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#he did send an assassin after a 12 year old so I will not be calling him a soft baby by any means
allovesthings · 3 months
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You know how in Robin Year One, after the Two Face incident and being taken Robin away from him, Dick headed out in the streets to crime bust on his terms which caught the attention of an underground school for training assassins?
Well what if instead of that school….it was the Court of Owls and the man who instead was approaches Dick to offer him enhanced training to react justice on Two Face…was William Cobb, not in Talon suit?
Hi 💜
So I went and reread the last two issues of Robin Year one and while out-of-universe, the court of Owl didn't exist at that time, in-universe, both Dick and Bruce got so lucky nothing like that happened.
Would Dick have gone with him if Cobb tried to gain his trust ? Because the impression I got was that he followed Strike and the revenge school of assassins because he was suspicious and other kids were involved, One guy trying to get him to come with him might have done the opposite and made him run in the other direction.
1) if he does and manage to escape, then Dick might be in a situation where he is on the run from the Court, completely sad because Bruce fired him and not sure if he should go back here with Two-face out and about also at the same time. That's a lot for a 10 to 12 years old. In that scenario, I think maybe Dick goes home to Bruce sooner because he realize he is way over his head sooner.
What's interesting about that is that with the kidnapping attempt, the Court of Owl is on Bruce's radar (again) way way way sooner than usual and Dick has a bigger target on his back now that they know about the Court of Owl.
2) The second scenario is Dick decides to go because he is suspicious like Strike and accidentally on purpose infiltrates the Court which is so fun too considering we know Brainwashing would be coming for him so the question becomes can he stay on that idea of infiltration through that ? At 10 to 12 ? That sounds like such a fun concept (although a bit horrifying considering he is 10 to 13). Can he find a way to contact Bruce and get that information out ? I have a feeling if he did that, Bruce might have a heart-attack and just decide to rescue him regardless of Dick's choice to infiltrate ?
3) The third scenario, which is it's a kidnapping attempt and it's successful, the question becomes: can Dick break free (either by escaping and/or break free of the brainwashing) ? For me yes, is a funner answer but what's interesting is when ? Does he escape the Labyrinth a la Bruce and run back to Wayne manor after being tortured? Does he break free from the Talons after he is turned ?
The second question of the scenario is what is Bruce doing ?
I think a lot of this would depends on Bruce a lot ? In Robin Year one, we don't have Bruce's pov but from Alfred's point of view, Bruce is not looking for Dick when he runs off... Which, it feels a little bit out of character for Bruce I cannot for the life of me be normal about Dick Grayson Wayne.
In my opinion, Bruce was probably investigating Two-Face so intensely because he thought that would lead him to Dick (in my own little headcanon).
So in that scenario we have Bruce getting Two-face and realizing he won't find Dick that way and I'm guessing investigating more which might put him on the Court of Owl's track so now we have a race against time on whether Bruce can find Dick before the Court does its thing with the CoO one step ahead. That's so interesting too ? It would be a bit of a thriller honestly, that would be so fun.
4) the fourth scenario which is Bruce wasn't actually looking for Dick at all, we might get to see Talon!Dick goes after Bruce later on (if I was a secret society who had a talon that was knowledgeable on Batman and with who batman has an emotional attachment, I would definitely send him after Batman) and him going after Bruce and seeing what Batman does as a superhero might be the trigger to debrainwash him.
I had so much fun with that ask, I'm so sorry for writing a bit of a novel !! But this AU is so good !!
Thank you so much 💜
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luimnigh · 7 months
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I know that Washington fought in the Seven Years War and had a few fuckups therein, but how did he cause it? Don't think I've ever heard that part.
So, before the Seven Years' War, most of the land west of the Appalachian Mountains up to the Mississippi River was nominally claimed by the French as "New France". Realistically, France had a handful of towns and outposts along the Mississippi, Great Lakes, and St. Lawrence Rivers. Most of the land was actually inhabited by the native peoples, with only 75,000 French people inhabiting what is now called the Mid-West.
Meanwhile, east of the Appalachians was the Thirteen Colonies, which was home to 1.5-2 million people. And they wanted to expand. So, British colonists and traders began to venture into Ohio, which was claimed by France.
French Colonists responded by sending in their military to drive off and capture British colonists in Ohio, and to build fortifications to prevent them from coming back.
The Governor of Virginia had invested in the efforts to settle Ohio, so he sent a 21-year-old Lieutenant Colonel by the name of George Washington to give the French commander an order to leave. Washington met the commander, a guy named Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, and gave him the order, which Saint-Pierre ignored.
Washington went back to Virginia. However, on his way back, two things happed:
Saint-Pierre was relieved of command by Claude-Pierre Pécaudy de Contrecœur
The Governor of Virginia sent a small group of soldiers to build a fort in Ohio.
Washington was basically immediately sent back with 40 men, picking up a group of 12 warriors from an allied group of natives along the way. His orders were to stop any attempts to prevent the building of the Fort, through lethal force if necessary.
Meanwhile, De Contrecoeur came across the British fort with a much larger force of 500 men, forced the British out, and bought their construction equipment to finish building the fort for France.
Washington and his men, after learning of the French forcing out the group they were supposed to reinforce, came across a 35-man scouting party of the main force.
And Washington launched an ambush.
Most of the French were captured or killed.
This became known as The Battle of Jumonville Glen. Named after Joseph Coulon de Villiers, Sieur de Jumonville, leader of the French scouting party, who was killed at the site.
Washington retreated away from the French, and constructed a fort in Ohio called Fort Necessity. A month later, after both sides were reinforced, a force of 600 French, Canadien, and Native soldiers launched an attack on Fort Necessity.
They were led by Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers. Joseph's older brother. He wanted revenge for his brother.
The Battle of Fort Necessity ended in Washington's surrender, whereupon he signed a document in French (which he could not read) that said he had assassinated Joseph Coulon. Washington and his forces were allowed to then leave back to Virginia.
Washington's superiors reneged on the terms of Washington's surrender, declaring they would not release the prisoners Washington had taken, and instead began more military incursions into France's claimed territory.
And so a war began between France and Britain in North America because a 22-year old George Washington was told "kill 'em if you have to" and followed through with that, unfortunately managing to kill the little brother of a guy who could raise a bigger army than Washington.
This later escalated when France attacked British holdings in the Mediterranean two years later (in order to exchange them to Spain for help with the war), which kicked off the Seven Years' War in earnest.
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A spark of hope story 1
Chapter 17 next day
1. It was early morning as Sparks walk down the stairs of the castle. He hadn't slept much. But apon seeing twilight Allready down stairs with a much better look was enough to sooth him.
2. He took a seat across the table from her. But now that he was closer he could see that the smile was fake. And there were bags under her eyes.
3"good morning Sparks we need to talk."the words caused him to take a deep gulp as she spoke."the assassin awoke an was interrogated over night. He doesn't know who sent him. He was hired anonymously."
4. Sparks slowly nodded and felt anger enter his heart. " So now what? " twilight sighed as sparks asked her this. " Its complicated for now ill be remaining here in ponyville an I am not to be left alone. Some of the girls are infact moving into the castle so at least thats taken care of."
5. Twilight then rubed a hoof against her forehead. " The bigger question is you. What are you?" Sparks huffed not really wanting to awnser the question. Still he had to. "A long time ago I had an...incident it changed me"
6. He held up a hoof witch sparked with small bits of electricity. " Since then ive been able to generate lighting an summon wild weather. The kind that Pegasi can't control." Twilight looked at her face now filled with curiosity.
7. "Beyond that I cant tell you much more. Only that it took years for me to get a handle over my a abilities most of witch I spent near the dragonlands." Twilight nodded in understanding. At least a few questions were awnsered.
8. Not much else was said between the two beyound a few questions about breakfast. Of witch sparks made simple toast for them both. After witch he headed back to the everfree to meet spike who had allready started his stretches.
9." Heya sparky." Spike smiled widely at his freind. "Hello spike are you ready for you next lesson?" Spike ran right up to him an stood tall.
10. Sparks couldn't help but smile. "Today we'll be discussing your fire." Spike raised an eyebrow. Confused he inquired about what sparks met. "My fire? Pretty sure we covered this ya know powered by gems."
11. Sparks rolled his eyes an chuckled." Yes thats true but your fire is very unique. Infact your one of very few dragons ive seen with magical fire." Spike thought about this for a moment.
12. He wasnt wrong spikes ability to send mail through his flames is fairly rare allthough he didn't know by how much. Sparks noticed spike in thought.
13. "Kiddo there are only two dragons currently able to use that ability. You an the current dragon lord." Spike eyes widened unsure of how to respond. Sparks smiled an patted him on his shoulder. "You seemed surprised. Magic is considered a lost art for dragon kind only the scepter the dragon lords carries the knowledge of old. Luckily for you i guess your egg must've been exposed to a large bit of magic."
14. Spike nodded slowly. " yeah twilight hatched me in her exam witch lead her to become Celestias student." Sparks raised an eyebrow surprised. He had figured spike was found as a hatchling but he didn't expect him to been hatched by a pony. "Huh well ok now you know...ah right uh also for someone your size your fire output is pretty strong but in a fight you gotta make it last."
15. Spike nodded again now getting excited for his new training. "Today you'll be practicing on controlling your own flame." Sparks pointed to a large stone. "I want you to melt that rock."
16 spike looked at the boulder it was fairly big an he wasn't exactly sure he could do as sparks said. Still he knew sparks knew his stuff an he did as he asked breathing out a steady flame for about 10 seconds before needing to breathe.
17. The rock was unfazed with only some scotch marks. "Hmm impressive most dragons your age would've stopped at 6 seconds. Good job." Spike smiled happily at sparks. " now focus breathe in through your noise let the air hold for a few seconds then breathe out slowly. "
18. Sparks then demonstrated as he breathe out a little bit of lightning form around him. Spike was in awe. He had noticed during there time together that the weather would change depending on his mood. Spike had assumed he had some sort of magic but he didn't wish to pry.
19. Spike then started to try what sparks had taught him. He as he did blame exited from his snout. Sparks watch with approve. ' hes doing well. Perhaps you should teach for a living' it was the mare again.
20.He closed his eyes attempting to block the thoughts from his mind. ' not this time we need to talk rammer. Tonight ' He sighed quietly. "Thats enough for today spike I need to deal with something. " spike looked to his freind suprised. "Oh ok uh we gonna head back?."
21.Sparks nodded as he started to walk with spike in tow. Tonight was going to be interesting.
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I think my favorite thing abt Zuko is how hard it is to actually hate him once you get to know him. Like idk but he's just trying to hard and he's so soft and you look at him and think "baby 🥺" and that's that. Even when he was the enemy i never really hated him bc like, he never really did anything too bad like?? He didn't burn down the SWT village, and yeah he hit Sokka but not hard bc he got up right after. So idk but he's soft bby and hard to hate and i love that.
Okay I love Zuko as much as anyone but like .... he did some true asshole stuff in this series. Like homeboy burned Kyoshi village 
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kidnapped Katara and held her hostage to kidnap Aang 
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paralyzed Katara and Sokka with the shirshu 
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kidnapped Aang in the North Pole when he was in the spirit world, leaving the oasis temporarily defenseless (indirectly allowing Zhao a window to get in and kill the moon spirit) 
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while he was usually ethical with his Blue Spirit crimes, I’m gonna say stealing from these two was a dick move 
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ya know....Ba Sing Se
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and then the whole Sent An Assassin After Them thing.....explicitly hiring someone to murder a 12-year-old 
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Zuko is a lot of things, but “baby” he is not. 
Deep down, yeah he is soft, but for the majority of the show he wasn’t. We saw that he cared, that he was hurting, and we understood that all his actions stemmed from just wanting to please the father that hurt him, but he wasn’t a soft baby by any means. His anger stemmed from an understandable place, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t take it out on everyone around him (especially Iroh in season 1). He was selfish. That doesn’t mean he was a bad person, but recognizing that he did awful things and understanding that he hurt people honestly makes his character better because it makes his redemption arc all the more powerful.  
The reason why we appreciate Zuko as a character so much is because how much he changes. It’s because he does break from the mentality he was stuck in thinking his value rested in Ozai’s approval, his recognition of the suffering of others not just under his nation’s actions, but because of his actions, and the lengths he went to earn forgiveness. 
That’s why his redemption arc works, though. He did do awful things. He did hurt people without caring. He was selfish. He was rude. Just because he was acting that way because of his trauma doesn’t negate the severity of the things he did. 
But he did make up for it. He came to regret all of his actions and did the work to make amends. Not only by internally recognizing that he was wrong and saying he was sorry, but actively making efforts to repair some of the damage at every step. 
And the reason we do sympathize and root for him is mostly because of his motivations in comparison to other characters, namely Zhao, Azula, and Ozai. (And because he loses, a lot.) There’s a post that explains it better, but Zuko’s motivations were completely rooted in his own self-interests, ultimately rooted in just wanting to appease Ozai. And that we can understand. We can’t really sympathize with Zhao, Long Feng, or Ozai because their motivations are political-- they want to exploit people and systems for their own glory and power. They aren’t seeking acceptance or validation like Zuko, they’re seeking control and domination over those who don’t have power. 
But it’s easier to root for Zuko, not because we want him to succeed, but because we want him to change sides. We don’t want him to capture Aang because doing so would validate Ozai, who is objectively awful. We don’t want him to win against the gaang because that’s who we’re rooting for. What we want for him is to change because unlike other villains on the show, he isn’t swept up by an ideology and hasn’t let power go to his head. 
And part of that is us wanting for him to change how he acts towards others. In season 1 he’s explicitly rude to Iroh multiple times. He was an asshole to everyone because he was taking out his hurt feelings on the people around him.
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The reason we’re rooting for him to change isn’t that he was a sweet person or because he was “soft.” It was because he was the underdog. 
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Those feelings of crushing failure, inadequacy...that’s relatable. It’s certainly more relatable than other villains doing selfish things and hurting people without caring to gain power or to perpetuate imperialism. Those are feelings people can relate to and that makes us want him to overcome those feelings. We want him to realize that his father was wrong and terrible to him and that capturing Aang isn’t the answer. 
We could relate to Zuko even in season 1 because his arc was about the realization of his own self-worth. It was about a kid learning that no one deserves cruelty, even him. That’s something he always knew, but didn’t internalize and apply to the world and himself until he witnessed how the Fire Nation affected the people of the Earth Kingdom. 
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From season 1, we know that it was cruel and wrong and hope that maybe Zuko will realize it too. Because no one--  no one earns cruelty. 
And his actions stemming from his hurt doesn’t mean they didn’t hurt others. He did a lot of awful things in this show. His betrayal of Iroh, him putting his own goals in front of people who needed the Avatar to win the war for them, and putting others in danger for his own goals. Zuko hurt a lot of people but he arguably did the work to fix his mistakes. He helped restore the world his family destroyed and made personal amends with the specific people he hurt, Iroh most importantly. He put his life on the line several times, stood up to his father, and protected the gaang from the people he once stood alongside to hurt them (Combustion Man, Azula). We saw his remorse and it wasn’t rooted in being mad at his father, it was upon gaining perspective on the world and realizing how that also applied to him, both in the recognition of the harm he did and the steps he had to take to make amends and the fac that he didn’t deserve the abuse his father delt him. 
We wanted Zuko to break out of his mentality from season 1 not only because we wanted the gaang to succeed, but because we knew that his selfish actions stemmed from hurt and a lack of perspective on the world, both things he comes to understand throughout the series. He’s not Zhao, wanting glory or military ranking for capturing Aang. He’s not Long Feng, wanting control over others to keep his position of power. He’s not Azula, who was successful in a way he never was. And he’s not Ozai, perpetuating suffering because he believes himself to be that important. He’s a kid who was told he wasn’t good enough and was willing to do anything to appease the people who told him that, even if that meant hurting other people. 
We root for him because he really just a kid who wants to not feel like a failure and honestly? That’s one of the most relatable motivations I can think of. 
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doomed-prophetess · 2 years
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Any unpopular opinions on Death is the only ending for the Villainess?
overrated. It's full of abuse apologism, dare I say pro imperialism, pro slavery, all women in this manhwa only exist to torment the mc and get their punishment while the men (only if handsome!) are forgiven
the characters are flat. We don't know anything about their likes and hobbies. Iklies at least has the excuse that as a slave he has no time or money to pursue an interest but the other male leads are nobility. They should have a life that doesn't revolve around Penelope.
Iklies being a yandere doesn’t mean his character has to be two dimensional. Yanderes are capable of following their own agenda aside from their obsession with their s/o. Let him have that.
Iklies deserved better
the Eckarts deserved to die or put in prison
why is Derrick a love interest when he lusted after a 12 year old as an adult?  Why is no one talking about that?
Callisto should be executed for the genocide in Delman. If he was old enough to participate in a war, he would have been old enough to be judged for his crimes according to the law of his time. But I think even if we applied the modern law he could be tried for everything he did from age 18-23. And if someone tries to apply the insanity defense here then by that same logic he shouldn't be allowed to rule a country but send to therapy.
villains who are only complicit or have an understandable motive get harshly punished, meanwhile the main perpetrator or the one who indirectly caused this goes free (the cook loses her job, Emily, a child abuser, stays, the imperialist and enslaver gets his happy ending, the slave loses the girl he loves and is villainized for rebelling and wanting his abusers to die)
the fandom has a problem with abuse apologism. I saw someone once calling Penelope paranoid and partly guilty for the abuse against her.
Penelope has plot armor
I’d be more interesting if she had lives left she can use up (maybe 5 for each love interest?). Adds more suspense as we’d know she’ll die but wouldn’t know when or how she would die.
Callisto/Penelope scenes seem forced. When he held his sword against her neck and called her a rat and she said she loved him I cringed so hard. Was that supposed to be romantic? Her family back in Korea used to call her a rat. So far iklies and Vinter are the only LI’s who haven’t degraded her. But Vinter is a plot device and Iklies a villain.
this has to do with personal taste: I hate the fan service (men showing their abs) and the manhwa could do better without them. This is a death/survival game. How the narrative tries to insert Callisto scenes and attempts to make them seem romantic breaks me out of the flow. It just feels misplaced.
the behaviour of some characters is inconsistent (i.e. Penelope decided to keep the abusive maid around with the excuse that no one can gurantee her if her replacement won’t be worse, but then after establishing her place in the Eckart household she decides to leave for the palace where Mr grimreaper crown prince lives, the people that ordered the assassination and hundreds of servants that no one can gurantee aren’t dangerous because they could be working for the queen. Also why did she even expect the Eckarts to help her after everything they’ve done to her. That was foolish.)
making the og! heroine the villain, making the og villainess secretly a saint/mage is cheap. Been there. Done before. The manhwa had such a unique premise but then it fell into the usual cliches I thought it would avoid.
Penelope should have attempted to run away when she had nothing to lose anymore. I wonder why she never tried to go the independent route because if I remember correctly some Otome games do provide routes where you don’t necessarily need a man. (Arcana Famiglia I believe where Felicia can become a mafia boss without marrying anyone). The fastest way to end the game in Code Realize is not choosing a man and travelling the world alone. (It counts as a bad end but still). What I’m saying is it’s strange Penelope never tested out other options.
the abuse against Penelope should have had an effect on her health. Doesn’t vitamin defiancy lead to poor eyesight? Things like that.
I find it hard to believe Ivonne was such a nice person when she was raised by classist and racist people. The Eckarts probably idealized her in their memories.
Cha Siyeon pursuing a degree in archeology..you won’t get a lot money and it is a scientific and academic discipline which doesn’t have a lot of practical application, I heard you have to suck up to rich people and fight a lot with rich people (who are for example annoyed to stop construction work on their factory because they could damage an important artefact or historical burial site). So if she did it to escape her rich family she’d just be at square one. I’ve heard her family has already sabotaged her life in hopes she’ll return to them (the shitty appartment for example), so choosing a field to major in that isn’t very lucrative is well maybe not a good idea. I get it she did it because it’s a subject she’s passionate about but as someone rational as her I’m not sure if it was a good decision or even in character. (debateable) If you want independence, money comes first. I’ve read yelansdicecharm‘s concept of Siyeon being a computer major and that by hacking the game to achieve a happy ending she caused the error which sucked her into the game world. I think that concept is very cool.
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rwrights · 3 years
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WE'LL BE OKAY - NAT.
summary : nat and you never got along. reasons still unknown, but it was affecting the whole team. steve assigns you both to a mission, with natasha acting harshly. she said something to you before heading off. she got in your head and the aftermath wasn't so pretty.
contents : angst (??) / fluff
warnings : mentions of blood, guns, bullying, cursing and just occasional marvel fight scenes.
NOT PROOFREAD. a/n : my first fic aaaahhh !! i was inspired by a lot of similar fics like this, but mostly by this WANDA FIC WRITTEN BY @/maximons - i suggest you give it a read BCS ITS SO GOOD ARRGH <3
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you don’t know how the feud started between you and natasha. you couldn’t tell if it was because of your age or because you were new.
you had quite an age gap with the former assassin, being a striking 24 years old, but according to the russian - you might as well have been 12 years of age.
unlike most of the avengers, you had a decent childhood. it wasn’t filled with trauma, and death, and basically what some of them unfortunately went through. you grew up in the suburbs with your mum and two older siblings. you got all the toys you wanted and everyone loved you! because of that, you were always polite and cheery - it’s what made people like you. you were funny and usually managed to put a smile on people faces ; usually.
natasha found your positivity irking and unnatural. how could someone be so, happy? she felt as if you were shitting rainbows down her throat, and god, did she hate it. how could someone like you even have the guts to be an avenger?
she enjoyed picking fights with you out of nowhere, and as fun as it was at first - the hostility only progressed and became a disruption to the whole team, including you. you tried your best to really become friends with natasha - or at least be civil with her. but the more effort you made, the worse she treated you. all you wanted to do was make it a little easier for the team, you all have enough crap to put up with and the quarreling between the both of you was definitely not needed.
─── donk.
“nat! y/n! conference room one, now!” steve’s loud voice called out through the speakers placed throughout the compound.
you set your book aside before running down to the conference room as you were told. you walked passed natasha, already giving you a sharp glare from afar. she adjusted her speed and basically ran to where away from you. you couldn’t help but roll your eyes at her as you trailed behind.
you entered the room, greeting everyone politely before sitting down next to wanda, who saved a space for you.
“alright, now that we’re all here..” cap began, walking around the table where you were all sat. “we’ve got a mission for two of you,”
“did you call us here to compete for it? because i am so getting this mission.” natasha stated, pointing at everyone as if she was threatening them. “uh, no.. not exactly. we’ve already assigned the mission to two of you..”
“who?” she asked, wanting to leave the compound immediately and get some action (not the peepee way).
“you and y/n,”
hearing your name, you just froze. you couldn’t help but stare at steve as if he was out of his mind.
“what?!” natasha squeaked. “i’m sorry, but there is no way i’m going with her. it’s probably best if i go on my own!”
“that’s just mean..” you replied quietly, in your seat. you weren’t in the mood to argue, so you tried to contribute as little as possible into this conversation. “cap, if natasha doesn’t want to do the mission with me, i’m totally fine with sitting this one out.”
“oh, don’t suck up and use your y/n reverse psychology on this. it’s not gonna work,” she spat, obviously mad about the whole situation. “nat, i’m being serious. i know how much you’ve been dying to go out, so please. just take it.”
“no, y/n, you’re going with nat. we’ve decided this already.” steve stepped in, trying his best to set his foot down. “steve, i think you know this isn’t going to happen.” natasha glared.
“you either go together or y/n takes someone else.”
“steve! i swear i’m fine!” you argued, seeing how natasha’s ears were practically steaming from anger. “i-”
“no, you know what? fine. enjoy your mission, y/l/n.” she growled as she stormed out of the room. you couldn’t do anything but watch as she slammed the door shut. as much as you wanted to chase after her, you and everyone else in the room knew you’d probably make the situation a thousand times worse for natasha. you sighed and slammed your head on the table in exhaustion.
“we’re sorry, y/n. we thought her need for a mission would make her say yes even with the partnership.” bucky said from the other side of the room. your head shot up almost as quickly as you blinked. “what do you mean?”
“we thought sending you two on a mission together could… make the arguing stop - even by a little.” steve explained, sighing. you laughed at them, did they really think that would work? did they know the obstacles you went through to try to get on her good side? your first few weeks were HELL because of it.
“it’s alright.. clint? what do ya say?”
“always up for a mission, y/l/n.” he smiled, giving you a fistbump.
─── donk.
clint knocked on natasha’s door after the meeting. “nat? it’s me,” he called, nat opening the door a few seconds after.
“can you believe them? they know how much i dislike her and they’d send me on a mission with her? Bozhe mo! (oh my god!)”
“nat, y/n is awesome. it’s been months, it’s getting tiring.”
“oh, please. it took forever to get any of you guys to trust me. doesn’t mean it has to be the same with her.”
“nat, she’s a kid!”
“ugh, don’t say it like that. it makes my thoughts uneasy..” nat replied, mock-gagging. clint glared at her as he playfully shoved her. “you’re so stupid.”
“and oh, i’m going on the mission with her.”
“wait what?! but you’re my best friend, why would you take it!” she exclaimed. “i never say no to a mission, nat. you and i both know that. i thought you did, too.”
“i would’ve taken it, but.. no! i’m not losing this fight.” she huffed as she fell on the bed. “turn the tv on, i need to distract myself.”
he did as he was told and decided to stay and watch with her until dinner.
─── donk.
it was the day of your mission and you were making your way to the hangar. to your surprise, you saw natasha waiting there. you smiled at her only to receive another sharp glare. yeah, what a surprise. you looked away and decided to wait for clint.
not long after he arrived and said his goodbyes to natasha, just as you were going to aboard the ship, she grabbed your wrist and whispered in your ear.
“you’re gonna trip and get yourself shot, y/l/n.”
“what the hell? i’ve barely left and you’re already telling me i’m gonna fuck up?” you retorted, angrily. you weren’t in the right state to panic or stress. especially not before you were leaving. “have fun, y/n.” she smiled, dripping in faux kindness.
you followed clint onto the ship and couldn’t help but shake in fear. great, now you were worried. you didn’t want to fuck up. you weren’t planning to.
“you’ll be okay, y/l/n. i’ve got your back.” clint reassured, seeing the panic clouding on your face.
“thank you..” you mumbled, but natasha’s words never left your head.
─── donk.
“something seems off, clint.” you whispered, looking around and keeping your guard up. “i agree, y/l/n. it’s too quiet.. too easy.” he replied.
just as you were going to reply, someone charged at you from behind, getting a hold of your throat. by instinct, you kicked his shin and flipped him around. “clint!” you called out as you knocked your attacker out.
suddenly, groups of people were coming towards you - fully armed. “clint!” you screamed, pulling your gun out and shooting as many of them as you could. “shit!”
“y/n, it’s a trap!” clint finally replied, making you roll your eyes as you threw your fist at a guy’s temple. “yes, clint, i’m aware!”
“keep your guard up, y/l/n. you can do this!”
“there’s-” kick. “too many-” elbow. “of them!” shoot.
“try to hold out for as long as possible! i’m on my way,”
you looked up to see more men charging at you. “ah fuck,”
you grabbed one of the guns from the guys you managed to knock out and aimed. “clint, i can shoot right?” you asked for permission, not knowing if you were supposed to kill them or just simply knock them out.
“yes, y/n. you can shoot.”
“thank you!”
you silently thanked god for the gun you chose and started shooting at the guards. you quickly threw it away as they ran out of bullets and grabbed two pistols and continued to run and shoot away.
as you focused on getting a certain guard, one of them slid under you, quite literally slipping you off your feet - probably making you twist your ankle, giving one of them an opportunity to get a clean shot of your thigh.
the bullet went through your thigh, making you scream in pain. “fuck!” you shot back at him immediately and slid up onto the wall.
well great, another thing natasha was right about.
“y/n?!” clint called, hearing you scream. the worry in his voice was evident, it managed to make you smile for a second until you dodged another bullet.
“i’m okay!”
no, you weren’t. you could barely stand with your fucked up ankle and the hole in your thigh, but you continued to shoot and fight.
“just.. hurry up, please!”
you used your bad leg to kick a guy down and use him as a ledge. you cursed as you ran out of bullets. there were guns scattered across the floor, thanks to you. you just grabbed the nearest ones and looked back up.
as quickly as you did, a shot went through your shoulder and your abdomen. “gah fuck!” you collapsed on the floor as you tried to control the bleeding. you got up for a second to shoot back at the closest people and went back down. “clint, hurry up!” the pain was too much, the bleeding wouldn’t stop and your ankle looked like a fucking bean. you started to get nauseous, but tried your best to stay up.
“i’m here!” he yelled as he aimed at a few people in front of him. he ran towards you, finally seeing your state. “oh my god!” he kneeled down, putting pressure on your wounds to help with the bleeding, but the blood just kept seeping through “you just said you were okay, idiot!”
“i know, i didn’t want to worry you..” you mumbled. “no, no! y/n, you have to stay awake. come on!” he picked you up and started running away to go back to the ship. “you’re okay, y/n. tell me you’re okay right now.”
“i’m okay.. i’m okay, clint.”
“yeah, yeah, you are.”
you tried making it to the ship, but you were already so tired. “i’m gonna nap, clint..” you said before passing out.
─── donk.
clint alerted steve about you right when you passed out. they were rushing you out to the med bay to perform surgery on your injuries.
“she told me she was okay, steve. i thought she was okay!” clint screamed, he blamed himself for what happened to you. only if he arrived a few seconds before. you wouldn’t have been in the situation you’re in now.
“no, no. this isn’t your fault. neither is it hers, it happens, okay? we put ourselves at risk every time we step out of here. y/n was brave, alright?
wanda rushed down to the medbay, reaching for the door before pulling her back. “wanda, we have to let dr cho do her job right now. she’ll be okay.. y/n will be okay.”
she cried into steve’s shoulder - her best friend was being operated on. you were being operated on! the thought of you getting hurt never crossed her mind because she knew you were strong.
the team soon heard about the incident and let their worries out, obviously caring about you. natasha was confused about the whole hassle.
“vision!” she called out. he turned around and walked towards natasha. “how may i help you?”
“what’s the hassle about? everyone keeps whispering,”
“mr barton and ms y/l/n have returned from their mission, but ms y/l/n has suffered some major injuries and has been in surgery for about an hour now-”
hearing that, she sped to the medbay, thanking vision quickly. she saw wanda, steve and clint waiting around. “no, no, where is she?!” she yelled, making the three of them look at her in shock. “she’s still in-”
she tried running into the room like wanda did, getting pulled back by steve. “natasha, we have to let dr. cho do her job.”
“i need to see her!” she exclaimed, not being able to breathe. “what happened to her? what major injuries?!” she demanded.
“broken ankle, shot through her thigh, shoulder and abdomen..” clint recited, looking down at his feet. “where were you!? how could you let this happen?!” she roared, genuinely shocking them.
why did she suddenly care about you? well, yes, you suffered major injuries, but why was she getting mad?
“natasha! enough!” steve scolded. “this isn’t clint’s fault, and you know it.” he said, sternly. she didn’t reply as she panted. wanda held her hand as support, needing it for herself as well.
─── donk.
an hour later, dr. cho finally walked out of the room. everyone stood up in eagerness.
“is she okay?” steve asked, immediately.
“y/n suffered major blood loss, but we are lucky none of the three bullets hit any major arteries. she has also quite definitely broken her ankle, so i’m putting her on bedrest for at least 6 weeks until you get her up and going again.”
“main point, yes. y/n is okay.”
a smile broke out in all of their faces. “thank you, doc!”
“you may see her now, but she hasn’t woken up yet. don’t be too loud.”
they all walked into your room and stood beside your bed. “she looks so peaceful,”
“she definitely looks better right now than earlier,” clint joked, earning a soft laugh from the three of them. they stood by you for a while until natasha spoke up.
“um.. could- could i be the one who stays with her until she wakes up?”
they looked at the red head in surprise, “are you sure, nat?” steve asked.
“yeah.. i just want to be here.”
“alright,” they smiled softly at her before leaving.
she held your hand and stayed with you, waiting for you to wake up. it took for a while so she managed to fall asleep, holding your hand.
you slowly started coming back, groaning from the late pain you experienced. natasha jumped in shock and saw that you were awake.
“you’re awake!” she whispered, making you turn to her. “natasha? what’s happening?”
“you passed out during your mission. i know i told you you’d slip and get shot.. but i didn’t actually mean slip and get shot, idiot!” she scolded, flicking your forehead. “gah! it was an accident, i was doing fine,”
“no, you have three holes in your body. and not the good ones,”
“nat??” you replied, shocked. “did you just joke around with me?”
“no..”
“you’re holding my hand.. what did they bribe you with?” you asked, quickly getting suspicious. you tried pulling your hand away, but she only held onto you tighter. “nothing! i.. i volunteered. ask steve and wanda! and clint!” she replied, defending herself quickly.
“well, if you volunteered.. what do you want from me? i’m not gonna be leaving the compound for at least 2 months, so you can have all my missions-”
“no, y/n. truthfully, i just really want to apologize.”
“huh”
“i know i’ve made your first few weeks really hard and even after being here for months, i still managed to.. you know.. make it hard for you. in full honesty, i genuinely don’t know why i’ve been so horrible to you. i had a hard time opening up to people - and.. you were just so welcoming and i got scared. not an excuse for my actions, by the way! i was horrible and i’m so sorry.”
“thank you for your apology, i forgive you, nat.” you smiled, squeezing her hand. “i also.. have feelings for you.” natasha added, avoiding eye-contact with you. “you whAT?!”
“i-”
“i like you too! but are- are you serious?”
“yes, y/n… i like you. guess that’s why i was so defensive about.. literally everything.”
“nat.. thank you. for opening up to me. it genuinely means so much - especially after all this fucking time, you asshole.”
“are we okay now?” she asked, hopeful.
“yes, nat. we’re okay.”
217 notes · View notes
dumdumsun · 3 years
Text
And Dusk
A/N: It's family dinner time, babes!!
Warnings: none that I'm aware of
Word Count: 3629
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Chapter 12: Team Zero
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Striding into the steam-clouded sauna where the two remaining Swedish assassins now silently relaxed, The Handler began an unprompted conversation in their language. “All the new age remedies out there, but nothing beats a good schvitz when it comes to stress,” As she sat on the bench, the two men carefully watched her. “My job can be stressful, sure. But I can’t imagine what it must be like for you boys.” She batted her eyelashes.
“Do we know you?” The Swede, who appeared to be the leader, questioned. The Handler kept her head turned forward as she stared down.
“No. But I know all about you,” Standing from the bench, she quietly chuckled and walked to the center of the sauna, the steam crawling its way up to her neck. “However, seems you’ve run into some problems on this job.”
“Just a snag.” He tilted his head.
“You lost your brother. I’d call that more than a snag.”
Snapping, the second Swede pushed off the wall and marched up to The Handler. Before he could get too close, he grunted when she grabbed hold of his manhood, freezing his steps. She watched as his mouth fell open in pain. “What if I can give you the location of the knife-hurling dolt responsible for blowing up your beloved brother?”
The first Swede tilted his head. “Who are you?”
“Somebody you’re going to want to know.” Her eyes never left the man she was assaulting. The second Swede finally found the breath within him to speak.
“Unharm my weiner.” He wheezed in English, The Handler kindly doing as he asked, a smile on her face. He sighed and stepped away as his brother held up the hand that had been twirling a knife the entire time.
“Go on.”
At his words, she turned to him. “I’ll give you the exact location of the one you’re looking for. Diego. The rest… I’ll leave up to your imaginations.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Let’s just say that his little game of ‘Hide the Sausage’ with my daughter needs a swift end. I just have one request,” The Handler approached the first Swede, the two in close proximity now. He watched her every move. “Don’t hurt the little one with the cute socks… and the other with the face scars.”
Lifting his chin, he furrowed his brows. “We’ve already killed her.” He mumbled. She only chuckled in amusement, the two men stiffening at the realization that their target may not have been executed like they thought.
-------------------------------------------------
The clicking of Reginald and (Y/N)’s shoes against the marble floor echoed throughout the hallway they walked down. The young girl was desperately trying to keep up with her father’s long strides, her puppy in her arms and her heart beating out of her chest. If they had actually complied, she was going to reveal her true whereabouts for the past two years to her family. They were going to know that the entire time they had been looking for Reginald, she was living under the same roof as him. No matter how many times she swallowed the lump in her throat, it always swelled right back up. “D-Dad, who are these people we’re having dinner with?”
“These people have been nothing but a nuisance to me.”
Her mind flashed back to the night of the gala. Diego had been there with Five. They were there for Reginald, to find out his intentions with the president. To find out what he was doing in Dallas in the first place. Reginald was a secretive man, he didn’t even let Grace or (Y/N) into his office unless he was present as well. Her stomach twisted in knots of anxiety the closer they approached the door to the tiki lounge. When Reginald stopped just before the doors, he turned to his daughter and lowered his voice. “When we enter, you are to sit and remain silent. Do not speak to them, do not interact with them. Sit and shut your mouth unless I tell you otherwise. And your pet remains on the floor or in your lap. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir.” She whispered and held Mr Pennycrumb close to her chest, the pup quietly panting and licking her cheek. That seemed to be enough for Reginald, for he nodded and turned forward, slamming the door open and marching into the lounge.
The Hargreeves stood dumbfounded at their father as he headed straight to the table they surrounded, not a word leaving his mouth. None of them had expected to see him ever again, especially not after the funeral they had attended back in 2019. But what they really didn’t expect to see was (Y/N) right behind him, her eyes avoiding them as she absentmindedly pat Mr Pennycrumb under his chin. She especially avoided looking at Five, whose jaw was dropped upon her appearance. The real kick was when Reginald pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit. Without even a peep, she sat down and allowed him to scoot her closer to the table before taking his own seat. The five blinked once before taking their own seats at the table.
“Not only have you burglarized my lab, set my chimp loose, conned your way into the Mexican consulate, repeatedly stalked and attacked not only me, but my daughter as well, but you have, on numerous occasions, called me-”
Klaus joined the table with a grunt, a martini in his hand. “Hey, Pop. How’s it hangin’?”
“-‘Dad’,” Reginald gave everyone a once over as (Y/N) shifted uncomfortably under the stares of her family. “My reconnaissance tells me you’re not CIA, not KGB, certainly not MI5, so… who are you?”
(Y/N) watched as they all glanced at each other, opening their mouths to answer, but quickly closing them instead. This went on for a few seconds before Five decided to do it, “We’re your children. We’re from the future. In 1989, you adopted us all and trained us to fight against the end of the world. Called us the Umbrella Academy.”
Reginald turned his head from left to right, frowning at each individual. “Why on earth would I adopt six-”
“Eight. One of us isn’t here.” Allison clasped her hands together on the table.
“Dead,” Diego muttered, his head bowed down. “One of us is dead.”
“And the eighth?” Reginald questioned. (Y/N) cleared her throat and began to speak, but stopped when he sent a cold glare her way. “What did we talk about?”
She quickly shook her head. “No, I… I’m the eighth. I’m also your child from the future. You just… got me very early this time-”
“(Y/N), it is not the time for your games-”
“It’s not a game! W-Why do you think I’ve been leaving my dates with Preston to be with them?” At the words ‘dates’ and ‘Preston’, Five leaned forward, eyes narrowed at his love. She glanced at him apologetically and shook her head. Reginald was just about to scold her yet again, but she rolled the sleeve of her shirt up to reveal the umbrella tattoo on her left arm. “Did you forget about this?”
“Yeah, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba. Enough of that now.” Klaus hissed and turned behind him. Everyone froze and stared at him in confusion. Turning forward again, he simply motioned for Reginald to continue. Uneasy, he did just that.
“Regardless,” His gaze turned back to Five. “What would possess me to adopt… seven ill-mannered malcontents?”
“We all have special abilities.” The boy answered.
“Special? In what sense?”
(Y/N) set her pet on the ground and sat up in her seat. “In the superpowered sense.” She raised her brows. Reginald sighed and clenched his jaw.
“My child, if you do not stay out of this as we agreed, I am going to have to send you to the car with your mother-”
“Dad! I am being so serious when I tell you I am one of them!”
“Well, call me old-fashioned, but I’m a stickler for a pesky little thing called evidence,” He turned back to the table. “Show me. All of you.”
Allison scoffed and adjusted the straw in her drink. “Everybody wants to see powers all of a sudden…”
“We’re not circus animals, okay?” Luther spoke. “We’re not gonna bounce balls on our noses and clap our hands like seals for your amusement-”
As if on cue, Diego launched a knife across the table, zipping around Reginald’s head and pinning itself into the pillar behind him. The seven leaned in and watched as the man clicked his pen and began writing in his journal. “What are you writing?” Diego asked. Reginald glanced up at him.
“You are zero for two, young man.” He quipped, Allison sputtering her drink before Diego jumped up from his seat in anger. To prevent anything disastrous from occurring, Five stood and blinked in front of his brother, halting his movement and whispering a ‘stop!’ to him. “Now, that is interesting.” Reginald muttered.
Five sighed and headed back towards his seat. “Alright, uh, quick rundown. Luther: super strength. Klaus can commune with the dead. Allison can rumor anyone to do anything.”
“Except she never uses it.” Diego muttered. Allison removed her lips from her straw and sent a tight-lipped smile towards her brother.
“I heard a rumor… you punched yourself in the face.”
Against his will, Diego rammed his fist into his face, crying out and groaning in pain immediately after. Klaus reached over and tried to comfort him as (Y/N) and Vanya ducked their heads down to hide their smiles. Reginald glanced over at the latter. “And you?”
Luther placed a hand on his sister’s arm with a smile. “Uh, maybe we don’t take Vanya for a test run.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s probably not a good idea.” Klaus sat back in his chair.
“It’s fine,” Vanya shrugged, reaching for a fork. “I can handle it.” And despite her siblings’ protests, she tapped the fork against her glass. A high-pitched tone rang and shook the table. (Y/N) held her breath as she waited for the worst. A beat later, the bowl of fruit in the center of the table exploded, chunks of fruit splattering against everyone’s clothes and faces. (Y/N) tried to dodge as Mr Pennycrumb jumped into her lap, happily licking the food from her scarred cheeks and chin.
Reginald sighed along with his future children as he handed his only actual daughter a napkin to clean herself. Adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves, he side-eyed her. “Alright, my child, show me.”
Not even hesitating, (Y/N) stood and placed her pup in her father’s lap, despite his clear distaste, and straightened her clothes. “Alright. So, I can clone myself. To both summon and dismiss these clones, I have to sing two distinct three-note tunes.” To prove her point, she ‘ooh’ed her first tune, her clone appearing from her shadow, standing with a blank stare. Reginald raised his brows and began writing in his journal. “These clones not only share a conscience with me, but function as muscle and spies.”
“Spies?” Reginald frowned.
“They’re able to record their memories for me to look over in my own mind. Over the past year, I’ve come to learn that I can view these memories in real time. They also function to fulfill any task I command them.” Turning to her clone, she placed her hands on her hips. “Pick up Pennycrumb’s leash,” She commanded, the clone immediately doing as it was told. “I’ve also recently learned that I can give them the ability to talk. But if I wanted to… oh, I don’t know… attend a date with a certain boy without actually being there, I can project my consciousness into its body.”
After taking a seat, (Y/N) immediately slumped in her chair, unconscious. The clone beside her perked up and blinked twice before turning to Reginald. The man leaned forward to inspect it, but jumped back when it spoke. “But if something prevents my clones from fulfilling their task, they will start to self-destruct after twelve hours if said task isn’t completed. This is done by tearing into its own flesh and ripping itself apart.”
At this, everyone shivered.
“Right. It’s terrifying,” The clone returned to its blank and empty shell before (Y/N) raised her head. “And to dismiss, I hum the tune from earlier in its descending order.” She demonstrated said tune, the clone disappearing into her shadow. Mr Pennycrumb excitedly jumped from Reginald to her lap, nuzzling into her arm. “Any questions, Dad?”
Reginald was hastily scribbling into his journal. “Extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary… And even more so that you’ve managed to keep this power from me for over a year.” He whispered. Turning her head, she caught Five’s proud smile. She winked at him as Diego stood from his seat.
“Look, we know that you’re involved in a plot to assassinate the president.”
“You were recently hospitalized, isn’t that correct? You still appear to be suffering from delusions of grandeur and acute paranoia.”
“Am I?” Diego reached into his back pocket and slid a picture over to his father. “Explain this. That’s you. That’s two days from now on the grassy knoll at the exact spot the president’s gonna get shot.”
Reginald picked up the photo and scanned it before his eyes moved to his daughter, the girl slightly shrinking under his gaze. Receiving his answer to the question he was to ask her, he turned back to Diego and set the photo down. “Well… I suppose you’ve solved it. You’ve single-handedly unearth my nefarious plot,” The smile Diego wore slowly faded. “Is that what you want to hear? You fancy yourself a do-gooder? The last good man who will save us from our descent into corruption and conspiracy? This is a fantastic delusion.” The more Reginald tore into him, the lower Diego sat himself into his chair until his lips were quivering and a tear slid down his cheek. “The sad reality is that you’re a desperate man, tragically unaware of his own insignificance, desperately clinging to his own ineffectual reasoning. More succinctly, a man in over his head.”
“Y-Y-You’re wr… wrong.” Diego stuttered. (Y/N) shakily inhaled and slammed her hand onto the table, alerting the rest of her siblings.
“Don’t you ever talk to him like that!”
“And you!” Reginald whirled to his daughter, the girl flinching a bit. “You have done nothing but deceive me! I half expect you to tell me that the man you chose over Preston sits among us!”
(Y/N)’s gaze instantly found Five’s. His green orbs were pleading, begging her to say it.
Tell him. Tell him you love me. Shout it from the rooftops, promise that you’ll always believe in us. Tell him.
But she couldn’t. Not when her doubts sealed her lips shut and casted her eyes away from him. The siblings stared between the two, heartbroken for their situation. Seeing that she chose to be ashamed, Five nodded and cleared his throat to speak. “Look, forget about the president. We have a catastrophic war coming in five days. We need to figure out how to stop it.”
“War?” Reginald looked away from his daughter and to the boy across from him. “Men will always be at war with each other.”
“No, this isn’t just some war. I’m talking about a doomsday. The end of the world.”
“Well,” Reginald muttered after a beat of silence. “You’re the special ones, aren’t you? Why don’t you band together and do something about it?”
Expecting much, much more than that, all seven of them frowned. This was what Reginald wanted from the start, for them to come together as the Umbrella Academy and prevent the end of the world. But it had been almost two weeks and two apocalypses managed to form due to their actions. That was why they couldn’t.
Grunting, Klaus suddenly raised both his arms in the air and shook uncontrollably, choking out gasps and jerking his body. (Y/N) gasped and slowly reached out to him.
“Is he having a seizure?”
“Overdosing, probably…”
“Should we do something?”
Whipping her head to Luther, (Y/N) widened her eyes. “Yes!” She shouted before turning back to Klaus as he shuddered. “Shit, what if he is overdosing?!”
“Klaus,” Five leaned over and whispered. “Now is not the time. What are you doing?”
Gurgling, Klaus turned his body to Reginald, face contorted in discomfort. “I’m… Ben!” He gasped out before falling to the ground, panting and groaning. (Y/N) rushed to his side and placed a hand on his forehead.
“Klaus? Are you okay? Can you hear me?” She whispered as he reached up and weakly wrapped a hand around her wrist. Reginald looked from Klaus, to (Y/N), then to his journal before he gathered his things.
“Well… thank you for coming,” He stood from his chair and began to walk away, stepping over Klaus’s body. “I’ve seen about enough. Come along, (Y/N), your mother is waiting for us.”
A loud slam sounded, causing everyone in the room to turn to Luther, who stood and ripped his buttoned shirt open. (Y/N) covered her mouth when he revealed his discolored bare chest and abdomen. “Look at what you did to me! Look at it!”
As the siblings groaned and gawked, Reginald simply turned his attention to Five. “You in the culottes. A word, in private? (Y/N), to the car. This instant.”
“Yes, sir.” She whispered before giving Klaus a kiss on the forehead and standing to her feet. Five walked by her side in silence until they had to split ways. Reginald turned to the both of them, and just when (Y/N) was going to turn out of the lounge, Five grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed a kiss to her lips. Gasping, the girl brushed her fingertips over her lips as her face burned. She watched Reginald for a reaction, but he only motioned for her to leave. “Bye, Five.” She grinned behind her hand and hurried away.
“This way, boy.” Reginald brought Five’s attention back to him, leading the two of them to the bar. After they took their seats and he ordered their drinks, Reginald turned to his future son. “You seem to be the sensible one of the bunch.”
“That’s because I’m the oldest,” Five nodded, Reginald tilting his head. “You know, technically, I’m older than you right now.”
Reginald turned forward when the bartender set down a bottle in front of him. “Cognac?”
“Just a smidge.” Five slightly smiled. As he poured their drinks, Reginald started their subject of conversation.
“The other night, you quoted Homer at me. Why?”
Five shifted in his seat and straightened his blaser. “You forced us all to learn it as kids. In the original Greek, no less.” He raised his brows before a glass was passed to him. He and his father did a silent cheer before he took a gulp of it. The entire situation was so jarring to the boy, but as he said before, he didn’t choose this life. He’s just living it. For the next few days, anyway. “This world ends in five days if we don’t get out of the timeline.”
“Worlds end. Paleozoic, Jurassic, and so on.”
“We can do something about this one.”
“Man’s greatest flaw: the illusion of control.”
The boy frowned. “I need your help. Alright? You’re my last sane option. Otherwise, I gotta make a deal that I really don’t wanna make. What do you know about time travel?”
“In theory?”
“In practice.”
Reginald hummed. “I know it’s akin to descending blindly into the depths of freezing waters and reappearing-”
“-as an acorn. Yeah.” Five finished with a sigh.
“What transpired when you tried traveling before?”
The boy blinked and shook his head as he looked away. “I botched it…”
“How?”
“I jumped too far forward, got stuck in the future for forty-five years in an apocalypse. Then I jumped too far backwards… except this time, I brought my entire family with me.”
Reginald tapped his fingers against the bar as he clicked his tongue. “Including (Y/N)?” He questioned, receiving a nod in answer. “Well, maybe your appetite is disproportionate to the size of your abilities. Start small. Seconds, not decades.”
“Seconds?” Five widened his eyes. “Look, no offense, but I need a bit more time for what I’m trying to accomplish here.”
“So much can change in a matter of seconds. One can overthrow an empire,” His eyes moved from Five to the doorway (Y/N) had been standing in seconds ago unbeknownst to Five. “One could fall in love. An acorn doesn’t become an oak overnight.”
Five swallowed, his expression that of defeat. “I was really hoping you had more than that.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be of more help…”
Five shook his head slightly. “I’m sorry, too. I gave you such a hard time as a kid… I didn’t know any better.”
Humming, Reginald glanced down before raising his glass. “No skin off my teeth, old man.” He smiled before drinking. Five sighed and downed the rest of his drink before standing from his seat. “One more thing.”
“What is it?” Five turned back to his father, freezing at the cold look he had been giving him.
“It would be best… if you refrained from courting (Y/N).”
A pang going through his chest, Five rapidly blinked and stepped back. “W-What…?”
“Your relationship is not healthy,” Reginald stood from his stool and began walking past the boy. “And besides…”
Five clenched his fists as his father walked towards the exit of the tiki lounge.
“I have plans for her.”
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107 notes · View notes
shirophantomvox · 3 years
Text
Analyzing Killua Zoldyck's Character
Illumi Analysis| Hisoka Analysis| Chrollo Anaysis|
What’s up y’all?! I’ve had at least 2 cups of coffee this morning and I am ready to write my butt off! This post will be about Killua Zoldyck, my second favorite character and you will know why by the end. If you’d like me to write about your favorite character, Be sure to send me a message and I will get on it ASAP.
Here we go!
I saw Killua for the first time on Tumblr. Someone created various icons for several anime characters and edited them. They were all aesthetically pleasing but for some reason, his picture stood out. Now that I look harder, it is because he was holding a Pepsi can instead of the off-brand one they drew for him in the cartoon. I noticed everyone on TikTok and Twitter had the very same icon as their profile picture (usually those that like to troll and say racist things to others). Once I started watching Hunter x Hunter, I realized the character immediately. Thank you for your edits!
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Killua Zoldyck is the youngest child in the family and is the only child that developed a mind for his own.
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Instead of taking the pleasure of killing, he runs/avoids and achieves this by becoming friends with Gon. It’s interesting to think that no one in the Zoldyck family wants to kill for fun except for Illumi.
I remember Zeno telling Chrollo: “Do you think I enjoy killing?”.
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This makes me think that the family’s job is to destroy enemies that are a threat to society. Are the Zoldyck’s taking on the role of cops or an extension of such? If that statement is true why does Illumi take pleasure in abusing his power when his own grandfather only does it when criminals are involved? Granted, Silva and Zeno’s reasoning for brutally fighting criminals isn’t legal, and (to me) are considered to be vigilantes, at least they don’t go around doing the horrible things like how Illumi and Hisoka do.
This very reason why Killua ran away from home. He decided to rebel against his mother and implied: “Fuck you. I’m going to do what I want.” Killua and his siblings are victims of child abuse and show that they deal with that abuse in different ways. Killua masks his abilities in public and tries to keep them under control, Kalluto seems to be very quiet and obedient, Milluki is just as abusive as Illumi, and we already know about Illumi. Milluki is physically abusive; this can be seen when he is whipping Killua for running away and threatens to destroy Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio while Illumi plays mind games on Killua and uses his Nen to do the trick.
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Killua’s character is very special and in a way takes the lead as the main character instead of Gon. I don’t know if that was intentional or not. Killua is a 12-year-old boy who leaves home to escape his abusive home and see the world for his own. During phase 1 of Hunter’s Exam, he instantly clicks with Gon; probably because he’s the only 12-year-old there. They constantly challenge each other to see who will win and who will buy dinner or some other reward. Because of his abusive home, Killua often masks his feelings. This is noticeable every time Gon talks about him being his best friend and he always reacts as if he’s embarrassed by it.
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Gon is his shield from going bat-shit crazy like his family. They both have faced opponents (like Hisoka and others) where Killua could have unleashed his assassin abilities but didn’t. Yes, some of the opponents are stronger than him, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.
Killua is the best friend Gon could ever have. Since he knows about aura and any supernatural abilities, this is why he stops Gon and even insults him for pushing himself too far. Killua stopped Gon from using too much aura in the past especially once Kite’s arm was cut off by Pitou. Because Killua wasn’t there to stop him when fighting Pitou, this resulted in Gon’s downfall. Did Killua believe it was his fault that Gon almost died? He isn’t responsible for Gon’s actions but he focused so much on running away from his “demons” and masking his temper by maintaining his friendship that he wasn’t paying attention to Gon’s noticeable and developing temper.
Killua Zoldyck is a child that suffered from abuse and to escape that reality, he runs away, takes Hunter’s Exam only to match with his brother, chooses defeat, and then kills an opponent, not of his own free will.
But wait, there’s more.
After being rescued from his prison of a home, he goes to Heaven’s Arena, met Zushi and his teacher, develop Nen, follows the Phantom Troupe around and somehow managed to survive that, meet Bisky, join a game to get closer to Ging, witnesses Gon disappearing, trying to form a relationship with Alluka, and then tries to heal Gon with a quickness.
Whew, chile!
At the beginning of the show, it appeared as if Killua was taking on too much and only did so to keep his mind off what he escaped from.
One thing to point out is Killua’s motivation to heal Gon no matter what. It is implied that he doesn’t care what will happen to him or anyone else as long as Gon can live again.
Wait.
Isn’t that along the lines of what Gon said about getting revenge for Kite? He didn’t care about what happened to him? Hmmmm. I guess they’re very similar after all!
Killua and Gon are BFFs and will do anything for each other. Friendships in real life should be this way; let’s follow his fictional example.
Face
Killua’s face is the typical shape for someone his age. His eyes are wide, as blue as the morning sky, and honestly, I wish he’d smile more. Even though he is 12 years old, he still has a babyface.
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Hair
Killua’s hair color is very similar to Princess Allura’s and Lotor’s. According to verywellmind.com, the color white represents innocence and purity. Ironically, Lotor and Killua are the opposite of that while Allura has maintained her innocence. Killua’s unique hair color and hairstyle are amazing! I love how it stays in shape while he is fighting or running.
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Clothes
Regarding clothes, he is JUST like his brother. Again, Illumi irks me, but they both have a great taste in fashion. Through the show, Killua changes his clothes more than Gon, which is funny. I guess if Gon changed his clothes too much it would take away from his character. Killua’s default style contains a sleeveless white shirt with a purple one underneath, basketball shorts, and gym shoes. Just look at these outfit changes! This is why Killua is my 2nd favorite character in this show.
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Behavior
As stated before, Killua cares more about others. This is ironic because the Zoldyck family only cares about themselves or their family while Killua feels the complete opposite. It’s almost as if he trusts strangers more than his own family. A common phrase: “She/He turned to the streets” that I’ve heard in my hometown can be applied here. Killua probably hates his family and turned to strangers to find love and comfort since they neglected that. He is also the only one that tries to develop a relationship with Alluka. At first, I thought “Wow he’s only developing a relationship with her to heal Gon” but then I realized it was bigger than that. Alluka has been separated from her family because of her dangerous abilities. She will demand something and if that person doesn’t fulfill her demands, they will suffer horribly. Killua learns that Alluka has a healing ability and while Illumi complains that Killua was hiding rules from him, he never took the chance to talk to him about it and continued to threaten Alluka. The family “banished” her to a confined room for who knows how long because, apparently, she had been possessed by a demon from the Dark Continent and they do not know when it happened. Despite knowing that Killua could parish with the rest, he still develops a relationship with her. He is the true example of excepting someone for who they are. As far as I’m concerned, running away was the best decision he made. It saved his life and in return, he’s going to save another. I do find it ironic that something considered to be so dark has the power to bring something back to life when usually it’s something bright like a light...interesting. You all know what I’m saying. Most television shows only portray angles to heal others while demons only seek to destroy. The Zoldyck family is wrong for pushing Alluka away. How could you do that to your own kid? Shit, you should be blaming yourself for not watching her and allowing the demon to posses her.
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In conclusion, Killua is my second favorite character. He is bold, loves his friends, and isn’t afraid (anymore) to step up to people he may not win against. His character has blossomed from a young boy afraid to step up to his brother to a boy who isn’t afraid to do so. He has learned about Nen and has gone through many trials and tribulations just to say he is much stronger than before. What characters would you like to hear about next? Send me a DM!
Fin.
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lunnybunny12 · 4 years
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Sandor Clegane x reader (Reason 1)
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Requests are open 
Warnings: Death, Murder, hanging, swearing and prostitution 
Word count: 1230
Part 2 (Reason 2)
Part 3 (Reason 3)
Part 4 (Reason 4)
Master list
A daughter of a whore, raised by nuns, became a thief, ran away to Braavos and was trained as an assassin. That just about summed you up.
You had fought your whole life to get to where you were, to prove you were worthy enough to be apart of a world filled with shitty people. Despite all of that, you still found yourself  laughing at the situation you found yourself in.
"(Y/n) fucking Hill"
Your head shot up at hearing that name. You hadn't gone my Hill since you went to Braavos.
"Ah, so you know our little sparrow do ya Clegane?" Thoros said nudging your side as he sat beside you.  When he saw the look you gave to the former guard he dropped his joking demeanour. 
"The Fuck you doing here?"
Sandor stared at you for a moment before turning to the 3 men behind you. The men were stood on 3 small barrels, hands tied behind their backs and a rope around their necks.
"Chasing them. You?"
"Hanging them" Berec retorted.
"They're our men. Or they were. They attacked a nearby septor and murdered the villagers, why do you want them?" Thoros asked.
"Same reason. I was helping build it. They killed a friend of mine."
"You have friends?"
"Not any more" Sandor said, his eyes darted to you for a second before walking up to your group "They're mine."
"It's the brotherhoods good name they've dragged through the dirt-"
"Fuck your name. They're mine," Sandor said through gritted teeth. " I've killed you once before Beric and I'm happy to do it again."
At the corner of your eye, you saw another one of your group stretch his bowstring and aim an arrow at him.
"Drop the arrow," You said clearly so that everyone could hear and stepped closer to him.
 "He's not going to hurt US... you can have one of them."
The look you got wasn't one of surprise or shock. He was thinking. The other men around you weren't surprised at your boldness, you'd been with them for years and had quickly earnt the respect you were given.
"... Two" Sandor said looking at you.
After a moment of silent deliberation, you nodded to him in agreement.
Just as Sandor was about to plant his axe in one of the traitors heads, Thoros stopped him.
"We're not butchers..."
"Speak for yourselves" you mumbled under your breath with a smile.
"... We hang them"
With an annoyed look, Sandor replied "Hanging? All over in an instant. Wheres the punishment in that?"
"They die-"
"Thay all bloody die. Except for that one" Sandor said motioning to the one-eyed man behind him. " I'll only gutt one of em"
By this point, you had taken a few steps away to get a better view of the scene. The men that were about to die were part of your group once but their twisted sense of right and wrong had lead them to do awful things. They deserved what they were about to get and thankfully others thought the same.
"No" Beric said.
"Chop off one hand?"
"We gave you 2 of the 3 out of the respect of your loss. That's generous."
With a sigh, Sandor dropped his axe " You're all a bunch of Nancies... There was a time I would've killed all 8 of you just to gutt these 3."
"You're getting old Clegane" you chuffed
Suddenly, Sandor kicked the barrel out from under one of the man's feet, sending him falling a short distance to his slow death.
"He's not" Sandor said doing the same to another of the man.
That's when you moved to stand in front of the last man. His eyes wide with fear. You'd admit that you enjoyed watching the fear grow as you let kicked away his barrel too.
When you got back to camp, Beric told Sandor that he was born a fighter and no matter where he went a fight would always find him. How everything happens for a reason Bla bla bla.  It was true that Sandor was a fighter, he had gutted his first man when he was 12 years old and didn't regret it, but that didn't make him a fighter. What made him a fighter was how he continued to live his life and grow stranger with every passing day and by the way he looked he had continued to do so. Beric also said that Sandor would be useful in the brotherhood. How it needed strong men to help is win the upcoming war and how he could help more people he's hurt.
You saw something change in him at that moment. It could have been how he sat or the look in his eye, you weren't sure... but something did change.
That night when everyone was supposed to be asleep, you stayed awake to keep the fire lit. While stoking the flames, thoughts swam around your head like a fish in a shallow pond. The flames shone like a beacon in the pitch-black forest. The occasional snore and animal sounds echoed off of the trees. The stars above were the only thing for the company.
At the corner of your eye, you saw someone lumbering their way towards you. You weren't scared, you knew he wouldn't hurt you.
"Cant sleep Clegane?"
"Not with all these cunts snoring like dying pigs"
"It good to see you haven't changed" You said, eyes gazing into the fire. 
"and there's no point in trying to save face, I know you're still angry with me,"
"And for good fucking reason. You kissed me took the gold and pissed off to Braavos the first chance you got." he quietly seethed. when he put it like that it did sound like an awful thing to do.
With a sighed "Sandor, what am I?"
"I'm not playing guessing games (Y/n)"
"What am I? I'm a bastard, born to a whore and gods know who. No money, no parents, hell not even a name. From the moment I was born, I had to fight for myself because no one else would. I pissed off because after your father died and that brother of yours became the lord, you became the princes bitch in the red keep. There was nothing for me in Westeros, so I left,"
"And what of that kiss then ey? You left that out of your little rant" he said cockily.
You looked at him without a speck of fear in your eyes. His whole life he had never met anyone who looked at him like that and it rendered him speechless.
"That kiss was the only thing of worth I could've given you to remember my by. I knew full well that if I died you'd be the only one in Westeros to remember me ... we were friends once Clegane and you couldn't even tell me you were leaving so I did it first." You said taking a deep swig of ale from a pouch on your hip and then passing it to him.
"Was that the only reason?" He asked taking the pouch from you.
"No. but its the only one I'm brave enough to admit to right now" You joked earning a smile from the man.
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shades-of-stony · 3 years
Text
Time Travel Stony Fanfic
Character from the Future travels to the Past 
A Shadow Hanging Over Our Fate by CaptainDean13
Summary: The Avengers get sent back in time to WWII where they run into the Howling Commandos... complete with Bucky and Steve. Little hard to explain that away, especially when you are trying to keep some major secrets. Secrets like how you ended up in the future and why the hell Bucky is now a scary (reformed) assassin with a metal arm, not to mention that you married your friend's son.
Note: A 1000/10 READ. THIS IS SO FREAKIN’ GOOD THAT I READ IT 3 TIMES SINCE I FIRST FOUND IT LAST YEAR. It’s a nice and well written time travel fic with the howling commandos and past Steve and Bucky!!
A New Way For Us by ann2who
Summary: They fight Thanos—and they’re losing. And before Tony knows what’s happening, he’s standing with Doctor Strange in front of the Eye of Agamotto and gets send back in time. Can he find a way to fix things this time around, or are they doomed to fall apart all over again?
Note: This is where Tony went back in time to fix everything that went wrong and prepare for the arrival of Thanos! Due to an unexpected twist of fate, he found himself getting closer to Steve of all people!  
Two More Miracles (To Be A Saint) by queenpenthesilea
Summary: “Get up, Stark, you sleep too much. You said you would teach me paper football.”
Tony’s eyes snapped open. No. No. Had it all been a dream? Had he just imagined five years – five years - of an idyllic life, complete with a beautiful, wonderful daughter? He pushed himself up, looking around; he was on the Milano – he was on the fucking Milano, and either this was a really weird version of hell or everything had been a dream. Or, a little voice whispered, something had gone horribly, horribly wrong with the infinity stones.
Note: A nice and juicy post-Endgame Time Travel fanfic!! Though, this one held a few what ifs. 
Saving the World is a 12 Step Program by janonny
Summary: Tony and Steve fall to pieces when Thanos’ wins.
Then they pick themselves up, and find a solution. They also find something infinitely more precious in the process.
-
“It’s going to sound pretty outrageous,” Tony admitted, rubbing a hand over his brow. While he had put on some weight and wasn’t as gaunt anymore, he was still easily tired nowadays.
“More outrageous than talking racoons and a purple villain traveling through space to collect magic stones?” Steve asked drily.
Note: This is another post-Endgame fanfic but with a twist and different take on the whole time travel!
Oh, Snap by wedelia
Summary: Peter wakes up, and he’s simultaneously five years too early and right on time.
Or, Post-Endgame Peter goes back in time and accidentally-on-purpose gets Steve and Tony together before the initial snap happens. And, oh, yeah—he also recruits a former-Air-Force-pilot-turned-galactic-hero, has lunch with Black Widow, and somehow befriends Nick Fury. This changes things.
Note: It’s Peter who time travels this time around!!
If We Never Got This Second Chance by Pookaseraph
Summary: When Tony and Steve’s son from the future, Jake Jensen, arrives at Avenger’s Tower, the two of them are forced to confront some hard truths: Tony that he might not actually become a horrible father, and Steve that he might not be able to set aside his discomfort with sharing a child with another man. When they both get a second chance at a first try at fatherhood, it’s up to the two of them to learn from their own future's past.
Note: Anyone up for some future son time travel? Enjoy this nicely written fanfic of Stony’s future son traveling and meeting the past versions of his parents! Past versions that are not even together yet! Things are about to get weird for Steve and Tony. 
Your Name on Every Wall by Sineala
Summary: The Time Gem throws Steve into the past rather than the future, and in doing so, it gives him the opportunity to undo his past mistakes. But when it turns out that all of his mistakes involve Tony Stark, Steve begins to wonder if he's ever going to be able to mend things between them.
Note: A unique plot where Steve travels to the future and realizes what he is missing on!
Together, At Dawn by RoseGoldAmpersand
Summary: Steve returns the Infinity Stones to New York and finds himself in conversation with Tony of the past. More mature and willing to listen to Tony he realises that what he previously thought were taunts was actually Tony flirting with him.
In light of this new discovery and alone in Tony’s workshop after the battle of New York, one thing leads to another...
Note: ohhhhh, some juicy smut anyone?
  Don't Look Back, You Can Never Look Back. by iL0Vsuperman
Summary: Tony Stark: billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and, now, superhero.
It’d only been a few months prior that he’d revealed to the world he was Iron Man and life couldn’t be better.
That is…until he stumbled upon an old abandoned Hydra lab and kinda set off one of their machines by accident. A blast of blue light later and he found himself in the same lab…only it is seventy years earlier and it is full of Hydra agents.
Cue the entrance of the Howling Commandos led by Tony’s childhood hero, Captain America.
Suddenly, Tony is living out a dream. He’s joining up with the Commandos in the search to get Tony back to his right era. It’s the adventure of a lifetime and, at first, it’s amazing…but then he and Steve connect in ways more than just friendship and he finds that he is torn between wanting to stay with him or go back home.
In the end, whatever the result, he loses.
Note: Tony meets his childhood heroes-the Howling Commandos and Captain America! 
The Future is Yet in Your Power by FestiveFerret
Summary: "Now." Wong leaned back in his chair. "What would you do to save this world from Thanos' attack? What would you sacrifice?"
"Anything," Steve said. "Anything at all."
Wong considered him for a moment, expression unreadable. "There's one thing, maybe."
Note: This is nice fanfic about Steve putting everything on the line to hopefully make a change. 
The Good or Bad Thing by petreparkour for SeetheSea
summary: “It’s the metal suit,” Thor informed Steve, his normally-booming voice tinny over the SHIELD comms. “What did Stark call it—Iron Man?”
“But he’s down here,” Steve protested as the Hulk roared in Stark’s face, startling him into waking with a shout. “How could—”“It’s damaged,” Thor reported. “But it looks different. More advanced. And he—ah. He’s carrying you, Captain.”
“Please tell me nobody kissed me,” Stark breathed out, and then Stark’s voice suddenly came over the comms, but the man lying next to him hadn’t moved.“
Guys, come on, you’re killing me here. What is it, 2012? God, I hate time travel. First, I'm fighting Thanos. Now, I have to deal with my past self and Thor's bad haircut? Oh my God, Cap, yes I hacked their comms, they’re my comms.”
Steve nearly opened his mouth to protest that he hadn’t said anything when he realized that this replica of Tony Stark wasn’t speaking to him.
Note: Future Tony and Steve accidentally traveling in the past!
  Character from the Past travels to the Future
hold the things you wanna say by SailorChibi
Summary: Tony is still a consultant, and between SI, the team and SHIELD he's overworked and exhausted. That's okay.
He and Steve have been having sex for weeks but that's all it is, just sex, and Tony wants more but he'll never get it and that's okay. Really.
What's not okay is the fact that Howard Stark has somehow appeared in the future and is the same as always.
This is definitely going to fuck up his schedule.
Note: ANGST! READY YOUR TISSUES.
Twice Upon a Time by TsaritsaElena
Summary: Tony Stark has never had an easy relationship with his father, but when Howard Stark circa 1983 time travels to the future in a freak accident, things get even more complicated, especially since Tony is dating his dad’s idol, Captain America, and Howard doesn’t know. As they work toward a solution that will restore Howard to his own timeline, will Tony get a second chance at a father-son relationship with his dad, or is he in for more of the same unforgiving treatment from Howard? Time travel, Avengers missions, and a secret project of Howard’s: things at Stark Tower are about to get a little crazy.
Note: SOME MORE ANGST AND HOWARD TRAVELLING TO THE FUTURE. 
The Future Is Ours (Whether We Want It Or Not) by ann2who
Summary: After a hit from the Time Stone, Steve switches places with his future self.
Note: Another of Steve traveling to the future! Though this time, it features both timeline! Both POV of the past and future! 
Ordinary Men by RiaRose
Summary: "Aren't you at all happy to see me?" Howard shot back, holding his glass out and pointing with his index finger. At Steve's stony face, he dropped his arm. "Want a glass?" he tried, picking up an empty tumbler, "This is good stuff."
"Tony doesn't skimp on - well - anything. And no, thank you."
"Was that Tony?" he queried, gesturing toward the hallway the other man had disappeared down. Steve nodded but didn't give any more information, so Howard repeated his earlier question, "Aren't you happy to see me?"
It took Steve a moment to answer. Howard could see his jaw working. 
"No, not anymore."
OR
In which Howard travels to the future and just messes up everybody's day, Steve is conflicted, and Tony is a piping hot mess, as per usual. It's not going to be easy, but Steve and Tony have to somehow navigate through Howard's arrival and the strain it puts on their relationship.
Note: From the summary alone, you can tell that THIS WILL BE ANGSTY. 
To Have My Time Again... by WilmaKins
Summary: It's been two years since Siberia, and Tony Stark is still dealing with the fallout - personal and political. Life is quite complicated enough, without Bruce falling through a wizards roof yelling that Thanos is coming.
Thor and Loki are stalling, but time is running out. The fate of the universe is at stake. Steve Rogers is back in the picture. Really, the last thing Tony needs is for their plan to go horribly wrong and bring Howard Stark forward in time.
But his Dad *is* standing in his office, whether he likes it or not.
So, it looks like Tony will have to fix that mess too.
Note: There is just something about Howard-travels-to-the-future fanfics. 
Howard Stark Meets The Avengers by SerlinaBlack
Summary: Howard Stark unknowingly travels to the future with his son and wife. Luckily the heroes of the future were somewhat ready for it. Unluckily , they don't seem to like him very much
Alternative summery: when will Howard learn? Not now lmao.
Note: ANOTHER ONE.
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tenthgrove · 3 years
Text
500 Followers Celebration!!!: Part 1 (La Squadra Backstories)
Hey! Thank you so much for 500 amazing followers! Every single one of you mean so much to me!
Part 1 of this celebration is, as the title suggests, my headcanon backstory for each of La Squadra. As some of you know I was at some point in the process of writing a full multi-chapter fic on this, but since that unfortunately never came to fruition beyond the first couple chapters, here is a shortened version of the stories that were originally planned.
Part 2 is going to be a little something I wrote a while back but never felt brave enough to send to more than a few people. That will be seeing the light of day soon. ;)
Risotto
Risotto Dante Nero was born in a small, poor farming village in Sicily, somewhere in the vicinity of Catania. His parents were a young, dysfunctional couple who weren't ready for a kid in the first place. Seeing their newborn son had 'evil' eyes was the last nail in the coffin for them, and they gave the baby up to his paternal grandmother when he was only days old.
Despite being shunned by his family over the aesthetic defect, Risotto was able to form a close bond with his older cousin, Domenico, who would eventually move in with him and his grandmother after being disowned by the family himself. Domenico helped Risotto find friends, and was the main reason why the next few years were the happiest in the young boys life.
Unfortunately, Domenico was struck and killed at age just 19 by a drunk driver, a millionaire from Milan who on top of his intoxication, was driving incredibly fast. Risotto never recovered from the grief; his personality was altered drastically and he eventually dropped out of school. His grandmother indulged him in his revenge fantasies, believing that he would never seriously carry them out. This proved the biggest mistake of her life.
At age 18 Risotto left home to hunt down Domenico's killer. Despite the years of preparation he was in way over his head and was eventually forced to make a deal with Passione for the resources he would need to break into the mansion and not get caught. But the newly initiated mafioso found that revenge did nothing for his grief. Now, he simply had nothing to work for.
Risotto fell into a deep depression for the next two years, doing his duties as a low-ranking soldato for Passione but feeling utterly empty inside. It became so dire that after becoming injured in a fight with a stand user, he welcomed what looked to be his impending death.
But Risotto did not die that day, being saved by an associate of the gang and rushed to hospital. After hearing word that Risotto had defeated a stand user, Prosciutto became interested and approached Risotto for help with a hit he had been assigned to. Risotto agreed and Prosciutto developed a liking for the young man. A few months later, when Prosciutto was tasked with forming a specialised squad for assassination, he remembered Risotto and requested he become the team’s captain. Risotto was put through at once for receiving a stand, and was seated at the head of the brand new La Squadra di Esecuzione.
Prosciutto
Maiale Crepuscolo was born the daughter of a powerful Don in Naples, and his much neglected wife. Raised in luxury, he came to resent his callous father, especially when the man continued to behave adulterously despite his wife’s failing health. The death of Mrs Crepuscolo was a huge blow to her 16 year old son. It was around this time that Maiale discovered his male identity and chose a new name for himself: Prosciutto.
Mere months after the death of his wife, Don Crepuscolo married his pregnant mistress, a young woman by the name of Loreta. Despite the circumstances, Prosciutto and Loreta got on very well together, and the young man confided in her about his transgender identity, to be met with her full support. Any faith that Prosciutto may have had in his father before was immediately lost when Loreta was thrown out onto the streets by her new husband, along with their infant son Pesci. His sole reason for doing this was that he had become tired of her, and the baby's crying.
Without his father’s knowing, Prosciutto continued to wire Loreta and Pesci money through his hefty allowance, and counted down the days until he could graduate highschool and become eligible for his mother’s inheritance. The very day he gained access to it, he cut his father off for good.
The next few years of Prosciutto’s life were the best. He went to a prestigious university to study politics and afterwards found work as a journalist. With his father no longer an issue, he medically transitioned and upped the money he was giving to his half-brother and former step-mother. Everything was going perfectly.
At age 24, Prosciutto received a visit by members of Passione, who informed him they had annexed his father’s gang and killed him. As much as Prosciutto insisted they had been estranged for years, the men maintained that Prosciutto was still considered a threat, and could only be allowed to live if he joined the gang. Worse, they threatened him with Pesci’s life. Prosciutto knew he had no choice.
Over the next few years, Prosciutto worked his way up. By age 27 he was granted the privilege to develop a stand, and was quickly pushed into the assassination business as a result of its deadly power. At that time, Passione had no designated assassination team, and individuals ordered to carry out hits had to go running around for volunteers if they needed help on a mission. This is why Prosciutto had sought out Risotto.
When the order to form a hitman squad was given, Prosciutto was initially primed to become the captain. However, he was strongly against taking this role, as Loreta was starting to show signs of chronic illness and Prosciutto wanted to make sure he could still take care of Pesci if it became necessary. Tasked with finding an alternative, Prosciutto initially approached his old friends Sorbet and Gelato, who had been part of the squad sent to confront him after the death of his father and had kept in touch out of pity. The pair were cleared to join the team, but were not trusted by the team’s superiors to become captain. And so, Prosciutto turned once more to Risotto.
Sorbet and Gelato
Sorbet and Gelato could not have been born in more different circumstances, the former in absolute poverty, and the latter in comparative privilege.
Sorbet’s mother was by no means a bad woman. It was just the case that through her crippling addictions and mental illnesses, she was in no means equipped to care for her 6 children, forcing Sorbet, the eldest, to pick up the slack. Though he loved his siblings the young Sorbet resented this role and was easily tempted by a street gang at age 12, who offered him escape from his miserable life through drug peddling. Sorbet began to drift from his family more and more. He soon disappeared from school, and became completely estranged from his mother and siblings.
By age 17 Sorbet had developed a reputation in the gang for ruthlessness, and was approached by its leader to carry out a number of assassinations. He soon became the group’s designated hitman, and was paid generously for the role. He was still however, functionally homeless.
Gelato was born to an upper-middle class family in Minsk, Russia. The youngest of four boys, his parents had been hoping for a girl, and their resentment only grew when it became clear the young Gelato was both autistic and ADHD. He suffered from extreme emotional neglect.
When Gelato was 13, the family moved back to Italy where his mother was from. Though he preferred it here, the problems with his family continued and Gelato was eventually kicked out at just 17 years old.
Following the word of a friend, Gelato made his way to Naples and found work running an illegal bar for a street gang in exchange for a room to sleep in. The same gang, incidentally, that Sorbet was working for. The two first exchanged words when Gelato found Sorbet beating up a patron who had been abusive to him, and decided to join in. Within weeks, they were lovers.
One night, while Sorbet and Gelato were asleep upstairs, the police raided the bar. In a panic, Gelato shot two, and Sorbet took out a third. The fourth got away. Knowing they would be hunted, the pair begged refuge from their gang but were denied. They were not a powerful enough syndicate to deal with something of this size. And so, with only each other, Sorbet and Gelato fled Italy.
They were on the run for two years, passing through just about every country in Europe at least once. As a means of surviving, they took on assassination contracts from local gangs and became very skilled, but of course this only turned up the heat to catch them. Eventually, it got too much, and in a final desperate bid to avoid capture, the pair went back to Italy to plead their gang to reconsider.
What they found now in charge of Naples was not their gang, but Passione. A capo by the name of Pericolo listened to their story, and agreed eagerly to dissuade the police from pursuing them in exchange for their loyalty to the new gang. Sorbet and Gelato agreed at once, and developed stands soon after.
Formaggio
A Naples Boy through and through, Formaggio was born in the central city to a large, loving family. Owing to their poverty, all the aunts, grandparents and cousins lived in one house. Although many were part of the mafia, it was always stressed to the children they were under no obligation to choose such a life. Nonetheless, many of them still did.
One night, Formaggio’s eldest brother Miguel sneaked off from the house, telling nobody but Formaggio. His goal was to seek initiation into Passione. The young Formaggio pleaded to come as well, but was told he was not ready yet. Miguel returned a couple of hours later, carrying a metal arrowhead. He told his brother that something unexpected had happened, and he needed to go now, but it was vital Formaggio told nobody of this meeting. He promised it would all be worth it in the end.
Years passed, and Miguel did not return. Then one day- a hastily-written letter, addressed solely to Formaggio. In his final message, Miguel apologised for the absence and announced that he did not expect to survive the next few hours. However, if Formaggio wanted the answers to all that had transpired, all he needed to do was recover the arrowhead that he had last seen Miguel with all those years ago. Most likely, it would have been returned to where he found it, address enclosed. Saddened and eager to understand what had happened to his brother, Formaggio followed the instructions and broke into a heavily guarded warehouse. He found the arrow, just as Miguel had said, but failed to understand how this could solve his problems.
Formaggio looked for a way out of the warehouse, and was suddenly set upon by the guards. He ran for the exit and tripped, impaling himself on the arrow. Little Feet came forth at once, stunning the guards. Not wanting to deal with whatever that was, they called in Risotto and his newly built execution squad, based nearby, to deal with it.
Fortunately, the assassins’ skills were not needed. In spite of the circumstances Formaggio met the assassins with charm and cooperation. Risotto phoned his superiors to see if killing the man was really necessary, and they agreed it wasn’t, provided Formaggio became Risotto’s business. An agreement was reached, and Formaggio was inducted into the hitman squad. It would take two more members for Formaggio to piece together what had happened to his brother.
Ghiaccio
Ghiaccio was dealt an awful hand in life. Poor, and with parents that hated him, he had little respite as a child. He was autistic, but never diagnosed, and had visual impairments that were never addressed. His fondest memory was of a bizarre couple he met as a child, a dark-haired, dour man and his blond lover, who kept him company after his mother walked away from him in anger at a shopping mall. She came back, unfortunately.
When Ghiaccio was 15, a frantic knock sounded at his door while his parents were out. Answering it nervously, an equally frantic man stood on the other side brandishing an arrow-head. He introduced himself exhaustedly as Miguel and begged for shelter- he was being chased.
Before Ghiaccio could answer a squad of men burst onto the porch and attacked Miguel, dragging him out of view. Ghiaccio was thrown to the ground and told in no uncertain terms to speak of none of this to anyone. It wasn’t until later he realised the arrow had accidentally slashed him.
At that time, Ghiaccio’s soul was not fit to manifest a stand, but it was close. And so, Ghiaccio began to suffer the slow, agonising fate that some in his position fall victim to, his half-manifested stand slowly sucking the life from him. His parents didn’t even have the heart to call a doctor.
Two months into this agony, Ghiaccio heard something outside his room. His parents. They were talking about what to do if he died. He’d had enough. He snapped.
And so, Ghiaccio’s soul reached the point where it was strong enough to bare a stand fully, after having already partially manifested one. This unheard of situation created a stand with no physical form, but unspeakable power. A surge of ice broke out around the house without Ghiaccio even meaning it to, killing his parents at once. His sickness gone, Ghiaccio got up from the bed. What the hell had just happened?
Convinced he had lost his mind, Ghiaccio fled, but left a trail of unexplainable events behind him. Realising they were dealing with an unaccounted stand user, Passione had Ghiaccio hunted down and propositioned to join them. Terrified and with no other idea of what to do, he agreed. With a stand like this, there were only 2 options: La Squadra and La Unita. La Unita had no interest in an impulsive teenager, so Ghiaccio was sent at once to La Squadra.
The group was reluctant to house a teenage boy as an assassin, but took him in nonetheless. Formaggio was grateful for the crumbs of information Ghiaccio could give about the fate of his brother. Sorbet and Gelato couldn’t shake the feeling they’d seen the boy before somewhere.
Illuso
He was an only child. There was nothing particularly wrong with his relationship with his parents, but nothing particularly right either. There just… wasn’t a connection. They were a middle class family, well to do but nothing special. An arrogant boy, Illuso struggled to make friends, though he did become somewhat close with a boy in the year below him named Formaggio, for a short time.
When Illuso was 15, his parents came to him with a proposition. A distant relative of theirs was in possession of a large castle, but could not pay for its upkeep any more. The man had asked if Illuso would be interested in becoming a live-in caretaker, to be paid less than industry standards but still a lot by the standards of a 15 year old boy. Illuso agreed at once, and moved out of his parents home in a matter of days.
At the castle, his loneliness only grew. The place was closed to visitors and had no inhabitants apart from his new employer, who even then only lived in the castle 4 days a week. Illuso thought he was okay with this life, but the effect on his psyche was indisputable.
Then one day, the castle had a break-in. Illuso was accosted by a young man named Miguel, who had been squatting in the cellar for days and believed the castle was abandoned. The pair came to an understanding, and Miguel proposed that in exchange for his silence, he would give Illuso something amazing. He pricked him with the arrow.
Thrilled with his new power, Illuso agreed to keep Miguel’s existence a secret and the pair co-existed for many years. Illuso learned that Miguel had stolen the arrow from a gang named Passione, after discovering its power and making the decision to take it on impulse. Passione is still hunting him, hence the need to hide.
But eventually, they found him nonetheless. Illuso and Miguel tried their best to fight but it was an uneven battle. Miguel fled with the arrow, chased by one half of the attacking squad, leaving Illuso to deal with the other half.
But against all odds, Illuso survived, using his stand to eliminate the attackers one by one. Eventually the last attackers gave in and fled, The next people sent to confront Illuso came with a deal: join Passione, and all will be forgiven.
Despite his stand’s power, Illuso’s superiors disliked his attitude. After a few months of being thrown between teams, he was saddled with La Squadra.
Melone
The middle of three children, Melone was born to an upper-working class family in Florence. His parents were eccentric-academic sorts, who encouraged Melone and his sisters to act without regard for social convention. Though intelligent, Melone was never quite top of the class due to his inability to stay on task. Still, he got into a decent university and had plans to become a gynaecologist.
In his second year, Melone was approached by a poor couple seeking antenatal care for their pregnancy. As they explained, they were in a gang and could not go into public care for fear of their identities as criminals being discovered. They pleaded Melone for whatever rudimentary checks he could provide, just so they could have some assurance their baby was okay. Melone agreed, and met with the couple several times.
Over the course of the next year, Melone gave similar services to a couple more women who were recommended to go to him by the first patient. It was only a matter of time before the university discovered what he was doing, especially once he started stealing equipment to improve the quality of his examinations. Melone was expelled and referred to the police, but one of his patients got Passione to bribe away his charges. Unfortunately, this put him in their debt. Melone told his family he was simply going away for a while.
Melone languished around in Passione for a while. Though he did receive a stand, its lethal capabilities weren’t immediately clear, and so he remained in the lower ranks. His main respite was the bar scene, in which he got to mingle with many of Passione’s members from different squads. It was through here that he met Illuso, Formaggio and Ghiaccio of the execution team, and formed a friendship. Through them he even formed links with the group’s leader, Risotto.
The team were eager to help Melone advance to a better position, and aided him in exploring his stand. Eventually, he discovered how lethal baby face could truly be, outshining everyone’s expectations. Risotto was pleased to welcome him into the team.
Pesci
By the time Pesci was 13, it was clear his mother’s illness was terminal. Initially reluctant to involve him around the team, Prosciutto increasingly allowed Pesci to stay with them while his mother was at the hospital, since there was nowhere else for the young boy to go. As much as everyone tried to comfort him, he was terrified.
Two years later, it was clear Loreta was in her final weeks. Pesci dedicated as much time as he could to being with her, sleeping at her bedside more often than not. It was here that he first felt the strange occurrences begin. It would be subtle at first, the peculiar feeling of his mother’s heartbeat in his hands as he drifted off to sleep. It was comforting, then. It assured him his mother was still alive. Then, it got weirder, a long string extending from his fingers and into his mother’s chest. He thought he was just sleep deprived.
When the fateful day came and Loreta’s heart monitor stopped, Pesci felt a surge of panic. Desperate to find some proof this wasn’t really happening, his stand burst forth from his body and shot its hook into Loreta’s chest. Unfortunately, it was all for nothing. Loreta was dead.
As Pesci held the rod in his hands he realised this was far too real to be a hallucination. He could sense everything, the fading metabolism of his mother’s body and the vibrations in the floor. As the nurses confirmed the death, they could not see it. Why couldn’t they see it?
Prosciutto came into the room. With one look, Pesci knew that his brother could see the rod as well. He panicked and ran.
Prosciutto tried desperately over the next couple days to get in touch with Pesci. He knew exactly what had happened- clearly the boy had summoned a stand from the anguish of his mother’s death and had freaked out in confusion. That’s all completely understandable, but if Pesci isn’t informed of what his new power means soon, he could get himself into serious trouble. Especially if Passione found out.
And so, Prosciutto set off with Risotto to hunt Pesci down, eventually finding him at a run down park near his childhood home. Prosciutto comforted him and explained he knew what was happening, but if everything was going to be okay, he had to go with them.
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luvreyn · 3 years
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My Manhwa List (2021) Part 6
Hi hi been a while! Hope you’re all okay so now onto the list ~
Your Majesty, Please Spare Me This Time
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Source: https://www.tappytoon.com/en/comics/your-majesty
Description:
Following the emperor’s unjust massacre of her family and her own miserable death, Laliette Bellua wakes up to find that she is in the body of her 12-year-old self. She immediately sets her sights on a single goal: suck up to Emperor Rupert Edgar Laspe Vellelum and save her family. Laliette’s plan is foolproof, except for one tiny detail… In her present timeline, the future emperor is still masquerading as a princess named Rapertte! With only a single suitcase and some change in her pocket, she sets out for the capital to become the princess’s closest and most beloved attendant. Can Laliette prove her ability to keep a secret? And more importantly, will she be able to win the favor of the cruel and sadistic Rapertte?
THOUGHTS AND WHY YOU SHOULD READ
- mc is freaking adorable
- plot - 3.5/5
- art - 5/5
- she hates the ML sm omg like she often has thoughts of wanting to kill him and it’s so refreshing?? cause every fl in this type of story are like just scared so I love that she’s so scared but she also wants hurt him
- I know they’re gonna end up together but it’s nice to see her being so adamant and succeeding in hating him despite his sometimes humanity
- shookt at the revelations!!
- the ml... idk what to say about him but let’s hope he’ll freaking redeem himself
- conclusion: an okay read!
The Night When the Crow Caws
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Source: https://www.tappytoon.com/en/comics/night-when-crow-caws
Description:
As the hottest actor in the action genre, the handsome and talented Woogang is always being chased by the women around him. But when a mysterious agent on a secret mission breaks into his home, he's the one who falls in love at first sight. Sadly, he has no clue who the beautiful stranger is... until she shows up at his workplace as Detective Park Taeyi to investigate a bomb threat. It turns out that she's no ordinary policewoman, but an elite member of the Secret Intelligence Agency who is after a criminal organization called "The Crows." Fate brings Woogang and Taeyi closer when the actor catches The Crows' attention and needs the agent's protection. Can Woogang break through Taeyi's cool exterior and win her heart as they face off against their dangerous enemies?
THOUGHTS AND WHY YOU SHOULD READ
- ml is kinda annoying tbh or idk maybe it’s just me
- badass female!!
- art = 4/5
- plot = ?/5 ‘cause I forgot lol
- I love the premise!!
- love at first sight? check!
- m y s t e r y
- action!!
- conclusion: an okay read
Saving the Villain from the Heroine
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Description:
Sielle is an ordinary handmaid working for the Grand Duke Ferzei Yekarte. The thing is... she knows he's a villain of a story she read in her previous life on Earth. With her prescience, she managed to foil an assassination attempt on her master, only to be framed for the crime! Worse yet, when she drank the poisoned wine to prove her innocence, she turns into a little girl... And now the Grand Duke wants to ship her off to a notorious family of assassins? Will she manage to survive through all this, even if she knows how it will all end?
THOUGHTS AND WHY YOU SHOULD READ
- cute cute cute
- plot = 3.5/5
- art = 3/5
- the art is okay but the deadpan expressions ruins the story like it’s so fake
- the ml is prob one of the most extra ml ever lmao 
- found fam!!
- an okay and cute read
Answer Me, My Prince
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Description:
Cordelia Grey, a 22-year-old novice editor with many aspirations visited an antique shop to receive the manuscript for the sequel to the fairy tale novel, "The Princess and the Knight." But she ends up exchanging letters with Prince Archie, a character from the fairy tale, using a book chest she obtained through a twist of fate. To Cordelia, holding a conversation with a novel protagonist is like something that only happens in fantasies. To Prince Archie, Cordelia's advice is desperately needed, since she knows the future of the his world. The two continue sending letters to each other, not realizing how the summer nights are slipping by...
THOUGHTS AND WHY YOU SHOULD READ
- omg I'm so shookt
- the plot is = 5/5 chefs kiss!
- art = 4/5
- it’s so interesting and I'm pleasantly surprise when I read it!!
- ml is so smooth 
- a lot of mystery and magic
- making its way to my fav list!
I Met the Male Lead in Prison
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I met the male lead in prison.
Okay. I get that I transmigrated into an R-19 tragic romantic novel, but why is he like this?
“Arf! Arf! Arf! Grrrrrr…”
I can’t believe this guy is held by a curse that makes him act like a beast… And that’s not the end of it, because he then returns to normal for a moment.
“I-i-if you aren’t g-going to take responsibility for what you did to me, th-th-then don’t t-touch me!”
At any rate, I felt relieved that I probably wouldn’t have any sort of romantic interactions with this guy.
A year later…
“Th-th-the day I leave this place, please…m-meet up with me!”
Well, it wouldn’t be a big deal to meet him once. But then, when I was released from prison…
***
“Welcome back. My lovely younger sister.”
The day of my release, a man approached me. It turns out, I’m the villain’s sister.
“You must have suffered going to prison in my stead. I waited only for you.”
…F*ck. My brother is the male lead’s sworn enemy?
***
3 years later, I met the male lead again. He looked totally different than when I last saw him.
“It’s been a while, Iyana. I’m going to kidnap you now.”
THOUGHTS AND WHY YOU SHOULD READ
- I've been waiting for this since forever!!
- art = 6/5
- plot = 4/5
- ADORKABLE!!
- she’s so cool!! 
- the ml is so cute and I just want to pet him!
- 2nd ml (?) is so whipped I cannot lol
- the bro is the most interesting ‘cause I don't know him yet but he hot!!
- conclusion: a new fav!
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girlactionfigure · 3 years
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Just Another Terrorist
I remember well the day in early June of 1968 when Robert F. Kennedy was murdered. I was a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching several courses while supposedly working on a dissertation that I never wrote. I awoke in the morning to the news that he had been shot in California, shortly after the primary victory that instantly established him as, in his unintentionally ironic words, “a viable candidate” for the presidency.
I went to my classes in the morning. The students were stunned. I said, stupidly, that I thought he would pull through. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started teaching my logic class. Some of the students left, and nobody, including me, paid attention to the material.
Counterfactual speculation in history has a deservedly bad reputation. It’s hard to predict how things would have been different if Kennedy had lived to run, and – quite likely – to be elected President. Would he have withdrawn the US from Vietnam more quickly, or, alternatively, presided over a military victory? Would he have improved race relations in the country? Would he have been quicker than Richard Nixon to help Israel in 1973? He was a great supporter of Israel, and indeed that was the motive of the man convicted of murdering him, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.
Sirhan is a Christian Arab who was born in Jerusalem. In 1948, his family moved from the western to the eastern part, “for fear of what life would be like under Jewish rule.” In 1956, when he was 12, they moved to the US. Immediately after the murder, he claimed that he had done it because of Kennedy’s pro-Israel sympathies:
Sirhan told his captors that he had made the decision to kill Kennedy only three weeks earlier. On the radio, he had heard a speech delivered by the candidate during a visit to a synagogue, in which Kennedy promised to arm Israel with dozens of warplanes, calling it the lesson he’d learned from the Six-Day War a year earlier …
Sirhan explained that the date of the assassination was not accidental, that he had chosen it because it was the first anniversary of the start of the Six-Day War.
Later he reinforced his earlier statement:
“To me he [Kennedy] was my hero, he was my champion,” Sirhan told British journalist David Frost during an interview at the state prison in Soledad, California, in 1989, one of only two television interviews he has given over the years. “He was the protector of the downtrodden and the disadvantaged, and I felt that I was one [of those]. And to have him say that he was going to send 50 Phantom jets to Israel to deliver nothing but death and destruction on my countrymen, that seemed as though it were a betrayal, and it was sad for me to accept and it was hard for me to accept.”
At the time, Sirhan was identified in the American media as a “Jordanian.” A pastor that knew his mother called him a “Jordanian nationalist” and that was how he was described by the LA Times. Today he is more likely to be identified as a “Palestinian,” driven to do what he did by the horrors of the nakba and “the occupation” (only one year old at the time), but I suspect the earlier conception is closer to the truth. Either way, it is irrelevant. He is just another violent Arab terrorist. Unfortunately we know the type well. A nobody who wants to become somebody by an act of outrage that will give him a place as a hero of his people.
Sirhan was convicted and was sentenced to death. But in 1972, California’s Supreme Court declared the death penalty “cruel and unusual punishment” and all death row prisoners including Sirhan were re-sentenced to life imprisonment. Capital punishment was re-instituted a few months later by a constitutional amendment, but death sentences were not re-imposed.
Interestingly, there are somewhat credible arguments that can be made for the presence of a second shooter, and even that the fatal bullet came from that shooter’s gun and not Sirhan’s. Kennedy certainly had enemies other than Jordanian/Palestinian nationalists, having led a take-no-prisoners war against organized crime in the early 60s. But legally and morally it doesn’t matter: Sirhan deliberately and with premeditation opened fire on Kennedy and is guilty of murder regardless of whose bullet killed him.
This week, the California parole board voted to recommend his release, on the condition that he join an alcohol abuse program and get therapy. The parole board has up to 120 days to review the decision, and then the governor, Gavin Newsom, will have to approve it. Since Sirhan never obtained US citizenship, he could be deported to Jordan (where he would join Ahlam Tamimi as a terrorist celebrity). Would the Palestinian Authority pay him the usual stipend for imprisoned terrorists? Given his long prison term, the retroactive payment would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Robert F. Kennedy was intensely anti-communist – he served as an assistant counsel to the McCarthy committee in 1953 – and outspokenly pro-Israel, characteristics that would not endear him to today’s American Left. On the other hand, he was very popular in the black community during the 1960s because of his actions on behalf of racial justice as Attorney General and advisor to his brother, President John F. Kennedy. He was loved by liberal students, who believed that he would quickly end the Vietnam war.
Kennedy, in fact, was precisely the opposite of today’s left, with its self-imposed ideological straitjacket. Tough and pragmatic, but also (perhaps a bit later on) compassionate toward those he saw as disadvantaged. It’s tragic that he was assassinated before he had realized his potential as a leader. The contrast between his greatness and the smallness of his despicable murderer is palpable.
Which makes me wonder: how will the American Left relate to Sirhan’s release, if it occurs. Will Rashida Tlaib praise him as a hero of the Palestinian Cause? How will BLM relate to the murderer of the man who probably did more to end Jim Crow in the South than any other white man?
For my part, I hope the parole board or the governor will come to their senses and keep him locked up, until he rots.
Abu Yehuda
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taliaquinn · 4 years
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Hamilton AU Part 1
Hiya guys!!! Guess what I decided to write this One shot series that is loosely based in Hamilton!! Basically this is what I think would happened if you mixed Adrinette and Hamilton, with sprinklings of Batfam. I’ve noticed a Lot of similarities between Adrien and Alexander Hamilton (Bad fathers, Dead mothers, growing up alone, insecurities) and decided to seize the opportunity. Hope you guys enjoy :)
Marinette stomped around his home. Ripping portraits off the wall. Throwing them discarding them to the side. Of course, she avoided ones that didn't include him. How COULD he? How could Adrien have done it? Betrayed her, her family,Their children? And for what reason? For a secretary, Not even his secretary, the secretary of a business partner?
At the thought of the identity of the secretary, Marinette let loose a scream and tore off another portrait. Letting the glass shatter when it crashed on the floor.  She was someone that had always done her best to make her life miserable. Marinette thought that she had washed her hands off her when she graduated Lycee. Guess she was wrong.
Adrien never hesitated, stepping into that hotel room. Marinette watched the footage through tears, there wasn't a millisecond of hesitation... He didn’t pause at all. Pause to think of her, his wife. Pause to think of his children. Pause to think of how it would break them all apart. Marinette was watching her picture-perfect family burn.
Did Adrien care? No. He just followed Lila right into the hotel room. It wasn't even once he’d go to her house so often you might as well call it a past time. He even had the nerve to bring that girl into their home. Into their bed. Well, Adrien has forfeited his right to her bed, and her heart. He can sleep in his office instead. She didn't care.
Marinette couldn’t help but let out a breathless chuckle. After 12 years Lila won after all. She got what she wanted the most. Adrien.
You know what? Marinette was fine with that. Adrien can be Lilas completely.
Marinette already sent the paperwork needed to file for divorce. Already got the paperwork to change her name back to Marinette Dupain Cheng Wayne. She’s going to make sure that her children’s last names are changed as well. She was going to cleanse herself of Adrien Agreste completely.
On second thought She’s going to pack their bags and head to Gotham. Adrien wouldn’t dare follow them there or try to see her.
Right now Marinette only wanted was to never see him again. She needed to see her siblings and father.
Marinette quickly got to work. Moving around her home she stopped packing their bags. She needed to get rid of the filth. She changed course and started to gather pictures, magazines, and letters.  Once she made sure to grab everything Adrien related she plunked herself right next to the fireplace and started to sort through everything letting her mind wander to the events of the week
Oh, she was late so late. quickly hopping out of bed she made sure to put on a suit and get her bags and purse ready for her trip. Taking a peek into Emma’s room she was slightly worried when found the bed empty. She made sure to stop at Louis and Hugo’s room. She was surprised to find the bed and cribs empty as well. Did they wake themselves up? She walked towards the living room and heard voices.
“Sweetheart you're playing the wrong scale see, look at me une deuce Trois quart cinq six sept…..” 
Marinette stopped to smile at herself. Adrien was home. That was rare these days. He was teaching Emma piano. That also rarely happened these days. He was always so busy. She knew from the lack of response from Emma that her daughter was soaking up all the attention as much as possible and focusing on getting the scale right. She started to hear the beginning of a simple melody. Quickly stopping to check over her suit and makeup she made her way towards the living room.
Once entering she couldn’t help but smile. Adrien was in the corner sitting next to Emma at the piano. Hugo was in his high chair eating cereal, rather messily too. Louis was sitting on the couch watching his morning cartoons. Everything was perfect. Her family was perfect.
Marinette jumped. Her phone was ringing... Checking the caller Id to make sure it wasn’t another reporter or worst  Adrien before answering. she let out a sigh of relief once she saw who was calling. She quickly picked up.
“Hey Damian hows it going” she responded softly, she hadn’t expected him to call. He was currently off-world with the Titans.
“Skip the pleasantries, beloved sister, I am here to help you and my nieces and Nephews and also handle that scoundrel of a cat,” Damian Said in a brisk tone.
All business and ready to return to Earth and terminate a certain blond-haired green-eyed model. Oh, Damian swore that when he got his hands on him he was going to unleash the Fury of an al-Ghul Wayne. Maybe sending a few assassins would be necessary-
“No assassins Damian” uh oh was he talking out loud??
“yes you were and no assassins Damian, he’s still the father of my kids, I don’t want to have to explain to them why uncle Damian is in prison”
“tt as if I would get caught, If anything it will probably be the fools Todd sent who would get caught” Damian knew how to keep his hands clean. The fact that his sister thinks otherwise is insulting.
“Wait. Who did Jason send!?  Call them off Da-” Oof Marinette was going to have to Call Jason and get him to call off any potential hitmen. Oh, who was she kidding she’s going to have a long list of friends and family to call and make stop any plans of hurting Adrien.
She grabbed a postcard that Adrien sent her. From Germany. It was from a couple of months ago. Marinette counted back. Ah if her math was correct then Adrien was “meeting up” with Lila at the time. Ignoring the ache in her heart she flicked the postcard into the fireplace. Watching the fire overtake it,
“Marinette I insist that you and your children come back to America at once and leave that awful city, Pennyworth has already prepared your old room along with the kid's room,” Damian said, yanking Marinette's attention from the glowing embers.
For all Damian cared he would let Todd's fools get caught, as long as they completed their task.
“I have to get the kid's Bags ready and I can’t leave without telling my parents but that's difficult enough since there off on their anniversary trip across Europe”
"Humph I'm sure they will understand the need for you to get away from the city, from him, I swear Agreste knows no bounds he had the nerve to cheat on you with some secretary,”
“It wasn't just some secretary, it was Lila Rossi” She spat out with heat evident in her voice. “She got what she wanted after all these years” she chuckled. She kept on flicking magazines, posters, and pictures that had Adrien's face in them into the fireplace. She hoped that Adrien's reputation would burn. After all, isn't that the reason why he revealed his affair to save it?
Anyways that’s it for part one. It was intended to be longer but I split it into two parts in order to not spoil you guys. I might connect this AU to another, as in a Law and Order:SVU one. Comment if you want to be added in the taglist!!!
A Why Me!? Chapter is coming out soon so be on the lookout for that :) 
Btw if you noticed that the paragraphs are much better written, I owe it to @unmaskedagain who I took inspiration from for writing cues :) 
Stay Safe and Healthy!!!
Taglist: 
@damianthebratboy @purplesundaze @silvergold-swirl @k-poplunardreams @pepelachanel @laurcad123 @maribat-is-lifeblood @kass-is-weird @another-fan-of-anotherplan @damianette-is-life @amayakans @parallelparabox @miukiiu @valeks-princess @toodaloo-kangaroo @vixen-uchiha @thezestywalru @dreamykitty25 @pirats-pizzacanninibles @mochinek0 @shamefullove @mochegato @souleateralicestein @thestressmademedoit @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen @aestheticnpoetic @mysupporthyperfixations @itsmeevie01
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[CN] Season 2- Victor and MC- Chapter 4 & 5 (Eng Translation)- Part 3
⌚Warning:⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a chapter that is yet to release in the global server. Don't continue under the cut if you don't wish to be spoiled!(◍•ᴗ•◍)
✧✧ PART 1 || PART 2
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-
✧ [CH 4-12] ✧
At BS office: With the help of her subordinates, MC is working on gathering information on Lu Kang, and the mysterious man in black. But the tracker she left on him lost its signal after some time, so the investigation has reached an dead-end for now.
It's also the day Victor will be released from the hospital. So, MC goes to pick him up.
He has changed out of his hospital gown, and returned to his suit and leather shoes.
I sigh inwardly, though Victor has always been very busy, but recently he seems to have become even busier.
MC: You've just been discharged from hospital, don't you want to go home and rest?
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Victor: It's not like I was really hospitalized. Besides, I remember that you still have something to report to me.
MC: Now I understand that being a CEO is really not easy.
Victor: If you really want to be considerate of others, improve the quality of your work.
I tilt my face up, and pat my bag while looking at him.
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MC: So where does CEO Victor want to test the quality of my work?
Victor: Go to LFG.
-
MC notes that Victor gets in his work mode™ as soon as he enters LFG LOL
MC reports Victor about her findings that Lu Kang once lost a lawsuit against LFG and seemed to hold LFG responsible for the bankruptcy.
Victor explains that the deal with Lu Kang's company didn't proceed because they were found secretly making false accounts and such doings will eventually lead to plummeting. LFG never did or neither do they need to persecute anyone for business competition, and it'll bring more trouble than benefits anyway.
I scrutinize the sharp air exuding from his eyebrows, and can't help but mutter under my breath.
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MC: Victor, you've always been so decisive and swift in action. Haven't you made more or less some enemies?
[Note: MC uses the idiom "雷厉风行" which literally translates to- passing like thunder and moving like wind.]
Victor: When there are interests involved, even if you do nothing, there will be enemies. The rules of the game are inherently cruel, and to have people who want to put some tricks to use, is quite ordinary.
MC gives Victor another report which she compiled based on Lu Kang's memory.
MC points out- the lawsuit incident was a while ago and it shouldn't be the reason he attacked Victor. She assumes-- it has something to do with the "game" that was mentioned in his memory many times. Lu Kang and the young man who partnered in the game probably tried to escape halfway, and they were killed because of the "no escapee rule."
Victor takes MC's reasoning under consideration, and specifically points out that all the victims of the murders are Evolvers. MC expresses her assumption that it could be because the authority of the game has some hidden agenda.
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We glance at each other, and once again each sink into reflecting on the matter.
After a while, Victor picks up the last page of the report, and flips through it.
Victor: The trail for that killer is broken?
MC: Yes, should be. We suspect that he threw away the tracker.
Victor looks at the contents of the report repeatedly, then presses it on the table, and taps his fingertips on the last spot tracked by the tracker.
Victor: This place, you've only checked the public webpage. So the trail is not completely broken yet. Let them use the internal channels to investigate again. Don't waste the first-level authority I gave you.
Victor raises his eyes and looks at me, then puts the report back in my hand.
MC: Do I need to investigate that game altogether?
Victor: No need. I will send someone specialized to investigate. Remember, everything you just said is only a conjecture.
Victor: Without my permission, do not voluntarily investigate in private.
MC: Yes, BOSS.
The worries that have been clogging up in my chest for days, finally dissipates in several degrees. Even if I sympathized with Lu Kang, this action to get back at someone is never the right thing to do.
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MC: Fortunately, this car accident is not related to the Evolver assassination. Just as I said, who would be so courageous, that he dares to pick a fight with CEO Victor?
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Victor: The "bodyguard" is finally relieved?
MC: Relieved!
Victor: Go back when you feel relieved. Start concentrating on your task next week.
I grab the report, preparing to leave, just then Victor calls me again. I look back, and see that he seems to have sent a message to someone.
He halts for a moment, then stands up with one hand propped on the tabletop, his deep gaze falling on my face.
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Victor: Thank you for these few days.
I stare blankly at him for a while, and quickly perk up with an even bigger smile.
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MC: No need to be polite, Mr. Victor. Just let me book a free pudding from Souvenir!
I turn around at Victor's momentary expression of helplessness, running out of the office like a wisp of smoke.
Ever since confirming his safety, I feel that every time we see each other, it all becomes much more relaxed.
Behind the current life, there are still bubbling up unsettling factors in motion.
But precisely because things being as such, is what makes me want to cherish the rare tranquility all the more.
-
✧ [4-13] ✧
Just a moment after walking out of the LFG building, I suddenly remember that I've forgotten one thing, and rush back to the lobby.
After talking to the administrative staff at the front desk, I dial Victor's number.
Victor: Hello?
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MC: Victor, I forgot one thing just now. To congratulate you on your 'discharge', I've prepared a small gift for you. The staff will deliver it for me later.
Victor: ....I've said I wasn't really hospitalized. What are you up to again?
MC: Just treat it as a blessing. You must accept it! That's all.
Victor: Hold on.
MC: Is there anything else?
Victor: Help me think of a name.
MC: What kind of name? A kitten, a puppy or a relative's child?
Victor: ....Common name, male.
MC: Why are you asking this all of a sudden?
Victor: Because your imagination is comperatively rich.
What kind of answer is this...
I complain inwardly, but still give it a serious thought.
MC: Let me think. How about this one!
(Players get to choose a name from the three options)
Victor: What kind of strange name is that...
Victor's helpless sigh comes from the other end of the phone.
Victor: Never mind. I shouldn't have had any expectations. I'll accept your gift. That's all.
After hanging up the call, I'm still a little baffled by the request.
He abruptly asked me to help think of a name, and also a male's name. Could it be that he is going to use it himself?
Could it be that there is something that requires a disguised identity?
But does he even need to disguise.... aren't the six letters "Victor" the best pass in itself.
Anyway, the name I gave him off the top of my head, he definitely won't use it.
I shake my head, my train of thoughts returning to the gift I've left behind just a moment ago, and can't help but look forward to it.
I wonder when the Victor of now receives this gift, what will the expression on his face be like?
-
✧[POV back to Victor's office]✧
Closing the last document, Victor leans into his chair, gently pinching his brows.
Opening his eyes, the pink-colored gift box on the corner of the table enters his line of sight again. The lofty color seems to be urging him to open it as soon as possible.
Victor unwraps the box, and inside lies a round Shiba Inu doll, appearing a little old.
He wrinkles his eyebrows, takes it out, and sees a small folded note also being pressed onto the bottom of the box.
He patiently unfolds the note again, the carefully and neatly written calligraphy greets his eyes.
Victor: (reading the note) "Congratulations on your 'recovery,' and here's a small gift for you. This is the doll that has accompanied me for many years. I wish you well and hope you're happy." - MC
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Victor: ....Childish.
Victor subconsciously says a word, and falls silent again.
Unknowingly why, but he always feels that he's somewhat familiar with this scene, but he also can't amalgamate the impression any further.
Even just the silly Shiba-Inu doll on the table, brings him a trace of intimacy.
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[Note: This is the same Shiba-Inu doll MC's dad gifted her as a kid, and she gave it to Victor in S1 "Rooftop Date," when she wanted to comfort him realizing how much he misses his departed mom.]
It seems as if, ever since meeting her and getting acquainted with each other, this strange feeling often arises.
Is it because she has an Evol associated with memories?
But again, Victor is also very clear that her Evol doesn't have effect on himself.
Or is that, it's simply owing to her?
Victor blankly stares at the doll for a while, and by the time he circles back to his senses, it's already somewhat late.
He pulls open a locked drawer next to his desk, puts the doll inside, and catches a glimpse of the document marked with a sharp " S " symbol underneath.
"Illegal psychoactive drugs", " CORE", "has the potential to stimulate Evol"...
Several eye-catching keywords are marked in red, even in the twilight, which are still clearly identifiable.
The information the girl has reported to him once again surfaces in Victor's mind.
She has organized it very meticulously, but after reading it all thoroughly, the dense fog before his eyes hasn't dispersed.
Those layers of crisscrossing threads seems to have already involved all the parties, standing in different positions, making the situation chaotic.
And all these disputes still ultimately point to the same source--
BLACK SWAN CORE.
When it's all said and done, is this situation because everyone is eager to obtain it, or is there an unknown force hiding in the depository, pulling the strings?
There are still numerous issues that needs to be resolved, and one can not always watch the fire burning across the river.
Victor locks the drawer, and glances at the clock on the wall.
The phone rings at the right time, it's an encrypted email from BS.
Mail: "BOSS, as per your requirements, the relevant information has been sent to the other party."
Victor simply knocks down a reply, gets up and puts on his jacket, preparing to leave.
A pile of events is connected into a ring, and each angler, too, is bait for another.
He is looking forward to what kind of prey can be hooked this time.
-
✧ [CH 4-15] ✧
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Victor meets Lucien at the research center, who hands him the report of a research.
Victor says the results are clear but Lucien says they only confirmed their guesses, and that CORE has been the focus of everyone after Evol was publicized, but there are perhaps other things affecting the world. Lucien asks if Victor feels that the world is not quite right and that every civilization circulates within a box, the time they have is likely more limited than expected.
Victor says it depends on how an individual views the matter, there's no need to pre-determine an outcome.
Lucien asks Victor if he believes he'll be able to get out of the box. Victor replies, "Not believe, it's a must."
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After Victor gets in the car, he receives an email: "Dear Mr. [the name MC chose for him earlier], thank you for your support towards Hunter Games."
The rest of the email is basically explaining the rules of the game.‶
-
✧ [Victor scene in CH 5] ✧
Victor is returning from a business trip. After giving Goldman some instructions, he glances out of the window of the helicopter. Even though everything is peaceful, to him something always seems amiss.
He receives an email containing only one word, "Advanced." His expression doesn't change much since he already expected this outcome. The mail disappears, and he taps on another anonymous email with the instructions- He'll be entering the betting venue in 15 minutes and he should get prepared.
When the helicopter is about to land on the LFG rooftop, he glances out of the window once again and observes the people of the city living their day to day peaceful lives.
The noise-reduction headset cuts out the sound of the outside world, but the mere information sent back to him by his vision, is sufficient to prove the tranquility of the world before his eyes.
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The helicopter lands. He settles some works with the staff.
Victor raises his hand to look at his watch, the gray clouds being reflected on the dial, slightly blurs the trajectory of the clock hands.
In a split second, along with lowering his arm, an inconspicuous red light suddenly streaks across the dial.
There's still ten minutes to enter the "betting venue".
The staff turns around, walking towards the elevator, cold wind blows on Victor's face, fluttering the hem of his coat.
Somewhere directly opposite, a small cross hair has always been aiming at the position of his heart.
??: "Code L" elimination plan in progress, target locked.
A second before the trigger is squeezed tightly, the person behind the lens suddenly lifts up, raises his head, looking straight into the set of deep eyes in the distance.
The clamors of the city conceals much of the noise, the discharge of bullet muffles in the silencer, so much so that in this shattering rain, it doesn't even make a crisp sound of snapping a branch.
A dispute between the light and the dark, seemingly has arrived to its conclusion.
[Trivia: The call that comes with the Chapter karma card-- is actually Victor nagging with MC on her report over phone inside the helicopter-- before it lands on the LFG rooftop!]
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unmaskedagain · 5 years
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Daddy’s Little Villain
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So this prompt I think I got months ago. I meant to work on it for quite some time but I never got around to it. I got inspired yesterday so I decided to take a shot. I went completely off memory for this. Its been a while since I watched Young Justice or any of the DC animated shows; apart from the new Harley Quinn one. So sorry about what I got wrong.
A clown with a killer punchline.
A lantern of terror.
The king of Metropolis.
The master of shadows.
A destroyer of worlds.
Different faces, powers, histories but all categorized under one name.
Supervillain.
           Ruthless, intelligent, powerful, charismatic, tempting; villains reflect just how easily and quickly this planet, if not the universe could fall under their might. However, none of them started out evil. None of them were born evil. No one is born to be evil.
           Marinette, however, came very, very close.
           Her biological father was one of the first that came to mind when anyone thought of a Supervillian. He personally had killed thousands, and arranged the deaths of tens of thousands more. He conquered kingdoms, destroyed dynasties, annihilated empires, controlled governments, and used presidents, kings, any old politician as puppets on strings.
           And he was a good dad.
           He made sure Marinette had the best of everything. The best tutors, the best trainers, the best bodyguards (though Marinette had only ever seen them out of the corner of her eye; hiding in the shadows).
He was even okay with Tom Dupain being a father figure to his daughter. Tom had married Sabine when Marinette was four. However, the acceptance of this came after several failed assassination attempts after the first time Marinette called Tom Papa. Sabine hadn’t been happy that to have protect her new husband from assassins sent by her jealous baby daddy.
Marinette spend most of her days pretending to be a normal girl. The rest of the time she was being trained by near unstoppable assassins in every manner of fighting style her body could handle, learning how to speak various different languages ranging from Spanish to whatever the hell Atlantians’ spoke, hacking and computer skills from former spies, and being taught strategy from some of the greatest military minds that could be bought. (And this was one top of her duties as Ladybug because her dad was still a bit of an asshole.)
He just wanted what was best for her. And he made sure Marinette knew she was loved. He sent her presents every week, letters every day, and she woke to fresh roses in her room every morning.
           The presents ranged from diamond tiaras to ancient samurai swords; anything she so much as mildly expressed an interest in was always found at the foot of her bed the next day. The letters were always thoughtful and kind; always wanting to know about her day, and how she was doing. They would appear in her desk sometime during the day. Marinette would leave a reply via email because she was a sane person of the year 2020. She’d wake to red roses every morning to remind her she was special to him. Sometimes she handed them out at school. Other times she gave them away to any pedestrian who looked like they needed a pick me up.
           He was a good dad, even if he was never actually around. They talked on the phone and over video chat as much as they could.
           He was busy. She understood that.
           Trying to take over the world wasn’t easy. It certainly wasn’t the average 9 to 5 job. The Light needed him.
           She forgave him for that; just like she forgave him for all the things he did to… ensure the future he envisioned became a reality. They were distasteful, immoral, and most of the time she didn’t have the stomach to listen to 1/12 of all the things he did or orchestrated.
           Marinette was always fine with staying out of it. Unlike most Supervillian kids, she never had any interest in taking her place in the family business. Or doing the opposite and doing everything she could to take their villainous family down. No, she had better things to do.
           And her father was just fine with that. He could forgive Marinette for wanting a normal life. He just wanted her happy, safe, and well cared for. He kept the Light and Cadmus out of Paris as best as he could.
           He could even forgive his little girl when she adorned a mask and became the Hero Ladybug. Though it did prevent him from recruiting Hawkmoth into the fold; he wouldn’t have been more than cannon fodder but still. As long as Ladybug kept out battle between good and evil that encased the rest of the world, the city of Paris, France could be hers. Hell, he would even give it to his baby girl as a birthday present should her desire for it arise. It would be good preparation should he need someone trustworthy and loyal to rule the rest of Europe.
           Still he was quick to stop any admiration for the heroes of Justice League. Or at least make sure his daughter didn’t put them on a pedestal like the rest of the world did.
“But they’re the good guys,” She remembered her seven-year-old self protesting. At the time Marinette hadn’t really understood that her father was considered one of the ‘Bad Guys.’ “The heroes.”
“I believe the Justice League’s actions leaves humanity weak,” He told her. “However, even if I didn’t find fault in them, they are only people. They make mistakes. There is good and evil in them; few realize just how easily one side could win over the other.”
           Marinette frowned, “You mean go bad. They won’t go bad. They fight for justice and what’s right.”
“What’s right is subjective,” He warned her. “And justice is in the eye of the beholder.”
“But-but they’re superheroes!”
“You know what’s more dangerous that a villain?” He asked her. “Someone who refuses to acknowledge that anyone can become one.”
           He would say more on the subject later until he was sure Marinette understood.
           He loved his daughter with all of his heart. And Marinette returned the favor.
           So when rumors spread, not long after Hawkmoth’s permanent defeat, that the Light’s founder had fallen; was dead, killed in action, murdered by superheroes, Marinette’s heart broke. She always knew the risks of her father’s job, the dangers this world had in it; it was survival of the fittest after all, that was what he taught her.
           Nevertheless, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt; that it didn’t burn. And for the first time, the darkest part of her, the part of her that was all her father’s daughter, wanted to make the world feel her pain. However, Marinette was better than that. She wouldn’t blame the world for her sorrows.  She refuse to set fire to everyone and everything just because she wanted to vengeance.
           No, she was smarter than that. Her father, had he still lived, would expect better from her.
           Marinette blamed the Justice League; wonder woman, superman, the Green Lantern. She blamed. Artemis. She blamed Aqualad. She blamed Miss Martian. She blamed Superboy. She blamed Kid flash. She blamed all of Young Justice who set up the plan to bring down the light. (Apart from Batman and Robin who been in Gotham because Robin had all but on his death bed after a fight with DeathStroke.). And they would burn for taking her father from her.
           …The only problem was that Marinette wasn’t a killer. She didn’t want to be one unless she had no other choice. So she had to think of another way to get her revenge.
           The plan had started out very simple. Slowly the hero Ladybug would start being seen outside Paris; fighting random villains’ here and there; captain cold one day, the cheetah next. Never seen in the same place twice. Rumors spread that she was looking for someone; her partner, Chat Noir. It helped that Chat Noir had been seen in months.
           It was just a rumor, of course. Chat Noir had been officially retired. All kwami were taken back. Marinette wasn’t using Tikki to power herself up. No, she refused to use them like Hawkmoth had done. Instead, they were put away and were very well cared for; like well pampered, spoiled pets.
           Marinette used her money to buy a replica of her Ladybug suit; better armored though. She used her private plane to travel around wherever she needed to go. The more villains she fought, the more the rumor of the heartbroken Ladybug hunting down the Light to find her partner grew.
           The only downside was that Ladybug was rapidly gaining enemies left and right. It wasn’t long before The Light sent people after her. Ladybug was quick to send their minions back to them all but in a body bag.
           She had been approached multiple times be members of the Justice League; even teamed up with them multiple times to save the day. They never even feel the near microscopic camera she puts in them. It degrades three hours after but it’s plenty of time for Marinette to get the information she needs.
           It took two months for Marinette to learn the identities of nearly every member of the Justice League. She’s quick to destroy any secret identity evidence for anyone who didn’t wrong her. The batfamily was spared. The Green Arrow and his family was spared. (One day soon Oliver Queen would thank his lucky stars that Speedy went solo instead of joining Young Justice. And that Cheshire, who had a thing for the redhead, was an old friend of Marinette’s, whether the older girl remember the bluenette or not.)
           The family of Steal would burn though. As would fastest family alive. The king of ocean and his sidekicks. The “human” identities of the worlds’ favorite Martians. Woman Wonder and her sidekick. The Green Lanterns.
           The Justice League never saw her coming. All they saw was a pretty fourteen-year-old girl with tears in her big blue eyes as she swore it was her duty to right this wrong. She would fight the light on her own. A young hero, they thought, who did realize just how over her head she really was. Pity was always clear in their eyes. Every time Marinette refused their offer of help, said she could handle it herself.
           Marinette was just biding her time. She still needed the identities of Young Justice. When she got that, she would strike. Hard.
           It only took three months, and Cadmus capturing little Miss Martian.
           By the time, Young Justice arrived Ladybug had already been on the scene. Marinette had already freed an injured Miss Martian and they were trying to fight their way out. The bluenette was beaten, battered, and bleeding.  The two girls did their best to fight the bad guys that seemed to come in a never ending storm. It wasn’t long before they were surrounded.
“Go,” She whispered to the green girl. Marinette had always placed the cameras. She didn’t need to alien any longer. “You can fly. Go. I’ll hold them off, okay.”
“I won’t leave you,” Miss Martian shook her adamantly.
           Marinette frown, “You have to. You know what Cadmus. You know what these monster will do to you. You have go before it’s too late.”
“I will not!”
“Don’t be a hero!” Ladybug snapped.
“Why?!” A new voice called. Robin landed in front of them. The rest of the Young Justice was “It’s our job.”
           The fight was epic. And Marinette could admit that the members of Young Justice were skilled. But they had to be to take down her father, so it wasn’t surprising. Still, she managed to put a camera on each and every one of them.
           When it was over, and it was clear more of Cadmus’ henchman were arriving, Young Justice made moves to flee…
           Until they realized Ladybug had no intention of coming with them.
“He’s not in there,” Miss Martian told her gently.
“You don’t know that,” Ladybug murmured.
“I do,” Again the pity was clear in redhead’s eyes.
           Ladybug shook her head. “You don’t understand. I can’t give up. I won’t!”
           Robin put a hand on her shoulder, “Chat Noir isn’t in there.”
“Getting yourself killed will not help him,” Aqualad stated.
           Ladybug nodded, gave them a small smile, and then made a break for the Cadmus lab. Then Marinette felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, and everything went black.
           She woke up in the infirmary of what she guess was the Young Justice headquarters. With a huff, she got up and marched out of the room. It didn’t take her long to find the teen heroes lounging in their living room. “You guys are jerks!” She yelled at them.
           Kid Flash snorted, “We saved you from yourself.”
“Oh you self-righteous little-” Marinette groaned. “I can’t believe you! I can take care of myself” She crossed her arms and stomped her foot.
“Oh yeah because that proves it,” Artemis laughed.
“I’m a hero too, you know?”
           Robin nodded. “Everyone knows about Ladybug. But you’re like thirteen.”
“Fourteen! And a half!” Marinette corrected. “Which is basically fifteen.”
           The older heroes just looked at her, and then burst out laughing.
           Marinette forced herself to think of her most embarrassing memory so that her face would heat up and it would look like she turned red from embarrassment. As if she care what they thought.
           The bluenette grabbed a slice of pizza and asked politely for someone to send her back to Paris. She needed to regroup, she claimed.
           They tried to convince her to stay. Or let Young Justice or the Justice League help her but she refused. Marinette was back in Paris ten minutes later.
           She had the identities of every member of Young Justice an hour after that.
           It was time.
           Ladybug “tracking” down the Light had been an experience. Technically, she knew enough to figure out various locations they used. However, she also knew enough to know that Ladybug just showing up there would get her killed. It was a move of an amateur hero. And Marinette was done thinking like a hero.
           So she put down her mask, ditched her Ladybug gear, and got on a plane. Marinette arrived in Metropolis on a windy Tuesday morning.
           It took her until Friday to hack into Lex Luther’s secretary’s calendar to figure where the King of the Metropolis was scheduled to be and another week to decipher the Light’s next meeting. Hacking into pentagon was easier.
           Marinette waited watched from the shadows of the remote island she found herself on. She watched as villain after villain arrived. Until Lex Luther, surrounded by bodyguards and personal assistants, arrived in his private jet.
“Mr. Luther!” Marinette called as she stepped out of the shadows where she was hiding.
           Guns were immediately pulled on her. The secretary, Mercy, hand suddenly became weaponized. The surprise on their faces were clear. Particularly when they saw the small teen girl standing there.
           Marinette smiled.
“And you are?” Lex asked, only mildly intrigued. He wondered just who the child was that managed to be sneak up his men and possible the rest of the Light.
“My name is Marinette,” She answered. “But you and the Light know me as Ladybug. I mean you no harm.”
           Lex narrowed his eyes at her. He could see the resemblance. Ladybug and Marinette had the same stature, the same eye color, and looked to be the same age. Still, it could be a trick.
“Two months ago, I broke into one of your building.” Marinette said. “The break in was the news but LexCorp assured that nothing was taken. That wasn’t true. I took the Cuban cigars out of the safe behind the Rembrandt painting. Please. I merely wish to speak with the Light. Somewhere… not even gods among us can hear.”
           Well, that assured the villain that it wasn’t a trick.  However, for the first time in his life, Lex Luther found himself confused. On one day, Ladybug had been a slowly become a thorn in the Light’s side. On the other hand, the hero had just revealed her identity and now just wanted to talk. About what, Lex yearned to know.
           Lex nodded, “Mercy will check you for weapons. Then you will be escorted inside safely. Whether you leave alive will be up for debate.”
           Marinette sighed in relief and raised her hands. Mercy, who the bluenette tried to figure out whether she was a robot or a cyborg, was very thorough. She even scanned Marinette’s phone for any traces of explosives.
           When it was done Marinette found herself escorted inside, and then found herself a cliché Supervillian lair staring down the greatest supervillains in the world. Ra's al Ghul, Black Manta, Queen Bee, Klarion, Deathstroke, Ocean Master, and their operatives Hugo Strange, Bane, Sports Master, and Cheshire all sat at a large round table. There was four pieces of glass hanging from the ceiling in front of them; monitors, Marinette figured.
And it was clear from the anger on the faces that the bad guys had been informed of exactly who Marinette was.
           It was daunting, to say the least.
“You have our attention, Miss Marinette,” Lex said. “Do not waste it.”
           Marinette nodded, “I have information on the Justice League I thought the Light would be very interested in.”
“Why would a hero do such a thing?”  Ra's al Ghul asked. “Hoping to make a deal? Your information for the return of Chat Noir, perhaps?”
           The leader of the League of Shadows didn’t know why the rumor persevered that the Light kidnapped the Parisian hero. He had confirmed himself that it was highly inaccurate.  
           The bluenette giggled, “Chat Noir no longer exists. He was retired at the same time as Hawkmoth. The Light has never had him. Neither did Cadmus. It was just heavily implied.”
“Yet that didn’t stop you from destroying our labs,” Lex glared. “Ruining missions, capturing my associates. Months of research. Millions of dollars. Gone to hell.”
“You were a tool,” Marinette shrugged. “I used to you get to close to the Justice League. It was never personal.”
           Lex felt eye twitch. He should have Mercy shoot her on principle.
“You’re more annoying than Robin,” Deathstroke shook his head at the moxy of the girl.
“It was just business?” She offered. “I needed a way to make them pay.”
“Just… just business,” Lex pinched his nose. He was going to kill her. “What could you possible offer the Light that would stop us from destroying you and everyone you love?”
           Marinette smirked. She pulled out her phone and hacked into the monitors. Once she was done, and played a video. The villains watched on the screens with old mild interest on their faces. Slowly the interest faded as shock and astonished looks overtook it.
           Lex’s felt his entire body shake. The video had shown undeniable proof that Superman was secretly Clark Kent. It was what he dreams were made of. He could barely stop himself from snatching the phone out of Marinette’s hand and playing it the video over and over again.
           Lex forced himself to calm down. He looked at the bluenette hard. A part of him wanted offer to pay as much money as the girl could want for the video. Another part of him realized if Marinette had been a little older he would’ve proposed.
“Superman’s civilian name is Clark Kent.” Marinette smiled, “I have video proof of nearly every member of the Justice League’s secret identities; along with their sidekicks.”
           The statement was met with silence. Each villain contemplating the ramifications of what such information could mean; not just for them, but for the world.”
“I think that’s worth a little forgiveness,” Marinette slyly added. “What’s few million dollars in damages compared to bringing down the Justice League once and for all.”
           Klarion chuckled, “I suppose some things can be overlooked.”
“Why?” Black Manta asked. “That is what we should be asking. Why betray the heroes?”
“Justice,” Marinette shrugged. “Revenge. I blame them for the death of my father.”
“That’s a good a reason as any,” Cheshire said. Her mask still hid her face.
           Sportsmaster gave his daughter a side look, “You never tried to take down any heroes any of the times you thought I died,” He complained.
“Sorry,” Cheshire shrugged. “I was too busy eating ice cream and getting drunk off my ass; it’s how I usually celebrate.”
“Why come to us?” Ra's al Ghul asked still intrigued.
“Why wouldn’t she?” A new voice rang through the room. Marinette stumbled back in shock. She knew that voice. But that wasn’t possible. Right? “The Light is in her blood.”
           Door opened and in walked bane of nearly every hero in the world, the Founder of the light, Vandal Savage. “You’ve done well, daughter.”
           Her father looked exactly the same as she remember. He was tall, with broad shoulder and square jaw; three pale scars across his face. His hair was longer though, much longer, and was pulled back
           Marinette rushed over to him and threw herself into his arms. He hugged her tightly.
“I thought you were dead,” Marinette whispered. Tears stung her eyes. “Everyone said you were dead.”
           Vandal smiled gently at her, “And you decided to bring down the world’s heroes in my name. I’m truly touched,” He said. “I wasn’t dead but I was close. I got better.”
           The bluenette backed away from her father; realization slowly hit her.
“It’s been months,” Marinette ran a hand through her hair. “You have any idea what I’ve gone through, what I did! You suck! Ugh, I’m telling Mom!”
Sabine Cheng would show Vandal Savage a thing or two once she found out. She was the one who had to dry her daughter’s tears day after day once the news of Savage’s death broke. The Asian woman was possibly only one infamous Vandal Savage was afraid of.
           The others villains watched, entranced by the argument between father and daughter.
“You gallivanted around as hero,” Vandal reminded. “To get close the Justice League; leaving me to wonder if in my absence I had lost my daughter to the so-called forces of good. It turned out all my worrying was for naught.”
“You could’ve called!” Marinette complained. “Wrote. Something to tell me you were alive. Anything.”
“At the time it was best decision.”
           Marinette glared, “You seriously for even one second I’d team up with the Justice League? Really? Me?” She glared. “I’m NEVER talking to you again!”
“I’ll make it up to you, sweetheart,” Vandal assured the bluenette. “We can kill Superman together.”
“Actually,” Lex interrupted. “I have dips.”
           Vandal shot him a quick glare.
The teen girl crossed her arms, “Give me one reason I shouldn’t destroy everything I have on the Justice League?” She asked. “And before any of you threatened to kill me. I only brought the Superman video as insurance. I die; you will never get your hands of the rest of them. So again,” She hissed at her father. “Give me one reason I should hand over my Intel to the Light?”
“…Father’s day’s coming up?” Vandal offered.
“Dammit!”
           Marinette stumped over to an empty seat, next to Cheshire, and glared petulantly at the inhabitants of the room. She didn’t care that it made her look like a little kid.
           An awkward silence filled the room.
           Luther took the opportunity to finally start the meeting as it was the reason they were all there. It was long. It dragged on. Even with Marinette’s intelligence on the Justice League. Everything felt like a stuffy board meeting. Nowhere near as exciting as Marinette once imagined it would be.
           The meeting took a short break. Food was brought out. A small buffet. Marinette made herself a plate; she grabbed a fancy steak sandwich, some fruit and chips, and a rather large chocolate cupcake because she freaking deserved it. She thought she was done until her plate was grabbed by her father. He didn’t hesitate to put baked Brussel sprouts provided on her plate.
“Oh come on! No one likes Brussel sprouts,” Marinette complained. “Not even you’re that evil.”
“They’re good for you,” Vandal told his daughter. “And you will eat them.”
“You’re seeing this too, right?” Deathstroke, otherwise known as Slade, asked Bane. “It’s not just me.”
As they ate, the villains shared stories about what they’d been up to. Most just complained about the problems they were having with the Justice League; who fought who, who should they consider for Light membership, and anyone getting on their nerves.
“Some assholes decided to send the wannabe Villain current status moron after me,” Marinette cast a dark look around the room; making it clear she knew they sent the assassin. She didn’t get as much as a single sheepish look. “He kept trying to light me of fire. And then he was accidently pushed off the top of a building, twice.”
Ra's al Ghul nodded at the young girl, “I would like to mention that I have an heir not much younger than you. You would get along quite well, I believe.”
           Marinette narrowed her eyes at Leader of the League of shadows, “Are you seriously trying to get me to date your grandson right now?”
           Al Ghul didn’t answer her.
Marinette took the opportunity to excuse herself from having to come back, “I’m going to explore the island.” And then see if she could escape before her dad caught her.
“I always blew up your boat,” Vandal raised an eyebrow. “I’ll be taking you home myself.”
“You suck!”
“Love you too, sweetpea.”
           Marinette marched out of the room. She’d swim if she had too.
           It turned out she didn’t have to swim. Just hotwire Deathstroke’s ride.
           She got a video call fifteen minutes after taking off.
“Go for Marinette?” She answered cheerfully.
           Vandal Savage’s face appear on the screen, “You stole Slade’s helicopter.”
“Juuussst like you taught me.” Marinette smirked.
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