#Smart Roofs and Fabs

[smartroofings]

Discover the Best Residential Roofing Contractors for Optimal Protection

Introduction

Here we unveil the secret to finding the best residential roofing contractors for optimal protection of your residential area. Your roof is your ultimate shield against external elements and adds aesthetic appeal and value to your property. As a resident, you have to verify both the security and endurance of your roof. You have to explore various factors such as experience, expertise, and customer satisfaction that contribute to selecting the perfect contractor for your project who will meet all your needs seamlessly. Say goodbye to worries about shoddy workmanship or costly mistakes. Let's dive into the key factors to consider when choosing residential roofing contractors, the importance of their services, and how they can ensure the long-term durability and safety of your roof.

Status of Your Roofing Needs

It's necessary to determine your roofing requirements before starting your search for a residential roofing contractor. Ascertain whether you need a complete roof replacement for a whole damaged and fragile roof, roof repair are chosen when the roof is either minorly damaged or sagging roof or a new roof installation to protect the house from external and internal imbalancement . Finding contractors who specialise in the particular services you require will be easier if you are aware of the project's scope.

Let's pinpoint residential roofing contractors

After you've determined your roofing needs, it's time to look into suitable contractors. Begin by seeking advice from relatives, friends, or coworkers who have recently had their roofs serviced. You can also use internet directories, site reviews, and regional business listings to find reputable residential roofing contractors in your region.

Assessing Contractor Credentials

It is important to weigh residential roofing contractors roofing contractors' professional credentials to ensure you are dealing with experts. Look for insured, licensed, and bonded contractors. A legitimate licence indicates that the contractor follows all necessary regulations and guidelines, whereas insurance shields you from responsibilities if damage or injury occurs during the project.

Integrating Skills and Experience

When picking a residential roofing contractor, experience is key. Look for contractors who have a successful track record in the sector. Experienced roofing contractors have the expertise and skills required to manage a variety of roofing materials and fix any issues that may emerge during the process. To assess their knowledge and service quality, get references and examples of their previous work.

Obtaining Comprehensive Written Estimates

Before making a decision, obtain precise written estimates from several residential roofing contractors. Estimates should include a cost breakdown, materials, a project timeline, and any additional services or charges. To make an informed decision, carefully analyse each estimate and compare the prices, materials used, and recommended work.

Examining statements and remarks from clients

Customer feedback and comments provide important information about the reputation and dependability of residential roofing installation. Examine earlier client reviews on internet critique sites and the construction company's website. Consider hiring contractors who have a good reputation and a track record of customer satisfaction.

Do you want me to uncover the top residential roofing contractor?

YUP! The Finest Smart Roofing Contractors is a highly recommended residential roofing contractor to consider for your residential roof installation and services. They have a good reputation in the industry due to their superior services, attention to detail, and commitment to customer happiness.

You can benefit from Smart Roofing Contractor's wide knowledge, expertise in various roofing solutions, outstanding workmanship, prompt service, reasonable rates, and great ratings from customers by considering them among your options. Their commitment to quality makes them an outstanding alternative for your home roofing requirements.

Conclusion

Recall to completely assess any contractor you are thinking about, including Smart Roofing contractors, according to the above-specified standards. By doing this, you can ensure that your property receives the best possible protection from a reputable and trustworthy residential flat roofing construction and make a sound selection.

[chaisaidaw]

Read these cultural etiquette and insider tips before visiting a rooftop restaurant in Bangkok

Visit a ritzy rooftop bar sukhumvit to soak in the charming skyline. The imagination resembles a scene straight out of a movie. Before you raise your glass to toast the city below it’s good to familiarize yourself with the cultural norms and etiquette. Bangkok may have different tipping practices than your home country. There can be certain dress codes. Let’s uncover the dos and don'ts of navigating these elevated havens of indulgence.

What should I wear to a Bangkok bar?

The sky bars at Bangkok have the vibe of sophistication but the dress code tends to be more relaxed. Smart casual attire is generally acceptable at these place. If you want to enjoy a blissful evening that make sure you avoid beachwear as well as flip-flops. Also arriving at these venues with athletic attire is not a good idea. Go with comfortable clothing but it should look elegant. The idea is to choose an outfit that matches the upscale ambiance of the venue. Ladies can arrive in a chic sundress at a roof top bar. A stylish jumpsuit will do the trick to match the ambiance. Gentlemen can style a collared shirt with trousers to look fab at a roof top venue. 

Is there a specific protocol for ordering and enjoying drinks at a roof top bar?

There is no strict protocol per se to enjoy the art of cocktail culture. But follow some insider tips to enhance your sky bar experience tenfold. Take your time to get familiar with the innovative menu. If you are not sure about the options then ask the bartender for recommendations. They can customize your drink to suit your palate. When it comes to savoring your libation you should sip slowly to savor the flavors. Soak in the panoramic views with each indulgent moment. Drink in moderation as there is no rush to reach the bottom of your glass.

What are the cultural nuances while socializing at a rooftop restaurant in Bangkok?

Cultural sensitivity is paramount for Bangkok's social scene. Sky bars are renowned for their convivial atmosphere but you should respect the cultural norms of the local community. Avoid loud boisterous behavior because it may disrupt the tranquility of the roof top surroundings. When you try to mingle with fellow patrons think about their personal space. Embrace the spirit of camaraderie to make connections in a new city. A dose of cultural awareness as well as respect would tenfold your experience. 

How do tipping practices differ in Bangkok's sky bars?

Tipping is a customary practice in Thailand but the protocol can be different at each establishment. The sky bars here include the service charge in the bill. However, a small tip is always appreciated for exceptional service. You can tip if you wish to show appreciation to the sky bar staff. A gratuity of 15% of the total bill is a general practice but you can add more as per the level of service you receive.

Conclusion

When you are armed with cultural insights and insider tips you can enjoy your sky bar escapade in Bangkok. These venues offer a feast for the senses unlike any other. For an unforgettable rooftop rendezvous you can book your spot at Above Eleven. It is a top rated japanese restaurant nana. Located atop the Fraser Suites Sukhumvit this restaurant seamlessly blends the flavors of Japan and Peru against the backdrop of Bangkok's skyline. They serve delectable ceviche as well as savoury sushi rolls. So make a reservation at prepare to embark on a gastronomic journey like no other. Along with the new heights of flavor and flair you get to enjoy the skyline of Bangkok at Above Eleven. 

[cupcakesandtv]

I was gonna do a cute title like “Never Have I Ever suffered from poor plot pacing” or “Never Have I Ever been so attached to a character that it will slowly wreck the show.” But those were clunky titles and I’m not a tv writer (yet) so I’ll leave that alone. 

I liked the season more than I thought I would. I was worried that the Aneesa stuff would pit Devi against her in a way that felt icky. I was worried that they’d ruin Paxton. I was worried they’d forget all about the continuing grief journey. But they didn’t do those things. Well. I have some complaints but overall, if you’re not spending all your time drenched in fandom, it was good. It was fine. 

Maitreyi Ramakrishna made me cry. Poorna Jagannathan made me cry. Lee Rodriguez made me cry. Megan Suri made me cry. Also Sharon, Eleanor’s step mom? There was a bit where she got me really teary. Or as Paxton mentioned “puffy.” 

I laughed at Trent falling off the roof. I screamed at Paxton getting Regina George’d. I loved Kamala realizing that standing up for herself like Devi would was important. I chuckled warmly when Trent asked Eleanor to dance. 

Overall, it was lovely. 

But I think there were some serious pacing problems. It was smart to get the dating two boys mess kiboshed by the end of ep2. I liked that Devi herself was the snitcher and that her own hubris brought her downfall. She was not out here letting Zoe Maytag take her man or even pretend to. 

I didn’t like that we seem to have circled back to Paxton is dumb, doesn’t talk, only cares about popularity, and the show frames his attraction to Devi as only being physical. He liked her in season 1 because she was weird. She said things he didn’t expect. He got to be vulnerable with her. But I guess he just waited in his car for her all day (including having Chinese food delivered to his jeep) because he thinks she’s just hot.

I didn’t like that Ben is portrayed as not only attainable, but as the better match for Devi. The montage of things we see them doing is competing against each other, kissing, and like studying? It doesn’t seem like they have fun except when kissing. I feel ya, Devi, kissing is fun, but Fab is right, Ben’s grand gesture was dangerous and as boring as her dad’s daily commute. Fab is also right that Ben has never been nice to Devi and he’s been a jerk to Fab and Eleanor too. I didn’t see that improving at all over the season. Somehow they just accepted him into their group? Oh right, btw Ben still doesn’t have friends. He just has a different gf now. 

I didn’t like that Ben was the reason Devi was jealous of Aneesa. There were valid reasons that Devi was jealous of her and boiling it down to Ben felt like an excuse to keep Devi and Aneesa in conflict for longer than necessary. A lot of things felt dragged out and longer than necessary. But that’s to my point about the pacing and being attached to Ben to the detriment of the show. Why does Devi even like Ben? Literally what has he done? One grand gesture? And sometimes they banter. He still calls her “David” which still is so yikes considering how ethnic names are often mocked by white people. It’s like he enjoys having the high ground to be cruel after she hurts him. (The tattoo thing was mean in a way that felt way too much like he was rubbing her nose in it.) And even when they have those little moments throughout when we’re supposed to see that aw, they still like each other, they were just like him being the barest minimum of nice when Devi was suffering. I’m sure plenty of shippers will have list upon lists of things Ben has done and how he and Devi clearly like each other. But it was a lot of tell and not show. “Ben challenges me! I picked up 15 bags of trash today,” is such a weird way to think of someone you like?

The show’s attachment to the love triangle, and Ben’s part in it, will be the nail in its coffin. Just like Danny going off the rails and wanting Mindy to be a trad wife made so many of us rage quit The Mindy Project, the way they’ll continue to push Ben vs Paxton will keep us bored. 

Let me shift back to things I liked again. Absolutely adored Paxton’s episode. I know Chrissy Teigen fucked up and couldn’t be the narrator after all that bullying she did came to light but I would very much like to know what her script looked like because it was probably peak comedy. I feel like her image as a famous, hot asian american (pre the scandal) would have been a better fit than Gigi Hadid. But Gigi did well enough and I enjoyed it. Love that I nailed Paxton’s parents as hippies, it was DELIGHTFUL to find out they’re Jesus hippies. Can’t wait to write some religious trauma into Paxton’s story one day. Love Paxton’s grandpa and I liked how that worked its way around the whole season. I was impressed. OH ALSO SHOUT OUT TO GRANPAX FOR BELIEVING IN OUR GUY WHEN EVEN HIS PARENTS’ DIDN’T. I know I’ve previously said that I hated the idea of Devi tutoring Paxton. I think he’d be way too proud. But the show made it work in a way that made sense. And it was nice to see him come around to understanding he needed to do better for himself. I didn’t love Devi yelling at him that she couldn’t hold his hand forever but I liked the way it got him to see the reality of that point. He couldn’t use Devi as a crutch. He needed to do the work himself. Even if it was hard. I mean, he’s still a junior in high school and clearly he’ll be fine for senior year swim team but pish posh. It worked for the story to have that be a catalyst for him to figure his shit out. 

The “Crazy Devi” stuff really hit. I could see them building to it and I kinda hate that it never got back around to Paxton. I would have liked to see him assuring her she wasn’t crazy. Or even admitting that he started that nickname. (The whole time he was being ~mean to Devi it felt like the writer’s knew Ben was so awful last season that they had to make Paxton look mean too as balance but Darren clearly played it as Paxton being uncomfortable when he was mean to Devi. A contrast to Ben, like I mentioned before, enjoying being cruel to Devi.) I’m glad she went to her therapist about it though. I’m glad that Dr. Ryan assured her that despite her actions being extreme, they were based in pain and trauma and that didn’t make her crazy. The thing with her mom dating….phew. I have never related more, Devi. My dad died when I was a whole ass adult so my trauma is not the same. But the things grief can do to you: like say, when your widowed mother mentions a man more than once in conversation and you start imagining scenarios as to why she’s even TALKING about another man. I’ve been there, Devi. She was right to be hurt and mad finding out her mom lied to her. But I loved the way her Grandma smacked her and reminded her that her mother was an adult. Our parents are imperfect human beings like we are. They make mistakes, or rash decisions, and sometimes they do things just to feel. And Nalini needed to feel. I loved the way that unfolded. (Although I don’t think Common is a very good actor….sorry don’t throw tomatoes. He is very hot so I GET IT NALINI, I DO.) 

It’s like 1am so the last thing I’m gonna talk about is the made up hurdle of Paxton being embarrassed of Devi. I can’t believe they took an excuse that he made up to fool his sister last season (“I’m cool, she’s known for winning the spelling bee”) and made a whole goddamn episode about it. It was transparent as one final obstacle for Devi and Paxton to clear before they let them get together. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they ended up together. Him hitting her with his car and wanting to take her to the hospital, her demanding that he be clear about his intentions, that was all very cute. But Paxton has never been embarrassed of Devi. In season 1, he hung out with her without any qualms. He had her at the hot pocket. He cheered her on when someone tried to make fun of her after the party. Trent even looked UNCOMFORTABLE when he iced Devi out after her mom called him an idiot. His friends knew who she was and didn’t seem at all concerned with her social status. If anything, Paxton found that part of Devi refreshing. And in season 2, we’re shown that oh, during their brief time dating, he never referred to her as his girlfriend and oh Trent was always there. The explanation given makes sense I guess. But it doesn’t really. He wasn’t embarrassed because he was dating her and she lied. He was hurt. He didn’t even come up with the excuse of her not mattering to him until just before that car took him out. In season 1 when Paxton found out Devi had been telling everyone they were having sex, he wasn’t embarrassed. He was hurt. He thought they were friends. Instead, she was using him to raise her social status. But he didn’t rebut the rumor. He didn’t correct anyone! He wasn’t embarrassed. So this last ditch hurdle felt like they ran out of material. It was nice to see Devi stand up for herself and say that she wouldn’t just be the secret girl, but overall, it just wasn’t believable. Especially since they won’t let go of the love triangle and still left it WIDE open for Ben to swoop in next season. 

So while I’m glad they ended up together, it just feels like it will be switched up next season when she will inevitably date Ben. For some unknown reason. Idk he’ll probably cheat on Aneesa to kiss Devi. Again. That will probably set off more Devi apology tour and hijinks. But at this point, I’m over it. I think the show was best when it was about Devi (and Paxton) learning and trying to do better. But Ben really drags most of that to a grinding halt.

[lost-spoons]

So I'm thinking about getting a service dog for cardiac alert and a few mobility tasks to help with my POTS and HEDS. However, there are a few things in the way of me being able to get a service dog.

1. My sperm donor will not let me get a dog while I live under his roof. My mother brought up the fact that service dogs can be trained for POTS and my father acknowledged that and said there will be no dogs in his house. So until I move out, which isn't for another 3 years minimum, I can't get a service dog

2. I don't have the money for a program service dog. I don't have a job that can bring in money, because I can't work in most jobs that take high schoolers. Most days I can barely make it through school. I'm apparently a liability in the work field and won't be able to work on anything more then a stay a home online type job. My parental unit has agreed to try and get me on disability as soon as I turn 18.

I will have to owner train my service dog, and I'm slightly worried since I've only ever had cats. My sperm donor is very much a cat person so we've never had dogs. I've seen videos and techniques on how to train certain tasks and how to award a dog to get their desired behavior, but seeing it online and actually doing it is in no way the same thing.

There's also the point of which breed of dog should I get. People will usually say to get one of the fab four, (Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Standard Poodles and Collies), but I was thinking of getting a Doberman. They are an incredibly smart, loyal dog breed who love mental stimuli and are suited for mobility tasks. They are often over looked in favor of other dog breed due to having the Hollywood image of being violent guard dogs.

I've done my research on how to get a service dog prospect through ethical breeders, (find a breeder from the list on the Doverman breed club, what kind of questions to ask them, what are red flags, what kind of questions to expect the breeder to ask, what to look out for, etc. etc.). I'm aware that the first year tends to be the most expensive due to all the initial purchases, and am aware that the dog breed I've chosen can be a handful at time, but I really do think they will be the best fit for me.

If someone who owner trained their service dog could give me some tips for the future, that would be great. And if you guys disagree with my choice in dog breeds for a first time dog owner, please make your case. I would love some feed back before I dive in over my head.

[littlesliceofmarvel]

We Don’t Collaborate

Request/Synopsis: Steve has a romantic interest in the reader, and when the team is forces to work with the Fantastic Four, he becomes extremely jealous and over-protective when Johnny Storm keeps flirting with the her. She gets slightly irritated and kisses Johnny just to annoy Steve, but all ends well.

Warnings: Swearing

Pairings: Steve x Reader

A/N: This is my longest one yet! Ok, so I haven’t seen Fantastic Four in like, ten years, so forgive me if there are characteristic mistakes! This is also based off of the Fantastic Four movies with CEvans, Jessica Alba and those guys, not the remake from a couple of years ago. As always, gif isn’t mine, enjoy! x

THIRD PERSON POV

The minute that Fury had told the team that they were going to join the Fantastic Four for the next mission, tension had gone out of the roof throughout the Avengers HQ. They were used to working with familiar faces, the trust being put into each other and only each other. It was always a big deal when a new member joined the team, but now, having to join with another team was enough to get the entire room in a frustrated groan, Fury rolling his eyes at their reaction.

“That’s ridiculous,” Steve said, voicing everyone thoughts.

Natasha couldn’t help the sarcastic laughter that bubbled through her, “Fury, you really think we’d get along with another team of ‘heroes,” she added in quotations, “Some of us don’t even get along with each other.”

Fury rolled his eye, facing the annoyed Avengers, “I’m not asking you guys to get along, I’m asking you guys to have each other’s backs, that’s it.”

Tony and Y/N shared an eye roll amongst each other, knowing damn well that their combined sass and smarts would be enough to get the Four to reject them without so much as a second glance.

“With Stark on board, you really think we’re going to rub off the right way?” Y/N asked with a playful tone to her voice, making Steve chuckle slightly as Tony let out a fake gasp of mock hurt, swatting her in the shoulder lightly. 

“I was more worried about you, Agent Y/L/N,” Fury shot her a look, making her squint, tilting her head to the side, challenging what he meant. 

“Oh, please,” Y/N smirked, “I’m a joy to work with.”

Fury dismissed her comment and turned back to the team, “They arrive at the compound tonight, please make them feel welcome.”

And with that, he left the room, leaving the Avengers to sulk. Y/N was the only one who didn’t totally see this as a bad thing, as she loved challenges, and with the feeling that the Avengers and the Fab Four weren’t going to get along, she knew it was definitely going to something. 

She sat there, a small smile on her face and fire in her eyes as the team argued, and Steve couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She absolutely captivated him and every time he was around her, something sparked within him to want to make her smile, laugh, and make sure she was always safe. She was witty, sarcastic, brilliant, and one of the strongest people he knew. Everyone on the team absolutely adored her, but she caught Steve’s eye from the moment she walked into his life all those years ago.

“Well, while you guys sulk about this collaboration,” Y/N stood up off her chair, cutting off Tony who was ranting about why they didn’t need more hands on board, snapping Steve out of his thoughts, “I’m gonna go eat.”

Natasha stood up as well, “That sounds like a great idea, I’m with you.” Y/N walked over to Natasha and linked their arms together, walking out of the conference room, Steve’s eyes lingering on the girl who captured his heart as she smiled at Natasha. 

“Steve, are you on board?” Tony asked, leaning his arms on the table as he faced the blond soldier, knowing he was paying absolutely no attention to a word he was saying.

Steve’s eyes widened as he looked around the room, “Sorry, what?” Bucky scoffed, holding back a laugh at how obvious Steve was being. 

Tony rolled his eyes, “Of course you weren’t listening,” he pointed to the door Y/N had just walked out of, “Ask her out already so you can actually be focused instead of looking like a ten year old boy who has a crush on a girl way out of his league.”

Steve felt his cheeks heat up as he rolled his eyes at Tony’s comment, “Shut up, Stark.” 

-

The rest of the day went without hiccup. Y/N, Natasha, Wanda and Clint trained in the gym, working themselves to a near breaking point before ordering pizza and watching TV, like true superheroes. Steve, Tony and Fury clarified the mission that they were going on before joining the others in the living room. 

“So, quick briefing,” Fury stated, causing Clint to pause the Golden Girls episode that had stolen their attention, “Wanda, Clint, Scott, Reed Richards and The Thing will go with Tony. Bucky, Y/N, Natasha, Sue Storm, and Johnny Storm will be with Steve. Sam, Bruce, T’Challa, Parker and Rhodey won’t be joining this mission.”

Y/N raised her hand like she was in a classroom and Fury let out a sigh before he pointed at her, causing her to cock her head to the side.

“Yeah, so like, what are their powers? What can they do?” 

Fury pulled out a hologram and showed them the information they wanted to know, “Reed Richards can stretch himself like an elastic, Sue Storm can become invisible, The Thing is kind of like their hulk, and Johnny Storm is known as the Human Torch, self explanatory.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow at the information, “Human Torch, huh? He must be hot,” she joked and Natasha groaned from beside her, throwing her head back at her friend’s bad joke, “Oh, c’mon, it was funny.” 

Steve couldn’t help the slight sting of jealousy pour through his body at her calling someone else hot, but he pushed it back when he snapped it into his head that it was a joke. 

Fury told them that the Fab Four were showing up at around 8, and that a meeting was to be placed as soon as they showed up. Everyone took note of it and Y/N nagged Clint to play the episode once again. Steve found himself with nothing much else to do so he sat next to her, and she felt herself almost lean into him, but had to force her body against it. There was a certain feeling of comfort that he brought to her, and she hated to admit it, knowing damn well he was he weakness. 

“So, we’re on the same team,” Y/N smirked up at Steve and he smiled, nodding, “Guess we gotta watch each other’s backs, can’t trust these newbies.”

Steve chuckled slightly, “I’ve always got your back, don’t worry.” Her Y/E/C eyes sparkled at his comment, turning back to the TV as Nat gave her a small shove to the shoulder, signifying she was missing something. She gave her a look as to say ‘I was paying attention’ and Nat chuckled, shaking her head. Steve couldn’t take his eyes off of Y/N, though. Her bubbly attitude just captured his attention, and although she didn’t know it, she loved that she could always make him smile. Steve’s dazzling smile brightened her day, and his constant determination helped her break through when she first joined the team. They helped each other out in more ways than they could even know.

The rest of the team eventually wandered into the common space, snacking and browsing through the lame channels on the TV, awaiting the dreaded arrival of the Four. 

“Do we have to greet them?” Clint asked, reaching his hand into Y/N’s popcorn bowl, making her smack the archer on the back of the head.

“Yeah, we do,” Wanda said solemnly, “But no one’s forcing us to be nice, right?”

Y/N let out a small laugh at Wanda’s comment, “We want them to have our backs, no? I wouldn’t trust someone I didn’t get along with.” This was easy for her to say, considering everyone got along with her, but she was right. Going into something dangerous where you didn’t trust the people alongside you was a terrible combination.

“Y/N’s right,” Steve spoke up, “We want them to trust us, and we need to trust them, so making a good first impression is usually pretty important.” Y/N’s heart fluttered at how he sided with her, but she kept a neutral expression and shot Clint a death glare as he reached his hand into her popcorn once again, eyes focused on the television as he couldn’t care less about the drama. 

“Do we have to talk about this again? It’s not that huge of a deal,” he spat popcorn all over Y/N as he turned his head to talk to the team, causing her to flick him across the forehead.

The team realized he was right, that they were dragging this out to be a bigger deal than it should be, so they dropped the subject and went off to do their own thing, waiting for Fury to drag them into a conference later on.

Y/N waltzed over to the kitchen, stretching her legs from sitting criss crossed on the couch for about two hours, and headed towards the coffee machine, the smell of freshly made coffee being too much for her to turn down. She poured herself a cup and took a small sip, letting herself taste the delicious coffee without burning her tongue to a crisp.

“Good coffee, huh?” Tony smirked to her from where he was sitting on the kitchen island, “You’re welcome.”

Y/N rolled her eyes at his comment, sitting herself between Bucky and Wanda, facing the billionaire, “You may have built the coffee machine, Stark, but you didn’t invent the drink itself.”

He was about to respond with a witty comment, but was interrupted by Fury entering the room, gathering everyone’s attention.

“They’ve arrived, so please meet us in the conference room in 10,” with that, he exited the room, leaving everyone looking at each other before stopping what they were doing, making their way to the meeting. Steve rushed up from the couch to stand next to Y/N, but she was too focused on getting over there to notice that he almost appeared from nowhere. 

As they walked over, Clint mumbled comments about how he knew they were going to be douches just because they put ‘Fantastic’ in their name. Y/N chuckled at his antics, but noticed Steve was feeling quite the opposite. As he walked next to her, she could feel the tension radiating off of his body, and she placed a hand on his forearm, causing him to turn his blue eyes to face her.

“You good, Rogers?” She asked, her soft features laced with clear concern, making him melt on the inside.

“It’s just, the last time I led a team with people who didn’t get along, it didn’t exactly end the best, I’m hoping this goes better than we’re envisioning,” he said, turning his attention back to the front as he walked and she nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

“We’re not going to war though, Cap, I’ll do my best to play nice for you,” she smiled up at him as they approached the conference room, Clint being first to open the door and lead them inside. When they stepped inside, the four new people sitting around the table caught Y/N’s attention.

Her eyes dragged over Sue Storm, who was a beautiful blonde woman, her hair falling neatly over her shoulders as she sat upright with perfect posture. Rich. She noticed Reed Richards, whose messy dark hair and warm eyes looked comforting, but he didn’t seem like someone Y/N would aspire to be friends with. You already had a feeling him and Stark might not get along. The Thing stood in the corner, obviously too large to sit on a chair, arms crossed as his eyes scanned the room, a dull expression on his cracked face as he looked around. Lastly, Y/N’s eyes fell on Johnny Storm, who if she wasn’t mistaken, had insane similarities in facial features to Steve Rogers. She glanced her eyes back and forth between the two and Steve picked up on it, rolling his eyes as to say ‘don’t compare me to him.’ She laughed and took a seat between Steve and Bucky, the room going silent as Fury stood up.

“So, for introductions, team, this is Sue Storm, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm, also known as The Thing,” Fury spoke, “Fantastic Four, these are the Avengers,” Fury waved his hand to point at them, “Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Y/N Y/L/N, Bucky Barnes, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang, and Natasha Romanoff.”

After Fury made the introductions, he pulled up a bunch of files on what would be the upcoming mission, telling everyone whose team they were going to be on for clarification. Y/N tried her best to focus on Fury, but she could feel Johnny Storm’s eyes piercing into the side of her head, a small smirk on his face as he did so. She immediately felt a cocky vibe coming from him but chose not to focus on it, nodding along to Fury’s words. 

Steve also picked up on the way Storm’s eyes lingered on Y/N, his jaw slightly tense, but he didn’t want to make a big deal of it, so he let it slide as Y/N gave him a small smile. The rest of the conference went smoothly, no one ripping each other’s throats out, no one really speaking to each other even. Y/N was surprised at how calm Tony stayed when Reed Richards made a small jab towards Iron Man at one point, but really, she was surprised at how she stayed calm. Defending Tony was like instinct to her, so the fact that she didn’t launch herself across the long glass table and knock the guy out made her feel collected. 

Fury finished off the meeting with letting everyone know they were taking off tomorrow night, 7:30 sharp, two jets for two different teams, “Please get to know and trust each other before then.”

Everyone stood up and walked out of the room, Y/N walking next to Bucky who was upset at the way The Thing looked at his metal arm, a string of quiet profanities leaving his mouth, even calling The Thing, ‘the stupid sand guy’ making her laugh. Steve stood on the other side of her, not really saying anything, and she decided to break his silence after Bucky went off rambling to Clint about the same thing.

“Steve, did you notice how much that guy looked like you?” Y/N grinned up at the blond who rolled his eyes at her.

“Shut up, we don’t look alike,” he grumbled silently and she noticed how he didn’t seem to be in a playful mood, “I did, however, notice the way he was staring at you.”

Y/N scoffed, “Right? That was intense.” Right as she finished her sentence, Johnny’s figure approached the two of them, but his eyes were more focused on her than Steve.

“Hi, Johnny Storm, it’s an honour to be working with you guys,” he smiled down at her, making Steve instinctively step closer to her, Johnny’s eyes scanning her body.

Steve let out a small cough, “Hi.”

Y/N noticed Steve’s cold tone and looked up at him before turning her attention back to Johnny, “Of course it’s an honour to work with us, we’re the freaking Avengers, thank you very much.”

Steve loved the sass in her voice as she placed her hands on her hips, a small smirk on her lips as she faced Johnny, who raised an eyebrow and chuckled at her comment.

“Of course,” he smiled, “I’ve seen you on the news, you’re quite incredible.”

Y/N’s eyes widened slightly at his comment, not expecting a compliment, “Oh, I’m only good because I kick Barnes’ ass in training,” she spoke loudly, catching Bucky’s attention as he gave her a small flip of the finger, making her laugh.

Steve wasn’t sure how to feel about the interaction, he knew Y/N had a sassy, lovable personality, but she was also a natural flirt. She was charming, and she knew it, usually using it to her advantage when they needed something from someone, and maybe that’s what she was doing now, but the way Johnny’s looked at her, Steve wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and take her away from him.

“You should show me what you’ve got, then,” Johnny smirked, and Y/N took her hands off of her hips, crossing her arms as if to challenge him.

“You definitely wouldn’t be able to handle me, fire boy,” she teased, and Steve could feel the overwhelming jealousy pour through his body like lava, his entire body tensing up at the way she was talking to him, and he knew he had no right to be jealous, they weren’t dating, but he was so infatuated by her that he wanted to be the only one she teased and flirted with.

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll put this to the test, deal, darling?” Johnny smirked, sticking his hand out to which Y/N gladly accepted the challenge, shaking his hand with a small smirk on her face as well. She could feel the warmth coming from his hand, making her instantly relax, feeling somewhat at ease around him. She realized he was flirting, and she could feel how tense Steve was from next to her, so she thought she’d play around with this and have fun. Afterall, if Steve was jealous, it meant he liked her back, right? Now, if only she could get him to admit it...

The next morning, Y/N woke up with a headache, quickly walking down to the kitchen in her shorts and sweatshirt to take some medication, probably making herself a coffee in the process. She had agreed to train with Johnny this morning, but with the way she was feeling now, she wasn’t sure if that was the best idea, she needed to feel her best for tonight’s mission.

“Good morning, Y/N,” Natasha smiled at the girl when she entered the kitchen, stopping herself from laughing, “I’m really liking the hairdo, it’s very fashionable.”

Y/N rolled her eyes at Nat’s comment, trying her best to smooth out her hair with one hand as she searched the cupboards for a glass, “Sorry, Nat, not everyone is blessed with beautifully bouncy hair.”

Natasha laughed, pouring Y/N a cup of coffee, “I think that-”

The redhead was cut off when Tony and Clint walked into the room, arguing about which was better, Star Wars or Star Trek. 

Y/N let out a small scoff, “It’s too early to be arguing, you nerds.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, walking up to her, “Too early for arguing? Sorry, who was it that burst into my room at two in the morning last week to cuss me out about something I did in her dream?” Y/N looked down at the cup of coffee in her hand, slightly ashamed at her argument with Tony that he clearly didn’t understand. 

“Me,” she mumbled, defeated by his point. Tony let out a hum of content, turning away from her. Steve and Wanda had now piled into the kitchen in search of food as well.

“No training session with fire guy this morning?” Steve asked her, a hint of attitude behind his voice, causing her to let out a sigh. She knew he was jealous, but if he was going to have an attitude about it, she was going to get fed up real quick.

“No, why do you ask?” She questioned him, a small smirk on her face as she turned to look at him. Natasha and Tony shared a look between themselves, both of them knowing about Steve and Y/N’s attractions towards one another, but realizing that they were going to drag this out.

He shrugged, “No reason, just wondering.”

Y/N nodded, pretending to understand his ‘just wondering’ about her training session, walking over to sit next to Natasha along the kitchen island as Bucky and Scott walked in, both looking half-dead. 

“Good sleep, boys?” Y/N laughed as Bucky shot her a death glare, Scott flipping her off with his head shoved in the fridge. This is how most mornings were spent, the team lounging around the kitchen together as they made small talk, having breakfast and coffee. It was Y/N’s favourite time of the day, she loved just being with her best friends. 

The day went by quickly, extremely quickly, and before she knew it, Y/N was piled into the Quinjet with Steve and the team, going over the floor plan of the building they were about to break into. She locked her guns into her belt and thigh holster, clipping on her suit that Tony designer, tying her hair up into a high ponytail to avoid the loose strands flying into her face.

“You understand your roll, Y/N?” Steve asked her, “You’ll go into the control room, handle the four guys in there, and join me in the room over here where I’ll wait for you to join, we’ll download their files onto this hard drive after you hack their systems in there, and we’ll meet up here once we’re all done, clear?” 

The team nodded, all understanding their roles. Y/N sat in the back of the jet next to Bucky, stretching her body to prepare for physical combat. The brunet soldier looked up at her from where he was sitting and motioned for her to come over. She tilted her head, confused, but walked over and sat next to him, eyeing him over to ask what was wrong.

“So, you and Steve..” he started, but Y/N cut him off with a glare, making him immediately stop talking.

“I appreciate you wanting to look out for your friend’s love life, Buck, but you’re imagining things,” she stated, turning away from him to look at Steve. Her eyes wandered down his body, looking so damn fine in his stealth suit, and her eyes might have lingered on his ass a little longer, not that she’d ever admit it.

“Look, I know it’s none of my business,” Bucky stated, causing her to draw her eyes away from America’s Ass, facing him once again, “But from what I’ve seen, Storm boy over there seems to have some sort of interest in you, I don’t want you to get sucked into that when Steve’s really got it for you. Bad.”

Y/N sighed, understanding what Bucky was saying, but her stubborn mind spilled out the words before she could process them, “Well, until Mr Independence Day wants to confess his feelings, I’m free to flirt with whomever I want.”

Bucky let out a sigh as she smirked, but he understood that she was partially going to flirt loudly with Johnny only so Steve could give in and confess his feelings. He didn’t get a chance to continue the conversation, though, because Johnny motioned for Y/N to come over, and she did so with a smile on her face.

“Hey, quick question,” he asked her quietly and she leaned in to hear him, “Do you think Captain’s making a solid decision by sending you into four guys alone?” From the other side of the jet, Steve rolled his eyes at Johnny’s comment, but Y/N only threw him an amused look.

“Steve knows my abilities better than anyone, I’ve taken him down quite a few times, so yes, he knows I can handle four security guards,” she placed a hand on her hip, leaning against the vibrating wall of the jet, and even though Steve wanted to be mad at her for carelessly flirting, he had to admit that she looked beautiful. Before a mission, she had a spark in her eye, excitement, determination, and thrill, and it took his breath away. 

Johnny chuckled, “That’s fair, I can’t wait to see you in action.” He finished it with a smirk, reaching his hand across to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face, tucking it into her ponytail.

Y/N noticed the innuendo but decided to brush it off, “Oh, you will.”

Natasha scoffed from the pilot’s seat of the jet next to Clint, “Oh, shut it, you two, keep the flirting for once we’re done.”

“Yeah,” Steve said coldly, sitting next to Bucky, “It’s honestly a little disturbing. There’s a mission at hand, focus on that instead. You’re a good agent, Y/N, don’t change my mind.”

She almost couldn’t believe the way Steve spoke to her, and she couldn’t help her involuntary jaw drop as the blue eyed soldier shot her a dark glare, sending shivers down her spine as she crossed her arms, approaching him.

“What’s that, Rogers?” She challenged, “You doubting me?”

Steve immediately felt bad for what he said, not wanting to sound so harsh, but he wanted nothing more than to stop the flirting between the two. 

“I’m not doubting you,” he said lowly, “But I’d appreciate if you acted more like you cared about the mission than him.”

Y/N felt the anger bubble inside of her and had to clench her fists to prevent herself from punching Steve in the face, “You saying I’m letting some guy prevent me from doing my job?” Steve could feel the anger radiating off of her, “You may be from the 40s, but times have changed, Steve. Women can fight, and they can do whatever the fuck they want to do with men, alright? Not that what I do is any of your business anyways, though.”

She raised an eyebrow when he had no response, and turned back to re join Johnny who luckily, didn’t hear the full conversation.

“What’s his problem?” Johnny asked her quietly, motioning his head in the direction of Steve. Y/N didn’t answer, but when she felt the jet slow down, she knew that she wouldn’t have time to answer. Steve and Bucky joined the team at the small table in the middle, clarifying out entrances as Nat and Clint landed the jet. He handed everyone their comms and they all turned them on, ready to communicate once they went their separate ways. Sue and Johnny hugged it out, wishing each other good luck. Y/N and Natasha gave each other a fist pump and Y/N wanted nothing more than to give Steve a good luck hug as they always did, but she was too upset at him right now to do it.

When the jet landed, they each went their separate ways. Y/N went to the security booth and eyed the four men, Steve and Nat went to the side door of the building, waiting for Y/N to take them down and disarm the camera and security systems before going in, Sue, Johnny and Bucky were going to jump in through the second floor window to cause a distraction, and Clint stayed guard over the jet.

“On your go, Y/N,” She heard Steve’s voice through her earpiece and took this as her start. She quietly walked over to the glass booth where four men stood around computer screens in their security guard uniforms.

“Boys, I’m lost, mind helping a girl out?” She asked innocently and within a second, the four men had their eyes on her, one even with his hand placed on the gun in his belt.

“Oh, no need for that,” she smirked, “Let’s have some fun, shall we?” 

It didn’t take long for her to take them down, leaving them all bloody on the floor, barely breaking a sweat herself as she sat down on the swivel chair, easily accessing the computer as there wasn’t even a password.

“I’m in, gimme three seconds,” she spoke and Steve and Natasha gave small noises to let her know they heard her. Through her earpiece, she could hear Johnny, Sue and Bucky creating a fine distraction upstairs, taking the people out of the room Steve and Nat were about to go into.

“Wonderful job, Y/N,” Johnny’s voice made her crack a small smile as she opened the security software, easily disabling it, letting Steve and Nat know they were good to go in.

“Why, thank you, darlin’,” she grinned, stepping over the bloody bodies to make her way out of the security booth and into the building.

“Shut it, you two,” Steve sounded annoyed, but before she could answer him through the comms, she entered the room where him and Nat sat at the computer, downloading the important files onto a USB drive. Y/N stood guard of the two as they hurried to download what they needed.

Two men ran into the room, guns pointed towards them, but they didn’t have time to even place their fingers on the trigger before Y/N shot the two down, not even batting her eyelashes.

“Second floor is clear,” Bucky said softly, “We’re coming down to you.”

Nat finished hacking into their software and downloaded everything they needed, pulling the USB drive out and throwing it into the pocket on her bodysuit, giving Steve a nod.

Johnny ran into the room, followed by Bucky and Sue, and Y/N almost shooting them as they startled her, and grouped up, ready to head back to the jet. Clint gave them the OK that Tony’s team got everything they needed and that everyone was good to go.

They took off out of the building, hearing more men running after them, but they were quicker than them. Y/N made sure to stay at the back, ready to fire at anyone she saw that wasn’t part of their team. They rushed onto the jet and Clint closed it up, lifting off right away. Natasha showed off the USB drive proudly, making Y/N high-five her. 

“That was extremely quick, nice work guys,” Clint gave the team a thumbs up, making them all smile. Steve went around, telling everyone they did a good job one by one, like the true professional leader he was. 

“Did I disappoint you, captain?” Y/N sassed, taking her weapons out of her suit and placing them on a table, not daring to look at him.

Steve, although upset with her, was grateful she didn’t get injured, “No, you didn’t, good job, Y/N.”

Y/N almost felt bad for her petty remark, but before she could say anything else to him, he had walked away to go talk to Bucky. She was confused about her feelings towards him, she was crazy about him, there was no denying it, but she hated the way he had treated her like she was incapable before. She wasn’t sure how to feel, but she knew damn well she was going to have to bring the flirting up a notch to annoy Steve even more. She realized how childish it sounded in her head, but she just wanted the soldier to confess his feelings. So, she was about to push him to the brink.

She waltzed over to Johnny who sat quietly in the corner of the jet, and without having second thoughts about what he was doing, she grabbed him by the neck and pulled his face down to hers, pressing their lips together. Steve felt his heart stopped, looking over to Bucky who looked just as bewildered. Natasha rolled her eyes, knowing damn well what she was doing. Johnny tensed up, but quickly eased into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. Y/N almost instantly regretted it, knowing she probably pushed Steve too far, and pulled away, giving Johnny an awkward nod as she walked away from him, not letting him say anything. 

Steve felt his blood boil, he couldn’t believe what she just did. Bucky had always told him she had feelings for him, but now, he was incredibly pissed. 

“Y/N, what the hell?” Steve asked in a harsh whisper, following her to the other end of the jet where she sat down slowly, pressing her lips together as she hid her face in her hands.

“I don’t know, that was a mistake,” she mumbled quietly, regret taking over her whole body.

“Damn right that was a mistake, what were you thinking?” Steve asked, a little softer this time as he realized she was feeling bad about what she just did.

Y/N gave in, not wanting to argue with him anymore. She just wanted everything to get thrown out in the open.

“I like you, Steve, a stupid amount,” She began and Steve felt his heart pick up speed, “I saw how agitated you were when he was flirting with me and I wanted to push it so you’d ask me out, but clearly, you wanted to put me down instead. I’m sorry.”

He looked over her, realizing that she couldn’t be lying. Her fingers were shaking and her cheeks were slightly flushed, Steve had never seen her like this. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and she couldn’t believe what she was saying.

“You thought kissing him was going to make me ask you out?” Steve asked, a slight bit of amusement lacing his soft voice as she brought her eyes up to look at him. Her heart stopped when she noticed the small smile Steve wore on his face, the anger from before fading away.

“I guess,” Y/N mumbled and Steve chuckled, placing his hand over her thigh, sending goosebumps through her entire body at his warm touch.

“Well, not exactly,” he looked over at her, “But what you just said makes me want to. I’ve liked you for quite a while too, so how about we go to dinner tomorrow, just the two of us, and have a good time?”

Y/N couldn’t have nodded her head fast enough, breaking into a huge smile. She looked over and saw Johnny now in a conversation with Sue, so she didn’t feel like going over and explaining everything now, but all in due time. Natasha threw Y/N a subtle thumbs up, making her laugh, missing the thumbs up Bucky gave to Steve. 

The two sat in silence for the rest of the flight back to HQ, just happy to finally have everything out in the open, both of them buzzing with excitement for their date to come.

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[gumnut-logic]

Three

Title: Three Part Three of Il Mago Sequel to Sotto Voce Author: Gumnut 18 Sep 2018 Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS Rating: Teen Summary: “How can we trust him, if we don’t even know he is Virgil?” Word count: 3267 Spoilers & warnings: Spoilers for Season 2 and Sotto Voce Author’s note: Wow, the whole part in one day...well, two minutes shy of midnight :D Many, many thanks for all those who have commented and liked, you are wonderful. I hope the fic lives up to your expectations. Things happen in this part :D I hope enjoy them :D Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

“Thunderbird One, return to base immediately.”

“John, what?”

“Scott, Thunderbird Two is down.” John’s voice was uncharacteristically tense. “We need you here. I’ve alerted the Guatemalan authorities. Please return to Tracy Island immediately.”

His brother sent a recording, and as Scott spun his ‘bird around, his stomach knotted up.

Gordon and Alan.

He hit his boosters and tore across the Pacific.

It took minutes, seemed like years, and he was on approach. He skipped the pool and took her into land beside her wounded sister.

His brother’s ‘bird was jammed up against the mountain cliff, smoke streaming off her thrusters, brush fire out of control all around her. A pod was clambering over downed palm trees spraying fire retardant foam, he assumed it was Virgil, his brother clearing a path to his ship.

As soon as TB1 was down, he grabbed his own stock of firefighting equipment and hit the tarmac running.

“Anything from Gordon and Alan?”

John. “Nothing. But I’m getting no ping from Thunderbird Two’s comm system, so it is likely down. I’ve tried a direct link to their comms via TB5, but still no response.”

“Any idea what happened?”

Virgil, breathing heavily. “Other than a thruster misfire, I’ve no idea. Eos and I cleaned out both thrusters just yesterday. They were performing perfectly this afternoon. Eos ran an inflight performance check over the Indian Ocean. There were no indications of any issues.” A grunt and the pod hatch opened. “I’m going in through her top hatch.” Virgil, dressed in his grey fire suit clambered out of the pod, and shot a grappling line, hooking it in TB2’s tail plane. With a leap he flung himself onto her starboard jet engine, pulling himself onto her flank.

Scott sprayed a dampening line along the track his brother had already made, and secured the pod. “John, can you get some water bots out here to take care of the rest of this brushfire. I’ll take care of TB2.”

“FAB.”

Scott sprayed foam liberally down the length of TB2, killing off the fire licking the crippled ship.

Another grunt over the comms and Virgil was standing on top of his ‘bird. Scott could just see his head.

“Alan!”

Virgil’s surprised and relieved shout had Scott climbing the pod to get a better view. Sure enough, there was his youngest brother…lugging an unconscious Gordon from the open hatchway.

Virgil reached down to help.

Alan flung out an arm and shoved. “Get away from him!”

The engineer stumbled in shock, and Scott was moving. His own grapple line wrapped around TB2’s tail plane and he was climbing.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?!”

There was no answer from Virgil.

Scott threw himself onto TB2’s roof. Alan was crouched over Gordon checking his vitals. Virgil stood motionless a few steps away.

Damn you, Alan.

“Virgil, secure Thunderbird Two.”

A whispered FAB and Virgil turned and climbed into the hatchway. The machinery hesitated a moment before lowering her pilot into the dark.

Scott grit his teeth and turned to Alan.

“Report.”

“Gordon hit his head when we fell. He was strapped in, but we hit the ground pretty hard. I think it was an impact with his headrest.” Alan drew in a breath and started coughing. “H-had to get him out.” Smoke was still drifting from the cockpit hatch.

Scott activated TB1’s remote and across the runway, his ‘bird fired up. “We’ll evac to the villa.” TB1’s VTOL fired, her landing gear retracted, and she moved to a hover above them. Scott deployed her external ladder, taking a moment to jump on board and grab a hover stretcher for his unconscious brother. Together, he and Alan moved Gordon to the stretcher and dragged him aboard Thunderbird One.

“Status, Virgil?”

“She’s not good. I’m reading a fluctuation in the starboard thruster. There is a lot of unburned fuel pooled in her intake. I’m going to have to evacuate it manually. She’s a fire hazard.”

“I’ll send Brains and John out here to help. Need to evac Gordon and Alan to the infirmary. You safe for the moment?”

“I’m good.”

“Keep me updated.”

“FAB.”

Retracting her ladder, Scott pushed TB1 into the sky and back to the villa.

-o-o-o-

There was no comforting evening meal that night. No gathering in the lounge. Virgil spent a good part of the night securing his ‘bird so she wouldn’t spontaneously combust. Both Brains and John wrapped themselves in fire wear and joined him, the runway lit by portable lighting as the sun finally dropped below the horizon.

Scott stayed with Gordon until he woke up. He was subdued and in pain with a throbbing headache, but only had a minor concussion. Both Gordon and Alan were suffering from some smoke inhalation, something which also aggravated Gordon’s headache to give him a little extra misery.

John and Scott dragged Virgil back to the villa at about two in the morning, his protests loud and numerous.

“She’s stable, Virgil. You’ve drained the fuel; the fires are out. She will be fine until morning.” John’s voice was calm and factual.

“But-“

“C’mon, Virg, it has been a shitty day. I’m sick of it. Let’s put an end to it.” Scott was damned tired as well. He still had a hand on his reluctant brother’s arm, and he dragged him to the comms room and pushed him towards the lounge. John followed and made a beeline for Dad’s desk.

Scott sighed and backtracked to the kitchen. He grabbed some leftover pizza and threw it in the microwave. Ten minutes later he returned to the lounge and dumped a plate of supreme in front of both Virgil and John. “Eat. Bodies need fuel to function.”

He dumped himself on to the lounge beside Virgil and ate his dinner.

Fifteen minutes later, Scott’s pizza was gone, Virgil had eaten two mouthfuls and John hadn’t even realised the food was there.

John was muttering to himself.

Virgil was staring into space.

Scott ran a hand over his face. “Is she okay?”

Virgil didn’t respond.

“Virgil?” Scott nudged him.

“Huh? What?”

“She okay?”

“Eos?” Scott nodded. “Still pissed at me, but the current situation overrides that. She’s running diagnostics on Thunderbird Two.”

“Anything?”

“Not a thing. She’s on her fifth cycle. Nothing. That thruster should have fired.”

Scott looked over his shoulder. “You have anything, John?”

His brother’s response was a negative grunt.

He turned back to Virgil and found him staring into space again.

Scott rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m calling it a night.”

Neither responded.

Scott sighed and headed off to check on his youngest two brothers before a shower and bed.

-o-o-o-

“Found it!”

Virgil started out of a deep sleep. His face was mashed into something padded but hard and his neck was jammed at an awkward angle. Drool was sticky on one side of his face. Ugh

“Virgil. I found it. It’s smart, but not smart enough.” John? Huh?

We’ve found traces of an electronic intruder.

What?

Virgil, boot up. We found it.

Found what?

Oh, you are so painful first thing in the morning. Get yourself some coffee and then maybe we can have a constructive conversation.

Huh?

She prodded him and he shot up on the lounge. “Augh, god. Eos.” His head spun, his neck, back and pretty much everything complaining about sleeping slumped over on the couch. He let his head drop back over the top of the lounge and stretched his shoulders. He raised his arm to check the time. “Six am?!” What the hell? He’d be lucky if he had had three hours sleep.

He tipped sideways again and tried to get comfortable on the too small couch.

Virgil!

Go-way.

Virgil, get up.

No.

There was silence for a moment, then his mind was suddenly filled with Beethoven’s fifth symphony – the disco version.

Wha-? Augh! He ground his hands into his eye sockets. Anger flared. “Turn it off! Now!”

Wake up!

No!

Yes!

“No! I’m sleeping!”

“No, you’re not.”

“I am.”

“You’re not.”

“Am.”

“Not.”

“Go-way.”

“Can’t”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Haveta.”

“Tired.”

“Sleep later, party now.”

“Don wanna party.”

“There will be cake…”

“Cake?”

“With cream.”

“Cream.”

“Chocolate and strawberries.”

“Sounds nice.”

“Yes, it does. Want some?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Then get out of bed.”

“Okay.” He pushed himself vertical and it wasn’t until he opened his eyes to see a frankly stunned Scott Tracy paused mid-step halfway into the sunken lounge that his sleep fogged brain caught up.

“Wow, Eos, you’re a master. I gotta try that one next time.”

“Oh, god.” He fell over sideways again.

Beethoven upped his sub-woofer.

“Okay, okay, okay.” He struggled into a seated position again. “Turn that damn noise off.” Elbows on his knees he dropped his head into his hands. “This time of day should not exist.”

“It’s that whole physics thing.”

“Shut up and give me coffee.”

A deliciously warm mug was pushed into his hands and he inhaled its wonderful aroma before letting its scalding hot, life-giving energy infuse his system. Ohhhh, so good.

You alive yet?

Shut up.

I’m choosing to not take that personally.

Good. I don’t have the energy for personally yet.

You are ridiculous.

On occasion.

“So why am I awake at this god-awful time of day?”

Scott was sitting next to him on the couch. “John has found traces of someone in our system.”

Virgil looked over at his brother, still sitting at Dad’s desk. “Did he go to bed last night?”

“Did you?”

“Point made.”

You really do suffer from extended dopey.

He ignored her. “So what do we know?”

John spoke up. “Not much, but I do know that there was an intruder in our system at 1.12pm yesterday and again at 5.33pm last night.”

“Scott’s elevator and Thunderbird Two.”

“Yes.” He stood up. “Only the barest traces were present – I missed them on the first three scans. Whoever it is, they are very good at what they do.” John sighed. “I need to return to Thunderbird Five, both to cast a better net and to set up further defences. Eos is working on countermeasures in the meantime.” Walking past Scott, John stole his coffee, downed it in one long gulp, handed it back, and headed off to his space elevator.

Scott stared down at his mug in resignation.

“So Alan was right. Security has been compromised.” He didn’t want to think about what that meant for him. Perhaps it had been him after all.

No-one will get to you, I promise.

Eos.

No-one.

He sighed. “God, this sucks.”

“Virgil.”

“I’ve got a Thunderbird to repair.” He put his mug on the table and left for the hangers.

-o-o-o-

Scott stared after him for a while, his thoughts whirling around inside his head. He was sick to death of feeling so powerless. There was very little he could do to help Virgil other than be there for him. So frustrating. His fists clenched.

Of course, that was the moment Alan chose to walk into the room.

Well, that was one thing he could set straight.

“We need to talk.”

There was immediately steel in his brother’s blue eyes, but he nodded once and sat down on the lounge furthest from Scott. He looked at the floor, his lips pressed firmly together.

“How are you feeling?”

Alan looked up as if surprised. “Okay.” His throat was obviously still a little dry as his voice had just a touch of hoarse.

“Good.” He swallowed. “I want to make something perfectly clear. I am well aware of the security risks, the multiple security risks, Virgil currently presents to International Rescue and our family. If you think John and Brains weren’t able to identify these issues as soon as the nature of the device in Virgil’s head presented itself, I need to question your belief in all of us, not just Virgil.” He drew in a breath. “We have been unable to find an immediate solution to the multiple issues other than the use of the isolator, which would see an end to Virgil’s participation in IR. Nor do we know the effects of its extended use. Our first priority has been Virgil’s health, mental and physical.”

Alan appeared to find the floor very interesting.

“So your concerns have been noted. As a solution has yet to present itself and you haven’t lifted a finger to help on any front. Yes, I know you have been avoiding him. Great one, Alan. A member of our family takes a life-threatening hit and you ignore him why he is down. Worse, without thought you then proceed to kick him.” Scott glared. “Yesterday, Alan, yesterday I truly thought you were that last straw. I thought he had climbed to the round house to solve all our problems by removing himself from the equation. Virgil is not an idiot, he can do the math as well, if not better than you, and nothing, NOTHING, is more important to your brother than the safety and care of this family. Including his own life. Think about it, Alan.”

“If you feel the need to accuse your brother in the future, I would appreciate it if you came to me or John first and present your facts in a logical and well thought out manner, minus the snark and immaturity. Also, professional conduct at the minimum is a requirement. You are not a kid any more, stop acting like one.”

Scott sighed. “This isn’t easy for anyone. Please don’t make it any harder.”

His youngest brother looked up at him. “So in the meantime we just have to hope that Virgil doesn’t turn into some kind of murdering zombie and kill us all in our sleep?”

“What do you expect me to do?!”

“Get him off the island!”

“He’s our brother!”

“I know!”

“So the first sign of trouble and you want to just cast him off?”

“We could have been killed yesterday!”

“Virgil didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“How the hell do you know that?”

“Virgil would never-“

“But he’s not Virgil!”

“HEY!” Gordon stood outside the sunken lounge. “What the hell?”

Scott was trembling just slightly and his heart was racing. Alan was red in the face.

“No-one, I repeat, no-one is abandoning Virgil anywhere. I don’t care about the risks. We owe him our support and protection.” Gordon’s glare narrowed in on Alan. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather die by my brother’s involuntary hand, than contribute to his death. How would you like to be abandoned on the mainland, on your own, with that thing in your head, your only protection a gadget that cuts you off from all technology? Such fun to be had.” He turned to Scott. “And you, share the knowledge, bro. Alan might not have been so stupid if he knew we had it all in hand.” A breath. “And you know what is worst? I’m apparently turning into Virgil. Shut up, both of you, and give my poor head a break.” And he turned around muttering and wandered off in the direction of the kitchen.

Alan took one look at Scott, stood up and left, back stiff.

Scott sagged and let his head drop into his hands.

Damn.

-o-o-o-

John entered Thunderbird Five and let out a long relaxing breath. Oh, it was good to be home.

“Welcome home, John.”

“It is great to be here.” He let himself float for just a moment, revelling in the lack of gravity. “How goes the new countermeasures.”

“I’ve created new tracking software using what little we know about the perpetrator. If it gets in again, we may be able to trace it back to its origin. I’ve reinforced every pathway I can think of. I still haven’t determined how it got in or where, so I have done my best to cover all contingencies.”

“What about Virgil?”

“I have created a remote trigger that can deploy his isolator on command. It will separate him from the network should there be an intrusion.”

“Automatically?”

Eos hesitated. “Yes.”

“I know you hate that device. So do I, but it is his last defence.”

“I know.”

“And what about you?”

“I’m protected.”

“How?”

“Do you really expect me to tell you all my secrets?” Her tone was playful, but had an echo of serious.

“I expect you to be safe.”

“I will do my best.”

“Well, excuse me if I add a few defences of my own.” A small smile. “Call it parental prerogative.”

“If I had eyes, I would roll them at you.”

“I can see Virgil has had some influence on you.”

“Aren’t you glad that he is such a good one.”

John smirked. “That remains to be seen.”

“Is this where I say, ‘Daaaaad!’”

“Only if you want to prove my point.” He grinned. “But we should focus. Give me a read out on activity in E sector.”

They worked together smoothly for several hours. John had to admit that Eos had changed over the last few months. Many of her hard edges had been smoothed over. Her understanding of human nature had expanded dramatically, of course, learning the hard way, no doubt. She had grown, almost blossomed, her confidence expanding far beyond the terrified and persecuted soul she had been when they first met.

“John, I think I have identified another intrusion.” Eos was worried, he could hear it in her voice.

“Show me.”

Code flashed up. “Yesterday?”

“5.08pm. But this one is different. The code is more fragmented, which is why we missed it.”

5.08 yesterday afternoon. “What time did Virgil faint?” Shit. “Give me everything you’ve got.”

Eos flung the code onto his display. He scanned it. “Give me that last readout again.” John frowned. “That variable has changed from the last time I scanned this sector.”

“Investigating.” The code rippled. ”Uh, John?”

Something in her tone set of alarm bells. “Eos?”

“It doesn’t feel righ-“

“Eos?” No answer. “Eos?!”

-o-o-o-

Thunderbird Two’s cockpit smelt bad and Scott could feel the shuddering in the hatch mechanism as it lowered him to the floor. It hurt to see his brother’s ‘bird in this state. He may tease Virgil about his ‘big, green brick with wings’, but he secretly loved the security of the smooth machine at his back.

“Virgil?”

“Back here.”

The cockpit door was open so he stuck his head through to find Virgil sitting on the deck surrounded by pieces of disassembled Thunderbird. “She’s blown out all her primary circuit breakers. My guess is that is how Alan shut down her thruster, by killing them all. They are going to need to be replaced.” He sighed. “Just another thing to add to the list.” He clambered up off the floor and walked back into the cockpit, heading directly for the pilot’s dash. “Starboard thruster will need a complete overhaul, port side wing has been damaged, along with one of her VTOL engines and her landing gear is toast. She fell hard. We’ll have to go over her structural integrity with a fine-toothed comb. Don’t let me get started on her paintwork.”

Virgil looked back at him. “It is going to take a while.”

“But she will fly again.”

“While I’m alive, she will always fly.”

Scott snorted. “Way to be dramatic, Virg.”

“She lives for the drama.”

“O-okay.”

Virgil grinned at him. It was so off beat to the damage around them, Scott couldn’t help but grin back.

But his brother frowned, the grin dropping away. “Eos? Wha-?”

“V-“

Staring at Scott in surprise, Virgil collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

-o-o-o-

End Part Three

Part Four

[shashiemrf]

Research and Technological Innovations to Bolster Developments in Energy Harvesting System Market 2023

Energy Harvesting System Global Market   - Overview

Energy Harvesting is a process of collecting minute amount of energy from one or more of naturally occurring energy sources such as solar, wind or water and use them later in the different application areas. Energy harvesting devices are designed to efficiently and effectively capture, store, accumulate and supply it in the form which can be used to perform various task in the daily application areas. Advancement in technology and various development have increased the efficiencies which are used in the process of collecting energy and convert them into electrical energy which is widely used. Heavy investment by the key companies have also led to the advancement in the microprocessors technology leading to maximum efficiency of the processors and optimum utilization. Wide range of benefits and reducing the carbon footprint have also led to the development of interest among several large-scale companies.There are various application of energy harvesting and several real-life application who uses energy harvesting system to source the power is no more a dream. There are various companies who is working constantly in the development of energy harvesting components and products such as sensors, wireless nodes and high capacity batteries. Recently, Tesla have also started working on the new generation solar panels which can be deployed on the roof of any building and can collect solar energy.Key Players:ABB Limited (Switzerland), Fujitsu (Japan), Honeywell International Inc.(U.S.), Siemens AG (Germany), Microchip Technology Inc. (U.S.), Convergence Wireless (U.S.), Cymbet Corporation (U.S.), STMicroelectronics (Switzerland), and Texas Instruments (U.S.) among others are some of the prominent players profiled in MRFR Analysis and are at the forefront of competition in the global Energy Harvesting System market. Energy Harvesting System offers several benefits to their consumers including easy receive and payment and more access to their account details.Get Free Sample Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1167Industry NewsDecember, 2017, X-FAB Introduces New Low-Power eFlash Block Optimized for Energy Harvesting & IoT Devices. The new X-FAB eFlash IP block is targeted at replacing standalone NVM memories and embedded One-Time-Programmable (OTP) memories in low power applications, enabling onsite program code updates. This means that it is highly suited to energy harvesting and remotely located Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, where power constraints and harsh environments need to be dealt with, but field re-programmability must be offered at a low cost.December, 2017, Samsung has patented smart clothing that is able to harvest energy for powering personal gadgets or embedded sensors. The patent details a shirt that contains this energy-harvesting technology, making it not just a shirt that could charge your gadgets, but one that could actually harvest the energy needed to do it. This is in contrast to previously unveiled “smart clothes,” which typically involve a battery that needs to be charged elsewhere. The patent was filed by Samsung Electronics and describes as “Wearable Electronic Device and Operating Method” involving an energy harvester that uses movement to generate energy.November, 2017, New Bluetooth Low Energy and Energy Harvesting Sensor Shields Further Extend the Capabilities of ON Semiconductor’s IoT Development Kit. The company has released two new boards (shields) further extending the recently launched Internet of Things (IoT) Development Kit (IDK) platform’s capabilities. With the addition of two new shields that include Bluetooth low energy technology and Smart Passive Sensors (SPS), customers are now able to create diverse and unique use cases that target smart home/building, smart city, industrial automation and mHealth applications.Energy Harvesting System Global Market   - Regional AnalysisNorth America is dominating the market of energy harvesting system. High growth in the field of technology and heavy investment by the key players in the field of research and development and

new product launches are some of the major factor supporting the market growth. The market is also expected to witness rapid demand from residential sector as prices of electricity in the region is increasing day by day. Europe stands as second largest market for energy harvesting system due to increasing awareness about the benefits offered by energy harvesting system. The region is also expected to show positive growth rate due to the government initiatives towards the promotion of carbon free energy. Asia-Pacific on the other hand has emerged as fastest growing market. Growth of Asian countries such as China and India are expected to create huge demand in the near future. Major companies are also focusing on Asian countries and making investment towards the market of energy harvesting system.Energy Harvesting System Global Market   - SegmentationSegmentation by Components: Transistors, controllers, solar cells, capacitors, batteries, and switches among othersSegmentation by Methods: Vibration, photovoltaic, and thermal among othersSegmentation by Sensors: Temperature, pressure, humidity and IR among othersSegmentation by Application: Automation, consumer electronics, industrial, and transportation among othersGet Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/energy-harvesting-system-market-1167About UsMarket Research Future (MRFR) is an esteemed company with a reputation of serving clients across domains of information technology (IT), healthcare, and chemicals. Our analysts undertake painstaking primary and secondary research to provide a seamless report with a 360 degree perspective. Data is compared against reputed organizations, trustworthy databases, and international surveys for producing impeccable reports backed with graphical and statistical information.We at MRFR provide syndicated and customized reports to clients as per their liking. Our consulting services are aimed at eliminating business risks and driving the bottomline margins of our clients. The hands-on experience of analysts and capability of performing astute research through interviews, surveys, and polls are a statement of our prowess. We constantly monitor the market for any fluctuations and update our reports on a regular basis.Media Contact:Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited)99 Hudson Street, 5Th FloorNew York, NY 10013United States of America+1 628 258 0071 (US)+44 2035 002 764 (UK)Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.comWebsite: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com

[sculpt-tri-cities]

Fast Body Sculpting Workouts

Getting in an exercise doesn't need to mean removing hours from your day. Indeed, you can run after conditioning and reinforcing your body shortly consistently.

For best outcomes obviously you'll have to commit some an ideal opportunity to your wellness schedule, nonetheless, even a brief exercise can have an effect over the long run. The stunt obviously is to be reliable and to stay with it.

Now and then conditioning up can be just about as straightforward as adding a couple of additional fast chiseling procedures to your rec center daily schedule. The following are some incredible ones to attempt.

Utilizing a huge exercise ball can help focus on the spaces you most need to tone rapidly and productively. As such putting resources into one of these larger than average balls is a smart thought. These balls make it simple to hit your abs, butt, legs and arms without thinking twice.

You can likewise every now and again discover these balls at your nearby rec center. In the event that you are as of now there for a speedy cardio fix, require ten additional minutes to test these moves out ready. You will positively see a distinction in the event that you keep at it.

1. Arm Curls: For a decent chiseling exercise that can last just ten minutes, start by doing situated twists ready. Basically sit ready with legs and feet hip width separated. Then, with arms along the edges get some free loads. Bring loads gradually up towards your shoulders and rehash. Take a stab at completing three arrangements of ten or twelve reps.

For added impact you can put your feet somewhat closer together and utilize heavier loads. On the other hand, bring down the loads however keep similar reps on the off chance that you believe you are at risk for harming yourself.

2. Crunches ready: Doing fixed crunches while ready is an amazing method to work your center. Start by bringing yourself on down to the ball with your lower back contacting the ball. Feet and knees should rest easily shoulder width separated.

Then, put your arms behind your neck for help and smash up utilizing your center muscles. Arms and hands ought to be utilized distinctly to tenderly help your neck. Utilize a decent measure of control so as not to move the ball. Attempt three arrangements of ten or twelve crunches regardless and move gradually up to fifteen.

To strengthen this exercise you can generally move your legs upwards and balance your feet against a divider. On the off chance that the first exercise is too exceptional you can rather move your lower back a piece lower ready. This should make it somewhat simpler.

3. Overhead Extension Squats: In request to work your butt and thighs, attempt these astounding squats. Initially start by holding the ball before yourself. Drop down now into a squat situation as though you were plunking down on a seat. As you do this start raising the ball over your head. Rehash for ten reps and three sets.

To create this harder you can generally have a go at remaining in the squat position while lifting and bring down the ball over your head for the ten reps. For a lighter exercise hold the ball stead while doing your squats.

4. Arm Press: Begin by lying with your upper back and neck situated ready. Get a few loads in each hand and start to twist arms so your elbows are corresponding with your shoulders and the loads are confronting upwards at a ninety degree point from your elbows. Next start to press the loads gradually upwards towards the roof. Do this for 3 arrangements of 10 or 12 reps.

To back things off you can augment your legs to give yourself more help. On the other hand, in the event that you need to siphon things up a piece, have a go at doing single arm presses in the middle of your sets.

These conditioning methods have been demonstrated compelling and will positively help tone and fix all the typical pain points. Adding these moves to your ordinary routine will significantly improve generally physical make-up inasmuch as you set aside the effort to do them at any rate two times each week.

These moves, on top of an ordinary wellness normal and a sound eating regimen, can prepare your for bathing suit season. Adding only ten minutes to your routine can improve things greatly. Simply an additional ten minutes a couple of times each week can mean the distinction among fab and fat.

Read more:  Weight loss and body sculpting

[iamaraja]

Energy Harvesting System Market  planning, Processing, Dynamics and Services 2021

Energy Harvesting System Global Market   - Overview

Energy Harvesting is a process of collecting minute amount of energy from one or more of naturally occurring energy sources such as solar, wind or water and use them later in the different application areas. Energy harvesting devices are designed to efficiently and effectively capture, store, accumulate and supply it in the form which can be used to perform various task in the daily application areas. Advancement in technology and various development have increased the efficiencies which are used in the process of collecting energy and convert them into electrical energy which is widely used. Heavy investment by the key companies have also led to the advancement in the microprocessors technology leading to maximum efficiency of the processors and optimum utilization. Wide range of benefits and reducing the carbon footprint have also led to the development of interest among several large-scale companies.

There are various application of energy harvesting and several real-life applications who uses energy harvesting system to source the power is no more a dream. There are various companies who is working constantly in the development of energy harvesting components and products such as sensors, wireless nodes and high-capacity batteries. Recently, Tesla have also started working on the new generation solar panels which can be deployed on the roof of any building and can collect solar energy.

Get Free Sample Report:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1167

Key Players:

ABB Limited (Switzerland), Fujitsu (Japan), Honeywell International Inc.(U.S.), Siemens AG (Germany), Microchip Technology Inc. (U.S.), Convergence Wireless (U.S.), Cymbet Corporation (U.S.), STMicroelectronics (Switzerland), and Texas Instruments (U.S.) among others are some of the prominent players profiled in MRFR Analysis and are at the forefront of competition in the global Energy Harvesting System market. Energy Harvesting System offers several benefits to their consumers including easy receive and payment and more access to their account details

Industry News

December, 2017, X-FAB Introduces New Low-Power eFlash Block Optimized for Energy Harvesting & IoT Devices. The new X-FAB eFlash IP block is targeted at replacing standalone NVM memories and embedded One-Time-Programmable (OTP) memories in low power applications, enabling onsite program code updates. This means that it is highly suited to energy harvesting and remotely located Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, where power constraints and harsh environments need to be dealt with, but field re-programmability must be offered at a low cost.

December, 2017, Samsung has patented smart clothing that is able to harvest energy for powering personal gadgets or embedded sensors. The patent details a shirt that contains this energy-harvesting technology, making it not just a shirt that could charge your gadgets, but one that could actually harvest the energy needed to do it. This is in contrast to previously unveiled “smart clothes,” which typically involve a battery that needs to be charged elsewhere. The patent was filed by Samsung Electronics and describes as “Wearable Electronic Device and Operating Method” involving an energy harvester that uses movement to generate energy.

November, 2017, New Bluetooth Low Energy and Energy Harvesting Sensor Shields Further Extend the Capabilities of ON Semiconductor’s IoT Development Kit. The company has released two new boards (shields) further extending the recently launched Internet of Things (IoT) Development Kit (IDK) platform’s capabilities. With the addition of two new shields that include Bluetooth low energy technology and Smart Passive Sensors (SPS), customers are now able to create diverse and unique use cases that target smart home/building, smart city, industrial automation and mHealth applications.

Energy Harvesting System Global Market   - Segmentation

Segmentation by Components: Transistors, controllers, solar cells, capacitors, batteries, and switches among others

Segmentation by Methods: Vibration, photovoltaic, and thermal among others

Segmentation by Sensors: Temperature, pressure, humidity and IR among others

Segmentation by Application: Automation, consumer electronics, industrial, and transportation among others

Energy Harvesting System Global Market   - Regional Analysis

North America is dominating the market of energy harvesting system. High growth in the field of technology and heavy investment by the key players in the field of research and development and new product launches are some of the major factor supporting the market growth. The market is also expected to witness rapid demand from residential sector as prices of electricity in the region is increasing day by day. Europe stands as second largest market for energy harvesting system due to increasing awareness about the benefits offered by energy harvesting system. The region is also expected to show positive growth rate due to the government initiatives towards the promotion of carbon free energy. Asia-Pacific on the other hand has emerged as fastest growing market. Growth of Asian countries such as China and India are expected to create huge demand in the near future. Major companies are also focusing on Asian countries and making investment towards the market of energy harvesting system.

FOR MORE DETAILS:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/energy-harvesting-system-market-1167

About Us:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

Media Contact:

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Pune - 411028

Maharashtra, India

+1 628 258 0071(US)

Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com

[maitredesnavires]

25 Days of ML Christmas - Day 2: Ugly sweater

Just do a drabble, maitre. Less than 1,000 words, maitre. Pffffffttt.

Audience: T

Words: 1635

ao3

Adrien stood on the doorstep of the Dupain-Cheng bakery staring at the gold logo on the glass. His emotions were a confusing mix of excitement, anxiety, wonder, and worry. He checked his watch and saw that they were 15 minutes early. He could knock, they were expecting them after all, but his arm wouldn’t move. Insead, he thought about the circumstances that had brought him to this exact spot on Christmas Eve.

It had all started 2 weeks ago. His father had mentioned nonchalantly that he was going on a business trip to Venice and was going to be gone for three weeks while he worked on an upcoming show. Nathalie would be accompanying him but his bodyguard would take him to and from school, all of his lessons, and his pre-arranged photo shoots. Adrien wished he could say he was surprised, but he really wasn’t. His father’s distaste in Christmas since his mother disappeared was exponentially worse every year. He knew better than to bring it up.

“I understand, father,” Adrien replied. “I hope you and Nathalie have a successful trip.” A curt nod was the all the reply and further conversation of the day. Adrien supposed that was more than usual; he should count his blessings.

As it was December, the subject of Christmas plans came up on the regular. The “fab four” as Alya was fond of calling them, were out to lunch at a cafe and Nino had asked what he was doing for the holidays. A simple question. An innocent question, really, and it had Adrien staring deeply into his cup of coffee.

“Ah, well, that’s a good question. I guess I’ll be at home with Gorilla. He might even help me put up the tree since my father won’t be home.” Adrien smiled fondly thinking of the large tree that hadn’t been opened in over two years.

“Your father...won’t be home? Like, at all?” Nino asked incredulously. “Are you shitting me?”

Adrien’s head snapped up. He realized all three friends were looking at him with a mixed look of pity and righteous anger. Pity for him and anger at his increasingly absent father. He just shrugged, the weight of his friends’ reaction stirring something inside him he wasn’t sure how to name. Looking at each of his friends in turn, he felt so grateful to have people on his side, willing to have his back no matter what.

“That is just unacceptable, Agreste. You can’t be alone on Christmas! It’s...it’s Christmas!” Alya threw her hands in the air.

“Yeah, dude. I agree with Alya. I’d offer my family up as a substitute but we are going to Morocco to visit family. I doubt your old man would be down with letting you out of the country,” Nino offered.

“You guys are sweet but really, I’ll be fine. Like I said, I’ll be able to put up the tree. And Gorilla will be there so I won’t really be alone. Thank you but I don’t want to impose on anyone’s family Christmas,” Adrien reassured his friends. A honk from outside let Adrien know it was time to go and he bid his friends farewell.

Little to his surprise, his friends didn’t listen to him. Chat Noir knew that his friends had been scheming behind his back for the past few days but was still impressed when he landed on the rooftop to see a banner hanging crooked on the brick wall that read Intervention in a scrawling, red font. He looked at each of his friends’ serious faces and was torn between laughing at their antics and apologizing on the spot for whatever wrong he had committed against them.

“Dear Adrien,” Carapace started with no other preamble. “The fact that your pops is leaving you for Christmas fucking sucks. He is a grade-A douchebag and a terrible human being. It is unfair that you are being left alone for the holidays and we are here to correct this gross injustice.” Chat smiled at his friend. He was little torn - he was talking about his father after all - but he knew his heart was in the right place. He appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

“I’ve already told you guys. I’m not going to be…”

“Dear Adrien,” Rena Rouge cut him off and gave him a look that could shut even his father up. “We are here this fine day at this grand intervention to tell you that you are not spending Christmas home alone with only Gorilla for company. We, your friends, are going to make sure that you are surrounded by people who love you, have enough food to feed an army, and the most delicious hot chocolate and croissants in all of Paris.” She quirked an eyebrow at Ladybug who blushed slightly. Chat was still confused but a seed of hope had been planted and he was eagerly awaiting the end of the intervention.

“Dear A..Adrien,” Ladybug’s blush deepened as Chat’s full attention was on her now. “The Dupain-Cheng family has offered to host you for Christmas. My mom and dad are already working out all of the details and planning to have all of your holiday favorites. We really want you to join us for le réveillon de Noёl and celebrate the holidays with us.”

Chat slid down until he was sitting on the roof, completely overwhelmed by his friends’ efforts to make sure he was included and surrounded by family on Christmas, even if it wasn’t his own. He could feel his throat tighten with emotion and his voice broke slightly as he responded. “You...you want me to celebrate Christmas...with you...and your family, my lady?”

Ladybug’s expression softened and she walked over to him. She bent down, flicked the bell on Chat’s collar, and then tapped him on the nose. “Of course, Chaton. I can’t have my kitty all alone on my favorite day of the year.” The moisture gathering in Chat’s eyes started to silently fall down his cheeks.

“So what do you say? Will you come?” Ladybug looked at him expectantly. Chat hesitated for just a moment before giving in. Taking a steadying breath, he took Ladybug’s hand in his own and brought it to his lips. “As you wish, my lady.”

Adrien stood in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It was Christmas Eve and he and Gorilla were dressed in khakis and smart, elegant red sweaters from the Gabriel line. He was going to knock when he thought better of it and rang the doorbell. He immediately heard a squeal from inside and smiled. His lady was so cute. He could make out shadows walking towards the door before it swung open.

Standing before him was the entire Dupain-Cheng clan decked out in the most hideous, wonderfully terrifying Christmas sweaters he had ever seen. His eyes widen in surprise as he took in the scene in front of him.

“Adrien! You’re here! I’m so glad you guys could come!” Marinette rushed forward and grabbed Adrien’s hand. “You made it just in time. We just started singing Christmas carols and then we are going to eat! But first…” She was dragging him through the kitchen where his mouth was already watering with the goodies set out and up another set of stairs. When they reached the top, he realized they were standing in her bedroom. “I wasn’t sure if you would want one because, I mean, I know my family is kind of out there and we can be really eccentric at times and I know that THE Gabriel Agreste is your father, and he’s a jerk and all, but really fashionable so if you don’t want to wear it then I completely understand but if, by chance, you do, I mean, you can, I mean, well, here.” Marinette held out a monstrosity of an ugly Christmas sweater. It was green with red stitching and in the middle was a large black Christmas tree made of yarn that had plastic bulbs glued onto the branches. The star at the top and the colorful lights actually worked and curled under the tree was a small black cat with green eyes that lit up. To top it off, Joyeux Noёl had been hand stitched below the collar.

“Mari, I...I absolutely love it!” Adrien didn’t think he had ever gotten such a wonderful Christmas gift. He snatched the sweater from her, stripped himself of his nice if boring high-end sweater, and slipped the new one over his undershirt. He turned to admire himself in the mirror. Marinette came to stand next to him, a deep blush on her cheeks.

“We make a pretty cute couple, don’t you think, my lady?” Adrien leaned over with the most dashing Chat smile he could muster.

“A couple of nerds maybe,” Marinette mumbled but she smiled anyway. A cough sounded above them and they both looked up to see Tikki holding a sprig of mistletoe and a sheepish grin. Marinette narrowed her eyes at her conniving kwami before meeting Adrien’s bright green ones.

“May I?” he asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek. Marinette could only nod before their lips met in a chaste kiss.

“I’ve wanted to do that for while now,” he said on a breathy laugh. Marinette simply squeaked before crashing her lips into his again. A second cough broke them apart. Sabine and Tom were both poking their heads through the door in the floor.  

“Well Sabine,” Tom started. “I’m not sure we could possibly get Marinette anything better than that this Christmas.” He said with a broad grin while his wife elbowed him in his side. Marinette blushed 5 shades of red before following them back down the stairs, a laughing Adrien behind her.

[wearetakingthehobbitstogallifrey]

I need more batman media but I don't know what to watch or where to watch it and Netflix took off Young Justice and Justice League :(:( do you have any fic recs or fun facts

A.  Blogsto follow if you haven’t already followed them, the first three write FREAKINGAMAZING fanfic and the fourth creates THE BEST fanart I have literally sat and scrolled through these blogs for hours

@camsthisky (good GOSH I love her she writes so much about Dick Grayson)

@audreycritter

@preciousthingsareprecious

@laquilasse

B.  RandomFics to Read (and honestly there are so many more, I just can’t think of themat the moment):

1. TheAcrobat Series 

by fishfingersandjellybabies http://archiveofourown.org/works/4079917

Look anytime anyone talks about how much Dick loveshis family they’ve won my heart and soul. I especially like the Kori section.

2.  Mori Shej 

bydickiegayson  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12298375/1/Mori-Shej

OH MY GOSH.  Ilove this story so freaking much.  Ok,imagine if Jason Todd, after coming back from the dead and going through allthat stuff with the Lazarus Pit and training, goes after Dick Grayson to gethis revenge on Bruce.  Except when heshows up at Dick’s apartment, ready to kill the Golden Son, he finds somethingcompletely unexpected.  Jason has a lotof issues, Dick has a lot of issues (courtesy of the Blockbuster incident).  I have read and reread this story countlesstimes, and I can never not cry because I love my broken sons so much.  There is a lot of anger, some cursing, muchregret, and brothers being brothers.  And Dick is the sweetest most protective [redacted because spoiler] and Jason has a mushy heart after all.  Itcan stand as complete but I think the author is writing more?  Also, either before or after, or both, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqeNxdyp5CEand listen to the song.  It is my newfavorite song and CAN YOU IMAGINE DICK SINGING IT OH MY GOSH

3.  the roadwill only be wide (the rain will never stop falling) 

by weird_bird (2weird4) http://archiveofourown.org/works/8610391/chapters/19743343

A collection of Dick and Damian moments.  So very beautiful.

4.  The RobinsUnited Series, first story is Bird by Bird 

by laceymcbain  http://archiveofourown.org/works/2656487/chapters/5936243

…some hurt/comfort, Jason doesn’t know what the hellto do with his family, and they all insist on calling him brother.  *shrugs* family feels are my drug of choice

5.  Penny Lane 

by @jerseydevious  http://archiveofourown.org/works/11757690

Damian wants a horse, and drat I’m crying?  (tbh I cry very easily over my sons…but still)

6.  Sun Spot 

byDawn’sEternalLight (@preciousthingsareprecious) http://archiveofourown.org/works/11748606

This fic is a quiet moment of beauty and rest for Dickand Damian.  Damian draws, and Dickwatches his talented little bro.  Thereis sunlight.  You skin will clear andyour crops will grow and any heartache you have ever had will be healed likemagic!

C.  Abunch of fics by Kieron_O’Duibhir

1.  TheTill-Then From the Ever-Since http://archiveofourown.org/works/3506603/chapters/7707866  

There is a problem in the Batcave, as in, youngerversions of the Batfam keep turning up. It’s absolutely fantastic, and one of my favorite things is youngerJason being SO done with his older self and calling him out on stuff and being all protective of his brothers.  It gets better and better with every chapter.

2.  But a Walking Shadow http://archiveofourown.org/works/4259511/chapters/9641367

 Sothis story is not finished yet and the author takes waaay long to post updateson it but she has promised not to abandon it soo…It is Nightwing-centric, witha whole mess of comic Teen Titans making appearances.  The author has written a lot of stories abouta world where Dick became a Talon, and in this tale Talon-on-the-run winds upon Earth-1 and Nightwing is trying to figure out who this apparent clone of hisis.  Talon Dick has always intrigued me,and it is interesting seeing him and Nightwing face off.

3.  All the Roofs of Uncertainty http://archiveofourown.org/works/2273208/chapters/4994631

HOLY HECK this is one of my favorite Jason Todd fanfics EVER.  I love the description by the author “The onewhere Dick bleeds a lot and Jason argues with everybody.”  Jason is in the wrong spot at the wrong time,ie. He finds Dick bleeding to death and is forced to save him.  Tim and Damian make appearances.  Jason has anger issues.  That doesn’t stop him from caring.  Bruce and Jason hash things out in the mostbeautiful (painful) way.

4.  Wheel and Blade 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2492957

 Inwhich Dick confronts Damian about his practice of taking weapons to school, andalso gets slightly distracted by the idea of living in a vardo.  I love this story because it shows the bestway to parent Damian—not by telling him no “because I said so” but byexplaining and debating things like he is smart and capable.  

5.  I Pass the Night Watchman on His Beat http://archiveofourown.org/works/2326226

Thisis a cool one-shot of Dick and Amy, his partner on the Bludhaven police force.  I freaking love Dick being a cop.

D.  Okay now if you want something towatch:

 1.     Nightwing—TheSeries 

by ismahawk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o297A1wmys0

This is THE BEST Nightwing fan film I haveever seen.  I love the Dick Grayson in it—he’sgot acrobatics, sounds like Jesse McCartney (Robin/Nightwing’s VA in YJ), and is quite handsome.  He fights, gets the stuffing beat out of himand keeps getting back up, has a bit of a temper, loves Barbara—perfection.  Watch it, you won’t regret it.  (Also Jason is there yay!  I will take him in any capacity I can get. And I kinda really like the actor for Bruce?)

2.     RedHood: The Series—Episode One “Homecoming” 

by tenshunn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BdVSgshgFA&t=136s

My favorite Jason Toddfanfilm!!!  Heavily featuring TimDrake!  Look this adaption is fab, I lovethe actors and the dialogue and the fight between Jason and Tim (spoiler?)  As far as I know they are trying to puttogether a second episode.  Watch thevideo where Jason Todd tries to get people to donate money for it, itsHILARIOUS

3.      Batman The Animated Series is on Netflix tillSeptember 1st.  I’m in thesecond season and love it a lot…Alfred is so freaking sassy!  

4.     DamianWayne: Robins Fly at Night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS30bYjVmL4

 It’s just five minutesand doesn’t have any dialogue, and it doesn’t come close to deserving an Oscar, but dang it it’s hard to find Damian stuff…and also seeing a littlekid running around in the Robin costume made me realize that there is nothing Iwant more than to see Damian Wayne on the big screen, being all angry assassinkid, and Dick Grayson capturing him in a hug…

5. Gotham on Netflix

I am pretty sure you already watch this? But if not, DO!  It is AMAZING.  I love it so much, especially Bruce and Alfred and Selina Kyle

E.  Some things from Batman: Dark Victory

Okay I know he is a talented young acrobat and all but how the FUDGE did Dick get up on that chandelier?!  the kid can truly fly (yeah yeah, the stairs probably lead up to a hallway floor/balcony that Dick leapt off of but still) I wonder how many grey hairs the kid gave Alfred in those first weeks alone

On dark days I like to remember the time bby birb Dick Grayson caved in the Joker’s cheek with a well-placed kick.  My nine or ten year old son then proceeded to smash in the Joker’s teeth with a stick a few minutes later and it was amazing

You think I lied??  Nah my son Dick Grayson was cracking teeth and bones and witty puns from Day 1.  Go Robin!!!

Okay so just look at this picture.  Bby Dick is SO FREAKING TINY!!!  also very intense. OMG Batman’s fists are as big as his first son’s head!  *cue a very many feels in my heart*

F.  Random things I am including because I feel like it, and they all revolve around Dick Grayson mostly because he is my fave so…

1. Apparently some official websites say that Nightwing’s martial arts specialty is Aikido.  I do not think that word means what they think it means

2. “I close my eyes now for a few moments and I can see my parents riding the air current with me. Forever young. Forever strong. Their faces wide with excitement, big smiles on their faces, enjoying the adrenaline surge even more than I do. And there is one thing I am sure of … my parents would be proud of my life.” (Nightwing, Nightwing #141, 2008)  

3.  [Talking about Blüdhaven] “It’s a hopeless case. A lost cause. A town so mired in corruption and sin that it’s drowning … When Batman sent me here, I thought I’d solve one case and book. But then I realized … if I could make a difference here – well, that’d be something. This filthy old town needs me…. Surrounded by a dozen of my worst enemies. No way out. Nowhere to hide. The little brat was right. I do love it. (Nightwing, Nightwing Secret Files #1, 1999)

4.  There once was a dumb writer who thought killing Nightwing for real would be a good idea, and he tried writing toward that end, but everybody else was like hahahaha NO

5.  I used to hate when fic writers would shorten Damian’s name to Dami (kind of like how I majorly dislike when people shorten Sirius Black’s name to Siri, he is not an iPhone gosh).  But then I read a post on tumblr that said something about Dami actually meaning something in Arabic, something like blood or life-blood or heart blood…I can’t exactly remember what and maybe it isn’t even true but I choose to believe it is and that Dick knows exactly what it means and he calls Damian Dami as a way to show how special he is, how much Dick loves him.  Because Damian is his little brother/son and means the absolute world to Dick.  And Damian, though he pretends to despise all nicknames, absolutely LOVES that Dick calls him this

[crazyflyingspip]

Sales of a new £30 Argos sun lounger are through the roof – and it's all down to the brilliant colour options!

We’ve never cherished our gardens more than right now. As the weather starts to hold great promise we’re all itching to get outside to get bask in vitamin D. And what could be better for the job than the brilliant new Argos sun lounger.

Firstly it’s incredibly affordable, priced at only £30. Secondly it’s unquestionably comfortable, thanks to its smart zero gravity design. And lastly, but not least, is the fact you can choose from three fabulous on-trend colours – of Grey, Teal and Yellow.

More ideas: 5 simple ways to improve gardens during lockdown – without spending a penny!

Even better still, Argos is doing everything within its power to ensure customers can get what they want, when they want it.

You can even get it the same day! Using the safe Click & Collect option, which is available from Sainsbury’s stores too. This is in addition to the home delivery option.

New zero gravity Argos sun lounger

On the website it says, ‘Get that floating feeling with our super relaxing zero gravity lounger. It elevates the feet and legs, while gently supporting the back, so you get the sensation of weightlessness.’ What a dreamy way to while away lazy afternoons in the sun.

The durable fabric design helps to alleviate pressure on the joints to ensure hours of relaxation time.

Buy now: Zero Gravity metal Sun Lounger, £30, Argos Home

Complete with headrest the comfy lounger boasts variable reclining positions, to suit the purpose – whether sitting with a book or reclining to snooze.

The chair simply folds away when not in use, allowing for easy storage.

With all those ingredients making the ideal lounger, it’s no wonder this design is a trending product for Argos right now. Sales are reportedly going through the roof, as shoppers look for the ultimate way to relax at home.

Inspiration: Before and after: gorgeous garden makeover with fab she shed 

Making the most of any outdoor space right now, no matter how big or small, is so important. Particularly as the weather starts to improve.

Enjoy some much-needed R&R in complete comfort with a little help from this lush lounger.

The post Sales of a new £30 Argos sun lounger are through the roof – and it's all down to the brilliant colour options! appeared first on Ideal Home.

from Ideal Home https://ift.tt/2Kcht5X

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