winter meme? winter meme.

[estivates]

❄ it's quiet
and the snow's beautiful tonight → a winter open meme

snowfall;

stage i; none, streets are already blanketed in white.
stage ii; very light and intermittent.
stage iii; light - moderate. lasts longer periods.
stage iv; continuous, heavy snowfall.
stage v; the hardest of cores - blizzards, snowstorms, you name it.

scenarios;

① fuck the police, this is the best time for a walk. hope you've got a nice thick coat on.

② stranded in the buttcrack of nowheresville? weren't you watching the time? now you've gone and missed that last bus out of there. or maybe you're lost, somehow. what do?

③ literally chilling, in this weather, is quite easy to do. sitting around relaxing in it is a wee more difficult, but sometimes much more enjoyable, especially if shelter can be found. the snow is beautiful to watch, after all.

④ the weather's not going to stop you. your snow fort's packed full of ammo and ready to go. those aren't snow angels over there; they mark where the poor souls you've downed have fallen. be careful with that snowman's head!!

⑤ you're about fifty miles from civilization but there's a roof over your head, so never mind the chilly draught, right? right. you mightn't be the only one lucky enough to stumble upon this little shelter, though. remember to share the blanket.

⑥ everyone stuck outside should be jelly. you've got a fireplace and hot cocoa and damn if it isn't awesome. a heater's not quite so romantic, but it'd do. there'd better be a backup generator in case the power trips.

⑦ mix and match, or make up your own.

- from krystaliske @ memebells

Comments

[higherfurtherfaster]

[Well, someone thinks a lot of himself. Carol gives him an amused smile as his face appears.]

Carol Danvers, and thanks. I'm just doing a little redecorating. Hope the owners don't mind.

[She tosses the rest of the chair into the fireplace. Her flight suit and half-Kree biology will keep her warm for a little while, but not long enough. Not with the way the storm is still raging outside.]

So Peter, were you speaking Spanish a minute ago? Or am I starting to hallucinate because my brain is frozen?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter returns the smile easily enough. ] Yeah, pretty sure it was Spanish, or else you 'n' I have both got some serious problems.


[ For a second he's content to stare enviously at the fire as Carol stokes it, and he's about to ask, "Room for one more?"

But then, it suddenly clicks, and his eyes widen a little in surprise. ]

-- Wait a sec, sorry. You know what Spanish is?

[higherfurtherfaster]

[Carol just grins.]

Si, señor. I think we're both a long way from home.

[She settles herself on the floor in front of the fire and waves him over.]

You can come warm up. I promise, I won't bite.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter mutters a quick, "Oh, thank God" before he hurries over, though he's still wary enough to keep some distance between them. He strips off his coat and drops it to the floor before holding his hands up to the fire.

For a while he watches her from the corner of his eye, just trying to focus in warming up. Then, he manages to work up courage to ask, ]

You're Terran?

[higherfurtherfaster]

[The phrasing surprises her a little bit. She's heard the term 'Terran' used before, from Kree, Skrulls, and other alien races. It's not something she'd expect to hear from another Earthling though. Maybe he's spent a lot more time in space than she has?

Or maybe he's not from Earth at all, but he's spent enough time there to pick up the languages? Mar-Vell certainly seemed human enough when she first met him.

Well, only one way to find out.]

Yep. Born and raised in Boston, but I live in New York City now. You?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Somehow, Peter sucks in a breath, feeling both surprised and relieved; unconsciously, his fingers brush against the Walkman hooked to his belt. ]

I was from a tiny little town in Missouri. That was a long time ago, though.

[ He feels like he shouldn't be so excited to meet another human, but damn, this is weird and unexpected. He can't help looking sort of pleased. ]

What brings another human out here to the middle of nowhere?

[higherfurtherfaster]

[His question is answered by a very long, aggravated sigh.]

I'm just the messenger. Two alien races wanted a neutral intermediary to deliver a message, so they asked the Avengers to help out. I either won or lost the draw. I haven't decided yet.

[It had actually been kind of fun, until the planet of endless snow. She's always loved being out in space.]

You said Missouri was a long time ago. How did you end up out here?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ His smile falters a little, and he turns back to the fire, feeling the chill of the ice planet again. ]

I just-- I left when I was a kid. Hitched a ride.

[ Peter pauses, then waves a hand dismissively. ] It's a boring story. You probably don't wanna hear it, especially when it sounds like you're like, what, an ambassador? Diplomat? And more importantly, who or what are the Avengers?

[higherfurtherfaster]

[And he's surprised her again.]

That doesn't sound boring at all.

[She shrugs though. She can tell when someone doesn't want to talk about something.]

I'm the furthest thing from a diplomat. I'm more the person you call when you want something punched. But for various reasons, I was probably more qualified for this mission than one of the others.

As for who are the Avengers, I guess you have been gone a while... We're a team of superheroes that helps defend the Earth.

[They're kind of the opposite of low-profile, so if he hasn't heard of them, he hasn't been home in years, at least.]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter takes a second to look baffled by that. Did Earth have super heroes? They didn't when he was a kid -- at least, not real ones, as Carol seemed to be saying. He remembers the stories his grandpa told him about a war hero, and he remembers looking through the old comics and trading cards his grandpa had collected.

And he doesn't want to seem like a complete idiot, so he tries,] I didn't realize we had more than one Captain America-type back on Earth.

[higherfurtherfaster]

[Carol smiles.]

Not only do we have more than one Captain America-type, we've got Captain America himself. He was frozen in ice during WWII, but he's thawed out now. Turns out that super soldier serum was pretty effective.

You should come back for a visit sometime.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ His smile is half-hearted at best, and he shrugs a shoulder while he rubs life back into his fingers. ] I’ve been thinking about it. Worried about the culture shock, you know? Been a while.

[ He turns to look at her fully, and he tries to hide the sense of disbelief mixed with curiosity ] But you were joking about the Captain, right? No way that could happen.

[higherfurtherfaster]

Cross my heart. I'm not lying.

[She does the gesture and everything.]

Everyone was pretty shocked when they thawed him out and he was still alive.

[nostalgiabomb]

Seriously? The Captain America survived in an ice cube? [ He can't help laughing a little. ]

What's he like? Is he always like-- [ and here he puffs out his chest, sitting up straighter ] -- Truth, Justice, and the American way!

[higherfurtherfaster]

[Carol can't help laughing.]

Not always, no. But more often than he'd probably like to admit.

[Her voice softens a little, thinking about her friend.]

The funny thing is, Steve really does believe in all those things, and as corny as it sounds, he makes you believe in them too. The worst thing in the world is to have Cap disappointed with you.

He's one of the good guys, a genuinely good man. Those are pretty rare, in my experience anyway.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ The heartfelt way she talks about the Captain gives him pause, and he can't help but feel a little awkward -- not because of her earnestness, but because it reminds him of the way his mom talked about the dad he never met.

Briefly, Peter wonders if anyone will ever talk about him in that same way. Probably not, but it's nice to dream.

He rests his hands in his lap, clearing his throat quietly. When he speaks, his voice is quiet and gruff. ]

Yeah, lots of scumbags in the galaxy. Cap must've been, like, an endangered species.

[higherfurtherfaster]

He's definitely one of a kind, that's for sure.

[There have been others who took on the name of Captain America at various times, but there's only one Steve Rogers.]

The Avengers are a pretty diverse group though. We've had magic users, mutants, aliens, scientists, robots, spies, and even a couple gods.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ A smile tugs on his lips. Despite everything that's happened to him, he feels in drawing the line somewhere. ]

... Wizards and gods. Defending li'l ol' planet Earth? Now I know you gotta be messing with me.

[higherfurtherfaster]

[Carol fakes looking offended.]

Are you calling me a liar, Space Cowboy?

[She can't keep up the act and just laughs.]

I know, I know. It sounds crazy, but it's true. You're just going to have to come back and see for yourself sometime.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He returns her amusement with an easy grin. ]

Does that mean you're gonna give me a tour of your guys' secret lair?

[higherfurtherfaster]

Ha! Our "secret lair" is a skyscraper in the middle of Manhattan. Tony Stark does not know the meaning of subtle.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He frowns a little at that. ]

... Is there a reason that name's familiar?

[higherfurtherfaster]

Tony Stark? Well, he is kind of famous. Inventor, business man, Iron Man? How long ago did you leave?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ "Iron Man?" Like the Black Sabbath song? ]

Uh... twenty-six years ago?

[ A beat. ]

Give or take.

[higherfurtherfaster]

What have you been doing out here all this time? And how did you end up stuck in this storm?