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blackbutlerfandomnerddomain · 2 years ago

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May I please ask for headcanons on they the other version of the recruits react to mine?

Of course boo! I feel like a kid swapping baseball cards with a neighborhood kid

How they met was a random visit in the city by the gang, mostly for the siblings to find a place to perform and Jane Vera and Dante just followed to hang out, the same time when the friend group were in the city for college lessons and personal reasons

It gave them a heart attack by accident with this:

Joe sits at a small table with a drink as he relaxes for a bit and Jac walks over mostly covered in his red jacket with the hood up cause it's cold so Joe didn't notice right away, and Jac starts ranting about the cold and soon brings up a "hot babe" from a bar visit he went to and asked if wants details.

Joe goes pales and nervously and slowly getting angry ask "But what about Roxy?" In which Jac, assuming it's his best bud and referring to a chick previous said, "what about her?"

Luckily before Joe could sock this guy a new one Sia walks over with two cups of coffee and sat in front of them and starts complaining about a phone call with her boss' assistance (this world of Pan and Panic) who lost an important file

Jac and Sia talk back and forth and Joe slowly begins to question reality when Jac tries to convince Sia to go clubbing with her the weekend and how she needs to find a nice guy

Somewhere else in the building Jack is checking the sound when Joseph randomly sat beside him and said "Okay, so there's this cult documentary I watched last night right?" and just goes off on the documentary he was watching and complaining about his step-mom which is a normal vent which was a huge load of "whoa" on Jack

Then how it all tied together

Ivan was walking around and stopped by the vending machines and heard a voice a lot like Aya, now homeboy been crushing on her for a long time and been holding off letting those feelings known. So what he do? He goes over and starts talking until Zuri turns around and the two just stare at each other like "wtf"

Then Cece comes in while Sha comes in the same time and everyone's like "wait, wtf-"

So after gathering everyone introductions were made with Jack trying to be extra sure they were real and not magical beings like the recruiters, best not open that can of worms of the Disney Villain Recruiters just yet boo

Apologizes were made after everything

Wilhelm was mainly staring at Vince in per astonishment. He had similar features of his face but was obviously proud of his looks and not hiding him unlike himself, he was open with emotions when he wasn't, and not to mention Vince has a girlfriend when he barely dated. The two soon do bond over childhood stuff and books with Vince comfortable enough to show the guy a picture of Stephanie

Wilhelm scrunch his face u and said "Sorry. She just looks like Margaret" "Is she nice?" "She's a girl who lives in my building. We don't get along" Vince was just happy he hasn't met Apple Poison yet

Joseph was kind of taken aback at Joe in a way since he, like Vince, is open and not hiding like he is. The bond over the ocean and talk about Misty and Arielle together when they're away from others

Sia's first thought of Cece was she reminded her of her past self a bit. The two talk and as Sia soon mentioned her work and how she got a fancy ass home (she showed pictures) she was surprised to hear Cece offer to ruin her family's life with ease and bring even more damage to her ex-fiance. She simply grinned as they realized they're more similar than they seem and everyone can simply shutter in the idea of these two working together with Sia being Cece's main alibi if needed

Charles was amazed by Malachite. Like he has a band??? They talk about their life styles and Charles did his hardest to try and not tell Malachite his past but when it did he used way more physical power to make sure he won't go rampage

Aya adores Zuri to bits. Like tons of compliments and giggles. Like best friends imminently attached. Those two swap contacts with each other within the first 20 minutes of their talk. She just finds her so pretty and so happy she has a great life

Sha couldn't stop but find Nadia so pretty and so impressed by her boldness "So your dad lets your party?" "Uh, by dad you mean mom yeah." The two chat about being the younger ones of their groups and favorite activities and hobbies with Sha seeing more and more of the confidence she needs to grow through Nadia. Probably won't sleep with people much as she shows off the purity ring she had since she was 7 though she admitted to have dated and kissed before

Jac totally digs this Jack guy! They seemingly have a lot in common and Jack even got promises to have discounts at the diner he works at with Maria. There was a lot of apologies with Jac saying sorry about Jack maybe nearly kicking his ass kicked but assumption he's cheating on his girl

Janice was pretty much "wanna hang out?" with Jane and they two had a lot of deep nice conversations about life and their dads which Janice can't help but smiling hearing how nice her family sounds and how she luckily didn't have her childhood

Maria was more or less confused of Vera. Yes they had things in common, but she was... open of her feelings and her likes. There was no issue if she listens to rock music? She's open she's gay?? It honestly scared the poor girl more with the idea someone like her was worried all this time when it' isn't a big deal

Ivan fucking LOVES Dante man! They both talk about fashions, their moms, certain cute brown hair childhood besties in their lives

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spacedikut · 4 years ago

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throwback ; spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid (criminal minds) x reader

summary: you see a picture of young spencer and find him way too attractive. 1306 words

a/n: the gif is the spencer im talking abt btw

When you step into the bullpen, after delivering files to Hotch, everything is in a state of chaos. Well, compared to what it usually is.

“Y/N! You need to see this!”

JJ waves you over to Morgan’s desk, where Emily is already giggling as Rossi grins, arms crossed. You instinctively look to Spencer’s desk, and his head is resting on a stack of files. You have no idea what’s happening.

Morgan’s chuckling when you approach and peak to look at what’s showing on his monitor. It’s a series of pictures, ones you’ve never seen before, and you immediately notice that you’re not in any of them. So these were taken before you joined the BAU?

Morgan, still chuckling, moves the mouse to enlarge a picture in the far right. The second it opens and you realise who it is, you gasp.

“Spencer?! Is that you?!”

Spencer groans from his desk. The picture, that you assume was taken by press during a case, is perfect quality, so you see every detail. Spencer’s hair is parted at the side and slicked, giving him side-swooping bangs that you never would’ve thought looked good until you saw it on him. He’s wearing a sweater vest, obviously, which combined with his seemingly too big grey jacket makes him look like he’s wearing his grandfather’s clothes.

The most important part is his glasses.

You’ve seen Spencer in glasses several times. There’s been abrupt early starts that mean he hasn’t had time to shove contact lenses in, and several occasions when you’ve stayed over one another’s place that he’s either gotten irritated with his lenses and swapped them for his glasses in exasperation, or when he’s simply forgotten to wear his lenses.

But the glasses combined with the hair and the pure, almost naïve aura radiating off him from the picture is electrifying.

He looks like a teacher’s assistant. One you’d have the biggest crush on.

You giggle when Spencer doesn’t lift his head and amble your way towards him, “You were awfully cute, Spencer.”

He glances up and his eyes peek up at you. “I looked like a nerd.”

“Some say you still do.” Emily pipes up.

There’s a laugh from everyone at her comment, but you’re still staring at Spencer. He looks a little embarrassed, definitely shy, then you realise he’s still looking at you, too. With rosy cheeks, you raise your eyebrows.

“When was that taken?”

Spencer shrugs, but you know he knows the precise date, “A good few years before you joined the team. It was one of my first cases with the BAU, and my mom printed the picture out to frame it.”

Your jaw drops in excitement at the revelation and Morgan claps once, “She must’ve been so proud! Her baby boy a real agent-“

Spencer’s attention sways to Morgan, “God, where did Garcia even find those pictures?! They’re so old and-“

“I’m sad I never got to see that Spencer in real life.” You say quietly.

That catches Spencer’s attention and, with doe eyes, he asks, “Really?”

“Yeah! I can’t believe I missed that version of you.” You scrunch your nose at the thought, “If only I graduated earlier…”

A new case comes in, then, and as you drop some things off at your desk before heading to the conference room, Spencer can’t help but warmly stare at you, an idea brewing.

***

The case is done and dusted, unsub arrested and few lives taken as possible within record time. This means everyone in the BAU is ecstatic; Hotch got to take a whole day off to spend with Jack, JJ went somewhere cute with Will and Henry, and Emily did whatever Emily does. Everyone was undeniably refreshed and rejuvenated after being given two days off (two!!) and you’re still riding the high of completing a thousand piece puzzle. It’s the little things, okay?

You would’ve spent the time off with Spencer, but he was “otherwise occupied”, which you have no idea what that meant and still don’t. You intend to pester him for details when he gets into work.

You don’t have to wait for his arrival for long.

You’re in the kitchen, gently blowing on the coffee you just poured into the I-heart-Texas mug Spencer once bought you (you’re a sucker for tacky tourist gifts) when you hear shuffling behind you. You turn, lips still puckered to blow air on the steaming liquid, and you choke on your breath.

Are you hallucinating?

Listen, you don’t really want to admit you’ve spent an alarming amount of time thinking about fresh-faced Spencer Reid when he first joined the BAU, but you have. Garcia sent a team-wide email with all of the pictures, and you couldn’t help but take another look (an understatement) – you just… can’t get over how adorable he was. Is. He’s still heart-achingly adorable.

But maybe you should admit to exactly how many times you looked at the photos, cause baby-faced Spencer Reid with his sweater vest, slicked hair and stylish glasses is giving you a tight-lipped smile and small wave from the kitchen entrance.

“Whoa.” Is all you can say.

Spencer, one had in his trousers pocket and the other scratching the back of his head, shyly says, “Surprise?”

The coffee cup makes a distinct thunk as you place it on the kitchen counter due to the deafening silence between you two. You’re looking him up and down, effectively checking him out, and Spencer feels this burn inside of him – it starts from his stomach and ignites outwards, up through his lungs and heart to the tips of his fingers, his ears, and the apples of his cheeks.

You’re checking him out. You’re speechless. Spencer’s glad he spent the entirety of his time off trying to perfectly re-create his early years look just for you.

“You like it?” He glances down at his attire, nudging his glasses up his nose when they slide down.

YES!

“Yeah, I-“ You give an airy laugh at your inability to form sentences, “You haven’t aged a day, huh?”

“Actually, humans start to age as soon as they reach adulthood, which is typically about twenty-five years old. So I’ve been aging for nearly three years now.”

You’re still staring in awe and the burn Spencer feels hasn’t lessened, “It’s a good look for you, Spence. I would’ve totally had a crush on you if you went to my college.”

The words come out nonchalantly but you regret them instantly – you just told him he looks the exact same and then that you’d have a crush on him if he went to your college.. it doesn’t take a genius to pick up what you’re putting down, right?

Spencer bites his lip. With the way you’re looking at him, he gets a rush of adrenaline and boldly asks, “What about now?”

“Huh?”

“Would you have a crush on me now?”

Your eyes widen and Spencer almost feels rejected, but the smile you’re fighting reassures him. “Do you want me to?”

Spencer almost scoffs and says of course, “I-I would like that. Yes.”

“Good,” You nod, “We could… discuss this in more detail tonight? If you’re not busy?”

“I am not busy tonight. Seven o’clock?” He suggests with a shy smile.

Spencer’s almost bouncing off the walls. You’re struggling to contain your own excitement – you need to leave so you can go scream with Garcia.

“Seven is great. Keep the look.” You give him another head-to-toe survey, and it pains you to pick up your coffee and move to leave the kitchen.

All Spencer can do is nod and beam when you walk away. He falls back, stabilising himself on the counter behind him. He has to take a deep breath to ground himself.

Holy hell, he thinks. If you look at him like that one more time, he might faint.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfic #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fic #mine #the ending SUCKS because i didn't know what to do

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axwalker · 3 years ago

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If The World Was Ending: Even if he was wicked

Synopsis: When Bianca leaves her son without looking back, Drake has to live on the streets until he finds a home with Angelica Ortiz--Lexie’s grandmother and a foster mom. With the Ortiz, Drake finds a family and falls madly in love, until a tragic night changes everything, threatening the life Drake fought so hard to get.

To catch up (HERE)

Pairing: Drake Walker x Lexie O’Brien (MC) The Royal Romance.

A/N: This will be a very angsty, full of drama, small town romance.

Words: 4,120

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry, except for Lexie’s grandmother and mother.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Child neglect, abandonment, sexual assault, prison and a very entitled, “evil” Liam

Due to the several trigger warnings and some of the subjects I’ll be dealing with, I will only tag people who actively asked for it. If you want to be tagged in the following chapters --or untagged, please leave a comment.

Drake

2008

When I was 12 years old, my mother took off with my little sister leaving me in Cordonia with my father's best friend. I reminded her too much of my father, too much of a life she would do anything to forget. That "anything" included abandoning her oldest son. I'd like to say I was surprised, but the truth is I wasn't. Bianca Walker had never been a motherly woman. The only reason she had taken Savannah with her was that my Aunt Leona adored her. I was sure my mother would dump my little sister on her and never look back. I hoped that was the case, Leona despised me, but she was great to Savannah.

A short time after that, Bastien passed away and my mother was nowhere to be found. That's when I started to go from one home to another. The first year and a half were the hardest ones. I lived with four different families, each one worse than the last. First, the Lockes, where the family barely talked to me. Then, the Ruiz that made me take cold showers and sleep on the floor. The Godwins where the “mother” used the check the state gave her to buy alcohol instead of groceries. And finally the worse, the Fields. They seemed nice enough when I met them. Not kind but polite. The first few weeks everything seemed normal. Then one day, I got in trouble at school, and Mr. Fields --the pastor of his community, beat me up to “teach me some manners.” His punishments became a usual thing after that.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I escaped. Better to be on my own than believe some family was going to love or adopt me. Obviously, there was something very wrong with me. My own mother had left me, and I had never found my place anywhere else.

I lived on the streets for 6 months. I did all kinds of jobs. Not a lot of them were legal but there were few opportunities for a 14-year-old runaway kid. The most money I got was when I stole car parts that I got to resell to a gang called the Mercy Park Crew. The boss, Mr. Kaneko was fair and paid well enough. I could’ve kept living by myself if something hadn’t got terribly wrong at my last job. One of the boys from a rival gang decided to teach me a lesson and I ended up in the hospital with a concussion. A nurse called social services so here I am in a car with another social worker on the way for another foster home. It doesn’t matter, I know it won’t last anyway.

When you’ve been in the system as long as I had, you learned to look for certain warning signs when placed in a new home. Drugs, ulterior motives, threatening fathers, drinking mothers. After an hour, we drove through a town looking like something straight out of a movie. Valtoria. I’d heard of it before. The family my dad had been protecting when he died lived there. The house we pulled up to, was a large two-story construction with dark brown siding and an immaculate green lawn.

Joelle, my new caseworker had popped up out of nowhere in the hospital and told me I was coming with her. Just like that. From the way Joelle talked about the new place, I figured it was some sort of transitional home for rejects like me. Too old to get adopted and too troubled for anyone to voluntarily take on. I didn’t ask her anything else because I knew I didn’t have a fucking choice. Besides, I knew words don’t mean anything. I was a kid in the system. I went where they took me. Sometimes, I hated it. Sometimes, I really hated it. This time was different. In more ways than one. Usually, I was dropped off by my caseworker, and the people receiving me were about as excited as they were about junk mail. No one has ever come out to greet me before. As long as the woman at the door wasn’t sizing me up for a skin suit, it didn’t matter.

The social worker got out of the car as I grabbed the trash bag that I used to carry my shit around. She rang the bell, and a small, older woman opened the door. Joelle had told me in the car that the woman fostered several boys and I knew what that meant. She wanted the money the government gave her for keeping us. Well, I wasn’t going to make it easy for her. If she wanted to cash a check at the end of the month it was going to cost her. I’d make sure of it.

I had seen it all, but I still was caught by surprise when the tiny woman opened her arms at me and gave me a one-sided hug. A fucking hug.

“I’m very happy to meet you, mijo,” she said in a strong accent. “My name is Angelica Ortiz but everyone here calls me Abuela. Grandma in Spanish.”

The woman was deluded if she thought I’d call her grandma. She was obviously trying to impress the social worker with her fake kindness, hugs, and stupid names. I wasn’t going to be fooled that easily.

I didn’t even answer her as we stepped into the house. Another woman, a younger version of the one staring at me was waiting for us in the living room.

“Hi, you must be Drake. I’m Elena. Welcome.” She gave me a smile. Fake, I was sure but at least she hadn't tried to hug me. The older woman was talking to Joelle about me. Probably about my problems with authority, anger issues, and lack of communication skills. I knew my file by heart.

I barely nodded at Elena, and the three women exchanged a look. “Let me take you to your room, Drake. You’ll be sharing it with Maxwell. He’s doing his homework with my daughter in our house across the street. You’ll get to meet all the boys and my daughter Lexie tonight.”

She walked me to a room on the second floor of the house. It seemed clean and comfortable. Another ploy for the social worker. Two bunker beds with blue blankets and a wooden desk full of books were the biggest pieces of furniture. The left side of the room was covered in posters of who I figured were famous boy bands. There were a few of David Beckham, the only guy I recognized. Other than that there were clothes everywhere. That Maxwell dude was a fucking slob. Great.

“I told Max to take down some posters so you can decorate half of the room to your liking; This is your room as much as it is his. He's usually much more organized than this." I notice she speaks with a sort of fondness. "It was picture day for the school yearbook and he took hours getting ready. ”

I shrugged. I wasn’t planning to stay long anyway. I couldn’t care less if that Max kid left his posters on the walls or not.

She glanced at my garbage bag. “Are those your clothes, mijo?”

I scowled at her. I knew what mijo meant and I was nobody’s son. “My name is Drake.”

She smiled. “Of course, Drake. So, are they?”

I didn’t bother with an answer. A nod was enough.

“I cleared you this part of the closet, so you can keep them there. When you’re ready come downstairs; my mom and I will show you the rest of the house. The boys are out but we’ll all diner together tonight. Do you like Mexican food?”

I shrugged.

The woman smiled. “Shrugging is not an answer, mij- Drake. Either you like it, you don’t, or you haven’t tasted it in which case I can tell you, you’re missing out. Especially when mami cooks.” She winked at me as if we were friends or something. The woman was insane. “So, what is it, Drake?”

I’d never had it before, but she wasn’t going to tell me how to answer a damn question. “I hate it.”

She frowned --clearly disappointed, and I almost felt bad for her. Almost. “I’m very sorry to hear that. We already made Enchiladas for tonight and we don’t waste food. You can tell us your favorite dish though so we can make it for you.”

I shrugged again. Generally, that's when the person talking to me loses her patience but Elena Ortiz only smiled at me again. “Think about it. Every Sunday night, we pick someone’s favorite and cook it. It’s really fun. Next Sunday will be your first here, so you get to pick. Mami is a great cook and she can make anything from a mean chocolate cake to the best cheese pizza. See you downstairs, honey.”

Great. I’ve only been in this house for a few minutes, and I already hated it. The only thing worse than a home where you were beaten up as a welcome was a home where people pretended to care. My third foster home had been like that. Ms. Godwin had been all kind and nice at first. I almost felt like she cared about us. A week later, she had gotten drunk. For two days, neither I or the two girls she fostered had anything to eat because she hadn’t bought any groceries. I had to steal a twenty euro bill from her purse to buy food. She got angry and called the social worker who had come for me and taken me to the Fields. The worst home I ever lived in.

I wasn’t going to go downstairs but I decided that if I wanted a chance to escape it was better if I knew the house. Before I could explore a little, I heard my name from what I assumed was the kitchen.

Elena was crouching in front of the oven. “Drake has such sad eyes, mami. He’s only 14.”

The woman that had asked me to call her abuela, answered as she chopped an onion. “This boy has been living in the streets for more than a year. Do you realize it? Pobre angelito. So young and he has already seen more horrors than most people see in a lifetime.”

“Joelle told me that he had escaped from his last foster home.”

The older woman scoffed. “Home? If that’s how you call people that foster kids only for the money, they get in exchange. I don’t want to imagine why he fled those places." She turned to her daughter who had finished whatever she was doing in the oven and was drinking a bottle of water. "Stop watching me work, Elena and help me with diner, por Dios.”

Why was she pretending she didn’t care about the money? It was obvious. No one did anything for free. There was always a catch.

“Dónde está mi venadito?”

“Lexie and Max are at our house doing homework, mami. Be careful, though, if Lexie hears you calling her “your little deer” she’ll kill you. The boys called her Bambi for months after they heard you the last time.”

“Nonsense. She’s my venadito and that’s that. You two will come to eat here tonight. I want Drake to meet everyone.”

Elena rolled her eyes but patted her mom on the back. “Yes mami. Lexie is dying to meet him, she and Max made a chocolate cake for him. I’ll call her in a minute. Where are the boys by the way?”

“Bertie is trying to teach Leo how to drive. Poor boy, I hope he makes it alive.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure Leo will be careful. Bertrand will be fine.”

“Oh, it’s not Bertie I’m worried about, it’s Leo. Bartie has no patience with him.”

I left the kitchen before they said anything else. I was sure I was going to hate this stupid place. I was angry. More than angry. Furious. After a year of successfully running away, I was back in the damn system. Back in yet another home where people seemed to care about me in front of the social worker just to ignore me –or worse, once she left. I had to admit that my new foster “moms” played their part better than most. The old one had hugged me and the other one had given me a smile that seemed real. But I knew better. No one really cared for me. No one gave a shit where I slept, what I ate, or if I was ill or scared. Not that I was ever scared. I had seen everything.

The front door was locked so I went to the backyard. I saw a small wooden house on top of one of the trees. I decided it was a good place to hide and be myself.

I sat there for a few moments when I heard someone climbing the tree.

“Hi!”

I looked up and saw a girl a couple of years younger than me. She had the biggest pair of brown eyes I’ve ever seen and was smiling at me as if I was her best friend.

“I’m Lexie! I live across the street. I’m Angelica’s granddaughter. You’re Drake, right?” I didn’t think it was possible to smile more but the girl proved me wrong when her grin widened. I simply nodded.

“Welcome! I know that it must be hard for you to feel at home because you like just arrived but you’ll love it here. I promise. Valtoria is great. We have lakes and the mountains and when it’s warm enough we can go camping all night. You’ll love the house too. I mean between you and me the boys are kind of a pain in the ass but they’re pretty great when they want to. Or when they're not teasing me. Especially Leo and Maxie. Bertrand is a know-it-all. He thinks because he’s sixteen he knows everything." She rolled her eyes clearly offended by the idea that someone could know more than her. "Abuela, that how we all call her because she’s Mexican and would murder us if we call her grandma, is amazing. I mean don’t get me wrong, she's super strict, and as my mom says the woman is never wrong but she’s the best person I know.”

I blinked. I didn’t know a person could talk that much without taking a single breath.

“Do you camp?” She asked as she folded her legs in front of her.

I did before. Before my dad died and my whole life blew up in a million pieces. Not that I would explain any of that to the chatty girl, so I just nodded again.

“Great! It’s getting warmer and Leo wants to go to a new camping site next weekend. Don’t tell him I said this but he’s like the worst camper ever. I have to double-check everything he does but I don’t tell him anymore because my mom said it wasn’t nice.”

I wondered how could someone carry a whole conversation by herself. I hadn’t pronounced a single word since the girl had shown up.

“I want to be your friend but I can see we’re about to have our first fight.” She told me in a teasing tone. “You’re wearing a Liverpool t-shirt. We worship Barcelona in this house. Well, Abuela, Leo and I do. The others couldn’t care less about soccer.”

I looked at the shirt she was wearing. It read "If they don't have soccer in heaven, I'm not going."

She noticed I was looking at her shirt and beamed. "Abue said my shirt was disrespectful to God but mom thought that was dumb and bought it for me anyway."

"Do you like soccer?" I finally asked.

“Like it? I love it! Did abuela saw your shirt? She hates European teams. She thinks Tigres is the best.”

“Tirgues?”

She laughed, and the sound of it did something weird to my stomach. “Tigres. It’s a Mexican team. She goes crazy when they play.”

“What team you like?”

“Barcelona, obviously.”

“Liverpool made it to the finals of the last Champion’s league.” I pointed out.

She shrugged. “They lost so it doesn’t count. Do you play?”

“Sometimes.” I tried not to show how much I loved it. It was something else my dad and I shared that had stopped when he died.

“I play too. How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

“I'm twelve. Well, almost thirteen, my birthday is in May.”

I frowned. “It’s November.”

“I know. I’m almost there.” She beamed. "I'm almost closer to thirteen than twelve anyway."

“Do you always talk this much?”

She laughed and my belly did that weird thing again. “My mom says I was a parrot in another life. I talk more when I’m nervous.”

“You're nervous?” I liked that I could make her nervous but I didn't know why.

She blushed and I liked it too. “A little. What happened to your eye?”

“I got into a fight.”

“Wow. You can’t do that here. Leo is always getting into fights and abuela has to ground him.”

She sure mentioned that Leo guy a lot. “Is Leo your boyfriend?”

“Gross!! Leo’s is like my brother. He, Bertie, and Max live with abuela. We’re a family. You’re family too.”

Fuck that. No matter if the girl was sort of cute. I didn’t have a family. “No, I’m not. I’m not staying.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I don’t belong here.”

“Yes, you do; I swear. Plus, I need someone to coach me, so I can get into the school team next year. Leo promised he would, but he never has time.”

“I suck.”

She shook her head and smiled at me again. “Somehow I don’t think you do.” Then she gave me a conspiratorial look as she pulled out something from her jacket pocket. "You can't tell my mom about this but I took this from her room." It was a white iPod. After scrolling a little through the screen she settled on The Beach Boys. She couldn't possibly know it but they were my dad's favorites. She passed me an earbud and we didn’t talk after that. We just sat together for a while hearing music until we heard our names being called.

“That’s abuela. We should go. She hates to wait. Plus, I'm starving and we're having enchiladas. You'll love them.”

Lexie ran to her house to --as she put it-- 'hide the evidence.' I went back to her grandma's house and stepped into the kitchen.

“Drake, pass me the salt, mijo. It’s next to you on the counter,” Angelica said as she kept on turning the sauce she was making. “You like enchiladas?”

What was with all these women asking me what I liked to eat? I leaned against the black counter while she opened the lid of another steaming pot on the stove, and stirred its contents with a long wooden spoon. I shrugged. I didn’t know if I liked it. But it smelled better than anything I ever tasted, so it couldn’t be all that bad. My mouth started watering, and my stomach growled. Come to think of it, it had been a while since I’d last eaten.

“You know, I know you feel weird now. And you don’t like to talk a lot. Soon, you’ll learn that this is a safe place. We aren’t gonna judge a single word that comes out of your mouth or any of them that don’t.”

I suddenly felt like I owed her a verbal response in exchange for her kindness. Fake or not. Besides, I just knew the chatty girl I’ve just met wouldn’t be happy if I was rude to her grandmother. “Yes, ma’am.”

She smiled at my verbal response. “But just so you know. We do have a few rules in this house.”

Here it comes. The catch. Angelica put the lid back on the pot and leaned over the counter on her elbows. “You just need to go to school, find a hobby or sport you like, don't swear, respect the curfew and keep your room clean. Every child in this house has chores but it’s too soon to figure out yours. For now, you only have to get to know us.” Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at me. At that moment the timer of the oven rang and Angelica took a huge dish out of it. She covered it with more steamy, tomato sauce, sour cream, and grated cheese and put it back in the oven. At least, I might get some good food while I figured what I was going to do next. Because no matter how nice and kind everybody acted, I was not going back to school. I used to be good at it without much effort; I had friends and a soccer team. But I had missed a lot in the last two years. I felt dumb and stupid.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open. “Cuidado muchachos! Be careful with that door against the wall, or you’re going be spackling and repainting this entire house,” Angelica yelled out. Three teenage boys filed into the house, followed by just as many apologies.

“Sorry.” “Oops.” “It was Max’s fault.” “

“These are Maxwell, Leo and Bertie,” Angelica introduced. “Boys, this is Drake.”

“Hi, man!” The blond one said with a shit-eating grin. “Abuela, Lena, you guys didn’t tell me you were buying a Liverpool fan.”

“Adoption is not a purchase of people, Leo” the oldest one --Bertrand, corrected.

“Yeah, cause if it was, then you got Leo from the clearance rack,” the youngest one joked, checking his reflection in the hallway mirror, smoothing back an out-of-place dark hair. “I hope you kept your receipt.”

“Fuck, off,” the blond one replied with a middle finger.

“Watch it, Leo,” Angelica warned. “Boys.”

Max kissed her on the cheek. “Sorry, abue.” She forgave him with a smile, then swatted at his hand with her spoon when he dipped his finger into the pot.

“I’m glad you’re here, bro” Leo said. I stood, and he gave me a fist bump without touching my hand.

“Me too! And we’re going to be roomies,” the kid named Max said. He grabbed a stack of plates from the counter. I followed him over to the long dining room table and helped set the table for seven people.

2020

I lost count of how many days I’ve been in the hole. It wasn’t my first time in here and it sure as hell it wouldn’t be the last. It was always the same routine. Days and nights blended into one making it impossible to know what day it was or how much time I had been in here.

I have been in jail for six excrutiating years. I had known from the day I heard the sentencing that the only way I was going to survive was if I didn’t think about her. It was the hardest thing I had to do but after a while, my routine was running smoothly and when my head hit the pillow at night, I was too fucking exhausted. She haunted my dreams and my nightmares, but I didn’t think of her beyond that. Except for the hole. Locked up there, cold, hungry, and utterly alone her face, my memories of her were the only thing that helped me go on.

I replayed in my head our first encounter, our first kiss, our first time. I obsessed about her full lips, her expressive brown eyes, her gorgeous smile. I could spend hours picturing every single corner of her soft delicate curves. Sometimes, I wondered if --maybe, I didn’t start fights in the hope of being sent to the hole where I could spend my time fantasizing about her. It was pure torture, but I couldn’t help myself. The memories I had of her, of us and our short time together were the only light in my otherwise bleak life.

She still wrote me every week but I hadn’t open any single one of her letters. I didn’t want to know if she was moving on with her life or worst if she was waiting for me. Because that was what Lexie didn’t understand. Even if nothing happened and I was released in one year, I would never be that boy again. The Drake Walker she had known and loved was dead and she wasn’t going to like the man that had been left in his place. I was damn sure about that.

Tagging:

@mskaneko

@burnsoslow

@kingliam2019

@kat-tia801

@petiteboheme

@tinkie1973

@twinkle-320

@thegreentwin

@forallthatitsworth

@marshmallowsandfire

@marshmallowsaremyfavorite

@princessleac1

@lilacsandwhiskey

@lovingchoices14

@nomadics-stuff

#tw child neglect #tw child abandonment #tw children #tw child labor #axwalker writes #drake walker #drake walker fanfic #drake x mc #drake x lexie #trr fanfic #trr au fanfic

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sineala · 3 years ago

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Captain America: The Great Gold Steal

I wrote this up last week because I did not have access to my usual comics files but I figured I could review something that was just a book. So here is a review of the 1968 Captain America novel Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White, with an introduction by Stan Lee. I really liked it, actually! It was surprisingly good!

This novel features: Cover art of Captain America holding his shield in one hand and a very large gun in the other! A scene where the villains dramatically unmask Captain America and have absolutely no idea who he is! Captain America being extremely, extremely depressed about being in the future! Captain America dropping acid!

(I'm not kidding about the last part. In this novel there is a lot of LSD use. By Captain America. Talk about something the Comics Code wouldn't ever let you put in a comic book. Thank you, 1968.)

Faithful readers may remember that some time ago I posted reviews of Marvel prose novels from the 1970s. There was a line of prose novels featuring everyone's favorite Marvel superheroes, published by Pocket Books in the late 70s; I have reviews of the Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers entries in the series; I liked the Iron Man one best, and I also have a Doctor Strange one I have not yet read. They're all short and action-packed paperback reads, of varying quality; the only one by anyone you might have heard of is the Avengers one, which was written by David Michelinie, who was actually writing the Avengers run at the time. That one was, um. An experience.

(Yes, it's "prose novel" because otherwise the assumption is "graphic novel.")

Marvel still publishes prose novels now, of course, also of varying quality; some are new plots and some are straight-up novelizations of comics arcs, which I guess is useful if you want to, say, read Civil War and not look at pictures at the same time. I also have a bunch of those that I could probably review if anyone wants. But, anyway, I personally am particularly intrigued by the older Marvel prose novels, both because the stories are all original and not retellings, and also because I often prefer the characterization found in older comics. And the older prose novels of course use the then-current characterization. So reading a Marvel prose novel from 1979 is like getting to read a brand-new comic from 1979, and that's a whole lot of fun for a nerd like me. Also do you know what's not subject to the Comics Code? Prose novels. So things can happen in these that definitely could not happen in comics of the same era.

This brings me to my current prose novel, which is something else entirely. I mean, okay, not really, it's still a Marvel prose novel. But it's not part of the same line. It's actually a lot older.

Bantam Books actually published Marvel prose novels in the late 60s. Yep, a full decade earlier. They published exactly two, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that they were probably not bestsellers. The first one, which I do not own and now sort of want to track down, was an Avengers novel in 1967, The Avengers Battle the Earth-Wrecker. And then in 1968 they published the novel I am currently holding in my hands, Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White.

(I am still not sure why no one involved in titling this book thought of the word "theft.")

Judging by the back copy, it appears to be about Captain America foiling the villains' dastardly plan to steal gold from the Federal Reserve. Oh boy. Fun.

So this book is from 1968. The modern Marvel universe had kicked off just a few short years ago! Captain America was just getting his own solo book after the end of Tales of Suspense! And here's a novel about him, back when certain elements of his characterization were perhaps a little more flexible than they are today, by which I mean that the cover art -- which the internet informs me was painted by Mitchell Hooks -- is a striking full-body portrait of Captain America, head held high, shield in one hand... and a very large gun in the other. Hell, yeah. Not gonna see that in today's Cap comics, are you? It's amazing and I love it.

(Okay, you might see that in Ults. I'm pretty sure I have seen that in Ults, actually. But this is still cool.)

So the cover art is a definite plus, and apparently it's one of the few reasons anyone has ever heard of this novel. The other reason -- and the reason this is more expensive than the later novels, I assume -- is that Stan Lee's name is slapped on the cover, because he wrote an introduction. (I think I paid about $30 for this. The others were definitely under $20.)

All right. Here we go.

The first page is actually a brief summary of Steve's origin story, but not a version I was familiar with. Steve was born July 9, 1917 (yes, I was surprised too), was orphaned at a young age, and was a student at Columbia University (!) before Rebirth, which in this version is a gradual process that is also extremely body-horror. Steel tubing was inserted into the marrows of his bones. He was fed "high-protein compounds." Then they gave him a chemical that "gave him complete control over every nerve, muscle, and cell in his now-magnificent body." Sweet. Where can I get some of that?

The blurb also confirms his control over his own metabolism as well as his healing factor ("wounds would heal in half the normal time"), which is nice, because sometimes I wonder if canon even remembers the healing factor.

(I don't know why Marvel has this kink for filling people's bones with metal, though. It's not actually empty in there, guys! You need your bone marrow! How else do you want people to make new blood cells?)

The book is dedicated to "Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, without whom there would be no Captain America." Hey, Marvel, Joe Simon would like a word with you. I'm just saying.

The Stan Lee introduction is three paragraphs written in Stan Lee's, um, inimitable, distinctive and extremely florid narrative style -- if you've read any of his work, you know what I mean -- and making the point that Captain America is incredible and you will like him. If you are just discovering him for the first time, you will definitely like him. Okay. Thanks. I guess.

Oddly, the writing style here is substantially different than any of the other Marvel prose novels I've read; it doesn't immediately front-load you with exposition and a cast of colorful superheroes. It opens with a sort of James Bond spy-novel feel, running through a series of unnamed villains and bystanders, and a man who wants nothing more than to talk to Captain America but is killed before he can. Steve comes in halfway through the chapter, and he seems to be written for a reader who doesn't necessarily know who he is, and he isn't introduced as Captain America with his shield flying ahead of him to smite evildoers, or anything like that. He's just a tall, handsome blond guy who is reading a bunch of novels and is unsatisfied by all of them because all he can think of is the past. It's definitely an attitude I would expect from Steve in this era -- he is very much a Man Out Of Time here -- but it's also not how I expected the book to introduce him. You wouldn't even know he was Captain America by the end of the opening chapter, which then ends with a digression about the history of NYC subway tunnels. It's like it wants to appeal to someone who has watched a bunch of Man from UNCLE and just wants to read a cool thriller. Which is not at all what I was expecting.

By the beginning of the second chapter, of course, we discover that Steve is Captain America, as he changes into his uniform. The narration refers to him as Rogers when it's in his POV, if anyone is curious. He apparently keeps the cowl off in the mansion, because the cowl annoys him.

It was not so much that he needed to conceal his identity these days, because for all intents and purposes he had no other identity. Steve Rogers was officially dead, and had been for almost twenty years. Captain America *was* his identity. It was only when he donned the tight-fitting blue uniform with its shield chest-emblem, the red snug-fitting leather boots, and the heavy, yet pressure-sensitive red-leather gauntlets, that he began to feel real -- a complete human being.

Steve? Buddy, are you okay there? You're really not okay, are you, huh?

You see what I mean? They're really hitting the early-canon angst. Hard.

(Also it sounds like his uniform is a few sizes too small.)

We then get an expanded version of the backstory from the beginning excerpt. In this version of canon, Steve actually has an older brother, Alan, who is handsome and athletic and basically amazing, and when they are orphaned they are raised by their aunt and uncle. Steve gets TB twice as a kid, nearly dies from it, and when the stock market crashes, ends up separated from his brother and in an orphanage after his uncle loses everything.

(Honestly if I were writing this book, his brother would be the secret villain. Chekhov's Gun!)

Steve has glasses, gets bullied, is a nerd and an honor student, and studies law at Columbia because he wants to help stop fraudulent business practices and also fight organized crime. Legally, I mean. In a manner relating to law. I guess he's sort of like Daredevil. The lawyer part of Daredevil.

And then he joins Rebirth, and this is the part where I had to put the book down for several minutes, because Erskine's secret chemical, the key to making super-soldiers... is LSD.

Oh my God. You should see my face right now. My expression is, I am sure, indescribable. I'm trying not to wake the dog up laughing.

I just. Holy shit. This book is from 1968 in a way I definitely was not expecting. What the fuck, Marvel?

This project was headed by the brilliant biochemist, Dr. Erskine. His work with the endocrine system, and chemical body control, was well beyond that of his contemporaries. Only he, of all his colleagues, had fathomed the secrets of the Swiss Dr. Hoffman's 1938 discovery -- the mind-controlling LSD-25.

Let's just pause here for a few minutes and contemplate this.

I will point out that Albert Hofmann (yes, the book spelled his name wrong) didn't actually discover that LSD was a hallucinogen until 1943 when he accidentally tried it, but I am positive that 1968 here was a time when Some People were convinced LSD was a wonder drug. I'm still laughing. As far as I can tell, legal manufacturing of it stopped in 1965 so I am pretty sure that the author did not just decide to name a drug that had an ostensible legal therapeutic use, because it wouldn't have still had one by '68.

Anyway, in this version of events, Rebirth is a month-long process that involves a lot of vitamins, physical conditioning and training, and, yes, putting metal in his bones like he's the next Wolverine. They're filling his bones with stainless steel rods to make him stronger. That doesn't seem like a great idea to me, but I am also not sure about dropping acid to gain superpowers. Clearly I am not a genius scientist. Also Erskine knows what DNA is, apparently, because he's just that great. Anyway. Other than the metal, those all seem like relatively normal interventions. So far.

Now Steve has become fairly big and strong (and I guess he still has metal in his bones? this concerns me!) but they need to make him superhuman, so, yes, really, it's time to drop acid. Several pages of this book are devoted to describing Steve's acid trip. His acid trip is amazing and he discovers that he has conscious control of his entire body down to the cellular level. He can control the adrenaline in his bloodstream! He can tighten his muscle fibers! And when he's done tripping he still remembers how to do this, if not exactly on a conscious level, but he can still access the abilities. And that is how you make a super-soldier. It's LSD. Remember, kids, drugs are awesome! Do drugs!

Let's maybe take a few more minutes to think about this.

I just. I have no words. How did anyone at Marvel agree to print this?

I think for the most part superhero origin stories tend not to involve real drugs because people are generally aware that drugs they've heard of won't make you into a superhero. I guess this is what it looks like when you invoke the names of real drugs. They probably wanted something that sounded more realistic but somehow I don't think this was the best way to go. (Radiation, of course, will definitely make you into a superhero but I feel like most people have accepted that as one of the conventions of the genre.)

Anyway, after that Erskine gets killed by Nazis, of course, and Steve goes to war, and for some reason this book contains footnotes by Stan Lee himself listing the comics you can read all of this in. Just like the actual comics do!

We are introduced to Bucky, who for some reason is also from the LES in this version, although not anyone Steve knew before the war, and there is of course a description of Bucky's tragic death and Steve's subsequent icing.

They are really, really stressing the Man Out Of Time thing here:

No other man could have survived so fantastic a voyage through time. And no other man could feel so displaced by time.

He was a man twenty years in his own future. By rights, he should be nearly fifty years old -- nearly twice the age of his fellow Avengers. Yet his mind and his body were not yet thirty.

When the Avengers had brought him back to New York with them and insisted that, as an honored hero of the past, he join them, he felt a sort of melancholy homesickness for his own time and world.

We then get a few paragraphs with the usual being sad that he let Bucky down and got him killed, and also that he misses his family, and that Steve Rogers doesn't exist anymore, and that nobody is alive who remembers him, and that war is hell.

Hey, Steve, maybe the drugs you should do are antidepressants. Just a thought.

Also, this book is 118 pages and we're not out of the origin story flashback until page 34. I think there are some pacing issues here.

Actually, I lied, the flashback keeps going, but now we're up to the Avengers finding him, and I have to say that the list of things Steve finds strange about the future is kind of charming when the future is 1968. Men have long hair! Women have shorter skirts! Everyone is kind of blasé about rocket launches because there have been so many space missions now. (Oh, come on, you haven't even landed on the moon yet, 1968! You're not that blasé.) Color TV! And, excitingly, LPs! You can now listen to 36 minutes of consecutive music. (I actually don't know what previous standard he's describing that is a ten-inch record that holds six minutes a side because I don't think 45s are that big. Yeah, no, I just checked and 45s are seven inches in diameter. Hmm. Oh, never mind. He means 78 rpm, doesn't he? In my defense, the record player my family had when I was a kid didn't play those.)

The description of Steve coming into New York for the first time is definitely written by someone who knows New York, which is fun. There is generally a lot of local flavor to the setting of this book. That’s one of the best parts.

There is a brief summary of Steve's feelings about all the Avengers -- he is most impressed by Thor, which, I mean, fair, he's an actual god -- and Hank telling him all about how he can live in Tony's mansion. With Jarvis. Who Hank says is actually from Flatbush. Apparently Steve spent a lot of time at the NYPL branch at 5th and 42nd trying to catch up on history. And then of course the Avengers ditched him and gave him the Kooky Quartet, and for some reason they're not here right now either so it's just Steve being sad and alone and dealing with this mysterious dead guy. I think probably the book is also done explaining fiat currency now. This is definitely the weirdest Marvel novel I've read.

Anyway, we have now returned to what is ostensibly the actual plot. Steve shows up at the New York Federal Reserve Bank (I guess the theft is happening here and not, like, at Fort Knox) with the gold bullion that the dead guy from the beginning of the book had on him -- I think I got distracted by the LSD bit and forgot to mention that part, but the dead guy was carrying some US government gold -- because the actual plot is that villains are trying to tunnel into the bank vault and steal gold. Steve discovers this after he gets the bank manager to give him a tour. The bank manager tries to refuse, citing security concerns -- Captain America could be anyone under that mask, after all! Steve just smiles and says, "If I removed my mask, would you have any better idea of who I am?" and I guess that's a flawless argument because he gets his tour.

(I'm sorry, all I can think of is that one gif from the JLA cartoon where Lex Luthor bodyswaps with the Flash, announces that now that he's in the Flash's body he's going to discover the Flash's secret identity, then pulls off his own mask, stares at himself in the mirror, and says, "I have no idea who this is.")

Given that the theme of Steve's interior life in this novel is "Steve Rogers died twenty years ago" it seems even more sad that Steve is just walking around basically saying, yeah, well, I'm nobody. And apparently that is being reaffirmed for him by the narrative.

So Steve goes down the tunnels, takes out some of the bad guys, and gets himself knocked out and buried in a collapsing tunnel. Don't worry, he's gonna be fine.

A lot of this book, by the way, is from the POV of random people, like this bank guard who went with Steve into the tunnels:

He had wondered, briefly, if a man like Captain America ever knew the pinch of too many bills, had ever felt desperate over the arrival of yet another mouth to feed. But, of course, Captain America had no family, and would hardly concern himself with such matters. It didn't occur to Thompson to wonder if this in itself might not be something for which to pity Captain America.

Rude. I mean, come on, do we really need random characters telling us Steve is a sad sack whom nobody loves? Steve's already got that covered! (Also, how does this guy know Captain America has no family?)

Anyway, thanks to the power of LSD, Steve is going into a trance, amping up his metabolism (he loses "several pounds" in a few minutes), and making himself super-strong so he can dig himself out. Hooray. This is definitely how human bodies work. Also LSD. This is definitely how LSD works. Yes.

Steve then finds out that a couple of the guards who were with him in the tunnels died down there and he goes home and eats dinner while stewing in miserable guilt because he was responsible for their deaths. He's really not okay. I'm not sure the book actually understands how not okay they have made him. Then someone from SHIELD is on the phone for him and he is briefly cheered up by the thought that it might be Sharon although I think we should also note that the narrative makes it clear that at this point in canon Steve still doesn't know her name. Remember when that was a thing?

Alas, it is not Sharon; it's just a random SHIELD agent who happens to have information about the plot and asks to meet. Then, as Steve leaves to go to the meeting, we get two pages of exhaustive description about the mansion layout and how it's built relative to the surrounding buildings. It feels like this book was written by a frustrated city planner. But anyway, the meeting is a setup and the villains capture Steve.

They knock Steve out, drug him, take him to their hideout, and tie him to a chair. Except, once again thanks to the power of LSD, the tranquilizer they're using wears off way sooner than they expected and so Steve feigns unconsciousness and listens to them discuss their evil plans.

And then the villains unmask him and I swear it's exactly like that JLA gif:

Rogers heard footsteps scuffing across a thick carpet, and then Sparrow's voice again, almost directly over him. His ears still buzzed, but he fought to catch the elusive familiarity of the man's tone. He wished he dared open his eyes.

"This is a moment which I, personally, have long awaited," Sparrow said, his voice rising in triumph. "*The unmasking of Captain America!*"

Then, his nails scraping along Rogers' face, Sparrow dug his fingers under his cowl, and ripped it back. Rogers felt air strike his exposed cheeks and forehead. Then fingers clutched his blond hair and pulled his head back. "Behold!" Sparrow said.

Raven was first to speak. "Well, I dunno about you, Sparrow, but it rings no bells with me. I never seen him before."

Starling agreed. "His face means nothing to me."

"He could be anybody," said Robin. "What good does this do?"

Sparrow let Rogers' head fall back to his chest, and his voice when he spoke was defeated. "I don't know. Nothing, I guess. I always wondered. I felt, if these guys -- these costumed heroes -- wore masks, it must mean something."

"Captain America was missing for twenty years," Starling said. "That could mean the first one died, and this one took his place. He looks awfully young."

"Perhaps. It doesn't really matter. Let's get going."

(Yes, the villains all have bird-themed codenames. I have no idea why.)

This scene just makes my day. I love dramatic unmaskings. I bet they'd have been a lot happier unmasking Iron Man.

The villains then leave Steve and go to a power plant, where we switch POVs to one of the plant employees and get two entirely unnecessary paragraphs about his racist and anti-Semitic thoughts about his coworkers before the villains murder him. Great. Thanks.

Anyway, the villains cause a blackout, while meanwhile they've left Steve alone with the girl villain, and Steve is busy trying to persuade her that crime doesn't pay. He's moved from the "do you know what they'll do to you in prison?" theme onto "how exactly are you going to spend a billion dollars in gold bullion when it's illegal for civilians to possess? who are you going to do business with?" and then points out that gold is heavy and hard to transport, which is when she gets out a a knife.

The bad guys are off to steal the gold, and Steve has now successfully turned the girl they left him with, because she frees him. Of course, the first thing he does is put the cowl back on.

"Why do you wear that?" she asked.

"The mask?" He smiled. "It gives people something external to concentrate upon."

"But..."

"Without it, I'm just another ordinary-looking man. With it, I become a symbol. For some people it creates awe; for others, fear. Look at me. I'm different now, aren't I? With the mask on."

"Yes," she nodded. "You look -- bigger, somehow. Stronger. Fierce, implacable. You look a little scary."

"Exactly. You no longer see me as a person, but as a thing -- an Avenger. It can be a potent psychological weapon."

"They were so disappointed, when they took your mask off. As though underneath they'd find a famous person."

"Maybe that goes on TV -- handsome playboys, and all that. But I've been anonymous all my life. Even my real name would be meaningless to you, to them. No, the mask is part of the uniform, a psychological device. That's the whole story.

Now: let's get out of here. You have a good deal more to tell me yet, and we can't waste more time."

Bwahaha. In a few years, Steve's going to be pretty surprised about who superheroes are, I think.

STEVE, now: Superheroes definitely aren't secretly handsome playboys! That would be silly! STEVE, after Molecule Man: fuck fuck fuck FUCK FUCK I'm such an idiot

I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Also, not that the issue of Steve's psyche actually recurs after this, but he's once again having the narrative vindicate his belief that Steve Rogers is dead and whoever he is under the cowl doesn't matter. Steve, I don't think this is very healthy.

Steve then tracks down the villains stealing the gold, has some geopolitical thoughts about where the gold could be going (he thinks either South Africa or Russia for the best laundering potential) and then hides himself in the villains' trunk while they drive to Staten Island, which is where they're taking the gold out of the country from.

During the final confrontation, Steve finally gets to see the villains, and he discovers that the one in charge is in fact the director of the Federal Reserve Bank who Steve met at the beginning of this book. Gasp. But that's not all! He's also... the Red Skull!

Honestly, I was kind of surprised; I didn't think this was the kind of book where we'd get any known comic villains, but I guess it's always gotta be the Red Skull. I think he's the only one of Steve's big villains who likes to disguise himself; Zemo has obvious disguise issues and I imagine it's also hard to cover up Zola's Teletubby-esque television body.

Steve shoots one of the villains, because I guess that's what he does in this era of canon.

So the plot wraps up in, like, two pages, because for some reason all these early Marvel novels wrap up very fast. Red Skull, of course, attempts to escape and then disappears and his body is never found. The end.

Well.

That was definitely a book. That I read. Believe it or not, I actually think it was the best of these early Marvel prose novels that I've read so far, even if it was also the absolute weirdest; I thought the thriller-style plot was entertaining, I liked Steve and his Extremely Sad characterization, I obviously enjoy all the identity themes, I liked how very detailed the New York setting was, and I do like how they tried to treat it all seriously. I mean, sure, this did lead to LSD in the super-soldier serum in presumably the name of realism, but I felt like the book was trying to present superheroes in a way that didn't feel silly and also didn't really take for granted that the reader would automatically accept superheroes.

It felt like a book that was written hoping that people who weren't superhero fans would read it, if that makes any sense. And I thought that was interesting, because most modern superhero work that I can think of assumes they've got complete audience buy-in and everyone is willing to suspend their disbelief and we all know the genre conventions and are expecting people running around in brightly-colored spandex. Whereas this is more like a James Bond novel if for some reason James Bond were called upon to defend his decision to wear brightly-colored spandex instead of bespoke suits. But I assume no one read it, because Bantam never published a Marvel book after this one.

If you can actually find a copy of this one for a price you're willing to pay. I recommend it. It was delightful and way more solid than I thought it was going to be.

Also, come on, you know you want to read about Captain America's acid trip.

#posts i actually wrote

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pascal-istheway · 3 years ago

Text

Kinktober Day 1

I was going to try to do Kinktober this year but may not be able to keep up with it all between wedding planning and shit. Anyways, Here’s day 1

Kink: Tit Fucking [18+]

Warning: NSFW

Pairing: Javier Pena X Fem!Reader

Zoe’s notes: I can totally picture Javi needing to watch himself in this way, so enjoy!

Word count: 2.3k

KINKTOBER 2021 MASTERLIST

You’d been working all day on a new lead. A sicario had been caught on tape disclosing a location of one of Pablo’s various labs. The only problem was the satellite connection wasn’t stable so of course, half the call was cut out and you had to do your best to try and fill in the blanks.

You sat at your desk, hands weaved into your hair as you rested your head in frustration. Everyone else had already gone home, your partner, Agent Murphy, being one of the last to leave beside you. As far as you knew, you were alone.

You sign in frustration, closing the file and grabbing your apartment keys from the top drawer of your desk before trudging off to catch a ride home.

You hadn’t accounted for the fact that it was after midnight on a Tuesday and no cabs would be running this late, especially near the office of an American DEA agent. Could this day get any worse?

Defeated, your feet carry you back inside as you mentally prepare for the roughest night sleep on the world’s shittiest couch known to man. But as your feet are slowly carrying you up the cold concrete steps, your other partner, Javi, comes barreling through the glass doors, clearly as frustrated as you were feeling earlier.

“Oh, shit, uh sorry there partner,” he skidded to a halt in front of you, “did you forget something?”

“Yeah, no cabs run this late,” you laugh, feeling silly for not realizing how late it had been earlier, “was just going to crash on the couch in the break room but I-“

“Nonsense, I’ll drive,” he held his keys up, jingling them around his finger.

You hop into his older model Jeep, pulling the door behind you and clicking your seatbelt across your lap. He heads off towards your building, which coincidentally, is the same one he lives in.

Being one floor below him was nice. You had the security if needed. The downside was his late-night visitors. The informants he kept company with would keep you up into odd hours of the night. As if your job wasn’t already hard enough, try doing it with little to no sleep, pining for a man who is upstairs fucking another woman.

He killed the engine in his usual spot, parking nose out as he always did. The night just felt like it was dragging and you couldn’t wait to slip under the covers and blackout for what few hours you had left. You were thankful though, tomorrow you had requested to take off and desperately needed the rest.

You followed each other up the stairs, your footsteps amplified by your partner as they echoed in the stairwell. When you arrived at your door, you stopped, turning your keys over in your palm.

“So I guess this is me,” you say at the same time Javi says, “do you want to come up for a drink?”

You stand there and smile, laughing awkwardly with him. He rubs the back of his neck, “I mean, if you’re tired, maybe another -“

You interrupt him, “Javi, I’d love to. But only if you have whiskey,” pushing past him, you start up the stairs, smirking at him over your shoulder because you know damn well all that man has in his place is whiskey. How many late nights had you spent together going through surveillance photos over a bottle and cheap takeout?

“What do you think I am, an animal? Of course, I have whiskey,” he shouts after you and takes the steps two at a time to beat you to his door.

He unlocks it, letting you in first, and closes it behind you with a soft click. You look around, taking in the bachelor pad he has created for himself. It was messy and unkempt, just like you’d expect from someone like Javi. Empty bottles sat on the coffee table from last night’s game you assumed he watched with Murphy, some food leftover in a bowl on the side table.

His voice interrupted your thoughts when he asked, “usual with ice?”

“Hmm?” your head whipped around to see him holding two glasses with a dark amber liquid in them.

“I asked if you wanted ice,” he smiled, handing you one of the glasses. You look down at the brown liquid swirling around the sides of the glass and smile.

“Oh. This is fine,” the glass feels cool as you bring it to your lips, letting the liquid sit on your tongue before sliding down your throat. Javi wasn’t one to spend a lot on the good stuff, not that you minded. He didn’t have to impress you by any means. And it’s not like you guys could afford the good shit on a DEA’s salary anyways.

Javi watches with interest, his eyes tracking the way your throat moves slightly when you swallowed - the way your tongue swipes out after you take your sip. It makes his pulse quicken, and it wasn’t from his own drink. You could feel his eyes on you, scanning your body from top to bottom.

His reputation around the embassy wasn’t unknown to you. Javier was a womanizer in the sense that his reputation with his informants went far beyond the occasional reward for a casual tip.

It was true that he loved women and that they loved him in return, and they loved him often. But not just because he was a handsome DEA agent. No, they loved him for far more than his skills outside of the bedroom.

“You were working awfully late Agent,” he jokes with you, knowing damn well that you always are one of the last to leave.

“I could say the same for you, Javi,” you smile, taking another long sip from your glass, “you are normally out of there well before I am.”

“I had something I was working on. The time got away from me I guess,” he stretched his arm above his head, his shirt poking up to reveal the slightest bit of his stomach. The beautifully tanned skin was peppered with hair leading down below his pants, something you noticed every time he did this in the office.

“Let me guess, Sharon over in the records department?” you laugh at him.

He pauses, squinting at you before joining in on the joke, “haha very funny…”

“Sorry but for a guy like you…” your words trail off as he takes a few steps closer, his glass hanging down at his side now.

“A guy like me, huh. And what exactly do you know about a guy like me, huh?” he whispers your name, eyes squinted as if he’s challenging you for more.

You swallow, your stomach shrinking while your heart beats wildly in your chest. Your eyes meet and suddenly, you get an overwhelming heat that burns between your thighs. Shit maybe it was the alcohol talking, but this version of Javi was one you didn’t ever want to back down from.

Smiling a crooked grin, you take another large sip from your glass, “I know all there is to know about guys like you, Pena…” your eyes slowly trailing down his body, “and I mean, all there is…” your finger reaches out, nail dragging itself down his chest from the left to the right before trailing lower. You finish your glass in one sip, never taking your eyes off him.

He takes a sharp inhale, tongue darting out to lick his lower lip. Your eyes immediately follow the shape of his lips. “Unless there’s something you think I still need to know…” words trailing off accepting the challenge he presented to you. He takes a step back, finishing the remainder of his glass and setting it down. In one swift motion, he grabs you, lips colliding with yours in a frenzied passion that overwhelms you.

A moan escaped your lips as he grabbed you and hoisted you up on the counter, his lips finding their way to your neck and not so gently nibbling at the sensitive skin below your ear. His fingers threading through your hair as he moved it aside to get better access to your neck.

“Javi, we -” you moan again as he bit down sharply, ignoring your protests.

“I know,” he whispers, taking your head in his hands. You both reach for each other’s clothes, desperately trying to get out of them.

“Javi….” you groan as he rips open your blouse, buttons flying in every direction.

“Bed,” he panted, picking you up and letting your thighs wrap around his waist. Your arms grasp around his neck and shoulders, clinging for life while your mouths never leave each other. He walks you blindly through his apartment like you’d assumed he’s done a thousand times before with however many women. But right here at this moment, you don’t care.

He kicked open the door and tossed you on the bed, stripping each other’s clothes in record time. Kisses planted on every inch of your body as he crawled over you. His hand snakes up over your chest as he takes each breast in his palms, squeezing and pulling them in just the right way.

“Jesus… could you be any more perfect?” he looks at you as he takes one in his mouth, tongue attacking the pebbled nipple, teeth ever so slightly scraping along the tip as he sucks and licks to a perfect peak.

You moan, legs spreading wider underneath him. Your hands find their way into his dark hair, weaving your fingers through it and giving a gentle tug to pull his mouth back up to you. He leaves this small trail of kisses up your chest, following the curve of your neck and chin, before claiming your mouth again. He whispers your name into your mouth and you swallow it whole, tongues mixed in pleasure.

You completely miss what he had asked over the sound of your own moaning. Sitting up, you look at him, eyes drunk with lust and whiskey, “wha?” is all you manage to get out.

“Can I? Fuck them?” he palms your breasts again, breathing heavily as he watches his hands knead them in slow circles. Clearly, he has a thing for the perky breasts that you hide so well beneath your shirt. All you can do is nod slowly, mouth slightly agape. You’d never done anything like this before, so your movements were clumsy as he turned you slightly over the edge of the bed to where your head was hanging off the edge.

You feel him spit into your cleavage before he unbuttons his pants, sliding them off to reveal the most exquisite cock you’d ever laid your eyes on. Eyes wide, you reach out and stroke him, seeing his knees buckle slightly at your touch.

“Fu-fuck…” he groaned, looking down to where your hand was stroking him. Your eyes were just able to look past where he was standing on either side of your head to see him as he leaned over you and slipped his cock into your cleavage.

“Hold your tits together, I want to feel them, baby…” he instructed, pushing them together with your hands in his. You hold them steady, kneading them ever so slightly as he slips his cock right in between them. His head drops forward and a loud sigh escapes from his mouth, eyes fluttering half-closed.

You imagine what this must feel like for him as he pumps his hips in and out of your tits, watching him from this angle is absolutely erotic, something you never thought would turn you on this much. What you weren’t expecting was the feeling of his hand to find its way between your thighs, slipping under the soft fabric and between the folds to find your sweet center.

His thick fingers found that small nub immediately, your core completely soaked with arousal that he didn’t even need to do much except take his hand and rub small circles. Your back arched as his fingers worked their magic, your chest pushing up into him as his hips flexed faster. Cock slapping against your chest, the sound echoing throughout his apartment.

You moan as he slips a finger deep into your tight hole, then a second, curling them to hit that sweet spot in a matter of seconds. How he was able to find it so quickly, you’d never know but at this point, you didn’t care. He was magic with those hands.

He pumped his fingers in and out to the rhythm of his hips, his balls slapping against your chest in tandem. You played with your breasts, massaging and kneading them in an attempt to massage his cock through them. The grunts he made just spurred you on, making your hips rise off the bed slightly and ride along with his hand.

Pretty soon, you could feel his balls clenching close to his body, the sign of his explosion coming to a head. And it was really perfect timing because he was so close to getting you to a full-body orgasm. You could feel the muscles clenching in your abdomen, like tethers ready to snap one after another.

Like a load under too much pressure, you did just that - you snap. An explosion of color erupts from your cunt, liquid flowing from you and down his hand as he swears and finally bursts over your chest, showering you with his own evidence.

You both lay there, spent and completely useless, bodies sweaty and sticky. Eventually, Javi does get you something to clean yourself with, tossing it at your side. You manage to clean yourself and start to gather your clothes but as you sit up, you feel the bed dip and his arms snake around your waist, pulling you into his side.

Drunkenly, you hear him whisper your name, “sshhh… just stay for tonight…” and who are you to deny him? After all, he did just give you the greatest orgasm you’ve had since you arrived in Colombia.

#kinktober2021 #kinktober #fictober #javier peña x reader #javier peña #narcos #pascal-istheway #kinktober day 1

9 notes · View notes

arthurtristankingsmen · 4 years ago

Text

More and longer theory chatter with @flash-the-geist with guest stars who popped in. This one is longer since it’s theorizing but turned into something Flash affectionately named the ‘Esprestissimo AU’ which I am keeping because I love it so much.

Most of this mainly features Duet thoughts and then shenanigans ! The most I did was add a missing thing in my own comments for clarification or that my brain skipped over when typing it before, or where I adjust the order of the messages for cohesiveness

please enjoy jdjd

flaaaash �� Today at 4:35 AM

hmmm what if the note-taker is Duet, taking notes about "Solo"? that implies they're two different people

Arthur — Today at 4:36 AM

that's what i was thinking-- that the ‘He’ in the note is reverb, and this note is in reference to reverb, but also a comment on Solo, and the Duet 'wrote' this character profile as like-- a case file if they're in charge of the organization

so duet is like 'solo' claims she still needs to study him for research in a note on the file he's taking on reverb or something like that

flaaaash — Today at 4:37 AM

this might be my deep, unfortunate familiarity with bureaucracy talking, but- if the person in charge is also the one taking notes, it's a very small organization

Arthur — Today at 4:37 AM

oh yeah

i imagined it was tiny personally

tempo seems on the smaller side so if it's all based there, i was imagining it was relatively small

flaaaash — Today at 4:38 AM

not international then, perhaps

adkjfakjf oooh now I want to make a little card for Flash

Arthur — Today at 4:39 AM

yeah no-- at least since the name tempo of the town following the motif like seemingly implies it's based in/related to the town since if follows the reference style

or that's my thinking anyways?

flaaaash — Today at 4:39 AM

very true

imagine if Tempo is just Like That and the rest of the world is totally normal

Arthur — Today at 4:40 AM

i personally think vivi didn't grow up in tempo now more tho-- because i think if she did and there is an organization, they woulda gotten wind of her and she probably would've been recruited since she's smart and clearly into that kind of thing

and if she was in the org and knew what she was doing, i don't know if she would've gone to the cave if she was at all in the Know

flaaaash — Today at 4:40 AM

or they would have tried to study Mystery?

Arthur — Today at 4:41 AM

that too!!

even if they brought her in just because of mystery i imagine they would've brought her in

flaaaash — Today at 4:41 AM

maybe that's what the "her research into "REDACTED" is referring to. Research into mystery?

it all does seem to come back to him

Arthur — Today at 4:42 AM

or maybe she's relatively new to tempo still, and duet gave her a job because they intended to bring her in at some point but hadn't yet

like there were steps to take and like-- the cave happened before things could get fully underway

i mean at my job i applied in like-- march, and i didn't get an interview until may, and then i didn't get any training until november, and then i didn't get brought in to learn the job until december. so it'd be easy to imagine that if there was a reason, bringing her in could be a slow process

flaaaash — Today at 4:43 AM

that might also explain why there were all these "go back" signs in the cave

clearly someone with English language skills put the signage there

Arthur — Today at 4:43 AM

that too! it definitely felt like it was to warn off people and keep them from tresspassing

but the gang were kids and also ghost don't haunt the places that aren't super scary and dangerous! so of course they gotta go in!

flaaaash — Today at 4:45 AM

maybe they weren't expecting someone like Vivi at all

she was a wild card that popped up and threw a spanner in the works accidentally

Arthur — Today at 4:45 AM

yeah!

i can imagine her just coming in and completely bamboozling everyone

duet is like 'okay we'll get her in on this but we'll take some time to sort everything and judge where she's at skill wise since we have time and it's not like she can get into any danger with all our protective me--oh no'

flaaaash — Today at 4:48 AM

that calls Duet's motivation into question a lil bc - there's at least a significant amount of time between Lewis dying and them finding him again

since their search is reasonably extensive and Arthur's had time to heal up. So why didn't Duet do anything during this time?

Arthur — Today at 4:50 AM

hmmmm--- well we know it's been less than a year since the cave happened at least, and i think the way Ben talked about it sounded like it was a relatively short time table of only a few months, so maybe they wanted to give them recovery time or they weren't sure how to broach it-- i'm not sure. maybe the comic will give some kind of insight hopefully if the case is that vivi came in like that

i feel like it'd be interesting and make more sense given what she has available magic wise and mystery-wise if she wasn't in town until much later in life to explain why she wouldn’t already be working with the organization. but i'm still like hmm

because you do have a point that there would be a fair bit of inaction, unless for some reason vivi's memory issues or something was a problem or something happens in the prequel to explain or hint

tho now that brings into question if duet knows Lewis is dead, how are things not being managed better

i mean i've had arthur say in the past and i've said once or twice that like-- i think arthur was already working with prosthetics. so he could've had an arm mostly built and just had to make a more functioning one so that could've been fast. so hopefully maybe the prequel comic is set a bit before and might explain duet helping or something in a way that could make sense of it?

especially given he did make galaham's wheels already and such. he might've already built one but needed to make a new one set up for him

flaaaash — Today at 4:54 AM

I'm fairly sure people would at least know he's missing

I guess it's possible that the 'memory magic' thing that makes Vivi forget - it could affect everyone except Arthur and Mystery?

Arthur — Today at 4:56 AM

that's possible--

we have only seen mystery and arthur in the world seeming to know what's going on, so we don't know who knows what. just that vivi doesn't know lewis

but maybe nobody else does either to some degree

flaaaash — Today at 4:56 AM

Arthur being possessed at the time, and Mystery being a magical being himself. We don't have any evidence that anyone else remembers Lewis, although he seems to still be in pictures

Arthur — Today at 4:57 AM

people did seem confused arthur was freaking out in the store in the comic and like

idk. if i knew he lost his best friend i'd be more sympathetic/not look at him like he was crazy. I’d assume something set him off but probably feel bad for him if i knew what happened in the last year?

because i would imagine mental health is in the toilet after going on a trip and losing a friend even if he was only 'missing'

and the way arthur mentioned lewis and when vivi forgets he's just like 'nevermind'. if no one really remembers Lewis, then maybe giving up trying to explain is because he’s used to no one knowing who he means

flaaaash — Today at 4:58 AM

yea h

Arthur — Today at 4:58 AM

what if arthur only remembers lewis? (and mystery does)

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 4:58 AM

In fairness most people would be confused if they saw someone having a panic attack in public, no matter how much was known about the person

flaaaash — Today at 4:58 AM

also if Lewis looked like himself for a moment just before dropping Arthur - does that mean Lance saw him?

or did he only see skele-version and thus didn't recognize him as Lewis

Arthur — Today at 4:58 AM

hmmmmm--- i lean to skele vision. he turned back pretty quick iirc

flaaaash — Today at 4:59 AM

I'm torn between analysing between a storyteller perspective and an in-world perspective

Arthur — Today at 5:01 AM

por que no los dos?

also

hmmm-- i think given people were like 'what's up with that guy', it seemed either not knowing what was going on with him or what it could stem from, but if lewis disappeared in a small town i feel like a lot of the details would've spread. so they might assume it had to do with that instead-- so it feels like maybe most people don't know

which seems strange in a smaller community because stuff gets around

flaaaash — Today at 5:01 AM

especially since the Peppers own a restaurant

Arthur — Today at 5:01 AM

yeah-- in a small town place a restuarant is usually a social hub of sorts

so if lewis disppeared i'm sure people would talk given he was a waiter and thus kind of a face for the restaurant

flaaaash — Today at 5:02 AM

also if they think he's missing and not dead, his family would be looking for him too. which means missing persons pics and all that

Arthur — Today at 5:02 AM

yeah and we didn’t see any. and some people not knowing or visitors i could get, but everyone seemed surprised by arthur freaking out, and if they knew lewis was missing and lewis and arthur were friends, it feels odd to like-- none of them to even look sympathetic

i would imagine if they knew lewis was gone they'd assume arthur would be more emotionally reactive than usual-- unless they have no idea that something is going on with arthur because you know-- lewis is erased jdjd

i mean the reason we know vivi doesn't remember is because her eyes glowed as lewis got phased out of the photo

but who knows maybe him being phased out was in general and that just meant she was affected too. everyone gets amnesia

flaaaash — Today at 5:03 AM

also slightly cracky theory but - if they ended up accidentally in the research facility during Ghost, that would explain why Vivi found a fully-stocked fridge alkja;gl

Arthur — Today at 5:04 AM

DSJDDLJSDLFJDSJL

that would be hilarious

lewis is his own scp in his tantrum mansion

they just keep an eye on the lot

flaaaash — Today at 5:05 AM

well what else are they gonna do with him??? xD

Arthur — Today at 5:05 AM

dslsdjdsfljdsfd

''welp no one knows who this guy is soooooo manor in the middle of nowhere time'

flaaaash — Today at 5:06 AM

"so the waiter turned into a vengeful spirit?" "oh uhhhh ok put him in a box i guess until we figure something out?"

ok theory- Duet knows Lewis is dead, but is trying to figure out a way to help/break the memory magic on Vivi, and that's why he's in the mansion/cave for a while before Ghost?

Arthur — Today at 5:06 AM

i like it! i think them knowing and approaching arthur in the comic and using 'rancid vibes' as an excuse would make sense

flaaaash — Today at 5:07 AM

"so that Vivi person wandered in again somehow and now the vengeful waiter ghost is loose?" "for fuck's sake you had ONE JOB-"

Arthur — Today at 5:07 AM

they know what's actually going on but they kinda act like everyone else while also getting arthur something that might help him in that book that i think will be important in the plot of the prequel

DL;G;HDGSAL;HKGSDHL;DGS

flash you have the biggest brain

flaaaash — Today at 5:08 AM

,kadjgalgkj

"also there was this killer tree-" "I do not care about the tree, one problem at a time"

Poor Duet is having A Week

but the mental image of them trying to avoid Arthur and Vivi investigating, while trying to find ??? and re-capture him while shoving Lewis in a box is hilarious, and then they run into Shiromori and just throw their hands in the air like "can u not????". And then Murder Mystery shows up and they just quit

Arthur — Today at 5:10 AM

dlaajldkljjdl;dldjlfkfd

duet is just like

on their tenth cup of coffee

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 5:10 AM

Arthur: Those are rookie numbers

Arthur — Today at 5:11 AM

they see murder mystery and go back inside the shop like 'can you add like 5 espresso shots to this'

flaaaash — Today at 5:11 AM

explains why they're like "Arthur pls your vibes. Do you KNOW what I've been dealing with"

Arthur — Today at 5:11 AM

asdl;;dfslhsdahg;as;dghkghsdllhsgd

flaaaash — Today at 5:11 AM

"five extra shots and a red bull chaser please-"

Arthur — Today at 5:12 AM

(also just still crosses my fingers for medium/spiritually-sensitive!arthur to be canon but if not it will live on in my fannon)

dsldjllssfdf

they just start shoving coffee grounds directly into their mouth

flaaaash — Today at 5:12 AM

this series has a lot of antagonists

akjdalgj just crunching beans down whole

Arthur — Today at 5:13 AM

i need-- to draw duet

looking tired with a coffee

flaaaash — Today at 5:14 AM

Duet with a giant cup of coffee, staring at Murder Mystery with a deadpan stare and going "Absolutely not, I forbid it, there is not enough coffee in the WORLD."

Arthur — Today at 5:14 AM

flash and will if i share this chatter on tumblr would you be okay with it ? or would u rather i block out names if i do

i feel like some of this is hilarious and people need to experience it

flaaaash — Today at 5:14 AM

akdflaf no go for it

I will out myself as a sham of a storyboarder

Arthur — Today at 5:15 AM

duet is that gif of the ghost busters lady going 'mmm nope not today, room full of nightmares'

and turning and walking away

duet is doing their best and needs a nap

tired as Arthur

flaaaash — Today at 5:15 AM

Duet walking around the corner to see the gang facing down Murder Mystery: swivels on one foot and goes right back the way they came

Arthur — Today at 5:15 AM

ldjldljd EXACTLY

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 5:16 AM

Heheheheh

Arthur — Today at 5:16 AM

like look at this person

look at their eyebags

they are Tired

they have deal with this bullshittery

they have sass to provide

but they also are Tired and done with this shit

flaaaash — Today at 5:16 AM

I want Duet and Arthur playing a game of caffeine chicken

Marshy — Today at 5:16 AM

Huge massive sigh as they see the whole bullshit situation go down and turns around to go back to the bookshop

flaaaash — Today at 5:16 AM

just lined up at the cafe bar, espresso shots in rows down the counter as they lock eyes-

who shall win- the CAFFEINE-OFF?

Arthur — Today at 5:17 AM

flash

pls if you right that i will pay you money

or maybe art

Marshy — Today at 5:17 AM

It's me I'll win

flaaaash — Today at 5:17 AM

SLFKJLKGS

Arthur — Today at 5:17 AM

dlasd;sdgkd;djslj;dags

i'm rooting for you take those nerds OUT

flaaaash — Today at 5:18 AM

"Duet gives him a look of Supreme Weariness and Nopery. Arthur counters with a double eye-roll of Resignation and Angst. In the true synchronicity of the Absolutely Done, they each take an espresso shot and slam it down."

Arthur — Today at 5:20 AM

djdasd;ds;lsda;ldj;lkdsl;jkdsj;lkasljkdjlkdg

they clink the little cups together first before taking their respective shots

flaaaash — Today at 5:21 AM

they do the thing where they turn it upside down to prove it's empty

by the fifth they're trying to outcompete each other with anecdotes

by the tenth they've moved onto toasting each other

Arthur — Today at 5:21 AM

Bonding!

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 5:22 AM

The anecdotes get concerningly similar to each others

flaaaash — Today at 5:22 AM

by the twelfth, Arthur begins weeping. Duet pats him in solidarity and knocks the next shot clean off the counter due to caffeine-induced twitching

Arthur — Today at 5:22 AM

DSGLAHGLDGHDGHAAHDSGDG

EXCELLENT

want them to be friends now

flaaaash — Today at 5:23 AM

by the thirteenth, the barista stages an intervention and starts giving them decaf

by this point, they don't notice

Arthur — Today at 5:23 AM

asdlaadjsdsajd

thank you they owe you their life

they could taste the difference if they weren't vibrating into the 28the dimension atm

flaaaash — Today at 5:24 AM

after the fifteenth shot, the counter is clear and they're both full of sympathetic outrage for the other's plight. They sprint from the cafe, steamroll right over Shiromori, and punt the colours right out of Murder Mystery in a fit of industrial-strength caffeinated indignance.

Don't forget to take your meds ❤ — Today at 5:24 AM

Hahahaha

Arthur — Today at 5:25 AM

h;lsadlf;dsldj;fsljl;dfsajdfsa

flaaaash — Today at 5:25 AM

The newly Monochromatic Mystery has to then help Vivi contain the pair before they wipe all paranormal activity off the face of Tempo.

Arthur — Today at 5:25 AM

that's how the fifth video ends

flaaaash — Today at 5:25 AM

Lewis narrowly escapes by hiding in a box. THE END

Arthur — Today at 5:25 AM

dsal;gsdhldgsa;dgsdgs;hldgs;lhdsa

beautiful thank u flash

i owe you my life

flaaaash — Today at 5:25 AM

you're welcome it's my magnum opus

Arthur — Today at 5:26 AM

A+ story telling

i'm including it in the post

flaaaash — Today at 5:26 AM

ALKJGAGK

it's okay I don't have a reputation to ruin xD

Arthur — Today at 5:26 AM

dlasdl;dhsgldgdgs

this is a callout for flash being the funniest person alive--

or undead

flaaaash — Today at 5:27 AM

dead-

sfkjga

Arthur — Today at 5:27 AM

djdjdjdj

i thought about it and corrected myself xDD

flaaaash — Today at 5:30 AM

ok I have no idea if anyone will get this pun, but I dub this the Esprestissimo AU

Arthur — Today at 5:36 AM

djalsd;ldsjdsjldf

i LOVE THAT

music puns but espressos EXTRA ESPRESSOLY

flaaaash — Today at 5:49 AM

#headcanon #msa headcanon discussion #tristan rambles #flashthegeist #IT WAS SO MUCH FUN #duet #arthur #vivi #long post #mystery skulls animated #mystery skulls #my original stuff

23 notes · View notes

jq37 · 4 years ago

Text

The Case File – Mice and Murder Ep 3

The Case of the Curious Clues

Before we start, a quick plea to Grant O’Brien: Please stop finding clues. I can only take notes so fast. You’re killing me Grant. Moving on...

We start off this episode with yet another flashback, this time to the final confrontation of Sly and his supposedly dead arch nemesis Fletcher Cottonbottom at Reichenbunny Falls (...Brennan please). Fletcher was using a local castle as a storage center for munitions but Sly tipped off the cops before they could be moved. They do some repartee back and forth before Fletcher, the madman, handcuffs them together and jumps off the edge. They hit the water but Sly is able to lockpick himself out and escape while Fletcher disappears beneath the waves.

You know what I got from that story? No body.

Anyway, we jump back to the present where there *is* a body, Squire Badger’s specifically. Everyone in the room who isn’t a PC thinks that this must either be the work of ghosts or Mrs. M who was the only person in the room when it happened (allegedly).

This is a crucial time for clue gathering and Brennan keeps everyone in initiative for investigative purposes. Now, *so much* stuff happens here that I’m not going to recap every single detail--just the major clues and the things that seem relevant. I’m serious, this is like the volume of info we usually get in the once per season later game lore dump ep but it’s episode THREE.

Daisy tries to find a secret door but critically fails. She clocks Gangie, a fellow criminal, and in the moment Rekha and Katie decide that they prob have worked together in the past even though they are very different kinds of criminals.

Buck, who is outside listening to what’s going on in the room notices that his ankle knife is missing which is Concerning considering a man was just knifed to death.

Sly has Lars guard the door (he opens it and Buck is discovered, whoops) and then rolls a NATURAL 20 plus NINE to investigate so Brennan just has to tell him literally everything. RIP to him and me. Anyway, here’s the rundown (along with some of the stuff other ppl got):

Mrs. M’s hands are covered in blood but she couldn’t have done it. Based on her personality for one and for other reasons we’ll get to.

The wound is much messier than it would be if a person stabbed themselves typically.

There is a note in Squire Badger’s handwriting that says “Sylvester Cross I am afraid” No indication of if that was the whole message or if he got interrupted (maybe Buck could figure it out with his handwriting checking skills). Daisy from across the room clocks that Sly’s name is written on the paper but can’t read the rest.

The knife is a hunting knife with a pronghorn handle--an animal not common in England but very common in Texas (and Buck is sweating obv).

There is a slight layer of charcoal type dust on everything on the big resolute desk in the room (which makes sense, ash from the fireplace) but there is parchment type dust on the bust of Barkus Aurelius (OK, that one’s good) on the table and that’s the only place that dust is. Ian later notices that the date on the bust is wrong.

Speaking of, the desk (which we learn later was put in and taken out of storage once Loan Hall was modernized) is bolted to the ground and a lot of stuff has been thrown off it as if by a powerful force but Sly notices that it’s just the metal stuff like things made of silver or with screws. Stone things like the bust and other non-metal things have stayed put. Plus he smells ozone. This was the work of magnets, not ghosts, he concludes. And, for the record, Grant figured this out himself!

Mrs. M’s eyes are rapidly dilating. She is questioned about what happened and she says that she was told she was fired and would receive a small pension.

(Not a part of Sly’s clue dump but Buck rolls a 24 with disadvantage to persuade everyone he didn’t do it but then 2 nat 1s in a row to see if Harding--who said he was standing outside the door--is suspect. Buck thinks he’s at most a stooge but he did roll a nat 1 so who knows?)

Anyway, back to Mrs. M. Gangie fully believes Mrs. M is innocent and scared. She doesn’t quite remember what happened for a couple of seconds in there and it’s clear this is not the first time she’s had missing time. Sly calls Longfoot (the bunny photographer) over to take a picture of Mrs. M which everyone is a little appalled at until they realize he’s making a point. When the flash goes off, she bugs out like she did in episode 1 and forgets that the picture was ever taken. Sly then has Dr. Magpie list the symptoms of epilepsy. It seems that Mrs. M had an episode triggered by the flash she mentioned seeing and then lost time. It’s possible that what she thought she saw after that she didn’t actually see.

[While Sly is monologuing this Rekha texts Brennan and gets a 17 to swipe the “I am afraid” note. Sly doesn’t notice.]

So if it wasn’t her, then who was it? There’s only one door into the study and anyone who walked in would have to have walked past Mr. Harding, Shellcrest, Calliope, and Tabitha (who is having a marvelous time being in the midst of so much drama). Ah, but who said there was only one door? Sly has Harding pull a sconce and a SECRET DOOR OPENS! Woo! Finally! It’s a classic bookshelf one that opens into the hallway and there is some extremely fine crushed glass under the door. Hmm.

Sly clocks that there is something under the desk but we don’t know what it is because Brennan texts it to him and it’s redacted. There are actually a couple of redacted texts that go around this ep so we are def missing information.

OK, that’s more or less everything.

Sly notices that the page is missing and Grant gasps while Rekha does an excellent job of pretending like she doesn’t even remember what paper is being talked about. Constance asks if it’s possible that Mrs. M totally made up the memory because of her epilepsy and between Dr. Magpie and Sly they determine that that’s uncommon but possible. Dr. Magpie says that everyone should leave so he and Sly can examine the body and Sly says that someone should watch Gangie at all times.

At this point, Harding and Gilfoyle (the butler) say they should establish where everyone was at the time of the murder. A lot of the staff and guests have solid alibis cause they were in big groups/cleaning up together. But the PCs were off alone (or with each other) and had reasons to want to guy dead so they’re prime suspects. Sly even admits that he’s one too. Also everyone dogpiles Ian because Raph makes it so fun.

Harding mentions the letter that was given to Buck (the one selling his shares in BB and giving voting writes to his rival Josiah) and asks him to read it. Buck reads it and gives a streamlined version of the truth, saying everything except for the part with the proxy vote. With a 26 he is able to allay everyone’s suspicions for now, but now he’s purposefully hidden the truth in a way that can be readily called out if anyone sees the letter or the contract which he resolves to find.

Buster distracts the group so Daisy can “check the body for a pulse” aka: check the body for the contract. She doesn’t find a it but does find a key attached to a piece of red silk--something that would be weird for him to be carrying around instead of his valet. She figures this must open whatever locked drawer the contract is in and swipes it but Sly clocks her stealing it (his perception ties her sleathiness but an earlier Bless from Ian tips him over the edge--poetic).

Calliope says that everyone is kinds suspect, including Sly, but *someone* has to solve this and Sly’s their best bet so everyone should just stay put and they can guard the exits. The butler says that, besides the front door, there are some towers that poke up above ground and a servant's exit/entrance by the elevator in the kitchen wing but they can lock down both and have someone guard the front doors.

The butler is like, lmao yeah Sly I know you didn’t do it and I’m not gonna stand guard here but you know, everyone is keeping an eye on y’all. And then he leaves the PCs, Mrs. M, Constance, and Dr. Magpie in the room with the body.

Lars is about to go watch the kitchen staff but, before he goes, Sly says to him that he saw Cottonbottom and is obviously quite scared. Gangie, who used to work for the guy, overhears and asks what’s going on. Sly assumes Gangie is playing coy but rolls high enough to know that he isn’t. He saw a starkly white Cottonbottom and one of his known conspirators doesn’t know he’s back? Perhaps it was a ghost after all.

Case Notes

My 2 fave bits of this episode were “bad to bad bad bad” (and the further riffing) and Daisy throwing increasingly bigger books at Sly.

Even with a Nat 1, Sly gets a 16 on Investigation. Wild.

I don’t think Rekha got enough props for her “Cross examination” line so I’m mentioning it here.

Brennan said the ozone question was still open--but I assumed it was like the electricity smell from an electromagnet. That would make sense, right? Maybe he meant they hadn’t found the source of it specifically yet?

Brennan says Buck’s knife is a pronghorn knife. I assume they’re made from the animal’s horns? Even if they’re the kind that fall off every season, is that weird? Or is it just like human hair wigs? Also, does this world have leather?

I love that the dice keep supporting the narrative that Daisy simply cannot get her shit together when she’s with Sly because he distracts her too much. Delicious. Their whole relationship is delicious.

OK, I am a tiny bit suspicious of Calliope. It’s partially the way she took control of the situation near the end and partially the fact that she doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would be involved in this which would make her heel turn delicious. No hard evidence and obv she couldn’t be the person who actually stabbed a guy but idk. Just spitballing. I’m very curious about whether we’ve met everyone we’re going to meet more or less or if there are still outside people/hidden inside people. Because, in real life, a murderer could be literally anyone but in a story, you can’t just introduce a new villain all of a sudden at the end. Bad storytelling. Weak payoff. We’ll see how things start to pan out.

#dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #mice and murder #mice and murder spoilers #the case file

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tomuraxashes · 4 years ago

Text

Found you - part 1

- Tenko! - a young, white haired boy run towards him from the swings.

- Touya-chan! How could you come? - he asked with confused tone in his voice.

He remembered his friend told him yesterday he wouldn't make it to come even today to the playground.

- Ah, it was easy. I convinced my mum to go and visit her parents together and after we came back I just asked her to take me out here. So I am here! - the young Todoroki smiled.

- Oh, I'm happy then. - the black haired boy said somehow delightfully, but his little cute face immediately turned back to the gloominess it was before - but wat if your dad finds out?

- Dont worry Tenko, after he learned that you are a Shimura, he doesn't really mind when I hang out with you. Sure, I still have to train but he allows me to have a friend, moreover a friend from a hero dynasty. Common bullshit of his, ya'know.

- Yes, I see, but I'm still worried about you! Your scars on your arms .. I .. let me see.. let me try to heal it!

- No need - Touya opposed - I don't have big scars today, I didn't receive any serious injuries. I don't want you to harm yourself just because of these small scratches.

- I don't care.. - the little boy said with a serious gaze in his ruby eyes - besides my mum or Hana-chan, you are the only one for I would use it.. You are the person I like the most, and why should I have this quirk, if not for helping my loved ones?

Now give me your hand...

They boys were at the Todoroki's house, playing inside of Touya's room. But they still could hear the shouting of Endeavour and Rei from the another room.

"Enji, he is just seven! How can you do this to him?

"He is already seven! He is my eldest son, and I want him to become the no 1, no matter what. He will surpass All Might! I won't let my dream down!"

From the room where the boys were in, a quiet sobbing was heard after the argument.

- Tenko chan.. I .. I don't even know if I want to be a hero anymore! - the white haired boy cried silently

- It's okay.. I will always be here for you and support you, no matter what.

- Mum, why Tenko's mum is not answering to your calls?

"Breaking news! The no 1 hero Nana Shimura is dead!"

- Mum! It's... Tenko's grandma on the TV! What happened?

"The heroine kept her private life in secret, but unfortunately the tragedy happened there as well. His son's entire family was eliminated, the circumstances are still under an investigation, the suspect is unknown."

- Mum? Dad? - the white haired boy almost cried - Whats the report about? Why we can't reach Tenko? Is he safe?

His mum couldn't answer. All he got is his father's uncertain hug, with a sad gaze and his trying to calm him down.

- I'm sorry, son...

He was so young back then, but then he was able to feel some happiness. He had one fucking friend in this cursed life, yet he had to die.

He didn't remember to much from his childhood - he didn't want to - but the small black haired boy with those ruby eyes was his sweetest memory ever.

He is not the one he used to be. The white haired hero-to-be is now gone, the world thinks he is dead now. And maybe they know right .. Touya Todoroki is truly dead.

Dabi is the one who lives. Dabi, the villain, the bad guy, who kills people just for fun, and kills heroes to calm his broken soul a little bit.

What would Tenko think if he could see me now?"

But there is no Tenko anymore.

There is no one who would heal his injuries, who would make him smile, who would care for him.. there is no one in this world for him. He is alone.

The only thing what makes him happy is to kill those fucking heroes.

Those scumbags who never helped anyone for real, they weren't there for him when his father almost killed him, neither for Tenko when he... passed away. Somehow.

It has been so many years yet no one knows how this case happened. The investigators claimed it had something to do with All for One and Nana's war, and via that, they didnt really look into it.

Dabi wanted two things in his life.

Firstly , he wanted to kill the person who made him and his whole family suffer - his scumbag of a father.

Secondly, he wanted to find out the truth about Tenko's death.

And that's why he is exactly there where he is right now.

He joined the League of Villains.

He heard from some underground fellas that there is a guy named Giran who can find literally anything. Well, the information is the most expensive trading stuff of his, so Dabi knew he has to make some money first.

And what's a better option than making money from killing heroes? And besides that, if he ""sells" himself to Giran first, and the League would be pleased with him as a villain, than the man would owe him.. perfect plan.

Well, it somehow worked. He was in, the LoV took him and even they gave him the opportunity to make them proud.

Even the boss seemed to acknowledge his powers and determination.

Well, the boss.. he was really something. Dabi - nor the others - couldn't see his face,he had always covered it with a human hand. It was kinda creepy but the whole guy was, as well.

He learned that his quirk, the decay is extremely dangerous and that he didn't think a lot about killing. If someone pisses him off, he is willing to turn them to dust within a sec. He has to be cautious, Dabi noted himself.

Shigaraki didn't seem to care too much about his subordinates but in fact, he did. He couldn't even explain it for himself, he just didn't want them to die - maybe.

He didn't exactly know how to "care". He didn't interact with people too much before establishing the LoV. He had Sensei and Kurogiri, and sometimes he was in touch with Giran if he needed something from the black market.

But then Sensei wanted him to get some people, who are his "own". So that way, it was not necessary to ask Giran for some ragtag mobs if he wanted to make a bigger action.

Now, he had some really hardcore fellas, with real power and willingness. He was satisfied.

He was the leader. They listened to him, they obeyed him. That was the most important thing.

But ... since they lived together, he saw the connections between the members. How they get on with each other in their free time. How they talked, played, had fun, etc.

And for Tomura, it was all strange indeed. He has never done it - at least, not after Sensei found him.

Before -

"Hm, that's not relevant anymore, what happened before..."

Dabi was in a good mood recently. No one from the League knew the reason, but the scarred man teased them less than usual. He was even nice with them sometimes.

They were all in the bar, even Shigaraki sat there and drank some spirit when Toga just asked Dabi randomly about his sudden emotional changes.

- Well, if you really wanna know - the burnt man started to speak theatrically - I will finally receive the thing I always wanted to!

- And what's that thing? - Magne asked excitedly- you ordered some goth stuff from Wish?

- Lol nope, that's ..wait, why do you assume I have my stuff from Wish? I definitely don't! But that's not the matter! After the last mission I finally had the cash to buy something from Giran. And he promised me the stuff for todaay!

- What the hell did you buy from that crock? Do you need some guns or what? - finally Shigaraki spoke up too.

He wasn't fond of the fact that he has now some company but he was aware he needed to socialise.

He quite liked the League and that's why he didn't want them to think that he is some creepy loner - well, he is.

- What for? I have my own firepower, it's not the thing. I bought some information...

That was all he shared with the League. At least, for now. He have to see Girans files at first and maybe after he will reveal the truth about himself - and Tenko in front of the League.

When he almost died, and that way he became Dabi, he promised himself he won't share his past with anyone, but since he lived with the League, he wasn't that determined anymore. He felt like there is a bond between them, and if they could help him find Tenko.. it would be worthy.

Even if he - somewhere deep down - realised it is nearly impossible to find his soulmate being alive, the hope never left him.

Neither when Giran gave him the files - with a sorrowful storyline, about AFO's and Nana's fights, about how Nana tried to hide Kotaro's existence, and then after a time skip, there was Kotaro's own family. Birth dates, basics infos, some pictures and the date of their deaths.

So that was it. No trace of life, no chance of survival. The destruction may caused by Afo.

Who is currently in the jail, so Dabi can't even speak to him.

He knew he has to give up on his hopes. There is the fucking evidence his soulmate really died back then.

Dabi just put the files on his drawer, not really paying any attention to hide it. He will do it later - now, he just doesn't want to think about it.

That's why he volunteered for the Leagues next mission.

It was a dangerous one, he needed to a sneak in the Hero commission's building and steal their newest "top-secret" plans.

It was actually spying, and they needed to do it with the minimum amount of men.

Kurogiri would teleport him in and out when it's time, but it is still risky.

Mostly - for a spying- there was Toga or Twice because of their quirks were suitable enough, but now it was required a real fight as well. So the final version was him and Twice. Twice would copy the looks of a random official, and Dabi will hide and somehow steal the secret files.

Shigaraki was really good at making plans. He always calculated a lot of possibilities in, and nearly all the stuff what could happen.

He was aware the mission is not a child's play but a serious one.

He looked over it many times already before presenting it to the others, but the overthinking and insecurity were his habits and can't let him stay calm.

At the evening, he decided to talk with Dabi about it. He wanted to be sure that the flame villain is okay with the whole thing, he knows the details and stuff.

He headed to his subordinate's room. The door was halfway open so the young boss don't really mind to knock on it.

There was a semidarkness in the room, but Dabi was nowhere to seen. Shigaraki came from the bar, the burnt villain was not there either.

Tomura thought he may use the bathroom or whatever, so he decided to wait him in his room.

He was about to sit on his bed, when he accidentally noticed a file on his drawer.

On the top of the file, there was a picture. That particular picture, of his dad and Nana Shimura.

Tomura stood there for minutes like an ice statue. He couldn't imagine how the picture could remain - and mostly how it got into Dabi's room.

At the meantime Dabi finished his stuff in the bathroom or wherever he was, so he came back to his room, only to see his boss holding a picture from his file and staring on that somehow inscrutably.

If it wasn't for Tomura, Dabi would be pissed off, cuz he doesn't like at all when others just come in his room and start to rummage his stuff, but since the blue haired man was his boss, he tried to keep it cool.

- Hi boss, how can I help you?

Tomura turned up when he heard Dabi's voice. He still held the picture, and judging by the mess on the drawer he also took a look into the files.

He was so confused right now he had no clue what to say. His thoughts were so loud and they didn't subside. He wanted to ask Dabi why the hell he has this goddamn file with the picture, how did he get it, and mostly.. could is be possible that he knows his secret?

"No way" - Tomura thought - "he would hide this somewhere and he wouldn't act so normally with him" But he was certain he needs to figure it out.

However his thoughts were still so messy he couldn't ask the proper questions he wanted to - without being suspicious.

He somewhat calmed down when he read those files - and they all stated he.. not he, Tenko - is dead, all the family is dead. No sign of survival.

So Dabi - or the one who gave him this - cannot know about him.

- How did you get those? - he finally managed to ask. His eyes were more deadly than he wanted tho.

Dabi suddenly felt himself quite uncomfortable. What should he say? If his boss would be curious, how should he explain why he wanted these datas? And why is his boss'es suddenly so resentful?

- This is the stuff I bought from Giran - he started to explain - I needed it for.. personal stuff.

Tomuras eyes widened - what kind of personal stuff of his can he related to his family? He noticed how Dabi's mood changed before he met with Giran - he was almost happy and really excited. But after the meeting he got gloomier than usual. Even now - when he spoke up, his voice was somehow sad.

Tomura decided to not deal with this right now, they all need to focus for the next day's mission.

- Anyways - the bluenette said - I just wanted to say not to fuck it up tomorrow. That's all for now. And I will keep this picture. Good night!

And with that, Shigaraki quickly left his subordinates room.

Now Dabi was the more confused one. He just couldn't understand what exactly his boss wanted to do, and why he got so distracted by that fucking picture. And mostly, why did he keep it?

Not if Dabi would need it, there wasn't Tenko on the picture just his dad as a kid with Nana Shimura.

"Maybe Shigaraki recognised the heroine and that's why he was asking? Probably" - Dabi thought. He knew about All for One and the Shimuras were enemies, so maybe that's why Shigaraki acted so strange.

(Part two right here on my page, just couldn’t write here the whole stuff cuz it’s long)

#bnha #tomura shigaraki #bnha fanfiction #Dabi #dabi is touya #shigaraki x dabi #shigadabi #tenko shimura #touya todoroki #league of villains #my hero academia #nana shimura #shigadabi fluff

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lia-jones · 4 years ago

Text

Growing Together - Chapter Eleven - Bonding Over Crickets

We stood before the old wooden doors, holding hands.

“We don’t have to decide anything yet.” Victor squeezed my shoulder. “We will just get some information.”

“I know.” I took a deep breath.

“Ready?” He gave me a loving smile.

“As I will ever be.” I offered him a weak smile in return.

He rang the doorbell, taking a step backward, his hand holding mine.

We were greeted by an old lady, with grey hair held up in a careful bun, deep wrinkles framing blue eyes.

“Victor! So nice to see you!” She took Victor’s hand, shaking it. “And you must be Andrea! Nice meeting you!”

“Andrea, this is Miss Dillon, the orphanage director.” Victor introduced us. I smiled, shaking her hand.

We were led into an old corridor, leading to what I suspected was her office. Inside, a table with tea and cookies was waiting for us.

“Sit down, let me serve you some tea.” She took the teapot, filling our cups. “So, Andrea, Victor tells me you would like to adopt a child.”

“We want to know more about the process, yes.” I said, taking the steamy cup from the table.

“It would be fairly easy, to be honest.” She sat down, her hands moving as she spoke. “Firstly, we have some standard procedures before we even introduce you to a child, like background checks, a full course you need to attend, a few sessions with a counselor. But I think, in your particular case, we can forgo all of those. Victor has been a good friend of ours for quite some time, and I think I know him long enough to know he is a good man and an excellent candidate for an adoptive parent. And knowing his standards, I can only assume you are no less than a remarkable woman.”

“To say the very least.” He smiled at me, taking my hand, and I let out the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.

“I can see that.” Miss Dillon smiled. “Which is why I think you are good candidates to go straight to referral. What kind of child do you think would be the best fit for your home?”

“We haven’t really discussed it…” I hesitated, looking at Victor. “But maybe the younger the better, for a better adaptation?”

“Yes.” He nodded.

“Very well. I will look into our files to see what we have that we can refer to you, and then we’ll set up a meeting.”

“So, what’s it like?” I fidgeted in my seat. “We spend time with this child and see how it goes?”

“Exactly. You interact with the child to see if there’s a bond.” The director nodded.

“But… What if there is no bond?” I started to panic slightly. “What do you say to that child? I’m sorry, but they didn’t want you ?”

“Well, you don’t exactly disclose to the child what’s happening…” The director hesitated.

“Sure, but they know, right? They are children but they are not idiots! What if we don’t feel anything? What if the child doesn’t like us? Do we adopt her against her will? How does that happen?” My hand flew to my forehead, Victor catching it midair and squeezing it.

“Listen, there is no right method to do this.” Miss Dillon leaned on her desk, speaking to us with a knowing soft voice. “Trust me, we have tried several. This is the one that brings less anxiety to the children. Of course, there is the chance of refusal from one or both parts, but I don’t want you to consider the worst already. Just the fact that you are considering the child’s feelings tells me you won’t refuse any child, and any child will feel it too.” She gave me a soft smile. “We will be contacting you shortly. Just come with an open heart. You will do fine.”

Two days later, Victor got a phone call from the orphanage, saying that they had found a good match for us: a three-year-old girl whose parents had died in a tragic accident, without any known relatives. We scheduled a meeting for Sunday afternoon, and we bought a ragdoll to give her.

Victor seemed calm and patient with the whole thing. I was a bundle of nerves.

“I mean, this girl has some recollection of her parents.” I spoke from the walk-in closet, as I changed into a dress. “Can you imagine being so young, living with a happy family, and then being told you will never see your parents again, but Hey, here’s a brand new set of parents for you, they have actually no idea of what they are doing ? She’s going to resent us on principle alone. She wants her mother, not me.”

“Firstly, I don’t think they will be telling her that.” Victor walked in to pick a tie. “Second, remember what Miss Dillon told you? Just go with an open heart and you’ll do fine. These children are mostly starving for affection and in need of a good home.” He came to me, holding my chin, making me face him. “Besides, I know any child will love you. Just show them that warm smile of yours.”

“What if I don’t like her for some reason? What then?” I sat down to put on my shoes. “What if I find I don’t have a maternal instinct? That I am better off not being a mother anyway?”

Victor kneeled in front of me, holding my shoulders, a slightly worried look in his eyes.

“Why are you actively creating scenarios in which things go wrong? Do you not want to do this?”

“I do… I just…” I trailed off with a sigh. “I’m sorry, I know I’m being incredibly hard. I’m just afraid this won’t work. And this is our last chance. If we want to become parents, we need to do this right. How are you not nervous?”

“Being nervous won’t guarantee me success, quite the contrary. Besides, I’m not doing this alone.” He held my hand. “Neither are you.”

I would like to say his kind and wise words relaxed me, but they didn’t. The last time I had tried to become a mother it was only to get my hopes up and then see them crash down violently again. I wasn’t ready for another loss, I had just recovered from the last one. In retrospect, my intensive worry was my weird way of protecting myself in case it didn’t work. Should the worse case scenario happen, I was already protected.

It was a sunny afternoon, so when we arrived at the orphanage, all the kids were playing outside. We were told to wait inside, so our presence wouldn’t alarm the other children, while the girl was getting ready. We obediently stood in the corridor, waiting. Out of the blue, Victor got a phone call.

“It’s Goldman.” He read from his phone screen. “He knows I’m here, so if he’s calling it must be urgent. I’ll take this outside, send for me when they call for us.”

Awesome, just awesome. I was a nervous wreck, my palms were sweaty and I had lost my companion. I felt like a naughty kid about to be summoned to the principal’s office, the time dragging lazily. I looked at my wristwatch, only two minutes had passed since we arrived.

Trying to distract myself, I looked at the decorations. There were pictures of the kids in the orphanage taken every year, Miss Dillon present in every single one of them. It was clear that she was doing this for decades. In the children’s smile, a sad resignation, but a hope for better days. I could do that, I could give a child a happy life. I could give a child the dream of better days. And I would get those same days in return.

Lots in my own thoughts, I wandered through the corridor, when I noticed a small red-haired boy sitting on one of the wooden seats, holding a children’s book. Maybe I could talk to him a little. Victor was taking the longest time to return, and I was in dire need of something to distract me from my anxiety.

“Do you mind if I sit here for a minute?” I pointed to the seat next to the boy.

“No.” He didn’t even lift his eyes from the book to answer me, totally engrossed in the book. I read the title. It was the children’s book version of Pixar’s movie “A Bug’s Life”.

“That is an awesome movie.” I tried to make conversation, pointing to his book. “Do you like the pictures?”

“Pictures are for toddlers.” He scoffed, seemingly aggravated with my comment. “I’m already four, I am reading it.”

I was baffled. I chuckled to hide my surprise, hoping I wouldn’t aggravate him any further.

“Well, yes, if you’re four, you are certainly not a toddler.” I noticed the boy seemed pleased with my answer, the frown on his face relaxing slightly. “Who taught you how to read?”

“No one.” He shrugged. “I taught myself.”

“Impressive.” I nodded. “By the way, my name is Andrea. What is yours?” I extended my hand formally.

“Are you here to adopt a child?” He took his eyes off the book.

“I am here waiting to meet one, yes.” I answered, uneasy with his question.

“Then why do you want to know my name? You won’t see me again.” He looked straight at me, and that was when I really noticed his features. His hair was somewhat long and curly, and he was staring at me with sweet dark brown eyes that stood out from his very fair skin. I could see he wasn’t being defensive. He was genuinely curious as to why an adult thought of starting a conversation with him.

“Well, I could see you again.” I smiled. “If we were friends, I could visit more often, and we could talk about things you like.”

“Would you really do that?” His eyes seemed to be studying mine. “Would you visit me?”

“I would.” I nodded. For some reason, that idea excited me more than anything in this world.

And then it hit me. I was bonding with that boy. We were talking to each other for no longer than five minutes, and I already felt this affection towards him. And Victor wasn’t there.

“I’m Owen, Owen Cole.” His tiny hand reached mine, shaking it.

“Andrea Lee. Nice meeting you.” I melted with how adorable he was.

“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you!” I heard Victor approaching us from the end of the corridor.

“I’ve been busy making a new friend. Owen, this is my husband, Victor. Victor, this is my new friend, Owen.”

“Nice meeting you, Owen.” Victor smiled as the young boy formally shook his hand. “Andrea’s reading you a story?” He pointed at the book.

“I know how to read. I’m four already.” He explained to Victor, as he took a seat next to us. “I need to study hard if I want to become an insectologist. Better start now.”

Victor raised his eyebrows at me, surprised.

“You’re a very decided little man.” I complimented. “You know, when I was a little older than you, I would go to the forest next to my grandmother’s farm with my brother to hunt for crickets.”

“That is so cool!” His eyes widened. “Do you know that only males chirp, to call females to mate or chase away another male? They produce that sound by rubbing their wings together. And the females have their ears in their legs!” He laughed.

“Oh, I didn’t know about the ears!” I laughed as well.

“How did you catch them?” He asked, excited. “Did you use a special trap?”

“Just an empty bottle and some sugar, and a lot of patience. We would catch dozens of them sometimes. I can teach you how it’s done someday if you want to.”

I sense Miss Dillon approaching us with a smile, only to go past us without a word. Owen kept asking all sorts of questions and showing us what he knew about his favorite subject, which was in fact quite a lot. Victor would mostly listen, dropping a sentence now and then, apart from the time he shared his experience raising silkworms. When we noticed the time, it was getting dark, and Owen was summoned for dinner. We left him with another formal handshake and the promise that we would come back next week to visit him.

Back at home, I felt exhilarated, talking about how sweet that boy was, and so very enthusiastic.

“He learned how to read so he could learn more about insects!” I commented as I mixed the dressing into the salad. “That’s how determined he is. Reminds me of someone I know.”

“He’s a great kid, yes.” Victor smiled knowingly. “So, do you want to start formally visiting him for adoption?”

“What about the other girl we were supposed to see? Miss Dillon didn’t mention her when we left.” I frowned.

“Miss Dillon has been doing this for many decades. She must’ve canceled the meeting the moment she saw the two of you talking.” Victor replied as he finished setting the table.

I went to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, tilting my head to look at him.

“Well, this is not a decision I can make on my own, and you were mostly very quiet. What do you think? Did you like him?”

“I liked him very much, he reminds me of you.” He kissed my forehead as he caressed my hair. “You know, the curls, the sweet brown eyes… He could easily pass as your child.”

“Our child.” I corrected.

“Yes.” He smiled widely. “Our child.”

“So that’s a yes?” I beamed at him. “Or a maybe?”

“A solid yes.”

He chuckled as I threw myself in his arms, covering his face with kisses. Carrying me to the kitchen counter, he sat me on it and took me in his arms, kissing me deeply.

“Is this really happening? Are we really becoming parents?”I whispered, afraid that somehow fate would listen and make things go wrong.

“We are.” It was Victor’s turn to beam at me. “To a very special little boy.”

“Are you happy?” I made him face me, so I could see his expression. His eyes were shining.

“Overjoyed.”

“I love you so much.” My voice was strained, overwhelmed with affection.

“I love you too, my light. Thank you.”

He held me tightly in his arms, and I could hear his heart beating fast with happiness. We had been through a lot, but we had finally made it. We were becoming a family of three. The happy family Victor never had, and the one I had always dreamed about.

#growingtogether #Growing Pains - Series #mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mlqc fanfic #mister love dream date #mister love queens choice #love and producer #vic adoptive father

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notquitecanon · 5 years ago

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Billionaires, Archers, and Spies, OH MY! Marvel Criminal Minds crossover pt. 2 (reader insert) ___

Part one!

Sorry for the horrendous title. Not much about the BAU in this one, but we’re getting there

______

When Coulson said ASAP, he meant ASAP. No sooner than you had been settled into a provided apartment, you were escorted to the Airport to fly to an aircraft carrier. There, Coulson introduced you to Maria Hill who gave you access to an office. There you were given file-upon-file about one, Clint Barton.

You built a solid profile based on the files, and then when you felt you had a good basis- you boxed up the files, shut your notebooks, and (as you had been told) pressed a button. Two minutes later, a man in a SHIELD issue suit walked in.

You immediately recognized him as Clint Barton, and smiled at him, “Hello, Agent Barton, my name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N). I’m going to ask you some questions, please answer honestly- there aren’t right or wrong answers.”

“Aren’t there always?” Clint grinned, slouching into the seat across from your makeshift desk. You just quirked an eyebrow as you sat down.

“So let’s start at the beginning. What was your childhood like?” You asked, watching everything from his breathing to how he drummed his fingers on his knees. Hyper Vigilant, channels into constant movement.

He gave a brief overview of his childhood, his parents Edith and Harold, growing up in small-town Iowa, graduating high school, but focusing on his marksmanship afterward. “If you’re wondering if something traumatic happened, it didn’t.”

“I never assumed, but thank you for the clarification.” You nodded, noticing his aversion to your questioning-hiding something.

“Ok, well, according to your file, Nick Fury hand-picked you for your skills. Marksmanship, archery if I remember correctly? That must have been quite an honor.” You remarked, eyes carefully watching his facial expressions: a huffed (sarcastic) chuckle, a slight smirk, and his eyes flitted out the window looking up- checking for snipers.

“An honor, I guess you could call it that.” He nodded, meeting your eyes again.

“So what would you call your relationship with Director Fury?” You asked.

“Professional, he’s my superior. We’re friendly, he trusts me to get the job done.” He answered, to get the job done. Is he implying that Fury doesn’t completely trust him- or maybe that he doesn’t completely trust Fury? “He did me a favor, so I trust him as much as he trusts me.”

Interesting wording again, but when he said “favor” his left thumb rubbed his ring finger. His file said unmarried...

“Alright, any girlfriends? longterm partners? Children?” You asked, trying to prove your point. Clint visibly tensed, eyes immediately narrowing in on you.

“No, no, I’m a player through and through. Hook-ups only.” He easily splurged, lying through his teeth. Definitely has a girlfriend- possibly a wife? Obviously doesn’t want it in his file.

To try to relax the clearly agitated agent you simply nodded, “Well, Agent Barton, I’m sure you know how babies are made. Hookups...”

Clint simply shook his head, “No, No, children.”

“Alright, now let’s talk about professionally, you have a nearly perfect success rate. I understand you recently survived an assassination attempt?”

____

Clint Barton: Loyal to SHIELD, Pride in his work, but not in killing, close emotional ties with Natasha Romanoff, and unnamed girlfriend/wife (not in Files), will follow orders unless he finds a better solution, can work with others, prefers not to. Long-distance specialty- aversion to close up/ slow deaths. Secretive, low to none security risk

Good for the Avengers Initiative.

____________

As soon as you presented your findings to Director Fury, he had more files sent to you. These files were all labeled [classified] and many of them were mostly redacted.

“Unredacted versions will be available in your office only. I’m eagerly awaiting your next report.” As ever, a man a few words, Nick Fury sent you on your way. This time, you had a couple of weeks to read up on your next interview as she was on a mission.

Natasha Romanoff, Natalia Romanova, Natalie Rushman, Black Widow, your eyes skimmed down the page-long list of aliases. That’s a profile all it of itself, You thought. Next, you read over her accomplishments, both as a Russian spy and as a SHIELD agent. They were extensive. She was a member of the KGB when she was a Soviet (with an unspecified body count). Then, she was brought into SHIELD, where she worked as a normal combat agent before being promoted to strike team delta- then her accomplishments allowed her to keep climbing rank. Skills include excellent marksmanship, more black belts then you cared to count, espionage, seduction, sabotage, hacking, interrogation, and deception. You noted to yourself, a spy of this caliber definitely has training in hiding behavioral traits and tics- might even be able to fake other tics to skew the profile.

A month and a week after interviewing Clint, you opened the door to a stunningly beautiful woman. She was tall- long legs, pale skin, green eyes, body toned from years of training yet still looking like the picture of feminity, blood-red curls that fell almost to her waist. You observed everything, even down to how she was standing, Her stance is meant to come off as unassuming, but actually, she’s already poised to strike if she has to.

“Hello! I’m (Y/N) (Y/L/N), I’m here to ask you a few questions to build a psychological / behavioral profile. Can we get started?” You asked, gesturing to the chair in front of your desk. She nodded, sitting down. Once again, her posture was faux-relaxed- leaned back, legs crossed, arms delicately laid on the armrests, but ready to fight in a split second.

Her emerald eyes watched you as carefully as you watched her, not quite threatening but almost challenging, subtle hostility towards authority? no, maybe other women.

“Well, I have a three-mile-long list of alias, but it doesn’t tell me what you preferred to be called. What can I call you?” You asked, carefully watching her. You registered the nanosecond of confusion before she smoothed the expression, Not used to having a choice.

“I prefer Natasha, thank you.” She nodded to you, and you smiled back.

“Before we get started, I’d like to clarify there are no right or wrong answers, just honest ones, please.” You clarified, noticing how her eyes narrowed, nostrils slightly flared, but no comment as she nodded.

“Alright, let’s start with your life in Russia.” You motioned to her, waiting for her to begin, but she just cocked her head.

“What do you want to know?” The hostility was well masked, but you still caught it. You didn’t comment on it, only thought for a moment how to spark the conversation.

“Just walk me through growing up in Russia, starting as early as you can remember.” You prompted, watching her try to hide a frustrated sigh.

“My earliest memories are of the red room. That should be in my file.” She brushed off, voice even, not too fast or slow- carefully hiding any defensive tone.

“I know, I was given the files. I’m former FBI and haven’t been here long enough to ask questions. You’ll have to explain it to me.” You apologized. For a long pause, she didn’t say anything, “If you don’t want to talk to me, we can-”

She interrupted, “Ballet lessons, that’s how it started. Then, ballet became a polisher, kept us strong, but lithe. Feminine, but deadly. Then they taught us everything we’d ever need in the field. From flirting to torture.” She divulged, the information was still vague but gave you enough information to prod the conversation.

“So there were other girls with you as well?” You asked, she nodded. Intense competitive conditions among young girls, explains her challenging attitude towards me. “And they taught you...”

“Espionage, seduction, combat, marksmanship, how to blend in and stand out at the same time, deception...” She listed, trailing off. You hid a smirk, not condescendingly, as a joke crossed your mind.

“How to lie.” You remarked, “You could have been a politician.”

She laughed quietly, a laugh which you couldn’t decide if it was fake or she actually thought it was funny, “You think I’m a liar?”

You smiled softly, noting how she was trying to intimidate you, but didn’t comment, “I think you could lie through your teeth and 99% of people in the room would believe you. It’s an impressive talent.”

She smirked, cocking her head slightly, “Would you believe me?”

You shrugged, knowing she was luring you into a trap with either answer, “Are you going to lie to me, Natasha?”

She smiled, showing off perfect rows of pearly white teeth, “Agent (Y/L/N), there’s just some things I can’t tell you.”

You nodded, using the natural pause before moving on, “Let’s move on then, can you tell me about Budapest?”

Her smile faded, “When I worked for the KGB, I had a very specific skill set, and I didn’t care who I used it for. I got on SHIELD’s radar, in a very bad way. I’m sure I was probably on FBI lists and you just didn't know it was me. Well, Director Fury put Clint on my case, to, well, I’m sure you can guess. But He made a different call, and once I defected from the KGB and renounced Russia, he gave me a second chance. I felt like I owed it to him to try to fix what I had done- at least my targets now are bad people.”

“So- for lack of better word- Redemption influenced you to work in SHIELD?” You asked, watching her carefully. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I’m not naive enough to look for redemption.” She stated, before eyeing you up and down, “What are you really doing here?”

It was your turn to be smug, smirking as you started, “Agent Romanoff, there’s just some things that I can’t tell you.”

She chuckled, glancing down at her hands. You cleared your throat, “Just one more question, were you aware of Clint Barton’s wife?”

Her shock actually registered, telling you that your suspicions were correct, and also that she probably knew her personally, “He told you about them?”

Them, not her, which means more than one: children. You smiled, proud of your deductions, but shook your head no, that he didn’t tell you.

“Oh, you’re good.”

_________

Natasha Romanoff: Spy/Seductress personality traits, Only appears to completely trust Clint Barton, but Nick Fury seems to be a close second. Alpha female- flirty (manipulative) towards men, abrasive around other women until they prove themselves / or aren’t a threat to her position. Prefers close quarters combat- uncharacteristic of female assassins but registers high levels of confidence, control, and discipline. Eager for redemption/ paying her debts- seems to want to do good. This paired with her high levels of training can make for a ruthless weapon in the right hands (even if it’s her own). Not necessarily a team player, but knows how to manipulate people around her to further her mission.

As for the Avengers Initiative, as long as Agent Barton is present (to have at least one person she trusts), if given separate orders could potentially point other team members in the most effective direction.

Approved at Director's discretion.

__________

The next time you saw Natasha, it was two months later and you were asking about Tony Stark. You already watched all relevant interviews, spoken to both Phil and Nick, and read all the files available to you. Natasha was undercover in Stark Industries (at the moment) and had dealt with Stark one-on-one. The spy seemed more relaxed around you, even pausing the conversation to open a bit.

“I noticed you didn’t put ‘wife and kids’ into Clint’s file.” She started, to which you nodded, “I really appreciate it, His family means everything to him, and he pisses off some powerful people- it’s best no one knows.”

“I know. His family was the only thing he lied about, and Director Fury didn’t admit it, but definitely already knew. Which means the only reason to put it in there would be spite, and Clint seems like a good guy- like a asshole, but a good guy." You explained.

Natasha snorted a laugh, “Yeah that’s Clint.”

“Speaking of Assholes, Tony Stark. What can you tell me about him?”

“Deep down, deep, deep, down- he wants to be a good guy.” She nodded thoughtfully. The wording caught your attention.

“Wants to be?” You quirked an eyebrow. She sent you a tight-lipped smirk.

“He hit’s some roadblock- every time.” She nodded, to which you nodded.

“Keep me updated?” You asked, tapping your pen against a grainy shot of an iron man suit flying through white clouds.

“If it goes according to plan, I’ll get you an undercover interview.” She smiled, flipping perfect curls over her shoulder. She kind of felt like a super intimidating version of Prentiss.

“Thanks, Nat, you’re the best.” You flinched at your own words, noticing her tense and then relax.

“That’s what they keep telling me,” She smiled, and your tension fell away too. “See you around.”

________

“Hello, Mr. Stark, my name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N), I’m a writer for a psychological magazine. I’m working on an article about the psychology of billionaire superheroes-” You started, but the cocky billionaire interrupted you. It was now September, and you had been waiting for the interview since July.

“There’s more than one? I should start a book club.” He chuckled, swirling a whiskey drink in one hand It’s ten AM, alcoholic tendencies as Nat reported. It was probably best he didn’t know you worked for SHIELD, as he was more relaxed around you now. You faked a laugh, blushing as if you were flustered.

“You’re right, few and far between. But, uh, superheroes are a hot topic right now, billionaire superheroes, the public is interested. And also, as you’ve said in interviews, you don’t trust the military to have your tech- so the public wants to know if your...”

“Stable?”

You nodded, finally, he motioned for you to sit across from him, which you did quickly, “So let’s begin, we’re going to build a psychological profile based off of behavioral analysis.”

“I’ve read about that science, in fact, I’ve been following the Behavioral Analysis Unit from the FBI- David Rossi’s books are fascinating. Don’t you think?” The question caught you off guard, bringing back intrusive thoughts of your team- all the phone calls you were told to ignore, the purposely left signs that Penelope tried to hack your computer, Reid still emailed you a weekly reading list.

You snapped back to reality, lying easily, “Yes, I’ve actually learned some of my techniques from BAU lectures. David Rossi and Dr. Spencer Reid, Agent Aaron Hotchner would occasionally guest lectures.”

“Well, sweetheart, show me what you learned.” He told you, spreading his arms as if to say ‘hit-me-with-you-best-shot’ meanwhile, you inwardly cringed at ‘sweetheart’.

“Alright then, let’s start with early life and childhood.” You prompted, pretending to take notes as he began recounting his life story. You didn’t pay much attention to his words, so much as his actions, which made it easier to tell when he was lying, exaggerating, or under-exaggerating.

Control issues, perhaps to deal with feelings of helplessness- even though he’s a super genius, God Reid never shut up about it. Narcissistic tendencies, which normally doesn’t pair with a savior complex. Alcoholic tendencies, possibly remnants of a bad relationship with his father. Flinches when he moves in certain ways, either still hurting or phantom pains from his time held hostage. Early stages of PTSD?

Finally, he closed his epic tale as he got up and made another drink, “And here we are together now. Isn’t life funny like that?”

“It’s strange, I’ll give you that. And how’s your current life?” You asked, he offered a cocky grin, running his hand through his disheveled hair and downing his drink. The cocky attitude didn’t reach his eyes, you noted that.

“Me? I’m living the life. Now, let me answer your real question. Why I won’t let my tech go to the government- and why I’m qualified to keep it?”

“That’s a jump. But if you’d like to tell me....” Something you want to get off your chest, Stark?

“When I was held hostage over there, it was because my tech got into the wrong hands. Then I got back and became acutely aware of how many people had been injured because of my negligence. Then I thought to myself, I can hand over some weapons solely to the military, that’ll fix the problem, right? wrong. The military is controlled by politicians, politicians who have agendas. Me? I have no agenda. With tech in my hands, I can go fix problems myself- no bureaucracy.”

Survivor’s guilt. Dangerously independent which feeds into his savior complex. He will not play well with others. Definite signs of depressive self-loathing and self-placed blame.

“Wants to be a good person, but hit’s a roadblock every time.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark. I have everything I need. Thank you for your honesty.”

____________

Tony Stark: Classic narcissist, paired with a savior complex (likely caused by survivors' guilt, heightened feeling of responsibility, and guilt from his weapons being sold on the black market). Control issues. Will not follow orders, always thinks he knows a better way. Substance abuse issues are likely, alcoholic tendencies are confirmed. Sex addiction is highly likely. These are escapist tendencies. Early signs of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Issues from childhood include a bad relationship with his father (never felt true validation from an unavailable father figure, mother never stepped in). Butler, Jarvis (not to be confused with his AI) seemed to be the primary influence in his upbringing. (Mentioned Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter more than once, bitter with Steve and fond with Peggy)

Avengers initiative: He’s self-obsessed, volatile, will not work well with others. But no matter if he’s part of the team or not, it is almost certain that he will inject himself into any global/ SHIELD conflict.

Rejected, even though he will involve himself regardless of SHIELD decision.

_______________

In November of 2010, you were called into a meeting with Fury,

“This is good work, agent.” Director Fury nodded as you thumbed through the file on Tony Stark. He read over the profile, but didn’t show any emotion.

“Thank you, sir, but I have a feeling that I didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know.” You replied, watching his eye as he switched to the file on Natasha.

“You confirmed some suspicions. This will help me convince my higher-ups.” He affirmed, dropping the file on his desk with a quiet thump. You quirked an eyebrow, a small smirk on your lips.

“You have higher-ups?” You asked, wondering who on Earth was brave enough to give Nick Fury orders. He was like the dark, scary version of Hotch.

“We all have superiors, agent.” He replied lowly, his eyebrow raising in a way that told you he wasn’t angry but not to press the matter. “You know these were the easy ones, right?”

“I wouldn’t say that Tony Stark was easy to deal with.” You muttered as he slid another file across. The cover read ‘Dr. Bruce Banner / The Hulk’.

“I want a profile of Bruce Banner, and a separate one on the Hulk.” He stated, and your eyes flicked to him. You remembered watching the news at the BAU, as the Hulk tore through Harlem. Spencer went on and on about Dr. Banner’s theories in astrophysics, and then the theories that surrounded Dr. Banner’s.... condition.

“Didn’t Bruce Banner fall off the face of the earth after the Harlem incident?” You asked, ignoring the task of profiling the Hulk. He nodded, turning his computer monitor around. It had several red dots throughout the middle east and down into India.

“We’ve been following his whereabouts. You will not be conducting an interview, but just build me a profile based off these files, we’ll be bringing in a few other people who had contact with both Banner and the Hulk, and you can interview them.” He explained, leaving very little room for argument.

“Yes, sir. But, I just need to make sure you understand that these are all secondhand sources, so the profile won’t be near as accurate. And, I’m afraid there won’t be much on the Hulk to profile.” You admitted, collecting the files as you got up.

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something, Agent.” He called as you left, for the first time feeling uneasy about your position in SHIELD.

__________

Two months. Two months to build a preliminary profile on your Jekyll/Hyde situation. Two months of reading files, trying to understand his old scientific journals, talking to other scientists who worked with him, and reviewing his childhood through the documents SHIELD could get his hands on.

You looked over your glass board (making you nostalgic for all the cases you has laid out on boards like this, only now you were working alone), printed out photos (mostly of Bruce, but also of Betty and Thaddeus Ross, a few of project Rebirth, and a lot of the Hulk), dry-erase marker notes, a tentative timeline of his life, and red string connecting relevant ideas.

Real name Robert Bruce Banner (10/18/1969), M.D., 7 Ph. D.s, expertise in biochemistry, thermonuclear physics, and specifically in GAMMA radiation. (which was used in the creation of the original supersoldier, Captain Steve Rogers WW2)

Reid would be jealous, he’s only got 4.

Strained relationship with father- from feelings of incompetence/invalidation- possibly what pushed him to constantly overachieve. Went to Harvard, was apart of hallucinogen research trials.

Then a red string connected that thought to one, Betty Ross.

Know a romantic relationship with Betty Ross, after graduation moved with her to Virginia together and were instructors at Culver University. Went on tenure in late 90s, met Erik Selvig- another astrophysicist, and worked on Electron collisions with gamma radiation.

Is this a constant overachiever or just someone who knew his potential?

Up until 9/11 he led a relatively normal life (for a super genius)

Project Rebirth was where it got fishy. Thaddeus Ross (presently General Ross, I had the pleasure of dealing with him with the BAU in the anthrax scare of 2009) father of Betty Ross (Bruce Banner’s then-girlfriend). Tasked with recreating the original super-soldier serum. Knowing of his daughter’s boyfriend’s talents (and of his own ability to possibly manipulate Banner) he recruited Dr. Banner without telling him the truth of what he was working on- that’s why Banner chose Gamma radiation, thinking he was combating radiation poisoning.

ingrained mistrust of authority/father figures, but not likely to act on it. Will keep striving to impress/ complete work. probably why he prefers solace.

Thinking his work was combatting radiation poisoning, and completely on the right track, he tested it on himself- hoping to impress both Ross’s. Of course, since this was now weaponized gamma radiation, it went terribly wrong. Prompting his first transformation into the Hulk. During which, two doctors and a soldier were killed, and Ross’s were among the injured. Overwhelmed with guilt, he escaped to Canada- evading multiple capture attempts. Attempted suicide by gunshot on top of a mountain in Alaska (2006)

eager to impress father figures until another one betrays him, driven by severe guilt, depressive tendencies, unsuccessful suicide attempt.

Escaped to South America and lived in hiding for 2 years until his location was discovered. He transformed into Hulk before returning to America. Stayed hidden for a couple days before the ‘battle at Culver university’ marking the first public appearance of the Hulk. Upon provocation, Hulk took Dr. Ross with him.

Two years without an incident. Bruce Banner has to have a good handle on that anger. Which makes him still extremely organized despite it all.

A few days later, Banner was found in custody and taken in by an Emil Blonsky (special forces) his file was extremely redacted. so that’s all I know on him. After being taken into custody, a second ‘Hulk’ appeared in Harlem. A bitter fight pursued, and with its conclusion, Bruce Banner was in the wind again and still is. Rumors include the middle east, rumors of a Hulk spotting at a destroyed terrorist base.

~~~

With the Hulk, you had less to work with, mostly grainy photos and videos. You had biased first-hand accounts from General Ross, Doctor Ross, Samuel Stern, and a handful of soldiers. The least biased was Betty’s interview but she was very much so still in love with him, so the cognitive interview wasn’t much help. The biggest help you had was the videos of the Hulk in actions of which there weren’t many. Even though they were helpful to the profile, it was like watching videos unsubs would send in- unsettling, scary, and sad.

Preliminary ONLY- this is a tentative profile, it could be largely inaccurate without further information.

Bruce Banner: Reclusive loner type. Can and will survive on his own. Beyond Genius level IQ. High distrust for the government. Goes without saying, but anger issues. Extremely organized. The limited current information makes it hard to complete the profile, but the medical work

Avengers initiative: With his high distrust of the government, it’s more than likely he’ll just be a security risk. And despite his level of control, it will also make him a safety risk to those around him. Unless you require someone with a knowledge of gamma radiation, you’re better off with another astrophysicist.

The Hulk: Despite the low level of control that Dr. Ross reported after the incident, it is clear that no one can control the Hulk. He can be pointed in a direction, but that level of rage is indicative of the lowest form of control and in most cases intelligence. The Hulk will not take orders. This is a stone best left unturned.

_______________

“Director Fury will be pleased with your progress. I think you’ve earned some time off, take a week and when you get back we’ll have more work for you.” Coulson told you in early February as you handed over all your research. You quirked an eyebrow.

“Now that you’ve run out of things for me to do? Am I allowed to visit my old team?” You asked, as he began to leave. Phil turned back to you, with a smile that almost reminded you of a younger version of Rossi.

“As long as you don’t compromise SHIELD intelligence, I don’t care what you do.” He assured, closing the door on his way out. You breathed a laugh, pulling your old go-bag out from under your desk- old habits die hard.

____

more BAU interaction in the next part I promise!!

#marvel x criminal minds #criminal minds #spencer reid x reader #captain america x reader

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iateyourdoggo-part2 · 4 years ago

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chapter 6: play date at Kinako's house

so yes, it will be a play date at Kinako's house but not just for Kinako, but for everyone. E v e r y o n e. So enjoy this next chapter while your here! (your basically here for the story anyways why did i say that???)

tw: swearing (1 word), emojis, @buse, yelling, kids/siblings

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kinako just picked up everyone from school (so im now changing the days of school to australian version bc its easier) since it was the last day. The schools weren't far walks from each other. Everyone arrived at home and everyone asked if they could have their friends over tomorrow. Since it was the holidays, Kinako said yes and Kai was going to have a playdate tomorrow as well. Kinako also thought it would be fun to bring Saika, Aori and Jien, too.

The first day of the holidays came and Kinako woke to the sound of a doorbell. She got out of bed and went to the front door. There were 10 people, not including an adult, that were waiting outside.

"Uhhh... What's going on?" Kinako asked.

"Everyone says their here for a playdate." Saika chuckled.

"I'll just leave Wakaba here for you guys." said a woman. It was the mother of Kai's friend.

"Okay. Bye Miss. Chou!" Kinako waved goodbye at Wakaba's mother and picked him up. "Well uh... come inside? I guess?"

Everyone walked in and all of Kinako's siblings came out to meet their friend. Kinako picked up Kai as well and took them both to Kai's room which was also his play room. It was now only Kinako, Saika, Aori and Jien in the living room. They had no idea what to do so they went to Kinako's room. The only room that had no noise was Reiya's because she was practicing her bass guitar in her room with her friend. The other kids were just playing games or talking about things they shared.

The older teens played some truth or dare. They didn't play any other games like spin the bottle because, duh, they all were taken by someone in the circle.

"Aori my beloved, truth or dare?" Jien asked.

"Dare. Haha good luck finding a good dare."

"I dare you to let me go through your phone pictures."

"Fuck!"

Aori handed his boyfriend his phone and Jien went through every picture in every file until he stopped at the last file. It read 'My Beloved' Jien looked at Aori and smirked. He clicked on the file and saw a bunch of saved photos and taken pictures of Jien. There were pictures of Jien shirtless, doing a cute face, him with Aori or Jien with cute filters. Jien chuckled about it and Aori blushed then snatched his phone back. Jien giggled and saw the 2 girls taking pictures.

After a couple of rounds of truth or dare, they all went to the kitchen to make some food. Aori and Jien served the food and Saika and Kinako went to get the kids. Kinako knocked lightly on the twins' door and opened it to see them both hugging their 'friends' arm.

"I-" Kinako was shocked but also confused. "Okay. 1. Come eat food. 2. Is she really your friend or above that? And 3. Why are both of you hugging her?"

"T-this is just a close friend! That's all... hehe." Ichisaki whispered tugging at their friend's shirt.

"And Tsukikage is a boy. He looks like a girl and..." Kisaki continued, he paused for a bit and did some quick little emoji drawings in a notebook.

😠👩‍🦰👏👊😥👩‍👦❌👩‍👧✔💁‍♀️🗨👗💭🧑➡👧

(angry, mom, hit, grabbed by force, scared, son, no, daughter, yes, mother, says, girl outfit, thinks/wants, boy, turn into, girl)

They all used emoji drawings to communicate when they had a secret or something. Kinako knew that the twins' friend Tsukikage was forced to become a girl by his mother.

"They have known me for a while and both like to hug me and stay close to me, that's all!" Tsukikage chuckled.

"I'm sorry, by the way for assuming you were a girl." Kinako apologized in humiliation.

"Hehe it's fine!"

"Well come eat because we're all waiting for you. And you 2, I will speak to later.", she pointed 2 fingers at her eyes and turned them to the twins' eyes as a warning, but not so much as a warning.

The whole table was crowded. There were 15 people. 2 toddlers, 2 pre-teens, 5 who just turned teens, 2 teens, and 4 young adults. The kids ate at the table and the older teens ate in the lounge room. There was so much dishes to wash.

"Why didn't you tell me about your relationship with Tsukikage? Are you guys dating him or-?" Kinako asked as she warned before.

"Well not exactly dating." , Ichisaki corrected, "We're just... friends."

"Hehe... Not exactly dating? What does that mean?" Tsukikage came out of the boys' room with a smile on his face.

Tsukikage was pretty popular at his school with the boys. He specifically chose to become friends with the twins for a reason. He may be a tall kid that looks 16 who are friends with 2 short twins who look 8 but they all get along so well they all practically know each other fully.

"Nothing!" Both twins spoke fast at the same time and turned their heads blushing.

'Soooooo... they're bisexual? I guess? Best not to think because I accidentally assumed a gender...' Kinako thought. She assumed they were bisexual because they were talking about a girl they met who was pretty a couple weeks ago when school started.

"Just next time tell me that you guys have a crush, doesn't matter what, gender or no gender." Kinako said calmly.

Both of the boys started to yell at her for saying that Tsukikage was their crush. She just walked back to her room and sat with her beloved Saika on her bed.

"What happened?" Saika asked because of the yelling outside.

"Just sorted out a few things with the twins. Kai and Wakaba should be going to bed now. You wanna help?"

Saika nodded and went with Kinako to a room where Kai and Wakaba played and looking a bit tired. The 2 girls put both toddlers to bed reading stories narrated by Kinako and lullabies sung by Saika. Kinako was also caught up in Saika's beautiful singing that even he fell asleep.

Thankfully, Kinako was very light. So Saika carried Kinako to her room and placed her on her bed again. Aori and Jien saw and left the room to watch some T.V on the couch. Saika laid down next to her girlfriend and had a small nap.

(here is what all the kids are doing btw:

Arisu and their friend, Kimu, studied in their room and then talked about some people at school. (not talking anything bad in case ur wondering, the 2 r just saying about some nice things about others)

Reiya and her friend, Hibina were, as mentioned before, practicing their music.

The twins and Tsukikage were playing some Mario Kart.

Kai and Wakaba were sleeping.

Tsubaki and her friend, Reiju, were working on a school project about animals.)

Saika and Kinako woke up to a small ringtone coming from a phone. Saika's mother, Rimi, called to come over for dinner and said to bring her as many friends as she wants, if she wishes. Aori and Jien were invited by her mother so they would be going. Ms. Rimi knew about Aori and Jien's relationship and was a bit disgusted but invited them anyways so she could be seen as a nice person. Saika decided she'd invite Kinako.

"B-but I can't!" Kinako exclaimed, "I need someone to look after my siblings..."

"Don't worry!" Saika touched Kinako's upper arm and rubbed it, "I know a very good friend who is very good with kids because she owns one of the best babysitter companies here."

"Really? Thank you!" Kinako was glad because her girlfriend just saved her life.

The rest of the day finished and everyone went home. Wakaba's mum picked him up from the playdate and left. That was such a long day. Now everyone was cleaning their rooms from their playdate.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This chapter took so long it took up most of my time. its hard while i have my studies.

previous << chapter 6 >> next

@ibukis-music-shop @ultimate-plushielover @godly-gummybear @just-a-potterhead

(what the friends of everyone looks like:)

Reiji (Tsubaki's friend)

Tsukikage (The twins friend)

Hibina (Reiya's friend)

Kimu (Arisu's friend)

Wakaba (Kai's friend)

#saika #kinako #sainako #aori #jien #aorien #finally done :D #tw swearing #one word #tw yelling #tw kids #tw siblings #tw emojis #tw abuse

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gochasethesunset · 5 years ago

Text

From Concept To Patent To Successful Product

What To Do With Your Invention Idea

Eventually in your life, you have possibly had among those "aha" moments.

You understood there was an imperfection, something missing out on, or a possibility to develop a much better means of achieving something.

Although every person has these moments, few latch onto their suggestion and recognize that there is an invention trying to reveal itself.

Also, much less aim to create that suggestion and patent it.

All that to say: Developers are individuals.

They're not superheroes. They're not always abundant to start and also they're not necessarily of some intergalactic INTELLIGENCE degree that makes your above-average knowledge seem equivalent to a rock.

No ... innovators are just individuals. Like you.

No matter of background, IQ, or superpowers, successful creators do have certain typical natural high qualities.

Among those high qualities is drive.

They have the drive to be relentless as well as follow up non-stop with each step in the invention procedure.

Successful inventors are hungry for success - they envision it and press themselves to discover the path toward it.

The daily ideator who puts action and also intent behind his suggestion with this level of drive is most likely to become a successful capitalist (given the item is feasible, of course).

It takes place constantly on Shark Tank right in the public eye, and it takes place thousands of thousands of times per year somewhere else.

If you believe you're simply the "daily ideator" and also do not have what it takes to press your concept via to success, take a look at the video clip listed below, "From Suggestion to Cash," an interview with Rick Receptacle.

Rick is among Shark Storage tank's most successful business owners. He created viewers, a magnetic clip that safeguards analysis glasses onto your individual. also check out the help of invention help

It was a basic suggestion created from the truth that Rick kept shedding his analysis glasses. Invention concepts are commonly ideal in front of your face - in this instance, essentially.

Taking Invention Suggestions To Success

If you have ever before googled anything related to patenting an invention suggestion, you were most likely inundated with advertising and marketing messages and advertisements for days, weeks, and maybe even months following your search.

Just remember this: You can not patent a suggestion.

Gasp! Yet wait ... I maintain seeing ads as well as firms that inform me, "Patent your invention idea quickly!" and more.

Yes, proper, but it is not this first idea that you would certainly seek to immediately patent.

The initial idea about how you will produce, fix, or improve something requires to morph to become a real invention. You'll have to do some job ... you'll require a few of that drive to get there. You can also get help with invention

The truth is that your preliminary idea could be an invention as well as it could be patentable, yet you require to do some surrounding as well as a thorough study to ensure a couple of things:

Initially, That your idea addresses a problem and works;

Second, nobody has already invented it (by carrying out a prior art patent search);.

Third, your suggestion is not apparent. This is tricky and also a specialist who is experienced in the art or field of your invention idea has to eventually identify if your idea is "nonobvious"

The Adversary Remains In Your Suggestion's Information

When you can define your idea in wonderful enough information, the suggestion after that goes beyond to one more level. It comes to be the start of your invention.

Rick Receptacle's suggestion was easy: "I need to stop losing my analysis glasses.".

He included information to that idea, enough to ultimately think of readers, his invention. Now I'm not Rick, yet allow's go through what that may have appeared like.

One night, Rick was being in his love seat catching up on "Freeway To Sell.".

A commercial came on, and that was Rick's sign to pick up his tablet computer as well as catch up on the information of the day.

As he clicked the CNN application he understood he didn't have his reading glasses.

He frisked his lap fruitless.

He viewed on the coffee table; absolutely nothing. Nightstand; no-go. Where are those checking out glasses?

Inventors, this is what's called a "pain point.".

If you're actively seeking concepts for brand-new inventions, they are all over - you simply have to maintain your eyes peeled for the discomfort points.

Exactly how do you recognize it's a discomfort point?

Great concern, easy solution.

If you feel annoyed incidentally something functions or by something that maintains happening (like shedding your analysis glasses while you're viewing TV), think of your concern on a larger scale. Do you believe more people are shedding their glasses? If indeed, after that continue!

What's next?

Well, Rick needed to detail the issue as well as consider just how to solve it. He did this with solid documentation as well as a thorough focus being paid to it daily.

In his case, the solution was magnetized. Currently, did Rick invent the magnet? No, not.

An additional idea: You can utilize existing items or inventions as an item of your remedy. Yet as you are detailing your idea, you must specify precisely just how it is utilized and why your invention is still one-of-a-kind.

Documenting Your Invention Concept.

The recording is a vital component of the creating procedure.

At some point, you may need to count on your documentation throughout situations such as legal process or establishing or preserving legal rights to your invention.

You have to record your activities correctly - your paperwork may someday need to be valued in court and you must keep that in mind as you're working on it.

Due to the implications of your idea documentation, the most effective technique - and essentially a should - is to record whatever in an innovator's journal. This ought to be a bound publication with phoned number pages and every web page and also note need to be dated

Advantages Of Invention Idea Paperwork.

There are some benefits to recording your suggestions as you relocate through the stages of the invention process.

1) Evidence - Every patent should divulge the innovators of the concept, and also your journal can show your "inventorship".

2) Expedite the patent procedure - A well-documented invention idea aids improve the process when you fill in your patent application. This is a means you can conserve time and money in the future - 2 very important assets.

3) Assume and re-think your idea - Writing forces you to analyze your tasks and concepts to clarify what it is that you have developed. This process can evoke further ideas on how to change or enhance your preliminary vision.

4) Sanity - Documentation aids you remember what you have done and also considered in the past and also prevents unnecessary redundancies in your job.

5) Taxes - If the moment you have invested ideating and creating is part of a company, you may have the ability to look for tax reductions for the expenses that you incur. You ought to speak to your accounting professional concerning whether or not this relates to you.

File Your Idea With this Information.

The objective of describing out your suggestion for an invention is to broaden so deeply right into the concept of why your idea is such a fantastic invention, as well as what it addresses, that any individual that reads it will completely understand the description and agree with you that your suggestion requires to be an invention; it can much better the world, even if in some small way.

When you have sufficient information to accomplish this, you are after that going to be ready to patent your concept ... or your invention ... it's a type of both at this moment.

Here are some of the information you'll require your concept. Make this you are 'at minimum' checklist as well as, based upon your invention as well as category, increase upon it as essential: also check https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/InventHelp-Reviews-E152162.htm

1. A stellar description of what your suggestion is and what it does (you will require this for the Requirements part of your patent application so it isn't for naught or flair - do a fantastic work). Below is a fantastic rundown of what your summary can include: Title or name of your suggestion; the technological field as well as the group it falls under; background information on prior art, previous licenses or licenses pending (in various other words, just how have others attempted to resolve something like this); the trouble or test your concept will certainly attend to as well as just how you will certainly address it in different ways and effectively (because your suggestion requires to be one-of-a-kind); an example or two of usage situations for your suggestion.

2. Illustrations, layouts, as well as illustrations of exactly how it functions and also what it resembles. Measurements are good right here too so all can imagine and also conceive the size of the real-life model. You can describe your invention's representations in your description. As well as remember this suggestion: Even more is more. The even more pictures and also representations you have, the far better you will certainly see your idea, as well as the much better someone else can translate what your suggestion is and does. (By law, you will certainly need a minimum of one attracting to request the patent).

3. Try to list products in as much deepness as feasible. Talk concerning the details of each part and also exactly how they fit together as well as function together.

4. Various "personifications," or versions, of the invention idea. The hard truth is, not everyone will see points your method. Your concept, albeit proprietary to you, can be changed. You'll intend to account for the potential variations of your invention. The main factor is simple: If you do not describe variations of your invention and someone else has essentially the very same invention however various means of creating it, after that it is no more your invention (particularly with the First to Submit (FTF) laws).

5. Days. Every little thing needs to have a day. Every suggestion, every representation, every idea, and also every time you go back as well as erase believed from a previous day - sign as well as date whatever.

6. The target market of your invention. You'll intend to think about your end-users, your customers, as well as any individual else in the circle of impact. If you have developed a kind of apparel, you're listing out that wears it, but additionally, that might produce it, that may buy it for the individual who wears it, what it takes on - any person you assume your product pertains to.

If you've completed this listing for your suggestion, you're well on your means of filing a patent as well as having an invention of your very own. If you would certainly like to assist with obtaining a patent or submitting your application, allow us to recognize what we can do to sustain you.

My tip is not to hurry this part of the process.

Complete the workouts, take some time away, and after that revisit what you created. Your detailed summary and layouts must make your idea implementable by anybody that uses it.

Keep in mind, when you file your patent you can't make changes. The application you submit becomes your patent.

You want to be double and also three-way certain you have the information you require around your concept in that application.

#technology #inventors #patent #inventions #InventHelp #ideas #Crunchbase

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its-all-ineffable · 4 years ago

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TUA 1x01 Review: ‘We Only See Each Other At Weddings & Funerals’

The opening scene got me hooked immediately! Kudos to the young girl at the pool, she’s absolutely brilliant at conveying a sweet, innocent romance and then the fear of suddenly and unexpectedly giving birth! The girl and guy are a very cute couple, and I kinda wanna know more about them. And the concern that the guy shows when the girl doesn’t surface immediately after she’s jumped in the pool is so sweet. Also, those women in the pool are hilarious! They all scream in horror when they see the girl start to give birth in the pool and the next scene they're crowded around her, patting her hair and holding her hand! I do feel sorry for the girl though - I personally headcannon that she’s Vanya’s mother. They’re in Russia, as we can tell because they’re all speaking Russian, and Vanya is a diminutive form of the Russian (among others) name Ivan. It’s just an idea, but I like it!

Pogo’s VO (though of course, we don’t know it’s Pogo at this time) is nice - he’s got the kind of soothing and authoritative voice that makes you feel like everything’s gonna be okay. Nice bit of exposition too! ‘HE GOT SEVEN OF THEM’ hahahahaha!! Love the overdramatic text on-screen! Also, ‘Picture Book’ by The Kinks fits so nicely in this scene, the lyrics are a beautiful juxtaposition for the ‘family’ that they become and all the actors manage to walk perfectly on the beat. The swinging arms from Reginald though - every inch the pompous idiot we love to hate already! Though the nannies have some pomp and swagger too. Imagine how weird it’d be to see the Monoply man walking down the street followed by 7 women in the same outfit with prams though? The small, ridiculous moments make the series!

The intro to the siblings is one of my favourite moments in the entire series! It’s beautifully acted and edited and the music is perfect. When we see Vanya for the first time, the blue lighting she’s framed adds a sense of melancholy too the scene, and perfectly sets her up as a lonely woman and an outsider. Ahh, Tom Hopper! And his butt scratching! Love Luther’s intro, Vanya still playing the slow, melancholy music, emphasising that he’s lonely too. Bless him. As we move to Diego, bass, guitar and drums join the violin, which I love, as it gives the music a more dangerous and frantic edge to showcase what sort of person Diego is. Also, what a badass rip-off Batman with a Robin mask! Go Diego! Then we have Allison, appearing in that frankly stunning dress! The violin gets a solo her, possibly to emphasise her fame? Love how gorgeous and stylish she is. Those paps get on my nerves though, the fucking assholes. The music switches again, to a more sombre violin melody for Klaus, indicating his BAG of trauma. The music changes are very cleverly done. Also, the “I believe in you! You, not so much.” - instantly my fave!! And his outfit is on point! And, I just noticed that when the clinic worker says “Stay sober.”, Klaus just shakes his head!

Then we go back to a nice, slow violin solo, indicating loneliness. Poor Luther, stranded on the moon all alone. Though, he’s the only one that finds out about Reginald’s death directly?! The others all find out from the TV, or in Allison’s case, the paps! Who’s the favourite son?! Also, those paps? Twats! Insensitive twats! Ugh! Moving on - love the rock version of ‘The Music of the Night’ that starts playing when Klaus gets resuscitated! It works so well with the scene and his manic attitude. The way he high fives the paramedic makes me laugh every time though! I love Klaus, can you tell? A very solid introduction to Klaus’ character, to all of them in fact. The finish with Vanya’s sad sounding solo is a beautiful end to the scene. Also, when the lights go off and we have the establishing shot of the theatre, Vanya looks so small and alone. I just want to wrap her in a hug and tell her that everything will be okay. The way she says “Dad” as well, so soft and sad, gets me. Bless her tiny heart, she’s so cute! Ellen Page is such a brilliant actress, portraying sadness, loneliness and shyness at the same time.

The way they show the passage of time through the photographs is really clever - a brilliant idea! The way we see 2 pictures, then suddenly one kid is missing and we get shown the solitary painting of Five, then we see 2 more pictures, after being shown Ben’s statute? Cleverly done, and deepens the mystery of the missing numbers! Moving on again - the house is a brilliant set and so well-designed. Mom’s intro, with her staring into nothing is weird, but we know right from the get go that this is weird. Another mystery! And the actress who plays Mom is so pretty! Just had to say that! Love her outfits too!

The reunion - when everything starts to go to shit, though of course, we don’t know that yet. The way Allison is cloaked in shadow on the stairs as she comes towards Vanya - like she’s a threat? Very clever. Also, the tone that she says “You’re actually here” in, bitchy much? But, siblings I guess! I don’t know, I don’t have any. The hug is nice though, and Allison makes more of an effort to interact with Vanya than the rest of them. FUCK OFF DIEGO, with you’re “You don’t belong here!” Stop being an asshole to tiny, adorable Ellen Page! The beginning of my dislike for Number 2, I’m afraid. Sorry, Diego fans! Not happy with him atm! Allison sasses him though, go Allison! And the way she re-assures Vanya. Bless!

Luther, WTF are you doing sneaking around? Hmm. Ah, and here comes the tense brotherly banter between #1 and #2. It’s pretty funny, but you can smell the rivalry a mile away! And Luther, just forget the monocle. Forget it! Jeez! Loving Diego’s sass though, very good at low blows isn’t he? And finally, the famous book - I’d read it! Looks interesting. I kinda want to know what she says in it, don’t you? And there’s Pogo! Is it bad that when I first watched this, I wasn’t even surprised to see a walking, talking monkey reach out to hug Vanya? Welp, I feel like that says something about me. I liked him straight away, he’s so kind to Vanya and his voice is very soothing. I don’t know okay, it just is?!

The backstory isn’t exactly subtle, the whole “How long has it been since Five disappeared?”, but it works. The whole interaction between Vanya and Pogo, when they talk about Five, makes me so sad for Vanya. The way she said “I used to leave the lights on for him” tells me that they had a pretty close bond before Five up and left, even when I first watched the show. It just made me feel for Vanya’s character more, she’s so sweet and she clearly misses Five a whole lot.

They all seem to wander round the house a lot, don’t they? Memories I suppose. The flashback scene here cemented my hatred for Reginald, it takes 2 seconds to say goodnight to your kids!! Fucking dick! Also, looking at the kids breaks my heart even more - Ben and Five are looking at Reginald all hopeful, Klaus clearly knows Reginald doesn’t give a shit, leaning against the doorframe with a ‘I don’t care’ expression on his face, Vanya hiding in the background, slightly separate from the rest of them. They break my heart. Great acting from the kids btw! And the way Ben looks back at Reginald, still hoping, and Luther guides him away - aww!

And back to the present - “Where’s the cash Dad?” Klaus!! XD The gigantic, adorable smile Klaus has when he sees Allison, and he immediately goes for a hug is so sweet! I get the feeling that Klaus genuinely cares about his siblings, but he masks a lot of his true feelings. That could be interesting to explore in a fic. The hug is very tense though - Allison recoils from him and awkwardly pats his back - as if she’s too good for him? Clearly not sure how to feel about him. Klaus in this scene is great, and was already my favourite at this point when I first watched. Though Allison does snort at his jokes, so perhaps they were close once? I want more Allison and Klaus interaction is Season 2! They could be an amazing duo!

And then Luther ruins the moment, with his “Get out of his chair.” Jeez, Luther, lighten up? Also, this is the first time you’ve seen them in years and that’s your opening line? Way to go big boy. I do love Robbie in that cropped shirt though, and the coat is awesome! Allison, I see you laughing at Klaus! I see you! Also - how the hell did that box fit in his trousers?! XD I’ll leave you be Luther, ‘cause you’re taking the piss out of Diego and it’s funny. Though I’m slightly uncomfortable. Allison & Luther stare at each other with so much longing, and I just...ugh! Also, I know this whole Patrick & Claire situation is supposed to make us feel sympathy for Allison, but immediately saying “shit” when you hear that he got custody, like - don’t judge? It could be a good thing? Don’t assume that Allison didn’t do anything wrong. Sorry, just, the bias. And so begins my dislike of Luther!

The tense silence in the sitting room. Family’s, am I right? Also, Klaus steals every scene he’s in, especially in that skirt! “And here we go,” Preach Diego! Here comes the family dysfunction. Also, how does no one laugh at Klaus? Can you imagine how many bloopers there must be? C’mon Netflix, give me! The family dysfunction is strong, though. “Sober up.” - it’s not that fucking simple Luther! There’s a long hard road to sobriety, even after withdrawals, so just shut up and leave Klaus the fuck alone, yeah? You are part of the problem, the reason why Klaus is the way he is. Just...can you tell I dislike Luther a bit?

And here’s Diego, who I also dislike, but at least he actually addresses Klaus like he’s a PERSON! So, I like him slightly more. And Luther totally suspects Diego of killing their father. None of the other siblings, just Diego. You can see it in his face. “I’m just gonna go an murder mom” I love Klaus so much! XD And the way they all file out while Luther stands there like an idiot...

The whole flashback scene, to the bank, is AMAZING, all the kids are great and its a great way of showcasing all their powers (bar Klaus’) and what they had to experience. Also, we get some Five and Ben content! Yay! Five’s sass immediately endeared me too him. Poor Ben “C’mon Ben”, Jeez Luther, do you ever stop being an ass?! And there’s Kenny’s mom, running out the bank! Poor Ben again, he clearly hates his power and using it. And being covered in all that blood. Also, can we talk about Klaus leaning on Five when they get outside?! And Five lets him?! I want more Klaus and Five in Season 2 as well, pretty please? And then here comes Reginald, telling Vanya she’s not special. Great parenting strategy asshat! Also, “six children”, GET FUCKED REGGIE! That reporter made me laugh though, the “Are you concerned about the welfare of the children?” one. Nope, no he is not. Take them away from him please!

Those posters, in the hallway outside the bedrooms, fuck, they’re disturbing! G is for gouge? Fuck me. And here we are, the ‘A+L’ locket. Slightly weirded out by it. Also, love the symbolism of the siblings being scattered throughout the house all in different rooms. Shows how fractured they are at the moment.

AND NEED I SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE MASTERPIECE THAT IS THE DANCE SCENE?!

“Daddy?” Klaus, I can’t even...XD What was with the fire extinguisher as well? Darling, I love you, but really? “Yeah, get behind us!” cough*toxic masculinity*cough! Now is not the time to try and be the alpha male Diego. Also, Klaus seems to have the most common sense - “I vote for running!” - yep, great idea! Common sense, folks, from the super high medium! Five’s entrance is pretty great though, but I’ll just say this - if it was my sibling that I hadn’t seen for 17 years? I’d be hugging him so tight, regardless whether he likes touch or not. Just saying. I like how we have Five falling right back into the family as if he were never gone, as if him being 13 isn’t a big deal, the banter is great. I also like how he doesn’t look at his siblings at all, and then he looks up for the first time since being inside, and it’s to compliment Klaus. Such a small yet sweet moment in the series. Underappreciated, I feel. Five doesn't seem like the type to give compliments often. The “Well you would if you were smarter”!XD 2nd favourite sibling, here we come! This whole kitchen scene was a great setup for the sibling dynamics.

The elusive Ben is finally mentioned again. Creepy statue though. I love the fact that they all have big black umbrellas, and then there’s Klaus, with his little plastic one with pink trim! Diego again with the impeccable comedic timing “He was a monster”. And Mom is adorable, I love her so much. Here we go with Luther & Diego again, I guess. “Who’s the alpha male? I’m the alpha male!” Jeez. AGAIN? You 2 ever even tried being nice to each other? The fight scene is pretty cool though, the choreography is really well done. I love how we see them act more like a family here too, Vanya pulling Mom back and Klaus shoving Five out the way. Adorable! Allison’s got some deadpan! Like it. Diego, why are you such a dick? Especially to Vanya? She was trying, is trying, and you just...I’m so done with you and Luther. And y’all just gonna leave Klaus out there alone? Nice. Predication...

This training scene, reinforcing how AMAZING Reginald Hargreeves is as a parent! The tattoo scene too. Poor tiny little Klaus and Allison huddled together, and Ben, Luther and Five looking so scared/nervous. The way Vanya is left out - again - and draws her own tat. These poor abused kids guys! I just wanna hug ‘em all! Also, watching your kids sleep? Not creepy at all! And back from the flashback, Vanya leaving because she keeps being treated like crap. You know in nature programmes, when the baby animals bully the runt of the litter out? Yep. Loving the way Pogo is looking out for her though, clearly he cares about her a lot. Better Dad than Reggie! And no one notices she’s gone, that’s nice.

Love the entire kitchen interaction between Five, Klaus, Diego and Allison. Family banter again! Oh wait, they did notice Vanya left, they just didn’t care? Brilliant. Great family. Also, does Diego always need to be such a prick to his sisters? Asshole. Though I like the way he treats Klaus - he lets him hitch a ride despite knowing that he could leave without him, and listens to him more than the others do. Though you can see David trying not to laugh at Rob’s ‘hippo’ line in the scene. God, he seems like so much fun!

The scene at Griddy’s is just, simply awesome. Love Agnes, she’s so sweet. Five’s fake smile has me in hysterics every time though! The tow truck driver is very nice, buying for a ‘weird kid’ he doesn’t know. The fight scene, again, is perfect, and the juxtaposition of the upbeat tune “Istanbul Not Constantinople” in the background, just...chef’s kiss! Poor Five didn’t get his coffee though. The quest for Five to have a decent cup of coffee begins! Aidan is a phenomenal actor too, absolutely brilliant! Love the tightening of his tie as he walks away, the cocky little shit!XD Poor Agnes.

The intro to Ben is funny, and cleverly placed so that it doesn’t feel forced, it just fits with the story of the episode. Also, Diego’s a dramatic bitch. But he cares about Klaus. So, we’ll see, I guess. A nice little interaction between 2 brother (3, sorry Ben!) that love each other. Nice to have a moment of the siblings being, ‘normal’, for want of a better word. Vanya and Five interaction, yay! “Rapists can cimb” - Five, no!XD Funny, but...Anyway, I like the relationship between these two. The way he comes to her and trusts her the most and lets her touch him and clean his wound. I love it. The flashback to Five hurts, because he really was just a kid then and I feel so maternal about that...I’m not the only one, right? Aidan’s phenomenal acting again. I love the cliff hanger of the world ending in 8 days. Got me hooked. Also, Van’s response is perfect - “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.” I love you Vanya! XD

Alright, I know it was long, but it’s over now. Thanks for reading all of it, if you did. I don’t know when I’ll get around to the 2nd episode, but hopefully it’ll be soon. Hope you all enjoyed my ramblings! x

#tua #the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy review #tua episode 1 #review/rant thing #hope you enjoy!

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littlemarvelfics · 5 years ago

Text

The Red Room

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: A lil violence, nothing major

Squares Filled: Memory Loss for @star-spangled-bingo and K2 Image Prompt for @buckybarnesbingo

A/N: I hope this anon is still around because I LOVE this prompt. It got away from me a little, but I hope you still enjoy it! You can find the image mentioned here.

Prompt:

Hey! I was wondering if you could do a Imagine with Bucky Barnes where the reader has a mechanical arm like him but on her right arm and was trained by Red Room like Natasha Romanoff... Maybe this is weird... Maybe they argued about some shit that happened to them in their past were they met up and kick both of each other’s asses and they both make it up to one another some how???? Idk know man idk

You jumped up from your cot at the sound of an explosion, the force rattling the concrete room you were in. You could hear people yelling to each other in different languages, instructions on where to go, what to destroy, but you heard one word over and over again. ‘Avengers’.

You grabbed one of the bars of your cell with your right hand, the clanging of metal causing someone running past to look at you before quickly moving away.

From down the hall, you heard yelling that quickly ceased and was replaced with the groans of the injured. You went to work, attempting to bend the metal of the cell, trying to free yourself. Normally it would have been easy. But the last treatment they gave had done something, your mind felt fuzzy, and you were unsteady on your feet.

“Y/N?” a voice spoke.

“Y/N? It’s me. Oh god. What did they do to you?” she continued when you stayed quiet.

“That’s not my name,” you said harshly.

“Then what is your name?”

You opened your mouth to respond, but your brain couldn’t find the answer.

“That’s what I thought,” the redhead mumbled before speaking into the air. “Steve, we’ve got a situation.”

You moved closer to the bars in an attempt to disarm her, but before you could make a move, you felt a prick on your neck as the world around you faded to black.

+++++++++++

Your eyes slowly opened, taking in the stark white room around you. It was vastly different from the cold, grimy concrete room you were usually kept in. You stretched the kink from your neck and got off the bed, pacing the room. You didn’t belong here. Something was wrong. You hoped to God you weren’t in trouble. The door opened, and you swiftly faced it. The red-head from earlier entered, a small woman in scrubs following her closely.

“Y/N, I’m Natasha, and this is Doctor Cho,” she said gently, gesturing to the woman behind her. “She’s going to examine you, and I’m going to ask you some questions, is that okay?”

You furrowed your brow in confusion at her question. You never got a choice. You gave a small nod of your head, indicating you would cooperate.

“Do you know who you are?”

You started at the woman called Natasha as you searched your brain for an answer. You were silent for a few minutes before shaking your head.

“That’s okay, do you know where you were when I found you?”

“A HYDRA base,” you mumbled. “I never know the locations.”

“Good, that’s good. Do you know why you were there?”

“A mission,” you answered quietly, momentarily distracted as the doctor poked and prodded you.

“Do you know what the mission was?”

You closed your eyes as you tried to remember the mission they had given you shortly before everything had gone to chaos.

“Assassination. A CEO funding the wrong cause, I don’t remember his name.”

“That’s okay. We’re gonna leave you to rest okay?”

Natasha started towards the door but stopped short when you called out to stop her.

“You said my name… what was it?”

“Y/N,” she said with a smile.

You repeated it back to yourself quietly. You continued repeating it, trying to force a memory long after Natasha left the room.

++++++++++

“Why is she so calm? She’s answering questions like she knows you,” Tony said as soon as Natasha came into the observation room, concealed behind two-way glass.

Natasha looked at you, a fond smile playing on her lips.

“She’s a few years younger than me. She was trained with me, we spent time in The Red Room together. Once I graduated, I never saw her again. Not until now.”

“That doesn’t explain why she’s so… docile,” Steve interjected.

“Part of it has to do with the sedatives I’ve given her,” Doctor Cho explained. “As far as I can tell, her memory was recently wiped. They may not have given her the drugs necessary for her mission.”

“What do you mean? I thought she was like Bucky?” Steve asked.

“She is, in part. She has a version of the serum running through her veins. But I’m assuming when Bucky escaped they changed their protocol. She needs an injection of adrenaline and probably some amphetamines to put her into the state Bucky would be in if he were triggered.”

“So she’s just a normal girl?” Tony confirmed.

“Far from it,” Natasha laughed. “She’s still a professionally trained assassin. She can fight, shoot with deadly accuracy and she’s stronger than most. Just not super-soldier strong.”

“What’s our play, then?” Tony asked. “Chances she’s screwing with us?”

“Does she look like she’s screwing with us?” Natasha asked, pointing to you in your room. You were sitting on your bed, knees held tightly to your chest, mumbling something over and over again. She could only assume it was your name.

“I think she should stay here,” Natasha continued. “We can’t just dump her on the streets, and I think I can help her. Maybe find a middle ground between what The Red Room made her and what HYDRA made her.”

The rest of the group agreed, dispersing quickly. Natasha stayed in the room and observed you a while longer before making her exit. It was going to be a long time before there was any type of ‘normal’ in your life.

+++++++++

A few hours later, Natasha was in the kitchen when Bucky cornered her.

“What is she doing here?”

“She who?” Natasha questioned, playing dumb.

“Nat…” Bucky warned.

“I found her,” Natasha said. “She was in a HYDRA camp. I didn’t realize you knew her.”

“A version of me knew a version of her.”

“Explain,” Natasha demanded.

“She came to us after The Red Room. They said she still needed more training and they sent her to me.”

“You should talk to her.”

“And say what?” Bucky asked.

“Anything. She doesn’t remember anything right now, Bucky. I’m sure she’s afraid and lonely. You should talk to her,” Natasha repeated.

“I don’t even know her name,” Bucky mumbled sadly. “They told me to call her brigadier.”

“Y/N. Her name is Y/N,” Natasha said, rubbing his arm. “When she was with you, did she have…”

“Did she have what?” Bucky asked, suddenly worried. Throughout the year and a half of training you, Bucky had developed feelings for you. Or at least what feelings he could manage. He remembered tearing apart the room the two of you trained in until they restrained him and made a mess of his brain again. He never forgot you, not really anyway.

“She has a metal arm Buck. Her right one.”

“No,” he whispered. “No, she didn’t have that when I knew her.”

“We found her file. It didn’t take long,” Natasha confessed. “I haven’t read all of it, but they didn’t have a reason to take her arm Bucky… they just did.”

Bucky closed his eyes and let out a breath. He thought of the pain you must be in, probably a pain similar to his own. The constant aches, the uneven weight, the hot burn he felt where metal met flesh. Bucky had made his peace with his arm, it was a part of him, an almost necessary part from what he read in his medical file from the 40’s. But he couldn’t imagine how you would feel, knowing that your body was ripped from you in more ways than one.

“Don’t tell her, not yet,” Bucky said. “I want to help.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” Natasha said with a smile.

+++++++++

When Natasha introduced you to Bucky, you didn’t show any recognition, but it didn’t stop her from pestering Bucky to tell you about your history with each other. Bucky had said it was only training, but from the sadness in his eyes, Natasha could tell it was more. Every time you fell back into your old habits, not speaking, not moving, barely even breathing until you were told to do something, Natasha saw how much it hurt Bucky. All any of the team could do was slowly work with you until things started to get better.

Two months after your arrival to the compound, you were less skittish around everyone, Steve had even made you laugh earlier that day, a rare occurrence. You and Natasha were going for a run around the compound when she saw Bucky watching you carefully. She rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention back to you.

“There’s something I should confess,” she said, slowing her run to a light jog.

“That can’t be good,” you mumbled, looking over at her.

“I have your file. I know you can’t remember some things. Maybe it will help fill in some gaps,” she suggested.

You shrugged a shoulder.

“Can’t hurt,” you said simply.

++++++++

When you returned to your room a few hours later, there was a worn file on your desk, your name written boldly along the side. You picked it up and took a deep breath. You flipped it open and started reading. The first few pages weren’t helpful, information on your parents and where you came from, things you didn’t care to remember. You knew you were orphaned- that was enough for you. The next few pages were about your Red Room training. You remembered some of that, not enough to remember Natasha or anyone specific but the blurs of training and correction flashed through your mind.

As you flipped to the next page, a picture fell out. You weren’t in it and assumed it had been shoved into the file by mistake. Before you could put it back, you stared at it intently. Something seemed familiar. You squinted at the picture, it was worn, but you could make out that it was Natasha and Bucky. Natasha looked younger in the photo, you knew she used to work with Bucky on the occasional mission, she had told you that much. But what struck you was Bucky. He looked different somehow. You gasped and brought your hand to cover your mouth when the realization hit you. You knew him. You hadn’t seen him in uniform before today.

You closed your eyes as the memories washed over you. They had told you that you were to be trained by someone new, injecting you with whatever sludge they concocted that day before sending you off. That’s where you met him- the asset. He was tough, always working you hard, disciplining you when you failed to meet his expectations. You could almost feel the crack of his palm against your cheek now. After a few months of training, the discipline came less often than rewards, which usually came in the form of the asset buried between your legs. They didn’t tell you it would be your last session with him until after. When you tried to fight your way back to him, they sedated you. When you woke up, you had a shiny new right arm.

You stormed out of your room, searching for Bucky. You finally found him in his own room, relaxing on his bed, reading a book. He looked up at you as you entered, smiling until he saw your expression.

“What’s-”

“Hello, asset,” you seethed, cutting him off.

The color drained from Bucky’s face as he let your words hit him.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” you demanded.

“I’m sorry,” he said, getting up off the bed.

You backed up as he came towards you.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I couldn’t bare for you to hate me,” he said. “What I did to you… I’m a monster. You should never have to look at me again. But I just couldn’t find the words.”

You looked down at your feet and crossed your arms across your chest.

“Please, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you,” he rambled, filling the silence.

You turned to leave him room and Bucky reached out for you, dropping his arm when you flinched.

“You know, when they told me I couldn’t see you anymore, it hurt. It killed me Bucky. I missed you. I really fucking missed you. You gave me the last shred of humanity I could have.”

Bucky watched you closely, despair written all over his face.

“I think I need some time alone,” you whispered, leaving Bucky standing in his room.

+++++++++++

Later that night, you woke up covered in a cold sweat, your sheets tangled between your legs. You tossed and turned, trying to chase away the demons that invaded your dreams. Once you had returned to your room after confronting Bucky, you had read your file from cover to cover. You had inadvertently opened a door, and you didn’t know how to close it. The memories came rushing back, the atrocities you had committed becoming clear again.

You resigned yourself to your fate of a sleepless night, leaving your room to get some air. You took the elevator to the roof and sighed as the cold air washed over you once the doors opened. You walked out into the night, tensing when you saw someone else on the roof as well. The figure turned to face you, blue eyes shining even in the darkness.

“Hi,” Bucky mumbled. “I can leave if you want.”

You didn’t say anything, continuing your walk to the railing that enclosed the space before leaning against it. Bucky took your silence as an answer, walking towards the elevator.

“How do you do it?” you asked suddenly. “How do you live knowing everything they took from you?”

Bucky paused, gathering his thoughts before answering.

“I found new things, new people, to care about. I try to make amends where I can.”

“What if I can’t ever get back there?” you whispered to the night sky. “What is I can’t ever fix myself?”

“You will,” Bucky said as he walked up behind you. “We’ll all help you.”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. What you did… it wasn’t you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I should have told you.”

You nodded before suddenly turning around to face Bucky. He watched you carefully, trying to figure out your next move, expecting you to slap him across the face. What he didn’t expect was you throwing your arms around his neck, sobbing loudly.

Bucky didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around you, holding you tightly as you let your emotions flow freely.

“We’ll get you through this,” he reassured. “It’s gonna be okay.”

And for the first time that you could remember, you thought he might be right; everything would be okay.

#star-spangled-bingo #bucky barnes bingo 2019 #Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #marvel #marvel fic #marvel oneshot #marvel fanfiction #marvel imagine

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douchebagbrainwaves · 4 years ago

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HERE'S WHAT I JUST REALIZED ABOUT CIRCLE

It's hard to think of startup ideas. If this is true it has interesting implications, because discipline can be cultivated. Try talking to everyone you can about the gaps they find in the world, and this is easier for writers as well as readers. That means they want less money, but also that there are more and more valuable. When they go to VC firms. Anyone can see they're not the target market. If that's true, most startups that turn down acquisition offers is not necessarily that all such offers undervalue startups. That will change the atmosphere, and not before. The time required to raise money. Whoever the next Google is, they're probably going to have to be at the mercy of their own imagination. About 20% of the startups from preventable deaths.

Investors collude. If you look at the instruments. I didn't make a lot of time on the software. One could do a lot better for a lot of investors will reject you in a way that seems to violate conservation laws. I took embarrassingly long to catch on. I said in the second version, why didn't I have the easy confidence winners are supposed to have? It's equivalent to asking how to make a difference. A palliative care nurse called Bronnie Ware made a list of n things is a degenerate case of essay. Angels can take greater risks because they don't have to look for things that seem completely unrelated, like social networking apps. It's supposed to mean that a deal is going to be. Distinguishing between wise and smart is a modern habit. Dropbox: an SAT prep startup.

Philip Greenspun said in Founders at Work that Ars Digita's VCs did this to them. It certainly describes what happened in Viaweb. But neither should you let them run the company. Another drawback of large investments is the time they take. There do not seem to be superficial reasons. In the time of Confucius and Socrates, wisdom, virtue, and happiness were necessarily related. If you run out of money, you have to figure out what you'd need to reproduce Silicon Valley. I would guess that practically every Stanford or Berkeley undergrad who knows how to program has at least considered the idea of starting a startup means the average good bet is a riskier one, but most can upload a file. What surprised me was their reaction when I called to talk about buying you. If you look at the way successful founders have had their ideas, it's not the deciding factor. Everyone he knows has seen that picture. To evaluate whether your startup is worth investing in.

I decided the critical ingredients were rich people and nerds—investors and founders. It takes an effort of will to push through this and get something released to users. Google's founders were willing to fund teams of MBAs who planned to outsource their product development—which to my mind is actually a lot riskier than investing in a pair of 18 year old hackers, no matter how finished you thought it was important for a founder to be an expert in business. A termsheet is not legally binding, but it is a definite step. There seem to be ideas for companies, just things that would be the first to switch to it. And yet when they started the company. But Mark already lived online; to him it seemed natural. That may not be possible to do that completely. One of the two founders was still in grad school, but we're focusing on growing the company. But coming up with startup ideas is to work on a recipe site. This is one of the people who are committed enough to prefer that, and c only hire people who are committed enough to prefer that, and c only hire people who are really good at acting formidable often solve this problem by giving investors the impression that while no investors have committed yet, several are about to.

But I've proposed to several VC firms that they set aside some money and designate one partner to make more, smaller bets, and they bounced back. Even a bad cook can make a decent cheeseburger. Reading Fred's post made me go back and figure out if they were returning to work after a months-long illness. You could replace high schools too, but there are signs it might be as much as a half. You generally shouldn't pass up a definite funding offer to move. Start a company? But there are limits to how well you answer their questions. A good deal of willfulness must be inborn, because it's common to see families where one sibling has much more of it than another.

Recipes for wisdom, particularly ancient ones, tend to have a qualification appended: at games that change slowly. I don't know exactly what the future will look like, but I'm British by birth. No amount of discipline can replace genuine curiosity. Now I would guess that practically every Stanford or Berkeley undergrad who knows how to program has at least considered the idea of switching seems thinkable to me. You have to be generated by software, so we wrote some. The idea that a successful person should be happy has thousands of years, then switches polarity? This leads to the phenomenon known in the Valley as the hot deal, where you can assume that if you can't predict whether there's a path out of an idea, a working prototype; if you win an Olympic gold medal, you can be wise without being very smart. Judging startups is hard even for the most successful of that group by an order of magnitude larger than the number who want it, not how to convert that wealth into money. To count as research, the less likely it is to be something that could only ever have appealed to Harvard students, it would be an amazing hack. You're all smart and working on promising ideas. Something that curtly contradicts one's beliefs can be hard to sell. If startup failure were a disease, the CDC would be issuing bulletins warning people to avoid day jobs.

As I was leaving I offered it to him, as I've done countless times before in the same spirit. In a sense there's just one point, you don't really understand them. They insist on it. So why did I spend 6 months working on this stupid idea? Corporate Development, aka corp dev, ask yourselves, Do we want to keep in close touch as you develop it further. And not just because we make small investments; many have gone on to raise further rounds. VCs: How would you like a job where you never got to make anything, but instead ask do we suck? They say Yeah, maybe I could see myself—making at least 4 of these 5 mistakes.

Considering how basic a red circle is, it seemed surprising to me when we started YC. The last one might be the most progressive. You can't use euphemisms like didn't go anywhere for something that's your only occupation. One Canadian startup we funded could appear in a Newsweek article describing them as the next generation of billionaires, because then the cycle of generating new versions and testing them on users can happen inside one head. After they merged with X. So here's the recipe for impressing investors when you're not already good at seeming formidable the first time in history they're no longer getting the best people. I mean truly evaluate whether your startup is worth investing in, rather than whether it's going to take, and the doctors figure out what's wrong. Probably no one who applied to Y Combinator to work on projects that seem like they'd be cool. The only way to decide which to call it is by comparison with other startups.

Thanks to Patrick Collison, Jessica Livingston, Sam Altman, Robert Morris, the founders of Zenter, and Justin Kan for smelling so good.

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