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wildnfreefangirl · 3 years

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Make Sure No Body Sees You Leave Chapter 1

Author’s Note: HI I just want to say I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Make Sure No Body Sees You Leave I’ll try to be consistent with updating if not then 😔 but please reblogs commenting showing appreciation helps! This was originally going to be a y/n story but I changed it due to the characters of Leah and Valentina coming to me <3 So without future ado ENJOY! NO SPOILERS FOR THE BATMAN (2022)

Word Count: I DON’T KNOW ???

Warnings for this chapter: Minor character death mention of funeral mention of death that’s all for now <3

Gotham City.

A place where not only Leah was born but also was adopted from at the very young age of five, Leah’s younger sister Valentina just being a new born at the time of the adoption, it was a very quick and rushed adoption from what Leah remembers.

However, she wouldn’t trade who adopted her for the world, Ms. Jamilla Alvarez she was a older Latina lady in her forties when she adopted Leah and Valentina but she raised them as if they were her own blood.

Jamilla did not live in Gotham, she lived in New Mexico on a beautiful vast ranch, flowers always blooming and a large field with velvety smooth grass that would tickle your feet as you walked and ran.

Flowers different colors everywhere and hot air balloons always in the sky, It was like living in some sort fairytale Jamilla’s house was like something out of a fairytale too. It didn’t last for long though sixteen years later Jamilla passed away, too heartbroken to care for the cottage and the land twenty one year old Leah and now sixteen year old sister Valentina now wanting to be called Val were setting off to their birthplace Gotham City.

Leah could afford the the move since she and Val had a small funeral for her in New Mexico, they were now currently in Leah’s proudly bought used Volkswagen Beatle that is the color red and Leah proudly named her Marge when she first bought her much to Val’s annoyance which led her on a rant on listing “Reasons why people should never name cars like they name children.” She eventually dropped the subject, but it took a long while. The two sisters were now driving to Gotham with all their belongings safety and securely packed down, much to Leah’s pride she felt like she accomplished a lot she even put the For Sale sign up too for Ms. Alvarez’s cottage which was a huge accomplishment.

Val didn’t help though she spent the whole day with her “friends” doing little to none to help pack up to leave for Gotham Leah felt as if this move was just going to be one sided she barley heard her sister speak and every time Leah glanced up in the mirror her sister still had the same “I’m pissed off at the world” face and had her earphones in no doubt blasting new grunge rock full volume which Leah loathed.

Nevertheless, Leah remained optimistic that Val would make friends at Gotham High and that she would stay out of trouble. ( the last statement being wishful thinking.) Leah wanted her sister to adjust at least maybe not now but by tomorrow.

Finally the city came into view and Leah’s face went from optimistic to shocked This was Gotham City ? The place she and her sister were born into ?

Gotham had completely changed in the past sixteen years, Gotham was dreary and cold also Leah saw the homeless on every block she passed man, elderly and even women and children….. even just plain children and teens roaming the streets no doubt thriving to get their next meal if they were lucky.

Leah hated to say it but she was…..surprised how such a lively and bright city had turned into a city that was in amidst of a war.

Leah finally came to a stop having to collect herself having just witness most of the population of Gotham, fighting for their lives on the street, she was grateful she found a place to live even if it was decent and not exactly high class but it would do til she saved enough money from her new job she was starting as a teacher at the new Gotham Elementary School. There was a teaching position offered but it was in The Narrows which back then was the only bad part of Gotham Leah quickly accepted this position and it paid good money. It was renovated and the renovation was funded by the Wayne Foundation Leah read somewhere which she found was interesting.

Leah didn’t know much about the Wayne’s considering the fact that when they were killed it made every news station that day, but after that the world moved on Leah could only feel bad for their only son Bruce having to survive being hounded by the press every single time suddenly he just stopped appearing at all.

Leah couldn’t blame the guy if she was being honest.

Leah and Val’s apartment building was in a decent neighborhood their was still crime yes, but it wasn’t frequent like the other neighborhoods in Gotham. After pulling into a parking space, Leah parked and turned off the ignition of her car Marge, and then just as the ignition stopped Val immediately unlocked the door and went inside the building without another word.

“So much for helping.” Leah sighed and got to work by clicking her car keys to pop the truck to unload Marge. It was about the minutes after, but Leah was finally finished unpacking and walked towards the door of the apartment building.

She immediately spotted Val sitting on a gray patchy chair in the lobby, Val didn’t acknowledge that Leah was there so Leah just went to the front desk with their luggage in tow. Composing herself Leah spoke,”I have a complex reserved under L. Alvarez.” The man gave her a kind smile and immediately went to his computer to look up her information she gave via her cell phone. Jared spoke “You’ll be staying on the fourth floor in apartment 111 enjoy your service at the Violet Noir”.

Once Jared finalized everything, she immediately found Val again in the same spot.

Leah immediately grabbed Val silencing out her loud protests on not wanting to leave her spot on the couch in the lobby, Leah pressed the up button on the elevator and made a silent prayer that their neighbor would be friendly.

Leah let go of Val and immediately an she pressed the button for the fourth floor, the elevator was vintage and needed a good cleaning it seemed but Leah liked it since it was vintage and timeless.

After what felt like five seconds, the two sisters stepped out of the elevator and the eldest immediately searched for apartment 111, looking at the apartment numbers Leah then found it.

Leah immediately took out her key which was a dazzling purple with her room number and she went inside her sister stomping inside the apartment her black combat boots making noise on the tile floors.

“Alright I’ve just about had it with your teen angst act Val, I expected it after Jamilla’s funeral but I’m so sick of you treating me like a wall”. All, Leah got in response was a roll of the eyes as Val sat down on a decent looking couch an turned on the TV.

Leah just put her hands up in mock defeat, she couldn’t deal right now with her because she had to unpack their things and get settled also she had her first day tomorrow. Yelling a quick “ Don’t stay up too late!” She got to work on the task of unpacking she did Val’s belongings too since she knew it would be a full month til she did get to it.

After an hour she glance at the clock above the microwaved read 9:05 PM it was getting late after adjusting everything in her room she looked out into the living room, her sister wasn’t there so she checked across the hall which was her sister’s room to see her sound asleep in her bed and in her pj’s.

Smiling inside, Leah closed the door gently careful as to not wake her sister she did a once over everything and locked the apartment door for tonight.

Changing into her pj’s Leah immediately climbed into her bed, and made a mental note to get things for their apartment this weekend, as she drifted off to sleep police sirens wailing in the streets in the city down below.

Leah’s outfits

https://pin.it/7axuS62 ( day)

https://pin.it/5n2QtxQ ( night)

Val’s outfits

https://pin.it/10rxRrz ( day)

https://pin.it/6BvSliX (night)

Author’s note: I hope this first chapter pleases you all I tried to get it out as fast as I could I accept all comments and criticisms also I just enjoy feedback in general also don’t fret my character will meet Bruce soon :)

I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS BESIDES JAMILLA ALVAREZ AND LEAH AND VALENTINA / VAL ALVAREZ or any other character I might create the others are purely DC Comics property and Matt Reeves property

#batman #bruce wayne #the batman #bruce wayne x oc #bruce wayne x reader #batman x oc #ana de armas #jenna ortega #oc tag #fanfiction #battinson

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darke15 · 3 years

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been thinking about this for a while sooo just as a fun thought experiment:

how do you envision each characters voice? alpha 1 & 2, boone and duke?? any specific references to certain people who you hear when they speak >:)

Ohhhhhhhhhh good question Val!

I can def hear their voices in my head that doesn't sound so good outta context does it?

But it's hard to describe. A lotta times it's who I face cast them as

Alpha One

Weston : Liam Neeson

There's just something about this motherfucker's voice, probs because he played Hannibal in A-Team, that sounds like a seasoned Commander.

Weston would have a raspy voice, something he gained from his cigar addiction, but it would also be cool, calm, and collected even in the middle of battle.

You'd be able to hear him from across the room, even when he's using his inside voice.

Danny : Edgar Ramirez

Have you heard this man's accent? Ughhhhhhhhh gorgeous

Danny would have a thick Spanish accent, something that almost rivals Jaime Camil's voice (yes I know he's from Mexico and Danny's from Spain and the accents are different, just stick with me here)

His voice is smooth and silky, he's someone that you wouldn't talking your ear off just to hear his voice.

Turner : toss-up between Michael Ealy // Idris Elba

This one I'm iffy on, I picture his voice as playful when he's with Alpha 1, almost being light and chill but it turns stern when he becomes the Senator

I picture there's a Southern lilt to it, he grew up in New Orleans after all, and he's eloquent and soft-spoken.

Oop, just thought of an almost voice. Charles Michael Davis, the guy who plays Marcel in the originals

Ollie : Joseph Mazzello

Again, iffy on this one

His voice is light and slightly in the best way nerdy? I hear his voice as light, almost a timid whisper most of the time.

Alpha 2

Duke : ????

I honestly don't have a good answer for this one, I'm still not happy with who I face cast Duke with

I picture Duke's voice as deep and a little gruff at times but still soft when he needs to be.

Boonie : ????

I'm still on the fence with her face cast and her voice is...unique

There's an obvious Western drawl, it's light and just a bit sultry but not too much

Jack : Henry Cavill

I picture his voice like Cavill's in M:I Fallout, deep and can be a bit serious at times

except when he's with duke and he's relaxed

Raffa : Justin Baldoni // ???

When Raffa is working, he's got a really smooth, professional voice.

When he's not, he talks like he's from the hood...because he is. He laughs a lot and throws around a lot of slang

Belov : Armie Hammer (Man from UNCLE)

Belov's voice is deeply accented and low, there's always the verge of a growl on the edge of his voice

Zac : Justin H. Min

Just like Oliver, I picture Zac's voice as light but it's a little deeper and less timid.

It's often a little hoarse, he goes for hours (sometimes days) without socializing

Jesse : Naomi Harris

I really don't know how to describe her voice except for Harris' voice in Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die

Last, but certainly not least, everyone's favorite grumpy teddy bear :

Ari : Jon Bernthal // ???

This one is probably the hardest to describe. I hear his voice as deep, dark, accented, gruff, and slightly monotoned

His Israeli accent is thick and he doesn't try to hide it

or OR if you wanna get crazy, you can picture me voicing all of them, out loud, accents and all, like a psychopath, as I pace through the house trying to get dialogue down. ya know, whatever you want.

#talk to me goose #beautiful friends #ask me things #ask me literally anything #the faces of operation aftermath

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leer-reading-lire · 3 years

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The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories

Edited by James D. Jenkins and Ryan Cagle

What if there were a whole world of great horror fiction out there you didn't know anything about, written by authors in distant lands and in foreign languages, outstanding horror stories you had no access to, written in languages you couldn't read? For an avid horror fan, what could be more horrifying than that?

For this groundbreaking volume, the first of its kind, the editors of Valancourt Books have scoured the world, reading horror stories from dozens of countries in nearly twenty languages, to find some of the best contemporary international horror stories. All the foreign-language stories in this book appear here in English for the first time, while the English-language entries from countries like the Philippines are appearing in print in the U.S. for the first time.

The book includes stories by some of the world's preeminent horror authors, many of them not yet known in the English-speaking world:

Pilar Pedraza, 'Mater Tenebrarum' (Spain)

Flavius Ardelean, 'Down, in Their World' (Romania)

Anders Fager, 'Backstairs' (Sweden)

Tanya Tynjälä, 'The Collector' (Peru)

Frithjof Spalder, 'The White Cormorant' (Norway)

Jose María Latorre, 'Snapshots' (Spain)

Luigi Musolino, 'Uironda' (Italy)

Martin Steyn, 'Kira' (South Africa)

Attila Veres, 'The Time Remaining' (Hungary)

Lars Ahn, 'Donation' (Denmark)

Bernardo Esquinca, 'Señor Ligotti' (Mexico)

Cristina Fernández Cubas, 'The Angle of Horror' (Spain)

Christien Boomsma, 'The Bones in Her Eyes' (Netherlands)

Elisenda Solsona, 'Mechanisms' (Catalonia)

Michael Roch, 'The Illogical Investigations of Inspector André Despérine' (Martinique)

Solange Rodríguez Pappe, 'Tiny Women' (Ecuador)

Bathie Ngoye Thiam, 'The House of Leuk Dawour' (Senegal)

Marko Hautala, 'Pale Toes' (Finland)

Yvette Tan, 'All the Birds' (Philippines)

Ariane Gélinas, 'Twin Shadows' (Québec)

Flore Hazoumé, 'Menopause' (Ivory Coast)

Now for this exciting follow-up volume the editors have expanded their search to even more countries, finding more of the world's best horror fiction and making it available to American readers for the first time. Featuring a wide variety of tales from Brazil to Malta to Nigeria to Japan, and all points in between, this new anthology is a must-have for any horror fan or anyone interested in contemporary world literature.

Included in this volume are some of the world's best horror writers, many of them unknown in the English-speaking world:

Luciano Lamberti, 'The Nature of Love' (Argentina)

Roberto Causo, 'Train of Consequences' (Brazil)

Braulio Tavares, 'Screamer' (Brazil)

Yavor Tsanev, 'The Recording of the Will' (Bulgaria)

Zhang Yueran, 'Whitebone Spirit' (China)

Teddy Vork, 'The Wonders of the Invisible World' (Denmark)

Indrek Hargla, 'The Grain Dryer of Tammõküla' (Estonia)

Mélanie Fazi, 'Dreams of Ash' (France)

Konstantinos Kellis, 'Firstborn' (Greece)

Gary Victor, 'Lucky Night' (Haiti)

Steinar Bragi, 'The Bell' (Iceland)

Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, 'Shelter from the Storm' (India)

Stephan Friedman, 'The Pallid Eidolon" (Israel)

Yasumi Tsuhara, 'The Old Wound and the Sun' (Japan)

Anton Grasso, 'The Ant' (Malta)

Dare Segun Falowo, 'Olowabi Olowolagba' (Nigeria)

Wojciech Gunia, 'The War' (Poland)

Ana María Fuster Lavín, 'Footsteps of Hunger' (Puerto Rico)

Val Votrin, 'The Regensburg Festival' (Russia)

Bora Chung, 'Mask' (South Korea)

Viola Cadruvi, 'The Runner' (Switzerland)

#horror fiction #horror books #horror short stories #short fiction #short stories #book covers #book cover #pilar pedraza #bernardo esquinca #world literature #contemporary fiction #literatura contemporánea #cuentos de terror

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blueeyeddarkknight · 2 years

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Val Kilmer‘s House in the Hills of Santa Fe | Architectural Digest

@foreverralways here's the article I've telling you about.. Hope you like it 😉❤️

#val kilmer #The architectural digest #New Mexico #House #Val's house #Architect Sara is fangirling #The design #And the designer

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cocopubpotato · 3 years

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a thor movie summary notes whatever

heya so nobody asked for this but here goes my entire notes of a summarry of the first thor movie

this was for a class work okay

saved you from having to scroll through this

New Mexico ; a person tries to register an anomaly an astrophysicist okay this movie starts differently than I thought thunder storms coming someone up there appears from the vortex and they run over him explanation of Norse mythology and they tell us about the war between Odin and the frost Giants. Orient took their power sources back to Asgard. Because it's a movie it has a chance to show us how radiant and perfect in comparison to New Mexico the reason the story is being told is to show thor and loki that war isn't good the next thing we see is thor being crowned Crown Prince in the event of a frost giant snake into the Asgardian vault to recover their power source and end up interrupting the ceremony. They failed their mission because security at the vault Teresa beat of a Maniac doesn't think properly of his actions this is a bunch of friends that don't matter.

I'm here thor decides to break the rules and still go to Jotunheim even though his brother Loki, who is a chaotic neutral at best, not to and also his friends advised he shouldn't do it but he doesn't care and does it anyway.

Thor's friends are going through Jotunheim to cause a big mess, Thor demands some answers from the ruler of jotunheim, he mentions theres a traitor(ps it's loki) it odins house and ignores that the frodt giant is actually nice and let's them leave but thor starts a fight anyway.

*insert action scene cause this is an action movie* (we also discover as does he that loki is actually a frost giant that was taken by odin during the war)

we can also see thors magnificent strength, odin come to save thors gang cause thors stupid and almost started a war then they have a fight and odin has to punish thor for his arrogance and stupidity by sending him to earth. While taking his powers away and giving the power to anyone worthy of holding mjiolnir thor's hammer.

now we retur to the start of the movie, thor being run over by a pair of scientists and getting tasered by an intern. thor goes a bit crazy on earth because who are these people doing something to the allmighty thor. we also get astrophyiscist science explained. then he gets runovered again. his friends over on asgard are talking about how horrible thors banishment is and loki reveals that he is the one that alerted odin, one of them suggests that loki might be a traitor ; loki goes for the frost giants powersource to learn more about what he is and finds odin. Now we go back to earth and see that thor doesn't know human etiquette.

talking about the hammer, here people find it and since noone is able to lift it a lot of people go near and try to take it; like the sword in the stone. until a certain organization comes and puts the whole area on lockdown to investigate.

the main scientist is called jane and honestly she makes very bad decisions(love interest) gets recommended not to keep on checking thor out; government takes away all her stuff and she gets pretty mad since they take her research. Shield James science equipment and research since discover for some reason she was there in the day the the aka the hammerfell I have some research basically no illegal wait but it's not illegal because they are the law. at Asgard well now remember at the Berkeley Loki is Apple Dutch angles oh yeah look at those odin link has fallen asleep and can't wake up loki is King in the meantime and denies the request to bring out door of his banishment.

back on Earth it's more about Norse mythology because he's curious about thor and everything. Jane takes by thor to the Hammer because she has nothing else to lose so might as well should we get some bad scenes of them flirting cringly that remind me so much of Star Wars Episode 2 which I hate. I really hate how back and forth to the plug go between now we are not now we are on earth we get a little bit of clear statement that I've actually loved Loki as her son as well no door is going to search for the hammer he's like right there I'll decide he only has two Frankie's weighing to hammer sentence on lockdown with hydrogen's hey I know that now PS he doesn't manage to lift the hammer heme Ethan Ward outfit because a crazy psycho that hasn't learned his lesson listen action scene action movie the good thing is that we get to see more dad even though you're lost his Godly Powers he is still very strong and at least holds his experience since most of what he did was close quarter combat combat that's it's an skis and able to live there he gets really mad barroso kinda sad to Luce these thoughts right now so it depends on the script on the right Bluetooth I submit my book like press that he can't do what he used to what's taken away government police.

Loki appears in front of thor and tells him the biggest lie the golden age that because because the war on coming to banish him kills me from the inside he also told him that because your character Golden Tones that I am the one on the throne home Barbie supplies. yeah I'm going to go to war as long as stars exiled and apparently agrees that he shouldn't come back and he has come to say goodbye the end. also Loki isn't worthy of the hammer.

now we give some bonding time foreign doctor Selvig because we need to to care about humans. but also thor takes note of how horrible person he has been. now we see the Loki is truly Daughtry tour and brought some of the soldiers into Asgard there is a key doesn't kill all them himself is because of the weekend that's suspicious if the new king kill the previous one. Heimdall doesn't believe any of lokis s*** price Val doesn't follow the rules he only believes in what's right it's like the most normal character in this thing

Now we get to see Torrid Jean because dorbrook dr. Selby after he drank passed out. Now we get to see more torrin James bonding okay but Jason is actually Exposition because store tells her about the 9 Realms of Asgard which is Earth and the others he apologizes for being a dick she apologizes for running him over oh and give her her research notebook because he grabbed it from the lockdown no to research more because she's actually right about her research on interpreting they have the look in their eyes pierdas relationship lasts yeah like two movies break up off screen. I want to sleep now. yay we get to see the sidekick Arjun game about going back to Rescue I'm bringing back to Asgard I have a lease on board because he doesn't believe inloki's reign yay now the sidekicks are not aired and they're going to search for tour but loki noticed that they left I never remember the name of this enemy but he reminds me so much of the one from X-Men Days of Future Past

Thor's friends found him yay I hear third Lair devil oketokun was a big lie because all his friends are like to know he's in there he's just asleep and then the enemy that guy Air Jordan wrecks havoc and beats Sidekicks up because they suck now they're evacuating the CD so that the Scythe cakes can keep the evil guy's he doesn't kill anyone going because killing is bad okay so because the bad guy is beating everyone really wants to kill tour Thor goes to find friends and he says some inspiring words to save so that she doesn't die kids and now he is worthy because he risked everything to save the others and has become a better person in the span of 10 minutes. thor tells Jane that he will come by he promises her that he will come back but we all know that he doesn't come back until like two years later because the bifrost is broken at the end of this movie because loki overcharge the bifrost it is going to destroy asgard and he can't let that happen but because of that he won't be able to see Jane ever again and he and Loki are almost falling to the universe and Loki let's go and disappears into the universe.

As a very merry and all the people in osgard are celebrating and everything Contender stories their mother and Thor are sad because Loki has gone and they love him like a son and brother and he also misses jane

#i feel like i lost braincells #really i wanna sleep #used dictation.io for this #it is pretty useful for taking notes actually #recommend using it #but ye this movie ain't that good #thor #marvel #mcu

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haaam-guuuurl · 5 years

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Cristina as Unseelie Royalty HCs

aka an AU where the Unselie Court aren’t such jerks, recognize Cristina as the badass kingslayer she is and allow her into the Court, her and Mark as King Kieran’s official Consorts.

(Kierarktina, but with an emphasis on Cristina)

(Btw, shout-out to @wicked-books-101 for beta-ing these!)

((And also, of course, to @purple-haired-faerie for setting up this gift exchange!! Thank you so much, it was so much fun! And, if this becomes an every-year thing – count me in!!))

Merry Christmas, Val (@ladyofstoriesandmusic), from your TSC Secret Santa!!! I hope you like these and have a wonderful Christmas and a great new year!!

At first it was a bit awkward. Not only was it the first time a human was a Consort for the Unseelie King, but it was the first time a King had multiple official Consorts (of course, there had been affairs before, that was really the norm, but never had they actually lived in the palace, and performed royal duties).

People whispered, both good and bad things.

Though Kieran was basically an anxiety ball over being King, and Mark wasn’t used to having this many people watch his every move, Cristina was the most nervous one.

Though she had studied and been fascinated by faeries her whole life, and knew mostly everything about them (well, as much as a Shadowhunter could), she still felt like an outsider. The snide looks weren’t helping.

But, the more time she spent with Mark and Kieran, the more they performed their jobs and realized they were actually good at them, the more Cristina found out about Faerie, the more she loved it and felt comfortable there.

Eventually, people also realized they were great at their jobs. Plus, they had never seen a King as happy as Kieran was with his Consorts. Mostly, they got over themselves, pretty much forgetting Cristina wasn’t a faerie. She was just part of the Court, almost as if she always had been.

A though nut to crack had been General Winter, but as soon as he so much as looked at Cristina sideways, she shot him a challenging glare right back, as if daring him to remember what happened to King Oban. He did. He stopped doubting her.

Cristina and Mark are ambassadors. Between the Unseelie Court, the Seelie Court, the Clave In Exile, other Downworlder clans, and the Wild Hunt as well.

Once Kieran stepped up to the throne, he had wanted to improve Unseelie’s relations with the outside world. If they were already better inside the palace, they should also be outside, right?

(Basically, Mark and Cristina have the same jobs they do in canon, only instead of the Shadowhunter/Downworlder Alliance, it’s for the Unseelie King)

They negotiate according to their strengths: Cristina with the Seelie Court, after studying them for so long, Mark with the Wild Hunt, and both of them with the Clave In Exile and the Shadowhunter/Downworlder Alliance*.

Outside of that, Cristina spends her time exploring Faerie, sometimes with one of her loves (though they’re all so busy these days), sometimes alone, but always safe with diplomatic immunity (no more weird juice and unsuspecting bonds for this gal).

Mark likes to take out his old steed whenever he can, and ride through the sky. All the freedom he wants, only he only wants enough to still miss home by dinnertime.

Kieran (though he’s definitely the busiest of them all) is enjoying getting to know his people. Once he is able to escape the palace, he wanders around Unseelie, meeting his citizens, finding out how to be a better King, how to constantly improve himself.

They still have the cottage, but it’s more of a vacation house now. They go there to get away from everything and relax, when they need it, but they do have their own room at the palace for themselves on the day-to-day basis.

They often visit the Human World (mostly Mark and Cristina, but Kieran goes on special occasions – like he did in Malec’s wedding): Mark loves to be there for Blackthorn family dinners, Cristina has arranged some sleepovers with Emma (who still jokingly refers to their relationship as a “hot faerie threesome”, despite Tina’s frequent eye rolls and begging her to stop) as well as visiting her family in Mexico.

So, they’re happy: work they love, families to go home to, freedom to explore all their interests, and, most importantly, to be who they are and with whom they love.

*By the way, because I couldn’t stop myself – In this universe, since Alec is no longer running it, and Mark can’t either, Simon is the one in charge of the Shadowhunter/Downworlder Alliance. Okay, yeah, fine, I do love Simon and just can’t help including him in anything I write, but I maintain that this makes sense, after all he went through in TftSA and all that about wanting to change the Clave for the better, especially for Downworlders!

#tsc secret santa #kierarktina #cristina rosales #mark blackthorn #kieran kingson #tsc #tda #the shadowhunter chronicles #the dark artifices #tsc headcanons #my posts #mutuals

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newstfionline · 4 years

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Saturday, February 27, 2012

New York woman loses job, leads pantry feeding thousands (AP) While dozens of New Yorkers lined up outside in the rain, shopping carts at the ready as they waited for free food, Sofia Moncayo led her team in prayer. “We’re super grateful for these people here. In Jesus’ name we pray,” she said, and the group of women around her clapped, cheered and replied: “Amen.” “Now,” she said, “let’s get to work.” By then, they had worked almost nonstop for hours. They picked up heavy boxes, separated thousands of items and removed snow from the curb. They were cold, wet and tired. No one would pay them and they didn’t care. They were just happy to be there for someone else that day. During the coronavirus pandemic, Moncayo has led the food distribution program through Mosaic West Queens Church in the Sunnyside neighborhood. Since then, Moncayo has had her own struggles. She was furloughed from her job at a construction company and remains unemployed. And she also owes five months of rent for the martial arts studio that she owns with her husband in the neighborhood. But she has continued to lead fundraisers and coordinate dozens of volunteers who distribute more than 1,000 boxes of food to families twice a week. “I think helping others has to do something to your brain chemically because if we had not being doing everything that we’re doing, I think this would have been a much scarier time,” she said. “Being able to dig in and help others, it really gives you perspective and helps you believe that you’re going to be OK too.”

Residents of a Texas Border City Long Felt Overlooked. The Storm Made It Worse. (NYT) Surrounded by ranch land, towering mesquite trees and acres of thorny brush, the border city of Del Rio can feel like the definition of rural Texas. Residents said they have long felt alienated from the state’s power centers and bewildered by the shifting approaches to immigration by their elected leaders in Washington. And that is just in typical times. Last week’s epic winter storm, which blanketed the area with more than 11 inches of snow and collapsed the state’s power grid, plunging most of the county’s residents into dark and unheated homes, left many feeling even more isolated, overlooked and forgotten. More than a week later, many shelves remain empty at local grocery and hardware stores, and a notice to boil water was finally lifted in Val Verde County, which includes Del Rio, on Thursday. “I definitely feel that we are a bit unseen and unheard,” said Michael Cirilo, a 39-year-old juvenile detention officer. Like most of his neighbors in Del Rio, a predominantly Hispanic city of about 36,000 residents, he lost power for several days last week. “Sometimes we feel that we’re kind of alone out here.” “When they’re running for office is when we see them,” one man said of politicians.

Not Cages, “Temporary Holding Facilities” (Vox) Generally, migrant children arriving in the US through the southern border are sent to permanent holding facilities run by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which are separate from the “cages” used by US Customs and Border Protection. Due to an increase in the number of children coming into the country, the Biden administration has begun reopening temporary facilities, sparking fears for the welfare of children inside. Biden’s camp has said that they have no choice but to reopen such facilities due to COVID-19-related capacity restrictions combined with the increase in border crossings. The children in these facilities are held until they are either matched with foster parents or united with family members in the US. There have been plenty of reports of abuse in both temporary and permanent HHS shelters: these reports include sexual abuse, neglect, dangerous living conditions, and even the administering of psychotropic drugs. To make matters worse, some of these facilities are located in inaccessible areas, making external oversight of their conditions difficult to conduct.

‘I can’t buy food’: As Cuba’s economy worsens, desperate rafters risk their lives at sea (Miami Herald) Marisol Monteagudo’s son gave her a kiss goodbye as he headed out the door to spend a night out with friends in Cuba’s Isla de la Juventud. What he didn’t tell her: That instead of grabbing a drink or watching a movie, they were planning to board a flimsy raft en route to Mexico. That was three months ago. She hasn’t heard from him since. In recent months, U.S. Coast Guard officials have detected a new uptick in Cuban rafters, with the number intercepted at sea in the fiscal year that started in October already surpassing the total for the previous 12 months. Though still vastly lower than previous surges, the recent increase has sparked concern that as economic and humanitarian conditions in Cuba worsen, more will risk their lives at sea. U.S. President Joe Biden’s proposal to transform the immigration system is also believed to be a driving factor. “It’s a combination of the rising desperation of a good part of the Cuban population over deteriorating life conditions, as well as the illusion of getting to the United States under a president who is more tolerant of undocumented immigrants,” said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

Bhutan’s success under the radar (Foreign Policy) There have been plenty of coronavirus pandemic success stories from Asia—Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand—but one small country has gone largely unheralded: Bhutan. Despite its poverty, ratio of 1 physician to every 2,255 people, and its shared border with hard-hit China and India, Bhutan has recorded only one COVID-19 fatality. In the Atlantic, the science journalist Madeline Drexler chalks up Bhutan’s success to quick actions by top officials, clear and consistent messaging from health authorities, and strong public trust in government. But she also identifies an additional factor unique to Bhutan: the spirit of compassion and altruism reflecting its “Gross National Happiness” index. The index considers noneconomic aspects of well-being, including health, as essential to sustainable development.

US carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia in Syria (ABC News) The United States conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to a U.S. official. The airstrike targeted structures in the eastern Syrian town of Al Bukamal that belong to Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias that have launched rocket attacks in the past against American facilities in Iraq, said the U.S. official. The airstrike was ordered by President Joe Biden in retaliation for a Feb. 15 rocket attack against a U.S. base in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil that killed a coalition contractor and left several American contractors and a U.S. military service member wounded.

In Iraq’s Biblical lands, scattered Christians ask ‘should I stay or go?’ (Reuters) A jihadist message, “Islamic State endures”, is still graffitied on the front gate of Thanoun Yahya, an Iraqi Christian from the northern city of Mosul, scrawled by Islamist militants who occupied his home for three years when they ruled the city. He refuses to remove it, partly in defiance of the militants who were eventually beaten by Iraqi forces, but also as a reminder that Iraq’s scattered and dwindling Christian community still lives a precarious existence. “They’re gone, they can’t hurt us,” said the 59-year-old, sitting in his home which he reclaimed when Islamic State was driven out in 2017. “But there aren’t many of us left. The younger generation want to leave.” Iraq’s Christians have endured unrest over centuries, but a mass exodus began after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and accelerated during the reign of Islamic State, which brutalised minorities and Muslims alike. Hundreds of thousands left for nearby areas and Western countries. Physical and economic ruin remain. Iraqi authorities have struggled to rebuild areas decimated by war, and armed groups that the government has not been able to control vie for territory and resources, including Christian heartlands. Christians say they are left with a dilemma—whether to return to damaged homes, resettle inside Iraq or migrate from a country that experience has shown cannot protect them.

US implicates Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi's killing (AP) Saudi Arabia’s crown prince likely approved the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday that instantly ratcheted up pressure on the Biden administration to hold the kingdom accountable for a murder that drew worldwide outrage. The intelligence findings were long known to many U.S. officials and, even as they remained classified, had been reported with varying degrees of precision. But the public rebuke of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is still a touchstone in U.S-Saudi relations. It leaves no doubt that as the prince continues in his powerful role and likely ascends to the throne, Americans will forever associate him with the brutal killing of a journalist who promoted democracy and human rights. Yet even as the Biden administration released the findings, it appeared determined to preserve the Saudi relationship by avoiding direct punishment of the prince himself despite demands from some congressional Democrats and Khashoggi allies for significant and targeted sanctions. Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, urged the Biden administration to consider punishing the prince, who he says has the blood of an American journalist on his hands. Rights activists said the lack of any punitive measures would signal impunity for the prince and other autocrats.

Unfriending Myanmar’s Military (NYT) Facebook has announced that they have banned Myanmar’s military from all its social media platforms, a few weeks after the country’s government was overthrown in a military coup. Facebook’s decision comes after years of criticism over how Myanmar’s military has used the site to further their political agenda and spread misinformation. For years, members of the military were behind a systematic campaign on Facebook that demeaned the Rohingya as foreigners illegally living in Myanmar, even though many had been there for generations. Since the coup early this month, the military has repeatedly shut off the internet and cut access to major social media sites while continuing to use the platform to spread misinformation and make statements about the state of the country. In response, Facebook wrote: “Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated a need for this ban,” adding that the risks of letting the Myanmar military remain on Facebook and Instagram were “too great” and that the military would be barred indefinitely.

North Korea: Russian diplomats leave by hand-pushed trolley (BBC) A group of Russian diplomats leaving North Korea were forced to leave the country by hand-pushed rail trolley as strict coronavirus measures bring travel in and out of the country to a standstill. After travelling 32 hours by train and another 2 hours by bus from Pyongyang to reach the Russian border, the diplomats and their families loaded up their luggage on the rail trolley and pushed themselves the final kilometer to a Russian train station. The Russian foreign ministry singled out the Pyongyang embassy’s third secretary Vladislav Sorokin for providing the bulk of the effort. Photos shared by the ministry showed the diplomats on the trolley with their suitcases amid a wintry landscape. They were also seen cheering in a video as they crossed into Russia.

Massacre by Eritrean troops in Ethiopia’s Tigray region may constitute crime against humanity, Amnesty says (Washington Post) Ethiopian and Eritrean forces committed war crimes during an offensive to take control of the town of Axum in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region late last year, with one massacre by Eritrean troops a potential crime against humanity, according to a report released by Amnesty International on Thursday. The human rights group said that hundreds were likely killed during a roughly 24-hour period from Nov. 28-29, when Eritrean soldiers carried out house-to-house searches and shot civilians on the street. Eritrean troops “went on a rampage and systematically killed hundreds of civilians in cold blood, which appears to constitute crimes against humanity,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s director for east and southern Africa. The United Nations defines crimes against humanity as “widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.” In its report, Amnesty calls for a U.N.-led investigation into the violence in Axum as part of a broader international inquiry of the conflict between the Ethiopian government and forces aligned with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that began on Nov. 4 last year.

Nigeria faces third mass kidnapping of schoolchildren in 3 months (Washington Post) Gunmen raided a boarding school in northwest Nigeria early Friday and kidnapped around 300 girls, marking the third mass abduction of children since December in Africa’s most populous nation. The assailants struck the Government Girls Secondary School in Zamfara state in a predawn ambush, residents said, waking up neighbors as shots rang out. By daylight Friday, community members were still working together to tally the missing—it remained unclear how many girls were forced into the nearby woods—while police officers scoured the area, which has been plagued by kidnappings in recent months. No one has asserted responsibility for the attack, but criminal gangs known as “bandits” are known to capture groups for ransom—a scourge that has prompted some Nigerians to call for a national state of emergency. The latest high-profile targets across the country’s north: Schoolchildren.

The placebo effect: ‘As a man thinks, so is he?’ (NYT) Give people a sugar pill, they have shown, and those patients—especially if they have one of the chronic, stress-related conditions that register the strongest placebo effects and if the treatment is delivered by someone in whom they have confidence—will improve. Tell someone a normal milkshake is a diet beverage, and his gut will respond as if the drink were low fat. Take athletes to the top of the Alps, put them on exercise machines and hook them to an oxygen tank, and they will perform better than when they are breathing room air—even if room air is all that’s in the tank. Wake a patient from surgery and tell him you’ve done an arthroscopic repair, and his knee gets better even if all you did was knock him out and put a couple of incisions in his skin. Give a drug a fancy name, and it works better than if you don’t. You don’t even have to deceive the patients. You can hand a patient with irritable bowel syndrome a sugar pill, identify it as such and tell her that sugar pills are known to be effective when used as placebos, and she will get better, especially if you take the time to deliver that message with warmth and close attention. Depression, back pain, chemotherapy-related malaise, migraine, post-traumatic stress disorder: The list of conditions that respond to placebos—as well as they do to drugs, with some patients—is long and growing.

#headlines #news

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the-magic-lava-lamp · 4 years

Text

Too Busy Thinking About My Baby

Summary: “If you've got a problem, I don't care what it is If you need a hand, I can assure you this I can help, I've got two strong arms, I can help...”

Poured into the dusty summer air when Jane & Darcy’s car rose once more like Frankenstein's monster. Val’s devil may care eyes blinked a few times before she allowed herself to confirm that as fact and gave herself permission to step out. “So where are you two heading anyway?” Small talk wasn’t always something Val participated in, by choice, but she felt oddly interested.

Ships: ValJane w/ side ThorBruce

Word Count: 7,337

There was a rambunctious small girl pacing around the squared parking lines which housed a crowded compact car.

Val noticed her the second she turned into the tiny rest-stop from the expressway. Maybe even just before that...the girl shaking her fists with boiled anger was hard to miss.

The black coffee shoved into Val’s cup holder sloshed from the hard turn and spilled over the delicate lip of the weak cup. She was off her usual odd talent for avoiding road-trip spills. While she couldn’t grasp that knack, the famously named band was pouring from the radio; ‘Good Girls Don’t’.

Val hopped out of her vehicle, hot drink spilling over her curled hand, feeling half-past dead. Her legs were vibrating & tingling a bit from the lack of stretching which made her do a funny little wobble. She enjoyed the life which flushed back into her when the sun hit her and hoped for a quick bathroom trip. But as she stepped closer to the near deserted rest-area, the pissed yet vivacious woman took her interest yet again.

“I couldn’t help but notice your yelling over there!” She decided to approach with her usual friendly teasing, cupping her palm over her mouth.

The woman snapped her head over, looking well....still pissed but equally as friendly. “Oh yeah. Our car...we need someone to jump-start us!” She happily bounded over as her friend hopped out from the passenger’s side. “You wouldn’t happen to have jumper cables?” she came to a stop and shyly pushed her hair behind her ears.

Val smiled and squinted from the sunlight. “You’re in luck. I do. I can see it’s been rough for you so far.”

The friend bounced from heel-to-toes. “A bald man tricked us.” was all she felt the need to add with a tiny smirk. Val tilted her head and matched the smirk.

“She means to say-” The other girl broke their little game. “We had some guy come over and say he was going to get his car & jumper cables. So he went around to the back where he parked-”

“But he never came back and then Jane spotted him pulling back out onto the expressway like twenty minutes later.” Her friend interrupted, looking much happier with that than she probably should. Val loved that.

Jane pursed her lips and nodded a couple hundred times in a irritated yet adorable way. Moving eerily speedy, she anxiously scratched at her eyebrow and gestured to their vehicle. “But um...you’re here now and-” Jane flipped her glance back to Val with genuine conversational ease & charm though she was increasingly getting more stressed.

“You’d really like for me to pull my car over here and blast yours to life, huh?” She smirked, sticking her thumb behind her towards the space where her own ride was parked. Jane nodded enthusiastically.

“I’d owe you my life!” She clapped her hands together and held the grasp under her chin. Val had never seen anything to earnestly cute in her life.

: : : : : : “If you've got a problem, I don't care what it is If you need a hand, I can assure you this I can help, I've got two strong arms, I can help...”

Jane grinned at her car and glanced up. “There’s this conference in New Mexico, actually-” She looked happy to talk about the subject. “I’m on a panel discussing astronomical anomalies but there’s tons more in the whole science field. It’s a real open deal, lot’s of panels. I’m an astrophysicist. ” She shrugged off some of her joy, succumbing to some natural instinct.

Val smirked. “Yeah, there’s a panel about Biomedical engineering.”

Jane’s eyes widened with glee, a clear jovial response to the idea of discussing the fields. “You’re going-?”

“My friend, Bruce, he’s speaking in that panel. He and his boyfriend went down about a week early to make it romantic.” She chuckled. “I’m heading there today so I can hear him speak because I’m supportive like that.” Val lightly poked Jane’s shoulder.

“Bruce...” she mumbled, after charmingly following Val’s finger with her eyes and returning the gesture (Darcy looking on with amusement). “You don’t mean Bruce Banner? I’m a big fan of his work.”

“That’s him. And you can call me Val.” She stuck out her hand which Jane eagerly took.

“Well, I’m a big fan of your work too, Val.” Jane chuckled and stuck the thumb of her other hand out to her car. “Sorry that was a dumb joke.” Her hand swiped under her chin as she shook her head.

“That’s why I loved it.” She chuckled and crossed her arms.

Jane glanced at her feet for a few seconds. “Thank you really. I owe you.” She poked Val’s arm again with a thankful and soft grin. “Maybe I’ll catch you at the conference?”

Val nodded. “Yeah. I could introduce Bruce to the great Jane...”

“Foster.” She happily finished. They shared a few more words before it seemed to be time to get back on the road...only...

Darcy hopped out of her seat again and walked off towards the rest-area building once more.

Jane turned. “Darcy where are you-?”

“I have to pee again.”

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

There was nothing more satisfying to Val than flying down the highway with the crisp taste of morning’s coffee still burning in her stomach. It reminded her of just how long she’d been on the road. The wheel burned slightly from the direct sunlight but she didn’t mind, it felt good as it simmered under her palms. The control of the trip was all hers and hers alone.

The vehicle shook from the bumpy and beautiful road she was currently enjoying. It matched the brochure she’d taken at the last gas station, ‘Arizona & New Mexico: 25 scenic side trips’, perfectly as she came round the bend.

Twenty-nine hours on the road was an absolute paradise. The funny little motel she’d slept at the previous night had been the perfect road-trip addition.

“Oh, give me silver, blue and gold, The color of the sky I'm told, My ray-ay-ain-bow is overdue...”

Val sang along, windows down and a smile creeping onto her face. Her time was sadly coming to a close, the hotel where most of the conference people were staying was now in sight and provided some relief but also mourning for the trip now over.

Pulling into the lot, Val pulled her phone out to text ahead before grabbing her suitcase and hopping out.

“Hey big guy!” She jogged over to where Bruce was coming out of the sliding doors. He was looking a little lost but energized, nonetheless.

“Angry girl!” He gave her one of those half-smirks and smacked his hand to hers for a satisfying high-five. “How was the drive? You really didn’t have to come all the way here just for this.” He gestured to the building behind him.

She rolled her eyes with a firm grasp on the handle of her suitcase. “I love to drive, Bruce. The roads over here are amazing.” She looked behind her. “I had a fucking awesome time so...” she poked his shoulder and started walking. Knowing if they stayed put, they might start play-fighting. And their usual rounds of smacking each other might raise some eyebrows with the science crowd.

Bruce smiled and shrugged, as if to say thanks for coming.

The two friends talked each other up and got to checking Val into her room while hanging out in the lobby, crowded with other guests.

Through this crowd, Val managed to lay her eyes over Jane Foster for a second time. Jane was discussing something with Darcy just before the other girl went over to check them in.

Val smiled & turned to her friend. “I bumped into another conference person on the way over. At a rest stop.” She bumped their elbows and already began pulling him over to her. “Big fan of your work.” Val tilted her head and shared a funny look of pride with Bruce.

He smiled bashfully.

“Val!” Jane glanced up and caught the girl’s eyes. Her face lit up with recognition and she darted over. Pausing just in time to avoid crashing into them. It was adorably amusing. Bruce chuckled.

“I think she’s more excited about seeing you again than me.” He teased, bumping his elbow into Val’s stomach.

Jane chuckled. “I owe this girl, big-time.” Her chin pointed towards her. “I am a really big fan of your work, Dr. Banner. I hope to catch your panel. I’m Jane. Jane Foster.” She stuck out her hand but Bruce had some kind of odd reaction.

He raised his brow and opened his mouth in a slight ‘o’ as he shook her hand. Jane didn’t pick up on the oddity but Val knew her friend well & he was acting off all of the sudden. Momentarily, she thought he too was just recognizing her as a well-respected name in the field. That was definitely part of it but...

“Valkyrie!”

Thor’s puppy-like excitement was hard to ignore. That happy little shout came from over her shoulder so Val spun around to greet her friend. “Hey, loser.” She enjoyed being squeezed in a mighty hug even though they’d only seen each other a week ago.

Bruce widened his eyes and seemed to try for Thor’s attention, which wasn’t ever going to be a hard task for him. Thor’s eyes were instantly taken with Bruce & that usual loving grin came upon his face.

“Thor.”

Jane. She spoke up, tilting her head and furrowing her brows together. It revealed little creases on her forehead that screamed confusion. Val snapped her head back to the girl with a bit of those creases herself. “You know each other?”

Thor deflated a little, not out of disappointment it seemed, but rather out of shock.

“Yes. Thor and I-” Jane paused, puckering her lips and trying to gesture between them. “We dated for a period.” A nervous tick was what Val guessed Jane’s shoving of her hair behind her ear was.

Thor did an awkward little hand-wave to Jane who pulled her hand from her pocket to return the gesture.

Val chuckled, nearly snorting as she cupped her hand over her mouth. “That’s great.” She couldn’t help but stick her tongue out slightly as she continued to openly laugh...hard. Jane must have thought it was amusing though. She tipped her chin down and tried to hide her small smirk.

“What are you doing here?” Jane finally spoke, flashing a tiny wink Val’s way. “Maybe, finally exploring the astrophysics field like I suggested?” She faded back into a friendly tone, losing her shock.

Thor smiled. “I was hoping to check those panels out and you’re speaking, yes?”

Jane nodded and Thor grinned even wider.

“Than I should make that a priority. Jane is very wise” He looked towards Val with an odd, knowing look? Val wanted to roll her eyes but she felt uncomfortable all of the sudden.

“She is, isn’t she?” Jane scrunched her nose and playfully smirked. She directed that expression mostly towards Val, who she knew would appreciate it.

“But I came to support Bruce.” Thor happily and oh so simply put his arm around the much smaller man. Jane seemed to click her information together at that point, remembering talk of ‘Bruce’s boyfriend’ at the rest area. Her mouth nearly fell open at that reveal.

“Holy shit!”

Jane jumped as Darcy shouted from directly behind her now. The girl approached with an amused pucker of the lips and bounced on her feet as she took in the situation she must have spied on.

Jane rolled her eyes and tried to let go of her shock. “I didn’t know you knew Bruce. When did you two meet?”

Bruce, though he looked painfully awkward, answered that one. “Thor and I have actually known each other since we were....” He glanced up at his boyfriend.

“Sixteen.”

“Yeah. sixteen. We kinda hung around the same group of people. But we never really developed a close friendship until some years after high-school.” He chuckled. “And then...”

Jane tried to nod along and pretend she wasn’t completely overwhelmed with information, Darcy smiling behind her.

“You want to get a drink?” Val interrupted the conversation, eyes isolated on Jane.

“God yes.” Jane chuckled. “It was great to meet you, Bruce.” She was no stranger to manners, taking the time to shake his hand once more. “Thor...this was weird but I’m glad to see you again.”

Thor smiled down at the woman he’d genuinely loved for some time. “I’m just glad you didn’t slap me this time.”

The two shared a sentimental look at that statement.

“You slapped him?” Val smiled as she grabbed Jane’s wrist and started off towards the hotel bar. She turned back to gesture for Darcy to follow.

“See ya!” Darcy smiled and dashed over to catch up. “I tasered him once!!”

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

Val loosely cupped her hand around her glass which sat on the bar as Jane told of her many interesting Thor-related stories. Darcy pitched in every few sentences with a fun smile.

“Thor was...flaky. When we were together.” She added, swallowing. “I could never really pin him down.” A shrug rolled off her shoulders but she smiled. “Not that I was easy to pin down either-” She waved her finger at Darcy, who’d opened her mouth to add just that.

Val chuckled, raising her drink to her lips. Jane shook her head.

“We were both flighty. And when we weren’t...it was at different times. I’d finally have a break from being work-focused but then he’d be off home for some family issues.” She pursed her lips in thought. “How is his family?”

Val decided she needed another drink to answer that. “Well, he and his brother are in the middle of...working out their relationship-”

“Oh, Loki! That guy was crazy.” Darcy laughed and smiled when Jane picked the cherry out of her drink and instinctively handed it to her. Both girls shared a look and nodded.

Val smirked. “Yeah, he’s a character.” Over the course of the past few months though, she’d actually grown quite fond of the oddity which made up Loki. “After their dad died, they seemed to have gotten close again.”

“Odin died?” Jane sipped her drink. “I only met his parents once but Thor seemed close to him.”

“Yeah. Another tough situation. Their family, Odin really, wasn’t as great as Thor thought.” She waved her hand. “Loki has expressed some things he’d struggled with growing up...” She paused, finding it odd to explain all of this. “Long story short, they’re working it out.”

“Enough about them though-” Val held out her drink. “Let’s drink to-”

“Girls!” Darcy interrupted, bubbly and with her own glass raised. Val really appreciated that perfect toast idea.

“To girls!” Jane nodded, a strong look in her eyes.

“To girls!” She repeated and enjoyed the way Jane giggled and tapped their glasses.

: : : : : : : : Val scrunched up her nose. “R.E.M.” And tipped her chin over to some guy wearing a faded Applebee’s work t-shirt. His last shift must have been at least two years ago by the look of it. Jane stuck her tongue out playfully and made a little ‘yuck!’ sound.

Since Darcy had been swept away by a friend of hers, Ian Boothby according to Jane, they’d been playing a fun guessing game. The basic idea was to pick a random person in the bar and guess their favorite band and completely makeup why it was correct.

“He says that he relates to ‘Losing My Religion’. They’re his favorite-beyond favorite-band ever.” She smirked.

“I think you’re right.” She giggled. They had both switched to sodas or waters at this point, neither drunk but maybe a little more relaxed. She turned on her heels to face Val again.

Val recognized what she was doing and smirked.

“Ummmm-...Pat Benatar?” Jane snapped her finger and pointed, unsure of herself.

Val puckered her lips and nodded. “A great guess-”

“But wrong?” Jane mocked a pout and crossed her arms.

“Sorry, the answer’s, The Temptations.” She smirked and shrugged like Jane was just out of luck. It was quite charming. Jane frowned. “The Way You Do The Things You Do, baby.” Was the logical answer to that dramatic pout in Val’s book. She didn’t mind much that it sounded flirty. Cause hell, she’d been trying to flirt this whole time. “Can’t ignore great songs like that.” She winked.

Jane smirked back. “Guess mine now.”

Val sat up straighter and looked her up and down. “Ummmm, Shania Twain?” She burst into a fit of giggles when Jane let her mouth hang open. “What?” She finally gathered herself and smiled.

“Try James Taylor.” Jane reached over and pinched her hand which Val found to be the cutest reaction she could have hoped for.

Val hummed and gave another charming smirk. “Ooooh you’re not an ordinary girl, are you Jane Foster?”

Jane pinched her again.

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

Bruce Banner was currently sitting between Thor’s legs and leaning against the man’s chest as he read his index cards aloud. The hotel bed was warm & soft but almost nothing compared to the feeling of cuddling up next to Thor, who seemed to generate warm electricity.

Bruce paused in his reading and removed his glasses, shoving the index cards off to the other side of the bed. “I’m enraged.”

Thor rested his chin atop Bruce’s head. “You sure sound it.” He teased and squeezed him a little tighter. But his boyfriend wiggled out of his grip and turned to face him on the bed, sadly taking away his warmth.

“Well, I am.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “These things always stress me out.”

Thor nodded and casually slipped his hands into the cases of the tiniest pillows, holding them up after smacking them together. Bruce automatically began punching his hands into them like a boxer, a common way he relieved stress. “It’s not working this time.” He frowned and gently pulled them off Thor’s huge hands.

“I love you.” Thor added sweetly as his hands were freed. It was that earnest & soft voice reserved for only Bruce. And it really did work wonders on Bruce’s mood.

Bruce admired his boyfriend, stripes of light covering his face from the sunset just outside the blinds. For no reason really, Bruce reached out and pinched Thor’s nose for a half-second. “I love you too.”

“I hope seeing Jane wasn’t too awkward today, weirdo.” Thor smirked and pinched Bruce’s nose back.

Bruce shook his head. “Not at all. I’m actually a fan of her work too so I enjoyed meeting her.” He looked off towards the index cards. “Plus, she also seems to think you have a knack for astrophysics...” He brushed some hairs off Thor’s smooth shoulder.

Thor hummed. “I’m happy where I am.”

Bruce smiled and turned back to lean against his chest. “Your students do love you.” He cuddled closer.

For a moment, things were delightfully quiet. Thor ran his fingers through Bruce’s curls and his gentle breathing nearly put his boyfriend to sleep. “Valkyrie definitely has a crush on Jane.” Thor added, almost as an afterthought to something he hadn’t said aloud.

Bruce tried to look up at him & obviously couldn’t really. “You think?”

Thor continued to thread his hands through Bruce’s hair and nodded, head against the back wall. “Have you ever seen her so eager to hang-out & chat with someone?”

Bruce gave him that. It was obvious to him that Val had been taken with the girl. But he still decided to tease. “She was eager to talk to me.”

Thor chuckled. “That’s true. You two do seem to have a special friendship.” Bruce felt oddly touched with that sentiment.

“Do you think Jane would return the feelings?”

Thor smiled. “How could she not? Valkyrie is the greatest person, besides you.” He spoke with genuine heart. Bruce felt his chest burn with love and he couldn’t help but believe Thor. Val was the greatest.

“Go through your cards once more.” Thor gently bent over slightly to gather them and placed them in Bruce’s hands. “I want to fall asleep to the sound of your voice.”

Bruce rolled his eyes but smiled as he continued to read.

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

Val and Jane walked to their nearby rooms without Darcy, who had decided to go to the hotel pool with Ian.

“Sure you don’t want to go down to the pool?” Val smiled, shaking her shoulders playfully.

Jane softly slapped her hands together whenever they’d swing to the front of her, allowing her arms to loosely move with her body. “After my panel is over-” She swallowed and imagined the joy she would feel after talking to those lovely people “I will be in the hot-tub with champagne.” Her smirk was beautiful just then.

Val chuckled. “Maybe I can join you?”

Jane looked off to hide a blush. “I would love that-Oh my God.”

Val snapped her head over to look and was pulled back around the corner they’d just turned. Jane held onto her arm and peeked around the wall with an interested shocked expression. “That is the guy who left us at the rest-stop...you know, the one who went back for his cables?”

The amusement came to Val so naturally. Jane was glancing up at her as they peeked over the wall, so reminiscent of some Scooby-Doo bit. She glanced and spotted a bumbling bald man cleaning off the display at the end of the hall, mirrors and frames. “Should I go beat him up?” Val moved to start strutting over.

Jane immediately grabbed her & pulled back a smirking Val who was trying to hold back a cackle. They stood their for a moment, just laughing softly. “Ok, ok. I want to confront him.”

Val held out her arm, which Jane instantly took. They walked up to him with neutral expressions. “Excuse me?”

The man turned and smiled out of instinct but as he took in Jane’s now heated look...his grin faded to nervousness. “I-...I’m just a janitor.” was all he mumbled. Val tried not to laugh.

“You got those cables now?” Jane quirked her brow and crossed her arms. “I didn’t realize you left them here.” Her shoulders shrugged with passive-aggressive motion.

The man frowned and started trying to paint them the picture. “Look, see-...” He gestured wildly with his hands. “What happened was that I thought I had some cables but when I went back to the car...they weren’t there.” He explained with anxiety clear in his tone.

Jane nodded, unimpressed.

“And I started to panic that you might be pissed.” He bit his lip. “So I stood there for a while, trying to figure out what to do. I decided the best option was to...” He looked as if he might slap himself. “Run off? It was stupid but I was overwhelmed.” He laughed, hating himself all the way. “Was on my way to this job interview.”

For a moment, the hallway was completely silent. Then...

Val & Jane began to chuckle, shaking their heads in disbelief. “Thank you...”

“Skurge.” He smiled tentatively.

“Thanks for that laugh...Skurge.” Jane shook her head a final time. “Maybe just be honest next time?” She offered, already starting to walk off down the next hallway.

Val flashed Skurge an amused shrug and raise of her eyebrows before going after Jane. “That guy was telling the truth. A hundred percent.” She mumbled to Jane, still giggling. They shuffled atop the carpet and stopped just outside Jane’s door.

“You know I lived around here for a while, couple years ago.” Jane rolled her lips together. “So, maybe I can show you around the town at some-point during this week?”

Valkyrie tried not to let her joy get the best of her but she couldn’t help but grin. “I would love that. I’ll be waitin’ on you.” She threw the girl one more wink and twirled around. Turning back a second later to offer a cute little wave.

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

Darcy came bursting into the room just an hour or so later, a towel around her waist and a happy expression as her hair dripped onto the carpet. Jane looked up from her laptop and smiled.

“Had fun?” She sucked ever so lightly on her sleeve.

“Tons!” She then shook out her hair like a wet dog and shot a few sprinkles Jane’s way. “How was your afternoon?” She asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and grabbing the folded towel on the nightstand.

“Fun too.” She nodded & wiped some of the water droplets off her face. “By the way, remind me to tell you this funny story after I finish with my notes?” She clicked her tongue and shuffled the laptop closer on her lap. Darcy nodded.

“Perfect day for you. Some light flirting & coming back to a comfortable room to continue your notes and research.” Darcy added, almost more to the air than to Jane.

Sounds of typing halted for a second when her friend glanced up again. Her face softly confused. Darcy lowered the smaller towel from the mess of her hair and sighed into a smirk. “Tell me, you knew you were flirting with Val, right?”

Jane opened and closed her mouth.

Darcy flew to her bed and shoved Jane’s legs over to fit into a comfy seat. “She was flirting too. So don’t feel embarrassed.” She gently smacked a leg as if it were a comforting action.

“Oh.” Jane set her laptop down next to her and curled up slightly to actually engage with Darcy. “Do you think she knew that I was flirting?”

Her friend paused in thought. “Maybe.” She shrugged.

Jane took her turn to pause. “Well, maybe next time I’ll just have to make it more obvious.” She turned away like it was no big deal but could barely make it without turning back with a sly smile.

Darcy happily gasped. “Oh my God! You’re going to go for it. I love it.” She clapped her hands a few times. “Jane! Jane! Jane! Oh, I’m screaming.” Darcy slapped her hand over her mouth and laughed into it.

She expected Jane to try to quiet her down but instead....

Jane grabbed her arm and pulled it down. “I’m going for it!” She laughed, so genuinely bursting with surprised joy. The girls bounced on the bed a little before Darcy flew up.

“We need to celebrate!” She demanded.

Jane flopped back into a lying position and clasped her hands over her stomach. “I was celebrating by a comfy close to the day. Just me & my research.” She smiled at the ceiling and laughed when Darcy shook her shoulders.

“And me!” She teased, letting go and darting over to her suitcase to get her change of clothes. “Put something on TV while I shower, Foster.” She smiled once more before closing the bathroom door.

: : : : : : :

Darcy flew out of the bathroom with her toothbrush still hanging from her mouth. Leaning in the doorway to check-out what was on the TV. “What on earth are we watching?” She shook her head and went over to the sink to spit.

“Remember that old movie, Gidget?” Jane looked up, remote hanging loosely from her hand.

“We’re watching Gidget?”

Jane shrugged. “Actually they’re playing the TV show based on the movie. Y’know with Sally Field?” She nodded her head as she spoke and turned back to watch. Darcy crossed the floor, shuffling her bare-feet against the carpet and launched herself onto Jane’s bed.

Things were quiet as the two lounged in front of the television before Darcy softly bumped their arms together. “If I had known you were into women too, I totally would have set you up with a bunch of hot girls.” She grinned and placed her head on Jane’s shoulder. She was genuinely grateful she took that internship way back because it gave her a best friend.

Jane nodded. “If I'd known, I probably would have gone out with those hot girls.” She giggled.

Darcy reached over and grabbed the beg of mixed nuts on Jane’s nightstand and hummed, feet wiggling. “Think of all the girls you missed out on. I have hot friends, Jane.” She threw a handful into her mouth & handed it over to her friend.

She crunched on a pistachio and rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t aware you had more friends.” She teased.

Darcy playfully pushed her.

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

{The Next Morning}

Bruce Banner spent most of the early morning reviewing his notes, a sleepy smile on his face as he drowned in Thor’s sweat-shirt. He’d found it crumpled in the corner of his boyfriend’s suitcase & he was notorious for stealing his comfy clothes.

The thin blue long-sleeve sweatshirt was old & read ‘Las Vegas...The Place to Be’ in rainbow letters under a doodle of the sun. Bruce wasn’t even sure where it came from but it was not Vegas. It was 100% some thrift place.

He was hoping to finish the last of his work early enough to catch the 'young voices in science’ panel. It was lead by Shuri, a young girl with the smartest mind Bruce had ever encountered.

Thor shuffled from his position on the bed behind Bruce and threw his legs over the side. He turned to face him with his pencil tapping the edge of his lip.

His boyfriend effortlessly sipped free from the sheets and strolled over to press a lazy kiss atop Bruce’s head as he went for the bathroom.

“My panel isn’t till the afternoon but I’m gonna get to the space early to catch one for myself.” Bruce called out to him as Thor brushed his teeth. “You can come with me or-?”

Bruce paused when a knock came at the door. Thor leaned out of the doorway and turned the knob, letting in an exhausted looking Val. Her pajama pants pooled at her feet & she rubbed her hands hard into her eyes to adjust to the light in their room. “Sorry, I just realized that I don’t know what our plan is.” She smiled and threw herself at the end of the bed.

Bruce leaned back in his swirly chair, planting his feet atop the desk. “Didn’t see much of you yesterday.” He shrugged playfully as Val ran her hands through her hair.

She paused, hands falling with a smirk. “Hey, no one told me that Thor’s ex was that hot.” She snorted, in a dazzlingly cute way.

Thor chuckled, coming out of the bathroom and plopping down right next to her. Which Val took as an invite to lean against him and drift a bit into what she called ‘half-sleep’.

“My panel is starting at around...” Bruce double checked his sheets. “Twelve. And Jane’s will be at two.” He added.

Val smiled softly and stood. Playfully, she pulled Bruce’s legs off the desk and leaned against the wall. Ready to talk as much as she could before Bruce had to leave.

: : : : : : :

Jane was pressed up against the wall, eyes glued to the stage with excited interest. Her notes were being hugged to her chest and got pulled tighter whenever an observation put her in a trance. Bruce knew the feeling well.

He grinned and slowly planted himself in the spot next to her. “She’s a wonder.”

Jane turned to him, squeezing her books again, which subtly reminded Bruce of his high-school days. Her smile was delicate and brilliant. “Shuri is beyond her years. She’s the best of them. These kids...” Her head shook as she continued to glow towards the stage.

Bruce remained peacefully silent until her head tilted his way again. “I see Thor has a type.” She giggled.

Bruce turned to her and observed the fact that they were both relatively small brunettes in the science field. At the eye contact, Jane waggled her brow and chuckled again, this time in harmony with Bruce.

An absent-minded & pure smile took over Jane’s face. “Could you tell Val that I’d like to meet her after my panel?”

Bruce nodded & enjoyed the happiness which rolled over him. “No problem.”

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

Val & Thor sat front-row at Bruce’s panel and were there to greet him at the end. Both were brimming with pride and Val even came with a tiny pot she’d bought at a nearby garden shop.

However, it wasn’t flowers but a thick and short cactus.

It had been a joke-y gift at first but the way she’d been extremely careful & sensitive with it since she bought it, showed her that maybe it was more than that. Bruce’s happy face was enough to confirm that thought. After all, he thoroughly enjoyed taking care of plants (which always seemed to love him back). “Reminds me of you.” He said.

Bruce then explained to them in depth how the same two lines of that song ‘Werewolves of London’ were stuck in his head the entire time. He had to fight the urge to sing it under his breath every ten minutes. It’d been spiraling through his mind whenever he wasn’t speaking.

“I love you.” Thor shook his head and tucked Bruce under his arm.

Bruce tilted his chin up and smirked to hide his blush.

: : : : : : : : : : : : :

“Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself. Because I love you, yes, I do.”

Jane, fresh from an excellent panel, was singing softly to herself and scooping up her notes from the table on stage. People were slowly escaping the room towards the other activities planned for the day but Val hopped from her seat and leaned on the railing by the stairs.

“The lesser known, Jane Taylor.” She almost slapped herself for the dumb joke but Jane looked up and giggled as if it were amusing. She smirked and gestured for Val to come up and clean some of the papers up with her.

“So, what did you think?” Her lips pursed, a bit nervous as she picked up a sheet with a bunch of little doodles bordering the words. Val tried to take a peek before it was swiped away.

“You’re so fucking smart.” Val chuckled and Jane rolled her eyes.

For a minute, she just shifted paper around before sighing and turning to Val with full-force. One hand on her hip and the other tracing the bottom of her lip. “What do you say we do that tour now?”

Val popped her leg out and smirked. “Can we make that a date?” She asked with just about the smoothest smile Jane had ever laid eyes on.

“Let’s say, the late-lunch I’m buying us is the start of the date.” Jane threw a wink which was definitely something she usually did so she slyly slid past Val to avoid eye contact. But Val only found this enticing.

She spun around to follow her with confidence. “Aren’t you little miss sweetness today?”

Jane snickered and strutted away, Val smirking behind her making a vague Rock ‘n’ Roll symbol with her hand out of joy.

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

Jane pushed some of the hair that wasn’t slicked down to her moist skin with sweat behind her ear and sighed out with domestic pleasure.

Late-lunch consisted of a paper tray of warm french fries that Jane & Val consistently passed between them as they walked down the sidewalk. The salt coated their lips and made it increasingly hard not to crave soothing water but they had opted to wait it out to get lemonade at a later stand.

Val swallowed the hot and salty snack and glanced over the scenery of the town.

It was hot but a nice shade of sunny orange too. It was buzzing with rushed company and she could hear the sudden harsh sounds of the mechanic’s building just in her view.

The town was a lot to drink in at once and the flavor was for sure that of a fresh Whiskey Sour. She puckered her lips and allowed for Jane to take a semi-lead. She strolled down the sidewalk and took long glances as if she were truly admiring a pleasant nostalgia.

Both girls seemed to flourish despite the humidity, like two companion suns thriving in sweltering heat. Making their skin delightfully warm while a song called ‘Tupelo Honey’ poured onto the street from one of the open & welcoming storefronts.

“I lived here in Puente Antiguo for a while.” Jane turned, hair flying over her lips. “I was studying some unusual atmospheric phenomena which turned out to be interesting.” She shrugged. “It was a fun time.”

The sun, as it seemed, had nothing better to do then to glaze it's vivid gold beams onto the glittering orange paint job of a nearby van. Val paused just before it & Jane committed the sight to memory.

The bright glare dulled once they turned by a small parking lot which consisted of a tiny gas station and an old motel adjacent to it. The building was white with a dusty mint green color weaved around it in stripes.

‘Pleasant Valley’ had cable & color TV. Only the best for less.

“I live in the city so this is...” Val gestured with a sharp smile “a nice change.” She chuckled, dragging her hand down the slope under her chin to her chest.

Jane turned to speak but had to stop for a breath while she took in Val. Her curls were outlined by the stunning sunshine and a bead of sweat rested on her temple. She was soft in expression, lips slightly parted as she observed the town.

Jane had never seen anything so purely gorgeous in her life. Honestly, she thought she might’ve never been more stunned. Even when she was taking in the mysterious night sky she loved so much; a great beyond she would never stop reaching for.

But Val....

Well, she was all that and more. She seemed to enrich Jane with all that delicate want & curiosity by just being herself. “You’re beautiful.”

Val’s lips pulled together and she was clearly embarrassed. She only shook her head and turned away for a moment or two. “What goes on in your head?”

“I can show you.” Jane stuck her tongue out.

: : : : : : : : : : Valkyrie bought Jane an orange Popsicle on the way back to the hotel.

The poor girl was dripping it down the front of her shirt and trying to capture the drops with her tongue. It was a lovely sight, however it was also quite messy.

So upon entering her room, Jane slurped the rest down and came out of her bathroom wearing an old & slightly large T-shirt that Val guessed lived long in her family.

Or else Jane was just still a big Rainbow-Brite fan...which would honestly make sense. And would be totally cute.

The girl plopped down on her bed and gestured for Val to take the spot next to her as she threw open one of her little journals. Valkyrie put her head gently onto Jane’s shoulder and admired her planet & stars doodles which bordered her observations.

Jane playfully reached back to cover Val’s eyes whenever she passed her worst doodles. She laughed softly into Jane’s hair, blowing on her neck a little.

“You can kiss me there, if you want.”

Val froze and sat up to make eye contact. “You sure?”

Jane nodded with a soft smile and turned back to flipping through her notes as if just waiting for Val to make the move which was probably the hottest thing Val had ever witnessed. So, as delicate as Val could possibly be, she leaned in and kissed at Jane’s neck.

And when Jane finally pushed their lips together...

Val pulled away and whistled. “Do your thing.” She winked and Jane went in for more.

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

{Two days later}

Bruce, in another one of Thor’s famous sweat-shirts, padded around the hotel room. The hotel carpet beneath him cradled his aching feet and he had to admit, it was the most physical pleasure he’d had in a few days.

It had been non-stop walking and running to to panels and booths. It wasn’t much but he was dead tired either way.

Cracking his neck gently, in a way Thor had advised him against many times, he sat down on her bed. Carrying through the room was the clean smell from the bathroom that Thor had called dibs on upon entry. It brought a fresh spring meadow to his senses that made Bruce instantly envious. He thought of the many times Thor had hogged that bathroom in their time together & chuckled.

Just as he was about to let himself rest, a knock came at the door.

He hopped up and made way for Val to speed inside. She was very clearly happy and beaming with joy. “Jane and I are a thing.”

Bruce shut the door behind her and joined in her excitement and from the way he heard the hand-soap drop in the bathroom, Thor did too.

The blonde nearly fell out of the bathroom and stood behind Bruce, hands planted gently on his shoulders. “Did you have the talk?”

Val paused and raised a brow.

“Y’know, where you stay up late talking about life.” Bruce grinned at the memory of theirs. “And you just get to know each other better.”

“Oh, yeah!” She bounced slightly. “We talked about our childhoods and she told me how she got into the field and about her mentor, Dr. Erik Selvig!”

Thor radiated pride and excitement.

“She’s really passionate and determined.” Val found she wanted to go on & on. “But science brings out this adorable...wonder in her. And she doodles planets with little faces on them!” She chuckled, realizing she had never felt so strongly about anyone in her life.

It made her pause.

Bruce recognized the feeling instantly. “Your feeling like you should abandon ship, huh?” He crossed his arms and sat next to her. “Too much, too fast?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I’ve just...never been so domestic with anyone before. And we only just met.” She looked out the window.

Thor softly grinned. “You? Being domestic?” He gently shook her shoulder. “Sounds like you’re just happy, Valkyrie. Think about it. Jane’s easy-going, she’ll be comfortable to go at any speed. Plus, you both live in New York. It’s a sign.”

She bit into her cheek and nodded.

: : : : : : : : : : :

“C’mere, sprite.” Val pulled Jane’s wrist towards the trunk of her car. It was going to be a very lonely trip back home now that she’d taken to Jane. All she wanted to do was to spend as much time as possible with her. She finally understood what Bruce & Thor were experiencing.

“Sprite?” Thor teased and Val threw up the finger.

“It’s a nickname.” Jane smiled.

“She used to watch some Rainbow-Brite show when she was little. She made me watch an episode a few days ago & there were little fuzzy things called ‘Sprites’ or something.” Val stuck her tongue out when Thor smacked his hand to his chest.

The two girls moved away from the boys & Darcy, who was filling up their car with bags.

“-Hey are you listening?” Jane swatted at her but Val only smirked.

“Sorry guess I was too busy thinking about my baby.” She winked.

Jane opened her mouth and then scrunched up her nose. “Are you flirting with me through Temptations song titles?”

Val chuckled. “Have been since the hotel bar that first day. Thanks for noticing.”

Jane blushed. “Just meet me at the rest stop, ok? Same one.” She pointed her finger in Val’s face.

“You can count on it, sprite.” Val smirked and planted a gentle kiss on her girl’s cheek.

#fluff #jane foster #valkyrie #valjane #valkyrie/jane #Thor Odinson #thorbruce #thor ragnorak #thor the dark world #bruce banner #my fanfiction #idk #thor #The Avengers #Marvel Comics #MCU #avengers endgame #infinity war

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generalpirategentlemen · 4 years

Text

Ten women who could end up as Biden's VP:

Karen Bass, Rep from California since 2013, confirmed to be in vetting process.

Tammy Baldwin, Sen from Wisconsin, first lesbian in both houses of Congress, rumoured to be in vetting process.

Tammy Duckworth, Sen from Illinois, Tucker Carlson's current nightmare, confirmed to be in vetting process, she was born in Thailand but since her father was a US citizen she qualifies as a natural born citizen and therefore could become President should the need arise.

Maggie Hassan, Sen from New Hampshire, rumoured to be in vetting process.

Keisha Lance Bottom, Atlanta Mayor, rumoured to be in vetting process.

Susan Rice, National Security Adviser under Obama, rumoured to be in vetting process.

Val Demmings, Rep from Florida, former Orlando police chief, former impeachment manager, confirmed to be in vetting process.

Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico Governor, rumoured to be in vetting process.

Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Senator, rumoured to be in vetting process, comes second in polls for who Biden should pick.

Kamala Harris, California Senator, confirmed to be in vetting process, comes first in polls for who Biden should pick.

Who I would choose: Warren, I did support her in the primary.

Three people Biden is most likely to choose: Kamala Harris, Tammy Duckworth, Elizabeth Warren.

Who Biden will probably not choose: Gov Grisham, Maggie Hassan, Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Someone Biden is not considering who he should: Ayanna Pressley, Rep from Massachusetts.

#elizabeth warren #2020 candidates #democratic party #democrats #women in politics #joe biden #kamala harris #tammy duckworth

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plantfeed · 4 years

Text

ROOM #O3 — lockdown.

location: escalus house, room three. characters: valentine, christian, theresa, cal. time: just after the lockdown. tensions: high.

ok so this didn’t develop as much as we wanted it to bcos it was hard to find a time when everyone was able to be on and responding at once. but here’s what we have of our lockdown discord thread for room three ( theresa, valentine, christian & cal ).

THERESA.

03.02. still in her ballgown, theresa's pacing the floor. in one hand is a half-drunk bottle of wine. in the other is her phone, into which she's ringing ( to no avail ) every other minute. "my god. you think someone would fucking answer." though the state of the others is hardly of the deepest concern. they've got their own troubles here to be worrying about. every so often her eyes scan to valentine and it feels like swallowing glass. how could christian be so stupid? after everything she'd done. and yet.... and yet. lo, the course of love never did run smooth. but this isn't love. this is something far uglier. "i don't like this situation any more than the three of you. but somehow we've got to fucking deal with it so let's at least try to be civil."

VALENTINE.

03.03. she sits on the couch in the living room in her pajamas, forever grateful that she started leaving a pair in christian's room for emergencies. it would have been even more uncomfortable for everyone involved if she had been forced to wear something that was obviously christian's. in this moment, she feels bad for theresa, not because they're all in this situation, but because she's the only one who doesn't have the full story as to what's going on here. there's another layer in all of this, and the reminder of the secret the three of them are holding makes her swallow the spit that's collecting in her mouth. "i promise, i won't be a hassle, i can just sit in christian's room until this is all over and then i'll go back to my place the moment it's done."

CHRISTIAN.

03.03. christian can't stop shaking his leg. he's on the couch next to valentine, arm around her shoulders and the rest of him almost vibrating with nervous energy. his unoccupied hand is keeping his phone open, texting and hoping for some update that will give clarity to the situation. a lockdown? here, with valentine, her ex, and tess, aka the reason the rest of them can't speak freely. not that christian thinks they really would-- come to think of it, they've never all talked outright about what happened. or about what's still happening. "don't be silly, we can all be out here together," he tries to assure valentine, keeping his voice as casual as he can, but it takes on a bitter edge when his gaze lands on cal. "i've got no problem being civil. as long as everyone else is."

CAL.

03.04. cal’s eyes remain trained on his phone, hoping for a text from georgina or any news about the attacker. but more importantly, trying to avoid having to look in either valentine’s or christian’s direction. this lockdown situation seeming to be his own personal hell. their odd love-triangle was one thing, but the secret that bound them all together was another. he figured it’d be easier to just retreat back to his room, but there was something oddly comforting and enjoyable about the tension in the room, which was so thick you could cut it with a knife. he smirks as he hears christian’s words, clearly pointed at him. “don’t look at me. someone’s been attacked, and as far as i’m concerned, the last thing i’m worried about is starting a fight over the obvious elephant in the room.”

THERESA.

03.05. despite her nature, despite everything she's ever tried to be, tess can't play the peacemaker when christian's actions have put them in such jeopardy. "he's right," she starts, a hand lifting to clamp against cal's shoulder ; a united front against the adulterous oppressors. or perhaps a lack of love has made her cynical. "the three of us live here. your actions affect everyone. and we will discuss this tomorrow." her eyes scan towards valentine, and they're neither unfriendly nor warm. this is a woman who makes both cal and christian happy. this is a woman for whom boys would move the earth. and it stings that christian thinks he's found a love worth fighting for when all he's found is a well-dressed pretender versed in the art of stage. "but there are wider issues at play than this." in the back of her head she's aching to ring kit, for if it is lysander, then kit will be the first to know. her mouth tastes acidic as she dances between the two opposing camps. "and a house divided cannot stand."

VALENTINE.

03.06 she smiles politely at theresa’s words (however odd they may be), trying her hardest to ignore the implications of the girl’s gaze. it wasn’t her fault that she was in this position, it really wasn’t, but she had no way of explaining that to her. it was cal’s fault for losing his temper, christian’s fault for trying to take things into his own hands. she wouldn’t have involved christian if it hadn’t been necessary, and then none of them would be in this situation. but alas, life had to be difficult, and now she was stuck in an apartment with one person who didn’t like her, and two people who loved her and she wasn’t sure which was worse. “i reached out to kit,” she says, trying to change the subject. “i’ll let you all know if he replies.”

THERESA.

03.07. when her eyes meet valentine's there's the sting of something sharp beneath her skin — a mosquito bite. where has the girl who was raised by interseztional feminists gone, a girl who grew up vowing never to pit herself against another woman — to take a woman's side in every fight, no matter what. but this feels different. christian feels different. he's the one constant she's had who's never strayed from her side when the others thought her unhinged, and every time valentine's left him — spleen and liver on the asphalt — tess is the one who piece by grizzly pieces has had to tack and stitch him back together. so forgive her if there isn't any warmth when she meets valentine's eyes. "kit's fine, for now" tess responds defensively, for his name in val's mouth sounds wrong. she wants to reach in between her teeth and drag that name out, keep it safe in her own throat — but of course he's not her to shelter. and perhaps neither is christian. "he walked me back so i know he's at home. but if lysander follows him..." she thinks of the room across the hall and the three of them — kit, lysander and roman — locked in a duel that only blood will satisfy. "if lysander follows him we'll know before he does. we'll hear him on the stairs."

CHRISTIAN.

3.08 christian's eyes narrow slightly at tess, not just her words but the way she looks at valentine as though she's some kind of unwelcome parasite in their home. but then, tess hasn't been quiet about her thoughts on his relationship with valentine, ever since the very beginning. he knows it comes from a place of protectiveness, but right now, combined with cal's obnoxious energy, it's just setting him further on edge. but they're right about one thing: it's not what's really important right now. "has anyone heard from lysander at all? maybe he's still in police custody-- you know, from what happened earlier. with roman." christian's stomach twinges. now is not the time for his pity toward lysander to rear its head.

VALENTINE.

3.09 none of them would have heard from lysander, because he has no cell phone. valentine has his cell phone. it's locked in a box under her bed, in her apartment, where belinda is all alone with nothing stopping her from entering valentine's bedroom. fuck, this lockdown needed to be over quickly, or else she was done for. "i haven't heard anything," she says, pushing some hair out of her face. "i hate not knowing what's happening. what are we supposed to do? just....sit here and wait?"

CHRISTIAN.

3.10 christian sighs, looking back and forth between his various companions and wondering nervously how long they're all likely to be stuck here together. pointedly looking away from cal (reminding himself of cal's existence tends to be a surefire way of making sure christian is not relaxed, and right now, he really needs to be), he rises from his position on the couch and crosses into the kitchen area, opening a cupboard. from within it, he draws two bottles of deep red merlot, and a half-finished one of tequila imported straight from mexico. "i don't know about the rest of you, but if i'm staying here for god knows how long, i'd really like to be fucking drunk. anyone with me?"

THERESA.

3.44. with the curtains shut, it's hard to keep track of the sun. it could have been hours... it could have been days. wine is ever the temptress, and tonight is no different. only this night she's drinking with christian, with cal, and with valentine — the cards, perchance, could have picked an easier fate — and somewhere in a tangle of limbs ( she can't remember whose ) tessa's dropped her phone and the only means of communication with anyone outside of these four walls. "i know, christian, but please can you look again," exasperated, she continues to pull up the sofa cushions to no avail. two glasses later, she's forgot about the phone at all, bare feet trailing over cal's knee as she stretches catlike and swills her wine around her glass. "doesn't this feel like come dine with me?" she asks, rolling to her feet, her hands patting down the pockets of her dressing gown as she cracks the window. "you won, jane." her smile is muted, the kind that doesn't reach her eyes, something lighter about her, but at the same time more erratic. her movements are less controlled.(edited)

VALENTINE.

3.45. in hindsight, drinking with this group of people was probably not the best idea any of them had ever had, but when the question became whether she'd rather be in this situation drunk or sober, the answer was clear and apparent, and became even more apparent the more she drank. for a moment, she can forget about the murder and the cheating and the lying and can just exist. she's sitting on the couch, keeping a semi-respectful distance from christian ( meaning that instead of lying her head down in his lap like she wants to do, she's sitting next to him, shoulders and knees touching and her gaze on him ) when she's brought back to the reality of the situation with tessa's words. "thank you for that stunning commentary," she muses, not a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

#spectreevent #& macbeth / cal.#& othello / christian.#& lady macbeth / valentine.

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theliberaltony · 4 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

There will likely be months of debate over who presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden should pick as his running mate — and what criteria he should use in making that decision.

We already know one such criterion: Biden has pledged to choose a woman. But what else is he looking for in a vice presidential nominee?

One view of the vice presidential selection process, often expressed by people who themselves work for campaigns, is that the presidential nominee is making a personal choice, opting for someone whom he or she connects with and feels would be a strong partner in governing. Another view, according to research we (Adler and Azari) have done, is that the vice presidential choice often reflects broader dynamics in the party. In this view the nominee often chooses a running mate who connects with some broader goal of the party or who helps appeal to some faction or ideological bloc in the party that is not well represented by the candidate at the top of the ticket.

It’s really hard for us to establish whether Biden enjoys chatting more with Sen. Kamala Harris or Sen. Amy Klobuchar, so we’re going to take a party-centered approach to this question. We can look at the Democratic Party and some of its goals and use those as a rubric to evaluate some of Biden’s potential running mates. We have focused here on women who are either governors or senators — the traditional resumes of a vice presidential pick — but have also included a few noteworthy figures who don’t hold statewide office.

Goal 1: Help with electability, real or imagined

Helps: Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

Hurts: Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

Beating President Trump is almost certainly the Democratic Party’s main goal at the moment. So which potential running mates would make the Democratic ticket more electable?

Let’s talk about actual, factual electability first — that is, helping Biden defeat Trump by bringing voters to his coalition who wouldn’t otherwise be there. The electoral effects of vice presidential choices are somewhat complicated to study because the sample size is so small — we’ve had only 18 presidential elections since the end of World War II.

The broad consensus among scholars is that the electoral effect of running mates is not clear and obvious — and probably somewhat modest. In other words, we should not assume that choosing Harris or former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams would boost Biden with black voters, that Baldwin, Klobuchar or Whitmer would attract voters in the Midwest, or that Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto would help in Nevada. Nor should we assume that any of these female politicians would particularly connect with female voters. For example, in their upcoming book, “Do Running Mates Matter?,” political scientists Christopher J. Devine and Kyle C. Kopko downplay a lot of the electoral effects of running mates, based on their research. They argue that there is little evidence that picking a person from a particular region helps in that region or that choosing a person from a demographic group helps with voters in that demographic. They also reject the idea that running mates boost the tickets in their home states, a conclusion other scholars and experts have reached as well.

Other academics are slightly more bullish on running mates’ potential electoral impact. Historically, vice presidential picks have boosted the ticket by 2-3 percentage points in their home states according to political scientists Boris Heersink and Brenton D. Peterson. Some scholars have found that Republican Catholics are less likely to vote for the GOP ticket if the Democratic running mate is Catholic and that in 2008 then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin boosted turnout among fellow conservatives. Devine and Kopko themselves argue that vice presidential choices matter because they can affect how voters see the presidential nominee in ways that sometimes have electoral effects. According to their research, Sen. John McCain’s selection of Palin as his running mate caused a rise in negative views of McCain because of voters’ perception that Palin was unqualified for the position.

“Any time you talk about a running mate winning votes, you’re really talking about voters choosing a suboptimal president in order to elect their preferred vice president; otherwise, the running mate didn’t actually change votes but just reinforced a preexisting preference. So, suffice it to say, we’re pretty skeptical that such effects will occur very often or to a significant degree,” Devine told us in an email message.

He added, “By choosing a woman — or, say, an African-American woman, in particular — Biden … would be sending a message to voters about who he is — specifically, that he is someone who values diversity and the role that women — or African American women, in particular — play in American society and in the Democratic Party. That message probably would help to win him some votes. But we’re not exactly talking about ‘delivering’ large blocs of voters.”

So let’s say the electoral impact of vice presidential choices is complicated. Here’s what’s not in dispute: Party elites, presidential campaign advisers and sometimes presidential nominees themselves often believe that vice presidential candidates will have an outsize electoral impact, whatever the reality is. For example, according to his memoirs, McCain felt that Palin might attract moderate Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary.

So who do party elites think is the best vice presidential nominee to help Biden electorally? They consistently said that Warren was weak on electability when she was running for president, so this metric won’t help her cause.

Abrams has an electability perception problem too. She is nothing like Palin, but Democratic elites we have talked to are wary that voters won’t like pairing someone who has never held an elective office higher than state representative with a 77-year-old presidential nominee. A wide body of research suggests that presidential nominees generally pick a running mate who has a lot of political experience, usually at the national level, likely to address concerns about whether the running mate is ready to be president if necessary.

Party elites tend to indicate that the Democrats’ path to victory is winning white voters in the Midwest — as opposed to firing up more liberal voters or increasing support among people of color. So this metric (party elites’ perceptions of electability) would likely favor Baldwin, Klobuchar and Whitmer in particular.

Goal 2: Balance the ticket demographically — particularly on race and ethnicity

Helps: Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Abrams, Cortez Masto

Hurts: Baldwin, Klobuchar, Warren, Whitmer … basically anyone who is white

Close to 40 percent of registered Democratic voters identify as Asian, black, Hispanic or something other than white.1 And the Democratic Party cares deeply about racial diversity. An all-white ticket might happen, but it would get lots of blowback. The same is likely true of an all-male ticket — hence, Biden’s pledge. Already, House Majority Whip James Clyburn, whose endorsement of Biden seemed to help the former vice president win big in South Carolina, is calling for him to name a black woman as his running mate.

This kind of demographic balancing has occurred in the past two Democratic primaries. The major contenders to be Obama’s running mate in 2008 were all white men, and the top contenders to be Clinton’s running mate in 2016 were nearly all men.

Currently, only one woman of color is a governor (Lujan Grisham), and only four are U.S. senators (Hawaii’s Mazie Hirono, Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Harris). So it’s likely that Cortez Masto, Duckworth, Harris and Lujan Grisham all will get a serious look from Biden and his team and that they will also consider more nontraditional choices, like Abrams and U.S. Rep Val Demings of Florida, in part to meet the party’s demand for a racially diverse ticket. (Hirono will turn 73 on Election Day, and we doubt Biden would pick a running mate who’s nearly his age.)

Goal 3: Balance the ticket ideologically

Helps: Abrams, Harris, Warren

Hurts: Klobuchar

The other main balancing goal that presidential nominees typically have, in addition to demographics, is ideology. In 1988, the Democratic nominee, Gov. Michael Dukakis, sought to counteract his reputation as a Massachusetts liberal by choosing one of the party’s more moderate figures, then-Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. In 2012, the GOP nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, considered insufficiently conservative by some Republicans, chose as his running mate someone beloved by the GOP’s right wing: then-Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

By this metric, Klobuchar would not be an ideal running mate for Biden. She has a somewhat centrist record, as does he, and took fairly similar positions to the former vice president during the Democratic primary, such as panning the idea of Medicare for All. Choosing her as his running mate would intensify the criticism of Biden from the party’s left wing, who would likely complain that he is expecting liberals to vote for him while essentially ignoring their wishes.

Warren, of course, is firmly on the left. Harris is pretty left, based on her voting record in the Senate. But as California’s attorney general from 2011 to 2017, Harris took some conservative stances and as a 2020 presidential candidate didn’t embrace Sen. Bernie Sanders’s Medicare for All approach or a wealth tax. Abrams hasn’t taken Sanders-style stances on economic issues, but she is well known for her work on voting rights issues, which might lead to her being perceived by voters and activists as being left. Also, some political science research suggests that black candidates are often perceived to be more liberal than they actually are. In other words, if Biden picks Abrams or Harris, he could both appease some on the left and not annoy more centrist people in the party who may not like Warren.

Goal 4: Help Democrats gain a Senate majority

Helps: Duckworth, Harris

Hurts: Baldwin, Warren

This is a newer factor, without a lot of historical precedent in either party. But control of the U.S. Senate is in play in 2020. And if the Republicans retain the most of the seats, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could block much of what a new Democratic president tries to do, just as the Kentucky Republican limited Obama while he was in office. For this reason, some Democratic activists are wary of picking a sitting Democratic senator for the vice presidency if there is any possibility that person will be replaced by a Republican.

If Duckworth or Harris became vice president, the Democratic governors of their respective states would pick their replacements, who would serve until a special election is held in 2022. Democrats would be favored to keep those Senate seats because Illinois and California lean heavily Democratic. Minnesota (Klobuchar) and Nevada (Cortez-Masto) also have Democratic governors who would appoint a replacement through 2022, but they are more swing-y states, so Democrats could eventually lose those seats in 2022. In Massachusetts (Warren) and Wisconsin (Baldwin), there would be a special election in 2021. The incumbent in the Bay State would likely be a Republican since GOP governor Charlie Baker would pick the person. (Democrats in Massachusetts do have some potential workarounds, however.) This dynamic is a real problem for Baldwin, though, since Republicans might be slightly favored in a special election in Wisconsin.

This is an informal list of criteria. You could certainly include other measures — ours are not necessarily exhaustive or even the best measures. But the history of vice presidential selections suggests that the process is not dominated by questions that perhaps should matter the most, such as:

Is this person best qualified to run the nation if the president cannot finish his term in office?

Is this person a great manager who can help lead the executive branch of the government?

Is this person well versed in policy?

Is this person the best choice to become the next-in-line presidential candidate for the party?

Perhaps Biden’s considerations will change as a result of the novel coronavirus, which means the next president could enter office with a true national crisis on his hands. But we’re skeptical that the vice presidential selection will be much different than in the past.

In any case, looking at the party-based criteria, here’s how things shake out for Abrams, Harris, Klobuchar and Warren, who The New York Times recently reported are senior Democratic Party officials’ leading choices for Biden’s running mate. (We’ve also included Duckworth, who’s a more obscure senator than Warren, but we wanted to note how favorably she looks compared with her in terms of these party-based metrics):

Harris: three positives, no negatives.

Abrams: two positives, no negatives.

Duckworth: two positives, no negatives.

Klobuchar: one positive, two negatives.

Warren: one positive, three negatives.

You might be thinking, “Harris was a dud as a presidential candidate,” but often that doesn’t matter. And as with George H.W. Bush, Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden, the person who gets elected vice president is often someone who at some point flirted with a presidential run or actually ran for the top of the ticket and lost. What this exercise suggests is that Harris fits the party’s goals fairly well for a running mate alongside Biden — she’s to the left of him ideologically, she’s not white, the party won’t lose a Senate seat if she becomes vice president, and some people in the party will assume she helps with electablity by appealing to black voters in particular. We’re not predicting that Biden will pick her — he might decide that perceived electability trumps everything else and go with Klobuchar or Whitmer or another Midwestern white woman. He might decide that Warren’s policy chops are particularly useful in the midst of a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic and that placating the party’s left wing is important for symbolic and electoral reasons. But Biden is a party man, and Harris is a party choice.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #William D. Adler #Julia Azari and Perry Bacon Jr.

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