#At least this means she’ll probably get a focus banner

[gizmocreates]

Putting my hat in the ring: I feel Iike the reason Rodion’s not getting a Yurodivy ID this time is because when she *does* get one? It’s going to be a Sonya ID LMAO

[luminnara]

It’s Been A Long, Long Time | ch 4

Summary:  When HYDRA had their prized asset, the Winter Soldier, they did something no one ever thought was possible: they gave super soldier serum to an omega. With the sole purpose of tending to him during his ruts, she spends decades living in HYDRA facilities, denied her humanity and her life. Now, years later, Bucky Barnes has his mind and his own life back...and the last thing he ever expects is to see a familiar omega again. Bucky/OC, a little angsty but mostly smutty/fluffy/romantic!

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Taglist:  @kyrah-williams @oceanmermaidwitch @shawnie--jo @super-cape @ferxaniti @namjoonwatcheshentai @fandomsstolemylife00 @youngblood199456 @nightlygiggless @darlingely

Amoretta swam in and out of sleep. Whenever she surfaced, she saw bright lights and strange faces, and, assuming that she was in a HYDRA lab, she decided it was better if she just kept on dreaming. After a while, though, she couldn’t manage it anymore, and she finally woke up enough to actually take in her surroundings.

She was in a hospital bed, and...a gown? She couldn’t remember the last time she had been given clothing. When she tried to move, she found that her arms ached, and she had an IV sticking out of her. Okay, so wherever she was, they were trying to take care of her. Maybe. That seemed like a good sign. 

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” a man’s voice said. “How’re you feeling?”

A figure came into view, blurry at first, and as he got closer she was able to get him in focus. Amoretta immediately stiffened, feeling threatened by this stranger, but as the scent of omega wafted in, she relaxed slightly. She couldn’t smell any alphas nearby, and that was good. 

Two good signs so far. 

“Wh-who are you?” She asked, her voice wobbly and hoarse. Her throat was so sore that talking was painful. 

“My name is Dr. Bruce Banner.” The man said, reaching towards a nearby table and grabbing a water bottle off of it. “I’m with the Avengers.”

Amoretta frowned. “The...who?”

He came near her slowly, twisting the cap off the bottle and offering it to her. “You’ve probably got a lot of questions. Mind if I ask a couple, though?”

She gave a little shrug as she raised the bottle to her lips. It felt strange to hold, the water tasting...different from what she was used to.

“Can you tell me your name?”

She thought for a moment, brows knitting together. “Subject 1096.”

It was Bruce’s turn to frown. “Did you ever have a...different name?”

After a moment, she nodded, trying to remember. It felt like it was on the tip of her tongue, just out of reach. Had it really been so long since she had gotten to say it?

“We can come back to that one.” Bruce said gently. “Do you know what year it is?”

She thought for a moment. “19...1986.”

The doctor pulled off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose and mumbling something along the lines of “Christ, not another one…”

She got the feeling that she was off by a few years. 

“Well, Ten...is it alright if I call you that?”

She shrugged.

“...alright. Ten, it seems like you were cryogenically frozen for a few decades.”

“...decades?”

He nodded. “Your body seems to have handled it well, though.”

“Did I puke?” She asked, wrinkling her nose.

“Not that I saw.” He chuckled. 

Well, that was a little surprising. She had a tendency to vomit after being wrenched out of unnaturally cold naps. “Where am I?”

“You’re in my lab, at Stark Tower.”

“What continent?”

“North America.”

She made a thoughtful noise. “What month is it?”

“June.”

“So Ursa Major is out?”

Bruce paused. “...well, it’s hard to see with all the light pollution in the city, but...yes, I suppose it should be…”

She let out a sigh. “I miss it.”

Her voice was already sounding tired again, and Bruce was quick to take the water bottle back before it slipped from her hand. 

“You should get some more rest, Ten.” He suggested. “We’ve got plenty of time to get you caught up when you’re feeling more energetic.”

“Mhm.” her eyes fluttered closed. “Doctor?”

“Yes?”

“What city am I in?”

“New York.” He said, looking down at her curiously. “Manhattan, more specifically. Why?”

She smiled a little. “I wanna see...Brooklyn…”

As she drifted off to sleep again, Bruce rubbed his face. Well, that certainly was oddly specific of her to say. It was a good sign that she seemed lucid, though. 

“Captain Rogers is outside, Dr. Banner.” FRIDAY’s AI voice said. 

Bruce met him at the door, making his way out as quietly as possible. Steve looked anxious, standing with his hands on his hips as he waited for news. He hadn’t gotten a chance to find Bucky yet, his friend either working out or sleeping, and all he had managed so far was a quick debriefing and a shower. 

“I ran down as soon as FRIDAY called,” he said. “How is she?”

“Sleeping again. Just missed her.” Bruce said wryly. “Walk with me, I’m starving.” 

Steve fell into step beside him, heading towards the elevators. “Did she say anything?”

“She did. She seemed a bit out of it...couldn’t remember her name, hasn’t been awake since 1986.” He hit the UP button and stood back. “Seemed very interested in constellations, though. And Brooklyn.”

Steve stared at him. “Brooklyn?”

“Told her she was in New York, and the last thing she said before she fell asleep was something about Brooklyn.” Bruce shrugged. “Really interesting thing was her blood tests, though.”

“Blood tests?” Steve asked, stepping into the elevator and waiting for Bruce to join him before the doors closed again. 

“Definitely an omega.” Banner said as they headed up several floors. “Her scent is so muted because they pumped her full of enough suppressants to kill a normal person. Pretty sure that’s why she’s so tired...her body is working overtime trying to process such a high dose. I think it was just pooling in her system while she was in cryo, not really going anywhere, so now her kidneys are doing everything they can to—“

“Banner.” Steve interrupted before he had to listen to an entire scientific explanation. 

“Right. Sorry.” The scientist cleared his throat. “There was something else that I found already. She’s, uh…well, at some point, she was given super soldier serum.” 

Steve froze. “HYDRA gave the serum...to an omega?”

“It’s confusing to me, too,” Bruce put his hands up in defeat. “Thanks to that, though, it’s hard to determine how old she is, or who she is, without her telling us. All I know is that she’s an unmarked omega super soldier with a hell of a dose of heat suppressants to work through.”

“Any idea when she’ll be up again?” Steve asked as the elevator dinged to signal their arrival. 

“Hard to say.” Bruce said, following the alpha out towards the shared kitchen near the common area. 

“I need to get to the bottom of this, Banner. FRIDAY, will you find Bucky? I need you to tell him—“

“Tell him what?” A voice asked. 

Steve smiled in relief. Bucky was there, sitting on the couch with a plate of Alfredo balanced in his metal hand, looking mildly curious about whatever his friend was talking about. 

“Oh, good,” Steve said, approaching him, Banner following behind. “You’re already here.”

“What is it, Stevie?” He asked, an eyebrow raised. 

“Well, as you know, I visited an abandoned HYDRA base today.” 

“I’m aware.”

“And I found...something.”

“...something. What kind of something?”

Steve suddenly wasn’t sure how to describe his discovery. “Well, it’s a...not an it, I mean, I found a…”

“Rogers here brought back an omega test subject.” Bruce interrupted. “She’s down in the lab right now sleeping off some nasty meds.”

Bucky’s posture hadn’t changed, despite how awkward and almost nervous Steve had gotten. He leaned back against the cushions, slurping down a few noodles while he regarded his friend with a mild expression. 

“Alright, so?” He asked. 

“So...I was wondering if you had any idea what HYDRA was doing experimenting on an omega.” Steve said, hands on his hips in a stance that was supposed to say I mean business, so listen to me.

Bucky wasn’t bothered by it. He was the biggest, toughest alpha in the tower, aside from the rare occasions Thor was roughing it down on Midgard with the rest of them. The others could puff up and posture all they wanted at him, but it never had any effect. He was always calm and cool, generally disinterested in their displays. He knew he was stronger, and he didn’t need to prove it, especially not when he didn’t have an omega to fight over. 

He shrugged. “I want exactly privy to all their secrets. I know they kept cells full of omegas around for a while.”

“What did they do with them?” Steve asked.

“Whatever they wanted?” Bucky shook his head. “I really don’t know. If they were experimenting on ‘em, that never concerned me.”

“You’ve gotta know something, Buck.” Steve sounded exasperated. 

“Why do you care so much?” He asked. 

“Because something isn’t adding up.” Steve growled. 

“They gave this omega enough heat suppressants to last a lifetime,” Bruce said. “Her system is all kinds of messed up.”

“Makes sense.” Bucky ate another mouthful. “HYDRA wouldn’t want to deal with hormones going crazy or any unplanned pups.”

Steve stared down at his friend. “Did they let you rut?”

“Stevie, at least take me out to dinner before you start asking about my sex life fifty years ago.” Bucky said dryly. 

Steve just raised an eyebrow.

“...yeah. They did. Think they couldn’t stop my ruts.” He relented. 

“So did they...you know…” Steve trailed off awkwardly. 

“Were you ever given omegas to get you through them?” Bruce asked, proving once again how much more capable of having this conversation he was than Steve. 

Bucky finally had to glance away from them in embarrassment. “Well…yeah. But I, uh...the Soldier, he would just kind of...well, they didn’t really last long, if you uh. Catch my drift.”

Steve paled. 

Bruce gulped. 

“...what? Look, I’m better now, I’m way past that. Besides, I never meant to hurt anyone, I wasn’t myself—“

“This omega is a super soldier.” Bruce said quietly.

Bucky’s face dropped, a flicker of something passing over his face. “...what?”

—

“Finally,” Bruce sighed happily, inhaling the smell of leftover pizza. 

“Bucky, does the number 1096 mean anything to you?” Steve asked. He was sitting in a chair across from his friend, Bruce sitting at the kitchen island while he ate his dinner. 

Bucky shook his head. “Don’t remember any numbers like that. They mostly just called ‘em all omega.”

He was trying to seem cool and collected, but his scent had shifted slightly. Steve could catch just the slightest hint of distress in it, and as he did so, he narrowed his eyes. He may have been separated from Bucky for almost 80 years, but he was still his best friend, and he could tell when he was hiding something. 

“Why would they give the serum to an omega?” Steve asked. 

“Branching out?” Bucky shook his head. “Why do they do anything? They’re HYDRA. They can do whatever they want.”

“So you don’t remember anything about an omega super soldier?”

“I don’t know.” Bucky sniffed defensively. 

“Buck, it’s okay if you do.” Steve growled. “We’re not going to judge you for anything you did. We just want to help her and figure out who she is—“

“Well I don’t know,” Bucky snapped, big fangs bared in a warning. 

Steve responded with a low growl. 

“There’s a lot I don’t remember, or did you forget how many times they wiped my memory?” 

“Seems like you’re hiding something, Buck, and I wanna know what it is.”

“Why do you care? You should just drop it,” Bucky snarled. 

Steve regarded him carefully. Oh yeah. He was definitely hiding something. 

“Hey, hey,” Bruce interrupted from the kitchen, intent on stopping their fight before it could start. “Relax, fellas. Don’t make me get the big guy out to shut you both up.”

Steve backed down. The threat of having the Hulk going after him was enough. Bucky didn’t seem to share the sentiment, though, his lips still pulled back in a blatant display of aggression. It was the first time in a while that Steve had seen him acting so defensively about something, and it was concerning, to say the least. 

“Buck,” he said, voice low with warning. “Are you hiding something?”

Bucky’s nostrils flared angrily and the insinuation that he was keeping secrets, but he managed to reign himself back in, stifling another growl with a loud sigh. 

“I dunno, Steve.” He admitted. “There’s...a lot I don’t remember. If I’m bein’ honest with you, I’m not even sure why I’m feelin’ so worked up about this.”

Steve nodded. It was a relief to hear that Bucky wasn’t acting this way entirely on purpose, at least. 

“You feel okay?” Steve asked. “Not rutting soon, are you?”

“I’m fine, Steve.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.” Bucky snorted. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again. “Is the omega, uh...is she okay?”

“Physically, she doesn’t seem to be too worse for wear,” Bruce said from the kitchen. “The only abnormalities I found in our preliminary blood tests were evidence of the suppressants and the serum. Other than being exhausted and needing to adjust to consciousness again after decades of cryo, she’s fine.”

“Good.” Bucky said, a little too quickly. “I mean...that’s good.”

“She should be awake again by tomorrow. Hopefully, she’ll be up for a longer chat then.” 

“You comfortable talking with her?” Steve asked, looking at Bucky. “It might be good for her to see someone else who used to be connected to HYDRA. Might help her ease into everything.”

Bucky gave a nod, already distracted by thoughts of this omega. Was it possible that the girl he saw in his dreams was real? It was hard for him to know what had actually happened to him and what he had imagined, what with HYDRA wiping his memory whenever they felt like it. Ever since he had gained his mental freedom, though, he had been plagued with nightmares, his sleep always filled with the faces of people he had killed. 

As time went on, they were getting better, but they never really stopped. He just...didn’t always have to deal with the worst ones. Sometimes, he even got to have dreams that were...nice. Sometimes, he dreamt of a familiar scent, one he couldn’t really place and that he could never remember when he woke up. Sometimes, he dreamt of an omega, with long, dark hair, and the prettiest eyes he could ever imagine. He always saw her in flashes, a smile here, a sigh there, and with no idea as to who she was or where she came from, he had chalked it up to his mind trying to give him some relief from the nightmares. It had to be wishful thinking, and nothing more. 

Unless it wasn’t. 

He spent a while chatting with Steve and Bruce before retreating to his apartment. With Tony and Pepper gone for the night, spending it in some fancy hotel so that Stark could give a talk at some expo, and most of the others resting after missions, the tower was quiet. It left Bucky too much time to wander and think, and before he knew it, he was making a detour down to Banner’s lab. 

As soon as the elevator doors opened, he paused. What was he hoping to accomplish, exactly? He didn’t have the kind of clearance that Bruce did. He wouldn’t be able to sneak in, and even if he could, what would he do? Appearing at her bedside would just freak the poor omega out, and that wasn’t the kind of first impression he liked to leave these days. 

He shook his head, pressing the button for his floor and leaning back against the elevator wall. He needed to be patient. Tomorrow, when she woke up, he would be able to see her for himself and decide if his weird dreams had any truth to them. 

Not that he was getting his hopes up. He shouldn’t, after all. He would just set himself up for disappointment. 

Just before the elevator doors slid shut, though, the tiniest, faintest hint of a scent wafted in, and Bucky’s eyes widened. He knew it. He knew that scent, or at least...he used to know it. Somewhere, in a part of his mind that he tried to forget about, he had memories of a peaceful, starry night sky, a hint of pine, and a touch of cinnamon. 

Then, the doors closed, and it was gone again, leaving him confused as the elevator rushed upwards.

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. LO IMHO should have been an anthology series. The different plots themselves aren't an inherently bad idea, but trying to weave them together, especially trying to weave them to HxP as the main focus, is where it all falls apart. Hera and Zeus' struggles, Eros/Psyche, Apollo and Daphne, or anything else needs to involve them. I can get what RS is going for, but she is not a strong writer to make them blend together or give them the time they need when HxP is supposed to be the focus.

2. idk if you guys go on the webtoonsopinions page but they have a recent post about lo apollo and the fans are INSISTING rachel "never forgets a plot line" and its like ... yeah no her completely dropping apollo for literal months at a time is, in fact, forgetting about it. she seems more focused on adding more plots than building up the plots she already has and wrapping anything up organically. just going off the minthe plot line, apollo's will likely be as rushed and anticlimactic too.

From OP: About the plot lines, Semele is still nowhere to be found lmao

3. so is ... this the wrap up of the trial? she just gets a slap on the wrist and community service? i think we all knew she wouldnt get actual punishment, but this is just a laughable bad wrap up, even by LO standards.

From OP: Nah, the trial will resume in 2 days (LO time).

4. I would probably take the "I had a deep connection with him" comment from Persephone more seriously if it weren't for the fact RS clearly is framing it as "proof" of how they're "soulmates" as opposed to a tragic look into a very emotionally stunted young woman with an unhealthy attachment to a man she doesn't even know. This trope is used in fairytales to show how lust like that is fleeting but she'll find someone better as long as she seeks them out, not that being her ONLY option.

5. i am ... shocked rachel went with the worst possible option with how hades would find out about p's assault. i know people for years have speculated shed pick a bad option but i was holding out shed have the better sense to not do it, and yet she went and made an even worse option than what everyone theorized shed do. its almost impressive in how awful she made it.

6. weird how of the three (?) banners webtoons has for LO its either the one that incorrectly labels the underworld as hell (and looks like a Christmas ad for some reason), only features hades (isnt persephone the lead? why does he get more merch and ads than her?), or one taking about how "legendary" their "love" is and its just hades holding an unconscious 19 year old persephone (so romantic!) oh, and its all only from 2018 too. like damn, do they not want to show the current art at least?

7. for all its faults at least s1 had moments of decent writing and art. but good lord, s2 has been nothing but more and more nonsense and flying off the rails. it's honestly kind of impressive how much worse s2 has been in literally every single way.

-----FP Spoilers/Mention-----

8. FP SPOILERS. I seriously cannot believe how bad this story has gotten. I'm only following it now to see how the dumpster fire will end, if it ever does!

185 was really just another way to pad things out. The whole "letter to Hades" business was stupid and added nothing that we didn't already know, there were SO many shots of his abs/body which were more often than not ruined by the presence of his ugly face. And then the end of it! He's NEVER been titan sized before? Really? THATS why his arm is stuck like that? AND he doesn't understand the concept of not punishing others... and Perse is okay with the fact she has to teach him what paradise for mortals means? Give me a fucking break. I also really hated how Hades was all "my back can't handle sleeping outside," it just served as a reminder that he's old and creepy.

This whole thing is convoluted and stupid, and I'm considering dropping it as a whole since it barely moves forward and I'm just so bored with it. THANKFULLY I have never paid to see any fast pass episodes, but still. I'm just getting sick of it.

9. LO couldn't even bother to let Persephone make the choice to open up to Hades and tell him about her assault, Hades had to breach her privacy, force her to tell him, then make PERSEPHONE take care of his emotions while he just does some stupid "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" comment as extent of him "caring" for her. I hoped at least Rachel would have let Persephone the choice to open up to Hades on her own terms, but now even Hades ripped that away from her. It's disgusting.

10. wait when did hades turn into a spider. why would he be a spider. wheres arachne in this then bc spiders wouldnt exist without her.

From OP: You’ll see it in episode 183. I didn’t catch that it was a fp spoiler at the time but it’s so vague that I left it there.

[rhetorical-ink]

Haikyuu!! SPOILERS: Chapter 401, How We Connect the Dots.

**PENULTIMATE SPOILERS BELOW**

I just posted a video with my live reactions to the chapter, but here are my highlights, because FURUDATE YOU MADMAN GENIUS. This chapter connected so much together. So, let’s do:

My Top 10 Thoughts on Haikyuu!! Chapter 401:

10. Of course. In true Furudate fashion, he has Kageyama block the spike from Hinata, BUT, what Kageyama doesn’t realize is all the training on the beach Shoyo has done to prepare for such a moment. And that heel kick! *swoons* Also, someone reacting to Season 4, Episode 9 of the anime, where Hinata kicks the ball back to himself called this happening all those months ago...Furudate is next level at foreshadowing. Not that we didn’t already know that.

9. Hey, remember how in the VERY FIRST chapter of Haikyuu!! Shoyo did this crazy run across the court to score? Yeah, Furudate knows we remember. And he pulls this -- and Kageyama’s beautiful reaction, only for --

-- Only for it to all be a DECOY. Kageyama, you made this monster, you know. I love that Shoyo has come all this way from wanting to score all the points to accepting that the decoy DOES have a vital role to play, and in this instance, it’s allowing Bokuto to score the winning point for the MSBY Black Jackals. Just look at that smile! And of course, Tanaka and Asahi KNOW the power of Hinata as a Decoy...because they’ve been in Bokuto’s shoes before. 

8. UGH, the aftermath of that moment is glorious, which will detail down below -- but I love Shoyo and Kageyama’s interaction, though. How they’re still keeping track of each other’s wins and losses, exhausting Miya, hilariously, and showing that they’re on equal footing now, after all these years. This chapter is just cementing the last several chapters’ worth of character development. 

7. ARE YOU SHIPPERS READY FOR YOUR FOOD?!

Because these next few pages were healing my shipper heart. I mean, yes, the Kagehina fanbase is raving right now, but let’s talk about THESE ships below, starting with:

Tsukishima x Yamaguchi:

So, Tsukishima, of course, is not sappy about any of this and just points out how the season’s just getting started (ready the fanfics, y’all). 

And of course, Yamaguchi wants to watch Tsuki play! Yachi says she’ll come too! I LOVE how just like he was with Akiteru, he doesn’t want them to come watch (even though we all know he’ll love it when they’re there). Now, some people have commented that Yamaguchi could be with Yachi, but y’all...Yachi is in Tokyo. Yamaguchi and Tsuki both live in Miyagi. I can’t wait for all the Sendai Frog/TsukiYama fanfics!

If you’re looking for an extra Kagehina crumble, just look at the end of this adorable exchange between Romero, smol adorable Rubens, and Shoyo (who perfectly crouches down to talk to him MY HEART I CAN’T), to see Kageyama notice that Shoyo can speak multiple languages...oh, honey! If only you know about Hinata and Pedro’s marathons of DBZ in Portugese and English! ^^

Also, Furudate WE SEE YOU. We see you being meta and implying that now Haikyuu!! is over, he’s moving on...Akaashi’s line about going forward hit me hard...it’s like he’s telling us, the fandom, that going on to start something new isn’t so bad. SO YOU SAY. 

BOKUAKA NATION -- WE CANON NOW, RIGHT?!

I love that Akaashi gets to interview Bokuto (IS HE GOING TO BE THE STAR of the Volleyball manga Tenma Udai is writing?! He would be PERFECT for it!) and how happy Akaashi looks, even if he and Bokuto realize how differently they view the term “normal.” 

ALSO, it’s implied above that Akaashi, Bokuto, and Tenma were going out for drinks...which now....we know that it’s just Bokuto and Akaashi, since Tenma was going home. Uhm, FAN FIC WRITERS ASSEMBLE!

I also love that Udai joins the club, along with Fukurodani’s coach and manager, of people who realize that Bokuto and Akaashi are weirdos but they are weirdos together, so it’s fine. 

Keeping the “Ship Train” going, we get little bits of Shimizu x Yachi from the bathhouse before the Inarizaki Match, where Kiyoko finally acknowledges she is okay showing her legs...thanks to Yachi’s words. I also find Suga wanting to know “the tea” on the situation to be adorable. 

AND FINALLY, YES, Y’ALL:

I was spoiled with Kuroo’s return, but seriously, Furudate, you saved him for the end here so INTENTIONALLY. 

Because OF COURSE Kuroo would work for the JVA. As a promoter. CONNECTING people...with Volleyball...because that’s the Nekoma way.

And FURUDATE ARE YOU SUGGESTING TO US THAT KUROO AND KENMA ARE BUSINESS PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS BECAUSE MY KUROKEN HEART IS SOARING -- 

-- and let it be known Atsumu Miya rightfully doesn’t trust Kuroo, and neither does Sakusa. A nice SakuAtsu crumb where we actually see Sakusa agree with Miya without sacrasm or question! Poor Shoyo is a salesman’s dream, though. I mean, Kuroo does look a little sketchy in some of those shots...BUT....

6. Kuroo’s speech about sports was SO fitting. Seriously, everything he says here is BASICALLY what makes Haikyuu!! such a great series. I DID laugh out loud at the line about “hardly anybody dies.” 

*Flashbacks to “Dead Daichi” meme*

5. It’s taken us the ENTIRE series, but Kageyama finally talks to Kindaichi and Kunimi. This was so heartwarming, seeing Kageyama wanting to play WITH THEM. AS A TEAM. This made my heart expand three sizes. The character development on Kageyama, and Kindaichi, is through the roof.

I also LOVE Kunimi the most in these panels. Kunimi is a MOOD. 

Y’ALL. I’VE WAITED 400 CHAPTERS FOR THIS PANEL OF THESE THREE HAPPY AND BECOMING FRIENDS AGAIN.

4. I love that Hoshiumi doesn’t see Hinata as a Rival, but as someone that is going to help him show the rest of the world the strength of someone who doesn’t have height. I also find it interesting that we see the Japanese Olympic Coach walking out just as Hoshiumi gives us that beautiful gaze. So...does Hoshiumi know he’s going to be on the Olympic team, with Hinata, maybe? Foreshadowing, perhaps?

3. Okay, okay, I held it together until this page. 

It wasn’t Ushijima’s panel with Washijo that got me.

It wasn’t Saeko and Akane reuniting, though that was sweet. 

It wasn’t the three “Pure Captains” reuniting, though it made my heart happy.

It honestly wasn’t the five first years together, either. They’re all so happy and having a laugh at Kageyama’s expense, and as beautiful as that panel is.

SUGAWARA IN LINE TO GET KAGEYAMA’S AUTOGRAPH.

That is what got me. 

Him in line, so meekly, to get the autograph of his kouhai, the man Suga joked would have to tell about how much he learned from HIM when he was giving out interviews and autographs...I just...Sugawara made me cry. That is all. 

2. Then there’s this last page. 2021. 

"We overcame difficulties and stand here.”

Furudate really said “screw you” to Covid messing up the timeline.

Yes, seeing Kageyama and Hinata in their original jersey numbers was amazing, but I think we all saw that coming if these two happened to get on the Olympic team. 

What I want to focus on are the two countries we see included in the bottom corner here. We see: 

Brazil -- and some fluffy haired man carrying the flag for the team.

And we see the United States -- there’s several American Flags and stars and stripes on the shirts of the crowd, there.

SO, HEADCANON TIME: 

* Oikawa was on the Argentinean League, so could he play for Brazil? It’s not likely, but not impossible....BUT, I don’t think that’s it.

I don’t think Oikawa is on Japan’s National Team for the Olympics.

If he is on the Olympic Team, I think he’ll be on America’s. 

Why? Because, and this could be because I’m the biggest IwaOi shipper, but Iwaizumi was still in the United States with Ushijima’s father at the end of Chapter 395. And if he’s still there, there is no reason why Iwaizumi couldn’t be a physical trainer alongside Ushijima’s father for the U.S. Olympic team. And why wouldn’t Oikawa trek over to the States to be on the same team as Iwa-Chan’s working with? I’m probably wrong, BUT -- 

We also still need to see Seijoh’s banner, and as others have theorized, how fitting would it be to see Hinata, Kageyama, and (probably) Ushijima on the team facing Oikawa? I just....I’m betting money that Oikawa shows up in 402. I hope we at least see him on the Olympic Stage. OIKAWA DESERVES IT. 

1. So, who are we missing that hasn’t been shown yet?

We still need to see the rest of Nekoma (Lev, Yaku, Yamamoto, Kai....could they be in the stands or on the Japan team? I guess we’ll find out!)

We haven’t seen Daishou and Mika -- I would love to see them watching or narrating in the audience during the Olympic game.

And finally, yes, we’ve seen Tendo in the Chapter 395 flashback, but we’ve never seen what he’s DOING. Furudate has shown us with every character what they’ve been doing since the timeskip....EXCEPT TENDO. I’m calling it that he’ll appear one more time next chapter, too.

So....guys....I’m staying off of Social Media from Wednesday to Sunday next week, to prep for the last chapter and not be spoiled. I’m going to do a live reaction for YouTube, and I’ll post it here. You can see the one I did for 401 now. 

Furudate, this series has been immaculate. Time for one more round.

Let’s all cry together next week.

[purple-dahlias]

Birthdays

🎈 six

She remembers that one, clearly, even now. The last one her father was there for.

At six Sarah is considerably a lot more perceptive than other children her age. She notices her mother’s pinched expression, the fraught looks that pass between her parents. The way her father walks about in a silent rage and her mother purses her lips, as though trying to stop herself from saying something.

That’s how she ends up sitting quietly, trying her best to pretend she isn’t there, a new copy of The Secret Garden open in her lap, legs carefully crossed at the ankles. She’s trying to lose herself in the words. She imagines herself taken away to somewhere strange, somewhere new, just like Mary was.

It seems to be working for her, that is, until she hears Aunt Louise from across the room.

“Poor soul,” she remarks lowly, but loud enough that Sarah hears, and knows she means her. Looking up, curls half obscuring her face, Sarah is just in time to see Aunt Louise lean across and whisper something to Uncle Henry. Something that she knows is about her parents, who, she is sure are both somewhere at opposite ends of the house being mad at each other. That was always the way now.

And then It’s a few weeks later and suddenly, well, not so, if you thought about it like Sarah did, her father is gone. Not coming back, according to her mother. And maybe, Sarah thinks, maybe if she had been better, he would have stayed and things could have changed. 

🎈 thirteen

A birthday’s not about things. It’s not about presents or decorations or balloons. At least, that’s supposed to be the sentiment. But for Sarah’s mother, it’s a different story. 

Sarah comes home to banners and giant helium balloons, a huge expense, but empty. She knows her mother had no personal hand in the matter. It had just been a call to her assistant and an exchange of money. Empty Gestures, like it always was with her mother. 

A store bought cake, perfectly piped with lettering ‘happy thirteenth Sarah’. It is anything but. Maybe it’s selfish but she wishes for a homemade cake, one like she’d heard her classmates talk about. Complain about, even. What she would give for something like that, something that’s not just empty. That would take time and effort and care. Not just a phone call. Because these are all just things. Not the stuff that makes treasured memories. 

There aren’t even people to share it all with. That would require friends. And middle school was lonely. 

So it’s just Sarah, alone at home, her mother didn’t even have it in her to take the time off work for her only daughter. Instead she sits there, at the table in the spotless kitchen, reading and rereading the typed card left for her, hoping somewhere to discern something more from it. Some hidden feelings in the black and white. But there aren’t. 

Maybe one day, she thinks, though it’s probably wishful thinking. She’s not six anymore, holding onto hope for change.

🎈 fifteen

High school is a little different, a little brighter. She’s changed schools, there are girls who it seems actually like her. Ones she can count as friends. And that’s how she finds herself in the cinema with Harriett and Grace and Marya the evening of her fifteenth birthday. 

She’s sat on the end of the row, beside Grace, sharing her popcorn with her and a fizzy drink that’s just a little too sweet for her liking. But Sarah doesn’t care because Grace holds her hand practically throughout the whole of the film. Sarah doesn’t really think the film is that scary but she’s willing to pretend as Grace holds her hand tightly, leaning close to her in her seat so that Sarah can smell the floral scent of the perfume she’s started wearing, the one that smells of jasmine and bergamot, coincidently two of Sarah’s favourite scents, though she can’t quite remember if she ever told Grace that. 

Grace laughs quietly at something on screen beside her, and Sarah thinks it’s a wonderful sound, like music. She loves knowing when she makes her laugh like that. Wouldn’t mind being able to do that more often. 

But it’s all a little bittersweet, because Grace will be gone by September, by the time the new school term starts. She’s moving with her family to Seattle, so if something ever could have come of them, neither will ever know. 

🎈 nineteen

Sarah feels freer now. She’s in college, out in the world, never mind that her world mainly consists of campus, her dorm, the little cafe down on Elm and the library. 

People are still hard, and her circle of people is ridiculously small, but not for lack of trying. There isn’t much time for friends, anyhow she tells herself. Her goal here is to do well. She has to do well. She is, and that’s her consolation. 

But it’s her birthday and she’s tired and her heart is heavy and she just wants to not feel so alone. So it’s probably a poor decision but it’s summer and she’s alone in her dorm, most other people having left for the holidays; she just can’t stomach going back, and in any case doesn’t think her mum would even miss her presence. There are no calls or messages from the few friends she’d had in high school. Nothing. Which hurts, because she always remembers their birthdays. But maybe they didn’t feel the same way. They’d moved on, probably; she should too. 

It’s just her in her dorm, alone that Monday night.

It’s impulsive, and she’ll regret it later, she knows, but the bottle is right there in her cupboard and even if it’s for a little bit, she just wants to forget, to not think, to lose focus. Even if it’s only temporary. 

The one and only time she allows herself to do this, truly let go of herself like this. And it’s not one of those wild stories to be told later and made light of, it’s not a party or surrounded by friends. It’s just her, alone with the bottle, trying to rid herself of her thoughts. 

🎈 twenty-six 

Sarah is exhausted. Her rotation in the ED is taking its toll on her. The shifts, the long days and nights. But this is everything she had been working towards. What practically everything she had done since she was sixteen had been for. 

So that evening, all she wants to do is to go home, order some takeout from the ramen place she likes and maybe watch a movie. Just something quiet with herself. 

She’s just home and showered, hair still damp and hanging loose when her phone rings. Unusual. Hardly anyone ever called her. What’s even more unusual is that it’s Natalie from Med calling her, and Sarah wonders what on earth she could want at this time of the evening, especially when neither of them have a night shift that day. 

She picks up, to hear Natalie asking if she could come round and watch Owen because she needed to run out to the grocery store and there was no one else to. 

Sarah sighs inwardly. So much for her quiet night. But she goes. It’s not like she had any real plans tonight. If anything, watching Owen might be a help. She knows sitting in front of the TV, especially tonight, would lead her mind to wander. To places and thoughts she didn’t want it to go. It was probably for the best. So she pulls on jeans and a sweater and goes. 

Natalie answers the door, pulling Sarah inside. “Thank you so much for coming, honestly I don’t know what else I would have done,” she gushes.

“Don’t mention it—“ Sarah begins, but the words die on her lips as Natalie leads her into the kitchen. 

April is there, holding Owen, and Maggie is beside her with Noah and Ethan and Connor and Will and a few of the others. 

“Happy Birthday!” They all call out in unison, smiles on their faces and Owen waving his small fists, not quite understanding, but knowing something good is happening.  

Sarah is completely taken aback. She hadn’t been expecting anything, let alone this. She didn’t even think they all knew when her birthday was. 

“You didn’t think we were gonna leave you all on your one, did you?” Maggie asks, pulling her into a tight embrace. 

This, Sarah thinks, is what a family must feel like. 

🎈 twenty-seven

So much has changed. For one thing, Sarah’s a psych resident now. Something she never thought she would be, but she’s enjoying it. For another, and this is the biggest one, there’s Ava. And that is amazing and terrifying in equal parts all at the same time. 

Ava wouldn’t  tell her where they were going. Only that it required Sarah to dress up. It turned out to be a fancy Italian restaurant, one that apparently Ava had had her eyes on for months for this very occasion. Sarah had never really been one for grand gestures, considering her mother’s track record with them; they’d always felt empty. But with Ava, it is completely, entirely different. The way Ava is excited about it probably more than Sarah, because she loves surprising her, seeing her happy. And that, for Sarah, makes the day. Because it is so genuine and heartfelt. 

Sarah can’t think of a time where she’s felt lighter than she does now. 

But that’s not even everything. They get home, and Ava leads Sarah to the couch, telling her to sit, and disappears off into the kitchen. She’s only gone for a short time, and when she returns, she’s bearing a decadent chocolate cake on a platter, iced with ‘happy birthday Sarah,’ in Ava’s familiar, looping script, candles flickering in the dim light. Ava made this. For her. 

It’s perfect, and she tells her so as Ava sets the platter down on the coffee table in front of her. 

“Blow out the candles,” Ava says softly, and Sarah does, as her girlfriend snaps a photo of her, smiles etched on both their faces. 

“Thank you,” Sarah tells her quietly as Ava comes to sit beside her, placing a kiss to her lips.  

“Happy birthday, my love,” whispers Ava when they break apart. And it is. Completely. 

[asprettyasyourown]

How/Where do you think Jon and Arya will meet again? And how/where do you think Dany and Arya will meet?

Honestly, I can’t see Arya and Jon meeting anywhere else other than Winterfell. It would be such a satisfying “conclusion” to this aspect of their storyline. For Arya, both Winterfell AND Jon have been associated with home. She has tried since day one to return to either of them, and to see her do both at the same time would be so lovely. And Jon too, who has struggled for so long with his desire to have Winterfell (feeding his rivalry with Robb and his conflict with his status as a bastard) and Arya (contradicting his position as a member of the Night’s Watch, who have no family), would then get both at the same time. I know GRRM doesn’t like to hand things on a silver platter, and that “Be careful what you wish for” is a massive theme in the series, but come on. You can’t tell me they had it easy, and that they didn’t fight for it.

Now how and when is a little trickier.

Unfortunately, it won’t happen before a loooong time. Arya has a long way to go before leaving Essos, let alone reach Winterfell. She still needs to: 

Tie the story with the FM (including a “training” with the courtesans/the Black Pearl, and of course leaving them);

Deal with the wildlings women and children that are stranded in Braavos now that the Sealord captured the ship (= slavers) that intended to sell them;

As I’ve mentioned before, I very much see the Iron Bank being involved in her storyline, so there’s that to deal with as well;

Meet Dany (I’ll go back to this later);

Go back to Westeros;

Deal with the Riverlands, the Brotherhoods Without Banners and, most importantly, Lady Stoneheart;

Reconnect with Nymeria.

And all that doesn’t even take into account what GRRM could throw in her way on top of all of this. That’s a lot. And since Arya will definitively not see Jon anywhere outside of the North, it could only happen after she resolved all those things.

Jon too has a lot on his plate. He first needs to be resurrected (duh). He also needs to deal with the traitors who stabbed him and his future in the Night’s Watch. If you omit the whole murder thing (kinda hard to tbh), there is still the fact he broke his vows for Arya. He was already set to leave before he died. And since his last thoughts were about Arya, and we know the dead who get resurrected focus on their last conscious thoughts, his resolve to get her back will not be lessened.

Honestly, I think he’s done with the NW. I think he’s gonna do what he intended to before dying, aka kill Ramsay and get “Arya” back, whether by allying with Stannis or at the head of his own wildling army. I don’t know if he’s gonna become King in the North like in GoT, but he’s definitively going to be considered for the role; and since Bran, the legitimate heir, is still alive and will one day return to Winterfell, this could be the catalyst for the tension between these two George planned in his original draft. Not to mention the tensions it would create with the other northern lords, who would not see with a kind eye a bastard allied with the wildlings (enemies of the North for generations) and Stannis; or those who simply won’t appreciate a king not as malleable as a child (side-eye to the Manderlys).

(Oh, and there is also the matter with fArya and Theon. I’m going on a limb here, but I doubt he’s gonna be happy to learn that what he thought was his precious “sister” is really an impostor (though he might be happy to know the real Arya didn’t get what Jeyne had to endure). Or that she’s bringing along the guy who betrayed the Starks and supposedly killed Bran and Rickon. His first reaction definitively won’t be good, though it will probably soften once he learns what happened to them and how Ramsay is the real culprit. But I’m not anticipating much benevolence from him, especially since he’s in dark mode now).

So yeah. Lots of issues to be resolved before they can be reunited, and that’s without counting on the threat of the Others or what other characters might do. Honestly, I’m anticipating a reunion between the end of TWOW and the beginning of ADOS. On one hand, I think it would be more impactful in TWOW; most specifically, the last act of either Jon or Arya’s chapters. It would be a nice conclusion for the both of them, before the Others mess everything up. But I’m also aware that all the issues I’ve previously mentioned might not be resolved in one book, and that it might spill on the second one.

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

Now Dany.

Honestly, it’s kinda hard to be sure of how they’re gonna meet. They will, that’s a certainty. There is so much hints, since the first book really. Remember this?

This time the monsters did not frighten her. They seemed almost old friends. [Arya, IV, AGOT]

Which is exactly how I’m anticipating their relationship. At first, things are going to be tense, especially on Dany’s side who has been fed lies about the Starks and their role in her exile (and who could blame her). So there’s definitively room for Arya to be frightened. But once she gets Dany to see her side to the story, and her vision of the events become more balanced, they’ll become fast-friends. They have so much in common, it’s impossible for them not to.

But, once again, the details of how they’re gonna meet is blurry. Arya will need to at least be done with the FM. And Dany... Dany has a lot on her plate too. She’s gonna need to deal with the khalasar she hears at the end of ADWD, and a possible confrontation (alliance?) with the Dothraki. She will also need to end the plot in Meereen (aka choose between “fixing” its whole culture or do what she always intended to, return to Westeros and seize back the Iron Throne). Of course, we know she’s gonna choose the latter - but a bunch of things can happen between that, and with them time passing.

At this point, Arya and Dany are very far away, each at one extremity of Essos. For them to have a chance to meet, I anticipate that Dany will end things with Meereen at the same time Arya closes the storyline with the FM (maybe even before, so Dany could already be on the road towards Braavos). Now is the tricky part. I have two theories on how they will meet: through the lost Wildlings and through the Iron Bank.

The lost Wildlings

We know the wildlings women and children in Braavos were “freed” when the Sealord seized the ship carrying them. Unfortunately, others were not so lucky.

“I know why the Sealord seized the Goodheart. She was carrying slaves. Hundreds of slaves, women and children, roped together in her hold.” Braavos had been founded by escaped slaves, and the slave trade was forbidden here. “I know where the slaves came from. They were wildlings from Westeros, from a place called Hardhome. An old ruined place, accursed.” Old Nan had told her tales of Hardhome, back at Winterfell when she had still been Arya Stark. “After the big battle where the King-Beyond-the-Wall was killed, the wildlings ran away, and this woods witch said that if they went to Hardhome, ships would come and carry them away to someplace warm. But no ships came, except these two Lyseni pirates, Goodheart and Elephant, that had been driven north by a storm. They dropped anchor off Hardhome to make repairs, and saw the wildlings, but there were thousands and they didn’t have room for all of them, so they said they’d just take the women and the children. The wildlings had nothing to eat, so the men sent out their wives and daughters, but as soon as the ships were out to sea, the Lyseni drove them below and roped them up. They meant to sell them all in Lys. Only then they ran into another storm and the ships were parted. The Goodheart was so damaged her captain had no choice but to put in here, but the Elephant may have made it back to Lys. The Lyseni at Pynto’s think that she’ll return with more ships. The price of slaves is rising, they said, and there are thousands more women and children at Hardhome.” [The Blind Girl, ADWD]

So the Goodheart was too damaged to go to Lys, but the Elephant wasn’t. It means there are still hundreds of wildlings women and children enslaved there. Honestly, I’m not sure how Arya could be involved in freeing them. Lys is a long way from Braavos, which means she would have to travel down there (with no resources and the other half of the wildlings), free them and get back up to sail across the Narrow Sea, deal with the Riverlands and then go North. It’s a little much for one girl, even one as resourceful as Arya. Sure, she could ask help from the Iron Bank (see my second point), but I doubt they would indulge her (high risk for no rewards).

But. You know who is as strongly against slavery as Arya, whose path might make her travel to Lys and who has the resources to fuck shit up? Yep, Dany.

The way I see it is, after being disheartened by Meereen and her failure to change the slaver(y) culture, Dany could very much decide to go home to Westeros - and set everything ablaze in her path. If she failed to abolish slavery from the inside, she might decide to do it by force, as a last FUCK YOU to the masters. This could be the beginning of her rock bottom, before she rises back again. It’s also coherent with the Dothraki culture of “Submit or be killed”, which could play a part if she allies with them again.

So I could see her attacking the big cities of Essos, destroying the masters and freeing the slaves as she goes along, until she reaches Braavos - who may be protected since 1. she would use its port to journey across the Narrow Sea and 2. they’re famously known for being founded by slaves and anti-slavery as a whole (and they actually enforce that rule, not just preach it and close their eyes when it counts). There, she could meet Arya through the wildlings women reuniting. Like I said, things would be tense at first, but if they might not be friends at first, they might respect each other for having their hearts set on the same goal (protecting their people). Friendship would come later, I’m not worried about that.

The Iron Bank theory

For me, the Iron Bank doesn’t get the recognition it deserves as a threat, and I fully anticipate them having a much larger role in the next book.

I really believe they will have a hand in Arya going back to Westeros. After she leaves the FM, I very much see them stepping in to offer their “help” to Arya. Personally, I believe the Kindly Man informed them of her real identity (though his motivations are yet unclear). I believe he’s aware of her value as a princess, and the (supposedly) last heir of the North. Look how people are rallying for her in the North when they hear “Valiant Ned’s precious little girl” is being brutalized. Do you think the Iron Bank is gonna pass on such a prize? I can see them trying to do to her what the Manderlys are doing with Rickon, or what Illyrio tried to do with Dany - offer their protection and help so she would be/feel indebted. They could get ahold of the North through Arya, and of the other Kingdoms through Stannis/the crown’s debt. Not too shabby.

But wait, there is a problem arising. A problem named Daenerys, who fully intends to take back the Iron Throne - and if she does, she’s not gonna care about reimbursing the debt her predecessors/usurpers left, thus lessening their leverage (and with three dragons, a Dothraki army and the Unsullied, threatening her is not gonna fly well). I can see them trying to step in too, promise the same things to her they did to Arya - except she’s not gonna fall for the same ploy like Viserys did with Illyrio.

(Btw, I’m sure Arya too will see right through them - she had a whole training dedicated to make her see beyond appearances, and she’s always been pretty observant (like when she didn’t fall for trap Cersei laid for her, with Lannister soldiers dressed as Stark men in AGOT). But she also don’t have the same resources Dany has, and if she frees the wildlings, she’ll have hundreds of mouths to feed and transport back to Westeros. I can’t see her do that without external help, so she might be playing along til a better opportunity arise.)

Now, both these theories have their flaws. The biggest one, for me, is time. Meereen is not gonna be resolved in a day (unless Dany just sets everything on fire the moment she arrives and takes off into the sunset, but I doubt that). She still needs enough time to travel to Braavos. Even if George takes his sweet time closing the FM storyline, dealing with the wildlings in Braavos and the Iron Bank, it’s not gonna take a million chapters. Unless he throws something in there to delay her departure, something that wasn’t foreshadowed yet? Because I don’t see them meeting first in Westeros. What would be the point of having them on the same continent if they don’t meet there? As always, there’s a lot left hanging in the air.

[muffinrecord]

Who to Roll For?

Here’s a dumb post if you’re wondering who to roll for in the upcoming banner. Please do further research too!! Don’t just base it on my half-assed crap ;_;

Also please feel free to correct me if I get something wrong!

First off, make a decision on if you want to choose a character for gameplay or because you love them. BOTH ARE EQUALLY VALID. I don’t think I need to help a person pick a favorite character, so I’m going to give advice based on gameplay.

Available characters:

Madoka Kaname

Madoka (Haregi ver)

Mami Tomoe

Mami (Holy ver)

Mami (Swimsuit ver)

Kyoko Sakura

Kyoko (Swimsuit ver)

Sayaka Miki

Sayaka (Haregi ver)

Cool Homura

Homura (Swimsuit)

Generic advice: 

Look at who you have already. Getting more slots for a character is always a good thing! If you want to fill in missing gaps, look at your elemental lineups and see what you’re missing. Not enough Flame? Pick a Kyoko, ect. Also, look at your lineups for strategy and see what you’re missing too. Madoka will be great for Magia teams, Mami is good for Bind cheese, Kyoko is good for blastin’, ect! If you don’t have everyone, consider your future plans with saving. Will you be trying to get one of these limited girls later? If not, then choose an unlimited, so that if you get spooked you can at least increase the girl’s slots. If you are considering rolling for someone in the future, then go ahead and get a copy of them ahead of time to make it easier on yourself!

Specific Character Advice:

Madoka Kaname: Extremely good for Magia teams. She’s still one of the best (I think?) for getting people to 100 MP and beyond and her light status makes her really versatile. I still think that Madoka is one of the best choices for new players. She’s not going to carry you in damage though, so keep that in mind! Additionally, personally, I find that Double Doka cheese isn’t really needed as much as it was on NA due to SE on other characters making other options easier to work through. Additionally, I don’t think Madoka is as necessary these days as she was in NA either-- characters like Mikage and the easily accessible Kako have filled Madoka’s niche a bit.

One slot isn’t great, but it’s enough for her to use her Accele Draw personal memoria at least, so that’s nice.

Haregi Madoka: She’s been powercrept by other characters in the game. She’s a support and will deal more damage than Regular Madoka, but she also doesn’t deal as much damage as an actual attacker. A lot of her support is based around preventing damage (Attack Down, Darkness) which can be pretty nice-- healing is good, but preventing damage is also great. But otherwise, I feel like regular Madoka is better than Haregi Madoka.

With regard to slots, Supports are kinda similar to tanks in that you want them ideally to have more than one slot. This is because they can load up on active memoria and really take advantage of that skill quicken passive from spirit enhancement they can get. 

Mami Tomoe: She’s good imo, but she’s not as much a must-have like she was on NA, because a lot of characters can bind/charm/stun the enemy now through connects. As a Forest type she does a lot of good magia damage and she has a great amount of Attack. Her disks can work for or against her-- on Magia teams she’s good, but for general attacking maybe not so much. Don’t forget her magia will debuff herself! 

She’s... fine at one slot, but more is always better. She’s really squishy though so keep that in mind-- if bind doesn’t work, then she’s fragile.

Holy Mami: Her disks make her sort of charge team/blast team oriented. She does have a lot of MP gain up nodes + mp regen (at 12mp per turn??), so she can magia, although that sort of focus on her SE is a little weird. Her magia itself is really confusing?? IMO Swimsuit Mami is a better forest unit if you have to pick a limited.

She’s fine at one slot, but still-- more is better.

Swimsuit Mami: One of the best Forest units in the game, and she’s going to be really good for the upcoming Kimochi too. Her Spirit Enhancement, Magia, and Connect are all pretty good. She has the highest attack of the three Mamis available, and she has MP Regen per turn, letting her get to magia quickly-- which is good, because she gives herself Magia Damage Up when she does so.

One slot isn’t great, but I don’t think she suffers as much as other characters do on this list for it. Keep in mind that she’ll probably be a lot better if you could get her to two slots at least.

Kyoko Sakura: One of the OG Blast gorillas, Kyoko is great for any sort of blasting business. Interestingly, she’s kind of more tanky than Swimsuit Kyoko? Regular Kyoko gives Damage Cut on her connect, while Swim Kyoko gives Attack Up, and regular Kyoko has more Defense too. She’s going to be excellent for farming stuff if you want to use Blast, though blast is sort of out of the meta when it comes to hard content.

It’s always good to have more memo slots, but Kyoko is pretty good for farming even at one. If you have Ranka and are really pressed for options here, you can skip her if you like.

Swimsuit Kyoko: Kyoko and Swim Kyoko both have very similar SE-- in fact, it’s the same with some different percentages. Swim Kyoko has a higher evade chance at 20%, while regular Kyoko has a higher Anti-Evade at 45%. Swim Kyoko has a weaker active SE in my opinion (it gives lower blast damage up but also magia damage up?); however swim kyoko has a much better connect and waaaay better attack stats. She’s very fragile though! Like regular Kyoko, she’s going to be excellent for farming stuff with blast but not as good for actual hard content.

I’d say Swim Kyoko is prob the best to have here at one memo slot. She just has super high attack and can make up for the lack of second passive slot.

Sayaka Miki: Unless you have Sayaka at a slot or two already, I’d skip her for consideration. She’s sort of... eh? Some folks have made good tactics of using Attack Up when max health memoria + Sayaka’s HP Regen, but that depends on you having good Attack Up when max health memoria in the first place. As a tank she’s great, but as a damage dealer... meh.

She suffers the most here from having one slot. She’s a tank, and I still think tanks benefit from having three slots, even considering Spirit Enhancement. It’s true that SE will make up for a lack of memoria slots, but you also have to consider that the content you’re facing is going to be harder in antipcation of SE too.

Haregi Sayaka: She’s not in the meta, and suffers from a few flaws but she’s also very cool. Tanks generally want AACCB (especially these days) so that they can get to magia quickly and help support their team-- Haregi Sayaka has ABBCC though, which is more attack-ish focused. Despite being a defense type she actually has decent enough ATK stats. Her connect gives Defense Pierce along with other stuff, which makes her a bit rare and REALLY helpful for some hard challenges. As a tank she does kind of suffer a bit when it comes to drawing aggro, but she’s also very sturdy, especially with her 100% Regen HP SE Active.

The number of slots here depends-- if you just want a good attacker, then she’s better than regular Sayaka and can work with one slot. However, as a tank you’d want more slots because her magia/doppel/active SE does not give her a provoke/guardian. 

Cool Homura: She’s a decent blast gorilla. She’s not as good as Ashley, but she’s cool Homura, so I mean, she’s still pretty cool, right? If you don’t have any elemental neutral blast gorillas (aka light, dark, void), then Cool Homu is a good choice. Her Spirit Enhancement kind of lets her down though compared to other characters-- why does she only have one blast damage up node??? Also, her magia damages all enemies while her doppel damages random ones, for some reason. But overall, I mean-- it’s cool homura. Blast isn’t meta atm, but she should be good for farming and maybe Mirrors?

Like Kyoko and Swim Kyoko, she’s probably one of the better options to have at one slot due to her blast nature.

Swimsuit Homura: IMO Swimsuit Homura is a much better version of Moemura. She has EXCELLENT attack at 11k (cool homura has 400 more attack than her at 11.4k to put it in perspective), a better type than moemura (Support versus Magia), and her active SE skill is better too. Honestly so is her connect-- it feels like a better improvement over the old one because she gives Attack Up + Skill Seal with the evade (instead of Magia Damage Up). She basically feels like an updated, more powerful-version with much better disks. However, when compared to other limited light characters, she falls a bit short (Sakurako Hiiragi is a much better unit than SwimHomura is).

She’s not great at one slot, but she’s not as bad as some people on this list. 

[olivarryprompts]

Fanfic Friday #10

Welcome to Fanfic Friday! Each Friday I will post a new fanfic here and on A03. Enjoy x

Read and save it on A03 here 

{peter stark and a no good very bad day}

Ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Steve Rogers & Peter Stark

Warnings: swearing, fluff otherwise :)

Wc: 3,984

Today, everything had gone wrong. He stayed up way past his bedtime the previous night and had gotten barely three hours of sleep by the time he arrived at school. He forgot his Spanish homework in the lab and that was the one grade he needed to pull from an A- to an A. He chugged a couple shots of espresso, and his usual store on the walk to school was closed. Meaning he had no redbull to sustain him through his classes.

Also, guess which class was straight bangout first, Spanish. So he hadn't done the homework and had no time to do it. Great. Fortunately, he made it through first period Spanish, only getting slightly scolded for not handing in the assignment. Then he had a break, and the kid desperately needed a pick me up coffee and muffin. He went to the closest cafe, one he’d come to love, only to find the whole football team there. Which would have been fine, if he wasn’t so goddamn awkward. He stood there for a solid five minutes before he asked the jock in his way to move so he could order.

Then, when the kid did get to ordering they ran out of fuckin chocolate muffins. What kinda cafe runs out of chocolate muffins at ten am? This one apparently. So coffee and blueberry muffin in hand, he headed back to the student lounge to get some work done.

The next portion of his day went as planned, a welcomed change of pace. Well Flash was a bitch, but what was new there. And his senses were through the roof. But other than that. That was all until the last period. To start, he got a text from his boyfriend, explaining that he’d no longer be arriving this Friday, but instead the following Saturday. Peter wanted to cry. He missed his boy. Leaving Harley on read, he tried to focus on chemistry, but he’d done the stuff they were going over about 100 times with Dr. Banner. He zoned out the entire class.

Finally, the bell rang and put him out of his misery. He quickly texted Ned asking if he was coming in the following day. He had been sick that day. He went to leave, but the class was stopped by the announcement of a test and more homework. For fuck sake.

He did get out, though. And he got straight in the car, barely pausing to say hello to Happy. Noticing the boy's unusual quiet, he didn’t press for more details about Peter’s day. Happy, though he’d never say it, enjoyed hearing about the kids day. He had come to really care for Peter, and his accomplishments made the older man happy. Ironic, he knew.

They had arrived at the tower in almost record time, and Peter was glad to have avoided extra time in the car. What he really craved was a couple hugs from his dads, a chat with his boyfriend, and to get through the stack of busy work that weighed him down.

Happy went round to the private entrance, wished the kid a good day, and headed off to some other errand. Peter exited, scanning his pass at security and being recognized and let through by Friday. So, he’d finally made it upstairs and there the sofa was, filled with a few avengers. Luckily his parents were among them. The two were sitting close to each other, as normal.

Peter simply put his head in his pops lap, and he laid his feet on his dad. Neither Steve nor Tony said anything, but they gave each other the look. Steve ran his hands through his son’s hair lovingly. “Pete?” Tony asked, “What happened kid?” “Nothin’” Peter replied, still buried in his Pop’s lap. “You sure about that?” Steve pressed. “Just a bad day,” Peter mumbled. “What happened паук?” Nat spoke up. She is very protective of Peter. “What didn’t happen?” he sighed dramatically. “Well you mope for as long as you like, Pete,” Tony joked. “Thanks dad,” he said, closing his eyes again in search of sleep. “Teenagers I tell you,” Clint said, rolling his eyes. “Fuck you Barton,” Peter mumbled before falling asleep properly. “He really is your child, Tones,” Clint laughed. “Hey Peter just said a bad language word,” Nat remarked. “God I hate all of you,” his Pops groaned. Then Peter fell into peaceful, safe sleep.

“Pete?” his Pops said, entering his room. He moved around, noticing he’d been moved from the sofa to his own room. He groaned. “Hello to you too.” “Yes, Hi, father, Captain America, Leader of the Avengers, Man of Strengt-” “Ok relax,” Cap rolled his eyes. Peter sat up, smirking. “Wanna tell me what actually happened today?” “J-just everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong.” “Did that start with you staying in the lab way past a normal sleeping time?” “Perhaps. How did you kn-” “You are aware that your dad designed that whole lab situation, right?” “Fair enough.” “Do we have to initiate Insomnia protocol again?” “God no, it was one night.” “Promise.” “Swear. Just an awful day. Spidey senses all acting up, being annoying, no chocolate muffins. Speaking of which, can I have the day off tomorrow? I have basically no classes.” (he wasn’t sure why, but all but one of his classes were cancelled.) Steve thought for a moment. He knew the kid had been through a lot always, and a day off never hurt anyone. Also, he was far too smart to be there anyway. “Yeah. Let me just double check with Dad, okay?” “Thanks.” “We’re eating dinner now so get cleaned up?” “Yep. Coming.”

The next day

Peter awoke at 10 with a smile on his face. He’d peacefully regained energy. He’d finished his school work the previous night, and he was happy to just relax for a day. He pulled on some SI sweatpants and a hoodie he’d stolen from Harley awhile back.

“Hey parentals,” he greeted, still holding his smile. “Morning,” his Pops said as he cooked breakfast. “Morning? Is it already?” I bet you can guess who that came from. “Tones,” Steve said, voice full of its normal concern. Peter just laughed, taking a stool at the bar. “What? I’m fine. I’m having fun.” “You promised you’d at least take a nap.” “Oops,” he smiled, heading back in the direction of the lab. “You’re a great role model to our son!” “You really are dad!” Peter added. “Love you both dearly.” Steve rolled his eyes and Peter chuckled. “Where’s the rest of the team?” Peter inquired. He’d come to realize that saying team was easier than naming all the residents of the tower. “Nat, Clint, Wanda, and Pietro are training. Thor and Loki went back to Asgard last night, and Bruce is in his lab.” “Oh, Loki didn’t tell me he was going back.” “Some emergency. Sorry kid.” “Yeah, i-it’s fine.” “He told me to assure you they’d be back soon.” “Good.” “Keaner getting here soon?” “Nah coming tomorrow now. Something about something, I don’t really know.” “Ok. Made grilled cheeses and tomato soups. It's almost done,” Steve offered. “Thanks,” Peter said. “What’s with Loki leaving that's got you so down?” “I just miss him a lot.” Steve knew that his Kid and loki had come to get on surprisingly well. They were as close as he and Nat. Not even Clint had managed to get that close.

Peter practically inhaled a couple of sandwiches. “I’m going to go work with Dad.” “Have fun!” “I will.” “Love you.” “Love you, too.” He sped down to the lab, where he could hear his Dad’s ACDC blasting as usual. “Heyo, what you working on?” “The suit nanotech. Wanna give your old man a hand?” “Always. Bring up the blueprints. What adjustments have you made so far? “Just the molecule distance and expansion weight. Trying to help stabilize the structure.” “What about the build construction stacking?” So they dove into work, Peter easily keeping up with the genius.

“Nicely done, getting too smart for me. What are you even doing in high school?” “Being bored and failing my humanities classes.” “You're not actually failing your classes are you? Grades are not everything bu-” “Relax father, I’m doing well in all my classes.” “I should probably know that. In fact I’ll actually show up to your next parent teacher conference.” “Please don’t,” Peter smiled. His father was generally very embarrassing. “Friday, make sure I’m at the kid’s next conference?” “Reminder set.” “Thanks, Fri.” “Anytime boss.” “God Fri please remind me to not show up for my next conference.” “Heyyyy,” Tony said, faking offence. “Dad, you can be very overbearing.” “I know, but-” “No.” “Fine, guess I’m not coming. Trying to be a good father and parenthood isn’t for me.” “I beg to differ,” Steve said, coming in to check on us, “realise you're no match for Peter’s intelligence yet?” “No fucking way. I’m a genius. Many PHDs. Kid hasn’t even finished high school, plus he has an A- in Spanish,” Tony laughed. “How did you-,” Peter rolled his eyes. “Friday just sent them to me.” “You’re awful.” “Hey watch it, MIT is still your dream school?” “I fucking hate you so much,” Peter really did loved this kind of banter with his father. “Maybe I do agree that parenthood isn’t for you, love.” “Capsical, you are a traitor. You’re supposed to always be on my side.” Steve kissed Tony’s cheek and ruffled Peter’s hair before saying, “Pepper needs you. Something about important business.” “Really important?” “She says if you don’t come she’ll lock you out of the company.” “That important then. Fri, tell Pepper that I’m coming.” “She has been notified, sir.” “Thank you. Bye then, Peter don’t fuck anything up.” “The same to you Mr. Stark.” Tony left the lab with a chuckle. “You two will be the death of me.” “Almost certainly.” “You staying in here?” “Nah, I have some projects in my lab waiting for me.” “You know your dad was joking about the grades right? Because grades really don’t mean anything, and they don’t define you. Nor does your intelligence. You are so much more than all that. And all these suits and mechanicy genius things-” “Pops. I’m fine. I know,” he smiled at his dad. “I just read in this parenting book that something smart or gifted kids can feel like th-” “Pops, you and dad are the best parents a kid could ask for. Stop worrying too much or you’ll turn grey like dad.” Captain America just smiled at his kid because he was the best. “Right. Good. Have fun.” “Will do.”

He messed with the design for the 100th millionth time but he couldn't get the vibrainim to synthesize with the web fluid. “Fri, get me another cup of coffee, please.” “For fuck sake, why isn’t this working,” he said to himself. He began to mess with the 3d hologram again. He typed in Mock 32 for the design and started trying again. “Pepper Potts is requesting access to the lab.” “Access granted,” he said to Fri. “Hey Pete, how’s it going?” “Badly, but it's fine. IS THAT COFFEE?” “White mocha latte, triple shot espresso,” She said, placing it down on the desk. “Ok..back up. What do you need?” “What, I can’t just bring my favorite stark a coffee?” “Aren’t you busy?” he asked skeptically. “Yes. Incredibly. So it is a peace offering. I allowed a tour access to this lab to look around, and see what a higher ups lab looks like in action. Fri will hide all of the classified things, and I thought you’d be at school. Tony just told me you weren’t so, here we are.” “He actually showed up to your meeting?” “Yes, and it wasn’t my meeting. He just needed to be there, and I didn't.” “I take your peace offering. It’s fine, I don’t care. So long as they don’t touch my shit.” “Good. Greet them, let them look around. Smile your cute smile. They’ll be up in five.” “FIVE MINUTES?” “Yep. Sorry, Hun, got to run. Thanks.” “You owe me one!”

As promised, the class showed up in five minutes. He was fine with the concept of a class showing up, he was not, however, good with his class showing up. “Is that Penis Parker?” He heard Flash. “Holy hell that is Park?” “IS THAT PETER?” “Did Peter break in?” “How is Peter here?” He couldn’t exactly kick them out. So, embracing his inner Tony Stark charm and Steve Rogers kindness, he opened the lab door, stepping into the corridor.

“EVERYONE PLEASE BACK UP AND BE QUIET!” The tour guild, Aliah, yelled. They were a kind person who Peter knew a bit. The classes quieted down.

“Hello, Aliah.” “Hi Peter,” they greeted, “Sorry, I hadn’t realized you’d be in today. I’ll just take them to our next stop.” “No, no it's fine. If it’s alright, I’ll give them a little tour sorta thing. I don’t mind, plus I kinda promised Pepper.” “That’d be really cool. Thanks.” “Yeah. Call ‘em over.” “Yeah. We’re just waiting on their teacher, he’s in the restroom.” “Course.”

Mr. Harrington showed up, questioning Aliah about the next stop. Then, he saw Peter. “Mr. Parker!” he exclaimed angrily, “How dare you show up here without a permission slip and claiming to be sick. What is this? We will be speaking with the principal and your parents about this! I am so sorry Aliah. Peter shot Aliah the “I got this” look. “Hi Mr. Harrington, I was unwell this morning, but I felt better so I came into work. Yes, I do have an internship here,” he said, loud enough for the class to hear. “The next stop on your tour,” they said, “is to Peter’s lab. He’s been so kind to give us a run-down.” Peter simply point at the door which read “Lab #55: Peter Parker.” “Right, uh, um, sorry Mr. Parker, please let us continue.” Peter smiled through his nerves. “Right, hello there class! I will be giving you a tour of my lab. I do some pretty important work, so I’m going to ask Friday to activate the ‘Guest Protocol’ to hide the classified stuff. It’s also very dangerous, so please do not touch anything.” There were nods from the class. “Right, Fri complete guest protocol and allow tour of Aliah to enter.” “Yes miniboss.” He re-entered his lab. “So, most of the time I work here,” he said, pointing to the biggest holograph table, “I work on designs, changes, and any mockups that need to happen. I then make them a reality. I can also run simulations on any formulas to see if they would be successful.” “Fri, please pull up the WFV project I was just working on for Spiderman.” “Right away mini-boss.” “So as you can see I’m trying to get the vibranium intertwine itself with Spiderman’s web fluid. This would allow the webs to be almost 47 times stronger, and also would allow them to conduct electricity, which has many uses. Anyone have any questions?” Ava raised her hand and Peter nodded at her, “Hey, so how did you learn all this? Like, it seems really complicated and you're in my chem class, so.” “I’ve worked a lot with both Mr. Stark and Bruce Banner, who’ve taught me most of what I know throughout the years. I also took a few online courses to solidify some subject matters I didn’t quite understand,” Peter, satisfied with his answer, asked if anyone else had inquired. “How did you get an internship here?” “Mr. Stark found me on the internet and took a liking to my projects. He met me and decided I’d fit right in here,” Peter explained simply. It was a lie of course, but it functioned as their cover story. “Anyone else? No. Cool, so moving onto some other sections in the lab. Over in that corner are the testing rooms. I have some more equipment scattered around for certain projects or just overall help on making things. Feel free to look around for 5-7 minutes and ask any questions you may have.” Some kid, Peter wasn’t sure of their name, raised his hand. “Why do you have cars in here? Are they yours?” “Some of the cars are mine, courtesy of Mr. Stark, who claims no lab is complete without some collection of cars. I can’t even drive them, to your point, but I guess I will when I’m eighteen. Some of the cars are Mr. Harley Keener’s, who I occasionally share my lab with. He doesn't do Avengers related projects, but he does love to tinker here and there. ‘Specially on the cars. See that red one, yeah he bought it for 5k and fixed it up. It’s actually an electric car, he just likes the old timers look. Guess that’s on him and da-Mr. Stark.”

No one seemed to have any other question, so he allowed them to look around. MJ nor Ned seemed to be in this class. He guessed they were in another group that wasn’t coming up here, or they went to a different location.

The tour went smoothly, and Flash seemed too shocked to say anything. “Peter! Peter!” Bucky came in yelling. Peter ran over to him. “Please keep it down uncle Buck.” “Oh shit your class is here!” “Yes now please don’t embarrass me.” “Won’t do! Just wanted to ask where Loki went.” “Asgard official business,” I said with a frown. “Really? He didn’t say a thing!” “I know.” “That little shit.” Peter laughed alongside Bucky. “Did you need anything else?” “Yeah, my arm's a little fucked up. Need a hand.” “Happy to give it a look. Dad in a meeting?” “To all our shock, yes.” “Ha. Give me a sec to get my class outta here.” Bucky nodded. “Right everyone, thanks for visiting. Please head towards the exit. The lovely Aliah will take you to your next location. They are awesome!” A murmur of “thanks Peter” and “is that the winter soldier” spread through the room. “See ya round,” Aliah said to him personally, “And thanks for this.” “Anytime. Bye!” They smiled a warm smile before leading the class out.

“What’s not working so well?” Peter asked. “Just some tightness in the finger motion. “Alright, okay. Fri, get me an update of the schematics, please.” “Yes, sir.” They appeared on the holographic table Peter was working at. “Right, can I please get a current scan of Uncle Bucky’s arm?” “Yes. Shall I place them next to the schematics?” “Yep. And highlight all differences.” “Yes miniboss.” “You gotta stop with that Fri.” “Name unable to be changed under the authority of Tony Stank, Badass Boss, God of Mischief, and Fiance.” “Glad the whole team is against me living a good life,” Peter remarked with an eye roll. “You drama queen.” “Thanks,” Peter smiled. “You know what’s wrong yet?” Peter opened up the schematics, looking at the highlighted section of the 3d arm model. He didn’t speak for a moment. “So I reckon, you fucked up the wiring and section T4’s minigears. None of the important tech is messed up, it’ll be fine. Maybe a half an hour fix. Max.” “Good, good. Thanks kid,” Bucky said with an appreciative smile. He nodded, disconnecting the arm carefully. He placed it onto his table next to the holographic model. He gave a skeptical look. “Something bad?” “No, no, I was just thinking. Thinking, hmn.” “Care to share with the class?” Buck said with a sense of humor lingering in his voice. “Well, you’re not on mission all that often, and this is quite a bulky arm. Ever think about getting one that’s your skin colour, lighter weight, more, I don’t know, arm like. Less hydra murdery vibes. Help get rid of that, that time.” “I have…” “So can I make it?” Peter said excitedly. “You mean it?” “Of course Uncle Buck! No clue why dad hasn’t offered before!” “Guess he never thought of it. Maybe thought I liked the scary metal thing,” he suggested weakly. “Well that’s stupid,” Peter said casually. Bucky never understood how the kid could be so compassionate so easily. “Thanks. Really.” “No worries. I’ve been looking for a new project to throw myself into. It'll be fun. And as much as I hate to admit it, I need to work on my smaller scale mechanical work.” All Bucky could do was smile his beaming smile. “Bucky!” the voice of the Black Widow shouted. “Hey Nat,” Buck replied. “Wanna train?” she asked. “As much as I want to,” he said, pointing towards the area his arm would have been. “Oh, what happened this time?” “Nothing to major, some gears and wires,” Peter filled it, “Give me twenty minutes I’ll be done.” He’d already opened the arm and gotten to the section where the wires were screwed up. “DAN-E get me the soldering kit, please,” he asked the robot, “Oh and some new T6YU wires. Red and purple.” The robot gave a vaguely human nod. “Right, I'll be waiting. Test the adjustments out on me?” She suggested. “Alright,” Buck said. “Oh and I’m in charge of ordering food. What do you want?” “Burgers?” “You boring, bland little boy,” Nat scolded. “Thai?” Buck requested. They looked over to Peter, “Sure, yeah.” Nat headed out, greeting Tony with a “Hey Stank” on the stairs out of his lab. “Yours is so much smarter than mine, why is yours so much smarter than mine,” Tony fake (real) whined. “I’m the superior mechanic, father, deal with it.” DAN-E, almosting proving his point, dropped the materials on his desk, and he continued to work. “I’m donating DUM-E,” Tony glared at him, “What happened to the arm Buck?” “Stiff fingers isall.” “Oh, ok. Pete, need a hand?” “Nah, I’m good. Not much to do. Some wires got fucked up, just replacing them now. Going to look at the minigears in the palm too, just to make sure the oil regulation and gear’s aren't broken. I think one of the gears is, but it's one of them that's easy to replace,” Peter replied, not looking up from his work. “Right, sounds good. Your pops and I are going out for the night. Be back around 12 let’s say.” “Cool. Can I borrow some vibranium from your lab?” “Sure thing kiddo. Call us if you need anything. Fri, give Peter access to vault B3 in my lab.” “Thanks,” Peter smiled. “Anytime. Good luck with ya know.” “Shouldn’t he ask you what you're going to do with a substance that costs 10,000$ a gram?” “Something about trusting me.” “Parents trust their kids with going out later or or doing their homework not fucking multimillions of dollars.” “Uncle Bucky, my parents are Iron Man and Captain America. There was never a shot at normal.” “Fair enough.”

Peter finished up the adjustment on the arm by changing a gear. “Thanks a lot kid.” “Of course. I’m going to work on your new arm now.” “Alrighty, I’ll get out of your way.” “Oh could you ask Auntie Nat what time she’s ordering dinner for? So I know when to head up, just get Fri to tell me.” “Will do.” “Thanks.”

So Peter was left to making some blueprints and drinking many red bulls. The red bull mini-fridge was actually a gift from Shuri, and his fathers had many words with him about it. He managed to convince them that he should keep it, god knows how. Well, he used the whole Princess of Wakanda and making peace and Stark Industries relationship with Wakandan products and companies as well as international relations and blah blah. It worked, who cares.

After a few hours he was called up for dinner, and he sat there and enjoyed the absolute chaos of his family.

Save/comment on A03 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/33320938

[bulkyphrase]

Everybody & the Avengers Team

I've got a new fic rec list for you!

The stories in the "X & the Avengers Team" tags focus on one person's relationship to the Avengers team as a whole. Courtesy of AO3's tag browse and Excel, here's a ranked list of the top 20 most popular pairings:

Tony Stark | 2470 total, 240 OTP

Peter Parker | 2255 total, 85 OTP

Steve Rogers | 602 total, 56 OTP

Loki | 387 total, 26 OTP

Natasha Romanov | 308 total, 35 OTP

Clint Barton | 268 total, 46 OTP

Bruce Banner | 244 total, 15 OTP

Thor | 209 total, 7 OTP

Avengers Team | 174 total, 24 OTP

James "Bucky" Barnes | 156 total, 7 OTP

Wanda Maximoff | 143 total, 4 OTP

Phil Coulson | 105 total, 9 OTP

Darcy Lewis | 91 total, 6 OTP

Matt Murdock | 60 total, 8 OTP

Sam Wilson | 53 total, 5 OTP

Nick Fury | 41 total, 5 OTP

Harry Potter | 40 total, 0 OTP

Pepper Potts | 31 total, 1 OTP

Vision | 29 total, 2 OTP

Stiles Stilinski | 25 total, 0 OTP

In chart form, if you like charts:

Notes:

The numbers after the names are the number of stories tagged with that ship. OTP means the number of stories where that is the only relationship tagged on the story. Numbers are accurate as of July 2021.

Story Recommendations

For your reading pleasure, included below is at least one fic rec for each pairing except the crossovers from non-Marvel fandoms (apologies to Mr. Potter & Mr. Stilinski). Most are gen fic, and even in the ones with a romantic pairing, romance is not the focus.

Tony Stark

As Subtle As Cognitive Recalibration by petroltogo (Teen, 8949) tumblr: @tonystarktogo

Standing inside his penthouse, listening to Rogers, Barton and Banner explain to Fury how they just happened to stumble over the Tesseract on a routine security check of Stark Tower’s roof and wouldn’t you know, they’ve managed to fight off the looming alien invasion before it could really start and secure the missing overpowered nightlight is one of the most surreal situations Tony has ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

Peter Parker

the worst field trip ever by shrill_fangirl_screaming (Teen, 3420) tumblr: @i-am-having-an-emotion

"We're on a field trip," Peter said. "To here. And Tony decided to be our tour guide and absolutely embarrass me, so can you please help get him under control?"

Which is how Peter Parker, architect of his own destruction, ended up with not one but two superhero pseudo-dads being annoying on his school field trip.

Steve Rogers

Do You Remember Being Happy? ('Cause I Sure Don't) by GalaxyThreads (Teen, 11022) tumblr: @galaxythreads

That seems about right. He doesn't know how he knows that, though. He does have vague memories of an annoyed fondness at finding peanut butter in some sort of jam. Thor's doing, because he doesn't see the point of using two knives when one works just as fine. He knows that. How does he know that? He knows all those little details, though, almost innately. How can he know these strangers so deeply?

Everyone else below the cut!

Loki

Proprietary by TheThirdMarauder (Teen, 7639)

No, Loki simply wants the Avengers conquered. The details of whom, how, and when matter not. Unless, of course, said details interfere with Loki's plans. Then, well, then none can fault him for protecting his own interests.

Loki has always been exceptionally good at lying to himself.

Natasha Romanov

What Girls Are Made Of by enigma731 (Teen, 4613) tumblr: @enigma731

She rolls her eyes but does as he’s indicated, using his shoulders to leverage herself up onto his back, her arms around his neck and her legs hugging his waist.

“You know,” he says blithely, “this isn’t really what I tend to picture when I think of a hot girl riding me.”

Natasha groans, deciding that if his sense of humor gets them arrested, she’ll kill him herself. “Just go.”

Clint Barton

Dear Clint Barton (circa age 7) by pollyrepeat (Teen, 4221)

With a normal person, this might count as blackmail material, but a) this is a case of mutually assured destruction if ever there was one, and b) Fury is immune to embarrassment. Not just in the regular, Tony Stark way, either, oh no. Things that could possibly end up being embarrassing to Fury get somehow warped and changed until they go from mortifying all the way over into useful and/or good for his image. It’s like a superpower.

Carrying Clint’s small child self around on his shoulders more than once has probably already hit the interagency rumour mill as an example of Fury’s innate awesomeness: good with rocket launchers and small children.

Also available as a podfic!

Bruce Banner

They're Not Wrong by Trumpeteer34 (Teen, 10163)

As Tony began to pace around the hole in the road to keep himself from shooting repulsors at the nearby buildings in a fit of rage, Thor began to study the nearby area. There was no sign of either the Hulk or Bruce Banner beyond the crater. The surrounding area, aside from the rubble of the fight, held no clue as to their friend’s location.

“Guys, he’s gone,” Tony growled into the communicator on their private line, drawing Thor out of his darkening thoughts. “Someone tranqed him and took him. He’s gone.”

Honorary mention goes to the Responsible Science series by @letteredlettered - the stories don’t have the "Avengers Team & Bruce Banner" tag, but they could, and they are amazing. The best Bruce Banner writing I've ever come across.

Thor

Fortunately, I Am Mighty by onward_came_the_meteors (General, 3062)

Steve was the first one to speak. “Are you okay?”

Thor nodded. Which was a bad idea, as it turned out, because now there were little gray lights flashing in front of his eyes. “I’m fine.” Absolutely everyone narrowed their eyes, and he added, “But, uh. Could we possibly not get back in the car just yet?”

Avengers Team

Civil Wasn't by onward_came_the_meteors (General, 7123)

"We're having an ideological conflict here," Tony stated with disbelief. "Are you telling me you still want to go out to dinner?"

"It's a standing engagement, Tony," Rhodey reminded him.

"Not you too—"

"We already had to reschedule from Friday when Natasha was..." Rhodey frowned. "What were you doing?"

The question was directed toward Natasha, who shrugged and said, "Spy stuff."

James "Bucky" Barnes

You Know How I Feel, aka, The Adventures of Bucky and Muffy the Dinosaur by ifeelbetter (Not Rated, 4511) tumblr: @ifeelbetterer

“As you may have heard, Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. The Winter Soldier, recently rescued a tiny part-robot dinosaur during the Avengers’ battle with Dr. Doom in Antarctica,” the other newscaster explained. “Pictures of Barnes and the dinosaur were posted on twitter by fellow Avenger, Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, and immediately made Barnes’s new pet America’s sweetheart.”

“Her name’s Muffy,” said Steve."

Wanda Maximoff

and the woman was young again by Mira_Jade (General, 3669)

Tony Stark called them the Cap's Kooky Quintet, and sometimes the term amused her – causing her to lift a sardonic brow where someday a smile would truly smile. She enjoyed the presence of comrades – true comrades – and she enjoyed the way their minds wove and bound together about each other to fluctuate against her senses as one. There was something soothing about being in their midst, and even when their loud and brash ways – their painful Americaness - rubbed her raw and drained on her, it was ever the knitting of their minds that soothed those moments over, and made them inconsequential.

Phil Coulson

Coulson's First Day of School by storiesfortravellers (Teen, 3055)

Coulson looked up at him. “I like drawing pictures with Mr. Rogers. I like having tea parties with Ms. Potts. I like it when Dr. Banner reads me books, and I like it when Natasha teaches me things. And I like when you play with me. You do really good voices when we play action figures. And you’re the only one who lets me do stuff like jump off the high diving board at the pool or eat three cupcakes or play tackle with kids at the park.”

Clint didn’t realize that. He was pretty sure that meant that he was doing something wrong.

Darcy Lewis

Beginner Yoga for Dummies (Darcys) and Sad Hobos by chailover (Teen, 3434)

Darcy had a theory: crazy attracted crazy, working kind of like gravity. It was pretty much her explanation for her life after Thor. And if she had thought the type of crazy Thor attracted was bad, be it Loki or the Warrior Three and Sif, or the dark elves and the Convergence, it was still nothing against what the Avengers manage en masse.

Matt Murdock

Double Blind by smilebackwards (Teen, 2381) tumblr: @smilebackwards

Stark snaps his fingers. “You can’t see half of my inventions. This explains so much about you and why you’ve never been properly impressed by me.”

“Does it?” Matt says, ambiguously.

Sam Wilson

Bystander by scribblemetimbers (Teen, 52029)

“I just want you to know,” Sam says loudly, cautiously raising his hands, “That I’m very poor and very sleep-deprived and literally the only thing you can kill me for right now are my notes.” He pauses. Wait. On second thought: “Please don’t steal my notes.”

“I’m not—I’m not a mugger,” Not Mugger rasps out, and for all that he looks about to keel over and die, the man actually manages to sound offended.

Nick Fury

Bedtime Story by dixiehellcat (Teen, 2532) tumblr: @deehellcat

Fury snorted. “I have to check in with the duty officer. I’ll be back in, let’s say twenty minutes. I expect all of you to have whatever your pre-bedtime routines are completed, and be in here pajama’ed and ready to be read to.”

He tapped the book under his arm, then left with the usual dramatic swish of his long coat. Bruce scratched his head. “Did…he just say be ready to be read to?”

Pepper Potts

Pepper and the Avengers (Which She Knows Nothing About) by rebelmeg (General, 6696) tumblr: @rebelmeg

The Avengers, that mismatched group of hurt and heroism, was one of the most important things in Tony Stark’s life. So, naturally, Pepper had made them an important part of her life too.

Vision

039. Intoxicated by aimmyarrowshigh (Teen, 100) tumblr: @aimmyarrowshigh

It might be nice to fit in, just this once. To lose a bit of composure.

Vision floated over to the refrigerator and, with some timidity, pulled off a magnet. He stuck it to his forehead.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Revolution Theme, Part 2: War of 1812

READ PART 1 HERE

Wow! Thanks @wdway! Love all this!

You’re right that that the Crossing of the Delaware painting makes a lot more sense, now. It also made me think of the more recent pilgrim paintings we’ve seen the past few years. I think we can work those in as well. The pilgrims were somewhat revolutionary in their actions. Not so much in a massive war or battle sort of way, but they left England (yes, Britain) to find freedoms their mother country wasn’t willing to give them. Which is revolutionary in its way.

But more to the point, that was the first step that would eventually lead to a war for freedom between Britain and the American colonies. So, you could see them as the precursor to the revolution. So, it makes sense to use that painting for TF and TWD right now, because what’s been happening the last season or 2 is the precursor to the final, big revolution.

When you got into talking about 2 revolutions, that makes tons of sense as well, and I totally agree.

When you talked about the white house and library of congress being burnt in 1812, about six things came to mind, lol.

When Eugene was at the Sanctuary (which I 100% believe foreshadows the final revolution, Beth, and what Eugene’s role will be in it) he played the 1812 Overture when he did the science experiment for Negan’s wives. (Including Amber, who looked like Beth and Tanya, who had a lot of Beth’s dialogue with Eugene). I’ve kind of low-key obsessed over that song and why they used it, but other than foreshadowing a final battle with Eugene as I’ve already said, it was hard to connect anything more specific.

The 1812 Overture was not actually written about the War of 1812. It was written in celebration of Napoleon’s retreat from Russia. Basically, he tried to invade Moscow early in 1812 but failed miserably and eventually had to retreat. Not so much because of being out-fought, but more because of weather, illness, lack of supplies for the army, etc.

Now, that’s not the same thing you mentioned in the British fighting Napoleon before turning their attention to the American colonists, but the link is still there. Napoleon/Russia>1812 Overture>Napolean/Britain>Britain/American Colonies. See what I mean? So, the idea of two wars or a war on two fronts really makes sense.

I’ve been trying to find out if the 1812 Overture has a d.c. al coda in it. I don’t think it does, but I’m having a hard time finding the sheet music online. You can find it, of course, but often it’s blurry or watermarked in such a way that it’s hard to read, and that’s because they want you to buy it to remove the watermark. I’ll keep looking.

But I do know it has a coda. Maybe not a d.c. al coda, but a coda of some kind. In fact, while I’m still not sure until I can clearly see the sheet music, from what I’ve read others saying, the final, super-loud, exuberant part of the song that’s often used in U.S. Independence Day celebrations IS the coda. And it represents Russia winning the war over Napoleon. Coincidence?

So, Napoleon fought many wars on many fronts. There’s that. But as you said, the British first fought Napoleon (perhaps that will be the Commonwealth) and then turned to the American colonists. And given what was said in 5x09 about a rebel group fighting against the “republic” using what amounts to guerilla tactics, that does line up with how the American colonists fought the British during the revolution. So clearly that’s the one that will involve Beth and TF (though of course they will probably be involved, at least to some extent, in the Commonwealth bit as well).

Also, also. You talked about the LIBRARY of congress being burned. I’m not sure how, but suddenly I feel sure all the books and librarian stuff must be connected to this. To the revolution theme. I still remember watching the beginning of 6x16 and thinking it was SO significant, but I had no idea why. It’s where we see Carl lock Enid in the closet to keep her safe, and she’s yelling at him things like, “what if you don’t come back?” And he tells her, “just survive somehow.”

Meanwhile, that scene is intercut with Negan’s guys chasing the librarian they end up hanging over the bridge with an X spray painted on his chest. And then he gets…burned?

I remember thinking that just FELT like a big war that was coming, but back then, I really didn’t know how to interpret it. Of course, AOW started soon after, but the librarian group wasn’t a big part of that. If we’re honest, they really were just random side characters, which was odd because that sequence FELT so important. So, I’m betting we ought to be connecting them to this as well.

The Native American Symbols

For the record, a couple of things I’ve been trying to look into and haven’t found much (mostly because I haven’t had much time to do so yet) include what role Native American tribes played in the American revolution. Some were loyal to the British, others to colonists. As I said, I need to do more research, but little tidbits like this one are interesting:

“Their biggest contribution was as spies going to Canada and returning with news of the English plans, and attacking English coastal shipping. The Indians played a leading role in preventing an English attack on Machias by sea from being successful. “

(AL’s voice coming out of the radio in 5x09: “At least 68 citizens of the Republic have been killed in four deadly attacks along the main coastal district. The group has continued their campaign of random violence, moving across the countryside unfettered, with the Republic’s military forces in disarray.” Just saying.)

The other thing I’ve looked into is Francis Marion’s (Swamp Fox’s) connection to Native Americans of the time. During the revolution itself, I’m not finding much. But we do know that he learned a lot of his battle prowess from fighting the Cherokee Indians as a young man.

What he learned there is what made him so effective against the British. So, I’m wondering if that will translate with Beth in that she’ll fight the CRM or perhaps even in battles with the Commonwealth early on and that will give her what she needs to triumph much later in bigger battles. Or maybe they’ll connect it even earlier back to early battles with TF and what Daryl taught her. The possibilities are endless. ;D

@wdway:

If you do a search, it's quite fascinating and well worth the time to do two searches. One on the burning of the White House and then the other one on Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans.

There are things that I just did not go into like the connection with Napoleon that we've seen hints of in the past couple of seasons and didn't know why. The Cherokee Rose, which has been a symbol for so long and I do not think it was their intention in the beginning but what most people do not understand is that the Cherokee Rose has a strong connection to Andrew Jackson.

Andrew Jackson had a singular focus on driving the Native Americans (mostly the Cherokee Nation) to the West. Lightbulb moment here, but maybe that might be same of the meaning of Indian symbolism.

Jackson had a major part in the Trail of Tears, which is basically the story that Daryl tells Carol after walker Sophia was discovered. Jackson was a brilliant military soldier, but he was not known as a compassionate person. His nickname was Old Hickory (a tree reference) because the hickory tree's wood is known for its hardness.

A few years back, tptb did a promotion showing nuts that had a hard outer shell. People didn't understand what that was, but I knew because it was a hickory nut. A very hard outer shell and then inside is the actual nut. Hickory wood was the favored source for making baseball bats back in the day because they would not easily break.

The other interesting fact about Andrew Jackson was his love for his wife, Rachel. It was a legendary love. He might have been an asshole to the entire world, but Rachel was the love of his life. When she died, he did not simply bury her. He entombed her in her own little Mausoleum at his home, The Hermitage, just outside of Nashville.

Jackson fought both in the Revolutionary War and the 1812 war, in the Battle of New Orleans. He apparently had been imprisoned by the British for a time during the Revolutionary War, which fired his hatred for them.

Am I the only one thinking about the connections between him and Negan? I'm thinking of the two wars, the Commonwealth and the war against the CRM. I want to think that the Commonwealth conflict is represented by the War of 1812. The larger, more overall important conflict with a CRM will be the American Revolutionary War, with Rick replacing Washington as the leader.

I was freaking out when you mentioned the Overture of 1812. I don't care if it was written for the war led by Napoleon with Russia. If anything, that makes it even as stronger clue that we're on the right track because of the Russian satellite and Russian dictionary that little Judith got from (wait for it) the library, for Eugene.

One other thing, @twdmusicboxmystery. I thought about this earlier today when I was reading about the 1812 Overture, but I wanted to do a check before I mentioned it to you. 

Two very famous pieces of music came out of the 1812 wars. The 1812 Overture about Napoleon and Russia, and The Star-Spangled Banner, our U.S. national anthem written by Francis Scott Key about The Battle of Fort Henry. Both Fort Henry and The Battle of New Orleans were fought in 1814 but were known as being part of the War of 1812.

Can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

Definitely very interesting! Thanks for all this research @wdway! 

[bitchardhendricks]

Well I’ve Never Been to Heaven (But I’ve Been to Oklahoma) pt 11

As you can imagine, I’ve been having a lot of feelings about my hometown this week in particular. But while on a national stage it’s painted as being full of fanatical zealots hellbent on worshipping at the altar of a fascist demagogue, the reality that I’ve seen from the majority of its citizens this week is compassion, empathy, care, and concern. That mix is the brutal reality of the place that made me - a place not unlike a lot of your own hometowns, if I had to guess. I think overall, that’s the feeling I want to capture in all the parts of Tulsa fic. I wrote this part weeks and weeks ago, before any mention of the rally, but it feels fitting to post this week. I hope you’re all doing well out there, staying strong, staying safe, and taking care of each other.

***

They spend a few hours exploring the myriad shelves at Gardner’s; every time they walk into another room, Jared expects them to finally reach the end of the labyrinth, and every time there’s yet another room beyond. Richard shows Jared the spot tucked into a corner by the sci-fi section where he would spend long summer afternoons discovering new worlds with Bradbury and Asimov, Heinlein and Herbert. 

Jared finds a used Pioneer Woman cookbook to buy for Diane - “Do you think she’d like this? I noticed she didn’t have this one when I was perusing her cookbooks this morning.” 

Richard has no idea, but tries to be enthusiastic. “Um. I mean, yeah, probably, she’ll love it.”

Richard wonders what it must be like to be a person who notices things like that, makes notes of gifts to buy for people. Someone who’s thoughtful and kind and just fucking nice. He wonders, not for the first time, why Jared isn’t somewhere better, with better people, people who are like him. He wonders, also not for the first time, if his vision - Pied Piper, the company, changing the world one compressed byte at a time - is worth enough for Jared to stick around when the reality (when Richard himself) is so vastly disappointing. 

He stops paging through back issues of Fantastic Four and looks up to watch Jared flipping through records in the section across the aisle from him. Sometimes Jared’s very existence throws Richard off-balance. His posture, his competence - everything about Jared is so put together and accomplished, like he’s been practicing for hours every day to make being a grown-up look so simple. His long, nimble fingers move over the records with ease and surety. Like a pianist, Richard thinks. Good with his hands. Jared must feel the weight of his gaze, and he looks up with a bemused expression that Richard knows means, Goodness, I’m so sorry, was I being too distracting? Richard’s face grows inexplicably warm. He shakes his head sheepishly - no, you’re ok - and Jared goes back to browsing. 

He only watches for a minute or so before another guy squeezes past him trying to get to the Daredevil comics, and he jumps guiltily out of the way. “Hey Jared, we should ah, get going. Lots more to see.”

As they pay for their purchases, the sunny blonde cashier’s hand lingers against Jared’s long pianist fingers when she hands him his change. 

Richard snatches his bag of books out of her hands and stalks off before she can finish saying, “Have a nice day!” 

***

They drive for 15 minutes or so, the air conditioner cranked up, until Richard slows down in front of a huge pavilion with a banner advertising GUN SHOW flapping disconsolately in the muggy June air. Jared pales, hit by a vivid memory of a Saturday afternoon spent with Uncle Jerry and his friends at a civic center filled with the smell of testosterone and gun oil and the sounds of boisterous laughter and Lynyrd Skynyrd bouncing off the concrete walls. “Richard, I don’t--” he begins, but the car pulls into a neighborhood directly across from the huge building.

Richard puts it in park and turns to see the look on Jared’s face. “Oh - fuck, Jared, did you think I was taking you to an actual gun show? Jesus, c’mon man. No, it’s ah,” he opens his door and stands up, wedged in the vee of the car door and turning to point. “Better angle from here. See the statue? It’s the Golden Driller.”

Jared also gets out of the car to look and follows Richard’s indication. Towering above the pavilion is what looks to be a giant man made of stone the color of sand standing next to an oil derrick. The figure he cuts is imposing - Jared estimates he must be at least 7 stories tall, with his workman’s boots the size of school buses splayed shoulder-width apart, one hand on his hip and one hand resting possessively on top of the massive derrick like a hunter posing with a prized kill. His face is cut in austere lines, a square jaw, a long slash of a nose, a heavy brow hidden under a hard hat of some kind with a wide brim. He’s shirtless, and his broad shoulders narrow to a waist with a belt around it that says TULSA.

“He’s very tall,” Jared says, which makes Richard laugh. With a darted glance to confirm Richard isn’t laughing at him, Jared also laughs, surprised and a little dizzy. 

“This is like - he’s THE symbol of Tulsa, you know. The baseball team is named after him, the stadium. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with this statue, we’d pass it and I’d just start like,” Richard mimes shaking his fists back and forth in the air in wild jubilation, “‘It’s the Tulsa Driller!’ I don’t even know why, heh. Kid stuff. I think probably everyone who lives here has a picture of themselves with that statue. It’s like a Tulsa rite of passage.”

He reaches over the roof of the Camry palm up and looks at Jared, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Wanting, expectant. Jared can hardly stand it, rooted to the spot and captured by that look as neatly as a rabbit in a snare. With a sly grin, Richard finally speaks. “C’mon, gimme your phone. You wanted to document the trip, right?”

A Tulsa rite of passage, he thinks, and fumbles in his pocket for his phone. Richard unlocks it with his fingerprint - thank goodness for the day Jared had insisted they spend setting up their emergency contacts and preparedness protocols - and gestures for Jared to come around the car and pose in frame with the colossal statue. “A little to the right - ah, my right, sorry - and uh, put your hands y’know - “ Richard half-attempts the Driller’s pose and ends up more akin to a little teapot before he aborts the gesture, embarrassed. “OK, look stern. You’re an oil man now, you gotta - yeah, that’s, that’s great,” he says, giggling as Jared puts on an exaggerated scowl. The shutter clicks in rapid succession as Richard crouches down, getting a better angle. “Yes, perfect, you’re a natural, Jared,” he teases lightly and Jared’s scowl disappears, replaced with a grin so wide he hears his jaw creak. 

Richard lets the phone fall from in front of his face for a second, faltering, and just looks at Jared with a matching grin that’s febrile, electric, before taking a few more photos. When he hands the phone back to Jared, he avoids any further eye contact, looking down at the ground and hurrying back to hop in the car. 

Jared follows, hoping the spell hasn’t been entirely broken on this inexplicable wonder of a day. As they drive to their next destination, Richard is quiet, contemplative. Just as Jared is about to ask if there’s something bothering him, Richard breaks the silence. “There’s a plaque by the Driller - we went to Expo Square there, that building, on a field trip in middle school for some like, multicultural fair, I don’t know. But my teacher, she made a huge deal about this plaque, right, and I still remember it, it, it said something like um, ‘Golden Driller, dedicated to the men of the petroleum industry, who um..with their uh vision and bravery uh, benefitted all mankind.’” 

“Ah. Perhaps not all,” Jared cedes, and Richard nods furiously. 

“Right, like, I mean look how that fucking worked out for everybody. And they’re y’know, displacing Native Americans and like, if you’re not white you’re fucked, and just annihilating the goddamn planet, and they’re building monuments to themselves like they’re so, so fucking magnanimous. Right?” He grips the steering wheel with knuckles going white and Jared nods along with him, attempting to remain afloat on the tempestuous sea of Richard’s emotions. 

“You’re thinking of Gavin,” he says, and Richard’s jaw clenches mutinously in a way that tells Jared he’s right. The wound that Gavin has inflicted upon Richard’s soul is so raw and ragged, even after all this time, and it makes Jared ache to see him lash out like this, a proud lion tortured by the venomous thorn in his paw. 

“He doesn’t have a case, Richard - you know that and I know that. In the annals of history, people will remember Richard Hendricks far longer than they’ll ever remember Gavin Belson, and not because you erect monuments to your greatness in the sky. The most enduring legacies are built by leaders who inspire love, not fear.”

Richard snorts, “Great. I can’t inspire either one for shit.”

The words clamor in his throat like a swarm of bees, and he can’t quite keep them contained. With his hands clutched tight in his lap, Jared says in a rush, like a compulsion, “Oh, Richard, that’s just not true.” 

Richard glances at him, looks away. Glances back. Jared offers up a smile he hopes is reassuring rather than ghoulish, and decides the safest course of action is to redirect Richard’s focus away from Gavin. This is supposed to be a vacation, after all. “Anyway, let’s focus on Tulsa and all her hidden wonders. Where are we going next on the grand Hendricks magical mystery tour?”

The digital clock in the car reads 4:50, and Richard appears to do some mental math in his head. He shifts in his seat, perking up a little, and Jared breathes out a sigh of relief. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

“We’ve got time for one more thing and it’s...well,” Richard taps on the steering wheel in a beat Jared is coming to recognize as his tell when he’s eager, excited to show off something. “I think you’re gonna like it.”

[nerdypanda3126]

It’s Complicated - Ch. 3

Read on Ao3 Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 4

Pattern Making

She doesn’t know how long she’s been standing on her balcony, staring off into the night, but Tikki has floated up to perch next to her on the railing. She nuzzles at Marinette’s hand, which brings her back to the present.

Marinette shakes her head and turns to climb back into her bedroom. The night has gotten cold and he’s obviously not coming back any time soon. Tikki follows her through the skylight and Marinette latches it. She needs to get some sleep. But as she settles into her bed, pulling the blankets up over her and curling to her side, her mind is still reeling over the night’s events.

Chat has become a friend, and he visits when he’s lonely or if he needs a distraction from... something. She can't be sure what it is; he keeps a lot to himself. Which is a good thing, it really is. Out of the two of them, she would think he would be the irresponsible one and reveal his identity to someone he feels close to. But at least with Marinette he seems to be as stubborn about the identities as she is.

Clutching her pillow to her head, she thinks again about the chest in the corner of her room. She holds the Miracle Box now. Tikki’s told her that theoretically, she can revoke the identity rule if she wants to. She’s been stalling, weighing the pros and cons back and forth. So far her cons list is much longer, amplified by a haunting memory of Chat Blanc, his cataclysm activated, advancing towards her and calling her by her name. She shakes her head before the memory can take root. She doesn’t need to have any more nightmares. For now, until she figures things out, it’s best their identities stay hidden.

On the other hand, if she knows more about Chat, maybe she can help him by being his friend. He’s been coming to her house more often. She hadn’t had the chance to talk to him about whatever was on his mind tonight, but it usually ends up that way anyways. He’s good at distracting her, making her forget that he’s the one looking for distraction.

She replays their interaction in her head, looking for clues about why he might’ve run off. The first time he got upset was when he figured out her design was for Luka. And he hadn’t wanted to own up to knowing Luka. She recalls the way his brow furrowed when he first saw her sketch, the damning hearts fluttering around the edges.

“Hey, Tikki?” She sits up, letting the blankets pool in her lap. “Chat was acting weird tonight, right?”

The kwami floats up to be next to Marinette’s face. “I do think it was a little out of character for him.”

“Like everything was fine until I mentioned Luka, and then he went all quiet. He’s been that way with Ladybug before but only when…”

“Only when he’s jealous?” Tikki says. Marinette nods, glad that Tikki has caught on to her train of thought.

“But it wouldn’t make sense for him to be jealous of me, I mean, we’re friends. He’s in love with Ladybug.”

“Maybe he’s changed his mind?”

Marinette shakes her head. “He doesn’t have feelings for me. He’s told me that himself. But what about... Luka?”

She had always assumed, based on the targets of his flirting, that Chat was straight. She hadn’t even considered that he might be questioning. But from what she understands of his home life, his father is not an understanding person. Could that be what he’s been struggling with and trying to talk with her about?

She feels a small twinge of something in the pit of her stomach. Chat just told her he was in love with Ladybug not that long ago. Has he switched gears so easily, then? Is Luka just a new target for him? She shakes her head to get rid of that train of thought. It’s not like she has any claim on Chat, or on Luka for that matter. And she’s jumping to conclusions. Next time Chat comes to see her, she’ll have to pin him down and just ask him. No more distractions.

Tikki hasn’t answered her rhetorical question, probably to let her reason it out for herself. Now that Marinette has thought about it, though, the two boys start to circle around each other in her mind. She wonders what Chat’s song would sound like to Luka.

Luka’s music brings her thoughts back to the design she had been working on. Black. That’s what it needed. It needed to have black leather, with silver accents. Bright blue and pink and white worked in for Luka’s mask. The piping, like Chat’s costume. Where is her sketchbook?

She scrambles out of bed and down her ladder to her desk, barely making it to her desk chair before the ideas are flowing out of her and onto the paper. Tikki sleeps on her desk next to her as she gets absorbed in the new design. She might not sleep tonight, but it’ll be so worth it.

***

She’s been working feverishly on Luka’s jacket for the past few days. It’s finished. And just in time, too. She has just enough time to get ready and get over there before the concert starts. She runs her hand over her work. The piping had been the most challenging. She had twined the pink, blue, and white together before stitching it into the leather. There had been so many pieces. This has definitely been her biggest challenge so far. She hopes Luka likes it. She glances at the clock again. Is that really the time?

Tikki watches from the desk, munching happily on a cookie, as Marinette fumbles out of her desk chair to start getting ready. She catches a glimpse of the sketch that Chat had seen, still on her desk where he had left it. He hasn’t come back to visit. And Hawkmoth has been oddly quiet. She hasn’t seen him on either side of the mask since he ran away from her. She’s worried about him, and it’s weighing heavily on her mind. She hopes she can clear the air with him soon, but his visits are so unpredictable.

As she races around her room, pulling on her street clothes as quickly as she can, she thinks again that she should’ve invited Adrien to the concert tonight. She hasn’t really been fair to him lately. It’s not his fault, after all. He likes Kagami, and they’re perfect for each other. They’ll all be friends, and that’ll be fine. She’s fine. She ignores the way her heart beats just a little faster when she thinks about him. She should text Nino and ask if he’s already invited Adrien. She doesn’t trust herself to invite him to anything without being, well, the way she always is around him.

She tugs her hair into pigtails, tying her ribbons hastily, then dives for her phone. Gah! No time. She has to be there like five minutes ago. She just barely remembers to grab Luka’s jacket off her sewing machine and pauses to let Tikki zip into her purse before she bolts out the door.

***

When she steps onto the deck of the houseboat, everyone is already gathered around the stage. Rose and Juleka are off to one side, sharing their headphones and nodding along to something on Rose’s phone. New lyrics, maybe? Alya is spotting Nino on a ladder as he hangs the banners for Kitty Section. Mylène and Ivan are setting up the drums on the stage next to a keyboard.

Luka is kneeling off to the side, tweaking the sound system, his fingers flitting back and forth from his guitar to the amp, fiddling with the knobs one at a time. She almost hates to break his concentration. But she doesn’t have to. He hears her step up behind him and turns, resting his arms on the guitar in his lap, his intense focus melting into a reserved smile.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Alya slap Nino's calf to get his attention. She really wishes she didn’t have an audience for this. Luka is waiting patiently for her to say something.

“Hey, Luka. I, uh… I brought you something.” She thrusts the jacket at him before she can chicken out. Her heart is fluttering in her chest. She really hopes he likes it. He sets his guitar down on the stage and stands, taking the jacket from her in one smooth movement.

He runs his fingers lightly over the embroidery she had done on the back panel. She had hand stitched Kitty Section’s logo into the black leather to look like an iron-on patch. He weighs the jacket in his hands, stretching out the jersey sleeves to look at them. There are silver studs on the shoulders, subtly mimicking his current shoulder pads. She’s especially proud of the front. She had pieced together the black leather with the colored piping in between triangular panels. The effect she had created was sort of a mosaic, the color just breaking up the black here and there. She had made the sides out of jersey like the sleeves for comfort and stretch.

As Luka examines her work, she watches him carefully. He’s keeping his face even, like he always does. But his breath hitches when he gets around to the front. He traces the piping with his fingers, a smile finally breaking through his composure. He looks up at her through his hair, and she wills herself not to blush, holding her breath to hear his verdict.

“Marinette, this is… amazing. Can I try it on?”

She nods, not trusting herself to speak. He hands the jacket back to her briefly so he can strip off the hoodie he usually wears. Then he takes her jacket back and shrugs into it. She prays that she estimated his measurements correctly. There is some wiggle room with a jacket, and it doesn’t have to fit perfectly, but she really wants it to.

It falls onto his shoulders just as she pictured it would. He stretches the sleeves down and they’re the perfect length for him. And black looks really good on him, she thinks as she feels the blush creep up her cheeks. He twists, trying to see it on himself, and stretches his arms out before he looks at her again, lifting his eyebrows for her approval. She knows she’s grinning from ear to ear. He likes it. He really likes it.

“Oh, there’s a surprise in the hood,” she finally squeaks out, going around him to pull out the hidden mask. “When you have the hood up, the mask is attached here, so you can wear it on stage if you want, or just wear the hood by itself.” She pulls the sequined mask, attached by a sturdy strip of black elastic, out of the hood to show him, and he turns to look over his shoulder.

Her breath catches. She hadn’t noticed how close she had gotten to him, but she can see the small flecks of dark blue in his eyes. She can feel the happiness radiating out of him, even though he’s keeping his expression so carefully closed. He lays a hand over hers on his shoulder.

“Hey, guys, mind if we come aboard?”

She knows that voice. Her eyes travel over Luka’s shoulder. Adrien is standing on the stairs up to the deck.

And he’s leading Kagami by the hand.

And that’s fine. She’s fine. Everything’s fine.

***

@celestethegoddess

[narilgc]

ok round two !! i got all the talking out the way with the first post on max so let’s jump straight into it ! nari needs so many threads, and i’m also dropping all her threads except for the very recent ones !! but she also has less developed connections so she definitely needs some love !! so below the cut you’ll find a plot call for her ! <3

note: if you could either message me, comment, or like this post to let me know you’re interested in one of these or just plotting in general that’d be great !! but please like if you want to plot because sometimes people like and i can’t tell if they want to plot or not lol !!

ACTING MISSIONS.

* with musical actors also eligible for the stunt mission !

okay so first - stunt stuff !! since nari is a lead in cram school she won’t be apart of the september schedule, but that doesn’t mean she can’t do stunt training !! honestly nari has “ i’m a bad b you can’t kill me ” energy so she probably is going into it thinking she’ll do perfect - boy is she wrong !!

we can take the more antagonistic approach and have someone teasing her about having such high confidence but not doing well, or her trying to compete to perform the stunts they learn better than each other !!

or the more wholesome route where they both encourage / help each other out and use their training to reenact movie fights lmao, or both accept the fact that they’re just not good but decide to have fun with it anyways !!

this doesn’t have to do with any of the missions but i’d love for nari to get closer to the other acting trainees in general !! she doesn’t dorm with them and feels kinda bad about it so really wants a relationship w them !! so acting trainees pls hit her up she will literally bake you pies in return for friendship :)

CRAM SCHOOL.

my face realizing how unproductive i’ve been regarding this: 👁👄👁 I KNOW I KNOW ok but that’s why we are here now i’m here to fill the gap in activity i’ve had !! so let’s go get these threads because i love cram school and so does nari !!

okay so i’m looking for literally anything regarding cram school ! and for reference, she plays the dramatic queen herself miss mijoo !  preparation, rehearsal, actual filming, anything !! all of it helps with character development so i’m not picky at all ! but i will put some ideas:

nari really has a hard time when it comes to memorizing lines, though it’s not something she’d easily admit, mainly because a lot of it has to do with her struggles with her adhd. but she would be very, and i mean very grateful for someone to confide in about it and help each other memorize lines !!

maybe they’ve made it a routine to go out and get coffee and rehearse in the morning before shooting, it started because they both happened to be tired at the same time but now it’s a near everyday thing and they’ve gotten closer because of it ??

nari tends to take acting very seriously, sometimes too seriously, and can act out of character because of it. maybe she snapped on your muse one day without warning because she didn’t think they were taking it seriously / not doing well ? i live for the tea ! on the other hand, they may not have liked how energetic she tends to be off-camera and snapped at her for not staying focused on shooting.

when nari gets in character she really gets into character, so maybe one day on set they thought she really was glaring at them and being rude when really she was just unleashing her inner mijoo lol !! so mayhaps they can end up bonding over the misunderstanding !

someone who might be new or nervous to act that nari always makes sure to encourage, plus throwing in some food encouragement when she feels like it !

CHARITY DAY.

okay so at first at i was like - no i won’t have nari do the farm day - it’s too predictable !! but come on - you mix older people with farming and that is SO nari !! plus she’s so homesick so somewhere like this will do it’s job of soothing her homesickness at least a little, so she’ll definitely enjoy it !!

if anyone  going to the farmer village has no farming experience / is totally out of their element, let nari help !! while it’s not her village, she’d be as enthusiastic as ever to tell them all about the countryside and lend a helping hand - pls she will literally pay you

someone to sneak off with to take a break and play with some animals, bonus points for feeding them too !! be warned if baby goats are present nari them both take a million selfies with them !!

please someone sing a trot song with her !! they can either not want to do it and have nari drag them into doing it or be equally as theatre kid as her and go all out ! i, personally think both are great options

GENERAL THREADS.

okay i am getting very sleepy lol so here are some ideas outside of the categories mentioned !!

so i lowkey forgot about nari’s birthday, it’s SO embarrassing but anyways we are gonna blame the lack of nari birthday content on her being so busy with cram school that she hasn’t had the chance to really focus on herself !! so any backdated birthday threads or even belated birthday celebration threads would be great !

nari’s been incredibly attached to the idea of pets in general lately so someone who would go and volunteer with her playing with the animals at the animal shelter would forever have her heart !!

more long-term connections !! people’s she’s known for a while, or at least since she’s joined legacy, who she’s really close with !

actor / musical actor connections pls & ty !

project origin people who she’s already started to stan like full-fledged idols, like at this point she probably has a banner and everything ??

pls give her a girl to be whipped over she’s a simple woman, it doesn’t take much give her a pretty girl and she’s content lmao !

[ubernoxa]

THE DARE: A Guns N’ Roses FanFic

Chapter 18: Trixy the Bitch

(Masterlist)

Taglist: @queen-crue

“Oh My God Mags it was so embarrassing,” Delilah screamed as Mags finished doing Delilah’s makeup.

“Don’t be embarrassed Delilah, Duff obviously enjoyed it,” Mags simply replied as she leaned against the wall behind her.

It had been a day and Delilah still wasn’t over what Duff did to her while she teased him on his truck. The entire time she was painting the banner that is all she could think about. She really enjoyed it, but part of her was nervous.

“What if I make a fool of myself tonight?” Delilah now whined as she sat on the toilet lid. It was the best makeshift chair they could come up with that was in good lighting.

“Don’t worry, he’ll think it’s cute,” Mags reached forward and held Delilah’s hands.

“I have no idea what I’m doing!” Mags laughed at Delilah’s explanation. Whether she was referring to life in general or relationships, it didn’t matter.

“The beauty of life is that none of us know what we’re doing. We’re just reacting to the shit that happens around us. If you’re referring to the..intimacy...part of the whole relationship, then that will come with time. Everyone has to start somewhere. Some of us start earlier than others,” Mags tone was gentle and sweet as she spoke earning a warm smile from Delilah.

“What is he expects that I started earlier?” The words were almost inaudible as they came out of Delilah’s mouth. Duff had probably had countless girlfriend before her, there was no doubt in her mind that he knew what he was doing.

“Del, I hate to be rude, but everyone kinda figures that you’re at the point where you’re just...starting...to explore this type of stuff which is COMPLETLY fine. Promise me you won’t feel pressure to do anything you aren’t comfortable with,” Delilah nodded at Mag’s words.

“Ok, now let’s get going to the show. The plan is to meet the guys at their place and travel with them that way it will be easier for us to get backstage. This is a bigger venue and they are opening for Crue which has gained a bit of press lately,” Mags added as Delilah quickly followed her.

When they got to the guys’ place it was absolute chaos. What little clothing the guys had was thrown across the apartment. Mags and Delilah had to weave around the instrument cases that were scattered by the front door. At least they tried to get somewhat organized. When she saw the backstage passes tied to the various cases, Mags knew that Steff or Trixie had been here.

“Hey Mags hows it going,” Mags was immediately greeted by a tall blonde as she walked in leaving Delilah to feel very awkward. She tried to focus her attention on the mess that now covered the apartment.

“I’m doing good Stef, this is Del,” Mags said as Delilah was immediately bought into a hug. The smell of honey filled Delilah’s senses. It was relaxing. She didn’t know why, but it calmed her.

“Nice to finally meet you!” She explained before they followed her to the less chaotic living room.

“I love the smell of your perfume, is it honey?” Delilah asked.

A smile grew on Stef as she nodded. “Yes it is. Stevie adores the scent. If you want you can totally borrow it sometime.”

Stef’s and Delilah conversation was cut short as Mags spoke. “Hey, Trixy, this is Del.”

Trixy sat on the old couch barely covered in her tight white leather dress like a queen on her throne. She was a model plucked right off the runway.

Delilah wished she was a turtle that could hide back in her shell. Every inch of Trixy intimidates her. By height of her heels, Delilah knew Trixie would tower over her.

“So this is the infamous Del,” Trixy said as Delilah sat down on a chair. He tone wasn’t sweet like Stef’s. Trixy’s voice was laced with poison. She was without a doubt a King Kobra and Delilah was a baby mouse.

“The one and only? I take it Duff had mentioned me,” Delilah smiled as she sat down in a chair. She fidgeted with the peach hem of her dress that rested on thigh.

“Well more like all of the guys. They love your cooking, and from what I’ve heard I can’t wait to try some too. The banner you and Axl worked on looks amazing as well,” Steff added attempting to lighten the mood. Steff hadn’t known Trixy long, but she knew where this was going.

To say Trixy was territorial was an understatement. There were parts of Trixy that Stef loved. For example Trixy knew how to have fun and had a great sense in fashion. She also was a good friend, when it was convenient, but at least she tried.

Delilah felt all of her nerves melt away once Steff spoke. For some reason, Delilah had felt like an outcast, but now Delilah felt a lot more comfortable. She was practically apart of the GNR family.

“I’ll probably be making some tomorrow morning. It helps me wake up in the morning,” Delilah shrugged.

“Where’d you learn to draw,” Trixie was fast catching Delilah off guard.

Stef leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. She hated when she was right about when Trixy was going to enter her full bitch phase. She wondered if that’s why her and Axl were so attracted to each other and dating. They’re both complete ass holes.

“It’s kinda a hidden talent. I do it when I get stressed. It helps me relax,” Delilah confessed. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either.

“Oh so that’s why you and Axl drew on his wall,” Delilah felt like she was being put on trial by Trixy.

Mags adjusted in her seat and made eye contact with Steff across the couch. Steff shook her head causing Mags to relax a little. It was their signal for ‘she’s not worth causing a fight’ or ‘no don’t beat her up. This will be over soon’.

“He was freaking out, and I didn’t want him to hurt himself,” Delilah confessed again. She felt her heart begin to slowly race. What was Trixie’s problem?

“Why do you care if he hurts himself?”

“I care because he’s in my boyfriend’s band. He also is a HUMAN BEING,” Mags was caught off guard by Delilah’s tone. She had never heard Delilah raise her voice.

“Hey Del, I think Duff needs some help,” Izzy popped his head into the room in attempt to interrupt Trixie’s interrogation. With most of Axl’s girlfriends, he hoped Trixie would be gone within the next week or two.

“Yeah of course,” Delilah smiled leaving the room without hesitation. The sooner she got out of that room, the better.

“Ignore her,” Izzy said under his breath.

“She’ll probably be gone in a week or two. Hopefully you’ll be around longer....I don’t mean that sarcastically. You’re good for Duff. Plus you make amazing breakfasts,” Izzy added before they arrived to Duff’s door.

“Del you can just walk in. Trust me Duff won’t mind,” Slash said squeezing around Delilah and Izzy, and walking into his shared room.

“Duff, your girl’s her,” Slash said motioning for Delilah to enter.

“Hey,” Duff smiled as Delilah sat next to him.

“Hey, you okay?” Delilah asked pushing his hair back out of his face, so she could see his eyes. They were coated with think eyeliner as they always were when he performed.

“I’m nervous,” he quickly replied.

“Good,” Delilah coldly replied as she fixed his hair.

“Good?”

“Yeah Good!” Delilah frantically threw her hands in the air.

“It means you care. This band is important to you. If you weren’t nervous then that’s means you’re not taking the next step. It means you’re not getting big enough,” Delilah tapped Duff’s nose when she finished talking earning a small laugh.

“Yeah..,” Duff sighed.

Delilah adjusted her dress and sat on his lap, facing Duff.

“How about I make you a deal?”

“I’m all ears,” Duff smiled as he looked into Delilah’s eyes.

“I’ll be in the stage wing cheering you on the entire time. If you get nervous just look over at me and I’ll be there. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great Delly!” Duff played with a couple stands of her hair that hung freely.

“Hey Slash could you give us a couple of minutes?” Duff phrased it as a question, but Slash knew he intended it to be a Nice was to tell him to get the fuck out of the room because he wanted to fuck his girlfriend. Slash hid his laugh as he left the room. It was borderline hilarious watching Duff try to be cordial when Delilah was in the room. She had him wrapped around her little finger and didn’t even know it. He couldn’t wait until he had his own room.

“You look beautiful,” Duff said as Delilah remained sitting on his lap.

“You look good too,” Delilah could feel the nerves growing in her stomach. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her heart skip a beat.

In one swift motion Duff pulled her in and began to roughly kiss her. After a few moments, he picked Delilah up and gently placed her on his bed. She was so caught up in the kiss that she hadn’t noticed what happened. Duff climbed ontop of Delilah causing the kiss to get even rougher. Duff lost it as Delilah let a small moan escape her.

“Fuck, Delly,” Duff grunted as he continued. He stood up and lifted her dress up to see her underwear.

“Fuck,” Duff looked down at Delilah’s underwear. Duff was no stranger to a woman’s underwear, but there was something about the little bow on them.

“A little present wrapped with a bow, fuck. You’re so beautiful,” Duff returned to kissing her passionately and tapping her inner thigh. Duff smirked as he felt Delilah arc her back underneath him.

“Hey, lovebirds we gotta fucking go,” a voice from outside the door yelled.

“I’m gonna kill Izzy,” Duff grumbled as he helped Delilah off his bed.

“Wait,” Duff said as he fixed Delilah’s hair.

“Thanks,” she giggled.

“Duff we gotta fucking go! You can fuck your girlfriend later,” Delilah immediately recognized the second voice to be Axl.

Delilah was silent as Duff glared at door. He wanted to kill his band mates. He could tell that Delilah was shy and new to all of this, and his band mates announcing what he wanted to do with her with everyone wasn’t helping. Her face was brighter than a tomato.

“You okay? They’re just being dicks,” Duff reached out his hand and Delilah immediately took it.

“Does everyone have their passes?” Izzy asked holding his up. Delilah shot a confused look and he slowly walked back to his room to grab Delilah’s badge earning a Jesus Christ from Izzy. How hard was it to keep track of a pass.

“I can cram a couple of people in my truck,” Duff said as they left the apartment hopping into his truck, never letting Delilah leave his side.

“Wait here I’ll be back in a second,” Duff said before he hopped out of the truck. He walked out to someone he assumed to be the stage manager who currently directing people to unload what he assumed to be Motley Crue’s stuff.

“You Izzy?” The stage manager asked as Duff and Izzy stood before him.

“Yeah,”

“Stage crew can move your drum kit, but all other instruments you gotta carry in yourselves. Crue came late, so you get the short straw,” Duff and Izzy at the man’s words.

“Drum kit is in the red truck,” Izzy motioned towards Duff’s truck.

“Should we go help?”

“No, the stage crew roadies got it,” Stef plainly answered. She was tired of sitting in the hot truck that had limited A/C.

“Thank god because I don’t think I’d be able to move Duff’s Bass amp,” Delilah replied earning a laugh from Stef.

“Do you like him?” Delilah was caught off guard by the odd question.

“Yeah, yeah I think I do,” Delilah smiled as she watched Duff through the side mirror. Him and Axl were talking to someone while motioning towards their equipment. Part of her wondered where Izzy had gone.

“You girls ready?” Delilah nodded and hopped out of the door Diff held open for her.

Duff took his sunglasses and handed them to Delilah who returned a confused expression. Why?

“We’re opening for Motley Crue. They recently announced a tour, so the press are all over this performance,” Delilah smiled at his offer. The last thing she wanted was to end up in the tabloids or in some stupid magazine. If she did, it would look like she left for him.

She put them on and immediately stuck her tongue out at him. That when she heard the click of a camera. She turned to see a photographer with his camera pointed at the two of them.

“Come on let’s go inside,” he whispered in her ear as she followed them inside.

[fgodestinyawakenings]

Rank the Limited servants(Knight class edition) best to worst: Sabers(Okita , Nero Bride, Void Shiki , Musashi , Proto!Arthur , Sigurd , Beni and Astolfo) , Archers(Gilgamesh, Summer Artoria , Ishtar , Moriarty , Summer Jeanne , Superhuman Orion and Sei Shonagon) and Lancers(Scathach, Brynhildr , Summer Tamamo and Eresh)

…….. I’m not sure if I’m the one to be answering this……. And I can’t vouch for ALL of them because RNG hates me, and depending on who I managed to get. And I’m basing this all on the current Lostbelt difficulty, so opinions may varied which before you kill me if I don’t agree with your waifu and husbando…

Please by all means ignore this post and continue using them

Sabers:

Art ST Spamming: Nero Bride > Beni > Medb. 

Maybe Beni is better, but from skillset I feel Nero bride wins both support and using for herself. 

Medb I put lower due to every FUCKING MSQ Boss fight is having a debuff immunity, but her other 2 skill is decent to help. Spamming not sure, since my criteria for this is based on Lancelot Saber in both CRIT hell and charging of NP

Quicks ST Saber: Astolfo => Okita > Fran

Unless Okita is getting an upgrade, Astolfo for now wins. Excluding stun most are good for both damage and surviving long for Lostbelt hell. 

Okita as I’m still using her… Still Ok with Skadi’s support, which both are. 

Fran… Not sure why to me, tricky to use and her demerit outweighs more… Which extremely dangerous to survive in Lostbelt situations

Buster ST Saber: Musashi=Sigurd

Both are situational to me. Musashi is more for general Bosses while Sigurd is more towards Boss with Dragon-traits. 

But Musashi may be more preferred, since Sigurd you’ll need to bring best boi George to debuff enemy with Dragon trait. Both have good surviving skills of invincibility and guts respectively

AOE Sabers: Arthurs > Void

Because everywhere in every Lostbelt will at least have one fucking Large-trait monster to deal with. And Arthur having a now crit strengthen, hits enemy real hard without his AOE NP. 

Void, unless she get one more buff for her AOE damage… You can still bring her mobs to insta-kill, but you’re going to time when to heal because her third skill drains quite an amount of NP

===

Archers:

Arts ST Archers: Orion => Artoria

Both are good at spamming their NP… But let’s face it, it’s a Grand Servant vs normal Servant. His whole skillset + NP outwins King Golden Asshole says pretty much how wanted he’ll be when his own banner returns again. And GSSR will be hell to get him among all the other Archers. But if you have, you’re a lucky bastard to have them and I want your luck right now!

Calamity Jane: I haven’t got the chance to use her… But if your team isn’t the kind that generates 30 stars minimum per turn, you can still get up to evasion from her skill. She’s very situational because it all dependant on the turn you want to use of how many stars you have. Otherwise, NP skill of ignore evasion is more than welcome on those evading bosses

Buster ST Archers: Fujino > Moriarty > Anne & Mary

Fujino: NP gain not much of an issue if you have her first skill up, good survivability of defense and mainly guts, NP also hit hard with main focus on buff block on the turn when enemy boss buff themselves like ignore invincibility before using their NP… But now can be dependant if the boss is not permanent buff with debuff immunity

Moriarty: After his strengthening, it’d be best for 2nd skill > 3rd skill to fully utilize his support buff in the team. But he’s dependant with a min of 10 stars to activate his skill. His NP hits even better with his first skill, helping to generate stars along the way. But has a problem of surviving so you’ll need support to keep him alive

Anne & Mary: Unless you have guts buff on them via third skill/support/Mystic code, LB’s situation ain’t that welcoming in terms of enemy doing higher amount of damage to them before they could use their NP. Glass canon with decent NP gain similar to their Rider version… I’d say not impossible if you have the relative Servants, but it’ll be very risky to be able to utilize to their fullest

AOE NP Servants: Gilgamesh = Ishtar > Osakabehime = Sei Shonagon = Jeanne > Helena

Gilgamesh: As the oldest king got dethrone on damage output for overall limited Archers… You still gonna need him, which unless really been datamined, as majority of the Servants are weak to Enuma Elish, including himself. Still a strongest hitter for AOE output like Ishtar. And getting him signifies you wasted this year whole luck, and subsequent SSR after him are just you selling your soul to the devil

Ishtar: The goddess which Archer Gil no doubt want to have her head. And with her strengthening and good support team, she can hit real hard as Gilgamesh. Just remember to time her 3rd skill well before the usage of your NP preferably too

Sei, Osakabehime, Jeanne: They are mainly used as a support with a decent hit of their NP. 

Jeanne: Jeanne onee-chan with self invinciblity, Arts + NP damage + Crit if your field waterside and attack buff to Good Alignment Servants if your roster is them mainly. Plus Onee-chan beam can give crit stars by overcharge for 3 turns.

Osakabehime: A bit tricky by 2nd skill, if you’re running with a ST NP servant in, you’ve got 3 turns to deal with that one target, unless said target remove the debuff themselves. Decent damage dealing, but otherwise she’s your good support Archer to have

Sei: She may be higher than both Jeanne and Osakabehime, with decent amount of Servants who are Neutral and/or Man Attributes. A great support Archer for both her party and herself with all three of her skills and decent NP damage.

Helena: Similar to her Caster version, she’s got NP charge to support your team. But unfortunately she’s got low NP gain and damage, which many other Archer outclassing her. Slightly better in terms of cooldown, but unfortunately her most important 1st skill takes the longest cooldown. You’re probably better off with other AOE NPs Archer for farming

===

Lancers:

ST NP: Scathach > Raikou > Tamamo no Mae = Brynhildr > Ibaraki > Kiyohime

Scathach: Together with her Caster version, she’s definitely one of the most welcome ST NP against Divine Enemies. While insta-death is obviously useless in MSQ fights, her stun is useful but situational if debuff immunity isn’t there. Her first skill may be RNG, but evade is still there for surviving in boss fight

Raikou: A strong case of Glass canon, but her damage outweighs over her lack of defense buff. With strong support skillset for self and both party, she’s definitely one of your best general-trait boss killer against their insane stacks of defense buff. With Summer BB in for support + star generator CE, her whole self is fully otmpized for a painful buster brave or just brave chain itself to the enemy boss

Tamamo no Mae: Strong hitting Anti-male NP with decent support skill set. But in regards to her demerit, you’ll need to time right of when to use unless you have her up on debuff immunity and debuff remover ready. And for her second skill, make sure you have your defensive skill ready if said enemy Servant are near to full NP bar

Brynhildr: One of the good supports for star generation and skillset wise. NP damage while it hits hard, it’s situational because not every Servant we’ve seen is Brynhildr’s Beloved trait

Ibaraki: With SO MANY GOD-DAMN-FUCKING-HELL Servants having defense buff, she’s one with the most welcoming ignore defense to beat shitless out of them. Decent skillset but third skill is really your RNG hating or loving you. Especially worst if you’re facing an enemy who enjoys throwing debuff at your team. Demerit of her NP I feel isn’t that much of a problem, unless you’re also relying her to do star generation. But she does make it up with overcharge of crit stars, which if you’re a whale, best to have it at NP5

Kiyohime: Despite a strong hitting NP, she’s got a problem for NP gain and debuff kit is really dependant… Which now not in her favor again: Debuff Immunity. And lacks of defense and survivability for herself… Especially most mobs are Berserker or mixed class mobs

AOE NP: Romulus Eresh = Melt

Romulus: Yep, our lord and savior. Even with his release.... He’s actually tied with Eresh. Both have the same strong support + defense + overkilling NP with their own support with them (especially pair with Boudica ironically, but gender buff don’t work on Roma via datamine and lore reason). Romulus mainly boils down to his Roman trait debuff stacking on his enemies... But both Eresh and Romulus shares the same problem in current Lostbelt hell: 

Ignore Invincibility

Buff Block

Buff Removal

Debuff removal

Debuff Removal Success Rate (ask DW fucking why)

Debuff Immunity variations

And both play a different role at the end, depending on which you prefer. If you’re looking for a more support-oriented SSR Lancer, Ereshkigal is your girl. If you’re looking for a more AOE ROMA Overkilling Stacking NP, the lord and savior will answer your call.

Eresh: By far still the best AOE NP Limited Servant to have, with both strong party support, surviving yet decent AOE Damage dealing NP but mainly enough for farming. However, she’ll need support on NP gain if you’re planning to do spamming out of it. Though once she do get an NP damage buff by chance… She’s going to become one of the most wanted limited SSR Lancers

Melt: Again, her second effect NP is one of the more welcoming to have in LB hell hole: ignore defense. Her first effect is only activated if you have her 2nd skill active, which is really crucial. Skillset is pretty good, and with NP being Arts, you can have it both spamming and crit hell to your enemies. But do note when you use her third skill, your other 2 Servants’ NP is drain quite a number as she charged herself… So her on double Tamamo team or Tamamo + Casgil + Paracelsus… You get your catch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9tJH9HDEyc

[raywritesthings]

In the Dead of Night 2/9

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, Tommy Merlyn, John Diggle, Quentin Lance, Lucas Hilton, Sara Lance, Dinah Lance, Thea Queen, Malcolm Merlyn Pairing: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen (Eventual) Summary: Oliver Queen returns to Starling City after five years away, three years after Sara Lance was found and rescued by her mother. More troubling to him is Laurel’s abrupt and unexplained absence from the city for the same length of time that her sister’s been home. Three years into the past, Dinah Lance makes a terrible choice. *Can be read on my AO3 or FFN (links to both accounts are in bio)*

Present day

John could admit that Oliver had some impressive skills when it came to strategy and planning. But sometimes he was just freaky.

“So you set Lance up to open an investigation into his daughter?”

Oliver looked away from the news report he was watching on mute. A picture of Laurel Lance was displayed along with a banner declaring, Police Open Investigation into Woman’s Three-Year Disappearance. “I knew I wouldn’t get very far asking questions myself and that he had the credibility as her father and the connections to do it. Lance may have been kicked off the force for his drinking, but he’s got a sharp mind when he uses it. Give him a case, and he’s a dog with a bone.”

“Yeah, guess you two have that in common.”

Oliver made a face but didn’t reply.

“He won’t be splitting his time between two missions, though. Speaking of, what’s next in your grand plan to save the city? You could put some pressure on Simon Stagg. Thanks to him there’s a legal aid office that’s closing in the Glades.”

“Stagg isn’t on the list, surprisingly,” Oliver said. “And the Hood can’t exactly attack him for deciding to cancel his donations.”

“So CNRI is just a casualty.” John shook his head. He should have figured. It had been hard enough to convince Oliver to take on the Royal Flush Gang the other night, and even that had ended up connecting back to Robert Queen.

And any other plans went out the window when a motorcyclist nearly shot Moira Queen the next afternoon. Oliver had intel that pointed to a connection with the Bertinelli mafia family, and he decided to investigate as himself. John didn’t see him until the next day.

“So what happened?”

“It’s the daughter, Helena. We were attacked and had to fight our way out. She knows my identity.”

“So what happens now?”

“I tried to reason with her. Her methods are too reckless, and if she’s not careful she could ignite a gang war. She’s coming to the base today.”

Oliver tried to train Helena and be a friend to her, but she was too consumed with the need for revenge against her father. When she went to kill Frank Bertinelli at his home, Oliver was forced to drive her off. She couldn’t stay in Starling City now that her identity had been exposed anyway.

With the holidays now approaching, John wasn’t sure where exactly his friend’s focus was. He still went out as the Hood, and he was still working on developing the club. But for once, John didn’t have to suggest to his friend to take some time off to be at home, as Oliver was also spending time pushing the idea of a holiday party.

“I don’t know, Ollie,” he overheard Tommy Merlyn saying as he drove the two to lunch. John was just glad they weren’t checking out another club, since the last time that had happened he had found them getting roughed up by the owner’s goons out back. “Christmas just hasn’t been the same the last five years without you. And now that the news is saying Laurel’s missing, it’s hard to find the spirit. What do you think happened?”

“I really don’t know, Tommy.”

“It’s scary how people you care about can just disappear like that. You remember when my dad ditched for two years after my mom died?”

“I remember,” Oliver replied.

“I heard nothing from him for two years, and then one day he was just back. No explanation, no reason. I guess I always hoped Laurel was gonna do the same at some point.” Tommy scoffed at himself. “Probably a dumb hope, right?”

“Hey, I’m hoping she comes back okay, too.”

Later on in the base, John had to ask, “So why the party?”

“Because Sara’s coming to Starling for the holidays this year,” Oliver answered. “There’s no chance I could talk to her in Lance’s home, but an invitation to a party is the perfect excuse to get her to the manor.”

“And you think she’ll have something to tell you about her sister.”

“The timing is just too close. I mean, Sara was brought back by her mother less than a week after Laurel supposedly left.” Oliver shook his head. “At the least, she might have a better understanding of what was going on at the time. I can’t imagine that she hasn’t wondered.”

“Or she could just be grateful her sister’s not here to let her have it.” He personally couldn’t imagine how someone could have done that to their own family, but youth and hormones were a trip. Hopefully, she’d learned her lesson. Oliver clearly had.

The party was given the okay by Moira Queen and Walter Steele, and Oliver himself handled the invitations. Thea sat on her phone as John helped him go through the RSVPs one afternoon.

“Sara Lance, no plus one,” he announced, holding one envelope out to Oliver.

Just as he took it, Thea sat up. “You really thought that was a good idea?”

“I’ve been meaning to talk to Sara,” Oliver said. “She’s only going to be in town for a little while, so this seemed the best opportunity.”

“Unbelievable.” Thea stood up and continued over her shoulder, “You know, not that I’m glad it turns out she’s missing, but it’s probably for the best Laurel isn’t here right now.”

Oliver winced, but let her go without replying. John returned his focus to sifting through invites.

In the lead up to the party, an unknown imposter started murdering the people on the list who Oliver had already targeted. He had to wonder if maybe they were trying to juggle too much. Without access to any of the copycat’s arrows, however, they just had to wait and hope to catch him in the act.

The night of the party arrived, and John made sure to keep near Oliver without crowding him while he greeted the guests. At one point the Queens and Walter all posed for a family picture. So far so good.

But he noticed a few whispers start up around the room at the approach of a woman John only knew from a few online articles.

John wasn’t sure what he’d expected the infamous Sara Lance to be like. Smiling and cheerful, more mature, flirtatious even?

The young woman that walked up to Oliver was none of those things. Without ever having known her before, John could say without doubt that she was a shadow of herself. Thin and with a drawn face, she looked out of place amongst all the Christmas cheer.

“Hey, Ollie,” she greeted him quietly, so quiet John had to strain to hear even from where he was standing a few feet away.

If Oliver was surprised by how she looked, he hid it well. “Sara. It’s good to see you.”

“You too. Um, thanks for inviting me.”

Oliver shrugged it off. “I heard you were gonna be in town, so I thought we should meet up.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry you were lost for longer. If I’d known you survived the Amazo—”

“Sara, that’s okay,” Oliver interrupted her, which was unfortunate since John was really curious as to why she had just mentioned a totally different boat. “Neither of us could’ve known. I’m just glad we both made it back.”

“Yeah.”

“And I’m sorry for everything it did to your family. It was stupid and selfish of me, and I never intended for any of that to happen.”

Sara’s gaze was on the floor as she answered, “Well, we’re getting by. Mom’s doing pretty good. Dad’s, you know.”

“Laurel’s missing,” said Oliver pointedly.

“Yeah, well, that was news to everybody,” said Sara, still not lifting her gaze. “She was gone when I got back, you know.”

“Yeah, right before you got back. I’ve been wondering about that.”

Sara froze and finally raised her head. “You think I know something. That’s why you really invited me here, isn’t it?” She huffed a short laugh, but there was a suspiciously wet sheen to her eyes. “I should have figured. You and her, always and forever.”

To his credit, Oliver didn’t try to make an excuse. “Do you know something?”

Her lip trembled, but she backed away. “I can’t do this here.”

“Sara,” said Oliver. He took a step after her but seemed to notice a few of the looks other guests were giving him. Oliver frowned and stalked off in the other direction, quicker than John could follow him.

He stepped into an unoccupied side room with a television and switched it on to check for any news about their imposter, which got him far more than he’d bargained for. A man in a black hood and mask was declaring himself the copycat on TV and challenging the Hood to a duel while he held nine people hostage. Oliver needed to get on this now.

John found him upstairs kicking a boy out of Thea’s room, which had her pretty livid.

“Seriously? You’re gonna invite Sara to this party and then lecture me about my life choices?” Thea shoved past her brother, stalked down the hall and out of sight.

Oliver turned, frustration evident, but froze at the look on John’s face.

“You gotta see this.”

He led him to the television, and Oliver watched with a grim expression. His friend left soon after, and John followed in a van.

By the time he worked his way past the police perimeter, the hostages had been rescued, but Oliver was lying in a heap on the floor of an alley. John loaded him into the van and got to work removing his suit and any other evidence of the true source of his injuries, then rushed to the hospital. This wasn’t something that could be cured with a night of rest at the base.

Later, when Oliver was awake and his family had all gone home, he confessed to John his feeling of failure. John didn’t know what he could say to comfort him. In both his efforts as the Hood and his investigation into the disappearance of Laurel Lance, Oliver had hit a wall.

---

Sara couldn’t sleep that night. Truthfully, she’d gotten very little sleep since she’d arrived in Starling. Maybe since the announcement.

Laurel was missing, and now it was public knowledge. In equal parts, she had been hoping and dreading this day might come.

“Don’t say anything to your father,” her mother had cautioned her as she packed. “If he ever knew the truth—”

“I know, mom.” She’d been hearing the same refrain for the last three years. But what if he did know? What if she could finally come clean to someone?

When she had gotten into Starling and seen him, she hadn’t had the heart. He’d been showing her all the files and bits of information he’d written down spread out all over the coffee table, energized in a way she hadn’t known him to be for five years.

“They haven’t found anything solid yet, but this is a three year-old trail we’re talking about. These things take time. But they’ll find something.” Her dad had sounded as though he was trying to convince himself as much as anything, and Sara’s insides had squirmed with guilt. He didn’t know it was hopeless. She couldn’t tell him that. So she’d picked at the food he’d made and kept quiet.

She turned over in the bed again. Chances were, he wouldn’t even believe what Sara told him. He’d want to see the proof with his own eyes, and he couldn’t. It was too dangerous.

But there was someone who could possibly brave that danger. Someone who was just as interested in knowing the truth.

Sara had accepted long ago that she and Oliver weren’t actually in love. They’d been a couple of dumb kids, high on the rush of sneaking around and not getting caught. When she’d confessed on the island, she’d been trying to make some sense out of the chaos of their lives. Maybe they had ended up on that island for a reason. Maybe it had been her who survived, and not Shado, for a reason. Maybe it had been her, and not Laurel—

Sara flopped onto her back. Then finally, with a groan, threw the covers off herself and slipped into her shoes and a coat as she left the apartment. She couldn’t live like this anymore.

It wasn’t too hard for her to sneak into the hospital. She waited until the hall was deserted before approaching Oliver’s room and slipping inside.

He was asleep, judging by the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. She approached slowly and tapped his shoulder. “Oliver?”

Sara backed off with a gasp as one of his arms reached out, grasping at air where her neck had been moments ago.

“Oliver, it’s me.”

“Sara?” He peered at her through the darkness, like he was trying to decide if she was real. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s you they’ve been talking about on the TV, right? You’ve been going out in Shado’s hood.”

He grimaced. “What about it?”

“You got beaten tonight by that man. The copycat archer everyone’s talking about.”

She’d nearly jumped out of her skin when she’d gotten back from the Queen’s party and seen that uniform on the news.

“What about it?” He repeated, more tersely this time.

“Could you beat him if you met him again? Because if you can’t beat someone of that caliber, Laurel’s gonna stay missing.”

He sat up sharply and let out a hiss of pain, one hand resting over his ribs. “Sara, what do you know?”

“It wasn’t my idea. You gotta believe me about that, Ollie. I didn’t want it to happen. I just wanted to go home. After Ivo, after Slade, I- I—” Her eyes were stinging and her voice was already wavering badly. She honestly didn’t know if she could make it through talking about this. She’d never tried before. It was a taboo subject even at home with her mother.

“Sara.” She could tell he was working to keep his voice calm and even. “Just tell me. What happened to your sister?”

“It was mom,” she blurted. “When she found me, there was a choice, and she made it. I tried to tell her it wasn’t right, but God, Ollie, I was just so tired and afraid. I didn’t want to stay with them, and I let her- I let her—”

Her throat was closing up, refusing to say the words. She kept having to take great gasps of air.

“Just calm down,” Oliver urged, his eyes flickering to the door. “Start from the beginning. How did your mom find you, and what happened when she did?”

“You’re gonna hate me for this,” she said in a low tone. “I’ve hated myself for three years.”

“Whatever’s happened, the first step to making it right is to tell the truth,” he said. “Please, Sara.”

She drew in a breath and began. “The first thing you gotta understand is that my mom knew I went on the boat. She caught me packing and let me go with you, even though you were seeing Laurel.” She didn’t miss his shocked expression at that admission. If he only knew just how bad it was going to get. “I think she blamed herself after the shipwreck, and that’s what drove her to looking for me. She didn’t want to believe she’d let me go off to drown with my sister’s boyfriend. So she started looking…”