saying. I've been around way too many people with living spaces like that, not nice people either. Unlike Marty, who seems pleasant enough. I don't know for sure if he's depressed or something along those lines, I hope after the events of this movie, he starts cleaning up a bit. Baby steps. Maybe Sheila helps out.

This man can just sleep anywhere and anytime! It's like he has narcolepsy, but it may be depression? But it was funny to see him pass out during a piano lesson and then again after Sheila finds out about the ghosts. I'm glad he feels more awake, having a gun shot at you while levitating on a rocking chait and going on a short road trip would keep you more awake to the world.

I would've like to see more of his love for Jazz and maybe see him teach more! I liked his dynamic with Tony, their little handshake was adorable. And of course, more of him and Dolphy, his big good boy!

His reaction to the ghosts was a more realistic one, I believe. He quickly accepted that this was his new reality and helped out his new dead friends. Him being terrified of a literary child was hilarious.

Also the bar scene? Him just losing his shit and laughing like a mad man at the chaos around him? Just great.

Last thing: his dreams were weird, but realistically so. Dreams are weird, man.

~~~

The Rest of the Movie: A fever dream of a movie in a good way. I mean, it literally opens with two strange dream sequences (a trend in this movie). I thought Dolphy, the dog, would have more to do, but eh, it's ok.

Lilly and Ruthie were fun, I liked their relationship! Lilly, a mother, was torn away from her daughter due to her murder by the hands of her own shitty husband and Ruthie, a child torn away from her mother due to illness. I hoped we saw more of Ruthie's background, but this is mainly Lilly's story. But I must say Rachael Bella, the actress for Ruthie, did a fantastic job, especially during the scene when she describes seeing Lilly's murder.

Randomly just bursting into singing and cussing out Marty for not joining right away and then him awkwardly starting a duet with Lilly was funny.

I'm really glad that Lilly got to semi-reunite with her daughter, I don't know if she plans on revealing herself and Ruthie to her or not. But she seems content with just rocking on their chair while watching her boat. They have a much better view now than the shed.

~~~

Sheila and Marty's chemistry wasn't as well built as, say Cliff and Kim (The Steal). Maybe it wasn't supposed to go in that direction, but that one dream? Wanting to be her lover? I don't know for sure. I still like their interactions and reactions to the ghosts. Both just going along and help the lost spirits, who are just doing whatever the hell they want, being silly and goofy together.

~~~

And to Frank, fuck you! His way of accidentally revealing to the cops that he murdered his wife was pleasing. Rot in hell!

~~~

Also, I want to add a warning. There are two slurs thrown in this movie. The N-word (not at anyone specific) and a ethnic slur for people who are Italian, Portuguese, or Spainard. Interestingly the last one being thrown at Marty. Just a heads up!

[reigningqueenofwords]

Training

Word count: 1,268

Read on AO3

Part 3 of Looking for the Captain

It was hard getting used to living at the tower. You’d been allowed to go back to school, but you always had two security guards with you. Or, shockingly, one guard…and Steve. He was easy to talk to, and you found yourself drawn to him. While he didn’t always have time to hang out, he did when he could. It made the adjustment go a tad smoother. It wasn’t that the others weren’t nice, you just clicked with him. 

Your mother was off in the wind. They’d offered her the chance to stay with you, but she didn't like that idea. Just days after Steve told you that they’d found her, he went to check on her for you. She was gone. No note, no way of contacting her, nothing. Just like before you were born, she was on the run.

That led to now, two months after you’d gotten that envelope. You were lounging, studying for an upcoming test. Steve wasn’t too far, simply reading. You glanced at him and smiled before going back to your notes. He looked so relaxed and peaceful when he was able to focus on something non-Captain related. You wondered what other hobbies he has aside from reading, and made a mental note to ask.

A few moments later, he broke the silence. “I have an odd question.” 

“No, those pants don’t make you look fat.” You joked without looking up from your notes. 

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Good to know, but that wasn’t my question.” He told you, smiling when you finally looked up from your notes. “Have you thought about learning self defense?” 

You raised an eyebrow. “Now, why would I do that? I have you.” You smirked, taking him off guard. “But, that was random. What’s on your mind?” You tilted your head slightly, curious.

“I just thought I-we’d feel better if you had some moves under your belt.” He explained. “Sure, there’s always someone with you when you go out, but it can’t hurt to have you more prepared.”

His logic did make sense, but he seemed flustered. And you couldn’t help but pretend to not get what he meant. “I do have moves under my belt.” You countered innocently. “But being here I may be a bit rusty. Hard to meet guys when you’re living with the Avengers, and have bodyguards.” You said simply. “And don’t worry, mom had the talk with me in high school about being prepared.” You assured him.

His cheeks turned red. “I-what?!” He blinked. That’s not where he had expected things to go!

A grin made it’s way across your lips. “I’m just messing with you.” You giggled. “It’s so easy.” You shook your head, looking back at your notes. “But sure. I can do some self defense lessons. Would it be you doing them?” You wondered. “Or would it be Nat?” 

“Uh, not sure. Do you have a preference?” Would you be more comfortable one way or the other? He pushed down you ‘messing’ with him like that.

“Nah, but I mean, we spend a lot of time together. If you’d like a break you can see if Nat or someone can do them.” You didn’t want to force the man to spend more time with you. 

Steve thought for a moment. “We all have different styles. Maybe I’ll talk to everyone about taking turns. This way you get comfortable with different defense moves, and how people you fight against are all different.” It wasn’t like every person you’d possible need to defend yourself from would all fight the same way.

“Makes sense. I assume Tony won’t be in that rotation? I’ve never seen him in the training area.” You’d been in there a few times to study and hang out with the others. Sometimes it was way better than studying alone in your room.

“He has a fighting ring on another floor. He has boxing lessons there.” He explained.

You looked up at him. “That’s so cool! Do you think he’d let me join?” You looked excited at the idea of learning to box. 

While Steve wasn’t a fan of the idea, he knew Nat also boxed. “I’ll see what I can do.” He promised. 

Everyone had agreed to Steve’s request. The first person you were going to be training with was Nat, but Steve ‘happened’ to be in the training room at the same time. You came in wearing workout shorts, a sports bra, and a loose tank. “I didn’t know what to wear, so I just wore my usual workout gear.” You chuckled. 

“Anything works. You never know what you’ll be wearing when you need to fight back.” 

“I’m picturing you kicking ass in a club dress and heels. It’s an amusing thought.” You smiled, glad she was so laid back. 

Nat laughed, nodding. “Oh, what a show people would get.” She joked before getting into it. “Now, you’re not going to have time to stop and stretch if you need to defend yourself, but I’d rather work in stretching and other workouts alongside actual self defense moves.” She explained seriously. “I don’t know what the others will do, but we’ll start with some stretching, do some cardio, and alternate between self defense and weight lifting.” In her mind, your self defense would be improved by you being fit. 

You let out a breath. “Alright. Warning you, I tend to just do yoga. Maybe some pilates here and there.” 

“So, I take it you're flexible?” She asked. 

Both of you were surprised when Steve simply walked out without saying ‘goodbye’. “Alrighty, then.” You muttered. “And yeah, I am.” 

“Ow.” You groaned the next day as you sat at breakfast. You couldn’t remember ever being so sore in your entire life. How was Nat not always in pain?

“You okay?” Wanda asked, concerned. 

“I trained with Nat yesterday.” You explained, earning a knowing nod. “I’m sore in places I didn’t know I could get sore, and my ass and thighs still burn. I’m glad I’m not doing anything again until tomorrow.” 

Clint looked amused. “Sorry, I won’t go easy on you. You’re with me tomorrow.” He told you. 

Nat came in and smiled at you. “She picks things up quickly.” She said happily. “Keep up with that yoga, too. Maybe do that before bed at night. It’ll help in the long run.” 

“You told me you do yoga because it helps in bed!” Clint gasped at her. 

“It helps.” You and Nat said at the same time, making Wanda snort. 

“Should we be talking like that around Y/N?” Steve sighed. 

The others looked confused. “She’s talking like that, too. And she’s an adult.” Clint pointed out. “I’ve seen her instagram. She’s not innocent, at least not when out drinking with friends. Speaking of, how’s that club you went to the month before you came here? The newer one.” 

“Gigi’s? I like it. It’s not the best, but I can’t complain.” You shrugged. “Maybe one weekend we can all go!” You got excited. “I haven’t been out since I came here.” You half pouted. “I have clothes that no longer get to see the neon lights of nightlife, and that is a shame.” 

“I can’t see why not. I mean, you’ll be out with all of us, so you’ll be safe.” Wanda agreed. “Tony will agree in a heartbeat.” She mused. “I just don’t think Bruce or Steve would go, though.” Neither seemed to be into nightlife, which was fine. 

Steve wasn’t sure if he would want to go or not if he was being honest with himself.

[laiosynth]

MK1 Whiplash AU

yeah, i'll think of anything, won't i....

anyways yes i'm talking about the whiplash with jk simmons. the jazz movie. the parallels between andrew / fletcher and reiko / shao was too much for my brain to handle.

to be truthful, the thought that led to this AU was "reiko would be a fucking incredible jazz drummer i feel it in my soul" and then i thought about whiplash and then i exploded.

so uh. more under the cut?

so to outline this AU:

reiko was orphaned at like 8/9. the foster system is kinda fucked, and he lashes out constantly at the foster parents who try to help him, scared and alone and traumatized from seeing his parents' death. he gets placed in a halfway house for 'behavioral issues' and it just so happens that this halfway house has an old drumkit in the basement. it's somewhat rudimentary, but it has everything you might need.

reiko, with no other option, sits at the thing one night and picks up a pair of sticks laying around. and from then on, that's his outlet. he relies... heavily on it. it's every waking moment that he's not in school or sleeping or eating. he's at the drumset, practicing. playing over the songs in the vinyl collection, playing over the songs in his ipod. every bit of music he can get his hands on, he's playing over it, mimicking what the drummers he can hear do.

the vinyls in the basement are all old jazz. a wide arrangement of it, from blues to latin to bossa nova to new orleans parade, but it's all jazz. that's what he grow up with, on, that's his formative influence. buddy rich, jo jones, art blakely, tony williams-- the drummers on these old vinyls are his heroes.

by the time he's in high school, his 'behavioral issues' have toned down massively-- he is largely fine. as long as you don't separate him from the drumset. he hasn't moved from the halfway house-- protested STRONGLY at being separated from both his drumset and the vinyls. by protested strongly i mean he nearly attacked some people over it.

when he's in high school, he joins the jazz band freshman year. he's in it every year until graduation.

this story starts, though, when a guest clinician-- dr shao kohn-- shows up to work with the band in reiko's sophomore year.

dr kohn teaches at the local community college, but is highly regarded across the country. he's professor of jazz studies and director of the highly prestigious auditioned jazz ensemble at this community college.

upon seeing the INCREDIBLE talent and potential of reiko during that clinic at the high school, shao invites reiko to come join the jazz ensemble at the college. he's young, but if he can make time in his schedule for it next school year, he'd get the chance to really challenge and prove himself.

reiko does. and starting 1st of august that year, he's giving his early mornings and late evenings to rehearsals with this ensemble and individual lessons with dr kohn. he's giving everything he fucking has to this band, and it shows. he's improving at rates he never had before, he's better than most college players doing this for a career.

and shao keeps pushing for more. and reiko keeps striving to fucking give. more, more, better, better.

to be truthful, he would probably be failing all his classes if it weren't for raiden, the only kid other than maybe kung lao who'll put up with him at school. raiden tutors him in the subjects he's falling behind in (all of them really) so he doesn't get held back or something.

all the while, shao pushes reiko for more, better. he's never satisfied, and that is not acceptable in reiko's eyes. he's never had someone he wanted to impress before, an adult he actually cares for the opinion of. and fuck, does he find he cares. he cares a lot. he's trying so hard to meet expectations, he's falling apart at the seams.

i don't know how i'd want this whole thing to end, but. i hate shao and i like happy endings so. shrug.

[iiconicxpersona]

The Bet

(MJF x Fem! Reader)

Summary: Y/N and MJF have always been a competitive pair in and out of the ring, but what happens when they test each other’s restraint in the bedroom?

Warnings: SMUT (18+ so minors DO NOT INTERACT)

Three years ago when you and MJF were signed to AEW is when you first met. He was always a cocky and arrogant pain in the ass to everyone that crossed his path. Like everyone else, his attitude pissed you off on a daily basis. It wasn’t until you two joined The Inner Circle that you accepted the fact that he turned you on. Perhaps it was the way he bossed you around and smacked your ass hard in front of everyone like he owned you that did it. He may be a little younger than you, but no man has ever treated you like that before.

The sexual tension grew thick as time went on but eventually you caved in to his demands and since then you two haven’t been able to keep your hands off of each other.

Your sex life had pretty much became a game to everyone in the locker room. They would bet where you guys were going to do it next, who would make the first move, and if you would get caught by Tony or one of the EVPs. More often than not you would always be the one caving in and Tony had only walked in on you two once before.

This time you made a bet of your own while you and Maxwell were out drinking with a few guys from the roster.

“Baby we both know you couldn’t resist my dick even if you wanted to. Let alone just be my cock warmer.” He chuckled.

“Wanna bet?” You smirked and raised an eyebrow at him before slamming a stack of hundred dollar bills on the bar. “A thousand dollars says I can last thirty minutes as your cock warmer. Whoever shows any signs of pleasure first loses the bet. No sex faces, no noises and no thrusting or grinding.”

Your determination only made MJF chuckle but the challenge itself was already giving him a hard-on.

“All right doll face, it’s a bet. Hell,” he reaches in his own wallet and stacks more money on top of yours. “I’ll add on another grand to bet that I’ll make you cum first.” He growled in your ear, causing a shiver down your spine. “Remember babe, daddy always wins.”

You bit your bottom and locked eyes with him, confidently smirking under your teeth. “Not this time daddy.”

To help make everything fair, you and MJF went back to the hotel early to resist becoming too intoxicated to remember the now two thousand dollar bet.

When you got to the elevator, MJF backed you against the mirrored wall and swiftly lifted you up so your legs could take their place around his waist. His lips hungrily pressed against yours as your fingers entangled themselves in his freshly groomed curls.

The sound of moans and heavy breathing filled the small space around you and when you opened your eyes, the reflection of his dominance stared back and you knew you had to stop before you decided to throw the bet out the window all together. No matter how much he turned you on, you were in it to win it.

“You keep this up daddy and you’re gonna make me two grand richer.” You breathed out once he started nibbling at your neck.

“Who says I can’t spoil my Queen every once in a while?” He whispered in your ear and gently nibbled at your lobe making you moan.

You knew what he was doing. Every time he talked to you like that he knew it made you weaker for him. And if it were any other night but tonight you would’ve given in. No. Eye on the prize.

Once the elevator stopped at the penthouse floor, you unwrapped your legs from his waist and teasingly pushed him off of you, smirking as you took two steps forward. Only for him to grasp your wrist and pull you back into his chest. “And where do you think you’re going? Daddy didn’t give you permission to lead the way.” He smirked.

“Aw is daddy gonna spank me?”

“I should. But maybe I’ll teach you a lesson once I win this bet.” Just then MJF lifts you in his arms bridal style and carries you all the way into the bedroom of your shared suite, tossing you on top of the bed.

You laughed as you sat up and moved your hair out of your face but no sooner did Max grab you by your ankles and pull you towards him. Your short dress riding all the way up to your waist, exposing that you weren’t wearing any panties with your black lace garter belt.

“Oh you were ready for me, weren’t you?” He smirked as he undid his belt buckle and slipped off his dress pants.

“Well if not for you then maybe for William Regal.” You joked.

Suddenly his eyes pupils enlarged in pure lust. He practically ripped off the rest of his suit exposing his muscular body before sitting you up to pull off your dress.

“Yeah? You wanna be a little slut now?” He then roughly flipped you over onto your stomach, smacking your right ass cheek hard to arch your back just an inch off the comforter. After adjusting himself, he slowly slid himself balls deep inside of you and you couldn’t hold back the scream from the most pleasurable pain.

You could feel his chest pressed against your back. One arm wrapped around your waist and his other hand held your head up by your chin. “Fuck the bet. I’m gonna remind you who daddy really is.” He growled in your ear as he roughly thrusts into you.

At this point it didn’t matter to either one of you who really won or lost this bet. Sex with Max felt too good to resist and you weren’t too proud to admit it either.

[didyoubringauntienat]

Hey wifey! Can I request dating Nat headcanons? 💚

Heyy wifey 😏

Taglist: @stephanieromanoff @lilaloubear @haeva

Dating Natasha would include:

•You met Natasha when she had officially joined SHIELD. You were in charge of showing her around the barracks as you were A. The closest to her age and B. Would be sharing rooms with her.

•Your time with Natasha started very awkward. She would do anything she could to avoid you, you swear that you once saw her getting pulled into a vent after seeing you come down the corridor. Your suspicions were correct when you noticed her hanging out with Barton more.

•After seeing them together giggling all the time, you assumed that they were together so you gave up trying to become more than room mates.

•People noticed that your mood had dropped massively after Natasha arrived. Everyone but Natasha, but Clint did and he was going to find out why.

•He decided to ask her what was up with you at lunch time as he knew she couldn’t escape then. “Nat?”

•“Yeah Clint?”

•“What’s up with your roomie? Agent Y/l/n? She’s really been down in the dumps recently”

•She gulps as she gives the canteen a quick look around before spotting you sitting on your own on the opposite side of the room. “I don’t know… she barely talks to me anymore”

•Clint chuckles as he looks between the two of you. “Maybe you should go talk to her… I would be pretty upset if my room mate did everything she did to avoid me”

•Nat gives him his signature glare. “You know why I was avoiding her.”

•“Care to remind me?”

•Nat sighs before muttering so only Clint can hear, after all she was in a room full of SHIELD agents, anyone of them could tell you. “I like her… she’s all I can think about”

•Clint smiles as he finishes his drink. “Maybe you should tell her before someone else does”

•So Natasha did. After all she did not like the idea of anyone else being with you. She was sitting on your bed waiting for you, with each minute she waited, the more she got nervous.

•She was a nervous wreck by the time you returned from your training lesson. You almost jumped out of your skin when you saw Natasha. Usually she would be anywhere but here. “Uh hey?”

•“Hey… we need to talk”

•You gulp but immediately sit down next to Natasha, leaving a small gap between you. You softly ask, “Everything okay?”

•Natasha was too busy staring at your lips to realise you said anything. No one had ever made her feel like this. During her time at the red room, relationships of any kind were forbidden so she grew up isolated.

•She hesitated as she forced her eyes to look at you. “I’m sorry for avoiding you… I just can’t control myself around you it’s like all these emotions just want to come out but I know they can’t do that… it’s wrong right?”

•You were shocked at the confession, when she said that the two of you need to talk, you assumed she wanted to move out. “It’s not wrong to want to show emotions for someone you like… if that’s what you mean?”

•She nods, holding back the nervous tears, she moves closer so her bare knee rubs against your clothed one. “I won’t judge if you don’t feel the same way Y/n.”

•You laugh uncontrollably, you quickly stop when you notice Natasha shrinking back in on herself. “Oh Nat…” you cup her jaw and rest your hand on her knee. “Of course I feel the same.

•She smiles and immediately pulls you down into a kiss.

•And that’s how you two became a couple. You were both young naive SHIELD agents who were crazy for each other but now that you’re slightly older avengers, the love you have for each other just got deeper.

•Everyone and their mums knew you two were together but that didn’t stop people from shooting their shot, one time even Tony tried wooing Natasha but you quickly stopped anything from happening definitely scaring Tony and turning Nat on.

•Surprisingly Nat loves public displays of affection, from holding your hand under the table at meetings to full on make outs at movie night, the avengers actually stopped inviting you two to them but that just meant private movie nights that definitely had more than kissing involved.

•Natasha had to learn quite quickly that she had to trust you to be safe on solo missions. Fury seemed to love sending you on them any chance he could as you were the best at them.

•Natasha hated every second of not knowing what you were doing or where you were so she spent the majority of her time whilst you were gone wearing your clothes and sleeping on your side of the bed just so she could smell you and pretend you were there.

•When you would finally arrive back at the compound, Natasha would be waiting with a hug and a kiss and depending on the weather a nice warm drink for you to gulp down.

•Natasha was your the most healthy relationship you had ever had. She was fine with you being close with your friends as long as she met them and you promised her that she didn’t need to worry about them. Which she never did need to cause you were too deeply in love with her to even think about cheating on her.

•She even laughed when you told her that Wanda flirted with you. This was back when Wanda had first joined the avengers and as she only really talked to you (because everyone saw her as an outsider) she didn’t know that you were dating the infamous black widow. Trust me she still hasn’t lived it down.

•When you both aren’t on missions and actually have some free time. You like to spend it with each other. It varies on what you do, it can be from reading together to doing your things in complete silence.

•Natasha was the love of your life and you could never imagine life without her so obviously you went with her to Vormir to help bring your friends back because what could possibly happen whilst collecting a space rock?

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Steve hugged you tighter, feeling you start to slip away, his cries turning to howls of grief as you snuggled in against him one last time till you finally went limp, everything once again going dark as the bond faded, leaving him and the Alpha alone once again.

Oh goshhhhh Amber!!! 😭😭😭 no please *I'm sobbing mess after reading this*

I know Steve is an idiot, he did the most dumbest thing but he still doesn't deserve this. It's painful and the way you write it is beautiful. He wouldn't be able to love again. I think he doesn't know what love is beyond her, like she is LOVE for him, the meaning of love for him is her. Does it make sense? I hope I'm not making it complicated. English is not my first language.

You know what I was thinking after reading it, that there should be someone for him that would remind him of her. Like a part of her that stays living and breathing. Do you think if they'd have a child then it'd be little better for Steve to live without her. I mean, he would have a purpose of living in the form of their child. And that child also has a part of her.

Shit! Does any of this make sense?

He would miss her in every milestone their child would take. First full sentence, first drawing, first day of school, first swimming lesson, first soccer game, first full howl, first run with the pack.... oh my heart...

Not gonna lie, those What If's scenarios hurt. (What if one wasnt a what-if scenario though?)

Steve is an idiot, but he did it from the most genuine place in him. He would turn fully nomad, wandering between packs but never settling back into one. He would see Little One in so many places, mourn her, and honor her in all he did.

Settling down would become impossible, any partners he would connect with, he would say goodbye to them when his wolf was ready to wander again. They would want more and he just couldn't be that for them. Those all belonged to his mate and Steve would be upfront about it too.

Time would pass, and Steve would make frequent trips back to reconnect with his family pack, becoming Uncle Steve to future pups. He would always be welcomed, staying with Sam, Bucky or Nat. They always had room for him. Steve would make trips back to your original home, equally as welcome as family. Tony and Pepper reach out in an invitation, but Steve bypasses the city to travel to the wilds of Thor's pack, letting himself fade into the Alpha for long periods of time exploring.

Maybe he would eventually meet another wolf, another loner who lost her mate and could understand the broken parts in him. They would be friends, talking and sharing the stories of their soul mates, breaking down and then supporting one another through the grief. They both end up finding more in one another, something different than what they lost, neither of them wants to replace the one they had to let go, but a content life could be built between them.

Both agreed they didn't want that bond, having shared that with their mates, that was to be kept for them alone. But Steve and his partner would frequently let the wolves take over, spending a lifetime letting the beasts comfort one another as their human sides did.

************************

Now if they did happen to have a child, Steve would always be talking about you. Everyone in the Pack would, everyone helping to raise your pup. Steve would talk about your sense of wonder and how you could love after everything that happened, taking your child on long runs to your favorite places, and making sure to frequently take your child to visit your original pack, cause they were also your family.

Sam would teach them how to fix things and often joined in with Peter. The little pup would be climbing into the truck engines with tools with Sam, quickly picking up the mechanics and problem-solving. Steve ends up letting his pup take over his truck Lenore as their first vehicle.

Bucky would teach them tracking, taking the pup on long journeys when the pup was older, and teaching valuable skills. Often he would share with the pup his time in Wakanda with you. How you brought so many survivors back home, committing yourself to helping those who were made helpless.

Natasha would teach them self-defense, how to follow your instincts in those around you. Not everyone is the pup's friend in this world once they leave the Pack. Deadly and lethal no matter what form your child took.

Wakanda, New York, New Asgaurd... all places that have your family and friends, people you connected with and welcomed your pup as their own. Your child's pack, it extends beyond the wolves.

And Steve... he got to watch you grow in your pup, become someone he is so proud of and that you would be too. He was sure to show up for all the accomplishments, pick them up when they needed it, and was the safe place for them to always come home to. Steve firmly believes you didn't miss any of it, he and the Alpha can feel you still, walking beside him through life. An occasional passionate brush will go through his mind, letting him know that he isn't alone.

[h4zardousch3micals]

I've been pondering the udea of a dhmis swap au for a while now and here's my thoughts:

So the basic idea I came up with was swapping the webseries teachers with the tvseries episodes of the same number. As in - swapping dhmis 1 and jobs, dhmis 2 and death - you get the picture.

The main 3 are swapped aswell so maybe I'll do a post about them too

Swap Sketchbook (Teaches Jobs)

- Now just a regular notepad, probably with some scribbles and a ring of stained coffee on them

- Creative spirit broken down and forced to conform energy, exhausted and miserable all the time

- Only half-heartedly sings the songs, and doesn't seem to care at all when Swap!Red gets his hand chopped off and is just like "lol"

Swap Tony (Teaches Death)

- A sleek black and blue casket with one of those windows old-timey coffins had incase they buried someone alive

- Decided that Swap!Yellow is the one who's dead and eventually gets stabbed with a shovel by Swap!Red

- Gives the remaining two the Apple that "rots over time" instead of the make a friend kit

Swap Shringnold (Teaches Family)

- You know where this is going, the whole "were like family in this cult, I mean, organisation" thing

- Swap!Yellow and Swap!Duck are not buying it and leave pretty quickly but Swap!Red gets roped into all the cult nonsense

- Probably has an army of near identical pigeons and caterpillars hiding somewhere to tear apart those who doesn't want to join the family

Swap Colin (Teaches Friendship)

- A sort of amalgam of every bad guy in the internet safety cartoons I was made to watch as a kid, will sell you all of the drugs and pirated films

- Low-key a yandere because if anyone remembers the Sketchworld AU I absolutely adore Sketch!Colin from that

- Hyperfocuses on Swap!Red and is only twarted after Swap!Yellow punches them Scary Maze Game style, called a loser and blocked

Swap Healthy Gang (Teaches Transport)

- "This is our grandpa Steak Guy he was every disease"

- Take the main three on a trip to go for a picnic but seem to have no idea what they're doing or how they're getting there

- Eventually they throw Swap!Yellow out the window and reality flickers out as Swap!Red tries to retrieve them

Swap Lamp (Teaches Electricity)

- Actually pretty sane and chill at the start of the lesson (though he does go on a tangent about conspiracy theories) then gets his batteries taken and starts acting like his usual drowning puppets in oil self

- Teaches the wrong ideas about where electricity come from, says the council made it and stuff like tha

- Dunks swap!Red in oil which makes him no-clip into the void and encounter Roy.

Swap Breifcase (Teaches Creativity)

- One of those big suitcase shaped packs of art supplies I loved as a kid

- Really cheerful and bouncy, keeps jumping between different different kinds of art at a speed that the main 3 can't keep up with

- Unemployed Brendon is an orange

Swap Coffin (Teaches Time)

- A big tall longcase clock

- Talks about "history", but it's really just the parts where people die horribly (black death and stuff like that)

- Ends the lesson by subjecting the main 3 to iconic historical ways of dying: Swap!Red gets ran over by a motorwagen, Swap!Yellow gets rabies and Swap!Duck is beheaded.

Swap Lily and Todney (Teaches Love)

- Two cherubs in a trenchcoat on a mission to please Malcolm by recruiting new members

- Drag all 3 of their main trio to their weird cult basement, Swap!Yellow leaves after ruining some sort of initiation game and Swap!Duck gets stabbed with a cupid's arrow and passes out

- Then Swap!Red gets subjected to the horrors but wakes up and they just kind of disappear lol

Swap Warren (Teaches the Internet)

- An extremely literal computer worm

- Pressures everybody to go on the dark web and buy drugs and stuff. Then hacks into Swap!Red's mind because he's a cyborg and mucks everything up in there

- Swap!Duck shuts the internet off to make him stop

Swap Transport Man (Teaches Food)

- A shopping trolley, he makes the main three go to the supermarket lol

- Less actively malicious and more senile old man can't read the labels so he's just tossing everything into the cart

- Does the whole cannibalism thing but this time it's even more obviously cannibalism because what they're eating looks humanoid

Swap Electracy (Teaches Dreams)

- Girl straight up looks like an ai generated image oopsie

- Preferred method of tormenting is the electric chair as opposed to drowning in oil and gas a big wide smile the entire time in a super creepy way

- Swap!Duck starts messing with the controls and it makes them pixilate into something else and start singing about something totally irrelevant, little freak

And that's all I got for now sorry

[themculibrary]

Swimming Pools Masterlist

A Little Room to Sway (ao3) - dollylux wanda/natasha E, 20k

Summary: Wanda and Natasha make a list of five things they have never done and always wanted to do. (post-Age of Ultron/pre-Civil War.)

Drain You (ao3) - apodiopsys steve/thor E, 1k

Summary: It's unknown if there's a connection between having sex with Thor and the thunderstorm happening simultaneously.

everything the water can be (ao3) - jehans steve/bucky E, 5k

Summary: “Tell you what, big guy,” Bucky purrs, matching Steve’s tone, “if you win this thing—”

“This is practice,” Steve interrupts like a dumbass, “there is no winning.”

Bucky’s lopsided smirk pulls at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah,” he concedes, still in that slow molasses drawl, “but you guys all keep track of your time, right? I’ve watched you all compare notes after practice.”

Steve laughs. They’re a team of competitive little shits, they absolutely do that. “Yeah, okay, fair enough,” he relents.

“So,” Bucky continues slowly, his blush deepening, “you get the best time today...,” he takes a breath, drops his voice even lower, and soughs, “I’ll let you take off my clothes. All of ‘em.”

Shit.

Steve suddenly realizes what a fucking moron he is for having initiated this line of flirtation here at the pool and right before practice.

Going Under (ao3) - missbecky steve/tony E, 4k

Summary: When it was too hot for even Captain America to go for his morning run, that was just too damn hot. But Steve just shrugged and said he would have to find some other way to get his morning exercise.

Which is how he and Tony ended up in the pool.

Hydrotherapy (ao3) - BlossomsintheMist steve/tony E, 5k

Summary: It was nice, floating, like this. Not being terrified, not worrying about it, even though the water of the pool was washing over his belly, soft and cool at the sides of his face, damp at his temples, at the edges of his closed eyes. “I’ve got you, Tony,” Steve muttered, and it was so sweet, so soft, in his ears, washing over him like the water of the pool lapping at his body, cool at his ears, tugging at his hair.

In Summation (ao3) - geckoholic steve/natasha E, 3k

Summary: The location of their latest mission has a private pool for upper-scale guests. Natasha and Steve grab the opportunity and put it to good use.

Las Vegas (ao3) - elcapitan_rogers steve/natasha E, 219k

Summary: Steve was freaking out over his own wedding and the gang decided to take him to Las Vegas to unwind him.

Lonely Christmas (or The Jacuzzi Date) (ao3) - lunaemoth darcy/steve T, 2k

Summary: Darcy stared at the red lingerie spread on her table and said “Merry Christmas Darcy” with as much cheer as she could muster. Offering herself a Christmas gift was sad... pathetic even, she mused. Of course it was that or no gift at all, so the choice was easily made... but that was truly pathetic. She sighed and ate one more chocolate.

moments like this (ao3) - Pericardiaca steve/tony E, 4k

Summary: A day in the life of our superfamily: Peter gets a swimming lesson, Tony motherhens a little and then there's some adult alone time when the little menace is finally in bed. Steve also makes an interesting fashion choice.

Moving Home (ao3) - loves_buckybarnes layla el-faouly/steven/marc E, 38k

Summary: Layla is missing living in Cairo so she asks Steven and Marc if they want to move to Cairo, her father left her the house in her name, the house she grew up in, so they decide to go visit and see if they want to live there.

Nice For What (ao3) - grimeysociety bucky/darcy E, 3k

Summary: “Well, maybe I want to hang out with Bucky for once. We’ll wear black and roam the streets looking for victims. And then we’ll eat candy by the pool.” “Sounds like a date,” Bucky said, not quite believing she meant what she said.

Night Swim (ao3) - vespertineflora steve/bucky E, 3k

Summary: "What are you doing down here?”

“Couldn’t sleep. Wanted to swim.” Bucky flicks a few drops of water at Steve’s legs and says, “You should join me.”

“Didn’t bring a suit,” Steve replies as he holds his arms open a bit helplessly. Honestly, he’d come down here to let Bucky know he was back, hoping to go back to their apartment so that some snuggling and sleeping could follow. He hadn't really planned on swimming.

A wicked grin spreads over Bucky’s face as he says, “Neither did I.”

Pool Therapy (ao3) - cooper_west clint/phil T, 3k

Summary: The YMCA three blocks down the road from SHEILD’s New York offices is the most security conscious YMCA in the country.

road trips and sliding (ao3) - orphan_account G, 3k

Summary: peter finds out tony has a awesome pool in california. A road trip and lots and lots of slides and swimming!

Spring Break '87 (ao3) - CrunchySalad rhodey/tony E, 4k

Summary: For this prompt on avengerkink. Tony is desperately trying to seduce Rhodey, but Rhodey resists because Tony's just a lonely seventeen-year-old and Rhodey doesn't want to take advantage of that. Unfortunately for Rhodey, spring breaks aren't exactly known as bastions of good judgement.

Swimmy, Shackled, Sated and Shagged (ao3) - 51PegasiB darcy/steve, maria/darcy, darcy/pepper/tony E, 5k

Summary: Darcy's dreams are having an impact on her ability to enjoy her days as a live-in sub, but not as much of an impact as keeping up with the emotional roller-coaster that is serving several very different people per day. Will she settle in? Or will this all turn out to be too much? And will she ever get a good night's sleep.

Weekend Away (ao3) - Emily_Davison G, 5k

Summary: Tony takes his Little, Peter, on a small weekend away in a luxurious villa he recently bought by the sea and some of the Avengers tag along.

Whose Pool is this? It's my Pool now! (ao3) - M_Bella_lib peter/wade E, 5k

Summary: On a late-night patrol, Spider-Man stumbles upon Deadpool who invites him to take a dip in his pool. The cover of night encourages Spider-Man to take him up on the offer. Many things are encouraged in the darkness.

[blackartmatters]

“Black people are my business.”  - Toni Cade Bambara Toni Cade Bambara was an author, an activist, and a truth-teller. She was an important figure in the Black Arts movement and her work across the board focused on Blackness and the Black experience. Published in 1972, her short story The Lesson is a prime example of the conscious Black art of the time. It’s about a young teenager, Sylvia, who on one New York summer day, is is confronted by a reality of being Black in America. In this paper I will look at several pieces of literary criticism and join in on conversation around The Lesson’s importance and meaning. The conversation around The Lesson is dominated by two things: Blackness and language. I will join others as they look at how language is defined by blackness and how Blackness defines its language. The Black Arts Movement was a collective of Black critics, writers, musicians, and artists whose work encapsulated and highlighted the Black experience. During the Black Arts Movement, the cultural and political experiences of Blackness were brought to the forefront. As stated by writer Larry Neal, in his seminal paper The Black Arts Movement, “Black Art is the aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black Power concept. As such, it envisions an art that speaks directly to the needs and aspirations of Black America.” (Neal) The Black Power movement of the 60s and 70s followed the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s. Where the Civil Rights Movement sought equal treatment and protection under the law via political action and protest, the Black Power Movement sought them by any means necessary and with a focus on self-determination and racial pride. In referring to these movements as “spiritual sister[s],” it’s clear that Black Art is more than just art by Black people. It’s art that is made through a decidedly Black lens and built around the Black experience.  The Black experience is broad but, in the US, it's been defined by segregation, harsh treatment, and denial of service. It’s through these unifying experiences that Black people in the US were able to create their own understanding of the world around them - their own culture. Neal is suggesting that Black artist use that culture, not the culture of White America, as the lens through which they create art. Where that is most evident is in how language is used by Black authors during this period. Historically, when it came to depictions of Black people, the use of vernacular was to demean, separate or belittle. Whereas before, black authors would be dissuaded from using the colloquialism often found in their own towns, neighborhoods and homes, the Black Arts Movement relished in an honest account.   The Black Arts Movement was defined by who was writing and when but most important were the themes art dealt with. At the end of the story, Sugar poses the rhetorical question: “…This is not much of a democracy if you ask me. Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough, don’t it?”  This speaks to the fundamental tenet of self-determination. The ability for people to pursue the happiness they seek, not the one enforced upon them by a dominant culture. This is a key component of the Black Power movement and thus the Black Arts. Bambara, in Sugar’s voice, is forcing Sylvia and the reader to consider where Black people fall on the spectrum of access to power. In America, that translates into access to capital. Miss Moore’s response to Sugar’s question is one of excitement. She is seeing in real time Sugar beginning to understand the truth. These are intense themes that Sugar, Sylvia, and the others are grappling with. It’s so interesting that it’s against the backdrop of a toy store. Toys are designed to bring joy to children. In this instance, though, toys are representative of a cruel joke. They are all close enough to touch the toys but can never have them. It parallels the idea that here in America, you see how other, rich people love and maybe even interact with them, but you can never have what they have. In 1926, W.E.B DuBois posed a series of questions to Black readers. Entitled “A Questionnaire,” these seven questions looked at how the Black experience was portrayed in American culture. The first question was: “When the artist portrays Negro characters is he under any obligations or limitations as to the sort of character he will portray?” (Gates) The subtext of both the question and Collier’s response is the idea of Blacks being seen as “respectable” in the eyes of Whites. Historian and literary critique Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reintroduced the question to a group of Black authors in the 1980s and published The Black Person in Art: How Should S/He Be Portrayed? Eugenia Collier, a critic, and anthropologist responded, “The artist can create truthful (not opposite-stereotypical) images which will reveal the reasons behind those things which appear to be negative, will reveal our history and our promise for the future, will show our heroes and heroines and unsung ordinary people who, in the adventure of being black, have not only endured but also triumphed.” (Gates) While not specifically about The Lesson, this perspective is relevant.  The depiction of Blackness in culture and art has been fraught with meaning.  Damaging portrayals can still be found in works from the last five years (e.g., 2018 ACADEMY AWARD® Winner The Green Book). Collier is suggesting that in combatting these stereotypes, Black artists don’t need to focus on Black exceptionalism.  What needs to be told are simply true stories of the Black experience.  They must be told in context and while exploring the rich inner life of the subject. These stories, in their truth, would show how each Black experience is exceptional, simply for the fact that it exists. Collier goes on to suggest that concern for respectability itself is an obstacle. The burden of respectability only goes one way – it's only Black people that are forced to meet a standard.  Which, of course, was created by the White ruling class. In breaking free of that idea, Black artists can create their characters honestly. In Toni Cade Bambara’s writing she looked at truth through a revolutionary worldview. She viewed her craft as a way to “participate in the empowerment of the community that names me.” (Evans 42). Within The Lesson she manages to truthfully depict what could be construed as a stereotype while tapping into revolutionary themes and ending our time with Sylvia on a hopeful note.  Contemplative of her visit to the toy store Sylvia muses, “Where we are is who we are, Miss Moore always pointin out. But it don’t necessarily have to be that way, she always adds then waits for somebody to say that poor people have to wake up and demand their share of the pie…”  Sylvia speaks in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) which is often used as a stereotype to demean Black characters. Bambara uses AAVE and a rich inner life and strong viewpoint to paint a complete picture of Sylvia. Like teenagers of every culture, she scoffs publicly at points Miss Moore made but quietly internalizes what she’s saying.  She is a thoughtful, intelligent, and curious girl. Bambara is getting to tell the Truth of a Black New York girls’ existence. We also get to see the truth of her dawning realization juxtaposed with her reluctance to fully embrace what Miss Moore is saying. The use of AAVE is often examined. Kendra Hamilton’s The Dialect Dilemma discusses it at length. Hamilton looks at the way AAVE is maligned, due primarily to its association to the Black community. Unlike other dialects, AAVE has the historical burden of “respectability” attached to it. This was touched on by W.E.B DuBois in “A Questionnaire,” as well. It’s the idea that since Black people are often portrayed so negatively, they must counter that by being model, perfect, citizens. If they do that, they will be seen as equal to White people, which equates to success and economic power. The solution the paper concludes is for educators to approach AAVE speakers the same way they would approach any other dual language learner, by not passing judgement on the home language and by recognizing it as a true dialect governed by rules the same way Standard English is. Specifically, to “advocate for what the discipline sees as the solution to the literacy crises – teaching youth how to shift easily between dialects.” (Hamilton).   In the case of AAVE and Standard English, the manner of switching back and forth between the dialects based on what environment you’re in, is called ‘code-switching.’ It crops up in The Lesson in such an interesting and surprising way. Before entering the toy store, Sylvia, Miss Moore, and the others are looking at toys through the window. Flyboy brings their attention to a sailboat, and they all gather to read the tag. “‘Unbelievable,’ I hear myself say and am really stunned. I read it again for myself just in case the group recitation put me in a trance. Same thing.”  She’s so taken aback that she has an out of body experience – figuratively and linguistically. She hears herself saying these words which would indicate that she does not feel grounded. Linguistically, she’s also speaking with a vocabulary that we haven’t heard from her up to now. When she does speak “proper” English or use advanced vocabulary, there’s an awareness to it. When she uses the word surly earlier in the story, it’s with a tone of mockery: “So me and Sugar leaning on the mailbox being surly, which is a Miss Moore word.” (Bambara) This showed that she was acutely aware of how she used language. There was delineation between how she spoke and how Miss Moore spoke. As she comes back into her body, her natural AAVE returns “For some reason this pisses me off. We look at Miss Moore and she looking at us, wating for I dunno what,” as evidenced by slight vulgarity, the contraction of “I don’t know’ to ‘dunno,’ she drops the tense (is) in “she looking at us.” This is an example of her instinctive “code-switching.” In addition to narrative, Bambara uses language to indicate the gulf between Sylvia and Miss Moore.  Janet Carey Eldred in Narratives of Socialization: Literacy in the Short Story makes the point that “Sylvia hears Miss Moore’s proper speech as an affectation, a noise that resounds with aspirations that cannot be realized.” The distrust Sylvia has for Miss Moore is two-fold. First, she is an outsider. She’s not from their neighborhood, she doesn’t follow their customs and she’s not bowed by any disapproval she receives. Second to that is Miss Moore’s optimism. She consistently suggesting a future and a world that Sylvia doesn’t quite comprehend. Early in the story Sylvia expressly comments on Miss Moore’s blackness. The implication there was that her physical blackness belied her cultural Blackness. Sylvia equates her outsider status with the fact that she’s well-educated and has “proper speech.” Because of that divide, she isn’t like Sylvia or her friends or even the other adults in her life. Miss Moore seems to be the only college graduate she knows, the only black person with proper speech. Because of those key differences, unlike any of the other people in her life. Sylvia doubts its validity. It’s not a Black experience because everyone she knows is Black and they are not doing the things Miss Moore is doing, talking about the same things. When Miss Moore attempts to convey an important feature of education and “bettering yourself,” Sylvia is dismissive. I agree with Eldred’s understanding of Sylvia’s perception of Miss Moore and her “proper speech.” As intelligent and street tough as Sylvia is, she still finds the things outside of her neighborhood and personal experience hard to believe. She dismisses them quickly. I think a large part of it, she comes by naturally. As a teen, she is designed to disregard things she hasn’t experienced for herself. She’s had limited experiences outside of her own small community. So, when Miss Moore suggests again that a future where childish curiosity could turn into an adult endeavor, it’s ridiculous for Sylvia to consider. “So then she ask how long’d take for Big Butt and Junebug to save up their allowances. ‘Too long,’ I say. ‘Yeh,’ adds Sugar, ‘outgrown it by that time.’ And Miss Moore say no, you never outgrow learning instruments. ‘Why, even medical students and interns and,’ blah, blah, blah.” Miss Moore evokes the idea that expressing interest in something related to the medical field could result in going to medical school and then working at a hospital. To Sylvia this is so preposterous that she stops listening. Quick on the heels of her disbelief is anger that it’s even suggested. This interaction is just one of many examples of Sylvia unable to comprehend a world outside of her own. In An African American Study of ‘The Lesson’ Leila Naderi breaks down the impact and importance of language within the story.  She examines how language is used to not only show the gulf between Black and White America, but language is also representative of who is heard and who is not.  She asserts, “She is mute; this silence partly comes out of white’s hegemony which has had [sic] devoiced a variety of minorities and partly as a sort of resisting English as the language of imperialism.” (Naderi) Historically, the dominant culture has determined what’s acceptable and what’s not. This determination is made about every area of a non-dominant culture – language, comportment, style of dress, belief systems, et al. Here, Naderi is specifically talking about language and how the language of Black America is different than the language of White America. The speech and language that makes up Sylvia’s inner-voice is decidedly Black and is deemed unacceptable by White culture, thus she has no voice and nothing meaningful to say.  Naderi also indicates that not using Standard English could be seen as an act of resistance. In refusing to use the language of the dominant culture, the non-dominant culture is reclaiming what was lost to hegemony. I agree with Naderi’s assessment of Sylvia’s silence. Despite the bravado Sylvia displays internally, her external voice is not as free as her internal voice. She’s unable to use her Black inner voice to articulate the experience she’s having at FAO Schwarz. “I’m mad, but I won’t give her that satisfaction. So I slouch around the store bein’ very bored and say, ‘Let’s go.’” (Bambara). Literarily, in this instance, Miss Moore is acting as a stand-in for Whiteness. Sylvia has already separated Miss Moore from the other Black people in the neighborhood, noting her “proper speech and no makeup” (Bambara). She’s different from the people that Sylvia identifies with because of the way she speaks. Sylvia, on the train ride home, is able to parse out her feelings internally, using her Black inner voice to consider the ramifications of asking her mother to purchase an expensive trifle. This also aligns with Naderi’s point about resisting Standard English as it’s the language of imperialism. Sylvia in not giving Miss Moore “the satisfaction” is doing just that. She knows that the expectation would be to communicate her feelings in proper English, which would silence the Black English that makes up her inner life. Zora Neal Hurston is an author is renowned for her use of AAVE in capturing the black experience. In The Characteristics of Negro Expression, Hurston writes “The will to adorn is the second most notable characteristic in Negro expression. Perhaps his idea of ornament does not attempt to meet conventional standards, but it satisfies the soul of its creator.” While this observation can be applied to many aspects of Black culture, Hurston is speaking specifically about the use of AAVE. With AAVE, Black people have taken Standard English and embellished it in various ways. For all the same reasons adornment could be seen in dress, it could be seen in language. It could be used to beautify, to connect and to express oneself fully. When comparing AAVE to Standard English, it’s easy to hear the softening of hard consonants, e.g. ‘aren’t’ vs. ‘aint.’ (Hurston) As well as in tone – AAVE uses metaphors and similes where Standard English is designed for directness. Adornment can be used to show what figurative or literal tribe you belong to. Humans are driven by connection and connection is born of understanding. Being able to understand and be understood “satisfies the soul” of the speaker because it allows for that connection. Hurston is clear that the use of AAVE holds cultural significance. Hurston’s analysis of how AAVE is used resonated with how I read The Lesson. The connection brought about by AAVE is seen in every interaction that Sylvia has. A small interaction imagined between her and her mother shows the connection through language. On the train ride home from FAO Schwarz, Sylvia imagines the response if she asked her mother for money to buy a toy she saw. “‘You want a who that costs what?’ she’d say, coking her head to the side to get a better view of the hole in my head.” Even in Sylvia’s imagination, her mother doesn’t say No. It’s softened with a counter-question. This is a gentler response than an outright “No, I won’t give you money for that.” She uses a metaphor with the idiom “hole in my head.” The use of metaphors is another way to convey judgment without being harsh.   As centered in Blackness that Bambara and Sylvia are, the conversation wouldn’t be complete without how an examination of how Whiteness is depicted. In “The Gospel of Whiteness”: Whiteness in African-American Literature, Martin Japtok takes a closer look at the contrasting depictions of Whiteness and Blackness by African-American authors. Through the lens of black authors during the Black Arts Movement, what Whiteness represented was being examined with a critical eye. The conclusions were that it is more than privilege and access. Specifically, “Whiteness is configured as a kind of religion: a worship of materialism.” In the same way that religion encompasses actions, beliefs and lore, so does “Whiteness.” Religion is seen as the way people meet and access God while those that benefit from Whiteness are acquiring things.  Here, White people having the money to be able to spend hundreds of dollars on toys that serve only as comfort and entertainment. Contrasted with Sylvia, for whom that same amount of money would have a positive effect on her day-to-day life. The lore around whiteness is that their experiences are beyond those of black people and baffling.  At one point Sylvia sees a woman in a fur coat in the middle of summer. She notes it as yet another chasm between the Black and White experience.   In this context, the connection between Whiteness and religiosity feels accurate. If Whiteness reveres things, then its place of worship is where things can be procured. In The Lesson these things are procured at FAO Schwarz. Miss Moore and the children arrive at the fancy toy store and confer for a moment outside. When it’s time to enter, Sylvia defers to Sugar, but she, too, is reluctant. Sylvia questions herself, “But I feel funny, shame. But what I got to be shamed about?” (Bambara), but it’s her reminiscing that supports Japtok’s point. “And it’s like the time me and Sugar crashed into the Catholic church on a dare. But once we got in there and everything so hushed and holy… I just couldn’t go through with the plan.” Bambara is explicit in her likening of FAO Schwarz to a Catholic Church. There is a reverence towards both. Sylvia understands it within the Catholic church but can’t figure out why a toy store would evoke those same feelings. But in both venues, she is an outsider. Catholic Churches in New York would have been predominantly white with the large Irish population that lived there. With the numerousness of AME Churches in the Black community, it’s easy to presume that Sylvia and her family belong to one of those. Her experience at the Catholic Church would have been an unfamiliar one, through both a religious and racial lens. At FAO Schwarz, seeing the opulence and beginning to understand and clearly see the gulf that separated her from others. To summarize, Toni Cade Bambara’s The Lesson was an important addition to the cultural lexicon. When you think about it, it’s a small story – at the request of respected neighbor, a group of Black young teens taking a trip across the boroughs to a toy store. But no story about the Black experience, especially during this time, was a small story. They were heavy with meaning and designed to encourage resistance of the status quo. The most compelling lens through which to read this story is through the lens of language. Within the story, Miss Moore prods Sylvia and the others to think outside the box they’ve been relegated to. The discourse around the use of AAVE is to recognize its power and importance as a cultural connector rather than as a deficient form of Standard English.

[vickiabelson]

Today, Part 2, Live with renowned drummer Sandy Gennaro, who's also a treasured old friend. Sandy played with Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Monkees, Bo Diddley, Johnny Winter, Montrose, The Pat Travers Band,

Mark Farner, Benny Mardones, and Robin Gibb, to name some and graced just about every stage I booked back in the day. We haven't seen each other in almost 30 years, maybe since my wedding! This is gonna be FUN!

Sandy uses the lessons he’s learned surviving the Music Business helping businesses and student bodies create a thriving culture as a launch pad for heightened success in business, relationships, and life. A senior faculty member of The Collective NYC for 27 years, Sandy enables musicians to perfect their craft and educates them on the Business of Music, the curriculum of which he created. His new book, Beat The Odds in Business & Life, recently dropped, is a blueprint for success. *reads frantically* Between old pals Lib and Sandy, I think I have to start, Drummers Who Write.

You can get a signed copy with a pair of sticks, at https://sandygennaro.com/beat-the-odds-products/ - Sandy gives good signage! It’s how his career kind of began. It’s all in there.

We'll be talking about more of Sandy's rock journey and the path he carved to use that experience to aid others. Plus, he's a fun sweetheart. So looking forward to part 2 of our reunion.

Sandy Gennaro Part 2 Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

Wednesday, 10/12/22, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET

Streaming Live on my Facebook

Daily by Toni Vincent & @peter_and_paul_ Cartoons

[crowchelmist]

So if A:4 really is 5 years later that means Peter will have missed five years...

Worth of memes

He’s gonna get back and the next big meme will be something like

Larry: hey joe what’s that

Joe: it’s a cow larry

Larry: no it’s not

Joe: it’s a cow

Larry: dude wtf

Joe looks him in the eye: ... it’s a cow

And Peter will have to sit down with Shuri so they can go through the last 5 years in memes

[draguta]

.bucky barnes ~ fic recs.

keep reading for my bucky barnes fic recs

💚 indicates smut | 18+ | minors dni |

.one-shots.

fuck you (derogatory) 💚 @bucksfucks

a ruined mission turns to you & bucky fucking it out. | bucky x fem!reader |

unfortunately yours 💚 @weepingvoidpenguin

when you and bucky successfully infiltrate a hydra auction, you're told to stay another day due to max capacity on the jet. but how are you going to survive a night alone with this insufferable super soldier? especially considering the miniscule size of the room and the obvious dilemma presented; who gets the bed? | bucky x fem!reader |

a little help 💚 @captainsimagines

bucky's been having difficulties in a certain...department. he's at a loss, completely ready to give up until he start theorizing. if you have the ability to heal people, maybe you can help him out. maybe you'll be able to fix him. | bucky x fem!reader |

fingers @buckycuddlebuddy

you couldn't take your eyes off his hands. | tattooartist!bucky x fem!reader |

a clandestine affair 💚 @bonky-n-steeb

bucky can't hold himself back when you look that gorgeous at tony's housewarming party. | bucky x fem!reader |

summer sins 💚 @wintersldr1

ever since you returned from your first year of college, you can't keep your eyes of your dad's best friend, bucky. at a family pool party, you finally give in. | dbf!bucky x fem!reader |

in corpore sano 💚 @straywords

your new personal trainer has a very...hands on approach. | personaltrainer!bucky x plussizefem!reader |

what goes around 💚 @navybrat817

bucky is your friend's dad and your dad's friend and nothing more. until he isn't. | bfd/dbf!bucky x fem!reader |

heavy tipper 💚 @metalbuckaroo

camgirl sites were nothing new to bucky, but a familiar face has him tipping heavily and requesting a private chat. | dbf!bucky x fem!reader |

recipe for disaster 💚 @seventven

your dad's best friend bucky knows you have a crush on him. your parents invite him to join your family for the annual winter vacation. | dbf!bucky x fem!reader |

riding lessons 💚 @nastybuckybarnes

you've just passed your knowledge test and you need someone to teach you how to ride. who better than your dad's best friend? | dbf!bucky x fem!reader |

.series.

these ties that bind us @sweetascanbee

when you’re sixteen years old, you get a soul mark with the letters ‘jbb’ emblazoned on your left wrist. the only problem is, soulmates pairings have basically gone extinct, and the man you’ve been paired with has been dead for seven decades. | bucky x fem!reader | complete |

a taste for older men 💚 @seventven

| P1 | P2 | P3 | P4 | P5 | P6 | P7 | P8 |

y/n is moving back in with her parents after breaking up with her college boyfriend. due to an emergency at work, y/n's dad is unable to pick her up and sends his friend bucky in his stead. to bucky's surprise, y/n is no longer the innocent girl he remembers from years back. | dbf!bucky x fem!reader | complete |

delicate edges @wkemeup

your family’s beloved flower shop was not the only thing you inherited when your parents passed. trapped under a mountain of debt to the hydra club, you bear the cost of your father’s desperate bargain. it’s only in moments when the charming bucky barnes walks into your shop that you can forget the cruelty of the biker clubs of this town. but a war is brewing. the border is crumbling. you’re trapped in the middle. and bucky will stop at nothing to keep you safe. | biker!bucky x fem!reader | complete |

astrophile @all1e23

orion rebecca barnes’s favorite thing in the whole world (besides her daddy of course) is spending hours after school in the bookstore by her house and the owner gives her any book she wants; she’s the coolest girl orion has ever met. it doesn’t take long for bucky to notice his daughter’s sudden interest in constellations and the large stack of astrology related books piling up in her room. he’s spent her entire life trying to teach her about the stars and where her name came from with little interest from his little comet and all of a sudden she’s in love. all thanks to the girl who owns the bookstore? | firefighter!bucky x fem!reader | complete |

the two of us @bucky-bucket-barnes

you and bucky go to investigate the phenomenon happening in westview, new jersey. while attempting to understand the issue, you yourselves are sucked into wanda’s world of pretend. now, you believe yourselves to be the happily married mr. and mrs. Barnes; in real life, you are most definitely not a happy pair. it is up to you and bucky to piece together what’s happening while dealing with one another inside the hex. | bucky x fem!reader | complete |

something more 💚 @tellmealovestory

after a bad breakup you ask your best friend to take your virginity. it’s just friends with benefits. what could possibly go wrong? | bucky x fem!reader | complete |

nostalgia for the new @real-jane

bucky meets you because of your exquisite taste in music, and he finds in you a solace he didn’t realize was possible. you create for bucky something he’s never found before: nostalgia for a time that hasn’t happened yet, and hope for a future where he might be loved. | bucky x fem!reader | complete |

for the love of the game 💚 @pellucid-constellations

bucky barnes was a menace. nyu’s top baseball player, he was used to girls falling at his feet and could smooth talk his way out of just about anything. you hated him. he couldn’t figure out why. so when the novelty of weekend parties and quick hookups finally wore off—and his feelings for you began to grow—he made it his mission to fix it. | collegeathlete!bucky x fem!reader | complete |

appointments 💚 @buckycuddlebuddy

bucky barnes, finally able to live freely in the 21st century, accidentally gets a fuck buddy and starts to redisover himself. the only weird thing about this situation is that you have to make an appointment to get railed by him. | tfatws!bucky x fem!reader | complete |

call me when you want 💚 @bonky-n-steeb

when you call a sex hotline with a need to be dominated you don’t expect to meet (or hear) someone as wonderful as james. but your life becomes a complicated mess as you already love your coworker, bucky barnes. however, you are unaware that they are actually the same person. | bucky x fem!reader | complete |

it started with a smile 💚 @writing-for-marvel

bridgerton au. at the start of the new social season, lady whistledown predicts this will finally be the year solitary duke james barnes finds a wife. after a chance meeting at lady danbury’s ball, can you and the duke overcome all obstacles thrown in your path by his scandalous past and your overbearing mother insistent against your match? | duke!bucky x fem!reader | on-going |

a million reasons 💚 @pellucid-constellations

bucky barnes, with all of his trust fund money and family connections, gets assigned community service. you, as someone that’s technically part of the community, now have to put up with him. every day. and he won’t stop killing your plants. | college!bucky x fem!reader | on-going |

the way we were / the way we are 💚 @pedrito-friskito

you met bucky between the bookshelves. he stole your heart beneath starry skies. it was a match made in heaven, but fate had other plans. | bucky x fem!reader | on-going |

the theory of it all 💚 @botnasty

there are theories for everything in life and bucky sure heard some interesting ones. | roommate!bucky x fem!reader | on-going |

house of atlas 💚 @traitorjoelite

at yale, there are more secrets than there’s not, including the four houses of atlas where only the best and brightest students are welcomed. when a fellow classmate disappears, you’re forced to team up with bucky barnes to find out what happened to her. what was once an academic rivalry spirals into a maze of feelings and mysteries, and you find out the hard way that even the secrets you think you know aren’t what they seem. | college!bucky x fem!reader | on-going |