#the way she crosses lines set by other people and becomes less trustworthy because of it.... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gellavonhamster · 4 years ago

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ghost of a lady in furs

Frontier || characters: Elizabeth Carruthers, Douglas Brown, Josephette DaCosta, Malcolm Brown, Michael Smyth; ships: Elizabeth Carruthers/Douglas Brown || AU after 2x05, rated M (?)

ao3 link eng || ao3 link rus

It’s a long way back from the dead.

At first, Elizabeth stays in bed all day – just as for weeks before, only now conscious. It hurts to speak, it’s hard to look at bright light, it’s necessary to lie down as soon as possible after each meal – liquid, as if already chewed by someone else, for her jaw still aches – because staying seated for a long time, even in a bastion of pillows, is hard too. Josephette tries to visit her as often as she can, to keep her up to date on all news pertaining to the company and not only. Sometimes she brushes Elizabeth’s hair or helps her wash herself. Sometimes Elizabeth allows herself to rest her head on her friend’s shoulder, close her eyes, and not think of anything for a while.

Not to think of what happened to her, not to try to remember how exactly it happened – all that took place after her arrival at Grant’s mansion and the arrest of Pond is covered by fog.

Not to think of the fact that Samuel Grant presently must be sure that he’s won.

Not to think of the fact that if the one who beat her – Pond or anyone else, or Grant himself, which, however, is hard to believe – hit her harder or a couple more times, maybe just once more, he really would have won.

Douglas also spends a lot of time with her. Evenings, when he comes home from the factory, they dine together. Not in the dining room, of course – she in bed, he in an armchair beside it. Occasionally, when Elizabeth wakes up, she finds him drowsing in that very armchair. His presence in her bedroom strangely doesn’t bother her. Most of the time when they’re not discussing the affairs of Carruthers and Co. or Elizabeth’s health is spent in awkward silence; Elizabeth feels it physically that he has an urge to tell her something important, or maybe to touch her, only he doesn’t dare to. She cannot figure out if his hesitance is making her angry or, quite the opposite, glad that it gives her time to contemplate. Perhaps it is rather the second; what happened wasn’t simply not provided for in their marriage contract, it is something of the in-sickness-and-in-health kind, and so on, and so forth. She wasn’t ready for this, and she doesn’t know what to make of it.

Besides, she has much more pressing problems now, and she’d rather ponder over them.

“I am going to destroy Samuel Grant,” she announces to Josephette and Douglas one evening when both of them come to check up on her. By that point her jaw has ceased to ache so much, which means she is able to speak in longer sentences. She’s been looking forward to this.

Her friend and her husband exchange glances.

“Elizabeth…” Douglas begins.

“Yes, I know,” she cuts him short. The day she almost died is only fragmentary in her memory, as a series of disjointed images; one of them is him by her writing desk, naked, frowning at the freshly signed confession in his hands. She’s aware that he has warned her, but she would still prefer him not to remind her of it. “I underestimated him. I hadn’t second-guessed what he might go for when scared. Every time I think a man cannot sink even lower, I am proven wrong.”

Douglas wisely chooses not to comment in any way on her pronouncement about men.

“Then what is going to stop him from trying to kill you again since he’s already crossed that line?” he asks instead.

Josephette takes her hand.

“Elizabeth,” she says carefully. “You are still in no condition to confront him.”

Elizabeth heaves an exasperated sigh.

“I can see that both of you have become too keen on fussing over me,” she says, displeased, but doesn’t take her hand away. “Well, I am grateful. But do both of you really think me as stupid as to go the same way? I am going to act behind his back. And you are going to help me.”

Douglas looks like he’s going to object, but Josephette, who has known Elizabeth for a longer time and better – and who knows that she cannot be persuaded to step back from a desired goal – is quicker to answer.

“Tell us what you have in mind,” she says.

***

Elizabeth Carruthers becomes a ghost.

After so many weeks in bed, she can’t and she won’t make herself lie down. At night, she waits impatiently for sleep to take over, so as not to be aware that once again she is in the same bed in which she has spent more than a month. For days on end, she keeps wandering back and forth through the house, leaning on the walls, wandering and wandering until the inevitable dizziness sets in. The servants flinch reflexively now and again when she emerges towards them from a scantily lit hallway.

Only thing she’s missing are some shackles to rattle.

Her excuse is doctor’s orders – she has to move to stir her muscles, weakened and numb due to the time spent bedridden. Yet this is just part of the truth – not even half of it, a third at best. The lion’s share of the truth is that there’s an unappeasable rage inside her, howling, growling, thrashing around, and this rage wouldn’t even let her sit at the table for a long time – she studies the company’s documents standing or perched on an armrest, she reads books as she walks around in the living room. She is a cage where a wolf is pacing in circles, and she herself is caged in that house, far from noise, meetings, deals, negotiations, life.

A couple of times, soon after she regained consciousness and became strong enough to sit in bed and even get up sometimes for a while, she let the wolf out. A couple of times were enough – she wouldn’t break down anymore. No, she couldn’t care less about the dishes, all the more about the ridiculous statuette of a shepherdess that was a gift to her and her first husband from – whom? Doesn’t matter in any case. It brought much more joy when it shattered than when it was collecting dust on the mantelpiece. Still, each such outburst is a display of weakness, which only makes Elizabeth angry at herself later. She has spent far too much time proving to the world that she is sensible, rational, and cool-headed. The world – replete with disdain, superficial, and annoyingly male – refused to believe her: she is a woman, after all, and what should one expect from women but hysterics and tears? And even if those living in this house or visiting it have seen her even weaker, they haven’t seen her pathetic – and they won’t. Not the servants, though they won’t utter a word for fear of losing their jobs, not Josephette, though she wouldn’t judge, not Douglas, who might think whatever but wouldn’t judge her openly either. If she loses her temper in front of them, it will be more difficult to keep it in check in front of the others.

She couldn’t hold back the desire to gloat when she went to mock Grant in person, and look what came of it.

And so she keeps her rage locked. Or rather remolds it, reforges it, and uses it wisely. Instead of wasting time and energy on yelling and breaking the china, she’d rather put more effort into planning her revenge on Grant – and to bringing these plans to fruition.

If he isn’t afraid of ghosts, soon he will be.

***

Few people know she’s awake. Many people don’t even know if she’s alive. By a fortunate coincidence, the passerby who found her used to work on Carruthers and Co. He went straight to Josephette, who paid him handsomely for his help and for keeping his mouth shut about his discovery. The onlookers never got a chance to amass, but someone must still have seen her, because rumours started spreading in Montreal that Elizabeth Carruthers was found dead in a ditch. No, not dead, but beaten up. No, not beaten up, just drunk. The latter in particular made her blood boil; even at the dreariest moments of her confinement, when the wolf inside urged her to lunge at the walls and at anyone who comes her way, she didn’t get drunk, not even once. A sip of brandy at dinner, and that’s all. The memories of what Peter was like when plastered are too fresh. He was pathetic when sober and so much the more when inebriated. She grimaces as she remembers. She doesn’t want to resemble him in any way.

One of the few upsides of marriage to Peter was meeting Josephette, who proves herself indispensable once again.

Few people know she’s awake. Yet Josephette, who has perfect knowledge of the factory and everyone who works there, selects some trustworthy and discreet girls among the workers, girls who own some debt of gratitude to her or to Elizabeth, and lets them into this secret. These girls sometimes enlist the help of their fiancés or brothers, just as trustworthy and discreet. And so acquaintances begin to be struck up between them and the workers from Grant’s company, so begin the casual inquiries about what it’s like to work there and what the news are, and the passing mentions of how it’s pretty good to work for Widow Carruthers (she may have got married for the second time, but most of them still think of her as of Widow Carruthers). Sometimes they spice it up with a bit or two of gossip that might make one doubt just how fair Grant is with his men. Sometimes these seeds take root. Sometimes they don’t. No one is forcing anything on anyone – just offering food for thought.

All the obtained intelligence goes to Josephette, who then passes it to Elizabeth, and together they figure out how to use it. Most of it is not too valuable – one must give the devil his due, Grant’s employees don’t complain much. However, sometimes they get to learn which suppliers have voiced dissatisfaction with the terms of bargains lately, or which potential buyers have visited the factory. Those are approached by Douglas, who offers them better terms and makes them believe that Carruthers and Co. has exactly what they need. First by playing along and then by twisting their words, he convinces Grant’s partners that it is they who want what is offered to them.

He used to be the face of the company while Elizabeth was its true head, and Josephette was the secret power unknown even to those aware that the company was run by the wife, not by the husband. Now Elizabeth herself has receded into the shadows even deeper than Josephette. Behind Douglas Brown, the figurehead of Carruthers and Co., is a Black former servant, and behind her, there is a ghost.

Perhaps Samuel Grant’s enterprise is haunted as well, since workers and suppliers start leaving it slowly but surely.

***

“Miss Dolan came by the factory today,” Douglas tells her one evening as they’re having dinner together – not in the bedroom, now that Elizabeth, thankfully, is feeling much better, but in the dining room. It takes some time for Elizabeth to remember who he is referring to: right, the Irish girl. The little traitor. In fairness, Elizabeth can see that the girl is just trying to survive, but she still cannot think of her without dislike.

“And what was she after? Surely she didn’t come to visit her former workmates?”

“Well, first of all, she wanted to return the hat you gave her.”

“I hope you told her she is free to choke on it.”

“I told her you would’ve preferred her to keep it.” Douglas fumbles with his glass that still has some brandy in it. They’re sitting at the opposite sides of the table, like a king and a queen in an empty castle – a haunted one, naturally. One day, as she was lying in bed and obsessively thinking out her vengeance on Grant, it occurred to her that she was turning into a sort of Lady Macbeth, plotting and scheming and slowly going insane. The next thought amused her: how fitting of her to have married a Scotsman. “She asked after your health, for she remembers how kind you were to her…”

Elizabeth snorts.

“…and she also asked in passing if it’s true that Deschamps and Moreau are now supplying their goods to us. Said she couldn’t help wonderin’ because she’d seen them at Grant’s before.”

“How observant of her.”

“You understand what that means, right? They suspect something, Elizabeth. And they won’t leave it like that.”

Elizabeth slams her glass on the table.

“If you are going to say that it’s time to stop, save your breath,” she tells him, voice ringing with indignation. “Because it’s too late to stop. Afraid, Mr. Brown, aren’t you?”

Douglas sighs, takes off his glasses, sighs again, and puts them back. In the light of the melting candles he looks older than he is, and very tired.

“A wee bit,” he admits. “But not for myself.”

His words produce a strange feeling in her chest, as if a ruffled bird is stirring underneath her ribs.

Elizabeth gets up and approaches him at a swift pace, and he rises too, eyes fixed on her. She rests one hand on the table – she shouldn’t have stood up so briskly, her head still spins a little at times – and tries to figure out what to say to a man who dared to care about her.

He’s waiting, and only the cracking of the firewood disturbs the silence.

“I can take care of myself,” Elizabeth finally says. “I’ve told you before: I won’t go the same way. I won’t make myself an easy target. You won’t have to nurse me back to health again, don’t worry.”

“I would’ve done it again if I had to. I’d rather it wasn’t necessary, though.”

For a change, Elizabeth Carruthers doesn’t know what to say, so she just kisses him.

When Douglas pulls away, he’s looking at her with a mixture of longing and wariness.

“I thought you didn’t remember this either,” he says quietly.

“I would’ve done it again if I didn’t,” replies Elizabeth. She doesn’t want to decipher what she means by these words. She made him marry her so that Carruthers and Co. had a representative that these small-minded pigs who don’t trust a businesswoman would agree to deal with. She slept with him, and it felt good. He took care of her while she was unconscious, and then was tactful enough during her recovery not to make her feel humiliated by his help. All of it adds up to something, but she prefers not to reflect on it. She doesn’t want to decipher what she means by these words – but she knows she’s speaking from her heart. “Otherwise I’d have to wait till doomsday for you to be done suffering in silence.”

“Frankly speaking, I… wasn’t sure that back then it didn’t happen because you wanted me to sign that bloody confession.”

“Well, I wanted you to sign it. I also wanted you. These two were not related,” shrugs Elizabeth. She cannot blame him for the lack of trust: she did use him, and he, in turn, planned together with Malcolm to go against her – what kind of trust could there be? “If you thought I was playing you, why didn’t you leave while I was as good as dead? Why did you stay?”

He responds by kissing her – not on the lips, but on the cheek right under the scar, very carefully. Again, a little higher. Again, moving along the outline of the scar but not touching her skin where it recently was too new and delicate. His moustache is tickling her face; the bird underneath her ribs is picking at her heart. And she’s mad at him because she’s addled and defenseless in the face of this unbearable tenderness, and she’s mad at herself because she is starting to suspect in horror that she might cry if he touches her like this again, this was not in their marriage contract, this was not in her scheme of things, and how dare he…

She grabs him by his curls, pushes him lower, makes him press his lips to hers – makes him do something she can comprehend. The urge to tear up subsides. She pulls him closer, one hand still in his hair, the other on the lapel of his waistcoat. Then she lets go for a moment to move the dinnerware aside without even looking (one glass must have fallen – to hell with it, to hell with everything) before sitting down on the edge of the table.

“The servants might come in,” Douglas reminds her when she runs her hand over his shoulder, his hip, his crotch, like she owns him, but his voice is husky and hot, and his hands are peeling off her dressing gown.

“So what?” she breaths out. “They are my servants. This is my house. Everything here is mine. And if I want my husband to fuck me on my table in my dining room… I don’t see what must be stopping me.”

When he lifts her nightdress and kneels between her spread legs, she doesn’t feel like a ghost.

***

One of the factory girls who were being friendly with Grant’s workers on Josephette’s orders is found with her throat cut. There is no purse with earnings on her, so it might have been just a robbery. A coincidence. Or maybe not.

That night Elizabeth sees Grant’s face hanging over her, his eyes wide with terror as he keeps delivering blow after blow to her head with something heavy.

“I’m a good man,” she hears his frantic voice. “I’m a good man.”

Upon another blow she wakes, and sits up in bed with a jerk. Something that is neither a sob nor a cry escapes her throat – a shrill animal sound. She cannot catch her breath. She cannot believe she can breathe.

“Elizabeth,” Douglas says worriedly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Some part of her mind that has either already calmed down or never had time to get scared tells her that she must have elbowed him in the face when she jerked up. “Elizabeth, what’s the matter?”

“It was Grant,” she whispers. She’s shaking, and even Douglas’s comforting warmth by her side doesn’t help. Pathetic, she’s so pathetic now. “It was Grant who beat me up. I remembered.”

“Elizabeth, it might’ve been just a dream…”

“And I am telling you I remembered!” snaps Elizabeth. She put her hand to her forehead and wipes off the sweat. “I take it you know better than I what’s happening in my head, don’t you?”

“I mean, it is quite possible that after the news about that poor lass…”

“No. No, no, no,” she frees herself from his embrace and climbs off the bed. It is his bedroom, not hers, and the unusual surroundings are disorienting: the window is too small, the door is on the wrong side. Perhaps she’d calm down sooner if she lay down again, but presently she doesn’t want to have anything in common with the unmoving body on the floor of Samuel Grant’s mansion.

She tenses up when Douglas approaches her, but he doesn’t try to persuade her to go back to bed, just throws a shawl over her shoulders.

She closes her eyes and thinks. And thinks, and thinks, and thinks.

“You know,” she finally says, “I cannot believe I am proposing this myself, but I’m going to need to chat with your brother.”

***

This time, instead of Declan Harp, Malcolm brings her some disheveled boy.

“Michael Smyth of the Black Wolf Company… ma’am,” he announces, indicating the guest with a nod. “Michael, let me introduce you to Mrs. Elizabeth Carruthers.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” says Smyth. The beard and the overall rough-hewn appearance of a seasoned hunter are unable to conceal how young he is. He reminds Elizabeth of a small animal – a ferret or a raccoon – that has somehow managed to sneak into her house from the forest.

“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Smyth,” Elizabeth replies coldly, not bothering to stand up and offer her hand to him. “Although, in truth, I would’ve been much more pleased if Mr. Brown did what I asked and organized me a meeting with Mr. Harp, not with his errand boy. Who is also to blame, as far as I know, for the supply that I’ve arranged with Mr. Harp going down the drain.”

Malcolm opens his mouth, but Michael Smyth beats him to it.

“Declan Harp is in Scotland now,” he says calmer than could be expected after her remark; well done. “As to the supply, I had no other choice. Your people didn’t come to collect the pelts. Cobbs Pond told me you’re…”

“Dead? As you can see, it is unwise to believe everything Cobbs Pond says,” even the name of that man seems to taste rotten. Elizabeth cannot help screwing up her face as she pronounces it. “But I admit: my people didn’t come indeed – they were too busy keeping me alive.”

“Well, I was busy keeping my people alive,” retorts Smyth. “We had to dispose of the pelts before the redcoats caught up with us. Pond was there, and he had the silver. I am sure, Mrs. Carruthers, that you would’ve done the same if you were in my place.”

“Sureness is a fine thing. The trick is not to overdo it. Trust me, Mr. Smyth, I am speaking from my own bitter experience,” Elizabeth replies with a sweet smile. The boy is staring hard at her, waiting for what she’s going to say next. Malcolm, hands in pockets, is observing their one-on-one leaning against the door frame. “Anyway, enough of the past. This is not why I asked my most kind brother-in-law,” she makes a pause, which Malcolm fills with a loud sneering chuckle, “to bring me a representative of the Black Wolf Company.”

“Then why, Mrs. Carruthers?”

Elizabeth leans back in her chair. Today, for the first time after a month and a half in nightdresses and dressing gowns, she is wearing a proper dress – one of her best – which makes her feel splendid. As if nothing had changed. As if Michael Smyth, her first visitor in a long time who isn’t one of her household, doctors, or family (regrettably, the latter technically includes Malcolm), isn’t currently making every effort not to look inadvertently at the right side of her face – the ugly prominent scars, the greenish yellow of her bruises. And he’s making it; she can feel it.

“Your company has already stolen for me once, Mr. Smyth,” she says. “I didn’t get to have the results, but still. I need you to do it again.”

“You want us to steal the furs of the HBC?”

Elizabeth cannot hold back a vicious smile.

“I want you to steal the furs of Samuel Grant”.

***

“All right, that was not quite what I required of you, Mr. Brown,” she tells Malcolm after Smyth leaves, “but thank you just the same.”

Malcolm makes a helpless gesture dramatically.

“Well, sorry for not havin’ enough damn time to dart off to Scotland and back.”

“What business does Harp even have in Scotland?”

“Michael didn’t go into detail, so I guess it must be either something really important or something really personal.”

“Or both,” Elizabeth says thoughtfully. It wouldn’t hurt to learn what it is all about: you never know what information may turn out useful. “Let’s hope this… young man can be trusted.”

“He’s a thief. You need a thief. I don’t see why not,” shrugs Malcolm. “Besides, I warned him that you’re a witch, so if anything goes wrong, you’ll turn him into a mouse and eat him like it’s nothing.”

“Why a mouse, Mr. Brown? That’s not much to eat. Why not into a nice, fat goose, for example?”

“Not enough meat for a goose in that one,” Malcolm grins, and Elizabeth cannot help grinning back. This nonsense must be the first time in history when something resembling a friendly conversation is happening between them.

So, she used to be a ghost, and now she’s become a witch.

Or has always been one, as many people certainly wouldn’t fail to point out.

***

Josephette makes her a patch that covers half her face. The broad band of black velvet is covered in tiny embroidery – leaves, stems, bees. It looks unusual, but it matches most of Elizabeth’s dresses, and looks a little bit like a carnival mask. Someone uninitiated, upon seeing her wearing this strange accessory, might well conclude she’s going to attend a masked ball.

“If it’s too tight, it can be fastened by another hook. Or altered altogether,” says Josephette. Elizabeth looks at Josephette’s face in the mirror behind her shoulder, and shakes her head.

“It’s perfect. Really, you didn’t have to…”

Josephette gestures her to stop.

“I did,” she says. Her face, always so reserved, lights up. “Consider it a gift on the occasion of your return to the world of the living.”

Elizabeth turns around and takes Josephette’s hands in hers.

‘Thank you,” she tells her, meaning much more than just the patch, and she can read it in her friend’s gaze that she understands.

Together they descend the stairs – the queen and her éminence grise. Douglas is waiting for them below, by the door.

“Very… elegant,” he remarks, taking a look at his wife’s half-concealed face.

“Oh, I intend to bring it into fashion. Soon all ladies in Montreal will be wearing this. I’d love to look at Miss Dolan in it,” Elizabeth says with a sinister smile, and passes her arm through his. “Shall we?”

She can’t wait to return to the factory. To check personally if everything is in order, to examine the equipment, to hear how things are going in the workers’ own words. But first she has to visit the market, the very beating heart of the town. Let people see that she is back. As she passes the stalls of vendors and craftsmen, she can feel the prying eyes on her. Some start whispering as soon as they see her, some elbow their companions to draw their attention, some greet her awkwardly – those she honours with a regal nod.

She hopes to run into a certain man – and she does.

Samuel Grant is alone today, without the loyal Pond at his side. He’s talking to a couple of trappers whom Elizabeth hasn’t met before, and when he catches sight of her, he almost drops the beaver pelt he was inspecting.

Elizabeth stops and meets his gaze.

The whole market – possibly the whole world – seems to have stopped with them.

She feels ill at ease in his presence. She would never admit that – not even to Josephette, not even to Douglas – but the sight of the man who almost smashed her skull makes some sort of a cold well open inside her. But when he looks at her, he’s dumbfounded too, even scared. She is the witness of his crime. The witness of him being far from “a good man”, as he kept saying back then, trying in vain to make himself believe it.

Yet another blow, just after a large parcel of furs he was to receive was dragged into the night by black wolves.

Elizabeth forces a smile.

“Mr. Grant,” she says loudly and cordially. She is the first to break the silence, and it feels like a victory. Which is silly, of course: the real victory is a long way off. The real war has just begun. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

It’s a long way back from the dead, but she’s made it.

#frontier #frontier netflix #elizabeth carruthers #douglas brown #josephette dacosta #malcolm brown #michael smyth #clenna bringing the hat is borrowed from canon but otherwise s3? i don't know her #my fic #talk talk talk #gella talks frontier #i guess the tag is needed

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darksunrising · 5 years ago

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Sola Gratia (14/?)

Masterlist

Rating / Warnings : No particular warning.

Fandom : Bram Stoker’s Dracula, BBC’s Dracula, various Dracula and vampire lore.

Part 14/? (2638 words)

Author’s notes : I’m back, babey ! Anyway, here is the Second Act Opening (yeah, changed the Act stuff, i am unreliable at best.)

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The ride to Vlad's estate was eerily silent. Nestled on the backseat, hugging my knees to my chest, I tried to find some comfort in the pale light of the moon, bathing the countryside in a silver haze. I felt like I was wrapped in cotton, sounds coming off muffled to my ears, filled with the low humming of the car. Vlad and Carmilla were whispering to each other, and beside me, Leah seemed completely lost in thought. She had a lot to process, after all. Maybe I should have told her sooner...

To the valleys succeeded an endless plain, covered in fields and woods, and the occasional farm. Not that far over the horizon, I could barely make out the dark, shimmering line of the sea. It grew as we left the main road, following a smaller one, that soon converted to a paved path, barely large enough to let the car pass. We crossed a large iron gate, opening a mossy stone wall. The inside was wild, the wind sweeping across tall grass, overrun by wild flowers and poppies. Tall umbrella pines cast a moving shadow under the full moon. At the end of the path stood a large house, practically a mansion. The walls were white, large limestone blocks neatly laid out at the corners, while the most part were rough stones, held together with a thick layer of white mortar. A large portion of the wall was overrun with ivy.

The car stopped. I unfolded myself and tried to get out once before I remembered to take off my seatbelt, then trying to adjust my bodice to accommodate the now half open corset. Gods, my kingdom for a change of clothes. A quick look beyond the house confirmed that It was built over a cliff, the sound of the waves crashing down below soothing me like a lullaby. Leah's arm curling around mine quickly set me back into the present situation, and I took hold of her hand, hoping to be reassuring. We followed Vlad through the main door, which he closed behind us.

A good number of cardboard and wooden boxes piled up in the hall, unopened. Vlad apologized for the mess, arguing he didn't expect company so soon after moving. Still, everything except for the main hall was pristine, the furniture very well assorted, much more than in his Romanian residence. I figured he must have picked everything himself, as it all seemed in good accord with his usual sense of style. In the living room, I went to the windows, which opened on a large terrace, directly giving out onto the sea. Vlad's voice, softly calling out to me, had me turn back, and sit with them around the coffee table.

Leah was nervously fidgeting with one of the ribbons of her dress. Where should we even start ? I was obviously not the only one wondering about that, as the silence had now been so long it was far over the limits of awkwardness.

“So, who's gonna tell me what the fuck is going on ?”, Leah finally blurted out.

“It's... a long story”, I started, hesitant.

“Long as in 'it started during my mystery trip to Romania I was suspiciously evasive about'—long ?”, she retorted in an accusatory tone.

“Yeah. At least that.”

She leaned back into her seat, staring at me. She didn't even look mad, she just looked disappointed, which was worse. Since we met, I never hid anything from her. I could say safely that she knew more about me that I did, and I never had felt the need to not tell her something. These last months, not talking to her had been a torture. She had been my absolute best friend for years, I hated lying to her. I hated it.

And so I told her. About everything. From the beginning. Vlad had a few protests during my recalling of the Romania Events, and Carmilla looked pretty entertained by it. I could swear I heard her laugh when I told how I stabbed Vlad in the end. Leah listened intently, not once looking away from me. When I stopped, she seemed to take a moment, and looked around the room. Calmly, without a word, she stood up, and took a step toward Vlad's seat. She extended a hand, and swiftly reached for his sword, that he had set aside before sitting. Unsheathing it in an ample, yet controlled movement, she brought the tip under Vlad's throat so fast even he didn't have time to react. Surprise probably helped on that endeavor, still she had him tilt his head up, flat of the blade pushing under his chin.

Her expression was terrible, calm, controlled, yet I had never seen her eyes so dark, her lips pinched so tight. Vlad didn't move.

“You... Have hurt the one I love most, beyond all that I could imagine”, she stated, her voice trembling with anger. “You have made her suffer, and now, you tell me she could be in even greater danger because of your fucking dad or some bullshit ?!”

Her hand was steady, yet I could feel like the only reason she didn't ram the blade through his throat was because she knew it wouldn't do much of anything. I stepped closer to her, and wrapped my hand around hers. She held the grip so tight her knuckles were bone-white. I had her lower the sword, which she immediately dropped, and turned to look at me, eyes watering up.

“I-I'm so sorry, Eris, if I had known... I would never... Fuck, he could've... He could've...”

She held my hands enclosed in hers, and lost her words into incoherent sobbing for a second. Bringing my hands to her face, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and took a moment to calm herself down. Still holding my hand, she turned her attention back to Vlad.

“I was too quick to give you my trust. That won't happen twice”, she told him, glaring. “You put us into this mess, and you'd better handle it.”

“I intend to !”

“I'm not finished”, she snapped. “If anything, I mean anything happens to Eris, I will hold you personally responsible, and I'll have your dismembered limbs impaled in my backyard.”

Carmilla giggled, to which Leah snapped and promised her the same fate.

“Now, you're gonna drive us home, and I don't wanna see either of your faces again, at least not until you handled the problem.”

“You can't be serious, you'll be safer here-”, Vlad started.

“Safer ? With you ?” She had a dry laugh. “Well, isn't that the funniest thing you've ever said.”

“At least, stay the night”, he insisted, looking over to me for backup. “I will drive you back as soon as you'd like in the morning.”

She was about to protest, and I caught her arm, interrupting her. “Leah, it's late, we're both tired. Let's just go to sleep, right ?”

She took a second, and gave in, nodding. She insisted we slept together, even though the house had a good number of guest rooms, which was, in retrospect, pretty funny for someone who didn't need sleep. He guided us to the room he had prepared for me, initially. It had to be about half my apartment's size, and included a tower at the corner. Huge bay windows gave onto a balcony giving out a magnificent view over the sea.

Vlad cleared his throat. “You will find a change of clothes in the wardrobe.” Leah gave him another killer look, arms crossed over her chest. He took his leave, but not before placing a light hand on my back.

If you can slip away, I would like to talk to you.

Ah, the most terrifying thing to hear. Despite that, the way his voice filled my mind was warm, and comforting. I silently nodded, and he took his leave, his fingers trailing along my back, almost as if he resented to break contact. As soon as the door closed, Leah had a long sigh, and dropped on the bed.

“I can't believe you kept this to yourself so long”, she told me. She sounded almost hurt. “I mean, why didn't you tell me anything ?”

I joined her on the opposite side, my head laying next to her. “I didn't know how to. I felt you'd be safer if you didn't know.”

“But you weren't !”, she protested. “You could have been hurt, again, all because I had no idea what kind of monster-”

“He's not a monster”, I cut her off, almost without thinking about it.

She took a pause, turning her face towards mine, an expression of disbelief painted over her features, eyebrows furrowed in a way that didn't suit her kind face.

“Eris, please don't tell me you believe that !”

“I do. I'll give you that the conditions of our meeting were, well, less than ideal, but ever since he came here, he did nothing but try to make amends.” She groaned. “Come on”, I insisted. “You've seen it, he's been nothing but kind, and thoughtful, and actually a great help for my thesis.”

“He also eats people, Eris”, she remarked.

“He told me he didn't kill anyone since he got here, and I believe him.”

“Because he actually is trustworthy, or just because you want to believe him?”

By all means, she wasn't wrong. I mean none of her worries were anything I hadn't thought of myself. I sat up, and started un-lacing my bodice.

“You don't know him like I do”, I told her, softly, knowing this wouldn't do anything to convince her. “Let's just go to sleep, for now, I'm exhausted.”

She reluctantly agreed, and we disrobed, significantly faster than we dressed up. I though my corset would be ruined, but only the lacing on the back was cleanly cut, without even a dent in the ivory silk. In the wardrobe, I was almost surprised to find modern clothing. For the most part, he had my sense of style pretty well figured-out. Not finding any underwear was disappointing, as I had followed Leah's advice on not wearing a bra underneath the corset, but also a bit reassuring, to be honest. Leah opted for a simple plaid shirt, that would have been a bit large on me, and therefore fell almost to her knees. I found an oversize black pajama ensemble, made of the softest wooly cotton. I joined Leah under the covers, and didn't have to wait long until she dozed off, her breathing becoming more regular, and calm.

I carefully removed myself from the bed, and slipped into a large dressing gown. I slowly opened the door, trying not to make the floorboards or the hinges creak. I only opened it enough to shuffle through, and exited into the corridor.

The silence was only disturbed by the muffled sound of the waves, and my own breathing. I didn't turn on any lights, as the full moon was well enough to see perfectly well. I wandered back to the living room, and walked to the bay windows. One was open, leaving a cool breeze inside. Wrapping myself tighter in my robe, I stepped outside, wincing at the feeling of cold stone under my feet. Over at the corner of the terrace, Vlad was leaning onto the balustrade, his hair disheveled by the soft wind. He also had a change of clothes, and had only kept his trousers, his shirt, and his cape, thrown over his shoulders. I suspected this was mostly a question of style, as I doubted he could even feel the cold. His gaze seemed lost over the horizon, watching the moon go down on the ocean. As I approached him, he turned his attention to me, smiling.

“I knew you were good at sneaking around.”

“Please, I bet you could hear me breathing from the other side of the house.”

“Breathing, not so much, but I can hear your heart.” He was leaning on his elbow, head cocked to the side. Arrogant. I sighed, and took in the mesmerizing view a moment. No signs of cars, lamps, or electric poles in sight. Only the moon, and the ocean's soothing voices.

“Do you like the house ?”, he asked, softly as not to disturb my reverie.

“I love it.”

He laughed at the speed of my reply. “Well, I hoped you would.” He took a pause. “I am sorry about Leah, however. I know you did not want her dragged into all of this, and because of my blindness, she has-”

Before he could finish, I set the tips of my fingers on his mouth, effectively closing it.

“If anything, it's my fault. I should have told her a while ago, I just never had the courage to do it...”

He took my hand in his, strangely warm, contrary to what I expected. I felt my heart sink into my chest as a question rose to my mind.

“Vlad, I...”, I started, hesitant. He nodded slightly, encouraging me to continue. “What Carmilla said, back on the overlook...”

I became physically incapable of saying one more word, my heart beating out of my chest for no reason. No reason at all.

“You want to know if she was right ?”

Gods, that voice, that deep, silky voice. Maybe it was on purpose that he talked in a hushed tones, maybe to drive me mad, or not outshine the ocean singing below. I nodded, unable to look him in the eyes. He called out my name, barely a whisper. He let go of my hand, only to pull me closer, an arm around my waist, his other hand cupping my cheek. So warm... He took a moment, playing with a strand of my hair, sliding a finger along my jawline, and slowly running his hand along my neck. I couldn't help a gasp as a sharp nail traced over my veins. He hummed, seemingly amused with my reaction.

“Are you still scared of me ?”, he asked.

I couldn't tell if he really spoke, or if I heard him in my mind.

“No”, I breathed out.

Really ?

His lips brushed past mine, then on my jawline, and my neck. In a very poor instinct, I let my head fall back. The somewhat familiar feeling of his sharp teeth on my skin sent shivers down my spine. I closed my eyes.

“I trust you”, I whispered, leaning back onto the balustrade.

He opened his mouth, letting me feel his hot breath on my cold neck. For a second, his fangs pressed against my skin, soon replaced by a kiss, on the crook of my jaw, right below the ear. I giggled, and he closed his arms around my waist. Expectantly, he seemed to wait, for permission. For mercy.

I wasn't too long to grant it. Wrapping my hands around his neck, I closed the final space between us. As soon as my lips touched his, my heart stopped a moment, or several. I felt him sigh a second, and pull me closer. He was slow, intimate, perfect in every way. I felt electricity run through my body. His lips parted mine, and-

Everything was red.

The sea lapping at my ankles, the sky bursting with gold and blood under a starry indigo. Everything was the same as I last left. I turned around, and found him standing back.

“Here ?”

“I told you before, wherever you want to be.”

I ran to him, and threw my hands around his neck, and he wrapped his around me, lifting me off the ground.

“Makes sense it's with you, then”, I whispered, and kissed him again.

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Taglist : @carydorse @angelicdestieldemon @bloodhon3yx @thewondernanazombie @battocar @moony691 @mjlock @thebeautyofdisorder @festering-queen @paracosmfantasy @lost-girl-inc

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hqgodspeed · 5 years ago

Text

a few days after valentine’s day, basteon gather’s the demigods together in the banquet hall, his demeanor seems different than normal, as if the tension between his shoulders is becoming less and less—maybe he’s beginning to believe in the demigods, in their capability to combat the evils of this world.

he clears his throat, arms crossed over his wide chest. “sons of olympus, the time has come to discuss the next trial. we’ve lost one worthy son and gained another. now it’s time to increase those numbers.”

his gaze lingers over each demigod until he stares blankly ahead. “if you believe that you’re ready, step forward and plead your case. let your words sway your companions into action.”

he leaves, then, and demigods begin to stand, one by one, trying to bolster their friends with their words.

𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐌

There’s a silence when the attention turns to the son of Zeus, a careful, stoic expression on his face. In his hand is a heavy, cloth-wrapped object, a symbol. “We’re here again, ready to throw ourselves back in the fire.” He starts, glancing around at the faces of his fellow demigods. “I’ve seen you all survive the flames, emerge stronger, beaten, but better.”

“I’ve faced my own trials too, personal and around the world, both wins and losses.” He pulls the cloth off, revealing the half of Zeus’ shield. “I found this in Greece, and I take it as a sign, one that I have to complete what I’ve started.” He stands tall, back straight. “I’m ready to prove myself.”

𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐎

"it has to be me. i think, there's no roundabout, bullshit way of saying it. i've been here the longest, with ari and tristan, and it's time i show you guys what i've learned and the drive i have to do this. i've lost a lot of friends on the way here, and all those times i always thought i should be going faster. i need help. i need my dad's shoes or whatever, because that's going to be the thing to make sure i actually save the next person. so no one dies on my watch again. i'm ready."

𝐃𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇

Daith stood up and cleared his throat as he looked at his fellow demigods. "I have to admit that I wasn't expecting to propose myself for a trial... I honestly planned to wait until the last possible moment because... It would suck a lot if it turns out I'm incapable of it, and I used to think my mother would be so dissapointed that she'd call the next son on line and put me out of my misery" he said, chuckling for a second before his expression turned more serious. "But... things changed. People changed. We lost people... but we also gained them..." he said, smiling at the others briefly, his hand wrapping around the Necklace of Sacrifice, that he never took off now. "I know I'm not the strongest demigod of the bunch. And Ari will be mad at me, but I also have to admit I'm not the best. I panic. I'm selfish. I'm impulsive. I get easily distracted by cute guys..." he said, smirking, as a lot of his current sources of distraction were present. "But I'm also one of the demigods that had stayed the longest here at camp. I used both my fighting and my abilities to survive. But, most of all, I had the support of all of you. And, if the trials and quests had shown us something is that if we don't face challenges united, we will all fall. So I'm willing to put aside my own fails and shortcomings and battle to be recognized as the worthy son of Aphrodite". He then took a deep breath and looked down, to find Mr. Candle waving another flag with his face, which made him laugh. "I understand if you decide to choose another demigod but... know that I'm ready to do this. And that I believe we can do this together. My mother started wars. But she also joined nations under her cult. Love unites us. And, if we are together... Love can conquer all. Thank you all". Mr. Candle waved the flag excitedly before jumping on Daith's lap, clapping and looking at everyone so they would clap too. Or else.

𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑

"So here's the thing," Asher begins, and instantly he felt like he was going through a stint of Deja vu. "A lot has changed since we voted on our last trial. Mostly, we know that there are forces outside of Eris that are coming for us. Forces with powers none of us really know the limits of. I think from a necessity base, we need my artifact that can combat what they can do. I am the son of Time, my father's powers are a trump card, they have to be. If we can secure that, our possibilities are endless." He looked at each of the other demigods, trying to look them each in the eye, "I'm confident that I'm ready to rock my trial. Not only have I been through our latest one, I have assisted in taking down plenty of enemies, and that's just me at half strength. Imagine what I'm capable of once I have my father's gift? Plus. I mean, my father's trial is in the Palace of Westmincer. It beats the hell out of trekking through some enchanted palace. Make the smart move, and give yourself and the rest of us the power of time to get this right. Vote Jones."

𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐎𝐑

"attention, losers," ragnor leapt on the stage and faced the others, a flourish to his movements.

perhaps it wasn’t the wisest to begin a speech with such a term—but he hoped it was as endearing as he’d meant it to be. ragnor’s heartbeats were rampant within his chest, but the smile that cut through his face was bright, rehearsed. he needed to be the bronze-haired hero for them today, someone martyr-boned and trustworthy. it was a performance but a seamless one that came with much ease.

perhaps a part of ragnor truly believed he was a hero.

he began, and for once his words poured out raw; no sugar-coat, no honey.

“i am not going to stir idle conversation about how i am the perfect candidate; i am not.” that, he believed. that, he knew. “but,” ragnor’s gaze swept over every face. “i am not the fuckin’ mess from a few months ago, either. no more drunken shenanigans, no more rookie mistakes. these past few quests and the trial have been exhaustin’, but i’ve saved some of your asses with my dancing skills—helped freed kit’s mother from her corruption—held my own against some of those dark aether dip-shits with ari and keaton.” he steeled his jaw then. “what i am saying is, i am strong enough to take on my father dionysus's trial now, i am ready to face his frenzy." he was also ready to confront whatever curse that laid dormant within him; to let his father's madness cut it from the root. "the anklet may not be that remarkable of an artifact but some of you have seen, first hand how powerful a well-timed dance can be in battle.” he let his smirk unfurl then and made a graceful, theatrical bow to signal the end of his speech.

before ragnor left the stage, however, he added: “also, it's in fuckin' vegas, c'mon.”

𝐓𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑

"second verse, same as the first, am i right guys???? haha but seriously, vote tucker rhee! not only will i put my, like, proverbial pedal to the metal, but i promise that i won't let anyone die without a proper seance. also, cali is like a really great vacation spot and stuff, so i'll be able to take everyone out to expensive dinners and we can, like, go to a yoga retreat or something. cheers!!! xoxo!!!"

𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐘

"look," iggy starts, shrugging, "i know i'm newer than most of you that spoke up already, but just because we're new doesn't mean we're not as important." he pointedly looks at everyone, but lingers on the veterans. "you can look down on us all you want, but we're never going to prove ourselves unless you let us." he grins, cocky and sure of himself. "let me be the first to show you all that we newcomers are just as worthy as the rest of you."

𝐊𝐈𝐓

there's a new sense of confidence that swells in the pit of his stomach. before, there was hesitation to his words, in his being. but too many things have happened since talk of the last trial, his eyes have been opened, his focus recentered. "i'm still not the strongest among us." he starts, looking around at each of the demigods gathered. "but i'm relentless." his fingers rest against the table top of their dining tables, closing his eyes for a moment. "i was relentless in trying to figure out where my mother was, so much so that i nearly killed myself trying to find answers. relentless in setting souls to rest after they were forcefully taken from this world. relentless in my pursuit of knowledge." he pauses, eyes lingering over each and every demigod, making eye contact for a moment before looking to the next.

"i found where my mother was, followed the clues that lead ten of us to samothrace. together, we figured out where my mother was, discovered what eris had turned her into—what she might have turned all our parents into." his expression changes, eyes almost flickering dark as he remembers the embryo, the multi-headed abberation that his mother had become when he let her out of her confinement. "and together, we freed her from that corruption, i was willing to die if it meant that she be restored and i almost did—my magic kept me alive and i destroyed the foulness of whatever was corrupting her heart with the magic that runs in my veins. when we got back here, ari and i restored her back to her rightful home down in the crypts and we felt something—power—that was being restored back to olympus, protective magics." his expression softens now, a smile playing upon his lips as he remembers the tremor, that feeling of power that radiated from ancient runes he could barely understand.

his eyes close as he remembers the feeling of her arms around him, the warmth, that same feeling of belonging he's always longed to feel. "she told me she loved me." his voice quiets down to an almost whisper. "she hugged me and told me she was proud of me." his eyes open, the softness of his expression mirroring the look on his face. "and she told me something else, something that this trial—my trial—is the next step in doing."

he takes a deep breath, a sigh parting his lips. "she told me that when i ascend, we'd be together forever. she believes in me." he looks out now, his expression gentle, but a fire lingers beneath the surface of his eyes, one that burns with determination. "and i hope that the rest of you will, too. i'm ready. i was willing to die in order to help the cause, but now i'm willing to survive and fight until we get our parents back and defeat this darkness once and for all."

he takes a seat, eyes still looking out at each of the demigods until his gaze rests on ragnor, a smile on his face as the nerves begin to settle in.

#gstrials

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flipping-voltron-imagines · 6 years ago

Text

“I will find you”

Shiro x reader

A/N: Woah, who’s this chick? That’s right, after many weeks, I’m releasing something I’ve been working on for about a month now. I hope y'all like it, and hopefully there are more things like this in the near future. Also, VOLTRON SEASON 8 IS GOING TO DROP TOMORROW! WOAHHH

Word Count: 3756

Gender neutral

Warnings: death of close friends, mentions of blood

“We’re stuck in the gravitational pull,” Captain Murdoch summarized, turning around to look up from his computer screen at Regis and I. Tears waited to fall at the brim of his eyes. “I don’t know what will happen or what’s on the other side of it, but we have a decision to make.”

When I left on a mission two years ago, I didn’t think I would end up dying. We were supposed to be collecting data on a planet that could be used as a human colony. The play was this: two years to journey there, one to collect data on planet, and two for the return trip. When I got back, I’d planned on marrying my boyfriend, Shiro, who would be coming back from a mission of his own at around the same time. We hadn’t even made it to the planet before we got stuck.

Next to me, Arianna Regis huffed. She was our mechanic and several years older than Murdoch and I, and always seemed to be grumpy. Luckily Murdoch and I were cheery enough to combat her negativity. “What other options do we have? We’re going to die. No use trying to delay the inevitable.” She crossed her arms and stared Murdoch down.

The captain shook his head and gestured to the computer screen behind him. It had a different flight plan and stats than we were used to seeing all the time. “Not necessarily. We could try and use the amount of fuel it would have taken to get to Ardexian-” the planet we were were checking out, “-and try to pull out and head back home, as well as expel extra supplies, making it easier to escape.” Turned and touched the screen with his fingernail to trace the updated flight pattern. “Or we could allow ourselves to be sucked in and possibly die.”

“So we can either die having done nothing, or die trying,” Regis commented. “Gee.”

“No. It’s more like... we can either most likely die putting up a fight, die not trying, or live after fighting.” Two of those options sounded terrible and one sounded slightly better that then others. I looked outside. The glowing blue blob in space, while it would have made an excellent and beautiful aesthetic wallpaper for my phone, terrified me. It would probably be the cause of our demise, but I wanted a chance at escaping it. I wanted a chance at marrying my boyfriend, the love of my life.

“This is ridiculous,” muttered Regis. “We’re going to die, there is no question about it. I say we just speed up the process and crash into this... thing...” She messed with the hem of her shirt and glared out the window.

Murdoch gave her a steely look. “No, we aren’t going to do that,” he sighed, then inhaled deeply. “I’m suggesting we try and escape. Now whether or not we actually do that is up to you two.”

“You know where I stand,” Regis announced. She stood up and stretched her arms over her head. “I’m going to sleep. Let me know what we’re doing.” Then she stalked off to the back of the ship where our individual tiny quarters were, taking the negative air with her.

Murdoch and I simultaneously released a relieved breath. I stood straighter and moved closer to one of the windows. I leaned my head against the thick glass. The decision seemed simple to me. If I were to die, I’d want to die knowing I’d done my best to escape. Getting out was a possible bonus, like attempting the extra credit on a math test, where you know you’re probably not going to get it right but just in case you do, it’ll help you and save your grade.

The captain relaxed in his chair, slumping forward. “What do you want to do?” He was so casual in his approach that it almost felt like he was trying too hard.

“We try and get out. If it doesn’t work... maybe there’s something on the other side.”

And something on the other side there was. They’d tried to escape the gravitational pull but couldn’t, and for days they floated through space, aware of their impending doom. They entered the glowing blue thing without even realizing it was happening. Suddenly out monitors turned all fuzzy and all of our machinery made weird noises. Just about everything shut down. It took Regis almost a week to get everything up and running properly again, but we couldn’t figure out what our location was. The blue light gone, and with nothing else do to, we put our sensors on the highest setting and continued on in hopes of finding some sort of planet we could survive on.

We drifted for about a year. One tense year. Regis was constantly in a mood worse than before, having lost hope in ever seeing her family again. The captain, though he tried not to show it, was losing hope as well. He had to keep up a brave face. Every waking moment was spent in front of his computer, staring, watching for any sign of a planet that we could inhabit. As for me, I tried to stay upbeat. My job, as a communications officer, was to stay in contact with the garrison and be on the lookout for aliens and try to be on good terms with them. Since passing through that weird blue thing, which wed established as some sort of portal, my lines had been dead and I couldn’t make contact with the garrison at all. So basically I had nothing to do all day for a solid year. It took all I had not to go crazy, so I ended up creating random tasks for myself, such as creating an entirely new language. I taught it to Regis and Murdoch, and we sometimes used it to communicate.

Then we stumbled upon a giant ship. We received no replies to my messages, and it wasn’t moving. Common sense told us that there was something bad in there and if we went in, searching for supplies, we were dead; common sense also told us that if we didn’t take this chance, we could be dead anyways. Who knew we would become scavengers?

Despite all the dead bodies around, we kind of liked being on this ship. There was a lot of food, oxygen, and softer beds. After a little debating, we decided that we would stash our ship in one of the holding bays and keep it ready, just in case we had to escape suddenly. In order to make the ship seem undisturbed, we only lived in a few of the rooms tucked away in the corner by the kitchen. Whatever alien species lived there kept a very orderly ship. I took it upon myself to learn the language so that I could translate should the need arise, and also so that I could help maneuver around the ship.

We stayed there for months. During that time we met Sven-who I thought was Shiro, for a short time-and Slav. Regis didn’t like either of them very much, but Murdoch and I were both grateful to have someone new to talk to, someone less depressing than Regis. Slav was crazy but insanely smart. Murdoch really liked him. After I determined the difference between Shiro and Sven we became great friends. Our friendship reminded me of my own pre-relationship friendship with Shiro, but I still had hope we would get back to Earth; there was no way I was going to pursue a relationship with him. I wanted to marry Shiro, not his lookalike.

A day of action came when I was tired. I’d slept terribly the night before, kept awake by dreams of my wedding day, one of which included Sven.

My bedroom door opened and Murdoch poked his head into my room to see if I was awake, which I was, and had been for hours, so I just looked at him out of the corner of my eyes. “Y/N, you need to come check this out,” he said. “The scanners started going crazy, but we don’t know what they’re saying.” Even though I doubted I would be able to translate for them, as I was only able to recognize a few words, I got up. My pajamas were rumpled and I was completely unaware that I would soon be seeing the faces of people I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“I think we should get back into hiding,” I muttered as I brushed past him. “It’s probably someone coming to see what’s going on. We need to get out of the way so they don’t find us.” I made my way to what I called “the command center” but it was really just a couple of computers I’d moved early on.

“No. Not until we find out who’s here.” He caught up to me easily. “If they’re just pirates, we can scare them away. We’ve done it before.”

Soon we heard voices. They spoke English and sounded younger. Regis stalked them quietly for a while, and finally we determined them to be trustworthy. Somehow people from Earth had stumbled upon this same ship, and we wanted to stay with them.

“Maybe they can help us get home,” Regis reasoned when she reported to us. Suddenly given a spark of hope, she was willing to do anything to help us get out of here.

I was super ready to get out of this alien ship. It smelled weird, and... I thought the skeletons might have been watching me... their creepy heads inside their helmets sometimes seemed to turn when I walked by.

The next thing I knew, Regis’ screams echoed through the hall. She’d gone back out to continue following the group, who weren’t human but didn’t seem all that dangerous. Murdoch and I froze. My body turned cold, and suddenly Murdoch was shoving me inside a hollowed out computer system. He told me to be quiet. I thought he was finding a place to hide too, but then I heard him get shot and a loud metallic thud.

I shrunk pack further into my hiding spot and covered my mouth with my hands. I wanted to scream and cry. Captain Murdoch was dead, and so was Arianna Regis, and I had nowhere to bury them.

The intruders ransacked the place, destroying all of my equipment. The steady beeping that once filled the room because of my scanners stopped. I was left alone.

I stayed in my hiding place for a long time. I slept four times before I finally worked up the courage to leave. My body was incredibly stiff. As I emerged and stretched, I kept my eyes on the ceiling. Murdoch’s body was probably on the floor, and judging from the lack of that distinct smell of iron, there was no blood, so I forced myself to look. Two years spent with this man, supporting him and being supported by him, having really deep conversations with him, and growing to genuinely love him as a friend... I felt robbed of an experience and a friendship I could have had for the rest of my life. There were scorch marks on the cloth over his heart. He didn’t suffer, which was a relief.

For five minutes I sat by the door just listening and staring at Murdoch’s body. Those... pirates had robbed me of more than just my equipment. They’d stolen my best friends. If I ever found them, I would kill them.

For days I stumbled around, gathering supplies. I’d never leave my control room if I didn’t need to. The only time I left was to shove Murdoch and Regis’ bodies out of an airlock and send them into space. If they couldn’t be buried, I knew that that was how they would have wanted to be dealt with. They both had a love for the stars.

Slav and Sven came back again, this time bringing company. When they found me, they had been running and I could tell they were in danger. They needed a place to hide for a few minutes and I could give them that.

When I realized who one of the people in the large group was, I burst into tears. “Keith!” I cried, and latched onto him.

“Y/N?” He wrapped his arms stiffly around my shoulders and pat my back. “What are you doing here?”

I pulled way from him and sniffled. “I uh... my team... we got trapped in this gravitational pull and ended up here, wherever here is.”

“It’s an alternate universe,” said one of his friends, dressed in white and green armor. I noticed then that all of Keith’d friends had matching armor. I recognized her as Matt’s sister. He’d shown me a picture of he and his sister together while telling me a story about her. I think her name was Katie, but Matt always referred to her as “Pidge.”

“Wow, really?” I put my hand on top of my head.

“Where’s the rest of your team?”

My silence seemed enough of an answer for Keith. He quickly went around, introducing his friends and explaining what he was doing out in space. “We’re the Paladins of Voltron,” he finished, “and if you want, you can come with us.”

I agreed, and after some adventuring and an adrenaline rush, I was safe in this weird castle. Allura, whom I became close friends with, helped teach me the language I’d been trying to teach myself. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge were all teens that I had met at one point or another. I remember them always being together on campus, and they reminded me of my own team. Seeing them together warmed my heart and made me incredibly sad at the same time.

When walking back to our rooms one night with the rest of the paladins, I noticed that there was a door between my room and the last one, Lance. “Whose room is this?”

Lance looked at me with wide eyes. His eyes flickered back and forth rapidly between me and the door in question. “It’s uh... it’s Shiro’s.”

“Shiro,” I repeated shortly, my lips turing down. “As in Takashi Shirogane, my Fiancé.” I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. “Why wasn't I told about him? Where is he?”

“He’s been missing.”

Missing?

No no, that can’t be. After everything I’d been through, with my teammates dying and being lost in space for who knows how long, I thought that if I were to be rescued I would have some peace, but peace would not find me just yet. It wasn’t my time. As soon as I find Shiro, I’m dragging him back home and neither of us are leaving Earth ever again.

“Y/N, I’m trying my best to find him,” Keith told me softly, “and I could use all the help I can get.”

Of course I’d help him. Shiro was my person and there was no way I would just let him go. I told Keith as such and he led me to a room where I could stay. He told me to sleep and that I could begin to help him once I was well rested.

Finding Shiro was more difficult than I thought. Before I left on my mission, I thought I understood just how big space is. Soon after my mind was blown when I realized that there was truly nothing out there for more than I could possibly imagine, and again I thought I understood just how big space is. Finding Shiro proved me wrong. I went out with Keith in his black lion all the time, constantly checking various places and taking over different alien-sorry, Galran-ships in hopes of finding him blew my mind once again. I soon came to the conclusion I would never understand just how big the universe is. “Never get too comfortable with how much you know,” I told myself almost every day, “because when you do you stop learning.”

I was hardly comfortable when searching for knowledge on Shiro’s whereabouts. He had to be somewhere. My heart always felt a strange tug, like I knew he was alive somewhere, and I think Keith felt something similar. Our constant, subtle tugging is what kept us going. Even though the others didn’t say anything, I knew they were giving up. They didn’t feel the tug like we did.

Confident we’d find Shiro in time, I urged Keith to relax a little. “He’s not going to be found any sooner if you run yourself ragged. If anything, you’re only preventing yourself from finding him.”

Bitter that I was “less serious about finding Shiro” than he was, he muttered, “At least I’m looking,” but in a much longer, less friendly statement.

“Listen bud, you’ve got two choices,” I told him soon after that interaction. He was sitting at the kitchen, awkwardly avoiding eye contact with me while he ate breakfast. “You can either accept the little bit that I’m doing to help, or you can push me away like you have everyone else in this castle. I’ve known you since you were a kid. I really want to help, but I can’t do that if you don’t let me.”

Keith’s eyes then flickered and met mine. After offering him a small smile, he nodded and muttered an apology.

The kid may be a brat sometimes, but he was very stressed.

The next day I woke up with an urgent anxiety settled over my chest. I needed to do something as soon as possible, so I woke up Keith. “We have to go. Now.”

“What?” He pushed himself up onto his elbows, staring at me with bleary eyes. “What’s going on, Y/N?”

“I don’t know, I just have a weird feeling.”

Keith got dressed, I grabbed some food from the kitchen to take with us and eat on the go, and we met at the Black Lion.

We were out for a long time. Keith was a little annoyed with me because we weren’t going anywhere in particular but he understood that I was antsy. He had days like those, too, after all, but I knew what that feeling was, and this wasn’t it. I don’t know how to explain what I felt, really, other than that feeling when you’re running really late for an appointment so you’re going way above the speed limit when driving but knowing that it won’t get you there in time.

Suddenly, the Black Lion stopped and turned. It threw me off my feet and I hit my head on the ground. The roar it let out seconds later added to my pain.

“What’s wrong?” he asked the lion, gripping the controls a little tighter. A scanner popped up and began to pulse.

“It’s Shiro,” I whispered.

“We found him,” Keith agreed.

I started to dance on my feet with a huge smile. “Keith! We found him!” I leaned over his seat and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. After giving him a few shakes and squeezes, we laughed, feeling the huge weight be lifted from our shoulders. That relief was so sweet, something I hadn’t felt in years.

“He’s too far away for us to go now.” I had yet to learn Altean completely, so I had no clue what his screen said. “We need the castle.” Why we needed the castle I would soon learn. It could travel through space a lot faster than any of the lions could. Within a couple of hours, Shiro’s ship was in our sights.

Once the Black Lion was close enough to Shiro’s ship, I scrambled to put an extra space suit on and together Keith and I jetted to the Galran ship. Shiro, with movements sluggish and weak, managed to press a few buttons to open it and we took him back to the lion. I sat with him, hugging his bicep and rubbing his back as he took long, deep breaths.

“How did you get here?” he rasped, looking at me with a soft expression. He was a little dazed because of his previous lack of oxygen, but he seemed to be doing better now.

I shook my head. That story was too long to tell now, while he was barely conscious. “I’ll tell you later, my love.” I pressed a kiss to his scruffy cheek and brushed his long stringy hair out of his eyes. A decent hair washing and haircut were definitely in his near future.

It was then that I noticed the glint of metal on his other arm. I would ask later.

“I’m ready to take a nap,” Shiro said and laughed breathily.

“Me too.” After a few moments of silence, Ketih landed the lion back in the castle. I helped Shiro stand up. Walking down the ramp was a struggle for him. He was so weak shaky, I was afraid that he would fall down. Luckily he managed to stay upright. He nodded and said hello to each of the Paladins, and we took him to shower and get cleaned up. Keith helped with that, me being too dazed to be of any use. Shiro emerged wearing clean clothes and sporting a new haircut. I helped him to his room.

“Stay,” he murmured when I helped him lay down. Of course I would stay. In fact, I would never leave his side again.

Shiro insisted on hearing my story before he went to sleep, so I recounted my journey to him: being stuck in another universe, my teammates dying, meeting Slav and Sven, being found by Keith and going back with him, finding out he was missing... I described to him how I felt while trying to find him. I told him about the tug I felt in my heart and how I knew he was alive through that. “And then today, I felt so anxious, I think I knew I needed to find you as soon as possible. It’s like my soul knew you were in trouble. And... in finding you, I think that... in whatever universe, my soul will find you.”

Shiro smiled and kissed me softly. Soon we were asleep, comfortable in each other’s arms. I was so relieved that the weight on my chest was gone. I had survived, I’d found Shiro, and even though my teammates were dead, I wouldn’t have this ending any other way.

#vld #voltron #shiro #takashi #shirogane #x reader #imagine #scenario #fluff #reunion #prompt #black lion #black paladin #black #lion #paladin #paladins #lions

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kqduane · 6 years ago

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U. S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, 64 – Massachusetts Democrat

Ms. Warren is another influencial radical, second-wave feminist who thrives on irrational lies and is incapable of connecting-the-dots in order to determine the falsehoods that underpin her bizarre assumptions. And the reason? She has adopted the Marxist infused ideology of radical, second-wave feminism, as her bible.

Radical, second-wave feminism is notoriously successful at diffusing the truth, especially for women who are susceptible to their socialist way of thinking. And in 1970, Ms. Warren was that perfect young, female patsy – white, middle-class and one of the oldest female baby boomers, having been born in 1949.

Ms. Warren followed radical feminism’s handbook almost from Day 1. She married her high school sweetheart Jim Warren in 1968, just as feminism was coming of age. But soon after having her two de rigueur children, Warren began to veer away from home.

Soon after graduating from Rutgers University Law School, she began teaching law at Rutgers in 1977, divorced her inconvenient engineer husband in 1978, married another lawyer, Bruce Mann (but kept her surname) and never looked back.

Concerning her first marriage (to the now deceased Jim Warren) she would say that he was “not a bad guy.” But, it was the 1970s and she was the mom, which, thanks to radical, second-wave feminism, was no longer enough.

Later, Warren would again write about her first husband, “He had married a nineteen-year-old girl, and she hadn’t grown into the woman we had both expected. I was very, very sorry, but I couldn’t change what I had become (a radical, second-wave feminist). I was supposed to be the Betty Crocker award winner, but I set things on fire.” Typical snarky feminist remark.

Concerning her second marriage —- as soon as her Aunt Bee agreed to come and care for her two little children (so that Warren could keep teaching law), she filed for divorce. Not surprisingly, Warren was already involved with Bruce Mann. They had met earlier at a reception for a conference on law and economics in Florida.

Elizabeth Warren and Bruce Mann’s wedding day

The very timid Mann, who had never been married, was immediately smittened by the outgoing Warren and would soon begin to fly to Warren’s home on the weekends. Elizabeth Warren and Bruce Mann would be married within six months of her divorce. And, Aunt Bee? She would stay for the next 15 years.

So, in less than 10 years, Warren was transformed, by radical feminism, from a stay-at-home mom to a full-blown radical, second-wave feminist. She was the product of the feminist-imbued 1970s, jettisoning the traditional values of her Christian faith along the way and adopting radical feminism’s ideology in its place, becoming a liberated, self-centered, free-love, divorced, “career” woman instead.

According the radical feminism, Warren “had it all” – a “career” at a university that was looking for female law professors, a wimpy man (wife) waiting in the wings, and a babysitter for her inconvenient children. So now, it was truly, all-about-her.

In 1995, after having taught law at universities in Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania, the final transition to official radical, second-wave feminist would come when she began to vote Democrat. Somehow, I find it hard to believe that this was a coincidence, as she was made the Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard University at the exact same time. So now, she was now a full-fledged, radical, feminist “believer.”

Scott Brown

By 2011, Warren was no longer content to spread feminist ideology, just to the young. She decided to expand her sphere of influence and enter politics. She chose to run, as a Democrat, for one of the two U.S. Senate seats in Massachusetts. This race would be against Republican Senator Scott Brown, who won a special election in 2010 to complete the remainder of the term of deceased Ted Kennedy.

Unfortunately, the highly touted Scott Brown, who was the first Republican elected to the U. S. Senate from Massachusetts since 1972, blew his credibility when he crossed party lines on many major issues. He voted for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the START Treaty and a $13 billion payroll-tax exemption for employers willing to hire unemployed workers.

Brown also voted against Republican Paul Ryan’s plan to overhaul Medicare. And then voted to support taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood and the two month extension of unemployment benefits. All of which a majority of Republicans, especially the leadership, opposed. As a result, Brown’s strong support from the Tea Party, in his 2010 bid for Kennedy’s seat, all but disappeared and Warren won the 2012 election by a margin of 53% to 47%.

Former Republican Senator from Massachusetts – Scott Brown

Elizabeth Warren and her husband Bruce Mann

Warren’s campaign would begin to expose her devious nature and her inability to stick with the truth.

1. It began with her daughter, Amelia Warren Tyagi’s, efforts to manipulate the race. Her company, Demos.org sued the state of Massachusetts to enforce the National Voter Registration Act. The state settled and mailed voter registration forms to welfare recipients. Sen. Brown claimed this was done to boost Democrat voter numbers and to increase the turnout for Warren.

Amelia Warren Tyagi

Amelia Warren Tyagi and Associates

Demos.org

Pauline Reed Herring and her daughter Elizabeth

2. Then it was revealed that she had lied on employment forms and law teaching directories when she claimed to have Native American (Cherokee and Delaware) ancestry on her mother’s (Pauline Reed Herring) side of the family. It would soon be shown that her claims were based only on family lore and that there was no documentation, or evidence, to prove her assertions. In fact, no one who attended her mother’s funeral in 1995, or her three older brothers, or her two children have come forward to corroborate Ms. Warren’s, “I’m a minority. Give me special treatment”, story.

3. Warren also took liberties with the truth when she claimed to be the “first nursing mother to take a bar exam in the state of New Jersey.” Oh please. How pathetic that she resorts to fabrications on this low level. She reminds me of Texas gubernatorial candidate Sen. Wendy Davis’s pathetic pattern of inconsequential lies.

4. Once elected, Warren’s one-sided, radical, second-wave feminist views on capitalism, and the Christian businessmen whose monumental efforts sustain it, would continue to color her politics when she was quoted as saying – “You Didn’t Built It.”

“I hear all this, you know, ‘Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever.’ No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory — and hire someone to protect against this — because of the work the rest of us did. Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”

Obviously, every American is provided with those same “advantages” and yet very few men are capable of creating a thriving, successful business. And their success has nothing to do with the roads and everything to do with the talent, tenacity, trustworthiness, character, ambition, honesty and the drive each man brings to his business every day! Only a radical, second-wave feminist, who has been trained to abhor strong men in general, and strong, successful, Christian men in particular, could come to such an outlandish, irrational, and socialist conclusion.

Bill Gates – Microsoft

Donald Trump

Steve Jobs – Apple

5. Now lets talk about Warren’s minimum wage IQ. I can’t even decipher her twisted views on this topic. But basically she thinks that the minimum wage should be around $22.00 per hour, based on “economic developments” since the 1960s. And since it’s only $7.25, she claims the missing $14.75 was “stolen” by those baaaadd male employers. If you want to torture yourself with her reasoning, click here Realclearpolitics.com

Larry Summers

6. Now let’s move on to why the Catholic Church will never allow women to become priests. Simply put, women can’t keep a confidence. And Ms. Warren’s stunning, and naive revelation, about her conversation with Larry Summers, shows that she doesn’t even know enough to keep a confidence (given to her as a newbie) by very big “insider”. The very same Larry Summers, who at the time was the director of the National Economic Council and a top economic adviser to President Obama. She wrote the following in her book:

“After dinner, “Larry leaned back in his chair and offered me some advice. I had a choice. I could be an insider or I could be an outsider. Outsiders can say whatever they want. But people on the inside don’t listen to them. Insiders, however, get lots of access and a chance to push their ideas. People — powerful people — listen to what they have to say. But insiders also understand one unbreakable rule: They don’t criticize other insiders.”

Granted, I’m not the least bit impressed with Mr. Summers legacy, but, as a Progressive, Ms. Warren should be. So, why did she do it?

Well, being a feminist first, this deliberate betrayal has to have its roots in radical feminism once again. Hummm? But, of course! This Larry Summers is the very same Larry Summers who was ousted as President of Harvard (while Ms. Warren was employed there) because he had the unmitigated gall to speak the truth about the statistical disparity between men and women and their mathematical abilities. This is what he said while speaking at the National Bureau of Economic Research conference in 2005:

“It does appear that on many, many different human attributes—height, weight, propensity for criminality, overall IQ, mathematical ability, scientific ability—there is relatively clear evidence that whatever the difference in means—which can be debated—there is a difference in the standard deviation, and variability of a male and a female population.”

Remember, radical feminists are feminists first and foremost and they reserve their greatest ire for those who refuse to maintain the smoke screen of lies surrounding their ideology, especially when it comes to the radical feminist high jinx, concerning the “equality of the sexes.” Mr. Summers overlooked this little detail and now we know why Warren threw him under the bus.

7. Now for her claim that interest rates on government issued student loans are “morally wrong.” Despite Ms. Warren’s claim that she is a consumer finance expert, she fails to connect the dots on the simple fact that if the kids, who take out the loans, don’t pay something for the privilege, the taxpayers will have to pick up the slack! AGAIN! Considering the fact that, even with the kids interest payments included, the government’s student loan “program” is already one billion dollars in debt, Warren’s comment is upside-down, off-the-charts, socialist, STUPID!

8. In her misguided efforts to get the minimum wage raised again, Warren tweeted that it “no longer keeps a mom and her baby out of poverty.” What? It never kept single mothers (aka. radical feminists) out of poverty because it was never intended to support a mother and her children. Moms and their children are not a viable economic unit under any circumstances. That’s why God invented fathers! The minimum wage was originally intended for entry-level jobs for unskilled teenagers, period. And for Warren to claim otherwise is just plain dishonest (something at which she excels).

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

It is rumored that Warren is considering a run for the Presidency in 2016. She better reconsider because there’s just too many of her own quotes to use against her. Shall we continue?

The following is a list of more preposterous quotes from Warren which were put together by thedailybanter.com in 2013.

1. “People feel like the system is rigged against them, and here is the painful part, they’re right. The system is rigged.” (It is rigged against average people – by politicians like radical feminist, and socialist, Elizabeth Warren. kqd)

2. “If there had been a Financial Product Safety Commission in place 10 years ago, the current financial crisis would have been averted.” (OMG. What a simpleton. The financial crisis was deliberately caused by financial ditz’ s Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank (Heads of Federal Banking Committee) who relaxed the banking regs which caused a feeding frenzy in the industry.kqd)

Sen. Chuck Schumer, 64 NY

Sen. Chris Dodd – Conn, (D)

Rep. Barney Frank – Mass. (D)

3. “You built a factory out there, good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads that the rest of us paid for. You hired workers that the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for.” (Duh, again. kqd)

4. “Look around. Oil companies guzzle down the billions in profits. Billionaires pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries, and Wall Street CEOs, the same ones the direct our economy and destroyed millions of jobs still strut around Congress, no shame, demanding favors, and acting like we should thank them. Does anyone here have a problem with that?” (WHAT? Radical feminist ideology again. Capitalists don’t destroy jobs, they create them!!! Plus, they are the primary supply line for the taxes on which the government functions! What an arrogant dope! kqd)

75,000 employees

255,000 employees

4,700 gas stations

5. “I do not understand how it is that financial institutions could think that they could take taxpayer money and then turn around and act like it’s business as usual. I don’t understand how they can’t see that the world has changed in a fundamental way, that it is not business as usual when you take taxpayer dollars.” (Well, maybe this would be true, if it weren’t for the fact that the incompetent, meddling GOVERNMENT REGULATORS initiated the meltdown that the banking industry endured. kqd)

Sen. Chuck Schumer, 64 NY

Sen. Chris Dodd – Conn, (D)

Rep. Barney Frank – Mass. (D)

Mitt Romney – Former Massachusetts Governor, Christian and co-founder of Bain Capitol Investment Firm

6. “Mitt Romney is the guy who said corporations are people. No, Governor Romney, corporations are not people.” (OK. I’m not even going to respond to this totally absurd comment. kqd)

7. “You didn’t have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything in your factory and hire someone to protect against this because of the work the rest of us did.” (A repeat. For radical, second-wave feminists, the “battle” never ends – radical feminist vs. Christian men, over and over again. kqd)

8. “In a democracy, hostage tactics are the last resort for those who can’t win their fights through elections, can’t win their fights in Congress, can’t win their fights for the presidency, and can’t win their fights in the courts. For this right-wing minority, hostage taking is all they have left, a last gasp for those who cannot cope with the realities of our democracy.” (Hostage tactics? Cannot cope with the realities of our democracy? Come on. I don’t think so. Warren and her ilk are the ones who are trashing democracy. It’s very difficult to win when the system is rigged against the productive Christian businessmen, by influential lesbian-led, radical, second-wave feminists, like political hack Ms. Warren, and her socialist cohorts, who are in cahoots with atheists like the vindictive, litigious Atty. Mikey Weinstein. It’s time for Christian men to FIGHT BACK. kqd)

9. “If you’re caught with an ounce of cocaine, the chances are good you’re going to jail….Evidently, if you launder nearly a billion dollars for drug cartels and violate our international sanctions, your company pays a fine and you go home and sleep in your own bed at night.” (Only if he’s, i.e. a friend of Democrat Eric Holder/Bill Clinton. kqd)

Eric Holder

Bill Clinton

Marc Rich

10. “Nobody’s safe. Health insurance? That didn’t protect 1 million Americans who were financially ruined by illness or medical bills last year.” (OMG! Alert! Alert! Nobody’s safe! – The truth is that nobody’s safe because radical, second-wave feminist Elizabeth Warren is roaming the halls of Congress and, the truth is, she knows EXACTLY what she’s up to! Beware. If the Christian men don’t stop her soon, she’ll throw us all under the bus! kqd) Current EVEntS – Radical, Second-Wave Feminist Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mass (D) – Just Doesn’t Get It, or Does She? U. S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, 64 - Massachusetts Democrat Ms. Warren is another influencial radical, second-wave feminist who thrives on irrational lies and is incapable of connecting-the-dots in order to determine the falsehoods that underpin her bizarre assumptions.

#Christianity #Employment #Family #Feminism #kqduane.com #Lifestyle #Marriage #Men #Politics #Sen. Elizabeth Warren #Socialism #Women #Workplace #WPlongform

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aionimica · 7 years ago

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Knights and Princes, a Kylo Ren character meta

So I want to take a second to talk about how Kylo Ren is both the culmination and subversion of two of my all time favorite character types: the knight in shining armor and the prince.

You have the fairy tale prince who comes from a place on high, who is bestowed with wealth and good will who seeks to destroy the monsters in order to rescue the princess and become King. Pretty straightforward, usually a pretty boy with mild to none character except that he Loves Well and is Good. Honestly you just have to look at Disney’s prince lineup to know what this character archetype look like. Not a whole lot of variation.

And then you have the knight. The man burdened with purpose and creed who is set out to achieve a goal. He is loyal to a fault and few, if any, things can sway him from his goal. He is strong and trustworthy, the image of knights of old, who do nothing but good deeds because they are good men and who want to spread good. They rescue maidens and slay dragons because that is what they do. They are the Lancelots and Obi-Wans of the world, who stand as the vanguard against evil.

Obviously Kylo is not the Good portrayal of either of these and I think that’s what makes him so fascinating. He is the son of Princess Leia, the heir to the throne of Alderaan who grew up in a time of political upheaval where his mother was a galactic head of state. He is the son of war heroes in a time when heroes were needed. Not to mention that from a Force perspective, he was the heir to a legacy as great and mighty and bloody as the stars in the sky.

But he grew up in that world. He grew up learning to be a prince -- maybe (obviously) not a good prince -- but there is no way that he would have been able to escape it. He grew up knowing he was different, a scion of a new time, and yet he was powerless to do anything about it. He didn’t want to be the fairy tale that his world wanted to make him into. He saw darkness in places where there shouldn’t be and was unable to deny that part of himself.

And so he didn’t. He could have grown into a Jedi Knight, a new version of the guardians of peace, but again, he looked at that legacy and chose a different path. Chose might be a weak word here, rather, he carved himself a new path against the wishes of others. He saw his role as a prince and knight and took them and corrupted them and made them into his own mantle, one that he could be proud of.

But it in the eyes of the First Order, he succeeded. (And i’m not even bringing in his costume design here: how in TFA he looks like a Knights Templar with the robes and broadsword cross guard, and how in TLJ it looks like the tunic of a stately prince) He is the shining son who leads his people into battle and cannot fail, the midnight star who leads the charge forward. Kylo does not watch from the sidelines; he fights on the ground with his men, rallying them to his cause. He is the perfect example of a Knight from their perspective: you couldn’t ask for a better exemplar of a man so lost in his search for belonging that he gave himself for his creed.

But then you factor in Rey.

And I only bring her in because a prince does not have his own story without a princess to chase or a knight who has a girl he must seek. And while Rey isn’t a princess per say, in the way these two have interacted with each other so far, she is a princess (a person of value and desire and strength) in Kylo Ren’s eye.

But Kylo is not simply a beast who needs to be redeemed before he can take up his mantle as prince. He IS a prince, who walks a different line, and yet he still is not immune to the calls of a girl he doesn’t understand. He is not just a knight who has realized his creed is a lie and who now must walk the long journey home alone; no he was the Knight who knows his creed is a lie, but who burned his home so he has no choice left but to follow it. But then he meets the girl who sees him without his mask and who stands at his equal -- a girl who makes him kneel as she disarms him with a snarl.

Kylo Ren is the corrupted prince and the fallen knight, the son cast from his family for transgressions he believes are unforgivable. He is the fallen son of Alderaan and the Jedi Knight who ruined it all in a perfect mirror of the grandfather he so adores. He is the combination of both: at once the perfect prince and the sundered child; the holy knight and the broken relic. He has denied so much of who he is and now, less than a few days until the Last Jedi, we can hope he can find the balance between them.

#kylo ren #star wars meta #kylo ren meta #ben solo #reylo #rey #the force awakens #the last jedi #I love this character so much you guys #and I didnt even go into his character design BUT I COULD BUT I DIDNT #MARVEL AT MY SELF CONTROL

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theawkwardterrier · 8 years ago

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The Greatest Virtue (the greatest fault)

Steggy Positivity Week, day 2 Prompt: AU or Crossover

Summary: News never rests. Even when it gets in the way of relationships.

AO3 link here.

Their desks press against each other. Before Steve came, Yauch had sat across from her, and before him, Hodge. She’d been just about to complain about who was doing the hiring, picking up weak reporters and bullying ones, none of whom even bothered to stick around for very long. And then Steve had come in with a box in his arms and a messenger bag over one shoulder, and said, “I think they said this was mine.”

Of course, Peggy had told him dryly, “Your investigative skills are clearly excellent,” and subtly watched him unpack his things. She refused to raise her expectations simply because he was pretty.

He had just arrived in the city, two weeks after he’d been switched to the Washington bureau from the crime department back in New York, but he already seemed to know the others in the newsroom, Thompson and Rose and Sousa, from old beats and bylines. Peggy doesn’t talk to him particularly often, but she finds that he has a quietly sharp sense of humor, a good manner in interviews, and an admirable work ethic. He’s moved from a general internship, to the art desk, and then to crime before getting to DC; it’s a path that requires either talent and effort, or nepotism, and Steve Rogers, as far as she’s been able to ascertain, isn’t getting preferential treatment and wouldn’t want it.

“Hey,” he says one day, reaching to tap the edge of her desk. “You have an in with a guy in the mayor’s office, right?”

She looks up. “How do you know that?”

“Well, you came up through City, so you know how to cultivate them, and your articles always have good scoop from there. I always get the party line.” Something, a nervousness, crosses his face, as though noting things about her and her writing is off-limits, an awkward invasion of privacy.

“I have someone,” she says brusquely, covering. “What are you writing?”

“I got a tip that they’re doing something big to try and bring back the DC statehood movement. I’m trying to float a story.”

“Well, you can use my source, but I’m coming with you.” She stands, grabbing her coat off the chair.

He scrambles after her. “What?”

“Phillips complains every year that his vote doesn’t count for enough. If it’s going to be a series, I want in.”

You don’t let yourself get scooped, especially when you’re the newest on staff. She knows that he knows that. He follows her anyway.

She’s not exactly sentimental, but when she sees a copy of their first article, both of their names in the byline, she tucks it away in her desk.

“Hey. Hey!” Steve lifts his hands, trying to block her. “What the hell are you hitting me for?”

“I’m hitting you because you deserve it for absolutely missing the point!” Peggy says, half laughing. It’s a pain to reach him from where she’s reclining on the sofa, her feet up on the arm, but she manages it.

They’re the only two left in their part of the office on a dead Sunday night. Peggy’s picking over a story of Steve’s that he has to get submitted before deadline so the editors don’t storm the newsroom. She’d been there anyway, waiting up for a statement from the office of the Secretary of Agriculture, even though she knows the only thing it will say is, “Our department is investigating further, and working closely with the FDA and USDA to resolve the issue.”

“Okay, I’ll do a follow up. Now let me file my story.”

As he stands, and leaves the break room, still fending her off, she calls after him, “It’ll have to start, ‘My tremendous colleague Peggy Carter made me realize–’”

He tries to talk over her, still laughing. “‘I was browbeaten into this by someone I once considered a– Hey, your phone’s ringing.”

“Excellent.” She slides into her shoes and moves quickly to her desk. “Maybe I’ll actually get home at an hour that won’t have my neighbors spreading nefarious rumors about me.” Steve, distracted entering final changes, still smiles but looks skeptical; he’s heard about her neighbors. She answers her phone on a breath. “Peggy Carter.”

It becomes clear almost immediately that it isn’t some harassed Agriculture staffer. “Sir,” she says as soon as she can. “I believe that one of our military reporters might be better equipped to use this information. I’ll be happy to transfer you.” Sam Wilson is good, and he’s stateside again. She goes to look up his number.

“No,” says the man on the phone gruffly. “Yours wasn’t just the first name in the phone book. I’ve liked your stuff, Carter. Start writing.”

She finds that she has already set herself up to take notes. She starts writing.

The call lasts around twenty minutes. Steve, his article finished, is just watching her by the end, with some intensity, but also the barely disguised wonder she so often sees when he looks at her. When she hangs up, she flips back through what she’s taken down.

“I think I might have something,” she says, finally looking up at Steve. His face is professional again. She might not say ‘something big,’ but she doesn’t have to. “A few weeks ago, we ran a short story about casualties in Afghanistan, a group of soldiers killed in an apparent raid.”

“Yeah, I remember it. Mostly about how the war there has been almost forgotten because of everything else going on.”

“Yes. But that might have been just what the army was hoping for. Apparently the raid was a coverup for some kind of accident. He–” She tilts her head to indicate the phone. “Obviously he’ll have to be checked out, but if I can corroborate what he’s said, this will be...significant.”

Steve slides his chair over so he can look at her directly without his computer in the way. “What’s he say?”

“That the soldiers were killed by malfunctioning equipment, but nothing standard. Apparently, a one star general–” She checks her notes. “McGinnis, decided to field test some experimental weaponry without permission. It obviously wasn’t ready.” His brow and mouth are setting back into skepticism, but a more businesslike type now, a reporter’s skepticism. “I checked while I was listening.” She turns her computer to face him, showing a picture of a strict looking man in uniform. “General McGinnis was discharged several weeks after the apparent incident. He was career military. He should have had fifteen more years, and been aiming for more brass.”

Steve says, “Sure, but there’re plenty of reasons he could have left.”

And only because it’s Steve, looking for a good-faith discussion, doubtful because it’s his job, rather than because he doesn’t think that she’s good enough to have thought these things through she takes a breath and say, “Of course. But wouldn’t you like to find out?”

They bring in Wilson after all, use him for good military information and to help vet their source, a loud and idiosyncratic but seemingly trustworthy special forces corporal. There’s quite a bit of dirt on McGinnis, even if this particular allegation doesn’t turn out to be true.

“Not enough for its own piece, unfortunately,” Peggy remarks as they maneuver a busy street beside each other on their way to meet another of Sam’s contacts. “If we filled the paper with every minor military misdemeanor, we’d have no room to report on anything else.”

“Well,” says Steve, hands in his pockets, “we’ll just have to make this one count.” She pretends not to see the trusting, admiring way he looks at her; she pretends that it doesn’t light her up inside. He holds the door open for her and they enter the quiet coffee shop.

They’ve both seen Colonel Rhodes on television. Even as he sits in civilian clothing at the cafe table, he looks somehow solid and comforting, just the kind of person you would want delivering bad news.

“This isn’t the kind of meeting I usually have with the press,” he says once they’ve settled at the table.

“We’re much less likely to shout out questions at you here,” Peggy tells him.

Rhodes lifts his eyebrows in a shrug. “Guess I’m in luck.” He takes a drink. “You understand that I can’t have my name on any of this?”

“Deep background. ‘A highly placed military source’ at most, if you’ll agree to it,” Steve reassures him, leaning forward with his notebook prepared.

“Good.” He takes a breath. “I’ve always known that things in the service are far from perfect, and that my work has a lot to do with changing things from within. But usually there’s at least elements of a system to correct. If nothing else, we’re usually good for authority.” He shakes his head. “McGinnis is something else. As far as I can tell, they covered up the things he did early on, smaller stuff, and now they can’t come forward with something big like this. It’s a major problem.”

“That’s your take from a PR standpoint?”

“That’s my take from a human standpoint. But no, it wouldn’t look good either, especially now that they’ve put out a false story.”

“You have confirmation of the dead? Injury reports?” Peggy asked.

“There’s a lot of speculation that can be made from the closed caskets, and the speed of the investigation, and how damn fast they got McGinnis out of there. It’s all suspicious, but there’s no real proof. What I will say is that the weaponry was stolen from Stark Industries. Tony Stark–” He shakes his head ruefully. “He’ll talk to you. Until you wish he wouldn’t. All on the record.”

Steve looks up from his notes. “Stark recently split with the government, withdrew from his contracts. Is this why?”

At Rhodes’s nod, Peggy asks, “Everyone knows that Tony Stark isn’t exactly quiet, and he knows how to get publicity. Why didn’t he say anything?”

“Tony...He’s gotten a little cynical about these kinds of things. He pulled out his support and I know he’ll be willing to talk, but I think he didn’t think that too many people would care.”

The bell on the door jingles. A woman walks in, and they all pause, trying to look casual. Once she’s gone to the counter to order, Peggy says, “We can certainly make them care, but we’re going to need more precise details about the incident itself.”

“This is what I can give you. A full listing of the men under McGinnis’s command.” It’s clear for the first time that Rhodes has served as a source before. He doesn’t try to slide it under the table, or look both ways and then try a handoff. He just puts it on the table, facing toward them. Peggy and Steve both lean forward to read it.

He doesn’t say anything, but Peggy can feel the second Steve’s body goes stiff. He remains professional but stays nearly silent for the rest of the meeting.

“What’s the matter?” she asks immediately after exiting the coffee shop into a misty drizzle. When he doesn’t answer, she continues. “Rhodes seems trustworthy. We’re going to have to take this to Phillips soon, so if you have some reservation–”

“I know someone on the list.”

Just saying the words seems to take something out of him, choking and painful. Peggy stops and pulls Steve into the doorway of a closed laundromat. She has the feeling that this is not a conversation suitable for a walk-and-talk. “Explain.”

“My best friend, he just came back from overseas. He doesn’t talk a lot about what happened, but I knew it was bad.” Steve swallows. “We all figured the discharge was because of his arm, but I don’t know anymore. Maybe it was because of McGinnis. Maybe he only got to come home as part of a coverup.”

“What about his arm?”

Steve looks at her steadily. “He doesn’t have it anymore.” Peggy tucks her fists into the pockets of her trench coat. She doesn’t look away. “I want McGinnis charged, I want to make sure it happens, but I can’t be involved anymore. He’s my best friend, Peggy. Ethically, it isn’t just something I can wave away in a parenthetical. Even if it was, I won’t make him talk about it. If this is true, a commanding officer lost him his arm and his friends. If I ask him to talk then he’ll do it. I’m supposed to help him get his life back, not make him put his picture next to the headline news about the worst thing that’s ever happened to him.”

“Every person we interview,” Peggy points out, “has friends and relatives. Many of them are discussing terrible incidents in their lives. You must have realized that.”

Steve turns away. “Of course I know that. But this is–” He breaks off, regroups. “The source gave the story to you anyway. I can’t do it anymore.” He steps out of the doorway. It has started to rain harder. He pulls his collar up. “I’m going to go back. Phillips wanted a draft on congressional staffing numbers by tonight.”

Still sheltered by the doorway, Peggy watches as he walks away.

“Shepherd’s pie, and I added a cup of chicken soup on the house because it’s still cats and dogs out there,” Angie says, setting the food on the table and taking out her pad. “Where’s Steve, anyway? Been a while since you were in here alone.”

“Steve?” Peggy absently stirs at her soup. “He’s working.”

“Uh huh,” Angie says, scrutinizing her for a moment, before calling over her shoulder into the kitchen, “Luce, I’m taking a break!” loudly enough that the one other customer in the place this late winces. Angie shrugs and sits in the booth across from Peggy. “So what’s the problem?”

Peggy smiles ruefully. “One of those things I can’t really talk about, I’m afraid.”

“You’re pretty smart, Peg. I think you can find a way.”

Peggy eats a few spoonfuls of soup. After a moment she says, “There was something we were working on, and it turns out that if we were to continue following on our current path, we would likely end up hurting Steve and people he cares about. But the piece that we were working on...it’s important. And I’m not sure how to do it justice without causing pain to Steve and his friend.”

Angie rests her chin in her hand. “Huh. I see why it’s a problem. But I think we both know that Steve’s one of the good ones. He knows how much your job means to you, and how good you are at it. And if he was working on this with you, he knows how important it is. Whatever you decide, I think he’ll forgive you.”

Peggy pictures Steve’s steady gaze (“He doesn’t have it anymore.”), his head soaked by rain because he couldn’t bear to talk with her. “I’m not sure he will. Not completely.” The idea of losing it all, her ease with Steve, their natural interviews and automatic editing of each other’s work, their laughing late nights in the office, all the pieces of their friendship, all the possibility of more, holds a cloudy sort of unbearability.

“Peg.” Angie lowers her voice a bit, covers Peggy hand with her own. “You know he’s crazy about you, don’t you?”

“Yes.” To her embarrassment, Peggy finds her voice wavering a bit. “But he’s the type of person who’s loyal enough to put that aside for a friend. I don’t think I would feel the same way about him if he wasn’t.”

Ignoring the signal of the customer at the counter, Angie slides over to put an arm around Peggy. Her uniform smells, not unpleasantly, of pancake batter and salad dressing. “Then either you have to decide if this story is more important to you than Steve, or you have to figure out a way to have both.”

“I can always come to you for advice,” Peggy says with a light, slightly watery laugh. She lets herself sit with Angie, listening to the rain and feeling the heat of her soup bowl against her palms, waiting for a plan to come. Then she gets to work.

Despite her umbrella and her raincoat, Peggy arrives back at the office unpleasantly damp. Steve’s the only one there; his desk looks somehow imbalanced and lonely although nothing’s changed about it.

He sits up as she comes over to him. She sees his smudgy eyes and his familiar late-night slouch.

“Peggy.” He sounds somehow exhausted and surprised and pleased all together.

“I’ve called Sousa, and Sam,” she says. “They’re going to be leads on the story. I’ll be consulting and covering the White House angle.”

Steve’s mouth works. “You gave it up?”

“I handed it over to responsible reporters who would do it justice,” she corrects, perching on the corner of his desk. “And I removed a conflict of interest.” She catches his eyes very deliberately. “I know that you don’t want anyone talking to your friend. But despite what you may want, he is a witness. I’m sorry he’s part of the story, but this is something that happened to him. However, it doesn’t need to be me questioning him about it. I– I value you, Steve. As a partner and a friend and…”

“And?” he prompts immediately.

She shakes her head. This is a dangerous conversation to have with Steve, her deskmate, her friend. But somehow, all she feels is a champagne of eagerness. “Your investigative skills clearly have not improved if you can’t figure it out,” she tells him primly.

“If you’re going to insult me,” he says, leaning toward her, “at least do it fairly.”

When he kisses her, she’s immeasurably glad that no one is around to see. They work in a newsroom, after all, and if it looks nearly as giddy as it feels, they would make the front page.

#Steggyweek2k17 #Steggy fic #Steggy au #Steve Rogers #Peggy Carter #(clearly I am going to be late for every one of these)

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thedancingcow · 8 years ago

Text

I have a lot of feelings about Natasha meeting the Bartons and struggling to relate to them and finally feeling comfortable being accepted as a part of the family, and I released those feels into something that resembles a fic thing. Also, I found this sitting in my drafts, and it’s been there for like a year and a half? Sorry to keep such a literary masterpiece from you, world.

Read on AO3.

Clint Barton is sent to kill the infamous assassin known as the Black Widow, and instead he finds a barely out of her teens waif named Natalia Romanova, and honestly, what the fuck, Nick? But Nick just shrugs, knowing if anyone would disobey orders and find the humanity in a made-man monster, it would be Clint Barton, and if that works out to everyone’s advantage, especially to the little monster girl’s benefit, then that suits him just fine, but he certainly hadn’t planned it that way, no, sir. Of course, it’s not as easy as a “Welcome to SHIELD” orientation tour and handing out a badge and top level security clearance. Natasha, that��s what she’s going by now, please, has got a lot of shit to work through before anyone will leave her in a room without armed supervision, let alone put a gun in her hand.

Clint might have seen good in her and trusted her enough to bring her in, but he keeps some level of professional distance. He’s not about to trust her with anything personal, certainly not his family, not until he’s sure she’s stable and in control of her actions, has been thoroughly deprogrammed, is fit for duty, and has shown her reliability and commitment in the field. He leaves the deconditioning and resocialization to the professionals, but he visits on the regular, giving his support.

After she’s cleared for duty, she proves herself to him quickly. She's dependable, efficient, trustworthy, all the things you need in a partner. She regularly cracks his ass up with her wicked sense of humor and, most important of all (or so he's been told), calls him out on his shit. For all her darkness and damage, there's an inherent goodness in her, a compassion that survived in the worst conditions, finally given a chance to thrive. He couldn't imagine making a different call.

He eventually makes a decision to tell her about his family, something only a select few know about, and he sees a storm of emotion in her eyes. Caution, confusion, gratitude. Wonder. That he would trust her with something so precious. She promises his secret is safe with her and that nothing will happen to his family on her watch. If possible, she becomes even more diligent in making sure he gets out of missions alive and unharmed.

A year or two in, she’s saved his ass so many times, and he thinks it’s time to show her what it means, what she’s making sure he goes home to. He figures it would do her some good since, understatement of the year, she isn’t exactly the most well-adjusted person he’s met. Which is saying something, because most of his interactions are with people who work for a top secret government security organization (in other words, a breeding ground for dysfunction), and a lot of them think he's the crazy one. What does that say about Natasha, who still subtly tests her food for poison every time she eats in the SHIELD cafeteria? He guesses it says a lot, because many of the agents and staff still tread carefully around her. She's got a reputation, and it suits her purposes in her work, but it can't be beneficial to her personal life or mental health. He wants her to see that her life doesn’t have to only be about the next mission. And she could use a few more people in her corner, especially people that aren’t paranoid secret agents.

He doesn’t spring it on her, because he knows she wouldn't find that to be the good kind of surprise, mostly because she doesn’t find any surprises to be the good kind, but he finally gets her after she’s been injured. He talks with her doctors, and they give her the choice to either stay in the medbay for another few days or to leave under his care. He knows it isn’t exactly a fair choice, she hates medical, and it still takes a lot of convincing, but he’ll take what he can get.

After spending a week in medical, Natasha is more than ready to take any opportunity to leave, even if it means finally giving in to Clint's incessant pestering. She regrets it the moment she limps through the door of a cozy farmhouse. Clint is at her side, more relaxed and content than she's ever seen him, and she's greeted by a gentle looking woman with a kind smile and a toddler tucked in her arms, and she is terrified. Clint, she thinks, is the biggest idiot of all for letting her anywhere near his family, and this Laura must be so utterly naive to trust his fool’s judgement. Don’t they know she will hurt them?

It’s easy to turn the recriminations towards them: what kind of parents would let her into their home, near their child? How could they do that knowing what she was capable of? How could they be so irresponsible? There’s paranoia too: it’s a trap, they must want something from her, Clint isn’t who she thought he was, SHIELD isn’t what she thought it was. It passes, she knows this is real, couldn’t possibly be some conspiracy, but she remains on edge. She knows they aren’t to blame.

They aren’t the problem. She is.

The Bartons are nothing but jovial and attentive. Cooper becomes less shy and more curious, Laura keeps the conversation flowing, and Clint is all smiles having his favorite people together. They eat meatloaf and vegetables fresh from the garden, and it is the first home-cooked meal Natasha can remember having. Clint puts Cooper to bed, and then they sit on the front porch after dinner, chatting and drinking beer and watching the sun set. It’s all very domestic.

Natasha retires early, claiming exhaustion from the drive and her injuries. She doesn’t sleep that night. Instead, she lays awake in the guest bedroom wishing she had handcuffs. She thought she’d grown out of it, this safety blanket. But it’s a different feeling driving it now, it’s not about making her feel safe, it’s about feeling like others are safe from her. So she fashions a restraint with the lamp cord to tie herself to the headboard, though she knows it can’t stop her from walking into Cooper’s room and smothering him. If they only knew what was in her head, the sick, violent thoughts that flashed through her mind, they wouldn’t be smiling at her across the dinner table. They wouldn’t want her there, wouldn’t allow her near anyone’s children. They would lock her away or put her down like she deserves.

And yet, Clint always invites her back, and Laura always smiles at her, and Cooper always tugs on her hand to come play. And she can’t help but find herself wanting to go back, wanting to be surrounded by the comfort and support and love in this family.

Natasha thinks Laura Barton is open and kind and generous, and she is right, but Laura is not naive. As much as she trusts Clint and Nick’s instincts and intuition, she would never let an infamous assassin into her home and near her child without making up her own mind first. She wasn't pleased to learn that her husband risked his career, his freedom, and possibly his life to bring in a fearful feral stray, but that’s also the kind of reckless compassion that made her fall in love with him. Clint tells her stories of his mission misadventures with his new partner, and she likes what she hears, finding herself respecting and admiring this woman she hasn’t met but that looms so large in her life. It helps that she’s saved Clint’s finely sculpted ass on numerous occasions, sometimes quite literally. Laura is very fond of that ass and would like to keep him around for a while longer. Natasha may not know it, but she earns herself brownie points with Laura long before they meet.

When they finally come face to face, Laura doesn’t find a callous monster or a spitting animal or even an irreparably broken human, just a guarded but vulnerable young woman trying to find herself after escaping a very cruel life. She doesn’t know the specifics of Natasha’s past, Clint hasn’t shared much out of respect for her privacy, and he doesn’t know everything either. But Laura knows enough, and she is sympathetic and happy to play a part in helping her, not out of pity and not just because it’s important to Clint, but because she grows to love Natasha for Natasha, her humor and intelligence and tenacity and her decency and goodness in the face of overwhelming odds, and she wants her to find some peace of mind. Maybe she doesn’t know all of who Natasha is, maybe Natasha doesn’t know all of who she is either, but Laura is glad to help her find out.

Clint says Laura has a way with her, and he marvels at how effortless it seems. For Laura, there’s nothing effortless about it. She’s helped care for the strays Clint’s brought home before, for Clint the stray himself, but this isn’t the same. Natasha in her natural state, or the closest thing to it, feels deadly in a way Clint never has. Laura never feels threatened, never thinks Natasha will hurt her or her family, but her presence can sometimes be unnerving and strange, no matter what mask she’s wearing. She feels guilty when the thought crosses her mind, that there’s something unnatural or robotic about her friend.

Most of all, it’s Natasha’s vulnerability and humanity that unnerves Laura the most, because she knows that’s where she can cause the most harm. She wants to help, but she isn’t a professional. She knows she makes the wrong move sometimes, crosses a line and drives Natasha away. It can be exhausting. It’s not that she feels as though she has to walk on eggshells around her, and she thinks she’s getting better at recognizing the fault lines and cracks, but she doesn’t want to make it worse. Is she causing more harm than good? Is it clear she’s acting out of empathy and love rather than pity? What if she’s giving off the impression that Natasha is some kind of fix-it project to her? Clint tells her Natasha is so much more at ease at the farmhouse, and she keeps coming back to them, so Laura can only hope she’s doing something right.

Natasha is uncomfortable around Laura at first. Though she does it quietly and seemingly without judgement, Laura is perceptive and shrewd and has a talent for reading people’s moods and anticipating their needs sometimes even before they realize what they need themselves. This seems to include Natasha, and it makes her uncomfortable, makes her feel like she’s failing. Has she really become such an open book? People shouldn’t be able to read her, but suddenly the list is growing: Clint, Nick, Laura. Sloppiness was always punished where she came from, and for good reason. It could get her and other people killed. The always creeping but no longer strangling paranoia in her questions if it’s part of a long con, an effort to lower her guard, but the rational part of her knows it’s ridiculous to think she’s worth so much effort. Perhaps this is just what it’s like to be surrounded by good people, to feel no need to hide anything because good people don’t take advantage of your vulnerabilities.

Natasha knows Laura can read when she’s faking, putting up a mask or relying on a previous cover to interact and socialize rather than just being herself. It comes to her naturally, like sliding into a well-worn jacket, and it’s disconcerting, the way Laura can recognize how something has changed sometimes before Natasha realizes she’s slipping. But it’s worse when Natasha trips into memories that couldn’t possibly be hers. During one dinner, as they laugh over stories of Laura’s Nana and her never-ending supply of pocket horehounds, Natasha finds herself wistfully describing the comfort of her grandmother’s cocoa on crisp winter days. While cleaning up, Laura takes her hand and says, “you know you can be yourself with us, right?” After the dishes are dried, Natasha walks out and doesn't come back until she's sure she never had a grandmother.

Laura doesn't say a word about the slipping again, goes along with the change or a story that doesn’t quite fit, but her brow furrows and expression darkens in concern. A small, strange part of Natasha almost worries she’s disappointing Laura when she reverts like that, and she wishes she could do better for her. But she doesn’t know how to tell her that it isn’t on purpose, that she isn’t trying to hide herself from Laura, she just isn’t sure who the real her is.

Laura reads her in other ways. Natasha often hesitates at simple questions, the kind that involve making a choice or having a preference. She could tell you Nadine Roman’s favorite color or Anastasia Shostakova’s cocktail of choice, but Natasha, just Natasha, has only begun to learn her likes and dislikes. Just Natasha has very little practice making choices for herself, and she sometimes finds herself overwhelmed. Laura seems to instinctually recognize this and changes her approach, moving away from open ended questions towards more direct, focused ones. “What would you like to drink?” becomes “would you like orange juice or milk with breakfast?” It’s a subtle shift, but Natasha sees what she’s doing and is grateful even through her embarrassment. A grown woman, she knows, should be able to decide what she wants for breakfast without hand holding, but it relieves some of her anxiety. Laura allows her to make an active choice without paralyzing her with options. Natasha learns that she prefers her orange juice with so much pulp it might as well still be surrounded by the peel and that she does not like nuts in baked goods.

Laura can also see that Natasha has no understanding of the meaning of downtime. She shakes her head, sighs as she finds Natasha sharpening knives at the dining room table, muttering that she’s worse than Clint and “at least he has his house projects to distract himself, as much as it drives me up the wall, assuming there’ll be any walls left when he’s done” and “c’mon, let’s get you to work” as she takes her outside and gives her tasks. The farm only produces enough to feed the family and barter with the folks in town, but it’s still a big job, and Laura says she'll gladly take another hand where she can get it. So she teaches Natasha how to fix the tractor and plant vegetables and milk the cow and feed the pigs and chickens. It helps ease some of Natasha’s restless tension, and Laura has more free time to work on her writing.

Laura’s there on the worst days too. When Natasha is laid out on the bathroom floor, shivering and feverish and nauseous, trying to remember things they clearly don’t want her to remember, it’s Laura that finds her, strokes her hair, keeps her grounded, as she struggles to distinguish who and where she is. When Natasha wakes up screaming at night, Laura doesn’t say a word about it in the morning, only asks if she’s ever painted before and would she like to try.

One day, Laura calls her a sister and were she not so well-trained, Natasha might have flinched. Natasha had sisters once, of a sort, but they were as much competition as a comfort, locked as they were into deadly rivalry. She’s laid awake at night waiting for a sister to slip her cuffs and stick a knife between her ribs. She’s killed her sisters, felt their bones break under her hand, washed their blood off her skin. But Laura doesn’t know that. Natasha thinks maybe she should, then they could both stop pretending. So she tells her, anticipating disgust and fear, but Laura only offers her love and understanding and a quiet fury towards the people who hurt her.

The Barton family grows a little bigger as the years go by. Natasha has a special bond with Cooper, because he’s there through it all, from the start when she’s at her worst, even if he doesn’t remember it. He helps her learn that she can be trusted with more than she ever thought she should. That she’s safe enough to hold a child. That she’s gentle enough and good enough and human enough for a child to love. For Cooper, Auntie Nat’s been his auntie for as long as he knows, reading him bed time stories and sneaking him sweets and being his trusty sidekick on adventures to save dragons and, when he gets a little older, geeking out over Minecraft with him and teaching him to code and even showing him some cool spy tricks that he’s tried at school to rousing success but to less success at home because his mom has the mom superpower of omniscience.

Natasha’s there for Lila Nicole Barton’s birth when Clint can’t be, off on a mission he can’t be pulled out of. Instead of her husband, Laura gets her other two favorite spies, alternatively pacing the room and holding her hand in nervous excitement. Laura tells her, ”this one is for Nick, but you’ll get the next one,” and Natasha scoffs and mutters something about pain-induced delirium, and she’ll never admit that her heart stutters at the thought. It’s different with Lila than it was with Coop when he was that young, because Natasha’s more settled in her new life and isn’t in the middle of growing pains and an identity crisis, and because Lila adores her from the moment her eyes open, and the feeling is mutual. For Lila, Auntie Nat gives warm hugs and scares the monsters away, she brings her pretty trinkets from around the world, and she jumps in the pond and catches frogs with her and holds her tight when they watch Disney movies, and if she’s too sad and quiet when they watch Lilo and Stitch again, Lila knows a sloppy kiss on the cheek will brighten her up.

It becomes both easier and harder for Natasha to be around the kids as they grow older. Easier, because she is more comfortable in her skin and more trusting of herself. Harder, because they reach the age she was while in the Red Room. Hardest with Lila, because sometimes when she looks at this innocent child, all she can think about are the ways people take little girls and use them and break them. She desperately wants to protect these children, but she sometimes has to stop herself because her threats aren’t their threats. The things that would have hurt her in the program, that would have gotten her punished, the weaknesses and vulnerabilities and imperfections, are just normal childhood things, and it’s something they’re allowed. It’s okay to let them cry and laugh and be loud and make mistakes and take up space and just be.

What the Room did to her was not okay, and she’s still struggling to break those habits. She wants to be better, and she’s trying, sometimes failing, and that’s allowed too, isn’t weakness. It’s strength. Or at least that’s what Laura tells her when she finds her curled up behind the tractor after she snapped at Lila for crying over a scrapped knee. Laura sits with her until she’s ready to go back in, holds her hand as they walk to the house. Clint smiles and puts a cup of tea in her hands. When she apologizes to Lila, the girl sniffs, hugs her, and refuses to be extracted from her lap for the rest of the night.

This is the feeling Madame meant, the feeling that could make an operative lose sight of obedience and duty. The feeling they thought they could cut out of her. The feeling they tried to erase by replacing it with guns and knives and calloused hands and the broken bodies of little girls at her feet. It’s love.

She still struggles with it sometimes, with the idea that she deserves it, even as she’s surrounded by love. After the Battle of New York, Natasha brings Clint back home to his family safe, though not entirely sound, and then she keeps her distance, not wanting to intrude on their healing. Laura is fed up with it, and that Christmas, she won’t take no for an answer. Natasha finds herself sitting by a tree with two kids clinging to her arms and tears in her eyes and an arrow around her neck, because arrows are a Barton family tradition, and when will she finally get it through her thick skull that she couldn’t possibly intrude on their family when she’s part of it?

Some days, Natasha thinks she’s more than earned a little peace, and she’s confident about who she is and her place in the world. The Barton family is her greatest comfort, and on good nights, she dreams of them smiling and laughing. Other days, she doubts she can ever be more than what she was manufactured for, and she wonders how anyone can love her when she was not made to be loved. The Barton family is her greatest fear, and on bad nights, she dreams of the farm burning and their screams as she lights the match.

But whatever kind of day she’s having, the Bartons are there, waiting for her, loving her, even when she’s not sure she deserves it. When Clint puts his arm around her shoulder and she has to slip away before it turns into a noogie, when she’s laughing with Laura as they run through the rain and mud after an escaped chicken, when Coop gives her a big wet kiss on the cheek even after she handily beats him at Mario Kart, when Lila creeps into her room after being put to bed because she has to tell her one more fact about butterflies before she can fall asleep, or when Nate blows spit bubbles at her and giggles. Those are good days, and they make the bad days better.

#natasha romanoff #black widow #laura barton #clint barton #barton family #mcu #fic #sort of fic #don't ask me about the tenses #i don't know what's happening #what's a beta?

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nedostajeminasaljubavmila · 6 years ago

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15 Things You Should Do In SEO 2019

SEO is definitely one of the most efficient actions you can take on the internet, getting your web site enhanced in a way that the particular search engines will reward a person by basically sending traffic your own path. Voice lookup is going to be a single of the main regions of concentrate for SEO in 2019 plus beyond. By 2019 mobile advertising will represent 72% of all US digital advertisement spending. These people should understand that SEO Internet marketing and advertising mandates a business website, given that it is a necessary on the web marketing tool. Eventually you can post these pages on various SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION sites or simply submit the particular web page so that the particular search engine spiders can get on your created content. The history of SEO will go back to the 90s whenever the search engines emerged regarding the first time. High quality content material is critical in any lengthy term SEO strategy. Successful SEO includes on-page strategies, which use intent-based key phrases; and off-page strategies, which gain inbound links from other sites. So, along with content marketing and advertising, SEO now must be deeply lined up with your company's PR initiatives. Information will be a good introduction to and summary of research engine optimization (SEO), a massively important tactic for driving visitors to your blog. There is usually a wide range of misinformation about exactly what an SEO campaign (company) may accomplish when it comes in order to search engines engine rankings. But using the particular SEO analysis tools, you may increase the chances of your own website's high ranking that can provide you with more traffic and ultimately, more business and income. Those who have the many to get are small businesses that will before a new harder period breaking into the snug SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION world. Here's a true statement you don't need to hear as often: Your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION technique for 2018 shouldn't concentrate on keywords. (1888PressRelease) Packet Marketing, a Boston-based, full-service SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION and search engine marketing techniques firm today announces they have been positioned as the number five SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION firm in the 2010 Advertising World Top ten SEO Organization Award initiative. According to Forrester Analysis, the number of global smart phone subscribers is expected to achieve 3. 5 billion by 2019, crossing the 50% mark regarding smartphone penetration by 2018, plus reaching 59% by 2019. On-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ensures that your site can be read by both possible customers and search engine software. In 2019, voice-search will become the dominant way that individuals search. But SEO is all regarding the organic” rankings, which show up in the middle of the particular search results page. The most important SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION factor for creating high-quality content material is doing good keyword study. Protocol changes in 2018 seem in order to centre on reducing the effectiveness of old-school SEO techniques, along with the May 2015 Google ‘Quality' criteria update bruisingly familiar. Keep in mind in SEO article writing suggestions you keywords have to create sense too. Domain Authority within SEO is a rank that will measures how popular and reliable search engines call at your own website. If the terms you might be hoping to rank with regard to don't display on the page, this will be much more difficult to achieve your goals : making on-page optimization a essential part of most SEO advertisments. If your business does not have SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Internet marketing strategies, she or even he will need help through SEO experts. One of the particular most commonly asked questions, Light hat SEO in layman's vocabulary is applying the right strategies along with a legal strategy to boost your ranking plus increase your popularity. To help the client's future-proof their businesses plus maximize online Return on Investment decision (ROI), we have individuals our own global partners to develop a good SEO methodology that aligns along with Google's recommended best practices. Off-page SEO will assist make your website most well-known and visible on the internet, so you can get even more traffic and users for your own website and product. You might be the proprietor of a growing and growing business, the webmaster of the dozen sites, the SEO expert in the Web agency or the DIY SEO ninja passionate regarding the mechanics of Search: this particular guide is meant for a person. On their firm blog, Demand Wave also offers a great article about 2016's tops trends in B2B electronic marketing and SEO. A few explore some roles that cultural media plays in SEO. You will craft your own SEO strategy around the keywords and phrases that will lead customers to be able to your most profitable products. Google for example, states that will the no follow link become taken literally as well since the link will not end up being followed at all however within reports done for SEO reasons it shows some conflict in order to this. For blog websites the greatest SEO practice would be in order to set the title of your own post in a heading1 label. Search engines is the gatekeeper to substantial amounts of traffic and qualified prospects - search engine optimization (SEO) opens the doors. Mainly because long as they are gained naturally, inbound links are most likely the most dependable authority contractors in the world of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. All of us call this new methodology AdaptiveSEO so that as its title suggests, it is made in order to adapt to the evolving plus sometimes unexpected changes in research algorithms. A lot of get confused in this region of SEO article writing recommendations for either they in place too little or maybe the particular wrong kind of keywords, or even they mention the keyword method too much which is occasionally called keyword over stuffing. Social SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION isn't a separate branch associated with SEO and it won't quickly be replacing traditional SEO, yet social signals are becoming more and more incorporated into search engine methods. Perhaps the particular most important aspect of lookup engine optimization is how a person can actually leverage SEO in order to assist drive more relevant visitors, leads, and sales for your own business. Just browse through the various types of our SEO blog page to find those important on-page ranking factors. According to him, key phrases have already lost their significance and in 2019 this pattern would only get stronger. Seo (SEO) is definitely the most efficient way in order to drive traffic to your internet site. But undoubtedly, the acronym many people ask about is SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, or search engine optimization. Between this plus 2017's Best SEO Campaign honor from the UK Search Honours, it's clear the world will be starting to recognize Elephate since one of the most trustworthy SEO and Content Marketing firms in Europe. To understand how SEO functions to improve search rankings, most of us have to break it lower a little. Whichever way you choose in order to categorize keywords, one of the particular most important steps in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION does keyword research. Some good examples of White Hat SEO consist of optimizing META tags, putting key phrases in URLs, submitting sites in order to directories, making sitemaps, obtaining hyperlinks on related sites, and developing keyword-optimized content. An SEO Executive optimizes sites to create them show up increased on search engines like search engines and gain more website site visitors. Nevertheless, the brand-new trend in SEO is ideal for long-tail keywords and even more conversational searches. SEO is the great marketing tool for the particular websites promoting their businesses on-line. Still, the keyword element of SEO is becoming significantly difficult with Google Adwords concealing volume data. Making use of advanced Search engines semantic search algorithms, we link the gap between old college SEO and the new articles marketing. Tug has been appointed solely to roll out a multi-lingual internet marketing campaign using its knowledge in international SEO and PAY-PER-CLICK. Search engines regard metadata plus meta keywords as less essential than they used to, thanks a lot to many years of dark hat misuse, however the name of your page and the relevancy towards the content may always be a highly essential factor in SEO. SEO is important because this helps you get found simply by improving your ranking online research results. Inorganic SEO will be good for populating links with regard to your website, even on various other websites which signed up intended for online ads to be proven on their web pages. Of course, finding the period for you to write your own SEO articles each day can become difficult in light of the particular fact that you still possess a company to run. Social media offers its very own perks aside from SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION value. So in the event that you think about it, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is really just a procedure of proving to find engines that will you are the best web site, probably the most authoritative, the most reliable, the most unique and fascinating site that they can provide to their customer - the particular searcher. SEO professionals employ the variety of different ways associated with make websites appear higher within your list of results and create it much more likely that will you'll click on them in order to find what you're looking regarding. SEO more usually talk regarding domain trust and domain specialist in line with the quantity, type and quality of inbound links to a site. SEO entails attaining a higher ranking within search engines via changes in order to your site content and program code to make it more appropriate and therefore more search motor compatible. It helps your SEO initiatives to ensure that your key phrases are added to the coto description and it will supply you a ranking boost when your specific terms are noticeable in this area. Moreover, a Google Penguin update drastically changed the position of backlinks on SEO, producing it more difficult to acquire link juice to a internet site. Gone are the times of traditional SEO techniques, on the internet content is changing. The cognitiveSEO Rank System offers accurate country, language plus city precision for all your own tracked keywords. Even if your URLs usually are pretty, ” if you avoid feel as though they're adversely impacting users and your company in general, don't change all of them to be more keyword concentrated for better SEO. ” In the event that you do need to alter your URL structure, make certain to make use of the proper (301 permanent) type of redirect. In this particular post, we've broken down the particular very best SEO techniques to assist you skyrocket your rankings plus boost your number of regular visitors. An accessible URL is usually an important SEO ranking aspect. Heidi Cohen: To increase 2018 SEO results, marketers will proceed moving away from disposable, when and done content. They concentrate on SEO Internet marketing targets and provide top search motor rank like Google and Bing. Collectively, these developments are plus can continue to have the dramatic impact on the method in which we search optimize our websites in 2019 plus form the core of our own newest SEO 2019 update briefing. The traditional method to SEO has been devoted to creating excellent content that will is easily searchable via lookup engine bots. To realize SEO, you'll also need in order to know how Google search functions. 2019 will certainly still use many of these types of newly implemented tactics, but lookup engine optimization experts are furthermore suggesting there will be a lot more. Currently more than half associated with searches account for mobile products, and the number will surely proceed up in 2019. Within the remaining 2018 quarter, a person need to invest in mobile-first content that will rank a person higher in mobile search within 2019. The vast majority of your SEO learning need to come from online resources, yet there are a few textbooks that will help you conceptually understand the history of lookup Blog9T, search engines, and how SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION has changed through the yrs. There are a lot of methods that webmasters use within order to entice potential clients to their site—one of the particular most important and effective associated with those being Seo (SEO). SEO is important for plenty of companies because if individuals find you using a web lookup and find what they're searching for, you can receive plenty of new web visitors that will can help you earn even more money. Good SEO follows guidelines that Search engines determines are best practices in order to have your articles ranked upon top. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION services do thorough keyword analysis for any specific website, and after that optimize the information on the particular basis of these keywords plus theme of website. The number 1 reason for using video upon your site to improve SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is to increase the quantity of time users remain upon your site. Search engine optimization had been but still is fascinating in order to me. The SEO placement regarding any size business begins along with proper web site optimization, a good excellent link building strategy plus a well planned online marketing and advertising plan. One section of focus for better marketing and SEO performance within 2018 is the confluence associated with content, influence, and social. This can be advantageous for SEO, because it helps avoid search engine crawlers from getting confused by syntax or affirmation errors, and leads to even more accurate indexing. Stop thinking in terms associated with SEO vs. content marketing” plus start exploring how well these people perform together. (Give it a try tone of voice search using OK Google through your cell phone and inquire "What Is BlowFish SEO" ) In the event that all remains as it will be, Google will read out loud just about all about my company in the short to the point method, These cards are formatted in order to fit the screen of your own cell with no scrolling upward or down. Although SEO is really the time-consuming process but believes myself, if you work well along with dedication and trendy techniques, the particular combined results of on-page plus off-page SEO holds you upon the top with rank #1 for a specific search outcome. Fairly lately, I've seen a resurgence associated with on-page SEO factors making the difference searching engine rankings. The sensible strategy for SEO might still appear to be in order to reduce Googlebot crawl expectations plus consolidate ranking equity & possible in high-quality canonical pages plus you do that by reducing duplicate or near-duplicate content. This can take a LONG period for a site to recuperate from using black hat SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION tactics and fixing the troubles is not going to necessarily bring organic visitors back as it was prior to a penalty. The particular best SEO Guide is right here to dispel those myths, plus give you all you require to know about SEO in order to show up on the internet and some other search engines, and ultimately make use of SEO to grow your company. > > Upon Page Optimization: On-page SEO will be the act of optimizing unique pages with a specific finish goal to rank higher plus acquire more important movement within web crawlers. There are several websites providing pertinent information regarding SEO and online marketing, and you may learn from them. But it's confusing why some businesses don't consider harder with analysis, revisions, plus new content with their SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION online marketing strategy. An effective SEO strategy will certainly be made up of a mix of elements that ensure your web-site is trusted by both people as well as the look for engines. By taking their own marketing needs online and employing confer with an experienced SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agency, a business has the capacity to achieve thousands, or even millions associated with people that they would have got not been able to in any other case. Keep in mind that will links, content, and user expertise are all major SEO position factors. Could holistic approach will ultimately eliminate a lot of the particular issues created by some SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION practitioners over the years, We suspect that search engines' technicians will initially overestimate the accuracy of their AI, resulting within Penguin-level collateral damage. SEO (Search Motor Optimization) is the process associated with making a website more noticeable in search results, also called improving search rankings. Siteimprove SEO furthermore provides in-tool tips on where to start and the way to get the most out associated with your keyword research and supervising. We've already been operating in the SEO plus content marketing industry since last year and know how search motors work. Presently there are a great number associated with resources out there surrounding competing link analysis (and a great deal that have been authored simply by me! ) but whenever We speak with people that are usually working on SEO projects, it can always one of those "yeah, I understand I should do this more" tasks. Amy Kilvington, Marketing Executive at Custom Drapes, believes that SEOs are heading to have to optimize social networking more as Google indexes this and prioritizes it over their particular sites' pages. Social media is usually the easiest and most efficient way to push the SEO-based content. However, presently there are some easy adjustments that will you can make to the particular search engine optimization (SEO) component of it, which will ideally provide you with fantastic results. Erase all duplicated content material; it will increase your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking. Long-term: as discussed over, you'll ultimately get more lookup traffic from better usability, actually though you don't squeeze each last drop from the SEO-trick lemon. However, to accomplish all this particular, web-developers use SEO custom solutions, that have long-lasting SEO Search engines rank. That being said, companies usually have little or simply no time for you to maintain up with the latest advancements in SEO techniques. Social search motor optimization is largely built on user-generated content. Keywords are at the cardiovascular of SEO, but they're in fact not your first step in order to an organic growth play any more. Obviously, reviews are a powerful kind of customer content that has large implications for SEO and increasing organic traffic. With right search engine optimization and with the help associated with an SEO expert however, your own website can give you a good increasing number of visitors plus exposure. Just keep in mind to pay attention to strong content creation and copywriting basic principles, engage your viewers deeply, plus stay abreast of technical styles such as backlinks, SEO health, site velocity, and schema. SEOmonitor pricing is based on the particular number of websites and key phrases you track. So, I actually would say that 2018 is usually a challenge for Google, mainly because much as it could be for SEOs. The SEO Reserve Keyword Suggestion Tool aggregates research data and provides volumes, associated terms, and more. Off-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION targets increasing the authority associated with your domain through the act associated with getting links from all various other websites. Regarding: Search Engine Journal's flagship meeting, SEJ Summit, is dedicated to providing SEO pros the actual require, with an agenda of authentic, first-run presentations covering the most recent SEO and PPC tactics through renowned experts, plus excellent network opportunities. SEO combines official research engine guidelines, empirical knowledge, plus theoretical knowledge from science documents or patents. This is usually a half-day workshop at LeadsCon that will be designed to be able to give attendees an end-to-end see of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), how it works, and concrete things they can do right 5 Quick Tips For SEO 2019 now to improve their SEO efficiency. After the Search engines Panda algorithm appeared, SEO specialists realized just how much key word frequency and density matters. SEO means optimizing your posts so it shows up even more often in search results. 33. With social media systems like Facebook diminishing visibility associated with companies and brands, SEO (as well as paid promotion) is definitely becoming critically important for traveling traffic to your social stations. 2019 dates TBD. ). Why go to: One-track conference full of forward-thinking, tactical sessions in SEO, development marketing, the mobile landscape, analytics, content marketing and more. ” Don't miss the LeadsCon Meeting in Vegas, March 4-6, 2019. Businesses with multiple websites and SEO-agencies can set up report layouts. Its search engine marketing group provides expertise in Pay-per-click marketing services, organic SEO and sociable media optimisation. The particular ads that you often notice on various web pages proven and those that also show up on the rightmost side associated with search engine results are inorganic SEO examples. While I nevertheless see this trend in have fun with with many enterprises still within the midst of their electronic transformation, the convergence in the particular MarTech space is creating several synergies and opportunities and this particular should be seen as the welcome development for brands plus agencies who are looking regarding an edge in regards in order to their SEO driven content marketing and advertising or outreach strategies. Along with the only complete certainty that SEO's, Website owners may have a lot of adjustments to make to web sites under their care in the particular mobile and voice search scenery. The basics of GOOD SEO hasn't changed for years - although effectiveness of particular elements offers certainly narrowed or changed within type of usefulness - a person should still be focusing upon building a simple site making use of VERY simple SEO best practices - don't perspiration the small stuff, while all-the-time paying attention to the essential stuff - add plenty of unique PAGE TITLES and lots associated with new ORIGINAL CONTENT. Keyword research is definitely THE first step of any kind of SEO campaign. There are usually lots of ways to discover keywords for SEO. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION article writing guidelines number two. Keywords, they are little concealed subliminal messages within the composing which are to be within conjunction with the topic which usually is being written on. Key phrases are extremely important to the particular SEO article writing guidelines. SEO is often component of an overall internet advertising strategy and complements other strategies like social media marketing, content material marketing and more. The conference brought together thirty eight speakers, 15 sponsors and around 1500 of the search industry's brightest and the best involving search for a day involving actionable SEO advice and industry leading content. A principal benefit associated with SEO is its cost-effectiveness because there is no payment toward the search engine for becoming placed within it. This is usually very important for the 'search head', high volume low intention searches that are expensive within paid search. In 2019, I believe that will Google will continue to drive paid search ads and state the majority of the over the fold organic SERP. Since, paying a search motor to put your business web site at the top of the list doesn't come cheap, the particular next smartest thing one may do is to use research engine optimization or SEO methods to increase the clicks toward the website and help this work its way up the particular search engine's results page. If you are nevertheless sticking with old SEO protocol strategies and searching optimized key phrase for the article, Sorry!

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atticusblog2016-blog · 8 years ago

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New Post has been published on Atticusblog

New Post has been published on https://atticusblog.com/how-beauty-might-have-evolved-for-pleasure-not-function/

How beauty might have evolved for pleasure, not function

Evolutionary biology tells us this tale: everything advanced to make us better at reproducing. Everything has a function — and everything advanced to make us better at reproducing. Everything has a function — and the ornament is no exception. The peacock’s intricate tail seems vain, but actually it tells us how genetically superior the bird ought to be if it may live on despite that unwieldy mass of feathers.

Wrong, says Yale University ornithologist Richard Prum In his new ebook, The Evolution of Beauty, Prum argues rather that natural selection makes

In his new ebook, The Evolution of Beauty, Prum argues rather that natural selection makes the experience in a variety of contexts, but in terms of choice and appeal, many choices are really arbitrary. It’s no longer about what makes the animals fly better or run faster, it’s about what the animal itself subjectively enjoys. It’s what makes the animal happy.

The Verge spoke to Prum approximately his theory of beauty, attractive birds that have advanced to be worse at flying, and the implications of his theory for people. You push towards the idea that every function developed to be adaptive, and instead, say that every now and then it’s arbitrary and based on what the animal itself likes. One instance you provide is of the membership-winged manakin, a bird that virtually developed to grow to be cooler however much less suit. What does that mean, exactly? And how did it show up?

The membership-winged manakin is evolving in a manner that makes it worse at flying

The male membership-winged manakin does this difficult dance with its wings to draw girls. But for you to try this dance, it’s developed in order that it’s wing bones isn’t as green because the hollow ones we see in different birds.

We discovered from facts that the male and woman wing bones are each converted

They’re all extremely strong and extensive and wonderful. The male together with his weird wings as a minimum gets the ability to sing exciting songs, but the woman can never gain from having these worse wing bones because she doesn’t do the dance. The girl who has these bizarre bones in no way sings. So how could this appear if all evolution become approximately making you better and better?

I argue that’s an illustration that sexual selection can produce a sort of decadence, wherein individuals emerge as worse at their survival at the same time as they’re greater attractive to every other.

How should this appear? Is this the form of technique that leads to extinction?

Catering The Office Function

Whether your head of a conglomerate or president of a circle of relatives run an agency, there can be times if you have to have meals available for company events. These may be breakfasts, lunches, or company dinners, they may be in the workplace or at a venue, and they will even be themed along with summer picnics or Christmas and Holiday events.

No depending on what the event, getting a caterer in is the way to head

Not simplest does it make an impression, however, you get the right meals for the proper price at the right time, without resorting to making it a pot luck or a ‘we’re going to name out for pizza’ affair.

Having an occasion catered brings a sure class to any occasion, whether it’s far to be an on the go breakfast or a take a seat down dinner with journeying clients. It all results in an awesome impression for your company for them to have proper food served within the right manner. There are options for the provider or not, formal or not and of the route a sizeable array of options for both meals and liquids.

Most catering firms can have particular menus from which to pick out or you could cross custom along with your order and feature precisely what you want. They take the whole lot into attention concerning a variety of humans and any hypersensitive reactions that your humans may also have. Custom ingredients may be ordered and served as a result and a few businesses can even let you delve into cuisine from other nations if you wish to make traveling guest feel at domestic.

Catering takes the strain off of an event because you are aware of it might be introduced and served on time and no matter wherein you’re. Need something introduced and set up at the office? No trouble. Need a lunch catered at the plant?

For your next paintings function, get a caterer to bring you the dishes and then take the entirety away afterward. No muss, no fuss and a really perfect show on every occasion, what extra are you able to ask for?

Of direction caterers can do any birthday party, they have not tried to simply company activities, so weddings, showers, Christmas dinners, Thanksgiving dinners, own family reunions, toddler showers, birthdays, retirement events and gender screen parties can all advantage from having an expert caterer on the task.

It’s a Pleasure to Be of Service

It’s a satisfaction to be of service” turned into an announcing I heard from a small baby

Almost each morning my father might come into the kitchen, take a seat down on the desk with a cup of espresso in hand and greet us by means of announcing “top of the morning to ya”, making a toasting gesture. When he wanted another cup, he would take a look at me. When I did now not need to get him some other cup (which become a maximum of the time) he might say with a large smile on his face, “it’s a pleasure to be of service. This is how we started out our day.

As a baby, I did no longer do it with a grin, it was extra like gritting my tooth. It was not handiest with a cup of coffee, but with everything! Doing the dishes, cleaning the house, bringing in groceries and so on. Every time I turned round, it regarded like those words might ring in my ears, “it is a delight to be of service.” I admit, on occasion, it’d absolutely make me mad due to the fact I absolutely did no longer want to be of provider!

One thing he knew that I did not become

That I turned into going to need this very vital lesson in my existence. There have been many classes he taught me and he stressed those he knew I became going to need, and this became one in every of them. See, he too changed into a businessman. He had always been in a home based totally sales business and had extremely good success because he discovered “to be of service.”

It turned into no longer until I become older and started out working with the public that I really started considering it. Recently now greater than ever earlier than. I am finding myself searching for approaches to assist someone is triumphant.

How usually have you emailed your up line or mentor and your answer got here days later, if in any respect. Or your down line has a question and your response become past due and halfhearted because you had been busy? Let’s be sincere. Over whelmed with an excessive amount of to your plate? Some how you want to forestall and redirect your self, be aware of “being of provider” to someone. Help a person be triumphant!

Functions of an Accounting Firm

If you’re beginning to be convinced you need to hire an accounting firm to your commercial enterprise but think you continue to have loads to find out about how doing so can help you, examine on.

An accounting firm can have anywhere from one employee as much as one hundred, any of whom can practice with positive specializations or as well known practitioners. It all varies on how large the firm is or what the purchaser is requesting. Many enterprise owners and entities that contain money come to an accounting firm for many motives. These people provide accounting and session services. It is also assured that accountants below this firm might be managing their customers’ monetary affairs with utmost reliability and trustworthiness. These accountants normally set a timeline and ask for unique documents from their customers so that they can perform the simple features of their activity.

There are six important functions of this kind of firm

Its most primary obligation is to provide a simple and correct report of the patron’s economic standing. An accountant generally starts off evolved with monetary record preserving. It is through these documents that an accountant reviews the standing of the organization. Accounting companies additionally perform outside audits and offer services such as Tax compliance. It is the obligation of the company to calculate its client’s liability. The accountant is privy to its clients’ tax compliance requirements. Businesses and those want to pay taxes as part of their responsibilities and accountants can assist them with this.

Business consulting is any other function that these firms provide There are expenses and choices that businessmen need some help with, particularly whilst the individual is a beginner in business. Not all commercial enterprise owners have know-how approximately the way to extend the way to make their groups develop.

There are expenses and choices that businessmen need some help with

particularly whilst the individual is a beginner in business.

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giveuselife-blog · 8 years ago

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Being Your Very own Form of Lovely: Mastering to comprehend Yourself

New Post has been published on https://giveuselife.org/being-your-very-own-form-of-lovely-mastering-to-comprehend-yourself/

Being Your Very own Form of Lovely: Mastering to comprehend Yourself

At the same time as buying at considered one of my favorite boutiques, I ran throughout this lovely little trinket that had a modest inscription on it that read: “Be Your Personal Type of Lovely”. The timing changed into best for me to obtain this message because I had just these days decided to quit a protracted-time period friendship that had to emerge as seriously dysfunctional and changed into weighing me down emotionally. Like most of the people who experience an give up to an extended-term friendship, whether it become a tremendous revel in or not, the finality of the cut up left me feeling relieved and out of kinds all at the identical time. Feeling Beautiful was probable the last component on my mind at the time because the “friendship” had grown to be so offensive to my psyche. It felt like an all-out attack on my spirit in an try and systematically convince me that I had nothing to offer. Yet, once I examine the caption at the little ornament that day within the boutique, it spoke to me in a way that I can not describe. I felt like my soul had just woke up by a fierce inspiration! I idea how amazing it might be if each folk could sense the identical reassurance that I felt that day by clearly taking a step returned and appreciating our Own God-given splendor! no longer just the bodily beauty, but our whole Lovely self, interior and out. I meditated on how vital it is never to give everyone manage over our perceptions of ourselves because God created every of us in his Own photo and He did now not make any mistakes on any of his creations!

Despite the fact that we realize in our heart that we are uniquely designed by way of God, all of us sooner or later in our existence have fallen victim to permitting ill-intentioned “pals” or that nagging voice in our head that attempt to influence us that we are less than. In so doing, we fail to absolutely respect our Own individuality and the marvelous characteristics that we ought to provide. not spotting or appreciating our Own unique beauty is much like the inference inside the quote by Alice Walker that says: “I think it pisses God off in case you stroll via the color crimson in an area somewhere and don’t word it”, (The color purple). That may be setting it a chunk bluntly, however occasionally we need a candid The equal concept applies to how we view ourselves, now not just how we view a color someplace in an area. Even though we get the point, I have noticed that women mainly, again and again, fall into the entice of evaluating themselves to others and not embracing their Very own splendor. physical beauty has to turn out to be such the cease all, that many human beings have such blind envy of others due to their bodily look that they have no regard to the personal struggles someone might be going through, regardless of how properly put together they will seem on the outside. In spite of this and as trustworthy as it can sound, if every folk would begin to practice being our Personal Type of Beautiful, then we might realize that every of us is Beautiful simply the manner we are.

At any rate, despite the fact that bodily splendor may be pretty attractive, outer splendor is fleeting. Therefore, a person’s character, morals, and values have to be the factors that real beauty ought to be judged. These center developments are not merely handed down via extremely good genetics and extra importantly; they by no means fade away. Remember the antique pronouncing, pretty is as quite does? If someone is missing in These 3 intrinsic basics, then it honestly does no longer be counted what they look like on the outside. bodily splendor has no correlation at all to the goodness or crucial pleasant of a person. Ok, for people who may be a bit tougher to steer perhaps we will take sluggish, a child steps closer to adopting this innovative popular of looking at the splendor. For the sake of compromise, let’s assume the brand new general of judging splendor can include an aggregate of both physical and internal traits. However, in all fairness the essential core of who a person is ought to at least deliver a better-weighted common than what the man or woman looks like. Truthful enough? nicely, until this notion becomes widely every day, which pretty frankly can also take an act of God; I will advocate some easy ideas to help remind absolutely everyone to honor God by way of actually being your Very own Type of Stunning at the internal and out.

One way to practice being yourself Own Sort of Lovely is to rejoice your God given items and splendor. The reality that every and anybody on this earth is uniquely designed, right down to our personalized fingerprints, is astounding! whether it’s far an internal or bodily characteristic that makes you uniquely Stunning, you need to consciousness on simply one trait at a time and celebrate it. We’ve got a lot to be thankful for, so celebrating one thing at a time may be as simple as displaying gratitude for having that particular characteristic. After you begin to do that on an ordinary foundation, you’ll begin to certainly admire how splendidly designed you’re. As an instance, I have constantly been into bodily health, from time to time extra than others, however usual I have been blessed that God has made me bodily strong and wholesome. despite the fact that I may want to have chosen to sit around and cognizance on a person else’s bodily attributes, I have selected to rejoice my Personal. As such, I joined a trekking membership and push my bodily patience to the restrict on an everyday foundation by using hiking via rugged terrain to attain altitudes that I in no way thought I would attain with the aid of foot. Multiple added blessings are that for one I meet exciting, like-minded people and similarly I’m retaining bodily suit via doing something I experience. If you have in no way been trekking, you can not consider the beauty that can be seen from the vantage point from atop a mountain. For miles on giving up, there may be the beauty of nature, such as speckles of pink in a discipline of plant life. I thank God every day for giving me the bodily ability for you to do These styles of bodily sports; mainly after having been bound to a wheelchair for several months after an injury. I have fun my benefits every chance I get by way of placing my present to apply. The greater I use it, the extra bodily and mentally robust I emerge as. You may be amazed at how doing simple such things as this will help you discover your advantages which you can have disregarded inside the past because you’ve got spent so much time comparing Your self to someone else. So, get obtainable and keep it shifting by way of discovering or rediscovering your Stunning self!

This brings me to my next piece of advice that I will offer to you to practice being your Personal Form of Lovely which is to prevent evaluating Yourself to others, length. Typically, regardless of what our station is in lifestyles or how many compliments we get hold of from others, we come what may nevertheless sense like we fall short in contrast to someone else. What I have discovered is that someone will not be capable of absolutely admire their Personal beauty in the event that they maintain to try to emulate a person else’s beauty. it’s miles irrational to study the outside beauty of a person else and sense envious. First of all, envy is a sin and secondly, physical beauty is fleeting, so why even trouble. So, rather than comparing Your self to others you must thank God for creating you in his Personal photograph. in this problem, I want to share how moved I used to be by way of a speech given with the aid of Iyanla Vanzant entitled, “You depend on “. In i, she said some thing that honestly grabbed my attention concerning the complete concept of how wasteful it is to compare Your self to others. In her speech, she said, “it is an act of violence to examine Yourself to different people”. That is this sort of effective statement! With a view to absolutely respect the whole force of this declaration, you have to take a second and take in its importance. in case you genuinely think about it, no longer only is it an act of violence, it is also irreverent to evaluate Yourself to others which in a manner marginalizes your Personal beauty and specialty. Paradoxically, I discovered this concept also works inside the reverse because it jogs my memory now not to have a look at others with this type of vital eye and to understand the fact that they too are uniquely designed by way of God. Psalm 139:14 says, ‘I reward you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. exquisite are your works; my soul is aware of it very well”.

One very last thought that I’m able to impart almost about being your Own Type of Stunning is that it is vital to comprehend and not emulate others’ splendor. it’s miles one thing to admire a person’s beauty, However, you’ve got absolutely crossed the line if your adoration of another leaves you feeling demoralized. Fortunately, there is a healthy balance between celebrating your Personal beauty and appreciating others’ beauty; mainly with out feeling jealousy that is a of emulation. The most assured women are folks who embrace their Own beauty and can appreciate others for his or her splendor in a wholesome manner. This self-belief is reflected in lots of ways inclusive of being swish in how you carry Your self as it will reflect in the way you view others. As the saying goes, “Elegance is [the only] splendor that never fades”. As I stated earlier, splendor is specific to every man or woman and it does not usually mean physical splendor. Yes, it is crucial to try to be your exceptional self, internal and out. However, you do no longer jeopardize your inside the procedure by means of impersonating others. That is why it’s miles critical to test Yourself once in a while to make sure you maintain a wholesome stability between appreciating versus emulating others. Feeling assured in who you’re and what you have to provide will-will let you respect others at an extra level for who they are without feeling green with envy by means of trying to imitate them.

In summary, because each of us is uniquely designed through God, all of us have an abundance of motives to appreciate and celebrate our Very own splendor. Of course, splendor can be considered in many approaches both internal, outer, or an aggregate of each. we will begin the transformative taking into account being our Own Form of Stunning through actively celebrating our Very own area of expertise one trait at a time. As soon as we begin to do that, we will become comfy in our Personal skin and could be able to recognize others for his or her beauty with out permitting jealousy or envy to invade our space. No person has a proper to attempt to make you feel which you have nothing to offer. As Iyanla Vanzant said in her speech, “You rely on”. You do not want absolutely everyone to outline you or to complete you because God has already accomplished an excellent activity at that. include this concept and stay it on a day by day basis. In other phrases, start every day via boldly being your Personal Sort of Lovely!

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