#STORY - Vote For Vernon | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lovetaroandtaemin · 5 months ago

Text

An Autumn Surprise

Choi Jisu x Reader with a little bit of Chwe Hansol x Reader

Word Count: 5,057 Genre: Fluff with a hint of angst Rating: Some adult themes, MINORS DNI!

Summary: When Y/N goes home to her parents' house for Thanksgiving, her car breaks down. Who drives the tow truck, however? Vernon, her best friend Lia's older brother. He's hot, she would never deny that, but Lia is the one she really wants. When a party doesn't go as well as expected, the two best friends are forced to confront their feelings.

Warnings: Some suggestive dialogue, references to sex but no smut, Vernon is lowkey a condescending asshole, Reader uses Vernon to get over her crush on Lia and It Doesn’t Work, Reader is implied to struggle with comphet, Reader and Lia use unhealthy coping mechanisms to ignore their crushes on each other, some alcohol consumption, mentioned misogyny. Does awkwardness need a warning?

A/N: This is my entry for the K-Vanity "Fall for You" Event! Prompt list can be found here, and the event masterlist can be found here! These are the prompts I chose for this fic: Main Dish: Root Vegetable Rice - 'Thanksgiving is at your parent’s place every year and every year, you drive home to visit. What happens when your car breaks down and the mechanic who comes to save you is none other than your best friend’s smoking hot brother? You haven’t seen each other since you were in that awkward phase in high school' Drinks: Masala Chai and London Fog - “I vote we ditch the others and just do our own thing tonight.” - “You said what to who now?! Why?!” Side Dish: Kiss in the Rain - Kissing as a distraction + Magic!AU + Best friends to lovers

Before I get to the story itself, however, I want to take a minute and thank the amazing @diamonddaze01 for beta reading and giving such helpful feedback! Tara, if you're reading this, I really appreciate you taking the time to beta read for me. I really think that your feedback helped me make this fic the best that it could be.

Fic is under the cut.

Every year that you and your family celebrated Thanksgiving, something went wrong. Whether it was major or minor, you could always count on a problem occurring. For example, during your second year of college, you got pulled over for speeding. Nothing got you out of the ticket, not even the simple seduction spell you’d tried to use on the cop that pulled you over. You’d spent months practicing it on various boys in your class, but the officer that issued your ticket was completely unaffected. You were late for dinner that year for the first time ever, and your mom never let you live it down.

Last year, your parents’ kitchen caught fire while they were in the middle of cooking. In the spirit of the holiday, you were thankful that no one got hurt. However, you still spent the day with your neighbors that you really didn’t like, because there just wasn’t time to cook something else and none of the restaurants in your hometown were open.

This year, your car broke down just outside of your hometown, because of course it did. You knew that your car needed to be fixed, but you were sure that it could wait until after the weekend. Apparently, your certainty was nothing but wishful thinking. You kicked yourself for not handling it sooner, but it didn’t change the fact that you still needed a way to get to your parents’ house. So, you called a local towing company. While you waited for the truck to arrive, you called your best friend Lia. You’d missed her dearly while you were away for school, and talking to her was the best way to pass the time that you could think of.

When she answered the phone, she said, “Hey! Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. My car broke down, and I’m bored waiting for the tow truck. So, I figured I’d call my best friend and see how she’s doing.”

“Well, she misses you and wants to know when the fuck you’re planning to come see her.”

“I’m planning to come see her as soon as the stupid tow truck gets here!”

“The stupid tow truck should hurry up, then,” she said with a laugh.

“I know,” you said, drawing out the last word just so you could hear her laugh again, “I want to see my best friend already.”

The two of you continued to joke around and catch up while you waited for the tow truck to arrive. You hated to admit it, but you were too focused on how beautiful her voice sounded to really care about her playful lecture about how long you’d been gone. In your defense, though, she had the kind of voice that was sweeter than your favorite song. It was one of the many things that you loved about her, just like her smile that was like a ray of sunshine and her confidence that always served to draw people to her, including you. In all honesty, it was a wonder that you didn’t fall for her sooner than you did. She didn’t know about your crush on her at all, of course, since you were terrified of driving her away if she didn’t feel the same. It only got harder to keep it that way, though, when she told you that she loved you. Your brain knew that she meant it platonically. However, your heart didn’t seem to get the memo, since it started to beat faster the moment the words hit your ears.

Your conversation with Lia was interrupted by the tow truck finally arriving. You quickly hung up, telling Lia that you would text her when you got to your parents’ house. Then, you greeted the driver of the tow truck. When he responded as he stepped out of his vehicle, you could hardly hide your surprise. The driver was Vernon, Lia’s older brother.

You had no idea when Vernon started driving a tow truck, or when he started to look that good, but here you were. He looked incredibly different from the last time you saw him in high school, to say the least. He had broader shoulders now, and he had a jawline that looked sharp enough to kill. He seemed much more confident, too, and it was the kind of confidence that you knew made him popular with the ladies in your hometown. Sure, he wasn’t the type of person you typically found yourself admiring, but you did have to admit that he looked good now that he wasn’t an awkward high school kid anymore.

Vernon’s voice asking, “(Y/N)? Is that you?” is what snapped you out of your admiration. Right, you still had to get to your parents’ house.

“Yeah, it’s me,” you said, embarrassment lacing your voice. “I was driving home for Thanksgiving, and my car broke down.”

“One of your little spells couldn’t fix it?” he asked, obviously trying not to laugh.

“It’s not that simple, Vernon. Stuff like fixing a car requires highly specialized magical skills that I just don’t have.”

“Well, I would say that you probably should start trying to practice the kinds of spells that can fix an engine instead of whatever you’re studying now-”

“I’m studying potions and their uses in medicine, for your information.”

“Well, excuse me,” he responded, fighting back another fit of laughter. “I guess your lack of knowledge about cars worked out, though. I got to help a pretty woman out of a jam,” he added with a wink.

You found yourself feeling giddy when you saw him wink, though you didn’t quite understand why. So, you brushed off the feeling, and the two of you talked while he hooked your car up to his truck. After that was done, he drove you to his dad’s garage so that you could get your car fixed. After you were done talking to the mechanic that was working that day, Vernon asked, “So, what are you gonna do now?”

“I’ll probably just call an Uber to get to my parents’ house.”

Vernon really didn’t like the idea of you riding with a stranger, especially when he was basically done for the day and could drive you himself. So, he said, “Look. I’m really not supposed to do this, company policy and all that, but I could drive you if you want.”

You softened at the sweet gesture, appreciative of not having to fight with Uber to get a ride somewhere that Vernon knew the route to by heart from years of driving Lia before she got her license. With a gentle smile, you said, “That would be great.”

You got back into Vernon’s truck, and he started to drive to your parents’ house. During the drive, you took the opportunity to catch up and find out what he’d been up to since the last time you saw him.

“So, you drive a tow truck?” you asked.

“Only when I need a little bit of extra money. Most of the time, I work in dad’s garage.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I do. There’s something about getting a gorgeous vehicle up and running again that just makes me happy. It’s satisfying, in a way, to know that something I did with my own two hands made someone’s life easier.”

You wanted to be surprised, but you really weren’t. He’d always had an interest in cars, something that he shared with his dad. You never really had an interest yourself, but the way he lit up as he talked about the cars he’d worked on recently made you want to hear more. It was strange, really. Growing up, the two of you were never really close. Now that you were both adults, though, you kind of wanted to be closer. You would have been lying to yourself, however, if you said that his appearance didn’t play a large part in that desire.

Before you knew it, you were at your parents’ house. When you knocked on the door, however, Lia answered. You were surprised to say the least, both by her presence in your childhood home and her drastic appearance change since the last time you saw her. She’d dyed her hair a completely different color, she was wearing a simple dress that was the same shade of orange as a pumpkin, and she looked taller than you remembered because she was wearing heels, something you’d never seen her do before. To say that you thought she looked beautiful would have been an understatement.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by a squeal of excitement and her arms wrapping around you. It’d been too long since you’d gotten to hug your best friend, and evidently, she felt the same way. When she finally let go, the first thing she asked was, “Where have you been?”

“I had to go back to school!”

“Oh, so you can’t visit on the weekend?”

“Not with the number of assignments that I have. Weekends are almost always too busy for me to go anywhere.”

“Then at least call more often!”

Your best friend’s playful scolding was interrupted by your mom yelling, “Lia! Let (Y/N) in please.”

“Sorry, Mrs. (L/N)!” Lia replied before she moved out of the doorway to let you in.

As you entered your childhood home for the first time since your last summer break, you noticed that you felt more at peace than you had for the entire school year up to that point. Something about being home and away from the hustle and bustle of college life really just made you feel so much better. Especially when you made your way to the kitchen and finally got to say hi to your parents.

Before you could finish your greetings, your mom started instructing you on how you could help prepare the meal. You happily agreed to help, and while you did, your dad explained why Lia, Vernon, and their parents were having dinner with your family this year. They’d planned to go to Lia and Vernon’s sister Tiffany’s house for Thanksgiving, but plans were canceled because both Tiffany and her husband had gotten sick and were unable to host. You felt bad that they were sick, but you also appreciated that you got to spend Thanksgiving with Lia. After all, who wouldn’t be excited about such a gorgeous distraction from the typical boring conversations that filled the holiday dinner table?

When dinner was ready, Vernon immediately took a seat next to you, much to Lia’s annoyance. You wanted to ask her if she was ok, but before you could, your dad was giving his usual speech about appreciation and the importance of family. As the meal began, everyone went around the table and shared what they were grateful for. Your mom said that she was grateful for the home that your family had lived in for decades. Your dad said that he was grateful that his marriage to your mom had lasted as long as it did, and that she’d even married him in the first place. Lia said that she was grateful for your friendship, though there was a sense of disappointment in her voice that you couldn’t quite place. Mrs. Choi said that she was grateful for her book club, as well as the new things that she’d learned about both her friends and the world around her since joining. Mr. Choi expressed gratitude that his business had been so successful for so long, and that Vernon had so readily agreed to help him at the garage.

When it was Vernon’s turn, he made a light-hearted comment about how he was grateful for the number of gorgeous women in your hometown. Then, he turned to you and winked. His little joke earned an eye roll from Lia and a half-joking scolding from his parents. You laughed at his comment, though, and before you could even think, you said, “Well, I’m grateful that someone appreciates the effort I put into my appearance,” smiling at Vernon. When you turned back to Lia, however, you saw the dirty look that she gave you. You couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed, even though you hadn’t meant anything serious by it. You were just enjoying the attention and using it as a means to distract yourself from your more serious feelings for a little while.

The rest of the dinner was awkward, to say the least. Vernon flirted with you openly, you tried to match his energy while still maintaining conversations about other things, and Lia only got increasingly annoyed at your displays. You wondered why she cared so much, but in the end you reasoned that she was probably just protective of her brother. The two of them had always been close, so there was no reason to suspect that there would be any other reason behind her reaction. You had no idea that she didn’t feel protective of Vernon in that moment. She felt jealous of him.

After the meal was over, Vernon approached you and asked, “So, my friend Joshua is hosting a party tomorrow. Would you like to go with me?”

“That depends. Are you asking me on a date?”

“Well, that depends on whether you want it to be a date,” he replied with a shy smile.

You pretended to think for a minute before you said, “I would love to go with you.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up at 6:30.”

“That sounds great. I’ll see you then.”

Vernon, Lia, and their parents went home for the night, and you spent the rest of the evening catching up with your parents while the three of you worked together to clean the kitchen. They told you about all of the latest gossip at their jobs, and you told them about your studies. Your dad also snuck in a few comments about how close you and Vernon seemed to be, but you told him that you were certain nothing would come of it. After all, the only person you really wanted was Lia.

After your parents went to bed, you checked your phone and saw a text from Lia. She’d invited you to go shopping before Joshua’s party. You readily agreed, excited for some quality time with your best friend. For a moment, you even considered telling her about how you really felt. You immediately thought better of it, however. What if she was already dating someone? What if she didn’t like girls? What if she did, but she just didn’t see you the same way you saw her? The idea of embarrassing yourself like that was too much to bear, so you decided to continue to suffer in silence and hope that going to a party with Vernon would be enough of a distraction. Hell, maybe you could even convince yourself to pursue something more with Vernon.

The next day, you got ready for Lia to pick you up. When she got to your house, she greeted you with an excitement that frankly caught you off guard. Still, when you got in her car, she put on her favorite playlist before driving to the mall. When you got there, you went to your favorite clothing store to find something to wear to the party.

After what felt like hours of trying things on and hating them, you finally found the perfect dress to wear. It was your favorite shade of purple, and while you looked incredible in it, it didn’t look too formal for a gathering like the kind you were certain you would be going to. It was short, but it also wasn’t too revealing for your taste. The silhouette flattered your body perfectly, and you knew that you would turn a few heads.

When Lia came out of the fitting room wearing a black sparkly minidress with fishnets and heels, you felt like you could hardly breathe. She radiated confidence, and you couldn’t help but notice that her dress showed off her figure in all the right ways. Before you could even think to stop yourself, you said, “Wow. I’m jealous of whoever your date to the party is. You look beautiful.”

Lia blushed at the compliment, but she didn’t really react otherwise. You also couldn’t quite read the expression on her face. Assuming that she was uncomfortable and trying to spare your feelings, you quickly apologized and left the area of the store with the fitting rooms to pay for your dress. After that, you called an Uber and left the mall, choosing to wait at home for Vernon to pick you up for the party instead of waiting for him at the mall like you’d originally planned.

To say that Lia was confused by your sudden departure was an understatement. Had she done something wrong? She didn’t think so, but now she wasn’t so sure. She decided not to think about it, however, and focused her energy on getting ready for the party. She fully planned to dance the night away with a pretty girl and pretend for one night that she wasn’t incredibly attracted to you.

Vernon got to your house right on time, excited to escort you to Joshua’s party. Before you went outside to greet him, however, you did a simple charm that would make your makeup flatter your features just a bit better. It was nothing special, just something to give you a bit of extra seduction power. What could be a better way to get over your crush than getting under someone else? Sure, it probably wasn’t healthy, but it sure was going to be fun.

When you actually got to the party, the first thing that Vernon did was introduce you to the host. You’d seen Joshua around town, and the two of you had a number of mutual friends, but you’d never spoken to him directly before. When you did finally talk to him for the first time, you couldn’t help but notice how kind he was when he spoke. He had a reputation for being nice to everyone, but you really didn’t expect him to treat you like a lifelong friend rather than someone he’d just met.

After Joshua left the conversation to greet other guests, you and Vernon made your way to the dance floor. Once you found a spot with enough space, the two of you started to move, and he asked, “So, what do you want to do after this?”

“You?”

“Only if you play your cards right, gorgeous.”

“Well, I’m willing to play however you want me to, handsome.” You had a good feeling about how the night would go as you flawlessly matched Vernon’s energy.

The good feeling you had barely lasted an hour. That was when you noticed that Vernon didn’t listen to a word you said if you weren’t talking about fucking him, and the only time he spoke to you was when he complimented your appearance. For example, at some point you started to tell a funny story about going out with friends the night before you drove home. He showed no signs of paying attention to what you said at all, except for when he looked you up and down and asked, “Was the outfit you wore then as sexy as the one you’re wearing now?” You were frustrated to say the least, but you hoped that the night would get better as it went on.

Your evening with Vernon got even worse, however, when the topic of magic came up. You weren’t sure how it happened, but at some point while you were talking about your studies, he interrupted to go on a rant about how people that used magic for everything were pretentious and lazy. The rant felt very targeted and personal, and that was your final straw. You bid him a hasty goodbye and left him alone on the dance floor.

The last person you wanted to see was Lia, but of course, she was exactly who you ran into. Literally. As you wandered around the party looking for someone to talk to, you accidentally bumped into her. You quickly apologized for bumping into her, then tried to walk away. Before you could, though, she said, “Wait! (Y/N), can we talk?”

“Yeah, sure,” you replied, hoping that the anxiety you were feeling wasn’t obvious. What’s up?”

Lia wanted to ask you what happened at the mall, but before she could, she saw the look of frustration on your face and instead asked, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, just disappointed that going out with Vernon didn’t go the way I would have hoped.”

Hearing you say that the date didn’t go well should have been a disappointment for Lia. You were her best friend, after all. Instead, though, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit giddy. Partially to comfort you, and partially because she wanted to take the newfound opportunity for alone time with you, she asked, “You know what? I vote we ditch the party and just do our own thing tonight. What do you think?”

“That sounds great, Li. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Where do you wanna go?”

“How about that diner across town?”

The two of you made your way to Lia’s car, spending the whole time talking about the food that you wanted to get when you got to the diner. It was one of the best places to get food in your hometown, so “excited” didn’t even begin to describe how you were feeling, especially because you were going with your best friend. As happy as you were about going, however, you were also nervous. What if you did something that made Lia uncomfortable again? You didn’t think you could take losing her as a friend if that happened.

After you got to the diner and ordered your food, the first thing that Lia did was ask, “So, what happened with Vernon?”

“We just didn’t vibe well with each other, and it was disappointing. I’m ok with that, though.”

“Are you sure? It seems like there’s more to it than that.”

“Oh, there isn’t, really. I’m just thinking about other stuff.”

“What kind of other stuff?” Your face fell at her question, and she added, “Is it about the mall?”

“Kind of.”

“What happened? You kind of disappeared on me. I thought I did something wrong.”

“I thought that I did something wrong. You looked uncomfortable when I complimented the dress you picked out.”

“I was just surprised, honestly. You never really talk like that when we shop together, so I didn’t really know what to say.”

“Well, I should probably fix that. You always look gorgeous.”

Lia blushed at your words, and you noticed that she had the same expression on her face that she had at the mall. For a minute, you started to wonder if she liked you as much as you liked her. Before you could think too much about it, however, your food got to your table.

Unlike Vernon, Lia genuinely seemed to care about what you had to say. While the two of you ate, you shared stories about what had happened over the past few months while you’d been away for school. Your favorite story that you told her was about calling out a sexist professor.

“Hold on. You said what to who now?! Why?!” she asked, fully invested in the story you were telling.

“I told the professor to suck my dick because he was being a misogynistic prick, and I was tired of his bullshit.”

While you continued to talk, Lia found herself admiring your passion for what was important to you. It was one of the many things that she loved about you. The more she thought about the things that she liked about you, like your kindness and sense of humor, the more she couldn’t help but think that she really wanted to be more than a friend to you.

When your meal ended, you found yourself disappointed that your time with Lia was ending. Just before the two of you left the restaurant, you decided to take advantage of the little confidence you had left, and you asked, “Would you want to meet up at the park tomorrow to hang out a bit more? I’ve missed you a lot lately, and I’d really like to see you more before I have to go back to school.”

“That sounds great,” she said, pulling you into yet another hug. While the two of you walked back to her car, and on the drive home, you discussed what time you would meet at the park and what you would do when you got there. Just as you felt like you had planned everything out, Lia happened to pull up to your front door. You thanked her again for a fun time before you went inside, thinking about whether you should finally tell Lia about your feelings for her. In the end, you decided that you would.

When Lia left your house, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed that you weren’t going home with her. She liked you a lot, and she’d hoped that the two of you could spend a bit more time together before you had to go. She was excited about meeting you at the park, however. As she drifted off to sleep, she decided that she would finally tell you that she’d had a crush on you since high school.

The time came for you to meet Lia at the park, and you were already second-guessing your decision to finally tell her how you felt. What if she didn’t feel the same? You were terrified of risking your friendship because of what felt like a stupid crush, and you were certain that something would go wrong. Before you could panic too much, however, you took a deep breath and reminded yourself how long you’d been friends. You went to the same preschool, for fuck’s sake. A single awkward moment couldn’t shake the kind of bond that the two of you had. If it could, she would have dropped you as a friend years ago.

You decided to walk to the park, since your car was still getting repaired. While you walked, you thought about what you would say to Lia. You wanted her to know that you valued her friendship more than anything else, and that you were completely ok with staying friends if she didn’t feel the same way. Sure, it would be awkward for a while until you got over her, but you were certain that your friendship could withstand absolutely anything.

When you got to the park, Lia was already waiting for you with a bouquet of deep red roses in her hands. You panicked when you saw the flowers, since you didn’t think to get anything for her. Once you calmed down, however, you used your admittedly limited conjuring skills to make a stuffed bear appear in your hand. It was even her favorite color, bright orange. You were proud of yourself as you made your way to where she sat.

For a few minutes after you sat down, you and Lia were both completely silent. You both knew what you wanted to say, but neither of you wanted to be the first one to speak. In the end, it wasn’t what you said that got the ball rolling, but rather what you did. With a shaky hand and anxiety coursing through your veins, you held the bear out for Lia to take. The smile on her face when she saw it was worth more than gold in your eyes, and when she said “I love it! Thank you so much,” you couldn’t help but smile too.

The smile on your face got even bigger when Lia handed you the bouquet of roses. You knew that she knew that they were your favorite flower, and the sweet gesture made you want to cry tears of joy. You did manage to maintain your composure, however. Then, Lia said, “So, can I ask you something?”

Fuck.

You took a deep breath before you nodded. When she asked, “Why did you go out with Vernon of all people? You’ve never shown any interest in him before, so why now?”

With a sigh, you said, “I just wanted a distraction.”

“A distraction from what?”

“You.” Lia looked puzzled, so you continued, “Look, Lia. I like you a lot, and I have for a long time. I understand if you just want to be friends, but I thought that you should know how I really feel about you.”

Lia was quiet for a minute while she processed what you’d said, and you couldn’t help but panic again. Before you could worry too much, however, she laughed and asked, “Do you really think that I would have bought you roses if I didn’t like you too?”

You thought for a second before you said, “No, I guess not. Does this mean that you’d say yes if I asked you to be my girlfriend?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Then would you do me the honor of-”

Before you could even finish asking, Lia kissed you. As you felt her lips on yours for the first time, you couldn’t help but think that it felt different than when you’d kissed Vernon the night before. Kissing him was a mere distraction, a band-aid that you put over your feelings to prevent them from spilling out of you. Kissing Lia, however, was an expression of the feelings that you’d tried so desperately to ignore. Kissing Lia felt right, whereas kissing Vernon felt wrong in a way you couldn’t really put into words. That didn’t matter, though. All that mattered was that you and Lia were finally officially in a relationship.

You and Lia spent the rest of your weekend home together, just enjoying being around each other as much as you could. Then, when your car was fixed and it was time for you to leave, you promised to try to visit home as often as you could. She also promised to visit you on the weekends that you couldn’t visit her, and you left. As you drove back to the dorms and chaos, you couldn’t help but think about what had gone right this Thanksgiving, rather than what went wrong.

Thank you so much for reading! It is such an honor to be part of the @kvanity network and participate in this awesome event! I really hope that y'all enjoy reading my submission as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, please check out the other fics in the #kfallforyou tag! They're also in the event masterlist! If you would like to check out my other work, my personal masterlist is here. If you'd like to see what else I've got in store, my upcoming works list is here. If none of that catches your attention, or there's something specific that you'd like to see, send a request via asks or dms! If you'd like to be tagged whenever I post a new fic, comment on any of my fics, send an ask, or send a dm with the username that you would like tagged! Once again, thank you to @diamonddaze01 for beta reading! Y'all should check out her work if you haven't, she's an amazing writer!

Thank you again for reading. Have a lovely day!

#kpop fanfic #kpop imagines #kpop fluff #kpop angst #itzy x reader #itzy fluff #itzy angst #seventeen x reader #seventeen angst #vernon angst #lia x reader #lia fluff #lia angst #itzy lia fluff #itzy lia angst #kvanity #kfallforyou

13 notes · View notes

rjzimmerman · 6 months ago

Text

Excerpt from this story from Inside Climate News:

Sheldon Auto Wrecking is a local institution in southwestern Wisconsin’s Vernon County. It’s tucked in a lush valley just downstream of a 50-foot earthen dam, locally known as “Maple Dale.”

The salvage yard, which buys used vehicles and farm machinery in this rural area to sell for parts, has been in business for nearly 70 years. For most of those years, the dam—less than a half-mile up the road—has protected its yard of hundreds of old cars and broken-down equipment from frequent and sometimes severe flooding in the area.

The dam “was put in place for a reason,” said owner Greg Sheldon.

But it might soon go away.

Maple Dale is one of thousands of dams constructed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, beginning in the mid-20th century, for the purposes of flood control.

In 2018, five similar dams in the region failed during a massive rainstorm that caused property damage in the tens of millions of dollars. A study determined that several other dams in the watersheds hit hardest by the flood, including Maple Dale, were also vulnerable to failure but would be too expensive to replace.

As a result, local officials are voting on whether to dismantle the dams by cutting large notches in them, allowing the water to flow again, in a process called decommissioning. Experts say it could be the most dams ever decommissioned in a single county in the U.S.

And it could be a harbinger for other communities.

Although the county may be the first to take on a project of this size, it’s unlikely to be the last. Dams across the country are aging, and also facing pressures from urban sprawl and intensifying floods wrought by climate change. The price tag to fix what’s broken, though, is estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars, meaning dam owners could face hard questions about what to do with them.

In Viroqua, it’s also leaving the people who own property below the dams uneasy about what comes next—including Sheldon.

“To come along and just rip a big hole out and let the water run is a mistake,” he said.

Removal Plan Controversial

The southwest Wisconsin dams are among nearly 12,000 that have been built under the USDA’s Watershed Programs. Generally smaller and set in rural agricultural areas, they’re mostly clustered from the center of the country eastward. Oklahoma has the most, followed by Texas, Iowa and Missouri.

The idea for the watershed program dams arose during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Because there was little vegetation left on the landscape to soak up rain when it fell, there were several severe floods during that time, prompting federal agencies to look for a way to control the water.

To get the dams built, the Natural Resources Conservation Service entered into a contract with a local sponsor, such as a county. NRCS covered all the construction costs and helped the sponsor with inspections and repairs. In return, the sponsor maintained the dam for a certain number of years—under most contracts, 50—to ensure taxpayers got their money’s worth out of the project.

Since many of the dams were built in the 1960s and 1970s, said Steve Becker, Wisconsin’s state conservation engineer for NRCS, their contracts are now up.

“We pretty much told the counties, ‘You have full autonomy to do whatever you want with those dams,” Becker said. “You can maintain, you can rehab, you can repair. It doesn’t really matter. We’re out.”

#dams

12 notes · View notes

anti-romantico · 2 years ago

Text

[she doesn't have to know] seventeen mingyu

warnings: best friend younger brother AU (title is a little misleading lol), age gap (reader is 5 years older), oral (f receiving), protected sex, i suck at writting fluff but i tried, let me know if i missed something

A/N: feel free to ignore this but there is a funny story regarding this fic lmao. originally, this was written for seventeen's vernon, but after finishing it I just stopped feeling it and left it on drafts until I knew what to do, then I posted it, but tumblr marked it was "mature" so I deleted it. then I changed it for txt soobin, and I was happy with it, but when I made the poll I wrote svt mingyu instead and didn't release until I proofread it lmao and since some people already voted for svt mingyu, i decided to change it.

Also, I'M REALLY SORRY. This was supposed to be posted yesterday but I was so tired after work I totaly forgot :( I'm sorry

luv u, moon

words: 2.5k

Vacations for yourself, that's what you needed. And even though you wanted Lia, your best friend, to go with you, she insisted you needed this. "I promise I won't burn down your house while you're away" she said with one hand over her heart. And you knew you could trust her, you just were terrified to travel alone.

The hotel was gorgeous, with a beautiful view of the beach. You rang the bell and waited for the receptionist.

— Good morning, what can I do for you? — The young lady said with a pretty smile. You gave her your name and waited for your key.

The room was definitely your favorite part, you deliberated if it would be better to stay there all week, but of course, you were there to explore. Yes, the bed looked too inviting to stay there your whole life, but the many restaurants you booked were calling you.

You sent a message to Lia to let her know you were at your room and that you missed her, and instead of answering, she called; like she always did.

— Hi, babe! — Her voice made you smile. — How was the flight?

— Pretty good, you know I always sleep to avoid feeling sick. — You sat down on the small sofa and looked through the window.

— Right. Oh, guess what? Mingyu is also there. Not sure if he's staying at the same hotel as you, but he sent me a photo.

— Oh really? I'll see if we can meet up for dinner. — You said. Mingyu and you weren't exactly close. You used to find him attractive, but he was your best friend's younger brother.

— I told him you were there and he said the same. — You both laughed knowing the dinner will never happen.

After talking for another hour while you unpacked and got ready for your first dinner alone, you said goodbye. You looked at yourself in the mirror and admired the blue dress Lia gave you exactly for this trip. It was comfortable and made you look really pretty.

The restaurant was close to the hotel, so you walked there with the help of google maps. Once you were seated, the waiter gave you the menu and told you you just needed to raise your hand when you were ready to order.

The food was on another level, and even made you afraid the food of the other places wouldn't be as good. Suddenly, the waiter let you know someone was trying to pay for you. You looked at him confused and he pointed at the entrance where you found Mingyu smiling. You sighed and shook your head no and asked the waiter to give you your check.

Mingyu waited for you, telling his friends he would see them in the hotel. When you got out of the restaurant, you already knew he would be there.

— How nice of you, but a little bit creepy if you ask me. — You said when you were in front of him.

— Better me than a stranger. — He said and made a move with his head. His car parked beside the two of you with a guy getting out of it and giving Mingyu the keys. — Do you want a ride?

— Was it too hard to ask first? — You said, waiting for him to open the door. He laughed and did it.

— So, how's traveling alone so far? — He asked without looking, full attention on the road.

— I've been here less than 24 hours, but I think I can get used to it. — You said looking at him. Yep, he was still really attractive.

— And about the dinner the three of us knew wasn't going to happen... — His comment made you laugh.

— I can't promise anything, I've booked a restaurant for each day and I really want to enjoy them alone. — You said, not afraid of him getting offended, at the end of the day, he knew you.

— Oh no, of course Your initial plan was to be here alone, but since we both thought we wouldn't meet, I thought we could come up with something now that we did. — He parked close to your hotel and looked at you.

You checked your phone. — Today is friday, I booked for another dinner tomorrow, — you said in a quiet tone. — does it suit you on sunday? I've booked for breakfast.

— Sunday night... Yeah, I'm free. Anything in mind?

— Lia told me about these souvenir places all over the beach, and if I'm honest I was looking for an excuse to not do it. I'll get her something later. — Mingyu laughed. — I do want to go to the beach though.

— Then we have a plan. — Mingyu started the car and drove to the entrance of your hotel. He got down and opened your door, taking your hand to help you.

— See you on sunday. — You said before walking away.

— Oh, by the way... — Mingyu said, making you turn around. — You look beautiful.

You fought the urge to not blush. — Thank you. You don't look bad.

Sunday arrived really fast, but you didn't mind, the previous day you couldn't stop thinking about this... date? Was it a date? no, it wasn't, just hanging out with your best friend's brother... fuck.

Mingyu asked Lia for your number and sent you a message asking for your hotel room. Two soft knocks on your door triggered your anxiety.

— Wow. — He said when you opened your door. — You look really pretty. — You were wearing a black long skirt and white top.

You let him in. — What's with all these compliments, Mingyu?

— What? I can't tell you how pretty you look?

You sighed and crossed your arms. — Just... take that backpack and let's go. — You pointed at the backpack on the floor and opened the door.

The weather was chill, but you already knew, that's why you packed some cozy pants to wear just in case. You both sat down and you offered him some snacks, which he accepted.

You talked for a bit, enjoying the view. The weather started to get cold so you took a small blanket from the backpack. It wasn't enough to cover both of you, but Mingyu insisted he wasn't cold.

— So after that asshole, you haven't dated anyone? — He asked, flexing his legs and hugging them against his chest.

— I don't have time for that, Mingyu, and if I'm honest, none of the guys I've hooked up with made me think "maybe I do want to settle down". — He nodded. — You? I don't think I've heard about a "special someone".

— I had a girlfriend not long after I graduated, it lasted a year, nothing serious since then. — It was your turn to nod. Suddenly, you felt a shiver down your spine, making you shake a little bit. — We can leave if you want, it's getting late.

— Oh no, it's just the wind, I'm fine.

After a comfortable silence, he asked: — Are you still not looking for something serious?

— Not really, just having fun for now. — Your fingers playing with the blanket.

— Are you having fun right now? — And you noticed when his tone changed.

— You're my friend's brother. — The way you said sounded like a reminder for both.

— You can't blame me for trying to shoot my shot. I've been waiting for my turn for a while. — He rested his body on his arms, looking at you.

— I thought you got over your little crush on me when you got in college. — You turned your head to look at him.

— I thought I did, but then I saw you looking gorgeous in that blue dress sitting alone... like I said, you can't blame me. — He leaned his head to the side and shamelessly checked you out. — And maybe it wasn't your intention, but I can't stop thinking you dressed up this pretty just because you knew we were going to meet. — You stayed silent, trying to find the words, but he kept talking. — And I can continue with the cheesy talk if you want, but I really want to kiss you, at least once.

And you knew that if you thought about it, you wouldn't do it, so you just did it.

You shared a sigh of relief, letting the other know how long you were waiting for it. His tongue made his way to your mouth and you let him.

But it hit you. — Wait... — He started to kiss your neck. — Your sister...

— She doesn't have to know if you don't want to, even though I'd pay to see her reaction to this. — Mingyu pulled you from your neck to kiss you again. You put your hand over his chest and straddle him. — Uhm, don't start something you can't finish.

— We both know I started this earlier. — You said, admitting you dressed up like this for him.

— I fucking knew it. — His hands flew to your butt, squeezing it. — Are you sure you want to take the risk?

— Are you asking yourself... kid? — You called him the nickname you used to call him when he was in high school.

The way back to your hotel was fast, none of you couldn't wait any longer. You opened your door quickly and threw everything to the floor, you'd clean later.

You took Mingyu to your room and pushed him to the bed to straddle him again, but he inverted the positions, and you were about to protest when you felt his fingers brush over your underwear. You weren't ashamed by how wet you were, he even growled against your neck when his finger made the fabric to the side. He was skilled and you hated yourself for waiting so long to finally let him touch you.

He started with one finger, then two. The wet noises filling the room. You moaned out loud when his thumb put pressure on your clit. You didn't care if anyone heard you. You felt his fingers leave you and his body over you. You opened your eyes and you caught him licking his fingers clean. He lowered his body and removed your underwear, but leaving your skirt. You took a deep breath when his tongue finally made contact with your cunt, pulling your own hair when he opened your lower lips with his finger so he could have more access.

— Fuck, Mingyu... — You moaned when he gave a quick suck on your clit.

And it was like you told him what to do; he continued sucking on your clit while fingering you.

And just now you felt ashamed because you were so close. You pulled his hair, but wouldn't be able to tell him, your loud moans were his sign to know though.

He gave you a last lick before going up with you again. You kissed him and removed your sweaty hair from your face.

You pushed him again while kissing, pulling his shirt up and helping him to undress. You almost felt sorry by how red his dick was. You started to massage him slowly, then you grabbed it and spreaded to precum on the tip. Mingyu grabbed your neck and kissed you, making you confused, but you didn't stop to jerk him. His hand went to unclasp your bra without removing your top, not leaving a single doubt he loved the outfit. He massaged your boobs under your top and pinched your nipples, making you whine.

— I hate to be that jerk, but I don't have a condom. — He said, grabbing your hand that was still jerking him.

— You're in my hotel room with me dressing this nicely for you, what made you think I was done? — You gave him a quick kiss before standing up and grabbing a condom from the drawer.

— I'm so close to marrying you, woman. — He said, throwing his head back when you straddle him and slowly rolled down the condom.

Mingyu pushed your body back to the bed and pinned your hands over your head before penetrating you. His eyes on your boobs told you enough to know why he chose that position. But you couldn't keep your eyes open for too long, he felt too good inside you, you not being able to move added something to the situation.

The bed started to crash against the wall, and even though none of you would ever admit it, that turned you one even more.

His lips started to suck on your neck and you immediately moved your head so he could have better access to it. His finger went under your top again to pinch your nipples, making you moan and throw your head back.

— I'll never get tired of that. — Mingyu said in a whisper. You didn't answer, biting your lip when he gave you a last hard pinch.

The skirt started to bother you so one of your hands went to the knot on your right side and untied it. Mingyu pulled out and quickly removed the skirt and your underwear before penetrating you again. You pushed him back and rode him, both moaning for the new angle. You could feel him on your stomach, and while you were looking him in the eyes, you also removed your top.

He loved the view, he wanted to enjoy it every day and night. God, he was obsessed.

You moving your body up and down in a desperate way took him out of his thoughts. Your boobs bouncing were distracting, but he wanted them in his mouth. You pulled his hair when you felt his teeth biting softly your left nipple.

You grabbed his chin and made you look up. His eyes were dark and his lips were swollen. You kissed him a little before biting his lower lip and cummed. His hands went straight to your hips to keep the movements, making your whine for the overstimulation. But he didn't take long, his lower whines confirmed he also finished. And even though you were already trying to catch your breaths, your hips were moving slowly.

— If you're going to keep going, then I'm going to need another condom. — He said, burying his finger on your skin to make you stop. You finally stopped and pulled him out, making both of you sigh.

After that, you ordered dinner and Mingyu sent a message to a friend to send him some clothes and other belongings. The night was calm, and while you were enjoying your food, you talked about your lives. Kissed some more and fell asleep.

You woke up close to 4am to go to the bathroom. Carefully, you got up without waking Mingyu up.

You looked at yourself in the mirror and sighed. She doesn't have to know if you don't want to. Mingyu's voice resonated in your head. Maybe it was the best.

Mingyu's reflection appeared behind you, but you didn't turn around. He walked toward you and caged you between the sink and his body.

— Is everything ok? — Hi said, kissing your neck and playing with the elastic of your pajamas. He was teasing you, and you were a little surprised you were down for it.

You both shared a look in the mirror and nodded. You pushed your butt against him, making you bite his lip. Oh you were so down for it

#kpop smut #seventeen smut #mingyu smut #seventeen mingyu smut #seventeen mingyu hard hours #mingyu hard hours #kim mingyu smut #kim mingyu hard hours

125 notes · View notes

staytinyville · 1 year ago

Text

HERE IS THE SECOND SEVENTEEN VOTES!

This story will be based off Pygmalion and Galatea. For the short version, this is the story about a sculpture who falls in love with his art so much that one of the gods (I wanna say Aphrodite could be wrong) turns the statue into a human.

So I give you the other 6 members who did not make it into the voting last time. (Yes, I added Hoshi twice because I love me a Hoshi)

16 notes · View notes

zahri-melitor · 8 months ago

Text

Hugo results (and stats) are up, and scrutinising the results it is a VERY safe year in terms of winners:

Ursula Vernon, two for Naomi Kritzer, Anne Leckie took series, I haven't read the Emily Tesh but her Greenhollow books were similarly popular with the same crowd and Leckie came second. Lot of people voting very, very safely to have results that looked normal after last year's controversy.

Personally disappointed over the Graphic Story results. Saga Vol 11 is again a SAFE winner - Vaughan hasn't won since Vol 1, but he's consistently been nominated for 2, 3, 6, 9 and 10, and he very much stands out in this year's list as the accessible cuddly vote that is sufficiently SFF. Wonder Woman Historia came second and (bias but it should have won) but the voting public hate actually giving a winner to a cape comic in the Hugos. Last time one got past that glass ceiling it was Far Sector, and Far Sector is literally written by N.K. Jemisin - name recognition got it over the line. (The other two occasions were: Gaiman & Sandman Overture, and trying to explain the history of Sandman and this award would take forever but that one was half a lifetime achievement award for Gaiman; and Ms Marvel: No Normal for G. Willow Wilson, which still delights but astonishes me that it won. Accessibility, I guess)

I have not read the Administrator's report fully yet but glancing at the start of it I see they're detailing the thought process over how they treated the detected ballot stuffing, so that will be fun.

6 notes · View notes

jpechacek · 2 years ago

Note

Hello, forgive me if I'm mistaken, but did you ever do choose your own adventure stories via Twitter polls? I've been voting on Ursula Vernon/T Kingfisher's Book of the Gear polls on Tumblr (@bookofthegear) and was remind that I did something similar back in 2018-ish. Unfortunately, I deleted my account but I remember there was one story about the reader and some woodland creatures and I specifically remembered the neighbors Mr & Mr Squirrel

Yep, I did! I miss those.

#asks

8 notes · View notes

sauron559 · 1 year ago

Text

ELVIS 2022: ROLL BACK THE ROCK

Elvis2022 X Blonde2022 crossover

What if Elvis wasn't Gladys and Vernon's only son? What if after Jesse (who died at birth) and Elvis were born 1 year later Gladys had another baby boy?

(l own nothing. I only own my OC's. Everyone else are real people and belong to themselves. This will be slightly based off the movie and some will be original.)

CAST;

Robert Pattinson as Elijah Theodore Presley

[•THE FEARLESS•]

Ana de Armas as Norma Jeane Mortenson

[•MARILYN MONROE•]

/●ALSO STARING●\

austin butler . . . ELVIS PRESLEY

richard roxburgh . . . VERNON PRESLEY

helen thomson . . . GLADYS PRESLEY

tom hanks . . . COLONEL TOM PARKER

olivia deJonge . . . PRISCELLA WAGNER

The cast of Elvis and Blonde as their respectful characters in the movies, i only own my oc's and my plot verison of the movies, some of it may be original, but please vote and comment on this story. It keeps me going and keeps me inspired to write more, when i can of course.

#elvis presley #elvisaaronpresley #elvis 2022 #blonde 2022 #robert pattinson #books #music #gladys presley #vernon presley #priscilla presley #lisa marie presley

5 notes · View notes

17-todate · 2 years ago

Text

WEVERSE 🌟

230906 VERNON

🐻‍❄️ what you doing

💎 go to @.MTV’s Instagram stories to vote for group of the year #SEVENTEEN at the VMAS now.

🐻‍❄️» ok

💎 drinking tea in the mountains

🐻‍❄️» minghao why are you pretending to be wonwoo (op’s username is “It’s me wonwoo”)

💎 thinking of you

🐻‍❄️» ㅇㅁㅇ

💎 oh I had an interview

🐻‍❄️» oh good job

💎 sleeping

🐻‍❄️» wym

💎 I’m going to the hospital

🐻‍❄️» minghao hyung don’t get sick 🥺 (op’s profile pic is minghao)

💎 getting ready to go the academy… please cheer me on

🐻‍❄️» getting ready for academy fighting

💎 stu(dying)

🐻‍❄️»💀

💎 i need to go to the bathroom but Im waiting for vernon’s reply

🐻‍❄️» go quickly

💎 I’ll ask you the same question

🐻‍❄️» getting ready for the concert

💎 ver-vernon… it’s lee chan… dino-yaaaa🔥❤️❗️my phone reset and erased my schedule please tell me when it’s our the comeback

🐻‍❄️» yeah

💎 in front of Tokyo dome^^

🐻‍❄️»😉

💎 I plan on escaping work and seeing the world

🐻‍❄️» 라기 (op) imaginations will become reality

💎 are you the type to sing with a full stomach or empty stomach

🐻‍❄️» I tend to go with a moderately full stomach

💎 what are YOU doing?🧐

🐻‍❄️» getting ready for our concert

🐻‍❄️ I’m going to finish getting ready now. c u!

#I thought this was cute and had to post every comment #seventeen #seventeen (세븐틴)#seventeen translations #seventeen updates #17 todate #Vernon

6 notes · View notes

sonofcoulson · 2 years ago

Text

1948 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series 1

Howard finally opens the S.H.I.E.L.D. agency and makes Peggy director. The SSR keep the Playground base and are absorbed into S.H.I.E.L.D. as their research division.

Howard's greater authority and larger amount of resources from the government (as well as his own) allow them to pull in more heroes.

S.H.I.E.L.D. will fight terrorist cells and non-state actors, investigate supernatural phenomena, also deal with and cover up powered people cos the general public "can't handle the truth". This is part of their mandate from the government and S.H.I.E.L.D. is threatened with closure or refusal of funding many times for trying to circumvent this aspect of their role within said government.

Director Carter is trying to maintain a long distance relationship with Sousa and has to investigate the "hit" on Agent Thomson.

Zodiac is the main story for this series.

Zodiac is behind the assassination attempt, with the council of 9 previously being under them. Vernon Masters returns to do their bidding (never saw a body right?). Peggy's brother has been alive all this time and it was his redacted file that Thomson was to smear Peggy with and not actually Peggy's (Michael's name and d.o.b. were redacted just leaving the surname Carter and informants that heavily implied that it was Peggy). With the smear failed, the Zodiac group want it back, for safe keeping. Thomson is the only one outside of the Zodiac or the council of 9 that has read it, so he was supposed to be killed, but they hired Dottie to do it and she was able to make it look like she was trying to kill him without killing him ("if I'd wanted to kill him he'd be dead"). She arranges a meet with Peggy in a subterfugey way, info dumps, insists she really was trying to be helpful by taking the hit job, and manages to wriggle away again.

Zodiac is led by Marcus Lassiter (A buff Milo Ventimiglia with a cool beard). Marcus has the codename Aries and wears ram horns at the meetings which seems silly at first till we realise they are functional and they all have silly costumes. Marcus has super-human strength, which we don't see initially.

All of the Zodiac members have themed powers/tech:

Taurus (Cornelius Van Lunt) has bought his seat on the board and isn't afraid to use that fact. He has a bull's head costume. He also has dangerous horns.

Gemini (Joshua and Damian Link) are identical twins have identical costumes and carry identical dual wielding pistols. They have an amazing synergy when they fight as a duo. They only get one vote between them.

Cancer (Jack Kleveno) has a crab costume. That is all I have to say about that.

Leo (Daniel Radford) is a dude in a lion suit. It has a lion mask and an exoskeleton that gives the wearer enhanced strength, agility and durability.

Virgo (Elaine McLaughlin) has an extraterrestrial material coating her suit which gives her great durability and shock absorption. It also allows her to heal/regenerate herself or others. In my head, crab man gets injured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Elaine comes back and gets captured just to heal her secret crustacean lover.

Libra (Gustav Brandt) has a hi tec blindfold that allows him limited psychic abilities and a teleportation ring. Martial artist too.

Scorpio (Jake Fury) has a costume with venom blasts and neurotoxic sprays. Yes. That Fury. In the comics he is Nick's brother. Here he would have to be his dad. In the series he is only referred to as Jake initially to keep his identity a slight surprise.

Sagittarius (Harlan Vargas) has an eye mask that grants enhanced vision and tracking abilities. He is highly skilled with a bow and arrow.

Capricorn (Willard Weir) is green. I'm thinking they're an alien. This superpower ideas site says Capricorn might have shape shifting abilities so they could be a Skrull masquerading as a Willard Weir.

Aquarius (Michael Carter) has a water based costume and weapons. Michael was not happy with the smear on Peggy but went along with it for fear of repercussions. But now her life is under threat, so he leaves warnings for her to help her avoid getting killed. Eventually Aries discovers the betrayal and beats Michael to death in his secret apartment. Peggy comes across the apartment as part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation and discovers the body. She realises he was the one giving warnings (to help them avoid traps, ambushes etc) and finds a note he wrote for her when he knew Aries was coming for him. It's written in their shared childhood code. It explains his motivations (he was trying to change the world for the better) and gives some info about what Zodiac are going to do next. Zachary Drebb is the second Aquarius.

Piesces (Noah Perricone) is blue and looks like he'd be good in the water so I'm thinking Talokanil

S.H.I.E.L.D. discover there is an off-books SSR mole on the inside. They are furious with Flynn for not telling them straight away. Flynn thought it would compromise the mole's safety.

As the Zodiac members are arrested or killed during the S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation, Jake Fury is revealed as the SSR mole. He tries to escape with the actual Zodiac key but it corrupts him and he tries to incite rebellion within the remaining Zodiac council members to effect social change. This just causes everyone to squabble and fight. Aries finds this amusing, but comes for Jake nevertheless. Jake ends up losing the key back to Aries, but escapes with his life.

Aries reveals himself as an actual god at the end of the series. He was cast out by Zeus for causing too much trouble in Omnipotence City and bound to be peaceful. He has taken that to mean he can't fight personally and has been manipulating world events with extracts from the aforementioned Zodiac Key to cause as much conflict as possible. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team have been annoying him by thwarting his plans. He says he is tired of being subtle.

They need the whole team, including Dottie, Sousa, Thomson and the Howling commandos using Stark tech and the Human Torch (Jim), Union Jack II (Brian) and Spitfire (Jacqueline). Peggy also calls in a favour from California based Adam Brashear (aka Blue Marvel) to help take him down. As Adam was the love interest from the previous series, this risks embarrassment for Peggy and could possibly end her relationship with Sousa, but the stakes are too high not to.

Ultimately Jim is the only one not affected by the Zodiac key and has to go Supernova to knock him out. He knew he was becoming unstable and had been advised he might go supernova, he just decides to do it on purpose. Heroic sacrifice! The team is devastated at the loss.

A relationship between Jim and Jacqueline would be built up through the series so she would take this the hardest.

Zeus could come and actually bind Ares with power dampening bangles. This physically prevents him from conflict instead of just getting his word. He is captured and will not be seen again till Dark Avengers.

S.H.I.E.L.D. recommends Adam for a commendation and Jim for a posthumous one. The CIA intervene and say that not only will no one will be getting one but no one must hear of it. The existence of gods and aliens is very much covered up at the behest of the American government so as not to cause mass hysteria. No one outside of the President and the people who were at the final battle know anything about it.

Adam is told he cannot be publicly rewarded and is no longer allowed to fight crime (he has been fighting crime in a costume and mask to hide his identity) as the CIA believe the world is not ready for a black superhero. The President reluctantly confirms this. S.H.I.E.L.D. must assign him a handler (he is so going to fight crime).

As Jim was essentially a sentient weapon the CIA won't publicly acknowledge his existence and stipulate he must be buried in the desert in an indestructible airtight box. The President reluctantly confirms this too.

Dottie disappears after making a significant contribution and manages to stay off radar until the first Black Widow movie…

Peggy and Sousa decide to carry on with their long distance relationship.

Namor shows up when he finds out about Noah. He is not happy that his citizen was defeated and arrested and he vows never to return. He is also not happy with said citizen for acting without his consent and forces S.H.I.E.L.D. to release him into Talokanil custody. He is sorry about Jim Hammond's passing though and stays for the burial in a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. location in the desert.

Post credits:- Peggy calls Marlene Frazier and asks, as she has been with Adam this whole time anyway, if she'll be his handler. He comes home and gives her a kiss, they have developed a relationship while working together. She says she is happy to keep an eye on him.

2 notes · View notes