#the question of 'who and who not to bang' is a scientific one we have to look at the pros and cons

[todayisafridaynight]

If you had to choose between banging Aoki and banging Mine, which would you bang?

oh you're all gonna hate me

[oldiesstationlover11607]

Bullies - Peter Parker x fem!reader

Pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None! Super fluffy <3

Word Count:

Description: Peter comforts reader after a hard day at school. It can be any Peter btw but I imagined it as Tom :)

Peter knew things at school weren’t good. They never had been. I had six weeks left before I graduated and we’d been counting down the days together, despite being at different schools. Peter was the smart scientific boy who I’d met at the library and I was the music obsessed girl who was brutally bullied for who I was. I’d been shoved up against a locker before my English class by Carson, the boy who was committed to ruining my life. I had banged my head badly and was sent to the nurse’s office after passing out in the lesson. My mom had been called and I was sent home. After watching a couple episodes of (your favorite tv show), there was a sharp knock at my window. Spider Boy. Peter. I stumbled out of bed to unlock and open the window so he could come inside. 

“What are you doing in bed?” he asked, crawling in next to me. I rubbed my eyes, hoping the throbbing sensation would stop. 

“I came home from school early. Had a headache,” I muttered. He knew full well I never got headaches, which was reflected by the conflicted look on his face. 

“Tell me the truth y/n, why are you in bed at 3:00?” I tried to figure out a decent lie but had absolutely nothing. Maybe I’d fallen down some stairs, maybe I’d accidentally broken my nose in dodgeball. He wouldn’t believe that, he knew I never showed up to phys ed. 

“Remember how I told you about Carson?”

“Oh so that’s why you currently have a black eye and a half,” he seethed. Well guess that answered the question of whether I looked as bad as I felt. “Are we going to talk about it?”

“I’d rather not,” I responded, cuddling closer to him. His arm was around my shoulders, body turned into mine.

“Did he hurt you?” Of course he hurt me. No one else would’ve done this to me. 

“I just said I don’t want to talk about it,” I looked up into his glowing brown eyes, not able to tell if he was worried or raging. 

“Fine, we don’t have to talk about it. But just know Spiderman is going to have a very stern conversation with Mr Carson,” Peter spoke with severe clarity, “he’s not going to hurt you again y/n.” I knew he meant what he had said. We sat there in silence while my computer continued to play (your favorite tv show). He watched the episode with me, occasionally asking questions so he could catch up. Once the episode ended I turned off my computer and put some music on. 

“How was school today Pete?” I asked. School was much easier for him, his teachers actually cared, he had his friends MJ and Ned, and he didn’t need to study to get an A. 

“Not too bad, we’re just getting ready for finals and prepping grad stuff, y’know,” he explained. I nodded, excited for the short period of time we had left before college. 

“What time do you have to get home?” Aunt May always knew Peter was at my house, but she had standards, especially knowing Peter was Spiderman, and a high schooler. 

“Like 10:30, we��ve got time,” he pressed a kiss to my temples and ran his fingers through my hair. I could feel the tension in the air, I wanted so desperately to cry over the day, over how much pain I was in. 

“I’m going to hurt you y/n. I’m going to hurt you as much as I can. And once school is out I’m going to fucking kill you,” Carson had whispered into my ear as he pressed me into the lockers. I could still feel the padlock being pressed into my back. My eyes started to water and a few tears slipped onto Peter’s shirt. 

“Hey, hey, are you okay?” He sat up and held me back so he could get a proper look at my face. I shook my head, letting the floodgates slip.

“H-he told me he was going to kill me Peter. I can’t go back there,” I sobbed. He pulled me in close, his forehead resting against mine. 

“He won’t lay another hand on you ever again. I mean it y/n.” I could feel the tension in his body. 

“You promise?” I cupped his jaw, my fingers resting behind his ear. 

“I promise. I’ve got you.”

//

Please submit any requests y'all have! I love to write so let me know if you've got any!

@urmykindofwoman let me know if you like this! I haven't written to Peter in a wee bit

[thislilstangirl]

the courtship of princess shuri

should we talk about the courtship of shuri?

let’s be real, namor is gambling a lot on shuri accepting any type of proposal. he’s showing her his home, he’s being vulnerable about his trauma, and he is risking the wrath of wakanda with holding her ‘hostage ’.

so why shuri? i got three reasons- the mythical, the political, and the romantic.

firstly, it’s because she’s his mirror image. not to bang on the same drum but wakanda forever is extremely mythic. i’m comfortable in believing some soulmatism is at play here. despite never meeting her before, he recognises something that is within himself. and he is drawn to it. like two halves of the same soul trying to stitch itself together again. despite being princess and god king, they are mythic equals. they burn with the same fire.

secondly, she’s the princess of wakanda. if there was anyone who would be the best person to strategically seduce it would be her. why? because he overhead both the queen and princess on the beach. while the queen was reaching for peace, the princess was reaching for anger. he knew which one to charm. winning over the heir to the throne would a massive win for his kingdom’s strategic interests. a defence alliance would be inevitable and he would have achieved protection for his people. it’s straightforward politicking. and this hope of an alliance drives him through the entire movie. he’s blinded by it.

thirdly, he’s intrigued by shuri. i have no doubt that he knew of shuri before they met on the beach. it’s not the biggest reach that he would be aware of the princess who’s a scientific genius, scoffs at tradition but is also ready to go into battle to protect her people. i think this reason is solidified during her visit talokan. her compassion, empathy and sense of justice, even in the midst of her grief, threatens to bend him slightly. you see him pause and bargain with her. the more he’s around her, the more he wants her to stick around.

i think all three reasons are correct. it’s a mixture of hope for an alliance, meeting a mythic equal, and shuri’s attractive characteristics which makes namor pursue her and this ‘courtship’.

and how did her court her? well:

he gives her a beautiful talokanil gown that is dripping is jade (one of the most valuable stones and has many connotations with love). it was specifically made for her. his symbol is also embroidered in it. he is also dressed to the nines, regal- he wanted to dress up for her. which makes sense. he wants to impress her.

he gifts her a valuable family heirloom. the bracelet is gorgeous, but also was the symbolic promised made to his mother that namor would be king. he’s openly trusting her with an object that holds so much history and it’s a gift of gratitude. what is he thanking her for? her openness, understanding, empathy? she has obviously left a stunning impression on the god king.

he tells her the story of talokan. knowledge is power and it’s a scene of both trust and vulnerability that he lets her know the history of his people. and he emphasises the why over the how. he needs her to understand why the protection of his people are so important to him.

he makes her one of the only people from the surface to see talokan. it isn’t clear whether he planned this from the start or if shuri’s eagerness made him throw caution to wind. again he remarks how he was blinded by hope, so maybe the latter. he is also very proud to show off the sun he gave to his people. a scientific genius seeing an underwater sun that he built?! yeah, he knows what he’s doing

maybe most importantly, he listens and offers her understanding when she is opening up about her pain. he talks about his fears and vulnerabilities too. as a god, he is constantly grieving the lives of tolakanil who age normally. he is unable to answer her questions, but gives advice from his ancestors and alludes to the fact she could still be a great leader, even if she feels broken.

and let it be known that namor was written to be seductive. ryan coogler says as much. coogler also lists the key principles that they couldn’t change about namor, a few of these things being his charisma, confidence and hitting on other people’s wives. simply, namor was written to have that seductive swagger and charm that could win over people.

and it was working. at the end of their little moment, shuri has a greater understanding and respect towards namor and talokan. she accepts him putting the bracelet on around her wrist when she could have easily refused. she truly admires what namor has done for his people. this is the guy who threatened wakanda with an army the first time he met the queen and wants to kill riri williams. and shuri let her guard down and allowed him to charm her. but not to the point of throwing away her own sense of justice. something namor tries to bargain with but has no such luck.

but even after shuri is ‘rescued’ it’s still so telling that shuri keeps wearing the bracelet until someone brings attention to it. namor is literally caressing the shell he gave to wakanda after shuri leaves. he teases and calls her princess in the midst of battle. whatever they had didn’t just die when she left talokan. only there’s no time to dwell on it when war comes knocking.

it could have been different namor remarks after everything. after attacking wakanda, killing her mother and finally stabbing shuri onto a rock. it’s interesting that’s what his mind goes to. their unofficial ‘courtship’. and he doesn’t seem victorious in that moment. just deeply disappointed. the hope he had cruelly taken away from him.

shuri revives that hope. with a spear at his throat, she is reminded of her time in talokan, of namor’s smile, at his love for his people. she draws parallels and sees herself in him. it’s what brings back her from the brink of eternal war. and she offers an alliance on her terms.

so the question is, was the courtship a success?

namor seems to think so. or at least he knows this isn’t the end. he believes princess shuri will inevitably be back for his help soon enough once the world turns on wakanda. and then the control would be back in his court. i can’t help but think he has other reasons besides politics as to why he wants shuri to turn to him. the lonely god craves an equal. but these reasons might get him into trouble with namora.

it is clear that the ‘courtship’ of princess shuri was not a failure, but warm up for next game between panther and feathered serpent which namor is eagerly awaiting. i don’t believe shuri could be so easily charmed this time round, but i’ll never underestimate a relentless god who has found his mythical equal.

[strangelittlestories]

The new god of tricksters approached the turnstile that led to the mortal realm.

To the side of each turnstile was a booth. And in each booth sat a psychopomp - the guides and guardians that stood between realms. 

The lines were short as it was early afternoon during an Age of Reason, where new gods were not in high demand (as opposed to an Age of Reasons, plural, when the world churned through fresh deities to excuse all kinds of bullshit).

The new god was nearly at the front of the line. Ahead of them, a new genius loci of a small scientific library approached the booth. They were interrogated by a psychopomp who was 90% alligator teeth and 10% your mother’s disappointed eyes.

After a short conversation, the science spirit was eaten for being a contradiction-in-terms.

The trickster god stepped nervously through the gore of poorly edited academic citations.

“Hi.” Said the god, plastering on a smile.

“Name and nature?” The psychopomp’s grinding tone suggested it had neither the interest nor the bodily architecture for engaging on smalltalk (and would only be let down by your efforts anyhow).

“Interesting question. For part A I’m not sure I have one yet and I’m getting the feeling I *may* want to keep it secret anyhow. As for part 2 … I think my answer to part A might give you an inkling as to my nature.”

Imagine a creature made of many tiny bone knives coated with the venom of parental mortification. Imagine it sighing. The kind of sigh to end a universe or ruin a graduation.

“I have to fill out the form.”

“Tell you what … you’ve got most of a form already filled out from the poor sod before me.” The new god tried out a grin for the first time. “I’ll just give it a quick edit, bring it up to your standards, then presto theologio, god’s a good’un.”

“...it’s against the usual policy. But I do kind of want to see how this plays out.”

“Your confidence is appreciated.” The god fine-tuned their grin, turning up the sharpness and turning down the symmetry.

“Oh no.” Too many teeth smiled back at the god. “I just want to see how badly you’ll fuck it.”

The god decided not to press their luck and busied themselves with the form. They even kept their doodling in the margins minimal. Towards the end, they looked up at the psychopomp and asked:

“I think there’s a typo here. It’s asking me if I want to take out enhanced faith-based ‘lie-ability’ protection on behalf of my prospective followers?” The god indicated a part of the form with a finger that was entirely new to pointing and doing a bang-up job. “Surely that should be ‘liability’? As in, do I want *them* to have legal protection in case they get caught doing trickery? Or do I want to protect *myself* from being held accountable for their actions?”

“No typo. Special offer for tricksters. ‘Lie-ability’ - as in, for your followers’ faith to let them prevaricate more proficiently. For the strength of their belief to drip like ink from their tongues and rewrite the world into a more *pleasant* story.”

“Well, at five Revelations and ninety-nine Inspirations per century, it certainly seems like a steal. And I think I might be into stealing… Sign me up.”

“As we say in the business:” The psychopomp winked disconcertingly. “If your followers are *able to lie*, you’ll never be *liable*.”

Later, the god of tricksters might regret not asking why the previous applicant’s form had had a special section for trickster gods.

Or they might not. Some stories were more fun if you didn’t get bogged down in the details, after all.

[msmcnevertweet]

GHOULBOYS - Where ghosts are real, or not I guess.

GHOULBOYS is a one-shot horror/comedy TTRPG for 3 players. It's about amateur paranormal investigators hunting for ghosts in supposedly haunted locales, interpreting evidence and bullshitting with their friends. I made this one! I love ghost things! Let's talk about them! But first...

Will we finally answer the question... are ghosts real?

Inspired by shows and games like Ghost Files, Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural, Phasmophobia and Most Haunted, you'll play as one of three classes:

The BELIEVER, trying to uncover evidence that the paranormal is real, and detail the nature of the supposed haunting.

The SCEPTIC, who believes that everything has a reasonable explanation, and the idea of ghosts is kinda funny. 

The PRODUCER, who’s recording this whole thing, and looking out for what the other two might miss.

It's a GMless game where you and your two friends fuck around in abandoned buildings with spirit boxes, motion sensors, and turn the gain up on your microphone incredibly loudly to hear what might, maybe have someone saying half a word.

If that sounds cool, it's $5 until the end of the month!

My friends it is time to peer closely at a blurry photo

YES IT'S TIME FOR MORE SELF INDULGENCE BELOW THE CUT.

(Potential) Spoilers for: Ghostwatch and The Blair Witch Project.

Bro bro bro did you see that bro BRO

When I was a teen posessed by the grim specter of an idea known as "Thinking I was a guy", I used to get very stoned and sit in cars with my friends and drive around at night. Being stoned with The Lads was a good way of pretending I wasn't possessed, I guess.

One time we drove to a supposedly haunted stretch of road; the story was that a woman who lived nearby had gone out onto the road late at night and been hit by a car and killed. If you drove along that road at the time of her death, you might see her, wearing the nightgown she died in.

After about an hour of driving up and down the road, we were about to give up. The driver swung into a driveway to turn the car around, and out of the pitch blackness, I saw it. White, twisted, grasping. It was just a flash, but I know what I saw. I screamed, my friends screamed, the tires of the car screamed as they span griplessly on the tarmac for that endless split second before it pulled away.

Yes of course it was a fucking tree. But for at least 5 minutes, we all believed I'd seen her. As plain as day, a dead woman in a nightgown had grasped at me on the other side of the windscreen through the darkness. The real fear lasted seconds. The adrenaline lasted a few minutes. The laughs lasted for a while afterwards.

I don't believe in ghosts. But the idea of them has the power to make us conjure them. We stare at the fuzzy frozen frame of video and think we can see a form, a face. We listen to the overpowering static hum of a shotgun mic pointed into a hallway and swear we hear a voice. We peer into the darkness, and our brains connect the dots we've decided are there. We want to be scared, especially when we can laugh about it afterwards.

It's just the Pipes

If you know the Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio broadcast, Ghostwatch pulls a similar trick. It's 1992, you've sat down to watch a live TV show doing a "scientific investigation" into a haunted suburban home with Big Name TV News Guy Michael Parkinson, Big Name TV "Robot Wars" Guy Craig Charles, and a bunch of other Big Name TV people I don't really know.

The house is supposedly possessed by a malevolent evil spirit who the homeowners kids call Pipes. They hear banging noises at night, their mom tells them "It's just the pipes." Watch along at home, phone in using the number on your screens with your ghost stories, and you know, just in case you maybe see anything on the footage that we might miss.

It's staged, of course, and staged incredibly. It's very fucking creepy. Kitchy, mundane 90's TV gives way slowly to creeping dread that never seems to stop creeping, eventually arriving at a terminus of full on Blair Witch surrealness. It drew so many complaints from people whose children were turned to traumatised wrecks that it was banned from being broadcast for 10 years.

Probably because the newscaster they saw on TV every day turned, in the course of about half an hour, from this

To this

There's not really many clips on youtube but trust me, it's good. It's slow. Give it a chance, you should watch it.

Josh? Is that you down there?

There's so many jokes about The Blair Witch Project, but that's not because it's bad. I mean, it IS kind of bad, and that's the point. Heather, Josh and Mike are just amateur film makers making a documentary on a shoestring budget, about the mystery of the Blair Witch, the details of which matter little to what happens next. The jokes are attempts by people trying to break the hold the film has on them. But it holds on tight.

It works so well because it's so sparse. The minimal, natural sets, the handheld footage, the we're-not-even-really-acting-I'm-actually-kinda-just-creeped-out performances. The characters talk like convincingly kinda shitty people, deal with getting lost like real people, argue like convincingly scared people. It explains nothing about the greater mystery, cares not for any attempt to make sense of what's going on, all it wants to do is slowly drag you to it's stark, screaming conclusion.

Like many successful horror films, it got a bunch of sequels which I've not seen, and don't care to. It doesn't need them.

Ok but what about real ghosts

There's something about a weird dollar store Trent Reznor and his bros crawling around a tourist spot that makes Ghost Adventures so fun to watch. Trant Reznot is out here shouting at ghosts with his whole chest like "I HEARD YOU DON'T LIKE BIG LIGHTS SHINING IN YOUR FACE HUH", and it's great. When the often questionable "activity" occurs, it's rarely actually spooky in any way, but the deadly serious way with which they describe the mote of light (read: dust particle) moving across the footage that it's endearing.

These shows (Most Haunted, 28 Days Haunted, et al) tend towards having a pseudo "intellectual" angle. Ghost Adventures doesn't care, it's listening to Tool in it's car outside the high school, passing you a joint and saying "Isn't it fucked up that people die, but like, aren't gone, man?" I can't tell if it doesn't take itself too seriously, or if it just doesn't really know how to be serious, but it's good.

Hey there demons, it's me... ya boi

I watched so much god damn Buzzfeed Unsolved through Covid. I watched it until the early hours of the morning, until I'd successfully creeped myself out to the point where I had to run from the living room to the bedroom in the dark to avoid the Texarkana Phantom Killer that my brain had successfully materialised just behind the back of my head.

Somehow Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural - it's sister show focused on.. well, supernatural stuff, and it's successor Ghost Files manages to be both scary, whilst also simultaneously very stupid and funny.

Both Shane and Ryan are always ready to be scared, but they're also both ready to laugh. They have a very endearing camaraderie too, like two kids in class trying to get the each other told off by the teacher, and despite the semi serious presentation, unlike Ghost Adventures they're not precious about trying to make sure you're scared. It invites you laugh and be afraid in equal measure, and it feels natural, especially in the early episodes. If Ryan is freaking out about the Waverly Hills Hospital body chute, it's because.. well.. watch the video? I would absolutely not go down there.

This tension between laughing and screaming drives the show. The balance between spooky-funny and spooky-scary is a delicate one. Ryan and Shane are great at knowing when to tip that balance, one way or the other.

It's easily the single biggest influence on Ghoulboys (I mean, of course it is?) because of this. When playing, you're always caught in this in-between moment that the Ghoulboys themselves do so well. Waiting for something to fall over, the spirit box to speak, the SLS scanner to show a fleeting figure. Whether it's scary or silly, your brain is waiting for it, ready to draw the shapes of ghosts we want to see.

Thank you for coming to my Ghost TED Talk

Man ghost stuff is so good, real or fake. I just wanted to make a funny game that occasionally made you raise your eyebrows and look at each other like "Oh, shit..." and had lots of stupid ghost hunting equipment, and I think it worked out. Thanks for reading.

Again, if you want to check out Ghoulboys, it's $5 until the end of the month. Take a look! There's a video of me and some friends playing it!

[shiftingconfessions]

what is the general consensus on the afterlife & god in the shifting community? is there not something that’s at least semi agreed upon? i’ve never heard literally any shifter talk about it.

harry potter is one of, if not the most shifted to place. we know for a fact there’s an afterlife in that story, so there must be one in that universe? i’ve never heard any shifter talk about the ghosts there, or what life is like when there is 100% an afterlife, or what it is there, or if they generally know nothing about it there.

like has successfully shifting shaped your opinion on the afterlife & god? do you think there is no god? do you think it’s the same one across the multiverse? is shifting more of a spiritual or scientific thing for you?

if the lack of god/afterlife talk from shifters is because it’s more science based. how come i’ve never heard anyone give their opinion on the big bang? something triggered the big bang, thus all of existence. i have literally not heard one shifter mention the big bang. the universe is expanding, expanding into what? do shifters know or have an idea? there are multiple theories on how the universe will die, what do shifters think about that?

people say it’s impossible for you to travel across the multiverse physically, but what about universes where it is. (ex. the spiderverse, doctor who, etc). is it simply different in those universes?

these general universe questions left unanswered have discouraged me from believing in shifting because shifters are apparently traversing the multiverse, but seemingly know little about it. i will continue to try and shift, because i do believe in the multiverse. just some thoughts 🤷🏻‍♀️.

.

[mx-piggy]

Okay it's probably a good thing that I didn't watch that Futurama episode when I was tired. Too smart for me. Anyways, you know the drill, spoilers ahead!!

They definitely went out with a bang (for now) with that one. I've been happy with this mostly solid season of Futurama, with some outliers that are both very good and kinda bad. But, this one is absolutely a stand-out both for this season and the show as a whole.

This is absolutely my favourite episode of the revival so far. I really didn't expect for us to get anything better than I Know What You Did Next Xmas, so this episode was a pleasant surprise.

All the Way Down managed to balance everything that makes a great episode of Futurama: it was funny, it was emotional, it had a very engaging sci-fi concept and it had a great story. Most importantly, none of these things took away from the other. It really reminded me of the Late Philip J. Fry because of this.

I really enjoy when Futurama gives Bender a crisis, and I think that it was a good way to enhance the exploration philosophical questions the episode posed about the meaning of things if we're in a simulation. Plus, after watching Johnny2Cellos' video, it made me realise that the episode also explores the idea of us finding meaning in fiction, and that the meaning that we find in things matters more than anything. As someone who is majorly attached to a lot of fiction, I really related to Bender's attachment to the simulated Planet Express crew.

Also, his video made me realise all of the hints that the Futurama characters we're following are also in a simulation, which is a lot less depressing to think about because the episode's conclusion that 'who cares if we're in a simulation if what we feel is real to us?' Maybe I'm kind of butchering that. But, yeah, I really appreciated how this scientific episode had a very emotionally resonant conclusion.

I'm not intelligent enough to say much about this episode beyond how incredible it is and how that ending made me cry, so I'll say the little things I liked.

I really like how they showcased Amy's intelligence in this episode; it's always underutilised in the show outside of that cat episode I'm too lazy to look up the name of, so I'm glad that we got to see more of it in this episode with her trying to get answers from the Professor.

I also really liked having a scientific Professor-centric episode, too. The Professor is such a funny character whether he's the main focus or a supporting character.

So many sweet Fry and Leela and Fry and Bender moments.

I'll give my overall thoughts on this season in the Hulurama ranking I'm working on.

I don't know how to close off this review. My brain was fried by that episode. So... bye. Hulurama ranking will be out soon.

[clairelsonao3]

AITA for being suspicious of my boss/ brother's new protege? (Tag Game)

Another awesome open tag I haven't seen anywhere else, and I had to jump on from @smzeszikorova. This one was hilarious and gave me an opportunity to do the unreliable narrator thing and get into the POV of one of the villains from Good Slaves Never Break the Rules, although, for the maximum fun factor, I wrote it as if it could be a real letter from someone in our world.

Instructions: Write an AITA question from the POV of one your OCs.

This one's kind of involved, I know, but if anyone wants to try it, it's a good character-building exercise! Gently tagging:

@romanceandshenanigans @mysticstarlightduck @tabswrites

Anyway, for anyone who hasn't read the story and doesn't care about spoilers (or even if you have), I'm curious, based just on this, who do you think is the asshole here:

My half-brother (45M) and I (41F) are the most important people in each other's lives.

Below the cut are possible spoilers for Ch. 22 onward and mentions of noncon, trauma, and child abuse:

We were subject to severe abuse as children and our bond was the only reason we survived. Although we lost touch for a few years as kids, we eventually reconnected after he became financially successful. He's been a mentor to me ever since and even paid for my entire education, and now I work for him in his multimillion-dollar business as his head of research and development. I'm leading up a project that means a lot to both of us personally, a project so important it could disrupt the entire economy and change people's lives for the better all over the world. Achieving it is our lifelong dream!

The problem is, he's recently hired this new guy (19M) -- who has no formal education and has never even held a job, by the way -- who he seems convinced is scientifically gifted and that he is determined to make his protege in the business. They're hanging out together all the time and seem to be becoming BFFs. Plus, he's paying this guy almost as much as he pays me, gave him money for a brand-new designer wardrobe, and even a Porsche! And he's always talking about how great this new guy is; it's like he thinks he's the son he never had or something.

But I'm convinced the new guy is a complete fraud who must have somehow conned my brother into hiring him. First of all, he's telling my brother that I'm mentally unstable and I threatened and assaulted him (okay I admit it, I did, but it wasn't my fault! I'm traumatized from a childhood full of abuse and have trouble controlling my impulses sometimes. I'm working on it in therapy -- or at least I was before I got thrown out for allegedly trying to grope my therapist, but it was all just a misunderstanding.)

Even worse, the new guy is always snooping around the office and going places he shouldn't. He claims he's looking for his missing sister (17F), who used to work here, but I don't know anything about that! He's even gone so far as to claim that I'm defrauding the company and exploiting and harming the young women who work for me, which is ridiculous. In exchange for them helping me with my research, I'm giving them money, housing, support, and a better life than they ever dreamed of, which is more than I got as a child!

Bottom line, I think he's a liar, a con artist, and is trying to alienate my brother from me so he can take over the business and destroy everything we're building.

I told my brother everything, but he doesn't believe me! He claims I'm just jealous and paranoid and that I must just want to bang this guy (okay, maybe, but that's beside the point, and besides, I feel that way about pretty much everyone. What can I say, I have a healthy sex drive). And also that I'm just trying to distract my brother from the fact that my project is stalled and making no headway -- even though everyone knows groundbreaking research takes time and can't be rushed!

I can't believe my brother isn't supporting me in this. He knows how fragile and traumatized I am, but he sometimes forgets, which is why I try to remind him of it as much as I can. AITA for being afraid of losing my brother and everything we've worked so hard for?

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 7 Minagoroshi pt. 8

This part, I feel, is probably one of the most significant things to occur in the entire narrative.

In every timeline it's shown where Takano enters the storehouse Tomitake always hears the banging around and noises that Hanyuu makes. I mentioned it previously, but this means that he has the same disease that Satoko has, but unlike Satoko he seems unaware he has any such condition. And that's a really fascinating thing to think about in regards to the curse of Oyashiro. Does being able to hear Hanyuu have anything to do with Shion, Satoshi, Rena, and Keiichi hearing an extra footstep? Is she the extra step they hear? I think this might be too early to tell, but I think I'm onto something here. Of course that raises all sorts of other questions about Hanyuu and the curse if this is somehow down to a disease rather than a magical spiritual affliction.

We don't really get to see how they react to Rika telling them about their deaths on Watanagashi. It cuts from that last line of Rika to the end of a presentation Irie is giving to a room of other doctors and a man they specify is not wearing a labcoat.

I genuinely cannot believe that this series really is just turning into the X-Files. This reveal that Tomitake is apparently deeply involved with whatever scientific research Irie is conducting on Satoko and Rika knocked the wind out of me, I was really not prepared for it. In hindsight I guess they sowed the seeds that he might actually be a military man with the fact his design has dogtags. That and the fact he's buff as hell and looks like he'd be able to hand his own in a fight, but still I was blown away that Tomitake of all people was going to be the government/military man behind the conspiracy. Somehow despite having read all of the shit about the parasites, and government coverups from the end of Tsumihoroboshi not even a week ago I was still taken unawares by the military/government angle.

In case your curious his badge says Infectious Disease Surveillance Center.

Now we're getting to the real horror of it all.

I know this is a terribly serious scene and all talking about how Satoko probably has brain trauma due to her abuse she took in 1982. But the sentence about how there's plenty of people with emotional trauma reminded me of one piece of merch I bought from that horrible Silent Hill Ascension web series. A coffee mug with the phrase It's Trauma! written on it in a ridiculously cheerful font. It's so tasteless, I had to buy it.

Takano is showing who wears the pants in this military, pharmaceutical, government conspiracy. Also, apropos of nothing, do you think Ryukishi liked Silent Hill 1? Do you think he liked Siren when that came out a year or so prior to this chapter coming out? I'm not saying he's copying anyone or ripping anyone off. I'm just saying, I played Siren as well.

Also I do wonder when this originally came out if he just hoped people would replay the earlier chapters in anticipation of the new one. Or if he was like "if they remember, they remember." Because Tatarigoroshi was how many years ago? Who's going to remember one or two throwaway lines from around the later half of that chapter all these dozens of hours and games later? I remember because I possess the rare ability to remember things, and also I have all the chapters available to me. But back in 2004, 2005? And with at least a year and a half between chapters?

I remember Irie calling in the Mountain Dogs to potentially keep Keiichi in the clinic before he escaped and went to dig up the area he buried Teppei. I think that he also mentioned Risa being dead around that time, and I don't think it's an inaccurate guess to assume Risa is Tomitake.

I like lines like this because of the little amounts of doubt it casts on earlier statements. The past few chapters have gone out of the way to try to establish that the Sonozakis are gentle as can be, and all that. Then Rika just casually mentions that Oryou Sonozaki is actually a monster, making you wonder just who's really telling the truth here.

Something I've noticed over the course of this chapter is how weirdly possessive Rika is towards Satoko. She never says it outright to where other characters can hear it (yet), but in her narration she does seem more and more like she wants to steal Satoko away. She's treating her less like a person, and more like her pet.

Also this chapter seems a lot more meta than the previous ones. There's a lot more fourth wall jokes than there were previously. I don't mind them so much, just an observation that with the recent change to a character who has lived out the times for a hundred years plus it seems a lot more willing to delve into these meta jokes.

In case you're wondering they're back at the toy store from the tournament scenes because they're trying to get donations for the auction at the Watanagashi festival. And they took a brief aside to learn how to do some legendarily epic mahjong cheating technique. Maybe it's because I don't know how to actually play mahjong but the description of the technique was just kind of confusing to me, and I don't know how it would actually work. Perhaps the manga version of the scene, being a visual medium, actually shows how the trick is done. But honestly up until somewhere in the 2010s I thought mahjong was a single player tile matching game. Taipei? I think that's what it was called in the Windows game option way back in the bygone days of Windows XP.

[airlockfailure]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @nimata-beroya!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Thirty-nine! All Clone Wars related.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

626,331.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Clone Wars.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Invictus Nec Aspera Terrent Until Our Hearts Catch Fire Wine Dark You Carry My Fears As The Heavens Set Fire

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I respond to comments when I have the energy to respond. A lot of the time I don't respond to comments.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I think most of my fics have happy endings, but it might be Tragedy, because by nature, the scene Tragedy is expanding on is a death.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Invictus ends with a flashback of Fox's life being saved by a Mandalorian, but on the whole, Invictus has the happiest ending, because the good guys win.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Not on AO3 itself. The hate is always anonymous messages on Tumblr from the Puritans. I usually just ignore them.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes. I try to write smut. I'm ace. A lot of smut makes me uncomfy. So I try to approach it from a more scientific sense. According to my comments, that method apparently works.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I hate cross overs.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Probably, but I haven't been made aware of it. I just assume these days that everything I put out on the internet has been scraped by AI.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but that'd be pretty cool.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Nope. I have collaborated with @reaalikaasu who made some awesome art during the Clone Ship Big Bang event for the fic Auribus Et Tenero.

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

Cody/Obi-wan.

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I plan to finish all my WIPs, some may just take longer than others. I'd have to die or become incapacitated to not finish them.

16. What’s your writing strengths?

Occasionally I write down some absolutely devastating, emotionally charged sentences. I have no control over this, and do not make an effort to come up with these. They just happen. They are random. They are a gift. Your guess is as good as mine. Sometimes my brain works really, really well.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

Too many ideas. Revisiting the same themes over and over and being a bit dry of a storyteller. Sometimes I want to visit more complex topics, but I don't think the characters engaging with the topics are complex enough to handle them, so a lot of deep stuff is handled superficially.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I love it. I grew up on books filled with foreign language and having to check the footnotes or the index for what the words meant. Languages as a whole fascinate me. I'm out of practice, but once upon a time I could speak and read several languages at least enough to grasp what was going on.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Shinzo. I was like, 10 or 11 writing Yakima and Mushrambo smut for my friends to read. We all latched onto Wolf's Rain pretty quickly after that. One of my friends really liked Tsume and I wrote Tsume/Them fic for the friend.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Invictus. Easily.

[philtstone]

Sam and AJ and Cass, 29

#29 -- a story that never gets told

a prequel of sorts to my belovedly unhinged magical realism au, the original of which can be read on ao3 by clicking here. i wrote this prompt in random snippets on the subway, so hopefully its coherent. it kind of got away from me, but im leaning into the multiple indulged elements. most importantly, to answer zainabs oft asked question, "is this the one where he can turn into a whole ass wolf?" yes. yes it is.

Sam, as he has told his sister many a time, could learn — hypothetically — to be a great parent if he wanted to. Instead, he nobly chooses to fight for what’s right. This involves on occasion saving innocent lives amidst the unexpected collapse of Kingdoms, and more often petty magical crime, like that idiot who started going around stealing peoples sheep by herding them into his backyard, which he’d doused in a layer of magically un-solvent superglue. Thank God for Clint’s solvent arrows, which is a sentiment Sam brings up smugly whenever his sister expresses disdain towards the usefulness of magical items in completing household chores.

All of that was before Steve vanished into thin air, leaving Sam with custody of an ancient shield and a perpetually moody shapeshifter.

Hypotheticals are abounding just now. Hypothetically, Steve could just be on one long spontaneous vacation that he even logged in the shared magical calendar, which Bucky inconveniently misplaced on that last trek from North country down here. Hypothetically, Steve could have been kidnapped by a unicorn — those things are known to fuck with you just cause they can — and is currently being held in a magically enforced glade and subjected to a game of 21 riddles. Hypothetically, Steve could just be dead. Smallpox, common cold, unanticipated ogre attack on side of road. If Sam might say so himself, even the best of ‘em can get jumped sometimes; ain’t no shame in it.

“If Steve was dead, why hasn’t his ghost shown up to tell us that?” Bucky asks. He has elaborate theories on the matter, half of which involve the unicorn. The other half involve deep and cutting betrayal. Or murder.

“Steve Rogers did not just up and decide to play double agent,” Sam says, rolling his eyes. Bucky is never truly serious about this. He brings up potential intrigue in every conversation purely out of habit. And, Sam supposes begrudgingly, experience.

“So, murder.”

“Maybe ghost Steve is havin’ too much of a good time,” Sam says. “Remember that fae chick he was sweet on, and they got separated decades ago? Got him all stoic and single tear-y when her name came up? Carried her picture in his dumb little locket? She could be dead. They could be partying it up in the afterlife.”

“Bastard,” Bucky says grumpily, about Steve. “I’d tell you guys, if I died without you knowing.”

“Accidentally died,” insists Sam.

Bucky scowls. “I maintain we haven’t ruled out the double agent angle.”

“Oh my God!” says Sam, and throws his hands up in the air.

They have this exchange multiple times.

Sam sees the merit in the murder angle, but doesn’t necessarily like acknowledging it out loud. First of all, admitting Bucky might be right is always annoying, so he avoids doing it. Second, that shit’s bad juju, especially down here; you never know when a shadow man is listening in.

Just in case Ghost Steve really was murdered and forgot to tell them, though, Sam decides to conduct some scientific experiments. He makes Steve’s favourite gumbo (Sam’s mom’s recipe, of course – no one else’s can hold a candle) and bangs the pot lid loudly over the stove in case there are any spirits around to notice. He flips through Steve’s private sketchbook, left behind in Sam’s napsack — another clear evidence that he hasn’t turned coat — and makes childish faces at all the nude figures to trigger Steve’s artistic sensibilities. Then he leaves it out where the kids could find it, to trigger Steve’s moral sensibilities. 

Bucky takes more extreme measures. He goes out into the yard and yells, “Hey, jerk! You ever thought about what a basket case I’d be without you here? You don’t even got the decency to explain yourself?” after dark, into the droopy shapes of the mangrove trees. 

“Is he gonna start howling at the moon?” Sarah asks Sam one evening, though not unkindly, while they do the dishes and watch Bucky go at it through the small kitchen window.

Sam doesn’t say anything. Privately, he kind of feels like doing the same. 

Then, about three months later, after a near-coup and the revelation of multiple conspiracies and a big old honking blockade being put up all through South country, the Wakandans show up. With – holy shit, Sam thinks – a message from Steve.

“Uncle Sam, you’ve already told us that story.”

Okay, so speaking of parenting. Yeah, yeah, Sam would be a great parent in some alternate universe of events decidedly different from this one. In this universe, getting his nephews to bed at a reasonable hour when only this afternoon, a bunch of fancy people in red armour were holding a super secret outlaw meeting in the barn is proving harder than it looks. Sam almost wishes he was dealing with old Paste-Pot Pete and those sheep again.

“Uh, no I have not,” says Sam. “This version has added embellishments. The Wakandan King never challenged me to a duel, that was all Bucky’s bad luck.” 

“We’re calling ritual vengeance duels now?” asks Bucky dryly. 

“I’m just sayin’, I’m making a bunch of this up here. I am exercising creativity. Story version number one didn’t have any flying dwarves in it.”

Bucky is sitting in the doorway to the kids’ bedroom and attempting to de-encrust his favourite boots, which went through the ringer a bit on their way down through the bayou to Sarah’s three months ago. That was just after this all started. A lot’s changed since then.

Like the fact that Bucky is even in this house, cleaning boots. Or Sam’s newly discovered inability to lull little boys to sleep via adrenaline filled adventure stories while their mother takes a care package to the neighbours’ pregnant daughter in law. Sarah was very excited to see the newest in maternity fashion, which apparently Marlene had been sporting in the village all week, purchased from traveling dressmakers who might have had fae blood. Those guys always do know how to cut a cloak well. 

Bucky sniffs loudly at Sam’s defense and pulls an exaggerated face, raising the poor boot up to eye level to inspect it. “Maybe you’re just bad at telling stories,” he says finally.

While AJ and Cass giggle like the traitors they are, Sam makes a loud offended noise.

“Alright,” he says. “Fine. Fine. You know what? Just for that, I’m telling the story of how all of Petruski’s sticky sheep started followin’ your fluffy white wolf ass around.”

AJ dissolves into even harder giggles. Cass says, “Not the sheep story Uncle Sam! All you do in that one is complain!” and Bucky says, more primly than he has any right to, “I was consciously being as non threatening as possible, Samuel.”

“Yeah,” Sam says, “so non threatening they thought you were one of ‘em.”

AJ is really starting to wheeze now, so Sam hauls him into his arms to disrupt the hilarity before it gets medical. Cass brings his pillow up over his head like a crown to smother his own laughter. And Bucky winks, before – in a devastating play – letting out a quiet, plaintive pair of baas in quick succession.

Routines like this one are becoming more and more real. More and more comfortable, Sam thinks, amidst the boys’ shrieks of laughter. Being here, being in this home (their home – The home?) it fills his heart with something warm and solid and unmoving. Like he has put down a heavy load. Sometimes it is hard to imagine what is so important that makes it worth picking up sword and shield and leaving this behind. Without this, where would any of them even be?

It’s just, that thought doesn’t stop the rest of the world from banging on their door sometimes. 

Just look at Steve’s cryptic as hell note. The me you know isn’t dead. Seriously. What the fuck. Sam almost wishes he really was dealing with a unicorn.

He settles on telling the story of how he and Steve once met that tiny shrinking guy and between Captain Rogers’ knightly loyalty to his friends, some of Redwing’s more heroic moments, and the addition of the brilliant mage-princess who gifted Bucky the enchantment for his arm, both boys are appeased.

“Uncle Sam,” Cass says, sleepily, towards the tail end of the story. “’S no fair that magic skips a generation. I wanna help save the kingdom like you do.”

Sam quiets, his hand stilling where it was in the middle of brushing over AJs forehead. AJ is already fast asleep. Knocked out cold, snoring and everything. 

Thing is, Sam’s brand of magic is pretty limited — some gimmick, even, nowhere close to what his Titi had. All Sam’s good for, practically speaking, is translating messages from carrier pigeons. But it got him into this bigger world, tangled him up in it. 

Sam can see, even though Bucky’s head is down, that his friend’s expression has taken on a slight grimness.

“Cass. Hey.” Sam knuckles the boy’s nose gently. “What do you mean, like me. You know how I keep this old kingdom safe? I help your mama do the dishes.”

“Uncle Sam,” Cass says, rolling his sleepy thick-lashed eyes. 

Sam sighs. “Cass. Just because it doesn’t make for a good story doesn’t mean it isn’t important.”

More important, even. Running this old house, and its garden (with all those gnomes, little pains-in-the-ass) and its boat.

“Muh huh,” Cass manages. And then he has drifted off, the side of his face squished against the pillow.

Sam and Bucky quietly relocate to the kitchen, where Redwing is awaiting them with a new note and a dead mouse.

“Jesus,” Bucky mutters.

“You better not be about to get in a piss fight with a kestrel when there are sleeping children in the next room.”

As if on cue, Redwing flaps over lands happily on Bucky’s shoulder, startling him. The little bell on his foot jingles, and Bucky glares, which does nothing to deter the little bird’s impulse to start throwing up what appears to be more mouse. 

Bucky stands perfectly still and looks awfully close to raptorcide. 

Dude, can you like, be normal for once, Sam says, to the bird. Redwing fluffs out all of his feathers in Bucky’s face in response. 

“I don’t get into piss fights with your kestrel, Sam,” Bucky says, gritting each word out with individuality. 

Redwing twitters happily. 

He’ll come around eventually, Sam replies. He scoops the bird up in both hands and re-situates him on his own arm, and begins untying the little package wired to Redwing’s foot. Out loud, he adds, “You know, he wants to be your friend so badly –”

“He’s the one who chews through my best leather breeches twice a month –” Bucky cuts himself off, grumbling under his breath and reaching over to fumble the parchment scroll out of Sam’s hand while its messenger hops in one place and nuzzles the crown of his feathery head into Sam’s armpit. Sam’s poorly concealed smile fades when Bucky openly frowns.

“Note’s from Nakia,” Bucky mutters, tapping the amulet bracelet on his right wrist against the similar shape of beaded stone etched into the scroll’s covering as Sam strokes Redwing’s head. 

“It’s – what?”

“What what.”

“From another dimension,” Bucky reads aloud, looking increasingly incredulous. 

“What?” 

“You already said that.” Sam rolls his eyes. Bucky makes a face at the scroll. “Always gotta be another fuckin’ gimmick. Well. She’s got a guy to decode it.”

“Didn’t she cast the spell?” asks Sam, who is still processing the dimension thing. As in, like, different from their own?

Is that where Steve is?

“Yeah, but only to keep anyone else from decoding it. The bracelet itself already had a message stored in it.” 

“Beyond Steve’s disembodied voice materializing outta nowhere the first time I touched that thing to prove he hasn’t kicked the bucket.”

“Which,” Bucky starts, “for the record –”

“Was not your theory.”

Bucky frowns harder. Refocuses. “Yes. The bracelet, which was clearly a magical object enchanted to respond to your touch –”

“Could’a been our touch, you never held it before I did –”

“Fine, sure, our touch – double enchantment. This thing is stolen, and someone – my guess is Steve – managed to layer another goddamn spell on it before sending it our way.”

Sam sighs, staring at the gleaming dishes in the drying rack. A box of Arm and Magical Hammer’s peroxide sits orange and to the side. Maybe this is why Sarah refuses to use any of the handy dandy domestic enchantments he brings home for her. 

Because magic’s a pain in the ass.

“So?” says Sam.

“Uh, yeah. She’s got a guy to decode it …” Bucky grimaces, “on the other side of the river.”

Oh. Oh. Yeah, that’s gonna be rough.

“I can’t go through a GRC checkpoint,” Sam says. Redwing makes a mournful sound of agreement. Bucky is still turning the note over and over as if maybe reading it upside down will change its mystifying contents. 

“They’d recognize your beautiful knightly face,” he agrees, reciting Sam’s proffered explanation. “And then search all your bags and spook your horse. You know, she’s way too sensitive.”

“Clara ain’t sensitive, she’s emotionally intelligent. There’s a difference,” Bucky mutters something about Sam busting out his inner kingdom social worker lingo on them and Sam adds, “and you can go through a GRC checkpoint even less, by the way.”

“To be fair,” Bucky says, “they have kinda fucked up my nose in all those wanted posters. Maybe they wouldn’t recognize me.”

They both sit down at the table, resigned. It’s a sticky problem. Sam supposes, as Bucky pulls his favourite dagger out and begins flipping it in a broody manner, that they could take Sharon’s smuggler’s detour behind the wall, but she’d ask too many questions. Sending Redwing on his own is too risky (Sam admits, begrudgingly and in the privacy of his own mind). Clint’s roped into a local problem with a gang of overall-wearing gnomes, Bruce has started teaching a yoga of ogres class, even Joaquin just set up shop marketside selling his scroll encryption services … Sam’s stomach growls, and the lingering smell of spiced rice hits his nose. Sarah’s left a potfull on the stove, for them, probably. She blusters plenty, has real right to be angry plenty, and has a mean right hook, but she loves him. And she’s a lot tougher than she looks, Sam’s come to realize. Kept this whole village alive over the years with her caring, and even after they set up the blockades she charmed the border officers better than Sam or Bucky ever could.

Sam clicks his tongue against his teeth and says, “Huh.”

“What,” says Bucky.

“Lemme run a hypothetical by you.”

“Oh no.” Bucky rubs a finger over the bridge of his nose. “You always do this to me. I started like that once –”

“And have had many terrible no good get Sam’s ass in trouble plans since, brother.” Sam crosses his arms; Rewind flaps over to his little perch by the bookshelf in deference. “Hypothetically, you don’t have to look like yourself. Right?”

Bucky looks at him warily. “Well … no.”

“And … hypothetically –”

“Sam …”

“If a familiar person, say … the nice lady who used to take her gumbo to the community house every week. Was to have that bracelet in her box the next time she went –”

“You wanna send your sister through the woods on her own in this economy?” Bucky interrupts, baffled.  

Sam lifts his chin. Raises his eyebrows. Wags his head a little bit. Chirp, says Redwing from across the room, which Sam might roughly translate to it’s not rocket science, pal.

It takes Bucky a moment to get it, but when it clicks, it’s obvious.

“Oh, no,” he says, a slow horror growing in his face. “No. No, no, no, no way. I refuse, Sam.”

“I haven’t asked anything yet!” Sam says, very mildly put out.

Bucky levels the pointy end of the dagger at him. “No. You’re not entrusting me as the sole keeper of your sister’s safety in the wilderness!”

Sam leans back in his chair, eyebrows raised. “And who the hell else am I gonna entrust as the sole keeper of my sister’s safety in the wilderness?” Bucky makes a disbelieving little cawing noise, like a sad crow, to which Sam adds, deliberate: “Come on, Buck. Be serious.”

Bucky does not answer, as he seems to go through twelve different emotions at once, silently. Sam, who can acknowledge at sword-point that this is maybe a little mean of him, given Bucky’s profound loyalty to his friends and poorly-concealed devotion to said sister (hmph), gives him a minute. Finally, Bucky manages, 

“Anyone! Someone who didn’t spend the last eighty years magically entrapped by a cabal of fascist wizards in the body of a murderous rabid animal!” 

He waves his free hand, which was previously clutched in his hair for something to do. He’d look a bit wild if he didn’t look so thoroughly mundane sitting there in his shirts with his boots off. 

Well, okay. The knife’s a little intense. But it’s not like Sarah’s kitchen isn’t stacked with em.

Sam pinches the bridge of his nose. 

“Okay, first of all. Rabid is just flat out inaccurate.”

“Sam,” Bucky grinds out.

“I’m just sayin’,” Sam says. “You’re not diseased. And like, present day wolf you can even be kinda cute. You seen how fluffy you are? Those sheep definitely did.”

Bucky actually growls at him.

“That doesn’t actually dispute my point,” says Sam, “which is that this, right here, is objectively our best plan.”

“I won’t do it.”

“I’m asking you, Bucky.”

“It’s a terrible plan!”

“Says the guy who only ever comes up with the most unhinged plans ever!”

They glare at each other, for a prolonged, stone-headed moment. Sam thinks that next time he tells the kids a bedtime story, he should include a Mexican standoff somewhere in there. Then Bucky raises the knife again, very very slowly.

“Only if Sarah says yes.”

“Which,” Sam agrees, “is extremely unlikely. If magic could be wrapped up in a tiny little football, she’d probably drop kick that thing into the Mississippi like a quarterback.”

Marginally, Bucky’s face relaxes.

“Yeah,” he says, and now Sam is starting to feel some relief too, because really, what the hell is he thinking? Sending his baby sister out into the wilderness so they can all uncover some great conspiracy … “Yeah. Yeah, okay. If she says yes, I’ll do it.”

And then, of course, she does.

[hopepaigeturner]

in the umbrella academy au, has it ever happened that some of the members had to face their relatives or someone from their past, who was maybe tormenting them?

like i imagine, Lucy’s uncle, maybe wanting her back to sell her to some scientific company that wants to do experiments on them (this could sound totally stupid, but i haven’t see the show, im just very curious in regards of the bridgerton universe)

This isn't a stupid question nonny!!!! It's not in the UA show, but that's mainly because the real 'tormentor' of the Umbrellas is their 'father' Hargreeves. As this is a different AU we can have a bit of a play around 😉.

To answer your question I think in different ways...

Phillip and Sophie faced their demons when she helped Philip escape from his father's laboratory, after finding Simon, Kate and Lady Danbury who were investigating Crane Cosmetics due to its suspect testing policies. All that was left was a burning building and they've never heard of Araminta or Sir Crane since...

And yes, Lucy's uncle did try and get Lucy back, turning up day after day, banging on the windows, trying to blackmail Lady Danbury. And Lady Danbury brushed it off and instructed that the other children did not need to worry.

But then one day someone breaks into the Umbrella Academy and tries to steal Lucy. They are onlyThwarted by Lucy screaming and obliterating the man with her powers.

Two nights later and Abernathy is swaying down an alley after a late night whiskey. Suddenly there is a whistle, a little clunk, and the alley light goes out.

"What the?" He spins around, at a rush of wind.

"Who goes there?" he cries as he hears a patter, like feet, on the rooves above him.

His skin prickles, his breath becomes laboured.

"If you want my money come out stop being cowards!"

The softest of winds, a caress--but one that makes his blood run cold.

"We're not the cowards," is whispered in his ear, petrifying him. The cold bite of steel making him tremble "We're retribution."

He doesn't have time to scream.

Two days later, the newspaper reports that a half crazed Mr Abernathy is signed into a mental health ward after raving about flying metal, shapeshifting people, a gorilla who spoke and rats that swarmed in military formations.

Lady Danbury throws the newspaper on the table in front of Simon, Kate, Sophie and Phillip.

"We don't need to worry about Abernathy anymore."

"It seems not." Simon says sipping his second cup of coffee that morning. Sophie continues to munch on her toast.

"Indeed..." Lady Danbury's eye rake over them all. Kate smiles as does the monkey on her shoulder. Lady Danbury sighs "Well, I seem awfully tired so I think we will take a break from training today. It seems you all need a little more rest." With one final pointed look she walks away.

"She's so pissed," Phillip muttered.

"I'm not so sure," Simon says, catching the little smirk on Danbury;s face as she leaves. "And anyway," he looks over his shoulder to where John is sat crossed legged with five year old Lucy, patiently helping her learn how to control her powers. "no one messes with this family. Right?"

The others nod, a solemn vow that has never been broken.

[pagebypagereviews]

25 Books to Open Your Mind Books have the profound ability to transport us to different worlds, introduce us to new ideas, and challenge our perceptions. In a world brimming with information, selecting books that genuinely open our minds and expand our understanding can be daunting. This curated list of 25 books spans various genres and topics, each promising to enlighten, challenge, and inspire readers. From timeless classics to contemporary masterpieces, these books are more than just stories or facts; they are gateways to new ways of thinking. Philosophy and Self-Reflection Embarking on a journey of self-discovery and philosophical inquiry can profoundly impact how we view the world and our place within it. These books offer insights into life's big questions, encouraging readers to think deeply about their beliefs and values. "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius - A timeless collection of personal writings by the Roman Emperor, offering wisdom on stoicism and the art of living. "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl - A psychiatrist's memoir of survival in Nazi concentration camps, exploring the importance of finding purpose in life. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho - A magical story about following one's dreams, emphasizing the importance of listening to our hearts. "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse - A spiritual novel that follows a young man's journey during the time of the Buddha, exploring themes of enlightenment and self-discovery. Science and Innovation Understanding the universe and the groundbreaking discoveries that shape our world can profoundly change our perspective. These books demystify complex scientific concepts and celebrate human ingenuity. "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking - An accessible exploration of cosmology, from the Big Bang to black holes. "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari - An examination of the history of our species, from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa to the present. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins - A revolutionary look at evolution from the viewpoint of genes, introducing the concept of the "meme." "The Innovators" by Walter Isaacson - A history of the digital revolution and the people who made it happen. Social Sciences and Culture Exploring the fabric of human societies and cultures can help us understand the complexities of the world around us. These books delve into sociology, psychology, and cultural studies, offering fresh perspectives on human behavior and social norms. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell - An investigation into what makes high-achievers different, emphasizing the role of culture, community, and luck. "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond - A look at how environmental factors have shaped the modern world and human societies. "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman - An exploration of the two systems that drive the way we think and make decisions. "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers - A discussion on how myths influence our lives, beliefs, and cultures. Literature and Fiction Fiction has the unique ability to convey truths about the human condition through storytelling. These literary works challenge readers to empathize with characters from diverse backgrounds and experiences, broadening our understanding of the world. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee - A powerful tale of racial injustice in the American South, seen through the eyes of a child. "1984" by George Orwell - A dystopian novel that explores the dangers of totalitarianism and surveillance. "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger - A novel about teenage rebellion and alienation, capturing the essence of youthful disillusionment. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez - A masterpiece of magical realism, telling the multi-generational story of the Buendía family. Personal Development and Success Personal growth and achieving success are common goals, but the path to them is often fraught with challenges.

These books provide strategies and insights to help navigate the journey of self-improvement and professional achievement. "Atomic Habits" by James Clear - A guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones, emphasizing small changes that lead to remarkable results. "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie - Timeless advice on effective communication and interpersonal skills. "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" by Carol S. Dweck - An exploration of the growth mindset and its impact on various aspects of life, including education, work, and relationships. "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey - A holistic approach to personal and professional effectiveness, offering a principle-centered method for solving personal and professional problems. Conclusion Each book on this list offers a unique lens through which to view the world, challenging preconceptions and encouraging growth. Whether you're interested in exploring the mysteries of the universe, understanding the complexities of human society, or seeking personal or professional development, these books promise to open your mind and expand your horizons. By delving into these works, readers can embark on a journey of lifelong learning and self-discovery, gaining new insights and perspectives along the way. So, choose a book that resonates with you, dive in, and prepare to see the world in a new light.

[harrison-abbott]

Was reading a history book earlier. And, the big bang came up. As a theory/ideal: a means of explaining why the universe exists and what it all came from. As I read, it got me thinking about how monumental the thought actually is. Because, the Big Bang argument can’t actually be proven. It said as much in the book. Therefore, there is no, as yet, scientific way of proving how this planet came into existence.

And, we get so wrapped up in our daily lives. With money, relationships, status, depression, additive issues, boredom, entertainment, pleasure and anxiety: that we often don’t stop and look around us. At the city that we’re in. And just marvel at how this all first came into existence.

I remember when I was a kid, I used to think about space. And how it was supposedly ‘infinite’: how it would go on and one without any end. And the thought was spectacular to me in that I couldn’t fathom how such an idea didn’t have a conclusion. There was no wall at which the notion ended. And – when I read that book yesterday, at the age of 31, it linked in with those same amazed feelings. Just as I type, right now, at 05:13, in a small room in the suburbs of Edinburgh, it’s a simple astonishment that I exist and that there are billions of other people also on this planet who exist. That there are forests and oceans. What created all of that? How did it all come out of, seemingly, as the theory suggests, nothing?

When you read about such things, you tend to realise how insignificant your personal life actually is. Or, with things like money, or bad moments that happened to you in the past.

They make you think on a more important level. You should learning about these types of issues: and not remembering some idiot who was mean to you when you were a kid. There are far larger topics, vis a vis humanity, that have never been answered. A whole load of questions that remain mysteries. And, just as how I was posting yesterday: this is why reading is so important. It educates you and brings you out of your wallowing and mental anguish.

If people were to pause, and think about how wondrous existence actually is, rather than be chronically sucked up in their own unhappiness and anger, it would solve many international problems.  

[deane247com]

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[podcastthings]

Hidden Brain: One Head, Two Brains

You often hear people saying that the left and right hemispheres of your brain controls different functions in your life. This episode explains that indeed your left and right brain each serve different purposes, but they need to work in sync for you to be able to navigate the world.

To put it simply, your right brain is responsible for the "big picture", and your left brain is responsible for the details. This is definitely aligned with our impressions of each side of the brain. If you're a "left brained" person, you are more logical and organized, and if you're a "right brained" person, you are more communicative and creative.

They gave a famous example of the character Sheldon from Big Bang Theory who is a stereotypically left brained person, and he is unable to comprehend sarcasm.

Strictly my own assumption with no scientific basis or research: does that mean people with Asperger probably have some sort of a right brain deficiency? Asperger is characterized by "significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities". They are unable to read nonverbal cues from people, and they pay close attention to minute details in a restricted interest.

How about if you were left brain deficient? I think of people who cannot complete a series of tasks that require complicated steps, and who often have their heads in the clouds.

I wonder if these things can be trained. If you're someone who has a hard time organizing things, it seems like you should be able to write out some 5-step for yourself to follow so that some task that you may need to repeat in the future would be easier to you over time. I'm not sure how the opposite would work though. It often seems like it's difficult to get people who pay too much attention to detail to see the big picture.

The guest Iain McGilchrist mentions that our world is currently dominated by left-brain thinking, which seems to be true. Everything needs to have a precise rule or method, everything is black and white, no room for creativity or "thinking outside the box".

I think I've been guilty of that myself at the previous job, always trying to come up with solutions for the immediate problem, failing to construct a comprehensive outline of how the entire system could work. And then thinking that since this solution works for now, it is the only solution, not trying to come up with alternative ways to make things work. Or maybe I'm just too lazy to think of anything else, lawl.

There was an interesting example in this episode discussing music. What is music? It is the notes and the gaps (silences) between the notes that make up the rhythm and melody. If you simply look at a piece of music just by its individual notes, it means nothing. And how are you supposed to view the gaps, then? But if you don't have the gaps, it also makes for a weird piece of music. When you listen to music, you don't just listen to the individual notes, you listen the whole piece performed together as a whole. Ah, music is wonderful. But anyway, funny to think about how the "simple" things in our lives are so complicated. (By no means saying that making music is simple.)