#i am not immune to cute names apparently

[softshuji]

Today I realized I am not immune like I thought I was. I got called my love by a lady today and felt my cheeks heating up.

#is this how it feels????? #anyways #i am not immune to cute names apparently #ok recently i am realizing i am not immune to anythinnggg like i thought i was #i hate that im supposed to be the one wbo uses pet names!

[thetonethetollandthethunder]

Scythe chapter 11-15

You know the drill!! Cmon!!!

—

Chapter 11!!

-I always forget the conclave’s have names,,,

-The thing is, you can never blame these people for fighting back, it’s human nature, but OUGH the consequences of human nature are so devastating

-But just imagine the guilt you’d feel, your husband got killed and you get immune from the same fate for a whole year. That’s just prime for survivors guilt

-Also the fact that Faraday told the family the man didn’t resist is just testament to his kindness and compassion

-“The sanctity of the law…And the wisdom to know when it must be broken.” *Stares at Goddard*

-MILK SCENE, I unironically love this scene even tho I think it’s really funny

-Also I genuinely don’t know how ppl drink milk b4 bed, is that even a real thing? How does that make you sleepy??

-Also good on Faraday!! Don’t waste shit!!!

-Apparently all the Scythe Rings are white but I refuse to acknowledge that, they’re all multicolored and each color relates to the scythe in some way <3

-That ring security system Faraday has going on is sick as fuck tho ngl

-“Now let’s see how long it takes Rowan to go for the ring.” I love himmmm, he’s fun!!! He can be fun!!

-Tonist mention!! I love the Tonists <33

-Nice chapter!! Gives more depth to Faraday!!

—

Chapter 12!!

-Rowan and Citra’s test are approaching!!!

-The idea of having to hold yourself back in life because you’re afraid of being killed is actually terrifying—

-Also same Rowan, I hate studying too

-“Rowan concluded that not knowing was more terrifying than knowing.” If I remember correctly what the consequence is then that is CERTAIN true

-I LOVE Citra and Rowan’s banter here!! You can see their chemistry early on!!

-UGH I WONT LIST OUT ALL THE MOMENT BUT THEYRE SO CUTE!!!

-Cute chapter! Lots of Citran moments!

—

Chapter 13!!

-“I’m a human being, not a mole.” Faraday is soooo fun sometimes like so fun and endearing???

-“Destroyed back in the age of mortality by something called ‘terrorism’.” OKAY SO YES THIS DOES GIVE US A LOT TO THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF WHAT PEOPLE HERE KNOW ABOUT THE AGE OF MORTALITY BUT ALSO THAT IS RLLY FUCKING FUNNY SOOO

-I too hate walking at 6:30 am (I go to public school in America)

-“I have found that with the Scythedom, it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission,” He is iconic yall

-“What’s the worst they could do?” Things said before disasters—

-“Running the gauntlet” Like walking the red carpet!

-“Scythes wished to be seen as the many faces of light, not of darkness.” And soon they will be! Yk, just right after the plague—

-SCYTHE CURIE OMG OMG!!

-OO now they’re seeing scythe goddard ohoho I LOVE HAVING FORESIGHT

-Citra would cringe at the fact she at one point dazzled by goddard

-Rowan don’t be fatphobic /j

-I like that the conclave’s are pretty boring for the most part, makes it feel more realistic

-I love how only when Citra becomes a Scythe does she begin to understand these rituals, shows how much she grows

-OHOHO we got goddards fuckin note bullshit! Citra is gonna hear allll about that when she becomes a scythe

-Love how Chomsky is basically described as “as white as anyone could be” lmaoo token white man

-also gun lobby, nothing to say about it just…Gun lobby

-Rowan starting to talk like faraday is GOLD

-Again I love Citra and Rowan’s banter

-SCYTHE CURIE

-The idea of the weaponsmaster being a infomercial salesman is SOO funny i need to use that in my scythe oc shit

-Also that digital poison sounds fucking TERRIFYING

-The Scythes not liking the term ‘victim’ is rlly interesting to me, shows they really think of themselves as these faces of light

-Neal I don’t think you know what feminine hygiene products sound like—

-Hand of midas shit but even MORE horrifying!!

-I am terrible with names I saw Scythe Mandela and thought he was Scythe Possuelo and I have no idea why

-Who names their child Ransom??

-VERY good and long chapter!! Two more to go!!

—

Chapter 14!!

-OOO the test scene!! One of my favorites!!

-SCYTHE CURIE

-Again what is with the shit names??? Jacory??

-OHH you do NOT interrupt scythe curie girl you are FUCKED

-Oh Citra you’re gonna revisit the worst thing you’ve ever done REALLL soon

-ROWAN LOSING ON PURPOSE FOR CITRA IS SOOOO!!!

-GODDAMN IT RAND I LOVE YOU BUT STOP

-AND THE TENSION THICKENS WITH THE ADDED RULE OF THEM HAVING TO KILL THE OTHER OH MY GOD ITS STILL GOOD MAN!!

-We all want a relationship with the thunderhead Curie

-Very good chapter that adds to the stakes of the story!! One more to go!!!

—

Chapter 15!!!

-God the shock and confusion and how upset they all are really captivates this conversation

-And you see that eventually Rowan is very willing to die at the hands of Citra, that’s how much he loves her like UGHH

-“Scythes were supposed to be above the petty,” oh citra you have no idea bby girl,,

-Hash pales!!!

-THE KISS SCENE

-Ive already went in depth about why I love this scene in my Citran analysis post but UGH I LOVE ITT

-Liar!! You are totally in love rowan!!

-GODDARD THE BASTARD

-God he is such a fucking dick i hate himmm

-Very good chapter :)

—

AND THATS THE NEXT 5!!! Next time we’ll do chapters 16-20!

#the tone speaks #arc of a scythe #rowan damisch #citra terranova #scythe faraday #scythe curie #scythe goddard

[sunsage]

⭐️☎👏 over here too!!

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Send ⭐️ (or multiple) for a headcanon about our muses.

I feel like when they get properly acquainted, Wukong and Curry might have a cold war situation going on. Cats don't much like new people in their house especially when they hog attention from their favourite person. And Wukong isn't really a jealous type, but he's still an animal, so he's not completely immune to the 'there is this other animal rubbing their smell over someone I am interested in, in a very clear challenge to me'. They won't actually be like agressive about it (at least one of them realizes it's ridiculous to have active beef with an actual pet) but Gabriel might have to deal with more affection from both of them for no apparent reason for a while.

Send ☎ for your muse’s info in my muses phone (name, ringtone, picture, last text received/sent).

Name: little angel Ringtone: Default (he's too lazy to change it) Picture: A somewhat blurry picture of Gabriel holding Curry with a cat filter applied to both. Last text (reply to the one here):

[txt]: awwww cute! like me!

[txt]: don't think i was ever that small tho

Send  👏 and what your muse will do to fluster mine.

He doesn't have to try very hard!! Everything he does already flusters Gabriel. Holding his hand or climbing on him is just something he does because he's comfortable doing it, not because he wants to fluster the guy (for the most part). But yeah if he's really trying to get the angel all blushy, he'll just ham up the physical affection. Pulling him close (by the hip probably, he can't really reach the shoulders), hugging, holding his face, kissing his face, all that kind of stuff.

#light imperfected #we meet again... again! #this got mushy

[cosleia]

Andor Livetweeting: Episode 3

Continued livetweeting from September 21 of the first three episodes, plus some additional discussion from the next day after thinking more and watching breakdowns.

Episode 1 | Episode 2

· Sep 21 EPISODE THREE BITCHESSSSSS

· Sep 21 I like the opening title

· Sep 21 Kassa walks his own path

· Sep 21 So were children immune somehow?

· Sep 21 So they called this an imperial mining facility but not sure if it’s actually the Empire yet?

· Sep 21 I am willing to wait for answers, I just like asking questions

· Sep 21 Talkative Public Transport guy is cute

· Sep 21 LOVE the sound of ships exiting hyperspace holy shit

· Sep 21 Maarva’s partner is the best

· Sep 21 “Republic frigate approaching” okay yeah. I guess the Empire is retconning the Republic 😂

· Sep 21 Lawful Cute looks SO out of place rofl

· Sep 21 Well that’s one way to adopt a kid

· Sep 21 Does this mean Maarva’s last name is Andor?

· Sep 21 Cassian you’re kind of stupid

· Sep 21 “Hanged”

· Sep 21 He said “hung”. It’s “hanged”

· Sep 21 “Don’t you want to fight these bastards for real?”

· Sep 21 “GIVE IT”

· Sep 21 “Never carry anything you don’t control.”

· Sep 21 This is a really good depiction of the shit that happens when you send cops

· Sep 21 Maarva’s house is cute, it even has a flowering vine

· Sep 21 omg Lawful Cute 😂😂😂

· Sep 21 lol he chained the shuttle to a weight

· Sep 21 THEY TIED UP LAWFUL PRETTY yes I changed his name anyway THEY KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING

· Sep 21 Here is a man who is going to vow to hunt down Cassian Andor

· Sep 21 He told you to turn the heat on, Maarva

· Sep 21 I like how they mirrored those two moments that changed his life

· Sep 21 My husband doesn’t just want, he NEEDS to see Lawful Pretty’s boss lose his shit

· Sep 21 I only care about the woman characters’ names apparently

· Sep 21 This is REALLY good so far, super excited for more!

· Sep 22 It occurred to me this morning that we still don’t know if Cassian has a sister or if he is just looking for ANYONE from home. I’m guessing the latter. It seems like there is a taboo surrounding Kenari and either people don’t talk about it or don’t know it existed.

· Sep 22 The “mining disaster” seems to have been the release of some sort of toxin that killed all the miners, and apparently the Republic was coming to “clean up” which Maarva’s partner seemed to think meant killing anyone who was left.

· Sep 22 So of course they wouldn’t want to talk about THAT.

I am still wondering how there were child survivors. Were they just living far enough away from the mine? Bee’s sensors indicated the air in the ship was safe; had the toxin dispersed everywhere?

· Sep 22 I’ve been assuming the children’s parents were miners, and the kids created their own society after they died. But they seemed to have longstanding traditions, not to mention their own language. So maybe their parents were indigenous peoples forced into slave labor.

· Sep 22 I’m not sure of the timeline, but I don’t remember the strip mine being full of bodies, so the kids maybe had time to bury people. Or the toxin spread slowly enough that the adults were burying each other until there were none left.

· Sep 22 The crashed ship they found seemed to have been a new development. They were surveying it for stuff they could use I assume, just like Maarva. Or maybe looking for their lost parents. Regardless, the disaster seemed to have happened a good time before that crash.

· Sep 22 The planet was already off-limits due to the toxin after all. Which makes me wonder what that ship was doing there. Also, one of the people on the ship was still alive, which makes me wonder how fast the toxin works. And again why it didn’t affect the kids!

· Sep 22 I love how many questions I have. This is so fun.

· Sep 22 Does the face paint the kids use protect from the toxin? I’m grasping at straws here

· Sep 22 Okay I’m watching breakdowns now. He DOES have a sister, she doesn’t go on the mission to the crashed ship. So he probably was looking for her.

Also apparently the bell-ringer’s in-universe title is “Time Grappler” which is amazing

· Sep 22 HMMM so the crashed ship was apparently Separatist

· Sep 22 The guy who plays Lawful Pretty looks TOTALLY DIFFERENT out of costume etc, he has CURLY HAIR and a BEARD

· Sep 22 So this breakdown guy thinks Maarva and her partner CAUSED THE SHIP TO CRASH…this had not occurred to me but they did get there fast. Did I miss some dialogue?

· Sep 22 …OH

· Sep 22 That oh was about Maarva’s partner, I missed that he was probably the one who was hanged. (I was too distracted by Luthen saying “hung” lol)

· Sep 22 So anyway, the people on that crashed ship had Separatist patches on their outfits but Maarva called them Republic. Breakdown guy surmised they were undercover and she knew. Still so many questions.

· Sep 22 I can imagine now that the people on the ship turned yellow and died from their ship being sabotaged rather than from being exposed to the planet, which would mean something ELSE happened to all the miners and the “toxic” thing might be a rumor/cover story…I JUST DON’T KNOW

#star wars #andor series #heather's andor livetweets

[cellmadness]

Not to Remember, rather to Persist

For those reading this, I am a huge immunology nerd and want to shed some light on T cells. Feel free to keep reading to join in on my excitement, or just to know more about the fuzzy balls that are our immune soldiers. 

T cells are a unique type of cell in our body as they behave quite distinctive from other cells. Alright, all immune cells fit this category, but T cells have their own tier of uniqueness because of what they can and can’t do in the body…

The "T" in "T cells" stands for Thymus, the ever shrinking organ within our bodies. These cells originate from the bone marrow as most blood cells then go into the thymus to finish development. Kinda like raw cookie dough being transferred into the oven to complete the transformation to reach their delicious goodness potential. 

T cells stand out from other immune cells as they are the only immune cell required to have an exclusive organ for development. (They have an official degree as I would like to think of it. A Doctorate in assassination and home regulation from Thymus University). When they leave the Thymus of Education, they look like fuzzy puffs because they are covered in receptors. They are then deemed the official protectors of the body, only being called into action when primed to combat a specific pathogen, a nasty virus, fungus, or bacteria wreaking havoc-hence the title “adaptive” immune cells.

"Fuzzy, fuzzy ,fuzz balls. So cute, yet so murderous. "

Now with a little background, I want to dive into their behavior. T cells have the ability to transform into different subsets as needed based on stimuli and circumstance.

Following infection, T cells rejoice after their victory. It is tough for the little guys to clear our system from disease while not causing collateral damage. Now, when our cells are officially notified of pathogen clearance, some remain in the system as small record keepers of the disease. These T cells are called Memory T cells because they have the task to engage in protection immediately if that same pathogen comes back for another round. The concept of memory is interesting as our understanding of it is that these T cells can wipe out a repeat offender before we acquire disease. 

However, what I want to discuss is what happens when memory doesn’t form. Indeed, there are times when our T cells cannot initially clear pathogens to form Memory T cells. So what does this mean…does it mean the infected individual dies?  Well yes…depending on the disease we’re talking about. But I’m not talking about times when disease overtakes the adaptive immune system-that’s a conversation for another day.

Instead I want to discuss a not commonly talked about T cell subtype when memory T cells cannot form: Exhausted T cells. 

As the names suggest, exhausted T cells are T cells that are exhausted. (Wait, keep reading there's more) Now, what does that mean? 

Exhausted T cells form when after T cells primed to combat a pathogen they cannot overtake for one reason or another. Indeed, the T cells perform their classic showcase- Kill infected cells, boost innate cells, keep disease under control: their bread and butter. Yet some pathogens simply do not care about the efforts in protective immunity. So what happens is that over a period of time, T cells “realize” that their pathogen cannot be beaten, or at least not without extreme measures. T cells get this realization through consistent signaling from their surrounding environment that the pathogen is still present. When this happens, T cells bring about a truce. 

It’s apparent that I cannot be rid of you, but I won’t let you run free either. 

They begin to change. They transition from their initial hardwiring to become less destructive or cytotoxic. They change to become “worse” fighters and better “managers”. Also, similar to a lot of things in immunology- exhausted T cells exist in a spectrum. Depending on how much chronic stimuli they receive or the overall conditions of the pathogen they deal with impacts to what degree they are “exhausted”. Harsher situations make T cells drive to more of the severe exhaustion side where they can hardly do their jobs at all (poor fellas) while the more annoying but less critical pathogens leave more moderate exhaustion. All in all, exhausted T cells appear to be on the other side of the coin from memory. Unlike memory cells that recover and build stemness (readily able to divide and prep for excellent cytotoxic availability) , exhausted T cells are never given that opportunity. These cells never saw victory. So these cells are equivalent to weary soldiers that keep the stalemate to never “lose” the war. They can divide but can’t fight very well. 

  Upon first glance, I decided that exhausted T cells are a strange evolutionary development. Why would T cells choose to become exhaustive if they clearly aren’t effective? Should they die off? Since then I’ve been enlightened. 

   Exhausted T cells do play a role in the hard fight for homeostasis ,the lovely state of being healthy. While these cells are poor killers, they can persist very well. Maintenance is the name of the game, and persistence is key. Exhausted T cells remain in the site of pathogen to keep it at bay, seemingly as long as it needs to. It would be preferred that the exhausted T cell limit continued cytotoxicity because it would be a waste of resources and a risk on innocent bystander cells. Exhausted T cells utilize decreased energy for limited yet effective division to keep the stalemate. Because of them, we live with many pathogens that never diminish our quality of life because these T cells keep them in check. This is shown in cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein Barr Virus where a lot of people are infected, but no symptoms are realized.

    For that, I found another reason to commend these tiny soldiers. Even when they can’t win, they still try to keep the body from losing.

#health #immune system #immunity #T cells #adaptive immunity #army #exhausted t cells #thymus #disease #cell #memory t cells

[iam-back]

Super Mario RPG playthrough diary - 40

Below here be spoilers!

Alright, 5 against 1 - a plumber, a cloudbaby prince, a light-mote possessing a doll, a princess, and a king v.s some hairy tyrant with a hammer.

It's a decisive battle and indeed a war between wishes and weapons. Bitchin' music, too!

This guy's a tough nut to crack. And his Smelter, too!

Throughout the fight he'll create random helpers with AOEs to fit their motif. ...Should I say just Shypers.

Destroy that first, and you're Gucci-golden!

...Op, Mario's down.

Anyway, I healed a bunch - now I won against good old Smithy!

At this point the foundation falls and we're thrust into phase 2, where the music becomes crazy and chaotic and he unleashes his true form after we were only shown the earlier form for like 2 minutes.

"Meanwhile, the fight is not over." "What!?" "True form activate."

...Well, his head changed. In fact, that's the name of the game here. His head will periodically cycle through a few forms - a tank for physical attack, a coffin containing the late Pink Panther for defense, a penis wizard man for magic, and a treasure box for status ailments up the wazoo.

Princess Peach is your best bet.

Oh God, tank mode.

His body works more like Exor's eyes - if you damage it enough it'll temporarily be unable to attack.

Next up he changed to penis-wizard mode.

No Magnum yet - just a bunch of Bullet Bills and stuff.

Apparently it's not a weird mouth under the hood - it's his little crown!

Next form! It's... This.

This mode is dedicated to defense - or defence, if you're British. It's immune to magic, so you'll be sorry if you wasted your Ultra Flame on that.

Oh God no, tank again. OH SHIT THERE'S MAGNUM AND IT KILLED GENO BECAUSE I DIDN'T REACT FAST ENOUGH

Penis wizard man again. Mario's down. So's Mallow.

Everyone keeps dying - time to send in tanky old Bowser.

Not the tank again!!! I wanna see the treasure box!!!

I blocked the Magnum!

Anyway, here's the last form - the treasure box full of status ailments.

I was meaning to save those Rock Candies during the Smithy fight, and look where I am!

Whew. Only ~1,300 HP to go. And they kept the status screens as eyestrain as ever.

Finally got that Healing Rainbow up and running.

And there! The last hit! I did it! FINALLY!

He's finished! Done for! Kaput! Over the hill! Shalom!

Now that Geno's left his host body and returned to space, let's gather'round and find out what became of everyone.

Todovsky has an orchestra.

Gaz and Geno reunited.

Croco joins the Mushroom Derby.

Valentina is trying to marry Booster.

The Starslap serenades everyone.

Johnny's just there. Who is he, Proto Man?

Mallow's on stage as the rightful heir to the Nimbus throne. I like to think that afterwards, Nimbus Land and Tadpole Pond form an alliance.

Bowser's fixing up the castle.

Plus, Punchinello showed up at the end! Proving that he's alive and not dead!

Also, the credits have gone all retro. This is either cute or lazy, depending on your sliding scale of idealism v.s cynicism.

Right around Johnny's section they've spiced up at night with parade lights.

#super mario rpg #nintendo switch

[anoldstoryteller]

43 BBY Establishing A Name

It had been a month since I found Scabbard and things had progressed with a steady speed. Firstly when we returned to Coruscant Tali fired her manager and started the process of finding a new one. She found one quite easily, probably due to her own fame and started recording music.

Scabbard made a point of going over every detail of what the ship was capable of doing. With the right materials the Scabbard was its own self functioning base with the ability to manufacture weapons, armor, droids, starfighters, munitions, as well as its own fuel. Of course we didn't have these resources due to the sheer amount it would require not to mention the amount of credits needed. Scabbard also mentioned that there are two other 'sister' ships with their own AI out in the galaxy somewhere named Saber and Zweihander. Scabbard's secondary function was to help maintain and support these two ships. When I asked her if she knew where they were she admitted that she didn't, that they were made separately from her so she wasn't certain of their progress. The Scabbard was fully automated but there were stations for organic operation, like the bridge and select weapon systems as well as the manufacturing systems. The hangar bay was also huge and I couldn't imagine being able to fill it. There were also a large barracks and messhall as well as recreational areas and even a small area with a field, pond and some trees. Scabbard would brag about how she was the best ship ever to have been created. I asked her one time to clarify if she is the droid or the ship and she merely said she was both. Scabbard was too large to land on Coruscant so I still used the Scarab to land.

I was at Brok's Bar with Alephi and Mivota with Iso in my armor sitting in my booth when a Mirialan approached us, "Excuse me. I was wondering if you were Kal Torka?" I took a moment to look her over. She was rather cute and had bits of red mix in her black hair and looked to be about my age, "Yeah I am. What can I help you with?" She immediately started to smile, "Oh thank goodness. My name is Iuliu Hilra. I've heard about you from quite a few of my customers and they do nothing but sing your praises. Anyway, I was hoping to hire you to retrieve my cargo from pirates. I'm willing to give you five thousand now and another five thousand when the job's completed." I looked at Mivota, she had been anxious about losing her Third Sight so I would ask her about what paths to take from time to time to make her feel better. She closed her eyes for a moment before nodding, "Alright but before I take the job I need some details." I asked her the basics like where they were based and what the cargo was. She said they hit her shipment near Landor as for her shipment it was a couple crates of specialized weapons that a client had ordered. She wouldn't go into detail who the client was but that didn't matter. "Alright. I'll take the job." I said as I stood. She thanked me and gave me her contact info so I could contact her when the job was done. I had Alephi and Mivota gather the crew while I went to say goodbye to Tali. I met her at the recording studio. Her manager had the brainy idea to make her into a duet with another client they already had. Her name was Uri Danus and she typically wore a bodysuit with a mask. Apparently her species had a weaker immune system so she had to be careful when in public places. It so happened that she had her hood and mask off when I entered the building. Her and Tali were talking with the manager about something until Tali saw me, "Kal! What are you doing here?" She said as she skipped over to me, embracing me in a hug. I gave her a quick kiss before letting go of her and explaining about the job. She pouted before replying, "While it doesn't sound like you'll be gone long so I guess I'll be fine. And besides, Uri and I were just putting the final touches on our album, right Uri?" Uri looked away and was blushing. Without her helmet you could really appreciate how pretty she was. She mumbled something about Tali being right. I bid them well and made my way to the Scarab. Helen was waiting outside and reported that everyone was on board and waiting. I thanked her and we made our way to the Scabbard and from there to Landor.

#The Torka Saga

[buckysforever]

what bucky would be like while you’re pregnant

PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU ENGAGE: i am a minor, i think it goes without saying that minors can read my work if they want to, but i do want to clarify that if you are an adult you can interact with my work (if you feel comfortable), if you are an 18+ blog you can interact with my work (if you feel comfortable, and i will not interact with yours). i only read and write fluff and angst, and small amounts of mature topics, the pinned post on my page goes more into detail. i write with black women in mind but most of my fics will have no physical description of y/n. trigger warnings are tagged! if you would like to learn more about my blog (which i highly encourage) please refer to the post on my blog titled “PLEASE READ”. thank you and happy reading! 

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trigger warnings: pregnancy, throwing up, anxiety, fluff, cursing, morning sickness (?), diet, calories, mention of showering together (?), pain (?)

word count: 872

a/n: i’m not sure what to tag the mention of showering together, i’m 99% sure it’s not smut, maybe a mention of smut, but i don’t think i implied that anything sexual was happening, so i’m not sure. if you guys could let me know, if you’re aware of what to call that so i can tag it as a trigger, that would be great. feel free to send in requests! thank you and happy reading!

—————————————————————————

bucky’s very worried throughout the entire pregnancy. he’s always making sure you’ve eaten and drank enough for you and the mini super soldier. constantly monitoring how well you’re sleeping, massaging your feet, you’re pretty sure he has longer conversations with the obgyn then you have. it’s reassuring to know that he cares so much, but you know that it’s partially because he thinks the carrying a baby with his genes is hurting you. he isn’t wrong, your doctor did say the serum makes the baby stronger, which means it needs more energy, which means you have less energy, which means your body is more tired and can’t protect itself as well as it used to. you wouldn’t trade it for the world, bucky knows that. despite having a shitty immune system and carrying a baby that wasn’t meant for your body, you’re so happy, and that makes bucky happy. the first trimester was the worst for morning sickness, it was like clockwork everyday at 7 am. there were times you couldn’t keep dinner or lunch down and it would throw you off for the rest of the day. in order for you to get enough energy to support you and the baby, a strict diet was enforced. and when you threw up, it messed up your calorie intake for that day, but there was one thing the baby ever made you throw up. mangoes. bucky always got some when he went to the store, you were banned from the grocery store, or any store really, after what happened last time. he was nervous to take you places with lots of people while your immune system was so weak, but somehow you had managed to convince him to let you go with him after weeks of what felt like  quarantine. it had been about three minuets since you two had walked in the store, you were looking at the yogurt when you heard a sneeze. bucky’s head shot in the direction of the sound and started pulling you towards the exit, completely deserting the cart you weren’t allowed to push. he drove home, dragged you into the shower, washed you and himself twice, cleaned the clothes clothes with bleach, and made you apply hand sanitizer every hour until you went to bed. you have not been to a store since. bucky did pick the best mangoes, sometimes they’re all you want to eat, there’s no nausea after, no upset stomach, no allergic reaction. because apparently you can develop allergies while pregnant, saying goodbye to bananas was hard. the second trimester was worse than the first. you constantly were catching colds, bucky was into overprotective overdrive, the thought of being mad about not going to store was long gone, he would barley let you stand. it was getting hard to breathe, the conversation about letting you do some things for yourself was a hard one. it started a fight. but in the end he let you be a bit more independent, you guys started going on walks at night, because there’s not a lot of people. that was when things started to get better, your baby was growing quickly and by the sixth month you wanted it out. despite delivering babies for over 10 years, your doctor was not exactly sure how soon the baby could come out. it was bigger and more developed than other babies, and she thought 8 month would be a good estimate of when you might go into labor. as the third trimester started so did the braxton hicks, they are basically fake contractions, but boy did they feel real. wincing in pain, hands on your stomach or digging into your thighs, waiting for them to pass felt like an eternity. bucky was always there, holding your hand and telling you to breathe, and kissing your belly when they were over. he spent a lot of time down there, talking to the baby, telling the baby to stop kicking it mother at 3 in the morning, he wanted the baby out as much as you did. both to give you a break and so he could hold his child. it was probably about 4 in the afternoon, you had just woken up from a nap, when the strongest contraction you’ve had yet hit you like a truck. calling for bucky mid excruciating pain wasn’t an option so you waited it out, only about 30 seconds and by the send of it you were sweaty and hot. finally able to form words you yelled out his name, to which he came running, his face was priceless when you told him you think you’re in labor. he was asking a million questions while trying to get your bag’s in the car, it was pretty cute, when he finally got back to you he tried to pick you up. you protested, heavily. of course, he didn’t care and carried you to the car, making sure your seatbelt was on before giving you a kiss. 

“i can’t believe we’re doing this”, he said with a smile. you knew then it was going to be okay, uncomfortable, scared, and in pain, you knew it was going to be fine, because bucky was with you. 

#tw pregnancy #tw throwing up #tw vomiting #tw anxiety #tw fluff #tw cursing #tw morning sickness #tw diet #tw calories #tw pain #bucky #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky x female!reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes headcanon #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes x black!reader #bucky x black!reader #bucky x you #bucky x y/n #bucky x female reader #protective!bucky x reader

[honey-dewey]

Gold in the Summertime

Pairing:  Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales/Reader

Word Count: 2,545

Warnings: Panic attacks, mentions of injury, stitches, and needles, but it’s mostly just that sweet sweet hurt/comfort

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

Very few good things ever happen at three AM in the Urgent Care. Let’s make a short list of things that will definitely not fall under the category of ‘good.’ 1) Having a patient who has apparently injured himself but refuses to tell you how. 2) Said patient hyperventilating and panicking until he actually breaks something because you tried to give him a tetanus shot. 3) The same patient’s three best friends yelling at you. 4) Singing to still the same patient to calm him down so you can stick him with a tiny needle so he won’t possibly die of tetanus.

A/N: The song that inspired this fic is actually a favorite of mine called ‘Gold in the Summertime’ by Matt Nathanson. Not required to read the fic, but it’s a cute song. 

“Hey.” 

“Oh hell no,” you said, turning to see your fellow night shift nurse, Tori, standing in the door of the break room. “No, I am not dealing with whatever drunken fool walked into that waiting room. It is three in the morning and I do not feel like screwing around right now.” 

Tori raised an eyebrow. “Done?” 

“Done,” you said, standing and preparing for the inevitable. “Who’s the patient?” 

Tori handed you a file. You opened it, quickly scanning the information. F. Morales, forty two years old, in decent health, up to date with all his immunizations, served in the military, and was currently in the Urgent Care for a laceration on his left shoulder. 

“How bad is it?” You asked, closing the file and following Tori to the waiting room. 

“Eh,” she said with a shrug. “He isn’t gushing blood, so it’s not ER worthy. Probably just needs some stitches and a tetanus shot, depending on what got him.” 

You blinked. “He didn’t say?” 

Tori grinned. “Nope. Have fun.” 

Groaning to yourself, you opened the waiting room door. “Morales?” 

A man stood up, clearly the injured one in his group of friends due to the wad of cloth he was pressing to his left shoulder. “Yes?” 

“Follow me,” you said, tucking the file beneath your arm. “So, what happened?” 

The man grimaced. “Uh, I busted my shoulder.” 

“How?” 

The man was silent as you pushed open an exam room door and gestured him inside. “Well?” 

“Well what?” 

You sighed. “How’d you cut yourself?” You asked again, watching the man hop up on the exam table. You walked around to his back and slowly cut away the patch of his shirt that covered his shoulder. “And while you’re at it, you got a first name I could use, Mr. Morales?” 

“Please just call me Frankie, most people do.” 

“Most people?” 

Frankie shifted as you examined the harsh tear in the skin. “My friends, those assholes outside, call me Catfish.” 

You chuckled. “Military nickname?” 

“Yeah.” Frankie winced as you pressed a finger against the wound. 

A beat of silence, and then you had another question. “Is Frankie your legal name?” 

“No, why?” 

You smiled. “We need a legal name for the records.” 

Frankie shrugged his uninjured right shoulder as you continued to evaluate the messy scrape on his left. “It’s Francisco. And that shit hurts.” 

“Sorry,” you said, stepping back. “It needs a few stitches,” you decided. “But it isn’t horribly urgent so I’m gonna go grill your buddies outside to see if they’ll give me more answers about what happened.” 

Frankie nodded, watching you leave. 

“Would the party that escorted one Francisco Morales please follow me?” You asked, pushing open the waiting room door. 

Three men stood up, and you led them down the hall a ways, so your conversation would be private. “Alright. Spill. He won’t tell me what happened.” 

The man on the left snorted. “Unsurprising,” he said. “Fish is like a damn lockbox.”

“Benny,” the man in the middle hissed, nudging the man on the left. “Santi, you wanna take this? You saw it best.” 

“Excuse you!” Benny objected. “I was there too!” 

“You’re drunk.” 

The man on the right, Santi, sighed. “Frankie got into a fight outside the bar we were at tonight. Some guy made a horrible comment about how women belong in the kitchen, I dunno, I didn’t hear that bit too well. But Frankie managed to win the fight with minimal injuries, right up until the guy’s equally shitty friend clipped his shoulder with a ripped in half beer can.” 

You nodded, jotting notes down on Frankie’s file. “So what I’m hearing is that he was cut with a piece of likely filthy metal?” 

“Yep.” 

“Perfect,” You grumbled sarcastically. “You boys can head back to the waiting room. I’ll send him out when I’m done.” 

The boys left, and you swung by the supply closet to grab a suture kit before heading back into Frankie’s exam room. “Still bleeding?” 

Frankie looked up. “Yeah.” He had taken his hat off, fidgeting with the worn out brim. “Hurts.” 

“I’ll bet,” you said, coming up behind him and gently taking his hand off the wound. “Gonna pop some stitches in, disinfect the hell out of this, then get your height, weight, the like, and send you off with a tetanus shot just for good measure. That old beer can probably doesn’t have any kind of illness, but we have to be sure.” 

Frankie was silent, which wasn’t a good thing. You disinfected the wound, which sent him into a tailspin of hissed curses in your general direction, and before he realized what was happening, you were halfway done with the stitches. 

“And that’s the last one,” you said, tying off the last stitch. “The stitches dissolve after a while, so you shouldn’t have to worry about coming back to get them removed. But do take care to change the bandages twice a day, and do not use this arm. I don’t care what you have to do, please do not rip these stitches.” 

Frankie chuckled. “Yes doctor.” 

Finishing up the bandage, you grinned at Frankie’s current shirt situation. “Do you want me to grab you a new shirt? I kinda ruined yours.” 

“You did your job,” Frankie pointed out. “But yes, that would be nice.” 

You ducked out of the room and grabbed a spare shirt from the nurse’s lost and found. “No one’s claimed this thing for almost eight months. I think the guy who owned it quit,” you said, handing Frankie the old Jack Daniels whiskey shirt. You watched him struggle to put it on, helping him a bit as the shirt got caught on his shoulder. 

“Okay, follow me,” you said once Frankie was wearing a shirt again. He followed, just as asked, and you took his height and weight, texting both figures to Tori so she could prep a tetanus shot for you. In the meantime, you kept Frankie occupied, asking him questions about military things in the exam room. 

“What’d you do in the military?” 

“I was a pilot.” 

“Planes?” 

“Helos.” 

“Fun. I’ve never been in a helicopter before. Those friends outside, are they?” 

“Military friends? Yeah, mostly. I knew Santiago before all that though.” 

A knock at the door interrupted your bonding session. Tori opened the door, holding a tray with the tetanus shot and a band-aid. “Sorry. Those shitty kids band-aids were all I could find.” 

You shrugged. “Nah, it’s fine. I’m sure Mr. Morales won’t object to a Paw Patrol band-aid.” 

However, as you turned back to Frankie, you realized he’d gone white as a sheet. “Frankie?” 

Frankie shied away from you, despite you not moving. “Don’t,” he said, voice choked. “Please.” 

Your heart squeezed at the desperation in his voice. He was very plainly terrified. “Frankie,” you repeated calmly, holding both hands up so he knew you were unarmed. “Hey, deep breaths.” 

Frankie took a stuttering breath, and you sent a silent prayer out that he wouldn’t have a panic attack here. You sat next to him, keeping a few feet of space between you and him. “Do you want me to go get the boys?” 

Frankie shook his head, eyes wide. You tried to think. Distracting him would do no good. You’d tried that before with other people, and with patients who were this panicky, a distraction made it worse. Trying to sneak up on him was somehow an even worse idea. With his background, he was likely to know when someone was trying to surprise him, and he could definitely defend himself. The only thing you could think of was calming him down and then sticking him as fast as you could. 

It took a few minutes, but Frankie’s breathing returned to normal, and his muscles relaxed somewhat. You didn’t move, simply sitting there beside him and establishing yourself as a calm figure despite your reeling mind. “Frankie?” 

He looked up at you, not saying a word. 

“Are you ready to try?” You asked. “I have to give you the shot. I don’t want you to get sick, okay? Tetanus is a killer, and I don’t wanna see you dying in a hospital bed until you’re at least eighty, okay?” 

A slow nod. You stood, making your movements obvious as you put on new gloves and opened an alcohol wipe. 

“C’mere,” you said, gesturing Frankie closer. He scooted towards you, and you met him halfway. “This is cold, just a warning.” 

You rolled up Frankie’s shirt sleeve, exposing his left shoulder. He shivered as you ran the alcohol wipe across his skin, and kept his eyes anywhere but on you as you uncapped the tiny syringe. “Frankie?” 

Frankie whined, his breathing picking up again as his body barreled towards full panic mode. 

“Frankie!” You recapped the syringe and set it aside, turning your full attention to Frankie. He jumped away from you, eyes wide once more. You stood back as he curled in on himself, breathing quickening too fast. He was hyperventilating. “Frankie! Listen to me! You’re not-“ 

You cut yourself off as the loud, ragged breaths began to turn into animalistic screams, Frankie losing his balance and falling off the exam table and crashing into the sink before hitting the floor. The thud his body made scared you, but not as much as his current panicked state. 

“Tori!” You yelled, opening the door and yelling for your coworker. “Tori!” 

Unfortunately, it was not Tori who came to your rescue. It was Frankie’s three friends, all of whom looked incredibly concerned. Tori was behind them, shouting that they couldn’t be back here. Santiago simply pushed past you and immediately rushed to Frankie’s side, the other two joining him as he attempted to console Frankie. 

You, knowing your help wouldn’t be needed, tried to step away, but Santiago turned to call you back. “Come here!” 

Sighing, you hesitantly entered the exam room. “What do you need from me?” 

“What did you do to him?” Benny asked, clearly the most worried. “He hasn’t had an attack this bad in years!” 

“I just tried to give him a tetanus shot!” You defended. 

Santiago and the other man had gotten Frankie situated back on the exam table, sitting on his sides and keeping him upright as Benny rushed in and took his hands. “Fish? You with us buddy?” 

Frankie, who had thankfully stopped screaming, whined. Benny smiled, squeezing his hands. “There’s our Fish. Hey, hey, no, look at me,” he directed as Frankie’s eyes drifted to you in the corner and his breath hitched. 

Frankie’s head slumped against Santiago’s shoulder. He hummed uncomfortably, face scrunching as he shifted, trying to get comfortable. 

“His shoulder,” you guessed softly. “Someone’s touching it.” 

The man on Frankie’s right looked at his back. “Shit. Sorry Fish.” 

Frankie sighed in relief and turned into pudding against Santiago’s shoulder. Benny still held his hands, humming softly. The other man, whose name you still didn’t know, stood and pulled you aside. “Hey. Did he tell you?” 

“That he was trypanophobic?” You said, sliding your hands in your pockets. “No. But I figured it out pretty quickly when he went white as hell as soon as he saw the syringe. No one has a reaction this severe unless they have a phobia.” 

The man nodded. “Yeah. Benny was right. Fish is kinda stubborn about these things. He hasn’t had an anxiety attack in years though. Sorry Benny gave you shit about triggering one. I know it wasn’t really your fault.” 

“It was,” you mumbled, eyeing Frankie over the man’s shoulder. “It just wasn’t my intention.” 

“Yeah.” The man looked back at Frankie. “Is the tetanus shot necessary?” 

You nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Santiago looked at you. “How good are you at singing?” 

“I’m sorry?” 

“It keeps him calm,” Santiago explained. “He used to sing to the helos whenever there was bad turbulence. Kept him level. We’d do it while you give him the shot, but none of us can sing.” 

Frankie made a small, strangled noise, and you almost freaked out until Benny smiled and you realized Frankie was trying to laugh. 

Smiling, you grabbed the syringe, a new alcohol wipe, and the band-aid. Santiago moved so he was sitting mostly behind Frankie, still supporting him. The other man, who you faintly heard Benny call Will, sat back on Frankie’s right. Benny took Frankie’s hands and stood to the side a bit so you would have room to work. 

“Oh, let’s keep this going, I wanna go all in,” you sang softly, repeating some cute and catchy song Tori insisted on playing whenever she could. “We’ll never be lonely in the dark.” As you sang, you opened the alcohol wipe and cleaned a patch of Frankie’s shoulder. 

“Rooftop in soho, Prince on the radio,” you kept going, uncapping the syringe and taking Frankie’s arm. “The city streets glow, gold in the summertime.” You quickly, between words, stuck Frankie and pressed down on the plunger. He whined, shying from the pain, but you just pressed the band-aid over the tiny puncture mark and kept singing. “Summertime, summertime, summertime, I gotta get that feeling.” 

Gently taking Benny’s place, you stripped your gloves off and put your hands overtop Frankie’s. “You did good, Frankie,” you said. “C’mon, let’s get you out of here so the boys can take you home.” 

Frankie wobbled to his feet, still nonverbal and a bit unsteady. You ended up needing a break in the waiting room, which was still empty. Giving Santiago a bottle of water for Frankie, you sat next to Frankie while the boys started the car. 

You absently hummed the song from earlier, mostly to fill the stifling silence. As you reached the part you’d sung for Frankie, you noticed, with a small jolt, that he was humming along with you. 

“You like the song?” You guessed, and Frankie nodded. 

“Here.” You pulled a pen from your coat pocket and took his hand. “Give the whole thing a listen,” you said, scrawling down the name and artist of the song on Frankie’s hand. “And then call me,” you finished, adding your phone number below the writing. 

Frankie smiled. “Meet cute,” he rasped, voice practically destroyed. 

You laughed. “This is more of a meet ugly, but sure.” 

Santiago came back, helping Frankie to his feet. 

“See you again?” Frankie asked, voice still pretty shot.

“Hopefully not,” you said, holding the door open for Santiago. “At least, not here.” 

Just like that, Frankie was gone. 

That sunrise, as you settled into bed, you got a text from an unknown number. 

Unknown Number: Song was super cute. Definitely adding it to my exercise playlist

You: Is this Mr. Morales?

Unknown Number: Just Frankie

Unknown Number was saved as Just Frankie

You: Okay Just Frankie. How’s your shoulder

Just Frankie: Hurts like a bitch, but I’ve had worse. 

You: I’ll bet. 

Just Frankie: Hey, wanted to ask you something 

You: shoot

Just Frankie: do you always work nights?

You: not always, but mostly. 

Just Frankie: cool. You free tomorrow at noon? I found this cool lunch place that has the best burgers ever

You: ever? I’ll have to see about that

Just Frankie: it’s a date then 

You: It’s a date

#Triple Frontier #francisco 'catfish' morales #frankie morales #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales x you #Pedro Pascal #My writing

[shijiujun]

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH MISS S | 旗袍美探

OKAY FINALLY ANOTHER REPUBLICAN ERA DETECTIVE SHOW THAT LOOKS FUN AF AND HAS ALL THE NICE COSTUMES IN IT!!!

Summary: Su Wenli is a rich af lady that just returned from Paris in the first episode, and she chances upon a mystery immediately at the docks where she meets Luo Qiuheng, the cool-headed, tall, handsome af lead detective at the central police station (there’s a name for this, but I can’t remember). Her inquisitive nature leads her to butt into like the case immediately, and throughout all the cases she and LQH fall in love!!! Despite LQH going like “why is she here again” for the first few episodes.

Subplot: Su Wenli’s younger sister disappeared 20 years ago, and the man suspected of the crime was put in prison but no body was ever found so he’s also trying to appeal to get out after so many years, so I guess they’ll find out what happened to her sister.

Where to watch: NO SUBS - Duboku.co and any other Chinese streaming sites tbh, I’d recommend kankanwu but a user told me it’s a problematic site for them so do proceed with caution as always | SUBS - WeTV I suspect has it because the official platform for the show is Tencent

Broadcast schedule: 34 episodes, APPARENTLY 2 episodes daily from Sundays to Fridays, 1 episode on Saturdays 

Here are the pros of the show:

A+++++ COSTUMES!!! AND SETS! Okay not gonna lie the CGI is a little off at some parts BUT the costumes are frickin lovely. SWL (Miss S) rocks both European-style and Chinese-style outfits, and she has ALL THE HATS, ALL THE DRESSES, and gosh when she’s in the qipao even LQH is like whoa wow what a goddess (not that he says it but he’s a little dazed for a bit) - She has a GORGEOUS BLUE CAPE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO STEAL!!!

The cases aren’t overly complicated and it’s pretty easy to guess who the possible murderers can be, but we’re in this for more than just the cases

GAO WEI GUANG!!! Jfc, my Dijun is back!!!! And he’s got that cool, cold, stoic feel about him BUT he’s totally bribable with delicious sweets!!!

Ma Yili who plays Miss S is gorgeous as well, that short hair cut?!!! That hair pin?!! The way she walks?! The way she talks?! She’s a soft, shameless woman and I LOVE THAT.

GWG and MYL have chemistry in this one.

The camera work is hilarious?!! Usually I hate the cliche romance movements like bridal-style lifting at inopportune times but THIS ONE THE TIMING IS HILARIOUS, SPOT ON, and very romantic

There’s a gay couple in the episode 5 case and they’re being blackmailed but they’re kind of out which is pretty amazing considering the Republican era XD

CHARACTERS!!!

SU WENLI - GORGEOUS, RICH SUGAR MOM (IDEK WHERE HE MONEY COMES FROM IT SEEMS LIKE SHE PRINTS THEM OUT OF THIN AIR)

Honestly, she’s been back a total of like less than a week before she adopts THREE PEOPLE. A servant from the family where the first murder happened at, and two young men who were about to make trouble but were accosted (hired) by her as her chauffeurs. She’s shameless, knows exactly how to pout and bribe to get her way, is sassy and takes no nonsense I LOVE IT and she has LQH wrapped around her finger

Within five episodes she has:

1. Adopted cute little Tao Zi as her assistant who now lives in her luxurious house with her 2. Adopted the two young men as her legit chauffeurs and also informants, giving them A MERCEDES BENZ FOR THEIR GOOD WORK ON THE FIRST CASE 3. LITERALLY ADOPTED a young girl who was a suspect in the second case 4. Moved into a mansion that looks like a frickin palace!!! 5. Kidnapped two suspects from LQH and raced LQH in her brand new sports car back to the city, leaving LQH and his old car in the dust

And look at her gorgeous outfits and hats?!!

AND THIS CAPE?!!!

LUO QIUHENG (Aloof, stoic, rational detective who has a sweet tooth and is obviously not immune to SWL’s charms)

GOSHHHH MY DIJUN!!! I love him in this one too, he’s all “you shouldn’t be here”, “you’re not the only smart one here”, “be good and don’t intervene on the investigation” but then SWL bribes him continuously with sweets and it’s amazing to watch!!! He threatens to arrest her all the time (and she kind of is arrested once) but he always sounds worried about her. Everytime he finds her in trouble he’ll LITERALLY PICK HER UP IN BRIDAL CARRY HAHAHA and he’s half resigned, half exasperated and a whole lot fond of this Miss S I AM TELLING YOU!!!

GWG in a leather jacket is a crime!!!

Him eating something that Wenli gave him:

And his brain cannot fathom her wealth, but I don’t blame him, I can’t fathom her wealth either. This is when he asks the single butler Xiang Shu if it’s tiring for him to clean up such a huge place on his own and he says, “Someone else does the cleaning. Me don’t clean.”

Cue LQH going ????:

Other characters include Tao Zi, SWL’s cute assistant WHO HAS A CRUSH ON LQH’S DEPUTY OFFICER SHEN, and Officer Shen likes her too AND BOTH LQH and SWL try to matchmake them and give them (misplaced) advice

Ahhhh this show is honestly amazing and the humour is right on point!!! I’d watch Gao Weiguang in anything but REPUBLICAN ERA DETECTIVE IN SHANGHAI?! Sign me up!

#cdrama #miss s #旗袍美探 #gao weiguang #ma yili #luo qiuheng #su wenli #another why you should watch hahaha

[violet-t-9]

Check in on my (not very realistic) wish list for episode 139

1. Nobody dies in the potential battle against Lucien/the Somnovem? I will be fine with temporary unconciousness but please nobody actually dies? Will they even fight? What was going on with the cliffhanger? I have so many questions!

Hey nobody died! Nobody even went unconscious. Can't believe we have a part 2 to this epic boss fight. This showdown is awesome! At least we know what will happen next episode.

2. The group uses their new eye powers for something (group telepathy will be hilarious, especially accidental) or just in general goof off with their new eyes.

NVM we are doing the boss fight right now

3. Beau or Caleb discover more new eye functions that we have not seen before (antimagic cone anyone? Does the eye location have any meaning? Lucien’s was also on the chest right?)

NVM we are doing the boss fight right now. If the locations mean anything, so far it's not revealed.

4. We get to see more of the party members’ new powers/abilities since they levelled up and got a long rest! Let’s gooo.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH thanks Cad. It's a new power we haven't seen before! Caleb knows gravity fissure now, apparently! Fjord and Veth also considered using new abilities before the break. Jester used contagion on Lucien! It was a nice try.

5. They get some sort of contact with/update from the material plane (i.e. their family, Yussa, or anybody else I guess just not Trent please), it’s been a while I wonder what’s going on over there. Has Jester’s parent trap succeeded fully yet? Has the assembly been investigated yet? Has Yussa figured out what the Nein did with his emergency exit gift? How are Yeza and Luc doing in the crime bar? Is the Dynasty looking into Essek? So many possibilities.

NVM we are doing the boss fight right now

6. The M9 succeed in stopping the city from going to the material plane and find a way to potentially destroy it by the end of the episode.

It appears that them plane shifting the crest away actually does ensure that the city cannot return to the material plane, that's great news! Also, I assume destroying Lucien would be a good first step to destroying the city.

7. Beau and Yasha continue to fight like the power couple they are and to indulge in PDA in the flesh horror city (because why not). Bonus: we find out Yasha’s plans for Beau’s red cape/the cape is used by Beau in the episode.

The discussion between Beau, Yasha and Veth LMAO. Oh NO Yasha is fighting Beau again - that natural 1 though! The miss! Another natural 1! The power of love!!!! Yasha also used the battle cry to protect Beau!

8. Fjord and Jester continue to be domestic and supportive of each other in these trying times because they are great. Bonus: more Sprinkle/Artagan mentions or interactions.

Jester and Fjord starting strong with the dirty/natural 20's! Also "I'd rather you wear it" "Fjord, it's so expensive!" They are so cute. Ayy Sprinkle/Artagan both got fed the Heroes' Feast! The excitement over the ring finally working lol. "Imma cast it at 4th level" lol Jester really tried her best to remove his slow and it worked!

9. Obligatory wish for Essek’s fancy dunamancy or magical items (Bonus: STILL hoping to see more high-damage AOE offensive spells that Essek has never cast because of the party placement, dark star anybody?).

The trapped haste spell MmmMm. GRAVITY FISSURE YAY hot spell flavour is hot. THANK YOU for that dispel magic on Yasha Essek you are the best. Nice magic missile but he is out in the open oh nO he is charmed oh no is he going to dark star the party?? Wheww thank you Caleb for the dispel, at fifth level too! He was so going to dark star Lucien if Cad was not pulled.

10. Obligatory wish for Caleb’s polymorph spell on himself or a party member. Actually, let’s expand to any party member’s polymorph! Give me those sweet polymorph interactions.

NVM we are doing the boss fight right now

11. The party tries to reach Lucien by mentioning Molly and Lucien actually having a physical reaction to their words.

Wow that was a physical reaction alright, definitely to Jester and Caleb's mention of Molly's name. Jester's song also had an effect. Everybody is trying yay! Well, it was worth a try. BEAU'S bonus action Gustuv talk made him lose a legendary action WOW. Fjord's, Caleb's attempt also succeeded. In round 2, Beau removed 1 legendary action, followed by Jester

12. Obligatory wish for Essek’s room in the tower (it will stay until it happens).

NVM we are doing the boss fight right now

13. Obligatory wish for Cad being a MVP in and out of combat because he always is.

CAD what a good pep talk I love you. Path to the grave and also the reaction war caster blight, very nice.

14. I NEED MORE RP PLEASE like last week’s high intensity combat was fun but I miss one-on-one conversations give them to me thank you. Longer conversations are even better.

NVM we are doing the boss fight right now, however there was a lot of Molly RP involved.

15. Everybody being super freaked out/creeped out by the terrible flesh city thanks to Matt’s wonderfully detailed and awesome descriptions.

The damaged state of the city, how it leans towards Lucien's cocoon thing and Lucien's transformation... OH NO the stalks not the tentacle stalks.

16.  At least one of the party members get mind-influenced/charmed by some effect during the combat (well at least Caleb’s got mind blank and Veth got intellect fortress, but I would be surprised if there was no mind shenanigans).

Well, I knew it would happen. Gaudius, the eye of longing/love that did not affect Beau DID charm Yasha with a failed wis save and Yasha attacked Beau, again. However thanks to Essek it didn't last long!

17. Somebody check in a bit on Essek’s mental state because he is clearly not entirely desensitized as seen from last episode. At least he got a full rest so physically he is fine (just squishy, like wizards are).

Hey Essek got to open up a little bit before their final fight, so that was great.

18. Caleb uses more fire or his customized spells or just any cool spells in general I guess because what’s sexier than wizards NOTHING I’m still hyped from last week.

Gravity fissure already?? Sweet max damage, despite the save! Caleb you can literally just copy any spell you see cast can't you, high int wizard I love you. Also the use of that potion and the scroll were pretty smart too.

19. We learn more about Lucien’s motives and what he is actually trying to do, or more about the Somnovem’s different? motives because I was very confused last episode. Lucien wants to “parent” the Somnovem by bombing them with 10 intuit charges, like okay are you sure you are not trying to kill them? Then again, if that doesn’t severely damage the Somnovem I don’t know what will.

Well we now know that Lucien has all the Somnovem power inside himself now and is still very much wanting to bring back the city - at least he can't right now because of the threshold crest they got rid of last session. This clarifies a lot. I guess the "parenting" was to weaken the Somnovem for him to absorb them all into himself?

20. Obligatory wish for everyone to remain relatively happy and alive by the end of the episode except Lucien, and the episode ends on a terrifying cliffhanger as always.

I mean, should have known that Lucien cannot be killed in 1 session. Otherwise though, what an episode! What a session! Absolutely amazing.

Bonus:

ESSEK IS MAKING A JOKE LMAO I can't with this man, he is also giving everybody spells/gifts, cute - I guess wizards all have the save love language.

CALEB IS ABOVE 100 HP thank you Jester for that 17 roll from Heroes' Feast! I knew you'd do it. The feast was so crucial in their combat too, what a queen. Caleb always be covering his friends in his anti-aberration cone, and burning Lucien's legendary reactions. Great moves.

Veth are you... horny for Lucien??? LMAO

OH NO Gaudius on Essek this is the alternative Essek bossfight timeline OH NO but at the same time YES the angst- oh nvm Caleb thanks lol.

Extra - combat notes for my record:

Saves minus # eyes

Elatis - Excitement, pulling the target 120 ft towards Lucien + eye.

Ira - Rage, fireball effect AOE damage.

Fastidan - Disgust (wilting dull green) necrotic damage

Luctus - Grief (Dex save), slow spell effect.

Timorei - fear effect, but negated by Heroes' feast immunity.

Culpasi - guilt (Con save) disadvantage on saving throws +...

Miramus - (wis save)

Vigilan - the eye that moves/emanates the anti-magic cone

Gaudius - (wis save) charm effect

WHAT A FIGHT! I can't wait for part 2 and hopefully that's Lucien's final form. I did not think that the Molly influence will have such a profound effect, but I sure am glad it did! Everyone was so amazing in this combat, I love it all.

#cr spoilers #the mighty nein #critical role #critical role spoilers #c2e139 #cr liveblog

[charcubed]

.

fine fuck it I’m making this a post rather than a tag rant because it was too long for tags and I hit publish and tumblr cut it off halfway sjdknfsjdf

(since this is an Actual Post now people can perceive: this is about Jensen’s IG caption today)

----

I need to say this somewhere publicly because I am slowly going insane:

Talking about / being excited about what celebrities choose to share with us about their private lives is very different in group chats or on Tumblr vs on a super public place like Twitter. Like FIRSTLY I do not know how to explain to people that the concept of “fangirling” over celebrities' lives at all is inherently a pushing of boundaries... and something none of us should be doing at all, quite frankly. THAT BEING SAID, yes I fully get it and I too am by far not immune to being excited when faves interact or are friends or collab or are in love or WHATEVER. People are fans of celebrities, this happens, etc. But objectively speaking it is weird that we get excited about any of that?? Like it shouldn't... matter. And I mention that in this context because imagine you were a celebrity and saw your relationships with people (platonic or otherwise) being ~celebrated~ by random strangers on the Internet. I personally would feel weird?? 

But ANYWAY, this is not to say that the idea of being happy about celebrity interactions / statements is inherently bad! Not really! But the APPROACH PEOPLE TAKE WITH THAT DOES IN FACT MATTER, AS WELL AS WHERE THAT APPROACH IS TAKEN. For example: Twitter is often not the place for it. Or more specifically: yes I'm sorry saying something like “reply ____ to trend it” about celebrities' LIVES is fucking weird. Whether or not you say it's harmless and “oh it won't actually trend”? Things have trended accidentally for less. 

And yes let me just show my hand: this is about 'Mish. Dee.' on Jensen’s post. (Which–not that I need to explain myself or anything but–I absolutely adore but am adoring it IN PRIVATE CHATS not ON THE GODDAMN TIMELINE. Someone was like “just because you don’t get excited–” and I’m like... lmao. Anyway.) A fan on Twitter was like “reply Mish. Dee. to this tweet to trend it” and I was like ??? or we could NOT do that? And then apparently me saying that that was... a bad idea... seemed to be a hot take for some people.

And so: I cannot explain to people that yes it is weird to ~celebrate celebrity friendship~ (?) to the extent of ~trending~ harmless nicknames, jokingly or otherwise. But why is it weird? Aside from the fact that it’s weird on principle because it’s not our business, and because seriously what are you even trying to accomplish by “trending” that (?), this is why: Because you cannot control how other people may or may not behave surrounding the topic of these people's personal lives. (Such as people who talk about cockles on main like fucking maniacs.) Because posting about it on main IN THAT WAY (repeated keywords) inherently runs the risk of other parties seeing it, being like “what’s all this then?” and then picking it up and running with it further. (Such as bibros, journalists, etc.)

People who may be like “these nicknames aren’t news and it’s just for fun and we love them” are missing alllllll of the above as very real points to consider, because Twitter posts are not as harmless/anonymous/unseen as people think. (Please see: Bill Clinton thing.) AND ALSO–here is the part that I cannot say on main and especially on Twitter partially because I am aware that it makes me sound fucking insane–with these celebrities specifically, yeah, I think there’s a higher risk involved because they seem to be IN A QUEER POLY RELATIONSHIP AND ARE CLOSETED ABOUT THAT. 

Like... ohhhh my God... I literally live in fear of the day when some random journalist starts poking around and connects the dots that are out there and are VERY EASY TO CONNECT, and then somehow CORNERS ONE OF THEM IN AN INTERVIEW about it. ESPECIALLY JENSEN. Like, this is what happened to Lee Pace! This is how many people are forced to come out! Do y’all not realize that we are at all times a stone’s throw away from this becoming a problem, especially since Jensen is about to get even more famous through The Boys!

Putting any celebrities’ personal lives under a microscope, whether unintentionally or otherwise, is never a good idea. Those posts do not exist in a vacuum or echo chamber the way people seem to think. Shit can get out of hand on Twitter dot com very easily. And so I am just like... for the love of God... be mindful about what you say and where you say and HOW you say it. In the same way that sometimes talking about J and M without using their actual names to avoid keywords is a better course of action (because they trend at the drop of a hat out of nowhere! Seriously, people!)... avoiding deliberate repetition like having 200 PEOPLE REPLYING TO ONE TWEET WITH ‘Mish. Dee.’ is also a good thing to keep in mind.

This all applies to any celebrities! This is a blanket good and important thing to be mindful about! But my God it is extra good to keep in mind for the sake of what these specific people seemingly have got going on over there in their lives. If you love their love (whether platonic or otherwise) and Jensen’s extremely cute nickname use... then don’t make a big fuckin deal about it where other people can see, for the sake of their comfort levels and the privacy they are allowed to have as human beings and just !!!!! for the sake of not being openly weird about the lives and the relationships of strangers you don’t know personally on a public platform!!!!!!!! Screams

really hope no one is reading this whole post LMAO

at least it’s out of my system now I guess

#this was originally a tag rant and tumblr cut it off because it was too long :) #since this is an Actual Post now people can perceive: this is about Jensen’s IG caption today #I'm literally just ranting please feel free to ignore me because this is just a vent session #PS I gave people permission to reblog don't worry

[popwasabi]

“Who are you?” The scene that defines Chadwick Boseman’s legacy

Yesterday, the world lost a bright and promising, burgeoning talent in Chadwick Boseman.

I had wondered privately for a while if something was wrong with him, as others had as well online, as he appeared increasingly sicker with each interview he gave over the last two years. I thought maybe I had been looking too much into it, not wanting to jump to conclusions about who he was but now gravely we all know why.

The much too young star of films such as “42,” “Marshall,” and of course, “Black Panther” had been fighting a largely private battle with colon cancer for four years.

It was devastating hearing this news yesterday, the man who undeniably left behind a legacy of playing prominent black heroes, both historical and fictional, passed away just as he was starting to truly hit it big. When you begin to realize the man was dealing with cancer as he performed physically demanding roles in the MCU you begin to see the character and determination of a man unwilling to quit in the face of true adversity.

But he clearly wasn’t just doing it for himself when he continued making and promoting NINE more movies despite his diagnosis, afterall no one would’ve blamed the guy for taking it easy these past four years. He’s had many scenes that define his legacy over his all too short career but I feel it can really be summed up in one particular moment from by far his most famous film; “Black Panther.”

Those who know me or have read my work know that I have a fairly cynical relationship with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While I would not say most of them are “bad” per se, I would say a ton of them are largely interchangeable action comedies with pretty straightforward messages about good vs evil for general audiences. They are largely popcorn escapism and though there is nothing technically wrong with that, I was starved for an MCU film that was sincere about its story finally and had something real to say.

Enter “Black Panther” in early 2018.

“Black Panther” was everything I had long been waiting for in the MCU; a film with a real sense of vision and theme, a killer soundtrack, great supporting characters, a complicated and nuanced villain, and a story that didn’t feel the need to add a joke after every single scene like more typical MCU movies. The tip of that spear of course was Chadwick, who had already proved to be a great Black Panther in one of the few other sincere Marvel flicks “Civil War.” His natural charisma, physicality, and dramatic presence in this role made him a huge standout in frankly the best ensemble cast of any superhero movie ever.

The scene that truly sums up not just the mark “Black Panther” left on Hollywood but Chadwick’s own legacy comes at the very end though (the first of three, of course. It’s an MCU movie, afterall).

T’Challa has defeated his usurper cousin Erik Killmonger, his rule restored in Wakanda but clearly a changed man from the story’s beginning as he reckons with the complicated legacy of his father. He travels to Oakland, the birthplace of Killmonger, with his sister Shuri who he explains the crime committed by their father in this place and how it set off the events of the story. He turns to Shuri, tells her that he has decided to help this afflicted community by creating a Wakandan outreach center for the youth to give them a new hope in life. As he says this he decloaks their ship nearby, surprising the youth already in the area who are immediately in awe of it. One of the kids turns to T’Challa, smiling, a sense of inspiration and intrigue brewing inside, and asks “Who are you?” to which the young King simply smiles, then the credits roll.

It’s a simple scene but it truly speaks to the impact left behind by Chadwick and the importance of representation. 

“Black Panther” is hardly the first starring vehicle for a black man, it’s not even the first black super hero movie but what it made it different is it was the first blockbuster to truly lean unapologetically into its African identity to focus on the inspiration of a story centered around that culture. It showed Hollywood that an action blockbuster not just centered on a black star but centered on African culture had vast widespread appeal.

White kids will never have a shortage of white superheroes to grow up with on the big screen; a diverse palette of Supermans, Spider-mans, Captain Americas, and shit we’re even getting our sixth new Batman actor since 1989 soon. But Chadwick gave black kids their first real Superman of their own. 

In the years since this came out, I have seen the influence, at times, firsthand among the youth. I work part-time as a kids martial arts instructor and each Halloween party we’ve held I’ve seen a few more T’Challas among the costumes represented. When I ask kids, black, white, or Asian, what their favorite superhero is, it always warms my heart to see a kid light up when they say “BLACK PANTHER!”

(Seriously, cute AF)

This goes beyond just my anecdotal observations of course; the film grossed a billion dollars, and there are countless videos online of kids yelling “Wakanda forever!” at the top of their lungs while rocking a Black Panther suit or reciting one of the movie’s memorable lines. It’s beautiful because it speaks to that last scene’s key message; inspiration.

Growing up myself, as a half Asian American, there weren’t a ton of role models who looked like me to take inspiration from. I didn’t really understand how much this could affect me until I finally did start seeing people like myself occupy positions of influence. I didn’t start caring for baseball until I saw a slugger named Hideki Matsui smash a couple dingers in a Yankees’ uniform in the early 2000s. I didn’t care much for martial arts, outside my very early youth, until I witnessed a half Japanese Brazilian named Lyoto Machida KO Thiago Silva at UFC 94 in 2009. I didn’t care much for soccer until a striker named Keisuke Honda played out of his mind in the early rounds of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Sometimes you gotta see something happen in order to believe and be inspired by it and it’s easier to visualize it when you see someone who looks like you do it. That’s what representation means and why it’s important.

It’s easy for white America to dismiss the need for representation in media when theirs is so saturated in the culture everyday. Cries of “wHaT aBoUt wHiTe HiStORy mOnTH?!” delivered unironically while their history is proudly given front seat consideration in all forms of media, film, and influence every day. This is why it drives me so crazy when a white person tells me “representation isn’t important” because apparently, they “don’t need it.”

Well motherfucker, of course you don’t need it. You fucking got yours already!

(What every non-white person wants to say when confronted with this tired, out of touch argument...)

“Black Panther” delivered a superhero that not only black children could be proud of and love but someone they could draw inspiration from. Kids are going to want to become film directors cause of this movie, actors, stuntmen, martial artists, scientists, engineers, and so many other different things that the world of Wakanda proudly showcases and it’s all thanks to Chadwick’s leading man performance that made it possible.

Some jokes I’ve heard frequently on the internet is that Chadwick was on somewhat of a quest to play every major black role in story-telling history, what with performances as Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, James Brown, and of course Black Panther. But I think his 2018 speech at his Alma Mater of Howard really explains why he kept looking to play these major positive black roles.

(I encourage you to listen to the whole thing but the part that’s important here begins at 21:55)

Hollywood likes to pigeon hole certain demographics of people (aka non-white) to play stereotypical roles forever until they are proven to be lucrative in different ways (Qualified Immunity of film-making if you will…). Black people largely could mostly play thugs and drug dealers, Latinx can only be gang bosses and poor servants and gardeners, Asians are either kung fu masters or some other offensive perpetual foreigner. And in worst cases no role at all, instead whitewashed for general audiences (aka white folk). 

Chadwick took a stand that the color of his skin did not define who Hollywood narrowly believed he could perform as and set out to play characters and people who could inspire a new generation of African Americans and show the rest of the country that they were more than a stereotype.

When that young kid in that final scene asks, “Who are you?” and T’Challa smiles its because he knows he’s already changing hearts and minds for the future, just as Chadwick did playing this truly inspirational role.

“Black Panther” is not a perfect movie. I could discuss the ways it could’ve been better and even, less problematic in parts on a different day, but the legacy it leaves behind is one that’s undeniably positive and Chadwick was able to make that a reality. Perhaps he understood that if the world knew his diagnosis it would blunt the impact of “Black Panther’s” release, that if little kids and African Americans alike knew their superhero was already dying it would mar the film’s positivity and influence. I can’t speak for the dead obviously, and in no way am I saying one should just push through a cancer diagnosis and keep it secret, but I can see Chadwick understanding what it would mean for the audience if they just believed for as long as possible that they would have their king of Wakanda forever.

As Robert Downey Jr. said on social media last night “He leveled the playing field while fighting for his life.”

Though I will never know him personally, by most measures Chadwick seemed to be exactly the kind of hero he showed up to be on the big screen and his legacy will ultimately be that of one who looked to inspire others, particularly the next generation until his final breath. If that doesn’t make him a hero, I don’t know what does.

Rest in power, King. Wakanda Forever…

(Via BossLogic)

#Chadwick Boseman #rest in power chadwick #eulogy #Black Panther #Ryan Coogler #MCU #Marvel Comics #Marvel #marvel cinematic universe #Stan Lee #comics #super heroes #superman #batman #spider-man #miles morales #Spiderverse #t'challa #jackie robinson #black history #blm #black lives matter #ancestral plane #movie #tv #film #howard university #legacy #black representation

[vs-redemption]

Crime is Common. Logic is Rare. (Ch.25)

Chapter Twenty-Five: Lazy Morning (HawksxGN!Reader)

From Cindy: I’ve decided to continue this story to go through the war arc in the manga. Because of this, I’ve had to rethink some plot points and story lines which takes time. Thank you for your patience and enjoy the chapter. It is really fluffy!

Plot summary: As a quirk geneticist, you never really imagined yourself getting involved in hero work. Of course, you never imagined catching the eye of a pro hero either. What starts as a great career opportunity turns into a relationship built upon mutual secrets and trust.

Warnings:  

⚠️This story contains spoilers from the manga.

⚠️Some events and plot points have been altered from the original manga

⚠️ Fluff!!!

Tag List: @gayforkeigo @marshmallow-witch @redflannel @toyo-shiro @elsasshole @astronomyturtle @iambashfulperson @omiwashere

Next Chapter : Chapter Guide

Waking up next to Hawks was a whole new experience when there wasn’t a rush to head to work or an imminent looming crisis about the secrets you both were currently keeping. With your arms securely wrapped around his body, you unbury your face from his chest and look up to admire his features which looked completely relaxed for one of the very few times since you’d met him. A smile tugs at your lips as your eyes scan over his feathery eyebrows, the black markings around his eyes, his cute little nose, those kissable lips, and finally to the few small hairs growing on his chin. He was gorgeous and you can’t stop yourself from stretching up to place one small kiss on the exposed column of his throat before tucking you head back into the warmth of his chest.

A few twitches from your boyfriend’s wings and a small groan told you that even such a small movement had been enough to disturb him from his sleep. You glance up at his eyes again which remain closed even though one of his strong arms slides over your waist to pull you closer.

“Good morning,” you say quietly.

“Mmm morning,” Hawks’ voice was a bit gravelly as his eyelids finally flutter open to reveal his beautiful golden eyes. “Throat’s dry…” he mumbles.

“Well, nobody told you to go that hard during karaoke,” you laugh softly as memories from the night before resurface in your mind. You wouldn’t mind if life was that relaxed and carefree for you both more often. Seeing Hawks acting open and goofy had reminded you what had drawn you to him in the first place.

“Don’t be mean,” Hawks pouts. “I had to impress your friends, didn’t I?”

“You impress them just by existing,” You assure him before humming contently at the soothing circles he starts rubbing on your back with his thumb.

“That’s right,” he sighs dramatically. “The only person immune to my magic face is you.”

“I’m not immune,” you correct him with a smile. “It’s just that there’s plenty more to like about you besides that.” A mischievous glint blooms in Hawks’ eyes and he raises his eyebrows curiously.

“Oh really?” He asks, “Care to elaborate?” You let out a dry laugh while slipping one of your arms free to reach up and run your fingers through his hair and then cup his cheek in your hand.

“Hmm, nah,” you tell him. “I don’t think so.” Hawks groans at the teasing before dipping his head down to kiss you on the forehead. You close your eyes and enjoy the moment for just a bit longer. As lovely as the morning snuggles were, the thought of the villains intruding in on such an unguarded and intimate time kept you from being able to relax completely. It reminded you of the conversation the night before, when Hawks had admitted to still having some secrets.

It was frustrating because, despite it being scary and stressful at times, you’d really grown to care a lot for the winged hero during your time together, and you wanted to be closer with him and know him completely. Whatever you didn’t know must be very sensitive though, and could probably be used against Hawks if the villains found out. You knew he’d tell you if he could, but until then, you supposed you’d have to bridge the gap between you both as best you could yourself.

“We should get up,” you mumble into his chest and he groans again. “I’ll make you coffee.”

It took a few minutes to convince him to get out of bed, and you had a feeling it was his own inherent need to move that finally motivated him in the end and not your coffee bribe. After all, he could probably send a couple feathers to prepare whatever he needed from the small hotel kitchen anyway.

“So, what’s on the agenda today?” Hawks asks, leaning against the counter in only a t-shirt and a pair of boxers as he waited for the coffee to brew. You did your best not to let your eyes wander, but hey, you were only human.

“I was thinking about what you said last night,” you hum while reading through a pamphlet of the hotel’s services, wondering if it was worth it to order something to the room for breakfast or if you should get dressed and head to a nearby café. “About learning more about each other by getting to know the important people in our lives.” Hawks looks over at you with cautious curiosity and you smile to assure him you knew to be careful about asking questions he couldn’t answer.

“I know you have to fly back to Tokyo today,” you say just as the coffee machine beeps. Even though you had told him you’d make the drink for him, his feathers set to work before you even had the chance to jump in. “But since the holidays are coming up, I thought it might be fun if you came with me to my family’s Christmas party.”

Hawk’s eyes go wide and his feathers falter just a bit, thankfully managing not to spill coffee all over the floor. “Family Christmas Party?”

“Only if we’re both able to get the time off work, obviously,” you shrug while putting the pamphlet down and shuffling over to stand next to him. His feathers deliver a hot mug of coffee into one of his hands while the other goes around your waist to pull you closer. “What do you usually do for the holidays?”

“Uh, not much,” He admits. “Most of time I’m on call at my agency in Kyushu, just in case there’s any trouble.”

“I was afraid of that,” you admit with a frown. “You said before that you don’t have contact with your own parents, or any really close friends either. That’s why I thought it might be nice to share mine with you.”

“That’s very sweet,” he smiles. “I’ve never had anyone want to introduce me to their parents before.” There was a playful tone to his voice, but you could tell the idea made him a little nervous.

“Don’t think of it like that.” you nudge him. “My parents are chill. They’re not like my boss who’s already planning our wedding. If you can handle her, you’ll be fine with my family.” Hawks hums in thought while sipping his coffee. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

“It was just an idea,” you poke him in the ribs, making him flinch and almost spill his coffee for the second time. “We could always spend the holidays just the two of us. I have more than enough love to smother you with.”

“Smothered in your love,” Hawks grins. “Now that’d be the way to go.”

“Stop,” you try to poke him again but he swings his hips to the side to avoid your finger.

“You must be pretty serious about me,” He teases, “If you’re already wanting to bring me home to your family.” Apparently he was already over the nervousness from before. “Aren’t you worried I’ll embarrass you?”

“No,” you deadpan. “I’ve already told them how weird you are, so they’re prepared.”

“Oh jeez!” He groans dramatically, “You’ve set me up for failure. Am I even going to have a chance of coming off as respectable now?”

“Probably not,” you sigh and shake your head regrettably.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Hawks lets out a laugh. “Didn’t you say everyone in your family is a genius like you?”

“I’m not a genius,” you say modestly. “But yeah, we’re all members of the scientific community in some way. It kind of runs in the family.”

“Shouldn’t you be dating a rocket scientist or something then?” Hawks challenges you with a sly smirk.

“Nope,” you shake your head resolutely. “And even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to because I love you.”

“Aw,” Hawks coos your name while setting his coffee mug down so his hands are free to pull you into his arms. “Come here, babe.” You gladly accept the affection and return the hug. “I love you too,” he mumbles before placing a kiss on your temple. “And I’m sure I’ll love your family too.”

“I knew I could convince you,” You say victoriously. “Now let’s get dressed and go find somewhere to have breakfast.”

Part of you hoped you weren’t rushing things too much with Hawks, but the fact of the matter was that you were serious about him, and wanted him to know that it was okay that there were things he couldn’t tell you right now. Your relationship could still progress, and even if it was a little one sided at the moment, there would be plenty of time later for him to catch up once his mission with the villains was over. You were really looking forward to the day you’d be able to go out with friends or spend a lazy morning with him without any fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. Hawks’ past was still a bit of a mystery to you, but it seemed like he hadn’t been given many opportunities to build close relationships with people. You couldn’t wait to show him all the joys of the things he’d been missing out on.

#hawks x reader #keigo takami x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #hawks #keigo takami #bnha #mha #Cindy's Writing

[bronanlynch]

(bi)weekly media update

apparently I just. do these every two weeks now huh. sorry to the tuesday again no problem extended universe crew for being unable to keep to a consistent schedule

listening: Curses by The Crane Wives, a band that I just started listening to but I like their sound, nice and fun and folksy, lots of songs with ominous lyrics that are good on fanmixes

honorary mention to the new Lil Nas X song because we are all love the new Lil Nas X song, it’s a bop, it’s been stuck in my head on and off ever since I heard it, and I am not immune to sexily blasphemous music videos

reading: finished Smoke & Ashes, the most recent book in the Kate Kane series that I talked about last week, and I enjoyed it a lot but there sure is a cliffhanger and afaik no set release date for the next one. it’s pretty angsty but does have lots of nice moments of hope, and some discussion about recovering from both depression and alcoholism that I appreciated.

also read more romance novels, and I appreciate that Cat Sebastian, like KJ Charles, knows how to write about rich characters while making it incredibly clear that hoarding wealth is morally indefensible. it’s like the “wow, cool robot” thing where I want to be told that I’m right for disliking capitalism/imperialism/the military industrial complex, but also I do very much want you to show me the cool robot (hot rich prettyboy in nice clothes)

also finally started Harrow the Ninth today, so I’m sure I’ll have more to say about that next time

watching: speaking of “wow, cool robot,” watched a little bit more Turn A Gundam, which sure does have some cool robots. also some gender. the main character crossdresses to like, hide their identity for fun complicated spy reasons and it’s not treated as a joke or anything? it’s just a thing that they do? and no one comments on it beyond when they were like “hey you have to wear a dress to this event because the people from the moon think our mech pilot is a woman and they can’t know it’s actually you because they still think you’re working for them”

absolutely hate that the guy on the right is just wearing a normal boring suit though like. c’mon man

Zan and I have been watching The Falcon and the Winter Soldier aka the sambucky show each week and my review so far is. well it’s about what I expected. the first episode was incredibly slow and kinda disappointing (Sam and Bucky never interact! the fact that Bucky might maybe miss Steve is never brought up, not even by his therapist, who tbh gives me incredibly bad vibes! if my best friend and the only person I knew from my past fucked off and left me alone to deal with my trauma in favor of ruining the life of a woman who’d moved on from him, I’d be pissed!) (for the sake of not being angry all the time I pretend Steve died instead of did That).

the second episode was more fun, more happens, there’s some incredibly heavy-handed corporate queerbaiting mixed in with some actually nice emotional moments (this article and this thread by the same person have a pretty good summary of All That). the handling of race, uh, could be better tbh. I appreciate what they’re going for, and to be fair the whole show isn’t out yet so it could get better (since some of the problems are tied to, y’know, the overall political problems, i.e. the fact that the villains are a group of people, led by a Black woman, who hate borders and illegally deliver medication to refugees which is somehow a bad thing, I kind of doubt it). but there is something about the way they’re making a Black man the mouthpiece of American imperialism, and the way that the new (white) Captain America who takes the shield when Sam doesn’t want it has a Black girlfriend and a Black best friend who, so far, have mostly just given him motivational pep talks, that doesn’t really inspire confidence. (this article and thread are a good overview of that aspect of the show)

also, I think it’s very funny when people are like “well you can’t say anything about the show yet, only two episodes are out” like. first of all lads it’s a six episode show, a third of the content is a decent chunk to use to form an analytical opinion, and second of all, if something strikes you as Not Great, you’re allowed to feel that way and say that, you don’t have to wait to see if there might be some twist or context that makes the thing you didn’t care for great and fine, actually,

that being said,

(when we watched the first episode, the immediate next thing we did was watch Winter Soldier and I was pleasantly surprised how well it holds up. not perfect obvi but still a solid movie, and the music does fuck)

also watched this very neat little video essay on Victoriana costuming and like, why so much media is set in the Victorian era, and started the c-drama Word of Honor which I’m sure will either be in a future post or just. something I start blogging about normally

playing: the weekend before last was the Beam Saber season finale, which I’ve already posted about quite a bit because it was fun and I love to play games with my friends. played a very fun game of Things, Eldritch and Terrifying by S. Gates this past weekend. it’s a very fun game, with very easy-to-follow rules and lots of helpful adjectives and scene starters, and also just conceptual it slaps (one person is an eldritch terror, the other person is the human that they’re courting. there’s a variant where you play as a vampire. it slaps). we made it uh, more of a rom-com than a horror story but I had a very good time, we told a very cute love story, and we’re gonna try again to make it more horror-y next time.

also I finally started Brigmore Witches and it’s very good and fun. my one complaint is that I want the Whalers to have names, because I enjoy the bit at the beginning where you can eavesdrop on them and some of them are concerned for you and some of them are fucked up about the Overseers invading their home and some of them want to fucking betray you. also, I didn’t realize that the very beginning when you fight Corvo is a dream sequence so I spent the whole fight being like “wait why does he get a gun and I don’t, where are my powers, wait aren’t I supposed to lose this fight for Plot Reasons why is he dead.” also, fucking love the favor that lets you dress up as an Overseer to get into the prison. I do love a good disguise mission

making: citrus chicken (from a cookbook so no link), plus some citrus-y root vegetables. very good if you like orange.

writing: nothing I can share yet for ~zine reasons. yes I have several fandom event weeks coming up that I want to participate in, no I haven’t written anything for any of them yet

#dreaming.txt #pictures of food below the read more

[thegayraven]

ok so final thoughts on shadow and bone, in no particular order:

im glad they put a lot of work into mal and alina's relationship because i dont mind being more invested in them. and i really liked jessie and archie in the roles and they did a great job

i think its pretty funny that archie renaux and ben barnes are jokingly playing up the rivalry irl and as a nikolai girl im excited for him to get in the mix and offer up his hand in marriage

zoya could have been meaner. she just could have been meaner! i would have supported her being meaner. i appreciate her turning on the darkling sooner because i like zoya but i also want her to be a little meaner. she deserves it!

oh speaking of zoya the fact that they made it canon that she and the darkling have had a thing...? big skeevy vibes for me personally considering he has known her since she was like 9. just saying

did zoya and mal actually bang in this version? i feel like they didnt. also i think its lowkey really funny that zoya and alina have the exact same taste in men apparently. also i kinda hope zoya loses the bangs next season...they were ok but not my fave.

it took me a while to warm up to danielle as nina but ultimately i did like her and i think i will like her even more in season 2. same goes for whoever's playing matthias he was p cute and he did a good job. no idea what his accent was supposed to be (it was fine tho i liked it) and i wish they spoke more fjerdan between the two of them but thats fine

oh speaking of languages are we just pretending kerch and ravkan are the same language? because realistically only inej speaks ravkan between her, jesper and kaz right? lmao.

at the halfway point i felt the crows' plot was quite stupid but episode 5 improved things significantly and i am not immune to wanting to see characters i like team up. i will say that alina literally giving inej the sankta alina knife was kinda cheesy but its fine. super funny how mal and alina are literally on the same ship as the crows in the end but theyre like "nah nah its cool we travel separately from now on"

omg speaking of alina when i heard they were going to cast an asian actress and make alina part shu i did not think she was going to experience 60 microaggressions per minute...like ok i guess it makes sense for ravkans to be xenophobic considering like the country's hardships and the wars and the ensuing nationalism but oh my god.

also also, alina being shu is kinda cool because that gives her another thing to connect with tolya and tamar about, yes? i know shadow and bone is less popular than six of crows but tolya and tamar deserve SOME of the hype being afforded to nikolai and wylan

daisy head was soooooo good as genya and its so fucked up that they pronounce her name "jenya" in my heart it will ALWAYS be a hard G. i got kinda mad on her behalf when alina was chewing her out tho...like alina i totally get that ur mad. but you literally do not know what she has been through 🥲

i honestly think the guy playing david is a little too hot to be david i always imagined him dweebier but its what genya deserves and he was excellent in the role so im fine with it.

ben barnes was an excellent casting choice for the darkling. theres gonna be exponentially more darkling fuckers now but thats the price you pay for good casting i guess. i'll be honest he and jessie mei li have good chemistry and all but the makeout scene still weirded me out because he is 39 and shes around my age.

omg SPEAKING of the makeout scene it was extremely funny to me that he's all like "are you sure? [about having s*x presumably]" when theyve been making out for literally FIFTEEN SECONDS and have taken NO clothes off. like what is she supposed to be sure about? you have put the cart SOOOOOO far ahead of the horse my dude! but i guess in tv kiss + "are you sure" is just meant to tell the audience "these two plan on banging" so whatever.

the antler collar was much creepier than in the book but that is fine. i was expecting mal to be the one to be like "alina you spared the stag's life so actually you still own your own power" but shrug. oh and we have very little foreshadowing of mal being an amplifier so far...and there was NO mention of the sea serpent or the other amplifiers which disappointed me a little but only because sea serpent foreshadowing counts as nikolai foreshadowing.

oh im very neutral on the effects for alina's powers...at points i thought they looked kinda lame but in the fold they looked cool

kaz and inej kept having these (for them) very sweet heartfelt conversations and every single time i turned to my sister and was like "this is soooo sweet...but in the book they would NEVER say this." however i understand that tv is a different medium than books and freddy carter did well with what he was given. jesper and inej were PHENOMENAL though and im excited to see all the crows together.

i still have no idea if this show is coherent to those with no prior knowledge but i'd love to know what its like to watch with no prior knowledge. like my sister said she wouldnt have picked up on alina being "sickly" prior to using her powers if i hadnt told her thats a thing in the book. or like genya having purple embroidery on a red kefta to show shes sort of between corporalki and materialki. also if youre watching without having read the books is it obvious that the darkling is evil or?

speaking of keftas, based on the teaser trailer i was worried they would look bad. but they looked very good! mostly the costuming was excellent. nina was the only character whose costumes i didnt like as much and to be fair shes stuck in one outfit until the end of the show so im sure she'll look better next season. oh and jesper could have been in brighter colors imo.

i was a little upset that they didnt call the merchants merchers...and also that theres no mention of the dregs? is kaz just the leader of his own gang in this world?? to be fair establishing the dregs might have taken up too much time but i want answers next season. also it was kind of wild to me that kaz uses the crow club as collateral when like the audience barely knows whats up with the crow club.

here and there they had very fun scene transitions or good soundtrack moments and that was fun. only moment that u can think of that seemed poorly edited was the fight scene with mal in episode 1, which just felt weirdly choppy. i am not a cinnamon topography expert tho.

overall i am happy because the show was very entertaining (all i can ask for) and i think it was maybe even kinda good!

#mine #long post #shadow and bone spoilers #shadow and bone