#The Orpheus Protocol

[vae-victis]

Still funny to me remembering the creators being so confused when people liked Pierce and landing on 'it must be because he's hot and charismatic ' like it's a visual medium and that's the only possible explanation instead of just realizing some people like it when characters are morally gray and/or villains

[corvidfeathers]

listen to the orpheus protocol (this is propaganda)

the main cell gets ready for another fun and exciting mission :)) im sure nothing will go horribly awry

appearance headcanons courtesy of @lightning-skys <3 <3

[bnuuywol]

This is for the 3 of you that liked the post earlier lmao

Enjoy my traumatic, gory backstory for my fucked up lil guy in tabletop, his name is Niko Romanov and he’s... kinda human :)

CW: Experimentation, blood and gore, transformation horror, body horror

It takes but a single moment for it all to spiral into an inescapable nightmare.

Long has the Romanov family chased the means for a vessel to contain the consciousness of the Outer Dark. In the old days, they once led the highest ranked teams of occultist scholars pursuing this goal. But alas, they, like all the others, continually failed in catastrophic ways. It’s not until Azrail Romanov finds himself recruited by a mysterious agency known only as ORPHEUS that their luck takes a turn for the better. He joins the splintered faction of ORPHEUS, Sol Invictus, that will finally achieve the goal they have so longed for. But it doesn’t stop there. Bringing these beings into the flesh isn’t enough. They form an obsession with creating living weapons.

Enoch Romanov follows closely in his father’s footsteps. Though their work thus far works fine on adult specimens, he wants to prod further into what could be possible. He begins experimentation on his eldest son, Nikolas, from the moment he’s conceived. His wife, Selma, the poor soul, was completely oblivious to the creature growing within her. She’s long since buried the memory of giving birth to the insectile cocoon that her son emerged from. Despite his otherwise normal human appearance thereafter, she feels only dread at the sight of him. Enoch was given full reign over taking care of the child, allowing her to fall into the fantasy that Niko simply did not exist. A fantasy only intensified by the birth of their second child, Oliver.

Niko has never quite understood why his mother ignores him. She’ll only look at him when forced to do so by her husband, and always says something along the lines of calling him “the Devil’s child.” It gives him a vague idea of how she perceives him, but he cannot fathom the reason for it. Enoch is always careful to wipe any memory his son has of their time spent in the laboratory in the attic, leaving him clueless to his own nature. By the time Niko reaches his teenage years, he’s grown used to such behavior, finding solace in the time he spends with his brother instead. After all, once his father goes on a mission and never returns, Oliver is really all he has.

And yet, the older he gets, the more he begins to question his form. He begins to scratch the surface as to why Selma despises him so. If he falls and scrapes a knee, the wound only exists for a feeble moment before mending itself. He’s begun to feel more attuned to this… burning inside of him. A radiant, dark flame that swirls in his very soul, always yearning, always wanting. Niko often finds himself atop the roof of their home, staring blankly at the night sky. The stars are calling him. The darkness between them speaks to him of kinship. We are one. You are not of them, you are of us. It’s not long before he begins repeating the experiments of his father upon himself, discovering the equipment in the attic that’s grown dusty and mold-infested, acting on the inkling of a memory that he cannot quite grasp.

Oliver should not have been up there, he knew this, but he was worried. He heard the sounds of crashing and screaming from above. Niko had been distant lately, locking himself up there for hours on end, and hearing such concerning sounds prompted Oliver to check on him. It’s not as if mother cares about his brother. The past few days in particular, Niko’s body had been reacting… differently to the tests. He feels his bones shifting, his skin warping. Today, however, seemed to push whatever was happening over the threshold. The syringe crashes to the ground and shatters, Niko quickly following it. Pain unlike anything he’s ever felt before racks his body. His fingers lengthen and new limbs sprout from his back. The sound of his own voice as he screams warps into something wholly unfamiliar to his ears. The metamorphosis takes hold and by time Oliver reaches the attic, he’s faced with a nine foot tall, horrific, chitinous monstrosity in the place of his brother.

“N-Niko?”

Instinct and panic take hold in Niko, leaving him in a complete loss of control over what happens next. The sickening sounds of ripping flesh, breaking bone, and strangled screaming pierce the air. It all happens so fast. Niko blacked out, the sound of his mother wailing sucking him back into the moment. He’s sitting naked on the floor, returned to his human form, covered in blood that isn’t his own. As Niko’s eyes, once a bright blue and now an insectile black, scan the room, he sees the chunks of flesh scattered across it. As his gaze settles upon a dismembered arm draped across the chair with a rubber Pierce The Veil bracelet around its wrist, the reality of it sinks in. His brother. The flesh and the blood seeping the room in carnage… that’s all that’s left of him. Grief and nausea twist Niko’s stomach as he comes to the other important conclusion: he did this. 

“N-no…” Niko’s breath hitches and he pulls his knees to his chest, hands clasped around his skull. “Nonononononono.” The words crack into a sob that overtakes his entire body. What am I? What have I done?

Upon learning of the Nephilim within the Romanov household, ORPHEUS takes custody of Niko rather than allowing Selma to hand him over to the local police. They’re willing to overlook what he’s done on a single condition: his services to the agency. Niko doesn’t argue with them. He doesn’t care what they want with him. So long as they leave him to his research. He needs to understand what he is. No matter the cost.

[somemushroomguy]

Prisoner of the Obscene Star.

Made this for an Orpheus Protocol scenario I ran, but my players never went down the passage where they would have found it. So now it goes here.

[baron-storri]

So I got onto a weird tangent digging up some old concepts of my own and fleshing them out with some odd research tangents.

End result is me trying to spook my players with cursed dance moves.

It made sense in context.

[mandelbr02]

you ever just look at a piece of media and go “god i love you! the plot is meaty, the character work is mostly pretty good, and the worldbuilding is really solid! also you suck so much and are impossible to consume!” real those hours

[riobhca-of-the-north]

Some more datamined cut content from BG3 :D Digging through the dialouge files is fun. This bit of dialouge was from Raphael. The Monitor/Monitor was his name during development. There's still some flags associated with Raphael that are still called Monitor like this line from Korilla when you get drugged by Priestess Gut and she saves you:

Korrilla: The honourable Raphael. He's terribly excited about you… and your condition. (GLO_TheMonitor_HasMet_TheMonitor)

This particular line of dialouge I think was supposed to play in Act 1 - from the tone the placeholder dialouge has it looks like Raphael was trying to stir division in the party while it was still new.

Raphael would try and reveal each of the Origin companions' secrets: Shadowheart: worships Shar Astarion: vampire Wyll: warlock cast out by his father

Gale: Netherese Orb Karlach isn't mentioned here, and neither are the cut Origins Helia/Minsc.

The only one I can't figure out is Lae'zel's. Out of all the Origins, her and Karlach don't really have a deep secret like the others. Maybe it's her expressing doubts about Vlaakith? Might make sense since she's from Stardock - Creche K'liir was led by Urlon, who was a member of the Sha'sal Khou. (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Urlon) The Sha'sal Khou was a organization dedicated to reuniting the githyanki and githzerai into one Gith people. Urlon helps to kill Al'chaia (the previous leader of Stardock/K'liir) and sets about turning Creche K'liir into a base where both githyanki and githzerai can live in peace. Doesn't this sound like what happens to Lae'zel if she completes the game on the Orpheus path? She goes and tries to make an alliance between the githyanki rebels and the githzerai. And Orpheus does make a lot of points that agrees with the Sha'sal Khou in the Epilouge, if he survives - The First Protocol (https://bg3.wiki/wiki/The_First_Protocol) states that "All who call themselves gith shall unite under one sky." Also, when you meet Vlaakith in the creche, she mentions Urlon by name as well as his predecesor, Al'chaia. They're never mentioned again through. Would they have been more important to the story? Or were they turned into what the Orpheus path is in the final game? This is pure speculation on my part, but could Lae'zel's secret be that she was part of the Sha'sal Khou? Or at the least symphatic to their cause? I'd be interested in knowing your thoughts. I think if I was right about the Sha'sal Khou thing, it would make the whole 360 from Vlaakith to Orpheus make more sense to me. Thanks for reading folks! I should have some more stuff uploaded soon. Hope you all have a wonderful day, whereever you may be! :D Filename: Campfire_Moments/CAMP_Monitor_AvD_RevealPartySecrets

[pteraphylax]

I personally don’t hc Gale as autistic, because to me he comes across very neurotypical? I think a lot of people hc him as autistic just because he’s an academic type who exposits a lot. But for me and my brand of autism, he doesn’t resonate like that. He reminds me of my husband who is neurotypical.

I can see why a lot of people hc that though, and a lot of the reasons people ‘hate Gale’ end up being things that autistic people get bullied and punished for in real life.

I don’t hc Gale as autistic, but I take it personally when I see people hating on him for what could be considered ‘autistic-coded traits’.

You know who I DO hc as autistic?

Lae’zel.

Black and white thinking (whether she’s stanning Vlaakith or Orpheus, it’s with the same all-in fervour)

Blunt and abrasive mannerisms. She doesn’t follow societal conventions. She’s aware of them and thinks they’re a waste of time. She doesn’t react or express her feelings in conventional ways. She is often insulting and brutally honest because she always tells the truth as default.

She takes people at face value and is always earnest. For example when Gale compliments her fighting style, she immediately offers to teach him with 100% sincerity. It often catches people off guard. She doesn’t realise when people are asking rhetorical questions vs. actually wanting to know or do something (same, Queen).

Special interests. The way she talks about her insane training regime, maintains her gear, her learning and memorisation of the Gith slates. It’s very intense.

She gets her mind set on doing something a certain way (go straight to the crèche) and finds it hard to understand why the others want to sidetrack from that.

LOVES rules. She has those protocols memorised and it’s very difficult for her to imagine a reality that is not dictated by them. Even comparing her to other Gith at the creche, Lae’zel is so much more rigid. If she turns from Vlaakith she is equally rigid about her new destiny with Orpheus/ fighting Vlaakith.

Toes are out in her starting armour. For my autism shoes are the devil so I am applying this to her too lol.

Sometimes her complaints about Faerun/ the material plane come across as being overstimulated in a sensory way. At least they do to me.

Other sensory stuff: she has as much bare skin as possible in her default outfits. For my autism, tight and covering clothes are also the devil, so I’m projecting this on her as well.

You could also definitely interpret her idling with her weapons/ using the grindstone as stimming. If that’s the case this is NOT my flavour of autism. Lae’zel stimming on her grindstone makes my ears bleed and makes me want to scream. Sometimes other people’s stims are your sensory hell.

She is ride or die for the party. At first it’s a mutual goal based thing, but as she gains respect for the other party members a switch flips and she’s All In. This sort of black and white approach to relationships feels very neurodivergent to me.

I LOVE LAE’ZEL.

[blackjackkent]

Ask prompt fill for @thedarkstrategist for this ask meme: The Deeper the Water Sentence Prompts Lae'zel - "I didn’t know how else to be." A little gith philosophy and conversation for you. XD TY for the prompt - hope you enjoy! :D

-----

“Your goddess. Vlaakith.” Rakha speaks up abruptly after a long period of silence as she walks through the South Span at Lae’zel’s side. “Why did you follow her?”

One of Lae’zel’s eyebrows twitches in muted surprise. They are all familiar, by now, with Rakha’s tendency to chew on questions for long periods of time before voicing them without preamble, but Wyll is the usual recipient (or, more recently, Jaheira). A little flicker of warmth goes through her, unbidden. 

Even after all this time and everything that has passed between them, part of Lae’zel still craves the attention she knows the half-orc is unable to give her. This is only a fragment of it, but it is still something.

The question, though, leaves something to be desired.

Your goddess. Vlaakith. Why did you follow her?

"I do not understand it," Rakha goes on, when Lae'zel doesn't answer immediately. "Gods. Vlaakith, Shar, Mystra - all of them seem cruel. Uncaring. What is the purpose of devotion? Why did you follow her?"

Lae'zel frowns, carefully considering her words before answering. “To be born a githyanki is to be born into certainty,” she says. “From the first cracking of our egg, we are blessed with purpose, role, and destination, all granted us by Vlaakith in the service of Mother Gith. I felt no call to question it, for she was infused into every facet of my life. She shone out from the faces of my kin. She was the strength in my sword arm and the keenness of my blade.”

Involuntarily, one of her fists clenches at her side. “Ch’mar zal’a Vlaakith, we are taught. Vlaakith’s will above all. It is the guiding principle, the protocol eternal. It shuts out all fear, all doubt.”

She looks sideways at Rakha. “You, even more than most istik, would have trouble comprehending that certainty, t’rac’shka. How impenetrable it can seem. The safety in it, and the fear beyond it.”

She doesn’t mean it as an insult, simply as fact, and Rakha doesn’t take it as one. “I have no memory of certainty,” she agrees in a low voice.

Lae’zel grunts. “You served Bhaal. Perhaps he--”

“I do not remember it.”

“No.” A pause. Then Lae’zel continues, almost to herself, “It shames me to look back upon it. I was blind to the truth, a willing pawn in her quest for immortality. It drove my every action, my every thought. I was used, and gladly.”

Rakha hesitates. “You were a child,” she says cautiously.

“That is no excuse.”

Rakha doesn’t answer for a moment. Then she shrugs. “I was also a child, no doubt,” she mutters. “I remember… only flashes. But I am sure I was trained to kill from the moment I could hold a blade.” Her mismatched eyes track to Lae’zel’s face. “As you were.”

This gives Lae’zel pause, and a flicker of something like sympathy touches her face. “Do you regret those lost memories?” she asks, unusually soft.

“No,” Rakha says - just slightly too sharply for it to be unmitigated truth.

“Chk. Then I envy you,” Lae’zel mutters. “In spite of myself, I find that what has been taken from me is a terrible thing to lose. I am adrift. Unmoored.”

“And yet you did not return when she asked. You did not become Baht t’Vlaakith.”

Lae’zel flinches. “Voss was clear. You were clear. It would have been to put my neck back into the yoke and become cattle for slaughter. Certainty is not worth dignity. It is not worth honor and self-respect.”

Rakha considers this. “But you now seek to follow Orpheus. To pledge yourself to him. A new certainty. Is that not also a new yoke?”

Lae’zel stiffens. Her head snaps back and her eyes flare defensively. “I follow the Prince of the Comet because he carries truth. He will be freedom and honor for the githyanki people, a path forward for all my kin. I will see him freed from the Astral Prism in service of a glorious future.”

Rakha blinks at her slowly. “I see,” is all she says in response. “Ch’mar zal’a Orpheus, then.”

Lae’zel relaxes - though her troubled expression remains, her eyes narrowing in disquieted thought. “Yes,” she agrees curtly. “His will be done.”

[ashes-in-a-jar]

In my head, you’re a Magnus Archives blog. I mean, I know you obviously listen to other things, but In my mind it’s things like Welcome to Nightvale, Malevolent, Hello from the Hallowoods, The Sheridan Tapes, things like that, horror and supernatural.

So I had to do a double-take when I saw a Dungeons and Daddies post from you, I really didn’t know you listened to it. Then I see you reblog a Fawx and Stallion post, and now I’m just wondering how many podcasts you’ve listened to that I’ve also listened to.

Hahaha yes this blog has been mainly for tma stuff for years now, I still feel like I'm new to the fandom but honestly I've been here through a lot of it since the beginning of season 5

Buuuuut in the past few months I've stopped going into the tma tag regularly and been feeling a little detached from it, at least as opposed to before. My listen to tmagp has been way less interactive and I hardly reblog content anymore (which is something I like doing but because of various bad experiences on the internet recently I have yet to recover from I feel safer posting my own original posts rather than reblogging)

And that freed up a space in my mind to realize I've actually been listening to a lot of podcasts besides tma and it's honestly a shame not to talk about them more with others

I do listen to a lot of horror fantasy supernatural and science fiction podcasts! I also love a lot of dnd and ttrpg podcasts, I also love everything dropout and wish I could get into critical role but it's so big I don't think I'll manage it

I put under the cut a (quite long) list of the podcasts I have listened to and/or have notifications turned on

Anyone following me, you're welcome to send me an ask about one of them if you like them as well or want to hear about them!

I also put a list of podcasts on my to listen to list. Feel free to drop a recommendation for which them to listen to first!

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

Podcasts I'm caught up on (the lists are long so it's alphabetical without "the")

Ongoing podcasts

The Amelia project

Ask your father

A voice from darkness

Black box

Brimstone valley mall

Camlann

The cellar letters

Death by dying

Derelict

Eeler's choice

Ethics town

Fawx and stallion

Hello from the Hallowoods

The hundred handed

Levian

Lost terminal

The Magnus protocol

Malevolent

Midnight burger

The mistholme museum of mystery morbidity and mortality

Neon inkwell

New years day

Not quite dead

Old gods of Appalachia

The penumbra podcast

The program

Red valley

The Sheridan Tapes

The silt verses

The sound museum

Super suits

Tell no tales

Tiny terrors

Traveling light

Unseen

The vesta clinic

Victoriocity

The white vault

Completed podcasts

Absolutely no adventures

Archive 81

Borrasca

The bright sessions

Camp here and there

Descendants

Give me away

I am in eskew

Monstrous agonies

Parkdale haunt

The Magnus archives

Re: dracula

The secret of st kilda

Spirit box radio

Steal the stars

Time:bombs

We know none

Wolf 359

Wooden overcoats

Ttrpgs

The adventure zone

Campaign skyjacks

Chapter and multiverse

Dark dice

Dice shame

Dimension 20 (not a podcast but I listen to it like one)

Dungeons and daddies

Not another d&d podcast

Rusty Quill gaming

Worlds beyond number

Podcast on my listen next list:

The Alexandria archives

Alice isn't dead

Ars paradoxica

Believer

The Black tapes

Blackwood

The box

The bridge

Carrier

Counterbalance

The cryptid keeper

Darkest night

The darkroom

The dark tome

The deca tapes

The deep vault

Dreamboy (this one is nsfw so it makes me nervous lol)

Duggan Hill

The earth collective

Either

The far meridian

The fountain road files

The glass canon

Jar of rebuke

Kings fall am (I started but heard not great things about it)

Knifepoint horror

Kollok 1991

Less is morgue

The leviathan chronicles

Liberty

Limetown

The lost cat

Mabel

Maeltopia

Marscorp

Mirrors

Mockery manor

Next stop

The no sleep podcast

The orphans

The Orpheus protocol

Out of place

Paired

Palimpsest

The phone booth

Point mystic

Pseudopod

Rabbits

The right left game

Shadows at the door

Spines

Stellar firma

The storage papers

Stories from among the stars

Super ordinary

Superstition

Tanis

Tides

Unwell

Vast horizon

Victoria's lift

Video palace

Welcome to night Vale (I listen to this one very sporadically lol)

We're alive

Within the wires

Woe begone (I started but got stuck on episode 20ish but want to continue)

Wrong station

Ttrpgs

BomBARDded

Critical role (it's sooo long tho)

Dames and dragons

Dragon friends

Join the party

The lucky die

Queens of adventure

Realms of pearl and glory

Rude tales of magic

Skyjacks courier call

Three black halflings

[mcytrecursive]

Nomination Overview - Superhero/Superpower AU

Oh you know we were gonna have superhero aus nominated, have you SEEN this fandom? Out of the 183 source materials nominated so far, we have 14 superhero AUs. Let's take a look at them.

Title: catbag Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43929327/chapters/110455053 Fandom: Dream SMP Author: supinetothestars Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Tubbo & TommyInnit, Niki | Nihachu & TommyInnit, Quackity & Wilbur Soot Characters: TommyInnit, Tubbo, Wilbur Soot, Philza, Technoblade, Dream, Quackity, Jack Manifold, Nihachu, GeorgeNotFound Length of the work: 60,459 words (incomplete fic) Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, AU, Family, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic Summary: Tommy's called Blindspot for a reason. He’s not invisible, as he’s reminded Dream time and time again - people can definitely see him. They just don’t notice. He blends into plain sight, totally diverting all attention like water off of a duck. Usually, anyway. Orpheus, however, stiffens a little as Tommy draws nearer. He starts glancing around, as if struck by sudden paranoia. Tommy draws up in front of him, staff clenched in one hand, and Orpheus starts turning as if to check behind him. “What’s that,” Orpheus mutters. “Who’s there-“ Tommy pulls his staff back and slams it into Orpheus’s stomach, hard. Orpheus stumbles. He wheezes, choking, and then looks up at Tommy and fixes him with a burning stare. “Who the fuck are you,” Orpheus says, eyes wild and oddly delighted. “Where were you hiding?” __ Suspected of betraying the Hero Guild, Apprentice hero Tommy (A.K.A. Blindspot) is put under Security Protocol Catbag: a locked-on noise cancelling mask equipped with truth gas. His mentor, Dream, calls it a necessary teaching tool. Meanwhile, SBI wants to know why their least favorite loudmouth little Hero has suddenly stopped talking.

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Title: The Totem of Undying Job Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32651152/chapters/80995606 Fandom: Dream SMP Author: antimony_medusa Relationships: Nihachu & Technoblade & Phil Watson & Ranboo & Tubbo & Wilbur Soot, Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Technoblade & Philza, Ranboo & Tubbo Characters: Ph1lza (Dream SMP), Technoblade (Dream SMP), Ranboo (Dream SMP), Quackity (Dream SMP), Clay | Dream (Dream SMP), Nihachu (Dream SMP), Tubbo Underscore (Dream SMP)  Length of the work: 62,695 words Genre: Action/Adventure, AU, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic Summary: “Brilliant,” said Philza. “If everybody’s here, then.” He clicked a button on a small remote and a screen behind him slid out of the wall. “This is the target for the next job. Las Nevadas.” The screen behind him showed a brilliant neon-lit street backed with blocky non-descript buildings. “Gambling site, research site, and absolute fucking political powerhouse. Estimated take for this job is twelve point five million. Each.” “So we’re hitting the casino?” Tubbo said, mouth full of cookie. “Fuck, too hot.” “The casino isn’t where the money is,” Technoblade cut in. “The casino bankrolls the research arm, which is so valuable at this point that their security is probably better than the casino.” “What we’re going after specifically is their latest development, a toy for the super-rich.” The display screens switched to show off a small gold figurine set with emeralds. “They market it as a ‘Totem of Undying’, and it’s the best medical assistance money can buy.” Or: Everybody in this heist gets superpowers and competence, including (unfortunately) our antagonists.

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Title: Tangotek Evil Incorporated Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48665086/chapters/122758744 Fandom: 3rd Life SMP Author: onawhimsicot Relationships: TangoTek & Jimmy, TangoTek & Grian, Grian & Jimmy Characters: TangoTek, Jimmy Solidarity, Grian, EthosLab, BdoubleO100  Length of the work: 22,445 words Genre: Action/Adventure, AU, Humour, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic Summary: As the supervillain Dr. Blaze, Tango has a penchant for oddly named "ificators" and stylistic flair. He spends his days trying to take over the city, shaming superheroes for their basic costume designs, and then sending said heroes home with better equipment that actually matches their aesthetic because clearly, if he wants a cool fight scene to happen, he's got to do everything around here himself. For some reason, not many people think he’s evil. On the bright side, the superhero Canary, does and has made it his personal mission to bring down Dr. Blaze! But when he suddenly goes missing, Canary's partner, Parrot, is convinced that Tango is at fault. Seeing as this is not true at all (kidnapping is so gauche), Tango is offended that someone is trying to steal his nemesis right from under his nose. If Tango wants to get his nemesis back, he'll have to work together with Parrot to find and rescue Canary from whatever danger he's got himself into this time. Because, after all, what's a supervillain without a nemesis?

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Title: the arrangement Link: here Fandom: Hermitcraft SMP Author: cornpapers Relationships: Grian & Scar Characters: Grian, GoodTimesWithScar Length of the work: not applicable Genre: Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Art Summary: Art of a meeting between Hotguy and the (seemingly antagonistic) Poultry Man, with a really intriguing dynamic.

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Title: the misadventures of detective falsewell and grianlock Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29980416/ and here Fandom: Hermitcraft SMP Author: sleepyrinas Relationships: Grian & False & Rendog Characters: Grian, False, Rendog Length of the work: 86,922 words Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, AU, Drama, Fluff, Family, Found Family, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Modern AU, Superhero/Superpower AU, Urban Fantasy/Werewolf/Vampire AU, Mystery Type: Fic Summary: Detectives Falsewell and Grianlock are some of the best in the business, two siblings with a prowess for solving mysteries and any flavor of crime. Of course, not everything goes as simply as they hope. What disasters and troubles await these two detectives in the small town of Hermitville? Only one way to find out!

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Title: Desert Duo Vigilante AU [DDVAU] Link: here Fandom: Hermitcraft SMP Author: kitsuneisi & xmaruu11 Relationships: Scar/Grian [Romantic], Grian & Jimmy [Platonic], Cub & Scar [Platonic] Characters: Grian / CuteGuy & Scar / HotGuy Length of the work: Not applicable (comic) Genre: AU, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Art Summary: Hero HotGuy fights crime with Vigilante Cuteguy. There is a love dynamic going on [Grian loves Scar, Hotguy loves Cuteguy, but Scar only thinks of Grian as a friend & Cuteguy thinks Hotguy is annoying] They don't know each others super hero identities but fight crime together. Scar and Grian teach at a school together outside of their hero duties.

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Title: the whole world tastes like home Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35483008 Fandom: Dream SMP Author: fensandmarshes Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Philza Characters: tommy, wilbur, philza, techno Length of the work: 5,286 words Genre: AU, Friendship, Found Family, Modern AU, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic Summary: Listen, it wasn’t Tommy’s intention to get hit by a car! Luckily, the kind gentleman in the waiting room of the ER was a match for his blood type and offered a transfusion while the (mildly incompetent) hospital staff were panicking. But now Tommy’s sprouted wings. He didn’t think blood transfusions did that! Meanwhile, Philza, the city’s most beloved superhero, has a rather sudden realization that he can transfer his powers by transferring DNA.

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Title: Consequences of the Dead Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30643691/chapters/75602693 Fandom: Dream SMP Author: Lisbis Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Philza, Wilbur Soot & Quackity Characters: Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit, Technoblade, Philza, Quackity Length of the work: 66432 words Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, AU, Canon-Divergent, Fix-It, Found Family, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Superhero/Superpower AU, Dimension Travel AU Type: Fic Summary: Wilbur rolls his eyes. “I’m just patching you up out of some misplaced sense of guilt or nostalgia or whatever; after this, you can try and arrest me again as much as you want-” “Nostalgia?” Tommy interrupts. He squints at the figure, all confusing tangents and cynical jokes, the bird still perched on his head. “What, do I know you or something?” Wilbur’s face darkens. He reaches out a hand, rubbing absently at a long slash going through his trench coat, a tear in the seams of it all. Tommy stills. “No,” the villain finally mutters with a brittle laugh. “No, you don’t.” … Or: Superhero AU in which Wilbur, upon waking up in an alternate universe, accidentally becomes a villain. Maybe not a very good one, though - he remains insanely, outrageously protective over the very heroes (and vigilante) hunting him down.

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Title: Internet Stalking Is Actually Really Hard, You Guys Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51240862 Fandom: Dream SMP Author: MossWizard Relationships: Tubbo/Ranboo, Tubbo&Ranboo Characters: Tubbo, Ranboo Length of the work: 1,607 words Genre: AU, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic Summary: Tubbo investigates who Ranboo is and what they’re capable of after an unfortunate vision. A superhero au where Tubbo is blessed with the ability to see the worst outcomes of any situation and figure out how to avoid them and Ranboo is….suspicious. Based on the Worm (web serial) power system

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Title: DSMP Comics vol. 1 Link: https://dsmpherozine.gumroad.com/l/bgcly Fandom: Dream SMP Author: DSMP Comics Zine Relationships: all of them Characters: all of them Length of the work: not applicable (mixed media zine) Genre: Action/Adventure, AU, Modern AU, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Art, Comic, and Short Story Collection (zine) Summary: In a city brimming with heroes, vigilantes, and villains, a mysterious organization known only as E.G.G. has stepped out of the shadows. Their goal? Total chaos. In their quest to overrun the city, they've developed a device that shuffles people's powers— and nobody is safe…

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Title: Tubbo Underscore, Vigilantism, and The Pursuit of Giving A Single Shit Link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2252087 Fandom: Dream SMP Author: Anonymous Relationships: Tubbo & Tommy, Tubbo & Ranboo, Tubbo & Wilbur, Wilbur & Techno & Phil [There's quite a few in the series but these are the recurring ones] Characters: Tubbo, Tommy, Ranboo, Michael (the Piglin), Wilbur, Techno, Phil Length of the work: 110,511 words Genre: Action/Adventure, AU, Crack Fic, Friendship, Found Family, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic series Summary: Crack fics about Tubbo and his vigilantism adventures! Catalog: 1. Tubbo defeats supermarket foes, annoys a powerful hero, and "gains" a child to father in the same night 2. Tubbo, while struggling with a cold, tries to find his friends with a notorious drug dealer by his side, a college party for help, and a powerful hero tracking him down. 3. Tubbo and his friends get trapped in SBI's home until a storm ends. They create "chaos" to pass the time. 4. Tubbo proposes to fool the cops one day more. Tommy tries to stop a musical apocalypse before it begins. Ranboo is stuck in the middle with a decision to make. Worlds collide.

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Title: Orange Ball of Love Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39256482 Fandom: Hermitcraft SMP Author: 2point5 Relationships: John Booko/EthosLab Characters: Bdubs, EthosLab Length of the work: 5,478 words Genre: AU, Domestic/Slice-of-life, Fluff, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic Summary: Etho Slab liked it when things made sense. He was good at that, at making things make sense, at lining things up and figuring them out, looking at the facts and then going from there. He was a man of logic, a man of patterns, a man of lists and checkmarks. He knew what he was doing. He always knew what he was doing. When you're paid to kill people, you can't afford to be unprepared. Bryan “Bdubs” Centus did not make sense.

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Title: lead yourself home Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48385600/chapters/122039320 Fandom: Dream SMP Author: patrichor Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade Characters: Technoblade, Wilbur Soot Length of the work: 1,006 words Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic Summary: There's a stab of pain as his hands push against the wound, and with great willpower Techno resists making a frankly embarrassing noise. "You're not allowed to die on me." Penalty snaps, sharp in the way he only gets when he's truly bothered. Techno tries for a smile, then feels silly as he remembers he's still masked. "I mean, I don't really think that's up to me, but I'll take it under advisement." . or, techno is pretty sure he's ruined things with his family. it takes a close call and a rescue by his estranged brother for him to realize that there's still hope things can change for the better

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Title: Amoransia Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52729348 Fandom: Crossover Fandom Author: Phospheos Relationships: Gem/Pearl, Gem&Pearl, Grian/Scar, Joel/Lizzie, Mumbo/Grian, Mumbo/Grian/Scar Characters: Pearl, Gem, Tilly the Dog, Grian, Mumbo, Impulse, Scar, fWhip, Lizzie, Joel, Evil Xisuma, Cleo Length of the work: 9,990 (currently) Genre: Action/Adventure, AU, Hurt/Comfort, Modern AU, Slow Burn, Superhero/Superpower AU Type: Fic Summary: amoransia; n. the melodramatic thrill of unrequited love; the longing to pine for someone you can never have, wallowing in devotion to some impossible person who could give your life meaning by their very absence. Glimpse into the lives of two that hold an eternal bond through both company and absence, two that hold a safety to the other that it never needs to be said in the first place. There lies a love that time and time again will shine through as long as the universe allows them to hold it, as they get torn apart and reunited time and time again. It is messy and out-of-order, but that's them, and that means they're together. And wouldn't have it any other way.

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[corvidfeathers]

i have been working on this little Orpheus Protocol pmv in fits and starts - I set a rule for myself that it was only going to be comprised of pen ink sketches, so i could work on it on the train and such and Actually Finish It. Walt and Mitch and Samson live rent free in my head and I have associated this song with Walt for literal years so I am so happy this came together (and it wouldn’t have without @lightning-skys and their thoughts on characters and tragedy)

[bnuuywol]

brain rotting about my new tabletop character Niko,,,,,,,,,

[somemushroomguy]

The header image I'm using for a game of The Orpheus Protocol I'll be running soon on roll20. The scenario name is Dust Up.

[beefromanoff]

Tempting Fate Ch. 4

summary: Evie made it through her first full week, has a breakthrough, and gets to celebrate!

author's note: I love a slow burn, but I want to get to the good stuff here. anyone else?!

masterlist

tag list: tag list: @yiiiikesmish @sunflower1290 @barnescamboy @thedisc0spider @bitchy-bi-trash @kulteule @kandis-mom @i-mushi @unknown-writings

A few hours and two large coffees later, Evie sat in her usual spot in the lab, her fingers flying across the keyboard. The screen in front of her was filled with complex lines of code, diagrams, and a myriad of data points. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts and possibilities, each one adding a new layer to her evolving solution for cracking Orpheus' defenses. She’d gotten right to the cusp last night, and today she’d been able to blow this motherfucker wide open. 

The lab was quieter than usual, the other engineers having gone for their lunch break or taken Friday off altogether. All except for Chris, the one who’d infamously mistaken her for one of Tony’s one night stands on her first day. Since then, he'd been skittish around her, but they'd developed a tentative working relationship. Evie respected his skills and found his nervous energy somewhat endearing. She wasn’t one to hold grudges, nor was she one to get her feelings hurt over a misconception that––truth be told––made sense. He was the only other engineer with SHIELD security clearance, having been the main technological consultant before Evie was brought on board.

"Chris," Evie called absently, not looking up from her screen. "Get your ass over here for a second."

Chris, who had been tinkering with a circuit board at the other end of the lab, jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. He hesitated for a moment, then made his way over to her workstation.

"Uh, okay," he said, fidgeting with the screwdriver in his hands. "What’s up?"

Evie continued typing for a few more seconds before stopping and turning to face him. "I need a second pair of eyes on this. I’ve been at it all night and I might just be hallucinating, but I think I’ve found a solution to Orpheus’ defenses. Can you take a look and tell me if I'm just sleep-deprived or if this actually makes sense?"

Chris blinked, then nodded. "Of course, let’s see it."

Evie turned her laptop screen toward him and started explaining her solution in the rapid pace that only ever came out when she was excited. 

"Alright, here’s the deal," Evie began, tapping a key to bring up a detailed diagram. "Orpheus’ encryption is a hybrid adaptive cryptosystem. They’re using a combination of RSA for key exchange and AES for data encryption, but they’ve added this insane layer of polymorphic encryption to constantly change the encryption keys on the fly."

Chris frowned, leaning in closer. "Okay, so how do we counter that?"

Evie smirked. "Glad you asked. The key is to exploit the timing discrepancies during the key exchange. By using a side-channel attack, we can measure the slight variations in execution time to predict the next set of encryption keys. From there, we inject a custom-built Trojan that piggybacks on their own update mechanism."

Chris' eyes widened. "You built a Trojan for this? Overnight?"

"Yes," Evie said, waving her hand dismissively. "It's a polymorphic Trojan, meaning it changes its code every time it replicates. That way, it can evade their adaptive defenses. Once it’s inside, it creates a virtual bridge, giving us a backdoor into their system."

Chris nodded slowly. "So, we use their own system updates to slip in unnoticed?"

"Exactly," Evie said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "But that’s not all. I’ve also designed a recursive algorithm that exploits a vulnerability in their communication protocol. Every time Orpheus sends or receives data, the algorithm intercepts and duplicates the packets, allowing us to decrypt them in real-time."

Chris stared at the screen, his mind racing to keep up with her explanation. Slowly, he began to nod. "Evie, this is... I mean, this is incredible. You've actually figured it out. This should work. This should work…perfectly."

Evie’s eyes flicked off the screen and met his. "Really? You think so?"

Chris nodded more vigorously. "Yes, absolutely. It’s brilliant."

Without thinking, Evie jumped up from her chair, a huge grin spreading across her face. "Yes!" she exclaimed, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. "Hell YES! Thank you!"

Chris stood there, utterly flustered, his face turning a deep shade of red. "Uh, you’re welcome," he stammered.

Evie shoved her laptop into her bag, grabbed her coffee, and rushed out of the lab, her heart pounding with exhilaration. "You’re the man, Chris!"

As she disappeared down the hallway, Chris stood there for a moment, still processing what had just happened. Finally, he shook his head with a small, bewildered smile. "Unbelievable," he muttered to himself, before returning to his workstation.

Evie practically sprinted through the halls, her coffee sloshing in her cup. She reached Tony’s private lab upstairs and burst through the door the second her keycard turned the access pad green.

Tony looked up from his workstation, raising an eyebrow at her sudden entrance. "Well, well, if it isn't the wunderkind herself," he said dryly. "Ever heard of knocking? You might see something you don't want to see."

Evie waved off his comment, her excitement palpable. "Yeah, yeah, spare me the pleasantries, Stark. I need to show you something."

Tony leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "This better be good. It’s barely noon, the crack of dawn here."

Evie quickly set her laptop on the table and pulled up her work, launching into her explanation. "I've been working on Orpheus' encryption all night, and I think I've cracked it. Look, their system uses a hybrid adaptive cryptosystem. RSA for key exchange, AES for data encryption, and a layer of polymorphic encryption."

Tony started to pay attention, but his eyes flicked over her attire, and a smirk formed on his lips. "Hold up a second. Are you wearing Cap's sweatshirt?"

Evie glanced down at the navy blue crewneck she had on, suddenly realizing the emblem on the sleeve clearly featured the Avengers trademark “A” with the words ‘Captain Rogers’ embroidered right beneath it. She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. I pulled an all nighter and didn't want to show up in the same clothes from yesterday. People might make assumptions, as they already have." She raised her eyebrow impatiently.

Tony's smirk grew wider. "And you didn't think they'd make assumptions if you showed up in Captain America's sweatshirt?"

Evie shrugged. "He’s not my boss."

Tony chuckled, but his eyes were now glued to the screen. "Alright, what you do in your own time is none of my business anyways. Show me what you've got, Langston."

Evie dove back into her explanation, her fingers flying over the keys as she navigated through her code and diagrams. "Okay, so, their encryption changes the keys on the fly. To counter that, I developed a side-channel attack to measure the timing discrepancies during their key exchange. We use those discrepancies to predict the next set of encryption keys."

Tony's interest piqued, and he leaned forward. "Timing attack, huh? Not bad. But what about the polymorphic encryption?"

"Glad you asked," Evie said with a grin. "I built a polymorphic Trojan that changes its code every time it replicates. It evades their adaptive defenses and creates a virtual bridge, giving us a backdoor into their system. And there's more. I designed a recursive algorithm that intercepts and duplicates their data packets, allowing us to decrypt them in real-time."

Tony stared at the screen for a moment, then let out a low whistle. "Damn, Red. You really outdid yourself."

Evie's grin widened. "So, you think it’ll work?"

Tony nodded slowly. "Oh, it'll work. I'm just wondering how the hell you managed to put this together in one night. And then still had time to swipe Cap’s sweatshirt.”

She shrugged. "I work well under pressure. And I love a challenge." 

Tony laughed, shaking his head. "Alright, genius. Let's get this to Maria. She’s going to want to see this ASAP. Let’s go to the boardroom, I’ll conference her in."

Evie grabbed her laptop, feeling a rush. "Let's do it."

As they headed out of the lab, Tony glanced at her again, the smirk still playing on his lips. "Rogers couldn’t handle you in the first place, kid."

“All I know is he makes a killer breakfast.” 

__________

The lab was quiet, save for the soft hum of machinery and the clicking of the keyboard. Evie was hunched over her workstation, the glow of the screen illuminating her face. She meticulously reviewed her code for what felt like the hundredth time, making sure every line was perfect when Tony walked in, his footsteps echoing in the large, empty room. 

"I swear, I’m either getting very old or this is deja vu." he called out, making his way over to her.

She didn't look up from her screen. "I don’t think those two are mutually exclusive."

Tony sighed dramatically, leaning against her desk. "You know, I hired you because you’re hot. But being in the office for 30 hours straight without going home to shower is seriously ruining the mood."

Evie glanced up and flipped him off. "You're hilarious, Stark."

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Seriously, what the hell are you still doing here? It’s 7pm on a Friday night. Surely you have something better to do than this.”

“I’m just going over everything again.”

“It’s perfect. We went through it ten times today. You won't make it any better by staring at it all night."

Evie leaned back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes. "I just want to make sure. This is big."

Tony nodded, his tone turning slightly more serious. "I know. And you did an amazing job. Which is why I’ve already invited the team out to celebrate your brilliant discovery and for finishing the work before the mission deadline––which, considering they’re used to working with me––is a novel concept. Also, to celebrate your first full week of working for me."

Evie raised an eyebrow. "You’re serious?"

"Dead serious," Tony replied. "We’ll be meeting at the bar in an hour and a half. And I’ve got Happy waiting for you outside to take you to your building."

Evie blinked. "Wow, thanks, Tony. But really, I’m fine. I just need to pick up around here and then I can just head straight to the bar."

Tony shook his head. "No can do, Red. Happy has strict instructions to make sure you get into the elevator and don’t try to come back to the lab. You need to get some fresh and fix…” he gestured vaguely to her hair and outfit. “...this situation.”

Evie rolled her eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at her lips. "You’re such a control freak."

Tony shrugged. "Yes, and you’ll thank me later. Now, go. Freshen up, put on something that doesn't smell like coffee and palladium, and be ready to celebrate like I taught you."

Evie stood up, stretching her arms. "Alright, alright. I’ll go. But you’re still an ass."

Tony chuckled. "I’ve been called worse. Now get out of here before I tell FRIDAY to revoke your security clearance for the weekend."

Rolling her eyes, Evie grabbed her laptop and bag, heading towards the door. As she walked out, she glanced back at Tony. "Thanks, Tony. For everything."

Tony waved her off with a smile. "See you in a bit."

Evie made her way outside, squinting at the sun to see Happy standing next to the black SUV, waiting patiently. He gave her a nod and opened the door for her.

"Miss Langston," he greeted with a smile. "Ready to head home?"

Evie grinned. "Yessir, thanks for the lift, Happy."

"Anytime," he replied, closing the door behind her.

As they drove towards her building, Evie allowed herself a deep breath, shoulders rolling back from the hours hunched over a workstation. It had been an intense week, but she had proven herself and made a significant breakthrough. Tonight, she would celebrate with the team –– the fucking Avengers –– knowing she had earned every bit of it. 

Evie slumped against the back seat of the car, exhaustion and a sense of accomplishment washing over her as she snapped out of her single-minded work mode. She stared out the window, her mind processing the reality that was her life. This past week had been a whirlwind – a literal dream come true.

Happy glanced at her through the rearview mirror, a good-natured smile tugging at his lips. "So, how's it feel? First week at Stark Industries under your belt. Bet it's been a ride."

Evie sighed. "Oh, Happy. It's been everything. I think I slept about 10 hours the whole week, half because I was too excited and half because I couldn’t get myself to leave the lab.” She looked out the window. “It probably sounds childish, but part of me feels like if I go to sleep, I’ll wake up back in my tenth grade calculus class bored out of my mind. It’s like…it’s just a dream.”

Happy chuckled. "It doesn’t sound childish at all. I remember the first time I met you, back at the alumni gala. When Tony brought you out to the car, I thought you were…well––"

“You thought I was a cocktail waitress trying to end up on a yacht.” 

“Well, yes, something like that.” His cheeks flushed. 

“Astute observation.” Evie grinned. “I’m sure you weren’t the only one to make it.” 

“Of course, after meeting you, it was clear––” 

Evie laughed, waving him off. "Don’t worry about it, Happy, seriously. I’m sure you’re conditioned to assume that with Tony."

"You could say that," Happy replied, shaking his head with a grin. “That was a fun night. When we drove back to the city the next day, Tony couldn’t stop talking about you. He kept saying you were ‘the princess who was promised’, or something along those lines. He may have still been a little drunk, but even so, he’s not one to rave about someone’s intellect besides his own. "

“He’s been watching too much Game of Thrones.” Evie chuckled. “That’s very flattering.”

“I’m not kidding, he told me from that very first weekend that he thought you’d change the world. He wanted to convince you to drop out and go work for him that second.” 

“Believe me, he tried.” 

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you stuck it out.” Happy met her eyes in the rearview. “Especially if you’re prone to workaholism, I’m glad you got to live your life for a while.” 

“Considering my boss is the one who threw me out of the office and told me to get my ass to the bar, I don’t think that’s going to stop.” 

Happy shrugged. "Tony’s lost himself in his work before. I don’t think he wants to see that happen to you."

Evie smiled. "That’s oddly wholesome."

“Mr. Stark is an enigma.” Happy's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "You know, I got kicked out of my own car that night at the gala."

Evie raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"

"Tony wanted some alone time with your best friend," Happy explained with a smirk. "So, I logged some significant time playing pool with grad students in the bar until I got the all-clear. Your friend was quite the charmer, apparently."

Evie shook her head. "Yeah, that's Jade. I got far too many details about that night."

Happy shuddered. "I don’t even want to know. But hey, it worked out. You got to where you wanted to be, and Tony… well, he got what he wanted too."

As they pulled up to her building, Happy glanced at her sweatshirt, doing a double take. "Is that Cap’s sweatshirt?"

Evie smirked, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Maybe. Why?"

Happy laughed, shaking his head. "Just making sure you're not causing any trouble."

She winked at him. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Happy parked the car and got out, opening the door for her. "Alright, Miss Langston. You go get ready and do whatever it is that Tony insisted I bring you here for. I’ll be back to pick you up in an hour."

Evie stepped out, shrugging her bag onto her shoulder. "Thanks, Happy. I’ll see you soon."

He gave her a nod. "Take care, Evie. And remember, no trying to sneak back to the lab."

She laughed. "Got it. See you soon, Happy."

________

Evie walked into the bar, a surprisingly normal looking joint in a lesser known part of the city. She didn’t know what she expected, something flashier and possibly on a rooftop? Dancers in lingerie in floating cages above the crowd? That seemed much more Tony-esque than this pseudo dive bar. Not that she was complaining, it reminded her of The Bos, giving her a warm rush of nostalgia. They crossed the busy room, Evie turning heads and drawing a few catcalls as she navigated toward the back booth where Earth’s Mightiest Heroes sat. Happy gave the already drunk catcallers a stern look and a wave of his hand. "Alright, keep moving, nothing to see here," he said, holding a hand out to clear a way through the crowd.

"Thanks, Happy," Evie nodded.

Tony's voice rang out above the low roar of the bar. "There she is! The woman of the hour!" He relished in the attention of the bar as he strode over, placing his arm around Evie's shoulders and escorting her to the large corner booth where the team was waiting.

"Evie!" Wanda called out, standing up to give her a warm hug. "It’s so good to see you."

"Hey, Wanda," Evie replied, hugging her back. "It’s good to see you too."

“One week down, that’s like a lifetime with Stark.” Natasha gave her a friendly nod. "Nice work this week, Evie. Heard you’ve been killing it."

"Thanks, Nat. I’m just trying to keep up with you guys," Evie gave a humble nod, her usual borderline arrogance fading in the face of Black Widow herself. 

Sam clapped her on the back. "You’re doing more than keeping up. You’re setting the pace."

Evie grinned. "Thanks, Sam."

Before anyone else could greet her, Tony held his hand out in front of her.  “In order to make an effective toast, the toastee needs a drink. Shall we?” 

“We shall,” Evie put her hand on his, grinning. She turned back to face the team and looked at Steve, who was watching her with a small smile from his seat. "Oh, Steve, I promise I’ll return your sweatshirt. Thanks for letting me borrow it this morning."

The team erupted in a chorus of “ooh” and “Alright, Rogers” as Steve blushed, grinning down at his drink. 

Tony guided her to the bar, placing a hand on her shoulder.  “You know exactly what you’re doing, I assume.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Evie gave a wry smile.

"Come on, genius. First round’s on me."

Evie smirked. "Correction: every round is on you because you’re the one who invited me out."

Tony raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Is that so?"

"Absolutely," she replied confidently. "You dragged me out of the lab, so you get to pay for my drinks. It's only fair."

Tony laughed. "Alright, alright. You drive a hard bargain. What’ll it be?"

"I’ll start with a whiskey sour," Evie said, sliding onto a barstool.

Tony ordered their drinks and turned to her. "So, how does it feel to be the second smartest person in the room?"

Evie snorted. “You tell me."

Tony handed her the drink, a smirk on his face. "You’re insufferable. I love it. Here’s to a brilliant first week."

They clinked glasses, and Evie took a sip. "Thanks, Tony. For the drink, for this, for everything. This week has been a dream come true."

Tony nodded, his expression sincere for once. "Just keep doing what you’re doing, Evie. I’m glad to have you. Now don’t go getting all weepy on me, I’m trying to cut back on sentiment."

They returned to the booth, where the team was waiting with smiles and cheers. "Alright, everyone," Tony announced. "Here’s to Evie and her first week at Stark Industries, and our lives being in very capable hands. Let’s make this a night we wished we could remember!"

The team raised their glasses, and Evie couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness. She was exactly where she was meant to be. As she downed another gulp of her drink, she let all thoughts of work and code and trojans and missions fade to the back of her mind.

An hour passed as the group chatted and laughed, some breaking off to play pool, some (Sam) ending up on the dance floor in the middle of a bachelorette party. Steve and Bucky found themselves in a quiet debate in the back of the booth.

"You flip," Steve suggested, holding a coin between his fingers.

Bucky shook his head. "No way, you flip. Last time, I got stuck with the tab."

Steve chuckled. "Alright, alright. Heads, I offer. Tails, you do."

As he prepared to flip the coin, Evie noticed their quiet discussion and couldn’t help but be curious. Handing Nat the cue stick, she walked over to where they were sitting.

"What's this about a coin flip?" she asked, leaning against the table and giving them a teasing look.

Both men looked up, slightly caught off guard at someone returning to the booth. Evie guessed they usually ended up the only two still sober at the end of the night due to their Super Soldier something or other.

"Just a little game we play," Bucky said coolly, rolling the coin around in his metal fingers.

Steve nodded, smiling up at her. "Deciding who buys the next round."

Evie raised an eyebrow. "How about we skip the coin flip and both of you buy me a drink?"

Steve and Bucky exchanged a glance. "Deal," Steve said, standing up. "What’s your poison?"

Evie pretended to think for a moment, tapping her chin. "Surprise me. But make it something good."

As Steve headed to the bar, Evie slid into the seat next to Bucky. "So, do you always use coin flips to make decisions?"

Bucky chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Only when we can't decide. Or when it's something important."

"Buying me a drink is important?" she asked, half a question and half a statement.

Bucky met her gaze, his blue eyes intense "You could say that."

Steve returned with two beers and a bright red drink with two cherries floating on top, setting them down on the table before sliding in on Evie’s other side. "One surprise drink, as requested."

Evie picked up her glass, examining the contents before taking a sip. "Hmm, not bad. Four stars, two enthusiastic thumbs up."

She leaned closer to them, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "So, what else do you two decide with coin flips? Who gets the best mission assignments?"

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "No, that one's above our pay grade."

"But we do use it for simpler things," Bucky added. "Who gets to take the motorcycle, who has to run with Sam, things like that."

Evie laughed. "Sounds incredibly meticulous, very fitting of two Avengers. It must be fun, having your best friend to share all of this with."

Steve and Bucky exchanged another glance. "It has its moments," Steve said, his smile genuine.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, it's not so bad."

“Do you share everything?” She tugged on a cherry stem, popping the fruit in her mouth.

“Not…everything.” Steve said slowly, eyes flicking down to her lips for a split second. “I’m sure the team would say we’re a package deal, but some things are still kept separate.” 

Evie took another sip of her drink, watching them. "So, tell me," she said, leaning forward, her eyes locked onto theirs. "What’s the craziest thing you’ve done lately? You can flip the coin to decide who spills first."

Steve and Bucky glanced at her, then at each other, both grinning sheepishly.

"Honestly, our lives are pretty... regimented," Steve admitted. "Missions, training, repeat."

Bucky nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we don’t get much downtime. Not that we’re complaining, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for…crazy."

Evie laughed, shaking her head. "You guys need to get out more.”

“Coming from the one who Stark had to drag out of the lab.” Bucky sipped his beer, not breaking eye contact. 

“Forgive me for wanting to make sure the technology that’s going to keep your asses alive is foolproof.” She winked. “Besides, I have plenty of experience being out.” 

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well, I used to bartend, so I spent a lot of time in a place just like this," she said, gesturing around the bar. 

"Doesn’t sound too crazy on your end either," Bucky said, leaning onto the table. "Unless you have another story sweetheart, you’re still talking about work."

Evie leaned onto her elbows, eyes locked on his. "I guess I just like to keep busy."

Steve looked thoughtful for a moment before a spark of an idea lit his eyes. "You know, maybe we should start doing something like that. Hold each other accountable for getting out and having fun."

Bucky shot him a curious glance, tearing his eyes from Evie’s. "What are you suggesting, Rogers?"

Steve shrugged, his smile growing. "I’m saying we make Friday nights our mandatory 'fun time.' No missions, no training, no work. Just us, going out and doing something together. If nothing else, it would get Sam to get off our case about being old and boring."

Evie raised her glass in a mock toast. "I like the sound of that. I could probably benefit from leaving the lab every now and then, wouldn’t want to turn into a mad scientist."

Bucky tilted his head, considering. "I’ve heard worse ideas."

"Great," Steve said, raising his own glass. "To Friday nights and mandatory fun."

They all clinked their glasses together, taking a long drink. 

“Wait,” Evie fished her phone out of her purse. “Let’s take a photo to commemorate this historic agreement.” She held her arm out, fighting the flutter in her stomach as both men leaned closer on either side of her, smiling at the screen. “That’s a keeper, for sure.” She grinned, zipping her phone back into her bag.

As the night wore on, they continued to talk and laugh, different members of the team coming and going from the booth. No one stopped to ask them for photos or autographs, which Evie guessed is why they liked this place. She wondered if they were regulars, giggling at the thought of the ones who save the planet from intergalactic threats being regulars anywhere.

"So, what's the first thing we do for our new Friday night tradition?" Evie asked, leaning back in the booth.

Bucky eyed her as he raised the bottle to his lips. "Something tells me you’ve got some ideas."

Evie grinned. "I’ve got a few."

Steve chuckled. "We’re at your mercy. Here’s to new traditions and great company."

They clinked their glasses once more before Sam came to steal them all for a rousing game of darts. It was short lived, seeing as Bucky hit a bullseye with every single left-handed toss. As the evening wound down, the group made their way out of the bar just before last call. Tony had blown her a kiss across the bar an hour prior, he and Sam leaving with the bachelorette party. Nat and Wanda hopped into the car with Happy, waving goodbye as they pulled away from the curb. Evie fished her phone out of her bag, preparing to call an Uber as she swayed near the curb.

“Hold up, Evie,” Steve said, stepping closer. “We can drop you off.”

She looked up, eyes wide. “You guys don’t have to do that. Besides, you’ve been drinking too.”

Bucky smirked. “Super Soldiers, remember? Alcohol doesn’t affect us the same way.”

Evie hesitated, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” Steve replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“Well, okay then,” she said, feeling a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the alcohol. “Thanks.”

The drive back to her building was euphoric, the top was off in Steve’s jeep and the wind whipped through her hair. Evie leaned back in the middle of the backseat, spreading her arms wide as they drove through the night air. When they pulled up to her building, Steve put the car in park before hopping out to open her door and give her a hand down. 

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, trying not to slur her words too much as she turned to look at them both. “And for tonight. I had a lot of fun.”

Steve smiled. “So did we.”

As Steve hopped back into the driver’s seat, she leaned on the ledge of Bucky’s door. “Sweet dreams. I’ll see you guys on Monday.”

Bucky nodded, his expression softer than usual. “Looking forward to it.”

She gave them a small wave as she spun and headed into her building, feeling a strange mix of emotions. There was something about the way they’d cared for her, looked out for her, that disarmed her usual bravado and flirtation. It was a feeling she wasn’t entirely used to, but one she found herself liking.

Evie walked into her luxurious penthouse apartment, the city lights casting a soft glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows. She kicked off her heels and headed to her bedroom, the plush carpet soft under her feet. She tossed her bag on the bed and pulled out her phone, shooting the photo she’d taken earlier to Jade as she started to change into her pajamas.

Unsurprisingly, her phone buzzed only seconds later, despite it being the middle of the night. Jade was probably closing up The Bos anyways. 

J: HOT

J: why do I feel like it won’t be long before i’m not the only one who’s fucked an Avenger?

E: a lady never tells…

J: a lady might not, but you better!

E: i’ll call you in the AM, sweet dreams baby J ;)

J: dirty dirty girl. talk soon. you better have a good story for me.

[mandelbr02]

two days 'till armored core, two....ish days until the tabletop RPG i've been waiting multiple years for releases public pdfs to non-patreon backers - what's a boy to do!