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silentfcknhill · 4 years

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AtLA + LoK Villains Evilness Rating

(If you wanna dispute my ratings I’ll be happy to tell you why.)

ATLA:

Ty Lee - 0.5 /10

Cinnamon roll. Too pure for this world. Naïve and will put her faith in you 100%. Kind of ditzy but can take you down with no hard feelings. Needs to be liked by everyone. Is very flexible. Can strangle you with her legs and giggle while doing it. Chooses bad friends. Has frustratingly good luck.

Uncle Iroh- 1/10

Actual angel but could still open up a can of whoop-ass if necessary. Too supportive and forgiving. Loves tea, sitting around, speaking in proverbs and leading by example. Probably considers you a friend. Surprisingly powerful but mostly peaceful. Hard to provoke but if you do, just run. Fear the nice ones.

Jet- 3/10

Misguided and extreme but also traumatized. Don't get in his way. Kind of twisted and obsessive af. Ends justify the means, until they don't. Needs a proper role model and has potential. Can be unreasonable and is still kind of a jerk. Will gaslight you.

Prince Zuko- 3.5/10

Conflicted, violent and angsty but mostly needs a lot of reassurance. Has a major boner for his honor. Will freak out over nothing. Has been through a lot and will not be underestimated. Grumpy and willful af and won't listen to you until it's too late, then will blame you for misleading him.

June- 4/10

Might beat you up or kidnap you for money but it's nothing personal. Might insult you as a way of flirting. Looks pretty and delicate but don't be fooled. Can beat you up in a split second and not break a sweat. Will probably take all your stuff and never give it back. Lives for the tough girl aesthetic.

Mai- 5/10

Is just bored and over it all. Throwing knives is something to do. Apathetic and will probably just follow along with whatever including murder but will complain the entire time. Emo af. Would risk it all for a quick nap. Prone to bite your head off. Too smart for you and will let you know.

Wan Shi Tong- 6.5/10

A total dick. Tired of your shit and is judging you. Thinks humans are garbage and won't get involved with them until it suits him. Don't touch his books or he will literally eat you. Nerdiest bastard. Doesn't trust you so don't try any shit with him. Sees through your pathetic lies. Kind of an elitist.

Combustion Man- 7/10

Thinks blowing shit up is a form of art. Doesn't believe in communication. Very serious and focused. Do not fight him. Probably gets crapped on more than he deserves. A mystery wrapped in a bald head. Probably has a tattoo of the names of all the people he's killed and he's ready to add yours.

Hama- 7.5/10

Traumatized old hag. Created bloodbending but too crazy to do much with it now. May kidnap you and keep you in a dank hole forever. Seems sweet at first but is hiding a lot of secrets. Don't eat her cooking. Thinks sitting at home scheming is a job. Hates you for whatever small thing you did to her 57 years ago. Forgets nothing.

Long Feng- 8/10

Conniving af. Will brainwash you, lie to your face and maybe make you disappear. Wants everything and will plot to take it all. Perfectionist and control freak, will stab you in the back and you won't see it coming. Is tired of taking everyone's shit. Thinks he deserves better but he doesn't. Kills children.

Admiral Zhao- 8/10

Explosive temper. Huge egomaniac and narcissist. Hates the moon. Has probably killed a lot of people and fish and you're next. Will do whatever it takes. Won't listen to anything you say. Punch first, ask questions never. Jumps to a lot of conclusions, is usually wrong. Frequently embarrasses self.

Koh the Face-Stealer- 8.5/10

Terrifying and will probably steal your face. Do not approach. Too indifferent to chase you but can be sneaky af so watch your back. Doesn't handle emotions well. A total loner. The guy who knows everything but nobody wants to talk to. Fear him. To know him is to hate him. Makes you question everything.

Firelord Azulon- 9/10

Will order your execution on a whim and maybe a relative or two first for the appetizer. Do not question him. Will play favorites and call you out on things that are his fault. Overreacts and you should probably not be around when it happens. Disapproves of all your choices and is very vocal about this fact. Forces parents to kill their children.

Firelord Sozin- 9/10

Will commit genocide and take over the world while yelling at you for minor shit. Kind of a petty and jealous asshole. Even if you think he is your friend he isn't and is going to attack you. A big old bully with bad breath and a wonky beard. The original starter of all drama and certified instigator shitlord.

Princess Azula- 9/10

Unstable and manipulative. Sadist who thrives off of your fear and suffering. Will hurt you badly in all the ways. Avoid at all costs. Acts cold and calculating but really has no chill. Demands your respect but won't earn it. Trolling you gives her pleasure. The spawn of satan and loving it. Mommy issues to infinity.

Firelord Ozai- 9.5/10

Second worst dad ever. No soul. Will burn every tree and face to a crisp. Child abuse for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Actual sociopath. Will kill someone and banish you for it. Goatee comes first. Will project all his insecurities on you. Will tell everyone your secrets. World's biggest megalomaniac.

LOK:

Varrick- 3/10

Will probably lie, try to con you out of money, order you to do things for him and tell bad jokes but that's as far as it's gonna go. Eccentric and annoying af. Doesn't know when to shut up. Needs to learn some lessons in life. Attracts more trouble than he's worth. Has all the good gossip somehow.

Bataar Jr.- 3/10

The guy that nobody likes because he tries too hard and ends up ruining everything. Enjoys being a bitch. Wants to rebel but is bad at it. Do you love me now father? Tries to act like he doesn't care what you think but cares way too much. Will not kill you but might get engaged to your ex to spite you.

Police Chief Saikhan- 3.5/10

Will do anything you say for a price, except give a fuck. Doesn't really care about anything. Might arrest you just because he doesn't like you. The type to pretend he didn't hear you just to avoid responsibility. Likes to yell into things. Hates helping people. Is actually a giant rock in disguise.

Tahno- 3.5/10

A total prick. Has nicer hair than you and won't let you forget it. Very flamboyant and arrogant. Will gloat over being better than you at everything even though he cheated every time. Talks mad shit but can't walk the walk. Ultimately a big baby. Lowkey protect him. Wants to be the cool kid but isn't cool.

Desna- 4/10

Couldn't care less. Actual inanimate object. Lurks around for no reason. Hates everything and that includes you. Listens to his elders and would probably leave you for dead. Just wants to sleep. Secretly goth. Might actually be two small robots in a trenchcoat pretending to be human.

Councilman Tarrlok- 4.5/10

Attention whore with a savior complex. Smol bean who wants approval. Acts arrogant but is secretly depressed and self-loathing af. Stubborn and clingy emotional wreck with impulse control issues. Needs a hug. Will probably manipulate you through guilt or charisma. Wants to be Lucius Malfoy, but cries at night.

Hiroshi Sato- 5/10

Has lost sight of what's important. Total extremist. Will get revenge on you for something you didn't even do. Well respected and seems innocent but is plotting your downfall. Can build a whole army and take you down. Kind of a traitor. Loyalty is volatile. Thinks he always knows what's best for you but doesn't know shit.

The Lieutenant- 5/10

In way over his head. Wants to make a difference but has let bitterness take over. Will probably electrocute you. Puts his faith in the wrong people. Kind of snobby and will hold a grudge. 99 problems and benders are about 98 of them. Tired of being pushed around but still lets himself be pushed around. FLOPPY MUSTACHE.

Aiwei- 5.5/10

Thinks he's better than you and probably isn't. Wants to be sneaky but really is just too predictable. Boring af and tries to be unique but fails miserably. Lets everyone take advantage of him. Don't lie to him. Will harbor resentment and take it out on you at a random point in time. Discount Long Feng but not as smart or ambitious.

Eska- 5.5/10

Will stalk you aggressively. Thinks slavery is a relationship. Eyeliner sharp enough to kill. Never betray her or she will destroy you. Might use you as a footstool. Seems emotionally dead inside, but don't test her dormant waters. Uses everyone and feels no guilt. Hipster trash. No concept of boundaries or social interaction.

Ghazan- 6/10

Sarcasm game strong enough to fatally wound you. Doesn't say much. Has tree trunks for limbs and will probably use them to throw lava and rocks at you. Lowkey protective af. Don't get on his bad side. You can't get on his good side. Would rather kill everyone including himself than let you win an argument.

Zaheer- 6/10

A wannabe hippie but will still fight the system and you too. Don't try to control him. Gets annoyed when people breathe too loud. Is kind of a contradiction. Will literally blow you away. Anarchy equals freedom. Fuck the police. Can sit in the same spot for a really long time. Probably a flat earther.

Ming-Hua- 7/10

Has a significant disability but can still easily slaughter you. Innovative and sneaky af. As fast and agile as an actual lemur. A natural disaster wherever she goes. Doesn't listen to your advice. Overcompensates a lot. Probably her own worst enemy. Is quiet and likes to eavesdrop on your business.

Kuvira- 7.5/10

Wants to control everything. Who invited her to poop the party? Highkey evil and just plain mean. Will use your corpse as a decoration if you get in her way. Secretly petty and superficial af. Thinks social bonding is trying to seduce you in order to take charge of your life. Individuality punishable by death. Even other villains hate her.

P'Li- 7.5/10

Can explode you with her mind. Her gaze will pierce you to the core. Strong independent and violent woman who don't need a man but chooses to have one anyway. Will shave you off just like the sides of her hair. Has no problem fucking shit up. Boss bitch. Loyal to only a select few, so too bad for you.

Amon- 8/10

Charismatic but scary and mysterious af. Huge hypocrite. Will silently judge you. Powerful, selfish and cruel. Manipulative as hell and uses intimidation to get you to comply. Pretends to have empathy but really just wants control. Will cripple you physically and emotionally without warning. Knows all of your weaknesses but none of his own.

Earth Queen Hou-Ting- 8.5/10

The actual worst. Eats your pets for supper. Her yelling is the #1 cause of deafness worldwide. Will keep you prisoner and then have you killed for looking at her. The bossiest Drama Queen ever. Will be the cause of all your misery and will be proud of it. Bark is the same as her bite. Lots of daddy issues.

Chief Unalaq- 9/10

Religious extremist. Actually batshit insane. Wants to destroy the entire world. Has ascended from this pathetic plane of human existence. Loner whose only friends are invisible. Wants you to think he's just shy and misunderstood but NOPE. Knows what you want to hear and says it. Will sell you to satan for one cornchip.

Yakone- 9.5/10

Worst dad ever. Will either bloodbend you, try to live vicariously through you or both. Absolutely no redeeming traits except for being physically human. Abuse equals tough love. Might beat your ass for no good reason and expect your gratitude for it. Criminal mastermind with no conscience and all of the entitlement.

Vaatu- 10/10

Actually the devil. Literal incarnation of darkness and chaos. Ultimate troll and force of disaster in the world. Doesn't know any better, but still an asshole by choice. Will use you until you're no longer of value. Has a hard-on for destruction. Likes to play the victim. Will consume your soul and burp loudly.

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ashxketchum · 4 years

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I spent a lot of time on prompt generating websites trying to get something that pushes me to write. This one dialogue just had pokeshipping written all over it, so I went for it and lo and behold, it’s a crackfic in every sense of the word.

Please don’t have expectations from this.

Kinda PG-13 for language and suggestive themes, so I’ll put it under the cut.

Dialogue prompt: “I don’t really think before I act. It’s part of my charm.”

Pairing: Pokeshipping

It was his fault, as always. Misty racked her brain and tried to remember a time when they hadn’t ended up in a situation because of him and she came up with nothing. It was his fault that they were handcuffed together and thrown under the deck of a dingy ship that reeked of suspicion from miles away. It was all his fault, and yet next to her Ash Ketchum was peacefully snoring away, with his head resting on her shoulders as if that was the most natural thing to do after being abducted in a foreign land on their first date.

“Ash wake the fuck up or I will bite you so hard.” It was barely a whisper, and yet he instantly sat up, chocolate eyes opening wide at the sound of her voice.

“Arceus Mist, this is not the time and place to do you-know-what,” Ash turned to stare at her in surprise, and even in the darkness the redhead could make out the incredulous look on his face and once she understood the meaning behind his statement, she thought she’d let out a frustrated scream so loud, the ship would crumble under its force.

“For Mew’s sake Ash I will-“

They heard loud, banging footsteps above deck and unanimously decided to go quiet, listening intently for any sound or clues that may help them get off the ship. After a few minutes passed and there was no other sound or movement, the couple relaxed themselves dejectedly.

“Really Ash what were you thinking, buying tickets for a cruise from a total stranger?” Misty whispered heatedly, resisting the urge to nudge the raven haired boy in his ribs.

“I don’t really think. It’s part of my charm,” Ash passed her a savvy smile and when it didn’t lighten her mood as he was expecting it too, he shook his head and tried again, “look the guy said that I’ll never be able to get romantic cruise tickets at such a throwaway price in this region so I kind of just bought them at a whim.”

“And which region are we in Master Ketchum?” The pleasure Misty derived from using his new title to mock him occasionally, was still unparalleled.

“I’m not really sure…” Ash gulped in reply, he was already preparing himself for getting dumped after just one date. He could almost picture the scandalous headlines, ‘Ash Ketchum; Master in Pokemon Battles, but a failure of a Boyfriend?’

“That’s just great, and you even made us leave all the Pokemon back home!” Misty cried out as quietly as she could, which was not quietly at all.

“Well did you really want Pikachu to be around on our first date?” Ash countered her angrily.

“At this point, I would love to go on a date with Pikachu instead.”

Ash pouted in response to her statement, and though this was not the time to think about such things, Misty couldn’t help but notice that even at 20, his face had managed to retain all the boyish cuteness from his pre-teen years and it still slightly made her heart beat faster.

“I can get us out of here just fine.” Ash muttered after a few minutes, still a bit disappointed by her statement.

“I’m sure that’s what you were planning to do once you finished your nap.” Misty rolled her eyes at his proclamation.

“So you do get it,” Ash’s face lit up at her response, the wide smile forming on it faltered as he added on an afterthought, “why did you wake me then?”

“Just for a second, try to imagine how I would feel in this situation, if you were sitting next to me taking a nap.” Misty snapped back at him.

“Well you’d feel better if you took a nap too.”

“I’ll feel better after kicking you in the groin too, guess which one is faster?”

“Holy Moltress, is that how you talk to all your boyfriends on first dates?”

She hoped that the boy next to her would not be able to see the redness that was all over her face now. It was silly, Misty told herself, to still get embarrassed like a schoolgirl at the thought of Ash being her boyfriend. When she quipped back a retort, it was more to make herself feel less embarrassed than to get on his nerves.

“Only the ones that get me abducted in an unknown region.”

Ash stopped fidgeting with the cuffs and ropes and immediately locked eyes with her, for the first time in many years Misty saw hesitation and doubt swirl through his chocolate eyes.

“You’ve had other boyfriends?” He asked solemnly, the disappointment in his voice was hard to miss but, the champion managed to maintain her gaze nevertheless.

“What? No. I was just playing along with you!” Misty blurted out immediately, she hated seeing him look so dejected and doubtful, especially because of her. She reminded herself that they weren’t just friends anymore and she should be careful with her words from now on.

“Thank Mew,” Ash breathed a sigh of relief, and relaxed his body that had become so tense just a few moments ago, “for a second I was worried I was the only virgin.”

All restraint and rationality went out of the windows as Misty nudged her boyfriend in the ribs, flushing from head to toe at his statement.

Ash winced at the action but managed to not cry out. They spent the next few minutes in silence, Misty seething with rage and embarrassment on one side and Ash, having forgotten the conversation already, looking for an escape route on the other.

“Let’s just kick a hole into the floor and swim out,” he sighed tiredly, suddenly breaking their silence.

“The ship will drown you idiot.” Misty replied flatly, still keeping her back towards him.

“So? I’m sure their Pokemon will help them out.” Ash stated, somehow gainging confidence in his plan, he started to closely observe the wooden floor they were currently perched on, looking for a spot that could he could easily break through.

“What if they don’t have a single water type on them?” Misty turned towards him to protest the idea again and rolled her eyes over his determined search for the perfect spot to smash through.

“Mist, if we keep bringing our conscience into it, we’ll never make it out of here.”

“What happened to the ten year old Ash Ketchum that I fished out of the lake?”

“He decided to grow a pair.”

“I’m gonna have to see those for myself to actually believe this statement.”

Once again, she was taken over by the flow of their usual banter and replied without thinking, regretting it as soon as the words left her mouth and settled in the air. Ash stopped his search and looked up at her, meeting her eyes with an incredulous look, slowly his lips started to curl upwards into a smirk and Misty couldn’t help but groan loudly at his reaction. He was never going to let her forget this statement.

“Well Mist, I promise you can look at them all you like after I get us out of here-“

“JUST STOP IT ALREADY!”

The door leading to the upper deck opened suddenly and the man who had thrown them inside appeared, his face pulsing with rage and frustration, and much to the couple’s surprise, there were tears streaming down his burly face.

“We kidnapped you two, to brainwash you into joining Team Rainbow Rocket and you have the audacity to sit handcuffed on our ship and flirt with each other?

Do you realize the dangerous situation you are in? Is this really the time to flirt with each other and show off how lovey-dovey you are? Do you know how hard it is to fall in love and get married when you’re working for an evil organization?

Just leave! We don’t need lovebirds like you in our team!”

As the man kept bellowing at them and managing to somehow sob at the same time, he came forward and unlocked their handcuffs and untied the ropes and then dragged the two back to the upper deck.

Ash and Misty were stunned into silence, with a deep blush covering both their faces, they followed the lead of their abductor without a question.

The ship was still docked at the pier they had been taken from and now were ushered back into within hours. As soon as they were off the ship, it set off into the horizon, their kidnapper’s loud sobs becoming fainter with every wave colliding with the shore. After a while of just standing and staring after the ship, Misty turned to face Ash and was relieved to see that he still looked as dazed and confused as she felt.

“As the Champion, don’t you have a duty to apprehend any and all criminal organization members?” She asked him, relieved about escaping their captor but worried if this will cause a dent in Ash’s career.

“Well, it looked like he was having a bad day. So I think I’ll let him go for today,” Ash replied, frowning slightly at his own words. He shook his head suddenly and Misty passed him a small smile, knowing that he was trying to make sense of the situation just like her. When he locked eyes with her again, a mischievous grin was set on his face, the kind that made Misty feel heated and made her heart race at twice the speed.

“Should we head back the hotel to finish our conversation?”

#pokeshipping #pokeani #ash x misty #ash ketchum #misty #pokemon fanfiction #writealot #pokeship

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thehellishtrinity · 4 years

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Uh I think before they got rid off Virus? Thanks for wanting to do this BTW you're the best

((np my dude!! sorry for the wait gfjs, now without further ado, summary under the cut! be warned, it’s pretty long))

I believe where you left off was:

Script confronts Virus about taking over Muse and attempts to chase him off. However, his plans go awry when Virus uses Script’s check (remember, Script’s check is mind control and Virus’s check is copying other people’s check) against him. Virus brainwashes Script by implanting fake memories into his brain, making Script think that he’s spent his whole life with Virus and that Virus is his closest friend. Unintentionally, these fake memories of being close to Virus leads Script to actually develop a crush on Virus. (part 2)

Hayden (from sassytictac) and Math (from immadeofmath) try to confront Virus to chase him out of Muse’s body. It also doesn’t work because the damage dealt to his body doesn’t affect him, but rather Muse. So Virus uses the opportunity to knock Muse’s conscousness out effectively.

Then, Firewall (from ask-the-overworked-firewall) sends Page an invitation to meet. Script warns Page not to go because he thinks Firewall is bad news (he saw Firewall attack Virus and was scared by it because, again, he’s brainwashed and doesn’t know Virus is a virus) but Page goes anyways. Firewall tells Page the situation about Virus and how Basically Things Are Fucked. Page goes home and has a sad breakdown then gets his shit together and gets to work.

I think Page gets chase out of the sector, my memory of this is very hazy and I’m having trouble finding the corresponding posts. I think Virus and Page end up battling, but Page loses and barely makes it out alive. He flees to Firewall’s place and recovers there until he’s at his full strength.

Then Page returns to the sector, ready to take Virus on again. When Page first arrives, he finds the sector protected by Virus’s defense wall. So he gets to work on taking it apart. When he finally cracks the code, he’s granted access back into the sector! And there he is met with Virus! Virus tries to get him to leave using Script’s check, but Page made himself immune to the influence of checks so it doesn’t work on him. He and Virus battle until finally Virus forces Page to the ground and kills him with a bolt of lightning.

Surprise! Page isn’t dead! He used his check (Page’s check is the ability to alter SQUIP code without there being any consequences. Basically coding without limits, who needs to remember coding rules?? Not Page) to make himself functionally immortal. They fight endlessly with Virus killing Page and then Pagecoing back to life. The tide turns when the anons manage to distract Virus and Page whips out the broken code of Muse and Script. Incomplete Muse and Script join the battle and manage to knock Virus out. Page restores Muse and Script’s code and banishes Virus from the sector.

Act 1 ends here.

Act 2 begins with the trinity still coping with the aftermath of dealing with Virus. Muse and Page both have nightmares and PTSD, basically. Script is dealing with heartbreak because he was in love with Virus, despite his memories of him being fake. It’s tough.

An anon gives Muse an M!A where his fears are personified. Naturally, Muse’s fears take the shape of Virus. Fear!Virus terrorizes Muse for ten asks, revealing that his real name is Deimos. Deimos eventually fades into nonexistence but before he does, he calls Muse out on his cowardice, saying that Muse’s pride and inability to reach out to others is affecting the ones around him. This gives Muse a lot to think about.

Time passs. Muse begins to start preparing for something but he won’t say what. He trains, trying to level up his physical powers for an unnamed threat. Meanwhile, Page receives an M!A that allows him to know everything that Muse does. He learns that Muse knows Virus will be returning, because Virus has many failsafes. He has code left all over the SQUIPweb that can hep ressurect him in the event that he’s killed. Muse cannot say anything about this explicitly because Virus left an unremoveable collar that physically makes him unable to say anything about Virus’s plans. (more on what was mentioned) M!A ends and Page loses all of the knowledge he gains. Script and Muse approach him again to get him back in the loop, with Script doing much of the talking because Muse cannot.

Then, the trinity are approached by a pair of anti-virus programs. They are called Melissa and Wally, or the twins for short. The twins claim that they are hunting down Virus and that according to their latest radars, Virus was last seen in the sector. The trinity are skeptical, of course, because they are unsure whether they are being deceived or not. In order to prove the truth of their statement, the twins bring out the body of Rowan, Rich’s Squip. Rich’s Squip Rowan has been MIA for a very long time and no one knew what happened to her. The twins explain that she was attacked by Virus and they’ve been working on patching her code up to try to recover her.

In the meantime, Muse is up to mysterious shenanigans again. He reaches out to an unknown person for potential help regarding the Virus issue. In the meantime, Script starts to dream more and more. He spends a lot of time asleep, just dreaming random fantastical dreams of a strange person with long hair and a sharp smile. This will be important later.

Muse reveals to Page and Script that he’s been contacting someone who could help, but the price of their help is very high. Page and Script are doubtful but they decide that they are at enough risk already, they may as well take the deal. The mysterious person turns to the anons for help, telling the anons through a message to send in M!As of any kind.

The person uses the M!As to crack a hole in reality and manifest on the blog. (The logic behind this is that M!As can inherently alter reality, so the person piggybacked on that capability and altered it for their own purposes.) The person reveals himself to be Muse from the Reverse World. Also known as Remy. Remy is from the April Fools Event where the Reverse World duo took over the blog. The Reverse World is an AU where Muse is the virus instead and virus is the SQUIP he’s infecting. Basically, the squips are viruses and the viruses are squips. Remy quickly reveals that he can break the fourth wall. The reason for this is that Remy’s check is knowledge. He has infinite knowledge of all things and is thus aware of his status as a mere character on a Tumblr blog for Be More Chill. Remy also reveals that the price of his help is being given a copy of Page’s check because Page’s check is honestly kind of OP. Also the twins are still there and they don’t seem to like Reverse!Virus a lot (we will call him Dov).

Remy kicks his plan to help the trinity off with having Muse train with Dov. His reasoning is that it will make Muse stronger and make him stop cowering before Virus’s presence. At the same time there are mysterious sightings of an unknown program manifesting in the sector, but the program usually disappears before anyone can detect it. This will be important later.

Remy gathers the trinity up for a planning session. They go over what they know about Virus already: mainly that he can’t die, somehow always knows their plans, and is very strong. Remy reveals the reason Virus cannot die is because he has these things called anchors everywhere. Anchors are small backup versions of Virus that can activate when the most recent Virus perishes. It’s functionally the same Virus resurrecting over and over again. These anchors are spread out in hidden pockets of the SQUIP network and are incredibly hard to find. Remy offers to deal with this issue by gathering the anchors for the trinity and storing them in one convenient location: Muse. Now, all the trinity needs to do is figure out how to destroy all of the anchors.

Next, Remy addresses the issue of Virus’s supposed omnscience. The reason why Virus always knows what they are planning to do is because he is connected to Script and Muse’s memories. Thus, whatever they know, he knows. To address this issue, Remy states that he will be wiping Script and Muse’s memories of the planning session when it’s all over. Thus, the responsibility of executing the plan falls mostly onto Page. To these ends, Remy states that he will be modifying Page’s power capacities to make him stronger because he is not strong enough at his current level to stand a chance against Virus.

Finally, Remy gifts the trinity with a knife embedded with Remy’s code. This is a special knife because it can destroy Virus’s current body in one blow. It can also be used to destroy Remy. It can only be used once, so Remy advises the trinity to use it well. Planning taken care of, Remy launches his plan into motion. Page, Muse, and Script all shut down from the overload and things go into chaos for a while. Jeremy passes out from the pain. The sector goes black.

While the sector reboots itself, Remy ressurects Virus and invites him to a dance. It is then revealed that along with the deal Remy made with the trinity, Remy also made a deal with Virus. He programs a temporary host for Virus to use and tells Virus that the host will not last long, so he will have to find a real SQUIP host soon enough. Remy then bids Virus good luck and leaves Virus with a parting gift: Virus can no longer access the checks that he copied from the trinity. While Virus deals with that, the trinity reawaken and the sector goes back online. Virus resolves to hide in the void for the time being.

The trinity are all fine! As promised, Script and Muse no longer recall a thing and Page has custody of the Special Virus Killing Knife. The twins are also mysteriously missing but that’s a topic for later.

Page asks Muse to check his code, intending to get the Virus Anchors out of the way and destroy them while things are still peaceful. Unfortunately, things are not that easy and apparently no one can touch Muse when they approach with the intent of modifying his code. Muse literally, uncontrollably, teleports away whenever it happens. Page correctly concludes that Remy pulled some type of tick on them. Thus, presenting the first problem: how to destroy the anchors in Muse’s body. It’s unsolved for now.

In the meantime, Virus is chilling in the void and answering asks when he wants to. He reveals a little bit about his creator, expressing not the most friendly behavior towards them. We also get a glimpse at a brand Virus has been tattooed with. It’s the mark of Virus’s creator. Then, we are introduced to a new character! Their name is Maii and details about them are a bit vague but what’s important is that they are on Virus’s side.

Back to the trinity, Script has somehow gotten worse. His heartbreak and pining over Virus as led him down a new path of questioning his self worth and realizing that he feels alone despite his friends being around him. He’s depressed, bois. He recognizes that his feelings for Virus are fake but he cannot let him go because being with Virus makes him think that he’s happy. He also goes off about realizing his memories of Virus are fake but the emotions that developed are real, because to him those memories were real to some extent.

Things with Muse aren’t so hot either. Muse is passing out at random intervals and waking up to a blurry figure calling him. He’s also getting hella headaches. On the flip side, the corruption of Virus’s temporary host is also getting to him and he too is passing out. Curiously, when Virus passes out he seems to see a hazy hallway that looks oddly like the trinity’s home... A new member has also joined the Virus team! Her name is Hierophant and she appears to have influence over dreams…. hm…..

Page hasn’t been idle either! He’s been up to mysterious shit. Muse catches him working on something but Page cannot tell him what it is he is doing because Virus will know if Muse knows. Muse is incredibly frustrated with this but he can’t do anything about it. After time, Page finishes the mysterious project he’s been working on and states that he hopes it never has to come to use.

Time passes yet again. Script dreams endlessly. In fact, it seems as if he’s always sleeping, like he doesn’t want to do anything but sleep. It gets to the point that Script starts confusing dreams and reality.

And then one day, Script wakes up. Or maybe he falls asleep? He can’t tell anymore, there’s no difference to him. He gets ready for his day and heads to the kitchen. Virus walks in shortly after, telling him that it’s time for his shift with Jeremy. Script and Virus banter a bit. Things are nice.

While answering asks, Virus explains why the trinty are so fundamental to his plans. The reason being, of course, that they are just the right type of SQUIP that he needs to use to achieve his goals. The goals themselves are still quite vague…

Script also has a conversation with Muse about being careful of Virus’s oncoming advances. Or maybe it’s a dream? Unsure. People are also unsure if things are dreams or reality. We see Virus with Hierophant, telling her that he entrusts a not stated task to her. Hierophant claims to be ready for the task, and we see her weilding puppet strings that appear to control what looks like Page.

Meanwhile, anons start to speculate that Virus has taken over Muse again. They are correct. Virus has indeed taken over Muse again and is holding him hostage in Muse’s mindspace. Think of this as the equivalent of taking your emotions and shoving them into a mental jar, except your emotions are a Squip’s consciousness.

And that brings up to where we are now in the story!

#squip #be more chill #plot #reference #ask #long post #i hope that helped!!#sorry its so long ghfsfa #i tried my best to describe things as shortly and as clearly as possible #didnt realize how much ive had going on on this blog unitl typing this thing out #haha #Anonymous

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lisinfleur · 4 years

Text

GUESS WHO’S BACK? WITH RANTS!!!

OOOOOOOOOK

This shit will contain A LOT OF SPOILERS. So, if you didn't see episodes 5, 6 and the trailers for 7, then... WTF are you doing in this fandom uh? GO - WATCH - IT!

Ok, later rants! I took some time away - that I'll explain soon! - but today I finally found a way to watch episode 5 and episode 6 of Vikings and now, the trailers with the goodbyes we just saw in my timeline. So, time to speak! I'll try to resume it because fuck! Things got huge too fast! So, let's start small...

_______

Dear Torvi Poor woman... She's passing through so much loss. Björn's betrayal, her first son, her second child, now Lagertha... Man, for the gods' sake! Someone please let me hug this woman! She needs it! And yet, she was wise enough to spit some truth on Ingrid's face... Torvi matured a lot from that child we used to think was so fluffy when trying to convince us she was Viking. She grew into a strong woman, able to endure things that many others wouldn't have with a whole mind. I have to clap my hands and admit that Torvi evolved into a whole new character and if there is someone to """replace""" Lagertha in this show, it will be her.

_______

Ingrid Speaking of replacements... Am I too cruel to say I laughed out loud of this woman at the docks waiting for Björn like that? The honey-dick attacked again and the girl is melting for him. Poor sucker... To be honest, from all the women Björn cheated on, fucked and let go like trash in this series, Ingrid is the only one who I won't feel a single drop of pity for. She searched scab to scratch herself and now I'll sit and watch as she realizes her stupidity. Know your crime, pay your price. That's what I have for her.

_______

Harald Or should I say King Harald? Man, I have to say: Harald was low. It was pretty low to manipulate things the way he did to win that election over Björn's favoritism and he stroke pretty lower by going there to provoke inviting Björn to be his counselor that drunken way of his. Even more to order the killing of someone who risked its life to save his ass when he was locked by Olaf, trusting the word of a man that he barely knows (Flatnose will be pointed here too... that bastard!). But once again... Am I too cruel to say I laughed OUT LOUD the whole process of election?? Man, it was HILARIOUS to watch Björn's teeth clenching to every single vote Harald had over him! It was ORGASMIC to see all that arrogance of someone who carries nothing but his father's fame in his shoulders being dissolved by noticing daddy's fame won't hold his back anymore! Ragnar's name is fading - despite he'll always be a legend - and whether Björn starts walking for himself or his papa's actions won't hold his butt up forever! And Harald did me the beautiful favor of kicking that white blonde ass to see if Björn will wake up and become the man he should have become since the first episode of this series (To the ones who don't remember, Rites of Passage was the mark of HIS DAY TO BECOME A MAN and receive his armring). However, I think Harald screwed up and got tangled up with a bunch of bad promises he will somehow have to honor. The thirsty man is drinking seawater and will end up dehydrated. It is better for Harald to find a way to manage the whole Norway, or else, the King of All Norway will end up in a pole, impaled, like a beautiful flag for everyone to see...

_______

Gunnhild She looks miserable in the next episode, but her acting was beautiful during the battles. I just wanted we had seen more of the huge Gunnhild we were habituated to see. I felt they kinda lowered her light to put the spotlights on Lagertha for the scenes and I can understand the need for it to happen, but Gunnhild was really pale in these episodes and I hope Hirst doesn't follow this thread to wipe her off slowly until there is nothing of our precious Gunnhild to be seen. She's too huge to be forgotten or changed this way. I hope it changes in the next episodes.

_______

Amma I hope someone takes care of the bruise in her face cause fuck... Things didn't go well for this girl. She was delegated "two" Ragnarssons to protect. Magnus is dead. Hvitserk is doing shit. Poor girl is in bad sheets here... But more than that, I really would like to see her slapping Ubbe's face or stopping him from treating her as a slave. It's only me, or did someone else noticed how the bastard is ordering her around as if she was his fucking maid? She would be, imo, the perfect person to throw some truth in this man's face cause man... He's needing a slap. OHHH HE IS...

_______

Kjetil Flatnose You freaking fucking asshole motherfucker bastard son of a bitch! There are no words in the human language to define how big of a bastard you are! Man, I HATE THIS GUY and I hope Ubbe does one single fucking shitty thing right in his pitiful and dismissable life and KILL THIS ASSHOLE! PAINFULLY! There is not too much to be said about this asshole. I just want him to die. Slowly.

_______

Now... let's start with the big ones, right?

_______

Ivar x Igor Once again, I cannot tell you guys the size of the love I feel for these two and their relationship. Everything they do together, no matter how dangerous is it, seems to be a big huge game and Ivar seems to be having so much fun beside this boy that I can only pray the gods it lasts forever. Igor brought back a side of Ivar that we weren't able to see in years! A good side that I was missing so hard! I hope this boy doesn't stab him behind his back, cause if he does, then it will be the end of the Ivar we know and maybe that serpent Hvitserk fears so bad will come out for good...

_______

Ivar x Oleg (plus Katya?) Is it my impression or the bromance is over? I saw lots of sadness in Ivar's eyes (a point for Alex! Fuck, the boy is good!!) but something tells me that Oleg is messing with fire and will end up veeeery burned... He's playing with a recent wound, making it bleed again with that brunette bitchy version of Freydis and something tells me that Ivar will bury Freydis' memory along with Oleg's and Katya's bodies. And this will happen pretty soon... If I was him? I would destroy that mausoleum in front of Oleg's eyes and say things like "It's good for you to watch it" while breaking his ex-wife's statue in tiny little pieces (using Katya's face like a hammer, of course). But I'll wait and see. Ivar's plans will surely be better than mine!

_______

Alex Yes, Alex, not Ivar. The boy deserves a whole topic only for him. It is not that I'm surprised, I'm not. Alex has been proving himself an amazing actor since he first dragged himself on screen as Ivar the Boneless for me. With Adrian and Jacup and Viktor and even that crazy-ass Liam, he already had proven himself a multitalented artist and a phenomenal actor able to conquer our hearts with any kind of character. But I have to point out that his expressions as Ivar are absolutely incredible! He can pass complete feelings and whole threads of thoughts without a single word! I can only congratulate him for such a beautiful job! The same goes for the actor who plays Igor. Boy... you rock!

_______

Björn More momma's boy than never, boy is being forced by the gods to raise his butt up from other people's backs and walk by himself. BEAUTIFUL! I cannot say how happy I am by seeing Björn finally being slapped by reality: papa and momma's fame won't hold your butt up forever, bitch! Grow fucking up, grow some fucking balls and go fucking make your own shit! And I'm not here saying he didn't shit in the whole series. He did, but all he did since this series started was under the weight of his father's name. Björn Ironside, SON OF RAGNAR. It was always something heavier than anything else in his life and now, whether he raises his own name before his blood history or he'll end up fading quicker than his shadow. Yes... shadow. Cause that's what Ubbe has become... I just really wanted him to stop this drama and to remember that mommy was murdered by one of his brothers who had THEIR MOTHER murdered by his mommy, so it was a fair death, a fair kill. No one should be allowed to punish Hvitserk for this especially because the woman would die anyway! Hvitserk shouldn't even be guilty of her death since Whitehair had warranted she wouldn't see a new sunrise before Hvitserk's hallucinations would end up getting his hands dirty.

_______

Ubbe Who the fuck are you and where the fuck is my daddy? I cannot say he was brainwashed. Who paid attention to the details will remember pretty well the scene when Ubbe, Hvitserk, and Sigurd were speaking right after Hvitserk arrived from the trip to the Mediterranean Sea. They discussed about Ivar's need for avenging their mother and Ubbe was clear saying they would have to kill Björn to reach Lagertha and that's was something he didn't want to do. Ubbe gave up avenging their mother as soon as Björn arrived in Kattegat. But there were better ways for him to show his will to avoid fighting his brother without adopting his stepmother and forgetting all the shit she did like that! He could have accepted fighting beside her with caveats, leaving clear he was there to go against Ivar not to support her. He could have left clear that he was there because of Torvi and Björn, not because of her. He could have rejected Lagertha without creating any problems within him and Torvi as long as he was able to put his own mind out through those beautiful lips saying clearly that he was giving up on the fair revenge because he loved Torvi and didn't want to fight his older brother. But no. He just forgot everything, started treating Lagertha as if she was his mother and now he'll bid her the farewell we didn't see him bidding to his own mother! What kind of an asshole does this shit? And for the ones who want to come here ranting about how shit of a mother Aslaug was, I would like to remember that she starting being a shitty mother AFTER IVAR WAS BORN! This means Ubbe lived THE BEST of her motherhood longer than ANY OTHER OF HER SONS! He had a fucking perfect mother and he didn't have the respect to keep himself away from her murderer once he chose to respect his loyalty to his brother and avoid killing her. I lost all my respect for Ubbe in this season and I cannot say I'll ever be able to really respect him again. Not only he left Margrethe to die (she was ambitious? yes. She was crazy? Yes, but she was HIS WIFE and HE SWORE THE GODS he would protect her!) but he abandoned Hvitserk when he most needed his older brother making himself unable to forgive a simple bad action when worse things were forgiven in his heart, he mistreated the woman that is beside him and declared to go wherever he goes for love by using her loving words against her to keep her from looking after her children's safety, he's mistreating and disrespecting Amma who's a free woman by treating her as if she was his personal maid and his brother's babysitter throwing on her the responsibility of taking care of Hvitserk that should be his own... Ubbe disappointed me so many times in so many ways that he must thank the gods he's played by Jordan and I love Jordan, otherwise, I would have no reason not to spit on his face at all!

_______

Hvitserk Speaking of pain, there is a picture of Hvitserk beside this word on the dictionary. Shit, he's so hurt, so pulled down, so ragged, so disposed. Poor him is walking around like a ghost himself! I wish so much Amma wasn't so afraid of taking pulse in this situation, but I cannot blame her. She fears she would fail and Ubbe would be harsh on her so she doesn't go further than calling Hvitserk's attention or his name to wake him up. But the truth is that someone should put this boy in its lap, hug him tight, and never let him go. The gods are being harsh on him breaking him in tiny pieces and offering him to Fenrir's jaw to be chewed. I really hope now that he fulfilled his "purpose", he can find a way out of this endless well of self-destruction or, at least, he can start walking for himself once again. It pains my heart to see my beautiful puppy like this. I hope he gets better from now on...

_______

Marco Once again, a topic for another actor that fully showed his talent here! I've seen other works with Marco, like Kriger and Fasandræberne, and his talent is undeniable, but the interpretation of a man in pieces he's offering us is really perfect! He plays with the scenes of Hvitserk's addiction amazingly not only showing the eagerness for more drugs but the perfect portrait of how this doesn't really change his fear or pain and even more the way Hvitserk keeps longing for more, searching for relief and numbness while hiding all those traumas behind his bloodshot eyes. Marco is a complete show all by himself and I can barely wait to see more of his amazing work around the world.

_______

And to finish... Lagertha I didn't like her. Everyone here knows I started disliking Lagertha when she cowardly killed Aslaug in a murder that shouldn't exist. There was no need for her to back shot Aslaug like that especially because that battle was won. Some understood that she gave Aslaug "safe passage" to find her son in Valhalla since Aslaug thought Ivar was dead along with Ragnar. But for me, there was no reason for Lagertha to go further and kill Aslaug like that especially when she could have used many other ways to get what she wanted. Yet, I always admitted and will admit until the end that Lagertha was a hell of a character: a shieldmaiden and a strong woman who could have a better ending after all. Despite the fact that I'm still here trying to figure out how did Björn reached the adult life with her TERRIBLE pieces of advice for children, she was a huge character and I think she deserved to die better than being murdered in the middle of nowhere like a homeless woman by a drugged rag of a man. She was a shieldmaiden. She was the most famous shieldmaiden of her age. She deserved to have died by that wound Whitehair made and her death should be more than just an emotional moment. Now her beautiful and epic fight with Whitehair will fade face to the anger Björn will drive towards Hvitserk. He won't learn from his mistake because, in his head, Hvitserk killed his mother and not Whitehair - who was her actual murderer. Lagertha was fated since she left that battle and Hvitserk was nothing but an accelerator of a destiny that was already sealed. She would die. He just made it quicker. We can even say if we look straight that it was almost a mercy kill. I didn't like her end but I have to say that battle against Whitehair was phenomenal so I'll close my eyes to the rest and believe she died strong and majestically after that fight, as the hero who saved that village from the bandits. And not like a homeless old woman, thrown like trash in the middle of the square, under the rain, murdered by a drugged rag of a man, forgotten in the middle of the mud. She was pretty more than just Ragnar's wife - so I wasn't touched by the words towards this. She was pretty more than just a woman... And I was expecting a better ending for her - and also, something better than hallucinations for Hvitserk to fulfill his destiny.

Let's see... Episode 7 is coming and I can't be more excited!!! The series is doing some shit, but it regained my excitation for good and I cannot wait for next week's episode!

#lis talks #some rants #about the episodes #THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE!

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the--sad--hatter · 5 years

Text

Name Calling (22)

FANDOM - MARVEL MCU

PAIRING - BUCKY X READER (female reader, no physical descriptions)

WARNINGS - ALL OF THEM, SMUT, VIOLENCE ANGST

DESCRIPTION - In which the ongoing and bloody war of words between you and Bucky turns in your favor when a disgruntled one night stand of his lets slip a secret when you run into her in the elevator… Now you have all the ammunition you need to destroy your enemy but you don’t plan on killing him quickly. Oh no, Bucky Barnes was going to suffer and you were going to enjoy every second. You just didn’t count on how much you would enjoy it.

Current Word Count - 65,196

MASTERLIST

Chapter Twenty-Two - First Day On The Farm

The Barton farm was everything you had expected. It was homely, lived in, comfortable and full of love. Chickens on the other hand were nothing like you had expected, they were loud, smelly, chaotic and strangely violent.

“I thought they’d be cuddlier.” You whined petulantly while Laura Barton laughed at your attempts to pick one up.

After the third chicken had waddled away squawking indignantly you huffed in annoyance and gave up. Laura took pity on you and softly clicked at one of the blasted birds, enticing it over and firmly picking it up, keeping it’s wings tucked in at it’s sides.

“Come and meet your namesake.” She told it, holding it out to you.

“Huh?” You asked, tentatively reaching out to stroke the chicken’s feathers.

“All of Clint’s friends have a chicken named after them. The rooster is called Fury.” She explained.

“You… You named a chicken after me?”

“Of course, it was like fate actually. Tony, that’s the one sitting on top of the coop over there, was named when he was just a little chick. Turned out he was actually a she. The day you arrived at the compound Tony hatched an egg, it was the only one of that flock we kept. She’s named after you.”

“That is the weirdest and sweetest thing I have ever heard.” You said, studying the chicken that shared your name.

“The day you arrived Clint and Natasha knew straight away you were going to be a part of the family.” Laura told you.

“They did?”

“And they were right. They usually are about these things, don’t tell them I said that.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” You assured her.

“Clint said you were going through some personal issues. You can just use this place as a bit of escape if that’s what you need, I won’t push. I’m here if you want to talk though.” Laura offered.

You liked Laura Barton, she was kind and maternal but gave the distinct impression she was not somebody to be messed with. She actually reminded you a lot of Pepper.

“I’m just having parental issues, I’m afraid of messing things up with Tony.” You hesitantly told her.

“Tony Stark, who the second he lay eyes on you decided ‘that one, that’s my girl’? I don’t think there’s a thing in the world you could do to mess that up. Trust me, I say this as a mother, Tony couldn’t love you more if he was your biological father. You are his daughter in his heart, where it matters.” She assured you.

Like her husband, Laura assumed you were worried about pushing him away.

“What if that’s the problem?” You asked.

“I don’t follow. The issue is he loves you too much?”

“The issue is he would forgive anything I do, when he maybe he shouldn’t. If I do something that causes him pain, he shouldn’t just let me do it. I don’t want to hurt him and I’m scared he’ll let me, just so I’ll be happy.” You admitted.

“Sweetheart, that’s not your decision to make. He’s responsible for his own happiness, you can only contribute to it. If Tony decides to pain is worth it to see you happy then that is his choice, and as your father the joy at seeing you happy will be worth the price he has to pay for it. Whatever pain it may cause him he can heal from, but seeing your child in pain is something that cuts a parent to the core.” She told you wisely.

“So I should just do what makes me happy and not care about the consequences?” You asked in disbelief.

“You should do what is right and trust your dad to take care of himself. Whatever it is, you’re not doing it to deliberately hurt him and you are thinking of the consequences. I’m not giving you the go ahead or saying no to do it, that’s your decision to make.”

She’d given you a lot to think about and knew it so she took pity on you and offered you a happy distraction.

“Come on, I’ll point out who’s who.” She suggested and began pointing out the different Chicken Doppelgängers of various Avengers.

Watching chicken Sam run around after chicken Natasha went a long way to improving your mood. You’d only been here an hour and already the Barton farm was working it’s magic.

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

You had never in your life held a baby before today but when Clint had plopped Nathaniel onto your lap you had reacted instinctively, gently putting your arms around the curious one year old who was looking at you with wide eyes, his fist stuffed into his mouth.

“Hello, It’s nice to meet you.” You told him seriously.

He laughed and pulled his fist out of his mouth, shoving it at your lips.

“How kind of you to share.” You snorted.

Wanda awed softly at you and you rolled her, turning to glare at Clint as the distinctive shutter sound of a camera clicked. Clint smirked at you and you shook your head fondly at him.

“Your daddy is going to get hit isn’t he, would you like to see that hmm?” You mused thoughtfully to the small child.

“Yeah!” he exclaimed, unaware of what he was agreeing to and Clint grumbled as Wanda, Natasha and Laura burst out laughing, Nathaniel's amused giggles joining in. You sniggered and handed Laura her son back, squaring up.

“Sorry Clint, baby’s orders.” You apologised and he looked alarmed as you slowly stalked towards him.

He plastered on an expression of false bravado as you advanced but when you were a foot away his resolve broke and he darted away, making a break for the back door. Everyone promptly broke into another round of laughter as you shot after him and Clint’s yells could be heard all across the farm as you chased him around the fields, slowing your pace so he remained ahead of you.

You kept the game up for at least half an hour before ‘giving up’ and letting Clint jog back to the house. You leisurely followed, basking in the sunshine. One of the chicken’s, you thought it might be Steve wandered over and started following you.

“Where were you when I was trying to make friends earlier?” You asked him disgruntledly.

You and your feathery escort decided to take a break and you perched on a fencepost, tilting your head back and letting the warm sun shine on you. Your chicken buddy curiously pecked the ground at your feet as you just enjoyed the moment.

You heard Natasha’s approach before you saw her, ducking your head back down to squint at her.

“What’s up?” You greeted her.

“Bucky has quite the crush on you.” She informed you and you somehow managed to choke on air.

She raised an eyebrow at you in amusement.

“Or at least I think it’s Bucky, might be Steve. I can never tell them apart.” She said, nodding towards the chicken at your feet who was currently pecking at the material of your jeans.

“Oh you bitch.” You accused her.

“Don’t hate me just because you’re an open book.” She teased, coming to lean next to you on the fence.

“You ready to have that talk now?” She said, wording it like a question even though you both knew it wasn’t.

No you weren’t ready but at the same time you were dying to talk about it. Your own mind wasn’t providing much assistance on the complicated issue and you really needed another opinion.

“BuckyandIslepttogether.” You blurted.

For probably the first and last time Natasha looked shocked.

“What? Already? You’re way ahead of schedule.” She said and you turned you head slowly to glare at her.

“You scheduled me losing my virginity?”

“Of course. You were supposed to realise how you felt in the safe house and then become even more unbearably violent towards each other for a few weeks while you both denied your feelings before you got it on when the elevator broke down, trapping you together for a few hours.” She informed you.

“You’re a psychopath.” You muttered, horrified.

“No, I just knew how useless the two of you were at confronting your own emotions. He was brainwashed for 70 years to kill on command and you were raised to start and finish the apocalypse. Neither of you was equipped to fall in love so it was inevitable you were going to fall for each other.” She explained.

“You were going to lock us in an elevator?”

“For your own good, now I don’t have to. So who made the first move, how was it and why are you moping?”

“I’m not telling you anything you creep.” You told her.

Natasha punched you on the arm and you yelped.

“He made the first move, It was life-changing and incredible and it can never happen again because he was the weapon used to murder my grandparents.” You spouted.

“Start from the beginning, don’t leave out any details.” She sighed.

So you did, you told her everything, starting from the cruel jibe you’d overheard him saying to Steve. You told her the whole story.

Most of it she already knew but there were a few surprises for her, her eyebrows shot up when you told her about the encounter in the elevator where you’d discovered Bucky had been said your name in the heat of the moment but she said nothing while you spoke.

It felt good to say it all out loud, you hadn’t realised how much you were keeping locked up inside. When you were finished you felt lighter.

“You drugged him, in the middle of a make out session. Oh Kotonok, I’m so proud.”

You snorted.

“Tony will forgive you, maybe not straight away but he’ll come around once he see’s how much you love Barnes.” She said.

“I don’t love him Nat, I just… I care about him yes, I want him, I want to be around him. But love is too strong a word.” You protested.

Natasha gave you a look that said she didn’t quite believe you.

“Maybe you could, but you’ll never know if you don’t try. And if being with him makes you happy then you should be with him. Maybe you’ll find love and it will be worth telling Tony or maybe you’ll realise you don’t love him and there will be no reason to tell Tony.” She reasoned.

“I can’t sneak around behind Tony’s back like that.” You said, aghast.

“Why not? It’s a right of passage, all children date someone their parents don’t approve of. And if Barnes makes you happy but would upset Tony, then keeping it a secret is the right thing to do.”

“How can you make something bad sound like a moral obligation? Do you also sell sand in the desert?” You asked.

“Seashells on the beach actually.”

You shook your head and mulled it over. Could you go behind Tony’s back and betray him like this? Natasha made it sound so easy and maybe it was. You and Bucky would be able to be together and Tony would be blissfully unaware.

Just being in Bucky’s presence made life more exciting, especially now that there was more than just hatred between the two of you. Now that you’d slept together your skin thrummed at the mere thought of him and your body was constantly craving his touch.

The hurt you’d seen in his eyes when you pushed him away would haunt you for the rest of your life and you wanted to punch him and kiss him at the same time for thinking so little of himself. You didn’t want to treat him like a dirty little secret, you wanted to protect the precious thing the two of you could have from anyone who could ruin it.

The problem was, were you telling the truth when you said you didn’t love him? No, you weren’t, and you knew it. Deep down you knew it and maybe one day you could admit it to yourself.

“I’ll think about it.” You conceded.

“Good, that’s all I ask.” She said.

She punched you in the arm again.

“OW! What the fuck Natasha?”

“That’s for keeping secrets from me.”

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

Lila and Cooper were quite a formidable match for their parents when it came to escaping the dreaded bedtime. You and Wanda were sat on the deck, curled up on a porch swing with wine (yours spiked with Asgardian liquor Natasha had pilfered from Thor for you) and listening into to the children's protests that they wanted to play with you both. Natasha had wandered away to do secret spy things, at least that’s what you assumed.

The spiked wine was warming your chest and belly and combined with the fun and exhausting day you had had, it was making you feel incredibly relaxed.

“Your mood is much better now.” Wanda noted.

“I’m sorry if it’s been affecting you lately.” You apologised.

“It’s not your fault, and it has not been so bad. There has been a lot of sadness and anger yes, but a lot of hope and love as well.” She said.

You sipped the wine, the powerful Asgardian punch it packed loosening you tongue.

“That sounds about right, hope and love. I think I might have found both.” You hummed happily.

“Do either of you want to come tell the kids a bedtime story, it’s the only way I could get them to go to bed.” Clint begged, popping his head out of the kitchen door.

“I will go.” Wanda said before you could, pointing at your wine glass with an amused grin.

“I’m tipsy.” You told Clint with a huge grin.

“I can see that.” He snickered.

He took Wanda’s seat on the porch swing and you leaned your head on his shoulder.

“It’s wonderful here. Your family is amazing.” You told him honestly.

“Yeah, they are.” He said with pride.

“I can’t believe you named a chicken after me.” You chuckled.

“Everyone has one, all my friends and family. That includes you.”

“I didn’t even have a name until a little while ago, now I do and I get to share it. It’s nice, it’s good.” You decided.

Clint ruffled your hair affectionately.

“I’m happy.” You said, sighing wistfully.

“I’m glad. You deserve to be.” He said solemnly.

You stayed like that, your head on his shoulder and relaxed as you watched the sun set, lighting the farm up in a stunning array of colours as the shadows grew and darkness fell.

“I think I have feelings for Bucky Barnes.” You whispered into the night.

Clint looked down at you in surprise and alarm.

“Well at least you are never boring. This is going to be fun to watch from the sidelines, far far away from the line of fire.” He chuckled.

“Clint?”

“What?”

“Why is Bucky so pretty?”

“Ok you’re too tipsy for me to deal with.” He laughed, getting up and letting you plunk down to the side.

“I’m going to make you some coffee.” He said with wry amusement while you curled up on the swing, not at all bothered by the loss of his shoulder to lean on.

“Can I have some of the cookies Laura and Wanda made?” You asked hopefully.

“You can have whatever you want, you entertaining little furball.”

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

The woods surrounding the Barton farm were peaceful. You felt safe amongst the trees, close enough to the farm to not be isolated but far enough away to be alone. The trees surrounding you provided enough shelter for you to feel protected but the fresh air and sounds of wildlife reminded you that you were outside, free.

You walked through the woods, the twinkling stars above you and felt truly at peace for the first time. It was serene, tranquil and temporary but nothing good lasts forever, you were happy to just enjoy it for now.

An unfamiliar rustling sound broke you out of your peaceful musings and your body tensed, on alert. You stayed still, not making a sound and turned your head towards the sound.

“Bucky?”

He was staring at you from several meters away, he looked terrible. Exhausted. His eyes bore into you and he looked at you longingly, desperately.

“What are you doing here?” You whispered.

He flinched, like your question had hurt him but before you could explain you weren’t mad or disappointed to see him only confused he shook his head and turned away from you.

“Please, don’t go.” You pleaded but he ignored you, quickly striding in the opposite direction until he was out of sight.

You snapped out of your trance and ran after him, following the noises he was making as he tracked through the woodland.

“Bucky, wait!” You called.

You ran as fast as you could but you couldn’t catch up to him.

“This way Kotonok.” Natasha called, her red hair visible through the trees.

You followed her, her hair leading you like a beacon as you ran through the dark forest. The closer you got to her, the thicker the trees grew and you were fighting off branches that were grabbing at you.

“Hurry, he’s getting away. You’re going to lose him!” Natasha called to you.

You furiously pushed the grabby twigs away, ignoring the sharp sting of thistles and thorns piercing your hands. You’d take the pain if it meant you could get to Bucky. You threw your body forwards through the thicket, pushing your legs as fast as they could go. It still wasn’t enough and you were losing sight of Natasha.

You grit your teeth and snarled. You had to get to him you had to find him. You screamed your fury as you ran, your shrill voice resonating through the air and the tress withdraw, bowing to your fury. You rushed through the now clear path and into the clearing ahead.

It was a beautiful place, lit by moonlight. Bucky stood in the centre and your heart collapsed in on itself in relief.

The you saw that he wasn’t alone and you tilted your head in confusion at the unfamiliar woman standing with her back to you. The whole world tilted on it’s axis and your heart shattered as Bucky leant his head down to kiss her.

Your vision blurred as tears filled your eyes and you silently watched and cried as Bucky embraced the stranger. She pulled away from him and turned her head to look at you and you gasped. She had your face but her eyes were jet black, obsidian veins covering her skin.

“Vernichtung.” You whispered in terror.

She smiled at you, a cruel and wicked smirk. You were rooted to the spot, unable to move, only able to watch in horror as she turned back to Bucky and plunged her hand into his chest. You wanted to scream but no noise came out as she withdrew her hand, his heart firmly clasped in her grip. He crumpled to the ground and you wanted to run to him, to help him, to save him but you were frozen.

She stalked towards you, hips swaying. Power and malevolence rolled off her in waves as she reached up and wiped a tear from your face with her ice cold fingers.

“I’m sorry, did you want this?” She purred viciously.

She held Bucky’s heart out to you and you were forced to watch as she crushed it in her hand and finally, you were able to scream.

In the cosy guest bedroom of the Barton Family Farm your eyes shot open, and you woke up screaming.

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

This was my absolute favorite chapter to write so far, I really really hope you enjoyed it.

Vernichtung: *Rips dream Bucky's heart out* Mike Wazowski: PUT THAT THING BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM OR SO HELP ME....

I just want to take a second to thank all of you who rallied around me yesterday when I was feeling down and my confidence had taken a knock. I am grateful to you all fpr building me back up. Thank you xxx

@nerdandproud-86 @harrison-shot-first@chook007@thejourneyneverendsx@thelostallycat@inquisitor-selvala@the-corruptor @iovher@kendrawr-kitkat@phoenix-whiskey-tears @the–real-wombat@buckitybarnes@fairislesheets@angieptt@meganjonezzzz

@dugan365 @fluffeh-kitty@memanda17@krystallynx@theonelittleone

@piscesbarnes @free-as-fishes@tarastudiesalot@captainamericasbeard

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dgarski · 4 years

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This Journey (Part XCV)

Scared of a virus, but not scared of being killed in a riot.

Nearly 15 months ago, my life changed in the most dramatic way. I had to learn how to start my new life from scratch. I did just that. I worked hard, made a plan, and set my goals. The journey itself was a challenge, but I had my mind set to accomplish those plans and goals; and try to figure out a way to begin another chance at life. I knew that I had a time frame that I wanted to reach these goals, and somehow, I managed to time things almost perfectly.

This past January, I moved back to Florida. I was able to move into a small apartment, get settled in, get my job back and start my new life. This all happened only a few weeks before the virus scare. I got back to Orlando just in time. Had I waited even a couple of weeks, I might not have been able to move back to Florida. Last year Summer and into Fall, my parents were glued to the television, as they watched the Trump impeachment hearings. All I could think about was how much of a distraction these hearings actually were, from something else that was brewing. I had to get out of there and get back home to Orlando as fast as possible. I guess, I knew that something else was coming, but I had no idea what it was. I never could have guessed that it would be a virus thing. After being back in Florida a few weeks, I realized that my plans to move forward in my life, were going to be halted because of this virus scare. It was dubbed the "new normal". Yeah, it pissed me off. All of last year, I dreamed of going back to the ocean. I couldn't wait to go to the beach. It was the catalyst for my motivation to keep pushing myself to see my plans through, no matter what. Then, they closed the beaches for several weeks. The virus scare had stopped everything, cold. Yes, I was very disappointed, but I knew I just had to be patient. Nothing lasts forever, good or bad. I just simply had to wait it out. I eventually made it to the beach a couple of weeks ago, and it was like a dream finally coming true. Everything I fought for, was finally coming back to me. I was happy again.

That same patience is now required to get through yet, another scare. When this virus became the main stream media and social topic, I knew that it was going to anger and frustrate a lot of people, including me. Something so unprecedented, so life-altering for so many people, could not and would not come with a price. The main stream media and the government imposed so many restrictions that our weak, brainwashed society, went for the bait, hook, line and sinker. I knew that this too, could not last forever. Something was going to break.

The tension had been palpable for several weeks. People were getting angrier by the day. They wanted a release, and it didn't matter what the catalyst was going to be. They were just waiting for it to happen. I told many friends and coworkers that the next thing we should anticipate, is a civil war. Then it happened. The bomb exploded. All hell has broken loose. Now, we are once again, under a curfew as of 11pm tonight. The riots across the nation, have given authorities no choice but to maintain some sense (or maybe illusion) of order by, implementing another stay indoors mandate. Riots, looting, stealing, destroying has now become the next "new normal". What the hell is normal about any of the past few months? Nothing. Not one damned thing is normal out there. Civil unrest has replaced the virus scare, in a matter of days. The confusing part is seeing rioters continuing to wear their face masks. That makes zero sense to me. Scared of a virus, but not scared of being killed in a riot. Where is the logic in that? I don't think that I will ever truly understand humanity and its extreme knee-jerk reactions to things. We live in a society brimming with stupid people. "Brainwashed sheeple" is going to be the identification history will give this generation of countless idiots.

Are we in a civil war now? I don't really know. What constitutes a civil war? Is this rioting going to last much longer? Is anyone being truly honest about the death of a black man by police, as the genuine primary catalyst for these riots? I really don't think it has much to do with his death. I think the chaos ensues because people are pissed off for so many things that have happened since last February. So many people have lost everything. They've lost their jobs, their homes, their livelihood and their identity. Hmm, that's just like what happened to me. Maybe this society will find the means to start a new life. I'm proof that it can happen.

Measure it with a micrometer. Mark it with a piece of chalk. Cut it with a chainsaw.

Now, we just need to have patience and hope.

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floridaprelaw-blog · 4 years

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The Death Penalty: Advocating Justice Or Attacking Equality?

By Matthew Ginsberg, University of South Florida, Class of 2021

April 20, 2020

Payback is the ultimate form of revenge. When an individual chooses to break the law, the United States criminal justice system seeks justice by arresting, detaining, and prosecuting the suspect. Most citizens accept this system because they are under the impression that by removing criminals away from the general public, society is safer, and therefore better off. Being found guilty results in the criminal justice system holding the perpetrator captive, at the mercy of the law. Treated like worthless animals, citizens are unbothered and oblivious toward the brutality of the criminal justice system: criminal cases out of sight, out of mind. There seems to be a general perception among policymakers that “justice” can only be obtained through revoking humanitarian rights, believing that “guilty offenders deserve equal punishment for the nature of the crime committed.” By enforcing harsh consequences for breaking the law, the hope is that citizens are deterred from committing violent crimes… But hope and reality are quite different. Locking away criminals has shown to be ineffective and psychologically torturous, causing prisoners to become delusional, more violent, and easily triggered in many cases. Fighting fire with fire seems to be the strategy. But the prison system was not lethal enough for policymakers, there needed to be a system that forced criminals to pay the ultimate price for their despicable actions: what the system was missing was the death penalty.

The death penalty was first introduced in the 18th century B.C. but became a controversial U.S. political issue in the 1970s. By 1976, Troy Gregg, a convicted murderer, had his case heard by the Supreme Court, with the plaintiff insisting Gregg should be sentenced to death. After reviewing the case, the Supreme Court declared that “the death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment, therefore the ruling to reinvoke the death penalty is compliant with the Eighth Amendment.” This case was a monumental breakthrough for advocates of the death penalty because it set updated precedent moving forward that allowed states the right to legalize the death penalty at their discretion. The ruling also reversed the Furman v. George case in 1967, where the Supreme Court had “reduced all death sentences to life imprisonment, disallowing states the right to sentence criminals to death.” Since Gregg’s death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Courtover 40 years ago, “30 states have enforced the death penalty. In total, 1,512 people have been executed, with 62 people awaiting execution as of December 20, 2019.” The fact that over 1,500 criminals have been executed on death row demonstrates that many states are firm advocates of the death penalty.

The psychological divide drawn between good and evil allows citizens to sleep at night knowing that evil criminals are paying the ultimate price for their actions when they are sentenced to death. But what many citizens seem to neglect is that the mind is fragile and can be tormented by psychotic temptation if it is not nourished and cared for. Factors like traumatic experiences as a child, neighborhood environment growing up, and level of family support all play an indicative role on how young adults mature, as they develop physically and psychologically. Individuals sometimes make life- altering decisions that abandon moral principles because they are seeking fortification and satisfaction... but does that really make them evil people? Or does neglect and abandonment cause citizens to pursue heinous action for a temporary feeling of jubilation? If criminals truly are not evil people, does it make more sense to dehumanize them, so they are forced to suffer for their actions, or would it be more productive to enforce rehabilitation methods? Based on over half of the states in the U.S. legalizing the death penalty, it seems that policymakers are more concerned about making criminals suffer than taking proactive measures to help criminals learn from their mistakes. Moving forward, is the death penalty really a means of justice, or a misperceived necessary evil that’s brainwashed citizens into believing that revenge (by sentencing the death penalty), will somehow suffice for the initial crime committed?

The irony of justice is that it is impossible to achieve, but always discussed in the mainstream news media when a major court decision is reached. “Was there justice in the case?” seems to be the locus point of concern for most citizens. But when criminals commit illegal acts of violence against innocent civilians, their actions cannot be undone. The way the United States enforces justice is through penalizing faulty action with inhumane punishments and financial compensation, treating humans like animals in captivity, held against their will. The old fashioned saying “when you fight fire with fire, you always get burned,” could not be more prevalent because no one wins when a judge or jury is afforded the right to set an exploration date on a criminals life. Lacking the power of the divine, laws were established to protect state sovereignty, and ensure a sense of protection and equality for all citizens, not for court ordered death sentences.

The death penalty symbolizes an abuse of power by the Supreme Court, reaffirming that when political representatives do not have to worry about getting re-elected, the risk of dangerous precedent being set is legitimate and concerning. Looking at highly symbolic cases like Dred Scott v. Sanford, where the Supreme Court ruled that African Americans could not be considered American citizens, Plessy v. Ferguson, where separate but equal state segregation laws were upheld, or U.S. v. Korematsu upholding internment camps for Japanese, Americans during World War II; we have seen plenty of instances where the Supreme Court has abused their power and set dangerous precedent. The Supreme Court’s ruling in the Troy Gregg case is no different because it allowed states to legalize the death penalty, without enacting strict guidelines of what actions qualify, causing minorities to become prime targets of cruel punishment.

Since states began implementing updated policies legalizing the death penalty, African Americans have been sentenced to death more than any other race. This statistic would be tolerable if African Americans were committing the majority of violent crimes, but according to a study done by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, “on average, 36% of murderers are committed by black men, and 30% of murders are committed by white men.” This signifies a very small gap between African Americans and white citizens that commit murder. With such a small gap, it is mindboggling that “nearly 50% of death row inmates are African Americans, while less than 40% of inmates facing death row are of white descent.” The entire United States population has over 73% of citizens that identify as white, but less than 13% that identify as African American or black. The fact that the overwhelming majority of United States citizens are white exacerbates an “us vs. them” mindset, which has created an unjust system run by, “Congress, where 78% of representatives identify as white, and judges, where 70% also identify as white.” White supremacy has allowed white people to dictate policy, determine punishment they deem appropriate, and determine if criminal actions are punishable by a death sentence. With African American criminals in many instances facing all white judges, juries, and a state appointed attorney with minimal experience, African American suspects are more vulnerable than any other race of getting mandatory maximum sentences. By enacting the death penalty, was the system trying to create a platform of “justice,” or isolate a minority group for the color of their skin?

While the death penalty creates a dangerous loophole that causes African Americans to get targeted in the criminal justice system, the primary methods of execution are highly unethical. The five primary methods of execution include “hanging, electrocution, the gas chamber, firing squad, and lethal injection.” Whether it’s 2,000 volts of electricity shocking the human body for 2.5 minutes or having a line of soldiers aiming rifles at the criminals head and shooting simultaneously, electrocution and the fire squad appear to exemplify cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of the eighth amendment. Although many state courts have outlawed all methods, other than lethal injection, “the Supreme Court has never formally stated that any of these five methods qualify as cruel and unusual punishment.” This reasserts the Supreme Court’s firm stance of maintaining “justice” by allowing ruthless and unnecessarily violent methods of execution to continue against criminals sentenced to the death penalty.

Based on racial inconsistencies on who gets sentenced to the death penalty and a lack of ethics in the methods of execution, every state should abolish the death penalty.There are too many loopholes in the system that make African Americans prime targets for execution, even when they commit identical crimes to white criminals, suggesting that to support the death penalty is to support discriminatory policy. Even if the Supreme Court claims the death penalty does not violate the eighth amendment, the fact of the matter is that “most prisoners wait over 15 years on death row before they are executed.” The amount of emotional distress that manifests when an individuals forced to wait for such an extended period of time, knowing they will be killed, can be classified as cruel and unusual punishment to say the least. To make matters worse, a study done by the National Academy of Sciences found that “4% of people on death row were or are likely to be innocent.” The fact that innocent civilians are being sentenced to death row and executed when they did nothing wrong shows the dangers of implementing a system that cannot be reversed. Rather than revoking humanitarian rights granted to all citizens, including criminals, its time policymakers realize that the most benevolent and responsible call to action is enforcing rehabilitation methods to teach criminals how to behave in a civilized manner.

________________________________________________________________

Alvarez, Mauricio J., and Monica K. Miller. “How Defendants’ Legal Status and Ethnicity and Participants’ Political Orientation Relate to Death Penalty Sentencing Decisions.” Translational Issues in Psychological Science, vol. 3, no. 3, Sept. 2017, pp. 298–311.

“Death Penalty: Death Penalty Issues: CIP.” California Innocence Project, 13 Jan. 2020, californiainnocenceproject.org/issues-we-face/death-penalty/.

Garrison, Edward. “Death Penalty.” Equal Justice Initiative, 22 Nov. 2019, eji.org/issues/death-penalty/.

Lee, Tuan. “Race and the Death Penalty: Capital Punishment in Context.” Race and the Death Penalty | Capital Punishment in Context, 3 Dec. 2018, capitalpunishmentincontext.org/issues/race.

Levenson, Arthur. “Methods of Execution.” Death Penalty Information Center, 13 Apr. 2019, deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution.

Lyon, Andrea D. The Death Penalty: What’s Keeping It Alive. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2014.

Miller, Seumas, and John Blackler. Ethical Issues in Policing. Routledge, 2016.

Perlin, Michael L. Mental Disability and the Death Penalty: The Shame of the States. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013.

Unnever, James D., and Francis T. Cullen. “The Racial Divide in Support for the Death Penalty: Does White Racism Matter?” Social Forces (University of North Carolina Press), vol. 85, no. 3, Mar. 2007, pp. 1281–1301.

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shanmatheson · 5 years

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“Life is not unlike cinema. Each scene has its own music, and the music is created for the scene, woven to it in ways we do not understand. No matter how much we may love the melody of a bygone day or imagine the song of a future one, we must dance within the music of today, or we will always be out of step, stumbling around in something that doesn’t suit the moment.” – from the book – “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate

I arrived back to my father’s condo in Fort Lauderdale after a long and very wet twenty-four hours of driving south from our home in Wheatley, Ontario. Our son Cheyne and I did the trek together and although he slept much of the time, we still enjoyed good conversations and laughs over some hockey podcasts.

It was the accident up ahead during a downpour that made the hairs on our arms stand up and stomachs flip. So close to involving us. A coincidence perhaps. Just like the one that shut down my writing program to update just as I typed that word. After months of not writing was this a test, challenging me to decide to whether to continue writing or procrastinate some more?

The last eight months had been a challenge for both Mark and myself. Living on an island in the middle of The Bahamas is not as most envision with our “toes in the water and ass in the sand!” However, this past season, we were determined to greet the arrival of the owners with a positive attitude perhaps for the last time. From our experience the prior year, we new what would be expected of us. We consciously made the choice to take on the challenges of cooking full-time, caregiving and meeting their every need until they departed the end of March.

Our fifth Christmas without our family came and went. I was asked to speak in the church Christmas day and teared to think of the family we were missing. In the back of our minds, Mark and I knew that our following Christmas would be spent with our children somewhere. We hoped that they could experience the celebration in the little church on LWC surrounded by our friends that filled the small chapel yearly.

The New Year was met with more challenges. At least once a week after an exceptionally frustrating day, Mark and I would have the conversation again whether the way we were feeling was worth it. Did we come here and leave our family and friends to lay awake at night stewing? Instead of enjoying our days and island adventure, we set our sights on just getting through the days until they left? Deep inside, we both felt there was method in their madness. The more we agreed to do, the more responsibilities were added without thanks or compensation. Sad and exhausted we both nearly quit many times but instead took turns being each other’s advocate to suck it up and do the best job possible. In our hearts, we knew with the impending island sale, they were trying to force us to quit.

Painting Main kitchen day before depart

My much needed support socks!

Steadfastly we encouraged each other to meet each task and managed to get through to the first of April seemingly unscathed. Were we the fools?

The owners of the island departed the last day of March, like lambs and we came to the realization that we were ready to go home as well; for good this time.

Just earlier in March, we were left caregiving the owner of the island while his wife left for a reprieve of her own. Over the past five years, we had seen Parkinson’s disease take away his mobility and swift thinking. Thirteen days of preparing his favourite foods, staying by his side to ensure that his weakening body did’t fail him and discreetly cleaning up after it did was tiring. We were proud to have cared for him so well. The time spent into the late evening watching the shows he preferred and listening to his stories of racing in Monaco and more left rare and special memories for us. This is not how we envisioned leaving this incredible job and couldn’t help but wonder if it was how he chose to see us depart either.

With mixed emotions, we flew off the island on May twenty-second . Luckily, the boxes filled with our possessions were able to be stored at my father’s place in Lauderdale while we flew on home to secure the next stage of our life.

Tuesday morning, in Lauderdale Cheyne and I awoke early. He headed out for his day at hockey camp shortly after six. I stayed back to enjoy my coffee and the nineteenth episode of a ‘Netflix’ series that I had begun watching mid-morning two days prior while recouping from the twenty-four hour drive. Without a vehicle, I gave myself three options. Stay in and continue my movie marathon, walk or Uber. I chose to walk and ended up at a spa for a long overdue massage and facial. The last time that I had indulged in either of these was in Destin, Florida while escaping Hurricane Irma. Hmmm…was this how I chose to endure storms? While at least I knew that I was more likely to get through tough times with loose muscles and a glowing complexion.

This particular morning, in spite of the heat, I set out walking again in search for a book store and specifically for the book entitled, “Connecting with Coincidence…”. Runners, my NEC shirt from Cheyne’s college, nice enough shorts, a LWC ball cap and roots back pack combined to make up my eclectic look. As in many of my endeavours, I second guessed my adventure and whether or not to continue or return to the next chapter in the air conditioning. I continued on.

With each step in the extreme heat, the ring of sweat grew around my belly. My backpack stuck fast to my back and I envisioned the character building sweat stain that would add to its character. I’m not sure whether it was having to focus intently on taking each step or dehydration that brought my mind to creatively wander. As I consciously, breathed in and out, I imagined myself first in a hot yoga class, then a steam bath and finally a sweat lodge where I allowed thoughts at new levels and realms to enter. It was very surreal to say the least.

Approximately, half way or close to an hour to my destination, my parched mouth tried to sway me across the street for a beverage. Never the less, I kept plodding on noting all of the ongoing changes along the A1A strip in Lauderdale. Both old and not so old buildings were being torn down and replaced by large sprawling condo/hotel units. The fact that the Elbow room and some older retro style units still remained comforted me. Again, I resisted taking a rest in the shade and marched onward for a book and the promise of getting lost in its pages.

One building in particular suddenly reached out to me. The ‘Conrad’ stood large and looming and although I found it lavishly beautiful also empty and lonely. It promised availability and pricing beginning in the low nine hundreds, meaning thousands I suspected but never the less a shell without the pearl. I stood and dreamingly envisioned myself in flowing linen pants and shirt on one of the sprawling balconies overlooking the sea. Whatever possessed me at the moment, I am unsure but I crossed the A1A with a plan.

Inside the overly chilled building, my sweat drenched body shivered. A quick glance into a gilded mirror along the grandiose wall reflected the stench of a homeless person but also the confidence of someone on a mission; me.

The signs to the sales office lead me down an opulent hallway that offered a quick refuge inside the ladies restroom. It reminded me of the bathroom at the Coral Ridge Yacht club years earlier. The first area was velvety with poofs to sit on while sprucing up in the mirror. I passed on that option, as it didn’t fit into my plan. I tried to go to the bathroom but every minute bit of fluid had absorbed into my dehydrated body. “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink, water, water everywhere and all the ships did sink.” delusional entered my mind, as I quoted the ‘Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner’ from grade eleven English class. But it wasn’t true, there was lots of water albeit tap water. We’ve been brainwashed into thinking bottled is the only way to go. What a farce!! I took a chance and used my hand to sip water from the tap. Would I die? Was bottled water the only way to go in two thousand and nineteen? Not for me.

My confidence faltered and for a moment I questioned my sanity as I entered the sales office. There, a young, beautiful receptionist not surprisingly greeted me as the lost and possibly homeless person that I looked like. I took her off guard as I reached out my hand and offered out my name as if it were someone that she had just read about on the celebrity web page she quickly hid. “Can I please speak with the manager or person in charge of sales?”, I asked. Reluctantly, she started to say that I would require an appointment but before she could finish I explained that I was only available now and that I had a business offer to extend.

For whatever reason, whether it was the smile on my face, confidence in my voice or my natural deodorant breaking down, something inspired her to make the call. The next thing I knew, I was handed an extensive form to fill out and told that the lead sales Rep would be here shortly.

I was able to fill out the application quickly except for one question. Where was home??? This was the predicament. We had left Canada five years prior and now forced to leave our Bahamian home, so where was home for us? Ahhhh but this was the point. We were in search of our home and next adventure.

The next couple of hours was like I imagine a trip on a magic carpet ride. Somehow I talked the sales rep into touring me through one of the one bedroom units. Why may you ask? I wheeled together a scenario how my husband and I would be the perfect candidates to give a condo to on trade. I know right????? This was a crazy suggestion but for whatever reason, at that moment I believed in it so much, that he did too! Before, I knew it not only was I sitting in front of the Head Sales Rep, a couple of associates and the developer himself. Timing was on my side.

On our routine provisioning trips to Lauderdale, Mark and I had noted the Conrad building and others along the strip many times. Today however it called out to me. This cry for help led me to believe that somehow I could be the one to help fill this building with occupants by sharing our living experience there. We were going to live in it as our home and with the help of social media sell it to others as their next home too!

I had a captivated audience and realized that I had done it while looking unconventional, yet real and isn’t that what we are all striving for in this life, something real. My sales pitch, “I am going to sell this as a home not another house on reality t.v.”. I also explained that although this would be a difficult sell, the fact I really believed and wanted to prove that you could have ‘your’ Life ‘your’ Style anywhere!

They gave me a card key and one month to see what I could do.

From there, I continued on my walk search for a bookstore. I passed the last strip side restaurant before Sunrise Boulevard. This time I broke down and doubled back to sit at a sticky, sweaty hightop table where I ordered a water, a Mexican style margarita and two of the best chicken tacos on corn tortillas that I had ever had. The margarita went right to my head so I took advantage of Florida’s hospitality and took the balance in a cup ‘to go’. Now with drink in hand and totally saturated shirt and shorts, I gained popularity with the other street people. My potential customers??? Who knows.

Further up the road after passing the Galleria mall, I saw the bookstore now turned CVS pharmacy. My ‘google’ search showed me another quite a stretch down Federal and way beyond what my stamina had to offer. It dawned on me that perhaps I should tell Mark our idea of trekking on feet home via either the Appalachian or PCT (Pacific Coast Trail) is not on my bucket list any longer. With minimal energy left in my phone, I contacted an ‘Uber’ to get me to the bookstore up the road. However, while she maneuvered several u-turns, my phone died and she gave up on me.

Once again, I doubled back and entered the Galleria mall otherwise now known as the arctic. Until you enter a shopping mall, in sweat saturated clothing do you first note how well dressed everyone else is and second how frigid it is inside. I contemplated listening to my mother’s voice in my head and purchase a cute sundress and head to the nearest restroom to change but the other voice, Mark’s rang louder. “I’m working”.

I headed straight to the ‘Apple’ store where I unplugged an iPad and plugged in my phone until I retrieved some green back in the battery. In short time, I was climbing into an immaculate Uber car and returning to Dad’s condo, booklets.

Back at the apartment, I went through the same boxes that I had the day before, the ones filled with the stuff carrying our belongings from the island. Boxes of our favourite cookware, cookbooks, books read and re-read, clothing, snorkelling gear and artwork. No much and pretty much identical to the things we brought five years earlier to the island.

Thankfully, our new home comes totally and beautifully furnished however it still looks like a shell. In no time flat with the addition of our artwork created by family members, cookbooks including splatter marks and the aromas of our first meal it will resemble our life and our style. With that inspiration and a hunger building up, I went online to place our first grocery order with ‘Instacart’ to be delivered to our new address the next morning. Another of my best creations was in production, a home.

While walking down the strip the next day, many thoughts and questions entered my head. Sometimes the things that go through it amaze me and Mark even more. Thankfully he entertains me by listening and more and more all the time by believing in them as well.

As I walked through the foyer, portico or entranceway of our new home, I was not recognized. What can I say, I clean up well. I followed the same hallway back and entered the antechamber of the sales department. My welcome from the receptionist was very different than it was just twenty-four hours earlier. With my new card key in hand, I headed up to our new home and next adventure dragging behind the luggage rack with our few belongings.

Making a house a home; that’s what I’m selling.

This story is fictional but I believed in it so much on my walk that I nearly made it a reality. The friends and family that I shared it with became believers as well and were slightly disappointed when I told them the truth. The truth is, the place we have chosen to make ‘our home’ is back in Wheatley. Our little home is perfect; the size, its potential and the fact that our few ‘worldly’ possessions fit into our ‘life’ and our ‘style’.

More updates on our life to come.

‘Our’ Life, ‘Our’ Style. "Life is not unlike cinema. Each scene has its own music, and the music is created for the scene, woven to it in ways we do not understand.

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