fasterthanmydemons

[fasterthanmydemons]

{out of paprikash} Alright guys, that's all I can do for now. I need to call it for tonight and get some sleep. I should be back as scheduled on 11/30, but it's around Thanksgiving and my birthday, so I'm not sure what my schedule for that weekend is going to be yet. Right now, I intend to be back on the 30th, but if that changes, I'll let everyone know. Goodnight! =)

[fasterthanmydemons]

Pietro did sometimes think it was strange that he should find such happiness and acceptance with a misfit group of aliens in outer space instead of with the one person to whom he was closest, Wanda. There were even times when he thought maybe he was doing something wrong, chasing his own fulfillment instead of staying by his sister's side as he'd always promised to do.

A lot of introspection and sleepless nights early on in his time with the Guardians had brought him to the difficult conclusion that... he and Wanda weren't children anymore. They should have their own lives, their own friends, their own interests. And as painful as that was, as much as he missed her right down to his core, Pietro knew that it was okay. Wanda had Vision and her friends and he had the Guardians. Life goes on. It didn't make him a bad brother. Maybe it would take time for his heart to catch up to his mind's acceptance of the whole thing, but he was making progress each day.

Having the Guardians to help him with that and to keep him busy helping others was just what he'd needed. And there was very little he wouldn't do for some of them, namely Mantis and little Groot. Mr. Dibbles was an added and unexpected bonus who helped him deal with excess energy and distract him from his racing thoughts as well.

If he was being honest with himself, though, the longer he was with the Guardian, these episodes of racing thoughts, or starting blankly for hours at a wall or some other object, or emotional inertia in which he had so much to do that he ended up doing... nothing at all... yeah, they were all happening less and less. He didn't understand why, but supposed that maybe he was just too busy to get distracted or overwhelmed like he usually did? Whatever the reason, it was a relief to experience those frustrating symptoms less often.

He grinned, fueled by Mantis' own happiness and enthusiasm. She always seemed to bring out the best energies in him. "It is, yeah. I wonder how I ever found anything on earth pretty after seeing space. Really, nothing compares, you know? Is so vast and colorful and just... larger than life. But also peaceful and quiet. When people aren't fighting with ships and all that, I guess, but... is none of that going on out this window right now," he said with a chuckle.

When next she spoke, Pietro turned to look at her as well. He got the sense that his leaving - even the idea of it - was making her very sad. He smiled warmly. "Good to know, but for right now, I am good where I am." He reached over to lay his hand over hers, patting it gently. "Don't worry. Am not going anywhere for the moment. I like it here with you and the Guardians. Okay?" he said, hoping to cheer her up a bit.

Pietro felt comfortable giving Mantis a "real" answer to her question. Not that he didn't feel comfortable with the others, or that he intended to keep things from them, but Mantis was someone he felt just that little bit more comfortable around to drop more of his guard and be more vulnerable. Around her, he didn't care how stupid he sounded sometimes, or that he often couldn't find the right words for things, or that his brain took him from one thing to another without much sense. And presently, he hadn't cared how much he admitted to missing in his life, whether he was still on Earth or out drifting in space.

Not having Wanda with him was the worst part of not being on Earth, but it was something he tried to push to the back of his mind most days. She had others to care for her now, and he had others to keep him busy and look after. That wasn't to say he didn't still love Wanda and miss her terribly, but if he sat around thinking about that deep, empty pit inside him where his time with Wanda used to exist, he'd just make himself depressed. So he was trying to move on. Not forget or discard, but just move on.

Mantis sometimes didn't answer him verbally, or even directly, when he said something. This didn't bother him, for he knew her silence only meant that she was listening, and her changes of subject meant that she was trying to distract him from something that was bothering him. This time, however, she did respond, and he was pleasantly surprised when she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Who says I am leaving?" Pietro said, grinning warmly. "I like it here with you guys. You have all been very welcoming, in your own way. Is very nice. Like one big happy family." He slipped his arm out from beside Mantis and around her shoulders, giving her opposite shoulder a few gentle pats. "But I will probably want to visit Wanda from time to time, and when I do, I will miss you the most out of everyone."

After a brief period of silence, Pietro pointed out the window at a part of the cloud they were watching. "Look. Over by that poofy section. Is big patch of green stuff right there. Am saying because I know you love green," he said affectionately.

[fasterthanmydemons]

[fasterthanmydemons]

AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON attends the MTV EMAs 2024 (Nov 10, 2024)

[fasterthanmydemons]

{out of paprikash} Alright, I've got to get up very early tomorrow, so that's all I can do for tonight. I should be back here again according to my rp schedule on Sat, 11/16. See you all then! =)

[fasterthanmydemons]

Pietro felt comfortable giving Mantis a "real" answer to her question. Not that he didn't feel comfortable with the others, or that he intended to keep things from them, but Mantis was someone he felt just that little bit more comfortable around to drop more of his guard and be more vulnerable. Around her, he didn't care how stupid he sounded sometimes, or that he often couldn't find the right words for things, or that his brain took him from one thing to another without much sense. And presently, he hadn't cared how much he admitted to missing in his life, whether he was still on Earth or out drifting in space.

Not having Wanda with him was the worst part of not being on Earth, but it was something he tried to push to the back of his mind most days. She had others to care for her now, and he had others to keep him busy and look after. That wasn't to say he didn't still love Wanda and miss her terribly, but if he sat around thinking about that deep, empty pit inside him where his time with Wanda used to exist, he'd just make himself depressed. So he was trying to move on. Not forget or discard, but just move on.

Mantis sometimes didn't answer him verbally, or even directly, when he said something. This didn't bother him, for he knew her silence only meant that she was listening, and her changes of subject meant that she was trying to distract him from something that was bothering him. This time, however, she did respond, and he was pleasantly surprised when she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Who says I am leaving?" Pietro said, grinning warmly. "I like it here with you guys. You have all been very welcoming, in your own way. Is very nice. Like one big happy family." He slipped his arm out from beside Mantis and around her shoulders, giving her opposite shoulder a few gentle pats. "But I will probably want to visit Wanda from time to time, and when I do, I will miss you the most out of everyone."

After a brief period of silence, Pietro pointed out the window at a part of the cloud they were watching. "Look. Over by that poofy section. Is big patch of green stuff right there. Am saying because I know you love green," he said affectionately.

@fasterthanmydemons continued from here

Mantis was glad to see that Pietro had slowly become more comfortable around the Guardians. She couldn't tell how long he had been with them – five, six months, perhaps, and she didn't know how long he was going to stay. The high-energy speedster had managed to fit in nicely with the chaotic lifestyle of the Guardians. He was positively one of them.

She often enjoyed staying awake sharing conversations with him, or bringing him food of the planets they visited so they could try it together and gush over sweets.

He knew nearly every song the Guardians played with the Zune. When he wasn't looking after his dear Mr. Dibbles, he was playing with Groot, bickering with Rocket or laughing hysterically with Quill about jokes, references and puns of planet Earth.

The fact that he missed Earth wasn't lost on her. When Mantis asked Pietro if he missed it, she knew he would say yes, but... she didn't expect his answer to be as deep and meaningful as it was, as he admitted that he missed many things even when he was still on Earth.

Pietro often thought he wasn't intelligent, but... he couldn't be more mistaken. He was smarter than he gave himself credit for, and his impulsivity didn't take away from that.

And stars, it was crystal clear that he cared about people. He wanted to help others. He did want to be a good Guardian of the Galaxy, so he could protect those who needed it.

The Benatar was quiet as they both rested comfortably on a small sofa, gazing at a colorful interstellar cloud, swirling slowly to reveal the stars. The ethereal view was enough to make anyone feel at peace.

When Pietro mentioned his sister, though, Mantis turned her head to look at him. Wanda and Pietro had been together since birth, and... Mantis could really feel their bond when she hugged Pietro. She could only imagine the way he ached for his home, how much he missed his twin sister. It was understandable. Sooner or later, Pietro would return to Earth.

"I will miss you when you leave," Mantis said softly, resting her head on his shoulder to show both affection and reassurance. "We all will. We will remember you... and Mr. Dibbles."

[fasterthanmydemons]

Pietro knew the importance of encouraging children, even for little things or for thing that, in the grand scheme of the universe, weren't all that impactful. It was impactful to them, and it built confidence to congratulate them for their accomplishments. If little accomplishments were acknowledged now, they would no doubt lead to bigger accomplishments later in life.

Reading, though, actually was very important, as far as things went. Even Pietro knew the importance of it, even if he often struggled with reading that didn't hold his attention span. Seeing Groot reading on his own made Pietro happy. At least he was trying without the others having to tell him to do it.

Pietro's eyes narrowed playfully as he saw Groot's little smile. "Yes, coffee," he repeated. "What's on your mind?" When Groot pitched a deal to Pietro, the speedster chuckled. "Wow. A little negotiator, huh?" he glanced at Mantis as she giggled. "How 'bout this? I let you get a nice good whiff of my coffee, and you give us a teeny hint. How's that?" Groot really should not be having coffee at all, but decaf probably wouldn't hurt him. Even so, Pietro didn't want to encourage him to be going after people's coffee. Not until he was older and could do it without getting caught.

Pietro smiled as Mantis' response. How could he not? Her bubbly energy was downright contagious in the best of ways. For that matter, so was Groot's. Sure, the little guy had his bad moods like any kid, but he was so darn cute that it was often impossible not to smile around him. "Is always nice going to see Groot, right? He's such a cute little guy. And I don't know about you, but... having a little kid with us keeps things in perspective, you know? Reminds me what I'm fighting for. Well, the galaxy, yeah, but otherwise... innocent people like Groot."

"Hey!" Pietro said cheerfully when they found Groot. "Reading, huh? Is very good for you. Reading is fundamental, and all that good stuff." Anytime Groot was doing something to enrich himself, Pietro sought to encourage him. Maybe he wasn't the best role model, but he was trying to help raise Groot well along with all the other Guardians.

When Groot said he looked tired, Pietro shrugged. "Yeah, I took a nap, but... it didn't take," he said. Until Groot said something, Pietro hadn't even realized that he'd been walking around with his coffee cup. "Oh, this? Is just coffee. Decaf, though. I know I look tired, but caffeine does bad things to me. It makes me little bit too awake," he said with a chuckle. "Say... you wouldn't happen to know who has the Zune right now, would you?" he asked.

[fasterthanmydemons]

“You know, I’m surprised that you haven’t already broken into the Halloween candy cupboard. I’m impressed.”

"Me? Nope. Not at all, no," Pietro said unconvincingly as he drew out a piece of candy from his pocket in a less-than-subtle manner and popped it into his mouth. Seeing the look on Wanda's face, he started to smirk. "Okay, I did take some. Only a little bit! You aren't going to tell, are you? I have to sample it to make sure is good, you know, for the trick-or-treaters. We can't be giving out sub-par candy, now, can we?" That... was such a line, and he knew Wanda wouldn't buy any of it. "Could I buy your silence with some chocolate?" he asked, dangling a Hershey's chocolate mini bar in front of her.

[fasterthanmydemons]

“Do you know what you wanna dress up as for Halloween? I can’t make my mind up.” (Sophie; @mxrvelouscreations

@mxrvelouscreations

"Sonic the Hedgehog. Do you know him? Is little, fast hedgehog from video games and cartoons. He is blue, too. My favorite color. Seems perfect, right?" he replied, having already decided. But Sophie had said she couldn't make up her mind, and so he sprung into action, offering suggestions. "Well, Sonic has a girlfriend, you know. Amy Rose. She's a hedgehog too, and pink. Do you like pink?"

That might not suit her, though, being a pink hedgehog, so Pietro kept on thinking. "If not, uh... how about something super cute like you? For example... a bunny rabbit or a kitten or a little puppy? Or you could always go with something like a witch or a zombie. Depends on how much makeup you want to put on and how complicated you want your costume to be, I guess."

[fasterthanmydemons]

{out of breath} Alright folks, I've gotta head to bed since I'm getting up early tomorrow. I'll be back here on Sat 11/2 as scheduled. Goodnight! =)

[fasterthanmydemons]

Well, whether the ghost was from Earth or not, Pietro didn't mind them so long as they were benevolent. If Mantis wasn't afraid, then he didn't have to be, the way he looked at it. Although, it was a little creepy to think that a being is around you, watching you, but you can't see them. That concept always weirded Pietro out.

"Yeah, but..." Pietro looked over at Mantis, an eyebrow rising. "Can Rocket make weapons that work against ghosts? Is pretty hard to do, isn't it? Even for him? You can't see ghosts, so how can you like... shoot them, or whatever?" Did he sound like an idiot right now? He didn't know, but he suspected he might. Oh well, Mantis never judges me for my stupid comments. Probably because she's used to Quill's.

When Mantis said she feared the living more than the dead, Pietro realized he'd never really thought about it that way. Living or dead, for him it was more about... could he see them or at least perceive them enough to take care of them if there was a problem? Not being able to protect against threats, whether to himself or others, was a major fear of his.

"Little bit, yeah," Pietro admitted. "I guess I am afraid of what I can't deal with. Living things are scary, yes, but I can see them, touch them, whatever I have to do to make sure they don't cause me a problem or those I love, you know? But with ghosts and demons and things I can't see or hear or touch... what even is that? How do I defend against that? If they become threatening, I don't know what to do about it, and that bothers me. Plus they don't follow rules, things without bodies. They can go through walls and even through you, I imagine. That's not cool. Who knows what they might be able to do to you or to those you care about. So yeah, they make me kindof uneasy."

Pietro munched on some kind of puffy pastry, listening to Mantis muse on why the ghost might be there with them. Although he felt a little unsettled knowing that there was a dead person around that he couldn't see anywhere, the idea that a ghost had been attracted to music was... interesting. And maybe a little sad? Did they just like the music? Did it remind them of something? Had they loved music while they were alive. Pietro supposed that, when he died, his ghost would probably be attracted to music too. That made him kindof feel connected to it in a way.

"Well... maybe it's someone from my planet, then? Who just... got lost, maybe? And they heard the music and though... oh I know this song!" he offered. But as Mantis started to put to words what she felt using her powers, Pietro nodded. "Ohh, okay. So they might've worked with music. That makes sense." He shrugged. "I don't know, but... is possible, yeah. Music was their thing, so... they have connection to it. They hear us playing it, and they just want to jam with us. Is understandable."

After a moment, though, Pietro did add, "As long as they are happy and don't want to kill us. I don't do demons. Or you know... angry ghosts. Those aren't cool. But nice happy ghosts are okay," he said. Was he trying to be funny? Absolutely. But he also was putting his foot down about scary, vengeful, aggressive ghosts and demons. They were... not his cup of tea at all. "If they just like the music, they can stay, I don't mind," he said, looking over at Mantis. "Do you mind?"

[fasterthanmydemons]

Pietro smiled as Mantis' response. How could he not? Her bubbly energy was downright contagious in the best of ways. For that matter, so was Groot's. Sure, the little guy had his bad moods like any kid, but he was so darn cute that it was often impossible not to smile around him. "Is always nice going to see Groot, right? He's such a cute little guy. And I don't know about you, but... having a little kid with us keeps things in perspective, you know? Reminds me what I'm fighting for. Well, the galaxy, yeah, but otherwise... innocent people like Groot."

"Hey!" Pietro said cheerfully when they found Groot. "Reading, huh? Is very good for you. Reading is fundamental, and all that good stuff." Anytime Groot was doing something to enrich himself, Pietro sought to encourage him. Maybe he wasn't the best role model, but he was trying to help raise Groot well along with all the other Guardians.

When Groot said he looked tired, Pietro shrugged. "Yeah, I took a nap, but... it didn't take," he said. Until Groot said something, Pietro hadn't even realized that he'd been walking around with his coffee cup. "Oh, this? Is just coffee. Decaf, though. I know I look tired, but caffeine does bad things to me. It makes me little bit too awake," he said with a chuckle. "Say... you wouldn't happen to know who has the Zune right now, would you?" he asked.

"Yeah, you think so?" Pietro asked, beaming at Mantis' compliment that he was doing a great job. "Thanks! I try my best. I think you're doing a great job too, by the way. I think everyone on the team is doing a great job. Not the same job, or in the same way, but in their own way. Everyone does their part. Is not a competition, but a contribution. You taught me that, Mantis." He smiled at her warmly.

Pietro had certainly come a long way from feeling like he had to prove himself every day, like he had to do ten times more than everyone else just to be half as good. Mantis helped him see that everyone did what they could, and everyone was needed. It had taken time, but he was relaxing more around the team, especially Mantis, and learning to be a lot easier on himself.

"Maybe is why it's my favorite color, if it suits me so well," he said. He then listened as Mantis ran down the list of Guardians, remembering where she'd last seen them. When it appeared to be narrowed down to either Groot or Quill having the Zune, Pietro tapped his chin. "Hmm... Equally probable that either has it," he mused. "Let's try Groot first. No reason, other than... he is just so cute," Pietro said with a shrug and a chuckle.

[fasterthanmydemons]

“Do you miss Earth?”

"Yeah, you know what, I do. Despite everything, I do," Pietro said with a little nod. "Earth is still my home, so I think I will always miss it, but... much of what I am missing is already gone. My parents are gone, I have not seen Transia since I was seven, and Sokovia is no more, so... even if I was on Earth, lot of things I am missing wouldn't be there." There was a pause, and then, "Wanda would, though."

[fasterthanmydemons]

"Well now I'm back and gracing you with my wonderful presence again. You can bask in my glow," Pietro said, swiftly running several circles around Cecilia in a blur. "Or whatever this stuff is," he said, playing with the bluish white wispy trails he'd left all around her.

"Granola bars? Oh man, that's harsh. You shouldn't do that to Wanda. One of these days she's going to retaliate, you know. She might replace all your potato chips with those gross veggie crisp thingies." He shrugged. "Well, I'm staying out of this. I don't want my snacks replaced with healthy things. You and Wanda are going to have to battle this out yourselves."

“I’ve missed you so much Pietro!” Cecilia hugged him tightly and kissed the side of his face “why must you be gone for so long on missions?”

@justyouraverageocs

@justyouraverageocs

"I was not gone that long, Cici... was I?" A few days, maybe. For Pietro, though, time seemed to always move a lot faster than it did for other people. Maybe because he almost never stopped moving, unless he was passed out asleep. He shrugged at his sister's question. "I don't know. Is just how long it takes. Can't go home until the job's done, right?" He pulled her in for a hug, but then playfully messed up her hair. "So, what's new with you? Did you behave yourself while I was away or did you raid Wanda's chocolate stash again?" he teased.

[fasterthanmydemons]

Wait haven't you watched Infinity War? :o Thor hits the Benatar in that movie after Thanos destroys his ship

{out of breath} Okay I know I'm not again on for about two weeks, but I didn't want to just let this sit, so I'm popping on to answer this, heh.

Oh, no, I have seen Infinity War! But I... have... no memory of that scene whatsoever. Welp... this is thoroughly embarrassing and awkward, heh. So... either my stress-ravaged, medication-addled, depression-affected memory strikes again, or.... more likely, actually... I just never saw that scene. I've only seen IW technically once, but certain scenes I've seen 10+ times, and other scenes I've never seen, heh. It's actually a frustrating and funny story...

So... when me and my dad went to try to watch IW on D.isn.ey+, the streaming service was giving us... Such Shit™. We saw the first about 1:30 to 2 minutes easily 10 times. Because we'd start it, it'd skip and be all sorts of buggy, and then at around the 1:30-2min mark, it'd freeze. And when we exited and started it again, it restarted from the beginning. We were about to give up, until my dad said, let's skip several minutes and see what happens. So we skipped 10 minutes in, and suddenly it worked. And we were so annoyed at having to watch the first couple minutes again and again and again that we thought you know what? It's fine. Let's just watch from here.

But then... at various points in the movie it would randomly start skipping? And omitting lines? Scenes were very hard to follow. And then it would freeze. We'd exit, press play again, and the timestamp often moved several minutes either forward or back from where we left off. This happened through the whole movie. So I've only seen it "once" but certain parts were omitted entirely and others I've seen 10-15 times haha.

So... it's possible that I basically saw IW but I just never saw the scene of Thor hitting the windshield. *long pause with cricket sounds* Yeah, I know, I have problems, hahaha. But that's the truth of my IW experience haha.

For the record, so that everyone is clear on how much I know about this and that, this is my viewing record of things I've seen and haven't seen...

What I've Seen:

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain Marvel

Iron Man

Iron Man 2

Thor

The Avengers

Thor: The Dark World

Iron Man 3

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Captain America: Civil War

Black Widow

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Doctor Strange

Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Endgame

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Wandavision

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

What I Haven't Seen:

The Incredible Hulk

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Ant-Man

Black Panther

Thor: Ragnarok

Hawkeye

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Eternals

Thor: Love and Thunder

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

The Marvels

Deadpool & Wolverine

Agatha All Along

What I Intend to Watch Soon:

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Love and Thunder

Agatha All Along

Re-watch of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

I hope this clears some things up! D.isn.ey+ is honestly getting expensive for me to maintain, especially since they purposely forced me to choose a different subscription plan this month to raise my monthly price, which I did not appreciate at all. My financial situation has worsened recently, so if they're going to pull that crap, then I can't stay subscribed all year-round anymore. So I'd like to cancel my subscription for a while. So in the next month or two, I will be looking to watch everything on my "Watch Soon" list so that I can cancel my subscription until there's something else on the service that I want to see. But yeah, this is where I'm at right now. =)

[fasterthanmydemons]

{out of breath} Alright, I have to call it a night, since I usually get up very early on Sundays. Next Sat (10/12) I'll be writing for my other weekend group of muses, and then I'll be back here on 10/19. See you then! =)

[fasterthanmydemons]

@mxrvelouscreations asked: “…I really like you.” (Sophie)

"Yeah? Well, I really like you too," Pietro said, grinning at her. Sophie always made him smile. Her positivity was infectious and her shyness was absolutely adorable. "Is there some special reason you like me so much today? Enough to tell me so?" he asked, stepping a little closer to her. He loved the way she got flustered in his presence...