#only clicked while making this set that he still had the barbwire on when they were HUGGING AND KISSING

[annakarenina]

Director Paul Schrader on the ending of First Reformed (2017):

I don’t know what the ending is. It can be read in either one of two ways. One, that a miracle has occurred and his life is spared. The other is equally, in my sense, optimistic, which is that he drinks the Drano and he’s on all fours. He’s throwing up his stomach and God comes over to him, who has not talked to him for the whole movie, and says, “Reverend Toller, you wanna know what Heaven looks like? Here it it is. This is exactly what it looks like: It looks like one long kiss. And that’s the last thing he sees.”

[sarcastich]

Crown Made Of Barbwire

Everyone got their wings, sooner or later.

Feathers of every color, size, variation.

They start as two little bumps on your back, itching like a growing tooth, around the same time you hit puberty. A bit earlier for girls, a bit later for boys. They grow over the course of your teenage years, and stop once all their feathers have reached their full size.

Some people could fly with their wings, some couldn’t. Most people’s wings were two meters on each side when they were outstretched.

Peter’s wings had only taken two years to grow fully, and were beautiful, pure-white angel wings.

He’d never seen anyone with wings like his. All the other white wings were more like snow owls, speckled with browns and grays, or had underlying colors that gave the top feathers a tint.

He couldn’t quite fly with them, but they were perfect for gliding. He’d scale the tallest buildings in his area, and get a running jump off of them, plummeting for a moment before he got pulled up and flew around the neighborhood until his wings got tired. Of course, you couldn’t just fly anywhere whenever you wanted to. You needed permits, licenses, there were laws to uphold. Most people preferred staying on the ground, anyway.

But not everyone got to keep their feathered wings.

Peter had always heard stories of the burnt ones.

His aunt used it as a reason for him to be good, or when his friends were yelling about seeing criminals they’d allegedly seen out ‘n about.

“-Eat your greens or your wings will burn right off, Pete”

“-I’m telling you, man! His wings were all black and torn up, I’m not kidding!”

They were the result of corruption, evil, immorality, and sin. Once soft feathers scorched, charred, and turned into soot. They blackened and burned away, turning into a shadow of their past wonder, skeletal and black.

Peter had never imagined that one day he’d be standing at the Four Seasons, shooting photos for The Bugle, trying to get a good shot of the Tony Stark.

Peter was among the crowd of journalists and other photographers, rapidly clicking away, aiming his camera lens at Stark. Reporters were yelling out questions, waving wired microphones and recorders over the barrier between them and the walkway Tony Stark was walking down.

There was something about his wings that set them apart from a normal burnt set. Most CEOs, businessmen or just rich, successful, famous people had burnt wings.

But Tony Stark’s weren’t just burnt.

They had horns cascading from the tips to the forearms. The burning away of the pure white feathers had revealed bat-like structures. Stark had no idea why, or how. That was just how they were. Or so he’d told the public.

Peter’s breath caught in his throat when Stark focused on him, looking into his camera and flashing a well-practiced smile. Peter fumbled for a moment before he looked through the viewfinder and took several photos.

And again, he’d never imagined that he’d get a personal request for a photoshoot, by the Tony Stark.

He packed his camera bag with shaky hands, taking extra drives and lenses.

His boss had pulled him aside earlier that morning, and told him that Stark had reached out and asked for Mr. Parker to be the one present and in charge of the interview’s photos. Peter, of course, had accepted in a second. He’d be an idiot to decline. Tony Stark’s picture on his portfolio? What kind of artist would he be if he said no?

Peter stepped out of the glass lobby of The Bugle offices half an hour later and looked up from his phone, his camera bag slung over his shoulder. He was wearing a deep red sweater over a white collared shirt, the front tucked into his soft beige dress pants. He hoped his outfit wasn’t too casual for the occasion, but he didn’t really have time to change anyway.

Just as he looked away from the screen, a sleek black car pulled up in front of him. The driver’s window rolled down.

“Peter Parker?” the driver, a roundish man, asked.

“Y-yeah- yes!”

The man jerked his head towards the back seat door.

“Get in, kid.”

Peter did as told, nervously sliding into the car, barely moving when he sat on the leather seat, hugging his bag.

“Wh- Where’re we going-?” His voice came out a lot squeakier than he’d meant for it to.

“Stark Industries Tower, where else?”

Almost an hour later, the car stopped in front of the blue, glass building. The driver got out and opened Peter’s door. He hadn’t moved since he’d gotten in.

Getting out of the car and almost forgetting his bag, he mumbled, most of his attention drawn by the tall tower.

“Thank you- uh, mister- um-”

“Hogan. Happy Hogan.”

“Yes! Thanks!”

With a nod, he closed the car door and got back in, driving off. Peter took a deep breath, held his bag properly again and started towards the building.

After a short chat with one of the three receptionists, he was led to an elevator a bit farther away from the general area of the entry. He and a shorter woman entered the lift. Judging from her formal attire, Peter guessed she was an assistant. Her wings were far smaller than his own, made up of light blue feathers with streaks of royal blue. He kept his own wings contracted to offer her enough room in the small space.

“Friday, take us to the penthouse, and please let Mr. Stark know that Mr. Parker will be arriving shortly.”

Peter looked at her, confused until a soft tone went off and the elevator started its ascent.

She smiled at him before he let out a soft “Oh-” and averted his gaze.

With another soft tone, the lift stopped and she gestured for him to step out.

“Thanks-”, he started to say, but the elevator door was already closing behind him.

The elevator had opened to something like a living room area. Two sleek, white sofas were facing the rounded glass walls, with an ornate sculpture between them that looked like five giant bowls stacked on top of each other. Everything Peter could see was modern and minimal, with a white-gray aesthetic throughout the penthouse.

He looked around nervously, holding on to his bag by the shorter strap.

“Mr. Parker, welcome.”

Peter gasped and turned around with a jump, startled.

“M-Mr. Stark! Y-yes, hi, I’m Peter Parker, I-I’m here for the Bugle interview shoot?” He inwardly cringed at how he sounded, stuttering, his voice a lot higher than it usually was, clutching his bag for dear life.

Stark smirked at him. “I know, kid, calm down.” He gestured towards the sofas. “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

Peter stuttered out a thank you, and sat down at the far end of one. He kept his wings close to his body, feeling like he was taking up too much space, still hugging his bag to his chest. He looked up shyly, taking Stark in properly. His wings were relaxed as he walked to the sofa facing Peter, sitting down comfortably.

“Are you afraid of me, Mr. Parker?”

“N-No sir. I mean, you’ve obviously done s-some- uh-.. Not so great things- but uhm- You’re an icon, people admire you-”

“Would you like anything to drink?” Stark cut him off, motioning to the minibar that had very literally risen from the ground.

Peter stuttered out, “Oh- N-No, thank you, I can’t drink on the job-”

Stark poured himself two fingers of whiskey in a lowball glass, without ice, and gently pushed down the top of the minibar, and it reclined back into the floor, looking like another dark grey ceramic tile.

He took a sip, eyes trained on Peter.

Peter cleared his throat, relaxing a bit. “So, where d’you think would be best for the uhm- the shots-?”

They talked about light placement, the conversation somehow dragging over to technology and science, Peter engaging a lot more, and forgetting his nervousness eventually.

After about an hour, they got up, Peter set up his camera, and took his photos.

A behind-shot of Tony Stark with his hands tucked into his pants pockets, wings stretched out behind him. A side profile, while buttoning his suit, and various other shots.

Peter was on his knees, getting a photo of one of Tony Stark’s iconic shades on a small table, the city line stretching out behind it.

Stark had excused himself to take a call, and told Peter to take photos of anything that he wanted. Peter didn’t hear him step back into the room, too focused on trying to set his camera’s shutter speed. Stark quietly took long strides to him, stepping in front of the table.

“Oh, Mr. Stark-! I just wanted to take a shot of the glasses, they’re-”

He stammered into silence as Mr. Stark softly ran the back of his finger along his cheek. He held it under Peter’s chin, tilting his head up. Peter was blushing furiously, but couldn't make himself look away.

“Let me see your wings, angel.”

Three months later, Peter’s life had changed drastically.

He was decked out in the latest designer clothes, a skinny white Etro strap top to match his wings, baby blue Dolce & Gabbana shaded glasses perched on this nose, sitting by a marbled kitchen counter, a Valentino white leather clutch bag resting on it, and inspecting his manicured nails.

A man in an obsidian black suit entered the room, buttoning his jacket and running a hand through his hair, smirking.

“Ready, angel?”

Peter looked up, a cheeky smile on his lips. Wings fluttering, he slid off his high stool and made his way to him. He straightened Tony’s tie and pecked his nose.

“Yes, daddy.”

He leaned away, but Tony let out a growl, grabbing Peter by his waist and pulling him flush against his body.

Peter gasped, “You’ll ruin my outfit!”

“Angel, I bought it.”

Peter pouted, “Well yeah, but you gave it to me”

“I’ll buy you a new one, you spoilt brat.”

Peter giggled and cupped Tony’s face, looking into his eyes and leaning into his touch. “Y’know I love you, Tones.”

They kissed softly, Tony not letting go of his vice grip on Peter’s waist.

“Tony, we’re gonna be late... I want you to check the set up one last time-”

“Angel, I had you set things up. I trust you.”

Earlier that day, Peter had gone to the hotel’s restaurant on the top floor, under a different name and reservation. He’d checked the entire place for wires, mics, or anything that could put them in any sort of bad situation. He checked exit points, weak spots, and all the cameras. He’d been thorough.

He had taped a Glock 9 mm handgun underneath their side of the table, checking repeatedly to make sure it was fully loaded and had its safety off.

Peter grumbled a bit, before letting go of Tony, dramatically sighing, rolling his eyes and picking up his handbag from the counter.

“Well, we should get going anyway.”

Tony shot him a wolfish grin before grabbing his wrist and pulling him back.

“You missed something, i mio angelo.”

He tilted his head to the counter, a navy blue felt box sitting on it now. Peter was surprised. He knew it was a jewelry box, but he hadn’t asked for anything, and even though Tony loved showering him with gifts, there was usually some silly occasion he used as an excuse for it.

He curiously looked at the box, wondering what it was. Something beautiful, no doubt.

“Go on then, Angel, it’s yours.”

Peter stepped back up to the counter and set down his bag on the nearest stool. He pulled the box closer to himself before glancing at Tony, who was smirking at him, arms crossed against his chest.

He slowly opened it, keeping his eyes on Tony until the lid was completely vertical.

His eyes flicked down to the box, and he took in a sharp gasp, hands flying to cover his mouth. “Tony, you didn’t!”

Tony’s smirk grew into a full grin again as Peter rushed around the counter to kiss him, cradling the box in his arms, even though he could easily just hold it in one hand.

“Of course I did, mia carissimo.”

Tony took the box from Peter’s hands, setting it down on the counter. He pulled out the choker he’d gotten for his princess, with Round Brilliant cut, D rate diamonds in the center of Cushion cut diamonds arranged like figure eights.

Peter lightly grazed his own neck with his fingertips, already feeling the weight on his neck, even though he hadn’t touched the jewels yet. Tony held up the necklace.

“May I have the honor?”

Peter silently turned his back to Tony, holding his head high. Tony pressed a kiss to the back of Peter’s bare neck and gently ran his hand through Peter’s feathers, making him shudder before placing the necklace on his neck and fastening the tiny clasp. It didn’t have a chain at the end, it had a specific size. Peter’s size.

Half an hour later, Tony held the passenger door of his Audi R8 Spyder open and led Peter out, Peter giving him his hand like a princess, to the entry of the hotel. There was no swarming press, just the coming and going of guests of the hotel.

Handing his keys over to a valet, Tony pressed a kiss to the back of Peter’s hand.

“Relax, angel.”

They walked into the lobby hand in hand, people stopping to stare at them every few feet. Even if they didn’t know who Tony Stark was, they’d stop to look at the man with the bat wings and the boy who looked like an angel.

They didn’t stop at the reception, they walked straight to the private elevator that led to the restaurant, Tony’s security detail already armed and ready at the top. Once they got there and had been patted down and checked for weapons by Osborn’s security, Tony walked them over to their table.

It overlooked the city skyline, winking lights dotting the land underneath them. He pulled out a chair for Peter, getting a soft smile in return. Sitting in the chair next to him, he held his hand again. Peter shot him a worried look.

Peter kept his voice low, “I thought you said he’d be here on time?”

“Princess, he’s only five minutes late. His detail’s here, he’ll be here, too.”

Peter toyed with the table’s centerpiece while they waited. After about ten minutes, Tony abruptly got up, rebuttoning his suit.

“C’mon bambino, we’re leaving.”

Before Peter could get up, there was a short yell and a loud muffled thump from the elevator.

The glass wall beside their table shattered, rapid shots taking out most of the security team. Tony yanked Peter down by his suit collar, looking out at the building in front to try and see the snipes. The elevator doors ominously opened, a man in black armour stepping out. His wings were plated with metal.

It all happened in the span of two seconds.

He shot the remaining guards before training his gun on Tony. Before he could get a word out, Peter pulled the gun he’d hidden earlier. In an instant, he cocked it and aimed for the man’s head.

The assassin had been a split second too late in aiming at Peter.

Peter fired.

The shooter fell to the floor, dead.

Peter dropped the gun, falling to his knees, a sudden hiss sounding behind him.

His wings had burst into flames.

He yelled out, pain blooming in his wings and along his back. Tears sprung from his eyes and ran down his face, ash falling around him, smoke rising behind him as Tony rushed to his knees beside him, holding him as he cried into Tony’s shoulder, his agonized screams muffled.

In the matter of minutes, his angelic wings were gone.

[jobsearchtips02]

Why SpaceX keeps sending out a senior executive to a tiny Texas beach town

This story requires our BI Prime subscription. To check out the complete short article,. just click here to declare your deal and get access to all unique Business Expert PRIME material.

SpaceX, the rocket business established by Elon Musk, is attempting to construct a personal spaceport in Boca Chica at the southern suggestion of Texas and one day launch missions to Mars from the website utilizing a system called Starship.

A senior executive at SpaceX is visiting holdout property owners in individual to attempt and convince them to sell to the rocket company.

It’s not every day that a senior authorities at SpaceX calls you up, asks you to offer your home to the rocket company founded by the tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, and explains that your property may one day become part of a Mars spaceport.

But that call just recently came for Maria Tip, who lives full time with her spouse, Ray, in Boca Chica: a lobe of coastal prairie at the southern tip of Texas that’s remote and abundant with wildlife. The Guidelines live nearby to a formerly quiet hamlet of numerous lots homes that residents call Boca Chica Town. The nearby inhabited area is Brownsville, which is a 30- minute drive west and where approximately half the population lives below the poverty line.

When Maria Guideline took SpaceX’s call on January 7, the official she talked to was Dave Finlay, the business’s senior director of financing and now, apparently, South Texas real-estate dealmaker. She stated their conversation lasted about two hours.

His overture came after years of relative silence from SpaceX and in the middle of disquieting uncertainty the Pointers felt about their future. The couple told Company Expert they had actually planned to grow old and die in their customized house– however SpaceX’s arrival in September 2014 put a giant question mark on everything. Should they remain? Should they go? Should they spend cash to improve their property or perhaps make repair work?

Finlay sugarcoated nothing about the danger of trying to cling to Boca Chica, Maria Pointer stated, including that he addressed years’ worth of bottled-up questions, fears, and aggravations. After the call with Finlay, she felt relieved– and later on chose it was time to leave.

” He’s a real pleasant guy who has actually enlightened all of us,” she stated of Finlay. “The minute he began shining a light on things, I began having closure.”

Finlay didn’t stop with call, however. Every other week or two, from January through February, he has actually traveled about 1,400 miles to the area from SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, frequently for days, to knock on the doors of residents and make personal sees.

Finlay’s objective is not to make friends. Rather, it is to encourage everyone to accept a buyout deal that SpaceX drifted to location property owners in September– which lots of had not consented to months later on– prior to Musk “loses his patience,” Finlay told several locals.

Finlay’s method seems working. According to Company Expert’s reporting, more than half of the remaining homes in Boca Chica have actually now sold to SpaceX, including the Pointers’, or are near to or in closing. The rest are in other phases of dealmaking.

Key to transforming some citizens has actually been listening to them about, and even owning up to, mistakes of the past.

” They truly require these houses. They’re being very absurd,” one resident who just recently sold to SpaceX said. “As smart as they have to do with technological stuff, they’re not wise about individuals.”

The local, whose identity Service Insider verified, spoke on the condition of privacy to keep their personal privacy.

Life in SpaceX’s ‘corporate shadow’

Satellite-tracking antennas in South Texas.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Turning Boca Chica into a personal spaceport was an imagine Musk’s as early as2011 That’s when he had SpaceX workers call the workplace of then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry about introducing a lots commercial satellite missions a year from the site. Not long afterward, according to The Dallas Morning News, Musk met authorities from the state and Cameron County, where Boca Chica is, and promoted incentives to bring SpaceX there.

The Tips and a number of their next-door neighbors questioned the business would in fact land in Boca Chica when news about SpaceX’s interest broke in April 2012 There seemed to be far more suitable areas dad north in Texas– ones without a cluster of senior citizens spending time– they said, along with in Georgia, Puerto Rico, Florida, and a number of other places SpaceX was hunting.

However in Texas, SpaceX spent hundreds of countless dollars in lobbying, contributed tens of thousands of dollars to key authorities’ projects, and even paid for politicians to visit its headquarters, according to The Dallas Early Morning News.

Government officials eventually approved a bundle worth $15 million in tax breaks and job-creation rewards in2013 SpaceX then won federal, state, and regional approval in July 2014 to build a spaceport. The rocket company finally broke ground in September 2014.

” At the extremely, really starting, I saw surveyors outside our windows. I thought, ‘Oh god, individuals here are going to burn me on a cross if I’m not with SpaceX,'” Maria Pointer stated. Therefore began what she has consistently explained over the years as the beginning of “life in a business shadow” or a “business footprint.”

The company’s existence broadened quickly. SpaceX bulldozed lawns and cacti next to the Pointers’ home to set up a busy barbwire-fenced work yard. The business also trucked in adequate dirt to bury an American football field 13 stories deep and dumped it atop squishy soil near Boca Chica Beach to assist compact it into a launchpad structure. A couple of homes SpaceX acquired early on became workshops, storage websites, and shipment centers. Towering spacecraft-tracking antennas from NASA’s old space-shuttle program settled in next to an old corner store.

SpaceX may have used to purchase the town early on, however that did not take place– locals state they connected with few if any deals at that time.

” They do not approach you, you approach them,” a resident informed Company Expert in2019 Celia Johnson, a Brownsville native and Boca Chica homeowner since 1992, said she provided to sell her rental house to SpaceX a couple of years ago for about $150,000 but the company decreased.

In 2015, some in the town tried to open a dialog by asking SpaceX to hold private conferences.

However SpaceX rocket failures in 2015 and 2016, along with weaker-than-expected need for the company’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launchers– which were expected to fly industrial objectives monthly from Boca Chica– ground launch-site development almost to a halt.

” They did not like to answer any questions,” Sam Clauson informed Organisation Expert in April, when he was still a part-time citizen.

Starhopper’s final launch on August27

Elon Musk/SpaceX; Twitter SpaceX-owned homes became crash pads for employees, and the company even turned one into a recreation center with a bar, the confidential local said.

Cameron County ultimately started closing off areas of Highway 4– the only roadway out to Boca Chica– to permit SpaceX to move devices and conduct rocket tests.

Today, advancement work continues to speed up as Musk invests more time in Boca Chica to oversee SpaceX’s advancement of the Starship launch system, upon which the business’s future success may hinge.

” We can’t sleep anymore.

In The Middle Of all of this work, SpaceX’s attitude to the town shifted, changing from relative silence into a seemingly generous plea for everybody to offer their houses in the name of safety– and to do it rapidly.

On September 12, the business sent out every house owner in the hamlet a buyout deal letter via the real-estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle, or JLL. Many bristled at the offer’s preliminary two-week deadline (which was later on relaxed). The offer offered 3 times a base appraisal, some homeowners explained the appraisal as a “lowball” and “bulls–.” And even with a three-times deal, according to nearly all the homeowners we spoke to, the funds wouldn’t compensate for “a like residential or commercial property” in a likewise remote low-tax location within a stone’s toss of an undeveloped and beautiful public beach.

So 2 weeks later on, while Musk remained in town to present progress on Starship, the CEO met with villagers throughout a quick and “awkward” conference Guests said the group “made it clear we were not delighted” and didn’t “play nice” with the billionaire CEO.

That meeting brought something of a turning point, though: Musk stated that while the three-times figure was nonnegotiable, the base appraisal worth was undoubtedly versatile. This encouraged some citizens to offer in the following months as they discovered methods with JLL to increase the on-paper worth of their properties.

However, as numerous as 15 property owners had their independent appraisals rejected. And as the weeks wore on with slow momentum on sales, numerous villagers burnt out of dealing with JLL and requested to work straight with SpaceX.

The rocket business dispatched Finlay to coax villagers to turn over their secrets before the county might attempt some legal remedy to require them out. (Company Expert asked for an interview with County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr., however his workplace said the judge was traveling for work and unavailable to talk to till mid-February.)

‘ My objective is to provide any assistance that I can’

Weems Roadway is the primary path through Boca Chica Town, Texas, and was unpaved till SpaceX showed up.

Dave Mosher/Business Insider

Finlay appears an odd choice for the job based on his LinkedIn profile

However SpaceX decided on the individual for the task, Musk desired everyone gone by March 31, citizens said representatives from both JLL and SpaceX told them.

Finlay started outreach to residents as soon as December, beginning with those who had reached an impasse in negotiations with JLL.

” I operate at SpaceX in California and would truly value the chance to go over the SpaceX offer to acquire your property,” Finlay told a local in an e-mail sent the morning of January 3. “My goal is to offer any assistance that I can.”

The resident responded that SpaceX’s deal “would not even come close to permitting us to acquire another property anywhere else close sufficient to the beach for us.”

In his reaction two days later on, Finlay took a conciliatory tone.

” I am really happy to work with you to fix any error in your evaluated worth that drives the $ quantity of the purchase offer,” he wrote. “My objective is to make it as precise as possible and if any errors were made we will repair them. I will be in the Town all the time on Monday must you want to fulfill personally– I ‘d like to check out any opportunities I may have to help you.”

A model of SpaceX’s Starship envisioned behind a home in Boca Chica Town on September28

Loren Elliott/Getty Images

Finlay physically showed up on January 13 to walk the neighborhood. He spent hours that week with some locals, like the Tips, and returned in following weeks to pick up where he left off and work on other holdouts.

” Finlay was a reprieve, the last resort that provided us any kind of voice,” Maria Guideline stated, adding that Finlay asked forgiveness for the tension caused to her and her other half over the years by the company’s presence.

Dave Cohen is another (now-former) homeowner who offered after being approached directly by Finlay.

” I found Dave Finlay a satisfaction to talk to.

According to Service Insider’s reporting, citizens have actually been paid near to $100,000 on the low end to more than $1 million for their residential or commercial properties on the high end. Both Maria and Ray Tip said they’ve ended up being fans of what Musk and SpaceX are doing and wish to leave however that getting retiree-age people like themselves out of the way is “harder than throwing cash at the issue.”

” We have actually got to find a home, relocation, get surgery, and relative pass away in the middle of all this,” Maria said, describing the passing of her previous husband and the dad of her kids in 2019.

Johnson expressed comparable thoughts but said she still questioned what SpaceX was thinking by picking the town location for its main office.

” It’s not that I do not like development or SpaceX, either. It’s just that there’s hundreds and hundreds and numerous acres here,” Johnson said. “Why they picked our area to build whatever is beyond me.”

The confidential local stated Finlay even hired a real-estate agent to help one household discover a “like” house in another part of Texas.

Whatever SpaceX decides to do, however, the company may quickly discover itself in a bind: Some homeowners told Organisation Expert that they no longer answered Finlay’s calls, texts, or e-mails.

The citizen stated her household had “no interest” in selling to SpaceX– not even for millions of dollars– and added that she was prepared to go to court over their house.

Do you have a story to share about the spaceflight industry?

ENJOY: Why SpaceX is attempting to buy out a little Texas town

More:

SpaceX Boca Chica Texas Starship

Chevron icon It shows an expandable area or menu, or often previous/ next navigation options.

.

.

%.

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/why-spacex-keeps-sending-out-a-senior-executive-to-a-tiny-texas-beach-town/