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ginnsbaker · 7 months

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Bulletproof - Alternative Ending

Summary: Starts immediately after Chapter 5 where you unwittingly sacrificed yourself to keep Wanda alive.

Word count: 5k+ | Tags: Angst and character death(s) | Ship: Wanda Maximoff x Gender Neutral Reader

Author's Note: This was suggested by @dogsandlife, and I'm super glad for it because I was already toying with this idea. I just couldn't bring myself to hurt most of you so I went ahead with the other plot. But for my angst-loving readers, I hope you enjoy this alternative ending :)

Series Masterlist

The compound is anything but quiet.

One can hear hushed whispers, the shuffling of feet, and the distant drones of machines. It's not loud, but there's a heavy feeling in the air. Grief. Everyone's dealing with the recent destruction—surgeries, reports, nights where sleep just didn’t come. Death.

Today's supposed to help them find some closure, but it's obvious a lot of them aren't there yet.

Steve stands at Wanda's door, fist raised. He hesitates, almost knocking a few times, but eventually just taps softly with his knuckle on the wooden panel. “Wanda?” he asks, trying to sound as normal as possible.

Nothing.

She hasn't been seen since the first night they arrived at the other base, where Wanda went straight to the room she was assigned to. The only clue that she's still managing is that Vision leaves food outside her door every day, and when he returns later in the day, most of it remains untouched, but he can tell Wanda has taken at least a bite or two.

It’s far from the ideal diet of an Avenger, which leaves Wanda being indisposed in the meantime; though the rest of the team was successful in neutralizing and the people who masterminded the attack on the compound two weeks ago.

Out of concern for how she might react, especially given how deeply your loss affected her, the team has kept this news from Wanda. They want to ensure the prisoners are safely relocated to a hard-to-track location before she learns of it. There's a shared apprehension that if Wanda discovers this prematurely, she might take matters into her own hands.

Steve senses that Wanda might already be aware, and her chilling silence may not just be due to grief. Part of it could stem from her resentment towards the team for withholding the information, preventing her from seeking the second thing she desires most after having you back—revenge.

(What Wanda yearns for the most is your return, but that's a reality no longer possible in this universe.)

Despite this, Steve pushes on, “The ceremony's about to start. Everyone's waiting. We don’t want to start without you. They were important to all of us, but I get that they were even more to you.”

The stillness from the other side of the door is almost suffocating.

Steve’s voice becomes impossibly softer as he tries again, “Wanda, I can't imagine how you feel right now. But we're here for you. We're family, remember?”

Steve strains his ears, hoping to catch the faintest whisper from Wanda, but the only sound that meets him is the steady hum of the central air conditioning. Time drags on awkwardly, and just when Steve is about to leave, a faint, broken voice emerges from the room.

“They're gone, Steve.”

Swallowing hard, Steve nods, voice thick. “I know, Wanda. I know.”

He does know. Perhaps more than anyone on the team, save for Natasha. He's experienced profound losses throughout his life: his best friend, the woman he loved, even time and an entire era.

He wants to impart all of these to Wanda, but he’s afraid of invalidating the pain that Wanda’s feeling right now.

And so, a brief, quiet moment passes between them before Steve rejoins the others.

The scene is chaos—the aftermath of unimaginable power unchecked.

Dust fills the air, and broken debris is scattered everywhere. The once-familiar corridors of the team's quarters are now unrecognizable. Everything is obliterated. The structure has been reduced to fine dust, making it impossible to discern that the remnants were once beds or lamps. Not even sound escaped her wrath.

The others soon rush in, Steve, Natasha, and Sam at the forefront. The sight that greets them is unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. Everything is utterly pulverized, and at the epicenter is Wanda, holding your limp body close to her.

For a moment, the scene before them leaves them at a loss for words, until Steve's gaze locks onto you, covered in blood with your arms hanging lifelessly. Steve radios the others, quickly outlining the situation. He struggles to describe it without revealing the full extent of Wanda’s powers, of which they were previously unaware.

Sam surveys the area for potential threats. “All clear!” he announces, not realizing the hidden danger masked by the visage of a mourning ally. Steve, however, spots it immediately from a distance.

The situation isn't volatile due to enemies nearby.

It's volatile because of Wanda.

“Wanda, what happened?” Natasha ventures, attempting to cut through the escalating tension. Yet Wanda's eyes stay locked on you, murmuring unintelligibly under her breath.

“Wanda!” Natasha's voice sharpens with alarm. “Snap out of it!”

But Wanda refuses to budge, ensnared in her own maelstrom of anguish and remorse. As her hands begin to glow with a familiar red hue, she whispers, her lips curling in a crazed half-smile, “I can save you.”

Recognizing the imminent danger of Wanda's erratic powers, Natasha lunges forward to intervene. “Wanda, no!”

Her plea is met with an almost tangible wave of force. The sheer power from Wanda's emotions sends Natasha hurtling backwards, taking her off her feet. Recognizing both the immediate peril and a fleeting chance, Steve reacts without hesitation. He gathers you into his arms, holding you close to shield you, and makes a break for the Quinjet's safety.

Sam, after a momentary stagger, hurries over to Natasha's side. He extends a hand, helping her to rise. Together, they turn their attention back to Wanda, eyes fixed as they witness the raw display of her struggle, the internal battle to regain control over her formidable powers. Eventually, as if a storm subsides, Wanda's energy recedes. She collapses, emotionally and physically spent. Her eyes glisten with tears that soon spill over.

“I—I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry…” Wanda stammers, bringing a hand to her mouth in horror at her actions.

Natasha cautiously approaches, ignoring the lingering pain from her fall. She carefully wraps an arm around Wanda, offering what comfort she can. “It’s okay,” she whispers, trying to sound more confident than she feels.

Sam surveys the scene, taking in the devastation and recognizing that not all of it was the enemy's handiwork. “We can't stay here,” he warns urgently. “We'll have company soon, and not the kind we want.”

Emerging from the Quinjet, Steve's motions for them to hurry. “Let’s go. Y/N needs help. Now.”

Natasha quickly takes in Wanda's dazed state and knows she needs to act. “Come on, we need to move,” she says, gently guiding her friend by the arm toward the jet.

As they get closer, Natasha throws a glance over her shoulder at Sam. “You coming?”

He hesitates, scanning the area. “I'm staying. Someone's got to help out here.”

She looks like she wants to argue, but with everything going on, she just nods, helping Wanda up the ramp. As the jet's engines ignite and they ascend, Sam's focus shifts back to the ground, the sheer magnitude of Wanda's episode hitting him. A distance away, he spots a few incinerated bodies, possibly caught in the sphere of Wanda’s wrath. Walking cautiously among the fallen, a chilling realization dawns on him: he can't tell who was with them and who was against. Allies and enemies, all indistinguishably mixed in the wake of Wanda's powers.

He feels a knot in his stomach. “Oh, Wanda,” he murmurs to himself, “what happened here?”

Though the clear skies suggest fair weather, the ceremony feels grim, leaving behind an eerie atmosphere that steadfastly clings to the hallways and corners you once roamed. All attendees are dressed in their finest black attire, but the pristine garments can't hide the profound sadness of the occasion.

Everyone is present except for a seat in the first row. Every now and then, Steve's eyes would drift toward the entrance, half-hoping, half-dreading that Wanda might walk in. The funeral begins with a brief sermon from a priest, despite no one being certain of your religious beliefs. Yet, it's protocol. It has always been the manner in which they bid farewell to a comrade, so everyone quietly follows suit.

Each of the Avengers, save for Wanda, takes a turn at the podium, sharing humorous and touching stories about you. They all wear the same regret and guilt on their faces, wishing they could have done more, could have treated you better, could have gotten to know you more. The eulogies are largely light in tone, and it's unclear whether it's because they wish to remember you fondly or if their bond with you was merely superficial and insincere.

Except for Daisy, the last person to speak, who seems to be taking it particularly hard. She gets choked up talking about how you took her under your wing, always sharing what you knew and helping her train. And when she needed a place to sleep, you gave her your own bed. She returns to her seat, tears silently streaming, and there's a brief, uneasy moment when no one steps in to comfort her.

They all glance around, seeking out Wanda. Their eyes eventually land on Steve, who simply responds with a solemn shake of his head.

The entire ceremony lasts just under an hour. As the last notes of the eulogy fade and people start to head out, everyone gradually returns to their routine. For many, it's the last time they'll reflect or speak about you.

That same night, as Steve is about to wind down in his office, lost in thought, Vision phases through the wall. There's a resigned expression on Vision's face, momentarily making Steve forget that he isn't human. Reflecting later, Steve appreciates how Vision's virtue and outlook are more human-like than many individuals he's encountered throughout his life.

“Captain Rogers,” he starts, “Wanda has…chosen to sequester herself in Y/N's former cell.”

Steve looks up sharply, a crease forming on his brow. “Why would she do that?”

He had anticipated something like this might occur, but he's baffled as to why Wanda would choose your old cell over your bedroom, where all your belongings still remain.

“I can't say I fully grasp the intricacies of the human heart, but maybe she's looking for a connection or a spot to grieve. Y/N’s room, with all its memories, might just be too overwhelming for her,” Vision offers, seemingly reading Steve's thoughts.

Hearing this, Steve glances at the approval document he must sign, allowing the compound's admin office to begin clearing out your bedroom. He's been putting off signing it, thinking Wanda might need more time with your belongings around. But now he wonders if erasing traces of you might help her come to terms with the loss.

Steve considers Vision’s words for a moment before nodding slowly. “Thanks, Vision. I'll go see her.”

Wanda is glued to your side, her fingers so tightly interwoven with yours that it's hard to tell where one hand ends and the other begins. Every now and then, she gently squeezes, perhaps hoping to feel a reassuring squeeze back. Her face is contorted, every line etched deep with raw pain, her eyes wet and reddened from endless tears. She looks at your hand, pale and devoid of its usual warmth, resting lifelessly in her grip.

But it's the faint, almost timid pulsation under her touch that keeps her from completely breaking down. Each breath you take is slow and labored, barely noticeable. But the quiet beep of the monitors serves as a constant reminder that there's still life within you. From time to time, she leans in, pressing her ear close to your chest, cherishing the gentle thud of your heartbeat, willing you to hold on just a little longer.

A while later, a group of nurses and doctors rush in, ready to prep you for surgery. Their hands move with purpose, reaching for various instruments and adjusting the array of machines beside your bed. That’s when, as if propelled by an invisible force, equipment flies off tables, and a few of the medical staff are pushed back against the walls. A nurse, caught off-guard, drops a syringe, its contents spilling onto the pristine floor.

Natasha, having been alerted by the commotion, slips into the room, swiftly placing herself between Wanda and the medical staff.

“Wanda,” she implores cautiously, her eyes seeking the sorceress's, “let them do their job. He needs them.”

For a moment, it seems like she might snap, but then her gaze drops to the floor, tears spilling. As soon as they feel it’s safe, the medical staff decide that they need to move you immediately. The wheels of your bed squeak in protest as they begin to shift it out of the room.

Wanda's grip tightens on your hand, her knuckles white. She tries to follow, as if an invisible cord binds her to you. She mutters, almost inaudibly, “I won't leave them.”

One of the nurses, recognizing the precarious situation and the potential for Wanda's powers to erupt again, glances around hesitantly. They're all clearly apprehensive about telling Wanda she can't accompany you. It’s just in time that Steve finally arrives, quickly taking in the scene before him.

“Kid, it’s okay,” he murmurs quietly.

She turns to him, her eyes a storm of emotion, as she pleads, “No, it’s not. I need to be with them.”

“It’s not,” he confirms, offering her a sympathetic look. “But right now, they need to do their job. We have to trust them.”

But her grip on your hand doesn't loosen.

With a deep breath, Steve gently pries her fingers away from yours. It's a slow, agonizing process, each finger unlocking a fresh wave of sobs from Wanda. She resists, but Steve’s reassuring grip gives her no choice. Finally, as your hand slips away from hers, the reality of the situation hits anew.

As the medical team wheels you out of the room, Wanda collapses into Steve's arms, her cries a haunting sound in the tenebrous hallways of the hospital.

The long hours of surgery find Wanda staring into the void, her eyes wavering yet alert, even as exhaustion begins to bear down on her. A few feet away, a wall clock ticks on, displaying the agonizingly slow passage of time. She's acutely aware of each second, each minute, as they stretch into what feels like eons. Occasionally, her fingers would twitch, itching to do something, anything, to change the course of events. But they remain clenched in her lap, her knuckles white from the pressure.

Wanda isn't accustomed to the drawn-out dread of potentially losing someone. Her parents were taken away in an instant. Pietro saved Clint in a split-second, paying with his life. So, when the surgeon finally emerges, the expression on his face already giving away the news, Wanda can't stand it. She bolts.

Outside, the cold night air hits her, but she hardly feels it. Her feet carry her to a secluded spot in the hospital's garden, where the shadows from the trees envelope her. She sinks to the ground, her hands digging into the grass, seeking some form of grounding.

The rest of the team, still in the waiting room, exchange worried glances. Steve takes a step forward, as if to follow, but Natasha places a gentle hand on his arm.

“She needs a minute,” Natasha says quietly.

While they give Wanda time to process, the surgeon starts explaining the details, the clinical terms merging with the reality of what happened. The Avengers might face world-ending threats on a daily basis, but this personal loss, this kind of pain, hits different.

Little do they know that in the distance, Wanda's grief is causing ripples that are about to change everything.

Making his way through the maze of hallways, Steve's steps slow as he approaches the familiar penitentiary. He nears the familiar cell door, taking a moment to brace himself before nudging it open just slightly.

Inside, the room is dim, with just a small lamp fighting off the darkness. It's chilly, the sort of cold that seems to seep into your bones. There, on the simple bed, is Wanda, curled up and looking so small and vulnerable. Pushing the door open just a touch more, Steve walks in silently and sits beside Wanda. He doesn't say anything, instead he allows Wanda to acclimatize to his presence, to give her space and time to figure out that she’s not alone in this, never was.

After what seems like an eternity, Wanda, without looking at Steve, simply murmurs, “It's cold here.”

Steve just nods, at a loss for words. He takes off his jacket, trying to wrap it around her shoulders for comfort. But Wanda pushes it away, letting it drop to the ground. Steve clenches his jaw, recognizing that right now, reasoning with Wanda might be impossible.

Several beats pass before Wanda finally speaks up. “It should have been me,” she says, her voice as steely as the temperature of the room. “I should be the one in that grave.”

“Don't say that,” Steve insists, carefully placing a hand on her tense shoulder. “You couldn't have known.”

Wanda's eyes blaze with anger and sorrow. “I allowed it, Steve. I allowed Y/N to help me, to heal me. I let them drain their life to give to me.” Her voice wavers, and she trembles visibly. Steve can feel warmth where he's holding her but trusts that she won't lose control. “If Y/N hadn't found me, I'd be as good as dead. But now... they're gone, and I'm here.”

“Wanda, look at me,” he mutters, placing another hand on her other shoulder and twisting her gently so she can properly face him. His blue eyes seek out hers but she refuses to meet his gaze, eyes transfixed on the floor, lost and empty. “We make choices everyday. Choices that we think are for the best. You couldn't have predicted this outcome. None of us could.”

She angles her head, strands of hair partially covering her face, but one eye peeks through with a dangerous glint. “I let them step into danger, more than once. So try and tell me it's not on me.”

Steve, visibly unsettled, takes a ragged breath. “Wanda, I know it’s hard to understand now, to accept that what happened to Y/N is beyond your control. But we're all here for you, and if you need—”

“I don't want or need your help, Steve,” she retorts with an icy edge. “What I need is to be alone.”

Seeing the resolute, almost manic determination in her eyes, Steve hesitates before nodding slowly. “Alright,” he says.

“But remember this, Wanda,” Steve says, pausing at the threshold of the cell, a deep sadness in his eyes. “Y/N wouldn't want you to be alone, especially not like this.”

Wanda's lips twitch into a bitter smile. “What Y/N wanted doesn't matter now, does it? They're gone.”

Steve doesn't say anything else. He gives Wanda a long look, then walks out.

The pain is worse when she dreams.

In one of them, she relives a reality from before. She's transported back to a familiar morning. She remembers waking up in your room, the warmth of the sheets reminding her of the night before. Trying to push away her burgeoning feelings for you, she recalls inviting a stranger into her room, sharing some wine. But as he got closer, she pushed him away, realizing he wasn't what she truly wanted.

In her dream, she does things differently. Instead of slipping away like she did in reality, she lingers. She takes the time to study every detail of your face as you sleep—the freckles on your nose, the subtle movement of your lips as you mumble incoherent dreams, the occasional twitch of your eyelids. She gives in to an urge she had suppressed for the longest time, wrapping her arms around your waist, drawing you close.

After what feels like hours, you stir. When you open your eyes, there's a brief moment of surprise before your lips curve into a soft, genuine smile, happy to see she's still there. Your fingers reach up, gently caressing her cheek. She leans into it, eyes closing for a moment as she takes in the sensation. “You stayed,” you murmur, your voice soft and filled with wonder.

Just as she's on the verge of promising to always stay by your side, Wanda jolts awake. Her smile fades the instant she grasps that it was all an illusion, a fleeting could-have-been.

The knife in her chest buries itself a little deeper after that. It does so again the following morning when she dreams of another memory, and in every version, she doesn't turn away from you.

One day, a woman approaches Wanda, offering to help her uncover the secret to inhabiting her dreams.

“Not merely dreams,” the woman clarifies, “but alternate realities.” Her name is Agatha, and she persuades Wanda that these realities are rightfully hers, waiting for her to claim them. Desperate for a way to be with you again, even if it's in another reality, Wanda listens intently.

“Each reality is like a page in a book. Some might be nearly identical to yours, with just a slight deviation. Others could be drastically different. The key is knowing how to navigate and control them,” Agatha explains.

"How?" Wanda questions, hands buried in the pockets of her jacket, walking alongside Agatha on a nondescript street in Westview, New Jersey. She'd made her way there upon discovering you'd purchased property, curious to envision the life you'd planned for yourself, had you lived.

“It's not as simple as snapping one's fingers,” Agatha says. “But with the right guidance and knowledge, you can access these realities, live in them, even mold them to your desires.”

Wanda hesitates, sensing the potential dangers of meddling with the fabric of existence. “What's the price?” she asks.

Agatha doesn't look too pleased with Wanda's display of intelligence and her knack for spotting the early signs of manipulation. But she gets the feeling that Wanda might not care if she's being used, as long as she gets what she wants out of it.

“Every powerful spell comes with its costs,” Agatha replies cryptically. “But isn't a chance to be with Y/N, to have a life where grief doesn't consume you, worth any price?”

Living day to day, clutching onto moments of happiness in her dreams, only to be jerked back into a reality she can't stand—it's wearing on Wanda. The dreams are great, sure, but they're just that—dreams. And when they're over, it's back to the harsh light of day, and the reality that you’re gone. She's stuck in this loop, bouncing between what she wishes her life could be and the real world that just won't let her catch a break. Every dream feels like a tease, a brief escape before she's pulled back into the grind.

“So? I don’t have all day, dear.” Agatha's tone is dripping with impatience, her sharp eyes fixed on Wanda.

Wanda swallows hard, her gaze darting around the empty street, as if cautious to anyone who might be eavesdropping on the conversation, before settling back on the older witch. “What do you want in return?”

A slow, sly smile spreads across Agatha's face, making the air around her grow even colder. She takes a deliberate step closer to Wanda, their faces now mere inches apart. “You’re a sly witch than I made you out to be, aren’t you?”

Wanda holds her ground. “I need to know.”

Agatha chuckles softly, her breath caressing Wanda's face. “We'll get to that,” she purrs, drawing the moment out just to relish Wanda's discomfort. She then leans in even closer, her voice dropping to a hushed, almost seductive whisper. “First, let's talk about how we can make your dreams come true.”

Wanda hesitates, torn between the desperation of her desires and the voice in her head urging her to decline the offer, to grieve and move forward like anyone else would.

To forget you.

“And why would I trust you?” Wanda counters instead, buying herself more time.

Agatha straightens up, her smile unwavering as she finally takes a step back. “Oh, darling, you shouldn’t. But sometimes, our wants make strange bedfellows. And right now, I'm the best chance you've got.”

Wanda's footsteps are hesitant as she approaches the rubble-strewn site, each broken brick and twisted piece of metal echoing memories of that fateful day. The boundaries between realities have always been thin for Wanda, a mere whisper away. And on the 436th day since your sacrifice, she finally musters the courage to cross them.

Witnessing it all from this vantage point—that of an observer—feels utterly surreal.

She remembers the pain, the slow dimming of consciousness, and the sensation of life slipping away. But in this reality, it was her other self who had been impaled, left to bleed out beneath the rubble. And you, who she loved dearly in every universe, had been spared.

Or at least, that’s how she intends it to happen for this reality.

Wanda's fingers twitch, and with a fierce concentration of her magic, she lifts the heavy boulder trapping her other self. A bright crimson glow surrounds it as it's lifted and tossed aside, revealing the horrific sight beneath.

The other Wanda is a haunting reflection of what she might have been, pale with trails of blood smeared across her lips. The fabric of her clothes is stained with the vivid red of her own blood, which pools around her. It's a sight that should send a wave of nausea through Wanda, but truthfully she feels nothing.

Gently, Wanda cradles the injured version of herself, her hands shaking as they brush away the dirt and blood from the other's face. She can't stop herself from checking for a pulse, even though ironically, she’s there to make sure it stops beating.

“Hey,” she murmurs, patting the alternate Wanda's cheek softly, urging her to focus. “Look at me.”

Slowly, those familiar eyes flutter open, clouded with pain. The shock and fear in them are palpable when they take in the sight of her savior—especially the distinct headpiece that marked her transformation into the Scarlet Witch.

“Who... are you?”

“I'm you,” Wanda says, and without waiting for a reply, sparing her other self the pain of speaking, she continues, “Y/N sacrificed so much for you. For us. They became our greatest pain, and our love. And they will be here any minute now.”

“W-What are you talking about—”

“They will be here to save you and make themselves vulnerable in the process. And they will die,” Wanda's breath hitches at that, causing her to pause momentarily. “You don’t want that, do you?”

Her fading counterpart shakes her head, tears streaming down her face.

“Good,” Wanda says, offering a comforting smile. “Then let go, and I’ll take care of Y/N. Okay?”

Without waiting for a response, Wanda turns the body in her embrace into red wisps that dance around her in the air.

Then, aware that it'll only be moments before you reach the scene, Wanda morphs into the likeness of her younger self. She looks just like the other version, but without any injuries that might spur you into action.

“Wanda!” she hears your voice from a distance and her eyes water at the sound.

She's done the unimaginable, claiming the identity of this universe's Wanda, seconds after she erased her very existence. She takes deep, shaky breaths, trying to get into character. She needs you to believe it’s her, even though she’s forgotten herself how she used to be.

Your steps quicken, shoes crunching on rubble, until you're right in front of her, surveying her from head to toe, searching for any signs of injury. “Wanda...how?” Your eyes are wide, filled with disbelief and relief. “I thought I'd lost you.”

“I managed to shield myself just in time when—” She doesn’t get to finish her practiced response when you pull her into a tight embrace, and she leans into it, her body shaking with genuine sobs. Her face buries into the crook of your neck, feeling the warmth and familiarity of your smell and touch. It's a grounding sensation amidst the madness she has just endured and inflicted.

“It's okay,” you murmur, your voice trembling. “You're here now, and that's all that matters.” You can feel the dampness on your shirt where her tears have soaked through, and you tighten your grip around her.

“We need to get out of here,” you say, casting a glance around the ruins. “Let's find safety first, then we'll figure everything out.”

She nods, taking a deep breath to steady herself, wiping away her tears. “I'm sorry,” Wanda says, her voice catching in her throat.

“For what?” you ask, confused.

“For making you worry,” she says, avoiding your eyes. The guilt she feels is so much deeper than what you perceive, but now isn’t the time to delve into it.

She only recalls the next moments when the bullets are headed your way minutes later. But this time, they don't touch you. Wanda swiftly neutralizes the assailants, and you stare, a mix of shock and awe at the display of her powers that appear to have been amplified overnight.

You blink, trying to process what you just saw. “Wanda, what was that? I've never seen you...”

“We need to move. Now,” Wanda interrupts, a hint of panic in her voice. She grabs your hand, tugging you forward roughly.

You resist for a moment, glancing around. "Don't we need to wait for the others?"

She glances back at the devastation she caused, her face drawn. "There’s no time. They're not coming.”

“But—”

“Please," she pleads, her eyes darting to the oncoming imaginary threats in the distance. “We'll figure it out once we're safe.”

It’s your weakness, your inability to say no to her, that makes you yield to her wishes. With one last uneasy look around, you let Wanda pull you away, but a slew of questions bubble up in your mind, waiting for a safer moment to be asked.

Wanda leads you somewhere faraway.

In time, you cease to question her actions.

Gradually, the dreams stop haunting her nights.

But she finds herself unable to stop hunting for them every now and then.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff x you #wanda x you #wanda maximoff #unbetad #my writing #my fic #elizabeth olsen x reader #elizabeth olsen #wanda maximoff fanfiction #captain america civil war #the avengers #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #vision #daisy johnson

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peri · 1 year

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Peridot and Unlearning (Internalized & Externalized) Homophobia

i.e., here's why peridot's redemption arc is partially (a metaphor?) about unlearning homophobia

the title sounds crazy but bear with me here.

let's start off with saying NO, fusion does not = romantic love. that's an age old discourse and it can be so easily solved by stating there are many different forms of love, and sometimes fusion is just for power (which is a form of love in-of itself, albeit fucked; the love for power or toxic love) HOWEVER, in many cases, such as Garnet's, it most certainly is about romantic love. so to keep it as brief as possible, thats what we have in mind in this post. it's gay love okay.

now, let's talk about the scene i just captioned. this is from the episode "too far," which is an episode about developing a crush and accidentally hurting them in the process of trying to impress them. (however you want to look at it, but thats how i interpret it) the fact it starts off with casual homophobia is important, coz it shows peridot still has a lot of prejudices despite recently becoming part of the team, which is full of gay people, undeniably.

peridot's redemption arc is partially about coming to terms with your sexuality, retraining your mind from internalized homophobia after being raised in such a homophobic society/household, and becoming proud of your sexuality / identity.

OBSERVE:

"you dont understand! im protecting a planet i was once trying to destroy! i used to follow every order - every rule!"

"now im a traitor! a rebel!"

"A CRYSTAL QUEEEEEER"

sorry i had that joke stored for this analysis since 2019. anyways

i'm going to try to keep this short, but more under the cut.

IM SO BAD at organizing my words so this post is rly hard to make so im gonna do it like this.

MORE EVIDENCE THAT PERIDOT'S REDEMPTION ARC IS COMING TO TERMS WITH BEING GAY / UNLEARNING HOMOPHOBIA:

being frustrated about joining a lesbian/gay gang

coming from a society where homosexuality is forbidden

telling off your mom by saying youre joining some rebel lesbians/gays to fight her oppressive society

wearing pride flags (stars) everywhere after coming out

looking up to experienced lesbians (Garnet)

the scissoring joke (from "too far." if you know you know)

furthermore, i thought it'd be fair to include peridot learning how to respect how people identify in other ways, such as names / how they prefer to be addressed. this, most of the time, goes hand-in-hand with homophobia.

peridot, narrating: "he also said he wanted me to stop calling him "the" steven." steven: "its just, steven!" peridot: "i told him i'd call him whatever i want!" [hiss] peridot: "he told me that was rude."

(from the episode "log date 7 15 2")

peridot learns how to respect how people identify. lgbt win

i should add she also eventually learns how to respect Garnet's whole deal in the same episode (log date 7 15 2) which was also a huge moment in her unlearning homophobia. which, btw if you dont know or dont remember, Garnet does by comparing herself to peridot's (assuming) gay ship between Percy and Pierre from Camp Pining Hearts, saying she was the optimized version of herself (the reason peridot "ships" them; theyre the best team logically according to her analysis ship chart)

anyways, now the biggest most obvious point is the fact that peridot actually is gay. i've referred to this episode a few times now, but thats becoz it really is a huge point in proving my 'thesis';

in the episode "too far," peridot is shown to get obsessed with impressing amethyst. peridot experiences something they havent yet up until this point: a crush. i mean, you can interpret it as you wish, but thats how i saw it. the butterflies, the obsession with making someone laugh, the fact peridot states amethyst is objectively the best gem of the crystal gems and emphasizes "damaging her standing with the best gem here" with their apology to amethyst after hurting her feelings.

and um, this.

🌈yeag

sorry im losing any professionalism i started this post with. also this is focusing on early-season / redemption arc peridot which is why its kind of short and is missing stuff from later seasons. i hope this was at least somewhat concise and easy to understand, and i hope yall see my point of view here! feel free to add on (theres SO MUCH its easy for it to skip my mind) if you have any other points youd like to make to support my cause and uprising. love you

#peridot #su #steven universe #q slur #idc abt the discourse w tagging it as that im doing it for a friend. love and light #im so sorry for the bad formatting im off my meds #peridot analysis #tagging that for personal ref ok bye

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forasecondtherewedwon · 2 months

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stop-motion poetry

Fandom: Masters of the Air Rating: T Word Count: 1295

Summary: the irony of loneliness / is we all feel it / at the same time - Rupi Kaur (Italicized passages are also Rupi Kaur poems.)

i tried to find it but there was no answer at the end of the last conversation

Everywhere was empty, like a museum. Crosby’s skittish fingers kept tracing around inside his pocket, and he finally realized what he was absent-mindedly feeling for: the snow globe.

In his other pocket, he had the intercepted letter. He was treating those words as Bubbles’ last to him, though… would Bubbles have shown him the letter? Maybe, if Crosby had asked. Maybe, because Bubbles might feel he was coming between Crosby and Jean if he didn’t. He could be funny like that. Whenever Jean came up, Bubbles made Crosby feel like Wendy regarded by the Lost Boys—an adult among children.

Wouldn’t you like to know, Bubbles had shot back when Crosby’d repeated the name of the plane. Suddenly, Crosby was the clueless one, Bubbles with the inside baseball on the mystery of women, high on the promise of She’s Gonna. Now, Crosby wasn’t so sure Bubbles was correct; why should he have liked to know? He had no inclination to know what Bubbles knew. What the sky looked like when all the planes in it were falling. Whether you felt an explosion that happened so close, so fast. How long it took to die from a thing like that. Nope, Crosby wasn’t interested.

He preferred to remember Bubbles the way he remembered the snow globe: a little something to carry with him everywhere he went. When the world slanted, something to be plucked from the tilt and, once held, leveled.

—

i hardened under the last loss. it took something human out of me. i used to be so deeply emotional i’d crumble on demand. but now the water has made its exit. of course i care about the ones around me. i’m just struggling to show it. a wall is getting in the way. i used to dream of being so strong nothing could shake me. now. i am. so strong. that nothing shakes me. and all i dream is to soften.

She recalled that he’d had too much to carry, heavy kit bag slung over his shoulder, but when he’d taken the provisions she’d passed him, he’d managed not to crush the donut against the mug of coffee he’d held in the same hand. Herbert had been gentle, that was what Helen recalled. Forward, yes. Obvious, yes—but gentle.

Some of them hadn’t taken the donut, but just about all of them took the coffee, unless they were very young and shied from the bitterness. There had been others before Herbert. Men who’d crossed a room to talk to her, men who’d announced their name and stuck out their hand. Helen had felt their palms on the small of her back when they’d danced. She’d seen their faces up-close, with the bravado gone, had understood herself an as object of lust or a tap on their watch, reminding them time might be running out. Sometimes, she’d only danced with them through words. Sometimes they hadn’t come back from the mission, and she’d wished she’d been kinder.

It was good though, that she and Herbert hadn’t kissed on the mouth. It meant she couldn’t miss that feeling. Missing the smile he’d given her the morning they flew out was plenty hard. Missing the scent of the oil he’d used in his hair, the rosy smudge of lipstick she’d left on his jaw during their dance.

Ever since Major Rosenthal had told her, since he’d said Lieutenant Nash had gone down, Helen’s chest had been a crater she covered over with smiles like old boards, stiff and creaking, threatening to cave in. She felt guilt, because Herbert had called her “Helen of Troy.” She hadn’t sent them, but she was too smart and too good at punishing herself not to figure that she had, in a way, launched those ships of the air. She represented the innocent, to them. Sisters and sweethearts. To fight for her or something like her, they would all go, go by the hundreds. One less, now.

At the next dance, Helen decided, marooned on the grass by Rosenthal, she would shake her head and stay at the table.

—

yesterday when i woke up the sun fell to the ground and rolled away flowers beheaded themselves all that’s left alive here is me and i barely feel like living

Dawn came. Bucky wasn’t convinced the sun came with it. Through the windscreen and the cigarette smoke trapped in the cockpit, the sky changed colour, definitely paler than night as it arrived before his itchy eyes, but if there was light, he didn’t register it. Like a telephone call in another room, it wasn’t for him.

He wanted to drink himself into the plane. Become so liquid that the seat absorbed him, that a thin trickle of whatever was left of him dribbled into the fuel tank. Then he could be burnt up. Sic transit Major Egan: He was an unpredictable drunk, and a more successful flirt than he’d deserved to be. He’d had a best friend, once. That man—that better man—was gone and nobody was lookin’ for him. Bucky was looking pretty damn hard in the bottom of this flask, but so far, no luck.

The horizon turned blue, which was bullshit. Blue was for eyes. Bucky laughed harshly at nature’s mistake.

“Hey, Curt,” he called over his shoulder, loose grin sliding all over his mouth. “Curt!”

But that had been a different today-is-tomorrow. Bucky blinked more tears back into his eyes, like he’d been doing all night. His smile withered. Too much water. Not enough light.

—

in order to fall asleep i have to imagine your body crooked behind mine spoon ladled into spoon till i can hear your breath i have to recite your name till you answer and we have a conversation only then can my mind drift off to sleep

It was usually that Curt’s body did what his mind would’ve urged him not to if it’d been paying attention. As the plane swept towards the ground and his body, shoved back against the pilot’s seat, couldn’t slow the descent, his mind took the controls and slowed time. He began to be able to separate the breaths in his rapid panting. He could think of stuff that wasn’t this, climb into the top turret of his own brain. He could see that it was a stupid fuckin’ idea to try to land a Fort with a belly full of bombs while his hands distantly and futilely kept trying to pull up and slow the glide. His body knew how it ended: in an orange ball, fire round as a cloud. His mind reached out and tugged up another reality like a blanket.

A blue hour, walking the wing, the air damp and cool, but it didn’t matter because he was warm from drinking, but not so much drinking that he couldn’t strike a taunting Bucky hard and sharp with a clean, swift hook, but not so hard and sharp that Bucky didn’t still smile after it connected, but not such a big smile that Curt was in danger of thinking it was real. The smile. The memory.

The plane battered through the trees.

“Oh god.”

He tugged up another place, another time. Dickie with a whole, smooth face. Buck’s voice coming down the line, callin’ Curt Bucky’s little spoon. Smilin’. Sleeping in a Scottish bed that smelled like wool and the fire that’d burnt down in the hearth. He’d been wound up so tight after the crash-landing, scoring those rows of cabbages from the earth. He hadn’t thought he’d be able to surrender to anyone, ever, including sleep, but sleep had come eventually.

“DICKIE—”

Yes, sleep had come.

#my writing #Masters of the Air #MotA #MotA fic #Harry Crosby #Joseph 'Bubbles' Payne #Helen (Masters of the Air)#Herbert Nash #John 'Bucky' Egan #Gale 'Buck' Cleven #Curtis Biddick

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sarcasticgaypotato · 7 months

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thoughts on Caroline?

What to say about Caroline?

She's a massively important character to the franchise, but she barely speaks. She's constantly present in the story, but she's only acknowledged a handful of times. She's everywhere and nowhere, she's everything and nothing at all.

She's GLaDOS, but she isn't, or is she?

Depending on your perspective of Caroline, we either know a lot about her personality or next to nothing.

I think my initial impression of Caroline as a character was much more negative because it was shaped by fanon interpretation.

It's probably not a huge secret that I don't enjoy c/aveline, and that WAS the majority of Caroline content for a long time. I honestly kind of resented that ship, partially because it practically became a given that where there's Old Aperture, there's this ship. These two who barely interacted were EVERYWHERE, and I always got the feeling that the only reason they were popular as a couple was because it's a m/f ship, and the Portal fandom was practically beside itself with excitement to focus on any male character.

I'm not here to ship-bash, if that's your cup of tea, good for you. But personally? Not for me, and it negatively colored my perception of her for a while. It felt a bit like she was a character defined by fanon more than anything else, just there to be in a relationship with Cave (healthy or otherwise) just so it can end in tragedy when he puts her into the robot. I understand why people might enjoy that, but I've always felt like it cheapens GLaDOS's (and by extension, Caroline's) story to make it all amount to just 'being the girlfriend of a mad scientist and tragically paying the price.'

Cave's a creep! He, in my opinion, probably thought his relationship with Caroline was much more friendly than it was. She responds to him like a secretary who knows how to please her boss— "Yes sir Mr. Johnson!"— but nothing personal. She was probably nice and polite because she was a secretary, and look at the era she lived in. If she wasn't all sweet and cheery, Cave probably would've told her to smile more.

So does that mean I think she's the opposite of what we hear? Is she sadistic and cruel like GLaDOS is? No, I'm not saying that either. I'll get into who and what I think Caroline is in a second, but above all else I wanted to point out my frustration with how she's portrayed in connection to Cave. Making her Cave's love interest is boring and bland to me, basing their connection off of the same level of friendliness from her that I've shown to people working in customer service. It's just part of the job.

For Caroline herself? I'm also not a fan of 'evil Caroline' takes. I mean I love a girlboss, but it sort of misses the point here. If Caroline was always evil, sadistic, and scheming, it waters down GLaDOS and her development. If Caroline is too similar to GLaDOS, it takes away from the weight of who and what GLaDOS is. If they’re too dissimilar, it’s difficult to imagine the connection between them.

The fandom was so obsessed with the incorrect— and stupid— idea that Caroline is Chell’s mother that it missed the much more obvious metaphor under their noses. Caroline is GLaDOS’s mother.

Cut from the same cloth, GLaDOS is born of her, but she isn’t her. Without Caroline, GLaDOS would never exist, but it would be absurd to say that GLaDOS is the same person that Caroline is. GLaDOS grew, changed, and became who we saw at the end of Portal 2 much in the same way that anyone grows into being their own person, not a copy of their parents.

Here I go talking about GLaDOS in this ask about Caroline— it’s impossible not to.

If you want my personal take on Caroline?

I think she was a smart woman, keeping up with the actions of a madman and holding her head above the flood of insanity. I think she was able to look the other way when she had to, anyone who worked at Aperture needed that dubious morality. That being said, I think she had a heart. We can all debate until we die whether or not GLaDOS was remotely truthful at the end of Portal 2 about deleting her, but I think there’s a reason she attributed her act of compassion to Caroline— it wasn’t Caroline forcing her hand (claw?) via possession, but rather, she is the only framework GLaDOS has to reference that feeling. That scene is definitely GLaDOS projecting her own emotions onto someone else to avoid confronting them, but I don’t think she would make that comparison for no reason, Caroline might have been how she learned that emotion, even if the feeling is all her own.

Ultimately, Caroline is a character we will only really ever understand through the lens of other characters. We can only try to extrapolate who she is from what we see and hear, but she will likely always be a bit of a mystery. She’s the ghost haunting this franchise, and I kind of love her for it.

#portal #portal 2 #caroline #GLaDOS #I'm not going to call out specific fics or headcanons #but there are definitely takes on caroline that grind my gears #especially when I see them everywhere #I could rant plenty more about all this but I tried to contain myself #tl;dr we can have an interesting character that isn't just 'GLaDOS lite' or 'Cave's girlfriend' you guys #I know shocking concept #but it's true

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elenasalvatore666 · 12 days

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unpopular opinion about HP canon.

I know that my opinion is unpopular but I really hate hinny ship. And I hate Ginny from books. She is rude ( Fleur, Ron, Luna ( Ginny was the firs who called her Loony)). She used other boys when she still has feelings for Harry. And when these boys aren’t necessary to Ginny as she has a chance with Potter she threw boys away. Her jokes aren’t funny. And I don’t believe in her deep feelings to Harry. They met only few weeks ( only one chapter in six book). She didn’t try to find way to go for hunting and to be with Harry in his dangerous adventure (what will do every girl who is in love). She told that Harry will be not happy if he doesn’t fight with Volan-de-Mort. That’s why she likes him. And I think she doesn’t understand Harry because he doesn’t want to fight but he must do it. And I hate her for the phrase - I like for this desire to take part in the war and be hero. I am sure that people love other people without any reasons and conditions, just because these people are ( girl should love Harry just because he is Harry). And she even didn’t worry that Harry could die during their hunting, but she was upset with the fact Harry had broken with her. She thought only about herself. So in my opinion, Ginny is little spoiled rude girl who wants boy from her dreams.

As for pairings…

Frankly speaking, I think that in the books there are not any good love story lines. I see really good potential love stories Harry/Hermione and Ginny/Neville. Harry and Hermione have the long story. Their relations are based on loyalty, respect, friendship and love. Sometimes it looks like they could speak with each other without any words. In the canon they were together for long period time. The Weasleys were far away, Ron had gone off and abandoned them. So they were alone in the whole world and can rely only on each other. The motto of their relations is you and I against the whole world. And really like dance scene in the film as it was definitely strong emotional moment- Let s be happy today cause tomorrow maybe not come. Their characters are good compatible - impulsive Harry and logical Hermione. They already had deep feelings between them. They just needed little romantic chemistry that would appear if Rowling did not insisted on the idea of big Weasley family. The same I can say about Neville and Ginny they are like Harry and Hermione (but opposite) where Ginny is fem Harry and Neville is male Hermione. And they can have their own story during the last year of Hog. Neville became a brave leader and he can become Ginny s own hero, and their story will not be founded on childish desire and dream. But as for Harry and Ginny they did not have anything common except quidditch. They do not have strong foundation for future relations and it was obvious that they even did not talk to each other a lot during books 1-5. and here Rowling started to make nonsense . She decided that all should marry with Weasley (I find this idea annoying. I suggest that Weasleys are good persons but they are not perfect and they have problems. Opposite, when I was reading Books i was tired from this family as they WERE EVERYWHERE as cockroaches). And because there was not anything between Harry and Ginny (well Ginny had obsession of Harry) Rowling started to create perfect Ginny that would suits Harry. And she failed with it it and spoiled Ginny as protagonist. It would be much better if she was simple girl who was in the shadow of her brothers but before the battle she showed her strengh and confronted her mother - No! I have grown up and i will stay and fight. And she would go with Neville to blow up the bridge. Insted of it in the books she is just rude spoiled girl who bullies her brother, Fleur. She can cursed everyone just because he or she have bothered her. Her jokes are not funny. She used boys and when she had chance with Harry she threw Dean away as a rubbish without any thought. And their relations with Harry continued only few weeks so there cannot be any deep feelings (JUST A CHEST MONSTER). That is why I think that canon ships are unrealistic and they are the worst thing that was with Harry Potter world. So… I prefer Harry and Hermione

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c0ffee-gh0ul · 4 months

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lucas and wallace fluff?? omg why arent people shipping these twooooo

i know!!!! this is such an underrated ship, but i ship it!!

ONESHOT: LUCAS LEE X WALLACE WELLS FLUFF

Wallace and Lucas were about to have their first official date. Sure, they had hung out before this, and talked on the phone, but today, they would be sitting down at a restaurant having a nice meal. It was nothing crazy, just Sneaky Dee’s.

Wallace was getting ready, waiting for Lucas to pick him up. Finally, a boyfriend with a car. He was starting to hate walking everywhere, especially in the bite of the Toronto cold.

“Hurry up, Wallace! I need to pee!” Scott said from the other side of the bathroom door. Wallace ignored him as he kept fixing his hair in the mirror and sprayed cologne on his body. Once he finally did exit the bathroom, Scott ran in there as if he hadn’t peed in a year.

Wallace was nervous. He usually wasn’t nervous on dates. But, he really liked Lucas. Maybe he was the one.

“Why are you pacing?” Scott asked as he exited the bathroom. Wallace didn’t even realize he started doing that. “Are you nervous or something? You’re making me a little dizzy…”

“I guess I am,” He admitted. “I’m never nervous. That’s usually you! Oh, god…”

“Dude, chill,” Scott chuckled, taking Wallace by the shoulders. “Just, um, don’t drink too much, and… Be yourself…? I don’t know, I’m not good at this kind of stuff…”

“Yeah, thanks captain obvious,” Wallace replied. His pacing and timid thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. “It’s him!”

“Go get 'em!” Scott cheered.

Wallace grabbed his coat and opened the door to reveal Lucas’s tall stature standing in the doorway. “You look great,” He smiled.

“So do you,” Wallace replied.

“Shall we?” Lucas offered his hand for Wallace to take and he accepted.

“Romantically cliche, are we?” Wallace remarked, closing the apartment door behind him.

“I want to impress a man on our first official date, don’t I?” Lucas opened the car door for Wallace and he stepped in.

Lucas drove them to Sneaky Dee’s, which was only about 5 minutes away. Once they sat down at their table, they started reading the menus to themselves and engaging in small talk.

“What are you gonna order?” Lucas asked.

“I dunno… Probably a martini and maybe a tasteful pasta,” Wallace replied.

“Tasteful is a strong word for this place,” Lucas chuckled.

“Well, yeah, tasteful for this place,” Wallace chuckled back. “Slightly undercooked, either over or under seasoned, no in between… And hopefully still hot by the time it gets to the table.”

Once they were waiting for their food, Lucas took Wallace’s hand in his from across the table.

“This is really nice, y’know? I’ve never really been on a real date before,” He admitted.

“Look at you, being soft,” Wallace teased. “I’ve been on a few real dates, but they all kind of sucked.”

“This one won’t suck, I’ll make sure of it,” Lucas smiled. “Speaking of which… I got you something.” He dug through his pockets searching for a small gift.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Wallace was already taken aback by Lucas’s efforts.

“I saw it and it made me think of you,” Lucas revealed a bracelet with blue and black beads on it. “It’s the evil eye, it’s for protection against… Like, everything. Plus, blue is your favorite color, right?”

“It is, yeah,” Wallace was astonished. No one had ever given him a gift on a first date, or any date. He gently took the bracelet from Lucas’s palm and put it on. “This is so thoughtful… Since when do you know about crystals and evil eyes and things?”

“I was hanging out with Todd… I guess he’s into that stuff,” Lucas replied.

Wallace looked up and gazed into Lucas’s eyes. The connection between the two of them was like a magnetic pull. They smiled at each other and their gazing was abruptly interrupted by the waiter placing their food on the table.

“Thank you,” They said to the waiter simultaneously, snapping out of their trance.

Their meals sort of matched their personalities. Wallace did end up ordering a small pasta dish. It was light and slightly dainty, like him. Lucas ordered a burger. It wasn’t super sloppy or greasy, but it was big and full of toppings.

“It’s usually not polite to get a messy meal on the first date, y’know,” Wallace teased.

“Can you blame me? Look how good this looks!” Lucas argued. “Though, your pasta does look good.”

“You want a bite?” Wallace asked.

“Sure,” Lucas agreed.

Wallace stuck a piece of penne on his fork and fed it to Lucas. “I was hoping you’d say yes just so I could do that,” He admitted, a flirtatious look on his face.

“This is really good, you made a good choice,” Lucas said, mid-chew. “And, maybe I said yes hoping you’d do that.”

The meal went on, and they talked and laughed, and Wallace got a little tipsy.

“Oh, you got something on your face,” Wallace said, taking a napkin to Lucas’s cheek.

“And I’m the cliche one?” Lucas joked.

Once they left, Lucas drove Wallace home and they sat in his car for a moment.

“I had a lot of fun,” Lucas smiled. “We should do it again.”

“Absolutely,” Wallace replied. “That was the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Lucas was proud of himself. He kept smiling, which made Wallace smile, too. Their gazing trance started again, and Lucas decided to go for it. He kissed Wallace. Wallace was shocked at first, but he kissed back.

“Damn,” He sighed after the kiss. “You’re a great kisser.”

“And you’re slightly drunk,” Lucas laughed. “Do you want me to walk you to the door?”

“No, no, I’ll be fine. Scott’s still awake,” Wallace insisted. “I’ll call you!” He said, getting out of the car.

“How was it?” Scott asked as soon as Wallace walked through the door.

“It was…” Wallace sighed, plopping himself onto the armchair. “The dreamiest date ever.”

“Dreamy? At Sneaky Dee’s?” Scott questioned.

“As dreamy as a Sneaky Dee’s date could be!” Wallace giggled.

#lucas lee #wallace wells #lucas lee x wallace wells #scott pilgrim #scott pilgrim takes off #scott pilgrim vs the world #spto #spvstw #spvtw #oneshot #fluff #anon #requests #writer #fanfic #fanfiction

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battleswanofciya · 4 months

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Okay *mentally prepares to be viscously attacked* tbh I really don’t see any chemistry between Carmy and Syd, it’s just not there. It might be that the actors don’t have good chemistry(not their fault at all)but I just don’t see it and as soon as I saw them together I fully expected to start shipping them but no matter how hard I thought about it I just couldn’t manage it. They have great friendship chemistry but no romantic chemistry.

Now *prepares to be even more viscously attacked* about halfway through the first season I realized that Richie and Syd have great chemistry, classic enemies to lovers trope yes I’m a sucker for that trope no I do not see it everywhere(I hate the Shuri x Namor ship but that’s a different rant which I might go on later we’ll see)but even in season 2 it’s very obvious that they have some sort of tension. In the first episode she almost bumps into him when he’s coming out of the basement and they kind of awkwardly stand there looking/not looking at each other and baby there is some tension there! I’m not even gonna talk about the last episode of season 2. Yes I am aware that Richie is an asshole but he is working on it which is obvious in episode one of season 2 where he fucking counts so he doesn’t lose it! It’s even obvious in season 1 episode 7 where he doesn’t freak out at Syd as much as he usually does, yes he still acts like an ass but less so, and only really loses it when she pulls his daughter into which is so fair that was really crossing the line I love you Syd but you can’t pull that shit and even when she accidentally stabs him in the ass he doesn’t start screaming at her like he definitely would have in the beginning of the season.

I know another thing people freak out on sydrichie shippers is the age gap but I honestly don’t see a problem with it, they are both consenting adults and if they want to start a relationship who are you to tell them no? And if you can think of one reason why age gaps are so weird please feel free to comment, I can’t think of a reason of what’s wrong with them as long as there’s nothing illegal and no grooming going on before age of consent.

Thank you for coming this far in my little rant and if you wanna attack me go ahead but be warned: idgaf what you think and I will reply to every comment.

#the bear #carmen berzatto #carmy berzatto #carmy #sydney adamu #syd #richie jerimovich #richard lawrence jerimovich #sydrichie #no hate but I can’t stand the sydcarmy ship

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emblazons · 1 year

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Okay but. I’ve been thinking about it since this post so:

I’m pretty sure the general fandom gloss-over / undervaluing of “The Lost Sister” is a symptom of a core dissonance between the story the duffers are telling and the one the fandom thinks they are. Bylers feel it acutely when they fight to say that Mike and El’s romantic relationship won’t survive S5, but…even in the wider sense of the story, a lot of people miss the fact that El’s arc has always pointed toward independence because they keep trying to pick and choose which parts of the narrative apply & which don’t. Like.

The entirety of season 2 had El everywhere but with the party—to the point that we got an entire episode dedicated to her in a place that had nothing to do with them, and her reunion with them was spurred not by a natural progression to her wanting to return to Hawkins, but her fear of what she saw in the void combined with her desire to protect her friends.

All but the very beginning and very end of season 3 had her broken up with Mike and learning from Max that she didn’t need to find her identity in any of the guys who had up to that point defined her sense of identity—and we end with her going back to Mike because she is heartbroken over Hopper’s loss & moving, not because they’d resolved any of their problems (or even really communicated about their wants and/or feelings).

Season 4 had her separated from the party again, going back to face the traumas of her experiences in the lab / Papa while getting her powers back and realizing that she is not a monster or superhero, but a human who happens to have powers dealing with other humans—and rejecting the idea that she is defined by her powers for or by anyone, including Mike.

El’s arc has always been about self discovery and putting her traumas in context so she can heal in a wider community—not about her romance, or even her relationship with Mike specifically. To say so is to do her character the ultimate discredit—and yet, somehow, the majority of the fandom thinks that her caring less for romance and more for her friends & herself would be a new development? Even with her slamming doors in Mike’s face and walking directly past him to stand alone in the last minutes of the penultimate season?

All that to say: the thing making people decide to gloss over The Lost Sister as a whole is the same thing that makes them ignore the obvious independence arc she’s on—not because it’s not happening, but because it doesn’t fit with what they want to think will happen.

People saying she will end separate from Mike romantically isn’t because we think women and girls can’t be in relationships and strong / independent (the duffers don’t think that either—just look at Nancy) but because it’s not what the Duffers are writing. The duffers are and always have been writing El toward independence & self actualization—and anyone who denies that is probably cherry picking even full episodes to suit their ships and headcanons.

Just saying.

#like…..listen. HOW DO PEOPLE JUST IGNORE A WHOLE EPISODE & THEN SAY THEY TRUST THE DUFFERS STORYTELLING LMAO #YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OF IT TO UNDERSTAND—AND THAT EP 200% HELPS.#anti mlvn #byler #in this house we love el hopper #el hopper #mike wheeler #st commentary #st analysis #stranger things #the me tag

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papapandashipyards · 6 months

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Homeworld ttrpg campaign Map

For the Campaign I had the desire to make a complete map of the Homeworld galaxy, and I do mean COMPLETE. I started out with the obvious things: The same Galaxy image used in the game, the loading screens as basis for the exiles path from Kharak to Hiigara, with all the land marks in between. Next I tried to read all avaliable source material for who else is there, of course there was the Bentusi and Turanic Raiders, but they were everywhere and nowhere. The Taiidan are there, both imperial remnants and the Republic establishing itself. The Tobari were mentioned by name, having border disputes with the Taiidan and of course somewhere somehow the the Vaygr are around, expanding slowly. Which only leaves us to come up with the whole god damned rest of the galaxy and the Galactic council. None of the original sources help with that much. Even the TTRPG book mentions: "oh yeah, the council is there, they're comprised of lots of civilisations" -"That's great! Can you give us some specifics about them ? names? The ships they use? their cultures and beliefs? maybe a map or description where they are?" "...nah, make it up Fam" And so I did. I did talk with Norsehound, who has historically made tons of maps for the Homeworld Fandom and even writes for Homeworld Mobile, as well as having had a hand in the ttrpg Rulebook. From that I got his permission to make use of his map material as well and with that I fleshed out the galactic map of the Homeworld universe to my liking.

This is the current version of the map. every little white dot is a place of interest/star system/space station that can be visited by the players. This map does not yet include all the secret stuff. The hyperspace gates, the Progenitor Relics, the hidden pirate bases, maybe even the Biest... As for the civilisations comprising the galactic council, I have made a lot of sketches and will flesh out more and more of them as I go along. I'll get to them specifically in the next post.

#art #digital art #spaceship #homeworld #galaxy #map #galactic map #galactic council #Norsehound #Taiidan #Tobari #Bentusi #Turanic Raiders

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queerromancerecs · 4 months

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Rules and guidelines

This is for recs of published queer romance and romantic fiction. What does that mean? Romance must central to or a significant part of the story, and at least one of the main characters must be lgbtqa+.

Published works means traditionally published, indie-published, or self-published. This includes free works and works published by authors available through their blogs or websites. It does not mean fanfiction. Fanfiction rec blogs exist already, please use them.

Fiction includes purely prose work as well as webcomics and graphic novels.

Romance means genre romance and also fictional works with a strong romantic element. The difference between the two is that genre romance requires a happy ending or a happy-for-now ending, and romantic fiction does not. This should be made clear in the rec itself under Genre. If the story is part of an ongoing series and the ending is not yet clear, please say so in your recommendation. Erotic romance is also allowed but again, indicate that under Genre.

(e.g. for a genre romance book that is also fantasy, label it Genre: Romance and then add a sub category if you like. If it's a fantasy novel primarily, then label is just Fantasy.)

Lgbtqa+ means queer. It can mean m/m. It can mean f/f. It can mean nb/nb. It can mean an m/f romance with a bi heroine, a trans f/m love story, an aro character finding a life partner and feeling weird internal feelings about it, three ace people falling in love and never having sex, and so on and so forth.

Content tags: You don’t need to list all triggers, as that is impossible. But please at least list any of the obvious ones under "content tags" Suggested content tags would be like: SA, attempted SA, CA, CSA, graphic torture, etc.

Recs can be only a few sentences or a full essay. Just say what you like about it and why you feel others should read it.

This blog is really to help promote the smaller creators, but trad pub is cool too. Just remember to check the blogs tags for the title first because trad-pubbed stuff tends to get recced all the time everywhere and might have been recced already.

Recs must also include a link to the work: the author’s website, Smashwords, Amazon, wherever, but at least one, as well as a picture of the cover. (In the case of art-heavy work, more pics can be used.) Please use alt text for any images.

No self-promotion from authors. No non-romantic genre fiction.

Required format:

Cover Image (if it has one)

Title (including series name if applicable)

Author

Summary: (c & p the professional one or write your own)

Genre:

Ship type: (m/m/m, f/f, nb/trans m, etc)

Why you like it:

Content tags if applicable

Link

If you have questions about a rec, you can ask about it. Situations will be assessed individually.

Entries with incorrect format will not approved but you will be contacted for any necessary corrections/additions.

Hate speech and harassment are not allowed. I will happily block you.

In the interests of disclosure, this blog is run by R. Cooper, a queer romance author. Obviously, I will smile and be very happy if my work gets recommended here, but I am not going specially tag it or comment because it feels a little sus for me to do that. If the format is correct, I will just approve any such posts like the others.

#rules and guidelines #book recs #queer romance #romance #lgbtqia #lgbtq #romancelandia

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my-writings-and-musings · 1 year

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Here are the results of the last poll, and boy was it close! Rung ended up claiming victory but TFP Ratchet very nearly caught him several times, and quite a few bots came in not too far behind for a fairly divided race. I say again, I love the data I get from these!

Without further ado, some fluff. Reader is a liaison on the Lost Light, which is stopping by Earth for official reasons.

The Lost Light had chosen one of the less populous regions of Earth to park their ship over, anchoring in the atmosphere above the forests that stretched across the Western United States and turning on their cloaking technology to ensure they didn't cause too much of a fuss while visiting for business and leisure. It had been made abundantly clear that while visitation was allowed for most of the crew, they were expected to be on their best behavior whilst those in command attended important meetings with the planet's leadership. You had been given a shuttle and permission to travel anywhere on your home planet, along with the freedom to take any of the more trustworthy crewmembers with you for some sightseeing.

As the trip was going to be several days long, you had quite a few planetside visits planned and a number of groups you wanted to enjoy them with, but for the first you had something much smaller and quietter in mind. It had been a long time since you'd been home, and you only had one bot you wanted to share the reunion with.

As you stepped out of the shuttle and onto grass for the first time in far too many months, Rung did the same at your side, putting up a hand to block some of the spring sunshine. Lush forest spread out in every direction below the hill you'd chosen as a landing site, teeming with life but free of human habitation to ensure you wouldn't be disturbed. You filled your lungs with oxygen and the sweetness of a thousand kinds of flower.

"What do you think?" you asked him without delay, as excited to hear your friend's thoughts as you were to be on familiar ground. The mech took a moment to look about before he replied, thinking over his words as he took in the countless miles of untouched wilderness.

"It's beautiful, I never thought I'd see it myself." he said with soft awe, taking in the world that had been so intertwined with his own species and showing obvious admiration for it's natural beauty. The praise made your heart sing, and you wasted no time leading the way down the hill to a more level patch of grass and flowers. A light breeze made the lush greenery bend like waves of water.

"There's so much more to see, but I wanted to go somewhere private first. Just... to enjoy the little things. I missed so much of this." you said as you bent down to pass your hand over the flowers. The petals were soft as silk against your fingertips. Sighing appreciatively, you let the coolness of the earth and the warmth of the sun sandwhich you between them.

Rung dropped to one knee beside you, mirroring your actions with uncertain hesitation and marveling at what to him was a most alien sensation. A single flower was cupped lovingly in his palm for a solid minute before he rediscovered his voice. "Are these the little things you missed?"

"Some of them." you answered with a nod, unable to list all the things you hoped to catch up on while here. Between the world's greatest monuments and your hometown, there would probably be a few items you forgot and would have to visit next time, but you weren't thinking about that now. Dropping to both knees, you sighed as the planet seemed to welcome you back. As comfortable as you'd been on the ship, it was now apparent it had a few features you'd never grown accustomed to. "I mostly missed not being the only squishy organic thing around. There's not much soft stuff on the Lost Light, but here..."

Flopping onto your back and allowing the bed of grass and flowers to catch you, your arms and legs stretched out to savor the bed of nature as you sighed. "It's everywhere."

"I've never seen so much green." Rung conceded with a laugh, looking back to the trees dancing in the breeze as you closed your eyes against the sunlight. Hearing a distant flock of birds fluttering through the branches, you felt a powerful peace weigh you to the spot, putting you in a kind of trance that was only broken when Rung spoke up again. "May I join you?"

Cracking open an eye against the blinding white clouds and sunshine, you patted the expanse of grass at your side. "Of course."

Rung was quite cautious about mirroring you once again, moving slowly as he laid himself down parallel to your much smaller form and stretched out his legs. You watched as his optics widened behind his lenses, the sizable biolight on his chest glowing far more brightly as he felt the touch of Earth's plants for the first time and marveled at the sensation. It was utterly adorable, but you kept that to yourself as he finally allowed his helm to meet a pillow of grass.

"Goodness, I really do see the appeal." he mused after a brief silence made you wonder. Tilting his helm to look at you, he opened his mouth to offer more appreciation before a sudden flash of color gave him pause.

A monarch butterfly alighted on the head of a flower beside his helm, fluttering its brilliantly patterned wings as if to draw the attention of the newcomer. Immediately fascinated, Rung hovered a hand just shy of the tiny arrival, judging it to be safe by your lack of fear. "Oh, hello there! What are you?"

"That's a butterfly, they... like flowers too." you answered simply, dropping an explanation as to why the tiny bug was sipping at the nectar of the flower it had landed on. Biology lessons could wait, you were a bit too busy appreciating how adorable Rung looked whilst admiring the brightly colored wings fluttering beside his helm. Before he could ask for more information, the first arrival was joined by a second; a black and blue butterfly with a brilliant iridescent shimmer. Both landed on the offered servo and began to investigate, much to the obvious delight of their host.

"This as well?" Rung asked with another laugh, staying very still so as not to disturb his new friends. You chuckled with him, unable to remember ever seeing something more adorable in your entire laugh.

"Yup. There's a lot of different kinds." you explained just as a whole flock of colorful wings fluttered over the both of you, the butterflies occasionally stopping for flowers whilst they all gathered about the Cybertronian loving the attention. Unable to stop yourself from giggling, you rolled onto your side to watch the unexpected welcome party. "And I think they all like you!"

#transformers #maccadam #mtmte #more than meets the eye #lostlight #lost light #idw #tf #ll #human reader #self insert #tf imagines #rung x reader #poll fic #tf x reader #liaisons

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citnamora · 5 months

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pls tell me more abt ur arospec ace attorney headcanons. my personal fav is lovequeer aro phoenix wright 4 loveless aro miles edgeworth.

Lovequeer Phoenix makes me SO happy!!! AND YESSSS LOVELESS ARO EDGEWORTH!!!!!! Aro4aro Narumitsu is hands down my absolute favorite flavor of the ship!! Oh my goodness!!! ARO4ARO SO TRUE!!!! Two aros absolutely demolishing amatonormativity with their level of trust and devotion to one another <33

Seeing this ask got me so excited to indulge because I'm aro so obviously I love projecting my community's, and my own, labels onto my favorite characters! But AA is something really special because there's very little canon romance which means lots of room for interpretation!!

(So a lot of my headcanons are a result of them just looking like the flags because the arospec community is full of beautifully colored flags I can't help but see everywhere)

Phoenix is recipro to me because any time he's shown romantic interest in someone it's pretty much always been when they hit on him first. Like the idea doesn't even cross his mind until then!! From what I've seen from recipro individuals this is a really common experience which is why it Makes Sense to me! I'm generally open to any and all arospec Phoenix headcanons because they just click with me (for obvious reasons, LOL)

For me, Iris is demiro because her whole story with Phoenix just screams it to me. She probably went in only hoping to get the necklace back from her sister's next victim and then she gets to know him as this kindhearted guy who would do anything for the people he loves and she falls HARD. I don't think they were "dating" the whole time which I'm pretty sure was confirmed by Iris herself but I honest to goodness believe they were lovey dovey in those last weeks or months leading up to Dahlia stepping in! I should also confess I'm a Feenris shipper, haha, so I'm biased on that front. Demiro Iris just means A Lot to me

Maya is aroace lesbian in that she thinks girls are really pretty!! And also in how she kept moving between the aroace and lesbian labels to the point she decided she'd label herself both. This one was mostly inspired by her going "omg that girl was so pretty" to just about every girl she meets which feels very, very sapphic LOL. I hc she's romance indifferent in the sense she doesn't mind dating but it's not something she actively seeks out! Though I think she'd love the meals that come with dinner dates- she's got food on the brain 24/7 after all (just like me for real)

Mia is pan angled aroace, more specifically greypansexual aro! Because she gives me romance repulsed aro vibes at first but her relationship with Diego (and possibly with Lana) would point to her being more romance ambivalent. Pansexual Mia is a headcanon I've had for a looooong time as far back as my first AA hc document while greysexual is a recent development. She's always been aro to me! Aro plant mom <3

Franziska is quiromantic to me. I mean, she's the palette of the platoniromantic flag! This headcanon only came about because of that 4koma comic where Phoenix makes Franziska flustered by telling her Maya's being strong for her because she sees Franziska as a dear friend. I just got the vibes. Also, the colors! I honestly don't think she'd see the appeal of romance with or without the feelings she can't distinguish. She enjoys her independence and I can't see her "settling down" in the slightest

Now, I've bounced around with where I think Edgeworth is on the aromantic spectrum. But I know damn well he belongs there! Lately I've considered Edgeworth being lithro gay, whether he loses feelings upon entering a relationship or doesn't want to act on them in the first place I'm honestly not sure. (Edgeworth is an interesting case for me because I flip flop between him having feelings or being omniaromantic lol) Probably never getting married regardless. Even before the lines about it I had my doubts! I like the idea of him marrying for tax benefits but outside of that.. I can't see him ever entering a traditional marriage let alone traditional romance. It feels out of character for him

There are others but these are by far the most developed ones! Recipro Phoenix and aroace lesbian Maya are my favorites because they feel the most accurate in regards to canon but pan angled aroace Mia is also up there. I'm probably going to post more arospec headcanons as I come up with them because y'all seem to really like them and I like talking about em!!

Thank you so much for asking!

#asks #gyakuten saiban #ace attorney #aa3 spoilers #naruhodo ryuichi #ayame #ayasato mayoi #ayasato chihiro #karuma mei #mitsurugi reiji #phoenix wright #maya fey #sister iris #mia fey #franziska von karma #miles edgeworth #anon I wish I knew who you were!! your headcanon is top tier!!! I really enjoy seeing aro spec headcanons!#this is pretty much it for ones I've thought out to some degree. but I will inevitably think of more the longer I play these games #this ask is pretty old btw it's been in my drafts for about a month or so I think. but I've thought about it a lot!

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kafus · 2 months

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Liko and Nemona because I couldn't pick between the two

OKAY i'm finally getting to this whoops. i'll do both and i'll just skip questions i can't really answer or don't want to

for liko:

why i like them: liko is like. everything i would have wanted in an anipoke protagonist when i was younger. that's honestly the best way to put it, it's like retroactively healing for my child self in a sense lmao. i love that she kind of just gets to be... a character? like she's a girl but not the token girl. they aren't going hardcore on #girlpower or something, she's just... a character. who is a girl. a well done character at that - i think liko's internal struggles are relatable, and i enjoy that her compassion for others is treated as a strong point, because it is. i also just think her character design goes hard LMAO ken sugimori popped off w that one

why i don't: frankly there's not a lot i don't like about liko? this is more a commentary on horizons' writing and not her but i will say the anime is a bit slow to get her off her feet - like she's REALLY lost in internal monologue in the first few episodes and it drags a bit. but she hasn't had that issue for a while so whatever

favorite episode: oh god i have a handful of favorite episodes, i can't just pick one even if we're just narrowing it down to liko centric ones!! i guess the recent episode where liko rescues a maushold family sticks out right now because recency bias but also like, it really shows off that liko, despite her anxieties, is brave in the face of danger when it concerns the safety of others (including pokemon), and also watching her try to keep her cool after experiencing a cave in was really interesting. obviously horizons wouldn't kill her off or some shit but i will admit i was on the edge of my seat a little

favorite line: there's probably a much better answer for this but my brain is only pulling up "i'm not looking!! gurumin is gurumin!! there's nobody inside her!!" when she barges into dot's room after her computer fucking explodes LMFAO

OTP: GEE I WONDER WHAT SHIP I LIKE THE MOST (it's likodot. it's likodot so bad)

BROTP: the obvious answer is roy because they are besties and it's awesome but in my heart of hearts i need amethio to have a redemption arc so her and amethio can also be besties. Right now

headcanon: even after the pendant permanently becomes terapagos, ever since episode 15 when she had the pendant stolen and got her memories wiped, liko still clutches her shirt where her pendant would be as a self soothe/grounding mechanism

unpopular opinion: the fandom for this series is still pretty small cause the dub isn't out yet in the US so i don't really know what's a popular opinion and what isn't? is it too soon to say i like liko more than ash (i still love ash though and he's obviously iconic)

a wish: can liko get an older gen pokemon on her team before bank shuts down so i can rng manipulate it in an old pokemon game and ribbon master it Please and thank you

an oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen: i'm REALLY enjoying that they aren't really baiting liko x roy aside from perhaps ONE facial expression in a really early episode and i really really hope that they never START baiting it. there's nothing wrong with shipping them if you want to, i am just personally sick of ash being shipped with every single girl companion he has ever traveled with and feeling like the girl partners exist at least in part for that purpose. it's so refreshing seeing that turned on its head and just allowing the two of them to be healthy friends. if they start pushing it as a ship i'm going to explode (negative, bad)

5 best words to describe them: compassionate, introspective, naive, timid, kind

---

for nemona (gameverse):

why i like them: GOD EVERYTHING ABOUT HER?? i love nemona she's an icon for every autistic pokemon obsessed person everywhere. i love her passion i love that she exists. i love that she's also the first rival to actually feel more powerful than the player and you have to become strong enough to see her at her full force

why i don't: I LITERALLY HAVE NO CRITICISM

favorite outfit: this is a good time to mention in my mind, despite playing violet and being very attached to my violet playthrough, nemona should be in the scarlet school uniform. like she should be wearing orange. my mental image of nemona is very much based on naranja academy and pokemon scarlet jiodsfoijfsd

OTP: UHH god i ship her with both the protagonist and penny. i think my OTP used to be nemopen but i'm more a nemona x juliana person these days? my QPP is really into juliana and nemona together and both that and the yoasobi MV where gengar marries them sold me LMAO

headcanon: nemona's arm brace is an actual assistive tool for a disability!! she has poor coordination and weakness in her arms and without the brace she wouldn't be able to do nearly the level of pokemon training she does, not to mention just daily life tasks and things. also she's autistic as fuck

unpopular opinion: jokes about nemona being a stalker or god forbid a yandere are really fucking annoying to me. like i know it's not that deep but come on. it just makes me roll my eyes. like god forbid a girl has passion and is a little neurodivergent about it. unsettling to me that people see that as stalkerish/creepy. and people look way too hard into her showing up at the gyms you're at. i'd sooner be concerned about arven calling you on the phone when you're in the middle of a fucking desert or whatever despite not physically being there to see you yet. like arven could be tracking your location constantly with your phone (he's not, it's just a vessel for gameplay to happen, i'm just making a point) but no one jokes about him being a stalker bc of course they don't

a wish: nemona showed up in horizons for an episode, but CAN SHE PLEASE SHOW UP IN ANOTHER?? she said her and roy should battle sometime I NEED THIS TO COME BACK UP SEASONS FROM NOW OR SOMETHING. THEY HAVE TO FINALLY BATTLE

#kiki was here #asks #auxe4 #character ask game #IMG ONNA HAVE TO ANSWER THE OTHER ONES LATER. THE PRSENTS IS SOON #THIS TOOK ME SO LONG #IM REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT NEMONA AND LIKO

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feathers-blown-in-the-wind · 1 year

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A Gorizilla analysis through the Spiderman lens : Why Ladrien is a genius subversion of the Peter/Gwen (and civilian/superhero) ship

Or way too many words of me explaining why Ladrien is good damnit

While the show seems dedicated to use every side of the love square but Ladrien this season, I do sincerely believe Ladrien has one of the most fascinating dynamic I've seen in superhero media.

So here is an analysis of one of their most iconic moment :

THE GORIZILLA SCENE

The scene is crafted to remind the viewer of one of the most well-known tropes in the superhero genre: the love interest is captured by a villain. It's also a very interesting deconstruction of that trope and I will attempt to explain how below.

It's no secret that Spiderman was an inspiration for Ladybug and I'd argue this scene is reminiscent of it in a lot of ways. In the comics and most adaptations, there is one particular use of that kidnapping trope that comes to mind: the death of Gwen Stacy by the hand of the Green Goblin. Now how does that relate to the Ladrien scene? Let's see.

1. Hawkmoth (and Gabriel) as The Green Goblin : a father's gamble

Most people have at least a vague idea of who the Green Goblin is, and that particular inspiration is probably the most obvious between Spiderman and Ladybug: their nemesis is the father of one of their best friends. Which as both of them will realise, sucks a lot.

Now the Green Goblin setup in ML differs from the comics. At the time of the "Gwen Stacy's death" scene, Hawkmoth and Ladybug have no idea who the other is, whereas the Green Goblin and Spiderman are very well aware. This whole situation is a pure coincidence in classic ml fashion, where secret identities are everywhere and get tangled with each other A LOT. There's a reason the two facts people recognize as typical Miraculous are the love square and Hawkmoth's identity: it is a core part of the series, especially in early season 2, right after the audience learned of that fact.

Their identities being unknown to the other doesn't prevent the scene from working, it instead subverts it. It decides to deconstruct this popular trope: Gabriel has no idea that his son is special to Ladybug, but Adrien matters to him personally. You could argue the Gorizilla scene is an AU where the Green Goblin decides to kidnap Harry instead of Gwen (his own son over the love interest) but it would be missing the point of Miraculous "chassé-croisé d'identités". Here Adrien is both Harry, son of a super-villain, and Gwen, Ladybug's love interest, and it's what makes the scene so poignant. The scene is as much about testing how far Gabriel is willing to endanger his son as it is about if Ladybug can save him.

Adrien being directly involved isn't something Gabriel wants at all but he figures he can use it. You could argue this is the first moment in which Gabriel decides no questions asked to involve his son, and for good reason: confirming if Adrien is Chat Noir, his nemesis' partner. Gorizilla and Style Queen are some of the most humanizing moments Gabriel gets. The two moments where he almost lost Adrien, and the two moments where he wonders how far he can go to bring back his wife, wonders if he is willing to put the last thing he has left in danger on a gamble. This time he gambles: if Chat Noir truly is his son, he'll save himself. If he isn't, Ladybug will.

Adrien is missing, and his bodyguard is deeply upset: it's a perfect akuma setup, and the perfect opportunity to fight and potentially de-mask one of his enemies. Two birds one stone as they say. Unknowingly, Gabriel even strikes a third bird with this move : Ladybug's crush is captured.

2. Maribug as Peter Parker and Adrien as Gwen Stacy : the impossible romance

Gwen Stacy is a character that has been adapted and modified a lot. Sometimes made one with Mary Jane — Spider-Man's other well-known love interest — she is however remembered by one scene: her death (or at the very least her fall). For most people anyway. Now that sounds harsh and I don't believe it to be quite this clear cut: Gwen is very loveable during her life, and it's exactly the reason why her death is what we remember most. Her murder is a gut punch to the viewer and to Peter both because we love her as much as Peter does.

Gwen is Peter's "one that got away", the love of his life that he absolutely can't be with (be it to protect her or because she's already dead): something that Adrien is more and more becoming for Marinette as the show goes on. So is Chat Noir, but Chat Noir is a point I will adress later on.

'Truth' confirms the idea that Marinette having a civilian boyfriend is a bad, terrible idea. To add to this lesson, there are many events in the show that adress why Adrien specifically is someone she is so attached to that she does stupid things. In Volpina, Ladybug almost gives up her Miraculous when she thinks that Adrien is in danger (again another instance where the "love interest in danger" trope is used for Ladrien). In the Christmas special, she gets someone akumatised over Adrien being missing. Desperada's whole plot is about how Ladrien makes them both act dumb and against what they should do. In Chat Blanc she is forced to backtrack on her confession to Adrien - the first one to actually go through - in order to save the world. The season 3 finale was kickstarted in part by her feelings for Adrien and her jealousy towards Kagami. The season 4 finale ended the way it did because she trusted who she thought was Adrien. So far it seems that in season 5 Marinette will take all of these lessons to heart: being close and in love with Adrien is bad for her job as hero. (I haven't watched Kwami's choice yet but from what I know of it, it certainly seems to agree)

There is an evident pattern in the show regarding Ladrien's future : as long as Ladybug and Hawkmoth exist, Adrien has to stay a fantasy, an unreachable relationship that Ladybug can't have, just like Gwen is to Peter. Which seems rather fitting for a romance between the son of a supervilain and Paris' Heroine.

Now the fall in Gorizilla is another example of this phenomenon, but it is a very specific one. For the first time, Adrien's safety is directly in danger. And we, as the audience, know it. Where Volpina and Santa Claws were fake-outs to freak out only Ladybug, here WE are in the same boat. We know Adrien is really there and falling to his certain death. And more importantly: we know Chat Noir isn't coming to save him.

3. The subversion : Adrien as Chat Noir (the importance of trust and agency)

Now here comes the real genius of the scene to me (the genius of the Ladrien dynamic and the love square in general really) : we know Adrien is Chat Noir. We know that Adrien isn't as defenseless as Gwen, or as far removed from the conflict as Harry is. Something that neither Ladybug nor Gabriel know. Adrien isn't an innocent bystander pulled into the conflict by his father and his crush: Adrien is Ladybug's partner and Gabriel's enemy.

We know Adrien is more than capable of saving himself because Gabriel is right: his son is a superhero. However just like our favorite blond boy reinforces to Plagg, saving himself by transforming would be a pretty terrible idea. We're left hoping that it doesn't come to that, and yet it's hard to know how they can avoid it.

The audience is well aware that no matter what happens, Adrien won't die permanently : but thanks to the 'Miraculous Ladybug', that doesn't mean Adrien can't die at all. Sure it would be very unlikely to show his dead body or anything in a kids show, but Chat Noir has definitely 'died' before. And the more the scene advances, the more you're left to wonder how the heroes could win without Adrien exposing his identity. And while Chat Blanc hadn't happened yet, we have a vague idea of the consequences this revelation could have based on our interactions with other superheroes media. Given the very specific game of identity going on, Gabriel confirming his theory would make the plot go way faster than expected (and might just end the show).

We know two things given the show's genre:

Adrien really can't be revealing his identity this early on (it would be kept for a finale or a two parter surely)

Ladybug will win the fight in the end

Whether the situation resolves itself before or after Adrien face-planted on the floor is up in the air. His death being only temporary won't change much on how the audience feels because Adrien is just as loveable as Gwen is. Him dying is the last thing we want since we love him as much as Marinette does and the stakes for the episode are therefore raised.

Now the consequences are all clear but I'd want to circle back to the beginning : how did we end up in this situation ?

In the original comics, Gwen is an absolute damsel in this situation : she's unconscious for pretty much the entire scene and basically gets yeeted off the rooftop. Adrien's situation is very different though and it circles back to one of the most important themes in the show: trust.

If anything, the closest description of the gorizilla scene is a giant trust fall. Gabriel, however willing he is to endanger Adrien, doesn't throw him off the building: he actually attempts to protect Adrien by keeping him with his bodyguard. Now how does Adrien fall then ? That's the thing: he doesn't. Adrien doesn't fall, Adrien jumps. As Ladybug arrives on the roof, she asks him to trust her. And as her secret crush or as Gabriels' son, he doesn't have any reason to do so this willingly. Except Adrien isn't just that: Adrien is Chat Noir. And Chat Noir always trusts Ladybug.

In this scene, Adrien keeps his agency, something Gwen (or most civilian love interests really) isn't usually allowed. There is a lot to be said about the Gwen death scene and some of the inherent sexism that existed in the comics (which is unnavoidable given the time period). Heck even the newer movies, who put a lot of efforts into making MJ a 'feminist' character didn't completely drop the damsel trope (it being inherently a good or bad thing is too nuanced a topic to discuss here). There is however one instance I know of in a Spiderman media where the 'someone I love is falling' is also a trust fall : the 2018 ps4 video game. Now why do I bring that up? Interestingly enough, this video game presents Mary Jane as Spiderman's partner. We can even play as her in some missions ! Now that dynamic sounds very familiar. Video game Mary Jane, just like Adrien, puts a great deal of trust in her partner. And it pays off !

Trust is a fundamental aspect of the love square, and most 'damsel in distress' situations showcase that heavily. Ladynoir trust each other through and through, even when they don't have their own mask on. Adrien is Chat Noir and his lady just told him to jump, to trust her. So he does.

Gabriel is completely panicked because he didn't want that. He doesn't want Adrien falling to his certain death and he sure as hell doesn't trust Ladybug to save him. Gabriel can't understand why his son would and yet Adrien did.

Even Ladybug herself gambles heavily in this scene, hoping against all hopes that her partner will come to save Adrien, trusting that he'll be there, as he always is for her.

Ladrien subverts most damsel in distress trope by virtue of Adrien keeping his agency in them. Adrien is still Chat Noir even when he drops the mask. Adrien chooses time and time again to trust Ladybug, to keep on hoping. And she never disappoints, in clear contrast to Gabriel who keeps on disappointing his son. Trust is a core theme of Miraculous, in both romantic and platonic relationships, and an area in which Marinette and Gabriel really show their differences: Adrien's trust in Ladybug is earned and deserved, whereas Gabriel constantly abuses it.

4. Now what ? An attempt at discussing Season 5 and the 'reverse love square'

Season 5 really puts an emphasis on the trust theme, with almost every Gabriel/Adrien scene being filled with manipulation, while Ladynoir reinforces the importance of trust, no matter how their romantic feelings might evolve. Adrienette follows a similar theme, with Marinette becoming Adrien's confidant, trusting her with his deeper feelings in a way he only did with Plagg (and arguably Ladybug) before.

Adrien might be Marinette's one that got away, but Marinette is undoubtly where Adrien's happy ending lies.

Ultimately, the biggest obstacle to Adrienette is Marinette herself: once she lets herself trust Adrien, their relationship will be smooth sailing (if Gabriel doesn't put his ugly nose where it doesn't belong that is). Interestingly enough, that's what Ladybug has to do in Strikeback, both with Adrien (the real one this time) and with Chat Noir.

The love square plays constantly with the angst, and yet we know the fluff will come eventually. Adrienette is basically the happy version of Gwen/Stacy, an updated version where the damsel becomes the partner, where the happy ending will come one day, as long as they both power through. And it's honestly the best way to describe how Ladybug and Spiderman differs: Peter's ending is rarely happy (seriously half of the comics have the worst endings ever) whereas Marinette's journey, hopeless as it can seem, will lead to happiness eventually.

There are thousands of ways in which the show could get there though, many of which are criticised by at least some part of the fandom for one reason or another. The beginning of the season has flip-flopped a lot between Adrienette and Ladynoir, with Marichat fans finally getting their long awaited 'square reversal'. But where does that leave Ladrien ?

Well according to most: nowhere (despite Marichat being the most popular side, even back when it was unrequited but I digress). There's a lot of hints that the reversal might not be as clear cut as some fans believe, but ultimately, until we get a Ladrien scene in Season 5, it will be complicated to truly settle the debate once and for all.

However, I like to believe that Ladrien will never be an inconsequential relationship: the trust between them will never disappear (I'd argue it's getting stronger than ever), and a love as deep as they had won't vanish that easily, no matter how much they may want to move on. There's still a lot of stories that could be told with Ladrien.

A reprise of the Gorizilla scene would be fascinating for example, and truly showcase how far we've come.

With his slow descent into full blown villainy, would Season 5 Gabriel let Adrien die, and with him the last sliver of a potential reconciliation and redemption ?

How would Ladybug react to Adrien's life being put in danger now ? Season 1 Ladybug almost gave up her Miraculous, but I wonder how a Season 5 one would react: would she trust Adrien to save himself ? Especially if this hypothetical scene happens post reveal.

Would Adrien take a gamble and transform despite the risks ?

There's a lot of different ways this situation could end and I'd be disappointed if they don't use it again.

Since the 'Hawkmoth is Gabriel' reveal, Ladrien has been anticipated to be at the core of his demise, and I still believe it will be the case. By then, the reveal will have blurred the lines, but I have no doubt that Adrien (as Hawkmoth's son) and Ladybug (as his nemesis) will matter most: ultimately, they're the ones that Gabriel cares about, and the finale will surely place them at the forefront, as the ending of the Agreste arc and Gabriel's final confrontation with the Guardian.

In the end, Marichat is the fun and chaotic side that sometimes delves deeper, Ladynoir is the workplace relationship based on complete trust, Adrienette is their teenage first love with all the awkwardness that comes with it, and Ladrien is the one that connects best to the plot: the Love Square is a mix of all of them, and something else entirely and I firmly believe that any analysis of their relationship that aims to do more than breach the surface needs to take a look at all of them and that certainly includes Ladrien, be it requited or platonic.

Now I'm certainly no expert and everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I believe that Ladrien still has a lot of things to offer, even now, perhaps especially so.

(Also for every Spiderman fan out there, don't hesitate to correct me on anything I may have said wrong here, I've never actually read the comics myself so my knowledge is mostly second hand and vague memories of the diverse movies.)

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sashkapi · 1 month

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I really want to know your head canon about Kick and Kendall as a couple? Plus it's it obvious that Kick will end up with Kendall ,they have kissed like 3 times . Jackie is obsessed with kick in an unhealthy way . Scarlet is a teen , ( kick is a kid) she is in one episode. April is kinda forgotten soo !

Plus don't you think Kendall is pretty attractive as per show standards, like tall , smart , elegance,has a awesome side?

Plus I really loved your fanarts 🌸

Part 2 of me being a mess for Kindall :)

Before that, eh, I honestly don't take the cartoon too seriously in a shipping perspective. If people like Kick x Jackie or Kick x Scarlett - good! It's their business, not mine. (In regards of Kick being a kid and Scarlett being a teen - it is kinda icky as their original ages, but most fanfics I red that include Kick x Scarlett are aged up a bit so it's not that bad. And eh, their age difference is like what, 2-3 years? That difference is nothing when you're adult)

(April?! Didn't she liked Kick in a "Whoa! Cool little guy!! Funny small dude!!! :D" type of way? I don't think that she is interested in him in any romantic way, because... their age difference??) (April is me, she is my self insert now /j)

Also - to me Kendall is a cartoon. They all are. Saying one is prettier than the other is kinda odd to me jdklfkgldg.

(Thamks <3)

OK NOW PART 2 FOR REALSIES

Them as a couple :)

1. They still fight. Pretty often. Now, however, their fights are more like play fights and they usually end with both of them giggling under their noses.

2. Kendall used to be quite jealous in the beginning of their relationship, but soon realized that her only "opponent" on that front is adrenaline. She already accepted that "Yep, I can not compete with that, sorry."

3. (I'm gonna put my "Kendall writes novels in secret" hc everywhere, yes) Kendall quite frequently gives Kick really cool stunt ideas and then asks him to tell her everything in detail. She hasn't told him about her hobby and everytime Kick asks why she has such cool stunt ideas and why she needs extremely detailed retelling afterwards, her reply is always "Y'know... Research..."

(She will tell him someday)

4. They are pretty good team when they are working together but don't leave them alone. They'll distract each other by flirting and get no things done.

5. Their dates are rarely normal. Even a simple walk in a park could end up with them in a middle of shark infested lake. Kick's doing usually. But their dates also rarely end in a disaster because Kendall prepares for almost everything.

Most of her clothes are waterproof for example.

6. Kendall sometimes calls Kick overly cute pet names just to mess with him a bit. She knows he doesn't like it but oh, the feminine urge to frustrate a man. Playfully.

7. The actual pet name Kendall has for Kick is "Tiger". She wanted to call him "kitten" but c'mon, it's too cute. She just made "kitten" more awesome.

Tigers are kittens too so yea

8. Kicks pet name for Kendall? "Fireball". Kinda based on her fiery temper and "Kendall" sounds like "Candle" and candles are lit up with fire.

Fir e ba ll

9. "Clarence" and "Kends" are names they don't like to be called. Unless it's each other.

10. Jackie wasn't fond of the news that Kick and Kendall started dating to say the least. However after some time (and stalking)(Jackie is deranged <3) Jackie absolutely stopped getting between Kick and Kendall. Why?

She started obsessing over Kendall too.

11. Kinda ironic but hand holding is their most frequent way of pda. And the most unconscious one too. They just kinda reach for each other from time to time and it's so casual that you won't notice if you're not paying attention.

12. Communication is their biggest problem because

- Kendall has some social perception issues tm

- Kick is as naturally good in extreme sports as he is clumsy in a topic of relationships

They have an extremely messy fights sometimes but both are stubborn and sometimes see their relationship as a challenge so "We WILL figure it out >:("

They don't realise but their relationship gives them both character development 👍

13. If you mess with Kendall, Kick will pick a fight with you. 25% is because hey, don't mess with his girlfriend. 75% is because "Listen, she WILL ruin your life. You're better off with me knocking you down a peg or two"

14. This hc contradicts canon a bit but I just think it's cute so screw it - Kick doesn’t blush. Well, not really. He does BUT only his ears turn red. And he wears his helmet 24/7

While his family, Gunther, Wade and Kendall have seen Kick without his helmet, only Kendall knows about this.

15. Kick, even before they started dating, realized that "Kendall is boring" is nonsense. He already knew she can match him in acrobatics when she's following his lead but then why this girl knows how to make an actual sharp knife out of potatoes? Why she can sleep through math test and still get a perfect score? Why does she knows the names and layouts of some undocumented and pretty dangerous places in Mellowbrook? How did she reach that point when she can tell an obvious lie to an adult in power and they will believe her no questions asked? Why does she knows how to operate a submarine? Why does she knows the exact names of parts in a motorcycle? (It's normal for him to know but why does SHE KNOWS?) (She reads a lot :) )

Kendall joked that she "expected the unexpected" when they started dating but never realized that it was the same for Kick.

16. Kick taught Kendall to rollerblade. (Yes, Kendall joked that she wanted to know how to do it so she can beat Kick in roller derby "fair and square") Kendall learned pretty quickly but kept pretending that she didn't so she could spend more time with Kick.

He knew btw.

They're cheeky with each other like that :)

Ok, I'll stop here. Trust me, the reason I was putting away this ask because I was deciding which hcs put here and which I wanted to keep to draw later. My draft had like 30 points to it..

#ask #kick buttowski #kick buttowski suburban daredevil #kendall perkins #kindall #kick x kendall #they are silly your honor

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