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fanfic-archive · 3 years

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New Tastes

Helmut Zemo X Female Reader

Summary: You were working along side Sam and Bucky, despite not having been an Avenger like them, when things led to you having to work with Zemo. He wasn’t what you expected, being much more welcoming and charming than they had led you to believe. One evening at his Latvian flat would change everything, you just didn’t know if it was for the better or worse.

Word Count: 2547

The four of you had returned to the flat in Riga just over an hour ago after a confrontation with some Flag Smashers. You had been hurt in the confrontation but that was too be expected and it really wasn’t anything to worry about. You had assured Bucky and Sam that you were fine, as if they hadn’t been hurt as well, telling them to just go to bed and get some rest. Once they were more convinced, telling you not to stay up too late and to get some proper rest, they disappeared into their rooms for the night.

With a sigh, you walked over to the kitchen. Zemo hadn’t gone to his room yet but the three of you had become comfortable enough around him to not worry about you being left alone with him. You trusted that he wouldn’t hurt any of you, you even trusted that he wouldn’t run just yet, but you couldn’t say that you were completely comfortable in his presence. Something about him put you on edge, you could feel when his eyes were on you, it made you feel warm, but you couldn’t explain his effect on you.

Zemo was sitting on the couch with a book in his hands, you just ignored him as you grabbed a bag of ice. You wrapped the ice in a towel before pressing it to the bruise along your cheekbone.

“Are you alright?” Zemo’s voice made you jump as you turned to him, he was now standing in the kitchen with you. You hadn’t heard him move or approach you.

“Uh, yeah” you nodded, hissing slightly as you turned away from him and pressed the ice to your cheek again. The bruise still tender.

“Do you need any help?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned for your wellbeing.

“No, I’m fine” you assured him with a sigh, turning back to the Baron as to not seem rude, even if you still couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Let me help” he moved closer. You don’t know what it was about him or the way he spoke, but you found it difficult to resist him.

“…fine” you were hesitant but allowed him to offer his assistance.

“Sit” Zemo ordered gently as he took the ice from your hand.

Doing as he said, you took a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen island. Zemo moved closer, casually standing between your legs. It was rare that you were left alone with Zemo, your two friends being a little protective over you, so this was the closest you had been to him and possibly the longest you had been alone with him.

Maybe that was why you couldn’t look up at him and meet his gaze, everything about him was just too intense. The way he looked at you, the way he spoke, even his cologne now that you were close enough to be enveloped by the scent. It was strong but not overwhelming, it was warm and comforting.

You were brought out of your thoughts when Zemo lightly gripped your chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting your face up so he could more clearly see your bruise. You just watched him as he iced your cheek.

“It’s a nasty bruise” Zemo commented, making you focus on his accent again. A sound you found near mesmerising. “But it should heal pretty quickly. You got off lightly considering you were dealing with Super Soldiers” he reminded you.

“You know” you breathed, unable to raise your voice any higher with him being so close to you.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” he asked, but you shook your head. It was a little bit of a lie, but you weren’t seriously hurt, just generally sore. “Are you sure?” he asked, not seeming completely convinced. You just nodded in response.

“Good” Zemo nodded, pulling the ice away from your cheek and placing it down on the island behind you. “Turkish Delight?” he offered.

“I’m not a child” you muttered, feeling like he was rewarding you for something even though you hadn’t done anything to solicit a reward.

“I never said you were. I was just offering you a Turkish Delight” he didn’t seem upset or amused with your comment, his expression remaining neutral.

“I’ve never actually had one” you confessed, neither accepting it nor turning it down.

“Then you must have one” he decided for you with a charming smile.

He reached for the vase that he kept his Turkish Delights in, taking one out before placing the vase down again. Unwrapping the candy, he held it between his fingers, you reached for it but only frowned as he pulled it away from you. Was he purposely messing with you?

Zemo raised an eyebrow at you before bringing the candy to your lips. You were stunned, silent and staring at him, unsure of how to react. But he was patient, waiting for a response rather than prying or backpaddling.

Slowly, you came to your sense, if you could call it that, and opened your mouth, letting him place the candy on your tongue. At this point it was fair to say that you were blushing pretty brightly, but you still ate the candy, trying to ignore the way he watched you as you accidently let out a small hum of approval.

“You like it?” he asked, already knowing the answer from your reaction.

“Yeah…it’s good” you nodded, finishing the candy.

“Do you want another?” he offered.

“Sure” you accepted, seeing why he was so fond of the treats. And so, Zemo gave you another in the same way as before, which you accepted with more ease.

“What else haven’t you had before?” Zemo asked curiously as you finished the second candy.

You found the question a little strange, not being sure how to answer it. There must have been plenty of answers to that question. But you thought about some of the things you had had for the first time since joining the three men in travelling to Riga.

“That expensive liquor of yours. Normally just settle for the bottle shelf stuff” you laughed lightly, attempting to ease the tension that surrounded the two of you, still trying to ignore how close he was. You didn’t want him to know how much it was affecting you, though you were sure that he already knew.

“That’s unacceptable” he tutted in disapproval. “Would you like a glass?” he asked.

“Sure” you nodded.

Zemo moved away from you, finally giving you the room to breathe. He rounded the island and fixed you both a drink. You watched him, admiring his side profile as he poured the drinks. Of course, it wasn’t long before he had returned to you, once again standing between your legs as he handed you one of the glasses.

“Prost” he smiled, raising his glass towards you slightly.

“…Prost” you repeated with a small smile of your own, clinking your glass against his.

Zemo watched you over the brim of his own glass as you both drank. “Better, no?” he asked, lowering his glass at the same time as you. “Better quality, better taste, smoother…but the burn is the same” he hummed, swirling the liquid around in his glass.

“The burn is better” you breathed, suddenly returning to the nervous, breathless state he had you in earlier. It seemed to earn a small smirk from the Baron.

“I’m glad you have been enjoying my hospitality” Zemo nodded, leaning towards you to place his drink down on the island behind you. Your breath hitched in your throat when you felt his breath fan against your ear, knowing that your face has heated up as he pulled away again.

“You’ve been very generous” you cleared your throat, placing your glass down beside his, following his lead before turning back to him.

“It’s the least I can do for the people who broke me out of prison” he shrugged.

“Bucky’s going to make sure you go back; you know that right?” you asked, wondering if he thought he could eventually escape you all.

“I will deal with James when the time comes” he assured you, seemingly not worried about future threats.

“You probably shouldn’t tell me that…” you advised him.

“You wouldn’t break my trust, would you?” Zemo asked, his head tilting to the side slightly. You just shook your head, once again being made a little speechless. Did he truly think that you wouldn’t share any concerns with Bucky and Sam? Did he think you would protect him? “How are you finding Riga?” before you could dwell on it any longer, he distracted your racing mind with a casual question.

“It’s nice…beautiful” you smiled softly. “I’m not a very worldly person…I’ve never actually been out of the States before” you admitted.

“That is a shame” he hummed thoughtfully. “There is a whole world out there for you to experience, and you deserve to experience it” he told you, gently pushing some stray hair out of your face.

“Is that so?” you asked with a quiet curiosity. “It almost sounds like a proposition” you commented, your gaze flickering around his face. He had you on the hook and you both knew it.

“And if it was?” Zemo asked, but you don’t know how to respond. Was it a real proposition? Was it some sort of trap? “There is so much to experience in this world, don’t you agree?” you simply nodded. “But what is the point if you don’t have somebody to experience it with?” he shifted closer to you and you allowed it, remaining still as he hooked his finger under your chin, giving you no choice but to look up at him.

“I…I don’t know” you shook your head slightly, but his hold on your chin made the movements subtle.

“There isn’t one” he informed you confidently, but kept his voice low, making the conversation feel intimate.

“And you want me to…accompany you?” you asked in disbelief.

“I would be honoured to have you join me, and it would be my pleasure to show you what you’ve been missing” Zemo nodded. “There are so many things to experience, let me show them to you” he was impossibly close to you now, his thumb stroking over your bottom lip.

“…okay” you whispered, gaze flickering to his mouth before meeting his eyes again, “show me.”

With your prompting, Zemo’s hand moved from under your chin to cup your jaw, leaning closer to you. You instinctively lent into him; your eyes fluttering shut as his lips brushed against yours. Fully closing the space between you, Zemo caught your lips in a kiss. You returned the kiss instantly, having accepted where this was leading a little while ago and craving it for even longer.

Zemo brought his body even closer, touching yours, as his free hand slid up your waist to rest at the bottom of your ribs. Allowing yourself to just let go and experience the moment, you slipped your arms around his neck, helping him shift closer yet again.

You knew that you shouldn’t be doing this, you knew who he was, but maybe that was why it lit such a fire in you. Even with the knowledge of this being wrong, you lost yourself in the sensations. His body pressed against yours, his mouth on yours, his hands on you body, his hair between your fingers. Just for a moment you were able to forget about everything going on with the Flag Smashers, about what Sam and Bucky would have to say if they caught you, even about who Zemo was.

Tilting his head slightly, Zemo deepened the kiss, making you hum into his mouth. You could taste the liquor he had been drinking, mixing with the sweetness of the Turkish Delights. It was addictive, as was he.

You didn’t even hear it, too lost in the man before you, but the sound of a door opening had Zemo swiftly but casually pulling away from you. You watched him, bitten lips parted, left breathless on the stool as he walked around the island, picking up his half empty glass like nothing had happened.

Your attention turned to Sam as he walked into the room, nervously turning to face the kitchen island and busying yourself with your own unfinished drink.

“Y/n, are you alright?” Sam asked with a small frown, noticing your flushed face.

“Yeah, ‘course” you nodded, not even able to look him in the eyes as you took a drink, focusing on the burn in your throat.

“Leave her alone” your friend warned Zemo sternly before crossing the room, for whatever it was that he had come for.

Bringing the glass back to your lips, you looked up through your lashes to see Zemo already looking at you, drinking from his own glass. You blushed further at his attention but still didn’t break eye contact, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

Thinking back over your experience with the Baron, you realised that if you hadn’t known who he was you never would have worried about him. He had been nothing but kind to you, often being a refreshing break when Sam and Bucky were bickering, he was generous and helpful.

Finally, you broke eye contact, shaking the thoughts from your mind. Yes, all of that was true, but he was an intelligent man, it could all be an act. But then again, what did he gain from messing with you?

Sam grabbed his laptop, shooting Zemo a glare as he left the room again. The sound of his bedroom door clicking shut being the only thing to break the silence.

“I think you should get some rest; we have more work to do tomorrow” Zemo spoke, one hand gently wrapping around your wrist as his other took the glass from your grip. You just looked up at him with a dumbfounded look, as he placed the glass down on the island that he was leaning over to reach you. You nodded and he released your wrist.

Once he let go of you, you stood from your seat, clearing your throat as you straightened out your clothes. “Goodnight” you mumbled, nodding at him politely before turning to head towards the bedrooms.

“Y/n” his voice stopped you, making you turn back to him, only to see him standing right in front of you. “Goodnight” his hands gently rested on your arms as he lent down, pressing a kiss to your forehead before stepping away from you, “sleep well.”

Once again stunned by the Baron, you turned and left the room quickly while trying not to look like you were rushing. He had told you to sleep well but you didn’t, you lay in the comfortable bed of his Latvian flat, staring at the ceiling while your mind ran wild with thoughts and images of Zemo. You didn’t know what had led to the moment you both shared only minutes earlier, you didn’t know why you felt this way for him, this urge to be near him, but you just couldn’t shake it. All you really knew was that it wouldn’t end here, if Zemo had something planned, it was going to play out until its natural conclusion. Whatever that may be.

#Baron Zemo x reader #Helmut Zemo x reader #Zemo x reader #helmut zemo #zemo #baron zemo #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws

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justpevensies · 3 years

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Golden (Part 2)

Blurb: “You’re so... golden”.

A/N: Part 2 to Golden, I hope you all enjoy! (Read Part 1 here)

A year had passed since that blissful, loving summer night of the ball. You carried on with your duties as a royal advisor, you carried on all of your day to day hobbies, interests and passions, you embraced every beautiful day that you got to experience in the kingdom of Narnia either by exploring the woods or enjoying the beach - those parts of your life remained normal. The main difference was you were not doing any of it alone or with “friends” anymore. You had a companion: King Edmund.

The two of you held “conflicting passions” in that you both enjoyed adventurous activities such as sword-fighting, horse riding and exploring the forest... yet you both were just as joyful cooped up in Edmund’s library reading with cups of tea. While the two of you sometimes did these past-times together previously, now it was unnatural to see the two of you seperated.

Neither of you had to confess it but - to you and Edmund - it felt unnatural now doing these pasttimes without their significant other. You found happiness in life but you found joy in each other.

It was the two of you and it was perfect.

Over the last year, Edmund and you had dedicated your time together not as an oppurtunity to just “hang out” but to bond. To learn about each other, to grow in your love, to trust one another. It was policy between the two of you that there would never be an unshared secret, no story untold. You both just wanted complete honesty with no worries or shame to trouble either of you.

It was on one night - sitting in a pillow and blanket fort that the two of you built in Edmund’s Cair Paravel bedroom - that you both realised how serious it was.

Exchanging stories about your past, Edmund gazed you as you spoke about your childhood. As you reminisced, he could see the love you had for your family and friends at home but that you brought that same gentle and kind spirit into Narnia with you. At one point you began to talk about your grandfather and as you described playing with him as a little girl, the penny dropped in Edmund’s head: you were the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Some of Edmund’s stories from his life were slightly darker than some of yours as he recounted his experiences living in the war in London. He had spoken of his first days in Narnia in the Witch’s captivity too - the latter taking him a while to actually open up out of fear. However you encouraged him, reminding him of the promise the two of you made about honesty and that around you he had nothing to fear.

It was when Edmund was actually telling a story about his mother and how she would buy him Turkish Delight if she could ever find it in the shops that you had your revelation. Even though he was happy and at peace in Narnia and he had the most wonderful siblings in the world... at heart he still wanted to be loved and to know that he was cared for. He most definetely could defend himself and he was extremely courageous but he just wanted to feel wanted. Not only that, he had so much joy and love in his heart that he hadn’t truly discovered until he came to Narnia and he wanted to give it to someone.

You just wanted to be there for him all of the time. You wanted to love him for all that was, is and would become.

The day soon came that marked a year since your first Narnian ball, since you and Edmund first got your shared feelings out in the open. It was an anniversary for both of you - one that you both were excited about. You hadn’t planned anything too special but it was to be a day you were certain that you’d cherish.

Both of you dealt with your business and duties for the day, occasionally taking little moments and breaks to meet discreetly and have a conversation - some topics of the day included what you had read the night before and some sarcastic humour from Ed - before taking the afternoon to go riding through the kingdom. The leaves were a gorgeous shade of green, there was a rainbow shimmering over the waterfall of the Great River, all of life was in full bloom. Later you both rode to the beach at the foot of the cliffs on which the castle was built and, like children, splashed in the sea and sand.

That night, instead of dinner with the rest of the royal court, Edmund treated you to a quiet dinner in his chambers. Very rarely was there a moment at dinner when you two could be alone and it was a moment in time that you both appreciated so dearly. After chatting, wining and dining, the two of you strolled hand in hand downstairs to the balcony overlooking the beach, where everything began a year before.

The scene looked all too familiar. The sun was setting, the warm breeze rustled through your hair and graced over your skin, it was a glorious summer night.

“Why don’t we call for some music and we could dance?” Edmund whispered to you, as you felt his smirk due to his face being so close to yours.

“I’m actually loving the peace right now Ed if I’m honest” you replied with a chuckle before Edmund nodded with agreement. He wrapped his arm around your waist and held you close as you both gazed over the horizon. It felt as if the whole world was at your feet and both of you felt so content.

“(Y/N)?” Edmund broke the silence after a little while, using his arm wrapped around you to spin you to face him. You looked up at him worried, his voice sounded rather serious.

“I need to talk to you about something” Edmund started before correcting himself, “In fact I need to ask you something”.

You looked at him intently before he began to speak.

“Well, you know the journey we’ve been on over the last year. It’s been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced - I’ve known anyone like you before. You are compassionate, generous, welcoming, you are a saint. I already appreciated having you around because you were intelligent and courageous but now...” Edmund had to pause before continuing, worried his voice would crack up. “Now, you have become so irreplacable to me”.

Your breath hitched in your throat, you didn’t know how to react to his words. You had a feeling where he was going with this but you didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

“I admire every aspect of you, physically, but personally you have been a saving grace. You have set an example to me on how to live a life that is full of peace and joy. My brother and sisters have felt your impact but I can only speak from my own experience. Even at that I can’t describe how much you’ve impacted me and how much I love you-”. At that, Edmund cracked up and a tear ran down his face.

You were trying to hold it back when he whispered “Sorry”, quickly wiping it away, before you assured him with a quick “It’s alright”.

“I already felt the impact of Aslan’s sacrifice for me, how it redeemed me, how it made me change who I was completely. But you’ve helped me live that out, through my role as king and with anyone I meet. You encourage me in all that I do and you right me if I’m wrong. You have accepted me for who I am, even with all my past faults and, for that, I will eternally adore you”. At that, Edmund fell down onto one knee and you immediately felt tears beginning to run down your face.

“Can I say “Yes” just now?” You asked before Edmund chuckled.

“(Y/N), would you be willing to spend the rest of your life with me... and marry me?” Edmund asked before you immediately replied with the biggest smile to have graced your face. “Of course, I will”.

Standing up, the next few minutes were wrapped in Edmund’s strong embrace and filled with constant kisses, “Thank you”s, “I love you”s and some more tears.

Edmund looked at you with true adoration, holding you as close as possible to his chest. It was at this moment that the two of you knew the true meaning of love. You would never have been able to define it before but now you knew it by heart.

Love was something shared between two people, and it was so strong neither of them could doubt it. Real love shines like sunlight, as beautiful as the sunset on the horizon - full of different colours and elements all based on the hearts, minds and souls of the two it was shared between. You were never sure if you’d ever find love like that, like the kind you had read of in fairytales, long before you ever came to Narnia. However, at this moment you discovered that you had truly found it, grabbed it with both hands and did not dream of letting it go.

Both Edmund and you knew what true love was like, it was like this. It was golden.

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binzie3 · 2 years

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Adventure Towards Uncertainty: A Personal Reflection

It's been an exciting ride!

The year 2020 has been a difficult time for my personal experience in adapting, managing, and surviving the chaos I created within the university as an attempt to experiment with my life and test my abilities and limits. It is the time in my life when I need to chase my biggest dreams, seize opportunities, and radiate the self that I am unaware of. Over the course of a year, I discovered many things about myself that dictate how I am to others: a soft, delicate human being with a distinct attitude that appears unfit, unlikable, and somewhat 'fake.' Above all, I saw myself as a stagnant human being with no abilities or talent, and I regarded myself as a useless asset to others. My lack of enthusiasm for everything, combined with my introverted personality, makes me an easy target for manipulation and blame, which has a constant negative impact on my mental and social well-being. It was difficult to believe I made it through the first semester with all of the chaos, as well as the anxieties and depression I endured in order to make things appear normal and alright. I may have a few friends — friends from my first year of college, old friends from senior high school, and a finger-counted friends I knew could be trusted [somehow] — to lean on for my worries and fears, as well as a warm companion against the cold social environment I'm living in. It was a truly difficult moment for me.

I chose myself over everything in the middle of the year. I'm not sure if it sounds optimistic, but the pandemic is a gift to me. It took a long time for me to reflect on things I'd done in the past, make better decisions, and recover my mental health from toxic relationships with colleagues and the course itself. I may have heated debates with my parents about my academic situation, but my desire to think of myself rather than their own intentions for me is something I am proud of, which led me to realize that they chose my failed future over my mental health. A future based solely on my narcissism and egocentric approach to everything. A future strewn with white lies. A future with so much exclusivity and rivalry that inept people are no longer nurtured, educated, or guided in the field. A future of self-centeredness and arrogance. I was blinded by a mask that revealed the polar opposite of who I truly am: a mediocre learner, an unskilled and untalented individual. My insecurities are triggered by the fact that I don't have anything unique about myself, a person who has difficulty in identifying characteristics that distinguish him from others. It was a huge revelation for me. It was like forcing yourself to be someone else so that everyone would like you for something you are not, and I'd been this person for nearly 20 years. It was tiring.

I killed him for the time being. In order to show my real identity, I rejected the reputation and the ego I'd built over the years. I've never felt more liberated and content in my life. It just feels so good to be true to yourself without the fear of being judged or of others' expectations dictating what I should've done or been doing. It feels better to me to know that I am in control of my life. I can exert control over what is within my grasp and say 'no' when necessary. I ended 2020 with a lot of learning and realization from my mistakes, which I saw as life risks, and most importantly, the darkness taught me hard lessons about life, and getting out of them means I found myself.

From taking risks to freeing oneself, I described the year 2021 as an adventure towards uncertainty. I'm not sure where I was going at this point because I got lost in the tracks. I'd already broken a false dream that had guided my path for many years. To put it simply, I'm starting from scratch; I'm going back to zero but this time, I drew inspiration from all of my mistakes. I remember a Turkish proverb that said that if someone took the wrong path, no matter how far he'd gone, he could always turn back. This quotation speaks to me because I saw myself heading down the wrong path in my life. I'm pursuing a career that isn't truly worthy, and success on this course hasn't truly defined my capabilities which can prove that I am something exceptional and a great asset. After all, I have a weak soul. I don't think I have the courage to put what I've learned in this course into practice, and the knowledge I've gained isn't enough to impress people who are experts in this field. To put it mildly, I'm a failure with flaws. I'm tired of pretending to be strong, both physically and mentally. Elite students have bullied and mistreated me in the past. It had to be stopped because, in the end, I knew it would make me pity myself. So, I had this life-changing decision that I had to burn bridges with my past and forget everything. I may have done something bad but it felt so good at the same time, to recover toxicity in my personal and social life. I made the decision to restart my future because it is the only way for me to keep moving and trying. For the first time in my life, I listen to my parents. They were right about my future after all these years, but I didn't take it as seriously as I should have. It just proves how bad I am as a child who only care about himself. I am a selfish kid. Now, I regard them as my guide, mentor, and savior during one of the darkest periods of my life.

I return stronger, wiser, and harder in the nick of time. Even though I didn't like the course I was taking, I knew it would lead me to a greater victory than I had anticipated. I'm just going with the flow of the Universe right now. I let the Heaven above guide my life and wherever it leads me because I have complete faith in Him. "Trust the process," as the saying goes. Still, there is apprehension about the possibility of unforeseen circumstances interfering with or altering my course of action. No matter what, I need to show them that I'm content with what I've accomplished so far, even if it means I'm a little late in life. It makes no difference. There is no such thing as an impossibility as long as I keep trying. I guess the one thing I can be proud of right now is that I made it through the first semester of my new course with the help and guidance of these wonderful people who are willing to take the time to answer my questions as I learn about things I didn't know about. The willingness to accept myself in their environment as if I were one of them is truly inspiring. It appears that every student has the opportunity to stand out on their own, given enough time. There is no competition, only survival. I wish I'd found them sooner!

Making decisions for yourself and your future is difficult because they involve financial considerations, the effort required to complete your chosen course, the length of time before any sort of completion, and the sweet taste of graduation. The real issue in my journey isn't taking risks in my studies or complaining about their negative behavior toward me; it's realizing that the path I'm on isn't right anymore and, at the same time, discovering my true self over my pride and ego and cutting off things that wasn’t within my control and circle. I'm unsure about anything ahead of my path because I consider myself a new learner and a beginner, and it's my goal to overcome new challenges and hurdles with the help of all the mistakes I've made in the past. I guess that is the beauty of taking the road less traveled by; in its path, there are obstacles that block the way, wild weeds and twigs that can hurt ourselves, and road cracks and holes that can trip us over, but as long as we are determined to achieve something, no matter what it is, I must say that we have made ourselves a strong individual. After all, I have the most valuable asset within me and the reason I am still alive: myself, and still choosing myself.

My 2021 is an adventure into the unknown, and I'm excited about what 2022 has in store for me. I'm ready!

#personal #reflection #vent #new year #2021 #happy new year #first time #positive life #mental health #i choose myself #this is me trying #we can make this together #i survived

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emperorsfoot · 4 years

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I’ve posted about this before, but it’s time to go off on the Ben 10 arc that I hold deepest in my heart.

The Ultimate Kevin arc of Ultimate Alien

Let’s begin with how Kevin became Ultimate Kevin.

The Defeat of Aggregor

Aggregor was the main villain for the first two seasons of Ultimate Alien. We went through two arcs with him. One where our heroes had to protect his alien prisoners from being re-captured (a task they consistently failed at in every episode), and then after Aggregor re-captured them and absorbed their powers, the Map of Infinity arc where they had to stop Aggregor from collecting all the pieces of a map that would guide him to the Forge of Creation where the “ultimate prize” was (another task they consistently failed at in every episode).

Aggregor got all his aliens, and he got all his map pieces, and he made it to the Forge of Creation, and he had beaten Ben!OS, Ben!AF/UA, and Gwen into submission. Our heroes were not doing well. Kevin and Ben!OS were the only ones even still conscious and Ben!OS’ Omnitrix was timed out and non-active.

So, Ben comes up with a plan.

He offered the power of his Omnitrix to Kevin in order to defeat Aggregor.

This is a very jarring moment because, remember, THIS version of Ben has only ever known Kevin as an enemy and not someone to be trusted. But he also recognizes that his other self and Gwen were both unconscious and unable to do anything. He himself is unable to do anything because without his Omnitrix, he’s just a tiny little 10-year-old kid. But Ben recognizes that Kevin can do something if he uses his Osmosian powers to absorb the Omnitrix.

So, he offers that power to Kevin.

That’s very important.

As we move forward in this post (and all my rants about this arc, to be honest), I want you all to remember: Ben offered Kevin the Omnitrix.

Kevin has his misgivings and refuses at first. The reasons for this should be obvious, but I’ll list them for you anyway:

Kevin loses his mind when he absorbs too much power

Absorbing a lot of power overloads an Osmosian’s mind and they lose their sanity

If Kevin absorbed and Omnitrix, any Omnitrix, he will cease to be himself

Do all three of those sound like the same thing to you? Good. They should. It’s very important to this essay, so I had to say it three times. Kevin does not want to absorb the Omnitrix or the Ultimatrix because Kevin does not want to lose his mind. Kevin does not want to lose the stable life he’s built for himself. Kevin does not want to lose the healthy relationship he has with his mother. Kevin does not want to lose the friends he has made. Kevin does not want to lose the love he has found with Gwen.

Kevin has everything to lose by following Ben’s plan and absorbing an Omnitrix.

But, Kevin has even more to lose if Aggregor absorbs the power of a god and can un-make the universe.

Realizing the necessity, Kevin, accepts this plan, but goes for his Ben’s Ultimatrix instead.

He absorbed the Ultimatrix, as was Ben’s plan and becomes Ultimate Kevin. This gives him the power needed to defeat Aggregor.

The universe is saved! Whoo hoo!

The universe is saved and Kevin was the one who saved it.

Ben didn't save the universe. Kevin did.

It was Kevin.

Kevin is the hero here.

But at great personal cost.

He’s now off his nut. He even says, out right, very clearly, in plain words, that he could absorb all of his friends right now. Both Bens and even Gwen. He could even do what Aggregor was trying to do and absorb the Celestialsapien and become a god.

No one can stop him. They’re all still too weak from having their asses handed to them by Aggregor.

Everyone is 100% at Kevin’s mercy. And they all know it.

But Kevin doesn’t absorb anyone. He doesn’t absorb either of the Bens. He doesn’t absorb Gwen. He doesn’t absorb the baby god-alien that’s right there.

Instead, he leaves. He has just barely enough control of himself to do it. But he does it. Because he just sacrificed -literally- everything else he has in the universe to save these idiots.

Cue the wrap-up. Professor Paradox sends Ben!OS back to his own time, and Ben and Gwen wonder what’s gonna become of Kevin now that he’s... changed...?

And that leads us into the next segment:

Trying to Convince Us Kevin is an Unforgivable Monster

So now we have an arc of Kevin being a villain again.

Sure. I’m down.

I love a good “good guy turned bad” arc. It... does things for me...

But, the very first episode of the “prove Kevin is evil” arc only shows us that he’s not evil at all. All it does is show us that Kevin Levin has had one of the hardest and most unfair lives of any character from the Ben 10 franchise.

Let’s begin.

The Episode opens in the Null Void in a prison called Incarcercon, and introduces the characters that are going to be important for this episode. Two convicts, Trukk and Quince, and the Warden, Morgg. We’ll come back to them.

Then it cuts to our “heroes” Ben and Gwen.

And Ben is already on his “Kevin needs to go down” bullshit.

They are desperate to find Kevin. Gwen, to help him and return him to some version of sanity and normalcy. Ben, to beat the shit out of him and “stop” him like any other villain in his rogues gallery.

After this conversation we learn that Kevin has actually hurt someone, so he’s not completely innocent.

This Guy ^

Whom we have never seen before and we will never see again.

According to This Guy, Kevin claimed he owed him money and then attacked him, and Kevin’s into some pretty sketch stuff so I’m willing to believe that. Sure.

But Kevin also, right now, has the power to fly through space, race the Rust Bucket, rip into Plumbers bases, somehow get to the Null Void, and a whole bunch of other stuff. He could kill an average earthling with a sneeze, and this guy looks like an average earthling to me. I’m honestly skeptical Kevin actually hurt him at all and he didn’t just see Kevin, get scared, and trip down some stairs.

But whatever.

The testimonial from This Guy, whom we have never seen before and will never see again, bolsters Ben’s resolve. “Kevin must be stopped, no matter the cost!” (<--Optimis Prime voice)

So, where in the universe is Kevin Levin?

You guessed it! He’s in Incarcercon that was already explained to us at the beginning of the episode!

One of the other inmates approaches him because he thinks he recognizes him. Kevin is his normal abrasive self. Ben and Gwen teleport into the prison. Then we get a flashback to Kevin’s past to explain his motivations for coming to this prison in the middle of the Null Void.

This was the prison Kevin was sent to when he was just 11 years old. (I have more comments to make on that, but that’s a whole other post!) And it’s the place where -objectively his best- father figure was murdered.

Y’all remember in the OS how Ben finally “defeated” Kevin was to trap him in the Null Void, right?

Welp, once he was in the Null Void, they went even further and locked him up in the alien equivalent of a Turkish prison.

The flashback opens up with Kevin being attacked by multiple other inmates at once.

The fight is seen by two other inmates, Quince, the one we already met in the present who approached Kevin,

and Kwarrel.

Kwarrel approaches Kevin and offers to help him.

And thus, Kevin Ethan Levin gets the first positive father figure he’s had in his life. (At the age of 11, but once again, that’s another post.)

Kwarrel teaches Kevin how to channel his anger, control his powers and... TURN BACK FROM A MUTANT INTO A REAL BOY!

Oops. Sorry. Wrong image.

Here you go.

We also learn why Kwarrel wasn’t there at the beginning of Alien Fore when we run into Kevin again.

He dead.

He super dead.

He murdered.

Shot in the back by Warden Morgg, the current Warden of the prison Kevin has snuck into. Kevin has come back now that he’s Ultimate Kevin and has all these extra powers, so that he can avenge his father-figure’s murder.

That really does not sound all that villainous to me.

Morally questionable, yes. But not “evil”.

Kevin want’s justice, not senseless mayhem.

Ben and Gwen expose a slave labor and drug smuggling plot. The corrupt Warden is defeated. Ben and Gwen are the heroes. Kevin escapes. End Episode. Okay.

Let’s keep it moving.

Next episodes begins yet again with the supporting characters that are going to be important in this episode, before cutting to Ben and Gwen.

Ben is still on his “Kevin’s gotta go down” bullshit.

Then Argit practically jumps in front of their car and explains that Kevin is after him. The main conflict of this episode is Ben and Gwen protecting Argit from Kevin. (There’s also a subplot of the Vreedle brothers becoming Plumbers, and Argit trying to scam a Plumbers base, but this post is about Kevin, not them.)

Argit, of course, played the innocent victim. Gwen does mention that Argit has betrayed not only Kevin, but both her and Ben in the past and asks why they should help him. But they end up helping him anyway.

Trying to protect Argit from Kevin who wants to murder him now.

The thing is... the first time we met Argit, he paralyzed Kevin (and Ben and Gwen), and tries to steal the Rust Bucket 2.

He also sold Ben, Gwen, and Kevin out to the Vreedle brothers.

Kevin finally breaks off his friendship with Argit in “Andreas’ Fault” of Ultimate alien, when Kevin witnesses his treatment of Andreas (one of the prisoners of Aggregor).

In this very episode where Argit is the “victim”, Argit is trying to defraud the Plumbers.

So, while Ultimate Kevin trying to kill him is very extreme, for sure! I don't think it’s all that “evil” considering the history they have.

Once again, Kevin wants justice, not mayhem.

Obviously, this is a kids show and so some black and white morality is to be expected. Killing is wrong and so if Kevin wants to kill someone then he is wrong.

I just don’t think he’s acting “irredeemably evil”.

Certainly, he’s not acting bad enough to earn him a death sentence of his own!

Which is exactly what Ben tries to do to him in the third and final part of this arc.

Operation Kevin Must DIE!

#I think I reached the post limit #to be continued #tbc #part 2 coming soon!#ben 10 #ultimate alien #ultimate kevin #kevin levin #kevin 11 #kevin 11000 #forge of creation #nor iron bars a cage #kwarrel #argit #gwen tennyson #it's 3 am #I'm so tird #I'll probably finish this tomorrow

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moonlayl · 3 years

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So I’ve been thinking, how did the writers manage to make Sam not interesting enough to be the main character? Like it was obvious at first that that was what they were going for, but why didn’t it stick? Why did most people not find him main character material? It’s always been a question on my mind, but I never really knew how to answer it. Why was he not interesting to me? It wasn’t until recently that I figured it out. (Note: this isn't entirely Sam Winchester friendly. I’m criticizing the writing for his character)

A few weeks ago I began watching a turkish show. The main character’s story and background is VERY similar to Sam’s. He’s the youngest brother, there’s a family business involved in guns, violence, and helping people, the main character wants nothing to do with it and decides to go to college when he’s 18. His father tells him if he steps out of the door, he can’t ever come back. Years later something bad happens to the dad and the protagonist returns and joins the family business. Except, he’s my favourite character. That’s not case with Sam, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized the writers simply didn’t know how to write Sam and keep him interesting.

Here’s a few things that the turkish writers did to establish him as an interesting main character, who’s also a fan favourite.

1.) He actually got to show off his smarts and use his education. He wasn’t smart because he went to college, or because (in Sam’s case) good at research/enjoys doing it. No, we actually got to see him using his brain. He would come up with schemes and plans in the family business that would leave their enemies speechless. He would notice patterns that no one else does. (Sounds like Dean...) While everyone he knew were stuck on problem A, he would be on problem C, already having solved the previous two. He had contingency plans, and was great at problem solving, but NEVER used that to show off he was better than anyone else (except that one time one of his brothers were angry because they thought his plan wouldn’t work and he was smug when it did). He also got to use his degree in chemistry. He uses his scientific knowledge to come up with his plans and to help him and we SEE that. Sam was pre-law and that was the end of it until one episode in season 7. And I know it may sound like the protagonist could be “too smart” which is unrealistic and made to make him seem like a cool protagonist, but that’s not the case. he does make mistakes. He does get things wrong, and he asks for advice from his friends or brothers. He’s smart, not just book smart, but he also isn’t the only guy with brains (that cliche trope is annoying). Others contribute too, and we SEE that. Yes, he would be considered the smartest (more clever) but it isn’t written in a forced way. It doesn’t take away from the other characters.

2.) He’s still fun. Yes he’s serious. Yes he’s smart, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have other qualities. I don’t know what the SPN writers were thinking but someone with no silly habits, who NEVER acts in an immature way (which is completely normal) and everything about them is tied to them being a “nerd” like Sam is boring and it’s unrealistic. That protagonist is the younger brother, and we see that. Not just in one episode with the pranks like in SPN, but we continuously see it. He and his brothers tease each other and play games. He is obsessed with music and always listening to it. He and his siblings argue a lot over music and act like children sometimes, which is great. He sometimes plays soccer or games with lonely kids to make them feel better. he sometimes sings with friends and his brothers. He jokes around with them. He just radiates chaotic energy at times, and we’re all like that. Even the most serious people have their moments, and the turkish show makes sure to acknowledge that. SPN does that with Dean, but never with Sam. Sam was just boring to be honest. He was never fun or funny. Just your typical nice guy that went to college. He (to me) didn’t have any traits that jumped out.

3.) The main character in the turkish show struggled. When the last time you did something you were still a kid and you haven’t done it in years, it makes sense to struggle and to make mistakes. Sam didn’t seem to be that way though. Like he immediately began hunting again. He grieved Jess, which added a bit if depth to his character but ultimately he was just really good at hunting and never seemed to have proper struggles. To me that doesn’t really work. The character from the other show clearly struggled. he hated having to hurt people (even to save lives) and they actually showed you that. We would see him sometimes having flashbacks, flinching, nightmares, sweating, etc... Sam struggled with visions, true, but that’s because they were entirely new and they didn’t know much about them, so it’s different. I don’t know but seeing the protagonist struggling and fighting to not actually join the family business made him a compelling character. Like he was at war with both sides. with Sam, it seemed like the only reason he didn’t want to do certain things in s1 was due to him being pissed at his dad. Not wanting to follow his orders. Even him wanting a normal life was kind of erased after a bit because he lost Jess. he seemed like a child wanting to do things his way, whereas in the turkish show, the protagonist was seen as an outsider wanting to improve the way things were. That was the difference.

4.) Kindness and compassion. “Sam is really compassionate” except for the longest time his compassion was the “fake one” he used to get victims to trust him. Like maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t really recall an instance where he was actually genuinely comforting someone (a stranger) NOT in a way to gather more info? Didn’t they even say it? He’s the type to get people to trust him and open up, but it was more of an act? Dean on the other hand, sometimes took time off from doing something important to try to talk or comofrt a kid or someone. After or before a case. The turkish character had that as well. He wouldn’t compromise a kid for the job, and sometimes despite him being very busy, he would help the elderly just because he wanted to, not for anything else. He would play with children, spend time with people, be willing to listen to anyone’s problems. I always felt like Sam lacked that.

5.) The way he treated his brothers. I know Sam had a falling out with his dad, which is why he never contacted him for four years, but I don’t understand why he (and their dad) dragged Dean into that mess. Why Sam decided to cut contact with Dean as well. To the point where Dean felt like breaking into his house was the only way to get him to listen. There was a four year difference between them. From what we’re constantly told, they were really close. So It doesn’t add up for me. In the turkish show however, (the main character has three brothers) all three brothers were much older than him. The closest one to his age was older by about ten years. He was actually constantly lonely. He never had friends or went to an actual school, and his brothers never wanted anything to do with him because he was so much younger. In fact, they constantly used to make fun of him and gang up on him (keep in mind they were three and all teenagers was he was in preschool). So when he got older and they would just bully him, he finally left and didn’t contact them due to that. Because they never treated him like their younger brother. We know that’s not the case with Sam and Dean because Dean was Sam’s protector (which is unfair to him but that’s a whole other thing). Anyway this point just kind of always annoyed me about Sam.

Anyway, just some thoughts. I feel like they used Sam’s story and plot but gave the character some characteristics that Dean had, lol. My biggest problem is just how bland Sam is. Seriously. He’s just there. His anger made him a bit interesting for a few seasons, and him not wanting to follow his dad’s orders,but that was quickly turned against Dean. Those traits became things he used against Dean, which just added to my frustration and dislike to Sam’s character. The Turkish character also seemed to dislike when one of his brothers blindly followed an order from their dad, but he was understanding. He seemed to understand where they were coming from and never used it as an insult or belittled them for it. he was kind to his siblings and treated them well (even when they sometimes didn’t deserve it). Whereas Sam doesn’t treat dean in a good way even when Dean deserves it.

#dean winchester deserves better #spn #supernatural #dean winchester deserved better #sam winchester critical #sam critical #meta #no really though #spn thoughts #thoughts #dean winchester #the clown show #yamac kocovali #anti dabb #anti dabb and co #spoilers #anti sam stans

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lizacstuff · 3 years

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Hi, I have just started watching SCK and I am already obsessed with it! I hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions. The episodes are 2 hours 20 mins approx compared to US and UK shows, how do they manage to do that every week, it must be insane hours for them. Is this normal running time for Turkish dramas? Any idea when the season will close, I saw it mentioned that Saturdays episode will be the last for a month, how many episodes are there in a season?

Sorry another query. The American shows normally run for approx 8 months (with small breaks in between) then are on hiatus for 4 months, is it the same with Turkish TV industry What was the relevance of Efe collapsing the roof on his friends house, was it to bring out the Eda story of her parents into the public, is this something that will be playing out later, when Grandma arrives. The arrival of the new woman is so cliche, Blindspot bombed when they did that, I guess it's the format!

Hello there. I also enjoy Blindspot! But I still haven’t watched the final season, I need to get on that, maybe over the holidays.

Happy to answer your questions as best I can. This is my first Turkish dizi, so I’ve been learning along the way, all to say I’m by no means an expert.

The episodes are 2 hours 20 mins approx compared to US and UK shows, how do they manage to do that every week,

They shoot at a breakneck pace. The cast and crew post a ton on social and if you follow any of that on instagram and twitter you’ll see that they’re constantly shooting until 2 or 3 in the morning. Kerem and Hande recently answered an ask in an IGLive about how long it takes to film one episode. They said 4-6 days. Kerem was a bit tetchy about it towards TPTB, so they obviously feel the strain on how much they’re working and producing. In the US, a standard network hour-long drama takes 8+1 days to shoot (meaning 8 full days and 1 of second unit shooting usually done while they’re shooting another episode) and that’s for about 44 minutes of content.

So how do they do it? Just from watching the show I’ve observed a few things. First, while the episodes are almost 3 times as long, the scenes are also much longer than you’d find in a US produced show. So for instance a scene in a US show might take 2 minutes of screentime, in SCK that same scene might be 6-8 minutes. But it doesn’t take 3-4x longer to shoot to get those 6-8 minutes because it’s all one set up and all one scene.

Additionally, from what I can tell, everything is shot on location, no sound stages, and they have a finite number of locations per episode. So they’ll go in and shoot all the scenes at ArtLife for that ep in one set up, all at Serkan’s house in one set up, all at Eda’s house in one set up, all at Aydan’s house in one set up, and then all at the speciality location(s) for that episode in one set up. So they’re not doing huge set ups to get one shot or one scene like you see on uber high-production value US shows. Also everything is mostly dialogue based, very little action, no effects, so it’s pretty straight forward. No time consuming stunts.

Also I don’t think the actors get near as many takes as they do on US-based shows. I think they get the scene and move on, no re-dos to improve one emotional reaction and the like. Thankfully the actors are great. Usually the production value is pretty decent despite this, there have been a few locations where I’ve noticed bad lighting or cramped camera angles, where they are obviously just making due, and that would not fly on a US network show.

it must be insane hours for them. Is this normal running time for Turkish dramas?

Yes, that seems to be the standard timing format for shows in Turkey. What’s crazy to me is that they are shooting episodes only like a week out from the air date. That is next level pressure.

Any idea when the season will close, I saw it mentioned that Saturdays episode will be the last for a month, how many episodes are there in a season?

I’d seen speculation about that, but then I heard they were only breaking for a week. I haven’t seen anything official. The latest news I’ve seen is that they are trying to shoot episode 24 before the break. In Turkey, the big holiday is New Years, so I think episode 24 may air on December 26, then no episode on Jan 2nd, then back on Jan 9th. As a note, I’d also heard there would be no ep on Dec 26th and then ep 24 airing on Jan 2nd, so we’ll see how it turns out. In this scenario the cast/crew will only get like 4 days off.That sucks for them, I was hoping they were actually going to get at least two weeks off before coming back. However, we’ll see, it all seems oddly speculative.

Sorry another query. The American shows normally run for approx 8 months (with small breaks in between) then are on hiatus for 4 months, is it the same with Turkish TV industry

It seems to vary. I talked a little bit about it in this post.

What was the relevance of Efe collapsing the roof on his friends house, was it to bring out the Eda story of her parents into the public, is this something that will be playing out later, when Grandma arrives.

Efe did not mean to cause that level of destruction. He was so panicked after it happened, because that wasn’t his intention. As for his motives, remember earlier that episode he had told Serkan he wanted to review Serkan’s drawings of the house and Serkan was like, “HARD PASS.” Efe was pissed, so I think he was trying to teach Serkan a lesson, that he’s not infallible and that if he had consulted with his partner and let his partner see the drawings it probably wouldn’t have happened (you know second set of eyes.) I think Efe hoped it would make Serkan lose confidence and as a by product Efe would gain trust and be let deeper into ArtLife and the holding to further Grandma’s plan. However, it blew up in Efe’s face because he ironically didn’t know what he was doing, made a change too extreme and the roof fully collapsed, instead of just causing a smaller issue. Eda’s unwavering belief in her man led her to uncovering that it wasn’t Serkan’s fault and Efe wound up losing his reputation all over Europe. Oops.

The arrival of the new woman is so cliche, Blindspot bombed when they did that, I guess it's the format!

Some might describe most things about this show as cliche, it’s unapologetically about the tropes. I love that about it, it’s like a giant AU fanfic come to life. This woman is another device to push Serkan and Eda towards each other and to give us some fiery Eda jealousy. Serkan only has eyes for Eda, there is no “triangle” or third-party love interest. Just a lady with some psychological issues zeroing in on our hero, she will be dealt with soon enough.

I’m glad you’re enjoying the show!

#sen cal kapimi #asklizac #sckask #sck discussion #sck information #jan31

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storytimefromthecreed · 4 years

Text

Masterlist

It’s been 4 long yeays, and I’ve finally got my stuff together. Literally. Behold, the Masterlist. Everything I’ve ever written not including the stuff I have saved in drafts and queued for you while I’m not here (so I’ll be adding to this later). It’s been a journey, and I want to thank everyone for their requests, words of encouragement, and bearing with me. At long last, enjoy.

Altair, The Original Baddie, The Original Bae

Mod!Altair: Watching Scary Movies

Being Sick

It’s Not What It Looks Like

Crack A Smile

A Day With: Altair

Jealous

Habibi

The Plan

Altair Doesn’t Stand for Bullies

Pride

Mod!Altair and The Dead Bodies

Ow, I Got A Papercut...Kiss It?

I Love This Song! Want To Dance

Dadtair

Mod!Altair: I’m Not Overreacting! You Killed Someone!

You’re Eyes Should Be On The Target, Not My Backside

Mod!Altair: Normal People Don’t Have A Basement Stockpiled With Weapons

You Look So Beautiful Covered In Blood

Liquid Confidence

Happily Ever After

You’re An Assassin. Act Like It.

The Mentor

Where The Heart Is

That No Good Apple

Masyaf

Novice

Target

Conspiracy

Dating Altair Would Include:

When A Good Man Goes To War

Pictures With Santa

Altair’s Happy Ending

Darim:

How It Should Have Happened (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Early Bird

Malik

Malik and The Shirt

Malik and The Artist

Bureau

Nurse Malik

Office Romance

Rainy Days

AltMal

Dai Malik

AltMar

(Disney AU) Once Upon A Dream

AltMalMar

(Disney AU) Prince Malik

Kadar

Sorry, Was This Your Sweater?

Federico

Did You Just Set The Kitchen On Fire?

Claudia

(Disney AU) Claudia Won’t Say She’s in Love

Ezio de la la la

Mod!Ezio: Coming To Your Rescue

I Think I’m in Love With You, and I’m Terrified.

Make It To The Bed

When You Bring Him Home

Jealous

He Must Be Late, and She Must Be Beautiful

A Ezio HC

I’m So Tired

Mod!Ezio: A Date

Chocolate

Serenade

The Man Who Has Everything

La Volpe and Cats

Mod!Ezio and The Passionate Kissing

Mod!Ezio: Study

Big Brother Ezio and The Skirt

Mod!Ezio: Traffic

Let’s Stay In

Here, Let Me Kiss It Better For You

You Only Know One Side of The Story.

Who Do I Have To Kill For Some Chocolate?

Helping Ezio Kick Butt

You’re An Assassin. Act Like It.

Do It. End This. Please.

I Trusted You!

This Is It. This Is How I Die.

What Could Have Been

EzioLeo

The Love From Near and Afar

Yusuf, The Teddybear of Istanbul

Wake Up!

The Teddybear of Istanbul

Lift

Mod!Yusuf: I’ll Wake You Up When We’re There

Yusuf is 75% Sure

I Don’t Remember What Life What Like Before Loving You

I Bet I’m A Better Cuddler

You Look Adorable When You’re Cold

Would You Look At That.

At What Cost?

Dating Yusuf Would Include:

Yusuf and Claudia

I’ll Wake You Up When We Get There

Claudia Meets Yusuf

Love Affair

Dating Yusuf Would Include:

Yusuf x Arno

Turkish Delight

Connor Kenbae

Sleepless

The Hero You Need

Mod!Connor: Watching Scary Movies

Reacting to Your Pregnancy

Being Sick

Connor Doesn’t Stand for Bullies

A Rainy Day

The Middle of a Thunderstorm

Please Don’t Do This.

Is There A Reason You’re Naked in My Bed?

Sweater Weather

Tell Me A Secret

A Massage

Wanna Dance?

Fainting

Mod!Connor: Helping You Through A Bad Day

It’s A Big World, Connor Kenway

Connor and The Artist

The Death of Charles Lee

Jealous

A Fight

Snow Day

What Were You Dreaming About? You Were Shouting.

Tired

Mod!Connor: A Date

Teddybear

Lift

Mod!Connor: Confessing

Faith, Trust, and Ratonhnhake:ton

Love At First Fight

Jealousy Brews Beasts

Connor vs The Bow

TOKW Connor

Connor and The Cereal

Connor and The Dream

Connor and Cats

Connor and The Arm

Connor and The Dead Bodies

Connor Punches First, Asks Questions Later

Puppy With The Puppy

What Would I Do Without You?

Here, I’ll Kiss It Better For You

You Look Adorable When You’re Cold

Do You Think You Could Just Talk To Me?

Happy Birthday Connor

Family Fun

Beautifully Flawed

Haytham Hits On You, And It Goes How You’d Expect

I’d Do It Again If I Have To

Half Blood (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5) (Chapter 6) (Chapter 7) (Chapter 8) (Chapter 9) (Chapter 10) (Chapter 11) (Chapter 12)

Of Course There’s Blood. What Did You Expect?

This Is The Worst Time For It To Start Raining

The Man With The Silver Tongue

Braiding Connor’s Hair

Angsty

Happily Ever After

You...You Fight Good

I...I...I Think I Love You

Must You Be So Dramatic?

Cat and Mouse

Fire Fire

The Flames

Spur of the Moment

Heart Health

Kanen’to:kon

This Is Not Funny

Smitten!

Connor & Kanen’to:kon

Teddybear

Connor & Haytham

Kenways’ Happy Ending (Part 1) (Part 2)

Haytham

Kiss Me.

Just A Bad Dream

It’s Already, I’ll Manage On My Own

Comparisons

Baby Brother

Shipwrecked

Mod!Haytham & Teen!Connor: Haytham’s Lovelife

Mod!Haytham and The Name

Haytham and The Dream

Haytham and The Passionate Kissing

Ow, I Got A Papercut...Kiss It?

It’s Not Just You That I Love

Cupid’s Chokehold

Haytham and Ziio:

(Disney AU) Colors of the Wind

Thomas Hickey

Hickey and The Proposal

Hickey Asks For A Date

Edward Kenway

Time Alone

Hey! I Was Gonna Eat That!

I Wish I Could Hate You

A Massage

Fainting

Marry Me?

Jealous

Is There A Reason You’re Naked in My Bed?

This Is Not Funny

Look At Those Muscles

You Can Sit On My Lap, If You Want

Mod!Edward: Hot Chocolate

A Little Trip

Edward is 75% Sure

Edward and The Arm

Mod!Edward and The Skirt

Drunk In Love

I Love This Song! Want To Dance?

That’s Not Exactly What An Apology Sounds Like

Mary Had A Little... (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5) (Chapter 6)

Righting Wrongs (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

Mod!Edward: Leather Jackets, Hot Chocolate, Edward Kenway

Goodnight, and Joy Be With You All

Dating Edward Would Include:

(Disney AU) Golly, What a Day!

Charles Vane

Why Didn’t You Just Ask?

What Would I Do Without You?

It’s Not Just You That I Love

Failing Vane

Arno Victor Dorian

Strange Weather

Is There A Reason You’re Naked in My Bed?

Hey! I Was Gonna Eat That!

Mod!Arno: Urges

Jealous

The Weird Dream

A Fight

The Fight

Lift

You Can Cook?

This Is Not Funny

Arno and The Ankle

Arno and The Arm

Mod!Arno and The Passionate Kissing

Arno and The Cat

Arno and The Cats

It’s Not Just You That I Love

Happy Birthday, Mr. Dorian

You’re An Assassin. Act Like It.

Arno’s Escape

Dating Arno Would Include:

One Dance

Beginner’s Unluck

Being Arno’s Sister

A Friend In Need

First Kiss

A Cafe in Paris

(NSFW) Happy Birthday, Mr. Dorian

Arno & The Frenchmen Four

To Save The Savior

We Have A Dog

Mod!Frenchmen: This Is Not Funny

Ghosts

The Thing

I Bet I’m A Better Cuddler Than You

When I Said Start A Small Fire, This Was Not What I Was Talking About

I Got Stabbed...So You Bought Me Cake

If We’re Arrested, It’s Entirely Your Fault

Be Our Guest

Arno, A Man of No Words

Something Blue, Something Borrowed (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

Qu’est-ce que c’est?

The Frenchmen Four

A Walk In The Park

A Background (My Personal HC)

A Typical Day

Dating HC

Older Siblings HC

Axeman

To The Rescue

Blades

Mod!Gerard: Did You Just Set The Kitchen On Fire?

Lift

Did I Mention How Cute You Look After A Run?

Greencoat

Bagel

So, Basically, You’re In A Cult

Green Coat, Red Cheeks

Green Eggs and Ham

Ghost

A Ghost Story

Elise

Hot Chocolate and Smores?

Shay Patrick Cormac

Hey, I’m With You, Always

Have You Seen The...? Oh.

Don’t Panic, Love

A Fight

Riven (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5) (Chapter 6) (Chapter 7)

Look At Those Muscles

I’ll Wake You Up When We’re There

With Child

Mod!Shay and The Arm

Shay in Jail

Shay is 75% Sure

I Don’t Remember What Life Was Like Before Loving You

Cold? Here, Let Me Hold You

You Look Adorable When You’re Cold

Here, I’ll Kiss It Better For You

I Don’t Need Luck, I Have Hope

Someone’s Trying To Kill Us, And You’re Flirting With Me?

Must You Be So Dramatic?

I Make My Own Luck (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5) (Chapter 6) (Chapter 7) (Chapter 8) (Chapter 9) (Chapter 10) (Chapter 11) (Chapter 12) (Chapter 13) (Chapter 14) (Chapter 15) (Chapter 16)

Happy Holidays from The Cormac Family

Soft Shay

Dating Shay Would Include:

(Disney AU) Into the Unknown

Liam O’Brien

Liam’s Happy Ending

Happy Holidays With Liam

Dating Liam Would Include:

Jacob

Did You Do That For Me? Aw, Come Here

Jacob Being Sweet

Brawl

Jacob and The Skirt

Mod!Jacob and The Car

Mod!Jacob and The Underwear

Jacob Punches First, Asks Questions Later

A Use of The Rooks

Cold? Here, Let Me Hold You

Mod!Jacob: Hot Chocolate and Smores?

It’s Not Just You That I Love

I Can’t Imagine Being Alone Anymore

Name One Time, I Dare You

Mod!Jacob: Father Frye

You Only Know One Side of The Story.

Happily Ever After

Must You Be So Dramatic?

You’re An Assassin. Act Like it.

I...I Think I Love You

Do It. End This. Please.

You’re The Source of All My Problems

Evie

A Night With Evie

Evie and The Cereal

Henry

A Sweet Story

Desmond, Definately Alive, Miles

Lift

Did You Just Set The Kitchen on Fire?

Fluffy Desmond

Desmond’s Song

Desmond and The Chloroform

Desmond and The Underwear

Desmond is 75% Sure

Desmond

Can’t Imagine Being Alone Anymore

I Love This Song! Want To Dance?

Hot Chocolate and Smores?

Sorry, Was That Your Sweater?

Roof Talks

I Trusted You!

Desmond’s Happy Ending

Shaun

Shaun and The Demon

Shaun and The Underwear

It’s Not Just You That I Love

I Don’t Remember What Life Was Like Before Loving You

I Bet I’m A Better Cuddler Than You

Grab My Hand. We’re Gonna Make A Jump For It

We’re Not Dating

A Happy Ending With Shaun and Clay

Abstrego

Cavities

Kassandra

Alexios

Have We Met? (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4)

(Disney AU) Zero to Hero

Brasidas

(NSFW) Baesidas

Assassin Prefernces:

When You’re Sick

When They’re Sick

Secret Truths: Talents

Secret Truths: Fears

Secret Truths: Sleeping

Secret Truths: (Axeman, Yusuf, Malik)

Secret Truths: Sex

Secret Truths: Sex (Evie, Yusuf, Malik)

Secret Truths: Fears (Evie, Jacob, Henry)

How They’d Confess / Ask You Out On Your First Date

Reacting To Your Tattoo

Reacting To Their S/O’s Pregnancy (Altair, Ezio, Connor, Edward, Yusuf, Jacob, Connor, Shay,

Training Styles (Altair, Ezio, Connor, Shay, Evie, Jacob)

Reacting To Their S/O Speaking Their Language (Altair, Edward, Ezio,

Secret Truths: Dogs (Altair, Ezio, Connor, Edward, Haytham, Shay, Evie, Jacob)

Secret Truths: Dancing (Connor, Edward, Haytham, Shay, Aveline, Elise, Evie, Altair, Ezio, Jacob, Malik) Bayek (not my addition), Kassandra, Alexios,

Coffee / Tea Preferences (Everyone)

How They Say “My Wife”

Combo Assassins:

Connor and Arno: Friends and The Tub

Falling For Jacob

Gang Gang

Edward Punches First, Asks Questions Later

Aveline, Evie, and The Dead Bodies

Connor, Shay, and The Sprained Ankle

Ezio, Arno, and The Arm

Let Them Eat Cake

Assassins To The Dentist

Sons and Daughters: Backyard Fun

Blackout

A Modern Shakespeare

Shay: I’m Surrounded By Idiots

Connor: Do It. End This. Please.

Jacob: You’re An Assassin. Act Like It.

Edward: Must You Be So Dramatic?

Edward: I Hate Myself

The Other Side of the War

The Assassins As Roommates:

The Original

Girls’ Nights

Part 2

Nicknames With Jacob

Friendsgiving 2015

British Bromance

Girl’s Night

Break In

Scary Movie

Date Night: Altair and Maria

Christmas 2016

Fight Club (Evie vs Connor) (Desmond vs Jacob) (Malik vs Alexios) (Altair vs Bayek)

Moving Out

Tall Tales

Altair’s Birthday

Altair’s Happy Ending

Canon Crimes

Halloween 2019

Fun

Thanksgiving 2019

Meeting The Spartan Siblings

Christmas 2019

The Christmas Miracle of 2019

(Disney AU) I’ll Make a Man Out of You

197 notes · View notes

humbae · 3 years

Text

A fanfic for you!!

Below the cut, a submission from a wonderful person. Ylvis fanfiction of the Vegard whump variety, I most definitely recommend reading it for all those interested in the subject.

Hey hey! I only now discovered your AO3 stories and enjoyed them so much! It actually inspired me to write one of my own based on the events from this summer. You don’t have to post this, I was just interested to hear your opinion on my first fanfic ever :). Thanks a lot for your wonderful work! He would have never believed that a simple single kick could hurt so much. But he did not regret the idea - after all, it was a lot of fun, and the pain would eventually go away and make a nice memory. He limped to work, curious to see how Vegard and Calle were handling their own ordeals. When he opened the door to the office he and Vegard shared however, he was surprised to find it empty.

It was odd; Vegard was almost never late, and even when he was late, he would still arrive earlier than Baard. Baard just put it down to him probably oversleeping for once or having a slow morning after an intense day at work yesterday. That’s how life gets after 40, he thought to himself, smirked and got to work.

He didn’t have to wonder about Vegard’s whereabouts for too long. Five minutes later, his phone beeped and he saw a message in which Vegard informed him that he will be most likely working from home today.

“That won’t be possible.”, Baard replied. “The guy who is supposed to accompany the show with the accordion just told me that he will be showing up today instead of tomorrow so that we go over the music together, he had some changes in his schedule. He is coming at 14.00.”.

“Do I have to be there for that? Cannot we just arrange it through Skype?”, Vegard replied.

Baard was taken aback. This was not a reaction he would ever expect from Vegard when music, and especially accordion (which they both liked so much), were involved.

“Don’t be a lazyass, just come to the office. What’s up? Why can’t you come?”

There was no response for a couple of minutes, and Baard was just at the verge of calling Vegard, when he saw that Vegard replied with “On my way.”.

An hour later, when Vegard showed up, it became very obvious to Baard why Vegard wanted to stay at home. He did see his brother walking very funnily yesterday - funnily enough for him to put it on Instagram - but this was a whole different level. He had his scooter with him, but only to act as a crutch instead of using it as an actual scooter. He was not putting any weight on his leg.

“Why didn’t you drive if it hurts to walk, you idiot?”, Baard greeted.

“Nice to see you too… I just don’t trust my leg to work with the pedals in a state like this, that is all.”, Vegard said still with some agony and irritation in his face.

“But does it really hurt so much? I mean, my leg is also fairly painful, but I hope I look nowhere this pathetic.”

“Thank you, trust me, if I could choose, I would indeed opt for looking less pathetic.”, Vegard replied and rolled his eyes. Baard decided not to respond and just made a mental note to drive Vegard home at the end of the day; Vegard was obviously not in a mood for being teased right now, and it was Baard’s fault after all that they were all in this state now.

Things went a bit better after they started working. This was most likely because Vegard could just sit in his chair, so his mood improved significantly as he was without the added pain of walking.

The lunch-time was approaching, which the four of them usually spent together eating outside, in front of the building to enjoy the warm summer weather.

“Hungry yet?” Baard suggested after his belly started making noises.

“No, not really, I think I will skip lunch today.”

Baard raised his eyebrows; this was nothing like his brother. It would be usually his brother making the lunch suggestion first.

“You mind elaborating on why?”

“Do I have to? You will call me a whiny little bitch if I do."

"I will call you that anyway. So what is up?”

Vegard sighted. “It is just that the prospect of staying hungry looks far more appealing than the prospect of having to walk outside or even to the fridge, that’s all.”

Only then Baard understood how bad Vegard’s leg must have hurt.

“We can also have it in the shared office space today. The weather is not that nice anyway.”

“Don’t restrict yourself, I am sure you would prefer to have it outside.”, Vegard insisted.

“I will ask Calle, but both he and myself are also still limping, so I am sure both Magnus and Calle will agree to stay here. And I will get you your lunch from the fridge and bring it. Just get your lazy sorry ass over there in the meantime."

A couple of moments later, they all gathered in the shared space to have lunch. Both Calle and Baard appreciated making the decision to stay inside as they were both limping towards their chairs; Vegard just rolled there directly on the chair from his office that he was already sitting on.

Baard and Calle spent the lunch discussing the consequences of the kicks they both received and laughing at the other related events from the previous day. Magnus was just mostly listening, happy that he did not have to go through the ordeal himself, and laughing loudly with them.

The only silent member of the lunch party was Vegard. This was very unusual, he was typically the one who talked the most. Normally, him being a bit silent for once would be a welcome, refreshing change to the other three, but combined with the misery and paleness written all over his face, it was clear that this was not a good sign. To try to involve him a bit and raise his spirits, Calle started what the three of them called an "aircraft chat mood fixing technique” - a strategy they used anytime they needed to improve Vegard’s mood and get some excitement out of him. Calle even started spitting clearly incorrect aircraft facts just to prompt Vegard to correct him and force some engagement, but nothing was successful.

“You look like shit, Vegard.”, Baard said finally.

“If you want me to look less like shit, don’t invite MMA fighters to kick us on the TV.”, Vegard replied, but there was no humour in his voice.

Then he sighted and continued. “I just don’t know why it seems to be hurting me so much more than the two of you.” Ah, that’s it, Baard thought; that’s the reason, next to the pain obviously, why Vegad is so upset. Over the years they have worked together on TV, Vegard seemed to have learnt to deal with most of the derogatory comments he had been receiving very well, whether it was about him being clumsy, short, fat, nerdy or looking Turkish, but to this day, he still hated to be seen as weak and helpless.

“It did seem like he kicked you the hardest.”, Calle admitted.

“Which is what I especially don’t understand, since you -” Magnus continued, but Baard interrupted him right away with an intense look directed his way.

“It does not matter now anyway. Let’s get back to work.”. Baard knew that the last thing Vegard now needed to hear were comments about his size, implying that he indeed was weak and helpless. They left the table and went (and rolled) back to their offices.

The rest of the afternoon flew quickly. The musician arrived, and, fortunately, the sound of the accordion and making of music at least helped improve Vegard’s spirits sufficiently to make the afternoon more bearable for everyone involved.

Right after the musician was gone, Vegard announced that he was going home. Baard turned, and right away, without a word, he stood up, took his coat and his car keys and indicated that he was ready, too.

It took a moment for Vegard to realise that Baard was intending to take him home by car. A wave of relief hit him that he did not even have to ask for such a favour from his little brother in front of everyone else. He just let out a silent “thanks” to which Baard replied with a simple head nod and a smile.

The relief quickly disappeared when he realised he first had to make it all the way down to where Baard’s car was parked. He felt nauseous at the thought of having to put any weight on his leg again, and as a result turned even paler than he already was. But there was no way he was going to ask Baard or any from his friends for support really, the most of them were also still limping and Magnus would literally have to carry him in his arms if he were to help him - he was too tall for Vegard to put his arm around his neck for support.

Calle and Magnus both noticed Vegard’s unease and after telling the brothers to wait a few minutes, they emerged from the storage room with the wheelchair they used back during IKMY for their guest pranks. Vegard thought that a wheelchair was definitely a bit of an overkill, but in his current condition, even being carried on a stretcher would be more appealing than walking. In addition, since the wheelchair was well known around the building from the pranks, at least other people would not know that something was wrong and could only assume that the brothers were testing it again for another prank. They thanked Magnus and Calle and left.

The ride home was mostly silent. Baard felt a bit guilty for being responsible for a segment which ended up with his brother in such a state, and Vegard still felt a bit ashamed for being so heavily affected by something that the others could deal with so much easier.

“You know that we do have a couple of meetings which we have to attend in person this week, right?” Baard said as they approached Vegard’s house.

Vegard just managed to let out a little “Hnngh”, hoping to put an end to that conversation for now, but Baard would not let go. “If the pain continues to be this bad, maybe you should go see a doctor?”. Vegard hated doctors, but having Baard actually talking to him about something this seriously, without any teasing or mockery, meant that he must have been even a little worried, and so Vegard was not going to dismiss it completely. “If it does not get better, yes… but I am sure it soon will.”.

…

It didn’t. When the follow-up messages of “Working from home today, sorry” arrived to Baard’s phone during the next two consecutive mornings, Baard knew Vegard would not go to the doctor without additional persuasion. He was getting truly concerned - the pain in his own leg was almost gone now, and the same for Calle, so if Vegard’s leg was still hurting as much that he could not walk, something was obviously very wrong. Maybe if he mentioned how it could potentially affect the show, his brother would be more reasonable? He called Vegard.

“We cannot delay the show because of your stupid leg. Go see a doctor. You have to be here tomorrow morning anyway for the meeting.”, Baard said.

“Then I still have time until tomorrow morning for it to get better.”, Vegard insisted.

“It will obviously not, don’t be stupid. Go to the doctor today.”

“Well, ok, I would, but Helene is gone with the kids, so she cannot take me today. Maybe the day after tomorrow then or next week?”

Baard was having none of this.

“If Helene is gone, then I am the one taking you to the doctor. Make an appointment and tell me when to pick you up. Now.”

“What?”

“You heard me well. Find a doctor and make an appointment NOW, or I will do even that for you."

Vegard remained silent for a moment. He has never seen Baard behaving like this; this was always Vegard’s behaviour towards his little brothers instead.

"Is that silence a ‘no’ Vegard? Should I call my physio and ask him if he can make an appointment for my stubborn 40-year-old brother?"

"No, no, ok, I will find someone."

Baard was pleased with himself and made a mental note to do this more often. While it was not really something he would ever expect himself to do back to Vegard, it was a surprisingly effective persuasion method. In half an hour, Vegard messaged him to ask him to pick him up with a specific time and destination of the doctor’s office.

When Baard came to Vegard’s house, he was alarmed to find his brother looking equally as pale and miserable as he did the two days before that. He helped him jump on one leg to the car and felt bad for having to rush him to make it to the doctor on time.

Only five minutes after coming to the waiting room, a physiotherapist appeared and called Vegard’s name. Vegard stood up onto his one working leg and started heading into the direction of the office. Baard felt a bit awkward; unsure as whether to follow or not. On one hand, going to the doctor’s office with your 40 year old brother together would seem crazy to most people; they were both grown up, independent adults. On the other, he was genuinely curious about the state of his brother’s leg and seeing how out of it Vegard was, he thought it would be a good idea for Vegard to have someone there who could actually be clear-headed and write things down.

Having decided that he would join, he took the opportunity that Vegard clearly struggled to get to the office, so he stood up and allowed Vegard to use him as a support.

"So, what did you do?”, The doctor asked while filling out the paperwork.

“I think that might be pretty hard to explain… ” Vegard started, but the doctor interrupted him right away.

“Mr. Ylvisaaker, I know who you are and what you do. I have no expectations regarding what I am going to hear now.”

The brothers laughed. Baard, being responsible for what happened, spared his brother the duty of explaining, and described their little vegetable stunt. After the doctor stopped laughing, he instructed Vegard to lie down and remove his clothing.

When Vegard put his pants down to show the physiotherapist the injury, Baard couldn’t believe what he saw. A dark, red area spread across the entire back-side of Vegard’s thigh. He himself wondered whether he had something similar on his own thigh after the kick; he has not really checked. He started to really question whether the stunt was worth it.

The doctor showed them the ultrasound pictures of the hematoma and prescribed Vegard crutches until further notice to aid healing. Vegard initially protested, but Baard knew that the protest was just a formality for Vegard to feel like he was acting manly, as Vegard knew very well that the crutches were necessary at this point. Only one question remained unanswered.

“How long…?” Baard asked.

“These hematomas are quite tricky. We can only accelerate the healing process by preventing additional strain and injury - which is why you have to use the crutches - but otherwise it is very individual. A hematoma of this size can take months to heal.”

They all remained silent for the moment. Vegard knew what it meant; it meant that the vacation Helene and the kids looked so much forward to would have to be cancelled. It also meant that a lot of the segments they were planning to film to make the show a bit more interesting would not happen. Filming action scenes with one man limping on crutches while he should be resting his leg was not an option, and would probably not be received well by the public. This entire show was already organized on the very last minute, and now it looked like even more would have to be figured out on the spot with so many ideas, some of which were already half-baked, discarded.

Baard was thinking the same. But this time, he was the one in the role of the big brother and seeing how troubled Vegard looked over the entire prognosis, he returned him the little favour that Vegard always did for him - Baard looked at his older brother, smiled reassuringly and said, “that’s fine”.

They thanked the doctor, picked up the crutches from a pharmacy along with some creams and pain killers and went back to the car. They just sat there and allowed the news to sink in, including the consequences they were now going to face. Baard was the first one who started.

“You know… had I known that this would happen…”, Baard said, before Vegard interrupted him to tell him that he understands and is not angry about it.

They drove back to Vegard’s place. Staring at the house, after a moment, Vegard looked at his brother with anxiety in his eyes. Neither of them talked, and yet an entire conversation seemed to have taken place. Baard just verbally concluded it with “Yes, I will talk to her. Though if I do, maybe I will end up in a worse condition than you are right now.”, Baard smiled and so did Vegard.

*****

End of submission.

Dearest anon, this was the most amazing surprise, thank you so much! And of course I posted this, everyone should have the chance to read this lovely fic. Because yes, I liked it a lot! It was very well written, had a good pace, lots of emotions, logical progression, believable dialogue, a little bit of humour, and a whole bucketful of brofeels. Absolutely loved it! And it definitely hit the spot for me, this is exactly what I was thinking about when I heard of the kicking and its consequences, so thank you for making a story out of it. Also, I’m very flattered that my scribblings could inspire you, thank you very much for the kind words. You should definitely write more if the urge strikes you, this was highly enjoyable :)

#Ylvis fanfiction #Vegard whump #brofeels #so many brofeels #submission

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divineluce · 4 years

Text

Beers Over Fears || Celeste & Luce

Location: The woods outside of White Crest

Timing: May 18th, 2020

Tagging: @celestelavie

Description: Celeste and Luce meet up for beers and a break from their responsibilities.

It’d been entirely too long since Celeste had been on a date and she was absolutely kicking herself in this very moment for leaving her best blouse behind when they ransacked the house. The shade of red would have been perfect for a hot date and Luce was undeniably a very hot date. She supposed she’d end up putting her leather jacket over whatever blouse she’d chosen anyway so she opted for a pale blue that accented her eyes nicely. Not that one would be able to tell as much under a night sky, but it did add a little confidence boost which never hurt. As she approached where she was meeting Luce, she felt herself begin to relax a bit. A night completely devoid of werewolf and hunter talk would be a welcome change. The sky was perfectly clear, too, which set a nice mood. She waved and smiled as she saw Luce approach. “Hey,” she greeted, looking the other woman over, “You look great… which I’m sure you knew already, but still.” Smooth.

Parking her car in the lot not far from where they planned on meeting up, Luce grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and hopped out. She slung her bag over her shoulder, the bottles of beer rattling against the small picnic blanket she’d shoved along with it. Walking out into the woods, Luce grinned as she saw Celeste. Her Al’s uniform had done her absolutely 0 favors, but this look? Luce could get behind it. Or rather, she smiled inwardly, under it. “What can I say, I’m a snack.” She joked, doing a spin with no small amount of bravado. Dark tank top to show off her arms, tight jeans to highlight her legs, and a red and black flannel tied around her waist to emphasize her curves? She knew she looked damn good and wasn’t afraid to show it. “You look gorgeous. Your top goes really well with your eyes.” She said, gaze lingering on the curves of the woman’s body for a moment before smiling. “Now, how about those beers?” She said, holding up her backpack.

There was something appealing about the way Luce carried herself. She certainly didn’t lack for confidence though it was entirely warranted. She was beautiful and talented, it’d be crazy for her to be anything but confident in herself. Celeste still found it to be a refreshing trait. “Indeed you are,” she said with a smirk, looking her over as she twirled. Her eyes lingered on her hips momentarily before meeting her eyes again. “Thanks. Couldn't let you be the only one here looking like a snack tonight," she laughed lightly, her cheeks slightly flushed from the compliment. With a nod, she answered, "A beer sounds perfect right about now, lead the way." She followed closely by Luce though, keeping an ear out for anything shifty. As much as she loved the woods, she had little trust in White Crest not trying to throw a creature shaped wrench in her evening plans. As they settled into a spot with the picnic blanket, she asked, “This is a beautiful spot, nice clear sky tonight, too. Do you come out here a lot?"

“You know it, babe.” Luce said with a wink and a smile at the other woman. Watching the way Celeste’s cheeks darkened, she let out a laugh. Not at her actions, just the words. “Well, you certainly delivered on that.” She said, giving an approving nod at the woman. As they walked through the woods, Luce led the way up the slight hill, where the forest receded and gave way to a nice view of White Crest. Spreading out the picnic blanket, Luce set the beer down on the edge of the blanket and cracked open one of the bottles. “Here you go.” She said, holding it out before opening one for herself. “It’s a great hidden gem, for sure. One of the perks of living here my whole life, I know all the best spots.” She said, taking a sip. “Not too often, I reserve spots like this for when I’ve got company.”

“Cheers to that,” Celeste said as she clinked her beer bottle to Luce’s. There was a smirk on her face before she took a sip of her beer. This really was the perfect setting to relax and actually enjoy Luce’s company in. She looked Luce over momentarily, clearly pleased with the sight in front of her. She was lively, that was for sure, and the way the moonlight hit her hair looked like something out of a painting. “Well, I’m glad I got to accompany you then. I’m getting all the best views in town.” She was feeling a bit more relaxed and scooted a bit closer to Luce on the blanket, taking a moment to look out at the town. As dead set as Ariana was on calling this place, she had to imagine growing up here to be pretty wild. It seemed doubtful that Luce could live her whole life, work with Ulfric, and be completely clueless to the town’s true nature. “So growing up in White Crest,” she mused, “What was that like? Were there always so many mimes?”

“Indeed you are,” Luce agreed, very much a fan of their little back and forth. Not that her ego particularly needed it, but it was still gratifying all the same. “Then again, I could say the same. I’ve got a pretty great view myself.” She said, leaning back on her elbows to take in the night sky and the lights of the town along with how Celeste was silhouetted in the foreground. It’d make a great painting, if she had her supplies with her. Taking a long sip from her beer, Luce thought about the question. What was it like, growing up in White Crest? How could she frame it in a way that didn’t reveal much about the fact she grew up in a family of magic, knowing that the world was never “normal?” She tapped her fingers on the bottle as she mulled it over before replying, “Your typical small town experience-- everyone knows everyone, high school drama boiling down to the cheerleaders and the football team with no one giving a fuck about anything else.” At the comment about mimes, Luce made a face, “Don’t even get me started on those stripey fucks. I hate those guys.”

This was decidedly one of the best nights Celeste had in awhile. Their easy conversation and the view of the sky over the town made it easy to forget the sense of impending doom that always seemed to try and fight its way to the surface these days. She looked to Luce and smiled, “Seems like a win-win.” Celeste watched her as she explained life growing up in White Crest. It all seemed so fairly simple for crazy the town had been since she’d arrived. Either she was none the wiser or was smart enough to not talk about vampires and werewolves on a first date. It was hard to say which was better, but it mattered little anyway. Right now, they could enjoy themselves without worrying about all of that. It almost reminded her of her own hometown, not that she’d been back in the last 15 years. She took a quick swig from the bottle and mused, “I grew up in a small town, too, it has its charms. I miss it sometimes.” Not that she could visit, but it was nice in theory. She laughed at her reaction to the mimes, giving her a nudge, “What? The stripes don’t do it for you?” Her voice took a more serious tone, “Probably for the better. I’m not a big fan either. I had to fight a mime that looked just like me a few weeks back. Bitch stabbed me. Definitely not a fan.”

Luce kept her eyes trained on Celeste’s face and, while her gaze occasionally dipped to her lips and lower, she did keep her focus on the words. She was a good listener, she had to be-- it was part of her job. “Oh? You from around the Northeast or somewhere else?” She asked, genuinely curious. “What do you miss most about where you grew up?” Luce asked, taking another swig of beer. Playing with fringe of the blanket, she wound a strand of material around her fingers before absently braiding three of them together. “Ugh, fucking mimes. If I never saw one again, it’d be too soon.” Luce groaned, casting the braided bit of blanket aside. Raising an eyebrow at the woman, she tilted her head. “You fought a mime? You got stabbed?” She asked, intrigued. Celeste didn’t look like the type to go around fighting things, or betting stabbed by them. “Are you okay, now?”

Celeste found she liked the way Luce looked at her and couldn’t take her own eyes off Luce. It was hard to ignore how soft her lips looked and she supposed there wasn’t a reason to. This was a date, after all. “Tennessee, actually. Small mountain town called Seven Devils.” She pondered the question a moment before answering, “That’s a tough one. It’s been so long since I’ve been back, but I do miss the little hole in the wall country kitchens. They always had the best food.” She leaned back a bit to level herself with Luce, resting on her own arms, beer still in her right hand. She tried to shrug it off. “I could go my whole life without seeing another mime and I’d be happy. And yeah, I’m okay now. I’m tougher than I look.” She figured she could gloss over the part where she killed her own mime clone and had to stitch herself up. She turned on her side, leaning on one arm to look at Luce as she mused, “So, I know you’re a gorgeous artist who works for Ulf, but what do you do when you’re not absolutely charming the ladies who come into the shop?:

“Tennessee. That’s pretty cool.” Luce nodded, a bit intrigued at the idea of having lived somewhere outside of White Crest. She’d been in Maine her whole life-- or at least, for as long as she could remember, Las Vegas hardly counted. Aside from a view travelling out for tattoo expos and visiting other shops, Luce had never really been out of the state for anything. “Makes sense. Gotta love some good old fashioned home cooking.” She replied. That said, she couldn’t relate with the Southern cooking that Celeste probably liked. Being raised in a Turkish home meant that comfort foods were gözleme and lamb mantı, but same difference. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. I’d hate to see a pretty face like yours in pain.” As Celeste lay back on the picnic blanket, staring up at her, Luce grinned in response. “Oh, you know, a bit of this, bit of that.” She shrugged, “But, I’m a little more interested in cashing in those good ideas you owe me.” Luce said, before leaning forward to close the distance between them, pressing her lips against the other woman’s.

Though Celeste wasn’t sure she’d call it home cooking, it was a small thing she’d miss. There were some friends too, but it’d been so long that she wasn’t even sure they’d even share much in common anymore. Food was a simple answer. “Exactly, haven’t found a place here that gets biscuits and gravy just right yet.” She smiled at the mention of having a pretty face. She knew as much, but it was still nice to hear every once and awhile. “Thanks, I like to think my tough fighting back face still has its charms at least.” She had a slight smirk on her face as she spoke. It was almost amusing how quickly Luce could divert the conversation away from herself. She wasn’t complaining. They didn’t need to get to know everything about each other. She was hardly looking for a relationship in the midst of the shit show that her life was currently. Still, Luce was a fascinating woman and she wouldn’t have hated learning more about her. “Very insightful,” Celeste had retorted with a laugh before welcoming the feeling of Luce’s lips on hers. It was easy to let the rest of the world slip away from her thoughts as she leaned in closer. How soft Luce's lips felt on her own and the tickle of the other woman's hair against her arms only made her want more. Instinct kicked in and a hand ran through Luce's hair which was also insanely silky. Was there anything about her that wasn't just inherently hot? As she pulled away for a breath, she whispered, "Have any other good ideas? I think I like owing you."

“Mhm, I’m full of insight.” Conversation wasn’t the reason why Luce was out here and a part of her was relieved that Celeste wasn’t pulling away and trying to get her to talk. She’d had to deal with way too many girls who didn’t seem to get that she wasn’t interested in talk-- or relationships-- than she’d wanted to. Not that there was anything wrong with relationships. She just didn’t want one right now, that was it. At least, that’s what she’d always told herself. All thoughts went out of her head as the woman ran her hand through her hair and a grin played against her lips. A fantasy played through her mind, one of Celeste yanking her head back, biting her neck before-- Mhm. When the other woman pulled away and mentioned good ideas, Luce couldn’t help but smirk at her. “Oh, I’ve got a lot of good ideas.” She said, leaning back in to kiss Celeste once more before moving her lips to brush against her ear, voice low and full of desire, “One I’ve got right now is you and me, heading back to my place. And then,” Resting her hand on the woman’s hip, she pulled back to gaze intently at Celeste. “We can see where the night takes us, hm?”

For a moment, Celeste found it easy to focus on only the present. There was something freeing about it. Being able to just focus on the way Luce’s hair felt in her hand or the feeling of her breath on her ear. It was intoxicating and more than anything, she wanted to forget about everything else, but at the mention of going to Luce’s home, reality came crashing back. This had been a bad idea. Why did she think she could have a normal night in the midst of all that was going on? She knew the bounty was picked up and she couldn’t risk someone finding her at Luce’s. Putting someone else in danger was the last thing she needed to do right now and she frowned slightly at Luce, not quite pulling away. “Trust me when I say I want to, but I don’t think that’d be a good idea.” There was no good way to explain why without sounding paranoid, crazy, or both so she looked down momentarily. “It’s definitely not you, I mean, look at you,” she gestured at Luce, who did indeed look like something out of a fantasy, “I’m sorry.” Weak finish, but she should have known better.

When Celeste pulled away, Luce didn’t protest. As much as she would have enjoyed a night of what would have been undoubtedly hot sex, she wasn’t that disappointed. She could just as easily call up one of the women on her phone for a booty call or hit up one of the bars in town to see if anyone was interested in going home with her. But, honestly, just hanging out with Celeste was nice in its own way. With a quiet laugh at the woman’s hurried reassurances that it wasn’t her, Luce waved a hand. “It’s whatever, don’t worry.” That said, a slight frown crossed her face. “It’s not because I live with my sisters, is it? Because… they have no room to complain.” She said with a slight scowl. The number of times she’d walked into the kitchen to see Dario standing there, waiting for Bea to make breakfast, was incredibly fucking annoying. “But yeah, don’t worry about it. Besides,” She said with a smirk, “We can still hang out here.”

Celeste had to admit Luce was being pretty cool about the whole thing. She had undeniably been giving her the green light before and put on the brakes out of seemingly nowhere. Somehow the prospect of her being mixed up in the current danger Celeste was facing didn't seem like a reality until she mentioned her home. It had been foolish, but Luce seemed like a good woman that she wanted her parents to stay far away from. Really, she wished they'd stay the hell away from White Crest altogether, but she'd have to deal with them eventually. Maybe Luce couldn't know about all of that, but she was being understanding enough with the very minimal reasoning provided. She relaxed a little bit, leaning back watching her as she asked if it was about living with her sisters. Her head shook slightly and her brow line scrunched up a bit as she began connecting the dots. "Sisters," she asked, "Wait... Are you Bea and Nell's sister?" She watched waiting for an answer before adding, "Thanks for... well, understanding."

At Celeste’s questioning tone, Luce felt the back of her neck heat bright red in a rare moment of embarrassment. She hadn’t even known that she was related to them. Well fuck. She hadn’t meant to out herself as living with them, or the fact that her sisters were Bea and Nell. But… Fuck, fuck, fuck. Cat was out of the bag now, and it was all her own doing. With a slightly pained sigh, Luce nodded. “Yeah. That’s them.” She said, doing her best to keep her tone neutral. But, it was impossible to keep the faint traces of bitterness entirely from her voice. She hated it when people referred to her as Bea’s younger sister, as Nell’s older sister. Or worse. Nisa’s middle daughter. Ugh. Lifting her beer to her lips, she took a drink, grateful for the distraction. “Of course. I’m not some pushy fratbro, if you say you’re not into it, you’re not into.” She nodded.

It seemed that her sisters may have been an off topic, but Celeste wasn’t quite sure why. She didn’t want to push it. There was the sinking feeling of realizing Luce probably already knew about her. Maybe that wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it begged the question of why was she here with her to begin with. Though that meant she must also have magic at her disposal and could probably fend for herself. She mulled it over and looked at Luce thoughtfully, “I’m not sure why I didn’t realize that. I’ve technically already been over then.” She realized how bad that sounded the moment she said it, “Wait, not like that. They were helping with some protective things.” That didn’t give too much away. If she knew, she knew. If she didn’t, she probably had a million questions. She could feel the sweat building up in her palms and her heart thumping heavier in her chest. With another sip of beer for good measure, she looked back to Luce, “Thank god, I hate frat boys.”

“You were at Bea’s house?” Luce echoed, confusion mingling with a slight tinge of ‘oh fuck’ in her voice. She’d checked their group chat before coming out here and it wasn’t as though Celeste was a super common name. Plus, after the debacle where she and Bea thought they’d slept with the same person last year, they’d made a point of adding last names to the list. And, after the Jennifer/Jenn/Jenny debacle, they made it law that they had to add last names. But, when Celeste quickly clarified, the tension eased. “Huh. Okay.” Hang on-- they’d been working on protective things? Celeste knew Ulf, had been looking for him when she’d stopped by with lunch. Was she one of the people he was helping? Rather than dwell on that revelation, Luce began to draw shapes on the folds of the picnic blanket. “For sure, for sure. Frat boys are fucking annoying. Take it from someone who works with them on a nearly weekly basis.” She said with a grin.

While she didn’t push it, Celeste had the feeling Luce would eventually find out. Her sisters and her boss both knew about her situation. It felt inevitable Luce would eventually find out, but she couldn’t bring herself to explain when it was the last thing she wanted to think about it. More than anything, she wanted the whole situation to just disappear, but there was only one way that would happen. She tried to push the thoughts away. They brought a certain queasiness to her stomach that needed to subside. She took another gulp of beer, hoping it’d help her relax again. She focused on Luce, hands making shapes in the blanket still looking like a dream under the sparkle of the night sky. She masked her sigh with a small laugh, “I’m sure you’ve heard some especially heinous things from them. At least you get to poke them with a needle over and over when they’re being gross. I get the joy of bringing them extra ranch.” She raised her bottle and toasted, “Here’s to hoping for minimal frat boys in our future.”

#p: bof #p: celeste bennett #wickedswriting

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feathery-dreamer · 4 years

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the (likely) reasons i am a wreck

I keep going back and forth between considering myself the most worthless burden in human history and feeling damn proud of the extraordinary things I’ve been through.

I think the main issue is, young people are expected to have done everything and be willing to give away their own wants for society/family/money/whatevs. Anything and everything we do for someone else, is taken for granted; anything and everything we ever think of doing for outselves, is selfish and outrageous.

It was even worse in my case, with a largely autistic older sister. Almost as soon as I was able to walk and speak, I was expected to function as a “big guy” - while being treated as a “baby” in other respects. Displayed as swoon material, grabbed painfully for “affection”, shown off by my sister as “tiny baby bro”. All the while doing household chores and other legwork (parents, sister, uncle, even guests I didn’t know), entirely for free. (That’s on top of all the usual children’s troubles with adults, which you’re probably all familiar with. You know - “you need to talk about your problems” until your problem is with them, your issues are mocked as you struggle to find words to describe them...)

Later on, bitter people kept saying “everyone does this, everyone suffers that” to dismiss the rare complaints or boasts I dared make. That, and crippling memory issues, forced me to forget the most unusual things in my life.

Hence I constantly forget how special I really am, and I don’t mean that in a “we’re all special snowflakes” kind of way. There are many circumstances to my life which, looking at other people’s stories, I’m positive only a handful of people on Earth even heard of.

- No, everyone does NOT have “sibling rivalry”... certainly not one where they grow up babying an older sibling who abuses them with impunity. She’s physically assaulted me, and done other unspeakable shit, to get her frustrations off. The rest of the time, I watched her make my mother cry on a regular basis. I saw this creature get away with manipulative behavior, and took charge to keep her in line while the grownups were away. Over time, I too began making excuses for her; couldn’t even name her behavior as harassment/bullying/abuse.

- No, everyone does NOT do legwork for family... definitely not to replace the older sibling‘s lack of work. I was probably given twice the normal amount of chores to cover for my sister’s lack of interest/comprehension. If I ever said no for any reason other than my physical health, I was chided and reminded to “make myself useful”. All while being called a baby, and having my complaints laughed at, just like any other infant.

- No, everyone does NOT learn a foreign language thoroughly as I did. It’s quite rare to send your primary-school kid to a weekend course for, what, two years? It’s also rare, for a child at that age, to go to a French-speaking school for two years and then move to France. This is how I came to be (at the risk of sounding cliché) top of my class in that subject, and in English after we moved.

- No, everyone does NOT have a hard-working father. Mine is, in fact, very enterprising and hardheaded when it comes to subjects that interest him. He was purposedly called to France to work there, at one of the shiny central workplaces of the firm he worked for. I don’t know how many Turkish engineers have that kind of reputation.

- No, everyone does NOT have birthday parties. Particularly one organized by school staff, on the last year you lived in your home country. It actually made me cry in happiness, and trust me I’m rarely even happy enough to laugh. I still can’t believe I forgot one of the most beautiful days of my life, until I rediscovered the trilingual birthday cards they gave me.

- No, everyone does NOT go study abroad. I didn’t even just "go study abroad”. I literally went to live in a culture practically opposite to the one in my childhood. One where people hated my entire nation with blood-boiling passion, in a private school full of snobs.

- No, everyone does NOT “get picked on at school”, or experience the issues I’ve faced during adolescence. Being bullied and hormones are one thing; but I also had to adapt to a complete 180° cultural turn + abusive sister. Things woulda been agitated enough if I’d stayed home, and I spent it among children who hated my kind. That’s on top of all the news about corruption and terrorism and other horrors, coming together to plague my home country.

- Everyone does NOT take a theoretical aviation course in middle school, and then enter a nationwide test for it. Our teacher was a real pilot, and he actually included Cessna planes (I forgot the type) since there’d be practical training as follow-up. My group continued these lessons while the other kids had their first traineeships; that shoulda tipped me off about its importance. Thing is, the first attempt, the entire group failed; then we had catch-up lessons, and the second session’s date was approaching. My invite arrived on the exam’s day so I couldn’t notify the school in advance; the principal herself came to tell me it was okay to go, but I insisted on staying cause I was a sickler for regulation. I really hate myself for being so short-sighted, because that was something so casual to me back then, I didn’t even remember it.

- Everyone does NOT pass their bachelor’s exam, and with honours at that. Certainly not in a prestigious private high school, and definitely not with all the added cultural and familial struggles.

- Everyone does NOT go abroad to do traineeships, and find new research topics in the process. In fact, the great majority of students at my university trained either on-campus, or with one of the partners conveniently listed on the website. The few who actually left France, went to Québec to train in a French-speaking environment; and those were still partner teams. Meanwhile I landed two traineeships without any campus involvement, first in my native country (family helped me get that) and then in Ontario. During the latter I saw a conference, and from there arranged my third traineeship in Sweden. That last one, among the three, was the only compulsory traineeship I ever did; the rest was entirely my own doing.

#my thoughts #my life #irony

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astargatelover · 5 years

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Watching The da Vinci Code for the first time - A documentation

- About to watch The da Vinci Code for the first time. It’s about 3AM. Back of the DVD says the movie’s almost 2h30 long. Will approximately be going to bed at about 6AM. I gotta be crazy.

- Back of the DVD also says (translated from German): In the middle of the night the (…) is (…) Langdon (TOM HANKS) in the (…) director was murdered. His (?) (…) that of the Vitruvian Man (…) is the first horrible clue (…) and symbols. At the risk of his life (something something) Langdon – and from then on it’s a normal description, it’s just that that part is obscured by the library stamp. So I can confidently say I totally know what’s going on in this movie! *serious nod*

- Third highlight of the back of the DVD: Ian McKellen, grumpy-looking monk dude and a guy looking like Palpatine. And the Louvre.

- Also in the movie: Some German I don’t know (but yay!) and Paul Bettany. He’s cool; I really liked him in A Knight’s Tale.

- Let’s get this show on the road!

- …gotta update my media player. One sec!

- There we go. …where’s the always-on-top button? Ah, found it! Light’s off in my room; cinema time.

- Music’s already nice in the menu.

- Audio: English. (More nice music.) Subtitles: (Hey, they have Turkish on offer!) Off.

- (They even have subtitles for the trailers. But no extras. Am miffed. What kind of bare-bones DVD is this?!)

- 20 minutes after the first “about” up there: Play movie.

- Fancy title cards.

- Dude running. He’s gonna die; I know that much.

- Paul!

- *sigh*

- Oooooh, it’s Robert. That’s a lot of applause.

- (Btw, in case you didn’t know: I have watched Angels & Demons because I love Ernesto Olivetti a crazy amount.)

- I like Robert. Awesome presentation.

- Also like Tom Hanks. He’s great.

- Accents, y’all.

- Latin? Latin. Italian? No, definitely Latin.

- Ouch. Self-flagellation. Ooooooouch. Some religious people are crazy.

- Dude, you can barely stand. I’m a sadist and I don’t want you doing that to you.

- We’re only 10 minutes in, my goodness.

- Claustrophobia! I relate to that.

- Just let the dude take the stairs.

- Wow.

- Priests.

- Have I mentioned I’m not a big fan of catholics? Nothing personal.

- Also: Autistic Langdon, symbology special interest.

- French.

- Sophie! Heard of her.

- Strange happenings.

- Oooooooooh.

- French lady. I don’t speak French.

- *window jump scare*

- We don’t trust the police guy.

- Conspiracies!

- Fuck.

- “Once he starts, he doesn’t stop.” He’s like Javert.

- Climb out the window?

- More French.

- Oooooooh! They’re so tricking them, aren’t they? They’re not dumb.

- Bye bye!

- I’m sorry for Sophie.

- (I saw that part where her grandfather got shot years ago.)

- Here we go with the anagrams.

- Eidetic memory (pretty much) - firms up my autism headcanon.

- Can you even get that close to the Mona Lisa irl?

- Tom Hanks has a really nice nose. xD

- Langdon’s so good with anagrams.

- It’s like a scavenger hunt.

- Ooh, Musketeer symbol.

- Chase music!

- Flashback with crazy meetings.

- A smart! I get to bop someone now.

- Ooh, Les Mis.

- Backwards! That’s impressive.

- She’s so gonna make it.

- She made it!

- Bye bye, mirror.

- Paul’s looking angry.

- Someone got stabbed. I sense guilt.

- More dead people.

- Holy water.

- A nun.

- A rose line.

- Is he gonna kill her? She seems nervous.

- MORE FRENCH.

- Red light zone.

- (It’s raining outside. Kinda sets the mood.)

- You stay away from that dude, nun.

- Saving a junkie?

- (Sophie’s a really nice name, btw.)

- He rambles when he gets the chance so much. Really reminds me of special interests. (And in case anyone takes issue with that, I should know. I’m autistic. I have them.)

- My parents just watched Knightfall. Now I know some about the templars’ fall.

- Sophie didn’t know they were supposed to protect the Holy Grail? Really? Huh.

- Moooooore French.

- Please don’t die, nun.

- That’s some scar under his eye.

- Those look like some anger issues.

- It’s the grumpy-looking monk dude.

- Seriously, I understand more Latin than French.

- “Blood is being spilled” as he’s spilling wine, that’s great.

- Freeeeeeeeeench.

- “I don’t think he liked me very much. He once made a joke at my expense.” I relate to this guy so hard on the autism level.

- It’s the German dude.

- That’s some system they’ve got at that bank.

- You call that a rose?

- I’m with Langdon here. Safe passage?

- Aww, poor guy. I’ve got claustrophobia, too, and I haven’t even got a traumatizing event behind me. (I read that somewhere.)

- I like the driver.

- A lot. Nice one with the watch.

- Langdon, you look sick. Please don’t die, y’all.

- JESUS CHRIST.

- Poor Sophie. </3 Woah.

- How tf did that truck get there?

- That bullet. Smaaart move. *thumbs up*

- Ouch.

- Bye bye again.

- Do I like the police captain? I don’t know.

- The tea convo. xD

- Is Langdon like this in the books? I hope he is.

- How old is Sophie? *googles Audrey Tatou* (Ooh, Amélie!) *checks when movie was made* ‘bout 30.

- Yaaaaaas, Ian.

- Also please don’t die.

- (Both my faves in Angels & Demons die. I’m vorbelastet and can’t find a good English word for that.)

- Jesus was cool.

- Those helmets. Feathers!

- “Not even his nephew twice removed.” xDDD

- Is that paisley? *googles* It is. Nice!

- Just in case you’re wondering, I am typing this as I watch the movie. I’m not saying I’m not missing anything, but I like multitasking.

- *googles The last Supper* Wow, no cup.

- Genital symbols.

- Wombs open towards the ground, though. People with them aren’t constantly doing handstands.

- Have I mentioned one of my favorite movies is Dogma, which postulates that Jesus had siblings? I’m liking this conversation.

- “Companion meant spouse.” My gay ass likes this.

- If that is Mary Magdalene, though, which apostle is missing? Been wondering this for years.

- Scions. I like this.

- I’m all for sex positivity.

- Your time’s kinda running out, guys.

- Almost halfway through, now.

- Do you seriously believe they’re murderers?

- Why do you wear your police thingies like a blind man’s band?

- Was overall expecting a bit more running in this movie, I guess.

- Poor Sophie. This is a lot to take in.

- Beating someone up with crutches! Yas!

- Like, ouch.

- Do you happen to have a secret passage under your house? Would come in real handy.

- Oh, Zürich! Man, accents. Barely understood that.

- Frehehench.

- In my personal experience claustrophobic people aren’t generally fans of planes. That might just be me, though.

- Still don’t know Paul’s character’s name.

- We are leaving the country.

- That haircut. On the dude with the grumpy-looking monk.

- Does Jesus having a family beside his parents somehow make him less holy? *shrug*

- FRENCH.

- Police brutality?

- “Please”? Seriously? I understood that much and you’re a dick.

- This is, like, some Order of the White Lotus stuff.

- You need a mirror? You can’t read it otherwise? Huh. Well, I guess it’s just easier.

- I really like Lee.

- How many more ways can I angrily write French? (I don’t have anything against the language per se. I just don’t understand what they’re saying and that irks me. There aren’t even subtitles for that. I feel like there are supposed to be subtitles.)

- (It is nice, however, that they’re sticking to the languages they’d actually be speaking. I wonder if it’s all German in German.)

- Yo, police. Be more subtle. You could have laid a trap.

- “You can start with him.” Hm! xD

- “I could run them over.” !! Man, this is great.

- This is like a fucking magic trick.

- You know what, I wanna watch that again.

- The DVD did not like that, so now I get to look at the “pick scene” menu. At least there’s more nice music.

- Just out of curiosity… *checks* There are 24 chapters and I’m at the 16th.

- I can understand more French when I concentrate on it, but I’ve been too annoyed about it so far.

- Never had French at school, btw. But have a bit of a talent for languages. When it comes to those I can sometimes cobble meaning together from context and existing knowledge.

- “The French cannot be trusted”, sounds so ominous.

- As a fan of Angels & Demons, I am very interested in what the Vatican has to say about all this.

- Told ya we don’t like planes.

- Naww, Sophie. Arm pat, yas.

- How do you accidentally fall into a well feet first? Hmm…

- Saved by pigeons, wow.

- Paul’s eyes are super blue.

- Is he gonna get killed?

- What an old-ass phone.

- I’m worried about that newspaper.

- How they’re keeping the identity of the teacher secret is A+, shooting-wise.

- “Your identity shall go with me to the grave.” Did he know he was gonna die?

- Nice one!

- Is the second movie this long? *checks* Not quite.

- Seriously. Unnaturally blue eyes.

- Shoot-out.

- I can kinda see where Lee’s coming from. Don’t agree with the method, but…

- Did a shoulder-shot really kill him?

- See? Nope.

- I think I do kinda like the police captain.

- Have I mentioned my attraction to side characters?

- Oh, that tiny wound on her neck. I like the attention to detail.

- And those stained glass windows! Pretty.

- His mind! Wow.

- I wanna see this scene without music and special effects, though, to see what Sophie and Lee see. Must be pretty weird. xD

- Dramatic musiiiiic.

- Police captain coming through! Yas.

- Robert’s like “What is happening?”

- Man, those poor policemen with the screaming dude in the back of the car.

- Can’t resist a challenge, can you?

- It’s hecking dark behind that doorway.

- Can they get away with getting rid of all the villains half an hour before the movie’s over?

- Now she’s all Ghost Whisperer-like.

- I like the way it sounds when she calls him Robert.

- (Doing some more googling. Ah, it’s Leigh. I see.)

- Who are these guys? Something bad’s happening.

- Flashbacks and MORE FRENCH.

- Wonder if Robert and Sophie use the formal you in German. It wouldn’t fit.

- Sophie’s world is kinda falling apart.

- (She’s like Bethany in Dogma. Don’t know if anyone here even knows Dogma, but I love it.)

- Family reunion! Who put those onions here?

- See? Robert and I agree. Why should a family make Jesus less holy?

- I really like this friendship. I hope they’ll meet again.

- Checking if she can walk on water. xD

- Hey, it’s the Eiffel tower! And it’s playing light house.

- Blood.

- What? What is it?

- Wow.

- This music is real nice.

- 7 minutes of credits.

- Again, though: The music is nice.

#the da vinci code #robert langdon #dan brown #tom hanks #sophie neveu #long post is long

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salty-donut-collecter · 5 years

Text

Why Stay?

Act II, Part One

Twenty-Seven {Masterlist} Part Two

Chapter Word Count: 1,652

Trigger Warnings: Anxiety mentioned, yelling, talk about bones breaking, insults

Please tell me if I need to tag anything else :)

*Also, I’m planning on having this story as a slow burn, so please be prepared :)

Prompts: “Do I look like I give a fuck?”, “I don’t know what I’m feeling, but I’m feeling a lot of it.”, and “Not to dictate your life, but drop your shitty friends.”

A/N: It’s been a bit, but I’m glad I have a system for this stuff now! Lmao this story is gonna have you guys dying, but I hope you like it nonetheless.

Happy reading! (Also, feel free to comment your thoughts! I love reading comments :))

Also, if you’d like to be added to the tags list, please let me know! :D

_____________________________________________________

You woke up on Saturday morning, a headache forming as you tried to remember what you’d dreamed.

“Whatever,” you mumbled, getting up and stumbling around in the dark until you got into the dark hallway.

Jesus, what time is it? You wondered, looking around at how dark it was. You looked at your smartwatch (something Katie had left in your room for Christmas), sighing as it read 1:22 am because you knew there was no chance you would be able to go back to sleep now.

Okay… you took a deep breath, I guess today is just going to be a lot longer than planned.

And indeed it would.

Now, you didn’t really think the day was long…. Until Micheal called a “family meeting”, which really just meant y’all had to sit in a room and listen to him before discussing a topic he’d introduced. (The last topic you’d witnessed was furries and kinks because he wanted to see Steven die a little on the inside. (You all know he’s a kinky bastard at heart))

You sighed, wondering how long this one would take because you’d been getting ready to try and sleep again. However, you were intrigued to find he was holding a meeting in one of the kitchen rooms, which was just a room with a huge ass table that could fit the whole family. (So this would be the equivalent to a normal family’s kitchen table.)

You sighed and made your way up there, making sure to be the last person in the room so you could sit next to Micheal, letting Maverick take the right side, while you sat on his left.

“Okay, so I know it hasn’t been that long since Y/n’s been back,” Micheal gave a little eye roll, “Buut, I also don’t care.” he shrugged, holding a hand around his torso in a way you found particularly interesting.

“So, due to my inability to give a shit, and my abundant need to call family meetings, I decided to quell my raging curiosity,” Micheal smirked a little, clearing his throat and demolishing all visible joy as quickly as it came. He then proceeded to open his jacket, extract a familiar folder from under his shirt, and toss it far onto the table, where it flew open and spread its’ contents out for everyone to see.

“So,” Micheal looked at you, his contact lenses red because he was into that, “Care to tell me what this is?”

You had no doubt in your mind that he had already read it, and been furious about it. This told you he already knows everything in that folder by heart, and he was ready to both defend you, and rip the team a new one, which was something you actually found refreshing.

“It’s a file of the information I gathered to quell my own curiosity, actually.” You mused, sitting back and letting your feet sit up on the table. Your chair tipped a bit, but you didn’t mind it much.

Clint was doing the same things, actually. You had a small leaning competition as the conversation continued.

“What were you curious about?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

You smirked, taking a break from you small competition as you sat upright again, “I thought you had powers, actually, and no one gave me the answers I needed to make a proper conclusion.” You shrugged, “So I looked into it myself and got kicked out of the Teen Titans.”

Steve glared at you, “Nobody kicked you out, Y/n. You left because you didn’t want to face the consequences of your actions.”

You chuckled, “Sorry, I didn’t know getting my jaw broken by your shield in a world I made just for you was an invitation to stay and continue to be an Avenger…” You looked up quizzically, “Come to think of it, accusing me of killing people behind your back because I’m an apparent rage monster also didn’t seem like a part of the welcome wagon-- wow, Steve, if you’re so good with etiquette and I’m so bad with it, you should probably teach me-- oh wait, you did, didn’t you? After I’d just gotten here? I’m sorry I failed as a student. It’s just so--”

“Y/n, that’s enough.” Rhodey deadpanned, glaring at you from next to an already peeved Tony. Guess they didn’t get much sleep either. “We’re all happy to have you back, trust me.”

Clint laughed, “Wow, Rhodey, that’s rich!” he sat up, arms softly landing at the table as he looked at the Iron Patriot, “You really wanna go down that route? The whole: yeah, we’re happy to see you again, even though we literally accused you of being a psycho killer last time we talked, but hey! It’s all good now, right? Cause Jesus Christ dude!” Clint laughed, “She literally ran around the fucking w o r l d so she could get a break from our fugly mugs. So I say we give her one. There’s no need to drag this on, Steve. Little girls wouldn’t be leaving Christmas presents in her room if she was a horrible person.” Clint rolled his eyes, already done with the conversation that’d just started.

“Barton, we’re trying to--” Vision started

“Don’t give me that logical bullshit cause that’s not happening right now. You, Vision, can logic your way into and out of this, but them? Yeah, no. They don’t have the goals you do, and it’s fucking time you realize how biased they are.”

“Okay, but my husband was literally the Winter Soldier.” Steve deadpanned.

Clint gave him the weirdest smile, “And he had a type of microsurgery done on him that was very painful and unsafe to get HYDRA out of his head.” his smile dropped, “We fucking been knowing about your husband, Steve. The thing is, no one cares anymore because he took care of that problem as a consenting adult.”

“I don't need a surgery.” You gave the people at the table a weird look, wondering if the kids should’ve been invited to this conversation. You felt a small finger tap your lower shoulder. You flinched, but calmed down when you saw Katie.

She motioned for you to come closer, so you leaned down to her level.

“Can I sit in your lap?” She whispered, lifting her arms up so you could lift her.

You chuckled, “Of course, my smol bean.” you replied, gently grabbing her under her armpits and lifting her into your lap, where you’d crossed your legs so she’d be comfortable. You looked over to see Chloe itching at her arms. She’s getting anxious.

“Okay but guys,” Micheal’s voice somehow transpiring over everyone else’s with great intensity. “You’re failing to answer my question.” He looked down at you, as if knowing something you should know too. (Really you thought of it as only half of “sharing a knowing look”)

You just shake your head, nothing coming to mind for now. He also shook his head, disappointed in you for some reason.

Micheal turned to the rest of the adults, looking peeved as per usual.

“Why. Didn’t. You. Tell. Me?” He asked, changing the question to better their ability to answer.

Everyone was quiet. The less everyone spoke, the more upset you got with their inability to take responsibility for their forgivable mistakes. You understood the fact that it was a hard thing to do sometimes, but this was getting fucking ridiculous.

“Okay, I get that this is hard for you but honestly grow the fuck up.” you snapped, your eyes rolling as you moved Katie over a little bit. It’s not like you needed to be screaming in her ear-- she didn’t do anything wrong and was too cute for that anyway.

“Y/n there’s more to this than--” Stephen started, but the excuses were honestly too annoying to listen to again.

“That I obviously know about cause I’m a stupid teenager.” You angrily sighed, “So I’ve heard. However, I’ll also say that we can’t do shit about the other things at hand if you’ve never bothered to-- I dunno-- talk about them?” You huffed, your knee bouncing as you try to maintain your composure. Katie is looking more anxious by the minute.

“Y/n, will you be okay?” Katie asked.

You gave her a sorrowful look. You were almost mad at Micheal for bringing her and Chloe into this.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay sweet pea,” you assure her, sounding sweeter than honey on top of Turkish delight.

Your gaze returned to the conversation at hand, which had actually gotten really heated within the couple of seconds you’d left for. Okay then.

“I don’t have to explain myself to an overgrown lab rat.” Stephen snapped, pointing at Pietro from his place at the table.

You stood up, Katie in your arms for only a moment before you quickly set her down. “Stephen, we don’t need to turn this into a fight.” You cautioned, your eyes starring the Master of The Mystic Arts with a flash of anger.

“She’s right, Stephen.” Tony was also standing, looking at Strange with quite the opposite look. You hadn’t seen Tony look that concerned for someone in a while.

The air was tense. Having so many emotions in one room was bound to create trouble, but the type of trouble was a mystery to everyone, causing a subtle fear that only stirred the pot more.

“Stephen, what kind of trouble are you talking about?” Steve jumped in, also standing.

You were surprised by his random aid to your side of the argument, but you decided that it was the least of your worries right now. Your hand gently squeezed Katie’s, momentarily reassuring her after hearing her softly whimper.

Stephen glared at Steve, as if wondering if he should answer him honestly, or tell him to shut the fuck up because he’s been nothing but unhelpful this entire time.

Well, you were screwed.

_____

Taglist: @introvertedsin @galacticalstarcat @acidrain707

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klbmsw · 5 years

Text

“Trump’s calls with foreign leaders have long worried aides, leaving some ‘genuinely horrified’

By Carol D. Leonnig, Shane Harris and Josh Dawsey October 4, 2019 at 7:19 PM EDT nytimes.com

“In one of his first calls with a head of state, President Trump fawned over Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling the man who ordered interference in America’s 2016 election that he was a great leader and apologizing profusely for not calling him sooner.”

He pledged to Saudi officials in another call that he would help the monarchy enter the elite Group of Seven, an alliance of the world’s leading democratic economies.”

“He promised the president of Peru that he would deliver to his country a C-130 military cargo plane overnight, a logistical nightmare that set off a herculean scramble in the West Wing and Pentagon.”

“And in a later call with Putin, Trump asked the former KGB officer for his guidance in forging a friendship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un — a fellow authoritarian hostile to the United States.”

“Starting long before revelations about Trump’s interactions with Ukraine’s president rocked Washington, Trump’s phone calls with foreign leaders were an anxiety-ridden set of events for his aides and members of the administration, according to former and current officials. They worried that Trump would make promises he shouldn’t keep, endorse policies the United States long opposed, commit a diplomatic blunder that jeopardized a critical alliance or simply pressure a counterpart for a personal favor.”

“There was a constant undercurrent in the Trump administration of [senior staff] who were genuinely horrified by the things they saw that were happening on these calls,” said one former White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations. “Phone calls that were embarrassing, huge mistakes he made, months and months of work that were upended by one impulsive tweet.”

“But Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went beyond whether the leader of the free world had committed a faux pas, and into grave concerns, he had engaged in a possible crime or impeachable offense. The release last week of a whistleblower complaint alleging Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals as well as the release of a rough transcript of the July call led to House Democrats launching an impeachment inquiry against Trump.”

“The Ukraine controversy has put a renewed focus on Trump’s unorthodox way of interacting with fellow world leaders in diplomatic calls. Critics, including some former administration officials, contend that Trump’s behavior on calls with foreign leaders has at times created unneeded tensions with allies and sent troubling signals to adversaries or authoritarians that the United States supports or at least does not care about human rights or their aggressive behavior elsewhere in the world.”

“Joel Willett, a former intelligence officer who worked at the National Security Council from 2014 to 2015, said he was concerned both by the descriptions of a president winging it, and the realization that the president’s behavior disturbs and frightens career civil servants.”

“What a burden it must be to be stuck between your position of trust in the White House and another obligation you may feel to the American people to say something,” he said. The White House did not respond to a request for comment Thursday or Friday.”

“Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally, said the president speaks his mind and diverges from other presidents who follow protocol. Graham said he saw nothing distressing in the president’s July 25 call with Zelensky and said he expected it to be worse, partially given his own experience with Trump on the phone.”

“If you take half of my phone calls with him, it wouldn’t read as cleanly and nicely,” he said, adding that the president sounded like a “normal person.”

“This story is based on interviews with 12 former or current officials with knowledge of the president’s foreign calls. These officials had direct involvement in the calls, were briefed on them or read the transcripts afterward. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the president’s private conversations with world leaders.”

“The first call Trump made that set off alarm bells came less than two weeks after his inauguration. On Jan. 28, Trump called Putin for what should have been a routine formality: accepting a foreign leader’s congratulations. Former White House officials described Trump as “obsequious” and “fawning,” but said he also rambled off into different topics without any clear point, while Putin appeared to stick to formal talking points for a first official exchange.”

“He was like, ‘Oh my gosh, my people didn’t tell me you wanted to talk to me,’ ” said one person with direct knowledge of the call.”

“Trump has been consistently cozy with authoritarian leaders, sparking anxiety among aides about the solicitous tones he struck with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Putin.”

“We couldn’t figure out early on why he was being so nice to Russia,” one former senior administration official said. H.R. McMaster, the president’s then-national security adviser, launched an internal campaign to get Trump to be more skeptical of the Russians. Officials expressed surprise in both of his early Putin calls at why he was so friendly.”

“In another call, in April 2017, Trump told Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who had overseen a brutal campaign that has resulted in the extrajudicial killings of thousands of suspected drug dealers, that he was doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem.”

“Trump’s personal goals seeped into calls. He pestered Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for help in recommending him for a Nobel Prize, according to an official familiar with the call. “People who could do things for him — he was nice too,” said one former security official. “Leaders with trade deficits, strong female leaders, members of NATO — those tended to go badly.”

“Aides bristled at the dismissive way he sometimes addressed longtime U.S. allies, especially women. In a summer 2018 call with Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump harangued the British leader about her country’s contribution to NATO. He then disputed her intelligence community’s conclusion that Putin’s government had orchestrated the attempted murder and poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil.”

“Trump was totally bought into the idea there was credible doubt about the poisoning,” said one person briefed on the call. “A solid 10 minutes of the conversation is spent with May saying it’s highly likely and him saying he’s not sure.”

“Trump would sometimes make commitments to foreign leaders that flew in the face of U.S. policy and international agreements, as when he told a Saudi royal that he would support their country’s entry into the G-7.”

“The G-7 is supposed to be the allies with whom we share the most common values and the deepest commitment to upholding the rules-based order,” the former official said.”

“Russia was kicked out of the group in 2014 for violating international law when it invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Trump has publicly advocated for Russia to be allowed back in. Saudi Arabia, which oppresses women and has a record of human rights abuses, wasn’t a fit candidate for membership, the former official said.”

“Saudi Arabia was not admitted to the group. Calls with foreign leaders have often been highly orchestrated events in past administrations.”

“When I was at the White House, there was a very deliberative process of the president absorbing information from people who had deep substantive knowledge of the countries and relationships with these leaders. Preparation for these calls was taken very seriously,” Willett said. “It appears to be freestyle and ad-libbed now.”

“Trump has rejected much of the protocol and preparation associated with foreign calls, even as his national security team tried to establish goals for each conversation.”

“Instead, Trump often sought to use calls as a way to befriend whoever he was talking to, one current senior administration official said, defending the president. “So he might say something that sounds terrible to the outside, but in his mind, he’s trying to build a relationship with that person and sees flattery as the way to do it.”

“The president resisted long briefings before calls or reading in preparation, several former officials said. McMaster, who preferred providing the president with the information he could use to make decisions, resigned himself to giving Trump small notecards with bulleted highlights and talking points.”

“You had two to three minutes max,” said one former senior administration official. “And then he was still usually going to say whatever he wanted to say.”

“As a result, staff fretted that Trump came across ill-informed in some calls, and even oafish. In a conversation with China’s Xi, Trump repeated numerous times how much he liked a kind of chocolate cake, one former official said. The president publicly described the dessert the two had in April 2017 when Trump and Xi met at the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort as “the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake you have ever seen.”

“Trump preferred to make calls from the residence, which frustrated some NSC staff and West Wing aides who wanted to be on hand to give the president real-time advice. If he held the call in the Oval Office, aides would gather around the desk and pass him notes to try to keep the calls on point. On a few occasions, then-Chief of Staff John F. Kelly muted the call to try to get the president back on track, two officials said.”

“Tim O’Brien, a Trump biographer, and critic, said the calls fit Trump’s style as a business leader. “When he had to get on calls with investors on a publicly-traded company, they had to worry that he would break securities laws and lie about the company’s profits,” O’Brien said. “When he would go and meet with regulators with the casino control commission, his lawyers were always worried under oath, in a public setting, that he would say something that would be legally damaging.”

“Though calls with foreign leaders are routinely planned in advance, Trump a few times called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron unannounced as if they were friends, a former administration official said.”

“After some early summaries of Trump calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia leaked to the press in 2017, the White House tightened restrictions on who could access the transcripts and kept better track of who had custody of copies. For example, Vice President Pence still received a courtesy copy of any foreign-leader call, but his staff now had to sign off when they transported it to his office and also sign off when they returned or destroyed the document.”

“Some former officials said that over time staff became used to the oddity of some calls even if they still found them troubling.”

“People had gotten really numb to him blurting out something he shouldn’t have,” one former national security staffer remarked.”

“But officials who had served in the White House through the end of 2018 were still shocked by the whistleblower complaint about the effort to “lockdown” records of Trump’s July 25 call. The complaint said White House officials ordered the transcript moved into a highly secure computer system, known as NICE, which is normally reserved only for information about the most sensitive code-word-level intelligence programs.”

“Unheard of,” said one former official who handled foreign calls. “That just blew me away.”

nytimes.com

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djemerald · 4 years

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My ‘sweetest’ Favorite 2019

もはやただのメモ！だけど、今年もやっぱりやっておこう。ということで、2019年のスウィートな音楽をずらりと。画像はアルバム・LP・EPのみの分をコレクションしてみました。去年書いた「過去最高のスピードで世界中の音楽が聴けるようになった」のは、今年も継続中。ただ、画面の中で自動的にレコメンドされるよりも、周りの友達に「これよかったよ〜」とか、「これ好きそう」とか教えてもらう方が、断然、うれしい。ジャンルは相��わらずいろいろだけど、ジャズ的な要素が増えた気がする。（dublab.jpの影響か、原雅明さんの影響かしら、どうかしら）あと、今年はアルバム通して聴く機会が多かった、というか、その方がフィットしてた。もともとCDを買っていたときの感覚に戻ったようで、なんだかしみじみしちゃう。そして、11月あたりからじんわりとミニマルハウス〜テクノに惹かれ中。シンプルがゆえに、好みを見つけるのがむずかしい、でも楽しい。新しい境地。 DJ MIXはほとんど聴かなかったなぁ。音楽の聴き方って、1年の間にこんなにも変わるものなのね。 dublab.jpでラジオ番組をはじめたことも大きいかな。ありがとう、グッドバイ2019年。 2020年は、審美眼を磨きつつ、軽快に。生身の肌で感じたい。 *アルファベット順です *今年リリース以外のものも多くあります *Vanessa Paradis、Marlene Dietrichは常時アイコンなのではぶきます＊ - My ‘sweetest’ Favorite 2019 - ▽▼▽ ALBUM / LP / EP ▽▼▽ AFK & Bludwork / Loyalty N Service [100% Silk] Akira Rabelais / CXVI [Boomkat Editions] Alexis Le-Tan & Jess present / Space Oddities [Permanent Vacation] Amazondotcom / Mirror River [SUBREAL] Ambien Baby / En Transito [FATi Records] Ana Roxanne / ~~~ [Leaving Records] Anna Homler ‎/ Deliquium In C [Präsens Editionen] Archie Shepp, Jasper Van't Hof ‎/ Mama Rose [SteepleChase] Bartosz Kruczynski, Poly Chain / Pulses [Into The Light Records] Basil Kirchin / I Start Counting [Trunk Records] Basil Kirchin / Primitive London [Trunk Records] Black Boboi / Agate [BINDIVIDUAL] C.Tappin / Ashes to Ashes [Melting Pot Music] Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny / Beyond The Missouri Sky [Verve Records] Chihei Hatakeyama(畠山地平) / Void XIX [White Paddy Mountain] Chocolate Lips / Chocolate Lips [Sony Music] Derric Gobourne Jr. / Supremacy [P-Vine Records] Deweekend / Deweekend [OutOfStock] Dome / Dome 2 [Editions Mego] Eberhard Weber / Encore [ECM Records] Eleventeen Eston / Delta Horizon [Growing Bin Records] Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou / Ethiopiques, Vol. 21 [Buda Musique] Eric Serra ‎/ Le Grand Bleu (Bande Originale Du Film) [Virgin] G.S. Schray / First Appearance [Last Resort] Giovanni Guidi / Avec Le Temps [ECM Records] h hunt / Playing Piano for Dad [Tasty Morsels] Helena Deland ‎– Altogether Unaccompanied Vol. III [Luminelle Recordings] Holdie Gawn｜Micawber ‎/ Gleech Huis｜Parsec Telemetry [Sylphe] infinite bisous / Period [Tasty Morsels] Ion Ludwig / A Better Future To Long [Metereze] J!N /pink stm & wite ptl [Hizz] JAB / Erg Herbe [Shelter Press] Jacqueline Humbert & David Rosenboom / Daytime Viewing [Unseen Worlds] Jai Paul / Do You Love Her Now｜He [XL Recordings] jan and naomi / Fracture [cutting edge] Jan Jelinek / Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records [~scape] Jeff Majors / Yoka Boka (For Us All) [Invisible City Editions] Joao Gilberto / Amoroso [Warner Bros. Records] Joe Tossini and Friends / Lady of Mine [Joe Tossini Music] Joseph Shabason / Anne, EP [Western Vinyl] Juan Hidalgo / Rrose Sélavy [Discos Transgénero] Kali Malone / The Sacrificial Code [iDEAL Recordings] Khotin / Beautiful You [Ghostly International] Kit Sebastian / Mantra Moderne [Mr Bongo] Leech / Data Horde [Peak Oil] Leonardo Marques / Early Bird [180g x Disk Union] Leonore Boulanger / Practice Chanter [Le Saule] Les Yeux Orange / Ghost Dog [Good Plus] Lifted / 2 [PAN] Liv.e / ::hoopdreams:: [Not On Label] Lloyd Miller / A Lifetime In Oriental Jazz [Jazzman] Loren Connors / Evangeline [Recital] Loving / Lately In Another Time [Last Gang Records] Lucas Arruda / Onda Nova [Favorite Recordings] Lunz / Lunz 3 [Curious Music] Mary Lattimore / Hundreds Of Days [Ghostly International] Mega Bog / Dolphine [Paradise Of Bachelors] Meitei(冥丁) / Komachi [Métron Records] melodiesinfonie / A Journey to You [JAKARTA] Molinaro / What The Future Was [Apron Records] Nadia Reid / Preservation [Basin Rock] Neu Balance / In My Life, I've Loved Them All [Budget Cuts] Nia Andrews / No Place Is Safe [rings] Nico Rico / Primitive Thinking EP [Not On Label] Nina Keith / MARANASATI 19111 [Grind Select] Nitai Hershkovits / Lemon the Moon [AGATE / Inpartmaint] Normal Brain / Lady Maid [Vanity Records] Olsen / Dream Operator [100%Silk] Operating Theatre / Miss Mauger [Allchival] Pejzaż / Pejzaż Remiksy [The Very Polish Cut-Outs] Powder / Powder In Space [Beats In Space Records] Priori & RAMZi / Jumanjí [FATi Records] Profit Prison ‎/ Six Strange Passions [Avant!] RAMZi / Multiquest Niveau 1: Camouflé [FATi Records] Regularfantasy /Sunsets & Sublets [Total Stasis] Repetentes 2008 / Galaxia Fini [Superconscious Records] Repetentes 2008 / Gelo Gerônimo [Gop Tun] RIP Swirl / 9TEEN90 [Public Possession] Robert Minden Ensemble / Long Journey Home [Otter Bay Recordings] Robert Minden Ensemble / The Boy Who Wanted To Talk To Whales [Otter Bay Recordings] Robert Minden Ensemble / Whisper in My Ear [Otter Bay Recordings] Robert Wyatt / Shleep [Domino] Rupert Clervaux / After Masterpieces [Whities] Santilli / Surface [Into The Light Records] Sarah Davachi / Pale Bloom [W.25th] Sebastian Gandera / Le Raccourci [Efficient Space] Simone De Kunovich / Mondo Nuovo Vol. 1 [Superconscious Records] Sipprell / I Could Be Loved [Sipprell] Sonia Sanchez / Full Moon Of Sonia [VIA International Artists] Sonny Sharrock / Black Woman [Vortex Records] Soundwalk Collective / What We Leave Behind | Jean-Luc Godard Archives [mAtter] Sparrows / Berries [flau] St. Joseph / Player Nr. 1 EP [Dokutoku Records] Stephen Steinbrink ‎/ Utopia Teased [Western Vinyl/Melodic Records] Takayuki Shiraishi / Missing Link [Studio Mule] Tamaryn / Dreaming The Dark [Dero Arcade] Teebs / Anicca [Brainfeeder] Teiji Ito / Music For Maya [Tzadik] The Caretaker / An empty bliss beyond this World [History Always Favours The Winners] Tim Hecker / Anoyo [Kranky] Tujiko Noriko / Kuro(OST) [PAN] Unknown Mobile / Daucile Moon [Pacific Rhythm] Vanishing Twin / The Age of Immunology [Fire Records] Various ‎/ I Am The Center (Private Issue New Age Music In America, 1950-1990) [Light In The Attic] Various / Visible & Invisible Persons Distributed In Space [Numero Group] Various / Wys! V&a Ep [WYS! Recordings] Various / زمان يا سكر = Zamaan Ya Sukkar - Exotic Love Songs And Instrumentals From The Egyptian 60’s [Radio Martiko] Various Artists / 4 Down [Deek Recordings] Various Artists / Turkish Hamam House Disco [Arsivplak] Viola Klein / A Passport And A Visa Stamped By The Holy Ghost [Meakusma] Violet / Togetherness [Togetherness] Voices In Latin / Voices In Latin [Morgan] Wilson Tanner / II [Efficient Space] Yasuaki Shimizu / Music For Commercials [Crammed Discs] Yohuna / Mirroring [fear of missing out records] Yoshiharu Takeda / Aspiration [METANESOS Records] Yoshinori Hayashi / γ [Smalltown Supersound] Zenit / Straight Ahead [P-Vine Records] 元ちとせ / 元唄幽玄～元ちとせ奄美シマ唄REMIX～ (Remixes) [Au(g)tunes] 孔雀眼 JADE EYES / 渴望 [香港商黑市音樂股份有限公司台灣分公司] ∞σ / DG Hadi [Hizz] ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ / ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლのʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(ƟӨ)ʃ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ ꐑ(ཀ ඊູ ఠీੂ೧ູ࿃ूੂ✧ළඕั࿃ूੂ࿃ूੂੂ࿃ूੂළඕั✧ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ɵੂ≢࿃ूੂ೧ູఠీੂ ඊູཀ ꐑ(ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(ƟӨ)ʃ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡ [༈೧ູ≢)ꐑʅ(Ɵↂↂ. l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡| ̲̲͡ π̲̲͡͡.̸̸̨̨ ఠీੂ)༼ू༈೧ູ࿃ूੂ༽(ଳծູ l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡| ̲̲͡ π̲̲͡͡ ɵੂ≢)_̴ı ̡͌ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ꐑ*:･✧(ཽ๑ඕัළඕั)ꐑʅ(Ɵↂ๑)✧*:･ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡| ̲̲͡ π̲̲͡͡.̸̸̨̨ ఠీੂ)༼ू༈೧ູʅ(ƟӨ)ʃ ꐑ(ཀ ඊູ ఠీੂ)༼ू༈೧ູ࿃ूੂ༽(ଳծູɵੂ≢ↂ. l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡.]

▽▼▽ SONG ▽▼▽ Akis / New Age Rising (Part VIII) [Into The Light Records] Anatolian Weapons / Ofiodaimon (Tolouse Low Trax vs Anatolian Weapons Remix) [Beats In Space Records] Anna Karina / Pierrot Le Fou-Jamais Je Ne T'Ai Dit Que Je T'Aimerai Toujours (いつまでも愛するとは言わなかった) [Barclay] Baba Stiltz / Showtime [XL Recordings] Bartosz Kruczyński / Pastoral Sequences [Growing Bin Records] Beatrice Dillon / Workaround Two [PAN] Bee Gees / How Deep Is Your Love [RSO] Bell Biv DeVoe ‎/ Poison [MCA Records] Betonkust, Palmbomen II / Rejected Demo Tape [Dekmantel] Blue Gas / Shadows From Nowhere [Archeo / Best Record] Bobby Hutcherson / Tranquillity [Blue Note] Bohren & und Club of Gore - Karin [[PIAS] Recordings] Cécile McLorin Salvant / One Step Ahead [Mack Avenue Records] Cigarettes After Sex / Heavenly [Partisan Records] Cleaners From Venus / Corridor of Dreams [Man At The Off Licence] De Beren Gieren / Broensgebuzze 8.2 [Sdban Ultra] Dolphins Into The Future & Lieven Marten Moana / Lava (Long Version) [Edições Cn] DOS / Need U [Nerang Recordings] Dove, Le Makeup / Angel Diaries [Pure Voyage] Duval Timothy / DYE [NTS Radio] Eliza Dickson, Braxton Cook, Lauren Desberg / Gold [Tokyo Dawn Records] Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch / End Scene [130701 (FatCat Records)] Empress Of / When I’m With Him (Perfume Genius Cover) [Terrible Records] Fafá de Belém / Aconteceu Você [Som Livre] Gary Burton / Las Vegas Tango [Atlantic] Hanne Mjøen / Sounds Good To Me [Spinnin' Deep] Haruomi Hosono (細野晴臣) / 薔薇と野獣(New ver.) [Speedstar] Jay Som / Superbike [Lucky Number] John Cameron / Half-Forgotten Daydreams [KPM Music] John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra / You Know, You Know [Columbia] Joni Mitchell / Shine [Hear Music] Karen Gwyer / Ian on Fire [Don't Be Afraid] Kelsey Lu / I’m Not In Love [Columbia] Klein Zage / Womanhood (DJ Python Remix) [Orphan Records] Kllo - Back To You [PLANCHA] Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal, Jesse Paris Smith / Lotus Born, No Need to Fear [Smithsonian Folkways] Laurie Spiegel / The Unquestioned Answer [Unseen Worlds] Leon Vynehall / I, Cavallo [Ninja Tune] Lucrecia Dalt / Tar (Jan Jelinek Remix) [Rvng Intl.] mabanua / Call on Me feat. Chara (Knxwledge Remix) [Lawson Entertainment] Madeline Kenney / Nick of Time [Not On Label] Marc Johnson, Eliane Elias / Swept Away [ECM Records] Marcella Bella / Nell'aria [CBS] Mary Lou Williams / It Ain’t Necessarily So [Jazzman] Matthew Halsall, The Gondwana Orchestra, Josephine Oniyama / Into Forever (feat. Josephine Oniyama) [Gondwana Records] Mehmet Aslan / Beat Two Chase [Highlife] Mehmet Aslan / Lobster Is Coincidence [Planisphere Music] Men I Trust / I Hope to Be Around [Men i Trust] Michael Andrews / I’m Not Following You [Everloving] millennium parade / Plankton [PERIMETRON] Murlo / Ferment (Yamaneko’s Flashback) [Coil Records] Noname / Self [Not On Label] Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan / Mustt Mustt (Massive Attack Remix) [‎Real World Records] O Terno / volta e meia [Risco] Octo Octa / I Need You [Technicolour] Ralph Tresvant / Sensitivity [MCA Records] Ratna Das / Rajuan Bulan [Rice Records] Roberto Musci / The Advent of Rose + Croix [Les Disques Victo] Ronald Langestraat / Lowdown [South of North] Salami Rose Joe Louis / Nostalgic Montage [Brainfeeder] Simon Hinter / Makros [Purveyor Underground] SKRS / Dub Shoulda Known [Ancient Monarchy] Smoke Trees / Man in the Moon [Urban Waves Records] Steve Hauschildt ‎/ Strands [Kranky] Tash Sultana / Salvation [Mom + Pop] Tei Shi / Even If It Hurts (feat. Blood Orange) [Downtown] The Golden Filter / Autonomy [4GN3S] Tyme./Tatsuya Yamada / Catch A Fire [astrollage] Unknown Mortal Orchestra / Hanoi 6 [Jagjaguwar] Will Saul / Room 9 [Aus Music] WONK / Sweeter, More Bitter [EPISTROPH] Yo La Tengo / Eight Candles [Verve Forecast] ギターウルフ / バッテラ惑星 [GuitarWolf Records] ちあきなおみ / 泣かせるぜ [TEICHIKU ENTERTAINMENT] んoon / Gum [Flake Sounds] 近田春夫 / 超冗談だから [Victor Entertainment] 佐藤千亜妃 / Lovin' You [EMI Records] 小沢健二 / 彗星 [Universal Music] 大貫妙子 / タンタンの冒険 [Dear Heart] 中原理恵 / ヒーローはあなた [CBS/Sony] 優河 / June [P-Vine Records] (Sandy) Alex G / So [Lucky Number] ▽▼▽ DJ / LIVE ▽▼▽ Sapphire Slows at SUPER DOMMUNE [28 Nov] Nia Andrews at Blue Note Tokyo [31 Oct] Julianna Barwick / Mary Lattimore / DJ Shhhhh at Shibuya WWW ［1 Jul］ Meakusma X dublab.jp at Shimokitazawa Cage LỒNG VÀ QUÁN [28 Apr] 東京楽所第12回定期公演「奉祝の雅楽」 at サントリーホール［2 Feb］ 12月25日のdublab.jpの番組《In Every Second Dream》内で、一部楽曲をON AIRしたのでそちらも是非◎ アーカイヴはこちらから↓

愛を込めてxxx DJ Emerald

#sweetest #2019

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darkredehmption · 5 years

Text

Meet the Brotherhood

#SL #MeetTheBrotherhood

Written by @DamagedBrother and @PanwerePredator

*~*~*~*

Zsadist: [We all drove over to the building in the SUV. It was quiet and awkward as hell. Vishous was in the driver’s seat while Butch sat beside him in the passenger. Behind them was Wrath in the middle squished in between Tohr and Rhage. While me and Phury rode in the back.

I watched as Rhage blew hot air onto the window to fog up the glass. His hand lifts to draw a penis. Of course. Smirking, I shake my head as I hear Butch. “I just fucking cleaned her, could you not?” Rhage makes a face at him then flops back. “I’m bored...we should of brought snacks. Fuck can you at least bump some music? I hate how quiet it is.” Butch leaned in to mess with the dials, soon enough Jay-Z’s voice filled the Escalade. I watched V and Butch have a silent conversation with their eyes. Wonder what the fuck that was about. Were they contemplating not doing this?

Turning to look out the window as we moved through downtown Caldwell. It felt weird to have Wrath out with us. Made us all on edge. Not that he couldn’t handle himself it’s just that...he was too important to lose. Hell, what if fucking lessers show up. Then what? Pushing that thought from my head as we arrive at our destination.

Vishous and Butch got out first. Butch opened the trunk and Phury and I climbed out from the back. I scanned the area around us before Vishous left to do a perimeter check just to make sure nothing was going down. When he came back he gave a thumbs up and Phury moved to open the car door. Out slid Rhage first, followed by Wrath, then Tohrment behind him.

We surrounded our King and moved with him inside the building. There was a table and some chairs that V had set up. Once inside, Vishous moved to stand guard at the entrance. He had cameras set up so he could watch the outside for Hadrian. Wrath sat down in a chair while we all stood around him. “Relax...he’s not even here yet. I’m fine.” He seemed annoyed. I knew Wrath missed being a brother. Being King is not something he truly wanted, it just was inevitable.

Rhage flops down in a seat and puts his feet up, followed by Butch. As for Tohr and Phury they just continued to stand next to Wrath. “Yo Z. This him?”

Moving over to the entrance by Vishous. I peer at the monitor and nods at Vishous.] That would be him. [V snorts. “He doesn’t look like much. You sure you saw him shift?” I roll my eyes.] Check the footage at Havers. You would learn a lot, brother. [I saw a twinkle in V’s eye as if that was the first thing he was going to do when he got home.]

Alright he’s here. [Butch gets up and smacks Rhage to do the same. This was it. Hadrian was finally going to meet my brothers.]

Hadrian:

I blew out a breath of the Caldwell night air and drew in another. This one I took my time to process, breaking down the familiar scents and the unfamiliar, categorising them. As the wind shifted, I got a whiff of several vampire males, and then…

“Zsadist,” I breathed, some of the tension easing in my chest at the familiarity.

That was the only way this meeting was happening, after all. The scarred Brother had stuck his neck out for me and worked hard to make amends from the night of the Lesser attack - if he hadn’t been attending this little tête-à-tête I would be about as far from it as the city limits allowed. Meeting a ‘collective’ of vampires, when I’d spent the past few years avoiding them, seemed counterproductive to my survival instincts, but I couldn’t ignore the possibility of an alliance. What if these vampires could shield me from those who sought to hobble me?

Eyeing the SUV parked nearby as I approached the building, their scents were painfully strong around it, and I detected at least six other scents with Z’s. There was a sweet fragrance, like candy, and turkish tobacco, and designer cologne. Then there was just… a raw, masculine scent that was at the same time intriguing and fierce.

Five bucks said that scent, that essence, was this King.

Pausing just before the door, I took another deep breath, not to process the building, but just to calm my racing heart. Then I was stepping inside. I didn’t flinch as a male loomed at me out of the dark, my eyes adjusting, my nose letting me know he was there before he’d reached out to yank me inside.

Z had warned me about this part, so I didn’t resist as the towering hulk of a guy patted me down and frisked just about every square inch of me for a weapon. The tattoo at his eye was… well, eye-catching, and I caught the hint of the turkish tobacco again. He grunted when I proved to be unarmed, though we’d leave mention of my claws and fangs for later date. If someone produced a muzzle I was fucking /done/ with a capital ‘fuck you’.

Looking into the expansive room, my eyes went from all the assembled until they landed on Zsadist. I nodded my head at him.

“Evenin’, sunshine. Quite the place you guys’ve got here. Seems a little… middle class for a King though,” I add, deliberately poking to see if there were any feisty ones among them.

Zsadist:

[I was relieved to see Hadrian enter by himself. Not that I really thought he would set me up and have some ambush attack on the Brotherhood. Hell, I felt like I could really trust him. I watched as Vishous patted him down. Making sure to check every fucking spot on this guy’s body to make sure he was clear of any weapons. Not like he needed them. The male could turn into a big tiger remember?

When our eyes meet I give him a nod. Letting him know that all was good. Well that was until he opened his mouth. Smirking as I turn my head away so the others couldn’t see my expression. Growls are heard and Vishous pushes him forward towards the table as Rhage maneuvers his ass into a chair. “I like him.” Butch said and I turn to gaze at the cop.] At least someone does. [I mutter watching the others shake their head, not quite convinced.

Wrath clears his throat and the room grows quiet. “My apologies for the building. If it’s not up to your standard you can get the fuck out.” Rubbing my fingers along my jaw as I study the shifter. I wouldn’t expect him to act any other way, and to be honest you had to have balls to hang out with my brothers.

“Now...Zsadist here tells me you are a shifter and that there are other vampires that want to hunt you?” He still sounded skeptical on it. Not that he thought I was lying, but more so it was hard to believe that there were others. And even if there was, it was odd for the Brotherhood not to know about it.

The sound of Vishous’s bic flicking fills the air as he lights up. Inhaling as the Turkish tobacco clouds around me. Everyone seemed on edge. Ready to take you down at the moment they sensed a threat. Wrath seemed...curious, not really concerned with the fact that you could shift and lunge at him. It was Hadrian’s time to speak. Share knowledge about himself to save his ass.]

Hadrian:

I let them push me into the last available chair with a smug sort of smile. The fact Zsadist had had to work to hide his let me know that giving as good as I got was A-O-Fucking-Kay with this lot. I had the growing suspicion that if I didn’t stand my ground their size twelve and then some shit kickers would walk all over me. Gesturing toward the door I’d entered, I flashed a winning smile.

“I assume the GTFO is valid for that door and not some seedy back door like I’m your two dollar mistress slash whore?”

More growls. FYI, almost ALL of them were feisty. With a rueful smile I raised my hands in surrender.

“Aight, aight, geez. Lighten up guys. I use humor to hide how deeply troubled I am. Coping mechanisms.” My gaze flicked back to the King, those black wraparounds locked on me, and yet… I suspected he didn’t see me. Not like they saw me. “Seeing as how I’ve spent the last few years of my life hiding from vampires, pardon me if I’m a sarcastic shit when I walk in to have a confab with a group of them.”

Letting some of the humor die away, my voice hardened, my eyes glinting in the light no doubt as one of my Beasts, the Lion most like, sniffed so close to the surface. A King to meet a King.

“I’m… a special kind of shifter,” I said finally, offering part of the truth if not all of it. I had to play ‘some’ cards close to my chest. “The kind that I am makes me valuable to vampires that aren’t affiliated with your… Black Dagger Brotherhood. They’re the kind of vampire that use their own undead magical abilities to… let’s go with ‘enslave’, shifters that resonate with their own powers. They are vampires that did die… and returned,” I add quietly. “And I know you’re all very much alive. Which I didn’t think of, when I met Zsadist. But I hear your heart beats.” I tapped at my ear.

Hope I wasn’t going to need a lie detector to get through all this and have them believe me. Normally the best way to explain… was to Change.

Didn’t much feel like being shot by these trigger happy killers either.

Zsadist:

[Oh yeah, he was going to fit in nicely here. My eyes flickered to Butch who was acting all rough and tough, but deep down I could tell he wanted to laugh. That was good. Hopefully the others could get on board with him too.

Everyone had a look of disbelief when he spoke about the other vampires. Vampires that were dead. I watched as Wrath leaned back into his chair. The action caused everyone to be a little jumpy. Then the King’s booming voice filled the air. “I find this all very hard to believe. To take your word that there are other vampires out there...Vishous...have you ever heard of such a thing?” The brother flicks his blunt onto the floor, stomping on it with the heel of his shitkicker. “No my lord. It doesn’t even sound as to something like Butch with bloodline. Then again...how can we not assume other beings are out there. I’m curious if I ever came across one in all my years.”

Trying to picture how the fuck these...creatures could of been made. Are they really vampires or some weird undead hybrids.] How much do you know about them Hadrian? Do they know about us? Do they have any enemies? [The brothers heads snap to you. Suddenly searching for answers as well. I couldn’t tell if everyone was buying the whole other vampire thing. But in reality who the fuck would lie about such a thing? What could they gain from that?

As for the shifting part that could be shown easily. Though if Hadrian shifted in this room I had a feeling that someone would get hurt. Everyone was on edge already with Wrath being outside of the mansion. We might have to save that for another time.]

Hadrian:

I kept a lid on my own irritation - convincing vampires that other vampires existed? C’mon. This was something straight out of a Spielberg playbook, and twice as fucked up.

“Can we pause for a second to appreciate the fact I’m trying to convince /vampires/ that other vampires are real? ‘Cause that level of irony is pretty fucking epic,” I mutter, tilting my head from side to side and hearing several joints crack. “Look, you guys clearly go to a lot of effort to hide yourselves? Well so do they. They burn up in sunlight too, but they only drink blood and it can only be human, and to date, as far as I’m aware, humans still don’t like being seen as anything less than the top of the food chain. So… I’m a little out of options as far as being able to find one and introduce the lot of you. I mean,” I waved a hand down at myself, “I would’ve figured the whole ‘hey look I’m a shifter thing’ might’ve leant a little weight to the story. Or do you think I’m really running from the bogeyman? Maybe those Lessers that wanted to play with me?” I mused, throwing a dart at the board into total blindness and hoping that particular point was acknowledged.

I mean… tit for tat. I’d accepted the idea of demons respawning and a race of vampires fighting them for centuries, but they weren’t keen on the idea of not being the only vampires around?

“Listen guys, the fact there are other vampires out there doesn’t make you any less special, okay?’

I grinned as the one with the tattoo levelled me with the kind of look that would make a house plant wilt, shrivel and die.

Zsadist:

[My lips twitch and I give the shifter a look even though I wanted to laugh. Wrath speaks again. “Alright smartass. I don’t know if Zsadist mentioned the Scribe Virgin.” Glancing at V, catching him rolling his eyes just a tad. “She started the race of vampires back in the 1500s. Vampires that were born not made. It’s a process of transitioning when you reach a certain age.” Butch chimes in. “Well accept for me, but let’s not bore the bastard with that story.” V lights another hand rolled as Wrath continues.

“As for you being a shifter...the staff at the hospital was enough confirmation on that.” He stands slowly causing Tohr and Phury move to his sides. “Though I am curious as fuck about that. Does he have control over it? Or is it like the beast where we are in more danger dealing with it?” Rhage shifted a little uneasy. Poor man couldn’t help the beast inside of him.]

He did give the staff quite a scare, but he didn’t look like he was going to attack them. Hell I came in and he sorta asked me for clothes then turned human. Much like Rhage he was out of it and huddled in a corner then. [Nods watching Rhage quickly look at Hadrian. His teal eyes widening and I couldn’t help but feel a small victory. Okay so Butch found him funny, and Rhage could relate. That’s two.] Honestly if it can be controlled can you imagine him ripping off the limbs of lessers. Be pretty epic if you ask me.

[Vishous tosses his blunt. “And yet didn’t he get brought to the hospital for one blade in his chest? Doesn’t sound that powerful to me, and I’m not babysitting the tiger.” Gritting my teeth slightly before I look at Hadrian.]

Hadrian:

“No, Z didn’t mention any virgins to me, and side note, they’re not really my thing? I prefer someone with a little experience, personally. But hey, if she got all of you off the ground creation wise then good for her. Is… is she really a virgin though? How does that work?”

The one with the diamond eyes and hardcore tattoo took a step toward me and I held up my hands.

“Eeeeeasy.” I looked back to the King, though everyone was side eyeing the gorgeous looking blond as I answered. “I am in full control of my shift, by the way, but coming out of it has varied results. If I’ve used the shift to heal an injury? Then I’m coming out of it exhausted. If I’m shifting because of the Moon? I cannot stop the Change but I am still in charge of my mind when I’m an animal. And coming out of /that/ is like a bad hangover. Any other time? It’s a little like changing clothes.”

And of course, Mr. Turkish Tobacco over there had to weigh in again. Either I stopped pissing him off or I found his breaking point. With his little smart ass input I was tempted by the latter. Rolling my eyes, I adopted a sardonic smile as I leant back in my chair. I sensed Zsadist looking at me, but I kept my gaze on his jewel-eyed Brother.

“So, I’m curious, if one of you had a dagger courtesy of one of your Brothers basically dissecting your aorta, you’d be peachy keen? I mean, how long does it take vampires to heal from that?” I looked around. “Five minutes? Ten? Wait, lemme guess, it takes hours and probably a feed of some kind, right? Well, once the blade is out I just have to shift and I’m good,” I countered coolly, bringing my gaze back to Vishous. “Your boy Zsadist proved his skill with a blade and nearly took out my heart. Pretty sure that’s a serious injury for /both/ our kinds. But I’m not holding it against you. Or the fact you can’t get a tan.”

Zsadist:

[This was all good. I mean the shifter’s backtalk was digging himself deeper into a grave, but it also showed that he had enough balls to hang with us. Which was a key thing. I could see him growing on Vishous. Fuck I should of brought a bottle of goose and we could of really got this party started.

Snorting at the thought before my attention is pulled to Rhage. He looked both happy and sad at the knowledge the shifter just dropped. Happy that maybe he wasn’t the only one who goes through a transition like that. But sad to know that Hadrian could control his change while Rhage could not. Finally Hollywood speaks.

“I mean...it would be like having the beast out on rotation more often, but better. Not worrying that he was going to take out one of you guys in the process.” Butch clasped a hand on Rhage’s shoulder. Giving it a squeeze. I knew what the cop wanted to say. What we all wanted to say. But we weren’t about to have a heart to heart in front of the shifter.

Wrath cleared his throat in the moment of silence before speaking. He didn’t comment on the crack about the Scribe Virgin. “Alright.” His voice was commanding and we all turn our direction to the King. “Let’s see how he does fighting. I don’t know what kind of training he’s had, but lessers are different. I think we need a trial run first. Training that can be held here, followed by a test in the field. See how you hold up, shifter. While that is going on Vishous you can pull a background check.”

V smirked wide at the thought of digging into Hadrian’s past. The King rolls his shoulders. “No offense, but I don’t trust nor let people near my family so easily.” He barely gives a shrug. “Zsadist you will be in charge of that during your time off. If another brother wants to volunteer to help with training they may.” This...could work. But who would volunteer to help? Rhage maybe? Cop? Would Phury? Maybe Tohr? I would have to have a discussion on the matter later with them.

My thoughts are cut off by the King’s voice. “Now...it is time to go. Zsadist will contact you when to meet here for training.” The brothers moved when Wrath started to head for the door. My eyes met Hadrian’s. Lips twitching slightly before I speak.] Keep a lookout for my message. See you soon shifter. [Giving him a look that I hope showed that we had his back. Well as long as he didn’t fuck it up all would be well. With that I turn and follow my brothers out.]

Hadrian:

Well… that was more than I’d expected, and suited me just fine. The King didn’t want me on his turf and that was good for me. They hadn’t asked about my shifting, and that was fine with me too; they were having a hard enough time just accepting me as a shape changer - if I admitted to being able to change into more than any other average shifter could, they might get a bit… wary. Probably think there was something wrong with me, just like everyone else…

My eyes flicked around to the assembled vampires, thinking of training with them, how each one would be. The plus side for them was it wasn’t like I was a novice. Taking my freak show on the road had allowed me to train with some pretty impressive fighters, learn how to use and control the strength of my Beasts to better master having so many. I was deadly fast like them, strong like them, and I knew how to handle myself without ever changing shape.

I actually grinned. This could be fun…

The King made his exit, and rather than rise and set the group off I remained seated, watching them file out. As the diamond-eyed vampire beelined it for the door, I called to his back.

“Last name is Augustus, bright eyes. Hadrian Augustus. The fam had a thing for the roman empire. I’m sure it’ll be a riveting read.”

Sarcasm. So much sarcasm. Hadrian Augustus had been an honor roll student as he went into med school, with both parents deceased and a sister that was still alive. He’d inherited money he didn’t touch, and had never had so much as a parking ticket in his life. Then about five years ago he’d dropped off the radar, dropped out of school, and ghosted the life he’d known. Because about five years ago, Hadrian Augustus’ life as he’d known it had ended, and I’d been born in blood and pain in his place.

To be honest, the idea of being an intern right now, some doctor making bank as he worked in the best hospitals and became a pro surgeon… it was hard to believe that had been me. Not now.

Looking to Zsadist as he walked out, I inclined my head in acknowledgement. True to his word, this had gone pretty well for both of us, and I was relieved to know that the faith I’d put in him hadn’t been misplaced.

“Looking forward to it, Zsadist. This… should be a lot of fun.”

#MeetTheBrotherhood #SL

#SLS

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