#modifiedcode

[fatherofmachine-a]

OOC; Juno and I luring @modifiedcode​ & @assetrisen​ back to their POI blogs like—

[sevenswcrds]

@modifiedcode​ liked for a starter

“How do you always find the strangest moments to- show up?” Labored. Muninn’s breathing is never labored, but the oracle looks dizzy- unsettled, as she looks to Root, and then staggers a step to the side. 

Her hand raises to her nose- right as that strange blood-not-blood begins to leak from it. 

“When is now?” she asks, faintly, right as her legs give from under her.

[horrorempathya]

❔

send ❔ and i’ll list a couple muses that i’d like to throw at yours !

andrea  or  claire  in  root’s  apocalypse  verse.    andrea  /  claire  and  root  could  temporarily  team  up  to  stop  either  like  a  horde  of  walkers  or  a  rogue  group  of  survivors  who  are  probably  cruel  and  just  won’t  stop.

grace  harper’s  captain  america  verse.    something  calls  for  the  teamwork  of  root  and  captain  america.   probably  terrorists.   it’s  always  terrorists,   so  get  to  work.   /   @modifiedcode .

[jigscw]

he sighs heavily ,  hands pressing on either side of the table before him as his head falls to hang between his shoulders for a moment .  irritation is evident ,  she’s testing his patience .  but at this point ,  she’s either too valuable or too dangerous to touch ---- it’s up to him to decide which it is .     ❝  you think i give a shit ?  ❞     his tone is even ,  brow arching as he lifts his head to look up at her .     ❝  whatever you wanted doesn’t matter ,  you did it .  and i need to know what you know .  so i suggest you open that pretty mouth and start spilling whatever secrets are in that head of yours or things are going to have to get a little messy .  ❞

@modifiedcode​ sent: ❝ do you think i wanted this ? did you ever think i wanted this ? ❞

[faultyoptimism]

modifiedcode sent: "oh, how to draw the line between wrath and mercy?"

          Judy had always erred on the side of mercy when it came to dealing with people. She just didn’t like causing a fuss or starting a fight, and most of the time if the chips weren’t in her favor she figured she’d done something to cause it. Karma was a bitch. Though it would be a different scenario altogether if the offense was against someone she cared about instead of herself.

          Her brows pulled in toward each other as she pondered the query. “I’ve always heard people say there’s a fine line between love and hate. Maybe the line between wrath and mercy is pretty thin too.” The question had more than likely been rhetorical, just Root thinking out loud, but she had a habit of answering rhetorical questions anyway. Sometimes she just couldn’t tell the difference.

@modifiedcode​  /  meme

[bringwar]

✘: Who do they detest the most? Do they typically avoid this person or antagonize them?

you  mean  besides  himself  ?  viktor  dobrescu  ,  the  man  responsible  for  the  deaths  of  his  parents  ,  taking  him  in  under  false  pretenses  ,  raising  him  to  become  a  killer  only  for  niko  to  find  out  he’d  been  putting  all  of  his  trust  and  admiration  under  the  man  that  wanted  him  dead  had  been  more  than  enough  to  put  viktor  at  the  top  of  his  list  .  for  years  in  his  main  verse  ,  niko  spent  running  from  him  ,  hunted  by  his  organization  ---  changing  his  name  and  the  man  he  once  was  only  for  the  sake  of  survival  and  during  all  that  time  he’d  been  coming  up  with  a  plan  to  take  him  and  everything  he  stands  for  down  once  and  for  all  .  everything  niko’s  done  was  for  the  sake  of  revenge  against  viktor  but  he  didn’t  antagonize  him  ,  instead  avoided  him  like  the  plague  he  is  until  finally  twenty  years  later  he  returned  and  took  him  out  once  and  for  all    headcanon questions ! @modifiedcode​

[assetrisen]

you make me feel like that. like life is happening.

Shaw glanced over at the couple that Root was referencing. Normally, she would balk at such a comparison, but they weren’t doing anything schmoopy or even remotely PDA-like. They were simply having an animated discussion as they walked down the street, completely zeroed in on each other while the rest of the world fell away. She understood suddenly what Root meant, and her chest tightened at the reminder that despite her reservations, the hacker knew Shaw better than anyone else in this world had.

But saying so out loud would just make that stupid look in her eyes appear, and she was already too uncomfortable with how similar to a date this was. Normally they stayed in and ordered delivery, seeing which one could fluster the poor delivery guy more as an extra bit of fun, but today Root had insisted on going out to one of Shaw’s favorite steakhouses.

Never one to refuse a steak on someone else’s dime, Shaw agreed, even deciding to forego her usual whiskey given Root’s discomfort with the subject. Dinner was just as good as was expected, though as she eyed Root’s barely touched plate, she made sure to order a few desserts to go. With a variety of textures and flavors that Root could choose from later. They were currently tucked away in the paper bag that Shaw held in one hand, while Root had hooked her other arm and was currently sprinting strolling along with her absurdly long legs. Shaw grumbled as she moved faster to keep up with Root’s pace. Even now, it wasn’t safe to linger on the streets.

“Life is happening, nerd,” she grumbled, though there was the slightest affectionate edge to her voice. “I know you spend a lot of time up in here,” she gently pressed a finger to her head. “And you’re the eyes and ears of a thing that has a million eyes and ears. But sometimes you gotta join the rest of us down here too.” It was the most she’d said all night, content to let Root chatter away as she normally did, interjecting and offering sarcastic commentary when appropriate. The couple in question was gone now, having turned a corner a block and a half ago. “Besides, you would hate being them. Not knowing anything about all of this,” she pointed out. They weren’t normal, weren’t meant to be. That was the sacrifice of the job.

But that was also why they worked together. Shaw couldn’t hide from Root, and even more, she found herself less bothered by that thought than she should have been. Shaw had built her life off of shadows and anonymity, keeping her past shrouded in secrecy to preserve the memories of a relatively happy childhood, yet with every Sameen that dropped from Root’s lips, she managed to slip right past her walls. And as they entered the apartment, Root muscled her against the door, predatory intent clear in her eyes, and Shaw let the forgotten bag of desserts drop from her hand in favor of gripping Root’s leather jacket.

They fuck, as they’ve often done before, frantic and heady and loud enough that she’s sure her neighbors hate her, but Shaw could give less of a fuck while Root was making those sounds. But there’s also something else tonight. A hint of tenderness, nothing overt, but a silent acknowledgement between them that this was different. Never one for words, Shaw let her actions do the talking instead. 

It wasn’t until later that night, when she was nearly asleep that Shaw finally put her finger on why everything tonight had felt so... charged.

“Did you seriously take me on a date to celebrate the first time you tased me?”

[silencedrage]

“You wanted to be the hero. I get it.” - root/john

Her voice crackled through the earpiece, and John let out a low, slightly irritated hum. His gun was raised at the ready, and he peered around the corner at the men who were patrolling the hallway. “Do you think we can discuss this later, Root? I’m kind of busy at the moment.” He breathed out the words as he slipped past two more men, merely a shadow to their tired eyes. 

The number was supposed to be easy, though John should have learned by now that the ones that were “supposed to be easy” often ended up the ones that came with the most headaches. His ribs were already protesting as he slunk up the stairs from a few hits he’d taken earlier.

Pausing as he heard footsteps coming his way, John ducked into a doorway, taking advantage of the few milliseconds of surprise that he had on the guard. His movements were sharp and clean. One, two, a sweep of the leg, and a gruesome crunch as the man’s face hit the concrete wall. Root was still chattering away in his ear, clearly not respecting his request for some peace during these strenuous times. 

“What is it to you anyways? I didn’t know you cared.”

[fatherofmachine-a]

(  Originally answered here,  regarding Finch’s first encounter with @modifiedcode​‘s Root.  I figured I ought to re-post this as meta-ish thing,  like I did with the Reese one.  I also tweaked this one a bit  &  added more. )

                             PERSONALS,  DO NOT REBLOG !!

FEAR.  Fear,  anger  &  a sickening disgust was what he’d first associated with her,  the moment  his gaze had met hers.  The sharp  fascination  &  curiosity that would eventually  develop wouldn’t emerge until MUCH later.  Shock  &  terror  ripped through him as the sound of gunfire TEARING through flesh  &  bone violently  wrought Harold’s world,  his senses,  to a brief stand-still.  Alicia,  the person he’d been speaking to mere seconds ago,  was abruptly,  lifelessly  SLUMPED against the passenger seat  &  door—–Harold couldn’t see  the blood,  not from this angle,  but the nauseating hot,  copper-like scent of it left him with NO DOUBTS of it being there.  Movement outside of the passenger window had him turning  without thinking about it,  blue eyes WIDE.  He only just recognized his mouth had fallen open with shock  &  he pressed thin lips together tightly.

For a moment,  all he could hear was a dull RINGING  &  any other sound was muffled  by it ;  he’d only acknowledged the sound of the back door of the car opening  &  closing AFTER her  voice rose from the silence.

❛ I thought she’d  NEVER shut up, ❜

For a BRIEF few seconds,  he couldn’t  comprehend what it was she’d said—–NOT that he couldn’t hear her,  the ringing was beginning to diminish  &  he could hear the words  just fine.  It was the CASUAL sound of her voice,  how she spoke as though they  ( she  &  Harold ) shared some sort of private JOKE.  One arm still extended outward behind him,  that same wrist settled upon the steering wheel uselessly whilst his other hand GRIPPED the center console to keep himself turned.  His head  &  neck had JERKED painfully in response to the gunshot  &  now,  the lasting pain of the movement began to seep into the rest of his upper body … but,  Harold was FAR too preoccupied to notice just yet.

TURING ( or,  whatever her real name was ) was practically beaming at him,  the look of it almost CHILD-LIKE with how manic it appeared.  His own dark brows were narrowing,  as were his eyes  &  his mind was WORKING again,  moving incredibly fast,  as if to catch up from the momentary pause.

❛ So nice to finally meet you,  Harold.   You can call me  ROOT. ❜

With her INTRODUCTION,  Root  moved in close,  her firearm pointed directly at him  &  her wide SMILE never faltered.  Harold swiftly began to solve the puzzle of how they reached this point  &  the longer he looked  at her,  the more HORRIFIED he became.  Once he finally spoke,  his voice sounded STRANGE to his own ears ;   almost detached,  still riddled with pure shock  &  he could hear the latter within his own ragged breathing.   The DISGUST that had long-since begun to churn within him spiked  at the sight of how her DELIGHTED smile had shifted into something mischievously smug.

❝ … You hired HR yourself ?   You were willing to RISK your  own life  to FIND me ?  ❞

Her dark gaze flickered downward,  but only for a few seconds.  

❛ I did this ... corporate training thing once, ❜

Root began,  barely  rotating the firearm held tightly within her hand as if they were having a CASUAL conversation rather than the reality .... which was her essentially  holding him at gun point.

❛  I was blackmailing the CEO,  long story,  but  .... they did this exercise called the trust fall.  Where you close your eyes and  f a l l   ... &  wait for someone to CATCH you.  I  knew  you boys wouldn't let me down. ❜

She’d trusted  that he  & Mr. Reese would save her life,  she’d had FAITH in them.  Coming from her,  it only TAINTED the statement  &  Harold simply leaned farther away.

❛ C’mon,  Harold.   We’ve got  SO MUCH to  talk about. ❜

Root nearly BOUNCED in her apparent excitement,  her firearm still pointed in a silent threat …  &  Harold understood the command  without her needing to specify further.  She seemed to take notice of the body then,  albeit …  &  BEFORE they departed,  Root discarded Alicia’s lifeless body on the concrete ground bellow,   MUCH to Harold’s disgust.

[sevenswcrds]

@modifiedcode asked for some positivity! || always accepting

You’re such a good person, and I honestly am so happy that you’re kicking around again. You’re an incredibly clever writer and a lovely friend who always does the best you can to support those around you. I love your characterizations and GODS I have missed you tbh. I’m so glad you’re back and I’m so glad to BE back.

You’re amazin <3

[attentiverenegades-blog]

“  you’re   staring.  “     

@modifiedcode    ❤ ‘d for a thing  !   

[agentxiii]

THERE’S BEAUTY IN STARTING ANEW,     the  way  stacked  boxes  of  simple  items  uncover  any  traces  of  normality  that  any  person  forced  to  begin  again  can  cling  to,   one  by  one.     Though  it  would  certainly  appear  as  though  this  move  by  was  just  a  ways  of  coming  about  into  the  world  ––––   like  any  soapy,    g e n e r i c   film  with  a  similar  plot  could  portray  to  its  audience  ––––   settling  into  this  New  York  apartment  was  but  a  repetition  of  history:   While  the  would  indicate  her  fresh  arrival  into  the  big  city,    this  had  been...   The   t h i r d  ?     Fourth  time ?     The  bottom  of  her  last  couple  of  boxes  is  set  down  at  the  doorstep,   only  for  a  manicured  to  run  against  an  edge  of  a  couple  of  sealed  envelopes.          ❛     Mailman slipped this through my flap this morning.     ❜          Honeyed  notes  glide  over  to  the  owner  of  the  apartment  across  the  hallway.          ❛     –––––  We haven't met.     I’m  the  new  tenant.     ❜          /       @modifiedcode !

[thewhirlwind]

@modifiedcode​: You need to think about yourself every once in a while.” - for john!

John stares at her from where he stood near the subway car, tired eyes watching her movements. He knew she was right. He was exhausted, had been up for a few days now, working instead of sleeping, and his actions were beginning to drag, to get clumsy, and he was trying to pretend it wasn’t.

“What if something happens while I’m out?” He asked, trying to resist sleeping for a bit. Green eyes were exhausted though, gaunt. He looked more like an old ghost in the moment than a waking man. His aim wouldn’t be so good now if he tried—and he had, gotten into a fire fight, taken a bullet to the shoulder, leaving him pale with blood loss.

And he trusted Root, and Shaw, but there was something about sitting the mission out that rubbed him wrong, that he didn’t want any part of. Maybe that was his military training. Maybe it was pure stubbornness—probably the most likely scenario, in all truth.

“We have a job to do. I’ve done more in worse conditions.” He remembered fighting on crutches. But the thing was, it was just him and Harold, and occasionally Fusco, back then. Now—now he had he option of handing it off to someone else. Now he had teammates he respected beyond words.

But letting go of the inherent control that came with doing it yourself was hard.

[gentlenatured-blog1]

* starter call / @modifiedcode.

walking down the the icy streets of the big apple, all that alice could think of was how she should’ve opted to visit her family during a warmer time of the year. from her years of living in numerous places with sunny climates changed her durability of the winter. rubbing her gloved hands together in an attempt to warm them up and her attention on a billboard for one of the latest musicals on broadway. the city lights and sights were still a distraction to her to this day — and that was exactly the reason why she found herself walking straight into the oncoming brunette. ‘ oh sh — oot ! i’m so sorry. ‘

[prcsopa]

@modifiedcode  ❔ and i’ll list a couple muses that i’d like to throw at yours !

1. irina kuznetsov 2. john wick 3. joan watson 4. paul dierden 5. nikita mears

[assetrisen]

@modifiedcode demanded a starter and i’m happy to oblige

Shaw hissed as the blanket brushed against the inflamed skin on her leg. While the bullet hadn’t completely shredded the muscle, it had done enough that it was making healing a bitch and a half. Reese was perfecting his impersonation of an unobtrusive guard dog, stopping by with coffee and food periodically enough that she didn’t get hangry, but not so often that she was sick of him. And he’d left her Bear too. 

The dog in question had been napping in the dim daylight that was coming through the window, though he padded over when he heard her sound of pain and gave her a low whine. “I’m alright, buddy,” she murmured, scratching behind his ears. “I’m alright,” she repeated to herself as she swung herself to her feet. There was half of a cold burrito still sitting on the counter from earlier, though for once, her stomach did not demand sustenance. One of many signs that things were not as ‘alright’ as she kept telling herself, but the idea of admitting weakness in front of the others, even now, it didn’t sit well with her. Besides, Finch had gone off the grid entirely and if Shaw hadn’t been off her feet, she was pretty sure that Reese would have chased after him. She almost felt bad for interrupting their gay porno in the making.

But as the shadows grew longer, Shaw knew that she needed to eat something, if only to take the OTC ibuprofen to take the edge off the pain. The burrito looked even less appetizing now, and she hesitated before opening the container and dropping it on the ground for Bear. “Don’t tell Finch,” she said to the dog as he bounded forward at the unexpected treat. Instead, she reached for the stack of takeout menus from the counter but whirled around as she heard Bear beginning to growl lowly. The quick movement, though normally not an issue for her, made her leg nearly give out underneath her. 

“Damn it, Root. What the hell are you doing here?”