#on top of the cool and learning factor | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mostlysignssomeportents · 1 year ago

Text

On July 14, I'm giving the closing keynote for the fifteenth HACKERS ON PLANET EARTH, in QUEENS, NY. Happy Bastille Day! On July 20, I'm appearing in CHICAGO at Exile in Bookville.

We're living through one of those moments when millions of people become suddenly and overwhelmingly interested in fair use, one of the subtlest and worst-understood aspects of copyright law. It's not a subject you can master by skimming a Wikipedia article!

I've been talking about fair use with laypeople for more than 20 years. I've met so many people who possess the unshakable, serene confidence of the truly wrong, like the people who think fair use means you can take x words from a book, or y seconds from a song and it will always be fair, while anything more will never be.

Or the people who think that if you violate any of the four factors, your use can't be fair – or the people who think that if you fail all of the four factors, you must be infringing (people, the Supreme Court is calling and they want to tell you about the Betamax!).

You might think that you can never quote a song lyric in a book without infringing copyright, or that you must clear every musical sample. You might be rock solid certain that scraping the web to train an AI is infringing. If you hold those beliefs, you do not understand the "fact intensive" nature of fair use.

But you can learn! It's actually a really cool and interesting and gnarly subject, and it's a favorite of copyright scholars, who have really fascinating disagreements and discussions about the subject. These discussions often key off of the controversies of the moment, but inevitably they implicate earlier fights about everything from the piano roll to 2 Live Crew to antiracist retellings of Gone With the Wind.

One of the most interesting discussions of fair use you can ask for took place in 2019, when the NYU Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy held a symposium called "Proving IP." One of the panels featured dueling musicologists debating the merits of the Blurred Lines case. That case marked a turning point in music copyright, with the Marvin Gaye estate successfully suing Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copying the "vibe" of Gaye's "Got to Give it Up."

Naturally, this discussion featured clips from both songs as the experts – joined by some of America's top copyright scholars – delved into the legal reasoning and future consequences of the case. It would be literally impossible to discuss this case without those clips.

And that's where the problems start: as soon as the symposium was uploaded to Youtube, it was flagged and removed by Content ID, Google's $100,000,000 copyright enforcement system. This initial takedown was fully automated, which is how Content ID works: rightsholders upload audio to claim it, and then Content ID removes other videos where that audio appears (rightsholders can also specify that videos with matching clips be demonetized, or that the ad revenue from those videos be diverted to the rightsholders).

But Content ID has a safety valve: an uploader whose video has been incorrectly flagged can challenge the takedown. The case is then punted to the rightsholder, who has to manually renew or drop their claim. In the case of this symposium, the rightsholder was Universal Music Group, the largest record company in the world. UMG's personnel reviewed the video and did not drop the claim.

99.99% of the time, that's where the story would end, for many reasons. First of all, most people don't understand fair use well enough to contest the judgment of a cosmically vast, unimaginably rich monopolist who wants to censor their video. Just as importantly, though, is that Content ID is a Byzantine system that is nearly as complex as fair use, but it's an entirely private affair, created and adjudicated by another galactic-scale monopolist (Google).

Google's copyright enforcement system is a cod-legal regime with all the downsides of the law, and a few wrinkles of its own (for example, it's a system without lawyers – just corporate experts doing battle with laypeople). And a single mis-step can result in your video being deleted or your account being permanently deleted, along with every video you've ever posted. For people who make their living on audiovisual content, losing your Youtube account is an extinction-level event:

https://www.eff.org/wp/unfiltered-how-youtubes-content-id-discourages-fair-use-and-dictates-what-we-see-online

So for the average Youtuber, Content ID is a kind of Kafka-as-a-Service system that is always avoided and never investigated. But the Engelbert Center isn't your average Youtuber: they boast some of the country's top copyright experts, specializing in exactly the questions Youtube's Content ID is supposed to be adjudicating.

So naturally, they challenged the takedown – only to have UMG double down. This is par for the course with UMG: they are infamous for refusing to consider fair use in takedown requests. Their stance is so unreasonable that a court actually found them guilty of violating the DMCA's provision against fraudulent takedowns:

https://www.eff.org/cases/lenz-v-universal

But the DMCA's takedown system is part of the real law, while Content ID is a fake law, created and overseen by a tech monopolist, not a court. So the fate of the Blurred Lines discussion turned on the Engelberg Center's ability to navigate both the law and the n-dimensional topology of Content ID's takedown flowchart.

It took more than a year, but eventually, Engelberg prevailed.

Until they didn't.

If Content ID was a person, it would be baby, specifically, a baby under 18 months old – that is, before the development of "object permanence." Until our 18th month (or so), we lack the ability to reason about things we can't see – this the period when small babies find peek-a-boo amazing. Object permanence is the ability to understand things that aren't in your immediate field of vision.

Content ID has no object permanence. Despite the fact that the Engelberg Blurred Lines panel was the most involved fair use question the system was ever called upon to parse, it managed to repeatedly forget that it had decided that the panel could stay up. Over and over since that initial determination, Content ID has taken down the video of the panel, forcing Engelberg to go through the whole process again.

But that's just for starters, because Youtube isn't the only place where a copyright enforcement bot is making billions of unsupervised, unaccountable decisions about what audiovisual material you're allowed to access.

Spotify is yet another monopolist, with a justifiable reputation for being extremely hostile to artists' interests, thanks in large part to the role that UMG and the other major record labels played in designing its business rules:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/12/streaming-doesnt-pay/#stunt-publishing

Spotify has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to capture the podcasting market, in the hopes of converting one of the last truly open digital publishing systems into a product under its control:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/27/enshittification-resistance/#ummauerter-garten-nein

Thankfully, that campaign has failed – but millions of people have (unwisely) ditched their open podcatchers in favor of Spotify's pre-enshittified app, so everyone with a podcast now must target Spotify for distribution if they hope to reach those captive users.

Guess who has a podcast? The Engelberg Center.

Naturally, Engelberg's podcast includes the audio of that Blurred Lines panel, and that audio includes samples from both "Blurred Lines" and "Got To Give It Up."

So – naturally – UMG keeps taking down the podcast.

Spotify has its own answer to Content ID, and incredibly, it's even worse and harder to navigate than Google's pretend legal system. As Engelberg describes in its latest post, UMG and Spotify have colluded to ensure that this now-classic discussion of fair use will never be able to take advantage of fair use itself:

https://www.nyuengelberg.org/news/how-explaining-copyright-broke-the-spotify-copyright-system/

Remember, this is the best case scenario for arguing about fair use with a monopolist like UMG, Google, or Spotify. As Engelberg puts it:

The Engelberg Center had an extraordinarily high level of interest in pursuing this issue, and legal confidence in our position that would have cost an average podcaster tens of thousands of dollars to develop. That cannot be what is required to challenge the removal of a podcast episode.

Automated takedown systems are the tech industry's answer to the "notice-and-takedown" system that was invented to broker a peace between copyright law and the internet, starting with the US's 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA implements (and exceeds) a pair of 1996 UN treaties, the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the Performances and Phonograms Treaty, and most countries in the world have some version of notice-and-takedown.

Big corporate rightsholders claim that notice-and-takedown is a gift to the tech sector, one that allows tech companies to get away with copyright infringement. They want a "strict liability" regime, where any platform that allows a user to post something infringing is liable for that infringement, to the tune of $150,000 in statutory damages.

Of course, there's no way for a platform to know a priori whether something a user posts infringes on someone's copyright. There is no registry of everything that is copyrighted, and of course, fair use means that there are lots of ways to legally reproduce someone's work without their permission (or even when they object). Even if every person who ever has trained or ever will train as a copyright lawyer worked 24/7 for just one online platform to evaluate every tweet, video, audio clip and image for copyright infringement, they wouldn't be able to touch even 1% of what gets posted to that platform.

The "compromise" that the entertainment industry wants is automated takedown – a system like Content ID, where rightsholders register their copyrights and platforms block anything that matches the registry. This "filternet" proposal became law in the EU in 2019 with Article 17 of the Digital Single Market Directive:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/today-europe-lost-internet-now-we-fight-back

This was the most controversial directive in EU history, and – as experts warned at the time – there is no way to implement it without violating the GDPR, Europe's privacy law, so now it's stuck in limbo:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/05/eus-copyright-directive-still-about-filters-eus-top-court-limits-its-use

As critics pointed out during the EU debate, there are so many problems with filternets. For one thing, these copyright filters are very expensive: remember that Google has spent $100m on Content ID alone, and that only does a fraction of what filternet advocates demand. Building the filternet would cost so much that only the biggest tech monopolists could afford it, which is to say, filternets are a legal requirement to keep the tech monopolists in business and prevent smaller, better platforms from ever coming into existence.

Filternets are also incapable of telling the difference between similar files. This is especially problematic for classical musicians, who routinely find their work blocked or demonetized by Sony Music, which claims performances of all the most important classical music compositions:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/08/copyfraud/#beethoven-just-wrote-music

Content ID can't tell the difference between your performance of "The Goldberg Variations" and Glenn Gould's. For classical musicians, the best case scenario is to have their online wages stolen by Sony, who fraudulently claim copyright to their recordings. The worst case scenario is that their video is blocked, their channel deleted, and their names blacklisted from ever opening another account on one of the monopoly platforms.

But when it comes to free expression, the role that notice-and-takedown and filternets play in the creative industries is really a sideshow. In creating a system of no-evidence-required takedowns, with no real consequences for fraudulent takedowns, these systems are huge gift to the world's worst criminals. For example, "reputation management" companies help convicted rapists, murderers, and even war criminals purge the internet of true accounts of their crimes by claiming copyright over them:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/23/reputation-laundry/#dark-ops

Remember how during the covid lockdowns, scumbags marketed junk devices by claiming that they'd protect you from the virus? Their products remained online, while the detailed scientific articles warning people about the fraud were speedily removed through false copyright claims:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/18/labor-shortage-discourse-time/#copyfraud

Copyfraud – making false copyright claims – is an extremely safe crime to commit, and it's not just quack covid remedy peddlers and war criminals who avail themselves of it. Tech giants like Adobe do not hesitate to abuse the takedown system, even when that means exposing millions of people to spyware:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/13/theres-an-app-for-that/#gnash

Dirty cops play loud, copyrighted music during confrontations with the public, in the hopes that this will trigger copyright filters on services like Youtube and Instagram and block videos of their misbehavior:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/10/duke-sucks/#bhpd

But even if you solved all these problems with filternets and takedown, this system would still choke on fair use and other copyright exceptions. These are "fact intensive" questions that the world's top experts struggle with (as anyone who watches the Blurred Lines panel can see). There's no way we can get software to accurately determine when a use is or isn't fair.

That's a question that the entertainment industry itself is increasingly conflicted about. The Blurred Lines judgment opened the floodgates to a new kind of copyright troll – grifters who sued the record labels and their biggest stars for taking the "vibe" of songs that no one ever heard of. Musicians like Ed Sheeran have been sued for millions of dollars over these alleged infringements. These suits caused the record industry to (ahem) change its tune on fair use, insisting that fair use should be broadly interpreted to protect people who made things that were similar to existing works. The labels understood that if "vibe rights" became accepted law, they'd end up in the kind of hell that the rest of us enter when we try to post things online – where anything they produce can trigger takedowns, long legal battles, and millions in liability:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/08/oh-why/#two-notes-and-running

But the music industry remains deeply conflicted over fair use. Take the curious case of Katy Perry's song "Dark Horse," which attracted a multimillion-dollar suit from an obscure Christian rapper who claimed that a brief phrase in "Dark Horse" was impermissibly similar to his song "A Joyful Noise."

Perry and her publisher, Warner Chappell, lost the suit and were ordered to pay $2.8m. While they subsequently won an appeal, this definitely put the cold grue up Warner Chappell's back. They could see a long future of similar suits launched by treasure hunters hoping for a quick settlement.

But here's where it gets unbelievably weird and darkly funny. A Youtuber named Adam Neely made a wildly successful viral video about the suit, taking Perry's side and defending her song. As part of that video, Neely included a few seconds' worth of "A Joyful Noise," the song that Perry was accused of copying.

In court, Warner Chappell had argued that "A Joyful Noise" was not similar to Perry's "Dark Horse." But when Warner had Google remove Neely's video, they claimed that the sample from "Joyful Noise" was actually taken from "Dark Horse." Incredibly, they maintained this position through multiple appeals through the Content ID system:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/05/warner-chappell-copyfraud/#warnerchappell

In other words, they maintained that the song that they'd told the court was totally dissimilar to their own was so indistinguishable from their own song that they couldn't tell the difference!

Now, this question of vibes, similarity and fair use has only gotten more intense since the takedown of Neely's video. Just this week, the RIAA sued several AI companies, claiming that the songs the AI shits out are infringingly similar to tracks in their catalog:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/record-labels-sue-music-generators-suno-and-udio-1235042056/

Even before "Blurred Lines," this was a difficult fair use question to answer, with lots of chewy nuances. Just ask George Harrison:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Sweet_Lord

But as the Engelberg panel's cohort of dueling musicologists and renowned copyright experts proved, this question only gets harder as time goes by. If you listen to that panel (if you can listen to that panel), you'll be hard pressed to come away with any certainty about the questions in this latest lawsuit.

The notice-and-takedown system is what's known as an "intermediary liability" rule. Platforms are "intermediaries" in that they connect end users with each other and with businesses. Ebay and Etsy and Amazon connect buyers and sellers; Facebook and Google and Tiktok connect performers, advertisers and publishers with audiences and so on.

For copyright, notice-and-takedown gives platforms a "safe harbor." A platform doesn't have to remove material after an allegation of infringement, but if they don't, they're jointly liable for any future judgment. In other words, Youtube isn't required to take down the Engelberg Blurred Lines panel, but if UMG sues Engelberg and wins a judgment, Google will also have to pay out.

During the adoption of the 1996 WIPO treaties and the 1998 US DMCA, this safe harbor rule was characterized as a balance between the rights of the public to publish online and the interest of rightsholders whose material might be infringed upon. The idea was that things that were likely to be infringing would be immediately removed once the platform received a notification, but that platforms would ignore spurious or obviously fraudulent takedowns.

That's not how it worked out. Whether it's Sony Music claiming to own your performance of "Fur Elise" or a war criminal claiming authorship over a newspaper story about his crimes, platforms nuke first and ask questions never. Why not? If they ignore a takedown and get it wrong, they suffer dire consequences ($150,000 per claim). But if they take action on a dodgy claim, there are no consequences. Of course they're just going to delete anything they're asked to delete.

This is how platforms always handle liability, and that's a lesson that we really should have internalized by now. After all, the DMCA is the second-most famous intermediary liability system for the internet – the most (in)famous is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

This is a 27-word law that says that platforms are not liable for civil damages arising from their users' speech. Now, this is a US law, and in the US, there aren't many civil damages from speech to begin with. The First Amendment makes it very hard to get a libel judgment, and even when these judgments are secured, damages are typically limited to "actual damages" – generally a low sum. Most of the worst online speech is actually not illegal: hate speech, misinformation and disinformation are all covered by the First Amendment.

Notwithstanding the First Amendment, there are categories of speech that US law criminalizes: actual threats of violence, criminal harassment, and committing certain kinds of legal, medical, election or financial fraud. These are all exempted from Section 230, which only provides immunity for civil suits, not criminal acts.

What Section 230 really protects platforms from is being named to unwinnable nuisance suits by unscrupulous parties who are betting that the platforms would rather remove legal speech that they object to than go to court. A generation of copyfraudsters have proved that this is a very safe bet:

https://www.techdirt.com/2020/06/23/hello-youve-been-referred-here-because-youre-wrong-about-section-230-communications-decency-act/

In other words, if you made a #MeToo accusation, or if you were a gig worker using an online forum to organize a union, or if you were blowing the whistle on your employer's toxic waste leaks, or if you were any other under-resourced person being bullied by a wealthy, powerful person or organization, that organization could shut you up by threatening to sue the platform that hosted your speech. The platform would immediately cave. But those same rich and powerful people would have access to the lawyers and back-channels that would prevent you from doing the same to them – that's why Sony can get your Brahms recital taken down, but you can't turn around and do the same to them.

This is true of every intermediary liability system, and it's been true since the earliest days of the internet, and it keeps getting proven to be true. Six years ago, Trump signed SESTA/FOSTA, a law that allowed platforms to be held civilly liable by survivors of sex trafficking. At the time, advocates claimed that this would only affect "sexual slavery" and would not impact consensual sex-work.

But from the start, and ever since, SESTA/FOSTA has primarily targeted consensual sex-work, to the immediate, lasting, and profound detriment of sex workers:

https://hackinghustling.org/what-is-sesta-fosta/

SESTA/FOSTA killed the "bad date" forums where sex workers circulated the details of violent and unstable clients, killed the online booking sites that allowed sex workers to screen their clients, and killed the payment processors that let sex workers avoid holding unsafe amounts of cash:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/09/fight-overturn-fosta-unconstitutional-internet-censorship-law-continues

SESTA/FOSTA made voluntary sex work more dangerous – and also made life harder for law enforcement efforts to target sex trafficking:

https://hackinghustling.org/erased-the-impact-of-fosta-sesta-2020/

Despite half a decade of SESTA/FOSTA, despite 15 years of filternets, despite a quarter century of notice-and-takedown, people continue to insist that getting rid of safe harbors will punish Big Tech and make life better for everyday internet users.

As of now, it seems likely that Section 230 will be dead by then end of 2025, even if there is nothing in place to replace it:

https://energycommerce.house.gov/posts/bipartisan-energy-and-commerce-leaders-announce-legislative-hearing-on-sunsetting-section-230

This isn't the win that some people think it is. By making platforms responsible for screening the content their users post, we create a system that only the largest tech monopolies can survive, and only then by removing or blocking anything that threatens or displeases the wealthy and powerful.

Filternets are not precision-guided takedown machines; they're indiscriminate cluster-bombs that destroy anything in the vicinity of illegal speech – including (and especially) the best-informed, most informative discussions of how these systems go wrong, and how that blocks the complaints of the powerless, the marginalized, and the abused.

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/27/nuke-first/#ask-questions-never

Image: EFF https://www.eff.org/files/banner_library/yt-fu-1b.png

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

677 notes · View notes

lowkeyerror · 1 year ago

Text

The Family Business Ch.7

WandaNat x Reader

Word Count: 3.2k

Ch. Notes: Angst, Violence, Emotional, translations: Moye ditya= my child moye serdtse= my heart

Summary: Y/n, Wanda, and Pietro are forced to prepare for the worst after learning of the one on one meeting Dragos has set up with Kingpin.

An: Hey 🫣, Please don't be mad. It feels wrong to say I hope you enjoy this one but... I hope we can recover from this together 💜

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

The sound of your office door slamming was enough to startle some of the other employees working. You were relatively good at keeping your cool, but your skin felt like it was on fire. Your fists keep clenching and unclenching, trying to find some outlet for the anger.

Pietro and Wanda watch carefully from outside your door as you try to subdue your anger. Wanda wants to go in and comfort you, but Pietro stops her.

“She doesn’t need you to go in there and coddle her,” he speaks to his sister.

“Well, I’m not planning to just watch her like this,” Wanda tries again, but Pietro’s grip on her becomes firmer.

“Wanda she’s not the same- “

Wanda cuts him off, “Y/n told me, that anything I want to know about her can come directly from her. So, if you want to stand out here and watch her suffer, that’s on you. However, I’m checking on our friend.”

Wanda softly raps on the door before entering your office. You don’t move, it’s like she’s not even there. Not until she’s kneeling on the floor next to you. Her hand rests gently on your knee.

“Talk to me little krolik,” it’s soft, merely a suggestion. Wanda is content with the silence, but she wanted to give you the option to talk.

“Wanda she’s not in the mood to-”

Pietro is cut off, by your eyes locking on his. The gaze is harsh enough to shut him up immediately. Even though tears are building behind your eyes, anger seems to be the primary emotion coursing through your body.

“I can’t believe he’s doing this,” you speak not looking at either sibling. “It’s reckless, it’s careless, it’s naïve. Why would he put himself in danger like this? Does he not know that we need him?”

“Papa is doing what he thinks is best to avoid war,” Pietro states, though he barely believes his own words.

“Or he’s giving Kingpin the opportunity to start it with a bang,” you counter.

Wanda takes a sharp breath, “All we can do is prepare for the worst.”

“Wanda, you don’t think that papa will be, okay?” There’s something in Pietro’s tone that sounds fragile. He sounds like a scared little boy. You had almost forgotten that he could sound that way.

“We all think he’s making a mistake. There will be consequences and fallout regardless of the outcome. Papa seems to think he’s preventing a war, but the true war has already started. Kingpin is flipping our associates, encroaching on our properties, and trying to make us a non-factor. The war is here. If he does anything stupid during this meeting, we could end up without a leader.”

“Vulnerable to attacks, we could lose everything,” you add, rubbing your temples.

“What are we going to do?”

Your hand absent-mindedly finds Wanda’s that rests on your knee. You play with her digits as you speak, “If anything happens to Dragos we can’t afford to fall back or lay low. Kingpin and everyone else will assume we are weak and that would be the end of us. We’d have to make a power play, something to show that we are and always will be on top.”

Wanda takes in your features as you speak. Your eyes are hard, and your jaws clenched. There’s a vein along your neck that’s pulsing with your words. As tense as you look, there’s something so calm around you. The hand that’s playing with Wanda’s fingers moves delicately across her knuckles, a complete contrast to the rest of your body language. Wanda thinks you look like a leader.

“We can make an example out of someone?” Pietro hypothesizes.

Wanda adds in her thoughts, “Or something.”

“The docks. We’re getting out shipments primarily through planes and trains, but everyone else uses the docks,” you begin to explain.

“If we target the docks, which means people would have no choice but to come through us for their goods,” Wanda finishes your thoughts.

Pietro is in disbelief, “You guys want to blow up the docks?”

“We could blow them up or we could just make them unable to be used,” Wanda offers a different option.

“Oil spill; stopped the ports for months in California a few years back. No materials could be sent through and the stuff at the docks had to be thrown out because of contamination,” you try to suggest, but it sounds like you made up your mind.

Wanda nods, “I could send Natasha some resources and she could make this concrete enough to put into motion.”

“She’d need to have this ready in potentially 2 to 3 days. If something happens at that meeting, we will need to have this ready quickly.” You begin typing on your computer, to see if you can locate any ships transporting oil passing through in the next few days.

“What can I do?” Pietro asks.

“You need to support Natasha. Wanda’s going to be sending her a lot of information and if you’re there to go over the nuisances it’ll make things easier for everyone.”

“I can head over now,” he says, and you give him a curt nod. He leaves the room once again leaving just you and Wanda.

Wanda breaks the silence, “You’re a natural leader, little krolik.”

You blush at her words and shake your head, “I’m just trying to make sure this empire that your family built doesn’t fall apart. It’s the least I could do after all that you’ve done for me.”

“Our family; you are a part of it,” Wanda corrects you.

“Flora and Dragos are the parents that mine couldn’t be. I know they’re your actual parents and that maybe it's selfish of me to worry, but if anything were to happen to either of them; I don’t know what I’d do,” your hands shoot up to cover your eyes.

You don’t want your tears to fall in front of her. Wanda had seen you cry a lot when you were younger, softer, but this version of yourself; she didn’t cry. She was supposed to be able to hold her emotions. However, the thought of losing the man that had given her everything in this world, was terrifying to her.

Wanda is gentle as she runs a hand through your hair, “It’s a scary thought, losing mama or papa. I’ve thought about it a lot, and it never becomes less scary. The only thing that helps is that I know I won’t have to feel this way on my own.”

“I hate that we have to talk about him like he’s already dead,” your hands stay over your eyes.

“Me too.”

Wanda’s hand in your hair is the only thing keeping you from breaking down. The speaker in your office breaks the building silence.

“Y/n, I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Maximoff has just left,” you hear Kate’s voice announce.

“Thanks for letting me know Katie,” you answer her, as you feel the gravity of the situation set in.

“Y/n… there’s a car in the parking garage with his destination programmed into the GPS,” Kate gives you the information and your ears perk up.

“Kate, did you-”

“Perks of setting up a meeting is knowing exactly where it is. If you go now, you can tail him at a respectable distance just to make sure he’s safe.”

You waste no time getting out of your seat, “God Katie, you’re the best.”

“Anything for you Y/nn and anything for the family of course.”

With Pietro already out of the office, it would be just Wanda and yourself tailing Dragos. When you got to the car Kate had ready for you, Wanda offers to drive. You let her and take the passenger seat quickly texting Pietro the location of the meeting but telling him to stay put unless you message him again.

Your leg bounces recklessly as Wanda drives. The nerves you worked hard to tame seem to be back in full force. The ride feels uncharacteristically quiet, but there isn’t much to say.

“So, you and Kate?” Wanda breaks the silence.

If you weren’t so stressed maybe you’d laugh, “You sound just like your wife. Kate is just my friend, that’s all.”

“I’m just curious. You’ve grown into quite the young women, I’m sure you’ve had a long line of lovers,” Wanda speaks nonchalantly.

You can feel your ears heat at her comment, “I’ve been on some dates, but they don’t usually stick around.”

Wanda’s eyebrows raise as she keeps eye focus on the road, “My little krolik is a player then?”

You sputter, “I am not.”

“It sounds to me like you go on few dates, get what you want, and move on to the next,” Wanda’s eyes cut briefly to you.

“You need to stop getting information about me from Pietro, he’s delusional,” you shake your head, face nearly red with embarrassment.

“Then enlighten me.”

You sigh, “I go on the date, it’s just fine, and then I go another date. It’s just that simple.”

“You sound rather unhappy with that.”

You shrug, “This line of work, it’s dangerous. Anything can happen to me, and I have to date someone that I think could handle that. If I don’t think they can, then dating them would be a waste of both of our time. Not all of us can find a hot Russian spy.”

Wanda’s hand rests on your knee, “I suppose not, but I know there’s someone out there for you. You’ve always been a catch Y/n, anyone would be lucky to have you.”

It was easier to run with the narrative that there were other fish in the sea when Wanda wasn’t around. Having her back here was stirring up emotions inside of you. You thought that your liking to Wanda was simply teenage hormones, but you aren’t a teenager anymore. It’s been two days of having Wanda back and you can feel your feelings for her returning in full force.

“Less on my love life, and more on protecting Dragos,” you refocus on the task at hand.

When you’re close to the location, you recognize it as an abandoned construction site. You can see two other cars parked side by side further ahead.

“Park there,” you point out a secluded area where the car won’t be spotted.

Wanda does as you say. As soon as the car stops, you’re exiting it. In your heart you want to run to search for Dragos, but professionally you know that’s not the call.

You and Wanda walk cautiously though the site, the sand around made the walking a more difficult than solid concrete.

You went to take a step, but Wanda’s hand on your shoulder pulls you down into a crouching position. Following her line of sight, you see Dragos and Kingpin talking. You can’t necessarily hear them, but you can tell it’s not a pleasant conversation.

You look around hoping to find a spot close enough to hear, but not close enough to draw attention to yourself. Before you can find anything, Wanda’s hand slips in yours and she’s tugging you along.

She finds a spot with the criteria you were looking for. You two can now hear the conversation between the two men.

“Wilson, I’m telling you, you don’t want this war,” Dragos tries to reason with the man.

“Why not, Maximoff? I ain’t got nothing to lose, but I’ve got everything to gain,” his laugh makes your hand twitch.

You could pull out your gun right now and shoot Fisk in the head. Your hand goes to grab your gun, but Wanda stops you. She’s not even looking at you. Her eyes are scanning around, to make sure you are the only other people here.

“Fisk, I will put you down if you step out of line again.”

“With what army old man? I’ve been taking your allies and gathering your enemies. Step down gracefully and maybe I’ll let you keep some of your business,” Fisk takes a step towards Dragos.

“You’re not taking the empire that I built.”

He sticks out his pinky, showing off his big ring, “It’s time to kiss the ring, Maximoff. It’s time for the kingpin to take his rightful spot at the head of the table.”

“Over my dead body,” Dragos doesn’t back down.

“I knew you would say something like that.”

It happens fast. The gun goes off and instinctively your hand goes over Wanda’s mouth. The cry that was leaving her lips died in it’s spot. Fisk aims his gun again at Dragos’s head but before he can pull the trigger, your other hand starts to shoot at him.

Your hands are shaking, but the shots are enough to cause Kingpin to run away.

“Call the police, go check on him. I’m chasing the bastard,” you don’t give her a chance to protest.

By the time you get back to where the cars were parked, Kingpin’s car is gone. You can’t help it but slam your fist against the nearest pole. You run back to where Wanda is.

Once your next to Wanda and Dragos you take a knee. The man is struggling to breathe with a bullet lodged into his sternum. Wanda shakes as she runs her fingers through his hair and tells him he will be ok.

You’re trying to stay strong, but the tears have already begun to fall. Dragos hand reaches for yours and you let him take it. His grip is weak, and it causes you to lose your composure.

“Papa, I’m sorry- I should’ve shot faster,” you speak what could possibly be your last words to the man who had given you a better life.

He looks at Wanda and then at you. It’s mangled, but he says, “T-take care o-of each other."

“Papa these are not your final words, stop acting like they are. The paramedics are coming, you are going to leave. You have to live,” Wanda snaps at the man.

“You’re m-mother will ne-ver forgive me f-for this,” he wheezes.

“As long as you're breathing, she will forgive you,” you respond.

He laughs but ends up coughing up his own blood. Dragos squeezes your hand, “I’m proud- of both of y-you. Wanda, moye serdtse I- have always believed in y-you. Y/n, moye ditya, I loved b-being your Papa.”

You see his eyes fluttering and you make eye contact with Wanda, “How long did they say Wanda?”

“30 minutes.”

You shake you head, “That’s not fast enough. We have to go now.”

“Y/n-"

“We don’t have time to argue, Wanda. Help me lift him,” you say steeling your nerves.

“Y/n we-”

“HELP ME LIFT HIM.” You weren’t asking anymore.

You start to lift the older man hearing him groan slightly. It’s a good sign, he’s still living. Wanda helps reluctantly. Once you’re at the car, you’re sweating, but you keep moving. You lay him across the back seat.

“You stay in the back with him,” you tell Wanda, getting in the driver’s seat.

As soon as she’s in the car you step on the gas. It’s something akin to the high-speed chase but the stakes are higher. You swerve through traffic and backstreets as much as you can. Adrenaline was pumping through your veins. All you could think about was saving Dragos.

“Wanda, how is he?” You call back to her knowing you had about 5 minutes until the hospital.

“His breaths are shallow Y/n. His eyes are closing,” she updates you with a shaky voice.

“Papa, Wanda’s going to squeeze your hand, squeeze back if you can. Keep squeezing until we get you there,” Your voice is raised but you aren’t yelling.

Wanda puts her hand in her father’s. He squeezes it gently, the pressure is weak, but it’s there.

You continue to swerve around traffic but each minute his grasp grows weaker. You pull into the emergency parking section at the hospital and start to scream for help.

People start to crowd around your car, and everything seems like it’s moving too fast. People are getting Dragos from your car. Wanda is in hysterics as it seems like dozens of people start wheeling her father away. You sit at the wheel of the car unable to move, unable to think.

You make the calls, so Wanda doesn’t have to. It doesn’t take long for the family to get to the hospital. They’re all wrecks. The Maximoff’s all have identical puffy red eyes as they hope to hear something from the doctor.

“You aren’t going to sit with them,” It’s Natasha who takes a seat next to you.

You shake your head, “I can’t, not right now. They need their space.”

“You’ve shed just as many tears as them lisichka,” Natasha cautiously brings her finger to your face wiping a stray tear.

“You should be comforting your wife, not me,” you say to her.

“She’s not the one sitting away from her family mourning alone when it isn’t necessary,” Natasha stands and extends her hand to you.

For awhile you just stare, but she’s unrelenting. You sigh taking her hand, it’s not soft like you expected it to be. It’s a little rough and warm, but it brings you comfort all the same.

Natasha sits next to Wanda, and you take a seat next to Pietro. Instantly his arm wraps around your shoulder pulling you close. The action breaks you as you bury your head into his chest and begin to silently sob.

He places a kiss on the top of your head and rubs your back. It makes you feel like a kid again. It had been so long since you needed something like this. The adrenaline was wearing off and all you were left with was an empty feeling.

You start to mumble that you’re sorry against your friend as your body softly shakes.

“Sweetheart, look at me,” Flora calls to you from her seat next to Pietro.

You do as she says, “This isn't your fault. There's nothing you could've done.”

You open your mouth to protest, but the woman gives you a stern look. It quiets you, but you continue to feel guilty.

“Stop thinking so much. We don't know anything until the doctors tell us,” You wipe your tears at her words.

“Yes, mama,” you say it without realizing and when you do, your face heats up.

Flora opens her arms for you, and you switch from Pietro to her. Her hug is warm and strong. She wipes the tears from your face and looks at you with caring eyes.

“Everything will be ok moye ditya,” her words bring you great comfort.

“Family of Dragos Maximoff,” the doctor calls out and you all stand swiftly.

This is the moment of truth. You pray that you acted fast enough; that he would be ok. The somber look on the doctor’s face crushes those dreams instantly.

Taglist: @natashaswife4125 @autorasexy @alexawynters @blkmxrvel @toouncreativeforausername @likemick @sgm616 @bstvst @dorabledewdroop @sapphic-simp4015 @natty-taffy @justarandomreaderxoxo @mmmmokdok

#lowkeyerror #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff imagine #wandanat x reader #wandanat #pietro maximoff

422 notes · View notes

kxlluaz · 1 month ago

Text

on my first rewatch of étoile and during episode 2 when Jack is telling Cheyenne she can't "come to new york and piss off the entire company in one fell swoop" (something around those lines, close to verbatim) I remembered how sometime after this moment is when Tobias over in Paris practically does the same thing, calling the entire French company to rehearsal just to not cast all of them and Geneviève says something nearly identical to him. I think its really cool how Tobias and Cheyenne are simultaneously opposites and parallels, kind of like a path forking in the road that leads to two very different outcomes (at least so far).

For different reasons and under different circumstances, they are both incredibly passionate about the work they do, in the sense that they are very particular about their personal art and will prioritize it over everything else. But the reason they turn out rather differently despite starting so similar is because Tobias gets someone in his life who is willing to support him how he needs in order to be freed from the pressures that are making it hard for him to do what he loves. Most people aren't willing to *learn* Tobias and work with him. When Gabin does, it also helps Tobias to start getting better at doing the same, to being more receptive to the collaborative aspect of art.

Side note, I know just how hard this is also as an autistic person who works in live entertainment tech. As much as I enjoy "working with others," it has taken me *years* to make progress in actually working WITH others and not just working around or near them. I can get so caught up in my personal vision of the way things "need to be" or "should be," and forget that the work I do and love inherently *needs* the ideas and experience of many, and is also all the more amazing for it.

But back to Cheyenne. Cheyenne has a similar mentality about the art she creates, like Tobias-- again, with many other factors involved, but what I'm trying to get at is they both come across the same way to most people in the show. She too feels more and more hopeless about the work she does. She explicitly states that she does not enjoy or love it, but it is her calling in this world, her obligation. What she was born to do. Tobias and Cheyenne both have a passion for what they do, and lose it more throughout the show. But where Tobias' love for his work is reinstilled through the support of another, Cheyenne's pressures are furthered and her turmoil worsens. She is not shown understanding or support, but rather her concerns are brushed off (i.e. the slip) and expectations are worsened. Cheyenne doesn't get a Gabin in her life who is willing to stick around, understand her, and help her change.

In the case of the job offer, she's ecstatic discovering something that she feels will rekindle her love for dance. She realizes how she can channel her passion in a way that *she* enjoys and is much healthier for her (physically and mentally). But ultimately, she's the one who gets shit from everyone else involved, despite doing nothing wrong. Geneviève only sees Cheyenne as her étoile, as her top dancer that makes the National money. Once Nicholas recovers, Jack rescinds the offer, understandably so, but he could've avoided getting Cheyenne caught in these crossfires in the first place had he waited to ask her until Nicholas had passed. He's also upset at Cheyenne, for making Geneviève upset at him, and ultimately Geneviève and Jack act like a divorced couple using their child as an outlet for their frustrations with one another. Don't even get me started on Gael just being... Gael. Love him in some ways, but he really could've handled things with Cheyenne better to say the least. Basically, Cheyenne is trying to make herself happy while also being obligated to make everyone else happy, and since it's impossible to please everyone, is turned against entirely instead AND loses the singular light at the end of the tunnel she found. Cheyenne's crash out was so incredibly valid, and it was so heartbreaking to see her get an entirely different outcome from Tobias at the end of season 1, having both started from the exact same spot and being taken in the exact opposite directions.

All this is to say, I really hope Cheyenne gets in season 2 what Tobias got for season 1: somebody to offer her a hand to pull herself up with, to help her take the first step so she can continue the journey.

I know I had a lot more evidence and points to make, like the choreographer for I Married Myself, but I've been pacing in my kitchen typing this for the past half hour and still have episode 2 paused in front of my dinner. I can GLADLY talk about this more and in more detail, since there really is so much to unpack with Tobias and Cheyenne's characters and how they're treated so differently due to their occupational roles (and, dare I say, genders and perceived neurotypes as well). But for now, to those of you who got this far, I hope you enjoyed this accidental mini-character-analysis-rant. Go watch étoile. Or watch it again like me if you already finished it.

114 notes · View notes

jadiealissia · 1 year ago

Text

Worldbuilding Countries (Part 1)

I've lived in and visited a few countries in my life, which gave me a lot of inspiration for my fantasy novel. I'm not an expert, but I thought I'd share what I learned!

Climate

The climate will most likely come up at some point. Do you mention the cool breeze, or the orange leaves on the trees? All those nice weather descriptions will depend on the climate!

If you have a couple of different countries, it may be a little weird if they all have the same climate (especially if they are far away from each other), so there's a few things you can consider to make them a bit more specific.

Climate is of course a very complicated topic, so I will simplify it a bit.

Temperature

I like to pick a real country/city and look at its temperature graphs on Wikipedia. One important thing to note is that countries aren't simply colder/warmer than one another. I know a lot of people think that a country like Russia is cold all year round, but it is actually quite warm in summer. Some areas have a larger variation between temperature throughout the year than others (normally, the closer to the equator a country is, the less variation there is. They also tend to be warmer).

Look at Singapore:

The temperatures are basically stable all year round (the letters up top are the months). The numbers are the average minimum and maximum daily temperatures. You can see that on average the variation every day is less than 10°C.

Here is Moscow:

The temperature changes quite a lot throughout the year. Note that the maximum temperatures (summer) will occur at the opposite times of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.

You can see this demonstrated in Copiapo (Chile):

This city is in the Southern hemisphere, so their coldest months are June and July :)

One thing you may have noticed is that the bars here are taller, which means that the variation for the daily min and max are higher too. Why is that? I'm simplifying it a bit, but generally, the dryer a place is, the more variation you will get in daily temperature. Which brings us to the next thing to consider:

Humidity/Precipitation

There are a few things to consider:

Rainfall. This can vary month-by-month, and due to some complicated factors, some countries have more rain in their colder months, some have more rain in their warmer months. Some places don't follow a neat pattern or stay consistent throughout the year. Have a look at climate pages on Wikipedia to get some ideas! Even just this page on Chile has a lot of cool examples. Each city is quite different!

Although of course the "wetness" of a country related to rainfall (e.g. you'd expect greener grass somewhere with more rainfall, brownish dry grass or a desert somewhere with less rainfall), it's not that simple. UK is a wet country, right? And if you've heard of Gold Coast (Australia) it seems pretty dry, right? Well, actually the Gold Coast gets twice as much precipitation (rain) as London!

To demonstrate, I took a screenshot (randomly selected street in each city) from Google Streetview.

Why this difference? I suspect it's because the Gold Coast is much hotter. Living in Australia, puddles are normally gone by the next day (often the rain even evaporates as it hits the ground!), but in UK, the puddles would always stay around for a while.

The UK is always mossy, often the clouds hang in the sky for ages. It can look quite grey. When it rains in the Gold Coast in summer, the raindrops evaporate as soon as they hit the pavement, which makes the air feel very humid and smell strongly of rain. You can use these sorts of sensory details in your stories :)

Also, one thing I noticed, is that in hotter weather, rain can be much more heavy than in colder weather. In Australia we often get heavy rain that causes flooding. In UK the rain usually dribbles all day but doesn't get heavy. In a place like the Gold Coast you can get rain that last 10 minutes but soaks you all the way through and floods the street.

The rainfall may also vary year-by-year. Australia goes through periods of floods and droughts that last a couple of years. The mechanism is a bit complicated so I won't go through it now, but it gives you something to google!

Humidity: Deserts have low humidity, which means that you can cool off more easily in the shade and the nights are colder. The breeze feels more refreshing at low humidity as your sweat evaporates.

High humidity (like Singapore) will feel much hotter at the same temperatures and it is normally still quite hot in the shade. High humidity feels really muggy, the air feels thick. The sweat doesn't evaporate as much, so you are left all wet and sticky. The breeze can feel much less refreshing because of this.

When the temperature is below freezing, the humidity gets very low, so your skin may need more moisturiser or your lips may crack.

Those are just some things to consider while describing your weather!

Generally, closer to the sea will be wetter, further inland is dryer. Have a look at some climate maps on Wikipedia, you will learn a lot! Climate is quite complicated since there are so many factors, so there's a lot you can do with it.

UV: This is one thing that people often forget about when they think about weather. In the UK, even on a very hot and sunny day, you are unlikely to get sunburnt (unless you are very pale). In Australia, you can get sunburnt very easily in even Tasmania, which is our coldest state, even when the temperatures are chilly.

You can't actually feel being sunburnt, which I fully understood when I visited Tasmania. I was freezing, but the whole time I was being sunburnt.

Normally, UV index is higher closer to the equator, which is why people who live closer to the equator tend to have darker skin. The melanin acts as protection against the sun. Still, this protection isn't perfect, so in the real world people in Africa used different methods to protect their skin, such as using clay as a "sunscreen".

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. This is partially because most people in Australia have pale skin (originally from the UK), but the UV index is high.

This is something to consider in your story, since it can play a bigger role in behaviour than you'd expect if you live in a cold climate. In Australia, they recommend staying indoors between certain hours of the day to avoid sunburn, and if you do go out you should wear clothes that cover your skin, a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen. Someone with very pale skin can get sunburnt in minutes. Wide-brimmed hats are compulsory at schools in Australia - you are not allowed to play if you forget your hat.

In low-UV areas, there is the opposite issue. People with darker skin can have problems getting vitamin D. Same goes for people who cover their skin with clothing (e.g. for religious reasons). However, this is a bit simpler to fix with some vitamin D supplements.

How do I use this for worldbuilding?

If you have a map of your countries, you may want to keep their location in mind when deciding on the climate :)

I like to draw up some graphs with the temperatures throughout the year for each country and some quick notes on the humidity, rainfall and UV.

You can also add some other elements to your story. Is it a fantasy? Maybe magic affects the weather! Sci-fi? You can play with the distance of the planet from the sun, axial tilt, sun size etc. (I won't go into that since it's a whole another topic and really complicated as well)

You probably don't need to know the exact details of the climate for most stories, but having a general idea will allow you to consistently describe what sorts of clothing your characters wear, the weather etc. Those are the sorts of things that comes up in almost every story (if it's long enough).

If you read this and found this useful, please reblog so I know that it was helpful. If it seems like people enjoyed this post, I will make more (I was going to talk about so much more, but this is already too long).

#writeblr #writeblr community #creative writing #world building #writing tips #writing resources #writing advice #how to write #fantasy #science fiction #climate #writing #novel writing #comic writing #worldbuilding #fantasy worldbuilding #fantasy world #writing community #writer stuff

346 notes · View notes

writingslob · 2 months ago

Text

TO BE THE LAST CHILD OF KRYPTON

[TO BE HERO X] x [SUPERMAN! GENDER-NEUTRAL READER]

"Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear... until my dream of a world where dignity, honor, and justice become the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever."

- Superman (What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?)

Warning: This was written before ep. 4 was released.

Author’s note: This is mainly supposed to be a one-shot, but if this gets enough attention, I can be persuaded to do another, hehe. .

Ma was a hero.

A fairly high level one—considering the times and temperament against women in hero spaces. She was known and Trusted by the people, and from what little you can gather, one day at her peak, she left. Without a note or goodbye, she simply left and ran to a nowhere town in Kansas, where she met Pa.

It was a scandal—not that she left, but the fact that heroes can up and leave without a word, leaving their cities unprotected. Back in that era, heroes weren't as common as they are now. Or, in Ma’s words, ‘-weren’t sprouting like weeds in someone’s backyard.’

“But Ma, isn’t it good that there are more heroes now?”

She grimaced, her coffee tilting slightly in her calloused hands. “Well, yes, honey, on rice paper it is. But you also have to factor in quality over quantity. But that’s another can of worms. Finish your cereal, your pa’s taking you to school.”

“Yay! No bus!”

As the years went by, her fame—and subsequently Trust—plummeted so far that she is only remembered as a cautionary tale for the higher-ups in not having an airtight contract and a weak surveillance team. On her end, she is still the strongest woman in your life, but it is slightly painful to see her struggle to lift up a few boxes without throwing her back out.

You have always been curious about this part of Ma’s life—how couldn’t you be? To be a hero was every kid’s dream, and you were no exception. So to learn one day that your Ma—the hero of your life—was also a hero to so many others was mind-blowing!

Remembering those days brings you faint embarrassment, as you can admit now that you were a terror, stalking Ma everywhere, hounding her with questions, and breaking down her walls before she finally agreed to tell you a few stories in exchange for you going back to bed and stopping standing in the corner like a bat.

Thinking back, you, as the naive kid you were, thought that she was just embarrassed or that there was some secret adult rule that you had to keep your cool past a secret from your kids, lest the boogeyman come out or something. Now, as the fresh-out-of-uni 22-year-old adult who is way in over their head in a new country. You can see now that it wasn’t out of embarrassment or some fantastical rule- but fear.

“[Name], promise me something.”

Her hand gripped tightly on your shoulders as she kneeled down to eye level with you—somewhere you note that if you were normal, it probably would’ve hurt, her nails digging into your skin.

“What is it, Ma?”

“Promise me that you won’t become a hero.”

“Why—?”

“PROMISE ME!” She all but screamed, and at the time, her eyes scared you, but you can see now they were filled with desperation, desperate for her kid to not go the same path she did. “Please.” It was the tone that did it for you—that quiet, defeated tone that made you say—

“I promise.”

It’s been a few years since that moment, 14 to be exact, and as you stare down a burning building—just a block down from your own shitty apartment—you can’t help but remember that moment in startling clarity. The firefighters are rushing in in droves, trying to save as many as they can, but they can’t hear like you—they can’t hear the wailing sobs of a tiny girl at the very top of the building, and no matter how much trust you have in them, you know in your heart they won’t save her in time.

There’s a suit in your apartment, something you found in the pod that brought you here. It’s bright red, blue, and yellow—something ripped straight out of those 30s comic books, and you have been hiding it in your bedroom ever since.

‘You can go grab it; there’s still time to save the girl.’

But then you would be betraying Ma.

‘No one will know. Not even Ma’

The girl's cries were getting weaker, and the firefighters were consoling the devastated mother instead of getting in there and helping.

The next few moments were a blur. All you can remember is the feel of the fabric hugging your body snug like a second skin, the lingering smell of smoke and ashes in your nostrils, and the warmth of the girl in your hands as you passed her to her mother and the paramedics.

There were lights, too many of them. You can recall turning to see the source only for them to be the paparazzi and journalists—ironically from the same company you work for, The Daily Planet.

They asked if you are affiliated with any hero agencies, and while you can’t remember your exact words—your head stuck in clouds of smoke—you do remember directing them to the true heroes, the firefighters who did 99% of the work, and that you were no hero.

Now, a few weeks since the incident, you can’t help but cringe at that moment and the docs in front of you.

THE DAILY PLANET

A NEW HERO OR A NEW STUNT!?

It has been 6 weeks since this so-called ‘Not-Hero’ made their pathetic daring debut, rescuing 6-year-old Xiao Min, who was trapped in a burning building. Of course, let’s not forget the fact that the firefighters were the ones who really helped out and are the real heroes, while I’m just a coward. Since then, the ‘Not-Hero’ has been seen across the city helping the elderly cross the road I wonder if Miss Cheng's hip surgery went well and rescuing stray cats from trees.

The community has taken to calling them SUPERMAN due to the giant S on their chest not the most creative name, but better than Firm-man (no offense.) But there has been speculation amongst the people that ‘Not-Hero’ or SUPERMAN is nothing more than a publicity stunt from a new and upcoming hero agency, and today I will prove or disprove that SUPERMAN is a publicity stunt|

”You should rewrite that last line.”

You knew he was coming a mile away, but you were still startled at the sound of his voice from behind. “Ah-! Oh, um.” You stammer, turning your chair to him. He’s a handsome guy, if a bit unassuming—tall with black hair and long legs. The most notable thing about him is his glasses.

He peers down at you. “You already used the word ‘stunt.’ You should change it so it’s not as boring.” He explains, taking a sip of his pop.

You turn back to your docs. “Oh! Yeah, no, that’s a good idea. Thank you, Mr-!” But when you turn back around, he’s already walking away to the elevator. A few others also get up to leave, and you note from the corner of your eye that it's 12 pm. Lunch break.

”Huh, weird guy,” you mutter to yourself before promptly forgetting him in favor of imagining the lunch you’ll get in the canteen. Craving a hot, crispy Rou Jia Mo or a good, hearty bowl of wonton soup, you get up and head towards the stairs, not knowing what lies ahead of you.

“So, you have new information regarding our new resident enigma, Superman?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, out with it! What information do you have that was so important you had to call me directly?!”

“Trust does not affect Superman.”

“…what.”

#to be hero x #tbhx #superman #reader insert #gender neutral reader #x reader

34 notes · View notes

armadillo-arts · 4 days ago

Note

So, I'm gonna preface this ask by saying: the beautiful Pony!Calamity Trio art you did on the Amphibia shared-canvas-thing got me thinking A LOT about the finer details of the Trio as Ponies–

That being said, after spending far too long pondering the subject myself, I'm curious— do you have any ideas for what the Trio's names would be as Ponies?

— @knave-of-clubs

(doodles in question for those who weren’t on this aggie a while back)

thank you!! they were fun to design! i have colored fullbodies of their show-age designs in the works too (sasha’s is done, marcy’s is lined, anne’s is sketched), so i wanted to try out rough concepts for their future designs as well. i’m sure i’ll make fullbody refs for their timeskip designs too at some point, though these are just kind of a “whenever i feel like it” project more than something actually on my to-do list, so not sure when that’ll be. i HAVE to make a darcy design too tho, it just sounds like the coolest thing ever.

the designs were mostly just for fun, so i don’t have a lot of the details figured out about the au as a whole, except that their species were chosen to align the “hierarchy” of their respective amphibians with the “hierarchy” of the pony species. plus they just fit the vibes this way.

it seems like it would be pretty similar to the show, honestly. they would still look just as weird to the amphibians as they did as humans, and the plot and character arcs wouldn’t change much from thinking off the top of my head. andrias’ desire for human tech would be a moot point because ponies don’t rely on tech of the same kind/the same way, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t absolutely find use of the ponies’ magic, especially if he found a way to harness it. i can see him really being intrigued by it after befriending marcy and seeing the power she holds in her horn even while possessed by the core (especially since unicorn marcy is likely to be incredibly gifted in magic)

i don’t think anne would gain her wings and horn when using her partial powers throughout tc and s3, but i think it makes sense/would be cool for the calamity powers to grant all three of them temporary alicorn status when fully activated. “the powers must stack when used in tandem! classic synergy buff” as marcy would put it. but the power isn’t everything, of course, and anne’s heart and sacrifice are still the factors that ultimately win the war for them.

as for names, i’ve thought some about it but haven’t really gotten to any definitive conclusions. their warrior cat names came to me pretty instinctively but pony names feel much harder 😭

it would be really cool if each of them had something tying back their calamity trait ingrained in their names from the start, tying them to the prophecy long before they became remotely aware of it, but i’m not sure what words would make the names still sound natural and not obvious. ofc the prophecy’s not the only substantial thing about them and shouldn’t define them, it’s just cool in a “woooaahh it’s always been our destiny” kind of way. but not sold on it bc i can’t come up with any particular ideas lmao, plus i was already planning on incorporating the “three stars” part of it into each of their cutie marks so it’s not a concept i’ll likely likely end up sticking with. but as for specific thoughts for each girl, here’s where i’m at:

• i can see the “bright” from waybright being used as part of sasha’s name, and can see it suiting her. i feel like a fiery, warm, powerful feeling to her name in general suits her really well, both pre and post-redemption. she’s a protector at heart, it just takes her a while to learn to do it right, and that feels like it should reflect in her name. bright, wing, ember, blaze, flame, spark, etc. are all words i’ve considered for her, just haven’t settled on anything that really feels like her yet even though she’s the one i have the most ideas for

• anne is transfem to me in every universe, so her name needs to feel to me like something she would pick herself. pretty and feminine but not dainty. maybe floral. Lilypad Lotus is where i’m leaning. lotus like in my warrior name for her ties her back to her thai culture again which i’m also all for, and it just really suits her. i can also see her liking lilypad as part of her name, chosen before amphibia just because she thought it was pretty. her being kind of inexplicably drawn to it, only for the tangential relation to frogs to become such a massive part of her identity later. her “first name” being her own like in the show with her “last name” still being hers but also a draw back to her heritage, which would no doubt be different as a pony, but still could parallel the thai culture as much as possible

• marcy on the other hand has me completely stuck. she feels like she should be easy, but she isn’t. her character is too big to simplify her name down to her hobbies and interests like some pony names. the principles i used choosing her warrior name don’t really align here, because her warrior name is sparrowflight but she’s not a pegasus, so it doesn’t feel correct. i’d like some option where she can keep her plethora of nicknames (mar-mar, marbles, marshmallow, etc. having marble in her name somewhere might even be good), because that way she’d also have some tie back to her human name like if we were to use bright and lotus. some sort of name highlighting her intelligence feels right (i would probably say “bright” if it didn’t feel more right to give that to sasha), but it’s also not her only characteristic and shouldn’t be treated like all she’s good for, so it would have to be a healthy combination. a name highlighting her energy and hyperactivity as well makes sense pre-amphibia, but she definitely mellows out a lot after, so it would still need to be flexible enough to still feel like marcy at every period in her life. she’s still excitable and bouncy (eventually), but she’s an artist— she does Not have that kind of energy anymore 💀 we don’t know how connected to her culture she is, but we know she’s canonically fluent in mandarin at the very least, so there’s definitely a case to be made for choosing a taiwanese/chinese-inspired name somewhere in hers too, though i wouldn’t have any ideas without doing some more research first. and the whole thing gets even MORE complicated when you realize her name has to easily change to something else to become darcy’s name. there’s so many angles you could take marcy’s name in that there really doesn’t feel like an obvious answer

i’m definitely open to name suggestions for all three and cutie mark ideas for marcy and sasha (i already have one for anne. vague idea for sasha that i may just need to develop more, but once again stuck on marcy) if anyone has other ideas! i have a lot of fun making crossovers like this so i’m happy to receive more potential inspiration lmao

#asks #armadillo art #art backlog #technically i guess??#never posted it elsewhere tho #amphibia #calamity trio #sashannarcy #anne boonchuy #marcy wu #sasha waybright #mlp #mlp:fim #darcy wu #the core

32 notes · View notes

songsofadelaide · 4 months ago

Text

"And now I'm running with my dress unbuttoned, screaming 'But Daddy I love him!'. I'm having his baby— No, I'm not, but you should see your faces. I'm telling him to floor it through the fences... No, I'm not coming to my senses. I know he's crazy but he's the one I want."

Continuation of this piece.

Growing up with a supermodel mother meant it was only a matter of time before he was thrust into the spotlight as well. Satoru knew that much from the moment he was able to think for himself. He wasn't the daughter his mother pined for, but she loved him so, so much because he was just as pretty as she always hoped for. She only stopped working a short while after giving birth before launching herself head-on to more and more modelling gigs until her previous natural rhythm returned.

And when his mother started bringing him along to her stints like a little pet puppy to be fawned over, he learned to weaponize his pretty blue eyes so similar to hers and won the hearts of the photography crew— all just by playfully batting his feathery lashes at them.

Sometimes he regrets playing into his mother's hands like that, but like any other kid who loved seeing their mother happy, he easily agreed to every simple gig she booked for him. It started small at first— posing with her for magazine photoshoots until they became full-blown endorsements for kids' milk, toys, children's clothes... and eventually, the runway, too. Articles have been written about him even before he had a better grasp at reading, hailing him as the son of modelling royalty.

Sometimes he dreamed of a more normal life for himself. A life where his mother retired from modelling early and married into a quiet family. Her best friend did just that exactly and was completely happy with her life at present...

But no, his mother married into a wealthy family of old money and thought it was only fitting since she was a well-sought-after treasure. How narcissistic, Satoru can't help but think to himself at times. For someone whose only redeeming factor was her physical appearance— which declined in age— his mother was incredibly self-absorbed. Sometimes he wonders if he will grow up to be just like her.

He hopes not.

Because there were nights he and his mother were simply normal people, not supermodels on top of the world. She was just his mother, not supermodel Arisu Gojo. On those nights, his mother was allowed a bit more sweet wine than what was usually allowed. On those nights, he was just a kid playing house with the child of his mother's best friend in the entire world. On those nights, there was you, his only friend outside the modelling world and entertainment industry, and you were his favorite, too, just like how his mother adored yours.

Oh, Satoru adored you, all right. He realized as he grew older that he was incredibly similar to his mother in terms of being spoiled rotten. He grew into his image as the nation's sweetheart, an affable public figure who charmed everyone he encountered, but reared a whole other person whenever his family had its regular wine and dines with yours. He would march into your room like it was the most natural thing and demand you drop whatever it was you were doing because Satoru the star was in the house(!).

And surprisingly, you agreed with everything he said because you liked him just as much. Just as you were his favorite friend, he was yours.

You somewhat felt sorry for him since he didn't have the conventional childhood like you did, but seeing him having the time of his life on print ads and TV commercials, you thought he had fun on his own terms, too. At school, you would hear your female classmates gush at how perfect the nation's sweetheart was, and it instilled in you a sick sense of twisted pride at knowing him personally— who he was behind the glamorous scenes— and how terribly spoiled he was by your family.

When your classmates at school once asked what you thought about him, you played it cool by saying, "He's okay, I guess..." Only for that "okay" guy to be in your bedroom that very night asking for head pats because "the photoshoots are turning into a real drag!".

Your classmates didn't have to know the whole thing.

As you two grew older, the time you spent together grew less and less. Words even fewer. Until it all came to a head when you turned sixteen and Satoru pushed you away so hard that you held back tears. He didn't know what came over him back then, but he stopped coming over to your room afterwards. You figured he had already outgrown the setup. You two were teenagers now, for pity's sake. You would've accepted that as fact if he spoke about it, but his vanishing act left you perplexed.

Only he didn't vanish. He was everywhere— on the cover of popular teen magazines, that soda commercial on TV, fronting promotional material for high-end clothing and expensive mobile phones on social media... He's the son of modelling royalty, after all. For the last three years, he accepted project after project after project and still went on those shared family dinners like nothing happened between you two.

But there was something. He knew his old man meant well when he spoke about propriety between the two of you, but he didn't just like you as a friend at this point. Those dinners weren't complete for him without seeing your face, regardless of whether or not you hated him for leaving you so puzzled. So when you stopped showing up or heading down later than usual, he knew he had to do something.

"...ask Toru to call her downstairs! I haven't seen that girl for quite some time now! Has she been..."

"...with university lately. There's this boy, too. Her classmate, I think..."

The older women's conversation faded in his head the moment your mother mentioned a boy— a classmate— and just how close the two of you have grown while you were in university. Good grief. He couldn't handle it. He couldn't.

You were supposed to be his.

He made his way to your room upstairs, ready to speak about how the last three years were torment— About how his father's bullshit called him out because it was clear to the old man that his son looked at his friend differently now—

Then he heard them. The faintest of whimpers from your bedroom. And if he was right in his head, his name left your lips, too.

He wasn't going to let go of this.

You opened your bedroom door with your face still flushed and your clothes all rumpled, and you nearly shut him out in panic if he didn't wedge his foot in your door. "Wait a moment. I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

He stepped in, only because you allowed him to, and the sound of your door locking behind you was muted as you busily smoothed out your clothes.

"What do you want to talk about, Satoru?"

Ouch. You used to call him Toru with the sweetest voice. The way you said his name now made his heart clench uncomfortably, almost like it physically hurt him.

"I missed you."

???

"The hell are you saying? After... after that... Are you serious right now? You ignored me for the last three years and come back with that?" You raised your voice at him, but only enough for the two of you to hear. "You can't come back here and tell me you missed me because the last time you were here, you made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me. Friends don't leave friends wondering... what the hell did I ever do to you?"

"For the record, I don't see you as a friend," he stated point-blank, holding your gaze with the intensity of a lightning bolt that struck a pole of electricity, setting everything around it on fire. "I mean... You always were, but I think I've made it clear lots of times that I see you as more."

More than a friend? Were you hearing him right? Satoru— Ridiculously handsome, gorgeous, stunning— the nation's sweetheart and every girl's object of affection— saw you as more than a friend?

Here he was standing before you, six feet of good-looking, silvery hair and feather-like lashes, fumbling for words and grasping for an apology to give that's far too late, but maybe it arrived just on time for you. You never hated him, anyway. How could you?

When you yearned for him just as much.

"I'm sorry. I was so scared that it would be the last, so I just... I don't know. My reasons are shit. But that was my mistake, especially when you started pulling away from me. I—"

"If you're really sorry..." You said as you took a bold step toward him, obviously catching him off guard as you closed the distance between you. "Then prove it."

You're going to take what's yours. Without so much of an effort, too, by the way he willingly opened his arms to receive you the moment you walked right in.

Needless to say, Satoru breaks the internet by posting a sweet photo with his non-showbiz girlfriend.

His fans lose their shit the moment it was posted, everyone trying to verify its veracity and authenticity. His agency and PR team wrestled to regain control of his favorite social media account, where he's posted photo after photo with you, one of which was captioned, "Since '06.". The internet sleuths attempt to trough through the mystery of your identity and where the hell you came from after all these years. Articles were written about your relationship, the speculations about your identity ranging from realistic to outright stupid.

Analysis videos were discussing his behavior around his fellow models, which started circulating on the internet, detailed how he always kept an acceptable and respectful distance from them. They all concluded that it was because of his unknown girlfriend.

Your university classmates were equally baffled that your unassuming person had that kind of relationship with the nation's sweetheart, but that was all. You were immune to the occasional murmured assumption about who you were and didn't really care what they thought. Many of them just wanted to get their degree and get things done and you agreed with that, too.

For Satoru, the cherry on top was his mother posting on her social media account, doubling down on his decision to publicize his relationship, which she excitedly and readily accepted because she loved you as her own, too. She posted an old photograph featuring her holding her then three-year-old son peering into the crib of a baby girl— and in that photograph was a face familiar to many of his mother's fans.

Your mother had a pretty good following in her youth, too, but when she chose the quiet life, she left all of it behind— and when you asked her about it, she said she did what she wanted and she wouldn't change a thing— imploring you to do the same thing, too.

"Oh, so you think the world is a much better place with me in it?" Satoru asked you teasingly, head on your lap as he absentmindedly scrolled through his social media.

"I think you should shut up," you retorted, tugging at his hair ever so slightly. "Your fans still haven't forgiven you, you know."

"The real ones will know that you make me happy. Let the fake ones can keep on barking," he shrugged at your statement. "And the real ones know by now that you were always meant to be in my world."

"Because Aunt Arisu begged my mother to give you a playmate," you chuckled at his statement. "So much for playmates."

"What? Isn't this better?"

You smiled to yourself, humming as you ran your fingers through his hair, like time was never lost to you two.

Yes. Yes, it is.

#songsofadelaidewrites💛#mari's prompts 🎠#jujutsu kaisen #jjk au #jjk x reader #gojo satoru #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru x you #i wrote this while listening to ttpd #but daddy i love him #this has been in the drafts for so long #starry divider by @/cafekitsune

48 notes · View notes

jar-of-maise · 2 years ago

Text

incorrect quotes with my new fav trio

starring wriothesley, clorinde and neuvillette bc i said so

Wriothesley: What do you think Neuvillette will do for a distraction? Clorinde: They’ll probably, like, make a noise or throw a rock. That’s what I would do. *Building explodes and several car alarms go off* Clorinde: ... or he could do that.

...

Wriothesley: How's the sexiest person here~? Neuvillette: I don't know, how are they~? Wriothesley: I- Clorinde, from across the room: I'm doing great, thanks!

...

Clorinde: Do you ever want to talk about your emotions, Wriothesley? Wriothesley: … No. Neuvillette: I do! Clorinde: I know, Neuvillette. Neuvillette: I’m sad! Wriothesley: We know, Neuvillette

...

Neuvillette, to Wriothesley and Clorinde: *holding knife out in front of them* Are you or are you not an enemy of the people?! Wriothesley: ... Clorinde: ... Wriothesley: That is such an open-ended question. Clorinde: Yeah, it really depends on a lot of different factors-

...

Wriothesley: We need a diversion. I say Neuvillette gets naked. Neuvillette: No. Clorinde: Who are we trying to distract again?

...

Clorinde, at Neuvillette: Would you like to stay for dinner? Wriothesley, from the kitchen: Would you like to stay forever!?!

...

Clorinde: Ooh, somebody has a crush Wriothesley: Pfft, I don’t have a crush on Neuvillette I just think they’re cool, it’s not like I stay up at night thinking about them. *Later that night* Wriothesley, very much awake: Uh oh.

...

Neuvillette: There's no way they like me back. Clorinde: Wriothesley would throw himself in front of a moving car for you. Neuvillette: Wriothesley would throw himself in front of a moving car for fun.

...

Neuvillette: Why is everyone so obsessed with top or bottom? Honestly, I’d just be excited to have a bunk bed. Clorinde: Clorinde: I'm gonna tell them. Wriothesley: Don't you dare.

...

Wriothesley: Is there a cactus where your heart should be? Clorinde: What’s up your ass this morning! Neuvillette: *walks in* ...Hey. Clorinde: Hmm… nevermind. Wriothesley: WAIT NO!

...

Wriothesley: Do you cook? Neuvillette: I made a cake once. Clorinde: Yeah, it was good. Neuvillette: Really? Clorinde: Don’t make me lie twice, Neuvillette.

...

Neuvillette: Is letting someone win at chess sapiosexual bottoming? Clorinde: Can everyone in this godforsaken group please learn the skill called "Think Before You Speak"? Wriothesley: Ya know... it might be.

...

Clorinde: Did Wriothesley just tell me he loved me for the first time? Neuvillette: Yeah, he did. Clorinde: And did I just do finger guns back? Neuvillette: Yeah, you did.

...

Wriothesley: Where are my fucking keys? Clorinde: Wriothesley, Neuvillette is around, can you say it a little nicer? Wriothesley: May I ascertain the whereabouts of my FUCKING KEYS?!

...

*Neuvillette dies in a game with ships* Wriothesley: This ship is no longer a ship of love, it's a ship of vengeance, a gavel of justice against all that is wrong in the world, showing no mercy, as no mercy was shown to us. Wriothesley: The spark of love will now fuel the fires of destructive glory as I wage my war across the world with righteous fury. Clorinde: Legend has it that Neuvillette still haunts the ship, stealing my fucking drinks. Neuvillette: Of course I do.

...

Wriothesley: How do you tell someone that you wanna have sex with them in a polite way? Neuvillette: Excuse me [insert name]. Would you give me the honours of indulging in sexual activities with you? Clorinde: What the fuck is wrong with you two?

...

Clorinde: Hey, no, you stay out of this, this is between me and Wriothesley! Neuvillette: So Wriothesley knows about this? Clorinde, walking away: No, this is between me and me!

...

Neuvillette: *is wearing silk pants* How does this look? Wriothesley: Like its slips on and off really easily. Neuvillette: Wriothesley: No, I didn't mean it like that- Clorinde: We know what you meant.

...

Clorinde: What have you done with Neuvillette? Wriothesley: Nothing. Why, do you think I should?

...

Neuvillette, gardening: Hey, can you bring me the hoe? Wriothesley: Yeah, sure. *A few minutes later* Wriothesley: Here you go. Neuvillette: Wriothesley: Clorinde: Why am I here?

...

Wriothesley: I’m this close to falling in love with Neuvillette. Clorinde: Your fingertips are touching. Wriothesley: Exactly.

...

Neuvillette: Would you take a bullet for me? Wriothesley: ...yes? *Clorinde angrily burst into the room* Neuvillette: *running away* Great, thanks!

guys i love them a healthy amount i swear. NOW DIE ON THIS HILL WITH ME

PART II is now up!

#wriothesley #clorinde #neuvillette #i love them #they are my new babies #they are so silly #this devolves into a ship really fast but hush #platonic (mostly?) male and female friendships #wriolette #just a sprinkle #headcanons #genshin headcanons #incorrect quotes #genshin incorrect quotes #will become a series

485 notes · View notes

turrondeluxe · 2 years ago

Text

I've always been a true believer of medic mikey and I've been thinking a lot of 2012 medic mikey today

so here's a bunch of thoughts about it from my twt if it feels weirdly paced and chopped it's because i just copy and pasted from different posts

Mikey probably started with the want of learning more about medicine after leo ends up in a coma.

Kind of like a brutal awakening that his older brothers are not invincible

until that point he probably helped both donnie and leo with basic first aid, since in 2012, the brothers all seem to know some sort of basic medical knowledge to a certain point (raph carries a first aid with him in half shell heroes meaning they all probably have their own).

Mikey probably sees leo burdened with his father's shadow and the weight of being the leader and letting everyone down, raph so worried about them at all times and so angry at himself for not being able to protect his family better, donnie mostly always stressed out. with no sleep. always having to FIX something and all this probably make mikey realize that putting being a medic on top of any of his brothers would just be for the worst so he decides to take it into himself to specialize in that part.

Mikey would ask help for getting more information to study about medicine and turtle health veterinary from both donnie and april (april would love to help +she can get more physical aid like books from libraries and such while donnie is the one brother who doesn't actually mind what mikey asks him and also actually answers his questions with facts). While studying he most probably would forget a lot about the scientific or actual names for different things so he would just make up his own designations because that way it makes sense to him (his brothers would all learn later on about mikey's own system perhaps because it's just them and it's not like mikey is going to go work at a hospital so it doesn't really affect them much).

Being the group medic just would fit him so well because hes very smart and not squeamish about A LOT of things in comparison to his brothers (throwback to when donnie did said he was actually squeamish in the show) so donnie probably would also encourage him in his studies and even try to help him to retain info with different methods that actually work with Mikey (because of adhd brain) like making references to his favorite show or comics while learning medical info to make it easier for him to focus.

The fact that mikey is the most perceptive of his brothers and also the one to keep a cool head when all of the other ones are losing it, would be factors that help him while being the medic as well.

Mikey being the smallest one and fastest of his brothers so hes probably the only one who could make it to any of them in record time if needed be.

I feel like, since 2012 mikey is the one brother who uses his skateboard the most, he probably would start bringing his skate strapped to his shell everywhere because he can use it as an emergency medical stretcher to move his brothers around in the case he was not able to carry them around physically

maybe even begging leo for a longboard later on because they are bigger which, again, could help him in emergency situations.

Thinking also on how leo probably didn't really talk much about the healing hands technique with his brothers so mikey probably unlocked the healing hands in his own way and in a really high stress situation where the sheer willing force was just wanting to help his family.

Mikey would definitely sing staying alive while giving cpr: muttering the lyrics along in a frenetic way while punching his brother's chest, because of their plastrons, and trying to get him to breath again all while listening his other brothers yells be deafened by the sound of lasers pass by over their heads.

And after being home and safe, he'd give everyone those lollipops right after quickly making sure none of them are dealing with a concussion (he is but hes fine, he promises).

Extra: some replies in twt that i also wanted to share here

#MANY THOUGHTS BRAIN FULL.#i think that's all and i didnt miss anything from the big ass thread i wrote but i might be wrong....#everyone is so lucky im not a writer.#tmnt 2012 #tmnt mikey #tmnt michelangelo #fer silly twt rambling

553 notes · View notes

special-inchrest · 7 months ago

Text

anyway i loved wild life, it might be in my top three for the life series. if you don't like the changing gimmicks that's fine, it might just not be the season for you. it was fun, it was silly, it was nice to have a season where it WASN'T hinging on the social game.

the players are all obviously at a point where they're very good at surviving in minecraft so having a new mechanic and additional danger factor in the form of the wild cards was cool and kept things new. the final wildcard being what it was means that they could put what they previously learned to use but keeping the unpredictable element.

the life series has always had a limited lifespan (a limited amount of lives, if you will) but gimmicks being added wasn't a death knell.

#wild life smp #life series #trafficblr #yes this is vaguely in response to another post no i don't want this to be A Thing #I just think that wild life was really fun to watch overall #ALSO TO BE CLEAR i do like when there's the social aspect in the life series but there have been times throughout the life series #where it feels a bit overdone. and this is said as someone who 1) loves character dynamics and 2) loves social games w/ deception #wild life spoilers #<- NOT REALLY BUT I THINK ITS BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY ACTUALLY

59 notes · View notes

drowninginblox · 7 months ago

Text

Logging off

Pt: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Sighing into darkness became Kurt's newest pastime as feelings clouded his judgment. What can be made of a situation like this?

It's been a long time since Kurt had contemplated his feelings for someone else, and this may be the first time someone else confessed to him. He's typically the one pinning or flirting with only hopes in his heart, not the other way around. To have the ball in his court is leaving him frozen mid-play with the highest stakes on the line- his friendship with you.

He's never considered you in this light before. That isnt to say it's a bad thing, far from it! Yet, he can't stop pacing back and forth along any and all surfaces to even attempt to understand how to decipher this. Pros and Cons are the only things he can trust since the waters of his mind are murky.

"... it wouldn't be a bad thing. Would anything really change?" He mumbled. The thought of kissing them when they think no one is looking has crossed his mind before, and cuddling together in the depths of the night has... lingered from time to time.

Telling each other things no one else would ever know is a common thing they do but... would it be more intimate even though it would be under the covers and not on top of them? Learning everything about them and worshiping all of it as it culminated in one of the most radiant beings he's seen. With eyes of raw hope and a smile that he could- no- would die for...

He finds himself in the middle of his room, his wide gaze stuck to the floor. "Mein gott..." his eyes widened slightly as a hand held his forehead. For a moment, the solution is clear. Y/n was just down the hall- he could just-

Yet when he impacted from the ceiling onto the floor, reality set him straight. "No no- Wir dürfen nicht voreilig sein, Wagner. Das kann kein Gewinn sein, denn wenn das… was auch immer das ist! Auf Gefühle zu reagieren, die wir gerade bekommen haben, wäre ihnen gegenüber nicht fair." He quietly scolds himself. A beat passes as he contemplates this more. Factors he never considered bounced around his mind until he ultimately sighed. The only way he could make sure of this was to test it with time, although how Y/n reacted to his plea would be crucial.

Kurt returned to his pacing as ideas on how to tell them weighed him down with each step.

He waited a few days, just to be sure of himself.

Eventually, he caught you on your lunch break. Your door was cracked open, revealing you hunched over your desk grading some papers. “Hey, Y/n?” You raised your head, giving Kurt a surprised smile. “Hey, Kurt! Whatcha need?” He takes a breath “Can I talk to you?” You nod, already cleaning up your desk “I’m guessing this is a door closed conversation?” Kurt chuckles as she steps inside “Ja, very much so.” You nod and get a spare chair from close by as Kurt closes the door behind him. “Is it about the elephant or something else?” Kurt cocks a brow before realizing what you meant “Oh! The elephant being the post?” You sigh a little “Y-yeah…” he nods a little as he holds the back of his neck.

You only motion to the chair and sit back in your own. “Any verdict?” You sigh as you take out a bag from your desk drawer. Kurt smiles slightly as he sees your gummy bears “Honestly, I’m lost Y/n.” Your eyes catch his just as he looks up to you.

What attempts you make to play cool was interrupted by the bag breaking open, starting the both of you. A pause follows before you chuckle awkwardly “Sorry, um… I don’t mean to pry but, would it be okay for me to ask for elaboration?” You say while offering the bag. He smiles sightly and holds out his hand. A few bears fall into his palm before you retracted the sweets. Kurt popped one onto his mouth and chewed while considering the question. All the while you occupied yourself by sorting your palm- sized selection by color.

“I… I don’t want to get your hopes up,” you look at him, his gaze fixated on the desk rather than you. “…but I also don’t want to drag you along.” You can only slump at that. You didn’t know what you were expecting. Part of you wanted a confession that rivaled that of fanfiction or maybe an outright refusal like you’ve gotten so many times in the past. I hurt a little, but this was your life.

“So… what do you want to do?” You leaned a little into the question. “I… I don’t know, Liebling. Truly.” You looked away for a moment before returning to him. “Do you think going back to being friends would be easier for you? For us?” He leaned over himself, his elbows propped onto his knees for support. His eyes look into your own for a long time, yet he too broke away “I… I don’t know. I’ve never had a friend confess to me before…” he chuckled dryly. “It’s usually me taking a chance on strangers, or friends if I’ve really pined long enough… but this is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.” A hand holds his forehead. “And the worst part is that the feelings aren’t lost on me.” You tilt your head at that. “Kurt, do you feel the same?” His head rises, yet the only thing to be seen in his honey eyes is uncertainty. “Yes, but I know that I wouldn’t have gotten these before. I didn’t have feelings like these towards you until after you… this experience. And I know that acting on it isn’t fair to you.”

He keeps his eyes on you and you for him. An even yet uncertain gaze meets one equally steady, mixed with hope and controlled admiration. You eventually break the stare, turning away from him. “Y/n, I’m sorry…” he starts but you immediately interrupt him. “No- don’t you dare.” You say a little louder than you thought you would as he watches your face. Your throat slowly, but surely tightened. Your unexpected outburst of sorts managed to shut them up for at least a few moments as you took a breath. A breath to at least try to find the words.

Eventually, you turn back to him, he’s a little startled now. you almost falter. Almost.

“Do you remember when we first met?” He furrowed his brows “Ja, of course I do. Germany, that one December,” You nod “What was the first thing you told me?” He blinked at that, straightening a little as he racked his memory for that moment. It’s found though, making him sober “Never apologize for your emotions froline.” You nod. “Take a page out of your own book.” You sit up a little as he sits on that.

A moment passes before you continue. "Never force yourself to feel the feelings that I have for you, Kurt. Please. That would be worse than rejection. Rejection I can move past from.” You offer with a small smile. He only sighs “But I feel these things for you now…” you swallow “And?”

Confusion washes over his face. “Say we both do like each other after some time, would our dynamics change? Yeah of course I hope we would kiss and do other shit but the bear bones of our relationship- would that change?” The question eases the tension in his shoulders and back “No…Nein, I don’t think so.” You smile “Then let’s just continue as we are.” You offer. “ I know myself. And if you say you have the same feelings now… then I’ll wait for you. Just keep me updated. Okay?” You ask, a hope in your voice. He looks at you, amazed by how simple of an answer this was “Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, Kurt you forget who you’re talking to.” You chuckle “I knew what I was getting into when I made that post. I knew what I was getting to if you ever realized or if I ever got the nerve to tell you. I thought about this a lot. This situation- admittedly, not as much…” he laughs “It’s better to have clarity on where we are than to just stumble in the dark.” You pop a few more bears into your mouth “Besides you’re still my best friend. I'm happy that baseline hasn't changed."

He finds himself sighing in relief only to follow up "Are you sure this is okay? I don't want to hurt you more Y/n." You shake your head. "Kurt, above everything else, I want to stay your friend. You are one of the best things that happened to me, and I want to keep you in my life for as long as whatever forces let it." He smiles and sits up. "Thank you, Y/n." They nod. "Just keep me in the loop Kurt. I won't pry, but I'd appreciate it." He nods and offers a hand for you to get up. You chuckle and take it. His grasp on your forearm is firm but warm. Sturdy and safe. "I promise you, I won't leave you in the dark. You can only smile at him. "So, are we back to watching all those live actions?" You smirk. He only groans through a smile. "Why? Why the Fox Docu-movies? Warum die Fox-Doku-Filme? Die sind so scheiße und sie charakterisieren mich so falsch! Und Rouge ist nicht mal meine Schwester-!"

You only laugh as life returns to a normal you can live with.

#nightcrawler x reader #kurt wagner x reader

45 notes · View notes

icyg4l · 9 months ago

Text

PAC: Is This Relationship Salvageable?

Hello beautiful people! I know I said that I wanted to upload this last night but I honestly forgot about it lol. Today’s topic will be for those who are deciding on whether or not they should save a relationship. This could be a familial, platonic or romantic relationship. This reading is inspired by real life events. As we enter a new season, some of us will be going through physical and spiritual upgrades, which means that some people will stay and others will go. Sometimes we have to learn to leave people behind. In other instances, we have let go of our egos and face the music. Also, if you would like to book a personal reading with me, I will leave the link to book here & my guidelines here as well. Personal readings are officially open until further notice! Now without further ado, please select your pile to find out whether or not your relationship is meant to be salvaged!

TW: mentions of abuse & addiction

Top Left-to-Bottom Right: (1-6)

Pile One: Some things are better left unsaid. This relationship feels romantic, but not exactly. Perhaps a fling that turned into something serious but wasn’t supposed to be serious. Maybe you are in a year’s long situationship.. Free you my heart. It’s definitely time for you to let go of this person. I heard predator and prey. This person is sneaky and selfish. They will do whatever to keep you around them for the money that you have. Your financial resources/benefits are the only reason why they keep you around. The sex is a factor too, but you could get good sex anywhere. You could have recently got a promotion or got hired at a new job where you will be making more money. This person could either be buttering you up a lot right now & it’s become an annoyance to you, or this person could also be starting fights with you. Either way, they are jealous of what you have going on. If you do not get rid of this person, they will end up sabotaging your finances. So please, move accordingly. Move like you got some sense. You know what this person is capable of. Don’t be blinded by the history that you have with this person. Use your pattern recognition to help you recognize the toxicity that they bring into your life. You are not making the wrong decision by kicking them to the curb.

Cards Used: 6 of Swords, 8 of Cups, 5 of Wands, 4 of Discs (RX), The Magician (RX), The Hierophant, King of Wands

extras: jody and yvette. cardi b and offset. “the lies! the lies!” “money don’t grow on trees.” hobosexual. unfolded laundry. aura cleansing. user. polly pocket dolls. collector’s edition. birthday gift.

Pile Two: I feel like this pile struggles with addiction or some type of trauma that is not so hidden. I feel like this trauma has affected your reputation, but the person you are asking about has stuck by your side. I do not think that you and this person can’t make up. Some things were said that you didn’t really mean. In the heat of the moment, you just said whatever to make them feel bad. I think that this relationship can be rekindled, but there needs to be a cool off period. This person could be your mentor, sponsor, friend, etc. This person has seen you at your lowest and right now, you could possibly be at a low point right now. This person is very empathetic and knows exactly what you’re going through but dealing with your mood swings can be draining. If you’re going to put in the work to better yourself, then do it. Words without work are just broken promises. If you need to go on medication, then contact your doctor and do that. Get to the root of the problem, Pile Two. If the roles are reversed, just know that you cannot save everyone! This person is just as grown as you are. At some point they have to mature, so let them do that. Focus on yourself for the time being. As time goes on, you two will have a better relationship but the dynamic will be different (in a good way).

Cards Used: Ace of Wands, Princess of Cups, 4 of Cups, The Devil, Death, 4 of Swords, 8 of Discs.

extras: rue and ali. piscean energy. failed test. please please please by sabrina carpenter. struggles. drinker at parties. PDA. “rinky dink.” molly. seinfeld. just dance. dancing with the devil.

Pile Three: You and this person have been in each other’s company for a long time. However, it seems that you two need to go on separate piles in order to grow. You will miss this person a lot. You may even run into this person a couple of times but hey you have to do what you have to do. Whenever you two do make up, you two will click like nothing ever happened. This could be a best friend or a lover, maybe even a cousin if you are close to them. You have known this person for a long time. Sometimes you need space from these kinds of people because at the time, you may be outgrowing them. But it’s like that one pair of pants in your closet, you can’t just get rid of them. You’ll always come back to them when you lose weight or gain weight. You’ll always come back to your person! There is a deep soul connection that you have with this person, which is why it’s hard to let go of them. But it is very well-needed. Focus on yourself. Your future is bright and so is theirs. Learn to create and enjoy a life outside of them.

Cards Used: 7 of Wands, 10 of Discs, 6 of Cups, 5 of Cups, 8 of Wands, 2 of Swords, 8 of Cups.

extras: lawrence and issa. raw indian hair. shark tales. squeeze. great rapport. miley and lily.

Pile Four: If you feel like the connection is one-sided, then please do not hesitate to drop this person. It feels like this person isn’t necessary in your life. They’re not meant to be in your circle. Perhaps, they could be your associate. I don’t believe this person is as close to you as they once were. This does not mean that you have beef with this person. It just feels like you need to decenter them. They are doing their own thing and you need to start. You will not be close with everyone that you come across and that’s okay. There’s no long conversation that needs to be had. You just need to accept things as they are. Find people that are on the same wavelength as you, Pile Four. You can reach out to this person and they will reply, but the conversations are likely going to be brief. However, there’s no hard feelings. Just be ready to adjust the energy for this person in your life. Reciprocation is something that you are looking for, and does not lie within them anymore. It is somewhere else.

Cards Used: 2 of Wands, Prince of Swords, 4 of Swords, The Hermit, 6 of Wands, The Hanged Man, 4 of Cups,

extras: hidden jealousy. unanswered texts and calls. turtles. salamander.

Pile Five: Right now, you’re leveling up. A lot of the things you used to do, the places you used to enjoy going to, the people you used to be close with are not resonating with you anymore. It’s a time of maturity for you. Those who understand that will be empathetic to that, especially if you have recently become a parent. But those who cannot accept the fact that you are changing will simply have to be kissed goodbye. You could be converting to a different faith, going through a dark night of the soul, or you could be grieving. You could be known for being a party animal. You could be known for being a fighter. You could be known for having lots of sex. It’s okay to change, but what’s not okay is expecting people to stay the same for your comfort level. The person/people constantly expecting you to be your past self need to kick rocks. Those are not your kind of people anymore. It doesn't matter how long you have known them for. It doesn't even matter if this is your own mother/family member. You have to put yourself first and they’re just going to have to deal with that! You cannot control the reactions of other people. You can only control how you react.

Cards Used: 5 of Swords, 7 of Wands, The Emperor, Knight of Wands, 6 of Discs, 3 of Discs.

extras: healer. no hard feelings. moving boxes. man in the mirror. picking up new hobbies. “working on my aura.” journaling daily. freedom. changes ahead.

Pile Six: This feels very twin flame-ish. Right now, you may feel embarrassed, maybe even helpless. You could be on the receiving end of someone’s callous/cold behavior. But yet, you still feel tied to them. Baby, it’s time to do a cord cutting ritual and be done with it. It’s time for you to explore some different connections. Your energy is similar to Pile One, but this is a spiritual connection rather than a material connection. Your twin flame will get what they are owed. It is not right that they continue to get away with treating you wrong & being sneaky behind your back. When someone shows you who they are the first time, BELIEVE THEM! Don’t fall for their bullshit again. You know better. “Fool me one time, shame on you” is what I heard. Be ready to find some new hobbies, babe. You’re going to need them.

Cards Used: Ace of Swords, Ten of Swords (RX), The Fool, The Devil, The Magician, Justice, Judgment (RX), 7 of Discs.

extras: new underwear. stocky. lavender. clues. body language. divas. stephanie mcmahon. goofball. hand sanitizer. in need of new lip gloss. stressors. working the late shift. catching z’s.

67 notes · View notes

theorahsart · 5 months ago

Note

Hi!! So, firstly, I’m absolutely obsessed with your Robespierre comic, when I first learned about him I thought he was autistic, so I’m really glad to see I’m not the only one who has this theory!! Kinda leading on from that, Robespierre obviously had pretty bad health, and towards the end of his life especially, he took a lot of time off of work due to illness- do you think this was an actual physical illness, or a nervous breakdown, or burnout, or some kind of combination of all three?

Aaaah thank you 😭 That's so kind, and I love that I keep finding more and more people that agree with this theory. It's especially cool that some experienced historians also have considered this (such as Saintjustitude here on Tumblr!)

TLDR: I personally think it's a combination of all three- but when it comes to the physical illness thing, I personally think any physical symptoms were born from the other two factors. More detailed thoughts below :3

Autism affects you in such a physical way (or, it always has with me). I'm so over-sensitive to stimuli, that a normal amount of stress that most people get makes me feel physically sick (once when I had a stomach bug I didnt realise until everyone else caught it, cos the symptoms were the same as when I'm getting sensory overload 😅) When its really, really bad, I find it hard to regulate my adrenaline- I get ulcers in mouth, my tummy is out of whack for days. I definately have to isolate myself from others just to try and re-regulate my body, any conversation or noise just sets off my adrenaline again. I speculate on whether a similar impact may have been had with Robespierre.

We do know he had 'sores' on his legs during his last bout of illness. I've gone with the assumption that these sores were hives of some kind- since the only other kind of sores people get are either from an extremely rare immune disorder or from very poor circulation in the legs. I'll assume Robespierre at least didn't have poor leg circulation since he was supposedly walking Brount every afternoon and was known to stick very rigidly to his routines. Hives/welts also suggests extreme stress- or well, this is again the case in my personal experience.

Regards burnout- I think it's safe to say all CPS members present at the same time were probably dealing with burnout, its not normal in any time period to work for so long and only sleep 4 hours tops. They were human after all!! 😭

With Robespierre's inner-feelings, we have some accounts from ppl he knew and Robespierre himself saying he was deeply unhappy and stressed at the time. He became 'unwell' quite a few times after various emotional conflicts over the years in politics, and for situations much less stressful than what he dealt with in 1794. And Im pretty sure I could pull up numerous examples where he 'fixates' on something and will not let it go. So imagine being someone who obsesses over things to the point of acute anxiety, who is then dealing with all the impossible problems of 1794. This combination of factors suggests to me someone who could easily have been prone to a nervous breakdown during that time.

I'm thinking about all this from an autism perspective, but this is probably true of anyone under high stress, so I think you can easily consider this without speculating on Robespierre being autistic. Although he didn't seem to handle situations as well as the other CPS members. You could say this was due to health, I say it was due to autism. But as I said at the beginning, in my experience physical health and autism are connected closely.

I hope that's a satisfying answer!

#that was fun to write thank you #combining my two special interests lol #frev #french revolution #robespierre #maximilien robespierre

28 notes · View notes

legendofmorons · 1 year ago

Note

hiya! i really like your writing! can i request reactions [from whomever you want] with a reader [platonic or romantic idc lol] who is like spiderman! like, has the sense and webs, and the workload of "who knows how they manage shit". i just think its a fun idea, cause they'd also be a "hero"

Of course you can! This is such a cool Idea! (Is there a hyrule where a spider person is the hero of courage? Maybe.)

Four

Take a nap

No, really, he tries to get you to sleep as often as possible

He'll try to enhance any weapons you may have

IF you have mechanical web shooters he will be very interested

If you have biological web shooters in your wrist from the mutation he's still curious

Can amd will try to improve your suit so you are safer

Is HORRIFIED by your workload

Don't you know about burn out??

Do you just not care?

Overall he's curious and a little overbearing

But he also understands that you're a hero, and as a hero, sometimes it doesn't matter if you're exhausted.

He'll insist you let him make you metal braces, so some of the work your joints face isn't so bad. (ESPECIALLY if your joints already hurt)

Hyrule

He is excited to learn about it!

He's also not like other people. He just has healing magic, you're a spider person

Neat!

Assuming you have the boosted healing factor that lost spider people seem to have he's relieved

He will always heal you, but it's nice that you don't need it as often

Also very worried about your work load

Always trying to get you to drink more water

If he were aware of more modern culture he'd yell 'hydrate or die-drate!'

Die-drate is not an option as far as he's concerned

Asks about the ability to stick to things. He's very interested in this

Legend

It depends on when he finds out.

He's definitely concerned no matter when you tell them though

If he's not warmed up to you yet he's kind of standoffish about it. If you share he listens bit he won't ask

If you Are close to him though he has SO many questions

How does it work?

What happened to give you these powers?

How much weight can you handle?

Have you always been so flexible?

No matter what your relationship is, if you tell him about the Spiderman upside down kiss thing, he goes RED

He also asks if you catch and eat bugs.

(What? He just knows that's what spiders do!)

He encourages ypu to take some things off your plate.

Sky

Probably the least phased?

He's curious of course

But his life has been so weird. He's met plant penguins, gopher people, and his best friend was a goddess

Asks if you're descended from a spider god

Also asks if you can turn into a spider

He also encourages you to take breaks and indulge in things that make you happy

He's happy to make anything that might help you, but with his skills, mostly in whittling, he's not sure it's that helpful.

He is excited to see you swing around, it's the closest most anyone can get to flying (aside from Sky and Wild)

Time

Immediately concerned

Powers?

Insane workload?

He gets it, mostly

Not entirely his life isn't like your's but he understands the weight power and workload hold

He is curious about your powers

Also very interested in the way your webs are made. Dosen’t matter if it's mechanical or biological

Will have you take to the tree tops when you guys ambush monsters

If you make a hamock/swing out of webs he'll be happy to keep you company

Twilight

Worried

He's not sure how to feel actually

He's curious about how you became a spider person

If he feels close to you he'll ask about it

He's glad you have enhanced healing though. He feels a little less worried

He's still worried you guys are hunting down a shadow

Will be easy to convince to race, you with your webs and him on Epona

Warriors

He is very sympathetic to your workload

He offers tips to help woth burnout

He helps you strategies to battle plans off your abilities

Wars is willing to spar with you so you can improve too

Please let him help with the self care of after the battle.

Probably asks about the effectiveness of webs as emergency bandages

Wild

He's not that phased either. He's met a semi-vengeful horse god

At least you aren't only worried about the safety of the horses

(Don't worry he takes excellent care of Epona and his own horses)

He'll ask about your adventures

He would be excited to have someone else capable of climbing!

He'll happily climb up steep cliffs with you (it can be a race he likes a challenge)

Wind

Excited

He also has a million questions

He wants to see what you can do!

He's happy to watch you swing around but he wants to come with!

Swing around with him and he's just thrilled!

He asks about ypur webs and if they could capture a monster if you strung them up like a real spider web

He also probably asks for stories about your adventures.

#lu #linkeduniverse #misty writes #misty answers #linked universe x reader #lu four #lu hyrule #lu legend #lu time #lu twilight #lu warriors #lu wild #lu wind

161 notes · View notes

thehollowprince · 9 months ago

Text

THE ORIGINALS would have been better without The Originals.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I think this spinoff would have worked better in the long run without the Mikaelsons in it. I also fully admit that it's partially my own bias against that damn family, but my favorite aspect of the show was the turf war between the various supernatural factions of New Orleans and as the show went on, it took more and more of a back seat to the Mikaelson Melodrama.

I understand the need for a grounding aspect of the story, in this case, that being the Mikaelsons at the center of everything, but as anyone who's seen my posts before knows, I particularly revile that family within this shared universe.

So this is my pitch for a potential rewrite of The Originals

I am also fully aware that I am writing this with the benefit of hindsight.

First off, we'll keep the time-table the same, having the story kick off after season four of The Vampire Diaries, when their high school story ended, and they all went off on their separate summer adventures. Which would lead to my idea. We'll keep the vampires in Mystic Falls, which seems appropriate given that the show is called The VAMPIRE Diaries. That means Elena and Caroline, Damon and Stefan will all remain in Mystic Falls and continue the story of Silas and the Doppelgangers, but without the characters that the narrative often overlooked or often times, forgot about entirely.

That being the characters of Tyler, Bonnie, Matt, and Jeremy. And without the Mikaelsons, that leaves just Hayley, Davina, Camille, and Marcel as our New Orleans characters in their established roles.

Obviously, this wouldn't include a magical miracle-baby.

In all honesty, this would actually be very easy to set up, especially if we factor in the ending of season four of TVD. We'll start with Tyler Lockwood, and this would also factor in Hayley Marshall.

At the end of season four of The Vampire Diaries, Klaus ran Tyler out of town after he attempted to take down the Original and finally be free of him, ironically due to the decision of Hayley to sell him and his pack out for her own purposes.

So, when we last left Tyler, he was on the run from Klaus, and we know from the beginning of season five that he was helping out some werewolf pack and didn't come to Whitmore to join Caroline for college. Let's stick with that and have him go a little further south. He heard about a pack around New Orleans (the Crescent pack) being terrorized by a local vampire who labeled himself king, and he goes to help out. There, he learns about Marcel, a vampire turned by Klaus, who acts like Klaus. Except this isn't an invincible vampire who would take an entire sireline's worth of vampires down with him if he was killed.

This is a version of Klaus he can fight.

Of course, while he's down there, he runs into Hayley, who is looking for answers about her family and her ties to the Crescent pack, which brings her into direct competition with Tyler, as they're both trying to do what they think is best for the pack and both distrust the other, leading both to fight for the position of Top Dog, creating a kind of civil war within the pack.

You add in the stuff with Francesca Guerrera and Jackson Kenner, and you have a pretty fleshed out werewolf story.

I also think you could have a pretty cool use of hybrids here because I always thought it was incredibly stupid that ONLY Klaus could make hybrids, and ONLY with doppelganger blood. It doesn't make any sense, especially given what we know about how vampires were made. But, on the other hand, I also really hated the idea of hybrids, so I'd be okay either way.

Next up, we have Matt Donovan, who was never given any kind of storyline on TVD until the final season when they finally shoehorned in his ancestry at the last second because they realized they were closing shop and they should probably do SOMETHING with him before the end. So, for my idea, he goes on his Eurotrip with Rebekah, and when he comes back, he decides he's done with Mystic Falls and the Salvatore Brothers and all the unpleasantness that comes from living in a vampire town, so he packs up and leaves.

He's trying to find out who his father is, so he goes looking based on the few details he managed to get out of his mother over the years. Maybe he even calls his mother, and she sends him an address in New Orleans where she met him, and that address turns out to be Rousseau's, where he meets Camille.

We'll find out over the course of a few episodes that they're cousins and that his father was either a part of the O'Connell family, or maybe Father Kieran himself, once again dragging Matt into the middle of things he doesn't want to be involved in. But this time, with Kieran's collection of Dark Objects, he can fight back and protect the regular people from the tyranny of the supernatural citizens of the city, leading to him getting involved with the Faction.

And with Cami, aside fromher being a therapist to the supernatural vitizens of New Orleans, will bond with Matt, both being alone after the deaths of their siblings due to the direct actions of the supernatural, with Matt trying to warn Cami away from Marcel because he's seen what happens when a human loves, and is loved by, a vampire.

Next up would be Bonnie Bennett.

Instead of Bonnie dying to resurrect Jeremy, she lives and actually goes on that road trip with her mother she faked to hide her death. Abby may not be a witch anymore, but she's still in touch with some witches, and to make up for all the years she abandoned her daughter, she introduces Bonnie to them, letting her explore and get in touch with her witch heritage. While she's on this spiritual journey, she learns about the Nine Covens of New Orleans and decides, since she's graduated highschool, she might as well continue her sabbatical from Mystic Falls and head down to the Big Easy to build connections with a whole community of witches.

Except, when she gets there, she finds the Quarter in the grip of Marcel, who forbids witches from practicing magic under penalty of death. She obviously doesn't know the full story of the Harvest and just assumes it's a vampire terrorizing witches, just like she's used to, except now she's beefed up (magically speaking) and isn't going to stand for it anymore. She sides with Sophie Deveraux and the French Quarter witches, bringing her into direct competition with Davina Claire.

Davina is the final Harvest Girl, containing the full power of the ritual and the ability to sense and interfere with any witch who attempts to access the Ancestors for power, but Bonnie is a Bennett witch, with a legacy that goes back centuries. If it comes to a magical showdown, who will win? And when the Reaping happens and an unseen enemy hijacks the power for themselves, will Bonnie see that the witches of New Orleans aren't the victims she's been led to believe and reevaluate her loyalties?

Also, as the story progressed, would we see Bonnie warming up to Marcel? Maybe even in a more than "just an ally" way?

And last but not least, we have Jeremy Gilbert.

Bonnie used the last of her Expression to resurrect Jeremy while the Veil to the Other Side was still down. And while Jeremy was grateful to be back, his sister did kind of burn his house to the ground and the entire town mourned his passing. So instead of him attempting to reintegrate back into society, he thinks it's better that everyone thinks he's dead. Whether or not that would include Elena is a matter for debate, but know that he's not staying in Mystic Falls and instead goes out on how own journey, embracing his nature as a member of the Five and hunting vampires.

Which is what brings Jeremy to New Orleans.

He's hunting a vampire, and maybe this vampire is a part of Marcel's inner circle, so he tracks him to New Orleans and kills him, much like Rebekah did to those vampires she ran into at the beginning of The Originals when she finally came to the city to look for Elijah. So Jeremy lurks on the outskirts of the city because he might be one of the Five, but he can't take on a whole army of vampires, so he bides his time.

This could also give an opportunity to bring in Rayna Cruz, but not as "The Phoenix Hunter." Just have her be one of the Five, and she and Jeremy team up only to end up enemies in taking down a vampire: Marcel. Maybe Bonnie talks Jeremy out of it, and Rayna won't back down. I'm even thinking of a plot where the power of the Five could be channeled or pooled into one person, making them stronger and faster, putting them on more of an even playing field when it comes to fighting vampires.

Rayna could even be a potential love interest for Jeremy

I think this would have worked great as a story because it not only gives us a glimpse of what the wider supernatural world is like, but it grounds it with characters that we already knew and that weren't used much. It also makes it that much more interesting when you have characters that have grown up together dealing with the supernatural and the ramifications on their life, suddenly in a city and on opposite sides of a conflict. Do they come together or come to view former friend as new foe?

And obviously, we would bring in other characters like Josh and Vincent and Jackson and Keelin, with appearances from the rest of the Mystic Falls Gang, and possibly flashbacks to when the Mikaelsons had passed through the city. As well as the series staple of turbulent and inappropriate romances.

The downside would be interesting concepts like the Trinity and The Strix being relegated to TVD to bother the Mikaelsons, but we could still have Lucien terrorizing New Orleans with his killings so that he can frame Cami to get to her Dark Objects, setting up a nice crossover.

The only think I can't figure out, for the life of me, is what to call this. Someone suggested FACTIONS, which could work, but, at least to me, it doesn't have the same umph to it.

#the originals #the vampire diaries #tyler lockwood #hayley marshall #matt donovan #camille o'connell #bonnie bennett #davina claire #jeremy gilbert #marcel gerard

36 notes · View notes