Bee

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Jett. Anna couldn't tell that it was spelled with two Ts considering he just said it, but she liked the sound of that. You didn't really get many people named "Jett". All the world seemed to be populated with Brads and Chads and Braydens. Anna wasn't into that, as generic as her preferred name was. The Ukrainian didn't have much time to think about how uncommon and unique Jett's name was, however. She felt a hand slide down her back into a region that only few had the right mind to even think about venturing into, and even fewer who managed to journey to such a territory safely.

There was no more room for Jesus. It was just Jett and Anna, rubbing up against each other. This man was the epitome of "walking the walk and talking the talk". Whatever he said so far, he seemed to back it up just fine. Anna liked that. This man knew what he wanted and how he wanted to go about getting it. But, it felt like he was underestimating Anna. Not like that hadn't happened before, but she found it rather humorous. Anna didn't take long before catching onto Jett's new maneuvers. Seemed like this man had some training, because there was no way that someone who didn't know how to dance was able to move like he did. This man moved with a sense of purpose and confidence that was entirely unprecedented with Anna. It did something within the bioengineer. She could feel her heartrate raise and her breathing slow. That was hot.

Laughing at the fact that Jett was taken by surprise at Anna's dancing prowess, she continued to move along with Jett's movements nearly perfectly. There were some stumbles here and there but for the most part she was holding up just fine. "That's what they all say." Anna's small smirk once again turned into a smile. There was something about this man that just made her keep smiling, and not just the fake smile she put on to creeps to inflate their confidence and bait them into doing stupid shit, this was a real smile that represented every single bit of Anna's feelings. She really was happy to be with someone who could actually hang with her. It was a nice change of pace from the usual assholes she got herself tied up with. At least her status as an asshole magnet didn't follow her all the way here -- at least not yet.

"You're not so bad yourself, even after all this time." Anna followed up, continuing to dance. Anna didn't even notice that they were practically weaving their way in and out of the crowd. She had been so entranced into the music and dancing with Jett that she couldn't bother with the fact that there were people watching their every move and probably formulating a way to twist their encounter in editing to fit whatever the hell the producers wanted. Anna was far too gone to realize that, and she was deep in this encounter. It had to take Jett reminding of that fact to realize what she was doing. This was a show, after all, and not just some party at a house. She was going to see a lot more of Jett in the next few weeks.

Still, though, that didn't mean that they couldn't put on a show for the gawking eyes. They wanted something? They were going to get it. "Well then, let's give them something to watch, shall we?" Still in Jett's embrace, Anna migrated both arms to wrap around Jett's shoulders, as the music slowed down into something a lot more intimate.

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

The eagerness of this stranger had caught Anna by surprise. A welcome one, at that. Anna wasn't expecting this guy to actually take her up on this challenge. Usually when she showed the slightest bit of confidence and bite to anyone else, people cowered in fear and backed away from them like the pussies that they were. No man wanted to deal with the possibility of someone as confident and self-assured as Anna was. They couldn't handle the heat that came with her punches. They couldn't deal with the fact that Anna wasn't just some lackey who would say yes whenever a man so much as looked their way and smiled at them. No -- Anna didn't play that way, and she was surprised that there was someone that was actually willing to play the game that she had challenged people to play. That definitely made Anna feel a little warmer inside. This guy had something -- and she had a feeling he wasn't exactly a "regular" person either.

And this guy had something that most guys lacked as well. This guy, he had rhythm. Most guys that she encountered lacked rhythm, or at the very best, a shrivel of a sense of rhythm. But this guy - this guy was doing things to a T. He did the one thing that nobody ever did, and that was that he was moving to the beat of the song and not just the lyrics. It was amazing just how many people fell into that trap. Even Anna herself was in that hole at some point, but then a friend pointed it out and ever since then her dancing game had been revolutionized, and the fact that she was able to find someone to actually hang with her was making her incredibly happy. A smile had formed on the girl's face as they swayed to the rhythm.

Looking up at him, she looked deep into his beautiful, blue eyes. Who was this man, and where had he been this whole time? The more she got familiar with his dancing, the more she started to figure that he wasn't just some regular guy they had picked up off of the streets. This was a celebrity, and it showed. "You're doing a good job..." Anna smiled, leaning into his embrace a little more as she put a hand up on his chest, feeling his heart beat. Anna didn't have the intention of letting this guy go anytime soon. With every second that passed between the both of them, the more that Anna realized that she was going to enjoy her time at this place, especially with eye candy like this fine specimen around.

Anna took a moment to glance at the hand on his chest, trailing along it before she looked back up, meeting his eyes as he asked her a question. Laughing softly, Anna took a deep breath and looked to the side, glancing at whoever may be keeping an eye on them, namely producers and cameramen who had undoubtedly picked up on their little encounter. "Call me Anna." She asserted, before sliding a hand up his back, resting it in between his shoulder blades. "...and who might you be, stranger?"

Agents of SHIELD - Concluded

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_{Location: The Playground
Skills: N/A}

---

---

There was no time to waste after these proceedings. They needed to get out of there as fast as they could -- every single asset that they had was more than likely compromised. The sooner they got back into the jet the better off they would be. Victoria wasn't going to waste any more time being in a place that was more than likely going to be the target of a HYDRA raid. However, there wasn't really much for Victoria to gather. All the weapons she could ever need were actually on the airplane, and Victoria didn't mind leaving things behind if it meant that she would be safe. Items could be replaced, but Victoria Thompson could not.

Getting off the wall she was leaning off of, Victoria made a bee-line for the jet. She didn't think twice about skipping the personal quarters. All that mattered was getting on board and making sure that everyone that was supposed to be on it, was actually on it. She really did wish that she had an ICER on her right now, though. It would've definitely came in handy if she were to run into someone that wasn't particularly friendly.

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Before Anna could get to where the drinks were, the sound of rapid footsteps as well as the sight of everyone in the household congregating into the center. stopped her dead in her tracks and interrupted her from getting something to make this a little bearable. Before Anna stuck out like a sore thumb, she made her way to the center as well, her boots thudding softly against the tile floor as she pushed into an open slot in the crowd. Anna was bursting at the seams with anticipation as she waited to see what this dude had to say. Hopefully it was something good, but brief, because Anna could really use a drink right now. As the rest of the people filled in, Anna took a brief moment to take a quick headcount. It looked like there were ten people, including herself, at this moment. Every single face she saw right now was going to be someone she was going to see very, very often for the next four months or so. She liked what she saw so far.

Standing up straight, Anna folded her arms and stared at the announcer in the center of the circle that had formed. Knowing that this was a summer show - there was going to definitely be some romance involved. The target audience was most likely going to be teenaged girls on their summer break with nothing better to do than to oogle at some hot faces on the screen. Romance was going to be big, and Anna knew that. However, was there really a suitable candidate for her here? There were definitely some attractive faces here -- at least the casters knew what they were doing. Attractive faces were going to pull in the viewers, which was something that Anna definitely could've admired, and definitely a move she would've also made if she was in charge of this stuff.

So, it seemed like everything was fair game, besides that spot. Anna knew that she was going to have to check out everything before she left. The pool sounded like something that would definitely pique Anna's interest. She was a sucker for infinity pools, and with the impending California heat coming in these next few months, she was going to have a good time soaking in that pool. Additionally, it seemed like they already had rooms picked out for them. Hopefully Anna got something that was good. The chances of getting something not as good were slim though, considering how amazing the damn house was. There was a good chance that every room was going to be equally as beautiful as the other, and especially with a personal touch splashed upon the rooms. The biological engineer had every reason to believe that her stay at this rather beautiful estate was going to be nothing short of amazing, provided that she meshed well with everyone here though.

Shortly after the man finished speaking, the lights suddenly dimmed, which had caught Anna as a surprise before the loud music started to blare. So, it had become a party, eh? Finally, Anna could have a drink and get to know the people around her. Sighing softly, the crowd broke apart as everyone started to get into the party. Anna took the opportunity to grab a drink, and apparently in the time between the last time she was at the drink table and now, the entire thing had been restocked and was now brimming with all sorts of drinks. Anna took an Old Fashioned herself, one of her personal favorites, and took a sip. After that, she migrated away from the table and started to slowly drift toward the center of the party. She wanted to get a better look at everyone at the party, and even maybe start up a conversation. However, it seemed like someone had a similar idea when it came to her, indicated by the tapping on her shoulder.

Turning around, Anna had her drink in her mouth before she saw the rather handsome man standing before her. Her face turned a light shade of red, before the words he said toward her had finally processed. There was no way she was going to turn this down, not with a face like that. "Sure, as long as you can hang with me..." She smiled, before finishing her drink and putting it aside somewhere that wasn't too out of place. Anna took the man's hand, before she tugged softly. "Come on, show me what you've got."

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Luckily for Anastasia, she lived right in the heart of Los Angeles. When she got that letter about the reality show she admittedly auditioned for as part of a lost bet, she was rather surprised. A biological engineer who had just very recently graduated from Northeastern was going to be on a reality show, at least that was as far as she knew according to the letter. There was the possibility that this was a very good fake -- but the letter just seemed too real for her to pass up. There was an email and everything, and a quick Google search yielded results that boded well for Anna, and a quick phone call also verified what the letter said. Everything added up - hell even the address that was listed on the piece of paper was real. It took Anna a while to consider her options, but in the very end, after spending some time thinking about it, she decided to accept the offer and start packing for the trip.

Even though Anna was right there in Los Angeles, meaning Malibu was only a forty minute drive away (on paper), she was still going to pack heavy for the trip. The Ukrainian woman had a feeling that she wasn't going to be allowed to go back and forth between her actual home and her Malibu home to grab what she needed. That meant her suitcases were going to be packed full of a variety of items, from clothes all the way to the various things she used to apply makeup. After some time packing, Anna was successfully packed, somehow managing to fit her giant pieces of luggage into the back of the Ford Expedition that was picking her up, and she made her way to the venue that was laid out on the piece of paper. Hopefully this was going to be a good opportunity for her, because this girl was way out of her element when it came to being on national television, especially someone who only applied to this thing as a joke.

Anna didn't really have much of a reputation in the grand scheme of things. She was just someone who sat in a laboratory or an office all day and worked magic with science. Nobody outside of her little bubble of life really knew who she was. She was about as hard to find as a needle in a haystack. Nothing made her stand out among seven billion people in this world. Her social media followers were in the high hundreds, and she had all the platforms you could think of. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram... you name it, she had it. The wild premise of the show meant that Anna was going to be submerged into an entirely new world she couldn't even fathom. Anna thought she was the shit at her company. After all, she was appointed the leader of a huge project at some point. That meant that her superiors saw something in her that made her stand out from the rest. That meant she was good, and she knew it. However, that didn't mean shit in the scope of this show. No biological engineering magic could save her from whatever situation would arise from being on this show.

The drive from Los Angeles to Malibu took nearly two hours, as it was peak rush hour and Anna made the unfortunate mistake of leaving right in the meat of it. She spent most of the drive just sitting on the freeway, the SUV inching along as she listened to whatever was on the radio drone on and on and one about god knows what. It was annoying that Los Angeles had some of the worst traffic in the entire country... she would've been able to get to the address a long time ago if it wasn't for Los Angeles's poor infrastructure and the overabundance of people in the county. She was frustrated. However, that frustration soon melted away when she finally got to an exit she could take, where she could gain back some time and zoom away. Gone was the stop-and-go traffic of I-10 and in was the flowing, free road of CA-1, also known as one of the most beautiful highways in the entire country.

The Pacific Ocean was a beautiful sight for eyes to behold, and this day in late May made it so much more beautiful. The waters were calm, and people were frolicking about on the sandy beach. The closer she got to the destination, the more aware she was of the caliber of the situation she was dealing with. This was rich person territory, this was extravagant territory, this was territory where a square inch costed more than her entire apartment. Anna was really out of her territory here, and it wasn't long before she arrived at the extravagantly fabulous venue of the show. Just looking at it made her feel broke, and she could already sense that the net worth that had congregated onto this property was sky high. Anna suddenly felt a little bit nervous, but that just meant she had to compensate. So what if she was just some lowly biomechanical engineer? That didn't mean she didn't have anything to offer.

The SUV stopped in front of the front door, before Anna was allowed to leave and gather her things. Hopefully she could unpack and find her room and gather her bearings first, but the production crew had different plans. A camera was already trained onto her, watching her every move as she reached into the trunk and pulled out her rather large suitcases. An announcer spoke into the microphone as she pulled her belongings out, "And now we have our last, but not least participant, Anastasia Ivanova!" The man beamed, as the camera zoomed in on her closing the trunk door, one of her suitcases in hand as she prepared to walk to the front door. "This twenty five year old biomechanical engineer is our tenth participant! Why don't we see what we're getting from her, shall we?"

Anna didn't make it more than five steps before the production crew came up to her, in which she was rather startled and taken aback by. However, this was a critical and pivotal moment for her. This moment with the camera was going to be the first out of MANY as she participated in this show. This moment was going to define who she was as a character on this show, even if she was a real person. The tone she took, and the words she chose to use were going to make an impression. She might as well have given them something to go off of.

"Hello there, Miss Ivanova. Do you have some time to answer some questions for us? It sure would be great if you did!" The announcer asked, a smile on his face. Something told Anna that she didn't really have the option to decline.

"Sure." She smiled, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear to make sure the audience got a clear shot of her face.

"Great! So first off, where are you from?"

This was information that was revealed in her audition tape. Couldn't the editors just put it on the screen or something instead of asking her outright? She was rather confused as to why they were asking her this, unless they meant where she was from from and not where she was a couple of hours ago. "Well I was born in Kiev, Ukraine before my family moved to Boston, where I spent most of my life and went to college in. After that, I got my degree and I moved to Los Angeles."

That was about as generic of a reply as any, but it was the best given the material. "Splendid! So what brought you here? Why did you want to come onto this show?"

Anna had the option of revealing the actual reason as to why she was here, but her gut told her not to do it. Having someone that only auditioned as a joke wasn't going to go over too well, especially with the production crew who had no idea. She had to think of a bullshit answer rather quickly. "Well... I joined because I wanted something different to do. I like my job, but I can only do the same thing for so long before I just wanna rip my hair out of my head."

Hopefully they bought that.

"That, we can all agree with, Miss! Now tell us, what are your hobbies like? What do you do? Maybe long walks on the beach?"

"I like to uh... watch TV, I guess? Once in a while I'll go to a bar."

The announcer nodded, before finally getting onto the last question. "Now, do you have any special person in your life? Someone you go home to?"

"No. Not unless you count the creeps at the bar." Anna laughed, flashing an awkward smile. It was a rather disastrous interview, Anna thought, but she thought it would be fine for the most part considering she wasn't a crazy celeb, but instead just a regular Joe.

"Really now? A beautiful woman like you? Well, you think you'll meet someone here?"

"I don't know. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'll find someone good enough for me. Maybe I won't."

The announcer made a face that could only be interpreted as shock, but in a juicy sort of way. Seemed like they had a feisty one when it came to Anna. "Well that's all I have for you, Anastasia Ivanova, head on in and get settled!"

Anna nodded and smiled, before pulling her suitcase up the walkway and into the house. Walking into the house had taken every single bit of air she had inside of her lungs. It was large, it was grand, it was grandeur, and it was definitely beautiful. This beat the shit out of every single place she had stepped into prior to today. She couldn't believe her eyes, and she couldn't believe the people that were in here. Anna honestly didn't know what to do with herself. It seemed like everyone else did, however, with how a rather young looking girl with glasses and a tattoo on her arm was conversing with a long haired man, both with drinks in hand. Anna stood there for a while, trying to figure out what to do now that she was here. Maybe a drink was in order? There were a ton of them at the table. Yeah, a drink sounded good. Anna made her way to the drink table, leaving her luggage near the door. Hopefully she'd be able to run into someone there, and get the ball rolling.

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Name: Anastasia Ivanova
Age: 25
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 145 lbs
Orientation: Bisexual
Occupation: Biomechanical Engineer
Virtues: Diligence, Loyalty
Vices: Arrogance, avarice, Egoism, Self-indulgence,
Secrets: Nobody knows that she is attracted to women.
Quirks:

• Whenever Anna doesn't understand something, she'll tilt her head curiously and look at you until you say something that she does understand. It can be very menacing.
• Anna is left handed, so make sure you don't say anything about her pen smudges and inability to use right-handed things and mugs properly.

Personality: Anna can be described as one of the biggest bitches you'll ever meet. Her personality is chock-full of uppity and elitism and she will not hesitate to look down on those who she does not deem worthy. However, in the rare occasion that she does deem you worthy, she can be quite nice. She'll take you out, feed you, and even buy you things. She'll never leave your side and she'll back you up no matter what. The biggest problem is just getting there. Only a handful of people have ever gotten there, and even less have managed to remain there after all this time.
Short Bio:
Anastasia was born in Kiev, Ukraine to a former Ukrainian national and a nurse. Her arrival into this world was perfectly timed as her parents had decided to emigrate from Ukraine to the United States to pull their daughters away from an increasingly tense environment. As a result, she had spent the vast majority of her childhood in Akron, Ohio. Gone was the prestige of being the child of a high ranking official and in was the everday struggle and issues every single middle-class family faced. They couldn't live life the way they did back in Ukraine.

Luckily, her parents were still able to give her a comfortable upbringing despite their new means. Anastasia was luckily able to go through her schooling without anyone finding out who her parents were, and eventually she was accepted into Northeastern University where she was able to earn a Bachelor's of Science in Bionengineering - which lead her to move to Los Angeles. Los Angeles, for the most part, has been the biggest change in Anastasia's life besides the move to America while she was still inside of her mother.
Other: N/A

What Are You Listening To?

"Gaming" laptop on a college budget?

@BrokenPromiseUnfortunately, I move between home and college on a regular basis, so a desktop isn't really a good option for me as it would be a major hassle to transport, not to mention the fact that the dorms here don't exactly have room for a desktop computer and my laptop rig, so something more portable really is the best option for me.
As for games, like I said, I'm not really a hardcore gamer. Most of my stuff is retro games that have been fixed to be able to run on the newer systems, such as the re-release of the Myst series or the older Tomb Raider games (the more recent ones don't look to be quite my style, and are way more graphic than I would prefer). As for other more recent games, I don't have a whole lot of experience with what's available due to using Linux for the past few years.
@BeeLooks good, but is there a comparable model that has an SSD? I rather prefer the stability of a solid state drive to the traditional hard disk drive.

Also, a general question: can the new versions of Windows still run DOS games? I've been meaning to finish Castle of the Winds for some time now, and it ran fine up to Windows 7, but I'm not sure if it will still run on the newer versions. This isn't a sticking point for me getting a new comp, but I'm curious.

@Sedjwick

I do not believe so but I believe it does have an m.2 slot so you can probably snag one on Amazon and set that as your primary drive.

If I had a more concrete price range for you I'd definitely be able to help you a lot better.

Also, DOS games do play on Windows 10. You just may need DOSBox to play some of them.

"Gaming" laptop on a college budget?

If you want the best bang for your buck, I highly recommend the Acer Nitro 5. At its very cheapest config it's about $680 and it should play anything you throw at it so long as you don't mind playing on medium settings. Unfortunately most laptops these days no longer come with a DVD drive.

Acer Nitro 5 AN515 Laptop: Core i5-8300H, 15.6inch Full HD IPS Display, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, NVidia GTX 1050 4GB Graphics amazon.com/dp/B07C6WYLQB/ref=cm_sw_r_…

Cinema General

why is black panther nominated for so many fucking things