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luminnara · 3 years

Note

I wonder what Dick would be like trying to flirt on the lead up if the mission, trying to be smooth and cool before screaming next to Weasel. The back track of trying to be cool again after than freak out would be glorious and I would probably fall for it, lol

Dick Hertz x fem!reader

This ended up way longer than intended and I am not mad about that lol

Sfw but raunchy!

Requests for oneshots and HCs are open!

You were no stranger to the concept of the suicide squad.

Thanks to your own colorful past, and powers that you couldn’t always quite control at first, you were stuck serving out a long ass sentence at Belle Reve, the shittiest shit hole of them all. Your only escape from the mundane, high-security monotony was the occasional mission from Waller.

The Suicide Squad—more officially known as Task Force X—was the latest installment in Amanda Waller’s series of highly classified, top secret, black ops teams. She chose Belle Reve’s most infamous criminals, many of whom had extraordinary powers and even more extraordinary reputations, and tossed them together on incredibly dangerous missions. You knew she didn’t care whether you lived or died, but successfully completing such impossible tasks always cut time off your sentence, and with nothing else to do with your time, you always thought it was worth the risk.

And besides...you hadn’t died yet.

So when Waller approached you during your daily yard time, you already knew what to expect.

“Yeah, yeah.” You grumbled as you followed her into the exam room and plopped down in the same old chair. “I know the drill. I go off mission, you blow my brains out.”

“—with the explosive device implanted in the base of your skull. Correct.” Waller said, unimpressed.

“And what, you have to give me a fresh one?” You raised an eyebrow as the doctor made you lean forward. “Lose the button for the last one or something? Or are you afraid that just one won’t do the job?”

Waller looked even less impressed. “I suggest you put a lid on that attitude today.”

“Why?” You winced at the feeling of a thick needle pushing into the back of your neck. “Jesus, fuck! Seriously, how many little bombs do I need in my head?”

“Good luck, puppy.” The doctor sneered as you stood up to follow Waller back out into the corridor.

“This is a black ops mission.” She continued with her usual spiel. “Your commanding officer is Colonel Rick Flag.”

You gasped. “The Colonel Rick Flag?”

She turned to glance at you.

“I have no idea who that is.”

You could hear her sigh in exasperation. “Suit up and go outside to the transport. You’ll meet the rest of the team and fly out to Corto Maltese.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Yeah, the Suicide Squad was a nice distraction from your shitty everyday life...but putting your ass on the line for someone who didn’t give a shit whether you lived or died, and who was always hovering above the button that would splatter your brains all over the wall, wasn’t exactly the greatest feeling in the world.

Waller waited as you ducked into a room to change. There was a black box waiting for you, and upon opening it, you couldn’t help but grin at the sight of your old gear. The dark gray leather suit fit like a glove, and your gun had been cleaned and polished after your last mission, the painfully bright fluorescent lights reflecting off of the barrel with a gleam. You grabbed your gloves and strapped your ammo belts on before buckling a gray carbon fiber mask on.

Wearing your own stuff always lifted your spirits. It was the suit you’d been arrested in a few years ago back in Metropolis, and after seizing it, the feds had been nice enough to give it some upgrades with newer tech. Anything to make you a better government-sanctioned killing machine, you guessed, and it’s not like you were gonna turn it down. After all, killing was how you ended up in Belle Reve in the first place, and it was one of the only things you were good at...it just made sense for Waller to want to put your near-inhuman skills to good use.

You walked out to join her again, lugging a canvas bag of equipment and supplies along behind you.

“Pick that up and carry it correctly.” She snapped as the doors at the end of the hall opened.

“Why don’t you eat my—“

You interrupted yourself by groaning at the bright sunlight as it hit your eyes, raising a hand to shield your face as you managed to spot an armored truck waiting for you.

“You’ll have a lot of new teammates.” Waller called after you. “Be on your best behavior. I’m not responsible for anything they do to you.”

“Probably just a bunch of old farts like always!” You yelled back as you jumped up into the back of the vehicle.

Two guards sat down on either side of you as you got yourself settled in. There was another woman already waiting, her skin orange, her hair in a high ponytail that seemed to be pulled through the top of her helmet. She was regarding you with very little interest, and that was absolutely fine with you. You had a few friends within the Belle Reve prison complex, and you weren’t necessarily looking for more.

The ride was short and uneventful. You passed through a few gates that took forever to open, waited for a few security checks, the usual shit. When the truck came to a halt and you hopped out again, you were at a small airbase hosting a few hangars for planes and helicopters, one of the latter already sitting outside. Guards from Belle Reve were lining the circle of armored vehicles, and as yours joined them and the back doors were opened once more, you grimaced at the bright sunlight.

“Afraid of a little sun?” The orange woman laughed, baring her teeth at you.

“Hurts my eyes,” you mumbled, jumping down after her.

You landed on pavement, looking down at your feet in an attempt to avoid the oncoming headache you knew was imminent. When your shoulder rammed into someone, though, you had to look up anyway.

What you saw wasn’t exactly what you were expecting.

A good looking blond guy was looking down at you, a cocky grin on his face. “Whoa, didn’t realize we were getting a babe this time!”

You glared at him, grateful for the mask covering the lower half of your face.

He couldn’t see you blush that way.

“Little girl’s got some ammo, huh?” He reached for one of the belts strapped across your chest,

Your hand flew up to grab his wrist and you held him in a Vice-like grip, your glare more pointed now. “Touch me, and you can see some of it from behind your eyeballs.”

Blondie whistled lowly, relaxing his arm. “You’re tough, huh? I like that in a girl.”

You dropped his wrist and rolled your eyes. “Still gonna like it when I’m ripping your balls off?”

You could swear he was swooning on his feet. “Baby, you are a goddamn tease...”

“Oy, Dickhead!” An Australian voice rang out, “back off!”

His grin faltered for a moment, obvious disappointment flashing over his face. “Oh. Got a man already. Damn.”

“Who, Boomer?” You grinned, unclipping your mask as you turned to wave at one of your only friends. “Nah, I’d never fuck that wanker.”

“I heard that!” The gold-toothed Aussie yelled.

You let out a loud laugh as you looked back to blondie.

You were caught off guard by the actual, genuine look on his face. He was admiring your smile now that your mask was off, his eyes lingering on your lips for a fraction of a second longer than they should have. He was trying to be smooth, you could tell, and most people wouldn’t have noticed something so slight...but you were an assassin working your way through a couple life sentences, and you weren’t most people.

It all only lasted a moment before the cocky grin was back. “So, after this, you wanna come back to my cell, maybe we could, you know...” he waggled his eyebrows at you, making a hip thrusting motion you almost couldn’t believe a grown criminal was making.

“Maybe focus on not dying first, slim.” You patted his chest before turning towards Boomer, leaving blondie to stare after you—or more precisely, your ass—with a dramatic, longing look.

Your friend was regarding you with an amused expression. “Flirtin’ on the job? Didn’t think you had it in ya.”

“Shut up.” You punched his arm a little too hard and he winced. “Who is that guy, anyway?”

“Dick,” Boomer said, rubbing his arm.

“Don’t call me a dick—“

“No, dumbass, that’s his name. Richard Hertz.”

“...very funny, Boomer, but there’s no fucking way his parents named their kid Dick Hertz.”

Boomer shrugged. “Believe me or don’t, I don’t care. Either way, it’s the truth.”

You scoffed and stole a glance over at your new admirer. He was tall and pretty well built, platinum blond hair short, lips pulled back in a grin that showed off straight white teeth. He was dressed in all black, two guns holstered to his chest, and as he messed with a Belle Reve guard by pretending to reach for one, he looked like an overgrown child who should not have been allowed to hold onto firearms.

“Please tell me he’s got a cooler name,” you groaned.

“Why? So you can scream it at night?” Boomer cackled. “He goes by Blackguard. He’s pretty strong from what I hear. Prolly pretty fun in bed, too.”

You wrinkled your nose and rounded on Boomer. “Shut up.”

“You like him.” Your friend grinned. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. Just remember to name your kid after good ol’ Uncle Boomer.”

You gave him a rough shove and he stumbled back a few steps, laughing like a madman the entire time.

“Hey!” One of the guards barked at you.

Rather than pushing your luck with your armed babysitters, you huffed and crossed your arms over your chest. More cars were pulling up, dropping off the rest of your comrades, and while Boomer was distracted with them, you stole another glance at Dick.

He was still messing with the same guard, and was receiving some harsh warning glares in the process. Was he a complete idiot, or was he so cocky because he could actually handle it? He had to have ended up in Belle Reve for a reason. It wasn’t the type of place you went to for innocent misdemeanors. And if he was chosen for a Suicide Squad mission, that meant that his sentence was long enough to warrant risking his life to lessen it...and it also meant that he was useful.

When he winked at you, you realized with a start that he had totally noticed the way you were checking him out.

Fuck.

“Time to load up!” A voice yelled, saving you from any further embarrassment.

A few minutes later, you were strapping yourself into your seat on the chopper, pretending not to notice as Dick struggled with his seatbelt across from you. The guy sitting next to him had to help, and when you finally couldn’t help yourself, you let out a quiet laugh from behind your mask.

Dick’s head shot up to look at you, that cocky grin plastered to his face again.

“Wish you were over here helpin’ me,” he said bravely. “Rather have your hands down by my—“

“Dick.” Colonel Flag warned as he stood above you all with his gun in his hands.

Boomer let out a loud laugh at the unintentionally dirty euphemism and you snorted.

“What? Just makin’ some conversation,” Blackguard said, leaning towards you with a wolfish glint in his eyes. “You don’t mind, do ya, Princess?”

Your cheeks were heating up behind your mask, and he could see the way your eyes crinkled slightly with your smile.

God, he wished he could see your smile again.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late!” A familiar voice said. “Had to go number two.”

“...Good to know.” Flag sighed as none other than Harley Quinn herself hopped in.

“Harley!” You called, reaching for her with grabby hands as she looked for her seat.

“Hey there, baby!” The pale blonde woman greeted, slamming her equipment bag into Savant’s head. “Hey, Boomer!”

“What’re you doin’ back in prison, Harls?” Boomer asked, hanging onto the nylon mesh cage behind him as he stretched his arms out.

“Got road rage. In a bank.” She finally found a spot between you and Javelin, and as Flag checked everyone over, the chopper took off into the air.

The lighting was dim and red, the thrumming of the helicopter blades blending in with the white noise of the pressurized cabin. Save for that, it was quiet for a while, everybody either sizing each other up, or, in Dick’s case, imagining how you looked under your suit.

“So, uh...how much longer you in for?” He asked you.

You raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because I don’t exactly think I should be talkin’ about sneakin’ into your cell while Flag is here to rat me out about it,” Dick grinned.

You caught the colonel rolling his eyes.

“Hey, that never stopped anybody,” Harley said brightly.

“Boutta be in a whole big ass jungle,” Boomer elbowed you in the side. “Plentya room in there to be alone.”

You groaned as Dick gave you a sly grin.

“Y’know, this mission’ll be over in no time.” He said, stretching his arms out behind his head. “I’ve got some wicked ass powers. I got this.”

“Oh yeah?” You asked, recognizing the way he was trying to peacock and impress you. “Not worried about anything?”

“Baby, I’ll carry this whole team. Just you watch.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Dick.” You bit his name out as more of an insult, but he didn’t seem to care, giving you another wink.

He obviously thought that his flirting and posturing was working...but you were pretty sure he was just annoying. Cute, but annoying. Maybe good for a hook up here or there...but that was about it.

“We’re in a butcher’s freezer, Harls!” Boomer called from the other end of the bench. “Surrounded by dead hogs hangin’ on hooks. Only they don’t know it yet.”

“Leave ‘em alone, Boomer!” She called back with a laugh.

You chuckled at your friends, leaning your head back as you settled in for the flight. Harley was complimenting Javelin’s accent, you still didn’t know what TDK stood for, and Boomer was just starting to mess with him about the fact that all names were made of letters when the freaky weasel-thing next to Dick stole everyone’s attention.

It was one of the strangest creatures you had ever seen. Human height, covered in mangy brown fur, with big bulging eyes and a mouth full of sharp little teeth all made it both fascinating and concerning to look at, and as it made a few disgustingly wet retching sounds, Dick nodded towards it.

“Yo, is this a dog?” He asked.

“...What?” You asked in disbelief. He had to be fucking with you, right? There was no way he meant it.

“Is this thing a dog?” He repeated.

“A...a dog?”

“Yes.”

“What...what kinda dog do you think it is, mate?” Boomer asked.

“I dunno, I’m not familiar with all the breeds.” Dick gave him an incredulous look.

“I’m gonna go with Afghan hound.” TDK said.

“Since when does an afghan hound have bloody thumbs?”

“Oh my god, is it a werewolf?” Harley asked excitedly. “I’ve wanted to meet a werewolf for ever!”

Dick was already up and struggling against his restraints. “Yo, they sat me next to a werewolf?!”

“That’s not right,” TDK agreed as his neighbor slammed into him in his desperate attempt at an escape.

Boomer was laughing loudly, and you couldn’t help but join in. “You’re seriously scared of werewolves?”

Dick glanced up at you as he tried to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Yes, I fuckin’ am! So fuckin’—get me out! I do not fuck with werewolves, there is no fuckin’ way—“

“Maybe you should hop onto your new girlfriend’s lap!” Boomer cackled, jabbing a finger towards you.

“Poor baby,” you cooed, and as you saw the look in Blackguard’s eyes, you were pretty convinced that he was about to try to tear his way out so that he actually could.

“Hey, hey, he’s not a werewolf!” Flag yelled over the commotion. “He’s a weasel, he’s harmless! I mean, he’s not harmless, he’s killed 27 children, but I—I think we got him to—I think he’s agreed to this, so relax.”

“Thought you were super tough?” You asked as Dick calmed down and caught his breath. “Gonna carry the whole team?”

Rather than the snarky flirtation you expected, he actually looked a bit defeated. When you raised an eyebrow, though, he took the prompt, and the most desperate backtracking you had ever seen began.

“Yeah, well...” he scoffed, trying to give you a cool look. “Caught me off guard, that’s all. No big deal.”

“Off guard? Isn’t guard, like, in your name?” You teased, your smile genuine behind your mask. Alright...he was winning you over now. He was an idiot, but...maybe he was a lovable one.

He faltered for a second. “I-I mean, yeah, well...”

Flag was shaking his head. “Get into position to drop!”

Everyone unbuckled themselves and collected their things, lining up to jump into the ocean off the coast of Corto Maltese. When you saw that Dick was back to struggling with it, again, you smiled to yourself and leaned down in front of him.

“For what it’s worth...” you said as you pulled up on the metal tab, your hand dangerously close to his crotch, “I wouldn’t mind shacking up somewhere in the jungle with you.”

He stated at you with wide eyes, disbelief written all over his face. He really was cuter when he wasn’t putting on such a dumb, cocky facade, and he jumped up as quickly as he could to follow you.

You just laughed as you straightened up and walked away, Blackguard right on your heels. As the door opened and the big, dark ocean came into view below you, you felt a hand brushing against your hip and a firm chest press up against your back. You realized you could have stayed right there forever, patiently waiting to see how far he was brave enough to go...but you were both members of the Suicide Squad, and you had a job to do.

“I’ll see you down there, Dick,” you said, turning your head slightly to glance at him.

“See you on the other side, baby,” he grinned.

#dick hertz #dick hertz x reader #richard hertz #Richard hertz x reader #blackguard x reader #blackguard #the suicide squad #the suicide squad x reader

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swan-of-sunrise · 3 years

Text

Civil War (Chapter Five)

Summary: Just when it appears that the Avengers are willing to repair the fractures caused by the Accords, Steve makes his final decision and (Y/N) makes hers before an alarming security breach.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Oof, here’s more angst for ya’ll lol thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Five (Previous Chapter)

“No, Romania was not Accords-sanctioned, and Colonel Rhodes is supervising clean-up.”

From inside the glass-walled office, (Y/N) rubbed at her aching temples and tried her hardest to tune out all the voices and noises filling the control room but to no avail; her mind was hyper-focused on the impending arrival of the CIA’s newest detainees and still reeling from her hours-long interrogation, despite her utter exhaustion and painful stress migraine. Natasha had kindly gotten her a bottle of water and an ibuprofen pill but she hadn’t been able to coax her into eating anything, her stomach feeling too unsettled for food. The spy had once told her how grueling interrogations could be, but her descriptions didn’t prepare (Y/N) for just how awful she’d feel afterwards; Agent Ross, despite already knowing that the tactical team already apprehended Steve and the others, spent hours interrogating her and she’d done her very best to follow Natasha’s advice, answering his questions but making sure she never lost control of the situation. The experience had made it crystal-clear that she wasn’t suited for espionage and as she sat there inside the control room’s office, all she wanted to do was see her fiancé and best friend.

“…’Cause every little thing is gonna be all right…” (Y/N) sang under her breath, closing her eyes and exhaling as she kept trying soothing her strained nerves by playing Bob Marley’s ‘Three Little Birds’ on repeat in her mind.

“Consequences? You bet there’ll be consequences. Obviously, you can quote me on that ‘cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.”

“Consequences?”

(Y/N)’s head snapped up so quickly that her migraine flared back up but she ignored it, far too focused on the three men standing together in the control room; both Steve and Sam looked tired but unharmed as Tony tucked his phone into his pocket and shrugged. “Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted. Had to give him something.”

From across the room, she could make out Steve’s tight and humorless smile. “I’m not getting that shield back, am I?”

“Technically, it’s the government’s property,” Natasha replied as she walked past them. “Wings, too.”

Sam frowned. “That’s cold.”

Shrugging again, Tony brushed past the two men and followed after Natasha. “Still warmer than jail!”

Steve shared a glance with Sam before looking around the bustling control room; when his eyes finally landed on (Y/N), his tense expression morphed into concern and he quickly crossed the room to the enter the glass-walled office, Sam following close behind. “(Y/N), what’re you doing here?” He dropped to his knees beside her chair, one hand resting on her thigh while the other cradled the side of her neck, and his azure eyes roamed her face in worry. “Are you okay, baby?”

“I…no, I’m really not.” (Y/N) sensed Sam taking a seat beside her and felt the comforting weight of his hand on her back as she continued. “The CIA brought me in for questioning and Agent Ross wanted to know everything; he asked me about you and our relationship, about the Avengers. Just after Agent Ross started asking me questions, I overheard another agent telling him that they’d apprehended you but he still…he still went through with the interrogation. I just…” She bowed her head and blinked back her tears, unable to look at either man. “This has to stop, guys. I don’t like the Accords either but today’s made it pretty clear what happens when you go against what’s already been written into law. We’ve… we’ve got to compromise.”

Sam’s hand left her back and out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he shook his head in disappointment. “I’m sorry, (Y/N), but you’re wrong; today’s made it pretty clear why we can’t sign. I can’t endorse everything the Accords entail and still be able to sleep at night. Maybe you can, but I can’t.”

Looking up, she watched as her best friend stand and walk out of the office; to her surprise, though, Steve not only stayed but he moved to sit in Sam’s abandoned chair, his hand moving from her neck to cradle the side of her face as his thumb wiped a stray tear away. “I don’t regret going after Bucky myself, (Y/N) but I don’t wanna keep fighting with you…so if there’s a way that’ll help keep that from happening, then…”

“You’ll listen to what Tony has to say?” Feeling hopeful for the first time in a long while, she watched as the super-soldier nodded and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Steve.” She leaned forward and captured his lips in a slow kiss that he was quick to return.

After several moments, they separated and Steve stayed close while his fingers caressed the edge of her bandage. “Baby, are you sure you’re okay? Explosions can cause serious internal injuries and it sounds like you were pretty close to that blast.”

“It’s just a ruptured eardrum, I promise. The bandage is a complete overkill if you ask me, it makes me look like an extra on M.A.S.H. or something.” He cracked a small smile at her joke and she reached down to hold his hand between her own. “How’s Bucky doing? The agents around here kept me in the dark about how the arrest went…”

Steve pursed his lips and they both glanced over at one of the control room’s many monitors, the one that was live-streaming the inside of Bucky’s prison cell; the super-soldier was strapped into a containment pod and he was staring stonily ahead. “He’s afraid; he wasn’t in Vienna but he doesn’t know why he’s being framed.”

Before (Y/N) could answer, the door of the office opened and Tony stepped inside, looking a little cautious as he held up a flat black box for them to see. “Hey, you two wanna see something cool? I pulled something from Dad's archives. Felt timely.” Steve’s hand gripped hers while the billionaire opened the box and set it down on the conference table; inside the box were two identical old-fashioned pens. “A history buff like you should get a kick out of this, Austen; FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941.”

“The Lend-Lease bill set up a system that provided support to our future allies,” (Y/N) breathed in awe, her inner history nerd showing as she reached forward with her free hand and tentatively touched one of the pens. “Giving them aid when they needed it most.”

Steve didn’t appear to be as taken with the gesture as she was. “Some would say it brought our country closer to war.”

“See, if not for these you wouldn't be here.” Tony retorted, sitting down in the chair across from them and gesturing at the pens. “I'm trying to…what do you call it? That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?”

The super-soldier nodded once and glanced around the control room. “Is Pepper here? I didn't see her.”

There was a noticeable shift in Tony’s mood that made her frown in concern. “We're kinda…well, not kinda…”

“Pregnant?”

“No, definitely not. We’re taking a break…it’s nobody’s fault.”

(Y/N)’s heart sank and Steve’s half-smile faltered. “I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know.”

“A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up Hydra…and then Ultron. My fault. And then, and then, and then, I never stopped. Because the truth is I don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference.” As Tony moved to stand, (Y/N) shifted uncomfortably in her seat; she’d seen Tony and Pepper at a black-tie event and she remembered thinking that they’d made such a cute couple, so hearing about the breakdown of their strong relationship made her feel nervous about her own relationship with Steve. “In her defense, I'm a handful. Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and Mom always made it work.”

The office was silent for a moment before the super-soldier finally spoke. “You know, I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single.”

“Oh, really? You two knew each other? He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times.” Tony rolled his eyes, slipping his suit jacket back on as she and Steve shared a look. “God, I hated you.”

Steve’s eyes were trained on the two pens in the box and his hand squeezed hers again. “I don’t mean to make things difficult.”

The billionaire smiled despite himself. “I know, because you’re a very polite person.”

“If I see a situation pointed south…I can’t ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could.”

“No, you don’t.”

Steve smiled thinly at Tony’s words. “No, I don’t. Sometimes…”

“Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth…but I don’t wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap.” Tony’s dark eyes were practically pleading while he continued. “So far, nothing’s happened that can’t be undone if you sign. We can make the last twenty-four hours legit, Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-center instead of a Wakandan prison, you and Austen can still have a great future together…”

(Y/N)’s eyes were trained on Steve’s thoughtful expression as he reached forward and picked up one of the pens. Giving her hand a final squeeze, he stood and paced beside the conference table for a moment before meeting her gaze; she could see his resolve beginning to break and she couldn’t help but give him a small reassuring smile, her fingers fiddling with her engagement ring while he looked over at Tony. “I’m not saying it’s impossible, but there would have to be safeguards.”

The billionaire’s shoulders sagged in relief and he sat down in Steve’s vacated seat. “Sure! Once we put out the PR fire those documents can be amended; I’d file a motion to have you and Wanda reinstated-”

“Wanda? What about Wanda?”

“She’s fine. She’s confined to the compound, currently.” (Y/N)’s jaw dropped in stunned disbelief while Tony continued. “Vision’s keeping her company-”

(Y/N) rested her head in her hand and tried to keep her outrage in check as she sighed out, “Tony…”

“Oh God, Tony! Every time, every time I think you see things the right way…”

“What? It’s a hundred acres with a lap pool, it’s got a screening room. There’s worse ways to protect people.”

Steve’s azure eyes flashed with anger. “Protection? Is that how you see this? This is protection? It’s internment, Tony!”

“She’s not a U.S. citizen-”

“Oh, come on, Tony-”

“And they don’t grant visas to weapons of mass destruction-!”

“She’s a kid!”

“Give me a break!” Tony shouted, his voice echoing throughout the office. “I’m doing what has to be done…to stave off something worse.”

Steve huffed out a humorless laugh and nodded. “You keep telling yourself that.” He tossed the pen back down onto the table. “Hate to break up the set.” With a final glare, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the office.

“Steve!” Jumping up from her seat, (Y/N) ignored Tony as she hurried out of the office after her fiancé. “Steve, wait!”

It wasn’t until they reached an empty hallway that the super-soldier stopped walking and whirled around to face her. “Did you know about Wanda?”

“Of course not, Steve, I’m just as shocked about it as you are! She doesn’t deserve to be treated that way-”

“But you still want me to sign, don’t you?” He sharply demanded, his hands moving to rest on his waist. “After being unjustly held for questioning and hearing what they’ve done to Wanda, you’re still okay with supporting the Accords?”

“Steve, you heard Tony, if you don’t sign then things are only going to get worse for all of us!” (Y/N) gestured back towards the control room they’d just left as she angrily continued. “We’re all on the same side; you, me, Tony, Sam, Nat…we all want the exact same thing but in order to achieve it we’ve got to make compromises!”

Shaking his head in annoyance, the super-soldier began pacing before her. “You seriously think that the people running the show are gonna just up and amend the Accords now that they’ve finally got all the power? You’re one of the smartest people I know but sometimes you can be too damn idealistic!”

“Better to be idealistic than to be pig-headed! You’re not only dividing the Avengers, Steve, but you’re also dividing us and I honestly can’t tell if that bothers you or not-”

“Of course it bothers me, (Y/N), I hate that the choices I’m making are hurting you! The only reason you’re even the middle of this mess is because of me!” Steve’s shoulders sagged as he closed his eyes and she blinked away her frustrated tears. “I love you, sunshine, I love you more than you can ever imagine…but I can’t sign those Accords.”

(Y/N) nodded once, looking down at the engagement ring on her finger while they stood in tension-filled silence; Steve Rogers had a massive heart and an indisputably large capacity for love, but it was clear to her that his equally-large sense of morality would always come first no matter what. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked back up at Steve just as he opened his eyes and quietly replied, “I love you too, sweetheart, with all my heart…which makes what I’m about to do hurt all the more.” She slipped off the engagement ring with trembling fingers and stepped forward, reaching for one of his hands and placing his mother’s ring on his palm. “You’ve made your choice, Steve, and now I’ve made mine.”

Refusing to meet the super-soldier’s gaze, (Y/N) turned and walked down the hall away from him, tears streaming down her face as her heart broke with every step.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/N) wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting by herself in the control room and staring unseeingly at the security feed of Bucky’s cell when she sensed someone approaching; her mind kept replaying the moment she’d broken off hers and Steve’s engagement, almost as if she was torturing herself for what she’d done. You didn’t have a choice, she told herself as her stomach churned, he made it so that you didn’t have a choice.

“Do you mind if I sit here, Miss (Y/L/N)?” (Y/N) glanced over to see T’Challa standing beside her and gesturing towards one of the vacant seats beside her. She shook her head and he sat down, propping his ankle up on his knee and clasping his hands against his stomach. “We have a saying in Wakanda: ‘Apho kuhlala khona inkalipho, iintlungu zihlala zikhona’…‘Where courage resides, heartache lingers near.’” She arched a brow and the Wakandan shrugged. “It’s not exactly a comforting saying, I’ll admit, but it serves its purpose. I’m truly sorry for what transpired between you both and for how it’s making you feel.”

She nodded and gave T’Challa a small smile. “Thank you, your highness.”

“Please, Miss (Y/L/N), call me T’Challa.”

“Only if you call me (Y/N).” They both shared a quiet chuckle and once it eventually died off, she continued. “I-I’m sorry for what happened to your father, T’Challa, he was a very kind and understanding man.”

T’Challa’s grin fell and his eyes flicked over to look at the security footage. “I’ve ensured that my father’s death will not go unavenged; once his psychological evaluation is completed, Barnes will be extradited to Wakanda to pay for his crimes,” T’Challa replied, not taking his eyes off the monitor above them. “Agent Ross wasn’t pleased when I told him, but nothing will stop me from seeing that justice is served.”

(Y/N) pursed her lips but remained silent; now that she wasn’t being interrogated by Agent Ross or arguing with Steve, she remembered her earlier thoughts about Bucky’s possible innocence. It still didn’t make sense to her that a man on the run and with no recent affiliations with any terrorist organizations would suddenly decide to bomb one of the most secure buildings on the planet. I wonder if Steve’s gut is telling him the same thing, she thought with a frown as her eyes glanced over at another monitor, which showed a grainy surveillance image of the suspected bomber in the U.N.’s parking garage.

“The U.N. psychologist just arrived,” (Y/N) looked over in time to see Natasha sit in the seat beside hers. “The psych evaluation should begin any minute now.”

(Y/N) raised a curious brow when she spotted an agent leading Steve and Sam into the glass-walled office, muttering under her breath, “And is this something I shouldn’t legally be allowed to see?”

The spy didn’t answer but her silence was crystal-clear: don’t draw any attention to yourself and no one will question your presence. So, (Y/N) silently watched as more people began filing into the control room, careful to avert her eyes when Agent Ross and Tony approached; one monitor was still displaying the camera feed of Bucky in his cell while the one beside it flickered on, showing the back of who she assumed was the United Nations psychiatrist.

“Hello, Mr. Barnes. I’ve been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit?”

(Y/N)’s heart clenched with sympathy as she carefully watched the former assassin; he was staring down at his lap, his metal arm secured with restraints, and he didn’t move or speak as the psychiatrist sat down at the desk across from his containment cell.

“You’re first name is James? I’m not here to judge you, I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are?” There came no reply from the former assassin, and the psychiatrist let out a small sigh. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.”

“My name is Bucky.”

(Y/N) winced. Although they’d had a very brief encounter two years earlier in D.C., she’d never heard his voice before; he sounded…tired. His tone reminded her of the veterans she’d worked with in the past, the ones who’d seen and done far more in their lives than they could ever truly handle. In that moment, a part of her wished that she’d had the courage to follow Steve into the glass-walled conference room; despite their broken engagement and unclear relationship status, she knew that seeing his best friend locked up and hearing him sound so drained had to hurt.

“Tell me, Bucky. You’ve seen a great deal, haven’t you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

She could see the back of the psychiatrist’s head nod in understanding. “You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don’t worry, we only have to talk about one…”

It was then that the monitors shut off and they were plunged into semi-darkness; the control room’s emergency lights flickered on as the room was plunged into chaos. While agents scrambled around to determine what was going on, Natasha mumbled a quick ‘Stay here’ to (Y/N) before hurrying over to where Tony was standing. She looked over at T’Challa beside her and they shared matching looks of apprehension, both suspecting that something more sinister was going on.

“Great,” Agent Ross grumbled, walking past her towards a group of agents grouped around a powered-down computer. “Come on, guys, get me eyes on Barnes. Go!”

Watching the hectic scene unfolding, thoughts of Steve and Sam suddenly came to (Y/N)’s mind; she quickly turned around in her seat to see how they were doing but was met with the unsettling sight of an empty conference room. The foreboding feeling settling in the pit of her stomach intensified and without another thought, she stood and made her way over to Sharon Carter across the control room.

The agent was talking lowly into her comm link, but stopped once (Y/N) reached her and held up a placating hand. “Rogers and Wilson are on their way down there now; we figured out that the U.N. psychiatrist framed Barnes to flush him out of hiding and-” A blaring alarm and flashing red lights interrupted Sharon’s words, and her face quickly became ashen as her eyes widened. “There’s been a security breach in the holding cells.”

“What kind of a security breach?!”

Before Sharon could answer, the clear and authoritative voice of Agent Ross called out to the room, “Barnes escaped and is loose in the building! All agents, start mobilizing and stay alert; he’s on a rampage!” He unclipped a walkie talkie from his belt and held it up for the room to see. “Channel four, agents; you got it?”

The roomful of agents began following his hurried orders and when (Y/N) turned back to Sharon, the agent took a hold of her shoulders and spoke to her with calm determination. “Listen to me very carefully, (Y/N): right down the hall there’s a small room full of weapons. The power’s gone out so you should be able to enter without any problem, so go gear-up and come right back to the control room. That way if anyone breaches this floor, you’ll have something to defend yourself with.”

“Evac all civilians! Get me a perimeter around the building and gunships in the air…!”

“I need to go now.” With a final nod, Sharon ran off towards where Tony and Natasha had turned a corner while Agent Ross continued to bark out orders.

Taking advantage of the commotion in the control room, (Y/N) followed Sharon’s instructions, quickly locating the small weapons room down the hallway. She was reaching for a small handgun but stopped herself short as she remembered what Steve had once told her about his near-fatal encounter with the Winter Soldier during the Battle at the Triskellion…

“After the causeway, Hydra scrambled his mind so he wouldn’t recognize me again at the Triskellion, but it didn’t work. He pulled me out of the river, saved my life…I know that he remembered me…”

The doctor had plenty of time to mess with Bucky’s brain during the power outage, she realized in a flash, so that means that the Winter Soldier’s the one who’s on a rampage and not Bucky Barnes. Turning back towards the shelves of weapons, she made a split-second decision and grabbed a handful of stun discs similar to Natasha’s, shoving them into her pocket before picking up a walkie talkie from its charging port and sprinting out of the room to the stairwell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xhosa Translation: Apho kuhlala khona inkalipho, iintlungu zihlala zikhona-Where courage resides, heartache lingers near.

A/N: ...Yep, that was a ton of angst, here’s hoping that the next few chapters won’t be so heavy! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4TsJ2TY1F2HDXhEYOfzCjY?si=f5f309da80a74a63

Chapter Six

Civil War Masterlist

Tagging: @mrs-obrien @lahoete @awkward117 @cminr @natdrunk @momc95 @savedbystyle @miraculouscloud @awkwardnesshabitat @marinettepotterandplagg @khuang3 @supersouthy @benakenalove @brooke0297 @hufflepeople @becausewelie @outoftheregular @supreme-tantrum @ladydmalfoy @mads-weasley @username23345 @crist1216 @aesthethickks

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kjmsupremacist · 2 years

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for the fic title ask game imma send you a bunch to keep you occupied at work hehe :D (some of them are album/song titles but i think theyre pretty and can work as aesthetic fic titles as well lol)

entropy

where the dragonflies flew

dream launch

a star called you

dear sputnik

"i love you" and other words i couldn't say

the bucket list

wisteria blooms

vertigo

where the sea meets the sky (one day i'll meet you there)

i think you think too much of me

the last young renegade

you don't need to use them all if you don't wanna btw! and have a nice day at work!! ily <33

emmy you're iconic for this ilysm <3 im gonna pick the ones im most inspired by bc i believe in quality over quantity but i genuinely do appreciate u ur the best mwah mwah

send me a made up fic title and i’ll tell you what i’d write for it!

entropy (jaehyun x sicheng; apocalypse au, end of the world, sci-fi, heavy angst; explicit) - many centuries in the future, the earth is polluted and nearly uninhabitable, and those rich enough to do something about it have long since abandoned the planet. They left long ago to colonize new planets, to mine their resources, to start anew. Those without the money or opportunity to leave are stuck on a slowly failing planet, trying to get by.

New projections show the earth becoming completely unable to sustain life in just a decade or so's time. It's at this point that Jaehyun meets Sicheng, disqualified from one of the last government-sanctioned space missions due to a rare heart condition. Jaehyun, hopeful and determined, wants to show an angry and bitter Sicheng that there is still life left on their dying planet—and maybe get him to love him back in the process.

where the dragonflies flew (johnny x taeyong; childhood best friends to lovers, slowburn, mild angst; explicit) - Johnny comes home to visit his parents after almost a decade abroad only to run into his next-door neighbor and childhood best friend, Taeyong. They spend the summer getting to know each other again, and Johnny realizes he might have liked Taeyong a little more than as a friend all along. When the summer ends, he's faced with a decision. Should he return to his old life of mundane stability, leaving Taeyong behind, or follow his heart and try something new?

dream launch (donghyuck x yangyang; enemies to lovers, regular life au, humor and general ridiculousness; explicit) - donghyuck enters his start-up in a competition hosted by one of the biggest technology firms in the country. Unfortunately, someone with a very similar idea and drive also enters. The company decides to merge their teams so they can accept them both. This would be fine, if 1) donghyuck wasn’t one of the most competitive motherfuckers on the planet and 2) the other guy wasn’t such a son of a bitch, head to toe.

[suicide TW] the bucket list (doyoung x taeyong; regular life au, angst, hurt/comfort; mature) - Doyoung’s always been a bit depressed, but this last year has really put him through the wringer and he’s been pretty suicidal. So his therapist cuts him a deal. Make a bucket list. A real, actual bucket list, of all the things he wants to experience, and then do everything on that list. If, at the end of the list, he still wants to kill himself, then they’ll go from there. His therapist has a feeling that won’t be the case. Doyoung would beg to differ, but he plays along anyway. And then he meets Taeyong, who finds out about the bucket list and makes it his mission to help Doyoung fall in love with being alive again.

vertigo (joohyun x seulgi; college au, gay awakening lmao; explicit) - joohyun’s always considered herself straight. She’s an ally, make no mistake! But then in her third week of undergrad, she meets Seulgi and her whole world flips on its head. The discovery is as dizzying as it is thrilling, but as she gets closer and closer to Seulgi, Joohyun finds that the giddy joy is worth the fall.

where the sea meets the sky (one day i'll meet you there) (merman!ten x human!kun; mermaid/man au, fantasy; teen & up) - Kun likes to swim in the ocean at night, but one evening he gets caught in a riptide. When he wakes up, he’s alone on the beach, but he swears he sees a long tail disappear into the waves. He comes back every night, and eventually meets Ten, the merman who saved him. Ten admits that he sometimes comes near the surface to watch Kun swim. Slowly, they become friends. Kun likes Ten a lot, but that’s crazy—right? Being friends is risky enough; there’s no way they could ever be anything else.

lighthouse (jongin x kyungsoo; regular life au, slow burn; mature) - jongin’s always been wildly ambitious, while kyungsoo was perfectly happy to start his own little hole-in-the-wall restaurant and have that be it for the rest of his life. But when jongin gets in over his head in the dark, fast-paced world of business, the sanctuary of kyungsoo’s little life is a welcome relief. During his break, Kyungsoo reminds jongin that no matter what happens, he’ll always be there to guide him home.

burning sunset (yuta x mark; college au, angst; explicit) - undergrad freshman mark meets senior Yuta at a party in the spring and falls head over heels. He knows he’s just a hookup to Yuta, but he can’t help but go back for more, even though he knows it’s gonna cause him a whole boatload of heartache. After all, Yuta’s graduating in just a couple months. The short nights they spend together as time hurtles forward will never be enough to keep them together.

3108 (jungwoo x reader; grad school au, angst, hurt/comfort, childhood best friends to lovers; explicit) - your childhood best friend (and secret crush) jungwoo moved away at the end of 8th grade, and because of the distance, you lost touch. For about a year, you kept track of the number of days since you’d last seen him, but gave up eventually as you got older. Now, eight years later, you run into him in the halls of the university, and find out he’s in the same graduate program as you. You tentatively try to pick up where you left off, hoping to rediscover some form of the sweet, deep-seated love you had for one another as children, or maybe even something more.

and then there was us (junmyeon x reader; mutual pining, friends to lovers, regular life au; explicit) - it seems like your entire friend group is getting into relationships. It’s just you and a few others left. It’s not that you mind, it’s just that everyone seems like they’re busy these days, and they don’t have time for you. When the last of your friends announced a new relationship, you and Junmyeon, the only two single people left standing, decide to throw yourselves a little pity party. Junmyeon asks you why you think you’re still single. You don’t know how to respond, because the real reason is that you’ve been in love with him this whole time.

waiting for spring (jeno x jaemin; royal au, fantasy au, arranged marriage; explicit) - jeno and jaemin have been betrothed since their infancy. When they came of age, jeno moves to jaemin’s kingdom, as jeno’s older sister is already married and set to take over for their parents. Where Jeno’s kingdom was usually sunny and warm, Jaemin’s experiences long, biting winters. In a strange land with no friends and no way home, Jeno must learn to adapt while he learns to love his new husband. The only problem is that Jaemin has no plans for love.

#emmy 🤠#mail #ily this way i look busy HAHA #I had so much fun w this omgggg…. I might actually write a couple of these.

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dr-nero-is-god · 3 years

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i felt the urge to riff on the hive streams for a little bit since discussion came up on the hive discord, namely, holding issue with the idea that the alpha stream is inconsistent in that it is about leadership when otto is the only leader, and that it’s also possible that the alphas are just kids with specialized skills, and not actually bonded by any particular unifying element.

and, in response, @vulpix-sinistre brought up a quote from the abridged hive fanfic, that goes something like: “there are four streams: main characters, stereotypical bullies, ?, and nerds.”

and i disagree with the first two ideas, but almost completely agree with the abridged fic quote. that is pretty much how the streams work, and it is IMPORTANT that that is how the streams work.

in the end, you may conclude that the streams system still doesn’t make sense. you won’t be like “well clearly dr. nero was just logically dividing the labor of his students to reflect a specialized training program” because it’s more complicated on that. i hate to do this to y’all, but a lot of everything streams-related requires an out-of-book explanation to get where you’re going, but i can promise that i will at least try to go

first, let’s think about why h.i.v.e. would have streams at all

on the one hand, it’s inescapable to consider that one primary reason that hive has streams is because harry potter had houses, and for the same reason that percy jackson had cabins, the 39 clues had branches, hunger games had sections (or counties, idk), divergent had factions, and so on and so on. the rise of fandom spaces on the internet was concurrent with a big ya/mg boom in the post-2005 world (after twilight was published), and within those fandom spaces it became important to identify with an aspect of the fantasy world as part of your personality. that became a very marketable thing for a while, and so separating children into streams would, to a publisher, seem like a pretty solid storytelling choice.

however! the alpha stream is not the same as gryffindor house. on the one hand, it seems easy to make an alpha/gryffindor and henchman/slytherin parallel, because one group is good (relatively) and one is bad (or at least antagonistic). but it doesn’t work because while slytherin has a reputation for constituents of poor moral character (which has been largely revised in fanon), being a henchman is where you go, according to the books, if you are unintelligent and burly. it’s not a really sexy stream, is what i’m trying to say. and though there are undoubtedly some readers who would look at the henchman stream and see themselves, i think the majority of readers would likely find the henchman stream a completely undesirable stream to be in.

and, given how little importance the role of streams have after the first book, i will go out on a limb and say that mark walden knows that the henchman stream is unsexy. we aren’t interested in the hopes and dreams and motivations of the henchman stream; as we learn in book two, the ideal henchman is weak-minded and easily led—so what dreams would they even have? this leads me to conclude that while mark walden might have sold h.i.v.e. on the “there are personality-based groups in the school!” idea, he had something completely else in mind when he started writing and that, I think, is actually far more interesting.

but really, why would h.i.v.e. have streams at all

a few things about mark walden: 1) he studied english lit in school, 2) he has a background as a video game producers, and 3) he likes james bond. i know the first two things because i have read his bio and i know the third thing because i have read his books in conjunction with seeing all the james bond films. so we will call 1-3 facts.

if you are wondering what a lit degree, video game production, and the james bond franchise all have in common, then let me connect those dots: all three of those things depend heavily on the study and understanding of repetitive structure in storytelling as an interpreter and creator of meaning. each one of these fields requires an understanding of how stories and words work to create meaning in order to be successful.

and, to quote mr. walden here directly (sourced from this here link):

“So, I was playing with this cat one day and it got me thinking that those old-school Bond villains always just seemed to appear out of thin air with very little back story and that got me thinking about how they became world- conquering megalomaniacs in the first place. It was only a short mental walk from there to HIVE.”

so, imagine you’re a writer trying to tell a story about a school for villains like those in james bond—you’ve studied storycraft and you have a lot of experience in a job finding believable and compelling obstacles for people to interact with in video games. you have noticed patterns. and you need to make those patterns work for you.

enter: streams

i have watched all the james bond movies (all of ‘em) (i mean it) (just not the unreleased one yet lol) and you know what?

there’s probably just about four kinds of villains in those movies.

henchmen include the likes of jaws, oddjob, and tee hee. often physically disabled in a cinematically interesting way, these guys are the muscles and the machines in every bond film. they are the ones who tail bond as he takes long train rides and who try to personally throw him into shark tanks. they are the hands and feet of their evil masters and they don’t have a lot of emotional depth or backstory.

politicians/financiers abound in the james bond franchise because he is a government employee who often hangs out with other government employees (he has no friends). these people are like colonel rosa klebb, georgi koskov, prince kamal khan. there are a lot more, as a matter of fact, because the whole point of james bond is that they are in the cold war and even people without titles have political and financial motivations for screwing around with stuff. these types of villains depend on being well and truly embedded in an existing infrastructure or hierarchy, somebody who worked their way up from being a foot soldier or clerk into a powerful leadership position that gives them a lot of state-sanctioned trust and authority.

technicians and inventors include folks like henry gupta and boris grishenko, who use technology as their primary weapon. they are often inventors or innovators and are really good at making high-tech stuff. however, i think this stream is also a direct result of the character Q, someone who is actually on James Bond’s team and who runs an entire department of people who test sometimes outlandish gadgets for Bond to use in the field. (but we love the gadgets. they are fun.) in other words, Bond arguably has a technical stream at his disposal in MI6, which means the idea isn’t necessarily evil, but, likewise, our James Bond School also needs Qs. it’s the rules. if you are familiar with Q from James Bond at all then you understand

and that leaves us with alphas... the “supervillains.” these are the famous ones. dr. no. mr. big. scaramanga. le chiffre. blofeld. max zorin. emilio largo. goldfinger. these are the ones with the master plan, the dreams to recreate the world as they see it, the passion to see their desires to fulfillment and the resources to make them happen. they are rich. they are fancy. they are larger than life. is it weird that karl stromberg tries to incite a nuclear war between Britain and the USSR so that a lot of people can die so that he can colonize the ocean? yes. but by god, it’s fancy and dramatic, and that’s what counts.

are there other kinds of villains? oh, definitely. lots more. but you have to understand, that those kinds of villains generally don’t appear in Bond. sometimes! but it’s not a staple. for example, not many people in the bond films are motivated by revenge because each movie is kind of designed to function as a one-shot. villains don’t come back and so there is no revenge. the villain who gets the most notable reprise, jaws, actually ends up finding his true love in space.

compare: every movie is going to have henchmen. every movie has government stooges making morally questionable decisions. (almost) every movie has Q, or some gadget stuff going on. and every movie has a big bad that has to be better than the last.

so that explains why the streams are what they are.

it was a jumping-off point for mark walden to figure out what this universe might look like and how different character types need to function. consider that while the core four are all alphas and are kind of insulated as a group, the teachers all kind of roughly align with one of these groups. colonel francisco, raven, and chief lewis are henchmen types, doing on-the-ground work to get stuff done. ms. tennenbaum and the contessa are political af, they are all about the corruption and infiltrating institutional power. ms. gonzales, ms. leon, and professor pike all have technical skills that help keep an organization moving forward. and over them all is the singular alpha, dr. nero, who is coordinating and monitoring it all for his own evil plan: to run a high school.

honestly, dr. nero’s hive idea operates just like a james bond villain plot! it works, or it does when pitching the idea. the problem is that the books continued after the pitch did, and with worldbuilding came some complications. namely, the fact that the megastructure of james bond villainy does not replicate well into a small friend group on which the narration focuses. so let’s return to the question presented at the beginning:

how can alphas really be alphas when not everyone on the field trip can be a mastermind?

i’m gonna give this to you in two ways. one, the way i personally interpret it as an in-universe explanation, given the background premises we have already established. and the other, why the stream system kind of ruins the structure it sets out to create.

so, for me, the alphas can be alphas because there is more to villainy than being a mastermind and there is more to being a mastermind than being in charge. as i think about it, this novelization is actually the backstory for every one of the students, who will go on to do great and scary things. they will manage big projects and come up with interesting ways to terrorize the British government, because that is what James Bond villains do (and James Bond does canonically exist in their universe). much like your actual teenage years, this is not the main event.

as students, the core four need to learn to do a little bit of everything. you gotta learn some lock-picking, that’s essential. everyone has to be able to climb a rock wall. it’s the rules. and everyone needs to be able to do some programming. that’s just the way school is. though everyone has a different personality and a different way of looking at the world, their education has to cover the basics because the fact of the matter is, none of them are villains yet. will they become one? that remains to be seen. but they are being given the tools to become the greatest villains if that is something they choose.

the main problem that remains when holding this attitude is that the specialized skills of otto and his friends might be better suited to other streams, in which case, what is an alpha anyways?

here’s the facts: if everyone were assigned to a stream by talent, then there wouldn’t be an alpha stream.

franz? political/financial stream.

nigel? laura? otto? technical stream.

shelby? wing? henchman stream.

you can debate me on the specifics of those assignments, but the point is this: all the other streams are based on hard skills. franz can manage a ledger and that is a financial skill. laura can build a computer from scratch and that is a technical skill. wing can do martial arts, and each martial art is a physical skill that can be taught and performed in a measurable level of proficiency.

the idea of being a “mastermind” is a much softer skill—which is to say, there’s no one recipe that will make it work. my manager at work has coached me by saying that leadership is often about having a “style,” and working at it that way. leadership requires interpersonal flexibility, being able to stay organized and to make important decisions rapidly, it is about being able to prioritize and delegate. and it’s very much open to interpretation, every day, all the time.

let me tell you something else about james bond: there is a lot of classism, racism, and sexism embedded into every aspect of those films, but that goes for double when it comes to the villains in the show. to vastly oversimplify that very concept, it shows up in the bond films like this: henchmen are working class folks, the villainous equivalent of “the help,” and the supervillains are (usually) rich and glamorous and powerful. henchmen are uneducated (read as: stupid) and ugly and poor. no one cares if they die. (there’s more complexities, as always, but this essay isn’t actually about james bond so we’ll fast forward through My Opinions to the end)

the problem with replicating james bond in your villain school universe is that some of the biases of the james bond universe get replicated in there, too. poor and uneducated folks get turned into disposable henchmen whose lives are irrelevant. people who are educated and talented get fast-tracked to a more glamorous and interesting stream that will catapult them to the top of the ladder as soon as they graduate. if you look at the dialect with which block and tackle are written, they are clearly meant to be seen as a different social class than otto, despite the fact that otto is coming from basically nothing. and we understand that when otto graduates, he will be able to do basically anything that he wants to at all.

so, if you’re asking why wing has a role in the alpha stream when he doesn’t seem as leader-y as otto, there’s a simple answer: because dr. nero believes that wing can be more.

the climax of book one is dr. nero explicitly telling otto, wing, laura, and shelby that they are in his school because he believes in them and he wants to see them grow. they are given an elite status other students do not have despite the fact that they have just literally tried to escape. as we see in the case of duncan cavendish, the main way to get on that highway to a guaranteed career is to convince him that you’ve “got it.” for those who are not believed in, there is no way to make up for the special grooming. you’re stuck with the stream you’re placed in, doomed (perhaps) to be a second-in-command at best.

is all this intentional? probably not. but it is implicit in the structure of the story and, alas, that’s the way it is.

all i can think to say in conclusion is that while the stream system tends to replicate some of the unfair and classist realities present in other media and the world we live in, i think part of the reason we read h.i.v.e. is because the alpha stream is so appealing. imagine! you are competent and you have a desirable, specialized skill as well as a proficiency in many general skills and you are certain you are going to do good things—and all because someone believes in you. to receive someone else’s support and confidence can be life-changing. the magic of h.i.v.e. is that yes—lives are changed and ordinary, boring people were elevated to the level of supervillains. we are only left to wonder, are they the only people who deserved that honor?

#meta #spoilers #streams #alpha #henchman #political/financial #technical stream #technical #james bond #hive #h.i.v.e.#higher institute of villainous education #the higher institute of villainous education #otto malpense #max nero #streams post #musings

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ventingblacklist · 6 years

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4x6 The Thrushes

“If you love me...if you ever loved me, just give her to me. Please.”

A dude named René Le Bron has made a business out of loaning money to super rich big wigs who have their assets frozen by the government. For a hefty fee, plus interest, and the assets, once they’re unfrozen.

Kirk has had his assets frozen. So Red goes after the man who is loaning Kirk money. A team takes Le Bron and all the 600 million he was about to give to some of his clients. And a plane.

Red takes his case to the task force. He and Liz have a suspicion that there is a tap in the post office, so they stage a little snit for Kirk’s benefit.

Red: When the sanctions are lifted, Le Bron makes a hefty profit by pocketing the frozen assets he insisted his borrowers put up as collateral...Truth be told, I’m disappointed I didn’t think of it.

Liz: Why bother when you can have us arrest him and then take his place?

Red: Good point.

Red says he’s captured Le Bron and can make him cooperate to give them Kirk if the government guarantees him immunity. It’s something Cooper will have to ask Panabaker for.

Liz joins Cooper in his office and Cooper brings up the snit.

Cooper: I can’t pretend to know the stress you’re under. But from where I sit, he’s doing everything in his power to find Agnes.

Liz: And kill Kirk.

Cooper: You have a problem with that?

Liz: Alexander Kirk is my father. ... I’ll do my job, but I am done cozying up to that snake.

Liz is doing this for the benefit of the tap, but later tells Ressler that she meant it. But the part about only putting up with Reddington until Agnes is back is probably an act, since, in the end, she’s clearly still putting up with Reddington.

Cooper talks to Panabaker over the phone and asks for immunity for Le Bron. The Thrushes guy is listening in. He alerts Odette.

See, this is what I don’t get. Cuz the tap is like, on the phones. The communication. It doesn’t seem to be just, around. To pick up arguments had in offices. It’s not like, a bug on a desk. If it was, Kirk’s tech guy could have called Odette before this. And yet Odette will also know about the ‘seeds of doubt’ sown in Masha.

The snit happened off the phone. But maybe Cooper also mentioned to Panabaker that Liz was feeling grumpy and they just didn’t show us that part? idk. They could be using computer microphones or something, but again, you’d think tech guy would have alerted Odette before the phone call. But whatever.

Odette was already aware that Le Bron had been taken, but this confirms it was Reddington who did it.

“I just received confirmation from the Farm. Reddington was behind the Le Bron abduction. If the FBI manages to turn him, they can track and seize all of your remaining assets. Shall I deal with it? I’ve already acquired the details of his transport.”

Kirk says yes. So basically she’s going to have Le Bron killed to ensure Kirk’s money remains untouched. I assume the details of the transport were also left lying around in the tech world because Red wants Kirk to know. He wants to flush out the Thrushes.

Odette: It appears the seeds of doubt you sowed in Masha have taken root. Kirk: It’s time to reach out. Take adequate precautions. Odette: Adequate precautions? She’s a key consultant for the FBI.

Kirk: Yes. And she’s my daughter.

Odette is protective of Kirk. She doesn’t want him dead or in prison. She thinks his obsession with his FBI consultant of a daughter is making him take unnecessary risks.

Odette gives the order and has someone kill Le Bron as he’s being transported. Cooper calls up Red to tell him. Red gives nothing away on the phone. But now he knows for sure that there’s a tap on their system.

He tells Dembe to send out the ‘invitations.’

See, I would have missed it entirely. I’m not sure if I’ve ever looked at the inside lid of a pizza box.

The team responds and is scanned and ushered into a tap-proof environment.

Samar is peak disinterested.

Red: Welcome to the past. This space is impregnable to every frequency of wireless transmission, including microwaves. Every piece of equipment you see is analog. Our sole concession to the digital revolution is a Ms. Pac-Man machine in the break room.

Cooper: But why?

Red: Because I like Ms. Pac-Man.

Red informs them that Le Bron was a way to confirm there was a mole in the post office.

Red: We set the bait. He took it. Cooper: A human sacrifice. Red: I prefer the term “tethered goat.”

Red briefs them on the Thrushes. Cooper wants to shut it down right now, but Red wants to use this to feed Kirk disinformation. But the post office is tied to the NSA, CIA, etc... Leaving the system vulnerable is something Cooper will have to get Panabaker’s approval on.

Cooper puts a lot on the line in the name of getting Kirk. He’s super pissed off when Red just lets him go. I’m sure Cooper took a lot of off-camera reaming from his superiors for that one.

The Hunter interrogates Kaplan. Says whoever shot her might come back.

She claims she shot herself. So the Hunter goes and looks for a gun. Finds none. Then he checks his trail cameras and finds a picture of the gang.

Red has Chester install cameras around the warehouse nursery.

Liz is snippy about it. She’s upset at Red for not telling her her father’s been out there alive all this time.

Red: Any word from Kirk? Liz: You mean my father? Red: Honestly, Elizabeth, it astounds me that you could be hornswoggled by something as simple to fabricate as a DNA profile.

Yes, but let’s never give her the context of that dna report that would clear it up for her. That would just be crazy.

The dna report plus the memories at the Summer Palace has her convinced.

Liz gets a call from a shoe repair shop claiming to have found her lost phone. They go there and she picks up a burner that has one number saved in it. She calls it and Odette hands it to Kirk.

Kirk: Masha. Liz: Tell me about Agnes. Kirk: She’s healthy. She’s happy. Can’t wait to see her mother.

Liz: You could make that happen.

Kirk: I want to. But as long as you refuse to shield her from Reddington, I can’t.

Liz: I got your SVR file. Your DNA profile was in it. I know you’re my father.

Kirk seems confused as to why the dna report would be in the SVR file. Him being ignorant of his wife’s activities.

This appears to be the first Red is hearing about where she got the profile too.

lol

So maybe I was too hard on him before? Maybe he thought Kirk fabricated one? idk. In any case he knows where it came from now. So he could tell her now. Remove that ‘Kirk is my father’ conflict of interest. Ya know, or not. Whatever.

Kirk: Then you know Reddington lied to you from the beginning. Liz: Yes. Kirk: There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be together.

Kirk suggests that they meet. He’ll work out some way to meet her without Reddington knowing and will be in contact later.

She says, ‘goodbye, Father’ in Russian. He responds with a Russian ‘goodbye.’

He’s all happy now.

Red: You were very convincing. Liz: That’s because I meant every word.

Odette: I don’t trust her.

Odette is right. lol

Samar talks to someone who investigated one of the Thrushes’ other hacks. While looking at the pictures of the scientists that were killed, Samar recognizes Aram’s girlfriend.

So in the midst of an arc about a man deceived by his wife, a wife who also targeted a Naval Intelligence officer, we have Aram targeted by Janet. Aka, ‘Elise.’

Samar tells Ressler and Cooper. She wants to tell Aram, but Ressler thinks Aram will give away that he knows. It doesn’t matter anyway because Aram figured it out on his own.

Aram: Someone had to dupe an FBI employee with level 4 clearance... Samar: And it was you.

Aram is going to use his dinner date to run a tap on Elise’s computer the way she did on his.

Aram: No, no. What, am I gonna shoot my girlfriend?

Samar: She’s not your girlfriend. She’s a hostile operative, and you are a trained federal agent.

"If anything goes wrong, the safety word is “banana.”...Use it, and in come the Marines. But they better get there before I do because I will mess that bitch up.”

Aram: Really? Samar: Oh, yeah. Really.

Red and Cooper wait back at the analog safe house. Red confides a bit in Cooper.

“When I turned myself in, I never imagined things could’ve turned out this… badly....I knew it’d be hard, but I… never expected that it would get… harder with every day....I knew it would complicate things. I’d be forced to take security measures… Things she’d hate.”

I think the complication is Liz being exposed on the news as Masha. But Red says Kirk was never on the blacklist. He wouldn’t have bothered Kirk if he hadn’t come for Liz. Cooper is obviously in the dark as to why. Cooper buys that Kirk is Liz’s father.

“Now all I see is the resentment in her eyes. I’m suffocating her, Harold.”

At the end of the season it will be Cooper who takes the initiative to see whether or not Red is Liz’s father.

Meanwhile, Liz is deciding whether to call Kirk and set him up. She doesn’t want to lose access to him. She doesn’t want him thrown in a hole where she’ll never be able to get the information she wants out of him.

But Kirk won’t hand over Agnes unless Liz agrees to shield her from Reddington. And as pissed off as Liz is at Red about the whole thing, whether or not she allows Reddington to be in her life or Agnes’ life is her decision, not Kirk’s. As she’ll tell him later.

So she sets up her father to be arrested. She’s not going to surrender to ‘conditions’ to get her daughter back.

Kirk: You’ve decided. Liz: You abducted me once. What assurances do I have you won’t do it again? Kirk: Things have changed. The DNA test. Liz: I want this to be real.

She does want it to be real. And she wants his care to be real, not just a cell donation thing. But he has Anges. And she currently believes Red on the cell thing.

Kirk: I’ll contact you with instructions.

Kirk trusts her now because he thinks she trusts him. So ‘abducting’ is no longer necessary.

He will try to kill Reddington though. He thinks she’s anti-Reddington now anyway, but even without that. It’s for the best. Just to be sure. In Kirk’s mind. Make sure he won’t bother any of them anymore.

Aram bumbles his way through it, but he gets the thing uploaded onto Elise’s computer. Elise is onto him, but he covers by claiming he’s in love with someone else.

Odette calls to make extra sure that the Thrushes have not been compromised. She doesn’t want Kirk walking into a trap.

"Your client is about to expose himself on the basis of your intel. If you’re wrong and he is harmed in any way, I will personally see to it that you and The Thrushes are exterminated."

Odette is like, my boyfriend’s life is on the line, you better be freaking sure.

Elise says she’ll run another check and call Odette back in ten minutes. She then sees Aram’s tap.

Fight ensues.

“Quack, quack, bitch.”

Aram’s got muscles.

Samar has Elise call and make that final verification of ‘all clear’ to Odette at gunpoint.

Liz is concerned that Elise might have coded her words in some way that would alert Odette. Red suspects she’s really worried about Kirk.

Red: I don’t believe Elizabeth’s concern is about her security or her daughter’s.

Liz: That is my only concern.’

“Clearly your only concern is that it might actually bother me that I’m about to entrap my biological father, that because of me, he’s gonna go to prison for the rest of his life.”

Kirk committed actual crimes that will be more the reason he’ll go to prison for the rest of his life, but Liz is turning him in. So.

"If I go through with this, you will be my only link to my past. I lost Sam. I lost my mother. And I’ll lose Kirk.”

“And whatever you want to call him, he was married to my mother. He raised me as a child. And he’s willing to do what you are not… Tell me about who I am.”

Tom shows up with a scribbled down message from the phone. The meeting is set.

So the FBI will be at this meeting place to deal with Kirk’s men. Meanwhile, Red and Liz will arrange to have Kirk go to a different meeting place. Because Red wants to deal with Kirk himself. He puts it down as a condition of his continuing his work with the task force.

Liz calls Kirk to arrange that alternate location.

Liz: The FBI knows about your mole. They’ve got her in custody....They know about our meeting…I’m telling you, it’s a trap.

Kirk: ...Doesn’t matter. I have an alternate location.

Odette is like, ‘wtf are you doing?!’ Kirk waves her off. He’s fully convinced Masha is on his side now.

Shoulda listened to his weird girlfriend.

I remember kind of wanting Liz to be doing this for real.

Liz meets Kirk on the roof while we’re led to believe Red is headed for the tunnels, when he’s also on his way to the roof.

She steps out and asks where Agnes is. Kirk says he’ll bring her out once Reddington has been ‘dealt with.’

Liz: What are you talking about? Kirk: Smile, solnishko. In less than 5 minutes, he will be dead...

Liz: That wasn’t our agreement.

Kirk: No. But you know as well as I do, it needs to be done.

Liz: I picked you… over him. I lied to everyone for you. Now you want to kill him? You can’t do that.

Kirk: I’m doing this for us.

Liz: I know you’re sick. I know that Agnes and I are nothing more than possible donors for you.

Kirk: Oh, come now. You know if that were true, all of this would have been resolved long ago with your abduction. True… it’s a consideration. But the only circumstances under which I’ll accept your help… is if it’s given freely.

"We had a deal.”

"Patience, dove.”

He waves Romina over. But before he can hand Agnes to Liz, Red bursts through the door and Kirk runs.

I.. have a hard time analyzing this ledge scene cuz I just find it kinda stupid. I’m sorry, I’ve tried not to, and I just... I can’t even like... nope.

I think it’s supposed to showcase just how desperate Kirk has become. To show Red. But I never get a real sense he’s actually gonna do it?

Also, Kirk has clearly kinda lost it on this whole thing, but still. Protect the kid by killing her? I mean, even in your most desperate straits, would that be the conclusion you’d come to? Maybe. I doubt it.

If Red having her is the issue, Red could just back away and say, ‘okay okay, i’ll leave her alone. look, walking away. just get off the freaking ledge.’

Also, Kirk could totally have just killed Red right there. So all around I’m just like... this dumb.

Liz embodies fear.

“This is madness, Constantin. Because you cannot have that child, you’re gonna take her forever from her mother? It’s madness.”

It’s actually not about him not having the child, it’s about you not having the child. But whatevs.

This has to sound incredibly odd to Constantin, who thinks Reddington did exactly that. Well, kinda. He thinks Reddington took a kid that wasn’t even his just ‘cuz he was mad at Kat for breaking off the affair. That’s probably what he was told about it. Kat’s deception feeds this whole thing.

It’s unclear what Constantin knew between the kidnapping and the suicide. Perhaps he believed Kat was so devastated she killed herself, idk. So Reddington took his child and killed his wife, basically. In Kirk’s mind.

Kirk shoots at Red and wings him.

Liz asks him in Russian not to do this.

“There is no other way, solnishko. This man, that took your mother away from us, took you from me, he will not have my granddaughter.”

“And I hate him as much as you do for it. But if you love me, if you ever loved me...”

“Just give her to me. Please. Otets. Please, father.”

When she finally gets Agnes, she exhales in sharp relief.

Red’s eyes are on Kirk.

Liz has her pink burrito.

We cut from this to Aram and Samar watching Janet get interrogated.

Aram: I was an idiot. Samar: No. You were human. You wanted something, and she was trained to exploit that. Aram: Trained, or born?

Samar says she’s no longer transferring. Little montage of the two of them eating the leftovers of Aram’s perfect date with Tom and Liz looking at Agnes, Kirk being put in the box, and the Hunter feeding Kaplan.

Red shows up to see the baby.

"I just wanted to thank you for trusting me, trusting the plan. I understand what a.... a leap of faith it must have been.”

"Not really. Considering what was at stake.”

Red asks if he can come in. He sees Agnes.

“She’s a beautiful girl.”

When I first watched this, I got serious ‘Liz and Tom are gonna jump him now’ vibes. Cuz Kirk was only one of the two criminal bosses in their lives. You’d think, one down, one to go. But then Liz is just like, ‘yeah, we’re not going to live under your guard anymore.’ They’ve clearly discussed this beforehand.

Red knows. He knows she’s felt suffocated. He’ll be eager not to make her feel that way again.

He bids them good night and leaves.

The door slams on Kirk’s box.

Told ya. You should always listen to your weird girlfriend.

#the thrushes #rewatch 2017

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5llowance · 4 years

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Why do racist people hate the Chinese? via /r/China

Why do racist people hate the Chinese?

Regardless of the what the Chinese government might/might not be doing, if you are a geographical collectivists that worships the US government/empire of blowing up school buses and weddings, that has lost everything, you wouldn't want to accept good chinese exist just like you don't want to accept good muslims exist. These are the hateful "Christians" who are looking for a reason to generalize massive populations, because apparently that's what Jesus asked of them? No these people are fools... Due to jealousy in their hearts, and because many of them are committed to the US because it's "their team", regardless of what evil, satanic things it does they support it. They wouldn't say it out loud because they're actually just as evil as the US government. We're equal, and that doesn't change, actually. Maybe that is why they're so pissed. Different skin colors and individuals of different regions are equal, folks. Look at China? LOL. It is becoming clearer and clearer day after day. They want to keep talking about how bad China is... and... how good the US government is? Man up and talk about how messed up the Middle East has become because of the US and Britain, talk about Gaza you cowards, because I thought the US was 60% Christian, more like 90% of them are hypocrites. If Jesus was to come back to the US he'd be sent to Russia because this Jealous empire and most of people here can't stand the truth of how evil they are. 15 million in Yemen who are oppressed by Saudi Arabia, no clean water. Thousands of Children dying in Venezuela and Iran because "their government is bad?" The Saudi Arabian government is of course better than ours! Sanctioning the parents of these innocent children out of jealousy that the US lost the Iraq war? Deal with it! You lost because you deserved to lose these wars of aggression you murdering fools. The only reasons the US is rich is because it stole gold and land from the native Americans, they stole so much that the value of gold dropped in Europe for a hundred years, that's why you're rich, it's not because "Jesus favors you"... What makes them think that they have the moral authority to go around fixing other nations when it fact they're just stealing from them by sanctioning them and selling their own oil? Of course they know what the government and its supporters doing, they're not actually after anything BUT stealing their money and increasing their power. That is because they are on the wrong side and don't want to admit it. If you wish to be on the right side of history stand up and say something. Yes the government of China isn't all about freedom, but it's much easier to fix something that we have access to.

Submitted May 27, 2020 at 07:50AM by Hellothereawesome via reddit https://ift.tt/3goVgAB

#IFTTT #reddit

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covid19updater · 4 years

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COVID19 UPDATES 04/17/2020

MORNING:

UK: Wearing face masks while travelling in London should be compulsory, city mayor Sadiq Khan has told the government. LINK

UK: Hopes that Britain can achieve widespread Covid-19 immunity by the end of the lockdown have been dealt a devastating blow after research suggested only a small proportion may have acquired resistance to the disease. LINK

Germany: German Zoo May Feed Animals to Animals as Funds Dry Up in Pandemic LINK

Texas: Area doctor sees success in experimental COVID-19 treatment using Melatonin LINK

US: April 24th: Amazon employees plan ‘online walkout’ to protest firings and treatment of warehouse workers LINK

China: BREAKING: Wuhan, where the coronavirus pandemic began, revises death toll to 3,869, an increase of 50%

UK: We have discovered evidence that at least one NHS trust is gently discouraging doctors from giving Covid-19 as a cause of death. LINK

Massachusetts: “The Mayor and the Executive Health Officer hereby order all residents of and visitors to the City of Brockton to stay at home between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless they are actively providing or receiving COVID-19 Essential Services. Anyone in violation of the executive order may be fined up to $1,000.” LINK

Spain: Number of cases in Spain increases by 2.8%. From yesterday to today, 5,252 new cases of Covid-19 in Spain have been confirmed, it was announced. The value corresponds to an increase of 2.8%. Regarding the number of fatalities, this has also increased slightly from yesterday to today, with 585 confirmed deaths by Covid-19. Yesterday was 551.

France: 'I wasn't elected for that!' French mayor forced to run NAKED from his house after attack by angry local during lockdown A French mayor fled for his life during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown after a disgruntled citizen forced him to strip naked at gunpoint in his own home. LINK

South Korea: Coronavirus relapse cases continue to rise in South Korea -- after full recoveries, 163 more tested positive again.

US: Lindsey Graham calling for sanctions on China for being the "largest state sponsor of pandemics on the globe" (’Murica!)

UK: UK reports 847 more virus deaths. The UK has reported 847 more virus deaths in hospitals, taking the total to 14,576.

China: Professor Luc Montagnier, 2008 Nobel Prize winner for Medicine, claims that SARS-CoV-2 is a manipulated virus that was accidentally released from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. LINK

World: Why did the W.H.O. Ignore an email from Taiwanese health officials in late December alerting them to the possibility that CoronaVirus could be transmitted between humans? Why did the W.H.O. make several claims about the CoronaVirus that ere either inaccurate or misleading...........in January and February, as the Virus spread globally? Why did the W.H.O. wait as long as it did to take decisive action? Lanhee Chen, Hoover Institution Fellow @foxnews

COVID19 HUMOR:

Covid-19 : The Rules 1. Basically, you can't leave the house for any reason, but if you have to, then you can. 2. Masks are useless, but maybe you have to wear one, it can save you, it is useless, but maybe it is mandatory as well. 3. Stores are closed, except those that are open. 4. You should not go to hospitals unless you have to go there. Same applies to doctors, you should only go there in case of emergency, provided you are not too sick. 5. This virus is deadly but still not too scary, except that sometimes it actually leads to a global disaster. 6. Gloves won't help, but they can still help. 7. Everyone needs to stay HOME, but it's important to GO OUT. 8. There is no shortage of groceries in the supermarket, but there are many things missing when you go there in the evening, but not in the morning. Sometimes. 9. The virus has no effect on children except those it affects. 10. Animals are not affected, but there is still a cat that tested positive in Belgium in February when no one had been tested, plus a few tigers here and there… 11. You will have many symptoms when you are sick, but you can also get sick without symptoms, have symptoms without being sick, or be contagious without having symptoms. Oh, good grief! 12. In order not to get sick, you have to eat well and exercise, but eat whatever you have on hand and it's better not to go out, well, but no… 13. It's better to get some fresh air, but you get looked at very wrong when you get some fresh air, and most importantly, you don't go to parks or walk. But don’t sit down, except that you can do that now if you are old, but not for too long or if you are pregnant (but not too old). 14. You can't go to retirement homes, but you have to take care of the elderly and bring food and medication. 15. If you are sick, you can't go out, but you can go to the pharmacy. 16. You can get restaurant food delivered to the house, which may have been prepared by people who didn't wear masks or gloves. But you have to have your groceries decontaminated outside for 3 hours. Pizza too? 17. Every disturbing article or disturbing interview starts with " I don't want to trigger panic, but…" 18. You can't see your older mother or grandmother, but you can take a taxi and meet an older taxi driver. 19. You can walk around with a friend but not with your family if they don't live under the same roof. 20. You are safe if you maintain the appropriate social distance, but you can’t go out with friends or strangers at the safe social distance. 21. The virus remains active on different surfaces for two hours, no, four, no, six, no, we didn't say hours, maybe days? But it takes a damp environment. Oh no, not necessarily. 22. The virus stays in the air - well no, or yes, maybe, especially in a closed room, in one hour a sick person can infect ten, so if it falls, all our children were already infected at school before it was closed. But remember, if you stay at the recommended social distance, however in certain circumstances you should maintain a greater distance, which, studies show, the virus can travel further, maybe. 23. We count the number of deaths but we don't know how many people are infected as we have only tested so far those who were "almost dead" to find out if that's what they will die of… 24. We have no treatment, except that there may be one that apparently is not dangerous unless you take too much (which is the case with all medications). Orange man bad. 25. We should stay locked up until the virus disappears, but it will only disappear if we achieve collective immunity, so when it circulates… but we must no longer be locked up for that?

Canada: Ontario, Canada reports 564 new COVID-19 cases, 55 more deaths

France: #BREAKING: Some 940 of the 2,300 crew members aboard the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier has tested positive for #COVID19, that's approximately 40% of the crew.

US: Washington Post debunks Feb. Washington Post article that falsely claimed theory that coronavirus came from Wuhan lab was "conspiracy" that "had been debunked

AFTERNOON:

New York: NEW/BREAKING: 630 deaths in last 24 hours in NY, per @NYGovCuomo. Up from 606 deaths, in previous 24 hour period, reported on Thursday.

World: The World Health Organization issued a warning Friday about coronavirus testing, saying there’s no evidence serological tests can show whether a person has immunity or not at risk of becoming reinfected.

China: China revised #COVID19 death toll was “done in an attempt to leave no case undocumented,” says WHO (LOL)

Greece: Greek coronavirus patient still tests positive after 40 days even though he has no symptoms

EVENING:

RUMINT (Brazil): Total caos in Manaus João Lúcio Hospital just collapsed! Dead people corpses laying down with people with covid-19. Hospitals in São Paulo near collapse too! Just saw on our TV LINK

Saudi Arabia: NEW: For the third day in a row, Saudi Arabia reports record number of new coronavirus cases.

UK: BREAKING: 1 million doses of a potential #COVID19 vaccine being developed by British scientists are already being manufactured and will be available by #September, even before trials prove whether the shot is effective, the team said on Friday.(What could go wrong?)

US: Around the country, labs and public officials tell @AP that critical shortages in supplies such as swabs and chemicals make it impossible to increase COVID-19 testing to the levels needed to keep the virus in check and reopen the economy.

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jonasletsplay · 5 years

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theScore esports Daily (June 24): MIBR reportedly replacing felps with LUCAS1, League of Legends banned in Iran and while MATUMBAMAN signs to Chaos' Dota 2 roster

theScore esports Daily is a once-a-day briefing covering the top news stories from around the world of esports.

MIBR reportedly in talks to drop felps for LUCAS1 in time for Cologne

According to a report from Brazilian website Sport.tv, MIBR is reportedly in the process of replacing João "felps" Vasconcellos with Luminosity Gaming's Lucas "LUCAS1" Teles on a trial basis.

LUCAS1 has reportedly already practiced with MIBR following both organizations' exit from ESL Pro League Finals. If LUCAS1 did join MIBR, it would be the first time he'd be playing without his twin brother Henrique "HEN1" Teles, as the duo have played the entirety of their careers together.

felps joined MIBR for the second time in his career back in January, and in that time the organization has failed to register any meaningful placements during international competition.

League of Legends banned in Iran

League of Legends has recently been banned in Iran and Syria amidst growing tensions with the United States government.

Iranian players trying to login to League were met with a message that reads "Due to US laws and regulations, players in your country cannot access League of Legends at this time. Such restrictions are subject to change by the US government, so if and when that happens, we will look forward to having you back on the rift."

While LoL developer Riot Games, who are based in the United States, have yet to release a statement on the matter, this isn't the first case of a game or platform being banned in countries at odds with U.S law.

Specifically, EA Origin is not available in either Syria or Iran due to "US embargoes and sanctions laws," while the Epic Games storefront is available everywhere "except where prohibited by US law, such as North Korea and Iran".

Chaos sign MATUMBAMAN to Dota 2 roster

TI7 champion and recently departed Team Liquid Carry, Lasse Aukusti "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen, has signed with Chaos Esports Club the organization announced on Monday.

We're excited to announce the acquisition of Lasse Aukusti "MATUMBAMAN" Urpalainen. He brings a winning attitude and a unique hero pool to our team. We can’t wait to see how he will contribute to the success of the squad. Full Announcement: https://t.co/WuezUXyiaI pic.twitter.com/Sat5DnxL0R

— Chaos E.C. (@ChaosEC) June 22, 2019

Known for his highly unorthodox style of play, MATUMBAMAN signed with Team Liquid in 2015, dominating the Dota 2 professional circuit through TI6, slumping briefly before exploding in 2017 where liquid would take home the Aegis.

. @MiSeRyDOTA doesn't tolerate any mess, even from the NEW GUY #WhoCouldItBe🕵️‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/4TINUhBkmE

— Chaos E.C. (@ChaosEC) June 21, 2019

At the time of his departure in June of 2019, MATUMABAMAN and the four other members of Team liquid had been together for 892 days, the longest lasting five-man roster ever in the Dota 2 scene to date.

Devin Jones is a content creator at theScore esports, you can follow him on Twitter.

source http://www.thescoreesports.com/news/16463

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extasiswings · 6 years

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@twilight-deviant replied to your post:I was thinking about this last night and I would...

Yes this. I’ve been saying since forever that Wyatt is in the gray. He may not be as dark as Flynn, but it is still nowhere near white. And yeah, I’d like to see them forge a coexisting… partner… friend… acquaintance… ship in season 2. Do it. Those scenes in 1.10 were really good. Also 1.06.

twilight-deviant replied to your post:I was thinking about this last night and I would...

And another thing! Yeah! I’m still super ticked that Wyatt wasn’t taken back into custody at the end of season 1. There is not justification for that!!! D<

I am not at all surprised about that given that Denise helped him break out to help the team when Rittenhouse was taking over. It only reinforces the “This is Bad unless you’re doing it for us and if we need you then we’ll overlook it” idea that I mentioned in the post (which is also something the U.S. Government does on the regular so the fact that the Denise/Wyatt scene is a Homeland Security agent and a Delta Force soldier is too meta even for me). Not to mention that what Wyatt is actually in trouble for isn’t murder, but stealing the Lifeboat, which...they’re really just piling on the self-drags with this subplot, aren’t they? And a lot of that has to do with who Wyatt is as an asset to the team/Denise as a government agent and some moral judgments perhaps about the people he’s killed. Flynn doesn’t have that same security because although he’s doing the same things, he isn’t doing them in a state-sanctioned way. At the end of the day, that’s the justification for why he’s in custody and Wyatt isn’t.

As I’ve said, the U.S. government (and legal system) do this All The Time. Overlook/wipe away crimes when it’s convenient and when it enables people to be used. The issue comes when people try to make it into a moral argument about how Flynn has done “bad things” and is therefore a “bad person” and Wyatt is Good and Righteous and Heroic because lol no, morality has nothing whatsoever to do with this. These were strategic decisions, plain and simple. They weren’t about morality, they weren’t about justice. And that’s what I’m hoping fandom will get around to understanding eventually and what I’m hoping will be addressed at some point in the show.

#replies #twilight-deviant #there is a justification just not one based on anything to do with morality #it's convenient plain and simple

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maewestside · 6 years

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DIPSOS AND THE GIMMIES: PRESIDENT TROLL’S CLASS OF 2017…WHERE ARE THEY NOW? by heidi siegmund cuda, aka @maewestside

I remember when I had my first beer.

I also remember when I had my last. With nearly two decades sans alcohol, maybe that’s why I have clarity to recognize the maladies of the dipsomaniacs, zapoys and gimmies surrounding President Troll. Upon closer scrutiny, there’s no shortage of DWIs, drug allegations, assault charges, money-love and drinking games linked to affiliates of this current White House. Clearly, being loaded probably helps lackeys justify their lackings. Truth, being the most lacking. Me, I’m just lactose intolerant. Truly, I love everyone.

But with the avalanche of lies spewed forth this weekend by President Troll and on Vichy MSM (which just can’t seem to get over its addiction of giving facetime to stooge$), I feel it’s helpful to stay rooted in reality and offer up sobering facts to calm one’s noives. Thus, reducing the need for the general public to imbibe, toke, sniff or pop to battle the sour ennui of witnessing a president* battle PDS (Putin Derangement Syndrome, an ailment first diagnosed by Simon Tisdall of the Guardian).

To counter the ever relentless and mutating phony narratives, here’s a roundup of the goings of some of President Troll’s erstwhile staffers and advisors. Whether they suffer from spiritual or physical maladies, may they get well soon.

SCOTT PRUITT: The former head of the Environmental Protection Agency spent the better part of the year defending the GOP’s “freedom to pollute,” (catchphrase, courtesy Paul Krugman), justifying his first class travels and cheap digs rented from a top energy lobbyist. Embroiled in myriad lawsuits, Pruitt submitted his resignation in July after multiple corruption investigations. EPA staff now have to figure out what to do with his $43k private phone booth. Washington Post reports Pruitt allegedly made only one outgoing call to the White House on his fancy phone. Score one for the “fiscal conservatives.” Alas, Pruitt will likely go down in history as the worst choice for one of the most important offices in America.

REX TILLERSON: It seemed a good fit: an oil industry captain as Secretary of State (lol), until Tillerson went rogue by backing the British government’s findings that Russia was guilty in the nerve agent attack in the U.K. That’s when Putin’s Apprentice went full nutter and fired Tillerson…on Twitter, which is where the former Exxon CEO learned of his dismissal. Those who would like to congratulate Tillerson for calling the president* a “moron,” can find him hosting a charity ball next month, with events taking place at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth and the Fairmont Dallas.

MICHAEL FLYNN: President Obama warned Trump not to hire Flynn. The rest is tragic history. Flynn, who forever will be haunted for leading a chorus of “Lock Her Ups,” is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to the FBI. The shortest serving National Security Advisor, Flynn admitted he had discussed Russian sanctions with the country’s Ambassador during the transition, after it had been disclosed. Currently, the three-star lieutenant general is cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his ongoing probe of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

MICHAEL COHEN: Trump’s former personal lawyer just surrendered to the FBI today and no matter how President Troll tries to spin it, it’s bleak news for Trump Inc. Cohen reached a plea agreement with prosecutors investigating payments he made to women on behalf of Trump: pleaded guilty to eight counts and said he made illegal campaign contributions "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office." Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, said Cohen had "testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime." Wow. And a disturbing tweet from Cohen a few days before Christmas in 2015 did not age particularly well. He Tweeted: “@HillaryClinton when you go to prison for perjury, your room and board will be free!” 12/19/2015. And so, here we are. Another carny en route to the Big House.

PAUL MANAFORT: Trump’s former campaign manager is in jail for witness tampering, while awaiting a jury verdict in the first of two trials for conspiracy against the United States, making false statements, money laundering, failing to disclose lobbying efforts on behalf of foreign entities and tax fraud. To truly understand the tragedy that is the rise and fall of Paul Manafort, check out “Russia, Are You Listening” with Matt Bevan on ABC Australia: http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/russia-if-youre-listening/paul-manafort-the-dictators-fixer/9924894. Working with dictators of questionable integrity appears to be his sweet spot, and clearly, the money was never enough. THIS JUST IN: Jury found Manafort guilty on eight counts. Whispers of a pardon already fluttering in the air.

GARY COHN: In an effort to drain the swamp, Trump hired the president of Goldman Sachs to be his top economic advisor. Cohn, who stepped down after a year and is credited with helping to steer the massive tax cuts, reportedly resigned over Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, which Cohn opposed. Cohn, the former chief operating officer and president of Goldman Sachs, is currently unemployed. He was replaced by Larry Kudlow, whose well documented past with substance abuse resulted in his firing from Bear Stearns but didn’t get in the way of obtaining security clearance in the Trump administration.

STEVE BANNON: Referred to as a “parasite” in search of a host by a former Breitbart colleague in USA Today, Bannon has been on a global populist tour, acquiring facetime anywhere he can get it. The former Chief Strategist for the White House, the former executive chairman of Breitbart, the co-founder of the former Cambridge Analytica and the former husband of a third wife accused of smuggling drugs into a prison, Bannon is not exactly winning. You wouldn’t know that, however, if you tuned into MSNBC or ABC News or the New York Times or the Hill or NPR or CNBC or Newsweek etcetera over the last couple of days. Vichy MSM is falling all over itself to give the gasbag coverage. A petition is trying to ban him from stepping foot into the U.K., and billionaire Robert Mercer, who aided and abetted Bannon’s wingding aphorisms by funding the hacks of Cambridge Analytica and the spreading of hate rhetoric along the disinformation highway, is no longer bankrolling him. Although he’s been trying to find a new sponsor and continues his Leni Riefenstahl film career, he’s been publicly rejected by rightwing Euro-fascists.

ROGER STONE: The longtime friend and former advisor to the president* has indicated he is the unnamed source in Mueller’s latest indictment, and eight of his associates have now been interviewed by Robert Mueller’s team of prosecutors. Although he’s backpedaled on comments that he met with Julian Assange and had insider knowledge of the DNC hack, Stone acknowledged trading messages with Guccifer 2.0, which according to the Mueller indictment, is a front for Russian intelligence officers.

GEORGE PAPADOPOULOS: This sordid tale starts in a bar with Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign. Whilst drinking in London, Papadopoulos told Alexander Downer, Australia's top diplomat to the UK, that Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos soon thereafter struck a plea deal with Mueller's office, admitting to one count of lying to the FBI. He is now awaiting sentencing, with Mueller recommending six months.

OMAROSA MANIGAULT NEWMAN: As Sean Spicer, Anthony Scaramucci and Hope Hicks have learned, being a member of the Trump Admin isn’t exactly an enhancement on one’s resume. Manigault Newman one upped her former colleagues by going bigly. She didn’t just write a book and do the circuit, she kept receipts and is dropping them daily. I knew how much trouble America was in when moments after the 2016 Electoral College Victory Heist was announced, the Hollywood Reporter printed an “exclusive” feature on Manigault Newman’s elevator ride with Trump to accept the real fake presidency*. In the article, she threatened those who would not submit to Herr Trump, and I knew we were in for a long, ugly haul to regain the dignity of our country. Since no one who seeks redemption is beyond salvation, score one for reformed trolls everywhere.

HONORABLE MENTION:

ANDY PUZDER: I used to tell Andy I was his only friend in the media, so of course, he blocked me. Truly, I begged him not to hitch his star to the pageant guy, because I knew there was no way it would end well. He ultimately withdrew his nomination for Labor Secretary after allegations of abuse serviced, allegations he denies. A vocal supporter of Trump on the campaign trail, Puzder is now the former CEO of Carl’s Jr. and is currently promoting his latest book, “The Capitalist Comeback.” As someone who once produced and hosted a business series, the bottom line in the long run: it’s integrity that’s bankable.

***

There’s a theory that everything Trump touches turns to poo, unless Russia is picking up the tab (see Zembla docs on “The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump” for clarification). It’s understandable why a six-time bankrupt mob patsy would have allegiance to his providers de rubles, so calling former staffers ugly names and slandering our top intelligence agents is simply part of his job requirements as Putin’s Apprentice.

Yet as ugly as this divide in our country is, I am a firm believer that this too shall pass. We’ve weathered ugly before as a country, when that lame duck Buchanan was our president. Buchanan did nothing to prevent a country divided and handed over the keys to the White House to Abraham Lincoln with a shrug, leaving Lincoln to clean up his mess. It’s been awhile since the American people were tested and we were broadsided by Russia’s long game. It’s up to us now to save the republic, and I’m staying close to the truth and those who provide it.

To quote that great philosopher Winnie the Pooh from “Christopher Robin,” it appears I’ve come to the end of my thoughts.

Bottom’s up.

****

Author Heidi Siegmund Cuda is a veteran investigative reporter, screenwriter, activist and mother.

#trumprussia #whitehousestaff #whitehouse #trumpcabinet #wherearetheynow #election2016 #Russianelectioninterference #russiaifyourelistening #abcaustralia #maewestside #heidicuda #heidisiegmundcuda

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