#because who doesn’t love a good case of fake identity and stealing from the rich
Text
The Scars You Hide
Masterlist
We Meet Again | Next
Summary: After your meeting with Bakugou, you get an unexpected call to meet with someone else from your past. Is it possible to mend a relationship you weren’t sure was even there?
“Hey Mina, does Bakugou ever talk about me?” You asked, skimming through the clothing rack next to her with that wide smile you always seemed to have.
Her hands were filled with clothing items, and at your question she seemed to almost drop them. Her pink skin seemed to pale slightly as you watched a small sweat begin to breakout on your face, and in your heart you knew the truth. You couldn’t help but let your smile drop ever so slightly, but you gave a light laugh to calm her down and bring the mood back up.
“It’s okay, I know he probably doesn’t talk about me. . It was just worth a shot to ask.” You giggle falsely, feeling not a trace of humor in the feeling you got in the pit of your stomach. “Let’s go pay, my treat!” You repeated the words you said every time you went out with any one of your friends, the return for spending some time with you.
It was weird with Mina though, whenever you offered to pay it looked like she was conflicted. Her yellow eyes would soften like you spilled some said truth, but you never questioned it. That look scared you with the fear that she might be tired of you, so you’d ignore it for as long as you could. . .
“Ryu, how many times do I have to tell you not to use your quirk in the house!” You yelled to what seemed like thin air as your son clapped once again with another crayon in his hand.
When his little hands met, a small explosion went off that burned the crayon to ash and he sheepishly looked up at you from his spot next to the coffee table. Ryu was so much like his father that it bewildered you, he managed to be a carbon copy of someone he never even met. Not only did he steal most of Katsuki’s physical genetics, he acted nearly identical and had a variation of his quirk. You wondered if being quirkless was the reason all your genes seemed to fail to make the cut, but how could you be mad at that when you loved everything about the blonde little boy?
It would have been nice if he had a little less of Katsuki’s temper, though.
“Honestly, it’s like you want to see me go gray early,” you huffed and continued on your way to the laundry room with your basket full of clothes.
Seven years ago, doing laundry would have been a funny joke to you. There were maids that were perfectly capable and paid to do it for you, so there was virtually no point in learning. The only time you lifted a finger was for makeup and eating, that’s how your father preferred you to live. It was a big contrast to now, where you stood in leggings and an oversized band t-shirt doing every bit of the cleaning and laundry, for not only yourself, but also the six year old son that was never in the plans for your future. In fact, no part of the life you created for yourself was apart of the original plan.
Your phone rang as you finished putting in your first load into the washer, and you answered it without looking, propping the phone between your shoulder and your ear as you put on the proper settings. The unfamiliar voice you heard nearly made you jump since only a handful of people had your number.
“Hey,” the woman said with uncertainty clear in her tone.
“Hello. Who is this?” You asked straight to the point, still continuing your chores as you went from the laundry room to the living room where Ryu was now coloring peacefully and began picking up his mid placed toys.
“Oh it’s Mina. . Sorry for calling you out of the blue, but I was just wondering if you’d like to talk?”
You froze in place, immediately going into mental hyperdrive over all the things she could want to talk about, but none of them seemed reasonable. Neither of you had any contact after Katsuki told you the truth about everyone, you completely went off the grid and she went on with her life like everyone. It would make sense to come up with a bullshit excuse to get out of it. . . but then again it would be much easier to clean with someone entertaining Ryu.
“I’ll send you my address, we can talk here.”
“So. . he really is Bakugou’s kid.” Mina sweat dropped as you both watched him stand on top of the couch with two hero action figures in hand, one of them being Bakugou, yelling nonsense about how he can’t be beaten.
“HAHA! Not even Dynamight and Ignenium can stop this villain, but I will be victorious!”
‘Honestly, that whole strive for victory mindset could be Katsuki or my dad’s genetics.’
“Carbon copy with some tweaks,” you shrugged and continued on your way to your bedroom with your basket full of laundry.
Mina followed you through your small — but well decorated due to your mother — home looking as troubled as she was hesitant as she always did around you. It still bothered you like when you were just a dumb rich girl, and you were must less keen on ignoring it to keep the peace. You were strangers now, after all, not friends due to business.
“So,” you started as you dropped the basket on the ground in front of your queen with a loud ‘plop’. “I know you didn’t come here to just get a peek at the bastard child of your friend, and you certainly aren’t here to rekindle our fake friendship, Ashido. . Spill it.”
You stared at her with accusation, stance showing that this easily could shift from a friendly encounter to a hostile environment depending on her next choice of words. Mina was a hero now, she most definitely could tell that this wasn’t the time to play pretend and get straight to the point like she would in the face of a real villain. She may be more of a commercial hero, enjoying the occasional spotlight and taking down many villains for a camera, but you remember that she looked death in the face the moment she got on the hero track.
The atmosphere in the room became tense as Mina was taken back by your commanding attitude, one that showed that what she suspected about you was true; this wasn’t the same Y/N she met as a kid. Your eyes were colder, uninviting and daring her to take a step too close into your world. Your posture even deterred her from thinking she was anything more than a stranger you invited into your home. Everything about the way you acted was a clear indication that the worst case scenario she had thought of after you contacted her had most likely come to fruition.
“What. . happened to you, Y/N?” Mina asked hesitantly, and you blinked at the question with your arms unconsciously reaching for your right side, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Mina.
After a moment of silence you explained, “I had him. My father didn’t like that. . and he told me not to go through with it, that it would be a shameful mistake. When I refused, he kicked me out onto the streets saying I wasn’t his daughter. I had nothing and no one, my pregnancy was high risk, and I had just been told that everything I knew wasn’t real, but we made it just fine.”
The answer was so vague beyond being disowned that it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened between being on the street and now wasn't something you’d be willing to tell just anybody. Especially not the girl who was only her friend in hopes of getting an up on life in her future. The fact that you told her that much was a privilege she should never expect to receive again. Mina could only frown and think of how lost and heartbroken you must have been, all because she couldn’t bring herself to stand without the herd and tell you the truth. You probably didn’t trust anyone now, and the fact that Katsuki probably thought you were living an easy life on your father’s money didn’t sit right with her when you did everything for yourself now, and obviously lived a modest life with his son.
This was her chance to redeem herself for her first failure as a hero, and she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Mina looked you dead in the eyes with determination that you’d never seen before and said, “I want to help you take care of Ryu.”
Your brows furrowed at her declaration, “I don’t need help-“
“You do, and I’m going to be here for you. I don’t care if you hate me now, but I’m going to make it up to you for being selfish.” Mina pressed, her bouncy pink hair jumping as she bounded closer to you with a grin that used to always make a smile come on your own face. Her smile widened and her eyes closed as she made her words sink in with you. “I want to get to know the real you, Y/N, and I’m not going to miss the opportunity of seeing how you managed to keep a little Bakugou alive.”
You didn’t know what to say, no words were good enough to express every emotion she made you feel after six years of doing everything on your own. There probably weren't any words that could sum up the feeling of someone wanting to see who you really were after being someone else your whole life. You werent fully convinced — you couldn’t be, this not only affected you, but your son too — but there was a simple statement that would let her know that this meant something.
“Thank you.”
A/N: I hope you like this Mina x reader moment! I know there wasn’t much Bakugou and Ryu action, but more to come soon. Also, Ryu’s quirk is explosions that are activated by contact with his hands, meaning that he has to touch something to let out an explosion unlike Katsuki who can just let them rip at any time!
Taglist <3 : @fandomgirllover @cloudsgathering @that-bipolar-renegade-romantic @jazzylove @that-chick212 @bonbonthedragon @hawksnugget @misssugarless @insomniac-nerd-posts-things @bakugous-bakahoe @pinkykookie17 @byakuyaswifee @animexholic @arielting @samkysnks @simpforeveryone @saucey-kneecapzz42020 @liznoonz427 @damnirina @fireworkemoji102 @deneuves @tsumuuumiyaaaa
#bakugou x reader#bnha bakugou#bnha#bakugo x reader#x reader#bnha fanfiction#katsuki bakugo x y/n#bnha angst#bnha x reader
255 notes
·
View notes
Text
Longitudinalwaveme Reviews More Old Comics (and One New One), Part 1
I’m going to be doing these reviews in chronological order, starting with the oldest of the bunch.
Batman #292: “The Testimony of the Riddler”
This issue is actually the second part of a four-part story, “Where Were You On the Night Batman Was Killed?” Basically, everyone thinks Batman is dead, and a bunch of his villains are coming forward to claim the honor of being his killer. Catwoman’s claim was dismissed last issue; now it’s Riddler’s turn.
The mock trial that the villains have set up to determine the identity of the killer is amazing. Ra’s al Ghul is the judge, Two-Face is the prosecutor, and the jury is composed of the Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze before B:TAS gave him a good costume, Scarecrow, the Signalman (*snicker*) and the Spook, who I only know as the D-Lister beheaded by Damian Wayne.
The Riddler begins his testimony, regaling everyone with riddles (some of which seem more like jokes, but whatever), and telling them about a crazy criminal caper he launched, during which time he posed as Bruce Wayne in order to steal a ridiculous jeweled typewriter ( “made of gold, platinum, and ivory...its keys studded with diamonds and rubies...its ribbon made from a Ming Dynasty robe....and its case encrusted with emeralds!”).
Amusingly, since Riddler doesn’t know Bruce Wayne is Batman, his Batman is not at all surprised to come across “Bruce Wayne” at the party. Batman ends up following the Riddler’s clues to find the Riddler and the ridiculously fancy typewriter in a quarry, whereupon the Riddler uses a knife he has to cut a rope that was holding some rock slabs. According to Riddler, the slabs fell on Batman, pinning him. Riddler then blew him up with dynamite (which he set off using a latern’s flames).
As soon as he finishes his testimony, Two-Face calls him a liar; gets permission to take the entire court outside, sets up a deathtrap using the dynamite Riddler claims he used to kill the Batman, and orders the bailiffs to tie Riddler to the trap and light it all on fire.
They do, and the Riddler promptly passes out. Two-Face then walks onto the trap himself, and nothing happens. As Two-Face explains, “dynamite does not explode in fire! It can be lighted only by electric spark or percussion!”
Riddler is eliminated as a potential candidate and escorted from the courtroom (with an apparent $25,000 fine for the dynamite display).
Several other claimants retract their claims, and Ra’s adjourns the court for the day.
Also, Bronze Age Riddler makes a surprisingly convincing Bruce Wayne, all things considered (this was back when he still had black hair; rather than red).
Batman #293, “Luthor’s Testimony”
This issue takes up immediately where the last one left off, with Lex Luthor of all people taking the stand in the costume you can see in the picture above. It’s...certainly something, all right.
Cluemaster, Killer Moth, the Cavalier, and some random gangsters are also at the trial. Most are impressed by Luthor’s amazing(ly hilarious) new outfit, which I’m pretty sure he only ever wore once (for this trial).
Luthor does his usual grandstanding before launching into the story of his latest plot to kill Superman.
Said plot involved a fake robbery to lure Batman into a trap that would allow Luthor to put Superman’s mind into Batman’s body.
Luthor then punched Superman-in-Batman’s-body to death and launched the body into space. Luthor says that now he’s leaving to go back to Metropolis, where he’ll put his own mind into Superman’s body so that he may become Super-Luthor.
Two-Face proceeds to demolish Luthor’s story, first by calling in one of Luthor’s goons to reveal that Batman had infiltrated Luthor’s gang by posing as a henchman, and then calling in Superman himself to prove that, in fact, Superman’s mind is still in its body. Superman just dressed up as Batman and pretended to be Superman-in-Batman’s-body to fool Luthor.
Exposed as a liar, Luthor storms out of the room, but not before yelling at Two-Face for “colluding with Superman” and insulting the criminal pretensions of everyone in the room.
Also, Two-Face somehow managed to convince Superman to grant every villain in the courtroom amnesty. (Although if I’m remembering the fourth part of the story properly, I think “Two-Face” is really Batman in disguise, explaining why he was so easily able to get into contact with Superman and probably making the amnesty fake.)
The comic ends with the Joker’s signature laughter; he’ll be the last villain to give testimony in front of the kangaroo court. Sadly, I don’t have that issue, so I won’t be reviewing it here.
Batman #296, “The Sinister Straws of the Scarecrow”
Scarecrow has henchmen he calls “Strawmen”. They have weird costumes and exist to give him someone to deliver all his lectures to and test his fear gas on. As usual, his speeches to his underlings sound...well...like simplified college psychology lectures.
Otto the burly henchman’s deepest fear is Batman. What a surprise.
Phobias namedropped by the Scarecrow (and narration boxes): phobophobia (the fear of fear), pyrophobia (fear of fire), algophobia (fear of pain), pathophobia (fear of illness), taphephobia (the fear of being buried alive), inutilophobia (the fear of not being able to carry on one’s work) and “chiropterhomopobia”. The last is especially interesting since it’s not actually a real word; it’s a fictional one that manages to effectively follow the formula used for naming phobias. “Chiropterophobia” is the fear of bats. “Homophobia”, in this case, is the fear of men (homo referring to our species name, homo sapiens); therefore chiropterhomophobia would be the fear of bat-men. Good work with conjugation there, writer!
Anyway, the Scarecrow uses a crook named Skibo’s taphephobia to convince him to give them the location of the turnpike bond money he stole from Gotham City’s National Bank several months ago.
The next day at the bank, the money is returned, puzzling Bruce Wayne. Wayne goes to interrogate a crook who talks in confusing criminal slang, who tells him that Skibo was the one who fenced the stolen bonds.
Batman tracks Skibo down...and finds him being assaulted by the Scarecrow, who believes that the bonds he returned to the bank were counterfeit. This is problematic for the Scarecrow because it suggests that Skibo was able to withstand his fear of the Scarecrow and disobey his orders, which would interefere with his ability to intercept criminals who are obeying his orders to return stolent money and take the money for himself.
Batman, Skibo, Scarecrow, and his goons get into a free-for-all that ends up causing an explosion. In the chaos, Scarecrow and the goons escape and Batman gets information out of Skibo about the Scarecrow’s plans.
Scarecrow and his goons then go after a thief who stole a valuable Gutenberg Bible, but before they can use the fear toxin on him, Batman shows up and they use it on him instead. It affects Batman, but he shakes it off and manages to defeat the Scarecrow and his goons as well as capture the thief who stole the Guetenberg Bible.
The story ends with Batman telling Commissioner Gordon that he found the case exhilarating.
All-in-all, a pretty standard Scarecrow story.
Batman #308, “There’ll Be a Cold Time in the Old Town Tonight”
Some guy named Jacob Riker has betrayed Mr. Freeze. The man in question is promptly murdered by Freeze and his henchmen.
In this issue, Mr. Freeze is wearing an outfit that’s reminiscent of Captain Cold’s, but with a bubble-helmet and pink shades.
Catwoman shows up in Bruce Wayne’s office to tell him that she’s reformed and wants to invest money in Wayne Enterprises. Bruce agrees, and also agrees to meet her for dinner at some point next week. She also brings a cat with her to this meeting, because of course she does.
Lucius Fox introduces Bruce Wayne to his daughter, Tiffany, who works in a drug rehabilitation program sponsored by the Wayne Foundation. After exchanging pleasantries, Bruce tells Lucius to give him a complete rundown on what Selina’s been up to, presumably so that he can know if she’s on the level.
He moons over Catwoman for a bit before getting called into action by the Batsignal, and he subsequently arrives at the scene of Riker’s murder. The guy is frozen solid and very dead.
Some rich guy name Mr. McVee comes to Mr. Freeze; he’s exchanging all his wealth in exchange for the promise of immortality.
Unfortunately, the process turns the man into a Popsicle zombie. His body is alive, but his brain is dead.
Also, Mr. Freeze has a girlfriend named Hildy, whom he loves and is planning to make immortal (as he himself effectively is). Unfortunately for him, she does not reciprocate his feelings and is using him solely as a means of staying young forever. Interestingly, she’s blonde, just like Nora usually is (Nora, of course, didn’t exist at the time this was written).
Meanwhile, at STAR labs, a medical treatment goes wrong and kills somebody.
Batman finds and breaks into Mr. Freeze’s hideout...and is promptly attacked by Mr. Freeze and his Popsicle zombies. Mr. Freeze dubs them his “Ice Pack”.
Mr. Freeze manages to take Batman out of the fight by freezing his legs, which causes him to fall to the floor. This allows him to be captured by the Popsicle Zombies and put inside Mr. Freeze’s immortality machine.
Batman is apparently turned into another mindless Popsicle zombie as Mr. Freeze exposits about how lonely his life is and how much he loves Hindy.
Mr. Freeze leaves Hildy in the room with the Popsicle zombies, at which point Hildy starts to talk to Batman about how she thinks he’s cute and she’d rather be immortal with him rather than with Freeze (who she’s planning to kill in any case).
Unfortunately for her, Mr. Freeze overhears her and is predictably furious, pointing his Freeze Ray directly at her face.
Batman saves her from an icy fate by attacking Mr. Freeze, revealing as he does so that he had only pretended to be frozen by the machine (having disconnected several of the building’s extra power lines). Cue another fight with Freeze and the Popsicle Zombies.
Batman uses a piece of ice to break Freeze’s bubble helmet; preventing him from giving any more orders to the Popsicle Zombies. He then fights Freeze some more. The Freeze Ray goes flying and gets grabbed by Hildy, who plans to kill both of them. Unfortunately, the gun backfires on her and she’s killed instead. Mr. Freeze is arrested.
Meanwhile, we learn that the dead guy was the Blockbuster, Mark Desmond, and that he isn’t quite as dead as the people at STAR Labs think.
Justice League of America #167, “The League That Defeated Itself!”
The splash page is of Superman punching Hal Jordan Green Lantern in the face.
The explanation is pretty quickly forthcoming: the Secret Society of Super-Villains has swapped bodies with the Justice League. The Wizard from Earth-2 is in Superman’s body, Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash is in Green Lantern’s body, Plant-Master is in Wonder Woman’s body (ew), Star Sapphire is in Zatanna’s body, and Blockbuster is in Batman’s body.
The real Justice League are trapped in the bodies of the villains and locked in a cube-shaped cell. Superman guides Hal into using his new super-speed to help them break free of the cube.
The Joker stars in a Hostess Fruit pie ad!
The villains have left for Earth, leaving the heroes (who are trapped in their bodies) alone on the JLA Satellite, along with an unconscious Red Tornado, whom they promptly wake up.
Naturally unaware of the switch, the Tornado attacks them and they fight. Zatanna manages to bring the tornado down using Star Sapphire’s powers, and the JLA go off to find their bodies on Earth, with Batman telling Zatanna that she’ll have to reverse the spell as their only magician.
Green Lantern gets some information out of Hijack (who I think is a member of the Royal Flush Gang) by pretending to be Reverse-Flash. The information helps them locate the Society’s HQ.
As soon as they break into the building, however...they’re promptly incapacitated by Green Arrow (except for Zatanna, who remained outside). Green Arrow is suspicious of the way Superman is behaving and decides to keep an eye on him and the others who “located” the HQ of the Secret Society.
Justice League of America #168, “The Last Great Switcheroo”
This issue picks up where the last issue left off. Ollie and Hawkman are supsicous about the behavior of their allies, while Black Canary ad the Elongated Man don’t think anything unusual is going on.
Eobard traps the “villains” in a diamond cell, and then the Wizard chucks the diamond into another dimension!
The Wizard covers for himself by claiming that the “villains” have been put into “time-stasis” by “Green Lantern”’s ring. “I just tossed the diamond into an orbit around the solar system! They’ll remain there until science perfects criminal rehabilitation.” For some reason, everyone except Green Arrow immediately accepts this excuse.
Red Tornado breaks free of the trap Zatanna-in-Star-Sapphire’s-Body had to put him in last issue and criticizes the decisions he made in the fight with them.
Zatanna then arrives on the satellite and convinces Red Tornado of the swap that’s taken place.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, the Secret Society and the remaining members of the Justice League are, at least allegedly, guarding some jewels for the Mexican government. Elongated Man, Hawkman, and the Flash are also becoming suspicious of their supposed allies.
And then Eobard ruins everything in the most Eobard way possible: forcing a kiss onto Black Canary!
The real Justice Leaguers fight and defeat the impostors (except for the Wizard, who left to “patrol the city”)...but before he can step in to salvage his plan, Superman uses the Wizard’s own magic to take his body down.
Zatanna reverses the mind-swap, and the day is saved.
Was it this story that later got retconned to include more mindwiping thanks Identity Crisis, or am I thinking of a different storyline?
Flash #275, “The Last Dance”
In this issue, Iris Allen dies!
The story starts with Barry in the grip of a teenaged girl with ESP powers (no, really. Cary Bates, the issue’s writer, really liked the paranormal). His marriage with his wife Iris has been struggling, and she fears that he might be cheating on her.
She’s also spying on him by bugging his costume rings with “micro-mini homing signal devices”, which just goes to show that literally anyone in the DCU can invent amazing technology at the drop of a hat.
Stalking the stalker is Clive Yorkin, a character from the plot thread that’s been building up to this issue. He’s kind of based off of the brainwashing scene in A Clockwork Orange and hates the Flash and Barry Allen.
The teenager uses her mental powers to force the Flash to meet her at a motel and take off his mask, which he does. She’s apparently disappointed by the results, complaining that there’s nothing remarkable about him, and promptly storms out.
Iris arrives in her car just as the girl storms out, and discovers that she’s coming from the room that her tracker has Barry in. She storms inside and accuses Barry of cheating on her, then runs out in tears.
Also, right before she storms out, Barry looks at himself in the mirror and thinks “ “Ordinary”? What in blazes is that supposed to mean? I may not be Robert Redford...but I always thought I was sort of sexy...at least, that’s what Iris told me.” It’s mildly hilarious.
Iris promptly gets into a car wreck with a tanker truck. Barry manages to save both her and the two truck drivers from the massive explosion that this causes.
Barry convinces Iris that he wasn’t cheating and the two promptly make up.
Meanwhile, Mysterious Shadowy Man on the Phone tells someone to kill Barry Allen at a philanthropist’s upcoming costume party for all of the employees of Central City’s government (e.g., police officers, firefighters, etc.) The Mysterious Shadowy Man on the Phone will eventually be revealed to be the corrupt police chief of Central City, Chief Paulson.
Iris and Barry decide they want to have kids, then kiss. D’awww!
Iris’ costume for the party arrives; she’s going as Batgirl. Barry was planning to rent a Batman outfit, but it was already rented, so Barry ends up going to the costume ball dressed as himself (that is, the Flash).
Clyde Yorkin is still stalking both of them.
Barry’s friend from work, Frank Curtis, arrives to pick the couple up. Hilariously, he’s also dressed as the Flash.
The theme of the party is “Dress as Your Favorite Super-Character”. Iris comments “it’ll be interesting to see whether we get more heroes or villains!”...which raises a question: Namely, why is everyone totally okay with people dressing up as people who are, in their world, real costumed criminals? That’s always seemed odd to me.
Clive Yorkin sneaks into the trunk of Curtis’ car and slips out as the other three head for the party.
Inside the mansion, we see a huge number of people dressed up as famous DC characters, including Hawkgirl, the Calculator, Heat Wave, two Green Lanterns, Zatanna, Aquaman, Green Arrow, two Black Canaries, Abra Kadabra, Batman, Wonder Woman, Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash, Star Sapphire, Supergirl, Pied Piper, Poison Ivy, Captain Cold, the Golden Glider, the Top, mustachioed Superman, some guy in a purple costume I can’t ID, Mirror Master, the Golden Age Sandman, and Captain Boomerang.
The Golden Age Sandman is actually an assassin in disguise; he was hired by Chief Paulson to get rid of Barry Allen before he discovered his corruption; he drugs Barry by “shooting” him with his Sandman gun. One of the Green Lanterns is actually Hal Jordan, who pops up to say hi to Barry and Iris. A later story will reveal that the Captain Boomerang in this issue was the real Captain Boomerang, and that some of the other Rogues were also actually at the party so they could, quote, “party and pick pockets”. Yet another subsequent issue will reveal that the Reverse-Flash at the party was in fact the real Eobard. So...which of the other Rogues do we think were at the party? We know that the Captain Cold isn’t real; he’s “Phil from Vice”. That means that the Golden Glider alongside him is probably not the real one either, and it seems unlikely that the Top here is the real one, since he was dead at this point. So that leaves the Pied Piper, Mirror Master, and Heat Wave as possible candidates.
Chief Paulson calls Barry to meet him in his office at 9 AM the next day; Barry agrees but notes that the man seems oddly tense.
Curtis, still dressed as the Flash, goes outside for a smoke break and gets jumped by Yorkin, who mistakenly believes him to be Barry (until he rips his mask off, at which point he just throws him off the balcony.)
Barry sees a Green Lantern making the moves on Iris and gets upset until Hal reveals that he’s the real Green Lantern and congratulates them on their plan to become parents. He then flies out the window, and somehow all the party goers are fully convinced that it’s just a really elaborate costume. Huh?
Iris tempts fate by saying that “this might be the happiest moment of my life!” The two go off together to get some privacy...but then Barry begins to feel dizzy, as though he’s been drugged. Iris goes into the bathroom to get him some water...and then Barry hears her screaming! He bursts into the bathroom to see Iris on the floor, with Yorkin standing over her. Yorkin then jumps out a window as Barry runs to his wife.
A bunch of the guests, including Mustachioed Superman, burst into the room to see what the commotion is, and Barry passes out. Curtis bursts in a few seconds later to learn that one of his friends needs a hospital....and that the other is dead! It’s a very effective cliffhanger.
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
im at that stage of fatigue from the day where i’m so tired the fanfiction is writing itself in my mind theough dialogue but i’m too insanely tired to sit down and write it all out and i work a shift in the morning too so i dont even have time ... so ill forget everything come morning
[[MORE]]
psych, ima try to outline it rn
this is after a little sacrifice and also after season of storms and takes place in cidaris (im not clear on if kerack is the capital so season of storms dealt with the proper king of cidaris or if it was just a local kingship but im hcing that cidaris is also a capital city as well as the region/nation).
this is geralt and dandelion going to the grape festival mentioned in a little sacrifice btw
main goal for this is to basically give dandelion more depth and address his identity issues and backstory and just how his character is in general
valdo marx (as far as i am headcanoning in terms of appearance right now) is of course , also a twink and they have similar builds but valdo isnt as skinny as dandelion because he has access to three full meals every day. he has dark brown hair and green eyes, and i might give him the same hair and beard as dandelion from tw3 just to spite cdpr. he used to sport green/purple doublets as an independent artist, but now as the reaident troubadour of cidaris, he’s adopted their emblatic colors (blue and white) and wears a doublet with a sash of these colors. he doesn’t have poofy sleeves, instead he has these ruffs and like... bellbottom sleeves. also this method of embellishing clothes that i learned from a glamour video (it’s @ 4:30ish) called slashing is applicable to his outfits. i think he veers away from tights unlike dandelion, so he wears more breeches than anything. he doesn’t have detailed embroidery like dandelion, but rather patterned/quilted areas with silver and some small pearls added for decoration in these sections as well.
so geralt and valdo have to be placed together somehow in a conversation. basically he wants to #expose dandelion for being a fraud... but he’s not doing it out of Pure Evil, he’s (vaguely) kind of like the lodge of sorceresses in which it’s like, he is only wanting things to be done his way because really he thinks it’s the best way to do things. he’s really a victim of academia, he would be someone that supports the fact that instruments are like $1,000 each.
basically he and dandelion were classmates at oxenfurt and at first hit it off very well and shared notes and thoughts and sexual partners and all was splendid. but they got competitive and valdo HATES that dandelion does NOT come from a family known for music or any kind of art. basically dandelion is a novus homo, but in the world of music, and valdo comes from an established family which has been musically inclined for generations. he feels that ppl like dandelion just wanna go to oxenfurt for shits and giggles and dont take this opportunity seriously because theyre too blinded by their own arrogance to actually learn anything. and he may be right in regards to a lot of other children of wealthy noble families that attend oxenfurt. but dandelion’s case was different and this he does not like to admit. also he hates how dandelion is... inclined to... a life of debauchery... because he feels he perpetuates stereotypes of artists being good for nothing penniless drunkards and lechers, and makes it harder for Real Professionals from Actual Lineage to get a job. also he has a disdain for how dandelion really wanted to travel and admired the “musicians of the world” that never attended some fancy college, and again valdo sees this as him not appreciating the opportunity he was given, because all you ever need to interact with is this little 1 mile by 1 mile square of oxenfurt, and not even the whole city, just the college. also when valdo tells all this to geralt he goes give him a judgemental up and down look like... “julian loves meeting, writing about, and... ahem... fraternizing with... all kinds of ... people.” (he was gonna say “trash,” but geralt has swords and cats eyes, so valdo swallowed that last word). ALSO ALSO valdo thinks dandelion is further destroying the sanctity of academic places like oxenfurt by training good for nothings from other nobody families, like essi daven, who was actually from a noble family but one not too rich because it was kind of distant from the ruling family. and since she threw a fit they let her do her own thing instead of marrying her off.
also valdo is like “julian— ahem, ... ‘dandelion,’ as you know him... i don’t know why he uses that absurd little nickname,” because he just finds the idea of a pseudonym stupid (since hes from a famous musical family of course he wants to highlight his lineage). and again he dislikes how dandelion is Corrupting Others by not only mentoring essi at oxenfurt, but training her in an “unorthodox fashion,” ie they just duet and talk shit about random stuff and he advises her weird things like “get a cool fake name so all the girls have something to scream as you go on stage”
as they interact with each other, valdo and dandelion actually are kind of opposite of dandelion and essi. they dont throw ANY snide remarks and keep it all under wraps with just pleased smiles and then as soon as theyre out of earshot (a long way for bards) theyre like “i am going to take the replacement strings of my lute and choke the lights out of that tone-deaf idiot” ... geralt is like 😳 to see aggression in dandelion and hes a bit intimidated at first but then is like Bro Are you Fucking Okay ????? Because its so unnatural for dandelion to be Actually Upset about something and not be ok within half a day
scene where dandelion is staring at the mirror and geralt is like you have been staring at the mirror for a long time, even by your standards... dandelion is like “i have to change something... geralt, look at me. look at me. (says it again bc geralt didnt look up the first time). if you could change one thing about my face, what would it be?” and geralts obviously like “nothing.” and dandelions like dont be fucking difficult just tell me i need to know i need your opinion and geralt is like that IS my opinion i sincerely like your face the way it is. something something blah blah blah tenderness geralt says smth like dandelion you have a lot of loyal fans okay...... and hes trying to refer to himself but he doesnt wanna say it aloud
i think something about dandelion talking about who he was (basically referring to “julian” in the 3rd person) and just very uncharacteristically self-loathing but them he pops back into his little arrogant self ... basically he covers that everyone Fucking Laughed at him for wanting to sing but he did it and now he’s the best and also, sexy. in this whole scene (same scene as last bullet point) he is also saying that he needs to “prove himself” and geralt is just like What More Can You Do, You Are Literally Famous... but dandelion is just pensive about it
also he says something like “theres two versions of me... julian with a dream who nobody knows, and dandelion who’s famous and loved.” and geralts like “theres three.” “three?” “there’s also dandelion, the one i know, who, it doesn’t matter if he’s famous or what, because i just like him and enjoy his company.” BECAUSE i dont know how not to be blunt and not hit my readers over the head with what i wanted to get across. geralt is a blunt man however so i think its acceptable to do this
basically this fic is “dandelion can have little a OOCness for character development”
tbh its not too ooc (hopefully) bc hes not like downright depressed, hes just pensive, like he is when hes trying to think of a good title or rhymes and nothing is working. nothing is working! hes frustrated!!!
i have nooooo idea how to resolve this conflict ive introduced. i think valdo and dandelion have to sing a duet together and it is like skating on thin ice with sharks underneath . MAYBE valdo gets possessed by,, something? not a demon bc IVE HAD ENOUGH GOETIA AFTER SEASON OF STORMS but you know An Entity, and dandelion is like wow this is an improvement!! and geralts like no it isnt, now i have to exorcise this fucker
also throughout this i think that the king and queen of cidaris (maintaining that kerack isnt the capital and is just another kingship within the nation) looooveveeveveeee dandelion and his presence and are like oh dandelion you are always welcome in our court :) which also totally pisses valdo off because its like dandelion came into his work/home and fucked both of his bosses and is trying to steal their loyalty through Sexual Appeal. which. may ring true. but dandelion does stuff for fun and not for manipulation soooo valdo is a little wrong in thinking dandelion is manipulating them. and this also adds to valdos resentment of dandelion for being so promiscuous and also writing about his love affairs bc he feels it detracts from The Art...
basically this fic is also me telling academia and ppl who feel art should be limited to a certain crowd to go stuff it cause no one cares and creativity and learning is only human of anyone. also an excuse to give dandelion character depth and also an excuse to break how geralt is always the gloomy one and dandelion has to cheer him up, i think though they do have their strong personalities, relationships should ideally go both ways in terms of emotional support so it shows geralt has the capacity to support a dandelion with festering anger and personal identity problems. also a way for geralt to learn a little abt dandelions backstory without learning/spoiling the fact that hes a v*scount and actually noble and wealthy (they just refer to his family as being wealthy enough to pay for oxenfurt which is significant but not astounding)
17 notes
·
View notes
Note
I’m really interested in taking a star player / exploring a “fame monster” dynamic but I don’t want to step on a moderator’s toes - can you guys give some ideas as to how we can explore that without feeling like we’re stealing plots?
FIRST OFF - WE WANT TO SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR THIS QUESTION. IT WAS VERY COURTEOUS OF YOU TO REACH OUT WITH THIS, BECAUSE IT SHOWS YOU'VE READ OVER THE SAMPLE APP AND ENOUGH SKELES TO GET A GENERAL LAYOUT OF CHARACTER TRAJECTORIES & WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY AN OVERLYING CONNECTION. WE APPRECIATE THE LEVEL OF CRITICAL THINKING THAT OCCURRED FOR THIS QUESTION. I'M ( MOD S ) GOING TO ASSUME THIS IS IN CONJUNCTION WITH MY CHARACTER, MARLENE, SO I'M GOING TO FINISH ANSWERING IT.
WE'VE MADE SEVERAL "STAR PLAYER" SKELES FOR THE PURPOSE OF "FAME MONSTER" EXPLORATION PLOTS, SO I WOULDN'T BE CONCERNED WITH "STEALING" ANYTHING FROM ME ! I PERSONALLY SEE THE CONCEPT OF FAME AS A MULTI-HEADED BEAST, AND DIFFERENT ASPECTS / SCENARIOS THAT ARE BORN FROM IT WOULD AFFECT CHARACTERS IN DIFFERENT WAYS. OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I KNOW AUGUSTUS ROOKWOOD, LUDOVIC BAGMAN, LUCINDA TALKALOT, AND EMMA VANITY ARE PRETTY CODED TOWARD "FAME MONSTER" PLOTS OUT OF THE QUIDDITCH PLAYERS. UNDER THE READ MORE CUT, I'M GOING TO LIST SPECIFIC PLOTS I'D LOVE TO SEE !
( SINCE THIS QUESTION SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED 'STAR PLAYERS,' I'M GOING TO FOCUS ON THEM, BUT I 100% SUPPORT THE FAME MONSTER PLOTS APPLYING TO OTHER CHARACTERS, OUTSIDE OF QUIDDITCH, AS WELL ! )
First, you need to address some key "Fame" thematics, before you tap into the monster portion:
Who was your character before they became famous, and who have they become because of the spotlight?
Does your character put on a facade for their public personality, or do they present themselves authentically for public consumption?
If they use a fake public personality, what do they do with the emotional dissonance of pretending to be somebody they're not? Does it affect their private relationships? How do they cope?
If they present themselves authentically, do they maintain healthy boundaries with the public? Can they separate their inner perspective versus the public perception of them? What happens when these two versions don't match up?
Do they have an ability to change back to who they were before fame, or has the appeal of the spotlight changed them, for better or for worse?
The "monster" portion of the fame monster trope really rests in your character responding to a slew of these circumstances negatively - similarly to a "bridezilla," the definition doesn't fit if it's not born of antagonism, y'know?
With all of that in mind, here's a non-exhaustive list of everything I could come up with re: alternate "fame monster" plots / dynamics that don't have any effect whatsoever over me & my current musings.
PLOTS:
BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE...: No one can be flawless forever. No one can be the best until they die. The best is the best until... what? Typically, we see the end of powerful reigns because something else begins to matter more: love, money, power, friendship, self-preservation, addiction, and anonymity are all well-known and valid reasons to finally break ties with the fame monster. Maybe your character did, and is dealing with the fallout from the limelight; maybe your character is about to, but is still trying to figure out what's worth leaving the fame monster behind.
THE LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH & FAMOUS: saying your character has adjusted to their celebrity status would be an understatement; they've flourished beneath the limelight, and now have a personal assistant, an agent, and a public relations manager to help offset even the barest inkling of a bad image. Heck, they've been famous for so long, they barely remember what life was like before - they've become someone that's lost their connection to their roots. However, that's all about to change... because where's the fun in not fracturing everything a person knows, for the sake of conflict?
ICARUS' LANDING: oh how high we fly! oh how far we fall ! your character has found themselves in a typical Icarian tragedy - their fame is hinged on the exploitation of their worst hubris, and they won't stop trying to succeed until it's far too late. Try as they damnedest to touch the sun and dazzle in its spotlight, so too will they find their end and burn beneath its brilliance; whatever your character is using to find fame, they will overindulge and find themselves plummeting toward normality far sooner than they'd ever think.
FAN BASE FAVOR: your character has fallen into the monotony of catering to their fan bases' every wish & whim, creating a public version of themselves that's simultaneously overly enthusiastic & underwhelming. That means that they constantly stop for pictures or autographs, to the point of near compulsion. If they're always willing & able to provide for their fans, what does that mean in terms of their public identity? Are they constantly putting on a show, in case fans are nearby? Do they feel invalidated if fans aren't screaming for their attention at all times? Do they lose hours upon hours responding to fan mail? How do the other people in their lives feel about this exhaustive fan service?
STARRING IN THE SHADOWS: your character's parent was famous, to a high enough caliber that their star power has created an everlasting shadow over your own reputation; nothing you do, nothing you say will keep them from being mentioned in the next sentence. But fame has sunk its teeth into you, and your left with two complex paths: do you cede under their spotlight, and hope it bolsters your own? Or do you try anything to break out of their typecast, and make a name for yourself, outside your family ties? More importantly, does anyone else in the world care? Do you talk about your complex relationship with your own privilege, or let sleeping dogs lie?
MY OWN WORST ENEMY: your character has a complicated relationship with hedonism; whether it be romantic entanglements, illicit substances, or general gluttony of all things sin, they compulsively indulge, with little to no discipline. Regardless of outside intervention, your character partakes time & time again, refusing help for what they don't see as a problem, just a "good time." There's only so long this lifestyle can be catered to, however, before they gain a level of notoriety that blackballs them from the famous circles they were once included in.
DANCING WITH YOUR HANDS TIED: your character has feelings for a certain someone, but is unable to act on it, thanks to their celebrity status. Maybe you're trying to exploit the pureblood/muggleborn dynamic? Maybe their interest rests on someone outside the public eye? Maybe that person has no interest in being brought into the public eye, making your celebrity status the difference between having or losing that special person? Can your character let go of the validation of many for the love of one? Do they even have a choice - stepping out of the public eye doesn't automatically free you from being a celebrity, ask any former child star !
DYNAMICS:
OBSESSIONS & CONFESSIONS: your character may be too famous, as they're currently trying to sidestep a stalker - or "obsessed fan," depending on your definition. Either way, no one enjoys invasions of your property or your privacy - does your character confront the stalker directly, in an attempt to gain their sympathy? Or do they take increasingly ludicrous measures in an attempt to ward them off? Maybe, they enjoy the newfound level of attention, and begin to build a complicated relationship with them?
CHASE YOU DOWN UNTIL YOU LOVE ME: Paparazzi, baby ! Love to hate them or hate to love them, the physical entity that is tabloid publication follows you around wherever you go. Does your character love the constant audience, or crave the solace of anonymity? Is the paparazzi better or worse than the rest of the world's consumption of you? Does one person in particular rile you up for the sake of a juicy photograph, leading to a cumbersome antagonism that's almost targeted at you? Does their presence give your character confidence or anxiety? Maybe your character gets on good terms with one of their paid stalkers, and hatches a scheme to always be on the front page in exchange for the juiciest weekly scoop? Maybe your character is trying to use the paparazzi to increase their celebrity status, which hasn't been fully realized yet?
PEOPLE I DON'T LIKE: there's nothing wrong with making famous friends for the sake of gaining more fame, but Lord, doesn't it get cumbersome constantly trying to please people you barely even like? The photographs may seem favorable enough, but behind closed doors & velvet ropes, these people are NOT your friends - but then what are they? And honestly, is anyone really your friend anymore? What defines friendship, in a world where the flashing light will always mean more than the people standing in front of it?
UPPER MANAGEMENT: all celebrities hit a streak of their pride where they become more eggheaded than egg-ceptional - whether your character is the celebrity or their support staff, the high horse of the limelight has finally caused a conflict between what you think you deserve & what you currently receive. Whether you're demanding a new agent, coach, assistant, or some other ludicrous proclamation, this sudden inflation of your ego has done nothing but piss off the people around you. Congrats ! Now it's time to deal with the fall out of your holier-than-thou expectations.
ASSIST ME: a niche dynamic of the one presented above, this deals with the relationship between star & personal assistant, and the synchrony needed to sail an exceptionally famous ship. Is the assistant good at their job? Is the star judgmental & opinionated, with unrealistic expectations? What does the personal assistant get from this dynamic? How does it further their career? Do they only do it out of contractual obligation to their client, or does their relationship with their assigned celebrity go far deeper than that?
SELL OUT YOUR HEART: your character wakes up one day to find that somebody close to them has leaked explicit information to the press about you. However, this source is left "anonymous." What does your character do? Do they root out the imposter, who sold their personal information for a quick dime? Do they want to know the identity of the perpetrator? Is it actually a betrayal in their eyes, or a product of their work? Or maybe your character picked out someone in their group who exclusively leaks these pockets of information for the sake of bolstering your reputation?
THE BOJACK HORSEMAN PLOT: your character has been playing the fame game long enough that the public has begun the enamored catcalls for a book about your life ! Your character's agent places them with a well-respected ghost writer to get things started; does your character enjoy their time with the writer, or do they find them judgmental / opinionated over your character's past? Does the writer respect your character's vision, or expect them to bend to narrative style of a story? Do they ruminate on ideas that your character finds hit a little too close to home, or maybe they won't write what your character wants at all? Does your character treat their sessions like therapy? Does it force them to confront deep personal issues & views they'd never questioned before? Or do they simply finish the endeavor & send them off, without ever thinking about their ghost writer again? Do they build a relationship with one another, or does it begin & end with work?
FAKE DATING AU: pretty self-explanatory & a fan favorite, especially for celebrity characters !
BODYGUARD AU: also self-explanatory & a personal favorite !!
0 notes
Text
Suits Episode 1 x 08 Analysis Part II
(Continued from Part I).
“You know, real musicians? They don’t wear eyeliner.”
Got to love that.
What I don’t love is Harvey once again lording it over Lewis and overruling all his ideas.
Now we come to the first meeting between Michael and Lola, which is what I really want to discuss.
First of all, reality check: unless Columbia University allows visitors during the semester, then how on earth did Michael Ross get in? What’s more mysterious is that Michael checks the fake ID before coming up to Lola. This must mean that he enquired after Lola at the university-- presumably under her real name, since the fake name is linked with an employee at her father’s company. Do universities in America allow you to walk in, looking for another student?
Perhaps he got this information from Mr. Jensen.
Now despite Michael’s lapse in judgement earlier, he does come fully prepared for his meeting with Lola and completely catches her off-guard. She plays it cool and correctly guesses that he comes from Pearson Hardman. That’s quite interesting, because she would be in serious trouble had Michael come from the FBI. Why does she play it so cool, then? Why does she know that Michael comes from Pearson Hardman? This seems strange behaviour, given the gravity of forging government documents.
Could it be that she did not accidentally drop her fake ID at a friend’s bar mitzvah? Was she intending for her father to find it? If so, that would explain how she knew that Michael was from Pearson Hardman. It would certainly explain why she seemed so cool about him holding her fake Driving Licence AND why she continued to test samples and embezzle from her father’s company despite not having said fake ID.
If she did accidentally drop it and then saw it in the hands of a stranger, she must have been panicking-- and, judging by her later actions, planning her next move.
Watch what happens next:
“You know, forging a government document like this after 9/11 is next to impossible.”
“God, there must have been a glitch at the DMV!”
Michael laughs. He laughs!
Think about this. His earlier comment would have sounded as though he wanted to shock her into making a confession. But after laughing when she practically confesses to hacking a state government system and forging identity documents, it is revealed that he actually admires what she did! Look at his expression. He is impressed by her audacity. Not only that, but he is silenced and lost for an answer. Instead, he seems to ponder what she has just said, and she must revive the conversation-- even though she evidently has no pleasure in doing so.
Am I the only one who thinks this speaks volumes?
“Why d’you come here?”
“Your father came to us, ‘cos he’s worried about you.”
“If he’s that worried, he’d be here himself; he wouldn’t have sent an empty suit.”
It is never explained why Jensen and Lola’s relationship is so rocky. This would have provided some context to the plot and depth to Lola’s character. My main problem with this episode is that she is typecast as a poor little girl whose main problem is her Daddy, when it’s dead obvious that she has other concerns-- as I will explain later.
Furthermore, it simply doesn’t make sense that Lola would go to the trouble of embezzling money from her father’s company because she had a rocky relationship with her father. Children who want their parents’ attention usually choose personal stunts. They might run away. Lola hasn’t done this. They might date somebody their parents strongly dislike. Lola hasn’t done this. They might threaten to hurt themselves. Lola hasn’t done this. They might turn to illegal drugs. Lola hasn’t done this.
She is so deeply wounded by the breakdown in her relationship with her father that she turns to… embezzlement? Even sets up a fake company? Sorry, I just don’t buy that.
Now, if Lola has to embezzle from Clarity Drilling to get her father’s attention, that might give a hint as to what kind of father Jensen is.
But if so, then why?
See, if we had some context about Lola’s mother, some of these issues might have been cleared up. If Lola was hurting her father to avenge her mother, that would make sense.
The problem with the Lola storyline is that it completely dilutes her professed motives which are actually sound and logical, not to mention the fact that they add a likeable component to her rather unlikeable character.
“If he’s that worried, he’d be here himself; he wouldn’t have sent an empty suit.”
Suppose this implies Lola’s anger that her father spends too much time on his company and not enough time on her. It probably does. But again, I am given no reason why, nor how she learned to hack government databases.
Anyway, when Lola calls Michael an empty suit, watch his reaction: he’s taken aback, insulted and has to collect himself together.
Now, think about this. Michael has faced a number of insults. Lewis is a jerk, so is Harvey, Jessica barely gives him a second glance, Donna can run rings around him (see 1 x 07 in the mock trial), and Rachel Zane rebuffs him every chance she gets. Furthermore, Lola Jensen is the client’s daughter, someone with no connection to him whatsoever. So why does he appear so stunned when she calls him an “empty suit”?
(Not so sweet now, is she, Mike!)
He takes it so personally and his next words prove it:
“You don’t know anything about me!”
This is rather a defensive comment. It sounds like he is trying to defend his integrity. Now if Harvey had handled this investigation, I am sure he would have blown off Lola’s attitude and cut to the chase. Michael, on the other hand, allows her insult to get to him and must refute it before continuing with his investigation.
Small signs, but significant.
By the way, does Lola expect to shake Michael off her tail during this meeting? From her sulky looks, it appears not. It’s a shame we don’t know what she is thinking, because she is far too intelligent to let a lawyer outwit her.
“You’re stealing money from your father’s company. A couple million, so far? I don’t need to know why, but I do need you to return it-- now.”
Harvey Specter is currently trying to get Maslow to confess to massive embezzlement charges. It’s ironic that Michael has no interest in why Lola is also committing embezzlement. Yes, Mr. Jensen told Harvey not to pry, but for someone as curious as Michael-- particularly where Lola is concerned-- his non-curiosity is surprising.
“Actually, you do need to know why.”
See: this is my problem. Lola proceeds to give an accurate, scientific explanation for why she is going after her father’s company. She has gone to the trouble of collecting samples and even hacking into classified company data in order to get graphs that will prove her case. This is a well-oiled operation, possibly planned for months in advance. It is not the kind of rash decision designed to gain quick attention at all-- which seems more likely if family troubles were her driving motive.
And we are to believe that she is doing this just because she has father issues? The passion in her voice, her expansive knowledge of the subject, her disciplined investigation, and her underlying moral motives (though heavily flawed) simply does not support that conclusion. Instead, it does her an injustice as a character. I’m watching this episode on Netflix, and this episode is called “Identity Crisis”, with a summary saying that Michael Ross has to reign in a “modern day Robin Hood”.
Anyone with the faintest idea about English folklore knows that Robin Hood robbed the rich to feed the poor. So why have this summary for the episode but reduce Lola’s motivations to family issues? Of course, family issues can be part of the problem. But they are completely unexplained, whilst her investigations, methodology, reasoning, and intended actions after embezzling from her father are explained to the letter.
And by the way, when Lola says, “Actually, you do need to know why,” have you noticed that her tone loses its sarcasm and sulky disrespect? Have you noticed that she takes off her gloves, looks him in the eye directly without contempt, and immediately launches into an impassioned statement about her motives? Sure, she might be unwilling to discuss her rocky relationship with her father to a complete stranger, but would she even communicate with him if her only motive were family problems? No-- rather, I get the sense that she has wanted to explain herself for a while and seized the first opportunity to do so.
Meaning that her main motive is concern for the environment, and she is trying to get back at her father’s neglect of her and the environment. Why? Well, the family part is unexplained. But the environment part is well-explained.
“How did you get that-- that’s classified company data.”
“I’m good with computers.”
That always makes me laugh now.
Watch Michael’s reaction: he’s speechless for a moment, and then the whole Locksley LLC dawns on him, leading to a renewal of his admiration for Lola Jensen. He’s smiling as he figures it out! This is a totally inappropriate reaction to someone whose crimes could see her completing her degree behind bars.
“These toxins are known to cause kidney failure, liver cancer, and infertility.”
And this is just about daddy issues. Come on.
Her voice rises-- she doesn’t even take any credit for the Robin Hood idea. No, it’s all about the harm her father’s company is causing.
“I’m not giving the money back: I’m giving it away.”
Michael is speechless as he faces the real possibility of failure (never an option), whilst Lola slams down her laptop in triumph and walks off.
An incredible scene, folks.
More discussion to follow shortly.
1 note
·
View note
Text
Soul Snatched
I
Many people had claimed that somewhere in the village of Kelna, the devil lurked, trading for and in some cases stealing people’s souls. No one really knew who he was or what he looked like. He was constantly changing his form and identity. Sometimes, he’d appear as a beautiful young woman, or your sister. Other times, he could appear as a kind old man, probably your grandfather whose funeral you went to last month. Regardless, he knew how to get his hands on any soul, forcefully or other. It was only right that he learnt his lesson sooner or later.
I was a merchant, a fair and well respected one, or so I’d been told. I knew the exact value all of my goods held, and I traded for no more, but sometimes less. See, I had a strong sense of sympathy, and was willing to help out a man, or a woman, or a child in need. Fortunately, the people of Kelna were very kind, too, and did not take advantage of my own.
I never stayed in one place for long, often travelling from village to village and kingdom to kingdom. However, Kelna had come to be my favorite place after only two visits. Not only were the people lovely, but everything else was, too, from the buildings to the mere scent (usually of lavender). I have gotten to know many of the residents, including the very unique Thea.
Thea was only a child, but she was a very strange one. She did not live a fortunate life. Her mother had died when she was born, and her father as well, by no one’s hands but his own. Clearly, he was too selfish to undergo the emotional pain and raise the poor child on his own, but maybe that was for the best. She bounced between the homes of her relatives, until she ran away two years before this incident would occur.
Now, I didn’t exactly take her in, but I did make it a habit to visit her whenever I came to Kelna. I would save her a few of her favorite green apples and bring them to her, for free, or course. She promised to pay me back as soon as she was older, but she never did. I didn’t hold that against her, though; that would be rather cruel of me.
As for what made her strange, well… she was never your typical loud and energetic kid. In fact, she was a bit lazy and too much noise would make her cry for hours. (Because of this, I gifted her ear plugs on my third visit, but that is irrelevant.) Usually, quiet people loved to read, but she absolutely despised books. Whenever I saw her, she instead sat still, doing nothing at all. I questioned whether or not she knew how to breathe but seeing as she was still alive, she probably did. Needless to say, she was a strange kid.
II
Before going to see Thea, I had already been in the village for two days. The girl would move her sitting location every once in a while, and the village wasn’t exactly small. It took me two and a half days to find her, but I managed to before the apples rotted, and that was all that mattered.
She was sitting behind a building that was owned by a rich noble which was stranger than usual for her, because she was often found in plain sight. However, I did not question it at the time. Surely, she had her reasons…
I crouched down beside her and wordlessly handed her her apples. She nodded in content.
“Thank you, Mister Sigrid. Shall I pay you now?” she asked.
It was then that I realized this was not Thea but actually an impostor. I was sure of this. Firstly, Thea never thanked me nor did she call me mister. Secondly, she did not offer to pay. Thirdly, Thea never spoke in complete sentences; she had an abstract manner of speaking.
Just to further test my speculation, I nodded and said, “Why of course, Dear Thea, but maybe we should move to a better place. Its rather dark back here.”
The area I led her to was rather noisy, the type of place that would make the real Thea burst into tears. But this Thea did not. In fact, there was no shift in her at all. And thus, it was confirmed and i was able to conclude that this impostor was the clueless Devil.
You may be wondering how I knew it was the devil and not a very convincing look alike. Well, I’m actually wondering that, too. I must have had a lot of faith in my intuition.
I led the devil to an outdoor table and pulled out a parchment paper, quill, and bottle of ink. After scribbling out some sentences, I drew a line at the bottom of the paper and turned it to the fake across from me, handing him the quill already dipped in ink.
“I’m sure you’re used to this by now, Thea. This is simply the trust contract. You sign it every time. There’s nothing relevant on it; it’s just so I know my buyer trusts me. I don’t like doing business with someone who doesn’t.” I lied clean through my teeth.
This was a lie because I have never in my life sold to Thea or any other child, and I did not have trust contracts. Those were stupid and probably did not even exist. This was simply to trick the devil who knew none of this. I was sure he was so used to signing contracts as himself, that he’d mistakenly do it this time, too.
Alas, I was right.
He signed the contract and slid it over to me. I glanced at the signature and fell into a fit of giggles. He sent me a confused look.
“What’s so funny, Mister?” he asked.
“Read the contract, fool,” I said.
He did. By the end of it, he looked horrified. I went from giggles, to absolute hysterics.
“You came here to rob me of my soul, but it was you whose soul was robbed in the end! Who knew you had a soul in the first place? This was merely a gamble, and a gamble that I have won. Now, you’re just like all of your victims!” I exclaimed.
“Mister, please give it back,” he pleaded.
“Then swear to me that you will stop your thievish ways and return all the souls that you have stolen to whom they belong,” I said.
“No, never! They belong to me now, I took them!” he exclaimed.
“Come to me tomorrow, at this exact spot, after you have released them, and I will give you it back,” I said. “If you do not come tomorrow, I will give you another one, two, three days, but no more. On the third day, I must proceed to the next kingdom.”
I bid him farewell and skipped off in delight.
III
The next day, I sat at the table for almost three hours before the fake showed up.
After our encounter the previous day, I managed to track down the real Thea and gave her the apples. I did not tell her of the devil. She was too young to know of all that. Maybe I would tell her in a few years, but for the time being, I kept quiet.
“Have you set them free?” I asked.
“Yes, I have,” he said. “May I have my soul back now?”
“No, you have lied to me. I am taking off one day because of that. You have two more days.”
And then I left.
On the second day, It was he who waited for me at the table. I sat down across from him.
“Have you done it yet?” I asked.
“Yes, some of them,” he said. “May I have it back now?”
“No, because I said to release them all. I will not take off another day, but you only have tomorrow to do as I have told you,” I said.
He looked angered when he left.
On the third and final day, we arrived at the same time.
“No, I have not released all of the souls, only a few more of them. I tried to do them all, but I could not bring myself to do it. Please, Mister, give me my soul back, and in the afterlife I will repay you,” he begged. “Without my soul, however, I can not return.”
“I said to release them all, and under no other circumstances should I give it back to you. I took your soul, and therefore, it is mine now. You said you can not go back without it? Then I will go back in your place, and you can remain here, soulless. But because I am a kind man, I will allow you to impersonate me. In three years, I will come back, and in the meantime, I want you to take care of the little girl Thea, the one you are impersonating right now. If I see you have done a good job, I will return your soul to you,” I said.
In his place, I did go back, and I fixed up his kingdom. Only a month later, I found Thea had shown up, and after three years I returned, but I did not give him his soul back. He didn’t steal any souls in those three years, but he did a terrible job at watching Thea. I am sure he learned his lesson. If not, then that is completely his problem.
1 note
·
View note
Text
The CrossRhodes Saga 1/?
40s Noir Klaine AU
Rating: Eventual M or E
Warnings: None at the moment
Word Count: 1907
Summary: FBI Agents Kurt and Brittany go undercover as a married couple to investigate the CrossRhodes Lounge - a jazz club with some mysterious things going on.
Yup, It’s a total 40s Noir AU with undercover identities, black widow sham marriages, and Cooper fucking Anderson.
A/N: Thanks to @snarkyhag for betaing! :) Yes, I know where this is going - but please note the ‘saga’ in the title. Also - I don’t claim to be historically accurate.
AO3 Link
Chapter 1:
1947. FBI Headquarters. New York City Division.
His partner leaned against the door frame of the office, arms across his chest, eyes wide with delight, grinning from ear to ear. In the twelve years that they had worked together, smugness was not a common trait he saw on Elliott Gilbert, but he was certainly smug now.
If Kurt Hummel didn’t know better, he’d say something unusual was waiting for him behind that door, and that made him nervous. “What does she want, Elliott?”
“Not me, that’s for sure,” Elliott said, shrugging his shoulders. “You’ve been recruited by the Special Ops.”
“Special Ops? Oh god - does this have to do with the aliens?”
“What aliens?” Elliott gave him a wink. “No - this time you don’t even have to leave the city.”
Kurt eyed him suspiciously. “Who asked for me?”
“Agent Pierce.”
“Agent Pierce, fu-- why?”
Elliott chuckled and gave an even bigger shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t ask questions. I just do what I’m told.” He gave Kurt a slap on the shoulder as he pushed by. “Try to have some fun, Hummel. It may do you some good.”
Kurt opened the door and entered the familiar office of Division Director Sue Sylvester. The room was lined with plaques, trophies in cases on shelves, awards of all sizes and kind that surrounded a single desk in the middle of the room. A blonde woman sat in a chair in front of the desk, twirling her hair as she waited. Sue herself stood behind the desk facing the wall, the lights dim enough so that Sue was merely a shadow of a figure.
“Ah, my sweet, sweet Agent Porcelain,” she said without turning around. “I could smell your angelic rainbow scent the moment you got off the elevator.”
Kurt rolled his eyes. Sue Sylvester was insane -- but still managed to be one of the best FBI leaders he had ever known -- which made her marginally tolerable. “Would you like me to turn on a light?”
“No, that would ruin the dramatic effect. Please take a seat.”
He took the empty seat next to the blonde woman. The woman squeed with delight, threw her arms around his neck and squeezed. Kurt tried not to choke underneath Agent Pierce’s enthusiasm.
“Kurt, I’m so happy to see you.”
“Brittany, we saw each other last week at the agents’ dinner.”
“Yes, but I’ve been to New Mexico since then.”
Of course she had.
“Let’s get started,” Sue said, whipping around and placing both hands on her desk. “Have either of you ever heard of CrossRhodes Lounge?”
Both of them shook their heads as Sue took out a large, manila folder and dropped it on the desk. She opened the file and showed them two photographs, one of the lounge itself, a tiny little sign with an arrow pointing to a doorway barely noticeable among the much larger storefronts it was squished between, and the other photo of a middle-aged woman wearing an incredibly revealing dress, one arm flailing above her head while the other one held a glass of wine.
“The CrossRhodes Lounge is a slinky little jazz club,” Sue explained. “Opened just after the war to moderate success by a woman named April Rhodes, who once had aspirations of being a Broadway star then settled for being the bored, alcoholic housewife of an aging business man with too much money. She convinced him to open this cocktail bar to relive her glory days and support her addiction to cheap champagne. Her husband kept the money flowing through the place on a regular basis in exchange, I’m assuming, for a roll in the sack once a year. The prowess of Ms. Rhodes appeared to be too much as the old man kicked the bucket during one of their romps. And as you might imagine, she blew through her inheritance in a matter of two months. The CrossRhodes Lounge wouldn’t be a thing right now if it weren’t for one Santana Lopez.”
Sue flipped over the next photo in the file to reveal the profile of a dark-haired woman. Brittany leaned in to take a closer look.
“Ooh, she’s beautiful,” Brittany cooed.
Sue clicked her tongue. “She’s also deadly. Before Ms. Lopez became major investor and two-thirds owner of the CrossRhodes Lounge, she was an exotic dancer and part-time gambler. She barely scraped by from job to job and then suddenly, she meets a man and her luck, apparently, began to change.”
Another photo, this time of a slender man wearing a very expensive suit.
“That is, or was, Sebastian Smythe; a smarmy, sarcastic rich boy who used his daddy’s money to sell ripped off French beauty products to a gullible American public,” Sue said with a smirk. “Porcelain, I’m sure you and he would have gotten along famously with your shared love of facial creams and hair product.”
Kurt rolled his eyes at her. “He looks like a meerkat.”
“Well this meerkat met his untimely end after four months of wedded bliss with Ms. Lopez,” Sue continued. “His single flyer plane crashed in the Hamptons. The body was not found, but the explosion was so big, they ruled that he must have been burnt to a crisp upon impact. Lopez inherits the money, and buys a majority ownership of CrossRhodes Lounge. And then things get interesting.”
The next photo in the pile was that of a round-faced man in a baseball uniform.
“It didn’t take Ms. Lopez long to recover from the tragic death of her husband,” Sue continued. “A few weeks later, she was seen in the company of former Yankees star Dave Karofsky. Karofsky was forced to retire early do to an knee injury, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t find love, and within a month Lopez and Karofsky tied the knot with a ceremony on home plate. This marriage lasted a little longer, but not by much, because Karofsky met his untimely end while sailing in the Atlantic ocean when his yacht mysteriously caught on fire. Again, no body was found, though I assume it sunk immediately to the bottom of the Atlantic.”
“So, she’s apparently killing her husbands for the money,” Kurt said, failing to see why this case was being brought to them. “The NYPD could have handled this.”
“Oh, they sent it to us.”
“Why?”
“Well, it seems as though Ms. Lopez has found herself a new fiance.”
Sue flipped over the next photo and pushed it towards Kurt. A man, most likely his own age, dark hair, dark eyes, strikingly gorgeous. Kurt tried to ignore his pulse beginning to race.
“Oh, who is he?” Brittany asked. “He looks so mysterious.”
“That would be Blaine Anderson,” Sue said, dramatically tapping her finger on the photo.
“Who’s Blaine Anderson?” Kurt asked, wondering if he should know the name. There was something about this guy that seemed almost familiar.
“Nobody, really,” Sue answered. “See, Ms. Lopez, beyond her now deceased ex-husbands, has a habit of only dating men who have substantial wealth. And it seems as though Mr. Anderson is but a lowly street musician with not a penny to his name.”
“Maybe she found true love,” Kurt said, trying not to sound too bitter in light of his own failed romantic attachments.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no my sweet Agent Porcelain, that’s not how this story goes.” Sue flipped over the next photo and Kurt nearly gasped. A very charming looking man was posing for the camera. The man may have been dressed to the nines in his tux, but he knew that strange grin anywhere, and instinctively looked up to the wall behind Sue’s desk where she kept her personal Most Wanted list. And in at number two was a mugshot of the same face. Sue smirked again, as she watched Kurt figure it out. “Yes, that’s right. Blaine Anderson’s brother is none other than a top tier international jewel and art thief. An international thief who is worth over a million dollars in stolen goods. That’s right. Cooper Anderson.” Sue dramatically pointed at the mugshot.
Brittany tilted her head in confusion. “Wait, so is Santana trying to steal his money, or are they trying to steal Santana’s money?”
“Well, that’s the real question now, isn’t it sweetcheeks?” Sue folded her arms across her chest. “And that’s where the two of you come in. You’ll be doing some undercover work to get this mess sorted out. It looks like one of the waitress-slash-dancers of the CrossRhodes Lounge just quit and there’s an opening. Brittany, how would you like to use some of that special training you’ve acquired.”
Brittany’s eyes lit up. “Keen!”
“And Agent Porcelain, you’ll be accompanying her as her manager and husband.”
Kurt sat up straight in his chair. “What? Why? I can easily just be her manager. We don’t have to be married.”
Sue raised her eyebrow at him. “Brittany asked for a partner on this one, and I agree, this is a two person job. You’ll be able be much closer to the situation as her husband.”
“Please, Kurt? Please, please, please?” Brittany grabbed onto his arm and shook it. “Out of all the fake husbands I’ve had in my life, you’ve been my favorite. We’re special unicorns in this together.”
God, that’s right. He had suppressed the Ohio job, one of the first few cases he had worked on when he joined the FBI, which had him and Brittany undercover as a husband and wife living in the backwaters of Western Ohio. He doesn’t have many fond memories of their time spent together, being forced to wear denim and plaid the whole time, but he did learn a lot about himself that week.
“Should be a pretty easy case, Porcelain,” Sue said, stroking her chin. “Open and shut within a week, I have that much faith in the two of you. Listen, this one’s personal. I’ve been wanting to catch Cooper Anderson ever since he stole the Blue Diamond of Dibella out from under my nose. I had won it at an auction and it would have been my most prized possession, my crown jewel to put on all my trophies. And that charming, admirable, god-like, fine male specimen with the most gorgeous blue eyes you’ve ever seen took it from me. Either way the chips fall, whether it’s through Santana Lopez conning him or if the Anderson brothers have their next job, I’ll be able to take him out. So you either take the case and help me bring him down or I’m sending you to the desert for three months to pick up weather balloon parts. What do you say?”
Kurt took a deep breath, thinking it over for a second. Sue Sylvester was a pretty powerful woman, and with one screw up his ass would be on the line. The case was definitely a risk. Still...
Out of the corner of his eye, the photograph of Cooper’s brother Blaine caught his attention again. There were some pretty amazing genes in the Anderson family. But what really stuck out is how innocent Blaine looked in that photo. He had seen and met countless criminals throughout his career, and Blaine just did not fit the type.
“I’m in.” Kurt said before he could talk himself out of it.
The one thing Kurt didn’t know was that the only person Blaine Anderson was dangerous to was Kurt himself.
54 notes
·
View notes
Note
what are ALL of your headcanons for the FS AU (the one with alpha, beta, phan, and lumi)? and yes i mean all of them. also do you have a place for all of them/are they organized anywhere? im in love with this au and i would love to know more!
Well anon, you are in for a wild ride, so strap in and fall right deep into the hell both @satsuha and I are deep in. This is an extremely long post, so I apologize in before hand in case the readmore doesn’t quite kick in.
A basic summary of this AU is that Alpha and Luminous are blood-related cousins. They are part of the Commander family as lopsided as it is, and the reason for their ‘somewhat close relationship’ is precisely based on the fact the two of them stick out so much from their family. In this AU, Alpha is a full-time bookstore clerk but is also a university student while Luminous is a Physics and General Science Teacher in a high school.
Beta is a high school student who’s not related to Alpha in anyway, which makes it ironic that the two of them look alike despite no blood relation whatsoever. Identical Strangers.
Phantom is an General ARTS and Drama Teacher at the same school as Luminous, but has also grown up with him. They are childhood friends. He also knew Alpha from back then.
Alpha
AGE: 20
Occupation: University Student, Bookstore Owner
Doing a science degree in university, majoring in Physics.
He is Will’s biological son. His mother (who is an unnamed woman, not Rhinne) divorced Will when he was only a baby, so he doesn’t remember her, nor does he feel any loneliness about it. He doesn’t like to associate with his family (extended family included) because he sticks out. The only family he agrees to be associated with is Luminous, because as much as he hates to admit it, Luminous is the only one relatively close to him.
Hates books to a burning passion despite being a bookstore owner. He hates his job. The reason he got stuck being a bookstore owner is because he made a deal with his father, who is a bookstore company CEO, that he would be allowed to live independently if he managed a bookstore branch. The rules are that he lives on his own managing the store, and isn’t allowed to screw around otherwise he will be rid of his privileges and be the company heir, which is something he absolutely despises to do. He is not allowed to leave the store till he is much older, and anything he does to rid of his job (and he’s tried before, which is how he was told of his consequences) will be put against him.
His store is regarded as creepy because of the weird symbol of the company, and regardless of his attempts to make it seem less creepy/proposals to change the logo - especially in his first year of independence - they wouldn’t change it. He’s stopped trying.
While barely anyone seems to come to the store, he actually gets enough customers and money to pay expenses. In exchange for paying expenses, he receives allowance from his father. Some months, he does gain profit.
Attends University twice a week. On those days, he closes the store, since he negotiated to cram all his classes on those specific days.
He’s two-faced of course, he’s very alluring, endearing and fake enthusiastic in front of customers. However, in front of the other three he’s always bitter, sassy and cynical.
Sometimes, to sass Phantom and/or Beta, he uses book titles to communicate. He actually runs an instagram for the sake of making witty phrases using book titles.
His aspiration in life is actually to travel and explore, but since he’s stuck in a bookstore, he doesn’t think he’ll get there any time soon.
He used to be part of the track and field team in High School, and has a large affinity for P.E and just generally doing sport, but being a bookstore owner he doesn’t get to do any of that which is one of his reasons for being bitter all the time.
Luminous
AGE: 25
Occupation: Science/Physics Teacher at the local high school.
Luminous is the same age as Phantom, since they attended the same school since elementary and eventually started working at the same school. He’s currently a Physics/General Sciences teacher, and while students think his classes are boring, they learn much more and surprisingly, hardly fail the class. He used to tutor Alpha when he entered middle school, who gave him the idea of becoming a teacher. When he taught as a student teacher, he reluctantly spent most of his time with Phantom, who was there at the same time.
His biological father is White Mage, his mother is [Mercenary]. His parents divorced when Luminous was very young, and since then WM has been completely immersed in his job (Luminous still doesn’t know exactly what he does, nor does he care) and hired Lucia as a hired caretaker. Luminous barely considers WM as his father, and loves Lucia as family more than anyone else.
He would never admit it, but his immersion in his studies is similar to WM’s and he often spent time reading alone in his childhood. Despite being at the same school as Phantom for years, they hardly interacted until high school/college. As well as being babysat by Lucia as a child, he often “spent time” with Alpha, though it was more like being in the same room and each doing their own thing. Even so, Alpha is his closest/most tolerable cousin, and they would often escape together during family gatherings.
In general he’s quiet, but mostly just prefers to stay reserved when he’s with people he isn’t acquainted with. He actually tends to ramble about things he likes, which is often mystery and science fiction novels. He’s typically stubborn, and prefers to stay within the rules and stick to his own way of doing things (which is why he highly disapproved of Phantom and his stealing antics, and tried his hardest to stay away from him to avoid trouble). Despite that, he slowly starts to open up to some different possibilities after spending more time with Phantom as fellow teachers, since they do have very different mindsets and fields of discipline.
His relationship with Alpha is quite strange, since while they did spend a lot of time together when they were young, they didn’t find out much about each other. He visits Alpha’s bookstore relatively often, mostly out of necessity and sometimes to make Alpha feel less bad about being alone (not like Luminous would ever tell him that).
Luminous spends more time with Phantom than he’d like, but he does admit (to himself) that it is a pretty valuable learning experience. He actually develops a fondness for theatrical performances after being forced by Phantom to rehearse lines with him occasionally, and often watches Phantom perform (sometimes invited, sometimes without telling him).
Phantom
AGE: 26 (older by months)
Occupation: ARTS (Basics of all) and Drama Teacher
He was Alpha’s previous drama teacher, but during that time he only worked as a student teacher. Despite that, they have a somewhat close bond, which leads to him always visiting Alpha’s bookstore during breaks “to keep him company”, but also to complain about Luminous missing his advances yet again. He nicknamed Alpha as his “favourite alumnus” to piss him off.
Has actually grown up with Luminous, and because of that, he developed feelings for him. He had actually also met Alpha along the way even prior to his teaching, and enjoys teasing him which is why they have that “somewhat close bond”.
Despite his nonchalant nature, he’s serious in his job. He’s charismatic, but also teaches quite well, which is why he’s the favourite of many in the school.
He’s an incredibly good actor as well, and has a small career in broadway and theatre. He surprisingly prefers to teach rather than further that career, but he still performs with a troupe called Lumiere occasionally.
Was infamous for always stealing/pickpocketing when he was younger. However, he fell in love with one of his teachers - Aria - who helped reform him. Unfortunately, she got married to someone else and moved elsewhere to settle, but Phantom kept her ideologies to heart and decided to pursue teaching. His father, Raven, often argues with him and how he had great potential to be something greater; rich even; but nevertheless Phantom continues on with his job.
He finds his share of fame and fortune from his troupe performances and teaching. He’s quite popular in school and locally.
He’s very petty, as he despises both Alpha and Luminous’ youngest cousins Orchid and Lotus respectively for destroying some of the things he stole when he encountered them.
As a teacher he is relatively lax with the rules, and often lowkey bends them to suit himself (such as wearing piercings at work) but he wouldn’t do anything completely out of line.
Beta
AGE: 18
Occupation: 3rd Year High School Student
She is actually Luminous’ student in Physics, but she’s not very smart at it.
Doesn’t actually like reading books either, but she doesn’t mind it. She’s quite into adventure stories, and often wonders what it’s like to explore a fantasy world.
She’s quite airheaded, and often doesn’t understand a lot of concepts until she gets a proper feel of things. She learns by doing more than through words. Beta also maintains more of a blank/neutral expression which makes it difficult for people to understand what she’s thinking, but she is not emotionless. In fact, she is quite beautiful when she smiles.
The reason for her quiet and blank nature is because she had an accident when she was seven that led her to being in a coma for three years, and spent some time in rehabilitation. It made her a bit secluded from many people, and affected her way of thinking along the way. She is not antisocial though, however, as she does have many friends but they were never actually close friends - with the exception of Lapis and Lazuli, who are her best friends.
Her biological mother is Rhinne. She has a father, but she has actually never physically seen him because he was always overseas for work, and she has spent more time with her mother so she doesn’t care very much about him. However, in later years Rhinne has had to leave home often due to business trips (she is a CEO of a watch company) so she fell under the care of her secretary and neighbour, Pietta. They live in an apartment complex where they are close with everyone in the building, who in some form work for Rhinne’s company.
She receives tutoring from Dello twice a week, and is also in the judo club.
Actually encountered Alpha’s bookstore during a stormy afternoon in which she got drenched from the rain. She doesn’t remember the incident well because she caught a fever during that time.
She visits Alpha’s bookstore very often, pretty much every time she doesn’t have any after school activities. Ever since the whole rain incident, she was curious about the bookstore. Even if she doesn’t actually like to read, she’s particularly intrigued by the owner, and enjoys talking to him (even if he’s always, well, the way he is). Going to the bookstore actually has let her witness a different side to her physics teacher and the drama teacher in her school. They start to have a bit of an odd bond, since they have no relation to each other.
She actually starts working part-time at the bookstore during long breaks. After she graduates, she decides to work there full time while she thinks about what she wants to be, since she doesn’t really know.
Extra HCs/Scenarios/Unsorted;
Alpha is actually quite popular with the senior citizens of the shopping district. Because he’s a suck up (so he can take advantage of their freebies), and as well as how most of his customers are composed of the elderly anyway. However, he still does deal with some frustrating customers from time to time, especially those who complain about the state of books or the lack of recent issues.
Luminous actually spends an average of at least three hours in the bookstore because he treats it like a library. Alpha often chews him out on bending the spines of novels and not treating them with enough care - “This isn’t a library, if you’re going to do that, at least buy the book” - during his visits. He also uses the bookstore for his supply of textbooks and material for his classes, and negotiates with Alpha for stock. He also recommends the bookstore from time to time but nobody still goes, aside from Beta.
Phantom has taken advantage of his popularity to support the bookstore and recommended it to his students, while also adding witty comments about Alpha himself. But his ‘support’ backfires hilariously, as while people did go to the bookstore, they had used it for romantic endeavours instead. Alpha was more frustrated than pleased with the result (due to him having to kick a bunch of students out for attempting nasties) and tried to kill Phantom for it during the more quiet hours. The incident lasted a week, and during the week Alpha passive-aggressively recommended badly written erotica novels to his ‘customers’ under the guise of potential ideas, so in a way, he did make some sales.
Alpha and Beta have a bit of an awkward bond at the first, with Alpha starting off as acting extremely ‘fake’ towards her because she was a customer at first. However, Beta was able to see through his act quite perceptively, and started to converse with him enough for his facade to break. Because of her contrasting nature to his, he was very frustrated with her in the beginning. But with due time and her regular visits, the two slowly ease and become good friends.
—
This isn’t the end of them of course! The two of us have so much ideas, it’ll be too much to add to one post. I hope this was satisfying! And I extend a warm invitation to everybody to join us in Bookstore AU hell.
#neesan asks#MS: bookstore au#THIS IS SO LONG#although i cut out the romantic aspects of this au to avoid controversy and discourse#i'm playing it safe but i'll state directly in the tags:#this au is catered to Alpha x Beta and Phantom x Luminous respectively#THERE IS however Alpha x Phantom in this too#i will mostly only speak in platonic relationships for alphabeta because I know some of yall will be after my ass#Anonymous#Characters I didnt talk about or didnt imply assume they aren't in this au rofl#there are however some we didnt mention that ARE in this AU but. this au is focused on those four and their bonds specifically.#maplestory#luminous#phantom#zero alpha#zero beta
41 notes
·
View notes
Text
Its Going to be Okay
I was about to go in and work on asks (again if you’ve sent one there are a lot in there and I’ll get to them all but it will definitely take me a few more days). But I just want to take a moment and hopefully offer a bit of stress release to the fandom.
Tuesday everything literally got turned upside down on us as the C Arc turned into AO3 come to life. They surprised me (Which isn’t easy to do), did things we didn’t want to see, and then totally changed the playing field on us. Some are excited by the twist while others are devastated. As usual the source of that is mostly Fitzsimmons.
We’re here guys. The Fitznapping, Role Reversal, and Woman on Fire I’ve been predicting since last season is here. Just not how I though it would be. The writers did it and turned it on its head. I said they would do something that would have us freaking the hades out over hiatus and boy did they ever.
With this meta I’m going to break a few things down and offer some hope. But we still have to prepare for more twists that are going to hurt.
What will Fitz be like in the Framework?
What we know: He’s seemingly rich and holding his hand out to a woman in the car. He’s got either minions or bodyguards with him as well.
What we suspect his regret AIDA fixed is: His father. If it was something to do with his relationship with Jemma they would not have put the Papa Fitz stuff on the table. So in this world...AIDA will have given him a father and a supportive one at that.
In essence part of how we see Fitz will be if he had a father figure at the very least He had someone either nurturing his genius/guiding it. Or he never got into science and is more on the business side of things.
We had lots of fun trying to find the perfect actor for Papa Fitz. And boy did we find some fun options. But you know, he’s been here all long. Radcliffe.
Radcliffe built a utopia...his happily ever after is in there too. He sees Fitz as the son he never had, wants him working with him, appreciated his talents, and encouraged him. “I’m not going to let this come between us”. Bonus the way he touched him when talking about the Framework with AIDA, it was paternal.
Fitz said he saw Radcliffe as a father figure.
So that has been fixed now. Both for the ‘benefit’ of Fitz and Radcliffe. AIDA makes Radcliffe Fitz’s father in here. Be it she rewrote history, or lets say the Glasgow mission saved FItz’s Parents...without it they die and Radcliffe adopted him/took him in. (That serial killer board showed us just how much Coulson has done. He is patient zero in all this. Him not joining Shield is what made the biggest wave).
Having the father figure in his life be it Radcliffe or Papa Fitz is one of the things that likely changed FItz’s trajectory the most. And there is a good chance he never went into the Academy or if he did he was pulled away/into Hydra. In that case he never met Jemma or knows her in a different way (we’ll get into that later).
I know a big fear will lie in Fitz’s personality really being different. And yes he will be, he’s in a world where he doesn’t have the experiences we have seen shape him. The Fitz we had now isn’t the Fitz we had in the pilot. Who he REALLY is is still there. He is who he is because its who he is, its not is programming (that conversation with Jemma was huge and is going to be the crux of all this). He’s a good person, who is loving, brave, and loyal. However, until he remembers we could see a change. And that’s okay, it will be fun to see Iain strech his legs a big.
He could be Evil: Robo Fitz gave me chills. Just legit chills. So we could see a bit of Hydra Super Villain Mad Scientist Fitz here.
He could be an a**: He is this world version of Quinn or even a bit of Stark He knows he’s smart, he knows he’s rich, he’s entitled, and manipulative. Pretty much everything our Fitz is not.
He is himself...but with a twist: He’s the Fitz we know...but a bit more confident. Or they have twisted his loyalty and convictions from loyalty to Shield...to Hydra and his father figure. Remember Garrett said if Fitz joined Hydra in the fall, he’d hold a high rank and that would no doubt come with the kind of trappings we saw him with at the end.
No matter what....Jemma will eventually get through to him. Its not going to be easy, Jed said it won’t be easy, but she’ll do it eventually.
Where is Jemma in the Framework:
She is NOT in the grave. Had she projected herself into a dead body she would have died instantly. Jemma said her Avatar was “running around” in the framework. A dead body doesn’t do that, this isn’t Walking Dead.
She is NOT on Maveth.
We don’t have time for this. Period.
Jemma is the one who is going to get Fitz to “wake up” and she can’t do that from Maveth.
The circumstances that landed her on Maveth in the first place will not have happened because Coulson never joined Shield and I have a hunch things are going very differently with the Inhumans in here.
No writer in their right mind would open that can of worms with us again. They have been distancing themselves from that story like the plague.
This story is about Jemma getting Fitz back, not him realizing she’s gone and somehow figuring out he needs to get Harold, and its nto going to be Jemma getting off Hell planet and THEN joining the party.
Maveth is another world. The Framework is one work in its own right.
Jemma as never scanned so where her Avatar is (like Daisy) is a result of what AIDA did with Fitz, Coulson, May, and Mack. Now May and Mack won’t have been as big of factor as where Jemma landed. That is more “I never joined Shield Coulson” and Fitz.
Yes, we could get the he never went to the Academy and therefore they never met. Plus side we get to see him fall in love with her again.
We could get they are rivals, and look at that enemies to lovers.
Jed said that everything in “our world” is in there somehow. Case in point Ward. That also means things like Shield (who in an Upside down world would be what Hydra was, lurking and limping along in the shadows), Real Shield (Bobbi, Izzy, Gonzales, and Weaver), Mike/Deathlock, Afterlife (but look for it to have been captured or fallen we can’t get Jaiying, Lincoln, and Raina back).
What if Jemma in this world IS a Double Agent for Shield. Working within Hydra to steal secrets and take it down.
She’s not JEMMA anymore...she is someone else.
The Grave:
Its the back door Jemma was talking about.
It does indeed belong to Jemma Anne Simmons and her death has been faked for some reason. Be it by Fitzsimmons, Hydra, Shield, or Radcliffe. But like Coulson and Fury’s, its an empty grave.
It says “Loving Friend” on it so someone was close to her in this world to put that there. And it has to be SOMEONE who was scanned. May, Coulson, Mace, Mack, and Fitz.
This gives rise to Double Agent Jemma. “Jemma Simmons” in this world is indeed dead and Jemma’s avatar is going by a new name and identity.
Jed said that Fitz didn’t seem too phased about her being in the grave. So that either means that He wasn’t close to her here to have it have an impact...or he knows she’s not in there.
The Hand:
They hid who it belonged to for a reason. But in looking at the positive side of things they gave us Ward.....so why would they give us Ward and not continue the massacre on our feelings and have some Rando step out with Fitz. Because they could have done what they did with the hand with ward. Had Daisy coming out of the bathroom and sees the figure laying in bed...cut away. Leaving the fandom thinking its Lincoln ALL hiatus and then come back in 16 with SURPRISE! It wasn’t Lincoln.
So in not showing us the hand and confirmring it wasn’t Jemmas it build the suspense and often times our imagination or worst case are far worse than what happens. So all hiatus they leave us fearing who is coming out of the car next.
Okay so yes, Jed confirmed the hand isn’t Jemma...he said JEMMA. But...if Jemma Simmons is “dead” her Avatar won’t be going by Jemma will she? She’ll have a new name/cover so while Jemma might not be coming out of that car next....Lil and her Framework counterpart very well could be. Jemma here could be a double agent either spying on, protecting, or trying to get to Fitz. Or is a version of her Radcliffe wanted for his ‘son’.
Another option is that when Jemma “died” in this world Fitz went all Radcliffe on us and created Robo Jemma. So like Agnes is to AIDA...Jemma’s new counterpart would have a different name.
However we do have to consider other options for that Hand too.
AIDA/Agnes: But not romantically. Rather if Radcliffe is his father either one could be his “step mother”. Despite the butterfly effect its hard to get to a point where Fitz meets AIDA on his own.
Bobbi: She’s undercover in Hydra too, Fitz is her target or she is his bodyguard. Again NOT romantic.
Rando assistant: So its his version of Anon or AIDA and its not romantic at all.
Rando Girlfriend: Yes it has to be on the table. I’m sorry but it does. I don’t like it. It don’t want it. But it has to be there. It makes me mad as all get out that we have to deal with another form of a love triangle. Again I feel if it was this option they would have hit us with a truck with it already and really left us in shambles. IF they do this to us remember....
ITS NOT REAL and as soon as Fitz wakes up its all Jemma all the time.
The Jemma Fitz loves is not in the picture. So he’s not cheating on her or anything like.
When Fitz comes out of the Framework Fitz will recognize it was that, in the Framework. It will not change his feeling for Jemma at all. “Theirs is a forever love”.
Jemma comes into his life and we get to see her have him fall in love with her all over again.
If AIDA has inserted herself in here as Fitz’s Girlfriend is more of a Dragon guarding its treasure. Its allowing her to keep an eye on him. Its not because she loves him. .
Other points:
Jemma needs to get close to Fitz, she needs to be in the mix or in a position where she can do that and start to work on him. So she can’t be completely off the map here Get him to wake up. Get him to want to leave the Framework. And its not just Fitz she and Daisy have to do this with. Its May, Coulson, Mack and Mace too. All the while surviving whatever the crap is going on in that world. AIDA didn’t program the story, she just changed it at a certain point ans is going from there. So its a true What If AU.
AIDA allowed x factors in the mix like Ward....this Ward is based off of Coulson, May, Fitz, and even a little bit of Mack. And is still ‘alive’ here thanks to someone’s regret fix.
This is Ward we are talking about...kind of AOS plot twists.
The trick isn’t going to be really finding everyone, its going to be convincing them to ‘come home”. Convincing them this isn’t real.
Both Radcliffe and AIDA who built the Framework in the first place know how much Fitzsimmons mean to each other. As does EVERY SINGLE PERSON they scanned in there.
We can’t forget even once they get them to want to come out its Radcliffe who knows where they are and how to do it safely. RADCLIFFE is the one they have to get to tell them. And we know he’s pretty dang happy in there, especially if we are right about Fitz. He’s got his son, powers, Agnes, and no fear of death. Let me tell you @jessiecrimefighter and I just came up with another one of those really awful ideas. But in the End its Radcliffe who has to be willing to let them go and die to save them all.
Fitzsimmons:
We have and endgame here guys. In the gut punch of what we had please don’t lose site of that. This is TV so we have to suffer before we get these moments.
We endured the hell of Maveth and were rewarded with them becoming Canon and The Singularity.
We endured the so close yet so far of A and were rewarded with Sciencing Domestic Fitzsimmons through B (and really we had to know something was coming with all that good).
Just like in Season three where they set up Perthshire/Jemma pictured them together, that they both loved each other. It became of matter of getting there. The bump them was Will, them getting kidnapped, Fitz going to Maveth, and its aftermath. And we are there again only this time its better. Its Marriage. Robo Fitz with the wedding talk was like Fitz watching Jemma’s videos. A huge “oh my you want that” moment without the other directly saying it.
Fitz wants to propose, he wants them to get married and grow old together.
Jemma WILL say yes, and she will say yes as soon as she gets him back.
There is NO Universe where FItz doesn’t want to Marry You.
Their’s is a forever love.
THEY WILL MAKE IT BACK TOGETHER....and out pay off at the very least is them engaged if not a wedding.
Many of us wanted a Woman on Fire Fitznapping...well we got it. And I said to remind me I wanted it when it was here and not how I pictured it to be. So that is what I am doing.
I would also like to point out that the person who has nearly pulled them apart the most is in the mix. Ward. Boy do I have some fun theories for him but those are for after the ask box isn’t overflowing. Especially thanks to Jed’s newest quote.
I know my meta won’t stop someone from stopping the show if they are upset about the turn. I know it doesn’t change canon. I know it doesn’t change we are going to have to suffer a little bit. What I’m hoping I get across is that the suffering will be worth it. That we need to stay positive and stay together with this. Fitzsimmons will be fine, we have that diamond ring just waiting at the end of this. So hang in there guys. But in my gut I do believe there are FAR more interssting stories to tell vs just throwing a Rando GF in the mix.
The Framework is full of love and loss. Seeing who you really are. That our experiences help shape us but they don’t define us.
156 notes
·
View notes
Photo
« THE CHAMELEON »
❝ I’m the BEST at what I do. And what I do isn’t very pretty ❞
LAST NAME, FIRST NAME: Nikolas, Beckett
AGE: 28
HOUSE OF CHOICE/INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY/N/A: Famine
OCCUPATION AND/OR LEVEL: Level II
FACE CLAIM: Marie Avgeropoulos
NATIONALITY: Italian
ETHNICITY: Greek
CONNECTIONS
THE MATRIARCH;; Upon her arrival with the pirates in Romania, Beckett met Jezebel, under whom she apprenticed until deciding to join Famine.
THE HANGMAN;; Whilst working as a Level I in Famine, Beckett made a living under Syrus’ roof, working part-time as a stripper. Once promoted to Level II, she was forced to quit her job, but nonetheless remained close with the club owner.
THE AMNESIAC;; Beckett met Zoe back during her travels with the gypsies, when the girls were younger, albeit now, years later, Zoe has no recollection of their friendship, or their relations. Bex is determined to make her remember, however, and the future seems promising, especially with Zoe’s realization that Beckett seems somewhat familiar to her…
THE PARADOX;; Sloane and Beckett have a longstanding feud after she stole a motorcycle from one of Sloane’s House’s neighbourhoods. The two became rivals and, up until present, haven’t found a way to make amends nor to get along. But that doesn’t mean this feud will last forever…
A love interest { gender non-discriminatory }, preferably from another House;; Beckett oft wears her heart on her sleeve, she travelled with pirates only because she’d fallen in love with the captain’s son. She never stays rooted in one place, and working for Famine has been the biggest commitment she’s ever made. All she needs now is for someone to challenge that…
A roommate/ Close friend, who’s also a fellow thief;; Bex needs someone to keep her on her toes, someone who can match her thievery and who she wouldn’t succeed in stealing from, especially if the person was her roommate, because she would definitely try.
A mechanic/ Someone good with repairing vehicles;; Bex stole a motorcycle from one of War’s neighbourhoods upon her arrival to Romania to help her travel around, and she’s grown very fond of it up until present. After she stole the bike, she got into a non-fatal accident because she didn’t know how to ride it, and would’ve taken it to a mechanic to get fixed, or to someone she knew could repair it. She would’ve had this person swear to secrecy not to divulge the fact that they knew she bike was stolen, and would probably end up trusting them, etc. Bonus if the person also offers to heal her/take care of her after the accident. Double bonus if they have a feud with War or with people within War and that’s why they’d help her.
Someone in the Criminal Justice System;; Someone who either had a lead on her or the person who arrested her during her travels with the gypsies. She either would’ve escaped prison of her own accord or was freed with said person’s help, depending on how you want the connection to go. For the latter, we could say she befriended them or romantically exploited them into benefitting her and releasing her.
Estranged family member;; This could even be over marriage, not relation by blood. Someone in her family who Bex could turn to in times of need, since she’s always been attached to her parents, despite how horribly they treated her, and it would’ve helped her feel closer to home.
Anything else anyone can come up with <3
PERSONALITY:
Beckett is a mess of enigmas. She’s closed off in that she never trusts any two people with the same two secrets, but at the same time, she wears her heart on her sleeve and claims to fall in love with a new person virtually every week. She feels everything so deeply, but also has no pity for her victims. She’ll steal only from the upper class, unless stealing from the poor benefits her { which rarely, it ever does }. She went from a snobby, rich kid to a hardened, rogue thief in a matter of months. For those she cares for, she cares especially deeply for, but for those she despises, she has no incentive to keep her loathing hidden. At the same time, she’s secretive, reckless in her emotions but careful in her tactics. She follows her intuition and it’s helped her with myriad heists, but she also always knows how to plan for the worst case scenario. She’s rigid in her opinions but adaptable to the settings, her morals are fluid but her view on the world is broad, as she incorporates all she’s learned from her many years of travel. She loves people but learns not to miss them, for in the end they only disappoint her. She understands that in this world, the only person who’s there every step of the way is your own self, and deep down she despises how attached she becomes to people who will probably leave her. She leaves first in fear of being left behind, breaks her own heart so no one else will have the power to. She’s loud and extraverted, yet recluse during missions. She knows how to make herself seen and heard, but also how to make herself disappear. For these reasons, she’s a chameleon. She’s adaptable, always trying new things but figuring out how to make herself seem like she’s been apart of them for so long. She can stand out but just as easily blend in. She’s been around the world, and associated with such varying cultures and yet discerned how to make herself seem like she belongs. The same applies for her heists, where she learned how to camouflage into her surroundings and make herself unknown to her targets or to the system.
MBTI AND/OR ENNEAGRAM: (optional part)
MBTI;; ENFP { The Discoverer }
ENNEAGRAM: #4 — The Romantic, Artist, Individualist
THREE WEAKNESSES:
i. Her emotions;; Beckett gets really attached to people, very easily. Which is something that could be used against her, and has been, more often than not. She’s more than just well aware of it, but there’s absolutely nothing she can do.
ii. Her alias;; On the streets of Italy, prior to committing identity theft, Bex was known as the Black Cat. She abandoned the alias when she began her travels with the gypsies, albeit she’d gone through a whole “acknowledge me as the best” phase when she was still a teenager, and as a result, left indications of the moniker back during most of her heists. Trace the moniker to Beckett, and one could connect her to several dozens of crimes.
iii. Her parents;; No matter how much anger she still harbours towards them for throwing her out, Beckett still clings to the memory of her parents. In truth, she was much younger, and doesn’t even know if she has any siblings. She hasn’t been in touch with her family since she was thrown onto the streets, and she wishes she could reconnect with them, every single day. Part of her resentment stems from the fact that she does, in fact, miss her home life, and all the perks that have come with it.
BIOGRAPHY: TW child abuse, rape, eating disorder, drugs, alcohol, death
Born to a wealthy family of fashion designers in Milan, Beckett Nikolas had it all. Except parents who genuinely cared about her. Sure, in a way, she was spoiled. Spoiled rotten. She’d throw a hissy fit and suddenly she was adorned with jewels and money and toys and anything a little girl could want. Except affection. For her parents treated Beckett not as their child but as another child model they would hire to sport their youth line of brand-name clothing. She was prescribed weight loss medication, forced into specific diets and workout regimes, and banned from wearing non-designer clothing and from engaging in social relations with those who were deemed “under-privileged.” And if she refused, it was the belt, or the fist, or the wooden spoon, or anything that would pepper her skin with bruises and turn her flesh into a mosaic of black and blue and red and purple and green.
Because of this detachment, because they never picked her up or gave her hugs or displayed any forms of emotional investment in their child, Beckett had begun to crave MORE. So she asked for more. And more. And more. Material items to compensate for the void she felt with regards to the relations in her life. Her friendships were fake, her parental relations were fake, it was all materialism to ignore emotions. So that’s what she began to crave. It was almost addictive, and once her parents decided their best “model” was beginning to ask for too much, Bex retaliated by stealing. Pickpocketing from her parents, taking a chequebook and writing cheques, pilfering their credit cards, stealing and pawning their material objects. It got to a point that they hired a personal “trainer” to deal with her “delinquency problem,” which really just meant suffering through harsher training regimes until she bordered on exhaustion and could no longer move. Then, they decided it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t the perfect, pristine child they wished for her to be, an obedient, little carbon copy of her mother. So they disowned her. Kicked her out. Stripped her of all her belongings. Sent her onto the streets to fend for herself. She was 14, and that was the last she’d ever see or hear of her family again.
Needless to say, city life didn’t treat a delinquent, rich child with no street smarts very well at all. She was vulnerable, defenceless, with no concept of self-sustainability nor even positive relationships, forced to wander the alleyways aimlessly until she would find some way to LIVE. And she found it, supposedly, in a 22 year old man who claimed to love her and who she assumed to love back. But you don’t take advantage of the one you love, so Beckett all but crawled away from the man who stole her virginity and harmed her more than her parents ever had. She was exhausted, parched, famished, stripped of her innocence, and worst of all, alone. So she did the only thing she knew how to do best;; She began to steal. It was minute at first, little pickpocketing shenanigans here and there, just to get enough money to survive. But of course, old habits die hard, and soon, it had become too little. So she set her goals for greater heights, moving around Italy and commencing the theft of designer clothing, jewels, and ultimately, art. She earned a monumental amount of money through her teenage years under the alias Black Cat, selling her earnings in the black market and making a name for herself in the underground. For a couple of years she’d become entangled in the Italian Mafia, falling in love with one of the family’s children before waking up in the middle of the night to the sounds of sirens. They were looking for her.
So she fled, the mafia aided her in committing identity theft and she escaped the clutches of Italy in search of new adventure.
And she found it, with the gypsies.
She stumbled upon them after her flight landed in Greece, and Beckett, now 17 years of age, had grown quickly attached to one of the gypsy daughters, an exotic woman who danced with a grace unlike that which Beckett had ever seen before. So the woman took her in, and soon the gypsies had grown fond of her, treating her like an estranged family member they hadn’t seen in years. She was well fed and traveled around with them, they taught her valuable skills, most notably in terms of being self sufficient. It was with the gypsies that her addiction to hallucinogens had first flowered, and she became obsessed with the notion that drugs, and not materials, could temporarily fill her void and make her feel something.
For a year or so she’d left the gypsies and joined a rock band, travelling around with a drummer whom she’d grown fond of, but a severe highway accident killed three of the band members, so Beckett stole whatever valuables she could from them, and returned to her gypsy family. But her luck didn’t last long, because the police force found her, and she was thrown immediately into prison. It was only a few months later, after she’d managed to seduce one of the guards and have them assist in her escape, that she was freed, and attempted to return to her gypsy family.
Needless to say, they weren’t as welcoming the third time around. Especially not when they realized the huge monetary compensation associated with the warrant out for her arrest, their sudden epiphany that they had taken in a wanted criminal and a skilled thief both alarming and proving a threat to their own safety. This was even more so the case for the gypsy woman who’d grown romantically attached to the Nikolas and was angered by Beckett’s infidelity, so when the gypsies reached Bulgaria, they dumped her off and left her to fend for herself. Something Beckett was slowly becoming better and better at doing. So she began her thievery again, quickly growing comfortable with committing identity theft and snaking through the countries in the region, selling her wares on the black market and uprooting herself every time the police became suspicious.
The last faction she’d encountered and would travel with was the hoard of pirates, a hearty group who welcomed her when Bex met the captain’s son at a bar in the Ukraine. The two fell madly in love and Beckett began travelling the seas with them, committing raids and substituting her drug addiction with alcoholism. The pirates, taking note of her addictive nature, knew Beckett would fair well as one of their own, ultimately growing attached to the pleasure received from committing theft and receiving large sums of money. It was as necessary to them as their own survival, and would become the same fate to Bex, herself. So the captain had his son ask for her hand in marriage, and she’d consented, until two nights before the wedding, when they were docked somewhere on the border of Romania and she realized she’d never made a single commitment in her life and fled.
It was in Romania, at around age 24, that Beckett met Jezebel. She apprenticed under the woman until ultimately deciding to join Famine, herself. It was supposed to be a temporary solution, and she even worked as a stripper at Syrus’ club on the side to make even more money, but when she was promoted to the Second Level, Bex realized she was in too deep to simply leave. So she quit her job, solidifying her first ever commitment to the House, and living with an uneasy harmony that stirs constantly within her. The Nikolas’ desire for wandering eats her alive, an insatiable lust of an addiction stronger than any others which she has that she fears it might consume her in her entirety. But for now, she fights it, because she strives to honour the only commitment she’s ever made, albeit her constant self-doubt pushes her limits to actually abide by it.
1 note
·
View note
Text
A Tribute to Olivia, the Scene-Stealing Dog of Widows
There’s a moment, toward the end of “Widows,” right before the climactic heist, when we check in on the members of our titular crew before they don their black masks and holster their Glock .9mms. It’s that quintessential pre-heist montage of the players saying goodbye to their loved ones, just in case the job goes bad: Linda (Michelle Rodriguez) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) kneel before an altar with Linda’s children, lighting candles to the Blessed Virgin. We’ve already seen Belle bid her daughter farewell, and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) have one final drink with her kinda-sorta boyfriend/definite Sugar Daddy. So, the montage ends with Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis) standing in front of a doggy daycare, preparing to drop off her beloved Westie terrier, Olivia (Olivia the dog, continuing the tail-wagging charm offensive from her debut in “Game Night”). Director Steve McQueen lingers on this moment far longer than the other farewells—he pulls his camera back wide, and in the dark of the evening, Veronica’s body becomes a knife-blade of a silhouette: She lifts Olivia up in her arms and holds her with a tenderness that is more poignant, for its openness, its earnestness.
This image of a hard-edged woman cradling her little dog, perhaps for the last time, is one of the rare pure moments of emotional unguardedness in a twisty film that is preoccupied with power: who has it, who wants it, and who gets to take it, against all odds. It’s also one of the few and precious instances I’ve ever seen, on-screen, where a woman’s relationship with her pet, especially her dog, is regarded with the emotional depth and intensity as her bond with child or spouse. Veronica is very much a woman alone, and angry about it—arguably, even before her husband is exploded off this mortal coil (or, at least, when he seems to have exploded off this mortal coil)—yet, her bond with Olivia isn’t a low blow of a portrayal, meant to show how sad and pathetic she is.
Olivia is her pampered, cherished, and oh-so-adorable companion; more than this, though, Olivia is Veronica’s connection to the parts of herself that long for love and connection—even though her life experience has taught her that love and connection can be the double edges of the sword that pierces her breast and lances her heart. Olivia is not just “the dog,” a fluffy entity for the audience to fret over, or a cuddly convenient way to thaw out an arctic woman and make her “more likeable”: “Widows” uses Olivia to tell a deeper, more nuanced story about loneliness and longing, a story that feels achingly familiar to people like me, who have turned to our pets to ameliorate both.
Tova
I am, to quote the kids in my neighborhood, “that dog lady.” I’ve lived alone for the better part of my adult life (since my mid-twenties), save for a German Shepherd named Tova (pictured above), who I adopted just after I finished grad school and started the I-guess-I’m-a-grown-up-so-what-now phase of my life, and, after Tova passed away, a wily Lab-mix named Mina, whose need for training helped me concentrate my grief. Tova was a gorgeous, martial-looking dog with a gorgeous, martial spirit. She was a pinnacle of her breed in solemn protectiveness—I remember how she dismissed one particularly tedious and callous beau of mine when he left my apartment for the last time; she stood with the length of her body pressed against my legs, blocking him from a final embrace, as if to say, “time’s up, cowboy”—but I cherished her, mostly (and among so many other things) as a constant presence, as silent and consistent as a pulse. She was my first “good morning” when I woke up; my last “good night,” every day.
In "Widows," McQueen and Davis evoke this most powerful element of the human and canine bond, that quiet confidence that comes in sharing a space and performing the daily rituals of life, not through broadly emotive displays like the goodbye outside of doggy daycare (which is more impactful because it is so strategically deployed), but in treating Olivia as a fixture in Veronica’s life. Olivia is there, burrowed into Harry’s (Liam Neeson) side of the bed, when Veronica breaks down before Harry’s funeral, her meticulously-arranged face cracking, for just a moment, in an expression of raw grief. Olivia is there, nestled in her dog bed, as Veronica reads through Harry’s notebook of jobs, and begins to plot the job that will get her and her fellow widows out of debt. If the Rawlings’ penthouse magnifies and reflects Veronica’s loneliness and vulnerability—rendered in cool, distant colors that feel catalogue-ready; overlong corridors that seem to mock her sudden singledom with their dramatic excess of space; and broad-paneled windows that all but scream “go ahead and look inside, she’s all alone”—then Olivia is the affectionate, inquisitive figure of comfort who brings sloppy, puppy-kissing life into the void.
Veronica’s insistence on bringing Olivia nearly everywhere with her may seem, initially, like a defensive display of rich bitch posturing—but even this posturing is a form of well-sculpted emotional armor. I’m terrible with strangers, fumbling-tongued and desperately uncertain; talking about my dogs isn’t even a back-up, it’s often my first, second, and third plan of approach whenever I’m meeting someone new: Telling that story about how Tova almost won the pet costume contest, or how Mina came in top of her class at obedience school (not that I’m bragging), feels so much safer than offering something starker about myself, something that could be weaponized—but it doesn’t feel entirely like hiding, either, because these stories matter to me, as much as anything I’ve done in my career or any film I’ve ever loved. Being a devoted dog guardian means assuming a complex, multilayered identity—one that all the “Dog Mommy” merchandise tries to flatten into something both cutesy and sad.
Olivia doesn’t just allow Veronica to cosplay ladies who lunch (a pure-bred Westie puppy can cost upwards of 3,000 dollars, easily), which does, in and of itself, give this abrupt, awkward woman a role to play, a way to steady herself and stay focused and sane—she’s also a source of silent comfort, a ballast against the tenuousness of Veronica’s connection with the other women. It’s telling, for instance, that Veronica doesn’t bring Olivia with her when she rushes to Alice’s apartment after the Manning crime family murders Bash (Garret Dillahunt), the original getaway driver: Veronica is blisteringly open with Alice, releasing the full ugliness of her anger and her terror, sneering at the younger woman for taking a man into her bed when “your husband hasn’t even been dead a month,” slapping her and taking a hard slap in return, a slap that finally, mercifully, allows her to break down and cry. Alice is the most nakedly vulnerable of the widows—a battered bride, truly down and out, who thinks she has no smarts or skills to speak of—and it makes sense that Veronica, who must expend the constant energy of projecting an impenetrable guardedness, would feel some degree of subterranean interest in, even attraction to, her. The last scene in the entire film is Veronica, also sans dog, catching Alice outside of a bustling diner and slowly, genuinely, smiling at her, asking her how she’s been.
But this is not to suggest that Olivia is a mere mollifier, a puppy placeholder until Veronica can graduate into real relationships—indeed, the film demonstrates, with a diamond-sharp, blood-culling clarity, that Olivia is a far better companion than Harry was (Olivia would never start a secret second family, fake her own death, and try to abscond with Veronica’s hard-earned ill-gotten gains). Olivia functions as an extension of Veronica’s feelings, so attuned to her guardian’s moods that she’ll act on them before Veronica is even consciously aware of them—Olivia is the one who first sniffs Harry out, in hiding at his paramour’s home, clawing and whining at the door in way that evokes the grasping need and desperation of Veronica’s grief.
Some of that immediate grief is about Harry, of course; however, Veronica has been shaped by a deeper grief, the murder of her son at the hands of a trigger-happy Chicago cop. This death is so obliterating, that it isn’t even mentioned until it is shown, in full—it’s like some fanged, thunder-hooved deity whose name must not be spoken until it’s offered a blood sacrifice—and yet, McQueen, Davis, and screenwriter Gillian Flynn have already allowed it to echo through everything that we’ve seen before it, which yes, includes Veronica’s relationship with Olivia. We sense a wordless history: Harry gifting Veronica with an extensive puppy as a reason to get out of bed, to go outside, every day, until the routine starts to feel something like normalcy, until the dog can ease her calcified heart open, even a little. That puppy steadily becoming Veronica’s little sweetheart, her comfort, as Harry begins to pull away, emotionally, at first, and then toward the arms of a woman whose baby won’t be targeted by the bigots who still rule this world.
Mina
I’d never equate the loss of my Tova dog with the loss of a child, especially a child so cruelly taken. But I can say that her death devastated me, that my apartment became a whistling void. When I adopted Mina two weeks later, I willfully ignored her foster mom’s warning about how intensely she would “miss her people” when they left. That separation anxiety, manifest in clawing and scratching up the doors, the floors, the windowsills; howling in sorrow when I locked the door behind me; and drooling puddles everywhere, seemed to reflect the intractability of my own grief, a steady heartbeat gone frantic, erratic around one core need: Come back.
Like Veronica, although in my own, less grandiose way, I had to move through my pain, I had to have “the balls to pull this off”—only the “this” was no heist, simply training my unruly girl to calm down, to recognize that she was not abandoned and I would, in fact, come back. A training that, through its meticulous consistency, gave me a purpose, a reason to get out of bed each day, to go outside—until finally, I found a new normal, a new, and no less special, love, to greet with “good morning” and end the day with “good night.” Two years later, she’s my darling; that sweet, happy face in the window; that gentle heft climbing onto the sofa beside me. It’s a powerful, even transformative, thing, to see that kind of bond enacted without mockery or condescension—given dignity, in fact—by filmmakers who understand that the magnificent spectrum of human pain and tenderness has room for canine companionship.
from All Content https://ift.tt/2r8sU4X
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
petpri
Peter Pripp
am8ist
ametist_melting_rock
absolute-most
The Absolute most
solopezoncillos
Frambuesas
anticumber
it's all good now