#[3) being as i said military man means he either gonna take no one's advice or suggestion because he is right always

[convxction]

[ you being nice and wholesome to chrom will make him very emotional. thanks for support friend. 

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

Pacific Rim 3

I outline the plot of Pacific Rim 3 as experienced by me in a waking fever dream before and during today's 4am shift as a way to distract myself from real life stress with imaginary stress, written in breaks during work and in the parking lot before driving home because I'm going back to sleep when I get there and I want to preserve this fever dream first before I lose the details of it,

Ok I've been here for 3 hours and I don't know how to do a read more link on mobile I'm sorry you're getting this as is whether you want it or not I need to sleep goodbye

Dr. Gottlieb and Liwen are working on building their own portal to the Precursors to beat them up once and for all

Jake is seen giving an inspiring speech to a new wave of cadets who've been training with the old ones, now fully realized Jaeger pilots. Amara is everyone's favorite instructor.

Jake is very imposing and military and inspiring. Jake is everything the kids need him to be. Jake slips away from the party early and tears off his uniform before disappearing down a side street in his civilian clothes

Nate has the visible emotional human reaction of milk curdling and goes after him

Dr. Gottlieb and Liwen Shao are talking to someone about how they're making progress on the rift but they need help. Someone in particular who knows about alien tech. He's coming in on the next flight, actually. The person they're explaining this to gives a disbelieving "no..."

NEWTON

Wakes up in his house in the middle of fuckass nowhere. Somewhere away from technology he could theoretically use For Evil, or people he could theoretically hurt. This is, however, a self-imposed isolation, as he seems to have been granted his freedom, conditionally.

We see his morning routine, featuring normal stuff like making coffee, panic attack in the shower ft. indistinct memories of the Precursors, taking a massive dose of PPDC-granted experimental medication, starting the car, another indistinct alien trauma flashback, listening to the radio on the way to the airport where people appear to recognize him and he low-key has a panic attack because oh God everyone knows what I did

Jake leaves the bar and runs into Nate, who gives him the old Argh Argh Responsibility And Pride talk and Jake is like yeah man I know shut up

They have a fistfight in the rain and the neon lights in the alley outside the bar

No one properly wins because they've drifted so many times and they can predict each other's attacks but they both land a few and take a few, Jake gets hit a bit more because he's drunk

They both end up just sitting in the rain feeling sorry for themselves

Nate: Jules proposed to her girlfriend.

Jake: I know

Nate: they're getting married.

Jake: yeah that usually happens when someone proposes

So Jules wasn't going to end up with either of them and they're both sad about it. Nate suddenly suggests they go back in the bar. He'll buy Jake a drink to make up for beating him up. Jake is like ok sure but the drink's gonna be soda because I was LEAVING the bar because I was ALREADY drunk

They share a Soda Of Angst at the bar and talk about how they're gonna die alone. Jake says "at least we've got each other" and it's impossible to tell if he's joking. Nate is like "you know what this place isn't that bad we should come back sometime."

Newton reaches the lab. He is terrified of Liwen and awkward around Hermann. He instinctively calls Liwen "boss" and she reminds him matter-of-factly that they're working as equals now, "since you ruined my life's work."

Hermann asks how the medication is working and Newton indicates that it works fine but he still gets anxiety about it not being enough. Hermann promises him it's been proven effective, thus why the PPDC let him out of his crimes against humanity iron cell of shame. It's revealed that what they're giving him is a stronger dose of a medication originally developed for burned-out Jaeger pilots with unmanageable symptoms, and that it blocks out memories related to the drift--and since this is how the Precursors were reaching him, this works to block out their influence. The cost is that Newton doesn't remember much of anything past building his own neural bridge. He knows it happened but the details won't load. He's constantly worrying that it's not enough, that the Precursors will come back, and is taking a dangerously high dose that gives him constant hand tremors and worse insomnia than usual.

The first time he and Hermann are left alone they have an uncomfortable attempt at talking which gradually turns into an argument about nothing in particular. Newt keeps calling him Hermann but it sounds Wrong and Hermann hasn't been allowing people to just use his first name here and he finally snaps at Newton to stop it and he's like "oh my God I can't call you your NAME? what the hell am I supposed to call you??"

Newt says something angsty and Hermann says something like 'yes well the nicest thing that ever happened to me was drifting with a dead and decaying piece of kaiju viscera' and he says it sardonically but he's serious

Newt doesn't remember any context for the time they drifted.

Newt assumes he's being maliciously sarcastic and starts SCREAMING at him

Hermann just looks at him in shock at first then just lets him go for a little while

Eventually shutting his mouth by jabbing him under the chin with his cane and saying, very quietly and coldly, "get out of my lab"

Newton gets out of the lab

Newton runs into Nate and Jake at The Angst Bar and they recognize him but he has no idea who they are but he's willing to just roll with it at this point and asks them if they know Hermann well enough to give him advice

"like that was sarcasm right? I'm pretty sure he was making fun of me but now I'm less sure idk"

Nate's: no he's immune to sarcasm

Jake: yeah it's kinda funny

Nate: *the gaze*

Jake: I mean, nothing wrong with that, but yeah if he was being sarcastic that'd be first time it's happened as far as I can tell

Newt: are. Are you telling me. That someone actually. For some reason. Offered me a sincere compliment. And. I yelled at him

Jake: that's your call, I mean, you know him better than us, right? You guys were friends right?

Newton, who doesn't remember any of these people:

Nate: I mean I wasn't there, only way to tell is to go back and ask him

Newt: aaaaaaa

Newton goes back and Liwen is like "hey I've got no idea what's going on here but can you weirdos just act normal for two seconds so we can get some work done" and Hermann and Newt both just kinda. Laser focus on rift stuff

Remember the guy with the "no why would you involve Newton"reaction? No because he's but important and has no name or real identity? Yeah ok every Pacific Rim movie needs one Designated Douchebag to cause Interpersonal Drama and this guy is it. I'll call him DD for short

DD shows up and is like oh my God you actually turned Newton loose in the lab?? Why would you do this we're all going to die

Everyone just ignores him

Designated Douchebag has the self-importance of a high elf and the confidence of a fucking walnut and doesn't like being ignored

And starts talking directly to Newton, which really freaks Newton out but he continues pretending to ignore him

DD: so you're safe now? Not going to start speaking alien gibberish?

Newton: don't plan on it

Hermann, without turning around: DD you may not like to hear this but it was never your business who we brought in to assist, we don't need your permission, and complaining about Newton now that he's already here is certainly not going to do any good.

DD: alright fine but you'd better keep a close eye on him.

DD: anyways Newton tell your girlfriend I said hi

Newton, blank: who?

DD: you know, Alice?

Newton's face registers several emotions as he grapples with a name from the buried memories-confusion, disgust, terror-mostly shock

There is an abrupt cut

Liwen, thinking her two colleagues were acclimated to each other enough to allow her to leave the room and get tea without disaster, is walking back down the hallway talking with a lab tech when they hear the sound of something breaking

A moment later the doors to the lab are flung open and DD is forcibly ejected, collapsing on the floor in front of them. Dr. Gottlieb exits the lab behind him, holding his cane like a cricket bat. There is a muffled sound of Newton yelling OH MY GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING

Liwen backs out of range of cane damage and sips her tea, mildly intrigued. The lab tech starts to run for help and nearly crashes into Nate and Jake, who came running to see what the yelling was about.

Nate: what is--

Dr. Gottlieb, panting with restrained bloodlust: HELLO SIRS GOOD TO SEE YOU I BELIEVE THERE'S BEEN A SECURITY BREACH BECAUSE THIS FELLOW HAS JUST BEEN CASUALLY CHATTING ABOUT RESTRICTED CLASS-J49 INFORMATION PLEASE LOCK HIM UP

DD: it's COMMON KNOWLEDGE and he ATTACKED me

Dr. Gottlieb: YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID SIR!! *He takes a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes some blood off the handle of his cane*

Nate: WHAT is happening

Newton: *trying to have a quiet hysterical laughter meltdown in the lab before anyone remembers he's there*

Anyways next plot point. An alien shows up

Not a Precursor! A nice alien

Listen if PR:U gets to pull all that bullshit with Mt Fuji I'm allowed to add aliens okay

Hermann should have a nice non-genocidal alien friend I think he deserves it

Anyways the alien is clearly a different species than the Precursors (or Kaiju) and seems friendly but they can't communicate with it, the linguistics team is working on it but it's going to take A Lot of Work

Hermann goes "hm I've got a quicker and more accurate option"and wheels out the drift interface

This alien's mind doesn't link well with human minds but Hermann is a pro and powers through

He gets seasick and throws up and finally comes out shaky with a bloody nose and eye but he's managed to communicate!

The alien is a diplomat from another world the Precursors attempted to colonize, they survived because the Precursors underestimated the humans' resilience and spread themselves too thin, trying to invade earth and the alien homeworld at the same time and then getting distracted dealing with the humans, which left the aliens time to prepare their defense

They're here to help with the war effort, they don't have a lot that's relevant to current human scientific understanding but they can help fill in some of the gaps in the human's knowledge about rifts

They're making progress! Yay!

Things are getting serious, training montage Jake and Nate and the new pilots getting ready to kick ass

Newton finally brings himself to apologize to Hermann and explain he was confused but the net progress here is still zero because then they immediately have ANOTHER argument

Hermann has started writing his notes in the alien's language, he wants to make sure he can remember it well enough to help the linguistics team, and it's also beautifully precise and he just loves it and loves that he's able to write it, come on who wouldn't be proud of being the first contact human

Newton sees a bunch of notes of Alien Gibberish (to him) and gets Bad Vibes

Newton doesn't think they can trust the alien, Hermann does but his proof is mainly "I can tell because I drifted with them" and Newton 1. Doesn't remember what that's like and 2. DOES remember that the last time he thought it was a good idea to drift with an alien he ended up nearly killing literally everyone on earth

They yell at each other some more

At some point Hermann tries to deescalate and asks why they can't be friends again and Newton, still yelling, says "people keep acting like we're friends and I don't remember it! As far as I'm concerned this is all we ever had! I barely remember you at all and what I do remember is that we hated each other!"

Hermann: ....I never hated you. .. alright, colleagues, then? We've got a rift to build

Newton, still hyperventilating slightly: ok ok yeah sure yeah

Interlude: Jules gets married!

She asks Hermann to walk her down the aisle (where she meets her wife, who walked down the opposite aisle to meet in the middle)

Newton, protesting "I don't know I don't feel like I should be here," is physically dragged into the venue by Liwen, who is telling him that this is a diplomatic event it's his duty to be at.

She drags him over to Hermann and settles between them, soaking in the chaotic gay science panic vibes

She seems to be enjoying herself

Jules sees Hermann in the audience and an evil gleam comes into her eye

She has a strong arm

She hurls her bouquet directly at his face

Hermann ducks, panic granting him lightning quick reflexes

The bouquet, travelling at about Mach 5, zooms past him and hits Jake Pentecost squarely in the nose

He inhales several petals of baby's breath and gets slapped in the eyelid by a vine and goes into a dramatic coughing fit. Nate pounds him on the back.

Alien, speaking through a translating device they've got set up (it isn't perfect but it works on a basic level mostly): is it bad luck to touch the flowers?

Hermann, still slightly panicked from the near miss: no it's ahh, there's this silly tradition that whoever catches the bouquet is likely to get married next, and ah, as you see there, sometimes a bride with a sense of humor will, err, intentionally aim it at someone who, uh, didn't necessarily want it?

Alien: I think I understand. My sibling often tells me to go the southern hills of ^°^=^^°^°^^°°= to find a mate, though I have told them many times that I have no such desire.

Nate and Jake are like "ok neither of us have a date I guess we're drinking our sorrows away together at the reception" and do that

And maybe make out a little bit

Neither of them is ready to deal with Feelings so they both just blame it on the alcohol and try not to think about it too hard

Newton, venting @ someone, explains that there's an empty space in his memory where he knows that that something about Hermann is supposed to go and it doesn't feel like the other, worse memories he's blocked out, it feels like he lost something precious, but he has no idea what that is

Hermann tells Newton he's been working on a device that might block out the Precursors' influence without affecting his memory, so he can use all of his knowledge. And so he isn't constantly so confused about who he does and doesn't know but he doesn't say that part

It connects to his skin a bit like a drift interface

Newton is terrified but enthusiastic about maybe being Less Confused All the Time

The fact that he is guarded by a full security detail to make sure he doesn't Become Evil Again the whole time he's going off his meds really doesn't help the stress much

Memories start coming back but they're confused and jumbled and at first he's not much better off

The Precursor nightmares are about what he expected but he keeps hearing Hermann's voice in there too and he's not sure why and he can't remember when he heard it like that

Meanwhile Hermann keeps needing to drift with the alien to clarify important details about the rift that they don't know how to translate into human terms, but it fucks him up a little bit more each time he does it until the last time he passes out for like at hour and wakes up disoriented with a nosebleed that just won't stop and Jake orders him to stop drifting

He's ok with that because they've got the information they needed anyway!

IT'S TIME, THEY'RE SENDING THE JAEGERS INTO THE RIFT

Newton, despite his misgivings, reluctantly joins Liwen, dr. Gottlieb and the alien in command to supervise the mission, still wearing the device and getting random bursts of confused memory

Jake and Nate are piloting the Lady Avenger (did u know gypsy is a slur and they prefer to be called Romani) and go though first and start punching Precursors and their bodyguard Kaiju

Newton goes very still and just stares at Hermann for like a solid minute while he's trying to work, his expression shifting to something new

Hermann, softly: what?

Newton, smiling: I remember you.

Hermann, furiously trying to interpret alien data: is this really the best time??

It's a close fight across the rift, the Precursors are on their home turf and the Jaegers are not, fighting in a bizarre low-gravity environment that doesn't really have floors

Their base is set up differently than expected and Hermann decides he needs to check something with the alien. By drifting with them. He's still bleeding uncontrollably after the last stunt that got him banned but he's determined to do it because It's Necessary

Newton takes the headset from him and puts it on instead

It feels Bad

But then he sees another planet, beautiful, so different from his own yet so similar. He sees aliens attacked by monsters from the deep, responding more or less how the humans had, moving inland, building useless walls, building their own monsters for defense. He sees the alien diplomat losing friends and family.

He sees the journey to earth, and drifting with Hermann. He sees the alien's memories of Hermann, and Hermann's memories in the drift. He sees how Hermann remembers him. What he forgot. What the Precursors had blinded him to.

He doesn't have time to think about it because he's feverishly trying to translate the knowledge he's receiving into data that works with their human technology so they can help the Jaegers and there's blood dripping from his face onto the controls but it's there, in the back of his mind, he knows now. Hermann missed him.

The Lady Avenger is hit and Jake is knocked unconscious. They begin to drift downwards as Nate, unable to move the Jaeger alone, yells at Jake with no response

Newton disconnects from the drift, nearly blacks out, and has to sit down for a minute. When he comes back around he sees the Jaegers are in trouble--none completely disabled yet, but they need more help

Newton has an idea

Newton: ok I'm gonna do something stupid. *To his security detail* listen I need you to aim your guns at me and shoot if you think I'm out of control

Liwen, with zero hesitation, reacting quicker than anyone else in the room, pulls out a gun and sticks it right in his face

Newton: see, yeah, that's what I was saying, like that. Thanks boss, glad someone here's got guts.

Liwen: not your boss

Newton: I kinda like saying it tho

Liwen: hm. I'll allow it.

Newton: ok. Hermann--uh

Hermann, hearing his name said right this time: it's ok

Newton: :) ok cool I'm going to deactivate the blocking device I need you to turn it back on as soon as I squeeze your hand, can you do that

Hermann: absolutely.

The Precursors are a hive mind. In battle, when pressed, they can force their thoughts outwards, confusing and scrambling the communications of other species while keeping in contact with each other. This is going well and normal until there's an unexpected distortion which resolves into Newton's voice

Yelling WHAT'S UP MOTHERFUCKERS I'M BACK

(epic Tom Morello riff)

Newton can't keep the connection open for more than a few seconds before they start to overwhelm him, Hermann pulls him back. It was enough to confuse the Precursors and give the jaegers an advantage.

During the delay, Jake wakes up. He's disoriented and in pain and so is Nate, still linked to him, but they can move again. They one-hit-k/o the Precursor that was creeping up on them, turn around, and realize they've drifted almost right into the reactor they've been looking for

So they blow it up

Hermann is still holding Newton's hand as everyone else celebrates. He looks at Newton for confirmation, who nods in relief.

"they're gone. Well, those ones are, anyway."

Humans start opening rifts across the galaxy to kick Precursor ass across multiple star systems

(epic Tom Morello riff intensifies)

Humans team up with multiple alien races previously menaced by the Precursors to take out their common enemy. Jaeger tech is combined with alien science, humans and aliens drifting

They figure out how to use a recording of Newton's Precursor-influenced brainwaves as a weapon to confuse them

So basically Newton makes a recording of himself screaming at the Precursors that's weaponized by teams across the galaxy and it's incredibly cathartic

Jake, in a hospital, is woken up by an infuriating snoring noise. Nate is sleeping in a chair by his bed. He's both annoyed and touched. Mostly the latter.

Hermann writes a book in what is now his third language, the alien script precise and beautiful

We see Newton and Hermann getting dressed together for an Important Event, they're both complaining about having to go but seem not to mind too much. Newton ties his tie too loose, like in the good old days. Hermann fixes it for him.

No one died

The free peoples of the galaxy took down the Precursors with no casualties and the power of screaming

[lily-of-the-eyrie]

🎓🔍 Scene Commentary: Colonel Edition ③

Notes for [SQ3-3] Circumstances [video here]. Come join me as we talk about more theories surrounding the Colonel’s manipulation skills, hints about his history before Shay met him, and Gist being charmingly sassy.

Highlights this time include: 　❗️The Colonel's Finances 　❗️Gist and the Colonel

Without further ado, here we go:

[SQ3-3] Circumstances

― Part I: Heading to Albany ― Shay, having retrieved the Morrigan, follows Gist's advice to set sail for Albany, where the Colonel's waiting.

　The Colonel himself isn't present while Shay and Gist are on the way to Albany, but on the flipside, we got this great opportunity to see these two gossiping about the man.

　Gist opens the scene pondering out loud what the Colonel might want them to do next. Now this bit is mildly amusing because he said "I wonder what he has in mind for us to do next"―did Gist just...slip up? Shay naturally went wdym-"us"-👀 at him over here, because he's pretty sure he hasn't signed up to be part of their team...

　Still, Gist doesn't even trip over his words as he follows up with how he's really just all giddy about doing his part in making the Colonel's ideals a reality. Aside from the impressive save he pulls here, another highlight of this section is that Gist frames "the Colonel's ideals" in extremely concrete terms: "secure borders, prosperous farms, fair trade". These are very specific large-scale implementations of the Freedom From Want theme compared to what we heard from the Colonel himself two chapters back, which was more on the philosophical/ideological side.

　Next up, the Morrigan docks at Albany, where the Colonel's waiting. I just have to say that it's incredibly cute of the Colonel to address Shay as "Captain Cormac" following Gist's example after seeing the Morrigan.

　The issue on the table for their meeting this time is the French forces' movements into British territory, which is likely to break out into a full fight between the two kingdoms' armies. Now watch how Shay wound up working with these two again despite the question of him agreeing to run for more of the Colonel's errands was left hanging at the beginning of this scene: the moment the Colonel mentions that "New York could burn" if they don't do anything about the French forces encroaching upon British territory, Shay throws his weight in with them.

　We've already established that Shay's the kind of person who cares about the little guy, so this isn't all that unnatural; especially now that he's a good friend of the Finnegans', not doing anything when New York's at risk is going to sound unreasonable to him.

　However, the audience isn't the only one who understands this―at this point, so does the Colonel. After what happened at the Greenwich gang HQ and Fort Arsenal, he knows for a fact that Shay isn't going to turn his back on a chance to save innocent people. Did he, then, strategically bait Shay by presenting the fact that New York is in terrible danger and joining him is the best way to save all those townspeople? Or was it just something he said because he's also the kind of guy who's concerned for the safety of New York etc., and by saying this he's also trying to communicate to Shay that their goals are aligned? The trick to this is that of course these two possibilities don't have to be mutually exclusive―I'd say the Colonel feels that he knows Shay well enough at this point that he'd want to both get Shay to help him out while also letting him pursue what seems to be his calling.

― Part II: Gathering Supplies ― Shay and Gist, having reunited with the Colonel, head to a nearby French outpost to gather supplies and thwart French expansion into the River Valley.

　In order to dislodge the invading French forces, Gist then suggests that they raid a nearby French outpost for supplies. The trio covers a range of interesting topics during their time sailing to that outpost, chief among which is Shay's skepticism towards the Colonel's intentions behind all his seemingly charitable actions. This is an important bit for two reasons:

(1) Despite all they've done together so far, Shay doesn't stop questioning Monro. He's cooperative with the Colonel, sure, but just because he kinda sorta trusts that he's not a bad guy right now, that doesn't mean he's going to do whatever he says until he gets to the bottom of why he does it.

(2) The Colonel, again, calmly faces off against Shay's doubt by being straight with what he wants: that the colonies become "a place of safety, development, and purpose". Now this is something literally every one of us recognizes as a Templar Line™, even if Shay might not (did he? Hmmm). In any case, the most important takeaway here is that it strongly links the Colonel's concern for the common man with core Templar tenets, giving us a clear look into his personal take on how the Order's beliefs were meant to be applied to the world. He's not part-timing “being a Templar” half the time and “being a benevolent authority figure” in the other half, those two things are one and the same for him.

　On a random note: I’m just gonna mention here that Gist being cheeky as hell with the Colonel's noble "money is only a means to an end" talk in this bit is hands down my favourite part of this scene.

❗️The Colonel's Finances

　On a more serious note, the Colonel's comment on how he's "not a rich man" did get me wondering about his financial situation... I mean, obviously he's not dirt poor, and while there's that idea that Templars tend to be loaded, he doesn't look like he's just rolling in gold, either.

　Realistically speaking, being a military officer in the early 18th century can be a rather pricey career―the pay's far from great, and with all the spending for supplies and equipments, it can be quite a while until even the officers could expect to turn a profit from their job (one exhaustive source about the economics of the 18th c. British Army I’ve read pegged it at around the time they get promoted to Captain). And while the Colonel did come from what you might call a respectable family, it’s more of a modest than aristocratic one.

　However, assuming he's a long-time player in the field of renovating cities, a.k.a. the sidequest that, in the long run, gives you way more money than you know what to do with in Rogue, I guess his finances are quite stable. Now the question is, how much of those renovating gains he put back into more renovating... 😂

― Part III: Taking Down the French Fort ― Having obtained their supplies, Shay & co. sail the upgraded Morrigan to the French fort and take it down.

　With the party ready to take on the French fort, we see the Colonel show a pacifist streak as he reins in Gist, who was being a little too excited about the prospect of throwing fists with the French. Really, these two have such amusing interactions.

　Next, he shows a strategic side as he agrees with Shay's suggestion about taking out the fort's commander to force the French to surrender; he may not be against pitching a battle when necessary, but he also seems to be a big fan of minimizing the overall casualties.

　One really paltry but personally highly interesting thing I picked up in this scene is how the Colonel, commenting on how the French soldiers in the fort would put on an aggressive defense under pressure, said they'd just "dig in like a wounded bear", which does sound like an uncommon expression... I mean, "like a wounded animal" is something anyone can say, but him specifying "bear" over there just makes it sound like he'd gone up against one himself before. Considering he’d likely not have met a bear before he got to the colonies (bears had been extinct a long time in Britain and Ireland), if he did have a bear encounter, it must’ve been after 1750... Did you get chased around by this fuzzy creature in the frontier's wilderness at some point before you settled down in New York, Colonel? 😂

❗️Gist and the Colonel

　Since the amount of interaction the Colonel has with Gist is second only to his interactions with Shay, analyzing how things are between these two can tell us quite a lot about the Colonel's personality.  

　First, it's obvious that these two are close friends―the kind of relaxed bantering they have on board the Morrigan sounds pretty much on par with what Shay's got going on with Liam, which isn't all that surprising considering Gist and the Colonel had known each other (and presumably worked together) for 6 years at this point.

　Still, while the Colonel may be the older and higher-ranking of the two (ie.-He is Gist’s senior in both the military sense and the Templar one), therefore putting a clear superior-subordinate dynamic at play here, you don't see the Colonel trying to roast his colleague for stepping out of line (which he clearly does all the time, judging by his behaviour in this chapter), and what he does when Gist gets a little too rowdy is to gently but firmly prod him back onto the proper path. Maybe it's just his brand of leadership, but he displays similar tendencies when dealing with Shay, who has his default setting set to "unruly" most of the time. He’s clearly skilled at handling people much more hot-blooded than himself, and has a good hang of how to be an authority figure while still standing on the ground with his subordinates instead of putting himself on some distant, overbearing pedestal—honestly, a pretty good way to end up with their respect and loyalty.

　Another highlight is Gist's adoration of the Colonel's ideals. Now I think we all know that the Colonel's utopian take on Templar ideals is one of his greatest charms, but what I'd want to bring up here is the fact that, if Shay followed the Colonel because he was inspired by the man's idea of making a better world, he wouldn't have been the first―Gist had been there before, citing how he used to wonder if he’s doing the right thing, but “not since [he] met the Colonel” . I'm not saying that the Colonel's deliberately going out there to steal people's hearts with his brand of Templar beliefs, but judging from his success at inspiring Gist (and presumably Finnegan Jr.) into joining his fight, his winning Shay over to his side isn't a one-off thing.

[fieldofcain]

OC Companion Meme!

(thanks to  @yesjejunus​ and @socksual-innuendos​ for giving me the template and telling me to do this! :D)

General

Name: Cain Braun

Location: Wandering in and around Freeside during the day, in his room or the lobby of The Caldera Motel at night

How to obtain: The player walks up and interacts with Cain and has an option to help with a quest to regain lost cargo from raiders and ends up uncovering a lot more than he bargained for.

Companion Wheel

I think we should travel together:

“Alright, lead the way.”

“Sure, what’s our destination, Courier?”

Use Melee:

“Rough and tumble, let’s do it.”

“Finishing ‘em off? Sure, let’s go.”

Use Ranged:

“They’ll be ashes.”

“One shot is all I need.”

Open Inventory:

“Take what you like, just don’t get greedy.”

“Okay, life is a give and take, right?”

Stay Close:

“I’ll cover you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”

Keep Distance:

“Sure, I’ll let you breathe.”

“I’ll scope it out.”

Stealth:

“Getting the jump on ‘em, I like it.”

“Right, I’ll be quiet.”

Back Up:

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I’ll get out of your way, sorry.”

Be Passive:

“Sure, but if they go for their weapon, I’ll toast ‘em.”

“Negotiation was never a strong suit of mine, go get ‘em.”

Be Aggressive:

“Time to burn some cells!”

“Taking the fight to them, let’s go!”

Use Stimpack:

“Ah, much better, thank you.”

“Nice, thanks.”

Wait Here:

“Okay, give me a signal if things go south.”

“Sure, I’ll keep watch here.”

Follow Me:

“Getting back to it? Sounds good.”

“Sure.”

Send to the Lucky 38:

“Okay, you can find me up top.”

“Fun, back to the Strip. See you later.”

Send Home: (can be found where?)

“Sure, I’ll be at the Caldera when you need me again.”

“Okay, just be safe out there.”

Injured:

“Ah, shit. I’m gonna need a stimpak here, quickly!”

“This is getting a little to hot for my tastes, I’m getting fried!”

Death:

“Give…my mother…letter…guhhh.”

“I’m…I’m sorry…”

 Aggression: aggressive/not aggressive/very aggressive/frenzied

Confidence: cowardly/cautious/average/brave/foolhardy

Assistance: helps nobody/helps allies/helps friends and allies

Karma: very evil/evil/neutral/good/very good

Perks

“Care-avan Guard”: Cain and the Courier get a 2% hp/sec passive health regen out of combat

“Practiced Hand”: Energy Weapons and Rifle weapons gain a 50% increase to reload and aim speed for Cain and the Courier

(This perk is achieved by getting the ‘Good’ result from Cain’s personal quest)

“Raising Cain”: Cain gains invulnerability from damage for 2 seconds after killing an enemy

(This perk is achieved by getting the ‘Bad’ result from Cain’s personal quest)

 Drops

“The Caldera”:

Legendary Laser Rifle, 50% faster reload and aim speed with fire damage

(3) Stimpaks

Cain’s Leathers:

AV 14 medium armor, WT 4

 Quests and Recruitment

Recruitment:

The Courier finds Cain in Freeside and simply approaches him at either the Caldera Motel or the street. They must be on good terms with the Gun Runners and not have joined the Legion. Upon talking to him, Cain asks the Courier for some help if they are willing to give it. He has been contracted to retrieve some confiscated caravan goods from raiders for a client. His partner has mysteriously disappeared and asks the Courier to be another gun.

Upon acceptance of the quest, Cain will make his way to his room in The Caldera (or if he’s there already) and start gearing up. All loot in this room is a [Steal] prompt. You can either follow him or meet him outside Freeside. Upon arrival at the start site, Cain makes conversation briefly about who The Courier is and who he is before setting out. The player follows him to a location where raiders have set up camp in a cave. After clearing them out, Cain finds his friend’s body with a scribbled note on top. It reads:

“They found me, the fuckers. They’re leaving me for dead. Gecks will get me, or the nightstalkers…damn. Saw some bandits around here earlier, I’m sure they’ll come for the caravan once they see the smoke. Shit, Cain, I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ll make it to the bar tonight. Tell the Runners that…”

The rest is smudged, as if the man was surprised. Cain is sad and says a few words over his friend’s body before turning to the Courier and heading back to Freeside after a brief conversation. He then offers to tag along since they worked well together, but he asks for five hundred caps. Merc’s fee, you know?

Personal Quest:

         Upon gaining enough positive rep with Cain through various means (Includes positive interactions with NCR, kindness to children, mercenary work, etc.) and rep with the NCR, Cain approaches the Courier and asks for a favor. It deals with the caravan mystery that he had come across in the recruitment quest, and he seems to have a lead. One of the caravan hands that traveled with him on his first journey to the Sierra Nevadas was behind the attack on the caravan. Once accepted, Cain is visibly relieved and tells the Courier that he’s happy he has an ally for this one. The old associate is camped out in a parking garage just south of Primm, and upon reaching the destination, Cain asks the Courier to stay their hand if they find the man, at least for a little bit. They are met with raiders guarding the garage. Upon clearing them out, a small office is left, and the door unlocks. Out walks a man, who proceeds to try to hug Cain, who refuses. If the Courier is aggressive and angry in response, it will get Cain angry as well, and after some dialogue, Cain will shoot the man on the spot. If taking the softer approach, Cain gains through information that the man was forced by his employer to do the act…the very same employer who employed Cain. He explains that he must have wanted to hold the mercs in contempt and collect the fee for failure. Cain can also gain this information by reading the terminal in the office if he kills his friend.

Either way, the next stop is New Vegas, in an old office building outside the city. It seems this is where the businessman is based. You can go in guns blazing or take a stealthy approach. Either way, Cain will confront the man about the death of his friend and the man’s greed. The man is not remorseful in the slightest, and even if you convince Cain not to kill him, he will attack, and Cain will kill him in self-defense.

If you let the old associate live and kill the businessman, you will receive the “Practiced Hands” perk.

If you killed both of the men, you will receive the “Raising Cain” perk.

  Ending Slides

Personal Quest Unfinished: Cain continued working for various employers (regardless of their credibility) until a stray bullet ended up hitting his leg, which he eventually had to have amputated. Unable to work, Cain turned to drinking and became a regular at Freeside’s seedier establishments.

 If the Courier sides with Legion and…

Completion ending 1: Cain never did understand why the Courier showed such kindness then sided with such monsters as the Legion. Overcome with a kind of sad resoluteness, he enlisted in the NCR Military, in the hopes that he would one day meet the Courier on the filed of battle and ask why. And if need be, put them down.

Completion ending 2: Cain was furious that the person that had helped him kill his enemies joined with the Legion to kill his friends. He immediately joined the NCR Military and would distinguish himself as a crack shot and a ruthless soldier. If he met the Courier in a firefight, that bastard would be dead before they could say ‘Traitor’.

 If the Courier sides with NCR and…

Completion ending 1: Cain fully endorsed the Courier’s decision and would council them to keep trading relatively free to operate as usual. He knew all too well the dangers of bureaucracy. Whenever the Courier had a meeting to go to the NCR leadership, Cain was always there, giving helpful advice and keeping his friend safe.

Completion ending 2: Cain was all too happy to smoke some Legionnaires, and happily followed the Courier into every firefight. Every time there was a mission to infiltrate and secure camps or even hunt down patrols, Cain was the first to volunteer. He would eventually be known among the NCR troops as “Hurricane” Braun, laser-merc of the Mojave.

If the Courier sides with House and…

·        Completion ending 1: Cain knew that House was a big player in the Mojave, but when he saw what he was, the greed of House put a sour taste in his mouth. He would visit the Courier every now and then to talk and catch up, but he returned to guard-work and did quite well for himself.

·        Completion ending 2: Cain thought the Courier had been had but being a lackey for a lackey was nothing new to him. He continued his duty of guarding the Courier, and while he planned and plotted to kill the skeletal man in the tower for his greed, he never could.  

If the Courier makes New Vegas independent and…

Completion ending 1: Cain knew that the NCR’s grip on New Vegas was weak, so when the Courier booted up the bots and seized control of New Vegas, he wasn’t all that surprised. Maybe a free New Vegas was good? And good it was. Trade blossomed, and Cain found himself on the elite council of guards and caravan masters who could usher in this new era of prosperity.

Completion ending 2: Cain wasn’t too thrilled about the bots taking over New Vegas, but he trusted the Courier with his life, so he stayed. Turns out a free city makes for crime, and while the bots could get most of it, Cain found himself in a position to be security detail for the Courier’s most personal assignments. It is said that a man in leather stalks the streets at night, looking for trouble…

[jrubalcaba]

Evie Saves the Day - Part 1

So, @suz-123 and I were talking one day and realized that after the Accords and the bombing in Vienna and the fight in Siberia, we never really addressed how everyone on the Team was able to come and go as they pleased without worrying about being fugitives. Luckily, my brain hatched an idea and thus, The Hearing was born. I am not a legal professional, so do not message me going ‘this would happen like this’ and whatnot, cause I don’t care. This is how I felt that the Team was cleared and if you don’t like it, don’t read it. There are 3 parts to this, all of which I will be posting today before going on a hiatus. So, without further ado, here is part one of ‘Evie Saves the Day.’

“FRIDAY, call a Team meeting, immediately,” Evie commanded as she exited the elevator.

“Certainly, Dr. Collins,” the AI replied. “Is everything alright?” Evie stopped and looked up at the ceiling.

“No. Things are about to get very bad for everyone.” She headed to the common room and waited as everyone slowly trickled in.

“Evie, what's wrong?” Steve asked in his Captain voice as he walked in behind Bucky and Alice. “You've never called a meeting before.” She turned to him and sighed.

“Yeah, because shit’s about to hit the fan.” Everyone looked around uneasily.

“Alright Doc, spill. What's got you so spooked?” Tony asked, any and all traces of humor gone from his tone. Evie wrung her hands a bit before taking a deep breath.

“There's a hearing coming up. A hearing regarding whether or not the Avengers are a danger to the people of the world.” You could hear a pin drop, even without enhanced hearing, the room was so quiet.

“That's….” Tony trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“Yeah, and guess who has been subpoenaed to testify on your behalf?” she asked the room. When no one answered, she pointed at herself. “Yours truly.” Everyone exchanged a look at this.

“Why you?” Natasha asked, murmurs of ‘yeah’ echoing through the Team.

“Because I'm the only person who knows you and knows you. I've worked closely with the Avengers for years, and I've lived with you guys for years. I'm the only person who can be unbiased enough to testify.” Evie started to tear up as she thought of what to say next. “My testimony is the only thing that will keep you out of prison.”

“Wait. Why can't they call Pepper or Fury?” Clint interjected angrily. She shook her head at him.

“Pepper is currently in a relationship with Iron Man, so she can't be unbiased. Fury is technically dead. They can't call Jane either, because she was with Thor. Coulson is off limits due to the whole ‘did he or didn't he die’ thing. Hill is in D.C. now, so she can't do anything because it would be a conflict of interest for her. She is, by the way, the person who tipped me off about all this.” The Team all swallowed nervously as they came to realize that their freedom was in Evie's hands.

“So what happens now?” Bucky asked, pulling Alice closer to him.

“This is what Maria told me: in three days I will leave for D.C. The moment I leave the building, you will be on lockdown. All of you except Vision and Miss Winters. They don't consider him a living person and she's a complete mystery, so I don’t have to do shit on them,” Evie started to explain. Alice looked relieved, but Evie could tell she was still worried.

“We literally can't leave? What if we have to?” he argued, his meaning clear.

“You leave the safety of the Tower and your ass is in cuffs and carted off to prison.” They all tensed at her words. “The moment I leave, government agents will surround the building, to prevent you from leaving. And before you say anything, there are….special restraints that have been custom made for each of you.”

“How do you know that?” Bruce asked shakily.

“That's where I've been all morning. Watching the demonstrations and giving my medical advice on them.” She turned to Steve, as she knew he would listen to her and make the others understand. “Steve, these things have been designed to be the most inhumane way to subdue you. All of the subjects died upon testing. My guess is that you will be a drooling mess on the floor, but that's on the hopeful side.” Evie began to tear up again as the thought of seeing any of them incapacitated like that.

“Hey, it's alright,” he cooed as he pulled her in for a hug, letting her cry into his chest. “We've had worse.” Evie pushed back against him angrily.

“That's not the point Steve! I don't want to see any of you like that, and that's why I'm asking, no begging, you all to not fight back.” She wiped her face and looked to all of them. “If I am unsuccessful in clearing you, those government agents will storm the building and haul you off. They will slap those cuffs on you and if you go quietly, it won't hurt a bit. If you resist, if you fight back, they will turn those monstrosities on, and some of you will die.” Evie sniffled before going on. “And I, as your doctor, will have to sign your death certificate. That is not something I want to do, so please, for the love of all that is holy, when they come for you, get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head.” Steve handed her a handkerchief (1940s bastard is smooth) and she dried her face.

“How are you so sure that they'll come for us? Do you doubt yourself that much?” Nat asked skeptically.

“Nat, this isn't something that I can do over if I fuck it up. Your freedom is at stake, and it all rests on me, and how convincing of a liar I can be under oath.” At this, everyone grew shocked. Evie was gonna lie?

“No, you can't do that. Not for us,” Steve said, shaking his head. Evie rolled her eyes at him.

“I have to give testimony on Bucky, whom I've only known for a month. That's not enough evidence to clear him, so how else do I do it?” she snapped at him. Steve stared at her, knowing she was right.

“So after they arrest us, what happens then?” Scott asked. Evie turned to him with a frown, both not wanting to tell them and wanting to warn them.

“You and Clint, the only ones with families, will get a full day to see them, say your goodbyes. The rest of you, will be processed and then sent to your cells, followed by you two.” She paused, knowing this next bit was going to terrify them.

“And then?” Nat asked, entirely too calm.

“You spend the rest of your natural lives in an 8x8 cell, never seeing the light of day again.” Alice and Wanda gasped, whilst everyone else looked sick. “Thor, Wanda, Bruce, Steve and Bucky have special cells that can and will contain them, by any means necessary. You three,” she pointed at Thor, Steve and Bucky. “However long you live doesn't matter. You will never see anything but your cell walls until you finally die.” The Asgardian actually looked worried for once.

“But, they can't do that,” he argued. Evie huffed out a laugh at him.

“Yes they can, and they will. Solitary confinement. Scott and Clint might get to see their families once a year, if that. But the rest of you won't get visitors, nor will you see each other ever again.” She looked around the room, seeing Vision and Bucky pull Wanda and Alice closer, while Steve looked at Bucky.

“So, that's our future if you fail?” Tony asked her.

“Yes.” They all sighed, knowing this could be the end. “And don't expect any special treatment because of who you are. You three,” Evie said, looking at Rhodey, Steve and Bucky. “It's a dishonorable discharge from the military, ‘cause rank doesn't matter where you're going. Tony? You can't buy your way out. Oh, that's another thing, your accounts have all be frozen.” There were sounds of outrage from everyone. “You're all flight risks, some of you quite literally.” They all grew silent at this as she looked to Thor, Rhodey, Tony and Sam. “Look, I know this is scary, having to put all your faith in me. Trust me, I'm terrified at the thought of failing you when you've never failed me.” Bruce strode over and hugged her tightly.

“Evie, you could never fail us. All you can do is your best.” Though he said it to her, everyone murmured their agreement.

“Another thing,” she said as they broke apart. “If there are any transgressions you've committed, no matter when or where, I must know about them. Otherwise, if the committee springs something on me that I have no clue about, my testimony is null and void. They'll take that as ‘oh, she must not know them very well’ and the hearing will be over and you guys will be gone before I even leave the building. I won't willingly give out secrets, but in this case, I need to know them. It could mean the difference between waking up in the Tower or in a prison cell for the rest of your life.” Tony nodded with her.

“Yeah, I guess it's time to confess our sins. We've got three days people, so get to it.”

************

The next three days went by so fast, it was like Pietro had run them all there. Evie walked out into the common room with her suitcase, sighing at the sight of everyone there to see her off.

“Alright everyone, gather round,” Tony said aloud, bringing everyone in close. “This is it. The last time we could see Evie, although I have absolute and complete faith that she will give the committee a thorough spanking and clear our names.” They all chuckled.

“Faith in me, misplaced may be,” Evie replied with a wink. “It's my word against theirs, albeit mine’s legit and not fabricated in any way.” More chuckles as they knew she was gonna lie through her teeth for them.

“I find your lack of faith disturbing,” he shot back. They were both Star Wars nerds, and he knew she'd try to Yoda her way out of this.

“Alright, alright, let's stop with the Star Trek crap,” Steve interjected. They all looked to him in disbelief.

“First off, its Star Wars. Secondly, I pull this off? You will learn the ways of the Force, my young Padawan,” Evie threatened with a predatory smile. Steve swallowed thickly, entirely too turned on to respond. Bucky slapped him in the chest.

“Dude, you better hope she pulls this off, or you're gonna die with the biggest set of blu-” he began before Steve punched him.

“Shut the fuck up, Bucky.” Evie was puzzled by the whole exchange, but Sam and Alice sniggered behind their hands.

“Alrighty then. The helicopter should be here soon, so I guess I better go,” Evie said to cover the awkward moment. Everyone took turns hugging her extra tight, as this could be the last time they ever saw her. Bruce hugged her for a good five minutes, not wanting to let her go. Steve was last, hugging her just as long as Bruce had, wishing he could find the words to tell her-

“Love you, Evie.” The words left his mouth before he could stop them. She pulled back and smiled.

“Love you too, Steve. Love you all,” she said, turning to the rest. He hung his head as he realized she only meant it in a friendly way. There was a chorus of ‘love you too, Evie,’ before she grabbed her suitcase and headed to the elevator. She pulled out her phone and snapped one last picture of them before the doors shut.

“Well, at least you tried, dude,” Bucky said, clapping Steve on the back. Sam and Alice chuckled at the blonde’s blush. Everyone sat down on the couches, the TV on so they could watch the live stream of the hearing.

A couple hours later, and Evie was brought onto screen and sworn in.

“That should be Dr. Evelyn Rogers, huh Steve?” Sam asked slyly. Steve glared at him but remained silent. “In your wildest dreams, right?” General Ross came on the screen, and everyone went silent.

Ross already had Bruce in his sights, and now Steve due to the fight over the Sokovia Accords, so making Evie testify on their behalf? Well, that wasn't the smartest move he’s made.

After introductions were made, Evie's testimony began. The committee started with Tony, and Evie did not disappoint. As the day went on, she argued over the lesser known members of the Team. Rhodey, Clint, Scott, and Sam were easy, as they weren't as popular. Six hours had gone by, and only five members of the team had been discussed. Three of those hours were spent on Tony alone.

“You know, for such a tiny little thing, she's got a lot of fight in her,” Clint mused out loud.

“Yeah, Ross definitely didn't think it through when he selected her,” Nat agreed before going silent. Her name had just been said aloud, so it was her turn on the chopping block. None of them have ever seen Natasha look so worried, but she need not worry. Evie defended the former Russian spy, and by the end of it, a few committee members looked thoroughly convinced of Nat's good nature.

Natasha Romanoff shed tears over the fact that someone cared about her so much that they spent three hours arguing her case.

“Wow. Evie is amazing,” Scott said as the first day of the hearing came to a close. There was a huge round of agreement before everyone retired to their rooms for the night.

***********

The next day, the hearing started bright and early. Thor was first up on the docket, and Evie spent almost four hours defending him. He grew proud when her argument was over, as she did an amazing job.

Bruce leaned forward and stared intently at the screen as his name had just mentioned by Ross. The Team all watched as Evie began to smirk, and they knew that she wasn't going down

without a fight. What happened over the next five hours was quite literally the best verbal sparring match between two people any of them had ever seen. Evie met Ross’ vivitrol equally and more enthusiastically as the argument went on, culminating in the smoothest line ever.

“Dr. Collins, might I remind you that you are under oath, just like the rest of us,” Ross snapped at her, much like a petulant child who was used to getting his way. She was answering all of his questions perfectly, along with giving more than enough evidence to back her claims and, furthermore, making his look incomplete and farfetched. Her answering smirk was enough to make even the Devil blush.

“Oh, I know that. Do you?” she said. The look of utter befuddlement that came over the General's face was absolutely priceless. There were a few committee members who had to turn and hide their smiles and stifle the laughs that threatened to come out. Those reactions were nothing, however, compared to the Team's.

Evie may not have enhanced hearing, but she swore she could hear their collective gasp followed by Sam's shout of ‘ohhhhhh shit!’.

After a few moments of silence, Ross cleared his throat and ended their session for the day, reminding her that her testimonies for Wanda, Steve and Bucky were for tomorrow. As Evie left the chamber, the live stream picked up the Cheshire Cat grin she had before it cut away.

“She destroyed him. Oh God, I can't wait for tomorrow. She's closest to Steve after Bruce, so this will be interesting to say the least,” Nat said with a wicked grin. Everyone agreed.

“Oh yeah. Tomorrow is also the last day of testimony before they go into deliberations, so Evie will be giving it her all for sure,” Sam agreed.

Everyone drifted off to their rooms, eager to wake up the next morning to see Evie in action yet again.

*********

The Team woke up the next morning, and when they turned the TV on, it was just in time to hear Wanda’s name being mentioned.

“Oh God. Looks like they’re saving Steve and Bucky for last,” Sam noted. The two super soldiers shared a look, not knowing if that was a good or bad thing.

Evie spent three hours defending Wanda, giving more than enough insight into just how well-adjusted the young woman had become since joining the Team after the Ultron incident. Ross repeated the same questions and statements over and over, wording them differently each time, to try and trip her up. Evie, seeing this from a mile away, replied the same each time, and before long, committee members were calling Ross out on it. Begrudgingly, he ended the debate over Wanda.

“Now, for the final discussion, we figured it would be easier to do them together, so Doctor Collins, we need your testimony on Captain Steven Grant Rogers and Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.” The General leaned forward, staring her down. The camera caught a glimpse of her face, and she was full on smiling.

“I’ve seen that look before. Oh, this is going to be incredible to witness,” Bruce said gleefully.

And incredible it was.

For four hours straight, Evie painstakingly went over every good deed both men had done, completely skipping over their time on ice and Bucky’s time as the Winter Soldier. She knew that would be brought up eventually, but felt it better to see how it was brought up by the committee to see how they viewed him.

“With all due respect, Doctor, but why are you ignoring the fact that Sergeant Barnes was, in fact, a murderer? Do you have a soft spot for him?” General Ross taunted. Evie’s face, which had been blank, suddenly broke into a smile.

“A murderer? Is that what you would be called if you were forced to carry out those deeds?” she snapped back at him. “And no I don’t have a soft spot for him. My heart belongs to someone else, thank you very much.” The man looked at her, disgust plain as day in his face.

“I wouldn’t be called a murderer.” Evie smiled, as he had said exactly what she wanted him to say.

“Then what’s the difference between you and him? Oh, I know. If it was you, it would be considered ‘terrible’ and ‘being forced against your will’, but because it’s not, it’s considered ‘murder’ and ‘doing it willingly’.” Ross’ jaw dropped at her audacity. Most of the committee members looked to him with the same questioning look, wondering how he would disagree with her. After a few moments, his face clouded over with anger.

“You would do well to mind your attitude, Doctor, and treat me with respect.” At this, Evie stood from her chair so quickly it tipped over.

“I’ll treat you with respect when you fucking earn it,” she growled at him. The entire committee, excluding Ross, all looked to her with the utmost shock, some bordering on admiration for her boldness.

At the Tower?

“Holy fuck. That was hot,” Sam quipped. Scott and Tony nodded in agreement.

“Even I have a hard-on for Evie right now,” Wanda said with a giggle. Steve turned and shot her a glare that said ‘back off she’s mine’, which made her laugh even more.

“Not even I have the balls to cuss on Capitol Hill. That woman is a fucking goddess,” Nat sighed, awe dripping from every word.

“Quiet, they’re talking again,” Bruce noted as he pointed at the screen.

“Gentlemen, I do apologize for my outburst. Please, that is not how I conduct myself day to day.” Everyone in the common room burst out laughing as Evie had the filthiest mouth of them out, even worse than Steve.

“Doctor Collins, we understand that everyone loses their cool once in a while, but, this is a legal hearing that is being televised, so we ask that you please watch your language.” Everyone turned to Steve and grinned, remembering the time he scolded Tony for his ‘language’. “We would now like to move to end General Ross’ questioning, especially since he is not the one who called this hearing in the first place.” The look of outrage on the General’s face was worth everything Tony had in his bank account, and more.

“You’ll hear no arguments from me over that,” Evie replied with a sweet smile. The questioning began again, this time, moving in a much more positive light.

“Now, Doctor Collins, when Captain Rogers contacted you and asked for help, why did you lend your assistance?” They all tensed up, as they knew this would end badly.

“What do you mean he ‘asked for help?’ Steve did no such thing.” When all that met her was disbelief, she scoffed. “Does Steve, does Captain America, look like the kind of man that asks for help? No, he doesn’t. He’d much rather punch his way out of a fight alone than to ask for help.” Bucky and Sam burst out laughing, as she hit the nail right on the head.

“Well, you can’t expect us to believe that he had Clint Barton, Scott Lang and Wanda Maximoff sent to him for moral support.” Evie tilted her head in confusion, much like a dog does.

“He didn’t send for them. I sent them myself.” Her admission was met with gasps all around.

“Then you must realize that you violated the Sokovia Accords, and therefore must be reprimanded.” The committee members all agreed with General Ross’ outburst. Evie raised an eyebrow at him.

“General, the Sokovia Accords don’t apply to me. I’m not an Avenger. And I didn’t send them on a mission, that’s Steve’s job. All I can do is tell them that they cannot go on a mission due to an injury,” she explained. The Team all held their breath, as they realized that she was right.

“Well, then how did you know that Captain Rogers needed them?” Ross was back in control, as the Sokovia Accords had been his project.

“I didn’t. The last time I had spoken to Steve was when I had texted him while he was in a meeting with you, General. You had met with the Team about the Accords, but I wasn’t invited as I’m not an Avenger, just their physician. I didn’t even discuss the Team or the Accords at all. I, rather stupidly, felt that texting and telling him that Agent Peggy Carter had died in her sleep was better than calling him.” Evie had said the magic words. Mentioning Peggy Carter in relation to Steve Rogers was akin to talking to Jesus in some people’s eyes. Most of the committee members nodded, understanding clear as day on their faces.

Ross was losing, badly.

“Well, then, why did you send them?” Even the Team, 204 miles away, could tell that Ross was getting desperate.

“If you must know, there’s a monument in what remains of Sokovia that Wanda wanted to visit, since she lost her country and brother in the same day. Clint, who has become close to Wanda over the fact that her twin brother, Pietro, gave his life to save Clint, volunteered to go with her. Scott, wanting to support Wanda during a tough time, also volunteered. I spent my own money and hired a plane for them. I hired a plane because, as I am not Tony Stark nor Pepper Potts, I didn’t feel comfortable using their private jet. And, seeing that it wasn’t a mission and that I’m not Captain Rogers, I had no authority to send them in a quinjet.” Evie looked so proud of herself, and the Team was too. Ross had obviously planned to blame the Accords failing on Steve, but for her to take the blame blew his plan up in his face.

And the committee members knew it.

“Thank you, Doctor Collins, for coming here and giving your testimony over the Avengers. I hereby dismiss you from the chamber as we deliberate. We will have the bailiff collect you once we are done.” Evie nodded before exiting the room.

“Well, this is it. Whatever the outcome is, we can’t blame Evie. She did amazing,” Rhodey said as everyone got up and stretched.

“Hell yeah she did,” Wanda exclaimed in agreement, everyone else joining in.

The next couple of hours seemed to drag on before finally, Evie was brought back into the room.

“We would like to thank you again, Doctor Collins, for coming here over the past few days to give testimony for the Avengers. Now, before I read the verdicts, I must notify you that we went with a majority vote, although some were unanimous.” The Team all squeezed into one couch, not wanting to be apart.

“I understand.” You could hear a pin drop with how quiet the Tower was.

“In the case of Anthony Edward Stark, it is this committee’s majority vote that he is not a danger to society.” Tony began to breathe again as he realized he was a free man.

“In the case of Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, it is this committee’s unanimous decision that he is not a danger to society.” Rhodey looked at Tony and grinned, glad to know neither of them were going to prison.

“In the case of Clinton Francis Barton, it is this committee’s unanimous decision that he is not a danger to society.” Clint sank to his knees, overjoyed that he would be able to watch his children grow up.

“In the case of Scott Edward Harris Lang, it is this committee’s unanimous decision that he is not a danger to society.” Scott jumped up and began to dance, happy to not be going back to prison.

“In the case of Samuel Thomas Wilson, it is this committee’s unanimous decision that he is not a danger to society.” Sam sat in shock, not believing that he was free.

“In the case of Natasha Alianova Romanoff, it is this committee’s majority vote that she is not a danger to society.” Nat burst into tears over hearing her name be cleared.

“In the case of Thor Odinson, it is this committee’s majority vote that he is not a danger to society.” The God of Thunder stood and began to laugh.

“That’s our girl!” he bellowed, pulling Natasha and Tony into a hug.

“In the case of Doctor Robert Bruce Banner, it is this committee’s majority vote that he is not a danger to society.” Bruce was frozen like Sam, not wanting to move in case it was all a dream.

“In the case of Wanda Maximoff, it is this committee’s majority vote that she is not a danger to society.” Wanda fell to her knees as well, murmuring in Sokovian. Evie’s name was mentioned, and everyone figured she was more than likely worshipping the ground that the doctor walked on.

“In the case of Captain Steven Grant Rogers, it is this committee’s majority vote that he is not a danger to society.” Steve felt Sam clap him on the back, but he couldn’t move he was so surprised.

“In the case of Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, it is this committee’s majority vote that he is not a danger to society.” Bucky jumped up with Alice and swung her around in joy.

“We’re free! We’re all free!” he yelled before kissing Alice deeply. Steve finally stood and grabbed them both in a hug, not giving a damn that the kiss was progressing in his arms.

“Quiet! They’re speaking again!” Scott yelled, and everyone fell silent.

“Doctor Collins, I know you most likely have a celebration to get to, but I must warn you. Should any of the Avengers commit any acts of terrorism or break any laws from here on out, there will be no second chances. For any of you. Yes, as you have cleared them, your word is their bond. They go away and so do you.”  The Team exchanged a worried look.

“I understand sir. They want nothing more than to save the world, so I highly doubt they will do anything to put it in harm’s way.” Evie looked ecstatic over freeing them all, and it didn’t seem to phase her that if they did something wrong, she would go away too.

“Thank you. This hearing is now adjourned.” The gavel sounded and it was all over.

Evie had single-handedly cleared all of the Avengers.

The Team all hugged each other, over the moon that they were free.

“That woman is, without a doubt, fucking royalty and shall be treated as such,” Scott exclaimed to everyone's amusement.

“Oh, absolutely. Now, if you excuse me, I have a family I need to go see.” Clint waved as he headed to the elevator, not stopping for anyone.

“Hey, I'm coming too. I'll drop you on my way to California,” Scott called as he followed him.

“I'm gonna take a page outta their books and go enjoy my freedom. Anyone wanna come with?” Nat asked. The remaining members all looked around, torn between wanting to get outside and waiting for Evie to come back.

“You guys go. I'll stay here and wait for her,” Bruce said. Everyone else nodded before booking it out the door.

@suz-123 @avenger-nerd-mom @aglarelen @amaranthuspetals @amillionfandoms-onlyoneme @bad-wolf87 @bolontiku @brighterlightss @buckybarnesappreciationsociety @buckyywiththegoodhair @caplansteverogers @captainradicalpassion @caramell0w @celeb-fess @delicatecapnerd @doloreschanal @donnaintx @earinafae @etts21 @ghostssss @girlbehindthecameraposts @gramaeryebard @jhangelface0523 @kimistry27 @liz-pbnz @loki-god-of-my-life @magellan-88 @marvel-trash07 @pegasusdragontiger @punkfrog @ruinerofcheese @ryverpenrad @sarahp879 @silver-starburst @the-real-kellymonster @4theluvofall  @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety  @stars8melanin  @getinmelanin011  @honey-bee-holly   @lostinspace33  @dustycelt  @avengedqueen26 @amandarosemire  @diinofayce  @sillinessinseattle @lookwhatyoumademequeue  @jewels2876

[marinacoldwater-blog]

An OC of mines life story, enjoy. Again, be sure to message me if you want to see the rest of it.

Prologue

As soon as I woke up and got my bearings, I noticed that there was a cut on my left cheek and it was bleeding a lot. There was also blood coming from my head running over my right eye. I soon remembered that I was on a battlefield and soon I heard gunfire and explosions. Someone pulled me up by my arm and yelled, “Either get out of here or get a weapon and fight!” I got up and staggered to an infirmary and collapsed on one of the beds. I bet you’re wondering ‘What the hell is going on?’ or ‘Are you okay?’. Well, stop because I’m gonna tell you, so sit down, shut the **** up and listen.

Chapter One

So it all started in a hospital, Rosemary Hospital, Australia, where I was born. I was born of a lower-class woman and an upper-class man, don’t worry all you Christians out there reading this, they got married before they had me. Anyway, I was born with two different colored eyes, I’m not sure of the technical term, but I don’t care. If you know it, you know it, if you don’t, you don’t. Anyway once I started to go to school, I soon had a lot of bullies, just because of my eyes, my left eye was blue while my right was green. Once I was 10 years old, my parents tried to cut out my left eye. It didn’t exactly work. My left eye is still there but now I’m now half-blind. I got bullied even more than because they made me half-blind. They didn’t care, they just didn’t want a child who had two different colored eyes. I’m one of those special snowflakes, surpassing my parent's expectation.

Once I turned 17 I asked them if I could go to the US and they said: “Sure, do whatever you want.” Whenever they say that, they don’t care enough to pay attention to me to do anything, usually, when I ask them if I could do something, they don’t care enough. My little sister came running to me crying her little eyes out, hugging, begging me to stay saying,

“Don’t go, Mathew! Please don’t go! Who’s going to read me bedtime stories now? I want you to stay! Why can’t you stay?!”

I looked into her little violet and grey eyes and said,

“I don’t want to go either, but I need to get away from Mom and Dad. Hopefully, they don’t hurt you as they hurt me. Be strong Abigail, be strong, for me?”

“*sniff* I will. I will be strong for you.”

“Good, I have to leave now. Bye.” I said as I waved sadly to her and then said to my parents “Goodbye Mom, Dad.” Good riddance. I thought. When I got to the US I drafted myself in the military. So after 3 months, I got in. I did have to go through training but it was nothing. I was in peak physical condition, I couldn’t say the same for the other trainees. I did get the most chores but I got them all done easily, hell I even had enough time to read a book, I am number four I believe was the title. Yeah, that was it, I really liked it. It was interesting, you should read it. Though I think that some of you wouldn’t like it, it’s about aliens that have superpowers.

I was able to get on the field faster than the other trainees. I was the youngest of all the recruits. The 20 year-olds were the main cast that pushed me around, trying to get me to fight back. When they were disappointed they just beat me, over and over and over again. The only person that seemed to be on my side was Captain Bartowski who took pity on me, being the youngest. He might have been the youngest in his squad as well, I don’t know. He even took me to the infirmary a few times when I couldn’t get myself up. He also stayed with me for some time after he got me to the infirmary after I woke up he said “Finally, you’re awake. I’m surprised to see that you’re still alive after all those scars on your chest. Look I won’t pry, but if you need someone to talk to, my door is open.”

“Thank you, Captain, I might take you up on that offer, a couple of times.”

“Your welcome. Now I think that you should get up soon. Wait, I have a question.”

“Ask away sir.”

“Why don’t you fight back? They consistently beat you over and over again, so why don’t you fight back?”

“I don’t want to get in a fight with my superiors. I don’t mind getting beat on, I had a lot of bullies when I was in grade school. They probably don’t remember, but I do. I would think that if you ask them they would say ‘What are you talking about? I don’t remember bullying Matthew.’ I-I’m sorry for saying all that. I just needed someone to talk to. Thank You, Captain Bartowski.”

“Your welcome, and hey you’re not the only one with a bully in your past. Next time the guys try to beat you, try to stand up for yourself. My advice for the day.”

“Yes Sir, I sure will.”

Everything was alright for a couple of days, no bullies, no chores, no anything. To be honest, it was boring, there wasn’t anything to keep my mind distracted or preoccupied. So I went to the training field to as the name suggests, train, but low and behold who I find waiting for me there… I memorized their names and faces. There were four people in their group, the stoutest one was named Jake. The next one was the shortest but he did pack a mean punch, his name was Gabe (he was black). The next was a guy I had only seen in their group, nowhere else, so by that logic he’s dependent on their group to keep him safe, his name is Brian. The last guy was the leader, he’s in the same physical condition as me, meaning peak physical condition, his name is Gideon. Gideon then said when he saw me, ”Well look what we have here boys, little M here got out of the infirmary within a day. I thought we beat you harder than that, I guess we’ll have to beat you again to let the message sink in. You need to die. Let’s go boys.”

[zukalations]

Time to soar! #3 - Ashizawa Jin interview with Nanami Hiroki (April 2017)

Ashizawa Jin is an illustrator/columnist who has been conducting interviews for GRAPH since the 1960s (yes, you read that right). His interview column gets a new title every year but has been fairly consistent format-wise in recent years. I’m giving him his own tag in the Staff category since he is one of the few interview conductors to be credited by name in the publications.

Time to soar! #3 - Ashizawa Jin interview with Nanami Hiroki

Perhaps I'm the only one who feels the stage light up when Nanami Hiroki enters. With Blazing Wind - Strategist Takenaka Hanbei, she achieved her first solo lead, exhibiting both gallant brilliance and subtle sweetness in a total display of her appeal. She is now soaring to new heights.

Hanbei is a military commander, and in this production, you were the leader - did you make any new realizations through the combination of these two things? Did you feel pressured? I didn't really feel 'scared' - I just had fun, mostly (laughs). If I was focusing and giving my best, everyone else would help and support me...I really felt that kind of atmosphere. Hanbei isn't the type of protagonist to keep pushing ahead without relying on anyone. He had a deep sense of connection with everyone around him, and would always do his duty, and I was also able to feel safe and stand naturally in the middle of everyone. Whether in rehearsals or on stage, everyone looked out for me so much, and of course, Marin-san (Yuuma Rin), who played Hideyoshi, was a big support. Therefore I was able to perform without feeling too much of a burden.

Did you feel nervous on opening day? I didn't, actually. The most nervous I've ever felt up until now was my first day as Scarlett (Gone with the Wind, switch role with Asaka Manato). I always use that as a point of comparison, so I'll think to myself 'am I more nervous than back then?' and then I'm like 'I'm doing better than I was then' (laughs). In Blazing Wind, every one of us constructed things clearly, and a main theme of the story is the value of life. Ever since the rehearsals started I'd felt certain that this would really resonate with the audience. Therefore, while I couldn't say I was perfectly comfortable, I certainly felt I was able to get through the opening performance without being too shaken.

You looked so cool in the poster photoshoot. How did it feel to see yourself all over? For the poster, Director Suzuki was very particiular, so during the photoshoot it was all settled, 'do this there, now do that' so I was just following directions. But he was really into it (laughs), so I understood the image he was going for more and more. The fans seemed to like it as well, which made me happy, and when I would see the posters up around town I'd be like 'Hey, that's me!' (laughs) Basically I was just like 'I'm so happy!' and was really glad about it (laughs)

You said you were very nervous on opening day, but what was it like to play Scarlett? Well, first off, it's a female role (laughs), and over the years, so many different people have played her. Also, since it was a switch role, rehearsal time was limited, so I was like 'is this gonna be okay?' and had a lot of concerns about it. While I'd rehearsed alone, obviously it takes a whole cast to make a show, so I had a lot of strong worries - what if I cause trouble for everyone, or worse, what do I do if I cause a problem for Rika-san (Ouki Kaname), who played Rhett Butler.

What do you to do help when you're struggling with a role? Do you try things like moving away from the character? I never leave the character. It takes me some time to solidify the image I have for a role. Therefore, for example, if there's someone with a similar feel to my character I'll research them and try to move how I think they would move. There's a limit to my own imagination, so I take things like that and mix them in with my own style. However, when all that's said and done, I think what's most important is to perform in a way that makes things easier for the rest of the cast. If I think about how to make the lead performer, or my partner, look better, that helps me bring my character to life. It's not about performing for 'me, me, me' alone, buut if I think about how I can make my partner look better, it makes me look better as well. That's the fun of acting, isn't it?

I first noticed you in Valentino (Theatre Drama City, Nippon Seinenkan Hall), where you played Rudolf Valentino's wife, Natasha. I wonder why that could have been, even though you are an otokoyaku... I still don't really get why it was me, but I think since it was so abrupt, everyone must have been like 'who the heck is that!?' At the time, it wasn't as if I had any objection to female roles, but since I was 173cm, I never dreamed of being cast as Oozora Yuuhi-san's wife, so I was really shocked. At first I didn't have any idea how to do a female role. I've never been girly in the first place, and I wore jeans all through highschool, so it was a bit embarrassing to come into the rehearsal room wearing a leotard and skirt (laughs). Director Koike watched me act and gave me a variety of one-on-one advice, so I'm really grateful for that.

A lot of your roles that left an impression on me are female roles. Even though I thought more otokoyaku roles should be coming to mind... Well, I think that doing female roles back then let me think a lot more about what it is to be an otokoyaku. Sometimes, after I'd put together a really subtle dramatic performance, I would be told that if I didn't make it a little bigger, it wouldn't come across to the audience... I thought that even though this was what I liked, going along with just what I liked was no good - but I thought 'since there are fans who like this way of doing things then that's alright'. The power of the fans is really strong to me. Of course I'll follow the directors' instructions and desires, but that sometimes means performing while thinking that wasn't really what I wanted to do, so I'd like to be able to combine these things more.

You have a stubborn side, don't you. I'm reeeally stubborn, I think (laughs). I feel like if I don't think 'Gosh, I'm so cool!' then the audience won't think that either. Therefore I'm always trying to emphasize my coolness, and when I think 'yeah, this is it!' and the audience also likes it that makes me really happy.

You transferred from Cosmos Troupe to Star Troupe in April of 2015, and it seemed that the otokoyaku 'Nanami Hiroki' became much more intense then. The atmosphere of Cosmos Troupe was really different to Star Troupe. When my transfer was decided, I was full of anxiety about it - will I be any benefit to Star Troupe? I'm not the most clever type, so will this go okay? But once I came in, it was such a different world, and a lot of different people had an impact on me. When I aced with Kurenai-san for the first time in Catch Me If You Can (Akasaka ACT Theatre, Theatre Drama City), I really realized how different the acting styles were between different troupes. I do feel that rather than being somewhere I feel totally comfortable, it's better to encounter challenges. I was also blessed by who I had around me: my classmate Ichijo, Kurenai-san from a year above, and also Toki (Irisu)-san and Hokushou (Kairi)-san, so it was an environment where I could feel safe and grow. Therefore, while it's been about 2 years now, I feel like it's really helped me come into my own. Everyone's been really good to me, and the junior actresses are looking up to me, so I'm really grateful for that.

What do you find most difficult about expressing a man's feelings? Hmmm... Obviously, in Takarazuka, we're not men but otokoyaku, so that incorporates a lot of things that real men wouldn't do. For example, actual men would hardly ever bring you flowers on your birthday. Especially Japanese men. Maybe foreign men are different (laughs). So an otokoyaku creates the image of a woman's ideal. I think it's because we're not like real men, but the sort of characters from the world of shojo manga or TV dramas who'd never exist in reality, that Takarazuka is so good. If you want to see actual men you can go to any other theatre, but you can't see otokoyaku anywhere but Takarazuka. I think Takarazuka is a theatre where you go to fall in love. It's a totally unique theatre where you can encounter a dream world and fall in love (laughs). Therefore, I think that being realistic is totally the wrong way to go. I feel like it's since they come to fall in love with men who would never exist in the real world that people will see the shows over and over. Since I want to make the audience happy, I'm also always thinking about how I can be more wonderful as an otokoyaku.

It seems that you will be able to use your experiences playing Hanbei in your role of Robespierre in The Scarlet Pimpernel. I've also been thinking that. While I picture him as presiding over the Reign of Terror, and he's certainly a villain, he's also someone who was true to his own convictions. It's a question of how far to take it, as if I take that too far he won't seem like a villain any more... Since he was a real person, I think it's really vital that I use my limited appearances onstage to really get across to the audience what the situation was in France at that time, as well as Robespierre's emotions. I really want to keep growing as an otokoyaku, so I've been getting a lot of instruction from Director Koike, and I want to enjoy myself while still working hard to become a more splendid stage performer.

[breha]

@princessparadoxical said: Always down for more Farah/Amanda 😉😉

Here’s an AU where Farah is a bouncer and the Rowdy 3 is a punk band Amanda is in: 

It was definitely Todd’s fault.

The Electric Spin was a club carved out of a gutted laundromat on the outskirts of town, the kind of place with no sign on its door or address on its website, but a packed house every night all the same. Amanda loved it: the neon piping in the ceiling, the black paint on the floor in the process of being scuffed back to white tile by hundreds of feet, the row of still-working washers and dryers behind the stage that they let the staff and bands use. Each one was named for someone famous who had played there, and they said that if you washed your gig jacket in one of them, it would be lucky forever. 

This is where Todd’s total dickwashery came in: Amanda had reached into her backpack to get her jacket and felt the frayed collar of Todd’s instead. Had he somehow mixed them up? Doing laundry at her house in the dark, maybe. That would be so Todd. Sure enough, when she pulled the jacket out, instead of her “No Spoons, No Masters” patch, there was Todd’s shitty Dead Kennedys pin. Amanda kicked the air, which hurt - her knees were not great today - and sat down on Martin’s guitar amp.

“What’s up and down, Mando?” Vogel asked. He squatted down next to her, bouncing steadily on the balls of his feet. 

She waved him off. “Nothing.” 

Suddenly, Cross, Martin, and Gripps appeared around her like they’d risen out of the stage floor. 

“Is something bothering you?” Cross said. “'Cause I’ll kick it. In the face!” He struck a karate pose and kicked the air to illustrate, complete with an enthusiastic “hiiii-yah!” Amanda couldn’t help smiling. 

“I’m fine. I just don’t have my jacket,” she explained. “I wanted to wash it before the show.” 

“Ah, you don’t need that luck,” said Martin.

“We’re already in the flow,” said Gripps.

Vogel nodded. “Word.” 

Amanda’s phone buzzed: Todd. She picked it up and walked over to sit on her drum stool. “Dude, did you take my jacket?” 

There was someone else talking in the background, so at first it was difficult to make out what Todd was saying. 

“Yeah - I mean, no, it wasn’t me. Dirk switched them. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know. But I - look, I just need to - I have it and I’m outside but this lady won’t let me in and...honestly, I think she’ll punch me if I try to go around the back.” 

Amanda jumped off her stool probably faster than was wise. She ran to the front door and stuck her head out. There was Todd, looking sheepish with the jacket in hand as he argued with an absurdly beautiful girl. When Todd had said “lady,” Amanda had expected some kind of middle-aged person. This woman was Todd’s age or maybe younger, and everything about her was, well. All Amanda’s dumb gay brain could come up with was “symmetrical.” The collar of her button-up sat crisply over the lapels of her unadorned leather jacket, which led to her military-square shoulders and her regular, serious face. Even her hair, which rose around her head like a storm cloud, gave the impression that not a piece of it had ever been out of place, possibly out of sheer willpower on her part. Amanda suddenly felt extremely self-conscious about her eyeliner being uneven. 

“Hi,” Amanda said, or hoped she did. It might have come out more like “huh.” 

“Hello,” replied the symmetrical girl. “I’m filling in for Bud as bouncer until 8:00, and Mr. Park specifically told me not to let anyone in until the doors open for the show.” She spoke a little too fast, as if she’d prepared the words ahead of time and just wanted to get through them without fucking up. It wasn’t what Amanda would have expected her to sound like. 

“Yeah, but I’m just trying to give my sister her jacket,” Todd argued. 

The girl opened her mouth to speak, clearly about to restart a debate she and Todd had been having for who knows how many minutes, but Amanda interrupted. 

“Look, I’ll just take the jacket, okay? Todd doesn’t have to come in.” 

Amanda tried not to grin as the girl wrinkled her nose and considered this. 

“...Okay, fine.” 

“Yessss.” Amanda plucked her jacket out of Todd’s hand. “Thank you so much, dude. You’re my favorite brother.” 

She turned to go back inside, then, suddenly overcome with confidence - maybe from the luck she was about to get washing her jacket - she turned back. 

“Are you gonna stay and watch the band?” she asked. 

The symmetrical girl stared at her. “Me?” 

“Yeah, obviously you. Come on, we’ll give you a free t-shirt. I’m Amanda, the drummer.” 

In her peripheral vision, she could see Todd rolling his eyes. As if he had any flirting skills beyond bragging about being an a band. Ha! 

“Farah,” replied the girl, offering her hand for Amanda to shake. Farah. Amanda shook her hand, trying her best to look cool, then made sure to stick out her tongue at Todd behind Farah’s back before she retreated back into the club. It would be sound check soon, and they wanted to make sure things were loud to enough to damage everyone’s hearing permanently. 

**

Filling in at the Electric Spin had been an unexpected development. Farah and Bud had worked together on a security team about five years ago, and they still kept in contact to trade tactics and advice. He’d called at 09:00 to ask if she could help him out: his cat was sick, and he needed to take her to the vet, so he wouldn’t be able to make it to work until 20:00. After a few minutes of mentally adjusting her plan for the day, she’d agreed. Bud was her friend, maybe. You were supposed to be there for friends. Probably. 

The sad guy with the jacket had also been unexpected, as was his drummer sister with the chipped nail polish - Amanda. 

“Roll with the punches,” Farah muttered to the sidewalk. “Be ready for anything.” Even messy punks who offered you a t-shirt and invited you to their show out of nowhere. Farah could go to a punk show. She was cool. Cool and relaxed. Relaxed and cool. Definitely.

Over the last hour or so, the line outside the door had grown until it curved around the block out of Farah’s sight. Amanda’s band must be popular, she realized. Everybody wore jackets with studs and had various types of jewelry on - in - their faces. People laughed and jostled each other as they waited to get in, giving the line a party-like feeling in itself. The audience had been flowing steadily into the club since 7:30, and Farah couldn’t imagine that the place could hold that many more people. 

Farah checked her watch. Bud was two minutes late. Three minutes. Three and a half.

“Hey, sorry.” 

She turned and found herself staring at a black t-shirt. There he was, finally - all 6′6′’ of him. She took a step back so she could see his face without looking up. 

“Thanks for filling in for me, Farah. Anastasia’s fine, she just ate something she shouldn’t have and I panicked.” He shrugged his giant shoulders and looked sheepish. A lot of people were looking sheepishly at her today. Well, except Amanda, who had smiled as if Farah were an old friend. 

Farah put her hand on Bud’s elbow. “I’m glad Anastasia’s okay. I think I might stay for the show.” 

The inside of the club was humid and packed with people, the kind of crowd that made Farah reach into her jacket for her knife just to hold onto something solid. She edged her way towards the stage to get a better look at the band, which seemed about to start. There were four men - maybe; it was probably not right to assume - and, tucked in the back with her drums, Amanda. She looked completely at home, spinning one of her drumsticks in her hand as she laughed at something the guitar player had said. 

As much of a hush as could be expected fell over the crowd as the frontman stepped up to the microphone. He didn’t have an instrument, although he was, nonsensically, holding a wiffle ball bat. 

“We are the Rowdy Three!” he screamed. “Let’s get rowdy!” 

Farah tried to yell to the person next to her - there are five of them! - but Amanda’s drums drowned out her voice.

It was unlike anything Farah had ever experienced. The band was a wall of noise that lifted her up and carried her away. They seemed not to care about anything as plebeian as genre; they were punk one moment, funk the next, and, for one memorable song, genuinely classical. It turned out the wiffle ball bat was for punting various objects into the audience, mostly hats and small stuffed animals. (Farah was certain she also saw at least one dildo that almost hit somebody in the eye.) She danced until she could barely breathe, and she felt, for the first time in a long time, not afraid of anything.

**

After the first set, Amanda pulled her hair into a ponytail and wandered over to the bar for a beer. She kept an eye out for Todd and Dirk, but, knowing them, they were probably either arguing or making out in a corner somewhere, neither of which she felt much like getting in the middle of. Someone pushed a side door open, and a gust of cool air blew over the back of Amanda’s neck. Man, she wanted a cigarette. The adrenaline of performing was still buzzing through her body, and her hands shook slightly as she pushed open the door and reached into her pocket for her lighter. 

A few other people were smoking in the alley, and there, leaning against the wall by the trash cans, was the lovely bouncer from earlier. Farah. She had one of the hats Martin liked to bat into the crowd in her hand. It was Amanda’s favorite of the bunch they’d bought from the secondhand store that afternoon - green with the words WOMEN WANT ME, FISH FEAR ME embroidered on the front. Farah seemed slightly bemused by it. 

“So, what do you think of the music?” Amanda asked, and Farah jumped in surprise. Amanda exhaled a cloud of smoke and grinned at her. 

Farah smiled too, and Amanda’s stomach jumped a little bit. She had an asymmetrical smile. Her hands moved in wide circles to emphasize her words. “It’s - it’s awesome - it’s brilliant. Your organizational structure and artistic personality make no sense, of course, but I had - fun. Thanks for asking me to come.” 

Amanda laughed. “You’re so weird.” 

This made Farah frown. “No, I’m not.” 

“I mean that in a good way.” 

“Oh.” 

They both looked at their shoes. Then Amanda said “Listen - ” at the same time that Farah said “I should - ” 

“You go first,” Farah said. 

“Do you want to go get a milkshake after this? I know a really cool 24-hour diner and I think you’re really cool so. You should go...there. With me.” Amanda tried not to visibly cringe at her own utter awkwardness.

Farah smiled again, apparently not noticing. “Yeah, okay.” 

**

Amanda smelled like cigarettes or incense or maybe both. She let Farah listen to her favorite Bikini Kill album with her headphones and talked about her brother and her friends a lot, but didn’t seem to think it was weird that Farah didn’t have anyone to talk about except her fish. 

“Dude, you have a betta fish? That’s so cool. Aren’t they, like, really aggressive?” 

“They’re misunderstood.” 

Farah felt Amanda’s hand slip into hers and realized that she was probably fucking up her entire schedule for tomorrow by being out this late. She also realized that she didn’t much care. For once, she felt like going with the flow.