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willyoulovemeinthemorning · 4 years

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The Prodigal Daughter Chapter 1

Summary: As the secret daughter of Jason Gideon, you’ve always had a certain proclivity towards profiling. After finishing the Academy, you finally have your chance in the BAU- only months after your dad’s passing. Will it all be too much? Will you find yourself sharing another proclivity with your father for a certain genius with big puppy dog eyes? A/N: Hello! This is my first fic in a very long time, but this story idea has been living in my head for upwards of 6 or 7 years! Please go easy on me, and I hope you enjoy! a big thanks to @candlesandsoftrain for being a great beta! Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader  Category: Fluff/getting to know you games with the team Content Warning: nothing in this chapter except lots of flirting, tension, sexually charged drinking games, etc. Later chapters will include NSFW Word Count: 4000+

Chapter 1

The years moved by much too fast for your liking. You were older than you were willing to admit, and the years had been hard. Time moved so oddly- it was so difficult and slow when it was happening, but when you looked back, it was as if it sped by like a freight train.

Today was your first day at your new job- you were 27 and you’d been waiting your whole life for this day to finally come. After hearing stories about your father all through your life; catching the monsters in the dark as well as those that hide in plain sight… you wanted to be a superhero too. And lucky for you, you had a certain proclivity towards reading people. So, you became a profiler. And after years of grueling school, training and fighting to earn your place with no one knowing the legacy in your blood line, you did it.

No, those weren’t tears in your eyes… it was just dusty in the bullpen, that was all. You could feel him everywhere. You knew this was where he lived and breathed and worked for so much of his life. Your mom never understood how you ended up being so understanding about never seeing him, while your brother spent so much of your lives incredibly bitter and angry at him for “abandoning” you both. You always told Stephen that dad spent every minute of every day trying to make the world a safer place for the two of you to grow up in. And now you could finally continue his life’s work.

You caught a few pairs of eyes looking at you when you entered the bullpen for the first time, walking through like you’d been there a million times before- because in your imagination, your dreams, you had. Dad was always so descriptive with his words, and it was never hard to get lost in his stories.

You walked right to the Unit Chief’s office, knowing that Agent Hotchner was already in there waiting for you. You were supposed to have your first meeting on Monday, but when the team didn’t get back in time from their last case- a strangler in Minnesota, he had called you and you rescheduled to accommodate those dang annoying serial killers. Now it was Wednesday, and you could feel the tired energy in the room. It was filled with the sounds of scribbling pens and pencils on paper, the groans and squeaks of chairs as everyone tried to stay comfortable while doing their paperwork. You spotted a few very attractive people around you, but tried to keep your eyes forward as you headed for your destination.

After knocking on the door, you heard a shuffling of papers as a low, gritty voice welcomed you, “Come on in.”

“Hello, Agent Hotchner. Nice to see you again.” You offered your hand, which he took with his baseball mitt sized one. It was rough and strong, and reminded you of your fathers when you were young. You could tell these hands had seen a lot of conflict.

“Y/N , you’ve grown up a lot since last I saw you.” He had a kind smile on his face, which surprised you, even after all this time. Aaron Hotchner was always such a serious man, even when you were younger. “And please, call me Aaron. You know that.”

You chuckled in response. “I know, but it feels weird to call you that now that you’re my boss.”

“Hotch will do then. Morgan will give you quite a hard time if he hears you calling me ‘Agent Hotchner’, I can promise you that. Sit, sit. Let’s get through all the necessary annoyances so I can properly introduce you to your new team.”

After all of the finalized paperwork and introductory nuisances, Hotch finally stood up, indicating it was time to enter the bullpen again, but with a promise of introductions to your new team. You felt a small pang in your heart. You wished your dad could have been here to do this instead of Aaron. He took notice of your second of discomfort- something you were sure to get used to quickly working with profilers.

“Y/N, he’s here… in you. I know how proud he would be of you.” He said to you with a hand falling to your shoulder.

With a smile, you accepted the comfort, turning to look at him again. “Would you mind… could we see Uncle Dave first? I think it would make me feel a little better to have him next to me for this.” That damn dust was at it again. You were fine, really. You’d been preparing for this emotion for months now- there was nothing to surprise you.

With a gentle smile, Aaron- no, Hotch, you remembered- nodded. “Of course. Follow me to his office.” It didn’t escape your notice that, as you followed him, you were on your way to your dad’s old office. Each step brought you to a place you’d heard about, thought about, dreamt about, but had never seen. But when you walked in behind Hotch, you knew this was nothing like your father would have kept it. It just screamed Rossi.

“Y/n! If it isn’t the smartest and brightest star from the Academy, falling right here into our laps at the BAU!” Dave cheered as he saw you, shooting up from his chair and almost running to you, pulling you into his arms while Hotch closed the door to offer you all some privacy.

“Uncle Dave, you can’t believe how amazing it is to have you here on my first day.” You said into his shoulder, holding him close. He was always such a big supporter of your career- there every step of the way whenever your dad couldn’t be. You always said that you were lucky- god blessed you with a loving, mildly helicopter mother, and two superhero dads so fight all the monsters for you.

“You’re gonna be great, kid. Unless your academy grades and reputation were all a lie to get you out of their hair!” He laughed, low and warm.

You giggled, pulling back from him and punching him lightly in the arm. “Rude.” You took a deep breath, and both men noticed that you were preparing yourself to say something important. “Aaron, Uncle Dave... I made it here on my own, with my mother’s maiden name and no one knowing who my father is. I am so proud to be the daughter of Jason Gideon, and I miss him every day… but I think I want to keep my birth last name a secret for now, if you’re both okay with that. They legally changed my name when I was a baby, and while I would be so proud to have his last name again, I’m- just not ready to hold up his legacy just yet.” You explained to them, hoping they understood. Your parents had decided very early on that they didn’t want you to have the last name Gideon. It was just- too dangerous. Your father had put away too many bad people, especially people that preyed upon little girls, to risk your life that way. So while you thought of yourself as Y/N Gideon in your mind, you’d never said it out loud before. Not once.

“Of course, kiddo. Whatever you want, we’ll follow your lead. Hopefully Garcia can’t find anything with your last name, but we’ll have Kevin keep an eye on her search history in case she finds anything. But if you’re worried about anyone finding out, I would tell her and promise her to secrecy though. Because if super tech genius finds out before you tell her… everyone will know.” He explained, and you laughed. You’d heard about Garcia. Your dad used to drive her crazy. You considered Rossi’s advice and nodded, understanding and deciding to think on it.

“Ready?” Hotch said after a moment, gesturing to the bullpen, where you could see several people grouped up at a desk, staring into Rossi’s office with curiosity and perhaps a little bit of uncertainty.

“As I’ll ever be.” Rossi squeezed your hand and you smiled at him, a big toothy smile shining back at you. With two men you knew you’d already trust your life with by your side, you walked out of the room knowing that these people who you already knew so much about would soon also hold your life in their hands. “Team, I’d like to introduce you to the new member of our team, Y/N L/N. She’s transferred in with top marks from the Academy, and she’s been highly recommended by all of her professors.”

You blushed at his compliments, rolling your eyes at him. “I didn’t have the highest marks in ALL of my classes. Shooting targets took me a while.” You smile, waving at the team awkwardly. “Hi everyone, it’s an honor to be here with you. I’ve heard so much about all of you. You’re all pretty famous around the bureau. I can’t wait to meet you all and get to know you as my team instead of people I’ve been idolizing for 10 years!”

Everyone laughed, and a tall, dark and handsome man walked forward with a giant grin on his face. “Hey, Y/N, I’m Derek Morgan. You are welcome to continue to idolize me as much as you’d like.” You could have snorted, he was so much like your dad described.

“Nice to meet you, Agent Morgan.” You said with a mildly flirty smile, holding your hand out to him happily. No worries for you, you were definitely going to like your job if you had him to look at all the time.

“That’s enough touching for now, little newbie,” a big beautiful blonde said from behind him. “That is my man-candy you’re ogling and groping, thank you very much.” There was no venom to her words, just something that you could only describe as adorable teasing. She was so colorful, it was almost as if there was a light shining around her. She was just a glowing ball of sunshine… You knew you’d be fast friends with her. “I’m Penelope Garcia, resident tech Goddess and most loyal beck and call gal.”

You took her hand and shook it, before doing a slight curtsy, earning you a giggle. “An honor to meet you, Tech Goddess Garcia.”

“Ignore her, they’re perfect for each other because of their over inflated egos.” You heard a blazé voice coming from the other side of Derek Morgan. “He’s eye candy for us all, much to her dismay. She’s never been one for sharing. I’m Emily, one of the few normal ones here.”

“Normal, pfft. She’s far from normal. You should hear her talk about her cat. Jenniffer Jareau, but my friends call me JJ.”

You took both of their hands in firm handshakes, grinning at them both. “Nice to meet you, and thank you for the permission to ogle, Agents. As far as normal, I sure hope not. Normal is vastly overrated.” You grinned at them. Damn they were cute. Was this whole team models who decided to become do-gooders and join the FBI?

“Halloweentown, 1998, said by Debbie Reynolds.” A small voice in the back of the group piped in, confident in words and speed, but somehow… demure and shrouded in uncertainty, too. The team parted so you two could see each other, and you swear your heart stopped beating for a few seconds. In front of you was the prettiest, most adorable, hottest guy you’d ever seen. He had a sexy professor thing going on, but simultaneously looked like he was an anxious teenager, terrified of being bullied by this newcomer.

You longed to hold him and protect this stranger from the rest of the world and heal any wounds he had succumbed to in the time before you. He was staring at you too, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, pupils a little bigger than you can only assume they would normally be. After a snicker broke you both from the weird moment, pretty boy smiled a little and gave an awkward wave. “Hi. Doctor Spencer Reid.”

Oh. God. Your heart stopped a second time, and you swore, this is what a stroke felt like. You’d heard about Spencer for the last ten years. Your father loved him almost as much as he loved you and your brother. Maybe even more sometimes. The BAU resident genius, IQ of 187, eidetic memory, born in Las Vegas and wasn’t allowed in most casinos due to his card counting ability. Ability to empathize and love in a beautiful and incredible way- your father adored him, and because of how he spoke of him, you… you’d always had a crush on this faceless idea in your head with his wild mop of hair and tall, lanky frame. You had a general picture from all these years, but nothing had prepared you for this.

“H-Hi. I’m Y/N. N-Nice to meet you.” You said, trying your hardest not to sound like a little school girl with a crush on her teacher. You’d just met the man, for god sakes. You heard another snicker, and this time you knew it was from Morgan just from the proximity of the sound and the testosterone you could feel from the gesture. You tried to ignore your flaming red cheeks, and held out a hand a second before remembering that he hated being touched by strangers. A big germaphobe, always calculating the risk of what contact could mean for him. But before you had a chance to pull away, he reached out and took your hand, giving it a squeeze. You must have looked as shocked as you felt, but no one else noticed because everyone was staring at Reid with the same expression you were wearing. And to be honest, he looked just as surprised, if not more so.

Garcia made a breathy squeak sound, and somehow, that broke the tension of the moment, and you and Reid pulled away at the same time, both looking like you’d just been shocked by electricity. You stretched your hand out, staring at it, feeling on edge all over again, thinking about how good his hand felt in yours, and how good it would probably feel other pla-

“Well, I hope you all will be on your best behaviors, and treat Y/N like you would want to be treated as a newcomer in a team like ours, seeing what we see.” Hotch finally broke the silence. “Y/N, if you have any problems, come find myself or Rossi and we’ll help sort them all out.” Nodding, you looked at him and smiled, suddenly very embarrassed that your boss and your uncle just witnessed all of that. As profilers, they were going to come to so many conclusions, and each was more embarrassing than the last.

“Pretty boy and pretty girl, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-” You heard Derek sing-songing and he walked away, looking like the cat who got the cream. He was interrupted only when Emily punched him quite hard in the arm, looking at you with a wink and a smirk as she headed back to her desk as well. You tried to avoid looking at the genius again, but it was… difficult to say the least. You wanted to memorize everything about him. You wanted to pick his brain and listen to every fact he’d ever memorized. You wanted to experience him in all the ways your father had gotten to and more.

You watched as the team dissipated and then your eyebrows furrowed. “Rossi?” You asked, stopping him in his tracks as he was headed back to his office. “Where’s my desk?” He looked over his shoulder at you and you could tell he was holding back a shit eating grin as he pointed with his thumb to the desk directly across from Reid.

Fuck. You both looked at each other… or well, you looked at him, and he looked away like he’d been caught doing something and sat down, looking at his paperwork blankly. As you headed to your new desk, you’d give anything to know what was happening inside that massive brain of his.

Staring at your empty desk, you imagined what you could put there. Pictures of your family, pictures of your friends and your cats… One day you would put up a picture of your father… one day. For now, you grabbed your briefcase from your side and opened it up. You started unpacking some of your first day necessities; pens and notebooks, little toys and bright objects to remind yourself that there is good in the world. Your pile of books out; you always kept at least ten books on you at all times. One for every kind of mood you could be in- and at least three that you hadn’t read yet and were planning on.

As you prepped your desk, you could feel those eyes on you, analyzing your every move. You wanted to look up and see if you could find what he was figuring out within those eyes, but you tried to keep busy so you wouldn’t embarrass yourself again.

“Another book nerd, I see.” You heard that deep, caramelly sweet voice behind you. Derek sat on your desk right next to you and smiled a toothy smile at you. “Pretty girl likes to read, huh?”

Smiling at him, you raised a brow. “Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” You were about to quote the originator, but someone else beat you to it.

“Malorie Blackman. British children’s literature writer and science fiction author.” Your head snapped to the person in front of you, who wasn’t looking at either of you.

Smiling at him, you nodded, and then turned to Morgan. “Yup, Malorie Blackman. Empathy is a huge part of the job, right? Reading allows us to experience a million different perspectives- which, as proflers, is necessary to catch the bad guys. I read so I can try to understand as many perspectives in this world as possible.”

Derek looked a little impressed, at least, and you couldn’t get a read on the gorgeous mop of brown hair on the desk across from you. Derek picked up one of the books still on your desk, not organized in your little library yet. “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings?” He comments, and you catch Spencer’s eyes flick up at the title, curious.

“It’s my favorite. Not only do I love birds, but I’m a very big Maya Angelou fan. I’ve… always kind of felt like a bird stuck in a cage. Flitting about, trying to figure out what to do with my life and who I am... No book has ever made me feel more seen or understood as a human being.” You caught those big, interested eyes and you almost felt like you might have shared too much. You’ve always been an open book, but somehow, the way he was looking at you made you feel more vulnerable than you had… ever.

Derek nodded and smiled, putting the book down on your desk. “Well, lady genius, I’m going to try and get everyone to get together tonight for drinks, would you be interested in getting to know us in a more fun environment, or would you rather just go to the library with Pretty Boy over here and nerd out together?” He teased, making both of you blush.

“I-I don’t know. I’ve spent all of the years of my adulthood studying and sleeping and working to get here, so I haven’t really… spent a lot of time at bars?” Admitting that wasn’t the best feeling, but better to be honest than try to make up a lame excuse.

“Do I hear we have a light weight to peer pressure?” Derek said, loudly enough to catch the attention of everyone else. JJ and Emily looked enthused, and Rossi poked his head out of his office to chime in.

“Someone’s convincing Miss nose in a book Y/N to go out for drinks tonight? I’m in and I’m buying!” That was met with an uproarious approval from everyone on the team, with the exception of Reid, who was just looking at you, seemingly waiting on you to decide.

You bit your lip, noticing how Reid’s eyes fell to your lips in reaction. Well… if you could spend more time with the prettiest boy you’ve ever seen looking at you like that more… “Well… I guess. Sure. Sure, okay, I’m in.” You finally agreed, everyone whooping and hollering in celebration at you giving in. “Doctor Reid? What about you?” You looked at him through your eyelashes, and you could swear you saw his eyes dilate more.

“Oh, pretty boy barely ever comes out drinking with us anymore. He’s always holing himself up in his apartment- books from floor to ceiling, books in the fridge, freezer, on the bed, in his drawers and closets…” Derek teased, reaching over to Spencer and ruffling his hair.

Reid looked at Morgan and shoved his hand away and tried to fix his hair, rolling his eyes. “I do not have books in my freezer. That would be a terrible spot to put them, it would completely ruin the delicate spines.” You smiled at him in support, and he sat up a little straighter. “I… I’m in. For tonight.” He looked right at you when he said it, and you couldn't help but feel a little flutter in your stomach at the idea that he was going just to get to know you.

Morgan seemed to be thinking the same thing, and the face he gave Reid as he stood up and sauntered away said more than he needed to outloud. Once Reid looked away from Morgan, your eyes met and you both smiled again. “You’re a fan of Maya Angelou?” He asked, nodding towards your book.

“I am. I was always drawn to books that had birds on the covers, but then I actually read it and realized how beautiful it is on the inside.” You held the book in your hands gently. It was a mutual love, one your shared with your dad.

“The number of bird species in a person’s surroundings correlates directly to happiness levels.” He said, smiling at you like you were the most interesting thing in the world. The attention should have made you uncomfortable, but it just made you feel warm… important.

“Really?” You searched his eyes, wondering how much information was in that brain, stacked away for use when necessary. “That’s so interesting. I thought most people found birds annoying because of all the noise.”

He shook his head. “On the surface, they think it’s annoying, but once one becomes used to the sounds all around them, they find the background noise comforting. Most people find absolute silence much more disconcerting.”

“Absolute silence, for sure. But comfortable silence between two people who find solace in each other… I think that’s my favorite background noise.” He looked at you as you spoke, a small bit of hope flickering in both of your faces. You’d felt… alone, since your fathers spirit left this world months ago. It had been so hard to be at school and unable to go to his services, terrified of people finding out who your father was and that information altering your career. You hadn’t even applied to the bureau until you had your recommendation letters in order- you didn’t want Aaron giving you any false starts just because he knew. You liked to visit his grave once a month and tell him all the things you wrote in your letters to him. You carried around his private notebook as a reminder of the people in the world he saved, the people you wanted to save. You clutched your briefcase close, knowing you couldn’t put it in your desk with Reid watching you so closely. You’d find time to slip it in later, when no one was looking. With that eidetic memory, you knew he’d recognize it immediately, and you didn’t want his curious gaze to ruin your secret just yet. You wanted the team to form their own opinions of you before they knew... because the moment they knew, everything would change.

Next chapter

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dilennium · 4 years

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Innocent lives taken nonstop, most times never seen or heard. People meant to protect citizens doing the murder, most times getting away with it. Fear of death on a daily basis because of the color on your skin. You are a human being... You MATTER Enough is enough. Superheroes may not exist in our world, but we can be our own heroes. At a time when we need them most, we are the ones that have to stand up for justice and human rights. We need to unite. We need to change. Even if you think you can't do anything, there is always something no matter how small. We've always needed change in America. Racism isn't anything new, only now we have cameras and social media. Time to be a real hero. Protest if you feel mentally and physically capable. Stay safe and don't take advantage of looting, especially if you're white. Support black artists and businesses. There is a lot of beautiful work out there unrecognized and waiting for you. Give them love. Listen to what's happening. Don't think this doesn't affect you if you're not black. Educate yourself because being silent lets oppression continue. If we could have stopped discrimination by now we would have, but never give up hope. The least I can do right now is provide resources on how to help: “DONATE Split a donation between 40 Community Bail Funds, including the LGBTQ Fund. secure.actblue.com/donate/bai... Help fund nonprofit journalism covering criminal justice. www.themarshallproject.org/do... Donate to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. www.naacpldf.org/ Since May 29, there have been over 125 press freedom violations reported by journalists during the demonstrations against the death of George Floyd. cpj.org/

SPEAK OUT Sign Amnesty International’s Letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. www.amnesty.org/en/get-involv... Make Calls with The Action Pac. Dial the number and it will walk you through the process and what to say. www.justiceforbigfloyd.com/ma...

LEARN Watch the documentary 13th which covers the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom. www.netflix.com/title/80091741 Dive deeper. Take the Open Yale Course “African American History: From Emancipation to the Present.” oyc.yale.edu/african-american... "

Information Provided By Unus Annus: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNB-CV…

#black lives matter #into the spider verse #miles morales #spiderman #spider gwen #spider noir #spider ham #peni parker #Marvel Comics #superheroes #protest #no justice no peace #BLM

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amandajoyce118 · 5 years

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Shazam Easter Eggs And Comic Book References

Now that Shazam has been in theaters for over a week, I thought I’d share the list of Easter eggs I found. A tiny bit of background for those non comic book fans: Shazam was originally named Captain Marvel back in the day, but that name didn’t work out for many, many reasons that’ll pop up in the list below. Shazam stands for Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury, the deities that the powers were supposed to provide nods to. The movie premiered on the 80th anniversary of the character debuting in comic books. In the movie, Billy Batson is gifted with the powers of Shazam in order to battle a great evil, but Billy’s more preoccupied with taking care of himself, avoiding his foster family, and finding his birth mother.

Now, there will be spoilers, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie, you’ve been warned.

Sivana’s Father

Recognize the actor playing the elder Sivana? That’s John Glover. As DC loves to do with its movies, they’ve given a small, but noteworthy, role to someone who has worked in other DC projects. In this case, Glover was Lionel Luthor on Smallville, a mad scientist in Batman and Robin, and provided voiceover work in animated series as the Riddler. (Also previously cast in DC projects? Adam Brody and DJ Cotrona. They appear as a adult versions of Freddy and Pedro, respectively. They were also both cast in Frank Miller’s Justice League: Mortal as Flash and Superman, again respectively. The movie never got off the ground. Likewise, Djimon Hounsou also appeared in Aquaman. He and Zachary Levi have also been in Marvel movies.)

The Caterpillar

We learn more about this caterpillar looking creature in the mid credit scene. He’s actually the classic Shazam villain Mr. Mind. Looks like he’s being set up as the villain for the sequel.

Annabelle

So you remember the doll from Annabelle getting a cameo in Aquaman? She also gets a cameo here. She’s on a shelf in the pawn shop when Billy traps the police. It’s a nod from director David S. Sandberg since he also directed Annabelle: Creation.

Billy Wants The Tiger

I think it’s cute that toddler Billy really wants that stuffed tiger. Why? Because the Shazam family actually has a tiger at one point in the comics. Or maybe it’s the Flashpoint version of the family, which is actually the Captain Thunder family in that universe. Either way, they have a tiger. It’s a nice way to show Billy letting go of his past later when he gives a stuffed tiger to the little girl hiding at the fair. There’s also a nod in the tiger on his backpack and the faces of tigers on the pins holding his cape in place (which I couldn’t see on film, but did in HD photos online).

The Smiley Face

There are a lot of smiley faces on the desk of Billy’s social worker. A coffee mug, stress ball, and a few other things have the yellow smiley faces on them. It’s a nod to the smiley face of the Watchmen comics.

The Crocodile

The same scene features a small toy crocodile, which might seem like an odd choice. That’s only if you don’t know that Shazam has a few villains in his Captain Marvel past with a crocodile theme. I’m not sure which one this is a nod to, but take I like Sobek AKA the Crocodile Man for the nod. Especially since the Crocodile Men get a nod later in the many magical doors.

Freddy, Mary, Darla, Pedro, and Eugene

These five feature in a lot of Shazam backstory. Freddy actually debuted in the original Captain Marvel comics as a disabled newsboy while Mary was Mary Batson, Billy’s long lost sister. Before Flashpoint and the New 52 relaunch of DC comics, there was a plan to launch a new Shazam AKA Captain Marvel title, rebranding the hero as Captain Thunder. The plan was to introduce Darla, Pedro, and Eugene then, but it never got off the ground. Instead, they were all introduced as Billy’s foster siblings in Flashpoint, officially becoming part of the DC Universe in the new 52. Together, all of the kids could unite to form Captain Thunder (with their tiger). In the original Captain Marvel series, Freddy was actually Kid Marvel and Mary was Mary Marvel when Billy shared his power with them. Different from the movie, they each didn’t have full power, but instead, a portion of the same finite amount of power, making each new addition progressively weaker than the one before.

DC Memorabilia

Making it clear that the DC superheroes have become household names, Freddy owns a lot of memorabilia. Not only does he have action figures of long time big names Batman and Superman, but he also has newspaper clippings of all the main events, even some from the Daily Planet. He also sports logo tee shirts for Wonder Woman and Aquaman, meaning they’re better known than they were before.

The Rock Of Eternity

The Rock of Eternity is the name of the place where Billy receive’s Shazam’s power. In that “lair” though, there are a few relics from the comics that come people might miss. There is, of course, Mr. Mind’s jar and the statues of the Sins. Beyond that though, there is also the magic mirror (named Francesca in the comics) and a scepter called the Ibistick (it belonged to the Egyptian prince Ibis the Invincible).

Black Adam

A lot of fans thought Black Adam would appear in some cameo form in the movie. He might be the most famous of Shazam villains, and there were talks of Dwayne Johnson taking on the role. The villain doesn’t appear in the movie, but his story does. He’s the subject of the story the wizard tells Billy. He’s the hero that decided he wanted all of the power of the council for himself.

Fawcett Central School

The school is named for Fawcett Comics. Fawcett Comics was the original publisher of Captain Marvel stories, the name given to the Billy Batson superhero. National Comics (AKA DC Comics) eventually sued Fawcett because they thought Captain Marvel was too similar to Superman. Fawcett Comics quit publishing his stories and eventually went under, the copyright for the character transferring to DC. DC started publishing Captain Marvel stories until Marvel Comics decided that a name like Captain Marvel fit more with their brand. These days, Carol Danvers is Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics) and Billy Batson is Shazam (DC Comics) instead of the way things started.

Moran

The security officer at the school’s name is inspired by another version of Captain Marvel. A British publisher rewrote the American Captain Marvel stories as Marvelman AKA Miracleman after the Captain Marvel lawsuits. The hero’s name was Michael Moran.

Ace Chemicals

Batman fans know this name because it’s the company that gave birth to the Joker. We got a glimpse of one of their factories during a Suicide Squad flashback sequence as the Joker took Harley Quinn to prove her love for him. That same location, and therefore the same factory, was used in Shazam. It’s the location where Freddy and Billy try to figure out his powers. You can even see a bit of the faded company logo on tanks in one shot.

Captain Sparkle Fingers

One of the many names Billy gets over the course of the film, this one is unique. Why? Because it’s a shout out to the Carol Danvers version of Captain Marvel. She actually gets called Princess Sparkle Fists a few times. When Freddy uploads videos of Billy’s powers online, he also calls him Zap-tain America in one as a nod to Captain America and Red Cyclone as a nod to a DC Comics character.

C.C. Batson

Billy’s father’s name is a nod to C.C. Beck, who helped create the original comics. Likewise, Billy’s mother is from Minnesota, which is where Beck was born.

The Floor Piano

During the climactic fight scene, Billy and Sivana go across a piano matt on the floor of a toy store, or the toy section of a department store. It’s a brief few steps, but it’s a nice, quick homage to the Tom Hank movie Big where a little boy becomes an adult overnight, not unlike how Billy’s super powers work.

Seven

If you pay attention, the number seven is all over this movie. There are, of course, Seven Deadly Sins, Billy’s mother is on the seventh floor of her building in room 707, and Freddy wants seven bedrooms for their family in a new lair. Seven is long thought to be a magical number (see the Harry Potter books for examples of the way it’s used), so it’s fitting that it gets used a lot for a superhero who gets his powers from a sorcerer. It’s also the number of realms the family explores in the modern comics.

A Little Foreshadowing

When Thaddeus first enters the Rock of Eternity and peers at the orb, the light of the orb reflects on the lens of the same eye where it will eventually embed.

Billy’s new foster siblings have their favorite colors. The jackets they wear in various scenes throughout the movie correspond to the colors of their super suits.

That’s all I’ve got, guys. But this isn’t a time I’ve watched the movie more than once, so I’ve likely missed some things. Let me know if you’ve spotted something I missed.

#shazam #shazam easter eggs #shazam spoilers #dceu #dc easter eggs

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careyourself · 4 years

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I Kinda Don't Care Humor T Shirt

But this is new business and you don’t know what you agree to when you what you’re actually giving is where you’re agreeing with you that none of these kids are reading and that you realize and occasionally you sign a I Kinda Don't Care Humor T Shirt contract and you didn’t read it you hold up in court that you didn’t know what I’m saying is that these are predatory practices and we have to educate people on how bad it actually is because people are just you say okay click my friend does it all do it I don’t care if you are so are I still yeah okay him the episode Blake a few years ago that the human centipede so were stopped about whether you agreed to it you interested a few servers are read to the brine joke is that they keep taking these signing contracts without reading them and ask them to all kinds of firstborn child kind of stuff a dream to become part of the human centipede so when I have the next world war based around tick tock right all yeah but I also think maybe PlayStation and Xbox might do a World War II. So Wiseman is point Scalia is word of her death sent shockwaves around the handle that well resident was speaking at a campaign rally in Minnesota touting the importance of judicial nominations is quicker on his feet and Biden that’s one thing I’ll give him he’s quicker on his feet wet with software and Biden’s are of Ginsberg’s passing even as a supporter shouted the new the next president will get 1 to 3 or four Supreme Court justices I do want to bring up that when school Leah died it was right before Obama was about to leave office right before the election the trunk got elected in and they were Republicans were like a Obama leave that appointment up to the next parade it was over six months before right and this is left to us before and Mitch McConnell was in charge and to use 237 or something to 47 was a well over 200 days prior to Obama leaving and Mitch McConnell wouldn’t even hold a hearing for Obama and now Mitch McConnell’s like when you try to cram someone that were less than halfway last night. And is hereand I clothingand present also present very well before the emails that she is on practicaland wonderful people you entertain United Nations I do indeed yes I have trained back to my previous statement I do recall it comes to continental title to send you a call the conversation again I do yes verified other can read it back to me please now actually give them okay Tuesday January the rarest rock she had a different perspective than the restand I think that we found a sadand thinking that we perhaps would wanted to see me for anywhere so we all get a grant which was like aand wonder what we know I cannot purpose for lying aboutand it is strange that that’s less than like it is a little once again nominated that putting Ferdinandand boss lady in their ruling of the bus a particular with the bus baby is a genius exploration of the evils of late capitalism as told through a baby in a coma Verizon how monies dreaming all that it’s a really trippy psychedelic blades like Smith has been seen since what you areas are the outand writing right here at work her job to rewatch minivan forced us to watchand and in light of that they clearly do you look at meand a lot of people think even stronger one human being so which is really funny great foundand had Legoand Batmanand that’s literally the reason lightingand the word Lego man then there like now it’s dumb that he did not shameand are literally just look at the time because those are two of the better animated movies exiting the government was but they are my favorite Batman movies really think I 2012and the screeners for dark night right I was shocked because I looked backand forth read the entire synopsis they managed to write up a whole synopsis without once mentioning the word nowhere to be found on the beach I think I’lland the cover was Bruce Wayne climbing like the wall is no those of a no it’s just Christian mailand in the rain heard like down from like the bar idea that it was just like the colostomy bag Academy voter anymore the impression that there really is then again looking at Wolverine on the Lorraine in combating now should wonder woman need help from for me personally I the superhero film how you compare superhero film to the drama what account if you can’t be beautiful to selectionand even

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THIS WEEK WAS DEATHLY KAMALI HARRIS CLOSELY TAKING THE I Kinda Don't Care Humor T Shirt POSITION OF VP FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THEN THE FIRST ARTICLE IS WIKILEAKS POST UTTERED IN 37 DOCUMENTS ON KAMALI HARRIS HOURS AFTER SHE WAS NAMED JOE BIDEN’S RUNNING MATE THEN WE HAVE THIS IS REALLY BIG DOWN THE LEGAL. Tupac is amazing is very good I just didn’t like the Snoop Dogg character I thought that was sad I didn’t look or feel like Snoop Dogg certain things get the feeling off but I it was I a good movie it’s good to check it out I think it’s impossible to contact his whole life two hours so that poor young saluteand Gigi Mayo did a good job may not did a good joband off course Grady did a good job rabies my guy as he did a great job he played a perfectly but yeah man I go’s latest hours yeah I was a great topic know how would now like you might not like it tell you right back has they would wanted to go to he would probably wanted to go deeper into his life but I think I think you should go see the movie event because I cannot get support things like this in the culture anyways okay so in the end this is good I’m not telling you anything bad it wasn’t a bad movie is a good movie I would tell you it was trash out was actually I was satisfied when I leftand you know you don’t see that movie at this as I was satisfied I got paid my money saw that movie actually bought three tickets are a why why didn’t know what I wanted to go side by three different ticket so I ended up spending 21 see the movie way it’s good I got to go see it that way in Michigan in early dealing I went at 10 AM yet definitely also lucky organized you can be happy sought that because it’s two hours of gray filmmaking okay there might be a few characters that didn’t play detect the characters we know in real life like Snoop Dogg that’s okay your stoveand enjoy the movie hundred percent pay they show every a showing of illness too much they just don’t going total depth of the do you go in the just theater now I didn’t I went to ANSI I know Johnson had here in Atlanta check that out there’s also a Cindy bistro but I went to ANSI the reclining seats not taking part wouldn’t go see JGI now I mean you know I think there needs to be another Tupac I think there needs to be a longer Tupac moving his his life he can’t I still can’t believe he was only 25and did all the things he didn’t like this guy like let’s bring up the staff to say it I how many movies is Tupacand I think he was in seven movies he was an 11 movies 11 movies how many how did the any reported 12345677 now moansand then 7 pounds while he was aliveand then after his death wine 234 5678 910 like her 11 hours after his death I think even more than maybe 12 that’s crazy because think about it most people can’t do that their whole life he didn’t like years that’s crazy as first argument 119 91 Tupac Now that’s crazy man so he he was really like active active like six years that’s it six years man that’s crazy man in a day show everything him even wanting to kinda get off death row that the way he died way that a problem with some crib members right before he died think they can show everything generally leads to much outmanned so as for everyone to play now appreciate you broke appreciationand salute Yogi Banks was good to Tupac was pretty amazing brought me to do all that in such a short amount of time that’s crazy we that’s think about that Mandy that no one is ever to be like pot hate it when people compare themselves to talk like even Wyattand Lucci dropped something today saying something pot did know you near Pac Man you can’t be out for two yearsand compare yourself to talk I’m sorry man I’m sorry if you a betting thugand attend movies if you been an 11 moviesand you haven’t done seven now moans within five years get I hearand also had deftly watch the movie the least two hours two hoursand 20 minutes is pretty long but doesn’t feel that long cuts like you going through that timeline talks deftly the greatest just product the jaded JPEGand said her character was a bunch of lies they put in what the movie guys okay there was they had to establish that jaded taking Tupac had a special relationship that was deeper than just being friends it was a soul sold their souls matched rightand I was the only way they can kinda show that in a short amount of time so they had to show interaction with him in jail that was really deep in the content they had to embellish a little bit go totally crazy with itand show jaded Tupac in effect seen Ernie think that she even said their relationship was deeper than sex they never had sex it was deeper than sex because they it was a mental bondand you know she said you only get one of those friendships your whole life nowand I you know that they did for the movie I don’t think a hand biotics aren’t always exactly on a percent okay but you know annulment JT never was going to leave death row JT yes he was actually Wendy day who was friends with talk he was leaving death row he just couldn’t get off because they worry that he would have to get lawyers everything to he was in the process of doing honestly the last three months he was trying to get his paperwork right to get off the death row but you don’t just tell himand walk away like Dr Dre did it savage life but he had moneyand he started a labeland Dr Dre produced his own shared everything so he didn’t need anybody Tupac had to doand difficult awake is the way he he was on pal from death row it they were buying a house everything he was too tightand it was it would take him a few months to on ravel from death row on my arm to come out soon is joking to Jordan for retro shop tomorrow okay cool I think the movie was asked it was just it was good Okay I’m not I’ll think so afraid of the movie was okay it wasn’t trash it was good I think it was good I thinkand encourage everybody to go see it it wasn’t the best bioticand fiber seen think the strata Compton was fucking go feeling to it is that it was missing that feeling but still get why is your character she played a big role in cycles of yet they missed out a few people but in the mist at the scene where he spent on the infamous stingray spent on the the I reportersand 40 guy I heard about 40 got was pop today are I hope he pulls through nine John Singleton has a real spooky shit going onand I I think it would be good if he he was turning it too deep with it was it better than the movie the movie was more cinematic than this was I can’t say it was better though they were about equal now peace mode staffand how they betray the relationship between pocketand his mother that was dealt those were the two strongest characters meand I’m right just talk about the movieand I will talk about tomorrow to if you guys but I it ways that those were the two strongest characters man they showed how strong the bond was between his mother how his mother was there form after she got cleanand he had some successand got her cleanand everythingand she was more clearheadedand help was there for Pokand warned him about certain things going on in that your target on his back as he was a black leader evaluate it was definitely was it’s definitely were seeing Jason was definitely worsening is get Richard tried die trying a better movie better yes it is because think about it. You know interaction ever had because you couldn’t speak at all thank you everybody else took offense to everyone who came as something they would take a look at say anything back so they would just say everything is going to say my face would just tell also’s argument was that your Film I get out there that think they are right baseball garden I did bring you it is betterand has been so interested is a friend of my body get out there the antibody is in a hospital make their case advantage of them in any way you possibly can move on to our first story here todayand is according to the high reporter scares me that actually deadline high reporter broke a story about a lot of yesterday deadline is not about the new villainand wonder woman to is none other than Sheena played by Kristen Wade apparently paycheckand has had her eye on wake for a while now to play this roleand it looks to be confirmed so that she is going to be going up against wonder woman in the sequel to this massive wonder woman they came out last year the new movie comes on November 1 2000 19th J Washington in any way on the panel knows a little something about Sheena is get a VU what does this mean for wonder woman to you no more you know what for first was one of one woman’s biggest adversaries which is cool use granted they didn’t do in the first movie you burned her out from World War Iand had going forward for two Christian week is interesting casting choice as we been seeing a lot lately with comedic actorsand actresses black I said this on twitter if we can get great Elizabeth Banks is repulsing granted the movie the powerand the heart of the story the cake they did on Rita was nice the way she looked at the different look the vision of a Christian week plan is now will she be as serious or comedic is the question you know now also the story of cheetah is a British archaeologist who goes in Africa they had an opportunity to make this potentially a black British woman there’s a lot of things you do great don’t have to change the cultureand the nationality of the character but you done about bunch of things Christian week is a good choice I believe black will have to see you know when you quit yesterday about the rhetoric also compares it was an interesting one at a very early going on to policy your readerand are in the phase where you will reader processing the I actually like our industry in a limitedand I know the old school reader pulseand everybody was hoping to see in Greenwich have to change things sometimes so using the way they get Elizabeth with this one the Krispy Kreme things a little too much I limit like the look is what I was talking about we can expect her to look as bad as she didand who is a Christian we can look like an incredibly soft terrifyingand look like everything that nightmares are because I know that person that scale afterand I had decided not to go sleep that night like this character sheet in general it is likely because of the complaint getting a lot of Power Rangersand about Elizabeth is reader repulsive she was doing her job if your job was to be in the 90s show Power Rangers seem to fit in with the time when the new movie was trying to do so how’s the character like cheetah who from the fanart for whatever is you are looking to come up with seems a little more outlandish than what we got in wonder woman the first movie I was I get a job with the town because this is the first outlandish character to get that’s a human who transformsand something else with justice league you halfstep more that’s in our worldly creature is in itself with complementingand get everything that’s naturally in Atlanta so we understand that this is gonna be something new to see the DCU you know that to be the interest of our behind again we dealt with psychological sale a question when dating Ghostbustersand other films but this has to be something different will have a comedic element potentially Casio serious will see Harry immediately relocatedand seeing like comedians turn into the deep illness rolesand I rooted for everyone in the marketing point of vampire only those crazy if I were to do a rather like the movie didn’t work as well rises to be in one hour photo resigning like this could work out I think it did think Connex can test it to a darker side of their personality getting Kristen Wade is going to be able to do you I have made during especially the just need your initial impression is lie regarding the morning moreand more I read the other where twins are rolling over she’s going to be a good work can know that she is a good idea if Peterson is really talking on the show where it’s like you feel about one wayand in the next week you feel the same exact way did you get this newsand then have an initial reactionand has that changed all sense you heard about this yesterday plates at the words were not including the reference got into because I first heard the confidenceand Christian way to be able to take her time fender from the community of economic theory generally by tradition works much better than tomato doctors trying to go however my question really affect the talent of what wonder woman he was going to be because if they are bringing Christian right are they planning to make it more the sort of lighthearted comedic type of film compared to the first one where there very negligible humor so much of the few moments of levity but it’s not going the route of life like they do in the NICU movie maxed out when they are trying to may be asking rather than actually having Kristen be super hard core cannot write most of the last few got from wonder woman were were very genuine think the reason for that is because she was allegedly try to find her way in the man’s world so to speak because she went out of her boss Dennis Garethand her interactions the chemistry Chris finds where we got most of the yacht if you will get a movie like Ghostbusters obviously that’s more spoof the then I think you get to see if you wanted so here’s the big question you are left to get over to the panel as a fan person wayand that they can be won over to her performance the one I wanted is under just a little bit of pressure yet again because the first time a woman came outand had to rescue us from this dark gray toneand it succeededand then you have justice leagueand now very divisive movie again so whatever man does with my CAN have a more serious darker tone seems once again is directing it what do we need wonder woman to have in order to make Kristen Wade fit into this balance because as we saw with justice league trying to shift the entire town of DC name from Zach Siders darker version to Joss Wheaton’s line or humorous version the China ship Nike seven Apple man James one says dark black James wants a what you expect I think it’s the balance you’re gonna have a humorist element with one woman like you said in the first you have those humorous moments when you tap into that a little more Diana plays around that we seem that she jokes moreand now she’s more accurate to the world again if this present day is his will to but it doesn’t matter I think I will have a lot more humorand Patty Jenkins also ceased exercising more than anything else so that’s what I would single phase it is Kathy Parsley I can send out the rest of the DCU yelled at everyone with your director changes with your your hiringsand firings of executives with your cash comingand going like the movie I want to make I guess Kristen Wade is a cheetah going to do it I can do I want right now how skinny my confidenceand she sort of envisioned Christian right brain itselfand the one she essentially is writing the role for Christianand the only present quite depressing right was Christianand I think that will be sort of tailored to Christian relaxing make this work a lot more holisticallyand cohesively been made in micro barring a comedic actress integral where really wasn’t for you See Other related 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khalilhumam · 4 years

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The Best of 2020: What We Read While the World Burned Around Us (Research Edition)

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The Best of 2020: What We Read While the World Burned Around Us (Research Edition)

Even Dr. Pangloss would struggle to put a positive spin on 2020, a historic dumpster fire of a year in which a global pandemic, the deaths of a whole string of superheroes (Chadwick Boseman, Diana Rigg, Diego Maradona, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg start the list), and [*deep breath*] Beirut ammonium nitrate explosions, the costliest cyclone ever (Amphan), the Tehran plane crash, and California and Australia burning down. Kobe’s gone too. And Gerard Houillier. It’s been tough, and that’s without the ever-constant “I think you’re on mute” Zoom meetings. But Candide’s alternative to Pangloss’s mindless optimism (after an even worse turn of events, if you can imagine that) serves as an inspiration: we must cultivate our garden. In that spirit, we’ve picked our favourite papers and articles about development of the year, picking pieces that help us understand the problems we’re working on better and how best to fix them.

Not the same storm, nor the same boats.

It’s inevitable that our first picks relate to COVID-19. Sifting through the avalanche of research in response to the coronavirus pandemic drove better minds than ours to distraction. Avinash Dixit estimated that the famous R rate for the pace of reproduction of COVID-19 research was as high as 34, though we had one advantage in fighting this pandemic of overconfident prognostication: there were no asymptomatic carriers of armchair epidemiology. Looking back at this wave of content, a few pieces stand out. Our colleague Justin Sandefur and his co-authors—in CGD’s most-read paper of the year—took on the task of estimating the infection-fatality rate from Covid across countries and came to the conclusion that sub-Saharan Africa faced substantially lower death rates from the disease—and the data (tentatively) suggest it may have been even lower than anyone predicted. Our current lived experience of coronavirus ranges from total normality in Taiwan to everyday dysfunction in the US and tears over tiers in the UK, but in February many thought every country in the world would and should lock down completely to suppress the virus. Another of our favourite pieces of the year - Mushfiq Mobarak and Zachary Barnett-Howell writing in Foreign Policy made the case that the policy response in poor countries needed to be completely different to that in rich countries - the costs of lockdown were much greater, and the benefits fewer. Policy making during COVID-19 was incredibly hard—but pieces like this helped, as did this early note from Stefan Dercon suggesting where effort could be directed without regret, despite the uncertainty governments faced.

The sudden death of the Doing Business Index

We don’t gloat at CGD (that’s one of our few institutional positions). Yet news that the Doing Business Index was being suspended after allegations of data manipulation presumably raised a few eyebrows in this parish. The Index has long been a punching bag for researchers keen to understand how laws, implementation, and economic activity interact—partly because its construction varies over time, and partly because it doesn’t seem to shed much light on how business is actually done. Though few tears were shed outside the Bank over its demise, the Index will likely be resurrected. Whether it will ever recover credibility is much less likely, especially after what appears to an incredibly damning internal review, apparently confirming that data were manipulated under management pressures—requiring critically urgent reform. Part of the process of getting better is abandoning what doesn’t work. Expect this one to keep running.

Rebranding the bureaucrat

Dan Honig has been waging a battle on twitter to rebrand the bureaucrat, suggesting that . bureaucratic culture can drive better performance, and that it can be ‘created’ with relatively simple interventions. Two great new papers showcase this: in Ghana, Azulai et. al. implement a large scale training intervention aimed at cultural change in the civil service and find it improved division-level performance where the trainees were placed. And Muhammad Yasir Khan’s study in Pakistan shows that emphasising the mission-driven aspect of health work improves not only performance of health workers (and does so on more dimensions of their work than a simple incentive), it also improves downstream health outcomes in the community. These are some of the most optimistic and hopeful findings of the year—all praise the bureaucrats. If large-scale change is going to happen, it will generally not be down to the efforts of a small but brilliant NGO, but because the full machinery of government bureaucracy is capable of action and can improve its performance.

A history of economics in 20 and ½ pages (and the future in 3)

One of the best long reads of the year was the three-way discussion between Amartya Sen, Angus Deaton and Tim Besley in the Annual Review of Economics, dominated by Amartya’s stories of his life as an economist and the people he interacted with. His story is almost a history of economic thought—arguing with Joan Robinson, talking about the environment with Arthur Pigou, being encouraged to folly by Nicholas Kaldor and reminding us of near-forgotten names like Piero Sraffa and Maurice Dobbs. This choice sticks out a little here because it doesn’t highlight a single finding or approach, but rather reminds us of much of the good the discipline has already produced—something economists, a species with a shorter memory than most, tend to forget. In a similar vein was this superb profile by John McDermott of Leonard Wantchekon: not about a specific paper or finding, but something that should give us hope about the capacity of economics to make the world better. Leonard has had an extraordinary life—from political prisoner to political economist - and his work to create an African School of Economics can only be a good thing for the generation of home-grown solutions and ideas, and for asking the right questions.

The world is still divided, but perhaps we’re redeemable

Back in May the world was rocked by the brutal killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by police in Minnesota. A wave of protests over the way police treat Black people spread from Minneapolis to Manchester to Monrovia, highlighting racism and inequality in society. Floyd’s death was one of many hundreds of police-involved killings that happen each year in the United States alone, and this paper by Desmond Ang shows how proximity to police violence has devastating and long-term effects for teenagers. He found persistent decreases in GPA, increased incidence of emotional disturbance and lower rates of high school completion and college enrollment, with the effects driven entirely by black and Hispanic students in response to police killings of other minorities. Ang notes that police killings are hyper-local and nearly 80 percent went unmentioned in local newspapers. But it’s not just the media that’s uninterested in violence against Black people. The story of economist Lisa Cook’s struggle to publish her paper on how violence against African-Americans depressed entrepreneurship among that community reveals deep troubles within the economics profession that we have barely started to address. But, perhaps we should not give up on humans yet. We also read some papers this year that provide more encouraging signs about people’s ability to become more tolerant. Salma Mousa, following her superb paper in 2019 on the effect of Mo Salah on Islamophobia in Liverpool, assigned Iraqi Christians to play football either on teams with other Iraqi Christians, or on mixed teams with Muslim players. Their behaviour changed, but only in the context of the football league - players on mixed teams were more likely to nominate Muslim peers for awards, for example. These behavioural changes didn’t extend to other settings, however. But in every cricket fan’s favourite paper, Matt Lowe finds that contact can reduce prejudice beyond the sports field. He assigned men from various castes in Uttar Pradesh, India, to cricket teams and measured whether contact reduced caste divisions. It did - cross caste friendships increased by 45 percent, driven almost entirely by collaborative contact (same team) rather than adversarial (opposing team) contact. In a world where divisions sometimes seem as deep as ever, these papers offer a ray of hope. Perhaps more effort to integrate schools, workplaces, and communities could reduce discrimination in society. And, just like the rollout of vaccinations ends 2020 on a hopeful note, we will stop there. Thanks to Aisha Ali, Lee Crawfurd, and Dan Honig for contributions.

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jeryhorn · 6 years

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I had a great time last night at the Infinity War premiere with the Minnesota Superheroes United. #superheroes #superhero #arsenal #loki #batman #spiderman #marvel #dc #comics #avengers #infinitywar #cosplay #costume #costumer #costuming #photography #photoshoot #photoshop #identitycrisiscostuming

#spiderman #costume #loki #marvel #infinitywar #photoshop #costuming #photography #arsenal #photoshoot #identitycrisiscostuming #dc #superheroes #superhero #cosplay #batman #avengers #comics #costumer

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amateurhourcosplay · 6 years

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Ladies of the DC universe at the Aquaman premiere last night!

Harley Quinn: Nicole Petry Mera: Ashley Hay Supergirl: Sara Rae Catwoman: Me

#aquaman #mera #harley quinn #catwoman #supergirl #dc comics #dc universe #batman #superman #costume #cosplay #minnesota superheroes united #twin cities #minnesota #minneapolis #st. paul

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sknews7 · 4 years

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Jules Porter paves the way – Twin Cities

Jules Porter’s grandparents have been two of her greatest influences. Her grandfather all the time advised her, “Something man can conceive, you may obtain.”

Possibly she hasn’t executed all the pieces man can conceive, however she’s getting there.

Jules Porter

After incomes levels in aeronautics and theology, she joined the Marine Corps. She grew to become a sergeant in two years, an accomplishment that often takes 4 to 5 years. She earned her J.D./MBA from the College of St. Thomas earlier than beginning her personal online game creating studio.

Earlier than incomes her superior levels, Porter watched a TED Talks lecture by Dr. Artika Tyner, who’s now a medical professor and director on the Middle on Race, Management and Social Justice on the College of St. Thomas College of Legislation. Tyner mentioned the legislation is the language of energy. That caught with Porter, so she went to St. Thomas to study that language.That wasn’t her solely purpose. Since she was a child, her grandmother needed her to change into a lawyer. The deaths of Trayvon Martin, who was killed in Sanford, Florida, in 2012, and her grandmother inside a 12 months pushed her to take that step. Porter felt she wasn’t doing sufficient for her group the place individuals have been dropping members of the family and never getting justice.

“My brother was a Yale graduate who favored to put on hoodies, however individuals aren’t going to ask him, ‘Hey, sir, are you a Yale graduate? Are you Republican or Democrat?’ earlier than they act on their racist inclinations or earlier than a police officer assumes one thing and kills him,” she mentioned.

Rising up, Porter was additionally all the time curious about coding. She first realized HTML to customise her MySpace and Black Planet profile. Later within the Marine Corps, she began to study C++ to partition off part of her private laptop and achieve a small quantity of privateness.

“Each a part of what I realized was as a result of I used to be simply curious. I needed to do one thing higher,” she mentioned. “I needed to learn to do it myself, and I don’t need to pay anyone to do it.”

Porter quickly realized her coding abilities could possibly be became one thing greater.

That’s when she determined to create Seraph 7 Studio, the primary console online game growth firm on the planet owned by a Black lady.

When she was youthful, Porter didn’t have many Black feminine superheroes to look as much as. As a substitute, she needed to look to real-life heroes like Maya Angelou, Alice Walker and Bessie Coleman.

The purpose of Porter’s firm is to create constructive photographs so ladies and children of coloration can see themselves as heroes of their video games. Along with her playable demo popping out on the finish of the month, Porter hopes to supply a gameplay expertise the place everybody can see a personality who seems to be like them.

“What I’m hoping is that my online game firm might be highly effective,” Porter mentioned. “I feel media is a strong drive with the intention to develop that message and construct empathy.”

In an trade dominated by white males, solely 3% of online game builders are Black. And only one% of programmers and coders are Black. On prime of that, roughly 25% of individuals within the trade are ladies.

In Minnesota, she needs to coach and supply alternatives for individuals of coloration and Indigenous people who find themselves curious about working within the online game trade. By educating one technology, it creates a cycle by which every technology has a longtime online game group with mentors to study from, based on Porter.

“An entry-level online game programmer makes wherever between $72,000 and $80,000 a 12 months,” Porter mentioned. “So, by educating youngsters the abilities to make video video games, and among the a number of disciplines that go into that, units them up for an entry-level job that dramatically adjustments their financial outlook and their capability to have interaction within the international financial system.”

ThreeSixty Journalism

ThreeSixty Journalism is main the best way in creating multicultural storytellers within the media arts trade. This system is a loudspeaker for underheard voices, the place extremely motivated highschool college students uncover the facility of voice and develop their very own inside ThreeSixty’s immersive faculty success programming. Launched in 1971 as an City Journalism Workshop chapter, since 2001 this system has been a part of the School of Arts and Sciences on the College of St. Thomas. To study extra about ThreeSixty Journalism, go to threesixty.stthomas.edu.

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sciencespies · 4 years

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The Bottom Line About Bidets

https://sciencespies.com/nature/the-bottom-line-about-bidets/

The Bottom Line About Bidets

When I was a kid, I didn’t get in trouble for much. But one old habit of mine used to drive my dad up the wall: I really, really overdid it with the toilet paper.

It didn’t matter how thick or plush the product was. A few measly squares of dry, processed tree pulp were simply never enough to make me feel clean. So I tried to compensate for quality with quantity, wiping my bum with wad after wad of TP—something my strict father considered abominably wasteful.

To be fair, my dad grew up in rural Taiwan in the 1940s, when most defecation was done in pits, not toilets, and one’s cleanliness depended heavily on the selection of leaves and sticks within arm’s reach. Even after he immigrated to the United States in his 20s, the rural frugality stuck. Toilet paper was, and still is, a luxury—a fact that’s been heavily underscored by recent spates of panicked TP hoarding, spurred by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

I couldn’t have known it at the time, but a single device might have been enough to solve both my father’s and my washroom woes—the same one that’s now flying off digital shelves nationwide: the bidet. These squirty little doodads, which cleanse the nether regions with a gentle jet of water, are touted by many as sanitizing superheroes, with powers vastly superior to those of toilet paper. In Japan, home of a popular electronic toilet called the Toto Washlet, bidets appear in about 80 percent of households; since 1975, Italian law has mandated their presence in every home. Historically slow to take in American markets, the devices may now be gaining some ground: Sales of bidet attachments like Tushy have soared since the start of the pandemic. Thanks to the new coronavirus, 2020 might just be the United States’ Year of the Bidet.

But pleasing as the devices may be to some, they’re not for everyone—and a lot of what ends up touching any given tush comes down to personal preference. What’s more, scientific studies on bidets are somewhat scarce; even clinicians who recommend their use do so mostly on the basis of anecdotal data. “This isn’t evidence-based medicine, that’s for sure,” says Madhulika Varma, chief of colorectal surgery at the University of California, San Francisco.

A brief history of the bidet

Though today’s bidets are often billed as tech-savvy trappings, the earliest iterations of the devices actually predate the appearance of modern, rolled-up toilet paper (an idea patented by Seth Wheeler of Albany, New York, in 1891), with roots in 17th-century or early 18th-century France.

Accordingly, the first bidet was agonizingly simple—little more than a souped up, sprayless wash basin over which one squatted as if straddling a horse (hence the name bidet, an homage to a small, stocky breed of horse), to rinse off their dirtied derrières. After gaining traction among the rich, the indulgent accessory trickled down to the working class, surviving several redesigns and the switch to indoor plumbing, which morphed them into miniature sinks. By World War II, bidets had spilled across international borders, finding their way into homes across swaths of Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South America, where they sat alongside toilets like faucet-fillable sidecars. As models advanced further, some acquired nozzles that could apply a light spritz of water to the nether regions.

La Toilette intime ou la Rose effeuillée by Louis-Léopold Boilly, showing an 18th century bidet in use

(Wikimedia Commons)

Through it all, the United States remained a staunchly unwetted island of desert-dry bums. Part of the issue was space. Standalone bidets were seen as an unwieldy and unwelcome addition to already-cramped American bathrooms. Eventually, technological advancements allowed bidets to hybridize with toilets, in some cases collapsing the two into a single “smart” commode, while other models retrofitted standard toilets with bidet-capable seats or attachments. But still, the United States’ reluctance to adopt the splashy gadgets endured.

Rampant stigmatization of bidets didn’t help. Many early 20th-century Americans may have viewed bidets as symbols of French indecency, linking them to taboo topics like menstruation and prostitution, Maria Teresa Hart wrote in the Atlantic in 2018. That association may have been partly born out of the devices’ presence in brothels, where women may have deployed them as an (ineffective) form of birth control. Though these stereotypes have largely faded in the decades since, the cultural inertia clung to stateside commodes.

What’s best for our butts

Bidets might seem bizarre—but in many ways, they’re right in line with hygienic practices already deeply ingrained in our society.

“The idea of cleaning yourself with water is, intuitively, more logical,” says Cindy Kin, a colorectal surgeon at Stanford University Medical Center. Water, after all, is the standard-issue treatment for doing away with bodily grime under most other circumstances.

Byron Vaughn, a gastroenterologist at the University of Minnesota Medical School, puts it more bluntly. As a friend once told him, “If you pick up a piece of [poop] with your hands, you wouldn’t just wipe it off—you’d wash it.”

But while the wet-trumps-dry argument makes logical sense, no one has yet done a scientific study to back up the idea that bidets are hygienically better than toilet paper.

Then again, “It kind of doesn’t matter,” Kin says. “If you don’t get every bit of bacteria, or a microscopic amount of stool, off your skin, it’s fine. Nothing bad will happen.” Bidets or no, most of our not-completely-immaculate butts are doing just fine, and have been for many millennia.

A modern standalone bidet, installed next to a toilet.

(Lazienka / Wikimedia Commons)

Still, bidets can really come in handy for those with sensitive undersides, says Susan Wong, a nurse and colorectal disorders specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. People with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, for instance, tend to have more frequent or painful bowel movements, and may find that a cooling jet of water brings them some relief—or at least spares them from the constant chafe of dry toilet paper. Bidet users can then dry off by simply dabbing the area with a towel, or even a carefully aimed blow dryer on a low-temperature setting. “It’s a great way to avoid irritation,” Wong says. One small study even suggests that bidets may even prompt some muscle relaxation, though most people seeking that sort of comfort might be better off opting for a sitz bath or a long soak in a tub of warm water.

Bidets could also be a boon for people with physical disabilities, muscle weakness or other conditions that hinder their ability to clean off with toilet paper alone, Vaughn says. One study suggests the devices improved the “toileting experience” for a group of nursing home residents.

Then there’s the unrepentant super-wipers, a la miniature me. Patients who “wipe obsessively” with toilet paper because they’re chasing an ever-elusive sense of clean may be at risk of giving themselves pruritus ani—fancy clinical speak for itchy butthole, Kin says. “Once you get into that cycle of skin irritation, it’s hard to get out of it.” Switching over to a bidet might bring these people’s bums some much-needed relief.

Beyond that, though, little evidence exists that bidets bring about health benefits on their own. Hemorrhoids, fistulas, fissures and cancer—none of these conditions can trace their origins to the flecks of germs or poop on our bums, Kin says. In this realm, there’s “certainly no data to suggest bidets have benefits over toilet paper.”

Varma also points out that dropping hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a fancy new bathroom appliance isn’t necessary to introduce water into this particular bathroom routine: Something similar can be accomplished with a drugstore peri bottle, or even a water bottle with a pop-up top. Both of these options are also transportable.

Many patients can even make do with what they’ve already got at home, including tubs, sitz baths or even handheld shower attachments, says Marjun Duldulao, a colorectal surgeon at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. “There’s really no advantage to using a bidet compared to these other techniques.”

Bidets can bring some increased comfort—but people should be wary of pressure and temperature settings that could agitate sensitive bums.

( Karl Tapales / Getty Images)

Bidets also aren’t perfect—and wielded improperly, they can cause their own woes. Several models come equipped with pressure and temperature settings that could cause serious damage. Over the years, a smattering of bidet-related injuries, from burns to rectal prolapse and anal fissures, have surfaced, often linked to overuse. Even pruritis ani can (re)appear when the anus is too frequently washed. “You just need sensible cleaning and hygiene,” Duldulao says. “You don’t need a power-washing.”

And, just like any other appliance, bidets must be kept clean—especially considering the bits of anatomy they most often contact. A handful of studies have found bacteria lurking on the nozzles of electronic toilets, particularly those in public spaces. Under extreme circumstances, bidet use could even perturb the community of beneficial microbes found in the vagina, though studies haven’t consistently born this out.

“There are some very good products out there,” Duldulao says. “But a tool is a tool. It’s only as good as the person who’s using it.”

Making a splash

Toilet paper will always have one thing going for it: convenience. “There’s a reason we all use it,” Varma says. “It can be done anywhere. It’s easy, it’s simple.”

Part of the tradeoff for this, of course, is quite a bit of waste. The product of a laborious process that involves the pulping of millions of trees and billions of gallons of water, toilet paper isn’t exactly environmentally friendly, says Wong. It can also clog pipes (though not as badly as so-called “flushable” wipes), creating headaches for homeowners. These issues wouldn’t totally evaporate with a switch to bidets—most people would still want something to dab themselves dry—but washing in lieu of at least some wiping could make a difference.

And yet, the United States stands firm on toilet paper. Kin estimates that less than 10 percent of her patients use bidets; those numbers might budge slightly given current pandemic purchasing habits, but probably not by much.

“I ask my patients, can you consider this electronic toilet seat?” Wong says. “They all turn their noses up to it.”

People just aren’t fans of change—and sometimes, that’s just kind of a bummer.

#Nature

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xkurtwagner · 7 years

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this is me finally getting around to posting my comic con pics! day 1! more pics and some cosplayers’ links under the cut

wonder woman: @the-amazing-introvert supergirl: supergirlmsp captain marvel: Gemini Stone colossus: Iconiclone indy: the indiana jones interrogations robin: dusty sidekick cosplay

#wizard world minneapolis #minneapolis comic con #ww minneapolis

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your-highnessmarvel · 7 years

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Burn - chapter four

link to previous chapters: http://i-did-your-mom.tumblr.com/

Sorry this took so long to update. I promised a weekly update but this took longer to write and I was supposed to update this morning, but my school WiFi decided to crash and so I couldn't edit until about 5 this evening and then supper, and yeah.

But here it is. I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter four: Vaunting

Like Steve had mentioned, the plane landed somewhere in Minnesota, in an open field in the middle of the night. Addie, in a drunken-like state between sleep and wakefulness, stumbled along the sandy field behind the two men carrying her bags. They hurried onto another airplane, a much smaller and less impressive one than Stark's, and flew off. Addie drifted off to sleep once she was buckled in, her head pressed against the mushy side of the plane.

Addie was not aware of the landing, but as she woke up, she saw rays of early morning sunshine seeping in through he tiny window over James' head. The latter was staring off to the side, his chin jutted out in thought. The brunette took her time to finally look him over when he wasn't staring at her with a frown. He had changed sometime when she was asleep, which made her feel dirty in her old clothes. His long sleeve black shirt was exchanged for a round collar tee the color of blood, which displayed more of his metal arm and more skin of his flesh limb. What impressed her the most was how broad his chest was and the waves the tight shirt made over his biceps. She wondered where the metal met the skin and if the sight was gross or endearing.

His face had the same shadowy stubble as before, but it was darker from being neglected, which made the light blue of his orbs gleam. He was not a bad sight to take in, yet the attitude that steamed off of him was almost disgusting.

"Alright!" Cap exclaimed as he jumped down from the cockpit, a huge pearly white smile on his face. "Time to go."

They marched down off the plane, Cap and Addie carrying her bags and James walking ahead. They had landed on a private runway, a black tower looming in the distance. It was early morning, barely passed nine in the morning, but Addie felt the heat like a brick in the face. Her palms were so slippery with sweat she almost dropped her bag, and she felt like a huge blanket that weighed tons was dropped over her shoulders. When she looked ahead, the horizon was beginning to shimmer.

"Where exactly did we land?" she asked, squinting her eyes through the harsh rays of early morning. Steve laughed coarsely and looked at her with one eye closed.

"We are near the city of Dalhart, but we'll be staying in a nearby compound off the city limits," he answered with a side smirk, sweat gleaming on his nape. The sun was making his skin glow and shimmer in the harsh light of the sun.

"Hold on," Addie said, her mouth dry, "we landed in Texas?"

Steve chuckled, but held back any remarks. They walked off the runway, the heat of the oncoming day making the ground steam and glimmer. They were met with another SUV, a very disgruntled Bucky sitting in the drivers seat.

"Should he even be driving?" she asked Steve as they loaded her bags into the trunk.

"I have a metal arm, not a dysfunction!" Bucky yelled from up front.

They drove for a while, the dry planes of Texas scrolling passed Addie's new eyes. She was drawn to the colors; sandy brown and ocean blue and peach beige. The sky was clear, the sun a huge sphere of orange and yellow shining from right overhead. If it hadn't been for the air conditioning in the car, she would have been sweating bullets and rocks. When they drove through the city, a rather small one, she was glued to the window like Allie was to Noah in the Notebook. She was not used to Southern ways of living, having lived in Canada her whole life. Not only was she strongly unaccustomed to the heat but also to the cities. Everything was a bit smaller, squarer, and short. She could only imagine how unaccustomed she'd be to life in Texas.

"Addison?" Steve had been leaning against the window, but now he was turned around, looking at her from over Bucky's shoulder.

"Where are we going?" she asked in anticipation.

Steve smiled at her eagerness, the sadness that seemed to be perpetual dissipating into fondness. "We're about to arrive at the compound we're staying at," he answered. Addie nodded, her bottom lip trapped under her superior set of teeth. "I don't know who is going to be there, but I just wanted to let you know that they are uhm... eager to see you."

"You've told them about me?" she asked, her brows rising in surprise.

"You expected us to bring you home like a surprise on Christmas?" Bucky groaned sarcastically.

It is in Addie's nature to do unexpected things in unexpected circumstances. She is a girl who acts upon her emotions in the present. So when Bucky's sarcastic remark made her boil up from within, she propelled forward into the front seats and planted her butt onto Steve's thigh despite his astonishment and stared right at Bucky. The latter was struggling between keeping his burning blue eyes on the road and staring wide-eyed at the girl, who was looking at him with a tight, angered look on her sharp features.

"I recall signing up for help and to aid you in whatever you need in exchange for shelter, food, and training," she began, tight-lipped and anger steaming in the octaves of her voice, "but I don't recall signing up for your attitude and your blatant disrespect, James."

The rest of the ride was in silence. They continued until mid-day, rolling over hills of sand and yellowed grass, passing through tiny towns and wooden shacks. The scenery rarely changed, only nuanced in colors like peach and brown. Addie was tired of all the plane and SUV rides, especially with someone who was as disrespectful as Bucky and then Steve who constantly looked at her as if she was about to die. There was something off about Captain America. Maybe it was the sad turn of his eyes or the way he subtly leaned in towards Bucky whenever he had the chance. He wasn't the man that the United States of America made him out to be; tough, emotionless, and rogue. He was quite the complete opposite.

They drove off the main highway (a one lane highway) and onto a rocky road that drove uphill until it reached a square building on top. Addison's heart reached her throat as she eyed the building; a two-story house that was probably ten times the size of her apartment in Montreal.

"We're safe here for the moment," Steve said over his shoulder. "No one will find us here unless we want them to."

They pulled up into the drive way, a paved, dark black entry that led into a garage. The door slid open graciously and opened up to a myriad of cars that Addie wish she could name. The inside of the garage was a sharp contrast to the outside world; sleek black vehicles, bright white walls, and cemented floor.

When all three got out of the SUV, the closing doors echoed in the space, making Addie even more aware of her surroundings. She could feel a sharp and rapid increase in electricity compared to the drive here. Her senses were being tugged, her vision blurring with the usual calls of her ability. She reached out, feeling as much power as she could, embracing the warmth that coursed through her veins.

"There should be a room available for you," Steve interrupted, her bags in his hands, a wide smile on his lips. Addie nodded and followed him up a few steps, the door already opened, Bucky completely out of sight.

They walked into a hall that led to a spacious living room, one wall completely composed of top to bottom windows with an epic view of the valley. Everything was in the same colors; grey, white, brown, and black. Grey sofas and lounge chairs, sleek black plasma TVs, sparkling glass tables, and impressively grand bookshelves filled to the brink with novels. Papers were scattered carelessly over the coffee tables and even some on the lazy-boys. The floor was covered in white marble, a grey, fuzzy carpet to keep feet warm splayed in front of the couches. The place was cozy, yet so starkly serious compared to the warm colors of her home. The lights overhead were sickly white, as if in a hospital.

Footsteps (high-heeled) sounded on the wooden floor of the passage way to their right. "Bucky's grumpy so I guess the new girl's here!"

A redhead appeared in the living room, a bright smile on her pink, plump lips. She was wearing dark blue jeans that hugged her perfect curves and a black long sleeved, round collar shirt that slimmed her waist even more. Her bright, fire red hair was in contrast to her pale, porcelain flesh and her daring blue eyes. She wore a golden pendant around her neck, a green gem resting between her breasts.

She gave Addie a sideways smirk, a devilish look overcoming her features. "Hey there, sweet bird." Her voice was raspy, seductive. It gave Addie shivers in its lascivious octaves and dark, sensual undertones. That woman was made to make men swoon and tremble.

"Addison," Steve said with a laugh, putting a large palm on Addie's shoulder, "meet Natasha Romanoff."

Addison had heard, and mostly seen, the assassin at work. When aliens had taken over New York, Addison had caught herself being curious of the hot redhead with deadly abilities. She was impressive on screen, when she came out of a UN meeting or when she fought against the Winter Soldier, but she was even more impressive in person. She was not a tall woman, but her presence and the way she stared at you was bigger than anyone and anything. She took up the space with her beauty, the fierce and untouchable look in her eyes, and her personality.

"Enchanté," Nat said with a smirk. Addie was at a lost of words, her throat dry, the palm of her hands sweaty. She was standing in a superhero compound in front of one of the deadliest ex KGB assassins.

All of a sudden, the truth of what was really happening fell upon her and she was lost, mind blurry and thoughts scrambled.

"She's shy," Nat laughed, a wide smile illuminating her face.

"I'm just uh, it's just very...very impressive?" she stammered, her statement ending as a question, the squeak in her voice evidence of her nervousness. Nat and Steve shared a laugh, something that sounded familiar for them.

"C'mon," Steve said, pushing her slightly, his fingertips on her lower back. "I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

Nat followed behind them, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. The passageway was narrow, with closed doors up and down the length of the hall, the end opening up into a star-light kitchen and dining room.

"Wanda and Sam stay in these rooms," Steve mentioned as they passed by some closed doors in the hall. "The rest are storage or empty rooms."

"I sleep upstairs," Nat chimed in.

They walked through the bright kitchen, white everything from counter tops to the dining room to the little bar by the piano and windows. A white, marble fireplace was lit, a burning red fire warming up the stark, porcelain kitchen.

"Most of our dealings happen in here," Steve said, gesturing to the fourteen seat dining table. He steered her towards spiraling steps and beyond that, a short hall that led to metal double doors. "Behind those doors is our precious gym, where everyone spends their time besides the computer rooms."

Addie nodded, her eyes round and wide as she took in all the new information. Her heart was in her throat, beating hard against her chest. She had trouble breathing, trouble getting to terms with was happening.

"Upstairs, you'll find your room," Steve said, stepping away from her. He was looking as if he wanted to give her space, privacy.

"How did you guys even get this place?" she asked breathlessly, looking up to where the ceiling opened up over the kitchen, and where she was able to see the start of the upstairs hallway.

"Even though Tony isn't very fond of Cap, he isn't going to let him and the rest of us be homeless," Nat answered, her heels scraping the marble floor as she walked slowly beside Addie, arms over her chest. "As long as we stay on our side of the playground, he doesn't bother us."

"Weren't you on his side for the Accords?" Addie asked, brows furrowed as she turned her attention to the redhead. Nat had a playful smirk on her lips, a look of deviousness in her blue orbs.

"I don't believe in sides." She looked at Steve with round, blue eyes and chuckled. "I'm all for a united front."

Upstairs, Addie found a very square and grey room that was meant for her. Steve said that he, along with Nat, Bucky, and Clint were just down the hall. The room for her was simple; a double bed with grey, feather sheets and white pillows, a wardrobe the color of dark chocolate, and a small, glass desk with a leather chair for her comfort and privacy. A door beside her wardrobe led to a bathroom that she shared with Nat and Clint. Steve emphasized group life, a way of living that would strengthen the bonds between them all.

"So what do you call yourself?" a playful, unfamiliar voice sounded behind her as she was unpacking her bags.

A man was leaning in her doorway, arms crossed over his chest. His ebony skin worked in wonders with his jet black hair and chocolate eyes, in contrast with his pearly white teeth. Another man with a rough stubble on his chin and playful green eyes was lingering behind the first one.

"Sorry?" she said, her brows furrowing as she tried to determine just who these men were.

"Do you call yourself, like, Elektra?" the second one asked, making the first one laugh.

"That name has actually already been trademarked," Addie answered. "So it's just Addison for now."

"I'm Sam," the one with a dark complexion said, a big, inviting smile illuminating his features. "And this dumbass is Scott."

Addie smiled and nodded, acknowledging their presence. "Nice to meet you."

"Now come one," Sam exclaimed suddenly. "Let's get started."

"What?"

"You don't expect to have it easy here, right?" Sam asked, feigning seriousness.

"Yeah, because we burn down Applebee's and rob corner stores every now and again so we need to stay in shape," Scott said, sarcasm dripping off his tongue like honey. Addie smiled devilishly. Oh, she was going to like these guys.

They were not easy with her. As soon as she entered the gym, she was taken in the hands of the most highly trained humans on Earth. They didn't treat her like a child and pushed her until she was lying broken on the mat. They didn't treat her like an outsider so they surely wouldn't treat her like a doe in the training room. Since day one, they put her in the gym, a room bigger than the house itself, and put her through various, rigorous tests. She was left bruised and bloody and sweaty, tired to the point that she didn't enjoy life after her hours of training. They pushed her to the brink, until she broke and demanded a break. She was left sore the next day, ripped from breakfast to participate in the many training sets she was told she had to do. It was part of being an Avenger.

Natasha took care of most of Addie's training. Being an ex KGB agent with excessive background in almost every form of combat, she was very well placed to teach the girl. Nat had the brunette do cardio and muscular training before anything, insisting she had to have at least a basis of work out. Addison's first week of living at the compound was spent in the gym, running on treadmills and following Nat's specific muscular training program. After each day, she was trembling and wincing whenever she had to move, her muscles jelly under her bruised flesh. Even though it had only been eight days, she had seen a difference in her endurance.

In the second week, Nat decided it was time to show Addison technique. The ex KGB agent said that since Addie got in the game so late, it would be difficult for her to catch up to a born assassin like Nat. But if Wanda had done it, so could Addie.

She had been thrown to the ground so many times she lost count. She almost anticipated every time she'd be kicked or vaulted to the mat. For weeks on end she tried her best to throw Nat or Wanda and even Sam to the ground, but they had been trained so much more than she had.

She decided she would not see it as defeat, but as more of a challenge. Steve mentioned that she needed to control her body, learn to fight and protect herself, before she could train with her electricity.

Over the course of her training, she became close with everyone there. Wanda and her, being of the same age, had gotten closer. She became the only close friend Addie ever had. They shared their secrets and their pasts. There was nothing to hide, no one to fear, and as alike as they were, it was like fitting two broken puzzle pieces together.

With Nat and Steve, the relationship was almost like brother and sister; protective, pushing, and demanding. Nat wanted Addie to be the best she could be whether it be intellectually or physically. Steve wanted to keep Addie from any harm, keep her safe from HYDRA. He spent hours at night with her, mostly out of her own curiosity, briefing her on HYDRA and his experience with the demoniac association.

Sam and Scott were like two big, bear brothers that goofed around all the time and made her training a little bit lighter with their jokes. They hung around the kitchen, their noses in books, or fooled around in the gym, throwing each other on the ground.

Despite Addie having spent six weeks already at the compound, she could feel the palpable history in the group. They all seemed to have this bond; a bond that glued them together inexplicably. They all subtly leaned in towards each other, eyes always searching each other's faces for any danger or pain, and they all touched each other in the most gentle of ways. They have all lived through the most horrid experiences that have created a team of devoted heroes, but also pained humans who relied on each other. And Addie was far from being as connected to them as she would like.

And for six weeks, Bucky completely ignored her. He cast her aside as if she didn't even exist. Whenever he'd find herself in the same room as her, he'd vanish so fast and quietly, it's as if he wasn't even there to begin with. When she'd walked into the kitchen one morning, the sun shining brightly from the windows, and found Steve and Bucky leaned over a bunch of papers, he had looked up abruptly. He'd gathered his papers and said "I got things to do now." He would always grumble or groan whenever she talked, which proved to be unpleasant and embarrassing for her.

There was clearly nothing she could do to gain his friendship and trust. He was a stone wall, hiding behind a mask, looking at her with those cold, cold blue eyes.

I know this time skip can seem pointless, but it was needed in this chapter. So basically she spends six weeks at the compound and becomes closer with them all, except obviously, Bucky. I like to think that they are all inviting, like Steve took Wanda in, he would be extremely happy to help Addie. He also wants to protect her.

I like the idea of Sam and Scott being goof balls together.

Addie's new nickname is Bird, a concept introduced by Nat in this chapter. I like the symbolism of it too; a bird can either be caged or free, and that is up to you to determine what Addison is.

More Bucky and more action in the upcoming chapters. All characters and motion has been set up, so from now on the story will move on.

I hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading. See you next chapter!

#bucky barnes #fanfiction #steve rogers #marvel #avengers #natasha romanoff #sam wilson #wanda maximoff #bucky imagine #bucky x oc

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