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spookyfbi · 4 years ago

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Another Untitled/Unfinnished Commission Dave Fic

Summary: Klaus dropped the briefcase and stumbled forward, falling to his knees, looking Dave over, drinking him in because it was Dave! It was Dave and how could this possibly be?

Author’s Notes: Klaus has no idea what’s going on because neither do I. He’s also pretty drunk. I guess we have to rely on Dave to push the plot forward, and what a marvellous and sexy job he’s doing of it too.

———

Klaus stumbled along the footpath, being careful to walk in a straight line. Well, being careful at least not to stumble into oncoming traffic. He wasn’t trying to get himself killed. Although if it happened, would it be the worst thing in the world? Perhaps he’d see Ben again. Ben - his brother, not that Sparrow guy - may be gone in a way that Klaus couldn’t see with his powers, but that didn’t mean he was gone in a way that Klaus couldn’t see if he himself were dead. Did it? Klaus may be the seance, but he had no idea how these things really worked. Perhaps he’d see Dave again. Klaus didn’t even know if Dave had met the same fate in Vietnam or if his life had also been changed like everything else. He had enlisted a few days earlier. Did that mean anything? Perhaps he’d see that little bitch on her bicycle and she’d send him right back. Or perhaps he’d see dear old Dad again and get another shave. Alright, so maybe Klaus dying did have the potential to be the worst thing in the world.

Klaus knew where his body was taking him. It was like muscle memory. Good old… Bill? Bruce? Or was it Boris? Whatever his name was, Klaus knew he had the good shit that would take the pain away, because the bottle of Gin he was halfway through just wasn’t cutting it anymore and he needed something stronger. And he’d just given a random guy a blowjob in exchange for a crisp $100 bill which he’d tucked away in his skirt pocket - Vanya had the nerve to throw away a perfectly good skirt with pockets! - so things seemed to be looking up for Klaus today. As up as they ever tended to be for Klaus anyway.

Suddenly, there were hands on him from behind, one over his mouth and the other around his waist. Muscle memory and some primal self preservation instinct kicked in and Klaus elbowed his assailant and sent his fist flying back into their nose before twisting out of their grasp. Klaus looked back to see who had attacked him and he saw a man in navy blue pants and a hooded black cloak on his knees and doubled over in pain and clutching his abdomen where Klaus had elbowed him. Klaus couldn’t see his face but he supposed it didn’t matter. Some random guy who thought he could get away with god knows what. Served him right! Then Klaus saw a briefcase next to the man and hey, perhaps there was something valuable inside. What were the odds that this was another time travelling briefcase that would take him to the middle of a war zone again? Pretty slim, Klaus figured, even in his inebriated state, and he liked those odds. So he picked up the briefcase and then gave the man a kick in the abdomen for good measure. “You picked the wrong guy in a skirt to mess with, Asshole!” he spat.

Klaus turned around and was about to start wondering where his bottle of gin went when he heard the man speak. “Klaus, wait!” And Klaus stopped and his heart skipped a beat as he spun back around because that voice was so familiar in the most impossible way.

The hood was off and it was Dave and there was blood smeared under his nose and he was leaning back on his heels and looking at Klaus with his brows knitted together and then he closed his eyes so forlornly and it was Dave and Klaus dropped the briefcase and stumbled forward, falling to his knees, looking Dave over, drinking him in because it was Dave! It was Dave and how could this possibly be? Klaus reached out to touch Dave, almost afraid that his fingers would pass right through, but they were met with solid chest, solid shoulder, solid face. Dave opened his eyes then and gave Klaus a sad half smile, reaching his own hand to touch Klaus’ face, cradling his cheek the way he often used to. Klaus ran his thumb along Dave’s upper lip, wiping away the blood that had fallen from his nose. He had an overwhelming desire to murder whoever had hurt Dave in this way before remembering that it was him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Years of training and then years of living on the streets, it-” then he stopped and frowned. “Wait, why did you grab me?”

Dave looked down sheepishly. “I was trying to save your life. In retrospect I realise it was kind of a stupid move.” And Klaus knew a thing or two about making stupid decisions in an effort to save a life. But… was he in danger?

“From what?”

Dave looked up at him again, the sadness still in his eyes, and his thumb began stroking back and forth along his cheek. “The heroin you were about to buy.” He said quietly. “The coroner said it was an overdose. I don’t know if it was just a bad batch, or…” The sentence seemed to catch in Dave’s throat. He closed his eyes again and sighed, letting his hands slip from Klaus to cradle his own head. “Shit.” he said. “Shit shit shit.”

“Hey…” Klaus said gently. “It’s okay.” He wasn’t entirely sure what had gotten Dave so upset all of a sudden, but he tried to offer whatever comfort he could.

Dave lifted his head again to look at Klaus. “No, it’s not. I’m not supposed to let you see me.” He ran his hands through his hair and looked around. “What am I gonna do? I have to go back, I have to figure out a way to fix this…” He looked back at Klaus. “Will you come with me?”

“Okay.” Klaus had no idea what was going on, none of this made any sense, but what else was new? But one thing he was sure of, whatever was happening, was that he would follow Dave anywhere.

Dave nodded, then he started to stand up but winced and grabbed his abdomen again, so Klaus helped him up. Then Dave picked up the briefcase that Klaus had dropped and looked back at Klaus with a smile. “Hold on.” He said, as though Klaus had to be told, as though Klaus had let go since they’d made contact.

———

Dave had taken Klaus’ hand as soon as they’d arrived… wherever it was that they’d gone. A building of some sort. He’d ditched the robe after wiping the blood from his face and underneath he was wearing a navy blue suit and a white shirt and a very boring tie. He fit right in among the other people in office attire in this very bureaucratic looking building. Klaus didn’t, with his silver skirt and his white faux fur coat and his no shirt and his sneakers. Not that he cared; the goal of Klaus’ fashion choices was never to fit in, especially not in a place like this. But Dave seemed to get a little edgy whenever someone walked past them and did his best to block Klaus from their view. Klaus couldn’t find it in himself to be too upset about it though. He was still riding the high of Dave being alive, Dave’s hand solid in his own. Dave, about a foot ahead of him, looking around, leading him somewhere, who knew where. Klaus watched Dave’s back as he’d done a few times before as they marched through the Vietnamese jungle, one foot in front of the other. Klaus had followed him then, too, not caring where they were going at that time either. They could have been marching to their probable death. On some days they were, and Klaus still followed. All the way to the front lines, and he’d do it again and again. As long as Dave was there to be followed.

Finally they stopped at a door. There was a placard which read:

INFINITE SWITCHBOARD 2589

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

Dave peered through the peephole above the placard and then opened the door and ushered Klaus in, closing it behind them. He blew out a quick sigh and then made his way over to what looked like… well, a massive switchboard. He let go of Klaus’ hand and took hold of a few wires, and began placing them into various holes in the switchboard. Although he made a few mistakes along the way which got him electrocuted, Dave seemed to know roughly where the wires were supposed to go. It was delightful to watch Dave, sure hands and focussed eyes. It was delightful to watch Dave, period. It was delightful just to know that Dave was alive, living his life and doing things and filling his lungs with air. Klaus studied Dave’s face. He hadn’t realised how much of it he’d forgotten. The image in his mind was much younger, the most recent version of Dave that he’d seen. Much too young for Klaus to feel the way about Dave that he wanted to. This Dave was his Dave, through and through. The Dave who had held him, kissed him, loved him. The Dave who still loved him, because he was alive.

“Okay,” Dave said finally, and then he turned a few knobs and the screens came to life. They showed a hooded assailant grabbing Klaus from behind, Klaus fighting back, taking the briefcase Dave revealing himself, Klaus kneeling down, everything that had happened moments ago. How had all this been captured on film, and at different angles too? “Okay, delete…” Dave muttered to himself as he looked around the switchboard. “If I were a delete button, where would I be…?”

Klaus had an overwhelming feeling that he knew what would help Dave. He leaned across Dave and put his finger over one of the holes. “Why don’t you connect this one…” then he lifted his hand to touch one of the other holes “… to this one?”

Dave looked at him. “You know how to operate the ISB?”

Klaus leaned back and returned Dave’s gaze. His eyes were so blue! Klaus hadn’t forgotten, but… had they really been that spectacular? “The what?” he asked

Dave held his gaze for a few moments and Klaus luxuriated in the sight. Then Dave looked back at the switchboard. “This one and this one?” he asked, pointing to the same holes Klaus had pointed to, and Klaus looked to verify that they were indeed the right ones. Klaus nodded and Dave looked back at him. “Are you basing that on anything in particular?”

Klaus shrugged, “Just a feeling.” He had instincts like this all the time and they’d never steered him wrong. He’d learned to trust them without much question. Dave had witnessed it a couple of times in Vietnam too, though he’d never really believed in that sort of thing. Confirmation bias, he’d called it.

Dave looked at the switchboard and furrowed his brow. He took a wire in his hands, and hesitated for a moment. Then he gave a small shrug and connected the two holes. The screen changed and only the word [DELETED] was displayed in red against a black background. Dave’s jaw dropped and he let out a triumphant noise. He looked back at Klaus grinning form ear to ear, and his hand found Klaus’ cheek again. “You’re incredible” he said reverently, and Klaus had an overwhelming desire to kiss him then. Had they really not kissed yet? So much had happened. Dave was alive and right there and his lips had gone unkissed all this time and that would not do. Klaus leaned into Dave and Dave closed the distance and their lips met and Klaus could smell Dave’s cologne. He’d only worn it when they were on leave, hadn’t bothered in the jungle. They all smelled in the jungle and they all accepted it, but that night in the bar Dave smelled of soap and that cologne and it had been intoxicatingly sexy when Klaus had leaned in and kissed Dave that night for the first time and now Klaus was bombarded with memories of that night, the excitement and the newness of it all after months of not daring to hope. For three and a half years Klaus had not dared to hope that he would ever see Dave again - why would he? And now here Dave was in his arms kissing him and Klaus was overwhelmed and he held onto Dave for dear life - for Dave’s dear life, much more precious than his own wretched one.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Dave turned and looked towards the door, pulling his lips away. “Shit!” Dave whispered. Klaus spared a quick glance to the intruder - an older woman in a grey skirt and blazer that matched her grey hair. Klaus returned his gaze to Dave, who hadn’t let go of him, so Klaus didn’t bother letting go either.

“Oh my god…” the woman said. “Oh my god, Dave, what are you doing?”

“Shit!” was all Dave could say.

“Are you authorised to use the ISB?” Klaus felt the woman’s eyes on him. He didn’t bother looking back at her. ��What is he doing here?”

Dave swallowed. “Barb, please… I am begging you, please just walk away. You didn’t see anything.”

“You brought Number Four to Commission Headquarters? Are you insane? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Killed? Klaus’ blood turned to ice. He tried to stop the image forming in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut but it was no use. He knew what was coming. He’d lost so much of Dave’s memory to time but this image was crystal clear. The blood running down the corner of his mouth, the eyes glazing over, the body growing limp in his arms, the color fading from his face. Klaus focussed on his breathing and forced his eyes to open. He focussed on the Dave that was standing in front of him, vibrant and alive and animated. The feeling passed and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

“We won’t be killed if you don’t say anything.” Dave said. Klaus looked back at the woman, Barb was it? Bitch, don’t you dare say anything. Not if it could get Dave killed.

Dave looked down at Klaus’ hand and took it in his own. Klaus looked back at Dave. He hadn’t realised his hand had been trembling until he felt it against Dave’s steady hand. Dave gave him a look he knew well. They’d sought each other’s gaze countless times in Vietnam, whenever something bad had happened. When they’d lost someone or just made it through a dangerous situation. They’d always look for each other and wordlessly ask ‘you okay?’. Klaus forced a smile and nodded. Dave studied him for a few more moments, and then looked back at Barb.

Barb had said something, but Klaus had been a little distracted and hadn’t heard it. Obviously Dave had though, because he responded. “Alright, what do you want?”

Barb smirked, clasping her hands together. “I want to be maid of honor at your wedding!” Wedding? Dave’s eyes bulged and Klaus noticed the slight tinge of red blossoming in his cheeks. Wedding… what had Klaus missed? Dave closed his eyes, opened them, looked away, then eventually glanced at Klaus before quickly looking away again.

“Barb! We-we haven’t… we’re not… oh my god!” Dave closed his eyes again and the red of his cheeks deepened and Klaus was starting to formulate a theory about this wedding they were talking about.

“Sure!” Klaus said, turning his full attention to Barb now and letting go of Dave, stepping forward. “You can be our maid of honor, and you can help me pick out a dress! Or should I wear a suit?” He did a little twirl for emphasis.

“Oh, a dress, definitely!” Barb said with a squeal. Klaus squealed back and clapped his hands. If Dave’s life was on the line Klaus could certainly play the part of a blushing bride to keep this woman’s mouth shut.

“Then it’s settled!” he said, spinning around to look back at Dave, who was looking at him in horror. Klaus shrugged and took his hand. “Babe, we’ve finally got a maid of honor for our wedding!” Dave was still looking at him, eyes wide, cheeks flushed. He seemed to be trying to convey his annoyance and discomfort through his look, and Klaus read him loud and clear, but he was having entirely too much fun with the situation.

“Barb…” Dave said, looking back at her. “Can you just help me get Klaus back to my place without anyone seeing him?”

———

Dave leaned against the door as it closed behind him. “So, when are we gonna set a date for our wedding?” Klaus quipped. Dave shook his head and looked away. Was he still upset? About Barb, or about…? “What, you don’t want to marry me?” Klaus looked around to distract himself from the doubts that were bubbling away in the back of his mind. Dave’s place was nice, but small. A lot nicer than the cot they each had in a tent shared with nearly a dozen other men. “You’d be lucky to have me,” he said as he opened the fridge, although he knew it wasn’t true.

Dave’s fridge had vegetables in it. And milk, eggs, cheese, margarine, a jug of water, orange juice… It was the fridge of someone who’s life was in order. No, Dave would not be the lucky one in their hypothetical marriage. Klaus closed the fridge and looked back at Dave when he hadn’t responded.

Dave was wincing and touching his abdomen. Klaus had completely forgotten! “Oh…” He rushed to Dave and helped him to the nearest chair. “Here, let me take a look.” He helped Dave out of his blazer and shirt. As he did so, he couldn’t help looking at the spot on his chest where he remembered Dave being shot. There was no wound. It was as though it had never happened. He placed his palm over it.

“Commission standard issue body.” Dave said, as though that explained anything. As though that didn’t raise further questions.

Klaus ran his hands down, gently pressing into Dave’s ribs, checking for a reaction. First aid had been one of the skills good ol’ Dad had ensured they’d learned, and every now and then it came in handy. Dave only hissed when Klaus pressed into the soft tissue just below his ribs. “No broken bones,” he said gently, “I think it’s just a bruise. You’ll be alright.”

Klaus looked up at Dave and Dave held his gaze. He ran his fingers tenderly through Klaus’ hair. “I guess you must have a lot of questions about what the hell is going on.”

Klaus shook his head. “No” he said. It wasn’t entirely true, there were questions. But they weren’t nearly as pressing as the fact that Dave’s body - Commission standard issue apparently, whatever that meant - had gone all this time without being kissed. That just wouldn’t do. Klaus pressed a kiss to the spot under Dave’s ribs that he’d kicked earlier that day. And then another, slightly lower. He trailed kisses down Dave’s belly until he got to those boring navy blue pants. Then he undid the top button.

———

Klaus’ head rested on Dave’s chest as Dave ran his fingers up and down Klaus arm. The thud thud thud of Dave’s heartbeat was the most beautiful sound. He could lay like this forever. Dave’s vitality could sustain him. He didn’t realise he’d been drawing a small circle with his finger right where he remembered the bullet hole had been until Dave took his hand and kissed his fingertips. He lifted his head onto the pillow so he could look at Dave. “We don’t have to get married if you don’t want to.” Klaus said suddenly. He hadn’t been planning on bringing it up again, but now that he had, he couldn’t help running with it. “Or is it Barb being maid of honor that’s the problem? Because to be honest with you, I think Allison would kill me if she knew I’d given the job to someone else. I’m pretty sure she’s been designing my wedding dress for almost as long as she’s been designing her own. And if our childhood fashion shows are anything to go by, it’s going to be absolutely horrid. Although her red carpet dresses are pretty classy, so maybe she’s developed some taste. I don’t remember what her wedding dress looked like, I was way too drunk on all the free booze by the time she walked down the aisle.” Klaus stopped rambling when he caught the despair in Dave’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Klaus, you can’t stay here.” Dave whispered. “And I can’t go back with you.”

Klaus swallowed as the words registered. And now the questions bubbled up urgently inside him. How long had Dave been alive, and why hadn’t he told Klaus? And what had he been doing all this time? And did he still want to be with Klaus? Could they pick up exactly where they’d left off in Vietnam? Did Dave still want to? Did Dave still want Klaus now that he wasn’t the only other queer man in their platoon? What did Dave know about the world? What did Dave know about the timeline and the future and had Dave met other men? Had he dated other men? Had he slept with other men? Klaus certainly had, and women too, in the past 3 or so years. So why not Dave? Dave had a life here, wherever here was. He had a nice place with a fridge full of food and a life without Klaus. And Dave deserved it. He deserved to live. He deserved to have a nice place and a nice life. Klaus wanted that for him, whether he was a part of it or not. “Oh…” he said, doing his best to keep his voice and his expression steady. “I understand…”

Dave placed his hand on Klaus’ cheek and held his gaze. “I don’t think you do,” he whispered. Klaus thought he saw the shine of tears forming in Dave’s eyes. “I want to be with you more than anything. When they brought me back, you were the only thing on my mind, all I wanted was to see you. But they told me if you knew I was alive they’d have to kill you. Something about the timeline, I don’t know… So I stayed away. I don’t know why they brought me back only to keep us separated. My whole life I’ve never fit in anywhere and then I finally met someone I fit with perfectly. Klaus, you’re all I’ve ever wanted my entire life. I’ve missed you every singe day I’ve had to live without you. It’s so unfair…” Dave was sobbing now and Klaus wrapped his arms and legs around him, wanting nothing more than to give every inch of himself to Dave so that Dave would never have to feel this way again. Dave clung to Klaus like a lifeline and Klaus felt the prickling of tears behind his own eyes. Dave wiped his eyes and pulled back enough to look at Klaus. “And I would be lucky to marry you,” he whispered.

#klave #klaus hargreeves #dave katz #commission dave

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years ago

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Survey #421

“hunted by hundreds and never to be caught / descent to wander, bring terror and take 'em all beyond”

Which do you prefer, donut holes, jelly filled donuts or normal donuts? Normal donuts. When you get old, are you going to make a will? I mean probably. Ever made your own definition for something on Urban Dictionary? No. What do you call your grandparents? "Grammy" and "Grampa." Do you like weddings? Not especially because I'm a bitter fuck. Do you want to live in a dorm in college? I never wanted to, so I never did. Have you ever had your tonsils taken out? No. Are you single/taken/crushing/confused? Single/confused. Is your best friend single? Yes. Is your first real best friend still there for you? I mean we have one another on Facebook, but that's the extent of it. Do you still care for your first love? Very much. I hope he's doing okay since his mother passed. What color is your blanket? Navy with black swirls. Are you listening to music right now? Yes. I am obseeeeeessed with Alissa White-Gluz's cover of Powerwolf's "Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend." Have you ever felt as if you lost your one true love? I feel like that all the time. But I should add that I don't believe there is JUST ONE person designed for you. There are way, way too many people on this earth to have just a single, perfect match. Which do you like better: Bowser, Mario, Luigi, or Princess Peach? Well I mean I always picked Luigi in Mario Kart, so I got a bias, ha ha. How many tattoos do you have? Six. Plenty, PLENTY more to come, though. Would you ever consider getting a mohawk? No. What do you like to do most in your free time? Do random shit on the computer. What’s your work title? Unemployed. Do you pay rent? I don't. What was the reason behind the last time you wore a bandage? I cut my finger opening up a cup of yogurt. Yes, I'm serious. What music artist have you listened to a lot lately? Powerwolf, lately. And Motionless In White. Who is taller, you or your best friend? Me. When was the first time you ever listened to your favorite music artist? Well, as a little kid, Mom would play some Ozzy in the car occasionally, and I actually loved "Perry Mason" so much that I would ask for her to play it. Growing up I'd obviously heard "Crazy Train" through random things, but I never truly listened to him until I got into middle school and went through my mother's CD case, discovering new music as I got into rock and metal. Do/did your siblings cause trouble? Nah, not really. If your siblings are old enough, what do they do for work? I honestly don't remember my half-siblings' positions, but my immediate younger sister is a children's social worker, and my older sis is a mammographer. Have you ever been jealous of your siblings? Jealous, no. Envious, extremely. They know what the hell they're doing with their lives and making shit happen. Do you still live with your parent/s or do you live alone/with a partner? I live with my mother. What feeling do you have the most difficulty in expressing? Jealousy. How do you think you would handle yourself in a crisis situation? Freeze up and probably die lol. Does any particular season make you happier than others? Why/why not? Yes, autumn. It's not hot as fuck, the air always feels so fresh to me, and I love the many colors of fall. It's just... chill. Can you adapt to change easily? Any examples? FUCK. NO. Do you see yourself as worthy of love? Why/why not? This answer can change from "yes, because I'm a good human" to "fuck no because I'm worthless" in 0.5 seconds. Do you think you are competitive? Do you really dislike losing? Not in general, but I can be in some areas. What would you be famous for? Fuck if I know. If you had to, would you rather dye your hair red or black? Red. I loved my hair when it actually took red dye well. What do you typically do on Easter Day? Go to my older sister's house. Have you ever viewed the moon through a telescope? No. Do you normally finish one book before starting another? Always. If you were given the chance to be immortal, would you take it? Heeeeeell no. Would you pierce your nipples for $100? Almost certainly yes; I mean that's $100 for something I can just take out if I don't like it. Have you ever dated someone who had a child? No. Would you ever consider adoption? Even if I wanted a child, no. I know I would need either the blood connection or for the child to be my partner's that I truly love. Do you tend to go for guys/girls with certain eye/hair colors? No, I really don't care how you look on the outside. Do you know anyone who plays guitar? Yes. Do you live within an hour of the ocean? More like two hours. What are you currently sitting/laying on? My bed. Have you ever dated a friend of one of your siblings? No. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child? An imaginary wolf, yeah. Which parent do you look most like? My mom, I think. Ever failed a test? Yes. That's all I did in algebra during my last college attempt. Do you have any friends who are famous? No. Your most recent ex breaks down and tells you they love you, what do you do? Well I know she loves me as a friend, but idk if she still does romantically, but either way, I'd tell her I love her too and ask if I can do anything for her. You and your last ex: who should hate who? Neither of us. We have a perfectly fine relationship. Do you believe you pick who you fall in love with? Definitely not. Last thing you ate? I had a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. Are you obsessed with someone? *discreetly eyes Markiplier* If you had to write a brief message on a dollar bill that many people would eventually see as the currency circulates, what message would you write? I'd have to think longer on this, but definitely something about not putting so much worth into the money and not allowing greed to rule the individual. What serves as the greatest motivation for you in your daily life? The hope for a happy, prosperous future. If you were a multimillionaire, what do you believe you would be doing at this very moment? Well, it's morning and this is my prime time to really just chill and do my first scope of the Internet, so I'd probably be in a beautiful house in the woods of the mountains by a beautiful waterfall. I'd have the windows down to listen to nature, make sure via AC if necessary that it's cool... Damn, that sounds nice. If you could have a cookie jar full of anything you wanted, except money or cookies, what would it be full of? Hm. Perhaps a very motivational quote that I'd draw each day, kind of like fortune cookies, but actually good and applicable, ha ha. If someone were looking for you in a bookstore, in what section would they be most likely to find you? YA or fiction. If your ex came up to you and asked you to take them back, what would you say? Anyone but Jason or Sara would be an automatic "no." Jason would have to really prove himself. Sara, I'd be willing, but would ask her if that's what she really wants given our positions right now. Do you think Ke$ha is annoying? I don't know anything about her personally. I actually liked her music back in the day, even when I was all about metal. Last time you were hit on? No idea. Do you ever write in pencil any more? I always do if I have that option. I don't like that you can't erase with a pen. If you HAD to get a piercing (not ears) what would you get? At this current time, my right nostril again. What do you wish you had more knowledge about? Politics. Would you ever get someone's name tattooed on you? Noooo. Do you have a lot of scars? Yes. I scar very easily. Have you ever had stitches? Twice. Have you ever dealt with a divorce or parents fighting or any kind of abuse at home? Before my parents divorced, there was a lot of fighting. Do you remember the person you first kissed? Of course I do. Have you ever kissed someone you weren’t dating? No. Who was the last person you fell asleep with? Sara. Have you ever listened to music you hated just to fit in? "Hated," no. I just tried to get into bands that I just couldn't, but didn't hate. Ever been called babe? Yeah. What is your favorite Pop-Tart flavor? Chocolate sundae. Have you ever made your parents cry? Yeah, sadly. Do you wear glasses? Yeah. And yet I'm still blind with 'em. Have you ever made out with somebody on a bed? Yeah. Are you tan? Most definitely not. How did you meet the last person you texted? She kinda like, gave birth to me. Next big event? My nephew's fifth birthday. Ugh, how is he getting that old. Do you think you have to be skinny in order to be beautiful? Fuck off, no. There are some gorgeous/attractive plus-sized people. Have you ever made out on a couch? Yes. Has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry? Oh god, she witnessed me sob once. Would you ever get gauged ears? I want very small gauges in my bottom earlobe piercings. What is your favorite sushi? Ew. Have you ever been in a school talent show? What for? Noooo sir. What were you like at 17? Oh god... so sad and yet so happily, madly in love at the same time. I both love and hate that era. Tell us about your worst date. Haven't really had a bad one. I had one with Tyler that was an adventure that most would consider awful (flat tire, had to walk in the whipping wind), but I had fun, ha ha. What should be illegal that isn’t already? I dunno. What’s the song you most wish you had written? Probably John Lennon's "Imagine." What is the worst break up you have experienced? Y'ALL KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. Do your parents wish you were more successful? Oh, I am CERTAIN they do. They'd never admit it, I'm sure, but I know I'm disappointing. I had so much promise in school. Has a significant other called you unattractive before? WOW, no. Has a significant other ever called you by the wrong name? omg no Have you ever caught someone doing something bad? Cheating on their bf, yes. Has a dentist ever screwed up on anything when working on you? No, I don't think so. What is the worst birthday you have ever had? My 16th. I felt very, very unloved. I don't even like going into it. Have you ever been spit on by a llama? No. Have you ever locked yourself out of your car/house? The house, yes. With my elderly dog with arthritis, in the middle of winter after a good snow. I was freezing, sitting on the front porch and eventually crying. My phone was inside so I couldn't reach my mom, who was at work. As night came, I finally broke and went down the street knocking on my neighbors' doors, and probably the worst fucking one opened. With a gun in his hand. He was apparently an ex-sheriff, and he clearly didn't trust me. He was kind enough to let Teddy, who was incontinent and marked territory, inside (thank fuck he didn't pee in the guy's house), and he gave me a jacket, but Christ, we played 20 goddamn questions to see if I was legit, I'm assuming. I was beyond thankful when Mom finally got there when I used his phone to call her. And as it turned out? The door wasn't even fucking locked, our old dog just jammed the hell outta it by jumping. I was so, so pissed.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''beast of gévaudan'' by powerwolf

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 5 years ago

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So 5x18...

...Well hot d*mn.

Man when Supergirl fires on all cylinders...HOO BOY.

Case in point: *gestures to all of 5x18*

To be clear: I liked this one.

A WHOLE LOT.

Not that I disliked 5x17, necessarily. It’s just that 5x18 was more... Entertaining? ...I dunno. I dunno how to explain it.

...Okay yes I do and that explanation is: Someone remarked on Kara’s use of language and Kara overcompensated on the ‘NOooOOooOO I’m totally 100% normal!’ AND there was a musical quote AND it was WHILE TEAMING UP WITH ALEX TO FOLLOW A LEAD.

But I’m getting ahead of myself let’s backtrack...

TO THE TOWER! WITH ALEX! NIA! KARA! AND M’GAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!!

June Foray voice: WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY FOREVER?!?!?!

I know I’m not the first person to make that reference but it’s always fitting and, for real, recurring character status WHEN. (I mean. Obviously I would prefer series regular but that feels like a big ask considering that all future TV production is...uh. Ah. Erm....

...Up in the air. At the moment.)

And then we check in with the Luthors and Non Nocere isn’t working???

I am shocked! Shocked, I say!

And then we’ve got Obsidian doing something ill-advised which is basically the company’s MO at this point but KELLY AND WILLIAM ARE ON THE CASE REGARDLESS.

(So that’s kinda the one thing I’m sad about re: the Crisis reset; Andrea’s character development. But she’s sticking around for next season so I’m not too upset that she remains...kinda...one note for now.)

And THEN the library scene.

It was so gooooood.

Then Leviathan and okay. Alright. Okay. Huge points in this episode’s favor: Rama Khan feels like a far more significant threat. And I feel like 80% of that is the fact that they just let him wear normal clothes. Thank you, show. Thank. You.

Also the rock effects were way better in this episode because they weren’t footing the bill for a giant crossover episode this time around

I am a little confused, though, by what has and has not happened with regards to Rama Khan on Earth Prime. Did the pre-Crisis stuff...happen? The dialogue...kinda made it hard to decide one way or the other. ‘He hasn’t been seen on this Earth for 100s of years’ but then also, ‘a chilly place you know quite well.’ So...he...did go to the Fortress. And fight Kara? But...all that stuff before Crisis...???

...Not gonna bother with that right now.

POINT IS...Leviathan is finally like...invested in killing Supergirl* and menacing in a very real way which both raises the stakes and makes it personal and that’s way more interesting than ‘nebulous evil organization that must be stopped.’

*I know they kinda sorta already did the whole, ‘let’s kill the Kryptonian!’ and invaded the Fortress but I don’t know what to tell ya, it was just lackluster.

J’ONN AND M’GAAAAAANNNNN

I am firmly in camp: I don’t care if they’re never green again I love seeing them in the super suits with their human faces IT’S GREAT.

Love that Nia’s snoring interrupts the moment.

Also love the deck of Rama Khan playing cards, that must’ve been a fun project for the graphic designers.

Then we’ve got William and Kara at CatCo and it’s baked goods! A hilarious line delivery by Staz! A ridiculous fabrication involving a shy, violent cat!

...Now I want Alex to actually own a shy, violent cat!

“Cats love me, for some reason.” “Of course they do.”

Side note: Love Kara’s blazer.

And then it’s ALIEEEEEENS TO THE RESCUE!

WHAT A TEAM UP, FOLKS.

We love to see it.

The interrogation scene is good n’ tense and ramps up to a very impressive showdown in the DEO (but BEFORE the sparks really start flying we get that rad shot of Kara leaping through the window and doing the superhero landing and it’s just

Perfection.)

Also perfect? Lex playing a game of transmatter pickle with the prisoners.

Then we jump back to the DEO where things are not going well!

Like, really really bad!

But J’onn and M’gann save the day! If not the building!

RIP DEO. 2016-2020

Obituary: The DEO headquarters is survived by its elder sibling, the DEO desert base.

Look none of the favs work there anymore save for Kara and Brainy and they’re both gonna be better off working freelance for J’onn but I do expect Brainy to at least pick up some additional cash by working as a Lyft driver next season.

Me, watching the characters struggle to make it in the gig economy: I feel so seen.

The final portion of the episode is just ALL ACTING and I must say...good stuff.

Like. This cast, man. They take the plot points I’ve been ‘meh’ about all season and they turn in some stellar performances and suddenly I’m like STANDING OVATION, CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHERE THIS GOES.

Also, reason #342 I love Jon Cryer’s Lex: that scene with Lena.

Terrifying.

Full disclosure: I went in to this episode fully prepared to be really annoyed with whatever was going to happen with Lena and I still don’t...love the trajectory of this season, being so tied up in her personal drama but.

But.

Katie McGrath’s performance...went an awful long way here. In making this...not as bad as it could have been.

Like tearfully admitting she was hurt? And that hurt was the basis of all the nonsense she pulled? Finally owning up to the fact that this was never truly about the greater good but that it was all rooted in some personal issues and OUTRIGHT STATING SHE WAS BEHAVING LIKE A VILLAIN????

I am. Extremely impressed.

EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE THOUGH: Kara remaining distant both physically and emotionally throughout that scene! Not in like, a cold uncaring way, but in a, ‘I have emotions and I have a right to feel them and set boundaries in regards to my trusting you right now given all that has transpired’ kind of way.

GOOD. YES. GOOD.

(Lex’s outburst has that kind of same Nice Guy undertone--albeit more pronounced and rage-y--as Lena’s in the Fortress. Like, ‘I supported you and you still rejected my plot to take over the world’ and ‘I was kind to you and you still messed up my mind control’ which...I dunno I might just be digging in too deep here in order to further justify the character turn but I think Cryer’s performance regardless is a really sobering wake up call for Lena, different than Lex stuff we’ve seen before. It’s close and intense and uncomfortable in a way that really sells the motivation.)

“You’re a monster...but that doesn’t mean I have to be one too.”

Wow. Might be...the first time I’ve liked Lena all season.

...whispers: might be the first time I’ve liked her ever at all

For real: credit where it’s due, that was an excellent line read.

*insert applause here*

CUT TO ADORABLE J’ONN AND M’GANN MOMENT

D’aaaawwwwwwwwww

But, look, it’s a little undermined by the fact that they both gotta try and embrace in those bulky super suits, I’m sorry, it’s true

...Maybe it’s more endearing that way?

HEY remember how I foolishly assumed that the now-unemployed Alex would simply continue to work with J’onn in an investigative capacity and, ya know, NOT jump straight back into costumed badassery?

HA. HAHA HAHAAAA.

Those leaked set photos make sense now.

OH NO, WILLIAM!

Real glad Staz confirmed he’s returning. Otherwise I would not be able to DEAL WITH THE STRESS.

I already talked a little bit about the loft scene but some additional points! Beautiful lighting. Wonderful score. Excellent performances all around.

A truly great end to a truly great episode.

Like, it makes me retroactively sad, that we’re only getting 5x19, as opposed to 5x19 and 5x20 because I wish that the crew/writers/actors had a little more space to let all of this good work they’ve done settle and breathe.

(But also, it was good that they stopped production, from a safety standpoint, so. Can’t be too upset.)

And, regardless of how the next episode goes down (b/c I’m gonna be real, SG always does really great set-ups for their season finales and then kinda...rushes to the finish line and that can only be further exacerbated in this particular case) I’m just really impressed with this effort here.

...but also LET’S TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME WILD GUESSES. Specifically, what is Alex’s vigilante name gonna be???

...

Alright I generally try to avoid addressing specific fandom complaints in these things b/c I generally try to avoid the fandom itself but of course some stuff has already leaked through all of my blocks/muting so:

‘Lena didn’t apologize!’ The words ‘I’m sorry’ were not said, sure, but 1.) season’s not over and 2.) for Lena, admitting she was wrong is huge. HUUUUUUUGE. It’s solid character growth and I really wish various subsets of fandom would recognize that it’s not fun, when fans hold on to negative stuff from characters’ past and refuse to acknowledge that the characters have changed.

‘Brainy should have seen this coming!’ This one is kind of more down to personal preference I guess but I feel like they’ve established that Brainy’s got a bit of a blindspot due to his feelings about his friends, so I don’t take this as a knock against his intelligence so much as him being stretched fairly thin because he’s playing all sides, and worried about the people he loves. YMMV, though.

All the ‘fix-it’ stuff re: the last scene, by making Kara immediately forgive Lena. Lose me with that nonsense, bleh.

#SG post #long post #supergirl spoilers #5x18 spoilers

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anyu-blue · 4 years ago

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I'm just venting here cuz I don't have anyone to really vent to right now.

I know I'm being 'too much' and 'over the top' again... I know I'm throwing a hissy fit I don't need to, and I recognize I'm hurting at least one person with it.

But God damn I'm pissed and I guess I want to be pissed.

There's so much I want to do and so much I feel obligated to do and more... A lot of what I want to do... I just don't have the energy for. I wanted to make all these custom cards for my family since I should be able to ship stuff out this week... But I pulled Everything out and found... I just really didn't want to put that effort in..I mean I REALLY do... But just... Everything was turning out terrible. I'm honestly shocked I managed the 14 for my ex's family for Christmas... I want to do it... But at the same time I don't.

Cuz what's the point? All that effort.. all that care.. when I could just buy them a stupid card instead. So I'll go buy them a card... Because my eldest and younger sister decided to head to the grocery store without me and now I have to steal the car right when I'm off work to do my own necessary shopping anyway (or risk not being able to go at all this week). All because they were nearly out of toilet paper and Tevie wanted to get me cash for her car insurance bill...

Now I wouldn't be so mad except... They didn't even ask if I had extra toilet paper in my bathroom, which I do. AND I told Tevie that she didn't have to worry- I have enough to cover the insurance for her car.

But no. She just HAD to go today so I could have the money by tomorrow when it pulls!!! Um... Tomorrow (technically today, now) is SUNDAY. How the FUCK am I supposed to deposit the $ into my account like she wants when it's a freaking Sunday?! Or or at all when uh.. she has the car until like... 7pm every day anyway?!

Uuuugh... I already told her too, I'm not depositing Anything unless I absolutely need to either. Which I don't cuz I just got paid. AND I told her her insurance will be a part of what she pays me (if she does) for all her other bills!! If I got it I got it. What part of that is so hard to understand?

Apparently all of it...

Or none of it, but it doesn't matter because she doesn't pay attention to stuff like that anyway. Literally just does whatever she wants.. and you know what? I know that's absolutely fine. Sure it inconveniences me because, well, I needed to go to the store too (and told her as such), and had nothing for dinner while they fed themselves again (didn't even ask me AND used a service I have/can get free stuff with if they use my account like I've asked EVERY SINGLE TIME we've EVER used it!!!). (Why did I EVER cook and feed them so much? I was 100% right in that they have no interest in doing the same. They BARELY cook for themselves!! And you can probably already guess what I'm going to say about it... It's all JUNK!!! Cheeto mac and cheese, ramen, air fried chicken and fries, microwaved meals- you should see our pantry right now. Almost entirely instant meals and it makes me want to vomit. What's not instant is the stuff I picked out/ingredients that have just sat since I stopped cooking.. you should see our FRIDGE right now!! Not a vegetable or fruit in sight!! It's all warm fruit cups for Tevie and idek what W0lfie eats to get her vitamins and nutrients- cuz the vitamins I bought haven't been touched except for by me, Though I told them it would be a good idea of they took some each week too.. I'd wager she doesn't!! And that's partly why she's so gd MISERABLE all the time!! She doesn't take care of herself!!)

But in reality it's whatever. Technically Tevie did nothing wrong. She's just living her life how she wants to live it. Who cares about wasting more gas? Apparently not Tevie even though she told me she did... Apparently that's out the window. Who cares about my needs? Apparently not Tevie Though I've been fighting with our property managers and walking her through every gd adulting problem she has (I'm even supposed to help her with her taxes AGAIN cuz she can't do it) and taking care of the house and all the paperwork and all the phonecalls and everything... So it's not like I've been looking out for her and our little sister at all 🙄 or thinking of them and trying to make THEIR lives easier or nothing.

They don't owe me anything obviously... Not even the requests I made of them to do particular adulting tasks on their own (like put in a simple maintenance request, or cover up the open window downstairs, or even buy the materials so I could take care of that stupid problem better than I already have with the shit we had on hand).... It's up to them if they want to follow through. And they don't. Like ever. Because it'll just be done by me because I actually DO care about how much our power bill is.. Tevie sait she does and then pulls that shit. W0lfie says she does and then pulls the shit like letting her room get ULTRA cold- which guess what happens when she opens her door for the day? You guessed it. The temp of the house goes down and the heat/furnace churns and chugs to make up for it.

I'm so FUCKING DONE.. but guess what? I CAN'T be. I'm not even supposed to be pissed about this stuff!! I'm the bad guy!! Because I'm mad!! Because I can't just let it go or deal with it quietly. Or not be a bother.

GOD DAMN IT I AM SO SICK OF BEING/GOING QUIETLY

I HAVE BEEN QUIET AND CALM AND SWEET AND WORKED MY ASS OFF IN THE WAYS I CAN FOR SO FUCKING LONG

I AM THE REASON THEY HAVE THE SHIT THEY DO!! THE ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS, TEVIE'S CAR, LOWER BILLS (not just because I pay my part, but because I literally put in all the work to make sure stuff is taken care of and that I don't use excess/as much as I want or need sometimes), PAID BILLS (EVERYTHING comes out of my account. I've asked Tevie to do it. Several times. To set it up or to even just pay it once or twice... Has she ever? No. Not even when I showed her how and offered to write it all down for the future- and still she comes back at me like 'well you put them in your name' like, bitch... The water bill HAD to be in my name because at the time they only set it up in person!! Doesn't mean you can't pay it!! All the information is RIGHT THERE!!! You have my permission!!! In fact I've ASKED you to!! And the internet- we switched it to my name so it would lower AND give us a better speed!! And autopay gives us a discount anyway- Something YOU approved of!! And GUESS WHAT? The power ISN'T in my name!! It's in yours!!! Why on EARTH do you still expect me to pay it every single time?! It's not even on autopay!!! And the car insurance.. well SORRY if you have a wreck on your record that would make the premium double or triple what it is now!!! I did that for you!! I even called and asked and compared and did EVERYTHING FOR YOU YOU WOULDN'T/COULDN'T!!! And the cellphones are in my name because years ago when we GOT the plan you didn't have a credit score which was REQUIRED... Guess who did?! ME!! So guess who did all that and set up autopay so we wouldn't get charged $20 more a month?! It's not like we COULDN'T change these things, YOU just DON'T want to deal with it OR you want those discounts and agreed to it in the first place- so your 'well they're all you're responsibility Because they're in your name' is BULLSHIT), EXTRA MONEY EVERY MONTH, EVEN TEVIE'S BANK ACCOUNT, EVERY DOCTOR/DENTIST/SPECIALIST SHE HAS EVER SEEN AFTER OUR MOTHER WAS KICKED TO THE CURB... Even W0lfie is not exempt... Because what I don't do for her, she goes to her mom to take care of. And she's told me things and I've had to ask why she hasn't taken care of it. Well. She either doesn't know how (and in some instances refused to learn cuz it happens again), or was just going to suffer through it because she assumed that was what was right (without asking anyone or even GOOGLING the information)... Gods... Half my 'knowledge' comes from google and checking at least two or three sights and sources before I act... I feel like I'm the only one in my house who has that skill despite the top-notch cellphones and computers and shit laying around everywhere. Despite my little sister literally building her computer... Can't adult life at ALL...

And I just... I just...

I'm so mad and upset.

I want to have the carefree lives they have some days... But then I realize someone wild have to be doing all the shit I do for them for me... And then I get depressed Because literally no one would or will. Even Lon didn't... He took care of his bills sure... But everything else? Well.. unless I asked him to step up, he never would.. and he to never would more than the day I asked. Another red flag I shouldn't have let slide...

No matter how sick I get. No matter how crazy I go... It's still all up to me. I don't have people I can go to to ask to do these things and know they will... I have tos er Everything up and do all the work or it never happens. Especially not more than once.

I hate nagging... And I'm just the bad guy if I try anyway.

Idk what the point even is anymore. I hate my life.

I want so badly to love it and be happy to be around... But I just want to disappear and see what happens when that happens. Would they step up? I mean they'd HAVE to and then I'd be the bad guy again... But ugh...

None of this is easy. None of this is easy especially when all alone.

Few people reach out to me... The ones that do are just as overburdened as I am and can barely talk too because they're so busy... But we try...

I appreciate every one of them/you and I feel awful I'm so drained I can barely say thank you or reply.

I know what it's like... I do... Maybe I don't 100% know the specifics of the reasons behind what you're feeling, but I can feel it with you.

I'm trying. I'm angry. I'm tired... But I'm trying my best.

#personal #random #ignore me #life in general #negative #home stuff #venting

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la-jolie-mln-posts · 4 years ago

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What is a brand? For most of us it’s a line of apparel, a type of smart phone or your favorite cereal. But a brand goes way beyond just products and extends to people. Some of you will remember the Apple ad that showcased a Bill Gates type (guy in a jacket and tie, looking dull and corporate) against a Steve Jobs type (hip, casual, smart). You get the point. And, so did the audience — Microsoft blah, Apple, cool. It worked!

Who are some of the most visible people with personal brands? Kim Kardashian comes to mind. But if you are interviewing for an executive position at one of the top 5 consulting firms, hers is not the brand image you want to bring to your first Zoom call or in-person interview.

Oprah Winfrey owns her personal brand. She welcomed discussion about body image, embraced her own and never lost her credibility. She dressed for her position, for the occasion and for her image. She never looks sloppy. She’s crossed the Rubicon from entertainment icon to business mogul, but never lost the Oprah brand.

Princess Kate Middleton is a princess, mom and leading figure in the world of outreach to children in need. As her style has evolved, she’s been able to communicate her brand through personal acts and personal style that remains young and hip.

Today women head some of the biggest U.S. corporations. Here’s just a few….

Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube Lynsi Snyder, CEO, of In-N-Out Burger Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors Whitney Wolfe Herd of CEO of Bumble

They may not have the same instantaneous brand recognition as the Kardashians, Oprah or Princess Kate, but to achieve the positions they have on the highly competitive playing fields in which they operate, they all had to create something unique — a personal brand.

Branding with the 4 “P’s’

It’s a familiar strategy for experienced marketers. Let’s say you’re launching a new brand of lipstick or changing a trusted brand with new packaging or a new message. You start by thinking through your brand strategy using the 4 P’s:

Product: A product can be either a tangible good or a service that fulfills a particular need for consumers. Whether your product is a brand of potato chips, a household item like dishwasher soap, a hotel chain or a university, it’s essential that you have a clear grasp of what makes it unique before you can successfully market it.

Price: Once the product offering is established, you can make pricing decisions. Price determinations will impact profit margins, supply, demand and marketing strategy. Products and brands may need to be positioned differently based on varying price points.

Promotion: Once product and price are established, it’s time to promote it. Promotion looks at the many ways advertisers market to consumers and includes includes: advertising, public relations, social media, emails, search engine marketing, videos and more.

Place: Successful brands are all about putting the right product, at the right price, at the right place, at the right time. The mission is to convert interested consumers into actual customers. Today, the initial place potential clients engage is online.

Now, create your own brand using the 4 P’s

You are the PRODUCT, so begin by evaluating what makes you special. Ask yourself: Q. Are you dressing for your body? A. If you’re curvy and you love yoga pants, make sure you purchase high-quality yoga pants that aren’t see-through when you stretch or bend over. And consider the occasion before wearing them. If you’re going for a sophisticated look, slim fitting trouser pants may be a better fit. - If you have big chest, go for a v-neckline time. - No matter what the occasion: job interview, business trip, night out with friends or going to your kid’s soccer game, the items you pull together should communicate the same message. “There goes Susan; she always looks fabulous.”

Q. What colors work best for you? A. Navy or black works on just about everyone; here’s a few ways to make it yours: - If you’re going for a job interview, neutral is best. But a pop of color is a great way to express your personal brand. Whether a lush pink shirt under a dark blazer, a red velvet shirt with a black sweater, a dress accessorized with a fun pair of sneakers (only if you can pull off the look), or fun pair of pumps, your signature brand will emerge as you try things out and focus in on what works for you. - Hair can be a fantastic branding tool. If you’ve been blessed with a gorgeous mop, go with it. Hair is one of our best weapons. If you want to call out your inner artiste or you play in a rock band, pink or blue hair is okay. But it’s definitely not for everyone. Some work places, like design agencies, hair salons and big tech firms are amenable to this look. But if you work in a bank or a law firm, probably not. If you simply have to try it, there are always extensions. Remember, the look has to work on you. If you can pull off something like this, go for it…

Let’s talk about PRICE

What PRICE are you willing to accept for your talent, your contribution, your value, and your time? When I worked in marketing at a big corporation in my late 20′s, I met a woman who was hired to be a copywriter. She was actually a former agency owner and had a lot more to offer. The guy who hired her put her in a huge, open office setting where she wrote copy for retail projects such as in-store banners and such. She left after 2 weeks, but she also left an impression.

So, he called her back to see what it would take to hire her. She was polite, but firm. She said, “I’ll need my own office. I want to be paid twice the hourly fee you paid me, and I want to bring in my own creative talent (writers and designers) to work with.”

Done. She got what she asked for. Why? Because she knew what she was her value and had the confidence to ask for it.

Promoting yourself is a tricky business

PROMOTION today is about establishing your online presence. As we’ve seen lately, the cancel culture is a force to be reckoned with. And by that, I mean be careful with the topics you choose to address. It’s easy to be mocked, doxed and dropped from social media — all it takes is one wrong comment.

According to Forbes, “Your personal brand should be an easy daily filter that you create content and reach out to your audience with.” The article quotes Jason Wu, founder of CoinState. “Be the master of your craft, skillset or industry before starting a personal brand. Then your content will amplify who you are.”

In other words, avoid mistakes like the one made by Olivia Jade. She’s the daughter of actress Lori Loughlin who did prison time for getting her kids into college through false claims and a financial bribe. Olivia was a successful online fashion and culture blogger until her mother’s deceit landed on her. Then she made the mistake of using her social media platform to say that she really wasn’t at USC to attend classes. In the end, she lost followers, endorsements and a lot more.

The point? Have some experience under your belt before promoting your personal brand.

Have you found your PLACE?

It’s pointless to tell digital natives to avoid social media until they achieve some maturity. But, as the story above illustrates, social platforms are eternal, and establishing a trashy personal brand while young can come back to haunt you. So, parents need to keep a watchful eye on how kids are promoting themselves, knowing that colleges look carefully at this content.

When it comes to establishing a personal brand, there are tons of articles out there on how to do this. You can spend a day on Google and find lists like this:

What motivates me? What am I good at? What is unique about my personality, talents and style? What do I excel at? What bores me to tears? What do others say drew me to them?

All good and well. But here are a few constants we all encounter on the road to the true self:

Failure happens. You will lose jobs, face financial insecurity and have to reinvent your career. Some of the most successful women I’ve met in my life have transformed themselves as a result of loss. It’s only failure if you don’t get back up and re-start your engine.

La Jolie MLN launching in April 2021

Follow our journey on Instagram or Facebook La.Jolie.MLN

Website coming soon

: www.lajolie-mln.com

We would love to hear from you. Let us know your thoughts and any topics you would want to hear about. [email protected]

Next blog Jan 31: Doing Business By Doing Good

About Daisy Malek-Shadid

As a little girl, I would be asked what I want to be when I grow up. I would confidently reply, I want to be a clothing designer and a respected leader. Fast forward 30 years, after working in the corporate world, traveling, getting married and having children, the aspirations of my youth inspire me today. I want to create clothes that make women feel both feminine and powerful, beautiful and strong, sophisticated and elevated. It takes a moment to make a first impression. Dressing well sets the tone, so one can own that moment.

It is important to La Jolie MLN to give back to the community, to women who don’t have the same opportunity as others. And, for that reason, 10% of every purchase will go toward our goal to donate 100 dresses to Dress for Success, a non-for-profit organization that supports underprivileged women to achieve economic independence by providing various services - one of them professional attire for interviews and new employment. For more information about “Dress for Success” please visit their website at dressforsuccess.org.

#feminine power #brand #your value #4Ps #La Jolie MLN #MLN

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citrinekay · 5 years ago

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i'd kill for bill holding holden, whether it's while they're at home or out on a case. maybe it's the first time holden is so overwhelmed that he actually asks for bill's reassurance?

hurt/comfort my absolute jam ✌😭 For some reason when I started thinking about this prompt, the song summer girl by Haim came to mind. Obviously, it’s female gendered so it doesn’t 100% fit, but I like this verse especially:

Peer around the corner at you / From over my shoulder, I need you

I need you to understand / These are the earthquake drills that we ran

Under the freeway overpasses / The tears behind your dark sunglasses

The fears inside your heart as deep as gashes / Walk beside me, not behind me

Feel my unconditional love

Thanks for the prompt 💕 here you go:

The hum of tires over endless asphalt drones into the stifled silence. Not even the radio is playing. Outside the window, miles of idyllic, verdant farmland melds into Amish country, dappling the sunlit countryside with simple, two-story houses, silos, and never ending fence lines. Bill might have appreciated the long, afternoon drive except that they’re trekking back over the county line to the local precinct in Millersburg, Ohio where the case originated. The killer had struck just beyond the jurisdictional line, creating a disorganized mess of too many detectives, police chiefs, sheriffs, and mayors fighting over the particulars of the boy’s body found in the river.

Bill casts a surreptitious glance across the car at Holden who has been utterly silent since they left the crime scene. The hostile nature of the police on the scene - frustrated with the FBI suddenly traipsing into their jurisdiction - had triggered some kind of mental lapse, at least that’s the way Bill is profiling his partner. Sometimes he gets overwhelmed.

He’d called the dead boy “Lubie” when the victim’s name was Larry. Lubie, as in Lubie Geter, as in Atlanta, as in a case that’s been closed for well over six months. Clearly, the rigors of their time in Georgia have not vacated his mind.

The detective on the scene barked that the kid’s name was Larry, and asked if they even knew what they were doing on the scene, if they had showed up at the right place. Holden pulled himself together long enough to get through the details of the scene, but had walked away abruptly the moment they had what they needed. Twenty minutes into their trip back to the precinct in Millersburg, he still hasn’t said a word.

You just got overwhelmed. This whole case has been nothing but mass confusion. Bill weighs the reassurance in his mind, but decides it sounds far too condescending.

Fuck that guy. He’s a prick. Too aggressive.

Do you want to talk about what just happened? Prying.

Bill reaches into his pocket, and extracts a cigarette. He rolls down the window while he smokes. As the scent of nicotine fills the air, Holden shifts against his seat, drawing in a shuddering breath. He leans forward, bracing his elbows against his knees and clasping his hands over his face.

“Are you okay?” Bill asks, the question leaping from his chest without forethought.

Holden breathes heavily, his fingers curling anxiously through his hair. He shakes his head, but the only response is a wheezing sound that verges on panic.

“Holden?”

Holden’s head pops up, and his face is drained of color and misty with perspiration.

“Pull over.” He rasps. “Right now.”

Bill puts on the breaks, bringing them to a quick halt just underneath an overpass. Holden rips off his seatbelt, and stumbles out of the car. Bill watches him stagger into the gravel just beyond the shoulder of the road, and lean over to grasp his knees.

Muttering a curse, Bill climbs out of the car, and circles the hood to approach him. A summer breeze sifts across the long shadow of the underpass, cooling the anxious sweat beginning to gather under Bill’s collar. Holden’s panicked breathing is drowned out by the roar of the cars driving by overhead, but the shudder of his hand is obvious as he reaches into his pocket for the prescription bottle.

Bill glances away, squinting at the distant shimmer of a mirage floating above the asphalt several yards in the distance. Until now, he’d thought the best strategy was to let Holden deal with the panic attacks in private dignity. He’s never actually witnessed one, let alone seen Holden desperately chew down the pills like he is right now, as if they’re his last lifeline, as if he’ll suffocate without them. At this moment, he’s beginning to wonder if he had been right, or if he’d simply been shielding himself from taking on that burden alongside his own.

Bill leans against the side of the car while Holden paces back and forth in the gravel, his eyes shut as his breathing steadies. He focuses on his shoes while he smokes the last of his cigarette. After ten minutes, he clears his throat.

“You good?”

Holden’s pacing comes to a halt. He opens his eyes to meet Bill’s gaze, and they’re sharpened blue from the sting of tears, matching the indifferent, cloudless skies above. He swallows hard, the corners of his eyes glistening.

Bill pushes away from the car, and shuffles closer.

“You heard what I said.” Holden whispers.

“Yeah. It was a mistake, a slip of the tongue.” Bill says, angling for a reassuring tone of voice.

“That guy looked at me like I was an idiot.”

“That guy was a prick. He was just pissed the FBI was barging into his crime scene.”

Holden shakes his head, his brow creasing with a frown. “Yeah, and I’m representing the FBI. I can’t even get the victim’s name right. I mean …”

He trails off, his chin dropping towards his chest. He draws in a deep breath, an attempt to shove down the tremor of fragile emotion, but when he exhales, a soft whimper slips free.

Bill stands perfectly still as Holden begins to crumble. He’s not sure what to do, or say. Nothing he could say right now could convince Holden that what happened is nothing to worry about and that he should just forget about it. It is something to worry about because Holden is still hung up on a case that ended months ago.

Finally, he puts a hand on Holden’s elbow, convinced that if he doesn’t offer some kind of support, Holden is simply going to drop to the ground.

Holden presses a hand over his eyes, masking the tears squeezing free against his eyelashes.

“It’s okay.” Bill says, shifting closer. “I know this case feels like a mess right now, but we’ll get it sorted.”

Holden sniffles, the sudden torrent of emotion unquelled by Bill’s assurances.

“Holden.” He says, giving Holden’s elbow a squeeze. “Hear me?”

Holden leans in slowly, almost as if he’s falling into Bill. Instinctively, Bill catches him with an arm around his waist, but Holden’s feet are steady beneath him; in fact, he steps purposefully closer, tucking himself against Bill’s chest. Tilting his head down, he buries his face in the front of Bill’s jacket where the layers of fabric muffle his sniveling.

Too shocked to react in any other way, Bill wraps his arms tighter around Holden’s shivering shoulders.

“Sometimes …” Holden’s voice wobbles hoarsely from this throat. He sucks in a hitched breath and tries again, “Sometimes, I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

Bill slides a hand up to cradle Holden’s nape, suddenly desperate to ease his fears. He clutches Holden’s cheek to his chest, and lowers his mouth closer to Holden’s ear.

“You’re not.” He says, “Trust me, you’re not. You’re just tired and stressed. This case is stretching us both way too thin.”

Holden sniffs. His fingers clutch tighter around Bill’s jacket, keeping his body pressed tightly to Bill’s.

“Tell me again.” He whispers, his voice nearly drowned out by the rush of cars on the overpass above. “Th-that it’s going to be okay.”

Closing his eyes, Bill rubs Holden’s back to reinforce the thought.

“It’s going to be okay.” He says.

They stand still for a long moment with Holden wrapped up in Bill’s arms, clinging on as if for his life. The wind around them smells like summer while the sun begins to sink towards the horizon. A few cars fly past them on the interstate, but Bill can hardly bring himself to care that the random drivers might see two men embracing on the side of the road.

Out here, there’s nothing for miles except for farms and a few scattered signs on the side of the road proclaiming: HELL IS REAL. It sure is. Bill thinks. He’s seen it, and so has Holden. They’ve been there together, but Bill refuses to leave Holden behind in the fire. He’d been wrong to be so cold and unaffectionate when Holden was looking for someone to simply tell him the world won’t stop turning because of one case, or in this moment, one slip of the tongue.

After several minutes, Holden extracts himself from Bill’s arms. He wipes his face with his sleeve.

“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize.” Bill says, “I should have told you awhile ago, but I’m not just your partner. You can talk to me.”

Holden nods, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. “Thanks, Bill.”

“Come on, let’s get back.”

They climb back into their abandoned car, and Bill pulls back onto the road. Holden turns on the radio, and rolls down the window to allow in the fresh breeze. There’s no one else for miles, and the sunset seems to last forever, it’s pink and purple hues swallowing up the lonely overpass and the last of Holden’s tears.

#bill x holden #mindhunter #my writing #Anonymous

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thyandrawrites · 6 years ago

Note

When it comes to Endeavor and facing any public consequences for his actions my view is a very simple sobering one: if he did get exposed publically the villains would have much more ammo and society would get wrecked further. With Endeavor’s current status it would probably do more harm then good overall. I think that is the main reason none of his kids have even tried to publically expose him. I think they feel their personal suffering matters less then all that.

this is a complex topic that requires an even longer explanation and I don’t feel much like rephrasing all the implications of this stuff because I’ve discussed about it all before here and there, and I never manage to make my point come across fully so that people can understand where I’m coming from, so

short version is that their society needs to undergo all of that

the reason why heroes are behind most villains backstories is not coincidental. Their society is unfair, elitist and founded on a very biased and corrupt ideal of strength and individualism above all else (including healthier mindsets) that ends up doing more harm than the good it is intended for. To young people in particular.

The hero society puts on a pedestal a notion of strength that is impossible to uphold even for All Might himself, the guy who remained the unrivaled number one for more than 20 years.

By “strength” I mean a big melting pot of toxic things.

1) First, being “strong” in the bnha universe means having a flashy and powerful quirk that can be used to punch up bad guys. And I say it’s elitist because everything else that doesn’t fit the bill 100% gets either overlooked or blatantly discriminated against.

So on the one hand, you have guys like Bakugou and Hawks and Todoroki who have both the “flashy” and the “physically prowess” factors down.

On the other hand, you have guys like Shinsou and Monoma, with quirks that are arguably some of the strongest and sneakiest powers and that could be immensely useful in the battlefield, be shunned and told over and over that they’d make good villain material. Because they don’t have either of those two aforementioned things.

Then, in a gray area amongst those two polar opposites, stand all the people who only have one of those factors. Like Kirishima, who has the physical prowess, but not the flashiness (and is actually kinda boring-looking by his own admission).

The quirkless people don’t even exist on this scale. How’s that for social justice and equity, uh

How is this toxic, you might ask. Well, imho it’s already pretty bad, but for arguments’ sake. Allow me to make another point.

2) their society promotes and idea of strength based on the aforementioned things that… is very naive at best, and really fucking harmful at worst.

it also goes hand in hand with a definition of “weakness” that is even more disturbing and just… plain wrong.

Think for a second about how Bakugou underwent several traumatic experiences (kidnappings, hostage situations, his ego being beaten down over and over), and how no adult ever thought to check up with him if he was fine. You know, emotionally. Because physically is not the only way a person can get hurt.

The point of the scene above is show their society bias towards what is universally perceived as a strong individual, vs what is generically thought of as the incarnation of weakness.

“hey this kid can make explosions from his palms, so he has a strong quirk. That totally means he’s emotionally mature enough to deal with the aftermaths of trauma on his own without us moving a single finger, right?

meanwhile, let’s give shit to the other kid who instead does not have a fancy superpower and thus must totally be a weakling who needs to be reminded of how much of a burden he is”

It’s not coincidental that the guy who was praised to all heavens for how strong he was was defenseless against the Sludge villain, and could only wait for someone to save him, and that the guy who helped the most while everyone else sat back and watched him suffocate to death was the quirkless guy who was supposed to be useless.

it’s supposed to make you think “wow this society has their values all mixed up.”

3) Thirdly (and lastly) the existence of the rankings indirectly promotes a really toxic ideal of individuality.

To quote from an old meta of mine,

It’s a world where it’s perfectly normal to leave a single guy as the pillar of justice for the entirety of Japan. It’s a weight that would’ve crushed anyone, and it’s not up for question that it’s also the reason why All Might fell. He fought against Afo on his own, sustained a terrible injury, then kept fighting alone until even what was left of his power was squeezed out of him. And yet, it’s never addressed as a bad thing, because their society normalizes inviduality. The existence of the hero rankings is also very telling of this. What’s their purpose if not making everything about hero-work into a competition? Heroics should be about helping people. Instead, in the world of bnha they became all about who manages to sell their brand better.

All Might worked alone. That resulted in the injury and the asportation of a part of his internal organs that severely crippled him. Learning absolutely nothing from his mistakes, he went up against AFO a second time on his own. That resulted in him losing the last remaining embers of his power, and the faith the general populace kept in him as this undefeatable, all mighty super-human that had no weaknesses.

this guy sums it up pretty well.

Sure, relying on a symbol of peace will give people hope and make them feel safe. But it will also paint a target on the symbol’s back and make it easier for the terrorists to single him out and bring him down.

That’s exactly what happened btw.

Afo groomed Shigaraki and created the League and the noumus with the explicit purpose of killing all might. Of destroying that symbol.

He might’ve not succeeded in killing him, but he did deal a huge blow to the faith in heroes. Now the question remains. Should they really have put that much faith (and abysmal pressure) on the shoulders of a single man?

Was it really fair?

Was it even WISE?

Personally, I don’t think so. I’ve never liked this narrative of the one-man-show, me-against-all-evil guy who singlehandedly defeats the entire universe. That goku bullshit only ever works in a flat, one dimensional universe like dragonball. and it always involves the MC martyrizing himself to save everyone else.

And it’s, once again, the ranking’s fault.

Oh, btw. The existence of the rankings is also the reason why Hawks and Shouto were never allowed to have a childhood. Just saying. For that alone, you shouldn’t defend them. They’re bad. Objectively so.

It’s because of the competition associated with the ranking system that Endeavor became obsessed with besting All Might. If the Commission hadn’t built up a system to gain power to quantify something that should not have been quantifiable, such as good deeds, then Endeavor would’ve never had a scale upon which compare his worth and achievements to All Might.

This is not to say that I’m not holding him accountable for his abuse. I’m just stating that the very origin of his feelings of inferiority is rooted in the ranking system.

The rankings are bad. The symbol of peace is bad.

they should get rid of all of it.

(oh and by the way, all of this ramble doesn’t even take into account how quirk elitism affects the raise of villainy. but that’s too complicated and layered a topic for me to dissect now, and I know that people before me already have)

To be honest, the reason why I’m okay with the League destroying the current status quo is because I believe that their society is already in shambles. The existence of villains and of young, misguided and shunned children who have fallen through the cracks is a pretty glaring signal that their society is already fucked up.

This peace only defends the establishment, and the questionable people (like Endeavor & the commission) who profit from it

#ali replies #bnha #bnha meta #bnha spoilers #bnha manga #my post #scatter44

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inikavulpixelreviews · 5 years ago

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Let’s Talk About Pokemon - The Fairy Type

During Gen 6, they dropped the bomb that is the Fairy type. The first type to be added to the series since Dark and Steel waaaay back in Gen 2. It felt like a long time coming, as the Dragon types had run rampant in Pokemon's metagame for nearly two whole decades and other fans were clamoring for a “Light” type. Honestly, myself included when I was a silly teenager. Though my interpretation of a Light type was a lot more literal than others, which seemed to give off the impression for the type to be more angelic themed that just straight up “something that lights up.”

In the end, I'm glad we got Fairy instead. A “holy” themed type for Pokemon would feel rather out of place to a point where Arceus itself is really pushing it. Fairy is a lot more flexible than even my literal Light type, since they aren't so bound to needing a spot on their body to glow or some such or are even bound to the “moral righteousness” of the hypothetical Light type fans have wanted. Despite its cute innocence on the surface, Fairy type has a lot more room to get darker than you'd expect.

I'm sure everyone by now is aware of myths and fairy tales being a lot darker back in the day than their modern interpretations. This is perfectly reflected in the Fairy types introduced after the type's inception, with many of them being cute on the surface but dreadfully dark in other places. Though if not that, they're at the very least a type of light-hearted tricksters. You got Mimikyu's shadowy appearance and murderous tendencies plus Tapu-Lele's surprisingly dark take on a classic Healer achetype, and even Klefki's meager trickery of stealing people's keys.

I don't think I overall have too many qualms with the Pokemon that got retconned into Fairy type either. They don't 100% fit the bill as the ones from Gen 6 and 7, but that's to be expected when you have to retroactively hand them the typing. The only line that outright doesn't feel like it fits to me is the Marill line. I'm past the point where I've finally convinced myself Granbull isn't Normal type anymore, but I can never get it out of my head that the Marills are anything other than pure Water. What's up with you guys? Seems arbitrary to hand the type out to something that's just sickeningly cute and nothing more.

The type as far as Gen 6-onwards goes, it could use a bit more variation. If it's pink and has huge adorable little eyes, it's probably Fairy. I can think of a handful of Gens 1-5 Pokemon that easily could've been part of the Fairy retcon, including Hypno, the Vanillite line, Banette, maybe even Conkeldurr since you could slightly associate the type with clowns? Perhaps maybe even Snorunt and Glalie. Or maybe I just want more Ice/Fairy types in particular. Pink with Light Blue is a nice color scheme, okay?

Top 10 Favorite Fairy Types:

Bottom 10 Least Favorite Fairy Types:

This is hard when there's so many to like. But I guess I'll narrow it down to this group of “slightly less than great” ones.

The Cutest:

The Coolest:

Yeah, see? We could still use a few more “cool” Fairies!

The Prettiest:

The Spookiest:

The Weirdest/Most Unique:

Most Inventive Use of the Type:

I still feel like this type has a ways to go to have this section one day be satisfyingly out-there. The most inventive it really gets is a surprise bulldog, a Fairy-deer-forest-spirit, and Spitzee being a really unique take on a Plague Doctor design.

FAIRY TYPE WISHLIST:

NOTE: These Type Wishlists were written out before any news on new Pokemon from Sword and Shield. The Pokemon revealed over time will not affect these wishlists. Just to present them unaltered despite spoilers and in the interest of getting the wishlist out there, and to see which items on said wishlists get fulfilled by Sword and Shield!

A Unicorn:

At least a more modern conception of a unicorn. Rapidash is kinda in-line with old-timey unicorns that were pretty much just horses that happen to have horns and some magic powers. Go full-on My Little Pony with it, I don’t care. I want an obnoxiously colorful horse.

A Gnome:

Since I've already covered elves, why not put a highlight on Gnomes? The obvious take to make would be a Grass/Fairy type given their ties to being lawn ornaments, but a gnome of any description would be hilarious to me.

A Dwarf:

This is a bit more of a variation of the Gnome wish. But given dwarf's connections with the underground, mining, and such in popular culture, it could be pulled off as a Rock/Fairy type. We need more Fairies with gruff demeanors anyway! Granbull's pretty lonely.

An Imp:

“But Matt!” I hear you possibly say. “Wouldn't an imp creature be more fitting for the Dark type?” Of course it is! But think of it this way: Imps are like the runts of demonic hordes of monsters. The tiny critters often with little bat wings and are in most cases in pop culture are just low-stakes tricksters compared to their more serious demon big brothers. It sounds and awful lot like a demonic version of a Fairy doesn't it? That's perfect for our first Dark/Fairy type!

ANYTHING Wonderland Themed:

Honestly, the old tale of Alice in Wonderland is in and of itself a treasure trove of cool monster ideas waiting to happen to where if we get anything even vaguely themed after said old story, I'd take it. But in particular...

Jabberwock:

Jabberwock is a monster within Wonderland's extended universe and has already appeared all over popular media from Final Fantasy to a number of other vaguely fantasy-themed medias. Being a rather goofy looking dragon-esque denizen of Wonderland, it's PERFECT for our first-ever Dragon/Fairy type! Or at least one that's Dragon/Fairy by default...

A Sandman:

At least I think anything dream-themed would be a fit for the Fairy type that is oddly missing at the moment. I’m surprised Munna and Musharna didn’t get retconned to Fairy either. But in the interest in representing dreams as a physical being, a sandman-based monster would be a good fit for the type. Typing-wise, I’d make it Fairy/Ground but Fairy/Psychic would work just fine as well.

A Cake:

In general I'm never not gonna get tired of any monster designed after desserts and sweets. But in particular, I'd love to see a cake creature. Maybe it gets more tiers/layers as it evolves and eventually becomes ridiculously tall and towering like an Alolan Exeggutor. Add in some candles and maybe it picks up the Fire type as well?

[Archive]

#Pokemon #Pokemon Reviews #Fairy Type

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justfangstvdto · 5 years ago

Text

Open Coffin 2 | Chapter 01 “City Of Devils”

Disclaimer: This is a sequel! Find Part 1 here. For some context, I´d advise you to watch The Originals to understand some occurrences.

Chapter warnings: typical vamp behaviour, blood, murder, angst and some very obvious foreshadowing

Word count: 4104

Tags & Author Note at the bottom. Feedback is my lifeblood and keeps the writing coming.

Open Coffin 2 Masterlist

Your name: submit What is this?

You were surrounded by pulsating air. Alive and undead hearts sinking to the pace of the drums. There was dooming danger in the air in the packed bar turned nightclub, as hunters moved amongst their prey. It would be only a matter of time before the hunters overpowered them.

On cue, the lights dimmed to a sombre shade of red and the hunters ceased their movements. You identified them through the rousing crowd, eyes veined and fangs bared - ready for attack.

Three.

Two.

One.

Midnight. Time to feed.

Your fangs punctured the delicate skin of the neck closest and the addicting crimson blood drained into your mouth. The horrid screams from the human in your grip were drowned out by the sheer pleasure of holding a life in your hands.

The brink was here. Was there hope for your prey yet?

You stepped over it, without blinking, without remorse. One less tortured soul to roam the earth. If you came to think of it, you did them a favor.

With evil on the mind and blood spatters in the air, you retreated the battlefield concealed as a dancefloor. You headed to the bar, unbothered to swipe your bloody mouth. There was no use in pretending anymore, to hide behind a mask. The world had seen what wretched thing you were, and you were unbothered by it. Let them see, let them fear. It kept them away.

Ordering a bourbon with the wave of your hand, you sat down on the remote end, further from the thumping music.

“Rough night?” The bartender tried to joke with you.

“Rough life.” That answer may have been trite, but hell if it wasn't ́t the truth. And you didn't need that dimwit behind the bar to remind you of that. “Just do your job and pour the liquor. I ́m not looking for a shrink.”

He backed off, hands raised in defence. The relief of silence was short-lived though as two loudly talking vampires joined next to you, their mouth tinted from their feast.

“You heard about what's happening in New Orleans?” One of the vampires said to the other.

This Bar, in the heart of Hell´s Kitchen, was where supernatural gossip lived. Everybody talked and gossiped about friends and enemies alike, but none had anything to say that was of particular interest to you.

You heard about the other side collapsing, the recent change in leadership in New Orleans, even talk of Klaus ́ mystical daughter that died in a war between werewolves and the Mikaelsons. And you heard about Damon ́s death. You had to hear it out of someone else's mouth, instead of Stefan ́s. You were not even invited to his funeral, nobody tried to even contact you. Not once. So much for the unbreakable bond of family everyone kept going on about. All bullshit.

So instead of wallowing in grief, you preoccupied yourself with mercenary-like jobs in exchange for currency, which in your case, was spells and spellbooks to hone your craft. You did not have any other purpose, so you made your own. To harness enough knowledge to never watch someone perish in front of your eye ever again. Or to destroy anyone standing in your path.

“Apparently,” The vampire continued “there's some shit going down. Something about a witch that ́s back from the dead who's jumping into people's bodies. Can you imagine?”

“I ́m not surprised, that place gives me the creeps, man.”

“Yeah, but jumping into someone's body? That´s fucking weird.”

“Sounds like a job for those hunter brothers on tv. They ́d clean that shit up good.”

“Hell yeah, man!”

You had no desire to listen after that, consumed by new opportunity. There was only one witch that could´ve risen from the dead causing that much trouble. Esther. It had to be her.

How was she back? The other side collapsed not 4 months ago and with it every spirit in there. Then, a thought crossed your mind that had you spiralling; If Esther crawled out of hell, could he be back too? Was there a chance he made it out alongside her?

All hope deafened when whispers came from men next to you that were oh so chipper a second ago. The taller one with jet-black hair looked over his shoulder and saw you sitting there and promptly turned his head with fear in his eyes.

You were used to it. People here knew what you were. A new species of hybrid. A freak. They crossed the streets when you came along, children ran away and hid behind their parents. They always feared what they did not know, what they were not able to comprehend.

The hushed whispers continued for another minute before you intervened.

“You got something to say to my face?”

“Nah, nothing.” The shorter ashen blond guy shook his head.

You wanted to leave it at that, to let them go with a warning not to talk in whispered hushes. But something in their dismissal made you angry. So as it was and as it has been for the last 2 years, and unexpected visitor knocked on the door that is your mind. And you welcomed old friend Rage with open arms.

You were not burdened by simple anger anymore. Something changed and transformed anger into rage and loneliness into despair. It was nothing like the usual vampire heightened feelings, it was a thousand times worse. The intensity, the strong, yet sometimes short, but intense feeling of emotions was something else entirely.

When anger would hit you wanted to destroy, cry and scream. You wanted to let out your wickedest thoughts, and you wanted the world to feel your pain.

There was too much energy flowing inside your bones to contain it so you let it out and you did not care who saw you like that.

This was no different.

You chanted into your closed palm and blew it over with a single breath of air. Within an instant, ashen veins burned their skin and invisible hands strangled the air out of their lungs. They tried to scream, tried to beg for their lives, but you let them disintegrate.

Served them right.

The room fell silent, nothing but gasps and retreating footsteps.

“Anyone else?” You addressed the room, but were met with instant silence “Didn't think so.”

You leaned back on the chair, and within another sip of bourbon, a plan of action for dealing with Esther and New Orleans edged itself into your mind. You smiled at the sheer craziness of it all. It was pure suicidal lunacy. It dug up old enemies, made new ones and, upon failure, leave the city in ruins.

Fuck it, you had nothing to lose descending into the crescent.

Next stop; New Orleans.

--------

Neon signs burned in the dawning morning sky, illuminating the streets like a beacon of hope and salvation for the tempted souls wandering in them. The Crescent City was the sort of city where easy living during the day occurred. Tourists wandered the streets, thinking this was where they wanted to get lost in, where they would let themselves go.

But New Orleans had a darkness that lingered in the shadows. Come nightfall, innocent souls always ended up pulled into the dark abyss by wretched souls that littered the paved streets with their bloodshed.

Unlike their glow, the memories attached to this place that was long forced behind closed doors burned like a forest fire. Unrelenting, yet familiar, like coming home after being away on vacation: Adventures lost, but the familiarity and comfort greater than any hardships that linger.

Almost any at least.

But his presence lingered around every corner, in every face that passed and in every nook and cranny in this city. It bled his and his family name, even more so since Klaus reclaimed the city's throne.

You stood where the first stone was placed by the returned King himself decades ago, a fitting starting point you found. From there you descended on your enemies tails.

“Don't you know that the devil walks among us?”An elderly man, sitting beneath a shadowed street light shouted as you approached from across the street.

“Oh, believe me, I know. I ́ve met him.” You said and dropped a 100 dollar bill in his turned-over hat “ Problem is, there ́s not only one of them. This is New Orleans, we all have horns.”

You pitied the man, yet you wished you had a belief as strong as his. Something to rage against, to pretend to fight for. Something that burned so deep I inside your soul you had to shout it off of rooftops, smear it down on a piece of paper or whisper into a trusted ear.

Perhaps you would find it here. New Orleans had tricks up its sleep it left every city in its shadow. And with the current faction war brewing, things were bound to reach a tipping point.

And no one knew war more than your destination for the night.

The Mikaelson Compound.

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

Timing had no place in the French Quarter. There was no good time for confrontation, no time for rest and certainly no time to waltz into a stronghold unannounced.

You were aware of that, painfully so, but when timing had no place then neither had fear. He would smell it out, twist it and spit it back on your face.

Stepping into the spacious courtyard felt like being dragged between the past and future. It was as if laid with a photograph of what lies before you today with another, shine-through one of the past. If the walls could talk they had tales to tell of manoeuvres schemed, and allies lost, but most of all, they would have told you to run away and never return.

But this was another point of your plan and was clear it would be the easiest to execute but hardest to stomach. Convincing the self-proclaimed king to join your side.

You followed the sound of paintbrushes stroking on canvas. Ascending the stairs, your feet remembered to navigate the labyrinth and you quickly found your way to his room. You expected to be greeted with a scowl or even a tinge of surprise, instead, you were met with a paintbrush rushing in your direction. Within a blink of an eye and a flick of your wrist, the paintbrush disintegrated to ash.

“If your intent was the element of surprise, you lost it.”Klaus said, and you could detect the smile through his voice before you saw it “Y/N. I knew we would meet again.”

“Trust me, I tried to avoid it longer. But I can't exactly say no to a bloodbath and I heard this one is gonna be a big mess, so here I am,” You said spectating the strewn about paintings that leaned against the wall. Most where muted colors, full of sorrow. “Damn these are depressing. And I thought your grey period in the '30s was the worst."

“Have you come with a reason or simply to critique my art?”

“Both I guess.” You shrug your shoulders, “But, let's cut to the chase. Your mother sent me.” His demeanour changed radically, like a sail changing in an oncoming storm “You´ve met her as that Cassie girl, right?”

“You dare come into my home as one of her disciples?” He sounded appalled, disappointed even. His muscle tensed, ready for attack.

But you knew him. You knew he'd slice first and ask questions later.

“If you think about attacking me, don't even try. I just have to rub these two fingers together and you´d be immobilized.”

"I see you accommodated to your new powers. Outright hypocritical if I might add."

“Can we just have a civilized conversation, please? ”

He raised his eyebrow “Civilized?You?”

“Look who´s talking.”

“Let me guess; Esther sought you out to persuade me to accept her foolish deal? To forsake this vessel and take on a new, human body?.”

"That's the plan. Thing is, I don't really follow orders, especially not from her. That is why I ́m here."

He took the time to study your features, to find some sort of indication of truth or deception. But you looked at him, unwavering.

“Why would you tell me this? To garner my trust? My appreciation, perhaps?”

“You trust me as much as I trust you, so no. I want to offer you a deal of my own. I'll tell you what she's up to, and you don't annihilate me for working with her. As easy as that.”

“You ought to play double agent?” He dismissed as if he thought it impossible “How do I make certain you did not promise her the same in exchange for, well, let me guess, everlasting power? A unicorn perhaps?”

“You don't. Then again, you ́re a man of words and not of deeds yourself. How do I know you won't kill me anyway?”

“What did she offer you?” He repeated, disregarding your question.

"Kol back from the dead.” It was the first time you spoke his name in years and it felt like dragging it through dirt with Klaus in the room. It felt wrong, but you continued nevertheless “Now I know what you ́re thinking. Poor girl can ́t live without her love...how tragically cliché. I can, physically, live without him. I can, but I don't want to. He deserves better” You informed, prepared for the onslaught of judgment

Klaus remained unconvinced still, you saw it on his face.

“There is one slight inconvenience.” He said, “My wretched mother could easily manipulate your desire to resurrect my brother and operate against you. ”

“I know how to deal with a wretched parent, trust me.”

Wretched was never a strong enough word to accurately describe your father. Violent when drunk, absent when sober and spirit destroying all around.

“A drunkard is hardly any comparison to the most powerful and deceitful witch the world has ever known.”

“But the desire to send them screaming back to hell is.”

That made him finally pause and you could swear a smile twitched across his lips. Good. That meant he was warming up. As much as someone like Klaus could.

“Look, if you don't want my help, fine. But you know as much as I do that taking down your enemy from the inside requires someone to be a traitor to the cause. You need me.”

“Why you? I have an army at my disposal, why would I possibly require your help?”

“I have nothing left to lose. That makes me the dangerous one, and as you know dangerous wins wars.”

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

Klaus agreed to your deal within your next glass of bourbon at Roussous´s. He stated his concerns in a calm manner, but not without adding life-threatening menaces, disguised in Shakespearean platitudes. Typical Klaus behavior. In a way, you were glad he hadn't changed. It only meant you knew what you were dealing with.

Esther, on the other hand, was much more unpredictable. When you negotiated your involvement in her operation before involving Klaus, she promised her assistance and the spell to resurrect Kol from the dead. She told you exactly what you wanted to hear, and you could not help but doubt her intentions. But alas, she was the lesser of two evils.

But at last, one beacon of hope, that had been standing its ground long before Esther crawled out of Hell, survived the nuisance of time; Roussous

The establishment was in similar condition as it has been since you last saw it. The flooring had the same scratches of battles waged, crumbles in the walls of bodies slammed into and the same stench of old bourbon that soaked to wood to its core.

There was a booth in the back right in the middle, anchoring both rows on each wall that separated the units. The vantage point from the seats where perfect, the bar was in sight as well as the exit and the employee side entrance - no matter where you looked, a surprise visit was impossible without being seen.

It was your and Kol ́s booth back in the day. You declared it so was after Kol invited you dug in there during a sudden rainfall, only days after he invited you to join his families festivities, the night where you chased all the stars in the sky. Before that night, you hid away from prying eyes, mostly Klaus´, to prevent suspicion.

Klaus had almost caught Kol once as he sneaked out to meet you. Of course, Kol was crafty and had a feeling that his control freak of a brother would follow him eventually. He led him in a different direction when he spotted him and made sure he was truly gone before heading off to find you, here at Roussos.

You slid into the seat after you had ordered Bourbon at the front and the green leather squeaked with your weight. Once situated, you looked at the wooden pillar behind you, expecting carved initials in them. You and Kol's carved initials. But the dark painted wood did not match. They replaced it.

You brushed your fingers over where your and Kol ́s initials where carved previously, silently chanting a spell you retrieved from a skilled witch in India months ago. You smiled as the initials reappear in the dark wood. Sometimes the past was not meant to be erased, and you were not ready to let them erase him so easily. Not the city folk nor his family, no one.

Loud buzzing that came from your phone distracted you on your tangent into the past. You looked at the display. Esther.

“I was just on my way.” You lied as you picked up her call “He took the deal just as I thought he would. I fed him some bullshit about taking down the enemy from the inside and he took the bait. “

“Good work. What about the stake?” Esther said.

She had asked about the white oak on your first meeting and set it as a condition to your mutual agreement. You told her that you had lost the white oak years ago, probably at the hands of Klaus.

“I can ́t exactly snoop around with him there.”

“I want that stake.” She repeated impatiently “No matter what you have to do to get it.”

“You ́ll get it, I promise.”

“I am not interested in promises, I expect results.” She said and hung up the phone without waiting for an answer.

“Bitch.”

---------

It was quiet on the other side of the river. Dangling your feet over the ledge of the tallest building on this side of the river, you tried to remember when you last were surrounded by near quiet Sensory overload around the clock had been your salvation over the last few years, and this silence outright scared you.

“You're not gonna jump, are you?” A familiar voice cut through the stillness and pulled your knees to your chest to get to your feet.

“Don't know yet. It's not like it would kill me.”You shrugged.

He moved closer and pulled in for a hug.

“Woah what do you think you're doing?” You held both your hands up and backed away. Marcel saw through your playful rejection immediately and only rolled his eyes “Just because we drank ourselves into oblivion one time doesn't mean I like you. “

“We drank ourselves to oblivion every day for a week straight.” He corrected “I think I deserve a hug. You know, as your friend.”

Marcel stumbled into the bar in New York 2 years ago all teary-eyed and pissed off at the world. And though you did not have the best history, he approached you and poured drink after drink in silence until you were both drunk enough to let the pretences fall. Then you talked. And talked.

He explained why had escaped New Orleans and sought the comfort of the Big Apple. He was broken-hearted over the loss of Davina, a courageous girl that was like a daughter to him. He swore to protect from a ritual the local witches called the Harvest. She was supposed to be resurrected, but the ritual failed.

You were both miserable out of different circumstances. But death remained death no matter what kind of love caused such suffering. Talking until the sun came up, sharing the same, overwhelming feelings of grief and the fact you were no strangers to war or the Mikaelsons, lead to you bonding in a way you'd never expect. You would even go as far as to consider Marcel your friend.

“It's good to see you again.” He said as he let go.

“You too.”

That was what you liked about Marcel, he was open about what he was feeling in the exact moment. Everyone knew if they were on his good or bad side, he did not leave anyone guessing. It was admirable, if not foolish in a city like New Orleans.

“What are you doing here? Last time I asked you if you'd ever come back here, you almost burned me alive.”

“Well, things change.”

“Oh great, I know that look. What are you up to now?”

You stared at the skyline, on the moving water underneath it. You thought about how the ground would shake, how the sky-high buildings would fall to crumbles and how you could level the entire city if you willed it.

“Just the most insane, plan I ́ve ever come up with. I'm playing the entire board. From top to bottom, left to right and it ́ll probably cost me my life. So the usual craziness that is, well, me. No biggie.”

“No biggie if you're dead?”

“We all die one way or another and technically we´re already did." You paused, bracing yourself to what you had to say next "Besides, it looks like I don't have much time to spare anyway, because-

He saw the near-black blood drop from your nose before you even registered it. He had to take a second look

“Because you're bleeding randomly?”

“Yeah, It's been happening a lot recently. That, and weird bruises that appear as if I ́m in a fight only to heal instantly. Invisible hands that strangle me, memories that are not my own, indescribable rage...the list goes on.”

This drainage of power started two months ago. It came and went in waves as a roll of feverish symptoms and with it came unbearable rage and paranoia. It was severer on a full moon, so it had to be tied to its phases. That much you knew, but that was it. You consulted grimoire after grimoire and witch after with - no answers.

“So, I think I'm pretty much doomed already.” You breathed out into the wind “What ́s a little more death gonna do to me?”

“Don't get sentimental on me now. You used to hate me, remember? "

I didn't hate you. Just your boyfriend." So, that plan of yours. Say the word and I ́ll help you however I can.”

“Remember you said that. You'll wish you hadn't. Let's meet at your place tomorrow. I have to make one more stop on my reunion tour.”

“You want some company?”

“ I´ll be fine.” If you could not walk alone in New Orleans at night, you might as well have a neon sign around your neck blinking the word soft repeatedly and lie down for a beating.

"You sure?" He asked again. There was reals concern in his voice now, compared to the level headed and calm manner, it sounded outright strange.

"This is only the beginning." You said, stepping on the ledge "If I can't handle some espionage, how am I supposed to handle the rest?" With the wind breezing you let yourself fall.

Marcel smiled and shook his head as the looked over the ledge and saw you speeding away. He knew as much as you did, that descending into the Crescent City, to undermine the war and come out on the other side alive, was near impossible. But he learned that impossible was not in your vocabulary anymore. The War lines have been drawn, and he knows you'd jump between them if you had to.

Let the games begin..

-------

A/N: And with that, we´re back!!! I hope you liked this first chapter! I wrote most of this back when my fur baby of 13 years passed away, so if it feels detached or anything that might be why. But I thought it would reflect the Sisters situation quite well so I didn´t throw it in the garbage like I wanted to.

Anyway, I would love to hear what you think. Just remember that this is the “housecleaning” chapter. We will find out what the nature of the Readers weird suction of power is, on what side she´s actually on, and what familiar faces will reappear in NOLA.

All in good time my friends. This is only the beginning...;)

OC Taglist:

@shadylittlewonder @thegoddessofvampire @newurleans @originalbish98 @acourtofhopeanddreams @bonniebird @imnoaingeal @mizzezm @vaniileiinkeks @relmi-llorrac @piercethepottorff @maliae14 @5-seconds-of-animals @the-geeky-engineer @rock-n-magick @flymeawayworld @givemesomehybrid @mikealsonlover @nuteller28 @fandoms-fandoms-everywhere99 @drkplum @fandooomqueenforyou @free-the-fangirl @clockworkballerina @twisted1ginger @superwholocksociopath474 @pacifyprincessxo @mustachio1616 @thealyana @sandyclaws @unicorntrooper @buckysummers @sanity-is-overratedxp @akshi8278 @lunna-star-8 @graysonmalfoy @woodworthti666 @elenavaldez02 @lilulo-12 @selmasemlan @thelostallycat @characterobsessed @cococola-cocaine @crazyinternetgirl @tvdplusriverdale @-thatgirloverthere- @alwxadria345 @trymexo @willieshakesqueer @spunky-89 @putyourherohaironstefan @xxdragonagequeenxx @thegingerthatwaited @shootingstarsaretearsofheaven @hinata7346 @controloffandoms

#kol mikaelson imagine #kol x reader #tvd imagine #the originals imagine #the originals #open coffin

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 5 years ago

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Spider-Man: Far From Home Thoughts Part 3 a.k.a. Iron Man Junior: Far From Spider-Man

This will be the final part of this essay series and here I’m going to go through how this film holds up as an adaptation of the source material.

Shockingly the answer will be that it’s fucking awful.

I’ve already made what must be over a dozen posts about how terrible Far From Home is as an adaptation and representation of Spider-Man but screw it let’s go over it more!

Before I start to rant let me qualify something.

When you are adapting a character as famous, iconic and beloved as Spider-Man you don’t have to be a 1:1 translation of the source material. But you 100% do have to respect the spirit of the source material as much as practicality will allow. You have to respect the essential ideas, original intention and core themes and concepts underpinning the character and his world.

That is the root of my objections in this post and so many others.

Homecoming and Far From Home misunderstand Spider-Man on a fundamental level. Or worse they do understand him and actively chose to ignore what he’s about, what he represents.

He’s all about great power and great responsibility within the context of being a relatively relatable Average Joe.

This isn’t making him an everyman the way Bilbo Baggins or Luke Skywalker are. For Spider-Man he has to much more accurately reflect the average person and the world the average person lives in. He has to live in a real city, he has to worry about bills, laundry, studies, getting a job, holding a job, maintaining friendships and romantic relationships. He just has to be Spider-Man ON TOP of that and that must clash with his normal life. Being Spider-Man is one more additional responsibility he must juggle.

Before I rip this film to shreds for so aggressively NOT doing that let me get a few scant positives out of the way.

First of all the action scenes were not just generally improved from Homecoming, but honestly felt more like Spider-Man. I could easily see the way Peter and Mysterio attacked, defended, countered, etc, being something from the comics. Particular praise must go to the Berlin action sequence.

For many years Spider-Man fans have understandably claimed that Mysterio would be the perfect villain for the big screen due to his skill set being about generating great visuals. And we were right because we get not just a classic Mysterio action sequence in Berlin but outright one of the all time best ones from any version of Spider-Man. The film even drops us some appreciated fan service, firstly by putting Peter in his red and blue costume so it feels like the comic come to life and secondly via the giant Mysterio hand ripped straight out of ASM #66-67. The snow globe sequence in particular, if it wasn’t from a comic (and off the top of my head I can’t recall it being so) was simply inspired.

Equally Mysterio’s look was a different yet ultimately brilliant realization of the comic book. To an extent Mysterio is also a spiritually faithful rendition of the comic book character. In the comics he was a special effects master, stuntman and failed actor who craved fame and was frustrated by the lack of recognition he got.

In the movie he created highly realistic holographic technology, was frustrated by it’s small scale use, the lack of recognition he got for it and with a whole crew of helpers fabricated his Mysterio identity in the hopes of becoming the most famous superhero in the world, although he was himself rarely in the costume.

Traditionally Mysterio is a practical effects guy and this makes the most sense given how he physically fights Spider-Man, but the updating of that to holographic technology is fine and dandy because CGI has, for better or worse, supplanted practical effects. Even in the 1994 cartoon when that wasn’t the case the showmakers gave Mysterio holographic tech.

Him not being a stuntman is more of a mixed bag. On the one hand being a stuntman is what enables him to sort of fight Spider-Man himself, but on the other hand outside of his debut Mysterio’s usually been more effective when not physically fighting people but rather tricking them and manipulating them. So if you are focussing more on that aspect of the character dropping the stuntman angle is fine.

In fact one of the two things (and we will talk more about the other later) which does spiritually undermine this version of Mysterio is his lack of explicit connection to Hollywood. However he is still an actor just not a professional actor in the film or TV industry. And a great actor at that as he is so capable of fooling everyone.

We might also argue that having a crew of helpers undermined Mysterio’s independence and intelligence, but I think it works for the movie fro 2 reasons. First of all in a movie for general audiences suspension of disbelief doesn’t stretch as far so savant characters are less acceptable. Mysterio is 100% a savant. He’s a skilled actor, stuntman, manipulator and technician who knows holographic technology, robotics and all manner of things like that. In the movies you could maybe buy someone having a grasp of the purely technical side of things, but even Tony Stark wasn’t an expert on biology or chemistry, maybe he knew enough to get by but remember he needed to read up on stuff in Avengers 2012.

By giving Mysterio a group supporting him it makes it more believable that this villain is capable of all these things. More poignantly, and you can see this especially when they were ‘rehearsing’ for the London attack, it renders Beck something of a director, thus subtextually giving him yet more connection to the world of film. Again it’s just a shame this was not more explicit and instead his abilities and motives stem from...well we will get there.

On a final note Mysterio can in truth be one of the creepier Spider-Man villains and you don’t really get that vibe outside of the Berlin fight scene (and even then only a little bit). I think that’s fine as he was still manipulative which is one of Mysterio’s better skills in the comics.

So there is a lot this version of Mysterio has going for him, he’s faithful in the idea but not in certain details. Unfortunately those details sink this take.

Other positives include the set up of Chameleon as the stoic and silent agent Dmitri within SHIELD. This will not only pay off in MCU Spider-Man 3 but will is also a great example of irony and foreshadowing. Chameleon was introduced as a saboteur and enemy agent so him being a mole within SHIELD lends itself well to his character and the fact that he is an imposter amidst imposters (the Skrulls) is deliciously ironic.

Also this movie gave us the best version of Ned and Betty’s relationship ever because no one died or got cheated on. Finally I liked Aunt May running a homeless shelter. It gives her something to do and is a very fitting role for her.

I want to go back to Mysterio for a moment though as this isn’t really a positive or a negative of his character.

He’s a very tricky character to adapt. In his debut he is pretends to be a powerful new superhero who wants to bring down Spider-Man whom he’s obviously framed.

In a movie I can understand how framing Spider-Man might not sustain a 2+ hour movie.* However the bigger question to ask is whether or not you bother with having Mysterio framed as a hero or not.

In the 90s it was easier as Spider-Man and his mythos wasn’t so prevalent so people simply know a lot of stuff via osmosis, and in the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon the showmakers simply present him as a criminal off the bat.

If you do go with him pretending to be a hero it’s tricky to pull off without feeling like you are going through the motions.

All of which is me saying the movie is faithful to the comics in presenting Mysterio as initially pretending t be a hero but I don’t know how good of an idea that is. I don’t know anyone who walked into the movie not knowing he was the bad guy.

That’s about it for positives.

So...FUCK THIS MOVIE!

Once again in this Spider-Man movie everything revolves around Iron Man.

I’ve written in posts past how this undermines Spider-Man’s agency simply as a character in a movie but as far as adaptations go this is beyond insulting.

Spider-Man was in part created to be an independent superhero. In part created to literally NOT have the kind of relationship he has with Iron Man in this movie.

I cannot describe how much of a fundamental misunderstanding of Spider-Man’s character it is to have Iron Man be utterly integral to who everything about him.

He’s so goddam integral that Peter’s alleged character arc in this movie is about becoming him (in the most obnoxious of ways too, see Part 2) and he is the wellspring from which 99% of this movie springs from even though he’s fucking dead. I mean my god the plot device everyone is after is Tony Stark’s glasses!

Spider-Man doesn’t get to be his own man even when Iron Man is literally not alive!

Shit even Mysterio is motivated and built to be a dark reflection of Iron Man. And this kills his character not just because it denies him independence because it makes his ambitions entirely too big scale to work as a Spider-Man villain. His motivation is to gain access to Tony’s magic glasses. At least Vulture with a tweak could have worked as a regular Spider-Man villain. He had the working class down to Earth and relatable ambitions and lifestyle down. Mysterio is doing everything to both spite Tony and become him.

Jesus, even Iron Man’s dead weight and most irrelevant supporting character Happy Hogan is not just in this movie but plot relevant...for the second movie in a row! He’s even dating Spider-Man’ aunt. At this point given how she’s never even mentioned him is Uncle Ben even dead in this universe or did he just run off with a somehow even sexier 50 year old?

Oh...and let’s talk about Uncle Ben, whom I was naive enough to think was going to be referenced when that gravestone appeared but noooooope, fucking Iron Man again.

From Endgame onwards disgusting posts and articles were written about how Iron Man’s death now truly makes him MCU’s Uncle Ben. Because you see he was Peter’s father figure and he died...so that’s the same thing. Nevermind that he didn’t die because Peter was inactive and selfish, or the fact that his death didn’t widow his aunt, or anything like that. Shit Peter doesn’t even seem that upset about it beyond 1 or 2 scenes. And yet that’s one or two scenes more than we’ve ever seen Uncle Ben get referenced. Think about that we’ve seen Iron Man mourned more than Uncle Ben in a SPIDER-MAN movie!

We see that more than we see Aunt May even. Aunt May is just there in the MCU movies which is not just a waste of Tomei as a talented actress but it is again insulting as an adaptation. Even in Spider-Man 3 and ASM2 she had more to do and delivered a good scene or two. In these movies she’s eye candy and nothing more. She is more relevant as a punch line about how men are attracted to her than as her own character.

And now that we are on the subject of supporting characters, I talk about this more in other posts, but Michelle is so bad. The romance comes out of nowhere there is no justification given for their respective feelings for one another and to say she’s not Mary Jane would be redundant.

She fails to be anything like Mary Jane on any level beyond her nickname. This is not okay for several reasons. Among them is the fact that the Spider-man movies have had a problematic habit of treating the love interests as interchangeable characters as opposed to being their own distinct characters. Worse we’re screwing up Mary Jane not only a second time on film but worse than before. This is the Lois Lane of the Spider-Man mythos, she’s an iconic beloved character integral to the over all story of Spider-Man. And we’re treating her as so insignificant as to able to present an OC with her initials and claim that’s good enough.

As for the other supporting characters they continue to be broken. Like how the fuck did Betty Brant wind up the relatively most faithful character? Ned is just a repurposed Ganke except now they’re writing him as a lame Disney Channel sidekick character so he’s not even got the depth of comic book Ganke and Flash...oh Flash. He’s not just irrelevant to the movie, he’s not even really a bully in this film. He’s just a preppy docuchebag no one takes seriously and in fact gets treated as the butt monkey on more than one occasion. The only redeemable moments for his character were when he sang Spider-Man’s praises and was stoked that Spidey follows his social media channel.

All the characters feel like shallow attempts to make Spider-Man ‘about youth’ which as I’ve said countless times in the past, he provably isn’t about and never was. But this film not only continues to lean on that misinterpretation but lean harder on it. Like the premise of this movie is literally about Spider-Man trying to enjoy his summer vacation and school field trip.

But the film fucks up Spider-Man’s defining values in so many other ways.

Of course there is the blip.

People were so hype for Spider-Man to be in the MCU but hindsight is painful because that fact just hurt Spider-Man movies on a fundamental level.

In Marvel comics, we never know for sure if any of Spider-Man’s friends or family died in the Infinity Gauntlet and no one remembered it happening anyway. It also didn’t happen in a Spider-Man story so it could be safely ignored as is the nature of a shared universe.

But in the movies Far From Home acting as MCU Chapter 23 creates an ongoing problem for these Spider-Man movies. The fact that Spider-Man and everyone he knows died and came back but also there were some people who are five years older than him now creates a fundamental dissonance undermining the more grounded, relatable angle of his character. The only solution of which is to simply wilfully ignore the elephant in the room that represents that dissonance. In short these Spider-Man movies would’ve been better off not being connected to the MCU or at least being on it’s fringes.

This applies to even the post credits scene of the movie as now in our movies that are supposed to be about the grounded and relatable hero we have fucking aliens! And they were there the whole time. The movie even gleefully plants its flag in rejection of the idea of having a more grounded Spider-Man by saying Spider-Man ISN’T a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man by virtue of having gone to space. I was okay with that in Infinity War as that was not a Spider-Man movie but by actively rejecting that idea in this movie it showcases how the film makers treat Spider-Man as a more generic hero who can be anything and everything...and therefore nothing. There are no definitions to the type of things he will get involved with.

You might counter outside of the opening school scenes and post-credit sequence the alien involvement isn’t that much of a problem because all the interdimensional and alien stuff wasn’t real in the movie.

But that leads us to the next problem. Spider-Man as a globetrotting super spy agent. Again...this is not Spider-Man. Spider-Man is more domestic, more down to Earth and sans space travel there is nothing less grounded and down to Earth that globetrotting and secret agents. There is a reason James Bond is indulgent escapism!

Worse the spy stuff essentially hijacks the movie, it’s not even something that flows out from Peter’s character or world, it comes out of nowhere to appropriate his story.

Speaking of which...SHIELD have to hijack Spider-Man because...Spider-Man doesn’t want to get involved...

...what?...

I will repeat that.

Spider-Man, the character defined by a low level burglar he chose not to stop who then killed his uncle thus teaching him that having super powers gives him a responsibility to use it to help others...chooses to not help out against giant elemental monsters threatening all life on Earth...because he wants to enjoy his vacation...

...words simply cannot do justice to how beyond broken that is as an interpretation of Spider-Man.

This isn’t even a case of he quits because being a hero has taken such a toll on him and he’s had a wobble.

This is him still deciding to be Spider-Man but actively tries to avoid it because he wants to have fun for an extended period of time. MAYBE that’s okay. MAYBE him deciding to not take his suit along on vacation could be justified and in character.

But when presented the means to be Spider-Man and a major crisis that requires his help (it isn’t like there is a small group of equally or more powerful heroes to cover for him) for him to simply reject it, to have to be forced into helping and when he reluctantly does only doing the bare minimum until he realizes people he cares about are in danger...no.

Just no, whoever was responsible for that characterization you should not be allowed to write for Spider-Man.

It’s not even consistent with Homecoming’s already misinterpreted version of Peter Parker. In Homecoming Peter was screwed up because his intervention made everything worse near 100% of the time but even that’s better than presenting Peter as choosing to not intervene at all for purely selfish and unsympathetic reasons. And to rub it in our faces when he does choose to intervene he does it with more high tech Stark crap. No him making the suit himself doesn’t make it okay, Spider-Man shouldn’t be using technology from other people like that nor consistently having access to such high-tech. It goes against the idea of him being independent and of being grounded.

The Stark tech crap is also relevant to what is a major contender for the single worst scene of any Spider-Man film to date. The drone strike on a bus.

In this movie about the superhero who’s supposed to be relatable and like us, Joe Average, we have a scene where he uses a pair of high tech bequeathed to him by his dead superhero father figure accidentally to launch an orbital drone strike on a fellow school student on his bus because he’s about to ruin his chances with hooking up with a girl. Then he has to engage in wacky hijinks to save the kid and everyone else.

Do I need to say more about that scene? To call it jumping a shark would be an insult to other shark jumping moments. It shatters the verisimilitude of the movie maybe even more than the blip.

Let’s switch back to Peter’s personality in this movie. I’ve already talked a lot about it in prior posts but I do have two more things to point out.

The first of these is that we have less quips than in prior Spider-Man movies. And I don’t just mean the most recent ones I mean of any of the movies going back to 2002. And by less I mean 0. Spider-Man NEVER quips or jokes in this movie. Ever. It’s like they’ve grown to understand Spider-Man even less than in the last movie!

The second and more significant is how stupid Peter is when it comes to his secret identity. In the comics Spider-Man is famously secretive about his identity, to the point where it’s almost paranoid.

Here though he isn’t concerned about SHIELD or random SHEILD agents knowing who he is, or Mysterio, or everyone in a bar or anyone looking at the bridge in London where he unmaskes makes out (awkwardly) with Michelle.

The movie pretends like it cares about this aspect of his character by having Peter point out if he goes out as Spider-Man abroad people will deduce it’s him.

Not only is this an attempt by him to weasel out of hero duties but it’s moot because Betty immediately figures it out (leading to the cringe Night Monkey gag which doesn’t even make sense since monkeys don’t crawl on walls or shoot webs!), Michelle figures it out and Peter was cavalier with his identity before and after that scene.

All culminating in just everyone knowing his identity which like in the comics fundamentally fucks up the idea of him as the everyman even more. Forget space aliens and spy shit now he’s a celebrity. Celebrities are the exact opposite of the everyman, that’s why they’re friggin celebrities!

Big take away from this movie as an adaptation?

It was fucking insulting for it to have been dedicated to Lee and Ditko.

Fuck this movie. Fuck this direction for Spider-Man. Fuck Marvel for ruining Spider-Man again.

*That being said I did once hear a brilliant pitch for Spider-Man 4 wherein Mysterio frames Spider-Man and the police call in aid from Kraven the Hunter to catch him.

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purplesurveys · 5 years ago

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x1 How are you feeling today? I have to pee, but since I’m at a Starbucks alone I can’t leave my stuff and head to the washroom :(((( But other than that I’m feeling pretty good; I’m getting some fresh air from being out so I’m better than the last two days. x2 Were you feeling like that yesterday at any point? I don’t think so; I was miserable yesterday and last Friday. x3 What kind of food could you go for right now? I just ate lunch (fried chicken and waffles) so am not really looking for anything at the moment. I’m also having my favorite iced coffee right now so basically I’m in food heaven. x4 Would you consider yourself a movie buff? [continued from this afternoon!!!] I don’t think I can claim that title. I looooove watching movies and try to watch most of the leading Oscar contenders every year, but I can still get bored by some movies fairly quickly, and I was never into in-depth analyses of symbolisms and stuff. x5 What is one common name that you like? You know what’s funny, I thought my taste in girl’s names was unique until I saw a list of the most popular baby girl names and realized 5-7 of the names I’ve had in mind were on the list lmaaao, so my name choices are more common and popular than I thought hahaha. I’ve locked in the name Olivia for my first daughter (super common), but other popular names I like are Mia, Emilia, Harper (for girls), Ezra, Jacob, Liam, and Noah (for boys).

x6 What is one unique or odd name that you like? I watched a show yesterday where one of the girls was named Tuesday and I thought that was quite adorable. x7 When|why did you last have a stomach ache? I had coffee, and coffee generally makes me feel poopy. x8 How many times have you had the flu? I can probably count it on one hand. x9 Do you think imagination is valuable? It is, which is why it’s sad that I don’t have much of it. x1o What is valuable to you, in general? Money. x11 Who or what are you most impatient with? DRIV! ERS! x12 When was the last time you mowed a lawn? I’ve never mowed a lawn. Our backyard is filled with little stones and pebbles. x13 Have you seen all of the Star Wars films? No, thank god. x14 How about all of the Harry Potter ones, so far? I’ve watched two or three but never finished any of them. x15 Do you plan on seeing New Moon when it comes out in theaters? I did, hahaha. I watched the first two movies before I got to start with the books. x16 Was your horoscope accurate the last time you checked it? I don’t care for it enough to check. x17 Do you put much stock into those kinds of things? See answer above. x18 Name a location that's absolutely beautiful to you? Palawan. x19 What part of the newspaper do you typically enjoy reading? I admittedly don’t read the paper all that much but I do like the front page as it brings me up to speed on the biggest events of the day, and that’s kinda expected of me given that I’m taking up journalism. x2o Do you ever click any links on your homepage? My homepage on Chrome is just an extension that shows me the time and my to-do list for the day. No links. x21 Have you ever made a website, even a simple one? Yes. We had to make several simple websites for our computer lab class back in high school. x22 Which was better: your childhood or your teen years? Teen years, I think. It was also shittier, but the highs that I did have were awesome. Overall I grew a lot in my teenage years and that makes things better for me. x23 What was your reaction to your first time falling in love? Scared. I mostly didn’t know what was happening and thought I was the only one who felt the way I did. x24 What does it take for someone to win your heart? Welp, they have to be emotionally close with me first and foremost. x25 Are you expecting anything? Right now? No. x26 What is one thing you would rather be doing? Nothing in particular; I’m quite content with where I am at the moment. x27 Do you ever blame your moods on PMS? If I’m supposed to be having PMS, then yes. Otherwise it’s a shitty excuse. x28 When was the last time you changed your mind about something? Around four hours ago. We passed by a KFC drive-through to buy dinner, but the lady said my order was gonna take 15 minutes to make; we weren’t willing to wait that long so I quickly had to make up my mind about what else to order. x29 Who was the last to ask you for something, and what was it? My mom asked me for 100 bucks yesterday because she needed a smaller bill as she didn’t have any. x3o Do you know anyone with a lisp? Mik has a slight lisp. x31 How much weight can you lift at once? Thanks to my PE class, I can deadlift around 70 lbs now. I can barely lift 20 at the start of the semester, so yay for progress! I actually wanna continue working out even when our class ends, honestly. x32 Do you gossip about others? It doesn’t happen as often now that I’m in college because my school is HUGE, but I used to gossip in high school. Angela and I still do when we get the chance. x33 Are you often bored? Nope. I hate the feeling, so I always find something to do. x34 Is down-time a bother to you? No. I need it from time to time too. x35 Do you ask guys out, or wait for them to ask you out? I asked my girlfriend out twice. x36 Do you like the last person who showed interest in you? Yes. x37 Have you ever disliked someone because of a physical feature? No. The most I’ve done is probably disliking seeing someone’s face in general AFTER they did something that annoyed or pissed me off, but I never disliked someone solely because of a physical feature of theirs. x38 Have you ever been disliked for one of yours? I don’t think so. x39 Describe the last person you stared at? There was a driver today who was a complete dick, so when my mom drove by the car I stared daggers at the driver through their window.

x4o What are your usual chores? Washing the dishes, cleaning up the stuff that exits my dog haha, and folding clothes. x42 Do you feel like you fit your gender? Why|Why not? Sure. Stereotypically, I dress like a girl, I like a lot of ‘girly’ stuff, etc. Idk I feel like this is a very sensitive/political question nowadays because no one really knows what defines girly/boyish anymore, or if those boundaries should even exist to begin with lmao x43 Do you like dating one person at a time, or multiple people? Just one at a time for me. x44 At the end of the day, how do you usually feel? Tired and wanting to go to bed. x45 Do you know many others who share your sense of humor? Sure. x46 If you could have one thing, what would it be? Lots of money. x47 Do you take criticism well? Nope. Big weakness of mine. x48 Do you give it well? I try to. But given that I hate being criticized, I myself don’t give a lot of it to people. If I wanna criticize someone I always try to phrase it in such a way that it sounds like I’m praising them still. x49 What rule do you break most often? I almost never wear a seatbelt. x5o Have your experiences made you more or less sympathetic to others? MORE, definitely. I find that I am a lot softer and more mature in dealing with everyone, which is a far cry to how rough my mom has been with me over the years.

#survey #surveys

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imagine-organization-xiii · 6 years ago

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Organization Members as Babies/Toddlers

Suggested by: Anon. Let me know if any of the links don’t work!!! I didn’t do actual babies because babies don’t really have personalities and they don’t really... do much? So it’s more on the line of toddlers instead of babies.

Thanks to the headcanon queen, @4ddictwithapencil for help with this one!

Let’s just say that most of this is happening at Grandpa Xehanort’s house.

Xemnas

Favorite Toy: a Fluffy Puppy Rocking Chair where he can sit and judge people with his arms crossed and hatred in his eyes.

The grumpiest of babies. Nothing you do ever makes him happy. Will glare at you and judge you for everything you do, practically being judgmental at your parenting. Does not cry or scream, which would be a lot better because it would make him seem like a normal baby, but he does bite often and unashamedly. Also pulls hair, but not to be spiteful. He’s just fascinated by hair for some reason.

Sticks to a fairly strict schedule. Goes to bed at certain times, eats at certain times, naps at a particular time, etc. If he gets off of his schedule, he goes nuts and gets really upset. A decently calm baby when he’s on schedule, but when he’s off schedule? He’s a nightmare.

Xigbar

Favorite Toy: Nerf Guns

The naughtiest of tiny babies, absolutely 100% the worst baby ever. Gets into literally anything and everything because he likes to touch things just for the sake of touching them. Most likely to stick a fork in an electrical socket. Also likely to pee on you when you try to change his diaper.

Definitely a kid that will test your limits and really try your patience. He likes to see how much he can get away with without getting into really big trouble, so if you’ll tell him not to touch something, he’ll immediately touch it when you look away. Then during a scolding, he’ll pretend like he never did anything. Like this is literally Xigbar.

One positive about Xigbar is that he’s a great sleeper. Goes to sleep without a fuss and barely ever wakes up in the middle of the night. Also?? surprisingly cuddly when he’s tired? He doesn’t like being picked up or coddled too much, but when you see him yawn? He’ll definitely want to be held as he falls asleep.

Xaldin

Favorite Toy: The Jungle Gym Playground Set where he and Lexaeus help to protect baby Zexion

A baby with a surprisingly big appetite. He’s not picky when it comes to food and will literally try anything you put in front of his face.

Has a fascination with putting his face out of the window on long car rides to feel the breeze. Also has a tendency to fall asleep in the car when driving around for a while. For some reason it just makes him sleepy.

Xaldin is pretty content with being by himself. Likes to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else play than actually participate.

Vexen

Favorite Toy: Science Experiment Lab

Super curious!!! Like to pretend to be a scientists and make pretend experiments. Never misses an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Never goes outside unless it’s winter and freezing. LOVES the snow more than anything else in the world. He’s one of those kiddos that you have to drag Vexen inside the house, even with the bribe of hot chocolate with little mini marshmallows. He just loves the snow, having snowball fights, and making snowmen!

Lexaeus

Favorite Toy: Tonka Dig n Rig Playset

That kid who likes to dig in the sandbox because he claims he’s going to dig to China. Just likes being in the dirt for some reason. He can just lay outside in the grass for hours without moving.

The quietest of all the babies. Seriously silent because he generally prefers to point at things instead of speaking. Never cries or talks, either, and his parents were seriously getting worried, so they actually took him to a doctor to see if something was wrong with his hearing or vocal chords, but no. He’s fine. When prompted, he was literally able to speak in fully formed sentences and shocked the hell out of everyone in the room. He just likes to stay silent more than anything else.

Zexion

Favorite Toy: Create Your Own Books Activity

Another baby who is seriously curious about the world. Likes to get into literally everything if only because he wants to know what it is, what it does, and how he can use it or play with it.

SO CUTE AS A BABY. Has chubby cheeks that you just want to pinch. A seriously lovable baby who’s wonderful and amazing.

He’s that baby that always accidentally gets into trouble, and Lexaeus and Xaldin know it. They’ve formed a pact between the two of them to follow Zexion around and keep him safe from other babies/bullies (aka Xigbar.)

Can’t go to sleep unless someone reads him a story.

Saix

Favorite Toy: Fisher Price Desk and Lamp to store his crayons and important documents

Pretty similar to Xemnas, Saix has a god damn schedule and you need to stick to it or he will go absolutely insane. You’ll be left with a very unhappy baby and he’ll make sure you know how unhappy he is, loudly and often. He needs order to function, more so than most babies.

Bossy as shit and a little know it all. He will definitely correct adults when they’re wrong about something and has absolutely judged his parents on their parenting skills and tried to tell them what to do.

Axel

Favorite Toy: Sit and Spin - definitely makes himself dizzy as hell on purpose.

You can’t have candles in the house with this sweet baby. He’s absolutely fascinated with fire and will very much stick his hands on or near the fire on the stove if given the opportunity.

He’s also very loud! Not in like the uncontrollable screaming way, but he just babbles a lot. He’ll definitely be trying to have a conversation with you like, “Bla bla baa bebebe sha ba daaaaaa da ba.” And you just have to nod and agree with whatever he says.

Like Xigbar, he’s great sleeper because he has so much energy during the day that he’s practically exhausted by nighttime.

Axel sometimes throws tantrums, but it’s usually only when he doesn’t get what he wants. You won’t let him have a snack or a piece of candy from the store and he’ll get pretty upset with you, but he’ll get over it fairly quickly.

Demyx

Favorite Toy: Sing-Along MP3 Player

Singing gibberish since literally the day he was born. Demyx has one of those little machines that has a speaker and microphone, and he drags the thing around ALL DAY, practically screaming into it because he thinks it’s singing and practically drives everyone nuts.

Loves to go in the pool! Demyx is a natural swimmer that doesn’t need floaties and isn’t afraid of water or getting water splashed in his face. Laughs hysterically every time you let him play with the hose pipe.

Luxord

Favorite Toy: Kid’s Playing Cards

Luxord likes all sorts of card games, like Old Maid, Go Fish, etc. He’s also a really great master at Peekaboo. Even though he’s a kid, 100% definitely has the skill to take all of your money in poker. Also likes matching games where you can find the matching pictures, Solitaire, and board games like Mouse Trap and Guess Who! Not Monopoly, though. He hates Monopoly.

Attracted to shiny silver and gold things, especially coins.

Likes to have someone sing him a lullaby before sleep and, unlike most kids, he really likes to have a bath. Can’t sleep unless he’s clean and in new jammies!

Marluxia

Favorite Toy: Kid’s Gardening Set

Marluxia loves playing outside! Spends more time playing in the yard than inside, so he gets tons of fresh air. Likes to play in the garden, pull weeds, and plant pretty flowers. Would try to plant acorns and other seeds because he wants to see them grow into something big.

Also gets dirty A LOT. He’s that crazy kid that makes mud pies whenever he possibly can and gets the mud everywhere. Over his clothes, tracked through the house, all across the driveway, on his skin, etc.

Larxene

Favorite Toy: An Old Barbie Doll, but it’s beaten up, hair torn out, and damaged

Larxene is a drama queen baby. Practically acts like she’s a teenager even though she’s only three years old. Definitely bosses the other babies around, like Angelica from the Rugrats. An unbelievable amount of sass within a tiny body.

Terrible. Tantrums. All the time. Every day. Everywhere. Larxene is the master of the temper tantrum because she knows it’s one of the best ways to get what she wants. Doesn’t care who she bothers with her screaming as long as she gets whatever it is that she wants.

Roxas

Favorite Toy: A stick that he pretends is a sword.

A happy, cheerful baby who laughs at everyone and everything, but he is very clingy. You can’t set him down or he’ll get really upset and worried that you’ll suddenly disappear.

He’s a happy baby, like I said, but he also has a short temper. If everything is the way he wants to be, he is the cutest most lovable baby in the world. If anything is annoying him, he’ll throw an absolute fit.

Also likes to play with styrofoam swords all the time. And for some reason, he has a habit of stealing your car keys (though you aren’t sure if it’s because he likes the shiny stuff or the jingling noise.).

Xion

Favorite Toy: A GIANT teddy bear that she can cuddle and sleep on.

A content, curious baby who doesn’t do much and is just happy to look around and see new things. She’s absolutely precious! Such a cuddle bug that loves hugs and skin contact just because she likes the warmth.

She’s cries sometimes, but not because she’s being a brat or throwing a tantrum. Poor thing just has a lot of emotions and the only way she can get them out is to cry. A quiet cryer, though. She doesn’t have loud, screaming cries.

Gets distracted really easily. She likes shiny things and noisy things and toys that squeak and rattle. She loves toys of any kind and is always happy to get new stuff.

#organization xiii headcanons #kingdom hearts headcanons #kingdom hearts #organization xiii

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