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#wesley was very important to me growing up
air-of-the-waterfall · 11 months
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Arc of a Scythe characters as Princess Bride quotes
Citra:
 “Move? You’re alive. If you want, I can fly.”
 “I wasn’t nervous. Maybe I was a little bit concerned, but that’s not the same thing.”
Rowan:
“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
 “You use different moves when you’re fighting half a dozen people.”
Greyson:
“The name was the important thing for inspiring the necessary fear. You see, no one would surrender to the Dread Pirate Wesley.”
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Jeri:
“I inherited the ship from the previous Dread Pirate Roberts, just as you will inherit it from me. The man I inherited it from was not the real Dread Pirate Roberts either. The real Roberts has been retired fifteen years and living like a king in Patagonia.”
Thunderhead:
“As you wish.”
“Unless I am wrong, and I am never wrong.”
“It won’t be easy, sir.” “Try ruling the world sometime.”
“There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.”
Cirrus:
“Have you ever heard of Plato? Aristotle? Socrates? Morons.”
“Yes, you’re very smart. Shut up.”
Faraday:
“You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you.”
“I’m not saying I’d like to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely.”
Curie:
“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”
“I did that on purpose. I didn’t have to miss.”
Goddard: 
“I’ve hired you to help me start a war. It’s a prestigious line of work with a long and glorious tradition.”
“I’ve got my country’s 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Gildar to frame for it. I’m swamped!”
“Do you hear that, Highness? Those are the shrieking eels. They always grow louder when they’re about to feed on human flesh.”
Rand:
“Good night, Wesley. Good work. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.”
Astrid:
“No more rhyming, now I mean it!” “Anybody wanna peanut?”
Munira:
“In studying, you must have learned that man is mortal.”
Loriana: 
“Unemployed in Greenland?!”
Morrison:
“Oh, you mean this gate key!”
Constantine:
“She’s alive. Or was an hour ago. If she is otherwise when I find her, I shall be very put out.”
“He can track a falcon on a cloudy day; he can find you.”
Mendoza:
“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”
Tyger:
“I wonder if he’s using the same wind we are using.”
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deeg9 · 2 years
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Chenford + Lucy running from her feelings. Or scared of how she feels about Tim
If you ever decide you do prompts? No pressure. 😃
I'm open to prompts but I'm in a very fluffy mood today, so I'll post an excerpt from 'Up to no Good' that I finished last month. It has a bit of this from Lucy's perspective. I generally find I don't have enough angst in me to let either of them run from their feelings for long though 😁
BUT here are some recommendations that come to mind if you're into longer angst fics:
Falling to Pieces by fuzzy_wuzzy_wuzza_writer
Inevitable by MeadowWard [Lucy's perspective]
Inevitable: Suddenly, Finally by MeadowWard [Tim's perspective]
Up to no Good excerpt:
Figuring out what was next with Chris had been on her mind for a while. Lucy definitely wanted to talk it out with someone, like she always had with Jackson. She’d even considered talking to Tim about it, but she knew she couldn’t handle him somehow reminding her how happy he was with Ashley. Maybe Angela could provide some perspective.
“We just don’t seem to be on the same page anymore,” Lucy began. “Or maybe we never were. I was just looking for something casual but he keeps pressing for us to get more serious.” 
“Like when he wanted you to meet his parents?” Angela mentioned.
“That and he wanted to be exclusive almost right away,” Lucy sighed, a bit frustrated. “The problem isn’t him, though. There’s actually nothing wrong with Chris. He’s a good person, he’s attentive and not afraid of commitment. He wants to plan a future with me.”
“But you don’t want to plan one with him,” Angela finished the thought that had been on the tip of Lucy’s tongue. 
“But why?” Lucy shook her head. “Why don’t I want those things with him?” 
Deep down, Lucy knew the reason, even if she wasn’t ready to say it out loud. It started with a capital T and she was starting to think that if she didn’t majorly change something about her life, she was going to wake up a decade from now still pining after a man who would never see her as more than a friend.
“How’s the sex?” Angela asked,  jarring her out of her train of thought. 
Lucy’s eyes went wide with surprise and Angela rolled her eyes.
“Come on, sex is important if you’re considering a future with this guy,” she explained.  “When Wesley and I were dating, we had to commandeer the precinct supply room a number of times just to stay sane, if you know what I mean.”
“Wow,” Lucy laughed. “Good for you two. I think I’m a little jealous.”
Angela smirked at her. 
“I guess the first couple times we were intimate it was pretty steamy but since then…” Lucy paused and wrinkled her nose. 
Angela waited for her to continue. 
“Honestly, we haven’t been together in weeks,” she admitted.
“Lucy.“  Angela whistled. 
“What?“ Lucy grumbled. 
“Why are you stringing this guy along? You’re way too kind for that.“ Angela pushed.
Lucy knew she was right. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about ending things every time she’d seen him for the last few weeks. Even when they were fighting, it was like she couldn’t find the words.
“He’s the safe choice,” Lucy said after letting the silence sit between them for a moment. She was about to say more but when she saw how eagerly Angela was looking over at her, she hesitated. There wouldn’t be any going back from this. 
“And Tim’s not?” Angela guessed, filling in the blank.
She held Angela’s gaze but didn’t say anything. If she finally told someone how she felt about Tim, those feelings could grow legs and run away. And Angela was his best friend. This was the definition of risky territory. 
“Anything you say stays between us. In the vault. I promise.“  Angela said, seeming to read her mind.
“Not even Wesley?“ Lucy clarified. 
“Of course not,” Angela shot her a bemused look. “He’s such a blabbermouth. All he and James do when they’re together is gossip. It’s disturbing."  
Lucy nodded and then looked down at her hands folded in her lap. 
“I wanted something easy after everything that happened over the last two years. After Caleb, the UC op that brought down La Fiera, your abduction, and then Jackson’s murder–” 
Lucy inhaled deeply and furrowed her brows. 
“Especially after Jackson,” she continued. “I needed to be with someone who wouldn’t be able to break my heart because Jackson was the only one in my life who knew what to say when I needed help putting it back together.” 
Angela’s eyes welled up and she shared a consoling look with Lucy.
“I miss him too. Every day,” Angela strained to say.
“I’m so grateful for what you did, you know?” She smiled sweetly at Angela through a veil of tears. “When you suggested Jackson move in with me, it changed my life. He became my best friend, my confidant, and the brother that I always wanted. I don’t know how I can ever thank you for that.” 
“I’m really glad he had you too,” Angela wiped tears from her cheek. “But you can’t let the fear of losing someone keep you from living your life. You’ve got a big heart, you should allow it to love.” 
“It’s not my ability to open up my heart that I’m worried about.” Lucy disclosed.
“Don’t give up on Tim just yet, okay?” Angela asked. “Trust me on that front.” 
“Okay,” Lucy said slowly, wondering what insights lay behind Angela’s words. If anyone knew how Tim felt, it was her. But how long should she let herself hope?
Read the whole thing on AO3
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honeyteanocoffee · 2 years
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Oliver Wood Goblet of Fire (Pt 1)
@holyhead-harpy gave me a writing prompt about what it would look like if Oliver hadn't graduated yet in GOF. You can see my brain dump here and see my headcannon about Oliver having 2 Hufflepuff moms here, but I am finally making progress on writing the actual fic. I am an incredibly wordy person and this prompt gave me so many ideas that I'm going to split it up into multiple parts. I am just finishing my senior year and I have alot to plan so please be patient, but here we go
word count: 3.2k
warnings: I accidently wrote 3.2k words worth of angst but I promise it's not that bad and it's mostly context so stick with me
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Finding Out He Isn't Quidditch Captain
Oliver Wood lived in a cute two-story house in what you might call a “wizard’s suburbs.” As magical beings, wizards built and lived in different types of neighborhoods. The Weasley’s, for instance, lived in an isolated neighborhood. There were other families that lived in the area, but the neighborhood was greatly distanced from other towns and communities. However, wizarding suburbs aren’t distanced from muggle neighborhoods. A good Muggle-Repealing Charm tends to do the job and, if there happen to be any wanderers, the neighborhood doesn’t look any different than a typical muggle community. 
Kathy and Bridget Wood opted to live in a wizard’s suburbs when they first settled down together. They had already been living in the neighborhood for three years before they decided to get pregnant and have Oliver. It was important to both that they have a large front and back yard. Kathy, so that she could teach Oliver how to play quidditch in the comfort of their own home, and Bridget due to her career as an Owl Trainer. Oliver certainly loved the neighborhood he grew up in. 
Growing up in a neighborhood surrounded by other wizards, he didn’t need to hide his magic or love for quidditch. He made several wizarding friends before he even began at Hogwarts. He and the other kids used to tumble and fly around his backyard. As he sat on his porch, waiting for his school letter, he tried to ignore his racing, intrusive thoughts by remembering his favorite memories on that very yard. The times he used to watch his mother practice her “seeker” skills, the first time he got to fly on a broom, the time he and his moms sat on the porch eating ice cream after he fell trying to catch the snitch. He had all these lovely memories, but it was nonetheless impossible to recall any of them as he waited for his letter. 
It was Oliver’s last year at Hogwarts. His last year on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. His last year…his last year as Team Captain. That is, if his letter included the pin and letter of congratulations. 
He leg continued to bounce incessantly, his right hand gently rubbed the blades of grade between his fingers, but his eyes were set on the sky. That damn, clear blue sky. 
He was the logical choice for quidditch captain. Right? He continued Charlie Wesley’s legacy by keeping the Gryffindor Quidditch scores up. He had been captain for 3 years already. He worked himself to the bone practicing on his own and studying plays from old quidditch matches. He pushed his team to the brink of breaking so that they could improve, as well as himself. It was logical that he be captain this year. Right?   
This cycle of nervousness wasn’t new to Oliver. Every year since his third year, he would get anxious before opening his letter. The gentle, nearly silent flap of Bludger’s wings suddenly pulled Oliver out of his thoughts. He rushed to his feet, stumbling on the wooden steps of his porch. He said a silent prayer as he waited for the clumsy owl to get closer, and the letters floated down to Oliver’s hands. A couple of letters for his moms, one from Percy, one from you, and a last one from Hogwarts. Oliver’s knees almost gave out under him when he recognized a distinct lack of weight in that last letter. He tore the envelope open before Bludger even landed on the porch’s rail. His heart sank when he realized that the only thing in the envelope was a list of school supplies. 
In a moment of shock, he stuffed the letter into the envelope and slowly made his way into the house. His chest was tight, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe, yet he was suddenly sensitive to every little noise. The hinges of the front door squeaked as he gently pushed it open, and he winced as the floorboards creaked while he tried to sneak back into the house. He tried to avoid his mothers’ eyes while they worked in the kitchen so that he wouldn’t have to talk about this. He dropped the letters on the dinner table. Unfortunately, the noise it created was louder than he intended, and his moms turned to look at him. 
Bridget closed the kitchen cupboard to pick up the mail and Kathy looked up from chopping carrots and smiled at Oliver. 
“So, what’s the word bug?” Both Kathy and Bridget were well aware of Oliver’s anxieties and how seriously he took his career as a quidditch player. He wrote to his moms every day when he was at school, so they were more than aware of how much his time on the quidditch team meant to him. They’ve been supportive of his love for quidditch since he was able to hold a broom. Especially Kathy, seeing as she was the one to introduce him to the sport. They were ecstatic when he received his first letter pronouncing him the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Oliver had been scouted the previous school year and the scouts from several teams enjoyed his passion and intense love for the sport. 
Unfortunately, Oliver found that he couldn’t even take a breath without shaking and bordering tears. His breath hitched and, when he turned to face his mom, he couldn’t even look in her general direction. Kathy set down the knife, wiped her hands, and made her way towards Oliver. She gently cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look at her.
“Ollie?” Her voice was hardly louder than a whisper. Oliver took his first whole breath since opening the letter, and his whole body shook. He finally looked his mother in the eye and his eyes quickly swelled with tears. 
“Oh…honey,” Oliver turned his head slightly to look at his mom who was holding his school letter in her hands. Kathy also turned and quickly put two-and-two together when she noticed the lack of a pin in the envelope. Oliver closed his eyes; a silent tear fell down his cheek and Kathy wrapped her arms around him. His head fell to her shoulder and Bridget came to his side to hug him as well. He let out a sob as one of his moms held him close and the other slowly stroked his hair and back. The three of them stood there quietly until Oliver was able to take steady breaths. He took a small step out of the embrace from his moms, but he still held Kathy’s hands in his and touched his forehead to hers. Bridget cupped his face in her hand and wiped his last tear with her thumb. 
“You know we’re still proud of you,” Bridget tilted her head so that she could look her son in the eye, “Right?” Oliver managed to smile. He opened his mouth, as if to respond, but all he could let out was a shaky breath. 
“I think…I think I just…need to be alone right now.” He looked at the floor and continued to slowly step away from their embrace, but Kathy wouldn’t let go of his hands. “Hey,” Kathy squeezed his hands as if to remind him that they were there for him, “We love you.” Oliver smiled slightly at his moms, “I love you too.”
Bridget pressed a kiss to his temple and Kathy squeezed his hands once more before finally letting them go. He slowly made his way up the stairs to his bedroom. His moms shared a concerned look before returning to the kitchen to finish dinner. 
Normally, quidditch was Oliver’s stress reliever. The way his body floats off the ground when he first pushes off the ground, the way the wind whistles by his ears when he does laps, even watching the different balls soar in the air is oddly calming to him, like watching a waterfall. But now, he couldn’t help but feel his eyes tear up again at the very sight of his broom leaning against his wall. He laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling his sheets, still unsure that this wasn’t all a bad dream. He turned on his side and saw the clutter of photos on his nightstand. He took a deep breath, sat up, and grabbed the closest frame. 
It was his favorite photo of the two of you. Ollie loved to spend time on the quidditch field, so picnic dates on the field were common. One evening, Oliver surprised you with a picnic and made plans for a nighttime flight to look at the stars. Unfortunately, the twins decided to crash your little date. Before Fred jumped out from behind the stands, George managed to get a cute photo of you. For Oliver’s birthday, Georgie framed it and gave it to Oliver. 
He held this photo in his hands but looked up at the others on his nightstand. There was a photo of him and the other Gryffindors raising the Quidditch cup after last year’s win. I had taken the photo and McGonagall printed an extra to give to Oliver. There was another of him and Percy lounging in the Gryffindor common room. You had just finished the last of your exams and were enjoying your other hobbies that had been neglected. Percy’s eyebrows were furrowed, and he was hunched over his Advanced Transfiguration book. Oliver was stretched out on a long couch and gently flipping through a book about different quidditch plays. The last of the photos was one of Oliver with a bass in his lap surrounded by other Gryffindor boys. Fred and George both had guitars, Dean was fidgeting with drumsticks, and Seamus was spinning on the drummer’s chair. The boys were laughing at something, and it was nice to remember the happier and cozier memories at Hogwarts. A hesitant knock at his door stopped Oliver from getting lost in his thoughts. 
He took a deep breath, “Come in.”
Bridget peaked her head into the room and gave Oliver a small smile, “Dinner’s going to be ready in 10 minutes.” 
Oliver smiled back at his mom, “Ok.”
He looked back down at the picture of us, and Bridget slowly made her way to sit by her son. “What are you thinking about?”
Oliver’s eyes were focused on the photo. He couldn’t bring himself to look at his mom and her eyes filled with concern and pity. He took a deep breath before responding, trying to stop himself from crying again. 
“I don’t know,” he whispered back to his mother. He was filled with so many emotions. So much so that he felt almost numb to it. 
“Did y/n get her pin?” 
Oliver ran his finger over the wooden frame, “I haven’t heard anything.”
“Maybe you should open these then.” Bridget handed Oliver the letters from you and Percy that he had left on the kitchen table when he came in the house earlier.  
“You can open them later. When you’re ready.” Bridget moved off the bed and knelt in front of Oliver. She brushed his hair out of his face and cupped his face in her hands. Oliver looked up at his mom and she smiled back at him. 
“We love you so much Ollie. And we are so proud of everything you have done these past few years. So proud.” 
Oliver took a shaky breath and tried to avoid eye contact, but his mom moved her other hand to hold his face steady. 
“You are an incredibly talented quidditch player. Hell, you are more passionate about the damn sport than your mother,” Oliver let out a small laugh and Bridget smiled, “If McGonagall thinks that someone else could be a better captain, then maybe transforming into a cat has messed with her brain. You have worked so hard to get to where you are and everyone in that school knows. I know it, your mother knows it, and those scouts from last year definitely know it.”
Oliver opened his mouth to retaliate against what his mom was saying. Almost everyone at Hogwarts saw Oliver as this composed, competitive, quidditch obsessed, proud Gryffindor. The only people at school who knew that Oliver was actually an incredibly anxious, overthinking, and secretly stressed person was Percy and you, and maybe McGonagall. But, before Oliver could say a word, his mom interrupted him. 
“No, Oliver. Somewhere in you, you know that I’m right. Your mother and I could not be prouder of you and next year. You could play on any team that you want and next year, when you’re training on the reserves, your mother and I will be there in the stands cheering for you. The only person who might be louder than us is y/n.”
His mom stood up and kissed the top of his head, “We love you so much Ollie, and not being quidditch captain for this year is not going to change that or anything else you have accomplished.” 
Bridget started making her way out of Oliver’s room, “Remember, dinner’s almost ready.”
Oliver put the frame back on his nightstand and began to open the letters from me and Percy. Oliver and Percy had one of those relationships where they never necessarily mentioned their emotions but they both knew they were there. Percy helped Oliver study so that his grades wouldn’t fall so low that he would get kicked off the team. Oliver kept Percy grounded and reminded him to take breaks. Percy was also kind of the reason Oliver and you got together in our 5thyear. 
As the Slytherin Quidditch captain, you had a bit of a rivalry (naturally). Unfortunately, Percy was your closest friend. Percy was the one who basically facilitated your rivals to lovers love story, which is ironic seeing as he hated when the two of you would even sit on the same couch.
Percy didn’t write letters too often. He only wrote to invite (tell) Oliver to family events (often to keep Percy sane) or to give him some big announcement. On the other hand, you wrote Oliver once or twice a week, unless we had spent the day together. 
Percy’s letter was mainly a “check-in” letter, letting Oliver know that he was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts. There was a little line about how he had received his Prefect’s badge. It was so simple and short that Oliver could practically hear Percy shrugging his shoulder and saying, “Of course.”
But Oliver’s breath hitched when he read the end of that paragraph. 
“I got my Prefect’s badge with my letter today. My mom is overjoyed, but it’s nothing special at this point. Who else would they make Prefect? I’m sure you’re excited about your Quidditch Captain’s pin (even though everyone knows that you’re going to be captain this year). Here’s to hoping this last year of quidditch doesn’t distract you from your academics too much. Who am I kidding, y/n will probably strangle you the moment your work is anything less than perfect. I do see what you mean when you call her an angel, she makes my job of making sure your quidditch obsessed ass doesn’t forget about the other things in your life. 
Best,
Percy”
Oliver sniffed and turned your letter in his hand. He gently pried the envelope open and took a deep breath before pulling the parchment out. The two of you took pride in your houses, but you tried not to let them define our personalities. Nonetheless, Gryffindors and Slytherin often overlap in their strong sense of pride, and it was definitely true in your relationship. When you started dating, you had to set boundaries in terms of our quidditch wins. If you had a match against one another, you would each spend time with our teams before partaking in any sort of interaction more than a hug or smile (or the occasional kiss). It gave you the time to calm down and then appreciate and celebrate the other’s accomplishments. But the position of quidditch captain was more serious than winning a match. Oliver was scared to open the letter. What would happen if you were named the Slytherin quidditch captain while he wasn’t?
Would it change the way you looked at him? Would it change your relationship dynamic? Would he be jealous? Angry? Would he get over those negative emotions? Would this drive a wedge in your relationship? Was he an awful boyfriend for secretly hoping you weren’t the quidditch captain?
Oliver gently unfolded the stationery and scanned the letter. He smiled at the loving greeting you always started your letters with. He could practically hear the smile in your voice, and that was enough to make him forget the devastating news from today. There was nothing too special about the letter. You started it with a cheerful greeting, gave a recap of the past couple of days, asked him some questions, and signed the letter loving as Leannan. The only special news in the letter was about receiving your prefect’s pin, but there was no mention of quidditch. No mention of being captain, no mention of the sport anywhere on the paper. Oliver couldn’t help but be a little bit relieved. 
He dropped the letters on his desk before making his way to the dining room so that he would remember to write back before the night fell. 
He walked down the stairs, ever so slightly happier than when he walked up them. Bridget was bringing out the plates and silverware. Ollie went into the kitchen to help his mom carry the plates of food to the table. He lifted a heavy bowl of stew from his mother’s arm before she could start walking towards the dining room. Kathy smiled at her boy and thanked him before helping her wife get the drinks. Oliver sat down and started serving the plates. Everything felt perfectly domestic. As if he hadn’t just gone through a “career crisis.” 
The family sat down and began eating before anyone spoke. 
“Y/n says ‘Hi’” Oliver pushed the food around his bowl instead of looking at his moms. 
Kathy smiled and took that as a cue that this was a green lit topic to talk about. 
“How’s she doing?” 
Oliver couldn’t help but smile before he began talking about you once more. 
“She’s good. She’s been playing around with different arts and crafts. She’s hoping to show them to some of the kids at the daycare someday.”
Bridget let a second pass before speaking, “…any quidditch news from her?”
Kathy flashed her wife a warning look, but Bridget was determined to hear what Oliver had to say. 
“She’s been practicing with some of the other Slytherins, and she visited the Weasley’s a while ago. She didn’t get a pin either. Actually, I don’t know that. But if she did, she didn’t mention it in her last letter.” 
Kathy looked a little shocked at the news, “So, do you feel a little better now?”
“A little bit. I feel awful about it, but y/n is an amazing quidditch player and she works herself to the bone. She got her prefect’s pin though.”
“You and y/n are amazing quidditch players. There has to be something going on that you don’t know about, and you’ll figure it out,” Kathy reached her hand out towards Oliver, “But for now, we need you to remember how great you are.”
Oliver smiled and reached out to meet his mother’s hand. 
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dawnssummers · 1 year
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🔥 cangel
they are so important......... they really are the heart of angel investigations it's them and doyle and then wesley and then gunn and fred and lorne but like. angel and cordelia were around each other a lot in buffy where we know cordy trusted angel to drive her home and angel saved cordy and buffy in reptile boy and they had their chat in the bronze. so i think it's important for both of them to have that grounding figure in la especially before wesley joins AND more importantly cordelia was there when angelus was there in buffy season 2... she was part of the intervention in s3... and this in turn makes her belief in and acceptance of angel so important. preparing his blood (and angel making breakfasts u_u) and adding cinnamon to experiment and the 'don't be embarrassed we're family' line. wah. when she brings flowers to him to brighten things up... on the flip side you have angel's willingness to work with cordelia from the very start of angel (show) when cordy is struggling to adjust to life in la and then later the line that rly stands out for me is 'that's not why i need you you're important' when cordy speaks of her fear of losing the visions. actually kind of a perfect dynamic. angel is like time to brood ==" and cordelia is very blunt and forceful in this way that does not let him shut her out and also the way she makes fun of him is perfect it's brilliant. they're family :( AI raising connor :( i do like the romantic arc in the way that it's left ambiguous/unresolved... groo appearing right at the end of waiting in the wings lol and it is fun to see angel being awkward. however i hateee that it's unresolved because of what they did to cordy like much as i enjoyed s5 i do think about what we lost (cangel bestieship, cordelia refusing to put up with angel's and spike's behaviours, cordelia trying to get them just to kiss). you're welcome episode of all time though!!! angel there are no people like us... i'll be seeing you... i digress. i think generally i love them as a dynamic and i like the idea of connections in unlikely places and growing over time... i would put them in the category of best friends who are in love but you don't know what type of love it is (earlier angel and wes go here too) which is so good forever <3
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aza-writes · 2 years
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Blood Red: Chapter 6
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Hell's Kitchen : 2016
Alessandra's POV
I arrive at a large, luxurious apartment building at 6:52. I look at the text to double check the address. The apartment building is on the corner of a large group of buildings. It was completely made out of windows and was perfectly symmetrical. It towered over the buildings it was attached to. It was gorgeous. There was even a doorman.
As I walk in I noticed how many security guards there were. One by the front desk, two by the elevator, and one right on the inside of the door. Makes sense that Mr. Fisk would want to live somewhere secure, Dreykov always had at least two Widows with him at all times when he went out places. The world is a very dangerous place for important people.
I walk over to the front desk, trying to decide if i use my American accent or not. The man at the front desk smiles at me. "How may I help you?"
"Alice here for Mr. Fisk." The fake name is the best bet. Like I said, technically I'm dead.
The man checks his computer, then back up at me. "Of course, elevator is set to arrive at his apartment."
I nod and walk to the elevator. As soon as the door closes the elevator starts to move. I look straight ahead at the door, trying to imagine what might be at this dinner. A giant table filled with mobsters? That would be cool. Maybe it's a trick to kill me? Nah, if they wanted to kill me they would've done it earlier. Before I can come up with any other scenarios, the doors open to a spacious apartment. Windows decorated two walls and other two were painted white. The kitchen and the rest of the furniture was black, similar to my apartment but obviously ten times bigger.
I walk off the elevator and look around a bit. Wesley approaches me, this guy is fucking everywhere.
"Please join Mr. Fisk in the dining room." He was clearly annoyed. I don't blame him, I'm not happy about seeing him either. He leads me to the dining table, Mr. Fisk is already sitting down on one side of the table. I side opposite of him, never breaking eye contact.
Mr. Fisk breaks eye contact first to look at Wesley. "Thank you Wesley, you may leave now." Wesley nods. Finally, I don't have to see him anymore for the day. Mr. Fisk turns to look back at me. "I had Wesley choose the meal for tonight, I'm not very good at planning meals." He smiles at me, like he was trying to get me to open up. The smile was incredibly awkward and very faint. I mean, A for effort I guess.
At exactly 7:00 the meal was brought out. It was some Italian dish, I'm not sure what though. I waited for Mr. Fisk to take the first bite not only to make sure that it's not poison, but because it shows kinda a sign of respect if you let the host take the first bite.
Although food was incredible, I was more impressed with the wine. It complimented the meal perfectly. Maybe Wesley wasn't as useless as I thought.
Mr. Fisk cleared his throat, grabbing my attention. "I brought you here today to discuss your contract. There are several things we need to discuss." I nod as a maid brings him a folder. He opens it then slides it over to me. "You will be paid $5,000 a month along with $1,000 a kill." I look up at him, keeping my stoic expression. That was extremely hard to do though. $5,000 plus $1,000 each kill with a hit list growing every day. "Of course all expenses will be taken care of. Apartment, undercover equipment, clothes, transportation and whatever else you may need." I tilt my chin up, freaking out in the inside. I don't want him to see through me. "Do we have a deal?"
I smile softly. "It would be my honor to kill for you."
Mr. Fisk nods and raises his glass towards me. "To the future of Union Allied and the Bloody Widow."
I raise my glass and keep my smile. "Long live the empire."
And with that, we drink.
• • • • • •
I arrived back at my apartment about a quarter til 10 a little tipsy and extremely enthusiastic about tomorrow. My goal is to start at the top of the list and work my way down. Some kills might take longer but it'll all be worth it in the end. I get money and to kill with no consequences again. I'll be protected by Mr. Fisk and through Fisk I get money and blood.
When I open the door to my apartment I see a present on my coffee table. It's black with a wine red bow on it. There's an envelope sitting on top of with the a wax seal with the letters "U.A." on it.
I open the envelope first to reveal a small note that reads "Open the closet next to the kitchen - F". I assumed that was a closet, besides that has been locked the whole time. I'm confused until I open the present. It's a dark, crimson red key. I walk over to the closet and unlock the door slowly. When I open I audibly gasp. It's a full training room. Ballet bars, point shoes, punching bags, knives, guns, swords and more. They're a touchscreen keypad next to the door that controls the room. I feel like a kid in a candy store.
I walk over to the control keypad just to familiarize myself with the room when I notice the bright red button all it said was "suit." Holy shit, do I get a new suit? I get my goofy grin back on my face as I pushed it. I look over to the full length mirrors on the wall of the opposite side of the room as it started to move. The two mirrors in the middle started to slide out. The secret mirrors uncovered a wall of four suits. The first suit was almost an exact copy of my suit when I was part of the black widow program, the only difference was that the widow symbol was black instead of red. It had the same tight fabric that moved like a second skin. The second one closer to tactical gear. There was a large chest plate, the pants were a bit baggier and much more padding. It was very different from anything the Red Room would send out, probably Mr. Fisk's design. The third was again, identical to my original white Black Widow suit that we wore whenever we were sent to a location with a lot of snow. Again, the Black Widow symbol was black instead of red. The last one was another new design. It was for colder climates. The jacket was thicker and so were the pants, but not as thick as the second suit. These also weren't thick from padding, but to stay warm. All had matching mask, night vision goggles and boots. It was quite beautiful, all of the suits were gorgeous. This whole room was a dream. A Red Room that I could control.
I spend about an hour in my training room, just admiring everything. It was almost 1 in the morning when I finally went to bed. I was too excited to sleep, too excited to kill again.
• • • • • •
Matt Murdock's POV
I waited for 4 hours. 4 hours of just listening, trying to find the person who committed such a gruesome murder. Hell, even if i didn't find the actual person I wanted to at least find a suspect or a lead or something. All I got was rumors and gossip, nothing useful. All lies. I needed to find this killer, before they killed again.
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TATANKA IYOTAKE. This was my first design I created back in 2010. In my highest opinion from a very unbiased standpoint. This design still strikes me in a way that is hard to explain for an artist. In a very important way Sitting Bull was a very inspiring individual to me growing up. He was a very easy go to icon when it comes to a very powerful image. I think it was the right one to choose as a main staple design for my Enterprise. Being Lakota is very important to me. I am a mixed blood but in Lakota way none of that matters. I am Oglala and am very honored my creator made so. With all that being said I just wanted to express my admiration for this design and am very happy that I get to share this expression of my passion with all of you. -Wesley Running Bear "MATO INYANKA" ....BR HEARD, BE PROUD 🐻✊🏽✊🏽Here's to the SNP CRUE that has been with me since day 1. www.strengthnpride.com #STRENGTHNPRIDEAPPAREL #BeHeardBeProud #sittingbull #lakota #hunkpapa #oglala #oglalalakota #mato #tatankaiyotake #runningbear (at The Black Hills of South Dakota) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjGIMwtLJzC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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qnewslgbtiqa · 3 months
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How many LGBTQIA+ people celebrate a chosen family Christmas
New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/how-many-lgbtqia-people-celebrate-a-chosen-family-christmas/
How many LGBTQIA+ people celebrate a chosen family Christmas
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This holiday season many LGBTQIA+ people will celebrate with their “chosen” family. 
For some of us, going home for Christmas is a tradition we may love or loathe in equal measure. 
It’s a wonderful time to see the family you love but it’s also the time you have to cope with others you’re not so fond of. 
You may have to share the special day with a cousin who shares his latest conspiracy theory or that aunt who drops casual racism into the conversation. 
For some, it’s often a more serious issue. 
We all know many in our LGBTQIA+ community aren’t accepted by their immediate family. And during the holidays there is a constant reminder in Hallmark movies, TV adverts and at your local supermarket that this is meant to be a time for “family”.
However, the wonderful thing about our community is that we have a long tradition of forming our chosen families. 
The friends who understand what it’s like to be LGBTQIA+ in the good times and the bad. 
Additionally, many LGBTQIA+ simply may not be able to afford to visit family in the current economic climate or maybe living in Australia from overseas. 
Thankfully, over the holiday period, many of the most organised in our community will bring their chosen families together to celebrate.
This may be Christmas Day itself, a celebration during the holiday season, or just a good old-fashioned excuse for a party without an early work start.
Ben’s Christmas
One such person is Ben Biltoft who is putting on a Christmas Day event for the first time.
“I won’t be able to spend Christmas with my parents this year due to plans changing, so I made the decision to host a chosen family Christmas so my loved ones and I won’t be alone on Christmas Day,” Ben told me.  
“I believe chosen family is important to us all, so we aren’t missing out on these occasions and the isolation we might feel. We are all family and family isn’t just by blood. We are all a community.”
Daniel’s Christmas
For Daniel Watson and his husband Wesley, they put on an event for the eighth year running. 
“We host a themed Christmas party in our home each year – we spend months choosing the theme, we have kitchen staff come in, style our apartment to match said theme and I spend far too long curating the playlist which is always a mix of festive bops and the biggest hits of the year that’s passed,” he says with much enthusiasm.
So, just a casual get-together then! 
It was held in the build-up to Christmas and they certainly don’t spare the effort.
However, even with the detailed planning and extravagance of it all, the heartfelt reason behind his event is very much there. 
“Christmas can be a really lonely time for a lot of people, particularly if you’re estranged from your actual family or you don’t attach positive memories to the holidays. I always feel so uplifted when I hear of LGBTQIA+ people finding a home with a chosen family that’s built on love, trust, support and fun – certainly not ideals that everyone gets to experience growing up, Daniel says. 
Our community is full of Bens and Daniels and so many people will be lucky to have these chosen family experiences. 
And as Daniel says, it’s a time built for a community. 
“Christmas is the gayest time of year, so it should be celebrated as such!”
If you are struggling over the holiday season, don’t be afraid to get help. Reach out to LGBTQIA+ support service QLife at qlife.org.au or 1800 184 527.
For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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wesxkennedy · 2 years
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Title: Serious talke Date: --------- People: James Roberts 
Wesley had taken Ollie and Eric on a trip. He had a feeling that it would be good for all of them. The doctor had been over working himself and it was getting to that time of the year that was always hard for him. The male stood outside balcony and ran his hands through is hair as he took a sip of his drink. Wesley did not turn around as another person stood beside him. There was silence between him and the other for what seems like it lasted forever but in reality, it was only a few minutes.
“For fuck sakes Wesley you got to stop,” the voice finally said. Wesley did not turn and look at them. “For someone who is smart, but you can be really oblivious sometimes…”
“I do not want to get into this right now,” Wesley replied as he turned around and rested his back on the rales.
Wesley had been running scared of facing his best friend. They knew him and they knew his story, a story that not many people knew. They could see the cracks in the male cracks results from experience Wesley had been through. He had been with Wesley when the male was in the hospital when no one else showed up not even his family and he had helped Wesley with his wounds after fights when his father got drunk. He had watched Wesley breakdown and destroyed himself because he ignored his own needs, he put everyone needs above himself.
“I hate you sometimes….I fucking hate you sometimes Wesley…...I am your fucking best friend, and you keep running. I thought you trusted me, and you knew that I will be there for you no matter…” Wesley’s friend’s voice broke as tears filled their eyes.
“How can I look my best friend in the face when I was responsible for killing his twin?” Wesley spoke as he looked at them. “I took someone from you….that night it should have been me alone and….you will still have him…” Wesley own voice breaking as he looked into his best friends’ eyes. That night still played in his head over and over, Wesley felt so guilty, and he wished he had not made that call.
“I hated you at first……I should have not said that you should have died instead of him……I am sorry I left you alone….I could not….”
That was their first fight, he understood. “James…you were hurting and…” he sighed not knowing what to say. They did not speak to each other for months and James had no clue what happened. “I do wish that Jason made it and it was me instead…” Wesley had been running from this conversation, he knew since that day their relationship was different and the last two years had caused more damage to them.
James took out their phone and opened an old voice message:
              James, I am sorry. I know you hate and blame me. I deserve it and for that I will be going away for awhile and wanted to let me know that if you don’t find me know that I am sorry….I wish that I could change everything, and you can hate me all the rest of your life. You may never see again, and I am so sorry for doing this but please, watch over them….please….this is goodbye….
The message cut off before James played it. “I know that you still believe that you have no worth and no one cares. I kept that message, there is nothing to forgive because it was not your fault. It was you that night….I would have lost my best friend someone who had saved my life without knowing….” James spoke as he moved and pulled Wesley into a hug.
“I was scared that night….I tried calling but no answer. I was worried and scared that I lost the last important person to be. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and its not fair. You take care of everyone, and you were cheated out of being a kid….you were cheated and forced to grow up but Wesley please…...you are breaking, and you need to stop running,” James spoke as Wesley finally broke down crying.
The male screamed and cried in the other’s arms. “I am so very sorry……I am tired of feeling all of this…...of losing everyone I care about and feeling so alone. I want to be strong for them…for Ollie for Eric….” He cried voice breaking as he could not anymore. Wesley was weak and so tired that he fell to the floor, James holding him as he did.
“You are strong and brave. You are not alone and please, trust that you have me, Eric, and Theo. We care for you and will always have your back. You don’t have to keep carrying it alone and I know just how bad the nightmares are because I can see how they have sucked the light in your eyes...”
Wesley knew that James was right. He had to stop doing everything on his own but, it was going to be hard. “You are not what he says….I am so sorry for not being there. I am so sorry, I hurt you when you never deserve it but know….that I always have you and it’s time you get the help you need…...”
James spoke as he kept holding Wesley as the male cried.
-        You carry the world on your shoulders and try to be strong. You were cheated out on so much and wish you can get back what you lost. You are never alone and will always be there to light the way when the darkness and shadows consume your light.  – Love a friend.
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one if my absolute favorite fandom things is when a show references another show that a guest actor was on.
think the children of the gods (stargate sg-1 1x01) when carter says they macgyver’d a supercomputer to make the gate system. it’s an in-joke only for fans of richard dean anderson, whose previous role was the eponymous macgyver.
so seeing wil wheaton get a star trek shoutout on leverage has thrown me into a nerd frenzy.
he’s playing colin mason. aka chaos. aka the kobayashi maru. a hacker and hardison’s mirror.
and yeah, wheaton’s pretty well known for his stint as wesley crusher (in this household we stan our ensign king). so it’s not quite an easter egg.
but it also is. that is, if you are trekkie. because then you know it’s a hint that colin mason is the exact opposite of wesley crusher.
see most people, not in fandom (like the cia who give colin the alias) know that the kobayashi maru is a star trek reference. maybe they even know it’s a tos reference and not tng. but that’s fine! it’s an easter egg. they laugh and move on.
but a trekkie connects the dots. knows the original kobayashi maru was in st II the wrath of khan. where a young james t kirk hacked the character-defining no-win training scenario. training meant to teach loss. to prepare future starfleet officers for the burdens of command.
a trekkie knows that wesley had his own kobayashi maru. in the first duty (st tng 5x19) when he’s pressured into a cover-up of a flight training accident that claimed the life of another ensign. an accident where he and his friends are at fault.
but unless you’ve actually seen tos and tng and the movies. if you’re not a trekkie and not in the fandom then you’re not going to understand that the kobayashi maru isn’t about cheating to win. it’s about never giving up—no matter the odds.
kirk’s point in cheating on the kobayashi maru was not to win for winnings sake. he’s making a point. he’s making it into the definition of a character-defining moment. a first duty. he’s saying that he will never accept a no-win situation when it comes to the lives of his crew. he’ll protect them anyway he can. he turns the kobayashi maru into a synonym for truth and hope and persistence.
wesley though, has already lied. he’s particpated in the cover-up. and it’s not a test. it’s real life with real stakes. and one of wesley’s friends is already dead. there’s no winning. no outcome that could possibly make the situation better.
that’s why it’s his is his kobayashi maru. his character-defining moment. his first duty. he has to choose to tell the truth, hope he can be forgiven, and persist on his moral course. because it’s the right thing to do.
wesley is kirk’s mirror, but not a dark one. but only a trekkie is going to understand how similar kirk and wesley’s choices are. the nuance of how they do and not mirror each other.
and all of our leverage characters (except sophie because she’s “dead”) have a mirror on the other con team. a counterpart. nate has starke. parker has apollo. eliot has mikel. and, of course, hardison has colin.
but because of a reference to tng that itself references wrath of khan we get a preview of the outcome. we get a nod that colin is the bad guy. he’s kirk—if kirk had cheated only to win. he’s wesley—if wesley had lied to save his reputation. he’s the kobayashi maru—when you don’t understand the kobayashi maru.
he’s the dark mirror.
and that, my fellow nerds. my fellow trekkies. that is the secret language of fandom.
and yeah, this ep aired in 2009. a good dozen years ago. but I’d like to think that wil wheaton got the reference. that he understood the implications of that easter egg line. because he’s always spoken fluent fandom and he’s a trekkie, just like us.
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miedemamadness · 3 years
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Vivianne Miedema Helden Magazine Interview
You recently starred with Lieke Martens in a peanut butter commercial. Is a new career beckoning?
Viv - Laughing: “My acting wasn't very strong. It was way out of my comfort zone. Oh, those things are included. It's nice that boys and girls who are fans of ours see this on TV."
When you walk down the street in London, are you recognized?
Viv- “That's starting to come now, and it's mainly because I've kind of become the face of the English league. We regularly go to London with a few girls from the team. As a group we stand out a bit more anyway, of course we also look sporty. Then people can put a face to the name. But it is not as crazy in England as it is in the Netherlands.”
Do you think your fame limits your freedom?
Viv- “We were the first to shout: 'We want to make women's football big and known.' It comes with a price. I don't really like that attention, it still takes some getting used to after all these years. Last year I was back in Hoogeveen after the lockdown. I hadn't been to my parents' house for a long time. I went out for a night with my brother Lars and had a beer. Two minutes later it was on the internet. I couldn't play games for a holiday and six months because of corona, is it also allowed once… But yes, that's part of it. Fortunately, it is still not that bad in sports, artists are being monitored more closely. I don't have such an interesting life."
You have been playing for Arsenal for four years, are only 24 and already the all-time top scorer in England and of Orange.
Viv- Laughing: "They say you have to stop at your peak, right?"
You're not going to announce your retirement now, are you?
Viv- Laughing: “No, really.”
Are you someone who remembers every goal?
Viv- “I sometimes forget something because of the adrenaline. The list of goals is also getting longer, thankfully. When we were in lockdown last year because of corona and couldn't play football, I did look back on some special matches, such as those of the European Championship won in 2017 and the World Cup in 2019 when we reached the final. It's nice to see your own goals again."
Do you value those lists?
Viv- "It's not that I'm hugely into it, but I like being at the top of a few lists."
You have also been chosen as Player of the Year 2019 and Best Player of the Decade in England and included in FIFA's World Team of the Year 2019.
Viv- “I have some of those cups at home and a few at the club. It's definitely an honor to be named, don't get me wrong, but I play football because I want to win trophies with the team. I think it's more important that I have developed over the past few years and have not only been a scoring striker, but also showed myself as number 10."
Vivianne the mouthpiece
“I have an exemplary role when it comes to certain topics and I am not afraid to give my opinion to help women's football move forward. I've created the platform for that and I think I've earned the respect of being able to voice my opinion too."
Has that also become some kind of mission for you?
Viv - “I am now one of the most famous strikers in the world in women's football, so I also think I should stand up for what is happening in women's football. We are still so behind in men's football. We must fight for equality. It's not just about money, it's also about opportunities."
It was recently announced that the format of the Champions League is changing. There will be a group stage and the prize money has been increased to 24 million. A step in the right direction?
Viv- "Absolutely. The Champions League in women's football is big, but it wasn't what it should be. The club that currently wins the Champions League is even losing money. Hopefully, clubs will now also have something to do with it.”
Before the World Cup in Canada in 2015, you said in an interview in Helden: 'Hopefully parents will one day say: 'My daughter plays football like Vivianne, that seems very special, if that is ever said.' That is only six years old. ago.
Viv- “And that remains bizarre. I was only eighteen at the World Cup. Two years later we became European champions. In my day there was no figurehead in women's football. I looked at Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie, dreamed that I would stand between them in the field. Now we see girls say: 'I want to play football like Miedema or be like Shanice van de Sanden.' That is a super step. We all contributed to that.”
Every interview you give is about the development of women's football. Do you feel that it is enough about the successes?
Viv- “That development could go a bit faster, you know, then we don't have to talk about it anymore. But we should also consider our achievements. To be so successful with a small country that is relatively new in women's football is special.”
Vivianne the world improver
What does your ideal world look like?
Viv- “That boys and girls grow up in a world in which they are given the same opportunities. Not just in football, but in all of life. That is why I became an ambassador for War Child. There are also many musicians and artist ambassadors. Music brings a lot of joy to the world, but so does sports. Unfortunately I can't travel yet due to corona. Instead, I did a lot online; tried to set up projects with schools in the Netherlands and recorded films for children in distant countries. When life is somewhat back to normal, I also hope to be able to go to war countries and children.”
What do you want to mean for the world?
Viv- “I wish I could change the world, but I don't have that illusion. I have been so lucky in my life, had a great childhood in Hoogeveen. If I can give a little happiness back to children who are having a hard time, it's included. If I can improve a day in the lives of thirty kids by playing football with them so that they can forget for a moment that they are having a hard time, then my goal has already been achieved at that moment. A year and a half ago we were in a township in South Africa with the Orange Women. Every minute we were told by those children how wonderful they were that we were there. Such a day only increases my will to help.”
Where does that feeling of 'wanting to do good' come from?
Viv- “I already had that as a little girl. When I used to watch TV, I was drawn to social topics and my primary school in Hoogeveen worked together on various projects. When actions needed to be set up, I was the first to raise my hand to help. I also made sure that my old football uniforms ended up with poorer children in the Netherlands. I still do.
Every two months we receive five pairs of new football boots. Via Instagram I make sure that my old shoes end up with Dutch boys or girls or they are sent to a good cause via the club. Last year, our entire team's clothing went to children in Jakarta.”
Vivianne the sober Dutchman
You have been playing at Arsenal for four years. Your girlfriend Lisa Evans is Scottish and you study in English. Are you half English now?
Viv- “It's really not that I forget Dutch, that will never happen, but sometimes I make a sentence or I write something down and I think: Viv, what the hell are you doing? In fact, I often hear that I speak English with a Scottish accent. I hang out with the Scottish girls a lot, then you pick that up. I think Scotland is a great country; nature, the way of life and the people.”
And what about your Northern Dutch roots? You played for Heerenveen for three years and grew up in Hoogeveen, in Drenthe.
Viv- “I don't think it's very likely that I'll ever live there again. But the Netherlands has done many things well. So I'm not saying I'll never go back, but I don't think I'll go back to Hoogeveen. I did get the soberness from the Northern Netherlands. I will always keep that.”
You and Lisa have been together for years, and teammates for years. What makes your relationship so good?
Viv- “We played together for two years at Bayern Munich and now four years at Arsenal. We are complete opposites. That seems to work. I'm quite calm and I'm fine with moving in the background. The moment Lisa enters a room, everyone becomes happy and she transfers her happiness to other people. I can enjoy that immensely. She's also crazy. It just clicks between us. Lisa and I have been living together for a while. Some will think: how complicated that you are also on the team together. I don't think so. She makes me better every day. We are the two fastest in the team and I like that I can beat her in sprints every now and then. We develop each other both on and off the field.”
And you don't think: it is sometimes a lot of Lisa around me?
Viv- “Oh, of course you do. Go to the bedroom and keep your mouth shut, I think regularly. But that will also be the case the other way around. I'm actually quite apprehensive that I won't be seeing her for a long time during the Olympics. We are normally together 24 hours a day. But sometimes being away is also part of football.”
Vivianne the thinker
“I'm quite an overthinker in life. I was eighteen when I went to the 2015 World Cup in Canada. There was a ten hour time difference and I could barely make contact with home. I had a really hard time that tournament, I thought everything was terrible. But that tournament made me mature quickly in the football world. First I became big as a football player in the Netherlands, then in Europe and at the moment I am big in the world. I do feel the pressure that comes with that. I always used to think: I don't need a psychologist. But as I got older and started going through things, I realized I can't do it alone and I need help. People I can tell my story to. Football is certainly not always fun. There are definitely moments when I think: what am I doing all this for?
After that first World Cup, I also thought about quitting. If people can't appreciate you, what are you doing it for? I play football for myself, but also to make others happy. Top sport is beautiful, but also mentally very tough.”
Do you find your support mainly in family and friends?
Viv- “The friends I have outside of football are never going to fully understand what I'm going through. The same goes for my parents. My brother Lars also plays football, first at FC Den Bosch and since this year at Vélez C.F. in Spain. He knows what I'm going through, he helps me a lot. But sometimes others don't get it. When I'm at home, I really enjoy talking to my mother about things in life other than football.”
Is the top sport life ever too much for you?
Viv- “Last year's lockdown came at the right time for me. I spent five months with my in-laws in Scotland. I enjoyed not feeling pressure for a while. The first week I thought: what should I do with my life, I have nothing but football. But the second week I enjoyed doing other things; for walking and enjoying nature. And in the third week I felt free. I woke up and could be who I wanted to be, I didn't have to pay attention to anything.”
So that lockdown has been your salvation?
Viv- "Maybe. Before corona, there were nine girls at Arsenal who had to play all games because we had a lot of injuries. There was a lot of pressure on us. I was occasionally in training with tears in my eyes because I had to play football again.”
And how did you feel this season?
Viv- “We football players are in a privileged position, I am well aware of that. We were still allowed to play soccer, while many people couldn't leave their home because of corona. But the mental consequences for girls who could not or cannot go home should not be underestimated either. I have seen my parents once in the past few months, the time before that was in July last year. I didn't go home for Christmas either. Mentally, this has been the toughest season of my football career so far.”
You now hear many stories of athletes who end up in a burnout due to the high pressure and overcrowded schedules.
Viv- “I discussed that with Lisa. During her studies she is now learning about mental problems in sports. Depression is common in athletes. I have the idea that girls are open about mental problems among themselves. But bringing it out also goes a step further. Not that there is a taboo on it, but it immediately leaves a mark on you when you tell your story. Especially in men's football. There, players have to move in a certain box to be accepted. They don't feel the freedom to say: I don't feel okay for a while. I hope that in the coming years it will become normal for athletes to speak out about this and that we can help and support each other in this. When I was still playing for Bayern Munich, I studied psychology at university the first year. I couldn't combine that with football and I stopped, but it's still in my head to do something with that later. I would like to help young girls make the transformation from youth teams to first teams. When I was fourteen, I got into the premier league to play in the women's team who were 32. That wasn't always easy. Hopefully I can help young talents in this area.”
Vivianne De Feyenoord
Feyenoord announced that it will start with a women's team next season. When will we finally see you in that Feyenoord shirt, the club you are such a fan of?
Viv- “It's great that it's possible now. But I'm just a little too young. At Arsenal we have a number of girls who have the club running through their veins. I also think Arsenal is a great club to play for, but I don't feel that intense love. When Feyenoord came out with the news that they will play with a women's team in the Eredivisie next year, I suddenly felt that warm feeling inside. That feeling of club love, of: wow, there will come a day when I can play for this club, the club that I have always been a fan of. Feyenoord needs time to become as good as Ajax, PSV and Twente, but I have every confidence that it will succeed in the coming years. One day I will play for Feyenoord. But for now I can still be found abroad.”
Vivianne the trainer
"I am following the UEFA B training, but I am not allowed to give training now because I am not allowed to get out of my 'Arsenal bubble' because of corona."
You also study Football Business. What are your ambitions after your football career?
Viv- “I have already completed a number of trainer diplomas, a psychology course and I am now studying Football Business. A nice combination that will come in handy later on. In what way I don't know yet, but once I've stopped I'm sure I want to return to the football world after a break."
Is there a national coach in you, a 'Sarina Wiegman plus'?
Viv- Laughing: “We did talk about that. Also with Arjan Veurink, the assistant. Tactically, I assert myself, the staff and the team see that too. Jokes were certainly made: 'Stop searching, we already have Sarina's successor in house.' In women's football there are simply not many top coaches around. And yes, I might want to be one in the future.”
Talking about Sarina Wiegman: she will become England national coach after the Games and Mark Parsons will succeed her. Do you regret having to say goodbye to her?
Viv- “Under Sarina, we became European champions, we played a World Cup final and we are at the Games for the first time. But in the end I think a new impulse, a little refreshment, is good after five years of working together. I think Sarina will do very well as England coach. For her and hopefully for us, it will be a positive development. And of course we will miss her.”
But first to Tokyo.
Viv - “The Games have always been my big dream, even though the World Cup is a bigger tournament for us. Despite the fact that it will now look different than usual, I am very excited.”
Vivianne Miedema in Tokyo group matches
Wednesday 21 July Netherlands-Zambia from 13.00
Saturday 24 July Netherlands-Brazil from 13.00
Tuesday 27 July Netherlands-China from 13.30
Quarter-finals Friday 30 July
Semi-finals Monday 2 August
Battle for bronze Thursday 5 August Final Friday 6 August
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lokiondisneyplus · 3 years
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After spending over 30 years in the world of makeup design for film and television, Douglas Noe landed in the time-defying, creative playground of Marvel Studios' Loki. Serving as the Disney+ show's makeup department head, Noe not only designed the characters' individual looks, but continued to be Tom Hiddleston's makeup artist. Noe has worked on Hiddleston's Loki since 2012's The Avengers, carefully evolving the God of Mischief's look over time.
Loki isn't the first time Noe has spearheaded a makeup department for a Marvel Cinematic Universe production. Previously, Noe served as the makeup department head for Thor: The Dark World's additional photography -- making up approximately 20% of the film's final looks. He's also no stranger to the magic of prosthetic work and the intricate details needed for Marvel's epic adventures, having a creative hand in bringing both Captain Marvel's Skrulls and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Kree to life on-screen. In the industry, Noe is also known for specializing in palettes for actors of color and has worked on stars like Jackie Chan.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Noe discussed what it was like bringing The Avengers-era God of Mischief into Loki and his approach to doing makeup on a production stuffed with special effects. He also shared which MCU stars have graced his chair and his advice for makeup departments looking for practical ways to de-center whiteness.
Loki's Makeup Evolution
CBR: One thing that I noticed -- which I'm excited to pick your brain about -- when we first see Loki, he has a really pale complexion. His hair is greasy. As he evolves, his skin gets a warmer look. Was that an intentional progression from when we first see him as a villain-ish and how he grows within the MCU?
Douglas Noe: Yes, that's a very astute observation. Of course, at the beginning of The Avengers, he's kind of a wreck, isn't he? And as he settles and normalizes, his pallor then indeed calms down. It was very nuanced. It was only a matter of maybe one or two shades difference, but you definitely caught something most people have not.
That was 10 years ago, but it was a very minor detail we decided would be important as the narrative and the dialogue and the intellect of that character evolved into the storyline. It became important to kind of mainstream and refine his appearance.
Since Loki kicks off from that earlier version of Loki, did you think about bringing any more of that paleness to his look? How did you decide on how you wanted to show him from Loki's time period/first episode?
Oh, that's a good question. The truth is, from the end of The Avengers also shot again in Avengers: Endgame, we change nothing.
We did exactly what we did on Endgame that we did for The Avengers. And in turn, that's how we started the Loki series. It was that that look from Endgame, which, of course, is the look from The Avengers. No alterations were made, other than -- and I can already tell we're not getting anything past you -- we did warm him up. We did bring some more flesh into him... The truth is, that was Tom's idea. I get it because it was an unspoken understanding between us that there's greater accessibility to Loki if he looks more like most people. Now, those are my words. Not his. But, he definitely wanted us to warm it up just a skosh.
How Loki's SFX Affected Its Makeup Design
With Loki, there's a ton of visual effects. With makeup, it's so dependent on lighting -- it can change everything. What was the biggest challenge about working on a show like this that has so many special effects being added in post?
What you just said, it's working on a show like this. Marvel gets it and they do it right. There's almost an aspect where we lean into these kinds of things. And we change nothing to take into account the constantly evolving and changing lighting effects. The approach was to keep everybody natural, or naturally beautiful. Whatever happened happened. [We] knew Marvel is going to give it the once over once it's all done. And if there was anything to address that did happen because of lighting, it would have happened in post.
But, to my knowledge, nothing was addressed. We just accepted that. At certain times, people would be pink because of the light. They would be blue because of the light or purple and we accepted that and didn't try to make any attempts to balance it or right it in any way. We leaned into it and accepted it made it part of the story. It was its own character, if you will.
Sylvie's Makeup Was Always Meant To Be "Natural"
Building off what you said about a natural look for Loki's actors, did you always know you wanted Sylvie's makeup to have a natural look?
Absolutely, absolutely. The approach there was less is more. We didn't want to bury her in beauty makeup. It would have been very easy to do, because Sophia Di Martino is gorgeous, of course. But, the idea was let's do just enough to keep her naturally beautiful.
Practical Ways To De-Center Whiteness In Makeup Rooms
You designed Hunter B-15's look, and you're well known in the industry for specializing in makeup palettes for people of color. Since you've been in the industry for so long, what are some practical things that people within the makeup department, or its heads, can do to make it less white-centered?
That's a great question. Get out of the way. You have room for everybody, especially with today's explosion of content. But I would say to those who are going to hold tightly that they may as well just squeeze it out of their hands, "Just understand color theory." And, have it in your head that if somebody wants someone to do their makeup that closer represents how they look, get out of the way. It really is that simple. As you said, I've made it a specialty, a rite of passage to learn the ins and outs of all color tones. For me, I bring that to the table, so I don't have to get out of the way; but I know enough to know when it is time.
I have an anecdote that relates. I just did the Netflix series [True Story] with Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes for eight episodes. And Tawny Newsome [who portrays Billie in the upcoming series] was our leading lady, a beautiful African American woman. I could have done a bang-up job, but that wasn't the right decision to make. She needed a female makeup artist because it was a modern beauty glam look we were going to do on her. Now I do get modern beauty glam very well, but I wanted somebody that would do it great. So I got out of the way.
What's one, nitty-gritty thing that helped in expanding your understanding of color theory? Any books or makeup brands?
Oh, well, I could talk about makeup brands all day long. But, again, go back to the color theory. Get a color wheel from an art store. If you don't know how to mix colors, how to make primary and secondary colors to get tertiary colors, get a color wheel and be a sponge. I'm, what, 36 years in this career? 31 in film. I've never stopped learning. I'm never closed off to garnering new info. And when I don't, again, I get out of my way. I'm not up to snuff on this contemporary modern book with the square eyebrows, so I hired somebody that was.
But, getting back to your point, there are so many books. I have countless books on this very topic. I would say, "Be patient, learn color theory. And accept that, especially now, we're in an era where you may just have to get out of the way. And let it be what the person in the chair wants it to be." Because, ultimately, that's who we're there for, the actors.
You've been working in Marvel's world for a long time. What's one Marvel character that you would love to do their makeup or prosthetics?
I've never thought about it because, to be honest with you, I feel like I won the lottery. When we started with doing Loki on The Avengers, we didn't know what was gonna happen. I'm trying to think, hmm. On Captain Marvel, I was doing Skrulls -- that was fun. I did some work on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when they had a couple of episodes with Kree.
They were so cool.
Right? I'm trying to think -- I did mention to somebody before that on The Avengers I was given the choice:  [Jeremy] Renner or [Mark] Ruffalo or this new guy called Tom Hiddleston. The makeup was described to me and I was told that Hulk was going to beat him up a little bit and we were going to do a little something-something and they asked, "What do you want to do?" And I said, "I want to do a little something-something." So, I landed with Tom.
I'd have to really think, "Who would I like?" I've done Lizzie Olsen's makeup for the Tom Hiddleston film I Saw the Light. I've done Idris Elba's makeup a couple of times for a couple of Marvel films, but also for a movie called Takers. And I worked with him on a movie called The Reaping. He's a gem, of course... I'm really happy with who sits in my chair at the beginning of every day on these things. I've never thought past that. I garner so much pleasure and we have so much joy together. I'm happy where I'm at... I'm happy with Loki. I love Loki.
Well, Loki is coming back for Season 2, so you never know who will pop in the chair.
I've heard we're coming back, but that's all I've heard. That's all I know. And that's truly wonderful for me because ignorance is bliss. Whatever they dream up, I'm always eager to jump in and be a part of it.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer's "Hush" Monsters Were Hand-Painted
Digging way back into your history, you were once a makeup designer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is one of my favorite shows! What's one thing about that era of monster-makeup that you don't think gets enough credit for doing?
I always refer to Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Buffy the Weekend Slayer because we would get off on Saturday morning as the sun was coming up and have to be back to work a couple of hours before the sun came up on Monday... What you see is what you get. You had to be on your game. We were real craftspeople back then and there was no margin for error. The words that go with CGI simply didn't exist in 1999. You really had to be on point with makeup.
I would say what's lost now is the notion that makeup always has to be perfect. We know now it doesn't have to be perfect because we can fix it in post. I think a lot of people would say that helps us, but I think it handicaps those of us that are able to deliver the product without a computer's touch.
I remember I did one of the gentlemen on Buffy's episode, "Hush." My boss, Todd McIntosh, was saying, "You got to do the back of the neck... You never know what's gonna happen. You have to make sure that the back of the neck has makeup on." And, sure enough, the camera goes by and they were supposed to leave the frame, but the camera follows them. We just had to be on point and I think now many artists who came into the business with CGI, don't understand what it's like to be grinding your teeth and clenching your fists on set, hoping it looks okay because there's nothing left to fix it for you.
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stressisakiller · 3 years
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As You Wish
Steve Rogers x Reader Soulmate AU
(As you wish Part 2)
Summary: What happens when after moving into Stark Tower you run into a certain Captain
Warnings: None really, fluff, like one cussword a little bit of spice
Word Count: 2.4k
A/N: Fluffy chapter yay!  Let me know what you think and if you have any requests for future chapters! Thank yall for reading!’
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Life working side by side with Tony was dangerous. When Killian attacked Tony it was you not Pepper who was taken and subjected to the Extremis serum. This caused you to heal crazy fast and gave you super strength, which was pretty cool but not very useful for someone who spent most of their time in a robotics lab trying not to crush something when it wasn't working.
You later discovered that Killian mistakenly believed that you were in fact Tony's soulmate, while you had always thought that it was Pepper. She quickly refuted your claim when you told her, pulling the back of her jeans down enough to show the smiley face that graced her butt cheek. Turns out that her soulmate was none other than Happy the head of security.
 About six months after the battle of new york, after Tony and the whole Killian/Mandarin situation, Tony asked very nicely if you would move into the Avengers tower with him. He needed to get the Avengers tower going, and after everything that happened and his panic attacks, he really didn't want to live there alone. He was also hoping that if you lived in the tower that the avengers would be more willing to as well. By this point you had met and become friends with most of them save for Captain America, he hasn’t been around much. He was trying to find his place in this new world and taking as many missions as Shield will give him in order to feel needed 
The tower was much different this time than the last time you had been there. There was less plastic film and dust everywhere and all of the construction work was done. Most notably, the wall on Stark's living room floor was no longer a gaping hole.
The top eight levels of the tower were for the avengers. The penthouse was where Tony stayed, no surprise there. The level directly below was his lab space which was restricted access for the most part and then there was the common level under that. The common level was composed of a large kitchen and dining area, as well as a massive living room with the biggest tv you had ever seen. This floor also houses a theater, and an arcade room equipped with pool tables and any other game you could think of. Tony is such a child sometimes, not that you were complaining you loved to play pool. The next three floors are where you and the rest of the Avengers would live. You would each get your own suite that you could arrange and decorate however you saw fit. Each suite includes a kitchenette, and small living room that was separate from the bedroom, and a massive ensuite bath. The lowest two levels were dedicated to the training room and medical ward, as well as a giant pool and sauna area, these floors allowed for outside access as long as they were vetted.
Six months later, life in the tower was going well. You, Tony and Bruce, were the main people living there. You could understand that though, Nat and Clint were constantly out on missions for shield and mainly stayed on base in DC. Tony told you that Steve was currently living in an apartment in DC. He didn't want to live on base but he was running missions for Shield on and off. Thor was off-world with Loki so life was pretty quiet. 
 Then there was a mission that the Captain went on that didn’t go the way he thought. He was wounded and brought back a captive. You were in the common area when the door was thrown open and a bloody Steve Rogers burst through carrying a soaking wet girl over his shoulder.
“The Medical wing, where is it?” He questioned voice hard from pain or fatigue or both. 
“This way.” you hurried off, not looking behind you, you knew that he would follow. 
When you arrived, you called for Dr. Cho and Steve told her what was going on and placed the girl on a stretcher. The nurses pushed her to a room to monitor her until she woke up. He was then shown to a separate room to be looked over and have the bullet removed. 
 That night Tony pulled you into the living room to watch your favorite movie, the princess bride. It was about halfway through when an exhausted Steve came through the door and flopped down on the couch beside the one that you and Tony were currently lounging on. It was coming to your favorite part, Buttercup was currently yelling at the Dread Pirate Roberts and about to push him down the hill.
“Oooh,” you said hitting Tony’s shoulder, “I love this part,” you spoke along with Wesley as he rolled down the hill, “As you Wiiiisssshhhh.” you clapped your hands together, “that will forever be the best reveal ever.” 
You didn’t notice Steve’s stare as you said those words. Holy Shit he thought his tattoo finally made sense, and yet the girl that fate said was perfect for him had her legs thrown over Tony’s lap and was leaning against him while watching the movie. He stood quickly and stomped out of the room, today was just not his day. 
 You look over at Tony confused when Steve left.
“What the hell do you think that was about?” you asked, growing more confused as you noticed the smirk on Tony’s lips.
“Why are you smiling like that?” You had to stop yourself from slapping him when he started to laugh.
“What the hell, Stark, tell me what's going on?”
“I think that Capsicle just realized that you're his soulmate.” He said through chuckles.
“What the fuck do you mean he realized that I’m his soulmate?” you asked your whole body going still as you waited for him to elaborate.
“I thought you had realized this earlier,” he said looked genuinely confused, “The captain is your soulmate, I’ve known since we had that movie night after finding him in the ice. Your tattoo is his dog tags with the flower of his birth month and a phrase that I’ve heard him say multiple times while next to him in a fight.”
You just sat there frozen trying to comprehend what exactly the man sitting in front of you was saying. 
“You know, he may be a little jealous that his soulmate was cuddling someone else since he probably doesn’t realize that you're like a sister to me. You should probably go after him.”  His words seemed to break you from your trance as you threw yourself very clumsily from the couch to follow after him.
“Jarvis, where did Rogers go?” 
“He is in the training room miss.”
“Thanks, J”
You ran all the way down, opening the door you were met by the scene of Steve hitting a punching bag so hard that it broke and flew off of its chain.
“You know, I’m not sure that those are made to withstand the punch of a super soldier, maybe I should design one that can,” you said leaning against the wall and trying not to show the fact that your heart was beating a million miles a minute.
“And why would you feel the need to do that, I’m sure Stark has plenty of things that he needs you to design that are more important than a Steve-proof punching bag.” You could tell that he was gritting his teeth as he spoke, reaching for another bag. You step towards him slowly, making sure not to walk too quickly from fear of him leaving.
“Well I’m sure that the great Tony Stark can take care of himself, and anyways, I think creating something to make my soulmate's life easier is more important.”
He slowly pulled his eyes from the punching bag that he was hanging onto the hook to look at you, pain obvious in his eyes.
“Really? Cause you seemed pretty comfortable with him.” you could see the vulnerability in his eyes as he spoke, he had gone through so much already.
“Yes really, Tony is more like an annoying older brother than anything. I’ve been working around him for the past five or so years, trust me when I say that I have no desire to date him. You on the other hand.” You made sure that your voice turned teasing on the last words, you wanted to make him smile, you hadn’t gotten to see that yet.
“Well good, cause I think I may have to kick his ass if you did.” You could hear the teasing lilt in his voice and the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. But as quickly as it came it was gone.
“How long have you known?” his voice cracked a little as he spoke. You let out a small huff of a laugh.
“Would you believe me if I told you that Tony had to tell me when I was confused as to why you left the room?” His eyes snapped to yours.
“Really? You didn’t know?”
“After not meeting my soulmate by the time I turned 25 I just pushed it to the back of my mind, I stopped trying to figure out what my tattoo meant and I focused on my work. Plus there were a couple of life-threatening instances that distracted me." You joked. You weren't 100% sure how to handle this situation, your main friend group consisted of a playboy philanthropist and a science nerd that turned into a giant green guy when angry, not really the best people to show you how to be vulnerable.
“I understand that," he said pausing before continuing, "part of my problem was that my tattoo didn’t show up until after I came out of the ice.” he looked down at his hands and you noticed that they were fidgeting, he must be just as nervous as you.
“I didn’t know that,” you murmured, deciding to ask the question that was begging to be asked.
“What is your tattoo, if you don’t mind me asking?”
He shook his head, “Not at all.” he stepped towards you and pulled up his sleeve, and turned out his arm so you could see the flesh just under his armpit. As soon as you saw the tattoo you burst out laughing.
“Of course that’s what my mark is, man I’m such a nerd.” You clutched your stomach as you laughed, tears coming to your eyes from the range of emotions that you are currently going through.
“Can I ask why I have this tattooed on me?” He questioned, clearly curious to the reasoning as to why he had a movie quote on his arm forever. You were finally able to pull yourself together and sober up from the surprise of his tattoo.
“That movie came out the year after I was born and it was my mom’s favorite movie to watch with me, we watched it at least 4 times a year. But we always made sure to watch it on my birthday as a family, it became an integral part of my life, plus it’s just sooo quotable.” you said with a smile, “Do you want to look at my tattoo?” you asked motioning at your arm with your head. He slowly nodded, not able to find the words.
You slowly pulled your sleeve up, showing him the inside of your forearm and the dog tags that graced your skin. He stepped forward gently taking your arm in his hand so that he could study the markings on your skin. Tracing the outline and the words that he could see before smiling.
“What does it mean?” you asked softly looking at him through your lashes.
“It’s um,” he cleared his throat, “it’s my dog tags or at least the lower one is, it says my name, then Captain America and the city I was born in, Brooklyn. The top one however is something that I always seem to say when I’m getting beat up in a fight in order to remind myself that I could do it. And the flower… I think it’s the flower from my birth month? I was born in July so I think it’s a reference to that.” You nodded at his explanation, his fingers still gently tracing over your skin, causing goosebumps to pop up from the feeling.
“So, would you like to watch the movie with me? We can start it over so that you won’t be lost. I know that you struggle with pop culture, old man.” You smirked at him as you spoke, he just rolled his eyes.
“Be careful, this old man could still show you a thing or two.”
You laughed out loud at that, your laugh changed to a squeal when you felt him wrap his arms around your legs and throw you over his shoulder. 
“Ahh, let me down!!” you beat at his shoulders trying to get him to release you but he wouldn’t budge, he just continued to carry you until you ended back in the living room and he threw you down onto the couch. He wasn’t even breathing hard after carrying you up 2 flights of stairs, jerk. 
Tony was nowhere to been seen as you restarted the movie. You ran and grabbed some more popcorn to share, pouring in some M&Ms before plopping back down next to Steve and pulling on your couch blanket. It didn't take long for you to cuddle into his side and for your eyes to droop. 
Steve smiled at you when he realized that you had passed out before you even got to the part he had walked in on earlier. He didn't mind though, he just got comfortable and pulled you in closer before allowing himself to relax and fall asleep. 
Tagged Users: @writerwrites
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frostedfaves · 3 years
Text
Repercussions (11)
Masterlist
Pairing: dark!Natasha Romanoff x dark!Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader
Summary: Your plan moves along perfectly, and your girlfriends give you something to remember them by while they’re gone.
Warnings: dark themes, more manipulation from reader, mental health and self harm mentions, implied shower sex, smut 18+ ONLY (oral, face riding, fingering, sex toy penetration, squirting, choking)
A/N: I truly hope this was worth waiting all week for lmao. I planned on ending this with the introduction of a new character 👀 but by the time I got to where I stopped now, I was at 2.3k words (1200 of it that somewhat rough smut most of you voted for) and I decided to save it for 12! anyway, can’t wait to hear your thoughts! 
Previous part
-
The feeling of Natasha and Wanda’s arms around you was gone by morning, as it usually was, which means you knew exactly where to find them. You took the time to wash your face and brush your teeth before heading downstairs, greeting the two with the smallest smile you could manage as you approached the kitchen.
“Good morning, printsessa!” Wanda greeted you with normally bright eyes grown tired. “How do you feel today?”
“I’m alright,” you answered softly as she took your hand in hers, rubbing the back of it.
“What would you like for breakfast?”
“Surprise me,” you told Natasha as you pulled away from Wanda and approached a cabinet.
You opened one of the drawers and searched for a notebook and pen, grabbing both items and taking a seat at the breakfast bar. You could feel their gazes burning through the thin fabric that covered your back, but you continued to ignore them as your hand raced across the page with the pen.
“What are you writing, baby?” Natasha questioned gently as her arm wrapped around your waist.
“A letter.” You kept writing as you heard Wanda join you on the other side of the bar, eyes widening and hands shooting out defensively when she took the notebook away. “Wanda, give it back!”
She lowered it slowly as her eyes shifted back to you. “Who is Wesley?”
“He’s my cousin,” you replied just above a whisper, tears filling your eyes as they avoided hers. “It’s almost his birthday and with everything going on with my mental state, I really miss him. He was the only one growing up that knew how to keep me from spiraling, which is why it made perfect sense that he became a psychiatrist. I thought writing to him would help me feel better, but I don’t know. Just forget it.”
You pushed Natasha’s arm away as you jumped down from the stool, storming off to your separate bedroom to take a shower. The door opened a few minutes after you got in, and Wanda took the towel and soap from you, massaging the suds against your skin in soothing circles.
“I’m sorry, printsessa.” Her voice was just barely heard over the water.
“For what?”
“I didn’t mean to make you feel insecure. I think it’s great that you were writing to him. In fact, Tash and I were thinking that maybe we could invite him to stay with you while we go on our mission--”
“Really?!” You spun around so fast that she had to keep you from slipping. “You’re not messing with me, are you? I don’t think I could handle that.”
“No pretty baby, I’m not. Of course, there would be some rules we have to talk about, but--”
“Thank you, thank you!” You threw your arms around her torso, giggles escaping the two of you as you accidentally covered her in soap suds before pulling away with a frown. “Wait, you both have a mission?”
“I know, it sucks.” She sighed as she reached behind you to grab the showerhead, maneuvering it to rinse you off. “But the team needs both of us and it’s important, so we couldn’t turn it down. We’ll only be gone a week.”
“That’s so long,” you pouted as you watched her rinse herself off as well.
“It’ll be over before you know it! Now...” She pushed you against the shower wall as she turned off the water, kneeling and throwing your leg over her shoulder with a smirk. “Let me get your mind off it for a moment.”
-
“Okay, printsessa.”
You pulled yourself away from your show as Natasha and Wanda sat on the coffee table in front of you, their expressions stern but their eyes still soft. Wanda leaned forward to hand you a sheet of paper, which you glanced over as Natasha held up a copy of their own.
“I know that you’re excited about Wesley coming, but we still need to make sure you behave.”
You took note of some of the rules: no leaving the house, answer every phone call, as well as a few sexual restrictions. When you got to the bottom of the page, you looked up again with a grin. “I can follow these easily.”
“Well, I would hope so,” Natasha challenged with a smirk. “We’re putting a lot of trust in you this upcoming week, and it can very easily be ruined.”
“I’ll be good, I promise.” You dropped the paper beside you and leaned forward to grab their hands with your best puppy-eyed expression. “I just wish I could be good and have you closer than a fifteen hour flight away.”
“I know, baby,” Wanda pouted as she sat beside you on the couch, wrapping her arms around you. “If it was safe enough to do so, you’d be coming right along with us. I’m going to miss touching you.”
Wanda’s hand traveled underneath your oversized hoodie, and Natasha bit her lip when she noticed your thighs clench together in reaction to her wandering fingers. “You know, we could give our pretty baby something to remember us by while we’re gone. Remind her who fucks her properly.”
You nodded your head eagerly and Natasha jumped forward to grab the waistband of your leggings and yank the fabric past your ankles as Wanda’s hands massaged your breasts over your bra. She pulled away and had just pulled your hoodie over your head when Natasha stopped her. 
“Let’s take this to our special room.” She kissed your knuckles sweetly as she looked into your wide eyes. “Don’t worry, it’s not just for punishment.”
She grabbed your wrist and pulled you to your feet, forcing you to keep up with her as she jogged upstairs and down the hall, Wanda hot on your tail. The door was quickly unlocked and thrown open, and you were pushed onto the bed while your girlfriends stripped down as fast as their hands would move. Natasha turned you on your back and smacked your ass lightly before pulling your underwear away, while Wanda took care of your bra.
You turned back over when both of them pulled away, whining a bit when you noticed them kissing as they stood at the end of the bed, and you sat up and scooted a bit closer to the headboard. They separated with a few giggles and Wanda pushed you down onto the mattress harshly by your shoulder, climbing onto the bed with a leg on either side of your head as she lowered herself onto your mouth.
“Fuck, just like that,” she moaned as you began enthusiastically licking along her folds, pressing your hands into the pillows and lacing her fingers through yours. You squeezed them and jolted your hips upward when you felt Natasha’s tongue making its way toward your clit, her hands wrapped firmly around your thighs to keep you from moving again.
The room was filled with Wanda’s moans and suddenly your own when you pulled away for air, gasping as you felt yourself getting closer to the edge. You groaned loudly as you climaxed, shuddering and squirming when Natasha kept going as you came down, and Wanda was quick to push your head back into place.
“She doesn’t stop until I cum, printsessa.”
You tried your hardest to keep a consistent pace against Wanda’s core, occasionally sucking on her clit and working faster when you felt yourself about to cum again. You were just about to fall over the edge when Wanda started moaning and panting loudly, gripping your hands tightly and slumping forward as she came all over your lips and cheeks. Your own break followed soon after, and she twitched against you as the vibration of your satisfied sounds traveled to her clit.
You took a moment to breathe as she got off the bed, giggling a bit as Natasha moved up to clean your face with her tongue before pushing it into your own mouth. She then moved aside and instructed you to flip over, taking your place against the pillows when Wanda grabbed your ankles and pulled you further down. Her hands grabbed your hips and guided you upward onto your knees after positioning herself behind you, and you let out a gasp that turned into a shaky moan as she pushed a ribbed dildo inside of you slowly. Natasha’s fingers pressed into the back of your neck and pulled you right into her slick folds, grinding her hips upward and humming happily as you got to work right away.
Wanda dug her nails into your skin as she began a steady pace, letting you get a feel for the length before suddenly pounding into you relentlessly. You gripped the sheets on either side of Natasha’s waist hard as you pulled away to wail loudly at the delicious feeling, crying out when a hand slapped your ass hard.
“Did I say you could stop, printsessa?” Natasha teased over your aggressive moans, using the free hand that wasn’t holding your neck to rub one of her nipples, enjoying the fact that you were already ruined and they weren’t even close to done.
You squealed out a “no” as best as you could, dipping your head back down and Natasha’s back arched at the vibrations of your loud moans against her clit. You licked and sucked to the best of your restrained ability while Wanda fucked into you hard, occasionally delivering smacks to your stinging cheeks. You’d cum twice by the time Natasha came once, and you fought back tears when she didn’t let you pull away, instead switching hands to give her other nipple attention.
“Fingers too,” she instructed you shakily, a harsh moan escaping her clenched jaw when you pushed two fingers into her at once. “Damn, baby. You really know how to treat a woman.”
You were shaking from a third orgasm as you curled your fingers against the spot that had her screaming out, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally pushed you away. You leaned against her tiredly as she sucked your fingers clean and Wanda slowly pulled out of you. Natasha got up again and you fell into the empty space she left, whimpering as Wanda turned you on your back again.
“Taste it.”
Wanda held your jaw as you lifted your head to lick the soaked dildo, which blocked the view of Natasha walking toward the bed wearing a different one. You felt the bed dip as she climbed on again, your back arching off the mattress and hands gripping the sheets again when she pushed into you.
“Come on, baby, you can take it.”
Wanda moved away as Natasha slammed her hips against yours, pulling away and slamming into you again as your mouth fell open with silent moans. You found your voice again when she pulled out halfway, dipping her hand between the two of you to rub your clit with her thumb, and you groaned when your hips jerked forward at the movement and effectively pushed the toy further into you.
“If you wanted me to fuck you that badly, you should’ve asked.”
She spread your legs further apart and leaned forward to thrust into you faster, placing her hands on either side of you and chuckling when you reached up to dig your fingers into her biceps to anchor yourself. One of her hands came around your neck and squeezed lightly, and your eyes rolled back as the combined sensations of penetration and interrupted air flow became too much.
“You gonna cum for me, pretty baby?” she asked you in a mocking tone, grinning when you responded with incoherent babbling. “Come on, baby. Give me everything you got.”
If you were able to breathe properly, you would’ve screamed when her free thumb met your clit again, and a pressure built between your legs unlike any other. Just when you thought you would explode from the inside out, she pulled the toy out of you and continued rubbing your clit as you squirted all over her legs and the sheets.
Her hand pulled away from your neck and you weakly grabbed it in both of yours, tears escaping the corners of your closed eyes as you shuddered violently against the mattress. She used her free hand to undo the strap and throw the toy off to the side, shushing you as she laid beside you.
“It’s okay, I’m here,” she comforted quietly while she pulled you into her bare chest, rubbing your back gently. “You’re okay.”
“Wanda,” you whispered against her breast and she shushed you again.
“She’s setting up the bath, okay? Come on, let’s go to her. Wan, we need you.”
Wanda came into the room and the two of them guided your shaking form to the tub in the shared bathroom with gentle hands and a bit of assistance from Wanda’s powers to keep you calm. Natasha got in first and you collapsed against her as Wanda helped you in, starting to doze off as she began to wash you.
“I’m going to miss this,” Natasha mumbled, rubbing her thumb across Wanda’s calf with the hand that wasn’t holding onto your waist.
“I know, but I really hope this visit with her cousin is going to help. I can’t handle walking into a room and seeing that gun to her head again or worse.”
Natasha was quick to move her hand under Wanda’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. “It won’t happen again. We locked up everything she could possibly hurt herself with.”
“Tash, if she’s desperate enough, she’ll find a way. She needs help, and I think Wesley is help.”
“Alright. But one wrong move, and I swear I’ll come right back here and kill him with my bare hands. Mission be damned.”
“Agreed.”
-
Tags: @littlegasps @imnotasuperhero @nat-km-mh @natasha-danvers @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @creepingwolfberry @emilyprentisswife @becka107 @seventeen0 @bebe404 @its-a-long-way-to-ba-sing-se @fayhar @sxphiaswitch @mjaudrey @messuhp @wannabe-fic-reader @buckmesidewaysandcallmesteve @trikruismybitch @cosmicbrownies7 @cherrieloco @muted-stoneheart @beforeoursecrets @want-to-watch-it-burn @just-a-normalpersons @haiiiloeee2 @natashadeservedmore @witchxaf @darkangelxoxo @sakurat123 
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netflixaddictedd · 4 years
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10 gay books you should read (I'm making a lesbian version soon!)
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Red, white & royal blue: When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations.
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Running with lions: Bloomington High School Lions star goalie Sebastian Hughes should be excited about his senior year: His teammates are amazing, and hes got a coach who doesnt ask anyone to hide their sexuality. But when his estranged childhood-best-friend Emir Shah shows up at summer training camp, Sebastian realizes the teams success may end up in the hands of the one guy who hates him. Determined to reconnect with Emir for the sake of the Lions, he sets out to regain Emirs trust. But to Sebastians surprise, sweaty days on the pitch, wandering the towns streets, and bonding on the weekends spark more than just friendship between them.
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The fascinators: Living in a small town where magic is frowned upon, Sam needs his friends James and Delia - and their time together in their school's magic club - to see him through to graduation. But as soon as senior year starts, little cracks in their group begin to show. Sam may or may not be in love with James. Delia is growing more frustrated with their amateur magic club. And James reveals that he got mixed up with some sketchy magickers over the summer, putting a target on all their backs. With so many fault lines threatening to derail his hopes for the year, Sam is forced to face the fact that the very love of magic that brought his group together is now tearing them apart - and there are some problems that no amount of magic can fix. 
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Infinity son: Growing up in New York, brothers Emil and Brighton always idolized the Spell Walkers—a vigilante group sworn to rid the world of specters. While the Spell Walkers and other celestials are born with powers, specters take them, violently stealing the essence of endangered magical creatures. Brighton wishes he had a power so he could join the fray. Emil just wants the fighting to stop. The cycle of violence has taken a toll, making it harder for anyone with a power to live peacefully and openly. In this climate of fear, a gang of specters has been growing bolder by the day. Then, in a brawl after a protest, Emil manifests a power of his own—one that puts him right at the heart of the conflict and sets him up to be the heroic Spell Walker Brighton always wanted to be. Brotherhood, love, and loyalty will be put to the test, and no one will escape the fight unscathed.
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Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe: Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
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Simon vs the homosapiens agenda: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.
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Him: Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died. Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever. Jamie has waited a long time for answers, but walks away with only more questions— can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend...and a big one to learn about himself.
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Date me, Bryson Keller: Everyone at Fairvale Academy knows Bryson Keller, the super-hot soccer captain who doesn't believe in high-school relationships. They also know about the dare Bryson accepted - each week he has to date the first person who asks him out. A single school week is all anyone gets. There have been no exceptions to this. None. Until me, that is. Because brilliant Bryson Keller forgot one thing. He never said it could only be girls...
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The infinite noise: Caleb Michaels is a sixteen-year-old champion running back. Other than that his life is pretty normal. But when Caleb starts experiencing mood swings that are out of the ordinary for even a teenager, his life moves beyond “typical.” Caleb is an Atypical, an individual with enhanced abilities. Which sounds pretty cool except Caleb's ability is extreme empathy—he feels the emotions of everyone around him. Being an empath in high school would be hard enough, but Caleb's life becomes even more complicated when he keeps getting pulled into the emotional orbit of one of his classmates, Adam. Adam's feelings are big and all-consuming, but they fit together with Caleb's feelings in a way that he can't quite understand. Caleb's therapist, Dr. Bright, encourages Caleb to explore this connection by befriending Adam. As he and Adam grow closer, Caleb learns more about his ability, himself, his therapist—who seems to know a lot more than she lets on—and just how dangerous being an Atypical can be.
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They both die at the end: On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure to live a lifetime in a single day.
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prose-for-hire · 3 years
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Be Yourself
Platonic coming out fic w/ Wesley, Cordy and Gunn x agender!reader❤
Request: I see your requests are open, im so excited to see what comes in! I was wondering if you could do a fic where an agender (with they/them pronouns) reader comes out to Wesley after he becomes the boss in season two of Angel? And he helps them come out to Cordy and Gunn? Have a great day, love your writing!
Requested by: @alltheangstmygifttoyou​​
Warning: All characters are accepting but some understand more than others, reader ambiguously discusses food (not sure if it needs a warning but I like to be safe in case), anxiety around coming out, reader doesn’t have close family.
A/N: I hope this is what you wanted, love. I so wanted to get this right for you so if any of this doesn’t sit quite right, message me and I’ll change it 💖
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You had taken some time off from your job at Angel Investigations. The others thought it was because of Angel’s recent departure, you had been friendly with him as you were with pretty much everyone. But it wasn’t that. The reason you had taken yourself away was to try and figure some stuff out. There just hadn’t been enough time to be able to focus on yourself what with the demons constantly taking up all of your attention.
They had really missed you. Especially now that Angel had gone off on his own. They needed you even more than ever but you explained how much you needed this time. They of course understood, although the way their faces all lit up when you returned that morning showed that they had wanted you back almost the instant you had stepped out of the door a couple of weeks ago.
You greeted the others but made your way straight to Wes. You had to do this and now or you were worried you may never take the chance again. You had finally become settled here and you wanted to include these people into your life fully by explaining what had been spinning around your head lately. You had to be yourself, you wanted them to know everything about you. Including your gender identity.
“Y/n! It’s nice to see you, I’m pleased that you’re-” Wesley began but your mouth blurted out your words before he could even finish his sentence.
“Wes, I need to speak to you. In your office… please?”
“Of course” He gestured with his arm for you to enter and followed you inside the room.
You were nervous as you sat down. More so than you thought you might be. You’re happy with who you are after a lot of soul-searching, so you weren’t entirely sure why your body appeared to be filled almost to maximum capacity with apprehension.
Perhaps it was because you didn’t have any family to come out to, in fact you saw the people in this office as your family. This could be why there felt like there was so much pressure descending on you along with Wesley’s measured gaze.
You didn’t wait to sit and stew in this unusual mix of nerves and happiness you felt at the fact you had finally found a description of gender that fit for you. You went straight into explaining, before he even needed to prompt you. You trusted Wesley a great deal, he had been your friend before you moved to LA and so it was important to you that you spoke to him first.
“Uh, so I’ve been thinking and… I’ve decided that I want to go by they/them pronouns” You paused only briefly, not yet looking up until your finished your next sentence, “I’m agender and I think I feel really good about it” Your smile had grown as you explained and you noticed that Wesley’s had too. He nodded in understanding at your words and rested a hand over yours from across the desk. It was a show of unquestioning support.
He appeared proud almost. That you trusted him, that you were more comfortable in yourself. In who you are. And especially so that you had come to him first. That you wanted to be yourself with him. Wesley was very understanding. More so than you had actually expected. He was very well-read and immediately made the point to make you feel at ease and promise that this is how he would ‘endeavour to refer to you’ forever more. You knew he would get it, that moment of doubt had been an imaginary barrier to your happiness that you had created in your own mind.
It was a big deal to you and you were growing in confidence with every second since you had told Wesley about being agender. You didn’t think you had smiled this much in such a long time and you had a really in depth discussion with Wesley about how you felt about gender and how you had gotten to this point. It was such a release and so nice to be able to talk about it out loud to someone, it only confirmed to you how much this meant to you. How affirming it was to have another person not treat you with contempt but instead love for exactly who you are.
You then explained that you wished to tell the others as well. You wanted to be yourself with them. You wanted to include them more than anything, because this was so important to you. To be who you are. To use the pronouns that best fit you.
With Wesley’s help, you explained everything to the others. Cordelia was slightly less clued into identities that weren’t her own and so it took a little re-explaining and answering questions but you could see as soon as it appeared to click in her mind that she was happy for you. And wanted to get everything right for you. She launched into hugging you after you finished talking and told she could tell how much this meant to you which meant that it was super important to her as well.
Gunn, although not entirely used to it yet, could tell how important this was by your face before you had started to speak. He nodded and listened very carefully and after you finished, he walked up to you and patted you on the back comfortingly. He suggested, in part to demonstrate that he of course still saw you as one of his closest friend, that you should all go to your favourite restaurant. You looked a little embarrassed at the hugs and the idea of a celebration but as soon as Gunn decided to offer to pay for the meal you had never accepted an invitation fast enough.
He chuckled at how quickly you agreed as did Wesley as he moved to stand close to you again. You were so grateful to have such a caring group of people around you. Especially Wesley, you knew that although being honest and discussing your identity and pronouns was inevitable, you wouldn’t have felt half as sure of yourself if you hadn’t had Wes there supporting you. He had been like a comfort blanket in a way and you knew you would have to find a way to thank him.
You all happily started to shrug on your jackets as you discussed with Cordelia what you were planning on ordering from the restaurant (and recommending to Cordelia some items you knew she would love). The atmosphere was mostly relief as well as a swell of love you felt surrounding you. Your friends were so important to you, you were so pleased you didn’t have to even consider that your admittance could have turned out badly.
As the four of you stepped into the cool air of the night, you continued to list what appeared to be every item on the menu. Gunn’s face dropped as he realised his treating everyone might turn out to really damage his pockets. At his expression, Wes chuckled at his friend and a smile began to widen on his face as you appeared to still be speaking about different food items.
“You can’t back down now, Gunn, look how excited they are” Wesley gestured to you fondly as you continued to list everything you had ever wanted to try from that restaurant. You paused only slightly from your enthused discussion with Cordelia about the several side dishes you had decided you had to split between you. It was the first time you had ever heard anyone refer to you by the pronouns you preferred. The only way you could describe it was pure elation. It just felt right.
You felt a weight lift off of your shoulders the closer to the restaurant you walked. Now, you truly could just be yourself. With your little family you were sure to have a fun evening where you could be comfortably authentic without anything else plaguing your mind.
And you did manage to relax. That was, until a demon unexpectedly dropped by for a bite…
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guqin-and-flute · 3 years
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Jingyi is going around asking his Trusted Adults for relationship advice. He's getting very different answers based on who he's asking. Some of the advice is better than others ...I'm not sure whether Jin ZiXuan's advice would be the best because he's learned from his mistakes or terrible because of his past track record.
(I’m getting shades of Wesley asking the Enterprise crew for relationship advice in Next Gen season 2 and the children’s book I Want My Hat Back. Gosh this got long.)
Jin Ling has a problem. There is someone that he likes and he doesn’t know what to do. Jin Ling decides to ask the adults in his life.
Mother, what do you do if you like someone?
Remember to be kind and respectful, always. Let them know that you like them. A-Ling, it is very important to communicate. Do you need help thinking of a way to tell them?
That sounds very scary and he does not want to do that just yet. Thanks anyway.
✨(Rest under the cut for space)✨
Father, what do you do if you like someone?
What? Well...I don’t know if I...probably tell them. Or...yes, you should tell them. Aren’t you kind of young? We were going to have this talk when you were older....
He really does not want to tell them right now, he was just wondering. Thanks anyway. 
Uncle Jin Guangyao, what do you do if you like someone?
You like someone? Do I know them? Where are they from? Who is their family? What are they like? Do you need a chaperone? You’re not sneaking away to meet them, are you? Are you thinking about being safe? Do you bring your sword when you are alone? Do you have protection? Have you told your father? Your mother?
That’s a lot of questions and now he is a little flustered. Thanks anyway. 
Uncle Jiang Cheng, what do you do if you like someone?
...Why are you asking me? I don’t know. Give them a present, I guess. Or something. Listen, I don’t know. Go ask your mother.
He has already asked her, but the gift thing sounds surprisingly solid. Thanks anyway.
Uncle Nie Mingjue, what do you do if you like someone?
You show them. You can talk all you want, but what you do matters more than what you say. Never lie and do not let them lie to you. And if someone hurts you, tell me immediately.
That’s very ominous and forceful. Thanks anyway.
Uncle Lan Xichen, what do you do if you like someone?
That’s a complicated question. I suppose it depends on what you want and what options you have. Being an heir makes it difficult, I know; would you like to talk about it? I suppose my advice would be...remember to listen. Remember that someone could be fighting a battle you don’t know anything about. Remember to meet people where they are.
That sounds vaguely depressing and very wise. Thanks anyway.
Uncle Lan Wangji, what do you do if you like someone?
Do not ever let them go.
Oh. Okay, sorry to bother you. Thanks anyway.
Uncle Nie Huaisang, what do you do if you like someone?
Oh HO, you like someone, do you? What are they like? Are they cute? Do I know them? How old are you again? Listen, don’t be afraid to research these things--literature is important. Tell me everything, maybe I can give you tips on wooing.
He doesn’t know why you’re winking so much, but he’ll keep the offer in mind. Thanks anyway.
Aunt MianMian, what do you do if you like someone?
Be honest, be loyal, and follow your heart. And remember, sometimes you have to fight for the things you believe in. Let me know if you need me to talk to your father for you, if he gives you trouble.
You sound like you have very strong opinions on this and maybe he will wait until he is sure. Thanks anyway.
Uncle Wei Wuxian, what do you do if you like someone?
Like someone? Like, LIKE like someone? Well, clearly you have to pester them until they agree! Hahaa, just kidding--but be persistent, you know? Give them gifts, keep them on their toes. Maybe hide their robes while they’re bathing. Don’t actually do that. Or at least don’t anyone I told you so. Ahhh, what do I know? Everyone’s different. Go ask your mother! She seems happy enough with that p--uh, your father. 
Some of that sounds like advice that would get him into a lot of trouble. Thanks anyway.
Uncle Wen Ning, what do you do if you like someone?
Oh, you like someone? That’s nice! Um, maybe give them gifts or-or compliments. I don’t know very much about all that, but it doesn’t hurt to compliment people, I suppose. Do I know them? I’m sure they’re very nice. 
That sounds like pretty good advice, actually, and yes, they are nice. Thanks anyway.
Uncle Mo Xuanyu, what do you do if you like someone?
Ooo, little A-Ling’s in love, how cute. Who is it? Is it that servant girl from the other day? Oh, is it that BOY from the Cultivation Conference? Ahaha, look how red you’re turning! Noo, come back, you need to tell me everything!
That was somehow worse than Jin Guangyao and Nie Huaisang put together and none of it managed to be advice. Thanks anyway.
Aunt Qin Su, what do you do if you like someone?
I suppose you would tell them, if you want something to come of it! Be kind, be thoughtful, learn about them, find what you have in common. Sometimes it’s love and sometimes it’s infatuation and you’ll learn the difference as you grow. Love grows because you tend it.
That’s all very grown up stuff and while this all sounds nice, he was kind of looking for more workable advice. Thanks anyway.
Jin Ling still has a problem. There is still someone he likes and he has some things that he can do. But more importantly, he has a whole slew of adults who now have opinions about his dating life. Maybe this was a mistake.
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