couldbetricky

[couldbetricky]

mysteriomanifesto‌:

          “Take my word for it - ‘eat the rich’ was first coined by the philosopher Rousseau, not Aerosmith.”

     “Hm.” Natasha thinks for a moment, trying to place the name. “The philosopher that influenced the French Revolution? ...I guess that makes sense-- and is a little more...refined. No disrespect to Aerosmith, of course.”

[couldbetricky]

     “That seems...unlikely.”

[couldbetricky]

✧

bold➝  strongly appliesitalic ➝  soft yes / applies passively or situationally

I would kill you. ✧ I would physically hurt you. ✧ I would attack you unprovoked. ✧ I would manipulate you. ✧ I dislike you. ✧ You annoy me. ✧ You scare me. ✧ You intimidate me. ✧ I hope I intimidate you. ✧ I pity you. ✧ You disgust me. ✧ I hate you. ✧ I’m indifferent toward you. ✧ I’d like to get to know you better. ✧   I’d like to spend more time with you. ✧ I’d like to be friends with you. ✧  I’m unsure what to think of you. ✧ I’m unsure how I feel about you. ✧ You are my friend. ✧ You are my best friend. ✧ You are my mentor. ✧ I look up to you. ✧ I respect you. ✧ You are my hero. ✧ You inspire me. ✧ You are my enemy. ✧ You make me happy. ✧ I want to protect you. ✧ I would fight by your side. ✧ I consider you an equal. ✧ I think you are beneath me. ✧ I think you are above me. ✧ I would lie for you. ✧ I would lie to you. ✧ I would sleep with you. ✧ I would sleep by your side. ✧ I would hug you. ✧ I would kiss you. ✧ You are family to me. ✧ I would die for you. ✧ I would kill for you. ✧ I would trust you with my life. ✧ I would trust you with my most precious belonging. ✧ I would trust you with a secret. ✧ I would trust you with my biggest / darkest secret. ✧ I love you (platonically). ✧ I love you (romantically).

[couldbetricky]

✧

bold➝  strongly appliesitalic ➝  soft yes / applies passively or situationally

I would kill you. ✧ I would physically hurt you. ✧ I would attack you unprovoked. ✧ I would manipulate you. ✧ I dislike you. ✧ You annoy me. ✧ You scare me. ✧ You intimidate me. ✧ I hope I intimidate you. ✧ I pity you. ✧ You disgust me. ✧ I hate you. ✧ I’m indifferent toward you. ✧ I’d like to get to know you better. ✧   I’d like to spend more time with you. ✧ I’d like to be friends with you. ✧  I’m unsure what to think of you. ✧ I’m unsure how I feel about you. ✧ You are my friend. ✧ You are my best friend. ✧ You are my mentor. ✧ I look up to you. ✧ I respect you. ✧ You are my hero. ✧ You inspire me. ✧ You are my enemy. ✧ You make me happy. ✧ I want to protect you. ✧ I would fight by your side. ✧ I consider you an equal. ✧ I think you are beneath me. ✧ I think you are above me. ✧ I would lie for you. ✧ I would lie to you. ✧ I would sleep with you. ✧ I would sleep by your side. ✧ I would hug you. ✧ I would kiss you. ✧ You are family to me. ✧ I would die for you. ✧ I would kill for you. ✧ I would trust you with my life. ✧ I would trust you with my most precious belonging. ✧ I would trust you with a secret. ✧ I would trust you with my biggest / darkest secret. ✧ I love you (platonically). ✧ I love you (romantically).

[couldbetricky]

✧

bold➝  strongly appliesitalic ➝  soft yes / applies passively or situationally

Present:

I would kill you. ✧ I would physically hurt you. ✧ I would attack you unprovoked. ✧ I would manipulate you. ✧ I dislike you. ✧ You annoy me. ✧ You scare me. ✧ You intimidate me. ✧ I hope I intimidate you. ✧ I pity you. ✧ You disgust me. ✧ I hate you. ✧ I’m indifferent toward you. ✧ I’d like to get to know you better. ✧   I’d like to spend more time with you. ✧ I’d like to be friends with you. ✧  I’m unsure what to think of you. ✧ I’m unsure how I feel about you. ✧ You are my friend. ✧ You are my best friend. ✧ You are my mentor. ✧ I look up to you. ✧ I respect you. ✧ You are my hero. ✧ You inspire me. ✧ You are my enemy. ✧ You make me happy. ✧ I want to protect you. ✧ I would fight by your side. ✧ I consider you an equal. ✧ I think you are beneath me. ✧ I think you are above me. ✧ I would lie for you. ✧ I would lie to you. ✧ I would sleep with you. ✧ I would sleep by your side. ✧ I would hug you. ✧ I would kiss you. ✧ You are family to me. ✧ I would die for you. ✧ I would kill for you. ✧ I would trust you with my life. ✧ I would trust you with my most precious belonging. ✧ I would trust you with a secret. ✧ I would trust you with my biggest / darkest secret. ✧ I love you (platonically). ✧ I love you (romantically).

Future:

I would kill you. ✧ I would physically hurt you. ✧ I would attack you unprovoked. ✧ I would manipulate you. ✧ I dislike you. ✧ You annoy me. ✧ You scare me. ✧ You intimidate me. ✧ I hope I intimidate you. ✧ I pity you. ✧ You disgust me. ✧ I hate you. ✧ I’m indifferent toward you. ✧ I’d like to get to know you better. ✧   I’d like to spend more time with you. ✧ I’d like to be friends with you. ✧  I’m unsure what to think of you. ✧ I’m unsure how I feel about you. ✧ You are my friend. ✧ You are my best friend. ✧ You are my mentor. ✧ I look up to you. ✧ I respect you. ✧ You are my hero. ✧ You inspire me. ✧ You are my enemy. ✧ You make me happy. ✧ I want to protect you. ✧ I would fight by your side. ✧ I consider you an equal. ✧ I think you are beneath me. ✧ I think you are above me. ✧ I would lie for you. ✧ I would lie to you. ✧ I would sleep with you. ✧ I would sleep by your side. ✧ I would hug you. ✧ I would kiss you. ✧ You are family to me. ✧ I would die for you. ✧ I would kill for you. ✧ I would trust you with my life. ✧ I would trust you with my most precious belonging. ✧ I would trust you with a secret. ✧ I would trust you with my biggest / darkest secret. ✧ I love you (platonically). ✧ I love you (romantically).

[couldbetricky]

There’s nothing you have in that little box that’ll do anything other than bore me to tears. […] I am no Nazi harlot, and you are wasting my time.

[couldbetricky]

Character Development Questions: Hard Mode

Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?

What is/was your character’s relationship with their mother like?

What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like?

Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

On an average day, what can be found in your character’s pockets?

Does your character have recurring themes in their dreams?

Does your character have recurring themes in their nightmares?

Has your character ever fired a gun? If so, what was their first target?

Is your character’s current socioeconomic status different than it was when they were growing up?

Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?

In what situation was your character the most afraid they’ve ever been?

In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?

Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?

Does your character remember names or faces easier?

Is your character preoccupied with money or material possession? Why or why not?

Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others?

What is your character’s biggest relationship flaw? Has this flaw destroyed relationships for them before?

In what ways does your character compare themselves to others? Do they do this for the sake of self-validation, or self-criticism?

If something tragic or negative happens to your character, do they believe they may have caused or deserved it, or are they quick to blame others?

What does your character like in other people?

What does your character dislike in other people?

How quick is your character to trust someone else?

How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person?

How does your character behave around children?

How does your character normally deal with confrontation?

How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation?

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

What does your character find repulsive or disgusting?

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most comfortable.

Describe a scenario in which your character feels most uncomfortable.

In the face of criticism, is your character defensive, self-deprecating, or willing to improve?

Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method?

How does your character behave around people they like?

How does your character behave around people they dislike?

Is your character more concerned with defending their honor, or protecting their status?

Is your character more likely to remove a problem/threat, or remove themselves from a problem/threat?

Has your character ever been bitten by an animal? How were they affected (or unaffected)?

How does your character treat people in service jobs?

Does your character feel that they deserve to have what they want, whether it be material or abstract, or do they feel they must earn it first?

Has your character ever had a parental figure who was not related to them?

Has your character ever had a dependent figure who was not related to them?

How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it?

What does your character believe will happen to them after they die? Does this belief scare them?

[couldbetricky]

Comfort your companion in their time of sorrow, all the while already beginning to meticulously orchestrate the crushing downfall of those who caused them woe in the first instance. 

[couldbetricky]

mysteriomanifesto‌:

          An  intentional  humble smile forms with Natasha’s few words of appreciation, a  curt  gracious nod offered in her direction as the man’s dark eyelashes slowly flutter. While there’s an abundant degree of relief that the woman has taken a sip from her wine, Quentin doesn’t allow himself to outwardly manifest the sensation, merely sinking further back into his side of the couch with his glass brought up to his lips once more. She’s moving towards the little desserts and, despite Beck’s heightened disinclination in partaking in food with elevated levels of dairy and sugar, the man gives a small tilt of his head in their direction. “By all means, do the honours.”

                    The redhead’s prolonged summary of the history of the cake sees the cogs turning at the back of Quentin’s mind, blue eyes  unrelentingly  calmly poised on her as he tries to read between the lines, seeking for a hidden meaning that may or may not be present - his counterpart would have chimed in with an interesting tidbit about how Aristophanes’s work had influenced a number of artists and writers over the years… but Beck distinctly refrains from doing so considering that his 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣 wouldn’t have this knowledge at hand. “As charming as that sounds, our version of Russian folklore may be of an alternative nature - it’s difficult for me to say as I unfortunately didn’t have much opportunity to frequent that side of the world and thus enjoy their culture.” A small chuckle, his line of vision  purposefully  shyly lowering down to his hands with a  well-placed  hapless smile. “As widespread as it may be here, I’m still getting used to the concept of pizza.”

          Reaching across to set his glass down on a coaster, Quentin edges forwards in his seat in preparation to take one of the slices, the question posed to him causing for a tilt of the man’s head as he supposedly ponders the amount of time in which he has been present on this version of Earth ( the answer, of course, is over 35 years ). “Months, although it feels as though it’s been much longer considering the amount of, uh, travelling I had to do before I entered this dimension.” A look of  practiced  discomfort edges over the man’s features, fingertips lightly passing over his lips. “There is a big contrast between The Avengers of this world and that which I’m accustomed with. In a word, yours are… disjointed. It truly saddens me to see you all in this state. I wish there was something I could do to help mend bridges.”

     “You and me both.” The smile offered his way is slight, worn if well-humored. “Unfortunately, I find that time heals most wounds.”

          ( most, not all )

Natasha finally slices away a fair portion of the cake, savoring the taste-- it has been a while since she’s felt the impulse to indulge in delicacies; there’s been few people, few occasions, worth celebrating. Even this, a welcoming gesture to a new team member, is overshadowed by ulterior motives-- never really just wanting to get to know someone better.

     “....”

     “What would you do?” she asks, gesturing ever-so-slightly in his direction with her fork-- the motion casual, conversational. There’s a sincerity in wanting his thoughts on the rift between the Avengers as much as it’s a calculated question-- a testing of the waters; what kind of ally or leader are you? “I know how we got here isn’t any responsibility of yours, and I don’t expect you to fix it, but how would you approach bridging the gap?”

[couldbetricky]

whats the point of having a cat if it doesn’t commit crimes

[couldbetricky]

mysteriomanifesto‌:

          “I can tell.” Quentin gives an acquiescing nod with Natasha’s response, amused by their shared semblance of self-assurance that seemed to manifest so comfortably regardless of terse circumstances ( steely eyes haven’t looked away once ). “Honestly, there are very few people that I’ve come across who are as thorough as you. It’s admirable.” The man didn’t hand out compliments often, a rarity only provided to those deserving of it.

                    While it isn’t entirely desirable for the woman to have dredged up any information about the engineer, the little that she divulges is encouraging - his team’s work had been effective, curtailing his personal narrative in a manner that would lead to more questions rather than providing answers upfront. Despite the usual control that Beck had over his gestures, his gaze instinctively dips to follow the motion of the redhead’s hand, trailing over the item of jewelry and the inevitable surrounding area of her decolletage ( had Natasha done that on purpose to draw his attention? ).

          “Perhaps it was a test. Perhaps I wanted to give you a challenge.” Beck’s line of vision flickers back up, the corners of his lips ticking upwards. “I look forward to seeing what else you may or may not find.” ( an open invitation ).

     “Well, I always aim to impress and I do love a challenge...so I look forward to finding whatever other secrets you have in store.” 

She hasn’t decided to look further or not yet, especially given the suggested evidence of erased data and his ‘man of mystery’ facade. Curiosity begs: why? Caution reasons: patience.

     “You know...tomorrow’s my birthday.” It’s both a shift in subject and a concession, an almost-apology for putting him on edge earlier, for the likelihood that she’ll continue digging in-- attempting to unearth whatever he’s made an effort to hide away. It’s not the entire truth (is anything?), but on paper it’s fact, reflected on records and within small celebrations and handmade cards since the late 90s. Natasha Romanoff was born on Christmas Day 1984.

          ( Natalia Romanova isn’t dead, she just never existed; her date of birth unimportant and irrelevant )

Natasha’s hand draws away from her necklace, arms crossing, right elbow resting on the back of her left wrist as she points to him-- just shy of making contact with his shoulder. “I think you owe me a dance.”

[couldbetricky]

BLACK WIDOW NAME OF THE ROSE #5

Marjorie Lie & Daniel Acuma

[couldbetricky]

[couldbetricky]

[couldbetricky]

avengerwitharrows‌:

         “A bit. Granted, when you’re in a sniper’s nest, you don’t really stop to appreciate the view.” He hands her the food container as he sits next to her, adjusting his collar as he looks out over the city. He can’t help but be mildly amused by the fact she felt the need to clarify, though in all honesty he wasn’t used to having dinner with a friend. Or being friends with his coworkers, for that matter. 

They would probably always be closer than ‘normal’ colleagues though, due to the circumstances of her becoming a coworker. In a way, this whole spontaneous excursion was a way of acknowledging that without actually saying anything. Maybe it was him projecting, but he imagined her life was rather lonely… even now that she didn’t have to look over her shoulder all the time. 

     ( though he knew better than to expect her to stop doing so )

She wasn’t alone though. He hoped she knew that. Knew that she mattered to someone. Beyond what she could do, as an asset, with her skill set. Knew that she had value beyond that. Again, perhaps he was projecting. Clint wouldn’t pretend that he was able to understand or relate to all of her life’s experiences, he couldn’t even relate to all the ones that he knew about… but still, he empathized.

     “No, I suppose that’s true.” 

She’s traveled far and wide for missions, to the strange and unfamiliar to that which borders a nostalgia she’s never quite been able to place. Exotic or ordinary, she’d never been able to appreciate her surroundings-- always, acutely, aware of them, but never in awe, never in acknowledgement.

Natasha imagines it’s much of the same for Clint.

It’s not easy here, now, to do so, but it’s easier, which she assumes counts for something. Progress, maybe.

They eat in companionable silence for a while, as the clock ticks closer to midnight, the echoes from live performances reverberating between the high-rise buildings, trailing off to make way for the indistinct but palpable energy of the crowd below as the countdown starts.

Her thoughts drift waywardly to what she’d be doing now, had she not surrendered herself to S.H.I.E.L.D., had she survived their hunt for her. It’s possible nothing would have changed, that she’d be working for some politically-charged war-monger, some shadowy shot-caller. Perhaps whoever Yulov represented would have sent someone to kill her for her transgression-- perhaps they still might. No trace of Natalia Romanova exists on record anymore, but she’s not naive enough to believe that dirt thrown atop a false grave will assuage any ghost intent on bringing her to rights.

Still, there’s a certain freedom in death-- a freedom she embraces now.

Natasha tears her eyes away from the steep view from the rooftop to the swarm of people below, looking back to him as confetti rains down upon the crowd.

     “Happy New Year, Agent Barton.”

[couldbetricky]

She’s the kind of girl the Arctic Monkeys write songs about. Dangerous, smart, and gets what she wants.

things I’ve been told in class (via aueful)

[couldbetricky]

strongestavengerbruce‌:

Bruce raised his eyebrows at Natasha, pointedly scanning the crowd for the God of Thunder. “How are you so sure of that?” He asked, turning back to her with a grin. He felt certain there was a flask or two making the rounds, it wouldn’t be long before it became obvious who was hiding it. His smile faded, becoming far more sincere at her next comment, his whole demeanour softening considerably as he found himself realising just how much he had missed her. “It’s good to see you too.” He admitted, a slight blush creeping to his cheeks. “I’m sorry it’s been so long… I’ve been working. I just… didn’t want to come to you empty handed and… progress has been slow.”

     “I can’t say I’d be opposed to some. It might be nice to take the edge off.”

It’s been months since the gamma bomb was stolen from their facility in midtown, and they’ve had little success in finding it despite Bruce leading the effort. While the lack of results is far from convenient, she knows the job is in capable hands.

She also knows any judgment on his lack of progress isn’t what he needs or wants to hear; she’s not that cruel.

    “Well, progress is progress. We’ll find it, it’s only a matter of time.”