#at this point i draw him as big/broad as i want theres no set in stone height diff between him and clora anymore LMAO and idc..im free

[choccy-milky]

adult seb my beloved

[miss-choco-chips]

From Baby to Babe~

I once wrote this  https://miss-choco-chips.tumblr.com/post/190983954737/theres-a-point-in-all-the-rouges-gallerys-lives and @theturdis wanted a fic about it, so... Just remember, you asked for this hon. This ain’t my fault.

Tagging @animemangasoul who just told me to tag them the next time I wrote something. 

Fair warning everyone, I somehow did this in one sitting, and, I can’t stress this enough, there’s no edit whatsoever. Like, none. Enjoy, if you can ignore the eyesore of my multiple mistakes.

----.----

Bruce despairs in the knowledge of his sons growing up hot.

---.---

When Dick came back to Gotham as the new Nightwing for the first time ever… well. 

Bruce didn't like to think about the first suit, back then. All those feathers and glitter, the plunging V neck, the mullet… His son had insisted on it being the trend at the time. Bruce just couldn't grasp how was he supposed to blend into the night and take anyone by surprise. There was too much... everything, and not nearly enough stealth.

He was an innocent man, back then. He looked at a horse gift in the mouth and was completely blindsided when it raised on it’s hind legs and kicked him where it hurted.

When Selina approached him a few weeks after N had come to him with the blueprints of his new suit, he had been quiet relaxed. Or as relaxed as one can be when crouched like a gargoyle and looking over the city. He was just getting back on track after… Jason (it still hurted, and probably always would, to think about him), his new partner helping in ways he couldn’t foresee, violence tampered by Tim’s brilliant smile every time he came to Bruce with the answer to a particularly difficult riddle he had been having trouble with. He had to get his act together, because Tim was so bright, mind so beyond what Bruce could ever aspire to, and he was at such an impressionable age… If Batman allowed himself to fall deeper into despair, he would set a dangerously bad example to the kid, which could be really damaging… to the world at large. He was the kind of kid that B wanted on the side of Justice, because the opposite would be quite catastrophic.

So yes, he had been very distracted lately, merely glancing over Dick’s blueprints, noticing the lack of brilliantine and gold, and giving his wholehearted approval. 

Stupid, innocent man he was. He had needed Catwoman of all people to open his eyes.

(To this day, he still wondered about Alfred’s reason for not warning him sooner. Perhaps, and this was the theory he had running, the old butler had been just so delighted at seeing the Disco suit gone, he would approve almost everything in its place, and Dick’s virtue had never been his responsibility to preserve, so to hell with it.

Betrayal always hurted the worse when it came from those closest to you)

-Hey handsome.

-Cat.

She rolled her eyes, already beyond his brood, and just walked out of the light, joining him into the shadows with a sigh at his dramatics. 

-No theft today?

The woman grimaced a bit, letting herself fall at his side with as much grace as she did everything else. Diamond claws scratched at her scalp, carefully not tearing the frail skin, and Batman finally conceded and turned his head to look at her directly. She was never so hesitant.

-Look. I really, really don’t want to be the one telling you this. I would literally rather leave this to anyone else, but… it’s getting out of hand.

-What is it?

-Nightwing. Hadn’t you noticed anything about him?

That got whatever rest of his attention she hadn’t already caught. Speaking of his sons always had that effect on him.

-What happened to him?

-Nothing, just… He’s been out a lot, hasn’t he? I thought he didn’t operate in the city as much…

She was stalling, which was worryingly out of character for Selina. But since this was about Nightwing, he had to be patient and let her talk her way into whatever information she was going to lay on him.

-I’ve been… -training a new Robin, not that he could tell her that- busy, lately. He’s picking up the slack while I’m focusing on it -a.k.a helping him both patrol the streets and teach Tim. 

-I noticed the changes, yes, whatever therapy you’re doing is great for you -she encouraged, more honest than he thought her capable of. He could already see her deadpan when she figured out the reason for his change, his ‘therapy’ as she put it, was an eleven year old thrusting himself at this dangerous life of his.

-Hm.

-Well… Anything noteworthy about him lately? Crime Fighting related?

Since she was stressing the words so much, he gave them deep thought.

-He has been on a streak lately. A lot more arrests… What’s your point?

He could almost see the second she internally said ‘fuck it’ and just blurted everything out.

-That’s because his new suit is, and this is coming from me, B, indecent, and every criminal out there is focusing more on his ass than his punches and flips so he’s kicking ass easier.

Bruce kicked his way to the forefront of his mind, the father in him hip checking the vigilante out of the way so he could properly freak out.

What? He knew the suit was a lot more tight than the former one, but he’d been so relieved at it being mostly black he hadn’t given more than a cursory look… and he barely saw the man in it, often training together in workout clothes and coming and going to patrol at different times. He… wasn’t prepared for this.

-Excuse me?

-I’m sorry, someone had to tell you. Normally, I’d be completely on board with a suit change from boring to daring, and you know of my good relationship with leather, but I’ve literally seen that kid grow up. If I have to listen to Harley talking about Nightwing’s ass one more time, Ivy won’t need to worry any more about the Joker killing her, because I will do it myself.

He wanted to thank her for standing up for his son, but he was still busy internally screaming.

-You want to hear Riddle’s last work? While looking directly at N, he asked ‘is buttcheeks one word? Or should I spread them?’. And then he winked. Winked, B. At your eighteen year old kid. You need to get your ass on gear and make sure Nighting changes his. I mean, I’m getting used to it, but you’ve been doing great lately, violent wise, and I’d hate for you to relapse because you heard Zsaasz asking N to tie his ropes tighter and harder.

B… needed to go back to the cave and call N back early. They had to talk.

----.----

When Jason came back, the first thing to break past the ‘holy shit my son is alive’ wall surrounding his brain was just how tall he had grown. How strong, how broad, how big. The little boy he had picked up from the street, underfeed and hurting everywhere, had turned out almost bigger than B himself and twice as brave. The wave of pride he felt was massive, but the feeling was short lived. 

Jason was killing criminals, had even attempted to murder Tim. Even if the father in him could, in his desperation, try and overlook the first bit, the same side couldn’t get past the second. Tim was as much his as Jason, and he couldn't turn a blind eye to it.

The relief of him being back that overflowed from Bruce clashed horribly with Batman’s unbending morals, and the two sides warred for days for control. The attack on his youngest son had been the deciding factor in who finally won; Bruce couldn’t fight the darkness in him when he needed it to help protect Robin from his predecessor, as much as it pained him.

Theirs was a long road, a difficult path to come back together as a family after so many mistakes on both parts (more his than Jason’s, he knew, but admitting so was so hard…), but they had finally, finally came back together. All his children, sitting around the dinning table at the manor, throwing food at each other behind Alfred’s back, Dick failing to give Jason a noogie, Tim succeeding in elbowing his way past both of them to claim first picks over the brownies, Damian rolling his eyes while sneakily drawing in his notebook what B suspected was a portrait of the three of them, Cass and Steph laughing at their antics… His heart felt like it could give out.

Again, his mind was anywhere but in… that. Already used to the dirty looks aimed at Nighting, he focused his anger into strength behind every punch, taking care to kick specially hard when aiming at the criminal’s genitals as light punishment for the lust they aimed at his oldest, but not longer trying to essentially castrate them.

He had the hang of it, and it was just one child. He could do damage control with one, it wasn’t that hard. Stephanie wasn’t really his, just under his protection as a mentor, and even then, she was mostly Barbara’s; Cass could and would take care of anyone who dared look at her in a way she didn’t like, so she was also good. Seventeen year old Tim and thirteen year old Damian were babies, so they wouldn't be an issue for a long, long time.

And then. And then, Steph had opened her mouth.

-Why can’t Tim do this? -she had whined, raising the heels to eye level and studying them with profound distaste- I hate fighting on these. He’s much better than me at that anyway, and he makes a hotter chick than I when he goes full out on his undercover gig.

Red Robin, who was walking past her on his way to the training mats, high fived her.

Barbara’s voice came from the Batcomputer, Oracle’s voice filter not needed while they still were on the Cave.

-Because he and Jason can’t act like a couple for more than two hours before one of them breaks into hives or laughter, and this is an all night long gig. 

-Then why can’t Tim and Dick go? You just need a girl as pretty arm candy distaction, the guy is the one who’s gonna do the work, and Nightwing can take care of a few drug dealers himself.

-While Dick is certainly pretty enough to gain permission to enter this very private party -the man, stretching with Tim, stopped mid motion to give the computer finger guns. Barbara coughed to cover a laugh and kept going-, the goal is for him to be invited into the boss’s personal office, and we can only do that if he’s interested in what he sees. From what Tim gathered for me on his last recon, he favours… Jason’s body types more than Dick’s.

Bruce, who was just getting out of the locker room, suit fully in place except from the cowl, raised an eyebrow at that, stopping to analyze his second oldest. Tilting his head, and still as confused, he asked what would undoubtedly bring him an unhealthy amount of regret in the very near future.

-What does that mean? Jason’s...body type? You mean tall? Dick is also pretty tall.

There was total silence in the cave for a few moments. Dick and Tim got up from their positions, shared a look, and made a run for the showers, claiming they were ready for patrol (they weren’t, not warmed up enough, but he had other things to focus on now). Damian, already fully suited, tutted and dragged the hood of his cape over his face, almost completely covering it. Cass looked on impassively, and Stephanie seemed to be getting a worryingly amount of glee from whatever this was.

Jason himself was… blushing? What?

-Who’s gonna tell him? -finally asked Barbara, amusement breaking her professional facade.

-Oh, me, me! Let me do this!

Apparently still a naive man, he nodded at the blonde, ready for someone to clear this up for him.

He was regaled with a half an hour long rant about biceps, pecs, and thighs that could compete against tree trunks and win. It was supported by apparent citations from different criminals that ranged from appreciative to full on scandalous.

In the end, everyone left the cave, Batgirl with a notorious spring on her step, and Bruce had to stay home instead of going out, needing the night to fully process about his second son, almost twenty one but twelve in his mind’s eye, apparently featuring in multiple Arkham calendars. 

He came out of that realization a scarred man, to say the least.

-----.-----

It was barely a few months after his traumatic chat with Stephanie when it happened again. He’d like to say he was ready for this.

He wasn’t.

When Conner Kent found him, he was completely focused on his WE’s work. For once on the office, with the TV providing some white noise in the background, he was fully prepared for a day catching up. He couldn’t keep letting Tim take over most of the work, the kid deserved to have a normal (or as normal as any of them could achieve) teenage life.

He was of course notified the moment the meta breached the city’s limits, but figured he was here on Titan’s business or hanging out with Tim. The light knock on his office window was a big surprise.

-This is unexpected, Conner. What can I do for you? -he greeted after letting him in- Tim isn’t here today, he’s giving a press conference.

-Yeah, I know. I’m actually here for you. We, the team, heard from Tim you’re making the blueprints for his next suit.

This conversation was already going in a very confusing way. Why did they care about Tim’s gear?

-Yes?

-Well, you need to double check with us before you show anything to him -something akin to indignant surprise must have shown in his face, because the meta quickly raised both hands-. We don’t mean that as you needing our approval, of course you’d know better how to keep a non-meta well protected. We know jackshit about kevlar and armor. But it’s the… style, that has us worried.

He let the anger bleed out of him, replaced with puzzlement.

-What do you mean?

Conner looked down, as if gathering strength, then up and straight into Bruce’s eyes, a feat very few younger heroes could achieve. This was serious.

-Tim isn’t big like Jason, or as… stretchy as Dick, but he has… very, very attractive features. I won’t go into detail with you about how thin his waist is, how shapely his legs or cute his ass. That’s not something I need to say or you to hear.

Yes, it definitely wasn’t. Bruce was having an inkling as to where this was headed, and he didn’t like it. Tim was a baby! Barely eighteen and so damn small!

-But I do need to tell you, his ugly ass suits have been good at keeping that all on the downlow. We made fun of him for them, sure, but never encouraged him to change, because we know what will happen if he does. It would be awful. You think Nightwing and Red Hood have it rough? Tim has Ra’s Al Ghul’s undivided attention and appreciation. If we add attraction to it? Mayhem. Absolute mayhem. We can barely keep him from being kidnapped by older, nasty villains as it is. We don’t need the extra work, sir. I’m begging you on behalf of the team, don’t let him get anything that would look good on him. Like that Untranet suit he told me about, for example. That one would be so bad. Or the Red Robin one with tighter pants and a domino under the cowl so he can take it out and flash the world his luscious hair. 

Bruce fell back into his desk chair. Elbows resting on the table, he buried his face into his hands.

A long silence filled the room.

-You already approved and made one of those, right?

A small, shaky nod.

-...The Ultranet one?

A firm shake. 

-Fuck me. The Red Robin with tighter pants and domino?

Another nod. Conner sat abruptly on the empty chair in the other side of the desk, like a puppet with its strings cut.

-Well, fuck. 

Fuck indeed. 

Bruce despaired.

----.----

This time, he would be ready. He swore it on his honor, on his oath, on his parents.

So when Damian turned sixteen, growth spurt kicking in (he towed over Tim, and it wouldn’t be long until he left Dick in the dust as well), he made a thought but necessary call.

He phoned Talia.

-We need to talk. About Damian, and… sex appeal.

Her shock was evident even through the phone.

-Excuse me? My son is a child. He has no such thing.

He closed his eyes. Once, a long time ago, he’d been just as naive. Now he knew better. 

It was a hard lesson to learn, but she needed to. And quickly. Damian was growing faster than his other children. Time was of essence.

-Let me tell you what I wish I knew years ago, when Dick decided to change his Nightwing suit.

She was probably going to hate him for opening her eyes like this, but Bruce just couldn't do this alone. 

He could deal with Talia’s hate, but criminals lusting after his baby son? Hell no. He might actually go rouge.

[grahamcarmen]

Hi, so I just finished the new season today! I have so many thoughts, the last few episodes felt kind of rushed? I wished they had gone about the whole situation between Gray and Carm at the end differently. More so on seeing them reunited. My biggest question, is why was he so quick on going back to VILE? He knew what they were capable of yes, was it to feed his criminal impulses? Why did ever want to steal in the first place? What led him to that conclusion and how did he learn of VILE? I was keen on seeing more of his backstory, and still need time to let the story simmer so I can analyze it more. It's just confusing. I guess it's just because the show ended that I feel so bittersweet y'know. What do you think Carmen would've done after they all disbanded? How could she leave them so quickly after she just got back to Team Carmen in the end? Besides wanting to see her mother. I was hoping they'd at least stay together.

i think that more than a few people feel that ( the knee jerk incredulity at her just leaving them a note and yeeting was real)

like disclaimer again: i do love carmen and this season this is just expanding on some little ??’s

on gray and “thinking gray.”: I was also feeling the lackluster on the payoff motivation wise for gray returning to VILE ( which was definitely needed as he was the secret weapon needed to finally get evil carmen back and at least partially inevitable due to ownership of the choices yadadadada )but like when he finally got his memories back he just repeated some things that i never really doubted. that gray did this of his own free will, he probably is of a lower empathy in general (which does not mean incapable of caring and doing the right thing. just that..~~~), that he regretted hurting carmen. in s1 he says his primary motivation as making more money and i was like”mmhmm fits.” being a thief and all and why not since they hadn’t introduced the big “needs to be able to tie up loose ends.” as a operative qualifier to anyone, including some of the recruits there. the only newer thing was his video that he seeked them out. which is interesting and all but sets him up as a go-getter so its so confusing that he’d choose to return to VILE ...a place where he was hurt and is so freaking selfish with what capers they choose to pursue. i kinda went on a tangent on another post that there is a theme of using a false sense of bonding to give them a little more loyalty which is like really heavy considering that means offering a “home” to what looks like operatives who might all be orphans but i don’t think it was highlighted enough to say “HEY YO” even tho GRAY LOOKS SO TIRED TO LEARN ABOUT HIS PAST WITH VILE

its really interesting because of the 3 people who had access to him/nature we got; carmen who only encouraged his desire to help (for the kiddos, for her safety, for assuring her that they were in...whatever... together, and make sure that they weren’t being secret spy jerks) ACME who got like...0 usefulness (riperonis ma guys), and VILE with maelstrom just hammering home all his shadier deeds with  “YEAH THIS IS YOU.”  AND HIM JUST ACCEPTING IT AFTER SITTING FOR A LONG AF TIME ALONE.

and when this was happening I was thinking about this analysis from another fandom about characters who resign to the law of the strong which could have been a reason for why gray doesn’t seem to hold the consequences for his failure against VILE even though he really should. (if they bothered but listen-)

its something that happens when characters choose to live in worlds they know are unfair, know that they choose to lie and steal and cheat, and thus should not be surprised or hurt when it happens to them in return. which of course lead to them not knowing where to draw the line on what happens to them...and i mean this in like some narratives usually go (hahaha no thats messed up please gtfo being treated like that is not ok and in allowing others to define your limits you are whittling yourself away). and they decide to live in resignation that. i am capable of bad... so i AM bad. (I am that guy. i’ve always been that guy) and makes them absolutely ripe for the (but you’ve been good . you can choose to be better.  it won’t erase the wrongs of the past but it will make for a better future)

but that still leaves exploration of “WHY WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE BY THE LAW OF THE STRONG??” and you know...not having anyone to rely on, poverty, or what was simple rebelliousness turning to darker and darker paths, are some easy reasons to put a spotlight on maybe our operatives having depth and like..arcs. especially any of those reasons combined. ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY’RE WHAT VILE CONSISTENTLY IS SHOWN OFFERING. (shadowsan really is their s-tier character huh)

which i really thought this show would go for when a shivering brunt who is loyal and protective asked if she was really going to be left behind or remember how unsympathetic most of them seemed to see carmen chloroformed because “she did interrupt our heist.” meaning that they understand this world. probably have understood it for longer than anyone should. (antonio being content as a “pawn” is the tenant in my head today) and why shouldn’t more money be important. or honestly how simple it was to accept that someone would just need more money.

with gray they introduced that he could be good and he could be bad but like leaned into “no all that niceness was fake and he’s bad.” due to the hyper specificity of the mind wipe apparently? which also leans into really flat interpretation of evil!carmen (i just mean that there is a lot there ...) meaning theres no really exploration of him and more of a judgment (even though he’s shown to be kind, snarky, and upfront, as himself without a mind wipe.) and then we wait...

the pacing of the last 2 episodes: adrenaline bebe!!! but also there were so many concepts being introduced and resolved and skimmed past so that it is a little confusing at some conclusions. like the scene you’re talking about where carmen just leaves a note and ghosts is like 30 seconds and thats a lot to unpack because ?? i’m really thinking that it might have been insinuating that carmen left them the pen specifically to give them a new home to wait for her because she was going on that little break like she planned (and they knew was the endgoal) because it was behind her note and presumably placed by her but because i was focusing on the letter goodbye like ??? i thought for some reason that it was zack saying he would now like to try ACME because HE thought of it and i was like ??when did you consider this?? and 3rd watch i was finally “ahhh ok ok i think i get it.”

another bitten off scene i think might have been when gray in his first mission is already exhibiting signs of going...”huh this is not good.”

from stopping carmen from unprofessionalism to seeing that new carmen is willing to up and leave the group for mental gymnastics instead of relying on them 100% to going to the ferris wheel where he DEFINITELY SAW HER TRYING TO KILL A CIVILIAN since it showed his reaction after ivy’s. and then it turn to team red because how they feel about it definately matters more than gray but its also so easy to miss that choosing to have gray witness that as the start of what makes him turn himself in (maybe this is just a possible interpretation and its midnight ok)

evil carmen! lost her empathy. ok. so then like thats a static judgment about how they’re gonna make her do bad stuff and she still absolutely cares about her history and VILE still needed to enforce bonding and giving her memories that they comforted her and gave her her coat so thats why she cares about it and her anger at betrayal and sense of loss that she still throws right in shadowsans face when “evil”

carmen thought she crossed a personal line?? like jeeeeeez that’s 6 months of crossing lines and the most recent and horrifying one happened like not even a minute ago and then 5 seconds later we get chief and her reconciling because yes it needed to happen so we’re not gonna address how traumatizing it was or

VILE JUST WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN HUH??

and all these things are important and have the groundwork for happening but man they just happen one after the other and its like

before moving on to the next thing and like let me breathe omg

and yeah that means that so many people were left confused because the show about family (carmen’s family that SHE built ) seemed to disband for carmen to go to see her mother at last alone, shadowsan to go to his brother and a heartbroken pair of red heads to join ACME

and we get a time gap before reuniting but only a few seconds to decide if reuniting was the plan all along(the pressure point)

and there is a lot of actual IN TIME that is broad strokes that many people have already picked whats going to haunt them that wasn’t explored more...

TLDR; i get it on both counts (gray and rushed)! glad there was some sweet in your bittersweet and since canon definitely had team red in the same place they absolutely reunited and moved back into the shop and carmen talked to them about how great her mom is and planned a dinner

[thehollowprince]

A little snippet that popped into my head because @toenail-stink-hate-echo-chamber put the idea of a MCU/Sense8 AU into my head.

The cluster for this consists of Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Scott Lang, Jane Foster, Claire Temple and Prince T'Challa. (I switched out Gamora for Claire). For this, Claire and T'Challa are on blockers because she's at work and he's attending a meeting or something.

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

Jane tried to be subtle about picking up the pace, not wanting to draw extra attention to herself as she entered the crowded mall. She was just supposed to be here for a lecture on astrophysics, and now she was being stalked by creepy men that all but had the word VILLAIN stamped in their foreheads.

She shook her head. That thought wasn't hers. It was someone else's. The guy in prison for stealing.

"Burgaling" Scott corrected, standing beside her in his prison jumpsuit, causing her to jump. "Sorry," he said, stepping back from her side and disappearing again. She didn't think she would ever get used to this, random voices and people in her head that turned out to he real people around the world. But right now her focus should be on getting out of here. Jane started to turn her head to see if the men were still following her, but her gaze fell on the apparition of the redheaded woman, Natasha.

"Never look back," she said firmly, marching along and Jand kept up with her. Or was she piloting now. This was so confusing.

"I count two on your six." Another masculine voice said, deep on account of his broad chest. Jane passed by one of those mirrored pillars that some malls have and didn't ser herself, but the big muscular blond from Brooklyn. Steve. "And another three up on the balcony keeping pace with you." She (or Nat) resisted the urge to look up. "If we take this next turn, we can cut them off and take them out."

"There's an emergency exit two stores back." Nat countered. We just need to slip into a crowd and backtrack without them noticing us."

"There's a police officer." Scott pointed out, now walking abreast with Natasha on her left while Steve was on her right. (Shut up! Jane knew they weren't really there, but that's how she made sense of it in her head.)

"These are government agents, Scott." Natasha pointed out. "Theres not going to be anything the police can do to them."

"No, you don't get it." Scott said before looking (not looking?) at Jane. "Cry."

"What?"

"You're a pretty woman in public being followed by stereotypical henchmen. If you cry, you'll make a scene and the police will get involved."

"What would that do?" Steve asked.

"Get her out of their line of sight and force them to play their hand to soon," Nat said, picking up on Scott's thinking. "Good job, Scott." The convict beamed.

"I don't know how to cry on command." Jane pointed out. They all "looked" at Natasha, who opened her mouth to say something before Scott chimed in.

"I can," and then just like that, he started sobbing. Loudly. Loudly enough that everyone in the immediate vicinity stopped what they were doing to look. There was nothing more entertaining than a free show in public. She (he?) was crying so had that the next thing she knew the police officer was there, asking her (him? them?) what was wrong. Theough broken sobs, Jane (Scott) explained that he (she) was being followed. A quick glance back as the officer ushered them (her) toward an employee-only area saw the two following her stopping and looking pissed as well as confused, apparently unsure if they should do anything.

"Nice job," Steve commented Scott, Nat nodding in impressed agreement.

"Thanks." Scott sniffled. "I just read The Fault In Our Stars."

"Okay, ma'am, I'm going to need you to calm down." The officer said, earning a scoff from Natasha.

"Men. Always telling women to calm down."

As Jane was spinning the story about being followed, the door opened and two of the thugs following her walked into the off-limits area. The officer stepped forward, hand on the butt of his gun, and his other hand out, telling the men to stop.

One of the two held out a badge of his own, explaining that she was wanted in connection to the bombing of the UN that happened earlier in the week. Beside her, Steve's shoulders tensed and he uttered one word, "Bucky." The officer looked between the badge and Jane before stepping back toward her, hand still on his gun, though this time he was looking at her instead of the men.

"He's right handed, so he's going to go for your left." Steve said, while Nat pointed out the fire extinguisher mounted on the wall to their right and the empty mop bucket beneath it. "When I say, move." The officer had cuffs in his hand now and was approaching her cautiously, talking about remaining calm, like how you would to a wounded animal or a person on a ledge.

"Now!"

Natasha moved, hand clamping around the officer's wrist and twisting it until the cuffs were dropped, kicking out with Jane's right foot and sending the mop bucket skidding toward the other two, causing one to trip and the other to move to avoid it, allowing her to use the officer as a shield. Natasha grabbed the stun gun and pulled it free, tagging the officer and riding his shuddering body to the ground where she rolled to her feet, shoulders and feet squared in a boxing stance, Steve moving forward to take out the goon moving toward her.

The next few seconds were a blur, the other goons entering the hall, with Jane watching the Steve and Natasha fend off the attackers by doing things she'd only ever seen in action movies. A haymaker from Steve sent the last guy into unconsciousness and Jane straightened up, her knuckles sore from Steve hitting the man.

"Is that all of them?" Steve asked, looking down at the unconscious men, before Natasha saw one move and start to sit up. In a fluid motion, she plucked the fire extinguisher off of the wall and swung it around, hitting the man in the head and knocking him out.

"That's all of them."

"Let's get the hell out of here." Scott said, moving down the hall toward the exit at the other end.

"We won't get far on foot." Steve pointed out.

"We won't be on foot." Scott grinned, holding up his (Jane's) hand to reveal a set of keys dangling from the fingers. "Courtesy of our friend back there."

"Scott, you son-of-a-bitch," Steve grinned.

"Ooh, you kiss your mama with that mouth?" Natasha joked as they made for the exit, pulling the fire alarm casually along the way.

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

So... what do we think? Should I make a full length Sense8 AU of the MCU? Or does anyone want to send me clusters and I can write little snippets? I'm inspired by this.

[umusicians]

UM Interview:  Glass Peaks

Founded just over a year ago, GLASS PEAKS are quickly earning themselves a reputation as one of the Southeast’s hottest new talents. Hailing from Bexleyheath, United Kingdom, the band coins their sound as “Melancholic Alt-Pop”. Amandah Opoku sat down with Glass Peaks to talk about their latest album “Speak and Spell”, band origins and more!

Amandah Opoku: “Speak and Spell” is your latest release, what is the story behind the track? Alfie: It's a conversation, really. It's about a friendship or a relationship that's potentially going sour. It's about the way one person perceives another. It's about peoples actions or behaviors in social situations. It's a commentary on all of that - in short. AO: Thinking back on how “Speak and Spell” came to be, did the songwriting and recording session differ from your previous releases? Alfie: The songwriting process was exciting. It was quite experimental and free. We try not to tie ourselves down too much when we write new material, so Speak and Spell in its earliest form had quite a bit of space in amongst the textured guitar lines. When we took it into the studio with Kris Harris, we played around with the electronic elements of the song slightly more and focused on the textures within the instrumentation. I think we'll always have fond memories from recording that particular track. AO: “Speak and Spell” debuted on Huw Stephens BBC Radio 1 Show, going into the premiere and following the songs release what were you feeling? What were you hoping radio listeners and fans would take away from the release? Jake: We are still super hyped that S+S got its radio debut on Radio 1. Its been getting a lot of radio love from loads of stations all over the place. We noticed it was getting a few spins over in the US too which is mad. This single is a lot more electronic than our last, so this track shows a different side to us. People can take that away with them if they want, right? Alfie: Yeah, the Radio 1 debut was a lovely touch. I always feel a sense of pride whenever I see or hear it has been spun on the radio somewhere! As Jake said, it got some love in the US which is amazing. Music is subjective, so listeners will take away different things after hearing the track, but personally, I just hope it excites people or moves people, whether they love the song or absolutely despise it; I would hate for people to feel indifferent towards our music, that would be shit.

AO: Focusing on your band name, what does Glass Peaks embody to you? Why did you decide to call yourselves Glass Peaks? Jake: Theres 2 stories to this... The true story is: I always wanted the bands name to have something to do with nature in it. So after going through hundreds of words and names we all sort of agreed that we liked PEAKS. We then went to a local chicken shop for some dinner and opposite us was a small glass shop... GLASS PEAKS. The false one is that this is a beautiful and poetic band name, when your at the height of love, life, your career or anything, it's like your always walking on glass because it could fall through at any point. You're walking on your GLASS PEAK. AO: Metaphorically, what does Glass Peaks represent? Alfie: In a weird way, I suppose it represents the 'False' story that Jake just mentioned, which sort of legitimises it! We constantly push ourselves and each other to the heights of our musical abilities; we're honest with one another, we all have the same love for creating, it's all we want to do, so you could say that, metaphorically, Glass Peaks is the representation of exceeding your goals or heights for the love of whatever you're trying to achieve.   AO: You describe your sound as ‘melancholic alt-pop’ which is derived from your influences such as Joy Division and The Smiths –how have they influenced you musically? Alfie: Lewis is a huge fan of The Smiths, maybe he takes some inspiration from lyric writing from them. I suppose some of our guitar work is pretty Smiths-esque as well but I'd largely say that our influences vary from everyone we listen to. If you were to scroll through our iPods, you'd find every genre under the sun, I think we draw inspirations from every corner of the musical spectrum. But yes, The Smiths and Joy Division have been names that have come up as comparisons with the sound...we've also recently had Depeche Mode and Mogwai, which is pretty awesome. AO: What current artist on radio, would you say your sound aligns closely with and why? Jake: White Lies, Foals, Warpaint and so on. These sorts of bands love layers. We love layers. Alfie: I think Warpaint is definitely up there and definitely some elements from bands like Foals and Radiohead. Collectively, we have a very broad musical palette, a lot of our music is groove based, we take influences from artists of all different genres. What we don't align with in sound we try to make up for in the emotion of the music. If you were able to speak to any of your musical influences, ask them for advice whether it be in regards to writing or performing –what would you ask them? Jake: to BB king: I love you Alfie: This is such a hard one because there are so many artists I look up to that I'd love to sit down for a pint with and quiz them on their music & songwriting etc... I'd actually love to sit down with Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, It'd be amazing to understand his songwriting journey from their first album to their most recent; especially in his lyric writing; he uses some of the most beautiful and honest imagery in his words. I'd also love to talk about the way they've re-invented themselves and changed their direction ever so slightly with every album, very similar to Radiohead. Big fan. Can you tell? AO: Glass Peaks formed just over a year ago, how did you come together? Jake: Me, Lew and Grant were in a previous band for a couple of years. That naturally came to an end and we fancied doing something new. I knew Alfie from working with him back in The 02, he liked our tunes and bought the spice to the party. AO: From where you were was a band last year and what you are today, what is your one big takeaway? Alfie: Perspective. Being straight with people and being honest in your music. There are a lot of people out there who talk a lot but don't deliver. Be honest with what you write, be confident in what you believe, and fucking tear it up when you perform live; leave people feeling something. AO: Looking at the music industry and the reasons why one pursues a music career, what inspired you to take this route? Why music? Alfie: Music is something we've all pursued from a young age. We've all played in previous bands over the years and I think we're all in a collective headspace where music is something we can all consider as a career. It's more than just a hobby or a 'side project'. We all currently work full time jobs and still commit the long hours of rehearsal and touring because we're hungry to succeed. We take inspiration from those who have done this before us and every band or musician who is currently in the same position as us. It's tough, but if you want it enough, you'll do whatever you can to make it work for you. AO: If you could give your younger self, any advice –what would you tell them? Alfie: I think I'd just tell myself to always keep your chin up. This industry is full of setbacks and disappointments, you have to learn to just pick up and carry on. I've developed a thick skin over the years and I think that's something I wish had from a younger age. You can't take things too personally. Keep working and it will come. AO: You have an upcoming tour this March/April what can fans expect from your set? Jake: A load of songs that we wrote in a cold shed. We always give it 100% live, so yeah come and see what we got for ya. Alfie: Fans can expect loud noises, sweat and broken spectacles. AO: With “Speak and Spell” out digitally, what can fans expect from you this year? Jake: Loads of shows up and down the country, more music to be released and some big festival announcements ... AO: Before we end this interview, is there anything you’d like to say to your fans? Alfie & Jake: Thanks for your support! We hope to see you at shows all over the place this year and beyond! 

Connect with Glass Peaks: https://www.facebook.com/glasspeaksband/ https://twitter.com/glasspeaksband https://soundcloud.com/glasspeaksband https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNZrpGSmbq4HgFTTgE7EihA