#just assuming the feminine of the Italian Papa

[undeadorion]

Few things piss me off quite like willful ignorance.

People who just make an assumption and run with it as if it’s fact.

You have in your hands a wealth of knowledge unknown in any other time period. Not only is this source vast and deep, you have the tools to near instantly find the specific information you need. And if not specifically, you are at least given a document or piece of media that contains what you seek.

You have a machine to which you can ask questions you’d be embarrassed to voice to other humans. Not only does the machine not judge but it will show you other people asking your exact or very similar questions. People discussing the topic earnestly and openly.

You can find things you never thought to ask. Did you know there’s legends of a woman Pope reigning for 2 years in the Middle Ages who was so well disguised as a man for that time she was only outed when she gave birth?

Be fucking curious or you’ll come across as fucking brain dead and utterly ignorant. Holy shit. Where is your thirst to learn new things?! If you’re so determined to be correct, why would you not fucking make sure by double checking your facts?! You look like a fucking idiot when you insist you’re right when you get an easily checked fact wrong.

Check your fucking ego and expand your knowledge you ignorant twats!

[fantasticstoryteller]

New Amsterdam Chapter 60

Matt felt slightly ill at the description of the stuff Peter had put up with (you don’t understand, I signed with his mother and his mother was the sweetest, most wonderful person you could ever meet) from his landlord. Things like his utilities suddenly being separate from his rent, when they were all included before. Things like calling for someone to fix his heater, being told if he wasn’t there to let the maintenance guy in it wouldn't get fixed, and then not sending the maintenance guy for three days—when it was negative ten degrees Fahrenheit outside. Things like the electricity in his apartment being “randomly” cut off—shortly before it was time for him to pay his rent. Then this latest stunt—changing the date of rent collection with two day’s notice.

He was also surprised at Peter’s attitude about it. As far as he could tell, the young man thought the shitty behavior he was experiencing was just stuff that happened to him, and Matt would desperately like to know why he thought that way. He was also shocked that Peter—Peter actually seemed to like and trust Deadpool. And Deadpool showed a side around Peter that Matt suspected no one else got to see; he was gentle and loving. And teasing, Matt recalled about the ball.

It was—odd, to say the least. Deadpool was explosion, noise and chaos. He was still those things around Peter but—they were softer, muted somehow. And Matt could not for the life of him figure out how the unassuming young man in front of him had possibly gotten that reaction out of Deadpool.

Matt could also tell that the feelings were mutual. Peter’s heartbeat slowed and his breathing evened out when Deadpool touched him. Even when he was scolding Deadpool his heartbeat had that slow, loving pattern. He relaxed around the murderous mercenary—and had even, at one point, called the man a hero. Which Deadpool, with a modesty that Matt couldn't quite credit even though he’d heard it with his own ears, had denied.

There was also something disturbingly familiar about the young man that Matt couldn't place, like a nostalgic taste on his tongue he couldn't quite recognize. He tried to set the sensation aside as he concentrated on the conversation and made mental notes even as he (with Peter’s permission) recorded it to go over it again later (with his law partner this time). He would bring the full force of the law down on the man—and if that didn’t work, if he managed to squeak away through a legal loophole somehow, well—Daredevil could pay him a visit.

At the end of the conversation, Matt turned off the recording device (an old cassette player—not as convenient as digital, but harder to hack and, more importantly, had grooves on the different buttons in shapes designed to tell what those buttons were for) and put it in his bag. “Thank you, Mr. Parker,” Matt said, having learned the young man’s full name over the course of the gentle interrogation—and over the dinner where Wade flirted shamelessly with his boyfriend and his boyfriend clumsily flirted back.

The fact that Deadpool, the same manic man that had literally blown himself up to take out a drug cartel dabbling in human trafficking, had a boyfriend that loved him was just a little mind-blowing. And a little thought provoking. One of the things that had happened when they were eating was Wade and Peter sitting, back to back, on the couch. After a moment Matt realized why—Wade didn’t want to show his skin (even Matt knew that the merc was sensitive about it)—and Peter respected that. They were an oddly good match. An oddly endearing match.

Matt hoped to Hell that they managed to find and stop whomever put the hit out on Peter, because if anything happened to that young man Deadpool would raze the city to the ground.

After dinner Deadpool gave Peter a quick hug and and cuddle and said he was going to walk Matt home; make sure he got home safely. Matt almost said something—until he realized that Deadpool was simply reinforcing the helpless persona that Matt wore as his civilian disguise. He didn’t believe that Deadpool was really going to walk him home—and was surprised when the guy stopped at a taco truck and ordered a huge amount of food.

“Did you not get enough to eat?” asked Matt.

“Of course I did,” Deadpool said as he went to pay the vendor—who waved it off.

“No payments from you, Senor Pool,” the man said with a heavy accent. “If not for you, who knows what happen to my sister, eh?”

“Just a masked madman doing my duty to protect the city!” Deadpool replied in the same voice he’d used before jumping off the catwalk above the gang.

They walked a little ways away, the smell of the food hanging around them before Matt made himself ask, “What is the food for?”

“A summoning spell,” said Deadpool.

Matt stopped walking. He could tell, from the tone of voice and steady heartbeat, that Deadpool was absolutely serious. “This I have got to see,” he said firmly. Deadpool started laughing and Matt half-heartedly smacked the merc with his cane. “Come on,” he said as he ducked into an alley and climbed up the side of the building—only to be overtaken by Wade who used a retractable grappling hook to get to the top. “All right,” said Matt when they were at the roof. “What are you doing?”

“I told you,” said Deadpool as the paper bag around the Mexican food crinkled several times. “I’m summoning!”

“You could try calling,” a dry voice announced behind them. Matt whirled, dropping into defensive stance. There were only two people that could come upon him unannounced like that—and both of them had tried to kill him. “Cute,” said the voice.

The feminine voice. The young, familiar feminine voice. Matt slowly pulled himself out of his stance as he listened for something from the girl’s direction. Then, realization dawned. “How’s Dora?” he asked as he (partially) relaxed.

“Ponyo!”

“Dora says ‘hi’,” the girl responded.

“I didn’t call, because you never gave me your name.”

“I didn’t?” A pause. “I didn’t. Well, I can’t, but I’m going by Angel for now.” Matt heard the rustle of wings. “What did you want me for, Deadpool?” There was the crinkling sound of the bag being opened and the familiar sounds of mastication as the girl began to eat.

“Can you cook?”

“Yeah, Dad and Papa made sure I could.” The sound of fingers being licked as something moved along the girl’s chest with an odd sound—like it was rasping over metal? “I can do pancakes, most Mexican and Italian—don’t ask me to do tamales, they never come out right for some reason, but yeah. I can cook.” More chewing noises.

“Great! I want you to watch over Peter!”

“That might be a good idea,” Matt admitted. “The young man made soup explode.”

A pause. “Really?” the girl asked. She sounded a cross between impressed and horrified.

“Really,” confirmed Deadpool.

“Huh.” More chewing. A swallow. Then, “I can do it, but it won’t be free.”

“I figured that. Whatcha need, Baby Girl?”

Matt, expecting a cash amount, was mildly surprised when the girl said, “A new sketchbook and colored pencils.”

“Right. One drawing pad and crayons.”

“Pencils.”

“What’s wrong with crayons?”

A rustle of feathers in what Matt assumed was the winged girl’s version of a shrug. “Nothing’s wrong with crayons. I use pencils.”

“Deal.”

“Deal. So, what brings you out to this negotiation? Are you here to draw up an official contract?” The girl sounded curious, as opposed to offended.

Matt felt a slight chill. The girl knew he was a lawyer. How? He hadn’t told her what he did, he hadn’t had much of a conversation with her before at all. She was also, he knew from the theater incident, aware of Daredevil to the point that she even knew his turf of protection. He knew better than to ask, however. “Deadpool’s boyfriend has a landlord that is pulling some illegal stunts, and he’s hired me to fix it—legally,” he added as he calmly explained.

He sensed the girl nod. “Do you want me to read the contract to you?” she asked. “I speak legalese, one of my uncles made sure I could.”

“Why would your uncle make sure you could?” asked Matt with curiosity.

Both the girl and Deadpool burst out laughing. After a full, solid minute of laughter the girl gasped and sighed. “Oh! Tell you what,” and Matt could tell from the tone that she was grinning, “if you can guess who I am, I’ll tell you everything I know.” Deadpool, amazingly, managed to laugh harder and Matt heard his body hit the roof as he doubled over with mirth.

The girl simply took another bite of food, and began to chew.

[poursomesugaronu2]

A Cup of Diamond Eyes (Chapter 1)

((Dan and Phil are real people, and by no right, claim that this is how they act or react to any given situation. As for the adoption process, my google searches were unhelpful.))

Six months later

"Luciano, wake up and come downstairs!" The voice of Mrs Pach could be heard from the outside of his door, accompanied by a few taps.

It would be another set of parents today, right? Another pair that would skip him over. They always want a child. A young child. He was... Twelve now. Was it the 6th? He'd have to ask.

He moved from his bed, pulling on his clothing and brushing his hair carefully. Did his outfit match? He wouldn't have a clue. He grabbed his white cane before making his way downstairs and towards the dining room for breakfast. The chorus of 'Happy Birthday' confirmed to him what day it was. He smiled a little and took his usual seat near the end of the table.

"Luci, we have a special breakfast for you," Mrs Pach said, setting a bowl in front of him and guiding his hand to the spoon. He frowned a little at the way she was helping. She wasn't sure how to deal with a blind child, but he could feel his way to the bowl just fine. He gave her a little nudge of disapproval, wanting her to leave him alone. He hadn't said grace yet. That annoyed him. She took the hint and Luciano settled to his bowl after muttering grace to himself. It was fruit loops instead of their usual rice bubbles, he knew that. It wasn't the best orphanage when it came to budget but he knew that there would be a cake later in the day. He hoped they remembered the simple danger of chocolate to him.

"Luci-Luci!" A little girl called out, running over to him. He smiled. His friend Ally did his hair every morning, as he didn't really know how. She pulled the usual brush from her pocket and began to brush his long locks.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your hair?" She cooed as her fingers pulled his hair into braided pigtails.

"Every day." Luciano's hair was indeed impressive. He had refused haircuts, and that had caused his hair to grow and grow and grow. He had a lot of split ends, yes, but it did reach down past his waist. His albinism had caused its shade of pure white, something the girls were in awe over. He didn't get it, being unable to see it, but he just let them do what they liked with it.

The albinism caused his skin tone too, nearly as white as his hair. He could see it if he pulled his hand very close to his eyes. He could see blocks of grey. It was like somebody had turned a camera to the blurriest setting. With the colourblindness, the grey came with the blindness. At least he knew a million and a half different shades of grey.

It was a Saturday, so there was simply the set meals. It was the common day for couples to come in and see children. There had only been two Saturday's over Luciano's six months when couples hadn't come in. He went to the recreation room for his age group. The five to ten-year-olds had one room, then the ten to thirteen-year-olds, then the teenagers. The orphanage didn't accept those under five, as there were simply not enough staff.

Luciano was in the corner of the room, playing his saxophone with a mute in. While his old one had been ruined in his accident, he had acquired a cheap one from the nurse who had taken care of him. It had been a leaving gift. He found it harder to play blind, but it kept him happy. He was never sure what he was playing. Not completely. With the mute in, he just heard a soft sound that gave him some indication. It was the only thing that he generally enjoyed doing anymore.

After an hour or so, his mouth was sore, so he sat down, letting the instrument rest in his lap. He could hear the children go quiet, which indicated to him that there was a set of parents. They stood up immediately and Luciano joined them, as they were meant to do when parents arrived. He used his stick to find his spot amongst the children, looking down, as he knew that nobody would want to adopt a blind child. Skipped over every time. It was always the special kids. He stood next to Ally, holding her hand tight. She had autism. He knew that he couldn't just gently hold her hand, as she might have sensory overload. If he could, he wanted to avoid upsetting her.

She held his hand just as tight. His saxophone was still hanging from his neck.

He could hear the speaking, but couldn't make out the words properly. He was shocked when his name was called and he was told to come over. He used his cane, making his way over carefully and standing in front of the pair, along with Mrs Pach.

"Luciano, will you come with us? These lovely people are considering adopting you."

Luciano swallowed, nodding. He took Mrs Pach's hand, allowing her to lead him to the office along with his possible future parents. He sat down on the couch, staring at the ground.

"Luciano, this is Daniel Howell and Phillip Lester. Dan, Phil, this is Luciano, though I believe he prefers Luci." Mrs Pach introduced them. Huh, he wasn't aware that English speakers used Daniel as a female name too, he thought that wasn't a thing here. Intriguing.

Luciano simply nodded at this.

"How old are you, Luci?" One of them asked, his slightly Northern accent masked by the typical London one. Luciano knew his accents, he could pick out the twang of the Machester area.

"Twelve," Luciano said softly, swallowing. His own Italian accent was clear.

"It's his birthday today actually!" Mrs Pach said, "This could be like a birthday present."

"Is it really? Well, how about we give you a birthday present," A different voice said. They were both surprisingly masculine voices if he was honest. There was nothing wrong with that. Some women were manly... His own mother had quite a deep voice. He shivered at the thought of her. The second voice had been more feminine, so he assumed that it was the one to be his new mother. Daniel.

After realising that he had spent far too long analyzing their voices, he swallowed and nodded, raising his head to look at the figures once again. "Sure..." He said quietly.

"Hold out your hands," Daniel-until-proven-otherwise said. After Luciano did so, he felt a soft fur touch his hands.

His eyes widened and he carefully felt the item. "A stuffie?" He asked. He had touched Ally's before.

"A lion stuffy, the best kind!" Phil-until-proven-otherwise said, his excitement clear.

"Th-Thank you," He hadn't be allowed to have toys with his own family, this was his first one... He held it close to his chest.

"Aw, no need to thank us. It was Dan's idea to buy something on the way here, and it had to be a cute little lion. It matches you too... Since you're cute... Like a potato! Potatoes are cute!" Now-confirmed-Phil said.

"Phil, stop," Dan said, sounding certainly disappointed, but they both laughed, and Luciano joined them.

He could feel the blush coming over his cheeks at the mention of him being cute.

"These two wanted a child who needed a little more help, and they picked you!" Mrs Pach said, he could almost feel her sickly smile. He had never liked her that much.

Luciano glared at her for a moment, "That's okay..." He finally said, relaxing and pulling the lion tighter to his chest. "When do we leave?" He asked. Would they be like his parents were? Or would they be like all the others kids' parents? The parents he had dreamed of having... A mama and papa who loved him... That wasn't what they said in England though, was it? He shook his head. He wouldn't want to call someone the title that reminded him of his family... Mummy and Daddy it was... All the other children spoke of having mummies and daddies. That had to be what they called them here.

"Oh, sorry... I... Was thinking," Luciano said softly, once he realised that he hadn't heard the answer to his question. "I'm really sorry..."

"Hey, don't worry about! I was just saying that we can fill out the paperwork now, and if you pack your stuff up, we can go after that..." Phil spoke, trailing off as if it was an unasked question.

"Yes, you can. Your background checks and assessments were successful. Do you want me to help you find your things, Luci?" Mrs Pach asked.

Luciano glared at her, "I'm blind, not useless." He said, a little harsher than he intended. "I mean... I'll be alright." He said, standing and moving towards the door, able to see the blurry shape. He used the cane to make his way to the bedroom, where he recognised the shape of a person on the bed. "Ally?" He guessed, cocking his head.

"Yeah, it's me," She said quietly.

Luciano sat next to her, and she clung to his arm tightly. "You're leaving me, aren't you?" She asked, her voice a little shaky. He felt her face press into his shoulder.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm being adopted..." He murmured.

"I'll miss you, Luci-Luci..." She muttered into his shoulder, and he could hear her sniffles.

"Don't cry, Ally... Don't cry over me... I'm just starting a new chapter of life, and you will be starting your own soon..."

He felt her arms wrap around him tightly, hearing her sobbing into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Maybe in a different life, he would have been arranged to marry her... That'd be nice.

"Will I ever see you again?" Her voice could be heard against his chest, muffled by his shirt.

"I can... I can ask my new parents if they can bring me here... I'll see you... I won't go if I'm never seeing you again. You're my best friend."

Ally nodded, "Let me help you pack your things at least."

Luciano nodded slowly, moving to grab the small backpack he owned. He didn't have much. A few sets of clothes, his stick, and his crutches. He didn't always use them, but he had to when his leg began to hurt. There was silence between them then, comfortable silence. Luciano soon had his backpack on his back, his crutches leaning against the bed along with his stick. He was hugging Ally close to him, and they stayed together quietly.

"Luciano, it's time to go!" Mrs Pach called out, knocking on the door before coming in. Luciano swallowed, standing up. He hugged Ally once more before making his way out with Mrs Pach, not ever being one to really say goodbye.

He didn't even realise that there were tears in his eyes until he heard Phil ask if he was okay.

"He was just saying goodbye to a friend, nothing too major," Mrs Pach said simply.

Luciano just nodded and moved towards where Phil's voice had come from, head down. He ended up bumping into one of their legs. "Sorry..." He muttered.

He felt a hand run through his hair, and he couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry about it. Come on, we have gummy bears in the car!" It seemed to him that Phil was more talkative, so he just nodded. He felt his hand being taken, leaving his other hand to hold his stick, which he used for the orphanage steps.

He let one of them take his bag, to (he assumed) put it in the car. The other opened the car, and the voice confirmed it to be Dan. "Come on, Luci... You can hop right on in."

Luciano smiled at that, "Thanks... Mummy."

The was a moment of pause, followed by an awkward cough as Luciano felt around, getting in the car. Would Dan hurt him like his own mother had? He wouldn't, would he? Would he be beaten for calling him mummy? He swallowed hard, taking in deep breaths.

"Here you are, Luci," Phil spoke, from where the driver's seat was. So he knew that Dan was in front of him, and Phil was diagonal. He reached forward finding the bag that he was offering. "Gummy bears. Make sure you eat them two at a time so that they can die with a friend."

Luciano laughed, but he could hear a smack, "Phil! That's a terrible first impression for our child!"

He swallowed. That sounded painful. "D-Don't hit daddy..." Luciano muttered under his breath, carefully eating two gummy bears.

He could hear muttering between them, but couldn't make out the words. He knew they'd heard him. Bad idea. Was he going to be yelled at? Hurt? What would happen to him?

"I'm not hurt, Luci, don't worry... Dan didn't hurt me, I promise. It was just a little smack at my joke. Dan would never hurt me or you." Had Mrs Pach told them about his background? She must have. He knew that Phil wouldn't have brought it up otherwise.

Luciano finally just nodded, curling up and slowly eating the gummy bears, two at a time.

Maybe things would be okay.