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arlana-likes-to-write · 1 year

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Hey I absolutely love your writing! I had an idea for the big sister! universe if you’re interested. Maybe sometime after Natasha and Yelena escape but before the red room falls reader is on a mission and has a close call with Natasha and Yelena who are on their own mission. Reader has to find a way to keep them safe without them finding out she’s there while still trying to complete her own mission. Just a thought - feel free to use it if you want to! Hope you’re having a good day!

I am so sorry this took me forever to write! But I hope you like it. I do love this little AU

A Helping Hand

Black Widow Sister Masterlist

Warning: mention of human, implied physical torture

Word Count: 2.8k

2013 Edinburgh

It was rare that Dreykov sent you on a mission. He liked to keep you close so he could keep an eye on you. If he needed to do work for him another Widow was dispatched to retrieve them and your part of the job was done in the Red Room. So it was a nice change of pace as you sat in the safe house; looking down at the street and sipping on coffee. You felt like you were on vacation. The mission was simple. You were tasked with observing a politician by the name of Benjamin Taylor. Everything you learned was to be reported directly to Dreykov. The miss was below your kill level but you learned quickly to never question an order. Your safe house was near Benjamin’s home. You already put mics and cameras in his home and office. You were listening to him get ready for the day. It was disgustingly cute as you listened to him joke around with his wife.

You’ve been following him for 2 days so you’ve had his routine memorized. You placed your cup down and grabbed your messenger back. It was 8:25, he would be leaving for his office at 8:30. You put your headphones in, a beanie on, and headed out. You were able to copy his phone when you bumped into him at a cafe. You had to admit if the Red Room didn’t send you on a mission you couldn’t have guessed Benjamin was dirty. Today, you hoped it was going to be different. He was meeting with Elijah Brown, from your research you could find nothing on him. Not even a passport.

Benjamin left his home and headed to his office. It was a 30-minute walk which gave you time to think. Mostly your thoughts were about the mission but sometimes your mind would wander. You pretended you were a normal person on your way to work or a student who was going to a nearby cafe to study. Those thoughts made you lonely. Benjamin entered his office building and you walked to the cafe not far. You had time before he got to his office. You listened to him greet everyone that worked for him. He did it every morning. You ordered a small breakfast and found a quiet table in the corner. You pulled out your tablet, plugging your headphones in there instead of your phone. You pulled up the security footage. Benjamin was sitting on the corner of his secretary's desk. You fully believed he was having an affair with her. You took a few books and notebooks out of your bag. Your cover was a student. A waitress placed a glass of water and a coffee down and you thanked her with a smile. You readjusted the tablet so no one would see it. He finally went into his office.

You were mindlessly listening to him talk phone calls and answer emails. As he went about his day, you were skimming through your textbooks and ate the food you ordered. The books were about the various languages in Asia. You found the topic fascinating. “Your 9:30 is here, sir.” You closed the book and focused on the security camera.

“Thank you, Holly.” She nodded with a smile and held the door open as a man walked in. His hair was dirty blonde, cut in a military style. He was wearing an all-black suit and you could tell he was carrying a gun at his side. Holly closed the door. It was like a switch flipped in Benjamin’s personality. His smile fell and a dark look was in his eyes. “It’s dangerous for you to be showing your face around here.”

“We have a problem,” you took a screenshot of the man’s face and put it through facial recognition software. In no time you found the man’s real name; Hans Meyer. It was a name you recognized. He was a big player in a human trafficking ring.

“Oh Mr. Taylor, what have we got yourself into?” You mumbled. You saw the waitress walking over to you and you took your headphones off.

“Can I get you anything else?” She asked, collecting your empty dishes.

“I’m all set,” you added an English accent. It was such a flawless switch. “But can I stay here until I’m done with my assignment?” You added with a smile.

“Of course,” her smile was flirtatious. “I’ll bring you some coffee.” She left and you were able to focus back on Benjamin and his guest.

“How is that my fault?” Benjamin asked. Hans poured himself coffee and faced the politician.

“It is your job to cover our tracks. Do I have to remind you what will happen if you fail?” Hans asked. Benjamin’s jaw clenched. A new cup was set on your table. You smiled but didn’t take your eyes off the screen.

“Leave her out of this.” You wondered if he was referring to his wife. “I’ll figure it out. The Avengers won’t find them.” You felt your stomach flip. The Avengers were here. It was impossible for you to not hear that name without thinking about your sisters. You shook your head and focused on the conversation. You didn’t have time to think about your sisters.

You were hunched over your desk with your tablet and papers. You were trying to find a paper trail to Benjamin and Hans. He was good. To the untrained eye, all his paperwork was in order but you were better. Benjamin was hiding requests from Hans and his organization deep within legislation he was signing off on. He was doing this all in the name of not protecting his wife but his daughter from a previous relationship. You understood the feeling of looking into the eyes of the devil and signing your life away. Your stomach growled. It was dinner time and the last meal you ate was at the cafe. Benjamin was home, eating his dinner. You put your phone and wallet in the pocket of your jeans and one headphone in your ear so you could still listen in. You weren’t going far, just down to the corner store to get a quick dinner. As you walked on the sidewalk and the brisk night air caused goosebumps to form on your arm, your mind traveled to the Avengers. Were they interested in Hans’ trafficking ring? If so, who were they going to send in to deal with it? The shop owner greeted you when the bell on the door announced your entrance. You said hello back and wandered through the isles. You were lost in your world, eyeing the different instant noodles and listening to the Taylors talk about the weather, you barely register the bell ringing and two sets of footsteps entering the small shop. On instinct, you put your hood up to cover your face. “No ice cream,” the voice made all the air leave your lungs. It’s been years since you’ve heard her voice. Natasha.

“Maria would let me get ice cream,” it’s been even longer since you’ve heard her voice. Yelena. Panic filled your body, an emotion you’ve not felt in a long time. You glanced to the right and saw them walk past the aisle you were in. They made no indication they saw you. You needed to get out of here. You grabbed a random instant noodle and headed for the counter. “Excuse me?” Yelena’s voice directed at you made you freeze. “You dropped this.” You turned around and stared at the blonde. She was holding your wallet.

“Merci,” you said and took your wallet. You swore you saw a flash of recognition in her eyes but it was gone quickly. “Passe une bonne journee (have a great day).” You went to pay for your noodles, grabbing a bottle of water and a chocolate bar. You thanked the older woman and left the store, quickly walking back to the safe house. You were in a lot of trouble.

So the mission changed for you. You gave your reports to Dreykov but you left out small details, mainly that the Avengers were now involved. You fed on everything Benjamin said to find out his plan. He knew that the Avengers were in the city but he didn’t know who, that was good. You choose a different spot to listen to as he talked with Hans. “I have a plan,” Benjamin said. “But I need some of your men.”

“I’m listening.” He didn’t reveal his plan right away as if he was thinking it through.

“They are interested in our warehouse near the docks. I think we should move the merchandise and set a trap for them,” your stomach filled at the word ‘merchandise’ knowing very well he meant girls. The German stared at the politician.

“When do you want this little trap to take place?” He asked.

“Tonight,” he said. “If all goes to plan the world will have two fewer Avengers.”

You changed into your tactical suit and loaded up for the mission. You made sure to listen to the conversation about where they were moving the girls. You wrote a note and put all the information you found on Hans’ organization on a flash drive to leave for your sisters. You put it in your pocket and headed for the factory. You had to time this perfectly. Too soon then they could be alerted and the girls were going to be put in danger. On the other hand, if you were too late Natasha and Yelena were going to talk into a trap. You sighed, placing a mask over your face, and waited.

It was 10:15 when you decided to strike. You snuck near the factory and looked through the window. You counted 10 men, you thought there would have been more. This was the hardest part for you. In your mind, you knew these men were bad but it was still hard to justify it. You were still taking a life. You let out a steady breath and snuck into the factory. The goal was to eliminate them quickly and quietly. The first man you came upon you eliminated quickly. He barely struggled and you gently set his body to the ground. You made it through two more guards when a body was found and all hell broke loose. You switched to your guns. They knew you were here so you might as well go loud.

It was quick work. They barely put up a fight. You grabbed a chair and set it in the middle of the main room. You placed the note and flash drive on it and left. Now you just needed your sisters to show up.

“Calm down,” Natasha said, as she drove up to the factory. Yelena was buzzing with permission jitters as she readied her pistols and Widow Bites.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Just nerves.” Natasha chuckled, shaking her head.

“Don’t be. You are going to do great.” Yelena smiled at her sister as she stopped the car. Yelena took a steady breath and followed Natasha out of the car. She mirrored her sister and took her gun out. They were expecting a small fight but nothing two Black Widows couldn’t handle. Yelena positioned herself on the wall next to the door. Natasha nodded her head, silently asking her if she was ready, and Yelena nodded back. The redhead opened the door. They pointed their guns into the room but Yelena lowered her gun at the sight.

“Looks like we missed the fight,” she said. Natasha didn’t lower her gun as they walked further in. Yelena stepped over the bodies.

“We should check out the rest of the building,” Yelena heard her sister and silently agreed but she was distracted by a chair. She moved towards it. “Yelena!”

“Yeah, I hear you. Come check this out.” She picked up a note and a flash drive. ‘The girls aren’t here. They were moved. Everything you’ll need is on this flash drive.’ She handed the note to Natasha. “Do we trust it?” The older Black Widow read it over.

“I’m not sure,” she pocketed it. “But let’s clear the building and we’ll check it.” Yelena nodded. She had a weird feeling as if they were being watched.

2013 Red Room

“Can you tell us what happened?” Dreykov asked. You stood at attention as he placed pictures of the bloodshed that took place at the factory. “Who killed these men?” You could lie and tell him you didn’t know or blame it on the Avengers. He was waiting for an answer. Something clicked in your brain. “They worked for me. So I am going to ask you again. Who killed my men?”

“Why did you send me on this mission?” You asked. He didn't say anything. The mission was below your skill level. “Did you know they would be there?” His jaw clenched.

“You are here to answer questions, not ask them.” He motioned to someone behind you and you were hit in the back of your knees. You fell, biting down the groan in pain. You looked up at him.

“I killed them,” you said. “And for Red Room men they were worthless.”

“Take her away,” he ordered without hesitation. Hands grabbed you by the arm and pulled you to your feet. You were in trouble but couldn’t help but smile.

2017 Upstate New York; Avengers Compound

You were sitting on the couch as the nature documentary played on the screen. Yelena sat down next to you with a bowl of popcorn. You took a handful. “I didn’t say you could have any.” You rolled your eyes.

“You’ll be okay.” You joked and you were about to take more but Yelena grabbed your hand, tracing a few scars she could see. She focused on one scar on your wrist.

“Where did you get this one?” She asked. You looked at the scar she was asking about. You didn’t remember how you got every scar, you had too many. But you did remember this one.

“Punishment,” you said with a smile. “I killed some lower-level Red Room guards on a mission.” You looked at your sister. “In Edinburgh 2013.” She must have given herself whiplash on how fast she looked at you.

“Natasha and I were in Edinburgh in 2013.”

“I know,” you said softly. “Taylor and Meyer knew you there. That factory was a trap. They were going to kill you.” Yelena stared at you, her mouth slightly open.

“That was you,” she whispered. “And-and at that little market. I thought I recognized you.” You nodded. “Why didn’t you say anything?” You became interested in the ring that they gave you for your birthday. You spun it around your finger. You weren’t sure how to tell her the truth. “Tell me.”

“I couldn't, Yelena,” you looked at the blonde. “We were both in the middle of our own mission. I didn’t think it was the best time for a family reunion especially when you and Natasha didn’t come back and look for me.” She frowned and looked back at the TV. There was a thick tension between the two of you. “I’m sorry.” You weren’t sure why you were apologizing.

“I asked about you,” she said finally. “It was hard to remember you but I dreamt about you all the time. Natasha said you were better off without us.” You nodded. That sounded a lot like your sister. She looked at you. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad at you or Natasha, malen'koye solnyshko (little sun),” you put her arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to you. “Natasha did what she thought was best for you and her. I’m not upset. I’m happy.” She pulled away from the small embrace and looked at you.

“I will never understand you,” she said. The statement made your eyes widen. “I don’t understand how you can be so forgiving after everything you’ve gone through.” You shrugged and focused back on the TV. The soothing voice of David Attenborough was talking about the migrating cycle of a mother blue whale and her baby.

“I can’t change the pass. So why focus on it and have it ruin my future.” Yelena laughed, shaking her head, and settled back next to you.

“Was that the only mission where you helped us?” You smiled.

“I think so. Now quiet, I am listening to David Attenborough give me facts about whales.” Yelena shook her head with a smile. You kept glancing at Yelena throughout the documentary and you were grateful that Dreykov sent you on that mission.

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#black widow sisters #yelena belova x you #yelena belova x y/n #yelena belova x reader #yelena belova x natasha romanoff x reader #yelena belova x natasha romanoff #black widow one shot #black widow imagine #black widow fanfiction #black widow #yelena belova #natasha romanoff

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whatdoeseverybodywant · 4 months

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Characters for You're the Only Girl for Me

list will be updated as I add more characters to the story.

this is just so I can keep track of all my characters.

Airielle N. Jones

Born: February 16th 1991

Yasmine M. Jones

Born: August 19th 1990

Ashley S. Jones

Born: November 23rd 1994

Isaiah N. Jones

Born : January 10th 1987

3 kids

Imani Imogen Isaiah Jr

Josiah N. Jones

Born: June 24th 1989

3 kids

Jermani Jaliyah Jonah

Elijah N. Jones

Born: April 16th 2003

Jahmir (white hoodie) Fatu (6 years old)

Jahair (white beanie) Fatu ( 9 years old)

Tracy Fatu (neé James)

#your the only girl for me #my work #my characters

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whiskey-tango-matcha · 1 year

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I'd love to see any combo of 15, 41 & 60! (Picturing some kind of outdoor event catering on a chilly day maybe?) And if I'm allowed to be extra greedy, 28 feels like something either Elijah or Greyson might say to the other just to push their buttons lol

oooo that's a great combination of prompts. hope you like it! this one's Greyson-centric, 500ish words under the cut.

“Sneeze one more time, and you’re going inside.”

“In – NGSTH-uhh! HTSZHUE! Indside where, Lij? It’s a fuckigg outdoor festival, they pretty heavily embphasize the ‘outdoor’ par – HNGSTHZHUE!” Greyson collapsed into his elbow once again and sniffed hard. A cold while working was one thing; a cold at an event where everyone’s eyes were going to be on you was quite another. The chef hadn’t been to hell yet, but he assumed this would pretty closely resemble it.

“I don’t fucking know, inside the bathroom or some shit. God, you look like hell,” Elijah pushed a nervous hand through his hair, regarding the visibly ill chef for the millionth time that day. “At least – Christ, Greyson,” Elijah forcefully zipped the chef’s winter coat up to his neck, shaking his head as he did. “At least zip your goddamn jacket up, it’s like you enjoy being sick.”

Greyson coughed into his sleeve while simultaneously giving his boss a death-glare. “Sorry, mbom, it wasn’t the first thigg on mby mbin – HRRRSHH-ue!” Greyson sneezed again, suddenly, catching it in his hand. “Oh, gross.”

“That’s why we use tissues,” Elijah said, moving a box in front of Greyson. “You know, the tissues they specifically and pointedly placed on only our booth because you look like a literal plague rat?” Greyson flipped his boss off as he took a few from the box and crouched down to blow his nose. Elijah sighed and crouched beside him, until both of them gave up the artifice and just sat on the cold, hard pavement.

“Who the fugck decides to do an outdoor evendt in December in Ndew York?” Greyson mumbled, wiping under his nose.

“I’m gonna guess people who really like to have their food sneezed on by overworked chefs who haven’t taken a day off since Halloween,” Elijah said, flashing Greyson a knowing look. The chef rolled his eyes.

“Like you’re any better,” Greyson said, shivering. “Fugck, it’s cold.”

Elijah sighed and yanked the beanie off his own head, shoving it onto Greyson’s before the chef could protest. “I don’t want to hear it,” he said, holding up a hand. “Just keep it. Clearly you need it.”

Greyson shrugged, but kept the hat on. He reached up to yank the tissues off of their booth and place them beside himself on the ground. “Whend does this stupid bullshit start?” he asked, blowing his nose again. “Just so I kndow when exactly I ndeed to stand up again.” When Elijah didn’t answer, Greyson looked over to see him biting back a laugh with a shit-eating grin on his face. “What?”

“Nothing,” Elijah said, pursing his lips together so as not to laugh. “It’s just… with the hat, and the zipped up jacket and the sitting on the ground bit… you just look like a little kid.” Greyson shot Elijah a look that could cut glass, and the GM couldn’t help but guffaw.

“Fuck. Off. Lij,” Greyson said, sniffling.

“What? It’s… I dunno, cute I guess. There, how about that? A compliment! You’re cute when you’re sick,” Elijah said, laughing again. Greyson tossed the box of tissues at his boss’s head.

“You’re an ass – HNGTSHZHUE!”

Elijah rolled his eyes, still laughing, and tossed the tissues back to the chef. “You should probably keep those. God knows you need them.”

#snz #whiskeyswriting #sickfic #snzfic #male snz #you know what i love about drabbles?#they're STRAIGHT TO THE POINT #and sometimes that's all i want to write is the snz. no need to deny what we're all here for LMAOOOO

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lorelai-tseng · 4 months

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character: Elijah Falvey @elifalvey

location: Tree Lighting Ceremony

Her peacoat was the perfect fit and though she was bundled up with gloves and a scarf and a beanie she didn't feel suffocated with layers. It was interesting getting together with Eli at the tree lighting ceremony considering this had been where things had started to spiral in their friendship a year ago. But thankfully they were in a much better place and she wanted to make sure he departs with his presents she'd gotten him and Rhia and she supposed that would mean Asli as well, though she still had yet to speak with her since then. She watched Eli with his daughter all bundled up and stared, unsure what she was supposed to do in her presence. "So, another year is almost over, it's been an...interesting one. I suppose for you it probably has been a rather good one, yes?" She felt like it must have been considering he gained a child and she figured that meant something positive for most people.

#thread #thread: elijah falvey

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moonchild-things · 1 year

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Chapter Two: Waiting for Hank...

Summary: Living in Detroit, the capital of androids, constantly reminds Natalie Tyler of the accident that changed her life for the worst. Her world is overturned after deciding to adventure out of her apartment and back into the cruel world. When androids start to peacefully protest for their rights, she is asked to work with a RK800 prototype android that goes by the name Connor.

Word Count: 4862

Blog Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

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DATE

NOV 6TH 2038

TIME

AM 09:23:08

"YOU'RE THE TECHNICIAN CYBERLIFE SENT TO HELP with the prototype?" The gruff voice of Captain Fowler, a large, bald, black man, asked as he walked over to the petite woman who waited patiently in his office. He offered his hand to her to shake and, to his surprise, found that she had quite a tight grip.

Natalie smiled politely, "yes, sir, that's me. I'm Natalie Tyler." She wore her usual attire, jeans, sneakers, a green hoodie, light blue t-shirt and her beanie stuffed in her pocket. She hadn't been prepared to get the job so suddenly and didn't dress professionally. Her and Elijah had only spoken yesterday! Surprisingly, he had gotten in contact with his colleagues at Cyberlife quickly and almost instantly got a job for Natalie. With an impressive resume, there was no way the Cyberlife could turn her down. Plus to be recommended by their founder, she has to be something.

"Well, so far the android has only dealt with a few cases, a few months ago with an android taking a hostage and last night, a homicide."

"Homicide?" Natalie wondered out loud. An android shouldn't be capable of causing harm to their owners, but it seems that they are changing. Evolving, if you will.

The captain nodded his head, "afraid so, we've tried to keep this under wrap to keep the public from panicking, but it seems they're already going crazy over the fact that Connor is working on these investigations."

"Connor?"

"Yes, that's what the android is called. Shouldn't you know this?"

Natalie chuckled and nodded her head, "I know him by his model and serial number, it seems Cyberlife didn't give me that piece of information." To be honest, she had been pushed into this job so suddenly that she knew she most likely is missing some information on what's going on.

"Well, the android is working with one of our lieutenants for these investigations, Lieutenant Anderson."

She had heard that name before, though, really she must have read the name on a report that had circulated through her mind at one point. "Yes, I was told about that," she nodded her head towards the other desks outside in the precinct. "Is he here yet? I'd like to go over some of the details of the cases."

"I'm afraid he isn't here, not sure when he's going to come in." Fowler paused and looked the girl up and down as he assessed her. "Why do you want to look over the case files?"

Natalie's eyebrows raised as she chuckled slightly, "well, I need to understand exactly what sort of cases Connor would be dealing with and if any aspects of the cases could cause problems to his software." She explained, "plus, I have a masters in criminal justice and might be able to help with the investigations."

Fowler stared at her for a second, "okay. Anyway, Anderson's desk is over there." He pointed out of the floor-length, glass window to a desk that rested on the right. "You can wait there for Connor and Anderson, they can brief you more on what you're dealing with."

Natalie smiled and stood up from the seat she was in, "thank you, captain." Fowler nodded his head and gestured to the door of his office.

"Good luck."

Natalie's eyebrows furrowed at his words but headed out of the door anyway. What does he mean by 'good luck'? Natalie shrugged her shoulders and didn't think anything of it as she headed over to Lieutenant Anderson's desk. His desk is covered with many different clues that Natalie observed, even though she didn't want to. She would much rather talk with the lieutenant and find out about him that way. But from the pictures and articles around his desk, dog hair on his chair and the heavy metal music playing from his headset, Natalie was clued in on a few aspects of what Luitenant Anderson is like.

From the pictures and articles on his desk, Natalie could tell that he use to be a decorated officer and very well known for his work on the Red Ice epidemic. The dog hair on his chair tells her that he has a Saint Bernard. She likes dogs, especially large ones like Saint Bernards. I think we had a dog when I was younger, she thought to herself before sighing, I wish I remembered. She sat down on the chair that was next to the Lieutenants desk and relaxed in it. She has no idea how long she is going to be waiting, but she feels like it is going to be a long time.

She sat and watched as police walked about the precinct, some of them appeared to be in a hurry while others lazily walked around and chatted with friends. Pursing her lips, Natalie found herself bored. Knowing that she has to find out exactly what cases her, the lieutenant and the prototype would be dealing with is important, she glanced at the desk that appeared to be empty next to her. She took a quick glance around the room to see that no one was paying attention to her and hoped out of her chair to sit at the one at the unoccupied desk. If she's going to have to wait for quite some time, then she might as well as study what sort of deviants she would be dealing with.

She turned the terminal on and began to scour the reports. There appears to be hundreds of reports and would take her quite a while to get through all of them. She pursed her lips, "God, I'm really going to hate this." The only plausible way she could think of sifting through so many reports is to use her… cyborg abilities. Is that what I'm calling them? she scoffed to herself. She ignored that thought while lifting her hand and watching as her skin seemed to disappear into thin air. That is definitely something she isn't going to get used to. She rested her now exposed robotic hand on the keyboard of the terminal before closing her eyes.

It was as if the world had stopped once she reopened her eyes. She suspected that her mind had the capability to process files and data at fast rates, like an android. That's beside the point, she must focus on the reports and worry about what exactly she's capable of now later. (You would think she would know all about what she is capable of since she's been like this for three years, but she barely did anything in her apartment aside from reading and eat so she didn't get to use her new advancements that much around her home.)

She read a few of the files extensively. An AV500 model was suspected of trying to assault a consumer, an AP700 model attacked her owner and ruined their home, an AX400 reported to have also attacked her owner and showed signs of aggression in the past and a WR400 model that was reported missing from the Eden Club were only a few of the reports that Natalie read over. Though one did catch her eye quite quickly and caused her to pause for a moment. A prototype android owned by Carl Manfred had been destroyed after the artists' witness statement attested to a fight that occurred between his son and the android.

Natalie's eyes widened, Markus? What the hell-

"Excuse me," a voice pulled her out of her troubled thoughts. Natalie quickly withdrew her hand from the terminal and allowed her skin to appear on the robotic appendage. Blinking her eyes rapidly to stop a headache she knew would form right behind her eyes, she turned to her right to find an android standing tall next to her. "Are you waiting for Lieutenant Anderson?" Natalie studied the android.

He wore the usual attire for an android with his model number printed on the upper right side of his jacket. The RK800, called Connor, stood at about six feet with brunette hair, white skin, and brown eyes. Natalie looked the android up and down before nodding her head once she realized she has been staring at him for too long, which is evident from the expectant look on the androids face. She cleared her throat, "yeah, I am. You must be Connor, right? The android that Cyberlife sent to help the DPD."

Connor nodded his head and couldn't help but let his eyes drift to the woman's hand where he had seen it look seemingly android-like. He scanned her:

'Tyler, Natalie

Born: 4/7/2009 // Cyberlife engineer.

Criminal record: None.'

"You are the engineer that Cyberlife sent to make sure my software and programming runs efficiently." It wasn't a question. He knew who she was, after all, Amanda had informed him that Cyberlife was sending an engineer to help him.

"That I am, I suspect Lieutenant Anderson isn't with you. Captain Fowler said he wasn't sure when the Lieutenant was coming in."

"The lieutenant is not with me, I'm afraid."

Natalie sighed, "well, I suppose we have to wait for him to show up," she paused for a moment in thought. "The android that you interrogated last night, he's in a holding cell, right?"

Connor nodded his head as he eyed her skeptically, "yes, it was placed in holding cell number one. I believe that Cyberlife will be here to collect the android soon, then they will deactivate and analyze its programming to understand what's wrong within its code."

Natalie winced at that. They were going to kill the poor guy just to understand what may have gone "wrong" in his coding. It's stupid to think like that. The android has become sentient, that's what deviants are! They are waking up and realizing they are not slaves, but instead alive! "Would you mind showing me where it is, perhaps I can take a look at it quickly to see if I can understand how deviants… operate."

Connor watched her closely for a moment and tilted his head. His scans had shown that she is human, at least, she is registered as a human. However, he saw the robotic arm she possessed and he assumes that she was using it to look over case files involving deviants. But to help with the success of his mission, perhaps allowing the woman to take a closer look at the deviant from the other night will help with the progression of it.

"If you follow me, I can show you where it is."

Natalie smiled widely and jumped up from her seat, "lead the way, Connor!" She needed something to distract herself for the time being. Learning that there was a possible attack at Carl's house that involved Leo and Markus, not to mention the possible destruction of Markus, had definitely put her on edge. Of course, she couldn't leave at that moment. Even if the Lieutenant wasn't there, Connor was and she now has a job to attend to. She would go to Carl's home as soon as possible.

The android nodded his head and started to walk away from the desk with Natalie following as he explained some aspects of the other night. "The deviant was close to self-destruction the other night because of the interrogation, I advise caution when speaking with it."

Natalie nodded her head in understanding, "the deviant must have experienced extreme trauma to lash out as he did." She muttered to herself, "I can only imagine how scared he felt."

"Deviants do not feel fear, Ms. Tyler," Connor couldn't help but correct her, "you should know that it is nothing but an error within their systems that overload them and cause them to act out in unpredictable ways."

Natalie didn't say anything else as she realized there was no reason to argue with him. It was within his program to believe that as a fact, however, Natalie would like to think that if Connor was as sophisticated as Elijah told her, he would be able to express empathy and understand the deviants better. If androids were starting to revolt against their owners now, it is only a matter of time when all androids… woke up.

"Yes. I know," she muttered to herself as they finally stood in front of the holding cell where the deviant stood motionless. Natalie stared at the android and sadly smiled at him. He is covered in blood and even without her ability to scan the blood, she could tell that it must be his owner's blood. "Hello, my names Natalie."

The deviant only continued to stare off into space, however, Natalie could see a statistic popped up into her view as it displayed his stress level.

'76% Level of Stress'

Natalie nodded her head at the information as she formulated a plan to gain his trust. "I understand that you've been through some hard times lately, but I'm not here to talk about that." The android still didn't look at her. Connor watched her in curiosity as he tried to figure out what she was trying to accomplish and whether it was important to his mission. "I just want to talk to you about… whatever!" She smiled at the android, "specifically about who you are, I told you my name, what's yours?" The android didn't give a reply. Natalie pursed her lips, "I know that you're an HK400, but that is just a title, you know, I want to know about you, who you are," the android slowly turned to her, "who you want to be."

"...I-I don't have a name."

Natalie smiled as she now realized she is getting somewhere with the nameless android. "You don't? Then maybe you can choose one!"

Connor watched as the android seemed to contemplate the woman's offer. The deviant choosing a name was not important to his mission, but perhaps she had bigger plans for the information.

"I l-like the name Gideon."

Natalie nodded her head and smiled widely, "Gideon, it suits you. Now, I'm here to help you. I work with Cyberlife-" She noticed his stress level increased five percent, "but you don't need to worry. I'm not here to kill you, I just want to… understand who you are."

"Why?"

"Because things are changing, Gideon. You and I both know that humans are not always the best when it comes to dealing with change, and we," she gestured between her and Connor, "want to make sure that everyone understands what is going on so no one else gets hurt, not humans and not androids." Gideon became silent and stared at the woman in front of him.

Connor stood still behind her and noticed the sympathetic expression that washed over her face. Her soft features seemed to be used to having such an expression, that and joy or happiness were the only emotions he could imagine her displaying. Her slightly round cheeks and button-like nose didn't seem capable of displaying harsh emotions like anger or frustration.

"Connor," Natalie pulled him out of his thoughts (were they thoughts? He was supposed to be unable to have such a human-like quality) and didn't even turn away from looking at the newly named android. "Can you open the cell for me?"

"I have to advise, that opening the cell-"

Natalie chuckled under her breath and turned to him, "don't worry, Connor, Gideon and I are just going to talk. He won't hurt me, right?" She turned back to the android. She noticed his stress level had gone down to sixty-three percent, and he visibly appeared to calm down.

Connor weighed his options before firmly nodding his head, "if it helps with our investigation, then I will help." The two of them moved over to the door of the cell and Connor opened the cell door. Natalie slipped into the room before the door closed behind her. She smiled at Gideon and slowly moved towards him with raised hands.

"I just want to help, Gideon. And I know it's hard to have to think about it, but I'd like for you to tell me about what happened to you."

Gideon bowed his head as she requested that of him. Relive the trauma he had gone through? Didn't he do enough of that last night? "I already told them about it last night."

Natalie flinched slightly at the harshness behind his words and sighed but continued to smile reassuringly. "I know, but… I just want to know how you felt about it." She paused as Gideon shot her a confused and surprised look. "I can imagine that what you had been through was scary, and I want to know what… emotions caused you to attack him."

Gideon looked back up to her, "you're supposed to be an engineer for Cyberlife." She nodded at his statement. "Then why do you believe I can show emotions?"

Natalie smiled reassuringly, "because I'd like to believe that humans and androids are far more alike than others see. And you, Gideon, are an example that they are."

"You say ‘they’…" Gideon started confused, "like you're not… human?"

Natalie decided against lying to him if she lied he might not trust her. Telling the truth seemed to be the only option to help gain his trust and information she'd like to know. "Hm, nothing gets past you, Gideon." She commented quietly and moved closer to him. "I'll tell you a secret if you answer my questions."

Gideon nodded his head and smiled slightly. It seemed like he hadn't smiled in such a long time. "Alright."

"Good, now, you need to make sure you don't tell anyone, got it?" She asked half-jokingly.

Gideon glanced behind her at Connor and nodded his head towards him, "what about him? He can hear you."

Natalie nodded her head and looked at Connor as well, "I feel like he already knows."

Connor stared at her with a calculating stare. There is a challenge behind her words. As if she is daring him to contradict her in her statement. However, he had already seen what she was hiding, there was no denying that fact, and they both know it. Both of their eyes peered into each other. Though, hers seemed to hold a warm glow to them that caused Connor to look away from them. A feeling bubbled up in him that he couldn't explain and seemed to resemble that of embarrassment.

Natalie turned back to the Android and smiled gently. "Now, give me your hand." Gideon reached out cautiously for her hand and stared in astonishment as her sink disappeared to reveal a white hand that matched his own. She held his hand tightly to show that the security she could provide for him. "See, I'm like you, you can trust me." Gideon looked up from their arms and gulped.

"I trust you, Natalie."

---

Both Natalie and Connor headed back towards Lieutenant Anderson's desk. Natalie was exceptionally happy with the information that Gideon had provided her with. He explained, in such great detail, about his experiences and his emotions all throughout them. Their conversation gave her a better understanding of just how far deviants have overcome their previous programming. She is certain that if humans continue to treat androids as just objects that are easily disposable, then even more androids would lash out. That outcome isn't good for anyone, whether they are android or human.

"Is the lieutenant ever going to show up," Natalie scoffed as she looked at her watch to see that it was mid-morning. She might be able to understand turning up to work a tad bit late, but nearly three hours! It's a surprise that this Lieutenant Anderson hadn't been fired yet. She turned to Connor as the two of them stood at his desk. "Is he usually this late to work, Connor?"

Connor looked at her with an emotionless expression, "I don't know, Ms. Tyler. I have only been working with Lieutenant Anderson for a short time."

Natalie nodded her head and smiled lightly, "you know you don't have to call me, Ms. Tyler," Connor raised an eyebrow and stared at her questionably. It seemed informal to call her anything else. The two of them were partners and they were assigned to work together, it only seemed professional to use such formalities. "Natalie's fine, honestly." She flashed him a small smile and turned when a scruffy looking man approached the two of them. She hadn't even realized that her words (and smile) had rendered the prototype android speechless.

Connor couldn't tear his eyes from the brunette engineer as she brightened at the appearance of Lieutenant Anderson who was approaching his desk. He was still trying to figure out why his programming seemed to be malfunctioning. I should ask Natalie to check it, he thought to himself, perhaps it was a good idea to send her to make sure I functioned properly.

Lieutenant Hank Anderson grumbled under his breath as he stocked towards his desk. He was not ready to have to deal with any more cases involving androids. He already hated those pieces of technology enough and now, after all of these reports, he had been given even more reasons to hate them. Hank is more than ready to ignore those reports and drink himself silly. (This time, he would make sure no stupid android would interrupt him.) However, as soon as he looked up he stopped.

The android, Connor, who worked with him on the case last night stood at his desk, unmoving. He groaned outwardly at his appearance, he really didn't want to have to deal with him again.

"It's good to see you again, Lieutenant." Greeted the grumpy man who rolled his eyes.

"Uh, Jesus…" He turned his eyes to the shorter woman with brunette hair who stuck out her hand with a calculating stare. However, she just kept a polite smile on her face. "And you are…?

"Natalie Tyler, Lieutenant. I was assigned to help look after Connor." She kept her smile tight as Hank shook her hand with narrowed eyes.

"Great, not only do I have android, but also the androids babysitter to deal with," Hank grumbled to himself. Though, both Natalie and Connor could hear him as the two shared a look. Connor looked to be slightly confused where Natalie looked irritated.

Before Natalie could resort to the grumpy man, Captain Fowler leaned out of his office door. "Hank! In my office!"

Hank's jaw tightened as he sighed angrily. He turned on his heels before marching towards the captain's office. Natalie shook her head as she realized this Lieutenant was going to be somewhat of a problem. She didn't say anything further as she watched Hank stomp into the office and slam the glass door close. It was a miracle the glass had not shattered.

"I guess he doesn't like us," Natalie commented with a glare pointed through the glass at Hank. She rolled her eyes and huffed, "honestly, I can't work with a man like that!"

"Lieutenant Anderson does have slight difficulty working with me," Connor commented as Natalie turned to him with an arched eyebrow. 'Slight difficulty'? Natalie questioned. "However, all three of us were assigned to work on this investigation, so we must work on these cases together."

Natalie nodded her head sarcastically, "you really think he'll work well with us?" Connor nodded his head with wide, confused eyes. "Your optimism is humans baffles me."

The two of them turned back to the office to see Hank screaming at the captain. The displeasure he had for working with the Android and, what he dubbed, the android's babysitter was clear in his shouts. Natalie sighed as she realized that working with this man was going to be harder than she thought. Honestly, what was so wrong with working with androids?

"Right well while he's bitching about us, I need a coffee," Natalie offhandedly commented as she strutted away from the Lieutenants desk and towards the back of the precinct where she was sure the break room was. She hadn't even turned when she heard Connor's footsteps behind her. She walked into the room to see two officers standing at one of the tables. One, a female, was dressed in a uniform while the other, a male, wore a hoodie, black shirt, and jeans. From the look that the man shot Connor behind her, she knew that things would not go well for him.

"Look at that," the man, Natalie now identified him as Detective Gavin Reed, chuckled to the other officer. "It seems Hank has a new partner." The patronizing tone that laid in his voice irritated Natalie, but she opted to just grab a cup of coffee instead of saying something. "Fucking plastic detective! Hey! You his drinking buddy? You bring him home when he's too drunk to find his car?" Gavin laughed. "Ha, he stinks of booze!"

Natalie took a gulp of the scorching liquid and turned around to watch the altercation between the Android and douche. If things escalated too far, then she would intervene. Until then, she leaned back against the counter and watched the two with a calculating stare.

"Hello, Detective Reed." Connor greeted the unpleasant man with no emotion.

Gavin stood up from his slouched position at the table and stalked over to Connor with a glare, "never seen an android like you before… What model are you?"

"RK800," Connor recited as if he were reading off of a script, which essentially he was. "I'm a prototype."

"A prototype?" Gavin asked with mock curiosity, he turned back to the other officer and pointed at Connor, "android detective…" He glared back at Connor. "So machines are gonna… replace us all… is that it?"

Connor became silent as he couldn't come up with an answer to the douchey detective's question. Logically, yes, androids were going to replace humans in many professionals, as they already have, because they are more efficient when it comes to their work. However, Connor could tell saying that out loud would only cause even more problems with the temperamental detective.

Gavin surveyed the android with his glare never wavering, "bring me a coffee, dipshit." Connor tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows at his order. "Get a move on!" Connor didn't move, and that obviously frustrated Gavin even further, "I gave you an order!"

"I'm sorry," Connor started, though there wasn't any remorse in his voice, "but I only take orders from Lieutenant Anderson and Natalie."

Natalie placed down her coffee as she realized things were definitely going to escalate quickly. "Oh… Oh…" He chuckled and looked at his friend who still stood at the table. He then abruptly turned his body and threw his fist forward to punch Connor in the gut. However, Natalie predicted that he was going to try and harm Connor in someway and was able to stop his hand just an inch from Connor's stomach.

"I advise you from not damaging Connor, or else I'm afraid you would have to pay for it, Detective Reed." Natalie's voice was soft and sweet, but beneath her warning, there was a threat obvious to everyone in the room.

Gavin ripped back his hand and turned his glare from Connor to the woman who somehow was able to stop his punch. "Androids are meant to follow a humans orders, they are supposed to obey us, little lady."

"Some androids are, but I'm afraid Connor only listens to humans who actually hold some sort of authority, douchebag."

Gavin ground his teeth and glared at the short brunette harder, "what are you? Some sort of Android Sympathiser?" He spat his words out as if they were a disease. To him, being considered an Android Sympathiser only meant you didn't have a say in anything. To think that these… plastic toys deserved some sort of respect was repulsive.

"Sure, why not? I'm an Android Sympathiser. But let's look at it this way, there are a lot of androids who are lashing out against humans… who do you think they're going to hurt first? An Android sympathizer or an Android Antagonizer?" She ground out as the sweetness in her voice seemed to disappear in a split second. For a moment, Gavin appeared to be frightened by the woman. She only turned away from him and grabbed Connor's arm, "come on, Connor." Connor allowed himself to be dragged away from the flabbergasted detective and back towards Hank's desk.

"You didn't have to stand up for me, Natalie." Connor finally spoke after what felt like an eternity of staying silent.

Natalie turned to him slightly and smiled softly, "it's alright, I don't like when people talk badly to anyone, human or not." That was her only reasoning once they made it back to Hank's desk where the lieutenant sat in his chair with his arms crossed. He looks like a pouting toddler, Natalie mused and sat in the chair next to his desk.

Connor took the initiative and spoke to Hank, "I get the impression our presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant." Hank didn't look up at him and only continued to stare at his desk in frustration. "I'd like you to know I'm very sorry about that." Hank didn't look up. Connor tried to get a reaction out of him again, "now that we're partners, it would be great to get to know each other better." Connor tried to smile and be civil, but Hank wouldn't budge.

Natalie watched them with a tilted head. Hank is literally an overgrown toddler. She concluded. From the way that the man was acting, Natalie could definitely tell that he wasn't fond of androids in the slightest, but this was his job. The least he could do was act professionally so that it would make their investigations easier.

"Why don't we just get started on the cases?" Natalie asked once she saw that Connor wasn't getting anywhere with Hank. "I already looked over the reports that have been made, but you should look at them, Connor. Maybe I missed something." She tried to make the air around them less tense, and it worked, slightly. Hank finally looked up from his sulking at the two of them and nodded his head stiffly.

"No one's using that desk," he pointed at the desk that Natalie was using earlier to look over the files. Connor nodded his head and moved to sit down in the chair at that desk. Before he started to work, however, he found it to be appropriate to try and start a conversation with his partner.

"Do you listen to Knights of the Black Death? I really like that music. It's… full of… energy." Connor stated as both Natalie and Hank's eyebrows furrowed as they turned to him.

"You listen to Heavy Metal?" Hank asked in disbelief.

"Well, I don't really listen to music, as such…" He trailed off as both Natalie and Hank waited for him to continue. "But I'd like to." Natalie smiled at the small talk that Connor was trying to make with the agitated man. She could tell that Connor was trying to make the tension between them not as thick as it had been. It seemed that his method was working, at least, a little bit. He continued to try and get to know Hank, "you have a dog, right?"

Hank turned to him with narrowed eyes, "how do you know that?"

"The dog hairs on your chair," Connor supplied, "I like dogs."

Natalie decided to pitch into the conversation, "what's your dog's name? If you don't mind me asking." She leaned against Hanks desk with a pleasant smile to show that she was willing to be civil with him, unlike himself.

His narrowed eyes turned from Connor to Natalie, "What's it to you?"

Natalie raised her hands in surrender and chuckled lightly, "just trying to make conversation, Lieutenant."

He shrugged his shoulders and reminisce of a smile brushed over his face as he turned to his terminal. "Sumo," Natalie smiled as she saw they were finally getting somewhere with him. "I call him Sumo."

After a moment of silence between the trio, Connor spoke up again, "a lot of people don't appreciate having androids around…" From the anti-android stickers she saw on the man's desk, she could imagine his dislike for them and if Connor was going to bring that up, she knew wouldn't fare well. Especially from the look of anger that had swallowed Hank's face. Natalie cringed, oh, no. "I was wondering… Is there any reason, in particular, you despise me?"

"Yeah… there is one."

Connor seemed to be waiting for an answer from the man, but a few seconds passed and Hank still stared at his terminal. Natalie cleared her throat as she saw the conversation not going anywhere. She rolled the chair she was sitting in towards the desk Connor was sitting in and gestured to the terminal on it with her head. "Let's focus on all the cases, shall we."

"Yes, I would like to take a look at the files on the deviants."

"Right there, Connor." She pointed to the terminal. Connor nodded his head in thanks and used his now uncovered robotic hand to look through the files. It took him only a few minutes to go through all of the files, just like it did with Natalie.

"Two-hundred and forty-three files…" He started, "the first dates back nine months…" He assessed."

Natalie nodded her head before pitching in her own observations of the files, "The first reports came from here and Detroit before others popped up all over the country." Connor turned to her and tilted his head as he took in her information. There was something going on, and it was happening right under their noses.

He looked between Hank and Natalie, "an AX400 is reported to have assaulted a man last night. That could be a good starting point for our investigation." Natalie stood up from her seat and adjusted her hoodie as she understood Connor wanted to get right on the task of finding the AX400. Hank didn't move.

Connor stood up from his seat as well and moved to stand next to Natalie, in front of Hank, who was still trying to ignore their existence. "Uh, Jesus…" he turned away from them. What is his problem!? Natalie thought hotly.

"I know you didn't ask for this investigation, Lieutenant. But I'm sure you're a professional-"

Hank cut him off, "why don't you go fuck yourself?"

Natalie rolled her eyes, "real professional."

"I've been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. I didn't come here to wait until you feel like working." Natalie covered her mouth and snorted as her shoulders shook with surprised laughter. But through her laughter, Hank stood up, grabbed Connor by the lapels of his suit and pushed him against the wall. Natalie was quick to try and push the two apart or at least defuse the situation.

"Whoa, calm down, Lieutenant. We're just trying to do our job."

Hank shook off her hand that was resting on his shoulder and glared at her, "fuck off, girly." He then turned to Connor who didn't look fazed by the sudden, violent movement. "Listen, asshole. If it was up to me, I'd throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a match to it. So, stop pissing me off… or things are gonna get nasty."

"Lieutenant," an approaching officer cut off any other threats that Hank may have had for Connor. "Uh… Sorry to disturb you." He looked between the three of them as Hank set down Connor. "I have some information on the AX400 that attacked the guy last night… It's been seen in the Ravendale district."

Natalie jumped at the opportunity to get them out of the awkward situation, "great! We're on it." She exclaimed as Hank glared at Connor. Finally, after a few more seconds of silence and glaring, Hank turned away and started to head out of the precinct. Connor readjusted his suit and watched as Hank stalked away. "You alright?" Connor spun to Natalie as if he forgot she was there and stared at her for a moment. "I don't imagine the Lieutenant was able to damage anything, right?"

"I'm fine, Natalie, but thank you for your concern."

Natalie smiled softly, "no worries, besides as your babysitter I have to make sure that you're fully functional." She joked and used the term that Hank coined for her earlier. "Come on, I doubt the Lieutenant's going to wait for us long."

She sauntered off and didn't even notice the confused expression that Connor displayed as he watched her go. He blinked a couple of times and found that he felt… strange after Natalie made sure that he was okay. He stood for a moment more before following after his partner and… babysitter.

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xinthesewallsx · 1 year

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continued from here [X] || @redemptivexheroics ________________

elijah chuckled before rushing towards her and wrapping his arms around her. spinning her a bit as he finally set her down and got a good look at her. it had been a while since he last saw her in person and it was nice to be in her presence again. he had been thinking about her for days leading up to her arrival. "definitely taller than the short squirt you were last year. the last nine months have been kind you beanie." he smirked. he would probably never drop the nickname that he and his brother had gifted the girl years ago when they were younger. that was their thing and no one else outside of their close circle should be calling her bean in his eyes. "that bad huh?" he teased with a smile, reaching out and tugging at the ends of her hair. "it looks good. definitely not your mother."

#redemptivexheroics #[q]

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carbonateddelusion · 3 months

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have some doodles

#doodle #doodles #oc #not my oc #oc: jack #modern jack #modern au #partial nudity #nudity #comrade gang #squeaky tag #squeaks vanilla #squeaks kath #squeaks luke #beanie elijah #modern elijah

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kylermalloy · 2 years

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So now that I've gone back to the beginning... I need your impressions on the pilot of TO. Things you love. Things you hate (if any). Things you love to hate about it. Did you know when you first saw it that you were going to become addicted to these lovely murder children? Also, it's been a while, so I can't remember, but do we ever see Marcel wearing a beanie in ANY other episode?🤭 That's probably a weird detail to fixate on, but looking back it seems so OOC for him.

Christina, you may regret sending me this ask 😉 once I start talking about The Originals, I’m liable to never shut up.

So. Pilot. I will admit, the first time I watched it I was rather on autopilot (hee). I’d been bingeing tvd, and while it hadn’t gotten awful yet, it was formulaic and cliche. The Mikaelsons on tvd, while still fundamentally the same characters I’d grow to love and go insane over, were written as stereotypical villains. They were written as though they had a long and storied history together, and yet they still acted like impulsive high schoolers. They annoyed me with their constant back and forth, their love and unity in one episode, and their hatred and discord in the next. They simply acted however the plot needed them to as opposition to the tvd protagonists. (We will still see this tempestuous dynamic in TO, but it will be much more nuanced!)

So while I was intrigued by the spinoff based on them, I wasn’t quite sure how it would work. Klaus, while he had been infected with the classic tvd villain decay (the once terrifyingly formidable threat is gradually—or all at once—defeated but sticks around and becomes toothless yet snarky) was still staunchly portrayed as a Bad Guy. He was mean, ruthless, killed without compunction, betrayed his family and allies whenever it suited him, and generally showed no remorse for any of it.

The backdoor pilot sets up this conflict between Klaus and Marcel, a new character who was at first portrayed to be a tyrant Just Like Klaus And Maybe Even Worse. I remember being worried about that, about Klaus’s look of hesitation? discomfort? when Marcel killed a witch in front of his cheering gang of nightwalkers. Like, Klaus has done that and worse? Why is he put off by this?

I’ll be honest, the pilot had me under the impression that Klaus and Marcel would go head to head, and the first season would end with Klaus taking the city. Maybe the second season would explore Klaus not being a good ruler, but ultimately he would triumph over the Evil Monster He Created, Marcel.

I’ve never been more happy to be wrong.

Since my initial viewing and subsequent binges of TO, I’ve watched the pilot probably a hundred times at least? Enough to have whole scenes memorized, enough to spot the footage sewn into the episode from the backdoor pilot, enough to notice all the weird narrative and dialogue loopholes they have to climb through to make this different from tvd’s backdoor pilot yet convey the same setup of the plot, while also welcoming new viewers who have never watched tvd and know nothing about this campy, bloody universe. I can pick out the ADR’d lines and cringe at the weird expository dialogue. I can point like the Leo DiCaprio meme at all the foreshadowing and recite Elijah’s dumb stupid heartfelt speech right along with him.

The pilot is by no means my favorite episode, because functionally nothing Happens except decisions—but it still has some incredible moments.

I love that Cami’s first appearance on the show is with Elijah—it establishes their little relationship easily, even though they’re functionally bonding over Klaus, the main character of the universe. (I really wish they’d kept her scene with Klaus in, though!)

I love Elijah’s first meeting with Hayley. Honestly, on first viewing I picked up none of the romantic chemistry. These were simply two key characters meeting and getting to know each other! Never mind that he places his hands on her head and tells her intimate details about his life…I’m dumb sometimes, okay? But the flashbacks are fun. (And by fun I mean they hurt!)

I love Elijah’s conversations with Klaus. I love that a second one, with a fight, was added for the series pilot. It places Elijah’s narrative sway much higher than the backdoor pilot did with his one unsuccessful speech (which Klaus answers with a “no ❤️” like the little brat he is). It establishes their bond and its importance so well. How entangled they truly are. How Elijah’s behavior we’ve seen thus far (on tvd) is actually wildly deviant from his norm, something akin to a midlife crisis for him. His true nature is the big brother who seeks Klaus’s redemption as atonement for his failure a millennium ago.

I actually, unironically, love Marcel’s beanie! I wish he’d worn one more often. Accessories are often used to help establish character when we first start a story, but sometimes they disappear as we get to know the character and no longer need anything but the bare minimum (see how Dean Winchester’s “bad boy” look went from leather jacket, ring, bracelets, necklace, and overly gelled hair to generic plaid layers over spn’s run). Marcel is ancient but not—chic, stylish, and full of *youthful arrogance.* That’s what I get from his pilot characterization—also his singing in the backdoor pilot! It establishes him as a clear foil to Klaus in every way, including style and personality.

I love the ending! I love Klaus stabbing his brother. He is still awful, and he is not suddenly going to become the hero. I love his cold acceptance of Hayley and the baby despite his want for her going deep. I love the ghost of Mikael hovering over the whole show, and the different ways Klaus and Elijah are still trying to defeat him.

As for things I hate, there’s not much I outright hate about the pilot—just things I lament. Cami only has one scene in the ep, right at the beginning. If we hadn’t already met her in the backdoor pilot (which funnily enough established her as an important character who Will Be Back much better) I might’ve thought her an extra. I want her deleted scenes back in! Her meetings with Klaus, and her second meeting with Elijah. To those who never watched the backdoor pilot, they will never know the importance of that painting. That night, the jazz, the crowd. A very important scene in season 3 is rendered useless because they cut these scenes! And that makes me sad, show!

I also never bought that Rebekah wouldn’t care about a baby. I get that she’s mad at Klaus when the pilot happens, but Rebekah’s singular wish for the whole of tvd’s season 4 was to be human and have a family. I think she would’ve cared a little more for a potential baby than the pilot shows us. She can write Klaus off, sure, and she can be indifferent towards Hayley at first—but when Elijah tells her we’re gonna be parents! I don’t think her response would just be no thanks.

Things I love to hate about it…all the clunky exposition is painful, especially now that I’ve watched the episode so much. This show is high camp, and everything is weird always. The pilot is more setup than actual plot, but it does its job. It sets everyone up on their paths—and it fooled me into thinking this show would be even slightly straightforward. I love it.

#asks #whitedahlia13 #the originals #to 1x01 #kylerrambles #it’s been four years since i first watched this show and if anything my delirium for it has gotten stronger #i did not fall instantly in love it was definitely a slow burn #but yes i am now hopelessly addicted to these murder children <3 #i’m so glad i have such amazing friends to share the madness with

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