The Defenders (1972) #85

Last part of the time travel crack ‘verse for now (and sorry for making you all worry about the scepter, I didn’t mean it that way, it just seemed like a good cut-off point tbh):

"The scepter! Did anyone keep an eye on the scepter?"

"I assure you," Agent Agent, who looks a little singed and has a bandage wrapped around one ear, yet continues to rock the personality-free drawl that tricks people into thinking he’s not worth paying attention to, speaks up, "that the scepter is still safely in SHIELD custody, Dr. Banner."

Banner scoffs.

Rogers grimaces.

Barton winces.

And oh, all other issues aside, the vindication of this moment is glorious. Tony feels fully justified in the doubtful look he aims at the screen. You know your show sucks balls when even your own operative doesn’t buy what you’re selling.

"That’s great," Banner says in a painfully droll voice. "But I’ll feel a lot better when we hand it over to our resident Asgardian prince for safekeeping rather than put it into a secret high-security facility and hope for the best. Like the one you stored the Tesseract in took Loki what, five minutes to take over?"

Woah, talk about burn. Tony doesn’t bother muffling his snicker. Who’d have thought Banner has it in him?

[continues under the cut]

"Hang on, wouldn’t it be better—" Rogers interrupts before Fury or Coulson can come up with an excuse, which judging by their sour-slash-carefully-blank expressions isn’t as easy as they’d like it to be.

Banner raises one hand. It shouldn’t be a power move on part with his green counterpart squashing a car in his fist, isn’t even particularly aggressive but for some reason Rogers shuts up. Immediately. The bright, eerily green eyes might have something to do with it. 

"If you’re going where I think you’re going, I advise you to reconsider," Banner growls, the vocals deep enough that Romanoff reaches for the nearest weapon. "Even setting my personal issues aside, it’s not worth the risk."

Barton sighs with what sounds less like exhaustion and more like sad resignation. "Hate to say it, Cap, but he’s right. Sending the scepter off-Earth with the Tesseract is probably the safest course of action we can take right now. We can’t count on being that lucky again."

"Agent Barton," Agent Agent’s words drip with such a pointedly polite friendliness, it’s a wonder he doesn’t spear his own tongue on it. "Please desist in trying to hand off objects that pose an immediate threat to global security to an unvetted alien who, while a valued ally, is in line for the throne of a foreign world."

And wow. Tony’s not gonna win a prize for his sensitivity any time soon, but there’s some things you just don’t say to a guy who got brainwashed into doing an alien’s bidding less than forty-eight hours ago. Going by the way Romanoff has gone rigid, she agrees.

Luckily for everyone present, Barton doesn’t bat an eye at the dig. He leans forward instead, elbows placed on his tights, the picture of relaxation. As long as you ignore the expression on his face that could possibly pass for a smile. If you catch sight of it out of the corner of your eye. Through a dirty mirror. 

"Not that I’m not glad to see you alive and well, Phil, because I am. But getting my head rolled once was already one time too many and if the Tesseract is powerful enough to draw fucking aliens to it then it’s too fucking powerful for us to protect." Barton’s voice becomes progressively lower as he continues his little not-having-any-of-your-shit rant. "More people are gonna get killed over that thing. Good people. Because we don’t have the damn resources to keep it safe. So if we gotta bet on Asgard for this, then that’s what we’re gonna fucking do because to be frank with you sir I’d rather lead the hostile aliens to a world ready for interstellar warfare than my own."

Thor straightens from where he’s been fixated on Loki for the past hour or so, trying to crawl into his brother’s skull through willpower alone by the looks of it, and dips his head in Barton’s direction. "Thank you for your faith," he says gravely, as though Barton hasn’t straight up told everyone in this room he wants to use Asgard as a shield-slash-sacrificial-offering. "I hope my people will prove worthy of it."

"Should be fine." Banner shrugs with a nonchalance Tony envies. "’s long as we take care of your murderous sibling first."

Thor winces. Loki’s face loses whatever expressiveness it had left and it already was at state zero: emotions not welcome here to begin with. 

But. Tony tilts his head. Why not just call Loki by his name? Unless, of course, Banner isn’t referring to him. But how would the infamous Hulk-slash-brilliant-scientist have gotten himself wrapped up in alien family drama? And is there a form Tony can sign? Because he hates being kept out of the loop.

"Avengers!" Fury snaps before things can get any more awkward. Which, good for him, but in Tony’s fine opinion he should have taken the win and be done with it. There’s just no winning against whatever type of madness — not to mention feelings — these people are so inconsiderately spreading inside his walls. "You’re not bartering off our best chance to defend ourselves against alien invaders, have I made myself clear? That’s an order."

Rogers scoffs at the screen and damn it, Tony’s determined not to like the guy but the way he just smirks humorlessly as he stares Fury down, all aww shucks did you want the pretty, glowy thing too and well too damn bad for you makes it hard. Especially when Rogers goes that little extra mile and asks with a plain as day air of who fucking cares: "Whatever gave you the impression that this is a negotiation, Director Fury?"

It’s just too great a line to resist and Tony is only human. He makes a sharp gesture with his hand and JARVIS disconnects the call before they witness Fury pop a blood vessel. Let that be Agent’s problem for the time being.

"So," Tony states after a moment. "Besides all but declaring war on SHIELD, the organization two people in this room are officially employed by, for the record, and dealing with Reindeer Games over there, what’s the plan?"

Nervous shuffling. Awkward grins. Badly-hidden glances going back and forth. 

Perhaps most notably, nobody protests the declaring-war-on-SHIELD part. Tony would ask but frankly he’s still on his first glass of scotch — meaning way too fucking sober for whatever madness the answer to that question will undoubtedly raise. It’s a sad, sad day in the history of mankind when Tony is the voice of reason in a room filled with one-person-armies.

"What about Shawarma?" Rogers, apparently the most uncomfortable with the pressing silence, blurts out.

Tony gives that pitiful attempt to change the subject the nice try, have to admit I didn’t see that coming but you’re gonna have to give me more than that look it deserves. As it turns out though, he may have been overestimating his present company’s average ability to read a room.

"I could go for a bite," Barton pipes up, earning himself a soul-shriveling, dead-eyed, where the fuck did I go wrong with you and how have I not killed you yet stare, courtesy of Romanoff that he brushes off with admirable ease. Still not moving an inch away from her either and if Tony’s noticed the way her hand’s been edging ever closer to the knife strapped to her calf, there’s no way Barton hasn’t.

"Sounds good," Banner chimes in with a twisted amusement that makes Tony want to scratch his eyes out. "I know just to the place."

*

They do eat Shawarma together. [All of them, even Loki, because Thor insists his brother is far too thin. Considering Barton doesn’t protest and the only person Loki tries to stab with his salad fork is Thor himself, nobody comments on it.]

As if to add insult to a very long list of injuries that Tony is dying to poke and prod at, the food tastes delicious.

*

Okay so the whole antagonizing SHIELD thing wasn’t planned, but I figured in this AU there was no drawn out battle and no bomb and so there was no ‘thank fuck we’re even alive right now’ relief to take the edge of. Instead everyone is pissed off and frustrated (if for very different reasons) and not outright attacking the helicarrier right now is about all the diplomacy Steve has the patience for at this point.

Atlas (4)

Summary: After years of being imprisoned on the Raft, Tony negotiates freedom for his sister Tessa. When she’s free- so is her past, and it will never stop hunting her.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OC(Stark)

Chapter Word count: 1939

Warnings: PTSD (subtle ish), trauma, torture (in later parts), suicidal behaviors and thoughts, mentions of death, character death, injury, violence, angst, and a lil bit of fluff in there

Disclaimer: Atlas is my own, original work with characters belonging to Marvel (except Tessa and Dr. Clifton). Plagiarism is not cool kids.

A/N: this is my first work Im posting to this platform and I’m really excited and nervous about it. Hope you enjoy- constructive criticism is always helpful as well!!

Tony stared at the screen, wondering why he was God’s choice of boxing partners. He had been decoding the intel all night, only becoming increasingly concerned as the data rolled through. There was a surplus of data that encrypted with the title ‘Project Maelstrom’. From what he could tell, it was centered around Tessa. The head of the project was a Dr. J.R. Clifton- the one who was dicking around with things he didn’t understand and caused his baby sister a lot of pain.

What Project Maelstrom seemed to have as a goal was to create more of her. This time on purpose. There were samples of her blood that were torn apart. X rays and documents of medical visits labelled T. Stark. There was even detailed descriptions of the only two missions Tessa had been sent on before she was thrown in the Raft.

Tony would admit- he was curious, burning with the need to read every detail of why she was locked away. Tessa wouldn’t tell him. Ever. And the army never gave a clear reason, just that she was a danger and her whole squad had been killed on a mission. Nothing more, nothing less. When Tony threatened them with a lawsuit, he was told that Tessa would get the death penalty if it went to court. So, he had to play nice.

Instead, he called a meeting at the ass crack of dawn to decide how to play this. He was slightly wary of breaking the news to Tessa, as it was all based around her and her powers, but he figured if he had enough fire extinguishers on hand, everything would be fine. As long as she was contained on one floor. To one room. Maybe we should meet on the roof.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“So... what’s the move?” Tony asked, hesitantly. He was trying to gauge reactions around the room, mostly focused on Tessa. She seemed to lock down as soon as he mentioned the mission reports. She wasn’t surprised or fazed by much of the other intel.

Bucky had also instantly switched his attention from Tony to Tessa as it was brought up. She hadn’t spoken to him since the incident in her room- three days ago. She remained on her floor, although Wanda had convinced her to come down to eat with her, Steve and Vision every day at lunch. Wanda seemed to have that persuasion on her.

He noticed her clam up, keeping her eyes low while Steve began to form a plan, with the help of Natasha and Tony. Bruce was sifting through the medical records produced from the intel, gleaning information to research his own. He had been curious about Tessa’s enhancement but the woman wouldn’t let him near her with any medical or scientific equipment. So, he agreed to wait until she was ready for it.

“What about the mission reports, what do they say?” Steve asked, reaching for the papers. Tessa immediately leapt up, snatching the papers before he could reach them. She looked down at them, seemingly trying to confirm her suspicions before lighting them on fire, letting the ash fall at her feet. She swallowed harshly, meeting Steve’s shocked eyes.

“There’s nothing important in them.” She snapped, dropping the last of the papers. She turned to Tony, anger in her stance. “Did you make more copies of those?” He blinked and shook his head.

“There’s the original on the drive Wilson brought back.” He answered, already aware of what she would ask him to do next.

“Delete it.” She hissed, spinning on her heel and stomping out of the room. Tony nodded, even though she had already slammed the door shut.

“Anyone want to check on her?” Tony offered. There was a hesitance in the way Bucky stood up, pushing his chair back. Tony’s eyes narrowed and zeroed in on the hulking mass of a man. “Anyone else- cause, not to be petty but he’s already killed the rest of my family and I’d like to keep what I have left around for a while.”

Bucky’s expression didn’t alter but he felt the sting of the comment. Nevertheless, he sat back down, pulling his chair in, clasping his hands on the table and keeping his gaze on them.

“Tony...” Steve chided, anger and self righteous indignation in his tone. Tony rolled his eyes before turning back to the papers. None of them could refute the obvious. Everyone was aware of the obvious- the Winter Soldier responsible for the death of the Starks- and they were aware of Tony’s less than forgiving attitude toward the recovering soldier himself.

“Whatever- just let her go, maybe she’ll blow up the top floor and set fire to my belongings.” He responded, grumbling as he began the presentation again.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Days later, Tessa was still being temperamental. Bucky had not spoken to her, Tony had been locked out of her apartment. The only ones she let in were Sam and Wanda. Sam attempted to soothe her, trying to help her make sense of her head and emotions. Wanda ensured she was eating regularly and trying to help her make sense of her powers. She knew a thing or two about out of control enhancements.

Bucky had been upset, moping around his shared apartment mostly because he was unable to talk to the person he had feelings for. The one person who he felt actually wanted him around. Steve took notice after the umpteenth sigh and ensured him that he would try to set it up for him.

“What’s that supposed to mean, jackass?” Bucky’s nose scrunched up and a wrinkle presented itself on his forehead. Steve rolled his eyes and tossed his paper to the table.

“I mean, on the mission. I’ll make you two partners. Someone has to be responsible for her, a guardian when she’s on the field, and you two got... close.” Steve began folding towels, turning his back to his roommate. Bucky blinked twice before snorting. Steve turned back around to see him pouting. “Oh- what is it, you’ve been moping around for days now- what happened between you and Tessa that’s got your panties in a twist?”

“First off- what the fuck my guy?” Bucky’s hands flicked toward him before resting on the table he sat at. “And second, it’s none of your business.”

Steve almost called bullshit. He could see that Bucky was bursting at the seams, almost exploding with his problem. The guy was the best at sneaking around to find intel or perform his espionage but ask him about a girl he had a crush on and the man would spill like a can on a car. Steve knew just what to say to get him to talk- it would only take him asking once more and Bucky would spill his guts.

“Okay... all I’m saying is that you two were helping each other. The progress you made when you started hanging out was phenomenal- exponential almost.” Steve commented, nonchalantly and kept folding his towels. Only a few more seconds now and...

“She doesn’t sleep well.” Bucky started. Steve mentally congratulated himself on being able to manipulate Bucky into talking- the same way Bucky was able to manipulate Steve into doing his share of chores. “And so I’d see her in the kitchen at night when I couldn’t sleep and we started talking. Then she gave me her dog tags, because I said I never got mine back. And my heart exploded. Steve- I’d never thought I’d feel like this again. I just want to make her happy- I want to see her smile and I want to be around her- I want to talk to her.”

Steve knew the importance of the relationship when Bucky stressed that point. Bucky never went out of his way to join a conversation or even speak to someone. It always had to be initiated by the other party and even then it was one sided. Bucky hated talking to other people. So to actually want to talk to her... Steve felt that progress was being made.

“And then, after the mission... she let me touch her.” Bucky sat back in his chair, remembering how he held her tightly. Remembering how she latched to him, like her was her life line. In a way, he was in that moment. “She let me comfort her and hold her... then she fell asleep and had a nightmare and set my shirt on fire.” Steve’s eyes widened as he whirled around to face him. Bucky was quick to defend her. “It was an accident- she apologized but... I think it hit too close to home for her. She kicked me out and she hasn’t spoken to me in days. What am I supposed to do now? I’ve grown so close to her and now... she won’t even look my way. I thought she had the same feelings but, maybe I was just caught up in my emotions, remembering what it felt like to have feelings for a woman.”

“I don’t think it’s that, Buck.” Steve assured him. He’d seen the glances Tessa gave him. She’d greet him with a ‘good morning’ and already have his coffee mug down with coffee in it. “Maybe she’s just scared. She doesn’t have a good control over her powers and she set you on fire. She just needs time, you both need to be patient with the other. It’s not gonna be easy.”

“I know that... I just- I want to jump straight into this feeling but she’s holding back... and I don’t know how to help her.” Bucky muttered. Steve had seen this before- granted it wasn’t the same reason. It was when they were teenagers and a senior girl had been stringing Bucky along because he was the best looking in the sophomore class. Poor Bucky actually had feelings for the girl but she was just trying to prove a point to her friends. But he knew Tessa was holding back for a different reason. A selfless reason.

“Just try and understand her side. If she gives you the chance, explain how you feel.” Steve couldn’t believe that he was giving Bucky girl advice. It used to be so different went they were younger. “Maybe flowers- buy her flowers to show that you’re not pissed about catching fire.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Everyone suited up?" Tony asked, tossing his glasses onto the seat beside his iron man armor. Steve and Natasha were sitting in the pilot seats, switching buttons and levers, preparing for takeoff. Sam was doing last minute repair work on Redwing, while Bucky sat beside him trying to hold back on jamming his finger directly into Redwing’s circuit board- just to annoy Sam. Wanda and Vision were sitting together reading a book they had borrowed from Laura the last time they had visited Clint. Bruce decided to stay behind, as he usually did. Tessa was the last one on the jet, taking a seat in the far back, hooking herself in and just sitting quietly.

Everyone gave Tony a response- whether it be a grunt, nod, or a ‘fuck off, mom’ from several of the passengers. Tony spared a glance back to Tessa when he didn’t hear a response from her. She was wearing the design he’d made for her. Completely fire proof, black tactical pants with a long sleeved black spandex shirt and black combat boots. She wore a Kevlar vest over the top. She was also decked out in weapons- knives in her belt and boots, a hand gun on each hip and an AR- 15 sitting by her side. He’d wanted to go for the dramatic but Tessa practically cussed him out when she saw his first idea.

“Hey, kiddo.” Tony scooted in beside her, bumping hips as he buckled his harness in. Natasha had announced take off in two minutes so he settled in beside his loving sister for a pep talk. “How you feeling?”

“Did you read those reports?” Tessa questioned, forgoing formalities and small talk. Her dark eyes landed on his face, worry and irritation building up in her brows.

“No, I didn’t. I wanted to because you never talk about it but I didn’t.” Tony sighed as Tessa relaxed slightly into her seat. “I just want to be here for you and you don’t make that easy when you hide things from me.”

“If it makes you feel better I also lie to my therapist.” Tessa cocked her head to the side.

“Well that I can understand.” Tony scoffed, gently elbowing her. Tessa smiled, looking down at her fingers, playing with a string on her fingerless gloves. “I love you, you know that right?” She nodded. “Good. So, just keep your cool this mission, alright? Don’t be afraid of your powers. Don’t be afraid that you’re putting us in danger. We can handle ourselves. And you’re paired with Barnes so just... keep your head down and follow his orders- even though I’d personally like to jab his eyes out.”

“He’s a perfectly nice guy.” Tessa muttered quietly.

“That murdered your parents.” Tony pressured, trying his best to not throw himself into a tirade. “He’s responsible for so much death and destruction-“

“Well so am I...” Tessa shot a glance at Tony, shutting him up instantly. It was the first time she had ever admitted it to him. “He isn’t the only one here with blood on his hands- the whole team is morally grey when it comes to the lives saved and taken. Besides, he wasn’t in his right mind... he’s a good guy.”

Tony could see it- the light blush on her neck and ears. He felt a pit forming in his stomach- she wasn’t falling for the guy, was she? There was so much he didn’t know about his sister from the past six years. That made him feel even worse. She had gone through so much, too much for someone her age to deal with and she wouldn’t even talk about it. So why wouldn’t she fall in love with the first person that actually listened to her- that made time for her.

“Tell you what-“ Tony told her, unsnapping the buckles and standing up. “After this mission- we go to that pizza place you and your friends used to terrorize in high school. Just the two of us. Catch up on everything we’ve missed.” Tessa looked up, meeting his eyes. The dark brown eyes of Howard Stark, passed down to both of his children.

“Sounds nice, Tony.” She agreed. “Stopping for doughnuts on fifth?”

“As many as you want.”

“It’s a deal.”

𝐉𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑  '𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊'  𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐄  𝐈𝐈 -- how  do  we  forgive  ourselves  for  all  the  things  we  did  not  become  ? 

(  casey deidrick  /  cis man  /  he and him  ). introducing jasper ’ jack ’ stoneshire, the host for the allegiant . they’ll be thirty two years old  , and arrived at hartly eight months ago. they work as a farmer, and you’ll always see a sickle around wherever he is

𝚆𝙰𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚄𝙿 𝚃𝙾 𝙰𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙳𝚄𝚂𝚃

full name :  jasper alistair stoneshire ii 

nicknames : jack 

age : thirty - two 

gender / pronouns : cis man / he/him

date of birth :  september 12th 

location of birth :  stoneshire manor , england  

past residence : new york city , new york 

current residence : hartly , arrived eight months ago

past occupation : gallery director   

current occupation : farmer 

family : paola vazques ( wife ) , leila stoneshire ( daughter  ) , jasper stoneshire i ( father ) , moira stoneshire ( mother )

aesthetics : 

playlist : radioactive - imagine dragons 

character inspiration : 

𝙸 𝚆𝙸𝙿𝙴 𝙼𝚈 𝙱𝚁𝙾𝚆 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙸 𝚂𝚆𝙴𝙰𝚃 𝙼𝚈 𝚁𝚄𝚂𝚃 

born premature , lungs underdeveloped , heart even more so .  no - one thought he would survive . maximum , seven days , the doctors had said . and for seven days , his parents cradled him in his arms , wept and cried and got ready to say their goodbyes . but by some miracle , seven days came and went , then a month , then a year . and he was up and about , wrecking havoc with crayons on his grandmother’s wallpaper , splashing his parents in the bath . he was alive . and his name was jasper . but that was his father’s name too . and it became far too difficult for him to say ( had a bit of a lisp , when he was younger ) and readily settled for jack . little jack of stoneshire .

his parents , both from long lines of aristocrats , who never had to worry about money for a single day in their lives  , were quick to feed him with a silver spoon ( blind to what the ritzy , glitzy glam of aristocracy did to them -- one , dependent on alcohol , the other seeing another multiple men ) and jack was quick to adapt to it . did fairly well in the dangerous land of the rich . traversed through mountains of galas , weathered small - talk with vacuous patricians . and he did it all without even breaking a sweat . this was what he was meant to do after all . 

the years pass quickly and jack begins to find himself , a little lost . the years had left him worse for wear . the arrogance that was gifted to him by his name and class ultimately became his ruination . failed relationships , failed friendships . his hubristic nature had left him all alone . even ties with his parents were severed , they , and everything they came with , had raised a wolf . and that wolf had devoured them and everything they had . 

in an attempt to create a new start , a new him , jack crossed seas , climbed ( metaphorical ) mountains and found himself in the u.s of a . having been just shy of nineteen and sheltered from all the true injustices of the world , his new reality was a sucker - punch to the face . he spent that night crying on a park bench in central park . but , after a great long night of reflection and a hot - dog form around the corner , he came to his senses and decided that yes , he was going to do this all by himself . 

he got a job at a pizzeria two blocks down , studied art history at nyu , graduated , one - hundred and seventh from his class and got his first ‘real’ job as a gallery associate , at a museum of a famous-ish local artist . he progressed through the ranks , eventually becoming gallery director at the museum of modern art . 

when he was twenty - six , he met the love of his life , got married two years later and had a kid the next year ! then of course , it happened . he reached out to his parents immediately , because they had a private jet and stoneshire manor was very very isolated from everything else -- but ( because of his arrogance and his pride and his adamant desire on maintaining his independence  ) he had left it too late , the borders had closed . they were stuck . him , his pregnant wife and their three year old daughter , stuck in one of the busiest and most populated cities in the world . 

* trigger warning : pregnancy loss * they tried their best to survive , hiding out , never staying in one place for more than a few days and the days blend into the next and they’ve all lost track of time but their unborn child was growing , his wife was weakening , any day now , he would think to himself . any day now , their new baby was going to enter this cruel and merciless world . they found another family , the husband was a midwife and the wife was a doctor , together they delivered their baby . but their little baby never made a sound and was still . and lifeless . they had lost him . * end trigger warning * 

it had taken such a toll on him and his wife , they had named him bobby last minute , after his wife’s favourite singer -- bob dylan . but it took a far larger toll on his wife . and his wife , who was cursed to always feel everything intensely , was consumed with such deep grief . * trigger warning : self - harm / suicide * and so , one night , while jack was asleep , while their daughter little leila was asleep , she ventured out . not knowing what was there , just knowing she wasn’t coming back . he hadn’t seen her since . and he’s always blamed himself for it . * end  trigger warning * 

a year passes , though he’s not sure , maybe it was just a month or a week , or maybe it had been two years , but somehow him and his daughter make it through . some days its just silence between them , just the sound of their feet against gravel , some days they manage to laugh , they tell jokes and reminisce about that one that mom farted in an elevator . and it was good , it was enough . 

but jack made a mistake . they had stumbled upon. a park and little leila , who barely remembers what a playground looked like , let alone what it felt like to be a kid , broke free from her father’s hand and rushed to the monkey bars . * trigger warning : death * and jack , was overcome with empathy and joy , it was the first time that he had seen his daughter truly happy . and the last . leila had ventured past his blind spot and jack was too slow to react . a grotesque creature , with almost snapped necks , a quiet growling and hollow eye - sockets stood over his daughter . eyeing her like a lion would stalk a deer . all he heard was a scream . and jack , carrying only a makeshift spear . tried his best to defend his daughter . but it was too late . splattered with blood and dotted with bites - marks . all that he could give her , was the mercy of a swift death . * end trigger warning * 

tired , hungry and with barely any will to live , jack somehow found hartly . as though it was fate’s party trick , to leave him all alone , carrying the a guilt that was consuming him form the inside out . 

𝙸'𝙼 𝙱𝚁𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙸𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙲𝙷𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻𝚂

very chill , very calming , hates fights , hates arguments , always plays the peace keeper , tends to keep his emotions bottled - up , doesn’t let his anger out a lot . the only thing that really gets him worked up is constant mention of his past -- he feels really guilty about it so he pushes it to the very back of his mind and its only when other people that he may have told brings it up then he’ll go hulk - smash on a nearby wall 

he’s a diligent worker , kinda keeps to himself . doesn’t like to establish any new connections cause he knows how easy they are to loose . very quiet , very shy and timid , gets flustered / embarrassed quite easily .

oh man , okay , he sometimes says really deep / profound / thought - provoking shit at the wrong times . like he’d whip out some quote from othello while he’s washing the dishes or something . it’s just a thing he does . it’s like a reflex for him . it’s like some sort of evolutionary leftover from his old , dark academia , posh - boy  life . 

𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙸𝚂 𝙸𝚃 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙰𝙿𝙾𝙲𝙰𝙻𝚈𝙿𝚂𝙴

maybe the family they stumbled upon and helped deliver their baby ?? 

some new hartly acquaintances that can actually stand him ?? 

a prospective loooove interest ? ?? ?? ?  though this would probably take a while

a connections from his old life ?? a co - worker ?? an old - school mate ???  his best friend ???? parents of his daughter’s friends ??? 

maybe he has a housemate at hartlys ?? 

farmer  friendsss !!! 

his confidant ??? 

someone he had found before hartly ??? and they found hartly together maybe ??? 

and lots lots more !!! i’m up for brainstorming !!!! 

Lockdown 2009

Greetings all and welcome to my fifth installment of marching through every TNA/Impact Lockdown PPV. Catch up on the previous entries right here! As I watched this PPV it reminded me of where I was with enjoying Impact in this era of April of 2009 when Lockdown emanated from Philly. Even though this was about a third of the way into infamous head booker Vince Russo’s eight year run with TNA, I think I was near the peak of my TNA/Impact fandom. They maintained a solid X-Division lineup and former X-Division stars were becoming mainstays in the World Title picture like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. TNA was getting a lot of momentum with its Main Event Mafia faction consisting of former ‘Monday Night Wars’ stars like Nash, Sting, Booker T, Scott Steiner and Kurt Angle. TNA’s ‘Knockouts Division’ they established when Impact went two hours in 2007 put WWE’s then ‘Diva-Search era’ to shame and I feel it was the predecessor to the ‘Women’s Evolution’ era in the WWE for the past few years. This came to a halt when Eric Bishoff and Hulk Hogan arrived in TNA by the end of 2009 and within a year Impact went from must-see programming to becoming a chore and largely ignoring it by the end of 2010. There will be more on that to look forward to in future Lockdown entries. Here are some key takeaways I had from the 2009 Lockdown before I breakdown the matches…. -I think this is the final Lockdown with Don West announcing because Tazz at this time in the midst of his no-compete clause after finishing up with WWE after nine years. Don West did an entertaining short run as a heel announcer a couple months prior although he largely played it straight on this PPV. Sure enough, Tazz debuted in TNA a couple months later and West was gone from the announce desk. West was an affable and authentic voice for TNA in these early years for the promotion and while Tazz was always a solid announcer, I could not help but feel the announce desk permanently took a dip with the removal of West. -This was year two or three of TNA leaving the safety nest of the Impact-Zone Arena at Universal Studios for a bigger arena gate on the road. Lockdown was one of just a handful of PPVs that TNA took on the road per year and it paid off with a big-time atmosphere, especially with this 2009 card taking place in a city known for its passionate fan-base in Philly.

-Yearly props again go out to TNA promo-package voiceover guy, Barry Scott for delivering powerful narrations for all the storyline recaps before most matches yet again. His poignant voice makes any rivalry and PPV no matter how weak or strong at that moment seem must-see. WWE or AEW needs to hire this guy!!! -The 2009 DVD has a decent smattering of just over a half hour of extras. Aside from the pre-show match, there is a recap of the TNA Interaction fan fest, post-match interviews with Sting, Kevin Nash, Team 3D and a in-progress-of-being-stitched-up Mick Foley. Sting has some kind reflections after his match, Nash is a riot enjoying a post-match brewski, and they get so up close to the medical staff working on Foley that they have to issue a graphic content warning. A Smashing Pumpkins music video and a photo gallery I once again borrowed a few pics from for this entry round off the decent amount of extras. -TNA head honcho Dixie Carter made one of her first on-screen appearances for the company giving a quick interview to Jeremy Borash in the pre-show thanking the fans for their support. She started to make some PR appearances around this time to help promote the recently released Impact game on PS3 and 360 and I believe this was her TNA on-air programming debut. Regrettably, Dixie would go on to make more regular appearances in the years to come as an on-air authority figure much to the displeasure of viewers.

-I liked the frequent quick backstage interviews with talent before their matches and them combined with the aforementioned Barry Scott recaps served as a nice refresher on the rivalries going into this, and none overstayed their welcomes unlike a lot of modern WWE rivalry recap packages. I think Lauren was probably the fourth or fifth backstage interviewer for TNA at this point, and she did a fine good job with her reactions and adding in a quick take relative to the storyline’s after most of the interviews wrapped which added a nice ‘fan’s perspective’ view on the feuds. -Also worth noting is future TNA president and current top brass of NWA, Billy Corgan made an early TNA appearance in the music video hype package for the PPV, which is also a DVD extra, with him lending TNA Bullet with Butterfly Wings for use. Speaking of Corgan, you guys should really watch NWA Powerrr!! It and NXT are my current top two shows of the overcrowded 2019 wrestling bubble in America. -Before we begin (I know…sorry), I have to touch on the Suicide character making his Lockdown debut. He was a masked wrestler that debuted in the previously touted Impact videogame. The Impact game was ridiculously over-promoted on TV each week, eventually culminating in the videogame character becoming an actual wrestler. As of this writing, six different individuals have donned the Suicide gear for various stints for the character in TNA up until earlier this year when his most recent run ended. Worth noting is Suicide’s trademark fingers-to-the-temple pose. That same pose would coincidentally become the well-known cover art of the far better performing game, Borderlands when that game first released the following year. Naturally, having fans chant ‘Suicide’ and having him face off against opponents named ‘Homicide’ stirred controversy and TNA answered the criticism and would change his name to Manik…..before ultimately changing it back to Suicide due to presumably fan demand/creative resentment? TNA! TNA!

-Last year I noted how Lockdown 2008 had a shockingly low blade-job count with Brother D-Von being the sole wrestler who bled throughout the card. 2009 exponentially upped that number with six wrestlers donning the crimson mask with Abyss, Matt Morgan, Bully Ray, Mick Foley, Sting and Kevin Nash all doing the honors. Unlike WWE today, TNA did not change the mat canvas after a match if a wrestler bled so gradually throughout the night the mat transformed into a blood-soaked mess as you can see by the cell-phone photo I took with an overhead camera shot of the main event near the end of the PPV. -Ok, enough babbling, onto the matches of this 2009 Lockdown! The pre-show match is included as a DVD extra and has Eric Young squaring off against local Philly radio personality, Danny Bonaduce. Danny tries some slimy antagonist antics against fan favorite EY, and even sneaks in a little offense before Young surprised him with a roll-up for the win. Danny tried to avenge his loss by beating down Young afterwards, but Rhino came in for the save and gore’d the smithereens out of Bonaduce! The first official match on the PPV card was the annual X-Title, X-Scape contest. This saw champ, Suicide defending against ‘Black Machismo’ Jay Lethal, Sheik Abdul Bashir (formerly WWE’s Daivari), Kiyoshi and Consequences Creed (a pre-WWE Xavier Woods). I will give Vince Russo credit for accidentally stumbling into a legit thrilling finish for this X-Scape matc! It is probably one of my favorites of them so far. After a lot of trademark X-Division high-flying and a few pinfall eliminations, it came down to Suicide and Bashir to escape in order to win. Kiyoshi tried to climb the top of the cage to prevent Suicide from climbing over, but security intervened and pulled him down while Bashir attempted to sneak through the door during the distraction. Before Bashir could sneak out however, Suicide surveyed the surroundings and did a dive from the top onto the security and Kiyoshi outside the ring for the instant victory! It played out very convincingly and I was popping just as big for it as the crowd! -The second annual queen of the cage bout took place next between Sojourner Bolt, ODB, Daffney and then-Beautiful People intern Madison Rayne. Rayne would become a big player for the Knockouts division so it was interesting seeing her quite early in her TNA run. Unfortunately the Knockouts could not quite gel in this match and after several minutes of unremarkable action ODB hit a powerslam for the victory. The IWGP JR. Tag Titles match faired much better though with Motor City Machine Guns defending against LAX and No Limit. It was a bit on the spot-fest side of things, but a good one at that with the Guns successfully defending after hitting their Made in Detroit signature finish for the pin.

-Abyss and Matt Morgan squared off next in the uniquely titled ‘Doomsday Chamber of Blood’ that saw its stipulation being a wrestler cannot score a fall unto they make their adversary bleed. With that, we saw the use of tacks, glass shards and chairs resulting in the expected bloodbath. This Lockdown also took place while Abyss was a little ways into his ‘escaped mental facility’ version of his character and he referenced in a pre-match interview seeking therapy to stop weapon violence from one ‘Dr. Stevie.’ That Stevie turned out to be a TNA-debuting Stevie Richards fresh off his WWECW run who distracted Abyss by taking away a chair from him that caused Morgan to hit his finish for the win. This match gets the honors of being my annual induction for being a solid lock for the eventual WWE home video release of ‘Top 50 OMG Moments of TNA/Impact.’ -The Knockouts Title was on the line next in a triple threat with Awesome Kong defending against Angelina Love and Taylor Wilde. Unfortunately a freak concussion happened to Angelina Love a couple minutes in after she took a cross-body from Wilde. She looked on auto-pilot while Wilde tried to bide time with a hold, but eventually they got the call to go home and Wilde took a weak kick from a handcuffed Kong for the awkward sudden victory. Hate to see it whenever this happens, but this was still a few years before the concussion controversies gained steam in the NFL and before WWE and TNA banned head chair-shots, so part of me was surprised TNA did the right thing and quickly ended the match when they realized something was not right, so good on them for that.

-Both the TNA Tag Titles and IWGP Tag Titles were simultaneously up for grabs next between Team 3D and Beer Money. The announcers and promo package did a tremendous job hyping up this match for who would be the king of the tag teams and making this match have the vibe of a homecoming for Team 3D due to their ECW roots. All wrestlers left the cage within seconds of starting the match (they would be among many to do so throughout the night) and did a ECW-esque brawl throughout the crowd for old time’s sake! Eventually the action came back inside and saw a few good highspots that got the crowd and me rolling and finishing with Team 3D getting the feel good win after hitting Roode with a 3D through a table. -TNA’s version of War Games, Lethal Lockdown, happened next. It saw AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe team up against Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, Booker T and Kevin Nash. Seeing how worn down Kurt Angle looked in his farewell match earlier this year it is remarkable how much better he looked ten years prior. He looks about 30 years younger! Highlights of this Lethal Lockdown see Steiner hitting impressive top rope suplexes and Franken-steiners to a big crowd pop and Scotty responded by doing an aggressive flurry of bird flipping motions to the Philly crowd before they could conjure up a ‘You Still Got It’ chant. After Jarrett entered last and the roof of the cage locked down with weapons on top, AJ and Angle quickly ascended on top of the cage roof with a big spot coming from AJ doing a splash through the roof of the cage onto a few Main Event Mafia members to a big reaction. The finish occurred when AJ got the pin on Booker T when Jarrett hit him with a guitar after Jarrett teased turning on AJ. TNA had another former WWE-debut immediately after the match though with Bobby Lashley having an odd motorcycle-themed tron and theme-song package as he posed to the crowd and did…..nothing else of note. This would be the first of two runs for Lashley in TNA where he eventually evolved into a pretty decent act before he went back to WWE last year.

-The main event saw Sting defend his world title against Mick Foley. I recall not being into Foley’s ‘executive shareholder’ authority figure character here where he was squabbling with Sting for calling him out for being inactive and being portrayed as losing his marbles. He continues that characterization by pounding his forehead to bust himself open at the very beginning of the match. Foley looks like he got himself in decent shape in time for this match, but he could not go like he use to by this point in 2009 as this was mostly a kick and punch affair until in a baffling booking decision, Foley attacks a cameraman for being in his way, only moments later to demand that same cameraman to hand him an out of reach barbed-wire bat from outside the ring, to which the cameraman who just got pummeled by Foley quickly acquiesces to. After beating down on Sting with the bat for a while the two engage in a anticlimactic climbing-over-the-cage affair that Foley gets the best of to become the new TNA World champion in an underwhelming headlining bout. The two put on a good effort, and I hate to slight Foley, but he and the odd booking dragged things down a couple notches to the ‘alright’ quality level. -This was a 50/50 night for the eight PPV matches. On one hand we had the off night for the women and the mediocre Doomsday and world title matches, but on the other we had two standout tag title matches, easily the best X-Scape match yet and better-than-usual Lethal Lockdown bout. Overall I would have to say the good outweighs the bad and will give 2009 Lockdown a solid thumbs-up. Join me next time as we enter the first of four Lockdowns that transpired during the not-so-highly-regarded Hogan/Bishoff run! Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Hulk Hogans Unreleased Collectors Series Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT: From Secret to Sensation NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Scott Hall: Living on a Razors Edge Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder Then Now Forever – The Evolution of WWEs Womens Division TLC 2017 TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania 3: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

Russell Westbrook is the Worst Three Point Shooter in the NBA

In amongst the internet’s obsession over Russell Westbrook telling his Houston Rockets teammates that Damian Lillard “can’t guard me,” it would have been easy to miss the fact that Westbrook and the Rockets were beaten by Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers 117-107. It would also have been easy to miss that for the 29th time this season, Westbrook failed to convert on more than half of his three point attempts. Despite the fact that Russ only went two of five on the deep ball, he actually raised his three point shooting percentage to 23.6%, a figure that would qualify for the WORST percentage in the league! 

The fact that Westbrook has always been a poor three point shooter has never before stopped him from heaving up miss after miss from behind the line, with the 8-time All-Star having launched at least 4 three-pointers a game for the last seven consecutive seasons. Sunday’s performance in a 124-115 loss to the Lakers though, may suggest that the tide is turning. For the first time this season – and indeed the first time since December 17th 2018 - Westbrook failed to take a shot from behind the three-point line.

Such a performance from Westbrook is rare though certainly long overdue. On the season Westbrook is averaging 4.7 three-point attempts per contest, making just 1.1 of those. If he continues on such a pace, Westbrook would be the first player EVER to attempt more than 4.5 three-pointers a game, and make less than 1.3 of them, per Basketball Reference.

Westbrook’s disastrous performance shooting the deep ball is not a new phenomenon. Since his career started more than a decade ago, Russ has attempted an astonishing 3,160 three-pointers. Of the 30 players who have attempted at least 3,000 three-pointers in that time, Westbrook has by far the worst conversion rate, nailing the shot just 30.4% of the time, per Basketball Reference. The second worst percentage in that time frame belongs to Jamal Crawford, who made 35% of his threes. Perhaps even more fascinating however, is the fact that Crawford is closer by percentage to the 6th ranked player (Kevin Durant at 38.6%) than he is to Westbrook.

While some players are far better on catch and shoot jumpers rather than creating their own shot, Westbrook has been atrocious in both areas this season behind the line. Westbrook has hit on just 27.6% of his pull-up threes, a figure that is tied (with Spencer Dinwiddie) for 81st out of 86 players who average at least 0.5 pull-up threes a game, per Second Spectrum. Additionally, on catch and shoot three-pointers, Russ is shooting a truly abysmal 21%, per Second Spectrum. Amongst players who take at least two catch and shoot threes per contest, this ranks DEAD LAST in the National Basketball Association.

In a way, Westbrook faces the same dilemma as Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers. Neither have proven that they can shoot the deep ball, and so defenses are more than willing to sag off them and allow them to heave up errant shots. But whereas Simmons will do anything possible to rid himself of the ball via a pass, Russ simply can’t pass up the opportunity to put up a shot as the defense retreats into the lane, or goes underneath on pick-and-roll action.

Again, this treatment from defenses around the league is not new. In OKC’s last two playoff exits, teams allowed Westbrook to shoot the Thunder out of the contest. In OKC’s last two playoff series clinching losses, Westbrook took an astounding 30 three pointers. Those are Curry-esque numbers. Draining just 11 of those threes however, is not.

Teams would much rather - and indeed be smart to - give Westbrook space behind the arc and allow his primary defender to drop into the lane to protect against the threat of his devastating dribble penetration game.

However, Houston’s isolation heavy play has meant that Westbrook has not lost his love of driving into the lane. He currently sits third in the league, registering 18.9 drives per game, behind only Trae Young (19.7) and DeMar DeRozan (20.0), per Second Spectrum. James Harden, Westbrook’s fellow future Hall of Fame teammate, is currently seventh in the league with 18.3 such forays a contest, down from his league leading total of 19.6 a season ago.

Westbrook continuing to launch threes wastes not only Houston possessions, but also his impeccable finish in and around the rim. Although Russ only attempts 6.9 field goals per game on drives – a figure that is 15th in the league – he lands those attempts at an incredible 57.9%, a number bettered this season only by DeMar DeRozan and Derrick Rose, per Second Spectrum.

His reluctance to ditch the three-ball also wastes the shooters around him on Houston’s wings in his drive and kick game. Houston’s bevy of shooters and philosophy in general toward the three-ball have led Russ to finish a drive with a pass 8.8 times per game, again third in the league behind only Fred VanVleet and DeMar DeRozan, per Second Spectrum. However, the fact that he is only sixth in the NBA in assists per game on drives (at 2.0) suggests that Houston’s sluggish shooting season thus far has stunted some of the impact of Westbrook’s hulking drives to the basket. The Rockets currently are languishing in 21st in the league in three-point percentage, though take Westbrook’s stats out of the equation and the Rocket’s jump to a respectable equal 12th.  

As an aside, there have been only two seasons in NBA history, in which a player has attempted at least 10 three-pointers and 10 free-throws per game, per Basketball Reference. Both of those seasons belong to Harden over the last two seasons. He is well on his way to repeating it for a third time, currently launching an absurd 13.4 three-pointers a game, whilst simultaneously going to the line an average of 12.3 times a contest. Houston doesn’t need Russ to be another Harden. Even 4.7 attempted threes a game for Westbrook is too many.

The physicality of the former OKC stalwart and future Hall of Famer means that his forays into the paint often require defensive players to rotate off their assignments and come to held point guards contend with Westbrook, opening up the possibility for Westbrook to kick the ball to an open shooter for a relatively uncontested shot.

Westbrook and Harden are who we think they are. Extraordinarily high usage scorers who shoot a lot from the outside and drive hard to the basket. They don’t come from off-ball screens to grab open looks, nor do they cut to the basket just in time to catch a perfectly timed pass for an easy lay in. They operate almost exclusively as iso-ball players.

For Westbrook in particular, his disinterest in operating off the ball can be particularly stifling to the offense, as defenses don’t have to pay him the same respect while he stands in the corner as they would to Harden. In such situations, Westbrook’s defender can effectively sag off him and either drift into the lane to cut off a Harden pick and roll, or rotate and double team one of Houston’s more prolific shooters like Eric Gordon, Danuel House Jr., Ben McLemore, Gerald Green or Austin Rivers.

Harden averages an astonishing 14.8 isolation possessions per game, which leads the league, and is more than double Westbrook, who sits in second with 6.9 such possessions a game, per Second Spectrum. Third place? A tie between Dame Lillard and LeBron James, each of whom engage in 4.8 iso possessions a contest. The volume of these possessions doesn’t detract from the fact that the guard duo are very effective at shooting out of such plays, with both of them doing so at a clip just above 41%, consistent with other elite players such as Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers (just kidding).

What this runs into though, are the problems that Houston and OKC have faced in the playoffs in years past.

With so much of the offense concentrated in one (and now two) players’ hands in the regular season, and many of the wing players left to stand in the corner and wait for a pass to come to them, Houston really only has two players capable of creating their own shot.

As the defense gets better the further the playoffs goes (should Houston advance in the playoffs that is), and Westbrook and Harden find it more difficult to get good shots off, a heavy burden is going to fall on their teammates (particularly Eric Gordon) to get off good looks and create shots of their own. The stories of Harden and Westbrook in the playoffs over the last few years would suggest that that will not end well.

As Houston continues to rely on an iso-heavy offense, very little of a Harden-Westbrook pick and roll has been toyed with, particularly due to Westbrook’s inability to function as a threat from outside.

In such a scenario, with Westbrook as the ball-handler, defenders have to account for Harden behind the arc, and so are faced with the choice of going underneath on the screen, settling into the lane and trying to double team Westbrook on the drive, leaving Harden wide open for the pick and pop.

Defenders that stick tight to Harden however risk leaving their teammate to be absolutely smoked by Westbrook on his way to the basket and an easy lay in. An unenviable choice for the defense.

With Westbrook as the screener though, the same dilemma does not arise. Defenders are much more comfortable going underneath the screen and challenging Westbrook to loft up a shot from deep than they would be allowing Harden a one-on-one path to the basket.

Although it could be lethal, even if pick and roll action was set closer to the foul line, it seems unlikely that Mike D’Antoni and the Houston brains trust will be delving into the idea of the Harden-Westbrook pick and roll.

Westbrook’s abysmal three-point shooting is a real problem for Houston as the season progresses, and threatens to derail their offense if they can’t take the ball out of his hands behind the line.  

One thing that history does suggest though, is that if the defense continues to give Westbrook an open three-point shot, he will take it. Whether he makes it however, is another question entirely.

Poison ( IV )

Villain’s are people too, are they not? (Y/N) is taking the “home grown” terror title a little too seriously. You’re really really bad, until you meet a certain super soldier who makes you consider a career change. It’s a lengthy process, but you’re willing if it’s for the right reasons. Maybe you’re not so bad after all?

//basically poison ivy and a little bit of bane but with marvel characters?? I’d be original but I love her and them so much so sorry. also some changes, idk I’m making them my own but completely based of the DC characters SNS. Nickname Ivy, real name, yours duh!//

***this is my first attempt at fanfic so any feedback is welcome! I love all these characters dearly so, here goes nothing! Hope you enjoy***

A/N: Violence, language, crime. Mentions of domestic violence and sexual assault(no details or descriptions) I’ll update these as the chapters come out

recap: the team has been desperately searching for you, but you’ve never been a predictable catch.

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Months of searching, months. They knocked on every door of every person on the list, tracked every donation, stood on every street corner, and found nothing helpful.

"I don't know who donated that, we're very thankful, so if you do find her, tell her we are so very blessed by her loving deed." The receptionists were too nice, they definitely knew something, they had to, right?

"You think even if I knew her name that I'd give it to you? My child, and a a lot of these children were able to eat because of her. Medical bills, education, groceries she just comes, knocks on our doors and hands us the money. I hope you never find her."

"Yeah, I know who you're talking about. Ivy's not her real name, but that's all we ever get. She gives us what we need to be safe, clean needles, condoms, ways to defend ourselves. She bailed Mary over there out of jail a week ago, totally unfair the way she got arrested. I doubt you'll get much more out of anybody else. We know she's not an Avenger like you guys or anything, but knowing she's around, and cares, makes life out here a lil easier."

These were the responses they got from everyone they questioned. Nobody was willing to give them anymore information than they already knew. You were smart enough to transfer the money through various account trails, all leading to different banks in different countries the US wasn't allowed to have access to, so that was a dead end too.

"Who the hell is this chick? She's poisoned multiple people out of cold blood, stolen millions upon millions of dollars from various organizations and people, and just gives it away? What kind of threat are we dealing with here? What makes her charities different than the ones she's stealing from? Why these families, why these street corners?" Tony was in overload, something that started out so simple spiraled way the hell out of control. He knew chasing a criminal was going to be a challenge, it always was. However, you gave them the leads, and still, not an ounce of information was given.

"I'm thinking the same thing, Stark. We're missing something here, it's not adding up right." Steve glanced over to his friend, everyone was consumed in confusion, but Bucky, he had no idea what to think. Why had she given him the information, what did she mean by she liked him, why did she trust him of all people?

Buried in thought, the team returned to the compound exhausted from another day with no new leads. As they entered the building, soft laughter broke the silence of the semi-defeated heroes. Immediately refreshing the team, all thoughts of a good night's sleep escaped into the wind along with Peter's soft laugh. Tony, who had left Peter at the compound to finish homework, took the lead due to his imminent worry for Peter's safety above everything else.

"Kid, you doing alright in there?" He yelled out into the living area where he last saw Peter. He could hear a feminine laugh along with Peter's, did he have the balls to invite a girl over while they were gone? No, not Petey, there was no way, plus they were so far away from his school..

"Yes Mr. Stark! Mr. Banner's niece stopped by while you guys were gone so we've been hanging out waiting for you guys to get back!" He heard papers rustling and a chair scooting. Tony's hair stood up on end, his muscles clenched, and his heart rate accelerated as the adrenaline rushed throughout his body.

Banner doesn't HAVE a niece.

And if he did, he surely would've shared that she was coming to visit. Tony walked out into the living area, trying to remain as calm as possible to gauge what exactly they were up against. Natasha and Clint headed for higher ground, hoping to gain the upper hand in whatever was about to go down. The rest of the team followed Tony, all to be entirely taken aback.

There you were, the woman they'd been trying to find for way too long, sitting in the living room of one of the most state of the art buildings with a whole ass teenager. You were in a leather jacket, a "Save the Fucking Planet" t-shirt, bell-bottom jeans, and converse, casually talking to Peter. Your red hair was unmistakable, and for Bucky, your piercing (Y/E/C) eyes solidified the fact that it was you.

"Let's not make this awkward, shall we? I know Widow and Bird boy number one are a floor above with their sights locked, bird boy number two probably went around back and is coming from that direction to try and capture me. Well, I have no intention of being thrown in jail, so, if you'd like to avoid a very unnecessary conflict I suggest everybody calm the hell down and chill the fuck out." Nobody moved a muscle. They weren't going to negotiate with a criminal, not in their own house. You groaned, tired of fighting everybody you ever came into contact with, and rolled your exhausted eyes. "Are y'all always this prejudice? I came here, and hung out with your kid, who's probably one of the coolest teens I've ever met, just a by the way. If I wanted to harm you, I would have started with the youngling and picked you guys off as you entered the building, not helped the spider-kid with his homework." Still nothing. Good intentions pave the way to hell, and nobody, especially Tony, was going to risk dropping his guard because a terrorist said so. "Okay fine, we can do this the hard way." As you spoke your last word Natasha and Clint were ripped from the top floor, a thick, green vine had wrapped around their ankles and torn them off their feet. Plummeting them down a story, stopping only an inch short of the ground where they now hung upside down. Tony readied the blasters, Rhodey secured his mask, Steve's shield was in his hand in less than a second, and Bucky was hesitant, but ready to fight. Thor glanced around the room, his kingly intuition analyzing the scene in front of him, anxiously weighing his options, would this be worth the risk? You weren't engaged in battle until you were forced, you posed no threat to the most vulnerable, and even Banner wasn't hulked out.

"WAIT!" Thor yelled to his colleagues. "Wait just a damn minute! Are we willing to risk injury and destruction to our dwelling, to fight a woman whom we've just spent hours looking for, and who was with the child of spiders for Odin knows how many hours? Are you unharmed, son of Tony?" He looked at Peter, who was red in the face, scared, and embarrassed that he'd let a bad guy into the actual Avengers compound. Peter shook his head, he was having the worst anxiety attack of his life being in the middle of all this, but he was physically intact.

"Hey, Petey" You moved closer to him, making him flinch, but fear kept him relatively close. "I know this is a lot for you right now, all of us pointing things at each other, but if you want to go over towards Tony and the rest of your family I won't hurt you." You gave a reassuring forearm squeeze and shifted you full attention on Peter. You now had your back to the team completely vulnrable, looking Peter dead in the eyes with a caring, strong, and kind demeanor that confused the other half of the room while reminding Peter of his Aunt May. Natasha was trying her hardest to free herself from the vined-snare, they just kept growing back anytime she made progress.

"No, I think I'll stay where I am if you don't mind."

"Of course not, love. I don't think it's the safest option for you, but you won't have to listen to me yell at you later." You winked at Peter, who was now completely carefree with his position. Thor had a point, all you had to do was drug him or something and he'd have been dead by the time they'd gotten back, but instead you'd helped him with his advanced biochemistry homework. "If you change your mind let me know, there's no need for you to get hurt in all this, okay?" Another reassuring smile, as your gaze shifted Peter could see your demeanor change, you were fierce, and tense and ready for anything. He knew it was wrong, but Peter kind of liked you. He admired the strong, and if you're ballsy enough to face the entire Avengers team by yourself, that was a pretty strong feat to even try.

Tony hated it, but he was going to entertain the idea, if Peter wouldn't come over to him so he could blast this bitch into mulch then he'd have to play it safe for Peter's sake, who was in so much trouble Tony couldn't think about what to do with him.

"Fine. We'll sit, but the second something sounds or looks funny I'm arresting you, release my assassin's." And you did, they dropped with a thunk, and the guns and weapons they had on their possession were confiscated into the new plant life that enveloped the living room. The team reluctantly sat along the three long couches in the room after what felt like an hour of disarming everybody in the room except Thor and Banner. With the couches full and you standing, they all began to worry about an off guard attack, but just as Tony wiggled out his hands, you GREW a fucking throne made entirely out of a tree that spouted in the middle of their hardwood floor.

"So. You've heard, and seen a lot of me over the past weeks. Lots of stolen things, maybe a hundred bodies, and large amounts of money. All of that ring a bell, yes?" The team, still reserved and hypervigilant slowly nodded, never taking their eyes off of you. "Well, first of all I want you guys to relax, you're not in any danger unless you want to be. I, am Ivy, obviously, and you've all met Viktor, who is not here fyi, and I'm an advocate for plant and human rights. The media still thinks I'm a man of great brute strength and blah blah blah. So. I have a preposition for you."

"And why would we listen to anything you have to say, murderer?"

"Ooh, talk about your cold shoulder." The corners of your mouth turned down, revealing a frown, with absolutely no real emotion behind it. "You know," As you spoke, a very large very frightening thing grew next to you. "I always wondered how many people died in that alien attack however many years ago, or that robot escapade across the world, or even that DC disaster not too long ago? Anybody? Death toll counts? Start at what, at least a couple hundred thousand?" You sat and waited, nobody was going to throw stones at you, especially not when they lived in glass houses. Absolute silence filled the room, tension spreading thick through the air like the plague.

The Avengers were collectively pissed, and rightfully so. This Villainess walks into their home, converts THEIR spider-kid, and is now throwing this in their faces? The only thing keeping any of them going was knowing you'd be arrested in about half an hour. Tony couldn't think of enough ways to broadcast your arrest, would he be the one to escort you to that max security prison in the middle of the ocean? He sure hoped so.

"So, everybody here has killed somebody, yes? Except for you Petey, I know you wouldn't hurt a fly." You flashed him what seemed like a genuine smile. Peter knew the death left after the Avengers battles weighed heavily on Mr. Stark, and none of them were on purpose, he wasn't a bad guy at all, he was just doing his job and the bad guys were the ones who hurt all those people.

You didn't want to re-traumatize the avengers, you knew they were just good people attempting to help a vulnerable world. But they were already looking down on you, thinking of you as a lesser, evil being. Maybe a little sadistic, but evil? Certainly not.

"Not on purpose, not through poisoning, not slowly and painfully how you do it."

"Oh Sammy dear, I think internal bleeding after a buildings fallen on you is a pretty slow and painful death, wouldn't you say?" Another smart-ass smile.

"We never killed on purpose. Innocents have died yes, but never on purpose, and always with a large emotional toll on all of us. You kill on purpose, you take people out one by one. The media may not be on to you, but we know the call signs." So noble, thinking death in any way is better than another.

"Aw Stevie, I'm sure your thoughts and prayers really mean a lot to the families whose loved ones were taken away and never mentioned because the rest of this city was too busy sucking your dicks to care." You shook your head in disbelief, they really didn't know? These "great guys" that wound up dead, they thought THEY were innocent. Good lord, for a unit ran by an intelligence agency, they were fucking idiots. "Do you guys even know the targets I took out? What their skeletons in the closet were? What they did in their spare time? I could name chilling details about every single man and woman I've killed, and trust me I remember all of them." You waited again, you knew you didn't have to explain yourself, but you needed them to trust you if you were to get what you wanted.

"Chad Emerson. Great guy, faithfully married, donated millions to orphanages around the globe, adopted and raised children who weren't adopted before the age of 16. You poisoned him in his penthouse suite, leaving a single black rose behind. What could have been so wrong with that guy?"

"Chad Emerson? That's who you picked for your first option, as if the red flags weren't big enough with him. Try twenty-four  charges for sexual assault of a minor that were all dropped due to the fact that he had money, and 'provided them with a better life'. Try embezzling money from his wifes non-profit, and using that to participate in sex trafficking of, you guessed it, MINORS. Any more questions?" Keep 'em coming, You going to rip the roof of off the rich guy ring of corruption.

"Brandon Wilfred. Again, faithfully married, raised two brilliant children, lives quietly with his wife in the middle of nowhere, and occasionally donates to wildlife and ocean preservation organizations. You strangled this one with a plastic garrote in his living room, again leaving behind a single black rose." Ugh, again with the faithfulness, is monogamy held that high in society that not cheating on your partner made you a saint? It's boring how low the standards are.

"Wilfred, he was a fun one actually. Yes because he not only cheated on his wife any second he got a chance, but also beat the living hell out of her if she said anything about it. I'm not even talking about confronting him, just asking him to wash the sheets afterwards, or at least telling her to leave before fucking his twenty-three year old mistress on the kitchen table. She's had more ER visits within the past year than some of you have had all your life. Oh and the donations? Just a cover to hide the fact that his factories and businesses have been ruining my planet's seas and poisoning her skies with toxic waste and mass amounts of CO2 production. Conservation? All that man knew how to do was exploit and ruin."

This went on for some time, each person they named worse than the last, all violent, corrupt, and some down right evil, not a single one of them were anything like what they presented. The harsh justice you gave them made the Avengers very uncomfortable. You were killing them, ending their lives for good, and didn't care because what they had done had evened out your sin of murder. It was a wicked way to think, terrifying at the least for anybody around you.

"Okay, we get it, every rich man or woman with the white picket fence is a corrupt asshole who abuses their partners and children and animals and steals and lies and cheats and steals. Why are you here, and why should it matter to us?" Tony was not falling for this bullshit. He understood that they deserved punishment, but actually killing in cold blood was wrong.

"Because I want to make a deal. You bring me onto the team, provide legal support for the women, children, and families affected by this cities corruption, and I'll stop killing, and become a full forced good guy." You knew this would be a tough sell, however, you had a slight feeling that things might go her way.

"That's it? You'll stop killing, and we're supposed to just welcome you to the team? You lie, and cheat, and steal-"

"And give the money back to the people! The people you seem to deem unimportant and forgettable!" You were on your feet now. "You say you care about this city but I never see any one of you volunteering in low income neighborhoods. I don't see you providing care for the homeless and the prostitutes. Thousands of people are starving and freezing to death on these very streets. You say you protect this city, but suddenly that protection stops once you hit a certain tax bracket."

**6 Months later**

After a very heated argument, long talks, a contract, extensive fingerprinting, DNA samples, and blood draws, you were allowed to be trained. Your only drawback was that you refused to give them your real name. You'd deleted your true identity years ago, they couldn't trace your DNA to anything or anyone even if they tried. (Y/N) (Y/L/N) did not exist anymore, you'd buried her a long time ago, and refused to share that intangible information with the team, only giving them Ivy, or Poison. You weren't trained as a member of the team, but at the very bottom of the totem pole. You were taught how to punch, how to kick, and how to defend yourself from a thirteen year old with no previous fighting experience. It was awful, but you knew deep down you needed another way to provide for your loved ones. You weren't trained with the other entry level recruits, which was nice; however, one on ones with various members of the team wasn't all that great either. They would either keep it at a beginner level, or use their time to try and kill you. Natasha was your favorite person to train with solely because she never went easy on you. Sure, waking up with two swollen eyes, a busted lip and a fucked up shoulder wasn't your favorite way to start your mornings, but after a while it turned into one black eye, then none, then just shoulder pain, and eventually just busted up knuckles.

The team hated you, or at least they wanted to. After spending time with you for six months they couldn't deny you weren't too terrible of a person. You spent a lot of time by yourself, but the conversations you did have with them were either insanely intelligent or outrageously hilarious. They would get all wrapped up in the conversation and forget they were talking with a confessed serial murderer. You had multiple PhD's, making you one of the most educated members on the team, spoke twelve different languages(Including Russian which really shocked the hell out of Bucky and Natasha one morning), and were tech-savy. You were helpful with chores, cooking(which always made everybody very nervous, you WERE poisonous), rarely complained, and spent your free time in the med bay helping injured recruits.

You, however did complain a lot, to yourself at least. You were not used to rules and regulations, strict training schedules, and intense security. You were forced to sign a log telling FRIDAY when and where you were going, how long you estimated you'd be there, and tracker installed into your phone (which you were very capable of disabling, but that wouldn't be a very good way to build trust, would it?). You were still allowed to help your people out, Tony was more than willing to help provide for the less fortunate, especially if it meant people stopped dying on both sides, and even started mapping out a Stark refuge for the struggling and homeless. He said it would include a food pantry, basic necessities, shelter, and healthcare.

It was a Friday night when the team finally started to warm up to you. Game night to be exact. The team had mandatory bonding time every great once in a while to ground themselves from the busy day to day of tracking hostile threats. You had just gotten back from a twelve hour shift at the hospital (Twelve PhD's were paid for by a Nursing career((and stolen money from now-dead men but shh))) and were walking past the living room to the kitchen when a drunk Natasha invited you to come relax with them for the night. You froze, not knowing whether this was a trick or a joke.

"I'm being serious P, we're being normal people for once and I think there's more to you than we know and we have WINE!"  Okay, you can either run away screaming and potentially murder your chances at these people actually accepting you, or you can take a deep breath, make your way over to the group of people that have kicked your ass for the past six months and deal with whatever repercussions come later. The second one was less humiliating... and it did give you a chance to build rapport.

**2 hours later**

They had drank their way through seven bottles of wine, a large flask of Asgardian mead, two bottles of whiskey, and a very miniscule amount of water. The team was crying laughing and playing truth or dare, each answer seemingly getting more and more detailed.

"Truth." Natasha said, slurring the entire word.

"Uhhh, if you had to sleep with anybody here, who would it be and why?" Tony always went for the sexual ones. Shocking

"OH OH OH!!! I, It would have to be, hm, UH, fuck, uhhhh. Wanda." Cue intense laughter from all the females. "The rest of you are unnaturally greasy and she's the only one I'd be okay with seeing me naked." The men were appalled, however you, Nat, and Wanda were laying face down on the ground shaking with laughter.

"Okayokayokay, Ivy, you know the question, pick!" Though Wanda was sitting on the ground, she swayed with every word and ended up leaning on you as she yelled.

"Truuuuth. Y'all ain't gettin me to do nothin." Giggling filled the room again, You couldn't tell if it was just the girls that were drunk or if everybody else was as trashed and you were. It didn't really matter though, you were actually having fun with these people and you'd do anything to keep it going.

"What actually ARE your powers? Are you just a really good gardener or what?" Oh shit, she wanted to get personal.

"I, can do lots of things, growing scary plants, I can make this thing that makes everybody become like super duper high, uh, I'm immune to all poison, duh, I can charm snakes, I can do a lot of things, mostly plant ssstuff though." You were trashed, swaying, slurring, giggling, the whole nine, and nothing, absolutely nothing could get you to stop staring at Bucky. He was so stunning, even as he sat there and pretended he didn't notice you glancing at him the entire night. He was so off, so unique, an emotionally vulnerable man who truthfully wanted nothing more than to be happy again. You could just eat him up, honesty in men was, in your experience, very hard to come by. (Unless you have them dangled over a balcony but shh)

Bucky watched on as the group became more and more drunk, his eyes never leaving the cold blooded woman beside Natasha. He barely spoke to you the entire time you were around the team. How do you say "Hey you tried to kill me and knocked me out every time we met but I can't stop thinking about you for some reason and I'd like to know why." without sounding like a freak? You were smart and funny and kind of a bitch but in a good way? You had to be messing with him, or up to something entirely. You were slipping your drug into his coffee or blowing it into his air vents, he couldn't be this invested in somebody with a wrap sheet like yours. but here he was. Something about you made him crazy, he hated it, and it wasn't exactly something he could share with his teammates.

"She's actually pretty hot huh tin man?" Sam fucking wilson nudged Bucky as the inner circle kept going with truth or dare.

"She killed people, for sport, Sam." Bucky shot him a death stare, yes, watching you interact was enough to get Bucky to think about an unwholesome thing or two.. He was NOT sharing that with Falcon of all people.

"Yeah but that adds to it, the dark, secret, mysterious 'I could stab you and make you say thank you' vibe's kinda hot." Bucky rolled his eyes, feeling his facial expressions reacting to Sam's shallow statement before his mouth even had time to speak. "That's fine if you don't think so, Cap obviously does." Whiplash. Bucky had turned towards his best friend so fast he was sure his brain slammed into the bones of his skull. Bucky had hoped Sam was teasing to get a reaction out of him, but Steve really was close to you.

"So you can just touch somebody and poison them?" Steve slowly moved closer to you as you answered him. He wanted to know how, somebody as innocent looking as you could kill a person simply by placing your soft hand on their shoulder. You seemed sweet enough, but that's probably why you were so good at your job. OLD job, Steve corrected himself.

"Well kindaaaaa, it's whatever I feel like at the moment." Your body shook slightly as you giggled, causing you to just barely lean into Steve as you spoke. "Like when I met you and Bucky for the first time, instead of poisoning you I just made you really really angry and full of lust." Steve lowered his voice and drunkenly whispered into your ear.

"Are you doing that to me now?" Steve had searched his brain for months trying to find a reason why he found you attractive, not just physically, but as a person you were intense. You never took no for an answer, rarely compromised, were tough as nails, and never backed down from a fight. Your intelligence took the whole team by surprise, you were almost always right and rarely bragged about it. Steve loved all those things, but Natasha was the same way and he didn't feel like this around her. He chalked it up to the alcohol and decided to let the conversation go wherever it was supposed to.

"Are you angry right now? Cause that might be because you suck at this game." Smirking, you winked at the drunk Captain. People were so predictable when they drank. You couldn't deny how handsome he was though. His muscles, the golden boy reputation, his undying loyalty to the people, it was all very enticing... You tilted the amber whiskey bottle back, a little to forcefully and fell backwards pulling Natasha with You.

"Dammit Ivy!" You yelled at yourself, they were all sitting down so it's not like you were in any pain, just embarrassed at how clumsy you never failed to be. Natasha looked over to you, she really was enjoying hanging out with you, and you really liked being liked. The girls were both laughing as you handed Natasha the whiskey bottle. "Apparently I've had too much."

Bucky loved watching you, but watching Steve flirt with you heated his blood to a not so safe level. His super-soldier hearing didn't help much either, the circle might not have heard Steve's flirty whisper, but Bucky sure had.

"I think it's time for me to go to bed, one of you are going to wake me up at the ass-crack of dawn to fuck me up." You tried to stand, but your legs were numb from sitting so long, and the alcohol hadn't helped either. The girls all laughed daintily as you tried to stand straight, you were wobbly, and your steps, when you finally did get up, were crooked and stumbled. You thought you had finally gotten the hang of it when you tripped over your feet, bracing for impact you tensed up, only to be caught by the one and only Bruce Banner. Steve wasn't far behind, and Bucky had shot straight up out of his chair when he saw her trip, much to Sam's amusement, but Banner had gotten there first.

"Thanks, Bruce. I don't understand how my own two feet can plot against me like this." You smiled weakly, embarrassed again by your own clumsiness.

"Self-sabotage, the worst kind. Let me walk you up, if FRIDAY wakes Tony that you're passed out on the floor he might have flashbacks." Looking at Bruce's soft features made it so obvious as to why Banner was your favorite. He was the only person that never treated you too much like a villain. He was always asking you questions about your research, if you'd read a new article that had come out about microbiology, your day. He was like the cool brother you'd never had, and that made you open up as much as you could with Bruce. You took his arm and followed him to the elevator and all the way to your room.

"I appreciate you Bruce, I knows it's a lot of gross emotion but, you're family to me now. Jus figured you sould know." Drunk, blurry vision,  barely able to stand, and now you were professing emotion? You needed to stay far away from the liquor with these people for sure. YOu were sure it would have weirded the always quiet Bruce out, but he cracked a faint smile, kissed you on the forehead and spoke.

"Welcome to the team, Ivy."

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// How’s it doing so far?? I’m really liking how it’s all going so far! P.S. if you guys want to throw random vocab words at me I’ll try and find a way to incorporate them and tag you! Thanks for reading! May Odin bless you! //

Good to see you, friends!

Whether you’re reading this on Drive the day of the episode (Well kinda), or if you’re seeing this posted in the big surge of posts after the protest I bid you welcome. I’m going to try and untangle the unsorted sequence of events for this episode. I’ll admit that the unclear progression of events is as much frustrating as it is intriguing at times. We eventually get to a point where we see it all tie together, but while we’re in the throws of a storyline it’s hard to grasp what’s going on. So without further putting it off let’s try and get down to thee. Addition: I’m going to be posting all the recaps I wrote during my week away from the site throughout the next week rather than all at once. So here’s Boogiepop episode six.

Synopsis: Okay, the best I can tell the earliest thing to happen in the sequence of events this episode involves a character I’ve only mentioned offhandedly once: Kazuko Suema. She had agreed to help one of the girls who were tangentially involved in the Manticore stuff and spoke briefly with Kirima Nagi. She has or seems to have some knowledge of the true nature of BoogiePop and is known for being interested in Psychology. Good, now character brush-up is out of the way on to the events of the episode in chronological order to the best of my ability..

Suema is studying with Touka (Aka Boogiepop’s host) when our crazy counselor buddy Rin’s cousin drops by to have a chat with her. The girl is worried about her cuz who seems to no longer be worried about anything. Before he’d always had something weighing on his mind, but lately he’s seemed as though he’s no longer afraid of anything. He’s also been away from home at night which further worries her especially since she’s found mysterious dark stains on his clothes the next day. Stains that seem suspiciously like bloodstains. Suema’s curiosity is caught by the situation, much the same way it was with the girl involved in the Manticore stuff, and so she agrees to help.

Suema then proceeds to sneak into Rin’s office after-hours and finds a picture of Suiko, the girl who houses Imaginator who supposedly committed suicide. Before she can find anything else, though Rin comes to the office with two girls in tow. They’re talking about some mysterious “thing” they’re doing and how “everyone else” has done it”. After some reluctance both girls agree and strip off their shirts (Why this is necessary given what he does I don’t know). Jin seemingly uses Imaginator’s power to adjust the roses he sees in each of the girls which alters their behavior and outlook

Time for speculation: I’m guessing that since Jin is doing this with multiple students at a time, what he’s doing is trading and balancing different parts of the rose between the various students. Though there is also some mileage in the idea that he’s simply stripping the thorns from the roses signifying him taking away their worries and fears. Since the girls who exit his office in this scene do say that they no longer feel afraid and like they could change the world for him.

Having been exposed to some supernatural fuckery naturally what Suema latches onto is the sketch she found of the girl who committed suicide. She decides to come to ask around school about Suiko with help from Touka, but they are put off by the crowd of new students coming in as well as Touka straight-up fleeing when she sees twintail girl from the Manticore arc. Twintail Girl (Niitoki) approaches Suema and they have a brief conversation about why Touka is avoiding her. The logical excuse is that Keiji from Episode one had once rejected Niitoki in favor of Touka, but there’s also the possibility it’s because,

Any further conversation on this topic is curtailed as we see our pal Anou at some point in the middle of his plot thread from last episode arriving at Shinyo for the first time. He has a weird episode where his mind is trying to remind him that he still has emotions and he can’t process it because of Spooky E’s brainwashing. He gets rushed off taking Niitoki with the group.

Suema is left confused and looking for answers in her own head. She can’t get the image of Suiko out of her head. She finds she has trouble trying to understand the mind of some one who would commit suicide. Then as fate might have it who does she run into on the roof of the school clearly contemplating leaping off but Orihata the weird girl who’s in league with the big bad mystery organization.

Suema does her best to talk Orihata down, but it’s kind of a stock speech ending on the note of how the act of suicide is ultimately useless and how she can’t jump now because Suema found her. While the logic of Suema’s arguments is shaky at best it manages to get Orihata to back away from the railing. This is when the two conversations that DOMINATE this episode start bleeding back and forth and I’m going to try and summarize their contents.

Orihata asks Suema what she thinks of Boogiepop. I’m going to copy down the meat of Suema’s response verbatim (or as verbatim as I can get it)

“Imagery like reapers and stuff like that is pretty common. It’s typical adolescent imagery. Everyone’s anxious about something, so sometimes they feel like they want everything around them to be destroyed. Adults say irresponsible things like, those periods of anxiety are just a phase and we’ll all get over it, but it’s never that easy of course. That’s why Boogiepop exists. I think that’s why the exist. To protect an unstable heart and keep it like that.”

Orihata’s response to this is that she doesn’t believe they’ll protect her. She changes the subject to Masaki. Though she doesn’t give his name she explains the broad strokes of the situation. That she thinks he’s in love with her, but she doesn’t feel she can do something like that (Translation: She doesn’t think she deserves it). How she’s doing nothing but causing trouble for him and if things keep up the way they are he’ll end up hating her. She states outright that she’s not supposed to let anyone hate her, and Suema puts her foot down. She tells Orihata that no one goes through life without someone hating them. That it’s just part of living and she needs to let go fo the idea that she can’t let that happen. She needs to break free of these rules she’s set in place for herself. To allow herself to simply live to be free of the chains of “common sense”. She needs to fight against that self-defeating attitude of trying to ensure that no one hates her.

Little does Suema know, of course, that these rules may not be self-imposed. This is speculation again but I believe it’s been hinted that Orihata, being made by the Towa organization, was given strict orders to be liked and go as unnoticed as she could.

As they part ways Orihata asks Suema if she should fight even if it means she’s fighting against Boogiepop and Suema tells her to always fight.

With ALL that out of the way we finally reach the FIRST EVENTS WE SEE at the top of the episode which pick up from Spooky E finding Orihata (aka Camille) sitting in the park. He gets the low-down on how she’s here to see a guy. Assumes is because he wants to sleep with her and tells her to hurry it up so she can focus on their mission. Her job is to find Boogiepop for the organization. He grabs her by the throat (In one hand, seriously the dude is freaking massive) and threatens her, but that’s when Masaki shows up. He takes on the hulking brute and even manages to get a hit or two in, but it ultimately ends with Spooky E revealing he has no balls to be kicked and Zapping the memory of their encounter out of Masaki’s head.

The boy wakes up lying on the bench with his head in Orihata’s lap. He remembers they’re supposed to be celebrating and asks Orihata what he can do for her. At first she asks him to get information about Boogiepop since he’s popular with the local girls. She tells him the “Boogiepop is a grim reaper who kills girls while they’re at the height of beauty” rumor and He’s utterly confused. Especially when she then asks him to BECOME Boogiepop.

She explains that she’d heard from other people that Boogiepop is actually a defender. That they protect people, and this is why I think this conversation happens after the one with Suema. Since there are very few people in the story who would characterize Boogiepop that way, and only Suema has interacted with Orihata to our knowledge. Basically what this amounts to is Orihata asking Masaki to protect her, to keep her safe. At least that’s my interpretation. She obviously doesn’t like the situation she’s in with Towa and wants to be free to love Masaki, but so long as she’s under their thumb she can’t do that. When she suddenly realizes what she’s asking Masaki she takes it back and apologizes. As she turns to leave Masaki grabs her arm and says he’ll do it. He doesn’t fully understand, but if there’s something he can do to help then he’ll do it.

Thoughts: Phew that was a lot to get through. I should note that the conversations Orihata had with Suema and Masaki were interwoven with each other in the actual episode. We saw a snippet of one that bled into a snippet of the other. The episode actually ends on Suema telling Orihata to Fight no matter what. I am left pleasantly confused by this whole ordeal as per usual with this series.

I want to also note since I didn’t in the actual synopsis that when the cousin comes to speak with Suema near the beginning of the episode it seems that Touka switches to Boogiepop mode. There’s a definite difference in how the seiyuu voices Boogiepop vs normal Touka. A sort of methodical formality and weariness to her tone contrasted against the more energetic Touka. There’s this switch-flip moment where the voice changes and it takes a second to realize it’s Boogiepop suggesting Suema help the girl and not Touka. Very nice.

Shit this series just keeps getting better and better. Well I believe that’s all I have for the moment. This series is honestly hard to write about. It’s intriguing and the basketweave timeline can be a bitch to puzzle through. I don’t feel like snarking it since it’s legit good, and I don’t really have any deep insights to give because I still don’t have enough of a full picture to really comment. Still I don’t wanna just drop posting about it because, again, it’s GOOD! Seriously my synopsis of the episode’s contents are no substitute for watching it yourself. If you aren’t already I HIGHLY suggest checking the series out.

Until next post keep talking fiction, friends. I’ll see you soon.

A Galaxy of Lies

Read Part 1: Here 

A/N: I found one discrepancy in part 1 that was part of a earlier draft, that got left in the final. Sorry about the confusion, but just so we’re clear, reader is not the youngest. She has two older brothers, and one younger one. They’ll be mentioned more as the story progresses

Also if your wondering where I get the inspiration for reader from, think Cersei from GOT, but like A LOT less incest. In fact, no incest.

Warnings: None

Part 2 

   Your first up close impression of the First Order was that it was an actual dumpster fire. In fact, a section of their mammoth flagship, The Supremacy, was literally on fire and missing its right half when your ship arrived in a docking bay. Upon exiting hyperspace your pilot had been forced to maneuver around a surrounding belt of debris. And in the end that had turned out to be the missing half of the ship, blown to smithereens.      

   “A casualty of their indiscretions with the rebels,” king Muhaperr murmured while you gazed out a window at the devastation.

   The two of you sat in a veiled booth located at the center of the vessel. His highness had chosen to make a humble entrance. Delivering you to Kylo ren in a simple passenger ship and not one of the hundreds of embellished star cruisers belonging to the crown. At the entranced was a small squadron of guards, and then seated in back of you and your father were five of his retainers. A representative of the council had also come along as well, one Lord Galenea. 

 A small party, as not to offend your hosts.

   Looking down at your folded hands you couldn’t help but be embarrassed at the jewelry and gown your maids had forced on you. Today you were going to begin force training to become the apprentice of Ren. However, when you had attempted to slip into your armour, a sleek and durable outfit, you had been stopped.

   “His highness has requested we dress you in your finest, milady,” your head-maid supplied.

   Though you had been displeased, you had not become your father’s right hand by disobeying or questioning his orders, so you submitted with a scowl. The gown was new; constructed totally of iridescent crystals from a enriched mining planet in the Ahakista system. The slightest amount of movement made the garment shimmer, and with the added moonstone rings on your fingers and a matching necklace you appeared lovelier than any star in the galaxy.

   But these were not just warm parting gifts from father to his daughter. Your father did nothing that would not significantly benefit his cause. And if you had any doubt of that, if you may have believed for a second the king cared about how you felt, that was shattered by your twit of a brother.

   Alezach was twenty-five, five years your senior with, what you considered, a mind ten years beneath you. He was an entitled fool of a prince who thought himself the perfect choice for the crown though he was quite far from the oldest or the smartest. He had marched into your rooms and scared away your ladies before you had departed early this morning.

   “Look at you sister, all dressed up for a date with destiny” he purred, circling you.

   You rolled your eyes at his attempted to intimidate you. Alezach had been validated far too long by the misogynistic views of Maniru. Your fear of him was so little, you didn’t flinch when he grabbed your face and squeezed it between his grubby hands.

   “Always remember little sister, you are a pawn. The force you might have, but father cares not what petty rocks you can lift with your mind. He’s dressed you up to appeal to that beast, Ren’s lustful senses. A pretty face to distract him until you slit his throat. That’s all you are, a knife waiting to be used.”  

   Yes, Alezach was right. Even now sitting right beside your father as you prepared to disembark the passengership, you knew your brother had spoken the truth. However that didn’t make it any less satisfying to throw his pathetic form against a wall with the force.

   As you exited the craft,your family’s guards formed a protective enclosure around you and your father. Now out in the open you started to truly experience the First Order’s might.

   Hundreds of tie-fighters and smaller battle cruisers lined the floors, ready to be deployed at a moments notice. AT-Walkers equipped with fearsome looking blasters starred you down. Dozens of models of newly advanced weaponry were stacked about the room, and in the distance you could see engineers milling around like ants, creating more. Before you could venture further to look, your father halted you with a firm grip on your elbow. The message was clear, stay back and be silent for now. Your inhaled deeply, keeping your annoyance a unseen.

   Towards the middle of the hangar marching was heard. And then the gleaming white suites of at least fifty stormtroopers came to a stop and stood at attention before your party.

   Then in perfect succession they parted, separating to form two straight lines on opposite sides. From this a man appeared and the troops pair by pair saluted him as he approached. His hair was a burning shade of red that stuck out considerably more because of the severe amount of black he wore. He was a stranger to you, but your father seemed to know him well you noted, watching as he glided forward to heartily shake the redhead's hand.

   “Your majesty,” the man drawled, “welcome aboard. I hope your travel was, restful. I am aware our coordinates are very...cluttered at the moment.”

   King Muhaperr’s chuckle was deep, startling a few bustling officers as they passed.

   “Oh yes, yes. But think nothing of it General Hux, it was fine journey, thank you for having us.”

   General Hux raised an eyebrow, a curious look fell onto his face.  “Us?” he questioned. “Forgive me, much has happened and I was not all the way briefed on your visit. This is visit is diplomatic in nature yes? To strengthen the ties of our alliance?

   Your father’s smile was large, comforting even. Though the general did not lose his suspicious look. “My visit is all of those things and more, general. The First Order has always been a crucial variable in the fight for the galaxy and I have come today to acknowledge that fact, and to reward it.”

   His are stretched out behind and when he called your name you moved to answer the call. Your steps were dainty, though this wasn’t the man you were meant to seduce a little sway in your hips didn’t hurt. The humming of machinery seemed to melt into quietness as you came into view. The officers that had been at work behind the troopers all paused, watching you.

   “May I present a gift.  My only daughter, princess of the kingdom of Maniru.”

   The general blinked owlishly, both blown away and taken back. He was still taking you in seconds later until something chivalrous  must of bite him in the ass. He dashed forward and cupped your hand, placing a kiss on its center.  He bowed slightly, “my princess, how lovely to meet you.”

   You curtsied in return, “Likewise. I am glad to make the acquaintance of the famed general Hux.” All the suspicion the man seemed to have possessed earlier vanished at just the bat of your eyelash it seemed. He beamed at you before turning to your father.

   “Surely this marriage proposal is unexpected, my king. But I am honored and accept it all the same,” Hux said, enthused.

   The retainers who had also exited the ship began to whisper amongst themselves at the general’s foolish assumptions. King Muhaperr raised his own eyebrow this time, but said nothing. Instead they all looked to you, knowingly.

    “How dare you,” you growled, shocking the red head still cradling your hand. You could feel something break inside of you after a day of aggravation. After dealing with everyone dictating your actions and rubbing your misfortune in your face, this was the final straw.  This alway happened when your temper was tested, the force would well out of you, almost uncontrollably. Clenching and unclenching your hands, you brought one up to eye level, curving your fingers to constrict the man’s airways. Hux’s eyes widened in realization, as if this had happened to him before.  

   “I am no ones bride, you presumptuous man!” You spat.  

   When the storm-troopers finally comprehend what is going on, they cocked their blasters, and in response your guards rushed forward to defend you and the king. But as soon as everything began it stopped, and your arm was forcible lowered back to your side. Hux was released and inhaled, before flopping to the floor.

    It was then that your nerves fluttered, and your skin seemed to vibrate as if in anticipation. Something powerful was getting closer. The hangar was still quiet, shocked at the uproar and making it easy to hear an eerie sound of heavy footsteps. The direction of where they came from had your attention immediately. The vibration seemed to rise, entering your head and connecting the dots for you. So this was what it felt like to be in the presence of another force user. 

   The footsteps grew louder and when the officer and troopers instantly dropped to their knees, you knew who had come. 

   The first time you saw the supreme leader Kylo ren you noticed he was a hulk of a man. He had barrel like chest with wide shoulders draped in black robes. He was taller than any person you had ever met as well. His scared face, while handsome was actually, quite melancholy; made that way by the natural pout of his large lips. 

   But what struck you the most was how he stared right at you. Not your father, or general Hux or any other man. But you, the woman always fighting for the spotlight.Without looking away from you he chuckled, only then glancing down at the flustered Hux. 

“General, what were you thinking?,” Kylo ren asked the man, then looked back to you. “Your gift? No, she’s mine.” 

For the week of 29 January 2018

Quick Bits:

Avengers #678 is more gorgeous artwork from Pepe Larraz and David Curiel. The intrigue and mystery to the story is also being teased out a bit more, just enough internal questions about Voyager and Grandmaster’s opponent to keep you hooked amidst some all out action between the Avengers, Black Order, and Lethal Legion.

| Published by Marvel

Black Crown Quarterly #2 adds some more comic previews, interviews, and various odds & sods to the mix. Rob Davis’ Tales from the Black Crown Pub remains the best thing about the anthology, but the Cüd comic is growing on me. It’s nice to see James Coe’s Bandtwits continue here, it was one segment I was expecting to see spun out to its own comic. Also, House Amok by Christopher Sebela and Shawn McManus is deliciously twisted.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Bonehead #2 puts a lot more meat on the bones of this series. Where the first issue was largely a beautiful showcase for Rhoald Marcellius and Sakti Yuwono’s art, this time Bryan Edward Hill dives into more of the world and what’s going on with “56″. It’s an interesting approach with what amounts to parkour gangs in what looks like an increasingly oppressive society, reminding me somewhat of Mirror’s Edge.

| Published by Image / Top Cow - Glitch

The Despicable Deadpool #293 reinforces the idea that we’re seeing Deadpool’s end of days (the writing on the wall that this arc is called “Bucket List” and we already know this incarnation of his adventures is ending at #300 notwithstanding), as the issue long fight with Rogue underlines Wade’s self-destruction and deliberate alienation of his friends and family.

| Published by Marvel

Eternity #4 brings the latest Divinity story to a close, kind of, as Matt Kindt dives deep into a meta narrative of construction, conception, and delivery of story and ideas. Trevor Hairsine, Ryan Winn, and David Baron also raise the bar with the execution of some of the glorious story ideas presented here.

| Published by Valiant

God Complex: Dogma #4 remakes Seneca, giving us a look deeper into the gods’ technology and adherence to mathematical projections for behaviour as “fate”. It also gives Hendry Prasetya and Sunny Gho a chance to show off again, delivering some beautiful artwork as it shifts between Hephaestus trying to save Seneca within the digital framework and the grit and blood of attempting to save him on the physical plane.

| Published by Image / Top Cow - Glitch

Hack/Slash: Resurrection #4 is messed up. This, of course, is a good thing as Tini Howard continues with the humour of Cassie’s relationship with Laurie and adding an interesting possible wrinkle to series’ mythology.

| Published by Image

Hungry Ghosts #1 is the start of an anthology series of food-themed horror stories with the overall narrative being linked through a game of kaidan (some would also know it as kwaidan)--basically a party game wherein participants tell one another ghost stories and then see whether or not they’ve been possessed in a mirror once they’re done--written by Anthony Bourdain and Joel Rose, and illustrated by an assortment of artists. 

This first issue sets up the rules, the framing narrative, and a couple of stories. It’s good so far, with art provided by Alberto Ponticelli for the framing narrative and first story, Vanesa Del Rey for the second story, and colours by José Villarrubia. The first story is a kind of traditional cautionary tale of helping others, whereas the second is a kind of humorous horror story of the perils of being a dick.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Jean Grey #11 is an interesting, oversized finale for the series, which sheds a different light on what the Phoenix has been doing to young, time-tossed Jean, even as she goes through more purification by fire at the hands of other past remaining Phoenix hosts. Dennis Hopeless throws out some implications here that I really hope are followed up on in the near future.

| Published by Marvel

Joe Golem: Occult Detective #5 brings to a close both the “Flesh and Blood” arc and this second mini-series. This one has been good, with a nice mystery solved and some of the subplots of Joe’s history and supporting cast advanced. Patric Reynolds’ art is still a real treat, making the sunken NYC a real character in the book in its own right.

| Published by Dark Horse

KINO #3 spotlights again one of the things that I love about this series; the use of old style comics storytelling as a narrative device itself. I love that within the normal dark, stylistic intrigue of the main narrative, there’s a stylistic shift in both Joe Casey’s scripting and Jefte Palo’s art with Chris Sotomayor’s colours to a simpler superhero style when inside the KINO conditioning programme.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Phoenix Resurrection #5 is the epic conclusion to this series, which, despite some bombast, goes out with some emotional resonance, discussion, and character building rather than the usual superhero battle. It’s a fitting and mature reawakening for the “real” Jean Grey with Matthew Rosenberg giving us another glimpse as to why he should probably be one of the voices guiding the next stage in the X-Men’s evolution. Also, there are some great shots and reveals from the art of Leinil Yu & Gary Alanguilan and Joe Bennett & Belardino Brado, with colours by Rachelle Rosenberg. I know it’s not continuing into X-Men Red, but I particularly like the black and red variant on the Phoenix costume.

| Published by Marvel

Spawn #282 is ostensibly the conclusion to the “Dark Horror” story-arc, that gained this extra chapter somewhere along the way. As the story progressed, its felt like Todd McFarlane has been taking over more of the scripting, steering it more towards more traditional Spawn storytelling, and, although it has felt a bit at odds with the original oblique Japanese horror told through suggestion and conversation, it has still be entertaining. Also, Jason Shawn Alexander’s artwork has remained a beast.

| Published by Image

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #16 sees the crap hit the proverbial fan as Aphra and her team face off against an angry archaeotech trap. The humour hits probably and all time high this issue, as the relationship between Aphra and Tolvan develops further.

| Published by Marvel

Tales of Suspense #101 continues to be one of the best buddy comedy thrillers in comics right now. Matthew Rosenberg’s characterization of Hawkeye and Winter Soldier are hilarious and help propel them through the action and intrigue in the book. Travel Foreman’s art (with colours by Rachelle Rosenberg) also continues to impress with some really nice panel transitions and action sequences.

| Published by Marvel

Underwinter: A Field of Feathers #4 is dark, very dark. As Felix and Rose battle over their kids, something worse happens. Ray Fawkes manages to amplify the horror exponentially.

| Published by Image

Other Highlights: All New Wolverine #30, Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #15, Animosity #12, The Beautiful Death #5, The Beauty #19, Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #5, Black AF: America’s Sweetheart, Captain Marvel #128, Dark Ark #5, Defenders #9, Dread Gods #3, Elephantmen #80, Eternal, Falcon #4, Incredible Hulk #596, Infinite Loop: Nothing but the Truth #4, Invincible Iron Man #596, Jessica Jones #16, Kaijumax: Season 3 #6, Lazaretto #5, Maxwell’s Demons #2, Moon Knight #191, Old Man Logan #34, Outcast #33, Punisher: The Platoon #5, Quantum and Woody! #2, The Realm #5, Rick & Morty #34, Riverdale #10, Spider-Gwen #28, Star Trek: Boldly Go #16, Star Wars: DJ - Most Wanted, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny - Rose and Paige, Void Trip #3

Recommended Collections: Godshaper, Kill the Minotaur, Royals - Volume 2: Judgment Day, Saucer State, US Avengers - Volume 2: Stars & Garters, Venom - Volume 3: Blood in the Water, Violent Love - Volume 2: Hearts on Fire, Wayward - Volume 5: Tethered Souls

d. emerson eddy is revisiting The Moon and Antarctica. Wondering about the dark centre of the universe and all these tiny cities made of ashes.

What the Rebirth of This Old Steel Center Means for Trump

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Just a few blocks from the rusted 16-story blast furnaces that once fired hulking steel beams for the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge, OraSure Technologies each day produces thousands of thumbnail-size pads made to spit on.These oral swabs, part of a home H.I.V. test kit, are products of a matrix of manufacturers, financial companies and health care institutions powering the Lehigh Valley’s $41 billion economy.The region’s success distinguishes it from onetime industrial dynamos in the Northeast and Midwest that have struggled to replace shuttered plants and vanishing jobs. While many midsize and smaller cities have lost out to the superstars — large urban metropolises that gulp up scads of employers, workers and customers — the Lehigh Valley is booming.“There’s jobs everywhere,” said Stephen Polczer, 46, as he inspected assembled swabs. Mr. Polczer, outfitted with a blue mesh apron for his beard and a head cap, started at the biomedical company less than two months ago, drawn by a $17-an-hour wage for manufacturing technicians and a four-day workweek.The economic renaissance has been more than a decade in the making in this eastern stretch of Pennsylvania, and it has much to do with location, luck and local leaders.“It’s transcended presidents and administrations,” said Don Cunningham, the president and chief executive of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, a public-private partnership. In the last five years, employers created 26,000 additional jobs. “It began under Obama and continued under Trump,” he said.The valley’s political affinities have been less steady recently. The area includes Northampton County, one of the few counties nationwide — and among only three in the state — that voted for Barack Obama twice before giving Donald J. Trump a plurality in 2016. That pivot, in a county that a Republican presidential candidate had not won since 1988, helped Mr. Trump capture Pennsylvania by less than one percentage point. Mr. Trump’s message on trade and defending jobs resonated in the Lehigh Valley, where there are memories of how foreign competition clobbered the local steel and cement industries. Whenever the rebound began, people here are feeling more secure economically, and many credit the president. “The economy is 100 times better,” Mr. Polczer said, “and it has a lot to do with President Trump.”

Incentives for business and amenities for workers

A junction for interstate highways and rail lines, the Lehigh Valley is within an eight-hour drive of one-third of American consumers. That has helped attract an army of warehouses and distribution centers built by Amazon, Walmart, FedEx and UPS as they scramble to keep up with the explosion of online shopping.A network of nearby universities, community colleges and vocational high schools pumps out workers with a range of skills. And there is more available land, cheaper housing and lower taxes than in neighboring New Jersey, Philadelphia or New York City.Local and state officials laid the groundwork for a possible revival after Bethlehem’s colossal mills closed completely in 1998. They built industrial and office parks, and offered millions of dollars in tax credits and abatements to lure companies to Northampton and Lehigh Counties.More recent development efforts have centered on creating urban playgrounds of restaurants, bars, entertainment and culture that will attract millennial workers.The valley’s three small cities, Bethlehem, Easton and Allentown, are within 15 miles of one another. Among them, residents can find an ice hockey rink, concert venues and music festivals, a casino, arts walks, breweries, a minor-league baseball park, golf courses and new downtown apartments.Freshpet joined a growing cluster of food and beverage companies, including Boston Beer, Nestlé Purina, Ocean Spray and Just Born (maker of the chick-shaped marshmallow treat Peeps), when it took over an old dairy factory in Northampton County in 2013. Sales of Freshpet’s refrigerated meals for dogs and cats — made from giant vats of slow-cooked meat, vegetables and fruit that can be smelled before entering the parking lot — grew 27 percent in the last year.Now the company is building a $100 million facility in its own backyard that will ultimately add 150 people to the payroll. The state and county kicked in $900,000 in grants and tax credits.A couple of blocks away in the same Hanover Township industrial park, Stuffed Puffs — chocolate-filled marshmallows that first appeared in stores in May — broke ground in November on a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing plant that will employ 134 people.The venture is backed by Factory, a business innovation center for growing food and beverage companies founded by Richard Thompson, a former chief executive at Freshpet. Hoisting up a couple of bags, he explained that the creator of Stuffed Puffs had “spent seven years figuring out how to put the chocolate inside the marshmallow.” With support from a New York hedge fund, Mr. Thompson opened the center in 2019. “I looked everywhere from Boston to Jacksonville,” he said, before choosing a site once occupied by Bethlehem Steel.Building 96, a former tool-and-die shop built during World War II, is now, after a $10 million overhaul, Factory’s airy headquarters. The site offers a sensory lab, a podcasting studio, a kitchen, a packaging center and a stage. For offices, he hauled in bright red shipping containers from Port Newark and put them on wheels that bring to mind mobile dorm rooms. There’s also a simulated golfing range and a climbing wall, as well as a gondola cabin from a ski lift and a firepit surrounded by Adirondack chairs to hang out.Just to the north in rural Upper Mount Bethel Township, Air Liquide opened a plant in 2018 to produce specialty chemicals for semiconductors, and construction on an adjoining facility has started.Tony Stump began working there over the summer in a full-time maintenance job for $26.50 an hour, plus benefits.He moved from Apollo, a former coal-mining town about 35 miles from Pittsburgh, to take the job. “It’s like two different worlds,” he said.“There’s a lot of job opportunities,” Mr. Stump said of the Pittsburgh area, “but it’s harder to make a good wage.”At his previous job, Mr. Stump made $15 an hour and had not had a raise in seven years. “There’s no way to survive,” he said.

Lots of jobs, but ‘not real good jobs’

Many of the jobs available are like the one Mr. Stump left behind. “They’re not real good jobs,” said Tom Sedor, 78. A third-generation steelworker on both sides of his family, Mr. Sedor sat with a group of other retirees in a small storefront office in the mall that houses the Steelworkers’ Archives, an oral history project.The rich and the well-educated techies are doing well, but the working class and the poor “are the ones that are really getting hammered,” Mr. Sedor said. “It hasn’t trickled down to them.”Although the area’s median income is more than $65,000, a new report from the United Way of Pennsylvania found that 30 percent of the households in Northampton County and 25 percent in Lehigh County could be counted among the working poor. The steelworkers, both Democrats and Republicans, who crowded into the Wind Creek office don’t like Mr. Trump, whom they characterized as anti-union. But Mr. Sedor acknowledged that a lot of other retired steelworkers voted for him over Hillary Clinton in 2016.“Hillary and the Democratic Party didn’t pay enough attention to trade,” Mr. Sedor said. Many of the men he meets for breakfast or sees in the union hall are still behind the president. “They’re adamant about it because of trade,” he said.There were other motivations as well, the group agreed. “They also loved what Trump was saying about immigrants and gun control,” said Lester Clore, a 33-year veteran of Bethlehem Steel, referring to the president’s pledge to keep out immigrants and oppose gun restrictions.In Pennsylvania, enough working-class Democrats and moderate suburban Republicans joined with enthusiastic conservative rural voters to help swing the election to Mr. Trump.Whether this coalition will form again in 2020, and turn out in sufficient numbers to return him to the White House, is the question. As the recent clash between the United States and Iran demonstrated, foreign events could quickly overshadow domestic ones. And the economy’s stable progress could unexpectedly reverse.

‘I would keep riding the horse that works’

Since the last presidential election, the Democrats have had a wave of victories in the Lehigh Valley, sweeping local elections. A Democrat won a reconfigured congressional seat in 2018 after a moderate Republican retired. In statewide elections, the Democratic governor and senator were both re-elected with hearty margins.Although it is a quintessentially purple area, registered Democrats far outnumber registered Republicans in both Northampton and Lehigh Counties. According to one recent statewide poll, 57 percent of those surveyed said they did not think the president deserved re-election.But Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Allentown, said that across Pennsylvania, the president remained popular among those who said they had voted for him. “I don’t see an obvious reason they wouldn’t turn out to the ballot box in 2020 to support him,” he said.Walter Dealtrey Jr., president and chief executive of Service Tire Truck Centers in Bethlehem, is a registered Republican who said he and many people he knew often split their votes between the parties. He voted for Mr. Trump in 2016, and for Representative Susan Wild, a Democrat, last year.He does not care for Mr. Trump’s personal style, but he said, “As far as the economy, I would keep riding the horse that works.”Recent polling by The New York Times/Siena College found that in Pennsylvania and five other battleground states, nearly two-thirds of voters with a similar pattern — supporting Mr. Trump in 2016 and a Democrat in the midterms — said they intended to back the president.Among the more than 30 business owners, professionals and employees interviewed in the two counties, many said their votes were still up for grabs. But “Medicare for all,” free public college tuition and other left-leaning proposals championed by candidates like Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont aroused more skepticism than enthusiasm.The Democrats named as possibilities were all moderates, like former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind.; or the latest entrant, the billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg. “I think there’s going to be a strong pull for Democrats in the county to come home if they can,” said John Kincaid, a government professor at Lafayette College in Easton. But the Democrats will need to offer more than someone-who-is-not-Trump. “If Warren or Sanders is the candidate,” he said, “it’s going to be harder to bring those Democrats who voted for Trump over.” Read the full article

If this isn't something you want to answer, please don't! I don't know if you don't like this sort of stuff or not. But how do you think Ward's attitude towards sex would be? How would he be before, during, and after. He's just such a hard person to read. We need more seasons!!

*laughs* We really need more seasons! (And I said I would love to see him appear in The Defenders, even if it’s just a small cameo or a mention or something that clues us in to what he’s doing post-Harold. God, everything in Ward’s life is going to be post-Harold now and I’m here for it.) 

Way I see it, there are a few interpretations of Ward’s attitude towards sex that can all fit beautifully into canon so far. My personal favourite is probably the one where he’s pretty much fine with casual sex (one-night stands and all that jazz) but kinda flounders when things get intimate with someone he connects with emotionally/mentally as well as physically. However, I also love the interpretation that he may be asexual -- I think that’d be lovely and so incredibly valid for him, too. And then there are all the myriad of other interpretations that work, of which I probably like the idea of him being the more submissive partner best. Something about him just screams to me that he’s not going to be the dude in charge, though he may feel a little apprehensive about really giving up control and trusting his partner in this. I think it’s his natural inclination to be soft and gentle, but that this natural inclination has gotten a little bit waylaid by his dad’s influence and the pressure to be this take-charge business professional in everyday life. 

When I think of the version of Ward I’m currently writing, he’s the kind of guy who does like to talk and debate things. He may be reluctant at times and unforthcoming with some stuff, but I think he’s overall most comfortable connecting with people intellectually and would really need a partner who’s able to keep up with him in that area. Intellectual stimulus is like good foreplay, haha, especially if it’s a little bit of back-and-forth bickering or a passionate talk about a particular subject. However, I keep going back to the idea that he’s not the type to make the first move. His role in the show is one that’s very traditionally dominant controlled alpha male, but I feel like Ward turns that archetype on its head a lot when he progresses through the season as this very sensitive guy who’s having a really bad run of life right now and is falling apart at the seams. He becomes ‘softer’ to me the further we progress.. not softer in a way that means weaker, but softer in a way that means he’s very aware of his own failings/shortcomings and only ever acted like that alpha male to protect himself from harm. (Which doesn’t mean he’s not an asshole, because my god he can be.)

Anyway, I’m digressing as fuck here -- I just think that first kiss and first initiative for sex would have to come from his partner, though I do think he’d invite it in a blatantly obvious manner and would happily reciprocate the second someone made a move on him. I have this idea that he’s excellent at riling people up and could be a bit of a sweet-talking flirt every so often if he feels comfortable enough. I think once Ward gets past that initial hurdle that’s that first physical contact, he feels more inclined to initiate physical contact/sex in the future. It’s a trust issue in a way, if that makes sense? He has to be absolutely sure that this is what the other person wants, so he goes out of his way to ensure that his partner has agency over the situation and that they really want this/him. (I have this sense that he really doesn’t want to control anything for anyone, because he’s used to Harold’s kind of shitfest control over him and he doesn’t want to be someone else’s Harold.)

The term ‘belligerent submissive’ just came to mind and I think that works beautifully for him? Like I think he’d absolutely love it if he could just lie back and enjoy himself, or be very giving toward his partner somehow and quite attuned to any of their nonverbal cues, but he’d occasionally challenge the status quo and make a play at dominance in the situation. I really can’t see him as this very hulking Mr Grey (thank the gods lol) or as this very physically domineering type, though. I just think he’d occasionally make a grab for control, or manoeuvre his partner into the kind of sexual situation where they’d just have to hold onto Ward for dear life and enjoy themselves haha. And come on, any kind of aftermath has got to involve snuggling -- he’s such a snugglebutt, lol, and I will accept no other aftermath than that. 

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

Kamen Rider 45th Anniversary File: Wizard

2012:

The Metal Heroes Series celebrates its 30th anniversary with a mini-revival in the form of a film crossover with Gokaiger and a Gavan movie! Kenji Ohba returns as the legendary Retsu Ichijouji and a new Gavan appears: Gavan Type-G! Gavan also gets a crossover tie-in with Go-Busters to promote the Gavan movie! The Metal Heroes Space Sherrifs also crossover with the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai in Super Hero Taisen Z in 2013.

IT’S MORPHIN TIME! Power Rangers terms seep into Super Sentai with Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, a series that tried to do some new things including a two front battle with the villains both on the ground and in a separate MegaZord.

The Symphogear Series debuts with its first season, showcasing superhero Magical Girls of a musical nature. Aoi Yuki (aka MADOKA!) , who would later be in Kamen Rider, is the main hero Hibiki Tachibana! (Ha! Tachibana!)

The Zetman anime debuts, featuring a hero called Alphas who is inspired by an tokusatsu-styled anime show.

Smile Smile Smile~ Smile PreCure! debuts and airs on the Sunday kids block with Go-Busters and Wizard. It features everybody’s favorite tokusatsu fangirl and the fandom’s unofficial mascot Cure Peace! Cure Peace’s voice actress would later go on to voice Sailor Mercury in Sailor Moon Crystal!

Ultraman Saga debuts in theaters featuring some members of AKB48 and a new fusion Ultra: Saga. A fusion of Zero, Cosmos and Dyna.

The first Super Hero Taisen film is released, in celebration of 10 years of Super Hero Time.

Takeru Satoh, aka Ryotaro Nogami from Kamen Rider Den-O steps into an awesome role as Kenshin Himura in the live-action Rurouni Kenshin movie! This is a great film, that it is- gozaru!

Cyborg 009 is revived in the film continuation 009: Re Cyborg. One perk of this film was minor changes to the 00 Cyborgs such as 003 seemingly gaining technopathic abilities and 005 trading in his stereotypical tribal marks and mohawk for a full head of hair and his markings being red “veins” that glow when he turns on his super strength. Both of these aspects would carry over to yet another incarnation.

During the time of Wizard, Japan was in pretty bad shape. It had been hit by a nasty earthquake and tsunami and Fukushima was now the location of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl and became a ghost town. 

So after the tragedy, when it came time to choose the theme of the next series, Tsuyoshi Kida decided on one: Hope and overcoming despair. And given how the previous Rider was a mechanical marvel of science, the staff decided to go full opposite and have a Rider who was pure fantasy based by having a wizard as the hero. 

Kamen Rider Wizard saw a few changes, the transition from the use of Panasonic Varicams to Arri Alexa HD cameras for the cinematography, more CGI use including a few of Wizard’s forms that were fully CG. This series is also the last fall series to be premiered in September, as the staff decided to push for an October scheduling to extend the show and plug more merchandise. (In this case, the Legend Rider Wizard Rings) It also continued a trend from OOO that fans either love or hate: a “singing” Rider belt that plays a catchy tune with each form change.

But the biggest one that resonated with fans was a positive and progressive milestone, for the first time in the franchise’s history, an openly gay actor would be working on the series. Kaba-chan is also now retroactively the first transgender actor in Kamen Rider, as she transitioned from being a man to a woman after the series ended. Its certainly more progressive than western superhero movies were on that front until recently. (Ex.”Have you ever tried..not being a Mutant?”) .

Naturally, the LGBTQ community of the fandom were happy about the hiring as were activists who knew of Kamen Rider and this bit of news was featured in various articles on the web and drew praise on some forums. *Kuuga thumbs up*

We also see a more western inspired series in terms of mythology. Wizard’s dragon is European style in motif rather than Asian, the monsters are named after beings from myths and stories and have traits of those creatures in some cases. The myth of the Philosopher’s Stone is also referenced, which has an FMA bent to how it is made.

This also marked the first televised debut of a (sorta) original Female Heisei Kamen Rider...that actually lives! Granted, she does get taken out of play sometimes, but at least she survived! Though future installments of the franchise unfortunately would not be as kind (*fingers crossed for Poppy to live*).

We see how skillfully detailed some of the costumes Blend Master and PLEX would make, as the designs of the Wizard suits are fantastic. Wizard himself is very photogenic for a Kamen Rider, with a gemstone/wizard motif mixing primary colors with black and silver and a flashy leather duster coat. The gem on his face combined with the silver trim make out the “face” of the Rider and the wrists and ankles break up the black on the arms with gemstone wrist cuffs and anklets.

Sejii Takaiwa really gets a workout this season, as the Wizard costume is light enough for him to do flips, twirls and acrobatics and pull off some impressive moves and he even dual wields swords and does double gun kata this season. (He even shoots the guns Gangsta style again like he did in Den-O)

Having a magic motif, Wizard gained powers that no other Kamen Rider had ever used before as spells. Also, there are donuts, lots and lots of donuts. This is very important to know.

This series is brought to you by the magic of Plain Sugar.

There seems to be some love outside Japan for Kamen Rider Wizard in media, as a member of the Marvel Comics art team drew one of Wizard’s magic circles in a comic!

But now let’s show the Ringed Mage of Hope. Its Showtime Da!

WIZARD! PLEASE!

RIDER RIDER RIDER!

(Mr. Soma, ringed mage extraordinaire circa 2012)

Real Name: Haruto Soma

Haruto was traumatized as a young boy when his parents got in a car accident and he was the sole survivor. Before his parents died in the hospital, he was told by his mom and dad to never give up hope and be strong. 

He tired his best to live up to that and got a shot at being a pro-soccer player, but left the profession when his friend Kazuya got hurt because of him and because what happened next the following day.

Later the next day on March of 2012, he was an unwilling participant in a mystic sacrificial ritual called the Sabbath during a solar eclipse. In a moment reminiscent of Go Nagai’s Devilman, Haruto feels a demonic force emerging and nearly destroys him but his hope and determination to live drive the creature, known as a Phantom, back into his body. Most of the people around him though were not so lucky as they died immediately from their despair overwhelming them and spawned Phantoms of their own. 

This re-ignited Haruto’s survivor’s guilt and out of nowhere comes a white wizard who congratulates him on surviving after saving him from a Phantom, carrying a girl named Koyomi.  The white wizard offers him a contra-er, I mean belt and the power to save people from the Phantoms and asks to care for the girl in his stead.

Six months later, the Tokyo Police are investigating a crime and happen upon monsters in a warehouse. One of the officers, Rinko Daimon is saved by Haruto who transforms and drives them off. (Daimon...DIAMOND! I just got that. Oh, the terrible puns.)  The Phantoms were targeting Rinko as she is a Gate, a human with latent magic potential that can create another Phantom if they fall into despair. Haruto defends her again from the Phantoms and destroys Rinko’s Phantom by going into her Underworld to keep it from getting out. But as a side effect, she cannot utilize magic and is now an ordinary human.

Later, Haruto saves another Gate called Shunpei who is overeager to become Haruto’s apprentice as he has wanted to learn magic ever since he was a child. He ends up joining the group and Rinko takes an interest in Haruto’s activities using her connections with the police and communications with Section Zero of Japan’s National Security Agency.

Haruto goes around helping Gates find their hope again and in one holiday episode we learn how Santa Claus operates in the Kamen Rider Universe. (It is implied by the fact he can enter Underworlds that Santa is a wizard!)

Haruto faces some hardships as he further battles the Phantoms, but presses onward as the Final Hope of Magic and humanity, Kamen Rider Wizard!

Powers:

Agility, skill in kicking style combat and acrobatics (The kicking fighting style due to strong leg muscles from his soccer training).

Quite a lot of them actually via spells cast from the Wizard Rings:

Super Strength (Varies: Capable of becoming a buff Hulk-sized Wizard with the Excite Ring to holding a HUGE MEGAZORD SIZED AXE in Infinity form).

Skilled Marksmanship and Swordsmanship including dual wielding. Gun armed with silver bullets that can bend their trajectory to hit the target. Given the bullets are silver, yes, he can potentially kill werewolves as a bonus. Weapon can gain elemental augmentation to enhance attacks.

Strom creation: capable of creating gusts, hurricanes, thunder storms and blizzards. Capable of using wind energy to hover or propel himself in the air. Can generate massive bolts of lightning to shock his targets extra crispy. Freezing ability.

Creating localized seismic events and mystical terrakinesis (able to hurl boulders at targets, create sand or stone traps to hold enemies in), gravity distortions. Subterranean drilling.

Disguise generation or wardrobe changing.

Shield generation, varies in strength depending on what elemental form Wizard is in and how much mana he has left.

Size manipulation: Able to shrink in size to about half an inch or smaller. (A first in Kamen Rider, as J just shrunk back to normal size.) Capable of enlarging his arms to knock back waves of enemies or make his blade Zanbato sized.

Knockout spell

Light generation to blind foes or use as a way to navigate dark areas.

Create chains to bind enemies or use as a safety net.

Temporary cloning of both himself and his gear.

Elastic limbs

Creates holes for enemies to fall into/alter the environment (Ex. have water from a tank pour onto a monster) or for a quick getaway.

Noxious stink fumes.

Enter mirrors like Ryuki does

Time travel, maximum effect seen is 5 years into the past. Exact limit unknown. 

Teleportation

Summoning familiars to aid him.

Astral projection of his Rider form to defend his own Underworld

Portal creation, mostly utilized to grab things Haruto has left behind (like his donuts) or for handy storage of his gear in a pocket dimension to call upon when needed.

Rider Finisher spells

Flame and Water Generation

Water gel form like Black RX Biorider form.

Wings, Claws, Tail and fire breathing dragon head via merging with WizarDragon.

Can create Christmas joy by restoring gifts (temporary power given by Santa)

Summon other Kamen Riders to his location immediately in an emergency.

Weaknesses:

Despite the awesome power he wields, Haruto’s spells are governed by mana. Based on early episodes, the mana of this series operates under a kind of Equivalent Exchange methodology. Use a spell, it drains the body’s energy to create the mana to cast it. The stronger the spell or the more spells are used, the more energy the caster burns unless they “level up” thier magic by training their bodies and gaining more power from the Phantom inside them or external mystical devices enhancing the magic. 

As such, Haruto needs to eat high calorie foods or high sugar foods such as donuts to keep his metabolic rate stable enough to avoid going into shock or simply passing out. Resting does help too, so Haruto is a heavy sleeper when his mana runs dry. Mana can also be siphoned away from Haruto if a spell is used or some apparatus capable of such is present. If his mana gets low, his spells are not as effective and weaken and eventually the Wizard Driver will stop working

If Haruto’s spirit is broken and he falls into despair, he risks his Phantom getting out and that would result in him dying and the WizarDragon wearing his flesh as a suit to blend in until his next meal. (Though that danger is no longer 100% present as the two have made a mutual agreement and respect one another after the birth of Infinity form).

If his Underworld is entered by a Phantom or other mystical being, his powers could be destroyed if Dragon dies. This would render him Muggle and thus able to be killed as he would have no magic to defend himself.

The Wizard Driver can be jammed by sticky substances or prevented from being used by binding Wizard’s hands away from the Hand Author buckle of the belt.

The Wizard Rings are sometimes fickle, as some of them have spells that can be only cast when the target of the spell is wearing them (ex. Sleep Ring). The Rings are also somewhat fragile, as a Rider Punch can break them if Wizard isn’t careful. This puts a disadvantage to Wizard as he can only use grappling, spells and palm strikes in close combat and must compensate by using his weapons and legs. (Though the Dragon forms make up for that as Land Dragon and Infinity Dragon use claw attacks.)

Haruto was shown in the Wizard finale special as unable to defend himself against the super speed of the Worms, meaning speedier enemies or Riders such as Kabuto can possibly outmatch him.

Last is a more psychological one, Haruto has an acute case of survivor’s guilt that does affect him, but in a mostly positive constructive way. However, he does have weaker moments where his failure to help someone can weigh heavily on him (Ex. Koyomi), even distancing himself from his old life before becoming a Kamen Rider.

Gear:

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/WizarDriver

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Wizard_Rings

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Wizard_Ring_Holder

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/PlaMonsters

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/WizarSwordGun

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Machinewinger

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Wizard_Ring_Box

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Drago_Timer

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Magic_Stones - Not really part of the gear, but an essential for crafting new Rings to cast new spells.

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/WizarDragon

Signature Finishers:

Kick Strike: Wizard’s Rider Kick, comes in various elemental forms but mostly the same as wizard does some flashy acrobatics or jumps to execute the kick after charging power from the magic circle under his feet. A variation called the Strike End utilizes WizarDragon transforming into a giant flaming clawed boot and Wizard kicking it to smash his foes with the force of a meteor.

Slash Strike: Standard Rider Slash. Variants involve using elemental power, enlarging the blade with the Big Ring or cloning the WizarSwordGun for a double slash. The Dragon forms enhance the power of these attacks.

Shooting Strike: Standard Rider Shooting attack. Can be augmented with elemental power and can be used in a double shooting attack if Wizard could pull off scanning both WizarSwordGuns. The Dragon forms enhance the power of these attacks.

Dragon Breath: Flame Dragon’s finisher, a Rider Shooting attack. Wizard Flame Dragon scans the Special Ring and WizarDragon’s head on his chest comes alive and the Rider flies up and rains a massive burst of flaming dragon breath upon his foes.

Dragon Sonic: My personal favorite of the Dragon finishers. Wizard uses his wings and super speed as Hurricane Dragon to creates a powerful gust of hurricane wind around the enemy, lifting them into the air, he then scans the Thunder Ring and repeatedly zaps lightning bolts at the target then fries the Phantom with one huge skyscraper sized lightning bolt.

Dragon Smash: Wizard Water Dragon freezes his target with the Blizzard Ring, then skates to it with an ice magic charged Dragon Tail and uses the tail as a sword to slice the enemy in half.

Dragon Ripper: Using gravity manipulation via the Gravity Ring, Wizard Land Dragon pins down his foe and then slashes them with the Dragon claws.

Dragon Claw: Double Rider Slash with the Dragon Claws.

Strike Dragon: Wizard combines the elemental powers of his Dragon Forms into one shot as the magic of fire, water, earth and wind hit the target and then Wizard flies at super speed and kicks the enemy so hard they go FLYING INTO THE SUN. The downside is using it and All Dragon form depletes Haruto’s power really fast so the attack must connect or else he will be defenseless.

Dragon Shining: Wizard Infinity Form charges a massive amount of mana into the AxCalibur, which makes the axe grow to gigantic size. Wizard then goes into a leaping swing to cleave the target.

Shining Plasma Strike: Wizard Infinity Form hits the Hand Author repeatedly and then throws the AxCalibur and uses his magic to manipulate its movement to repeatedly strike the target. Its movements in this attack are almost similar to Den-O’s Extreme Slash.

Infinity End: Wizard’s ultimate Rider Kick. Using the power of Infinity Dragon form’s wings to propel the kick, the skull of WizarDragon appears on Wizard’s right foot and “bites” the target before it hits. There is also a spinning kick variation and an enhanced version when he goes to Infinity Gold Dragon form.

Finale DA!

Enemies:

Sou Fueki

http://kamenrider.wikia.com/wiki/Sou_Fueki

Aka The White Wizard aka Wiseman aka Kamen Rider Wiseman 

A former physics professor who was desperate to save his little girl after she got sick, but his daughter died and he refused to accept it. He then turned away from his scientific profession and became obsessed with the occult and experimenting with it. He seems like a benevolent benefactor to Haruto as the anonymous white wizard, but he has much more sinister motives in mind for Japan and their magic users. He also pulls the strings of the Phantoms posing as their leader, all the while he does not care about them and simply wishes to restart his own plans.

As seen in his re-apperance in a Kamen Rider Ghost spin-off, he is a father who loved his kid a little too much and refuses to let her go and move on, as he proclaimed the whole world could be sacrificed of human life just so he can have her alive again. Ghost, being a hero who values life, was disgusted by Fueki and gave him a proper beatdown with the help of Wizard’s power in the form of an Eyecon.

Phantoms:

Phantoms are demonic beings that reside inside humans called Gates, individuals who possess the potential to use magic. The Phantoms goal is to try to create more of their race by repeating the process that created them; putting a Gate at thier absolute lowest by taking away thier hope and leaving them in soul-crushing despair and depression. 

This will cause the unborn Phantom to emerge from the Gate’s Underworld and kill them, with the Phantom then replacing their host’s control over their bodies, wearing them as flesh suits to hide among people until they need to change into monster form. However, if a Gate overcomes their despair and gains hope, the Phantom will be sealed back in and the Gate will have the power to use magic as a mage or wizard. Otherwise destroying it and the Gate’s magic potential is the only way to keep it from coming out. Some like Wizard’s WizarDragon are more benign after they are sealed again, though in Haruto’s case it was because he proved to his Phantom that Hope is more powerful than Despair.

While Phantoms have a clear goal, some have personality quirks that make them either uninterested in the mission or do things in a manner that go against what they were assigned to do. (Including the really dangerous ones like Legion)

Aside from Wiseman, there are three generals:

Medusa

Phoenix

Gremlin

To ensure they stay on task, the Phantoms are given Ghoul grunts to dispose of interference or aid in the endeavor. (Fear and intimidation also help as motivators for them to work) 

Phantoms are mostly extinct thanks to Wizard, but he remains vigilant as Gates are still out there. In times like these where it seems Hope is in short supply, he must prepare for any Phantom that comes. (or an evil Pac-Man)

Bwoop! Cathedral tower defense ideas! Havent really made much damn progress on this game since I havent got a design for the protagonist yet, but at least now I have designs for two of the party members. (Thanks @summon-daze!) So for now lets just have some rambling ideas for potential sidequests you could have with these two!

BRIEF SUMMARY TIME Amity: Protagonist. A gruff and badass wandering priestess whose homeland was destroyed in the war. Now she’s joined another church in a foreign land and is dertermined to defend it against the demons, and never let that tragedy happen again! But she has to win the trust of these strangers first, and teach them how to survive... Florin: First and only party member you begin with at the start, deuterogonist, cute sidekick of sass and pep. He’s a plant type demon who’s haunting Amity for reasons unknown, and refuses to leave! Now she’s stuck trying to get rid of him, while he insists on being annoyingly helpful yet comically lazy at the same time. Also, as an incidental fact, he suffers from narcolepsy. Malachi: Optional party member, and the only other demon in the cast. An adorable little choir boy who doesn’t seem entirely aware that he’s become a demon. It’d be cruel to judge him the same as the others, we need to keep him safe! He’s quiet and cuddly and comically oblivious. What do you mean humans don’t enjoy eating rocks??

THUS, SIDEQUEST IDEAS

* Multiple different attempts to get rid of Florin, which all inevitably fail and end up causing him and Amity to become closer buddies. TFW you try to exorcise a guy and end up frolicking through the fields of friendship~! * Similarly, it could be fun to have some silly plans to trick him into being less lazy. Predictably the answer is just gonna be ‘when you’re nicer to him, he actually wants to put in the effort’, but that doesnt mean we cant have some fun shenanigans in the process! * Amity sneaking around trying to spy on Florin and find him doing something evil. He’s GOT to be here to pull off some ultimate plot, right?? Lol, 90% of their friendship is just Amity being suspicious as heck and Florin rudely persisting in being harmless. * A plot where somehow they actually do get separated, and Amity begins to realise how helpful her lil demon sidekick has actually become, and how much she genuinely appreciates him as a friend. Could possibly be that instead of being gone, Florin is ill with some sort of demon sickness and you need to go on a grand quest to save him? or maybe he’s been kidnapped by a villain who wants to use his powers for nefarious purposes, and accuses you of doing the same thing because why on earth else would you pretend to care about this monster? (And then when you rescue him you can have the grumpy excuse that of course you only did it because he’d be dangerous as anyone else’s sidekick. No affection was involved at all!!) * Mysterious flowers are appearing around the cathedral, and Amity starts to suspect that Florin is setting up some sort of evil demon plan. But she actually discovers that this is a sign of how much he’s genuinely begun caring about the other npcs, he’s been paying attention to their troubles and secretly giving them the flowers he thinks they’d most like, without wanting to take any credit for it. So you get a sassy friendship scene of Amity blackmailing him by threatening to reveal he’s been being nice! Thus florin gains the bonus skill of opening a little flower store. (And blushing himself to death every time anyone says thank you) * A conflict between Amity and Florin, where she accuses him of just being lazy as always, but this time he really was trying! He started off not caring about anyone, and only working when it benefitted him, but now he’s working his butt off and has become really self-concious about the fact he’s not really able to keep up with the rest of the party. And so he ends up talking about his narcolepsy problem with her, and if they have enough friendship points she starts being more considerate and trying to help him out with it. And maybe unlocks a longer quest chain of improving the home base’s medical facilities? * Florin hibernates in winter, everyone has to cope without him and realises how much they miss him. Like a repeat of the earlier quest where he’s kidnapped, but this is a new perspective on how Amity feels about it now they’ve been close friends for a while. And also how everyone else around the church feels. Maybe a plot of them all deciding to write down letters for him to read when he wakes up? And maybe tensions getting high when some sort of disaster happens, and Amity is like ‘oh god i dont want to have to tell Florin that this place fell apart without him’. (With it being up to player choice whether you include the bad points in the letter, or try and hide it from him.) * A potential bad ending for Florin, and how things continue afterwards. I think he’d be one of the characters who (initially at least) doesnt die when defeated in battle. If he’s taken out, he’s just near-mortally wounded and recovers after a very tense period where he’s in a coma. And then the plot explores everyone’s feelings at almost losing him, and his own feelings of uselessness now he’s too injured to go back to the fight. And because malachi can become like an adoptive brother to florin, they can still have a happy ending together even if florin has been removed from the party like this. He retires to take care of his lil bro full time, and he doesnt worry about feeling useless when he knows he’s got someone who thinks the world of him. And Malachi can inherit some of his skills and equipment since now Florin can devote all his time to tutoring him into taking up his former place in the army. * Oh, and of course Malachi’s recruitment sidequest! You’d first encounter him as a feral rock beast in a dungeon somewhere, and there’s a conflict between Amity and Florin because she believes this thing needs to be destroyed and he insists that they can redeem it. He can sense it’s a demon, and its got to be corrupted if it’s going wild like this! But Amity believes that demons are inherantly evil, so this one’s behaviour isnt unusual like florin thinks. She’s aknowledged that florin isn’t evil, but she still feels he’s an exception amoung demons! But eventually she’s convinced to take a chance on florin’s convictions, because its rare for him to be so un-lazy about something, and to defend something even at the risk of his own life. So they manage to find a way to purify the monster, and find out that it was a very young child, underneath all that scary rock armour. So if they’d slain it without a second thought, they would have committed an unforgiveable sin... * Malachi’s next sidequest would be convincing him to leave the ruins and come home with them, while exploring the dungeon to try and find out what exactly happened to turn such a sweet kid into a demon. (Not to mention the fact he was absolutely crazed with corruption!) I don’t wanna spoil the ending to this, but I have a lot of Sad Ideas for this charrie, hee hee~ * A potential plotline that once Malachi joins the church base, he could have trouble making friends with the normal human children. I Had an idea of a bully character who’d get redeemed and ultimately become accepted as his friend after a big ol sad apology scene, and then they become this misfit buddies duo. And the ostracization from the other kids doesnt hurt as much when he’s got this tough former-bully lady defending him against her former-comrades. * And he also grows closer to Florin as theyre the only two demons, and florin was the one who saved him. Plus they both enjoy sitting buried in the flowerbed and eating dirt! I think the relationship wouldnt start off this close though, Mal would initially be scared of Florin. Since he doesnt know that he himself is a demon, he just thinks florin is the only demon and he has much the same fears as Amity once had when the story began. But it could be more comical, because its inherantly silly when you have this kid with giant horns yelling ‘ITS A DEMON’ and hiding behind the couch XD And eventually he does grow to love florin like a parent, but he’s still comically oblivious. He just decides that florin ISNT a demon, of course! He’s just... a little more green than other people!! * Possibly a plot of everyone holding a funeral for malachi to cheer him up, since he never had one when he died as a human. But since malachi doesnt comprehend the whole concept, he’s just like ‘when normal people get put in the ground they sleep forever, why did i wake up? is it because i never got tucked in like they did?’ And then it could be funny like bender’s fake funeral in futurama, but also a bit bittersweet and sad and heartwarming. * Sudden panic! Malachi accidentally calls florin ‘dad’, and florin FREAKS THE FRICKLE FRACK OUT! ‘I’m not a good influence, amity! aaaaa!!!’ Worries too much about not being good enough, maybe comically tries to change his personality into a generic sitcom father and malachi is like ‘wtf’ * Possibly a plot about malachi and florin bonding as demons, and figuring out what being demons even necessarily means. I’m thinking florin might be a bit scared by seeing how malachi can sometimes hulk out and run on pure instinct. Its such a huge contrast that this sweet kind child can have such bloodthirstiness inside him, he doesnt understand how malachi seems to enjoy fighting. And he doesnt understand how malachi can think he can control it! He gets a bit scared that this means the fighting side of him is the real side, and the childlike side is just a front, just a lie like everyone says demons manipulate everyone. And does this mean that florin himself is the same? Is he just deluding himself that he can be good? So the resolution is florin being able to accept that both parts of malachi are still malachi, and its completely possible to have both sides without being evil. It is indeed in the nature of demons to fight, but they dont enjoy destruction or evil, its not like holding back some horrible monster who’ll murder everyone you love. And florin has always been holding back this side, he’s been afraid of using his powers too much, worrying he only exists to kill. Malachi helps him accept that his powers have equal potential to heal and to harm, and that it IS possible to control them, that the choice between good and evil is indeed his own choice. At the same time this helps malachi accept that he is indeed a demon, and cope with remembering his horrifying backstory. Knowing that he isnt alone, and that demons dont have to be evil, he’ll be able to be okay, and he has this other demon friend who can help him though it. And they’re able to work out the whole Fearsome Demonic Instincts by doing some playfight sparring together like total dorks XD If you’re worried about your sense of control, then never using your powers wont help! Gotta actually practise! * Possibly florin officially adopting malachi as his son, and its possible for the player to expand out and make more bases once you’ve fully upgraded the cathedral. And maybe florin could become the boss of this new place, and turn it into like an orphange for malachi and others? it could be a big sign of his character development that he’s come this far! Also it could just be hilarious to imagine how baffled travellers would be. “Aaaa there’s a demon and he’s... looking after small children??” “We must rescue the small children from that horrible demon and take them to the orphanage!” *knocks on the door and its florin again*

Write Weds - Cordate Pt 1

Cordate Of Royal We

A Novel of Everyday Combat

By Juliet Riddle

[Ch. 01]

The smell of wet concrete was everywhere. Something about it brought up memories of a hot spring. Of a beach. Of Vizy and Ani. They were more than images. Feelings, smells and sounds were coupled with the memories triggered by the scent. It was oppressing. It was depressing. But I was remembering. That was a feat in itself. A simple thing that brought a weak smile to my lips. My eyes opened and I recalled instantly what struck me down. The streaking shine of the crowbar before impacting my head made me twitch.

Half of my face was covered in a crusted coagulated crimson, making a sick sucking sound as I lifted off the street floor. The instant throbbing in my skull made me want to lay back down. I fought it and looked to my objective. There was a note on the door.

Before standing I waited to regain some of my senses while wiping my face off with my handkerchief. The dawn was perfect, the sun was still low enough that there wasn't too much light to sear the back of my eyes, and not too early where I couldn't see. The lone lamp in the lot fought against the dawn to provide more light, but it was loosing. Similar to my small weak attempts to make a difference for my team against all of the best players. There was something more I had to be able to do.

The elite call it the Game. The insane call it War. The regulars call it Sand. It was an idea shared by wealthy and powerful people. In secret they collaborated, and piece by piece took over a metropolis as the foundation of the entertainment they were seeking. Implementing a structure that resembled several video games was the next step. The Investors placed the Scorekeepers in and rounded up the first teams a few years ago. Since it's first match, Sand has grown to have over 100 players each in teams of seven. Half were integrated into the justice system, as vigilantes. The other half of us are burglars.

Lawless, uncoordinated criminals. The evidence was on the door I was trying to break into a few hours earlier. On the note was scrawled: “Thx for the ez win again! -9” That's right. 9 was the one who attacked me. The Nippon had more skill than me, enough that she didn't bother drawing her wooden sword. Instead, she disarmed me and knocked me out with my own weapon.

A bitter taste filled my pallet. Which I responded to by ripping the paper from the door. That instant the damn thing fell from it's hinges making me flinch as it crashed inward. I crumpled up the note and threw it at the entryway for good measure.

It was time to get back home. I checked the pocket my phone should have been it. It was missing, meaning I couldn't immediately contact my team or look at the outcome of the match. I couldn't remember anything about the match. I rationalized that it must have been a three objective pickup. The unfortunate thing about my team, Royal We, was our handicap. There was four of us left. I had obviously gone solo to one of the objectives. What else could have happened was beyond me.

My Tag is Cordate. My dead ex, Visitor, gave it to me, because it means heart shaped, and as he said, it fits me because of my ass. That was him in a nutshell, a pig and an asshole. But he was damn good at what he did in this lifestyle before he was Banned. His Ban was one link in the chain of events that crippled Royal We down from a full top tier team to the four of us that were left.

When I had first joined several months prior I was still learning how to defend myself. How to be useful on the field. My ability didn't come quick enough and I suffered a concussion that put me in the hospital for a week. Something in Vizy and our best strategist, Anemone, broke. They retaliated, and Ani went too far, breaking the only real rule Sand has. My attacker died by her hands. Ani's Ban, sent Vizy over the edge, he pulled strings, called in favors and convinced several burglar teams to raid a facility. The Scorekeeper building showed a few dozen players secrets that no one was prepared for.

The raid barely made it into the first floor before teams turned on Royal We for misleading them. Moments later, the Scorekeepers agents, known as Peers, retrained the players. And Banned the leader.

With Vizy and Ani out, that left us with five. It wasn't long after I left the hospital that our tech guy, Crunch, was sent in from a coma. With a third of the players holding a grudge against us it was no surprise.

Since then, we've been hanging on. I'm not sure how, but similar to the luck of me finding my discarded crowbar in an alley a few blocks away, Royal We still had some strange luck left. Unfortunately the steel was bent.

The rest of the walk home included me trying to bend my crowbar back and a few stops as my head spun. I had no doubt that 9's attack damaged me again, I just hoped it wasn't as bad as the first concussion.

The sun had fully risen by the time I meandered back to Royal We's headquarters. When burglar teams are formed their first mission is to claim somewhere to live. I've been told there are different teirs the team can choose from that give you different living spaces. Before I joined, Visitor, Ani, and our hulk of a Russian, Elbo, shot for the gold. Their work put Royal We on the map from day one. The manor was a sight for sore eyes. In it I knew there were painkillers and soft things to lay my head on. My disappointed team would be inside as well.

Thankfully as I opened the one double door Elbo was the only one around to greet me.

“Quarda! I thought you had gone to hospital again! Good to see you back!” Elbo is 250 pounds of pure muscle accented with milky blue eyes and a dishwater buzz-cut. He's a head taller than me, and the friendliest team member left.

Some slur of a grin and grimace crossed my face as I pointed to the side of my head. My fading purple hair was cow-licked by the dried bronze that spilled on the asphalt.

I must have looked as bad as I felt because Russian words spat out of his mouth before asking, “Do you need doctor?”

Before I could tell Elbo 'no' Regency paused in a door frame to the foyer. Before words came out of his mouth my headache doubled. His British snobbishness is a force all it's own, “Tourn was ready to pull the plug if we found you in the ER, Cord.” Regency's hazel-green eyes meet the top of my head. His birdlike features are perfectly accompanied with a medium feathered hairstyle. He's a regal stubborn person who among our team has his eyes on the points closer than any of the rest of us.

I waved off Regency's words, “Where's th' fall'n doc?” My words were a mush of croaking syllables.

Elbo began to suggest a location before Tourniquet entered the foyer. Just the thought or smell of me had him ranting already, “-like this just can't happen anymore! How can we progress if this shit keeps happening? I swear to God-oh. Amazing, Cord. Look at your fucking head!” He tossed a hand out to reinforce his agitation. Tourniquet is Elbo's height; lean with enough tone to make a difference in fights. His verdant eyes glared as he ran a hand through his mess of straw colored hair, “So, who beat the damn points out of you? All of our hard fucking work down the drain-”

While Tourn blew his whistle I showed my bent crowbar to Elbo. Without a word, he took it and bent it back to almost straight. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I smiled looking it over. The steel felt personalized to me, the small crook gave it a different feel. Then Tourn's words reached my scrambled brains, “Wai'. We won the roun'?” The words out of my mouth felt so heavy I almost couldn’t pronounce them.

“Fuck yes we did. And by the skin of our fucking teeth,” Tourniquet was so eloquent.

Elbo crossed his arms and nodded, “Quarda asked Elbo to give his all. So. Is just what I did.”

Regency just scoffed and wandered off to do something with crumpets or whatever it is British people do in the morning.

“Good,” I paused, “Wuh.. Any Oxy? Beyon' throbbin' I.. Uh..” I'd been lucid on my way home, but with all the dizzy spells I felt like I was fighting to keep away from the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Yeah, yes... Come to the damned study,” Tourn grumbled as he paced off.

“Is good you are back, Quarda. Viz would be happy. So I am also.”

“Thax big'uy,” I smiled.

I watched Elbo strut off toward the den that was converted into our fitness center.

The manor is a beautiful place. All earth tiles covered with red carpets. Sepia adornments frame the parchment colored walls and banisters. Upkeep of this place costs a lot, but even at the bottom of the ranks, Royal We was thriving. Sand is generous to it's players at the bottom line.

The Study had been converted into an amalgamation of a resting therapy room and an operating room. Generally it's where Tourn and Regency play cards or have heated debates. Other times it's where Elbo and I get patched up.

“Fuck's sake, it took you long enough,” Tourn replied to the Study door's low cry.

My tongue wouldn't lift to even grunt. So I slumped onto the plush leather sofa. Ensured I was comfortable while Tourn could still look at the lump on my head, I closed my eyes.

“I wish you would use the bed we had installed. You're the reason that beautiful couch is stained.”

I wished there was an off switch to his mouth. But he shoved a cup and a pill into my hands, so I should have been a little grateful.

“Even Elbo uses the damn bed. If a neanderthal can respect Italian leather I can't imagine why you can't.”

His ranting moved away and circled back as I took the pill. I couldn't remember the last time water had been so wonderful. My stomach reacted by informing me I was famished, something I didn't notice over my splitting headache. It would have to wait. Fatigue had made sleep top the to do list.

I drifted off, vaguely remembering Tourn cleaning my skull, mumbling remarks about brain damage and 9 while shining a goddamn flashlight in my eyes.

Careful

TITLE OF STORY: Careful what you wish for CHAPTER NUMBER: Three AUTHOR: tegwin WHICH TOM/CHARACTER: Loki GENRE: drama, fluff FIC SUMMARY: Loki realizes his dreams and becomes king of Asgard. But after getting on the throne things take a very different turn then he expected. RATING: None WARNINGS/TRIGGERS/AUTHORS NOTES: Story is still in progress, so it might take some time for the next chapter to be uploades. FEEDBACK/COMMENTS: Yes, feel free to comment.

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He let out a gasp of relief, when he, feeling the soft thick fabric of the towel brushing against his hips, stretched. Okay, so it was five in the morning, which was horrible early, but hey, he was king now, so hie was going to make the best out of it. And of course the first order he would give that freaking protocol was that he´d never ever be woken up again this ghastly early, not if there was no case of emergency. A lot of work! Pah! No way there was so much work to be done! Standing in front of the blurred mirror he wiped his wet hair out of his face.. He didn´t care how Odin had arranged things during his reign. If his father didn´t know how to do things effective or had felt the surge to go wandering round everywhere in the nine realms, to show off and to represent, or at least pretending to represent Asgard as Loki taught with a sly grin on his face, well it wasn´t his fault. Now it was his time, he was king now and from now on everything would be better. Or different, at least. Even if it was just because he had something his father couldn´t call his own. And no, unbeatable charm and a brilliant smile wasn´t the answer to that last conclusion. It was brain, guts intelligence or what ever you would wanted to call it, that he, Loki had, whilst his beloved brother and his father had not. He smiled one last time at himself and went back to his room. Humming playfully to himself and feeling at ease with whatever world of the nine realms he went straight to his drawer, opened the door and gasped. Then he froze in mid movement.

“What the heck”, he spluttered. His head jerking from left to right, from right to left. Then he took a step into the drawer and starred even in the tiniest, darkest corner of it, but even there there was nothing. Nothing, except darkness. With shaking hands he knocked against the back wall of the drawer, desperately hoping to find an opening, that hadn´t been there a couple of days ago or to find, that the back wall would give way or that...Well that something would be happening, that would explain the situation!

“Your highness?”

“What is this?” he burst out and turned round to face the servant that had just shown up behind his back. The towel round his hips slipped and just a quick movement of him held it back from dropping completely.

“I´m sorry your highness, but what do you mean?”, the servant inquired, avoiding to look directly at Loki, gripping hard on this towel.

“What is this!”, this time Loki didn´t made it a question, but a growl, while fighting with the towel. With the hand that wasn´t occupied by holding the piece of cloth over his most precious belongings, he gestured in the direction of his empty drawer. The servant, following this gesture only shook his head in sign of not understanding.

“My stuff! My clothes! They´re all gone!”, Loki blurted out. “Where”, he swallowed, “What am I supposed to wear now?”, he hissed.

“But your clothing is all here, on the bed, your highness”, the servant explained and took a step to make way for Loki to take a look at an neatly folded bundle, that was indeed lying on top of his bed.

“My clothes are on the bed?”, he echoed, frowning.

“Yes, your highness. The Queen gave us specific orders yesterday and we fulfilled them these very minutes, while your highness was in the bathroom”, the servant explained.

“Did you?”, Loki said in disbelief and wandered over to his bed. There he gave a sharp push to the bundle while saying: “The Queen gave you order, really, did she.”

He frowned as the bundle unfolded and he saw what was lying before him. A simple black shirt with a braid in dark green as the only decoration and a simple trouser, made of a soft dark green fabric, not leather as he was used to. All in all the clothing was unadorned.

“No cuirass!”, he whispered. “What did you do to my cuirass?”, he shouted at the servant.

“I´m sorry, but this is, what the queen gave us”, the servant defended himself, shaking. “All we did was compelling to her orders.”

“And who is king of this realm?”, Loki hissed.

“You, your highness.”

“Right”, Loki hissed. “And as such I´m asking to be treated like one! That includes that I have the right to choose my own clothing! And I want you to bring me back my old things! Now!” He clenched his fist under the nose of the shaking servant that turned pale. “Do you understand?”

“Now, I don´t think any of this will be necessary.” The cool female voice echoed from the walls and soon gave the impression to the listener, that whoever had uttered this simple phrase was used to others to doing her bidding.

“Your majesty”, the servant whispered, collapsing with relief into a low bow.

“Mother”, Loki snorted at the sight of her.

“My son.” The smile on her face was serene, but at the same time adamant. It was the kind of smile that Loki knew since the very beginning of his life.

“I came to look after you and to wish a very good morning to you, my beloved son”, Frigga said and breathed a kiss on his cheek that he dutifully held out to her.

“A good morning to you too, mother”, he nearly choked on the words.

“Tell me, how is my king this morning?” , she asked and seized the underwear and held it out to Loki. As he didn´t make any effort to take it from her, she gave it a little push in his direction. He just sighted and took it, while trying to ignore her light smile, knowing that sometimes it was better to pretend not to see some things, than going to fight them.

“I hope you slept well. I heard you´re on your way to meet with the protocol already?” Her long delicate hands smoothed a fold of the long black shirt, before handing it over to him.

“Of course you have heard” Loki said before pulling the shirt over his head. “Is there anything that your not informed of as long as it happens under the roof of this place?”, he grumbled as soon as his head emerged out of the shirt.

Frigga, still a gentle smile on her face, stroke over the folds of his upper arms, tracing the outlines of his muscles. “I´m sure you´ll find it rather interesting”, she said, ignoring his latest comment.

“What mother?”

“Oh, you´ll see.”

Loki suppressed another snort and only asked: “What will I be finding interesting, mother?”

“My sweet macigal firebeetle” Frigga darted forward to pinch his cheeks, but Loki darted out of her way. “Mother!”

“My king, of course”, she corrected herself. “Just come down and wait for it. I´m sure, you´ll find it really interesting and that you´ll see your reign and your kingdom with other eyes, after you´ve met with the protocol.”

Frowning Loki looked after his mother as she walked out of his room. Something in the way she had said the last thing made him skeptic. It sounded odd, like a warning, he just couldn´t understand. “Interesting, ha?” What did she meant, when she put it that way? Interesting, oh, he knew that word. Especially when it came to women and dating. When someone referred to a woman as interesting it meant nothing else then that she was ... not his league. This thing he learned as soon his Hulk like brother started dating. Every time one of his dates wanted to go on a double date with Thor and some friend or sister of hers, he always got the interesting part of it. If that continued going on like this, then ... But wait, no! It wasn´t going to go on like this, because he was king now! And if he was king, then Thor was the one who was going to entertain the interesting half of a double date from now on!

Loki grinned. His old life was over! He was king!

Outside in the garden, the first bird started to sing.