#and how there was always going to be a disconnect there - between heroes need to save people and gigis subconscious desire to be saved

[twilightkitkat]

A major part of Poolverine's dynamic is that they're both envious of each other, in a way. They both believe that the other is their "better half."

Logan feels like he's worthless and undeserving of the title of a hero because of how he let his universe down (and it didn't help to have this confirmed when he found out he was the "Worst Wolverine"). Wade is extremely insecure—he hates how he looks, he finds his own personality insufferable, he doubts his abilities, and he just all-around hates himself.

But why?

The major conflict is this: they both think that the other is a "better person" than they are.

Wade thinks that Logan is the hero he couldn't ever be and that he's inherently more fitting of the title than him. He'd tried to be a hero before—with the X-men, with the Avengers—but he couldn't. He tried but he just... can't understand why he shouldn't kill people who deserve it.

Logan, on the other hand, believes that Wade has so much more capacity to care than he does. Wade so obviously loves his family and is going out of his way to save the universe for their sake. He's capable of emotionally reaching out to people and in a way Logan never could. He failed to save the X-men and protect his home, so seeing Wade succeed and save his family reminds him of his own shortcomings.

When comparing the two, it's easy to say which is more justified in their actions and feelings. It's easy to try to point to who really is a better person to resolve this conflict.

But here's the thing: they both have different standards for what they consider to be a "good" person. And it focuses on the part of themselves that they lack.

Wade believes that "morals" are required to be a good person. One of his defining characteristics that make him a compelling antihero is that he largely lacks a strict moral code. He doesn't follow a set of rules—no killing, no unnecessary damage, no torture—like the other heroes. He tries to care and follow the rules, but he can't find it in himself when he doesn't see why they exist. And yet, everyone around him believes that following a moral code is the standard to become a hero. Which he was never able to do.

To Wade, Logan is fundamentally a "good" person in a way that Wade is not. Even back in his Weapon X days, he clearly had a moral code that led him to leave the army because he couldn't condone senseless killing. When he was a hero, while he did hurt the villains, he was just and tried to prevent unnecessary casualties. He was willing to kill Jean, who he'd loved, for the greater good of the world. He protects people who are weak because it's the "right thing to do" and he can't bring himself to leave them alone even if it puts him in danger (with Rogue and Mariko as examples). He has an inherent moral code that he follows to save the most lives possible.

On the other hand, Logan believes that "empathy" is required to be a good person. While Logan might know the difference between right and wrong, he's always had an issue emotionally connecting to others. He protects people and Does The Right Thing, but he feels hollow. He feels like an imposter because he doesn't "feel" strongly—he saves people so that it won't weigh on his conscience, not because he cares about strangers in the way the other X-men do.

He felt this disconnect pointedly when he worked with the X-men in the past. In serious situations, he was focused on the solution, on saving the maximum number of people and minimizing casualties. Meanwhile, his teammates hesitated and felt bad for each individual life lost even if it was the "objectively" better choice. Logan was the one Charles sent out when a mission required him to do what needed to be done without remorse. Because he would be capable of "dealing with it" (because he was the least "heroic" of them all).

Wade, in Logan's eyes, is so much better than him because he feels for people. He isn't like Logan, he doesn't make the hard decisions based on numbers, he makes them based on emotions. He murdered the headmaster of the orphanage for abusing Russel. He killed all of the people remotely involved in Vanessa's death and his own mutation. He doesn't adhere to a strict moral code because his moral code is his empathy. It's protecting the people he cares about and deciding who is worth saving based on his own feelings. He's confident and proud of his feelings in a way Logan could never be.

(If Logan had been like Wade, had prioritized the people who mattered over the world, he wouldn't have lost everything. It doesn't matter if he was a hero in title, what kind of hero was he to let the people he loved get killed? He still regrets his choices. Regrets killing Jean back then instead of trying harder to save her even if more lives would've been lost. Even if she resurrected later. He regrets not focusing on the smaller pieces instead of the big picture. He regrets never telling them he cared. He regrets and regrets and regrets.)

They are both a reflection of what they wish they could be.

Wade wishes he could care about "justice" and "righteousness" because at least then, he'd have a greater purpose. He could be a hero. He feels frustrated with himself for being selfish and only going out of his way for the people he cares about, but he can't change that. He'd tried and failed. (He wishes he could be "more" like Vanessa had wanted. That he could have a sense of purpose.)

Logan wishes he was able to prioritize the people he loved, back then. He wishes he could admit when he cared like Wade instead of being gruff and emotionally closed off to people. He wishes he was capable of the same kindness. To extend a hand to the Worst Wolverine—who had rampaged, murdered innocents, ruined the reputation of mutants, then chose to drink his days away—just because he empathized with him. To not care about the bad things he'd done and try to sacrifice himself for Logan despite him being an asshole to Wade for the majority of their journey.

They both yearn for what they could never truly have. Whether it's morals or empathy, they define being a "good" person by being the opposite of themselves. By the part of themselves that they'd always struggled with.

By the piece of them that had always been missing.

[mamapyjama]

Thought I ought to bring this over here for the Tumblr crew since it’s making a little buzz in the other place and I want to gather all my thoughts in one place.

So, back in 2022 I was in my feelings about Izuku (when am I not?) and wrote the following little sad headcanon on twt:

Made myself sad thinking about how the original Japanese word for Quirk is ‘kosei’, which means ‘individuality’ or the unique part of a personality. It’s no wonder Deku thought he was plain and useless. Everyone has literally been telling him since he was 4. 😓 Like, there’s no way at that age he could separate people talking about his lack of meta-ability from his own unique value as a person when they’re using the same damn word. That’s the kind of stuff that’s going to stick with you. 🥺

Sad to imagine, eh?

Fast forward to 2024 and chapter 412, and as always, I was browsing the jp fandom tweets for reactions after the official release. They often pick up on things we miss like Katsuki’s childlike language, the NTR implications of the kudoichi plot etc.

As I scrolled, I realised there was a HUGE disconnect between what we in “The West” were experiencing (mostly rage at yet another translation ‘choice’) and the existential questioning that was occurring among Japanese readers.

This is just a tiny glimpse, but you should know that every single one I saw was doing the tweet equivalent of staring into the middle distance with a haunted look.

It’s all about the panel below, which was mentioned by the incomparable Pikahlua, as it is unusual in writing ‘mukosei’ without the speechmarks that signify ‘quirkless’ (to use the English term) rather than ‘lacking individuality’.

Horikoshi always uses speechmarks around “Kosei” when talking about quirks, so the implication here is that Izuku never believed he had actual individuality/personality.

Using this interpretation, Kudou observed that Izuku held the hope that even people who were detestable (Katsuki) and those who had no individuality (Izuku) still had human hearts.

Read that again. Izuku hoped that both he and Kacchan, despite their shortcomings, had human hearts. He thinks his only worth is as a vessel, a holder of OFA, and without that he’s barely human.

Ever noticed how some parts of the fandom complain that Deku is a boring MC, that he’s just ‘nice’, and we never get his opinions on things? Yeah.

Remember how hard he cried when All Might said he could be a hero? That was the first time in his life that someone acknowledged him as someone with potential, with worth. (In ch2 he also says “I have no reason to refuse!!” when offered OFA, which always struck me as slightly anticlimactic but makes way more sense now).

And remember how he cried in a similar way when Ochako told the world that he wasn’t special but that he had a special power? She couldn’t have known she was reinforcing his deepest held insecurity, and for a moment his mask slipped. Or maybe he was touched by her assertion that he was just a ‘regular high school kid’? We don’t know, but it’s worth taking a look at these moments in this new light.

You staring into the middle distance with a haunted look too yet? I know I am.

If you’re interested in the bright side (I needed this, I hope it helps):

Narratively speaking, this is the angst section that will lead to Midoriya Izuku: Rising and the happy ending they all deserve.

And the person most likely to disavow him of this sense of inherent worthlessness is the one person who added to it the most in their childhoods.

✨KACCHAN!!✨

No one else can reassure Izuku that he is special, that he’s worthwhile and—crucially—that he always has been, because he’s the only one who knew that all along.

If you need more reassurance, remember that their Origin and Rising chapters so far have all involved each other and have mirrored the emotional journey they’re both on.

Bakugou Katsuki: Origin: Katsuki struggles to accept Izuku and work as a team to battle All Might. Eventually does the bare minimum to cooperate by lending him his gauntlet.

Bakugou Katsuki: Rising: Katsuki coordinates the pro heroes and sacrifices himself to save Izuku. His body ‘moved on its own.’

Midoriya Izuku: Origin: Izuku is bullied by Katsuki, tries to save Katsuki from a villain—his body ‘moved on its own’, and is consequently told he can be a hero by All Might.

It isn’t a reach at all to pretty safely assume that Izuku’s Rising chapter will also be intrinsically linked to Katsuki, and it is his cooperation, faith and love (however you interpret it) that will finally save Izuku from his own sense of worthlessness. Closing the circle.

So yeah, this bit could be rough for the next few chapters, but I have faith that Horikoshi will wrap it up in a way that will be so rewarding and satisfying.

I’m gonna stop now because I’m ill and I need to rest my head, thanks for reading! 😮‍💨

[star--nymph]

me laying down on the floor thinking about the last unicorn and listen Lir and Amalthea could never have been together okay it couldn't have been done because yes Lir is the Hero and Amalthea is the Princess and they have their roles in the fairytale but Amalthea was also the quest, the heroine, the driving force, and she was the animal bride/magical bride trope

and you gotta understand in the animal bride/magical bride trope in fairytales is specifically about the hero gaining a wife that will eventually become domesticated, she will lose the wildness and become the beauty she needs to be when she accepts the role as wife after he meets her conditions

and we can see that with Amalthea where after she starts falling for Lir, she becomes more and more disconnected from her immortal self, Haggard looks into her eyes and doesn't see the forest and he sees himself, she becomes domesticated, a woman--maybe a strange, sad woman who will always have a bit of a wildness to her--who will grow old and die and all she was and ever be will die with her

and Schmendrick knows this and it grieves him because Amalthea shouldn't have existed but she does and now she has to die--because Amalthea's life means an end to unicorns. there is no one else who could rally them like the last of them and she is dying within this human woman he accidentally created

and it doesn't matter if he says that or if Lir refuses to give her up because it's about Amalthea's choice in the end

does she accept her role as the animal bride and sacrifice her entire race for it or does she return to her original role as the Quest, the Heroine and kill this small, fragile woman who was finally knowing herself?

the answer was always going to be the same

the love between them was the deciding factor that finally propelled Amalthea into fighting against the Bull because she needed the grief, that rage, that regret to rouse her but there is no miracle at the end of this, no returning of the white haired girl after all the unicorns run back into the world because she's dead

the unicorn had to die for Amalthea to live and Amalthea will die for the unicorn to live and yet they are one in the same

and Lir lost her that day

and no matter how many ways he played it differently, that's how it was always going to be. you can't keep that last unicorn in a cage and expect them to survive, even if that cage is your heart

[royboyfanpage]

12 & 13!

!! Thank you for the ask! I couldn't tell which ask game you meant so I'll do both, feel free to ignore the one you didn't ask for :)

If it's for the character ask (Roy, obviously)

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

I think he's always moving. Just absolutely will not be still for more than five minutes. Drumming his fingers on the desk during meetings, pacing around the room when he's waiting for something, tapping his feet whenever music comes on. If Roy's in the room, unless he's trying to be stealthy, you'll know from the sounds of him moving around. He's the first one dancing at parties, he's drumming the beat to We Will Rock You on the table, he's this constant presence that you just can't help but notice because of how much space he takes up without even trying. Also he was one of those "chewing on toothpicks" guys in his Agent Harper days. Everyone thought he was trying to be cool, but in reality he just Loathed that he needed to stand still and be professional so chewing a toothpick was the best alternative.

Also, while he's trained himself out of the habit now, he was absolutely a pencil chewer when he was a teenager. Not all of the pencils he chewed belonged to him.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

Tbh I can't really see him using emojis in the traditional sense, I don't think he was ever really active on the internet. I think if he did it'd be just thumbs up or thumbs down. But, if he were to use other emojis, I think it'd 100% be like, to tease people. Garth once misclicked and sent 😚 instead of 😊 and Roy now ends every text to Garth with 😚. Alternatively, Mia once sent him this 🐱 emoji and Roy thought it was the dumbest looking cat he's ever seen and now uses it constantly.

If it's the violence one:

12. The unpopular character you actually like and why more people should like them.

I'm struggling to answer this because I don't know how far-reaching the hate actually *is* for a lot of characters and how many haters are just in one small circle 😭 I guess with how rampant New 52 fans are on the site, Ollie's gotta be pretty unpopular just based on them, so I'll go with him. People should like Oliver Queen because he tries *so hard*. Is he perfect? No. He's human. And unlike some other human heroes who shan't be named, he's man enough to change. Some unnamed heroes stick so closely to the beliefs they set out at the start, but Ollie changes and adapts! I mean, he's literally a billionaire-turned-socialist. And a lot of the hate comes from his relationship with Roy, which most of it stems from like 1 panel that's taken out of context and fails to recognise Ollie's character growth. He saw addiction as a moral failing, and then re-evaluated his worldview and changed. And also he is dad <3 second dad ever (his oldest son is the first)

13. Worst blorbofication.

The obvious answer is Roy but yk what I'm gonna go against the expectation because the blorbofied Roy is basically a completely different character to my Roy, and is based in actual comics. I'm gonna go with Dick Grayson. I'm always a little scared to right about him because he contains multitudes and he's honestly one of the most complex and compelling characters in DC. That being said. I hate that fandom has basically boiled him down to "sunshine big brother". Yes, his relationships with the younger Batkids are very sweet, but also Dick Grayson is not a happy man. Dick Grayson is a bit of a bitch sometimes. I'm too tired to look for the panel right now, but there's this one panel in Outsiders (2003) where he goes off on Roy about the similarities between him and Ollie and ends it with "At least he was never a junkie", which was prompted by Roy (rightfully) calling Dick out for being disconnected from the team, I'm pretty sure not visiting Anissa in hospital was one of the things he brought up. A big fanon take I've seen is "When Dick's sad you can never tell because he puts on a smile", and while that may be true in *some* circumstances, it's absolutely not his default. Iirc Outsiders was formed after Donna's death, too, and he's sad, so he pushes everyone away and not in the martyr sense. Anyway Dick Grayson isn't the golden batkid he's the batkid who was crushed under the weight of being Bruce's partner rather than sidekick and forced to grow up too soon.

[bklynmusicnerd]

Spencer: "I know what I have to do now...I need to let go...I need to stop trying to be Ace's father, and I need to realize that I'm his older brother and that I'm nothing more"

Trina: "You can still be supportive of him. There just have to be clear boundaries."

Spencer: "You were right the whole time and I just couldn't see it. I need to stop trying to control [sociopathic mooch] and [demon spawn]. It's not my place"

I love the disconnect between Trina's eyes and her body language in this scene. Her body is still in defensive, self-preservation mode from standing up for herself and is still unsure if she can actually trust what Spencer is saying and relax. Her eyes though?

Clearly, full of compassion as Spencer slowly comes to grips with the reality that demon spawn isn't his to choose. I also love how, at every point, Trina reminds Spencer that he can have a relationship with demon spawn and her. He just has to pull back on this obsession with taking Nik's place.

Even the line "I'm nothing more" shows how much of this demon spawn obsession was wrapped up not just in Spencer's abandonment issues but also identity issues as well. Spencer doesn't know who he is if he's not living in reaction to his father in one way or another.

He always thinks he needs to prove his value by achieving some sort of great purpose. Nik's hero son that avenges him, Trina's hero during the trial, Ace's protector. And when it doesn't work out, he reduces himself to "nothing."

This is why Trina is representative of the future for him in a lot of ways and why he reacts viscerally against the idea of losing her. Giving up on Trina is the equivalent of giving up on himself. She never sees him as "nothing", she always sees him as more than that.

[gotylocks]

One of the things that always happens to me when I get invested in a ship is I'll invariably land on a song that fits that ship perfectly, and I wanna share one with you. The song "What If It Doesn't End Well?" By Chloe Moriondo has been in consistent rotation for me since last year, but the other night I realized how well it matches up with Kit and Jade. While I think it could be from both of their perspectives, I think the connection to Kit and her feelings about Jade is strongest. Let's look at how the song opens.

That first line makes me think about the part in the first episode where Jade is explaining why she's leaving to train as a knight. The way she says it to Kit, unblinking and focused, feels like she's trying to disconnect from her feelings. But then we go to the next line, driving home how close they've been for so long, the feeling that this person has not just been a consistent part of your life but that entire time they have truly known and understood you. This is important because between Madmartigan abandoning her and Sorsha not wanting her children to be raised the way she was, Kit is desperate for true connection, which she found in Jade. This connection is so strong it feels like it isn't restrained just to this lifetime, shown in the last line of the section. But then we get to the chorus.

Here we get into Kit's fear of abandonment combining with her fear of failure. When things were simple and the stakes were low, she didn't have to worry as much. But now, in the real world, with real stakes, and knowing she isn't actually prepared for this, fear really sets in. What if she can't be the hero she thinks she can be? Would Jade even want to be with her if she fails to save Airk, and by extension the world, from The Crone's forces? What if she fails because of her connection to Bavmorda as we saw in episode 4, or because of her desperate need to reconnect with her father like in episode 6? "What if I fuck it up like I always do, and my shit gets in the way?" Then you get into the fatalistic fear that is tied to that, making her think that they'll lose, but she still only wants to know if Jade will still be by her side after this failure.

Anyways, this song is beautiful and emotional and heartbreaking on its own, but I couldn't shake off these connections, so maybe you'll get something from it, too.

[moonchild-things]

Chapter Forty: Illusionary Hero

Summary: Shōyō Hinata loves volleyball! There is no doubt that all he really thinks about is volleyball. His sister, however, isn’t the same way. Sakura is ready to start her first year of high school at Karasuno with her twin brother and doesn’t really want to do anything, unlike Shōyō. Though she can’t help it when she gets dragged into the antics of the volleyball club.

Word Count: 2998

Blog Masterlist | Red Herring Masterlist | Last Chapter | Next Chapter

A/n: I saw the new Haikyuu movie, I got motivated.

---

YAMAGUCHI WOULD NOT SAY HE’S ALL THAT strong. Not on the court and not off of it. Even as a kid, being picked on by others he really couldn’t stand up for himself. It wasn’t until he caught a glimpse of Tsukishima that first time in junior high that he wanted to be cool. Sure, he envied Tsukishima back then for his ability to simply scare off bullies just with a stare and a few words, but he admired him all the same. Which is why he knows that Tsukishima needed a push in the right direction to remember that. 

Turning off the water at the bathroom sink, Yamaguchi stared himself down in the mirror, a determination shining in his own eyes at the thought of his best friend. He wasn’t going to let Tsukishima be lame while they’re here at this camp. Yamaguchi needed to remind his friend just how cool he was.

Leaving the bathroom, Yamaguchi rounded the corner to head back to the gym Karasuno was in only to run into Sakura. The orange-haired girl blinked up after almost running into Yamaguchi. He sheepishly smiled at her, “Sakura, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Tadashi,” she shook her head, “you gonna keep practicing with everyone?”

“Yea, I just needed a quick break.” 

“Ah, I’ve got to help Yachi with some final chores for the night, then I’m heading to bed.” Sakura yawned as the pair started to make their way back towards the gym.

In their quiet walk back, Yamaguchi was dwelling in his thoughts about Tsukishima. “Say, Sakura, have you noticed how… I-I don’t know how to say this.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “Hm?”

Yamaguchi paused in his steps, causing Sakura to do the same. He nervously scratched the back of his neck as he said, “Tsukki seems to be even more withdrawn these last few days. Or not as involved in practices.”

Sakura just scoffed, “Isn’t he usually like that?”

“W-well, I guess most of the time. It’s just, even now he seems far more… distant.”

She pursed her lips, “Maybe I have noticed it. Seems like he’s been thinking about something a lot.”

Sakura didn’t really want to be talking about Tsukishima. He had been getting on her nerves a lot easier now and he seemed to be going out of his way more often to get under her skin. She had a feeling it had to do with the distance that she originally had placed between herself and Shoyo. So he saw a vulnerability in her and decided to attack. Why he always wanted to put her down was beyond her. Though miserable people tended to try and make others miserable with them.

Yamaguchi nodded his head, “I think he’s been thinking about why we play. After all, I’m pretty sure he sees this as just a club.”

“Well, it is.” She stated blandly, which didn’t help Yamaguchi’s argument. “This team is just a high school club. It’s not like your livelihoods are dependent on getting better at volleyball right now.” Then she shrugged her shoulders, “Though I see where you’re going with this. He certainly isn’t passionate like the others or as crazy about volleyball. Everyone here has a goal whether it’s to be number one, or to just improve. He doesn’t seem to have that drive.” Sakura sighed heavily through her nose, “You’ve known him longer than me, Tadashi. Has there ever been a time where he was excited about volleyball?”

Yamaguchi bit his lip, thinking back to when Tsukshima was in fact outwardly excited about the sport. He knew the reason why he had become disconnected from it, perhaps that was why he was so unenthused about all of this more than ever.

“He was. At one point, he was excited about volleyball.” He said, seeing a bit of surprise on Sakura’s face. “He didn’t used to be this mean.” Sakura raised an eyebrow at him, which caused him to cough, “well, he was a bit mean, but back then he at least was a bit more excited about playing.”

“What changed?”

Sakura was curious now. She really didn’t imagine Tsukishima actually being excited about anything, let alone volleyball. So hearing from Yamaguchi that there was a time where he was, was intriguing. The boy never expressed any emotions besides being rude or sadistic, as far as Sakura has seen. So hearing that there was a time when he wasn’t always like that was definitely going to peak her interest. Not to say that she found Tsukishima interesting… it was just different from what she’s normally known of him.

Yamaguchi sighed loudly, “He… I don’t think I should say. He was lied to when we were younger. Lied to by someone he looked up to and I think it shattered his idea about volleyball.” He remembered the moment that it seemed like Tsukishima’s world had fallen apart. Yamaguchi knew that while they were in junior high, Tsukishima idolized his older brother. The fact that his brother lied about his spot on Karasuno’s volleyball team for so long had destroyed his perception of the game. 

“If there is something bothering him, you should talk to him.” Sakura said, bringing him out of his thoughts, “You are the only one who would be able to get through to him, you know. You’re his best friend, Tadashi. He’ll have to listen to you.”

“But what do I say?” Yamaguchi asked her, almost desperately.

“Whatever you think will get through his thick head. I know you’ll find the right things to say.” She smiled up at him as she remembered their heart-to-heart a long while ago about her own love of photography. “You’re good at that.” 

At her words, a swell of determination filled Yamaguchi’s chest, “Right!” He then turned and ran off, looking for Tsukishima. He had quite a bit that he wanted to say to him now.

---

After parting ways with Yamaguchi, Sakura had headed back into the gym to make sure that Yachi didn’t have anything else that she needed help with. Sakura wasn’t going to leave her friend with a bunch of chores, she’d certainly feel too guilty. Though the blonde had said that she was all set. It seemed like Yachi was starting to really get a hang of her role as manager. Sakura could say that she was nearly a professional. So with nothing else to really do, Sakura decided it was time to head to bed. 

Well, that was the plan any way. 

“Oh, Hina~!” Sakura groaned as she saw the brown-haired menace skipping over towards her. Yua bounced over to the girl with a wide smile, “what are you up to?”

Sakura sighed, “I’m about to head to bed.”

“Boo, that’s no fun,” she blew a raspberry at her, “Why don’t you come with me back to the gym. The guys are practicing together again like yesterday. It would be cool if you came.”

Sakura scowled at her, “I don’t have a choice here do it?”

“Not at all!” Yua said brightly.

So that’s how Sakura found herself watching as the boys from Nekoma and Fukurodani practiced with each other in Gym #3. One of the biggest downsides was that Tsukishima also was there. She supposed that he came here after talking with Yamaguchi. Since Sakura is certain that Yamaguchi had tracked him down to lecture him or whatever. The freckled-boy definitely was on a mission to search for his friend when he left her. She didn’t doubt that he gave up so easily.

It also didn’t seem like Tsukishima was here on his own volition, from Sakura’s observations. These guys really like forcing us to do stuff, she thought to herself. Though she watched them all do some practice spikes and blocks with each other.  She noticed something.

While there was no intense fire or anything in Tsukishima’s expression, Sakura could just tell that something was different. His golden eyes were sharper and his blocks were growing stronger as he took in the advice that Kuroo gave him. To her, it seemed like whatever Yamaguchi had said to Tsukishima had done something to him. A passionate fire hadn’t been lit in Tsukishima, Sakura could tell, but the kindling was set. There just needed to be a spark of some kind. She certainly didn’t know what that spark would be or when it would be lit, but she hoped that it was soon. Not for Tsukishima’s sake, but for the sake of the team.

“You sure are staring hard,” Yua commented as she poked Sakura’s cheek, breaking her from her thoughts.

Said girl pushed her hand away, “don’t touch me.”

“Well, you weren’t paying attention when I was saying your name.” A sly smirk crawled across Yua’s lips, “you seemed to entranced by blondie over there.”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed at the smug expression, “I’m not entranced.”

Yua’s smirk had yet to fall, “Oh? So you weren’t staring unblinkingly at him for a while?” She shrugged sarcastically, “I suppose I saw wrong then.”

“Maybe you did,” Sakura growled.

There was a moment of peace as Yua dropped the subject, the two girls now focusing back on the drills the boys were going through. Though Yua really didn’t know when to shut her mouth.

“You can admit it, no need to be embarrassed.” Yua coyly commented as she sighed dreamily, “I remember my first crush. Ah, it’s so heartwarming to see such love blossoming.”

“What?!” Sakura exclaimed, “This has nothing to do with a crush! Especially on someone like Tsukishima!”

Yua laughed, “Deny all you want, I know what I saw!”

Scowling, Sakura got up from her spot against the wall and walked away from a laughing Yua. Why that crazy girl thought that Sakura had a crush was beyond her. Come one? Tsukishima!? Why did everyone think that?! First her own club teased her about Tsukishima just about every time she’s with them and now Yua was doing it too. It really was going to start getting on her nerves.

Pushing that out of her mind, Sakura watched as Tsukishima made another pretty decent block against Bokuto. Though now there was a different train of thought around Tsukishima that was starting to stew in her head. It infuriated her that Tsukishima was not thinking logically. Isn’t he supposed to be smart? She thought to herself. Now while she’s used to dealing with volleyball idiots and their logic being askew, this was really annoying her… For some reason. When there was a lull in play, Sakura stood up and walked towards Tsukshima as he took a sip from his water bottle.

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit.”

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow at her sudden words, “Huh?”

Sakura cringed lightly, seemingly regretting having said anything, but knew that there was no going back now. She sighed heavily, “I get it. You think that you’re outshined by Shōyō. In some ways, you might be. Though that doesn’t detract anything that you do on the court.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, “I don’t want to hear this.”

“I don’t care.” Sakura huffed, “Stay if you want, but I’m still going to say it.”

“Hn.”

She pursed her lips, taking a moment to find her words. She was more than aware of the piercing stare from the tall teen in front of her, though she cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably. She started with saying, “Shōyō is a good middle blocker and he’s an amazing decoy, though that’s more or less his designated role. He’s meant to do that, you know. You aren’t. You’re not a decoy. He’s meant to get attention in order to deceive people. This means you have other qualities to how you play that make you just as important to the team. Your skills are more intellectually based.” She said, “You plan and think ahead and strategize much more than he would. Your blocks are more powerful and your ability to read a player is nearly unparalleled. Not to mention you’re extremely tall, so your height is an advantage. You both are night and day when compared to each other, so stop comparing yourself to him.” She said sharply, “You’re not going to get anywhere by doing that. You’ll just be a complaining, bitchy giant for the rest of your time on the team.”

Tsukishima stared at her, his eyes slightly widening. He appeared to be… baffled that she was even trying to comfort him or give him advice, especially about his comparison to her own brother. He didn’t think he’d ever see the day that she would be… encouraging him. “I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you speak.”

Sakura rolled her eyes, “Whatever, I’m leaving now.”

With nothing left to say, she just walked off. She wasn’t entirely sure why she had to say all that she did to him. Tsukishima gets on her nerves and she dislikes him to a high degree, however, there was a part of her that hated how… self loathing he is. Perhaps she hated it even more that he was being so lethargic over the club and his position in it. She must see his self-pity as stupid, anyone who does pity themselves for something as trivial as this was annoying to her. That must be the reason.

It’s not like Tsukishima was going to say ‘thank you’ or anything to her at her attempt. The last thing that he’d want to do is give her the satisfaction knowing that he did feel… a bit more secure in his position on the team. It wasn’t anything too concrete. However, it felt good to know that even someone like Sakura, who arguably doesn’t like him at all, complimented him to some degree. He certainly knows that she holds her brother up quite high on a pedestal. Tsukishima found it a bit weird and almost familiar. He did the same thing with his brother. He thought that Akiteru was the best person. His brother was the ace of Karasuno, such an amazing player, the star in Kei’s mind. 

Though when he did find out the truth, it broke any sort of trust that he would have. Not only that but it tainted the sport of volleyball completely. Though he knew that wasn’t going to happen to Sakura. That certainly caused a bit of jealousy and disdain to bubble up in Tsukishima. Her brother is one of the best players on the team, he is the self-proclaimed next “Little Giant” so it wasn’t like she would be let down like he was. He envied that.

So he watched as she said a quick goodbye to Yua and the others, to their disappointment, before heading out of the gym to head to bed. Tsukishima certainly had a lot to think about now after everything that he’s heard from those around him.

---

When the next day came, there was another round of games with all of the teams. Currently, Karasuno was up against Fukurōdani and they weren’t doing the best, though they weren’t doing the worst either. Bokuto used his immense strength to spike the ball through the Karasuno blocks.

“Eek…” Yachi squeaked, “That #4 is really intense again today.”

Sakura scoffed, “I think he’s just always intense, like he doesn’t have an off switch.” After spending enough time, forcefully, around Bokuto she knew that he just was never not intense. Though perhaps that’s what made him such a good player. He was top five for a reason.

With the score at 11-6 in Fukurōdani’s favor, Ukai had a time out called. “Even if you’re not able to stop #4’s spikes, at least try to touch it,” Ukai said to them.

“Right!”

“I see…” Yachi nodded her head as she looked up to Kiyoko, “So even if they aren’t able to stop it, if they’re able to touch the ball, it reduces the momentum?”

“Right. There are usually two goals in blocking.” She started to explain, “There’s the soft block that’s used in order to make the ball easier to receive, and the kill block that’s used to completely shut the ball out.”

Yachi shivered, “Kill… as in, killing something?”

“Yes.”

“Eek!”

Sakura patted Yachi on the shoulder, calming her down as best she could. “Depending on the scenario, each block has it’s advantages.” Sakura furter explained, “It takes a skilled blocker to decide what block to use when. I imagine most of the time it’s a split second decision to make.”

At the back of the group, Tsukishima speaks up, “We don’t have to stop it?”

“Well…” Ukai started, “If you’re able to actually shut the ball out, there’s nothing better.”

So they continued on with the next point. However, unlike the last spike that Bokuto used against Karasuno, he seemed to hesitate and instead go with a feint. Something that surprised just about everyone.

“Feint!” Tanaka screamed. Though Bokuto was still able to get the point for his team since Nishinoya was just a little too slow to save the ball.

“Wow, I totally thought they were going to come with a full-on attack there. To think it was actually a feint…” Takeda marveled, “I guess that’s what you get with an ace that went to nationals.”

Though Sakura could tell, it wasn’t what Bokuto originally wanted to do. He was scared off by Tsukishima. Whatever he had learned about blocking was starting to come in handy, especially against a strong player like Bokuto. Sakura watched as her brother and Tsukishima had a short stare down with each other before they moved to get into position again. Even with that small interaction, she could tell that it was a declaration of war between them. She couldn’t tell if this challenge was going to be a good thing or a bad thing. The only thing that she did know was that a challenge between the two middle blockers would certainly push them to get better than the other.

---

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[yellowbluemoonshine]

Hi! I hope you are doing okay ❤

Do you think All Might will die? And if yes then who will kill him?

Thank you so much, anon ^^! I am trying to be better, i am fine. I hope you are doing well, too :)))).

I dont know that he will die or not but i see possible parallels between him and Endeavour in future chapters.

The last time in manga we saw Allmight, he was rushing to somewhere and i assume its most likely Shigaraki and Deku' side. He always wanted to talk with Shigaraki even since Shimura reveal but he was powerless and now, he thinks Midoriya shouldnt carry all the burden and it is his responsibility so i expect him to go there.

It is mentioned that Allmight will be brutally killed by some villain in Overhaul arc by Nighteye. But we also saw that future can be changed so it is no certain that whether he will die or not. Maybe he can die to save Shigaraki but i think Shigaraki wouldnt like that another person (other than his mother) die by trying to save him. It might be terrible for him so maybe, this time, he and Deku whose flaws are being self destructive heroes might try to live. Which would be better conclusion for their arc.

Another reason why i think he will most likely be involved with Deku saving Shigaraki mission is because Endeavour is involved with Shouto saving Dabi mission right now. (It seems author decide to make adult heroes involve with kids 'saving plan' too). (There might be parallels to Bakugou apologise Izuku moment because Bakugou and Endeavour characters/redemptions etc is parallels but i hope it doesnt happen because that is terrible writing). Allmight is indirectly failed Shigaraki and Endeavour failed Dabi in any way possible. It is their responsibility after all so before Deku and Shouto save their foils, Allmight and Endeavour will take some responsilibity for their past actions. Of course, Allmight is nowhere near as bad as Endeavour and the fact that Allmight will choose to come to Shigaraki while Dabi had to chase after Endeavour to make him face...even this shows the difference between them. So yeah, this is what i think it will happen. Whether they will save them together with kids or they will help kids from behind or they will say 'Sorry' or they will show some sort of remorse action to make Shigaraki and Dabi calm down and meanwhile, kids definitely will show there is hope for future so they can stop killing themselves and others.

Though, there is another thing will most likely happen to save them. Recently there is this repeated theme in league chapters. 'Friends'. Afo made fun of Dabi for not having friends. Spinner asked help from Kurogiri to save Shigaraki and others in a chapter named 'Friend'. Kurogiri is having identity crisis in war by saying 'f-f-frie-friends' and trying to help league and Aizawa-Mic at the same time. Mirio made Shigaraki mad when he said 'You dont have any friends' and Shigaraki screamed 'No! I do have them!'. Dabi and Toga recently bond through Twice's death. Toga is having crisis because she feels disconnected from her dear friends because she cant become them. Even Afo seems to be suspecting about someting with his plan because of it.

If we connect all this together with 'Shouto saying He felt saved because he has friends (class 1a)' and 'Deku shouldnt fight alone, he needs his friends', this friendship theme will definitely have a big role to defeat Afo/solve the problem and save them. They all need their friends. Separating them wasnt really a good plan. They need to come together eventually. Kids will be the key to save them, to change their minds but eventually, it might even big help for them. Especially for Shigaraki since 'save me' is main theme of his arc and since he saved league by giving them a home, they (especially Toga and Dabi since they never showed how much they love league and Shigaraki) might play a role for him to be saved from Afo. The answer is everyone coming together for a better future since this is the story of how everyone become heroes together. And this time, actually saving everyone. (Maybe reaching but if Afo turns into child, maybe he will even be saved idk, maybe this will be Bakugou's role since there is some parallels between them idk and well, the one who dont have friends is him since he used them all so karma too, well, we will see).

Anyways, friends are the key, here.

[fantasyinvader]

So, if I had to boil down my thoughts on Three Houses/Hopes it would look like this:

I do appreciate that the game has served as a learning experience for me regarding Buddhist beliefs and symbolism. I’ve always had a love of mythology, so reading about the stories that go with these symbols was fun for me. However, I do feel that the game leans to hard on the symbolism to get some things across to the audience, like how we all took Claude’s core issue to be his lack of knowledge when it was his own hatred towards the Church of Seiros that was holding him back, while at the same time uses other compatible symbolism like some of the Christian or tarot stuff. Just a lot of symbolism in lieu of telling a more direct story. Likewise when the translation changes some of those elements it upsets the reading. Like how Safflower was changed to Crimson Flower with the Edge of Dawn linking the flower to a rose, as roses and safflowers hold different meanings. I feel like if the game had toned down the symbolism and was more overt in it’s storytelling, than a lot of changes would have been harder to justify.

Tying into the first point, it’s also annoying how the game dances around the truth. Let me put it like this, there are singular lines of dialogue that are supposed to inform us about the setting or characters. Yet since they’re optional and easily missable, characters will act like they aren’t common knowledge. It makes the characters and the world feel less cohesive, like they don’t actually live in that world. I want characters to be informed by their setting and backstories, not feel disconnected from them.

That said, I do appreciate how the game doesn’t hold your hand on this stuff rather than beat you over the head with it, but there’s already a lot of exposition in the game. I feel like there had to have been a way to do this more organically.

The characters really grew on me as I looked deeper and deeper into them and their relationship with the story and setting. As I’ve said a couple of times now, the Black Eagle class are my favorites because they symbolize the moral decline of the Empire and the fact they become villains after White Clouds if not recruited away from Edelgard makes me feel that they need me more than anyone. I do like how Ingrid and Felix’s endings are weaker outside of Azure Moon, Ingrid not being able to follow her dreams and Felix’s grief pushing him into seeking more conflict despite Byleth’s influence. And the Deer are a lovable bunch of misfits. Claude is my favorite lord, though admittedly his writing is pretty messy possibly due to his role being changed in development.

The fact is, I keep buying Cipher cards for Houses characters. While I would like Cipher cards for Engage, the fact that I mostly go for Houses followed by the Elibe lords of my youth ultimately shows my connection to these characters. I have a complete set of the Eagles (with the Wolves on their way) in their academy uniforms, thinking of finishing off the Deer next followed by the Lions if they’re still available. I just really like the character designs in this game, definitely up there with Echoes (my favorite game design-wise).

I like Byleth’s intended arc but I wish there was more ways to show their character. Just because a character is a silent protagonist doesn’t mean they can’t be characterized properly. Shez I just feel bad for, because they’re not meant to overshadow Byleth and therefore even on their best behavior they can’t lead the Eagles, Dimitri or Claude down their more heroic paths. Guess it would highlight a key difference between the two, while Shez isn’t emotionless they just see themselves as a mercenary and just go along with their leaders. Byleth, meanwhile, secretly dislikes the merc life and the teaching gig is their ticket out which in turn gives them growth. But the fact that Shez is nothing more than a failure hero/ine in their own game, that sucks. At least give us an option to recruit Shez in Houses as a bonus or something.

I’ve said before I do feel Edelgard is pretty well done. The fact that she’s a villain means that we aren’t supposed to simply see her as eye-candy, and we’re meant to pay attention to what she’s saying and what she’s actually doing. She can make you think you’re the good guy if you’re not paying attention to the world, and while the effects could have been more pronounced she is a toxic influence on those around her. Hell, considering the links between what we see of the Empire in Hopes to what is said to happen post-Flower, it’s clear she doesn’t get character development even with Byleth (instead, causing Byleth’s regression). She’s a damn good villain, and helps supply a feminist message about treating women as people.

As for the stories, due to the symbolism Silver Snow felt the most fulfilling to me because so much of the game was built around it. Moon followed that due to how it feels the least reliant on the symbolism. The fact that we’ve been wrong about Claude’s core issue shows an issue with Wind getting it’s point across, while Flower suffered in the translation.

The game’s runtime feels excessive and the idea that we were only ever expected to play one route is a joke. Each route takes as long as some RPGs to finish, and the monastery is a big issue because of this. While time is always going forward, too much is spent faffing about and if you skip exploration you can miss some vital details to actually understanding some things.

Gameplay-wise, it works well enough. Load times are a pain in the ass, I don’t like how I have to assign skills after learning them and wish that when I learned a skill a popup would give me the opportunity to equip it. I hate how the weapons triangle needs to be recreated through assigning skills. I love the battalions though and hope that makes a comeback in future installments. The game overall leans a bit much on the easy side, and the gameplay is a definite step down from Fates.

I don’t like the model of character growth. I’m a firm believer that characters should be expressed through their classes, both main and alts. The fact I can put anyone into any class, even if they aren’t suited for it, takes that away. Don’t get me started on each character having their own personal spell list either, because while I would appreciate this otherwise it only serves to punish players for making certain units into magical classes especially when I can give most classes any weapon. That and it just feels wrong that I, the teacher, get to decide how these guys end up being trained and can ignore the students desires. I should be helping them become who they want to be, not what I want them to be. Also prefer characters leveling up every 100 exp like in other games, rather than Houses being more like regular RPGs.

I would have definitely preferred if we had the more visual novel-like cutscenes and supports over using the 3d models for those, especially when they talk about items that the game does not have models for.

If I think about any sort of conclusion to this, I like the stories and characters but it was a case of me investing into fully grasping it that did it. I wouldn’t still be talking about them otherwise, as the more I learn about they symbolism the more things felt like they clicked. I generally feel bad that the intended messages got messed up by the translation and further obscured by fanon. But that just props up gameplay that should have been refined more, as in many ways it suffers from poor optimization and excess. That is always going to be a roadblock to me going back and replaying it.

[sinestrosmind]

Ironverse - The Avengers

Summary: The events of The Avengers, but how they happened in Flame's Ironverse.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, Character death, All warnings applicable to The Avengers

Characters: Avengers 1 roster, Flame Copps

Wordcount: 9,183

       Some weeks after Flame’s meeting with Director Fury, Flame and Tony had met again. She was happy to see him, and the two caught up pretty quick. One thing led to another and Flame ended up back at Tony’s house, and she was finally invited downstairs to the workshop. Seeing the forms of Iron Man shocked her- she was confused. Why was Iron Man seemingly lifeless? Is he okay? And Tony just laughed, and then promptly explained that he is Iron Man. Iron Man is a suit worn by Tony Stark. This still confused Flame, but at the same time she understood it.

       This was where the link between Tony Stark and Iron Man being the same person should’ve been made, but it wasn’t. There was, and will always be, a disconnect between the face of Tony Stark and the face of Iron Man.

       From there, Flame and Tony had grown close. Flame opened up a little about her past, answering Tony’s questions about the scars on her back and the white brandings on her hip. She greatly enjoyed his company, enjoyed speaking with him. Tony Stark became the first human in this universe that she trusted, especially with such personal information about her past. And when Tony decided to surprise Flame with an Iron Cat suit, a new set of literal wings, Flame then knew this human wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. And after the first time flying, she felt something different about him, but she didn’t know what it was yet.

       In the flight tests, the repulsors were hard to learn, but with Tony in his own suit by her side in the air, she enjoyed learning. She enjoyed flying, testing the suits as they evolved, even learning to work on them alongside Tony. After testing with Flame’s first suit, Airborne, Flame pointed out areas that need to be improved upon Tony’s request for feedback. Focus areas are flying just as well with wings alone as she flew with wings and repulsors, as well as quieting the sound a bit.

       Over time, as well, Flame found herself getting more confident, becoming more comfortable with her surroundings and the humans she now regularly interacted with. Especially with Tony guiding her through it. His charismatic and confident personality was pretty contagious.

       The two only made it to completing Airborne II, Flame’s second suit, and starting her third, NoSleep, before chaos struck.

       Flame had been out flying, testing Airborne II and relearning to fly when Agent Coulson had spoken with Tony and Pepper, only being alerted to something up when Jarvis told her to head to Stark Tower. There, Tony filled her in on what’s going on and his feelings about it, and Flame understood. …And then told him Director Fury had also invited her to the Avengers Initiative.

       It was only a little while later they were both on their way to Germany.

       "Agent Romanoff," Tony started, announcing their arrival to the aircraft hovering near by. "Y'miss me?" And then, in typical Tony Stark fashion, the man hijacked the aircraft's PA system to play Shoot to Thrill. Flame would only find this out years after the fact. Should would be upset about it, too. She had a right to know what song was playing while she and Tony beat up a literal god.

       Speaking of said literal god; Tony strikes first as he comes in for a landing, shooting two repulsor blasts at the same time at the new enemy. He stands and aims multiple missiles and one repulsor at the god, taunting him with a simple "Make your move, Reindeer Games."

       Flame follows close behind Tony, mechanical wings of her MK2 tucked close to her body as she dives, shoots a ball of plasma at the god as he stands to challenge Tony, and then promptly tackles him. This starts a fight between the three heroes and the god, though it's very short lived. When the god finally yields, slowly raising his hands and allowing his armor to disappear, the new ally finally greets Tony and Flame.

       On the aircraft, Flame sits silently, the faceplate of her helmet flipped up so she can get a little fresh air. Over the communicator, Flame hears Director Fury speak with Natasha.

       "He saying anything?" Director Fury asks.

       Natasha doesn't hesitate to reply with an honestly tired, in Flame's opinion, "Not a word."

       "Just get him here, we're low on time." Director Fury replies.

       A moment of silence passes after Director Fury had spoken, the new ally, Steve, breaking the silence as he speaks with Tony. "I don't like it," the man said. His voice is hushed, suspicion and unease clear in his tone.

       "What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony asks, his voice just as hushed.

       "I don't remember it being that easy," Steve continues. "This guy packs a wallop."

       "Eh, still, you are pretty spry, for an older fellow." And Flame couldn't help but shake her head upon hearing Tony's words. She's come to find it kind of amusing how he finds a way to taunt, poke, and prod at everyone he meets. Flame had tuned Tony's conversation with Steve out, however, not paying attention. And not paying attention when Tony Stark is speaking is by far the worst thing to do.

       Flame had gotten whiplash when she tuned back into the conversation upon hearing the nickname "Cap-cicle" come out of Tony's mouth. She tried to keep from laughing, she honestly did, she swears. But she lost that fight. Flame doubled over, even though she was sitting, as she laughed.

       Tony crouched down next to Flame, an armored hand scratching at what fur he could reach with her faceplate up. "You alright, kittycat?" Tony asks. "Something funny?"

       "I'm sorry- I'm sorry-" Flame managed out, calming her laughter. "That just-" she takes a breath, a couple more soft laughs escaping her as she exhales. "That caught me so off guard."

       "What? Calling Rodgers here a cap-cicle?" and Flame wheezes again, ending up curled up roughly on her side on the floor of the aircraft. "See, that's why you have to pay attention to me when I'm talking!"

       "You two are making fun of me while I'm right here?" Steve asks Tony quietly, honestly offended.

       "Listen, she's been though a lot in her life. Had to be super serious for a long time, never got to freely experience emotions. Give her a break. Let her have a few laughs. Trust me, it's far better than her looking sad all the time." Tony whispers to Steve, and the man sighs.

       The ride from there was fairly calm once Flame had settled down from her little laughing fit. She had eventually closed her helmet and curled up the best she could in her suit. And, she remained like this for a while.

       She only was woken up by a loud crack of thunder, standing abruptly with a startled roar. As Tony walked past her, Flame overheard Loki speak.

       "It seems your cat isn't very fond of lightning either."

       Flame only offered a quiet "Terrified" in response to his statement, right before someone new came in to the aircraft. Flame was too shaken up to respond to the attack immediately, only startling again when Tony was knocked to the floor.

       Tony gave a heavy sigh as he stood up, muttering to himself "Now there's that guy."

       "Another Asgardian?!" Natasha called back, Steve talking after.

       "That guy's a friendly?" Steve asks as he stands and turns back to Tony.

       "Doesn't matter." Tony states firmly. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the tesseract's lost." He says before walking towards the open door.

       "Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve calls after Tony, Flame finally getting her bearings as the two talk.

       "I have a plan." Tony says as he pauses and looks back at Steve. "Attack." And with that, Tony leapt out of the aircraft. Flame gives a heavy sigh.

       "We're pressed for time," she reasons. "Not much time to sit and think." And then she, too, follows.

       "Hey, do you mind if I steal that trick of yours from earlier?" Tony asks as they race to catch up to the Asgardians.

       Confused, Flame asks "What trick?"

       And, instead of simply explaining, Tony instead just does. Alongside a simple "This one," and still leaving Flame absolutely confused, even as he body slams the newcomer at full speed.

       When Tony lands after sending the newcomer tumbling onto the ground, Flame lands beside him.

       "Do not touch me again." The stranger growled after he stood.

       "Then don't take my stuff." Tony replied simply as Flame took a more protective stance in front of him, her head low and her tail flicking.

       "You have no idea what you're dealing with." The other says after a moment's pause. And Tony decides to take a quick look around.

       "Uh," he starts. "Shakespear in the park?" Flame gives Tony a confused glance, her tail having stilled. His next words frustrated her to no end;

       "Doth mother know you wear-eth her drapes?"

       "Tony Stark I am going to strangle you." Flame muttered with a shake of her head while glaring at the man in question. Don't get her wrong- it was funny! It was a funny line! She liked it! But also there's a place and a time and this was neither.

       All Flame got in return to her mock threat was a hushed "Careful I might be into that." With a completely straight face, nonetheless.

       Thankfully their foe hadn't heard any of that, or maybe he disregards it, as he continues; "This is beyond you, metal man." The stranger starts. "Loki will face Asgardian justice."

       "He gives up the cube he's all yours." Tony says bluntly, back on topic. Flame's attention is also back on the new Asgardian. "Till then," Tony lowers the faceplate of his helmet, Flame following suit. "Stay out of the way."

       As Tony turned and walked away, he hissed out a quiet "Tourist." Which seemed to upset their foe. Flame was as quick to act as the other, moving to pull Tony’s feet out from under him to avoid him getting hit by the hammer the other just sent absolutely flying above them. She then reprimanded Tony, hissing a “Never turn your back on an enemy after insulting or taunting them!”

       Once their enemy had, shockingly, summoned his hammer back to him, Tony was the first to attack. He struck with a repulsor blast first, and then launched himself to land a solid kick to their foe’s chest. Flame was next to attack, using her wings and her own repulsors to launch herself into the air to gain momentum before diving down and striking their foe with a ball of plasma. She landed solidly on the ground right in front of Tony, wings slightly spread, head low, and stance wide.

       Still, the Asgardian, got up, angry, and summoned his hammer to him. A loud crack of thunder sounded before he raised his hammer to the sky, and Flame rocked back on her paws, crouched lower to the ground. Lightning immediately struck the hammer, and it lasted quite the moment, before the Asgardian lowered the hammer and thrust it towards Tony and Flame, sending a bolt of lightning out towards them.

       They had both been hit, Flame less than Tony, and the distortion in Jarvis’ voice worried her as he read her own power levels of her suit to her.

       "You supercharged too? Tony asked as he got his bearings after being stuck.

       "Yeah, yeah." Flame replied. "You alright?"

       "Yeah-" Tony's answer was quick before he changed the topic. "Hey, you wanna hit this guy with all we got?"

       Flame gave an amused huff as she stood. "Hit em hard, hit em fast." She told Tony. "Let’s make it count."

       "Alright, follow my lead." Tony told Flame, and she listened. They both struck the opposing Asgardian with the same move, a powerful strike with the extra power given to them by the lightning attack from both hand repulsors and the central arc reactor, sending their foe flying farther than he would’ve had Tony or Flame struck him alone.

       Somehow, miraculously, even though the Asgardian was blown through a giant tree, he still stood and lunged. Flame gave a quick “Your move, I’ll follow,” to Tony, which he took, and lunged for their enemy. Tony took the blonde flying, ramming him into multiple trees and into the side of a cliff, before doubling around and blowing through more trees before tumbling to the ground. Flame had followed the best she could at first, but after seeing the path doubling back, she decided to gain momentum and strike from the air again.

       As the Asgardian had drawn his fist back to throw a punch at Tony, Flame had dove in, just barely clearing Tony’s head and full body slamming the Asgardian into the ground. She then reared her head back with her foe pinned under her paws as she spread her wings, opening her mouth to force the jaws of the suit open as she charged a ball of plasma. Though she missed her target, a shield bouncing harshly off the side of her helmet, only preceded immediately by a sharp “Hey!” and causing her to hit a tree instead.

       Flame shakes her head and snarls, lips drawn back to bare teeth that won’t be seen behind a mask as she looks to none other than Steve, an ally. "That’s enough!“ he had barked, making Flame lash her tail in anger and annoyance at the human.

       He leapt down from the broken tree he was perched upon, staring the Asgardian down as Flame backed off and he stood. Behind her, she heard the quiet, quick whirs of mechanics on Tony’s suit moving. She didn’t care what it was at the moment, her attention and anger currently directed at Steve.

       “Now I don’t know what you plan on doing here,” Steve had started, his tone dangerous. It put Flame on edge, unsure around this new human. She'd only just met him, and she knows nothing about him.

       The Asgardian quickly had replied, angered; “I’ve come here to put an end to Loki’s schemes!”

       “Then prove it,” Steve challenged. “Put that hammer down.”

       Flame and Tony both had the same immediate reaction; panic. They talked over each other as they tried to warn Steve that, no, this was a bad idea. Very bad idea. Very very bad idea. This guy loves his-

       Tony and Flame both were cut off with their warnings when the Asgardian struck Tony with the hammer. This restarted the fight, and Flame moved quick. She first went to stabilize Tony, leaping to catch him and using the wings of her suit as they tumbled to the ground. Tony had quickly rolled off Flame’s wing, allowing her to quickly get up and rush into battle.

       Though, maybe she should’ve stayed laying down on the ground, as just as she leapt at the Asgardian, his hammer struck Steve’s shield and a massive shockwave sent everyone flying backwards. Except, for the most part, Tony, as he was on the ground already.

       The four slowly stand one by one, dazed, one asking; “Are we done here?“

       It was actually peaceful, surprisingly, aboard the helicarrier. As was the trip to the aircraft. Out of comfort, Flame preferred to stick by Tony’s side, learning as he spoke with the members aboard, and sometimes speaking to them herself.

       She joined Tony and Agent Coulson, the strange human she’d seen before in Tony’s house, to meet with Natasha, Steve, the Asgardian Thor, and a new human, Bruce Banner.

       Upon entry of the room, Flame had overheard the human she assumed to be Bruce talking about Iridium.

       "Iridium; what do they need the iridium for?" The man asked.

       "It's a stabilizing agent." Tony tells the room, before turning to Agent Coulson beside him and continuing on a previous conversation about a vacation.

       When Tony and Agent Coulson parted, Flame decided to take a seat next to the table everyone was sitting at, eyes locked on Tony as he spoke.

       "Means; portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD." Tony explained, and as he passed by Thor he decided to, again, mess with the man. "No hard feelings Pointbreak," he started. "You got a mean swing."

       "Also; means the portal can open as wide, and stay as open as long, as Loki wants." Tony continued on explaining as he stood in the center of some computer screens. He then started mumbling commands, the meanings of which were lost upon Flame. It earned him some weird looks. In Flame's opinion, to distract, Tony pointed out someone immediately, playing something called "Galaga."

       "Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."

       "What's Galaga?" Flame leaned and whispered to Natasha, curious.

       "It's just a game, don't worry about it." Natasha explained and then dismissed.

       Meanwhile, Tony was still sidetracked at the screens, covering one eye in confusion. "How does Fury even see these?" Tony then asks, turning to another SHIELD agent while pointing at some screens that would be in Director Fury's blind spot.

       "He turns." The woman responds, deadpan, without missing a beat.

       "Sounds exhausting." Tony says before beginning to mess with the monitors, back on topic.

       "The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density." Tony continues to explain as he wanders around a little. "Something to kickstart the cube."

       "When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" The SHIELD agent asks.

       Tony's reply is simple and quick; "Last night." As if it were common place. But, he clarifies. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

       "Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?" Steve cuts Tony off to ask.

       Bruce steps in and speaks next; "He'd have to heat the cube to 120-million kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier."

       "Unless Selvig figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony adds in.

       "Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet." Bruce points out.

       "Finally, someone who speaks English." Tony said as he held a hand out to gesture to Bruce.

       "Is that what just happened?" Steve asks, and Flame shrugs as Tony greets Bruce.

       "Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube." Director Fury says as he enters the room. "I was hoping you might join him."

       Flame stands up, weary, upon hearing what Director Fury says, ears tilted back. "I'm gonna go for a walk." She tells the humans in the room, before turning and heading towards the exit of the area. She doesn't hear the small conversation about her leaving.

       Flame next encountered Bruce when she was called in to the lab he and Tony were in, Director Fury already being present as she enters with Natasha and Thor.

       "The world hasn't changed a bit." Flame hears Steve say as she enters. Flame immediately heads to Tony's side, feeling that is the safest place in the room.

       "Why do I need to be here?" Flame asked Tony, still on edge from earlier.

       "Did you know about this?" Bruce asks Natasha, gesturing with his glasses to the screen beside Tony.

       "You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, Doctor?" Natasha asks Bruce in return. Flame shifts closer to Tony, eyes locked on Bruce.

       "I do." Flame whispers to Tony. "I don't want to be in this room with him here."

       "I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed." Bruce tells Natasha.

       "Don't worry, I poked him with a stick earlier, you're safe." Tony reassures Flame, and the feline gets frustrated.

       Natasha approaches Bruce, tone dangerous as she speaks. "Loki is manipulating you."

       "And you've been doing what, exactly?" Flame watches the two humans closely, though her eyes are locked on Bruce.

       Flame shifts closer to Tony again, slowly putting him between her and Bruce. "I don't feel safe."

       "You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you." Natasha pries.

       "Yes and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy." Bruce grabs the edge of a near by screen, pointing with his glasses as he shifts the topic. "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction."

       "Flame, trust me, you're fine." Tony reassures Flame again in a hushed voice. "Banner's clear across the room and I'm right here, he's not gonna hurt you."

       There's a tense moment of silence before Director Fury speaks, raising a hand to point at Thor. "Because of him."

       Confused, hesitant, Thor asks; "Me?"

       "Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned.” Director Fury explained.

       "My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor defends.

       "But you're not the only people out there, are you?" Director Fury asks. "And, you're not the only threat."

       Flame lowered her head, of which Tony noticed. He brought attention to it in his own way, with a “Hey kitty, what’s up with you now? Why the averted gaze? Somethin’ you’re not tellin’ us?” And, Flame took a deep inhale at that, before she raised her head and sighed.

       “Director Fury is right,” she started, earning a nod from the mentioned human and confused and concerned looks from the others around. “There are others out there, not just beyond this world, and not just beyond Thor’s world.”

       Director Fury nods and gestures to Flame with a hand. "See?" he asks. "The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, that can't be controlled."

       "Like you controlled the cube?" Steve taunts.

       Thor steps forward towards Director Fury as he speaks, tone dangerous. "Your work with the tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

       "A higher form?" Steve questions curiously.

       "You forced our hand." Director Fury defends. "We had to come up with som-"

       "A nuclear deterrent." Tony interrupts, hands casually in his pockets. "Because that always calms everything right down."

       "Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury counters.

       "I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep..." Steve sides with Director Fury as he approaches.

       "Waitwait hold on. How is this now about me?" Tony asks as he approaches Steve, his head tilted slightly.

       "I'm sorry, isn't everything?" Steve offered, taunting.

       "I thought humans were more evolved than this." Thor tells Director Fury, the man in question promptly walking forward to gain distance.

       "Excuse me," Director Fury starts. "Did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"

       "You treat your champions with such mistrust." Thor counters. And here Flame enters the argument, agitated. Here, the argument picks up, everyone in the room talking over each other. Though, eventually the argument does gain some order.

       "You speak of control, yet you court chaos." Thor says, and Bruce voices his agreement.

       "That's his M.O. isn't it?" he asks in agreement to Thor. "I mean, what are we, a team?" The man then immediately answers for himself. "Nonono, we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb."

       Flame felt the shift in Director Fury's attitude as he then approached Bruce, a low growl rising in her chest in response to the shift and the very dangerous tone he spoke with. "You need to step away." He warned.

       "Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Tony asks with a hand out, before promptly putting that hand on Steve's shoulder. When Steve knocks Tony's hand off of him, Flame shifts targets.

       "You know damn well why, back off!" He snaps, and Flame gives a quiet growl as she slightly lifts her lips to bare her teeth while joining Tony's side.

       "Oh I'm startin' to want you to make me." Tony says with a small nod, his eyes locked on Steve.

       “Big man in a suit of armor,” Steve called him. “Take that off what are you?”

       Tony's reply was quick and smooth; "Billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist.” He told Steve. Beside Tony, Flame stood up on her hind legs and rolled a shoulder before she, too, spoke.

       "And a far more trustworthy human than you'll ever be." She told Steve, lashing her tail once in agitation.

       "Yeah?" Steve asks, taking a step forward towards Flame with a tilt of his head. "And what are you without your armor, huh?"

       Flame's ears tilt back as Steve approaches, her lips raising in a warning to back off, yet she steps forward as well. "Still able to kill a human like you if need-be."

       “I know guys with none of what he's got but worth ten of him. You’re the same.” Steve told Flame. “And I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself.” Flame’s tail lashes as she listens to Steve speak, accidentally hitting Tony’s legs but both remain unfazed. “Neither of you are the type to make the sacrifice play. To lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”

       "I suggest you watch what you say, human." Flame threatens, while behind her Tony gives a small shrug.

       "I think I'd just cut the wire."

       Steve gives a tense smile and a glance to the other humans. "Always a way out." He says when his gaze returns to Tony. "And get control of your cat."

       Flame lunges at Steve with a snarl then, a clawed hand gripping his neck as she pins him to the wall near by. Tony raised his hands defensively when she made the move, offering a simple "Not my cat. I can't control her."

       Flame's lips are fully drawn back to bare her teeth as she stares Steve down. "You know nothing about me." She growls at the human. “We just met, and you dare to make such brazen accusations about who I am, how I fight.” Her voice is low, dangerous as she speaks. “I had risked my life countless times for the people of my old home. And they didn’t give a damn about me or the pain I was in. They only cared about my power and what I was.“ Flame backs off of Steve now, harshly pushing him away. “Now when I try to care for myself for once in my Nova-forsaken life, I’m seen as someone who wouldn’t sacrifice my life to ensure others live.”

       Flame turns and points to Director Fury. “You wanted information on my past. There you go.” She growls. But as Flame turns to leave the room, Steve doesn’t quit.

       “You know you two may not be threats but you better stop pretending to be heroes.” He taunts, and Flame stops in her tracks as Tony speaks.

       “A hero? Like you?” Tony asks, agitated. “You’re a laboratory experiment, Rodgers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.” Flame remains silent as she raises a paw, just as she would in suit, and a ball of energy forms at her palm. Plasma, just the same as she charges in her mouth. She approaches, making Steve back away from Tony, getting distance as she takes a protective stance beside Tony, arm still outstretched and plasma still charged.

       “He’s nothing like me.” She whispers to Tony, not breaking eye contact with Steve. That, Tony made a mental note to himself, will be talked about later.

       "Put on the suits." Steve taunts. "Let's go a few rounds."

       Thor laughs at this, and while Flame found it amusing as well, that this human thought she needed a suit to stand a chance against him, she didn't let it show as Thor had.

       "You people are so petty," Thor spits. "And tiny."

       "Yeah, this is a team." Bruce scoffs.

       Tony raises a hand to wipe his forehead and Flame lets the ball of plasma she charged in her palm die down as Director Fury asks Natasha to escort Bruce somewhere- which Bruce had cut off the request with a sharp "Where? You rented my room."

       "The cell was just in case-" Fury started to explain, only to be cut off again.

       "In case you needed to kill me, but you can't, I know, I've tried." Silence falls upon the room as everyone stares at Banner and he gets his turn to vent.

       "I got low. I didn't see an end. So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it out." The room listens in silence as Bruce continues to speak. "So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk." Bruce looks at Natasha as he continues to speak, not missing a beat as he continues. "You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?"

       Flame hears a faint tck after Director Fury lowered his hand to his belt. And then Steve speaks; "Doctor Banner," he starts, voice calm. "Put down the scepter."

       If the computer hadn't started beeping when it did, Flame didn't know what would've happened. Though, Flame took a step to move behind Tony as Bruce passed through the room to exit, muttering a "Sorry kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all."

       "You located the tesseract?" Thor asks, attention turning to what the beeping could mean as his gaze follows Bruce.

       "Flame and I can get there fastest." Tony says, and Flame agrees with a nod.

       "The tesseract belongs on Asgard. No human is a match for it." Thor warns Tony.

       "You're not going alone!" Steve snaps as Tony turns to leave, grabbing his arm. Tony turns and smacks Steve's arm off of him, and Flame gives a growl and snaps her teeth at the man, taking a protective stance by Tony's side

       "You're gonna stop us?" Tony taunts.

       "Put on the suit, let's find out." Steve challenges, to which Flame steps forward to accept his challenge and issue her own, Tony following suit.

       "I don't need my suit to win a fight against you." She hisses.

       "And I'm not afraid to hit an old man." Tony threatens.

       "Put on the suit." Steve growls.

       As tensions rise between the three, an explosion rocks the helicarrier and fire bursts through the room. A hand grabs the scruff of Flame's neck and she gives an angered and startled yowl as she, Tony, and Steve hit the floor. When the three sat up, the shared a panicked look before Steve muttered a "Put on the suit."

       Flame and Tony hadn't hesitated in agreeing, rushing to get up, and bolting.

       Flame was quick to suit up, as was Tony, and immediately they’d gotten orders. They were to head outside and patch the damage engine. While Tony took care of the technical side of things, and Steve took care of information Tony needed to help him repair things, Flame was given orders to dislodge any debris she can.

       When Tony arrived, Flame had cleared a decent portion of the debris. Thankfully she was hooked up to the commlinks, so Tony didn’t have to repeat himself on the plan and what needs to be done. Though, he did order her to get out, her job was done, and her wings would be damaged if she got caught up in the engine. Her new job was to give areal support, guard the area.

       Flame remained close by, surveying the area, looking for anyone leaving or entering the helicarrier and watching the engines. One seemed off to her, and she immediately alerted Tony.

       "Another engine is stopping." Flame told him while doubling back and heading to return to Tony's side.

       Director Fury chimed in over the commlink then; "Stark, we're losing altitude." Flame was beside Tony in time to hear him to reply.

       "I told you to keep lookout." Tony's attention shifted to Flame upon her arrival as he pressed his hands against the blade of the engine. Flame mimicked his actions, moving to using only her suit's repulsors for flight as the wings retracted.

       "I was," she says as she placed her hands on the blade of the engine as well. "I didn't see anyone outside around the engine, the must've done something inside." Flame shifts her shoulders slightly before looking at Tony. "I don't need my wings for this anyway, I just need to follow your lead."

       Tony gives a nod and both begin to push the engine's blades along. "You know there's a chance we won't get out in time." Tony warned.

       Flame's reply was simple, dismissive. "Yep."

       "We could get hurt." He continued.

       Flame was again dismissive with her reply. "Part of life and part of fights."

       Tony shrugged then. "Alright, let's do it."

       The two began to push, and when they got up to speed Flame begun to become hesitant of her decision. "Cap, hit the lever." She heard Tony order, voice slightly strained.

       "I need a minute here!"

       "He's gonna kill us." Flame muttered to Tony. "He's gonna fuckin' kill us."

       "Lever." Tony ordered again. "Now!" Panic rising in his voice.

       The blade of the engine was very quickly moving too fast for the pair, the two sharing a panicked look when their backs hit the blade behind them.

       "Uh oh." Flame heard Tony's quiet mutter.

       "I'm gonna kill Rodgers." Flame had muttered herself.

       The two then were sucked down, ending up between the blades and the casing, being beaten up for a couple rather traumatizing moments before Steve pulled the lever he was supposed to. Tony had dropped out of the engine first, Flame following right after, though she didn’t use her repulsors like Tony had. She instead freefell as her wings unfolded from where they were hidden upon her suit, returning her her hybrid flight style of both repulsors and wings.

       While Tony went to Steve, flying through an opening, Flame opted to check the parameter of the area, eyes scanning for threats. She'd spotted an aircraft taking off shortly after beginning to glide, giving a low growl. She knew who was on that aircraft, and she very much wanted to give chase. But, Tony was down for now, and she knew she was outmatched. That was a god, after all.

       Flame decided to return to Tony's side, and just as she landed Director Fury came onto the commlinks.

       "Agent Coulson is down." He sounded somber, and Flame knew something terrible has happened just by that tone. She'd heard it before.

       "A medical team is on the way to your location." A male voice had replied quickly over the commlinks.

       "They're here." Fury pauses for a moment, before following up with; "They called it."

       A pack member down. Gone. One of many to come, Flame will soon learn. While she wasn't necessarily attached to Agent Coulson, hadn't known him as well as Director Fury, she still felt terrible for the loss. If she had just been there, if she had perhaps been sitting watch instead of outside the Helicarrier, maybe she could've taken the blow or prevented Coulson's death. 

       In the wake of the news, the team was separated. Natasha and Barton in another room, Steve and Tony meeting with Fury. Thor and Banner are MIA. Flame, she took to patrol around the Helicarrier. Something to keep her busy. That was, until she'd gotten a call to suit up. Then she was rushing to the workshop to meet Tony and the rest of the team, suiting up and heading out.

       Tony's repulsors were unstable, it worried Flame on their trip to Stark Tower, but she remained close to him to catch him if he fell. Her wings were stable thankfully, protected from their time in one of the engines of the Helicarrier. Thankfully he didn't fall, and the pair hovered over Dr. Selvig as the man worked on Loki's portal machine.

       "Sir, I've turned off the arc reactor, but the device is already self-sustaining." JARVIS informed as Tony and Flame came to a quick halt hovering over Dr. Selvig and the machine.

       "Shut it down, Dr. Selvig." Tony ordered, looking down upon the man. Repulsors still unsteady, he struggled to maintain a perfect hover, having to move and re-adjust as Dr. Selvig turned to look at the cube.

       "It's too late!" Selvig called up to Tony, before turning his attention to the cube. "She can't stop now. She wants to show us something!" He turns back to look up at Tony again, a broad smile on his face. "A new universe."

       Flame sighed and shook her head as Tony tired of the man's rambling, uttering a simple "Okay." before powering up his repulsors with a tck-hreeee and taking aim at the device. Flame was confident one strike would take the device out, but when Tony shot it and a barrier appeared and sent Tony's attack back at him double, knocking all three away, that's when Flame realized it wouldn't be so easy.

       "The barrier is pure energy," JARVIS informed calmly. "It's unbreachable." 

       "Yeah I got that." Tony's reply is quick and sharp. He gives Flame a glance as she returns to hovering beside him, using her repulsors instead of her wings. There was clear scorching on the back of the suit, right where the wings are usually hidden away. Oh wonderful, that blast had nicked one of her wings. "Plan B."

       "Sir, the MK7 and MK2 are not ready for deployment." The AI warns calmly, though there's an urgency in his voice. Tony, of course, dismisses the warning.

       "Then skip the spinning rims, we're on the clock!" He tells JARVIS, and then his attention is on Flame. "There's another landing pad. Go there, get the suit off, and come back up here."

       Flame follows her orders without hesitation, watching as Tony lands on the pad above Loki and begins to walk inside. She goes to the other side, giving Loki a quick glance before she disappears out of his line of sight. When she returns, Tony is nowhere to be seen and Loki was on the floor in front of a broken window. Oh, and the portal had been opened. While Tony takes off to deal with that, Flame takes a moment to have her own little chat with the Trickster God.

       "Do me a favor," Flame tells Loki as she approaches him, watching as he picked himself up off the floor. She was fidgeting with some silver bracelets around her wrist as she looked down at the god. And then up, as he stood taller than her.

       "Oh, are you going to threaten me the same as Stark had as well?" Loki asks with a tilt of his head and slight raise of his scepter.

       Flame didn't find his quip funny, not even a smirk or an amused huff. "No." Came her dry response. "I want to give you a little food for thought." She tells him, continuing her approach. Just a single clawed finger on the scepter pushed it low, kept the pointed tip away from her chest.  "Look me in the eyes, god, and tell me; do I look like I was happy when I was a leader?" Flame stares unblinking, exhausted, up into Loki's eyes as she spoke. "And if I were happy, tell me; why would I have moved to a completely different universe?" 

       Only one other person knew of Flame's origins from another universe, and that was Tony. Now Loki, God of Mischief, knew as well that Flame was not of this universe.

       It kept Loki quiet for a moment, thinking, eyes darting from place to place in the room. Soon, hesitantly, Loki shook his head, disagreeing. "No. No, you don't look happy. You surely would have stayed there if you were." He replies quietly, a confused look in his eyes. Two questions were on his mind. What did this have to do with anything, really, and- "But I do have to ask, before either I or my army, when they come, kill you; why did you leave?"

       “The simple, short answer is, I wasn’t happy.” Flame replies simply. “The long answer is; my pack didn’t care for me. They only cared for my power and what I was. I was appointed an alpha before I was ready, bent over backwards to ensure my pack was protected, well cared for, healthy, and happy. I didn’t care about myself.” Flame explained.

       “When you’re a leader, when you’re an alpha, when you’re a king- your pack, your people, they look up to you. They look to you for guidance. For security. For safety." Flame explained as she slowly walked around Loki, keeping eye contact with him and a close eye on that scepter of his. "They look to you to ensure they’re fed, that their homes won’t be destroyed by enemies, that the territory you live in is safe. It’s not a peaceful, glamorous life like you seem to think. It’s painful, it’s exhausting, it’s stressful. You have to hide your emotions to ensure your enemies, or even your own people, don’t think you’re weak. You can’t cry, you can’t have off-days, you can’t get sick.” Flame pauses then, and takes a deep breath.

       “That’s why I left my home universe. I needed a better life, in a place where those around me truly, completely care for me. Not because of what I am, or what my rank is, or the power I hold, but because of the bonds I’ve created with those around me.” With that, Flame made a motion, and another door near the bar had opened. “Now, I get the feeling we should get back to fighting. Keep what I’ve told you in mind, will you?” The feline is holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, what she said made Loki change his mind about things. But, she doubts it at the same time, given his track record so far.

       Flame hadn't stuck around after that, leaping out the broken window as an armored pod followed after. Just the same as Tony had, Flame's MK2 locked onto the silver bracelets around her wrists and quickly formed up around her, allowing her to take off and join Tony in battle. She had joined Tony in the middle of a fight with Loki’s army, greeting him with a “Hey, nice suit.” as she flung herself into battle.

       "Thanks," Tony offered, before promptly shifting to the more pressing topic. "Where've you been? Had a date or something?"

       Flame had given a soft laugh at that. "You can say that." She downs another chitauri soldier and then is forced to break away from Tony, some following her and others following him. "Had a nice little chat with Loki." She continues. "Tried to knock a little sense into him."

       "Oh, he threw you out the window too?" He joked.

       "No, I did that myself." She sounded amused when she replied. "Told him being a leader isn't all it's cracked up to be. Little food for thought for him."

       "Ah, well, let's hope you got through to him."

       From there, the battle to save New York was harsh. They were completely outnumbered and outgunned. Flame offered support wherever she could, whenever she could, and took down as many of Loki’s army as she could manage. Helping Tony deal with one of those big things until Banner joined the party. She'd even locked on to Loki himself, chasing after him through the streets. Though she gave up her chase quickly to help Tony.

       The seven stand in the middle of the streets of New York, staring up at the skies, ready for battle. For a moment, feeling like things were in their favor, like the battle had been won. The people cheered for them, but Flame was still uneasy.

       "There's always waves." She reminded the team, knowing this battleplan far too well. She's used it herself many a time in her universe of origin. And, true to her word, the second wave of chitari entered Earth.

       "Guys." Natasha alerted, worried but firm, staring up at the portal. 

       "Call it, Captain." Tony offered, and Flame took her spot at Tony's side as Steve started laying out a battleplan.

       Steve hadn't hesitated, speaking with a confidence Flame herself recognized and used many times in the past. "Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment." He told the team, eyes locked on the portal and coming enemies. "Barton, I want you on that roof." He told Clint. "Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays." His attention next was on Tony and Flame. 

       "Stark, Copps, you got the perimeter." The two in question moved their heads with a quiet whirr, cold glowing eyes locked on Steve. "Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or your turn it to ash." Flame had given an eager growl at that, tail flicking and paws shifting.

       "Can you give me a lift?" Clint asks, and Tony nods with a quick "Right. Better clench up, Legolas." before grabbing Clint and immediately taking off to the ordered perch. Flame follows, not sticking around for any more orders. She has hers, she knows how to keep a perimeter, and she's eager for battle.

       All things considered, Flame and Tony both did pretty good with their assigned roles. Tony was struggling more than Flame with the strays, and Clint called it out and had given Flame a heads up as well.

       "Well, they can't bank worth a damn." Barton says through the comms. "So find a tight corner."

       While Flame gave a simple, sharp, "Understood," Tony had given a touch unsure "I will roger that." Unknown to Flame, after that transmission, Tony had continued to struggle. Flame, unable to find a tight enough corner, made one. Where she turns, they will follow, and she used that to her advantage.

       "Nice call," Tony's voice soon came over the commlinks. "What else you got?"

       Clint was quick to respond. "Well, Thor's taking on a squadron down on Sixth." 

       "And he didn't invite me." Tony mused to himself, almost disappointed. And then he was on comms again, getting Flame's attention. "Hey Firecracker, party on Sixth, be there."

       Flame had arrived as told, getting on the ground and fighting together with the other three members of the team at the location. They worked without issue, sometimes combining attacks to strike with more strength. Tony bouncing his repulsors off Steve's shield, allowing him to redirect the beam to hit multiple enemies. Flame giving Steve a boost with her wings, or shielding Tony from a strike. But just as quickly had the pair landed, did they take off at Tony's lead.

       While he knocked chitauri soldiers off of a building as he rose, Flame shot them as they fell to ensure they didn't get up. 

       The fight was drawing on too long for Flame's comfort. Too many getting hurt, the team's energy wearing down. 

       "Huh, so this is what it's like to be on the receiving end of one of my battleplans." Flame didn't sound too amused when she'd spoken to Tony of the privet commlink through their suits.

       "You didn't give him this idea did you." Came Tony's quick reply with his standard joking tone to it.

       "Oh, no, absolutely not!" Flame defends quickly, though there is a touch of amusement in her tone now. "It's a common idea, not surprised it's showing up elsewhere in the multiverse."

       They had split after that, Tony going to aid Thor at one point, only alerted to him being cornered when JARVIS had told her Stark was grounded and surrounded. She'd come in quick, harsh, a vicious metallic roar as she landed and struck down the chitauri surrounding Tony. But even with a strong entrance and the two of them fighting off the chitauri, they couldn't quite get back in the air.

       "Stark! Do you hear me?" Director Fury's voice came over the commlinks, urgent and worried. "You have a missle headed straight for the city."

       Tony and Flame weren't fairing well, both separated from each other and laid out flat against the ground. "How long?!" Came Tony's reply just before he was hit on the head.

       "Three minutes, max." Fury informed. "The payload will wipe out Midtown."

       Flame was struggling to stand, hearing the conversation and quickly getting panicked and, in turn, aggressive. "Fuck- Tony!" She felt cornered. She didn't like feeling cornered. She was in battle, feeling cornered, and she was trying to conserve what little energy she had left. But this made her lash out. There was a click from her helmet, and the jaw opened to allow Flame to shoot plasma at her foes. Armor on one forepaw opened, allowing her usage of plasma from there as well. She lashed out, bit, fought to stand while Tony fought to fly.

       "JARVIS, put everything we got into the thrusters." He ordered, and JARVIS' response was quick and firm. A simple "I just did."

       Tony attempted to take off, but a chitauri soldier was clinging to him. Flame took care of that, digging claws into the chitauri's armor to get a good grip as she stood on its back and then promptly shot plasma into its face. And then Tony was gone.

       While Tony went to deal with the nuke, Flame tried her best to continue to take down the chitar with the other Avengers, though energy on all fronts were dwindling.  

       "I can close it!" Natasha's voice rang over the commlinks. "Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down."

       "Do it!" Steve sounded panicked and exhausted, but Tony was quick to counter.

       "No, wait." He ordered. 

       Looking to the sky, Steve countered quickly. "Stark, these things are still coming." 

       "I got a nuke coming in. It's gonna blow in less than a minute." Tony explained, voice serious and words quick.

       She knew what his plan was. She hated it, it should be her going up. The creation made by humans to serve humans- she's right here and a human is going up through that portal to fuck knows where with a nuke. Flame had watched, the best she could while still locked in battle, as Tony flew the nuke up into the portal.

       JARVIS fell silent. Powered down.

       And then all the chitauri started dropping.

       The team waited a few moments, staring up at the portal, waiting for Tony to return, but Steve was the one to call it. A somber "Close it." And despite Flame's cry of protest, Natasha had closed the portal. Flame knew her suit wasn't fast enough, she couldn't push the tech any further without JARVIS' aid and he was currently offline. She couldn't beat the portal closing. But to her relief, a final figure had passed through the portal just as it had closed, falling limply through the air.

       Flame had caught Tony first, quickly having to shift directions when he'd blazed past her. As soon as her paws were on him, metal claws piercing the outer layer of his suit to ensure a grip that could not be broken, she'd spread her wings and kicked out her hind legs in front of her as she held Tony close to her, engaging the repulsors on her hind paws to aid in slowing down.

       Apparently, though, Hulk had other ideas in mind as he bodyslammed Flame and Tony both, breaking Flame's wings and damaging a building as he brought both down to ground level. Hulk had tossed the pair aside, standing with gruff huffs as Thor and Steve quickly rushed over. Thor was there first as Flame removed her claws and turned Tony over, Steve close behind. Thor had ripped the faceplate off of Tony's helmet, Flame flipping her own faceplate up to get a better look.

       Flame sat frozen, not knowing what to do. She doesn't work with humans, she doesn't know how to revive one. And apparently Steve and Thor didn't know how either, as they both sat to the side after Steve had tried to check for breathing.

       Hulk, however, had the absolutely brilliant idea to just. Roar. And it had startled Flame terribly.

       And Tony.

       "What the hell?" Tony asked, shocked and confused as Hulk gave voice to a triumphant roar. Flame simply sat down, resting an arm on her knee and bracing herself with her other hand as she stared down at Tony. "What just happened?" He asked, followed by silence from the four around him. "Please tell me nobody kissed me." That one- that got Flame to laugh.

       Steve didn't seem to find any humor in that, or maybe he was to exhausted to, because he simply focused on the mission. "We won." It was exhausted, soft, breathless. Yeah, they won. And Flame was (lovingly) upset with Tony.

       "You ever pull a stunt like that again and I swear to all you hold holy, Tony Stark, I will kill you myself." It was an empty threat, but her message had gotten across to him clearly, as he just nodded with a soft "Yeah." And then he was promptly back to his joking self.

       "Alright, yay! Hurray. Good job, guys." Weak and tired. "Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day." he suggested, and Flame couldn't help but smile and shake her head as Tony rambled on. "Have you ever tried shawarma?" Now she was quietly laughing, an armored forepaw on Tony's shoulder as he continued. "There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."

       Killjoy he is, Thor had to come in with the "We're not finished yet."

       Everybody looked at him in varying degrees of offended and disbelief, the silence deafening.

       "And then shawarma after."

       Flame wheezed.

       She helped Tony stand after that, helped him get his helmet off and helped him walk to Stark Tower. Following closely behind was Hulk, Steve, and Thor, and meeting them up top was Clint and Natasha. The seven closed in on Loki as he pulled himself up off the floor, Clint even drawing an arrow in a threat as they all stared the trickster god down.

       "If it's all the same to you," Loki started hesitantly. "I'll have that drink now."

       Then they'd gotten cleaned up and sent Thor and Loki off with the tesseract. And after everything was said and done, they'd all immediately gone out for shawarma before going on their separate ways. Flame remained by Tony's side, recovering from the battle while Tony and Pepper worked on the new Avengers Tower plans. Relaxation was far more than earned after saving the world as they had.

[viscountessevie]

Roommates [ARC Review]

Release Date: 20th September 2023  Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Spicy Level: 🌶️ My Review:

Roommates by Ola Tundan follows Ariella Mason and Caleb Black who go from being coworkers at their company, Ivory Bow to being roommates after Ariella leaves her seemingly perfect life. Ariella has followed the model minority’s life checklist: perfect job, house and soon to be spouse, Jasper. Until one day, she decides to leave it all behind. She turns up at Caleb’s apartment desperate for a place to crash and hide out from the aftermath. Caleb, an arrogant and notorious player has to make a choice of giving up his bachelor pad in exchange for an offer he can’t quite refuse from Ariella. 

I’ll be honest, I tried really hard to like this book because I was so excited to support a writer of colour writing a Black lead and who I thought would be an Indian hero. A note to the publisher and cover artist: The man on the cover is tan enough and has the signature 'Indian fuckboy' beard to be mistaken as a South Asian man.

I did also push myself to finish this book out of respect for the author and to give a thorough review. I will get to what could have been improved on and what didn’t quite connect with me later on. However, I want to focus on the positives first. 

I would like to commend Ola on writing her first full length novel! Not everyone can do that so that itself is a great feat. I think the writing was easy to read so readers can breeze through this book especially if they enjoy the themes, characters and tropes. I will always appreciate a writer of colour writing diverse characters and providing much needed representation in the modern romance genre. I also loved how she flipped the stereotypes of Black and white families! Ola showcased a loving, close knit and healthy Black family with Ariella’s while Caleb grew up in poverty and a broken home. It was a clever move that was also grounded in reality. 

As for why this book just did not hit for me: I had just finished rereading my favourite books with the roommate trope with a Black women as the lead and Indian hero (it took me nearly half the book to realise Caleb was not in fact an Indian man). I wanted to read something similar and thought this would be a comfort like the other two. However, I was faced with my two personal book icks: slow burns and love triangles. So unfortunately, this book had the odds stacked against it for me liking it. I will fully admit that my expectations for the book and the personal preferences of faster-paced books with the sole focus on the main romance tainted my reading experience. 

As for what could be improved upon: While I understand that Aari and Caleb are meant to be flawed characters, I didn’t find them likeable at all and couldn’t find it in myself to root for them. There seemed to be a disconnect between how they were described in the summary compared to their character introductions. Aari was far from perfect and Caleb felt like a teenage boy cosplaying as a womaniser. I think Ola could have spent time building up their positive traits and connect them to their ‘character templates’ before revealing them to be messy, real people. At times they also came across as whitewashed. [Though now I do know Caleb was always meant to be a white man] Ariella was very explicitly written to be a Black woman but her narrative voice came across as odd. As did her dialogue with her mother. Sometimes I had to reread their scenes together because it seemed like she was talking to a friend or sister. 

Plot wise even though it was a slow burn, the writing could have been tighter. Virtually nothing of consequence happens in the first half of the book and everything seemed to happen in the second half. The cliffhanger at the end didn’t quite feel like a cliffhanger to me. I think the structure of the novel could have been reworked to add another chapter or two to wrap up the book instead of a second full novel. It felt like a typical Act 3 climax that needed a longer ending. 

Lastly, I understand the statement Ola was trying to make with subverting the trope and giving us a few female perpetrators. That being said, it wasn’t executed well and fell flat for me. While women like them exist, it just felt like women were being unnecessarily villianised - especially since Ariella did not come across as likeable to me. 

All that said and done, I do think Ola has a lot of potential and can only go but up from here. I am really rooting for her and hope these comments aren’t taken too much to heart but help to build a better novel in the future. Despite my own hang ups on this book, I would still recommend this to those who enjoy a slow burn roommates book with deeply flawed characters, love triangles, close familial relationships and turning stereotypes on their head. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

[nekrophoria]

HIIII 🥝🥭 🍑for any OC of your choice! <3

Thank you!! <3

(My character icons are pretty outdated as well, so apologies for that ^^")

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Mel

🍑  :    how meticulously does my muse look after their physical appearance?  do they spend a lot of time on their hair,  makeup,  grooming,  and clothing?  is there a particular reason why they do or don’t? 

When Mel was a teenager he actually cared a lot, probably too much, about his appearance.

Serena would make jokes about the fact that he needed twice as long in the bathroom as her just to do his hair alone. That was slightly exaggerated on her end though.

To Mel focusing on his appearance was mainly an attempt to get his insecurities and dislike for himself under control. He had certain (sometimes rather conflicting) images in his head of how he wanted or was supposed to look but despite his best efforts he could never quite get it right.

These days Mel isn't really in a position to focus or at the very least do anything about his appearance, given his living situation. It's still on his mind from time to time though...it's a complicated subject all around for him.

The only time he sees himself is in the crusty bathroom mirrors of public toilets or when he passes a storefront window, and while he doesn't go out of his way to avoid it he's still not overly keen on perceiving himself.

Nowadays he switches between being completely disconnected from his appearance to  feeling immense shame and self hatred to getting a grim kind of gratification from that.

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Lyall

🥝  :    does my muse have any  ‘  unusual  ’  habits,  interests,  and  /  or talents?  do they hide it,  or are they proud of it? 

Lyall almost has a sixth sense for people. He can observe a person and assess how they feel, what they fear, what they want, what they need. And 9 our of 10 times he's correct with his assumption.

Although he perceives it as a gift (as well as a curse) to some degree he's still not proud of it for two reasons

1) it has a pretty grim background. It mostly stems from the fact that he had to assess his surroundings almost constantly as a child. Being able to read the room was necessary for survival to him.

2) He feels that being proud of it would cloud his judgement and hinder him more than anything.

He's also got a knack for solving riddles, puzzles, brain teasers of any kind. (Something he used to annoy Alev with on occasion when she was still a kid)

Again, not something he's particularly proud of. Although he thinks it speaks for his ability to think outside the box and not take everything at face value, which he definitely is proud of although he probably wourdn't admit it.

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

Roland

🥭  :    how important to my muse is their hometown,  or where they’re from?  are they proud of it,  or considered a hometown hero?  did they move away,  or do they wish to?

Roland has always been a bit of an involuntary drifter at heart. He finds it difficult to build connections to places.

The city he was born in, Omsk he has absolutely no connection towards anymore. He moved away from there when he was very young and he's only been there once since, because he wanted to know what it's like. But it just didn't feel like home to him.

Dublin, where he grew up, also doesn't have much meaning too him anymore.

His parents cast him out after his discharge from the military which basically eradicated any feeling of home he had for this place.

He spent some time in the US after that but inevitably decided to go back to the UK. He's been living in England since and at this point point he feels somewhat at home there...though not really in a sentimental sense. It's more of a "Fuck you, I'm settling. I ain't going anywhere anymore" kind of attitude.

[ac-liveblogs]

Personally, if lb6 is any indication I think fgo's plan is to have Mash replace Galahad. I've thought that since I saw Mash call herself Fairy Knight Galahad and then all the dialogue with characters referring to Mash as Galahad but better, etc. Either way I don't think things will go smoothly for Galahad if he even gets into fgo.

I've been meditating on Mash succeeding as the "new Galahad", but LB6 didn't convince me that it's going to happen. Mash found a lot of joy and purpose in acting as Fairy Knight Galahad and the Knight of Sheffield, but I didn't read that as Mash needing to literally become Galahad; it was that acting -with amnesia- under his name, gave her the opportunity to act without restraint and show us the kind of person she is at the core, and what kinds of things are important to her. And, even without knowing her purpose or the reason she was made, she's a person that selflessly protects.

And she chose to defeat Barghest, earning Gawain and Lancelot's approval, not because it was practical or even definitively the right thing to do - the only thing at stake was Barghest’s reputation. She just did it because she cares about Barghest. So, as far as I can tell, FK Galahad (and Galahad himself) are more... narrative tools to show us Mash’s state of mind, rather than her inevitable future? Hmm.  

I found it interesting that Galahad's powers didn't really help Mash in the fight with Cernunnos at all; she needed to make use of the Black Barrel, a power that was out of her reach but was returned to her once Habetrot was sure she was ready to use it again. LB6 read as Mash getting her feet back and determining, using her own morality, what she wants to use her powers to protect - both her power as a hero of the shield, and as the bearer of the destructive power of the Black Barrel. This is something she especially needed to figure out now that things are less black and white than in part 1.

And not only have some of the barriers holding her back from Galahad been removed, it is now (thanks to Habetrot) infinitely easier for her to use the Black Barrel. I can't help but see parallels between Galahad and Habetrot's current function as the, uh, Guardian Fairy of the Black Barrel... or whathaveyou.

Mash's issues in part 3 have been relating to her insecurities regarding her actions and motivations, resulting in her disconnect from Galahad in the first place. That might mean she ends up figuring out her own path without him, or it might mean she ends up situationally bouncing between Ortenix/Black Barrel and Lord Camelot... I think it would be pretty reductive to just make Mash the new Galahad and ditch the old one instead of becoming a new hero in her own right, but it could certainly still happen. Just not sure how I'd feel about it, and how the Black Barrel would fit into it. Unless Habetrot just jacks that forever? I'm not entirely sure what's going on there. I’m still making my way through Tunguska. (Yeah, yeah, I know... I cleared Traum first, geh)

She'll certainly still be considered among the Knights of the Round no matter what, but, I mean. So are the Fairy Knights, Castoria and Gray.

The "Galahad-but-better" stuff was in reference to the power boost Mash got while acting as Fairy Knight Galahad - her permabuffs and being boosted to lv100 and such. A year plus on I can't quite remember if it was the inherent power of being granted Fairy Knighthood, her jacking her own fame boost due to time travel or what, but it was conditional on her being active in Fairy Britain and we were told at the end of the chapter that "Super Kyrielight" wouldn't be sticking around once the LB collapsed. It wasn't that she's literally superior to Galahad forever and always, it's just that under those circumstances she was hella jacked and could probably benchpress him.

Though at the end of the day, I just want him to be interesting. I hope I'll at least get that, regardless of anything else.

[dairy-farmer]

the recent failsafe arc in the batman comics has so much potential for brutim. (SPOILERS!) so failsafe's an android that bruce created, meant to take him down if he crossed the line, to be able to do that, bruce modeled failsafe after batman without all the compassion. skip to the end of the arc: their last resort is to program compassion into failsafe, but failsafe "kills" bruce. turns out failsafe's compassion manifests as fucking the grief out of tim like bruce did when tim's parents died.

😍😍😍😍😍😍 i LOVE LOVE LVOE LOVEEEEEEEEE scenarios where the only solution is to fuck tim. the idea of bruce's most pure and essential form of showing compassion was in something that happened years ago between him and tim is sooooo good. i love the idea that bruce fucked tim only once, the day of his father's funeral.

jack's funeral was small, very small. as in he and tim were the only attendees. bruce had taken charge of announcing as such, telling other capes and heroes who wanted to give their condolences and pay their respects that the ceremony was going to be small and that he'd appreciate it if they respected tim's wishes while he was in his grief. some of them had listened to the mass email he sent but others....the atom had been so regretful standing at the door to wayne manor. bruce had seen how deep the guilt had been carved into his eyes as he shifted from food to foot. ray and tim hadn't known each other well, the two of them operated in different circles which is what made ray's appearance at the door that much more...painful. ray blamed himself, everyone could see it. but no one, not even capes, can predict when someone will just...snap.

jean had always been a very intense woman and bruce had seen how badly the divorce had taken its toll on both ray and jean. it'd been...ugly to say the least.

ray had stuttered, his eyes cast down to the ground and highlighting the dark bags under his eyes. he'd stumbled with his words lacking all the assertiveness of his usual tone. bruce had watched ray shrink down to microscopic size in the palm of his hand but never had he looked smaller than in that moment.

tim was an orphan. he'd lost his father, the last of his family. his step mother was in the psyche ward of a hospital because she'd had a complete disconnect with reality and crashed the family car...while time had been inside.

tim was staying with bruce for a few days leading up to the funeral, bruce had been trying to figure out a way to broach the topic of tim staying with him while dana healed and...there was a possibility she wouldn't recover and if she did she may not be able to care for tim so....maybe the arrangement would be better made permanent.

ray had offered apologies, made a hesitant request to see tim before backtracking and biting down on his lip looking all the world like he was wondering what he was even doing there.

in the end ray just raspily asked if bruce could tell tim that he was so so so...sorry. for everything.

jack's death is not easy on tim.

bruce had needed to pull tim's trembling body away from the scene. he'd wrapped him in his cape and planted him on a nearby rooft before returning to collect all evidence that tim or robin had been present. he returned to tim's catatonic form that hadn't moved an inch just as the police siren were rounding the corner.

tim is incapable of making any decisions. he and dana were on their way to an appointment at the funeral home before the crash happened landing dana in the psyche ward and tim in the emergency room nursing a fractured wrist from blocking the airbag

tim can't make the decisions like what flowers to put on his father's grave. the casket. what clothing and accesories he'd be dressed in where he was going to be buried. what kind of service would be held, should a priest say a few meaningful words or would it be a quiet, open casket viewing affair. had jack drake even been religious enough to warrent it? someone needed to pay for security to prevent blood thirsty bottom of the barrel reporters from getting in. what was tim going to wear that day. how would they get there.

funerals were a lot of work and as bruce made calls and slowly made arrangements he couldn't imagine asking someone about the cost of a hearse to transport the body while feeling the gutted pulsing pain of loss in his chest. alfred had been the one to do the arrangements for his parents funeral. and the only reason bruce knows who to call when tim's father dies is because they'd been the same services he'd used when jason had...

bruce stares at tim's vacant eyes during breakfast and feels it tug at something in his chest. the sight of a small, hunched over figure looking like they were going to throw up in their neat, black suit.

it reminds bruce too fiercely of the day of his parent's funeral. how he'd been pinching his wrist the entire day to keep from letting the tears overflow. he hadn't eaten anything for days following his parents death.

tim was the same. leaving untouched food left outside his door.

bruce's mind does not stop making connections the whole day, seeing some overlap of himself in tim as he quietly listens to a priest recite soft words about jack drake as bruce braces a steadying hand on tim's trembling shoulder.

it was just them.

a small service is what bruce had said it would be and that's what it was.

alfred was staying with dick for a few days both of them understanding that tim was in a...delicate state.

bruce had promised them both he'd call them if he needed them.

as the service drags on bruce grips tim tighter, steadying him more as he feels him begin to crumple more and more.

bruce feels a decades-old echo of tim's pain ring in his chest.

the final bit of dirt settles over jack's grave and it's over. done with.

timothy jackson drake is now an orphan.

bruce isn't sure what compels him to hug tim tightly when they return to the manor. he tries to let tim feel every bit of compassion he can into the action. but he's not dick who can fix broken insides with a hug. he's also a man who isn't good with words. every time he speaks he makes things worse.

he can feel tim shaking, he can hear his restrained sobs, he can feel as tim's little hands scramble for purchase on his back, desperate to hold onto him- to hug him back.

bruce isn't sure anything could've healed the grief that had filled him the da of his parent's funeral. but he does his best.

somehow his best is him pinning tim down on the carpeted floor in front of the warm fireplace and swallowing his sobs as he saws his cock gently in and out of him. tim's cheeks are red, his eyes streaming tears as he hiccups and stares at bruce unblinkingly with every tilt of his hips.

tim's sobs are interspersed with soft, almost confused moans and breathy sounds.

bruce is being careful, gentle, only pressing in half his cock to get tim used to the size. he's not wearing a condom, letting tim feel the full extent of his warmth. if bruce were in the better and more rational state of mind he would be the next day he'd have realized how wrong he was to do that. but the bruce of the moment only feels gentle care in letting nothing be between him and tim. no barriers, no lies.

just pure devotion, comfort, and the promise that tim was okay and safe with bruce.

bruce has his elbows resting on either side of tim's head, his hands cupping tim's face and stroking back strand of his hair as he gently fucks his little hole open.

tim's legs are slack and on either side of bruce, spread wide and open and allowing bruce to fuck in a little deeper and punch out a gut-deep sigh out of tim.

neither of them cum for several minutes. bruce isn't going fast or hard enough to evoke on orgasm out of either of them. in the beginning, pressing his cock into tim was just a way for them to get...closer.

kissing tim hadn't been sincere enough. letting his tongue press into the warm, saliva sweetened mouth hadn't tim to fully understand that bruce was there for him.

bruce had stripped off their clothes for them, undoing his ties and the buttons of tim's dress shirt before peeling off the black slacks covering his slim legs. skin to skin had let tim shiver at the warm contact between them but he'd still been whimpering and letting out soft sobs, avoiding bruce's eyes.

it was only when bruce pressed him to the floor and met his eyes that tim had finally let the dam break and cried. heaving sobs that scraped his lungs so badly he'd started coughing. bruce had murmured soft words and comfort to tim, whispering and telling him it was okay to cry. to cry and cry until that horrible pain inside him was no longer killing him. to not do what bruce had done and hold it inside until the pain drowned him.

let it out tim. let it all out.

bruce had started fucking tim at some point. both their bodies had been bare and pressed together, rolling on the floor together until the head of bruce's cock popped into tim's little opening.

tim was small. a lot smaller than bruce. small enough that bruce knew he had to be careful as he fed more of his cock into tim's baby pussy.

it was a slow process. fucking tim took several minutes until he was wet and open enough to let bruce snap his hips forward.

he and tim didn't orgasm initially. neither of them feeling some intense arousal or desire until bruce started going faster and harder.

only when bruce is fucking tim hard enough to bruise with his balls slapping wetly against him does tim start letting out soft whines that aren't from grief.

the orgasm comes quick after that.

the two of them are breathless and frozen. just lying still and hearing each other's heartbeats slow down again.

then it's like a dam breaks.

tim's tears are just tried salty tracks on his cheeks as he flips them around and begins fiercely grinding against bruce until he's hard again. it's almost animalistic the way tim is so desperate for it. his movements are clumsy and inexperienced. he doesn't even fully ride bruce or bounce on his cock- he instead remains fully seated, the lips of his cunt split open and kissing bruce's bare pelvis, and grinds down, whipping his hips back and forth and clenching on bruce until both their mouthes fall open with short 'ah ah ah's'.

they don't stop for the rest of the day and well into the night.

in the morning they both collect their clothes and shower. then they do it again.

in tim's room. in bruce's room. on the stairs. in each of their bathrooms.

they never talk about it. neither of them ever brings it up or alludes to it.

they just bury it as something that happened between them in that weird weightless day after tim's dad's funeral.

they bury it six feet under like they did tim's father.

until failsafe.

because just because bruce never talked to tim or anyone about it doesn't mean it dind't roll around in his head some nights while he lay awake or when he programmed an android with his very essence.

when they program compassion into failsafe to save bruce's life they think it will do so by abiding to tim's own ironclad moral compass of the belief that everything deserved a chance to live and survive.

instead failsafe turns it's attention to tim.

and bruce watches as his most sincere and selfless act of compassion is once again directed at tim. who is near tears and dripping with distress and desperation to save his father. his batman.

[blueberry-patches]

The Cursed Immortal

“You cannot kill me in a way that matters. … Or maybe you can! You should submit a murder proposal to my assistant, in that case. Could make you very, very rich.”

Here I Am by The Crane Wives - current character song

“From this day forth, your body will be eternally unaging. You shall have no need to fear anything which can strip life from mortal kind. No illness nor injury, no poison nor weapon, no magic nor curse - whatever may try to strike you down, you will always rise again at the coming of the dawn.”

A knight/warrior/hero born in the mid Bronze Age who had the favor and ire of many gods and sorcerers. A powerful demigod "blessed" them with an ability that brings them back to life no matter how they die. Old age, illness, poison, injury, hostile magic - nothing can kill this individual and keep them down. At first, this blessing was seen as a boon to them. But as more time passed and they realized this meant they would inevitably watch every mortal they would ever meet die, they came to resent it.

To say these deadly things have no effect would be wrong, as well. If you cut off their head, then their head will still be very much cut off. If you poison them they will go through the course of it until they die. If they contracted rabies they would die from that as well. They’d just get up again at the next dawn, in the same physical state they had been when the blessing was first placed. They remember the pain and sensations of whatever killed them, but they do not suffer cognitive or physical decline from these deaths. Their body has stopped aging simply due to the fact that cellular death and regrowth has reached an equilibrium to prevent true death. However, they do not have an accelerated healing factor - just immunity from death. They can and do scar, although scars acquired after the blessing will disappear if they die and resurrect. Sometimes, they will choose to kill themselves rather than wait for a serious injury to heal naturally.

Due to being functionally immortal, they have acquired a massive fortune from thousands of years of mercenary work. They have been at the right hand of kings and emperors, and they have lived for decades in the wilderness. As more and more time passes, they go through longer periods of being connected and disconnected from humanity. They have spent the past 90 years searching for a way to die permanently, but they’re beginning to get bored of it. In modern times, they’re an absolute legend. They’re the best mercenary and bounty hunter in the world, both mundane and magical.

Anyone who’s anyone in magical, mercenary, or black market circles knows about the bounty they placed on themselves. If you can kill them in a way that they can’t come back from, and they manage to stay dead for a week, then their entire fortune will be yours. However, you have to present your murder plan to them Shark Tank style. If it’s all things that have been tried before, they’ll maim you for wasting their time. They’ve recently hired an Executive Assistant to manage murder applications, so they don’t have to waste all their time in murder meetings. They and their EA have been working together for 7 years now. When the EA was first hired, it was because the Cursed Immortal had put out a Billy Mays-style infomercial ad for the bounty on their own head. EA responded and told them they would need someone to manage all the applications and, in the event that someone managed to truly kill them, the estate transfers. EA will get 10% of the fortune upon their death.

Morally, they’re rather gray, but they’ve never slipped into true evil. Somewhere between Chaotic Neutral and Neutral Good in modern day, although many think they’re True Neutral and care only for themselves and those they’ve claimed as their own. When they initially received their blessing they oscillated between Lawful Good and Neutral Good, depending on whether the laws agreed with their own personal code. In modern day, they can count the number of living people they actually give a shit about on one hand, with fingers to spare. They respect quite a few people, but that doesn’t mean they care about them. Anyone who crosses them is killed without mercy. They believe that sometimes the most good you can do for someone is putting them out of their misery. And sometimes, the most good you can do for the world is killing a bastard who deserves it.

Very much the type of person who, if someone said to them “If you kill a murderer then the number of murderers in the world remains the same,” they would just respond “Then don’t stop at one, obviously. Kill several murderers, get some serial killers or mass shooters. Way less murder victims with vengeful ghosts will be around if you keep that up for a while.” “But then you just have vengeful ghosts that were violent killers before dying!” “Yeah, so then you kill the ghosts, I dunno why you aren’t getting this still.” “You can’t just kill ghosts!” “Maybe you can’t. Sounds like a skill issue to me.”

They do, in fact, know how hard it is to kill ghosts. But they also like pissing off people that annoy them so the banter works great for that. Personality like a blend between Slade Wilson, Gregory House, and Odysseus.

[roobylavender]

I’m thinking about Clark and actually Talia now because of Kory. Like you said in you other ask about not having no other place to turn to if there is failure. Like Clark has the Kents. The other titans for the better part had other homes and heroes to turn to. And we can talk about her relationship with the other titans as well but I do think because Dick was that lover and friend he did have this role that to Kory was like it was him. And for better and worse they were there together for it. And I think that’s why it bugs me too when writers later just have them shake hands and be like yeah we are friends lol because that relationship meant something to both of them and it meant a lot more than just a romantic relationship. So the fall out of that to me at least should have been so much bigger and I feel like at times they only focuses on Dick in this aspect. Dick went back what we now see and know as the bat family. Where has Kory gone? And I think for me that’s important too because I feel like at one point Dick would have felt like he was on par with Kory in this aspect and probably would have felt like he understand not having parents and coming from a different world to a new one, but the reality was that Dick did have Bruce and later the rest of those characters. Gosh it’s just makes me sad for Kory and I wish they had explored that even more.

that last part! i think that is really one of the most gaping disconnects between them (that admittedly is exacerbated by certain writers’ dedication to dramatizing the relationship between dick and bruce far beyond where it needs to go) is that dick is kind of ignorant of just how much he is blessed with like it’s not perfect obv there are things to iron out but if he falls bruce will always be there to pick up the pieces bc he loves dick and for kory yes she has her friends but it’s still different bc her friends have other people. they don’t exist for her sake the way bruce exists for dick’s sake or ollie exists for roy’s sake and so on and so forth. that kind of irrevocable connection between you and someone you know will be there to cushion regardless of whatever happens is something that was utterly shattered for her with the way she was treated by her family and it would realistically have a huge impact on her to lose it again when she thought she was rebuilding it with dick. i just hate that she has no one like that to turn to. no one she can exclusively consider her person. that’s why the idea of her having a child in main continuity really speaks to me (and with talia as well). in a world where she had no one to consistently rely on to break her fall it would have meant the world for her to know she could at least be that everything to someone else