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#people under 35 still not vaccinated here what the fuck
liminalweirdo · 3 years
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Landlords are the scum of the earth ANYWAY, but landlords who don’t allow pets ought to be taken ‘round back and shot. I’m so goddamn sick of this bullshit.
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d-criss-news · 4 years
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Royalties Soundtrack Listening Event | Darren Criss Chat (July 7th, 2020)
Darren Criss 18:02:04
wait ha
Darren Criss 18:02:08
sorry yall
Darren Criss 18:02:12
this is confusing me of course
Darren Criss 18:02:29
this is new for me too friends
Darren Criss 18:02:45
well i'm here but I can't hear shit so gimme a sec
Darren Criss 18:04:00
well I'll just keep typing here guys
Darren Criss 18:04:04
bro
Darren Criss 18:04:07
wilma
Darren Criss 18:04:15
i'm tryin
Darren Criss 18:04:57
21kxuv372ubcprrbpiefadt6i
What was your favorite song to write for the show?
They each were really fun so that's hard to say but Hate That I Need You surprised the hell outta me
Darren Criss 18:05:30
bettic72
darren non capisco un cazzo
anchio pero sti cazzi siamo qui
Darren Criss 18:05:49
genevievephillips
point and laugh at darren
yes let's laugh at him
Darren Criss 18:06:18
2162bkuccm7xje6yfgmuzrnyq
You inspired me to write my own songs 🥺👉🏼👈🏼
thanks for writing the first positive thing I've seen on this. That's wonderful! I hope to hear them!
Darren Criss 18:06:43
clo :)
i love that we are all grandparents when it comes to this
thank you for using the appropriate WE pronouns ha yeah this shit is confusing
Darren Criss 18:08:44
zcvmtsgee5mom80oxeesa4v11
Darren how do you deal with stage fright .... i’ve been preforming in front of people for a while and i i still get scared . Does it ever go away ?
i guess it depends on how big the crowd is. everybody's different but I will say any kind of fright means you care, which is a good thing! Also the thing people forget about performing, for the most part, is you can't SEE the audience, most of the time they're in the dark. That's why performing for friends or in a small space where you can see everyone is much more nerve-racking
Darren Criss 18:08:57
Dana
Darren can we have a royalties tour once rona is over???
wouldn't that be fun!
Darren Criss 18:09:15
emilybutcher30
darren can you start streaming on twitch please haha i love you
ha can't compete with King Urie man
Darren Criss 18:10:06
jake2000w
Darren, I know it’s all weird right now, but do you have any idea when we might see Nerdy Prudes Must Die?
what a good question. I have no idea but I've been wanting to see that show for almost as long as I've wanted to make Royalties. The boys have been talking about that one for a while now.
Darren Criss 18:10:16
jesiqseigle56
Can you like respond .
like yeah
Darren Criss 18:10:27
abbyforsmark
has Darren even said anything on this?
nope nothing
Darren Criss 18:12:39
u6iczx4gua0att2g4kd2vdzwe
Did you write each of the songs with the performers in mind or did you cast them afterwards?
great question. Except for "Also You," which was written with Jackie Tohn for Jackie Tohn, we had no idea who would sing each song. I did the demos for almost all of them and then we had to pitch actors/artists to see if they'd be interested... which wasn't as hard (luckily) as seeing if they were AVAILABLE... which many weren't given the short time we had to make the show. Hopefully we can get some of those folks on for the next season IF THEY'LL LET US HAVE ONE!
Darren Criss 18:13:52
delfi
darren royalties is so good i'm fucking proud of you
thanks for watching it, truly. I know the Quibi thing is strange for people so I appreciate you giving it all a chance : )
Darren Criss 18:14:04
Caitlyn A :)
if you see this kick your shoes off
I would but no shoes
Darren Criss 18:14:27
t59glm18dkw84n64l72jcuvpc
come to the uk challenge
god i wish.
Darren Criss 18:15:39
damn someone said "travel to UK challenge" and I meant to respond "find a vaccine challenge"
Darren Criss 18:17:08
i can't hear any of these songs but I"m just gonna start saying random shit about them
Darren Criss 18:17:16
first off, i really wanted a theme song
Darren Criss 18:17:23
that was a whole thing
Darren Criss 18:19:18
Had to cut through a lot of red tape to make sure we had that silly song in there. We were already in the middle of post production when I finally got it approved, but it had to be under 15 seconds. I wrote 3 diff versions. So glad it ended up working. Theme songs accomplish so much in such a short period of time. Establishes tone. Gives the audience an almost Pavlovian response to the familiarity of the characters... I'm happy with it
Darren Criss 18:20:12
also the "doo doo doo" lyrics are meant to sound like "scratch vocals" when songwriters record vocals with temporary gibberish lyrics with the intent of filling them in with real ones later
Darren Criss 18:22:29
Just That Good was a concept that started the entire 1st season, and it was one of those instant-songs where Nick and Matt told me the title and I immediately had the hook just from those words. That only happens every once in a while and I was so happy it did for that song. The tricky part was writing the rest of it, but the back half of the song with the chorus repeating that one refrain over and over- that was the melody from the get go
Darren Criss 18:23:08
I'll get back to Break it In, kick your shoes/let your hair, and kong later... i'll just go off on this one
Darren Criss 18:23:48
so I wanted to nod to the grandeur of everyone's favorite vampire elf, Jared Leto
Darren Criss 18:24:05
not HIM specifically, but 30 seconds to mars' very BIG music videos
Darren Criss 18:24:29
i dont jared is a buncha self centered nutcases like our guys in SWITCHBACK JACKET
Darren Criss 18:24:37
* i don't think Jared... 
Darren Criss 18:25:38
anyway yeah "so much better..." comes from a lot of the 90s alt rock that I grew up on, and the mix of that sound with a bit of electronic production was an effort to contemportize it as much as possible
Darren Criss 18:26:26
but the rhythm guitar, lots of power chords and high octaves were all harkening to my fave bands like Lit and Eve 6... but put through a strange bizzaro nickleback/creed performance filter
Darren Criss 18:26:55
"make you come true" is obviously a very salacious play on words
Darren Criss 18:28:27
so the only way to make it feel earnest is if we made the track itself sexy as possible. A lot of the songs, even without being written, leant themselves to a certain genre just by the title, and this one was kind of a no-brainer. Sexy mid tempo r&b. And I didn't even know we'd get Jordan Fisher to do it- who SMASHED the vocal.
Darren Criss 18:29:42
lauraacampbell-12
DARREN CHORDS OR LYRICS FIRST WHEN WRITING A SONG?
it's different every time but for this show specifically it's always title/idea first, and then the song comes from there. But that's because we're writing a show, so we have the luxury of getting to write from a specific place. It's much harder to do that in your own life when you just want to pull a title/idea from your own experience of life. I commend people that do that all the time.
Darren Criss 18:30:06
what's NUTS about prizefighter is...
Darren Criss 18:30:24
it was originally a song called LONG RANGER that BONNIE MCKEE sang, who I wrote the song with
Darren Criss 18:30:38
and in the video we had CHRISSY TIEGEN lipsynching
Darren Criss 18:30:44
it was bananas
Darren Criss 18:31:26
we ultimately couldn't use the song because of some complicated writers shit- not too dissimilar from the things we explore in our own show, which is just totally ironic.
Darren Criss 18:32:56
we were so bummed that we couldn't use the song but I'm actually really really happy with PRIZEFIGHTER. I love the song, and I love how it turned out production wise. I love how much of a massive influence latin x rhythms have had across the entire spectrum of mainstream music, so I wanted try my own hand at nodding to it!
Darren Criss 18:33:08
Lara :)!
Ahhhhh so was that the pilot song you were talking about last week?
that's the one
Darren Criss 18:33:45
hbz3jctrg5rwwma640hahffvt
You have inspired me to learn piano I already know how to play teanage dream now
you can thank Bonnie Mckee aka Kimmy Kelly for writing that song!
Darren Criss 18:34:01
ok then there's the k pop song
Darren Criss 18:34:08
honestly i had no idea where I was gonna start on this one
Darren Criss 18:34:22
full props to the brilliant CJ Baran who I wrote this song with
Darren Criss 18:34:39
we were just toying around with very industrial-sounding samples
Darren Criss 18:35:21
and I started singing Edvard Grieg's "in the hall of the mountain king"
Darren Criss 18:35:33
and he was the guy that was like YEAH JUST PUT IT IN THERE
Darren Criss 18:35:46
and i realized, oh yeah, that song is public domain
Darren Criss 18:35:59
and kinda ties perfectly to the nature of Elia Peck and his songwriting... huh.
Darren Criss 18:36:05
So we went for it from there.
Darren Criss 18:36:17
based the lyrics off of what the Neals say in the room.
Darren Criss 18:36:34
and then just wrote a bunch of ALMOST nonense lyrics about things that you could HATE that you NEED
Darren Criss 18:36:40
things like available wifi...
Darren Criss 18:37:01
artistinal mai-tais.... yeah I guess if you really really liked those you could HATE that you NEED them...
Darren Criss 18:37:04
etc etc
Darren Criss18:38:16
but the idea was to have Mariam Hale's character hardly do ANYTHING on the track, since she, as the audience sees, doesn't really have much to offer... so we just built it around this huge track with crazy lyrics that just tees up a tag for her to say without even having to sing: I HATE THAT I NEED YOU
Darren Criss18:38:43
2235n5s2qk5hjsujbhk5ilpva
I have classes in 10 minutes, and I'm not leaving until you dedicate a Royalties song to me.
looks like you're gonna miss calss
Darren Criss 18:39:09
"calss" ha. which is like "class" but like... different.
Darren Criss 18:39:32
alrighty PERFECT SONG
Darren Criss 18:39:38
i really love this song as well
Darren Criss 18:40:02
the reveal of this song is that they keep talking about this "perfect song" they've written
Darren Criss 18:40:26
in other words we're teeing up a pretty big expectation of what a perfect song could possibly sound like
Darren Criss 18:40:36
the reveal of course is that the song itself is in fact just called "perfect song"
Darren Criss 18:40:43
which is ABOUT a perfect song
Darren Criss 18:41:07
and about TRYING TO WRITE a perfect song, and how that's not necessary when you have someone that IS the perfect song
Darren Criss 18:41:20
when we wrapped our heads around that idea, I really loved it 
Darren Criss 18:42:10
you'll notice we reference a lot of incredible songs, almost citing them as perfect songs themselves
Darren Criss 18:42:14
ain't no mountain high enough
Darren Criss 18:42:55
of course leonard cohen's seminal Hallelujah
Darren Criss 18:44:05
and of course Britney's Oops I Did It Again ha ;)
Darren Criss 18:45:00
the Oops being a layered joke of being annoyed with oneself that they AGAIN unwittingly wrote a lyric for already massive song, but in doing so citing yet ANOTHER already massive song... if that makes any sense
Darren Criss 18:45:27
sorry for the typos yall i'm moving fast, i'd never let this shit slide if it wasn't a casual chatroom vibe
Darren Criss 18:46:37
emzlolly1234
Did you know you wanted there to be a romantic thing between pierce and Sara?? :))))
yes that was actually our original "pilot presentation" episode. the one with the song LONE RANGER and Chrissy Tiegen. It was a longer version of what would become episode 7. We THINK it's a romantic thing but you realize that Sara is just playing Pierce to get the song she needs. That was always the premise yes.
Darren Criss 18:46:51
luzmargotramos
if you reply with a single dot I'd probably die
then I better steer clear of any dots
Darren Criss 18:47:04
ALSO YOU was an amazing lightning in a bottle moment
Darren Criss 18:47:09
FULL CREDIT TO JACKIE TOHN
Darren Criss 18:47:22
i always enjoy giving credit where credit is due
Darren Criss 18:48:24
and I came in pretty hot for most of the songs- concepts, chords, style... but this one literally was a simple as Jackie Sitting down and just playing "It's you I love but also you and also you and also you."
Darren Criss 18:48:37
we all just looked at each other going, welp, yup, that's it, jackie you fuckin rule
Darren Criss 18:49:28
the song would have ended up very differently if she hadn't brought that to the table. the original episode and song was "one true loves" which isn't nearly as good of a gag/title as "also you"
Darren Criss 18:49:50
i ended up squeezing "one true loves" into the bridge, but of course, kept ALSO YOU as the main event
Darren Criss 18:50:02
i will say I was also trying to spoof my brother's old band, FREELANCE WHALES a little bit
Darren Criss 18:50:26
if you guys know the song "generator first floor" where they sing ay ay ay ay ay a lot...
Darren Criss 18:50:35
... as a lot of bands and songs had featured at the time...
Darren Criss 18:51:00
i wanted to put them all in one joke. where a band sang not only hey hey hey but ay and EE and AYE and OH and basically all the vowels
Darren Criss 18:51:10
which was where the joke of,
Darren Criss 18:51:20
a, e, i, o, and also u
Darren Criss 18:51:21
came from
Darren Criss 18:51:32
which i'm particularly proud of
Darren Criss 18:51:56
ok let's talk about BREAK IT IN
Darren Criss 18:54:16
lxucxthxrxnx_
I’m a musician myself (not that great lol) what was it like coming up with the melodic side did you play any instruments for the songs?
i played instruments on all the songs except Break It In and I Hate That I Need You, since those were all electronic. That's not to say i played EVERY instrument but I definitely played AN instrument of some kind for the others.
Darren Criss 18:55:34
as for break it in... anyway... yeah that was a blast. Nick Lang and I collaborated with my buddy Kendo who goes by the artist name KingJet.
Darren Criss 18:56:54
Kendo has worked on a lot of legit songs in the hip hop space. For each song I wanted to make sure there was a level of authenticity to what we were doing. I didn't wanna SPOOF the songs. I wanted the songs to sound rock solid and that it would be the LYRICAL CONCEPTS that would be the source of satire. So Kendo was a great guiding light to keep the track as authentic as possible.
Darren Criss 18:59:47
We explained to Kendo the whole joke concept of the song, which is basically just turning the idea of toxic masculinity on its head, and he was on top of it immediately- when we told him that there's this guy that's really concerned that people think he "fucks too soft" he immediately started spitting out lyrics like the hilariously defiant "I'm the KING OF THE HARD FUCK"
Darren Criss 19:00:35
which just killed me and Nick. It was just so juvenile that it was adorable to me
Darren Criss 19:00:57
emzlolly1234
Darren you’ve been here for an hour? That’s the length of royalties man xxx
yeah aint it great
Darren Criss 19:02:21
sophie :)
i personally think you should try your hand at writing a drill song, a british genre of rap that centres around rapping unrelated lyrics in front of chicken shops, personally think it has the right tone for the show for a season two
drill would be siq. I mean, opening the incredible pandora's box of UK based hip hop in general is its own magical wormhole of nuance and history and regional culture. it's amazing. i'd really have to do some homework if I wanted to pull that off!
Darren Criss 19:02:49
cd2gu4ceqx4am9otf9hzwzivs
he’s talking again guys be worried he might write another essay
ok sorry i'll stop
Darren Criss 19:02:51
:)
Darren Criss 19:03:03
cd2gu4ceqx4am9otf9hzwzivs
he’s talking again guys be worried he might write another essay
kidding!
Darren Criss 19:03:39
fsheldens
when darren actually cares about us 🥺
awww i always do! I just wasn't built for internet stuff.
Darren Criss 19:04:20
alpermehdi
speaking of nick how was it to work with nick??
the best. Nick is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
Darren Criss 19:04:51
chloe :)!
what would be ur karaoke song choice from the show?
mighty as kong
Darren Criss 19:07:32
isa.kowo
How much music theory goes into your songwriting? And did you learn all of it from playing the violin? In what way does it go into your songs?
all GREAT questions. I mean, music theory isn't something you CONSCIOUSLY employ when writing something, it's just that it really helps to know the rules or music when shaping it and trying to maximize its production. And as a matter of fact, yeah, I DID learn most of it playing violin. But when I was playing violin I was ingesting music from the perspective of a student ingesting information, not as a proactive creator putting anything of my own out into the world.
Darren Criss 19:08:07
Honestly I really didn't start UNDERSTANDING music theory until I started writing music for other people, and noticing certain things and chords and shapes had names and that they could be manipulated to accomplish certain things
Darren Criss 19:08:35
so most of my academic musical knowledge came in my 20s when I tried to start doing it professionally
Darren Criss 19:08:52
Nick
first instrument you ever learnt?
violin
Darren Criss 19:09:07
andyruiz080
I'm castin' my love net wide And fillin' every hole in my schedule
ha love that line
Darren Criss 19:09:29
missweggy
Darren are you a big queen fan ( the band lol ) 😂
is the pope catholic
Darren Criss 19:12:00
ChloeOmelia
Now its available, would you change anything?
jesus so much. but such is the nature of creating stuff. there's a great Hayao Miyazaki quote about always having to make new stuff to escape the woe of all the mistakes you made in your last thing... I mean, that's a bit extreme, I feel like we did the best we could given the circumstance but I totally get where Miyazaki is coming from. And in many ways that's everything we do in life. Do your best, know what you coulda done better and carry on
Darren Criss 19:12:36
dj._.quackers
who or what was your biggest inspiration growing up
the beatles. the uk. the 60s.
Darren Criss 19:13:02
Astriddd
Your first original song was "Not Alone". I'm right?
no it was actually a song i wrote in the third grade when I got a guitar for Christmas called "Save The Whales"
Darren Criss 19:14:29
hiiqsbo9358wvfkcjcsgsu4lb
Darren I need an answer it’s been annoying me for days. So was everyone fucking everyone in Pierces old band or was she just fucking everyone seperately??
ha that's a really great question. I figured she was just fucking everyone individually, which is why the band was so contentious but then again I'd rather let your imagination run wild...
Darren Criss 19:15:29
jphxxk5wjnaqnhuv806wmohdt
Darren, I love your taste in music. You should share your personal playlists ... bc everybody needs to know phantom planet 😉
if i actually shared my tastes in music, or actually shared the amount of stuff in my brain at the rate that I want to share, I would never work on or create anything because i would constantly be on the internet and you'd all be over me if you weren't already
Darren Criss 19:16:01
But yes, thank you for saying that, I love me my phantom planet oh so very much :)
Darren Criss 19:16:18
juli.nuttini
could you please answer me I don't speak English and I'm putting ALL my effort into asking you questions I'm going to cry
wow your english is actually pretty great
Darren Criss 19:17:08
I'd like to write a song with Howard Ashman
Darren Criss 19:17:23
dancebaby218
Was kick your shoes off inspired by your Hedwig shoes?
nah cuz that shit was actually comfy
Darren Criss 19:17:55
12169199549
i skipped my clarinet class because of you for the third time :) what can i say to my teacher?
that Darren says you should have gone to clarinet class!!!
Darren Criss 19:18:34
qalektvmexab6gfwibfihwu6b
Could you please answer me. We’ve supported you for years from the uk and we’re staying up for this but it’s totally worth it because you’re amazing!! Molly x
I wish so bad I could go to the UK!
Darren Criss 19:20:01
FUCK someone asked about Sam Farrar and I wanted to answer it but it disappeared... Sam is a homie. one of my very first songwriting sessions was with him and a very famous member of the pop universe... who if I get a season two, I'm putting in the show.
Darren Criss 19:22:00
9nc1yow3iwnp9p3fs4gcvdnsf
what other instruments would you like to learn in the future?
i just need to spend time trying to get better at the ones I've plateaued with. I feel like I got as good as I'd ever get on the guitar when i was like 19. So I've been trying to get better during the Quarantine. Picked up my violin and dusted off that Vivaldi, started doing drum rudiments on my drum pad, and started learning new licks and scales for guitar. Stuff I never got round to doing.
Darren Criss 19:22:27
harefraz
mr. criss sir, what is your top quarantine activity?
playing music
Darren Criss 19:23:26
actually lies. top quarantine activity is learning Japanese. 30 minutes a day. And it's been several months. Almost got Hiragana down, still got a few characters I'm questionable with but with any luck I'll start up on Katakana in the next few weeks.
Darren Criss 19:23:40
224abi6avvottcsacto7vx46a
What about working with Mark hamill ? Insane right
you said it
Darren Criss 19:23:54
t7sxis7855cd329gaa6iyty8v
Any updates on American Buffalo? 🥺👉🏼👈🏼
it's opening next year!
Darren Criss 19:24:09
for the record this is really fun I'm enjoying this guys
Darren Criss 19:26:26
Rachael
How different is it doing a show like Royalties where you're heavily involved in the creative process compared to other projects you've done in the past?
i'd say night and day but that's an understatement. When I did Glee all I had to do was act in scenes, record songs, and go to dance rehearsal. With Royalties, it's that AND casting, doing pre production, post production, notes, meetings, notes, writing and producing songs, location scouting, blah blah blah lots of the stuff that you don't have to worry about if you're not a creator. But make no mistake I absolutely love it.
Darren Criss 19:27:41
Aisha
learn spanish
I'll get there. I already speak a bit of Italian so I wanted the challenge of learning something that didn't use a writing system I already understood.
Darren Criss 19:28:23
rosieellenxx_
I take Music Technology as a subject at school and we have to make a whole song with the sole sample of glass breaking...
sounds fun. loads of things you can do with that.
Darren Criss 19:28:48
21ynx6niidf2amx5nzilihsga
What are your goals for once quarantine is lifted?
hopefully to feel like I used this very strange time well.
Darren Criss 19:29:14
Ok I should probabl get outta here right?
Darren Criss 19:29:41
I've talked a lot about mighty as kong in other places
Darren Criss 19:30:00
so I'll just leave you with a story about "Let Your Hair Down"
Darren Criss 19:30:14
which was the very FIRST song we wrote for the show
Darren Criss 19:30:37
I had a meeting with an artist at a dive bar in the middle of the afternoon
Darren Criss 19:31:10
let's just say I showed up to that very first writer's session very late
Darren Criss 19:31:17
and sober ENOUGH
Darren Criss 19:31:41
wktusw4mcjn910r3eq91zg4k5
darren did you watch hamilton??????
duh last night. so fun.
Darren Criss 19:32:17
anyway I was so relieved that we left with that song at the end of the day. The intent was always to write two songs with the exact same concepts just with different titles
Darren Criss 19:32:50
the chords are the same, just slightly different voicings played on slightly different instruments
Darren Criss 19:33:29
and the idea was that whichever song was funnier, or at least whichever song would be more fun to see in a music video... would be the one that Pierce & Sara write
Darren Criss 19:34:08
"Kick Your Shoes Off" ended up feeling more like a full music video than "Let Your Hair Down" but I LOVE that first song, and hopefully people get to hear the whole thing on Spotify since you don't get to hear the whole song in the episode
Darren Criss 19:34:51
with lines I love like "see my cheekbones, show off my clavicle, I bet you've never seen a ponytail to magical..."
Darren Criss 19:35:39
emilybutcher30
i love that u spelled it sara not sarah
thank you. if you don't already know it, check out Ben Folds' "Zak and Sara"
Darren Criss 19:36:01
OK i gotta get going
Darren Criss 19:36:12
but thanks to everyone from all over the world for joining
Darren Criss 19:36:17
i see you and i say hi to you!
Darren Criss 19:36:23
happy birthday to all the bday kids!
Darren Criss 19:36:33
thank you for spending a little bit of your bday with me
Darren Criss 19:36:39
thanks for checking out Royalties
Darren Criss 19:36:46
hope you enjoy the music
Darren Criss 19:36:53
and hope there gets to be a season 2!!!
Darren Criss 19:37:08
xo to all of you. stay safe, stay inspired. - Darren
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xxx-cat-xxx · 4 years
Text
I walk this lonely road
Characters: Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers
TW: Self-harm references, Coronavirus (but nobody gets infected), Alcohol
A/N: This fic makes reference to self-harm and to the coronavirus. I know the latter is a really sensitive topic at the moment, so if that’s something that might upset you in any way, please be careful. 
The virus affects almost everyone in the world at the moment at some level and this fic is meant to explore one particular experience among millions. I do not claim that this experience is representative in any way, and I definitely do not claim that it is worse than what others have to deal with. Nat is in a very privileged position, but she is still hurting, and that’s what I wanted to write about.
As always, thanks to @whumphoarder for beta reading.
*
They lock down the tower in the second week of the pandemic. 
Steve, while helping to set up tents next to the already overcrowded Metro General, shared his lunch with another volunteer who tested positive two days later. Since tests are hard to come by and none of them were showing symptoms, the team decided against using their influence to get tested through the backdoor and instead are self-quarantining for at least two weeks. 
Bruce and Tony are elbow-deep in research to find a vaccine and wouldn’t leave the tower if an armed battalion tried to force them out. Clint went back to stay with his family at the farm as soon as the first cases started being detected in New York. Steve is keeping busy by exercising, recording PSAs about everything from handwashing to social distancing, and sending uplifting video messages to infected fans. 
Meanwhile, Nat is slowly coming apart at the seams.
Before the self-enforced quarantine, she was distributing essentials to homeless and low-income families, but now, trapped inside the tower, there isn’t really anything she can do remotely to help the population. 
(Except maybe taking out the president with one of his own killer drones, but that’s not exactly in the realm of legality.)
It’s not that she hasn’t experienced being locked down somewhere for weeks at a time before, but that was on missions, with work to do and a goal to achieve. Right now, she has nowhere to go and nothing to do, and for Nat, that is the worst possible combination. 
The first few days are comparatively easy to bear. She runs the better part of a marathon on the treadmill every morning. Brushes up on her Mandarin. Hacks the Pentagon for the sheer thrill of it. 
Anything to keep her from spiralling too far down. 
Five days in, she wakes up at midnight from a nightmare about the Red Room, feeling like there’s a boulder on her chest weighing her down. She scrambles up to open the window and takes huge, gasping breaths of the cool night air, trying to convince herself that it doesn’t make a difference whether she’s inside or outside the window frame. 
Finally, she slides down onto the carpet and digs her fingernails into her bare shins, heart still beating way too fast and too loud in her ears. Catches herself wishing for a task, an attack, anything she can do, eyes the small imprints of her nails in her legs, a few of them oozing blood. The pain is tempting, much too tempting. She tries not to think of the blades under her mattress, in the cupboard, below the bathroom sink.
She knows it’s not exactly pain she longs for, but it’s a functional substitute for everything else. 
Nat swallows. Then she makes the executive decision that she needs to go for a walk.
*
She wears a mask and gloves when she slips into the darkness. Even with the protective outfit, she keeps away from walls, streetlights, shop windows, anything she could potentially contaminate. 
The night air is just the right kind of chilly to feel alive. The city, devoid of people, cars, and pollution, is a different kind of beautiful. The huddled groups of desperate families in front of the downtown hospital are not. 
Nat finds a children’s playground with monkey bars wedged in between two residential buildings. She does pull-ups until her shoulders are on fire. Then she climbs up and lies on top of the climbing frame, her gaze getting lost where the skyscrapers meet the night sky. 
She only climbs down when she can hear the sirens of an ambulance from a nearby street. Then she wipes the bars clean with the hand sanitizer and paper towel she brought along. When she makes her way back to the tower, it finally feels like she can breathe a little easier. 
*
Tony and Steve are waiting for her when she sneaks back in through the delivery entrance.
Tony looks tired, three-nights-awake-in-the-lab kind of tired, but there’s a manic energy radiating from him that almost seems electric; Nat wouldn’t be surprised to see sparks flying off his fingertips. It’s the kind of energy that keeps him up and running until whatever problem he is working on is completely solved, until the world is saved once more. 
Nat would love to say she feels guilty upon seeing him. But the ugly truth is, all she can feel is envy.
Steve looks… not exactly angry. His face is stony, but something else flickers in his eyes. Nat takes off her gloves, the coat, the mask, and that’s when she realises. He looks disappointed. 
“What were you thinking, Natasha?” he says, his voice low and tight. “You know we’re all under quarantine! What, do you think you’re above this or something?”
“I was wearing a mask—” she begins in a weak attempt to avoid this conversation, but he doesn’t even let her finish.
“You know damn well they’re not a hundred per cent.. You’re just tempting fate for no good reason.”
“I don't—”
“What, you don’t get sick?” he interrupts and maybe it’s a good thing because what she was going to say was something else: I don’t care if I get sick. It’s the truth, but it’s nothing either of them want to hear. 
“It’s not just about you, Nat,” Steve continues, ignorant of her thoughts, his voice rising and a vein starting to swell on his forehead. “What if you infect someone else? For god’s sake, Tony’s only got two thirds of his lung capacity left. Did you think of that before putting him in danger?” 
“Calm down, Cap,” Tony interjects. “I’ve lived through worse—”
“No, I’m not calming down!” Steve snaps. “We are so privileged to be able to live here with all the food and money and medical services we could need―all we have to do is endure a few weeks of boredom, which really shouldn’t be too much to ask in exchange for everyone’s protection. And you decide to throw all of that out the window for a stroll?” 
He stares at her for a moment as if waiting for her to defend herself, but there’s nothing she has to say. What should she tell them? I couldn’t bear the thoughts in my own head? I can’t deal with not knowing when I can be out again? It was either that or sitting on the bathroom floor, cutting lines in my own flesh just to fucking feel in control of something?
“I really expected more of you,” Steve says finally, an eerie calm in his voice. Then he turns on his heels and leaves. 
“Well, that was dramatic.” Tony rubs a tired hand over his eyes before looking at Nat directly, his expression sober. “His mother died of TB, you know?”  
Nat feels numb. “Yeah, I know,” she says quietly.  
Tony’s expression softens. He seems to make a decision. “Come on.” He waves roughly in the direction of the elevator. “I guess we both need a drink.” 
“Okay.” Nat takes a deep breath. “I’ll take the stairs.”
When she enters the living room fifteen minutes later—after showering thoroughly and changing her clothes—she finds drinks on the table and Tony on the sofa, working again. Nat sits down on the armrest of the chair across from him, keeping a safe distance. Jazz music is playing in the background, the fake fireplace is lit, and it all just feels wrong. 
Nat takes her time to fill her glass and slowly drain it. When she looks up, Tony is observing her, his dark eyes unusually warm. 
“I get it, Nat,” he sighs when their eyes meet. “Trust me, I do.” He nods at the tablet sitting in his lap. “Why do you think I keep busy with this all the time?”
She gives a tiny nod of appreciation and hopes he gets that too. Tony smiles at her with a bit of sadness and then turns back to his work. 
Nat goes to the kitchen to refill her glass. When she comes back, Tony is asleep, twisted up on the couch as if he just fell over from exhaustion, tablet still in his hand. She goes back to wash her hands thoroughly, and then, holding her breath, takes the device out of his hand and covers him with a blanket.
She sits there, alone with the scotch bottle, Tony’s snores, and her thoughts, until pink clouds start to creep over the sky. 
At 5:35 on the dot, Steve appears in the doorway, dressed in his workout clothes. He stops just outside of the room and leans against the doorframe, taking in the scene. The look on his face makes it clear that it’s her turn to speak. 
Nat takes a moment to weigh her words. “It’s just… I can’t sit in here not knowing when I’m going to be out. Not again,” she finally admits into the fake fireplace that has now grown cold.
Steve doesn’t reply, but he relaxes just the tiniest bit against the doorframe and something in his expression shifts. 
“Are you up for a sparring session before hitting the treadmill?” he asks.
“You want to work out with me?” Nat doesn’t look him in the eyes. 
“That’s why I’m asking.”
This isn’t an apology—not from either of them. Nat isn’t guilty, just sad. And if Steve was sorry, he would’ve said so straight away. But this is not a concession―it’s a I don’t approve of your actions, but I’ll still be here for you. Just like Tony’s glass of scotch, what it means is: You don’t have to go through this alone. 
“So?” Steve asks. 
Nat pushes herself up from the armchair. The residual alcohol in her bloodstream and the all-too-familiar tiredness make her head swim for a moment, but she’s stable once she gets to her feet. “Fencing. Let’s go.”
____________________________
This is part of the Red in my Ledger series.
All my fics
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kingofthenorth49 · 3 years
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Can someone check the GFCI?
When a circuit breaker snaps, it’s because the circuit was beginning to heat beyond design capacity and it’s shutting down to prevent something worse from happening, like fire or damage to a sensitive circuit or device.
It’s a safety device, and we all know how much I love safety devices, but at the end of the day if you don’t take action when a safety device activates, generally the damage can be much worse than what the device was actually protecting.
Folks, our owners have decided that it’s going to be much easier to control the world if they only have to do it from one government, and if you still think this is a conspiracy theory, you need to turn off CNN and step outside your basement. Even the dimwit in Ottawa can no longer keep the secret of where those in lofty chambers have decided we are going, although I sincerely doubt he understands the repercussions, just like 98% of the population. It’s not their fault, they are wired in such a way they can’t see the truth, either by design or programming.
Doesn’t matter which it is (blue dress/brown dress), the damage to our population has started and we don’t have the collective will to stop it, because we’ve been conditioned to be victims. Correction. Most have been conditioned over the past two decades to be victims, to be at the mercy of big government and those who know better than you do.
I’ve a friend who explains it perfectly. He says that most people cannot see past the end of any given month. It’s not a derogatory thing, it’s just who they are. These are the people who live paycheck to paycheck, who don’t plan for the future because they are just trying to stay alive. They work hard to keep up, but are consumed by just trying to cope with what life throws at them. These are the majority of people on this planet. Not a bad thing, but these are the type of people easily controlled by fear.
The next group are the people who can see 6 to 12 months, and they understand cause and effect better than the first group. They understand that payday loans are bad and that you should control your destiny through planning. These are the type of people who run our governments and provide services. They see the benefits to organized approaches to problems and find safety in numbers of like minded people.
The last group, the smallest one are those who can see 3 to 5 years down the road. These are the visionaries, people like Edison and Orwell, Tesla and Rand. These are the Elon Musks and Bill Gates of the world. They drive humanity through aspiration and ambition.
Unfortunately they aren’t always right, for example I would consider Karl Marx to one of the latter.
So why am I talking about Karl Marx and circuit breakers you ask?
Well it’s because my tin foil hat is on too tight, or because I’m not quite right in the head I guess, or any other of the labels those who can’t see past the end of the month would paste to someone like me who likes to think a bit more long term than the end of the next season of the Kardasians.
Shutting down the world for a bad flu wasn’t a decision based in science. It’s not even a decision based in safety, and believe me I know a thing or two about that. The whole “nobody moves, nobody gets hurt” thing really doesn’t work for long. Sure, nobody gets hurt, but no body eats either. This is what your average person isn’t thinking about when they scream “stay the blazes home”.
Yes, you can stay the blazes home. Yes,  you can cower under your bed until the bad thing passes, but at the end of the day the Magic Pantry was just a kids TV show.
Dude’s gotta eat, right?
I’m currently living inside the “Atlantic Bubble”, or whatever is left of it after those anointed in oil decided to take their toys and go home, but in reality we’ve created an interesting paradigm here on the east coast of Canada that’s unlike anywhere else in the world.
We’ve created the perfect culture of fear.
Now for those living outside the bubble, we’ve shut the door, turned off the lights and posted a big “FUCK OFF” sign on the front lawn. We’ve turned our back to the virus like it’s a Trump supporter. This is our plan. We’ve posted guards, created intricate rules around who can go where and why, and basically made it impossible to move anywhere without government permission. All over a bad flu with a survivalbility rate of over 99.4%, with 70%+ of the mortality coming from those 70 years of age and older. You are more likely to die from an automobile accident today than COVID.
Don’t get me wrong, COVID is no cake walk, it’s a nasty disease, but it’s not Ebola. I’ve been battling this virus now for 11 months, I’ve seen how it works, it’s veracity is substantial, and if you have co-morbidities such as diabetes or heart disease, it can take a toll on you, and yes, more people are dying from it than the seasonal flu, but at the end of the day it’s not going to wipe out the human race. The majority of the people who test positive don’t even know they have it.
And don’t get me started on testing.
I can’t talk publicly about it but if you see me out and about, ask me why I think testing is a control and not a diagnostic element. Sorry, the hat’s tightening.
Let me throw one example out for you to chew on, let’s say vaccines. Now the vaccines are the panacea for the masses right? I mean we should be amazed we were able to concoct a vaccine that is 95% effective in eradicating this virus inside 8 to 10 months, hell, we should be ecstatic, right? I mean it took 30+ years to get a handle on AIDS and we beat COVID in just 240 days. We currently linbe up to get an annual flu shot to protect us from the last major Coronavirus (Remember the Spanish Flu?) that has been in development for the last 60 years and it’s still only 35-40% effective, and less than 50% of Canadians get it
We must be freaking geniuses now.
I’ll never understand the sheer amount of dumb optimism that’s out there, but I certainly appreciate it. Without that optimism we’d be more like Lemmings than we currently are.
But back to the “great reset”, shall we?
So dude’s gotta eat, right? I’m going to quote one of my modern day heros, Elon Musk when he says “If people wants stuff, they have to make it” or something along those lines. In other words, there’s no money tree. My parents very early on taught me that lesson, and that if I wanted anything in life I had to earn it or make it, that there was no such thing as a free meal. The problem is most people today have been conditioned to think there is. Trudeau has been giving away our money like a drunken sailor on shore leave to the tune of $400 BILLION dollars in 8 months. Let me put it another way, in the last 240 days Trudeau has spent $10,814.00 per Canadian citizen, or around $25K per taxpayer. That’s debt folks, that’s directly on the shoulders of every Canadian. But it’s ok they say because interest rates are so low we can afford the additional leverage.
Problem is folks is interest rates don’t stay low after a major crisis. Why? It’s called inflation. As money supply loosens, so does the value of a dollar, and when the value of a dollar decreases because there’s more supply of dollars then prices increase. When prices start increasing wages need to go up to keep pace with inflation, and when that happens there are two options. Control monetary supply, otr deal with runaway inflation.
How do you control inflation you ask? Great question. You raise interest rates to throttle spending.
How can anyone forget the late 1970’s? It was less than 50 years ago folks. Remember Trudeau’s 6 & 5? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? JUSTIN? For fuck sakes the kid was living at 22 Sussex drive when his father created the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime.
Wait, check that. Apparently the second wave will be worse than the first.
This great reset is gong to be tragic. Already they are estimating over 100 Million people in 3rd world countries will die next year due to disease and starvation because of the lock downs. In our own western countries the most disadvantages are already our most vunerable populations. Humans aren’t meant to be caged, nor can we afford to be. We need to be free, have purpose, and contribute to a vibrant society.
You can’t govern that. You can’t rule over a captive society for long. History has shown us that time and time again that King’s aren’t benevolent rulers and those who suffer the most are at the bottom the societal ladder.
If you aren’t seeing the end goal yet, I get it, but I do. You only need look as far as the ice cream eating elite who enjoy fine dining when your cupboard is near empty and jet off to Mexico while telling you can’t bury your spouse or child. They make you endure cruel mental anguish while they spend your tax dollars on jet setting and pontificating about a communist world that they rule.
All in the name of a better world, one free of climate change and racism.
Who knows, maybe they are right, maybe they are part of the component of society that sees the future more clearly than the rest of us.
I guess that’s why they get ice cream and can go spend Thanksgiving with their moms while you can’t bury yours.
I guess that’s just our lot in life, to be ruled, to understand it’s for thee, but not for me.
This what we want? This what we deserve? Am I wrong?
I don’t think I am, I just want to be. Can someone go downstairs and check the fuse?
Jim Out
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purplesurveys · 4 years
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816
Gonna do a before and after of one of the first surveys I took when I was FOURTEEN. Fucking wild that I’ve been doing this for nearly a decade. Kinda my way of celebrating the fact that I’ve just been reunited with my old blog, which Tumblr has apparently changed the URL of. Baffled by the move but still stoked, and @a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse​ is absolutely the coolest person for being able to find it haha. Let’s gooooo 1. Are you registered to vote? No. I still have 3 years to go. < That’s so precious. I’ve been a voter for four years now. I registered the second I turned 18 and I remember being very excited to make it to the presidential elections because only a handful of people from my high school batch were 18 by the time of the elections. 2. When days go by, do you cross them off on the calendar? Only when I’m counting down for something. < This still sounds like something I would do, but I don’t really get to anymore because I have digital calendars on my phone and laptop now. 3. Are you currently counting down to something? If so, what? Summer vacation! 4 days left! < Again, so cute. There’s no countdown that exists because I honestly don’t know when it will be okay enough to go out like normal again, but I am waiting for Covid to go away or at least for a vaccine to be available.
No #4? 5. Ever got injured at work? What happened? Nope. < I sprained my ankle at one of the parking lots in school, while walking to my car. Worst thing was it happened in front of an ongoing rally, and I heard their chants slightly falter when they saw me fall. I tried to play it cool, but my foot clearly felt fucked and someone had to hold my arm as I hopped to my car.
6. What color is your roof? Brown. < Stop pretending like you have a roof, Robyn. The house has always had a rooftop.
7. Do you use MySpace or Facebook more? Neither. < I was still far too young when MySpace peaked so I never did get to participate in its glory days. I definitely use Facebook a lot more, then and now. 8. Last time you sharpened a pencil? When I took a diagnostic test last Monday. < Sometime in 2019 when I was still heavily into coloring and I bought several coloring books and a pack of coloring pencils. I loved coloring and wish I kept it up, but it was just a bit of a hassle for me to sharpen every ten minutes or so. 9. List all the people in your phone under T: Zero, zilch, nada. No phone. < A high school batchmade named Dani, a college colleague named Kate, and a couple of aunts and uncles whose contacts start with Tito and Tita.  10. How old were you when you got into text messaging? I once had a super obsessive text problem when I was 11, I think? < That would be the first time I got hooked with texting, but I got my first phone when I was 7 and was already texting by then. Mostly my parents and grandpa, but still. 11. Do you pay rent to your parents? No. < No. They’ve already told me they won’t pressure me to do so either, but out of gratefulness for taking care of me for 20+ years I have absolutely no problems covering some of the bills when the time comes. 12. What do you think of Obama’s new healthcare bill? I don’t know a lot about it. < Honestly, still same. That’s another country’s politics altogether and we have enough issues in our own nation as it is. I do pay attention to US issues that are more universal like LGBT issues, police brutality against black people, Trump as a person...but not the more in-depth ones like healthcare or student debt. 13. How many icons are on your desktop? 34. < Exactly half of that. 14. Do you spit or swallow? Get outta here!!! < Still can’t relate. 15. Ever wrote something on a bathroom wall? Nope. < Eugh no, public bathrooms are so nasty. I don’t usually touch anything in them other than the faucet. I’ve written on other things though, like the desks in school. 16. What’s your definition of a slut? Uh. < Someone who often has casual sex with a lot of people, is how I understand it. 17. If you use the word “slut”, do you apply it to men who do the same thing as what you listed above? Nah. < I don’t really use the word. 18. Do you dye eggs for Easter? I did once, in a children’s party. < Yeah, just that one time at my second cousins’ place when they were in the mood to paint on eggs and invited me and my siblings. 19. What did you do on the first day of spring? Never experienced spring. < We don’t have spring. 23. Are you currently crushing on anyone? No. < Yes. 24. What color hair did the last person you kissed have? NKSB. < LOOOOOOOOOL I spent like two minutes puzzling over this like who tf is NKSB??? Eventually realized this just meant ‘Never Kissed Since Birth’ oh my god 14 year old Robyn you were SO uncool. Anyway, her hair is black. 25. Do you stand up to say the pledge in school? We don’t have a school pledge, but we do recite our country’s pledge and yes, we stand up every time we say it. < Not anymore in university. Everyone just kinda does their own thing in college and we’re never gathered as one student body for anything, except for graduation. 26. Do you like your eye color? God no. It’s so boring. < I mean yeah it is a bit boring, but we kinda have no choice. Unless you go to West Asia which is nearing Europe as it is, nearly all Asians have brown eyes and black hair. 27. What brand of orange juice did you last drink? Zesto. < That’s the only brand of orange juice I’m okay with drinking, even eight years later. 28. Pens or pencils? Pens. < Still feel the same. 29. Last skirt you wore and why? My school skirt, because I have to go to school. < Omfg again, this is so precious. The last one I wore was my denim skirt, but it’s also been a while since I wore that because one of its buttons has since popped out and I never got around to having it fixed, leaving me with no skirts. 30. Last time you wore heels, what kind were they? A prom I went to. I actually have no idea what kind of heels they are so I’m just gonna say old-women heels. < They were stilettos, you dumbass. I also wore a pair of stilettos the last time I wore heels. They’re my favorite kind, so. 31. Shoes you wear the most? My Keds. < My pair of Onitsuka Tiger sneakers. . 32. Favorite quote at the moment? “YOU DUMB BITCH! I’M NOT HOLDING A MICROPHONE! ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID?” - CM Punk < Holy crap, I do not remember this quote at all and had to look it up on YouTube and – no regrets. Watching it made so many memories come rushing back lmao that clip is hilarious; Punk is the greatest. Right now I don’t really have a favorite quote. 33. What was the last magazine article you read about? I forgot. < It’s from the website version of the magazine, but the last article I read covered a viral Facebook post wherein someone had photoshopped the faces of The Big Bang Theory boys onto the traditional graduation photos of my university out of boredom. Article is here for anyone who wants to see how well the pictures turned out lol. 34. What do you think about communism? I don’t know enough about it. < I completely support the progressive youth orgs, especially the ones in my university, that are aligned with communist, socialist, and Marxist ideals. They speak the truth more than any other orgs, so I don’t shy away from defending them or promoting their ideals, especially on social media, even if it puts me in danger. 35. Are you planning on going to college? If so, which one? Of course. I want to study in Ateneo. < CAN WE CANCEL 14 YEAR OLD ROBYN?????? What a disappointment omg. You were always meant to be in UP, you weirdo. 22 year old me takes that appalling statement back lol I can’t even begin to imagine spending my college years in Ateneo. 36. What’s your favorite flower? Ugh I hate flowers. < Peonies and roses. 37. What’s the nearest beach? I think it’s like…600 km away + a 2 hour boat ride. < No it is not. There’s a beach I come back to in Nasugbu and that’s only 100 km away. 38. Ever been to Florida? Nope. < Still nope. 39. How old is your brother’s best friend? He’s probably 9 as my brother’s 9. < I don’t know if he has one and I don’t really care anymore. 40. What type of car did you ride in last? A Kia van. < Sksksksks this was referring to the school bus I used to ride omg :( I was last in our Vitara, when I had to go to the hospital to get some tests done back when I still had a pesky fever. 42. Are you excited for summer 2013? Fuck yeah. < I honestly don’t remember how it ultimately went, but apparently I was excited for it so that answers the question. 43. What class were your parents (ex. class of ‘75)? They’re the same age so batch ‘89. < There we go. 44. Are you in debt right now? For what? No. < Kinda-ish? I promised my sister I’d pay her for helping me out with iMovie (I wanted to make Gab a video for her birthday, but had never done it before), but I haven’t had the chance to do it since I only have big bills at the moment. She’s asking for ₱200 but I only have ₱1000s in my wallet, so I can’t pay her for now. 45. If you’re old enough, do you have a credit card? If you’re not old enough, do you want one when you’re older? I definitely want one. < Yep, still want one. Though I’ll need a crash course on how to use it because my parents never really taught me how cards work. 46. What color is your phone? No phone. < Apple calls it space gray but it’s really just black. 47. Have you ever had someone read a text message they weren’t supposed to see? Yes. < Yes. That person was me, and I accidentally read a text from my dad meant for only my mom when I was 5 because I had stubborn fingers that would click on anything. 48. What’s the minimum age you think someone should have a cell phone at? 10. < Holy cow, that’s a nope for me. I’d say 12 or 13. 49. Would you ever work night crew? Sure. < Yes. I’ve seen my girlfriend’s mom do it and honestly I find it pretty badass, especially because while everyone is stuck in traffic trying to get to work by 9 AM, she’s cruising down the highway on the opposite lane with no problem, to be home by 9 hahaha. 50. How old is the last person you texted? 41. < 22.
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bleedingcoffee42 · 5 years
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Eureka AU- Part 7
In which I pull something out of my ass because I’m writing this on the fly. 
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
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“You're not a doctor Ed!”
“The multiple doctorates on the wall beg to differ, Alphonse.”
“You sound like Mustang.”
“I will disown you.”
“Your specialties are metals and tasteless Gothic design, who are you to criticize my Virus strain?”
“The human body is comprised of chemicals.  I'm a chemist!”
“Show me your Doctorate of Medicine!”
“Water (35 L), Carbon (20 kg), Ammonia (4 L), Lime (1.5 kg), Phosphorous (800 g), Salt (250 g),Saltpeter(100 g), Sulfur (80 g), Fluorine (7.5 g), Iron (5 g), Silicon (3 g) and fifteen traces of other elements.”
“Is that a recipe for people?”
Marcoh was appreciative of the help but he was about to kick both the Elrics out of the room.  “Boys, can you tone it down?”
“I've never found the mute button.” Alphonse said and walked over with his data to show Marcoh.  “I don't think its an option on that model.”
“I was under the impression you two got along.”   Marcoh said and looked at Al's model.   It was very good.  Way better than his own.   Yet the loud Elric got the credit for being the better scientist of the two.  
“He's stressed and worried about Hawkeye.” Alphonse said softly.   “It's easier to direct his emotions at me than to have him break things.”
“He does sound like Mustang.” Marcoh said and heard a high pitched shriek from Ed from across the room.    “I think we have a winner.”
Ed came over as Marcoh put the model up on the projection screen for them to all stare at intently.   “Well how the hell do we unravel that?”
Al looked over at him.  “I don't think this is going to work.   Vaccines become ineffective because viruses mutate.   Even the slightest mutation can change what we're looking at.”
Marcoh mumbled, “I was thinking that too.  I was hoping for an epiphany, hoping we all developed similar models and we all came up with something wildly different.”
Ed wasn't about to accept that his tactic had cost them time so he spit out the first thing that came to mind.  “Then we make it out of nanites instead of biological material so we can recalculate what we need from them once they are in the body.”
Al and Marcoh both looked at Ed in awe.  Then they looked at each other and in unison said, “That could work.”
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“Nanites?”  Roy asked as he walked around Alphonse's lab.  
“This is my project, nano-robots..”  Al said and projected the view from the microscope in the tank of nanites to the screen for everyone to see.
“I know what you do here, Al.”  Roy said.   “I also know it's experimental technology that you have never tested on a human being but want to inject into my wife to combat a mystery virus that is still an unknown.”
“The thing is...” Al said and looked over at his brother.   He tapped a few keys and held his finger over the enter button.  “It has been tested on a human.”
Roy watched him press the button and Ed raised his hand, suddenly the hand turned metal and changed into a blade.   “Why do I get the feeling this is all going to come back to that Necromancy project that nobody has debriefed me on yet?”
“I didn't get my limbs back.”   Ed said.   “They're still on the other side of the gate.”
“Oh.”  Roy said and took a deep breath.    “So now I see why you want to keep that portal to hell in the middle of your lab instead of telling me what it actually does.”
“I will get them back.”  Ed sneered at him as Al changed his arm back to it's normal flesh.  
“He got me back.”  Al said.  “I'm real, not a robot.”
“That implies that you were a robot at one point.”
“For a few hours....”  Al said and looked back at his computer.  “That added up to a few days.”
“The point is,”  Ed said.  “It works.   They can be programmed to do whatever we want.”
“We have a design now.”  Marcoh lifted up his tablet with the diagram.   “Our own virus that can change as needed to combat the strain it finds in the body.”
“How?”  Roy asked.  “Does it have it's own lab?   Is it going to go in there and do it's own experimenting and research on the Anti-Xerses virus and  adapt to kill it?”  
“It would if you would give us that Ultimate Eye tech.”   Ed said.   “The project tested today.”
Roy cocked his head.  “It's human sized.”
“If we had that we could give it to the nanites and they could integrate it into their systems.”  Al said.  They'd dissect it and divide it among themselves.”
Roy could just feel them reaching now. This was turning into the middle school science fair he had to judge every year.
“Hey.”  Ed said and snapped his fingers at Mustang.  “Don't roll your eyes.  I've read Jude's research.  Those contacts are made of a film that shares the same premise as Al's Nanobots.  You don't think that's it's just some magic, do you?”
“It is nanotech.”  Al assured him. “I collaborated with him on some of the research.   The interface is actually nanites attaching themselves to the cornea and relaying information through the eye to the brain.”
Roy mulled it over.   He knew that, he had read the reports and knew that it was beyond Jude's ability to develop nanotech for his project to actually work.  The film he created was close, but he wasn't capable of connecting it without help from Alphonse.    “There is a pocket watch in Jude's lab with the lens in it.   Take it.”
Marcoh watched the boys run out of the room and looked over at Mustang.  Alone he asked, “Isn't that the only prototype?”
“Raven can go fuck himself.”  Roy said and looked at the presentation in front of him of a hastily created virus schematic and microscopic robots banding together to make themselves look like the drawing.   “Does this have a chance in hell of working because if it doesn't, I'll open Ed's gate of Hell myself and walk in with my wife to keep her alive until you figure something out.”
“I believe it will work.”  Marcoh said.   “Al can program the nanites as they feed us back the data and give them a course of action.  With that lens they should be able to see to the very core of the virus's make up.”
Roy waited and soon the boys returned with the watch.    Ed clicked it open and Al took it out and dropped it unceremoniously into the tank of tiny little robots.  “Well, there goes a few billion dollars.”
“Send the bill to General Raven.” Ed said and looked up as the little robots broke up the lens among themselves.
Roy couldn't find a better answer than what was being presented to him here.   He, however, was going to be the one who gave the approval to allow his wife to be used as a test subject.  Al and Ed were whispering now, talking about how to merge the Ultimate Eye program with the Nanite one.  So he opted to give them space, “Bring it to the infirmary when you're ready.   I'll brief Dr. Knox.”
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eeveesanddragons · 6 years
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0 - 44 :-P
t OH HEY! I 100% didn’t see this until now but I’m doing it0. Height - I think I’m about 5′11? It’s been a long time since I’ve actually checked1. Age - 20! It’s still weird to say to be honest2. Shoe Size - Ladies 11, but it also depends on the style of shoe?3. Do I smoke - Nope. I have mild asthma and the smell of ciggy smoke makes me gag (I’m also not really interested to smoke weed but you do you on both)4. Do I drink - Not often? It’s been over a month since I last had something alcoholic and it was red wine and I didn’t even finish that (though I DO want to make some gin cocktails…)5. Do I take drugs - Nothing illicit, I have some strong pain relief stuff for RSI and shit6. Age I get mistaken for - I get told I look at least 21/22 but the oldest I’ve gotten was 25. The youngest was 177. Have tattoos - I WISH. 8. Want tattoos - I have a few that I want but I don’t know where or I’d want to get a little bit fitter first because if I lose weight after they’ll look shit9. Have piercings - I have double pierced ears, and I’m tempted to get thirds10. Want any piercings - I kind of want to get my cartilage pierced? But I’m low-key terrified because my ears get infected super easily11. Best Friend - Girl they know who they are and I love them all (even though two of them aren’t even on this god-forsaken site, I think)12. Relationship status - Single AF mate13. Biggest turn on - If you know let me know because man I have no idea14. Biggest turn-off - Again, no clue. Probably someone being an utter asshole15. Favourite movie - I could watch The Martian or the Lord of the Rings movies over and over and still love them16. I’ll love you if - You take the time out to get to know me and still stick around and don’t mind me kicking you out when I need some me time (I’m an extrovert once you know me but after a while I get sick of even my closest friends and I love them so?)17. Someone I miss - My Nan18. Most traumatic experience - My sister was hit by a car and I was right next to her19. A fact about my personality - I’m super awkward up to a certain point but once I’m comfortable around you I’ll talk for ages20. What I hate most about myself - Either that I tend to get really drained sometimes when I’m around people and want to take some time out to be by myself and I probably seem annoyed or standoff-ish and if I’ve done this to you I’m so sorry it’s 100% not your fault OR the fact that unless I have a deadline I get absolutely nothing done21. What I love most about myself - Probably my creativity22. What I want to be when I get older - Honestly at this point I don’t know. I want to be published and I want to make a change in the world. Probably an astronaut if I’m going to be real here, I really want to go to space.23. Relationship with siblings - We get along fairly well, they piss me off and I piss them off but at the end of the day I’d do anything for them (if I was in the right mood JK)24. My relationship with my parents - I love my parents, they push me to keep doing things and pull me out of my head when I need it. I feel like in the last year I’ve distanced myself a bit for a few reasons and I can’t tell why but I hope they don’t think I don’t love them25. My idea of a perfect date - Camping under the stars with my dog and/or pizza and books and a fire and not having to say anything26. My biggest pet peeves - I bloody hate it when people chew with their mouths open. It literally makes my skin crawl and I’ll block my ear because DAMN can you not shut your mouth when you chew?27. A description of a person I like - I don’t really like anyone (romantically) at the moment? 28. A description of a person I dislike the most - I can’t think of one person in particular but there are a few people at work who piss me off29. A reason I’ve lied to a friend - to say I’ll be there soon or that I’ve heard of the person/place/thing/book (I don’t lie to friends)30. What I hate most at work - Probably the customers and the shit I have to put up with. (I work in retail) I told you that last week bitch why the hell are you fucking up the system AGAIN31. Last text message - The last text I received was from the Vet about my dog’s vaccination shots32. What words upset me the most - Any string of words that comes together to either be hateful or ignorant about something I’m passionate about really 33. What words make me feel best about myself - anytime someone says some version of “You did good” about something I’m super anxious about, or “I love you” from my Mum34. What I find attractive in women - Pixie cuts, dyed hair, cute outfits, shorter than me (sorry!) cool personality, ability to be silly?35. What I find attractive in men - Cuffed jeans, great jaw/eyes/hair, taller than me, actually a decent human being, ability to be silly?BONUS - What I find attractive in people who identify as something other than male or female - Short but still kind of long hair, simple but well-groomed outfits, willingness to be silly36. Where I would like to live - New Zealand or Ireland if I had to pick a country, or somewhere with “mountains” and forests in Australia (but still close to my family)37. One of my insecurities - I second guess myself A LOT about everything, and I compare myself to others, so it’s probably everything and nothing at the same time38. Childhood career choice - I wanted to be a vet but I can’t stand listening or learning about medical stuff so I probably wouldn’t have gotten through school for it39. Favourite Ice Cream Flavour - Golden Gaytime (god that’s such an Aussie thing to say)40. Who I wish I could be - The more productive version of me that doesn’t work at my current job and actually enjoys what I do for work41. Where I want to be right now - I mean, I’m in bed so I’m good? Travelling, somewhere, doing something I actually want to be doing42. The last thing I ate - A Milky Way43. Sexiest person that comes to mind right now - I don’t really see anyone as ‘sexy’ but the first person that popped into my head was Jinkx Monsoon/Jerrick Hoffer so that’s a thing (I love Jinkx to bits - even before I started watching Drag Race)44. A random fact about anything - I started watching RuPaul’s Drag Race last week and I’m on season 7 already what even is life anymore
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