#all while he's in the middle of strangling an innocent civilian

[oflgtfol]

as much as i lambaste the star wars (tumblr) fandom for all the x reader stuff, i mostly only ever see it for din or obi-wan. so after a year and a half of being into sw, i had never encountered anakin x reader, to where it never even crossed my mind that such a thing could even exist. until i stumbled across my first occurrence of such a post like two months ago. and ive steadily seen a rise in it since showbi wan started. and i cant even be mad about it like i am about din or obi-wan because it's just so utterly absolutely baffling to me

anyway shout out to this one DARTH VADER x reader post i saw like a month ago that was like "reader is a virgin and darth vader makes sweet love to you" and it was completely unironic. like it still makes me laugh out loud. im not even mad at this point bc the thought is fucking hilarious

[2amtechnicolor]

Milgram Project and Spec Ops: The Line - The Only Way to Win is Not to Play

"They are guilty. But what is justice? And how would you see it dealt?" - Konrad, Spec Ops: The Line (2012)

[TW: mentions of murder, violence, various war crimes, and the American military]

So Fuuta's second MV and voice drama premiered last night...and it's a lot. This is our first time hearing directly from a "Guilty" prisoner and honestly, probably one of the best example of how a vote can change personalities in Milgram next to Haruka's second VD.

(I will be pulling Milgram ENG translations from @onigiriico)

So we all know the basic premise of Milgram, the music videos. We watch a prisoner sing about their "murder", we listen to their talks with the warden, Es, and then we voice them "innocent/justified" or "guilty/unjustified" accordingly.

In season one, us, as the audience, had a sense of naivete. We had no idea what a "guilty" or "innocent" vote would do to the prisoners. There was no real explanation for what the consequences of our actions would be. Now, the curtain has been pulled back. Sure, we heard the story from Jackalope, but listening to a second-hand account and a first-hand account are two different things. One is clinical observation, the other is emotional.

One person's death is a tragedy, but a million deaths is a statistic.

When just given the factual events (Kotoko attacked Amane, Mikoto, Mahiru, and Fuuta before being subdued by Kazui), it's easy to digest. Person A moves to Persona B and commits Action C.

A 17-year-old boy strangles a 10-year-old girl.

An 18-year-old girl aborts her child.

A 20-year-old man harasses a middle schooler online until her death.

At face value, any one of these could easily be voted "guilty" from one sentence according to your own values. It's when you get into the specifics, when we see their point of view for ourselves, when we hear it from their mouths, that it becomes more complicated.

Why is Muu, a girl who stabbed a classmate, more forgivable than Fuuta, who never laid his hands on anyone?

Why is Mahiru, a woman whose boyfriend committed suicide, less forgivable than an organ harvester?

Does internet harassment justify losing an eye? Does a toxic relationship justify being on the brink of death? If you had known the outcome, would you even have chosen differently?

Fuuta: "You and I are exactly the same breed!...Like I’d let someone like this judge whether I should be forgiven or not!"

This brings me to Spec Ops: The Line.

For all of you who don't know what SO:TL is, it's a military shooter game in the Spec Ops series, released in 2012, near the height of the military shooter genre's popularity (Gears of War, Halo, Call of Duty, etc.) However, SO:TL isn't a video game--it's an art piece.

You play as Captain Martin Walker, a special ops soldier in the US Army, searching Dubai and the surrounding area for an missing army comrade of his: Lieutenant Colonel John Konrad, the 33rd Infantry's commander. Konrad had defied orders in an attempt to bring order back to Dubai after the worst of sandstorms in its recorded history hit.

I won't go into detail on the whole plot, but while the player searches for Konrad and the rest of the 33rd you also:

use white phosphorus against opposing forces, killing 47 civilians who were evacuated for shelter in the process

execute either a Emirati civilian who stole water from the desert city or a member of the 33rd who was sent to apprehend him, killing the civilian's whole family in the process. Choosing to not choose kills them both.

assist in decimating the water supply of Dubai, dooming the city's inhabitants to dehydration

and many, many more atrocities.

In the end, when you finally find Konrad, the man who has been taunting you over the radio the whole game...he's dead. He's been dead for a while. You, the player, as Captain Walker, did all this, killed all those innocent people, justifying that it would all be worth it in the end, to find a man that was already dead.

Konrad: "There were 5,000 people alive in Dubai the day before you arrived. How many are alive today I wonder?"

There is no way out of these missions but through. You have to use chemical weapons, you have to murder civilians in cold blood. You have no choice.

But...There's always a choice.

In the words of the game itself: "If you were a better person, you wouldn't be here."

You don't have to play this game.

Turning your console off and never touching the disc again is a valid choice.

You don't have to be a war criminal. You have the choice to walk away.

You don't have to vote in Milgram.

You, the audience, are Captain Walker. By playing SO:TL, you are responsible for the destruction of Dubai.

We, the audience, are Warden Es. By voting in Milgram, we are responsible for Kotoko's vigilante justice. We are responsible for Fuuta losing an eye. We are responsible for Mahiru's near-death experience, and Amane's broken mental state.

But we don't have to be.

...

However, There's one major difference between SO:TL and Milgram, and I'm not just talking about genre.

Spec Ops: The Line is a singleplayer video game.

Milgram is decided by majority vote.

If you choose to opt out of Spec Ops: The Line, no one has to die.

If you choose to opt out of voting in Milgram...you can't necessarily stop everyone else.

So if a "guilty" or "innocent" outcome is inevitable, which is the most moral decision?

Not voting?

Or voting with your conscience without knowing the results of your outcome?

Are you setting a shattered bone, or breaking it in another place?

...

I can't answer that for you.

Es: "It’s alright. If you and I really are the same kind of person like you say, I’ll end up like that sooner or later anyway."

[redrobin-detective]

the only ghost in Amity Park

Continuation of Half Of

______________________________________________

Only in Amity Park did the revelation that a local teenager was sorta, kinda a ghost just blow over in a few days. Sure, people still stared at Danny Fenton as he walked by and everyone was still wondering what exactly he was, but overall life had moved on. Star sighed to herself as she organized her notebooks, waiting for class to begin. Just another day.

Star herself really didn’t want to get involved in whatever was going on with Danny. She didn’t like him before he was a celebrity and didn’t plan on starting anytime soon. While Paulina still relentlessly, and vainly, pumped him for information on her dead boy crush, Phantom and he and Dash formed some weird macho bond or whatever, Star avoided him. He’d given her the chills since the day he’d walked into Casper High. When Danny’s secret had been exposed mid-attack, Star hadn’t been surprised. She didn’t need some ghost to tell her that there was something deeply, unsettlingly wrong with Danny Fenton.

Danny didn’t seem particular bothered, by his inhuman nature or by suddenly having his secret exposed. If anything, the nerd looked more relaxed than ever. Star had been watching him, they all had, but Fenton kept his ghostly antics to a minimum when in public. The occasional flash of green eyes when emotional, a grin of sharpened teeth. He made Mikey’s locker lock intangible the other day when the kid had forgotten his combination and he floated down the stairs instead of walking sometimes. It had been a week and it was  frightening how quickly such strangeness had become almost normal. 

“Alright kids, phones and notes away we’re starting class with a pop quiz. Hope you’ve all kept up with your weekly readings,” Faluca announced cheerily. The whole class, including Fenton, moaned and packed up their bags. Star supposed being an undead being haunting his own life didn’t make him immune from normal human problems. She was biting her lip trying to remember which antibody caused allergic reactions when she got an uneasy feeling. She looked up and was not surprised to see Danny Fenton looking around too. It had been a solid week without ghost attacks, looks like Fenton’s supposed vacation time was up.

Star stopped her writing and adjusted the bag at her feet to prep for evacuation. She briefly wondered what Fenton would do, what he could do? Did he also hunt ghosts, like his parents? Like Phantom? There were no blasts, no screams, no monologues but the dread increased when a ghost shield descended over them. Actually, it looked like it was just covering their classroom. Now everyone was looking up from their quizzes and out the window at the flickering, green shield.

“You’d think the administration would’ve warned me we were going to do a drill,” Faluca said but his voice was hesitant. Clearly this wasn’t planned so despite the lack of alarms, there was a good chance this was real. “Pencils down for the moment while I figure out what’s going on.”

“Mr. Faluca, I need to go,” Danny said, raising his hand. Star was so used to hearing the request she almost ignored him but the dread curling in her stomach made her look again. His face was pinched, sharp and his eyes burned with an icy fury like a sudden storm blowing in without warning. 

“Mr. Fenton, I don’t think...” Faluca murmured uneasily. Danny frowned harder.

“It wasn’t a request, actually,” Danny said roughly as he stood up and began walking towards the door. He was almost there when the door slammed open and Fenton had no less than 3 ectoweapons pointed in his face. A few kids jumped back in alarm but Danny held his ground as half a dozen Guys in White agents entered the room and surrounded him.

“Spectral scum formerly known as Daniel Fenton, you’re coming with us,” one of the agents said. 

“Danny not Daniel and it’s still my name,” Danny quipped, eyeing each of the government officials and their weapons. “And no, I’m not. I’m still alive, somewhat anyway, so I have rights. The courts backed me up.”

“Everyone who signed for your freedom doesn’t know ghosts like we do,” Another agent said so forcefully, some spittle flew out of their mouth and hit Danny’s cheek. Star watched it freeze and fall away the instant it hit his skin. “Your kind are too dangerous to wander around, you need to be contained and eliminated. Don’t worry, your parents will receive a sizable check as recompense.”

“I’m the one who needs to be contained?” Danny said slowly, evenly but there was a static to his voice that caused the hairs on the back of Star’s neck to rise. When she breathed out, she saw her breath was misting. Everyone’s was as the room temperature continued to plummet. “When you come in here and take hostages to threaten me?” Danny hissed, he took a step forward and his eyes took on a neon green glow. “You didn’t come to my home or on the streets, you came to take me in the middle of biology when I’m surrounded by civilians, kids.”

“You delude yourself into thinking you’re still human,” another agent scoffed. “Everyone knows ghosts are weaker when giving into their obsession.” Danny laughed, it was loud and mocking and like fingernails running down a chalkboard. Faluca, stuck in between Danny and the agents, was white as a sheet and gripping his desk like it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing.

“You know nothing,” Danny hissed, his voice barely recognizable as human. His hair and shirt floated in an invisible but angry breeze. Frost crawled up his arms and his face. Various ecto alarms were ringing on the belts of the agents and they started to look a bit nervous. He looked nothing like the kid who, minutes before, had clearly been struggling with their bio quiz. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. You cannot come into my haunt and threaten my people to get to me. Protecting what is mine will always make me stronger!” 

“This whole town is constantly under attack because of things like you!” One particularly brave agent said even as a few others had backed up. “Amity Park is on the verge of collapse because of all the ghosts!”

“There is only one ghost in Amity Park,” Danny said, he tilted his head, his black and white hair dangling in his face as he gave a sharpened smile. “There is only me and the ghosts I allow, ghosts who know the rules, who respect my authority here by keeping damage to people and property down. I am the only ghost haunting this town and why do you think that is?” One agent threw down his gun and ran through the open door.

“You’re-you’re a monster!” Another woman shouted, shaking as she stepped back before fleeing.

“I’m not the one who needs to threaten innocents to get to their target,” Danny sneered. “It’s a good thing you did though, I wouldn’t hold back if I wasn’t worried about collateral.” Another three agents turned tail and ran. Until there was only one left. His gun was still trained on Danny but his hands were shaking. 

“You don’t scare us,” the agent trembled through the obvious lie having been abandoned by his comrades. “We’ll get you monster, if it’s the last thing we do.”

“Looking forward to it,” Danny drawled sarcastically as some of his horrifying aura dissipated along with the freezing grip on the room. Within moments Danny has settled back into more human form. While he’d been angry before, now he looked almost bored. At no point had he seemed afraid. 

“You take your people and your equipment and you leave Amity’s borders by sunset tonight,” Danny declared resolutely. “If you have continued problems with my existence, you take it up with the courts. We settle this as humans but if you treat me as a ghost then I will fight back like one.” His eyes turned green again as a threat. As a promise. 

“I don’t take orders from spooks!” The agent shouted, securing his finger on the trigger and preparing to fire. Star had ducked to avoid the blast so she missed exactly what happened. All she saw was the green glow and heard a strangled scream from the agent followed by a series of thumps. By the time Star had gotten back into her seat, Danny was aggressively pulling apart the ectogun with his bare hands. There was no sign of the agent and, around them, the ghost shield fizzled away. 

“Jerks,” Danny grumbled, kicking at the remains of the ectogun he’d destroyed. “Sorry about that, Mr. Faluca. I knew they’d cause problems but I didn’t think they’d come to school.” Their teacher stared at Danny like a rabbit facing down a lion. “You okay?”

“Fine, Mr. Fenton, just fine!” Falcua grinned in a high pitched voice. “Shall we get back to our quizzes?” The bell rang just then and Danny did a little fist pump.

“Tomorrow then? After I get a chance to study more?” Danny asked with puppy dog eyes. It looked wrong on his face that had just threatened the government with bodily harm. Faluca just nodded dumbly, not sure what else to say. “Yes! I’ll pass tomorrow for sure. The attention kinda sucks but it does come with some perks.”

He walked back to his desk, ignoring the wide-eyed looks of the class when he stopped and gasped, his breath fogging in front of him. His lips pursed again with annoyance. A few people jumped in surprise as the Box Ghost, a familiar annoyance, poked his head through the wall.

“Child! Your requested reprieve is up and the Box Ghost is here to cause insurmountable square shenanigans!” He laughed heartily, stopping when the room temperature dropped again. Danny didn’t even turn to face the ghost. 

“Your watch is off, Boxy. I have another 10 hours before I have to deal with you annoyances again,” Danny growled. “I’m feeling good right now, take advantage of it and leave in one piece.”

“Uh right okay then,” the ghost stammered, sinking back into the wall. “See you tomorrow.” Danny cracked his neck before he walked to his desk, grabbed his things and walked to the front of the room.

“Late bell’s gonna ring any minute, you guys should hurry if you don’t wanna be late,” Danny said as he left. Falcua’s strength gave out as soon as Fenton was gone and he hit the floor, one hand clutching at his chest.

“Jeepers,” Mikey surmised appropriately before stuffing his things in his bag and leaving as well. Star watched everyone loosen up themselves and begin gathering their things to leave. No, she would never like Danny Fenton but he and his ghost weirdness was just part of the deal now, whether they wanted it or not. Such was life in the most haunted city in America which was only haunted by a single ghostly entity.

[yandere-toons]

LEGO JOKER

Platonic & Romantic Headcanons – Yandere

WARNING: terrorism, references to violence, implied death, incarceration.

A.N. - Two Jokers down, however many more to go.

PLATONIC:

The problem begins with Joker shifting the venue for his crimes to the area of Gotham City in which his friend lives. Local banks that they visited a day prior are robbed, and the chases between Joker and Batman almost always pass through their neighbourhood.

As Joker directs the lesser criminals to terrorize other sections of Gotham and preoccupy the GCPD, he exploits the scattered and overworked police force to pull his friend into the middle of his crimes.

Privacy is denied as every step they take outside their home becomes a target for paparazzi, reporters and detectives. Joker adds fuel to the conspiracy theories that strangle his friend's social life by strolling to their door with Harley for impromptu slumber parties, using any sympathy they may have for him and promising not to intrude again.

In addition to breaking his promise and returning the next night, this fanning of the invasion is further aggravated by his tendency to chat with them while making demands of Gotham at the same time.

As long as they are on good terms with Joker, his friend is protected from a majority of crimes. Many of the rogues, such as Bane and Two-Face, view them as a member of the crime family, and the average business and person knows better than to get themselves hunted by the infamous underbelly of Gotham City for cutting a paycheck or picking a pocket.

If his friend is ignoring him or antagonizing him for his life choices, however, Joker allows them to fall into dangerous situations and refuses to help unless they apologize or sufficiently praise him.

Batman has little faith in the goodness of anyone who associates with Joker, and his initial conclusion paints the clown's friend as just another criminal. Any protests against this notion are deemed to be lies, with the vigilante suspecting coercion only if they are an esteemed member of the community or have known him personally for a long time.

Joker actively sabotages their plead for innocence by venting to them about Batman in full view of other people and inviting them to join his latest crime when he knows a superhero or batch of civilians are witnessing it.

ROMANTIC:

For all his many trials in evil, Joker has a unique sense of fairness and abhors a blatant show of disrespect for the few people he thinks are more than just tools for chaos. The clown views his extremist methods as admirable when he goes beyond the limits of the law and the moral constraints of heroes to avenge his partner.

Once the cameras start rolling, he dedicates the crime to them on live television. The definition of his vengeance ranges anywhere from trapping the offender in a building rigged to explode to taking the last parachute and abandoning them in an aeroplane with no pilot.

By the end of the same day, news outlets across the city latch onto the story and dramatize it in the form of asking citizens to give their reactions in polls and interviewing superheroes for insight. The Gotham Gazette floods the public with speculative pieces about the relationship, which Joker reads avidly and considers undeniable evidence of his perceived intimacy with his partner.

The links are inconsistent at best and specious at worst, drawing a variety of fantastical correlations between their daily activities and the details of the clown's recent escapades.

Unless his partner has powerful allies in the local government, there is a high probability that this will cost their job. All the fearmongering and news propaganda sink their reputation until the GCPD is threatening to arrest them on suspicion of aiding and abetting a known criminal.

Joker comes to them on the day of their termination and offers asylum in his hideout, revelling in their need for shelter and a new livelihood.

If Gordan or Barbara succeeds and his partner lands in Arkham, Joker surrenders just for the sake of claiming the cell beside theirs. The guards and warden are instructed to keep the two of them apart as much as possible and at all costs, but this only encourages Joker to track them in the recreation yard and stimulate prison riots if they are placed in solitary confinement.

Once he has an idea for his next crime or his partner expresses discontent with the environment, Joker orchestrates a prison break and spills back into Gotham.

Do anything you want with my work, but never make me boring!

[amazingmsme]

Preventing Apotheosis Part 3

I know it’s been a hot sec, so here’s part 3! If you want to catch up, the first 2 chapters can be found in my preventing apotheosis tag!

Curt looked around for any sign of people nearby, but found none. The haunting wails sounded off all around them. General McNamera stood next to him as still as could be with his eyes shut. He tapped his shoulder, "What are you-"

"Sh! I'm trying to hear what direction is loudest. That way we'll know which one's are closest and work from there." A few more seconds and McNamera turned around and pointed down the road, "There, downtown. Makes sense, since it's closest to the crash site. Walker, Mega and I will head that way while Pierce, Ramirez and Morgan will take the northside and we'll meet back here at 23 hundred hours. The chopper will take us back." They split up and went their separate ways. Curt held his gun at the ready as they ducked between buildings. The farther they went, the louder the singing got. As they hid behind trash cans, they saw a group of people dancing down the street, twirling and leaping about. They waited until they were right in front of them before they opened fire, mowing them down before they could belt another note. John motioned for them to keep moving, so they pressed forward. 

They ducked into an alleyway searching for anyone when a man stepped out from behind a fire escape. His eyes were glowing a striking electric blue, and he was missing an arm. The blood that was dripping from the wound which should've been red was the same piercing color as his eyes. Despite this, he wore a crazed smile on his face as he opened his mouth, letting out an operatic high C. They all instinctively reached for their guns, but two more people came up from behind them, knocking them to the ground. Mega grabbed his second gun and shot the man in front of them in the chest as McNamera spun around and punched an infected elderly woman in the face. Walker dove for his gun, firing at the third alien human hybrid as soon as it was in his hand. The aliens were still alive however and recovered fairly quickly, unlike the group they had massacred so easily. Music filled the air, and it seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The old woman grabbed John in a choke hold while the other two pinned Curt and the other soldier to the wall. He had been in this position before and knew how to get out of it. He brought his knee up to the man's stomach, making him double over. Even though the wind should've been knocked out of him, he still managed to sing with the rest.

"Oh Mr. Gun Man, Mr. Military Brat, you shoot at us and think you're all that. But this is a new dawn, this is a new day. Welcome to the new age."

After freeing himself, he shot the alien in front of them before killing the woman choking John with a swift headshot. The commotion allowed Walker to escape and as they tried to run away, he shot them in the back, and they crumbled to the ground as the music came to an abrupt end.

"I'm not a military brat," Curt spat at the dead bodies before them. John gave him a look, "I believe they were talking, well singing, to me," he said. Mega furrowed his  brows and his nose scrunched up a little.

"Relax Curt, I'm only messing with ya," he said and shot him a quick wink. He couldn't help but smile at him, but ducked his head down as soon as he felt heat rushing to his cheeks. He couldn't believe himself. He swore he wouldn't fall for someone in the field ever again after what happened with Owen because it would only end in heartbreak. But John was so good looking and strong: physically and mentally, and he had that same snarky, sarcastic humor that had drawn him to Owen in the first place. He had to keep his head in the game! Had to keep his eyes on the prize and get the job done! Then he could think about his love life. "Let's keep going."

They reached a school and heard loud singing and music blaring from the building. They tried the door, but when that didn't work, McNamera kicked it in. They followed the echoing voices through the eerily empty halls. He didn't know why, but empty schools always made him uneasy. It was unnatural. Once they found the source, John held his fist up signaling them to stay put and not enter. The three of them peaked in through the window and saw three teenage girls slowly creep and advance on two men who appeared to not be infected, but you can never be too careful. The shorter of the two tried to reach out to the girl in the middle, but the other man pulled him back. Once the song ended, he started talking, but they couldn't quite make out the words. John cracked the door and they all listened.

"I can't live in a world without my daughter."

"Bill, whatever you're thinking, stop it."

"I can't live knowing I'm the reason they got to her." He brought the barrel of the shotgun to his jaw, and the other man tried to wrestle it away. Bill begged for him to let him do it, but the gun was yanked from his hands and tossed to the ground. As his friend held his shoulders and spoke to him, McNamera noticed the middle girl step forward and pick up the gun, aiming it at the oblivious men.

"I won't let you die!" BAM!

The men jumped at the gun shot, the taller man whipping around towards them as the other rushed to the fallen girl. He scooped up her lifeless body and started weeping as they burst into the room.

"Get down on the ground, we're the army!" BAM! BAM! BAM! Walker shot at the remaining zombified girls before they ran out of the room and escaped. The man apparently named Bill didn't move from his spot on the ground.

"Alice! Alice no! Please wake up, you're gonna be fine, daddy's here," his words were strangled and choppy from the large lump in his throat. Tears and snot rolled down his face while his choking sobs filled the air.

Walker and McNamera walked up to the other man as he pleaded that he wasn't one of them, and Curt jogged to where they were, having been frozen at the sight. "Yeah prove it asshole we're the army," McNamera deadpanned as he knocked him out with the butt of his gun as Mega fumbled with his badge and whipped it out, "CIA- oh he's unconscious." He looked down at his hands with a frown and waved his badge out to the side aimlessly. Bill finally seemed to come somewhat to his senses and turned around towards them. He was still cradling his daughters face is his hands, and his face morphed from grief to rage.

"You! You killed her!" he screamed at them. Curt didn't like this. He wasn't used to dealing with civilians and "cleaning up." He stole things, tortured people, killed people, but they were always bad people with cruel intentions. These were normal people with normal lives, and it only just now dawned on him that they were supposed to kill them. And then he charged at them and General McNamera knocked him out with an elbow to the face. His body hit the floor with a loud smack that made Curt wince. John bent down and picked him up, throwing his limp form over his shoulder and motioning for Walker to do the same.

"Mega go kill those alien bastards before they leave the school while we tie them up. We'll be in the classroom across the hall."

"You're not gonna kill them, are you?"

"Those are my orders," John said matter of factly.

"So that's it? You just knock them out and kill them without another word?"

"It's better than if they were conscious."

"If they survived this long don't you think they deserve to live? Who knows what all they've been through, I mean you shot a man's daughter for Christ's sake!"

The General grabbed the cigarette from his mouth and used it to point at him, "That thing wasn't his daughter! Whoever she was, she was dead long before I shot her. And she was going to kill him anyways, so I killed her before she could."

"Why? So you can kill him instead?"

"That's not-" but McNamera couldn't finish his sentence and pressed his thumb and pointer finger against his temple. Curt didn't stop talking however.

"They're innocent people. We should be helping them," he pleaded. The last thing he wanted was for them to die.

"You may be used to saving the world, but my job is strictly damage control! Do you know the kind of chaos that would spread if people found out about what happened here? You can't even begin to imagine! Without P.E.I.P. hysteria will ensue, and I'm not willing to let that happen just so two meaningless people can live!"

"That's why we only threaten to kill them if they ever tell anyone!" He really didn't want to do this, and he wondered why Cynthia had to send him of all people. Because he was Curt Mega, one of the world's greatest spies. Or maybe because he had the worst luck.

"Damnit Curt, do you think this is what I want? I just follow my orders, I don't get to make them. Look, maybe we can come to an agreement, and we won't have to kill them, but I'll have to talk it over with my superiors." Curt nodded, "Okay."

[allee-e-writing-blog]

First I Love You/Kiss - Frosthawk

Whether Clint followed the orders to a T or not, his actions made the mission a success with no injuries to anyone but himself. The last of the civilians were checked over as he restrung his bow, waiting for the innocents to go before he would get checked over by Bruce.

“And what was that you pulled!?” Tony asked and Clint sighed. It would be fate that he broke away from the plan when it was Tony who was leading. Ever since the whole “Civil War" incident, the two had been on choppy waters that seemed to hit hurricane levels at this point. 

“Hey, the people ran out cause they thought they had an opening.” He argued, slipping his bow over his chest with a slight twinge of pain. “I took mine when they took theirs. It may not have been your master plan, but no one else got hurt and Zemo’s down.” He sent the pissed man a slight smile. “I count it as a victory.”

“Victory my ass; I had that plan set for a reason Clint!” Tony scolded, his visor down so it was his voice instead of the slightly robotic one the suit produced. “I know you don't like listening to me, but my plans are what we need to do so we don't get in trouble again!” 

Tony stood in his face now, close enough to spit on him at this point. “Did your government-approved plan include those civilians running or were you just going to let them die Stark?” Clint challenged and Tony clenched a fist. “Plans are great and yours would have worked, but the civilians matter to me more than if the government likes the way I shoot or not.”

“Change of plans,” Tony looked over to where Rhodey and a few other agents stood, pointing at them. “Clint's helping with cleanup today, you can come back with us.”

“Tony, I got injured; I still need medical to look at me!” Clint tried to argue. During the process of saving the civilians, he took a blast of an unknown energy and he had been waiting for the group he protected to get checked out first.

“Nice excuse Barton, try it on someone who'll actually buy it.” Tony hit his arm a few times before his mask went down to cover his smirking face. “Let's move out.” The others picked fun at his expense, Clint sighing as he looked around. He was left with a truck, Zemo and his three henchmen, as well as the destruction the villain made of the country farm. He started to collect up the ruined crop, totalling in his head how much the farmer would have to be repaid, moving slower than he would have liked. This was going to take forever. ******************************************************************************************* Loki walked through the tower with a frown, looking for Clint. The others had just returned from their mission in Richmond, Kentucky and he hadn't been with them. He had planned to surprise the archer after being away for a little while with Thor, but now he was just left bewildered.

“Where's Barton?” Loki asked Tony when he passed, the millionaire rolling his eyes.

“He didn't follow the plan, risked our jobs as heroes. So, we left him to clean up and drive the truck back.” Tony said and Loki frowned more. 

“Have any of you made contact with him?” Tony snapped at him.

“No; no one's tried. You can if you want, but he's being punished for a reason!” Tony walked away, irrational and angry for a reason Loki couldn't pinpoint. 

“Not everyone fits in your mold Stark.” He muttered before putting a hand to his com. “Clint? Update?” He waited a few minutes, getting nothing but silence. Thinking he may be in the middle of something, he waited for five minutes more before trying again. “Clint, can you hear me?” At the next bout of silence, his frown worsened and he started to mumble his teleportation spell to check on the man in person.

*******************************************************************************************Clean up with Clint had been going well. Had been. He rubbed at his eyes, using a bit more pressure than he would have liked, but the dizziness that was making his eyesight blur seemed to subside after the action, so he didn't mind repeating it again. His wound seemed to be internal, but the medics on scene left when the others did. Calling emergency services would not only blow his secret identity if he needed to go to hospital, but it could also bring the attention of the news if word of him getting injured got out.

He had just finished with the invoices and clean up, the pain he felt flaring up worse after it all. He was just glad that he had gotten Zemo and his lackeys into the arms of the prison guards before the pain hit him like this. Clint leaned against the truck, panting a bit. Breathing was getting harder and harder with each passing second and he needed to contact the others even if they didn't want to talk to him right now. 

He moved his hand towards his ear and that seemed to be the last straw for his body. Clint completely froze, his knees losing the ability to hold anything as he started to topple to the ground. He let out a strangled groan as he fell, his head hitting the ground.

But Clint? 

Clint was out cold before he hit the ground. ******************************************************************************************* Loki appeared, facing a slightly destroyed crop, evidence that this was where the team had been. He turned, spotting the truck a bit further ahead of him. His stomach teleported back to the tower when he saw Clint on the side of the road, his legs moving towards the archer before the rest of his body could process it. He may have even called his name, but he couldn't recall opening his mouth; but he swore someone called out to Clint.

He flipped the archer over in a rush, a tiny bit of dried blood left at Clint's hairline. “Clint?” He gently tapped at his face. “Clint!” His eyes were hazy when he opened them, but Loki could have cried when he saw them. 

“L-Lo-ack!” He curled in a bit on himself when he tried to say his name, Loki shushing him as he helped him lay flat again against the ground.

“Easy Engel, keep your eyes open, not your mouth.” Loki said and Clint coughed out a laugh, his body shivering at the action. Loki placed a hand on his forehead. “You're burning up.” He went to remove his hand, but Clint whimpered when he tried. “Does that feel good?” Clint said yes with his eyes - despite how they could barely stay open. “Alright Engel, I just need you to stay awake with me until Dr. Banner can help.” Keeping his hand on his forehead, Loki mumbled his spell once more, the two appearing in the tower.

Time had passed since they transported, Loki not being at full power with the spell he was still practicing affecting how long it took to get to his set location. The house was quiet, the lights turning on when he and Clint appeared. “Friday, where is everyone?” 

“They went to go celebrate the mission being a success.” She informed him and he nodded, looking down to Clint. 

“Get me in contact with Dr. Banner please.” He scooped up Clint, the archer whimpering at the loss of his hand. Loki adjusted his head so that it was in the crook of his neck, Clint relaxing at the chill. “And hurry.” 

Loki moved to the infirmary quickly, the sound of a dial tone following him. “He's not picking up.” She informed him, the god laying out the archer. 

“Of course, the time Jo’s team is on a different solar system.” He sighed, squeezing Clint's hand gently. “Friday, run me a scan on Clint and keep calling Dr. Banner and the others every five minutes until they pick up.” ******************************************************************************************* Loki applied another cold rag to Clint's forehead, deciding to worry about covering the head wound with a wrap later. With how high Clint’s temperature was getting, he didn't want to worry about that right now. It had been nearly an hour and a half of calling the others, but he still had no luck. “Try Steve again.” Loki said to Friday, the AI doing as said. 

“Hello?” He picked up on the third ring and Loki let his head fall back, eyes closing.

“Thank the stars someone answered.” He looked back down to Clint. “I need help here at the tower; Clint was injured by something on their last mission and no one has responded to me for over an hour.” He could hear shuffling on the other side of the line. “He's only been getting worse and I don't know what else to do.”

“Bucky and I are coming; what's going on at this point?” Steve asked as Loki took off the now warm rag.

“His temperature is tipping towards 110 and nothing I'm doing is bringing it back down.” Loki started, submerging the rag as he grabbed another one. “He easily heats up the ice cold rags I'm putting on him and Friday said he had internal injuries and a possible concussion. He passed out a while ago and he hasn't woken up yet - I'm frankly terrified.” Loki rambled a bit, but Steve understood why.

“We're about five minutes out.” Loki could hear the sound if footsteps and heavy wind, the man unable to help the soft smile that crossed his face. They were running to get there instead of spending time to get a taxi or get to Steve's bike. 

“Stay on the line until you arrive?” Loki asked, changing rags again. “You're the only one who replied and I think I might go insane if I have to sit here in silence while I wait.” He tacked on the reason quickly, his words honest. 

“We're right here Loki, we won't leave ya.” The phone changer owners, Bucky now speaking to the god. Look could faintly hear Steve talking to someone else. “And I think Steve may have been able to contact T’Challa.” He informed him and Loki nodded, squeezing Clint's hand. 

“Good; we may need all the help we can get.” 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Friday cut in, “But Clint’s temperature has now hit 111.” Loki muttered a curse before thanking the AI for the update, changing the rag a bit faster than normal. 

“Nothing's working at all?” Bucky asked, trying to fill the empty space the update caused. 

“Not a thing.” He rested another hand on his cheek, the flesh burning from the inside out. “I even tried a few ice baths, but nothing's happened. I've even changed to my Jotunn form and tried to cool him down that way; doesn't even change it a portion of a degree.” Loki ran a hand through his hair. “And no one has put out any reports about what Zemo had been doing or what tools he used that could cause something like this nor have I been able to contact us team.”

“Who was on it? Do you know?” Friday answered for him. “Iron Man, War Machine, Spiderman, Hawkeye and The Incredible Hulk.” Loki looked down to Clint.

“Why would Dr. Banner not look him over if he was injured?” Loki asked, talking more to himself than anyone else. 

“Steve and I are heading up the elevator now, we'll be right there.” Bucky said and he nodded, just realizing he had been changing the rag without thinking about it.

“Alright. I'm going to have Friday try the others again. What happened with the thing with T’Challa?” Loki asked as Friday attempted to call one of the team members. 

“It'll take him about ten minutes before he can get here.” Bucky's voice cut between the phone and the hall, the two making their way to the door. “Jesus.” He said softly, looking over Clint.

“I know.” Loki said, changing rags. “White paper has more color than he does right now.” Clint was beyond pale, the only hinting of color in the sweat he was drenched in. “No one else is picking up and I don't know how much longer he-”

“What do you want? We're trying to celebrate over here.” Tony's voice filled the air and Loki glared at it. 

“Tell Banner we need him here. Clint's dying right before our eyes and we can't stop it.” He clenched his fist when Tony laughed, Bucky placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Tony, he's not kidding.” Steve was about to continue, but Friday interrupted with another update.

“His temperature has reached 112.” Loki and Bucky both worked on applying rags, Steve pulling out his phone. 

“Did she just say 112?” Tony asked, his voice sobering up of a joking tone. 

“It was 110 when Loki got in contact with us.” Steve said, his ear pressed against the phone. “T’Challa - I know you're heading here quickly, but it's hit far past a critical situation.” He moved to the other side of the room as he talked to the King, glancing back every so often.

“So he wasn't lying…” Tony trailed off, sounding a bit guilty.

“Lying about what?” Bucky asked, sounding a bit ticked. “Did Clint tell you he was hurt and you ignored him?” 

“I thought he was trying to get out of clean up duty!” Tony argued, sounds of him moving coming faintly from the other line. 

“What even happened out there?” Loki asked, trying to stay calm. Tony sighed, starting to explain the mission and what happened.

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

Zemo had been on the run and the team was tracking him down for the past week. They found him in Richmond, Kentucky and had him cornered in a small farm on the outskirts of town. The family had been working in the field became his hostages and the group of heroes were trying to figure out a way to get them safe without letting Zemo go again. 

Unknown to the whole group, Clint was sneaking towards the family to get them away with an attack he set up with Spiderman, but the littlest kid saw him walking toward them. He ran, his family following to grab him which caused Clint to run forward the same time Spiderman did.

Zemo fired the unknown weapon he had at the retreating family, but the were being protected by two heroes. As the mystery blast came towards them, Clint fired off his shot, hitting Spiderman down to the ground on purpose so he wouldn't get caught in the hit. Despite the pain and the blast that rattled him to the bones, he fired another shot and it went in the barrel of the gun, exploding in Zemo’s hand.

The villain dropped it and the others charged forward, easily taking down the group of villains. Spiderman reported his injury to Tony, saying that Clint did it on purpose and Tony became angry, taking his rage out on Clint in a way he thought wouldn't cause the man harm.

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

“So, he saves your kid from getting blasted with this and you punish him despite claiming he got hurt?” Bucky asked as Loki gripped the rag in his hand tighter than it needed to be. “Where does that make sense Stark?! You could've just asked him about it!” The two argued on, Loki mulling over his rage without even realizing his hands were left on Clint's side.

“Clint's temperature has decreased to 111.” Friday broke up the fight with her words, Steve pulling back from his call to look over.

“What did you do?” Bucky asked Loki and he looked down to his hands. He removed thin sheet he had thrown over the naked man down to show off his upper half, a nasty bruise on his side. 

“Hand me one of those rags.” Despite his confusion, Bucky gave one of them to Loki and the god laid it over the bruise with his hands on top of it. “Is his temperature going down Friday?” 

“It is!” The trio looked between each other as sound came from the hallway. T’Challa appeared in the door frame with his younger sister behind him, both quickly moving over to the archer. Bucky quickly caught them up in Wakandan, pausing every once in a while to get Loki a new rag. 

“That's peculiar.” Shuri furrowed her brow as she pulled out her own scanner, doing a scan over his body before letting out a yelp at the sight of Loki's hands. He hadn't even noticed they went blue in the time that he had been holding the rags, looking down to them before they flashed back to match the rest of his flesh. 

“I'll explain later.” He shrugged off her questioning look before nodding his head towards his bow and quiver. “From what Tony said of their mission, traces of whatever he was shot with may be on his equipment.” She nodded, moving to scan the weapons as T’Challa moved closer. He placed a hand on Clint's cheek, pulling back with a frown. 

“What is his temperature?” He asked, Friday answering quickly.

“109.7 Your Highness.” He looked down to Clint in shock.

“It was 112 before.” Loki informed him, T’Challa handing him another rag. 

“The highest recorded temperature was 115 degrees, was it not?” Bucky nodded at T’Challa’s words.

“And if Loki hadn't pieced together where to apply the coldness to, I think he would have topped the record.” ******************************************************************************************* It took nearly a month, but Clint's temperature and wounds were healed up nicely and the man was more than excited to get out of bed. From what the team had discovered, the stuff that Zemo shot at the archer was the start of a laser; holding the searing heat, but nothing that would show on the skin. The blast made the rays seep into his skin and his weapon, the man taking the hit so that others wouldn’t. During his recovery, he hadn’t been allowed to do much of anything except talk to whoever visited him. “Knock knock.” Loki stood at the door, a box of pizza in his hands.

Clint gasped, making grabby hands at both the pizza and him. “My god, my two favorite things; you and pizza.” Loki chuckled as he walked over.

“It's a good thing you mentioned me first or you wouldn't be getting the pizza.” Loki sat on the bed beside him, opening the box for them to share. Clint closed it, reaching over the cardboard to grab his hand.

“I know I've said it a few other times, but thank you.” Clint said, a serious look in his eyes. “If you hadn't checked on me, I probably would have died our in the boonies of Kentucky without saying something I should have a while ago.” Loki raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. “We've been together for nearly four months and we haven't said the L-Word.” Loki snorted at him and Clint playfully hit his chest. “I'm being serious!” His proclamation held no anger, Clint looking at him seriously again. “I almost died and I never had the chance to say it to you.” He placed a hand on his cheek. “I really do care for you Loki, more than I can say. I just wasn't brave enough to fully say it.” Loki went to speak, but Clint only continued. “Getting hurt like that made me realize how fast we can die in this job and I'd kick myself all through the afterlife if I never said it to you.” He paused for a second, looking into his eyes. “I love you Loki, more than you could ever know.” 

Loki moved closer, the pizza discarded and forgotten by Clint's feet for the moment. “I love you too Clint; I was scared that I lost you.” They held onto each other, a silence passing between them before Clint's stomach rumbled.

“It can smell the pizza.” He joked and Loki laughed, reaching down to bring the box back. He turned to look at Loki, his eyes widening a bit when the god caught his lips in his own before they closed, melding into the action. It was short and sweet, Clint pulling back with a smile on his lips. 

“We can share a few more of those after we eat, agreed?”

“Agreed.”

[valkyrie-echo]

Project Echo, Part 1: Chapter 20 (Going For the Green)

Part 1 Summary: A long-buried Hydra disaster, a monster in the shadows, a missing child. Eight months after the events of “The Winter Soldier”, Bucky turns himself in to the Avengers on one condition: They must help him find a girl snatched off the streets by Hydra seven years ago. In their quest, the Avengers accidentally unleash a horrifying creature of darkness and shadow, intent on making their quarry its prey.

Chapter 20: Going for the Green

The kid's screaming woke Tony up first. Any screams in the Tower got the same response these days, "JARVIS, PROTOCOL ONE, NOW!" he dove out of the way as a suit charged in, grabbed an incredulous Pepper, and before she had so much as time to start yelling at Tony the suit hurdled out a window. It wouldn't stop until it had Pepp secured in the D.C. offices. Then he'd be getting an earful.

A few seconds later though Tony was more than happy he'd responded so quickly- the floor shook and Hulk's spine-chilling roar nearly deafened him. He hit his comm, "EVERYBODY UP," as if he needed to say it after that, "JARVIS, deploy suits to collect Jane and Inessa, keep them in the air- as high as possible!" the last thing they needed was a civilian and a vegetable in the middle of a Hulk-out.

Thor didn't move until Jane was sealed in her suit and far out of Banner's reach. Bucky and Steve had no one to secure, so they were first to Bruce's door. Bucky intercepted Sam as he ran up the stairs, "Get in the air, guard the girls."

Steve and Bucky readied themselves, then pushed the door open. The lights flickered, and mighty bangs came from near the back. Bucky spun his metal arm, readying for a fight. Steve took point. They'd never tested it but the working theory was his shield should withstand a direct hit from Hulk. He'd absorbed the blow from Thor's hammer, why not one from a gigantic, pissed off, radioactive green creature?

Creeping towards a splintered, dislodged door with Steve at his side and the unmistakable thud of Thor running to join them made Bucky grin, "Stark," he whispered, "you might just get your three-on-one fight after all."

"Or not, I vote for not," Natasha and Clint were on the main balcony, guarding against Hulk. He could hurt a lot of people if he jumped out into the city.

"Fifty on Hulk."

"CLINT!"

"I don't think there will be a fight guys, get in there now." Tony's infrared scans of Banner's room showed- he didn't know what they were showing him, but it couldn't be good.

Bucky broke formation and quickly approached the door. He used his metal arm to rip it out of his way completely, then ducked to the side. Steve and Thor tensed, but only a strangled growling sounded.

"Holy-" Steve lowered his shield and walked in, mouth agape. He pulled off his goggles. The veins of silver that still remained from his brush with the Shadow glowed in the dim light.

Banner's place was totaled in that epic-destruction kind of way only the Hulk could be responsible for. The walls were torn apart right down to the extra-thick steel reinforcements Tony had lined the place in. Even the foot-thick bulletproof window was cracking. Hulk was writing on the floor, growing in a bizarre gurgle. Bucky walked around to see his face and slipped in a pool of green blood. Hulk had claw marks all over his torso- every one of them turning silvery gray. Thin streams of red mixed with the green- it had gotten Banner first, then he'd Hulked out.

Black smoke poured from Hulk's eyes and, when his mouth opened, wafted from within like demented steam. Bucky had a sudden idea- Steve said it felt like this thing was sentient, at least a little. He walked closer to Hulk, stared into those black eyes, and spoke, "Hello?"

There was a titanic roar and Hulk lurched at him, throwing Bucky into a wall and pinning him there. Hulk shook him, beating him against the wall again and again, until he couldn't see anymore.

"BUCKY!"

"JAMES!"

Thor and Steve ran over, but Hulk swept them aside then slammed his open hand over Bucky's face, breaking his nose. Darkness poured out from the Hulk and into Bucky's mind, and in an instant everything went black.

Neither Bucky nor Hulk died in the coming days, but like Steve and Inessa, they sure as hell came close. The shadow lost all momentum when it passed into Bucky, like whatever strength it had been building was spent subduing the Hulk. Bucky had burned with black flames for only a few minutes, unstable and unaware.

The damage to Hulk's body was severe, so much so that throughout the recovery he couldn't be stabilized long enough to turn back into Banner. After the shadow left him he'd merely whimpered and growled weakly, and continued to do so as the toxin spread throughout his body. At it's height, he was entirely gray.

They learned from the experience the shadow did not need to cut someone to inject them with venom. Bucky hadn't been swiped by the creature, only by Hulk, and yet his skin too turned gray. The silver scars were caused by the creature directly, but the gray skin seemed to be a result of the possession. It explained why Bucky never remembered Inessa turning gray- she was cut, but the beast never had time to enter her mind.

Once Hulk and Bucky were secure in the recovery area, Tony let Inessa and Jane return. He watched Nessa carefully for days, even put her in the room with Hulk (they covered Bucky with a sheet) but nothing happened. The child knew when the Shadow was there- even Steve could feel its presence, but only faintly. It bothered Tony- how could she be numb to everything- even Bucky's best efforts at the end of 'Project: Echo'- yet be so sensitive to something Steve barely noticed through the din of his own mind?

One night curiosity finally got the best of Tony. He went down to the recovery room under the guise of relieving Steve from guard duty (should Hulk decide to smash) and sent him upstairs to sleep. As soon as JARVIS verified he'd gone to bed he wheeled in a portable PET scan. Bucky was easy. Hulk? Not so much, but Tony kept moving the scanner around until he figured he had to have a 360 degree view of Hulk's brain. He turned off the lights and very quickly repeated the process, then had JARVIS pump them up to double strength.

While the images processed, he worked on his excuse for Natasha and Clint. It had to be cunning, plausible too- the master spies would be on the lookout for anything suspi-

"Nessa next?" Tony karate chopped thin air as he turned. Natasha was standing with the girl five feet away.

"Natasha, what brings you and the Loch Nessa Monster here at this hour?" he used his pet name for Inessa to sell the innocent act.

"We're thinking the same thing, do the scan." Tony inched backwards and pulled the sheet over Bucky's head, careful to keep him blocked from Inessa's eye line, if she could even see. "I'm getting nowhere with her, it isn't natural. I need to see how much her brain is even processing information."

Tony shrugged, relaxing, "I have specific tests in mind. You won't like them."

Natasha shook her head, "Doesn't matter. To help her we need to know if there's anyone left inside that body."

"Into the operating room then," Natasha held the door as he wheeled the PET scan inside. She instructed Inessa to follow and sit on the table. Tony had her lie down and began to fasten the straps around her arms, legs, and torso.

"Is all that really necessary? She won't move." Natasha protested as Tony added a thick collar and leather strap around her head, totally immobilizing her.

"Oh, I think she'll move a hell of a lot," Tony switched on the scanner over her and, after a few minutes, he turned out the light, "JARVIS, start scanning as soon as the screams begin."

Chapter 21: Your Brain on Shadow JuJu