#highest paid spy

[quaranmine]

The Incandescence of a Dying Light (Chapter Twelve; Final)

The after, and the end.

Chapter twelve: 7,050 words.

<< Chapter Eleven | Masterpost

Hi, thank you all so much for reading. I hope you like this chapter. I already know some of you will :)

No CW for this chapter. Trust me that I can’t do worse to you than the last chapter. This one will, of course, continue to reference events of the last chapter though so be prepared for more discussion of grief and death.

September 1989

It’s late afternoon when Grian walks down the trail, boots crunching softly on the leaves and gravel. His boots are rubbing his feet, despite the many miles he has walked this summer to break them in. He’s still wearing the old pair, battered and trashed as they are. It’ll be their last journey. It only feels right in the way it feels wrong. It’s like he’s slipping back into a part he played once that doesn’t quite fit anymore. 

Still, the walking is meditative in its own way. One foot in front of the other, back and forth, every time. 

He zones out so thoroughly that he’s almost, but not quite, surprised to realize he is already at his destination. He knows he’s at the end of the line because the last pitch is steep and rocky, with nothing but sky above him. There’s nowhere left to go but up, and reaching for the sky is what all fire lookouts do best. 

Perhaps he expected this trail to be longer because the trail to Two Forks was. It took a full day of walking if he started incredibly early, and two days if he didn’t. He always seemed to fail to start early, except for that time with the firework idiots. This isn’t the trail to Two Forks, though. 

Grian scrambles up the last portion of the trail, and sets his eyes on the prize at the end: the Thorofare lookout.

It’s not perched on a tower the way many classic lookouts are, rather it takes on a different blueprint that is common to many fire lookouts in the western US. It sits alone on top of a foundation of a heaping pile of granite rock. It doesn’t need a spiraling staircase to give it height above the trees; it’s already the highest point in the surrounding mountains.

For a random, silly moment, Grian wants to duck himself behind one of the rocks and hide. He wants to play spy for just a little while, and go back to being that unobtrusive observer in the forest that he was paid to be only weeks ago. 

The lookout is fairly well kept. The siding has been painted recently, but the shingles are a little messed up, likely from the hail they’d received earlier in the summer. Grian smiles to himself, just slightly. That’s probably not something Scar can fix for himself, and it’s probably driving him crazy. He clearly cares a lot about keeping the building and its surroundings looking nice.

He should just…go to the door and knock, like a normal person. 

He doesn’t. He just hangs back.

He’s not entirely sure why. Scar seems, by every encounter he’s ever had with him, an objectively friendly person. Perhaps even too friendly—a person who was willing to put up with Grian’s relentless, doomed quest and offer total support. And maybe that’s why he’s scared: because it’s always easier to reveal your whole soul anonymously, but putting a face to it is final. 

He has to do this, though.

He rolls his shoulders, adjusting the weight of the pack—a new one—and anticipates dropping it at the door. Then, he steps out from behind the rock, walks to the door, and knocks on it. 

There is an immediate yelp of shock from inside the cabin followed by the sound of something clearly being dropped, which Grian can’t help but snicker at. 

“I’m uh, I’m—coming!” Scar says, with a hint of sing-song on the final word. Grian is struck by how clear his voice sounds, without the interference of many miles between them. Of course it would be, but still. He sounds just slightly different. 

A second later the door is flung open, and Scar is there, right in front of him, leaning a little on the door frame. Standing there, right in front of him. 

He’s taller than Grian, which he knew to expect but is still mildly annoyed by. He somehow looks nothing like, and exactly like, what Grian expected him to. His hair is light brown, and needs a good combing. It’s a little long in the back, since it’s probably been weeks or months since Scar got it trimmed. His eyes are green, and they contain just a touch of cockiness. He’s smiling at Grian, all bright teeth and good cheer, and the facial expression tugs slightly at a scar under his eye. That had been caused in the accident, if Grian recalls correctly. 

“Well, hello there,” Scar says. “You startled me a little back there! We don’t get very many visitors to this fine establishment, but welcome! I’m the one who staffs this here Thorofare Lookout, so what can I help ya with?”

And Grian, embarrassingly, just stares at him. 

The moment extends for an amount of time that is just edging into uncomfortableness. Grian can see it in the way Scar’s smile freezes a little on his face, like he’s gone from being genuinely friendly to just holding the expression in place for some weirdo tourist who has decided to come bother him out in the middle of nowhere. 

Grian shakes his head, lifting himself out of the moment and back into reality. “Sorry,” he mutters quietly. “Sorry about that, I’m just—” He stops. Then, he extends his hand. “Hi Scar, I’m Grian.”

It’s Scar’s turn to stare now. The smile on his face melts away in shock, and his gaze flickers across Grian, giving him a once over. It makes Grian want to shrink back some in shyness.

Then he accepts Grian’s extended hand, and in one fluid motion uses it to yank him into a hug instead. It’s soft and warm. 

Grian somehow didn't expect that, although he's probably received more hugs in the past two months than in the last two years, so this one shouldn't be that much of a surprise. It feels more important though, like it's communicating something left unsaid between them all summer. 

"You had me so worried," Scar says to the top of Grian's head. 

They pull away. Grian smiles sadly. "Sorry about that." 

"What are you doing here?" Scar says.

“Ouch. Not even a hello?”

“Hi Grian,” Scar says, and immediately tacks on: “So what are you doing here? Not that—not that I don't appreciate it of course! You know, I just didn't expect—"

"I thought I'd come for a visit," he says. Then he adds, amused, "Can I come in?"

"Oh! Of course!"

Grian steps into the lookout, and it's organized chaos. He gets the distinct sense that Scar has too many belongings for such a small space, and that he has at the same time put great effort into decorating and turning it into a little home. The interior layout mostly matches his tower, with a few differences like the bed being in a different corner. There’s a notebook on the floor, which Scar quickly snatches and replaces it on the desk. That must have been what he dropped earlier when Grian knocked. 

“Guess you weren’t expecting visitors?” he says. 

Scar laughs. “No! You scared me!”

“Yeah, I was never expecting any hikers either,” Grian says. “I got visitors…just a few times? I think? And the one time I didn’t even see them coming, they just made it all the way up to the catwalk and knocked on the window.” 

“Oh, that’s not even a bad one,” Scar says. “Once I had a hiker come in really late at night. So I just woke up to seeing a person literally trying to open the door in the dark. I thought I was gonna get robbed, or murdered, or—”

“Now I know how I should scare you next time,” Grian says, and Scar swats his arm. 

“I think a lot of people don’t realize it’s inhabited,” Scar says. “Like, they think the cabin is empty so they get all the way up here and don’t realize someone’s there? I ended up letting that person crash on the floor in their sleeping bag. After I finished having a heart attack!”

“There aren’t many left that are still used, are there?” Grian asks.  

Scar looks away a bit, eyes flitting over to the window by the desk where the mountains lay beyond, the ones he’s known for years. “Less each year,” he says. “I always wonder if each year’s my last one. Two Forks went inactive for several seasons. It’s just this year, after all those Yellowstone fires, that they hired more people. Like you!”

“But that funding won’t last.”

Scar shrugs. “They’ll forget about it again once the public forgets about it. Or once a new administration wants to do some cost-cutting and wonders why they’re paying so many people to go do nothing all day.”

Grian makes a noise of agreement. It goes without saying, of course, that the job isn’t only nothing. It’s a lot of nothing right up until sometimes it’s suddenly a lot of something. After that it’s hours of overtime, maps, math, weather, radio chatter, and monitoring fire. 

It only took the briefest introduction to the job for Grian to realize it was like stepping into another world, and not one that would last for much longer. Manned lookouts would continue to have some advantages, of course. He and Scar could be a 24/7 relay to firefighters if needed. The job may not ever fully go away. But the more that things like satellites could be relied on, the less people they’d need to cover these vast networks of forest. 

The wind whistles outside of the windows as they stand there. The sun’s angle throws little warm squares of light through the windows, checkering the floor of the cabin. It’s later in the year now, and the days are getting shorter. It’s still warm out during the day, but the lows at night are starting to get below freezing again. Scar won’t be asked to come back after October 1st, unless a really large fire breaks out again. There’s limited days left in this cabin. 

The strangest part of it all is that they’re standing here together. He keeps throwing stray glances at Scar, hoping he won’t notice, as if he’s trying to verify that he’s really standing there. 

Grian changes the subject slightly. “Do you have room for me to sleep tonight? Or is that offer only open to potential thieves in the night?”

Scar pretends to deliberate on this for a second. “Nah, I’m gonna make you sleep in a tent. On the rocks. In the wind! And the cold!”

“Rude,” Grian says. “Is this how you always treat your fri—guests?” 

He backs out of the word at the last minute. It’s silly. Part of him wonders, though, if he messed up his chance with Scar. If he was too hurtful, or weird, or difficult to deal with. If it was easier to talk with him long-distance and not worth it face-to-face. 

It doesn’t escape Scar’s notice. “Well,” he says, drawing the word out. “I guess I could make an exception for making sure a friend doesn’t freeze to death.”

“How could I ever expect to live up to that kind of hospitality,” he deadpans in return, matching Scar’s sarcasm even as tension trickles out of his shoulders.

They were both joking, of course, but Grian had packed his bag with everything he needed in case he got rejected. He’d been willing to sleep outside. Jimmy told him that was stupid, because there was no way Scar wouldn’t let him stay with him. Grian told him that may be true, but he was never going to set out on a hiking trail again without all his gear regardless. Jimmy got quiet after that and agreed. 

“Maybe I’ll just make you do some chores,” Scar says. “Hey, I have an extra pair of binoculars—”

And like that, the ice is broken. 

»»———-　　———-««

Hours later, it’s dark out. 

They spend a pleasant afternoon and evening together, talking mostly about nothing at all. Intentionally talking about nothing at all, really. Grian guides them away each time the conversation turns, and Scar lets him like he doesn’t even notice. 

Scar is an even better storyteller in person—for the first time, Grian’s able to see how he stops what he’s doing to pour every ounce of attention into his words. Scar fills him in on everything that’s happened since July. 

“You know it’s a lot more boring without you, you know,” Scar says.  “The replacement lookout didn’t dramatically steal anything? Jump out any windows?” “Not a single one, G-man!” he cries. “I mean really, how’s a man supposed to find any other entertainment out here? Nice lady, though. But she didn’t want to talk to me, she just told me she wanted to do her job. I think our supervisor might have warned her off me.” “You’re a bad influence,” Grian says. “I don’t blame her.” “I’ll have you know, I was rated Most Wholesome in high school.” “That did not happen. I don’t even think that’s even a real thing.”

He receives a mini tour of the lookout. It’s not a long tour because there isn’t much to see, but Grian pays rapt attention anyway. Scar tells him about his efforts to paint the siding earlier in the summer, and specifically the way someone had come specially to deliver him those supplies twice because it was the wrong product the first time. 

He points out landmarks through the windows, and Grian gets to see some of the same mountains he spent so long watching from a new vantage point. He looks at the sunny south faces of all the mountains that were north of Two Forks tower. 

There’s another new feature in the cabin that Scar has added, in the form of a high shelf above the windows and close to the ceiling. 

“I built that so I could dry paintings without Jellie stepping all over them when they were wet,” Scar tells him after he catches Grian eyeing it.  “How’d that work out for you?” he asks.  “It’s the only place she wants to sleep now!” Scar groans.  "Cats like high places, you know. Wait, is she around here? I haven’t seen her at all! I'd like to meet her." "I knew you'd be more excited to see my cat than me," Scar mutters. “She’s probably hiding under the bed.” Grian kneels on the floor and peers under the bed. Deep in the shadows in the corner, a pair of bright eyes look back at him, regarding him with suspicion. Her eyes are the same color as Scar's. He watches her for a moment, but she does not make any effort to come closer. He silently vows that he will manage to pet her before he leaves.

Scar also gives him a short demonstration of some of the paintings he’s made this year. He has a sketchbook full of little things—the trees further down the hill, an undulating column of smoke with all its curves, and a delightful series of cat sketches. There are some pages where Scar skips past quickly and refuses to show Grian. When he catches a glimpse of one, the drawings look just as good as the others, so Grian remains unsure what exactly was wrong with them. 

Just as impressive are his oils and watercolors. He’s made a bunch this summer—Scar claims it’s actually bad because he’s done less than usual, which Grian can’t really comprehend—and most of them are small studies. 

“I want to capture more movement and texture and color and life,” Scar tells him. “The smaller pieces of paper make it so that I can’t get too hung up on details!” Grian nods along.  “The Impressionists did that, you know,” Scar starts, and Grian gratefully settles back in to listen to another tangent while he thumbs through little brightly painted cards, each one more impressive than the last. 

Now it’s getting late, and they’re sitting out on the catwalk together, backs against the cabin. There’s a very cold bite to the air, but the stars are pretty regardless. No clouds at all tonight, in fact, and a waning moon shining gently. The lights in the lookout are turned off, and as his eyes adjust he can start to see the outlines of the distant mountains. 

Grian has two cans of beer he picked up at a gas station somewhere along the way, and gives one to Scar.  It’s not a brand he recognizes, so maybe it’s from some local or state-specific brewery. Scar brings a blanket out on the deck for each of them. The cold air seeps up between the cracks in the boards they’re sitting on, but he’s cozy nonetheless. 

“I wish you could’ve been down here back when the meteor shower was going,” Scar says. 

“Meteor shower?” he asks. 

“Yeah. It’s, uh, I don’t know. Every year at the end of summer. It’s nice to be out here ‘cause you can see so many stars at night.”

“I bet that was nice,” Grian says. “I wish I was there.”

They lapse into silence for a few minutes, just sipping on the drinks. The stars twinkle far above him, the furthest so faint that he can hardly tell if he’s really seeing them or not. He absently wishes he learned more constellations, since he can’t recognize any right now. He’s going to miss being able to see so many stars. 

When he turns to face Scar again, his expression is stormy. Grian goes still. Scar fiddles with the edge of his blanket and doesn’t meet his eye. He can’t tell if he looks angry, or just upset, but either combination of those makes his stomach turn. Grian waits though. They’ve waited long enough today. 

"After all…of that," Scar starts finally, neatly sidestepping any discussion of what all of that actually was, "I didn't hear from you again. At all."

Grian lets that settle in for a moment. "I know," he responds finally. "I’m sorry. That's why I came here."

"I mean," Scar continues, voice growing stronger, "I knew you weren't dead because it was all over the radio traffic. I was monitoring the communications with the hotshot crew. I hear about—” he gestures with his hand “—all that, with the fire and helicopter. And our supervisor took pity on me and told me some of the details afterward.”

“And it was on the news.” 

Grian knows the story was run on a few American and British outlets. He avoided the TV, and the paper, for a while afterward, but it doesn’t take the press long to get bored. Mumbo’s death was barely a blip in the news cycle. It was a dramatic story, but not that dramatic. It doesn’t matter if it will haunt Grian for the rest of his life; the average person wouldn’t remember reading about it after a week. “Missing British Expat Found Dead in American Wilderness One Year Later.” He grimaces even at the mere thought of it. 

“That too. Not that I get much of that up here.” His voice is clipped. Hurt. With good reason, really, but—

Truthfully, Grian didn’t quite think to contact Scar until later. Everything after he was evacuated from the forest was a blur of activity that made his head spin, and he wasn’t in the best of shape at the time. The helicopter had taken him directly to the hospital in town, and they’d kept him for three days. They evaluated his ankle, which was only a grade 1 sprain that had been aggravated by his constant movement. They treated him for severe dehydration. They evaluated his lungs and airways. Mostly, though, they focused on his burns. 

Grian was lucky, all things considered, regardless of if he felt that way or not. He lived when he could have very easily died. He’d been in a rocky area that burned fast and had little tinder, with the boulder next to him to act as a heat sink. He’d been stuck in a finger of the fire near the edge, so it had burned over quickly. He hadn't ever caught on fire himself. He’d kept his nose and mouth protected and close to the ground. His clothing had protected most of his body, but wearing a t-shirt meant his arms had been bare and he’d used his hands to cover his head. They fared the worst. 

Grian thought the hand was perhaps the most annoying place to receive a burn, with the painful way he struggled to do anything, especially writing, for a few weeks. But it hadn’t been very severe. It could have been worse. He got to go home, and monitor his recovery from there. 

He answered a million questions over the days following the incident. He spoke to rangers, search and rescue, fire crew members, and the police. He was scolded for stealing documents, but the words held little bite or legal weight. They had other copies available, after all. They asked him to pay a small fine. The rangers’ eyes looked sympathetic. Perhaps they felt he suffered enough, or perhaps it was the fact that this confrontation took place in the hospital room. 

He called Mumbo’s parents again the morning after he woke up again. 

And then when he sat in the hospital on the second night, waiting for Mumbo’s parents and his own mum to arrive, he pulled out his radio again and charged it. Once it came back on though, he realized it couldn’t do anything for him anymore. It was still set to the frequency he and Scar always spoke on, but now there were new voices speaking on it. 

Of course they didn’t own the frequency, it was just a national talk frequency. They’d always just carved privacy out of the sheer remoteness surrounding them. Now, he was simply too far out of that limited range and was picking up more nearby conversations instead. 

“I’m sorry,” Grian says. “I didn’t have a radio to reach you with. It was out of range as soon as I left the forest.”

“I have a phone.”

“I didn’t know the number,” he says after a moment. They’d only ever spoken over the radio when he was a lookout. Then, he tacks on jokingly: “I also don’t really think the agency wants to foot the bill for international calls.”

Scar scrunches his eyes shut for just a moment. “It hurt a lot,” he says. “That day—when I think of it, it’s so….I  just—I was just worried about you. I was…”

“Scared?” Grian offers. 

Scar nods, and Grian feels something horrible wash over him, a guilt that makes him want to walk straight off the catwalk into the dark. He tries to place himself there for a moment, on that evening, but this time from the inside of this lookout. Scar could see the fire from his tower. He’d been desperately trying to save him with no way to interfere on his own. Helpless. He listened to Grian say things. Worrying things. He saw the fire’s movement, where it spread, and how fast it spread. 

When Grian’s radio died, he must have felt like he was watching him die.

“It’s okay,” he says, speaking all in a rush. “It’s okay, I—I’m fine. See? I got out of there, and now I’m here. I’m sorry, I came to say I’m sorry. I’m okay.”

Scar tilts his head skeptically. “Are you? Because…”

Suddenly, Grian’s eyes well up with tears. The mere question is enough to crack his veneer of coping. He casts his eyes away and blinks fast, trying to keep them at bay. Scar has heard him cry, but never seen him cry, which is somehow more embarrassing.

“No,” he says. “I don’t think I really am.”

Scar doesn’t ask him any questions, he just puts his arm around him. The warm weight of it grounds him like a comfort. For every time Grian was convinced he could do it all by himself, there was another time that he just wanted it to be like this: a person who cares. He ducks his head down, and lets the tears drip across his cheeks and into his lap. He isn’t sobbing; it’s a quiet cry. 

Eventually, he simply whispers, “I’m just so tired.”

“I get that,” Scar agrees. 

“Everything’s just…too much,” he says. “I’m—”

One step from losing it all?

One missed breath from drowning?

“It just feels like the beginning again,” he finishes instead. 

“The beginning?” Scar inquires. 

“Like I haven’t figured it out. But last time I had hope, I guess. I thought it could be fixed. It hurt but I thought it could still work out in the end. I need it to work out and be okay. And now it can’t. It’s not ever going to be okay. And I don’t know what to do with that.”

There are lows Grian has felt in the last few weeks that he doesn’t want to share with anyone. That’s part of the problem, though. His life is everyone’s concern now and he’s being treated like glass by all his friends. They mean well, of course. They may even be wise for it. But people know what happened. They just can’t know how it felt. 

He tries to remember they’re upset too. They’re also grieving. But they’re not the ones who have to leave the kitchen in a panic for a bit of fresh air whenever something burns in the oven. 

He wants nothing more than to be left alone. He knows what it’s like to be alone after this year, and it’s familiar. And yet, he also wants nothing more than this—to be hugged, and comforted, by someone else who can do a little reasoning for him. 

It’s hard to feel like anything matters right now. He dedicated all his time to finding Mumbo. He shaped his ideas, his time, and his relationships with people around the belief that Mumbo was alive—and was wrong. So what’s the point? Where’s he supposed to go now? What’s he supposed to do? 

He doesn’t know. 

Scar hugs him a little closer. “It’s not okay. It won’t be. But maybe eventually you’ll start filling in things around it.”

“Like you did?” Grian says, a little sharper than intended. “Isolating yourself for years in the middle of nowhere? That didn’t work for me, in case you didn’t notice.”

“No,” he responds slowly, “like I did by being reminded of the good memories, picking up art, getting a cat, trying new jobs, looking at pretty sunsets, and meeting new friends. See! Small steps first.” He lets go of Grian, and pats his shoulder. “You can do it.”

“I don’t want to do that,” Grian says.

“I kind of think you do.”

“I don’t though,” he says sourly, “because I—I already do, and I hate it. Sometimes I feel relieved. And I don’t want to. I don’t want to be relieved. My friend is dead.”

“Why’re you relieved?” Scar asks. 

“Because—because it’s just. Over, maybe. Because I finally know the answers. Because it’s horrible but at least I don’t have to wonder anymore.”

The what-ifs used to plague him constantly. They were an ever-changing carousel of worst case scenarios that danced around his head. Now, something different plagues him. But the truth doesn’t change. It just is. 

 “Hm.” Scar pauses for a second. “Well, you figured out what happened. You found him. You can put it to rest now. It’s okay to do that.”

“But—”

Scar interrupts. “You’re not forgetting him, you know? That’s not what it means to move on. There’s a lot of people out there who don’t have anyone to believe in them. Mumbo had you. And you did good.”

And Grian doesn’t know what to say to that, so he doesn’t. He just sits there and lets the thought swirl around and around his head. Scar lets him. The two don’t speak. 

He did good. Did he? 

It doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good to be hell-bent on saving your best friend only to find his body. It doesn’t feel good to fail so thoroughly from the goal you set. It doesn’t feel good to be the only one left in something that was special. He has so many memories with Mumbo. Now he’s their sole keeper, the only one left to carry that knowledge. 

But he did succeed, in a way. Mumbo might have been lost forever out there. Some people never do get found. He brought Mumbo home, back to his family, and back to a place with respect. Where he could be buried. 

He breaks it down in his mind, over and over, like maybe he can polish away all the sharp edges like a rock in the river. Maybe it’s okay to let the sharp edges go away. The heavy weight of it remains. Maybe it doesn’t have to cut his hands every time, though.

Eventually he takes a deep breath and sits back up. 

“Sorry about all that,” he mutters, as he hastily wipes the tears from his eyes. 

“No,” Scar says.

“No?”

“Don’t say that, don’t apologize for crying. It’s okay!” Scar says. “If anything, I’m sorry I didn’t help you more back then, or—”

“No,” Grian says this time. 

“Oh,” Scar says. “No?”

“No,” he repeats. 

“Okay.”

“So that’s out of the way, then,” Grian says, breaking into a watery half smile. “No more apologies.”

“I guess so,” Scar says. 

Grian sighs. “I just don’t know what to do now. What do I do next? You…you managed to do it.” 

Finding Mumbo was a year-long priority. Without it, he can’t seem to figure out the structure of his life. He never thought this far ahead. He only thought about what it would be like when it was all okay—not about what he planned to do when it wasn’t okay. Now he’s falling through his own cracks. 

“That’s an easy one,” Scar says. “You’ve got a lot of houses to draw!”

“We call it drafting.”

“Drafting then,” Scar nods. “Go forth and draft some buildings.”

Grian tips his head back, looking at the stars. “I don’t know if I want to do that anymore.”

“Oh! You don’t have to,” Scar says. “I know you liked the job, but you don’t have to go back to it. You can do something else too. You can do whatever. Or even nothing.”

“I don’t want to do anything else, that’s the problem,” Grian says. “I just—ugh.”

He still likes architecture. He literally can’t turn it off in his brain, the way his eyes catch on the details of buildings when he travels past them, equal in praise and criticism for it. He doesn’t know if he has a place in that career anymore, though. Maybe he can’t do it anymore. Maybe he doesn’t remember how. 

“You have time to figure it out. You even have the rest of your life to keep trying things out!” Scar says. “Why do you think I’m always seeing new places and doing these seasonal jobs? And if you want to go back to it you can. It doesn’t have to be now though. It can be whenever.”

For the first time in a long time, Grian feels a little spark of something about his future. It’s a little flame and it will need to be nurtured. He cups it close in his mind, trying to peer through its light. There’s no plan, just a glimmer of something that doesn’t sound too bad. 

Every time he thinks about what to do next, he’s locked in decision paralysis. Mostly, he just wants to sleep and not have to deal with it. He has already tried that method, and while it doesn’t work well, it does eliminate the thoughts temporarily. The nothingness is comforting, even though he never feels better afterward. He wants this to all go away, but day after day since Mumbo first went missing that has been proven impossible. 

But sometimes one of his friends comes along to drag him out of his room and onto the streets of London, and more times than not he finds himself enjoying it. He finds himself, even for just a moment, living in that reality instead. Is it so bad, to want that a little?

Like it always does, the guilt comes stalking back in behind the thought. He lived, Mumbo did not. Mumbo deserved to live. Grian did nothing spectacular, nothing out of the ordinary, to deserve to have this life that was robbed from his friend. It eats at him, cutting holes in the very fabric of his being. He lets the thought settle in the corner of his mind, like he always does, but he doesn’t dismiss the hope either. Not this time. He holds them both at once. 

Then, his thoughts are interrupted by gentle, tentative paw steps on the edge of the blanket.

“Oh my goodness,” Scar says. “Jellie finally decided to come say hi!”

Grian watches her carefully from the corner of his eye, and dares not move an inch. Scar had left the door cracked when they came out here on the catwalk, so Jellie must have decided to explore a little. And now she’s slowly crawling over toward him. She’s a classic gray tabby cat with a white chest, paws, and blaze. She sniffs Grian’s hand with great contemplation, before carefully stepping over his arm and sitting on his lap. 

“Oh!” he exclaims softly. 

Scar silently fist-bumps the air. “Yes!” he says. “She likes you! I knew she would!”

“Can I pet her?”

“Of course,” Scar says. “That’s why she’s on your lap! Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out if she doesn’t want to be pet anymore.”

“By biting me, I’m sure.”

“Uh,” he says, “no comment.”

Grian gently strokes the striped fur along her back. It’s soft and short. It’s been a while since he owned his own cat, but he likes them. He wanted to get one, but their apartment in Denver hadn’t allowed animals, so the last cat he had was one back in England that passed away while he was in university. Maybe he’ll get a new cat when he goes back. Jellie is a dignified cat, the type of animal who looks at you and possesses an uncanny type of intelligence in their eyes. He honestly feels honored that she decided she liked him enough to sleep on his lap. 

After a moment, she starts to purr. 

Scar is watching the two of them with a funny look on his face. Or rather, after a moment, Grian realizes that Scar is actually watching his hands. 

“You got burned,” he says, like he’s only just now noticing it. 

His hands still. The second-degree burns had already healed in the weeks since the fire, but the skin on the back of his hand was still pink and patchy-looking. Healed, but only just, with the potential of any long-term scarring still up in the air. Jellie senses that he’s stopped petting her, and moves her head to push his hand until he resumes the motion. He does. Demanding cat. 

“Yeah,” Grian responds simply.  

Scar puts his head in his hands. “I should have directed you better—if I knew better, or—then maybe you wouldn’t have gotten hurt—”

“Hey, no,” Grian says. “That was…that was all me, Scar. I got into that situation myself. I was…I probably would have stayed put if it weren’t for you, honestly. You saved me.”

Scar looks up again. “Really?” he asks. 

“I wouldn’t have got out of there,” he says softly. “And, really, I would have never found Mumbo if it weren’t for your help. Thank you for that. I know I…got mad at you, that day, but really. I, uh, do mean it. Thank you.”

“Oh,” Scar says. “That was—something I couldn’t imagine not doing.” He’s quiet for a moment, thinking. Grian for once can see this in the expression on his face, rather than the silence through the radio. He waits. Finally Scar asks: “Did they—did they ever find out what happened?”

That’s the big question, isn’t it? That’s been the big question this whole time. And for all the effort that Grian went to in order to find Mumbo, it wasn’t one he could fully answer on his own. That was for the rangers and the medical examiner. 

He begins, “They found him, based on your map skills I’m sure. Um, recovered his body. Made a real identification. Not that I—not that I was going to be wrong. I just knew. They used dental records I think.”

He keeps petting Jellie. 

“They don’t just—they don’t just send him home right away. They had to figure out what happened first. For his death certificate. Or maybe their records. Or maybe for us. But they did an autopsy—which was part of the identification I think.”

“What’d it say?” Scar asks. 

It’s a long moment before Grian responds. “He probably died of dehydration. Which meant it probably only took a few days. They don’t think he had any water on him. They think maybe he’d been headed to the creek—” like I was, but he doesn’t say it. He continues. “He had a fracture in his leg. They think that’s why he was stuck there.”

“Awful,” Scar says softly.

“He was probably dead before the first week of the search was done.” Grian shakes his head sharply to dispel the thought. “Anyway, uh. They flew him back to England. We buried him. Had a funeral. It was really nice, actually.”

There was just so much happening at the funeral that it’s a blur in his mind. He was still receiving treatment for his burns and had everything wrapped. He was still having trouble sleeping. He felt like a shell of a fake person being forced to interact with the real people. The funeral was wonderful, affirming, and full of people he hadn’t seen in years. People who’d loved Mumbo, too. But it was also deeply overwhelming. 

“You were in England this whole time then?” Scar says. “‘Cause you said something about international calls earlier.”

Grian nods. “Yeah. I went back a week after all of it happened. Stayed there, with my family.”

“But you came back here.”

“I had to,” he says, trying to force some brightness into his words. “Couldn’t just leave you all alone without saying goodbye.”

Scar reaches out a hand, and scratches Jellie under the chin. She purrs harder. He says, “Why’s it have to be goodbye?”

“Scar.”

“I know,” he says miserably. “I know.”

This isn’t his home, and it especially isn’t without Mumbo. Grian had followed him here, and now that he was gone, there wasn’t any reason to stay. Well—not a good reason. He’d be lying if he said this wasn’t breaking his heart too. 

“I have things I have to wrap up here,” Grian says. “Stuff like our apartment. Those things need to be packed up and shipped back. And I need to sell my car. It’s all tedious stuff. Two of my other friends came with me to help me so I didn’t have to do it all by myself.”

“Your friends came? And you didn’t bring them to meet me?” Scar says in an exaggeratedly scandalized tone. 

Grian smiles a little, and looks over at Scar. “It was private.”

He’d left Jimmy and Martyn in a cabin just outside of town. They’d been gracious enough to allow him to take a detour on their trip just to come here. None of his friends were very keen on questioning him these past few weeks. Sometimes he hated it, and wished they just treated him normally. Other times he was grateful they spared him any need to explain. 

Then, he abruptly remembers. “Wait,” he says. “I had something for you. I would get it but…” He gestures at Jellie, who is not planning on letting him stand up any time soon.

“You’re cat-trapped,” Scar says. “Where is it?”

“The outer pocket of my bag. It’s a piece of paper.” Then he adds, “Don’t look at it until you get back out here!”

Scar steps gently over Grian, and disappears into the lookout for a moment. It’s dark and silent outside, except for the constant purr from Jellie that seems to radiate through his body. Then, just as fast, Scar is back and settling back down onto the catwalk boards. In his hand is a battered piece of yellow lined paper, singed on one edge.

“You can unfold it now,” Grian says, and Scar does. 

He has to squint to appreciate it in the dim moonlight, but once he sees it recognition snaps across his face like lightning. 

“This is my lookout,” Scar says, and then turns to look at Grian with wide eyes. “Wait, you actually drew it when I said so.”

Grian’s face heats up, and he glances away. “I…thought that maybe you should have it. As a thank you.”

“I love it,” Scar says. “It looks amazing.”

“Sorry it isn’t in better condition,” he says. “It was in my bag that got left behind. The rangers retrieved it along with…they mailed the stuff they found back to me, afterward. So I brought it here to you.”

“I think it’s in perfect condition,” Scar says. “It makes it real.” Then, he beams. “I’m going to hang this in the cabin. Frame it, maybe.”

Grian groans. “It isn’t that good,” he says.

“It should be on display!”

“Please, no,” Grian says.

“I guess you’ll just have to come again next year so I can prove you wrong. You won’t know what hit you when you see how good this looks framed,” Scar declares. Then he adds, softer. “You can come again, you know. You can always come back.” 

“I’ll come back. I hope so,” Grian says. “After all, I’ve got the rest of my life to do it.”

»»———-　　———-««

Grian leaves the lookout the next morning, a little before midday. The day is bright and sunny and cloudless. In his bag are two new items: a pair of rolled up mini paintings, and Scar’s contact information penciled on a piece of paper. 

He walks forward, one foot in front of the other, just like always.

<< Chapter Eleven | Masterpost

#grian #goodtimeswithscar #hermitcraft #hermitcraft fanfic #hermitcraft au #quara fanfic #hc_firewatch_au #SOBS AS I POST THE LAST CHAPTER ;-; ily guys

[astranva]

Wikipedia Page

Planet Evans!Universe Masterlist

Word Count: 1.4k

Summary: pe!reader’s wikipedia page.

..

Y/N Y/L/N-Evans (born *birth month and day*, 1988) is a(n) *your choice of nationality* actress. The world’s highest-paid actress from 2010 to 2022, her films have grossed $9 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2010 to 2019 and Forbes Celebrity 100 list from 2009 to 2022.

During her childhood, Y/L/N-Evans performed at local theatres until she was cast as the lead for Spy Kids at the age of 13, making the film trilogy her debut which gained her public attention. Y/L/N-Evans is an EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). She is a 3-time Academy Award winner, 4-time Golden Globes winner, 1-time Grammy award winner for Best Spoken Word Album (Including Poetry, Audiobooks & Storytelling) for being the official narrator of Where The Crawdads Sing (2018) by Delia Owens, and 3-time Emmy award winner, along with multiple and numerous nominations.

Her role as the committed dancer who struggles to maintain her sanity in Black Swan as Nina, won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the fourth-youngest winner at the category at the age of 23. She also won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the same movie, along with her role as Amy Dune from Gone Girl.

Y/L/N-Evans then again won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Tiffany from Silver Linings Playbook, and her role as Cassandra in Promising Young Woman, along with Golden Globes award for Best Actress for the same roles.

Y/L/N-Evans identifies as feminist and children’s rights activist. In 2014, she founded Wish You Well Foundation, which advocates for children’s rights, wellbeing, as well as provides foster care for abused children. 

Early life and education

Y/N Y/L/N-Evans was born on *birth month and day* in 1988, to *mom’s name*, a vet, and *dad’s name*, a trucker. She has one younger step-sister from her mother whom she constantly speaks about. Growing up, she was raised in an abusive household as it was later stated that her father was “hardly ever sober” and “physically violent” before her mother ran away with her when she was 10 years old.

Growing up, Y/L/N-Evans was fond of acting and costume design, and had often used her mother’s clothes and gave shows to her family from a very young age. She was a leading actress in her school drama plays throughout her academic journey. 

Y/L/N-Evans was 12 when she was discovered by a talent scout who had watched her perform at a local theatre, later getting the role as Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids trilogy alongside Antonio Banderas, although the actress appeared as “tie-dye girl” in The Parent Trap (1998) when she was 10 years old.

Career

Early roles and breakthrough (2001-2005)

Y/L/N-Evans began acting in local theatres before landing the role of Carmen Cortez in Spy Kids in 2001, aged 13, making it her debut film as well as debut trilogy. The trilogy received praise and public recognition, and Y/L/-Evans was praised by critics for having “a bright future ahead.”

At the age of 16, she was cast as the voice actor of Violet Parr, the eldest child of Bob and Helen Parr from Walt Disney’s The Incredibles (2004), who is born with the superhuman ability to render herself invisible, as well as generate force fields. 

Y/L/N-Evans’s breakthrough role came in James McTeigue’s V for Vendetta (2005). The film features her as a young woman who gets involved in V’s life when he rescues her from a gang of London’s secret police. Y/L/N-Evans shaved her hair in a single take for the movie. Although the actress didn’t receive an Academy or Golden Globes award for her role, she was nominated for both and won many other awards for the role, as well as she received nothing but praise from critics and her acting wage was raised in the industry. 

Worldwide recognition (2005-2012)

In 2006, Y/L/N-Evans took the role of Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada by David Frankel, alongside Meryl Streep. The movie won her public appeal, as well as went down in history of “must watch” movies to date.

At the age of only 19, she took the role of Cecilia Tallis in Atonement (2007) by Joe Wright, portraying the lead and love interest of James McAvoy.

In 2009, Y/L/N-Evans took the role of Neytiri in $2.8 billion movie, Avatar (2009) which had made her the youngest highest-paid actress in the world. 

It was in 2010, when Y/L/N-Evans, aged 22, was the talk of every critic, media platform and tabloid when she took the role of Nina Sayers in Black Swan, giving her her first Academy Award, Golden Globes Award, and BAFTA awards all for Best Actress. 

The young actress then won the same awards again the following year for her performance as a troubled young widow in the romance film Silver Linings Playbook (2012), making her the highest-grossing lead actress in the world.

Established actress (2013-present)

The actress since then starred in high-grossing movies, including Gone Girl (2014), Inside Out (2015), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Promising Young Woman (2020). 

Y/L/N-Evans’s directorial debut was Lady Bird (2017), starring Soarise Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, and Laurie Metcalf. She was nominated for Academy Award for Best Director.

She then later was cast as June Osborne from The Handmaid’s Tale (2017), a woman who was captured while attempting to escape to Canada with her husband, Luke, and daughter, Hannah. Because Luke is divorced, their union is considered adulterous in this new society. June is considered an adulteress and their daughter, Hannah, is deemed illegitimate. Due to June's fertility, she is made a Handmaid to Commander Fred Waterford and his wife, Serena Joy as "Offred", and later to Commander Joseph Lawrence as "Ofjoseph". Y/L/N-Evans won 2 Primetime Emmy awards of Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance.

In 2019, Y/L/N-Evans starred as Dani in Midsommar by Ari Aster, featuring a traumatized psychology student who's in a dysfunctional relationship that leads her to a midsummer festival that turns out to be that of a sinister cult. The role granted her not only praise, but public sympathy as the actress had said it was “an experience I [Y/N Y/L/N-Evans] needed to heal from.”

Personal Life

In 2007, Y/L/N-Evans was rumored to be in a relationship with a high school friend, Dean Tyler, but there was no confirmation.

From 2008 to 2011, Y/L/N-Evans was in a long-term relationship with, then, assistant director of Atonement (2007), Avi Newt. The two still follow each other.

While filming The Spectacular Now (2013) in 2012, she met Miles Teller, and the two got into a relationship which they went public with in February of 2013 when they were photographed kissing.

The couple was together from December 2012 to September of 2014, with Y/L/N-Evans confirming the breakup to a fan but saying “he’s an amazing person. It was mutual.” The two continue to be friends.

In March of 2014, Y/L/N-Evans met–now–husband, Chris Evans at Vanity Fair’s Oscars afterparty, with the latter saying in an interview that it was “a dream come true” to meet the successful actress. 

It was in November of 2014 when they met again at a private party, hosted by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan in celebration of Interstellar’s release. Sources said that they spent the entire party together and exchanged phone numbers that night.

It wasn’t until November 2015 that the couple had gotten into a relationship and a month later, went public by getting photographed holding hands, kissing, and sharing laughs.

In June 2018, Chris Evans proposed and the couple announced their engagement through Instagram. They later got married in June 2019.

In June 2022, the couple announced that they are expecting their first child.

On September 25th, the couple announced the birth of River Jude Evans and Y/L/N-Evans announced an indefinite career break and leaving Euphoria as executive producer to focus on raising their son.

Filmography

The Parent Trap (1998) - Tie-dye girl

Spy Kids (2001) - Carmen Cortez

Spy Kids 2 (2002) - Carmen Cortez

Spy Kids 3 (2003) - Carmen Cortez

The Incredibles (2004) - Violet Parr

A Cinderella Story (2004) - Samantha “Sam”

The Pacifier (2005) - Zoe Plummer

V for Vendetta (2005) - Evey Hammond

Corpse Bride (2005) - Emily the Corpse Bride

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) - Andy Sachz

Atonement (2007) - Cecilia Tallis

Avatar (2009) - Neytiri

Julie & Julia (2009) - Julie

500 Days of Summer (2009) - Summer

Tangled (2010) - Rapunzel

Black Swan (2010) - Nina Sayers

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - Tiffany 

The Spectacular Now (2013) - Aimee Finicky

Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013) - Theodora

Gone Girl (2014) - Amy Dune

Interstellar (2014) - Brand

Inside Out (2015) - Joy 

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - Imperator Furiosa

Hacksaw Ridge (2016) - Dorothy Scutte

Mother! (2017) - Mother

The Incredibles 2 (2018) - Violet Parr

Ocean's 8 (2018) - Daphne Kluger

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) - Mary Austin

Little Women (2019) - Meg March

Midsommar (2019) - Dani Ardor 

Soul (2020) - 22

Promising Young Woman (2020) - Cassandra “Cassie” Thomas

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - Neytiri

Television

The Office (2010) - Herself

Saturday Night Live (2015) - Herself (host)

The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-2022) - June Osborne

Peaky Blinders (2013-2019) - Grace Shelby (née Grace Burgess)

Ted Lasso (2020) - Herself

Scooby Doo and Guess Who? (2021) - Herself 

Euphoria (2019-2022) - Executive Producer

Broadway

Annie (1997-1999) - Annie

My Fair Lady (2005-2007) - Aliza Doolittle

Mary Poppins (2012-2013) - Mary Poppins

Accolades

Y/L/N-Evans won three Academy Awards for Best Actress for her performance in Black Swan (2010), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and Promising Young Woman (2020). She has won four Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress for Black Swan (2010), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), Gone Girl (2014) and Promising Young Woman (2020). She has three Primetime Emmy Awards; two for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in The Handmaid's Tale in 2017 and 2021, and for Oustanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in SNL (2015). Y/LN-Evans won two BAFTA awards for her role in Black Swan (2010) and Gone Girl (2014) as Best Actress in a Leading Role. She won one Tony award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Mary Poppins (2013). She also has won one Grammy award for Best Spoken Word Album (Including Poetry, Audiobooks & Storytelling) for being the official narrator of the bestselling book by Madeline Miller, Circe (2018). The actress has 17 People's Choice Awards, 12 MTV Movie awards, 4 Critics' Choice Awards.

#planet evans #planet evans universe #chris evans imagine #chris evans x pregnant!reader #chris evans x famous!reader #chris evans x reader #chris evans blurb

[litcrazh]

just a little alya appreciation and happy Black History Month! also when talking about Black French heroes Josephine Baker is such a pioneer for not only Black people in film but also a spy???? in world war 2??? the highest paid performer in the 1930’s?? women’s rights and civil rights activist??? so casually?? she deadass once said when questioned about being checked of being a spy “when people ask for papers they mean for me to sign them” an absolute girl boss

#miraculous fandom #miraculous adrinette #miraculous au #mlb twitter au #mlb #mlb headcanon #ml twitter au #ml twitter #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanworks #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #alya cesaire #alya sugar #black history month

[brightnote]

Secret Invasion Episode 6

I gotta to tell you. You might be better off not watching this final episode. It’s really really really really bad. Like it is so pathetically bad I straight up started laughing at it. The second it started I just knew that Maria was gone for good with nothing on that. It really is just such an absolute waste and a shame.

There was no surprise twist or reveal, everything you thought was going to happen in the worst way happened. This whole show could have been a five minute summary clip in the start of the Marvels and Maria and Talos could still be alive but no... we have this... 

In a fight that’s so personal, that Fury himself doesn’t even do it (which we all knew was gonna happen and was not even the least bit suspenseful....) G’iah fights Gravik and avenges Talos. It was super skrull vs super skrull and to be honest it was very boring. 

Literally nothing happens with Maria’s death. LITERALLY. I did get hyped in one scene when they pulled that agent away and I thought she was coming back as the agent. Since Cobie was like I had scenes at the same time as Don... yeah girl where the fuck were they, did they get cut? But the second I saw Olivia Coleman and I was like oh no, there isn’t going to be a reveal. And it was the lowest stakes most cliche Marvel Disney Channel type thing you could imagine.

I’m just not even sure why they brought Maria into it at all? Like Talos was already chasing Skrull Ross... Talos already had Fury’s number.... Fury and Maria I guess are out of it hanging out at bars in places they aren’t supposed to be and I guess Fury really was a sad boi who is so out of touch he thinks he, Talos, and Maria could just randomly stop dirty bombs with their bare hands I guess? He never avenged her, there’s a video of him shooting her, is anyone gonna explain that to Momma Hill? She served no purpose in this show and even her death served no purpose so like why was she even in it? 

to be fair, I think this show had a lot of potential to be awesome, and my Maria bias aside it really failed to deliver. Also, not having Maria in it would have saved them 4 million dollars, but go Cobie for getting that Marvel money. If you do the math for screen time ratio to pay she’s the highest paid person on the show!

It does make me sad but I hope there is going to be a Maria Rambeau and Maria HIll scene in The Marvels, I’ll wait until it’s on disney+ though cause I am not giving them a cent for killing Maria for real. I can’t believe they killed her for real and IN THIS TERRIBLE SHOW. She could have at least died in a movie!! 

Also you can’t sell a show as a boots on the ground agents fighting shapeshifters you won’t know who any one is when it’s all about super powers, the big scene is a fight between super skrulls G’iah is now the most powerful being the universe for some reason..... and there was almost no spy or espionage stuff going on. Not a spy thriller ... there was no wrap up ... the show ended just as it started Fury abandoning earth with a whole lot of problems but at least he gets to be with his wife who totally betrayed him but he’s cool with that now I guess!!! 

I am dying that in my 4 theories post the last theory which i said was the most boring and stupid and the most likely to happen, almost happened perfectly:

“Maria is really dead and nothing happens about that or her death being made public and there his no explanation about anything that happened in the first episode and we get absolutely no closure on this.

Fury and Varra make up and kiss cause everything is cool with them now apparently despite Varra’s earlier betrayal but he gets a happy ending cause he’s a man!  And then Fury wipes his hands and goes back up to space. He finally gives Carol Danvers a call and that’s the lead in to the Marvels. Then in the Marvels we get a flashback to Maria and Talos being murdered so all of the audience who isn’t watching this show is like oh what wait they dead? What?! Why are they dead? And not a thing happens with any of that.

This would be the most disappointing outcome but this is my guess cause it’s the most boring and stupid and probably most likely because Marvel is so slay-phobic right now”

SLAY PHOBIC 100% 

I’m not sure why this whole show was made, it could have been condensed down to a three to five minute scene in the marvels. 

#secret invasion #secret invasion spoilers #the marvels #carol danvers #maria hill #cobie smulders #emilia clarke #g'iah #talos #ben mendelsohn #nick fury #samuel l jackson #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe

[ae-azile]

3. 8. and 22.

(for ask game)

3. Screenshot or description of the worst take you have seen on Tumblr: 

There have been many bad takes on Tumblr (and on social media in general). But I suppose when it comes to this show, it's any time I see someone express their views on a character in a manner that obviously puts other fans’ analyses down. Like, it isn’t the fact they view a character differently. It's the fact that they feel the need to belittle a different interpretation to make their point. If you need that, is it a great take? 

I won't get into specifics, because the few I have seen this from do actually have interesting takes. It's just the way they feel the need to write them passive aggressively. This seems to mainly happen with Kim meta, but I occasionally see it with Vegas meta too. 

8. Common fandom opinion everyone is wrong about: 

Bahaha, I wrote myself into a corner with the response to question 3! 😂 I guess I am going to go with Korn and Gun. Both are viewed with a lot of hate, and rightfully so. But I also think they are products of their environment and have a lot of layers to them. And overall - at least from what we have witnessed solely in the show - I feel like Gun is more redeemable than Korn, despite Korn being a better father. Can't forgive him for what he did to Namphueng, Pat, Porsche, and Chay. He literally destroyed a family. I think Gun being under the impression they were all dead, losing the mother of his children, and likely being abused himself was what made him abusive. While I have no doubts Korn also carries a lot of trauma that plays into who he became, I also feel like his worst actions can't be viewed with any compassion like Gun's potentially could. Don't get me wrong, perpetuating the abuse cycle is NOT okay or excusable. But unfortunately, it can potentially be a reality that abuse victims who don't have help, resources, or healthy outlets end up re-enacting. There is an explanation for his worst crimes. There is no explanation for Korn's, nor will he ever offer a truthful one.

22. My favorite part of canon everyone else ignores: 

I don't know if everyone ignores it, but I love that Arm is working multiple guard positions? Boy does surveillance, builds and distributes weapons, designs high tech spy gear, and goes on missions with Kinn (which is sort of dumb in hindsight because he is one of the main people holding that compound together). On top of that, he was the first one to tend to Big when he was shot, implying he has some medic or strong first aid knowledge, led the clean up crew after Tawan set off the bomb, and then built bombs of his own for the attack on the compound later on. 

He does all of this, and still manages to be a guard to Tankhun, who is likely the safest yet most emotionally demanding family member. And he seems committed to that position. I am sure Arm could easily be removed from Tankhun's team. He has plenty of other work demands, and he better be the highest paid guard other than Chan. Yet he chooses to stay with Khun along with all of those duties. Hm. Love that for him though. 

#ask game #asks #kinnporsche asks

[dalekofchaos]

Mortal Kombat 11 Koncept Sareena by Jack Meng Kirkman

Story: In events that were now a lifetime ago to Sareena, she was saved from Quan Chi’s vile manipulative magic by Bi Han. She was told to live among the poor of outworld for a time, concealing herself to the watchful eyes of the powerful throughout the realms. Bi Han promised her that he would find her and offer her sanctuary in the Lin Kuei. Then the Mortal Kombat tournament begun and Bi Han was invited to represent Earthrealm by Raiden. It was the highest honour in Bi Han's eyes, fighting the forces of darkness once again, like he had done when he saved Sareena. He found Sareena and told all of this. Sareena saw the tournament as her chance of redemption and asked Bi Han if she could represent Earthrealm by his side. Bi Han told her that joining the Mortal Kombat tournament was too dangerous for her. Quan Chi would be there with his allies, and they would surely take the opportunity to kill her, or worse, put her back under his control. He told her that she need only to remain incognito until after the tournament, then after Earthrealm's victory, Bi Han would come back for her. He explained to her that she could also not come back with him to the Lin Kuei temple during this time, as he suspected there was a sinister poison infecting their order. He had suspicions that the grandmaster himself and his son, Sektor were behind it. Sareena, while frustrated, saw the wisdom in what Bi Han said. He left her and promised that he would come back for her and that she would be safe. Before Bi Han left, Sareena said to him, "Be careful Bi Han... The very thing that allowed you to escape the Netherrealm, is the thing that will lead you back there." To which Bi Han responded, "I am still a mortal..."As Bi Han foretold, Earthrealm won the tournament, but he did not survive to see it. Now Sareena lived in a torn and broken Outworld, chaotic and divided in the wake of Shao Kahn's death and no one was coming for her. There was a power vacuum, and many vied for control. Earthrealm was no better she had heard, Shinnok had returned and his Netherrealm army were invading. The realms seemed to be closing in around her and she knew it was only a matter of time before her former allies tracked her down and submitted her to brainwashing. She would not live in this squalor and wait for that day. Admist the chaos, it turned out that her skills as an assassin and a spy were of great use to many in this race for power and she quickly found work that paid exceptionally well... She had lived with the Tarkatans for years and even knew a Tarkatan assassin named Karbrac, who apparently had taught the famed Baraka kombat techniques. She admired their blades, the perfect concealed weapon she thought. Sareena commissioned a gauntlet with a retractable blade sheathed within it, just like those wielded by the Tarkatans. She called this weapon "Demon Fang".In Mortal Kombat 11: After the time surge that brought individuals from past timelines into the present, Sub-zero was called to meet with the Special Forces to consolidate their knowledge on threats to Earthrealm. While they were briefing Sub-zero, he took notice of a particularly barren file, the name at the top read, "Sareena". This triggered a memory from a time before he was turned into a revenant. Bi Han, his older brother had told him of a woman lost in Outworld. He told Kuai Liang, that if anything were to happen to him, that he would honour his promise to her and give her sanctuary in the Lin Kuei. Unfortunately, Kuai Liang had to deal with Sektor and the Tekunin kidnapping his comrades. The Lin Kuei would make a poor sanctuary at the moment. After Kronika's defeat, time continued as normal for those who were outside of the hourglass. With the help of the Special Forces, Kuai Liang was able to find her whereabouts. It was clear by her recent movements that she was on the run. But from what, he could not deduce... Over the last few months, Sareena had been hunted by her old ally, Jataaka, who had also enlisted the services of the mercenary Erron Black. Jataaka was a master tracker and hunter. Sareena knew that Jataaka was wearing her out. Allowing her to run, and then catching up to her at perfect times. Sareena was largely without rest and she knew her time was running out. She endeavoured to use the energy she still had to confront the two. Sareena prepared outside an abandoned, ruined temple. She set up a multitude of traps. She knew that both Jataaka and Erron were no strangers to these tactics and she knew they would have little effect on them, but buying herself every second she could would be her best chance at survival. The two arrived as Sareena had anticipated. Jataaka made quick work of spotting the preliminary traps while Erron disabled them with expert precision. They entered the building and after much scouring, shadowy smoke burst out from around a corner, Jataaka swung her wakizashi, startled by the sudden movement, but her blade found no purchase in the amorphous cloud. The cloud materialized behind Jataaka, revealing Sareena, she swung her leg backwards at Erron, her heelblade slicing across his chest in the process. Fortunately for him, his armour saved him from the wound, but the kick knocked him down nonetheless. As he landed, he drew his firearm and shot Sareena. Sareena dematerialized into smoke once more and the bullet sailed passed her, nearly hitting Jataaka in the head. "What did I tell you about doing that!" Jataaka screamed at him. Erron sheathed his gun and got up. The smoke materialized once more. "We both know, you can't maintain that form forever Sareena", Jataaka said, a grin creeping across her face. The battle that ensued was hard fought, but ultimately, the combined prowess of Jataaka and Erron proved too much for the worn Sareena. Jataaka pushed her heel into Sareena's knee and an echoing snap and a cry reverberated through the torn building. She got Sareena into a rear naked choke. Erron watched as the life began to leave Sareena's eyes, but his ears pricked up. He turned around to see Sub-zero skating towards the building on a bed of ice with blinding speed. "Time's up", he muttered, realising that the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei would turn the odds against them. Erron pointed his gun at Sareena and fired... Sub-zero rushed into the entrance. Erron was gone. He moved over to the bloody Sareena laying on the floor, as he approached, he noticed Jataaka, also bleeding out. Jataaka started to crawl away. He turned to Sareena, her eyes were half open, looking at him, she tried to speak, but nothing would come. Sareena's vision was blurry and though she was still alive, she could feel herself fading, the man in front of her felt like something from a distant memory, or was it dream. Perhaps it was a mirage. Right now, it was the only thing tethering her to life... Sub-zero sealed her wound. She passed out, but would live. Sub-zero stood up and walked slowly over to Jataaka, who hadn't made it very far. The trail of blood in her wake told him that her wound was fatal. Hearing the footsteps, Jataaka turned around and laid on her back, coughing. "M-Mercy, Grandmaster". He stared into her hateful eyes and said, "You are right, I cannot leave you like this..." He held out his hand and a jet of ice burst forth, freezing over her entire head. He raised his boot and smashed her skull into tiny shards of blood. Unbeknownst to Jataaka, Erron Black had another contract on Sareena from a mysterious benefactor. They told him that Sareena must die, at any cost.Sareena awoke weeks later in the Lin Kuei temple. Sareena explained her story to Kuai Liang and how she was indebted to him for what his brother had done for her. Kuai Liang explained that he too was indebted to her by a promise to his fallen brother. Kuai liang granted her sanctuary within the Lin Kuei, protecting her from assassins of the Netherrealm as his brother before him had promised. Sareena also joined the clan as a protector of Earthrealm. During her healing process, Sareena spoke of a plan to save Bi Han from the clutches of the Netherrealm and Quan Chi’s lingering magic. Kuai Liang was not confident his brother could be turned, but Sareena was persistent. She would never give up on Bi Han. The two set out and eventually learn that Noob Saibot had fled to the Chaos Realm. The travel there through a portal that the Lin Kuei found many years ago, though it was forbidden to use it without the Grandmaster’s permission. Their journey led them to a ruined temple of order. There they found a Cleric. He was heavily cloaked and his features obscured. He openly confessed to aiding Noob Saibot and claimed that he knew that they would come looking for him. But he had another confession. He had helped another individual, who would purge the realms of any demon that dared to breathe the same air she breathed. He muttered a spell and before Sareena and Sub-zero could react, green soul magic erupted from the ground before the cleric. A woman emerged, carrying a lantern with the caged souls of Ermac and a kris blade. She dressed in full white with gold trim and a wide brimmed hat with a ghostly veil. Sareena noticed instantly from her demonic left arm, that she was like her, a demon of the Netherrealm. She thought it strange that this demon was fanatical in their desire to kill their own kin. "Ashrah", the cleric exclaimed. "There is the demon I promised you", he gestured at Sareena. Ashrah lunged her weapon forward, as if her arm was compelled by the kris blade itself. The souls from the lantern lashed out at Sub-zero snaring him. A fight ensued and the cleric stepped quietly into the shadows…

#Mortal Kombat #Mortal Kombat 11 #Sareena

[mariacallous]

More lives were lost than saved because of the activities of a man alleged to have been the highest-ranking British intelligence agent in the IRA during the Northern Ireland Troubles, according to a seven-year investigation into his activities.

The Kenova report published on Friday finds that the agent Stakeknife saved “between high single figures and low double figures” of lives but “nowhere near hundreds [as] sometimes claimed”.

The report recommends that the UK government and the republican leadership acknowledge and apologise for their failures over the spy’s actions.

Freddie Scappaticci, a west Belfast man who died in April last year, denied being the agent codenamed Stakeknife. He is not named as the agent in this report.

He was linked to more than a dozen murders during his time as a senior member of the Provisional IRA’s ruthless internal security unit known as “the nutting squad”, which was tasked with identifying and killing security force informers. Its victims were often found shot in the head with their bodies dumped along the border after suffering torture.

Many families of victims believe the security forces allowed their loved ones to die to protect Stakeknife’s identity. They say that the IRA man charged with rooting out British informers was himself an informer, with one former senior intelligence officer once describing him as “the golden egg”.

Operation Kenova, which has cost more than £38m, was established in 2016 to investigate his alleged activities, and those of former British army and RUC intelligence handlers.

Its 208-page report by the former chief constable of Bedfordshire Jon Boutcher has resulted in no prosecution. Boutcher has since become chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

During the press conference at the report’s publication, Boutcher paid tribute to the dignity of the families of victims. He said the Kenova team, now led by Sir Iain Livingstone, a retired chief constable of Police Scotland, could now proceed to its final report.

He condemned the IRA’s actions aimed at subjugating its own community and added that the security forces were often presented with dilemmas for which there was no right answer, but that there was a lack of proper oversight. He said that was “a serious failure” and murders that should have been prevented “were allowed to take place”.

In the report, Boutcher says he and his investigation were “troubled” by some “extremely fractious spells” in extracting information from the Security Service, MI5.

He concludes that “not sharing intelligence with investigators or sharing it in a limited fashion” is “not compatible with the requirements of an ECHR-compliant investigation and must stop”.

He says the public does not expect institutions to be infallible but the security forces seem to have been motivated by the view that they need to be protected from criticism so as not to damage public confidence in them.

He is also critical of “the continuing failure of governments, public authorities, political parties and those who fought in the Troubles to acknowledge the hurt inflicted on the families of those who were murdered, or to provide them with a meaningful examination of the circumstances of their death”.

He describes the IRA’s actions as “the most shameful evil I have encountered”.

Boutcher suggests that 21 June, the longest day of the year, should be “designated as a day when we remember those lost, injured or harmed as a result of the Troubles”.

Kevin Winters, the solicitor for 12 of the families of Stakeknife’s victims described the report as “a damning indictment of the state.” and aded that the state could have intervened to save lives.

“That this didn’t happen is legally and morally reprehensible”, he added, “We are left with the horrendous conclusion that both state and the IRA were co-conspirators in the murder of citizens.”

He said the decision not to name Scaapticci as Stakeknife was difficult for some families but they hoped that would change.

Last week, the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute seven alleged IRA members and five former soldiers who worked with the army’s Force Research Unit.

Three of the soldiers had been handlers and the other two were more senior.

Scappaticci, who died last year in England, aged 77, is the only person to be found guilty of any offence by the investigators. In 2018, he was given a three-month suspended sentence after officers from Operation Kenova found extreme pornographic images on his laptop when they searched his home.

It has been alleged that Scappaticci’s handlers allowed him to take part in criminal activities that went well beyond what was permitted in the relevant guidance they were supposed to follow.

UK Home Office guidelines state that an agent should “not actively engage in planning or committing” crimes and should play only “a minor role”.

The guidelines also state: “The need to protect an informant does not justify granting him immunity from arrest or prosecution for the crime if he fully participates in it with the requisite intent.”

[raenis22]

Having Feelings For You (Them as Mafia)

Maknae Line

Kim Sunoo

-From that day on, you are working with Sunoo as his maid at his mansion and as his assistant at work. Two roles in a day!

-That leave you no choice but to live with him at his mansion.

-Well at least you can buy your rent easily now as he paid you way more than your job as barista.

-"YN, please bring today's mission report" Sunoo ordered.

-You nodded and handed the report to him.

-"Hurmm... Argh not again, he really getting my nerves" Sunoo mumbled to himself.

-"Is anything wrong, sir?" you asked him.

-"I need to do something before my enemy get my territory at the main harbour" Sunoo said.

-"Hurm maybe you should send someone to spy on them?" You suggested.

-"Hurmm... Spying? Great idea... I will send my henchman now" Sunoo said as he started to send orders.

-"And here is your usual mint choco ice cream, sir" you said as you placed the ice cream on his desk.

-"Wow you getting know when I need this" Sunoo said, not realised that his face turned red

-"Sir... Your face is burning..."

-"It's blusher!"

Yang Jungwon

-You and Jungwon grew closer and closer everyday.

-it's almost everyday Jungwon go and wait for your shift to end

-And he is your driver now as he volunteered to drive you home and also send you to work everyday

-Eventually, Jungwon admitted to himself that he starts to have feelings for you

-"Hey Jungwon! Sorry for making you waiting" you said as you walked towards him.

-You just finished your shift for today and Jungwon's here to pick you up like usual

-"Jungwon? Hello? Earth to Jungwon" you called Jungwon.

-Jungwon finally woke from his thoughts when you called him again.

-"Oh sorry YN... I, I was thinking something" Jungwon apologised.

-"It's okay... I thought you are not okay" you replied.

-"Hey let's go eat something, my treat" Jungwon offered.

-"Don't you remember? We will share the bill" you said as you crossed your hands.

-"Nope, this time is my treat... Whether you like it or not" Jungwon stubbornly said.

-You sighed and nodded. "Okay Wonie"

-Without you notice, nickname 'Wonie' make that guy blushed but he covered it up.

Nishimura Riki

-For your best friend's life, you agreed to Riki's mafia clan.

-You somehow lifted up to the highest rank in his team.

-You become the team leader in all missions

-"How that new girl can be in highest rank?"

-"I don't know, she must do something to the boss so she get the position"

-You overheard those conversation and just laughed out loud which made them surprised

-"Someone want to die early huh?" you faced them as you grabbed your dagger.

-"W-we not talking about y-" before they can finish, a dagger flew towards them

-"awww I missed the target... Dang it" you said, as you pouted.

-They fortunately got to dodged that dagger.

-"I will get you two next time when you are saying craps about me" you said and left.

-Riki, watching from behind just so impressed with you.

-"She looks so cute when being mad like that"

#enhypen fic #enhypen headcanons #kpop imagines #enhypen sunoo #enhypen jungwon #enhypen niki #enhypen ff #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen scenarios #enhypen drabbles #enhypen fluff #enhypen imagines #enhypen heeseung #enhypen jay #enhypen jake #enhypen sunghoon #yandere enhypen #enhypen yandere #enhypen au #enhypen oneshots #enhypen soft hours #jungwon imagines #sunoo imagines #niki imagines #enhypen

[angelfrommontgomery]

Pls explain the Michigan football thing more

For you I will try. I am not the most versed scholar on the topic but the background you need:

The Michigan Ohio state rivalry is rooted in an actual dispute over land (the toledo war)

From 2012-2019, Ohio state won every year

Since 2015, Michigan has been coached by Jim harbaugh, former Michigan quarterback

In 2019, tensions are high. Harbaugh has never beat Ohio state. Tensions are so high in fact, Michigan players attempt to take off an osu players shoe.

In 2020, Michigan has a TERRIBLE season and cancels the osu game, citing covid, but many are skeptical about the real reason

Jim Harbaugh gets a NEW CONTRACT. With a pay cut. He goes from highest-paid head coach in the conference to eighth. But if he starts winning, there’s incentives in his contract to win.

2021 Michigan wins

Credit where credit is due, Michigan had a good team. No suspicions are raised

2022 they win again, after coming back in the second half. Lots of rumors about them “stealing signs”

The deal with sign stealing: to call a play, teams have signs for the coaches to communicate with players. The nfl has technology in their helmets to avoid this problem btw. It’s not illegal to have somebody scout the other teams signs during the game, but it is illegal to send somebody to another game to scout signs “in-person”. It’s also illegal to record the other teams sideline like that. This is because it would give bigger teams a big advantage while smaller schools can’t afford to bankroll spying.

OCTOBER 2023: it breaks that Michigan had a staffer stealing signs. most people assume this story will amount to nothing. It’s hard to prove sign stealing.

THEN it comes out that this Michigan staffer bought 30 tickets over the past three years (since…2021… when they were better…) in his own name on his own credit card. His venmo transactions are public and he appears to be paying others to go to the games and record for him.

Rumors on message boards confirmed:

Many people suggest he could have been a lone actor, who decided to do this on his own, which would lessen the penalty.

THEN it comes out how crazy this guy is. He wrote a 500 page plan to become Michigan head coach in 15 years called his “Michigan manifesto”. He also includes other buddies of his that are coaching staff at other schools.

We all think it’s over, this guy is crazy and did this by himself. How sad for all the Michigan haters

Just a few hours later, the news drops that Michigan computers had detailed budgets and schedules of the sign stealing operations.

So not only was this guy crazy and wrote a Michigan manifesto, the entire program was participating in the cheating with him at the lead. It’s the best of both worlds for a hater like me

Many other rumors are still out there waiting to be confirmed, like the rumor that Michigan shared their knowledge of Tennessee’s signs so their opponent could ruin their championship chances.

Among the rumors

Is the cheating staffer on the sidelines of a Michigan state game???? It certainly looks like it

Note that he hides his face during the tv broadcast. And he wears shades at a 7pm game

How much crazier can this get? Will Jim Harbaugh leave? How much did this effect the 21/22 championships? Did they share the illegal signs? Will Michigan have to vacate their 2021-2022 wins? That would restore Ohio states winning streak… but we won’t know until the end of the season. Michigan hasn’t played since this news broke, but they are back this weekend. We will see how they look. This is the best thing that ever happened to a Michigan hater like me

#it certainly LOOKS like Harbaugh became desperate enough to cheat after the 2020 season #after YEARS of him talking about how he has the most moral program 🥱

[mytheoristavenue]

SE Kilik Rung x Reader - Coincidental

Summary: After your blind date (with Ox) goes off the rails at Deathbucks, Kilik joins you, having just ended a bad date himself.

Warnings: Fluff

“I’m sorry, Ox, continue?” You sighed, at your date, head rested in and and mind else where. You thought conversations were supposed to be two sided, but he seemed to be doing all the talking, and what was worse, got frustrated when you spoke.

“As I was saying, I’m not ‘spying’ on her, I just have to prove that she cheated on the exams, and then Professor Stein will have to promote me to the highest score.” He rolled his eyes while sipping an espresso.

“Actually...” you began defending your classmate. “Maka studies really hard. Actually I think she studied for that test for like months before it was even announced.” You could see Ox’s eye twitch at your contradiction as he stood up, seemingly to insert himself as dominant in the ‘conversation’.

“(Y/N), if you and I are to have a successful relationship, you’re going to have to learn when to hold your tongue.” he said matter of factly, sitting back down and crossing his arms. “I’ll let it slide this time, but do be more mindful on future excursions.” 

You were absolutely baffled. “Relationship?!” you laughed. “Ox, this is a blind date, we hardly know each other! And further more, I’m a person, not a dog, so no, I will not be hold my tongue!” He was genuinely confused on your outburst, before brushing it off. “But, trust me, you won’t have to worry about it, because there won’t be any further ‘excursions’!”

The meister was by now, red in the face, and you now had the attention of many other in the coffee shop, not that you cared. He stood up again, collecting his belongings, apart from his coffee (that you paid for) and huffed. “Well, if that’s the case that I’ll bid you adieu! A woman that can’t understand value of high quality man, such as myself is a waste of my time!” With that last dramatic display, he marched out out of the establishment, leaving a few snickering, and you absolutely humiliated. 

You wallowed in self pity for a moment, disappointed by the fiasco that the date had turned into. Honestly, if you’d know it was him that Liz was setting you up with, you wouldn’t have gone. Suddenly, a voice erased your thoughts, and you glanced up from your nest of arms to see a young man looking down at you with a kind smile. His skin was a rich russet brown, and his eyes were dark and seemed to shine behind rectangular bifocals. 

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, his voice matching his visage and demeanor, if only a bit more playful. You nodded and extended a hand to move the espresso from the opposing side of the booth. He slid in  with a chuckle, setting down his own cup of coffee, a latte, from the looks of it. “(Y/N), right?”

You nodded again, tucking a stand of hair behind your ear, suddenly feeling bashful at his presence.  “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.” you confessed with an embarrassed giggle. The boy placed his hands over his chest and gasped dramatically. 

“Ah, my heart,” he groaned, peaking back up to see if you were buying his act, when he saw that you weren’t he once again screwed his eyes shut and continued until he had you laughing and begging him to stop. “I can’t believe I know you and you don’t know me, how embarrassing.” He chuckled. “Seriously though, my name’s Kilik.”

“Thank you, picked it myself.” he bragged, sipping his coffee and reclining against the booth. You flashed him a puzzled look, to which he snickered. “Kidding.”

“Right,” you chuckled nervously, having always been terrible at detecting sarcasm. “So what brings you here?” you asked, hoping to get a conversation going. 

“Coffee.” he answered nonchalantly. 

“Right...”

“What about you? I noticed your buddy there skipped out on you?” he pried, his smile faltering into a  curious expression. 

“Oh, that,” you  sighed. “My friend set me up with a blind date...and I guess it didn’t go too well.” you confessed. 

“You’re kidding?” he deadpanned, leaning on the table to be a bit closer to you. “Let me guess, Liz Thomson?”

Your eyes widened a bit. “Wait, how did you know?” you tilted your head slightly as he laughed heartily. 

“I just done with a blind date myself- with her sister!” 

“Patti?!” you were blown away. “Liz set you up with Patti? How did she think that would work out?” 

“Probably the same way she thought you would get on great with Ox!” Kilik snorted, pounding a fist on the table.

“You know him?” you asked, coming down from a giggling fit. 

“Sure I do,” he smiled. “He’s on my resonance team, actually a pretty close friend of mine.”

You suddenly felt very guilty for how you’d treated Ox before, and a tad more embarrassed. Odds were that Kilik didn’t actually enjoy your company, he just wanted to mess with you as revenge for hurting his friend’s feelings. “Oh my Death, I’m so sorry!” you gasped, covering your lips with your fingertips. 

“How come?” he asked, a bit puzzled, quirking his brow.

“I didn’t mean to make your friend upset, you probably think I’m terrible now, I swear I’m not.” you defended, gaze elsewhere. 

He gave you an askance look before shaking his head, short dreads bobbing as he did. “Don’t even worry about it, he’s hard to handle sometimes, not to mention the guy’s annoying as hell.” Bravely, his hand found a home atop yours, the lighter side of his thumb grazing yours a few times before falling still. “I don’t blame you at all for telling him off. I would’ve done the same. Actually, I think I have.” he laughed at the end. It was clear that his personality revolved heavily around a easy going humor, and you liked that about him. “Hey, cheer up, ‘least you didn’t have to sit with Patti like I did. She ordered an Angel Frappuccino and sucked it all down in like two minutes, and then she bounced around for half an hour and fell asleep on the table.”

“She fell asleep?” you repeated in disbelief. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Sugar crash is my best guess.” A beat of silence passed until he spoke again, checking the wall clock behind you. “Hey, I gotta get going, but by any chance, would you want to do this again sometime? Like intentionally?”

You blushed a bit, but did your best to hide it. “Like...a date?” you asked cautiously, a little afraid he might retract his offer. To your delight, he didn’t.

“Yeah, not a blind one though, I like looking at you.” he smirked, even more so at your confused face as he gathered his things to leave. 

“Thank you...?” you asked as he began to walk away. 

“You’re welcome, cutie.” he waved. “You, me, Friday, McDeath’s, don’t be late!” You stood and tried to follow him, but he was already far to gone to catch up with. You sat back down and sighed. You, apparently had a date at McDeath’s on Friday. After this whole interaction, only one thought brewed in your mind. 

‘What a weird guy.’

#Kilik Rung #kilik rung x reader #kilik x reader #soul eater #soul eater kilik #ox ford

[purple-compromise]

[A fun BLU Specialist-centric fic submitted by @taytay4674788 Thank you so, so much for sharing this!! 💜]

Yeah this took a while between tumblr being weird with glitches and going back and forth with support on unresolved issues since October. But I think I found a temporary way to submit stuff to you at least at the moment ( at least 8 pages of fic in google docs).

I originally wanted to do a double take moment via a dream but it didn’t make much sense to do so with red spesh(and that’s going to be with a different character instead ;) )… So I ended up doing an eight page half character study half second half story with Blu spesh instead, as I enjoy making characters suffer having them question their own morals! It might be Ooc for both blu med(to be fair blu med would likely relish in torture in you wronged him or to send a message, especially if it’s from the enemy team) and blu spesh but I’d love to hear thoughts anyway since it’s been nearly a solid year since my last actual fic, on top of the fact that this is my first reader fic and first time writing the mercs. There is a part one to this fic, I just held it off since I had better flow with this one and I’m still trying to figure out dialogue, characterization and a few other details so the period of time is intentionally vague so it can act as a stand alone.All I know is that it takes place after chapter 31 in TIWWAN, and this is on the in-game Badlands control point map, not Teufort, not the overall arching map of The Badlands.

Very important distinction.

_______________

You aren’t a bad person for taking this job. You knew that you’d get money,good money. Highest pay rate than anywhere in this backwater wasteland to send back home and still have enough to indulge into cigarettes daily from the dinky corner store in town.

So should it disturb you as much as it really should?

You kill each other out on the field every day, with most of the time the Red bastards push through to capture a point. So really it should be an equal retribution in all things considered. She kills you, you kill her. It’s all equal in the circle of life in a private war funded by cash that even the IRS wouldn’t shy an eye away from collecting all of it if it weren’t for Miss Pauling. You may have been the family disappointment to drop out of college, but you’re sure as hell that you’re not letting your sister do so. She has viable dreams to chase, well you, just need a little more time to figure it out.

Flicking open the nice red and white packaging of your care unit of cigarettes into your crisp uniform pocket of your assigned blue uniform, hair neatly tucked and out of the way. Counting under your breath the fresh cigarettes left in your case; you’ll be going to town this weekend to get some more. You’ve been saving the ones Spy has acquired for you, towards .. a later occasion, for when it really matters. For now, the ones from the corner store are going to suffice, even if it just tastes like chemically processed tobacco.

Your boots, a bit dusty from today’s scrimmage against those Red team bastards, click gently against the quiet blue dirt stained concrete. Making your way out through the hall passing cold steel to have a quiet smoke, the hum of electricity droning a bit too loudly in your ears for your taste. Maybe staring up at the stars for a bit if it isn’t cloudy again tonight. Sometimes it brings peace when you can’t listen to rerun broadcasts of Earplay on the radio that Engineer built for your team, that is when you could get more than the two stations Tuefort has and.. When you’re in the mood.. For that sort of.. Media. Yet, it’s a bit of romance and entertainment you needed while waiting for The Firesign Theatre to release their latest album of dramas.

Art keeps you human, on a fragile equilibrium from diving into the pure insanity that is your team. Being paid to kill humans, who well, keep reviving through technology that most would strive to get their hands on to achieve immortality. It can be a nasty sentiment that you don’t like to think about when it crawls up. How humans with bonds can and will destroy each other over the smallest discrepancies out of greed.

The uncanny valley isn't a physical place, only one of the mind. Diving straight into your soul. To unsettle yourself from the basic facts of life.. At least.. As you know them.

Does it unsettle you, walking past the infirmary in the evening, peeking through the infirmary double doors carelessly left open as if it was an actual medical emergency. It probably would’ve been, if the ones screaming bloody murder weren’t .. feminine screams, ones that match your own after taking a buckshot to the back. To witness a struggle between your team's medic and a visage of yourself trying to fend back clearly being overpowered from experimental medicine. Her blood, iron instead of standard antiseptic, attacking your senses. Nearly being able to taste it despite it being scattered on the floor and not on your hands this time. A mess against the contrast of the lack of life in the sterile halls collecting dust and oil. Fluorescent lights screaming out with a buzz with an underlying static tone against your heart rate. One needle that you can tell, already sticking out from her dominant arm, it’s different from the standard syringes your medic uses while in battle. Then again he’s mentioned offhand about a crossbow type weapon that he’s been gloating in development as of late, at least whenever you had an issue that a cigarette couldn't solve. His blue scheme of a lab coat is disrupted by large splotches of crimson soaking into the material on his shoulder, while she is struggling to keep awake. Grimacing on her face definitely indicates that something more than–

“Fräulein!-”

The loud slamming of metal trays holding medical instruments against the concrete floor in an escape attempt off the gurney forces you to jump back in a bit of pain and out of sightline. The sudden loudness to look away from the sight, forcing you out of your thoughts to cower, covering your ears. Gunshots are one thing, metal on concrete is probably worse. Oh definitely you’re going to get her on the battlefield for that one.

For only a moment that you consider that maybe he has one shred of decency in him. He rarely, if never takes a charity case on the field, especially for the enemy team. Perhaps that there’s actually a moral compass in there somewhere; trying to maybe preserve her life from whatever injuries—

Smack!

The sickening short sound echoing out of the infirmary reverberates against your heart. Shouts of insulting degradation, an unnatural sounding crack resulting in a sharp feminine cry of pain shortly following his remarks. Something you aren’t accustomed to outside of combat, especially not coming from yourself.

A quiet sigh further reinforces your gut judgment of character into actual fact of life about your medic. Not surprising in the slightest. Blue is not a calming color on this team, regardless of what literary analysis says.

Glancing back in as your team’s medic degrades your red counterpart, her coat’s thrown across the floor soaking up drying blood. No sign of visible weaponry as far as you could tell between the scuffling. You don’t know a lick of German, and don’t care to learn, but his expression reads of one who clearly has the upper hand in this fight as far as you can tell. His weight shifts quickly to keep her pinned down with one arm as she still flails to get him off. She is rightfully terrified, attempting to calculate another escape route struggling against the gurney, not seeing a needle sedative of some sort ready to inject into her flesh; hiding behind his back presumably grabbing from one of the smaller trays not immediately by the gurney. Only for your counterpart to use any means of what’s left functioning to get away from him, grasping at the restraints to undo them one handedly. Really the only time you could sympathize with her. If you could help her, you would. Her death is on the battlefield, not one on one with your medic who breaks femurs for amusement. As of now, you can only offer pity.

He’s absolutely playing god for his own benefit, and dialing it up beyond 10. Evidently in the vindictive smile he wears as his blue gloved hand wrapped around her throat. Relishing in her distorted chokes, her body still convulsing to fight his grip. Probably leaving a bruise if she doesn’t get sent through respawn first. Her distress is that his other hand is probably touching open wounds, likely in retaliation of some sort.

It’s something you’ve known all along, nor does it surprise you by any means. However, a human trained in pharmaceuticals to lose their shit on a patient who’s at a current physical disadvantage.. And torturing them in a way to send a message, seeking vengeance outside of the battlefield, leaves a distaste in your mouth.

It furthers your questioning of how your own medic sees you. You already knew that he sees you as a sack of organs waiting to be mixed and matched into a chimera abomination. A chill courses down into your spine in a pale realization.

Who’s to stop him from treating you the same way he does her? A paycheck?

You need a cigarette.

You don’t think that you’re a bad person, the medic on your team would absolutely flip your organs around like a 1,000 piece puzzle, pushing the limit of functioning. Interfering with his latest vanity project of immortality, is not worth being under the knife instead of your counterpart. That’s a fight between him and his counterpart for data, not you to be a martyr for someone who knew what she signed up for. Shrieks and swears threaten to distract you from your internal justifications once again.

It hits you, she’s been able to beat you down on the field before and has most definitely sent you straight back to respawn before. She should be able to defeat this man single handedly by all things considered in terms of adrenaline strength, you think. Briefly glossing over that Engineer had stayed back to test out a prototype of a sentry model and a few other machines outside. Mentioned it back at dinner a couple nights back about improving positioning and range, recalling that conversation in your mind. But even then, a normal sentry hasn’t completely taken her down with her shield without an übercharge, it at least hasn’t with your own shield by any means when you’re paying attention and not getting shot at from their loudmouth Scout. For now, you stare back to the corkboard filled with notes neatly laying on beige and blue paint on the walls. Looking for a rationalized answer, as if the corkboard of past events and reminders would just give it to you.

Memory flickers back from earlier before shift, Medic mentioning about a crossbow weapon in development. Something about needing a longer range, in order to focus on building über to take out the Red team, truly you have a tendency to tune out the bastard most of the time. Really it wouldn’t surprise you if it was really an excuse for him to just build über with Heavy. He’d probably stick that Medigun of his right up Heavy's ass if he physically could with how he doesn’t heal much of anyone else on his own team, except at the beginning of the match. Your eyes slowly search back into the blast of fluorescents, she still wriggling under his touch, an animal trying to gnaw off its leg caught in a trap to escape.

She probably would’ve struck equal if the ever increasing mass of needles, at least one that you’re guessing is a numbing agent, weren't stuck in her dominant arm. Only one of them you recognize from surgery, the others just look indistinguishable from his syringe gun but its size forces you to swallow down spit in your dry throat. Her fingers are trying to feel for something as the metal doesn’t feel crisp, spitting at your medic in disgust. Mentioning something about adjusting the contents of whatever he shot her with, the nut case being overwhelmingly gleeful about it too. Her, while you give her credit for being a fighter, slowly keeps searching to leverage against. Anything to try and gain an advantage.

Her eyes, realizing you are still staring into a macabre mirror of horror, locking into yours, silently pleading to you for a swift death. Something to get out of his hands. The air drops into a cold you haven’t felt in sometime, as all you could do was stare back at her. Reaching out if her closest arm wasn’t restrained down against the gurney, minimally in spirit. At least for a moment, before a natural response averts the moment into one of resistance from instruments of surgery to shredding flesh.

Is it wrong to outright deny mercy in a power imbalance to your enemy who is clearly begging for it?

Would she grant that same mercy to you?

The flashes of her pleading for death on a doctor's gurney in your mind, processing the unnaturality of it. Not that you fight her everyday over god knows what, or that she’s in surgery, the contrast of red outside the battlefield is supposed to be the remnants of blood medic should be cleaning up. Not dissecting a patient from the enemy team after hours.

For you to imagine intervening and putting a bullet between her eyes out of mercy has a different moment of surrealism. Yes you’ve insulted, spat on, kicked, trampled over her corpse, and probably broke her nose with more force than necessary more than a few times during work hours.. you.. easily forget when indulging in victory when the final bell rings at 3pm.. just not 7:38 in the evening, looking at a reflection where a mirror isn’t supposed to be.

You really need a cigarette.

Peeling yourself away from the sights and sounds of yourself, jittery hands reach for a lighter in the opposing pocket. Deliberately ignoring the drying blood on the floors trailing through the halls, that you noticed taking a second glance. The scent of iron you didn’t create slowly leaves your senses. Forcing the chilling screams fading back into echoes once again. Letting your body go on autopilot towards a quieter spot towards the exit door as the sounds of the infirmary become mere echoes. To the sound of comforting footsteps at this moment in time. Flipping the lip of the white and red box to reach for the safe constant of tobacco.

The Badlands despite being a natural wasteland spanning several acres.. Does have its own natural beauty when not roasting alive underneath the harsh sun of the New Mexico desert. Really the moments of transition between night and day are poetic in their own right. A production ending with a curtain call each day, skipping over the rehearsal and casting call; Straight on to the show for the next morning. A repetitive show that doesn’t truly conclude.

Click, click, click

The cold lighter shakes slightly as you try to focus on just having a quiet smoke. Your thumb brushes over the smoothness of the lighter as you close it with a solid click. Trying to wipe away.. whatever the hell you’d encountered back there.

Inhaling spicy warm tobacco gives you comfort from the thoughts and guilt of your mind. A walk, your brain drifts, is what you need. Exhaling out a puff of gray smoke, admiring the sun slowly setting into the evening sky. The cirrus clouds clawing through the sky breaking the gradient of the evening, layering clouds upon itself as your shadows trails further behind you. The dirt and sand kicking up under your boots, heels dragging along creating a path in the quiet desert, straying away from base the nightlife slowly waking up to their circadian rhythm against the machine guns and soaking of the day’s bloody rain.

Your peace.. is disrupted from the following of loud curses in German, maybe a different dialect but you can’t quite tell if it’s the echo.. And distinct, American English echoing through the landscape. Which is to be expected, after all, she’s patient zero for an upgrade in immortality that’s what you could gather from the medical record from your first intelligence grab. A big game of capture the flag, really.

With a syringe gun and shotgun pointed out barreling towards you, you throw your hands up that’s normally reserved for a bitter defeat. Yes, your Commander is at the ready if their idiotic Soldier starts blasting at you for existing in blue; but if the fight is unpaid it’s not worth your time. Your Soldier may berate you for insubordination or some shit, and the worst side of the spectrum is that Medic might schedule a sudden examination of your internal organs. Getting sent through respawn after hours isn’t worth buying time for someone you loathe to be around. Besides, as long as your Red counterpart doesn’t screw up by doing something incredibly stupid, you’ve got free room and board. A class on both sides or none at all, right?

You roll your eyes as their incredibly loud Soldier, starts barking orders and pumps his shotgun, presumably to aim at your chest. Incessant arguing increasingly becomes irritating to the disagreement you’re not even a part of. At least their medic has enough of a brain to identify a peace offering when he sees one.

Their Medic dressed in red narrows his brows in suspicion. Granted from his irritation, he himself has slathers of blood covering his lab coat, the dust decorating him in an offset of brown glitter. Working on who, well with an enormously large figure hauling a large glintering silver barrel at his side just pacing further behind from the duo here? Well it doesn’t take a ton of context clues to figure it out.

“It’s too much of a lovely evening to be standing out here in the desert. Might want to check out the infirmary for sunburns. The desert is harsh on skin after all.”

Pulling the cigarette out of your mouth for a moment to flick the glowing embers to the dusty earth, the dry smoke blowing from your lips. Their medic, placing themselves a bit more forward probably to keep their soldier from shooting you into swiss cheese. The desert sands carrying your voice out further towards the enemies who shoot you up on a daily basis, a sigh escaping from your lungs,

“ Fellas! I didn’t sign up for unpaid overtime, you don’t exist to me after that final point is captured at 3pm.”

Your eyes connect to try and read their next move, syringe and shotguns still not fully lowered. Obvious distrust, needing more information that clearly isn’t a trap into an ambush. Or a spy posing as you from your own team. After all, you’d hope at least some of your teammates would hold you to have a similar weight of importance in their eyes if Red ever decides to pluck you in retaliation from this event.

You nudge your head slightly towards base, as a directional guide. A puff of smoke exhaling out from your mouth, blocking the view of two visibly stern faces of your sights.

“Mighty shame that our Engineer hasn’t been able to fix our defective emergency exit alarms near our second point, yet..” A specific piece of information needed to earn trust, I mean your Engineer has been caught up with a few different projects lately, neglecting any other maintenance that he can easily fix around this particular base. But it is on his list to fix, whether he actually has gotten to it is yet to be foreseen. It’s up to the Administrator now to decide if an evening brawl would be worthy to add to the workday. That would be a nightmare.

“I’m sure he’ll get to it once he gets a break.”

Clear cut eyes still question your authority, not the answer of a go ahead for a temporary truce. Really, it likely had the opposite effect with their fingers sliding towards the trigger, while your tired hands are slowly seceding to your own gun. If they fire first, well, it shows a reflection of their own character. That or they need more of an outright spelled out truth. Which really, the lead paint they must’ve licked, had done more damage than what New York State had initially found in their own population.

“Don’t bother to waste your bullets–”

A quiet snark leaving your throat, the smoke escaping your lips as the warm cigarette rests between your forefingers.

“–Sending me through respawn only gives him more time.”

Fallen ash singes against the cooling desert sand, drifting back into the earth between the gentle breeze. Their soldier, becoming increasingly antsy about the lack of gunpowder flying into the air, doesn't even bother to hide it on his face. To level the amount of testosterone of ego out on a 3 v 1, your eyes connect with the shade of crimson with a cross that trails up to their medic.

“She needs you more than what I’m worth in wasted time.”

Perhaps in a way, bargaining for a favor without outright stating it, being saved for a later date not explicitly labeled. You haven’t once brandished your gun for a show of power, nor have they shot you up into a million pieces. Granting mercy to bloodthirsty mercenaries. Aside from some on your team berating you for inaction, the Administrator has eyes everywhere in the Badlands, not just this particular map of dust. You’ve seen the hawking cameras blinking in dark corners documenting everyone’s moves. Could it land you under Miss Pauling’s quicklime? Possibly.. If it’s a repeated behavior, however, you don’t foresee that happening again. If their medic is anything like yours, it’s possible that your counterpart would be tethered to him on the field. Given her judgments and of what little Spy has shared in code, you seriously doubt that she’ll listen to even her own healer of the team.

You’re only here for money, not to worry about anyone else. It’s the entire point of why you’re here in the first place, not to brawl it out 24/7.

Are you putting too much faith in your enemies? Quite likely, but maybe you can guilt one of the three of them for a favor down the line if this fragile equilibrium, at some point, falls apart. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a risk you’re willing to take. A life for a life won’t leverage its own weight in a world of daily rebirth by bloodshed. A debt for a debt holds a hierarchy in a lawless land.

Their medic, jaw clenched, must've struck a nerve somewhere but refuses to show it. Giving a silent eye to their Heavy for a silent reassurance of the next step. While their Soldier is barely keeping restraint to shoot something on behalf of Uncle Sam or for the honor of America. A brief moment of silence, before sharp eyes reacknowledge your peace bargain.

“Danke.”

A 2/3rd agreement to keep moving forward, while Soldier grumbling at sparing the life of an enemy. He may be trigger happy because you exist in blue, but at the least is willing to half recognize a peace offering with information.

The barrage of dust and sand kicks back up, as their plans of attack fade with the movement of tumbleweeds strolling alongside you under a waning moon. Hand resting in the comfort of your coat pockets. Your cigarette, a dim beacon of light against the growing darkness in the night sky. Stars peeking out against the handful of bright lights against wooden shacks against the field.

The logistics of morality in private combat is ever changing, and quite frankly gives you a headache to try and think about “doing the right thing” when following the money supports your family. Your heart only knows one certainty when it comes to such mental conflicts on the field.

You’re not a bad person.

____________

A few fun facts with the research I did for this fic:

New York city was the first city to outlaw further usage of lead paint in 1960 before New York state followed through banning usage of lead paint in the late 70s. Lead was effectively banned in 1986, however it didn’t apply to pipes that were already in the ground and walls already painted with lead, it only banned new lead pipes to be placed in for usage beyond. https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/lead-poisoning-information-for-building-owners.page

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2021/05/13/what-would-it-cost-to-replace-all-the-nations-lead-water-pipes/

I had to take a few liberties with blue spesh and a bit of history too, so I figured that she might get enjoyment out of radio dramas since her inspiration of doing theater in university before dropping out had to come from somewhere. The 70s had a dry spell of radio dramas, since reruns of shows weren’t really commonplace and many live radio dramas were performed live on air in the 40s and 50s until recording media for reruns. Earplay is an actual radio drama that aired in 1972 until 1982 but got picked up by other networks at least until the 1990s.But for this fic its gonna be running a bit earlier than 1972. The Firesign Theatre actually did have some albums for their shows, before their second split.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Firesign_Theatre#Albums

#submission #taytay464788 #tiwwan fanwork

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Eva Green Twin Sister Crush Jack Nicholson | Hollywood Spotlight & Mesmerizing Beauty

Eva Green most beautiful talented and highest paid French Hollywood actress, iconic roles in films like 'Casino Royale' and 'Penny Dreadful' series,

French actress Eva Green who is the daughter of actress Marlène Jobert, most talented and versatile highest-paid actress who became famous for her role as Spy Vesper Lynd in Cashino Royale due to which she won a Bafta breakout star awar. Eva Green is fluent in both French and English.

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#Actress and model #Casino Royale #Celebrity interviews #Eva Green #French actress #French cinema #Hollywood impact #Hollywood journey #Hollywood spotlight #Hollywood star #Hollywood&039;s leading ladies #Iconic performances #Mesmerizing beauty #Penny Dreadful #Versatile talent #Youtube

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Shipping Shasam

This post that nobody asked for is a long time coming and it is mainly here because of @thorst and @chimerrobang who ruined my plans and asked for it (💞). So, let's go ahead and talk about how much I adore Sam Wilson and Sharon Carter as a ship (Shasam, because every ship needs a cool ship name and I'm trying to make this one happen) and why I think they would be perfect for each other.

Origins

Sharon Carter and Sam Wilson joined the MCU in the same excellent movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. CA:TWS is undoubtedly a gamechanger within the MCU, contributing to the overall story in a big way with the fall of SHIELD and still acclaimed as one of the franchise's best movies. It is also one of my personal favorites and though it was not when I started shipping Sam and Sharon, I do think it a nice parallel that were both introduced here as side characters in relation to Steve Rogers. Sam has a better introduction than Sharon, I would argue, but this film was enough to interest someone (me) in them despite not having any familiarity with either character prior to that.

Although they have limited screen time in CA:TWS, we are nonetheless able to catch glimpses into Sam and Sharon's respective personalities. Both of them are extremely loyal, for starters: Sam is ready and willing to assist fugitive Steve and Natasha and Sharon likewise proves her loyalty to Steve when she takes on Rumlow. Their action sequences make it clear that they are very physical fighters, which is by necessity due to the work they do. We also find out that both of them have no issue questioning authority when needed, a topic that comes up again when we see them in Captain America: Civil War.

She Didn't Write It

Sam and Sharon's shared qualities are further emphasized in CA:CW, where they end up working together to help Steve. After Steve sees Sharon at Peggy's funeral, she reminds him that she was doing her job when she was spying on him and seems proud of her new role within the CIA. At this stage in her life, I think it is safe to say work is one of Sharon's highest priorities, and her choice to move to the CIA after SHIELD's dissolution suggests that she feels what she does is important enough to do no matter what form it takes. As for Sam, he also comes across as someone who values his work above most things. He worked as a pararescue whose role was literally to save lives, and he disagrees with the Sokovia accords because he doesn't trust the government to keep tabs on who the Avengers should and shouldn't save.

It is CA:CW that seals the deal in my personal opinion that Sam and Sharon are both workaholics who have never paid much attention to their personal lives. While I don't doubt that there are probably racist reasons for Sam to have never been given a love interest in the MCU, in-universe the only explanation that makes sense to me (I mean, look at him) is that he hasn't had time to worry about that in between working with the Air Force, working for the VA and then becoming an Avenger. He alludes to this in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, when he talks about missing his nephews growing up - I, at least, got the impression that it wasn't just because he was blipped. I don't think it's a stretch to assume that Sharon is similar, although admittedly we don't see her much outside of professional situations.

All of the qualities I've mentioned so far are ones that I could see as being points of connection for Sam and Sharon. I like relationships that are founded in common ground, and I see plenty of it to work with here. I don't think Sam or Sharon would be happy with someone who didn't understand the importance of their work to them, and being with each other would allow them to be fully open about that aspect of their lives. Likewise, they share a strong moral compass, which could permit them to understand and empathize with each other's decisions. Crucially, though, I also think together they could also have that personal life that they've been brushing to one side for so long. Having those shared values could allow them to make space for each other, and for something more than what they do.

One of my favorite scenes in CA:CW now is a two-line exchange, where Sam objects to the term 'bird costume' and Sharon counters with: "I didn't write it." It's a very small moment, and I'm not saying for a minute that the writers did this intentionally, but looking at it from a character perspective, Sharon absolutely did not have to defend herself in that moment. She is interested in Steve as far as we know and she barely knows Sam, but she still makes a point of making sure that he knows she didn't write it. She doesn't say much, but she could be saying a lot, like that she respects what Sam does and wouldn't dismiss him in that way. If anything, the fact that she is later the one to steal his wings back together with the shield, only underlines that idea.

All the Sh*t Sharon Had to Go Through

I first started thinking about Sharon and Sam as a ship around the time it was announced that Sharon was going to be in TFATWS. Even though the show panned out differently than I had imagined with respect to Sharon, I think it is full of breadcrumbs that could lead to a relationship in the new Captain America movie. The Sharon we see in TFATWS is hardened, disillusioned and, in my view, playing the role of her life. In order to survive, she's had to seal every crack of vulnerability, like the one that made her kiss Steve in CA:CW. She is cavalier when she asks about Captain America in Madripoor, but she does still ask, and then uses it as an opportunity to show how little she supposedly cares. The actions she takes in the show don't make sense just on the basis of her being the Power Broker, and I think this is partially bad writing, but if we take it at face value we could see it as her wavering in her commitment to her newfound attitude. She helps Sam in situations where she could have gotten rid of him and Bucky or ignored them, even to her own detriment. At the end of the show, she even saves Sam's life. Sam, meanwhile, seems to be the only person who really cares about what has happened to Sharon. He reminds Bucky that she was branded enemy of the state, he apologizes to her more than once for the situation she ended up in, and he brings her up again much later when he is laying out on the table all the trouble the shield has caused. He promises her a pardon and asks her to come back to the United States, all because it seems to matter to him whether or not she is OK.

There is also all the flirting, of course. Sharon's reaction to seeing Sam shirtless is to say "Much better." In that same scene, after making his agreement with Sharon, we see Sam grinning and watching her as she walks away. Sharon calls Sam "a friendly voice" and Sam smiles when he is messaging her. In the last episode, Sharon, who had spent so much time previously mocking the idea of Captain America, tells Sam the suit looks good on him. It would certainly be possible to look at this cynically, and perhaps suggest Sharon is putting on a performance to help secure the pardon she wants. The way I choose to look at it is that Sharon is being who she has always been, someone dedicated to service and who is extremely efficient at what she does. Those qualities are, incidentally, ones I think Sam would look for and value in a partner. They could also be indications that Sharon as she used to be is not entirely gone, and that Sam gives her the opportunity to allow that idealistic version of herself to come to surface.

The Future

Going forward, I think with all the groundwork that has been laid out, Sam and Sharon could flourish into a great love story in future Captain America movies and shows. We could see Sharon start to doubt the image she felt she had to build to survive, in parallel with her developing feelings for Sam that she never expected. For his part, I think even if there was some initial conflict, Sam would ultimately be understanding about what led Sharon to where she was and value her for who she is.

United, they could make an incredible team. Just as they complement each other in many ways, they could also bring out the best in each other. Sharon is someone who very much sees the world as it is and I think Sam does too, but he also sees the world as it could be. There's a beautiful push and pull there between a spy who deals with threats on the ground level and a former soldier who can literally fly. Sam also takes things less seriously than Sharon, and I think could help bring out a lighter side to her, as we got just a hint of in some of their banter in TFAWTS. Logistically, Sharon as Sam's love interest also makes a lot of sense given that she has been in his orbit for a long time already and they have a pre-established relationship. Developing that would be more interesting in my view than try to introduce somebody new.

Zooming out to a more meta perspective, I think there's some serendipity in the fact that both Sam and Sharon have at times been underrated/undervalued by the fandom at large. Sam has been repeatedly dismissed as Captain America even since having officially taken up the title, and Sharon has a long history of being reviled mainly (I guess) for having the audacity to kiss Steve Rogers. I am a Steve fan myself, but since he clearly isn't going to be a big part of the movies going forward, I am thinking about what the MCU looks like without him. I don't know what's going to happen in the future, obviously, but how great would it be to see two people that formerly were seen mostly in relation to Steve find love with each other and become an unstoppable power couple?

The beauty of Sam and Sharon is that they each can totally stand on their own, as independent characters, and they could also be incredible together. I, for one, would absolutely love to see them as our Captain America and Agent 13. ❤️🤍

#SamSharon #Sam Wilson #Sharon Carter #Sam x Sharon #Shasam #My Writing

[endbuzz]

Lore Preview: Corporations

Well before the explosion of technomancy in the witching world, corporate empires towered in the sky. Their power fell over people in waves, with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities plucking young people out of the gutter and bankruptcies sending them straight back. As their long fingers of influence spread across the continent and the world, fueled by the electricity of technomancy’s birth, there emerged three leading cities in the UK: London, Manchester, and Glasgow. The strong devoured the weak, until a few frontrunners found themselves sitting at the very top of the peak, whispering in the ears of politicians and throwing gold (and a quiet ruin) at any problem that might stand in their way.

Continue reading below the cut!

With Britain suddenly a home to new innovation, with new jobs emerging by the day, immigration skyrocketed. Those seeking opportunity flooded into the cities, and housing became a dire issue. With scarcity of most everything, the people living on the streets soon found themselves living off the ground, higher and higher until the sway of the buildings could be seen with the blustery winds of rainy days. Communities have sprung up all over, winding round the city like weeds choked of sunlight. 

MANCHESTER’S BIG HITTER: BLISHEN METALWORKS

They began their life right in Manchester, founded by Chistopher Blishen in 1851. The silent cofounder, Xurl, was a highly skilled goblin; when he is mentioned at all, it is said that he is nowhere in the paperwork because the laws at the time prohibited him from business ownership. From humble beginnings in repair work and watchmaking, they made enhancements and innovations that put them - and Manchester - on the map. A longstanding tradition of pocket watch gifting as a witch comes of age has been cemented by their craftsmanship, only made possible by Xurg’s lifetime of study in metal-charming. 

After Christopher’s death in 1880, Goblins were no longer welcome to apply to work with them. As one of the few businesses to welcome creatures into their ranks, it was taken as a blow to the wider community. This caused a great deal of tension in Manchester, and it wasn’t until the advent of Tickers, technomancy-infused pocket watches, that they changed this policy again. It is a tense proposition for these Goblins who work within Blishen’s walls; working in the business built on the back of their ancestors’ knowledge, many feeling it has been every bit stolen from them, it is a powderkeg.

This company is widely rumoured to spy on users of Tickers.

One of the few corporations to provide allocated housing, a towering megastructure that was stark white when it first sprang up, Blishen sees witches and Goblins living side by side. The party line is that they do so in harmony, but the reality is much more fraught.

GLASGOW’S BIG HITTER: PROTEGO INC

Though they have been around for a long time and under many names, first conceptualised by Artair McLean sometime in the 1890s, their real start wasn’t until 1920. It was well known that one could barter protective magics and wards from this business, even for a time specialising in bodyguards, but it was Grindelwald’s cut across Europe that saw business booming. 

The next witching war brought further business, and the model changed altogether. Sewing discord and damaging competition was more lucrative for them than investing in innovation, and so it was by consuming other businesses that they became the main interest in Glasgow - and across the country. 

Technomancy saw further changes to their business, with the PearlDust virus offering a great bright window of opportunity. Their work in wartime defenses is all but forgotten, traditional magical research at a near standstill, as they funnel their time and workforce into securing technomancy’s many conduits. 

This company strongly lobbies against legislation regarding technomancy and conduits.

It is telling that many of Protego Inc’s highest paid employees specialise in proprietary law. With their research departments going wildly underfunded as they cannibalise and buy out other companies left, right, and centre, their focus has shifted almost entirely to locking down the products they’ve made or obtained. It is a sad truth then that there is a trickle of skilled programmers and inventors leaving the business - with little to turn to but the many hacker collectives springing up around Glasgow. 

LONDON’S BIG HITTER: CHIRON 

The youngest of the corporations listed by far, but perhaps the most insidious and streamlined. So named for a renowned healer, established in 1965, this corporation has never strayed from their sleek centaur branding. They have a team hard at work developing new augmentations, and a fleet of technomancy healers, often called Renders, who install them.

With a lack of competition, prices have surged. This has led to a surge of unlicensed Renders, sometimes leading to unforeseen side effects or complete rejection. 

Those who take advantage of the services they offer have the choice of opting into a payment plan, with interest. These plans are subject to steep consequences, including but not limited to forceful surrender of the augmentation and loss of any equity offered. For all that people fear losing their homes and their valuables, there is nothing quite like the fear that runs cold across a person when a Collector comes knocking. The augment is claimed back with no replacement offered, and the client is often left with the outstanding balance of this butchery.

Despite this, the company emphasises their healing influence, and makes great efforts to appear charitable. They also heavily lobby for longer sentences for people supplying and receiving unlicensed augmentations based on Chiron technology, and worse for backalley Renders.

The landscape of London has changed drastically for their presence, with the housing situation reaching critical levels and many living in houses shared between several families. Those who seek privacy must seek it above the smog line, in high rises that seem to creak from a breath pulled in too sharply.

A quick note: Goblins are playable characters.

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Halle Maria Berry (born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film Monster's Ball, becoming the only woman of African American descent and the only woman of color to have won the award. She was born in Cleveland to Judith Ann, a white English immigrant from Liverpool, and Jerome Jesse Berry, an African-American man. Her name was legally changed to Halle Maria Berry at the age of five. Her parents selected her middle name from Halle's Department Store, which was then a local landmark in Cleveland. Her mother worked as a psychiatric nurse, and her father worked in the same hospital as an attendant in the psychiatric ward; he became a bus driver. She was a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Miss World. Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy Boomerang, which led to roles in films, such as The Flintstones, Bulworth, and the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In addition to her Academy Award, she garnered high-profile roles, such as Storm in X-Men, the thrillers Swordfish, and Gothika, and the spy film Die Another Day. She then appeared in the X-Men sequels, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. She has featured in the science-fiction film Cloud Atlas, the crime thriller The Call, and the action films X-Men: Days of Future Past, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. She was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood and has been involved in the production of several of the films in which she performed. She is a Revlon spokesmodel. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/ChPSdP5uDdLZ8xYDmoT49jTY2ELlfi5Uib12k80/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

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And we are back to gaming once again. Here I list you 10 Adventure games for Android that you should try. I bet you’ll get addicted soon. These will cost some money, but I don’t think hard-core gamers like us will mind. Right? Don’t worry, the highest price set in the Top 10 list is only ₹ 330. Is it very much? And yes, download links will be provided for your aid. So let’s start. TOP 10 Paid Adventure Games For Android Devices Here they are – 10. Survival Craft 2 ( 17 MB & ₹ 250) This is a basic survival game, which is probably the mobile version of the PC Minecraft. In the game, you’ll be left in the shores of an infinite and blocky world. You’ll be able to explore mines, craft and customize your house and furniture and tools and weapons, hunt 30 different real world animals and many more. Play with three friends in the split screen mode. The developers bring you the mobile version of Minecraft, but have also maintained their own realistic features and survival-themed style, and have expanded the gameplay much larger with self-customization features and temperature simulation and much more. Check out. More: Top 7 Trending Adventure games that you should play once in your life 9. Angry Neighbor ( 73 MB & ₹ 110) This is the mobile version of the PC game with the same naming. While the PC version has been loved a lot, the mobile version is not much behind. The story is something like this – You live in a colony and your neighbor is a really crazy person. He it’s very unusual and has something hidden in his house. You’re relying curious on and break into his house to check out. But instead of showing you around, he starts chasing you and you’ll have to be safe, while also spying around what the hidden thing is. This one’s fun, check out. 8. Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition ( 213 MB & ₹ 330) The PC version of this super hit game is enjoyed by over 6 million people all over the world. Thus is again a survival-based game, where you’ll get a mix of magic and science. Your character named Wilson, who’s a gentleman scientist. He has been trapped and left alone in a mysterious world full of wilderness, a world full of strange creatures, dangers, and situations you’ve to tackle. You should learn to exploit your environment and it’s living beings if you’re too survive and return safely to your world. You’ll find resources to craft items needed for your survival and unravel the mysteries of the strange world. 7. Rusty Lake Paradise ( 99 MB & ₹ 220) This one’s a sort of adventure plus puzzle game. Your character named Jakob returns to some sort of island named Paradise Island, where his mother died. After her mysterious death, Jakob returns to the island and finds that it is cursed by the ten plagues. You’ll have to use your mother’s hidden memories and the strange family rituals to solve the puzzles and stop the plagues. This is an Editor’s Choice game and is the third installment of the Rusty Lake series. The game has its own features, like atmospheric graphics handmade by Dutch painter Johan Scherft, particular theme song and sound system of each plague, a unique storyline and much more. More: Disney Princesses Avatar Last Airbender Legend Korra Characters 6. Rusty Lake Hotel ( 34 MB & ₹ 140) This is the first part of the Rusty Lake series. Here you’ll get awesome graphics, easy-but-hard gameplay, mind-blowing brain teasers, tons of puzzles in each of the six rooms, unique and engaging story and easy controls. Solve ask the puzzles and finally the mystery of the Rusty Lake Hotel. 5. Rusty Lake: Roots ( 82 MB & ₹ 220) This is the second installment in the Rusty Lake series. You’ve planted a seed in your garden but the seed has something suspicious. Solve the puzzles and find out what it is. You’ll get a thrilling story, exclusive sound tracks in each level, more than 33 levels of mind blowing puzzles and brain storms, HD graphics, suspense moments and the most amazing of all, you’ll be able to live through the beginning and end of each family members of your tree.

4. Lego® Jurassic World ™ ( 1.1 GB & ₹ 320) Warner Bros. bring you a game in Lego brick style; a game inspired by the storylines of Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III, as well as the Jurassic World. You’ll relive the 65 million years of dinosaurs in one game. You’ll get the Lego humor, unforgettable Jurassic World scenes and the thrilling action sequences in this single game. Explore Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna, fight the dinosaurs choosing from 16 different dinos, create your own dinos and much more. Go play this at least. 3. 60 Seconds: Atomic Adventure ( 102 MB & ₹ 260) You’re a family man Ted who has to save his family from the nuclear apocalypse, and he’s got only 60 seconds to do so. You’ve to make decisions – what things to pick up and what to leave, how to use them etc. In this dark adventure game, everything is against you, your house, your furniture and most importantly, the time. Save yourself and your family as quick as possible. 2. Terraria. ( 97 MB & ₹ 330) This game is in the favorite list of many. You’ll see various worlds, starting from floating islands to the deepest Underworld. Travel across different worlds, creating your own weapons, making pets and fighting 450+ enemies and 20+ bosses. Don’t want to play alone? Invite your friends and play on Wi-Fi network on any device having 1 GB or above RAM and 512 MB or more of internal space. This game will make you relive the graphics of Contra. More: Gossip: Royal wedding choir gets record deal 1. Old Man’s Journey ( 318 MB & ₹ 320) Play this game and see the world through an old man’s eyes. It has a powerful and emotional storyline, hand-drawn arts, animations and landscapes, pressure-free but mind-boggling puzzles, and original and emotional soundtrack. This game is a hit for the ones who would like to see the world through others eyes. This was all about the top paid adventure games! More: Top 5 things from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Nintendo Direct