#walker protection program

[beadelmare]

scripting out walkie stalkies bc WHO is writing smut about WALKER SCOBELL

[silly-little-gooses]

”not over dramatic, I know what I want”

PERCY JACKSON SEASON TWO. NOW. 😍.

[shiftingwithmars]

Y’ALL SOMEONE MADE AN EDIT OF WALKER TO CARNIVAL AND PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO DEFEND THEM!!

Here’s the link to get the video taken down:

[maybecordelia]

EXACTLY OMG

I rlly miss when percy jackson was just book fans and not a bunch of teen girls obsessed with walker scobell

[lets-try-some-writing]

I got the image of the Jack, Miko and Rafael learning to imitate Distressed/terrified Sparkling cries and using them against the decepticons. It’s a very efficient defense mechanism. Every cybertronian who heard them is freaking out because oh primus how is the squishy thing making that noise and I gotta protect it at all costs. The sheer chaos that would ensue as the ‘protect/rescue the sparkling’ programming kicks in full force.

——

The vehicons are clustered at the other end of the room panicking. They don’t know what to do. The human sparklings are looking right at them and making distress noises. The guilt is killing them.

Knockout going “is the car form less alarming?! If I turn into a car will you stop seeing me as the threat?!”

Breakdown is having a breakdown.

Starscream pinned to the wall on the other side of the room having an internal crisis. He doesn’t like this. Make it stop.

Soundwave makes no noise but you can FEEL the sheer distress radiating off of him.

Megatron is frozen. No thoughts, head empty. He’s not moving at all. He doesn’t know how to handle this.

——

The autobots have mixed feelings about this. They’re glad the kids have a way of defending themselves but please don’t do it near them. They’re stressed out enough as it is.

(This might sound kinda dumb but I thought it was kinda funny. Very tired while writing this)

Wait no this is actually brilliant.

The Decepticons never anticipated their long buried parental nature to be used against them. No one did. But they day the human children turned up on the battlefield looking far too confident, every Bot and Con present had the all encompassing feeling that something was terribly wrong. Their suspicions were quickly confirmed when, before the Decepticons could do much of anything to get the relics they were after, Rafael began to wail.

Normally, human screams meant nothing. But there was a certain pitch that sounded so close to a cry of distress from a sparkling that, to warriors who had not heard a sparkling in millennia, it was enough to send them running to help. In this case, the issue was only compounded as the children scattered like mice and started making the same noises. The Decepticons could hardly focus on the Autobots booking it to the relics as they frantically tried to locate the fictitious sparklings calling for aid.

The Vehicons managed to get to Jack, but he just kept looking up at them defiantly. Every time one of the dozen or so Vehicons on the field tried to grab him, blast him, or otherwise hurt him, Jack would chirp like a sparkling and send all of them scurrying back. It wasn't cute to the Vehicons. Having never seen actual sparklings but still having the coding needed to adore them, they looked at Jack and saw a weird frame-walker. They weren't sure what to do about it except try to haul themselves away while also keeping a vague circle around the human male.

Miko on the other hand made it a point to chase after Megatron and Soundwave, screeching like a sparkling about to be shredded. Neither stopped for her, but Megatron completely lost his train of thought every time that screech rang out. He could have been aiming at Optimus with a perfect head shot and he would be unable to fire as Miko's distressed sounds rang out in his audials. He KNEW she wasn't a sparking. His coding wasn't even that strong. But by Primus, hearing her screech was the same as watching a civilian get run over by a bus, repeatedly. Focus was impossible.

Soundwave wasn't much better. He didn't react outwardly, but the slowing of his steps and the way he tried to sidestep Miko gave away his distress. He avoided her like the plague, trying to refocus but being unable to really get far as Miko screamed like a demon. It was a fight against the Unmaker himself to keep Soundwave from bolting over to collect the sparkling who sounded so very upset.

Rafael, for his part, followed Miko's lead and harassed the other three members of High Command most often found out on the field. Breakdown ran screaming the moment Rafael started chirping at him. This was both out of fear of the frame-walker and to escape the inevitable overreaction of his coding. He may or may not have attempted parkour once or twice to get as far away from the smallest of the humans as possible.

Knockout tried to ignore Rafael when the kid chirped up at him, he really really did. But how does one ignore the Cybertronian equivalent of a soaking wet kitten meowing up at you? Simply put: you don't. Knockout gave in and quickly dropped down to try and soothe the non-existent sparkling every. single. time. Rafael pulled his noise trickery. He never fails to panic and attempt to flash colorful things at Rafael to get him to stop. Every Decepticon has since been endlessly disappointed in him.

Starscream, being terrified of things that really shouldn't be there, took the skies the instant the trio began screeching. Nope. Not today Unicron. He'll get the mission done or get the heck out of dodge to avoid coding coming online. He doesn't need empty nest syndrome on top of a crippling case of "I Love Power." He also doesn't need to deal with the horrific mental image of a squishy somehow managing to sound like a sparkling. Nope. Nope. NOPE.

The Autobots are grateful the kids can protect themselves a bit now. But by Primus, they have known NO peace since the kids figured it all out.

[raurquiz]

#happybirthday @mollyhagan #MollyHagan #actress #eris #startrek #deepspacenine #thejemhadar #theorville #sully #izombie #election #hermanshead #PrincessProtectionProgram #Walker #NoGoodNick #JaneTheVirgin #GodIncorporated #IntotheDark #TruthBeTold #AllMyLife #ds930 #startrek56

[poolseason]

more Ninjagelion AU

Setup: In the aftermath of a cataclysmic event on the Dark Island where humans accidentally awakened an entity known as the [OVERLORD] the world was plunged into eternal chaos. 20 years later, Ninjago has managed to rebuild. Now in New Ninjago City, a bustling and lively hub at the heart of Ninjago, has been under attack by monsters- onis, dragons, serpents, unexplainable beasts,- creatures made from the [OVERLORD]'s darkness. Luckily the Special Division ELEMENTS is here to protect the realm from these monstrous threats, with the NINJA mechs. This cant be possible without some valuable members of the team!

Characters, lore, and more ↓

Characters:

Pixal: In this au she's a human scientist, and probably the one person who knows the most about how the NINJA mechs are created. She's in charge of the technical division, and head of research and development. During a monster battle, her order's are second to Cole's. Her highest priority is the integrity of the mechs, to the point she might be a bit negligent of the safety of their pilots. Pixal is deeply involved in some suspicious agendas involving the secret entities hidden under the base, and while she's the most knowledgeable person in the force, she's not the most trustworthy. Pixal is Zane's personal "doctor" and knows more about his schematics than anyone else. She created the Nindroid plugs (aka the Dummy system, an autopilot of sorts) with his personality data. Pixal is also one of the few people who know what happened to the original Dr. Julien and Echo.

Jay: For a little history on him, Jay is on the younger side, have graduated from college a couple of years ago. He originally interned here as an electrical engineer in the Weapons Deparment, but Pixal saw his skill and ingenuity and gave him an unrefusable return offer in the R&D department as her right hand. Jay's parents, Ed and Edna Walker were colleagues of Cyrus Borg and were involved in the engineering and design of the Geofront and NNC's civilian safety infrastructure, so Jay's always been somewhat interested in ELEMENT's work. It was kind of a dream come true when the Pixal Borg hired him. During monster attacks, Jay's in charge of making sure the NINJA mechs operate properly, have access to their weapons and gear, and making sure the NNC fortress moves as needed. Jay's always seen with his goggles and he almost never follows uniform protocol.

Jay is also one of the few Technicians who personally work with the Pilots, he's one of the first people Lloyd warmed up to at ELEMENTS, and he becomes kind of a big brother figure to him after one particularly crazy mission when he has to personally go out onto the field with Lloyd in Unit-01. When Nya arrives the pair work together a lot outside of pilot training, but Nya definitely likes him and he... needs to figure some things out. whoops!

Skylor: Having grown up in the aftermath of the 2nd (Overlord) Impact, Skylor's seen a lot of destruction and cruelty, even first hand from her own father who lead a doomsday cult that wreaked havoc on innocent communities trying to survive in the near apocalyptic event. Vowing to protect the world from similar chaos, she joined the NINJA program's tactical division. When the monster attacks began, she's in-charge of monitoring the enemy's health, pilot life signs, and mapping.

Dareth: His last name is Presley bc of the Elvis hair and inspiration lmao. He's not really a high ranking member of the organization but Cole and the others seem to really trust him, despite his mess ups. Dareth normally handles ferrying radio messages between ground teams and mission control. Dareth is a relaxed guy who values a positive work environment, even if that kind of makes him a bad employee. He's a very good uncle figure to a lot of members of ELEMENTS

MORE Cole: Cole is the leader of the tactical division. He was drafted into the military when he was only a young teenager in the aftermath of the [OVERLORD] but he was recognized by Wu and not long after he completed college and grad school he was quickly hired by ELEMENTS to oversee the tactical division. He's vengeful towards the Overlord's darkness monsters because his mother Lily was the captain of the disastrous expedition to the Dark Island 20 years ago. The dog tags he wears are his own and his mother's.

Lloyd and Zane, on neural headsets: As pilots of a NINJA mech they have a lot of pressure on them, obviously this can cause a lot of mental turmoil and stress. In order to pilot a mech they must synchronize their own mind to their mech's soul*, so stress isn't really a good thing for a pilot to have. Zane was programmed to not experience such emotions, but over the course of the series, its proven that he grows to feel quite strongly and become more human. Despite his programming, the lack of emotion early on was actually a detriment to his ability to pilot, since the NINJA soul wouldn't be able to synchronize it's feelings with an entity that feels nothing. Sometimes its necessary for pilots to wear more complicated neural headsets and spinal connections for more controlled sync testing. During the cross-sync experiment when Zane and Lloyd traded units, they were stuck wearing extra uncomfortable test suits -- too many wires and junk! The only downside to extra connection is that the mech could overload and go berserk. (which big surprise, happened!), so usually Lloyd, the designated Unstable Pilottm, only needs the barebones neural interface in most situations.

[captainpikeachu]

So a post discussing new Thunderbolts promotional arts appeared earlier today in the John Walker tag trying to single out John as the odd man out of this Thunderbolts team, saying how everyone in the team deserves to grow and heal but John deserves to die and never be redeemed because he's not like the others.

I'm here to explain why what you see below is totally wrong and shows a fundamental misunderstanding of John and the Thunderbolts movie.

"this man willingly joined the military"

I don't know if the poster is American or not, but this claim ignores the very important context of how John joined the military and when he joined the military. You see, John is canonically stated to have gone to West Point for college, that is a military academy, which means that during high school when John was underage, he would already have been preparing for his application process, getting letters from his congressman or senator or even the president. The selection process is incredibly stringent. You don't decide to go to West Point and apply on a whim like you do regular colleges. Attending a military academy is a long term commitment because after you graduate, you are automatically put into active duty service as an officer, your contract is signed by you agreeing at 17/18 years old to go to this military college.

Some people may not understand, but America has a hugely active military recruitment system that targets children, especially kids from disadvantaged communities. Military recruiters are literally legally given access to high schools across the country, they're allowed personal contact information of kids, they get to show up at career fairs and other activities to actively recruit children to be soldiers and lie to them about all the good things they will do and the opportunities and benefits they will receive. And THIS IS NORMALIZED in American society. The exploitation of children and turning them into soldiers is NORMALIZED. Even celebrated.

So tell me, in an environment that already normalizes and praises the idea of being a soldier and protecting your country and giving yourself for true heroic service, is it that illogical and surprising that a young underage John would have bought into the idea of service as so many other young kids do? Not to mention we don't even know if his school had a mandatory JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) program that funnels kids straight into military service. Or if the MCU follows John's comics history and his father and his older brother both have served. Either way, John lives in an environment and a country that idealizes soldiers to kids, actively recruits and exploits kids, and heavily showers them in heroic military propaganda. A propaganda that even Steve in the 40s buys into and is eager to serve, and Steve was already an adult in his 20s. Meanwhile John was a young teenager when 9/11 happened, when the country was actively rallying its citizens through lies and getting people to buy into a war to defend freedom and protect our loved ones. If people older than John bought into this, then why is it surprising that a teenager surrounded by all this rhetoric and propaganda would buy into it, thinking that he is doing a good thing to help?

Just because indoctrination is normalized by society doesn't mean it's any less harmful indoctrination. Just because John wasn't kidnapped or forced into being a weapon doesn't mean he wasn't turned into one by the military industrial complex as a teenager. And just because he willingly signed up for something that his at best 18 year old self wouldn't have ever properly been mature enough to fully comprehend, doesn't mean he was not abused by a violent system that doesn't care about him beyond using him as a tool. The same way that violent systems of control used and abused the other members of the Thunderbolts team.

We all understand abuse and exploitation and power imbalance when an 18 year old is dating a 35 year old. When abuse happens in that context, we don't say "well the 18 year old willingly got into that relationship so who cares", so why is this kind of dismissive tone taken with John? If a domestic abuse victim stays in a relationship because of complicated feelings, do we blame the victim? What's happening here with John is a form of victim blaming. A very easy kind of victim blaming because the illusion of choice makes some people, like the above poster, think that John asked for it. So John can't be like the others. Nevermind that John's experiences likely mirrors Alexei's yet this poster never seems to call out Alexei for anything.

Yes, John willingly joined the military, but pretending that there isn't a more nuanced context of why and how he joined is to be ignorant to exploitation and indoctrination beyond just the garden variety kidnapping and forced brainwashing, and the insidious nature of that kind of trauma and exploitation. And it also ignores that John's decision was likely made when he was underage and under the influence of a hugely active military recruitment and exploitation apparatus. The creatives behind the Falcon and the Winter Soldier even once stated that the military was John's only family, which implies that he was a vulnerable and lonely child looking for a home, and the military took advantage of that so that they would ensure John would be loyal and grateful to them. They groomed him to be their weapon, no matter how "willing" he made that decision as a teenager.

------------------------

"willingly decided to try to become Captain America"

This comment shows a lack of understanding of how the military works. John didn't ask to be Cap, he didn't even know what the government and military was doing until they showed up one day to give him a new job duty two weeks before they were gonna officially unveil him. There is no willing or unwilling in the military when you're a soldier, you follow your orders. Sure, you can disobey unlawful orders, but guess what, being the next Captain America is not an unlawful order. John didn't get to choose. The military made the decision and it was his job to obey. Because if he didn't obey, he would end up in court martial and in jail. There is no agency in this. You are not an individual, you are property of the US military to do as they wish. And if you don't obey, they will make your life and your loved ones' lives hell.

-------------------------

"willingly killed people in a way that everyone knows Steve never would have"

What people? John killed one person. One person in the heat of the moment in the middle of grieving his best friend who he just watched be killed right in front of his eyes. If anyone would have understood why John did what he did, it would actually be Steve. Yes John doesn't have Steve's restraint, but let's not act like Steve doesn't know the anger and rage that comes in those moments. And if Bucky had watched Sam be killed, he would have done what John did. In fact, most of the MCU would have done what John did. Tony did. Thor did. Wanda did. Peter Parker and Peter Quill did. Yelena did. Clint did. T'Challa did it twice even after learning the lesson of letting go of revenge. Are all those heroes irredeemable and deserve to die?

Hell, in a post that accuses John of not being like the other Thunderbolts, John does the same thing that Yelena and Ava have both done, wanting to hurt and kill and lash out in pain and revenge. Yelena was going to kill Clint for revenge. Ava literally did not care if her actions would have killed civilians if it got her what she wanted to fix herself, was even ready to threaten Scott's young daughter Cassie. Both of them were no longer under the control of their abusers at that point, yet what makes their chosen rage and lashing out okay and understanding but John's somehow the most evil thing a person has ever done? What makes his pain and loss any less than theirs? In fact, in the Thunderbolts trailer, we watch Yelena just gun down guards left and right, does it make her irredeemable for choosing to still do killing when she no longer has to? Why is all this hypocritical judgment only against John?

And if we even want to address the people John killed in war and how Steve would never, let's just remember that in the Winter Soldier movie, Steve specifically states to Fury that he and the others during the war did somethings that weren't so good, that made them not sleep so well at night, but they thought they were doing it for people to be free. Yes, freedom, the same thing that the US military has been peddling since its conception. So why is it okay when Steve does terrible things in war for freedom, but John is a monster for also doing the same?

John wasn't running about happily wanting to shoot every bad guy. He never had any intentions of hurting anyone, only arresting them, even though the Flag Smashers tried to kill him and Lemar from day one. Even after Karli blew up a building with innocent people still inside it, John wasn't going to kill them but only arrest them. He only killed one Flag Smasher in the heat of the moment because he just saw Lemar die. You know what T'Challa said to Natasha after losing his father and thinking that Bucky did it? He said he would kill Bucky himself, even though Natasha pointed out that there was due process and a task force would arrest Bucky.

Why is it that violent desire for revenge is understood when other MCU heroes/protagonists do it, but John is somehow uniquely evil and not-like-the-others because he lashed out in a very human way? Why is John not allowed his humanity?

----------------------------------------

I will be the first to say John is flawed, he is imperfect, he did make mistakes. But he is not this willful evil monster that this poster tries to paint him as. He is someone whom for essentially 20 years has been trained and groomed to be a perfect weapon for a violent and abusive system that he thought of as his only family. And when this system no longer had any uses for him, it threw him out like trash and left him to drown. This poster talks about other Thunderbolts members rebuilding themselves and their sense of identity, yet this is John's struggle too. Who is he if not a soldier?

The showrunner of TFATWS literally stated that John and Bucky were two sides of the same coin of a veteran's story, of what happens when you give everything for a cause that abandons you and doesn't care for you back. Even the writers of this show understood and deliberately wanted to link John and Bucky's mutual struggles as veterans. Yet this poster wants to exclude John, because the illusion of choice made his trauma and indoctrination and grooming less "real" than the others somehow. This isn't trauma olympics. John is a broken and abused and abandoned weapon, just like every member of the Thunderbolts team. And quite frankly I'm sick and tired of people ignoring this reality because their own hate of the character blinds them to nuance and context.

Death is not the only acceptable character arc for John. He can grow to be a better person and learn to stand up against the system that harmed him and many others. And they can and will redeem him, you know why? They already did. Because John already in TFATWS finale chose to walk away from easy revenge so he could save lives. He has already proven that he could be worthy of that shield and title even if he no longer has it. And the Thunderbolts movie is about ALL of this team learning to overcome their past trauma, of learning to love and accept each other, yes even John. He isn't the exception. He is a integral part of this new team and family. And if you think that Thunderbolts is just gonna be a movie that is designed to kick John out and otherize him, then you've missed the point of this story that the cast and director have stated many times in interviews already. Hopefully Thunderbolts will teach you some important lessons about bias and judgment.

The poster of the comments says that they need to still rewatch TFATWS, and I would say to that, yes, yes you do need to rewatch, preferably rewatch with your eyes, ears, brain, and heart open, because you have missed many important contexts and nuances in your desire to only see John as some unforgivable monster.

By the way, Alexei and John are literally characters sharing the same background, Alexei is just as willing of a participant, yet the fact that those comments never once judge Alexei for actively participating in child trafficking and letting the abuse of little girls keep happening, and somehow Alexei still isn't so irredeemable and could be counted among the others who should get to learn to heal and grow is certainly a choice.

Anyways, here is hoping that when Thunderbolts finally releases, people will learn a lesson about John and how wrong some of yall are.

[contemplatingoutlander]

States caught unprepared for Trump’s threats to FEMA

FEMA is canceling plans to award states grants to help prepare against future disasters. Federal funds given to states after disasters strike could also be in jeopardy.

Torrential rain fell on Eastern Kentucky in July 2022, turning creeks into rivers that roared through the valleys and hollows, wrecking hundreds of homes and killing 45 people. Since then, the state has been trapped in a cycle of seemingly never-ending disasters, exhausting storm-weary residents in impoverished small towns. “Our families are hurting and suffering, and our businesses are being hit and hit again,” said Kristin Walker Collins, chief executive of the nonprofit Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky.

The Trump administration is doing away with FEMA bit by bit. Right now they are ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program that has provided billions of dollars in grants to states

to repair levees, elevate flood-prone homes and shore up drinking water systems. The program was built on research showing it is many times less expensive to protect against future damage from natural disasters than to pay for repairs and rebuilding afterward.

A FEMA spokesperson gave this reason for why BRIC is ending:

“BRIC was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program,” she said in a statement. “It was more concerned with climate change than helping Americans effected by natural disasters.”

This is another example of how Trump's unconscionable war on anything to do with "climate change" is going to cost American lives and far more money repairing property damage than if Trump had just continued the BRIC proactive program of shoring up infrastructure to prevent unnecessary damage during extreme weather events.

That Trump wants to live in denial about climate change won't make it go away.

But regarding FEMA, Trump doesn't want to stop there:

The president has said he wants to eliminate FEMA and shift responsibility for disaster response to the states — which experts said are unprepared to respond to catastrophic disasters without federal assistance. [...] Some emergency management experts say the president’s proposal to shift the financial responsibility of responding to those disasters to states could prompt chaos in state capitals and city governments, forcing messy political fights about how to pay for disaster relief and fund preparedness offices.

It shouldn't be surprising, that two of the three top states for FEMA aid since 2003 are red states:

Among states, Louisiana ($22 billion), New York ($17.6 billion) and Florida ($13.6 billion) received the most in public assistance funds over the past two decades, mostly for damage caused by hurricanes, according to the analysis. [color emphasis added]

Red states could be in major trouble without FEMA, since GOP legislatures typically don't believe in raising taxes for needed services. Some of those states, like Wyoming, have such small populations that they might not be able to meet state disaster relief needs on their own, even if they raise taxes.

In the light of Trump and the GOP's determination to cut taxes for the obscenely wealthy, Trump's plans to cut back on FEMA are particularly cruel.

This is a gift 🎁 link, so you can read the article without a paywall.

[beadelmare]

hey!! long overdue intro post (have been procrastinating for two months) but new year new theme so here we are

bea , she/her , age is a secret! , shifter , hellenic polytheist , winion , probably clinically insane , overuser of 'lmao', yes i script the same bf in every reality

entj, june cancer, child of hecate, legacy of apollo, wasian, impatient asf, in love with percy jackson (it's not funny anymore), hopeless romantic, has to be the main character in my drs cause i'm a hoe, walker protection program 4ever, i speak portuguese and spanish!

please dni if you're a: proshipper, racist, homophobe, trump supporter, anti-shifter (unless you're nice abt it !!), percabeth hater yes i've had the displeasure of meeting some

i love queen, the beatles, bowie, led zeppelin, and abba

ask box is open, feel free to reach out and yap !! my dms never work sorry abt that😔😔

dr masterlist !! i'm working on the intro posts ok😭 🤍= main dr 🌊= not top priority, scripting 🔱= potential drs

percy jackson & the olympians i'm obsessed. 🤍

gilmore girls 🌊

kuwtk 🌊

the outsiders 🔱

teen fame🤍

b99 🤍

i'll probably procrastinate on making the intro posts for these but um it's ok i'll get them done before 2026 fs (i think) and i change my backstories all the time sooo that's going to take a while too lmao

also i either obsess with a dr for a year straight or abandon it in a week so there's that

dividers by @enchanthings-a and @thecutestgrotto !!

[poppystheories]

An Eye Theory

There's been a lot of debate, over the years, about whether Mana ever loved "Allen".

In the flashback, we clearly see Mana is a compassionate man who wanted to help a kid in a bad situation; in his final moments as himself, he wanted to take Red away from the circus with him. He wanted them to leave together. But that was compassion, not love.

And then Apocryphos used Red's Innocence to shatter his mind. After that, it's very much a question of if Mana was even capable of loving "Allen", as mentally unstable as he was. From what we've seen, he was very affectionate, and though he got Allen the dog and Red the kid mixed up, he eventually went on to introduce "Allen" to the symbols. You don't try to teach a dog to read your secret code. He understood "Allen" was a person, but more than that, we don't really know.

But the soul the Earl excised out of himself and had Allen put into an Akuma did some stuff that doesn't line up with it being the soul of a completely clueless man.

If we go on the assumption that the Earl was trying to rid Mana of any inconvenient memories through this process, we can assume Akuma!Mana is a conglomerate of just more than "Mana Walker". My best guess is that when the Earl excised Akuma!Mana, the memories he was trying to get rid of included stuff that re-stabilized Mana Walker, including knowledge of what actually happened when he met Red. If we consider that as a possibility, a lot of other things become more explicable.

First: If he remembered their first meeting, Akuma!Mana could know that "Allen" was an accomodator with an already activated Innocence capable of combat, perfectly able to destroy a level 0. He also would know “Allen” was fated to be an exorcist, and the threat that Akuma therefore pose.

Second: Akuma!Mana could have gained access to some of the original Mana's knowledge, including stuff about the Earl, Akuma, and souls.

Akuma!Mana said the usual Akuma stuff, and did the usual Akuma stuff, which Akuma cannot seem to help. But Akuma!Mana also did more than that: the "I'll curse you!" wasn't just bluster. He actually did manage to "curse" Allen, which the Earl clearly didn't know about. The Earl must not have thought the Akuma even capable of it, so he certainly wasn't making the Akuma do that specifically.

Mana couldn't control all the instincts of the Akuma, but he could use them to his own advantage.

As evidence, we gotta go on a bit of a tangent:

In the second volume, Hoshino mentions a play that inspired Lala and Gozul. The play goes like this: Old servant falls in love with high-class young lady. She plays with his feelings and he dies. As a vengeful spirit, he decides to curse her. But in the end, he changes his mind, and decides that as a spirit, he'd rather protect her instead, so long as she promises to remember him.

I've seen people dismiss this play in the analysis of DGM before, because let's be real, the premise here is kinda creepy. And it doesn't seem to actually have much to do with Lala and Gozul besides the aesthetic of "old man" and "beautiful maiden".

But the concept of a vengeful spirit saying they'll curse someone they once loved, only to overcome their negative feelings and decide to protect that person instead is present in the story, in a pair of characters the deliberately parallel Lala and Gozul.

Or maybe even more than one pair of characters that parallel Lala and Gozul.

We'll be focusing on Mana and Allen for now though.

I pointed out before that Akuma!Mana didn't need prompting by the Earl to attack, unlike Claire. I think Mana was using the programming of the Akuma to his advantage; if he attacked, he could place the anchor (the star) he'll need on Allen's face without the Earl finding his actions suspicious, and Allen's Innocence would activate to protect Allen, destroying the Akuma shell and freeing his soul to latch on to that anchor.

This gave Allen the ability to see souls, probably because it was Mana's power originally, ensuring Allen would be protected in the future. Thanks to this ability, most of the risk of being ambushed as an exorcist is minimized, so Allen’s career as an exorcist would be relatively safer.

Mana was the "vengeful spirit" (aka Akuma) that decided to become a guardian spirit of someone he loved instead, just like in the play. Allen is "younger loved one" that, in exchange for that protection, must carry Mana's memory.

But it's not just Mana's memory Allen carries, but Nea's too. Nea's also a spirit haunting a loved one, but he hasn't decided whether he wants to destroy or protect yet.

Of course, there’s no guarantee any of this is true. I might be completely off base here. But it’s my current theory, and I’m gonna roll with it, because it does explain a lot of things.

And, most importantly, means Akuma!Mana did mean it when he said he loved “Allen”.

[sjsmith56]

The Duality of Nature, Chapter 17 - Under Attack

Summary: The compound prepares for the attack by Cerberus forces, putting up a good fight. After the return of the families, Winter realizes something that shakes him.

Length: 5.9 K

Characters: Nick Fury, Sam Wilson, Winter, the other Avengers, the Wakandans, John Walker.

Warnings: References to mental health.

Author notes: Walker is not a favourite character but I’ve always thought a lot of his problems stem from unrecognized and untreated PTSD. He was manipulated so much by people he shouldn’t have trusted. So, he gets some redemption with the Avengers and a chance to prove that he can be part of a team.

<Chapter 16

When John Walker returned through Wong's portal with his wife and family, Noelle and Winnie were waiting, ready to be evacuated to another location. She greeted Olivia Walker warmly, then introduced Winnie to the small family. For the little girl it was going to be an adventure as she and Paul Wilson eyed the Walker children, Lamar and Grace. Sam's son was going with them, so that Dawn could stay back with the medical staff, even though her husband wanted her to go as well. Dawn pointed out she had been a military nurse first, working in combat zones long before she became an ER nurse and wife to Captain America. Winnie, pulling a small, rolling suitcase filled with "essentials," waited patiently, while Wong and Dr. Strange conferred in hushed tones about their hiding place. Finally, the two men agreed, and Wong stepped back.

"You're sure you don't need me here?" he said once more to Strange.

"They need you more," he intoned to the man who shared much of the burden of their order with him. "Keep them all safe."

Strange, wearing the Time Stone, activated it, then opened a portal and watched as Wong led the two women and their children through to another universe, in another time, where HYDRA and Cerberus didn't exist. The Masters of the Mystic Arts did exist and with Wong would protect the children and their mothers. Returning to the briefing room, Strange joined the others to listen to everything they needed to know about the threat facing them. Fury was at the front of the gathered staff. Shuri and several Dora Milaje warriors were present virtually as they watched the proceedings from their Talon fighter, en route to the compound.

Alexander Pierce's face appeared on the screen, prompting Fury to launch into their connection. He explained their friendship and how he led a task force into a terrorist held location in Bogotá, Columbia, to rescue several diplomatic staff and Pierce's daughter in 1985. After noting that was probably the beginning of Pierce's recruitment by HYDRA as he changed from a man who believed in the diplomatic process into one who favoured direct action by the time he was appointed to the World Security Council in 1989, Fury paused for a moment, making several wonder if he blamed himself for what Pierce became. He answered for them.

"I have no regrets about killing Alexander Pierce when I did. By 2014, he had for over two decades regularly used the Winter Soldier in an attempt to shape history, trying to ensure that HYDRA came out victorious. I survived two attempts on my life by the Winter Soldier, only because I had kept my complete trust in a handful of people, of whom Pierce was no longer one, and they came through. Rogers survived the attempt on his life because he discovered the biggest secret HYDRA had kept since World War II, the true identity of the Winter Soldier, and used that knowledge to attack the programming that kept him hostage to the organization, eventually helping him to become free of them."

The next picture, of Alexa Lukin, CEO of Kronas Corporation showed up and Fury identified her as Pierce's daughter, then as Madame HYDRA, head of Cerberus.

"She's 53 years old, and apparently was well groomed by her father to take over from him. However, it doesn't appear she made herself known to their followers at the time of his death. It seems she let the ones we could identify be arrested, or dangle in the wind, without guidance or purpose. At the time of HYDRA's fall, she lived in seclusion. We now believe she was using that time to acquire certain powers, possibly through genetic manipulation. She claims to be an expert in the Faustus method of brain reconditioning, a form of hypnosis to indoctrinate and control people. Whether it is a parlour trick or real is unknown but in a suggestible state, which Bucky Barnes was after his extended regimen of memory wipes and torture it appears to work. If you encounter her, take no chances. Shoot to disable if you can, shoot to kill if you must. She is not the same child I rescued in 1985. She's dangerous and with her single-minded plan to acquire control of super soldiers, and their offspring, then use them to take control of all enhanced beings, there can be no doubt she is behind all of the attacks on this compound."

A new picture appeared on the screen, displaying the rubble of Carter's compound in Durban, South Africa. Fury looked to Wanda who stepped forward, hesitating at first, then gaining courage when Sam and Bruce smiled at her.

"I am Wanda Maximoff, and promised Noelle Barnes that I wouldn't let Cerberus, Sharon Carter, or anyone else get to her and her daughter. One of my abilities is to get into people's minds. As I helped interrogate Jack Rollins there was a name that kept appearing in his head, Madame HYDRA. No face, no other information about it, just the name. At the time, I didn't report it to Fury because I wanted more information. So, I reached out and touched the mind of Sharon Carter, knowing she was also involved in the attacks, since your security chief was her mole. She wanted Winnie and Noelle's unborn child to start up her serum production again, using the stem cells from the umbilical cord to create a next level serum. Noelle, after the birth of her child, was to be presented to Hamilton as a gift for his work. I became aware that Carter set up a meeting with Val de Fontaine and with another woman, Alexa Lukin, CEO of Kronas Corporation. Kronas has a long-standing connection with HYDRA, although the previous CEO Alexander Lukin, disavowed knowledge of their plans after 2014 and cooperated fully with the investigations. Two years ago, he died of a mysterious disease, and his wife succeeded him as head of the company. They have interests in many different industries but focus on energy and weapons manufacturing. Her men had pulse-based weapons that to the best of my memory, were originally developed by Baron von Strucker." She pointed to the picture of the destroyed building. "According to the satellite imagery from shortly after I escaped with John Walker from this location, the building, Sharon Carter's property, fell in upon itself. I think the pulse weapons were used to do it."

"Where are the three women now?" asked Torres.

"Unknown," replied Fury, "although we're trying to track the SUVs that were seen leaving while the building fell. What is certain is that Pierce is planning to attack the compound. Her main targets are the enhanced children who have been moved to a location unknown to us. All other families have also been evacuated to safe locations. Winter and John Walker are likely her next targets, followed by anyone who is enhanced. This is the home base of the Avengers, so she will probably have no problem trying to destroy it to acquire what she believes belongs to Cerberus. SHIELD is sending a squad of agents to assist in the defence, just as Wakanda is sending the Black Panther and a squad of Dora Milaje. Princess, do you have an ETA?"

"Four hours," she answered. "We'll be bringing some firepower as well, some new weapons. We are also monitoring the airwaves for any advance intelligence about the location of Cereberus headquarters. When that comes it will be shared with SHIELD and a joint team with Wakanda's War Dogs will advance on that location."

"Alright, everyone, make sure you visit the armoury for your weapons and your assignment. Do your best. Extreme sanction is authorized in all encounters."

Walker inserted himself beside Sam and Winter, although he kept eyeing the latter nervously. As they arrived at the armoury and waited their turn to enter, Winter turned to the former Captain America.

"I am not what I once was," he stated to the tall blond. "You do not have to be concerned that I will turn. The same procedures that freed Barnes also freed me from HYDRA's influence."

"That's good to know," stated Walker, "but I can't get over how different you are from him. Your hair, your walk, and your whole manner is different than Barnes. How did you two coexist in one body?"

"I deferred to him," stated the former Winter Soldier. "The only time I took control was when Barnes was in a state of complete exhaustion, making it appear he could summon an extra boost of energy." He looked at Walker with concern. "Why is it important to you?"

"Can I trust you?" Walker looked to Sam for support but didn't get it and shuffled his feet. "Will you be there if I need you?"

Sam rolled his eyes a little, but Winter shook his head slightly. "It is a valid question, but I asked you to join us in this fight. Can we trust you?"

The question drew the attention of the other Avengers there and they turned almost as one to look at the man who had disgraced the shield when he was made its owner. The scrutiny seemed to unnerve him a bit then he swallowed and looked Winter in the eye.

"I swear that I will do my best to protect the compound and all who call it home. I won't turn tail and run when the going gets rough. This business with Val thinking she could have a business relationship with Pierce, all while the woman considers me and my daughter her property, has rattled me, deeply. When I was a Captain in the Rangers, we liberated a camp in Afghanistan, where terrorists had kidnapped a school bus of girls. They planned to sell them to other extremist groups as wives, or slaves. That was the best day I ever experienced in that hell hole, when we rescued those girls and returned them to their families. I won't stand and watch as Alexandra Pierce plans to do the same against enhanced people."

"That's all we wanted to know," said Sam, placing a hand on Walker's shoulder. "We trust Winter and we trust you."

They each picked out an assortment of weapons, then went to a bench where they could inspect them and load them. On this occasion only, they would take the weapons with them, keeping them on their person so that if the alarm came, they didn't waste time converging altogether on the armoury. There was little talking as they worked, instead, there was a sense of purpose and preparation. For Walker, it reminded him of his time as a Ranger, but surprisingly, it didn't bring the anxiety that those days did. Perhaps it was because he was just another soldier for this fight, not the man taking responsibility for the lives of the others. Regardless, it felt good to be doing something with meaning, rather than profit, Val's usual rationale for the assignments she gave him.

From the armoury they went to the cafeteria, seeing sandwiches, wraps, raw vegetables and fruits, along with tea, coffee and juices available. The culinary staff had been dismissed so what was out on the tables and made up already but still in the coolers for breakfast would have to do for those staying behind. They all piled their plates high and dug in.

"Beats MREs," said Torres, as he chewed, "although I understand there's a room full of them if this takes longer than a couple of days."

Those with military experience began comparing their favourite MREs, then Winter spoke up.

"K rations were awful, in retrospect, but what HYDRA fed Barnes was terrible, although I didn't mind as it was at least digestible. Food was a tool of control to them. They never gave us too much and we were often hungry."

"How did you manage to keep up your strength?" asked Walker, already on his third sandwich. "I mean, the serum increases metabolism and I know I need about 10,000 calories a day just to maintain."

"Even though what they fed us wasn't much, it was still high in calories," answered the former Winter Soldier. "There was a significant period of adjustment once Barnes escaped when he had to find food for himself. Many things were hard on his digestive system, and he spent many sleepless nights suffering needlessly because he refused to eat the obvious equivalent." Walker looked at him, expectantly. "Baby food. He did manage to find protein and energy bars that were palatable to him." A small smile appeared on his face. "He also indulged in candy bars. Still has a sweet tooth, as do I."

"And now?"

"Pasta is very good as is jambalaya, gumbo, étoufée, and seafood boil."

Winter smiled slightly at Sam, who smiled back. As people finished, they dropped off their paper plates in the garbage cans, then retreated to the central lounge to wait. By the time Winter, Torres, Yelena and Walker joined them many people were playing cards or talking quietly to their families online. It was literally the calm before the storm. Sam joined them shortly after as he returned from the medical centre after seeing Dawn, spending some quiet moments with her. Sinking down into an armchair he folded his arms across his chest, closed his eyes, and breathed. As time passed, others started doing the same, taking the opportunity to rest knowing what was to come. Friday dimmed the lights to make the experience more comfortable.

💡

A klaxon sounded and the lights came on, waking everyone. As one they stood and grabbed their firearms.

"Attack on computer systems underway," announced Friday. "Tadashi protocol initiated. Incoming aircraft, count six. All staff, scramble."

Winter and Walker were well ahead of the others, as they ran up to the roof and took their positions. Sam and Joaquin launched themselves into the air as soon as they burst through the door, followed by the Ironman suit, who launched from the parking garage once the door opened. Carol Danvers was already out there, her glowing figure speeding towards the incoming aircraft. Immediately, everyone on the roof or in the air took fire from the incoming aircraft as their shots at Danvers were ineffective and they changed course to avoid her. As Wanda suspected, the blue colour of the weaponry indicated a pulse-based system. Tony, from the command centre told those on the roof where to target their shots and sent his suit in closer, sending multiple heat seeking mini missiles towards them. He took out half of their systems on the first try, with Carol doing the same by hand, coming up from underneath the aircraft and grasping the weapon hard enough to pull it off. Winter, Walker, and several staff with sniper training took their time targeting the conventional weapons on the incoming aircraft as they were utilized to rain fire down on the rooftop. Suddenly, a Talon fighter appeared in the sky and began systematically attacking the aircraft, taking two out completely, making them explode and raining debris everywhere. The other aircraft opened their rear doors and rappelling ropes appeared, with multiple personnel coming down.

Jumping up from his position, Winter began running towards them, firing his gun on a controlled pulse setting then reloading on the run. He took a hit in the arm but didn't stop, slinging the firearm and withdrawing a pair of knives from his side holsters. As the first enemy soldier landed on the roof, Winter attacked him with a kick to the middle then began engaging him in hand-to-hand combat. He was joined by Walker, just as ruthless with his efforts. They plowed through one man after another, then Winter grabbed one of the dangling ropes and pulled himself up into the hovering aircraft. Several men were tossed out then Winter appeared in the cockpit and began firing at the other enemy aircraft, using their systems to direct his attempts on the most vulnerable parts of their aircraft, damaging their flight systems. With the resulting damage making their remaining aircraft retreat, he jumped out of the one he had commandeered then contacted Tony and Carol.

"I've commanded one of their aircraft to return to home base. Track it."

As it disappeared into the night with Carol Danvers following it, he glanced meaningfully at Walker, then joined the battle on another part of the roof, firing his weapon with deadly accuracy. Within the hour, they had everyone who had attacked the compound gathered in one area. Medics were going through the compound staff, assessing and treating their injuries as they stood on guard, then several began treating the enemy. About a dozen were dead, covered in foil blankets, but Winter pulled the foil back, looking at their faces, then searched their bodies for birthmarks and Cerberus tattoos, fake or real.

"What are you looking for?" asked Sam, kneeling down beside Winter.

"Clues and anomalies," he said. "Before the mission that took Barnes, I recall there was word of a break-in at Brock Rumlow's grave and the graves of several STRIKE team members that were HYDRA. There was speculation that Cerberus had acquired cloning technology. Those two are exact duplicates of two of those STRIKE team members. I suspect that if Dr. Banner examined them, he would discover they are clones."

"But that break in was only a few months ago," protested Sam. "Could a body be cloned that quickly and be programmed into becoming a soldier?"

"Yes, if they have off-world technology," said Shuri, who had just joined the group. She kneeled down and examined the bodies of the two, then looked at Winter. "You remember them?"

He nodded. "They were present at the Ideal Federal Savings Bank the last time I was programmed." He scanned the faces of several of the injured and uninjured soldiers who were being guarded, then pointed at them. "There are more duplicates of the same two men and one other. We interrogate them first."

Suddenly, one of the men he identified began to foam at the mouth and go into convulsions. Two of the Dora Milaje knocked out several others before they could follow but three succeeded in killing themselves. They had all popped a false tooth, presumably with a cyanide centre, an old HYDRA method of avoiding capture.

"Get the clone bodies, both living and dead to medical," said Sam. "Remove the false tooth from the living ones then take them to interrogation. Advise Dr. Banner that they are likely clones." He looked around then saw Wanda. "We need you to touch their minds. You okay with that?"

She nodded. "Why does she need super soldiers if she can clone ...." A look of horror crossed her face. "She can clone super soldiers. All she needs is a genetic sample of the originals. The same with any enhanced human, even me. She can remove all of the built-in inhibitions of the original and make the clone a monster answerable to her. We have to stop her."

"Get the rest of these guys to security," ordered Sam. He tapped his comms piece in his ear. "Tony, do you have a location for that aircraft Winter sent back?"

"I do and have shared it with SHIELD and the War Dogs," he said. "They are on their way now. Carol is staying to engage with them and keep them occupied until her backup get there. The other aircraft that retreated have rendezvoused about 20 miles from here with a larger force. By what I can pull up on satellite they are reloading with new troops and more aircraft. This was just round one."

"I agree. Everyone, once we clear the roof get to the armoury and reload. This isn't over."

Twenty minutes later they were back on the roof, waiting for the next attack. Wanda stayed with them, as it was deemed more important to protect the compound and her skills would be needed outside. Interrogation of the clones could wait. At least Tony's Tadashi computer protocol had successfully defended Friday from the hacking attempt, and he brought in another layer of the defensive program to continue that. As they waited, Walker cleared his throat, drawing Winter's attention to him. The dark-haired man looked blankly at Walker.

"I just wanted to say that you were something else out there. It was enlightening on many levels." He looked up to the skies. "I have three Medals of Valor, although I never wanted them, and yet you did things that make what I did pale in comparison. I'm sorry for ever doubting you or Barnes, for that matter."

Winter shrugged. "I believe the correct response is Thank you, but it is irrelevant. The next attack may well be successful, and all my efforts will be for naught. As long as Noelle and Winnie Barnes are safe, that is reward enough for me to risk my life."

"Incoming, 5 miles out," crackled Tony's voice in their comms pieces. "I read about 20 aircraft, different configuration than those used in the first attack. I'm sending the suit to engage and see if I can take any out before they get here."

The Ironman suit roared into the night sky, and they watched as it fought the pulses from several of the first line of aircraft. It successfully destroyed two, then a large blue flash hit the suit and it fell from view.

"Well, that's that," said Tony's voice, sounding disappointed. "These weapons are a lot stronger than those used in the first round. They overwhelmed my system. If there isn't too much physical damage, I might be able to reboot the suit and get it back here."

"Just keep us informed," replied Sam's voice. "Joaquin and I are going to try something, see if we can get them to fire at each other." Before anyone said anything about how dangerous that was going to be he added his own comment. "I know, it's risky but if we can't overpower them then we have to use different tactics."

They raced towards the incoming line of aircraft then began using air combat maneuvers, commonly called dog fighting techniques, to stay out of the reach of the weapons but to draw the aircraft into following them. Done properly, they could manipulate the pilots into making a fatal mistake, or even fire on their own aircraft in a crowded airspace which this now was. It was dangerous and both flyers had to be on top of their game to avoid being hit. They managed to draw four of the smaller aircraft into engaging with them and immediately scored a victory as one of the aircraft being manually piloted drifted into the path of a blue pulse, causing the pilot to lose control. That aircraft spiralled down into the nearby reservoir, exploding on entry. Focusing their attention on the remaining three that were following them the two flyers continued their deadly dance.

The Talon fighter, piloted by Ayo, rose up from the grounds near the complex and turned to face the remaining 14 aircraft, which were charging up their pulse weapons, according to Tony. She applied the throttle and flew at top speed towards them. It took a few moments before they realized she was playing chicken with them, for the incoming aircraft suddenly peeled away into two contingents as she went right through, using her weapons to target their undersides which were now fully exposed to the Talon fighter.

"Ha!" Tony yelled in the comms piece. "Sorry, but that was awesome. She's taken out the pulse systems on at least half a dozen of those just with that move. Target their conventional systems."

As the aircraft began their descent towards the compound roof, those assembled began firing at the conventional weapons systems. The better sharpshooters hit their targets, evidenced by the flames and explosions that flew from the underside of the numerous aircraft. When the Talon fighter came back for a second round the remaining aircraft with intact pulse systems regrouped to attack her. Ayo pushed the limits of her aircraft as she undertook some extreme aerobatic maneuvers firing whenever a vulnerable part of the enemy aircraft was visible. Bit by bit, she picked away at her adversaries until Tony announced that all pulse systems were neutralized.

As one, the enemy aircraft began to descend towards the roof and Wanda ran out, forming large red balls of magic then thrusting them at the attackers. Several sorcerers joined her, while forming shields over their own people. Several aircraft came into contact with each other, and there was a mad scramble of ropes with soldiers trying to descend to the roof before they were caught in the resulting explosion. Some couldn't hold on and fell, landing on the roof with loud thuds, then not moving at all. Those who did successfully make it to the roof were immediately under fire, cut down in the open as they were surrounded on all sides. More and more began laying down their weapons, then raising their arms to surrender.

"More aircraft approaching," said Tony's voice, to the groans of everyone on the roof, then he laughed. "They're friendlies. The Cerberus base has been destroyed and Carol's bringing a prisoner."

Several Talon fighters and SHIELD quinjets appeared, with Carol leading them. She carried a woman under one arm, depositing her on the roof then landing right behind her. One of the quinjets landed and an armed guard came out with Sharon Carter and Val de Fontaine ahead of them, both of them in handcuffs. Right behind them was Nick Fury and Dr. Strange. As the first woman got up, then haughtily dusted herself off, Winter went over to her. She said some words to him, but he just shook his head.

"It only works if the recipient believes it will work," he stated. "I always felt sorry for you, Alexandra, for having the father you did. You were always secondary to his true desire for power. That you bought into his delusions is even sadder."

"You, sorry for me? We made you great." She drew herself up to her full height, trying to appear intimidating and in control. "You were the key to success, and you betrayed everything."

"We were HYDRA's slave and whipping boy," he answered, angrily. "You can't betray that which you don't believe in. Even though I performed like a trained seal, I knew the day would come when Barnes and I could break free." He looked at Carol. "Their headquarters?"

"Destroyed," she answered with a smile. "The cloning tanks are buried under tons of rubble, after Dr. Strange tore them apart. So is the weapons factory she had there. Didn't take long to program a feedback loop on the power source to make it blow itself up."

"I have more locations around the world!" Alexandra exclaimed, still trying to appear like she was in charge. "My followers will come for me."

"No, they won't," said Fury. "Your followers that we captured at your headquarters gave you up pretty quickly. Most of them were initially convinced by your dime store hypnosis trick. Like everything your father did, it didn't last long and their loyalty to you ended as soon as it wore off. You'll be going to a new super maximum prison facility, courtesy of some off-world allies. Turns out the cloning technology that you bought from a rogue Ravager was illegal. Nova Corps has been looking for it. That, and your invasion into a previously unknown universe put you on their version of a most wanted list."

"What about us?" asked Fontaine, eyeing how easily John seemed to fit in with the others. "We weren't with her by choice."

"True, but you were willing to do a deal with her, until you found out she wasn't looking for profits and Carter did have a mole who wreaked havoc with our security protocols," replied Fury. "The Raft has plenty of room for both of you." He looked at Walker. "I'm afraid your employer is not going to be able to make your next payroll."

He shook his head and grimaced at Val. "That's alright. I quit. If you would give me a chance to prove myself with the Avengers, I would appreciate it."

Fury nodded. "We'll talk." He looked at the others. "Let's get our prisoners processed and check the damages. If you're injured, report to medical. Once we've got everything squared away, we'll bring your families back."

Like the well-oiled machine the compound usually was, everyone took on a task, as some stayed up top, documenting damage on the roof. Others helped escort the prisoners to security where they had to get Dr. Strange to create a larger holding facility for them. Winter, Walker, and others took weapons back to the armoury, helping the weapons master to check their functions, clean them and store them back in their proper lockers. Carol flew out to where Tony's suit had fallen, bringing it back to his lab for him, Harley Keener and Peter to work on.

It was almost dawn when they finally reached the point where the families could return but Fury ordered them to rest first, reasoning that a couple of hours sleep was needed before their families arrived. Since he was also giving them the day off, he wanted everyone to enjoy the reunion with their loved ones. When the decision was made to start bringing everyone home, the sorcerers created portals from the evacuation centres and the building was filled with the sound of happy reunions. While Walker, Winter, Sam and Dawn waited for Dr. Strange to contact Wong, the former Captain America turned to Sam.

"You didn't say anything when I asked if I could be part of the Avengers," he said, nervously. "Did I overstep my boundaries?"

Sam smiled. "No, but I need to know that you can keep it together. Would you be willing to talk regularly to one of our resident therapists? We all make use of him from time to time. He's very discreet and can help with your PTSD."

The big man nodded. "Yeah, I will. I've tried to deal with it on my own, mostly, but it's hard. Being here felt right. I'll do my best to live up to your expectations."

"No." Sam smiled and shook his head. "Live up to yours. If you do your best and deal responsibly with any bumps along the way, we'll respect that. You did good last night, John. That's all we want from you."

Wong's portal opened and Olivia Walker came out first, carrying her daughter Grace, while Lamar ran to his daddy with his arms outstretched. Walker picked him up, kissing and hugging him, then held his wife close, kissing her. He told her they had to talk and led her to the family quarters that were temporarily assigned to them. Lamar waved goodbye to the others, as they exited the portal. Paul Wilson made a beeline for his parents, and Sam picked him up, lifting him high in the air.

"Did you miss us?" he asked.

"No, we gots to stay on a farm, and it was fun," replied the little boy. "Can we have a cow, and a pony? Uncle Tony said we could have one."

"There really isn't anywhere to put a cow and pony here, buddy," answered Sam, his face covered in a big smile. "But maybe we can find out if there's a farm nearby that we can visit once in a while."

"Okay." Paul turned to Winnie. "He said no but we can visit a farm. Bye Winnie!"

"Bye Paul." The little girl was pulling her little wheeled suitcase but dropped it when she saw Winter and ran towards him. "Papa Winter! We hads fun on a farm. Did you have fun, too?"

"I wouldn't call it that, but it was interesting." He reached for the suitcase, then took the little girl's hand. Noelle smiled at him. "You're alright?"

"We're fine. It was actually a lot of fun for the kids. How was it here? Any casualties?"

"No, not on our end but some were injured. The danger is over and those responsible will be incarcerated."

She nodded as they began walking towards the family quarters. They didn't speak until she placed her palm on the reader, opening the door. Winnie hugged Winter around the knees then ran inside, calling out to her stuffed toys that she was home. Both Winter and Noelle smiled at her joy. He pushed the small suitcase towards her, their fingers barely touching then he nodded his head and prepared to leave.

"You could join us for supper."

"Thank you, I would like that." He turned, then looked back. "I'm glad you're both safe and that you're back. It was empty without all the children, especially Winnie. It was too quiet."

For a moment he wanted to say more but he just smiled and walked away. At first, Winter was going to return to his quarters but instead he accessed one of the exits to the grounds. He began to run, following the path along the reservoir, before slowing down at the other end where he was alone. Then he sat on a large rock that overlooked the water. He pulled the cell phone that had been assigned to him out of his pocket and opened it to the picture gallery. There were numerous pictures of Winnie, that made him smile as he flipped through them. Then he came to a picture of her with Noelle and he hesitated, gazing at the woman who loved Barnes. Closing the gallery, he pocketed the cell phone and prepared to return then a feeling of strong emotion enveloped him, and he hit the rock with his metal hand, cracking it into three pieces. As he struggled to deal with this out of control feeling he realized something. He wasn't just physically attracted to Noelle Barnes; he was in love with her, and it was making him feel sick. Taking his phone out again, he texted her.

Sorry, I forgot I had other plans. Can we have dinner another time?

The response was quick. Sure, we can do it some other day.

Then he stayed at the rock, alternating his gaze between it and the water until it became dark, and he heard the sound of someone in the air, gliding towards him. Sam landed, and in the light of the moon, knew right away something was wrong. He said nothing but noted the damaged rock. After some time, Winter looked up at the man who had become his friend.

"I'm in love with Noelle," he said, his agony evident in his voice. "What do I do?"

Sam sighed. It was something that he and Noelle had discussed at the beginning. At first, he had been worried for Noelle but now, seeing how this realization was affecting Winter, his sympathies lay with this man, who was not equipped to deal with such a strong emotion. He sat next to him and put his arm around the man's shoulders. Somehow, he would get him through this.

Chapter 18>>

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[marymary-diva17]

Respect my mom

Family is everything to many people, and many things are essential among family members. That was true for a family of navi and dream walkers, as their bond is strong, and they will always be there to protect each other. 

Y/n " Kids, kids... Where did they all go."

???? " Yes, mom." You soon saw upie kids walking toward you.

Y/n " There you are, my children. I was wondering where you all had gotten off to."

Neteyam: " We had gotten down to the beach to wash up, Mom."

Y/N: " Well, good job, my kids. All of you are looking beautiful and handsome as always." 

Loak: " Thank you, Mom. We have been living in the reef for a couple of months, and now that you are here, we want to ensure we do our best."

Y/n "That's good to hear, my boy." 

Spider: " Aonung and his siblings, along with other kids from the village here, have asked us and other kids from our clan if we wish to hang out with them."

Y/N: " That is wonderful. I'm happy to see you all getting along."

Kiri: " Yeah, and they said there will also be kids from other clans. I'm seeing how some clans will come here to meet with dads and everyone else."

Y/n " Well, all of you have fun today and stay together."

Tuk: " What about you, mommy? What are you going to do?"

Y/n: "I must help your uncle Norm set up the base. We had been able to find that the avatar program used it. We need to make sure everything is up and running."

Tuk: " Can I come with you? I can be your helper."

Y/N: " Sure, baby girl, you don't mind missing hanging out with everyone else."

Tuk: "I'm okay with that, Mommy, and it seems like it's for the older kids."

Y/n "Okay, then you can come with me, sweetie."

Y/n: " I still need you all to stay safe today or somewhat away from too much danger or trouble."

Neteyam: " Yes, ma'am. I and the spider will make sure  nothing bad happens."

Y/n " I know you boys will now go have some fun." 

Loak: " Bye, Mom, and Tuk."The kids soon took off running, and you smiled, happy to see they had found some happiness here. 

Y/N: " Come on, baby girl. Let's get going."You grabbed Tuk's hand and walked towards you, Ikran. 

Jake: " Hey there, my beautiful girls."

Tuk " Daddies."

Neytiro: " Hello, ma y/n and ma ite. Where are you two going?"

Tuk: " I'm going to help Mama at the new base."

Y/n " Yes, you are my helper."

Neytiro " Will that be safe for her, ma yawne."

Y/N " It will be safe; my husband and daughter wish to help."

Neytiro: "Okay, what about the older kids."

Y/n: " They are hanging out with the reef kids of the clan; they seemed happy about it."

Jake: " Good, as we have a meeting with tsu'tey with tonowari and all the other leaders about the RDA and humans."

Y/N: " Well, good luck, and I will see you later today."Your husbands soon left, and you and Tuk headed towards the base.

Hours later 

Norm: " Tuk has been a perfect helper around here."

Y/n " Yes, she is. I love being with my kids again. Being away from them so long was hard."

Norm: "I love being with my kids and tsu'tey again. It seems like the older kids are having fun as well."

Y/n " Yes, they are, as we remember. They were having some hard times, but that seems over."

??? " mom."

Y/n " Loak, you are here, I thought...loak." you soon looked towards your son to see that he had been in a fight, not him but his brother and some older kids. 

Norm: " What happened?" Tuk and many adults had come over to see the kids. 

Loak " Well, as you see, there a fight happened."

Y/n " Yes, I can see that, my son, but what happened."All the older kids had looked at each other. 

Kiri: " It started at the party, Mom."

Y/n " Kiri, you got involved as well."

Kiri: " Yes, I did, but it was all started by some foolish teens."

Loak: "Aonung was asking about our family and clan when some chief son called you a demon that corrupted sempu. His bloodline was full of demon kids and demons in the clan as well."

Spider: " We told him to show you, and everyone respected when he said that he and others shall never respect demons." 

Neteyam: " Then the boy decided to shove loak, and a fight soon broke out when loak punched the boy back."

Y/N: " Okay, and I'm guessing your fathers and many other adults also broke up the fight."

Kids: " Yes."

Neteyam: "We had come here after the fight ended, as our fathers told us and the reef kids to leave and cool down for our bad behavior. "You soon saw tonowari kids standing there with some other reef kids. 

Y/n " I know your dad will scold you for this later on, but right now, why don't you all help us out here until the sun starts to set." The kids had nodded their heads towards your offer.

Loak: " Mom, I'm sorry. I promised to stop getting into fights, and now I have disappointed you."

Y/n "It's okay, my boy. As you stood up for yourself, you knew your grandfather would have been proud of you and everyone else. We must ensure we don't always fight and use our words."

Loak " Yes, mon, what about dads and all the other adults."

Y/n " We can worry about that later, my son. No, why don't you and tsireya reorganize yourselves over there? It will give you enough time to talk with one other."

Loak: " Thanks, Mom, you're the best."Loak has run off to join with tsireya as all the kids got to work. Many things had been learned that day, as the reef kids had gotten to know you and the other adults more and how the families acted. The kids got scolded for their actions, and there was some grounding as well, but you had been able to calm down your husbands and everyone else, earning some respect as well.

[abarbaricyalp]

For the @sambuckylibrary Anniversary Bingo!

I've always wondered what it was that happened between Endgame and TFATWS to separate Sam and Bucky (other than bad writing) I don't think I really found an answer, but it was fun to ponder a little bit of their mental state during those six months and the fallout afterwards

Never Hit Send, Never Called Again

Sam had clocked the phone instantly in Raynor’s pseudo-office, pseudo-session. Some old flip-phone nonsense that he’d only ever seen Bucky use for nefarious goings-on. He’d flashed it at her during some argument about how reachable he was. Actually, her exact words had been ‘accessible’ which Sam didn’t like at all. Still, that phone was not Bucky’s regular phone. He’d seen the sleek thing he used to play music and also that bird game that definitely wasn’t still available to download. The one he added Sarah’s number to after much complaining from Sam and one flash of his dumb puppy eyes that only came out every now and then as he said, “What if something happens to you? I should be able to contact her.”

Despite the rest of the insanity in the ensuing months, the phone hadn’t left Sam’s mind. Or, if it did, it came back at the oddest times, like when he was stuck at a red light or when Bucky appeared on the docks like some Byronic hero getting over his own bullshit. He wasn’t sure how to bring it up. He wasn’t even sure if Bucky still had it. Something had changed after that last meeting with Raynor. It was as if Bucky was caught in the moment between a world he’d been living in for six months and following Sam into a new one.  He’d chosen Sam then, even while they were both pissed at each other, even while his pardon hung in the balance, even when he hadn’t chosen Sam for half a year before. Something shifted and Sam wasn’t sure if whatever shady things Bucky had been doing went with it. The phone didn’t even make an appearance in Madripoor.

Still, one warm, lazy afternoon in Louisiana, while Bucky was in the shower, Sam thought of the phone again. Bucky had left his jeans thrown over Sam’s bed and Sam only hesitated for a few seconds before digging through absurdly large pockets for such tight pants until he came up with the phone. There was no kind of password protection on it. Sam wasn’t sure something this simple had the option.

The storage was minimal. There was a call log, a message center, and some kind of tracking program that he pointedly ignored. He navigated to the messages, where strings of unsaved numbers exchanged never more than a handful of texts. Except for two strings with Sam’s number.

In Bucky’s real phone, Sam was saved as Birdbrain and there was some unattractive photo of him shoving a hotdog in his mouth saved as the contact picture. Their messages consisted of travel plans, pictures of Sarah, Cass, and AJ, and a running joke about pigeons and raccoons. Maybe a few plans about dinner or a complaint about someone they worked with.

The first one on this phone–Sam–had nothing from the past several months. In fact, the texts stopped shortly after John Walker’s announcement as the new Captain America. Oddly enough, despite this not being the number Sam had ever had, the texts he’d sent Bucky in the months after the Battle of Earth were logged in it.

[October 25 2023] Landed safely in La. I’ll call tomorrow.

[October 26 2023] Hey, text me when you see this.

[October 31 2023] I checked with Pepper Potts. I know you’re not dead. Answer my calls.

[November 2 2023] Okay, you’re ignoring me. Fine. I can be more irritating than you are stubborn.

[November 5 2023] The world is weird. Someone moved into my brother’s old house while he was gone.

[November 5 2023] He’s a lot like you. Hiding out in New York instead of coming home. He can’t answer a text either.

[November 17 2023] What are you doing with your time? The Air Force reached out. Without the Avengers, they figure it’s a waste for me not to use the wings.

[November 17 2023] That’s crazy right? They’re the ones who locked them up in the first place.

[November 17 2023] I mean, it’s only been a month.

[November 22 2023] Any Thanksgiving plans? You know, if you don’t want to cook, lots of people get Chinese food. I knew someone who sat in the movie theater all day.

[November 22 2023] Could come down here too. Always an open invite.

[November 23 2023] If this is about Steve, you’re being an asshole. I lost him too.

[December 25 2023] Merry Christmas, asshole.

[January 1 2024] and a happy new year too

[January 12 2024] I need your opinion on something, so answer my damn calls.

[January 13 2024] You know what. Nevermind. It doesn’t involve you anyway.

[January 13 2024] I don’t know why I’m sitting here thinking we’re some kind of team. Why I’m trying to base any of my decisions around you. You gave up any say you’d get in the matter by throwing the most high school level bitchfit for no damn reason.

[January 13 2024] You could at least tell me what I did wrong. We were friends, Barnes. Don’t act like we weren’t. You were the only thing I had and I know I damn sure was the only thing you had.

[January 13 2024] I was thinking ahead and you were always there in those plans. What am I supposed to do now?

[February 22 2024] This is your last chance to say something before I don’t wanna hear it anymore.

[February 23 2024] fine.

Rereading them again, embarrassment and anger welled in his chest in equal measure but opposite directions. He’d been so lost after the Battle. Losing Steve had come out of left field, but the week after, while all of the clean up and pardon work and Blip nonsense was worked out, had made him feel like he could actually get through it because Bucky had been right beside him, a grouchy but solid shadow that made sure he was never near a cliff and never alone.

Sam had offered for Bucky to come to Louisiana with him, but the other man hadn’t even entertained the idea. He had some pretty words for how long he’d been gone from New York and he just needed to get home as much as Sam did and but, hey, send him pictures of the beach. Maybe Sam had realized right then that something wasn’t right, that Bucky was scheming something. While he was angry at Bucky’s disappearance, he wasn’t really surprised. Once he had confirmation from Pepper Potts that Bucky was alive and active–and not taken by Hydra or killed by some old foe or victim–he knew that there’d be no talking Bucky down to Louisiana or back into a team with him.

He’d wanted that so badly. After all the time they’d spent together, after all the bullshit they’d gone through together, he wanted Bucky next to him. He hadn’t imagined it. Him and Bucky, once they got past their posturing, worked well together. Bucky gave him something, brought something out in him, that he hadn’t had before. The childish, playful banter, the steadfast devotion, the support to do the things that left their hands dirty. Steve was great, the other side of Sam’s coin he thought sometimes, but it wasn’t everything. He wanted Bucky back so badly, it was like a gnawing wound in his chest, exacerbated by rejection and doubt.

Sam had reread his texts to Bucky hundreds of times over those months. He knew what they said. He knew Bucky had never answered.

Except.

On this phone? On the second text thread called STW?

There were response boxes. Not always immediately from Sam’s texts and rarely in relation to what Sam said anyway, but there were responses.

[October 25 2023] sam

[October 25 2023] hey

[October 25 2023] good

[October 25 2023] you deserve to be home

[November 1 2023] i’m sorry

[November 1 2023] it’s not about you

[November 1 2023] i mean i guess it kind of is. you’re just so good sam

[November 1 2023] i don’t know what i’m doing. I haven’t even gone outside. i have these nightmares. i barely sleep. i don’t have furniture. you don’t need this kind of bullshit while you’re trying to rebuild your life

[November 15 2023] the therapy is um it’s weird man. steve talked a lot about what you did at the va. this isn’t like that. i think she keeps trying to ‘tough love’ me but i don’t like her enough for it to stick

[November 16 2023] it’s my fault you know. all of this. it could only be me who did what i did as the winter soldier. no one else was like me. no one else survived

[November 16 2023] how am i supposed to make up for that

[November 24 2023] i saw you on the news. no rest for the righteous huh

[November 24 2023] you looked really good. you did really good. the whole world should be proud of you

[December 25 2023] Merry Christmas, Sam.

[December 27 2023] i started trying. to stop the things i set into motion. uh. it’s not really helping. at least it doesn’t feel good. actually it kind of feels like i’m falling down a whirlpool in the middle of a black ocean. there’s so much to fix. so much misery that’s out there because of me. it feels like a chore too not like a need or a desire. checking boxes to get a good grade or something

[December 28 2023] sam i’m so tired

[January 2 2024] do you remember that day in wakanda when you first came out to my little place instead of staying in the palace? you complained about the blanket i was using because we couldn’t share it then decided that it didn’t matter because i was too hot anyway? you cuddled that baby goat almost the whole time you were there

[January 2 2024] sam i think i’ve been gone on you for a while

[January 2 2024] that’s why i can’t come back. you’re doing too much good. you’re changing things. you’ve got a beautiful family who loves you. i can’t get in your way. i’d just bring you down with me.

[January 2 2024] i’ve been doing a lot of crashing recently and it’s like a wrecking ball falling over, just takes everything else with it.

“What are you doing?” Bucky asked from behind him, interrupting Sam’s reading.

He stamped down the knee-jerk reaction to whirl around and hide the phone. He turned deliberately and held it up. At once, a thousand questions ran through his head. Somehow, the one that made it out was, “Why don’t you have auto-capitalization on?”

Bucky’s eyebrows rose just a little. There was a simmering anger on his face, but below that was a scared animal look as he checked for quick exits. “Why do you have that out?”

“Rasputin was calling to set up your golf date. Why are my texts on here?”

Bucky scowled and he crossed the room to swipe the phone from Sam’s hand. For someone wearing Sam’s old basics sweats and a t-shirt that had seen its fair share of summer projects, he still looked like a dangerous storm cloud. “It’s none of your business. I was keeping your contact attempts close.”

Sam’s eyes narrowed. “You were getting my texts twice over and you still ignored me? Actually, you didn’t ignore me. You were answering me, you were talking to me, but you were too chicken shit to actually send it.”

“You didn’t need to see that shit,” Bucky snapped. “You weren’t supposed to see it.”

“I needed to see all of it! I needed to hear from you!” Sam objected. “I was practically begging you to answer me!”

“I didn’t have any answers, Sam!” Bucky insisted. He shoved the phone down into his duffel bag and made to sling it over his shoulder, even though his jeans were still behind Sam and his boots were under the bed.

“Don’t even try it,” Sam bit out, yanking the bag away from Bucky. “You don’t get to run and go MIA again. Those days are behind you. I’m not taking it a third time.”

Bucky’s bright, stony eyes flicked between Sam and his bag before he gave up the fight. If he wanted to, Sam knew he could easily get by him, grab his bag, and leave. He could indispose Sam in a hundred ways. Make a dozen new escape paths. But he didn’t. Instead, he took a step back, then another, kept going until he hit the edge of the dresser and then stopped. “The first time was hardly about you,” he pointed out.

Anger and rejection and that old loneliness burst against Sam’s heart finally. It filled up his ribs until it could climb in his throat, and hot tears pricked at his eyes. He willed them away because he was not going to cry about this so long after the fact. “I needed you. Why didn’t you answer?”

“I told you, I wasn’t going to spend the rest of your life hurting you or dragging you down with me. I didn’t think the pardon would stick. I thought the past would keep hunting me. I know what people think of me. And, after the battle, I lost who I was. In the silence, in the stillness, I wanted a new fight.”

“I needed you,” Sam repeated from between his teeth. “That’s all bullshit. I needed you. You’d been there and then you left without a damn word. And now you’ve come back. Where are all those fears now, Barnes?”

Bucky blinked a few times, opened his mouth to say something but didn’t. His fingers curled on the lip of the dresser as he looked away from Sam, down to the ground. “I finally figured out you were more important than the fear.

“Sam, I’m sorry,” Bucky rushed to say before Sam could respond. “I was selfish. Unbelievably so. I masked it all as concern for you–which it was!--but I know now it was to protect myself too. I-I didn’t want to hurt you because I thought if I did, I’d lose you too. And I know I did anyway. I pulled the trigger myself. I thought it’d hurt less if I did it. One more thing in a long list. I’m sorry I put you in the crossfires. I’m sorry about all of it.”

Sam stared at him. He wished he still had the phone in his hand because at least then he’d be curling his fingers around it instead of digging his nails into his own palm. “No,” he said.

“No?” Bucky asked.

Sam stalked across the room to him, put himself right into Bucky’s space because he had nowhere to go against the dresser. “You wanted to hurt yourself and you didn’t care if you hurt me in the process.”

“Sam, that’s not–”

“You wanted to keep some happiness or security away from yourself and you didn’t give a fuck that you were keeping it from me too.”

“I never meant–”

“You didn’t think about me at all, Barnes! That’s the problem. I was in your face for months and you still couldn’t think of me.”

He realized suddenly that Bucky’s fingers were around his wrists and his own hands were pressing knuckles into Bucky’s chest. He forced his arms to relax. Bucky moved his hands just enough to keep him from digging into his chest. 

“You’re right,” he admitted in a breath. “I knew you were looking for something from me and I purposely kept myself from you. I wanted you to be able to find it away from me. I wanted you to be happy here. To be happy with Torres. To be happy with the Air Force. When you got your life put back together, I thought you had. I didn’t know… I didn’t know you still needed me. I wanted you not to need me.”

“You were the only person in the world who could understand,” Sam breathed. He stared at a spot on Bucky’s shoulder instead of at his face. “We disappeared together, came back together, had Steve, didn’t have Steve, fought the same battles, survived the same things, went on the run, went into hiding. How could I ever not need you next to me? Or even 1300 miles away, but at least close enough to text?”

Bucky’s breath stuttered as he let it out. “I’m so sorry, Sam. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Hey.” He let go of one of Sam’s hands to raise his face up. “I’m never going anywhere again until you tell me to. You’ve got me now.”

And the sentiment would be sweet in any other circumstance, but Sam’s trust was still smarting something serious and all the things he’d been trying not to think about since March seemed to have just festered and grown. Six months of anger and worry and self doubt, doubled in size now. 

The way they had been over these last few months–even when they were under each other’s feet, arguing about everything but the actual problem–had been exactly what Sam had been longing for. Now he knew he hadn’t had it at all because Bucky had the emotional regulation of a six year old. They’d been living together long enough for Sam to never want to lose this again and it could’ve happened almost a year ago. They could have a house or an apartment by now. 2.5 cats and a grocery subscription service. All of the maybes and wishes of these terrible nine months could’ve eased so much of the heartache and uncertainty.

“Why couldn’t you just talk to me?” Sam asked. “I just needed to hear from you.”

“I’m sorry,” Bucky said again. “I was selfish and misguided. I promise I’ll do better.”

Sam held onto Bucky’s right wrist, smoothing his thumb over the racing pulse point there. If nothing else, Bucky had proven himself steady since March, even though the tumultuous beginning. But Sam had thought he was steady after the Blip too until he’d disappeared.

“I know it sounds bad right now,” Bucky added. “But if you need space–”

“No,” Sam said quickly. “Don’t leave. Not again.”

Bucky visibly relaxed. He nodded and then pulled Sam the last half foot to his chest, snaring an arm around his waist and pressing his forehead to Sam’s. He smelled like Sam’s bodywash, which was still weird even after all this time, and the warmth of the shower and an embarrassed worried flush sank into Sam’s bones instantly. “I’d come back this time. As soon as you asked,” Bucky said.

“You don’t have to if you don’t leave,” Sam insisted softly. “You’ve got a lot of time to make up for. Don’t add any more to your tab.”

Bucky huffed out the beginnings of a chuckle and nodded, forehead rocking against Sam’s. “I can do that, Sammy,” he promised. “Anything you need.”

And, yeah, maybe it was a need. It certainly felt like one, had for a while now. But more than that, it was a want. He wanted Bucky around and that ached more in his chest. Instead of admitting that, he just said, “This is a good start,” and held Bucky tighter.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Coronavirus vaccines, once free, are now pricey for uninsured people - Published Sept 3, 2024

As updated coronavirus vaccines hit U.S. pharmacy shelves, adults without health insurance are discovering the shots are no longer free, instead costing up to $200.

The federal Bridge Access Program covering the cost of coronavirus vaccines for uninsured and underinsured people ran out of funding. Now, Americans with low incomes are weighing whether they can afford to shore up immunity against an unpredictable virus that is no longer a public health emergency but continues to cause long-term complications and hospitalizations and kill tens of thousands of people a year.

The program’s elimination marks the latest tear in a safety net that once ensured people could protect themselves against the coronavirus regardless of their financial situation. Health experts worry that the paltry 22 percent rate of adults staying up-to-date on vaccines will erode further. And they fear that the roughly 25 million people without health insurance in the nation will be especially vulnerable to covid because they tend to be in poorer health and avoid medical care when sick.

Nicole Savant, a 33-year-old part-time paralegal and dog walker, lost her Medicaid benefits last year when her income rose. She wants the latest shot because she knows people who died of covid before the vaccines became available and because she faces a higher risk of severe disease being overweight.

She was floored when she was quoted $201.99 at an appointment to receive the vaccine at a St. Louis-area CVS. She wasn’t sure if she even had that much money in her bank account.

“I have so little money, and I have other needs as well, like monthly medications,” said Savant, who doubts she will get the vaccine if she has to pay out of pocket. “I would hope for the best, which I really don’t want to do.”

At least 34 million doses of last year’s vaccine were administered to adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 1.5 million were funded through the Bridge Access Program, which was originally set to end this December, allowing vaccinations ahead of the usual winter wave.

But it expired ahead of schedule because Congress rescinded $6.1 billion in coronavirus emergency spending authority as part of a deal to avert a government shutdown. Congress also declined to fund the Biden administration’s proposal for a Vaccines for Adults program that could provide routine immunizations, including for the coronavirus, for free, similar to an existing Vaccines for Children program.

Private insurers, along with the Medicare and Medicaid government programs, are required to pay for coronavirus vaccines. The Bridge Access Program offered a backup option for people encountering insurance snags.

The CDC said it identified an additional $62 million to buy coronavirus vaccines targeting the latest variants for distribution through state and local health agencies — which local officials say is a sliver of the overall need. CDC spokeswoman Jasmine Reed said the partnership with state and local officials can provide shots to 1 million insured and underinsured Americans.

Raynard Washington, who leads the Mecklenburg County health department in North Carolina, said it’s difficult for financially strapped health agencies to tap their own funds for coronavirus vaccines. Under CDC contracts, health officials spend $78 a dose for the vaccine from the drug company Moderna and pay $100 for the version from Pfizer-BioNTech, compared with $15 to $20 for flu shots.

Washington, who also leads the Big Cities Health Coalition, an organization representing metropolitan health departments, said vaccine manufacturers should charge health departments less to help vaccinate more people without insurance.

“What’s at stake is we are reverting back to a system where a person’s financial ability to be able to pay will determine their ability to be healthy,” Washington said.

Pfizer and Moderna said their vaccines would be available through patient assistance programs that offer free vaccines, but spokespeople did not offer details on the scope and eligibility of those programs. Novavax, whose vaccine was approved by regulators last week, said it does not have a patient assistance program for the upcoming fall season. Moderna and Novavax did not respond to questions about the rate they charge health officials. Pfizer defended its pricing practices.

“Pfizer has priced the vaccine to ensure the price is consistent with the value delivered and with the goal of uninterrupted access for every American,” the company said in a statement provided by spokesman Kit Longley.

Community health centers that often provide low-cost care to uninsured people administered 24 million shots when the federal government provided them, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers. Now, the facilities will have to scale back those programs and rely on local health officials for vaccines, some of whom would have little to share, said Luis Padilla, the association’s chief health officer.

“This country doesn’t provide enough for public health infrastructure and resources,” Padilla said.

The approval of updated coronavirus vaccines on Aug. 22 sent some Americans dashing to get shots before the end of the month. The CDC webpage about the Bridge Access Program, until Friday, said it ended in August without making clear it funded only the previous vaccines, which could no longer be administered after the new shots were authorized.

Adrianna Ruiz, 32, and their girlfriend showed up Wednesday to a CVS appointment in Atlanta hoping to get vaccinated before a Labor Day weekend cross-country road trip to California to help a friend with cancer move their belongings.

Ruiz lost insurance after getting laid off from a nonprofit job in July but believed the vaccine would be free based on the CDC website. But a CVS employee confirmed the program was no longer in effect. Ruiz gets about $300 in weekly unemployment benefits.

“If I want to eat and pay bills, then I can’t afford to pay $200,” Ruiz said.

Instead of getting new shots, Ruiz looked up options to enroll in subsidized insurance plans during the road trip. And the precautions they are embracing on the journey, including taking a PCR test before embarking, wearing N95 respiratory masks at gas stations and packing lunches to eat on picnic blankets in parks, have become more urgent.

Shannon Donnell, a critical care nurse in New York, plans to eat the out-of-pocket costs of an updated coronavirus vaccine. She works on contract without health benefits and said the plans she qualified for through the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace were too costly with $500 monthly premiums and a $5,000 deductible.

She believes in the urgency of vaccines after watching covid patients die while she worked in Manhattan during the devastating surge in spring 2020 and later cared for unvaccinated patients struggling to breathe in a Texas covid intensive care unit right as the shots arrived. Coronavirus patients no longer flood the intensive care units where she now works, but when they arrive, they are often immunocompromised or unvaccinated.

“It feels like health-care workers are still being left to fend for ourselves in many ways,” Donnell, 48, said. “No one is stepping up to say, ‘Hey, I’ll cover that for you’ before you go into your shift of covering covid patients.”

The Bridge Access Program also extended an opportunity for free coronavirus vaccines to international visitors and undocumented immigrants, who have limited health insurance options.

Vasu, a 56-year-old undocumented and uninsured immigrant in Chicago, hoped to get vaccinated again after hearing about friends getting sick, including one in his 30s whose symptoms lasted for months, and after the outbreak at the Democratic National Convention. A friend offered to pay for her vaccine when Vasu lamented in a Facebook message that the end of the Bridge Access Program left her “screwed.”

“We are talking about a large group of people who are going to lose access or are too nervous about accessing vaccines,” said Vasu, who spoke on the condition she be identified only by a middle name to avoid the scrutiny of immigration authorities. “The government keeps saying it’s your responsibility to be vaccinated. But you are not making it easy.”

The changing landscape for the coronavirus vaccine stands in stark contrast to 2021 and 2022 when free shots were widely distributed. But the urgency of vaccination has subsided as the virus’s toll lessens now that nearly every American has built up immunity from previous infections or shots and hospitals are no longer overwhelmed. People 65 and older, who are at the highest risk of severe illness and death, qualify for free vaccines through Medicare.

Still, health officials recommend young and middle-aged adults receive updated coronavirus vaccines because most Americans have risk factors for complications and because the vaccine reduces the threat of the lingering debilitating symptoms of long covid.

Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said the success of the early distribution of coronavirus vaccines “showed us what can be done when you make vaccines accessible and easy to get.”

“But that shifted now,” she added. “We are back to the traditional health-care system we’ve had, and the struggles we’ve had in that health-care system.”

[ruinsversearchive]

Hannah the Killer

Hannah the Killer was created by @/LullabyTheNightmare / just_a_scream on Instagram. Hannah Weber is the Ruinsverse variant of Hannah the Killer. She does take inspiration from Hannah Hawkins too. I wanted to make her vibes more tactical, kind of post-apocalyptic, to stand out compared to Nina. Her insanely long side bangs solely exist to reference her old twin pigtails.

Synopsis: Hannah Weber was dealt a rough life from a young age; her mom walked out on her dad when she was 4. Hannah was constantly on the move until she was 8. In those chaotic years, she learned to care for herself and had complete access to the Internet. Unlike Nina, who got involved with online communities, Hannah taught herself about computer programming. As she got older, she learned to modify devices and began fixing other students' devices for money. Her mom was barely home, although Hannah didn't mind. She wasn't too fond of her mother after abandoning her dad. Hannah met Vicky during middle school and decided Vicky was her platonic soulmate. She tolerated Vicky's new friends and family but only cared/liked them because Vicky did. After high school, Hannah immediately enlisted in the military to leave her mom.

Hannah took time off to attend Vicky's small "union" party. It was here where Vicky, Hannah, Janette, Johnathan Ross, David, and Elizabeth Arkensaw were kidnapped and held hostage by Jeff, Lius, and Aiden. Hannah survived physical torture with chemical burns on her back and arms and a gash from her chin to her upper mouth. She was able to recover relatively quickly, however, she was dismissed from duty due to her mental health. Hannah was very aggressive and hostile after her recovery. She began setting fires, proclaiming it calmed her nerves, which got her in trouble after it got out of control. She retreated into isolation in the woods, experimenting with different types of weapons. Rosemary located and encouraged Hannah into the lifestyle as a bounty hunter.

Relationships:

Vicky is the only person Hannah views as a complex person with wants and feelings, and she's the only one Hannah genuinely cares for. Hannah will always protect Vicky as she views her as a platonic soulmate.

Hannah was never fond of Janette (Jane Arkensaw). She found the brunette too eccentric, too loud, and insecure. She described her as a broken Victorian doll, aesthetically pleasing yet empty in her journal.

Autumn is seen as being nice and sweet, like a flower. That's all. Though Hannah did find her photography interesting with its morbid depictions, Autumn was too naive in her mind.

— Rosemary was a good partner in crime for Hannah, but when she broke the alliance, Rosemary began leaving too many murder cases around their hideout.

The Walker brothers are number one on Hannah's hit list for kidnapping and torturing her. It brushed her ego. And now she's going to kill them for being so thoughtless.

Randy and Aiden are insufficient for Hannah. Yes, Aiden was a good pawn, but he was too clingy for her liking.

Susan is another useful ally of Hannah. The two are a good team with no emotional attachments. They have a bounty; they collect and part ways.

The Ghost Agents are a nuisance to Hannah. Janine is always preaching about the law, and Jane Doe tries playing the therapist.

Jeff's followers are pathetic and dumb in Hannah's view. She will not hesitate and will kill them.Amy or IronFang is a potential threat to Hannah as she often threatens Vicky. IronFang used to stay away from Hannah when Rosemary was her partner in crime.