#title: (cow heist)

[felixcloud6288]

Fullmetal Alchemist Chapter 42

An unstoppable rage meets an indomitable awkwardness.

This should be the point in the story where any new reader should realize Hohenheim is not Father. He is way too socially awkward to be able to pull off some grand shadow conspiracy.

Hohenheim tried to start a catch-up conversation with Ed only to pull off the best "Ed is short" jokes in the series by accident. Then he decides to go back to mourning Trisha's death and ignoring Ed yelling at him. Then he tries to make small-talk about his and Ed's hair, only for Ed to growl at him. And Hohenheim says Ed is just like him when he was young.

When he asks why Ed burned down his house, Ed says it was a symbol of his resolve. Hohenheim said he was just running away from his mistakes.

When Hohenheim asks Pinako about whether Ed and Al actually transmuted Trisha, he mentions the hair color and we get a shot of the image that's always been used.

Every time that shot appears, it has a darkened filter over it so the hair color could be influenced by it. But in chapter 6, we have a panel of Trisha under the same filter, and even with that filter, her hair is lighter than the hair from Ed and Al's transmutation.

As he and Pinako were talking about that, Hohenheim's eyes turned toward Ed's room. Perhaps he was hoping Ed was listening. Hohenheim doesn't know how to comfort or scold or do anything a father might be expected to do. But he was able to tell that Ed wasn't seeing things from the right perspective and isn't fully accepting reality. He wants Ed to know that running from his mistakes won't help and in fact, he might find the answers he needs by facing them.

When Hohenheim leaves the next day, Pinako tells him to come back for a home-cooked meal, which is what she told Ed and Al in chapter 9. And just like Ed, Hohenheim kept his back to her as he waved goodbye.

Also, the alcohol he and Pinako were drinking is a different brand from Stray Dog. None of the pictures give a brand name, but they have pictures of cows.

In Central we get some Xing lore and learn Lan Fan calling Lin "prince" isn't just some title.

The Xing royal succession process sounds like an absolutely messy ordeal. If the Emperor has an heir from every clan, what's stopping them from just choosing the heir from their same clan to be their successor. Like, if the current Emperor was from the Yao clan, wouldn't he likely favor them over the others and try to make Lin emperor? Lin says he wants to acquire the secret to immortality to raise his clan's status and then he'll seize the throne on his own. So the inheritance process is probably a very political and potentially very bloody affair.

Lan Fan mentioned there are 24 princes and 19 princesses giving us 43 heirs. But there are 50 clans, meaning 7 clans either never conceived an heir or they died or were killed.

Ed needs to hurry back to Central. Lin's trying to steal his girlfriend mechanic.

This line implies Cinderella is an existing fairy-tale in the FMA world. I bet the Fairy God Mother is an Alchemist in this version.

Lin started following Ed and Al because he could tell Al was an empty suit of armor. He probably noticed the same thing about Barry as well which is why he insisted on hanging out with him. Alphonse laughs at the idea he could be immortal.

At the clinic, Roy meets the doctor who performed the autopsy. His name is Dr. Knox. Roy mentions that picture on the back of the newspaper in chapter 35. it refers to a fire in a military factory. Roy expected Dr. Knox to be on the case as a result. So what would have happened if Roy couldn't be certain who would be the coroner? Would he have gone through with the heist as is and hope for the best?

Dr Knox criticizing how Mustang handled the dummy is really dark. They haven't seen each other since Ishbal and Knox gained his medical expertise from studying the bodies Roy burned. At some point, Dr Knox became so desensitized to all the burned corpses he handled that he started getting annoyed at how sloppy Roy's work could get.

We can see Breda's notebook on Roy's lap in one panel so Breda delivered his report before visiting Havoc.

Breda suggests getting Dr. Marcoh's help since they know where he lives. But Envy and Gluttony show up just before that happens and take him and his stone away. Envy disguising themself as Breda is too on the nose. They knew Breda was going to visit Marcoh and pretty much used Breda as a disguise as a taunt. They even destroyed all Marcoh's supplies to make it look like a more violent scuffle than it actually was.

So here's my guess on a few things. The Homunculi know that Ed and Armstrong know about Marcoh. They also likely have a record of the two of them traveling to Resembool a few days after Breda. So they likely concluded they exchanged information, including Marcoh's location. Then Roy approves Breda taking an extended vacation so Envy and Gluttony decide they need to capture Marcoh before Roy can contact him.

Also, the bloodstain from when Marcoh stabbed Lust is still there, so it seems blood remains even when the rest of the homunculus's body turns to dust.

And to conclude this chapter, I want to talk about chronology. This and the next few chapters are a little iffy about it. I'll define the start of day 1 as when Armstrong and Breda part ways with Ed.

On Day 1, Armstrong and Breda head back to Central. Ed meets Hohenheim, and Hohenheim brings up the possibility Ed didn't resurrect his mother.

On Day 2, Hohenheim leaves. Roy talks with Dr. Knox, and Breda suggests finding Dr. Marcoh to fix Havoc's legs.

Al, Winry, and Lin's conversation could potentially have been either day. Meanwhile, Envy could have kidnapped Marcoh on Day 2 or the next day depending on travel time and when Breda left. The person who spoke to Breda said Envy-Breda met Marcoh a little while ago so those were same day.

There's always a possibility Breda went to meet Marcoh early in the day. It's a bit of a stretch though because the route to Marcoh's village presumably has to go through East City.

I'll add more detail over the next few chapters, but this isn't anything very problematic. There's just a few chapters that take place over 3-4 days and some scenes might not necessarily have occurred after the previous scene.

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Spoiler Discussion

Hohenheim is several hundreds years old. To him, 10 years is nothing. So he probably can't fully grasp why Ed is so angry with him.

After the destruction of Cselkcess, Hohenheim fled West while Father headed East. While I wouldn't blame him for being tricked, he did run away from what happened. He knew what happened and decided to run away instead of confronting Father.

Centuries later, Hohenheim came to Amestris and started a family and sought a way to become mortal so he could grow old and die with them.

Then he realized what Father was doing and realized he can't run away anymore. Not stopping Father after Cselkcess's destruction was a mistake that he'd been running away from by starting a family.

Hohenheim was forced to leave his family so he could fix his mistakes, because ignoring them will put his beloved family in danger. He probably has added Ed and Al's situation to the list of his sins just like how they blame themselves for Hughes's death.

#fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemist reread

[dr-drckken]

Cow Heist || Vixen

@appreciate-the-lady​

When thinking about inventing one always had to consider their resources! His main base had been on an island for several years, perfect for hydropower.

So, what did this place have to offer? His attention turned to the farm lands were numerous animals resided. It was no secret that manure was an untapped power source. The phosphorus and nitrogen within it could be harvested and used to power whatever he wanted! It wouldn’t be the most respectable thing he had ever done, or clean for that matter, but desperate times called for brilliant measures! 

A local dairy farm was the perfect place to procure the needed goods. Drakken snuck onto the land, the gates did nothing to keep him out though they had given him a nasty bruise from where he’d fallen off it. 

“Nyggh!” he grumbled, giving up from where he had been trying to shove his shoulder into one of the cows. Drakken threw his hands in the air before circling around to look the animal in the eye. They stared back blankly at him. He hadn’t wanted to do this, but it seemed like nothing else was going to work. Digging into his pocket he pulled out a handful cow he’d purchased. Before he could even look up the cow was nosing at his palm.

“Yes! Yes, that’s it. Who’s a good cow?” he cooed, beginning to take steps backward. The cow walked after him. “You are! Yes, you are! Come, cow, follow me!”

#title: (cow heist) #ch: (vishaka 'vixey' chakraborty) #(vixxen)

[pythia-a]

Sweet, like Cherry Trees.

(SPOILER WARNING! Six of Crows spoilers ahead!)

Pairing: Matthias Helvar x Fjerdan!reader

Pronouns: she/her

Summary: You and Matthias reunite after years of being apart. (Insp. by this tiktok) (I know Matthias didn't go to school, bear with me folks)

Word count: 2.9k+ words

Warnings: mentions of bullying, terms Drüskelle used, sexist 'Fjerdan ideals' for men and women, Six of Crows spoilers.

╔⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶✞⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷╗

"I always loved your eyes-- and your smile? Matthias, whenever I see your smile I'm faced with the heaven's divinity."

╚⊶⊶⊶⊶⊶✞⊷⊷⊷⊷⊷╝

𝐿ong ago, before Ketterdam Crows and dangerous heists, you and Matthias were sat in separate classroom, staring up at a chalkboard, learning how to be the best.

Matthias was with the boys, learning how to build and work the land, like a strong Fjerdan, soon to be a soldier. How to tackle other boys, listen for Djel and tame wolves.

You, however, were with the girls, learning how to be a good wife and how to hem curtains. How to be a blushing maiden and remain pure and modest in dress. How to smile without appearing coy, chew without sounding like a cow.

All lessons to prepare you for the expected life ahead. Matthias's dream was to be a brave Drüskelle, and you knew nothing but the wife's path ahead of you, putting your lessons to practical use.

At break, the boys and girls were allowed to mix. Boys trying to impress the prettiest girls and girls pointing out the strongest boys to look out for as prospects. It was at one of these breaks you met Matthias Helvar.

A blonde boy, taller than the others, approached you one day with a drooping bunch of violets and a brilliant smile. He was taller than the others, but certainly not the biggest. Shoulders broad, build lean.

"Hello, my name is Matthias," he lifted the flowers higher and your eyes widened. "Here. They're almost as beautiful as you." His smile was accompanied by a dusted blush.

You took the flowers delicately, nursing them as if they were made from fine porcelain. You felt a little giddy at such a handsome boy noticing you. He was certainly charming, and his gift was sweet. You were about to thank him. When you caught the glances of the other girls laughing at you, however, your cheeks flamed.

Bullies had never been a more fitting title. Mean gossips, keeping their eyes out on everyone in the school. They would be sure to make you and Matthias a laughing stock.

"Well, that can't be a good thing because they're hideous." You retorted, dropping the flowers to the ground. The girl's daggered stares were directed onto Matthias.

"Oh, um, sorry." Shame dulled the light in his eyes and unease bloomed in your stomach. He balled up his fists and ran off, to join a game of football the boys were starting.

The girls ran around you like a flock of vultures, babbling approval of your decision. "Oh Djel, could you imagine?" Julie had cackled. Sofia piped up, "why would anyone choose a boy so skinny? Some soldier he would make." "And look at those flowers!" Freya grinned, eyes alight with malice. They all giggled and it encouraged you. This was the most positive attention you had got in a while, certainly not receiving it at home, and it was nice to have all the girls on your arm, grinning and chatting. Friends were something you found hard to come by, but maybe that could change.

So, you changed.

Whenever you passed Matthias in the hallway you would laugh at his wooly vest tattered with moth holes, mock his trying to get to know you. The light flickering from his eyes every time, like a candle being blown out.

It hurt you at first. Made you feel cruel and nasty as your cutting remarks sounded. But the girls' glee soon perked you back up again, clouded your mind with the gratification that you were desperately searching for.

Over the years, you and Matthias both changed. His tall height remained a few inches over the rest of the boys, but his frame grew with it. Lanky arms became strong and muscular, sturdy legs filling out, blond hair growing in velvet waves. You never saw this transformation, however, as when his village burnt down he was sent away to train with the Drüskelle- allegedly picked out by Jarl Brum. Last you saw was the skinny child in a woolen hat saying goodbye to his teachers.

Your height grew too, still modest again the soldiers though. With your height your curves filled out as well. The perfect Fjerdan woman. Hair gained volume waving down your back, cheeks gained a rosy tint, figure curved with 'child bearing' hips. Many men watched you grow into a young woman with delight, other women with glaring jealousy.

Yet with the new attention came a certain expectation. Be pretty, be poised, be delicate, be humble, be proud- oh, but not too proud- that's right- oh no you're doing it wrong. Time to be a pretty Fjerdan woman, search for single men and let their eyes catch you. "If no man wants to court you then you're not trying hard enough! We cannot have an undesirable daughter on our hands."

The word tormented you as you lay in bed tossing and turning. 'Undesirable'. What good was a pretty face if no man wanted you? If you could not serve Fjerda and Djel by providing a soldier's hiers, what was your purpose?

All these pressures weighing on your shoulders and yet you couldn't even confide in someone. What sort of life was that? 'No', you chastised yourself and recited your lessons.

"All Fjerdan girls are happy, they don't want independence, it would mess up their pretty little head." So many women were happy to marry a strong man, enjoy his courting and relish the first kiss they shared after weeks of innocent flirts. So why couldn't you?

Haunted by the thoughts building up in your mind, you took a walk in your garden, careful not to let your parents see you walk around in just a nightgown. You could already hear your mother's stifling voice. 'So immodest.'

The cool air cleared your head and you tried to sense Djel in the icy frost carried on the wind. He would guide you from the tangled darkness and into clarity.

Clarity looked an awful lot like running away.

Djel, the breeze that whispered through the trees and lifted your hair, spoke to you. You could feel them all around, willing you to follow your heart, be free. And you wanted it oh so very much.

Your feet moved without thought, and then you were running, letting yourself laugh and grin, imagining you were leaping through the snowy fields again like when you were five. Without thought, without expectation.

That was when your mind was made up, and you muttered thanks to Djel for opening your eyes. You made your own destiny. Not a man, nor a spiteful mother.

Bag packed with bare essentials, thick woollen layers and boots on, it didn't take you long to make your escape. Whispering a prayer for your mother, you covered your head with a hood.

It was surprisingly easy to barter your way onto a farmer's cart. Thankfully under the darkness he couldn't see your face and you adopted the voice of an older woman. Even added a hunch for conviction.

He took you to the coast, and then you paid with the little money you had for a one way ticket to Ketterdam. You didn't know where Ketterdam was and the language was bitter on your tongue, but it wasn't an enemy, and that was good enough for you. 'You were doing something.'

Boarding Ketterdam harbour, the relief melted. 'This was a mistake, at least in Fjerda you had family, few friends, security.' There your mother was all over again, 'foolish girl! What did you expect?' Thank Djel you didn't listen to the panicked voices in your head, because in the throng of the crowd, you made out a pair of incredibly familiar eyes.

Meeting Matthias again, all those years later, was a welcomed shock. At last there was someone who could speak your language and help you. A lighthouse to stick to through the mist. Initially he was unrecognisable, except for those eyes. Certainly bigger, stronger, taller. It was easy to see him become the next Jarl Brum when he stood before you, except there was no black hatred that made his mouth curl into a sneer. Only welcome arms.

When you spoke, he told you about the Crows, about a heist, about 30 million Kruge on the line. The rest, you thought, was a natural progression for a girl in your situation. How could you say no to a job like that?

In Fjerda, you were naive, impressionable, and you certainly would've frowned at the idea of joining a gang of young criminals the same age as you. But here you were, taking orders from the Bastard of the Barrel, about to infiltrating what used to be your home.

In the ship to Fjerda- the first step on your journey to the Ice Court- the water knocked Matthias sick, but offered you a bit of peace. Even when you were younger, the bite of the wind and the thrum of the sea were your lullaby when your mother wasn't there to offer one.

Leaning against the side of the ship, hands hanging over the side to taste the chilling salt, you saw Matthias approach you out of the corner of your eye. Guilt rushed through you when you realised the last real time you had seen him was when you called him a failure.

"You look a little worse for wear, old friend." You tried, speaking in Fjerdan. Kerch was too harsh around your mouth.

"Oh, we're 'old friends' now?" He raised his eyebrows, but kept his gaze focused on the sea.

"I suppose not..." You exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry...All those years ago I was stupid, a young fool."

"It hurt, I'll admit. I wasn't used to being shouted at by a girl." He chuckled lightly. "But you were far from stupid. You're still brilliant."

"No, I'm hardly like the demjin, nor the others really. My mind is dull."

"You got on a ship to Ketterdam, you broke free from Fjerda. It's more than I could do, until I was dragged from it by a certain Heartrender on this ship." Matthias had explained to you his situation, and it somehow made you like him more. There was a crossroads presented to him at that point, and Matthias had chosen kindness over hatred and prejudice.

You spared a glance at Nina who made her way to the belly of the ship to join the others. You assumed they were all going for dinner. "She's done you good, made you look happier at least. Perhaps you'll be a good couple?"

"Nina and I? No, Y/n, you're crazy. Nina is nice, but she's too much for me." He chuckled. "I need someone I know, someone comfortable."

Silence floated between the two of you, interrupted by an occasional lap of the waves hitting the boat. It was comfortable, but you weren't going to throw away the chance you had to right your past wrongs.

"When we were children...do you remember what you said to me when you came up to me?"

"Djel, let me think..." He furrowed his brows. "Oh," he laughed again and his face cleared with recollection. "I gave you violets, said they were just as pretty as you."

"Almost. Almost as pretty as me." You corrected, beaming.

"You remember?" His eyes widened and he turned to face you for the first time.

"I couldn't forget it, it was the sweetest thing someone had ever done for me." You dipped your head, trying to hide your face flushing.

"You had a strange way of showing it." Matthias nudged your shoulder with his own, amusement in his voice.

"I wanted to say something, I promise, but those girls...I was so desperate to be liked, I thought maybe..." You turned your head away. "It's foolish, but I thought one day when I was popular enough we'd meet again and you'd be jealous of me." Shame washed over you, making the flush spread across your cheeks and crawl down your neck.

"You didn't need to be popular for me to be jealous of you, I always liked you, wanted to be with you."

You tried to stop your mind wandering to all the implications those simple words held.

"I know, I said it was silly." You let out a breathy laugh, more like a nervous exhale. "But I was always jealous of you, I guess. I loved your eyes-- and your smile? Matthias, whenever I see your smile I'm still faced with the heaven's divinity. I couldn't stand not being around you, and it made it worse with the girls impressions making me chase you away."

"We were children, I understand the pressure from your peers. What else could you do? I did foolish things too, while in Drüskelle training. We are all ignorant until we see the error of our ways."

"Do you always have to be so forgiving?" You huffed. It almost made it worse, if he was angry at least you could face your consequences. But his slight smile and easy brows did nothing to help, the knot in your stomach only grew a little tighter.

"I still like you, still want to be around you." Matthias started, standing upright from the side of the boat. "You were- you are- beautiful. You may have changed from when I was a boy, but you've only grown stronger, your spirit is like nothing I've ever seen." He flitted his eyes away from yours for just a moment. "Stunning." He breathed, but it was in Kerch and you couldn’t understand.

"Matthias, what are you trying to say?" You stood straighter too, realising how tall he was once again, gazing up at his crystal eyes.

He took a moment to find his words. You noticed the way he furrowed his brow and the bridge of his ridiculously perfect nose wrinkled in concentration. You liked it.

"I want you to be mine, to court you, if you would want it of course."

You wanted to say yes. 'Yes, yes, yes!' your mind had squealed. You couldn't calm your beating heart. "Matthias I don't understand, I was awful to you?"

"And still when I'm around you, I feel like a little boy again. But we're not school children anymore. Past is past. What we do now is everything. Won't you put it behind you like I have?"

It was easy to imagine he had so much pain he had endured over the last few years, Hellgate included, that school seemed like a distant dream to him now.

Scared you had given him the wrong impression, you were quick to grab his large hands. He instinctively ran his thumbs over your knuckles, despite the blush returning to his cheeks, and his touch sent a chill down your spine.

"I do want to be with you Matthias, I do." You looked out to sea, the wind flicking sea spray onto the deck. "But let's fight this first? We can't do much if we die in the Ice Court, now can we?"

Matthias drew your hands close and planted his lips onto your knuckles. "I'll wait. For you, I'd wait a thousand years, Jer molle pe oonet." I have been made to protect you. It was sacred.

"Enel mörd je nej afva trohem verret." You whispered, completing it. Only in death will I be kept from this oath.

"How do you know the oath?" Matthias' eyes sparkled in a way you'd never seen before, skin glowing golden.

"My father."

"Oh."

His lips looked so pretty, so kissable and warm. Inviting you closer with each word he uttered. You thought waiting until Ice Court would protect you from any unnecessary heart break. Now you saw how wrong you were. Heart hammering against your ribs, you leaned closer. 'To hell with courting and waiting, we're not Fjerdan anymore. We're crows. We're...He's...' But your mind couldn't string together another sentence.

Matthias lips were on yours. Tentative, just as warm and inviting as you anticipated. Your hands found their way at the nape of his neck, toying with the stray hairs. It was innocent, and sweet, and lit a fire in you. Completely unsure if you were doing it correctly, you didn't really care. It was like someone lit fireworks in your chest and you were taking a bath in warm honey at the same time. Nothing could've prepared you for the trail Matthias' fingers blazed making their way down your waist.

Inevitably, you two pulled away and you sucked in a breath. Blinking a couple of times, you tried to move away but couldn't. In the heat of the moment, Matthias had swept you up, hands sturdily holding your thighs. Your knees pressed against his hips.

'No wonder Fjerdan girls waited for their first kiss', you thought, staring into Matthias' eyes, 'it's deadly.'

Carefully, as though you might break, Matthias set you down. Your feet hit the deck and you couldn't blame the sea for your legs wobbling a little. Already you were hungry for another kiss, but you were also stopped by the fear of being disastrous at it.

"Was that good?" You asked hurriedly, clearing away the husk at the back of your throat.

Matthias nodded hurriedly, running a hand through his golden hair that curled around his ears. "It was good." His voice had raised an octave.

"Good." You decided. Suddenly, you were embarrassed. What did people even do after they kissed? Were you supposed to say something? You wished all your school years had prepared you for this rather than how to sew your name in linen. Wiping your hands on your shirt, you nodded curtly and hurried away. Matthias watched you leave, a giddy grin forming on his lips.

Running down to the belly of the ship, you had a lot of questions for Jesper to answer.

#Matthias Helvar x reader #six of crows imagine #matthias helvar x y/n #matthias helvar x reader #matthias helvar x you #soc imagine #soc x reader #matthias helvar imagine #matthias my beloved #matthias helvar #six of crows spoilers #six of crows x you #six of crows x reader #six of crows x y/n #matthias helvar fluff #netflix shadow and bone imagine #grishaverse x reader #grishaverse imagine

[moonbaby26]

Title: Epiphany

Pairing: Peter Maximoff x Reader

Summary: Continuation from previous chapter. Finally back in the U.S., you and Peter get a mini shopping trip with the others, where you get a special gift for him. Followed by your ride back alone together to his house near D.C. and an abrupt introduction to his family.

Warnings: Mostly just more fluff. Bit of a dysfunctional family implied. Not proofread too well as I didn’t have much free time left and wanted to get this posted.

Chapters: Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Taglist: @drikawinchester , @n0obmaster69 , @alexloveskili , @what-a-silver-lining , @bluesprings18 , @weakmoony-stuff , @slytherinsi-mp , @wintwrsoldiwr , @tommy-braccoli , @amourtentiaa , @cringingmemeries , @bi-panicatthe-disco , @himbos-are-my-lifeblood , @simp4mcuwomen , @ikkleroniekins , @cowboyenorgy , @the-chaotic-cow

Peter Maximoff x Reader Masterlist

—————————

You were groggy, legs stiff as you’d finally made it out of that plane. Honestly, when this was all said and done you’d be happy to not travel again for a very long time.

But the important thing was that you were home. Well, sort of. You were getting a lot closer anyway. McGuire air force base in New Jersey was bustling with activity as you’d all been shuffled around after landing.

Moira had said goodbye, staying here to work some more as it seemed this had become a temporary east coast operations point for more than just the air force. But she’d arranged it so you all could take a van off base together to find the nearest rental car lot.

Which that was when you really started feeling this was your last chance to inwardly practice whatever your speech was going to be to Xavier. You were going to volunteer to drive Peter home, splitting off from the others when they’d no doubt be heading north for New York.

The van hadn’t been the most comfortable thing in the world either as you’d all piled into it with Hank driving. Moira had told the Professor to just leave it after you all got something else rented, and that someone from the base would come and get it later.

Besides a little shared complaining from the group about being continually shoved into one thing after another lately, helicopters, to jets, to aircraft carriers, and now this, there wasn’t really too much said though. That silence likely somewhat due to jet lag as well. But when Xavier had signaled to Hank to stop after seeing a bank you were about to pass, that’s when Peter seemed to perk back up.

And by the time this older van had clunked its way into the parking lot and come to a stop, Peter was on the verge of fully laughing.

“What?” Ororo finally asked, Peter sitting between her and you both here in the back of the van.

“Nothing.” Peter respond just as quickly, though still seeming far too entertained as Raven had helped Xavier out of the van and back into his wheelchair before the two of them had gone inside the bank together.

You and Ororo just exchanged an odd glance, before Jean revealed the answer all too easily. “Peter thinks we’d make a terrible cast for a heist movie. He’s thinking about robbing the bank and imagining a poorly executed role for all of us.”

“Hey!” Peter complained. “You really don’t play fair. I think about a lot of things without actually do-”

“Seriously?” Scott asked, looking back at you all.

“Oh, come on. One eye beam and the vault would crack like an egg.” Peter retorted, “Do you guys not ever daydream?”

“About crime?” You questioned.

“I did give the kid his markers back didn’t I?” Peter asked.

“What kid?” Hank looked back as well.

“Oh, except this one.” Peter pulled out the dark blue marker that’d still been stashed in his pocket. “The kid still had a light blue one anyway. He’ll live. You guys need to sign my cast!”

—————————

The Professor had apparently recognized that bank as one he had some accounts with, and you’d assumed he had gone in to withdraw some spending money for the remainder of the trip.

But when Hank drove you all to a nearby department store next instead of continuing on straight to the rental car lot that had been the supposed goal the entire time, you were surprised. Even more so when the Professor had called for you, Jean, Kurt, and Ororo specifically.

“I know this isn’t much,” Charles explained, before passing each of the four of you a small amount of cash. “But the staff staying with the displaced students at the motel did already take them shopping for at least some bare necessities. You deserve the same until we can provide better.”

It was still entirely generous and unexpected though as you’d all exited the van, then fully understanding the point of this additional pit stop. With the destruction of the mansion, and with Ororo not even being from here, the four of you now had not a single possession to your names except the Air Force issued clothing you’d left the aircraft carrier with.

Scott and Peter were a little bit different story, Scott was expected to go back home with his parents for a while and no doubt everything he still had there, and Peter having lost nothing really except the one outfit that had burnt up in the jet’s crash in Egypt.

But you knew a little better of how he felt about that, not missing the way Peter was already eyeing things as the two of you had split off from the rest of the group once entering the department store.

Your only real goal was at least getting a comfortable pair of tennis shoes to replace the awful boots they’d given you and a couple pairs of jeans, some t-shirts, socks, and underwear. Just the very minimum, that was fine for you.

You tried to be quick, knowing it was still a little unfair to make Peter just watch you shop when he could take nothing for himself. Albeit, you doubted much here was really his style anyway.

You did half expect him to give you a harder time as well on your own choices, but found him quite distracted as you’d walked back and forth looking at one rack then another of clothes.

Finally you realized why, catching him still lingering at a glass display case you’d already passed more than once as you then circled back to him with a bit of clothing in your arms.

As you came up to stand beside him, you looked down to see the multiple men’s watches all glinting up in the light from beneath the glass.

You smiled, putting two and two together easily enough as you glanced back to him and that clearly longing expression on his face. “Which one do you like?”

He blinked, just seeming to realize your attention was back on him then as he tried to look nonchalant. “Nah, it’s okay. I’m not going to steal it if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“That wasn’t what I was thinking.”

“It’s what Mr. Smiley over there, the store detective was thinking.” Peter commented a little more quietly, just motioning his eyes to a man standing off to the side.

The man didn’t look “smiley” at all of course, appearing to consider the same display of pants over and over as he’d pick one size up and then put it back down as if he wasn’t watching you both.

You chose to ignore the stranger, just reiterating back to Peter instead. “Come on, which one do you want?”

You could see by the tags that they weren’t exactly cheap, but certainly weren’t Rolex’s either. This was doable.

But Peter only met eyes with you again. “Seriously, I can get one later. I’ll live.”

His old watch had been destroyed. And you hadn’t forgotten what importance it had to him. “That wasn’t the point.” Already deciding you were sure about this, you dug back into your pocket, pulling out money and putting it on the glass in front him.

“I’m going to go put some of these clothes back, get somebody’s attention to come open the case for you.”

He stared, trying to turn around to stop you, but you were already out of his reach as you smiled, just disappearing back behind some nearby clothing racks.

You intentionally took longer than necessary as well as you did put back enough of the clothes to make up for the money you’d given him. You wanted to make sure he really did follow through with having them get one of the watches out before you’d come anywhere near again.

It took a while, but he must have finally relented, unable to resist the temptation, and reinforcing your thought that he really had seen one he especially wanted as you’d finally wandered over once more just as the saleswoman had been handing it over to him.

She rang it up then and there at the counter as he’d immediately put it on that empty spot on his left wrist.

Curious, you’d tried to get a better look at which one he’d picked, moving closer before he suddenly swung his right arm out, catching you around the shoulders and pulling you even closer even with the awkwardness of his crutch still under that arm.

You felt a warm kiss planted just as fast on your cheek before you could respond. The saleswoman giving you both an odd look as Peter only grinned to you. “Thanks, babe. I’ll make it up to you at some point. Promise.”

You moved slightly, not really caring about the money or the stares of any of the store staff as you still tried to get a look at the watch, grabbing his hand. “Well which one did you get?”

He let you take his hand easily, grasping his fingers around your own in return as he tilted his wrist to let you get a good view. “Check it out, digital face, but it counts seconds and hundredths of a second. And you can change it to stopwatch mode too. Also water resistant to 100 meters...though not quite sure when I’d need that.”

“Jean said the motel the others were staying at has a pool,” You commented lightly, though still looking at the bright, silver colored metal watch band and face. “Quicksilver.” You added absently, reading the model name also etched there.

He paused, “What did you say?”

“Oh, the pool? Jean said the Professor mentioned that, though he still is looking for some place less rundown-”

“No, what you said after.”

“Huh?” You glanced back up.

“Quick what?”

“Oh.” You realized, turning your hand which was still holding his so the etching would better face him as well. “That must be the model.”

He must have not even noticed until that point, also reading it then. But he pulled you in even a little closer then as he leaned his head against yours, seeming to contemplate something.

“What?” You asked.

“I think I just had a...hell, what do you call them? Epitaph?”

Your eyebrows raised, looking at him in real confusion then. “Um...like on a gravestone?”

“No, no.” He was still trying to find the word. “Dammit, when the light bulb goes off you know...like something hits you and it’s awesome!”

“Epiphany?” You questioned after another moment, though still highly unsure of where this was going.

“Yes! Totally!” He let go of your hand then, before giving an awkward high five as you hadn’t been expecting it.

But you were still thoroughly confused, even as the saleswoman had now excused herself, gladly wandering off to assist other customers. And even the store detective just coughed somewhere in the distance, finding you both no longer a theft threat as much as just just two more weird young people he was not going to ever understand.

——————————

If anyone noticed that the amount of things you rang up were visibly less than what Jean, Ororo, and Kurt had gotten, no one said anything.

Soon enough you were all back in the van again, but Peter kept admiring the watch still. The odd beep and chime going off on it every now and then as he played with its functions.

It was evident enough, that even the Professor finally looked back at him. Which Peter noticed as well just grinning. “I didn’t steal it.” He proclaimed proudly.

“I know you didn’t,” Xavier answered, but then giving you an odd look next.

You tried to smile back, but weren’t sure if this might now be the time to bring up your plan or not with the Professor’s attention on you. Yet before you could think to say anything more, Peter just added happily. “Oh, and Prof., if you do reboot the X-Men, I’m Quicksilver. So I call dibs on that, the rest of you will have to think of your own stuff. Though I’m pretty creative, I can help for maybe a small fee if you need inspiration.”

“Seriously?” You answered, just turning your head to look at Peter then.

But you were even more surprised when Xavier actually looked impressed for a moment. “Quicksilver? Hmm. An old nickname for liquid mercury. Which of course in the Roman pantheon, Mercury was also the god of trickery, thieves, and often depicted with wings on his feet as the fastest of the gods. He-”

“Uh.” Peter interrupted. “I was more thinking that my hair is silver and I’m quick. Also this badass watch (Y/N) bought me says that on it. But that god stuff is cool too I guess.”

You heard Raven about snort laughing as the Professor’s thoughtful expression quickly faded. “Fair enough.”

—————————

By the time you did reach the rental car lot, you tried to get Xavier’s attention before he could go inside the rental office with Raven. You almost jogged up to him actually, that worried about missing your chance.

Yet as you reached him, you saw him wave Raven off, telling her he would be just a moment. She only shrugged, walking ahead inside.

Before you could even open your mouth though, he just gave you another curious look. “You know, for all your worrying about this, it’s the ride home that I’m more concerned about. You realize from Washington D.C. back to New York, that’s going to be about a five hour drive all on your own.”

You don’t know why you felt any surprise. Honestly it was more of a relief though that you didn’t have to explain everything from scratch. Having a psychic as a father figure had its benefits at times, if otherwise you felt you would have difficulty communicating something.

“I promise I’ll call as soon as I get to Peter’s and again when I leave?” You offered with hope.

“I’d really feel better if you had one of the others to ride back with...” He countered, but giving a sympathetic look. “You know, of all my students, I just...you really are one of the last I’d expect to befriend him this way. And I say that with me actually being quite fond of him. Though admittedly I did think him just a pain in the arse when I first met him. I didn’t have my powers then though to see any deeper. So it wasn’t the best first impression to be honest.”

You both glanced over at Peter who now seemed preoccupied with playing with those stolen sunglasses as he just chatted with the others. He’d agreed to let you plea the case to Xavier on your own, thinking you could probably be the more sincere and convincing of the two of you.

“I think he’d really like to come to the school once everything’s rebuilt,” You added, looking back to the Professor.

“Yes, I know.” Xavier agreed. “He’s really hit it off with you all. He’s enjoyed this despite everything else. It’s nice to see, really. Though...I do still worry about the inevitably of his father returning. There will still be a lot to unpack there. And Erik may not want him at the school as much as Erik’s always disagreed with some of my worldviews.”

You frowned a little, having not thought about Magneto in quite a while now. “If he cares about Peter at all though, you’d think he’d realize it’d be better for him to be somewhere he had friends. Where he’s happy...”

“One would hope.” Xavier answered, but then looking to you once more. “You’re sure about this aren’t you? Determined to make the drive back alone?”

“I mean, if anyone tried to give me trouble, I could always use my powers.” Yet you still smirked, parroting his teaching you’d heard for years. “But still as discreetly as possible of course.”

He took a breath, that concern still not leaving his expression even as he relented. “You have come a long way since that little child I met all those years ago.”

“I wasn’t that little.” You smiled, knowing full well which day he was remembering. When you’d been sitting, feeling abandoned in that airport as your real father had been explaining again this place you were being sent to in New York. Saying he’d call you all the time once you got there, all the while you knew he never would.

That’d been the first day you’d ever met Charles. When your own family was too afraid of you, when they were far happier to have you move across the country. But Xavier had flown all the way there just to share the plane ride back to New York, with your stubborn, silent self.

Abruptly you leaned down, putting your arms around the Professor’s shoulders as you hugged him. “I’m really glad you’re okay,” You said, knowing full well how close you all had come to losing him only a few days ago.

He laughed lightly, but returned the gesture even though he was a little surprised. “Or you’re just happy to get your way. Do be careful alright? Both of you.”

“I promise. Thank you.” You smiled, really meaning it before you let go of him to stand back up.

As you did so, you could see Peter looking your way. He gave a questioning expression, then turning his thumb down then up as if to ask the results.

You smirked, nodding as him thumb went up to confirm the Professor had agreed with your plan.

“Sweet!” You heard Peter exclaim from all the way over there.

————————

Xavier had given you the phone number to the motel in New York that the others were driving to. They’d gotten another van, though thankfully a little newer than the beaten up government one they were now leaving behind.

A car had been rented for you and Peter. A blazing red thing you now leaned against as you waited for him. You’d already said your goodbyes, which were pretty brief as you expected to see the others again soon.

You were still close enough to overhear as Peter got to Scott however. It caught your attention as you’d heard Peter’s tone change.

“Hey, man...I wanted to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t get your brother out.”

It was the first time you’d heard Peter talk about that specifically with Scott. But when would have been the right time?

Yet Peter kept on pretty quickly, the awkwardness obviously still there even with that hint of guilt. “If um, if I lived closer you know, or I wasn’t in this damn thing-” He’d motioned to his cast. “I’d run up there and go to the service too. I mean, I know how important siblings are...”

Scott seemed a little taken aback himself, but shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. None of it would have happened if it wasn’t for that psycho god, whatever we want to call him. And he got his. It’s all we can do.”

You could hear the little bit of waver in Scott’s voice though, and you knew the sad reality would likely be that it still wouldn’t fully hit him that Alex was truly gone until Scott was back home with his parents, and his brother was glaringly absent.

But Peter just patted him on the shoulder before walking back to you on his crutches.

His eyes were still a bit sad, but he smiled at you as he neared you. “Well, ready for a roadtrip, babe?”

“They gave us a road atlas, so I think so.” You answered, already walking to open the passenger door for him.

“Ah, maps are for suckers.” He answered, handing you his crutches so he could sit down in the seat. “Sure, it’ll look way different going so slow, but I have an excellent sense of direction.”

“Uh huh,” You responded with a healthy bit of skepticism. “We’ll see.”

—————————

“So...we’re finally alone.” Peter said, still snacking on whatever brightly colored candy that actually was that you’d grabbed from the gas station for him.

“Sure, and going seventy miles an hour on the interstate, while I need to keep my hands on the wheel and eyes on the road to not kill us, yes.” You answered.

“It’s practically a straight line, it about drives itself.” He responded, but while just fiddling with the radio for the umpteenth time.

Every time a station went to commercial, it was clear he couldn’t handle the wait for the music to come back, only trying to find something else to listen to right away.

You finally laughed a little as he’d accidentally found some other talk show yet again.

“What?”

“I’m waiting for that dial to fall off in your hand.”

“Man, you think one of these gas stations has some cassettes or something?”

“I have no idea.”

“Hey, are you hungry yet?”

You shrugged. “I could probably eat.” The bit of food on the plane had been pretty awful. You hadn’t even finished it.

“I need to pee anyway.”

“Again?” You glanced at him. “That’s gotta be the Mountain Dew.”

“Oh yeah, that’s all gone.” He shook his empty cup, just the sound of ice jostling around in it. “I’m thinking Dr. Pepper now...and a cheeseburger. Maybe McDonalds?”

“Sure.” It really didn’t matter to you. All those fast food places were all about the same. “Golden Arches it is then...let me know if you see an exit with one and I’ll-”

“There was one.” He pointed as it went right by.

“Um...one with a little more notice please.”

“Got it. I’m on watch, captain.” He gave a little mocking salute, before pulling his sunglasses back down as if that would somehow help his focus as he stared out to all the upcoming exit signs ahead.

——————————

He was adamant about going inside to eat instead of just going through the drive thru once you did find the next McDonalds. You wondered if he was trying to stretch out your time together a little more.

Which you would have no complaints if so, now laughing as you sat at a table inside. You’d seen the odd looks an older couple had given you as they’d come in, and Peter was fairly certain it was due to his silver hair.

“I mean I could always try a mohawk, full on punk if they think this is too weird,” He commented, pulling some of the silver bangs back in front his face as he chewed on some fries. “I still think Ororo’s is badass, but I don’t know if I have the right head shape for it. What do you think?”

“What head shape is a person supposed to have?” You asked, seriously not knowing, but still smiling.

“Of course even the best hair gel doesn’t hold up too well when I run. It probably wouldn’t stay up long.”

“Uh huh.”

“Hey, are you even listening to me or just admiring the view?” He grinned in what you were sure was supposed to be his attempt at a dashing look, albeit with a little bit of ketchup still at the corner of his mouth.

“Can’t I do both?” You answered wryly, just taking another sip of your drink.

“You gonna stay for a little bit after we get to my house?” He asked abruptly then.

“Well I wasn’t planning on just throwing you in the yard and driving away. But it is a decent drive back to New York.”

“You could spend the night.”

You quieted, that warmth rising back in your chest. But you didn’t think he meant it that way. You chose to believe that anyway.

“Well it’s not like we haven’t slept together before.” He continued.

“Slept in the same bed.” You quickly corrected. “In the same bed. With clothes on.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Semantics. And it was nice, right?”

“It was.” You admitted. But that didn’t mean the chance was going to come again anytime soon. “And semantics? Really? After trying to remember the difference between epitaph and epiphany?”

“Hey! I shine every now and then. It’s not always a swing and a miss.” He gave a pretend pouting look. “Fancy private schooler picking on a poor high school dropout, come on.”

“Well, it’s not like I’ll have much reason to study anytime soon.” You admitted. “This was a really dramatic way to get out of my organic chemistry final.”

And he really did look pleased at that. “So you’ll have plenty of time to hang out with the bad influence that is Pietro once I get this cast off. You said that place had a pool right? Sounds like a party.”

—————————

Traffic hadn’t been too terrible the rest of the way. And you’d only gotten turned around a couple times, despite his self proclaimed excellent sense of direction.

Even though you knew it’d been hours, it didn’t feel that way at all. You both mostly just talking about whatever, or even when it was quiet, just listening to the music he chose.

It wasn’t all even rock music to your surprise. He seemed to like just about everything. But when you recognized a song as a favorite of your own, you did notice how his excitement grew a little. You wondered how often if at all he’d really gotten to share that love of music with anyone else.

By the time you’d gotten off the interstate again and the roads started to get smaller and smaller, you knew you must be getting close even before you started to see houses here and there.

“Hey, woah up for a second,” He said raising his hand abruptly.

You did so, but only gently pulling to a stop on the side of the street to not block any other traffic as you looked over at him.

Not that there were any other cars. You thought maybe you saw someone walking their dogs in the distance.

But he didn’t say anything for a moment, just taking his sunglasses off again as he turned his head to meet your gaze.

“What?” You asked as another song started on the radio. It was slow, but you thought you’d heard it somewhere before.

“It’s just around the corner.” He looked almost sad for a moment though, before suddenly smiling again. “My house I mean. You’re going to come inside, right?”

“Well...yeah, as long as that’s okay with your Mom anyway.” But even as you answered, a new bit of nervousness found you. What if she blamed you when she saw he’d been hurt though? Would she think you or your friends were dangerous? You’d never thought of that until this moment actually.

You blinked when you felt his hand touch your face, drawn back out of your thoughts as that song continued on in the background.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked then.

But you just tilted your head slightly in question. It’s not like he’d ever truly asked before. Though you could never really tease someone for wanting continued permission.

And was he nervous too? Knowing he was about to be home again and that this would be over, at least for the time being?

You unbuckled your seatbelt easily enough, leaning across the center console as he did the same.

The kiss was soft though as you closed your eyes. His hand moved gently behind your neck as he held you in close. It felt just as good as the times before.

But you knew there wasn’t much more either of you could do now. You both had to go home.

He was the one that finally pulled back, just looking at you contentedly for a moment before he shifted fully back into his seat.

“You know, my Mom’s going to think I’m full of shit if I say I made any friends...and more than a friend too.”

“You can call me whatever you want, whatever you’re comfortable with,” you said honestly. It’d just be easier, because you didn’t know what was right or wrong either.

Whatever happened, you were just grateful for what you’d already had. How could you not be?

—————————

The black mailbox with Maximoff lettered on the side came up soon enough as you pulled carefully into the driveway, before throwing the transmission into park and killing the ignition.

It was a neat little house, with hedges on the side of the property line and some white patio furniture you could just see up a small incline with decorative stones leading up to it.

The house was also directly across from a public green space with jogging or walking paths weaving between several trees it looked like. Which was a little amusing as you wondered if Peter ever used them.

After you’d gotten out, you rounded around the back of the car, pulling Peter’s crutches from the backseat. He’d already opened the passenger door and stood up as well, before you realized the front door of the house was also opening.

“Peter!” You heard a woman call, and you looked up to see a little bit older woman with dark blond hair now rushing down the steps.

Her arms flung around him as soon as she got close enough, holding him like that for only a moment before she pulled back away. “They wouldn’t tell me anything! Those assholes in the suits, whoever they were! They wouldn’t even tell me where you were-” She looked down, “God, your leg, are you hurt anywhere else?” But then just as quickly her eyes were on his face again, critically, “He did it, didn’t he? I told you! I told you he would hurt you and you don’t listen, this whole time I haven’t slept, do you know that!?”

“Mom!” Peter finally exclaimed, trying to get a word in, as he grabbed her shoulders. “They were CIA, I just told them to tell you I was okay. It hasn’t exactly been a breeze getting back home, this was the best I could do. And it wasn’t Dad, he didn’t-”

“Like hell! Did you see San Francisco? Did you see New York City!? Buildings ripped apart, Peter! Who else could do that!? It’s all the news can talk about, he-”

“It wasn’t just him! Would you just listen for-”

“You could have been killed!” She yelled, her voice almost echoing now off the side of the house as you just stood there still holding his crutches.

You felt entirely invisible to be honest as the two of them just continued, only focused on one another in their arguing.

It was so loud actually that you didn’t even hear someone else then walking up behind you from the park across the street. You didn’t know they were there at all before their voice was almost right beside you.

“Who are you?”

You startled at the question, turning your head to see a young woman now standing there. Her eyes were dark and guarded, the very first thing you noticed honestly as you reflexively took a step back closer to the car.

“Wanda! You’re here!” You heard Peter’s voice rise again though. “A little help here please!”

But Peter’s mother only kept on. “You leave your sister out of this! She’s not the one that ran off after a sociopath and disappeared for days!”

“He’s our father!” He yelled back.

Yet the girl with the long auburn hair kept her attention on you for another moment. “Well whoever you are, you’re probably going to regret coming here.”

You could only remain silent though after that as she just walked on to her mother and brother.

She hugged Peter abruptly, working her way between the two even in their fighting. “I knew you were alright. I could still feel you, even though Mom didn’t believe me. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t an idiot.”

Peter seemed to calm some at Wanda’s touch though, just responding. “You have no idea. I punched a god in the face. It’s a long story.”

——————————

(Continued in next chapter here.)

#peter maximoff #peter maximoff x y/n #peter maximoff x reader #peter maximoff x you #peter maximoff x oc #quicksilver xmen #quicksilver x y/n #quicksilver x you #quicksilver x reader #quicksilver x oc #quicksilver #x men #x men fanfiction #xmen #xmen fanfiction #xmen fic

[a-pile-of-kruge]

okay but can we all just relish in thoughts about post-ck kanej:

*they maintain a long-distance relationship with face-to-face encounters filled with warmth and healing* *continue to build their individual reputations as the king of ketterdam and the saint of the true sea* *while also being rumored to have an undefined sort of alliance, and being a living nightmare for the rich on all continents* *inej teaches kaz sailing and he’s terrible at it and looks like a wet cat most of the time* *but still joins her on deck whenever he can just to hear her laugh* *kaz shows inej around the silver six, and she notices all the subtle decorations honoring the crows* *inej’s parents come to visit inej sometimes* *once, in ketterdam, inej's mother gives kaz a wreath of wild geraniums* *inej convinces kaz to secure the rietveld farm, and he starts working on the grounds ever so often* *they grow older together with their friends*

*inej proposes to kaz one time when she manages to get him to sail with her all the way to ravka* *they stand in church with specht and inej’s parents as their only witnesses* *back in ketterdam, there is another ceremony, with legal papers* *with kaz leaving all his assests and property to inej in case of his death and her doing the same thing* *they don’t have an official honeymoon, but the days they spend together before another departure kaz wakes up and watches inej in her sleeping robes feed the crows outside* *and he knows for sure there is magic left in the world* *they become the godparents of nina and hanne’s first kid* *jesper gets competitive so the title extends to his and wylan’s child as well* *kaz pretends to accept both offers begrudgingly but he loves spending time with the kids, because it reminds him of the long-lost innocence and excitement for life jordie and he once held* *whenever inej sees the kids she brings them sweets and gifts from all over the sea* *as they grow older, she teaches them ways of hiding from danger and knife skills* *kaz gets involved when it comes to close combat lessons (and lockpicking)* *they both decide not to have kids for safety reasons, yet still are parents to so many* *some of the children inej saves, the ones that have the same fire in their eyes she recognizes as once glinting in her own* *those choose to stay with her, train to become bearers of freedom as well* *kids beaten half-dead in ketterdam’s streets, starving or lost* *those go with the dregs, are said to be under protection of the boss himself* *some of them kaz sends to inej when he hears their stories* *none of those kids ever forget who was kind to them* *when inej reaches the age of returning to the shores forever, she remembers her deceased parents* *how they passed their wisdom and knowledge to her* *she, too, leaves the wraith to her young proteges* *it now sails in her name, the name that still scares and inspires respect* *inej comes to lij and settles there under disguise* *the neighbors know her husband, a somber yet graceful man* *he visits at least thrice a week and occasionally brings company of both young and elderly* *eventually, he joins her permanently to help tend to the animals and watch over the growing garden* *soon, the whole ketterdam hears that kaz brekker was killed during a gang fight* *its true. but mr rietveld is well alive and milking his cow magie while his wife is pulling the weeds* *they are often seen walking over the fields, kaz leaning on his cane with one hand and holding inej by the elbow with another* *she sings songs to him, the ones that remind her of the tides and the breeze and the vanes spread* *her voice is sure and light, as is her walk*

*it is almost sixty years after the ice court heist when kaz is laying in bed, eyes half-closed* *his wrinkle-weaven hands are holding inej’s own* *he is disarmed, yet not sinking, not even floating - he thinks he’s actually on the verge of flying, of finally understanding what inej must have felt like when she walked the wire all those years ago* *he unlocks the last door in his life and turns back to look at the face of the woman before him* *the woman who had always been by his side, whose countless smiles he has earned, the woman who never tried to fix him, but helped him heal* *so kaz holds her hand one last time and enters the door* *inej lets him go* *she knows that even though this shevrati always told her he didn’t believe in anything, he once also promised he’d come for her* *she will live for him some more, and then they will be reunited* *because that’s what they do. they never stop fighting*

#kanej #six of crows #crooked kingdom #post crooked kingdom #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #kaz rietveld #soc #soc headcanon #its crying over kanej hours all over again #grishaverse #wow this has been sitting in my drafts for a while #the way i descend from the factual into the overly poetic lmao #someone teach me to write headcanons please

[000scans]

[scans] monotube magazine vol. 2 | group interview interview under cut

“For us, SEVENTEEN is everything in life, and the members are like family.” - SEVENTEEN

It’s already been five years since our debut. Our passion hasn’t cooled down, but it feels relaxing on one hand. SEVENTEEN, who are running towards their peak as an idol group, are devoted to their performance and work, and share a deep friendship thicker than blood with the members who are on the same track of the youth race. 13 members’ story about new mini-album, “Heng:garae” and talk about “us” who don’t have to be afraid, as they are not alone. 

#1 million albums sold #First Million Sellers

Joshua: I was really surprised to hear the news. I am very grateful and it’s such an honor. I thought the sales volume of the last album was high enough, but it’s amazing that it’s getting bigger. I’d like to say thank you to CARATs. I realize that we’ve grown a lot and made differences. S.Coups: I think it’s important to go farther from now on as we’ve come up so high. Until I reached this height, I was so hasty that I missed many important things. From now on, I’ll have to learn from the journey of going farther. I’m sure all the members thought the same.

#World Tour #Different scale #Different mindset

Dino: Usually for a concert, it takes around more than three hours. Now I have more strength to control myself physically. During our first Asia tour ( in 2016), I only pushed from the first to the last song. So sometimes it looked too much, sometimes it didn’t fit the mood. I think everyone is good at controlling the atmosphere and taking care of their stamina, and I think our skills have improved a lot in this regard. The8: In the past, I used to feel more nervous before going on stage, but it’s no longer awkward to communicate and make eye contact with CARATs. I’ve become more comfortable. Since more CARATs come to see us every time we perform, the more energy I get, the more I want to give.

#Debut 5th anniversary #5 years ago vs. now

Wonwoo: I think my mindset is stronger than before. There are inevitable conditions such as feeling stressed out, getting no sleep, or getting sore from dancing. But now as I think, I’ve become so mentally strong that I wonder why it was so hard in the past. Jeonghan: That’s right. There was a time when I was under as much stress as my overflowing passion. So I’ve lived with the mindset of “living like flowing water,” but after five years of [idol] activities, I’ve been through many feelings and improvement, so I changed my mind to “Live harder.” Woozi: I was so busy, I can’t remember what I was thinking at the beginning of our debut. If I did what I was told to do in my best, now I’m working more responsibly, thinking more in terms of ascending expectations on us.

#7th Mini Album #Heng:garae #Left&Right

Woozi: When we first discussed the direction of this album with our staff and members, we agreed to “write the story of youth.” I’ve been thinking a lot about how to narrate this wide topic. So I had a lot of conversations with the members and checked every detail in finishing the album. Wonwoo: I think it could be us or our CARATs that are giving a ride or riding on Heng:garae. We worked really hard to make an album that gives CARATs support and comfort. This album contains many songs and lyrics that could comfort you in various styles. Mingyu: Rather than loosening strength, I gave it significantly the opposite way. And I tried my best to make my stage presence and the emotions you can catch enjoyable. I personally really like this album. Jun: The title track “Left&Right” was a fun song that matched the summer mood. Since our group performed a lot of exciting songs such as “Very Nice”, “Mansae”, and “Adore U”, we all did a lot of image training as we wanted to make it feel different from other songs. If the previous songs were boyish and cute, “Left&Right” is more like a step forward as a grown young man. 

#Main Concept #Youth is

Mingyu: Do not hesitate what you should do when you want to do it, and rather execute it away when you have the time to think about it. Joshua: Same. To keep on actively challenging myself regardless of age. I want to do everything I want to do before my youth passes, and I think endlessly trying it out is the best way to live your youth. Vernon: To be joyful and happy. And I strongly agree with the motto that members answered - “Live Hard”. Seungkwan: Mental care. Personally, when my mental state collapsed, members helped me out to get up lightly enough and the experience made me grow my inner self and get stronger. Hoshi: I have so many things I want to do and achieve. But you can’t have everything. I have to give up partially in the things I want to do and prioritize what I have to do. If the goal is big, I must try harder, and put everything into it.

#SEVENTEEN bracelet #Theif & Heist #First collaboration

Seungkwan: It’s a bracelet that designer Francesca who oversees the Louis Vuitton jewelry line, presents through his brand “Thief & Heist.” It’s meaningful how the brand used recycled plastic to make the bracelet straps and donate their profits partially to environmental organizations. And, I was surprised to hear that the SEVENTEEN logo imprinted in the charm is silver. Mingyu: It’s a simple design, so I like it more and it’s interesting as it’s the first time for us to officially collaborate with a world-class designer. Personally, I have a lot of questions for the designer, and if I have a chance to meet her in person, I would like to use all the English I know and try my best to communicate with her. Jeonghan: It was the most cautious moment lately. It’s a structure that’s hard to take out once you wear it, so I hope you consider the size well. Vernon: I think it’s be okay if you size it up so that it’s not too tight. It’s comfortable to wear, so it won’t bother you much with the feeling that you’re wearing something on your arm.

#Who I am in SEVENTEEN #Usual Me #Gap differences

DK, Mingyu, Wonwoo, Jeonghan, Jun: There is not much gap between me and myself as SEVENTEEN. Inside and outside of the camera I am almost the same. I think it’s most comfortable to show a natural side of myself without any ornaments. Woozi: I’m actually much different than what you think. Woozi in SEVENTEEN is a solid and confident image, but the personal self is both introverted and shy. Hoshi: Me too. Other members laugh when I talk about this, but when I’m alone, I tend to be introverted and shy. There is a significant difference between Hoshi and Kwon Soonyoung. Seungkwan: As a member of SEVENTEEN, I’m full of energy and I play much role to cheer up the members. When I’m alone, I recharge myself and rest quietly.

#SEVENTEEN means to us,

The8, Vernon, Joshua: Youth itself. SEVENTEEN contains the entire process of growing up and maturing in life. Dino, Mingyu, Woozi, Jun, Wonwoo: They are like family I lived with since I was young, who can’t be parted. We ran together, and pat each other’s back when having a hard time. DK, Seungkwan, Hoshi: Spent half of our lives together, all we’ve put in. SEVENTEEN is like the armor for us. So I want to be part of SEVENTEEN for a long time. Jeonghan: Simply put, I’m here because of SEVENTEEN. If it weren’t for SEVENTEEN, I would have raised a cow with my best friend. My personality has changed a lot within SEVENTEEN, and I’m just happy to be with the members. S.Coups: Meaningful modifier, that I speak before my name. The one word that can explain me. So, SEVENTEEN is who I am.

#seventeen #svt #seventeen scans #t:scans #g:seventeen #u:ot13 #t:text #a:monotube #m:misc #so i am scribing the interviews #bc i feel like w tumblr's resizing the text will probably be small (?) #or just not load lmao either way it's convenient to have in a text format ig #was going through them and decided to edit this set as well since it's relatively straightforward lmao #the page that had all the creases i can just boost to all black #there's also another full spread but it's literally just a giant black SEVENTEEN on a red background so #prob not gonna bother with that unless someone REALLY wants to see it i promise you it isn't very interesting ajfkdla #also JEONGHAN COW FARMER #translations

[thishadoscarbuzz]

PODCAST: Mailbag Fishing in the Yemen

Happy New Year, listeners! To close out 2020, we’ve compiled all of your questions for this special mailbag episode! We kick things off by surveying the state of the current, pandemic-delayed Oscar race including First Cow’s win with New York critics. the New York Times’ 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century list, and how the sparse release calendar might affect the potential This Had Oscar Buzz Class of 2020. With Oscar history, we look back at Elia Kazan’s lifetime achievement award, the upcoming Academy museum, and the ripple effects of certain Best Actress races. We also discuss such THOB staples as Flora Plum and TIFF, decide which of the Four Realms we would be, and fancast our future blockbuster heist film starring actresses of a certain age titled Who Doesn’t Like Money?. Thank you listeners for all of your brilliant questions for the episode and all of your support in the past year!!

Links:

NYT’s 25 Greatest Actors of This Century

Subscribe:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

Google Play

Stitcher

#nutcracker and the four realms #first cow #Academy Awards #Oscars #jane fonda #oscar isaac #movies #podcast #Best Actress #Glenn Close #Renee Zellweger #jodie foster

[this-is-a-podcast-fanblog]

now that the poster is publicly revealed, time for some theories!

SO immediately upon seeing it you probably notice that IT’S PETER and damn that boy has some hips and that he’s holding a star. My immediate thought was that it wasn’t a star at all, though, maybe some kind of diamond? From the way it’s colorized, it sure looks that way. Maybe the team has to steal some priceless diamond for a heist? Or maybe the clear and shimmery coloring isn’t referring to diamonds but to... glass? Maybe he’s holding a glass star, like his alias’s name and the episode title? 

This isn’t a theory, but holy cow, this artist is really good. I keep noticing new things, even though it’s a very minimalist poster. With all the blue and red, I wonder if anything would pop out if I put on 3D glasses?

Speaking of details - why is there red on Peter’s face and chest???? Is that just a neat detail or is that blood???? Oh god is something going to happen to our boy???

Now let’s look at the circle behind him! It seems like it’s a planet, and since it’s red, your immediate assumption might be that it’s Mars. But wait, it has some wavy stripes around it - the same style as the lines across Peter. Mars doesn’t have those - but you know what planet DOES??

THAT’S RIGHT BABY, THE PLANET JUPITER HAS STRIPES LIKE THE PLANET IN THE POSTER!!!

Compare the lines on Jupiter to the lines on the planet in the poster. 

LOOKS PRETTY DAMN SIMILAR, HUH?

Jupiter = Jupeter = Sophie and Kevin want to kill us and therefore decided to use a planet that has symbolism for Juno and Peter’s ship name = the gang is going to Jupiter for their first heist. 

I have cracked the code. I know the secrets. Kneel and worship me as a god. 

and also wow wow wow this poster is amazing, everyone please go donate to the patreon so I can hear the episode sooner. 

#the penumbra podcast #juno steel #peter nureyev #theories #penumbra spoilers

[hms-chill]

The Dewey Decimal System, and Other Love Languages

Alternate Title: Love in the Time of Midterms

Summary: A few weeks into his job at the library, a patron asks Henry where to find “the gay books”, kicking off half a semester of pining.

Henry is finishing shelving a cart of large print books when his life changes forever.

"Excuse me, hi. Do you have any gay books?" The boy asking is around Henry's age. He's short, and he's dressed casually in a polo and jeans, dress shoes and backpack categorizing him as a student at the local college. Henry's brain notes that he's attractive, though Henry refuses to acknowledge that thought.

"Of course! Fiction or nonfiction?"

"Oh. I... I guess either one? I wasn't sure I'd get to pick." Henry isn't offended that this handsome college student wouldn't think there were queer books in the library. He isn't, not in the slightest, offended that he seems to think the library is stuck in the 1940s. He refuses to let the other boy see how not offended he is, and he certainly doesn't use the excuse to show off a bit and display just how many queer books the library has.

"Alright, well, for nonfiction, you're going to want the early 300s for books on gender and sexuality. I believe it's somewhere between 303 and 307, and I want to say 306, but I've only been here a couple weeks and don't know the Dewey decimal system as well as I'd like to. I don't get to shelve much nonfic. If you're looking for fiction, we don't exactly have a queer section, but I could direct you to some that I've enjoyed or heard about."

"That would be good."

"If you like Greek mythology, Madeline Miller's A Song of Achilles is very queer. So are most of Rick Riordan's books, especially his later series. If you like travel novels or adventure books, Mackenzie Lee's The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue has a bi lead, and the sequel focuses on his aro/ace sister. If you're into fantasy or fantastic realism, Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle has queer characters, and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows is a heist story with a bunch of queer characters. There's also How to Fix a Mechanical Heart, Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, and Kiss Number 8 in YA, though I haven't read those. In sci-fi, I haven't gotten around to them, but the Welcome to Night Vale novels under Fink would almost certainly have queer representation. The main character of the podcast is gay. He wrote an Alice Isn't Dead novel, too, and that podcast is about a woman looking for her wife, so I can't imagine the book would be... Sorry; this is probably more than you want." The other boy is typing furiously on his phone, brow furrowed just a bit as he tries to get everything down. The way his tongue pokes out the side of his mouth most certainly isn't the cutest thing Henry has seen all day. He has a dog, after all. David is, objectively, much cuter than a handsome boy seriously taking notes on queer fiction that Henry likes.

"This is good. It's perfect. Thank you," the boy says, still looking at his phone. He looks up a moment later, suddenly quieter, to ask, "Um, another question; do you have any books on mental health?"

"Mid or late 100s I think. They're before mythology in the 200s, but I'm not entirely sure where, sorry."

"No, don't be sorry. You're new. That's perfect. Thank you. Have a nice ga-- day. Have a nice day."

"You, too. If you need anything else, I'm working until six, and I spend a lot of time shelving in the kids room. I'd be happy to help."

"Okay. Yeah, thanks. Have a good one." With that, the boy turns to leave, and Henry finishes shelving his cart, trying to forget the other boy's smile and the way he'd furiously typed every book Henry recommended. He tries to forget the other boy's hesitation to ask about mental health books, the endearing shyness that most definitely did not tug at Henry's heartstrings. After all, there really isn't a point pining over a patron he'll never see again.

-

As it turns out, Henry does see the patron again. He's back a few days later, and Henry looks up just in time to see him dump a massive stack of books into the return slot. He smiles at Henry, making a beeline over to where he's shelving.

"Hi again, um, do you have any cookbooks?"

"Upstairs; 641."

"What the fuck. Hod do you do that?"

"We have a lot of cookbooks, and they're popular. I reshelve them a lot." It's really not that impressive of a thing to know. Some of Henry's coworkers know the Dewey decimal system forwards and backwards, but the other boy is looking at him like he's just done something incredible."

"What else do you have memorized?"

"Um, let's see. World War II is in the 940s. Current politics are in the 900s; The Meuller Report is in the 990s I think. I shelved that a lot. Mythology is in the 200s, folklore and fairy tales and stuff the late 300s. UFOs, cryptids, that kind of thing in the 90s, and computer stuff before that. Hobbies are in the 690s or 790s. Animals are 590s; sharks in particular are... 597? No. 587. I think. Airplanes 626. 808 is short stories, poems are after that and then by 811 you're into plays. Workout and health stuff is before cookbooks, so 639 or 640. Queer and gender stuff 306. Biography 900s is princess books, and 400s are foreign language. Travel is the late 800s or early 900s I think; they're in the back somewhere."

"That's incredible. I thought you said you were new. How long have you been here?" He's so impressed, and Henry isn't sure he's ever felt so proud of something so simple. The fact that this random patron is one of two people in the city to actually compliment him recently certainly doesn't help with the crush he's working hard not to develop.

"About three weeks."

"Holy sh-- cow. You're so smart. How are you this smart?"

Henry feels his face start to go red. "It's just one of those things you pick up."

"Still, it's incredible."

"Thank you. But you needed a cookbook? Any type in particular? We have a pretty large collection, so I can show you the online catalog if you want. It can give you more exact information than I can."

"Yeah, but if you teach me to use the catalogue, I won't have an excuse to come bother you." He winks, leaning against a shelf, and he really doesn't have any business looking so carefree and handsome. He came here to check things out, not get checked out. Not that Henry is doing any checking out.

"Well, I wouldn't mind if you still come bother me. It's a nice break from the monotony. The catalogue could just help for when I'm wrong or not here."

"Alright, fine. I'm not sure how much help a search is going to be, though. I doubt there's a book called What to Make When You Invite Your Family to Your College Apartment to Tell Them You're Bi." He freezes for a second, and Henry knows all too well the sudden nerves, the tense moment of waiting for a reaction.

"If you find one, let me know. I'm sure I could adapt it for being gay," he says, and the other boy relaxes. When he looks up, his smile is back, and he follows Henry to a computer catalogue.

He comes down from the cookbook section nearly an hour later, three cookbooks in his arms. He's headed for the checkout, but he turns when he sees Henry with an empty cart.

"Hey, hi. I, um, well, I found a rainbow cookbook. I'll have to change the colors and things, but I thought maybe I could do something from that? Like a layer cake with a pride flag or something? I mean, I know they'll be okay with it. At least I think they will. My... my dad's pretty catholic, but we have a family friend who's gay and my dad's done a ton to look after and fight for him. We all love him. And my best friend is bi, and they've practically adopted her so it should be okay. I don't... I don't think it'll go badly, but... sorry. This isn't part of your job."

"I don't mind. You're making a cake with a pride flag; what else are you going to make? Would it help to talk it through?"

"Sure. Yeah. I'm thinking elote, since we made that a lot growing up, and one of these has a recipe for doing it on a stovetop instead of a grill. And then I was thinking ribs, but I don't have a grill, so I thought instead I'd make some pulled pork? It's got that barbecue thing that'll go well with the elote, and it's really easy to make a lot, so I can just tell everyone at once and get it over with. And if there's extra I can freeze it."

"I think it sounds good, and it sounds like they'll be happy to support you. I can tell they mean a lot to you; you're lucky to have them. You'll have to let me know how it goes if we bump into each other again."

"I will, yeah. Thank you. You've been wonderful."

"Good luck."

The other boy smiles and goes to check out, and Henry takes his cart back to the staff room, hoping he'll get an update soon.

-

On Monday, the other boy is back, and he comes up to Henry with a giant grin.

"It went well! It was so good. My mom got a bunch of brochures about staying safe, which was awkward but it's how she shows love, and my dad didn't care, and my sister won't stop trying to get me to join tinder so she can set me up with someone. They... they love me, and they don't care that I'm bi. It doesn't matter."

Henry grins. "I'm so happy for you. That's huge."

"Thank you so much for everything. Seriously, talking to you helped a lot."

"It was the least I could do."

"No, it-- I'm trying to say thank you; just let me."

"Alright."

"Thank you for letting me talk to you about coming out. Was that so hard? You're more important to people than you give yourself credit for. Anyway, I've got to run to a thing, but I wanted to stop in and see you. And update you. And thank you. You helped."

He's gone before Henry can respond, but he's surprised to realize he can't stop smiling for the rest of his shift.

-

Over the next few weeks, Henry sees and hears a lot of the things that happen in the library. He hears a little boy complain that there's loud noises in the library, and he hears the woman with that little boy explain that by yelling, he is the loud noise in the library. Henry sees a little girl falling asleep on a parent's lap as they read to her. He sees the handsome boy from before help a fourth grader through her math homework in a tutoring session and hears him talking to a little boy about Nancy Drew. He doesn't see everything, though. He doesn't see the mystery patron re-shelve some of the books that are out of order, making Henry's job easier. He doesn't hear the other boy call his sister on his way out to gush about the cute librarian he just saw teach a mom how to find Percy Jackson books so she could teach her son. What he does get used to seeing, though, is the same cute boy, settled at a table that Henry walks past regularly.

By the time midterms roll around, Henry's gotten used to seeing the other boy in the library. On the first day of midterms week, he's already there when Henry's shift starts. Henry, who has three essays due soon and only one started, plans to stay in the library when he gets off work. If he can't find any open tables, well, it must be due to midterms. He certainly didn't avoid looking in a few less popular places in order to justify going up to the table where his mystery patron is sitting. The other boy looks up with a smile.

"Do you mind if I sit? It's full everywhere else. I swear I'll be quiet; I've just got to draft an essay."

"Not at all. Here; let me slide some stuff over. What's your essay on?"

"Identity and fluidity in Virginia Woolf's Orlando. What are you working on?"

"A study guide for the politics of international economics."

"Sounds thrilling."

"What are you writing on? A book about Florida?" and god, Henry has to fight not to laugh just a bit.

"A book about Virginia Woolf's girlfriend."

"No way. Wasn't she like... old?"

"The 1920s aren't that old; we have examples of queer folks going back to the 400s BCE. Sappho's poetry would be in either the 200s or 808 if we have any, and tons of queer folks from Julie d'Aubigny to Alexander Hamilton are in biographies."

"Maybe later. Tell me about your essay; I can't study anymore."

"Okay, so, this book is a fake biography of a person named Orlando who, halfway through, changes from a man to a woman. I'm arguing that by using water to symbolize major change, Woolf signals to readers that their sex change isn't actually a big deal in their identity. Basically, every time Orlando gets a new opportunity or something else major happens, there's water involved somehow. But when their sex changes, which at first glance is the most drastic thing that happens to them, there's no water anywhere. In fact, there's fire, and that fire is mentioned a few different times. So I'm arguing that this shows readers that gender doesn't actually have that much impact on who someone is, but it's instead just how we present to the world. Therefore, it shouldn't matter if Virginia's in love with a woman, because Vita's just another human, and this whole thing is just a massive love letter to Vita and also a screw you to everyone else, because they all knew it was about Vita and Virginia didn't care."

"Wait, people knew? People knew they were lesbians."

"Well, they were probably both bi, and Virginia was probably demi-romantic, but it's not fair to put labels on them because all of those terms are more modern than these women. But yes, people knew they were dating. Vita's mom complained that Virginia stole her daughter."

"That's incredible,"

"Portrait of a Marriage by Nigel nicholson, Vita's son, is probably upstairs in biographies. Chapter five especially goes into detail on their open relationships."

The other boy laughs at that, throwing his whole body back as he does. He has the weight of five midterms on his shoulders, but for the duration of that laugh, he is happy and free and light as a feather.

"You're amazing. I'll let you write your essay, but just know. You're incredible."

Henry pulls out his laptop and opens the file for his essay, but it's a good five minutes before he can start to actually write anything. When he's finished, he nearly asks the other boy to get dinner with him. He doesn't; he can't. He's not confident enough. Instead, he just wishes the other boy good luck on his test as he says goodbye.

-

When Henry gets to work on Wednesday, it doesn't look like his patron has moved. When Henry gets a bit of a break, he texts Pez, who responds immediately with a series of emojis. The man is an enigma, but fifteen minutes later, he's arrived with two of the cookies Henry made them the night before. Henry takes them to the table where his favorite patron sits, the eye of a storm of notes, highlighters, empty coffee cups, and granola bar wrappers.

"Hello. Sorry to bother you, but you look like you could use these," Henry says, setting the cookies on the table as he passes.

"What... thank you! Thanks."

Henry is gone before the other boy can say more, his face going red. He doesn't see the little smile that spreads across the other boy's face or the way his whole body relaxes as he bites into the first cookie. When he passes the table again, though, he does see an empty bag and a somewhat refreshed patron.

-

As midterms pass and life settles down a bit, the table where his patron sits starts to be empty occasionally. Henry tries not to miss the boy who used to sit there, surrounded by clutter and wearing adorable glasses. He must have other things happening, a life outside of class work and study sessions. Still, it's a bright spot in Henry's day to see the familiar backpack in a chair, even without his patron at the table.

He finds his patron a few minutes later, or more accurately, his patron finds him.

"Excuse me, hi. Do you happen to have any books about how to ask out the hot librarian who's super smart and puts up with my constant nagging and helped me come out to my family and brought me cookies during midterms?"

Henry freezes, then says, "If we did, I would assume the first suggestion would be to tell this person your name." He's doing his best to stay calm, but the other boy isn't making it easy. He's leaning against a bookshelf, casually, like asking to date another boy in a public place is the easiest thing in the world.

"Did I not... fuck, I-- I'm Alex. Alexander Claremont-Diaz. Sorry. Shit. Yours is on your nametag and I just kinda assumed we... sorry."

"Alex, it's nice to meet you. I'm Henry. Back to your question, if we had such a book, I would assume it would also suggest waiting until the person you want to ask out is off work. But, when he's not on the clock and can be his own person, you shouldn't have any problem. You're smart, and you're nice, and you're good looking."

"You think?"

"I do. And you didn't ask, but I get off at six, and I don't have dinner plans."

With that, Henry finishes sorting his cart and walks away to shelve it, leaving Alexander Claremont-Diaz, mystery patron, grinning behind him.

On AO3

Notes: 

To my knowledge as someone who's worked at a library for a month, the Dewey decimal numbers in this are accurate. 306 is definitely gay books, and that'll be the case at any library that uses this system. Also, the fiction books mentioned are all real and queer. Especially Orlando. - Speaking of Orlando, read it! It's so good! I'm working on the play (adapted by Sarah Ruhl, who's incredible) and I'm in love with it.

#henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry fox mountchristen windsor x alex claremont diaz #alex claremont diaz #rwrb #rwrb fic #my fic: rwrb #red white and royal blue #it's the library au #library au #FirstPrince #rwrb au

[letterboxd]

Milking It.

Peerless American filmmaker Kelly Reichardt talks to Ella Kemp about her new film, First Cow, her favorite animal performers, and getting down to the nitty gritty of things.

We’re resharing this post to mark the arrival of ‘First Cow’ on VOD. The interview took place timed to the original release of the film in March, prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

With little fuss, Kelly Reichardt has been making some of the most tender and thoughtful films about American loneliness for decades. The quietly acclaimed director, writer and film lecturer began her feature career in 1994 with River of Grass, a runaway story of a couple caught in a tragedy, and now celebrates her ten-title milestone as a filmmaker by gifting the world the peaceful and moving portrait of another pair of nomads in First Cow.

Reichardt has earned her reputation as one of the most impressive and reliable American filmmakers with knockouts including the stripped-back heartbreaker, Wendy and Lucy and the stunning portrait of feminine isolation and frustration, Certain Women. There is always a common thread—and there is often Michelle Williams—but then, also, each film is a rich, vivid new tale that feels like it belongs to you and no one else.

Based on the 2004 novel The Half-Life, written by Reichardt’s frequent collaborator Jonathan Raymond, First Cow has been coming together for over a decade, and feels like the culmination of Reichardt’s finest skills and sensibilities. The story follows Cookie (John Magaro) a taciturn cook travelling alongside fur trappers in 19th-century Oregon, whose ambition comes into focus when he meets King Lu (Orion Lee), a Chinese immigrant. Together, they develop not only an essential friendship, but also a delicious business model, which involves slyly stealing milk from a cow owned by a wealthy landowner. It’s a film of subtle gestures, of deeply tender attentions, with a sharp eye across endless landscapes, and already has devoted fans on Letterboxd.

“I have never felt so well cared for by a movie,” writes Liz Shannon Miller in her Letterboxd review. Zachary Panozzo appreciates the way the film tackles American capitalism as a system, writing that “First Cow, in the most pleasant and honest way, calls bullshit on that.” And Phil Wiedenheft observes: “It feels—like all her work—so simple and elegant that it’s a wonder how [many] histrionics so many other filmmakers have to perform to end up saying less.” And, everyone wants those butter-honey biscuits.

First Cow premiered at the Telluride Film Festival last year and went on to the New York Film Festival shortly after, before impressing European audiences last month in competition at the 2020 Berlinale.

Sharing memories of the writers who shaped her movies, the first film that proved that cinema could show a different view of the world, and the greatest animal performers of all time, Reichardt chats with our London correspondent, Ella Kemp.

Orion Lee as King-Lu and John Magaro as Cookie in ‘First Cow’.

How did you choose where to strip The Half-Life back, to get to a film-sized story? Kelly Reichardt: The novel goes through four decades and they sail to China, so it was way outside the realm of what we could do. It also has a contemporary thread, and that just became a prologue and we settled into the 1820s. We found the main mechanism, the cow, which doesn’t exist in the novel—in the novel they’re selling the oil from beaver glands to China. So once we had the narrative element of the cow, we could work our own way into the script while still using a lot of the themes and stories from John’s novel. And the other thing John did, which was great, was to combine two characters from the novel. King Lu is actually a fusion of two people in the novel.

On paper, First Cow might seem like a straightforward Western but in practice it feels much softer. How do you see it in terms of genre? I didn’t feel any limits by a genre, and I wasn’t really thinking of it as a ‘big W’ Western. I actually see it as a heist film if anything. When I made Meek’s Cutoff, we were dealing with bonnets and wagons and the desert and people crossing West. That felt like having to deal with the whole history of the Western while we set up the camera, but I didn’t feel like that at all here. I just felt like we were telling an intimate story about two people. We were in the minutiae of trying to find out as much as we could about the Multnomah tribes that lived on the Columbia river, and we had fashioned Toby Jones’ character—the Chief Factor—after John McLoughlin in the [retail business group] Hudson’s Bay Company. It was more about researching the beaver trade and definitely taking artistic liberties, while also really trying to stay pretty true in the details to the period. It was such a little world we were building, I didn’t really have the feeling that I was confined in a genre at all.

Kelly Reichardt. / Photo by Jens Koch courtesy Berlinale

You work with outdoor landscapes a lot, particularly in Oregon. There are similarities with Meek’s Cutoff but also with Wendy and Lucy—the nomadic loners, the animal companion… What keeps you coming back to these places? I’ve actually worked outdoors much more than I’ve worked indoors. It’s really the indoors which was really fun to shoot here, because with Tony Gasparro, who was the production designer on First Cow, he and I were able to design these cottages and interiors and build around what [we] wanted to shoot, which is really great and a first for me. But outdoors is where I’m usually mostly shooting. It was recognizable to me at different points in the film that we were recalling Old Joy and Meek’s Cutoff and Wendy and Lucy. It was like the ‘Best Of’ of my movies.

There were some echoes of the other films for sure. It’s interesting to think how that’s happened. Because really, John’s novel The Half-Life is the first thing I ever read of his, and I wrote to him asking if he had any short stories—because I knew the novel was too big back in 2004—and he sent me Old Joy, the short story, which became the first thing we did together. But in between all that we’d been musing together for a decade, whenever there’s a lull in whatever we’re working on, we’d ask ourselves how we could do The Half-Life. It’s been cooking on the back burner for a long time, so maybe it’s bled into other films along the way.

Would you ever consider working in the city? I’m definitely ready to do something contemporary. It could be anything. I will just say on the practical side I do enjoy going away with a crew and feeling somewhat off the grid while making a film, separate from everyday life. When you say a city, I immediately think of New York. Never say never, but it’s just the practicalities of it… even if you can hire the crew you want, it doesn’t jump out at me as the most inviting thing.

In First Cow, your central characters are two men. Did you encounter different things in delving into male psychology after shaping so many rich female characters across your filmography? I don’t think of it in terms of gender, more in terms of personality. Maile Meloy’s short stories that I was working off for Certain Women focus on isolated women, a theme in some of her writing. But it’s really more about getting down to details on all levels of filmmaking for me. You have at some point the bigger picture, but I like to get down to the nitty gritty of things, in the story I’m telling and the people I’m making the story about and not worry about what gender anybody is. It’s more about who are these characters. A big draw to The Half-Life was that the Cookie character was so great. King Lu was totally fascinating as well. So it was more about keeping track of what they wanted, what they were to each other in the minute-by-minute, more even than in the big sense.

Lucy, the very good girl in Reichardt’s ‘Old Joy’.

Evie, the titular cow, is a terrific performer. What is your favorite animal performance on film? Oh god… Lucy! My own beautiful dog in Old Joy (2006), actually. No, of course there’s others. The animal that probably made the biggest impression on me as a kid was in Mike Nichols’ The Day of the Dolphin (1973). That dolphin was everything. You’re always afraid the animals are going to come to some demise. There’s [Vincente] Minnelli’s Home from the Hill (1960), which has the tragic hunting dog there. But it’s such a beautiful film. Whenever a film is named after the animal, you know it’s bad news for the animal.

Do you have a favorite film to teach your students? I’ve been teaching since 1998 so I wouldn’t call anything a favorite, but one film I’ve used in a sound class a lot is the opening scene of McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), where we’re just listening to the sound, and we turn off the image and the students describe the space. And so by doing that over the years I have René Auberjonois’ voice so firmly planted in my head, as he’s the bartender in the opening scene. I had the great pleasure of working with him on Certain Women and we wrote a little part for him [in] First Cow where he’s the cranky guy in town with the raven.

What is the film that made you want to be a filmmaker? When I was a kid and I saw Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) on TV, and there was a scene on a beach at night that happened in black and white. It was the first time I’d seen the ocean in black and white—I grew up in Miami. It was the first time I became aware that people could do something as far as film went. I think when I was in art school, Stranger Than Paradise (1984) came out, and it probably opened the door to a lot of people’s minds—like a lot of people who saw the first band who played their own music and not cover tunes, like, ‘maybe I could tell my own story on film’. It made something seem possible, for myself anyway.

‘First Cow’ is in US cinemas now. An international release is yet to be confirmed. Kelly Reichardt’s films ‘First Cow’ and ‘Wendy and Lucy’ feature in Letterboxd’s Official Top 100 Narrative Feature Films Directed by Women.

#kelly reichardt #first cow #american film #american cinema #capitalism #animal performers #hollywood animals #female filmmakers #directed by women #52 films by women #female director #letterboxd #interview #q&a

[marysunshine23]

My Handy Dandy Role Play List!

Disclaimers:

Due to my PTSD I do not do erotic RP's. If you have a problem with that, then you don't have to play with me.

95% of the time I play female. But I will play gay guys. And I never play dom. Sorry.

Please Note:

I do not bump on this forum. Anytime I post, it's to update on what RP's I'm craving. Just because I'm craving something does not mean I will not accept requests for other things. Feel free to ask.

If you want to play your OC and pair them with another character, I'm willing to play your love interest if you're willing to play mine.

I don't usually expect things to be 100% accurate; not to the fandom plot, not to historical facts, and often not even to "expected behavior". Depending on the character of which I'm asking you to play, the level of accuracy is going to vary (like, for real, what are the chances of Haruka breaking up with Michiru?) So you don't have to worry about that.

I have added the "Character" section where there are characters I'm willing to play but I don't have a set pairing for them. Please feel free to ask about them.

While I do not do RP’s through Tumblr, I’m on Inner Sanctum, Black Dahlia, Gaia Online, Elliquiy, WritingHomeRPG, and Discord (MarySunshine23#6021).

Some of the pairings I've put a link to the profile of who I plan on playing. The pairings that are underlined are the ones I'm almost always in the mood for, so the answer to that is yes 95% of the time. Key: Title (YouxMe) ~Fandom~

Arcana (Asra x OC)

Aggretsuko (Haida x OC) (Tadano x OC)

A Heist with Markiplier (Yancy x OC)

Among Us (Imposter x Crewmate)

Beastars (Louis x OC)

Black Butler (Alois x OC)****** (Undertaker x OC) (Grell x OC)

Carole & Tuesday (Cybelle x OC)

Danganronpa (Nagito x OC) (V3 Male x OC)***

Death Note (Mello x OC) (Near x OC)

Doki Doki Literature Club! (Protagonist x Sayori) (PM for other idea)

Don't Starve (Wes x OC)

DRAMAtical Murder (Main Male x OC)

DRRR! (Izaya x OC) (Masaomi x OC)

Fruits Basket (Ayame x OC) (Akito x OC) (Momiji x OC)******

Fullmetal Alchemist (Edward x OC)******

GANGSTA. (Worick x OC)

Gorillaz (2-D x OC)

Harry Potter (Draco x OC)******

Hazbin Hotel (Angel Dust x OC)

Helluva Boss (Stolas x Blitzo x OC)

Mononoke (Medicine Seller x OC)

My Candy Love (Lysander x OC) (Nathaniel x OC)******

My Hero Academia (Bakugo x OC)

OFF (Zacharie x OC)

The Outsiders (Johnny x OC)******

Pokemon (Ilima x OC) (Raihan x OC)

Sailor Moon (Uranus x OC) (Star Fighter x OC)******

Sally Face (Sal x OC)******

SK8 the Infinity (Kaoru Sakurayashiki x OC) (Langa Hasegawa x OC)

Smile for Me (Dr. Habit x OC)

Soul Eater (Soul x OC) (Crona x OC)

South Park (Kenny x OC)*****

Squid Game (OC x OC)

Tokyo Ghoul (Uta x OC)*

Undertale (Sans x OC)

Wadanohara and the Deep Blue Sea (Fukami x OC)

Your Boyfriend (Peter x OC)

Yuri!!! on Ice (Viktor x OC)

~Period/Historic~

Ancient China (Emperor x Concubine)**

~Characters~

Fortune Teller

Ganguro/Kogal

Cowgirl (Western)****

Halfling

Nonbinary Young Adult*******

Internet Influencer

Maid

Medical Technician

* I am not caught up on Tokyo Ghoul, I've only seen the first season. And sadly, gore freaks me out. ** This idea is inspired by the gaming app Royal Chaos. If you have questions, let me know. *** I'm a little more open to suggestions for that particular paring, but there are some V3 guys I'll absolutely say no to. **** Not an anthropomorphic Cow Female, she's from West of Loathing ******Everyone would be aged up to the appropriate age. E V E R Y O N E. ******* I'm not an expert on Nonbinary people, so please don't critique me to harshly on this. I had an idea and I went with it.

#the arcana #aggretsuko #a heist with markiplier #black butler #carole and tuesday #danganronpa #death note #doki doki literature club #don't starve #dramatical murder #durarara #fruits basket #fullmetal alchemist #gangsta manga #harry potter #hazbin hotel #mononoke #my candy love #off game #the outsiders #pokemon #sailor moon #sally face #soul eater #south park #tokyo ghoul #undertale #yuri on ice #royal chaos #about ocs

[muthaz-rapapa]

Possible Precure Concept # 4

Phantom Thieves

As promised, here it is.

The idea popped into my head a few months ago. Can’t remember whether or not Yuni made her first appearance at that point yet but whatever.

So! Picture it. A Precure team completely composed of kaitou who go about purifying corrupted artwork/valuable treasure and fighting villains aiming to “taint” the world in desolate colors or something like that (is that too Smile-like? that’s too much like Smile, isn’t it?).

No, you are not wrong. It takes inspiration straight from Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Saint Tail and maybe even a little bit of Persona 5 even though I’ve only watched like the first 6 episodes of the adaptation and never played the game (I can see why it’s so popular, though).

Anyways, I just thought it’d be cool to see Precure’s take on this concept. I wasn’t even deterred when StarPre brought out Blue Cat because it’s not like Toei doesn’t recycle stuff from past seasons.

However, there are several things I believe that can keep it off the consideration table. Like...

1) The one or two people who think it might suggest to kids to become criminals.

......Honestly? Honestly, if you steal only from the dirty rich, then I am absolutely FINE with that. Seriously, have your fun and EAT THE RICH!!

Ok, j/k, j/k except not really but the thing with phantom thieves (besides the fact that they are largely fictional) is that...there’s a sense of romanticism that sets them apart from other types of outlaws. At least the ones I came across, they mostly use trickery and cunning (and their charm) but rarely do they ever resort to violence or worse to get the job done.

And in some cases, the thief may have a noble motive for committing the crimes (like how Yuni did it to reclaim the resources for her home planet but donated everything else to the poor). I think that’s why phantom thieves are so compatible with the magical girl genre.

Because you know the MC is actually a good person performing a heroic deed but at the same time they’re operating well outside of what’s legal. And that’s what makes the story all the more thrilling to follow.

You want them to escape the police. You want them to steal the target. You want them to succeed because at the end of the day, they are not the villain.

That’s exciting, isn’t it? :D

...but hey, y’know...if the writers are afraid of the wrath of a few individuals who take a children’s anime way too seriously then that’s their call. :P

Pretty sure there’s no one that paranoid though...maybe... I dunno.

In any case, we can all agree it’s an interesting pitch, yea?

Yea. Next concern then.

2) It’s already been done.

On top of that, old favorites like KKJ and Saint Tail have the edge of nostalgia supporting them which will inevitably lead to the silly argument of “who did it better”.

Not that that’s ever stopped us before. I mean, look at KiraPre. At the start of its run, it drew tons of comparison with Tokyo Mew Mew but still became a very successful and beloved season among Precure fans.

So really, there is no issue there (in fact, the more magical phantom thieves, the merrier) because the story is likely always going to be different.

Which brings me to my next point...

3) Narrative

Among the majority (or perhaps, the more traditional?) of magical girl series, the plot is usually “normal girl obtains magical powers to fight evil and save the world”.

The plot is simple. The story isn’t.

The story is how you tell the plot.

Which makes comparisons between different series almost kinda pointless because no story progresses the same way as another does nor would they have details that are exactly alike.

Especially if Toei one day decides that it wants to take a shot at this idea for their cash cow franchise, then they already have a striking appeal the two aforementioned titles don’t: a team of phantom thieves.

Granted, that’s easier said than done.

Even though I’m proposing it, I can’t deny it might be hard to pull off well.

I dunno. I’m always under the impression that phantom thieves work better alone (their non-action accomplices aside). Less things to worry about on their end, less things to trip them up.

But why not take on the challenge? If you can manage to get a bunch of colorful personalities and/or headstrong egos to cooperate on big “heists” together, that would be pretty impressive.

Plus, let’s not forget that Toei has 16+ years of trumpeting the magic of “friendship and teamwork” under their belt with 50-so episodes spanning each year-long season to boot. Planning and writing fleshed-out character arcs and group development should be their forte by now.

Admittedly, they’re not always perfect at it but the point is, this is not unfamiliar territory for them.

Of course, there’s a lot more to a story than just its main cast and what razzle dazzle effects they can do. You also need good supporting characters, antagonists worth our attention, interesting (and in this case, clever) one-shot fillers, the usual one or two unexpected twists and perhaps most importantly, a solid narrative theme to work with.

“Phantom thieves” are a motif, not a narrative theme.

A motif is something that helps explains the theme (or message) the show wants to convey.

Like “hope versus despair”, loneliness, love (this one’s been broadly overused but yea, it is one), etc. Those are all themes.

Unfortunately, I can’t think of a theme that would correspond well to “phantom thieves” as motif at the moment.

Hmmm…maybe “justice”?

But what the heck, I’m not part of the writing staff. This is their job to think up, not mine! xP

…still, I think it’ll require a good amount of brainstorming if you really want it to turn out good.

Um…what else?

I guess, just smaller things like whether to use “Cure ______” or “Kaitou _____” because a stock trait of phantom thieves series is that they like to announce themselves as “Phantom Thief so-and-so”…so I’m wondering if the Cure title will even matter?

It feels less like a Precure show if the girls don’t actually call themselves “Cures”, doesn’t it?

Uuuuuuhhhhh…oh yea!

For every phantom thief, there is usually always a detective chasing after them and maybe even a rival thief that comes in later during the story.

I think it’d be a fascinating twist if the detective was a girl in the same class as the starter Cure(s) who ends up befriending said Cure(s) not knowing she’s (they’re) the same as the thief(s) she’s trying to catch. Then the reveal happens at the worse timing (ep 30ish) but she makes the decision to protect the Cure(s)…by becoming a Cure herself…and you can guess at what happens next but it’s pretty predictable. She comes to terms with it and drops her day job to become a magical girl and steal for the sake of good.

..Yea.

As for the rival part, I’m still really pushing for opposing Precure teams. Ideally, a two-against-two scenario where they (maybe one-sidedly) compete to see who can purify the most monsters until circumstances push them to see they’re better working together.

…lol, I dunno. It may not work with the principles of Precure in general but I’m just having a lot of fun right now thinking all this up. xD;

So yea, that’s another big one to add to my Precure wishlist.

If it becomes reality someday, I’ll…well, I’ll definitely not stop screaming for the next five years, that’s for sure. xDD;;;

#jfc tumblr ate my post up like more than 5 times! #do your job staff! D:< #precure #precure concepts #precure concept post collection

[guardianreadersofthegalaxy]

Doctor Who episode titles with one letter removed (Series 8)

Dee Breath - Comedian Jack Dee gets a serious talking to about his dental hygiene

Into The Dale - Dale Winton needs a coloscopy

Tim Heist - Tim (poor Tim) goes all in on one last job to get his life back on track. It doesn’t work out...

The Car Taker - The Doctor gets a job operating a tow truck

Kill The Moo - The cow uprising has gone on long enough. We’re taking our planet back!

Flat Lin - The Doctor accidentally drops a piano onto Lin Manuel Miranda

#doctor who #doctor who series 8 #doctor who season 8 #peter capaldi #jenna coleman #bbc #one letter removed #my post #steven moffat

[meshkol]

Title: A Quick Adjustment

Pairings/Relationships: Gen (Tony & Nebula)

Warnings/Rating: General Audiences

Summary: Tony has a quick adjustment to make on Nebula before they go on their Time Heist, just in the nick of time.

Notes: As usual, unbeta'd af. Fix-it #4 for that shitshow called Endgame. Y’know, because this is a glaring plot hole and Nebula or Tony would’ve pointed out the network issue. Also, I’m still mad. Fuck Marvel Studios.

###

“Hold up,” she hears from behind her, right as she’s stepping up onto the platform.

Nebula pauses, everyone before and behind her following suit, and they all simultaneously look at Tony, who looks like he’s swallowed a lemon. “What is it?” she hears Rogers say from his position, hands cocked on his hips and looking earnestly concerned. He generally always looks like that with Tony, she’s noticed, and from what she’s heard and read and seen from those two, it’s reminiscent of her own experiences with Gamora: too much distrust and self-internalised anger with a nice load of fear into the mix, leading to a turbulent relationship that had hurt and hurt and hurt until it had finally developed into some kind of shaky, but earnest peace.

Nebula doesn’t really know Rogers that well – her own research as well as Tony’s reactions to him from the moment they’d landed on Terran soil have coloured her own regard, and she’s not easily trusting anyway, so she’s always avoided him just so she didn’t kill him in second-hand revenge – but it’s been glaringly obvious that Rogers has been trying hard to bridge the gap. He really does remind her of Gamora, all perfect and favoured and unstoppable, but clearly reaching for common ground and affection regardless.

Tony doesn’t bother answering Rogers’ question, instead reaching out and putting a hand on Nebula’s shoulder. She’s used to his casual affection and absent touches from him now but she still jumps, instinctively trying to protect herself out of long-ingrained fear of abuse; he ignores it though, just like he always does, and like always, she’s appreciative that he’s not making a big deal about her weakness. He frowns and asks her directly without removing the hand, “You’re tapped into the network, yeah?”

Nebula narrows her eyes, unsure as to why he’s asking such an obvious question, and despite the reluctance of talking in front of all these freaks, she replies, “You know this – you’ve done my repair work.”

His frown deepens, and then he says with mock cheerfulness, “Well, looks we’re gonna have to delay this pow-wow for a few minutes while I fix something.  Sit tight, everyone, and let me work my magic.”

“What’s going on, Tony?” asks Banner, even as Tony’s pulling her back down the platform until he’s guiding her to sit on a metal box full of spare parts and equipment.

Tony moves behind her and prods at the port in the back of Nebula’s head as he answers, “Well, she’s connected to wireless transmission signals, being a magnificent cyborg of Thanos-killing proportions—” Nebula’s lips quirk, feeling that same odd burst of warmth when he talks to her like she’s perfect just the way she is, and it’s not even facetious. He genuinely believes it, especially now that he’s upgraded her multiple times, and not even Gamora had given her that acceptance. Once again, she vows to annihilate anyone who so much as looks at Tony Stark wrong, and clenches her fists in an attempt to bleed out some of the energy and anger. “—but she’s primarily hooked into Thanos’s transmissions.”

Oh, she thinks, and fights down the urge to shudder at the implications.

She doesn’t flinch when he plugs something into her head and starts fiddling with her circuitry, and listens intently as he goes on in an absent ramble, “So, obviously, we know that Thanos is gonna send Gamora to Morag, which means that she’ll be in range of his deep space transmissions. Last thing we need right now is for him to catch wind that there’s another Nebula and hijacking her or something.”

“Damn,” Clint says, whistling through his teeth, and Nebula snorts. It’s always a bit annoying that they don’t see Tony the way she sees him, but she’s always liked Clint. They get along pretty well, the short time they’ve known each other, and they’re pretty similar in a lot of ways: unwilling to trust easily, quickly angered despite knowing better and regretting it afterwards, and a chip on their shoulder a star system wide, not to mention the burning need for vengeance against Thanos.

Tony does something that makes Nebula’s entire body twitch, eyes flashing with white before it stabilises, and then he shuts the doors on her head with a pat and squeeze of her shoulder. “All good over here. Closed down her wireless systems and putter on a closed-circuit that’s localised on private Avengers comms. I’ll switch you back on when we’re back. Feeling alright?”

“Yes,” she says shortly, standing up, and together they join the others, ready to take that last step to victory and vengeance.

###

They stabilise Bruce as the reports start coming in and phone calls are made.

Tony arranges so many things simultaneously – quinjet for Clint, Rogers’ means to return the stones, the rides for everyone commuting back to see loved ones, another quinjet for some stranger named May to head upstate, the Benatar being enlarged for the Guardians after they talk to the wizard about the Soul Realm,an entire medical team from some far-away place to assist Banner on ‘healing fast’, so many things, working and working and working so hard to help everyone even though no one even thinks to help him too. Nebula tries, even though she knows that the other Guardians are watching her both incredulously – she’s not the helping type – and impatiently – Strange had confirmed that the stones couldn’t be destroyed, only dispersed, else the entire universe would have fractured and imploded, which means that they needed to get the Soul Stone again so they could save Gamora and Romanoff from the Soul Realm. There’s not really a lot she can do, but she does all she can, from calling Pepper and Morgan (she would die for either one of them too) and making sure he eats something. He always smiles at her, and she wonders if this is what having a father is supposed to feel like. It’s not like she has good experiences with the being who stole her from her home planet, after all, and she hadn’t known her biological father before that.

“You leaving me already, Major Kusanagi?” he says when he has a lull to himself, sitting down and tearing into the dead cow thing that she’d managed to muster up. She’s not a person who cooks, and she hadn’t known how to ‘order in’, so she figures it’s a terrible excuse for a ‘cheeseburger’, but he had talked about them enough on the Benatar when they’d both been starving, and she knows it’s his favourite thing. He doesn’t seem bothered by it, eating it with gusto, and she’s—she’s happy she can do this little thing, when he’s done so much for her without an iota of fear or pity or disappointment or ultimatums.

She would burn the universe down for him, no doubt about it.

“Yes,” she says, looking at her fingers, her left arm shiny and new now that he’s repaired her (just another thing he’s done in the past twelve hours since Banner’s snap), and continues hesitantly, “Thank you. For everything.”

“You need anything, and I’ll be here to lend a hand,” he replies quietly, grasping her forearm with the hand that isn’t holding the charred, lumpy thing she’d cooked for him. “You’re family now, and you’re always welcome back here on this little blue planet if and when you want.” He pauses for a second, and then says so quietly it’s almost a whisper, “You’re an amazing person, Nebula, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. You’re perfect, and fuck anyone who says otherwise. Send ‘em to me and I’ll piss on the bits you leave behind, okay?”

Nebula feels such an intense burst of fierce, surprising love that she swallows her natural aversion and nerves so she can pull him into an awkward, stilting hug. He doesn’t even freeze or tense up, simply hugs her back, and she all but melts into this odd, Terran custom that’s...nicer than she would’ve expected.

She pulls away with a huff, refusing to make eye contact out of embarrassment and self-irritation, and he laughs as he pats her on the shoulder, giving her a wink as he swallows the last bite of the atrocity she’d made.

She turns on her heel and walks away without looking back, knowing that the next time she sees Tony Stark, she’ll be bringing Romanoff home where she belongs.

They have all the time in the world now.

###

Also read on ao3.

#tony stark #nebula #fix-it #post-avengers endgame #gen #fuck marvel studios #still mad #rowan writes #mcu #marvel

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 11 March 2019

Quick Bits:

Age of Conan: Bêlit #1 expands Marvel’s Conan franchise further with the beginning of this limited series featuring the early days of the notorious pirate Queen of the Black Coast. Tini Howard, Kate Niemczyk, Jason Keith, and Travis Lanham deliver a compelling story setting up the tragedy of Bêlit’s early life and her one-track mind for adventure on the high seas.

| Published by Marvel

Amazing Spider-Man #17, after two preludes (one branded, one not) and a simmering sub-plot of Taskmaster and Black Ant kidnapping the villains running for months, finally gives us part one of “Hunted” from Nick Spencer, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Joe Caramagna. And it’s essentially more set-up. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still great, building anticipation for the hunt to really start in earnest, but it’s a slow build.

| Published by Marvel

Animosity #19 starts trying to pick up the pieces after the fall of the Walled City. There’s some very interesting questions raised regarding survival and existence from Marguerite Bennett in this one, as both the animals and humans try to figure out a way to bridge the divide.

| Published by AfterShock

Asgardians of the Galaxy #7 concludes this arc with Sera and the Ravagers, as they team up to help refugees and Ego, the Living Planet. I still think it’s weird to see essentially the movie version of Yondu in present day 616 continuity, but Cullen Bunn keeps this fun. I suspect that Sera/Angela fans will still be disappointed, though.

| Published by Marvel

Assassin Nation #1 is the exciting debut of this action thriller, somewhat in the vein of Skybound’s other title Die!Die!Die! mixing elements of extreme violence, action, and a bit of humour, from Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson, and Deron Bennett. It’s a damn good set up, immersing us into a world of assassins jockeying for a number one spot, screwing one another over and turning on them for the highest bidder, with two interesting hooks of “Chekhov’s Gun” trying to figure out who’s trying to kill him and Bishop searching for who killed his husband. Phenomenal art from Henderson, with some very inventive death sequences.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Avengers: No Road Home #5 takes it up another notch as the Avengers continue to battle against Nyx and her children, this time narrated by Scarlet Witch. The fight on Nightmare’s front gets particularly interesting as we see how scary Hulk has really become, along with a humorous fight between Hawkeyes. Sean Izaakse and Marcio Menyz really turn in some incredible artwork here. And the final scene is pretty savage.

| Published by Marvel

The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight #1 isn’t something I was going to pick up, but I saw some gushing about it from people I trust and decided on a last minute purchase. Like the rest of the Batman Who Laughs mini-series, this is dark, giving us a “Batman” who picked up the gun that was used to murder his parents, and, though technically proficient, isn’t really for me. What I do really appreciate, though, is the artwork from Eduardo Risso and Dave Stewart. It is gorgeous, with Risso continuing to explore some of the softer, painted style that he’s used in Moonshine and Hit-Girl. It really is worth the price of admission.

| Published by DC Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3 continues to be one of my favourite comics each month. Jordie Bellaire, Dan Mora, Raúl Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire are presenting a story here that so perfectly captures the spirit and fun of the television series, while also just being a great original tale. It’s fun to see the old faces in new situations, but it’s also an enjoyable story in its own right, introducing us to the characters and tossing them into the chaos.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

By Night #9 gives us Jane’s mom’s history with Charlesco and more or less the origin of the portal and the experiment. It’s particularly interesting as John Allison, Christine Larsen, Sarah Stern, and Jim Campbell tell the story in the visual style of an early ‘90s comic. There’s even a nice little nod to the Marvel Bullpen in there.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

Calamity Kate #1 introduces us to Kate, Vera, Jade and a world of monster hunting in this debut from Magdalene Visaggio, Corin Howell, Valentina Pinto, and Zakk Saam. Between this, The Girl in the Bay, and the forthcoming Dark Red, I’m loving the higher profile that Howell is carving for herself. She’s a great artist with excellent versatility.

| Published by Dark Horse

Catwoman #9 is a fill-in issue from Ram V, John Timms, and Josh Reed that’s one part revenge tale and one part heist, resulting overall in one hell of a good single issue. There’s a nice sense of rhythm and pacing to the story that fits with the theme of the heist, with some great artwork.

| Published by DC Comics

Cover #6 brings what has been one of the most unique, ambitious, and inventive uses of the comics medium I’ve seen in a long time to a close, with a bit of conversation and some gorgeous art from Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Zu Orzu, and Carlos M. Mangual. It get even more meta this issue, along with the usual multi-layered storytelling that delves into the comics world.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Cyber Force #9 more or less completes the gathering of the team, presenting a bit of a quiet moment to collect themselves before setting up a confrontation with Cyberdata. There’s some interesting soul-searching between Dominique and Ripclaw on whether or not with the change they’re still them. And, as usual, the art from Atilio Rojo is pretty much worth the price of admission on its own.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

The Empty Man #5 has some gorgeous artwork by Jesús Hervás and Niko Guardia, especially among the repeating cycles of the opening and closing scenes.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

The Flash #66 brings back the single issue Rogue profile format for an origin story of the original Trickster, James Jesse, from Joshua Williamson, Scott Kolins, Luis Guerrero, and Steve Wands. Great art from Kolins and Guerrero.

| Published by DC Comics

The Freeze #4 concludes the first arc, with a very satisfying reveal of the serial killer and confirmation on a few other ongoing plot threads that nicely serve as a hook for future arcs. I’m really enjoying this one. Dan Wickline, Phillip Sevy, and Troy Peteri are telling a very compelling story here about essentially rebuilding society from a very different form of cataclysm, with some wonderful character-building and enough intrigue to keep you on your toes.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Grimm Tales of Terror #13 is one of the better recent issues, with Joe Brusha, Umberto Giampà, Fran Gamboa, JC Ruiz, and Fabio Amelia diving into the story of a true crime writer investigating a serial killer in Detroit utilizing the signatures of other famous serial killers. There are a few really nice twists throughout the tale.

| Published by Zenescope

Gunning for Hits #3 throws a few wrinkles into Martin’s plans for Stunted Growth and Brian Slade as Slade’s bodyguard, “Mr. Gladstone”, causes problems while trying to extort Martin. This continues to be a dense, but satisfying, read every month. It feels like Jeff Rougvie, Moritat, and Casey Silver are just packing in as much content as they possibly can.

| Published by Image

Hawkman #10 features a larger than life confrontation between Hawkman and Idamm. Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Jeremiah Skipper deliver nicely on that widescreen epic feel of the assault on London.

| Published by DC Comics

Hit-Girl Season 2 #2 gets up close and personal with the uglier side of Hollywood as Kevin Smith, Pernille Ørum, Sunny Gho, and Clem Robins continue their arc featuring the adaptation of Hit-Girl’s side of the story from Kick-Ass by the film industry. Things get a little complicated.

| Published by Image

House Amok #5 concludes what has been an excellent, mind-bending series exploring truth and delusion and the power of family, from Christopher Sebela, Shawn McManus, Lee Loughridge, and Neil Uyetake. This finale doesn’t give any easy answers and actually raises a few more questions, all with some gorgeous artwork from McManus and Loughridge.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

James Bond: Origin #7 begins “Russian Ruse” with Ibrahim Moustafa and Roman Stevens taking over art duties, joining Jeff Parker and Simon Bowland in this tale of essentially piracy in the Barents Sea. Nice set up of the Russians’ duplicity here and an inept Commander not listening to Bond’s observations.

| Published by Dynamite

Justice League Dark #9 unleashes the Lords of Order against pretty much everyone, causing death and destruction as they try to “cleanse” reality of the chaos they think infests it. Between them and the Otherkind, things aren’t looking particularly cheery for existence. Incredible artwork from Alvaro Martínez Bueno, Miguel Mendonça, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson.

| Published by DC Comics

Little Bird #1 is an experience. Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar launch a dystopian future where a theocratic America seems to rule with an iron fist and a pocket resistance holds out in the Canadian Rockies. There’s a bit of a feel of Akira here, and Grendel: God and the Devil, maybe even a little Martha Washington, but still with its own unique elements and some seriously awesome art from Bertram and Hollingsworth.

| Published by Image

Livewire #4 concludes the first arc with a nice bit of soul-searching as Amanda comes to terms with what she did during Harbinger Wars 2. Between this, Age of X-Man: Prisoner X, and this week’s Shuri, Vita Ayala is definitely on fire right now. They’re doing some great character-driven work and it shines in this finale. Also, Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín can do no wrong. The layouts on this book are stunning.

| Published by Valiant

The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #1 is the beginning of a new era for Kamala Khan from Saladin Ahmed, Minkyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, Ian Herring, and Joe Caramagna. Using a kind of fable narration, setting up something new for the future while dealing with a continuation from Kamala’s current status in the presents, is a nice approach from Ahmed. It also marks a good jumping-on point for new readers as it recaps more or less what you need to know about Ms. Marvel’s history. Beautiful art from Jung, Vlasco, and Herring.

| Published by Marvel

Murder Falcon #6 is an epic, face-melting issue. Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer give us a bit of a tearjerker as Anne comes to terms with her situation with Jake and finally finds her voice. It’s really incredible. Also, giant monsters and metal.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Oblivion Song #13 jumps ahead three years for a new status quo, a few shuffled faces, and new situations for many of the cast of characters, providing an excellent jumping on point for new readers. There are some interesting bits about harnessing the flora and fauna of Oblivion for medical advances and the growing mystery about what the Faceless Men are doing. Gorgeous art as always from Lorenzo De Felici and Annalisa Leoni. De Felici really does some amazing reaction shots.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Old Man Quill #3 advances the Guardians’ story a bit further as they celebrate what little hope they’ve brought to the Wastelands, while hell in various forms circulates around them. It certainly pretty bleak, even in the good times.

| Published by Marvel

Outer Darkness #5 drops hell on the crew’s head as they crash on a relatively inhospitable ice planet with an ancient evil prowling and the crew at “Each Other’s Throats”. Also, naked cat girls. John Layman, Afu Chan, and Pat Brosseau are doing an incredible job with this mix of sci-fi and horror and the stakes seem to have been raised this issue.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Shuri #6 begins a two-part guest arc from Vita Ayala, Paul Davidson, Tríona Farrell, and Joe Sabino as Shuri travels to New York in search for the Lubber. Great art from Davidson and Farrell and Ayala has a wonderful feel for Miles and Shuri’s voices.

| Published by Marvel

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #6 continues to suss out a new role for Gwen now that her identity is public and she’s returned to her own Earth. The character building that Seanan McGuire is doing here is pretty spectacular, especially given how strong the interpersonal relationships in the series were to begin with under Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. Also, the art from Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring is perfect.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars: Age of Republic - General Grievous #1 is the last of these Age of Republic one-shots from Jody Houser, with Age of Rebellion coming next from Greg Pak and a rotating team of Chris Sprouse, Marc Laming, and others. This one focuses on Grievous and is a nice look into what he traded of himself in order to become the even worse monster that we see in the prequel trilogy and Clone Wars.

| Published by Marvel

The Stone King #4 concludes what has been a wonderful light fantasy adventure Comixology original series from Kel McDonald and Tyler Crook. There’s an interesting throughline in the story of responsibility for family versus responsibility for the greater society that comes to a head here, along with misunderstandings continuing to cause conflict. It’s not exactly a happy ending, but there is a set up for something more down the road that I’d love to see. Beautiful artwork from Crook.

| Published by Kel McDonald

Supergirl #28 concludes her jaunt with the Omega Men and the Supergirl clones, opening up more questions about The Circle and the destruction of Krypton. I’ve enjoyed the circuitous route Marc Andreyko has been taking us on to advance Supergirl’s mission, tossing bits of side adventure in growing out of her search, but it feels like we’re going to get down to brass tacks soon. Great art again this issue from Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, FCO Plascencia, and Chris Sotomayor. Pansica does some great horror and creature work and it shines through in the Kryptonian monstrosities. 

| Published by DC Comics

Superman #9 tells of Jonathan’s ordeal trapped on Earth 3, tortured at the hands of Ultraman. Great art from Brandon Peterson and Alex Sinclair during the Earth 3 sequences. It’s also interesting to see that dream still haunting Superman.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder in Hell #2 continues to be revelatory. Mateus Santolouco, Marcelo Costa, and Shawn Lee are doing some incredible work as Shredder continues to be plagued by nightmares, demons, and the undead as he tries to figure out his way through hell and his status as a vessel for the dragon god’s spirit. Over the years, Santolouco has grown exponentially as a storyteller and this is just a masterpiece.

| Published by IDW

Titans #35 continues the team’s nightmare excursion to Unearth, fighting a possessed enraged Beast Boy, Raven’s angry aggressive side, and Mother Blood as we head into the series conclusion next issue. This is a very entertaining story from Dan Abnett, Bruno Redondo, Christian Duce, Marcelo Maiolo, and Dave Sharpe, really putting the team behind the 8-ball wondering how they’re going to get out of this mess. If they get out this mess.

| Published by DC Comics

Tony Stark: Iron Man #9 continues the “Stark Realities” arc, nicely advances Controller’s assault on Stark Industries, the eScape users causing havoc, the mole within Stark, and the corruption causing Tony’s current simulation, from Dan Slott, Jim Zub, Valerio Schiti, Paolo Rivera, Edgar Delgado, and Joe Caramagna. Some really interesting possible revelations about Tony during this issue.

| Published by Marvel

Transformers #1 begins a new continuity, a new universe, a new era for the Transformers, from Brian Ruckley, Angel Hernandez, Cachét Whitman, Joana Lafuente, and Tom B. Long, as we start off some time in the past of Cybertron, before Autobots or Deceptions, as Bumblebee watches over a newly-forged Cybertronian as he makes his first decisions. We also get bits of an uprising of “Ascenticons”, though their ideals and motivations aren’t really explained, just showing a disagreement between longtime friends Megatron and Orion Pax (not Optimus Prime yet). It’s not bad, with some nice bits of humour, and there is an interesting mystery for a cliffhanger, but it is slow. The art is nice, but like the story there’s nothing flashy about this right now. I’ll certainly give it a few more issues, but there’s really nothing “bold” about this new era. Don’t expect something radical out of the first issue, this one plays it pretty safe.

| Published by IDW

Winter Soldier #4 delves into RJ’s father, Richie, attempting to get back into his life. It’s heartfelt and bittersweet, with Kyle Higgins, Rod Reis, and Clayton Cowles delivering a gripping tale with one hell of a set up for the final issue. Reis’ art remains absolutely incredible.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Twins #2 is more fun from Mark Russell, Stephen Byrne, and Dave Sharpe. There’s some nice commentary on the state of corporate run prisons in the United States in amongst a humorous send-up of z-list villains in the Legion of Doom’s farm team, the League of Annoyance. Great art from Byrne.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Other Highlights: Accell #19, Auntie Agatha’s Wayward Home for Rabbits #5, Blackbird #6, Dark Ark #15, GI Joe: A Real American Hero - Silent Option #4, Go Go Power Rangers #18, The Goon #1, Head Lopper #11, House of Whispers #7, LaGuardia #4, The Life and Death of Toyo Harada #1, The Long Con #7, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #2, Marvels Annotated #2, The Maxx 100 Page Giant, Prodigy #4, The Punisher #9, Radio Delley, Rick & Morty Presents Jerry #1, Riverdale: Season 3 #1, Runaways #19, Spider-Man/Deadpool #47, Star Trek: Discovery - Captain Saru, Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet #5, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #42, Wonder Woman #66

Recommended Collections: Astonisher - Volume 3: Black Hat, Batman vs. Deathstroke, By Night - Volume 1, Defenders: The Best Defense, Infinite Dark - Volume 1, Mata Hari,  Moonstruck - Volume 2, Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons, Shadowman - Volume 3: Rag & Bone, She Could Fly, Sleepless - Volume 2, Star Wars Adventures - Volume 5: Mechanical Mayhem, Strangers in Paradise XXV - Volume 2: Hide and Seek, Trout - Volume 1: Bits & Bobs, Vampironica - Volume 1, The War of the Realms Prelude

d. emerson eddy knows a muffin man.

#This Week in Comics

[wanderingmoonsword]

Stench Kow

Another monster from the pen of Gary Gygax, the stench kow is a magical beast broadly similar to bison, although they have large, down-turned horns that give them a nasty gore attack and a sense of the grotesque to their features. Oddly, despite the name, there’s no smell mentioned, but I’d imagine brimstone is a fair guess given that they’re native to the lower planes, especially the Nine Hells. By and large, they fill an agricultural niche, kept as meat and might even be distant descendants of (or ancestors to, or both – the planes get weird) mortal herds. It’s hard to mistake them for any normal bovine (or even a bovid) with the orange-brown fur and green mottling. About as intelligent as mortal cattle, stench kows don’t have any special power beyond their gore attack, but just being cattle from Hell can be all you need to weave a few tales out in the Weird West.

Hoping to impress the oni daimyo Szrokai, a group of adventurers is tasked to stalk and hunt for both her amusement and her dinner table. The chosen quarry is a fabled red-maned bull, ferocious, monstrously large stench kow bulls with an unnatural hunger and a predilection for turning the tables on hunters. Of course, having the stench kow taste blood – or more – of one of its hunters only makes the meat all the better in Szrokai’s opinion, something she eagerly discloses if the hunters come back bearing wounds.

On the hunt for a mysterious castle rustler, hoping to put an end to banditry that’s struck a half-dozen herds, a group of deputies chase the red-skinned thief through a ring of basalt only to stagger out into the meat markets of Dis. Before they leave, their case will have them saving the erstwhile cattle thief from the private enforcers of a solipsistic dorvae who has proclaimed itself the Kow Baron of the sulfur-scented meatpacking plants, a dealer in luxury and imported meats with contacts all throughout Hell and beyond… including a lucrative cattle rustling ring to satisfy certain palates.

Although fiery Moloch is deserving of the title the Bull of Hell, it is Mammon who claims the greatest herds of infernal cattle, a breed known for dubious reasons as “stench kows”. He keeps them to honor the ancient ideal of cattle as wealth and an investment, and Mammon is as jealously protective of them as he is of all his wealth. Rustling a few of the cattle is certain to draw the devil lord’s ire but an especially daring thief might do just that, stealing a few knows from Mammon’s herd to attract his attention and deflect it from the preparations for another, more lucrative heist.

- Tome of Horrors Complete 571

That bit about turning the tables on hunters? That’s not fictional. Wounded Cape buffalo are known to do just that, as I think I might have mentioned before. They’re also reputed to be the deadliest animal in Africa. Statistics vary, reportedly, but let’s remember we’re talking about a species of cow that lives on the same continent as hippos, Nile crocodiles, and two different species of big cats, not to mention elephants, hyenas, and several different types of deadly snakes. Getting a reputation like that in Africa takes some doing, that’s all I’m saying.

You want the model for behavior for a cow that’s actually from Hell? Cape buffalo will do nicely.

#pathfinder #D&D #dungeons and dragons #dungeons & dragons #frog god games #tome of horrors #magical beast