Dancing in the Rain

Ex. “Yeah, I had a sandwich for lunch.” “My neighbor is named Tom.” “Cool, I love that show.” “My mom is allergic to peanuts.” “Dang, I forgot to drink my tea and now it’s cold.”

Me: hmmm… I believe you.

Now my brain always goes "they wake up in their younger selves one day" sort of thing because I just love the thought of the chaos these guys could get up to with all the knowledge they have

BUT

Nate would be so confused. He's the only non time traveler because he didn't get caught in whatever shenanigans caused it in the first place because, well, he's dead. Suddenly this team is weirdly close and cohesive. They were already speed running this found family but its now somehow worse???? And ohhhhh the angst potential.

THE ANGST

Because here is the love of Sophie's life (but he's not really her Nate at this point is he?) - the man she loved and lost and mourned. She had just begun to really find her way with the grief and there he is again. But this Nate has yet to become that Nate, and if the team changes things - hits certain targets sooner, or differently, would he ever really be her Nate again?

Would he be the Nate that pulled together the original crew? Who's legacy created Leverage International and has impacted more lives than he could ever possibly know?

Because it was Nate that taught them they could be more than they ever believed. That taught them the skills they learned to hurt could be used to help. That they could forge their own path in the world, and it could be so so different from what they thought it could.

(It was Nate that brought together Elliot, Parker and Hardison together. Helped them heal, got them to lean on each other. Support each other. Learn how to ask each other for help - even of they never say the actual words).

Sophie, Parker, Hardison and Elliot would have all this history that Nate is now missing. They would be around this man who was foundational in who they became, and he would know none of it.

Thanks to @rats-on-ice for helping me with the designs :D

Yes, there are some traits that tend to show up more in one sex than another (though in many cases there's likely just as much cultural influence on brain development as there is biological, so even that will flavor what kind of people certain traits are found most in). No, trans people's brains are not more similar to any sex's brains than anyone else, though I can see where that idea came from. The truth is that trans women are more likely to have traits that are also more likely to show up in cis women, and trans men are more likely to have traits that are also more likely to show up in cis men.

And "more likely" could mean "this shows up in 90% of females and 4% of males", but it very well could also mean "this shows up in 25% of males and 1% of females" or "this shows up in 21% of females and 20% of males". And that's not even taking into account how intersexism and misogyny affects any kind of medical study, especially sex-difference-centric ones, (and don't even get me started on how ableism interferes with literally every medical study and practice, and how trying to justify bigotry by classify an entire group of people as unintelligent is bullshit and offensive to everybody with cognitive disabilities).

Artist: Tim Brierley

“there’s a restaurant two miles from my house called—” nope

“today I learned [celeb] went to my high school—” nope nope nope nope nope

these are all real posts I’ve seen on the internet that allowed me to identify a user’s hometown instantly. if it’s a small town, that’s doubly dangerous, because a bad actor could trace you just by a unique first name or selfie you once posted. in an age where doxxing and stalking are some of the worst I’ve ever seen it, you HAVE to think twice about what you’re posting online.

i once saw a 13-year old post an image they noted as being “a few miles from their house.” it had a theater in the shot with a unique enough name to be local. one google maps search, now everyone knew not only what city they lived in, but the possible neighborhoods in that radius too. and they had a HUGE following…who all knew this was a 13-year-old child.

so yeah. not to sound like a 90s internet safety PSA…but I’m gonna be that PSA for a minute.

if you’re posting an image, there is NO need to say that you live there. you could just be traveling. “saw this in Montana” is better than “saw this by my house!”

before you post about a venue, especially a restaurant or small store, check and see if it’s local—CRUCIALLY if it has only one or two locations. people might travel to arenas or convention centers, but they’re far less likely to be traveling to Bartleby’s Fish and Chips. if it’s an anecdote and you still live nearby, you can honestly just leave the name out entirely.

if you’re sharing a news story, it can just be a story you found and wanted to share. you don’t have to clarify “it happened in my town,” because even if you don’t mention your town name, an easily-googled news article will.

if you’re seeing a concert or meeting a celebrity on a tour that’s stopped locally, wait until they’ve hit a few more venues before you post about it, or at the very least wait until you get home. this is honestly a smart move for any event you attend: unless you’re marketing yourself, there’s no need to advertise your location in real time.

check your selfie backgrounds for anything identifying. this includes city names on venues, school names, street signs, and house numbers.

this stuff is flexible if you no longer live in your hometown, or if your city is particularly big, but there’s STILL no reason to tie yourself to your school, your workplace, or your street. you can call it paranoid, but as someone who’s seen my friends get literal death threats over fictional characters before, the last thing I want is someone willing to act on those threats finding out where they live.

I once had a friend post a photo while visiting me with both a unique local business and a set of street signs in the background, while they knew I was being stalked by someone who knew and potentially followed their account. I wasn't in that photo, but other posts from that weekend made it obvious they were staying with me. They hadn't yet been in a position where they regretted having that information publicly available, so it didn't occur to them to avoid sharing it.