#those auto generated answers are wrong most of the time

[0sbrain]

google auto generated is a genuine danger to society, but sometimes it cracks me up

#im not kidding #those auto generated answers are wrong most of the time #and worse of all. they are generated based on your google activity #meaning that if you start going a rabbit hole it will only push you deeper #tf2 #medic tf2 #heavy tf2

[wetcatspellcaster]

Hello again, Ms. gender nerd anon here, re-sending my ask! Thanks for confirming it got lost!

I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your stance on misogyny in BG3 fandom (those “shipping Astarion with women is conversion therapy” takes are wild).

Gender dynamics in your fics are also a breath of fresh air because of how full of default heterosexual sado-masochism* and female submission in general f/m Astarion fics are (nothing wrong with being submissive, but the tendency itself is not above criticism imo). I absolutely love Rosalie’s wit, intelligence, agency, initiative, insecurities and vulnerability, she’s such a deep and well-rounded character. She’s a badass but not in a stereotypical “strong woman” type way which just acts “masculine”, e.g. fights, is assertive and sure of herself, etc. I think you’re doing a great job at portraying more egalitarian f/m relationship and sexuality.

I also remember you saying something like (I’m paraphrasing here) the problem you see with “I can fix him” trope is heterosexism that often accompanies it.

Considering all this I wonder if gender dynamics and using a feminist lens is something you consciously think about when writing Rosalie/Astarion and if yes, how do you approach that?

Thank you!

* https://preview.redd.it/6ak4wpp4zimc1.jpeg?width=577&auto=webp&s=933cf03cb5cc08346d3dff9bfc4a3266a0b68651&app_web_view=ios

PS I also read Howl’s Moving Castle recently and really felt something of Howl and Sophie in your fics, it’s lovely!

PPS English in not my first language so sorry for any awkward phrases/mistakes

hi anon, thank you for coming back with the long-awaited question (also there is no need to stress about the English used here, it's all very high level lmao so please don't apologise!)

I'm not interested in commenting/speaking ill on other fics or trends within Astarion fic so I'm only going to discuss this question in relation to my own writing. [Beyond once more reiterating that the popularity of m/m ships in fandom has its roots in racism and misogyny (a preference for white male characters above any female characters, especially those of colour when they are the canon interest), and the belief that 'gay' ships are inherently more virtuous has its roots in um. radfem ideology. and again, misogyny. Fair enough if you like what you like but please examine your biases and plz stop hating women and dressing it up as queer positivity.]

This ended up being very, very long, so it's under the cut lads! I did promise I could talk about gender in fiction all day long.

So first off, anon - people like what they like. There's nothing wrong with that - most of what I write, it's not done with any virtue signalling in mind, it's just that I'm writing what I like, as well. That is, I'm going to be honest, in large part my answer to your question.

In all honesty, I do not write my bg3 with an inherently feminist lens or mindset held in my brain at the time of drafting, beyond the fact that I'm a feminist in my own day-to-day life. If I was to attribute it to anything... I would actually be really basic, and just be frank: I really like women. I find women hot. I like a lot of female characters, more than I like male ones.

I'm really touched you think Rosalie is a well-rounded character, as she is intended to be written that way, but honestly? I just find her hot. I give her good lines and fun moments equal to Astarion's, bc she's v sexy to me. I like giving her hot things to do, and at a very basic level, it's for me, lmao. I made her well-rounded, bc I like her and I find her entire character aspirational and attractive. Fic is, often, just for pleasure. In the same way other people write what they find hot, I write what I find hot, and if you were to examine my fics and my bookmark history (Sophie/Howl is up there honestly, but Jareth/Sarah from Labyrinth is the biggest giveaway lmao) you would know that I just find this kind of dynamic.... where there's a villain and a heroine who breaks him.... or a woman who reads a man for filth... hot.

But if you want an answer that goes deeper and more theoretical, there are two things that I can give you!

I find it both reassuring and funny that you bring up both heterosexism and not making Rose 'masculine', bc Rosalie is consciously one of my most femme OCs. The pink/purple colour scheme is a dead giveaway. I think this was because, in Early Access, all of the femme companions are gnc in some way, which was fucking awesome, but that meant there was a gap in the market for my funky pink tiefling!

Most of the characters were also quite edgy - I've talked about the Early Access disapproval, and the way it felt like you were being bullied by the pixels inside your gaming PC, and how this informed my choice of OC. At the time, I was also playing in a D&D game full of edgelords, and was getting quite bored (mid-pandemic) with this entire belief that playing 'good', or being idealistic, is naive/dumb, or boring, or trite, or overdone. A lot of my writing is triggered by a spite reflex, so in Rose, I doubled down. I put a lot of tropes about femininity that get a lot of hate in fandom into Rosalie, bc these often overlap with the idea that being emotional or naïve is undesirable bc (you guessed it!) misogyny. It's better to be jaded and cynical, bc that's a traditionally masculine view of the world. This idea that being 'good' is stupid is fed by many things, but it is gendered, and making Rosalie a high femme woman was a conscious decision.

BUT in her character, I also had this secondary question - in a group where everyone is berating you for being kind, if you're a rabid people pleaser and traditionally feminine caregiver, why are you refusing to back down? How are we getting to the 'lawful' part of lawful good - which I interpret as having an inflexible moral code? And this was where I bought in the idea that someone is trying to make up for lost time, and created the device of her agoraphobia, and the tadpole as anxiety medication.

I think this is perhaps what makes her feel well-rounded, but also takes her from 'passively' feminine to 'actively' feminine - she's had all the traditional femme upbringing BUT she then has a tadpole hijacking all her AFAB socialisation, everything that's told her to not to take up space or back down or defer to other people.

I'm not going to lie, this is something I am struggling with at the moment: an awareness of being raised and socialised as a woman, and as an autistic woman who's masking practices are inherently tied up into the codes of femininity and the behaviour expected of her. I didn't realise this at the time of writing. But I guess Rosalie gets access to a confidence she didn't before, through a magic cure, and this is something that alters the dynamics of her character in a way that allows her to have a more active role. She doesn't feel the need to mask much anymore (see! this is why I find her HOT!!!)

..

The other gendered lens I will admit to bringing to the table with Rosalie, and consciously employing, is the traditional gendered dichotomy between emotion (femininity)/intellect (masculinity) that was held in the 1800s-1900s. This is because this theory used to fascinate me, I've read/studied a lot about the idea of gendered modes of reading books and understanding the world - for instance, there was a moral panic that's reflected in books like Northanger Abbey and Madame Bovary where it was feared women couldn't read literature properly, and that the lines between fiction and reality became blurred for them, because literature incites emotions and women are inherently more emotional beings. It was believed that they couldn't differentiate between the emotions fiction made them feel, and their real life. This persists till today, in a derogatory approach to female fandom, to immersed readers, and the media products that girls like (e.g. the Twilight books, and associated derision of its readership). In this dichotomy and belief system, women are overly emotional and thus stupid/idealistic, and the admirable way to be is critical, detached, intellectual - ie. everything the man making these rules thinks he is.

This DOES come into play with Rosalie, in a big way, but that's kind of BG3's fault. The whole idea of a mindflayer, is someone who is intellect without any emotion, and this makes them threatening, and powerful. I coupled that with a woman who sees her depression (and thus her emotion) as a weakness, and who is using illithid tadpoles as medication. I've talked a few time in asks, about how the bad ending for Rosalie would be her turning into the mindflayer for the good of the group, becoming that ideal of intellectual detachment that she thinks will be all everyone wants from her. It would be: The Bleeding Heart, versus The Exalted Mind. I sat on that decision screen, CRYING, for a really long time, bc I knew she would turn illithid in a heartbeat, for all the wrong reasons. To me, it felt like a new version of suicidal ideation had been given to my mess of a character. (Thank god for Astarion in this instance, honestly).

As a wizard, Rosalie is operating in that intellectual paradigm that critical thinking = good. Being cold and analytic = good. She is not that, until she has the tadpole: she never aspired to power, she feels in thrall to her own emotional state, she feels like her emotions make her weak and have actively disadvantaged her progress. So she is facing this battle between what she thinks she should be - intellectually confident, certain, calculated and cool - and what she thinks she is - emotionally messy, easily manipulated, sad and weak - without realising it's a fake mutually exclusive binary, and she can in fact be both. This is a journey I hope to take her on in An Honest Lie, and she's already undergone in Pieces (although, there's a bit more emotional repression in this timeline, if she was actually well-adjusted i think she would've fucked the Ascendent at least once lol).

What I did bring to the table was a extreme frustration at traditionally feminine-coded traits (moral idealism, goodness, empathy, over-emotional modes of being in the world) being constantly derided or treated as stupid. I also wanted to write a wizard who wasn't a pinnacle of intellect, but was struggling with that fact, and I made her high femme for a reason!

So... yeah! TLDR, I write women with personalities bc I like and am attracted to women - the same way a lot of male characters get attention or become the most fully fleshed, complex beings in existence, bc their writers like and are attracted to them. I do not write consciously feminist attacks on other people's dynamics, what I write is the dynamics I find incredibly sexy instead.

So I guess... my advice on how to approach things???

write what you find hot

give attention to the characters you find hot

if there are any dynamics you find interesting in theory, you can explore them!

I did make a conscious choice to subvert some tropes in Pieces, but this was mostly to avoid writing noncon bc it's not my thing, I didn't have any interesting in doing that to my OC, and also, i don't think I could write it well. So I guess the other thing you can do is, if there's a trope that frustrates you or you don't like the gendered politics of something, think of a new interesting way to write it or flip that dynamic (....like a Power Word Kill!)

#asks #anons #long posts #an especially long post. considering my answer is 'women hot'.

[clarissaexplainingitall]

Is Octopath 2 worth picking up? I held off on Octopath 1 just due a general disinterest after the demo. That said, I enjoy a good JRPG!

Oh boy long post ahead but in short? Yes. Absolutely.

The longer answer depends on what you did/didn't like about Octopath 1 or JRPGs in general. Am going to put this behind a cut because I have a lot of thoughts about this, will avoid massive spoilers. But my other recommendation is I do very much like Octopath 1 still, so if you do try 2 and end up liking it, it's definitely worth going back IMO. But I digress:

Mechanics:

Octopath 2 overwhelmingly improves a lot of the mechanics that were already good in 1.

They expanded path actions (each unit now gets 2 active and 1 passive) and added a combat specific "latent" action that works well with their primary class.

So for example, Ha'anit in Octo1 had access to Provoke and then in combat could capture beasts, Therion had Steal and could unlock purple chests. Ochette (Octo2's hunter) can Provoke, but at night she can Befriend (trade various foods to NPCs to make them summonable in combat), and they added 25% chance of auto-capture on any creature she KOs (which made Beast combat much more viable and useful). She can also turn captured beasts into foods for Befriend purposes (but also party buffs). Throne (Octo2's thief) can steal, can KO based on level at night (Ambush), and automatically buffs all allies at the start of night-time combats.

This isn't to speak of their latent actions, which are special chargeable actions they can take in-combat (I won't spoil those - some are very good). The range on those is really nice.

They also got rid of the stupid purple chests, for which I thank god every day. So the primary thief is no longer mandatory to avoid backtracking (bless).

Skills were reworked and reassigned to ensure all characters had more even utility. For instance, the Thief ability Steal SP was removed from thieves and given to clerics, which lets them be more self-sufficient, etc. It just means you can mix up party comp a lot more without feeling like mechanically compelled to bring Hunter, Apothecary, or suffer.

Bewildering Grace was improved, more interesting options were added, some hard hitting debuffs were reworked. Farming, while much less necessary (thank god) is now also easier.

The focus is a lot less on long-slog dungeons and more on the boss fights and story, which I prefer. They weren't afraid to try out some more interesting fight concepts in late game (rather than sticking to just one debuff and theming the fight around that). Several of the bosses vary dramatically based on party comp, forcing you to strategize beyond "Idk, bring leghold trap, bring a heal/rehabilitate caster, bring chunky damage." Hikari has killed my party like three times because I brought his overpowered ass to the wrong fight. It's been great.

Story:

Honestly, this is the meat and potatoes. I think... Octopath 1 had a tighter overall narrative with the combination of the eight paths, but Octopath 2 had some of my favorite characters and extremely strong individual paths, gave most of them* a ton of depth, and really the only places* where the ball was dropped were the back half of endgame.

They also added additional chapters focusing on two characters per pop, which start off as seeming side-stories and then circle back around to be relevant for endgame.

*we aren't talking about Throne. I can't do it, I'm not strong enough. Throne's arc frustrates me immensely because I know, in my heart of hearts, that they could've done a better job. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and it's just gratuitous layers of playing up the creep factor of incest, which is not really what I'm here for. But also it depends on your level of JRPG exposure - like, some fire emblem games are kind of worse, so it really varies. It's like if you crossed the worst parts of Prim's story (sexual assault/harrassment, being constantly put in situations where oh look, she has to masquerade as a prostitute again and be deferential to a guy who likes to be called Daddy) with the weakest parts of Therion's (instakill collar that can't come off).

****

TLDR:

My biggest hell yeahs:

DRAMATIC QOL improvements to UI and combat system, all the changes in mechanics fucked. Better spread of talents that made using certain underutilized abilities from Octo1 more worthwhile.

Greater monster variety I feel???

Dramatically improved environments, more variety in dungeons

Unexpectedly deeper characters - only one feels tonally off to me, but even she gets to have a really great fight etc at the end.

General better handling of stories with narrative weight? Most bosses make sense when included. Every final chapter boss was great, there were no more Alfyns with big birds that weren't relevant. Death is given narrative weight in this game more than 1.

That one sequence in postgame where you find the journal entries. I am being vague on purpose. Anyone who's played knows what I'm talking about.

Castti's chapter 3.

My biggest oh my god ceases:

Throne's narrative abandoning potential every five seconds so someone can abuse/harass her

No fucking boss rush before the Superboss : (

The superboss thing a second time, I'm so sad about that

I thought for SURE we'd circle back around to Roi since he didn't die but no. No Graham 2.0, Redeye 2.0, etc. Boo.

#neorelic #you got more than you bargained for congratulations i am very enthusiastic about this game right now #octopath 2 #octopath traveler 2

[elvenbeard]

from the oc ask game:

7. favorite animal? why? 13. what languages do they speak? how fluently? 29. are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)? 34. how would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are.

for Vincent of course 😊

Thanks so much for asking!! :D a lot of these are already answered, but I'll copy paste them here anyway :D

7. Favorite animal? why?

Nibbles of course! No but in reality I think... this wouldn't have been something Vince ever put a lot of thought into actually. He has favorite cars, favorite tech brands, favorite films and games and all that, but he's not necessarily a very outdoors-y, nature-loving guy. I think the topic of "I want a pet" would've come up at some point when he was younger, but his parents didn't see this as a wish worthy of pursuit. Even though his family was well-off when he was a kid, a cat or dog as status symbol wasn't really a priority either, and so that remained unfulfilled. I think Vince would've always liked cats though due to their resilience (given the convo with Takemura on that topic during Gimme Danger), their sneakiness, elegance, their free will and attitude. All that applies to Nibbles in a way, too, she has been fending for herself on the street pretty well despite not really having a steady home, and I think in that aspect Vince can see some of his own struggles as a young adult reflected. So yeah, Nibbles XD And overall probably cats, cause they're the only animals really present in his world as he grew up.

13. what languages do they speak? how fluently?

He grew up bilingual with English and Japanese, although in the age of auto-translators his Japanese is getting a bit more rusty as time goes on. In the case of a complete and utter failure of his tech though he'd still be able to hold a normal conversation and understand his conversation parter(s). Since his parents had a corporate career in mind for him, he went to pretty prestigious schools and over the course of his school education learned a few other languages, but those were never super interesting to him (cause, y'know... auto-translators). He's retained some basic knowledge in French, Mandarin, and Russian, and with how multicultural of a city Night City is he also picked up a few phrases here and there that he understands without translator, but none of that is fluent speaking material.

29. are they associated with any particular element (air, earth, fire, water)?

The element I could see for him the most is fire. He's a bit of a hothead, even though he can hide it well if he needs to. He's a very passionate person, in general, as well as about the people and things he cares for. Someone who can light up a room and make all heads turn, who burns bright and inspires, but who you should also be very careful about playing with. In his own ways he can be quite ruthless and merciless, he'd have no qualms about utterly destroying and ruining the life of someone who wronged him or his loved ones. He's a force to be reckoned with.

34. How would your character describe themselves? it doesn't have to line up with how they really are.

Tying this in a bit with my previous points on Vince's lying habits... this highly depends on who he's describing himself to. Potential new client? "I'm the best Night City has to offer, a professional with references, here's my list of amazing skills. Oh, all these problems you mention? They're no problems at all. Trust me. I will come up with a waterproof plan, I have the means, the connections, the equipment. You won't regrets this." (while internally he is cursing about how stupid of an idea this person's gig is, he knows he'll have to do this alone because no one else would be dumb enough, but on the other hand, the client could have [important piece of information or other thing] he despereately needs so, fuck it... he'll figure something out, he's good at that at least).

I think in general to people he doesn't know or wants something off of he would be over-confident and a little boastful, describe himself as competent etc etc even if not all of it is the case. What matter is that he gets what he wants in the end in these scenarios - money, a boost of reputation and streetcred, information, sex, drugs, whatever.

If he had to describe himself to someone he cares about or trusts... He'd focus more on what interest him, what he likes and dislikes, all still somewhat superficial though. He's confident and unashamed of his past and wishes, but yeah... Things like "I'm really scared of dying alone and being forgotten" wouldn't make it into a description of himself, he'd just omit all his insecurities and polish what he considers strengths. He'd probably describe himself as someone you can trust (but only if he trusts you or needs you, but he'd omit that), pretty down to earth (he's not, and Judy would call him out on it at every opportunity), level-headed (when in fact he can just hide and control his panic in tense moments very well) and yeah... something like that xD He'd be fine with being described as an opportunist, an optimistic realist, cause those two apply. He's sarcastic and creative, and not someone who can easily sit still, always needs something to do, a bit of a workaholic for sure.

#cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk v #vincent ezaki #thanks so much for asking!! :D #answered asks #morganlefaye79

[literaticat]

I know we are only on the cusp of the battle with A.I. in publishing. My question is for agents, AI can help write summaries and pitches. So if agents decide to use AI to help with SOME functions of their jobs, is that ethical? Is that something every agent should disclose to clients?

There already ARE ways that we "use AI to help with some functions of our jobs" -- because there's AI all over the place in computer programs, etc. For example, when I record my podcast, the program I use can generate a transcript for me, and Zoom can create a written transcript of meetings. (I don't happen to use those features, but they do exist!) My email will suggest responses and "grammarly" will correct my grammar on the fly. There are computer-generated reminders one can set up that can be activated when certain payments haven't come in. Amazon's "customers like you bought XYZ" feature can be helpful when trying to create a list of similar titles. Basically a lot of the shit we use every day, from Gmail picking the garbáge out of our emails to Siri finding a playlist for me, to Spotify MAKING a playlist for me, to somebody's smart fridge telling them they are out of milk and adding it to the grocery list -- all involve AI in some fashion, right? So I would imagine that for things like database management / organizational type situations, it could be useful in some way.

(Again, I'm a dope who does everything in notebooks and am not really hip to HOW, but I'm sure that there are things it already does or will be able to do that could be helpful for work situations or life situations or whatever.)

That said -- I'm talking here about workflow, databases, and the like. I'm not talking about the *creative* part. I might be naive, but I don't really think it CAN be used to properly write a good pitch or a summary of an unpublished book in manuscript form unless you feed it all the information (which, no, and also, it still would probably be wrong and not that good so you'd have to edit it, and also if you're going to all that bother, why not just write the dang thing yourself?)

I've just noodled around with ChatGPT a little to understand what it even is, and I'm sure I barely scratched the surface, but like -- the info it gives is not factual, and there is no nuance, and it's just *vague as hell* for the most part? I asked it to "brainstorm a list of titles for an enemies-to-lovers romance about rival figure skaters" and the titles were SO CHEESY and bad, it was basically pointless. ("Struck by Cupid's Skate Blade" is at least memorable, but not in a good way!) I asked it to write an agent bio of ME and it just made random shit up -- like it all SOUNDED right and was formatted well and if you didn't know anything about me, you'd be like "seems great!" -- but actually it was insane. Not to brag on myself or anything, but I'm a MUCH BETTER WRITER than it is. The only thing it was just as good as writing as I am was a rejection letter, because those are vague and full of platitudes on purpose.

So - yeah, idk, I don't really foresee a time when I would let a robot take over ANY real part of my job, let alone a creative part. But like -- IN THEORY? IF there was an AI that somehow actually knew how to write a killer pitch full of singular hooky details etc and a random agent who isn't me wanted to utilize that? I guess my feelings about the ethicalness depends: If the agent has to somehow "feed" the client's work into the AI thingie to make it spit out the correct info, that'd be wild and weird, and something they should not only disclose to their client, but also GET PERMISSION from their client to do, IMO. If, though, the agent is using some kind of AI program as a helpful tool to improve their own work and it DOESN'T involve giving a robot your intellectual property, I don't really see any problem.

I mean -- if gmail auto-suggests I answer an email "sounds great, thanks for the heads up!", and that's what I was probably going to say anyway, and so I click that button rather than spend twenty seconds typing it out -- I don't put an addendum saying, just so you know, AI suggested that response. :-)

[lostlittle-star]

My psoriasis story

I have been thinking for a while to write something down about this. To give it a place, because let's be honest, it fucking sucks and it's ugly.

So here is my struggle, my journey:

The journey until now has been one with a lot of doctors appointments just to figure out what was wrong.

My story started last year when I noticed some sort of rash on my legs. In the beginning it were 3 spots, a couple of days later it were 10 and the next week they appeared on my other leg too, so first appointment at my general practitioner.

First diagnosis: folliculitis (infection/inflammation hair follicles). Remedy: washing myself with disinfectant soap and treat the spots with an antibacterial ointment. It should be getting better at the end of the week.

Wrong. So second appointment.

Second diagnosis: scabies. Fuck! Seriously? Me?! This made me feel ashamed, dirty. I immediately went to the pharmacy and hopped into the shower. Still washing myself with the disinfectant soap, which is making my skin extremely dry, and afterwards the prescribed ointment. New pj's and fresh sheets on the bed, every day. Again, it should be getting better within the week.

Wrong.

Little note, I had a lot of doubts with this diagnosis, I have also a medical background from my time in college (not anymore though). But who am I to go up against the doctor?

The general practitioner is still convinced with the diagnosis. So second week of extreme measurements, fresh clothes and sheets every day, still showering with the disinfectant soap and treatment with the ointment. It should be visibly getting better in days. If it wouldn't, this time I could call.

Well guess what? It was still not getting better. I had now patches on my legs, arms, torso and back. And the diagnosis made it all itch even move. So on Friday I called my general practitioner for the update and miraculously got an appointment with a dermatologist the very next Monday (normally it takes at least half a year to get one).

The appointment with the dermatologist was finally there and I finally got answers. He first checked my fingers for little burrows and smiled a little immediately. Well, I got wrongly diagnosed for four weeks. Finally the right answer I had been waiting for.

The definitive diagnosis: guttate psoriasis. A rare form of psoriasis, less invasive, probably caused by a throat infection. And of course always diagnosed late. Treatment? The same as the typical psoriasis, a corticosteroid foam.

After four weeks, treatment finally started. Since it started so late, the patches on my legs will need a lot more time to heal.

A little flash forward. The most recent patches had disappeared easily after 2 weeks of treatment, it has been 4 months since since the first signs. But those on my legs had healed a lot, the discoloration was still going to be visible for months. Because it needs time, too much time for my liking. It is good it was winter when all this started. At the moment I am writing this, it is already spring and the new batch of patches on my legs are still very visible. And I am struggling with it.

I don't think the dermatologist keep the mental factor in mind. After the diagnosis it's all about the treatment, where and how to apply. For someone who has always been bullied, this is one other blow to the self-esteem.

There are days when it easy, apply lotion in the morning and put on some long trousers and I ignore it for the rest of the day. But there are so, so many days I find it hard to look at my body. And I onow shouldn't be complaining, since it's not as invasive as the typical psoriasis. But I can't help it to struggle with my self image. Will I be able to wear dresses or shorts this summer? Is it going to disappear? Will it come back if all the spots are away?

So, will this story have and end? Will it be like a thread through my life?

This auto-immune illness is one I will have to live with and honestly I get it why no one talks about it and hides it. We all shouldn't.

#my psoriasis story #tw medical stuff #psoriasis #ellen's psoriasis story #tw illness #tw auto-immune illness

[literallyexploding]

(long ass) vent post

you really can't win with a lot of people fr bc they're gonna say you're faking mental illness if you act like you're ok but if you act any other type of way you're annoying and off-putting

also like idk I'm not TRYING to be miserable and things suck a lot less if you at least act like you're enjoying them but that doesn't mean Im doing well if I say I'm not

and these fuckers are gonna literally cancel me if I ever mention anything I'm thinking beyond the most vague allusions to a depressive aura. like people be like asking me questions about this shit and then getting mad at the answer like don't ask people about their trauma/bipolar/ocd/anything if you're not in a place to hear about it

"what are intrusive thoughts?"

oh they're whatever is the most evil and frightening to you and you kinda just get pop up ads for that shit all day

"ok well what ones do you have?"

and I start with light ones and they ask what other ones I have bc they don't sound that bad but then they get mad and don't wanna talk to you when you tell them the worse ones because no one listens to the part about it being the WORST THING YOUR BRAIN CAN CONJURE UP like bro I don't WANT to think about and see that shit all day it's INTRUSIVE and a DISORDER and I'm upset by it I'm not like wow! I really enjoy this live footage of my auto-disembowelment 20 times a day! this is my sexual fantasy! I didn't want to go to sleep tonight anyway I just wanted to think about this!

so few people actually understand me on any level and it sucks honestly it really feels as if no one really gets it sometimes and it's so isolating to be weird even to the weird people it's like I'm the wrong type of weird. like y'all like to joke about being weird off-putting delulu schizo autistic whatever the fuck i don't think some of you get that it sucks and it hurts to experience those things

it hurts every time someone asks if I'm a school shooter or gonna go off the rails or a sociopath or whatever else. everyone is scared of me no matter what I do to my appearance and how I try to act and it makes it so hard to meet people when you have to do all the approaching and leg work because no one wants to try to get to know you. Contrary to popular belief I do have feelings and empathy and sympathy it's just really hard for me to show it in a neurotypical emotional way I tend to just say how I feel rather than show it.

I have pretty thick skin and generally think it's funny to get insulted and DC whatever secretly enjoy it even but the one thing that really still hurts is knowing that people genuinely think I would ever hurt or kill someone on purpose. all I've heard from people my whole life is "I used to be so scared of you but you're actually nice!" which is usually meant well but idk it feels so backhanded after you've heard that you're "actually nice" 30 times because it's a huge shock. and the school shooter shit is just ridiculous honestly like what is your evidence here? that I dress in black and I'm not your sexy goth mommy I'm a little bit awkward and have unconventional interests? bc none of that makes you evil like at all

my friends being my friends ofc say I'm not super awkward and cold but the reality of it is that's how I come across to a large amount of people that I interact with especially with strangers and large settings and it doesn't help to look emo or whatever but one thing I'm not compromising on anymore is my appearance. people didnt treat me much better when I was somewhat within the guidelines of Christian womanhood like sure they called me pretty and hot but it's not like I had any more friends or a better life or more respect. I still scared most people bc nothing about me actually changed. like at least now I wear clothes I feel more confident in. imma look like this and those homophobic hating ass mfrs standing on the street yelling can eat my ass about it

the end (here's an Easter egg for reading this far)

#vent post #TW Vent #vent

[superkilometerfilter]

How To Fix Broken Odometer? – All You Need To Know

Broken odometer may become a problem for all car owners at least once in a while.  There are several solutions addressing this, including fixing properly. However, when this happens, it is a high chance that there are faults with other gauges as well. A faulty odometer is a reason for misleading mileage, which can cause misunderstanding when it comes to getting precise mileage data. Moreover, providing wrong information for a deceitful purpose is a crime. As long as mileage is one of the important indicators for estimating the condition of automobiles, hence odometer serves an important purpose. it used as a reference for drivers to determine service time and changes it may need.

Let’s start and discuss all the interesting topics about it. Grab your attention and keep reading the following guide attentively. 

WHAT IS AN ODOMETER – HOW DOES IT SERVE? 

 It is interesting what happens if you need to deal with  odometer broken? –It’s no longer hard to get the answer to the question when you know the definition and initial function of the instrument.  An odometer is an instrument you can find on an instrument cluster, measuring the distance traveled by vehicles. It may be mechanical, digital, or a combination of the two. You can see a mechanical odometer in older cars. Nowadays, most modern models come with digital odometers. Sometimes people ignore the existence of the device and just concentrate on the speedometer. It is also a very helpful device, that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of the car.  An additional part of the odometer is a trip meter, which is useful to record the distance traveled during the short trip. You can reset ir anytime.

Does odometer break easily? Fixing them on time can be bothersome for those who want to sell autos on the second-hand market. Mileage is a decisive factor for many buyers when it comes to making the final decision. Mostly, people ignore other factors that are even more important. So, dishonest sellers manipulate this mileage-related data and make customers believe things that are far from the truth, just to make a financial profit. 

BROKEN ODOMETER – CAUSES

As we already mentioned, claiming the wrong odometer reading is considered a violation of the law, so you should make sure that you do not have an odometer broken. The reasons for that can be various and it depends on what type of odometer you have: Analog or electronic. When you have an older type, there is a chance that cables and gears are already worn down. The mechanical odometer depends on them. When tires move, the input shaft prompts the cable to spin and connect to the output shaft which allows the odometer to work depending on the tire size it is calibrated.  

As for modern odometers, we ask the same: does odometer break for different reasons? Maybe, the sensor breaks down or something is wrong with the electrical components or engine control unit. Sensors track the wheel rotation, then the sensor sends the information to the ECU. Hence, the information is displayed on the dashboard. so, it’s harder to identify the genuine reason for a broken odometer without proper investigation. It is sometimes the sensor’s fault, maybe something is wrong with ECU or the electrical system fails. You will have additional signs in case of a faulty ECU. Basically, they are the followings: 

The engine performs poorly. 

Check engine light comes on. 

The car won’t start.

HOW TO FIX THE ODOMETER BREAK? 

We have already listed reasons for wrong odometer readings. Reasons vary according to the type of odometer you have. It is even more complicated when it comes to modern automobiles and their electronic odometers. Hence, solutions are also different in every individual case of odometer broken.

Generally, mechanical odometers stop working because the gear that spin is made out of plastic and it breaks easily or loses its teeth. All you need to do is replace them. If you are confident in your automotive skills, just remove the dashboard with screwdrivers and change the damaged gear with a new one. 

Electronic odometer break is harder to repair by yourself. Different manufacturers design dashboards differently. So, it’s hard to follow a particular instruction. However, if you are sure that the problem is a faulty sensor, you should replace it. If the reason is more serious, you should take your auto to the service shop and let a professional repair it. 

The price of the service of fixing a broken odometer varies. It depends on the difficulty of the problem. Generally, it costs from $200 to $500. if the root of the problem comes from ECU and it’s necessary to change it, this part costs between $1,000 and $3,000. The good news is that it can be programmed, so you should expect to pay for that service from $300 to $700.

HOW TO GET REAL MILEAGE FROM A FAULTY ODOMETER? 

If you have your odometer broken, you still have a chance to get precise mileage readings. There are certain tools that are good at verifying mileage. However, if you use mileage blocker from Super Kilometer Filter nothing will retrieve the data. We will talk aout it later in detail. Let’s discuss them one by one. These are the followings:

Odometer scan tool

A scanner is a good gadget that allows you to access an automobile’s odometer memory and retrieve information from it. It is plugged into the Onboard Diagnostic Port (OBD) and all necessary info will be displayed on the screen of the tool. Modern automobiles store their mileage data in multiple control units. 

Dealership service department

When you need a reliable source for obtaining genuine mileage, the best way is to address a professional mechanic or dealership. both of them have access to advanced diagnostic testers, that cost thousands of dollars each year just for subscriptions. So, in case of an odometer break, those departments will help you obtain precise mileage data. 

Online telematics 

Telematics is a good means for monitoring automobiles, it records not only the speed but it can tell more than this. All the data are stored on the manufacturer’s servers.

History Report

Those reports include all the information that may impact consumers’ decisions when buying a used automobile. You can find all the necessary data including mileage-related data with a help of those reports, such as a Carfax. 

Do not forget maintenance records 

Maintenance records are an optimal source of information when you have a broken odometer. Sometimes it can be more precise than any other source. You can call your repair shop and ask to send an email regarding that. Tire shops also make records of your last odometer reading. It’s enough to know what was your last record, then you can easily calculate approximately what is your current number based on your driving habits. 

WHICH TOOLS ARE ULTIMATE FOR CORRECTING MILEAGE?

In most cases people willingly change the mileage in order to make  a higher profit while selling their second-hand car. It is a criminal offense. Odometer fraud is the disconnection, resetting, or alteration of a vehicle’s odometer with the intent to change the number of miles indicated. Sometimes dealing with an odometer broken is a good justification for manipulating the data. However, mostly, people used various rollback devices that are available on the market. Using those tools is unethical. Mainly, people who use them have dishonest purposes. So, before you think about using them to your advantage – think twice! Firstly, they are not as reliable as you may think. It means that they are unable to correct mileage data in all control units. So, anyone can discover a discrepancy with a help of basic diagnostics. 

Additionally, we have already mentioned that there are several methods for mileage verification even in case of an odometer break. For example, in the UK, MOT testing is an annual test of safety, roadworthiness and exhaust emission required by the government for automobiles over three years old. It is also a great source for investigating mileage history. when the test is performed, the engineer records the mileage at testing time. 

LEGAL METHOD FOR AVOIDING UNNECESSARY MILES

When it comes to correcting miles, it is not always against the law. When it comes to legal requirements, it’s also allowed to drive with a broken odometer in most states. You just need to tell potential buyers if it doesn’t work. 

Legitimate reasons for correction can be testing the performance or replacing the odometer broken and making sure that it does not show incorrect data. After discovering that you have a legitimate reason for the correction, you need to make sure that you use the right tool for that. If you ever thought about test driving without adding unnecessary miles, I have good news for you. An extraordinary device called a Mileage blocker is on sale. 

What is Mileage blocker?

Mileage blocker is a premium-quality module from Gemany which halts the mileage recording process unconditionally. What makes it special? – It has an untreatable effect. The altered information remains undiscoverable. It is superior to clocking and rewinding devices. It doesn’t cause flaws in the Can Bus system. Because of its flawless performance, some people intend to use it for malicious purposes. However, it is not allowed to use it for deceitful purposes. 

When you want to test new gadgets, it’s optimal to have your dashboard in a good shape. Do not forget to repair the odometer break. 

TAKEAWAY

So, Before you adjust the broken odometer, those methods will serve you well. You already know a lot about the importance of the odometer and its initial purpose. Do not hide the information when selling your property. when you urgently need to read odometer data, try the above-mentioned method that will help you to learn genuine mileage.

#fix #broken #odometer

[njbusiness183]

Finest Saas Contracts Legal Professionals 2023 Full Information

This can lead to adjustments to the advertising, messaging, and design of the SaaS product to extra intently goal the needs of one of the best prospects. There exist many lower-stress businesses in life than SaaS companies being managed for aggressive progress; it’s likened to using a rocket ship, the place you burn fuel aggressively to attain acceleration and, by the way in which, if something goes wrong you explode. Funded SaaS businesses are designed to trade money for development, which suggests they’re designed to lose some huge cash up entrance while perfecting their mannequin; almost no funded SaaS enterprise has ever failed at that aim. The high end is often called “the enterprise” and targets extraordinarily large businesses or governments. Some customers need some help in deciding how or whether or not to adopt certain products. Customers love SaaS as a outcome of it “just works.” There is typically nothing to install to entry it.

Second, if the startup needs to do a capital raise no good investor would ever give the startup as much as nickel if they knew that the founder answerable for creating all the IP has not but assigned it to the corporate. To add additional Low cost saas law firm worth, we assist our shoppers to identify new market alternatives and strategic partners. Don’t let your competitors steal your key features – protect them with a software patent.

If your SaaS app allows customers to addContent content - footage, textual content, documents, movies, audio and so on - you should tackle copyright, intellectual property and any limited licenses you wish to reserve within the user-generated content. We leverage our experience as prior in-house counsel with our authorized data to supply purchasers with one of the best illustration potential. We provide advice in acquisition, leasing, financing, design, development, stabilization, management, and disposition of workplace, retail, multi-family, industrial, and mixed-use projects. Now that we know what SaaS regulation software is and the way it’s useful, you might be wondering how to choose the best product on the market for you. It may be easy to get caught up in eager to go with the large players, but to choose probably the most applicable and cost-effective answer in your law agency, it’s worth taking a better have a look at the full choice of completely different software program choices out there. Generally talking, they’re the segments where you have excessive conversion charges, low churn charges, and comparatively higher ACV.

An hour of legal training and negotiating throughout employee onboarding or annual conferences can forestall dearer forwards and backwards months later. At the very least, the supplies turn into simple resources your reps can leverage if they don’t bear in mind the small print. If certain issues are commonly negotiated and you concluded they are minor, then think about whether or not it’s more efficient on your company to leave these points to someone else. If different issues are extra vital, then make clear who does and does not have the ability to negotiate those items. If your counterpart at BigCo also needs to get the deal carried out soon, your message will reach BigCo’s authorized division.

Using an excessive quantity of technical jargon and legalese may be off-putting and should make it appear to be you’re trying to hide something. Your lawyer might need to make positive that your settlement is solid, yet written for a wider audience than a typical agreement. You’ll want to spend a nice deal of time thinking about the terms of your SaaS settlement. You’ll need to assume by way of the whole lifecycle of your relationship together with your prospects and plan accordingly. Consider how cost shall be processed, how auto renewals will work , and the main points of termination.

A way to do that is to add a clause to your agreement that explicitly states that your customers provides you this license. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act within the United States contains provisions that can make businesses liable for copyright infringement, even when they weren't answerable for posting the content material themselves. With that said, it's still a greatest follow because Terms and Conditions agreements are advantageous to all companies. Most probably, you've tips and guidelines in place to make sure that customers interact along with your service in a method that isn't harmful.

Even with SaaS providers which are supplied in a bundled or tiered model, expertise customers typically expect reductions as they're used to them from years of licensing software program and buying hardware products. While it might appear apparent, many SaaS contracts don't adequately inform a buyer about what's included and excluded from the SaaS providers. This space is essential to the SaaS know-how supplier, as it should only commit to offer specified providers and exclude all others.

SaaS firms incessantly spend less than 5~10% of their marginal income per customer on delivering the underlying service. A more frequent form of hybridization is adopting sure elements of the opposite gross sales mannequin. For example, many low-touch SaaS businesses have buyer success teams that, if you squint at them, look almost like inside sales. The complexity of the technology, as nicely as the time it takes to organize and prosecute a patent application for a SaaS app, could make it costly. Your group should know most of what’s in its agreement and why it’s there. Customer stakeholders who aren't attorneys are fairly likely to ask your sales staff questions which are both ‘legal’ and important to the deal, long before an attorney is concerned.

It's important to set out clearly in your Terms of Service settlement how free trials are managed and make certain that you do not overlook to specify a time size for the trial. Consider which of the above could apply to your app and which things a consumer may have the ability to do. The jurisdiction is normally within the nation or state where the business relies. You'll be in a position to instantly entry and obtain the Terms & Conditions agreement. Employment law, contract law, personal harm law, and more may follow the affordable individual test to assist come up with fair conclusions in a case.

[calderonfaber18]

The Requirements Of Windshield Replacement

A common cause of basement water coming through poured wall foundation is from water coming through a crack in the wall. Unfortunately, as well as to wall in every basement has a crack in understand it.yes all four walls. The good news is not every crack will leak. If your basement is already finished and your carpet is being wet first check make certain your sump pump is operating suitably. Niche Marketing On crack is the best book for the beginners and experienced marketers who wish to understanding the reasons "end-to-end" process of building niche site empire using Hubpages. Unlike many other ebooks that's the whole tell you half of your story, Online business On Crack puts together all the pieces on the puzzle and lay the whole process step by step. The 2nd step in order to use clean the concrete break. Here you need to avoid leaving dirt, twigs and leaves in the crack and continue to give the concrete crack a good scrub having a wire brush before putting your caulking down. No. Sure it seems easy enough, but it is a bad practice. If you fail to seal a crack properly, or make use of the wrong solution for filling the cracks, you may become wasting cash and time (not to name water will still penetrate your cracks). Also, as soon as you do call a professional, it costs more to put together them clean a crack that was badly injected than to fill a crack consider. Let a professional perform. The steps to repair your windshield are easier than you think and easily followed. First, you will have to clean the crack utilizing a glass cleaner and remove all regarding glass have got still departed. After, place a stopping tool in order to isolate the answer. process lasso Crack Free Download can be adjusted to cover the whole length for this crack throughout the windshield. As process lasso Crack Full Version continued to watch after my daughter, and this other girl hit better and better I would not want to help but feel a sizable amount experience. They were transforming in front of us. Whatever those coaches told them and whatever those two girls absorbed from their coaches was generating solid hit after solid struck. John The Ripper a different free password cracker that is very useful for computers running on Windows, Linux and Macs. Is going to Mac or Linux they can also recover password by this tool. The application is very much easy unit and it also comes with good instructions. So, the PC users won't find any difficulty to in order to. Most auto glass companies offer a very warranty which proves that the process is reliable and can also be trusted to prevent you from having change the entire windshield.

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[freewayinsurance]

How Long are You Considered a New Driver?

You’ve had your driver’s license for a few months. But your insurance is still sky high. You are beginning to wonder if you will ever see lower rates and reap the benefits your good driving habits should bring.

Every motorist needs the right insurance to be legal. Do you know where to start when you first get your license? Finding the right auto insurance can be confusing.

If you get the wrong kind, you might end up paying too much or not having enough coverage. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about coverage before you get behind the wheel.

What is New Driver Auto Insurance?

It consists of policies for first-time drivers. It is called “high-risk” coverage in the industry. Although high-risk policies are not just for those who are new and inexperienced, anyone with little to no experience behind the wheel will be seen as a higher risk. And that’s because these people tend to get into more accidents than those with some experience on the road.

You may also fall into the “young driver” category, which is another high-risk subset of motorists to insurers. Teenagers tend to have more accidents, get more tickets and therefore, file more claims, than older, more mature folks.

So, if you are a teenager who just got your driver’s license, you have a double whammy when looking for affordable coverage.

How Much is High-Risk Insurance?

It depends on where you live, among other factors. Nationwide, the average monthly cost for full coverage is $148. The minimum for state-required liability averages $47 monthly. It’s important to understand that these prices are for an established motorist with a clean driving history.

For someone new, that cost can be doubled or even tripled. For example, in Los Angeles, a 16-year-old male will pay on average $352 per month for the minimum coverage required by law in California. If they have financed a vehicle and therefore need to purchase full coverage, that averages $1,054 monthly.

On the other hand, a 45-year-old male in Los Angeles will pay on average $77 for the state-required minimum and $238 monthly for full coverage.

You can see that your premium will go down as you get older and/or gain more experience. At this point, the law – and your insurer – view you as a child.

No matter how long you’ve been driving, it’s important to know ways to lower your premium.

How Long Are You Considered a New Driver?

The good news is that someone is only considered this while they have no driving history. So as soon as you begin driving, you are no longer in that category.

The bad news, though, is that you simply go from that to being known as an inexperienced driver. And you’re still going to pay more.

How Long is Someone Considered Inexperienced?

Generally speaking, your experience will be measured in terms of either your age or your time driving. So if the insurance company goes by age, you will likely be considered lacking experience (and paying higher prices for coverage) until you are in your early-to-mid 20’s.

If your insurance company goes by driving experience, you may need to wait until you have driven for at least three years. Some insurers consider you lacking in experience for far longer, though, so make sure to ask so you can get a direct answer.

How Can I Become a Good Driver?

In most cases, practice makes perfect and that’s true for learning how to be good behind the wheel and how to drive defensively. But you don’t want to be on the road for any longer than is absolutely necessary. So, there are a couple of things you can do to help get the skills you need.

1. Take a defensive driving course. These courses are not expensive and many of them are available online. You’ll learn how to anticipate and avoid situations that are dangerous. And bonus – many insurers will give you a car insurance discount for successfully completing a course.

2. Use an online driving practice tool. There are a variety of driving simulators and games you can access online. Some are free and some will cost, but this is a good (and some might say, fun) way of getting better at driving.

How to Find Affordable Quotes

If you are a new teen driver, it’s important to look for ways to get the cheapest car insurance possible, since teenage drivers typically see some of the highest car insurance premiums. But you do have some options and it’s a good idea to pursue them. Keep in mind that not making a claim against your carrier is the best thing you can do to have those rates come down as you get older. Here are some other avenues to pursue.

Money-Saving Discounts

Every carrier offers discounts to their customers. As a teenager, you won’t be able to access most of those, but there are some that you can use to your advantage.

Good student discount – If you are a high school or college student, many car insurance companies will reward you for maintaining a GPA of B or above. The thinking is that students who get good grades are more likely to be responsible as a teen driver. This credit for good grades simple involves you submitting your report card to your insurance company.

Safe driver – Another way to save money is to be a safe behind the wheel. You cannot get this discount as soon as you start your career as a teen driver, but you can ask for it after you’ve been on the road for a few years. Since your rates are not really going to go down until you are no longer a teenager and well into your 20s, this can be particularly helpful as you near the age of 20. Most insurance companies give these rate decreases to people who maintain a clean driving record for 3 or so years.

Defensive driving class – We know. Teens don’t want to spend anymore time in a classroom than they have to, but taking a defensive driving class is a good way to get a decrease (it works for your parents, too). And there are plenty of them online, so you don’t have to go to a physical classroom!

Finding Cheap Car Insurance on Your Parent’s Policy

Another method teenagers can use to save some money is to get on their parents’ policy, if that’s possible. If they’ll let you, they may get a price reduction for insuring another vehicle on their policy (multi-vehicle policy). Of course, that isn’t going to offset the amount you will add by joining their package as their child. Overall, especially if they have good driving records (and have possibly been with the insurer for some time), this is a great way to find a lower price.

Establishing a Credit Score

It’s not something that most teenagers are thinking about, but establishing and maintaining a good credit score will help you in many more ways than just finding a lower car insurance premium. If you are working, see if your parents will help you get a low-limit credit card and commit to paying it off every month. Although the practice of using a credit score to assign rates is falling out of favor (and has been outright banned in some states), having a good credit score will serve you well in many different aspects as you get older.

An added bonus here is that you’ll have a credit history, which opens many doors as you get older.

What You Drive Makes a Difference

It’s understandable that as you get behind the wheel as a new driver, you want to drive something cool. But keep in mind that it will greatly affect the type of policy you need to buy. Although you may not like the idea of driving something a little older and a little safer, there are really good reasons to factor this in to your choices. Obviously, if your insurance carrier looks at your auto as a safer ride, you will get bonus points for that. And if it doesn’t cost as much to repair it in the event you do file a claim, that will also be a factor. So, a used, but dependable Honda, will be cheaper than a flashy Chevy Corvette.

Also, if you outright purchase a vehicle without getting a loan, you are already ahead since you’ll be able to access the cheapest car insurance available to you. This is the state-required minimum, which is the amount that your state says everybody must have and it typically consists of some bodily injury and property damage liability limits. If you finance an automobile, however, your lender is most likely going to require you to carry full coverage (liability plus comprehensive and collision). Let’s look at some examples of average monthly prices for 16-year-old males in the U.S.

As you can see, rates vary greatly by where you live and whether you purchase just the state-required minimum or if you have to buy full coverage.

Factors That Go Into Underwriting

Underwriting is the process your insurance company goes through to decide what premium you will pay. There are a lot of factors that go into this process and since everyone is slightly different, you’ll be hard pressed to find identical rates. As we discussed, your choice of vehicle and where you live play a big part. Additional information includes your age and official driving record. Here are some of the other factors that may be used to come up with your premium.

Zip code – Yes, we already talked about your state’s required minimums, but your zip code of residence plays a part. In fact, you may live in a zip code that has a high collective rate of claims in the form of accidents and crime, such as car theft. Your neighbor may live in a different zip code that has a lower rate of claims. Guess who will be playing more for their policy?

Gender – Unfortunately, males tend to pay higher prices than females when it comes to their policy. As a group, males are more likely to exhibit reckless behavior behind the wheel, accumulate more tickets and have a higher risk of motor vehicle crashes.

The Importance of Avoiding Accidents

Obviously, everybody should avoid accidents whenever possible. But it is particularly important to drive safely and avoid accidents when you are new or inexperienced.

That’s because your rates always go up after an accident. And an accident will likely cause you to pay higher rates for at least three years. Considering that you are already paying a higher rate for being new, this can cause your rate to really skyrocket.

The Challenge of Finding the Right Insurance

As we noted above, you are likely to pay a higher rate for several years when you are a newbie. And that rate will stay high as long as you are considered “inexperienced,” regardless of how safe your driving record is.

If you want to get a better rate, the answer is simple: you need to shop around and get quotes from a variety of different car insurance companies. This gives you enough comparison information to ensure you are getting the best possible deal.

Most people pay by the month, which means you don’t have to wait to switch and start insurance carriers to begin paying a lower rate. And since you will be considered an inexperienced driver for several years, switching can help you save hundreds or even thousands of dollars over time.

Advice for Parents of a Teen

The Highway Safety Insurance Institute says not only is it important to make good choices when it comes to your teenagers vehicle, knowing the reasons behind why some cars are better for newbies than others is equally critical. In fact, the HSII puts out a list of recommended vehicles, which leans towards heavier ones. Parents have influence when it comes to putting their children behind the wheel. They’ve nurtured this child from birth on, so phasing them safely into getting on the road is no different. A child also looks to a parental figure to exhibit safe driving techniques so they can start working on their own clean driving record when the time comes.

Some parents do not allow their children to have their own car before a certain time. The Highway Safety Insurance Institute actually believes this is a good idea. Letting your child drive your vehicle or one that belongs to a family member will help defray some of the costs of insuring your child, but also give them valuable experience with less freedom to make mistakes.

Get the Best New Driver Auto Insurance Today!

Now you know how long you are considered new. But do you know where people of all experience levels can get the best car insurance?

Freeway offers the most affordable coverage. We can easily get you started with a quote online. But if you’d rather visit in person, you can always come to one of our local offices. Or, if you’d rather just use the telephone, you can always call us at [phone] for a quote today!

[krabbevinson]

The Mississippi Insurance Commission - Protecting the Public From Fraudulent Carriers

The Mississippi Insurance Commission and Insurance lead in Mississippi are some of the most politically correct, run a fair and strong commission. Yet, when it comes to the actual coverage and rates for insurance, the Commission has no control over those matters. That's where the Insurance brokers come into play! They buy all the auto insurance rates from the Commission and sell them to you. There is no middle man in this transaction. How does this work you ask? The Insurance Commission realizes that they have hundreds of thousands of pages of endless insurance rates, most of which they don't have a clue how to sell. Some are just way too complex to even print on the cover page. The brokers buy these policies from the Commission, underwrite them with insurance agents from around the state, and then sell the policies to you... you, the consumer. If that wasn't enough, each policy they sell has to be approved by the State Governmental Veterinarian. The State Veterinarian is appointed by the Secretary of State. He or she reviews each application, assigns a rating, and then hands it off to the insurance broker. There is no appeal process! Ok, so now you are probably thinking... this can't be legal, right? You thought the Commission was there to serve you, not to make money! Wrong! The Insurance Broker holds all the cards in negotiations with Insurance carriers and can usually get better insurance rates because they know carriers, deal with them on a regular basis, and understand their inner workings. The Insurance Broker is also in a better position to position the customer in a better light with Insurance carriers so that they will ultimately lower their insurance rates. What does all this mean for you? It means lower insurance rates. It means more savings on your insurance and a faster processing time on your policy. It means you won't need to take the time off of work you take every year to sit in an insurance office. If you are already insured, your broker can assist you in negotiating better rates on your policy, and if you're not yet insured but considering joining, he or she can assist you in acquiring your policy. What exactly does your Mississippi Insurance Commission do? They meet behind closed doors on a regular basis, they meet once a year, to meet one-on-one with carriers and generally make sure the market remains healthy. In fact, they spend so much time on committees that members sometimes forget they exist! The Insurance Commission also publishes reports on a regular basis, such as one-third of a year. I could spend several articles just on the various topics, the Mississippi Insurance Commission discusses in their reports. So what can you expect from the Mississippi Insurance Commission? Well, for starters they are very busy, so they can't always meet with you one-on-one like they used to. Sometimes they have other responsibilities, such as maintaining the books at the Department of Insurance. Pennsylvania-car-insurance.com may be able to get your questions answered online, by phone, or through mail. However, if you have a specific question that the Commission doesn't answer or doesn't know the answer to, don't hesitate to contact them! The Mississippi Insurance Commission's main responsibility is to protect the consumer from fraud and false advertising, which is why all agents must be licensed. With the changes in the law, the vast majority of brokers are now required to be licensed by the Commission in order to participate in the insurance market. Even so, there are many more licensed insurance agents than there are agents to sell insurance to those consumers wishing to buy policies. Mississippi Insurance agents, by ensuring prompt and courteous service to their customers, will help keep the insurance market healthy and competitive.

#Pennsylvania-car-insurance.com

[yelena-bellova]

Safe Haven: tfatws!Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

chapter three - Chapter Four: Madripoor - chapter five

Series Masterlist

Plot: Y/n, Sam and Bucky pay an eventful visit to Helmut Zemo in Berlin, heading to Madripoor soon after to get answers about the serum.

Word Count: 7.4k

Warnings: spoilers for episode.3, angst, violence, description of injuries, a few crumbs for the slow burn, breaking the law and looking good doing it

A/N: These chapters always end up being so long lol. I was going to include the nightclub scene but it would’ve made it too long so sorry, it’ll have to wait a few more days. Forgive my shitty Russian translations, I’m on Google Translate and that’s not saying a lot. 

----

“Not that it makes a difference, but I still don’t like this.” I’d voiced my displeasure about meeting with Zemo several times since we’d arrived in Germany. Even though we were already being led through the high security Berlin prison hallways, I still felt the urge to state my opinion. 

The guard that was guiding us gestured towards a door, “He’s just through the corridor.”

“Give us a sec,” Bucky said, the three of us coming to a halt in the middle of the hall. “I’m gonna go in alone.” “Why?” Sam asked.

“You’re an Avenger, you know how he feels about that,” Bucky looked to me, “You, I’m trying to keep as far away from him as possible.”

“It’s not like you two were known for frolickin’ in the sun together,” Sam remarked.

“I’m gonna say it again,” I took an assertive step forward, “I don’t like this.”

“He was obsessed with HYDRA,” Bucky pushed, “We have a history together. Trust me, I got it.”

Taking my cue from Sam, who didn’t fight him any more, I nervously watched Bucky stalk down the hallway to the corridor that led to our possible next step.

“Is he really okay?” I asked, watching Bucky’s figure until he disappeared, “I feel like we’re going a little too far with this.” “He’s invested, which means he’s desperate,” Sam answered, leaning his back against the wall, “This is a little too much though.” 

I copied his posture and we stood in silence, the occasional guard passing by. “What happened last night after I left the room? C’mon, you come out crying and you thought I was gonna let it go?” “Bucky and I were just…” I sighed, remembering the change that had happened between our two conversations, “Learning to get along. I told him about Steve, that’s never fun to relive.” “Ah,” Sam nodded, “Can I ask you something?” 

“Hm?” “You’re not mad at me that I gave up the shield, are you?”

My brows knitted together as I looked over at him, “Why would I be mad? Your decision wouldn’t have changed even if I was, would it?” “No, it wouldn’t have. But you were close to Steve too, you care about his legacy,” he went on, “We’re all angry about Walker. I don’t care if Bucky’s upset at me, but I always care if you are.” “Someone ever tell you you care too much sometimes?” I playfully nudged his sneaker with my own, “Of course I’m not mad, you know I support you no matter what. You made the right decision for you and you have nothing to apologize for. Bucky and even Steve don’t need to understand why you chose to give it up. Would it have been cool to say that my brother is Captain America?” I coaxed a laugh out of him, “Of course, but it doesn’t change how I see you. I’m just proud to say my brother is Sam Wilson.” He poked me with his elbow and smiled, “Now I remember why I keep you around.” “Y/n Y/l/n, Falcon’s Ego Booster.” We were sharing a laugh when Bucky came back around the corner. “That was quick,” I observed. He’d been in there five minutes tops.

“We’ve got our next stop.”

————

“What are you talking about? You wanna break Zemo outta jail?” Sam questioned in the dark, “Where are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?”

“We have no leads, no moves, nothing,” Bucky replied, shining his flashlight around to try and find the power switch. I couldn’t clearly make out where he had brought us to, he’d brought us through the back door of the building. “So because we’ve hit one dead end, you want to spring one of the most dangerous men in the world out of prison?” I asked, shining my flashlight at Bucky causing him to throw a hand up to shield his eyes, “Bucky, I don’t-“ “Like this,” he finished, “I got that, but we’ve got eight Super Soldiers on the loose.” “Zemo’s gonna miss with our minds, especially yours,” Sam interjected, “No offense.” I made out Bucky’s silhouette reaching up a beam, a loud click of a switch and the lights began to turn on. “Offense,” he scowled.

With the lights on, we could finally see that we were in an auto shop. I was glad to be out of the prison but I wasn’t seeing the correlation between it and freeing Zemo.

“Super Soldiers go against everything he believes in,” Bucky continued, “He is crazy, but he still has a code.” “I’ve been on the wrong side of that code and so have you,” Sam countered, I’d heard in detail about the havoc Zemo had caused and the ramifications of his actions had caused Sam and Steve to become fugitives. Never mind what he’d done to Bucky…”He blew up the UN, he killed King T’Chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that? You think the Wakandans forgot about it? It’s a rhetorical question, they didn’t. I know why this matters to you, but it’s pushing you off the deep end.”

Bucky stood in front of us now, “We don’t know how they’re gettin’ the serum. We don’t even know how many of them there are,” Sam turned his back in frustration, “Look, let me just walk you two through a hypothetical. Can I walk you through a hypothetical?”

“What did you do?” Sam asked suspiciously, turning halfway to meet Bucky’s eyes.

“I didn’t…” Bucky’s looked away briefly, “Do anything.”

“Then by all means,” I leaned up against a beam and crossed my arms, not believing him at all, “Let’s ride the hypothetical train.” Bucky frowned at my sarcasm before launching into it, “The weakest point in any system isn’t the software, the hardware, it’s the meatware. The human element. Now, in this lockup, it’s nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond.” “So why would two prisoners randomly start fighting at that moment?” Sam asked.

“Who knows? There could be many reasons…But the point is, these things escalate. Lockdown procedures would have to be initiated and with all those bodies flying around left and right, wouldn’t be hard to slip down a hallway or two. And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated, someone could use the chaos to their advantage.”

“My gut is sounding off every alarm it has right now,” I commented from my place across from Bucky.

“Yeah, I don’t like how casual you’re bein’ about this, this is unnatural,” Sam replied finally, “Are you- and where are we, man?” A nearby door closing caused us to turn our attention towards it, a silhouette appearing soon after through a curtain. The shadow became a man and walked through the cloth divider wearing the face I’d had etched in my brain since the day it hit the news.

“You son of a bitch,” I mumbled, creating a ball of energy quickly with my hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sam’s voice rose, walking with me towards the man, “What are you doin’ here?” Bucky was quick to throw himself in front of us, “No, listen. I didn’t want to tell you ‘cause I knew neither of you would let this happen.” “What the hell did you do?” I exclaimed.

“We need him,” Bucky said. Sam pointed to Zemo, “You’re going back to prison!”

“If I may,” the Sokovian man began, removing the hat of his stolen prison guard uniform.

“NO!” the three of us yelled at the same time. He hung his head, “Apologies…” Bucky turned back to Sam, “When Steve refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, you backed him. You broke the law, and you stuck your neck out for me,” when Sam averted his gaze, Bucky chased it, “I’m asking you to do it again.” 

“And what about her?” Sam gestured to me and the ball of energy I still had formed in my palms, “What happens when she breaks the law?” Bucky’s pleading eyes drifted to me, “He’s our only shot at getting any answers.” My mind was wrestling with itself, his rightness was inevitably going to come at a cost we would all have to pay. On a technicality, yes, I could plead innocent to freeing Zemo. A coconspirator charge, I wouldn’t be so lucky with. But stopping the Flag Smashers meant saving lives and that wasn’t something I could walk away from. I deformed the energy in my hands in cautious surrender, “I’m already breakin’ the law by going against the accords, I need to make it worth it at least.” Sam shot me an exasperated glance, but he didn’t fight me.

“I really think I’m invaluable…” Zemo began from his corner.

“Shut up…” Sam warned, effectively shutting him up. Sam thought it all over for a second before pressing his flashlight to Bucky��s chest, “Okay. If we do this, you don’t make a move without our permission.” Zemo shrugged, “Fair.”

The three of us shared an uneasy look, there was no going back now. “Okay, Zemo, where do we start?”

“Follow me,” he smiled, leading the way out of the auto shop and expecting us to follow. Sam went first, eager to keep his eye on Zemo at all times while Bucky and I brought up the rear.

“I didn’t want to have to go this route,” he said from beside me as if he owed me some explanation for his actions. I sighed, trying to shut off the part of my brain that was screaming at me, “Just be right.”

We maneuvered through a few corridors until we hit a room filled with beautiful antique cars. “So our first move is grand theft auto?” Sam asked. “These are mine,” Zemo corrected, “Collected by family over the generations. I spent years hunting people HYDRA recruited to recreate the serum. Because once it’s out there, someone can create an army of people…like the Avengers,” he dug through one of the cars to pull out a bag and coat, “I ended the Winter Soldier program once before. I have no intention to leave my work unfinished.” My eyes unavoidably flickered to Bucky, observing his reaction to hearing his old code name. He simply watched the man continue speaking. “To do this, we’ll have to scale a ladder of lowlifes.”

“Well, join the party. We’ve already started…” Sam commented.

“First stop is a woman named Selby,” Zemo stated as he headed for the exit, “Mid-level fence I still have a line on. From there, we climb.” 

Sam, Bucky and I left a gaping distance between us and him, we were still highly suspicious and I had a feeling we would be until our temporary partnership came to an end.

————

Zemo had gotten word to somebody that we’d be meeting them at a private airport in Berlin and flying to someplace called Madripoor. Somehow we’d made the journey without being recognized, even those of us who were wanted across the globe. “So all this time you’ve been rich?” Sam asked as we made our way towards the private plane.

“I’m a Baron, Sam,” Zemo answered, “My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country.” 

Zemo greeted the man standing outside the plane, who was dressed like a butler, in Sokovian. “Well,” I crossed my arms and watched one of the world’s most dangerous men exchange cheek kisses, “If we’re going to work with a criminal, at least we picked one that comes with transportation.” “Please,” Zemo said, gesturing for us to follow him up the plane’s steps. Sam awkwardly bowed to the butler and headed up. Bucky extended a hand towards the jet for me to go ahead of him before following closely behind.

When we filed into the plane, Sam and Zemo were already seated. I moved to take the chair across from the baron, wanting to keep as close an eye on him as I could. Bucky’s flesh arm reached out quickly and grabbed my shoulder, I turned to question him and met his wary expression. “Sit with Sam,” he muttered quietly, our faces close enough that I could feel his breath as he’d spoken. It dawned on me that he wanted me to have the safer position. I answered with a nod, maneuvering around him to sit across from Sam. Even though his hand had left my arm, I could still feel its print through my jacket.

We had been flying for maybe twenty minutes when Zemo’s butler, Oeznik, came in carrying a glass of champagne for Zemo and offering to whip up some food. It astounded me how to the world, he was evil yet to his servants, he was a joy. “You don’t know what it’s like to be locked in a cell,” the baron said before looking over at my brother, “Oh, that’s right. You do.”

Sam bypassed the jab remarkably, “Why don’t you tell us about where we’re going?”

“I’m sorry, I was just fascinated by this,” Zemo held up a book, “I don’t know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?”

Not two seconds after the name had left his lips, Bucky out of his seat with his metal hand wrapped around Zemo’s neck. My heart stopped as I watched him lean over the man threateningly. “If you touch that book again,” he growled, “I’ll kill you.” This was a side of Bucky I had yet to see, the one that straddled the line between his dark past and his true self. As he sat back down, tucking the book in his pocket and refusing to meet my eyes, I could tell he wasn’t pleased with how he’d acted. I wasn’t in a place to criticize but I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been slightly worried when his fingers hit Zemo’s skin.

“I’m sorry,” Zemo said, “I understand that list of names. People you’ve wronged as the Winter Soldier.” “Don’t push it,” Bucky rasped, collecting himself after the scene.

“I’ve seen that book,” Sam spoke up, “It was Steve’s when he came out of the ice. I told him about Trouble Man, he wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What’d you think?” “I like ’40’s music,” Bucky shrugged and looked out the window, “So…” “You didn’t like it?” Sam exclaimed.

“I liked it,” Bucky replied unconvincingly.

“It is a masterpiece, James,” Zemo chimed in, his hands forming a triangle, “Complete, comprehensive…It captures the African-American experience.” While my brows raised at the European’s surprising education, Sam’s furrowed. “He’s out of line, but he’s right. It’s great, everybody loves Marvin Gaye.”

Bucky shook his head, “I like Marvin Gaye.” “Steve adored Marvin Gaye.” “He did,” I chuckled, reminiscing back to only last year, “Played him almost anytime I got in a car with him.” “You must have really looked up to Steve,” Zemo said, “But I realized something when I met him. The danger with people like him, America’s Super Soldiers, is that we put them on pedestals.” “Watch your step, Zemo…” Sam warned. “They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there,” he shrugged, “Cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought,” Zemo turned his attention to Bucky, “You remember that, right?” As a young soldier sent to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull? That is why we’re going to Madripoor.” “What’s up with Madripoor?” Sam looked between the two men, “You guys talk about it like it’s Skull Island.”

“It’s an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago,” Bucky grumbled, “It was a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s.” “It’s kept its lawless ways, but we cannot exactly walk in as ourselves,” Zemo’s unsettling eyes moved back to Bucky, “James, you will have to become someone you claim is gone.” 

With the way Bucky’s expression had changed in mere seconds from complacent to tortured, it didn’t take long to decode what Zemo was insinuating. “No,” I blurted out, “That’s not fair to ask of him.” “I admire your devotion, Y/n,” Zemo complimented with his lips to his champagne flute, taking a quick sip, “But you know nothing of how Madripoor works. If you want to get to Selby, we must have protection. More than that, we must have leverage. James can provide us both by simply playing a part.” “Devo-?” I shook my head, sidestepping Zemo’s comment, “That’s not playing a part, that’s like reliving every nightmare you’ve ever had. I-it’s like-“ “Y/n,” I turned to see Bucky’s chair rotated towards me, looking helpless and determined all at once, “We need in.” “Yeah, but…” I started to protested before seeing his eyes, those ocean blue eyes I was growing to feel comforted by begging me to let the subject go. I clenched my own y/e/c ones shut in frustration, “Okay.” “Now that that’s settled,” Zemo stood from his seat, “I will find us something to change into, we will need to blend in where we’re going.” ——

The silver dress Zemo had chosen for me was…it made me wonder just what kind of scene we were planning to enter. It was more revealing than anything I typically wore, but gorgeous nonetheless and fit perfectly.

As I was finishing my makeup in the bathroom of the plane, I had to take a second to steel myself for what was to come. This wasn’t just dallying with Super Soldiers any more, this was dancing with the criminal underworld. Zemo hadn’t told us yet the roles we were playing, only that we needed to stay in character at all cost. I had never felt more out of my depth, but had no choice but to rise to the occasion. Giving myself one last check in the mirror, I unlocked and exited the bathroom. 

“Okay, I hope whoever I’m playing is bad with heels,” I held up the elaborate shoes Zemo had matched to my dress, “Because there’s no way I’m going to be graceful in these.” Sam looked up from tying his dress shoes, dressed in a maroon suit patterned with yellow circles. His eyes scanned my outfit unapprovingly. “Uh uh,” he protested, going full protective big brother, “Nope. It shows too much.” “It doesn’t matter what it shows,” I said, bending over to strap on the shoes, “It’s what I’ve got.” “She’s right,” Zemo chimed in, putting his jacket on, “You two are supposed to be rich, glamorous travelers of the world. You need to look the part,” he nodded towards me, “You wear it well.” I politely smiled at the baron and looked up to Bucky, perched in the far corner of the jet. His gaze was fixed on me, eyes quickly traveling down my body before quickly locking with mine. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, his plush lips parted ever so slightly. I found myself just as drawn into him as he seemed to be with me, for a few seconds it was just the two of us shutting our surroundings out. It was…something. “You look nice,” Bucky finally said, his voice slightly strained.

My lips quirked upwards, “Thanks.” “It is time for us to leave,” Zemo announced, bursting the bubble Bucky and I had built, “You’d better get used to those shoes quickly, we’ll be making most of the journey by foot.” He hadn’t been lying. We departed the runway and walked our way towards the city. Madripoor looked beautiful on the outside, the high-rise buildings lit up in all different colors emitting a glow across the waters. 

“We have to do something about this,” Sam finally exclaimed, holding the lapels of his patterned maroon suit, “I’m the only one who looks like a pimp.” “If you’re a pimp, what does that make me?” I gestured to the amount of skin I had on display, “Suck it up, Wilson.” “Only an American would assume a fashion-forward black man looks like a pimp,” Zemo added as we crossed the large bridge leading to the city, “You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.” Sam took Zemo’s phone from his outstretched hand, “He even has a bad nickname.”

I leaned over to look at the picture of Sam’s doppelgänger, “Hey, be nice. That’s your twin you’re talking about.” “And you,” Zemo addressed me, “Conrad is known for entertaining beautiful women, one after the other,” he ignored the faces of disgust Sam and I made at the thought of acting as a couple, “You will be playing tonight’s date, no need to come up with a name or a story as his dates are typically just arm candy.”

“So I’m supposed to just sit and look pretty?” I side eyed Zemo in annoyance, “Great.” “You smell this?” he asked the group.

“Yeah, what is that? Acid?” Sam asked.

“Madripoor,” Zemo answered, “No matter what happens, we have to stay in character. Our lives depend on it. There’s no margin for error. High Town’s that way,” Zemo pointed towards the part of the city I’d been admiring, “Not a bad place if you want to visit, but Low Town’s the other way.” We approached a car waiting for us at the end of the bridge, ready to take us into the darkest part of the city. Bucky, who had remained silent since the plane, climbed into the backseat first while Zemo took the passenger’s side. “Let me guess,” Sam remarked as we moved to get in the car, “We don’t have any friends in High Town.”

“I’m guessing not,” I muttered, ducking into the back seat and sliding till I was pressed against Bucky. He didn’t make a sound, he barely even registered my presence. I was about to ask him if he was alright when I realized what he was doing. We all had our roles to play and Bucky was doing just that. 

Sam climbed in next to me and we took off, me sandwiched between the two men trying to convince myself that I could do this. I could pretend to be someone I wasn’t to get answers, but my nerves was convincing me I was going to mess it up for us. No margin for error, Zemo’s words bounced around in my brain. He’d said our lives depended on it. They depended on whether or not I could keep it together. Sam must have sensed my anxiety because I felt his palm slide against my clammy one and squeeze. I sent a shaky one back, taking what comfort I could that I didn’t have to do this alone.

We were escorted in by a motorcade till we got to the seedier part of the city, the bridge we parked under painted with graffiti. Sam helped me out of the car and Zemo took our group through the back way into the city. As we crossed the overhead bridge, looking down into the city, I began to feel like my life had suddenly become some fever dream. Even more so once we entered the city and I was surrounded by people from all walks of life. Smugglers were making deals, guards were stationed outside buildings with machine guns, forgers were trying to sell to people. It was like nothing I’d ever seen. Sam kept me on his arm the entire time, selling our characters while still retaining his protective nature. We followed Zemo into a crowded bar, weaving our way through. “Here we are,” he announced quietly, our fellow patrons took notice as soon as they caught sight of Bucky, “Gotov podchinit'sya, zimniy soldat?” (Ready to comply, Winter Soldier?)

I tried my best to keep my face neutral, though an unwelcome chill went down my spine as Zemo began his act. It was wrong. It wasn’t fair to Bucky or his recovery to make him do this.

We approached the bar and the bartender came over immediately, “Hello, gentlemen. Ma’am. Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.” “His plans changed,” Zemo explained, “We have business to do with Selby.”

The bartender looked over suspiciously at Sam, “The usual?” Sam nodded casually in response and the man walked away to begin prepping the drink. What took us by surprise was when he reached for a jar containing a dead snake rather than the bottle of alcohol. He proceeded to lay the reptile on a cutting board and slice its stomach open, I looked up to Sam who was doing his best to keep his composure. “Ah, Smiling Tiger,” Zemo jeered, “Your favorite.”

The bartender removed a piece of the snake’s guts and sunk it into a shot glass filled with vodka. I covered my mouth with my clutch to conceal my delight at the sight I was about to behold. Sam caught the action and addressed the bartender, “You know what? She’ll have one too.” “Oh, no, I don’t think so,” I quickly protested, waving it off as if it were a shot of tequila and not an animal intestine.

“No, girl, I insist,” Sam grinned phonily at me.

“They actually upset my stomach,” I giggled, glancing to the bartender, “Can’t hold my liquor to save my life, I’ll be up all night sick if it touches my lips. But you enjoy, sweetheart.” The bartender didn’t pay much attention to the exchange as he set the shot glass in front of Sam, who looked unconvincingly between the glass and Zemo. “I love these,” he stated, holding it up for us all to see.

“Cheers, Conrad,” Zemo clinked his glass against Sam’s.

Sam made several, hopefully convincing, noises of excitement about his drink. After giving it one last look, he shot it straight down, holding a thumbs up to the bartender afterwards.

“How badly are you trying not to throw up right now?” I whispered after the man had left.

“I can’t even hear you right now,” Sam replied in a strained voice, focusing on keeping the drink where it needed to be. An intimidating bearded man made us all turn around, he looked to Zemo. “I got word from on high. You ain’t welcome here.”

Zemo, ever the cool and collected presence, turned to the man. “I have no business with the Power Broker. But if he insists, he can either come and talk to me…” Zemo gestured to Bucky, standing at his side. 

“New haircut?” the man asked Bucky, who stayed silent.

“Or bring Selby for a chat,” Zemo finished.

The man left, leaving us with questions. “A power broker?” Bucky grumbled, “Really?” “Every kingdom needs its king,” Zemo replied, “Let’s just pray we stay under his radar.” 

“Do you know him?” Sam inconspicuously asked. “Only be reputation the baron answered, “In Madripoor he is judge, jury, and executioner.”

I spotted another man approaching us, this one walking with a purpose. Zemo looked to Bucky, the show was about to start. “Zimniy Soldat,” Bucky nodded once, “Attask.” (Winter Soldier, attack.) As soon as the stranger thumped Zemo’s shoulder, Bucky sprang to action, his metal hand grabbing and twisting the man’s arm. He pushed him to the center of the room where he proceeded to twist it further before dropping him to the ground. The groans coming from him were sickening as he lay helpless, clutching his most likely broken arm. As another patron came up to attack, Bucky moved fast to disarm him before power kicking him into a table several times. I clung to Sam’s arm even tighter as Zemo shoved someone forward for Bucky to punch, sending him sliding across the floor. 

“Didn’t take much for him to fall back into form,” Zemo slyly observed, from my side. It took everything in me not to send him flying across the room right then. He was enjoying this.

When Bucky lifted a man by his throat and slammed him down on the bar was when guns all over the bar were cocked. Sam grabbed onto Bucky’s metal arm, ready to pull him back to us and to reality. “Stay in character,” Zemo whispered, dead serious, “Or the whole bar turns on us.” Sam dropped his arm as Zemo leaned into Bucky, “Molodets, soldat.” (Well done, soldier.)

“Selby will see you now,” the bartender said, watching the scene in awe. Bucky slowly let the man go, gasping and groaning for air once he was freed. Sam looked over warily, “You good?” When Bucky faced us, his eyes met mine before they met Sam’s. I wished I could have concealed my reaction better for his sake, but the second he had attacked was the first time since we’d met that I’d been properly scared of him. It made the incident on the plane look like nothing. My mind knew he was just acting, pretending to be someone he once was for the sake of furthering our mission. But my blood ran just as cold with fear as it would have if the Winter Soldier was standing in front of me. Bucky’s eyes now were watery, filled with pain that he’d worked hard with his therapist to get through, now being brought back to life. Had the bar not been watching and had I not needed to stick with Sam, I’d have been at his side trying to make sure he was alright. Instead, I could only watch as he sniffled, nodded to Sam and followed Zemo to wherever we were going next.

We were escorted upstairs through a series of hallways with a heavily armed guard following us. A white haired woman sat in the middle of the room we were led to, tapping her fingers against the couch she lounged on. “You should know, Baron, people don’t just come into my bar and make demands.” Zemo smiled, “Not a demand. An offer.”

Sam and I took our places standing next to Selby, Bucky stood watch across from us, back in his act. 

“A lot has changed since you were here last,” Selby spared a look at Bucky, “By the way, I thought you were rotting away in a German prison. How did you escape?” 

“People like us always find a way, don’t we?” Zemo shrugged, “I’m sure you’ve already figured out what I’m here for.” 

Selby pointed a blind finger towards Sam, “You’re taller than I’d heard, Smiling Tiger,” she eyed Sam suggestively and gave him a purr before turning her attention to me, “And what a lovely little dish you’ve got with you.” Internally I was struggling to stay calm and had never felt more exposed with the thin materiel of the dress over my body. “What’s the offer?” Selby grinned at Zemo.

“Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum,” Zemo replied, rising from his seat to circle Bucky, “And I give you him, along with the code words to control him, of course. He will do anything you want,” Zemo rubbed Bucky’s chin, playing with it to provoke him but knowing he could get away with it. I felt sick to my stomach.

“Now that’s the Zemo I remember,” Selby approved, “I’m glad I decided not to kill you immediately. Yeah, you were right to come to me. Arrogant, but right. The super-soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you wanna thank. Or condemn, depending on what side of this you’re on. The Power Broker had him working on the serum, but…things didn’t go as planned.”

I squeezed Sam’s arm, we were getting answers. The crazy, chaotic plan was actually working. “Is Nagal still in Madripoor?” Zemo asked.

“Oh, the bread crumbs you can have for free,” Selby’s flirtatious demeanor shifted as she stood to business-like, “But the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron. And before you get all cute, don’t think you can find Nagel without me.” 

A sudden vibration tickled my arm from Sam’s suit pocket, it was his cell phone. He pulled it out hesitantly and looked down at it, I glanced over to see that it was Sarah calling.

“Answer it,” Selby ordered, Bucky had moved behind her to give us protection if need be, “On speaker.” The armed bodyguards moved in closer, it was clear we had no say in the matter. Sam unlocked his phone and pressed the speaker button, “Hello?” “Hey, um, we need to talk about this situation,” Sarah’s voice filled the air, sending an all too brief wave of peace through me, “It’s been drivin’ me nuts.” 

“What situation exactly are you talkin’ about?” Sam replied stiffly. “Are you high? You know what situation, it’s the only situation me and you have.”

“What situation, Sarah?” Sam’s voice grew louder, “Say it.”

“The damn boat,” Sarah replied just as hard, “And watch your tone, okay? I let you slide at the bank.”

Sarah. The boat. Home. And here I was standing in a designer dress meeting with Indonesian crime bosses. Two unbelievable worlds were colliding on the call.

Sam scoffed and nervously chuckling, “Yeah, the bank. Laundered so much, yeah, they’ll come around.” “If that was the case, then why’d they dog you out, Big Time?”

“Yeah, you damn right I’m Big Time. You’ll see,” Sam paused menacingly, “When I have that banker killed.”

We almost had Selby convinced as I watched her pace around the room, we were so close to- “Cass! What’d I tell you about the Cheerios? I don’t have time for this!” Sarah yelled, “Sam, I’m sorry. Let me call you back, and make sure Y/n is with you too.” “Sam? Y/n?” Selby echoed the names, “Who are you? Kill them!”

A second after she had given the order, a bullet shot through the nearby window and struck her chest fatally. The four of us sprung to action, Sam landing punches on the guard stationed behind us while I used my energy to pull the machine gun from his grasp. Across from us, Bucky took care of the other guard. I handed the weapon to Sam and we took our positions in the back of the room, ready to retaliate against the hidden assassin. “They’re gonna pin this on us,” Sam panted, our backs against the wall.

“We have a real problem now,” Zemo said, unbelievably calm for someone in our situation, “So leave your weapons and follow my lead.” Bucky ripped the lock on the back door and the four of us filed down the staircase quick as we could. It dropped us back off in the middle of the city, we hurriedly made our way down the street where all heads were turning to us. “This is not good,” Zemo hurried. The words hung in the air for a grand total of five seconds before bullets started to rain down around us. Bucky, Sam and I tore down the street where in the chaos, Zemo took off in another direction.

“I can’t run in these heels!” Sam yelled over the gunfire. “Oh, I don’t wanna hear it,” I exclaimed, struggling to keep up with them in my stilettos, “Screw it!”

I threw my hands out to my side and lifted off the ground, keeping low enough to dodge any shots but stay close to Sam and Bucky. Two motorcycles sped after us promising more bounty hunters, Zemo caught up with us and killed two lone gunmen hiding behind a dumpster. Two perfectly aimed bullets came out of nowhere and lodged themselves in the heads of the cyclists chasing us.

“You seem to have a guardian angel,” Zemo observed as the three of us looked around for our savior.

“Well, this is too perfect,” a woman’s voice said, she appeared seconds later drawing back her hood and pointing a gun toward us, “Drop it, Zemo.”

Bucky stepped forward disbelievingly, “Sharon?” Sharon Carter. I recognized her only from the pictures I’d seen of her on the news when the shitstorm that branded her an enemy of the state went down. As she strode forward, ready to strike down the man responsible, I couldn’t say with certainty if she was an ally or not. “You cost me everything,” she seethed.

“Sharon, wait,” Sam, ever the steady presence, held a hand out and carefully came towards her, “Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead.” “Well, that explains why you guys are here and Selby’s dead.”

“So what are you doing here?” Bucky asked.

“I stole Steve’s shield, remember?” she answered, her face contorting, “I also took the wings for your ass,” she aimed her gun at Sam, “So that you could save his ass,” then at Bucky, “From his ass,” the gun landed on me after Zemo, “Your ass is new.” “I’ve had one hell of an initiation, trust me,” I replied, standing my ground between Bucky and Zemo.

Sharon turned back towards Sam, “Unlike you, I didn’t have the Avengers to back me up so I’m off the grid in Madripoor.”

“Don’t blow that smoke at me, I was on the run, too,” Sam recalled. “Was. Is. Big difference. I don’t speak to my family anymore,” Sharon shook her head sadly, “I can’t. My own father doesn’t know where I am.”

“Listen, Sharon,” Bucky stepped forward, “We need your help. Please.” Sharon mirthlessly chuckled to herself, sighing afterwards as she made her decision. “This isn’t over. I have a place in High Town, you should be safe there for a while.”

While Sam roughly shoved Zemo forward to keep him in his line of sight, Bucky pressed a gentle hand to the small of my back to act as a guide through the dark alleyways. “You okay?” he asked quietly, quickly looking over at me. With everything he’d gone through in the last twenty minutes, the fight in the bar, the unshed tears in his eyes, Zemo talking about him like he was property to be traded, I couldn’t understand why he was asking if I was alright. He was what I was concerned with right now. “I will be once I get out of these shoes,” I joked, trying to get him to smile if at all possible. A corner of his lips turned upwards in a blink-and-you’d-miss-it flash, mine doing the same right after in some sort of relief.

Sharon led us to her car parked down a different alley, Sam shoved Zemo in the front seat while him, Bucky and I squeezed in the backseat once again. The difference between Low Town and High Town was visceral, Madripoor may have been dangerous no matter where you went but High Town provided a little more safety. When we arrived at Sharon’s house, greeted by two burly guards, the feeling of protection increased. The first room we entered was filled with artwork, statues and other priceless works that told us exactly what Sharon had done to afford her lifestyle in High Town.

“Looks like breaking all those laws is treating you well,” Sam commented as we walked through the room.

“Well, I thought if I had to hustle, might as well enjoy the life of a real hustler,” Sharon shrugged, far too goodheartedly for a true criminal, “You know how much I can get for a real Monet?” Sam grinned at his friend, “Deactivate your hustle mood, you sell fake Monets.”

“No, she means real,” Zemo corrected, “This gallery is specialized in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. Classics.” “I kinda thought that was implied,” I said, following Sharon and Zemo and beginning to relax in the shockingly calm environment, “No offense.” Sharon scoffed, “None taken, a girl’s gotta do what she can to survive. By the way, who are you?”

“Y/n Y/l/n,” I answered, “Sam’s sister.” “Hmm,” Sharon hummed, looking me over once before turning around to hurry Sam and Bucky along, “Come on, you guys need to change. I’m hosting clients in an hour. You,” she pointed to me, “Second door on your left, I’ll bring something up for you.” At the promise of shedding the over exposing dress and blistering heels, I had never moved faster in my life.

————

I took the opportunity to catch my breath while I could, the night had been a little too exciting than any of us had wanted. Sitting on the edge of Sharon’s bed with my elbows balanced on my knees, I felt the adrenaline rush I’d been running on start to subside.

The door opened, bringing in Sharon and her garment of choice. “This looked like it would fit you,” she said, tossing me a black jumpsuit that looked ten times more comfortable than what I was in. She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out an outfit for herself, “I gotta change too, back to back?” “Works for me,” I replied, turning around and beginning to unzip the dress.

“So you said you’re Sam’s sister but your last name isn’t Wilson?” Sharon asked, I could hear the sound of her clothes hitting the floor.

“We grew up together,” I freed myself of the dress and kicked it to the corner of the room.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re here though,” she said, “This is probably the shittiest family road trip you could go on so clearly there’s a reason.” I looked over to the wardrobe, a pair of black boots sitting on the floor next to it. I used my energy to levitate them and landed them at Sharon’s side. Her dry chuckle served as her reaction. “I kinda begged him to bring me,” I explained as I pulled the jumpsuit up my body, “He was going to send me back home before John Walker decided to not so subtly threaten me with the Sokovian Accords, figured I’d be safer here with them.” “Safer?” Sharon scoffed, “Did he say this before or after you were being shot at by bounty hunters?”

“Well, between getting shipped off to jail and going undercover with a superhero and a Super Soldier as protection, I’ll take my chances here.” I heard Sharon walk away, presumably finished dressing. I zipped up the suit and tightened the belt, turning around after to find her leaned up against her dresser with her hands in her pockets. “Look, I know we just met but let me do you a favor and shed some light on the subject of heroics. It’s all bullshit. The whole costume, nickname, swoop-in-and-save-the-day act is all hypocrisy. I get that you’re young, you’ve got,” she waved a hand at mine, “Whatever that is. Maybe you want to do some good, maybe you just want to feel like you’re a part of something. Maybe you didn’t think it through at all and just thought it would be cool to run with a superhero. But if you’re smart, you’ll get your ass on a plane to anywhere but here and stay clear of all this.”

There was so much going through my head that I wanted to throw back at her, proving her speech completely wrong. Then I remembered that this woman had sacrificed more than most had and the government had turned their backs on her. She’d stuck her neck out for Steve and Sam and had been punished for it. Plus, she was kind enough to give us refuge when she had every right now to. I wasn’t in a place to criticize her. If anything, she should have been a cautionary tale. “I’ve had these powers all my life and have never known what to do with them,” I responded, “I want to help people and this is the best way for me to do that. As easy as it would be for some people to walk away, this is personal and I can’t leave now.” Sharon stared back at me silently before pushing herself off the dresser and brushing past me. There were layers of her expression, if I could peel each one back I thought I might get to the sadness I suspected she felt regarding her current life status. She opened her wardrobe, pulled out a pair of combat boots and handed them to me. “Then take a step back and ask yourself how far you’re willing to go. And if the three of you live long enough to get there, is it going to be worth the hell that’ll come afterwards?” She gave me a half smile before leaving the room, her heavy words hanging in the air. Steve had been my friend, Sam was my brother and Bucky was quickly climbing the ranks of people I cared about. I was going to see this through to the end with them, but what was the end? Was it retrieving the rest of the serum and stopping the Flag Smashers? Was it only two of us returning? One? None? Questions I didn’t have the answers to swirled in my mind as I stared at the door, wondering what awaited us for the rest of the night.

----

A/N: Next chapter is going to be...let’s just say there’s gonna be a lot of developments. A lot. Hope you guys are enjoying it, let me know what you thought or if you’d like to be tagged.

Safe Haven taglist: @tanyaherondale​ @wanniiieeee​ @asoftie4bucky​ @edencherries​ @i-reblog-fics-i-like​ @ttalisa​ @gcfty @withyoutilltheendofthismess​ @rinaispunk​ @weirdowithnobeardo​ @felicityofbakerstreet​ @godlypotterwhodiaries @eternalharry​ @voguesir​ @mizz-kraziii​ @okayline​ @smellmymisunderstoodfluff @wanderin-stories​ @nicklet94 @intricate-melody​ @aesthethickks​ @stumbleonmywords​ @simplybarnes​ @21bruhs​ @lostinwonderland314​ @superbookishhufflepuff​ @kaelyn-lobrutto24​ @zozebo​ @fandomxreaders​ @kittengirl998​ @sarai-ibn-la-ahad​

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes imagine #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson x platonic!reader #marvel imagine

[razberrybi]

hello! this isn’t the most timely of postings, but I want to make a series with stuff I wish I knew before applying for/getting into college. the series will be most helpful to lower-income american students, because that’s my experience!  eventually I’ll have more stuff regarding STEM courses & tips for when you do start college.  everything will be tagged #college help by raz.  I’ll get a link for it up and running on my blog.

first off, probably the ugliest part of the process for me: filing the FAFSA, aka the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  I wouldn’t be able to go to college without it but the process literally brought me to tears.

if I save just one student some unnecessary frustration, then my job here is done! kal @promethes was my inspiration to do this, she’s running something with a similar purpose in a couple months so if you’re interested keep an eye out for that.

finally, if you’re trying to get into college/are just getting in and have any questions, don’t hesitate to send me an ask! 

if you don’t want to open up the link above to a google doc, the text is available under the cut.

Things to know about the FAFSA:

It opens on October 1st every year.  Be prepared to file it right when it opens, the aid is first come, first served.

If you’re going right into college after high school, that means you should apply on October 1st of your senior year.  

If you missed the deadline, it’s open till June 30th the next year, but do not procrastinate this. Please trust me. Mark October 1st on your calendar, know it like your birthday.  This is free money from the gov, don’t miss out.

You need to file for the FAFSA every year you’re in college, it’s not a one-and-done thing. 

To file, you will need an FSA ID for you AND one of your parents (unless you’re not a dependent.  If you’re living with a parent/legal guardian and they provide more than 50% of your financial support, you’re probably their dependent.  That means they claim you on their taxes & get money back on their return). Make those FSA IDs here. Remember the passwords.

These are separate accounts that you’ll need to actually file the FAFSA.  Also, if you have loans taken out they’ll show up here.

When you’re ready to do the FAFSA, use this official website.  Other websites can charge you.  They might not be secure and definitely won’t be any easier. 

Sometimes, income is complicated or parents aren’t always on top of their taxes.  Thankfully FAFSA wants documents from two years prior, i.e., for the 2020-21 school year they’re asking for 2018 taxes.

Try to check that those are filed away somewhere you can access before the Oct. 1 deadline.  Make sure your parents know the government will pay for your schooling if you do this, and you usually won’t have to give that money back.

If your situation changed and you make a lot less than you did 2 years ago, contact your school’s financial aid office. Sometimes they can help with extra aid.

What documents will you need?

Your social security number

Your driver’s license, if you have one

W-2 forms from 2 years prior, and other records of money earned 

Your (and/or your parents’) Federal income tax return from 2 years prior (form 1040, will be different if you’re in an American territory and not one of the states)

Any untaxed income records form 2 years prior, like payments to deferred pension & savings plans, tax exempt interest & child support

Records of taxable earnings from federal work-study from 2 years ago

Record of grants, scholarships, or fellowship aid that was included in you or your parent’s 2018 adjusted gross income

Any current bank statements

Any current business and investment mortgage info, business/farm records, stocks/bonds info

Documentation that you’re a permanent US resident or other eligible noncitizen

If you’re lucky, all these records will be filed in one spot or easily accessible.  Try to access them early just in case.

If you have an idea what colleges you’re applying to, add them to the FAFSA when prompted.  This will help you know exactly how much money they’re giving you sooner.

Because of the whole “parents not being on top of taxes” thing, I’ve always had to manually put things in instead of clicking the button that lets you manually import the info.

It’s frustrating and takes a while, but you will be able to do it.  Thankfully the FAFSA has been getting better with the help available on the page (you can click an info button and it explains most things). 

Still unsure what something means? Open a new tab on your browser and google it.  You need to answer everything honestly, don’t take chances and take your time.

If you do get to auto-import, I suggest you go through the information manually to double check things if it lets you!  I’ve used a similar tool with a tax-filing service and they can get some things wrong.

There are a couple “optional” sections.  I fill them all out except for the section about assets, which I’ve consistently skipped.  I always get max aid doing this, your mileage may vary.

When you finish, you’ll get a number for your EFC, or expected family contribution--how much they predict your family will have to pay for college.  For example, if that number is 000, you’ll hopefully get maximum aid and your tuition will be paid for.

Sometimes, they can’t give it all in grants (money you don’t have to pay back), so some of the money will be made out to you as subsidized or unsubsidized loans.  If you need them, take out the subsidized loans first, these will not gain interest until your grace period ends, typically 6 months after graduation.

I’ve literally never had success applying for random online scholarships and I applied to a lot of them.  The FAFSA is so important if your family is low-income, those grants cover my entire tuition.  The rest of my college, including room/board and a shitton of fees, is covered by merit scholarships directly from my school.  I go to a large, in-state school, and suggest you stay in state if you can’t get into an out of state college that will 100% pay everything for you.  Those colleges, not coincidentally, are also extremely hard to get into especially if you don’t have connections--think the Ivies, MIT, etc.

I recommend in-state because it’s almost always much cheaper than out of state tuition.  Sometimes colleges have programs that will let you go to another state and pay in-state tuition at their partner school, if you’re desperate to move far look for those programs OR find a farther college in your state keeping in mind how good their program is for the major you’re looking at.

Also, fancy private schools might get you some connections or more famous speakers at events but the quality of your education won’t be much better, if at all. 

Look for scholarships that come directly from the school you like.

Merit scholarships are money your school will give you for having good grades/test scores.  How much money 100% depends on the school. Mine had a program where they had different levels of aid, and they calculated which level you fell into based on your high school GPA, ACT, and SAT scores. It’s worth trying to improve your scores on one of those tests if you know it’ll get you more money.  These scholarships tend to renew every year/semester if you keep your GPA up in college. 

For school-specific questions, contact the school’s financial aid office.  For general questions, contact me! Send an ask to @razberrybi on tumblr.

Finally--if you manage to complete the FAFSA wholly or partially on your own, congratulations!! It’s not an easy feat.  In my experience the FAFSA is literally harder and more frustrating than filing your taxes.  Treat yourself for getting it done!  

#college help by raz #studyblr #college tips #college advice #university #college #student #studyspo #fafsa #financial aid #promethes #sorry for the tag spam but I want to help this get around!

[fanaticfangirl001]

Like Real People Do Ch 5: An Assassin, A Terrorist, A thief, and A Bird Walk Into Madripoor

Taglist:

@p3nny4urth0ught5, @kissofvenom922

Ch 5:

Author’s note:

“I’m going to go in alone.” Bucky turns to Winnie and Sam.

“Why?” Sam asks.

“Bucky does have a better chance of getting answers.” Winnie adds.

“Also you’re an Avenger. You know how he feels about that.” Bucky says.

“It’s not like you two are known for frolicking in the sun together.”

“Zemo would be a good informant though, Sam.”

“He was obsessed with HYDRA. We have a history together. Trust me. I got it.” Bucky walks off to speak with Zemo.

Sam turns to Winnie “ Why aren’t you volunteering to go in with him?”

“I can’t, I doubt Zemo likes me much.” Winnie scoffs.

“Right, SHIELD.”

“Yeah.” Winnie nods hoping Sam drops it.

“So.” Sam changes the subject, “ You were kind of out of it when I mentioned Sharon.”

“I said then that I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“How about now?”

“Look, right before Shield fell I found some documents connecting the dots.I saved them to a flash drive and drove my ass home to the apartment Sharon and I shared. I tried to tell her, she got defensive, we got in a fight. She claimed I was a part of Hydra. I called her a bitch and left.” Winnie explains.

“That’s rough.”

“Yeah, I don’t see us working it out. “

“There’s always couple’s therapy.” Sam suggests with a laugh.

“Oh right, how’d that session go?”

“Got to stare into his baby blues.”

“Did that help?”

“No.”

“I could do better than that.”

“Oh I bet he’d like that.” Sam smirks.

“Not what I meant.” Winnie rolls her eyes.

“What are you talking about breaking Zemo out of jail? Where the hell are we Buck? Have you lost your mind?” Sam asks.

“That’s a fantastic idea, Buck.” Winnie says sarcastically.

“We have no leads, no moves, nothing.”

“What we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind bars.”

“That Bucky wants to let out of those bars.” Winnie sidesteps by Sam to avoid tripping.

“We also have eight super soldiers on the loose.”

“Shit, he’s gotta point, Sam.”

“Zemo is gonna mess with our minds. Especially yours.”

“He also probably doesn’t like me either.” Winnie adds rubbing the back of her neck.

“Offense, super soldiers go against everything he believes in. He is crazy but he still has a code.”

“How crazy?” Winnie asks.

“Bag of cats.” Sam answers.

“He blew up the UN, killed King T’chaka and framed you for it.” Sam continues.

“We don’t know how they’re getting the serum.”

Bucky says.

“We don’t even know how much serum is out there.” Winnie replies then adds “ Or who put it out there in the first place.”

“What did you do?” Sam asks.

“I didn’t do anything.” Bucky says calmly.

Winnie takes a deep breath and puts her hands on her guns. If Bucky did what she thinks he did, then it’s only a matter of time before shit gets real.

“The weakest point in any system is not the software, the hardware, it's the meatware.The human element…” Bucky continues.

Three seconds to draw, two seconds to fire, three seconds to draw two seconds to fire, Winnie thinks over and over.

“I don’t like how natural, you’re being about this, and where are we, man?”

More lights fill the area and a door opens.

“Woah Woah Woah, What are you doing here!”

“I didn’t want to tell you cause I knew you’d never let this happen.”

Winnie follows the two with a gun in hand.

“What did you do?”

“We need him, Sam.”

“You’re going back to prison.”

“If I may..” Zemo starts.

“No!” Both shout.

Winnie stands besides them with her gun pointed at Zemo.

“Apologies.”Zemo says softly then looks at Winnie.

“When Steve refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, you back him.” Bucky continues.

“I really think I’m invaluable.”

“Shut up.” Sam turns to Zemo.

“If we do this, you don’t make a move without our permission.” Sam says to Zemo.

“Fair.”

Zemo turns to Winnie and says “You’ve been very quiet. Penny for your thoughts.”

“Don’t let him mess with you.” Sam says as Winnie puts her gun back in the holster. “Okay, Zemo, where do we start.”

“So our first move is grand theft auto?”

“These are mine, collected by family over the generations.” Zemo starts collecting his things out of the cars.

“Nice wheels.” Winnie gestures to a vintage cadillac.

“So she speaks.”

“Leave her alone.” Bucky says.

“I ended the Winter Soldier program once before. I have no intention of leaving my work unfinished. To do this, we’ll have to scale a ladder of lowlifes.”

“Well, join the party. We’ve already started.”

“First stop is a woman named Selby.” Zemo says carrying his bags away. “Mid level fence I still have a line on. From there, we climb.”

Walking up to the private jet, “ So all this time you’ve been rich.” Sam asks.

“I’m a Baron, Sam.” Zemo says as the four climb on the jet, “ My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country.”

Zemo drinks the champagne his butler serves him.

“It seems like you have me at a disadvantage. I don’t know your name, and if I had known such a treasure would be with those two idiots, I’d escape sooner.” He says to Winnie.

“She’s Winnie, she’s a hacker. That’s your introduction.” Bucky says gruffly.

“ A hacker...interesting.” Zemo sips at his champagne.

“Not really.”

“Oh no, it is. You’re not with an agency, I guess.”

“No.”

“No health insurance or dental, no pay check.”

“None of that.”

“Do you live in a house?”

“Yes.”

“With no income?”

“Yes.”

“Must have a wealthy family?

“No, I’m an orphan.”

“Then pray tell how you get paid.”

“Easy, like Buck said, I’m a hacker, To make money I hack into bank accounts of the rich and take very little in the grand scheme of things. One percent of the richest men in the world’s wealth.”

“Winnie.” Sam nudges her.

“It’s the truth.” Winnie adds. “Besides not like he needed it in prison.”

The conversation lulls to a deafening silence.

“Why don’t you tell us where we’re going?” Sam asks.

“Sorry I was just fascinated by this. I don’t know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?”

Bucky jerks across and grabs Zemo by the throat.

“If you touch that again, I’ll kill you.”

Zemo nods understanding and Bucky sits back down.

“You okay, Buck.” Winnie asks.

Bucky nods.

“I’m sorry. I understand the list of names.People you’ve wronged as the Winter Soldier.”

“Don’t push it.”

“I’ve seen that book.” Sam adds. “It was Steve’s when he came out of the ice. I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What’d you think?”

“I like ‘40s music, so...” Bucky answers.

“You didn’t like it.”

“I liked it.”

“It is a masterpiece, James. Complete. Comprehensive. It captures the African-American experience”

“He’s out of line, but he’s right.”

“Extremely right.” Winnie adds.

“Everyone likes Marvin Gaye.”

“I like Marvin Gaye.”

“Steve adored Marvin Gaye.”

“You must have really looked up to Steve.But I realized something when I met him. The danger with people like him, America’s super soldiers is that we put them on pedestals.”

“Watch your step, Zemo.”

Winnie watches Bucky, and nudges his leg with her foot. He nudges her foot back with a small smile.

“They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought.”

“There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.” Winnie quotes Machiavelli.

“Clever.” Zemo says then adds “ Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull? That is why we go to Madripoor.”

“What’s up with Madripoor? You talk about it like it’s Skull Island.”

“It’s an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a pirate sanctuary in the 1800s.”

“It’s kept it’s lawless ways.”

“Well let’s get the show on the road.” Winnie picks up her bag.

“We can’t exactly walk in as ourselves. James you will have to become someone you claim is gone.”

“We have to fix this.” I’m the only one who looks like a pimp.”

“Only an American would assume a fashion forward Black man looks like a pimp. You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming, African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.”

“Who am I?” Winnie asks. She dressed in a glittering short golden dress with black thigh high boots.

“A sugar baby.”

“Why am I the sugar baby?”

“It’s a role I thought you would be the most comfortable with.”

“Is this payback for stealing money from you.”

“No.”

“Oh well then Sam and I will be constantly vigilant. I have extra guns strapped to my thighs just in case.”

“The Smiling Tiger doesn’t have a sugar baby.”

“Then who am I..” Winnie’s face falls as she realizes who she’s paired up with on this mission.

“That.” Zemo points to her face,” is payback enough.”

“I don’t like you at all, but good play.” Winnie admits holding out her hand.

Zemo takes her hand and kisses it.

“Oh you don’t have to do that.” Winnie adds.

“No matter what happens we have to stay in character.”

The four of them climb into the car headed for Low Town.

Winnie stays close to Zemo looking around.

Zemo wraps an arm around her and whispers “Relax and fake like you’re meant to be here.”

“Right.” Winnie straightens her postures and twirls her hair between her fingers.

“We’re here.” Zemo then speaks to Bucky in russian: Ready to comply, Winter Soldier.

Once at the bar the bartender welcomes them “ Hello Gentleman, and lady, Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.”

“His plans changed, we have to do business with Selby.”

“The usual?” The bartender suggests.

“Ah, Smiling Tiger, your favorite.” Zemo says.

Winnie puts a hand on Zemo’s shoulder and lightly squeezes it.

“I love these.” Sam takes the glass

“Cheers, Conrad.”

Sam takes the drink and swallows the snake organ.

A man comes up to Zemo and Winnie lets go of his arm. Zemo wraps his arm around her.

“I got word from on high. You ain’t welcome here.”

“I have no business with the Power Broker, but if he insists, he can either come and talk to me…”

“New haircut.” The man nods towards Bucky.

“Or bring Selby for a chat.”

“Power broker, really.”

“Every kingdom needs its king. Let’s just stay under his radar.”

“Do you know him?”

“Only by reputation. In Madripoor he is judge, jury, and executioner.” Zemo begins walking to the middle of the room speaking Russian to Bucky.

‘ Oh no, Winnie thinks, it’s showtime.’

Bucky attacks the man standing beside Zemo. People begin recording. Multiple men are attacked until a gun is cocked.

“Didn’t take much for him to fall back into form.”

“You’re undoing so much therapy.” Winnie adds softly.

“Keep in character or the whole bar turns against us.” Zemo adds softly before ending Bucky’s commands.

“Selby will see you now.” The bartender says.

“You good?” Sam asks.

Bucky doesn’t answer, just walks off.

The four go up the stairs.

“You should know, Baron.” Selby says “ People don’t just come into my bar and make demands.”

“Not a demand, an offer.”

“A lot has changed since you were here last.By the way I thought you were rotting away in a German prison. How did you escape?”

“People like us always find a way, don’t we. I’m sure you’ve already figured out what I’m here for.”

“You’re taller than I’d heard, Smiling Tiger.”She purs, “ What’s the offer?”

“Tell us what you know about the super soldier serum. And I give you him.” Zemo touches Bucky’s face. “Along with the code words to control him, of course.He will do anything you want.”

“Now that’s the Zemo I remember.”

“I’m glad I decided not to kill you immediately. It’d be a bad date for the pretty thing on your arm. You were right to come to me. Arrogant but right. The super soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you want to thank. Or condemn, depending on what side of this you’re on. The Power Broker had him working on the serum but things didn’t go as planned.”

“Is Nagel still in Madripoor?”

“Oh the bread crumbs you can have for free, but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron. And before you get all cute. Don’t think you can find Nagel without me.”

Sam’s cell phone buzzes.

“Answer it.”

Winnie stands with her hands by her side ready to grab her guns.

“On speaker.”

“Hello.”

“Hey, um we need to talk about this situation. It’s been driving me, nuts.”

“What situation exactly are you talkin’ about?”

“Are you high? You know what situation, it’s the only situation me and you have.”

“What situation, Sarah? Say it.”

“The damn boat. And watch your tone. Okay? I let you slide at the bank.”

“The bank, yeah.” Sam scoffs. “Laundered so much… Yeah they’ll come around.”

“If that was the case, then why’d they dog you out, Big time.”

“Yeah you damn right I’m Big Time. You’ll see when I have that banker killed.”

“Cass! What’d I tell you about the Cheerios! I don’t have time for this! Sam I’m sorry let me call you back.”

“Sam? Who’s Sam? Kill them.”

The window breaks and Selby falls shot in the chest.

Bucky and Sam fight the two guards with Bucky grabbing the gun. Winnie follows Zemo to the door.

“They’re going to pin this on us.”

“We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead.”

As they walk out, phone’s all over the island begin buzzing with a bounty on the four of them.

“This is not good.”

“Obviously not good.” Winnie says

A man with a large gun begins shooting at the four, Sam and Bucky go in one direction, Zemo and Winnie in the other.

Winnie begins to notice the pattern of the sniper killing all those who want us dead. It reminds her of the cover she had on missions with Sharon. Winnie and Zemo keep going until they meet up with Sam and Bucky.

“We seem to have a guardian angel.”

“Well this is too perfect.” A woman says walking out of the shadows. “ Drop it Zemo.” She has him at gunpoint.

“Sharon.” Bucky says

“You cost me everything.” Sharon takes a step towards Zemo.

“Sharon wait, someone recreated the super soldier serum and Zemo had a lead.” Sam explains.

“That explains why you guys are here. And Selby’s dead.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I stole Steve’s shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass to save his ass, from his ass. I didn’t have the avengers to back me up. So I’m off the grid in Madripoor.”

Winnie clears her throat,” Sharon.”

“Winnie.”

“Don’t blow smoke, I was on the run too.”

“Was, is, big difference. I don’t speak to my family anymore. I can’t.”

“Listen Sharon we need your help.” Bucky asks.

“No we don’t.” Winnie argues.

Sharon laughs.

“Please.” Bucky tries again.

“Bucky.” Winnie interjects.

“Winnie, we need her help. You two can get over it.” Bucky turns to Winnie.

“I have a place in High Town, You’ll be safe there.”

“Looks like breaking all those laws is treating you well.”

“I thought if I had to hustle, I might as well enjoy the life of a real hustler. You know how much I can get for a real Monet.”

“You never liked art before.” Winnie mentions crossing her arms.

“Deactivate your hustle mode. You sell fake Monets.”

“No, she means real. This gallery specializes in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. Classics.”

Winnie stops by one painting, and Sharon stands beside her.

“The Beach in Pourville, it was your favorite, right.” Sharon points out.

“Yeah, I didn’t think you were listening, when I spoke about it while experimenting.”

“You said that if you could jump into any painting like Mary Poppins, you’d choose this one. So you could lay on the beach after jumping in the waves and watch the sun set.”

“I know what I said.”

“Have you?”

“Do I look like I’ve been to any beaches?”

“There’s a beach on High Town. You could stay.”

“I can’t leave Buck and Sam.”

“You call him Buck.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s nice,” Sharon turns to the group away from Winnie “ You guys need to change I’m hosting clients in an hour.”

Winnie changes into the gown that Sharon picked for her. Albeit not as sparkly as the one Zemo picked out. It was nice and understated. A short lilac halter dress with a black belt paired with her same thigh high black boots, Zemo had picked out.

Sharon opens the door.

“Sure, Sharon, you can come right in.” Winnie puts on the pearl earrings Sharon picked out.

“You look great.”

“Thanks.”

“You were right.”

“About.”

“Everything, shield, the government, being pessimistic. I didn’t believe you, and then I stole the shield and after being on the run I realized I was wrong the whole time. I shouldn’t have called you a hydra agent, especially after everything you did for Shield and the inventions.”

“The rocket boots work.”

“Course, they did, you made them.”

“You think apologizing after more than seven years is going to fix everything.”

“No, because I know you, and you hold grudges like no one else I know. But it’s a start to not hating me.”

Winnie sighs, “I don’t hate you, that’s too strong of a word but another start would be helping us a little more.”

“I thought you didn’t need my help.”

“Buck was right. Any other information you have is going to help us.”

“ Speaking of Bucky, what is your deal?”

“Deal?”

“Yeah are you two friends or more, because I…” Sharon starts but gets interrupted.

“Don’t.” Winnie says sharply.

“Oh.” Sharon smiles.

“Not like that. It’s just, you remember when we’d go out together, and I’d flirt with a guy and then they’d ask me for your number.”

“You don’t want that to happen to Bucky.”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Noted. Just uh he might have heart palpitations when he sees you in this dress.”

“Sharon, go check on the guys.”

Sharon walks in the room as Sam’s changing shirts.

“Much better.”

“What’s going on Sharon? You don’t ever wanna come back home?”

“They’ll lock me up if I step foot back in the States.”

“Madripoor doesn’t allow extradition.”

“Look I’m sorry I didn’t call. But after the blip and the chaos. I just..”

“Look you know the hero thing is a joke, right. The way you gave up that shield.deep down, you must know it's all hypocrisy.”

“He knows. And not so deep down.”

“By the way how is the new Cap?” Sharon asks.

“Don’t get me started.” Bucky answers.

“I punched him in the face.” Winnie enters the room in her new dress.

“You look nice.” Bucky looks away from Winnie.

“Thanks.” Winnie sits on the other couch by Zemo.

“Please you buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit. Before you were his pet psychopath, you were Mr.America! Cap’s best friend.” Sharon sits down by Bucky.

“Wow, she’s kind of awful now.”

“Karli Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the serum.” Sam starts.

Winnie looks down at her phone tracking the shield and John just to see that they are still in Germany.

“You guys really should steer clear of all this for your own safety. Winnie, seriously, you can and should stay here with me. You know all about art and I can get you drawing again, or inventing. Plenty of people would pay big money for rocket boots, or taser whips, boomerang daggers.”

“I can’t.”

“We know it’s a risk, but we won’t leave until we find the person that cracked the code.”

“We got a name, Wilfred Nagel.”

“Nagel works for the Power Broker.”

“We need your help Sharon, I can get your name cleared.”

“You haggling with my life?”

“Not like that.”

“I don’t buy that.”

“You pretending like you can clear my name.”

“Okay maybe it is hypocrisy. Maybe you’re right. What happened to you. But I’m willing to try if you are. They cleared the bionic staring machine, and he killed almost everybody he’s met.”

Sharon looks at Bucky, he’s glaring at Zemo, who’s talking to Winnie about art.

“You draw and paint?” Zemo asks.

“I did, when I had the stuff or the time.” Winnie shrugs and pulls out her tattered sketchbook with pages falling out. She opens it flipping through a few landscapes and portraits of people she saw at coffee shops.

“You stole money from a billionaire and you didn’t steal enough for art supplies.” Zemo questions.

“I only stole money from you for rent, groceries and to sponsor a few Sokovian families.” Winnie explains. “ I make a tight budget and stick to it.”

“You.. what?” Zemo looks surprised.

“I sponsored a few Sokovian families to emigrate to the United States. It was anonymous so I don’t know where they ended up.”

“I heard that.” Bucky adds to Sharon.

“I don’t trust charity.”

“All right, a deal then.”

“You help us out, and I get your name cleared.”

Sharon shakes his hand.

“Well I sell to some well connected people. Lay low, blend in, enjoy the party. Try to stay out of trouble. I’ll see what I can find.”

“Trouble.”

Loud electronic music plays. People are everywhere, dancing with everyone. Winnie feels a little out of place.

“A part to play,again.” Zemo says from behind her. “Relax, your friend said to have fun.”

“Ex-friend, and secondly parties like this aren’t fun for me. I’d rather be..” She’s interrupted by Zemo.

“You’d rather be in some greasy spoon hole in the wall diner with James, sharing a milkshake.”

“Malts, and second why do you think this?”

“On the plane when after James choked me, you asked if he was okay.”

“Friends do that.”

“Again on the plane when I made James uncomfortable, you kicked his leg.”

“Yeah, checking up on him without asking if he’s okay. “

“ He stares at you when you aren’t looking.”

“He stares at everyone.”

“When he stares at you though, his features soften.”

“And.”

“Also when we were talking about art, he was glaring at me.”

“He doesn’t like you much anyway. He has reason to glare at you that doesn’t have to do with me.”

“I’m just saying if you two both feel the same way, why wait? No one is guaranteed time on this earth.”

“You’re ridiculous. Also you might want to change your pin code. Your dead wife’s birthday isn’t a secure code.” Winnie walks off from Zemo.

Winnie finds Bucky by himself on the outskirts of the dance floor.

“Need a breather.”

“Yeah.”

“Winnie, stay away from Zemo. He plays mind games”

“I can handle myself. We were talking about you.”

“That’s another reason why you should stay away from him.”

“He said you like me cause you stare at me, but..”

“I gotta find Sam.” Bucky walks off to find Sam.

The moment Bucky is out of sight Zemo walks back to her.

“Did you get the answer?” He asks.

“Yeah, I did. Not the one I wanted” Winnie nods then says “ Let’s dance, Zem.”

Bucky looks around and finds Sam.

“Winnie knows.” Bucky says nervously to Sam.

“She’s a genius and a hacker. What specifically does she know?”

“She knows that I..” Bucky trails off when Sharon arrives.

“Don’t let me interrupt this.” She says. “ Winnie knows that you..”

“I’m fond of her being around.” Bucky finishes.

“That was a secret?” Sam asks.

“Yes, did you know?”

“Of course I knew. The real question is does she like you?” Sam looks towards Sharon.

“I’m not violating Winnie’s trust. She just stopped hating me. I also found him.”

“Okay Bucky, let’s put in a pin in your love life problem for now, and let’s get this guy. Here we go.”

Sharon signals Winnie and Zemo and they follow the three out of the party.

“Madripoor can give New York a run for its money.”

“They know how to party.”

“You’re not a bad dancer, Zem.”

“Neither are you Win.”

“With that bounty on your head, the longer you’re in Madripoor, the less likely you’re ever leaving. All right. He’s in there. Container four-two-six-one. I’ll keep an eye out while you guys talk to Nagel.”

“Need help out here.” Winnie offers.

“No I got it.” Sharon insists.

Winnie follows the three guys inside putting in her ear piece.

“Completely empty.”

“I’m positive it has to be.”

Walking around on the inside with a flashlight Zemo pushes in the false wall. Music is playing softly.

“Mel Torme, good taste.” Winnie whispers.

“Agreed.” Zemo motions for Bucky and Sam to go forward with the guns.

Winnie pulls out her guns, ready for anything and follows walking through the makeshift lab.She listens out for any signs of struggle from Sharon outside.

Zemo stops the record.

“Dr.Nagel?”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“We know you created the super soldier serum.”

“Get out of my lab.”

“Hey. You know who he is right.This is Baron Zemo.I know you've heard of him too. You seem like a pretty smart guy. So you better become conversational real quick.”

“How about a counter proposal? Make me a better offer and I’ll talk.”

Winnie looks around at the chemicals and the serum making process. It would take years to make sense of this.

“Guys we have company.” Sharon says from the ear pieces. “Every bounty hunter in the city is here we gotta go.”

Bucky grabs the doctor and puts him in a chair with a gun in his face. He fires the gun near him.

“Okay.I was brought into Hydra’s Winter Soldier program to pick up their work after the five failed test subjects in Siberia. When Hydra fell I was recruited by the CIA. They had blood samples from an American test subject, with semi-stable traces of serum in his system.After much labor, I was able to isolate the necessary components in his blood. I was a god. I did what no other scientist since Erskine was able to do. But mine was going to be different. No clunky machines or jacked up bodies. Mine was going to be subtle, optimized. Perfect.”

“How have we never heard about this?”

“Because before I was able to complete my work. I turned to dust.Then when I returned, it was five years later,the program had been abandoned, so I came here. THe Power Broker was more than happy to fund the recreation of my work.”

“How many vials did you make?”

“Twenty.”

“Karli Morgenthau stole those, so I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for that poor girl.”

“Where’s Karli now?”

“I don’t know where she is. But a couple of days ago she called and asked if I could help someone named Donya Madani. Poor woman has tuberculosis. Typical of overpopulation in displacement camps like that.”

“Well, what happened to her?”

“Not my pig, not my farm.”

“Is there any serum in this lab?”

“No.”

“Now what?”

“Guys we’re seriously outta time here.”

Zemo shots the doctor.

“No!”

A large explosion throws the five on the other side of the lab.

Bucky, Sam, Winnie, and Sharon on one side with Zemo on the other.

“Anybody see Zemo?” Sam asks.

“Let’s go.” Bucky pulls Winnie and Sharon up.

“Alright wait for my signal.”

Gunfire breaks out.

Sam goes early.

“Damnit.” Bucky says running after providing cover for Sam.

“You know the drill, right Winnie.” Sharon says.

“Yeah yeah, go.”

Sharon and Winnie run and fall into their old routine, as though it’s been no time since they were partners. The four find cover and keep shooting.

“And you like living here?”

“It’s not terrible.”

“It’s pretty terrible, Sharon.”

“I thought you were going left.”

“You went the wrong way.”

“I was clearing the way.”

“Do they always fight like this?” Sharon asks.

“Pretty much.” Winnie answers.

“I came out first. You had to follow me.”

“And where are we now!”

“Guys, Not the time!”

“I’m out.”

“This is a barricade.”

“It’s in every action movie.”

“Might have some more in my backpack.” Winnie tells Sharon.

“You carry ammunition in a Jansport.”

“I didn’t judge you in your home with the off season prada purse you were carrying.”

The four look up and see Zemo with a purple mask sniping the way clear.

“Go.” Bucky taps Winnie and Sharon

They grab each other and run.

Bucky and Sam follow into a shipping container.

A car screeches to halt with Zemo in it,

“Supercharged.”

“You’re going back to jail.”

“Do you want to find Karli or not?”

“He’s right, we need him.”

“There’s three of us and at least twenty of them.”

“Fine but if you try that shit again…”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Well that was one hell of a reunion.”

The four get in the car.

“Come back to the states with us.”

“I can’t. Just get me the pardon you promised me. And here.” Sharon gives Winnie back the flash drive with all the hydra information on it.

“Thanks.”

“You’re not gonna move your seat up, are you.”

“No.”

On board the private jet Sam calls Joaquin about Donya Madani.

“Oh ask him about the secret Winnie project.”

“Sure.”

“Do you have information on some secret Winnie project?”

“Yeah yeah it’s a bad name, she’ll work on it. Nothing, yet, okay more importantly is Donya Madani.”

Winnie looks down at her phone tracking John with earbuds in listening to his conversations.

“You okay?” Bucky asks seeing Sam flop down into a chair.

“Yeah. Just thinking about all the shit Sharon had to go through, and Nagel referring to the American test subject like Isaiah wasn’t even a real person. Just makes me wonder how many people have to get steamrolled to make way for this hunk of metal.”

“Well it depends on who you ask. That hunk of metal saved a lot of lives.”

“Yeah I get that. All right. Maybe I made a mistake.”

“You did.”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have put it in a museum. I should have destroyed it. “

“Look that shield represents a lotta things to a lotta people, including me. The world is upside down, and we need a new Cap. and it aint gonna be Walker. So before you destroy it, I’ll take it from him myself.”

Joaquin calls Sam back and Zemo comes back with plates of food.

He gestures towards Winnie and says to Bucky“ Can she hear us?”

“No, she’s in survelliance mode. Put a tracker on the new Cap.”

“Smart.”

“Surprised she hasn’t put one on you.”

“Winnie is quite special, isn’t she?”

“Whatever you're thinking about saying or doing, don’t.”

“Oh I have no interest in her. Besides a financial one.”

“You want her to hack on your behalf, not gonna happen.”

“No, she’s an artist.”

“You want to pay her to draw and paint.”

“Yes, she’s very talented. She showed me her sketchbook, you’ve seen it haven’t you?”

“No.”

“Hm, interesting.”

“Stop.”

“They found Madani. Dead. She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea.”

“I have a place we can go.” Zemo says. “I for one am looking forward to coming face to face with Karli. Oeznik we’re changing course.”

“Walker knows you two broke out Zemo.” Winnie says taking out her earbuds. “ He’s also not too concerned with his rules of engagement.”

Walking down the streets of Riga, Latvia, Zemo begins talking. Winnie looks at the small buildings lining the street, it looks like painting by the sea.

“I don’t suppose any of you bothered visiting the memorial, at least the thief donated.” Zemo gestures to Winnie.

Zemo stops at a large building, “We are here.”

“I’m gonna go on a walk.” Bucky says.

“You good?”

“Yeah.”

“Be careful.” Winnie adds.

“Always am.” Bucky nods.

Once Zemo and Sam are inside Winnie follows them.

Sam turns towards Winnie with a smile.

“What?”

“Be careful.” Sam mimics her.

“Not you too.”

“No it’s cute. It’s adorable actually. That you have no clue.” Sam says.

#bucky x oc #bucky barnes imagines #plus size oc #falcon and the winter soldier #marvel #marvel imagines #bucky x winnie

[supop]

You are dragging Jimin but lets be fair- none of the vocal line can sing well. They are OK, but if you compare them to anyone from an older generation, they are just meh. Nowhere near the level they should be at. I attribute their popularity to 3 things- good storyline in music when they first started, relatability as an "outsider" group that is mistreated (perfect for teenage audience), and their audience being the "stream" generation that has enough time to waste on streaming things on multiple gadgets. What i find extremely unfortunate is that bighit in all those years BTS has been so popular has still not invested in teaching the vocal line how to sing properly. I wish we got our hands on behind the scenes videos of BTS performing during concerts- just so it can be obvious how bad the vocal line is. (I'm not hating on them, its a mis-management problem mostly- but the problem is, armys like to claim they are the golden standard in performance when they are clearly not).

BigHit has long since realized there’s no need to invest in vocal coaches when ARMY would consume nonsense as long as it’s served on a platter of gold. The platter of gold being BTS. In terms of vocals, my ranking for vocal line would be:

1.) Seokjin (his voice is magical)

2.) Jungkook (I won’t lie sometimes I’ll hear JK singing and think, “oh Jin should’ve sang this”)

3.) Taehyung (I like the texture and register of V’s voice better than JK’s, but JK has more range and is the better technical singer).

JK stans are obsessed with his main vocal position in the same way Jimin stans are obsessed with his main dancer position. They think just because JK is main vocal he deserves 50%+ of the lines in every song. Not that I’m on blaming him. I blame BigHit and their dumb producers for instilling some sort of hierarchy within the fandom. Jungkook’s vocals are good, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes the feel flat, and dare I say….boring, almost like there’s something missing. He himself said he’s still working on “finding his voice” as an artist, so kudos to him for being willing to challenge himself. And of course, all their voices sound best when using their natural vocal range and not that strained auto-tuned bs.

Also I’m not dragging Jimin because of his vocals. I’m dragging Jimin IN ADDITION to his vocals. He’s a toxic human being to begin with and his trash vocals are simply the icing on the cake of long list of drags. And his lack of vocal abilities is perhaps the funniest one too, given that the career he earns his living from is well idk SINGING? LOL. It’s like a baker who can’t bake. Or an accountant who can’t read financial statements. USELESS. So why’s he even in the group in the first place? Talk about dead weight.

And yes it is unfortunate. I heard jimin stans were upset because he didn’t have any solo lines in the Coldplay collab “My Universe”. Deserved. Honestly. Truly. This is the closest thing we’ll probably get to a jimin-less OT7 song and we should thank Coldplay for blessing all our ears. If you haven’t noticed, the reason most of the other vocal line members tend to strain their voices is because pdogg is obsessed with raising the key on all their songs as of late to an unbearable level of screech. And you know it’s screechy because he later floods the entire production with autotune. You can’t sit here and tell me they didn’t all sound good in “My Universe” singing and rapping at such a gorgeous lower vocal register that suits all their voices. All their voices except jimin’s, of course. Then again, it’s not their fault jimin has the vocal range of a gnat. Ironically enough he himself even struggles to hit the notes in his range, so why do the other members have to constantly suffer as a result.

And yes, they have suffered. Vocal and rapline have complained constantly about how they’ve struggled to reach all those high notes they’re always being forced to sing in (thanks shitdogg). Guess who’s never complained though, you guessed it: Jimin. He never sings live anyway so no wonder he’s content. What a selfish human being.

If you spot any typos just know I didn’t proofread, and truthfully I’m tired of talking about Jimin. I really don’t care for the guy. If he left BTS I’d never mention his name again. But I’m only answering the asks you guys send me, so feel free to talk about non-jimin shit.

#bts #jimin #park jimin #bts jimin #supop thoughts #vocal line #yoongi #suga #jhope #hoseok #namjoon #seokjin #taehyung #jungkook #my universe #kim seokjin #kim taehyung #bts v #bts Jin #bts jungkook #jeon jungkook