#instead he was in the role of the oldest for a nearly thousand years. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

camthesolemnone · 3 years

Note

*crashes through door*

HI I HAVE ANOTHER ONE!!

Ok. Soulmate AU!! it's the one with the red string connecting you to your soul mate by your pinkie. Make up some rules for it if you need to!! I like to do the thing where the string gets tighter/looser as they move closer and farther from their s/o.

Ok, goodnight, I love you, bye!

*mwah*

*passes out just outside door*

Whoops accidentally made Zhanna older than Heavy in this one. Well I mean, maybe she is, but I've always written Mikhail as the oldest child in his family. Anyway, enjoy!

Wide eyes full of tears and flushed cheeks was what Mama came across upon turning to face who was tugging at her shawl. Little Zhanna, no more than five, was highly concerned about her baby brother.

"Mama! Misha’s finger is blue!"

Fearing that her son had developed gangrene from the cold brought on by the heavy storm outside, the distressed mother turned away from her soup pot and made haste towards the living room.

"Zhanna! Go get your father!" She instructed, entering the space, and the small girl nodded rapidly as she dashed off to where Papa was doing laundry.

Mama approached her child. The infant was situated in the center of the carpet, tiny hands shaking and eyes also leaking. Mikhail couldn't form words yet. He could only helplessly wail as he became light-headed; he had lost all feeling in his pinkie finger.

Mama kneeled down near him, and Zhanna and Papa appeared a second later.

"What is going on! Is moy syn alright?" The older man cried.

Mama took the boy’s hands in her own and examined them closely. As Zhanna had announced, his left pinkie was a light shade a blue. At the base of Mikhail’s finger was a small red string, fastened so tightly that it constricted the blood flow. The Russian mother breathed a sigh of relief.

“There is nothing to fear, he has simply acquired his soulstring,” Mama explained, standing up and giving her family a reassuring nod.

Papa let out his own held breath at the fortunate news, but Zhanna simply stared at her parents in confusion.

“Mama, what is a soulstring?”

Her father reached out to grasp her mother’s hand, and the two of them smiled down at their daughter.

“Young Zhanna, a soulstring is leetle red string around your pinkie that connects you to your soulmate: the person you are destined to fall in love with. Some people’s thread appears immediately after birth, but for others, it can take several years before their special partner is chosen,” Mama revealed.

Papa added on, motioning to Mikhail in the process.

“The tighter the string is, the farther you are away from your soulmate. Seeing as your brother’s is strong enough to cut off circulation, there is good chance his soulmate does not live in this country.”

Zhanna glanced over at the thread on Mikhail’s finger and then back to her parents, crossing her arms.

“What happens to the string when you find your ‘soulmate?’“ Zhanna inquired.

Papa crouched down to ruffle his daughter’s hair while Mama picked up Mikhail and left the room to resume dinner.

“Once you meet fated love, the string falls off for good,” he explained.

The small girl beamed and ran a hand through her black hair.

“Chudesno! I can’t wait to get my soulstring!”

Mikhail had given up on his chances of ever finding his love or feeling his finger again.

Forty seven years had passed since the red string initially appeared on his pinkie, and not once had he ever felt it loosen up. He felt hopeless and silently wondered most days if the higher beings had made a mistake. Maybe he truly wasn’t attached to anyone and they had tied the thread just to spite him. Instead, the Russian decided to spend his time taking care of his family.

His father had long since passed and Yana and Bronislava had run off with their soulmates, but at least Mikhail could still provide for his mother and Zhanna.

An ad in the newspaper intrigued him one morning: a mercenary job in America offering thousands. The giant immediately took to calling the company, known as Mann Co., and asked for a position. Not only would he be able to make enough money to provide a comfortable life for Mama and his sister, he was delighted at the opportunity to wield guns against evil men with no consequence. Moving away from the Russian blizzards would also prove to be a positive change.

Within two months of his interview, the new Heavy Weapons Specialist was landing down in New Mexico. A few days were spent getting used to his new surroundings and signing paperwork, but eventually, the bus came by his hotel to take him to the Reliable Excavation Demolition base.

While lounging in the tough leather seat, Heavy glanced at the surrounding seats and took notice of two other men sitting in the back. They both wore red and yellow bands on their arms, indicating they were some of Mikhail’s new teammates. Preferring not to spend a year with a group of people who disliked him, the Russian moved to the back of the bus to make a good first impression.

“Privet, I am Heavy Weapons Guy,” he began.

The two men looked up from their respective pieces of literature. The younger of the two lazily held and flipped a baseball magazine with one hand. The other man, taller and masked, was gripping a thick, plain-covered novel.

“Yo! I heard that our Heavy was supposed to be, well, you know, heavy, but damn you’re fa--OWW!” The Bostonian shouted, being met with a swift slap from the man sitting beside him.

“Please ignore Scout here. This rotten bunny doesn’t seem to have any manners.”

“Go to hell, you French bastard!” Scout shot back.

The insults continued and Heavy found himself silently slinking back into his seat. He had the strength to snap both of them like toothpicks if he so desired, but it was better not to end his career before it started.

Along the ride, the bus stopped several times to pick up the rest of the RED team. First came their pyromaniac and engineer, then the sniper and soldier. The demolition’s expert came by himself and the final stop was saved for a relatively young woman in a purple dress.

“Er, hello, everyone. I am Miss Pauling, your boss’s secretary. I’m scheduled to give you guys a tour around the base and to break down your jobs. Raise your hand if you have any questions and please, try to cooperate with one another,” the woman sighed.

Dell, the shortest man on the team with a yellow hardhat, raised his hand.

“Yes, Engineer?” Miss Pauling prompted.

“Isn’t there supposed to be one more fella here with us?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Miss Pauling glanced toward the ceiling briefly as if she were really pondering the answer before turning to Engineer.

“Medic’s flight got delayed due to a massive snowstorm in Berlin. He should be here tomorrow at the earliest.”

It was impossible to notice the difference just by looking at it, but Mikhail nearly jerked forward when he felt it. Was he really going insane in his desperation? Had the string really just loosened? It most certainly had, he had felt the pressure ease up ever so slightly, but something in the back of his mind that told him it was just his imagination. The giant shook his head and groaned, barely able to pay attention to anything else Miss Pauling said.

His mind became a battlefield of longing versus absurdity. The thread had suffocated him during his prime. There was no possible explanation as to why his soulmate would be appearing now of all times. By forty seven, Mikhail was overweight, balding, had several scars from his time in Siberia, and was rated ugly by every woman he had attempted to romance. He couldn’t think of a single reason as to why his love would find him attractive now, and it deepened the eternal hole in his heart.

But Heavy held onto the faintest thread of hope. Maybe, just maybe, his suffering was about to come to an end. He would meet with the woman or man fate had binded him to, and he could finally be happy.

That night, Mikhail stared at his bedroom ceiling wide awake. Once their team’s doctor arrived in New Mexico, he would know for certain what destiny had in store for him.

Ludwig’s attempt at getting some shut eye on the flight failed. He couldn’t fall asleep even if he wanted to, for his pinkie was regaining its color. Somehow, this job as a battlefield medic that he had selected out of the blue was leading his soul to its missing half.

“It’s only a matter of time,” he murmured to himself, eyes more hopeful than the day he earned his doctorate’s degree.

Heavy awoke to the sound of loud yelling and banging on his door.

“Attention! You will be dressed and be stationed in the recreational room for role call in five minutes! That is an order!” Soldier commanded.

The softer, more compassionate voice of Miss Pauling sighed and spoke through the door.

“I’m sorry Heavy. I couldn’t say anything to convince him not to come with me to wake you guys up. Just settle down in the rec room in a few minutes, okay?”

Mikhail groaned, both from a lack of sleep and the sudden wake-up call. He complied, however, adorning his red, short sleeved shirt, his bulletproof vest, the bandolier for his minigun, pants, a belt, and a pair of sturdy combat boots.

When the heavy weapon’s specialist arrived in the rec room, it was absolute chaos. Spy had moved on from insulting Scout to bickering with Sniper, Demoman was already sloshing around a bottle of alcohol, Scout had stolen Engineer’s hardhat and was taunting him with it, and Soldier was shouting at a terrified looking Pyro.

“RED Team! Enough! It’s only the first day and you’re already at each other’s throats!” Miss Pauling stomped, placing her hands on her hips.

Some the the mercenaries, including Heavy, faced towards their higher-up while the others continued to do their own thing.

“Now look, your first battle will begin as soon as Medic arrives. I’m heading over to the airport to pick him up, so I advise you all check over your equipment,” her words more of a command than a suggestion.

Heavy’s eyes widened. He felt it again.

He decided in that moment that polishing Sascha could wait.

Before Miss Pauling could leave the room, the large man scurried over to her and placed a massive hand on her shoulder to grab her attention.

“Yes, Heavy? Do you need something?” She asked plainly.

Mikhail nodded, his cheeks slightly flushed.

“Da, I want to come to airport with you, if you do not mind. I promise not to cause any problems.”

Pauling raised an eyebrow.

“Pozhaluysta, Miss,” the Russian begged, rubbing his forever blue pinkie with his other hand.

Miss Pauling opened her mouth to speak, but her words died on her lips when she noticed the tiny gesture. Instead, she gave him a short nod of understanding and proceeded out of the building.

In the car, Heavy’s leg bounced. His breathing was deep, and his whole body seemed to sweat with fear and anticipation. With every inch the vehicle moved, he could feel the burden on his finger lighten up. This wasn’t just some illusion or dream, it was really happening. After forty seven years of waiting, he was about to meet the love of his life.

Miss Pauling took note of his anxiousness, but didn’t say anything during the trip, giving Mikhail plenty of time to ask himself a million questions. What would his lover look like? Would they be a man or a woman? Would they have a heart of gold, or a rotten core that sought to make the Russian miserable at every turn?

Finally, the airport was in sight. Mikhail could hardly withstand the separation between himself and his soulmate. He wanted, needed to find his other half. He needed to shower them with all of the affection he had been waiting so long to administer. He needed to hear their voice and inhale their scent and feel their body against his own.

Miss Pauling nearly tripped over her high heels trying to catch up with the eager Russian. She had seem some truly heartwarming instances of soulmates meeting over the years, but never before in her life had she seen someone so desperate to unite with their fated love.

He had to hold onto a railing as he stepped out of the plane to avoid passing out.

Ludwig had always experienced air-sickness while flying, but more than that, his hand was trembling. The string that had plagued his right hand for decades was loose, looser than it had ever been before. The doctor was overwhelmed; he wanted to throw up and cry tears of happiness at the same time. This was his moment, his soulmate was waiting for him.

As he stood near the loading gate, the thread loosened further, and it signaled that his soon-to-be lover was getting closer, closer.

Unable to withhold his excitement, Medic dashed across the airport. He got caught up in several crowds and passed right by the luggage pickup, but none of that mattered. He was following his heart’s call now; he let the slackening of his bindings guide his every step.

“Heavy! Please slow down!” Miss Pauling yelled, but the giant had blocked her out a long time ago.

There was only one voice he was willing to let in now. He pushed past a group of adults with the tiniest apology as he charged up the stairs. If he were anywhere else, he would have most likely been stared at and thrown out by security. In the chaos of the airport, everyone assumed he was simply running to reunite with a loved one.

An opening in the crowds.

Everything went silent.

The world slowed down.

Mikhail spotted him, his soulmate across the grand building. He was more handsome than he could have ever imagined, and although he didn’t know it yet, Ludwig also firmly believed that he had just encountered an angel.

The soulstring unraveled and landed on the ground.

All remaining distance between them was covered in a second. The force of the impact sent them to the ground, but neither of them cared. Arms wrapped around strong bodies, tears spilled out of adoring eyes, and lips whispered the pledges of love they had so desperately longed to hear.

At last, Mikhail and Ludwig were home.

#tf2 #heavymedic #fanfiction #soulmates

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donniefinnerman · 3 years

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under the cut, 1.1k i wrote a few months ago of michael and raphael talking before stull

At the edge of a lakeside forest on an island off the coast of Maine, Raphael waits. Before tomorrow, the lake will boil; for now, it laps unceasingly at its rocky shore. Sparse reeds, dimly silhouetted, rise from the water, and from the trees, a chorus of birds heralds the dawn. Of all the places he might choose to wait for the end of the world, Raphael thinks this is the most fitting. Forests, like all his Father’s creations, are full of lessons. They teach that all things have an appointed time to burn.

Lawrence sits nearly two thousand miles away, but even here, Raphael feels its weight like a slope under his vessel’s feet. The city is the drain around which the world spins. Soon it will all be over: Michael and Lucifer will meet on the destined battlefield, and Raphael’s older brother will kill his other older brother, and this godless world, broken beyond repair, will finally end.

Raphael has played his part. His work is done. All that’s left for him to do is wait.

Without moving -- without having cause to move -- Raphael watches the sunrise. The horizon bleeds red; the sky bruises purple, then blue. For Raphael, this is the first time he’s witnessed a sunrise at this lake, but for his vessel’s eyes, it’s the last of many. Donnie Finnerman’s Sundays all followed the same ritual: he rose long before dawn, drove two hours in darkness, left his well-loved 2003 Subaru Forester at the trailhead, and went into the forest. He didn’t go hiking instead of going to church, he often explained to disapproving relatives. Hiking was his church. Who could stand here at dawn, surrounded by birdsong, and not feel God’s presence?

Raphael realizes, with sudden and sickening clarity, why he really came here. His wings twitch to flee, but he doesn’t. To flee would be to admit guilt, and Raphael can’t admit, not even to himself, that he doubted his Father.

Michael believes He’s still alive, but Raphael has more faith than that. Their Father loved them too much to abandon them like this: lost, crying out for guidance, desperately clinging to what few plans He left behind. He must be dead, because the alternative—

There is no alternative.

The birds trill. The lake murmurs its susurrus against the shore. Raphael hears these sounds, and only these sounds, and he does not listen for anything hidden beneath them. Minutes tick by, each dragging the world closer to its end.

One moment, Raphael is alone; the next, he senses Michael’s grace five feet behind him, roiling with too many emotions to be named. Raphael doesn’t startle at his brother’s sudden appearance, but a flock of crossbills does, streaming out of the trees in a flurry of chirps and wingbeats. Raphael watches them go. If the flock flies east without stopping, they might live to see paradise.

They fly west.

“Raphael,” says Michael. His crackling grace belies his steady voice. “I can’t let you do this.”

Nonplussed, Raphael turns to face his brother— and his words die in his throat. Michael is wearing the weapon with which he’ll kill Lucifer: a human boy of nineteen years, pale and light-haired. The hands that will kill Lucifer hang at his sides, fingers twitching as though fighting the impulse to form fists. Lucifer will die at those hands. Lucifer will die. Raphael has carried the weight of that knowledge since his fallen brother was caged, but now it feels more real, more heavy, than ever before.

The boy is named for Adam, but his role is Cain’s. Sibling against sibling: the oldest story the universe knows.

“I’ll drag you back to Heaven myself if I have to,” Michael continues, after Raphael fails to speak.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What am I supposedly doing?”

Michael’s expression darkens, unamused. He closes the distance between them in three sharp strides, balls the front of Raphael’s shirt in his fist, and says, “I know why you’re here.”

Raphael is too bewildered to try to pull away. He looks at his brother, at a face contorted with anger and fear— and the fear gives him pause. Michael is the oldest and most powerful warrior in the universe, but whatever he thinks Raphael is doing, it scares him.

In seven hours, the first shockwave of the battle to end battles will turn the western hemisphere to ash. Only Michael and Lucifer will be able to survive it.

Understanding comes, and brings exhaustion with it. Raphael can’t remember feeling more tired than he does now. “I came here to wait, Michael. Not to die.” He shouldn’t have to say it. For five millennia, he and Michael have held together Heaven with fraying thread, the last two archangels in the Host; for five millennia, Raphael has been the one who stayed. And still, after all this time, Michael expects Raphael to abandon him like Lucifer and Gabriel and Father. The lack of faith stings.

Michael’s grip slackens. “You disappeared after Lucifer took Sam Winchester.”

“I didn’t disappear,” snaps Raphael. “If I was trying to hide from you, you wouldn’t have found me.”

The second it leaves his mouth, he regrets it. Gabriel’s death is an open wound in both of them, raw and bleeding, and the words are citrus and salt. Michael staggers back, dropping Raphael’s shirt. Somewhere in the distance, a tree cracks open, rent down the middle. Raphael doesn’t know which of them is responsible.

They haven’t spoken about it since it happened: the first time they felt another archangel’s grace shatter and detonate and die. In the terrible silence between aftershocks, Michael only said, He should have trusted Father’s plan. Killing Lucifer wasn’t his destiny. But Raphael knows his brother; knows him better, by now, than even Lucifer ever did. Michael blames himself for letting Gabriel run off, and he blames himself for failing, for five millennia, to bring Gabriel home.

(Michael wasn’t Gabriel’s only older brother. Raphael blames himself, too.)

Nearby, a large rock juts halfway into the lake; with a flap of his wings, Raphael takes a seat on it, leaving enough space to his left for Michael to join him. A moment later, Michael does.

“I didn’t disappear,” repeats Raphael, looking out at the water. “I won’t disappear.”

“I know,” lies Michael.

Nearly two thousand miles away, the first light of the last dawn touches Lawrence, and the morning star fades from the sky.

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twh-news · 3 years

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Is Loki genderfluid? “It's always been there,” Tom Hiddleston says

“This is something we felt responsible for.”

— Tom Hiddleston

When it comes to Easter eggs, Loki’s Twitter is a whole basket. A glimpse at a Time Variance Authority file for the trickster god was released as a Twitter video on Sunday, and fans were quick to point out all the juicy tidbits involved, including one that confirmed one of the oldest Marvel theories around.

The most exciting of these reveals is what’s written after “Sex.” Instead of a standard “Male” or “Female,” Loki’s file reads “Fluid.” This confirms a fan theory that goes back to the Norse mythology where Loki originated: he’s canonically genderfluid.

For Loki head writer Michael Waldron, this reveal was a long time coming.

“I know how many people identify with Loki in particular and are eager for that representation, especially with this character,” Waldron tells Inverse. “We worked really hard.”

But even Waldron may be putting it lightly. Loki’s fluidity isn’t just some corporate attempt at corporate wokeness from Disney, it’s a direct reference to both comic book lore and mythological history. Here’s how it happened and why it matters, according to both Waldron and Loki himself — Tom Hiddleston.

“It's always been there in the comics for some time and in the history of the character for hundreds, if not thousands of years,” Hiddleston tells Inverse.

Loki before the Marvel Cinematic Universe

To find the source of this seemingly confirmed MCU theory, you have to go all the way back to Loki, the trickster god of Norse mythology. While the mischievous nature and chaotic personality of Loki carried through from the start, one of the most important aspects of his mythologic persona was his shapeshifting ability. This meant Loki can be a fly, a fish, or even an old woman. His appearance — and his gender — are constantly in flux.

In Marvel Comics, Loki also possesses the power to shapeshift. But when he does, it always seems to be in terms of a disguise, not as a gender expression. It wasn’t until 2014’s Original Sin Vol 1 #2 that Loki’s gender identity was clarified. In this comic, Thor and Loki find themselves in a female-run society. When Thor assures his brother “These are fair maidens,” Loki responds with “So am I, sometimes. It doesn’t mean I’m safe to talk to.”

When Loki later takes on a female form to blend in with the society, she’s only referred to with she/her pronouns. This isn’t a disguise, it’s just another form of Loki. This fluidity is later confirmed in the same arc when Odin reflects on his children. “My son, my daughter, and my child who is both,” he says.

At that point, Loki was no longer a male comics character who dressed up with shapeshifting as necessary, but those elements were considered additional parts of what makes up “Loki.”

Loki comes out

This brings us up to date with Loki, and while fans may be excited for Tom Hiddleston’s character to catch up with the comics, Michael Waldron is quick to say Loki’s genderfluid identity isn’t something he’s qualified to speak on.

“I think that is best experienced in the show, as opposed to me, a cis straight white guy giving clunky answers about it,” Waldron says.

He’s still proud of bringing that representation to the MCU, especially crediting it to Loki director Kate Herron. “That was so important to Kate, that we did that justice. Everyone will have to watch and see.”

Loki has apparently been representing genderfluidity for nearly a decade.

The person most intimately familiar with Loki is Tom Hiddleston, who has embodied the character for just under a decade. For the Marvel actor, genderfluidity was a logical conclusion to his character.

“Breadth and range of identity contained in the character has been emphasized and is something I was always aware of when I was first cast 10 years ago,” Hiddleston says. “I know it was important to Kate Herron and Michael Waldron and to the whole team. And we were very aware, this is something we felt responsible for.”

Whether or not it’s explored in depth in the series remains to be seen, but just this Twitter confirmation retroactively adds a whole new layer of representation to the MCU. After years of the only confirmed LGBTQ+ character being a director cameo in Avengers: Endgame, this moment has retroactively made one of the most iconic Marvel villains canonically, if technically, transgender.

Will Loki actually expand on this new canonical trait?

The Inverse analysis — Marvel’s Loki reveal isn’t perfect. Tom Hiddleston is a cisgender man, and casting cis actors in trans roles is frowned upon, though Loki’s shapeshifting abilities may help sidestep that issue. There’s also some criticism that this canonical reveal is paired to a Disney+ streaming series, instead of a blockbuster film.

Still, when it comes to genderfluid and gender non-conforming representation in any sort of popular media, some is better than nothing at all. For someone who is genderfluid like me, a massively iconic character like Loki sharing this trait makes it easier for my identity to be explained.

Just like Loki, I can shift into a boy or a girl or somewhere in between, but I’m still me. No matter how this trait is explored in the MCU’s future, that’s a huge win.

#Loki #Loki series #Tom Hiddleston #Interview #Article #Inverse

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hallowxiu · 4 years

Text

Three Minutes (Part 1)

pairing: diavolo/gn!mc

word count: 3.2k

summary: You want a unique gift for the future King of the Devildom. Who else would be brave enough to give Lord Diavolo pick up lines if not you?

a/n: part 11 of the mc isn’t good at pick up lines series. also this ties in a teenie tiny bit with the current halloween/birthday diavolo event that’s going on. enjoy!

part seven | part eight | part nine | part ten

A yawn leaves your lips as you once again find yourself sitting in for a council meeting. You aren’t sure why you’re constantly being forced to tag along to these stupid meetings-- last you checked you weren’t even a council member. Yet, Lucifer is always insisting (more like forcing) that you come along. If you had it your way, you’d be at home taking the fattest nap of your life right now. A nap so good that even Belphie would be impressed.

And with that, another yawn leaves your lips. Someone clears their throat, and you look up to find your gaze falling onto Lord Diavolo. Oh shit, you’ve totally been caught zoning out. Lucifer is definitely going to kill you later for making him look bad. You hear your name fall from Lord Diavolo’s lips and a blush settles across your cheeks gracefully. “Had I known you were so tired today, I would have suggested the meeting be held tomorrow instead.” Now you’re blushing out of embarrassment. And terror, when you eventually look over at Lucifer. Yeah, definitely not happy.

“Wha-- of course not. I’m not tired,” maybe you should have tried harder at covering up your yawns, “just, uh,” just what? Bored? Yeah, no, that would make it worse. “I’m so excited that I keep yawning. It’s a human thing; you’ve never heard about it?” To yawn while excited? It was most definitely not a human thing, but could any of the brothers really call your bluff? Probably.

“Really?” There’s a look of surprise on Diavolo’s face, and it makes you feel just the slightest bit hopeful that he believed your lie. Lucifer looks unimpressed, however, which means he didn’t. Can’t win them all.

“Yes. It happens to me a lot. If I get really excited, I just yawn. I yawn a lot. In general, many things to be excited over.” You’re sinking into your chair as you feel Lucifer’s glare become stronger and stronger with each passing second.

“And tell me,” Lucifer says your name with barely hidden frustration, “what are you excited over?”

Shit. You should have known that Lucifer would quiz you on this. “Well,” there’s a terrified smile on your lips and the brothers are giving you curious looks, “that’s a great question. What isn’t there to be excited over?” You knew that wouldn’t fly at all. You needed to think of something. It’s as if a tiny lightbulb goes off over your head, a wide smile lighting up your features. “Why, Lord Diavolo’s birthday is coming up, right? I think that’s quite exciting! And Halloween! My personal favorite holiday, although I’m not really sure if you guys celebrate it here, but I’m still excited for it nonetheless.” This time Lucifer’s the one wearing shock on his expression, though he decides not to push the topic. You knew he wouldn’t; he wouldn’t be willing to grill you over Lord Diavolo while in the presence of the Demon Prince himself. You had never been more grateful to Satan, as he was the one who informed you of the upcoming birthday only a few days prior.

“That’s actually what this meeting was called for today.” There’s a sheepish smile on Lord Diavolo’s lips as he speaks. “We don’t necessarily celebrate Halloween in the Devildom, but my birthday does fall upon the human holiday, so we do end up celebrating the week of. It’s just slightly different.” You’re thanking every god in the skies right now for pulling you through that alive. “I only called the meeting to see if everyone was okay with the festivities that will be taking place next week.”

“Of course, Lord Diavolo. Leave everything to us, we’ll have everything planned.” There’s a tight smile on Lucifer’s lips, one that suggests that you should probably avoid the oldest brother for the remainder of the day.

🎃🎃🎃

You sat through another two meetings in the last couple of days, all of which were Lucifer and the brothers going over every last detail for Lord Diavolo’s birthday celebration. Your role, similar to Lucifer’s, was to help each brother whenever requested. Which sounded easy enough at first as you didn’t share the entire weight of their responsibilities, however, that was until all the brothers were calling you non stop because they wanted to spend time with you. While cute at first, you were starting to get annoyed.

Couldn’t they see that you had things to do too? You were already on thin ice with Lucifer since the first council meeting (the eldest even going as far to harass you each morning about getting enough sleep, should you yawn during another meeting). On top of that, you were cooking up some pick up lines for Lord Diavolo. A birthday is a special occasion, it’s another year you’re alive, which is special, right? Even if the person celebrating the birthday has been alive for thousands of years.

You’re currently deciding on what method of delivery you should do. Should you write a shit ton of pick up lines on a homemade card and give it to him? Or should you tell them to him in person? Each method had their own list of pros and cons. For example, the pro of the card would be that Lucifer wouldn’t know, and therefore he wouldn’t kill you for possibly disrespecting the future Devildom King. However, the pros for telling him in person involved seeing his reaction and his response to each one, which was a little more tempting. Another question; should you do it when he’s alone, or when he’s at his party? Could you even get Lord Diavolo alone? You nearly fell apart when you got Barbatos alone, and he’s only Diavolo’s butler.

You flop back onto your cushioned bed, staring at the ceiling above you. You watch as the blades of your ceiling fan lazily spin in circles as your mind works up the perfect birthday plan. Yes, you couldn’t just make a fool of yourself, the stakes are a bit higher this time. This wouldn’t be the same as giving one of the brothers a pick up line. Maybe you should just…

You spring out of bed the second the idea hits you. You had the perfect idea. Why not just text him a pick up line each day of the week leading up to his birthday. This way you wouldn’t have to risk Lucifer overhearing it and you wouldn’t have to worry about cornering the man. Yes, this was perfect.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Your face turns to a scowl while Mammon spins in circles while in your desk chair. “Ya do realize this is Lord Diavolo, right? We don’t know how he’ll react to this.”

“And while that’s completely fair of you to think that,” you were too busy looking up pick up lines on your D.D.D to care about the outcome, “I know no one else is brave enough to do something like this. Come on, it’ll be great. A present he’s never received before.”

“Ya sure do have an interestin’ way of reasonin’.” Mammon knew it was pointless to argue with you. “But don’t come cryin’ to me when Lucifer catches wind of this. Your funeral, not mine. Make sure ya stress to him that I had nothin’ to do with this.”

🎃🎃🎃

MC:

Lord Diavolo, your birthday is in a few days, right???

Lord Diavolo:

Yup!

Why do you ask?

MC:

I have a unique gift idea for you!

But uh

Don’t tell Lucifer

Please

Lord Diavolo:

Oh my.

Could it be? Are you taking me out to AkuDonald’s?

MC:

what

Lord Diavolo:

Don’t worry, MC!

I will keep this our little secret! Lucifer won’t find out. :)

MC:

No, wait.

That wasn’t it.

I mean, I can take you to AkuDonald’s too if you want. I don’t mind.

Lord Diavolo:

It wasn’t?

Well, I hope you’re still willing to take me because now I really want some.

MC:

Is it really okay for the future King to go out like that?

That doesn’t matter. Gift idea.

Are you ready?

Lord Diavolo:

Am I ready?

Are you doing it right now?

MC:

You’re gonna be hotter than the flames on your birthday candles.

Lord Diavolo:

What?

MC:

I broke him.

Anyway, this is just the first of MANY. Okay???

You’re gonna get a wicked birthday pick up line every day until your birthday.

Which is only in two days.

So it looks like you’ll be getting many a day.

My planning wasn’t great; I was a little late coming up with the idea.

But it’s the thought that counts, right?

Lord Diavolo:

I’m not sure what to say…

MC:

I’ll give you one more as a parting gift.

Hey.

Lord Diavolo:

H-Hey??

MC:

I bet you’re sweeter than any birthday cake.

Lord Diavolo:

WHAT

WHAT?

MC, WHAT?

🎃🎃🎃

“Wow.” Is all that comes from Mammon as he reads through your texts. “You’re so fuckin’ dead.”

“What?” You look at the white haired demon with a frown. “But I promised him AkuDonald’s.”

Mammon shoots you a quizzical look. “As if that even matters.” A snort leaves him as he rereads the messages. “It is pretty funny though. I can only imagine how red his face was when he realized what you were doin’. And then ya left him on read! You made him text stutter and then left him on read! As if you weren’t already taking a gamble. Sheesh, what am I supposed to do with ya? Like, seriously-- who leaves the future King on read?” Before you open your mouth to comment, Mammon cuts you off. “And I can’t believe ya told him that you broke him. Ya aren’t supposed to say that to him.”

You sheepishly scratch the back of your neck. “I mean, he didn’t seem to mind that much. Hopefully. I mean, I’ll take the execution if that’s what he wants.” Mammon shoots you another quizzical look, though this time he opts to stay quiet. “The next one I’m sending is tomorrow. I didn’t have a lot up my sleeve, so if I plan it right I should have just enough leading up to his birthday. Do you want to see?”

He leans over to view the pick up lines you had saved on your phone. He presses his lips into a thin line as he reads over them. “Some of these are… brave. What are ya expectin’ to get out of that last one?”

“What do you mean?” You ask with a raised eyebrow.

“Ya really want to tell him a line like that? And ya seriously expect nothin’?”

“I figured I should go all in if I’m going to be giving them to Lord Diavolo. Besides, it’s not like anything will happen, Mammon.”

“Give what to Lord Diavolo?” A chill runs up your spine when the voice meets your ears. How was it that Lucifer scared you more than the actual crowned prince of the Devildom?

“L-Lucifer.” You turn to face the demon with a shaky smile. “Mammon and I were just talking about gift ideas. It seems that no one has thought of anything yet, so we were just throwing ideas around. Nothing serious.”

“You’re a bad liar.” Lucifer deadpans. “But I have a headache, so I’m not going to press you further. Mostly because I’m not sure I can handle whatever it is that you’ll end up telling me.” He pinches the bridge of his nose as he leans against your doorframe. “I just came to let the two of you know that dinner is ready. Come down now, I won’t be stopping Beelzebub from eating your food.”

🎃🎃🎃

MC:

Did you miss me?

Lord Diavolo:

You’re going to give me a heart attack.

MC:

What? Why?

Don’t do that.

I’d get in a lot of trouble with Lucifer for that.

Lord Diavolo:

Are you really going to send me a pick up line each day until my birthday?

MC:

Yup!

Because I know for FACT that no one else is doing this.

Right??

MC:

Diavolo

*Lord Diavolo

Crap, don’t tell Lucifer I forgot the Lord.

MC:

Wait. Answer me.

Is someone else doing this????

Or are you telling Lucifer that I forgot the Lord?

MC:

Omg.

It’s Lucifer, isn’t it?

Fuck.

What would a pick up line from him even be like?

Wait

Can you tell me?

I promise I won’t tell anyone. Except maybe Mammon.

He reads through my texts a lot.

Don’t ask me why.

Lord Diavolo:

I--

Sorry, Barbatos needed me for something.

Did you just have a crisis?

Over me not answering?

LOL

MC:

Lord Diavolo, I need to know.

Is Lucifer doing this too?

Also I need to know if you told Lucifer about me dropping the Lord.

Lord Diavolo:

No, I didn’t tell him haha.

And why would Lucifer send me something like pick up lines?

MC:

Anyway. Are you ready?

I’m sending it anyway.

MC:

You’re so beautiful, you made me forget my bad pick up line.

Lord Diavolo:

You think I’m pretty?

I knew having that sticker made of me in the dress was smart.

MC:

o ,,,,

MC:

Is that the sun coming up, or is that just the birthday boy shining?

Lord Diavolo:

Oh wait, that one was cute.

MC:

I’m glad!

Tomorrow is your birthday, and naturally I only have one left.

So I suppose I’ll give it to you at your party tomorrow.

Don’t let Lucifer find out.

Contrary to popular belief, I do value my life somewhat.

🎃🎃🎃

“He said he liked it?” Mammon asks with disbelief lacing his tone. “I really thought I had seen everythin’ up until this point, but ya keep provin’ me wrong.” The two of you are crammed together at one of the many booth’s taking up the ballroom of Lord Diavolo’s castle. Everything was set up, and now you and the guests only had to wait for the birthday boy himself to arrive.

“The birthday boy has to be fashionably late. It’s like, law.” Asmodeus had said to you only minutes prior. Law of what? You weren’t sure and he didn’t specify.

“I know. I was surprised he liked them too. The first one was kind of lame, but he seemed pleased nonetheless.” If you have to admit, you’re feeling pretty smug with yourself right now. I mean seriously, pulling off pick up lines with Lord Diavolo? That has to be some kind of accomplishment, right?

“You didn’t give him the scandalous one though. Don’t tell me…” You see a look of horror form on Mammon’s face. “Ya don’t plan on tellin’ him that one in person, do ya?” You only respond with a cheeky wink. “Oh, no.” He buries his face in his hands at the thought of his favorite human dying at the hands of his older brother. What a dilemma indeed.

“Oh, yes. I already told him I’d be giving him the last one today anyway, so it’s not like he’ll be surprised. I just…” A devilish smirk appears on your lips and Mammon decides he doesn’t like it one bit. “Do me a favor?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Mammon, come on.”

“No way.”

“Please?”

“Wha-- no! Don’t give me that look! I told ya a million times that the puppy dog look doesn’t work on me!” Except that it totally does. “Okay, fine.” His face beet red with his arms crossed over his chest, he turns around in his chair so that he’s facing away from you. “What is this favor?” He already knew what it was.

“I need you to distract Lucifer for me so I can get Lord Diavolo alone.” Mammon lets out the loudest whine of his life before slamming his head onto the table. A nervous laugh leaves you when several of the guests (Lucifer included) turn to look at the two of you. “Mammon, please don’t make a scene.” You say through a forced smile.

“I’m sorry, you get to ask me to throw my life on the line so you can give Lord Diavolo a shitty pick up line, and I’m not even allowed to complain? Did I get that right?”

“Yup.” The cheeky smile is back on your face. “Seriously though, do you think you can distract him?”

“I mean, probably. I don’t know for how long though.” Mammon’s eyeing Lucifer from where he sits, watching the black haired male converse with some of Diavolo’s well known acquaintances. “He might get suspicious the moment I start walkin’ over to him.”

“Just make sure your hands aren’t in your pockets so he can’t accuse you of stealing anything.”

“You make it sound a lot easier than it actually is.”

“I only need five minutes.” You cringe slightly when seeing the exasperated look on Mammon’s face. “Okay, maybe not even that! Three minutes; can you give me three minutes?” Mammon’s quiet for a while, the demon staring down at his hands while thinking over the entire thing.

“Alright, I can probably get ya three minutes alone with Lord Diavolo. I’m serious though, I don’t know if I can promise ya any longer.” You rest your chin on the palms of your hands while looking forward thoughtfully. That’s fine, you tell yourself. You’ll only need three minutes.

You watch as Mammon practically glues himself to Lucifer’s side the moment Lord Diavolo finished his mini birthday speech. It was definitely suspicious, but you also didn’t give Mammon specific instructions, and he was doing this for free, so you really couldn’t complain. You watch as Lucifer tries to pry himself away from Mammon, and you watch as Diavolo catches your eye and walks over to you with a wide smile as he calls out your name. “I’m glad you could make it tonight!” As if I’d be allowed to miss your birthday party, a voice in the back of your mind mutters.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” You respond with a smile. “Are you ready for your last pick up line?” A wave of excitement washes over you as you rock on the backs of your heels.

“Of course. I’ve been looking forward to it all day! I can hardly wait to see what you’ve come up with.” His smile is almost blinding and you can feel your cheeks heat up. Was everyone in the Devildom this attractive? It wasn’t fair.

“Well,” you have to get this perfect, although you aren’t entirely sure why, “I noticed you had already had some of your cake.” You knew this because Asmodeus had practically sobbed over how beautiful the cake was, and Beelzebub had almost committed murder while trying to hold himself back from devouring it.

“I did, yes. You also had some.” That too.

“Well, I was wondering if your lips are sweeter than the icing on this cake, because they sure look like it. Better let me taste first and confirm.” You smile widely as you stare at Lord Diavolo. You’re extremely proud of that one and while you aren’t sure why, you had been saving it for last. You wonder if Lord Diavolo also thought it was as cool as you had. Your smile starts to fade when you feel a pair of warm and soft lips pressed against yours, a sea of gasps (and someone choking-- was that Mammon or Lucifer?) echoing around you.

Oh.

You see your mistake now.

#shall we date obey me #obey me x mc #diavolo #lord diavolo #lord diavolo x mc #diavolo x mc #lord diavolo x reader #diavolo x reader #diavolo one shot #lord diavolo one shot #obey me #shall we date #obey me one shot #obey me drabble #drabble #drabbles #happy halloween???#not really lmao #but it is for his birthday so i mean

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newstfionline · 3 years

Text

Monday, September 20, 2021

Biden’s Entire Presidential Agenda Rests on Expansive Spending Bill (NYT) Biden’s entire presidential agenda is riding on the reconciliation bill being crafted in Congress right now. No president has ever packed as much of his agenda, domestic and foreign, into a single piece of legislation as President Biden has with the $3.5 trillion spending plan that Democrats are trying to wrangle through Congress over the next six weeks,” Tankersley writes. “It is almost as if President Franklin D. Roosevelt had stuffed his entire New Deal into one piece of legislation, or if President Lyndon B. Johnson had done the same with his Great Society, instead of pushing through individual components over several years. If he succeeds, Biden’s far-reaching attempt could result in a presidency-defining victory that delivers on a decades-long campaign by Democrats to expand the federal government to combat social problems and spread the gains of a growing economy to workers. If he fails, he could end up with nothing. As Democrats are increasingly seeing, the sheer weight of Mr. Biden’s progressive push could cause it to collapse, leaving the party empty-handed, with the president’s top priorities going unfulfilled. … If Mr. Biden’s party cannot find consensus on those issues and the bill dies, the president will have little immediate recourse to advance almost any of those priorities.

Child care in the US is a ‘broken market,’ Treasury report finds (Yahoo Money) A Treasury Department report this week characterized the U.S. child care system as “unworkable” as Democrats push reform that experts say is an “overdue and critical investment.” The average American family with at least one child under age 5 uses 13% of their income to pay for child care, according to the report, nearly double the 7% that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers affordable. Additionally, less than 20% of the children eligible for the Child Care and Development Fund—a federal assistance program for low-income families—are getting that funding. “Child care is a textbook example of a broken market, and one reason is that when you pay for it, the price does not account for all the positive things it confers on our society,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement on Wednesday. “When we underinvest in child care, we forgo that; we give up a happier, healthier, more prosperous labor force in the future.”

Inspiration4 Astronauts Beam After Return From 3-Day Journey to Orbit (NYT) After three days in orbit, a physician assistant, a community college professor, a data engineer and the billionaire who financed their trip arrived back on Earth, heralding a new era of space travel with a dramatic and successful Saturday evening landing in the Atlantic Ocean. The mission, which is known as Inspiration4, splashed down off the Florida coast at 7:06 p.m. on Saturday. Each step of the return unfolded on schedule, without problems. Within an hour, all four crew members walked out of the spacecraft, one at a time, each beaming with excitement as recovery crews assisted them.

Haitians on Texas border undeterred by US plan to expel them (AP) Haitian migrants seeking to escape poverty, hunger and a feeling of hopelessness in their home country said they will not be deterred by U.S. plans to speedily send them back, as thousands of people remained encamped on the Texas border Saturday after crossing from Mexico. Scores of people waded back and forth across the Rio Grande on Saturday afternoon, re-entering Mexico to purchase water, food and diapers in Ciudad Acuña before returning to the Texas encampment under and near a bridge in the border city of Del Rio. Junior Jean, a 32-year-old man from Haiti, watched as people cautiously carried cases of water or bags of food through the knee-high river water. Jean said he lived on the streets in Chile the past four years, resigned to searching for food in garbage cans. “We are all looking for a better life,” he said.

Three Weeks After Hurricane Ida, Parts of Southeast Louisiana Are Still Dark (NYT) For Tiffany Brown, the drive home from New Orleans begins as usual: She can see the lights on in the city’s central business district and people gathering in bars and restaurants. But as she drives west along Interstate 10, signs of Hurricane Ida’s destruction emerge. Trees with missing limbs fill the swamp on either side of the highway. With each passing mile, more blue tarps appear on rooftops, and more electric poles lay fallen by the road, some snapped in half. By the time Ms. Brown gets to her exit in Destrehan 30 minutes later, the lights illuminating the highway have disappeared, and another night of total darkness has fallen on her suburban subdivision. For Ms. Brown, who works as an office manager at a pediatric clinic, life at work can feel nearly normal. But at home, with no electricity, it is anything but. “I keep hoping every day that I’m going to go home and it’ll be on,” she said. Three weeks have passed since Hurricane Ida knocked down electric wires, poles and transmission towers serving more than one million people in southeast Louisiana. In New Orleans, power was almost entirely restored by Sept. 10, and businesses and schools have reopened. But outside the city, more than 100,000 customers were without lights through Sept. 13. As of Friday evening there were still about 38,000 customers without power, and many people remained displaced from damaged homes.

Favela centennial shows Brazil communities’ endurance (AP) Dozens of children lined up at a community center in Sao Paulo for a slice of creamy, blue cake. None was celebrating a birthday; their poor neighborhood, the favela of Paraisopolis, was commemorating 100 years of existence. “People started coming (to the city) for construction jobs and settled in,” community leader Gilson Rodrigues said. “There was no planning, not even streets. People started growing crops. It was all disorganized. Authorities didn’t do much, so we learned to organize ourselves.” The favela’s centennial, which was marked on Thursday, underscores the permanence of its roots and of other communities like it, even as Brazilians in wealthier parts of town often view them as temporary and precarious. Favelas struggle to shed that stigma as they defy simple definition, not least because they evolved over decades. Paraisopolis is Sao Paulo’s second-biggest favela, home to 43,000 people, according to the most-recent census, in 2010. Recent, unofficial counts put its population around 100,000.

The barbecue king: British royals praise Philip’s deft touch (AP) When Prince Philip died nearly six months ago at 99, the tributes poured in from far and wide, praising him for his supportive role at the side of Queen Elizabeth II over her near 70-year reign. Now, it has emerged that Philip had another crucial role within the royal family. He was the family’s barbecue king—perhaps testament to his Greek heritage. “He adored barbecuing and he turned that into an interesting art form,” his oldest son Prince Charles said in a BBC tribute program that will be broadcast on Wednesday. “And if I ever tried to do it he ... I could never get the fire to light or something ghastly, so (he’d say): ‘Go away!’” In excerpts of ‘Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers’ released late Saturday, members of the royal family spoke admiringly of the late Duke of Edinburgh’s barbecuing skills. “Every barbecue that I’ve ever been on, the Duke of Edinburgh has been there cooking,” said Prince William, Philip’s oldest grandson. “He’s definitely a dab hand at the barbecue ... I can safely say there’s never been a case of food poisoning in the family that’s attributed to the Duke of Edinburgh.” The program, which was filmed before and after Philip’s death on April 9, was originally conceived to mark his 100th birthday in June.

Relations between France and the U.S. have sunk to their lowest level in decades. (NYT) The U.S. and Australia went to extraordinary lengths to keep Paris in the dark as they secretly negotiated a plan to build nuclear submarines, scuttling a defense contract worth at least $60 billion. President Emmanuel Macron of France was so enraged that he recalled the country’s ambassadors to both nations. Australia approached the new administration soon after President Biden’s inauguration. The conventionally powered French subs, the Australians feared, would be obsolete by the time they were delivered. The Biden administration, bent on containing China, saw the deal as a way to cement ties with a Pacific ally. But the unlikely winner is Britain, who played an early role in brokering the alliance. For its prime minister, Boris Johnson, who will meet this coming week with Biden at the White House and speak at the U.N., it is his first tangible victory in a campaign to make post-Brexit Britain a player on the global stage.

Hong Kong’s first ‘patriots-only’ election kicks off (Reuters) Fewer than 5,000 Hong Kong people from mostly pro-establishment circles began voting on Sunday for candidates to an election committee, vetted as loyal to Beijing, who will pick the city’s next China-backed leader and some of its legislature. Pro-democracy candidates are nearly absent from Hong Kong’s first election since Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system to ensure that “only patriots” rule China’s freest city. The election committee will select 40 seats in the revamped Legislative Council in December, and choose a chief executive in March. Changes to the political system are the latest in a string of moves—including a national security law that punishes anything Beijing deems as subversion, secession, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces—that have placed the international financial hub on an authoritarian path. Most prominent democratic activists and politicians are now in jail or have fled abroad.

The Remote-Control Killing Machine (Politico/NYT) For 14 years, Israel wanted to kill Iran’s top nuclear scientist. Then they came up with a way to do it while using a trained sniper who was more than 1,000 miles away—and fired remotely. It was also the debut test of a high-tech, computerized sharpshooter kitted out with artificial intelligence and multiple-camera eyes, operated via satellite and capable of firing 600 rounds a minute. The souped-up, remote-controlled machine gun now joins the combat drone in the arsenal of high-tech weapons for remote targeted killing. But unlike a drone, the robotic machine gun draws no attention in the sky, where a drone could be shot down, and can be situated anywhere, qualities likely to reshape the worlds of security and espionage.

Israeli army arrests last 2 of 6 Palestinian prison escapees (AP) Israeli forces on Sunday arrested the last two of six Palestinian prisoners who escaped a maximum-security Israeli prison two weeks ago, closing an intense, embarrassing episode that exposed deep security flaws in Israel and turned the fugitives into Palestinian heroes. The Israeli military said the two men surrendered in Jenin, their hometown in the occupied West Bank, after they were surrounded at a hideout that had been located with the help of “accurate intelligence.” The prisoners all managed to tunnel out of a maximum-security prison in northern Israel on Sept. 6. The bold escape dominated newscasts for days and sparked heavy criticism of Israel’s prison service. According to various reports, the men dug a hole in the floor of their shared cell undetected over several months and managed to slip past a sleeping prison guard after emerging through a hole outside the facility. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have celebrated the escape and held demonstrations in support of the prisoners. Taking part in attacks against the Israeli military or even civilians is a source of pride for many Palestinians, who view it as legitimate resistance to military occupation.

Jaw-dropping moments in WSJ's bombshell Facebook investigation (CNN Business) This week the Wall Street Journal released a series of scathing articles about Facebook, citing leaked internal documents that detail in remarkably frank terms how the company is not only well aware of its platforms’ negative effects on users but also how it has repeatedly failed to address them. Here are some of the more jaw-dropping moments from the Journal’s series. In the Journal’s report on Instagram’s impact on teens, it cites Facebook’s own researchers’ slide deck, stating the app harms mental health. “We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,” said one slide from 2019, according to the WSJ. Another reads: “Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression ... This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.” In 2018, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said a change in Facebook’s algorithm was intended to improve interactions among friends and family and reduce the amount of professionally produced content in their feeds. But according to the documents published by the Journal, staffers warned the change was having the opposite effect: Facebook was becoming an angrier place. A team of data scientists put it bluntly: “Misinformation, toxicity and violent content are inordinately prevalent among reshares,” they said, according to the Journal’s report.

#headlines #news

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lexa-maxwell · 3 years

Text

The Art of Perfection

When: Throughout Lexa’s life

Where: Santa Monica

Major Warnings: Suicide Attempt, Mental Illness tw.

Featuring: Maverick Maxwell, Izzy Maxwell, Nate Maxwell, Victoria Maxwell

Victoria Maxwell’s pregnancies weren’t easy, but Lexa’s was a treacherous run between severe morning sickness, dizzy spells, not to mention the fact the woman was high risk and still decided to power through her pregnancy like a champion. However, because of all that, once Lexa was born, you’d think…it would be the most joyous time of your life, but instead, with many tears, frustration, and detachment. Postpartum depression became Victoria Maxwell’s best friend and Lexa’s worst enemy. She tried to pretend it didn’t bother her, often times, she and Nate got into arguments about whether or not she should go to therapy for her own mental health. It was at that moment, she felt less than perfect, and that infuriated her.

“I’m fine, Nathaniel!” Her voice would echo through the hall. Nate, dejected, and hurt, left the matter alone.

It was hard to stomach, hard to see. Nate grew up in a warm, loving, and successful family, whereas Victoria grew up in a—much more frigid environment, for lack of better words. This is why he thought therapy would be the best way. To heal the past wounds and prevent the matter from repeating itself. But Victoria…was stubborn, and even though he could see in her eyes that she was in pain, he could only do so much as a husband.

Meanwhile Victoria returned nearly immediately back to work, the roles switched, and he became a doting father to Lexa, making sure that she would be nurtured and not neglected. He wanted his daughter to feel like she was loved by someone as he could see the cycle between Victoria and her mother, both cold and dejected from one another.

Lexa grew up being her father’s right hand man, and a nuisance to her mother, most times. She was outspoken, loud, playful, and always had a smile on her face. She often envied Isabelle and Maverick who could easily win over her affection and warm smile, while Victoria often frowned upon many of the things that Lexa did. She didn’t understand why her mom hated her so much. She was planned, after all.

The Carson cycle would continue as Victoria taught Lexa one thing after she witnessed Lexa bawling her eyes out over her destroyed cake at her 10th birthday party and she wasn’t allowed to beat the shit out of a then, 8 year old Benji.

“Alexandra, princesses don’t cry,” She said in a rather firm voice.

“But mom—“ She objected.

“Wipe those tears and put on your happy face and thank everyone for coming, okay? You can go with Izzy to wash your face,” She said coldly.

Lexa was hurt by the coldness of her mother’s demeanor and her voice and wiped her own tears away and stormed off. She never asked why her mother didn’t hug her and soothe her tears like her younger siblings, but the question often did cartwheels in her mind. She then realized the only way she could ever make her mother proud was fitting all the criteria of the perfect oldest daughter. She needed to be an example for Isabelle and Maverick. She needed to smile less in front of the camera, and provide a more clean cut look, even though her father approved and loved her for who she was…she vied for her mother’s approval.

So, she practiced. She learned to dull her excitement down to a mere smirk, rather than jumping up and down and squealing. She learned to compartmentalize and rationalize every sour thought and emotion, saying things like,

“I have no time to be angry.”

“To be sad means I actually have to care.”

“Why worry, if I can just execute it to the best of my ability?”

All of these reasons got her to power through, but as Lexa grew into adolescence, it began to trigger a burst of rapid fire thoughts, sleepless nights, and agitation, followed by a period of severe self-loathing, often dark thoughts, that she, through tears, would fight to compartmentalize in the privacy of her room before walking out and pretending that everything was fine with her.

So she threw herself into a slew of activities. Dance, cheer, volleyball, class president, editor in chief of the yearbook, theatre, marine biology volunteer, camp counselor. You name the activity, and Alexandra Maxwell’s name was most likely written down. In those years, she made a thousand acquaintances and only kept a very small group of friends. She hardly saw her siblings except for evenings and Sundays. Yet still, it wasn’t good enough for Victoria.

“It’s like you’re purposely trying to avoid your family, Alexandra,” Victoria sighed in annoyance.

“Vic, that’s not fair to her and you know it,” Nate challenged.

“But look at her! Always out and about with her friends, never spending any time with the family. We need to schedule a family pap walk or something because the whole town will think Lexa’s gone rogue!” She complained.

“She’s a teenager! We were all like that. You can’t tell me that you weren’t out and about in just to let your mind escape,” He sighed, shaking his head. “You need to take it easy on her like you do with Izzy and Maverick.”

“What are you saying that I’m purposely hard on her?!” She scoffed.

“Yes, yes I am!” Nate fired back.

Lexa, already hurt, and even more worried that her parents were arguing because of her, walked out of their office with her head held high, despite the feeling of dread she felt in the pit of her stomach. She had already felt dreadful since the last day of school and this was the cherry on top. As soon as she got into her car, she could feel the tears just threatening to fall, but once again, she pushed it all down until she got home and sobbed her eyes out.

It didn’t get any better, even though it seemed that Lexa’s mood had done a complete 360. Throughout the first two weeks of June, Lexa spent more time at home with her family, even braving through some of her mother’s Friday brunches with the stuffiest women in the Santa Monica area. No one would suspect that anything was wrong with Lexa. She managed to balance out everything in her life.

That was until she was left alone. Her parents were at Sonoma Wine Garden for a charity gala, Izzy and Mav were out with friends. Lexa lost it that day as every emotion in her resurfaced and she couldn’t stop crying. It was an ache that consumed her that she didn’t think she’d make it through another day of being put under so much pressure. She wasn’t the perfect sibling, daughter, friend, coworker, or student body president. She was a failure. A nobody and she’d never amount to anything in life because she wasn’t good enough.

So, she took matters into her own hands with a bottle of pills and made sure she stashed them somewhere before she collapsed in her bathroom.

All she could remember was Maverick screaming for Izzy.

Then, she woke up to her siblings in tears, both parents completely stressed out and clearly sleep deprived, and even some of her friends. Everyone was kicked out the room with the exception of her beloved father, who held her hand in his and shook his head as tears fell down his face.

“I’m so sorry, Lexa,” He sobbed out.

The feeling of guilt that washed over her caused her own tears to fall as she shook her head.

“No daddy, it was me. I’m sorry. I’m just, I’m so tired and I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough for mom,” She sobbed out as he pulled her into a tight hug. Little did she know, that Victoria was simply around the corner, tears streaming down her own face. The detachment, the guilt she had, that her daughter nearly took her own life because of her own struggles ate at her…and she refused to let it happen any further.

“Lexa,” Victoria croaked. It was very rare for Victoria to call Lexa by her nickname. It was always her full name with sternness. Now, she could feel the softness, the vulnerability.

“Oh, my sweet Lexa,” She sobbed out as she went to climb into the bed and wrap her arms tightly around her daughter.

“I put you through so much pain and I’m so sorry, my baby,” She cried. “I’m so sorry.”

Lexa couldn’t help but sob into her mother’s arms as she was held tightly by the two of them. “Please don’t send me away, please,” She whispered.

Both parents pulled away and wiped Lexa’s tears and shook their heads.

“You’re under watch right now. I told Izzy and Maverick you’re just sick with a bad bug, but, we’re going to have an action plan, and it starts with therapy,” Nate responded with a soft voice.

“And I, will be going with you. We’re doing this, together,” She responded, squeezing Lexa’s hand lightly.

—

Since then, Lexa would say that her relationship with her mother’s improved somewhat. Sure, Victoria’s still hard on her, but it wasn’t as bad as it used to be and it’s still a work in progress. Now that she’s opened up to Izzy and Maverick about her attempt, she sighs to herself about the next move. With her mother’s surgery and recovery, things have been pretty touch and go with the Maxwells. Everything, has been high stakes when it comes to them.

The last thing she’d want is to lose her mom as they’re beginning to catch up on the many years they missed out together. Lexa’s discovered that, while she takes after her father in looks and temperament, she does share some of her mom’s quirks. Like laughing and snorting and their cold and professional demeanor.

The art of perfection, is impossible for anyone to truly achieve and often times it’s learned the hard way. Lexa put her life in danger to attempt to achieve near perfection and still often copes with making sure she’s not pushing herself too hard. Slowly, she’s beginning to embrace her imperfections as she continues to call out her friends for attempting their own achievement for perfection.

#sp #suicide attempt tw #mental illness tw

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flaxglenfibrecollective · 3 years

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build-a-treehouse cottage blocks

🎄This is a Christmas 2020 Collection pre-order item. All orders must be placed on/before 1 Dec. for mid-December delivery 🎄

The treehouse cottage stands around 19" tall. It comes partly assembled and includes some wonderful accessories such as a crane, a swing, ladders and a slide with a sled and rider! It is on 3 levels.

Wipe clean with damp cloth and air dry.

Treeblocks 1/2" scale furniture and dolls make great additions to the treehouse.

this model made in vietnam, ethically + in fair-wage

In the mid 1990s, Karl Oppen, the original founder of Tree Blocks, becomes disenchanted with the corporate world. He is dismayed by the amount of waste created by the company he was then working for. He decides to move on and turn his long-held passion for wood into a business. Treeblocks LLC is one of the first companies in the US to offer toys and games made from reclaimed, recycled and sustainably harvested wood. Our ethical commitment to the environment and to the community where production is housed has been central to our philosophy since 1995. We are dedicated to making compelling and wholesome toys for children.

Doll houses are an enchanting and popular toy valued by both children and adults. Miniature homes filled with furniture and tiny people have been around for thousands of years. The oldest examples are found in the Egyptian tombs nearly five thousand years ago but it was not until the 18th century that doll houses started being created for play. Tree Blocks™ takes the doll house concept into the land of the enchanted forest with it’s hand made doll tree houses.

Doll houses engage children in imaginary play, which provides important educational benefits for intellectual and social development. When children are engaged in imaginary play they are able to freely investigate and learn about the world around them. During pretend play children use symbolic representations for the objects and actions they are exploring. When children role-play and explore dialogue it helps them develop social, emotional, and intellectual skills. According to child development experts, role-play helps children acquire confidence and a sense of self, and it is also a key component to learning.

The beautiful Tree House Cottage stands around 19 inches tall. It comes partly assembled and includes a crane, rope ladder, spiral stairs, ladders and a lookout! Click here download a pdf of the assembly instructions.

Click here for the word document of the instructions instead.

#waldorf #natural #toy #nature #wood #ethically sourced #sustainable

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missnmikaelson-main · 5 years

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Addicted - Part 14

Fourteen weeks. It had been fourteen long weeks.

She had a thousand years under her belt and endless time in front of her, but never before in her existence had life passed by so slowly. At first she believed he would relent and speak to her, but she had underestimated his dedication. She shouldn’t have. She knew his temper. She had watched him turn on a dime during the centuries at his side and suspected the only reason he had chosen the non-violent route he did was because she was his sister; anyone else would have been violently disemboweled and strung out for the carrion.

He had kept his silence for fourteen weeks. Elijah had left him to his devices, but she seemed to be a sucker for punishment; she had stayed and tried at every turn to get him to talk to her again.

It was ironic, really, that after the events of the previous century the only sibling Klaus trusted was the one that had plotted to ‘kill’ him.

She had learned a few terms in the time since the ball that had changed everything: cold shoulder, radio silence; both were terms that could describe her current relationship with her brother.

She was used to getting what she wanted from him when she wanted it whether it was his attention or whatever trivial thing she had set her eyes on at the moment; the only thing he had ever denied her was her love because according to him nobody was good enough for her. She was the one who always gave him the ‘cold shoulder’, but the tables had been turned and she didn’t like it.

He wouldn’t talk to her. He wouldn’t acknowledge her existence.

She was sick of it.

He wouldn’t listen to her. He wouldn’t listen to Elijah. If it had anything to do with her or Elijah he wouldn’t listen to Kol.

The way she saw it she had only one way to get back in her brother’s good graces and the only chance to take it was during the time he was out of town. She knew Kol wouldn’t stop her unless she attempted to cause physical harm, the chances of which were slim since there would be a threshold between them.

She put the car in park and took a deep breath. Licking her lips she got out of the vehicle and made it three steps before taking in what she hadn’t seen before. Elena’s brother was sprawled on the swing, but the angle of his neck told her that he was not sleeping. The history teacher was a few feet away with his neck at a similar angle.

Rebekah wasn’t too worried about them because she could see the glint of blue on their hands, but the disturbed shrubbery by the stairs was troubling. She gave up the pretense for the neighbours and flashed to the barren bushes. Her stomach dropped as she pulled aside the broken branches.

She swore, closed her eyes, listened and swore again.

++++

“Would you mind explaining the circumstances that led to all of our blood being used?” Elijah glanced up. He flexed his wrist to keep the wound from closing before the small jar could fill.

“Finn vanished and got a witch to cloak him,” Kol shrugged. “It took two witches and all of the gathered blood to locate him. He could have made this easier and answered his phone.”

“Perhaps twenty-first century technology remains a mystery to him.”

“Or, like Nik, he’s ignoring all of us.”

“Niklaus is not ignoring you,” he cocked an eyebrow.

Kol closed the full jar as Elijah wiped his wrist with a pristine handkerchief. “Nik’s not ignoring me because I happen to blend in at the high school. I’m fairly certain that, and the fact that Elena happens to like me, is the only reason he’s ‘forgotten’ my ‘betrayal’ in 1913.”

“How is Elena?” He re-buttoned his cuff, straightening the sleeve.

“She’s got a gaping hole in her memory,” he scoffed, “and her head is at war with her body whenever she’s around Nik, so…”

“Not the greatest,” Elijah shook his head.

“No,” Kol sighed, tucking the blood in his pocket. He extracted his vibrating cell phone and read the caller ID.

“Are you going to answer?” Elijah nodded to the phone.

++++

“Come on, pick up,” Rebekah muttered. She held her phone between her shoulder and ear so she could drag the bodies over the non-existent threshold; she needed to get them inside before a neighbour looked over. She had very little time before the sun rose and she lost the cover of darkness that masked the recently ‘deceased’ as drunk.

“Come on, Kol,” she blew a strand of hair out of her eyes.

She would have just picked them up, but there was a slim chance that people had seen them on the porch and locating those people would have been a pain in ass.

She deposited Jeremy in an armchair and rushed back to shut the door. A growl ripped from her throat as the dial tone continued.

++++

“It’s Rebekah calling again to try and get me to play mediator,” he rolled his eyes. She had tried several times during the last few months despite knowing that Klaus wouldn’t listen to anything he had to say if it involved her name.

“That’s a new role for you.”

“And if I take it seriously I’ll be in the same position as you and Rebekah,” he shook his head, “or I’ll wind up back in a box.”

“Not necessarily an issue at the moment.”

“It will be soon.” The call ended before he could answer, and before he could call back there was an incessant buzzing from Elijah’s kitchen table.

++++

She ended the call with an angry stab and scrolled through her contacts for a brother that would answer; at least she hoped he would answer.

++++

He watched his older brother flip over the mobile and frown at the tiny screen.

“Perhaps it’s about something else,” Elijah murmured, raising the phone to his ear. “Good morning Rebekah.”

++++

“Elijah,” Rebekah sighed, closing her eyes. She opened them and cast her gaze from the armchair to the loveseat and the couch. “We have a problem.”

She flashed through the house, confirming again that it was empty and that her heart was the only one beating. She came to a stop in the undisturbed room she assumed belonged to Elena.

The sound of speeding hearts came from the living room.

“We’ve got a big problem.”

++++

Elijah hung up the phone and reached for his jacket. He ran out of the house to catch up with Kol and snatched the keys from his brother’s hand.

“I’ll drive,” he opened the car door, “you call Niklaus. He won’t pick up if it’s me.”

Kol nodded and slid into the passenger seat. He pressed the phone to his ear and gritted his teeth as a woman’s tinny voice filled the vehicle.

The number you are calling has been switched off. Please try again later.

He swore and hung up.

“Was there nobody watching her?” Elijah accelerated upon reaching the highway.

“Nik left her in her kitchen,” he tried again, getting the same message. “She was in her house. She should have been perfectly safe until morning when Caroline was going to drive her to school.”

++++

He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed thinking of a pregnant brunette when he heard the approaching footsteps. He didn’t bother straightening up, choosing instead to adopt a relaxed stance and a cocky grin.

“Hello Finn.” The exasperated look on his oldest brother’s face sent him back a thousand years to his childhood.

“Haven’t you got anything better to do than orchestrate an unwanted family reunion?” Finn focused on the task of unlocking the door.

“Personally I could go without family for a decade or two,” Klaus tilted his head, “but I need your blood before I can let you disappear into the ether. I’d rather not have mother, or any other witch, make another attempt to kill us all.”

“Personally,” Finn’s lip curled as he stepped into the rented apartment, “I’d welcome the attempt.”

“Unlike you,” Klaus shifted to stand in front of the door, “the rest of us are not suicidal.” He moved to enter and found his way blocked by the threshold. “Clever,” he nodded to the door.

“Makes closing the door on you so much easier,” he sighed. “Go away Niklaus. “I’m certain you’re pregnant mate is missing you.”

“Thanks to your actions,” his eyes narrowed, “she lacks the memory required to miss me, and can barely stand to be in my presence because of the war waged between her body and mind.”

“If you’ve come to accuse me of taking her memory…”

“I know you didn’t compel her Finn,” he clenched the doorframe, “at least not to forget, but you killed the vampire that did, and all because he was the one to kill the witch and keep you from killing yourself.”

“What do you want Niklaus?” Finn glared. He would have shut the door, but there was nothing keeping his brother from kicking it in.

“I’ve already told you,” he smirked. “I want your blood and I won’t be leaving without it.”

“Then you’ll be standing out there for the rest of eternity because I have no interest in helping you.” Finn’s jaw ticked. “You left me in a box for nine hundred long years while the rest of you went free, terrorizing anyone in your paths.”

“So angry,” Klaus shook his head, “it’s not as though you felt the years or anything at all, until waking up; they’ve said its equivalent to a dreamless sleep.”

He saw something flash in his brother’s eyes, and nearly recoiled when he spat the words at him.

“There is a difference between being daggered for decades and being daggered for years. Eventually I started to feel again; trapped in my own body, unable to breathe or move or do anything but hear the occasional snippet of conversation.” Finn’s brows lowered. He felt the door splintering beneath his hand. “Every time I close my eyes I go back there, so you’ll have to forgive me for not wanting to aid you or any of the family that abandoned me to the prison you left me in.”

He inhaled slowly and forced his fingers to uncoil from the door before he did enough damage that it wouldn’t close. Slivers of wood floated to the ground.

“What are the odds you’d accept an apology?” Klaus cleared his throat when Finn glared at him. “Right, a trade then?”

He reached into his jacket pocket, unfolding the photo paper before flipping it around. He knew precisely what Finn saw when he looked at the image with widening eyes: a tall woman with flaming red hair and piercing blue eyes.

“Very much alive,” he flipped the picture around and refolded the paper. “I have her address, as of three days ago, and I’ll hand it over on one condition.” Klaus pulled a small knife and a glass vial from his other pocket.

Ten minutes later he was tucking a full vial away as he moved back towards the rental car. His phone buzzed before he could start the vehicle and race back to the airport. He pulled it out to check the calls he had missed during the flight and felt his heart stutter.

++++

Caroline frowned when she reached the driveway. Kol’s car sat along the curb along with a red convertible she had seen around school. Stepping out of her blue Ford she heard the unmistakable sound of Kol, his sister and his brother all speaking over each other.

She found them in the living room.

“What’s going on?” Her eyes flickered from Kol to his siblings before finding the unconscious human’s in the room. The blood drained from her face when she saw the still body on the couch.

“I suppose it was too much to hope Elena was with you,” Kol sighed.

“She’s not here?” Caroline drew in a quick breath. “What happened?”

Jeremy chose that moment to wake up. His frantic eyes searched the living room before focusing on the vampires in his house; one of which he was certain had never been issued an invitation. In his peripheral vision he saw Alaric come awake.

“I think we’re about to find out,” Elijah cocked an eyebrow. Over his shoulder he heard a heart stutter before threatening to break free from its owner’s chest cavity.

++++

There was a dull ache in her head, knocking behind her eyes, pounding in her ears. She could sense that she was lying on her right side and attempted to roll over, certain that the pressure would ease if she could move onto her back, but her arms refused to go with the rest of her body.

She tugged experimentally without opening her eyes. Something thin dug into her wrists. She pulled again, half convinced she was dreaming; trapped in a nightmare that was about to turn deadly. She was only half convinced though because nothing actually hurt in a nightmare and her headache was quickly being joined by a burning sensation in her wrists.

She pushed away the welcoming darkness and its promise of slumber to force open her eyes. It took a moment to blink away the last of the sleep before she was able focus and take in the thin white lines encircling her wrists, holding her arms above her head.

She stopped tugging on her arms and used her elbows to push up as much as she could and swung her legs around so she could sit on the side of the bed.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she took in the unfamiliar room. It was sparsely furnished in dark wood with heavy curtains hanging above the window to block out the world. She had no way of knowing if it was day or night; her only hint to the outside was the steady tap-tap-tap of rain against glass.

She swallowed the thick lump in her throat and turned her attention back to the bed on which she sat. The question of how she had gotten there could wait a moment. There was a far more pressing issue at hand: the zip tie binding her hands had been threaded through the cast iron headboard. Three rungs over and she could have used the ornate fleur-de-lis to break her bonds, but whoever had deposited her in the bedroom had thought her imprisonment through.

She took a deep breath. She could get out of this. She had practiced in the past.

She distinctly remembered going over the many ways to free herself if someone ever tied her up; an event that was likely to happen given her supernatural status.

Zip ties had been lesson number one. She bent her head and twisted her fingers around to feel through her hair, quickly locating the bobby pin she had used to hold her hair from her face. She gripped it, full of determination and shifted to take the metal between her teeth, but before she could bite down she heard the door knob turning.

The pin fell into her open palm. She clenched her fists to hide her means of escape and turned to glare at the door. Part of her was hoping for a rescue, but the other part thought it was unlikely to come so soon – assuming she had been gone long enough for rescue to be considered soon.

She felt the first strains of relief when she saw the neat lines of the blue suit, but her heart dropped before she could release a sigh because the man entering the room was not Elijah. She wasn’t sure she trusted Elijah after the events following the ritual, but she knew if he had learned she was abducted he wouldn’t have hurt her; at least, she doubted he would have hurt her. The man that actually entered was a mystery.

“Who are you?” She clenched her jaw. There was something savage in the man’s eyes. He stood balanced on a precarious fence and she didn’t know which way he would sway when the wind hit.

“Have you such a short memory lass?” He strode towards her, power in each step. “Or is it merely the compulsion wearin’ off?”

Her eyes narrowed as she followed his nod to her necklace, placed with care on the nightstand. She chewed her cheek as the memory slowly crept back in.

“I do apologize for that,” he picked up her locket, “but I couldn’t run the risk of you attemptin’ to run off before I got what I needed from you.”

“Let me guess,” she breathed through her mouth, “you want some blood?” She banished the sudden image of Jeremy and Alaric, dead on the porch. They would be fine. She knew they would be fine because the man in front of her, the man she now remembered as breaking their necks, wore a lapis lazuli ring.

She tried to remember what had happened to Jenna, but couldn’t recall anything after rushing onto the porch so she could push her aunt back inside.

“What I want, Miss Gilbert, is revenge,” he turned over the locket in his large hands, “but I am not a heartless monster.”

She shuddered when he looked at her; if she had been able to she would have covered her stomach in a foolish attempt to protect the baby because she already knew who he must want vengeance against.

He lifted her chin and she felt her skin chill. His breath fanned over her face; the hint of his accent clicked when he met her eyes.

“There is every chance you are no more than a victim yourself, and until I can prove otherwise you will remain my guest.”

“Is it customary to tie up your guests in Scotland?” She pulled on her wrists.

“That would make me a terrible host,” he smirked.

She refused to look away when he stared her down. Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch when he snapped the tie holding her wrists together.

“Try anything,” he pocketed the white plastic, “and you’ll be right back here.”

She blinked at his hand when he held it out.

“The hair pin lass,” he sighed.

Tags: @rissyrapp20 @eternityunicorn @elejah-wonderland @elejahforever @morsmornte @fandomrulesall @xanderling

#elena gilbert #jeremy gilbert #alaric saltzman #jenna sommers #rebekah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #finn mikaelson #klaus mikaelson #kol mikaelson #caroline forbes #klena #klaus x elena #addicted fic

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angstmatsuscenarios · 6 years

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Sokudo getting into an argument and one of them accidently says something extremely hurtful to the other in a fit of anger

Oof, I love Sokudo angst so much. Here we go, I’m worried it comes across as a little OOC but I like the way it turned out, so I hope you do as well. Under the cut (warning for some cursing):

“Osomatsu, I can’t believe it!! How many times have I told you not to steal my money?!”

“It’s not my fault you left it unprotected on the table!” Osomatsu argued vehemently.

Choromatsu glared at Osomatsu, positivity seething. “You jackass!” he shouted angrily. “That still doesn’t give you the right to just take it! It was my money, in my wallet! You stole it from me, and you can’t lie and pretend you didn’t!”

“Find, whatever!” Osomatsu barked. “I’ll just pay you back for it later like I always do, okay? I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal of it this time.”

“Because, Osomatsu, taking my money without asking and then paying me back weeks later isn’t going to cut it this time,” Choromatsu retorted, hands trembling as he curled them into fists. “I had that money saved for Nyaa-Chan’s concert. I’m so sick and tired or you disrespecting me and swiping my stuff all the time!”

“It’s not like I only do it to you,” Osomatsu responded with a nonchalant shrug, which only served to fuel Choromatsu’s furor. “I take everyone’s money and then pay them back for it.”

“That’s because you just don’t care who you’re hurting, just so you can feed that dumb gambling addiction!” Choromatsu screamed, his anger boiling over in a rush. “You take and you take and you don’t give a shit! You’re the worst brother ever! In fact, sometimes I wish you weren’t even my brother!”

Osomatsu reared back, looking like he’d been slapped in the face. His eyes were wide, his jaw hanging open in shock.

Choromatsu blinked, breathing hard, feeling unexpectedly surprised himself. Wow. He was furious, but he’d never meant to say all that.

“Osomatsu,” he began quietly, swallowing hard. “I….I didn’t mean…”

“Didn’t mean what?” Osomatsu asked, though it came out sounding like a challenge. “What about that did you not mean? Because it sure sounded like you meant every word of it.”

“I….no, I swear, I meant…” Choromatsu rambled helplessly, having no clue how to get himself out of such a mess.

“You know what…maybe you’re right,” Osomatsu said somberly, fixing Choromatsu with such an intense look it sent a shiver down his spine. “Maybe I am the worst brother ever. I take things without asking, I don’t want to get a job, and I’m lazy. I take the shitty cake, right?”

Choromatsu glanced down at his feet, unable to keep meeting Osomatsu’s penetrating gaze.

“That’s what I thought.” Osomatsu sighed heavily. “You know, Choro, it’s not exactly easy being forced to be a role model for everyone. I’ve always felt this huge pressure as the oldest to be my best and show you guys how to be the same, and I guess I just sort of cracked and gave up on that.”

Choromatsu still said nothing. What could he say to that?

“Maybe you guys would’ve been better off without me dragging you down all these years,” Osomatsu went on slowly. “Maybe I should’ve left much sooner. Maybe then you’d be happy right now, instead of practically spitting acid at me. I guess even a hypocrite like you can make a good point once in a while.”

“Osomatsu….please, just let me…”

“Just save it, okay?” Osomatsu held up a hand to stop Choromatsu in his tracks. “Don’t waste your breath on me. I know it’s the truth.”

There were a thousand things Choromatsu wanted to say in that moment, a thousand words he wanted to take back. But it was too late. The damage was done, his tongue as dry as sandpaper and rendering him nearly speechless. Before he could even formulate anything to say, Osomatsu began walking toward the front door.

“Wh-where are you going?” Choromatsu managed to choke out.

“Out,” Osomatsu responded curtly, pulling on his shoes and opening the door. “Just gonna take a walk. See you later. Or not, I don’t know.”

With that, he slammed the door shut behind him, harder than usual.

Choromatsu stood there in the hallway, staring blankly at the door, not knowing how he should feel.

It’s his fault. He started it. If he hadn’t taken your money, none of this would have happened. You were in the heat of the moment and said things you shouldn’t have…

But he knew that didn’t justify what he had said. That was a huge low-blow, especially knowing how insecure Osomatsu was about that topic.

Choromatsu sighed shakily to himself, slumping to the floor.

I should’ve paid more attention to what I was saying…I took it too far. I know what he did was wrong, but he’s not the worst brother ever. I’d never want him gone for good either, no matter how much he gets on my nerves. I need to tell him that…

So he waited. He waited for hours. But Osomatsu didn’t return home for dinner, and he still didn’t show up before they headed out to the bathhouse for the night. He was still gone by bedtime, and the others were seriously beginning to ask about him. Choromatsu assured them that Osomatsu was fine, that he’d said earlier he was going out for drinks, but he crossed his fingers they’d believe his lie as he started to panic inwardly.

He crawled into bed beside the others, but he couldn’t fall asleep. The empty spot next to him felt too cold.

Finally, he heard footsteps creaking in the hall, and the door being slid open as quietly as possible. Even in the dark, Choromatsu could make out Osomatsu’s shadow as he fumbled around the bedroom, taking off his clothes and putting on his pajamas.

Choromatsu held his breath, deciding that as soon as Osomatsu lay down next to him he would apologize. But Osomatsu didn’t take his spot on the futon right next to Choromatsu. Instead, he took a spare blanket out of the closet and curled up on the couch on the other side of the room instead.

There were a couple possible reasons he might have done this. Maybe he didn’t want to wake his brothers by getting into bed now when it was so late. But not so deep inside, Choromatsu felt like he knew the truth.

He’s avoiding me. He thinks I hate him. Maybe he even hates me now…

Choromatsu swallowed a lump in his throat, burying his face in the blanket. His eyes were starting to sting, and he squeezed them shut, not wanting to cry.

Maybe Osomatsu really isn’t the worst brother, after all.

Maybe…I am.

#osomatsu san #osomatsu san angst #sokudo #fights

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taaroko · 6 years

Text

Post-IW MCU Rewatch: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Here we go, Winter Soldier. I somehow never watch this one outside of marathons, even though I know it’s amazing.

ON YOUR LEFT

Steve and Nat’s friendship is awesome. I love how invested she is in his love life and how confused he is by that.

“Well, all the guys from my barbershop quartet are dead, so no, not really.” I’m still trying to figure out how to define Steve’s sense of humor. It’s like quiet, deadpan understatement? I guess? I love it.

That shield looks pretty dingy, Cap. Could do with a wash.

There’s a really random sting in the score when Nat attacks a dude, and for a second you think it’s going to be a kinda retro spy score, but then it’s just over. Weird.

Steve has by now adjusted quite well to being a part of modern tactical missions, if less so to being a part of modern everyday life.

This French pirate dude really likes his unnecessary acrobatics.

Bonus points to Cap for doing trash talk in French.

One of the best parts about Steve and Nat’s friendship is how seamlessly they work together in battle. Whenever there’s something dangerous (especially explosions) on the way, she hunkers down or grabs onto him and lets him and his shield do the work, and they don’t even have to signal each other.

“Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.” Oooooh I wonder if that has anything to do with the Skrulls in Captain Marvel. Can’t wait to find out.

“I thought the punishment usually came after the crime.” “By holding a gun to everyone on earth and calling it protection.” “This isn’t freedom. This is fear.” Cap is not down with your surveillance state or pre-crime nonsense.

I love the awed little kid who spots him. So cute.

*pauses on Bucky’s memorial* “When Bucky Barnes first met Steve Rogers on the playgrounds of Brooklyn, little did he know that he was forging a bond that would take him to the battlefields of Europe and beyond. Born in 1916, Barnes grew up the oldest child of four. An excellent athlete who also excelled in the classroom, Barnes enlisted in the Army shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After winter training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, Barnes and the rest of the 107th shipped out to the Italian front. Captured by Hydra troops later that fall, Barnes endured long periods of isolation, depravation, and torture. But his will was strong. In an ironic twist of fate, his prison camp was liberated by none other than his childhood friend, Steve Rogers, now Captain America. Reunited, Barnes and Rogers led Captain America’s newly formed unit, the Howling Commandos. Barnes’s marksmanship was invaluable as Rogers and his team destroyed Hydra bases and disrupted Nazi troop movements throughout the European Theater.

Wait a second. Up top, the thing says he was born in 1916, but at the bottom, it says he lived from 1917-1944. Wow. Nice continuity there, guy in charge of putting words and numbers on a single pane of glass.

Peggy! “He saved over a thousand men, including the man who would become my husband.” Yes and that man was Daniel Sousa. Oh hey, photos of Peggy with her kids! She had at least one son and one daughter. It’s hard to tell if the girl with her in the first picture is the same one as in the second picture.

The effect to make Hayley look old isn’t nearly as good as the effect to make Chris look skinny. It’s rather off-putting, actually. But oh man her dementia is so heartbreaking. “Well I couldn’t leave my best girl. Not when she owes me a dance.” *sobbing*

“What makes you happy?” “I don’t know.” *more sobbing* Everything that made Steve happy is seventy years gone. Steve is never not sad. No wonder he refuses to compromise for a second when it comes to Bucky.

The attack on Fury’s car is so nerve-wracking and he handles it so well. I wonder if Sam Jackson imagined he was going to get so much cool stuff to do in this role when he agreed to be in the end credits stinger of Iron Man.

The Winter Soldier’s introduction is masterful.

So...Fury pretty much got out of that by using his lightsaber. :D

Hi Sharon! This is some cute flirting.

“My wife kicked me out.” Was it because you insisted on taking your super-suit out for some daring do?

There it is. That Winter Soldier music. *shiver*

I totally bought Fury’s death when I saw this in theaters. Not sad that it turned out to be a ruse (I will never be sad about Marvel pulling character death-related punches), but I do think those bullet wounds were a little too convincing.

“To build a really better world sometimes means having to tear the old one down.” Heh. Except Cap is going to be tearing down your “better” world and standing up for the best parts of the old one.

Elevator fight! I love how observant Steve is. He’s always been that way. Just quietly taking in everything around him and putting it together. He’s brilliant. And then “It kinda feels personal.” Bahaha.

So if Steve falls a couple hundred feet and lands on his shield, it absorbs the impact ‘cause it’s vibranium?

Holy crap he took down a quinjet with just his shield.

I am not a fan of Nat’s straight hair in this one, especially with that center part. But it’s still better than how it looks in Infinity War. Especially the eyebrows.

Undercover engaged hipster couple Steve/Nat is so great. Steve is so bad at it and it’s adorable.

“Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.” “Yes, they do.”

I love Nat putting her feet on the dash.

There’s no way Nat didn’t know who Peggy Carter was. She asked Steve to gage his reaction.

They are pretty far underground, in a bunker. How did the missile even affect them? Did they make a special chute for the missile to go into in case they needed to blow up the base? Doesn’t look like it.

The design for Zola’s computer face is effectively creepy.

Hydra’s plan is so insidious and horrifying. Screw up the world on purpose until people want to trade their privacy and freedom for security.

That’s a really pathetic amount of milk Pierce poured himself. Like two inches in a really tall glass. Weird.

So...I guess Sam has a straightener. For some reason. Why couldn’t they have just let Nat’s hair stay wavy?

Steve is so sweet with Nat. She’s numbly horrified that she might’ve been working for the bad guys this whole time and he’s all nice and reassuring. Aww.

Senator Stern arranging for a young prostitute with Sitwell is gross.

Nat: *kicks a guy off the roof* *immediately transitions to asking Steve about girls he could be asking out*

Okay how does Sam have access to military equipment like his wing pack when he’s not on active duty?

STEPHEN STRANGE. How is he already on Hydra’s radar? There’s no way Zola’s algorithm accounts for magic, and even if it does, how can it possibly predict that he’d become a master of it several years down the line? It’s not like he was dabbling in it in his surgeon days. That came about as the result of a freak car accident! Pfft. They clearly only threw that reference in there to get people freaking out about a possible future Doctor Strange movie.

Bye Sitwell.

Hehe, as soon as the Winter Soldier shows up, Nat crawls into Steve’s lap ‘cause she knows he’s gonna have to make an insane exit and she will be PREPARED.

Okay I never noticed that Bucky ripped the freaking steering wheel out.

Gah, Steve getting tossed off the bridge and into the bus looks so incredibly painful.

So Bucky has now shot Nat twice. (I still ship it.)

There are some excellent kicks and knife fighting moves in this showdown. And the way the music ramps up is hair-raising.

I hate Runlow so much.

Maria is awesome.

Um, hi, Joe Russo. He plays Fury’s doctor! Dang! No role for Anthony, though.

“I’m with you to the end of the line.”

Yesss. Vintage Cap. And the shield is clean now! Symbolism!

HI DANNY PUDI. (Apparently Alison Brie was going to be Sharon Carter, but she had scheduling conflicts.)

I love this brave curly-haired kid. This is courage. He has no power and he’s so scared he might wet himself, but he will not launch those helicarriers even with a gun to his head.

Shouldn’t have helped SHIELD with that repulsor tech, Tony.

Okay, I guess Steve can tuck and roll to land a fifty foot drop without using the shield.

These helicarriers store their data in a really strange way.

“We’re the only air support Captain Rogers has got!” *all immediately get shot down and blown up by the Winter Soldier* Whoops.

I wonder if we’re gonna find out more about Bogota in Captain Marvel.

STEVE IS A CRAZY PERSON. You do not jump before you know you have your ride!

It’s a good thing Bucky neither knew nor cared what that data blade was.

I’d love to read a fic that’s just Steve and Thor sitting around talking about all the times Bucky and Loki have shot and/or stabbed them.

Sam has the correct reaction to Runlow’s nonsense.

Why is Jeremy Irons on the list of targets? I wish they’d put more Easter eggs in here, like the names of the Netflix Marvel characters and the Agents of Shield characters. It would’ve been an extremely unobtrusive way for the movies to reference the shows, instead of it always being one-sided.

It’s a good thing they were planning on firing after the count of 3, not on the count of 3.

Steve, you really need to work on your attitude towards exit strategies.

HOW did Runlow survive that?!

Steve would rather Bucky kill him than live in a world where Bucky can’t be saved. And that’s what saves Bucky. *wibble*

“On your left.” Bahaha.

Hi Pietro and Wanda!

Winter Soldier is awesome. I love a well-earned, narratively consistent game changer. One thing I definitely did not expect the MCU to do back then was buck the status quo, but they did it in a huge way, and they did it extremely effectively. I was deeply impressed. And it still holds up even looking back now. The way they tackle the issue of surveillance is very effective. Probably the best thing about this movie is that they realized that Steve Rogers was not going to work as a character if he adapted too much to modern times. Instead, they derived much of their conflict from the disconnect between Steve and his surroundings, and they added a deeply emotional connection at the core of it. Steve ultimately succeeds against Hydra and in getting through to Bucky by shedding his modern trappings and affiliations and going back to what he always was, complete with the old outfit and the shiny clean shield. Steve Rogers reminds us of the ideals America is supposed to stand for. Freedom, justice, honor, and truth. He makes us want to be more like that. Take a note, DC; this is the kind of thing you should’ve been doing with Superman. This is how you make a paragon character we can still be deeply invested in even as we look up to him. (They did a pretty good job with Diana, but the real test will be how she adapts in a more modern stand-alone film.)

Another great thing about this is that they kind of dumped all the side characters from Avengers into Steve’s story. As the First Avenger and as a man out of time, this a brilliant way to give him a new supporting cast without it being jarring and forcing us to spend a ton of time getting to know everyone. We already know Fury, Nat, and Maria and like them, so we’re perfectly prepared to watch them being awesome without feeling like it takes something away from Steve. We know the World Security Council. We know SHIELD. And then there’s Peggy, the Smithsonian exhibit, and Bucky that are all from Steve’s time. It’s a very solid foundation onto which we can add Sam, Sharon, Pierce, and Runlow. It just works so well. And Hydra manages to be even more frightening as an evil organization than it was in the first movie, when it was honestly kind of silly. (So many bonus points for how that played out in Agents of SHIELD, too. As far as I’m concerned, that was when the show finally got good, and it has steadily gotten better since.)

#captain america #captain america: the winter soldier #winter soldier #steve rogers #marvel #mcu #mcu rewatch #infinity war spoilers #kinda

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orbemnews · 3 years

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Inside a smuggling operation moving migrants across the US-Mexico border In most other places in Mexico, this might have just been some workers doing construction without the right truck for the job. Two human smugglers, called polleros in this part of the world, were in the car along with two migrants in the backseat who wanted to cross illegally into the United States. And as we would soon see, the group would use that rebar column as a makeshift ladder to hoist those two migrants up and over the wall and into the US. The resurgence has also put a renewed focus on the role human smugglers play in getting so many migrants to the border. The business of migrant smuggling The smugglers are brothers and run the business out of their family home, smuggling people into the US with the help of one brother’s 14-year-old son. Makeshift ladders laid out in the backyard were the only real giveaway of the family business. “It’s super light,” said the 14-year-old, picking up one of the ladders. He works with his father and uncle moving somewhere between 10 to 35 migrants per week on average, he says. Lately, that number has been on the high side. “Dozens are crossing everyday around here, it’s very high,” said one brother. “From the top of the wall in my backyard you can see people running, so many are jumping the wall.” There is scant data to quantify the exact number of migrants using smugglers’ services to make this journey. But most experts agree that many have used a smuggler for at least a part of their journey, in ways that can vary from a taxi ride between towns to an “all-inclusive” service that takes migrants from start to finish. A 2018 report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that more than 800,000 migrants from around the world were smuggled into Mexico and from there, smuggled or attempted to be smuggled into the US annually, based on a review of data from 2014 and 2015. Only a fraction of migrants avoid being caught before making it to their final US destination, despite the enormous fees required to make the trip. Costs can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands depending on a number of factors, largely based on the total distance of the journey and how many borders need to be crossed, according to the report. The amounts can leave migrants penniless, many of whom are migrating in the first place due to extreme poverty in their countries of origin. The UN report estimated that the business of trying to get people into Mexico and the US illegally was worth about $4 billion annually using data from 2014 and 2015, an estimate it calls conservative. A cartel operation A large chunk of money spent on smuggling finds its way into the hands of organized crime, especially in Mexico, where experts say cartels operate with virtual impunity. “Human smuggling is a multimillion dollar industry and I would venture to guess that it’s approaching a billion dollar industry [in Mexico alone],” said Victor Manjarrez, a former Border Patrol Sector Chief in El Paso, Texas. Manjarrez says organized crime groups have used the money to create sophisticated smuggling networks that in some cases operate transnationally. “It’s almost like a Fortune 500 company dealing with their supply chain,” he said. “It is a ruthless business. [The cartels] do look at migrants like they’re commodities, not people, and they’re definitely exploited.” One of the two brothers interviewed by CNN who smuggles people in Ciudad Juárez said he was recruited for the job after moving into his house on the border. “Some guys asked me if I wanted to join, and I said yes. That’s why I’m here.” In this case, the “guys” he referred to were members of the Juárez cartel—one of Mexico’s oldest and most powerful organized crime groups—which the smugglers said they work for directly. Each migrant must pay the cartel $2,000 to cross the border here with the help of a smuggler, the two brothers told CNN. That’s in addition to whatever these migrants had to pay just to arrive at the border. The smugglers then receive a salary, or a commission, from the cartel for their work. It’s a system that plays out across the US-Mexico border. Different cartels control large sections of the border, commonly called plazas. Those groups then control what crosses the border illegally in these territories, whether it be drugs or people. Human smugglers operating in these areas almost always operate in one of two ways—they either work directly for the cartel that is in charge of that individual plaza or they work independently but have to pay the cartel a tax of sorts for the right to move through that territory, the smugglers told CNN. While the exact extent of organized crime’s role in migrant smuggling throughout Central America remains unclear, its presence is apparent in Mexico, where migrants are taking enormous risks in making their journey to the United States. “Most smugglers involved in complex operations are either known to each other by virtue of kinship or friendship, or have entered into ad hoc partnerships with larger and better resourced groups,” according to the 2018 UN report. The trip northward Tens of thousands of migrants have fled their home countries in Central America this year for myriad reasons. Poverty and corruption continue to plague countries like Honduras, food insecurity is rising in places like Guatemala, and gang violence continues to be pervasive across El Salvador. Two massive Category 4 hurricanes also hit the region late last year, destroying entire communities and Covid-19 further decimated regional economies that were already struggling. The journey itself is grueling. Stories of rape and abuse are common among migrants along the border. “They can be raped, they can be robbed, they can be extorted, they can die on the journey,” said psychologist Claudia Grisel Villalobos Esparza, who works at the government-run Nohemí Álvarez Quillay migrant shelter for unaccompanied minors in Ciudad Juárez. At another non-profit shelter in town, a young mother from Guatemala told us she and her toddler were smuggled north by various men over the course of a few weeks. But upon arrival to Ciudad Juárez, instead of being crossed into the United States as she was promised, she was put into a house with dozens of other people. “It was a huge house, the windows were covered with black nylon so we couldn’t see outside,” said the woman. “They gave us food some days, but one time we spent 8 days without enough food. They locked us in, we couldn’t leave.” The woman asked CNN not to reveal her identity because of her ongoing fears for her safety while she remains in Mexico. The family of smugglers, led by the two brothers, told CNN they have heard of many such cases of abuse. They even brought up the smugglers who, a few weeks earlier, had dropped two young children over the border wall not far from their home, a case that made national headlines in the US. “We don’t do that,” said one of the brothers. “We’re all humans. They want to arrive safely. We don’t harm them; we give them food and water and help them cross. Other people may hurt them, but we don’t.” CNN has no way of verifying how they treat the migrants in their charge. But even if they treat them well, the family’s actions are far from selfless. Each time they are compensated for their work, they help to maintain a system that perpetuates rampant kidnapping, rape, extortion and even murder, according to experts like the psychologist at the unaccompanied minor shelter in Ciudad Juárez. While extensive data quantifying the specific threats faced by migrants using smugglers is not readily available, a Human Rights First report released last month reported at least 492 attacks and kidnappings suffered by asylum seekers turned away from the US or stranded in Mexico since President Joe Biden took office in January. A Medecins San Frontieres report from 2017 reported that nearly a third of female migrants entering Mexico interviewed had experienced some form of sexual abuse on their journeys north and nearly 70 percent of all interviewees experienced violence of some kind. The smugglers CNN spoke to argue that they provide a service that helps migrants who are desperate to get to the US. The last leg of the journey The smugglers told us to meet them at a car park. CNN chose to document the smugglers’ process despite the illegality of their act to illuminate what is happening along the border on a daily basis as the immigration debate rages on in the United States. As our team sat in a minivan waiting, the blue sedan pulled out from a side street and stopped several hundred yards up the road in front of us. Two men got out and went to grab the makeshift ladder the migrants would use to go over the wall. Once it was secured to the side, the car took off down the highway. The smugglers were looking for a good spot to try and cross, they told us later, a location where US Border Patrol would be too far away to catch them in the act. About ten minutes of driving, the sedan slowed to a stop along a stretch of highway. One of the smugglers got out of the car along with the two migrants, one of whom grabbed the makeshift ladder. From that point, the border wall was about 500 meters away. A quick dash from the road and the trio made it into the sandy desert that is dominant feature of this arid landscape. Their progress quickly slowed, forced to crawl on their hands and knees to avoid anyone along the border who might be watching. Inching forward, dragging their metal ladder behind them, the labored haggard breathing of the migrants is the only sound apart from the occasional instruction from the smuggler. “Get down lower!,” he shouted at one point as a Border Patrol truck drove by on the other side of the border. Halfway to the wall, the group took a break, during which CNN only had about 30 seconds to speak with the migrants. They were Ecuadorian, a young man and woman, 18 and 20, carrying nothing but the clothes on their backs and two 16-ounce bottles of water. They had paid various smugglers thousands of dollars to get to this point and they were hoping to find work in South Texas. But the only way they could do that was if they got over the wall. After peering over a small bush, searching intently for any sign of law enforcement, the smuggler signaled it was time for the final push to the wall. Crouched in a low run, they made up the final distance in about a minute. The 18-year-old then lifted up the ladder and the smuggler helped him hook one end on the top of the fence, the ladder bent over the wall like a candy cane. The young man tossed both water bottles over the fence and immediately scaled the ladder, nimbly going hand over hand until he reached the top of the wall that’s 15-20 feet high. He quickly lowered himself down on the other side, dropping into what looked like an unused construction site, and then it was the young woman’s turn. Only slighter slower, she too made it with little problem. They both took off through the desert on the other side and the smuggler took off back to the highway. For the two migrants, there seemed to be little plan as to what to do next. Clearly confused and overwhelmed, they both ran toward an uncertain future. There was little but desert on that side of the wall. Yes, they’d made it to the United States but far from being the end of their journey it was clear they had so much left to navigate. Where would they go? What would they do? How would they earn money? What would happen if they were caught by immigration authorities? These are questions we cannot answer. For the smuggler, those were immaterial queries — the reality was simple. He had no idea what happened to them on the other side nor did he have a real interest in knowing. His job was to get them the over the wall and he’d done that. On this mission, he was successful. He raced back to the waiting blue sedan, the migrants he’d just crossed seemingly far from his mind. It was already on to the next one. There were more migrants he had to go pick up that were still waiting to be crossed. Source link Orbem News #Border #migrants #Moving #operation #Smuggling #USMexico

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unkindnessofone · 7 years

Text

Primal

This is a long one. There will be a part two. It’s the first story like this I’ve posted in a long time and I AM VERY NERVOUS. Fingers crossed. I hope you enjoy.

The time on his phone seemed impossible. Ashton could not believe that his two year old boy had cried for over an hour straight without any interruption. He started as they left his grandparents place and continued the entire car ride to the penthouse they were renting while in England, visiting Simone's parents for her their anniversary party. At one point, between his boiling red face and the volume of his squealing, Ashton wondered if there was actually something medically the matter with Connor. He had his tantrums before and some teary eyes here and there, but this was completely off the charts.

Ashton panted as he embraced the silence in their makeshift home. Had he really made it out alive? All he was thinking about was how much he would love a cigarette even if he gave up smoking years ago, a decision he made around the time Simone was expecting Molly.

"Now that he's cried himself to sleep, I'm opening that bottle of wine." Simone half laughed at herself, despite how serious she was, as she cautiously shut the door on Connor's room. She placed her hand on the small of Ashton's back in front of her and snuck by. "Thanks for the help." She was used to handling those moments by herself, but Ashton was always very hands on when he wasn't in the middle of a tour.

Simone took his soft smile as 'you're welcome' and then moved to the kitchen. She loved her children, but a glass of wine in the middle of the afternoon might have been her first love. She and Ashton had talked about waiting to open the gifted bottle tomorrow before going out, but Simone felt she needed it now.

Checking his phone again, Ashton followed behind. He didn't favor wine like his wife did, but their fridge was full of beer. Once he made it to the kitchen, he noticed Simone had already left for the balcony, leaving the bottle of Shiraz on the counter for when she had room in her glass for another round.

Ashton cracked open a can and went to head to the living area. As much as he needed the break from nonstop travelling and performing every night, he found that after a weekend of rest that his body was full of music to release. It was innate inside of him. With Connor out, he excused himself to sit fiddle on an acoustic guitar for a while.

"Hey Molly Moo, do you mind if I play around in here?" He asked his oldest as she had set up shop on the very expensive glass coffee table. She had her stuffed Hammerhead Shark laying on its back as she fumbled with her red plastic stethoscope, ready to check for its make believe heartbeat before performing surgery.

"Nope." Merrily, she peeped and shook her head. She had sat through the whole car ride with her screaming brother without complaining or even groaning in exasperation. As soon as they arrived back at the apartment, Molly just excused herself from her frazzled family to her room where her toys were and then went to play on her own. People always commented that she was a good big sister, but Molly was also very good at knowing how to disappear. Her parents lives were so large and on display that it was an incredible ability to be able to go unnoticed sometimes. She was chatty, but sometimes she only really wanted to talk to herself.

Ashton placed his drink can on a side table before turning a lamp on and grabbing the guitar by its neck as it was resting on the leather couch's arm.

He maneuvered it over his lap, but instead of placing his fingers properly on the right frets, he found himself just staring at his little lady. She had her flaws, but right now, Molly seemed perfect. A living and breathing mini Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every single way.

Luke had his hands full with a most stubborn and fearless Penelope Hemmings always one second away from running into traffic or forgoing her life jacket. He now had two twin baby boys that left him without any free hands to crack a beer, strung a guitar or even just run his fingers through his hair. Michael, who seemed to always pretend he was the most fun loving Dad and Uncle, also had to keep his eyes on his kids. He had Emmeline who needed to get her way and be the centre of the Universe at all times and Iden, who really just wanted to follow his sister like a shadow into all her schemes and productions. Calum was a brand new Dad too and even though Daphne seemed to rarely cry or make any noise at all, the bassist was still brand new to the whole "this life depends on you" thing. It truly made Ashton appreciate Molly. He pulled out his phone to take a picture of his daughter as she adjusted her glasses before proceeding with surgery. He had forgot that he didn't have the sound off and accidentally called her attention to him, her blond hairs stray from her ponytail flying behind her as she looked up.

"Ah, you caught me." With a sheepish smile, Ashton admitted. He looked over the picture quickly before resting his phone down on the side table by his drink.

"That's okay." Molly shrugged and put her stethoscope back in her ears again. "What are you going to play?" Curiously, she asked without even looking up from her stuffed toy's tummy as she dragged her fingertip over it - just like a real surgeon.

"Going to try to write." Ashton shared, placing his fingers on the strings and strumming across to see how badly the instrument needed to be tuned.

"What about?"

"I don't know yet. Got any ideas?" Keeping his focus on the guitar, he engaged, asking her as a joke. Connor had exhausted Ashton of all his ability to interact, but Molly, when not wound up, could always entice him. When one child was sour, the other was always sweet. That's just how his babies were.

"Hmmm..." Molly stopped dragging her finger scalpel over the shark and tapped it against her chin, rubbing her lips inward together to help produce a thought. "You said you got to write from your heart." He had told her that once at dinner when she was picking his brain about his job. The girl was always looking to learn. "My heart is full of animals and you, and mum, and Connor even when he is crying." She rattled on to give him ideas. Instead, Ashton was completely amused. She was his perfect girl. For as long as he had her, he was convinced things would be okay. “What's in your heart, Daddy?” Innocently, she asked before returning to her very important shark surgery.

The kettle was screaming to be removed from the stove top. Ashton was only a single step away, but he didn't even register the noise. He didn't so much as flinch to adjust his glasses from slipping down his nose. He, just like his world, was still as he stared directly across the kitchen at his tablet, propped up and playing different headlines. Both his dogs began barking at the stove, Rocco even jumping at Ashton's legs, but the man still couldn't be moved.

"What is going on?" Simone, with a violet face mask on, rushed out of the main floor bathroom of their Australian home and hisses as she entered the kitchen. She had a thousand things to accomplish today before her upcoming trip to England and the all the chaos coming from the kitchen was not helping her focus. She tightened her bright red robe around her body and shut off the stove as soon as she entered the room, even reaching around her husband to move the kettle to a different element. She remembered now why she was always the one to make tea.

"What happ - " Nearly chuckling, Simone was ready to poke fun at her husband when she turned around and saw the same screen he was entranced by. Stunned silent, Simone joined Ashton in pausing all her senses before the screen changed and their view was replaced by an advertisement for toothpaste. "We have to go." Simone jumped right out of the trance and into her businesswoman role.

By the time Ashton snapped out of it Simone was already back in the bathroom and washing off her face mask. He only realized then that he was standing naked still in the kitchen. When Connor recently gone on tour and Molly away with her friends in Canberra for the last week before school started again, Ashton and Simone were relaxing naked in their house like they used to when they first bought it together as newlyweds and even how they spent their first year of Molly's life, hiding away from their busy worlds like hippies, comfortable and happy.

Ashton heard his phone buzzing on the counter by the tablet. It had been going for minutes straight, but he headed upstairs instead to throw on the first clothes he could find. A thin and wrinkled plaid shirt and a pair of Koala grey shorts. When he made his way back down, Simone had her hair pinned back at both sides, a thin rose patterned sundress on, and her purse over her shoulder. She had just hung up her phone and was ready to jump out the door.

"Skye is going to come get the dogs." She informed her husband in a huff, typing madly on her phone. Ashton had only ever seen her like this when she was in a cab between meetings. "I got us on a flight. We need to leave now." Simone tossed her phone into her purse and looked up at him with narrow eyes. "I just texted you your boarding pass." She moved by him to head up the stairs. She needed her passport and phone charger. "Can you call the lawyer?"

"Simone?" Staring forward as if she was still in front of him instead of six steps away Ashton mumbled. He heard her fast pace halt and he checked over his shoulder to see her looking down at him, both of them finally catching their breath.

"It's going to be okay, honey. We will work it out." Simone tried to promise. The fear and heartache was evident in Ashton's eyes. He looked completely lost, a newborn alien waking up on planet Earth.

Usually, Ashton was a pillar of strength. The year Simone's holiday collection was rejected by every department store, he convinced her to take it with stride. When her father was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he was her rock. When it came to his kids though, Ashton was a puddle. He was instantly overemotional and couldn't think straight when one of his babies was in distress. He was pretty much useless when they were small and getting their shots at the doctor's office.

* * * * * * * * * *

The flight to Canberra was delayed by forty minutes, adding more time for Ashton sit still on the plane and drive himself crazy. He kept wondering how this could have happened. The news barely gave him any information beyond "Molly Irwin, daughter of famous Aussie rock star and beloved jeweler arrested this morning with four other Bond University students." They said the story was developing, but so far Ashton was starved for details. His own lawyer barely had sent him any worthwhile messages besides the right police station his daughter was being held at. In order to pass the time, Ashton just stared at her mugshot that was easily found with a quick Google search. Even his own mother had texted it to him when they were on their way to the airport. She looked like his Molly, frizzy hair, playful freckles, and hazel eyes that were a shade he had only seen in autumn leaves before, but Ashton just couldn't understand how this was his Molly. She was the good girl. She was studious, sharp, and mindful. He had worried about car accidents, heartbreak, and anxiety attacks, but he never even considered his daughter in an orange jumpsuit with stretched open eyes.

He looked over his shoulder over and over as he fidgeted during the flight, but Simone was calm. She had channeled her dismay into work ethic, a trait she had given to Molly, and was focused on answering emails for work. It helped right now for one of them to still be calm.

"The silver lining in all this is we got to go on one last little getaway before the end of summer." Simone mused as they walked through the airport, both of their eyes rushing around to find a car rental sign. She smiled at herself and reached for Ashton's hand to hold as they cruised. She knew he needed comfort over amusement. They knew each other like the back of their hands. Grace and Michael had always been touch and go, Luke and Cagney had their dark period, but Ashton and Simone were always in sync. Before one another, they laughed deliciously at the thought of soul mates.

"Ash?" Her accent sticking out more so when she said his name, Simone peered up and leaned forward. His eyes were glassy and the sight made the knot in her stomach tighten. She squeezed his hand twice and brought up both their knuckles in order to kiss his. "Do you want me to go get her? You could find somewhere to hang out." Who knew how long they would be waiting for her to be released anyway? Neither of them had any experience with this process. Simone kept it to herself that she imagined now they would be helpful to their friends when March or Emmeline were inevitably arrested.

"No." Stoic, which was not a usual trait for him, Ashton replied instantly. "I got to be there." Though he didn't know if that was for him or Molly. He still didn't know how his daughter was. Was she scared? Had she been hurt?

****************************

Together, still holding hands, Ashton and Simone cruised slowly through the parkade looking for their rented hatchback. The last thing either of them wanted was to bring attention to themselves.

"Finally." Simone hisses as she dropped Ashton's grip and began to walk and wrestle with her purse to pick out her phone that she could feel buzzing. "Hello. What do you know?" She answered with haste. There was no time for small talk. "It's Craig." Tilting the phone away from her mouth, she mentioned to Ashton prompting his eyebrows to lift. He leaned down and tried to hear her lawyers voice through the bottom of her phone. He couldn't make out a single word though and impatiently waited for her to fill him in. "Okay, okay." Simone nodded along, driving her husband nuts. "Of course." She waved her free hand through the air in a gesture to show how much she understood. "Ashton is with me. We both can do that." Without knowing what they were talking about, Ashton shot her an agreeing thumbs up and enthusiastic nod. "Thank you, Craig. We appreciate it." Simone stifled her tired sigh and hung up politely.

"What do we know?" Anxiously he almost jumped at her before she began to walk forward again, texting rapidly.

"Grace says we should get snacks and coffee. The wait at the station could be hours and all cop shops have notoriously bad coffee apparently." Simone shared.

"How would she know?" His face scrunched together in tight puzzlement.

"Her mom was arrested a couple times, I think."

"Hey! Why didn't she text me?" Ashton hadn't forgotten about the matter at hand, he only realized then that Grace Clifford hadn't said a word to him in weeks.

"She thinks you're taking Michael's side in the divorce." Simone finally put her phone away in her bag and smiled lightly, almost barely at all. She noted how her comment made Ashton's brows meet in the centre and raised her own in return, "Aren't you a bit?"

"Maybe. I don't know! What did Craig say?" The two of them had talked about the Clifford's impending divorce a couple times, but for now they had bigger truths to handle.

"He told me why Molly's been arrested and is being fine five grand." Even though Simone had been living primarily in Australia for two decades, she still had to do the math to Pound Sterling. "It's the most Molly reason I can ever imagine." She muttered, annoyed more than anything else.

Ashton's mind went blank. There was no Molly reason to him that would lead to her being dragged away in handcuffs in trouble with the law. His perfect angel could not have done anything wrong.

"She was protesting the demolition of a park here."

"It was probably peaceful." Letting out a large exhale of relief, Ashton excused his daughter.

"She tied herself to a tree for three days." Suddenly, it made sense to both Simone and Ashton why she hadn't returned their most recent texts. "It was something to do with saving the wildlife that calls the park home."

The pair made it to the car, Ashton heading to the driver's side. Simone stood still at the trunk though, gaining his attention.

"Should we even be going to pick her up?" She asked, sounding defeated.

"Of course!" Ashton shouted. "Why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know. She's an adult. If she's going to be making choices,l like this, she can deal with them on her own."

"Simmie, she was protesting. She didn't rob a 7/11." Ashton leaned against the car and argued. He couldn't believe they weren't in agreement on this.

A silence shone between them. Ashton kept his gaze tight on his wife's face as she looked down at her sandals in deep thought. She didn't know what the right thing to do was.

"I always knew her passion could get her in trouble but I never thought she would be stupid." That was not an adjective anyone had ever used to describe Molly Irwin before.

"I'll tell you what," Ashton stepped closer, reaching out his hand to hold hers. It was his turn to be comforting. "Next time, we won't board the first flight. We can leave her in for a day." He tried to make her smile even if they both knew he was lying. He would never make an hour before springing into action.

"Alright." Deeply inhaling, Simone agreed. "Let's go get our criminal." Ashton kissed her softly and let go of her hand in order to send them on their way. Somehow, he felt a touch calmer knowing his daughter hadn't accidentally murdered someone even though his stomach was still a tangled mess of yarn knots.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Oh no. The worst was at that hotel in Houston, remember?" Simone stuck up her finger and recalled. As the second hour of waiting at the station started, Simone and Ashton had taken to recall the worst coffee they had ever had instead of wishing they had gone to pick up coffee and snacks like their friend suggested. It occurred to them that one could leave to pick some up while the other waited for Molly's release, but neither were willing to risk missing their daughter. "I was pregnant with this little troublemaker and I was only allowed one cup a day and you made that swamp water sludge in our room." She reminded him, causing a smug grin to spread on his face, while she helped herself to a bite of his chocolate bar from the vending machine.

"It wasn't that bad. Your taste buds were compromised." Just like he defended it had the time, Ashton said. "The worst was at the gas station in Manchester."

"When?"

"You were debuting a counter at their Selfridges out there. I was bringing you a coffee like the incredible husband I am."

"I don't remember." Shrugging, Simone mused before hanging her head back and groaning. "What do you say to your kid when they are released from police custody?" She asked the unforgiving lights hanging above them.

"I don't know. I mean, I like that she's standing up for what she believes in." Ashton babbled, finishing his treat. He didn't notice his wife's eyes sliding over to look him over in a most unimpressed fashion. "I just want to make sure she's okay."

"I just wish she wasn't arrested." Simone sighed before a rush of loud footsteps caught her attention and she watched a masterpiece of a young man approach the desk in a hurry. He was the very definition of a beefcake. Tall and thick, but sturdy. In fact, Simone was positive she had seen a palm tree with a trunk as thick as his thighs last time she was in Las Vegas. He looked concerned even with a charming smile. She sat up straight and observed him as he talked to the officer at the front desk while stroking his very stubbly chin.

"I think that guys a Wallabie." Sounding more Australian than usual, Ashton noted while looking the guy over along with his wife. Truthfully, Ashton knew he was. The team was having a pretty good year. "He's a hooker. Flynn O'Malley." He informed his wife. Neither were saying it, but he was very fit.

The rugby player had barely sat down when he had to rise up again, heading to the hallway. As Ashton watched him, he spotted Molly heading out and he jumped onto his feet so quickly that he nearly knocked off his slip on sneakers. She was still his Molly, all limbs and her thick hair tamed into a Dutch braid, frizzy from days without shampoo. Suddenly nervous, Ashton waved at his daughter as she picked up the pace. He slid one hand into his pocket and let fingers fidget freely. Simone was gathering their mess and her purse, ready to leave.

"Wha..?"

As quickly as they had feasted their eyes on their daughter, she had disappeared. Flynn O'Malley's arms wrapped around her shoulders and his massive biceps devoured her head with one bite. Her body hid inside of his. At first, Ashton told himself to remain calm. Nothing good could come from him losing his cool. Besides, he could be a great friend. Miles Hemmings was an athletic guy and he and Molly were always very close in a most platonic fashion. However, as soon as Flynn's chin dipped and his lips went on top of what little was left of Molly's head, Ashton forgot all about keeping his heartbeat at a normal pace. From behind his specs, his eyes jumped open and he took off charging towards his daughter. He had half a mind to just shout, 'Unhand her!' across the room. Ashton couldn't believe he wasn't his daughter's one phone call or that she had a boyfriend that she never told him about. They had always been best friends. How could she have secrets from him? How could she not have reached out to him for help? What else was she keeping from him?

“I brought you a change of clothes.” Flynn mumbled like his mouth was full of marbles as he dragged his hand over Molly's head.

She was just about to thank him again when Molly noticed her parents just inches away. She waved cautiously and tilted her head to the side. Automatically, as if she was a toddler again, she stepped back from Flynn.

“Hi. What are you guys doing here?” She had seen them once in the summer, but she had hoped somehow this would be something that she might not have to mention.

“Well, when your daughter's mugshot is all over the internet, naturally you jump on the next plane to Canberra.” Sarcastically, even if she did sound more posh above all else, Simone mused and wrapped her daughter in a hug. “Are you alright?” She grabbed Molly's face in her hands and looked her over. “Are the birds alright?” Judging by the font on Molly's wrinkled shirt that read 'PROTECT OUR BIRDS', the question was warranted.

“I don't know, Mum.” Molly shrugged and answered in a voice the size of a raindrop. She kept sheepishly trying to catch her father's eye contact, but he was in a daze. He was always looking either at his shoes, Flynn's arms, or just off in the distance.

“I'm Flynn. It's so great to meet you guys finally.” Flashing a smile as big as the rest of his body, Flynn interrupted the mother and daughter and extended his hand. He directed it at Ashton who did his best impression of a high school mean girl, looking at it and then looking away. “I had no idea you guys would be coming.”

“Hello.” Simone took his hand and gave it her best business shake though she assumed to someone as strong as him it felt like a wet spaghetti noodle. She had thought that Molly was seeing someone else, a boy in one of her science classes by the name of Moe, but Simone figured it was best to not bring that up in front of both Ashton and the muscle man. She knew that Ashton was currently trying to survive this moment in his own personal Twilight Zone.

“Ashton, this is Flynn.” Simone turned her back to the two younger adults and locked her teeth together, giving Ashton a look that silently said, 'Speak, please'. “He's Molly's friend.”

Before Flynn correct her, Ashton finally decided to jump into the conversation, “What do you think you're doing getting arrested in Canberra, huh?” So much for hugging her and being supportive. It happened so very rarely, but Simone flinched every time it did. Ashton had snapped. “Do you know how disappointed your mother and I are? And you don't even call us? You call some rugby dirtbag.”

“Whoa - “ Simone went in to stop him. She moved between Molly and Flynn, putting a hand on her daughter's back as a gesture of support. It had been Ashton who talked her out of laying into Molly and now, here he was, doing just that. “Molly just - “

“Do you think a bunch of fucking birds would risk arrest for you, huh?” Ashton was out of his body. He didn't even hear himself or how silly his question actually was. “Do you?”

Molly couldn't remember the last thing her father raised his voice at her. In fact, she was positive it had never actually happened. Sure, when she was a kid and they were walking across the street, he would whistle at her to slow down or wait for him on the other side, but that was hardly the same thing. If she hadn't just been in a holding cell with a woman who had a neck tattoo that had 'money before hoes' misspelled on her neck, she might have been shocked, but Molly knew her Dad very well. He had been her best friend for all of her life. This was so out of character for him that Molly knew that it was an adult man equivalent to a temper tantrum. He was hurt because she was growing up and forgot to tell him.

“Personally,” Cool as a July breeze in the morning, Flynn spoke up without any hesitation. He had taken head on tackles from people twice the size of the Australian drummer and who liked him far less. Flynn wasn't what he appeared to be at first glance, but he also wasn't easily spooked. “I think Molly's passion is very cool. When she told me, she was coming out here, I was a hundred percent on board. She's a someone who knows what she believes in.” He was surprised that Molly's parents didn't seem more proud. Of course, he didn't have any children to hypothetically bail out of jail and he didn't know how he would respond to finding out his daughter was seeing a professional athlete with eight years on her. “I would really love to take you all out for dinner.” Genuinely, he offered before reaching for Molly's hand and lacing his fingers between hers. “Molls has spoken so highly of you both.” That much was easy to believe. She always did worship her parents even if it made her an easy target to tease. It was why she had always been picky about who she spent time with. She wanted a love like her parents had. It couldn't just be lust or easy. It had to have a solid foundation that could remain concrete under any pressure or through surprise conditions. Her parents, to her, were jigsaw pieces that couldn't even be entertained for other puzzle parts. They were so clearly supposed to be sitting side by side, locked in place, and making a stunning picture. Molly was smart and she wouldn't just accept the first person to tell her she was pretty.

There was nothing, but silence coming from Ashton. He was finally staring at his daughter through his glasses, a look that was loaded and tight on her returning gaze. She was pleading silently for him to be nice, to give Flynn a chance, but right now, after Ashton's outburst, she really didn't know what reaction she would receive. This was the first time with him where she didn't know where she stood.

“You know, Flynn, it's been a really crazy day so far...” Simone started, watching Ashton as she began to spoke for them both. “I think we need to settle into a hotel and spend some time with Molly.” She nodded along, agreeing with herself as she was speaking as she was thinking. It was something that all of her years running her own business had taught her how to do without much effort at all. She could probably negotiate in her sleep at this point. “Maybe, a late dinner? Does that work for everyone?” She peeled her eyes away from her husband, trusting he wouldn't go on another tangent, and checked in with the rugby player.

“Absolutely. Ashton?” Flynn leaned in closer to Molly, feeling her hand tighten in his. She was grateful for how kind he was being and how much effort he was already putting in. This whole awkward situation felt like her fault. She had wanted to figure out her relationship with him before telling anyone, including her family. It had been embarrassing when she was ghosted by the last guy out of nowhere and she had to deal with her mom asking questions about him. It wasn't that she wasn't sure about Flynn, she was just protective of what they were building. Molly, for the first time in her life, owed a round of apologies and they were all to her favorite people.

“It's Mr. Irwin.” Glaring with such purpose that his eyes tightened into a squint, Ashton told him, finally extending his hand for a shake. He had always imagined he would be a cool dad when Molly brought someone she cared about home, but this had caught him completely off guard. He had no idea what was going on. Ashton had thought he was picking up his daughter, but instead he was standing in front of a stranger.

“I’ll text you in a bit.” Molly finally peeped as she watched the two most important men in her life pull out of their handshake. Flynn wasn’t used to his girlfriend being so timid. He knew her as the girl who threw his litter at him after watching him casually drop it in the parking lot. His favorite thing about Molly was how unafraid she was to be herself. He tried to understand that right now she was overwhelmed. He had never been arrested before, but he had been pulled over with his grandmum in the passenger seat.

“Excellent! Alright, let’s go!” Simone was dying to leave the station. She couldn’t wait to have faster WiFi, better lighting, real coffee, and some real time with her daughter to catch up on everything from the arrest to the handsome rugby player her father wanted to kill. “Look, your mugshot makes a great lock screen.” She flashed the front of her phone to her daughter as they began to walk away, but Molly was barely amused. She was too busy watching her father stroll ahead of her, not at all paying attention to her. She hadn’t meant to fuck up so royally. She didn’t call them because she wanted to be an adult. She didn’t want them to be disappointed, but she knew now that was what she had done. “It’ll be okay. A little shower, a little chat. We’ll work it out.” Simone pulled her daughter closer as they walked through the door Ashton was holding for them.

“Thank you.” Molly stopped to tell him, turning to let her eyes and weak chin plead for forgiveness from him, but Ashton just let go of the police station door and continued on his way. He had lifted the corner of his lips limply at her, implying nothing and everything all at the same time.

TO BE CONTINUED

#5sos imagine #ashton irwin imagine #ashton irwin story #ashton irwin imagines #ashton irwin fanfic #5sos fic

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papermoonloveslucy · 6 years

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LUCY GOES HAWAIIAN: PART ONE

S3;E23 ~ February 15, 1971

Directed by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg, Ray Singer, and Al Schwartz

Synopsis

Harry takes an usual job as a cruise director and recruits Lucy to be his unpaid assistant. Also on board are her kids and her old friend Vivian Jones (Vivian Vance). A shipboard rivalry erupts when Lucy and Vivian are both attracted to the handsome Captain (Robert Alda).

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter)

Guest Cast

Vivian Vance (Vivian Jones) was born Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kansas in 1909, although her family quickly moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where she was raised. She had extensive theatre experience, co-starring on Broadway with Ethel Merman in Anything Goes. She was acting in a play in Southern California when she was spotted by Desi Arnaz and hired to play Ethel Mertz, Lucy Ricardo’s neighbor and best friend. The pairing is credited with much of the success of “I Love Lucy.” Vance was convinced to join the cast of “The Lucy Show” in 1962, but stayed with the series only through season three, making occasional guest appearances afterwards. This is the fourth of her half a dozen appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” She also joined Lucy for a TV special “Lucy Calls the President” in 1977. Vance died two years later.

This is Vivian’s sixth cruise. She is unmarried.

Robert Alda (Captain MacClay) originated the role of Sky Masterson in Broadway’s Guys and Dolls, winning the 1951 Tony Award. He is the father of Alan Alda of “M*A*S*H” fame. He made one appearance on the “The Lucy Show,” and this is his final appearance on “Here's Lucy.” Alda died in 1986.

Jean Byron (Mrs. MacCLay) is probably best remembered as Natalie Lane, mother of Patty Duke on “The Patty Duke Show” (1963-66) as well as well as Imogene Burkhart on “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” (1959-63). This is her only appearance with Lucille Ball.

The surname MacClay is a tribute to Lucille Ball's long-time publicist Howard McClay, who also loaned his name to characters on “The Lucy Show.” The end credits, however, spell 'McClay' as 'MacClay.'

Anita Mann (Wendy) was assistant to the series' choreographer Jack Baker. This (and Part Two) are her only appearances of record on the show. She later choreographed for the Solid Gold Dancers and the Muppets. Mann won an Emmy Award for her work in 1996.

Mann plays a bikini-clad blonde that Craig befriends aboard ship. Although credited as 'Wendy,' she is not identified by name in the dialogue.

Maurice Kelly (Sailor) was an English-born actor who played a student in “Lucy and Viv Take Up Chemistry” (TLS S1;E26). This is the second of his three appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” He died at the young age of 46 in 1974.

The ship's passengers and crew are played by uncredited background performers:

Nick Borgani appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1937 film Stage Door and in one episode of “The Lucy Show.”

Paul Bradley made his six appearances on “The Lucy Show” in various roles. This is the second of his two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

George DeNormand appeared in three films with Lucille Ball from 1937 to 1963. This is just one of his many appearances on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.”

James Gonzales was a popular Hollywood extra who first acted with Lucille Ball in the 1953 The Long, Long Trailer. He was previously seen on “The Lucy Show” as Stan Williams in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (TLS S1;E2). He was seen in more than 20 episodes of “The Lucy Show” and 3 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Chester Jones makes the last of his four background appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Paul King makes the third of his five background appearances on the series.

Victor Romito was seen as the Bartender in “Lucy Meets John Wayne” (TLS S5;E10). He also appeared in four episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Romito was an extra in the 1960 Lucille Ball / Bob Hope film Critic’s Choice.

Bernard Sell was an English-born background player who made three appearance on the “The Lucy Show.” He was also an extra with Lucille Ball and Bob Hope in their films The Facts of Life (1960) and Critic’s Choice (1963).

This episode was first aired on February 15, 1971, which was Mary Jane Croft's 55th birthday. Although not in this episode, Croft will make her tenth of thirty appearances when the program resumes production for season four.

The final draft of this script is date March 30, 1970. A copy was donated by the estate of writer Milt Josefsberg to the Thousand Oaks Library’s American Radio Archives.

Coincidentally, March 30, 1970 also saw the first broadcast of an episode of “Mayberry RFD” titled “Aloha, Goober”! In it, Goober’s Mayberry service station is competing to win a trip to Hawaii.

The title of the episode(s) was doubtless inspired by the 1961 feature film Gidget Goes Hawaiian starring Deborah Walley. Walley would later be a regular on Desi Arnaz series “The Mothers-in-Law” (1967-69). The film also features a character named Lucy (played by Vivian Marshall).

Originally, the two episodes were to be filmed aboard the actual SS Lurline and on location in Hawaii. When costs proved prohibitive, Lucille Ball Productions had a three-quarter scale model of the ship built on the Paramount lot. At the time, it was the second largest ship ever built at the studio. The sets occupied three sound stages. It even included a real swimming pool!

These two episodes were a single-camera shoot and filmed without a live studio audience. Establishing shots of the ship and some dockside location shots were also used.

Hawaii was a favorite getaway destination of the Arnaz family. The Season 3 “Here’s Lucy” DVD contains home movie footage of the family (and friends like Mary Wickes) vacationing together in Hawaii.

In 2007, Lucie Arnaz remembered their trips to Hawaii fondly:

"It was before my parents were divorced and the time when they were at their happiest. No arguing, no work to take them away, and they just loved being there and with each other.”

The SS Lurline was a real ship sailing from California to Hawaii for the Matson Steamship line from 1932 to 1963, when it was sold to the Chandris Lines and re-christened the RHMS Ellinis. The Matson Line then brought the Matsonia (first known as the Monterey) out of retirement and re-christened it the Lurline, keeping the historic name alive in their fleet. The Lurline sailed her last voyage under this name in June 1970, before being sold to Chandris and re-christened Britanis. During the 1980s it was briefly the oldest cruise ship in service. The vessel underwent one more name and ownership change before being deliberately sunk in 2000 after nearly 68 years at sea.

The episode incorporates some establishing locations shots of the Lurline departing from San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance.

There is also a location shot of Lucy standing on the dock taking photographs, although this is probably a double for Lucille Ball. With the distance, the streamers, and the camera in front of her face, it is difficult to tell for certain.

The final draft of the script for this episode was dated March 30, 1970, ten months before it was aired in mid-February 1971. Because the Lurline sailed for the last time on June 25, 1970, the establishing shots had to have been filmed during April, May or June 1970.

Harry pronounces Hawaii as 'Havaii' (with a 'v' sound instead of a 'w'). He also pronounces Los Angeles with a hard 'g.' Harry was a linguistic eccentric!

Lucy says the ideal candidate for the cruise director position will be a combination of Cary Grant, Albert Einstein, Joe Namath, and Bob Hope. Lucille Ball did four films with Bob Hope and he appeared on both “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.” Football player turned entertainer Joe Namath will guest star in a season 5 episode of “Here's Lucy.” Cary Grant has been mentioned on all of Ball's sitcoms, including the previous episode “Lucy and Carol Burnett” (S3;E22).

When Vivian burst through the crowd, the production anticipates the home viewers reaction by inserting canned applause! In previous episodes filmed in front of a live studio audience, this was their natural reaction, so one is used here as well. Even the background actors seem happy to see Viv, a character not seen on the series since “Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana” (S2;E19) a year earlier.

Among the many games and sports items that Assistant Cruise Director Lucy carries is Hasbro’s Automatic Bingo, first manufactured in 1969. Bingo is a mainstay of cruise ship pastimes.

Lucy asks Viv if she is still looking to get married:

VIV: “I dream about orange blossoms so often I sleep with a smudge pot at the foot of my bed.”

Dreams about orange blossoms are said to indicate the search for true love. In orange groves, a smudge pot warms the trees to prevent the fruit from being spoiled by frost and cold weather.

Lucy convinces Harry to disguise himself as rich southerner Colonel Hamilton Hart to woo Vivian away from the Captain MacClay. Harry's make up and wardrobe are identical to Colonel Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame!

A montage of Lucy being kept busy shows her jogging, shooting skeet, playing tennis, and playing ping-pong.

Jumping overboard may be the most extreme example ever of ‘getting Harry wet’ at the end of an episode.

VIVIAN: “Let me through! Let me through! There's only one person in the whole world who would board ship that way! It's gotta be... Lucy!”

Boarding ship via the cargo net was a stunt Lucille Ball also did in “Lucy Takes A Cruise To Havana” (LDCH S1;E1) with Ann Sothern at her side - instead of Gale Gordon under her feet!

Another unconventional boarding was in "Bon Voyage" (ILL S5;E13), where Lucy Ricardo missed her sailing for Europe on the S.S. Constitution and was lowered by helicopter to the deck.

Assistant Cruise Director Lucy briefly plays ping-pong with a young boy, just as Lucy Ricardo did on the SS Constitution with Kenneth Hamilton. She first looked for a ping-pong partner by asking an idle bloodhound!

In 1955, Desilu recreated the SS Constitution on their Hollywood sound stage the same way LBP does the SS Lurline in 1971. Both episodes were filmed with the cooperation of the shipping lines, American Export Lines (1955) and Matson Steamship Lines (1970). Both were the most expensive episodes filmed to that date due to construction costs.

In “Ricky's Hawaiian Vacation” (ILL S3;E22), Lucy Ricardo pulled out all the stops, including recreating island life in the living room in order to get Ricky to take her along on his booking at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu. When Ricky says no, Lucy schemes to go along by winning a TV quiz show with the Mertzes, but in the end they don’t win the trip. We never learn if Ricky actually went to Hawaii or not.

ETHEL (about the idea of going on a quiz show): “I’d get a pie in my face. She’d get an all-expense cruise.”

It took nearly 16 years, but Lucy and Viv finally got that all-expense paid cruise to Hawaii. But she also did get a pie in the face at the end of the show!

If being Viv being heroically rescued from a swimming pool while pretending she can’t swim sounds familiar, Lucy Ricardo also did it in “The Hedda Hopper Story” (ILL S4;E21).

In the 1955 episode, Freddie Fillmore mentioned a former contestant named Cleo Morgan, which was the name of Lucille Ball’s cousin. She was later the producer of these two episodes of “Here’s Lucy” under her married name of Cleo Smith.

On February 18, 1965, the Douglas family on “My Three Sons” planned a "Hawaiian Cruise” (S5;E23), but illness forced the trip to be canceled. Uncle Charley decides if they cannot go to Hawaii, then Hawaii would come to them and he plans a luau in the backyard.

FAST FORWARD!

In the 1970s and 1980s sitcoms took their cue from Lucy and also traveled to Hawaii.

Probably the most famous of the shows was “The Brady Bunch”, which aired on ABC in 1972, just a year after Lucy’s trip. It, too, was a two-parter. Coincidentally, Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) also played Lucy Carter’s niece Patricia Carter later on in 1972!

In 1980, also on CBS, “The Jeffersons” traveled to the 50th state. Instead of two parts, the show increased their stay to four half-hours! The cast featured an actor named Fred Ball (no relation to Lucille Ball’s brother)!

Hawaii was mention several times on the short lived “Life With Lucy” (1987). In the first episode, Curtis had just returned from vacationing there and in the second episode guest star John Ritter says that his wife is in Hawaii with the kids. In an un-aired episode, Leonard plans to use his vacation from M&B Hardward to go to Hawaii and lie on the beach.

“Mama Goes Hawaiian” (1988) was also a two-part episode about a Hawaiian vacation. It starred Lucy’s protege Ken Berry and her pal Carol Burnett’s protege, Vicki Lawrence, as Mama.

Props! When setting down a large stack of games so she can sit down for a minute, Lucille Ball is so worried that the stack will fall off the deck chair that she keeps her hand nearby to catch them if they do.

Doff Your Hat! When ‘the Colonel’ sits down next to Vivian, he removes his hat and places it on the table. Realizing that this is improper (and that the hat might be in the camera shot) he uses his walking stick to smoothly sweep the hat off the table onto the chair below it. Quick thinking!

“Lucy Goes Hawaiian: Part One” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

This episode is full of Easter eggs for “Lucy” fans with references to four different episodes of “I Love Lucy.” This feels like a cross between “The Love Boat” and “The Golden Girls.” The ending with Harry and Viv both jumping overboard into the Pacific Ocean - at night - is a bit far-fetched, even for Lucy!

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bigyack-com · 4 years

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Fire Blight Spreads Northward, Threatening Apple Orchards

GENEVA, N.Y. — Across the country, hundreds of kinds of apples were meticulously developed by orchardists over the last couple of centuries and then, as farms and groves were abandoned and commercial production greatly narrowed the number of varieties for sale, many were forgotten.Some of this horticultural biodiversity, though, has been nurtured by dedicated growers who want to preserve the forgotten flavors and other traits of apples from the past. For example, some of the best apples ever developed for baking pies are no longer grown commercially, experts say, but are still thriving in heirloom orchards.“They are a piece of our history as a variety and part of our cultural identity,” said Mark Richardson, director of horticulture at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Mass. “But also some of these varieties may be important for breeding the next generation. They are an insurance policy against a catastrophe.”A burgeoning threat is coming for apples, though, both of the historical varieties and the popular ones grown in the orchards today. A disease called fire blight, easily managed for a long time in apple and pear orchards, is becoming more virulent as the climate changes and as growers alter the way the trees are configured to produce higher yields. Some researchers say newer varieties may be more vulnerable, too. It is another example of threats to the nation’s fruit crops, as citrus greening has hammered Florida’s orange groves and a fungus called Tropical Race 4 has devastated the world’s banana plantations.“Commercial apples are getting hit fairly hard by fire blight,” said Kerik D. Cox, a plant pathologist who has studied the disease for a decade at Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences here. “And the intensity of it appears to be new.”As they walk down a row of small and thin apple trees, with large dark red apples hanging on them like Christmas bulbs, Dr. Cox and a graduate student, Anna Wallis, point out a shriveled, dark brown branch on one of them.The blight — caused by the bacterium erwinia amylovora — is native to the United States and predates the introduction of apple trees to North America. Apple and pear growers have long managed the disease, by trimming dead branches and in recent decades, spraying antibiotics like Streptomycin. But the blight is becoming resistant to the antibiotics, some say, and has become more aggressive, wiping out hundreds or even thousands of trees in some places.The blight is spreading to places where it had not been seen before, into New York’s Champlain Valley and parts of Maine for example.Tower Hill Botanic Garden was forced in November to raze its orchard of 238 heirloom trees — two each of 119 antique varieties. The orchard is dedicated to apples developed in this country, Europe and elsewhere long ago.One of the varieties, the Roxbury Russet, dates back to the mid-17th century, and is believed to be the oldest apple variety cultivated in the United States.In an effort to keep the ancient lineage of the orchard from disappearing, the scionwood — cuttings from recent aboveground growth — was grafted onto new blight-resistant root stock. The new tree grafts will grow for a year at an orchard in Maine, and then will be returned for planting in 2021.Orchards like the one at Tower Hill — there are fewer than a dozen in the country, experts say — have been likened to the Svarlbard Global Seed Vault, a concrete facility storing nearly one million seed species on the side of a mountain on a Norwegian island.The genetics of these trees may exist nowhere else and could someday be used to create new commercial varieties because of their flavor or resistance to disease and pests. Keeping the actual trees alive by growing successive generations through cloning and grafting is the only way to assure their lineage. That is because a seed from a particular tree may not contain all of the traits of the variety because one of the parents is unknown.Tower Hill had never seen fire blight during the bloom season, which provides a potent pathway for infection, until 2011. “We get a combination of weird and tragic weather, these days, variable and unpredictable,” Dr. Cox said.Unusual spikes in temperature and more wet weather form ideal conditions for the bacterium. While May temperatures in this part of the Northeast used to rise more gradually and more uniformly, that dynamic started changing about 20 years ago and now some days in that month can spike into the 70s, Dr. Cox said. In May 2010, temperatures soared into the 80s.“Fire blight enters the tree through the flower and if it lands on a flower in bloom with temps in the 60s, it can’t enter,” Mr. Richardson of Tower Hill said. “But if it’s over 75, the conditions are right for the spore to enter the flower and get into the vascular system and it moves through the orchard faster.”Honeybees and other insects then spread the disease as they pollinate apple blossoms. At warmer temperatures, fire blight is much more virulent. “It has the ability to kill a tree in a single season,” Mr. Richardson said.“We have a lot of trees that have been mutilated,” he added. “And they are succumbing to old age because of the presence of fire blight, which weakens them.” At optimum temperatures, the bacteria double in volume every 20 minutes, Dr. Cox said.“I never thought about fire blight, it was an issue for the South,” said John P. Bunker, a long time apple grower farther north in Palermo, Maine, who identifies and preserves forgotten heirloom varieties across the country. “But 10 years ago, there was a big fire blight outbreak and suddenly it was here. I have preservation orchards all over my property, hundreds of trees and I had never, ever seen it and all of a sudden I was seeing it.”What makes the ecology of the disease even more challenging to solve and address is that while a warmer world is a big part of the emerging problem, there are other factors that may be contributing to ideal conditions for an outbreak.Apple orchards these days are a very different creature than they used to be. “People climbing apple trees and harvesting fruit with ladders, that’s gone,” Dr. Cox said. “It’s now about making an apple like a grape, where you can walk by and pick the fruit right off the tree.”Many modern commercial apple trees are planted in what’s called a high density trellis system. They top out at about six to eight feet and are narrow, like a sapling. Yet, fertilizers can push this waifish modern tree to grow about 50 full-size apples, compared to as many as 300 or so on the old-style trees. But instead of some 300 trees to an acre spaced about 10 feet apart, trees are planted 18 to 24 inches apart and there are 1,500 or so trees to an acre.The trellis-style orchard increases product and profit. A few decades ago, apple growers harvested 200 to 300 bushels of apples to the acre. The goal now is 2,000 bushels an acre, Dr. Cox said.The trellis configuration makes it difficult to manage fire blight. “The old-style trees that we used to grow were big and had tons of branches and the bacteria couldn’t move through the tree very well,” said George Sundin, a plant pathologist at Michigan State University, where fire blight is also a growing problem. In these new trees, “the branches are smaller and it’s a short distance from the branch to the tree and down to the roots.”Managed by cutting out infection, fire blight rarely killed trees in the old days, but now can wipe out hundreds or thousands in a month or two. It can spread from orchard to orchard through the wind or by insects carrying the disease.Another contributing factor may be that the new apple trees are not as resistant to disease. “They are the equivalent of a caged chicken, planting them in crowded conditions and pushing them with nutrients to grow 50 or more apples to a tree,” Dr. Cox said.And because many more trees are being planted, tree growers are rushing to fill orders. “Nurseries can’t grow trees fast enough and quality is compromised,” Dr. Cox said.Moreover, modern varieties may also play a role. “So is it primarily climate change, or is it that they are packed together?” Dr. Cox asked. “Or is it the new varieties — such as Evercrisp and Gala — which may be more susceptible? That’s what we are trying to find out.”One answer may be growing in the National Apple Collection, not far from Dr. Cox’s research grove. Managed by the Department of Agriculture, it is the largest collection of apple genetics on the planet. There are some 6,000 trees, wild and domestic, with 55 species and hybrids from around the world, including Central Asia where the apple originated.These genes are so critical to the future of apples that cuttings from the trees are shipped to the National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation in Fort Collins, Colo., where they are preserved in liquid nitrogen and stored in a vault.One of the ways these trees may earn their keep is by helping out in the battle against fire blight.“We are looking at genes from wild species for fire blight resistance,” said Awais Khan, a plant pathologist at Cornell who is doing this work. It might take 25 years of breeding to create fire blight resistant apple trees, he said, “but there are ways we can speed up the process, so maybe 10 or 15 years.” Source link Read the full article

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Who Is Thena? Angelina Jolie’s Eternals Movie Character Explained

Acclaimed actress Angelina Jolie is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe next year in Eternals - but who exactly is her character, Thena? As Eternals is a lesser-known property in Marvel Comics, most of the heroes and villains in Eternals comics are extremely obscure characters, and Thena is no exception.

Confirmed at SDCC 2019 with a November 2020 release date, Eternals is the second film in Marvel’s Phase 4 slate. Alongside Jolie, the film’s star-studded cast includes Salma Hayek as Ajak, Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Kit Harington as Black Knight, and more. Directed by Chloe Zhao, the movie will give the MCU its third big-screen superhero team by introducing the Eternals, a race of immortal aliens created by the Celestials and sent to Earth to fight the Deviants.

Related: MCU Theory: Eternals Explains Why So Many Infinity Stones Were On Earth

The characters and concepts from the film originate from the legendary Marvel Comics writer and artist Jack Kirby. The team debuted in Kirby’s Eternals comic book series in 1976. Thena made her first appearance in the comic’s fifth issue, and has been a central character in nearly every Eternals story published since. She was later retconned to be the Timely Comics character Minerva, who debuted in 1940. This means that, in a way, Thena is one of the MCU’s oldest heroes. Here’s everything you need to know about the Eternals character Thena.

Thena's Origin Story In Marvel Comics

A long time ago, the Celestials created two offshoots of the human race: the immortal and god-like Eternals and the hideously deformed Deviants. The Eternals were born on Earth, but some branched off and settled in other areas of the universe. One Eternal, Zuras, became the leader of the Earth-based Eternals and founded the city of Olympia in the mountains of Greece. He fathered a daughter, Azura, who he later renamed Thena. In time, Thena became a trusted member of the Eternals and second-in-command to Zuras.

Some of Thena’s actions in human history have become a part of Greek and Roman mythology, with Thena often being mistaken for the goddesses Athena and Minerva. During her early years, Thena became discontent with relations between the Eternals, the Deviants, and the humans, as well as the “balance” that her father sought to maintain between them all. Thena longed to have the Deviants destroyed and make the humans equal with Eternals. Things changed for Thena when she entered into a forbidden, doomed romance with the evil Deviant, Warlord Kro. Their love story, which has spanned two thousand years, is responsible for much of the heartache that Thena has experienced in her long life.

Thena's Powers & Abilities Explained

All Eternals are fueled with cosmic energy, giving them access to a vast number of abilities. So like all other members of her race, Thena's powers include flight through levitation, shooting beams of energy from her eyes and hands, manipulating matter, telepathy, and teleportation. She also possesses superhuman strength, speed, and agility. And as an immortal, Thena is nigh-invincible and nearly impossible to kill. Eternals are able to use their cosmic energy to train their abilities, which is why some Eternals are more powerful than others. Thena has honed many of her powers over the thousands of years, thus making her one of the most formidable members of her race.

Thena doesn’t just rely on her natural-born powers to win her battles, though; she is also highly skilled in weaponry. Since the Eternals possess advanced technology, Thena occasionally carries a special crossbow that fires bolts of cold energy into combat. Her signature weapon, however, is actually a spear. Thena is rarely seen without her golden spear, which can emit heat energy and deploy an anti-gravity field when thrown.

Related: Kit Harington’s MCU Character Is Older Than Marvel Itself

Thena's Most Important Comic Book Stories

During the 1980s, a 12-issue Eternals miniseries put considerable focus on Thena, who had just lost her father. After Zuras’ death, Thena assumed the role of Prime Eternal to become their new leader. Her brief stint as leader was marred by an accusation of treason from Ikaris, who believed that she had let her relationship with Kro prevent her from leading the Eternals into war with his people, the Deviants. Ikaris’ accusation turned out to be correct. Thena tried to stop the two races from fighting, even though the Deviants, led by her former lover, were conspiring against them.

Thena and Kro even had children after the two crossed paths in the Vietnam War, but this was kept a secret from both of their species. Her romance with Kro is the crux of Thena‘s story in the comics. Thena has always loved Kro, despite his evil intentions for the Eternals and humans. It was Thena’s long-held belief that Kro was different from the rest of his kind, and on rare occasions, Kro has indeed displayed noble qualities.

Neil Gaiman's 2006 Eternals miniseries reimagined the core characters, including Thena, by erasing their memories and providing them with new lives in the world of humans. With Thena's old persona washed away, she was an employee of Tony Stark, as well as a wife and a mother to a human child. After her memories were restored, however, Thena decided to keep the child, even though her fellow Eternals disapproved.

Related: Doctor Strange Was Going To Tease Black Knight (But Marvel Cut It)

Angelina Jolie Will Play Thena In The MCU

In March 2019, it was reported that A-list actress Angelina Jolie had been cast as Sersi in Eternals. This was proven incorrect when the movie and cast was officially announced at SDCC 2019, with Jolie playing Thena instead. It was later confirmed that Captain Marvel's Gemma Chan is playing Sersi in the Eternals film. At Disney’s D23 Expo, Jolie stepped onto the stage with the rest of the cast, with concept art behind each of the stars revealing their characters’ costumes. Jolie’s Thena will don the character’s classic gold outfit and will even sport her long blond hair.

While the cast of Eternals features several well-known actors, Angelina Jolie is, of course, the most recognizable. Among the films Jolie has starred in include Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Maleficent, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Salt, and The Tourist. Her work in Changeling and Girl, Interrupted earned her Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. The casting of Angelia Jolie as Thena in Eternals certainly adds a great deal of star power to Marvel’s next big cosmic team-up movie.

Next: Every Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie

source https://screenrant.com/thena-eternals-angelina-jolie-character-powers-origin-explained/

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