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dyde21 · 3 years

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Overnight Trip to Stark Industries 3

Link to the first part HERE (I mean it’s a field trip fic so the set up is the same, but the first two parts are only on AO3 right now xD)

I know I’m new to the fandom, and mostly post over on AO3 but I think I’ll start sharing some more One-shots over here because I freaking adore Spideychelle. Also, anyone who does REALLY needs to check out @premiere-pro They have one of the best writing styles I’ve seen in ages, and they have a series called “super cuts” that retells Iron Man 2, Avengers, and Iron Man 3 currently with Spidey in them and it’s amazing. I’m gonna reread them soon.

Anyway:

XxXxXxXxX

The air was practically vibrating in the elevator as everyone wondered what the first stop of the tour would be. Someone had even turned to their tour guide Ashe in the elevator their half was in. “What is the itinerary for today?”

Ashe looked at them, owlish for a moment. “Did… did your teachers not explain it? I believe it was on the paperwork as well.” Peter heard her voice drop to a whisper. “Did I not explain it?”

The student looked a little sheepish. “There was a lot of paperwork…”

Nodding, Ashe recovered smoothly. “I totally get that. Working here often comes with loads of paperwork. So many NDA’s, it’s easy to lose track of things. I’ll explain once we get to the first stop, just so I don’t have to repeat myself.” She offered with a crowd winning smile.

Peter saw her turn back to him and mouth “oops” and Peter snickered. Ashe was a very good PA, she could handle people better than pretty much anyone else Peter knew, aside from maybe Tony himself. But he also had heard she could be a bit distracted easily, which was why she always had a tablet to double check to keep her tasks organized and on track. Though it wasn’t like Peter could blame her, he forgot stuff constantly and Tony was even worse. It was honestly a miracle that Pepper had come into Stark Industries to help keep everything running smoothly.

Ned turned to Peter. “Do you know what’s happening first?”

Shaking his head, Peter sighed. “Like I said, Ned. I really know nothing about what’s going on this tour. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to go on it, and I kinda spend a lot of time here so I never took it myself. I just know that it’s supposed to be super memorable.”

Ned was still nodding, as if the plain explanation Peter was offering was super secret spoilers. MJ was just leaning against the wall, arms crossed as she watched them all with an amused expression. He was glad at least someone was amused.

The elevator ended and they stepped out into… a plain hallway.

Everyone seemed a bit confused. It was clear the expectations had been a bit more… grandeur. Ashe smiled as she made a broad motion, urging the group to gather around.

“So I bet you all are wondering what we are doing on this trip. In case some of you did not properly read the itinerary, I thought it would be prudent to review our schedule!”

There was some excited murmur from the group of students. Peter just rolled his eyes. He met her eyes and mouthed “smooth” to her. Ashe turned to the group, but Peter saw her subtly raise a peace sign in his direction.

“So! As you know, our trip is split into two days. The first day will explore the technology and R&D portion of Stark Industries, and the second day will cover the Avengers and affiliated programs.” Ashe quieted for a moment as a wave of cheers and very loud murmuring broke out. Ned was freaking out, grabbing Peter’s arm and shaking it. Peter barely noticed, because he felt his face pale. He was about to raise his arm, but someone else had gotten the idea first.

“Yes, you!” Ashe said, pointing.

“Will we be meeting any Avengers?” Cindy asked eagerly.

Pausing for dramatic effect, a massive grin crept on Ashe’s face. “Yes! You will be meeting multiple Avengers on this trip. While not all trips are afforded this opportunity, this trip has been lucky enough to be part of the September Foundations outreach program to help connect the future generation to both Stark Industries and the Avenger’s initiative, as at the core, the heroes serve the people and outreaches like this help close the gap and build bridges.” Ashe offered in a smooth, practiced flow.

Another loud wave of cheers rang out from the group and Peter winced, covering his ears slightly. His enhanced senses were NOT as happy as they were at the moment. He felt MJ’s hand rub his back gently.

“Dude! DUDE!” Ned practically shouted at him, wide eyes. Peter couldn’t help but grin at his friend despite the growing dread in his stomach. He was happy for Ned, even though Ned had met all the Avengers at least once by now. This was a rare chance for all of his friends and he was happy for them.

But there was no way in hell this tour had been “randomly selected” for this. There was absolutely foul play here and it reeked of nepotism.

“Lucky, my ass. I think this was Pepper’s idea of ‘helping me out’.” Peter muttered to Ned and MJ.

“GOOD.” Ned said unapologetically.

MJ shrugged. “Technically, they aren’t under any obligation to not choose this trip just because they know you. They have the right to choose whatever groups they want.”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were against Nepotism.”

MJ offered him a sly grin. “Technically the entire class benefits from this experience, so you aren’t stealing all the benefit from others. You’re more of… an asset in our appeal to the process. It’s prudent to make use of the advantages we are offered.”

“So I’m an asset.” Peter deadpanned to her. “That’s how you see me.”

MJ shrugged. “You’re my favorite asset.”

“You just like me for my assets.” Peter mocked.

“It is a nice asset.” MJ replied cooley. Peter stared at her for a moment, blinking before his cheeks started to tint red. Did… did she just hit on him?

MJ grinned triumphantly, having won the exchange as the group tuned back into Ashe.

“Our first stop will be a brief history of the company, followed by a tech demonstration. There will be a surprise challenge, followed by lunch and the end of the challenge, then a chance for outreach and interaction with SI representatives to end the day before dinner and some free time. We will leave tomorrow’s plan for tomorrow, so make the most of today while you can!”

Another break where the group was too busy talking to each other for Ashe to have a hope of controlling them, but she didn’t seem particularly surprised or bothered by it, instead answering some question that Mr. Harrington was asking that Peter couldn’t hear over the roar of overly excited teenagers.

“So at least one day before the Avengers ruin my life.” Peter muttered mostly to himself. He winced as he felt MJ gently pinch his back where she had been rubbing it.

“Stop being so dramatic, nerd. Things will workout fine.” She reassured, glancing towards her other nerd with a small smile as Ned was still freaking out with Abe.

Ashe checked the time on her starkpad before waving her arms a bit to gather attention back on her. “As much as I’m sure you’re having fun talking about how ‘hella cool’ this tour is gonna be, how about we actually start it?”

MJ raised at the expression and Ashe seemed to notice it and smirked in response.

Ashe led her gaggle of students towards a wide set of double doors that really didn’t look like anything special. Peter couldn’t quite place where he had seen them before though. They seemed… different.

“First stop on our tour will be a brief history of Stark Industries. This is actually a rather brand new installation and vastly upgraded from our older lecture version. I think you all will be pretty pleased by it. Without further ado, let’s begin!” She said, earning a few hoots and cheers from the class as she dramatically pushed open the doors.

Students practically rushed into… a blank room. All the walls were either glass or another blank surface. In the center of the massive room was a circular pedestal with a device on top of it. Everyone looked around confused, and Peter could practically hear their disappointment.

Ashe, however, was having far too much fun watching their expressions. “Just be patient. Is everyone in? Good! Okay, now everyone I suggest you stand back to start, and do keep in mind the center dias please.” She said before stepping back. After a moment the rest of the class stepped back too as murmurs of concern started to grow a little louder.

Peter, however, remembered exactly what this was and a massive grin crept on his face. He had no idea they had actually fully finished this project, it had been ages since he had helped out other interns with this. He had been involved in the development and the construction of the technology, not as much the final touches and execution of it.

He gestured for MJ and Ned to step back a little more. “Ned, do your best not to freak out too much.”

Ned nodded a bit too eagerly as he stared at the console, already amazed even though nothing had happened yet.

MJ seemed a bit skeptical, but scooted a little closer to him and crossed her arms, waiting to see what was in store.

Ashe knocked her fist on one of the glass panes twice. “Alright, Ty. Start it up!” She said eagerly.

The lights of the room instantly shut off and the murmurs died instantly. Peter could hear the sharp intake of breath as everyone was suddenly waiting very eagerly.

A voice rang out through the room.

“Everything is achievable through technology...”

Peter recognized the voice, he had heard it a few times.

Howard Stark.

Gasps rang out through the room because standing in the center of the room was Howard Stark. Or more accurate, a hologram of him. It stood there, looking around generically, but you couldn't help but feel like he was actually looking at you when his eyes happened to meet yours.

“Is that a hologram?”

“Isn’t that the founder?”

A bunch more hushed whispers echoed out, followed by an almost equal number of “shhhhh”.

Ned was gaping like a fish as he stared at the man in the old suit who walked forward, continuing to talk.

“Better living, robust health, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace.”

He stopped and gently shoved his hands into his suit pockets. “I’m Howard Stark, and everything you’ll need in the future can be found right here.” He said with a sweeping motion of his arm.

As he did though the room changed.

One second they were standing in a dark room with a holographic dead founder talking to them, and the next there was a rush of light of colors from all around and suddenly they were standing in a fairground. Students gasped, talking in hush whispers as they looked around. Peter saw Betty even hesitantly reach out and touch the wall, which was still very much there, but it looked like she was touching an invisible wall in the park. Almost. There was just enough of a discrepancy that you could see the edge without stumbling face first into it accidentally. Peter guessed that had been a lesson learned the hard way, knowing the interns.

There were displays in every direction. There was a general ambiance of futurism, but it was anachronistic with the old visions of the future, incredibly outdated despite their best guesses of the time, being displayed by technology they couldn’t dream of. Displays of imaginary space suits, flying cars, toasters. Everything was in the distance as the world around them began to move across the ground, as if they were on a guided tour.

Everyone was still mostly rooted in place, and as if to lead them, Ashe walked across the room, mumbling a bit about watching out for the center kiosk, but went deliberately to look at a display from the far end of the wall. Peter followed her suit, just to encourage people as he walked across it too. It was a bit disorienting, with the world moving at it’s own pace while you walk. Kind of like those automated walkways at the airport, but not too jarring thankfully. Again, he figured it was probably a product of trial and error and an uncomfortable number of nauseous interns testing it.

Crowds bustled around them, phasing through people as the holograms were interrupted by the actual people in the room, even though Peter saw a student or two from their class hurriedly avoiding them muttering out apologies. Peter couldn’t blame them, it almost looked real.

He knew how disorienting it could be to be surrounded by illusions. Just like… him… whenever.. He fought…

Peter’s attention was snapped back to the present as Howard continued finally.

“From all of us at Stark Industries, I would like to personally thank you for visiting us. For your interest in helping shape the world into a better future.” For a few more moments they continued to float through the imagined space. Old music playing over a staticy sound system, girls in rather revealing outfits dancing and parading themselves around displays, all before it settled near the center of the area where Howard was once again standing there, smiling at them.

The world faded to black around them once more, and there were some groans of disappointment from the group as their apparent trip through time was cut short. Howard gave one last tip of his hat, before he faded.

There was a beat of silence.

Two.

Three.

“I’ve learned a great deal from my father, and clearly humility wasn’t one of them.” Tony Stark’s voice cut in as he suddenly walked forward, emerging from nothing and standing where Howard stood a moment ago.

Peter was almost tempted to reach out and touch him because it was strange seeing him so clearly there, but not at the same time. Peter knew it was a hologram, but he could have sworn it was real.

He raised his arms and a massive Arc Reactor, the old prototype emerged from the ground, large, and humming with energy. It dwarfed their size, and it felt surreal standing so close to it.

“The Arc Reactor was one of my first successes in his company, outside of our military contracts.” Tony said. He smiled at the group and it looked genuine.

It looked real.

Too real. Like he had seen before. Illusions. But they never stayed pleasant like this. Peter stepped back, bumping his back against the wall. This was dangerous. He couldn’t tell if it was his spider sense or anxiety that was now gripping the lower part of his neck. His heart began to beat much faster.

Too fast. Was he dying? Maybe. Was this real? He kept waiting for it to change like it always did. Tony would pull a gun on him. Or melt into spiders. Or get shot. Maybe the other avengers would show up to die painfully. Or attack him. Or each other. Peter’s fists were clenched tightly at his side and they started to shake.

Why wouldn’t he hurry the fuck up and kill Tony already. Peter didn’t have time for this. He didn’t want to see his mentor die again. He didn’t want to have to punch it just to make it go away. He just wanted to scream. He could see Tony’s lips moving, probably continuing the talk but Peter’s ears were ringing and he couldn’t hear anything. Why hadn’t the death come, was Myst-

MJ’s eyes filled his vision as she stepped directly in front of him. His eyes snapped to hers, and he felt her hand cup his cheek. It was warm. He swallowed thickly.

“R-real?” He asked shakily.

MJ’s eyes were focused, and God were they beautiful.

“Real.” She confirmed. “I’m right here, Tiger.” She whispered gently. She leaned in briefly, kissing him.

It was the strangest sensation, it was like he dropped from the sky back into his body. Everything snapped into place at the feeling of her lips briskly on his.

He could feel the pressure of her knee on the inside of his, one of her feet pressed against the inside heel of one of his as she had leaned into him. Her other hand gently holding his clenched fist as he forced it to relax and thread his fingers through hers. The sounds of Tony’s voice again.

“Under our new CEO, Pepper Potts, Stark Industries have moved on from our wartorn past and once again begun the long process of bringing tomorrow just a little bit closer.” Then the familiar sounds of “Shoot to Thrill” by ACDC started to echo throughout the room.

Peter’s eyes glanced around and saw most of the students now looking around as a new wide arrange of displays showed around them. Cindy had noticed him and had seemed a bit concerned, but saw MJ was handling him and went back to looking at the sights after a small smile. Ned also seemed worried, but Peter offered him a reassuring smile and a moment later Ned was next to Betty as they pointed at some Iron Man suits flying high above them.

Ashe had closed half the distance towards them, concern painting her features but he gave her a shaky thumbs up and she slowly nodded, stepping off to the side but clearly keeping an eye on him.

His eyes fell back on MJ’s, finding them still locked on his patiently, a warm, if not slightly concerned smile on her face.

“You’re okay. I’m right here.” She said softly, reaching up to move his hand under her neck to her pulse point, as he felt the steady throb of it. Life. Peter took a deep breath and slowly the panicked sensation in the back of his neck faded.

“T-thank you.” He said.

MJ still examined his face, no doubt reading past anything he could ever try to hide from her in the moment before she seemed satisfied and smiled. Giving him the briefest peck on the lips before stepping next to him again.

She dropped his hand, but reached over and slid hers under the back of his shirt,resting it directly on the base of his spine, her thumb making gentle strokes over it. A steady, warm, grounding presence. She was right here, and very very real.

Peter wrapped his now free arm around her waist and held her close as he took in the sights around them.

Now that all traces of his illusionist villain had been banished to the dark recesses of his mind, he had to admit it was pretty fucking awesome.

ACDC was blaring through the speakers, and everywhere you looked seemed like a technological dream.

High up in the sky various suits of Iron Man armor were flying everywhere, both in formations and freely, firing at targets as they were thrown up and blasting them into pieces that fell into glitter before vanishing.

Off to the side near Ned and Betty Peter saw a person waving at them, their entire arm made of a prosthesis that seemed to respond almost perfectly to their mind as it picked up and played with a coin dexterously.

On the other side there was a clean energy generator that powered a trail of lights before they erupted into a massive city streat, all being powered by the small glowing blue generator. Peter wasn’t sure if it was a bit of an exaggeration, but it accomplished its intended effect based on Abe's and Cindy’s reaction.

Tony was still standing in the center, looking impossibly smug as he looked around a bit randomly to catch eyes potentially.

Glancing over at MJ, he saw her attention had finally moved from him and he saw her mouth opened ever so slightly in awe as she looked at the scene closest to them. The sleek fairground around them that had been housing most of the other displays crumbled to dirt as they were suddenly staring out over a large patch of ground, surrounded by forests that seemed to stretch off for miles.

In the center of the clearing were a few robots that were transplanting sapling trees and some further down that were planting seeds.

There was some floating text giving statistics on successfully replanted trees and reforesting that had happened over the past ten years.

Peter looked back at MJ, her face being illuminated by the green as he saw the faintest traces of wonder in her eyes. An emotion he knew she felt as much as everyone else did, but hid from the world to keep herself safe. But seeing that look in her eyes, the smallest smile on her face, the way her eyes shifted to his and her smile grew even more, made his chest feel warm. He realized, there was nothing in this world he wouldn’t do for her. Nothing he wouldn’t do to see that smile every day for as long as he lived. He would move mountains for her if she asked.

He rested his forehead against hers for a moment, a serene oasis in the loud ACDC played. Eventually the music started to quiet down and everyone looked back to where Tony was still standing. Behind him an Iron Man suit landed in the hero pose, before it stood up and opened up, encasing Tony in it.

“Stark Industries is leading the world to the future. Try to keep up.” He said with one last smirk, before the helmet closed and he blasted off into the sky.

A second later and the regular lights slowly turned on as they were gradually reintroduced to the plain chamber as all the holograms powered down.

Everyone just sort of stood still, letting out a few deep breaths.

“Dude…” Abe said.

“That was…” Betty started.

“SO FUCKING AWESOME.” Jason said excitedly.

“Lonello!” Harrington snapped at the language, but seemed just as starstruck.

There was a loud eruption of conversations as people started gushing about the experience.

Ashe clearly leaned back, an almost maternal smile as she saw the excitement through the class and gave them a moment to process things.

Peter glanced over to MJ, and Ned and Betty who had joined them.

“Dude, that was insane!” Ned started out, practically shaking with how excited he was.

“I can’t even imagine how they did that.” Betty offered.

MJ smiled. “Yeah… that was pretty cool.” Everyone seemed a bit shocked by her honest confession, but no one was going to call her out on it. They knew she was working on being more open with others and the last thing they wanted to do was discourage her from it.

“Yeah, I’ve never seen this before. I knew they were working on it, even helped a bit, but it was nowhere near that… immersive.” He offered, hearing his own slight amazement and thankfully not much of the fear that crept in.

He felt a slight increase of the pressure on his back. MJ’s face portrayed nothing, but it was a clear reminder.

Im right here.

He just squeezed her a little closer from his arm around her side.

“You worked on that?” Betty said, a little too loud of surprise.

The class looked over at Peter both surprised and a little skeptical.

He raised his free hand in a sort of peace gesture. “Not like… the actual holograms. They must have… God, I don’t even know the level of artists and programmers that took. I just meant more of the basic technology.”

MJ snorted. “Basic. Sure.”

Peter rolled his eyes, tickling her side ever so slightly making her squirm before she kicked his shin in retaliation. “You know what I mean. I worked with the other interns on the back end.” He offered. He didn’t want to go into detail about working directly with Tony on it, or how it worked because he really didn’t wanna spoil the magic of something so fantastical.

“Sure you did, Parker.” Flash said in disbelief. Before he could chime in with any more eloquent comments, Ashe clapped her hands together once.

“Well then! You seem to have remembered which way is up, so how about we move on to the rest of the tour? I promise you there’s still plenty to be amazed by.” She said as she ushered them to the opposite of where they entered where there were more flush doors in the wall.

She seemed to do a head count, before checking her tablet to verify that she did indeed not forget the number of people she was responsible, before she smiled and moved open the doors.

Once again, the students burst into an excited murmur.

There was a rather tall young man, sleeves rolled up on a simple blue dress shirt and jeans as he leaned against a little kiosk. He had shaggy black hair, and a calm smile as he watched the students.

But none of them were watching him because behind him it looked like an arcade from the future. It was a series of rooms, all displaying various holograms above the tables. Other machines littered the walls and the room was darker to allow the lights emitting from the machines to draw your eyes in even more. People stumbled forward a bit more, but none of them were willing to go past the man without permission.

Peter glanced over at Ashe as she was staring at the guy in surprise.

“Ashelyn.” He said simply, an almost smug look on his face as he raised an eyebrow.

“Tyler.” She replied professionally, but Peter could see the barely constrained snickers that both of them were trying to keep hidden.

MJ glanced between the two young adults before looking at Peter.

Peter just rolled his eyes. “You’ll see.”

The two young adults had locked eyes long enough and seemed to be having a silent discussion long enough for the incredibly impatient teenagers who were desperate to see the technological wonderland just out of their reach to feel a little awkward.

Peter cleared his throat a bit loudly and both Ashe and Tyler seemed to snap back to reality, the faintest hint of a blush on both of their cheeks.

“Welcome…”

“Midtown.” Ashe supplied helpfully.

Tyler shot her a grateful look. “Welcome, Midtown. I hope you enjoyed our little introduction. A bit of a step up from our old lecture, I would say?” He asked, waiting for a chorus of replies.

“Yes!”

“Incredible!”

“Fucking amazing!”

“Lonello...” Harrington’s voice sounded more tired this time.

Tyler just smiled at them. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. It has been the product of months of hard labor, and many technological breakthroughs from all across Stark Industries to achieve. My name is Tyler, and I am one of the floor managers of the R&D department, with a specialty in audio development, though my floor covers a bit broader range as well. I have volunteered to serve as your specialist to answer any tech related questions you may have, if any happen to be beyond Ashe’s understanding.”

Ashe snorted out a laugh at that. “I appreciate the confidence Fros- Tyler but you know I leave the technology to you labrats down here. I appreciate the new headphones you guys released last month, but the most I know about them is I’m pretty sure they have a speaker in them somewhere.”

There were a few laughs from the group at that and the lovestruck look Tyler gave her made Peter wonder if he was that obvious when he looked at MJ.

(He was.)

Cindy raised her hand.

“Yes?” Tyler asked, pointing at her patiently.

“Are the tours usually led by floor managers? You seem a bit… important. Not that we aren’t incredibly grateful!” She added quickly, embarrassment creeping in after her brain caught up to her curiosity.

Tyler shrugged, not bothered by the question. “Usually no, we have mid level interns give these tours to gain experience in presenting their work though we are always available to help them when needed. This is more of an… exception.” He offered, his eyes flickering over to Ashe who was hiding her laugher behind her fist as she tried to suppress her giggles.

Peter laughed at that, apparently loud enough for Tyler’s eyes to lock onto his. He tilted his head slightly and Peter blushed. Oops. Busted.

“Pet-”

“Okay! How about we get started!” Ashe cut him off, giving him a look that apparently he understood to mean just follow her lead.

“Right! So, there are three rooms behind us, and you’re free to interact with any of the displays there. Unfortunately we do have to ask you to not use your phones in these areas. While you will be free to discuss anything you see here, some of the technology is new and patent pending, and we would prefer visuals of it not be released ahead of our schedule. I must insist that this rule is rather strictly enforced, and FRIDAY will be keeping a close eye out.” He said, his voice calm and even. “Right Fri?”

“That is correct, Tyler. Upon the exit of the third room in the back, you will be able to use your devices again. Feel free to silence any devices or respond before you pass the ropes up ahead, but we ask you not to attempt to film the area from here either.”

A couple of students pulled out their phone and silenced them just to prevent any temptation. Peter actually did that himself, because while he was pretty sure he was actually an exception to the rule, since he knew way more sensitive technology than this, he wasn’t exactly looking to prove a point and he had a habit of forgetting.

MJ, Ned, and Betty seemed to trust him and followed his lead.

“Now that the lame rules are out of the way, let me explain a bit more. Feel free to explore any of the machines up ahead. All of the holographic displays are interactable, and feel free to engage with them to your heart's content. Common sense rules apply here too. Don’t steal anything. Don’t break anything. Don’t run around.” He offered, raising an eyebrow. “Midtown is a reputable school, so behave but beyond that have fun and find me or Ashe if you have any questions.”

With that, he stepped aside and the students rushed in, spreading out to all corners of the first room as they started looking around and fiddling with things.

Ned and Betty went to the nearest display table and as Peter was about to lead MJ in, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Turning, he saw Ashe looking at him with a concerned expression.

“Are you okay? I saw your reaction in the holodeck. I know it can be disorienting.”

Peter nodded, smiling as he felt MJ increase the pressure again. “Just… caught me off guard.”

Ashe nodded, fidgeting slightly. “I… wasn’t sure if I should have cut it off. I was about to head over and ask you…”

Peter shook his head quickly. “No! I’m glad you didn’t. It was incredible. I was fine.” He offered, even though the last bit was clearly a lie.

“It’s okay, that’s what I’m here for.” MJ chimed in, making Ashe laugh.

“Yeah, you did distract him pretty well. I must say.” A teasing lilt in Ashe’s tone. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people make out when surrounded by cutting edge hologram tech.”

Peter’s face flushed red and he buried his face into MJ’s shoulder. MJ just shrugged, hoping to hide her own embarrassment.

“Really? Cause I distinctly remember something similar.” Tyler’s voice chimed in, making everyone look at him as he reached out and squeezed Ashe’s hand.

Ashe flushed red and slapped his chest.

“Frosty! Shut up.” She muttered, glancing around.

MJ glanced at Peter, then the two.

Peter was just laughing at the sweet revenge. “They uh… know each other.” He offered, not sure how much to reveal about their personal life.

Ashe rolled her eyes, and held up her hand where there was an engagement ring on it.

“I see.” MJ said, smirking. “Explains why Peter’s boss is crashing our tour group.”

Tyler shrugged. ”Ashe normally works so far away.” He whined uncharacteristically for the calm man, earning an eye roll from Ashe. “Plus I’m not Peter’s boss. Kinda. Technically?”

Peter and Tyler both looked at each other, confused.

“I… don’t know.” Peter confessed as both boys seemed to ponder the problem.

“A well run organization, I see. Very cutting edge.” MJ offered and Ashe snorted a laugh at that.

Peter nudged her side. “I mean I work for Tony directly. But I also spend time helping out the other interns where I’m needed, or wherever Tony gets the impulse to send me that day. So some days he is? But like, Tony is his boss so I don’t know.”

Tyler just shrugged. “I listen to Tony, and you listen to me while you’re here, but I think that’s just because you’re nice. So as long as nothing gets messed up we can all just agree Pepper is the boss of all of us.”

Peter nodded. “Probably the safest bet.”

Ashe and MJ both shared a look. “Are all tech nerds this much of a mess?” MJ deadpanned.

Ashe just nodded. “Our sample size seems to suggest so. At least they’re cute.” She offered, kissing Tyler on the cheek.

MJ snickered. “True.” And squeezed Peter’s hand.

“You’re taking a field trip to your job?” Tyler asked Peter, an amused expression on his face.

Peter let out a sigh that made him feel years older. “Yeah. Cause my life is a joke. Don’t make it worse?” He asked hopefully.

Tyler nodded. “Trust me, I get it. I still tell people I just work in the labs in SI. Attention sucks.”

Ashe sighed but wrapped an arm around him. “Even if you deserve it.”

Tyler sighed with a small smile and stepped away. “I guess I should do my job and not keep flirting with you. That’s why they banned you from my Lab. They kept saying I get nothing done.” He said without a single regret in his tone. He turned and disappeared farther in.

Ashe just let out a dreamy sigh after him before her attention snapped back to Peter and MJ who were both judging her and snickering. She ushered them in. “Go be nerds.”

Peter let out a laugh and dragged MJ by the hand over to Ned and Betty as they fumbled with the controls to the holo display. Ned was waving his hands around it and made a display of the latest Stark Phone expand and shrink.

“Okay, that’s pretty cool.” MJ confessed as she hesitantly reached a hand out. Both Ned and Betty stepped back to let her interact with it for a moment.

Peter was surprised as MJ seemed to be a bit of a natural at interacting with it. Her intuition let her pick up the general motion controls as she was able to move it around naturally, and soon started to separate it into pieces. There weren’t specifics to protect trade secrets, but you could see the general parts. She paused to tie her hair up, because it kept getting in her face when she would move for a larger movement.

Eventually MJ noticed Peter staring at her with a strange smile and she paused, having disassembled and enlarged the camera part she was playing with. “What?” She asked, a hint of self consciousness leaking into her tone.

Peter just gave her a shy smile. “You’re in a lab, playing with tech like this. It’s uh… really hot.” He confessed in a quiet tone.

MJ felt her own face flush. “Oh my God, Peter. You’re such a nerd.” She mumbled out, but also filed that fact safely away for potential future use.

“Aww.” Ned said dramatically as he looked between them.

“That’s cute, but we really don’t need to know about your feti-” Betty was cut off as MJ interrupted, loudly.

“Okay! So what else is there?” She said, turning away from the table, the same time Peter, bright red spoke too.

“It’s not like that!” Peter looked about 30 seconds from running out of the room.

Ned and Betty shared a look, but let the subject drop. For now.

They wandered over to a nearby machine that wasn’t occupied by the classmates. “What is this?” MJ asked, walking up behind Peter and resting her chin on his shoulder.

Peter leaned his head against hers for a moment. “Surprisingly one of the most tame things here. It’s just a 3D printer. Just a lot faster and has more materials it can work with.

“But what can it print here?” Ned asked, brow furrowed.

Peter’s smile grew wider. “Oh, anything. You’re gonna love this.” He said before leading them to a nearby table. Clicking to the right program, MJ raised an eyebrow. “Is that photoshop?”

Peter shrugged, already deep in work mode. “Kinda. It’s a 3D modelling software we developed. But it’s a bit more interactive.”

Peter reached out towards and area of the holographic display and a clump of a material digitally appeared in his hand. He began to squash and stretch it, occasionally adding more.

“See, you can copy and paste if you make this motion…” he mumbled out to them as they stepped back and watched him work with a fascination. A few other of his classmates even wandered over, starting to watch Peter work. Peter however, was too deep in thought as he worked on bringing the thought he had to life and MJ and Ned knew better than to try and snap him out of his zone.

“You can change the material here. The program is also smart, so if you’re trying to select a part of it it will generally help you get what you need.” He said as he enlarged the form and with two fingers held together started to select the top part of it, before cycling through a few different materials and dragging it onto it as the form changed into a clear plastic.

“Dude… is that?” Ned asked as Peter just grinned.

“You are such a nerd.” MJ repeated, overly fond as she watched Peter put on some minor details.

Shrinking it down a bit, Peter swiped his hand as the whole form began rotating a few times, showing off the final result.

“It’s just a quick mockup to show you what you can do here. I didn’t really dig into details but I could have taken off the glass and added the seats to it. I also could have made the form hollow if I wanted to include some kind of engine in this, but I really only have a few minutes. But I know the X-wing is your favorite Ned so I thought I’d just…”

Peter trailed off as he owlishly blinked at the group of students who were all staring at his floating model of the X-Wing from star wars that he had just sculpted out roughly. “Uh… hi guys.” He muttered out. “When did…”

“Dude, you’ve been in your own world for like 10 minutes.” Ned said, nudging him, but still staring at the X-Wing.

“Peter, how do you know how to do this so well?” Cindy asked, tilting her head as she watched the model rotate slowly still.

Peter shrugged, a blush creeping up on his face. “I told you, I intern here. We uh… use this to help make mock-ups. It’s good for playing with visuals.”

“It’s true.” Tyler’s cool voice cut in, making the class turn to see him standing there, hands in pockets as he smiled. “Peter is correct. It’s often useful to have a visual model handy when either pitching an idea, or to help generate ideas because keeping things purely theoretical can get in the way of finding obvious solutions sometimes.”

The class nodded with murmurs of agreement.

“Peter, the machine is fully stocked so feel free to print it off. Does anyone else want to try as well?” A bunch of hands shot up and Tyler nodded, glancing around. One of the displays of the Stark Tablet was pretty much empty so he walked over, typing in a password and switched the program to be another display of the modelling program to allow more people to mess around with it at once.

“I’ll set it up over here as well. You will need to take turns with the printer, but feel free to print off a model if you want. Please be reasonable about the size though, due to time and costs.”

Peter quickly sent the print request to the machine as he stepped back, saving his project with a quick override for later use just in case, then brought up some blank models for people to try out. His cheeks were still flushed as he went over and collected the model, handing it to Ned as he watched Betty starting to sculpt a sort of old fashioned camera.

“Dude! That’s incredible!” Ned marveled as he held up the mini ship, flying it through the air.

“That was pretty cool, Peter.” Cindy confirmed as Peter could only nod, flustering under the praise.

Tyler bounced between the people at the nearby tables, answering questions and helping them get comfortable with the program and soon most people had printed off little figurines. He saw MJ waiting on something, but she had told him to leave when he tried to see what she was working on, saying it was a surprise so he had settled for showing Ned and Betty some of the other nearby machines, various displays and robotics. It took all of his will power not to peak at whatever MJ had been working on.

Eventually though he saw Flash had taken her place and she was standing near the printer, waiting for the result. He wandered over while Ned and Betty were taking photos with a camera that hovered in place

“What did you make?” Peter asked, his tone a little more whinier than he had planned. He couldn’t help it though, the curiosity was killing him.

She just rolled her eyes and patted his head patronizingly. “Soon.”

Peter harrumphed and crossed his arms.

“Hey, Penis!” Flash called out, and letting out a sigh, Peter turned slowly.

“Really, Flash?” He asked, glancing over at Ashe who was frowning at Flash and whispering something to Tyler. Welp, that probably wasn’t good.

“Just wanted to show you what an actual good design looks like, unlike your stupid spaceship.” He said smugly as he enlarged his design and spun it around. It was… a suit of Iron Man armor. Kinda. Almost.

The proportions were way off, and it was almost aggressively lumpy despite the many smoothing tools available. Still, Peter figured it wasn’t the worst he’s seen.

“Real cool, Flash.” He offered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Flash just sent him a smile as if he had been genuine. “You should pass it to Mr. Stark.” His voice said almost impressively condescending. “I made some cool changes I think he’d like.”

Peter glanced over it and grimaced slightly. He thought it would be cool to have a sort of back panel that looked kinda cool, but also dramatically limited the motion of the arms, which was not something Tony could do without. It also had enough solid panels wrapping around the body to prevent any easy access in and out of the suit.

“Sure, I’ll do that.” Peter muttered as Flash highfived with his friends, as if he had put Peter in his place.

His eyes flickered over to Ashe, who was not looking happy and even Tyler had a frown on his face now.

“I gotta print this.” Flash said as he went to print it, only to see the queue. Frowning, he moved his to the top, cancelling the print in progress, which also deleted it.

“Flash! What the fuck!” Cindy said, whirling around, fists clenched.

“Oh shit.” Flash muttered, not realizing he had canceled it.

“What happened?” Tyler asked as he approached, Harrington showing up as well.

“He canceled my print and now it’s gone!” Cindy said, a layer of hurt under her anger.

Tyler’s brow furrowed. “Is this true?”

Flash looked a bit pale. “I was just trying to make sure mine got printed before we ran out of stuff.”

Cindy was trying to navigate the holotable. “I can’t find it… My spider.” She said, her voice dropping into a hint of heartbreak.

“Flash, that is not okay.” Mr. Harrington started to scold Flash who only looked mildly bothered by it.

MJ and Betty moved over to Cindy, consoling her as she pouted and glared at Flash.

Peter locked eyes with Tyler as they approached the table. “I think it got deleted as more people started working on their projects.” Tyler said as he searched all open files.

Peter frowned, crossing his arms. He glanced over at Cindy as she looked at him with hopeful eyes, as if he could save her. MJ gave him a look expectantly. Like she had absolute faith in him to solve this problem. He felt a warmth in his chest and turned back.

“Tyler, do these still have the same programs we use? Just in a display mode or something?”

Tyler nodded. “Yeah, these weren’t made specifically for this, we just locked out access to some of the features since the public would be using it. Why?” He asked, trying to figure out what Peter had realized.

Peter nodded. “Which means, they would have the same protocols, right?”

Tyler’s eyes widened, catching up. “It would.” He paused. “But this isn’t technically my department. I’m kinda crashing here to help out. I don’t know if I have access.”

Peter frowned, that was a good point. Depending on who set the restrictions, they could either out rank Tyler, or be at the same level. Still, there was someone above them all.

“Hey, Fri?” Peter asked.

“Yes, Peter. How can I help?” The voice came from the table in front of them, making some of the nearby students jump.

“This table still has all the normal protocols active, even if locked off, right?”

“That is correct.”

“Can you run one for us, please?”

“I’d need to override the access.”

“Ask Mr. Stark for permission, please.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Do you seriously think you can just ask favors from Iron man, Peter? Just because you intern here?” Flash asked, as if he was embarrassed for Peter and looked apologetically to Tyler and Ashe. The audacity of him.

“Please check your phone, Peter.” Fri chimed in after a moment.

Peter looked to Tyler, and Tyler just shrugged. They both knew he actually had permission too, but he was trying to make it less of a show about wielding his privilege around here.

Pulling out his phone, he saw a text from Tony.

Fri requested an override. Pretty sure you can do that on your own. Everything OK?

Peter responded quickly.

Yeah. Just need to run a protocol to help a classmate. Trying not to be obvious about what I can do.

Lame, if you got it, flaunt it.

So is that a yes?

Yeah, just try not to give away company secrets or something.

Peter snorted out a laugh, earning an amused look from MJ. He passed her his phone while he turned back to the table.

“What Protocol would you like to run, Peter?” Fri asked.

“Run ‘Shit, I should probably sleep’ please.”

Everyone except for Tyler looked at him confused.

“Pulling up temporary back-ups now.” A few people understood and laughed.

Tyler just grinned. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had to try and recover unsaved work. Thankfully we keep a temporary back-up of everything now.”

“That’s because your department is held together by caffeine, stubbornness, and concerned loved ones who are the only reason you guys ever eat and sleep.” Ashe chimed in happily.

Tyler rolled his eyes but didn’t offer any protest. Peter really couldn’t say anything either. Tony might be the worst of them all, but that didn’t mean the rest were particularly great at holding back when they felt inspired. Overtime wasn’t encouraged and actually discouraged because of that.

“Can you find a spider model from the past hour?”

“Right away.” Fri offered as the screen displayed various files being scanned through quickly.

Eventually a model popped up. “Is this it, Cindy?” Peter asked.

“Yes!” Cindy said, throwing her arms around Peter in a quick hug. Peter just grinned and returned the hug quickly, glancing at MJ who was giving him a proud smile.

Flash was holding the model he printed out as if it was worth it’s weight in gold. Peter quickly moved Cindy’s order to the top of the list and it began printing.

“Thank you Fri.” Peter offered as the program went back to its default state.

“My pleasure, Peter. Glad to be of help.”

There were some murmurs and people looking at Peter. He started to squirm a bit, not a huge fan of the attention he just drew to himself, but the look on Cindy’s face was worth it. He knew how devastating it was to lose something you worked on and were excited about, even if it was a smaller project.

MJ, sensing his distress, grabbed his hand and led him towards the second room of the area. “Come on, let’s explore more.” She offered and Peter just let her drag him along.

The next area was a bit similar to the last one. More tables with displays, but no printing machines around. Instead there were rough displays of a bunch of Avenger’s tech everywhere. No specifics were available, but there were a bunch of costumes you could look at different parts of, pull apart, mix and match.

Ned promptly freaked the fuck out and ran over to one of the tables with the shortest line. Betty, MJ, and him followed shortly behind. Peter watched him swipe through a bunch of different armors quickly, gasping with each one.

Peter turned to MJ, seeing her watching Cindy hold up the spider proudly.

“You’re a nice guy.” MJ said, finally looking back at Peter.

Peter shrugged. “I know how much it sucks to lose a project.”

MJ rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I mean. You wanted to avoid drawing any attention to yourself during this trip, but the second a classmate lost a project they worked on for a couple of minutes, you contacted Tony to ask for his help.”

Peter was lost in her smile for a moment. “I mean… I could have used my override, but I was trying to act like just an intern.”

MJ nodded. “And if Tony ignored the request you would override it yourself. I know you would have.”

She was right. Peter just shrugged. “What did you make anyway?”

MJ pursed her lips, as if debating telling him. “I was gonna keep it a surprise till later but you deserve a treat for that.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small figure. It was a cartoonish looking spiderman, complete with him posing in his thwip motion. It was tiny, about the size of a keychain, but surprisingly well made and accurate to this usual suit.

MJ felt her heart fluttered as she saw his expression. His brown eyes had gone wide as she held up the dumb little figure she made. His eyes kept flicking between hers and the figure as he practically glowed with happiness. It was really unfair that such a little gesture could make her boyfriend look so adorable.

MJ knew Spider-man meant the world to him, and that he was always afraid she’d hate it because of the drama it brought into their lives. But MJ was so proud of him, and while she wasn’t one to overly brag, heaven forbid he get Tony’s arrogance, she did think the world of him for doing it.

So if she could make his day by making a little trinket, she’d make them for the rest of her life.

Peter just leaned forward and kissed her quickly, knowing they had probably already shown more PDA than they usually would but he couldn’t help it. “You’re incredible.”

MJ scoffed. “It’s not that well done. It was quick.”

Shaking his head, Peter still met her eyes. “That’s not what I meant. I meant you. All of you. That too, but you.”

MJ blushed and turned her head, unable to handle the compliments. She just pocketed the figurine for safety before taking his hand and turned them back to where Betty was examining Black Widow’s outfit.

“These Widow Bites are pretty sweet.”

Peter nodded. “They’re terrifying.”

MJ laughed. “Spider-man should get some then. Maybe she’d lend him one then, they have to spider pals or something.” She offered a teasing glance at Peter.

Peter knew MJ knew he was friends with Natasha. She also knew Nat would never let him try them out, because that was a horrible idea that would end up with probably at least two different people hurt.

Betty stepped back and Peter thought for a moment. “What, like spider fangs?” Then he paused. “Actually…” He suddenly pulled up both the suits for Spider-man and Black Widow. The suits were old and out of date, but he just wanted to test an idea so it didn’t matter.

He quickly grabbed a widow bite and enlarged it, tossing away most of the arm mount, and flicking away different launchers from it till only a few remained.

“Now pull up the web shooters.” Peter asked the holotable as they flicked up. He tossed away some of the other features on the suit. “Actually, bring up a repulsor too.” He muttered as he started stripping away parts from it to just have the glove.

MJ watched in admiration as she saw Peter in his natural habitat. Even more so than when he was sculpting, this was him at his best. She saw how tall he stood, his eyes focused but his face in a bright smile. She could practically hear the hum of the gears in his head as he gracefully navigated the menu, pulling apart holograms and attaching them with ease to form something new. He looked confident and in his element and she felt her face flush.

“I kinda get why he found it hot now.” MJ muttered to Betty quietly.

Betty laughed and just patted her shoulder. “You two were made for each other.”

MJ rolled her eyes, but Peter was waving her over. He had the hologram in his hands, but made her stick her arm out. He moved it so now the hologram was floating around her arm. It was a simple gauntlet, with the web shooters underneath but two widowbites on top as he rambled about the possibility of webbing someone up then being to launch a taser at them without electrifying the whole web necessarily.

“It’d look cooler if it was black with red highlights…” She offered and soon they were going back and forth as she posted with the holo weapon while Peter tweaked it to her suggestions.

“Hey Fri, take some pictures please.” Ashe said as she leaned against the wall near Ned and Betty.

MJ and Peter were too busy laughing with each other and playing around to notice.

“Are they always this adorable?” Ashe asked.

Ned nodded. “Yeah it’s kinda gross.” He said fondly.

Betty sighed. “It’s better since they actually asked each other out. They danced around each other for ages, it was torture to watch. We were about to lock them in the broom closet until they got together. We had made plans for it too.”

Ashe laughed and watched them fondly. She had met Peter a few times through Pepper, and seen him in the lab with Tony whenever she had been sent over there with some work for him. Peter seemed like a good kid and reminded her of her fiance when he was younger. She was glad Peter had found someone that brought out a smile like that from him. He was always smiling, but that one was different. Warmer, somehow.

Eventually the two teens seemed to realize they were getting carried away and they stepped back from the holotable to let others have a chance.

“What?” Peter asked, tilting his head.

Ashe just pulled out her phone and showed them a picture Friday had sent her.

MJ had her hand outstretched with a faint blue glow around it as the weapon hovered over her arm, Peter attaching another widow bite to it. They were looking at each other, Peter grinning while MJ had a deep warm smile.

Both of the teens blushed and didn’t say anything, but held each other’s hands.

“Fri, send that to Peter. That deserves to be printed out.”

Peter blushed more, but nodded. It was an amazing photo.

“Right away, Ashe.” Fri said. “I have cleared it of any sensitive information as well, so might I recommend adding it to your social media.”

“Thanks Fri.” Peter mumbled, blushing even more.

MJ just laughed and squeezed his hand tighter. “I needed a new screensaver anyway.”

Eventually the group made their way to the third room and everyone’s jaw dropped except for Peter. “I was waiting for this.”

#spideychelle #Michelle jones #MJ #mj x peter #Peter Parker #Spider-man #MCU #Field trip to SI #I love these two #So much #and the cameo of Tylashe #I love this fic

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potatocrab · 4 years

Text

Salvation is a Last Minute Business (13/18)

Chapter 13: An Abominable Man

At the Valentine Detective Agency, the group reconvenes to discuss MIT’s revelations to the public. With more questions than answers, it’s up to Piper to follow the trail while Nick continues the cold case investigation. After reliving a past trauma, Madelyn takes comfort in the distractions Deacon provides. Later, Nick and Madelyn follow a clue straight to the man they’ve been hunting for.

“He was an abominable man. Why do women marry abominable men?” - Charlotte Inwood as played by Marlene Dietrich (Stage Fright, 1950)

[read on Ao3] x [chapter masterpost]

May 16th, 1958

Man or Machine? –The Synthetic Truth Behind MIT

The newest copy Publick Occurrences was waiting on Ellie’s desk when Madelyn arrived at the agency early that Friday morning, the stack of newspapers fresh off the presses and ready for circulation. Piper certainly didn’t dawdle after attending the MIT demonstration—she knew how to strike when the iron was hot and get a story out in record time. But Piper was never one to procrastinate—if you gave her and inch, she’d run a mile. Madelyn was interested to see what kind of marathon the reporter would run this time.

“What do we really know about MIT?”

Piper’s question hung in the air of Nick’s office as she paced before his desk, arms crossed with a steely expression. The detective himself was still reading over that morning’s edition, already on his second smoke of the day—nobody dared to reprimand him for getting such an early start, not when he was still within his grieving period. Madelyn watched the newshound’s movements from her usual spot in the armchair to the left, wondering if Piper’s eyebrows furrowed any further they might mold together into one, brown, bushy line. She hid her amusement behind her hand, glancing back to where Deacon was leaning against the back wall, holding a relaxed smirk as he silently observed the room’s occupants from behind his tinted shades. Even though the chair next to her was empty, she knew he was more comfortable where he stood, still cautious about being invited back into the fray of agency life.

“You’re worried about…” Nick looked up from reading the Publick Occurrences article. “A robot?”

Piper balked in offence, abruptly stopping in her strides to face him. “Jesus, Nick, did you lose track of your reading comprehension skills or something?”

“Not a robot,” she corrected, waving her hands in dramatic fashion as Nick frowned at her intended insult. “An android. A synth. MIT have essentially built themselves an infiltration unit—”

“We don’t know that,” Nick interrupted with a grumble.

“They installed it with a distinct personality,” Piper explained, gesturing to the black and white photo of the mechanical man that had been presented the previous day. “The Doctor said it himself. Makes it so they are indistinguishable from you or I.”

Nick rubbed at his chin as he studied the snapshot before pulling away to stare at his prosthetic hand—built by the very scientists Piper was questioning. He clenched his fingers into a fist and sighed. “I’d like to think I’d be able to tell that thing from a human,” he muttered, extinguishing his cigarette. He refrained from igniting a third from his nearby pack. “Looks fairly metal to me.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Piper argued. She pivoted, gesturing towards Madelyn and Deacon. “You were there! You saw how it moved.”

“Yes,” Madelyn agreed with a short nod, though she had her own hesitations. Despite the suspicion raised at the demonstration, she wasn’t one to jump to conclusions without solid proof in hand. “Doctor Ayo suggested it would be years before the synth could actually look anything like a human.”

“Can we actually trust the scientists and researchers at MIT?” Piper countered.

This wasn’t her usual wild goose-chase or paranoia fueling her, but genuine fear and concern. A kind of worry that Madelyn hadn’t seen in her friend since they started investigating Eddie Winter’s rise as family crime boss and his rampant spree through Boston. But this wasn’t some mobster they were after, this was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—a revered university that had always played a pivotal role in the city’s development of modern science. Without the Institute—as some affectionately called the college—Boston would still be in the dark ages. Like any industry giant, however, so much of what the Institute accomplished was shrouded in mystery. From their elusive board of directors, to their once-in-a-blue-moon presentations—it was any wonder Piper was suspicious.

“The way that doctor spoke,” Piper continued, a little calmer than before. “There’s the implication they’ve built more than one, and they’re just itching to put them to use. If they haven’t already.”

She picked up a spare copy of Publick Occurrences from Nick’s desk and stared at her own headline. “It bears repeating. What do we really know about the Institute?”

Silence settled within the room as the group contemplated what Piper said.

“She’s right.”

Madelyn peered over at Deacon, who barely moved from his spot against the wall. He offered a small shrug as he repeated his words. “She’s right,” he spoke, much to Piper’s surprise. “What do we know?”

“You’ve covered them before, right?” he asked, continuing his train of thought. “Something about the mayor’s campaign funds?”

The journalist raised a curious eyebrow in his direction. “Didn’t realize you were such an avid reader of my publication.”

“I like to stay informed,” Deacon replied, cheekily. “Freedom of the press, and all that.”

“They’ve shown up in Railroad reports as well,” Madelyn added, keeping the conversation on point. It certainly caught Piper and Nick’s attention. Deacon, however, seemed less than enthused about her sharing insider knowledge. But the information was out in the open now, ripe for dissection.

“Seems suspicious—promising,” Piper said with a curious smile. She glanced to Deacon. “For an undercover organization, can’t you find out more? Send one of your agents to snoop around the university for secrets? Sneak around yourself, Mr. Spy?”

“You make it sound so easy,” he responded with a smirk, though Madelyn could tell Piper’s tone was getting on his nerves. “Why don’t you go stalk the boogeyman, Miss Wright?”

“Maybe I will!”

“For once I’d like to have a civil conversation in my office,” Nick interrupted, already striking a new match to light another cigarette.

Madelyn could only imagine the amount of stress he was experiencing, and their presence wasn’t helping. She glanced at the others. “We might as well start from the beginning. What else do we know about the university? Media reports, rumors…anything?”

“There was an attack in 1955 at University Point,” Deacon recalled. “A fight broke out between some Mass Bay and MIT students over some supposedly stolen tech. One of the MIT kids lost control and beat a Mass Bay freshman to a bloody pulp.”

“I wrote about that too,” Piper remarked. “The student died. Didn’t think it was anything but a student brawl gone bad. Seen plenty of those covering the Fens district. What does that have to with what they’re doing now?”

“You’re the one who’s suggesting they’ve been using synths longer than they claim,” Deacon explained. “I’m just trying to offer evidence that supports your theory, is all.”

“That would mean…” Madelyn trailed, alarmed by the connotation. She furrowed her brows, unable to wrap her head around what was being suggested. She wasn’t about to trust what the Institute scientists had claimed at the demonstration—that they were years away from life-like synths— but she needed more proof than one incident that sounded more like a disagreement gone awry. “Is there anything else?”

“1949,” Nick spoke, gaining everyone’s interest. “I had just set up the agency here. Vadim told me about an Italian restaurant across the way from the stadium, praised their homemade pasta,” he leaned back in his chair, clearly reminiscing on nearly a decade’s old memory. “Before I could make a visit, the place was shut down. Turns out a professor, Mr. Carter, from MIT decided it was the perfect place to commit mass murder.”

“I remember that restaurant, but I’ve never heard about that!” Piper seemed genuinely shocked, especially as someone who had lived in the Boston area all her life. “What happened?”

“Seemed like any other patron at first, according to witnesses. Sat at the bar and told war stories, spoke about a big government grant his department had just been given. Then suddenly—” Nick snapped his fingers, his expression solemn as he explained. “Pulled out a revolver and started shooting. After an hour-long stand-off, Boston P.D. opened fire and put him down. When the dust settled, eight people were dead, including the professor.”

Madelyn pointed out what she hoped would be obvious. “If Mr. Carter were a synth, you’d think they’d be able to determine that after his death.”

“Assuming there wasn’t a cover-up,” Nick offered with a shake of his head. “The event itself was conveniently swept away in the news-cycles. Between the Red Scare in Hollywood and some ape dying in space—”

“Poor Albert,” Deacon quipped. Madelyn resisted the urge to laugh amidst their serious discussion and looked his way. He only smiled.

Nick cleared his throat, pulling their attention back. “As I was saying,” he tapped his fingers against the newspaper spread across his desk. “That’s two instances of MIT personnel losing themselves to madness. Piper, you’re the one who is worried about synths going unchecked. Malfunctioning and attacking without provocation. I’m all for throwing accusations against a reputable establishment when something smells rotten, but you need to be sure before going after something, or someone as big as the Institute.”

He was right, even as he inferred he believed Piper’s theories. Madelyn thought about what the group had discussed, and what she’d seen at the MIT conference the previous day. To think that the university had lied and had secretly placed realistic synths—indistinguishable from real humans—in the Boston populace. Worse yet, they had been doing so for years. Confusion settled in her mind—why? Why come forward now with the revelation of a new prototype if they’d been infiltrating the city all this time? It wouldn’t be the first time she dealt with a corruption scandal. What did the university have to gain from planting sleeper agents—synths—throughout Boston in the first place? She only ended up with more questions than answers.

Piper seemed to share a similar sentiment, a worrisome frown etched into her features. “I’ll hit the streets, connect with some sources,” she paused, giving Nick a cautious glance. “I know you still don’t trust him, but ol’ Danny Sullivan might be my best shot at getting any information from old police files,” she rolled her eyes when he groaned. “Or would you rather I break into precincts, for old time sakes?”

“Do what you will,” Nick sighed, rubbing at his temple. “Just leave us out of it for the time being,” he motioned towards Madelyn. “We’ve got enough on our hands with this cold case.”

Not that Piper needed his permission to follow her own leads for a story, but it was nice to have the support of a friend—the three had been working together for a few years now, and despite her reputation, she wasn’t one to run off and go rogue. Especially when it could put herself, or others, in danger. Considering they’d just come off from putting an end to Eddie Winter and his wide-spread corruption, she needed to tread lightly—well, as lightly as Piper was capable of. With a shrug, she moved to occupy the opposite armchair, sinking back into the cushions.

“Do you think any of this is connected to the Shaun Perlman case at all?” Madelyn decided to ask, gauging Nick’s reaction.

“I’d rather not cross that bridge right now,” he mumbled, dragging his palm across his face in exasperation. He shot a warning glance to Piper before she could get started. “Better we focus on the best lead we have—the kidnapper, and the fact he very well may be the same man who killed Madelyn’s husband.”

It felt like the air was sucked out of the room as she sensed all eyes focus on where she was sitting. She hadn’t expected Nick to be so upfront about sharing the information, but they were amongst trusted colleagues—anyone else and she likely would’ve had a more hostile reaction. That being said, she hadn’t divulged any case details to Deacon, and she his subtle reaction to the news didn’t go unnoticed out of the corner of her eye. Her secrecy wasn’t to be deceptive, but rather to protect her emotions. Madelyn was still struggling with the reality of the situation, and it took all the mental fortitude she had left to focus on helping to solve the case.

“What are you talking about?” Piper asked, looking between her and Nick.

“Preston, our witness from Concord. His description of the kidnapper…” he trailed.

“That wasn’t all,” Madelyn reluctantly added. “The way the wife, Nora…the way she described the kidnapping. It was all too familiar,” she swallowed down the nervous flutter rising in her throat and steadied her breathing the best she could. “From being ambushed in a public setting, to the way he made them—us—beg for our lives.”

“You don’t have to—” Nick tried to interrupt but she hushed him with one steely look.

“He was wearing a military fatigue and a leather jacket. His head was shaved, and there was a long scar that crossed over his left eye—just as Preston described,” Madelyn continued. “His gun wasn’t military issue, that much I know. Had to be modified, on account of the—” she broke off as the tears prickled her vision. Deacon shifted from his spot against the back wall, but she shook her head, silently rooting him to the spot.

“The coroner pulled a .44 hollow point from Nate’s chest,” she stated, biting back the overwhelming desire to cry. She lowered her gaze, focusing on the wedding ring she’d moved to her right hand. “Same kind they pulled from…” she found herself unable to say the husband’s name.

Nick took note of her struggle and interjected. “Mr. Perlman’s arm.”

Piper loudly clapped her hands together, causing Madelyn to flinch at the sound. She didn’t pause to apologize before she was bent forward and speeding through another tangent. “That weapon! A .44 caliber with hollow point bullets? I’ve read about several unsolved murders up and down the Eastern coastline with that modus operandi.”

“We can’t say that every shooting with a magnum was him, can we?” Madelyn asked, focusing her attention on Nick. He was smoking again, but she’d lost track of what number he was on.

“No,” he mumbled, the cigarette bobbing between his lips as he maneuvered the paperwork strewn about his desk, pulling out a tattered notebook. She wasn’t sure what he was looking at when he started reading. “1950—robbery outside the Boylston Club. Two injured, one dead, with—wouldn’t you know—a .44 hollow point bullet to the head.”

Madelyn grimaced, trying not to imagine what that would’ve looked like for the victim—perhaps Nate had it easier, even if he had a slow, and painful death.

“There was a suspect,” Nick read on, flipping though an old casefile. “Released on a technicality, but we all know by now that is code for corruption. Disappeared after that. No trace.”

“How much do you want to bet it’s our guy?” Piper asked to nobody in particular.

“Five bucks says it was Kellogg!”

Everybody in the room turned towards the new presence in the doorway—MacCready, who stared back with equal surprise. “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop or nothin’ but…” he jutted his thumb over his shoulder towards the lobby. “That blonde chick wasn’t around to shoo me away, so I thought I’d—”

“Who the hell is Kellogg?” Nick stopped him from rambling.

“Oh, yeah. Right,” MacCready stepped into the office and shrugged. “Way you described him and that gun, only one person I know that fits the bill,” he said. “Conrad Kellogg.”

“Who is he?” Piper asked this time, turning in her seat so she could look at the former mercenary properly.

“Used to run with the Gunners, still might for all I know, but was high up in the ranks way before I came to Boston,” MacCready explained, leaning over the back of the armchair where Piper sat. “Rumor has it he killed some gang leader out in California before heading East. Never met him, but he’s got one hell of a reputation. Can’t believe that fu—” he hesitated, awkwardly clearing his throat. “Guy is still alive.”

“We don’t know that,” Nick said for the second time that morning. “Hasn’t been any reports of similar cases since—”

“Since Nate,” Madelyn finished, gulping down the ache that had formed in her chest.

“At least now you have a name,” Piper remarked, but it was hardly any consolation. “A lead. Better than nothing.”

“Sure, sure,” Nick agreed, though he didn’t lift his gaze from Madelyn, the two sharing a silent exchange. “MacCready, you know anybody in Quincy who’d be willing to talk?”

Their mercenary-turned-informant looked stunned, jolting upright as he anxiously rubbed at his neck. Getting dragged into another investigation was probably not why he had chosen to visit the agency that morning. Whatever the reason, it would have to wait. “Well, sure,” he muttered, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah, I guess.”

Nick pushed back his chair to stand, moving towards the nearby coatrack to tug on his patched trench-coat and fedora. He pointed to the younger man. “Alright. You’re with me.”

When the detective noticed the confusion on Madelyn’s face, his expression settled. “I’m officially assigning you R&R.”

She couldn’t help but smile a little. “You don’t have the authority to assign me.”

Nick rolled his eyes, mumbling something about how stubborn women would be the death of him before nodding towards Deacon. Her Railroad partner understood the gesture and moved away from his spot to stand next to her. She didn’t need watching over, or protection, but she’d gladly take a reprieve if it meant spending time with him. Madelyn glanced up to find him with a tiny smile of his own, and he reached out to give her shoulder a comforting squeeze before retreating his hand back to his side before anyone could notice.

“Piper,” Nick gave the reporter a pointed stare before exhaling as he shook his head. “Whatever you do, just—be careful.”

She stood, playfully mocking him with a salute. “Aye, aye, detective.”

“You lied.”

“Of course I lied,” Deacon responded without missing a beat. “Which lie are we talking about?”

Madelyn softly laughed from her spot across the circular dining table, watching as he poured her another glass of wine. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out to dinner—to an actual restaurant that wasn’t a 24-hour café—and was suddenly grateful for Nick’s subtle push. On Deacon’s suggestion they traveled uptown and found themselves a hidden gem of an Italian bistro in the process. More than one macabre joke about running into an Institute spy was made, wondering if Nick’s earlier mention of pasta had indoctrinated them, if only a little.

“When Piper asked about sending an undercover Railroad agent to MIT,” she clarified, bringing her refilled glass to her lips. “You lied.”

A sideways smirk. “I didn’t lie, I just omitted the truth.”

Madelyn chuckled, nearly choking on her drink. “That’s—that’s the same thing!”

“Hardly,” he countered with a wave of his hand. “Do you honestly think I’d talk about Railroad business in front of Piper?” It was a rhetorical question, followed up with words Madelyn had heard him speak time and time again, “you can’t trust everyone.”

She sighed, and couldn’t help it as her demeanor fell, ever so slightly. “Even me?”

Deacon’s expression was hard to read—it always was when he shielded his eyes with those sunglasses—but she figured he was studying her carefully. After all the emotional breakthroughs they’d shared, she didn’t want to think for a second he didn’t trust her—not when he was one of the very few she found faith in. She wondered if it had anything to do with her holding back information on the Shaun Perlman case, and even more doubt filled her mind. Before he could say anything, she had to speak—

“Sorry,” she set her wine glass down and fidgeted with the linen tablecloth. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about what Nick and I discovered while investigating. I should’ve said something sooner and—”

“Charmer,” Deacon stopped her short, reaching over the small table to cover her hand with his own, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. “That doesn’t bother me. If it wasn’t you, I would’ve snooped around and found out already. But that’s not my place in this partnership, not anymore. I trust you to tell me whatever’s important, on your own terms.”

Trust—there it was.

Madelyn gradually allowed the smile to return and flicked her gaze across his face. “Does that mean I’m allowed to have secrets?”

“A few,” he caught on to her tease. “You still haven’t told me who really taught you how to pick locks.”

Her chest tightened as she thought about her departed husband, simultaneously reminiscing about her and Deacon’s first jaunt together through the underground Switchboard tunnels. Her fingers twitched beneath his grasp. “Who says anybody taught me?” she joked, recovering as best she could.

He nodded, flashing that secret smile that told her he knew she was bluffing—but he was never one to rat her out. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, slowly withdrawing his hand from hers.

“Dez is the only one that knows,” he started. “We’ve had an inside man—hell, it might be a woman—nobody has met with the agent face to face,” Deacon’s lips skewed to the side in thought. “They aren’t an official Railroad operative. But they’re the ones that started feeding us information while we were still operating at the Switchboard.”

“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Madelyn asked, trying not to sound accusatory.

“Back then, Dez and I weren’t sure of what we were dealing with,” he explained. “It was all coded. Most of it still is. We only knew the source was coming from what we believed to be an ally, working on the inside.”

“How can you be so sure?” She was rightfully skeptical. “You never found out who was responsible for attacking the Switchboard.”

“Fair point,” Deacon replied with a shrug. “We never stopped receiving correspondence either. Even after moving to the church. Dead drops with encrypted MIT data from Doctor Rendezvous themselves.”

She tried not to laugh. “Is that what you call them? Of all the codenames…”

“No,” he shook his head. “Dez and I call them Patriot.”

At least that explained all the reports Tinker Tom and Glory had been sifting through for the last several weeks. She wondered if any of it would prove fruitful, and if something of value would materialize sooner rather than later. You can’t trust everyone—and yet, the Railroad leaders seemed to be playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an unknown. She hoped they knew what they were doing.

“Enough work chat,” Deacon mused, plucking the napkin from his lap and placing it across the table. “What would you say to some blueberry pie?”

Madelyn grinned, pulled from her doom and gloom thoughts. “Yes.”

-x-

It was a short, hand-in-hand stroll through the uptown district to the Olympia Theatre, where she fixated on the matinee signs advertising Gigi—she hadn’t seen a film in years. If it wasn’t a late night rerun on CBS, she was completely out of the loop on modern day culture. She’d seen Leslie Caron in An American in Paris—a movie date with Nate so many years ago—seeing her picturesque face on the advertisement now brought back bittersweet memories.

“Pie and dancing tonight,” Deacon’s voice was suddenly in her ear as he leaned close. “Lerner and Loewe tomorrow.”

The promise alone caused excitement to bloom in her heart, even if a trickle of guilt remained. He gently tugged on her hand, and she followed him down the cobblestone alleyway to the familiar red door and golden placard, leaving the theatre behind.

The Memory Den was expectedly crowded for a Friday evening, but as soon as Irma caught sight of the two, she quickly ushered them to a private corner of the bar. Madelyn recognized it as Deacon’s corner—if he had such a claim to the place. Given Irma was an unspoken Railroad informant, Madelyn was sure he could very well have run of the place—especially now that Eddie Winter was out of the picture. It was hardly quiet were they perched themselves on two barstools as the house band played an upbeat song, but Irma’s cheery voice was loud as ever.

“We have a live singer tonight,” she boasted, standing between them with her hands on her hips.

Madelyn chuckled as she glanced towards the stage. “As long as it isn’t Bobby Darin.”

“Oh—” Irma faltered, unsure of her joke. “Uh, no. You’ll see! They came all the way from New York!” she beamed. “Now, I’ve seen the way you two can move, so why are you sittin’ around?”

Deacon arched an eyebrow and leaned against the bar-top. “We can’t dance on an empty stomach.”

Ironic, considering their stomachs were full of pasta, bread and wine. Madelyn only smiled at Irma when she glanced between them with curiosity. The other woman sighed before moving around the bar, walking down to the far end of the counter where a glass display showcased a variety of deserts. After a few minutes, she returned with a plate and two forks.

“Lucky you,” Irma remarked. “Last slice of the night.”

Deacon deferred to Madelyn, allowing her the first bite—it was just as delicious as she remembered, when he brought her an entire blueberry pie from Irma on Valentine’s Day. She held her palm beneath her chin on the second bite, trying not to disperse crumbs or berries all over her satin dress. She didn’t realize Deacon was watching her movements until she went for a third forkful, noticing he hadn’t taken his first. Very suddenly, a blush crept up her cheeks and he smirked.

Irma baked away with a bright grin. “You’re welcome!”

Deacon finally took a bite, followed up with a second so they were even. They sat and ate in silence, smiling and laughing at each other over nothing and everything as the atmosphere around them intensified. Madelyn blamed it on being tipsy from her dinner wine, but a lingering thought in the back of her mind echoed it was more than that. It was always more with Deacon.

“You said there’d be dancing,” Madelyn noted, eying the crowd of dancers when their desert was finished. The singer Irma mentioned had taken the stage and had already played through a melody of fast-paced swing ensembles to warm up the audience and the band.

He nodded, taking her hand in his as he slid off the barstool to stand. As soon as they navigated through the throng of people, the lights dimmed into a bluish-purple hue, and the band’s music slowed. It didn’t deter them—they’d slow danced before, but that was undercover and what felt like a lifetime ago. This was something entirely different. Deacon’s arms encircled her waist, one hand on her lower back and the other planted firmly between her shoulders. Madelyn loosely wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned back far enough so she could study his face in the dark lighting.

“Last time we were here, you tried to slice my throat in the hallway,” he smiled at the memory, and so did she. Thinking back, it was any wonder he hadn’t turned the tables and pinned her to the wall—he certainly possessed the strength to do so. Madelyn didn’t let the thought get carried away in her mind, as much as it thrilled her.

“You weren’t so keen on dancing with me,” he remarked, tilting his head to the side.

“But I did,” she countered, inching herself closer. “You were a stranger. I should’ve known better, but I still danced with you.”

Deacon shrugged. “I still might be a stranger, you never know.”

“Bullshit.”

“Adorable,” he retorted, right on cue. “You still want to dance with me, after everything you know?”

Madelyn suddenly wondered if they were speaking in code—Deacon wasn’t really talking about dancing, was he? She desperately wished she could see beyond the tinted shades he was wearing, knowing if she caught a glimpse of those baby blues, she’d have her answer within a heartbeat. Regardless of the inuendo, she knew what to say.

“Why not?” she offered in a soft voice. “You make one hell of a partner.”

He smiled. “You’re not so bad yourself, Charmer.”

As the song continued, she steadily drew herself closer until she was resting her head against his shoulder, swaying slowly in his arm as the soothing beat echoed around them.

“You’ll see me home tonight?” she asked, closing her eyes to the world around her. She felt his lips brush against her temple near her ear as he whispered so only she could hear.

“Yes.”

-x-

Madelyn had never traversed the stairwell of her apartment so slowly. With Deacon at her side, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to reach the seventh floor, knowing that when they reached her door he would have to depart. That wasn’t necessarily true, but after the evening’s events, she wasn’t entirely sure if inviting him in for their usual nightcap would constitute crossing some kind of unspoken line. But what had started as a distraction had turned into what felt like a date. She was faced with an increasing dilemma with every step, one she’d been suppressing for weeks.

Their relationship—whatever it was—wasn’t a topic of discussion. Even after so many near misses, and what might as well have been a confession in a church—of all places—Madelyn couldn’t pinpoint where they stood. Partners? Friends? Something more? Or something in-between? Mitigating circumstances forced them to pump the brakes before discovering if what they had was meant to be. But now, Madelyn was tired of waiting, tired of hiding her emotions to the world. All she wanted to do was drive off the cliff with a lead foot and find out.

“Charmer,” he said her name—her codename—in that sly way of his as he leaned against the doorway outside her apartment, glancing up at the shiny lettering D. Madelyn took it as some kind of sign. “Here we are.”

She nodded but didn’t move to rummage through her purse for her keys. “Here we are,” she repeated. Her eyes danced across the hall. “Do you think Drummer Boy is listening to us right now?”

“Without a doubt,” he responded with a soft laugh. “He needs all the gossip he can get.”

There was somebody else that was listening too, judging by the robotic voice that echoed out from beyond her door. “Miss Madelyn, is that you? Oh, it’s such a late hour!”

She groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead in a vain attempt to hide her embarrassment. What was worse than having a Mister Handy that acted like her parental guardian, reprimanding her if she came home past midnight?

“Your metal hubby is calling for you,” Deacon joked. His next action surprised her as he reached up to remove his sunglasses, tucking them away in his coat pocket. Even in the faint lighting of her hallway, his eyes gleamed with a certain kind of magic. “Shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

“Let him wait,” she hushed.

It was the cue she needed, taking a hesitant step forward, closer to where he was. She reached out, one hand gripping the fabric of his tie while the other sought out the side of his face, tugging gently to bring him closer. Madelyn thought about all the times she’d wanted to kiss him but didn’t, all the times they’d almost kissed but hadn’t, every time he had slipped through her fingertips. Standing there, in front of her apartment door, it seemed to mirror previous occasions—they were so close, Deacon’s breath ghosting over her mouth as their hooded eyes locked under the intensity. She hesitated, waiting for the other foot to drop, for some kind of interruption—except, it never came. Instead, his hand at her waist tugged her just close enough as he tilted his chin and—bliss—as their lips softly met.

For a long moment, the kiss was nothing but chaste, sweet. But there was a certain kind of desperation behind the contact—understandable considering how long it had been for her since her last kiss. She wasn’t sure how long it had been for him, but if she believed what he’d said about his wife—which she did—it had to be a significant time. Madelyn increased the pressure first, Deacon taking the cue to slide his tongue past her lips. His fingers gripped her side as they continued, the two content with the measured pace being set. Even though they both had done their fair share of waiting—there was no need to rush.

With a soft breath, she reluctantly pulled away, a delightful heat encompassing her entire body. She relished in being able to witness the sparkle of Deacon’s eyes, his blown pupils as they darted across her face and body before snapping back up to meet her gaze.

“Shouldn’t keep him waiting,” he repeated, voice raspy. As far as goodbyes and goodnights went, it was fitting for the Railroad spy. He smirked, replacing his sunglasses where they belonged before slowly backing away towards the stairwell. “Charmer.”

Madelyn didn’t enter her apartment until she was sure Deacon had descended at least a few flights of stairs, leaning against the door as she closed it behind her. Her heart was racing, the speed of which made it feel like it was lodged in her throat. She raised her fingers to trace over her lips where his mouth had just been and felt a warmth she had been chasing for months—years—a sprinkle of goosebumps appeared across her skin. She felt foolish, like a schoolgirl with a crush all over again—except, this was much more than a crush. She felt a rush. She felt alive. She felt—

“Mum?” Codsworth’s voice made her realize he’d been hovering in front of her frozen state, robotic eyes zooming in on her body with curiosity. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” she answered, without hesitation. “Never better.”

May 18th, 1958

“You’re smiling.”

Madelyn tried her best to suppress the grin she knew was pulling at her lips but failed. “Am I?”

She glanced over to Nick as they walked, noting that for some inexplicable reason he was in a better mood than usual. It likely had something to do with their case, and how after a decade of little to no progress, things had heated up in a matter of days. After leaving her alone for most of the weekend, he’d finally called her early that Sunday morning with an update from his own investigating. He had a lead promising enough that it demanded swift action, though Madelyn was glad to be back on the streets and investigating with the detective—just like old times.

“Yeah,” he nodded, raising a quizzical brow in her direction. “Something I should know?”

Madelyn played coy, moving closer to link her arm in his as they continued their stroll down the Fenway district sidewalks. She patted his coat affectionately. “Mr. Valentine, don’t you know a lady shouldn’t kiss and tell?”

The surprise in his expression was short-lived as he caught on to her insinuation, and after a small stretch of silence, a low smirk settled on his face. “It’s a good look, doll.”

“Where are we headed?” Madelyn asked before he could start a line of questioning—not that she expected it, but she wanted to avoid any unnecessary pestering. “You never told me how your little date in Quincy faired.”

“I’ll tell you about my date when you tell me about yours,” he countered, with expert precision. Instead of taking offense, Madelyn laughed. They hadn’t bantered in so long and it felt refreshing. “MacCready can be a hard-ass, when you need him to be.”

“Good cop, bad cop?”

“Detectives,” Nick corrected. If there was one thing he hated, it was being mistaken for any member of the Boston police force—even if the two had snuffed out Eddie Winter’s corruption. It was one of the reasons they were heading this investigation on their own, and without assistance from the inside. As far as they knew, the only people worth trusting were themselves. “We got what we needed. Last known address for a one Conrad Kellogg.”

The pair continued walking past the large green walls of the Fenway stadium until they reached they grouping of apartments situated on the western side of the district. Almost immediately, the memory of when they’d last visited the Parkview Apartments came flooding back and she stared up at the tall buildings.

“Earl Sterling,” she muttered under her breath before looking to Nick. “Is it coincidence that Boston serial killers like to congregate in one area?”

“Cheap place to live, in a nondescript area of the city,” Nick frowned. “Hiding in plain sight. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe they don’t realize they all eventually follow the same patterns eventually.”

The two didn’t delay for much longer in the courtyard, entering the building and ascending the stairs after finding initials C.K. on one of the lobby’s mailboxes. On the fourth floor, they made their way towards a faded green door, Nick double checking the number scrawled on a lose piece of paper before shoving it back into his pocket.

“This is the place,” he assured.

“Looking for someone?”

Nick and Madelyn turned to find not exactly who they expected—a well dressed man in a tan colored suit, a freshly picked flower pinned to his lapel. He regarded them with a polite smile, but there was something unsettling about the way he stared ahead that had Madelyn’s skin crawling. Be it the location they were in, or the assumption of the people who lived there, she didn’t want to make any sudden movements.

“Do you know anything about the person who lives here?” Madelyn asked.

The suited man shook his head. “Lived. Haven’t seen his handsome face in quite a while.”

“Did he die?” she continued her line of questioning, careful not to reveal too much about the circumstances of why they were there. “We’re…old college classmates of his. In town and thought to surprise him.”

“Oh, I do love surprises,” the man replied with the same, measured smile as before. “He isn’t dead. Just gone. Just like that child that came to visit every now and again. What an adorable young man.”

“A child?” Nick questioned, on high alert.

“Around ten years old, I should say,” the man answered, raising his hand to gesture height. “Hm. But what do I know? He always did say I was…too nosy.”

“Thank you,” Madelyn hesitantly nodded. “For letting us know.”

He made to move past them down the hallway in the opposite direction but stopped at the last moment. “The next time you’re in the neighborhood, please, stop by my gallery,” his recommendation came in a soft, eerie tone. “I have a feeling you’d be an admirer.”

Madelyn’s grip on Nick’s arm didn’t loosen until the mystery man was out of sight and even he didn’t seem to relax until all was quiet around them.

“Jesus,” he muttered, swiftly turning towards the apartment door and shuffling through his coat pockets, pulling out a lockpick. He made quick work of the deadbolt, catching the doorknob in his hand so it wouldn’t swing open. “Come on.”

Nick took the lead, his gun unholstered and at his side as he took measured steps through the small space. Madelyn followed, closing the door behind her and securing the lock—the last thing they needed was a visitor while they were sneaking around. The apartment itself was sparse, barely filled with any furniture or proof that anyone had lived there before or had been there recently. As she loitered near the kitchen nook, glancing over a pile of forgotten comic books and a case of cigars, she heard Nick call from the back bedroom.

“All clear!” he announced. “What do you make of this?”

The bedroom was just as empty as the entranceway, a double bed and desk occupying the space. Madelyn found Nick studying a pile of documents, shifting them about with a mix of confusion and concern. She plucked a dusty file from the stack and was alarmed to see a familiar set of emblems and insignia.

“These are military documents,” she confirmed what he already knew, being a former airman himself. “What are they doing here?”

Nick shook his head, unsure. “Kellogg was described as a military man in suspect reports. What if that description is accurate and he really is an enlisted officer?”

“A killer in the ranks?” Madelyn didn’t want to believe it.

Nick didn’t respond, his eyes shifting rapidly as he read over more and more of the scattered reports, even if they were mostly redacted. Madelyn couldn’t make heads or tails of them—she never could, even when she would try to sneak a peak at the files Nate would bring home. Whatever Kellogg was researching, it involved a scientific endeavor—backed by the government and heavily funded—that required top level security clearance.

“There’s only one military base in town that would be responsible for such a project,” Nick explained. Madelyn knew. The only question would be how to get inside.

He tapped the document. “Fort Hagen.”

#fallout 4 #noir au #deacon x f!solesurvivor #madelyn hardy #deacon #nick valentine #piper wright #robert joseph maccready #and other spoiler characters...#more easter eggs than your body can handle!#something happens in the chapter that you've all been waiting for #👀👀👀

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anryuuepic · 4 years

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Yeah... um... there are already like a couple hundred characters XD I tend to get a little out of control with this one... But as for some of the more important ones, I’ll limit myself to ten of them for now.

Arassia Daryan is the oldest character I associate with the story. She’s a long-time favorite of mine, and one that a LOT of the story involves. Because she’s been around for so long as a character, I actually keep track of the present-day timeline by how old she is during a given year. She’s the eldest princess of the Daryan country, and for a while, is believed to be the next heir to the throne. Because of her intense role in the country, she and her sisters are involved in any arcs that feature the royalty or upper levels of government. Which... is quite a few of them. Because I like her so much, I intend to have Arassia appear as often as possible. Well, that and because she’s just a really good character to me.

Asakiri Daryan is the crown princess of the Daryan country. Thought to be dead and known to be missing due to a complex assassination attempt involving her parents, she grew up in the White Slums and was only found again on accident. She’s Arassia’s cousin and the rightful heir to the throne. Asakiri gets a lot of character development during the story, and grows from a shy, stifled, overly-emotional teenager to a strong, capable young woman who’s accepted her place in the world. She doesn’t show up in the story for a while, but once she does, she’s pretty important. She grows up to become the next Daryan queen, and takes the throne when she’s twenty-five.

Aphri Novus is the youngest child of the former Dzlethian queen, Delphi. Since her mother’s death when she was twelve (and due largely in part to her older brother, Alan’s, incompetence), she’s basically been running the country since her early teens. She’s a dutiful, self-sacrificing person who would do anything to make sure her nation succeeds, even at the cost of her own happiness and wellbeing. Later in the story, she organizes the next proper competition for the Dzlethian throne (after her mother tried to ruin it), and plays a big part in the choosing of the next queen. She also interacts with the other countries a lot, as for most of the story, she’s basically the one to represent the Dzlethians.

Emilia Lunaria is, for a long time, the only eligible heir to the Ghiasuli throne. Only men are supposed to rule, but with the rest of her family dead from an attempt to put someone very different on the throne, Emilia is left alive as a puppet of the High Nobles, who are trying to prove her incompetent enough to let someone else take over. Emilia is a Spirit Elemental who can raise the dead... with some major costs. She’s also the representative of the Ghiasuli kingdom for a long time, along with her cousin, Mythian. Her character leads into a good few arcs featuring the Ghiasuli nobility and politics.

Zaire Xavier Odiar. Oh, Zaire Xavier. He started out a mere arc villain, but through a lot of development, he’s become one of the major antagonists of the story. Appearing to be a bizarre eccentric with an unnatural fixation on his ancestor, he turns out to be an insanely dangerous man dead-set on resurrecting said ancestor and wreaking havoc by her side. Zaire is the leader of one of the major forces in the Daryan country; a dangerous group known as the Blacklight Syndicate. The Blacklight Syndicate have their hands in way more than anyone wants them to, meaning that Zaire is wrapped up in all kinds of messes that cause big trouble for anyone who gets in his way.

Minus Odiar is Arassia’s personal bodyguard. She’s an official member of the Palace Guard who hit it off with Arassia on accident, and wound up being chosen to be by her side. Minus is a small-town girl with connections to both the common people and the beyond-dangerous Black Slums, meaning that her existence serves as a major transition point in shifting the story from the nobility to the more common folk. She’s also a member of the ancient noble house, the Odiar family, even if she’s been torn away from them due to family matters... and even if they’re kind of dying out. Her siblings, older sister Roxanne and twin brother Ryoku, also have some big connections in tying the story together.

Solaris Milomir is the more or less head of the Ghiasuli Royal Guard. He’s supposed to be a strong person with a lot of responsibility, but in reality, he’s a schemer who’s just out for the throne. He’s working with the High Nobles, the ones who basically own the Ghiasuli kingdom, in order to push Emilia and Mythian off of the throne. He’s on the fast track to getting himself into a lot of trouble, but he’s too arrogant to realize that he’s making some very bad choices. He’s one of the main antagonists in a number of the arcs featuring the Ghiasuli, and is going to be a BIG problem to be dealt with.

Temperance Starlight is a high-ranking member of the Daryan Palace Guard. She’s a Lightening Psychic, and wayyy more importantly, a member of the Starlight Sect-- a cult within the Daryan country that’s convinced that something is out there, and the only way to please it is to turn their bodies (and the bodies of everyone else) into machines. This cult is one of the biggest forces in play in the Daryan country, serves as the main provider of prosthetics (a very common necessity) to all three countries, and Temperance is the way that the whole mess is introduced. She’s not a major member of the Starlight Sect, but she’s the start of learning about it.

Elionette Dragomir is the head of the Dzlethian Nation Guard. While she’s technically supposed to have the same rank as three others, her status as a long-time friend of Delphi gave her more authority than she really should have. With Delphi’s death and the end of the Daryan-Dzlethian war, with the Daryans emerging as the victors, Elionette is not a happy woman. She’s a tyrant who rules the Guard with an iron fist-- and is out for revenge for her queen and country. She’s one of the biggest forces in the Dzlethian nation, and one that’s going to prove a real problem for Aphri and the Daryans.

Bel Klein is a Time Elemental with a very particular ability. She “sees” the memories of people and objects by simply being near them. This has kind of mind-broken her. She rambles a constant stream of nonsense, reporting the memories of everything she’s near, and by doing this, unintentionally reveals some major secrets that weren’t supposed to be known. She’s also from approximately 2,300 years in the past, and was recently brought to the present by an unknown person who is also very plot-relevant. Her connection to the past, when she has her lucid moments, also sheds some light on the events of her era that have been lost to history.

#Arassia Daryan #Asakiri Daryan #Aphri Novus #Emilia Lunaria #Zaire Xavier Odiar #Minus Odiar #Solaris Milomir #Elionette Dragomir #Bel Klein #Temperance Starlight #Character Info

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dalekofchaos · 5 years

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The First Order:Incompetence and Overconfidence

The First Order (EST 5-21 ABY [After Battle of Yavin]/1-17 Post-Return of the Jedi) was formed in the wake of the collapse of the Empire following the defeat of their fleet at the Battle of Jakku (5ABY, 1AE [After Endor]). Various imperial hardliners and diehards fled into the Unknown Regions of space to establish a new Empire, fix the mistakes of the old, and one day return to defeat the New Republic that had displaced them. For 30 years the First Order grew and developed into a formidable force, yet was not seen as a threat to the New Republic. The true size and scale of their power was kept hidden intentionally, lest the Republic be provoked into acting against them in any meaningful way, the Resistance was seen as an allowable way of keeping them in check, but it was more like a plug in a dam, when the dam is cracked all to hell and back. It is heavily implied that the New Republic was already addled by corruption and bureaucratic bloat in just the 33 years it had been established, so the fact that they had no real idea that the First Order had an Ultra Star Destroyer and that they were hollowing out a planet to build a super-weapon can be forgiven through this conceit. The “Resistance” is funded by a few small contributors, has few ships (one capital ship and three support vessels), and relies on being small so as to be easily hidden. To contrast the Rebel Alliance was funded by former Republic senators, armed by resistance groups, and provided ships of even capital scale by races such as the Mon Calamari; it was, by in large, a popular movement. Yet the Rebellion and the Resistance face threats of similar scale.

So how does the First Order fuck up so badly in killing such a small number of “rebels?” Simple answer? Mass incompetence. Complicated answer? Incompetence combined with overconfidence.

Who Makes up the First Order?

Take whats been discussed already, the officers of the former Empire retreat into the unknown regions to rebuild, who will these officers be? Its very likely that they fall into a small number of categories; first among them your hardliners, dyed in the wool Imperials who needed to escape the end of the war, we can count these people as among likely the best trained and the most realistic believers in the Empire of old; second are those who weren’t good enough to be part of the main fight and werent bad off enough to let it be over; and third, your dregs, men scoured from the old Empire, people who had been assigned to punishment posts and back-water details, but they have training, and they can be useful. These people make up your base, and they can be built upon as time goes by, but in the beginning this is what you have. Impressment, population growth, and recruitment can be another driving factor towards establishing a force. For the next 25 years the First Order would grow and develop out of the shadows of the Empire, establishing their own officer corps, their own ships, and their own designs but still heavily influenced by their forebears.

Lack of Experience

But none of those new troops would have the same level of training, they wouldn’t have the foundational schools, the true pedigree needed. No active wars to train officers in, or soldiers for that matter, everything would be war game and simulation, they wouldn’t face the same scale of consistent internal threats the Republic would go on to face for the 29 years in between such as piracy, warlords, and civil conflicts; with an Iron Fist those kinds of threats could be stamped out in short order before they could flourish. So their new officers have no idea how to fight a war properly, or even badly, they just have theory and the experience of their older officers to draw from. Indeed many of the more senior officers in the First Order had many reservations about the new generation and their capabilities, as seen with Captain Canady of the First Order Dreadnought Fulminatrix, the man knew he was dead, and he knew it was the incompetence and inexperience of the fleets leader, General Armitage Hux that was to blame for his demise.

Starfigher Corps Incompetence

This deficiency can even be seen in their starfighter corps. Take for example the battle in the skies above Takodana in the Force Awakens, yes, sure, Poe Dameron is an ace pilot, but in a single maneuver around the combat area he shoots down no less than 11 enemy fighters in under a minute, that puts him above and beyond any fighter pilot ever seen in Star Wars media and in the real world makes him an ace twice over. There is luck, and then there is improbable incompetence. Its no wonder that the Resistance was able to continue fighting over Starkiller base after losing more than half of their X-Wings when their kill ratio can be as high as 11:1.

Incompetent Leadership

On to the First Order’s leadership in general, General Hux, Kylo Ren, and Captain Phasma.

General Hux -Military Leader of the First Order. Hux is only 34 years old, he literally aged with the First Order, he was five when the Empire fell, turned 18 roughly 13 years after the establishment of the Order, and is somehow the highest ranking member of their military, yes he betrayed his father, who had been high ranking before him, but that hardly warrants him becoming the military leader of the entire First Order. He has no military experience, his formal training is much in the same sense as British dilettante generals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his emotional outbursts while in command betray this whole-cloth inexperience and lack of maturity. Hux is a caricature.

Kylo Ren -Enforcer of the Dark Side. Kylo Ren is doing his best Darth Vader impression… while also doing a fair whiny Anakin impression only without a sympathetic backstory. Also prone to emotional outbursts and destroys expensive and important equipment for the ship. I’m surprised he hasn’t destroyed The Finalizer by his outbursts. Kylo Ren isn’t a leader, he’s an enforcer, there to be the voice of Supreme Leader Snoke, and he’s genuinely menacing… up until he takes off his mask in the Force Awakens. He was the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, nephew and Padawan to Luke Skywalker. Snoke chose Ben Solo because of his powerful light and dark side. And.....he turned to the dark side, killed The Jedi, betrayed his family and joined The First Order because his family was trying to build a better galaxy for him...... Because Han and Leia chose to put their life into the rebellion and not enough time into him, that’s why he fell. “My loving parents who doted on me and gave me the best in life also wanted to help other people and rebuild a wartorn galaxy. It makes me so mad just thinking of it!” The lesson apparently is spend more time with your child instead of building a better world for him otherwise he’ll shoot up a school, join a fascist organization and blame his every action on his family and constantly harass and gaslight the one girl who peaks his interest.

Captain Phasma -Stormtrooper Command Captain Phasma is an odd bird, she would’ve been ten when the Empire fell, but we already know she wasn’t born into imperial service, or into the First Order, she joined, willingly, as an outsider. She has genuine martial capabilities and informal training, having been a clan military leader on her planet where combat was a part of daily life. After joining the Order she gained actual training which only helped to develop the skills she had developed naturally and its suggested she went on to train much of the First Order’s stormtrooper corps. Shes almost better for NOT being in the First Order from its inception because it gave her access to real experience. And yet she is entirely underwhelming on screen, being taken by surprise, suffering from total overconfidence, and seemingly being more flash than substance. As the triumvirate of the First Order its no wonder their military victories are… lacking.

It's the economics of the thing

So how does the First Order do anything at all? Money. Money is how they are successful, money is how they stay competitive. And Supreme Leader Snoke is the source of those funds. The Supreme Leader isn’t wise, hes just an incredibly rich old darksider who has chosen to invest in the First Order because he has a fetish for opulence and military parades. Infinite money can buy you a great many things, an actually experienced military seemingly isn’t one of those things! Imagine if you will a group of guys who think they are the worlds hottest shit at Call of Duty, now give them the newest in military hardware, heartbeat sensors, night vision, body armor, the works, yeah they’re a lot more deadly than your bog standard guy without that gear, but against an actual military unit? They get the floor wiped with their corpses. All the fanciest hardware in the galaxy doesn’t mean shit if you don’t have the experience to know how to use it to its capabilities. So yes, they have an Ultra Star Destroyer, and they have Stormtrooper legions, and they have planet bombarding dreadnaughts, but what they don’t have is the experience to use all those things effectively. The TIE fighter still sucks, still doesn’t have reasonable shielding, and while there is a special version with a turret and rear gunners seat, doesn’t seem to count for much unless Poe Dameron is flying it.

So we’ve established overconfidence in their capabilities and equipment, they’re the best equipped force, they have super weapons, they have a fleet, and yes, they could destroy the Resistance with ease… makes random whack-a-mole motions if they would JUST. SIT. STILL.

Incompetence in Escort Tactics

Let talk about their incompetence. Hux is goaded into allowing a Starfighter into point blank range with one of their fleet’s more valuable assets, he doesn’t launch a fighter screen to keep that fighter at bay, and when a real danger is detected, still does nothing. Captain Canady is left to launch his own fighters from Fulminatrix, and gets no support from Hux or the rest of the First Order fleet. Hux doesn’t launch support fighters, direct their batteries to put up defensive fire covering the dreadnought, nothing, no he’s too busy massaging his bruised ego because some flyboy put him on tilt with what amounts to a practical joke, and an 8km long warship pays the price for their incompetence.

Conflict with the Force Awakens

Now, to note, the First Order doesn’t seem all that incompetent in the Force Awakens, or at least not nearly as much as in the Last Jedi. They deploy a reasonable number of fighters, put a serious hurting on the Resistance X-Wings, and lose because base security wasn’t tight enough because they didn’t think an aging freighter with a crew of 3-4 would be enough to cripple their super weapon. Realistically if Han, Chewie, Finn and Rey hadn’t bombed the facility the Resistance would have lost. And if Phasma was a die hard FO loyalist, if Phasma chose to activate the security alarm instead of lowering the shields. The Resistance would’ve lost if JJ Abrams cared about making Phasma a character instead of a toy.

Incompetence when Pursuing the Resistance Fleet

And now onto the chase, or as I like to call it “the dumbest bit of military nonsense since the Emu war.” You have the First Order Fleet chasing the Resistance flotilla, supposedly the Resistance fleet is “faster” but they aren’t opening the gap between them and the First Order because… it would burn more fuel (because inertia isn’t a thing in Star Wars Space)? So they stay just at the extreme range of the First Order’s guns, and the Raddus has to be on the receiving end of a potshot every once in a while. Meanwhile said Resistance ships are flying in a straight line, direct away from the First Order fleet, so why not just set course past them and Hyperspace in front of them and catch them in the middle? Are interdictors at play here? Are they content to just think the fleet will run out of fuel and they can just catch them? It bothers me to understand that the heroes are only alive because of the gross incompetence of the First Order, because it doesn’t speak well to the capabilities of the heroes.

Incompetence in Ground Invasion

So now the Resistance is stuck on Crait, the First Order knows they are there, we know implicitly that the First Order has more than one dreadnought in their fleet, we also know the Resistance is fresh out of bombers. Maybe instead of calling for a costly ground invasion just call in another dreadnought and finish the job once and for all. This isn’t next level thinking, this isn’t superior tactics. This is using a rock to smash a bug levels of thinking. But they don’t, they land a ground invasion bigger than Hoth and bring a mini Death Star with them. Note again, that while Hoth was defended by more men with better equipment, Crait is defended by a quarter as many with rusting, dilapidated equipment… but it was enough to keep the Order stalled for Luke Skywalker to video-conference in.

Leadership in said Invasion

Which brings us to the a point concerning leadership and the ground invasion, it takes a screaming General Hux to get guns to stop, I guess because everyone is scared shitless of Kylo Ren, and then he’s treated like a rag doll in front of his men, again. Hux isn’t a true leader, Hux is a moron.

Failure to Blockade and Control the Theater of Operations

But more on the invasion, there is apparently no fleet around Crait, no blockade, no nothing, because the Millenium Falcon is allowed to escape completely unhindered and unchased by the First Order with the remaining resistance fighters aboard. Yeah, you read that right, the resistance can now fit on the Falcon, but no, they didn’t lose, they live to fight another day, by the grace of the Order’s incompetence.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, you have a raw officer corps that has no idea what its doing yet has displaced and replaced many of its senior experienced officers. A leadership that is wholly unsuited to be such. All the equipment in the galaxy but none of the experience. And a total lack of understanding of tactics. They are a group that desperately wants to be seen as the Empire, complete with angry triangles, white armored soldiers, and poorly armored flying death boxes. Maybe they should be the ones following Kylo Ren’s advice and allowing the past to die. I mean, if they can’t win even when the odds are ridiculously stacked in their favor, do they deserve to win?

#Anti TLJ #Anti Kylo Ren #Star Wars #The First Order #Kylo Ren #General Armitage Hux #Captain Phasma

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olivier--fontaine · 5 years

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ORIGINS & FAMILY:

Name: Olivier Fontaine

Nickname: Fontaine

Birthday: March 22nd (ENTJ Zodiac)

Age: 36

Gender: Male

Place of Birth: South Kensington, London, UK

Places Lived Since: Paris, France

Current Residence: Earl’s Court, Kensington & Chelsea, London, UK

Nationality: British

Parents: Paul Fontaine (deceased) & Adele Fontaine (née Charpentier)

Grandparents: Louis Fontaine & Ines Fontaine (née Travers) (deceased); Arthur Charpentier & Emma Charpentier (née LeBlanc) (deceased)

Aunts & Uncles: Jeanne Charpentier

Number of Siblings: One - Thomas Fontaine

Relationship With Family: It was once good, but that was a long time ago. He learned a lot from his father, and maybe one day would’ve even learned how to make an honest living, but after his father passed things changed. He was always protective of his family, but the mother he once relied on for so much he now felt had to rely on him. It may have been viewed as a burden by others, but for Olivier, it was his duty. It was his parents who were so dedicated to their trades and their family that taught him one can choose their own duty, but once they do, they stick to it. He is still close with his mother and overjoyed to now have the chance to see her in person whenever he has the free time. There was a once a time when Olivier and Thomas could rarely be found away from each other, unless Olivier was out running an errand for his new bosses or Thomas had a big exam he wanted to study for in complete silence. Even in those instances, Olivier would bring Thomas along if it was a simple, safe task just to keep an eye on him and would work on “brain food” snacks and dishes with his mother for when Thomas took a break. Now, Olivier both fears and awaits seeing his brother around any turn. He’s not sure how to interact with the young man he once lived to provide a better life for. It sets him on edge just to think about what Thomas’s life is like now, and it’s the one thing that puts him in a terrible mood for an interminable amount of time.

Happiest Memory: Thomas’s fifth birthday when the whole family gathered in the kitchen to work on a dozen sloppy but delicious cupcakes together. Their father was deliberate and intricate with his work, their mother was a natural baker and chose only the brightest frosting colors for hers, and Thomas and Olivier just sort of threw things around and slapped as much frosting on as they could before devouring the cupcakes.

Childhood Trauma: Paul’s death was very, very difficult for Olivier. At some point he always knew that, being the older son, he may have to step up one day to take over his father’s shop, provide funds and food for his mother, and protect their home and family. The day just came well over a decade before Olivier was expecting. The pain he felt was only magnified by the pain he saw written everyday on his mother’s and brother’s faces. It was some years before Olivier actually had the maturity, mindfulness, and time to really deal with what happened to him and in his life after his father’s heart attack because he was always so concerned about the rest of his family over himself.

PHYSICAL:

Height: 6′3″

Weight: 220 lbs

Build: Tall and naturally muscular, made even bulkier by regular exercise and diet

Hair Color: Dark blond to light brown

Usual Hair Style: Short, neat, and gelled slightly when it gets a little too out of hand

Eye Color: Blue

Glasses? Contacts?: N/A, he received Lasik eye surgery when he began training to be a bodyguard so he would not be impaired or have to rely on contacts that could fall out.

Style of Dress/Typical Outfit(s): Clean cut, always. If his father could come home from a day in a mechanic’s shop with clean clothes, clean shoes, and even clean hands, he could come home at the end of his day with a still clean, still crisp outfit, too. His clothes are always functional but never at the risk of being unstylish. Before moving to Paris, he didn’t care about much more than just looking neat and put together. After years in Paris, however, he appreciates a chic suit. He gets most of his clothes tailored to fit perfectly and have extra pockets added for various weapons and first-aid items. His shoes are specially made so he feels just as comfortable running in his loafers as he does in his training sneakers. Even off the clock, if such a thing exists for a man in his position, he likes solid, flattering colors, matching his belts to his shoes, and hasn’t worn a pair of jeans in years. The only type of clothing he doesn’t care too much about is athletic wear, because he tends to wear down t-shirts, shorts, and sneakers too quickly to be too fussy. That’s the only exception, though. All his outerwear is neutral colored (tan or black, usually) but just as perfectly tailored as his suit jackets and pants. If he has the time and energy, he’ll even iron his pajamas before bed sometimes, especially in the winter.

Typical Style of Shoes: Leather oxfords, loafers, or boots while working depending on the weather, but his “casual” attire still consists of a couple pairs of loafers and some nice, solid colored sneakers.

Jewellery? Tattoos? Piercings?: A fleur de lis on the inside of his left ring finger.

Unique Mannerisms/Physical Habits: He rubs his hands together a lot, almost as if he’s trying to warm them up or get something off, but it’s just a habit and he does it at random.

Athleticism: Olivier has always been naturally athletic, but he had many issues when he was younger with listening to his coaches or other teammates. Individual sports proved to be best, and contact sports were ruled out entirely by his parents by the time he was eight.

Health Problems/Illnesses: None, he keeps very healthy.

INTELLECT:

Level of Education: Completed a high school level degree, and received further tutoring and “schooling” with the French to gain more knowledge in required areas.

Languages Spoken: English (fluent, native), French (fluent since youth), Arabic (approaching fluency)

Level of Self-Esteem: Fairly high, as Olivier has never really had a self-esteem issue. There are things from his past he’s not proud of, but he prefers not to dwell on the things from his past that cause him shame and only focus on what he can do in the future to handle the situations differently.

Gifts/Talents: Learns physical skills easily (fighting, sports, mechanics, etc), decent and admirable cooking skills, and very good, perceptive hearing abilities.

Mathematical?: Math was a class that Olivier tended to do better in until he reached his teen years and discovered it only got increasingly more complicated in ways he ceased to understand, so he ceased to care.

Makes Decisions Based Mostly On Emotions, or On Logic?: When it comes to day to day things and work-related situations, he usually goes with logical decisions. For the most part, at this point in his life, he can remain level-headed in tense, emotionally charged situations. Twenty years ago, even ten years, it was a different story and emotions could tend to overpower the logic - especially when the emotion was telling him to fight. He’s learned his lessons, been dealt his punishments, and knows now how to force down his own fist to take a smarter, more practical route for the most part. The “most part” doesn’t include Thomas, though, and never will. Emotions will always take over when it comes to his brother, for better or worse.

Life Philosophy: “Keep at it until it kills you, then come back for more.”

Religious Stance: Olivier doesn’t adhere to any one particular religion but is actually very interested in philosophical teachings, especially Eastern philosophy, and has slowly developed into a very spiritual person. His beliefs come from a myriad of ideologies that he’s sort of knitted together to form his own approach to life and religion. He believes in incarnation and the impact decisions in one life can have on another and he believes in that some variation of yin and yang exists within every person, between every person, and in all the spaces in between so everything eventually balances out (though there will always be periods of time when there’s imbalances because there are so many facets to human nature). He also believes that it’s important for everyone to look inward but have a way to project themselves outward. For him, the outward projection is punching something or shooting a gun. For others, it’s planting flowers. Things that go in - traumatic experiences, joyful moments - have to come back out somehow. He also believes that objects can be more than just things and hold substantial meaning for individual people, groups as a whole, or the entire universe. He believes the same in symbols, like the fleur de lis. It’s been some time since Olivier has read any new philosophical, spiritual, or religious readings, but he does try to take time every morning and night to practice mindfulness as he’s found that’s the most efficient way to keep his own body, mind, and fighting spirit in balance in a way that makes him a better man for his job and his organization. He believes that those moments of mindfulness can help make up for spontaneous decisions that may backfire or prepare him to make better impulsive decisions in the future.

Cautious or Daring?: Daring

Most Sensitive About/Vulnerable To: Anything to do with Thomas and his mother.

Optimist or Pessimist?: Optimist.

Extrovert or Introvert?: Extroverted.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Helena Bernard - his very first girlfriend. The two dated for about a year when they were sixteen/seventeen years old. They had many firsts together - first time having sex, getting blackout drunk, smoking cigarettes and pot, and some others that Olivier remembers fondly. Helena was an exciting, adventurous girl who seemed larger than life to a teenage Olivier and as he’s heard about her progress over the years knows she only grew more remarkable. No part of him believes they were destined to be together forever, but he does think, in hindsight, that they were destined for each other at the time. Helena was wise beyond her years and never pushed Olivier to speak about his father’s death or other things that were troubling him - though hindsight has also shown him that may have been because the focus in the relationship tended to be on Helena. She was just so magnificent in every way, how could she not want to talk more about herself than him? He somewhat understand the self-absorption. The two broke up amicably and it wasn’t long before Olivier departed for France, but he frequently received updates from his mother (who’d always adored Helena) about what the girl was up to until Noor came along.

Noor Desmarais - long-term girlfriend and former fiancée. Olivier first met Noor when she was in university and used to frequently go to the restaurant below where Olivier lived. She normally went with a group of friends after a seminar they had on Friday’s, and they tended to get there right around when Olivier would be returning home to make his own dinner or get ready to meet some other members of the organization. Noor was always friendly and outgoing, and there were numerous times when the group of students tried to invite Olivier, who was about the same age as them, to join them at least for a drink. Noor was usually the one who spoke for the group that otherwise had a rotating makeup, so she was the one Olivier spoke to the most. Though he always denied to join the group for dinner, after a few conversations with Noor, he was enamored and asked her out to dinner. The two technically were never exclusive and never referred to the other by any label, but neither dated or even found themselves interested in anyone else for the year that they spent dating. Olivier was never upset since he knew they couldn’t get too obviously serious considering Noor’s plans for her future - Peace Corps, then graduate school, then whatever else life threw at her that allowed her to help people. She’d had an impressive resume for academics and extracurriculars since she was a child (all of which Olivier heard quite a bit about) and it was no surprise to anyone when Noor was accepted into the Peace Corps. She left for her full 27 month commitment to help with community and economic development, and on good terms with Olivier who’s only ever wanted the best for the people he loved. Occasionally they sent letters back and forth, but neither were held back by the other’s absence and each had their flings while they pursued their career goals. When Noor came back, she started working for a non-profit and immediately went back to school for a Masters of Law degree. She and Olivier reconnected and had a lot to catch up on, but it was almost as if they’d never been apart. For a while they did stick to saying they were just casually dating, but Noor and Olivier were both more settled on what their future held - Olivier continuing to progress as a bodyguard (which Noor thought he did for a legal, professional company due to Olivier’s discrete way of talking about it) and Noor would pursue her Masters in Law, take an entrance exam to a CRFPA, complete the courses necessary for her CAPA, and try to find an apprenticeship somewhere in Paris. She did it all, everything she wanted, and Olivier was alongside her the whole time as he continued his progression through the organization. At Noor’s insistence, once they started living together, they split everything evenly even if he could afford significantly more (he of course fibbed a little about the cost of utilities and groceries and bore most of the financial weight wherever he could get away with it) and she refused to accept any gift more than €20. Olivier’s mother adored Noor before she even met the girl, and Olivier became very close with Noor’s parents over the years. When they were thirty-one, after Noor was settled in for a few months at a human rights law firm in the city, Olivier went to Noor’s family to ask them all - mother, father, and sisters - if they’d welcome him into their family properly as their son-in-law and brother-in-law. They were ecstatic, and Noor’s reaction, even if it was no surprise, is one of Olivier’s happiest memories to date. The engagement ring was simple, as Noor would have it no other way, and they wanted to keep the wedding small. Despite being a smaller wedding, there was still a lot to plan and they both were so busy that it took over a year to finalize some important aspects. They didn’t care, they were in no rush. They both worked long hours, but they thought they’d be in Paris forever and that they’d have plenty of time and when the time came years later that they wanted a family - they’d adopt, of course, it was something they both felt similarly about - they’d adjust their schedules however necessary. They were both loyal employees, though for remarkably different companies, even if Noor was still blissfully in the dark about that one major aspect of Olivier’s life. He was picky about who she met and it was understood by many close to him in the organization why he was so picky considering her profession, but she met many other bodyguards Olivier was familiar with and she willingly believed they all worked for the same professional company. Maybe she figured it out over the years that he worked with some unsavory characters, was aligned with people she’d never have the stomach to befriend, but Olivier was happy and came home in one piece so she didn’t always ask too many questions if she thought she was getting into potentially dark territory. Maybe one day they would’ve addressed it more fully, but an opportunity was on the horizon for both just months before their wedding date - Olivier was to be assigned to a St. Clair and Noor was offered a position in Vienna with the United Nations. It was a long and heartbreaking discussion, but Noor gave back the ring and Olivier returned all the books she’d bought him. Olivier moved out but paid the remainder of the rent at their old place until Noor was set to go to Vienna. At the very least, working for Delphine and moving to London has taken up enough of his time and energy that sometimes it’s hard to miss the woman he woke up next to almost everyday for eleven years.

SECRETS:

Life Goals: All Olivier ever wanted to do was provide for his family and keep them safe. It’s still a goal because it’s the kind of goal that continues forever, especially now that his family has extended to the entirety of the French organization. A newly acquired goal is to get his brother on the straight and narrow, but that still folds into the goal to keep his family safe and make their lives better.

Dreams: To learn to sail and spend summers on the ocean. To spend an entire day meditating. To have a son who sees his father in the same bright light that Olivier viewed Louis both before and after his death.

Greatest Fears: Materially, being dirt poor and having a gun at point blank range to his face. Abstractly, he fears his mother’s disappointment if she ever discovers more about where his income comes from.

Most Ashamed Of: Leaving his family behind in London. Realistically, there’s no way he could’ve afforded at the time to move them out to Paris, and his mother would never leave her classroom in London, but he still always felt he should bring them with him. By the time he could afford it, his mother was even more entrenched in their old community and wouldn’t dream of it.

Secret Hobbies: Cooking and baking, which was something he used to do with his mother when he was supposed to be spending more time on homework while his brother actually studied and his father was still at work.

Crimes Committed (Was he caught? Charged?): To be discussed later...

DETAILS/QUIRKS:

Night Owl or Early Bird?: A little bit of both, he doesn’t require much sleep

Light or Heavy Sleeper?: Light sleeper

Favorite Animal: Wolves

Favorite Foods: Extremely difficult to pinpoint, but French and Basque cuisines are his favorite

Least Favorite Food: Anything with imitation seafood

Favorite Book: The Way of Zen by Alan Watts

Least Favorite Book: Any and all Shakespeare plays

Favorite Movie: “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

Least Favorite Movie: “The Room”

Favorite Song: “Je Suis Seule Ce Soir” by Léo Marjane

Favorite Sport: Rugby, soccer

Coffee or Tea?: Coffee in the morning, tea after 4pm

Crunchy or Smooth Peanut Butter?: Smooth peanut butter, but crunchy if a recipe calls for it

Type of Car He Drives: Whatever he’s told to drive by his bosses

Lefty or Righty?: Righty

Favorite Color: Blue

Cusser?: Not usually, though he was when he was younger

Smoker? Drinker? Drug User?: Doesn’t smoke or use drugs, and normally doesn’t drink aside from maybe a glass or two on a longer night off

Biggest Regret: Not convincing Thomas to move out of London when he was old enough for university. It doesn’t matter if it was a move to Paris or somewhere else in Europe or even over in the states, he just should’ve gotten him out of London sooner.

Pets: No, though he and Noor used to feed a stray cat that wandered near their home on a daily basis.

#headcanon #about #i wrote a novel about his ex girlfriend so added a read more oops

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qwerty-the-duck · 5 years

Photo

‘Cuz this post bouta be hella long, Imma out the text under the cut ^U^

Also, here’s the link to some background info to the story for these characters

Welcome To LSS!

So, as you can see I separated these twenty OC’s into 5 groups. I will be going down the groups and from left to right through the characters. But, first a few disclaimers.

A) I did not draw these in the order that I am introducing them, and my art is already pretty inconsistent so…sorry?

B) These are only the first 20 characters that directly interacted (or are) the main characters of the story. The reasoning was explained in an earlier post

C) All art was done digitally on Medibang, a free art program.

D) As we go down the list the explanations and descriptions of the characters will become vaguer, but I am always down to answer any questions.

E) Lastly, I am not planning on posting any of my writing soon after this post so I will be being less careful about spoilers in this post. I am still going to avoid major things though, so yeah.

At the top is the main four characters, which is why they have full bodies instead of just busts.

Alecs. She is eighteen years old, technically, and is just over five feet tall (153cm.) She has silver (not gray) hair that is lazily parted to one side. Due to a necessary “procedure,” she only has one purple/pink eye. The other is just a socket filled with a special worm, thus eyepatch. She is not a full human, and her body is sexless. She doesn’t really have a gender and doesn’t have sexuality either (as stated before she is not a sexual being) and other people use She/her pronouns but she doesn’t actually care herself. Her body is feminine shaped but a little extra chub on her.

She is quiet and observant. Her emotions are very compact and she really only gets angry when someone is talking sh*t about Bee. She is illiterate and not very knowledgable of the world, making her very dependent on Bee whenever they go on a mission or travel. She isn’t a mean or malicious person but she isn’t altruistic either, really only doing things when she is asked to. She also keeps Bee focused and tries to keep him from starting drama.

She used an old fashioned sword for fighting for a few reasons. One, she has never been practically trained so it’s easy to just swing around. Two, the sword is made of reinforced materials that balance out her overwhelming strength. Three, it was a gift from Bee (daw.)

Being as she is not a real human, her mutations are a little strange. Her offensive mutation is just raw power. She has overwhelming strength due to her body being made mostly of just straight hyper-radiation. Her defensive mutation is endless regeneration, that’s right, she literally cannot die. I want to point out that while she does sound OP, she doesn’t actually do a lot of fighting and can only act when Bee allows her to.

Alecs gets assigned to the Black Department. She was originally assigned to red, but her lack of social skills and her apathetic attitude lead to concern and she was then moved to Black.

Bee (Benson) (My personal fav) - He is thirty-two years old, and is pretty tall, around six-six (201cm) He has white hair slicked back on top with it shaved on the sides and black (Yes it grows that way naturally, and it actually serves as vital tell of his character) and blue eyes. He often wears dopey and bright clothing with some utility, such as large pocketed pants and boots. Often on his wrist are his dog tags. He has a scar on his left eye that cuts through his black brow. His teeth are jagged and sharp. He is muscular and toned, having a bit of heft to his body. He is our gay son and I love him with my whole being. And he is cisgender male.

He is the guy who is always smiling. His light humorous attitude comes through is any circumstance and sometimes leads to other people becoming irritated or offended. He is humble but cocky at the sometimes, only speaking the honest truth about situations. He is a bit of a loveable asshole, constantly taking the piss out of a person or situation. He’s a great teammate but performs better alone, often taking is out route in a plan without risking others. He pretty much takes care of Alecs as like an older brother but isn’t always great at it.

Bee uses his bare fists to fight. He is part of the “military” - an elite selection of mutants who handle tasks deemed too difficult for other citizens to handle. He is well versed in several weapons and fighting styles but a more mixed style of hand-to-hand works best with his mutations and personality on the field.

Bee is a Clan Breed mutant. His two powers stem from his one mutation. Due to his role in the military, his mutation has been named by his comrades and authorities. His mutation (named Beelzebub) allows him to convert multiple forms of energy into his own, most efficiently through ingestion. The offensive power from this is the ability to use this as his own strength, literally, like, he is strong boi. His defensive power is a little cheat. Not only can he absorb the energy from the attack, negating damage, but he can also use energy to heal injuries and combat fatigue. But with such a one-sided power there is always a catch. He does have to be careful since his power does originally come from hyper-radiation. While he can use other forms of energy, his body depends on HR, when he loses too much he falls into a primal type of state and just kinda tries to eat everything. This leads to Bee depending mostly on his military and physical training over the use of his powers.

Bee is in the Red department. His prowess for battle, as well as the versatility of his mutation, made him a great battle asset. (The the fact that he is Military would have told them that but whatever.)

Kat - Kat is an unknown age and is five-ten in height (177cm.) She has bright purple hair (yes, naturally) and medium brown eyes. She has a slimmer build but is toned. On her sides are zipper-like black shapes that run from her navel around her back to the other side. When fighting, she often wears smaller articles of clothing, due to her defensive mutation, but otherwise, she wears casual, lounging clothes. Kat is pansexual and is in a relationship with Ric. She is cisgender female but can change to a male-sex body if need be.

Kat is a kind person if you are kind to her. She is a mutual respect kind of woman who is stern, cool and collected but has a big heart. She is like the vodka aunt but more responsible. She has an unexplained knowledge of the history of the world.

Kat has a combat knife but is able to manage with several types of weapons and uses her offensive mutation to turn whatever surrounding objects into a weapon. She joined the department a long time before the beginning of my story so she already has a lot of experience with how it works.

Kats offensive mutation is the ability to change the shape of objects. She cannot change the mass of said material but can change its density, size, and shape to make weapons, tools, etc. She cannot change the basic compounds of things either. Iron cannot be changed to water etc. And also cannot change the state of matter of an object against its nature. She cannot make room temperature water into ice or solidify oxygen. Her defensive mutation is the ability to "shed her skin" With this she can heal simple injuries as well as change her appearance. She can change everything but her skin color and hair color. However, she can only shed once a day and will have to later revert back to her natural body.

Kat was formerly a member of the white department, her transformation ability seen as a valuable resource for field support. But, since she has been a member of Central for so long she is qualified as a freelance member who can come and go as she pleases.

Ric (the edge lord) - He is twenty-five years old and stands at five-seven (170 cm.) His hair is pitch-black. It is actually so dark that it seems to absorb the light from around him. He slicks his hair back to keep the dark shadows from covering his face. His eyes are a similar black darkening the whites of his eyes around his iris. Ric is lean, slightly lanky as isn’t as muscular as Kat or Bee. Due to his past and constantly being dirty and wearing hospital garbs, he is now slightly obsessed with wearing neater, collected clothing..thus suit. He also wears a brown leather gun harness around his chest when battling. Ric is a panromantic asexual. He is in a happy relationship with Kat and is a cisguy

Ric is a reserved, cynical person. His past lead him to miss proper people skills. Not to the extreme that he doesn’t know how to communicate or is clueless, he just very brash and direct. He would rather not talk to people if need be. He is nice though and does has a heroic part of his personality, finding himself helping strangers when he can. He is very calm and collected...on the outside. He is a very anxiety-filled guy who is constantly watching his surroundings. This causes him to overthink a lot and sometimes find himself overwhelmed. Both Kat and Ai help to keep him calm. Ai is an identity in Ric’s brain (no, this is not an attempt at DID or schizophrenia or anything and I try to make that clear is the story as well) who helps Ric process and organize his rampant thoughts.

Ric battles using two specially made guns loaded with bullets that disrupt hyper-radiation. They were made by Kat and often have to be repaired due to Ric’s excessive use of the guns as blunt melee weaponry. Ric is also incredibly intelligent and can quickly make plans in his head with his observations and quick thinking.

Ric was originally born a nonmutant but his crazy-ass dad found a way to save him just before he turns into a “zombie” and this also resulted in very broken powers developing. His offensive mutation is the ability to turn of the subconscious hesitation in the human body that keeps him from using his full strength. In simple terms, he can push his body past the breaking point to use the high levels of strength that would normally be held back. This power does destroy his body when he uses it so he has to be careful when decided to use it. His defensive ability is a good combo with his offensive, however. He can heal any wound that he can reset or hold shut. So he can heal bones, semi-deep cuts and low-level amputations like fingers or a hand. He can’t heal damage to internal organs, his brain, or missing limbs like arms or legs.

Ric is put in the Blue department. His exam was actually sabotaged, but his score on the writing part was high enough that his value was still seen for the field. He is a valuable recon asset to do his ability to quickly take in a communicate information to a team.

So from here on the explanations are going to be more limited to name, gender, sexuality (for whatever reason), mutations, and department.

Lucy - Cishet guy. Clan Breed mutations. His offensive mutation is just having horns all over his head. They fall out and grow back all the time like shark teeth lel. Defensive is also having horns all over that grow back. He isn’t that great at fighting but is great as organizing his team and exploiting their abilities to make a great squad. His skills are so revered that he is Department Head of the blue department.

Amanita - Cisgal bisexual. Her offensive mutation pores that she can expel from her palms and mouth that poison or weaken humans and kill nonmutant “zombies.” Her defensive is the blubs on her hair like tissue on her head. She can pull of these white and red-speckled balls and they can be ingested to heal and energize. Her powers sound similar and like they should be clan breed but they ain’t, I promise. Her ability to take down large amounts of foes from a distance makes her a strong fighter. Her stern attitude also makes her a level headed leader, helping her reach the position of Department Head for the red department.

Erik - Cisguy aro-ace. So...prefacing by saying that Erik runs around in nothing but green painted handprints and bandages loosely covering his groin...yeah. His offensive power is the ability to change the density of objects. While the power can be used in multiple more ways that he uses it (sigh, phuck Erik) he tends to just make things heavier. The bandages are a convenient tool that he can use a weapon. He increases the density and can use them as restraints and traps. He can also make living things heavier. His defensive ability is able to make things fatigued. His voice is loud and tiring and commanding and his touch literally saps your energy away. His ability to catch and restrain unwanted individuals in Central along with his ability to motivate and organize his department is what let him become the Department Head of the green department, The Department of Central’s home security.

Alula - SPACE! Non-binary who uses she/her. She basically drips “space” designed black liquid everywhere and can control it as an extension of herself after that. She is a Clan breed so she also can heal wounds as long as it is covered in the black liquid. She is ruthless and quick to cut off those who don’t meet her standards. Her unruly behavior along with her overly powerful mutation gave her the spot of Department Head for the black department.

Fifty-four - Cishet guy. Named after his longest battle, lasting almost an hour, fifty-four sports the offensive mutation of weight distribution. His mutation can affect the way gravity and magnetism affects his body, moving his center of mass around in his body. His defensive mutation is a thick jelly-like coating that surrounds him. It’s invisible but is strong/thick enough to stop even a bullet from only a few feet away. Fifty-four is a member of the green department and is a proctor of the practical entrance exam due to his durability and stamina in battle. He is a member of the green department.

Belen - (the asshole egh) Cisguy gay. He has the ability to cause a hazing fog to appear. He can’t control what is shown, but often times is negative memories or hallucinations. He is a clan breed, his offensive and defensive stemming from one mutation. His hazing fog can also have other psychosomatic effects on those who breathe it in. It can trick the body into thinking it’s lighter, heavier, frozen, injured, etc. Belen’s abilities, as well as his experience, make him a famous person amongst the Sanctum and Central. It also makes him a possible replacement as Head Chairperson for Sanctum, which is why he wears a golden pin. He is a member of the red department.

Sophia - Cishetwoman. The current Head Chairperson of Sanctum. Her offensive ability is the ability to force blood to flow out of the body and fester wounds. Any small cut from Sophia allows her to drain the entire body of blood or cripple the wound to a borderline amputation. This powerful offensive skill is countered by a weaker defensive ability. Her *literally* golden hair releases a cloud of dust that mesmerizes people forcing them to listen to her commands. It really only works on a human since “zombies” are mindless anyway. Sophia is technically a member of the red department but her position of Head Chairperson overrides that title.

Nadine - Cisgal lesbian. She has the offensive ability to be able to “disconnect” the brain from certain parts of the body. It can affect anywhere from just a finger to the whole body. This can be used to stop bleeding, paralyze a limb, stop motion, etc. This is a defensive and offensive ability, but Nadien is not a clan breed. Nadine also has the ability to read emotions, intentions, and feelings through touch. It’s not really a benefit in combat but helps when dealing with nonmutants in other sanctions and organizing squads in battle, setting her in the Blue department. Nadine is also a candidate for Head Chairperson but isn’t interested in the position, thus she doesn’t wear the golden pin.

Gideon (the grimy gross guy) - Cishet guy. His offensive ability is being able to directly influence the hyper-radiation in an object. While it is a very strong ability, he doesn’t like using it, since it also disturbs his own balance and makes him very sick. His defensive ability is being able to sterilize his surroundings. This sterilization goes beyond just germs and bacteria. Any single targeted compound can be immediately destroyed from a specific area. Gideon is a member of the yellow department, the research, and development department. He has been offered the DH position but declines every time in favor of his personal research and projects.

Frederick - Cisguy pansexual. The youngest personal in Sanctum at the young age of fourteen. Federick has the offensive ability of super speed, pretty straight forward. The only problem with super speed is that the body is not build to handle that type of pressure change and inertia. Luckily, his defensive power is his ability to turn his bones and muscles to a rubber-like thing that bend to prevent damage from the speed of his movements. Sometimes he forgets though and hurts himself before activating his mutation. Frederick is a member of the blue team because his speed is good for recon and support.

Morgan - A selectively mute ace lesbian gal. She has “metal” sheets layered on her arms and legs that move and fold to cover her arms like claws and feet like talons. She also has the ability to communicate with animals with intent and body cues rather than spoken words as her defensive mutation. Morgan is a member of the red team do to the high defense and offense of her offensive mutation.

Idonea - (Got help from my friend @i-am-papercrane for this one) A young bisexual woman. She has the Clan Breed ability to control liquids. Thicker liquids are easier to manipulate for her. Her offensive ability is her control of blood, which she forms into weapons and tools. Her defensive ability is controlling moisture in the air to form quick, disposable shields, platforms, or other strategic things. She is in the Red department due to her working easily with others and her strong desire for battles. She also can (somewhat) tell how strong someone is by the quality of their blood.

This last section is mutant characters who did directly interact with the main characters, but I’m not sure if they will be coming back later in the story.

Keagan - A straight boy who lost one of his mutations due to losing his eye. His defensive mutation is the ability to condense and combine molecules in his surroundings. For example, he can combine hydrogen and oxygen to make water. He is not a member of Sanctum

Elliot - A genderfluid pansexual friend of Kat’s (pronouns change but I will be using she her cuz that’s what she uses during her scene in the story.) She is a clan breed. Her power to control threads that she produces acts as both defense and offense. She can quickly stitch together cloth and fabric to take the brunt of attacks and she can control puppets she made to attack for her. She owns a small clothing shop in the outskirts of East sanction so the puppets are just used as models and employes. Elliot is not a member of Sanctum

Roady - An old cellmate of Ric’s. He has more likely hood of coming back in the story. His offensive mutation is the claws on his hands. His defensive mutation is acidic blood. He is a member of the green department due to his abrasive attitude and smug personality. His incompatibility in a team means he doesn’t fit in a field department but his fighting prowess is still valuable in the green department.

Arbor - A friendly neighborhood tree. Cishet guy. His brother shows up later, but for now, he doesn’t need to come back. Sorry, tree bud. Clan breed his offensive power is he’s a tree increased strength and his defensive power is he’s a tree having dense and tough skin

So that’s the notable characters that have been seen in name and face so far in LSS. Obviously, my concept art still isn’t exactly how I would like it, but it’s nice to see my guy, gals, and NB pals chillin’ in the real world. Depending on how I’m feeling I may do this for other stories (they won’t be nearly as long lel.) AS ALWAYS I am always down for answering any questions about the characters and/or story and I hope you the post is entertaining and interesting. Can you figure out who the antagonists are?

*Lastly, I’m sorry if this is a bit unorganized or confusing, this is my first time doing a) such a big post b) a post with multiple characters in it like this.*

**Also! I want to do some valentine’s day art with the main 4 so keep an eye out**

Have a good day everyone!

#meet the oc #lss #art #mine #writing #my ocs #my oc art

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texanpeanut · 6 years

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Why Am I Here?

I think a lot. Probably too much by some standards, which is one of the reasons I wanted to join the Peace Corps. Once upon a time I believed if I made it to this position I would be forced to think less and do more. However, over the past six months I’ve experienced the opposite. Without mind-numbing mental distractions like Instagram and Facebook readily available while I’m in my rural site, and with the heat-forced downtime that occurs between noon and five p.m., I find myself thinking all the time. Not just in a hazy, half-aware state, but actively considering a handful of topics over and over again trying to find some satisfying conclusion that may or may not exist. So I’m not sure if the amount I think has changed since coming here, but perhaps the way I do has. Maybe now it’s more focused, more linear, less wiggly and sporadic. Maybe it’s more dense and easier to hold in my hand, like pudding versus water. Maybe it hasn’t changed at all and I’m just making it all up.

One topic currently seems to have a more substantial presence in my mind than the others, though. Sometimes it burns like a roaring campfire and I’m completely captivated and sometimes it nags silently like a mango string caught in my teeth that I run my tongue over again and again without actually making an effort to remove. When I sit on the floor of my hut at 6:30 am drinking Nescafe, when I fill my water bucket at the forage in the silent woods, when I escape the afternoon sun by doing crosswords in bed, when I sit with my family in the evening as we wait for dinner to finish cooking, I always come back to the same thought - why the fuck am I here?

For anyone reading this who doesn’t know, Senegal is a small West African country that happens to be the furthest western point on the African continent. I honestly don’t know that much about Senegalese history because all the empire formations and and dissolvements make my head spin, but I do know that it is certainly a very rich and diverse history, which has led to a very rich and diverse culture today. Although French is the national language, apparently 36 different languages are spoken in Senegal today, and each language corresponds to a different ethnic group with it’s own stories and traditions and beliefs. In my own region of Kedougou, I can travel between Bassari, Pular, and Jaxanke villages in just a few hours, and then if I travel up to any of the northern regions I find myself surrounded by Wolof or Pulaar du Nord or Serer.

So, take a trip in a time machine back to maybe the 7th century and you’ll find all these groups of people living their lives, forming empires and kingdoms, disbanding, migrating, adopting Islam, you know, whatever, the usual, until the advent of globalization at the end of the 15th century. At that point, Europeans began competing for trade and conquest in Senegal (like they did in almost all other non-white countries, as y’all know. I have a few other colorful ways to describe this but since I have family reading and I already dropped a fuck once (twice now, sorry) I’ll keep it tame.)* until 1677 when France won by gaining control of Goree Island, which is known for being a purchasing base in the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Travel forward in the time machine to 1961 and Senegal becomes independent from France. After centuries upon centuries of existing as a region under various kingdoms, then 300 years under French rule, Senegal becomes a country with a border, a tax system, a school system, elected officials, all that stuff. Now travel forward in the time machine to today, 2018, 57 years later.

SO MUCH BACKDROP. Was all that even necessary for what I’m about to talk about? We’ll see, I guess.

Living here, I see a lot of European and North American presence. Asian presence too, actually - a lot of the roads being built are Chinese construction projects, and the Renaissance Monument in Dakar was given as a gift from North Korea. There are other development organizations like UNESCO and World Vision, some religious missionaries, some adventurous tourists traveling on their own, some old French women sunbathing on the beaches of Mbour, and of course the obnoxious buses crammed full of European tourists coming to see a waterfall and stop by the surrounding towns to take photos of ~village life~ as if strolling through a zoo.

As a white person here I’m perceived differently based on which of these groups of white people Senegalese people have interacted with more. When I travel anywhere outside my village I hear the children sing-song chant “toubako okkan cadeau!” which means “westerner, share a gift with me!”. Sometimes the adults engage me too when I go to a boutique or wait for a car at the garage. They like to ask me if I’ll take their baby with me back to America, if I’ll give them my earbuds, my cell phone, or my dress, or if I’ll marry their old crusty-ass uncle I don’t even know. When I travel up to Thies I don’t get chanted at quite as much and am almost ignored, which is nice. The few times I’ve been to Mbour I’m almost ignored except for the occasional beach-walking knick-knack seller begging me to be their first customer of the day.

Even though they are just children, I get so incredibly annoyed sometimes by the chanting. I usually ignore it and go about my day but sometimes I just want to scream “my name is not Toubako, it’s Binta, and I don’t have a fucking gift, leave me alone and let me walk or bike or buy a piece of bread or whatever the fucking I’m doing at the moment.” The adults can be just as irksome, too. I don’t usually get into it and play these comments off as jokes but they make me so uncomfortable. I want to tell them “stop asking me for things. Every time you see me you only ask me for things. I came here to teach, to work, to plant at least like one fucking tree, not to take your baby or marry your god-damn uncle.”

I think I’m up to four fucks now, sorry. God, that’s five.

But I don’t respond because in some ways I feel like I deserve it. Even though I wasn’t here between 1677 and 1961 selling humans from Goree Island, even though I’m not one of these oggling, bus-going, camera-toting tourists, because I’m white I’m still part of that story. And in some ways isn’t “international development” another form of colonialism, of imperialism? Western groups coming in with resources and knowledge trying to fix what they perceive as problems? If the people of Senegal continuously rely on foreign aid organizations to supply resources and technical expertise, how sustainable is that for development in the long run?

So this is where my thoughts lead me every day. What’s my role as a volunteer here? How can I act as a white person without perpetuating colonialism? How can I work and learn here while being the least imposing as possible? In Peace Corps we’re told the role of a volunteer is to be a mentor, a teacher, a co-facilitator, a co-planner, etc. There’s a huge focus on “people-centered” work. Don’t do anything your village doesn’t want. Don’t force your own projects because when you leave no one will continue it. I think I feel comfortable with this part. So far I’ve really been trying to feel out my village for what they want, what they need, and what they’re willing to work toward. If no one wants to make a compost pile or build a tree nursery, I’m not going to force it. I try to see myself as a supplier of information, not an iron-fisted environmental ruler.

But even if I am trying to work with my village, even if I am truly trying to be this mentor/teacher/facilitator figure, and not a tyrant or giver of gifts like some other development organizations can be, why is that my responsibility as an American? All my technical training in Thies was done by Senegalese people. Wouldn’t this whole program be way more effective if Senegalese people trained other Senegalese people? People who live here and truly understand their land and their culture? People who don’t have to spend a year just trying to learn a language and fit in? People who aren’t going to go home to America or Canada or Japan after 2 years?

Well then I think maybe it’s not just about the work. The work is so fun, it’s a blast, it’s been my favorite part in village. Helping someone build a tree nursery, doing a small training, getting my hands dirty planting seeds or amending a garden bed - it’s fantastic and I say that without a single drop of sarcasm. But there’s three goals in Peace Corps - the first is about the work, the second is about sharing American culture with the host country, and the third is sharing host country culture with Americans. And I think many volunteers have a fourth, personal goal of learning about themselves or some kind of self improvement. That’s my other favorite part so far. The opportunity to challenge myself, to learn, to think in a focused way and not just bounce all over the place. But did I have to come all the way to Senegal to do that? Are there experiences I could have had in America that would have been this formative? If I’m here just to learn, is that another form of exploitation? Am I just using my village’s daily life and culture as a means to only better myself? Maybe I should really focus my efforts on this whole cultural exchange part?

I don’t know! I don’t know anything!

I’m not sure what my goal is in writing this post, but there was something inside me nagging me to put it down in type and send it into cyberspace. I do really appreciate my service in Senegal so far. I don’t want to leave, I don’t want to go home. But I think this topic is something I will continue to come back to again and again over the next year and a half. Maybe other volunteers will see this and relate or offer some insight? Maybe some history nerds will call me out on all the mistakes I made in the earlier paragraphs? Maybe people will tell me to shut up and get back to the cool tree stuff or post more pictures of my dog?

Like I said, I don’t know.

If you got this far, thanks for reading. That’s all for now.

-Maggie

*Way earlier in this post I put a little asterisk, if you remember. I have a book recommendation. If you’re interested in globalization, colonialism, and/or potatoes I highly recommend 1493 by Charles C Mann. It’s the story about how the face of the Earth completely changed with the first Europeans coming over to North America. It tells a very, very interesting story and I encourage anyone interested in learning even a little bit to read it.

#peacecorps #senegal #peacecorpssenegal #peacecorpsafrica #africa #colonialism #globalization #howiseepc

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Upcoming Horror Movies in October 2020: Theaters, Streaming, and VOD

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October is here, which means it’s the time of the season for getting scared. With Halloween gradually becoming a month-long celebration over the past few years — even if the coronavirus has put a damper on many activities such as trick-or-treating — one thing we can always look forward to during these 31 days is a deluge of horror movies old and new, whether via streaming, cable network marathons or even fleeting theatrical releases.

Horror is already a reliable genre both at the box office (under normal circumstances) and in the digital space, so it’s no surprise that even in these compromised times, scary movies are coming at us hard and fast in October. Below is a round-up of fresh horror releases arriving either at your local multiplex (and we urge you to keep the risks of going to the theater in mind) or right in your living room. Ironically, even in decidedly unnerving times, scary movies can still be a hell of a lot of fun.

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Shudder

Scare Me

Available on Shudder on October 1

The October genre onslaught gets underway right at the sound of the starting gun with this Shudder original. Josh Ruben writes, directs and stars as Fred, a frustrated copywriter who retreats to an isolated cabin to write a novel and meets a successful horror author named Fanny (Aya Cash) while out jogging. She challenges him to a scary storytelling contest, and the spooky games begin. Ruben makes his feature directorial debut on what is billed as a “metafictional horror comedy” with social underpinnings.

Magnet Releasing

12 Hour Shift

Out on VOD and in theaters on October 2 (US only, UK TBA)

We reviewed this dark-as-pitch comedy at September’s Fantasia Festival and enjoyed its macabre humor immensely. Angela Bettis (May) stars as a night nurse in a Texas hospital running a side business in organ harvesting with her supervisor and her dumb-as-rocks cousin. Grisly mayhem and gooey twists ensue, with Bettis delivering a fantastic deadpan performance at the center of it. Writer/director Brea Grant allows herself a few self-indulgent moments, but overall this is a lot of fun.

Neon

Possessor

Out in theaters on October 2 (US only, UK TBA)

Eight years after his debut, 2012’s Antiviral, Brandon Cronenberg again proves why he could be a natural heir apparent to his father David’s body horror crown. Andrea Riseborough (Mandy) stars as Tasya Vos, an assassin who is employed to take out high-level corporate clients by implanting her mind in the brain of someone close to the target. But Tasya’s increasing instability might threaten her latest mission. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Christopher Abbott co-star in this grisly tale of murder, vengeance and violation that does not pull any punches.

Saban Films

Death of Me

Out in theaters, on VOD and digital October 2 (US), VOD November 23 (UK)

Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II – IV) directs Maggie Q (Fantasy Island) and Luke Hemsworth (Westworld) as Christine and Neil, a couple who awaken hungover during an island vacation with no memory of the previous night. But things take a turn for the bizarre when footage on Neil’s camera apparently shows him murdering Christine. Bousman’s stint with the Saw franchise makes him perfect to helm this sort of horror mystery — which will no doubt take some mind-bending twists and turns before it’s over.

Epic Pictures

The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw

Out in theaters October 2, on VOD and digital October 6 (US), VOD November 16 (UK)

Folk horror is one of our favorite subgenres, which is why The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw immediately caught our eye. Writer/director Thomas Robert Lee has apparently set out to capture that sweet spot of religious paranoia, occult folklore and supernatural terror as a young woman and her mother are suspected of witchcraft when an unknown pestilence descends on their remote Protestant town. The film world premiered to strong reviews earlier this month at Fantasia Fest 2020.

Amazon Prime

Welcome to the Blumhouse

Available on Amazon Prime on October 6/October 13

Leave it to terror factory Blumhouse to give you more horror than you can handle. The mini-studio is developing a slate of genre entries that it will premiere on Amazon Prime, with four of them making their debut this month. Black Box and The Lie launch on October 6, while Nocturne and Evil Eye turn up on October 13. All four look promising, so we’ll see if this is the start of a whole new anthology franchise for producer Jason Blum and his team.

Hulu

Books of Blood

Available on Hulu on October 7 (US Only, UK TBA)

Inspired by author Clive Barker’s groundbreaking 1984 collection of short stories, this anthology film from writer/director Brannon Braga (FlashForward) features three mostly original stories (one is loosely based on the tale that kicked off Barker’s collection, “Book of Blood”). All three tales weave in and out of each other, incorporating both human depravity and supernatural malignancy even if they’re not right out of Barker’s text. Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland) and Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies) lead the cast.

Saint Maud

Out in theaters on October 9 (UK only, US TBA)

This feature debut from Brit director Rose Glass is an absolute tour de force which ran the festival circuit in 2019 and was initially planned for release in the Spring. Morfydd Clark plays Maud, a pious young nurse who believes she talks directly to God and who thinks her mission is to save the soul of former dancer Amanda (Jennifer Elhe) who is dying. Body, mind and soul are in conflict in this haunting and terrifying elevated horror which boasts terrific performances and has picked up many plaudits on its long road to release. We’ve seen it and we loved it, check out our five star review.

Orion Classics

The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Out on VOD and in theaters on October 9 (US only, UK TBA)

Like Scare Me, this is mostly another one-man-band type of movie, this time from writer, director and star Jim Cummings (Thunder Road). He plays John Marshall, a small-town sheriff and recovering alcoholic who faces a series of gruesome murders that keep occurring on the full moon and seem to be the work of a werewolf. But werewolves don’t exist — or do they? The film is also notable for being the final screen appearance of the late, legendary Robert Forster (Jackie Brown).

Carmilla

Out in theaters on October 16 and VOD from October 19 (UK only)

This reimagining of the Sheridan de Fanu classic vampire story is a coming of age tale which sees a young girl (Hannah Rae) brought up in isolation and beginning to explore her sexuality become enchanted by the mysterious stranger (Devrim Lingnau) who enters her life after a carriage crash. From writer-director Emily Harris, this adaption strips back the supernatural elements and focuses more on a forbidden love made harder by Lara’s strict governess (Jessica Raine).

The Other Lamb

In theaters and on MUBI on October 16 (UK only)

An all female cult headed up by a solitary male leader is the setting for this horror starring Raffey Cassidy as a young woman raised from birth in this strange sect. All of the women in the group are either ‘wives’ or ‘daughters’ of Michiel Huisman’s Shepard and Selah (Cassidy) is about to transition between the two. A coming of age story set against a rural backdrop, this is the English language debut of Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska – released in America in the Spring it’s now coming to the UK via MUBI.

Paramount

Love and Monsters

Available on digital and VOD on October 16 (US only, UK TBA)

Originally titled Monster Problems, this project has been in development since freakin’ 2012, with Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) producing it all along. Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner) stars as Joel, who has been living underground with the rest of humanity for seven years after an event called the Monsterpocalypse. With giant creatures roaming the land, Joel starts out on an 80-mile quest to reunite with his high school girlfriend (Iron Fist’s Jessica Henwick). The movie bounced around several release dates this year before Paramount Pictures settled on a VOD arrival.

Netflix

Rebecca

Available on Netflix on October 21

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 version of the classic Daphne du Maurier novel won Best Picture. Can iconoclastic British filmmaker Ben Wheatley’s new vision of the material do the same? Um…maybe not, but we applaud Wheatley for putting his own stamp on this intensely Gothic story of jealousy and obsession. The cast is aces too, with Armie Hammer as Maxim de Winter, Lily James as the second Mrs. De Winter and, best of all, Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers.

Well Go USA

Synchronic

Out in theaters and on VOD on October 23 (US only, UK TBA)

The indie horror writing, directing and acting team of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, creators of the striking Spring and The Endless, have come up with perhaps their most ambitious film yet in Synchronic. More sci-fi than horror, the movie still has plenty of unnerving touches as it unspools the story of new drug that causes its users to disappear — and sometimes come back dead or mutilated. Anthony Mackie is superb as a paramedic who literally races against time to stop the spread of the drug and save someone close to him. This one comes strongly recommended.

Hulu

Bad Hair

Available on Hulu on October 23 (US), in cinemas on November 27 2020 (UK)

Dear White People writer/director Justin Simien takes a wide left turn into the genre space with his second feature, a horror satire set in 1989. Elle Lorraine plays an ambitious young woman who learns that the hair weave she gets to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television may have a mind of its own. This looks like bizarre fun, with a sparkling cast that includes Vanessa Williams, Lena Waithe, Laverne Cox, Jay Pharoah, Kelly Rowland, Blair Underwood, James Van Der Beek and Usher.

Blumhouse

The Craft: Legacy

Available on premium VOD on October 28 (US) and in cinemas October 28 (UK)

You can read more here about this long-awaited sequel to/remake of the formative 1996 teen witch movie, but the basics are that this is set in the universe of the first film while essentially retelling and expanding upon its original premise. Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone and Zoey Luna star as the quartet of young women who find a book of spells and begin wielding its power. Originally slated for theatrical release, it’s premiering as a PVOD offering just in time for Halloween.

Netflix

His House

Available on Netflix on October 30

Remi Weekes directs this unsettling tale about two South Sudan refugees (Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu) who escape their war-torn nation but unwittingly bring a supernatural presence with them as they try to resettle in London. Matt Smith (Doctor Who) also stars in the film, which combines real-life and unreal horrors while tackling the continuing geopolitical and social plights of people unwittingly displaced from their homes.

Focus Features

Come Play

Out in theaters on October 30 (US only, UK TBA)

Gillian Jacobs (Community) and John Gallagher Jr. (Westworld) play the parents of a lonely young boy (Azhy Robertson) whose tablet and smartphone are the means by which a mysterious creature attempts to break into our world — unless the boy’s parents can stop it. Will writer/director Jacob Chase go for simple thrills or use the horror genre as a way to comment on young people’s ever-increasing addiction to their screens? And by the way, we’re done here, so get off your screen and go get some fresh air.

Relic

Out in theaters October 30 (UK only)

Dementia is at the heart of this very eerie chiller where three generations of women convene in an old family home which seems to be rotting from the inside. Robyn Nevin, Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote star in a slow build drama which delves into the horror of losing your sense of self, as Nevin’s matriarch goes missing for days and can’t remember what happened while her house is filled with odd notes, black mold and snippets of a life slipping away from her grasp. This is the feature debut of Australian-Japanese director Natalie Erika James and it’s a stylish, chilling and confident first feature with a final act that veers into full blown horror. Out already in the States on VOD it has a UK theatrical release in the UK.

The post Upcoming Horror Movies in October 2020: Theaters, Streaming, and VOD appeared first on Den of Geek.

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comicsforever · 7 years

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So Today I Watched… The Defenders (Season 1) // Marvel Studios & Netflix (2017)

The idea of The Defenders was released to the world by Marvel comics in 1971. The premise was very simple: take an unlikely team up of superheroes and make them work in impossible situations. The first line-up was a very unlikely pairing: Dr. Strange, Namor The Submariner and The Hulk. Over the years, the group had a rotating line-up from 1972 and on, with Dr. Strange and the Hulk being usually constant members along with a number of other mainstays such as Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Hellcat, Gargoyle, Beast, the Son of Satan and Luke Cage. The pattern here being that the team was not composed of the powerhouses the Avengers usually had. The concept evolved over time to gather more or less urban heroes in the lineup.

If the way Marvel studios builds their continuity is familiar to you, what they have done with this series will be recognizable at first glance. After beginning in 2015 with their offerings on solo acts for Daredevil and Jessica Jones, following in 2016 with a second season of Daredevil and the first season of Luke Cage, we are now closing in 2017 with a first lukewarm season of Iron Fist and the final team up of all these characters in The Defenders. It’s been hyped up for a long time and everything you have seen in those past offerings has been building up to this. Does it deliver? Read on true believer…

As the story begins we find all our heroes dealing with the aftermaths or fallouts of their actions of their own shows: Jessica Jones is drinking herself to death barely getting any PI jobs, Iron Fist is traveling the world looking for the Hand, Luke Cage is getting out of the joint and Matt Murdock is working pro-bono cases to help people in need, each of them minding their own business until an earthquake hits Hell’s Kitchen in New York and they all seem to be affected by it in one way or another. A woman has lost her husband and comes to Jessica asking for help, which she refuses to give until a phone call tells her to not take the job (which of course she takes as dare for actually taking the bloody job she just refused to do in the first place). Luke arrives to Harlem and wants to keep helping the community in any way he can, so he gets back in touch with detective Misty Knight and she points him towards some mysterious disappearances of local kids doing odd jobs. Danny Rand is sent back to the city by a lead pointing to the Hand being active in New York City and Matt is refusing to bear the Daredevil mantle again after Elektra’s death.

Unlikely circumstances and the return of familiar faces for all the heroes gather them together to deal with a menace that it’s way over their heads, but since no one else knows what they have figured out about this menace so far, and passing this on to big-time super heroes or police forces will only make matters worse, they take it up to themselves to deal with the Hand. For the first time we get to know the five fingers composing the leadership of the Hand organization and we get the full scope of what they plan to do and their motivations.

You may be expecting a lot out of this team up and while I believe we have been served in the entertainment department, I feel we could have done with a better plot or something deeper for this gathering of characters. I mean, after the flawless job done by Marvel and Netflix with Daredevil, Luke Cage and Jessica Jones I was rooting really hard for this series, but after watching the 8 episodes in one sitting I feel the effort a bit flat and just enough to justify all of these guys teaming up. The stakes are supposed to be big, but you don’t really feel it at all. We don’t even get something that sticks with us as defining for this series like the powerful character development of Jessica Jones, the soundtrack of Luke Cage or the fighting choreographies of Daredevil. All in all The Defenders feels just fine, maybe average at best, not great like it was supposed to.

Maybe I was expecting too much out of it.

#The Defenders #Marvel Netflix #Marvel Comics #Luke Cage #Jessica Jones #Iron Fist #Daredevil #TV Show #So I Just Watched...#Review

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imamotherfuckingstar-lord · 7 years

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A Blind Path Home, part 7

Steve Rogers x Reader

A/N: I obviously took some liberties with the storyline, but I tried keeping it as true as possible to the canon history. No beta used this time around, so excuse my mistakes. Summary: It started with a blind date. A date you had skipped out on, but fate had led you right to the man you stood up. Steve Rogers, a man small in stature but big in heart. A chance meeting set everything in motion, but decades later when he is unfrozen, he has been told you have died. But when a mission to retrieve Hydra plans turned up some interesting information, Steve’s left to wonder whether you are still alive. Or is this all just false hope? Masterlist

Erwin Oberst’s eyes were a golden hazel and Steve couldn’t help but notice the sadness in them. With his hands clasped in front of him, Steve leaned forward into his chair and smiled softly as the man placed a tray of ice tea on the coffee table. Bucky glared at the man as he settled into the recliner chair across from them.

“It's fresh, please enjoy it.”

Steve managed a smile and took a cup off the tray, handing it off to Bucky then grabbing one for himself. “I’m sorry to intrude like this, Mr. Oberst.”

“No - no, I just can not believe she was right,” Erwin shook his head in disbelief and took a sip from his tea.

“When you say she, you are talking about-”

“Y/N,” Erwin smiled fondly.

Steve’s heart dropped and he gripped the cup tightly. “Please, if you know what happened to her. I need to know.”

“On that bookshelf behind you, second shelf - last book on the left,” the older gentlemen motioned for Steve to retrieve the book. Placing the drink down, Steve rose from the couch and walked over to the bookshelf. He slowly edged the book away from it’s place and held it in his hands, it was a small blue book, tattered and wore from use. He made his way back to the couch and sat down, holding out the notebook toward Erwin, who shook his head.

“Please, it’s for you,” he rubbed at his chin and leaned back into the chair.

Steve started to open the cover, but Erwin started to speak.

“I was 7 years old when Y/N came into my life. My father was a single father, my mother had passed away when I was two. She had taken her own life.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Steve shifted in his seat and Erwin smiled softly.

“No need - where was I? Yes, my father Augustine was a member of HYDRA.”

Bucky shifted in his seat uncomfortably with the mention of the organization that tore his life upside down. “How the hell did she escape?”

Steve’s head snapped over to Bucky, who was focused on the blue book. “Buck.”

“No, it’s okay. I know who you are, Mr. Barnes. And I understand what it means when you hear that name, but you have to know - my father hated HYDRA.”

The two men froze in disbelief.

“He was forced into the organization by my grandfather, who was a high rank officer. He was an awful man, ruled my father with an iron fist. My father became a scientist and was recruited into HYDRA, to help develop weapons and research.”

“And he helped Y/N escape?”

Steve was eager to get to the point, to figure out what had happened to you.

“Yes, right after you rescued what would be the group of men called Howling Commandos, they took her from your home in Brooklyn. Of course, HYDRA had gotten their hands on you, eventually.” Erwin’s eyes moved to Bucky, who was clutching his jaw to keep from bursting. “You were to become their finest weapon and so was Y/N. Those were the true plans for her, but my father had a sweet spot for her. When they brought Y/N to the facility down in Germany, he was assigned to look her over.”

“What made him want to help her?”

Erwin slowly peeled off his glasses and placed them down onto the coffee table. “She reminded him of my mother, Mr. Rogers. And he saw it as a chance to finally break free of the hold his father and HYDRA had on him.”

“I received correspondents from her - during her captivity,” Steve’s mouth went dry and he quickly took a sip from his tea.

“HYDRA is good at covering their bases, they forced her to write those few letters. She told me - once when I was 8 - that they pressed her hard to fabricate that she was fine.”

“The last letter I wrote her was a few days before I went under- I don’t know if she ever received it.”

“Very unlikely, by the time they had Mr. Barnes, we were long gone,” Erwin slowly stood up from his seat and walked over to a cabinet tucked in the corner of the room. Steve’s eyes watched as he pulled out a small photo album. “It was such a risky plan to get her out - they both could have been killed. Truthfully, I do not know the circumstances of their escape from facility - the two of them never spoke about that night. I can only assumed they had to take life to leave that hell hole. And I can assume Y/N was not a life taker before all this.”

“No,” Steve whispered softly, trying to avoid the aching in his chest. “She was a kind person - loved to paint, sketch - she was so good.”

“I know this, Mr. Rogers,” the elderly man smiled and Steve followed his gaze to a painting on the wall over the mantle. “She gave that to me for my last birthday, I turned eighty.”

Immediately, Steve rose from the couch and made his way to the painting. When his eyes fell upon the painting of an ocean view, he recognized the broad strokes like it was second nature. He could see your wrist flickering with each wave and his entire body warmed with familiarity.

“She was always talented, but man - look at this Buck,” Steve looked over his shoulder and grinned at the sullen man. “This is beautiful, it belongs in the Met.”

“You said your last birthday, so she’s around?”

Steve peered his attention away from the painting to turn to Bucky, who was staring at Erwin with such disdain - it was coming right off him.

“Well, we came to Brazil two years after they escaped. On the run for a while, until HYDRA deemed us unimportant - at least that’s what father said. I suspect my grandfather had something to do with it, I will never know. Nonetheless, we came to Brazil because my father had connections here - an old school mate settled down in this city. At the time it was more isolated and we were able to live normal lives.”

Steve inhaled deeply as a million scenarios ran through his head - what had life been for you during those years of running? Were you scared? Did you think of him?

“How long did she stay with you two?”

Erwin’s honey colored eyes flickered down to the photo album in his lap, slowly he lifted the cover and with shaking hands took out an old black and white photo. “She was with us for three years - two running and one spent in this very house. Y/N was like a mother to me - loving, caring and kind. Yet, there was something about her that felt distant - she was always waiting for something. I was a child then and never understood it, until now.”

Erwin held out the photo and Steve took it with gentle ease. His blue eyes fell to the image in front of him and it was like life had sprouted in his soul once again.

It was you.

Standing next to a small thin boy, who was smiling with both arms wrapped around your waist. The two of you were standing at the end of a dock, holding fishing rods. Steve’s eyes were watery as he chuckled down at the photo. “I took her fishing once - claimed to hate it, but I knew differently.”

Erwin smirked and nodded his head. “Oh, she acted so miserable! Funny thing is it was her idea - it had been the second year of running and it was a rare day. She convinced my father that I was a child and children needed to have fun. So he took us out fishing at this small lake when we were in Mexico. One of the best days of my life.”

Steve listened to the gentlemen describe the day in detail, but slowly Erwin’s words faded into the background as a memory flooded into his mind.

There was a light breeze as Steve watched you fidget with the fishing line. He smiled to himself and strolled over to you, leaving his rod against his chair.

“Will you stop that?”

His teasing was not amusing to you, so you scowled up at your husband. “Rogers, I’m warning you. I told you I didn’t want to co-”

You let out a squeal as your line began to pull, jumping up from your seat to prevent it from flying into the lake. “STEVE! STEVE! I GOT ONE!”

He laughed and told you to remain calm, slipping his hands around your waist. “Just relax. Don’t want to spook the fish. Give it some slack - there you go. Do you feel it? You need to bring it in closer.”

Steve’s voice was soft and calming, his lips touched the edge of your ear. “You go it - just wait and now! Reel it in! Come on now!”

Laughing like a lunatic, you reeled the small fish in like a pro and Steve hooted with pride. “And you don’t like fishing! Must be luck!”

You smacked Steve on the shoulder and handed over the spinning reel to him. He held it up with a beaming smile and you couldn’t help but kiss him on the lips.

“It’s you - Steve Rogers. You’re my lucky charm.”

“She reeled it in so fast, we couldn’t believe it! She chalked it up to beginner's luck,” Erwin laughed at the memory and a wave of relief flooded over Steve, knowing at least you had some good times - that it wasn’t all bad. His fingers caressed the image of your face until Bucky nudged him. “Let me get a look.”

Handing it over, Steve looked up at Erwin. “You know what we do, right?”

Not waiting for an answer, he continued. “On our last recon mission we captured a few old HYDRA agents and one had given us information about Y/N. He said she was still alive and I couldn’t believe it - I mean how could I? All this time I thought my wife was dead and now suddenly she’s not.”

“My father was an excellent scientist and he knew what the plans for Mr. Barnes were. He used those plans to help Y/N preserve her life.”

“They froze her,” Bucky’s voice was stale and low as a hand ran over his face. “Like they did to me.”

Steve’s eyes jerked from Bucky to Ewin. “But how?”

“I’d think it would be better to show you.”

There was a small guest house behind the main home, Erwin had walked the two men through the house and out to the large backyard. They stood in front of the building as Erwin took out a set of keys from his pocket and began to unlock the door. Steve gave Bucky an anxious look and his friend patted him lightly on the shoulder, motioning for him to follow Erwin inside.

Once inside, Erwin flicked on the lights and Steve immediately noticed all the equipment scattered throughout the large open floor room. Lab tables and a large industrial sink tucked in the corner, the room smelled dusty and the air was stuffy.

“This was my father’s lab, he did most of his research here when he wasn’t at work. He had a job in the city in a research lab for cancer. And this,” Erwin walked over to a large object covered with a white sheet and pulled it off.

It was a bulky cryostasis chamber, modeled after the ones HYDRA used. Instantly, Bucky’s entire body stilled and his breathing grew heavy with anger. Recognizing his friend’s distress, Steve escorted him to the door and instructed him to wait outside.

“I’m sorry about that, it’s just-’

“-I completely understand what Mr. Barnes is going through,” Erwin’s eyes darted to the closed door before retrieving back to Steve’s focus. “My father built this for Y/N. Earlier I spoke about how distant she was at times, always searching for something else. Mind always in a different time. Well, it was you Mr. Rogers. She was never able to let go of you.”

Steve’s cheeks burned red and he couldn’t contain the smile from his face. “I loved - love her so much, I don’t go a day without thinking of her.”

“The two of you were lucky to have each other. You know, when we got word that Captain America had perished in war, she didn’t cry,” the elderly man reached over a hand to Steve’s shoulder. “Somehow, somewhere in the depths of her heart - she knew you were not dead. That you were alive.”

“I tried to convince her otherwise, could you blame a child? She was the closest thing I had to a mother and I had overheard a conversation between my father and her. Y/N had come across some notes in this lab that described a machine that could place a subject in suspended animation by lowering the temperature to near freezing. And that was all it took.”

“She had hope,” Steve replied softly moving his eyes to the chamber. “How long was she in there for?”

“We woke her every decade until father passed in the early 80’s. I was well into my forties by then and a psychologist, had my own office downtown.”

“I’ve seen her death report, it said she passed in 1989. I’ve been to her grave site.”

“Ah, yes. That was my doing. After father died, she asked me to keep her in cryo for the next 25 years or until there was any word of you. It felt like losing a parent, so I decided to give her a proper burial in the place she loved most, Brooklyn. It was mostly for me, I’m sorry for that.”

Steve shook his head and smiled kindly at the man. “It’s okay. And the apartment, you were the one paying for it all these years?”

Erwin admitted that it was your idea and his father agreed to pay it over the years, but after the two of you were gone, money had become tight. “I apologize. I hope your things weren’t thrown out.”

“No, no it’s fine. Everything is still there, thank you Erwin. For everything your father and you had - have done for Y/N. But-”

“-you need to know where she is at,” Erwin sighed with understanding.

“I do,” Steve confessed wholeheartedly. “I can’t go on living knowing she’s out there somewhere.”

Bucky sat on the back porch stairs, staring every so often at the guest house. It seemed time was venturing on slowly until Steve came bursting through the doors, cell in hand. Bucky jumped up to his feet and rushed to Steve, who had a beaming grin on his face.

“She’s in California, Buck. My girl is in California!”

“What- what?” Bucky grinned and pulled Steve into a quick hug. “What are we waiting for then, punk!”

“I know - I know. I’m calling the airport, I’m going to make sure we can fly out first thing in the morning.”

Bucky chuckled and patted Steve’s back as he walked toward the house, saying hello to who ever had answered the call. He watched with relief in his eyes as Steve made arrangements over the phone, because everything seemed to be falling in place.

“He was in love with her.”

Erwin’s voice came from behind Bucky, who turned around to face him. “Your father?”

The german man nodded solemnly. “He had fallen in love with her over time, but she never faltered from your friend. My father saw it as his penance, after all the things he had done for HYDRA. His punishment, to be in love with a woman who could never love him.”

“HYDRA took everything from me,” Bucky stated in a monotone voice. “My family, my life and they took my best friend’s girl. I need to get her back.”

Just then Steve jogged over to the two men with a smile. “Our plane will be ready at six in the morning. We’re all set for California. I just need her address, Mr. Oberst.”

Erwin’s smile slowly faded from his aging face and he sighed with pained remorse. “Of course, but there’s something you should know.”

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josephkitchen0 · 5 years

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Straw Bale Gardening Instructions and How it Works

I didn’t believe it. Though straw bale gardening instructions sat before me, I was skeptical. I compost. Plant in the ground. Nourish my soil with probiotics. Nobody could convince me it worked until I saw it in practice. And I was immediately converted.

Joel Karsten faced the same skepticism when he brought the idea to top-rated universities. It would never work. He was wasting his time.

The concept developed of necessity: Joel had no arable soil. He grew up on a farm, acquired a horticultural degree, then bought a home of his own. Too late, he discovered he could not plant where he had landed. It seemed he had two options: spend hundreds of dollars to build raised beds and fill them with soil, while still paying off student loans and a mortgage. Or just not grow his food.

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Then Joel remembered his childhood, when he stacked bales on his dad’s farm. Sometimes bales broke. He tossed the straw against the barn, where weed seeds fell and winter did its worst. In the spring, those bales sprouted bigger, greener thistles than the surrounding dirt.

Joel knew several factors: thistles use the same nutrients as peppers and tomatoes. Straw becomes arable dirt because of decomposition. Joel approached the universities and was discouraged, but his dad wasn’t. So they set up two gardens: one with straw bales and a control group in fertile soil. By July of that year, the plants in the bales were twice as big as the soil crops.

For 14 years, it seemed nobody cared except those who drove past his property and demanded to know how he grew eight-foot-tall tomatoes. Joel’s pamphlet on straw bale gardening instructions turned into a self-published book. A publisher approached Joel, then a review in the New York Times turned the concept into an international phenomenon. Now there are more than 50 Facebook groups, in different languages, focused on straw bale gardening. The book is published in 21 languages.

Joel constantly gets letters from people who can now grow food despite physical demands: handicapped people in wheelchairs or elderly gardeners who cannot bend over. His website contains photos of bales across the world, submitted by happy gardeners.

Joel sets up straw bales. Photo courtesy Joel Karsten/Straw Bale Gardens

Why Straw Bale Gardening Works

I believe in soil. That’s what I told people last year when they asked me if I recommended the method. Then a friend invited me to see her garden. It was a 10-minute walk on a sunny day, so I had no reasons to decline. As I stood between rows of tomatoes bigger than my two fists combined, I asked her how long she had been gardening. That was her first year.

Ames Family Farm is almost filled to capacity but I still have 100 hundred square feet and it bothers me that I can’t dig deep into my concrete driveway to grow more food. Apparently, that violates the rental agreement. And though I’ve used the front drive for growing vegetables in pots, I didn’t have money to purchase soil and containers for the back. I bought my own book of straw bale gardening instructions. Then I heard that Joel Karsten himself would be speaking at Rail City Garden Center, just a few miles over in Sparks, Nevada.

Sitting in a propane-heated room with 48 other curious gardeners, I learned about micronutrients locked within the straw. Each vegetable needs different micronutrients, such as iron and manganese, but they are all unusable until the straw decomposes. Fungi and bacteria break down cells and leave the high levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus necessary for all crop growth. The bale contains enough nutrients as long as it is not over-watered. And since straw absorbs and holds water, only a drip line is necessary.

Straw bales are lightweight: about a tenth to a fourteenth of the weight of soil supporting the same root capacity. This makes them good for rooftop gardening. They’re highly portable, and portability increases if bales are set on pallets. Because they sit higher, can be used on driveways or patios, and can be arranged with wide walkways, they are handicap-accessible. Roots grow faster because the bale heats up due to decomposition, which allows planting sooner. It also allows for crops which like warm soil, such as sweet potatoes. And if organic straw is used, there are no chemicals, which can be a concern for anyone researching how to care for tomato plants in tires.

The best reason to garden in straw bales is probably protection against diseases and insects. Blight ravages tomatoes but it’s carried within the soil; as long as tomato vines are tied up high and don’t touch the ground, the blight stays put. Tying up foliage also promotes air circulation, which prevents mold and mildew. It’s easier to see beneath leaves to identify pests such as squash bugs and earwigs. And since decomposition is actively changing the straw, it’s “virgin” soil: never before planted and contaminated with weeds or viruses.

But … What Will Actually Grow?

Almost any vegetable can be cultivated within straw bales. Because of the quick decomposition, growing carrots is as doable as transplanting hot peppers. Joel does not recommend sweet corn, because only a couple ears will develop from an entire planting, or perennials because the bale will break down within two years at the most. All other annual vegetables and flowers are fine.

Because the bales heat up, and because salad greens, spinach, and beets don’t care whether it freezes, you can plant early. Greens such as lettuce and spinach are “cut and come back” crops, which will keep growing until the weather is too hot. Snip off a couple leaves when you want a salad. Succession planting is easy: pull a beet for dinner, drop a seed in the hole, and sprinkle some potting mix on top. Pull the beets around that seed so the plant isn’t shaded when it comes up and drop more seeds into those holes.

The #1 rule of deciding what to plant: Grow what you eat. Don’t plant too much lettuce if you dislike salads and want to preserve your food; grow spinach because it can be blanched and frozen or grow tomatoes for home canning. Grow crops you will eat every few days or can easily put up for the winter.

Photo courtesy Joel Karsten/Straw Bale Gardens

Straw Bale Gardening Instructions

First, you need a straw bale. Hay works as well and contains more nutrients, but the primary reason to purchase straw instead is cost. Essentially, straw is the leftover stalks from harvesting cereal grains and isn’t edible so it’s used as animal bedding. Hay is the nutritious dried grass and alfalfa used for animal feed. The overall value of both makes straw much less expensive.

Second, purchase fertilizer. Though conventional granulated mixes work faster, this method can be done organically. Conditioning the bales takes about 12 days conventionally and eighteen organically. Any high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer is fine, but avoid anything with herbicides, such as Weed and Feed. For organic conditioning, don’t rely on manure or compost; they’re not “hot” enough. Chicken manure is fine as long as it’s mixed 50/50 with a bagged nitrogen source such as blood meal, feather meal or mixes purchased at garden centers.

Joel’s book contains the most precise instructions regarding when to water and when to sprinkle more fertilizer: one half cup conventional fertilizer or three cups organic per bale on day one, watering it in well. Water on day two, avoiding cold water if possible. Add another half cup fertilizer on day three, watering again. Water only on the fourth day. Another half cup fertilizer on the fifth. Water only on the sixth. Days seven through nine, use a quarter cup per day, watering in well. On day 10, switch to a 10-10-10 garden fertilizer.

On day 11, get your seeds and plants ready.

On day 12 for conventional methods or day eighteen for organic, plant your crops. The bale will probably look no different than day one. But if it’s warming at all, decomposition is happening. As Joel says, “It’ can’t ‘not’ work.”

Soaker hoses and drip lines should be set before planting. Lay them down the middle of the bales and hold in place with landscape pins.

For transplants, use a sharp trowel to dig a hole in the straw, being careful not to cut the strings. Seeds can be planted by sowing directly into the straw in a checkerboard pattern then covering with a thin layer of sterile planting mix until seedlings sprout.

During the growing season, keep the bales moist but not wet. They can’t flood because excess water comes out the bottom. However, if you notice water running out, stop. You could wash away nutrients if you over-water, necessitating a top-dressed fertilizer to keep the plants healthy.

Photo courtesy Joel Karsten/Straw Bale Gardens

The Fine Details

If you’re serious about using this as a major gardening method, I really recommend reading Joel Karsten’s book, Straw Bale Gardening. Instructions cover little nuances like why tomatoes should be tied up on supports but squash vines can trail along the ground. (Hint: It has to do with disease.) He describes how to make new bales from the old, decomposed ones, adding another two years onto their life until they become soil to fill raised beds. Even simple problems, like the birds which insist on perching upon wires and dropping unwanted nitrogen onto the plants, are solved within the book. To explain all of these solutions myself would mean writing another book!

As the method becomes more popular, straw bale gardening instructions pop up all over blogs and prepper sites. Most are brief and not very succinct. They don’t tell you what to plant or in what formations, as the book does. For instance, did you know that kohlrabi seeds should be planted within the bale on day 12 of conditioning? Or that the bales limit growth of parsnip canker, a fungus affecting the roots?

Joel also describes how to use plastic and a bucket set into the ground to catch water that has dripped through the bales so you can re-water, putting nutrients back onto the plants. This is valuable for drought-stricken areas.

Photo courtesy Joel Karsten/Straw Bale Gardens

Harvesting the Vegetables

Here comes the fun part. Haven’t we been waiting for just this moment? Harvest is extremely easy with straw bale gardening since very little bending is required. But do it often. Harvesting regularly keeps the plants healthy, removing leaves which may die or develop mildew, and keeps air flowing around the bales. Overripe vegetables attract insects.

Most vegetables can be picked directly from the plant or pulled straight up out of the bale. To harvest a carrot, grasp firmly where the greens meet the root and gently tug straight up. And you only have to bend a couple inches to do that.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes, however, must be picked from a bale that has been knocked apart. I plan to grow sweet potatoes within bales that will later be used to keep the chicken run from becoming chicken soup in the November rains. Next year I’ll plant potatoes in this year’s used bales.

So do you need another reason to follow these straw bale gardening instructions? Here are seven. Driveways. Apartment balconies (with plastic underneath to keep neighbors happy). Rooftops. Desert sand. Compacted clay. Blighted soil. Giving land a “rest” period. Increasing your growing capacity doesn’t have to involve fertile dirt. Purchase a bale or two and give it a try.

Notice the harsh high plains desert in the background? Photo courtesy Joel Karsten/Straw Bale Gardens

Do you plant using straw bale gardening instructions? Have you been successful? Let us know in the comments below.

Straw Bale Gardening Instructions and How it Works was originally posted by All About Chickens

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